Raikap

More thoughts flooded the soldier's head as he strolled through the borough. Why were they still here if the Crimson Order had gotten what they wanted? What was inside the box? He was so deep in his thoughts that he had barely noticed that he had walked into a part of Stone Field borough that wasn't occupied by his men.

He was snapped out of his reverie by a sudden scream.

His head whipped around, searching for the source. It was so sudden that he couldn't pinpoint where it came from. Another scream sounded, and he decided that it was coming from the home a few meters down. He dashed to the front door and knocked. "Open up! This is the Grand Colony army!" He shouted, trying to sound intimidating, even though he was only on his own.

Frankly, he doubted that he'd be able to do much if there were multiple perpetrators inside the house. But if someone was getting hurt, then he needed to do something quick.

The door stayed shut so he decided to break in. "Alright, we're coming in!" He shouted as he bashed the door with his body. It didn't budge. He stepped back a few more steps and prepared to ram the door. He clutched his torch tightly and sprinted. He felt the door smash against his skin.

The door broke down and he found himself greeted by a Thwack Hammer to the face. He staggered backwards; his mask had taken the brunt of the damage, but the hit was strong enough to daze him. He fell to the ground, leaning on his fuel tank, and aimed his torch upwards. He squeezed the trigger and felt a searing heat as a jet of flame shot out from his weapon. He hoped that it would stun the attacker long enough for him to recover.

He let go of the trigger and pulled himself up. He looked around, but his vision was blurred. He noticed too late a brown figure that was moving towards him. He felt a blunt pain in his chest and stumbled backwards. Raikap tripped on something furry (which he assumed was probably the victim). He fell flat again, thought quickly, and rolled into a prone position to the right just before he heard a loud smash mere inches from his head.

He aimed his torch to the right, with whatever strength he had left. He couldn't launch another flame attack; he might hurt whoever he tripped on. So instead he pressed a button and a large shot came from the end of the torch. A grunt of pain, and the sound of something toppling over, confirmed that he had hit his mark [Thank the spirits... That was a completely blind shot.] He thought, sending a silent prayer of thanks.

He stood himself up and shook his head. Once the blur had gone away, he beheld the scene.

A grey-furred Gremlin was lying, tied up and still conscious, on the floor (he was probably the one that Raikap tripped on). A small Gremlin (possibly a child) was tied up and sitting on the floor. Blood was leaking out from one of her eyes.
There were several chairs that were turned over in the struggle. An adult, female Gremlin was sprawled on one of them. She was unconscious, but still breathing. There was also an adult, male Gremlin lying on the floor behind one of the couches. He on the other hand, was dead. [Mother of Cradle... Who did this to them?] He thought, shocked.

He turned to the assailant. The Gremlin was wearing typical Emberlight clothes and held a collapsible Thwack Hammer in his right hand [That thing looks like new tech...]. He had a comm unit in his ear. Raikap picked up the comm unit and tried to activate it. The line was dead. He turned it around; it seemed to be in good condition. It was probably a fail-safe in case the assailant was taken down. That meant that he was working with others [I better watch my back] Raikap thought.

He proceeded towards the Gremlin child and pulled out a small piece of cloth from one of his pockets. He draped it around the wounded eye. "There, that should stop the bleeding." He said to her. He walked behind the child and undid her bonds "What's your name? Can you tell me what happened in here?" He asked as he fumbled with the knots.

((That's all I got for now. My next post will be covering Rultaos and Asteria again. Tev has control over Raikap for the moment. Oh and another thing, The Defiler is making a comeback >:) ))

Rultaos

Rultaos was busy, polishing his Great sword with a small stone used for sharpening. He admired its high-quality material, it light weight. It was crafted by the finest smithies in the Grand Colony as a gift for him, since he had led an outfit of Citadel forces against a Gremlin rebellion. Rultaos saw his reflection in the shining metal of the blade. He reminisced about how it came into his possession; and about the men who fought beside him during the uprising...

----------

"Rultaos and his men were assigned to help protect a deconstruction zone, that The Colony was taking apart in order to create a weapons factory to aid in the battle against the Gremlin freedom fighters. Without the construction of the factory (and the maintenance of a key position there) The Grand Colony would come dangerously close to defeat, something that King Tinkinzar didn't plan on risking. As expected, the place came under attack, but by an overwhelming number of rebels. Numbers that neither Tinkinzar, nor Vanaduke, had anticipated. The rebels obviously wanted that territory.

...

The Trojan commander kept his shield up as rogue Scorchers, Demos, and Mortafires rained bullets and explosives down on Rultaos and his allies. The Trojans had formed a defensive "wall" (called a phalanx) to protect their Gremlin allies as the latter returned fire into the rebel lines. The battle-scarred deconstruction zone seemed to be in a greater state of disarray as compared to the havoc caused by the Knights. "Commander! The left flank is faltering! The rebels are focusing their fire on a single Trojan and he's not going to stay standing much longer!" An Almirian crusader reported, as he was crouching behind the lumbering Trojans.

"We need to send soldiers to take down the gunners. Take a some Slag-walkers with you, and a squad of Ghostmane Stalkers. Distract the gunners and bombers while the Ghostmanes take them out. Go!" Rultaos ordered. "Yes commander!" The undead crusader replied as he ran off towards their Gremlin allies, dodging a stray bullet from an enemy Scorcher. Rultaos held steady against 3 bombs erupting simultaneously in front of his shield, throwing shrapnel everywhere. [We can't allow the phalanx to fall. The moment we have a hole in our defense, the rebel forces will rush through. It will be a massacre...] Rultaos thought. He knew that the rogue Gremlins outnumbered the combined forces of Rultaos' soldiers, and the Colony troops. They needed a tactical advantage, and the wall of Trojans was all that was keeping them alive.

Rultaos turned to his right. Stamatios, a scarlet Trojan who was a little way down the phalanx, was starting to lose his footing as Mortafire rounds pummeled his shield. The Trojan was gritting his stone teeth and was gripping his shield too tightly for a battle stance. The commander knew that they needed to turn this battle around fast, or they all wouldn't live to see another cycle.

Rultaos thought of something, it was a risky move, but the Ghostmanes were taking far too long in eliminating the rebel gunners. "Everyone! On my command, push forward! Attack anything that gets in front of you, and stay aligned with the phalanx!" He shouted over the chaos of the battle. The Trojan on his left looked as if he had just seen Firestorm Citadel get flooded. "Push forward?! That's suicide! There's no telling how many rebels there are behind their gunners; we could get slaughtered!" The Trojan said in a panic. "If we don't move now, we WILL get slaughtered! Now do as I say, and if you dare break your formation, I will personally kill you before the rebels do! Are we clear soldier?" Rultaos said assertively. Time was running out and this Trojan was not making things easier.

The Trojan was silent for a while as the explosions and gunfire continued. "Y-yes sir." He said, nervously. Rultaos could only hope that the Trojan would not break formation. If he did, then the phalanx would fall in a matter of millicycles. "Gremlins! Keep moving with us and stay close behind the wall. Scorchers, keep them away from us by laying down a wall of fire once we get close!" Rultaos ordered. An Ironclaw Scorcher nodded as he gestured for his troops to take position directly behind the Trojans. "Demos and Mortafires, keep shooting at their lines! Kill as many as you can before they can get close!". The Demos began winding up their bombs, and the Mortafires loaded their rocket launchers. "Thwackers, Menders, Ghostmanes, Walkers, and Crusaders. Make sure that none of the rebels get behind us! If any of them do, then that's going to be it for us.". The soldiers formed a defensive perimeter around the array of troops that Rultaos had organized for the final push.

Rultaos turned towards the rebel lines; there was an immense number of them. [Did they get reinforcements while I wasn't looking?] Rultaos thought; the rebels looked as if their numbers had increased. There wasn't time to hesitate though, they needed to act now. Rultaos raised his standard, stone sword, and put on a determined look on his face. He swiftly lowered the sword to point at the rebel army.

"Attack!" He shouted as the phalanx began moving forward. Battle-cries erupted from all around as they began closing the distance between them, and their enemies. A Thwacker emerged from the rebel lines and attempted to attack Rultaos. The Trojan raised his sword and brought it down upon the Gremlin. The Thwacker barely had time to react to the expanding shadow of the sword that smashed him into the ground. The final stage of the battle had begun.

...

Rultaos found it hard to remember much of the chaos that ensued after that foolhardy Thwacker had tried to attack him, but they had emerged victorious. While they too had suffered their share of losses, they managed to hold the deconstruction zone for the Grand Colony. It was a crucial battle that the Gremlins believe, would not have been won without Rultaos' assistance. They created a specially crafted Great sword for the Trojan Commander. It was made with a lightweight steel that did not dull easily. The sword has constantly given Rultaos an advantage over his fellow Trojans, and so he makes sure to keep it in peak condition.

----------

Rultaos was snapped out of his reverie by a sudden rapping on his door. "Enter." Rultaos said. Zaalthan appeared in the doorway. "Hatetia and her commanders are waiting to speak with you. They are in the war room, whenever you are ready." The Slag-walker said. Rultaos put his sentimental sword in the weapon rack and turned to Zaalthan. "I am ready, let's go." He said. "Come, I'll lead the way." Zaalthan said.

...

Zaalthan ushered Rultaos into the war room, but waited outside. "I'm not a commander. And so Hatetia does not allow us to interrupt a meeting unless it is of utmost importance. I'll wait outside." Zaalthan said. Rultaos nodded at the Slag-walker and entered the room.

Hatetia stood directly opposite of Rultaos. To the Trojan's left was an Almirian Crusader. And to his right was a Trojan Knightmare. "Alright, now that you've arrived, let us discuss the matter of war." Hatetia said to Rultaos. "You've said that you need our assistance in an assault on the Grand Colony. Where are you and your allies planning to strike exactly?" Hatetia asked. Rultaos eyed the other commanders for a moment, before responding. "We are planning to strike at the heart of the Grand Colony itself: The Grand Palace. We are going to launch a diversionary assault, in order to keep their forces occupied, while a small team of Renegades conducts an important operation." He said, careful not to give too many details unless asked.

"The Grand Colony? I admire your spirit Rultaos, but isn't that a little too ambitious, even for your group?" Hatetia asked, quite surprised at their target. "The Palace will be well defended, even our forces combined wouldn't put a dent in their defenses." The Knightmare interrupted. "Our mission is not to defeat them, but rather make enough noise to get their attention, and last long enough against their forces. We just need to stay standing until the other mission is completed. Afterwards, we can fall back." Rultaos explained. "About how long will this 'other mission' take?" The Almirian crusader asked. "The exact time is not known, but we believe that it will take less than a cycle to complete." Rultaos answered. "Less than a cycle... That's reassuring." The Knightmare replied sarcastically. "Silence Mikhael!" Hatetia told the Knightmare before turning to Rultaos.

"I don't know what you and your allies are trying to achieve with this attack, but if you went through the trouble of finding us, and fighting me, just to gain our help, then it must be important. As I have said before, you have our allegiance. But I do not want my men to be treated as cannon fodder." She said to Rultaos. "Everyone will play an equally important role in the battle; every able soldier counts. I assure you that your men will be treated as brothers, and not expendables, by me and my allies." Rultaos told her.

"We shall discuss more of this back in my home camp. I will need one of you to come with me as a representative." He continued. "I'll go." Hatetia volunteered. "I want to make sure that my soldiers will be treated fairly. And that your organization does have enough supplies to give to me and my men." She said. "Mikhael, Konstantinos. You two will stay behind with Zaalthan and keep things organized while I am gone." Hatetia ordered the 2 commanders. "Yes ma'am!" The Almirian crusader (named Konstantinos) replied. "Everyone will be in top shape when you get back." Mikhael, the Trojan Knightmare, said as he crossed his arms. Hatetia turned to Rultaos. "Gather your things, I shall await you at the entrance." She said as she retreated behind a doorway, with red drapes, n the other side of the room.

Rultaos exited the war room and was greeted by Zaalthan. "I heard everything. And I think it'll be exciting to face off against the full might of Tinkinzar's army." The Slag-walker said. "I need to go though. There are a few things I need to take care of first. Have a safe journey Rultaos." Zaalthan said as he sped off into a different hallway.

The Trojan entered his room and sat down on the chair. He looked at the fake Owlite feather. There was no point in writing another letter since Rultaos was heading back anyway (and there wasn't really anyone left in Firestorm Citadel who could deliver it. Except Achilles maybe, but Rultaos didn't want to endanger his friend's reputation). He thought back at what Zaalthan said ["It'll be exciting to face off against the full might of Tinkinzar's army..."]. Rultaos had a grave after thought [It might not really be "Tinkinzar's" army, if the rumors are true...] He thought, remembering that the Crimson Order, and The Swarm, could be controlling everything. And that was a level of danger that Rultaos didn't feel comfortable sending anyone into.

((I'll get more IC uploaded soon. Sorry that these are taking a while to upload :( ))

((Sorry that my next IC has taken WAY too long. I'll have it up by the morning tomorrow (at least by my time standards). Things have just been pretty stressful lately, in between a writing competition, a school project, and some other more personal problems :/. Anyway, it should be up soon though. Again, my apologies, even though I've probably said this a million times already :(.

@Tev: Tell Isis that it's nice to hear from him, and that I (and perhaps everyone else in the roleplay) wish him luck on his new school :D. I know how it feels to be the new kid :)...))

Asteria

Asteria walked through the Colony's forward base. There were so many guards patrolling the encampment that she had a terrible feeling that someone would speak to her. The moment somebody did that, it would be all over. She didn't stop, she just kept walking. The makeshift tents would obscure her from the guards for a few moments and, although not an entirely safe area, being out of view certainly made her feel safe for a few seconds.

Getting closer to the outer areas, she overheard 2 soldiers talking leisurely with each other. "I can't believe it, they actually found some members of the Clockwork Renegades in this town" A mender said. "I'm not surprised, Emberlight would be a hotspot for me too if I was looking for Gremlins who would fight The Colony." Replied the Thwacker.

Asteria felt her stomach drop. Some of the Renegades had been found. She could only hope it wasn't her group. Still, there was no time to check. If she wanted to help them, she had to tell Takun the situation.

She forced herself to continue walking onward. The elevator could already be seen in the distance; she quickened her pace. Just as she was leaving the camp someone called out to her. "Hey you!" a Gremlin shouted. Asteria stopped as to avoid suspicion. "What are you heading out for soldier?" an Ironclaw Demo asked her. Without a tongue, Asteria couldn't really reply, so she just stood there. "Didn't you hear me? I asked you what you were doing out here!" The Demo said, getting closer to her. The albino Gremlin tightened her grip on the Thwack hammer, she knew what she had to do.

"Are you deaf? Tell me what your business is right now!". The Gremlin grenadier was barely inches from her now. She reeled back the hand which held the hammer and swung as hard as she could towards the part that wasn't protected by the helmet. The hammer hit the Demo's cheek and knocked him to the ground. He was still conscious however. As the Demo tried to get up, Asteria raised the Thwack Hammer and smashed it into the unfortunate Gremlin's head. He moved no more.

Asteria didn't enjoy killing, but she wasn't left with any other choice. If the Demo awakened, he would've alerted all of the Colony forces in Emberlight. She grabbed the body, and hid it behind some metal debris. With luck, no one would find the dead Gremlin. She almost felt sorry for the Demo's family, if he had one back at the Colony, but she couldn't afford to show any sympathy for her enemies; she might be the one dead if she had.

Seeing no one else in her immediate area, she made a dash for the elevator. It was still a good ways off, and the run was exhausting. She was panting heavily by the time she reached it, and she barely remembered pressing the button with the golden gear through her tired haze.

...

Asteria wasn't surprised when she was greeted with weapons pointed at her the moment she reached Renegade vault. After all, she was wearing a Colony uniform. To explain the situation to the guards, she took of her goggles, and gestured a a sign of peace. Some of the people who met her at the elevator were Gremlins who recognized her, and immediately brought her to Takun.

The moment Takun saw that one of his own was wearing a Colony uniform, he knew that something was wrong. "What happened?" he asked in a grave voice. Asteria took a piece of parchment, and wrote down what had happened.

The Colony had occupied Stone Field borough, their teams were trapped, and some have already been captured. Takun knew that there was only one thing that could have sparked such aggressive actions from the Colony. "They know that the box is there... Bettit and Vakros must have went for it." He said to himself. Asteria didn't understand what he meant by this, but she urged Takun to take immediate action. "Yes, this has to be taken care of at once." The Stranger told the albino Gremlin. "Wogdred!" Takun shouted.

A Pit Boss approached them. "What's up boss?" Wogdred said. "Gather every Renegade who is battle-ready. Tell them to meet each other at the central area, where the meetings are usually held." Takun explained. "What is it for?" Wogdred asked, since he usually questioned the logic behind an order before doing it. "I'll explain it to all of you soon. Just get everyone who is capable of fighting at the central area as soon as possible. Understood?" Takun commanded. "Yes sir." Wogdred said, realizing that there was no point in pushing it.

Once the Pit boss was gone, Takun turned to Asteria. "You should get some rest little one. You've earned it. I promise you that we will get your friends back." The Stranger said. Asteria shook her head, she refused to let her friends' lives be in the hands of others, at least without her help. Takun gave her a pat on the shoulder "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don't think you are fit for battle in your condition." He persisted. Asteria crossed her arms and glared at the Stranger in response. "I guess there's nothing I can do to stop you. Fine, you may come along." Takun said, defeated. The two of them exited the tent together.

Rultaos

The Trojan stood next to Hatetia as the elevator ascended. He had spent most of the journey towards the vault telling her about the Clockwork Renegades. At least the information that wasn't confidential, such as the sources of their weapons etc. "Your group is certainly better off than mine. I do not understand why your people felt the need to recruit us, weak as we currently are." Hatetia said. "What we are planning is massive, and we need as much help as we can get. It would be foolish to turn down even the smallest possibility of assistance." Rultaos replied. Hatetia saw the logic in that.

The elevator stopped and they emerged into Renegade Vault. Hatetia shielded her eyes for a moment. "I never get used to being in so much light." She explained. "When you've been living outside the Citadel for many cycles, you learn how too adapt quickly to surroundings." Rultaos said. "I'm assuming that you're bragging in front of me Rultaos." Hatetia said humorously. "I am simply stating what I know." Rultaos said. He found himself to be talking to Hatetia much more leisurely than he usually does with others.

They were interrupted by a Yes-man who spoke to Rultaos. "Sir! The leader has called for a meeting. He wants everyone to gather in the central area of the vault immediately!" The green Devilite said. Rultaos recognized him.

"Understood. Also, may I know where you've left my shield?" Rultaos asked. "It's in your tent sir. Some of the others pointed me in the right direction. It was certainly heavy though." the Yes-man said, whining a bit at the end.

When the Yes-man left, Rultaos turned back to Hatetia. "We shall speak more later. Find a tent to rest in for now. There are some matters that I need to attend to." He said. "Allow me to come with you. I should like to see how your group operates." Hatetia replied. Rultaos considered it for a moment. "Very well." He replied. Rultaos began walking in the direction of the central area with Hatetia following suit.

The radiant sunlight glaring down on the vault contrasted the grave matter that was at hand.

((Time for the players in waiting to start Roleplaying :D))

The Defiler

The chimera barely flinched as a Lumber hammered his chest with its long, half-mech half-wooden, arm. The Defiler grinned maliciously as he pointed the barrel of his construct gun at the offending Lumber. Light erupted from the cannon, and nothing but leaves and scrap metal was left from where the Lumber used to stand.

Behind the wreckage, a wounded Wolver was crouched next to some bushes. The powerful rays of sunlight that bore down on them heavily contrasted the vile intents of the gigantic, malformed creature. The Wolver growled and barked in defiance, but it did not stop The Defiler, he only approached and released a cloud of gas upon the unfortunate Wolver, causing it to go unconscious.

After a few moments, the Wolver reawakened, but much more dead than alive. It was covered with a sickly green hue (much more sickly than that of a rabid Wolver), and salivated a foul liquid. "Go and serve me, my new soldier." The Defiler said as he pointed behind him.

A battle was erupting between his assimilated army, and the creatures of the Aurora Isles. Heavily outnumbered, and severely outgunned, the local creatures were quickly losing ground to The Defiler's forces. The newly assimilated Wolver barked and made the green liquid from his mouth fly out in droplets, before running off into battle.

The Defiler saw an assimilated Gremlin knocker being smothered by a Jelly cube, unable to bring his twin wands together. The chimera aimed his construct arm, and fired a devastating laser that reduced the Jelly cube into purple drops. He didn't save the knocker out of sympathy, he did it because he needed as many soldiers as he could get for his next move: An assault on Haven.

He was going to end the Spiralians (The society that had exiled him), and then begin a conquest of the Clockworks themselves. [If no society can accept me, then I shall make my own... From their remnants] The Defiler thought. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an elevator arriving. He decided to investigate.

The grass which were hit by the drops of the assimilated Wolver's saliva had began to blight as The Defiler walked away.

Rhinegord

The knight brandishing a set of Dragon Scale armor and shield had drawn his Furious Flamberge as he emerged from the elevator. He had heard that the Defiler was here on this depth, and this time he knew it was true. All around him, sickly green versions of clockwork creatures attacked the inhabitants of the Aurora Isles such as Chromalisks and Wolver packs.

"Everybody split up. If you find our target, do not engage until you have alerted the entire squad. The Defiler is far too dangerous to confront alone. Understood?" Rhinegord said to his team of bounty hunters. "Yes sir!" They replied.

Selvores, wore a Gunslinger Sash and a Sunset Stetson. His weapons of choice are a dual wielded Blackhawk and Silversix. Triporoz, wore a Heavy Demo suit with a bomb bandolier, and a Heavy Plate Helm. His shield is a Heavy Plate shield, and he carries Heavy Deconstructors and Freezing Atomizers. Davara, wears a Seraphic set. Her weapons include an Ascended Calibur, and Wise Owlite shield.

They were all ex-military, and had been through hellish situations together. As far as Rhinegord was concerned, his team was ready for anything.

The team began splitting up into the fray. Selvores started firing rounds into the crowd, killing two enemies before they realized he was there. Triporoz tossed his Deconstructors at a group of assimilated mechs, destroying most of the group. What was left started to go after him, but they were cut down by Davara, before she headed off into her own direction.

As the leader watched his team in action, an assimilated Droul leaped from higher ground and attempted to attack Rhinegord. The Knight jumped backwards, and thrust his Furious Flamberge into the Droul's torso. Sparks of flame erupted from the wound and caused the Zombie to burst into charred remains. An assimilated Wolver then jumped at the Spiralian as he was off-guard and knocked him on his back. The Wolver tried to bite into his neck area, but Rhinegord was able to jerk his head out of the way. Some bits of stray saliva dropped on his armor, and he heard the drops sizzle as it melted the skin of his armor like an acid.

He thought fast pierced his sword into the side of the Wolver. The creature whimpered, the sword was pulled out, and Rhinegord kicked the limp body off of him. "I'm getting too old for this..." He grumbled as he stood himself up. He reacted quickly as a green pitchfork came flying at him. He managed to deflect it with his shield, causing the pitchfork to pierce into the ground instead. He saw the offending Devilite (who looked even more sick than a Blarful) and began running towards it. Before he had completely closed the distance however, he was thrown backwards towards the elevator by a giant, Jelly, battering ram that struck him in the face.

Rhinegord shook his head to clear the daze, and saw The Defiler standing before him. He pushed the left side of his helmet to activate his comm unit. "Everyone head back to the elevator. The Defiler is here, I repeat The Defiler is here!... Hello? Somebody respond!" He shouted. He quickly realized that his comm unit was broken by The Defiler's attack. "This is not good..." Rhinegord said as he stood up. He assumed an attack position, in the hopes that he could fend off The Defiler until his team had arrived.

"You're right, this isn't good at all. Not for you at least." The Defiler said as he fired a small swarm of mini-missiles at the Knight. Explosions had rattled the soldier and forced him face down into the ground. The shrapnel from the missiles had also made it too painful to even move. He could barely raise an arm without feeling a shockwave of pain run through him. "Argh!" Rhinegord exclaimed as he tried to stand up. He knew it was over.

"Go ahead and kill me you freak. I'll have died a hero to the Spiralians!" He shouted at The Defiler. "No, you will die a traitor to your kind." The chimera replied. "What makes you think I'd betray my people?" Rhinegord asked aggressively. "This." The Defiler said as he began releasing his toxic gases. Rhinegord began to realize what was happening as his Helmet display started to go crazy.

"WARNING: FOREIGN AIR BASED SUBSTANCE DETECTED. ACTIVATING AIRLOCK SECURITY MEASURES."

The gases began to corrode into Rhinegord's mist tank.

"WARNING: MIST TANK IS SUSTAINING DAMAGE. POWER FAILURE IMMINENT."
"AIRTIGHT SECURITY MEASURES DEACTIVATING TO CONSERVE MIST ENERGY."

"No, No! Override that command, maintain security measures!" Rhinegord commanded his armor A.I.

"COMPLYING...
...
...
...
ERROR. MIST TANK HAS SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO ENERGY DISTRIBUTORS. INSUFFICIENT POWER TO MAINTAIN AIRLOCKS. TOTAL SECURITY SYSTEM SHUT DOWN IN 5 SECONDS."

"Reroute what power is available to the airlocks. Search for alternatives to maintain the security measures!" Rhinegord said as The Defiler continued to excrete more gas.

"INVALID COMMAND. INSUFFICIENT POWER TO BE REROUTED INTO THE AIRLOCKS. SECURITY SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN..."

The Helmet display went dead as the gases began to fill up inside of Rhinegord's helmet. "Cough, cough, ack...". There was no fresh air left for him to breathe. The Knight went unconscious in seconds. The Defiler crouched close to the Knight and said "You and your team will be the first ones to attack Haven." He said.

Rhinegord reawakened. But it wasn't him, not anymore.

((I wont be able to post for the next 3 days, due to examinations. Just thought of putting it out there now. Oh and, Aeorune and Roablade, I'm still waiting to see your next IC. The meeting was supposed to be your cue.

See you guys in 3-4 days :) ))

((I'm so sorry this took so long. Some unexpected things popped up, and I couldn't get this uploaded at the time I promised. Unfortunately, this may be my last post for the week as well :(. I'll explain more with some OOC at the bottom of my post.))

Raikap

"We're ready to go." Bettit told the captain. The latter nodded "Alright everyone, let's go. We can't afford to waste time." He announced. Everyone emerged from the house one by one and soon disappeared into the streets of Stone Filed borough.

...

The small group moved silently through the tight corners of Emberlight. Raikap stayed at the head of the group, while Bafthalia scouted ahead with her cloak. Whenever a patrol passed by a street that they had to cross, Raikap would order the group to stop, and wait for the soldiers to walk away. They would then wait about 10 milli-cycles after the troops disappear from view, to make sure that they were indeed gone. It was a tense and repetitive strategy that they used to make it all the way to the road that led to the local Jelly farms.

At first, they stuck to the shadowy sides of the path that were full of discarded parts, fearful that a patrol should pass by, but none did, and they eventually began following the path itself. However, Raikap was still paranoid about the resources that the Crimson Order could employ against them. A Scorcher, a Ghostmane, two traumatized Gremlins, a finger-less Mender, and a half-blind Demo wasn't exactly Raikap's vision of an ideal fighting force. After about 5 centi-cycles of walking, Bafthalia reappeared in front of the group.

"The roadblock is just up ahead." She announced. "What defenses do they have?" Raikap asked. "They have 4 Thwackers guarding the path, 3 Demos setting up remote mines, 3 Scorchers on different rooftops ready to snipe escapees, and 2 Menders moving around." She reported. Raikap allowed the information to sink in. "I guess this means that a head on attack is out of the question." He said. "Yes captain, it is." Bafthalia replied. "Then we will have to get around them without direct confrontation. Bafthalia, me and the others will make some noise, then you will head behind them while they're distracted and take them down as quietly as you can. I'll take care of any stragglers that remains standing." Raikap said, preparing his torch. Bafthalia nodded, and then disappeared into the air.

Raikap then turned to his motley team. "Vakros, You're going to have to stay behind with the mother and the younger child. I don't think any of you three will be of much use in a fight, given your current conditions." He told them. Raikap looked at Bettit and kneeled down to her level. "Bettit, you're going to have to come with me. Your skill with bombs is going to be useful in causing a distraction. But I promise that if any of them try to hurt you, I'll stop them before they get close. I just need you to be a soldier for now and do as I say. Do you understand?" Raikap asked her.

Her mother was livid about it. "No! I'm not letting her get hurt anymore than she has already." She said, coming closer to Bettit. Raikap turned to Gista. "I don't want her to be put in the line of fire as much as you do, but we don't have much of a choice right now; we need every able Gremlin we've got." He said before returning his gaze to Bettit. "So, are you ready?" Raikap asked the young Demo once more.

Lieutenant Garatol

The Darkfang Thwacker walked next to the Crimson Order member as they approached the foreman's office. "Sir? What exactly is the plan here? Do we just confront them about their rebellious actions that led to the death of Captain Raikap?" Garatol asked. " Yes, we shall. And if they do not agree to my terms, then we shall perform a military occupation of the borough. No more of the leeway that I have promised the citizens." The robed Gremlin replied. The lieutenant wasn't too happy about the answer. "But sir, this will cause lethal confrontation between the soldiers and the locals. Troops will die, and neutral civilians will wind up getting killed by both sides." Garatol reasoned. "An unfortunate cost. But remember, it is the locals that started this dispute, and what happens to them is their responsibility." The Crimson Order Gremlin said.

Garatol opened his mouth to speak, but he shut it before any words were out. Although he shared Raikap's resentment for such atrocious actions, he had none of the captain's bravery.

The two of them, along with a small squad consisting of 2 Thwackers, a Mender, and a Scorcher, broke into the building of the foreman. "Foreman Kexed! There is something that we must speak about." the Crimson Order member announced. They received no answer. "Search the building." Ordered the robed gremlin to his soldiers. Garatol led the team into the other rooms of the office. Surprisingly, he wasn't there. "Sir, he's nowhere to be found." Garatol shouted through the rooms. "Perhaps he has run from his crime..." The Crimson Order member thought out loud.

Suddenly, a male Ghostmane Stalker entered the building "Sir! The foreman is outside in the construction area. He's asked to speak with you, and he has almost the entire borough guard with him." He reported. The Gremlin in blood red robes seemed to consider this for a moment, but then he spoke. "Very well, tell him that we shall speak. But gather our forces first, and be prepared for an ambush. Understood?" He said. The Ghostmane saluted "Yes sir." He said, before disappearing once more.

"Lieutenant, get your men together and follow me outside. We have a foreman to confront." Said the Crimson Order Gremlin. The troops followed their commander outside. Garatol tightened his grip on his hammer, should things go awry.

((Ok the thing is, I'll be heading away for about 4 days. It's an annual workshop our school is participating in this year. Basically, we head out into a province (where the workshop is held) and stay there for a few days, making new friends and honing our talents. While we will have some free time, I doubt we will have an internet connection where we're going :/. But on the off-chance that we do have an internet connection, I'll let you guys know.

@Tev: You can control how the next scenes of Raikap and Kexed are gonna go.

@Everyone Else: Where the heck are you guys? Only a handful of players have posted :(.))

((I'll be posting my next IC soon unless somebody posts. It may end up in taking control of some people's characters though :/.

P.S. I understand if you are living in America and conditions are stopping you from keeping up, so don't think I'm trying to rush you guys or anything. I'm just trying to keep it alive. Don't rush, take your time, and I'll just make-do))

I have edited the front page of the thread with a final message to everyone. Bumping this thread up may be against the rules, but I wanted to make sure that you guys saw my message, or I will feel that it was effort wasted :(.

After you read it, feel free to post your own final messages here as well, and once everyone has done so, we can let this thread die in peace.

I also invite any readers of this thread (if there are any) to post what they thought of the roleplay, along with the participants' messages. I want to know what you guys thought of it before I let this thread rest. Just a simple request :)