"But....isn't Alpha Squad like the most awesomest squad in the world? And you're sending....us?" Doubt and fear could be heard in Herston's voice.

Gallon sighed as the Stranger gave him the choice. It was fairly obvious which he should go for. Questing to find out what could be reclaimed from Almire, or attempt a Rescue for a Rookie who had been careless. The Lancer looked at Fennel, and replied sternly.

"I mean no offence to that Foolish Valkyrie from earlier, but Id much rather pursue my own goals than try to make up for her careless actions. Actions which may have been her downfall. If ever we meet again, I shan't give you a Final Goodbye, but instead-". Gallon raised his hand and casually saluted the Stranger before him, "-I'll see you around".

Gallon turned toward the Elevator that was lacking of any Shadows or Dark Chains, and began to descend by himself to the level below, hoping that Fennel wouldn't dissapoint his expectations and die too soon.

Fennel bowed before the strange figure. What was it? He had been recently learning about Cradle lore, and this figure seemed familiar. He couldn't quite put his finger on it though.

He bowed in return. "Thank you for bringing good tidings. We have had a string of...most unfortunate events occur. It is good for one event to not follow the trend, and perhaps greater ones may yet follow." He nodded at Mortis as well, noting the undead knight's now blue glow instead of red.

Gallon left, plummeting towards the smoking castle. Fennel gazed at the elevator for a second, then turned to Spanner.

"Very well then. I suppose that I can do nothing more." He thought about something for a moment (namely trying to see if he could slip between the elevator bars and rescue Evie) but his logical side shattered all insane thoughts, and he abandoned the idea.

Naomi put away her shield, and knelt down closer to the jiggling thing.

"Huh...wonder if it's even a living thing..."

"Hm...how does it know how to shake hands?" asked Naomi as she raised her Cutter to it, as if it was her hand...

Q-Proto-00 started to look at the people who where just standing about and saw a downed Owlite, a stranger, a undead dreadnaught and a weird creature. She waited at a gate which had a purple aura around it and had chains. She started to think "Let's hope no-one finds out I am a robot impersonating this person called Evie."

((OOC: The weird creature is the apocrean. Also, tell me if I forgot someone...))

"HELLO? I ASKED WASN"T ALPHA SQUAD THE GREATEST SQUAD THERE IS? WHY ARE WE RESCUEING THEM?" Herston waved his arms around widly.

OOC: Seriously, I feel ignored.

Gallon stopped and mentioned the fact he was going on and Gardy felt bad for him but she wondered if anyone else was around. Gardy's spirit flew back to the lift and flew back up. She found a lot of people and someone standing in front of a gate. Gardy's spirit mind was a bit blank until she saw Mortis and then remembered who was around.

She then told Mortis "Seems you are in a better condition then I am..." Gardy's spirit sat on a wall.

Q-Proto-00 sees the stranger keeping an eye on her and was talking to a creature. She causally walked by and started to climb down the lift shaft since the lift wasn't there. When she reached the ground, Q-Proto-00 thought "I need to split them apart before I can go after them..." She starts walking through the floor and it was constantly on fire.

Q-Proto-00 continued to explore the floor and saw a gate that was wide open. She continued ahead and saw a person farther ahead and slowly walked towards the person...

((OOC: Ok, I was a bit stupid with my old post but this is the fixed version...))

Veru watched the strange procession with quirked interest.

"Maybe it can help us go where we're headed. It doesn't seem like it's going to hurt us." It was difficult coping with amnesia, but Veru felt he was doing it swimmingly well.

Mortis watched the actions take place. Everything about the person he watched came off as odd. The cycle at which it moved, the look of the body and shape of the shell. No that was not human, Almrian, Or the creatures which still bore his hate. No this was something else entirely.

"Leave it. What ever that was, let it go ahead and fall victom to the flames of that cursed fortress. We should return to the top and treat the wounded and feed your selves. After that we should consent with the Sky Human's masters. It might be a long shot, but the clockworks are getting a hair more angry then they use to be. And every day they seem to just get more and more upset."

Well, it was not alive. I can atest to that much. Robotic or construct would be the only reasonible conclution to what I just saw...the Stranger seems to know something, it would be wise to speak to him first when we get out of here. Mortis' thoughts over took him as he looked at the elevator down to the citadel. Well either way, the little robot is about to find out why constructs don't survive down there for long.

((OOC: Gardy is slowly losing her spirit))

Gardy started to feel sad that no-one was paying attention to her and saw Tyvell who bled out. She thought "I can't do anything" and her spirit started to cry. She then thought about going back to the citadel and flew through Fennel by accident. She flew down and started to look for Vanaduke and hope Gardy could be resurrected even if it was in Vanaduke's presence. She saw Evie walking behind Gallon and they where much farther inside.

Gallon blinked. He wasnt sure whether to be bemused or shocked at the fact the most threatening in here was addressing him as a gentleman, and wasnt trying to impale him from point to point. Still on edge, Gallon answered the Trojan over the top of his Shield.

"Im Sir Gallon, I was once stationed here when this place was not a Burnt out Fortress. As part of a Sect of Crusaders, The Bronze Lancers. Do you know of them, Sir Trojan?"

Gallon awaited a response.

Gallon was amazed in a pleasant way, feeling that greeting one of his own was quite a nice break from the troubles and traps that had befallen him up to this point.

"I would be honoured to duel with you one final time, but before doing so, may I ask some questions? I must admit I am quite anxious to find out how you changed into such a Mighty Beast of a Warrior. And maybe how you dealt with Vanaduke's passing from that night of Flame whence most of us passed over".

Gallon rolled and exercised his joints around, knowing that a duel with a mindless beast of this sort would have been a challenge in itself, but with one with the mind of a Lancer, it would be a grand battle which could claim either of them.

OOC: No idea if the 4 party limit applies here, so I didn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.

Fennel nodded.

"The Clockworks...seem to be becoming more dangerous every day. We should put a stop to this monster...and hope that more of its ilk do not follow it."

He looked around, in deep contemplation. Spanner, Jorin, Mortis, himself, and that strange fellow. He spoke into the com interface:

"Tier 1? Which gate is this beast in?"

Gallon was taken back by his Brother's words. All this time he had believed his Lord to be dead, to be cast asunder to the underworld and gone from this world. The images he got in his head all made sense, he was getting closer to Vanaduke all the time. And these words were the proof of that. It seems that Gallon's past was never gone, just dormant.

"Our Lord is still existant? You mean to say he is a Trojan like yourself...or worse?" Gallon saw that his Brethren was not focussing on him anymore, and was looking at the Halberd that he held in his grasp. The words that he spoke next, of wishing to die, did not shock him as most would think. While alive, the last act that a Lancer could do for their brother was to take their life while they still retained honour, rather than under-go capture or Torture to an almost certain, disgraceful death.

Gallon nodded his head in silence, as he began to walk forwards toward his brother-in-arms. He began to charge forward, while loosening his grip on his Halberd, grasping ahold of the sash near its base. Building momentum, he began to swing the halberd pole around his head, gaining even more power into the movement. As soon as he was close enough, he threw the sash behind his brothers back, and used it as a grapple, to surge himself forward and around onto his Brother's back.

A Large Dark Crytsal was sticking thusly out of the back of the Trojan. Gallon unlodged the hook, and took the pole of the spear back into his own hands. About to strike the the Halberd into the Crystal as hard as he was able, he murmured a few words.
"Be at Peace, my Brother"...

Gallon was winded upon impact, and took the rest of his strength to roll to the side of the blow. He got back to his feet, catching his breath relatively quickly for the fight to continue. He knew it would be nigh impossible to try and break the defence head-on. The Bulwark that loomed in front of him, held strong by the Darkness-Enfused Trojan that stood before him. Somehow, he had to get behind his foe, and end him of his curse.

This wasn't top prioty on his mind though. Against his better judgement, his mind was still coping with the answers to the questions he wished had remained a mystery for an age. His Lord was not gone...he was alive. All that he had tried to put behind him had been all for naught. But this wasn't even the worst of it. They were all condemned to a dark service. Devoid of any honour and unwilling torture of their souls. It dawned on Gallon's mind, that he had not fled from just his service to his Lord, but from saving the souls of any of his commrades, or anyone at all in Almire. Just himself.

His mind suddenly cast itself back to a memory hidden away at the back of his mind, an instance of his past. On one of the few training days he had when he 1st joined the Bronze Lancers. He had just fallen down onto the training room floor, having been bested by his friend Sir Tallow with a Wooden Pole. He rubbed his head, as he saw a hand extended down to him. He heard the words of his friend ring like an echo.

"Get up, we still have some more training to do before we can at least hope for a new mission". Gallon took his friend's hand, and got hoisted back up onto his feet. He took up his stance again, and began to spar once more. After each attempt at trying to strike down his friend, he was beaten back and bested himself. Sir Tallow was laughing to himself, and sat down on the floor, opposite Gallon.

"Gallon, you know why we keep sparring over and over? Its to make us learn something really important in these missions. Its to learn that we can't give up, and have to pick ourselves up as much as we can able, physically and mentally, through mind and soul. Until our Lord grants us permission to die, we cant die. But thats only half of it. We could be doing this against zombies". Tallow picks himself back up, while still addressing Gallon.

"We spar against our friends and companions, so we know how to fight in the toughest of times. If we can turn a weapon unto our own brother, we can turn it on anyone our Lord deems for us. No hesitation. No Guilt. No chance of a fault. Sure, we may do some bad deeds in our duty, but you just have to focus on what needs to be done, and get down to it, regardless of who stands before you. So...want to call it a day, or do you want to try and at least disarm me once today?" Gallon smirks to his partner, and picks up his training pole again. A final slash of wooden poles brings Gallon back into reality.

He knew what he had to do. Regardless that this was his Brother, that he was cursed, and despite all that he had forsaken them for, he had to keep fighting for them, and repent for his own sin of letting them suffer. Gallon gripped his Halberd tightly. He charged toward the Trojan, and slid under his legs, losing his shield on the ground in front of the mighty beast. He combat rolled into a crouched position, and thrust his Halberd toward the Beast's Crystal with no hesitation.

OOC: One of Thin's NPC peeps can't tag along with the others.

Fennel checked the gate HUD. They were currently in the Iron Skull. Emerald Clover, eh? The elevator slid back in place, gently humming. A slightly staticed image of the citadel still flashed there.

But 5 of us...Only 4 can go.

The Stranger turned towards the group.

"One of us cannot go along the journey. Gremlin, you expressed desire to rebuild your home. Would you rather stay in Emberlight and assist in reparations?"

OOC : Fresh bump waiting for you when you come on.

"Okay, okay, that's enough now..." Naomi says. Her voice shows a bit of nervousness, since the blob is literally shaking Naomi's Cutter. Any small mistake could result in it getting cut...

"...um...h-hi!" Naomi greets the fellow cubes. There's quite a lot now, and should they suddenly want to engulf her in their pink gelatinous goodness, it wouldn't be too hard.

She stands up now, her sword gripped a little tighter. Still, she puts on a cheerful smile.

"Are you lost? Or are you travelling together...?"

I just want to shake hands with all of them and move on, but there's so many of them...

... I wonder if I could even break through their ranks?

"...get ready to bash them aside with your shield, if it comes to it," Naomi suggests, as she reaches for Veru and grabs him by the hand. She then sets his hand around her waist.

"Stay close to me."

She then attempts to wade through the pink crowd, slowly nudging any jellies aside with her leg. If one of them appears to be readying for a tackle or a big jump, she'll immediately bash through the crowd, Veru hanging on.

OOC : Had to powerplay since Veru's player might not be on. Sorry.