After going through the portal, Scorpio notices Ares dueling the Apocrean. After unjamming his gun, Scorpio fires at the Apocrean.

((Does anyone notice the similarities between slender and apocreans))

((Is that the average Harvester? Cause if it is then i'm concerned))

Ares's plan worked to perfection. Aside from the Harvester healing itself ((how?)). It then proceeded to trap every knight in tendrils. ((Three words for you though. Rings of Fire.)) Chomp's Rings of Fire burned hot enough to keep the tendrils at bay, giving Ares space to work with. He charged his Divine Avenger and Hail Driver simultaneously, while Chomp was preparing a Firestorm to hit the Harvester with.
Ares fired the Hail Driver first, with three shots each either behind the charge shot, to the left of it or to the right of it. He followed up by firing the DA charges and activated a Lock-On feature for Chomp with his Com Unit.

The first Ring of Fire went out. The tendrils got closer.

((No matter how you react to the Hail Driver and DA, CHomp's gonna hit you. That's what the Lock On does. Ares can't activate it a lot though.

((It's not really healed. In reality, the Harvester just hid the wound using its own magic, it's in its last 'legs' right about now, it's just hiding the fact. I was tired, and forgot to post some parts, like this and it reacting to your ring of fire.))

((@Flame-Shinobi: that seems like auto-hitting, you didn't give me time to react, instead you deciding that your simple sword swing made contact and wiped out two of the Harvesters eyes. In a fight, always give opponents time to retaliate, or evade. Look at Ares-Hsg, even though he made sure one of his attacks would hit, his attacks have not made contact yet, and I'm free to write what happens and how my character reacts.))

Seeing the volley of hail driver shots, the harvester leaned to the side to avoid the bigger charge shots and the lesser regular shots collided with the shadowy figure. If they did anything, the harvester didn't react. However the ethereal Divine Avenger blade sliced through its middle, dissolving a fair chunk of the harvester into mist. It retracted a couple tendrils and the space refilled. Finally, a fireball wooshed out of nowhere and collided straight into the Harvester's head. The fireball made a small explosion and knocked the harvester back. It staggered, than resumed its stance. What the knights didn't know, was that the Apocrean could maintain a healthy form until beaten to a brink. It summoned more tendrils, but these weren't as hard to avoid, the first sign that it was weakening.

Suddenly a different knight leapt towards its face, and swung her sword in a wide arc, the Harvester leaned back, and the blade whistled through thin air. This knight didn't have any fire around it. The thicker tendrils, burned from attacking Ares, erupted again, shooting towards Lyn to wrap her up. While that was happening, the harvester again tried to catch Ares in its gaze.

Scorpio jumps off one of the Harvester's tentacles nimbly, firing a small salvo towards the Harvester's eyes. He lands, content with his acrobatics. He slightly notices Gwen in her strange state, and continues firing.

Lyn struggled in the tendrils, "Sarah, ray of light!" A light ray fired at the apocrean in a sweep. (If this hits the tendrils, Lyn is cut free. If it hits the face, the apocrean is bedazzled and dazed for a little bit. If it misses one or the other, Sarah will fly downward on Lyn's command to help the other fighters.)

((All right, let's see here. Now you knights are thinking. Multiple targets at once are too much for a Harvester to focus on, easier to overwhelm, outhink, and beat!))

((Also, correct me if I'm wrong, these are the attacks that just barraged the Harvester.

-Scorpio Grim repeater round

-Pippin Cleaver uppercut spinning thingy

-Lyn's Sprite's lazer ray

-Ares' Sprite fireball

-Ares CIV charge

Let's do this))

As the knight wriggled in its tendrils, the Harvester noticed another fire its flurry of shadow bullets. It summoned some tendrils and the bullets were intercepted, a few made it through, but were ineffective at causing much damage. It swung its focus at the offending knight when a bright flash illuminated its eyes and completely blinded the harvester. All tendrils retracted, and made a protective writhing ring around the harvester. Before it could fully see again, a large blow wracked its midsection. Its sight returned to see the giant cleaver retract from its middle with a sickening sound. Its vision went and came back, the Harvester keeled forward a little. It barely noticed the fireball that exploded in its vision. However, it did notice the Cold Iron Vanquisher charge that tore through another point in its middle, this time a little more towards the upper section. Almost torn apart, the Apocrean buckled slowly, letting out a wailing death cry. The sound was bone-chilling. At last, the Apocrean, instead of falling forward or backwards like a soldier. It simply melted, turning into more black mist. Even after the harvester was gone, the cry seemed to continue softly, resonating from the ground all around the knights.

((Howzat?))

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stronger? I don't know I wasn't here, didn't look any different." Syber thought about it.

"It was a regular Harvester," A voice said in their ears, Beck seemed to be puzzled, "Honestly, I think they took so long because it was pretty much that one knight with the Cold iron vanquisher taking on the thing alone. If that's their strategy, they'll be a long shot from conquering this fortress." There was silence for a bit, then he noted, almost as an afterthought,

"Although, the core spirit hadn't helped at all."

Pippin:
Pippin landed further back from the Harvester, her cleaver crushing into the ground because of its weight. The creation of an anchor to the ground helped slow Pippin down, so after a meter of ground-breaking, she had lost all momentum, and pulled the cleaver over her shoulder. With that, she looked over the knights. Some had been strategic... Others... Hack-n'-slash.

Pippin shook her head as she thought ahead. Things wouldn't be this easy further on. They couldn't be... If it was, then she'd feel bad for ever considering the Apocreans any trouble at all.

"Good work guys," one of the knights said as they turned to their Drakon and feed it some dust.

"Where to next?" he continues after starting off to the castle.

'Well... Anyone could tell that's where our objective would be.' Before heading off after the knight, however, Pippin stops and turns to Gwen.

She had been sitting there the entire time. Just... Sitting there. She couldn't be...

Pippin quickly speed-walked over to Gwen and poked her forehead to prop up her head. Unconscious.
She then put her index and middle fingers over Gwen's neck to check for a pulse.

There was none.

'Crap. Crap. CRAP.' Pippin swore to herself internally.

'Great, JUST GREAT! We're lead to a place where we can't go back from, by a leader who DIES as soon as we get here!' Pippin nervously half-turned to the other knights. How would they react if they knew their getaway was dead? What would they do? What would SHE do?

The solution was simple.

'They can't know.' Pippin set her cleaver over the large portable-kitchen container, and continues her mental breakdown.

'But I can't just leave her here, either... Who KNOWS what happens to souls which depart in the Apocrean dimension!'

It was after that thought that the solution came. Pippin then proceeded to pick up Gwen, hoisting the surprisingly light knight over her shoulder.

"She's unconscious. Must have had something to do with the portal. I'll hold her and stay in the back, if a switch is needed, I'll set her down. 'Till then... I guess you're the lead... Whatever your name is." Pippin doesn't even stutter as she lies and changes the subject; she then points to Ares and follows him a good distance back, far enough that the group won't be suspicious of their deceased leader.

---------------

Strom:

"Ⱥnđ... Fɨnɨȿħɇđ."
"And... Finished."

Strom stands up from his crouching position. Earlier, it was mentioned that he didn't need to draw any of the familiarized foliage. But now, it had rain! Completely different. Strom looked over the pages of his book with glee. A couple of leaves with water drops, a flower weighed down by a growing amount of moisture, and a drop falling from a leaf -- something you swear would be copyrighted in the opening cutscene of Pokemon Emerald. Whatever that was.

The rain hadn't let up since he started walking, but after a good half an hour... He had gained an amazing 3 meters between him and the tree. Which he also drew with striking detail. Chuckling to himself, Strom dabbed his pen into his ink.

But there was none.

Running out was common. Strom reached into the pouch on his side for another, uncapping it and dabbing his quil within.

Still nothing.

"..."

Strom emptied his pouch. The glass containers, each varying in size (he had to work with whatever he found on Knights which passed, or through a couple of Owlite Libraries which were near his place of rest), clanked against the ground.

Empty.
Empty.
EMPTY.

They were all EMPTY.

Strom got on his hands and knees, water dripping over his armor, and pouring over his helmet. Surely his tears would have matched the downpour if he still had tear-ducts. But he didn't.

Strom picked up each inkwell, and placed them in his pouch delicately. He then dashed towards the camp. Not because he no longer had anything to do... But because if he waltzed through the forest and saw everything that he didn't have the ink to draw with, he wouldn't have the will to even stand, let alone make it to the camp and take shelter from the rain.
~~~
Before breaking out of the trees to shut himself into one of the pods, an oddity caught his attention. Certain small, almost invisibly minute changes had occurred in the camp. Even in the areas which were draped over, as to protect from the elements. Strom opened his book, and flipped to the page he had dedicated to drawing the scene of the camp.

It was changed. Even without the rain. Someone had been there. He then looked to the center of the camp.

'... Ⱥ ȿwaɍ₥-ᵽøȿȿɇȿȿɇđ ȼɍɇaŧưɍɇ.'
'... A swarm-possessed creature'

As if it had already come to that conclusion, Strom's Épée released its full primed speed towards Sicarius.
But it was without killing intent. This creature was... Different. It wasn't rabid. It seemed intellectual despite the unmistakable influence it was giving off. Regardless, it was better to be safe than sorry. With that, all of Strom's fingers dislocate from his gauntlets, the 10 small projectilves rotate around Strom at a 2m radius, ready to be used to either defend or strike should the creature prove to be just as crazed as the Swarm creatures Strom has grown accustomed to.

[[The Épée will stop less than a centimeter away from Sicarius' neck if he doesn't dodge. Regardless, there is no risk in this move... So long as Sicarius doesn't move directly into the blade.]]

Connection reestablished.

A spark of life reactivated her shellform, and Gwen's life signs returned to her. She opened her eyes to find the harvester gone and the remaining knights walking away from her.

For a moment, she felt a pang of regret over not being able to help them. But then...they were knights. She could count on them to handle anything this world threw at them. And soon, she would be able to help them. She eased herself to her feet, stumbling unsteadily on her newly-revived body, and broke into a full sprint toward the group. When she reached them, she fell in step at the front.

"I'm sure you're all wondering where I was or what I was doing," she began. "To put it in terms you would more easily understand, I was rebooting for an update to my abilities. My plan is a simple one: keep the enemy occupied while I take control of the Apocrean Hierarch. From there, I should be able to put an end to this crisis. I was never able to get that far on my last trip to Apocrea because of the stiff resistance, so I'm counting on your abilities."

As Strom's Épée stopped in front of the Gremlin's neck, it spoke in a surprisingly growl-less voice. Perhaps the Swarm influence allowed for an easier use of other languages? Or perhaps this gremlin was simply proficient in its speech.

"The Swarm Phantom Strom. Please, there will be no hostilities between us. I am simply a messenger, a messenger of the powerful Swarm Master Armerio." Strom motioned to his blade, and it slowly retracted back to his side. His fingers reattached in a similar fashion, and he moved towards the creature.

"Not that you aren't powerful yourself, but I believe you like to minimize contact with The Swarm, if my understanding is correct?"

'If only you knew.'

"However my master is a pure Swarm entity, which is why I refer to him as such. However, this is not a discussion on you fully accepting The Swarm. We understand what we perceive to be your position. What we request, is assistance."

Strom's eyes narrowed at the thought. What could he possibly gain from such an arrangement? The Gremlin continued.

"I'm sure you know, that since the Swarm attacked Haven a year ago, there have been ragtag groups of knights attempting in vain to restore their beloved Order."

Strom had, indeed, heard whispers. But he had not imagined the knights had lost their homes to the Swarm. That explained the fluctuations in knights appearing in his graveyard, at least.

"This group is aiming for the same, but have actually achieved a portion of success."

With that thought, Strom would have raised an eyebrow. If he had any.

"They attacked Haven, with the help of a Core spirit of sorts" --

Strom's hearing cuts out at that. The Core? That which lays bound within the Cradle. Strom lowered his gaze towards the book at his side as the Gremlin continued rambling on. Tales have always surrounded the being in the center of Cradle. Before getting too far lost in conversation, Strom listens to the creature again.

"Should you accept, you would go to Apocrea, by my master's side, through the use of this bracelet." The creature holds a small bracelet, the Swarm's influence clearly flowing through it, but with the same feeling as the flow coming out of the Gremlin itself.

"While it is imbued with Swarm energy, it will not corrupt you. It also reduces any damage you take in battle by 25-50%. Master Armerio will bring all bearers of the bracelet back to Cradle with him, and in the event he should die, the enchantment on that bracelet will be broken, which returns you to the very spot you put the bracelet on."

"We believe this can be the beginning of a beneficial alliance, do you accept?" The Gremlin looks at Strom; but Strom simply looks up at the sky, whose rain slows until it simply stops altogether.

After a great deal of silence passes, Strom speaks.

"Ɏøư ȿᵽɇaҟ øf a ᵽøwɇɍfưł ₥aȿŧɇɍ, ƀưŧ ħɇ ₥ưȿŧ ħavɇ ɉưȿŧ ɍɨȿɇn ŧø ᵽøwɇɍ føɍ ħɨ₥ ŧø ƀɇ łøøҟɨnǥ føɍ ałłɨɇȿ."
"You speak of a powerful master, but he must have just risen to power for him to be looking for allies."Strom looks to the Gremlin, and continues.

"Ɨȿ ɨŧ, ŧħɇn, a ȿŧɍɇŧȼħ ŧø aȿȿư₥ɇ ɏøưɍ ₥aȿŧɇɍ ɨȿ nøŧ aȿ ᵽøwɇɍfưł aȿ ɏøư ₥aҟɇ ħɨ₥ øưŧ ŧø ƀɇ?"
"Is it, then, a stretch to assume your master is not as powerful as you make him out to be?"Strom catches a final raindrop in his grip, then he opend his palm and watches as the drop simply trails off his gauntlet to the ground below.

"Ɨȿ ħɇ... Ⱥfɍaɨđ? ₱ɇɍħaᵽȿ øf ŧħɇ ᵽøwɇɍ wħɨȼħ ȿłɇɇᵽȿ ƀɇłøw..?"
"Is he... Afraid? Perhaps of the power which sleeps below..?" Strom turns his gaze back to the Gremlin, but continues before he can respond.

"Ⱥħ, ƀưŧ Ɨ a₥ ȿɨ₥ᵽłɏ ₥ưŧŧɇɍɨnǥ ŧø ₥ɏȿɇłf. ₩ħɨłɇ Ɨ a₥ ɇaǥɇɍ ŧø ɇxᵽłøɍɇ ŧħɨȿ "Apocrea" ɏøư ȿᵽøҟɇ øf, ₥aҟɇ nø ₥ɨȿŧaҟɇ..."
"Ah, but I am simply muttering to myself. While I am eager to explore this "Apocrea" you spoke of, make no mistake..."Strom points to the bracelet.

"Đa₥aǥɇ ɍɇđưȼŧɨønȿ aɍɇ nøŧ ønłɏ ưnnɇȼɇȿȿaɍɏ, ƀưŧ ưnaᵽᵽɍɇȼɨaŧɇđ. Ɨ ȼannøŧ ŧɍưȿŧ ɏøưɍ wøɍđ, Ǥɍɇ₥łɨn. Ŧħaŧ ƀɍaȼɇłɇŧ ȼøưłđ ƀɇ ƀɇnɇfɨȼɨał nøw, ƀưŧ ƀɇȼø₥ɇ a łɇaȿħ łaŧɇɍ. Ƀɇɏønđ ŧħɇ ŧɍaɨŧȿ øf ŧħaŧ ɨŧɇ₥, ɏøư ħavɇ øffɇɍɇđ ₥ɇ nøŧħɨnǥ ƀưŧ ŧħɇ ȿłaưǥħŧɇɍ øf ŧħɇ, aȿ ɏøư ᵽưŧ ŧħɇ₥, "₱ɇȿŧȿ"."
"Damage reductions are not only unnecessary, but unappreciated. I cannot trust your word, Gremlin. That bracelet could be beneficial now, but become a leash later. Beyond the traits of that item, you have offered me nothing but the slaughter of the, as you put them, "Pests"." Strom lets his hand fall to his side, but keeps his gaze sharp on the Gremlin.

"Ⱥnđ ɇvɇn ŧħaŧ ɨȿ nøŧ aȿ aᵽᵽɇałɨnǥ aȿ ɏøư aȿȿư₥ɇ ɨŧ ŧø ƀɇ."
"And even that is not as appealing as you assume it to be."

Despite what he says, however... Strom walks towards the Gremlin after a couple of sparks fly off of his book; he holds out an open palm... Or... Gauntlet to the Gremlin and speaks once again.

"Ⱥłł ŧħaŧ ɏøư ħavɇ ȿaɨđ ŧħaŧ ȼaưǥħŧ ₥ɏ aŧŧɇnŧɨøn ɨȿ ŧħɇ ₥ɇnŧɨøn øf ŧħɇ Ȼøɍɇ. Ɨ wɨłł ǥø wɨŧħ ɏøư, ɨf ønłɏ føɍ ŧħɇ ᵽưɍᵽøȿɇ øf ₥ɇɇŧɨnǥ ȿưȼħ a ȼɍɇaŧưɍɇ."
"All that you have said that caught my attention is the mention of the Core. I will go with you, if only for the purpose of meeting such a creature."

Smoke pours from Strom's helmet as he says that, causing his eyes to flicker as if they were a magenta fire lit within his helmet.

"Ɨf ɨŧ ɨȿ nøŧ ŧħɇɍɇ, ħøwɇvɇɍ, ŧħɇn ɏøư wɨłł fɨnđ ɏøưɍȿɇłf ɍɇǥɍɇŧŧɨnǥ ɏøưɍ ɨnvɨŧaŧɨøn."
"If it is not there, however, then you will find yourself regretting your invitation."

((I have to hurry this post, i'd do it normally, but I won't be on today, or i'll be on late tonight.))

"Afraid? I'd use unsure about. He doesn't want to leave anything to chance. True he has just risen to power, but something he reluctantly picked up from his, so to speak, predecessor ((i'm going to change the word, but i'm in a hurry)), is that it is beneficial to have allies. He will always lend you assistance however, and you will be granted a domain in his eventual kingdom, perhaps even a leadership position. I chose not to speak on your benefits as I thought you would rather discuss that with Master Armerio himself," Sicarius said.

He snapped the bracelet around Strom's wrist (??He has one, right??)) and said,

"We are grateful for your assistance, and rest assured that the Core spirit will be there, feel free to ask Master Armerio any lingering questions you may have."

Strom begins phasing between Cradle and Apocrea. ((When you materialize in Apocrea, you'll be right beside Armerio. He's in a Crown Of the Fallen, and a Dread Skelly Suit (or whatever the final version to that is)) Later guys))

[[@Ares-Hsg
He has wrists, yeah. all areas where a knight's "skin" would be visible, he has a void-black material. When he splits off pieces of his armor, the void-black material remains, but looks sort of like a black-flame-thing in the wind. It re-solidifies and reconnects once the armor comes within a certain range (unless Strom continues to mobilize the armor). For now, assume the bracelet is on the void-black skin-stuff.

@Flame-Shinobi
In case those brackets at the end of post #621 were OOC (the "(Out of the view of any snipers... hopefully)" part) the Snipers would have already known where Lyn is, seeing as they already had sight on the group itself.

If it wasn't OOC, and it was still in-character, then the post is all good and needs no changes. If Lyn would scout ahead and hope she wasn't seen, then that should not be changed (despite you knowing that she's already been spotted).]]

---------------

Strom:
As the bracelet snapped around Strom's skin with an audible "snip", he suddenly knew what it was like to be in two places at once. He immediately glanced at his Épée, and opened his right palm, resulting in the sword floating quickly to his hand, where he held the blade, causing it to disappear alongside him.
~~~
After a couple of moments, Strom had fully materialized in the Apocrean realm beside a knight who gave off a similar presence to the Gremlin, albeit much more... Grim. Strom then turned to notice not only one, but two other knights within the room. The first was sitting quietly, as if in some state of inner focus... The other was...

"Ŧħɇ ønɇ wħø ȼałłɇđ ħɨ₥ȿɇłf Łɨønɇł?"
"The one who called himself Lionel?" Even after saying that, Strom figured he was incorrect. The two were similar, but... Not exactly the same.

The phantom then let his Épée float out of his hand, and it settled at his side, floating quietly. He then turned to the one he had been "recruited" by.

"Ⱥnđ ɏøư aɍɇ ŧħɇ ₥aȿŧɇɍ øf ŧħɇ Swaɍ₥-Ǥɍɇ₥łɨn, Ɨ ᵽɍɇȿư₥ɇ."
"And you are the master of the Swarm-Gremlin, I presume."

[[EDIT: Figured I may as well change it so that it could be used as a plot point for post #665.]]

Beck watched the group through his scope, and noticed the one knight move off to one side.

"Hey, one of them has broken off. Sneaking up around the castle." Came his voice again, through command's com devices.

Then, off the com, "Slink, watch that one, tell me if the bugger gets in range, but a bullet in 'em."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syber had been standing quietly, watching the group of knights, and looked up when Strom appeared. The phantom looked quite impressive, and he wondered how Armerio knew these allies.

"Ŧħɇ ønɇ wħø ȼałłɇđ ħɨ₥ȿɇłf Łɨønɇł."

"The one who called himself Lionel."

Before Syber could respond and question this Phantom's knowledge, Beck relayed his new find. One of them was moving around the castle. Then Armerio made a comment.

"Why would you even make up a name like Lionel? I imagine you know our associate already, however."

"I didn't make up that name, my associate did. I'm guessing he's met your friend here." Syber thought to himself, "Never met mister phantom myself."

He turned and looked directly at the phantom, "You got a name?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Actually sir, the knight's been detected. Looks like Armerio's forces are engaging."

Slink lowered his rifle, and the spotter next to him handed him a tablet, it displayed Beck's video feed, showing the knights from a birdseye view.

((Remember the information in post 502 http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/105450?page=10#comment-972909 about the Undead Army.))

Ares watched the chef knight run towards the Undead. He had to admit, that knight had balls. Using kitchen tools to chop down enemies took some serious skill. Then, not for the first time, he wondered how old she was. Ares hadn't quite seen the nuances of Armerio's army, so he decided to give the chef some support from a distance. With his Hail Driver in one hand, and his Callahan in the other, he and Chomp stepped into firing range.

"Let's play with Armerio's toys," Ares said, charging his guns.

***

*So he doesn't shake hands?* Armerio wondered.

Part of his mind reprimanded himself for being so pleasant, and even for requesting allies, but after all, his mind was derived from Ares's. Maybe killing Ares would solve his lingering doubts and conflictions. He turned his mind to the Core spirit. She was probably after Creos, who hadn't shown yet, but why? Wasn't The Swarm the biggest threat to The Core? Well, in any case, she would pay dearly for neglecting to consider the enemies who may be after her, if Ares hadn't warned her already.
He gave his new ally a once-over, taking in the gauntlets, the sword, and the book. The book, which resonated a significant Swarm aura, hypnotically beautiful to Armerio's mind. Turning to Strom,

"What is that book?" he ventured.

Vargas shifted and grunted irritably. He was getting impatient, and his hands were itching for blood to be on them. He stroked his Leviathan Blade, calming himself. As far as he understood, a Swarm Phantom was enlisted as an ally as well, and there was possibly the chance of more allies coming as well. It was just a small group of knights, so Vargas regarded this as a slaughter. Not that he minded slaughters. But pertaining to that group of knights,

"Who will fight the Core Spirit?" he asked. Turning to the phantom, he added,

"Welcome to our ranks, phantom Strom, I am Vargas of Damnation, or so the Spiral Order called me."

***
An Almirian Crusader of the first squad just happened to turn around and saw a small knight racing towards them. He motioned for 3 Kats to turn around, and they each shot five bullets at the knight. 16 of the 20 shots were countered by a dual-wielding gunner from further away, who the Crusader recognized as Ares. The four shots formed a semicircle as they curved in onto the small knight, all on target for the torso.

(Beck is up in his sniper tower. Relaying info via computer/com module.))

Looking at Armerio's soldiers, Beck wondered how he came to command this many troops.

"Looks like we won't be doing anything yet shooters, but keep an eye on them."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I wouldn't suggest only one of us going against the core spirit. I've had previous experience with her, and she isn't one to mess around with."

He thought for a second. They oldest power in the castle was the Apocrean Elders, or Hierarch. They were in one of the rooms, even he didn't know which one. However he did know a choke point one had to get to.

"Unless this castle has changed since I've been here- and there's a good chance it has, there is a choke point where I will station my force to stop any intruders. Its in the upper part of the castle, and the Apocrean Elders never meet anywhere under it."

He looked at Vargas, who looked impatient.

"Vargas, if you are looking for a fight instead of a commanding position, which I can understand, you're welcome to position yourself up front to see some early action."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke shot at the crowd of monsters, doing innefectual damage at most. Honestly, a blaster wasn't going to help anything unless he was a crackshot. Which he was far from. Instead, he bolstered the gun and unstrapped his Avenger. Hopefully its internal energy could repel the swarm energy. He leaned on it and reached into his pack, he pulled out some bandages, and a couple of health capsules, he inserted them onto the pockets on his belt, ready t be used when needed. Getting an idea, Luke held the blade to one side and began charging it.

(Scorpio is stealthing) Scorpio jumps onto the ceiling and kicks off of it with his legs, unsheathing his barbarous thorn blade. He jumps down onto the crusader and stabs him over and over

[[@Ares-Hsg
Alright, I KNEW it was somewhere! Also, if you want to integrate HTML's in words n' stuff, look at the Anchors section of the Compose tips.]]

---------------

Pippin:
As Pippin's shield deactivated (as the time passed the 5 second set on it), a hum could be heard from the pin, meaning it immediately started re-charging. With a quick look, the gunner had distracted the Crusader, who had some form of Howlitzer to use as a ranged weapon.

'When the heck did they get those... No. Never mind. I don't want to know.'

The concerns of growing monster intelligence thanks to the Swarm or whoever brought these undead here could be discussed later. You know. When Kats aren't close enough that you could feel their accursed breath.

The two Kats (the ones who had just attacked) were both immobile, but the one Pippin had struck was not. With a look back to the rest of the group, specifically Luke, Pippin knew exactly what to do to cause damage to all three of them.

Before all of the spinning momentum was lost from her Cleaver, Pippin pushed hard against the ground using her feet's Grip-Mods, planting her in place as she pivoted and added more force to her swing; she deactivated the mods once she got to half of her swing. Pippin was, in other words, doing a full circular slash... But she wasn't using the blade of her cleaver to attack the Kats.

Instead, using all of the momentum she had amassed in her strike thus far, she held the cleaver at its large flat side. The strike itself would not do much damage, but it would push the Kats a fair distance, as well as stun them and/or cause them to flinch. The direction of these unfortunate monsters?

Towards the rest of the group.

"They're all yours, Luke!" Pippin shouted back as she slammed the three kats with about the same power and speed as an out of control bus. The Kats would end up stopping only a short distance from the group. Hopefully the rest of the members there will be able to deal with the clutter of now-stunned Kats, otherwise this would be a terrible idea.

In the meantime, Pippin turned to the Almirian Crusader who had almost fired at her previously. She knew enough about their ability with the shield to guess that the gunner alone wouldn't be able to do much... So she'd lend him a hand.

Pippin dashes at the Crusader with her cleaver held over her shoulder in a batter's position; green smoke pours from her cleaver, giving the edge a corrosive-gas effect.
Her next attack will likely be a horizontal strike.
If the Almirian tries to shield the strike directly, he'll find himself missing an arm with the power of the impact. Even if he attempts to slide the blade past to avoid its force, the Corrosive properties of her Cleaver will affect his shield and weaken its material. Pippin's shield-accessory has half of its defences regenerated... So she'd be able to take at maximum 2 more Swarm Strikes, should she activate it.

---------------

Strom:
"Ⱥħ, ɏøư ħavɇ a ҟɇɇn ɇɏɇ, Ⱥɍ₥ɇɍɨø!"
"Ah, you have a keen eye, Armerio!" Strom stops flipping through the pages for a moment, and pushes back his chair.

"Ⱥnđ ɏøư aɍɇ ɨnđɇɇđ ȼøɍɍɇȼŧ; ŧħɇȿɇ đɍawɨnǥȿ, wħɨłɇ ᵽłɇaȿɨnǥ ŧø ŧħɇɏ ɇɏɇ øn ŧħɇɨɍ øwn, ɇaȼħ ħavɇ a ȿɇȼønđ ᵽưɍᵽøȿɇ wɨŧħɨn ŧħɇȿɇ ᵽaǥɇȿ. Ⱥłłøw ₥ɇ ŧø đɇ₥ønȿŧɍaŧɇ."
"And you are indeed correct; these drawings, while pleasing to the eye on their own, each have a second purpose within these pages. Allow me to demonstrate."

With that, Strom flips to a page where he had drawn a small flower with intricate details. He then picked the book up with both hands and closed his eyes, resulting in a large Swarm Eye opening appearing within his helmet, and lines of Magenta pulsing and disappearing between his arms and the book itself; Strom then rips off the page which had the flower on it, and energy ripples over the paper before settling onto the table.

The result is a pitch-black flower resting on the table, dark cubes of Swarm energy lifting from it occasionally. It has the same details as the drawing had. There are no magenta ripples coming off of the flower, however. Instead, it gives off only a faint feeling of Swarm-energy, like an empty shell.

"Ⱥnɏ đɍawɨnǥ wɨŧħɨn ŧħɇȿɇ ᵽaǥɇȿ ₥aɏ ₥anɨfɇȿŧ ɨn ŧħɇ ɍɇał wøɍłđ."
"Any drawing within these pages may manifest in the real world." Strom speaks with a hint of static in his voice, then continues.

"₩ɨŧħ ađɇɋưaŧɇ ȼønȼɇnŧɍaŧɨøn, Ɨ a₥ aƀłɇ ŧø ₥øvɇ wħaŧ Ɨ ȼɍɇaŧɇ ɨn ŧħɨȿ ₥annɇɍ."
"With adequate concentration, I am able to move what I create in this manner." Strom motions to the flower with one of his hands, causing the flower to tilt and turn, as if he were standing in front of it and pushing the flower itself.

"Ɨ a₥ ałȿø aƀłɇ ŧø ₥aҟɇ ŧħɇ đɍawɨnǥȿ aȼŧ øn ŧħɇɨɍ øwn wɨłłȿ; Ɨ wøưłđ đɇ₥ønȿŧɍaŧɇ ŧħɨȿ, ƀưŧ Ɨ đø nøŧ ħavɇ ɇnøưǥħ øf ŧħɇ ₥aŧɇɍɨał ɍɇɋưɨɍɇđ ŧø ƀɇ ȿø łɇnɨɇnŧ ɨn ȿħøwɨnǥ ȿưȼħ a ᵽøwɇɍ."
"I am also able to make the drawings act on their own wills; I would demonstrate this, but I do not have enough of the material required to be so lenient in showing such a power." Strom moves a hand to the gaping hole in his chest, as if to indicate the loss of the material required, but then turns to Armerio and lowers his arm.

"Ɍɇǥaɍđłɇȿȿ, ŧħɇ ᵽaǥɇȿ ɨn ŧħɨȿ ƀøøҟ aɍɇ łɨ₥ɨŧłɇȿȿ, anđ ȿø łønǥ aȿ Ɨ ħavɇ ɨnҟ, Ɨ ₥aɏ fɨłł ɨŧȿ ᵽaǥɇȿ wɨŧħ wħaŧɇvɇɍ Ɨ wɨȿħ."
"Regardless, the pages in this book are limitless, and so long as I have ink, I may fill its pages with whatever I wish." Strom closes the book once the ripped page regenerates, resulting in the book's eye closing slowly, and the one within his Helmet shutting as well; returning to his own phantom eyes.

"Øn ŧħaŧ nøŧɇ... Ɏøư wøưłđn'ŧ ħaᵽᵽɇn ŧø ħavɇ anɏ ɨnҟ, wøưłđ ɏøư? Ɨ ħađ ɇxħaưȿŧɇđ ₥ɏ ȿưᵽᵽłɏ ȿħøɍŧłɏ ƀɇføɍɇ ₥ɇɇŧɨnǥ ɏøưɍ ȿɇɍvanŧ."
"On that note... You wouldn't happen to have any ink, would you? I had exhausted my supply shortly before meeting your servant."

((I MEANT WALLS. If there are no walls, he just jumps at them))

((@Saucce- that I understand. I'll have you fighting the other Crusader since Ember and I took care of the first one already.))

Ares, while running to engage the first squad, saw Pippin out of the corner of his eye, not knowing if she killed the first Crusader or not, and motioned for her to join him. He also saw Scorpio stabbing at the other Almirian Crusader with his Barbarous Thorn Blade, seemingly with an edge. But, he had no time to fully process that at the moment. He was busy trying to pull Lyn's butt out of the fire. He charged his Divine Avenger, and released it. Chomp put two Rings of Fire around Ares and then flew upwards, wisely preferring to keep as much distance as possible while providing support.

Three Zombies and a Deadnaught were hit by Ares's charge attack. They turned around, glowering menacingly at Ares, who politely returned the stare. The remaining member of the first squad, ((2 phantoms, 1 Deadnaught, 5 Kats, and 4 Zombies)) had begun to form a semicircle around Lyn, not attacking yet. The second squad was still some distance away, and Ares realized that they were moving EXTREMELY slowly. Until engaged that is. The first squad had only moved half a metre, while the second squad had barely moved at all. It was like they knew she was dead anyways, so why hurry? Ares, in an attempt to buy some time, had Chomp Firestorm the ground directly in front of the first squad, knocking them back a full metre ((and now they were 4.5 metres away from Lyn, and 3 metres from Pippin and Ares. Luke was 5 m away from Pippin and Ares.)) and creating a temporary wall of fire in between them and the knight girl. Ares also fired multiple Hail Driver shots into the crowd, regrettably, not paying attention to the primary threat.

The Deadnaught scored a direct hit with its charge into Ares, knocking the wind out of him. It raised its blade, and Ares scoffed at it, making it hesitate. Hitting it back with his Divine Avenger, he said,

"As if it would be that easy."

Two of the Zombies happened to be Carnavons, and they aimed their Cursed Breaths diagonally, and their streams would cross exactly where Ares was. He rapidly shielded with his Gorgomega, but found that it had no extra effect as after the two hits, it was on critical. Luckily, Chomp fired two Firebolts directly into their faces, burning them.

Going at the Deadnaught, emblazoned with spirit and Rings of Fire, Ares dodged the Deadnaught's charge, and stabbed it in the back with his Divine Avenger. Before he could draw it out, however, the Deadnaught turned around, and Ares backed away firing several shots with his Hail Driver, which were all blocked by the shield. Chomp was busy himself, dodging swipes left and right. Ares pulled out his CIV and stood his ground, there was only one way he thought this could work.

The Deadnaught, bolstered with outrage, charged at Ares again.

***

The Crusader was caught off guard by the strange beast knight that had literally jumped it. He had taken quite a few stabs from him too, but he hadn't felt them as much. The resistances Master Armerio had programmed into them were certainly working for the moment. The Crusader activates it shield, which pushed the knight off of him ((it will)) and from behind his shield, the Crusader fired its Howlitzer twice. ((So that's a ten bullet spread aimed at Scorpio))

Ares didn't know how the chef got precisely to the charging Deadnaught, but it was lucky for her he saw her when he did, or she would have been the victim of a double impalement. Instead of throwing his other sword, he fell to the ground, shielded, and watched.

Somehow, with those things on her hands and feet, she had gripped the sword in the Deadnaughts back with her foot, and kicked it out of its body, bringing the Deadnaught to a jerking, bucking halt. But the girl seemed to be prepared for that as well. With the gripping tool on her hand attached to the Deadnaught's upper body, she swang upwards, using the momentum to use her 'heel blade' to stab the Deadnaught in its skull.

Gruesome.

But Ares had neglected to pay attention to the Zombies. They had lined up around the girl, in a triangle fashion, readying their breath attacks. Ares dashed to the chef, shooting one down momentarily in the process. Chomp shot the other with a Firebolt. Ares pushed the girl out of the way, and took the brunt of the last breath attack for a second, before he and Chomp fired on that 1 as well.

((But seeing as Lyn was in the middle of two squads, i'll have to mix and match to fit in with what's been happening. But first:

1. It's not really that many enemies, it's 2 Almirian Crusaders, 2 Deadnaughts, 1 phantom, 8 Kats and 7 Zombies per squad. So if Scorpio is fighting one Crusader, and Pippin and Ares killed the other, I have to assume that one from the other squad fired at you. Which is perfectly reasonable, considering that they expected you to be petrified. But it means that i'm going to have to make them move harder at you. Be wary of corruption attacks.

2. I can't have the Howlitzer bullets killing the Zombies. It's Swarm on Swarm crime, and anyways, Swarm resists Swarm, at least in my belief. So i'll have the Zombies being knocked down then getting back up in a couple seconds.

3. Lyn just jumped over the wall of fire? Well it was gonna go out this post anyways so that's fine.

4. The Deadnaughts. The first one is fine, seeing as it was in the first squad. The second one you killed though, and it's a spear not an arm cannon, would have to be in the second squad, again fine. But also, there's Swarm on Swarm crime here again, but I can have the spear hit the other Deadnaught in its head. And I won't have Deadnaughts being revived, too unfair.

5. As an add-on, the Heart attack won't distract the Kats, nice try though. And, seeing as Swarm creatures usually drop void, I can only allow a maximum of 5 hearts to drop, if any. And you have a a minute and a half to kill the enchanted monsters.

Sorry if this seems critical or is too long, but i'm sleep-deprived and have a mild headache, so I needed to type this all out to help myself sort it out.
Now, let's begin.))

***

Ares shook his head vigorously. The breath attacks were definitely Swarm-corrupted. He needed to stay clear of those for a while. Looking at the offending Zombie, which was only a Dust Zombie, he realized, he shot it in the face as it got its bearings back. Diving onto it with a viciousness he had reserved for Swarm gremlins, he hacked at the Zombie again and again. However, he hadn't yet realized that these things were slightly resistant to everything. The Zombie pushed him off, and he was struck by a Carnavon, and barely manged to dodge the other.

"Chomp?" his usually calm voice shot up a few octaves. He hit the first Carnavon with the CIV, and then ducked under the swipe of another. The very same Dust Zombie had chosen that moment to let out another Breath attack, but this time Ares was ready. He shielded, and then bashed the Zombie, knocking out wind it might not have meant to expel, as evident in the void that the creature spat out.

Wrinkling his nose at the sight and smell, he knocked the Zombie towards its other counterparts, and shielded, while hoping that the chef had gotten a safe distance from him. In the next second, Chomp's Firestorm had hit, not creating a wall of fire like the last time, but leaving a flaming crater in the earth where the Zombies were. After all that, the two Carnavons had actually survived.

"You have to be kidding me," Ares panted. But, if he could handle the Apocrean shrugging off hits, he could handle Carnavons taking hits and showing signs of wear. He just had to hit them harder. He pulled out his Furious Flamberge and dashed down the crater (8 m wide, 3 m deep) to the Carnavons. Now dual wielding, he slashed at both Carnavons, the one on the left taking a hit from the CIV, and the right from the FF. Chomp trailed from a distance, to finish off any survivors.

The one on the left had expired, due to taking more hits than its counterpart. Chomp rapidly fired three Firebolts at the Carnavon, with only one hitting, but one was enough. The Carnavon burned to expiration.

Then Ares heard a familiar voice.
"Could I get a little help!" it shouted.

Ares sighed, he knew there was no rest for the wicked, but what about the weary?

***

Moorcroft Manor had grown since The Swarm attacked Haven. The black bricks now shone with an ethereal gleam, and it was no longer one manor. There were buildings all along the floor, containing knights. But Sicarius was not concerned with them, he walked right into the original building. He stealthed past the counter Kat (he was annoying), and past the Zombie bellhop. Walking down a dark, candlelit passage, he stopped at the single Kat, which sensed him due to its experience with the dark arts. And exposure to Swarm.

"What dark ritual?" she asked. Sicarius regarded her with a baleful stare.

"Sorry, it's a force of habit. Anyways, I can guess why you're here. You need Margrel. Be warned however, she may attack without listening to you, whatever you may want from her. Also, I had a nasty run in with an Owlite, yes, some are still around, a couple weeks ago. It messed with my powers, so I won't be able to summon her at her best. Are you fine with all this?" she said.

Sicarius nodded. The Kat proceeded.

She was so practiced with this that there was no buildup or climax anymore, all she did was channel her energy into the rune, and say,

"!Legram, Nekawa"

The rune glowed brightly.

***

The phantoms of the first squad perceived the knight to be a serious problem, which was what they were there for. One rushed from the left, unleashing a charge attack, and the other hovered above, ready to slash at Lyn wherever she dodged, or not, to.

[[Uh... Enemies are dying really quickly. Perhaps too quickly, if we're all providing relatively the same damage. I can't help but think that one-shotting Swarm Phantoms is just a bit... Well... Unfair. Especially seeing as the Zombies lasted longer with several attacks.
It's the same with the Dreadnaught(s). Attacking one of those with a single shot and that's it?

As an RP'r who tries to make their combat realistic: having my stylistic choice of descriptions be outdone in damage by simple one-shot-kills with little to no description is a Pet Peeve of mine, and it kills any creative rush I get while writing out my own combat.
It's sorta like a test where you can hand in one word and get the same mark as a 5 page essay; why would I write 5 pages if I could get the same results with far less? In fact, I'll just have more time on my hands if I don't but detail into my writing; so why write much at all?]]

---------------

Strom:
"Ⱥħ, ɏɇȿ. Ŧħaŧ wɨłł đø fɨnɇ, ŧħanҟ ɏøư."
"Ah, yes. That will do fine, thank you." Strom reached out and took the bottle from Armerio, holding it up to his "eyes" to examine the liquid within.

"Øưŧ øf ȼưɍɨøȿɨŧɏ... Ħøw łønǥ wɨłł wɇ ƀɇ waɨŧɨnǥ ħɇɍɇ, đø ɏøư ŧħɨnҟ?"
"Out of curiosity... How long will we be waiting here, do you think?" As Strom says this, he turns back to the projected image, opening his book and sketching the looks of the Knights in combat; the screen itself didn't have many fine details of the knights (probably due to the recording device's distance from the group), but improvisation is part of art too.

---------------

Pippin:

[[Combat will come once possible revisions are made and/or my comment is acknowledged.]]

((What to post, what to post...))

Beck's voice crackled through the comset once again,

"If you all want to crush these guys, maybe we could let off these frontal squads, or fodder them off. Actually, let them get beaten by the knights, give them a boost in morale. Then, when they are feeling better after the win, we crush them in a bottleneck."

Up in his nest, Beck moved away from his rifle. He moved to the computer and brought up a 3d layout of the obsidian castle. A couple more clicks and the image was projected to everyone on the side of the knights fighting.

"I've had a drone mapping out the bottom half of the castle. It's going over the upper half as we speak. So I'm looking at this layout, and I believe there is a nice thin hallway right over here."

Said hallway lit up in yellow highlights, making itself known to the commanders plus Strom.

"I've reviewed the castle, and at some point, they'll have to go through this hallway. Making it the perfect place for an ambush. What do you all think? The only downside is that you won't have my backup. I can
Watch the stairway afterwards in case they get past but other than that..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I like the idea, I'm going there myself, to check out its layout."

Syber set off, moving through the hallways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke was watching in awe at the work of Pippin and the other knights. His eyes widened when he saw the knight who had the Hail driver take the full brunt of two Carnavons.

Luke hefted the sword onto one shoulder, and ran to Ares' side.(you guys are in between the two squads, am i correct?) Luke dodged under a Kat and got past before it could realize what happened. He hesitated at the swarm source. Then kept at it, finally getting to Ares.

"I saw you take a hit, have some of these."

He tossed a t2 health capsule and a remedy capsule before he turned his attention to the swarm source.

"You guys attack the monsters, I'll try and keep the swarm seed down."

Luke took his Avenger and stabbed it straight down into the swarm spreading around. The half wrapped sword sunk into the ground and the swarm retreated to the edge of the blade. With that, Luke slipped his blaster from its holster and fired a small salvo towards the swarm seed.

Luke hooked his shield on his back and reloaded, firing another three shots at the seed. He put one hand on the avenger before reloading one handed. He wasn't as good at this, but he somehow made it work.

First, open the mist absorption unit.

Second, activate energy chamber.

Third, spin open blaster once around its trigger guard, twice to allow for lack of mist energy.

Fourth, snap shut and bring around for firing.

Then the blaster emptied itself at the swarm seed for the third time. Luke smiled inwardly at his successful reload. He pulled the avenger out of the ground at secured it on his back. He hoped the knights around him could beat back the monsters. He focused on the seed now,

Reload, Fire.

Reload, Fire.

[[ If it's a slaughter, then I guess we may as well just count down the kills at the bottom of each post. ]]

---------------

Pippin:

Pippin dropped to the ground, off of the dead Dreadnaught, which crumbled into nothingness and stabbed the Divine Avenger into the ground. She wouldn't be needing that, anymore -- especially now that it was covered in some sort of Zombie-Head-Goop; she then proceeded to watch as the undead became seemingly crippled... As if they'd lost their power source. If two Kats were practically vaporized by the gunner knight without so much as a thought... This wouldn't take long at all.
She then turned to the remaining enemies of the First Squad. An Almirian Crusader, 3 Zombies, 5 Kats, and a Phantom. Well. It'd be a shame if the fight was so spread out, wouldn't it?

Pippin dropped to the ground, off of the dead Dreadnaught, which crumbled into nothingness and stabbed the Divine Avenger into the ground. She wouldn't be needing that, anymore -- especially now that it was covered in some sort of Zombie-Head-Goop. With no weapon in hand, Pippin throust out her arms, activating her Hands' grip Mods manually. She then proceeded to... Throw the enemies around.

She started with the Almirian Crusader, who she caught unawares after its strike at Scorpio, and threw the creature easily by turning off and on her mods. Its destination? To the second squad. She then proceeded to do the same with 2 of the remaining Zombies (who, after the Grip-Mod activated, had their Limbs crushed simply by the drawing force of the Mods themselves), and 3 of the nearby Kats.

Pippin then shouted to Ares:

"Pick up that sword and charge it up! I'm gonna group all these weaklings together!" A grin creeped onto Pippin's face. While she didn't like the fact that her enemies were powering down their forces for unknown reasons... She wouldn't argue with easy kills.

---------------

Strom:
Strom looked towards Margrel as she appeared with the Corrupted Gremlin. He then walked forward.

"Ӎaɍvɇłøưȿ... Ⱥ łaɍǥɇ Ҟaŧ wħøȿɇ ɨnfłưɇnȼɇ ȼan ƀɇ fɇłŧ đɇȿᵽɨŧɇ ₥ɏ ɨnȼøɍᵽøɍɇał ƀøđɏ..."
"Marvelous... a large Kat whose influence can be felt despite my incorporeal body..." Strom immediately set to work drawing Margrel, but turned to face Armerio once he had placed his suggestions.

"Ɨ ħavɇ nø ɋưaɍɍɇłȿ wɨŧħ ŧħaŧ ᵽłan. Ƀưŧ ȿɇᵽaɍaŧɨnǥ ŧħɇ ҟnɨǥħŧȿ ŧø faȼɇ ŧħɇ₥ ɨnđɨvɨđưałłɏ wɨłł ƀɇ ᵽɍøƀłɇ₥aŧɨȼ."
"I have no quarrels with that plan. But separating the knights to face them individually will be problematic." Strom then turned back to Margrel, drawing every inch of her with striking detail into his book.

"Øf ȼøưɍȿɇ... Ɨ ȼøưłđ ₥aҟɇ ƀaɍɍɨɇɍȿ ŧø ȿɇᵽɇɍaŧɇ ŧħɇ ҟnɨǥħŧȿ aȿ ȿøøn aȿ ŧħɇɏ ɇnŧɇɍ ŧħɇ ȼaȿŧłɇ."
"Of course... I could make barriers to separate the knights as soon as they enter the castle." While continuing his rendition of what was the darkest Kat he had ever seen, Strom pointed one hand to the flower he had created; the swarm energy of the book kept it aloft, and allowed Strom to continue his drawing as he brought the pitch black flora to float within the layout. It then spread within, creating a maze and closing off at points -- a living maze of void-black material.
The material, oddly enough, transmitted through the digital image to the others, as if the material itself was partially virtual and could influence the hologram freely.

"₩ɨŧħ ŧɨ₥ɇ, Ɨ ȼøưłđ ₥aҟɇ ŧħɇ ₥aŧɇɍɨał ₥aҟɨnǥ ưᵽ ŧħɇ ₥aƶɇ nɇaɍ ɨ₥ᵽɇnɇŧɍaƀłɇ. Ƀưŧ..."
"With time, I could make the material making up the maze near impenetrable. But..." Strom paused a moment and looked back to the projected image of the knights, now decimating the first and second squads.

"Ŧħɇ ønłɏ ᵽɍøƀłɇ₥ ɨȿ ħøw ŧħɇ Ȼøɍɇ ȿᵽɨɍɨŧ wøưłđ ɍɇaȼŧ... Ŧħɇ ₥aŧɇɍɨał ŧħaŧ wøưłđ ȼɍɇaŧɇ ŧħɇ wałłȿ ǥɨvɇȿ øff ønłɏ a łɨŧŧłɇ Swaɍ₥ Ɨnfłưɇnȼɇ wɨŧħøưŧ ɨŧȿ øwn ȼøɍɇ... Ƀưŧ ɨŧ ɨȿ ȿŧɨłł øf Swaɍ₥ ҟɨnđ."
"The only problem is how the Core spirit would react... The material that would create the walls gives off only a little Swarm Influence without its own core... But it is still of Swarm Kind." He then continued sketching the cursed Kat, letting the lump of black material, which was once a flower, return to the table and reform into its original form.

"Ɍɇǥaɍđłɇȿȿ, Ɨ øffɇɍ ₥ɏ aƀɨłɨŧɨɇȿ."
"Regardless, I offer my abilities." With that, his Épée makes a short spin in the air at his side, then settles to a sleight rotation around its master.

---------------
Enemy Count:

• 3 Almirian Crusaders (SS) (one is damaged by Scorpio)
• 1 Zombie (FS)
• 9 Zombies (SS) (two are heavily damaged)
• 2 Kats (FS)
• 11 Kats (SS) (three are slightly damaged)
• 2 Deadnaughts (SS)
• 1 Phantom (FS)
• 1 Phantom (SS)

((@Ares-Hg: You seem like you have a lot of characters on your plate, I can take Margrel for you.))

"Sounds like a plan, I've arrived at the hallway. It has plenty of room to fight, however I'm not counting for the maze obstruction."

Syber looked around the hallway, it was quite straightforward. The walls on the side were carved with various Apocrean Symbols. Down on one end he could see the sharp 90° turn that the knights would come from. Behind him were the stairs that made a wide spiral upwards before stopping in a wider room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke continued to keep the swarm seed at bay, awhile reloading he glanced around at the remaining monsters. He was happy to see that they were thinning rapidly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beck took one last look through the sniper rifle and then slung it over his back. He closed his laptop but left the module in case he had to come back.

"Sharpshooters, watch them until they enter the castle, then join me at the choke point."

With that, he started down the stairs, which down the tower he was in.

[[Hm... I came up with a really good idea, but I'm not sure whether it crosses the boundary for OP-ness or not. I'll input the idea and dialogue surrounding it in the Strom movement below, but any discussion over it should be in the Discussion Thread itself. If the idea is rejected, I'll just edit over this post.]]

Strom:
Strom sat in his chair a moment, and held the bottom of his helmet (which would be his "chin" in one of his hands as if in deep contemplation.

"Ħ₥... Øƀȿŧɍưȼŧɨønȿ... Ⱥ waɏ ŧø ȿŧøᵽ ŧħɇ ₥aƶɇ fɍø₥ ƀɇȼø₥ɨnǥ an øƀȿŧɍưȼŧɨøn..."
"Hm... Obstructions... A way to stop the maze from becoming an obstruction..."

Strom looked down at his book as he thought out loud... And then took an empty page and drew a simple rectangle along it, filling the page. A wall. He then replicated the same design on a second sheet of paper, but the page was connected. Strom drew a faint line from one page to the other: a connection. He then reached into the gaping hole in his chest, and pulled out a small handful of Magenta Shards.

"₱ɇɍħaᵽȿ..."
"Perhaps..."

Strom ripped out both pages, resulting in doorway-sized walls being created in an empty part of the room, side by side, connected by a thin line. The shards within Strom's hand floated a moment as the doors were created, and poured into the creations themselves, resulting in magenta sparks crossing the doorways occasionally, and the thin line becoming a rippling line of pink energy. Small Magenta eyes, one per door, floated in and out of the material; as if staring to the outside due to simple curiosity. Strom then added details into new sheets of paper, making a mantle of sorts per door, and adding them to the doors themselves. The eyes then found shelter in the mantles, keeping them safe within.

Strom stood from his chair and approached one of the doors. He then put a hand into the material... The hand reappeared out of the door next to it. He then walked through, finding himself facing the group of knights through the other void-black door.

"... Ɨ ƀɇłɨɇvɇ Ɨ ħavɇ føưnđ a ȿøłưŧɨøn. Ƀưŧ Ɨ nɇɇđ ₥øɍɇ ȿħaɍđȿ."
"... I believe I have found a solution. But I need more shards."

~~~
[[Explanation time. The doors, when imbued with Swarm Shards (yes, that's what those are. I'll elaborate on them in a bit), push whatever is placed within one to the other connected door. The doors themselves are almost completely non-swarm affiliated, but the eyes and connections for the doors are (due to the swarm energy pulsing within them). Think of the doors like one-wired transporters. They take the data of the knight who enters them and transports it to the other side. The energy from the Knight him/herself remains unchanged, the Swarm energy simply coordinates the transaction; so there's no risk of Swarm-Corruption for the Knight.

Swarm Shards are, well... Shards from Swarm creatures. But there's a catch. Swarm Shards only manifest under very specific situations. A monster/creature that is uncorrupted is necessary, first and foremost. After said creature becomes corrupted, it must be killed swiftly, and the shard must be found and taken out of the body quickly. The shard itself is, in short, the solidified soul of the creature that was killed.
When Swarm energy takes over a creature, first, it corrupts the creature's soul and transforms it into a physical piece of "data", that way, the data may be used again in the physical world. The "data" is then transported among the Swarm consensus, resulting in the shard disappearing (which is why the shard must be acquired quickly).

"So how did Strom have so many shards to start off with, then? Waaaay back then, how?"
Simple. Strom has been going around killing creatures who would have become Swarm-infested before their souls were corrupted, and held onto the "data", which the Book of the Swarm could use to make freely-moving swarm creatures (such as the Doppelgangers), or other oddities (like the doors which were just made).

"Have you been planning this the entire time, Ember?"
Yes. Yes I have. Since waaaaaaaaay back in Post #55

Anyways, Strom will need more shards, and they aren't something that you can just say "Oh, I have some of those!" to, because you need to obtain them at precisely the right moment, otherwise they crumble as the creature dies and/or becomes completely Swarm infested. It's quite the surgical maneuver, but Strom has done it enough to gain them almost 100% of the time.]]
~~~

With that, Strom turned to Armerio, the door behind him shifting and straightening the material Strom had just walked out of, as if it were a pool which a drop had just landed in.

"Ⱥɍ₥ɇɍɨø, ɏøư ȼan ȼøɍɍưᵽŧ ȼɍɇaŧưɍɇȿ, ȼøɍɍɇȼŧ? Ɨf ȿø, Ɨ wøưłđ ɍɇɋưɇȿŧ ɏøư fɨnđ ₥ɇ ȿŧɨłł-ᵽưɍɇ ƀɇɨnǥȿ anđ ƀɍɨnǥ ŧħɇ₥ ħɇɍɇ, ȿø Ɨ ₥aɏ ħaɍvɇȿŧ ȿħaɍđȿ fɍø₥ ŧħɇ₥. Ɨ đø nøŧ ɍɇłɨȿħ ŧħɇ ŧħøưǥħŧ øf ҟɨłłɨnǥ ɨnnøȼɇnŧ ȼɍɇaŧưɍɇȿ... Ƀưŧ ɨf ɨŧ wɨłł ałłøw ₥ɇ ŧø ₥ɇɇŧ ŧħɇ Ȼøɍɇ wɨŧħ łɇȿȿ đɇłaɏ, Ɨ ȿħałł đø wħaŧ Ɨ ₥ưȿŧ."
"Armerio. you can corrupt creatures, correct? If so, I would request you find me still-pure beings and bring them here, so I may harvest shards from them. I do not relish the thought of killing innocent creatures... But if it will allow me to meet the Core with less delay, I shall do what I must."

---------------

Pippin:
Pippin continued her throwing spree without delay, approaching the remainin one zombie and simply smashing its face off, reversing her hand's Grip-Mods to make sure none of the Zombie-filth remained. The rest of the creature simply crumbled away.
She then turned to the two Kats nearby, which were looking like a mix between "drained-of-power" and "complete-and-total-misery" as they watched their bretheren get decimated. Pippin grabbed each with one hand and threw them into the now growing pile of enemies in the Second Squad, hitting a couple of zombies over as she does so. Finally, she turns to the Phantom of the First Squad, its armor shaking as she approaches slowly.

Her smile spread across her face.

"Oh my... Is the ghost afraid?"

She took another step forward, and the Phantom backed off a step in responce, then another step. It then stumbled and fell on its backside.

"But... We haven't even gotten started yet! You still have to..."

Pippin's grip-mods activated at that moment, and she pushed off the ground with all her might, deactivating them only a moment after they had started. Within an instant, she was looming over the Phantom at high speed; but running past the creature wouldn't do any good. Instead, Pippin grounded one of her feet to the ground using her Grip-Mod once again, then took a hold of the Phantom's armor with one hand.

"Join your friends!"

She then used the twisting momentum created through her foot's pivot-point to throw the phantom towards the second squad's phantom, resulting in both of them falling over in a heap. All that was left was to finish them off. With that, Pippin turned to the knight who charged his Divine Avenger.

"Now's the time." she said with a smile on her simply face.

---------------
Enemy Count:

• 1 Almirian Crusaders (SS) (one is damaged by Scorpio)
• 9 Zombies (SS) (two are heavily damaged, three are lightly damaged)
• 14 Kats (SS) (five are slightly damaged)
• 2 Deadnaughts (SS)
• 2 Phantoms (SS) (both are heavily damaged)