James glanced to the side and saw the Almirian take out the troika wielder. Looking the other way he saw the rest of Iota squad disarming Lambda squad. Turning his attention back to Germaine, James advanced, his Combuster snaking out in front of him. Germaine suddenly went on the offensive, delivering lightning fast blows from every direction. James parried and blocked, moving back a step with every impact. After a few shattering blows he sensed a slight falter, James smiled and halted his retreat. Germaine went for a smashing overhead swing, and James raised his Heater shield at a slant. The slant would deflect the incoming swing rather than block it.

Germaine, feeling no resistance, stumbled forward as his Glacius thudded against the ground. A small feeling of fear crept up his spine as he noticed he was now face to face with James Miller. Leaping backwards, Germaine delivered his trump card. He began to charge up his Glacius, feeling it gain power quicker than normal. The Glacius held a Unique Variant, one that halved the time it took to gain enough power for a charge attack.

James saw Germaine start to charge up his blade, so he began to do the same to his Nitronome. They should end up charging at around the same time and then- His eyes widened as he heard the distinct sound of a charge that had finished gathering enough power. Clutching the bomb to keep it from defusing, James threw himself to the side and felt a chilling whirlwind of explosion rip through the spot where he was standing just a second ago. Feeling the bomb click in his hands, he rolled it in the direction of his opponent. When the clouds of frost dissipated, James saw Germaine staring at the empty spot where he just was. He hadn't noticed the Nitronome at his feet. James had an idea and called out, "Hey Germaine!"

"Darnit James! You should be frozen!" Came the reply.

James smiled as he counted down the seconds till detonation, "Sorry to dissapoint, but I think this match is over!"

The Glacius wielding knight was engulfed in the signature explosion of the Nitronome. Taking advantage of the distraction, James sprinted forwards and leveled his Combuster to the opposing leader's neck.

Germaine opened his eyes to stare down the blade of a fiery sword. He noticed James face, it was hidden by his helm but his eyes were just barely visible, and they were glinting. He groaned, realizing that he had lost. Looking to either side, he saw his teammates had already been disarmed. Reluctantly, he dropped his sword and raised his hands.

James' grin widened, and withdrew his blade. "Good game." He reached a hand out.

"Good game." Germaine accepted the hand, and picked himself off the ground.

Shaking hands with the Lambda squad leader, James finally noticed a squad had been observing the match. Looked like the new Delta Squad. He glanced at Dejah, then decided to go and introduce himself. Wiping the sweat off his hands, he walked over to the squad leader.

James held out a hand, "I'm James, Iota Squad Leader."

The evident unease of the knight made Dejah smirk.

How adorable.

"I wasn't the only one. I'm pretty sure I caught a few explosions lighting up the battlefield while avoiding being crushed by a boulder of a sword. You fought valiantly to the end, of course," Dejah replied. "I recommend keeping vigilant however, lest you want another bomb going off at your feet." Her eyes twinkled as she gave a sly tap on Germaine's chest plate as she spoke the word vigilant.

Solomon nodded at his response, and replied with his own.

"Huh, we've also been tasked with duties concerning the Morai, near-by a settlement known as Bastion. Mostly for the purposes of reconnaisance, but knowing how things like this usually pan out, there'll be some firefights had". Solomon noticed Germaine's head glance toward his striker, wondering what he was thinking. Trying to divert attention away from her, he offered him some refreshment.

"Hey," Solomon suddenly asked, holding out a flask.

"Got some of this from the local strangers, recommended. They call it Cradle-Juice".

Solomon thought it to be a combination of battery fluid and fruit juice when he 1st tried it, but he thought it best to get a 2nd opinion. That and he wanted someone else to complain about it with him.

[Affraiel glances at the cradle juice and snatches off from Solomon's hand before he could offer it to Evaria.]

Affraiel: *takes out a straw and drinked some of the juice* "...This is what I LIVED FOR! THE FLAVOUR!"

Nezula: *cuts int othe frequency* "Eh, Mister Affraiel, don't you think we should do a substance analysis before consumption?"

Affraiel: *sneers* "Meh, that would take too long... as long as those strangers ain't messing around, I think we would be fine..." *passes the flask to Evaria* "Go ahead, try it, it is like nothing you have tasted before."

Dejah sniggered at the knights curiously sampling the drink. Quite intriguing they were themselves.

In the midst of war they had time to participate in such a simple moment of amusement.

She decided then that she liked the Knights of the Spiral Order.

Dejah: *giggles* "I swear if I see that for any longer I'm going to faint!"

Affraiel: *sneers* "What are you laughing at Princess? Is your uncle Affraiel some kind of silent comedian or something? Try and wear this suit and you will know what kind of crap I am going through"

???:*from Affraiel's back* "Hi, I am turt the turtle plsuhie! And I want to be your friend!"

Affraiel: *alarmed* "The hell was that?"

???:*from Affraiel's back* "I am over here friend! Come help me!"

Nezula: "...Affraiel, there is a plushie on your back..."

Affraiel: *scratches his back and manages to get the plushie off* "..."

Turt the turtle plushie: "Hi there, I am turt! And I love you!"

Affraiel: *looks at Solomon and Evaria* "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Hearing no answer, James shook his head. Dammit, we'r down a squad member. He remembered who had filled the empty spot just minutes ago. He walked back over to the others, Dejah and Delta squad seemed to be laughing about something. There was a plushie in the hand of the guardian, who seemed to be the butt of the joke. Pushing the thought aside, he walked up to the Almirian. Scratching the back of his head, James asked, "Hey, Dejah? Iota squad seems to be down a member, and I was wondering if you would join our squad, as the new Striker?"

Solomon turned to his striker, and nodded in response, not really caring about the joke, and probably planning on doing it again later.

It was indeed getting late, and they needed to make a move on toward Bastion. After picking up his refurbished gear (along with their newly apointed mascot, Turt), he awaited for the rest of his squad to be prepared to leave. After a brief amout of time, Solomon gave the order to begin the trek toward the settlement.

"Come on Knights. The road ahead of us is long, and It'd be great if we got there before the Morai killed everyone". The Vanguard began the few steps toward their next location, Bastion.

Leeroy smiled slightly at Affariel's reaction to the plushie. It was nice to know that Solomon still had his sense of humor, Despite the lack of cheer in the squad. He drank some Crimsonite Firestorm, and put his flask back where it belonged on his belt.
"Solomon, I think it'd be wise to have someone take over my role while I'm infiltrating what the morai have set up. So the important question I must ask is: Who do you think would be the best to temporarily take my spot? We have no idea how long it'll take to finish reconnaissance." Leeroy said, lightly winking in Solomon's direction.

"Right... we shouldn't waste what time we have..." Leeroy said, slightly rubbing the ring Kora gave him.
Solomon asked, "Leeroy, What happened to your girlfriend?"
Leeroy facepalmed, and said "If you're referring to Sherry, I last saw her at the barracks-" A girl rushed past him, but the only thing that was visible was her long black hair. She was holding something on a looped chain, which was round. "Ah, people these days" Leeroy said, before a realization hit him.
Leeroy looked for Kora's ring, but couldn't find it. He rushed after the girl, Only to find a knife in the wall with Kora's ring around it. A not attached to it said "I'll be watching over your squad. Say nothing of this." -Sherry. Leeroy thought 'Yeah, that certainly sounds like something she'd do...' Leeroy put the chain back around his neck, and made his way back to the squad. "It's nothing, let's continue, Solomon." Leeroy slightly paused before saying it, as if he had something to hide.

The vanguard paused and squinted toward the mysterious light. Without much clarity of what it could be, he decided to make the situation into a sort of trial run for their recon, before his "Main performance". Solomon called over Leeroy, as he gave him details of what he should do.

"Okay, up ahead our Striker has spotted a mysterious orange light. It could be a Campfire, but that could have been made up by Knights or Morai alike. Then again it could be some sort of new creature or foe we have yet to see on this new planet. What I need you to do is get as close as you can through cover & flora, opening up your recon cloak when you think you can get a good look, sparing some time to get out again".

The Vanguard added as he finished his plan to Leeroy,

"This'll get you in the right frame of mind for espionage if nothing else".

Solomon looked to the rest of his squad and told them in hushed tones to stay down, but get into a position by nearby cover where they could keep tabs on Leeroy's position.

Leeroy got into a crouching position, and started quietly walking toward the orange light. When he got within about 15 feet away, he enabled his cloak, Knowing he needed enough time to get there, investigate, and back. When he reached the campfire, he started observing the area. 'What in Skylark...?'

The Recon was cloaked, hidden from sight, but if he had sighted her, Dejah had witnessed no signs. She had slinked around the encampment, picking her way through tediously. From her vantage point, Dejah spotted three Morai seated by the fire regaling one another with ghost stories. Leaning silently on a tree, she slowed her breathing, listening.

"... and then, would they have known they could have been saved. Of course they didn't though." One of the Morai stifled a cough as the speaker paused. "There was a sound, but neither heard it, not that it could have saved them even if they did." Dejah felt the flicker of light slipping past her eyelids. A sly grin slipped across her face. "Closer it crept, inching its way towards them, sealing their fate." The heat from the fire trickled over Dejah's fair skin.

"Then it leapt!" The campfire roared, flames snatching at the stars above. It wasn't enough to hurt them, not enough to cause suspicion either. It added a nice dramatic flair, she thought. Doubtlessly, the fire did more than give some storyteller a worth while climax. The moment was brief, but revealing light had bathed the area.

Anything of interest would surely have been seen while the Morai recovered from the momentary glare.

Solomon looked up to see the group by the fire begin to engage them. He studies them closer as they get closer, and seem to be converging on one point. At that moment, the Vanguard whispered in his comm to Affraiel to avoid being noticed.

"They saw you, but no-one else. They must think you're some Gung-ho Warden out to pick of Morai or check Haven's perimeter. We'll dig down and provide covering fire. Evaria. Dejah. You both can help-"

He looked around to notice the Almirian had gone, and some distinct rustling in the bushes around his side. Putting two & two together, he switched comms to Leeroy.

"Leeroy, cloak up and fall back into the tree-line. The almirian VIP is in there somewhere, and I dont think itd be great if we gave away our element of suprise by a rash princess".

He moaned at the current situation and the best course of action, glancing repeatedly at the armed and ready Warden. He switched back to Affraiel's channel on the comms and gave him the go-ahead.

"Seeing as you do have armour that can hold against an Explosive charge at point blank, and the fiery passion to kill something... Go ahead, let some Morai heads roll".

Solomon prepared his Valiance over the edge of the fallen log, ready to give supporting fire if the Warden needed it, and hoped that his Recon could stop Dejah from doing anything foolish.

Leeroy responded to his buzzing com link, "Roger that. Also, just in case things go badly- We do have a backup of one irresponsible teenager, Who is following us." He said, Hoping that Solomon would understand who he meant.

Since the Morai were distracted with Affraiel, Leeroy walked to where Dejah was, without his cloak.
"Ey, You alright? Apparently, I'm here to stop you from breaking the element of surprise on accident." Leeroy said, Bent over slightly, to extend the reach of his outstretched arm.

Flash back: Isoran civil war, Nowensgrad city square, 20 years before Skylark down.

[The city of Nowensgrad has being ravaged by war for months, her once marvellous sky scrapers are blown down by artilleries and her infrastructure is shattered beyond repair, the whole city is in a state of entropy. Affraiel and his army of rebels have taken almost all of the outer perimeter of the city, only the rich section, the inner city remains. Affraiel ordered his fellow rebels to massacre the relatives of those rich vanguards who enjoyed a life of luxury at his expense, in his eyes, their greed is the reason why he and many suffered such an unhappy life, they are the reason why his foster father had to die. Stomping away at the city park’s white flowers, Affraiel approached Serris’s manor, ready to slaughter his entire family for what they have ‘taken’ from him. But suddenly, a cloud of mist appeared out of nowhere and a woman emerged from the mist, it was Penumbra, the head knightess of Nowensgrad grey guards, she and her soldiers have been keeping the peace and order of Nowensgrad for centuries, now she is all that stands between Affraiel and his revenge against Serris’s family.]

Penumbra: *tilts her lips* “…Hi there, Affraiel, we meet again…”

Affraiel: *sneers* “…You got a lot of nerves trying to stop me from having my revenge! Say, how about this time, you don’t run away from the fight!”

Penumbra:*sighs* “So our battle is inevitable isn’t it? We are two person, on the opposite side of a same coin. I dedicated my whole life trying to make this city a better place, I tried to keep peace and calmness of this world… making it, a heaven…”

Affraiel: *laughs* “Heaven, this world?! HAHAHAHAHA!!! There is no heaven in this world! Only pseudo bull craps made up by lunatics like YOU! You think by maintaining your so called ‘peace’ is going to make this world a better place? I will make this city a city for the people or let it burn to the ground!”

Penumbra: *sighs* “… There is really no reason to argue now is there?”

Affraiel: *cracks his neck* “I am sick of slamming my face into brick walls like you, got anything more to say before I cut you down?”

Penumbra: *nods her head lightly* “Yes, Affraiel, the truth is… I am your… mother…”

Affraiel: *chuckles* “Heh heh heh… you expect me to believe that? THAT MY MOTHER left me an orphan?! And she did it intentionally to carry out her goal?!”

Penumbra: “I have sent one of my old friend to raise you, his name is Qiu, and I think you know him well… he never told you the truth, but I need to put you aside for a greater goal, I want to use my life and my grey guards to make this city an Utopia, so one day, you and everyone can live in it as happy individuals. A true heaven, an outer heaven.”

Affraiel: *sneers* “Is Chaos the by-product of freedom?”

Penumbra: “Yes, in some way, yes…”

Affraiel: “And is there chaos in this, ‘outer heaven’ of yours?”

Penumbra: “No…”

Affraiel: “Then there is no freedom in your so called ‘Utopia’, I have once sworn that I will kill all that tries to steal my freedom away. I may not know what other might do with that freedom, but I sure as hell won’t allow a witch like you to take it away from them!”

[The time for talk is over, as Affraiel’s blade collided with that of Penumbra’s. The flowers around them flowed amongst the wind, the petals flooded the air around the two combatants. For a brief moment, there was tranquillity and serenity in the air, Affraiel did not exert any hatred towards Penumbra like he did to Serris’s guards, he respects Penumbra not as a soldier, but as a woman. Because at the end of the day, regardless of whether or not Penumbra is his real mother or not, they are two person sharing a same dream, a dream of an outer heaven, one that would make all their dreams come true. And like mother like son, they both given their life for their dream. The battle between Penumbra and Affraiel lasted for just six minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Penumbra falls to the ground as Affraiel dealt the final blow, but he did not feel the satisfaction he thought he would have, only sorrow now resides in his heart.]

Penumbra: *smiles bitterly* “What a thrill… you have grown so much, my dear son… you turned out to be just like your father, this city is named after him and now, it is… yours… I have done what I set out to do, making you into a great warrior…”

Affraiel: *takes out a revolver* “And you have succeeded…” *pulls the trigger*

Sitting in her chair at the head of the Morai Command center, a lone Silver haired woman looks down onto those that look up to her. In her left hand a glass of red wine sloshes softly back and forth as the glass it's self is slowly turned around and around at the slightest angle. To this point the woman seemed content to just sit and listen to everything that has been going on, but no longer. With a easy motion she brings the glass to her lips and takes a small sip of the wine before setting it down and standing.

Clanking is heard as the armor she bares adjusts it's self to the new position it is forced to. On her side the hilt of a weapon rests with no blade, but arks with the life hidden there within.

Approaching the communications officer she simply looks down at the screen as they both listen to the sounds coming from their fellow comrades. Of course to even compare these lesser beings as her equal was enough to make the woman sick to her stomic, but alas she did have to smile and bare it for they looked up to her as if she were some kind of Angle. This all but worked too well for Teresa as she listened.

Placing her hand on the shoulder of the Morai officer she smiled with a sweet glee. "Call them back, I think its time we put out energy into a much more importen project."