Post by Clara Reed on Nov 23, 2016 7:32:07 GMT -6
 | PLAYED BY: Kurosashiko AGE: Twenty-Five (25) BIRTH DATE: May (13) | GENDER: Female OCCUPATION: Huntress/Special Operative RACE: Human |
| Clara Reed | ||
★ APPEARANCE
Clara is of average height standing at around 172cm (5 feet 7 inches) and weighing in at a relatively light 87.54kg (193 pounds) for a full-body cyborg due to her size and structure. She has a fair complexion to match her platinum, almost white, bob-cut hair and crystalline aquamarine eyes often hidden behind a veil of some sort. Bodily she was modeled after an extrapolated version of what her body would look like as it aged and has undergone several refitting's over the years as she matured lending her own bits of influence here and there as she went. Needless to say, she is attractive and does pride herself in that fact having had a hand in the voluptuous nature of her prosthetic body. However, beyond beauty she has also taken to – within her last refitting – to ensure that her body is a functional toned piece as well spending much time detailing the musculature of its form to mesh with her lifestyle. While it is simply an aesthetic choice this body and its appearance is very much representative of her and the type of person that she envisions herself as mixed in with the natural order of her own development to ensure is realism in contrast to her natural growth as a Human being.
As far as her fashion sense goes, normally whatever fits what she's doing at that point and time is fine with her. Clara really isn't very picky when it comes to her fashion and has a utilitarian stance on most outfits given the nature of her work. However, she does have her favorites when she has the ability to choose, one of them being the dress she often will be seen wearing. Its risqué boasting a revealing embellishment over her chest, slits up the sides for added range of motion, feather adornments on the mid-drift of the full-length sleeves, and it comes paired with sheer black thigh-high stockings as well as a pair of thigh-high high-heeled boots. If she can get away with it she'll often go for this kind of outfit as her go-to but she's also been seen in tactical gear, more common clothing choices, and even dressed down casually. She does however go for darker clothing choices overall finding that it accentuates her coloring in a flattering way. While it's not a necessity necessarily she does certainly enjoy it when it's an option.
★ PERSONALITY
★ HISTORY
Clara was born some twenty-five years ago on a rainy Wednesday afternoon on the thirteenth day in the month of May. From the get-go her birth was abnormal having been fraught with complications that had taken their toll on her nameless unwed mother as she struggled and strained to give birth to no avail, eventually expiring just after having Clara. It seemed the skies above the Kingdom of Pinnacle even wept that day as little Clara was carried off by the doctors and the coroner was called in to pronounce her biological mother dead. Her legacy, Clara, was the only thing the young woman had left behind bringing the doctors to take decisive action to ensure the little girls' proper treatment and care as she grew older. Without another guardian to claim her they arranged for the nearby Cela Monastery to take her. This was where she would spend the first years of her life amidst the denizens of a small orphanage the monastery's monks ran, a home for the displaced and forgotten.
Though despite her troubled origins Clara would grow up quickly with a thirst for knowledge despite her weak constitution. By the time she was only three years old she was learning to read at an alarming rate soaking up and spouting off words as the monks taught her them to their elation. Not long after when she was only four years old Clara cracked open her first book sitting amidst the dusty annals of the monastery's library, sounding out the words at first, and coming to understand them only months after that. Her progress was incredible by all standards prompting the monks to begin her studies younger than the rest at four and a half years old. Though, at the same time, while she excelled academically she was a notably frail girl and often sick which effectively saw her excluded her from the activities her peers were endeavoring on. While it didn't seem to bother her much it did raise red flags amongst her caregivers for a number of reasons which in the end they would come to eventually brush off as a facet of Clara's nature. In the meantime they instead did their best to meet her needs, taking care of her the days she didn't feel well, and supplying her with whatever her young mind yearned for when they could.
By the age of six Clara's illnesses seemed almost a daily occurrence adding to the growing concern over her so much so that the head monks had debated several times taking her to the hospital. Although, when she didn't feel well it seemed more like a cold rather than anything life-threatening bringing them to understandably feel that their worries might've been unjustifiable. Ultimately they would chalk it up to a weaker immune system and would do their best to keep her health up as Clara simply went through her days none the wiser. In Clara's eyes, she hadn't felt well most of her life bringing her often to hand-wave much of the symptoms as a part of her day to day routine at this point and coming to focus more on what she enjoyed. To that end, in the years that had passed and having been bedridden Clara had taken heavily to her books reading up on all sorts of different subjects from science and history, to art and literature, to mathematics and more. Anything that she could get to read she would power through it often taking notes on what she'd read in a spiral bound journal that the monks had given her. Though, she did have her favorites among the subjects and particularly one called computer science. It detailed things that were fascinating telling about terminals, scrolls, and all sorts of other technological feats she'd seldom seen in the monasteries and their inner workings. It went over programmatic languages, algorithms, data structures, computational engineering, databases and networking, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and even things like cryptography and the science behind virtual security. It was certainly Clara's bread and butter as it were and something that she'd consistently asked for when the monks brought her a new supply of books.
However, by the age of seven even that intense thirst for knowledge would fail Clara when one day she collapsed upon getting out of bed to retrieve another book over on the desk that was in her room. The sound of her collapsing on the floor alerted the monks who found her unconscious between her bed and her desk prompting them to rush her to the nearest hospital; the hospital where she was born on the outskirts of the Cela Monastery. Upon getting there she'd been roused from her unplanned slumber and had begun complaining that her legs felt weak and that she couldn't move them. With that information the doctors took over for the monks rushing her into the emergency room where they would do routine tests – blood work, checking her vitals, doing a physical examination, asking questions, and the like – and would come back hours later with a startling revelation. Clara had a very rare and terminal neurodegenerative disease that affected her lower motor neurons similar to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis called Melanthios's Syndrome. They couldn't say for sure how long she had to live but the diagnosis was grim to say the least and was a sobering moment for the little girl whose dreams and aspirations seemed to shatter before their very eyes as tears began to trickle down her cheeks and dripped off the tip of her chin. It was a low blow that would set the tone for the months to come as Clara grew weaker and reserved herself to her fate.
Two weeks after the diagnosis Clara was moved to a larger facility in the heart of Pinnacle's capital where they could better provide care for her needs. Most of what the doctors and nurses did there though was supportive care at best aside from general pain management and life support services. However, things would ultimately get worse, not better, and three months into her stint at the hospital Clara would find herself on several machines vital to helping her stay alive. It certainly was no way to live, especially not for a child, but it wasn't all bad either since often times the monks would pay her visits coming to read to her, or sing, or even to pray for her well-being though Clara didn't see the point. Of course it didn't change anything, she was still ultimately going to die, but the fact that they'd come out of their way to care for her in her final days was enough to brighten her day. Besides the monks, the nurses and doctors in the hospital also helped brighten up her day often trying to cheer her up when they would come by to take her vitals and see how she was doing. Though, one doctor in particular stood out above the rest; her name was Maria Reed and she was one of the chief residents at the hospital who would often come by personally to see how Clara was holding up. Every time she'd come by she'd spend a solid half of an hour with the girl chatting, taking her vitals, and administering any medication she might have needed as well as to see if she could get her anything. While it may have just been excellent bedside manner it was something that Clara looked forward and had become something of a bright spot in the dark days that would lay ahead.
Months would pass as Clara's condition continued to deteriorate with little hope in sight for any sort've remission. Time was running out and the medical staff at the hospital knew it giving her less than a year to live unless something miraculous happened within that time. Though, in the end, fate would have different plans for Clara when one day during one of their visits Clara accidently slipped up and referred to Maria as her mother. Maria paused a moment and simply smiled continuing her work as silence filled the space between them before asking Clara if she'd ever thought about being adopted. Sheepishly Clara would respond as Maria reiterated the question coming to ask her what Clara would think if she wanted to adopt her. Of course it came as a shock to Clara who wasn't sure what to say at first and eventually asking Maria to come over to her bedside for a moment before asking her to hug her. Using what strength she had left Clara tilted her head and weakly nuzzled it into Maria's with a tear-filled resounding yes rolling off of her lips and a smile piquing between the two amidst it all. Although Clara was unsure why Maria would want to adopt a little girl who was dying she didn't ask questions. She simply let it be knowing that if anything, in the end, she would have someone – a mother – who would remember her lovingly.
During the proceeding months after that Maria would begin to get the ball rolling and would come to file the proper paperwork to adopt Clara legally. After a short wait and a few impromptu hospital meetings with an appointed social worker the adoption would finally go through just before Clara's eight birthday making Maria Clara's legal guardian and parent. It was a momentous occasion and one that the two celebrated with a small gathering in Clara's hospital room with the physicians, nurses, and some of the monks from the monastery who had taken care of her. Though, when the small soiree had drawn to a close and everyone had left the hospital room one final surprise lay in store for the little girl. Just before her bedtime Maria approached Clara with an idea that she'd been toying with for a while that was about as invasive as it got but one that might have saved her life. It was a semi-rare process known as full-body cyberization that barrowed the principles of attaching a cybernetic prosthesis – such as a cybernetic limb – to a human body and expanded on it. In this case it was the process of removing a living Human brain, encasing it a titanium shell, wiring the brains synapses to it to facilitate an artificial nervous system, and placing it inside of a cybernetic chassis modeled to look and function as an artificial Human body. Needless to say the process was risky with the mortality rate sitting just below fifty percent but at the same time the benefits of such a procedure were unprecedented and so much so that Maria felt that Clara would be a good candidate for it.
Of course upon hearing it Clara was taken aback having never thought of such a possibility but having read on the topic of cybernetic prosthesis' years prior. Needless to say she was familiar with process more or less but at the same time despite its benefits it was a huge decision. Her body was obviously not going to get better given how far the disease had progressed. In fact, if anything it was going to get worse until she finally passed away from some form of systemic organ failure. She was just unsure if she could justify doing such as thing as a means to live not to mention the prospect of dying during the operation admittedly scared her as it would have anyone. Though, the alternative in this case was a slow agonizing death that could've dragged on for years in the worst case scenario. That made making the decision hard but ultimately after a night of thinking it over and speaking with her mother on it eventually Clara would agree to the procedure. In the grand scope of things she was going to die either way but at least this way gave her a sliver of a chance that she hadn't had prior to that. So, with that much settled, the two of them discussed the specifics of it further coming to set the date to perform the operation three months after her eighth birthday. In the meantime they would come to do a series of scans and examinations of Clara's body as a means of creating her artificial replica ensuring that if all things went well she'd be able to develop along the same lines as she would've naturally.
When the day finally arrived they wheeled Clara into the operating room with her mother in tow reassuring Clara that she would be alright. Once in the operating room Clara was greeted by a myriad of staff who would come to support the procedure in their own ways and who immediately went to work going over the rundown of what they were going to do and the road plan ahead as far as they could perceive. Once that was taken care of Clara was put under a powerful anesthetic and hooked up to devices that would monitor her vital signs as skilled aura workers gathered around to underpin the medical staff's efforts. Meanwhile, as they commenced with the grueling sixty plus hour operation, the cyberneticists that were called in went to constructing a neural cradle unique to Clara that would replace her damaged brainstem and spinal cord. With everyone making efforts in their own profession in the operating room it seemed much like choreographed dance fraught with peaks and valleys of success and peril as they mitigated and traversed the many unforeseen hazards coming to finally liberate Clara from her mortal coil some thirty hours into the process. Semblances would direct much of the rest of the operation from there as the pale matter was encased in a sort of stasis field generated by the aura workers and was situated in the newly constructed neural cradle as they went to running circuitry through the various parts of her cerebrum. After being poked and prodded Clara's cerebral matter was encased in a titanium shell and subsequently that shell was filled with an artificial cerebrospinal electrorheological fluid that would act to cushion it and further protect it from harm. Once this was done the painstaking process of inserting the braincase along with its neural cradle into the prosthesis was put underway as the cyberneticists took center stage to perform the calibrations and adjust the connections as necessary for the procedure to be a success.
In the end they would close the prosthesis and insert a series of cords into the ports on the back of Clara's neck that would upload the operational kernel, its interface, its applications, its subroutines, its dependencies, and more necessary for it to function. In addition to that they would attach two larger cables with magnetic locks to the surface of her synthetic skin that would act as a power conduit for the first twenty-four hours to ensure her power cells' longevity. Finally, once the necessary software had finished uploading into Clara's systems, the aura workers dropped their stasis field as the staff awaited breathlessly watching the electroencephalogram for signs of brain activity. Claps and smiles erupted through the deafening hush moments later as patterns consistent with stage four REM (Random Eye Movement) sleep began trickling in suggesting that the operation had indeed succeeded. Of course, Clara was not out of the woods yet but the team was confident and satisfied with their results as they all congratulated one another and filed out of the room to get some much deserved rest and relaxation after cleaning up and transferring Clara's new body to the post-operative ward. By the next day Clara still lay unconscious post-operative care wing as Maria sat with her tentatively and nervously waiting for her daughter to wake up. Eventually, a little over twenty-seven hours after the operation, Clara would rouse opening her eyes for the first time as she groggily took in the blurry room around her which was slowly making its way into focus, finally coming to a stop when she set her sights on Maria. The woman smiled at her from above caressing her cheek receiving a half-asleep smile back as Clara clumsily moved her legs and extended her fingers only to recoil them once more moments later whilst still in bed. At that moment if Maria hadn’t been convinced that it was a success before this much had certainly proved it. Furthermore, it proved that while she may not have biologically given birth to Clara there was no doubt she had given her life anew and that she was indeed the little girls' mother.
For nearly six months after the procedure Clara would remain in the hospital undergoing physical therapy to acclimate her to the prosthetic body and to ensure that a resurgence of the disease that had almost taken her life wouldn't resurface. Throughout that time she received regular diagnostics and maintenance to fine tune any sort of anomalous happenings with her neural net cradle and to ensure that the connections between her biological and cybernetic counterparts were being correctly transcoded. Once everything checked out and they were sure of the integrity of her architecture and biological health Clara's mother came to pull some strings calling in several aura specialists to examine Clara. While they were sure that the operation had been a success – albeit a perilous one – the question of if Clara still retained her natural aura was more or less up in the air. They had seen signs during her preliminary examinations suggesting that it still remained intact but ultimately only a skilled specialist in that field could determine that within the realms of certainty. To this end, for the last month of her stint in the hospital, and in conjunction with her daily routine, the aura specialists began shadowing Clara amongst performing specific technologically aided examinations to determine if her aura had remained. It took weeks of observation, awkward and rather annoying encounters, and a slew of lengthy examinations for the aura specialists to determine that in fact Clara's natural aura still was very much intact. It was still weak from what she'd endured as well as locked up and there was no guarantee that it would ever be the same as it would've been had she been healthier but it was there nevertheless.
With that much out of the way, and to both Maria's and Clara's relief, after years of spending her life dying and then recuperating in the hospital Clara finally took her first steps outside a little before her ninth birthday. It was a momentous occasion for Clara given the grim outlook she'd been given only a half of a year prior and one that would sweep her up in a whirlwind of excitement as she traversed the city finding herself in her new home soon after. There she'd find both friends and gifts awaiting her amidst a party in her honor that would last well into the night before dying down. Later that night she would find herself in her new body, in her new home, with her new mother being tucked into bed safe and sound for once like a normal child, free from fear and sickness. At that moment it dawned on Clara that she'd truly defied the odds escaping the black clutches of death and finding herself amidst the warm bosom of a haven fated to be hers. It was an indescribable feeling and one that would linger about her for the longest time as she settled into her daily routine in the Reed household. Although, with time everything fades and the euphoria of just being alive was no exception as the years passed and the mundanity of that life began to take a foothold.
It was a slow process of course but one that would cultivate the feelings of monotony with time as Clara found herself adrift in the sea of her humdrum life around the age of eleven often repeating the same routine as if it were stuck on an infinite loop. Often times she would find herself going to school, coming home to an empty house, going about her studies, and finally ending up in bed by the end of the evening with few exceptions besides when her mother would take her in for a checkup. Moreover, with Maria's busy schedule she often wasn't around much paving the way for Clara to feel lonely during those long absent nights. Of course she knew that Maria couldn't help it given her position but at the same time she longed for the days when her mother would spend hours with her which seemed increasingly rare those days. Though Maria knew this as well having sensed a paradigm shift in Clara's mood over the years prompting her to do what she could to remedy the girls' loneliness. As a result she would come to purchase Clara a terminal of her own for her eleventh birthday remembering how much she enjoyed computer science when she was younger to an elated Clara's surprise. It would seem that it was just what she needed as the act didn't go unnoticed and Clara excitedly went to using it over the next months, exploring what she could do with it.
Though ultimately Clara came to find that even such magnificent things grew dull with time as one reached their boundaries and began yearning for more. This eventually lead to a resurgence early on of her interests in computer science as she took to refreshing herself on the subject and using the terminal to apply what she had learned years prior. To this end, over time she found herself slowly but surely exercising this knowledge at first by doing small things such as tweaking her systems' programmatic properties. Later on she would delve into more advanced topics coming to write small snippets of code that over a series of experiments she would expand on by writing in more elaborate and robust functions. Eventually by the time that she was only a little past eleven and a half years old Clara had come to understand several mainstream programming languages and was using her skills day in and day out to build on her applied knowledge. Though, this wasn't quite enough for her and with time she would begin exploring the seedier sides of her fascination when she ventured out into the net with her skills. This much would set Clara on the path to becoming a hacker as she tested her skills against virtual servers that she'd set up for simulation purposes with the goal of breaking in and retrieving some form of data. Once she'd honed how to do that much and a working knowledge of how to cover her tracks she stepped up her game using her skills for the first time in a live test to hack into her mothers' scroll remotely. It was indeed quite the feat in her eyes and a thrill at that bringing her to venture in on bigger and bolder – not to mention harder – challenges as she neared her twelfth birthday.
In the next months before and just after her twelfth birthday Clara would come to make quite the name for herself amongst the denizens of the net as well as amidst the local corporations in Pinnacle. Word of a hacker going by the name Obscura – Clara's alias on the net – would begin circulating as Clara took it upon herself to infiltrate and expose security flaws in their systems as a means to practice her skills. While she was aware that it was still a crime in her eyes, possibly out of a naïve notion that she was somehow helping these companies, she continued with it flustering the feathers of more than a few security divisions in the process and catching quite a bit of unwanted attention. Though still, it was all in the spirit of good intentions to her as she disregarded the potential consequences and did what she felt she did best. Little did she know what was waiting around the corner in store for her when at twelve and a half she hacked into a local technology manufacturers' database via a backend exploit that their security division had haphazardly patched up. Upon entering she did her usual routine of snooping around but ultimately ended up coming across classified documents tied to Atlesian Military contracts in the process. Upon trying to take a peek into them her actions alerted a read sensitive redundant security measure which immediately flooded the sniffer application she had open prompting it to terminate the connection preemptively. Though she was relatively sure that she'd closed the connection before they'd caught her it was a heart pounding moment for Clara prompting her to take a step back from her activities in the proceeding days afterward.
However, even though she had taken precautions to keep herself concealed and had since ceased her activities on the net it wasn't enough to protect her from inevitably being tracked down. To this end, a little over a week later during one of the rare times her mother was off the two of them heard a knock at the door as they went about their morning routine to what end Maria went to answer it with Clara shortly behind. Moments later a woman – an Atlesian Military Officer – clad in a black uniform requested to come in and in return was invited in by Maria with an entourage of military police in tow. Politely taking a seat on their couch across from Clara and Maria the woman began by introducing herself stating that she was Major Ciara Nashandra of the Atlesian Naval Corps Cyber Operations Division. Almost instantly worry built up in the back of Clara's mind the moment that she stated who she was and seemed to display itself as her facial features contorted in response when Major Nashandra referred to her by her net alias. In a mere matter of seconds the Major would come to explain not only why she was there, but who she was after, and just why she was after her to Maria's shock as she came to look to Clara for an explanation. Needless to say, she didn't have one coming to drop her head and apologize profusely trying to explain that she didn't mean any harm by doing what she did. Though, even though the apology was appreciated and clearly deserved, it still didn't satiate the matter at hand in that Clara had broken several laws and at least two interkingdom treaties by doing what she'd done.
With this being the case Major Nashandra expressed that she was in more of a pickle than she even understood telling her that she could possibly face a prison sentence for the crimes that she'd committed even if they weren't ill-intended. Of course, despite Maria's disappointment in Clara's actions, she went to bat for her trying to appeal to the Major stating that Clara was just a child and didn't know what she was doing. The Major in return retorted that Clara in fact did know what she was doing and have circumvented several systems prior to that with a certain amount of skill that clearly stated that much making Maria's argument invalid at best. Though, at the same time, the Major stated that given how young Clara was and there clearly being no ill-intent behind her actions that it would be a shame to see such a skilled young woman land in prison. With that in mind the Major turned her focus on Clara addressing her directly as she laid out a cut and dry ultimatum on the table telling her that while ultimately she would have to answer for her crimes there was more than one way to do that. Instead of spending the next ten to twenty years in prison Legions' government was prepared to wave the charges if she committed to joining the Atlesian Military's NROTC (Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program until its completion from the ages of thirteen to sixteen. Under Legions' judicial system this much would be much like a community service tour of duty where Clara would provide the Atlesian Military with her time and service and they would commute her sentencing providing she completed the program.
Needless to say, this ultimatum didn't sit well with Clara or Maria but the alternative was simply not an option as far as the two were concerned. So, in the end, after discussing it over for a moment and asking the Major a few particular questions about what it would entail Clara agreed and Maria gave her reluctant consent as her legal guardian. With that Major Nashandra called over one of the military police she'd brought with her who handed her a manila envelope as she got down to business getting signatures on the proper documents for legal purposes. Once that was taken care of she assigned Clara a reporting date coming to welcome her to the Atlesian Military with a devious grin before finally bidding her farewell and taking her posse with her. For a long while after the meeting Maria stayed angry at Clara coming to relay to her how disappointed that she was in her judgement and taking most everything away from her that she could that wasn't a vital necessity. Eventually, months later, she would come to return Clara's belongings and would eventually cool off but in the interim she was scared for her daughter worrying both about her being away as well as how her prosthetic would handle in such a stressful environment. This much prompted Maria to suggest they swap out her prosthetic for one that could handle the increased strain and one that was more aesthetically succinct to her current age given that she still looked like an eight year old. Even though she was uneasy about it Clara agreed spurring Maria to commission a new prosthetic based on the data that they had taken from Clara's biological body to be built. By her estimates it would take one month to manufacture it and calibrate it for Clara's particular braincase and neural cradle framework and another two to three months of physical therapy and diagnostics to ensure it was functioning optimally giving them just enough time.
Setting the refitting date for one month out Maria placed the order for Clara's new prosthesis coming to find that month would pass in what seemed like a blur as they wheeled Clara into the operating room for a second time. Unlike the last procedure that was much like feeling their way around in the dark this one was straight forward and would take far less time and would involve much less risk coming to take only mere hours in comparison. In contrast to the grueling sixty hour operation she'd undergone when she was younger to fit her with the prosthesis it was a cakewalk to say the least and one that would go off seamlessly at that. To that end, after having performed the refitting and having closed her up the medical staff would go through the routine steps of uploading and initializing her prosthetics' software and wheeling her into post-operative care where she'd wake up a little under twenty-four hours later. Upon awakening it was a strange sensation for Clara but one that Maria helped her through as she adjusted to her body's new height and its maturing physique coming to find herself acclimating to it within the first few hours of waking up. Eventually it would come to feel like home as she spent the next two and a half months in the hospital undergoing physical therapy and mulling through diagnostics before being released just two weeks before she was to report to the NROTC program in Legion. In that time she'd find herself spending it with her mother to tie up any loose ends they might've had amidst preparing for her journey to Legion. Though the time would be short lived as they bid their fond farewells and Clara reluctantly boarded the airship headed toward what would be her prison with a lingering hug between whilst it lifted off.
On Clara's thirteenth birthday she'd arrive in Legion taking a train to Atlas where she'd find herself on its outskirts in a large military construct called the Gainsboro Joint Forces Training Facility, otherwise known as the GJFTF for short. The prim kept grounds, the soldiers marching around to the shouts of drill instructors, and the others – her apparent peers – who all seemed confident and ready for the challenge told her that she was in the right place. This was where she'd spend the beginning of her teenage years serving the Atlesian Military for her crimes until she was sixteen. Needless to say, Clara admittedly was overwhelmed by just the mere thought of it and even more so as she entered the large hanger and filed into formation with her peers as the drill instructors shouted orders at them. They set their ground rules right from the get-go leaving little to the imagination as to what they expected coming to teach them and to expect them to remember some basic necessities that every soldier must learn. Though it was just the tip of the iceberg as things went and progressed to the commencement speech where several officers made their way out into the space before the filed assortment of young soldiers to introduce themselves. First up was a face she knew, Major Ciara Nashandra, who would act as the NROTC's commanding officer from then on out having transferred over from the Atlesian Naval Corps Cyber Operations Division curiously just in time for Clara's arrival. Second was another Major by the name of Charna Brandt who was the assistant commander of the GJFTF under the third man who introduced himself as Colonel Brenton Rubeus, the commander of the GJFTF. Between the three of them they would come to outline what exactly the NROTC programs' goals were and how they were going to accomplish them as well as the level of perfection and obedience they expected from each of them in the process.
It went without saying that their expectations as they laid them out that day were lofty if not expecting too much in Clara's eyes but nevertheless it was what it was. That was what she and the rest were expected to do and she personally wouldn't dare disobey imagining the consequences of such a blatant act of disobedience. As a result, for the first months into her stint there Clara was miserable coming to find herself struggling just to keep up with the routine. From morning to night it was non-stop as she was awoken in the wee hours of the morning, was put through physical fitness training – or PT as they called it – before taking a shower, then progressing to her classes just after sun up until the evening, and then would come to end out her evening with live fire exercises and elementary combat training. Furthermore, on her days off even she was bogged down doing homework and studying the almost endless mounds of literature that they'd assigned for them to read. Though it wasn't taxing physically on her because of her physicality as it was on her peers, mentally it was a huge strain, bringing her to fall back to her barracks each night to take a quick shower before slumping into bed just before lights out. Though as time went, and Clara found her rhythm amidst it all, things started to get marginally better after those first few months with Clara often finding herself ahead of the curve even at a point in her classes and during her combat training. Because of her dedication to studying the material and taking detailed notes during the combat demonstrations as well as her physical disposition Clara had made incredible progress that was at par with some of the top recruits in the program.
Needless to say, this much caught her quite a bit of attention both positive and negative at the same time and notably from a recruit named Aiden Garnette who seemed to have more than a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He was the kind of person one would consider a bully often coming to berate the other recruits – especially the Faunas, anyone with cybernetic augmentations, those who seemed to struggle with their training, and in general anyone who was different – by picking fights with them, calling them all sorts of nasty names, or resorting to physical violence when all else failed. Recently around then he had begun making snide comments to Clara coming to jab at just about anything he could take a swing at when she was around but to little effect. Most times Clara would ignore him and go about her way making it a point to show him up whenever the opportunity arose as a means of passively retaliating against him. Though, as it were, things would only get worse with a person like him over time as verbal assaults turned into sparring matches during the combat exercises only ending when the drill instructors broke them up. However, eventually it would hit a head when Aiden and a few of his flunkies lurked up on her just after their afternoon classes had ended coming to do his usual verbal assault as Clara kept walking trying to ignore him as she usually did. This time he wouldn't let it alone though coming to charge her in a fit of anger as he shouted out a particularly nasty slur and took a blow at her backside. Shifting out of the way and spinning on her heel in one fluid motion Clara gripped the wrist of his extended arm using her free hand to slam her palm up into his upper arm hearing a deafening lurch and crack. Next she forced his arm twisting and contorting the limb behind his back as if it were rubber slamming him to the ground on his stomach and putting her boot on his back with several snaps and pops as the mangled limb sat plastered to his back with Clara holding him firmly to the floor.
Deafening primal screams and a flurry of military police – guns drawn – eked through the training facility's hallway as onlookers and Aiden's posse sat watching in horror as it all unfolded and Clara was forced off of Aiden. Moments later a medical team arrived moving Aiden from the floor as they evacuated him from the hallway and Major Nashandra came storming down the hall ordering Clara in her office in response to what she'd done. Closing her eyes solemnly Clara did as she was told without hesitation coming to display little remorse for the action but concern as to what might happen as a result of what she'd done. When Major Nashandra finally arrived after her it was as she'd expected in that the Major had begun berating her loudly for what she'd done coming to pull out several documents including an incident report and what looked like papers to reprimand or even discharge Clara from the course. Although, ultimately, before she could finish them a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Brandt made her way through the door coming to order the Major to shred the documents she was filling out. In one swift stroke of luck Clara had been saved from Legions' dust mines as the Lieutenant Colonel explained that she'd seen what had happened and that Aiden initiated the assault which could be further corroborated by other eye witnesses. Though Clara would still be reprimanded for her actions given what Aiden had done it was certainly not her fault that it had happened and didn’t constitute such harsh action.
No, in fact, to the contrary Aiden had it coming by her estimates and apparently needed to be knocked down a peg as she put it having seen his behavior first hand on several occasions. To this end, Lieutenant Colonel Brandt effectively disarmed what would have been a worst case scenario and instead put Clara on latrine duty for the next several months as her punishment before dismissing her. It was a slap on the wrists all things considered and one that Clara would've shamelessly accepted given what she had accomplished out of it. An though she wondered what would happen to Aiden now out of curiosity she couldn't quite say that she rightfully cared all that much as she settled back into her duties. Over the course of the next few months Clara's would add her extracurricular punishment atop of her usual schedule with nothing much changing besides that as she entered her second year in the program around the age of fifteen. By this time the classes she had been ascribed to had gotten exponentially more advanced teaching the recruits everything from tactical operations strategies and infiltration, to cyberwarfare and reconnaissance, all the way operating combat vehicles and heavy artillery as well as advanced weapons training. They had even begun covering the use of aura and semblances on the battlefield which had spurred on a seminar to unlock the recruits' auras.
Though upon attending the seminar the Huntress in charge of teaching the class expressed her concerns over Clara's ability to even wield an aura let alone a semblance. She was skeptical even when Clara had told her the aura specialists' findings from years prior after she'd been cyberized. That being the case, the Huntress made it clear that she couldn't guarantee she'd be able to unlock Clara's aura which Clara's commanding officer's agreed to telling her to do her best at any rate. With that much in mind when it was Clara's turn to go she stepped into the room where the Huntress had been helping other recruits unlock their auras noting the machines that had been setup around the room to aid in the process. Getting started the Huntress had her stand in the middle of the room and focus telling her to visualize the natural energy that flowed inside of her and to project it outward as the Huntress began applying her own aura. After a while of attempting and failing at it Clara had grown frustrated coming to try one last time focusing hard as she grit her teeth before finally something snapped in the air around her unleashing what felt like a shockwave of energy rippling through the room. Almost immediately Clara's body gave out beneath her as she fell to her hands and knees while the power cells in her prosthesis cycled for a split second coming back online just as fast as they'd gone offline. The other machines in the room seemed to have had the same sort of energy flux as the lights dimmed and came back on within milliseconds of the shockwave disbursing. To the Huntress's surprise Clara not only had an aura, now seemingly unlocked and radiating in a display of gold and bronze, but she may have unintentionally released what may have been her semblance in the process and a powerful one at that.
Astonished by the coincidence the Huntress snapped to her senses moments later calling in a medical team to bring Clara to the infirmary to check her prosthesis over for any damage. Meanwhile, she concluded the aura seminar for the day to recalibrate her equipment coming to convene with both Major Nashandra and Lieutenant Colonel Brandt right afterward. She relayed her findings to them in regards to Clara making a few quick suggestions and relaying her opinions on it before excusing herself to tend to her instruments. However, her suggestions and opinions wouldn't go unnoted as the gears in Lieutenant Colonel Brandt's mind went to work and she came to take a newfound interest in Clara. On the other hand, Clara had no clue what was happening knowing only that she'd never experienced a bout of power failure like that before but was put at ease when the cyberneticist on duty relayed what had happened as it had been told to him. It was interesting to say the least but certainly something that Clara wouldn't want to go through again prompting her to be as unsure as ever about her aura and in the proceeding days treading carefully not to activate it. Though that much was short lived when on one of her rare days off Lieutenant Colonel Brandt approached her proposing the last thing she'd ever thought the woman would propose. She wanted to tutor her privately and train her to use her aura making it clear that she knew what had happened when she'd first unlocked it and that she could train her to harness her aura as a means of preventing a reoccurrence.
Of course Clara was skeptical of it but given that Lieutenant Colonel Brandt was adamant about the idea she had little choice in the matter coming to accept her help ultimately. With that, in the proceeding months Clara would use what little time she had off to train with the Lieutenant Colonel. As such she came to slowly but surely learn how to create a cushion of defense around her body with her aura to ward off most adverse effects of her semblance in conjunction with somewhat vaguely learning the nature of her semblance in the process. Using the two in tandem she began to understand the roundabout way of how to activate her semblance – though likely crude and haphazard at the time – using it to focus high-voltage electromagnetically charged surges of electricity into the palms of her hands. This would allow her to use it somewhat effectively as an offensive tactic to electrocute targets upon making contact with them physically. It seemed that Clara couldn't have learned it at a better time either as her sixteenth birthday approached and the base commander, Colonel Rubeus, announced what their final test would be. One week from the day it was announced the recruits would be transported to the far northern reaches of Legion to a series of predesignated spots in squads of eight. In those squads of eight their leader would be one of the eight recruits that it was composed of and would be announced the day before the test. Upon their arrival the squads had to work together under their leader to traverse the icy tundra using the skills that they had learned in the program to eliminate whatever foes that stood in their way as well as navigate the terrain. Furthermore, to graduate they would have to make it back to the GJFTF in one months' time or they would fail the course and would be sent home before the designated end of the program.
It was a challenge and one like Clara had never faced before coming to be even more daunting when the leaders of the squads were chosen and she was chosen to lead squad nine. Needless to say it wasn't something that Clara would've picked for herself, and was far more stressful than simply following orders, but it was a role that she would evidently come to take in stride as the day of the test dawned. That morning they were blindfolded and put into a myriad of aerial vehicles as they took off to their individual drop points. Once there parachutes were strapped to their backs and they were lead to jump from the aerial vehicle in mid-flight being told that they could take off their blindfolds exactly two seconds after they jumped. Upon jumping each of her team waited the precise amount of time before removing their blindfolds as they freefell towards Remnant's surface pulling their chute cords as they drifted aimlessly to the ground below. As they dropped down each of them pulled their parachutes off as Clara ordered them to survey their surroundings to ascertain true north. Once they'd found it she ordered her squad to move out and begin heading south as she took point in the front ordering one of her better marksmen to take up the rear as they walked side by side through the tundra and alternated positions to mitigate mental fatigue. The first night they came to make a small shelter under a natural overhang which provided protection against the elements as at least one member of the squad watched for suspicious activity. Once the morning rolled around they ate their rations sparingly putting out the fire at they'd made before beginning on their path once more.
This would go on for nearly a week before they encountered any sort of real threat when they spotted a Krahe inbound coming directly at them. Immediately the recruits under Clara's lead would burst into action taking point with snipers spreading out point zero three clicks apart and firing flame dust imbued rounds at the aerial monstrosity. Otherwise the other members of her squad took aim firing sub-machine guns at the creature trying to pin it down with suppressive fire as those who could actively use their semblance went to work in order to down it. Eventually when it was low enough Clara was able to get a boost up unleashing her own semblance in mid-air that had been since nicknamed Gestalt. With it she barreled toward the Krahe coming to plow her hand into its face unleashing a jolt of condensed high-voltage electricity that surely helped to fry it from the inside out. With a final few sniper rounds connecting with the creature dead on the battle was a decisively won through blood sweat and tears. Though, it wouldn't be the last one as they encountered similar creatures in the proceeding weeks finding themselves on their last week rushing through the tundra as they spotted the mountain range that encircled the GJFTF compound. They were close and they could feel it bringing their spirits up after having worked so hard to get where they were. Though, one final challenge would lay ahead as they approached the mountain range spotting a Graylicht in the distance bounding fast at them and finding it almost on top of them within a matter of seconds.
When the fight erupted the squad wasn't ready for it as the Graylicht charged coming to dash past them just before using its momentum and scythe-like claws to alter its trajectory and an attempt to flank them from the back. Immediately, the squad did what they could to try and slow it down laying down sheets of suppressive fire as the semblance users tried to get behind it, most of them getting smacked and tossed about like ragdolls. Using powdered dust like hand grenades the standing members of the squad threw them at the Graylicht using their auras and well-placed shots to ignite them staggering it slightly as Clara rushed it and grabbed onto one of the spines on its back. Upon attaching herself to its back it flailed from side to side as it attempted to buck her off like a raging bull. In the meanwhile as she desperately held on she took to dodging bullets from her own squad as they laid down suppressive fire allowing her to get a grip on the beast. Thrusting her hand in between a gap between two of the Graylicht's armored plates she held on tight situating her feet as best as she could before beginning to pull. The beast immediately roared in pain rearing up to try and get Clara off of it as several near point blank range sniper shots bored through its exposed underbelly causing the best to hunch forward. Meanwhile Clara kept pulling and yanking on the sheets of armored plating as the synthetic skin on her fingers and arms began to tear next creating stress fractures along her chassis as one of her fingers was bent back and snapped from her hand. Gritting her teeth she contorted her face pulling as hard as her body would allow her to as the beast in response went wild thrashing about as bullets whizzed past Clara, one ricocheting off of her leg, and another grazing her torso. With another hard pull Clara's right arm's sheathing fractured pulling it from its socket partially as the beast's armored plate was liberated from its body leaving Clara's arm Dangling as she kicked off from the best's back hard yelling to the others to aim for its back. Using the same method they had to stagger the Graylicht the brave among them rushed the beast throwing a well-coordinated vial of powered flame dust close to the opening that Clara had made firing at it and using their auras to ignite it. The subsequent blast spewed gracious amounts of fire into opening charring the beasts back and a good majority of its hind side as it fell to its knees allowing one of the members of her squad to strike it down using their semblance.
It was a harrowing battle leaving Clara's prosthesis a mess and leaving at least half of her squad moderately to severely wounded in the process but alive nonetheless. However, despite that they would make it into the training facility two days later coming to limp across the mountain pass and into the GJFTF compound five days early, and as the third squad to arrive back. Over the next several days the on-site cyberneticists and mechanics would do their best to patch Clara up, coming to remove her damaged arm, and reattach the fingers that they could salvage to the lesser of the damaged limbs. Needless to say the price the squad paid was high though not necessarily unfounded given that recruits had died in the past during this test before from what Clara had heard after she'd arrived back. Moreover, simply the fact that they'd faced a Graylicht and survived to tell about it with the injuries that they had sustained was nothing short of miraculous. It was something that the squad could be proud of and something they'd certainly come to achieve together which would reflect on them during the closing ceremonies of the NROTC program. That day they would all file into formation one last time with what looked like only two thirds of the recruits that had been there the first day when Clara had entered the academy. After a short speech by Major Nashandra, Colonel Rubeus would come to take the stage, congratulating them all with a short speech of his own before finally relinquishing the floor to Lieutenant Colonel Brandt. She proceeded to call their names out one by one as they made their way to the stage receiving their second lieutenants' insignia in the form of a pin as well as a salute from all three officers. This much marked the end of her journey there and what was once her sentence which over time turned into a wealth of experience that she wouldn't soon come to forget.
Though, this wasn't the end of Clara's military career when after the graduation ceremony, a day before she was slated to depart, she was approached by Colonel Rubeus and Lieutenant Colonel Brandt. They came under the pretense of a proposal making it clear from the get-go accepting it was her choice and that she was one of only a dozen or so recruits offered it. With that much said they cut to the chase rather quickly telling Clara that if she chose to she could leave what she'd learned in the NROTC course behind, that was her prerogative given that she'd held up to her end of the bargain. However, if she wanted to continue with the Atlesian Military as an officer she also had that choice and two paths that she could choose from in doing that. The first was the option given to all officers after graduating the NROTC program was that they could take up a post and could begin their duties when they turned eighteen. In Clara's case that would mean she would be shipped off to Rift working under Colonel Melanie Averesch and Captain Silvius Grunewald in the 11th Atlesian Naval Detachment. Although, because she performed above and beyond the standard curve of the program, she had another option given only to a handful of the graduating officers in the program which was to continue her training by attending Vytal Academy to become a Huntress. Should she have chosen that she would be eligible to be a special operative for the Atlesian Military and would be granted the rank of First Lieutenant upon graduation as well as the privileges and flexibility that came with it. Of course, it was a big choice to make and she would ultimately need Maria's approval for it but it was enticing to say the least.
Even though Clara had come into the program soured by having to do it and having seen it as a prison sentence what she'd done there was no small feat and it had resonated with her. It had changed the way she thought about things and promoted her to grow as an individual far more than she ever had thought she could have. In fact, she wasn't quite sure where she would've been without it, having been uneasy about returning to her normal daily life without the constant challenge set out in front of her. To this end, Clara thought a moment coming to decide rather quickly that going back to the life she'd lived prior to this wasn't an option. Moreover, given the offer on the table it seemed that becoming a special operative was far sweeter of a deal given what she would gain out of it both in regards to the knowledge that she'd learn at the famed Hunter Academy and the skills she would hone. With that much in mind her choice was clear bringing her to relay it to the two senior officers who were pleased to hear it stating to her that they would begin setting it up with the Academy right away. In the meanwhile, when she returned home she would need to have her mother fill out the proper documents to give consent for all of this but should everything have gone smoothly she was to report to Vytal Academy at the start of the freshmen year. Having said all of that, the two senior officers saluted her as she saluted in return coming to attention before being put at ease just as the senior officers dismissed themselves wishing her the best of luck and assuring her that they would meet again sometime soon.
In the proceeding days Clara would venture out from the GJFTF for the last time with paperwork and orders in hand finding herself boarding an airship as she'd done years prior, but this time on her way back to Pinnacle. When she'd finally arrived in there Maria was waiting for her on the docks with a warm smile as she approached coming to wrap her arms around her daughters' more than slightly scathed prosthetic the instant she got the chance. Smiling in return she gave her mother a big hug with her single arm as she lead was off to the car and Maria began asking the usual motherly questions and excitedly giving her a second and third once over. Despite the damage to her prosthetic Maria was just happy to finally have her physically in front of her again only having spoken to her via video chat every now and again since she'd left for the program. Needless to say she'd been more than worried about her and even more so within the last month or so because of the test Clara had endured and the damage she'd sustained in doing it. But, as it were, all was well in Maria's eyes now that she knew that Clara was safe bringing one thing to lead to another as they made their way home and the conversation shifted towards replacing her prosthetic as well as the offer that Clara had been given. The two went hand in hand as they discussed it given that if Clara was able to take the offer she'd need a stronger more resilient body able to withstand more punishment. Though, it was not a cut and dry matter as she explained it all to Maria who in return voiced her concerns and her immediate disapproval of the idea much to Clara's dismay. Eventually she would change her mind after discussing the topic more but at first she, like any mother, was concerned about Clara's well-being and that she'd only been star struck by what she'd done in the program. Maria was concerned that in the end Clara would come to find out that the real world – especially the world that Huntsmen and Huntress's lived in – was far different than she'd imagined and that she would end up getting stuck to a commitment that she wouldn't want to fulfil or couldn't.
Of course Clara could see where she was coming from and couldn't rightfully argue with it – though in hindsight she certainly tried – but knew that life was also about experiences too having had many along hers. She would come to explain that to Maria telling her that she wasn't sure if it were the right decision or not but in the end it was one that she needed to make. If she didn't she would never know and might never have such an opportunity again to what end Maria would eventually concede on that point. She wasn't happy about it but in the end she knew that Clara needed to make her own choices and sometimes that those choices would get her burned in life; that was how children learned and matured. To that end, Maria signed the paperwork later and the enrollment papers when they arrived coming to shift her focus less on what her daughter was venturing in on but instead having a prosthetic made for her that would live up to it and keep her safe first and foremost. As such, they went to it coming to order it together that time and cherry pick its components as well as the materials used in its construction. Their goal was with their combined efforts they might hopefully be able to ensure that the prosthetic would both withstand what Vytal Academy might throw at it as well as aesthetically look her physical age to boot. Of course they could only do so much to predict what it might have to withstand and with that made their best educated guess coming to set the refitting procedure for just over a month after they'd ordered it. When it finally came Maria and Clara would venture back to the hospital where the process would take place in an expedient manner to maximize the time they had to fine tune and rehabilitate Clara to the prosthetic.
Needless to say it was a major adjustment from her thirteen year old form having been progressed to mimic what she might look like at eighteen years old so she could age with the prosthetic gracefully this time around. Of course it was a hurdle but one that she'd overcome with time getting used to her body's newfound maturity after working with it a while. To that end, she would eventually come to also complete her rehabilitation process in the meantime having been fined tuned and acclimated with time to spare, and returning home just two weeks before she was slated to leave for Vytal Academy. In that time she would begin packing and getting ready for her journey there but not without a going away present of sorts from her mother beforehand. Just days before she set was to leave Maria presented her with a gift, a sword, which she'd evidently had spoken with the monks in the Cela Monastery to have forged for Clara. It was a work of art in all given respects despite its archaic design and was something that profoundly hit Clara when she realized that her mother and the monks had done such a generous thing for her. The feeling with indescribable and one that she could only reciprocate by relaying her deepest gratitude toward her mother murmuring a prayer for her and the monks as she laced her arms around Maria pulling her into an impromptu hug.
Although, while she couldn't express her gratitude enough for the blade – which she eventually named "Charlotte" designating it the MKT-1371 – time wouldn't wait forever and would continue onward bringing her to the day she was set to leave for Vytal Academy before long. To that end, with a heartfelt goodbye and Charlotte in hand, Clara boarded an airship headed for Vytal Island on her way to what would be her life for the next four years. When she finally arrived there was surprised by the environment to say the least, expecting something else entirely, but ultimately reserved her opinions as she was ushered into the auditorium along with her peers to get the freshman entrance ceremony underway. As entrance ceremonies usually were it was rather dull only carrying a few tidbits of interest as the headmaster outlined the curriculum for the up and coming Hunters. One of which was that they'd endure a test in their first week there similar to the NROTC programs' final test, another being that they would be paired up into groups of two and assigned a partner who would remain their partner until graduation, and finally that they would be assigned dorm rooms that they would share with another pair of partners which would form their team and team name. All in all it seemed straightforward to Clara who after the entrance ceremony would come to check her scroll to see who she had been assigned to be partners with finding out that she'd been paired up with another girl named Rei Yukimura. At first it seemed like a match made in heaven; Rei was the silent type who seemed to have her head screwed on straight for the most part showing that she too had a learned background and could rattle off knowledge just as well as Clara. Before long though they realized that they didn't agree on much of anything coming to argue within only the first fifteen minutes of meeting one another about one thing or the next.
Needless to say, at least at the foreseeable time, this would make working with one another in their opinions on a daily basis in the coming years exponentially more difficult. Moreover, it would only be exacerbated by their roommates Olivia Floros and Porfyra Cornix when they met them given their dispositions with Olivia's overly cheery attitude and Porfyra's self-righteous temperament. To this end it was no wonder that when the entrance test finally came around they were all over the place. First and foremost, there was Clara was trying to preemptively take the reins and lead flustering both Rei and Porfyra in the process who had no intent upon listening to her as Oliva tried to mitigate and quell the situation with her eternally upbeat attitude, annoying the others in the process. Then there was Rei who wanted nothing to do with the situation coming to wander off on her own almost from the get-go despite the dangers as well as Porfyra who had taken to face-tanking everything in her path without any sort of strategy to speak of whatsoever. It was a disaster by all accounts and one that lead them into a mess of trouble when they encountered a Deatheater and were pinned back forcing them to band together in a ramshackle display of headstrong will and plain old showing off to finally take it down. When they did though and started to coordinate their efforts with one another things began going much more smoothly as an unspoken treaty was forged between the young ladies sparking what would come to form a bond over time.
Eventually they would achieve their goal in the test coming pass it more or less unscathed, just barely though, getting an earful from their instructors afterward on their lousy performance in the process. In a big way it was a wakeup call to the young ladies who would in time come to realize their failing only after being shown it. As a result slowly but surely the girls' eventually would put aside their differences paving the foundation for what would come to be known as Team COPR before long as well as a comradery that would hopeully stand the test of the time far into the future and beyond the walls of Vytal Academy. Though, in the meantime, life continued as usual as the curriculum got into full swing and the girls found themselves traversing academy life coming to learn the principles of what made Huntsmen and Huntresses. They would learn the history of their roles and the real threat the Creatures of Grimm posed as well as how to combat them through learning to hone their natural abilities and through the use of dust to underpin those abilities. With each step, each class, and each time they cracked open a book or sparred they were learning to do what only a select few could bringing them that much closer to attaining their goals with each year passed. In fact, during her freshmen year alone Clara would begin to learn to truly master her aura coming to build on the abilities that the Lieutenant Colonel had taught her in order to increase her defenses and maximize her offense in earnest. In addition to that, in her second year, she would come to focus on getting a better grasp of wielding Charlotte and tempering what she knew of her semblance through rigorous study and intense extracurricular sparring matches.
To this end, by the time that she had finished with her third year at Vytal Academy when she was nineteen years old she could safely say that she had gained tenfold the knowledge and experience in comparison with the NROTC program. It was as if the two were designed to complement one another with the knowledge she'd gained at the academy filling in the sizable gaps left behind by the NROTC program and rounding her out as a warrior. Needless to say, this much had cleared up any doubts she might've had about the necessity to do both showing her exactly why special operatives were considered elite and were given the leeway they were. Furthermore, it brought Clara to look forward to her final year at Vytal Academy as she made the trek back home as she usually did in the interim between the start and end of each year during her breaks. Though, this time with her partner Rei in tow who had plans to stay with her grandparents in Pinnacle until the start of the senior year so that they could spend some time training and studying on their own before they had to go back. With that much being the case, aside from Rei tagging along, things went on as they usually did as Clara's mother picked them up that day from the docks coming to meet Rei and to subsequently dropping her off at her grandparents place before they returned home themselves. During the next week or so after that Clara would come to make trips to her mechanic, Blaine Desrosiers, whom she'd met over her break after her freshmen year at Vytal Academy. Blaine would do the usual performing diagnostics on her prosthetic and routine maintenance with a side helping of his usual wit and supposed boyish charm before giving her the greenlight.
As such, in the coming month and a half after taking care of those loose ends she'd find herself most times locked in ferocious sparring matches and near daily stints of studying in the local library with Rei. It was almost as if they were in competition to see who could gain more knowledge and better prepare themselves for the coming senior year. It was a sight to see to say the least and one that they both were clearly enjoying more than they let on as the months turned into weeks before they were slated to return. Though, before that would happen, fate would conspire to deal a low blow as Clara made her way to the hospital for a rare checkup to ensure her brain's health and the overall function of her braincase and neural cradle. It was a quick procedure and one that she'd brought Rei along with her for so that they could get back to their routine afterward. Needless to say, everything checked out just fine with little more than a few adjustments to tighten up the connection between her biological and mechanical counterparts. However, when she was released Rei was seemingly nowhere to be found prompting Clara to ask around to see where she'd run off to and to eventually bring herself to poke around the hospital to see if she'd gotten lost. That was when she'd happened upon them; turning the corner she spotted something laying on the floor what looked like a lump with a white coat and spatters of what looked like blood and a white haired man hovering over it who took off running after being spotted. Clara immediately started running toward them, her eyes widening every step, until finally she found herself amidst the lump losing track of the man as he rounded the corner. Falling to her knees she scooped the lump up into her arms as its deep rose colored hair fell in a loose bloodied braid off to the side and Clara's face contorted into sheer terror.
It was Clara's mother, Maria, who looked as if she'd been stabbed several times in various spots but was still breathing just barely and clinging to a shred of life. She'd lost a lot of blood as Clara called out her name to grab her attention telling her to hang on and frantically asking her to stay still as she tried to use her aura to mend what she could to stabilize her. The wounds were too deep though and she was losing a lot of blood prompting Clara to scream as loud as she could into the hallway yelling for someone, anyone, to help her as she picked her mother up into her arms cradling her whilst running down the hall to get help. Though the minute that she passed by a nurse's station what could only be construed as her equivalent of a chill ran down her artificial spin bearing witness to the bloodbath that was splayed out before her. This much prompted her to run as far and as hard as her prosthetic would carry her whipping through the halls as she monitored her mothers' deteriorating condition coming to duck into a fire escape to expedite her descent of the building. Finally, when everything was said and done Clara had rushed her mother to the bottom floor of the hospital only to be met by the authorities who called in a medical team to evacuate Maria as they ushered both of them out of the hospital. There she would find Rei amidst the crowd of people outside who she would come to learn later was evacuated when reports of an armed white haired man had prompted security to evacuate the building. Though, in the meantime, Clara was focused solely on her mother coming to hop in the ambulance with her as she was rushed to the next nearest hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital though it was too late and Maria, at only fourty-three years old, would succumb to her wounds passing away just as the ambulance arrived leaving Clara in disbelief and shock.
In the following weeks after Maria's death Clara barely spoke a word losing what seemed like the ability to feel much of anything as if she'd flipped a switch coming to focus on the task of arranging her mothers' funeral and seeing to her final wishes. It was as if Maria's death had sucked all of the light from her being as the funeral service came and went with her peers, friends, and family all gathered to bid their final goodbyes clad in what seemed like the deepest black anyone had ever seen. Once more, it seemed like the skies above Pinnacle were weeping as her funeral procession rolled on and her casket was lowered into the ground, coming to be covered by dirt afterward, and topped with a headstone bearing the Reed family emblem. It was a sullen, unthinkable moment for Clara as she watched the woman who had saved her life and who had raised her as her own flitter away as if she were nothing. Clara simply couldn't deal with it, she didn't know what to do, or what to say, or how to feel, so instead she did what she did best coming to shove the grief and anger into polarizing herself to accomplish her goals. It was the only way she could honor her mothers' memory and the only way that she could bring the women who had loved her, and raised her as her own, any semblance of peace. To this end, over the last weeks before returning to Vytal Academy Clara poured herself into gathering as much intelligence about what had happened that day as she could. Meanwhile, she went to work requisitioning a new prosthetic to replace her current one calling Colonel Rubeus who pulled some strings with Brigadier General Schwarzenmauer to provide her with military grade components and materials for its construction. With that all set into motion Clara would leave her mothers' now empty home setting her sights on her goals and venturing back off to Vytal Academy for her final year.
That year went by in a blur for Clara as she did little else than focus on her studies and training coming to push herself farther and harder than she ever had before. Meanwhile, she went to work fervently scouring her memory for anything that stood out to her during that day that her mother was killed. Eventually, even though it was small, she would find one thing in that the man who she'd seen that day looked incredibly familiar. Pressing into the subject more she'd come to dredge up an almost long forgotten memory of a boy from her past bearing a distinct resemblance to that man that she'd seen whose name was none other than Aiden Garnette. How that could have been the case Clara didn't rightfully know, and was hard-pressed not to jump to conclusions on her findings, but with the way things looked she was almost positive that it was indeed him there that day. Though idle speculation was idle speculation to what end she could only record her findings and detail what she knew of the situation until she graduated and was able to do more. Though, that much wouldn't be too far off at that point as Team COPR prepared themselves for Vytal Academy's version of an exit exam coming to eventually pass it with flying colors unlike their bout with their entrance test during their freshmen year. Yes, indeed, the four girls' had grown exponentially coming to face both the good and the bad together to get where they were with all the turbulence and tempers in between before finally finding themselves on the precipice of becoming fully fledged Huntresses. So it would be that they would finally achieve that as well coming to find themselves amidst the graduation ceremony for the senior class and the soiree that followed that evening.
However, by the morning that proceeded that landmark achievement what might've been a fond farewell to Vytal Academy and the beginning of their lives and Huntsmen and Huntresses erupted into a sea of chaos when one of Clara's own teammates was found strangled to death in the dormitory's common room. Porfyra Cornix had been found dead strangled to death by Olivia Floros who was rocking in the corner spouting off almost unintelligible mutterings. It was another blow, another death that Clara had to bear witness to watching helplessly as she couldn't do anything whilst the authorities placed Porfyra in a body bag and hauled her off coming after Olivia in the meantime. However, before they could though Clara would rush to her side using what weight her rank as a Second Lieutenant provided her to get a moment with Olivia in an attempt to get something out of her, anything. Eventually after a little coercing and getting her to calm down for a moment Clara would get something though what Olivia said was cryptic and vague at best telling her that the "jade bell twinkles in the prism of the snow", whatever that meant. It was eerie, eerie and unbelievable knowing the kind of person that Olivia was bringing Clara to begin suspecting some sort of foul play that everyone seemed to be overlooking at the moment. Though she had no clue what and couldn't run it by the only person – Rei namely – that might've been able to have helped her figure it out given that she'd left right after the graduation ceremony was over. To that end, what had happened was left largely unsolved as Clara packed up her things bidding a sullen farewell to her professors before boarding an airship bound for Legion.
Once in the confines of the Kingdom of Legion Clara boarded a train bound for the Harvest Mound Naval Corps (HMNC) Installation where she'd been given orders weeks prior to report in with Lieutenant Colonel Brandt after her graduation. Upon arriving she found herself amidst one of the largest naval facilities she'd ever seen as she traversed its pristine veneer finding herself in the Lieutenant Colonel's new office there before long. Upon seeing Clara the Lieutenant Colonel gave her a warm welcome coming to congratulate her on graduating Vytal Academy as well as giving her condolences about her mother, apologizing for not being able to attend the funeral service. Though, getting pleasantries out of the way they had business to discuss which the Lieutenant Colonel got down to shortly after presenting Clara with First Lieutenants insignia in the form of a gold pin with two bars connected by crossbars, often referred to as train tracks for its design. On top of this she pushed a stack of papers Clara's way which Lieutenant Colonel Brandt explained were detailing the terms of her commitment to the Atlesian Military as well as legal forms to get her the clearances' and authorizations' she'd need to perform her duties. With that Clara came to go over each paper speeding through the walls of text like she normally did and signing where applicable. Afterward the Lieutenant Colonel called in her assistant to take the papers and send them to the Brigadier Generals' office as she readdressed Clara once more coming to welcome her formally to the First Battalion of the Atlesian Naval Corps Special Operations Regiment, otherwise known as NSOR.
Though, while she was now officially a special operative with all that entailed she still had to obey direct orders from her commanding officers. To that end, Lieutenant Colonel Brandt dished out her first order of business telling Clara to use the next two months to get her prosthetic refitted and to get her assets in order. She wanted her in tip-top shape when she came back and wouldn't take no for an answer to Clara's dismay being dismissed after assigning her a briefing date to report back on when she returned. With her hands tied Clara did as she was told coming to return to Pinnacle hesitantly only a week later as she returned to her mother's home which had been empty for over a year at that point. The experience was hard to say the least, coming to find just going through their things to be a challenge in itself, and finding the idea of leaving it all behind even more so. However, she managed to push through it using the inheritance she'd been given after her mother passed away to store what sentimental belongings she had before putting the house up for sale. In the meantime, a month after being given leave Clara would come to undergo her most recent refitting which she had heavily customized before she'd left for her senior year at Vytal Academy both fundamentally as well as atheistically. Blaine would perform the procedure which in recent years he'd been able to streamline cutting down the time for recovery exponentially in the process. With that she would undergo only two weeks of rehabilitation before going on her way and thanking Blaine with only two weeks to spare until she was to report to the Lieutenant Colonel. In that time she would take an airship back to Legion for a final bout of apartment shopping before settling down near Legions' capital and furnishing her new home.
Eventually the monotony of waiting would come to an end though when finally the day of her briefing arrived and she made her way back to the HMNC. Once there Clara was greeted by Lieutenant Colonel Brandt and Brigadier General Schwarzenmauer who was joining them for the briefing, giving them both a salute and a greeting in return. With that the briefing got under way as they first transferred all of her approved clearances and authorizations over to her scroll coming to then go over her duties as a special operative. Essentially, she would be working as a militarily designated Huntress and was free to take up missions of importance as she saw them with little in the way of rank and file to answer to. Of course, those who held rank over her as her commanding officers had the authority to overrule whatever mission she was embarking on but more or less she was being entrusted to use her best judgement to uphold the law and protect the people of Remnant. That said, she was still required to file regular reports and whatnot to give precedence for her actions but otherwise she was free to make her own decisions based on the given situation. After having explained this they came to ask Clara if she understood those terms to which she replied yes to as they shifted their focus to the second matter of business; what her first heading would be. They had a slew they could suggest but given the recent events they wanted her opinion which, needless to say, was as they expected. She wanted to look into both her mothers' death and the circumstances which lead to her teammates death which of course they warned her about given her relation to the matter but ultimately would approve her to look into.
With that much having been settled they adjourned the briefing as the Lieutenant Colonel asked Clara to stay in her office for a moment after the General left. Moments later she would present Clara with a simple black box telling her that she had it commissioned for her as a graduation present of sorts to what end Clara opened it up finding a stitch of soft black cloth inside. Unsure of what it was Clara picked it up as the Lieutenant Colonel began to explain that it was called the ASV-978 Omnioptic Shroud and that she had it designed specifically for Clara as a heads-up display of sorts. To that end, Clara put on the shroud wrapping it around her face and pulling her platinum locks over it as it began syncing with her prosthetic's interface before lighting up and displaying a visual feed of her surroundings with all sorts of operational data superimposed over the visual feed. It was incredible to say the least as Clara made her way up from her chair and began looking around the room much to Lieutenant Colonel Brandt's delight who laughed and asked her if she liked it. In response Clara replied with a resounding yes coming to thank her for it but being told that she'd deserved it after what she'd been through and had accomplished. As such, Clara gave a small smile thanking her all the same as the Lieutenant Colonel dismissed her wishing her luck on her endeavors.
Just after that briefing and the gift she had received Clara would come to take up her duties as a special operative over the next five years. In this time her primary goal was to learn who had killed her mother and why coming to seek out Aiden Garnette as her prime suspect to no avail. Moreover, to deepen the mystery, accounts of the incident that day seemed to be mottled with eyewitnesses remembering only bits and parts of it and retelling drastically different tales from person to person. It made no sense bringing into question what might have been the real answer and what could have caused this contrasting retelling of a very clear cut event. Then, nearly two years into her investigation she got her first big break coming across footage taken from a camera in the alleyway behind the hospital clearly showing a girl, and a familiar one at that, exiting the building via the fire escape door. It was a curious coincidence given that the girl matched Rei's description and given that she'd told her she'd been evacuated. Moreover, upon going over the hospital records there was no death record of any of the nurses that Clara had clearly found dead in the nurses' station of the hospital. There was only one death that day, her mothers', which put the entire event into suspect and before long Clara had come to find out why. Two nights after noticing that she would come to relive the events in her dreams while sleeping as they portrayed a far different and far more twisted plot where instead of spotting Aiden in the hallway she'd clearly spotted Rei. Other things began flooding back to her after that leaving little doubt in her mind what truly happened. Rei had played her, she'd played all of them, and upon further inspection of the incident which killed Porfyra she may have even had a hand in orchestrating that situation.
Having gotten such a big break Clara would continue her investigation into what truly had happened and Rei's involvement as well as where Rei was at that point in time. Though, ultimately she didn't find any trace of Rei having been even enrolled in Vytal Academy when it came down to it. All in all, she was a ghost with no trail leaving all of the potential loose ends she could have left severed thoroughly. All except one at least, to what end Clara would come to pay Olivia a visit in the asylum where she had been committed years prior. She had since calmed down and was making some sort of sense by that point to what end Clara asked her what she'd meant when she'd told her after the incident with Porfyra that the "jade bell twinkles in the prism of the snow". Upon asking about it, that day Olivia would relay a tale to Clara that would put things into perspective like never before coming to tell her that Porfyra had overheard Rei talking to someone and going on about something in regards to killing 'her' and that the job at the hospital had been taken care of right before graduation. With that much in hand Porfyra did some snooping just before the graduation ceremony and uncovered some of Rei's journals which confirmed her suspicions and detailed something about an organization called "Spectrum". As a result, Porfyra had spoken to Olivia about it asking her what she should do which Olivia had told her to confront Rei with it suggesting that it might've been a misunderstanding. Needless to say it obviously wasn't, but beyond that Olivia's memories couldn't tell Clara much more being fuzzy at best suggesting that Rei might've done something to her. Olivia did say though that she'd remembered things after thinking about them for a while but there were still parts of that time that didn't make sense to her and that she couldn't quite tack down.
With that much being the case Clara thanked Olivia bidding her farewell and promising to return to get her out of there when she'd sorted it all out. Her trip there certainly hadn't been a waste though learning of what likely may have been Porfyra's fate and reinforcing what she already had suspected of Rei's involvement in killing her mother on top of revealing a new name that she hadn't come across yet; the possible group known as Spectrum. At that point things were vague, but they were beginning to add up giving Clara more motivation than ever to continue her search. This was especially so when she was promoted to Captain at the age of twenty-four for her efforts in dredging up information on what would be officially known then as the terror organization, Spectrum. Though in the end, ultimately, she had a long way to go and too many variables that stood in her way of getting there bringing her to where her story begins. Now, as she sifts through the obscure world surrounding Spectrum to uncover the terrible mysteries it may reveal using the skills she has at her disposal she's in pursuit of another type of prey; those who would shine brightest when seeped in the darkness. How it'll turn out is anyone's guess but this is where Clara's story begins and where the ultimate clash with Spectrum lingers on the horizon…
Clara is of average height standing at around 172cm (5 feet 7 inches) and weighing in at a relatively light 87.54kg (193 pounds) for a full-body cyborg due to her size and structure. She has a fair complexion to match her platinum, almost white, bob-cut hair and crystalline aquamarine eyes often hidden behind a veil of some sort. Bodily she was modeled after an extrapolated version of what her body would look like as it aged and has undergone several refitting's over the years as she matured lending her own bits of influence here and there as she went. Needless to say, she is attractive and does pride herself in that fact having had a hand in the voluptuous nature of her prosthetic body. However, beyond beauty she has also taken to – within her last refitting – to ensure that her body is a functional toned piece as well spending much time detailing the musculature of its form to mesh with her lifestyle. While it is simply an aesthetic choice this body and its appearance is very much representative of her and the type of person that she envisions herself as mixed in with the natural order of her own development to ensure is realism in contrast to her natural growth as a Human being.
As far as her fashion sense goes, normally whatever fits what she's doing at that point and time is fine with her. Clara really isn't very picky when it comes to her fashion and has a utilitarian stance on most outfits given the nature of her work. However, she does have her favorites when she has the ability to choose, one of them being the dress she often will be seen wearing. Its risqué boasting a revealing embellishment over her chest, slits up the sides for added range of motion, feather adornments on the mid-drift of the full-length sleeves, and it comes paired with sheer black thigh-high stockings as well as a pair of thigh-high high-heeled boots. If she can get away with it she'll often go for this kind of outfit as her go-to but she's also been seen in tactical gear, more common clothing choices, and even dressed down casually. She does however go for darker clothing choices overall finding that it accentuates her coloring in a flattering way. While it's not a necessity necessarily she does certainly enjoy it when it's an option.
★ PERSONALITY
POSITIVE - Hardworking - Equally Respective - Unabashedly Direct - Good Sense of Humor - Loyal to a Fault - Justice Driven - Open to Learn Things - Indirect Kindness - Passionate - Undaunted | NEGATIVE - Hot Headed - Mouthy - Incredibly Vulgar - Risqué - Unfeeling at Points - Overly Competitive - One-Track Minded - Over-Estimates Herself - Reckless - Nosey in Some Ways |
SUMMARY When one first meets Clara is pretty easy to see that she's all business and no play. She's easily rough around the edges, vulgar despite her rather feminine appearance, and a tomboy through and through with an attitude to rival even the saltiest of Hunters'. Under that tough exterior though lay a rather methodical woman who, while fiery, also has a good head on her shoulders and a tough love type of kindness about her. At her core Clara's objective is to be a soldier, a Hunter, and nothing more carrying out her duties as she's told without hesitation like the machine that she is. However, she's not a mindless drone either feeling that she was given this duty and the body that she resides in to change the world with her own hands whereas otherwise she wouldn't have been able to. That much causes her to often go through stints of existential crisis where she will come to question her state of being and if she is indeed doing the right thing. Although, it also has never stopped her thus far either interestingly enough, but rather it drives her forward to get through the tough parts in order to seek out that long sought after silver lining to it all, whatever that is. Therein lay the conundrum of Clara in that she questions her place in the world but willingly accepts her role to pursue a concept despite her awkward societal position and the obvious. Regardless, she does it suppressing her emotions and steeling herself for the long road to come for whatever goal is on the horizon, if there is any. Where it will lead her, she couldn't say, but that’s also part of the conundrum in that she's sufficed herself to believe that there is a purpose for how things are and that one day she'll find it. Although, on the other hand that is only a narrow glimpse at who Clara actually is. She's a Hunter and a Cyborg, yes, but she also has a very Human mind with a very Human outlook. When she allows others to get close she worries for their welfare and yearns to care about them despite knowing that she'll only bring them harm when they're around her causing her to be cold and unfeeling towards others for their own good. She has wants, desires, and needs like any person does and is no exception to the folly of Humanity. She's curious, she thirsts for knowledge, she has quirks, and she makes very Human decisions like any other biological being would. At the end of the day though she is seen ignorantly as a tool and as a brain in a tin can who's opted out of biology to satiate some need to assimilate herself with technology. This much is a thing that Clara has come to terms with over the many years since her cyberization but one that never stops stinging. It's sobering and punishing at the same time causing her to harden her mechanical heart and focus on her goals so that she can find her place and come to understand state of being. What makes her more than a ghost in a machine and where all of what makes her Clara blends to create a mixture that forms her and gives rise to her own, albeit shred, of humanity. Then again, that’s probably only a very small slice of what kind of person Clara actually is. She's multifaceted and it simply wouldn't do her justice to try and explain all of those facets. One has to observe them for themselves and see for themselves. A word of advice though; Good luck, you're gonna need it. |
★ HISTORY
"We weep for the blood of a bird, but not for the blood of a fish. Blessed are those with a voice. If the dolls could speak, no doubt they'd scream, 'I didn't want to become human'…"
Clara was born some twenty-five years ago on a rainy Wednesday afternoon on the thirteenth day in the month of May. From the get-go her birth was abnormal having been fraught with complications that had taken their toll on her nameless unwed mother as she struggled and strained to give birth to no avail, eventually expiring just after having Clara. It seemed the skies above the Kingdom of Pinnacle even wept that day as little Clara was carried off by the doctors and the coroner was called in to pronounce her biological mother dead. Her legacy, Clara, was the only thing the young woman had left behind bringing the doctors to take decisive action to ensure the little girls' proper treatment and care as she grew older. Without another guardian to claim her they arranged for the nearby Cela Monastery to take her. This was where she would spend the first years of her life amidst the denizens of a small orphanage the monastery's monks ran, a home for the displaced and forgotten.
Though despite her troubled origins Clara would grow up quickly with a thirst for knowledge despite her weak constitution. By the time she was only three years old she was learning to read at an alarming rate soaking up and spouting off words as the monks taught her them to their elation. Not long after when she was only four years old Clara cracked open her first book sitting amidst the dusty annals of the monastery's library, sounding out the words at first, and coming to understand them only months after that. Her progress was incredible by all standards prompting the monks to begin her studies younger than the rest at four and a half years old. Though, at the same time, while she excelled academically she was a notably frail girl and often sick which effectively saw her excluded her from the activities her peers were endeavoring on. While it didn't seem to bother her much it did raise red flags amongst her caregivers for a number of reasons which in the end they would come to eventually brush off as a facet of Clara's nature. In the meantime they instead did their best to meet her needs, taking care of her the days she didn't feel well, and supplying her with whatever her young mind yearned for when they could.
By the age of six Clara's illnesses seemed almost a daily occurrence adding to the growing concern over her so much so that the head monks had debated several times taking her to the hospital. Although, when she didn't feel well it seemed more like a cold rather than anything life-threatening bringing them to understandably feel that their worries might've been unjustifiable. Ultimately they would chalk it up to a weaker immune system and would do their best to keep her health up as Clara simply went through her days none the wiser. In Clara's eyes, she hadn't felt well most of her life bringing her often to hand-wave much of the symptoms as a part of her day to day routine at this point and coming to focus more on what she enjoyed. To that end, in the years that had passed and having been bedridden Clara had taken heavily to her books reading up on all sorts of different subjects from science and history, to art and literature, to mathematics and more. Anything that she could get to read she would power through it often taking notes on what she'd read in a spiral bound journal that the monks had given her. Though, she did have her favorites among the subjects and particularly one called computer science. It detailed things that were fascinating telling about terminals, scrolls, and all sorts of other technological feats she'd seldom seen in the monasteries and their inner workings. It went over programmatic languages, algorithms, data structures, computational engineering, databases and networking, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and even things like cryptography and the science behind virtual security. It was certainly Clara's bread and butter as it were and something that she'd consistently asked for when the monks brought her a new supply of books.
However, by the age of seven even that intense thirst for knowledge would fail Clara when one day she collapsed upon getting out of bed to retrieve another book over on the desk that was in her room. The sound of her collapsing on the floor alerted the monks who found her unconscious between her bed and her desk prompting them to rush her to the nearest hospital; the hospital where she was born on the outskirts of the Cela Monastery. Upon getting there she'd been roused from her unplanned slumber and had begun complaining that her legs felt weak and that she couldn't move them. With that information the doctors took over for the monks rushing her into the emergency room where they would do routine tests – blood work, checking her vitals, doing a physical examination, asking questions, and the like – and would come back hours later with a startling revelation. Clara had a very rare and terminal neurodegenerative disease that affected her lower motor neurons similar to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis called Melanthios's Syndrome. They couldn't say for sure how long she had to live but the diagnosis was grim to say the least and was a sobering moment for the little girl whose dreams and aspirations seemed to shatter before their very eyes as tears began to trickle down her cheeks and dripped off the tip of her chin. It was a low blow that would set the tone for the months to come as Clara grew weaker and reserved herself to her fate.
"I feel confined, only free to expand myself within boundaries…"
Two weeks after the diagnosis Clara was moved to a larger facility in the heart of Pinnacle's capital where they could better provide care for her needs. Most of what the doctors and nurses did there though was supportive care at best aside from general pain management and life support services. However, things would ultimately get worse, not better, and three months into her stint at the hospital Clara would find herself on several machines vital to helping her stay alive. It certainly was no way to live, especially not for a child, but it wasn't all bad either since often times the monks would pay her visits coming to read to her, or sing, or even to pray for her well-being though Clara didn't see the point. Of course it didn't change anything, she was still ultimately going to die, but the fact that they'd come out of their way to care for her in her final days was enough to brighten her day. Besides the monks, the nurses and doctors in the hospital also helped brighten up her day often trying to cheer her up when they would come by to take her vitals and see how she was doing. Though, one doctor in particular stood out above the rest; her name was Maria Reed and she was one of the chief residents at the hospital who would often come by personally to see how Clara was holding up. Every time she'd come by she'd spend a solid half of an hour with the girl chatting, taking her vitals, and administering any medication she might have needed as well as to see if she could get her anything. While it may have just been excellent bedside manner it was something that Clara looked forward and had become something of a bright spot in the dark days that would lay ahead.
Months would pass as Clara's condition continued to deteriorate with little hope in sight for any sort've remission. Time was running out and the medical staff at the hospital knew it giving her less than a year to live unless something miraculous happened within that time. Though, in the end, fate would have different plans for Clara when one day during one of their visits Clara accidently slipped up and referred to Maria as her mother. Maria paused a moment and simply smiled continuing her work as silence filled the space between them before asking Clara if she'd ever thought about being adopted. Sheepishly Clara would respond as Maria reiterated the question coming to ask her what Clara would think if she wanted to adopt her. Of course it came as a shock to Clara who wasn't sure what to say at first and eventually asking Maria to come over to her bedside for a moment before asking her to hug her. Using what strength she had left Clara tilted her head and weakly nuzzled it into Maria's with a tear-filled resounding yes rolling off of her lips and a smile piquing between the two amidst it all. Although Clara was unsure why Maria would want to adopt a little girl who was dying she didn't ask questions. She simply let it be knowing that if anything, in the end, she would have someone – a mother – who would remember her lovingly.
During the proceeding months after that Maria would begin to get the ball rolling and would come to file the proper paperwork to adopt Clara legally. After a short wait and a few impromptu hospital meetings with an appointed social worker the adoption would finally go through just before Clara's eight birthday making Maria Clara's legal guardian and parent. It was a momentous occasion and one that the two celebrated with a small gathering in Clara's hospital room with the physicians, nurses, and some of the monks from the monastery who had taken care of her. Though, when the small soiree had drawn to a close and everyone had left the hospital room one final surprise lay in store for the little girl. Just before her bedtime Maria approached Clara with an idea that she'd been toying with for a while that was about as invasive as it got but one that might have saved her life. It was a semi-rare process known as full-body cyberization that barrowed the principles of attaching a cybernetic prosthesis – such as a cybernetic limb – to a human body and expanded on it. In this case it was the process of removing a living Human brain, encasing it a titanium shell, wiring the brains synapses to it to facilitate an artificial nervous system, and placing it inside of a cybernetic chassis modeled to look and function as an artificial Human body. Needless to say the process was risky with the mortality rate sitting just below fifty percent but at the same time the benefits of such a procedure were unprecedented and so much so that Maria felt that Clara would be a good candidate for it.
Of course upon hearing it Clara was taken aback having never thought of such a possibility but having read on the topic of cybernetic prosthesis' years prior. Needless to say she was familiar with process more or less but at the same time despite its benefits it was a huge decision. Her body was obviously not going to get better given how far the disease had progressed. In fact, if anything it was going to get worse until she finally passed away from some form of systemic organ failure. She was just unsure if she could justify doing such as thing as a means to live not to mention the prospect of dying during the operation admittedly scared her as it would have anyone. Though, the alternative in this case was a slow agonizing death that could've dragged on for years in the worst case scenario. That made making the decision hard but ultimately after a night of thinking it over and speaking with her mother on it eventually Clara would agree to the procedure. In the grand scope of things she was going to die either way but at least this way gave her a sliver of a chance that she hadn't had prior to that. So, with that much settled, the two of them discussed the specifics of it further coming to set the date to perform the operation three months after her eighth birthday. In the meantime they would come to do a series of scans and examinations of Clara's body as a means of creating her artificial replica ensuring that if all things went well she'd be able to develop along the same lines as she would've naturally.
"If a technological feat is possible, man will do it. Almost as if it’s wired into the core of our being..."
When the day finally arrived they wheeled Clara into the operating room with her mother in tow reassuring Clara that she would be alright. Once in the operating room Clara was greeted by a myriad of staff who would come to support the procedure in their own ways and who immediately went to work going over the rundown of what they were going to do and the road plan ahead as far as they could perceive. Once that was taken care of Clara was put under a powerful anesthetic and hooked up to devices that would monitor her vital signs as skilled aura workers gathered around to underpin the medical staff's efforts. Meanwhile, as they commenced with the grueling sixty plus hour operation, the cyberneticists that were called in went to constructing a neural cradle unique to Clara that would replace her damaged brainstem and spinal cord. With everyone making efforts in their own profession in the operating room it seemed much like choreographed dance fraught with peaks and valleys of success and peril as they mitigated and traversed the many unforeseen hazards coming to finally liberate Clara from her mortal coil some thirty hours into the process. Semblances would direct much of the rest of the operation from there as the pale matter was encased in a sort of stasis field generated by the aura workers and was situated in the newly constructed neural cradle as they went to running circuitry through the various parts of her cerebrum. After being poked and prodded Clara's cerebral matter was encased in a titanium shell and subsequently that shell was filled with an artificial cerebrospinal electrorheological fluid that would act to cushion it and further protect it from harm. Once this was done the painstaking process of inserting the braincase along with its neural cradle into the prosthesis was put underway as the cyberneticists took center stage to perform the calibrations and adjust the connections as necessary for the procedure to be a success.
In the end they would close the prosthesis and insert a series of cords into the ports on the back of Clara's neck that would upload the operational kernel, its interface, its applications, its subroutines, its dependencies, and more necessary for it to function. In addition to that they would attach two larger cables with magnetic locks to the surface of her synthetic skin that would act as a power conduit for the first twenty-four hours to ensure her power cells' longevity. Finally, once the necessary software had finished uploading into Clara's systems, the aura workers dropped their stasis field as the staff awaited breathlessly watching the electroencephalogram for signs of brain activity. Claps and smiles erupted through the deafening hush moments later as patterns consistent with stage four REM (Random Eye Movement) sleep began trickling in suggesting that the operation had indeed succeeded. Of course, Clara was not out of the woods yet but the team was confident and satisfied with their results as they all congratulated one another and filed out of the room to get some much deserved rest and relaxation after cleaning up and transferring Clara's new body to the post-operative ward. By the next day Clara still lay unconscious post-operative care wing as Maria sat with her tentatively and nervously waiting for her daughter to wake up. Eventually, a little over twenty-seven hours after the operation, Clara would rouse opening her eyes for the first time as she groggily took in the blurry room around her which was slowly making its way into focus, finally coming to a stop when she set her sights on Maria. The woman smiled at her from above caressing her cheek receiving a half-asleep smile back as Clara clumsily moved her legs and extended her fingers only to recoil them once more moments later whilst still in bed. At that moment if Maria hadn’t been convinced that it was a success before this much had certainly proved it. Furthermore, it proved that while she may not have biologically given birth to Clara there was no doubt she had given her life anew and that she was indeed the little girls' mother.
For nearly six months after the procedure Clara would remain in the hospital undergoing physical therapy to acclimate her to the prosthetic body and to ensure that a resurgence of the disease that had almost taken her life wouldn't resurface. Throughout that time she received regular diagnostics and maintenance to fine tune any sort of anomalous happenings with her neural net cradle and to ensure that the connections between her biological and cybernetic counterparts were being correctly transcoded. Once everything checked out and they were sure of the integrity of her architecture and biological health Clara's mother came to pull some strings calling in several aura specialists to examine Clara. While they were sure that the operation had been a success – albeit a perilous one – the question of if Clara still retained her natural aura was more or less up in the air. They had seen signs during her preliminary examinations suggesting that it still remained intact but ultimately only a skilled specialist in that field could determine that within the realms of certainty. To this end, for the last month of her stint in the hospital, and in conjunction with her daily routine, the aura specialists began shadowing Clara amongst performing specific technologically aided examinations to determine if her aura had remained. It took weeks of observation, awkward and rather annoying encounters, and a slew of lengthy examinations for the aura specialists to determine that in fact Clara's natural aura still was very much intact. It was still weak from what she'd endured as well as locked up and there was no guarantee that it would ever be the same as it would've been had she been healthier but it was there nevertheless.
With that much out of the way, and to both Maria's and Clara's relief, after years of spending her life dying and then recuperating in the hospital Clara finally took her first steps outside a little before her ninth birthday. It was a momentous occasion for Clara given the grim outlook she'd been given only a half of a year prior and one that would sweep her up in a whirlwind of excitement as she traversed the city finding herself in her new home soon after. There she'd find both friends and gifts awaiting her amidst a party in her honor that would last well into the night before dying down. Later that night she would find herself in her new body, in her new home, with her new mother being tucked into bed safe and sound for once like a normal child, free from fear and sickness. At that moment it dawned on Clara that she'd truly defied the odds escaping the black clutches of death and finding herself amidst the warm bosom of a haven fated to be hers. It was an indescribable feeling and one that would linger about her for the longest time as she settled into her daily routine in the Reed household. Although, with time everything fades and the euphoria of just being alive was no exception as the years passed and the mundanity of that life began to take a foothold.
It was a slow process of course but one that would cultivate the feelings of monotony with time as Clara found herself adrift in the sea of her humdrum life around the age of eleven often repeating the same routine as if it were stuck on an infinite loop. Often times she would find herself going to school, coming home to an empty house, going about her studies, and finally ending up in bed by the end of the evening with few exceptions besides when her mother would take her in for a checkup. Moreover, with Maria's busy schedule she often wasn't around much paving the way for Clara to feel lonely during those long absent nights. Of course she knew that Maria couldn't help it given her position but at the same time she longed for the days when her mother would spend hours with her which seemed increasingly rare those days. Though Maria knew this as well having sensed a paradigm shift in Clara's mood over the years prompting her to do what she could to remedy the girls' loneliness. As a result she would come to purchase Clara a terminal of her own for her eleventh birthday remembering how much she enjoyed computer science when she was younger to an elated Clara's surprise. It would seem that it was just what she needed as the act didn't go unnoticed and Clara excitedly went to using it over the next months, exploring what she could do with it.
Though ultimately Clara came to find that even such magnificent things grew dull with time as one reached their boundaries and began yearning for more. This eventually lead to a resurgence early on of her interests in computer science as she took to refreshing herself on the subject and using the terminal to apply what she had learned years prior. To this end, over time she found herself slowly but surely exercising this knowledge at first by doing small things such as tweaking her systems' programmatic properties. Later on she would delve into more advanced topics coming to write small snippets of code that over a series of experiments she would expand on by writing in more elaborate and robust functions. Eventually by the time that she was only a little past eleven and a half years old Clara had come to understand several mainstream programming languages and was using her skills day in and day out to build on her applied knowledge. Though, this wasn't quite enough for her and with time she would begin exploring the seedier sides of her fascination when she ventured out into the net with her skills. This much would set Clara on the path to becoming a hacker as she tested her skills against virtual servers that she'd set up for simulation purposes with the goal of breaking in and retrieving some form of data. Once she'd honed how to do that much and a working knowledge of how to cover her tracks she stepped up her game using her skills for the first time in a live test to hack into her mothers' scroll remotely. It was indeed quite the feat in her eyes and a thrill at that bringing her to venture in on bigger and bolder – not to mention harder – challenges as she neared her twelfth birthday.
In the next months before and just after her twelfth birthday Clara would come to make quite the name for herself amongst the denizens of the net as well as amidst the local corporations in Pinnacle. Word of a hacker going by the name Obscura – Clara's alias on the net – would begin circulating as Clara took it upon herself to infiltrate and expose security flaws in their systems as a means to practice her skills. While she was aware that it was still a crime in her eyes, possibly out of a naïve notion that she was somehow helping these companies, she continued with it flustering the feathers of more than a few security divisions in the process and catching quite a bit of unwanted attention. Though still, it was all in the spirit of good intentions to her as she disregarded the potential consequences and did what she felt she did best. Little did she know what was waiting around the corner in store for her when at twelve and a half she hacked into a local technology manufacturers' database via a backend exploit that their security division had haphazardly patched up. Upon entering she did her usual routine of snooping around but ultimately ended up coming across classified documents tied to Atlesian Military contracts in the process. Upon trying to take a peek into them her actions alerted a read sensitive redundant security measure which immediately flooded the sniffer application she had open prompting it to terminate the connection preemptively. Though she was relatively sure that she'd closed the connection before they'd caught her it was a heart pounding moment for Clara prompting her to take a step back from her activities in the proceeding days afterward.
However, even though she had taken precautions to keep herself concealed and had since ceased her activities on the net it wasn't enough to protect her from inevitably being tracked down. To this end, a little over a week later during one of the rare times her mother was off the two of them heard a knock at the door as they went about their morning routine to what end Maria went to answer it with Clara shortly behind. Moments later a woman – an Atlesian Military Officer – clad in a black uniform requested to come in and in return was invited in by Maria with an entourage of military police in tow. Politely taking a seat on their couch across from Clara and Maria the woman began by introducing herself stating that she was Major Ciara Nashandra of the Atlesian Naval Corps Cyber Operations Division. Almost instantly worry built up in the back of Clara's mind the moment that she stated who she was and seemed to display itself as her facial features contorted in response when Major Nashandra referred to her by her net alias. In a mere matter of seconds the Major would come to explain not only why she was there, but who she was after, and just why she was after her to Maria's shock as she came to look to Clara for an explanation. Needless to say, she didn't have one coming to drop her head and apologize profusely trying to explain that she didn't mean any harm by doing what she did. Though, even though the apology was appreciated and clearly deserved, it still didn't satiate the matter at hand in that Clara had broken several laws and at least two interkingdom treaties by doing what she'd done.
With this being the case Major Nashandra expressed that she was in more of a pickle than she even understood telling her that she could possibly face a prison sentence for the crimes that she'd committed even if they weren't ill-intended. Of course, despite Maria's disappointment in Clara's actions, she went to bat for her trying to appeal to the Major stating that Clara was just a child and didn't know what she was doing. The Major in return retorted that Clara in fact did know what she was doing and have circumvented several systems prior to that with a certain amount of skill that clearly stated that much making Maria's argument invalid at best. Though, at the same time, the Major stated that given how young Clara was and there clearly being no ill-intent behind her actions that it would be a shame to see such a skilled young woman land in prison. With that in mind the Major turned her focus on Clara addressing her directly as she laid out a cut and dry ultimatum on the table telling her that while ultimately she would have to answer for her crimes there was more than one way to do that. Instead of spending the next ten to twenty years in prison Legions' government was prepared to wave the charges if she committed to joining the Atlesian Military's NROTC (Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program until its completion from the ages of thirteen to sixteen. Under Legions' judicial system this much would be much like a community service tour of duty where Clara would provide the Atlesian Military with her time and service and they would commute her sentencing providing she completed the program.
Needless to say, this ultimatum didn't sit well with Clara or Maria but the alternative was simply not an option as far as the two were concerned. So, in the end, after discussing it over for a moment and asking the Major a few particular questions about what it would entail Clara agreed and Maria gave her reluctant consent as her legal guardian. With that Major Nashandra called over one of the military police she'd brought with her who handed her a manila envelope as she got down to business getting signatures on the proper documents for legal purposes. Once that was taken care of she assigned Clara a reporting date coming to welcome her to the Atlesian Military with a devious grin before finally bidding her farewell and taking her posse with her. For a long while after the meeting Maria stayed angry at Clara coming to relay to her how disappointed that she was in her judgement and taking most everything away from her that she could that wasn't a vital necessity. Eventually, months later, she would come to return Clara's belongings and would eventually cool off but in the interim she was scared for her daughter worrying both about her being away as well as how her prosthetic would handle in such a stressful environment. This much prompted Maria to suggest they swap out her prosthetic for one that could handle the increased strain and one that was more aesthetically succinct to her current age given that she still looked like an eight year old. Even though she was uneasy about it Clara agreed spurring Maria to commission a new prosthetic based on the data that they had taken from Clara's biological body to be built. By her estimates it would take one month to manufacture it and calibrate it for Clara's particular braincase and neural cradle framework and another two to three months of physical therapy and diagnostics to ensure it was functioning optimally giving them just enough time.
Setting the refitting date for one month out Maria placed the order for Clara's new prosthesis coming to find that month would pass in what seemed like a blur as they wheeled Clara into the operating room for a second time. Unlike the last procedure that was much like feeling their way around in the dark this one was straight forward and would take far less time and would involve much less risk coming to take only mere hours in comparison. In contrast to the grueling sixty hour operation she'd undergone when she was younger to fit her with the prosthesis it was a cakewalk to say the least and one that would go off seamlessly at that. To that end, after having performed the refitting and having closed her up the medical staff would go through the routine steps of uploading and initializing her prosthetics' software and wheeling her into post-operative care where she'd wake up a little under twenty-four hours later. Upon awakening it was a strange sensation for Clara but one that Maria helped her through as she adjusted to her body's new height and its maturing physique coming to find herself acclimating to it within the first few hours of waking up. Eventually it would come to feel like home as she spent the next two and a half months in the hospital undergoing physical therapy and mulling through diagnostics before being released just two weeks before she was to report to the NROTC program in Legion. In that time she'd find herself spending it with her mother to tie up any loose ends they might've had amidst preparing for her journey to Legion. Though the time would be short lived as they bid their fond farewells and Clara reluctantly boarded the airship headed toward what would be her prison with a lingering hug between whilst it lifted off.
"It's not a question of can or can't. There are some things in life you just do…"
On Clara's thirteenth birthday she'd arrive in Legion taking a train to Atlas where she'd find herself on its outskirts in a large military construct called the Gainsboro Joint Forces Training Facility, otherwise known as the GJFTF for short. The prim kept grounds, the soldiers marching around to the shouts of drill instructors, and the others – her apparent peers – who all seemed confident and ready for the challenge told her that she was in the right place. This was where she'd spend the beginning of her teenage years serving the Atlesian Military for her crimes until she was sixteen. Needless to say, Clara admittedly was overwhelmed by just the mere thought of it and even more so as she entered the large hanger and filed into formation with her peers as the drill instructors shouted orders at them. They set their ground rules right from the get-go leaving little to the imagination as to what they expected coming to teach them and to expect them to remember some basic necessities that every soldier must learn. Though it was just the tip of the iceberg as things went and progressed to the commencement speech where several officers made their way out into the space before the filed assortment of young soldiers to introduce themselves. First up was a face she knew, Major Ciara Nashandra, who would act as the NROTC's commanding officer from then on out having transferred over from the Atlesian Naval Corps Cyber Operations Division curiously just in time for Clara's arrival. Second was another Major by the name of Charna Brandt who was the assistant commander of the GJFTF under the third man who introduced himself as Colonel Brenton Rubeus, the commander of the GJFTF. Between the three of them they would come to outline what exactly the NROTC programs' goals were and how they were going to accomplish them as well as the level of perfection and obedience they expected from each of them in the process.
It went without saying that their expectations as they laid them out that day were lofty if not expecting too much in Clara's eyes but nevertheless it was what it was. That was what she and the rest were expected to do and she personally wouldn't dare disobey imagining the consequences of such a blatant act of disobedience. As a result, for the first months into her stint there Clara was miserable coming to find herself struggling just to keep up with the routine. From morning to night it was non-stop as she was awoken in the wee hours of the morning, was put through physical fitness training – or PT as they called it – before taking a shower, then progressing to her classes just after sun up until the evening, and then would come to end out her evening with live fire exercises and elementary combat training. Furthermore, on her days off even she was bogged down doing homework and studying the almost endless mounds of literature that they'd assigned for them to read. Though it wasn't taxing physically on her because of her physicality as it was on her peers, mentally it was a huge strain, bringing her to fall back to her barracks each night to take a quick shower before slumping into bed just before lights out. Though as time went, and Clara found her rhythm amidst it all, things started to get marginally better after those first few months with Clara often finding herself ahead of the curve even at a point in her classes and during her combat training. Because of her dedication to studying the material and taking detailed notes during the combat demonstrations as well as her physical disposition Clara had made incredible progress that was at par with some of the top recruits in the program.
Needless to say, this much caught her quite a bit of attention both positive and negative at the same time and notably from a recruit named Aiden Garnette who seemed to have more than a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He was the kind of person one would consider a bully often coming to berate the other recruits – especially the Faunas, anyone with cybernetic augmentations, those who seemed to struggle with their training, and in general anyone who was different – by picking fights with them, calling them all sorts of nasty names, or resorting to physical violence when all else failed. Recently around then he had begun making snide comments to Clara coming to jab at just about anything he could take a swing at when she was around but to little effect. Most times Clara would ignore him and go about her way making it a point to show him up whenever the opportunity arose as a means of passively retaliating against him. Though, as it were, things would only get worse with a person like him over time as verbal assaults turned into sparring matches during the combat exercises only ending when the drill instructors broke them up. However, eventually it would hit a head when Aiden and a few of his flunkies lurked up on her just after their afternoon classes had ended coming to do his usual verbal assault as Clara kept walking trying to ignore him as she usually did. This time he wouldn't let it alone though coming to charge her in a fit of anger as he shouted out a particularly nasty slur and took a blow at her backside. Shifting out of the way and spinning on her heel in one fluid motion Clara gripped the wrist of his extended arm using her free hand to slam her palm up into his upper arm hearing a deafening lurch and crack. Next she forced his arm twisting and contorting the limb behind his back as if it were rubber slamming him to the ground on his stomach and putting her boot on his back with several snaps and pops as the mangled limb sat plastered to his back with Clara holding him firmly to the floor.
Deafening primal screams and a flurry of military police – guns drawn – eked through the training facility's hallway as onlookers and Aiden's posse sat watching in horror as it all unfolded and Clara was forced off of Aiden. Moments later a medical team arrived moving Aiden from the floor as they evacuated him from the hallway and Major Nashandra came storming down the hall ordering Clara in her office in response to what she'd done. Closing her eyes solemnly Clara did as she was told without hesitation coming to display little remorse for the action but concern as to what might happen as a result of what she'd done. When Major Nashandra finally arrived after her it was as she'd expected in that the Major had begun berating her loudly for what she'd done coming to pull out several documents including an incident report and what looked like papers to reprimand or even discharge Clara from the course. Although, ultimately, before she could finish them a newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Brandt made her way through the door coming to order the Major to shred the documents she was filling out. In one swift stroke of luck Clara had been saved from Legions' dust mines as the Lieutenant Colonel explained that she'd seen what had happened and that Aiden initiated the assault which could be further corroborated by other eye witnesses. Though Clara would still be reprimanded for her actions given what Aiden had done it was certainly not her fault that it had happened and didn’t constitute such harsh action.
No, in fact, to the contrary Aiden had it coming by her estimates and apparently needed to be knocked down a peg as she put it having seen his behavior first hand on several occasions. To this end, Lieutenant Colonel Brandt effectively disarmed what would have been a worst case scenario and instead put Clara on latrine duty for the next several months as her punishment before dismissing her. It was a slap on the wrists all things considered and one that Clara would've shamelessly accepted given what she had accomplished out of it. An though she wondered what would happen to Aiden now out of curiosity she couldn't quite say that she rightfully cared all that much as she settled back into her duties. Over the course of the next few months Clara's would add her extracurricular punishment atop of her usual schedule with nothing much changing besides that as she entered her second year in the program around the age of fifteen. By this time the classes she had been ascribed to had gotten exponentially more advanced teaching the recruits everything from tactical operations strategies and infiltration, to cyberwarfare and reconnaissance, all the way operating combat vehicles and heavy artillery as well as advanced weapons training. They had even begun covering the use of aura and semblances on the battlefield which had spurred on a seminar to unlock the recruits' auras.
Though upon attending the seminar the Huntress in charge of teaching the class expressed her concerns over Clara's ability to even wield an aura let alone a semblance. She was skeptical even when Clara had told her the aura specialists' findings from years prior after she'd been cyberized. That being the case, the Huntress made it clear that she couldn't guarantee she'd be able to unlock Clara's aura which Clara's commanding officer's agreed to telling her to do her best at any rate. With that much in mind when it was Clara's turn to go she stepped into the room where the Huntress had been helping other recruits unlock their auras noting the machines that had been setup around the room to aid in the process. Getting started the Huntress had her stand in the middle of the room and focus telling her to visualize the natural energy that flowed inside of her and to project it outward as the Huntress began applying her own aura. After a while of attempting and failing at it Clara had grown frustrated coming to try one last time focusing hard as she grit her teeth before finally something snapped in the air around her unleashing what felt like a shockwave of energy rippling through the room. Almost immediately Clara's body gave out beneath her as she fell to her hands and knees while the power cells in her prosthesis cycled for a split second coming back online just as fast as they'd gone offline. The other machines in the room seemed to have had the same sort of energy flux as the lights dimmed and came back on within milliseconds of the shockwave disbursing. To the Huntress's surprise Clara not only had an aura, now seemingly unlocked and radiating in a display of gold and bronze, but she may have unintentionally released what may have been her semblance in the process and a powerful one at that.
Astonished by the coincidence the Huntress snapped to her senses moments later calling in a medical team to bring Clara to the infirmary to check her prosthesis over for any damage. Meanwhile, she concluded the aura seminar for the day to recalibrate her equipment coming to convene with both Major Nashandra and Lieutenant Colonel Brandt right afterward. She relayed her findings to them in regards to Clara making a few quick suggestions and relaying her opinions on it before excusing herself to tend to her instruments. However, her suggestions and opinions wouldn't go unnoted as the gears in Lieutenant Colonel Brandt's mind went to work and she came to take a newfound interest in Clara. On the other hand, Clara had no clue what was happening knowing only that she'd never experienced a bout of power failure like that before but was put at ease when the cyberneticist on duty relayed what had happened as it had been told to him. It was interesting to say the least but certainly something that Clara wouldn't want to go through again prompting her to be as unsure as ever about her aura and in the proceeding days treading carefully not to activate it. Though that much was short lived when on one of her rare days off Lieutenant Colonel Brandt approached her proposing the last thing she'd ever thought the woman would propose. She wanted to tutor her privately and train her to use her aura making it clear that she knew what had happened when she'd first unlocked it and that she could train her to harness her aura as a means of preventing a reoccurrence.
Of course Clara was skeptical of it but given that Lieutenant Colonel Brandt was adamant about the idea she had little choice in the matter coming to accept her help ultimately. With that, in the proceeding months Clara would use what little time she had off to train with the Lieutenant Colonel. As such she came to slowly but surely learn how to create a cushion of defense around her body with her aura to ward off most adverse effects of her semblance in conjunction with somewhat vaguely learning the nature of her semblance in the process. Using the two in tandem she began to understand the roundabout way of how to activate her semblance – though likely crude and haphazard at the time – using it to focus high-voltage electromagnetically charged surges of electricity into the palms of her hands. This would allow her to use it somewhat effectively as an offensive tactic to electrocute targets upon making contact with them physically. It seemed that Clara couldn't have learned it at a better time either as her sixteenth birthday approached and the base commander, Colonel Rubeus, announced what their final test would be. One week from the day it was announced the recruits would be transported to the far northern reaches of Legion to a series of predesignated spots in squads of eight. In those squads of eight their leader would be one of the eight recruits that it was composed of and would be announced the day before the test. Upon their arrival the squads had to work together under their leader to traverse the icy tundra using the skills that they had learned in the program to eliminate whatever foes that stood in their way as well as navigate the terrain. Furthermore, to graduate they would have to make it back to the GJFTF in one months' time or they would fail the course and would be sent home before the designated end of the program.
It was a challenge and one like Clara had never faced before coming to be even more daunting when the leaders of the squads were chosen and she was chosen to lead squad nine. Needless to say it wasn't something that Clara would've picked for herself, and was far more stressful than simply following orders, but it was a role that she would evidently come to take in stride as the day of the test dawned. That morning they were blindfolded and put into a myriad of aerial vehicles as they took off to their individual drop points. Once there parachutes were strapped to their backs and they were lead to jump from the aerial vehicle in mid-flight being told that they could take off their blindfolds exactly two seconds after they jumped. Upon jumping each of her team waited the precise amount of time before removing their blindfolds as they freefell towards Remnant's surface pulling their chute cords as they drifted aimlessly to the ground below. As they dropped down each of them pulled their parachutes off as Clara ordered them to survey their surroundings to ascertain true north. Once they'd found it she ordered her squad to move out and begin heading south as she took point in the front ordering one of her better marksmen to take up the rear as they walked side by side through the tundra and alternated positions to mitigate mental fatigue. The first night they came to make a small shelter under a natural overhang which provided protection against the elements as at least one member of the squad watched for suspicious activity. Once the morning rolled around they ate their rations sparingly putting out the fire at they'd made before beginning on their path once more.
This would go on for nearly a week before they encountered any sort of real threat when they spotted a Krahe inbound coming directly at them. Immediately the recruits under Clara's lead would burst into action taking point with snipers spreading out point zero three clicks apart and firing flame dust imbued rounds at the aerial monstrosity. Otherwise the other members of her squad took aim firing sub-machine guns at the creature trying to pin it down with suppressive fire as those who could actively use their semblance went to work in order to down it. Eventually when it was low enough Clara was able to get a boost up unleashing her own semblance in mid-air that had been since nicknamed Gestalt. With it she barreled toward the Krahe coming to plow her hand into its face unleashing a jolt of condensed high-voltage electricity that surely helped to fry it from the inside out. With a final few sniper rounds connecting with the creature dead on the battle was a decisively won through blood sweat and tears. Though, it wouldn't be the last one as they encountered similar creatures in the proceeding weeks finding themselves on their last week rushing through the tundra as they spotted the mountain range that encircled the GJFTF compound. They were close and they could feel it bringing their spirits up after having worked so hard to get where they were. Though, one final challenge would lay ahead as they approached the mountain range spotting a Graylicht in the distance bounding fast at them and finding it almost on top of them within a matter of seconds.
When the fight erupted the squad wasn't ready for it as the Graylicht charged coming to dash past them just before using its momentum and scythe-like claws to alter its trajectory and an attempt to flank them from the back. Immediately, the squad did what they could to try and slow it down laying down sheets of suppressive fire as the semblance users tried to get behind it, most of them getting smacked and tossed about like ragdolls. Using powdered dust like hand grenades the standing members of the squad threw them at the Graylicht using their auras and well-placed shots to ignite them staggering it slightly as Clara rushed it and grabbed onto one of the spines on its back. Upon attaching herself to its back it flailed from side to side as it attempted to buck her off like a raging bull. In the meanwhile as she desperately held on she took to dodging bullets from her own squad as they laid down suppressive fire allowing her to get a grip on the beast. Thrusting her hand in between a gap between two of the Graylicht's armored plates she held on tight situating her feet as best as she could before beginning to pull. The beast immediately roared in pain rearing up to try and get Clara off of it as several near point blank range sniper shots bored through its exposed underbelly causing the best to hunch forward. Meanwhile Clara kept pulling and yanking on the sheets of armored plating as the synthetic skin on her fingers and arms began to tear next creating stress fractures along her chassis as one of her fingers was bent back and snapped from her hand. Gritting her teeth she contorted her face pulling as hard as her body would allow her to as the beast in response went wild thrashing about as bullets whizzed past Clara, one ricocheting off of her leg, and another grazing her torso. With another hard pull Clara's right arm's sheathing fractured pulling it from its socket partially as the beast's armored plate was liberated from its body leaving Clara's arm Dangling as she kicked off from the best's back hard yelling to the others to aim for its back. Using the same method they had to stagger the Graylicht the brave among them rushed the beast throwing a well-coordinated vial of powered flame dust close to the opening that Clara had made firing at it and using their auras to ignite it. The subsequent blast spewed gracious amounts of fire into opening charring the beasts back and a good majority of its hind side as it fell to its knees allowing one of the members of her squad to strike it down using their semblance.
It was a harrowing battle leaving Clara's prosthesis a mess and leaving at least half of her squad moderately to severely wounded in the process but alive nonetheless. However, despite that they would make it into the training facility two days later coming to limp across the mountain pass and into the GJFTF compound five days early, and as the third squad to arrive back. Over the next several days the on-site cyberneticists and mechanics would do their best to patch Clara up, coming to remove her damaged arm, and reattach the fingers that they could salvage to the lesser of the damaged limbs. Needless to say the price the squad paid was high though not necessarily unfounded given that recruits had died in the past during this test before from what Clara had heard after she'd arrived back. Moreover, simply the fact that they'd faced a Graylicht and survived to tell about it with the injuries that they had sustained was nothing short of miraculous. It was something that the squad could be proud of and something they'd certainly come to achieve together which would reflect on them during the closing ceremonies of the NROTC program. That day they would all file into formation one last time with what looked like only two thirds of the recruits that had been there the first day when Clara had entered the academy. After a short speech by Major Nashandra, Colonel Rubeus would come to take the stage, congratulating them all with a short speech of his own before finally relinquishing the floor to Lieutenant Colonel Brandt. She proceeded to call their names out one by one as they made their way to the stage receiving their second lieutenants' insignia in the form of a pin as well as a salute from all three officers. This much marked the end of her journey there and what was once her sentence which over time turned into a wealth of experience that she wouldn't soon come to forget.
Though, this wasn't the end of Clara's military career when after the graduation ceremony, a day before she was slated to depart, she was approached by Colonel Rubeus and Lieutenant Colonel Brandt. They came under the pretense of a proposal making it clear from the get-go accepting it was her choice and that she was one of only a dozen or so recruits offered it. With that much said they cut to the chase rather quickly telling Clara that if she chose to she could leave what she'd learned in the NROTC course behind, that was her prerogative given that she'd held up to her end of the bargain. However, if she wanted to continue with the Atlesian Military as an officer she also had that choice and two paths that she could choose from in doing that. The first was the option given to all officers after graduating the NROTC program was that they could take up a post and could begin their duties when they turned eighteen. In Clara's case that would mean she would be shipped off to Rift working under Colonel Melanie Averesch and Captain Silvius Grunewald in the 11th Atlesian Naval Detachment. Although, because she performed above and beyond the standard curve of the program, she had another option given only to a handful of the graduating officers in the program which was to continue her training by attending Vytal Academy to become a Huntress. Should she have chosen that she would be eligible to be a special operative for the Atlesian Military and would be granted the rank of First Lieutenant upon graduation as well as the privileges and flexibility that came with it. Of course, it was a big choice to make and she would ultimately need Maria's approval for it but it was enticing to say the least.
Even though Clara had come into the program soured by having to do it and having seen it as a prison sentence what she'd done there was no small feat and it had resonated with her. It had changed the way she thought about things and promoted her to grow as an individual far more than she ever had thought she could have. In fact, she wasn't quite sure where she would've been without it, having been uneasy about returning to her normal daily life without the constant challenge set out in front of her. To this end, Clara thought a moment coming to decide rather quickly that going back to the life she'd lived prior to this wasn't an option. Moreover, given the offer on the table it seemed that becoming a special operative was far sweeter of a deal given what she would gain out of it both in regards to the knowledge that she'd learn at the famed Hunter Academy and the skills she would hone. With that much in mind her choice was clear bringing her to relay it to the two senior officers who were pleased to hear it stating to her that they would begin setting it up with the Academy right away. In the meanwhile, when she returned home she would need to have her mother fill out the proper documents to give consent for all of this but should everything have gone smoothly she was to report to Vytal Academy at the start of the freshmen year. Having said all of that, the two senior officers saluted her as she saluted in return coming to attention before being put at ease just as the senior officers dismissed themselves wishing her the best of luck and assuring her that they would meet again sometime soon.
"Everyone around me, they feel connected to something. Connected to something, I'm not..."
In the proceeding days Clara would venture out from the GJFTF for the last time with paperwork and orders in hand finding herself boarding an airship as she'd done years prior, but this time on her way back to Pinnacle. When she'd finally arrived in there Maria was waiting for her on the docks with a warm smile as she approached coming to wrap her arms around her daughters' more than slightly scathed prosthetic the instant she got the chance. Smiling in return she gave her mother a big hug with her single arm as she lead was off to the car and Maria began asking the usual motherly questions and excitedly giving her a second and third once over. Despite the damage to her prosthetic Maria was just happy to finally have her physically in front of her again only having spoken to her via video chat every now and again since she'd left for the program. Needless to say she'd been more than worried about her and even more so within the last month or so because of the test Clara had endured and the damage she'd sustained in doing it. But, as it were, all was well in Maria's eyes now that she knew that Clara was safe bringing one thing to lead to another as they made their way home and the conversation shifted towards replacing her prosthetic as well as the offer that Clara had been given. The two went hand in hand as they discussed it given that if Clara was able to take the offer she'd need a stronger more resilient body able to withstand more punishment. Though, it was not a cut and dry matter as she explained it all to Maria who in return voiced her concerns and her immediate disapproval of the idea much to Clara's dismay. Eventually she would change her mind after discussing the topic more but at first she, like any mother, was concerned about Clara's well-being and that she'd only been star struck by what she'd done in the program. Maria was concerned that in the end Clara would come to find out that the real world – especially the world that Huntsmen and Huntress's lived in – was far different than she'd imagined and that she would end up getting stuck to a commitment that she wouldn't want to fulfil or couldn't.
Of course Clara could see where she was coming from and couldn't rightfully argue with it – though in hindsight she certainly tried – but knew that life was also about experiences too having had many along hers. She would come to explain that to Maria telling her that she wasn't sure if it were the right decision or not but in the end it was one that she needed to make. If she didn't she would never know and might never have such an opportunity again to what end Maria would eventually concede on that point. She wasn't happy about it but in the end she knew that Clara needed to make her own choices and sometimes that those choices would get her burned in life; that was how children learned and matured. To that end, Maria signed the paperwork later and the enrollment papers when they arrived coming to shift her focus less on what her daughter was venturing in on but instead having a prosthetic made for her that would live up to it and keep her safe first and foremost. As such, they went to it coming to order it together that time and cherry pick its components as well as the materials used in its construction. Their goal was with their combined efforts they might hopefully be able to ensure that the prosthetic would both withstand what Vytal Academy might throw at it as well as aesthetically look her physical age to boot. Of course they could only do so much to predict what it might have to withstand and with that made their best educated guess coming to set the refitting procedure for just over a month after they'd ordered it. When it finally came Maria and Clara would venture back to the hospital where the process would take place in an expedient manner to maximize the time they had to fine tune and rehabilitate Clara to the prosthetic.
Needless to say it was a major adjustment from her thirteen year old form having been progressed to mimic what she might look like at eighteen years old so she could age with the prosthetic gracefully this time around. Of course it was a hurdle but one that she'd overcome with time getting used to her body's newfound maturity after working with it a while. To that end, she would eventually come to also complete her rehabilitation process in the meantime having been fined tuned and acclimated with time to spare, and returning home just two weeks before she was slated to leave for Vytal Academy. In that time she would begin packing and getting ready for her journey there but not without a going away present of sorts from her mother beforehand. Just days before she set was to leave Maria presented her with a gift, a sword, which she'd evidently had spoken with the monks in the Cela Monastery to have forged for Clara. It was a work of art in all given respects despite its archaic design and was something that profoundly hit Clara when she realized that her mother and the monks had done such a generous thing for her. The feeling with indescribable and one that she could only reciprocate by relaying her deepest gratitude toward her mother murmuring a prayer for her and the monks as she laced her arms around Maria pulling her into an impromptu hug.
Although, while she couldn't express her gratitude enough for the blade – which she eventually named "Charlotte" designating it the MKT-1371 – time wouldn't wait forever and would continue onward bringing her to the day she was set to leave for Vytal Academy before long. To that end, with a heartfelt goodbye and Charlotte in hand, Clara boarded an airship headed for Vytal Island on her way to what would be her life for the next four years. When she finally arrived there was surprised by the environment to say the least, expecting something else entirely, but ultimately reserved her opinions as she was ushered into the auditorium along with her peers to get the freshman entrance ceremony underway. As entrance ceremonies usually were it was rather dull only carrying a few tidbits of interest as the headmaster outlined the curriculum for the up and coming Hunters. One of which was that they'd endure a test in their first week there similar to the NROTC programs' final test, another being that they would be paired up into groups of two and assigned a partner who would remain their partner until graduation, and finally that they would be assigned dorm rooms that they would share with another pair of partners which would form their team and team name. All in all it seemed straightforward to Clara who after the entrance ceremony would come to check her scroll to see who she had been assigned to be partners with finding out that she'd been paired up with another girl named Rei Yukimura. At first it seemed like a match made in heaven; Rei was the silent type who seemed to have her head screwed on straight for the most part showing that she too had a learned background and could rattle off knowledge just as well as Clara. Before long though they realized that they didn't agree on much of anything coming to argue within only the first fifteen minutes of meeting one another about one thing or the next.
Needless to say, at least at the foreseeable time, this would make working with one another in their opinions on a daily basis in the coming years exponentially more difficult. Moreover, it would only be exacerbated by their roommates Olivia Floros and Porfyra Cornix when they met them given their dispositions with Olivia's overly cheery attitude and Porfyra's self-righteous temperament. To this end it was no wonder that when the entrance test finally came around they were all over the place. First and foremost, there was Clara was trying to preemptively take the reins and lead flustering both Rei and Porfyra in the process who had no intent upon listening to her as Oliva tried to mitigate and quell the situation with her eternally upbeat attitude, annoying the others in the process. Then there was Rei who wanted nothing to do with the situation coming to wander off on her own almost from the get-go despite the dangers as well as Porfyra who had taken to face-tanking everything in her path without any sort of strategy to speak of whatsoever. It was a disaster by all accounts and one that lead them into a mess of trouble when they encountered a Deatheater and were pinned back forcing them to band together in a ramshackle display of headstrong will and plain old showing off to finally take it down. When they did though and started to coordinate their efforts with one another things began going much more smoothly as an unspoken treaty was forged between the young ladies sparking what would come to form a bond over time.
Eventually they would achieve their goal in the test coming pass it more or less unscathed, just barely though, getting an earful from their instructors afterward on their lousy performance in the process. In a big way it was a wakeup call to the young ladies who would in time come to realize their failing only after being shown it. As a result slowly but surely the girls' eventually would put aside their differences paving the foundation for what would come to be known as Team COPR before long as well as a comradery that would hopeully stand the test of the time far into the future and beyond the walls of Vytal Academy. Though, in the meantime, life continued as usual as the curriculum got into full swing and the girls found themselves traversing academy life coming to learn the principles of what made Huntsmen and Huntresses. They would learn the history of their roles and the real threat the Creatures of Grimm posed as well as how to combat them through learning to hone their natural abilities and through the use of dust to underpin those abilities. With each step, each class, and each time they cracked open a book or sparred they were learning to do what only a select few could bringing them that much closer to attaining their goals with each year passed. In fact, during her freshmen year alone Clara would begin to learn to truly master her aura coming to build on the abilities that the Lieutenant Colonel had taught her in order to increase her defenses and maximize her offense in earnest. In addition to that, in her second year, she would come to focus on getting a better grasp of wielding Charlotte and tempering what she knew of her semblance through rigorous study and intense extracurricular sparring matches.
To this end, by the time that she had finished with her third year at Vytal Academy when she was nineteen years old she could safely say that she had gained tenfold the knowledge and experience in comparison with the NROTC program. It was as if the two were designed to complement one another with the knowledge she'd gained at the academy filling in the sizable gaps left behind by the NROTC program and rounding her out as a warrior. Needless to say, this much had cleared up any doubts she might've had about the necessity to do both showing her exactly why special operatives were considered elite and were given the leeway they were. Furthermore, it brought Clara to look forward to her final year at Vytal Academy as she made the trek back home as she usually did in the interim between the start and end of each year during her breaks. Though, this time with her partner Rei in tow who had plans to stay with her grandparents in Pinnacle until the start of the senior year so that they could spend some time training and studying on their own before they had to go back. With that much being the case, aside from Rei tagging along, things went on as they usually did as Clara's mother picked them up that day from the docks coming to meet Rei and to subsequently dropping her off at her grandparents place before they returned home themselves. During the next week or so after that Clara would come to make trips to her mechanic, Blaine Desrosiers, whom she'd met over her break after her freshmen year at Vytal Academy. Blaine would do the usual performing diagnostics on her prosthetic and routine maintenance with a side helping of his usual wit and supposed boyish charm before giving her the greenlight.
As such, in the coming month and a half after taking care of those loose ends she'd find herself most times locked in ferocious sparring matches and near daily stints of studying in the local library with Rei. It was almost as if they were in competition to see who could gain more knowledge and better prepare themselves for the coming senior year. It was a sight to see to say the least and one that they both were clearly enjoying more than they let on as the months turned into weeks before they were slated to return. Though, before that would happen, fate would conspire to deal a low blow as Clara made her way to the hospital for a rare checkup to ensure her brain's health and the overall function of her braincase and neural cradle. It was a quick procedure and one that she'd brought Rei along with her for so that they could get back to their routine afterward. Needless to say, everything checked out just fine with little more than a few adjustments to tighten up the connection between her biological and mechanical counterparts. However, when she was released Rei was seemingly nowhere to be found prompting Clara to ask around to see where she'd run off to and to eventually bring herself to poke around the hospital to see if she'd gotten lost. That was when she'd happened upon them; turning the corner she spotted something laying on the floor what looked like a lump with a white coat and spatters of what looked like blood and a white haired man hovering over it who took off running after being spotted. Clara immediately started running toward them, her eyes widening every step, until finally she found herself amidst the lump losing track of the man as he rounded the corner. Falling to her knees she scooped the lump up into her arms as its deep rose colored hair fell in a loose bloodied braid off to the side and Clara's face contorted into sheer terror.
It was Clara's mother, Maria, who looked as if she'd been stabbed several times in various spots but was still breathing just barely and clinging to a shred of life. She'd lost a lot of blood as Clara called out her name to grab her attention telling her to hang on and frantically asking her to stay still as she tried to use her aura to mend what she could to stabilize her. The wounds were too deep though and she was losing a lot of blood prompting Clara to scream as loud as she could into the hallway yelling for someone, anyone, to help her as she picked her mother up into her arms cradling her whilst running down the hall to get help. Though the minute that she passed by a nurse's station what could only be construed as her equivalent of a chill ran down her artificial spin bearing witness to the bloodbath that was splayed out before her. This much prompted her to run as far and as hard as her prosthetic would carry her whipping through the halls as she monitored her mothers' deteriorating condition coming to duck into a fire escape to expedite her descent of the building. Finally, when everything was said and done Clara had rushed her mother to the bottom floor of the hospital only to be met by the authorities who called in a medical team to evacuate Maria as they ushered both of them out of the hospital. There she would find Rei amidst the crowd of people outside who she would come to learn later was evacuated when reports of an armed white haired man had prompted security to evacuate the building. Though, in the meantime, Clara was focused solely on her mother coming to hop in the ambulance with her as she was rushed to the next nearest hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital though it was too late and Maria, at only fourty-three years old, would succumb to her wounds passing away just as the ambulance arrived leaving Clara in disbelief and shock.
In the following weeks after Maria's death Clara barely spoke a word losing what seemed like the ability to feel much of anything as if she'd flipped a switch coming to focus on the task of arranging her mothers' funeral and seeing to her final wishes. It was as if Maria's death had sucked all of the light from her being as the funeral service came and went with her peers, friends, and family all gathered to bid their final goodbyes clad in what seemed like the deepest black anyone had ever seen. Once more, it seemed like the skies above Pinnacle were weeping as her funeral procession rolled on and her casket was lowered into the ground, coming to be covered by dirt afterward, and topped with a headstone bearing the Reed family emblem. It was a sullen, unthinkable moment for Clara as she watched the woman who had saved her life and who had raised her as her own flitter away as if she were nothing. Clara simply couldn't deal with it, she didn't know what to do, or what to say, or how to feel, so instead she did what she did best coming to shove the grief and anger into polarizing herself to accomplish her goals. It was the only way she could honor her mothers' memory and the only way that she could bring the women who had loved her, and raised her as her own, any semblance of peace. To this end, over the last weeks before returning to Vytal Academy Clara poured herself into gathering as much intelligence about what had happened that day as she could. Meanwhile, she went to work requisitioning a new prosthetic to replace her current one calling Colonel Rubeus who pulled some strings with Brigadier General Schwarzenmauer to provide her with military grade components and materials for its construction. With that all set into motion Clara would leave her mothers' now empty home setting her sights on her goals and venturing back off to Vytal Academy for her final year.
"Who can gaze into the mirror without becoming evil? The mirror does not reflect evil, but creates it..."
That year went by in a blur for Clara as she did little else than focus on her studies and training coming to push herself farther and harder than she ever had before. Meanwhile, she went to work fervently scouring her memory for anything that stood out to her during that day that her mother was killed. Eventually, even though it was small, she would find one thing in that the man who she'd seen that day looked incredibly familiar. Pressing into the subject more she'd come to dredge up an almost long forgotten memory of a boy from her past bearing a distinct resemblance to that man that she'd seen whose name was none other than Aiden Garnette. How that could have been the case Clara didn't rightfully know, and was hard-pressed not to jump to conclusions on her findings, but with the way things looked she was almost positive that it was indeed him there that day. Though idle speculation was idle speculation to what end she could only record her findings and detail what she knew of the situation until she graduated and was able to do more. Though, that much wouldn't be too far off at that point as Team COPR prepared themselves for Vytal Academy's version of an exit exam coming to eventually pass it with flying colors unlike their bout with their entrance test during their freshmen year. Yes, indeed, the four girls' had grown exponentially coming to face both the good and the bad together to get where they were with all the turbulence and tempers in between before finally finding themselves on the precipice of becoming fully fledged Huntresses. So it would be that they would finally achieve that as well coming to find themselves amidst the graduation ceremony for the senior class and the soiree that followed that evening.
However, by the morning that proceeded that landmark achievement what might've been a fond farewell to Vytal Academy and the beginning of their lives and Huntsmen and Huntresses erupted into a sea of chaos when one of Clara's own teammates was found strangled to death in the dormitory's common room. Porfyra Cornix had been found dead strangled to death by Olivia Floros who was rocking in the corner spouting off almost unintelligible mutterings. It was another blow, another death that Clara had to bear witness to watching helplessly as she couldn't do anything whilst the authorities placed Porfyra in a body bag and hauled her off coming after Olivia in the meantime. However, before they could though Clara would rush to her side using what weight her rank as a Second Lieutenant provided her to get a moment with Olivia in an attempt to get something out of her, anything. Eventually after a little coercing and getting her to calm down for a moment Clara would get something though what Olivia said was cryptic and vague at best telling her that the "jade bell twinkles in the prism of the snow", whatever that meant. It was eerie, eerie and unbelievable knowing the kind of person that Olivia was bringing Clara to begin suspecting some sort of foul play that everyone seemed to be overlooking at the moment. Though she had no clue what and couldn't run it by the only person – Rei namely – that might've been able to have helped her figure it out given that she'd left right after the graduation ceremony was over. To that end, what had happened was left largely unsolved as Clara packed up her things bidding a sullen farewell to her professors before boarding an airship bound for Legion.
Once in the confines of the Kingdom of Legion Clara boarded a train bound for the Harvest Mound Naval Corps (HMNC) Installation where she'd been given orders weeks prior to report in with Lieutenant Colonel Brandt after her graduation. Upon arriving she found herself amidst one of the largest naval facilities she'd ever seen as she traversed its pristine veneer finding herself in the Lieutenant Colonel's new office there before long. Upon seeing Clara the Lieutenant Colonel gave her a warm welcome coming to congratulate her on graduating Vytal Academy as well as giving her condolences about her mother, apologizing for not being able to attend the funeral service. Though, getting pleasantries out of the way they had business to discuss which the Lieutenant Colonel got down to shortly after presenting Clara with First Lieutenants insignia in the form of a gold pin with two bars connected by crossbars, often referred to as train tracks for its design. On top of this she pushed a stack of papers Clara's way which Lieutenant Colonel Brandt explained were detailing the terms of her commitment to the Atlesian Military as well as legal forms to get her the clearances' and authorizations' she'd need to perform her duties. With that Clara came to go over each paper speeding through the walls of text like she normally did and signing where applicable. Afterward the Lieutenant Colonel called in her assistant to take the papers and send them to the Brigadier Generals' office as she readdressed Clara once more coming to welcome her formally to the First Battalion of the Atlesian Naval Corps Special Operations Regiment, otherwise known as NSOR.
Though, while she was now officially a special operative with all that entailed she still had to obey direct orders from her commanding officers. To that end, Lieutenant Colonel Brandt dished out her first order of business telling Clara to use the next two months to get her prosthetic refitted and to get her assets in order. She wanted her in tip-top shape when she came back and wouldn't take no for an answer to Clara's dismay being dismissed after assigning her a briefing date to report back on when she returned. With her hands tied Clara did as she was told coming to return to Pinnacle hesitantly only a week later as she returned to her mother's home which had been empty for over a year at that point. The experience was hard to say the least, coming to find just going through their things to be a challenge in itself, and finding the idea of leaving it all behind even more so. However, she managed to push through it using the inheritance she'd been given after her mother passed away to store what sentimental belongings she had before putting the house up for sale. In the meantime, a month after being given leave Clara would come to undergo her most recent refitting which she had heavily customized before she'd left for her senior year at Vytal Academy both fundamentally as well as atheistically. Blaine would perform the procedure which in recent years he'd been able to streamline cutting down the time for recovery exponentially in the process. With that she would undergo only two weeks of rehabilitation before going on her way and thanking Blaine with only two weeks to spare until she was to report to the Lieutenant Colonel. In that time she would take an airship back to Legion for a final bout of apartment shopping before settling down near Legions' capital and furnishing her new home.
Eventually the monotony of waiting would come to an end though when finally the day of her briefing arrived and she made her way back to the HMNC. Once there Clara was greeted by Lieutenant Colonel Brandt and Brigadier General Schwarzenmauer who was joining them for the briefing, giving them both a salute and a greeting in return. With that the briefing got under way as they first transferred all of her approved clearances and authorizations over to her scroll coming to then go over her duties as a special operative. Essentially, she would be working as a militarily designated Huntress and was free to take up missions of importance as she saw them with little in the way of rank and file to answer to. Of course, those who held rank over her as her commanding officers had the authority to overrule whatever mission she was embarking on but more or less she was being entrusted to use her best judgement to uphold the law and protect the people of Remnant. That said, she was still required to file regular reports and whatnot to give precedence for her actions but otherwise she was free to make her own decisions based on the given situation. After having explained this they came to ask Clara if she understood those terms to which she replied yes to as they shifted their focus to the second matter of business; what her first heading would be. They had a slew they could suggest but given the recent events they wanted her opinion which, needless to say, was as they expected. She wanted to look into both her mothers' death and the circumstances which lead to her teammates death which of course they warned her about given her relation to the matter but ultimately would approve her to look into.
With that much having been settled they adjourned the briefing as the Lieutenant Colonel asked Clara to stay in her office for a moment after the General left. Moments later she would present Clara with a simple black box telling her that she had it commissioned for her as a graduation present of sorts to what end Clara opened it up finding a stitch of soft black cloth inside. Unsure of what it was Clara picked it up as the Lieutenant Colonel began to explain that it was called the ASV-978 Omnioptic Shroud and that she had it designed specifically for Clara as a heads-up display of sorts. To that end, Clara put on the shroud wrapping it around her face and pulling her platinum locks over it as it began syncing with her prosthetic's interface before lighting up and displaying a visual feed of her surroundings with all sorts of operational data superimposed over the visual feed. It was incredible to say the least as Clara made her way up from her chair and began looking around the room much to Lieutenant Colonel Brandt's delight who laughed and asked her if she liked it. In response Clara replied with a resounding yes coming to thank her for it but being told that she'd deserved it after what she'd been through and had accomplished. As such, Clara gave a small smile thanking her all the same as the Lieutenant Colonel dismissed her wishing her luck on her endeavors.
"Control your emotions. If you want to survive, forget about sympathy. Focus on your ultimate goal and shut out everything else. Still your mind. Move on instinct. Let doubt take over, and despair will cripple you…"
Just after that briefing and the gift she had received Clara would come to take up her duties as a special operative over the next five years. In this time her primary goal was to learn who had killed her mother and why coming to seek out Aiden Garnette as her prime suspect to no avail. Moreover, to deepen the mystery, accounts of the incident that day seemed to be mottled with eyewitnesses remembering only bits and parts of it and retelling drastically different tales from person to person. It made no sense bringing into question what might have been the real answer and what could have caused this contrasting retelling of a very clear cut event. Then, nearly two years into her investigation she got her first big break coming across footage taken from a camera in the alleyway behind the hospital clearly showing a girl, and a familiar one at that, exiting the building via the fire escape door. It was a curious coincidence given that the girl matched Rei's description and given that she'd told her she'd been evacuated. Moreover, upon going over the hospital records there was no death record of any of the nurses that Clara had clearly found dead in the nurses' station of the hospital. There was only one death that day, her mothers', which put the entire event into suspect and before long Clara had come to find out why. Two nights after noticing that she would come to relive the events in her dreams while sleeping as they portrayed a far different and far more twisted plot where instead of spotting Aiden in the hallway she'd clearly spotted Rei. Other things began flooding back to her after that leaving little doubt in her mind what truly happened. Rei had played her, she'd played all of them, and upon further inspection of the incident which killed Porfyra she may have even had a hand in orchestrating that situation.
Having gotten such a big break Clara would continue her investigation into what truly had happened and Rei's involvement as well as where Rei was at that point in time. Though, ultimately she didn't find any trace of Rei having been even enrolled in Vytal Academy when it came down to it. All in all, she was a ghost with no trail leaving all of the potential loose ends she could have left severed thoroughly. All except one at least, to what end Clara would come to pay Olivia a visit in the asylum where she had been committed years prior. She had since calmed down and was making some sort of sense by that point to what end Clara asked her what she'd meant when she'd told her after the incident with Porfyra that the "jade bell twinkles in the prism of the snow". Upon asking about it, that day Olivia would relay a tale to Clara that would put things into perspective like never before coming to tell her that Porfyra had overheard Rei talking to someone and going on about something in regards to killing 'her' and that the job at the hospital had been taken care of right before graduation. With that much in hand Porfyra did some snooping just before the graduation ceremony and uncovered some of Rei's journals which confirmed her suspicions and detailed something about an organization called "Spectrum". As a result, Porfyra had spoken to Olivia about it asking her what she should do which Olivia had told her to confront Rei with it suggesting that it might've been a misunderstanding. Needless to say it obviously wasn't, but beyond that Olivia's memories couldn't tell Clara much more being fuzzy at best suggesting that Rei might've done something to her. Olivia did say though that she'd remembered things after thinking about them for a while but there were still parts of that time that didn't make sense to her and that she couldn't quite tack down.
With that much being the case Clara thanked Olivia bidding her farewell and promising to return to get her out of there when she'd sorted it all out. Her trip there certainly hadn't been a waste though learning of what likely may have been Porfyra's fate and reinforcing what she already had suspected of Rei's involvement in killing her mother on top of revealing a new name that she hadn't come across yet; the possible group known as Spectrum. At that point things were vague, but they were beginning to add up giving Clara more motivation than ever to continue her search. This was especially so when she was promoted to Captain at the age of twenty-four for her efforts in dredging up information on what would be officially known then as the terror organization, Spectrum. Though in the end, ultimately, she had a long way to go and too many variables that stood in her way of getting there bringing her to where her story begins. Now, as she sifts through the obscure world surrounding Spectrum to uncover the terrible mysteries it may reveal using the skills she has at her disposal she's in pursuit of another type of prey; those who would shine brightest when seeped in the darkness. How it'll turn out is anyone's guess but this is where Clara's story begins and where the ultimate clash with Spectrum lingers on the horizon…
★ COMBAT NOTES
WEAPONS
- MKT-1371 Katana: The MKT-1371, also known as "Charlotte", is a simple full-length 84.9cm folded steel Katana forged by the Monks of the Cela Monasteries in the Kingdom of Pinnacle. The sword boasts a silvery blade adorned with white and black embellishments, a traditional style guard, and a black and white wrapped hilt with a white tassel situated on the end of it. However, while surely Clara in conjunction with the MKT-1371 are an efficient and deadly force to be reckoned with, wielding such an archaic form of weaponry that does not directly utilize dust in some combat situations does carry its own risks. Clara would be wise to heed her former teachers' words in remembering that, while specializing can be advantageous, overspecializing and underutilizing can breed in weakness and foretell imminent demise should one underestimate their situation.
- G-19 Pistol: The G-19 is a semi-automatic standard issue pistol that fires 9mm lugar rounds and has a standard capacity of fifteen rounds to a clip and one in the chamber. It’s a light compact pistol that allows for the user to quickly lock, load, and fire in rapid succession giving them a distinct advantage on the battlefield. However, because of its ability to fire shots off in rapid succession this model is known for being temperamental in extreme conditions causing the cocking mechanism to lock up at times.
- G-36K Assault Rifle: While Clara doesn't always carry this weapon, the G-36K Assault Rifle is a fully automatic, integrally dually suppressed, and above all compact model widely used amongst the bulk of the Atlesian Military for its light weight and mobile disposition. It fires a 5.56mm NATO cartridge giving it supremacy at short and medium range, and optimally suiting it for use in cramped or confined spaces. However, because it is integrally dually suppressed unlike most bulky standard issue rifles, at long range its power is significantly diminished causing it to often times miss its intended target.
- KSG-870 Tactical Shotgun: While Clara doesn't always carry this weapon, the KSG-870 Tactical Shotgun is a relatively new state of the art 26.1-inch Pump-Action 12-Round Shotgun with an 18.5-inch cylinder-bore gaining traction throughout the ranks of the Atlesian Military. As a result of its small compact ergonomic design and its ability to use standard 12-Guage 3-inch shotgun shells it's becoming a favorite during close quarters skirmishes both for its power and due to it being able to fit into narrower spaces whereas other standard shotguns wouldn't be able to. However, while the KSG-870 is more than up to par with most other standard issue shotguns there is a distinct design flaw in the shotgun that causes the recoil to engage the cross-bolt safety system causing the trigger mechanism to lock up in some cases. While this wouldn't much effect the user during a battle if they were aware of this it certainly will slow them enough to leave an opening.
- NV-308 Sniper Rifle: While Clara doesn't always carry this weapon, the NV-308 Sniper Rifle is a last generation standard issue sniper rifle that is slowly being phased out of service in the wake of newer models but is still currently in use in some sections of law enforcement and the Atlesian Military. While it may not boast the features of its successors this model still maintains its position as one of the most accurate sniper rifles ever constructed making it, in conjunction with its low recoil and massive .308mm round, lethal up to 2.47km depending on the conditions, the trajectory of the shot, and how skilled the user is. However, because this particular rifle is a fossil as far as industry standards go, those who can do maintenance on it and provide parts as well as those trained in its use are scarce at best.
MISC.
- Dust Ammunition: Clara carries at least two extra cartridges or clips of each type of dust imbued ammunition with her at all times for the weapon she has on her. While she doesn't keep it loaded in any of her weapons by default it is always on hand should the need arise. Aside from that, using dust ammunition is very similar to using regular ammunition in that the guns' firing mechanism engages when the trigger is pulled releasing the hammer which strikes the bullet's pin igniting gunpowder in the chamber and subsequently creating an explosion that propels the bullet down the guns' barrel. However, in Dust Ammunition's case the users' aura will be applied amidst this triggering the gel-like liquid dust contained in the bullets tip to react as it exits the barrel and thus engaging the desired effect depending on its dust type. It’s a very simple but effective process which takes place in a matter of milliseconds and expends only two aura points per bullet fired but causes four to seven points of damage depending on where the target is hit and the caliber of the bullet. Often times the farther from their torso and head the bullet strikes or the smaller the bullet is the less damage that the target will take making it pivotal to aim carefully when using this ammunition type.
- Regular Ammunition: Clara also will carry at any given time at least two extra cartridges or clips of regular ammunition with one cartridge or clip loaded in the weapon and one round often readied in its chamber to fire. While regular ammunition is much less impressive than dust ammunition it does have its perks. First and foremost, it doesn't cost anything to fire this type of ammunition making it advantageous in most fights where her opponent doesn't have an aura to speak of such as when fighting Grimm. Moreover, despite whether her opponent does have an aura or not it will do damage to them – albeit a small amount – but enough to make an impact over time. This usually is only one to two points of damage though on opponents with an aura per connected hit depending on where the bullet hits. Again, often times the farther from their torso and head the bullet strikes or the smaller the bullet is the less damage that the target will take. Though despite the comparatively small punch that regular ammunition packs as opposed to dust ammunition it certainly gets the job done in some cases and can provide a good means of distraction when all else fails.
- Liquid Dust Vials: Amidst the ammunitions that Clara carries she is also loaded up at any given time with at least two small vials of each type of liquid dust. These small vials of liquid dust are hermetically sealed in glass containers allowing Clara to easily throw them into the air and slice through them with Charlotte to imbue the sword with the desired effect. Though it’s a crude way of doing things by all standards it has been an effective one at that allowing Clara to still use dust in conjunction with such an archaic form of weaponry. Furthermore, using this type of dust in this way is cost effective expending only five aura points to imbue the blade but only lasting the duration of the turn it was used in. Although, while the effect is short-lived, by imbuing the blade she can land hits on enemies with an aura that deal anywhere from seven to fifteen points of damage per hit depending on where the hit connects as opposed to the normal three to seven points without imbuing Charlotte. So, while it is cumbersome and fleeting often times the advantages it presents in some circumstances can outweigh its pitfalls and turn the tides of battle.
- ASV-978 Omnioptic Shroud: The ASV-978 Omnioptic Shroud is a state of the art veil that was designed for Clara as a graduation gift upon graduating Vytal Academy and that acts much like a heads-up display. By putting on the blackened shroud it wirelessly synchronizes with Clara's prosthesis's interface upon touching the surface of her skin through the use of wireless energy transmission. Once situated it uses an array of nano-sized cameras woven into the fabric itself to project an image directly into her visual centers via her ocular subroutines which will display her surroundings as she would see them normally in real time. Atop of this, statistics concerning her prosthesis's operation, integrity, and overall performance are also displayed as well as certain assessments of her environment and battle telemetry when applicable. Moreover, through it she is able to directly access her prosthesis's interface and hardware allowing her to use programs loaded into the shroud in conjunction with it to remotely access essential facets of the world such as the net or virtualized interfaces when she is interacting with a construct.
Though while it surely is a marvel of technological engineering in all respects it's also subject to its own pitfalls including the cost of repairing it should it get damaged and its reliability. While it hasn’t happened yet the shroud can get damaged and in such an event would cost a pretty penny as well as a lengthy amount of time to repair it given its unique disposition. Moreover, it is susceptible to being hacked which can cause effects ranging from obscuring Clara's vision in the heat of combat to hacking directly into her prosthesis and wreaking havoc. Though while she does have heavy defenses to keep these things from happening and takes a great deal of care with the shroud they still are a factor making the garments' use fraught with peril. However, ultimately, its advantages weigh out its risks coming to bring Clara to tread carefully with it but use it despite.
To describe Clara's aura it would be best to first note its energetic nature which seems to pop and crackle off of her in a chaotic display of gold and bronze. Immediately when she unleashes it those around her might feel a sort of dull warmth as if their inners were being physically heated at a low temperature. Among this as well they might also feel a slight vibration across their skin which is akin to a buzzing sensation as if they were being electrocuted at a very low voltage. Both effects are passive of course with neither bringing harm to their bearers but each acts as a telltale sign to alert those around her to her presence as well as to give subtle hints as to the nature of her being at that moment. In fact, one might say that Clara's aura is as much of a mood ring as it is an alarm bell often coming off as tumultuous and jumping from one extreme to the next. One moment it might be invigorating, spurring on her compatriots in the heat of battle, while in the next coming off as concise and intent filled. To this end it can be described as capricious coming to change its spots at a moment's notice depending on the factors that are present at the time. However, while the mood it sets might seem to change at the drop of a hat, one fact of Clara's aura – its volatility – seems to remain a constant. With this much being the case a word of warning is in order in that much like lightning Clara's aura is untamable and bound to strike twice. Those pitted against it would be wise to not take it lightly.
- Defensive Enhancement: Given her semblance's electric disposition defending herself was one of the first things that Clara learned to do with her aura through Lieutenant Colonel Brandt's training. Needless to say, she's grown into the ability coming to use it both as a means of defense conventionally and to dampen the effects of the electromagnetic radiation on her components. That said, defending herself either way usually expends a minimal amount of aura depending on how powerful the attack she's defending is or if she's using it as a dampening field. Although, by expending more of her aura she can condense this ability to stop or slow high-impact objects such as speeding cars or a wayward Grimm intending to ram her within reason. Although in doing so she will quickly expend her aura supply and as such should and often will tread carefully when defending herself only expending more aura to stop larger objects when it's absolutely necessary.
- Offensive Enhancement: This was another technique that the Lieutenant Colonel taught her but one that she expanded on herself when she began her training in Vytal Academy. By resonating her aura through Charlotte she is able agitate the molecules that bind it together strengthening both the integrity of the weapon because of its varying molecular alignment as well as creating a sheering effect around it. The result allows her to slice through most anything without an aura and deal fifteen points of damage to those with an aura by expending only ten points per minute to use it. However, because of how difficult it is to use not to mention how much aura Clara has to expend while using it and the limited scope of weapons it can be used on she prefers to activate the ability sparingly and maximize its use by finishing off the target she's using it on quickly. Needless to say, this is not the sort of ability that one would venture using in the throes of long-drawn combat.
- Aura Unlocking: Aura unlocking is a strange ability and one that Clara only vaguely picked up during her stint at Vytal Academy. She never really much saw the need for it in her line of work but nonetheless knows at least the rudimentary way of going about it. That having been said, given her stark experience with it, to unlock another's aura she would need to expend seventy-five percent of her base aura pool in order to do it with any measure of success. Needless to say, chances are she never will use this ability but at least it is good to know should the need arise.
- Mending: Mending is one that Clara particularly took to in her senior year at Vytal Academy after her mother died. After training, and training with it, she has gotten quite adept at it as well knowing that at any time the need could arise. To this end, by expending seven to twelve aura points she can heal most superficial wounds without much trouble. Deeper wounds and life threatening wounds will often expend more of her aura up to twenty-five points in order to heal them or stabilize the individual. However, mending is as it sounds in that it is a band aid and that even with experience there is no guarantee that she can rescue someone from the brink of death. Nevertheless, knowing this skill at least gives those who she's using it on a fighting chance and that sometimes is all that they need.
- Illumination: This was probably the easiest technique that Clara came to acquire having learned it in her freshmen year at Vytal Academy. With it she essentially can use her aura as a flashlight of sorts expending one aura point per minute its active. Though, while it may be used for more by others, she didn't much take to this one finding it to be utilitarian at best. As a result she can only do the bare basics with it and that much is more or less, for lack of a better way of putting it, fine by her.
In a nutshell, Gestalt (Geh-SH-tall-T) in its most basic definition when activated allows Clara to generate electromagnetic radiation as well as manipulate it for an array of varied purposes ranging from the broad to the specific. To expand on this, when Gestalt is activated Clara's semblance acts to oscillate the molecules in the immediate airspace around her body creating an influx of kinetic energy with split second interruptions. This causes the electrons in the in the molecules to split off from their atoms momentarily, altering their configuration temporarily, before snapping back to their atomic alignment thus generating electromagnetic radiation in the process. Then using the same oscillatory factor in her semblance Clara is able to freely manipulate those generated electromagnetic waves towards whatever their intended purpose is. This much allows her to do things while manipulating the electromagnetic radiation such as electrocuting targets, releasing electromagnetic pulse bursts, propelling herself using the electromagnetic radiation as a magnetic field, superheating her aura to inflict burns, transmitting instructions to target constructs via frequency modulation, and more. The list goes on allowing Gestalt to be both fearsome as well as flexible in the face of combat.
Though while the options are essentially limitless using such a volatile ability comes with a good measure of substantial drawbacks. First and foremost, because of Clara's mechanized physicality using her semblance is particularly dangerous for her cybernetic components. As such, in conjunction with Gestalt she is forced to use her aura to defend herself from its adverse side effects which will consume an additional five aura points per minute atop the cost of using her semblance. Furthermore, using her semblance to propel herself puts an enormous amount of strain on her prosthesis the farther she goes which can lead to mechanical failures and stress induced trauma besides only being able to move in a linear direction once she's started moving. To this end she will often have to limit how many times she propels herself to mitigate the potentially crippling side effects of doing it. Otherwise, even using Gestalt itself takes a hefty toll on her aura expending twenty-five percent of her base aura pool upon activation and anywhere from twenty to fifty points after that per minute depending on how she is using it. Needless to say, the more power she puts behind her attacks while using her semblance the more it will consume. For instance, if she releases a powerful EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) burst or propels herself she will expend far more of her aura then if she were to electrocute a target. Moreover, depending on how she uses Gestalt Clara may have to get up close and personal with her opponents risking a counter offensive in the process and making the semblance's use exponentially more perilous.
With that all being the case, in many instances using her semblance poses a greater risk to Clara than benefits it might provide overall. As a result Clara will often forego using it in place of using weaponry to underpin her fighting strength, and dust if applicable. Though, if she has to use it she will often do so when it seems tactically the most sound coming to see it as much of a last resort in a sense. That said, should she use Gestalt at any point the damage it might inflict can vary depending on how she uses coming to deal as much damage to her opponents aura as she's expended on the attack. Inevitably, this much being the case calls for a sort of strategic finesse on her part but if she does it right she can very realistically minimize the drawback while maximizing what damage she is inflicting. So, while Gestalt is a very tit for tat sort of semblance posing substantial risks for equal gain in some circumstances, it is also an ability that must be handled responsibly and in a coordinated effort to make it worth using. That said, should Clara handle it responsibly it will be kind to her allowing her to seize victories but should she forego the risk and act recklessly it could as well be her downfall.
WEAPONS
- MKT-1371 Katana: The MKT-1371, also known as "Charlotte", is a simple full-length 84.9cm folded steel Katana forged by the Monks of the Cela Monasteries in the Kingdom of Pinnacle. The sword boasts a silvery blade adorned with white and black embellishments, a traditional style guard, and a black and white wrapped hilt with a white tassel situated on the end of it. However, while surely Clara in conjunction with the MKT-1371 are an efficient and deadly force to be reckoned with, wielding such an archaic form of weaponry that does not directly utilize dust in some combat situations does carry its own risks. Clara would be wise to heed her former teachers' words in remembering that, while specializing can be advantageous, overspecializing and underutilizing can breed in weakness and foretell imminent demise should one underestimate their situation.
- G-19 Pistol: The G-19 is a semi-automatic standard issue pistol that fires 9mm lugar rounds and has a standard capacity of fifteen rounds to a clip and one in the chamber. It’s a light compact pistol that allows for the user to quickly lock, load, and fire in rapid succession giving them a distinct advantage on the battlefield. However, because of its ability to fire shots off in rapid succession this model is known for being temperamental in extreme conditions causing the cocking mechanism to lock up at times.
- G-36K Assault Rifle: While Clara doesn't always carry this weapon, the G-36K Assault Rifle is a fully automatic, integrally dually suppressed, and above all compact model widely used amongst the bulk of the Atlesian Military for its light weight and mobile disposition. It fires a 5.56mm NATO cartridge giving it supremacy at short and medium range, and optimally suiting it for use in cramped or confined spaces. However, because it is integrally dually suppressed unlike most bulky standard issue rifles, at long range its power is significantly diminished causing it to often times miss its intended target.
- KSG-870 Tactical Shotgun: While Clara doesn't always carry this weapon, the KSG-870 Tactical Shotgun is a relatively new state of the art 26.1-inch Pump-Action 12-Round Shotgun with an 18.5-inch cylinder-bore gaining traction throughout the ranks of the Atlesian Military. As a result of its small compact ergonomic design and its ability to use standard 12-Guage 3-inch shotgun shells it's becoming a favorite during close quarters skirmishes both for its power and due to it being able to fit into narrower spaces whereas other standard shotguns wouldn't be able to. However, while the KSG-870 is more than up to par with most other standard issue shotguns there is a distinct design flaw in the shotgun that causes the recoil to engage the cross-bolt safety system causing the trigger mechanism to lock up in some cases. While this wouldn't much effect the user during a battle if they were aware of this it certainly will slow them enough to leave an opening.
- NV-308 Sniper Rifle: While Clara doesn't always carry this weapon, the NV-308 Sniper Rifle is a last generation standard issue sniper rifle that is slowly being phased out of service in the wake of newer models but is still currently in use in some sections of law enforcement and the Atlesian Military. While it may not boast the features of its successors this model still maintains its position as one of the most accurate sniper rifles ever constructed making it, in conjunction with its low recoil and massive .308mm round, lethal up to 2.47km depending on the conditions, the trajectory of the shot, and how skilled the user is. However, because this particular rifle is a fossil as far as industry standards go, those who can do maintenance on it and provide parts as well as those trained in its use are scarce at best.
MISC.
- Dust Ammunition: Clara carries at least two extra cartridges or clips of each type of dust imbued ammunition with her at all times for the weapon she has on her. While she doesn't keep it loaded in any of her weapons by default it is always on hand should the need arise. Aside from that, using dust ammunition is very similar to using regular ammunition in that the guns' firing mechanism engages when the trigger is pulled releasing the hammer which strikes the bullet's pin igniting gunpowder in the chamber and subsequently creating an explosion that propels the bullet down the guns' barrel. However, in Dust Ammunition's case the users' aura will be applied amidst this triggering the gel-like liquid dust contained in the bullets tip to react as it exits the barrel and thus engaging the desired effect depending on its dust type. It’s a very simple but effective process which takes place in a matter of milliseconds and expends only two aura points per bullet fired but causes four to seven points of damage depending on where the target is hit and the caliber of the bullet. Often times the farther from their torso and head the bullet strikes or the smaller the bullet is the less damage that the target will take making it pivotal to aim carefully when using this ammunition type.
- Regular Ammunition: Clara also will carry at any given time at least two extra cartridges or clips of regular ammunition with one cartridge or clip loaded in the weapon and one round often readied in its chamber to fire. While regular ammunition is much less impressive than dust ammunition it does have its perks. First and foremost, it doesn't cost anything to fire this type of ammunition making it advantageous in most fights where her opponent doesn't have an aura to speak of such as when fighting Grimm. Moreover, despite whether her opponent does have an aura or not it will do damage to them – albeit a small amount – but enough to make an impact over time. This usually is only one to two points of damage though on opponents with an aura per connected hit depending on where the bullet hits. Again, often times the farther from their torso and head the bullet strikes or the smaller the bullet is the less damage that the target will take. Though despite the comparatively small punch that regular ammunition packs as opposed to dust ammunition it certainly gets the job done in some cases and can provide a good means of distraction when all else fails.
- Liquid Dust Vials: Amidst the ammunitions that Clara carries she is also loaded up at any given time with at least two small vials of each type of liquid dust. These small vials of liquid dust are hermetically sealed in glass containers allowing Clara to easily throw them into the air and slice through them with Charlotte to imbue the sword with the desired effect. Though it’s a crude way of doing things by all standards it has been an effective one at that allowing Clara to still use dust in conjunction with such an archaic form of weaponry. Furthermore, using this type of dust in this way is cost effective expending only five aura points to imbue the blade but only lasting the duration of the turn it was used in. Although, while the effect is short-lived, by imbuing the blade she can land hits on enemies with an aura that deal anywhere from seven to fifteen points of damage per hit depending on where the hit connects as opposed to the normal three to seven points without imbuing Charlotte. So, while it is cumbersome and fleeting often times the advantages it presents in some circumstances can outweigh its pitfalls and turn the tides of battle.
- ASV-978 Omnioptic Shroud: The ASV-978 Omnioptic Shroud is a state of the art veil that was designed for Clara as a graduation gift upon graduating Vytal Academy and that acts much like a heads-up display. By putting on the blackened shroud it wirelessly synchronizes with Clara's prosthesis's interface upon touching the surface of her skin through the use of wireless energy transmission. Once situated it uses an array of nano-sized cameras woven into the fabric itself to project an image directly into her visual centers via her ocular subroutines which will display her surroundings as she would see them normally in real time. Atop of this, statistics concerning her prosthesis's operation, integrity, and overall performance are also displayed as well as certain assessments of her environment and battle telemetry when applicable. Moreover, through it she is able to directly access her prosthesis's interface and hardware allowing her to use programs loaded into the shroud in conjunction with it to remotely access essential facets of the world such as the net or virtualized interfaces when she is interacting with a construct.
Though while it surely is a marvel of technological engineering in all respects it's also subject to its own pitfalls including the cost of repairing it should it get damaged and its reliability. While it hasn’t happened yet the shroud can get damaged and in such an event would cost a pretty penny as well as a lengthy amount of time to repair it given its unique disposition. Moreover, it is susceptible to being hacked which can cause effects ranging from obscuring Clara's vision in the heat of combat to hacking directly into her prosthesis and wreaking havoc. Though while she does have heavy defenses to keep these things from happening and takes a great deal of care with the shroud they still are a factor making the garments' use fraught with peril. However, ultimately, its advantages weigh out its risks coming to bring Clara to tread carefully with it but use it despite.
AURA
To describe Clara's aura it would be best to first note its energetic nature which seems to pop and crackle off of her in a chaotic display of gold and bronze. Immediately when she unleashes it those around her might feel a sort of dull warmth as if their inners were being physically heated at a low temperature. Among this as well they might also feel a slight vibration across their skin which is akin to a buzzing sensation as if they were being electrocuted at a very low voltage. Both effects are passive of course with neither bringing harm to their bearers but each acts as a telltale sign to alert those around her to her presence as well as to give subtle hints as to the nature of her being at that moment. In fact, one might say that Clara's aura is as much of a mood ring as it is an alarm bell often coming off as tumultuous and jumping from one extreme to the next. One moment it might be invigorating, spurring on her compatriots in the heat of battle, while in the next coming off as concise and intent filled. To this end it can be described as capricious coming to change its spots at a moment's notice depending on the factors that are present at the time. However, while the mood it sets might seem to change at the drop of a hat, one fact of Clara's aura – its volatility – seems to remain a constant. With this much being the case a word of warning is in order in that much like lightning Clara's aura is untamable and bound to strike twice. Those pitted against it would be wise to not take it lightly.
- Defensive Enhancement: Given her semblance's electric disposition defending herself was one of the first things that Clara learned to do with her aura through Lieutenant Colonel Brandt's training. Needless to say, she's grown into the ability coming to use it both as a means of defense conventionally and to dampen the effects of the electromagnetic radiation on her components. That said, defending herself either way usually expends a minimal amount of aura depending on how powerful the attack she's defending is or if she's using it as a dampening field. Although, by expending more of her aura she can condense this ability to stop or slow high-impact objects such as speeding cars or a wayward Grimm intending to ram her within reason. Although in doing so she will quickly expend her aura supply and as such should and often will tread carefully when defending herself only expending more aura to stop larger objects when it's absolutely necessary.
- Offensive Enhancement: This was another technique that the Lieutenant Colonel taught her but one that she expanded on herself when she began her training in Vytal Academy. By resonating her aura through Charlotte she is able agitate the molecules that bind it together strengthening both the integrity of the weapon because of its varying molecular alignment as well as creating a sheering effect around it. The result allows her to slice through most anything without an aura and deal fifteen points of damage to those with an aura by expending only ten points per minute to use it. However, because of how difficult it is to use not to mention how much aura Clara has to expend while using it and the limited scope of weapons it can be used on she prefers to activate the ability sparingly and maximize its use by finishing off the target she's using it on quickly. Needless to say, this is not the sort of ability that one would venture using in the throes of long-drawn combat.
- Aura Unlocking: Aura unlocking is a strange ability and one that Clara only vaguely picked up during her stint at Vytal Academy. She never really much saw the need for it in her line of work but nonetheless knows at least the rudimentary way of going about it. That having been said, given her stark experience with it, to unlock another's aura she would need to expend seventy-five percent of her base aura pool in order to do it with any measure of success. Needless to say, chances are she never will use this ability but at least it is good to know should the need arise.
- Mending: Mending is one that Clara particularly took to in her senior year at Vytal Academy after her mother died. After training, and training with it, she has gotten quite adept at it as well knowing that at any time the need could arise. To this end, by expending seven to twelve aura points she can heal most superficial wounds without much trouble. Deeper wounds and life threatening wounds will often expend more of her aura up to twenty-five points in order to heal them or stabilize the individual. However, mending is as it sounds in that it is a band aid and that even with experience there is no guarantee that she can rescue someone from the brink of death. Nevertheless, knowing this skill at least gives those who she's using it on a fighting chance and that sometimes is all that they need.
- Illumination: This was probably the easiest technique that Clara came to acquire having learned it in her freshmen year at Vytal Academy. With it she essentially can use her aura as a flashlight of sorts expending one aura point per minute its active. Though, while it may be used for more by others, she didn't much take to this one finding it to be utilitarian at best. As a result she can only do the bare basics with it and that much is more or less, for lack of a better way of putting it, fine by her.
SEMBLANCE: GESTALT
In a nutshell, Gestalt (Geh-SH-tall-T) in its most basic definition when activated allows Clara to generate electromagnetic radiation as well as manipulate it for an array of varied purposes ranging from the broad to the specific. To expand on this, when Gestalt is activated Clara's semblance acts to oscillate the molecules in the immediate airspace around her body creating an influx of kinetic energy with split second interruptions. This causes the electrons in the in the molecules to split off from their atoms momentarily, altering their configuration temporarily, before snapping back to their atomic alignment thus generating electromagnetic radiation in the process. Then using the same oscillatory factor in her semblance Clara is able to freely manipulate those generated electromagnetic waves towards whatever their intended purpose is. This much allows her to do things while manipulating the electromagnetic radiation such as electrocuting targets, releasing electromagnetic pulse bursts, propelling herself using the electromagnetic radiation as a magnetic field, superheating her aura to inflict burns, transmitting instructions to target constructs via frequency modulation, and more. The list goes on allowing Gestalt to be both fearsome as well as flexible in the face of combat.
Though while the options are essentially limitless using such a volatile ability comes with a good measure of substantial drawbacks. First and foremost, because of Clara's mechanized physicality using her semblance is particularly dangerous for her cybernetic components. As such, in conjunction with Gestalt she is forced to use her aura to defend herself from its adverse side effects which will consume an additional five aura points per minute atop the cost of using her semblance. Furthermore, using her semblance to propel herself puts an enormous amount of strain on her prosthesis the farther she goes which can lead to mechanical failures and stress induced trauma besides only being able to move in a linear direction once she's started moving. To this end she will often have to limit how many times she propels herself to mitigate the potentially crippling side effects of doing it. Otherwise, even using Gestalt itself takes a hefty toll on her aura expending twenty-five percent of her base aura pool upon activation and anywhere from twenty to fifty points after that per minute depending on how she is using it. Needless to say, the more power she puts behind her attacks while using her semblance the more it will consume. For instance, if she releases a powerful EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) burst or propels herself she will expend far more of her aura then if she were to electrocute a target. Moreover, depending on how she uses Gestalt Clara may have to get up close and personal with her opponents risking a counter offensive in the process and making the semblance's use exponentially more perilous.
With that all being the case, in many instances using her semblance poses a greater risk to Clara than benefits it might provide overall. As a result Clara will often forego using it in place of using weaponry to underpin her fighting strength, and dust if applicable. Though, if she has to use it she will often do so when it seems tactically the most sound coming to see it as much of a last resort in a sense. That said, should she use Gestalt at any point the damage it might inflict can vary depending on how she uses coming to deal as much damage to her opponents aura as she's expended on the attack. Inevitably, this much being the case calls for a sort of strategic finesse on her part but if she does it right she can very realistically minimize the drawback while maximizing what damage she is inflicting. So, while Gestalt is a very tit for tat sort of semblance posing substantial risks for equal gain in some circumstances, it is also an ability that must be handled responsibly and in a coordinated effort to make it worth using. That said, should Clara handle it responsibly it will be kind to her allowing her to seize victories but should she forego the risk and act recklessly it could as well be her downfall.
AURA POINTS: 450
NIER: AUTOMATA, YoHRa No. 2 Type B as Clara Reed PLAYED BY KUROSASHIKO
coded by electric of gangnam style
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