((Sorry for my inactivity guys, my parents have been using the laptop a lot lately so chances to go online are lacking. I'll try to get my next IC up as soon as possible, but not now I'm afraid :(.

@Tev: Whoops, I'll edit that when I upload my next IC.

If anyone else has any questions or doubts my reasons, feel free to send a message through Skype and I'll respond as soon as I can.))

((Here's some In-Character to show you guys I'm still with this thread, it's pretty short though. I know I've probably said this a hundred times already but, my life has been pretty hectic :|.

@Tev and Treaman: It's cool, we all got our problems.

By the way, has anyone seen Faronel. He hasn't answered the roll-call and I haven't seen any activity from him lately.))

Rultaos

Zaalthan led the Trojan through the corridors until they came up to a door that was marked with a sign with an unintelligible symbol on it. It must have stood for vacancy because Zaalthan opened the door and ushered Rultaos inside.

Rultaos looked around, the room wasn't too bad. It was spacious, allowing easy movement even for a Trojan. The banner of The Phoenix Ash hung on the right side wall. On the left stood a rack that seemed to be used for putting away all kinds of Citadel weaponry. A table with a large chair was placed against the wall opposite to him. ON the table stood several pieces of paper along with a fake Owlite feather used as writing material. He put his great-sword and Knightmare shield on the rack before sitting on the large chair.

[Now might be a good time to tell Takun and the others about my progress] He thought when he saw the table. As he sat down and began writing his letter, he decided to ask Zaalthan what the Slag-walker knew about the Hatetia. If he was going to gain her allegiance, he needed to know more about her. "Your leader seems to take the matter of war very seriously." Rultaos said, to begin the conversation.

"Yes, and she has the right to be. After all, we are a small group and Vanaduke's forces are sent to war in dozens. She wants us to succeed, but she doesn't want too many people to get hurt." Zaalthan said. Rultaos felt like he was looking in a mirror when h heard Zaalthan's words. "I understand; it's only right for a leader to care about their men. I assume she has spent time serving The Citadel, correct?" Rultaos asked.

"Of course, all of us have served in Vanaduke's ranks. She was part of the 9th Flame guard; a unit composed of Slag-guards and Walkers. She saw some rough times, but she stood steadily in the face of despair. Before long she became the leader of the unit. She won a lot of victories for The Citadel, and caused the death of quite a few Knights that were infamous for cutting through Firestorm ranks like butter." Zaalthan boasted, clearly proud to have been associated with Hatetia. "How do you know all that?" Rultaos asked, wondering if a simple friend could know such things.

"Well, I'm was part of her unit for starters, second-in-command actually. That's also why she trusted my judgement when I brought you here." Zaalthan replied, almost shyly. Rultaos nodded "I see." he said. "How is your group doing on supplies and infantry?" Rultaos asked. Zaalthan considered this for a moment before replying "Less than satisfactory in all honesty. We're losing this battle, that much is certain. Only Hatetia's leadership has kept us alive and our morale up, but if we don't get help soon then this group is going to crumble." the Slag-walker said.

"The Renegades can easily provide for your needs. And spirited allies such as you would be invaluable to have on the field of battle." Rultaos said, trying to convince him. "I know, which is why I hope Hatetia accepts your offer. Personally, lending you assistance in battle in exchange for supplies and soldiers seems like good deal as any." Zaalthan replied.

Rultaos finished his letter, outlining his progress in the Citadel so far. He double-checked it.

Takun,

I've made contact with the rebel group in The Citadel and have presented them with an offer. Their assistance in the assault in exchange for supplies and warriors. I ask only for you to set aside the necessary men and materials to trade with them once the battle is over. They haven't accepted it yet, but they haven't denied it either. I'll message you with any new information I gain. Don't reply as I do not want to risk any of your messages be intercepted.

P.S. Their leader has the spirit of a female Almirian. The first time I've seen such a thing. I thought you'd like some more food for thought, maybe put it down in your books of philosophy.

Rultaos, 16th ember Phalanx

Rultaos folded the letter and spoke to Zaalthan. "Would you mind delivering this letter for me? We have another contact in the city, Hanaphs is his name. He's a Slag-guard whom I believe is still in the Charred Court. He looks older than most slag-guards and his color changes depending on his emotion; if a Slag-guard has an angry face constantly, that's him. If you can find him, hand him the letter and tell him to bring it back to 'the Vault'." Rultaos instructed. "No problem, anything to help a future ally." Zaalthan replied as he took the letter and scurried off into the hall.

Captain Raikap

The Scorcher stood at the corner of the room, on the same side as the Crimson Order member, while the Thwackers stood with stock discipline on both sides of the V.I.P. Raikap leaned on the wall and crossed his arms as he listened to the ensuing conversation. "So... what can I do for you?" Kexed asked.

"I won't waste your time with pleasantries and get straight to the point Foreman Kexed. We have recently discovered that an important artifact, which is property of king Tinkinzar himself, has been found here in Stone field borough." The Crimson Order Gremlin said. he paused to let the words sink in. "Now, we do not accuse your people of stealing from us, but we have a right to know how the object has arrived within this area. We are going to be collecting some of your citizens and bringing them to our camp for questioning. We shall also be isolating Stone Field for the duration of our stay; no one is to leave or enter the borough." he continued.

Kexed looked the red-robed Gremlin in the eye and said "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to start taking my people left and right. I also cannot allow you to isolate our town as we must also do trade and business outside of the borough as well." He replied. "You need not worry about that. You have my word that they will be returned to their homes immediately after questioning. We will not keep them in our custody unless we believe them to be associated with the appearance of the artifact here. In which case we shall notify you. And any goods that come into and out of the borough will only pass through us before being given to your people. It is only the citizens themselves that we plan to restrict. We will not stay long so I believe that it will not be a problem for any of you to be kept home for a small time." The Crimson Order member explained.

Kexed considered this for a moment. "What exactly is this artifact you are searching for? If you plan on sweeping my town looking for it, then I should at least know what it is." The foreman said. "It is a small box, similar to the lockboxes that the accursed Knights seem to love collecting. However, what we are interested in is what's inside of it. That information is classified and even if we told you what it was, you probably still wouldn't understand since it is something that has never been seen by most gremlins before." The robed gremlin replied.

"So, Foreman Kexed. Do we have your permission to begin with our procedures?" The Crimson Order Gremlin continued. Kexed gave this thought "I will have to ask you to bring my guards along with your patrols in order to assure the citizens that nothing is wrong. I will also have to ask you to not touch the children of this borough. The adults I can allow you to question, but the children are to be left alone." Kexed said, seeing if he could get them to agree on some of his terms, so as not to show complete submission.

The Gremlin in red robes looked to the floor, thinking before he answered "Very well, I will allow your guards to accompany my men. And we will take one adult at a time from each household to ensure that the children are supervised, otherwise we leave them in the hands of a relative or friend. Are those terms acceptable to you?" he asked. Kexed nodded.

"Excellent. Thank you for your time foreman. Tell your guards to meet with my men before they begin their patrols. Once we have your confirmation that everything is set, then we will begin. I assure you that we will not be here long." The Crimson Order Gremlin said as he stood up and walked out of the room, still followed by the Thwackers. Raikap nodded and said "There's nothing you have to worry about foreman Kexed." he said in his muffled voice before walking out of the door.

Raikap hoped that he was telling the truth, while foreman Kexed was highly doubtful of the intentions of these visitors from The colony.

((I hope I got that diplomatic meeting right. My mind seems to be sleeping right now *_*))

((You guys have been pretty quiet lately :/ (but I guess I can't say much since I keep disappearing from time to time too >_<). I was going to wait a bit before posting my next IC, but I guess I better do it now to bump this thread up.

Still waiting on Faronel before my next post as Rultaos.))

Kalor

The spy held the blade steadily against the eye of the Gremlin child. He felt no remorse for his victims. It was how they were trained: do what it takes to get the job done. Nothing else mattered to soldiers like them. Bettit and the Mender had struck him tough customers the moment he saw them. He knew that no amount of direct torture would be able to extract an answer from them. However, hurting someone they knew right in front of them seemed to be an effective tactic.

He eyed the Mender carefully; it certainly looked as if the grey-furred Gremlin wasn’t going to crack. It was time to turn up the pressure.

“Well, if you have nothing to say, then I’ll make sure that there’ll be nothing for this child to see.” Kalor said threateningly as he prepared to slice the eyes of Bettit. But before he could even make contact with the skin of the eyes, someone knocked on the door.

All three of them turned to look at the doorway. Whoever was on the other side kept on knocking. [Good Cradle. What is it this time?] Kalor thought angrily as he stepped away from his captives. He picked up his retractable Thwack Hammer and approached the door.

The guest knocked once more.

Kalor held the Thwack Hammer using his left hand as he neared the door. He raised his right hand to open the entrance. If it was a suspicious neighbor, Kalor would have to make quick work of him. Otherwise, he risked alerting the entire borough to his mission. That would certainly be a failure. He opened the door swiftly and raised his hammer, poised to strike.

He nearly dropped his weapon the moment he saw who was at the door.

A Gremlin in blood-red robes stood on the other side of the doorway. Kalor quickly lowered his weapon and ushered the Crimson Order member inside. Once the door was shut behind the robed Gremlin, Kalor saluted.

“I have done as I was ordered my liege. I have subdued the residents of this home and secured the box. I have also sealed all the windows of the residence to ensure that no one sees what is happening. Unfortunately, I killed the father of the house in the initial struggle. I know my orders, but it was unavoidable.” Kalor reported. He knew exactly what kind of information his superior would be looking for. “Excellent work Agent Kalor. The casualty on the other hand… acceptable. As long as the child and the mender are still alive, we may still get the answers we need.” The Crimson Order member replied.

“Now, hand me the box.” He continued. Kalor produced the box and put it in the palm of the red-robed Gremlin. “It is my honor to serve the Order, and the King.” Kalor said, bowing. “Your loyalty shall bring you far.” The Crimson Order Gremlin replied. “Remain in the house and continue questioning them. I shall take the box back to The Colony. The sooner it is within our walls, the better. You are to leave only when we have contacted you again.” He continued.

“Yes, my liege.” Kalor replied as he stood up. The Gremlin in red robes opened the door and began walking through the streets of Stone Field Borough. [I will have to make sure that the soldiers do not find out about the events in Gearthwaite Residence…] The Crimson Order member thought to himself. He wasn’t worried about being spotted, since it seemed as if all the other neighbors were still inside their homes.

Once the door was shut again, Kalor returned his attention to the Gremlin child and Mender. He casually dropped the Thwack Hammer on the floor as he approached them. He stepped behind Bettit once again and procured the blade. Raising the blade up to Bettit’s eye, he spoke “Now, where were we?”

Raikap

The Darkfang Scorcher marched through the city streets. He saw his men standing by whenever the borough guards spoke to a citizen to calm them, right before they took the Gremlin in for questioning. [It’s just supposed to be a temporary detainment. Why do I feel like we’re deceiving them?] He thought.

He continued walking through the streets.

He passed by another residence where he saw four of his men attempting to subdue a single Gremlin. The soon-to-be captive appeared to be a father, since Raikap saw a female Gremlin and a child looking out from the window of the home. The Borough guard tried to quell the situation, but in vain. The man continued struggling and the Colony soldiers were forced to knock him out cold. One of them pulled out a Thwack Hammer and struck a glancing blow at the rebellious Gremlin’s head. The citizen dropped in a dead faint.

The sight had made Raikap sick. [What’s happening to us? In the early years of the war, we felt like patriots. Now, all I feel like is a puppet for violence.] He thought as he walked away from the scene.

He caught a glimpse of red among the metallic background of the city. It was the Crimson Order Gremlin who was accompanying them. [What’s he doing out here? Isn’t he supposed to be staying at the forward base?] Raikap thought. He got closer to his target be sneaking along the sides of the residences. [He seems to be in a hurry…] He thought.

Whatever the Crimson Order Gremlin’s reason was, Raikap intended to find out. He trailed his target stealthily by sticking to the shadows of Emberlight’s structures. Whenever the Gremlin tried to look towards his back, Raikap had to think fast. He’d take cover behind a wall, a terminal, a trash bin, anything that could quickly conceal him.

It was a tense repetition of look, follow, and hide for Raikap. He knew that if he was spotted, it would all be over. Fortunately, luck was on his side since he was able to follow the red-robed Gremlin all the way back to the forward base. Now, he no longer had to worry about hiding since it would look normal for him to be around there anyway.

He continued following his target, trying to look as casual as possible. Eventually, the robed Gremlin stopped, and spoke to one of the soldiers, a Ghostmane Stalker. He saw a box be given to the soldier, and orders mouthed by the Gremlin in blood-red robes. The Stalker saluted and disappeared. [Well, it’s not Bafthalia doing his grunt work at least] Raikap thought, remembering the Ghostmane that had approached him before he begun snooping.
The Crimson Order member began heading back in the direction of Stone Field Borough. [So he’s found the box, at least I think that was the box. But what else does he have to gain by staying here. Find out who brought it to the borough? Why? What’s so darned important about that little trinket that the Crimson Order itself makes such a huge fuss over it?] Raikap brainstormed.

This mystery was still far from over. And his discoveries were about to get worse.

((Sorry I've been gone longer than I had told you guys, the weather hasn't been nice to me :/. Floods here in the Philippines have made it hard for me to go online, and our family has only now re-established internet connection. I'll get my next Rultaos IC up as soon as I can. If no one posts until then, I'll just edit it into this post.

Once again, sorry for my absence. But this RP is still not dead :) ))

((Sorry this took so long to get up. Between a weekend project, a writing competition, and a recent break-up with my girlfriend has left me completely and utterly tuckered out :(. I'll put up whatever IC I can, but I doubt they'll be of good quality...

@Tev: Sorry to hear about Isis :(. We seem to be losing a lot of players lately. I may have to reopen some spots soon. As for the death of this roleplay. I'm having a really bad feeling it's coming close to that too. I just hope that we can keep it alive long enough to see the end of the story...))

Rultaos

Rultaos was still in his hibernating state when Zaalthan returned to the room. The stone warrior regained color and moved his limbs, which were numb from all the idle time he had spent. "I hope that I did not awaken you prematurely..." Zaalthan said. "No. I've gotten used to awakening at any time. It's something you learn to do when you've spent deca-cycles in the field." Rultaos replied. "Was my message delivered?" the Trojan continued.

"Yes. It took me a while to find your contact, but I spotted him skulking around in the Charred Court. He wasn't very trusting of me at first, but he seemed to be more open to me once I recited the Phoenix Ash code. He ran off with the letter once I told him that it was from you." Zaalthan narrated.

"Excellent. Now we just have to wait for your leader's decision..." Rultaos said. The door of the room suddenly opened. Hatetia stood in the large doorframe. "I have considered your offer." She stated. "And?" Rultaos asked. "I accept, but under one condition." She replied. "What would that be?" The Trojan inquired. "You must first defeat me in single combat." The Slag-guard replied briefly. Rultaos pondered this for a moment. He was unsure if he would be able to defeat her if she was indeed as skilled as Zaalthan said she was. However, he didn't have a choice.

"Fine, I will fight you. But why?" Rultaos said. "Because, I want to test the strength of my would-be allies. If you are not stronger than us, than you are of no use to me and my men. It's that simple." Hatetia replied. "Alright, I see your logic." Rultaos said, slightly doubting the practicality of her method. "Shall I give you time to rest first?" Hatetia said, noticing the fresh pebbles lying on the ground which signified a recently awakened Trojan. In response, Rultaos walked towards the weapon rack, pulled out his Gremlin Greatsword and Knightmare shield, and looked at Hatetia. "I am ready." He said in a challenging manner.

----------

The Trojan stepped into the training ring. He looked around and saw various Slag-walkers, Slag-guards, and Trojans on the outside. All of them were cheering for their leader. Rultaos was sure that they only cheered out of loyalty; they all wanted and needed help. Hatetia stepped into the ring. She was brandishing a sharp spear with a tip made from Crimsonite. Her shield seemed bulkier than the ones equipped by other Slag-guards, along with a banner of the Phoenix Ash draped around the shield, in a similar fashion to the Crest of Almire.

"If you want to prove the strength of your group. You must defeat me in single combat. If I touch your crystal, I defeat you. If you touch my head or neck, then you are victorious. Shall we begin?" Hatetia shouted over the loud crowd. Rultaos nodded and brought up his shield. He sized up his target out of the corner of the Knightmare shield. She seemed to hold her shield with a tense grip. That meant that she wasn't planning on losing it. She held her spear a little far from her body. That would mean that she favored the close combat fighting style, using swings and stabs, rather than the charge attacks used by most other Slag-guards.

The two fighters began circling each other, waiting for each other to make the first move. Rultaos didn't plan on charging forward. If Hatetia was skilled in close combat, then she would easily be able to sidestep the charge and hit his crystal. He needed to defend and wait for an opening. Hatetia was also waiting on him to attack. However, he didn't seem as if he planned on charging anytime soon, so she decided to go on the offensive. She rushed forward and aimed a stabbing attack at Rultaos' sword arm.

Rultaos saw her intent and quickly put his sword arm behind him and raised his shield to intercept the attack. Hatetia's Crimsonite spear sparked against the Knightmare shield. The force of the impact pushed her back. She staggered as she regain her balance and recovered just in time to parry a glancing blow from the Greatsword with her bulky shield. She pushes her spear forward in an attempt to push the Trojan back.

Rultaos was surprised with the amount of strength that Hatetia possessed and found himself staggering backwards the moment he was hit with the spear. He quickly recovered and put his shield up. Around him, the rebels were still cheering for their leader. "Smash him to pieces!", "He can't take much more!" they shouted. Rultaos tried not to be affected by their enthusiasm for his defeat. He looked hard at Hatetia [There's no way I can break through her defenses. She's too skilled to allow even a single gap. However, if I can tire her out, I should be able to find an opening. I just need to keep her one her toes; give no room to recover] Rultaos thought. He jogged forward and raised his large sword for an overhead smash attack.

Hatetia saw the powerful attack coming. She knew that her shield wouldn't save her from the Trojan's strongest attack. She sidesteps to the right as the sword falls. Once she heard the metal contact the ground, she knew that Rultaos' crystal was undefended. The moment she turned away from the sword however, she found herself flying to the side of the ring. She smashed into the railing and felt pains on her left side and back. She struggled to stand up and tried to ponder what had just happened.

Rultaos grinned when he saw Hatetia fly into the railing. He had feigned the smash attack to make her think that his sword would be stuck in the ground (which is how the attack usually ends up) and she would make a move for the crystal. Once Hatetia's attention was turned away from his weapon, Rultaos quickly swung it sideways and smashed her body with the flat of the sword. "Come on, get up!" the soldiers around him shouted. Rultaos stuck with his plan and gave no time for Hatetia to recover. He charged forward with the intent of smashing into the Slag-guard with his shield.

----------

Hatetia shook her head in an attempt to recover from her daze [I don't understand... The sword was supposed to be embedded in the ground...] she thought. Once her vision cleared, she saw a large red figure moving towards her at a fast speed. Her mind quickly calculated what was happening and urged her to dive sideways. She leaped into the air and landed flat on the ground. She rolls to put her back on the ground and searched for her enemy. She looked up and saw the Trojan raise his Greatsword. She rolls out of the way as fast as she can, only to be stopped by something heavy put on her back.

There was no escape now.

Hatetia struggled and tried to raise her spear, but in vain. She felt the cold metal against the back of her neck. "I believe I've won." Rultaos said. Hatetia stopped struggling and released her weapons. The Trojan pulled his foot off of her and helped up the Slag-guard. Hatetia accepted the hand and stood up. "I concede, Trojan Rultaos. You have bested me in combat, and earned the loyalty of the Phoenix Ash. We are at the service of The Clockwork Renegades." she said as she knelt down. The rebels, who had been staring in awe at the defeat of their leader, followed her example and knelt on the ground.

Rultaos sheathed his sword "At ease." He announced. Hatetia and her warriors stood up "What will you have us do?" Hatetia asked, almost smiling. "We shall plan for the attack. Bring your commanders to your meeting room so that we may discuss strategies. I shall return to my superiors once everything has been settled." Rultaos replied. "Very well. Meet us there in a few centi-cycles." Hatetia said as she walked away.

Rultaos walked in the opposite direction to return to his room. The rebels standing in his way moved to the sides to keep his path clear. Zaalthan stepped out from the crowd and followed Rultaos into the hallway. "I'll admit. That was impressive." he said. Rultaos felt good with himself as well. They might just be able to make Torx's plan work.

Asteria

The albino Gremlin ducked into the shadows of a tall Emberlight building as she saw Colony soldiers march through the streets. She had to get out of there. She had to tell Takun what was happening. Once the soldiers were out of sight, Asteria sprinted through the alleyways.

She was one of the Gremlins sent on the recruiting mission for the attack on the Colony. Everything seemed to be going well for a bit (With the others doing most of the talking) but everything fell apart when the Colony soldiers began marching in. She, Kostlo, and Merrett had managed to quickly take refuge inside an abandoned building when the troops began taking the townsfolk. She could only hope that the rest of the team was fast enough to hide as they were.

When they were safe, Merrett had told them that they needed to warn the Renegades about what was happening. Asteria, being the quickest among the 3, was picked to be the messenger. She had replied with only a nod when Merrett told her what she needed to do. She wasn't happy about being away from Kostlo, but if she was going to keep them safe, she had to act.

She stopped behind a large recycling bin and sat down to consider his options.

She needed to get to the elevator, but as far as she knew all the entrances were guarded. She would either have to sneak around them, or disguise himself. Both ways would get put her in serious danger. In the end, she decided to disguise herself as one of the soldiers to get past the roadblocks. She pulled out a large metallic alloy from the bin, and waited for a soldier to pass through the road.

After a few centi-cycles, two soldiers (accompanied by a borough guard) came into view. Asteria threw the alloy to the ground next to her to draw their attention. The metal piece made a loud *clang* as it hit the ground. One of the soldiers took notice of this. "I think I heard something back there." The Ironclaw Thwacker said. "It's probably just fan winds or something." said the Ironclaw demo accompanying him. "I'll check it out. You two keep on rounding up the residents." The Thwacker said as he walked into the alleyway.

Asteria waited for the Gremlin to come close, by listening the footsteps and watching the Thwacker's shadow. The moment she sees a piece of fur appear on the side of the recycling bin, she raises her foot and lands a powerful kick on the unsuspecting Thwacker. The soldier is dazed and drops his hammer. Asteria picks it up and hits the Thwacker in the head, knocking him out cold. Asteria pulls the unconscious Gremlin into the alleyway and takes his uniform. They were a little loose, but it should conceal who she is

She straps on the uniform, brandishes the Thwack Hammer, and walks out into the street. She moves as casually as she can towards the outskirts of Emberlight, passing by a few groups of soldiers on the way. She could only hope that she would be able to get out before anyone knew that something was amiss.