Hold the Line

[Miku]

Miku had never dreamed she would find herself as a mercenary. She never seemed the merc type, sure the girl was good with a blade, but she wasn't greedy or bloodthirsty. The time hopping fox just ended up in a tavern where the Empire of Corone was hiring mercenaries for an important mission.

Kami... are you sure about this? I don't want to die and it won't do any good here.

Miku, you're not going to die if you handle this intelligently. I'm sure that this is the best bet. History dictates that the Empire lost this civil war and it left Corone weak. If the empire wins the war then their military would be much stronger when the Immortal Tyrant attacks Corone after conquering Akashima. With the Empire in control the Tyrant may fail then and the counter attack could unseat him, and changing our present to a better place.

Miku blinked a bit and then turned to the commander dressed in bright blue regalia addressed the the mercs in the room. He had a strait goatee and mustache, both very angular as he wore many medals as well. Miku thought it was kinda pretentious and Kami even pointed out that the dull gray star was adamantium, a waste of a great metal.

“You men are going to be well paid for this.” The angular commander spoke with a dignified and strong voice. “The Rangers have a light posting in an old Fort named Old Stalwart. The castle fell into disuse in recent times but now it is an important strategic location for our war.” The man never smiled and Miku kinda stayed out of his view a little. She needed the money and needed the chance to stop the Immortal Tyrant by tipping the scales in favor of the empire.

Miku did wonder why Mercenaries were being hired for this job and not standard Imperial Troops but there seemed to be a sneaky kind of mission and not one where they bust down the gate and Wreck the place. Still Miku was hoping it wasn't a suicide attack, though she looked to her fellow sell swords. Normally sending mercs on such missions just meant the mercenaries would turn coat and add to the enemies forces if they were to be squandered. Miku just had to make sure that she was safe, dying here would not help the future or her own life.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

'Twas fate that placed the mutant in the same tavern at the same time that the other mercenaries were gathering. A separate command from his superior officers in the Corone Empire had him delivering courier supplies in his spare time. A recent successful mission made the superior officers take a closer look at the mutant and thus, sent him on more useful errands. The military was short-staffed these days as young men were more eagerly looking to join the Corone Rangers. Top brass was recruiting heavily and had no choice but to consider its recruitment pool quite careful. Radasanth needed a new breed of heroes. By happenstance, the mutant had joined the Corone Empire on a personal quest devoted solely to the dark lady N'Jal. The mutant's main concern was spreading the will of N'Jal and a war was the perfect opportunity to do so. More importantly, Lorenor was an industrialist. He could see the profit in open-ended warfare. Corone's Civil War need not have a decisive victory, only be maintained. And those wealth-mongers who were hoarding their riches could be paid.

Lorenor wanted in on the machine.

So he worked harder to try to impress his superior officers. The more gold he had to invest into the war machine, the more money he could make. The mutant understood this basic principle being greedy by nature. Wars cost human lives, but the mutant's understanding of Necromancy allowed him to continue to invest in those lives even after their soul had parted into the next life. Lorenor also understood that a greater threat lived in this world, one more powerful than the one poised by an on-going Civil War. It was the threat of Xem'Zund himself. Xem'Zund was always in the back of the mutant's mind even as he lead his new life.

If Raiaera could fall to the mad man's power, why would old Corone stand any chance? Lorenor wondered that. And so, the parcel in his hand was battle plans for the very mercenary mission that they were all about to run, paid for by the Empire.

Corone Streets were filled with angry pedestrians these days. People outwardly protested the movements of the Corone Armed Forces. The Knights of Dawn were also protested against despite the various changes in their regime. The Knights of Dawn was a military power that originally followed the All-Thayne then split to follow Lord Draconus. The Thaynes were a series of deities worshiped as part of a pantheon of gods all over Althanas. Some people reacted with open hostility to the Thaynes. Others embraced the old gods. Lorenor followed the "fallen Thayne" known as N'Jal. A Thayne that was so evil, that she was banished by her family from Althanas.

These days, Lorenor dressed in the attire of a cadet. Steel armor emblazoned with the symbols of the Empire adorned his body. It was a full suit of plate that was masterwork in quality. Normally, the mutant was against such a heavy suit of armor, but the mutant needed to follow protocol as a foot soldier of the Empire. So he simply decided following orders was the best course of action.

Keep his hood over his head, the Salvarn Lord currently wore a cloak that was made of thick hides, and Vlince. Everything he put on his body was masterwork in quality. His Empire's salary allowed him to afford the very best in quality and make. Lorenor spotted the particular saloon he was looking for. It was called the "Ocher Talisman." A rickety old sign danced int he breeze as it came him from the West. Lorenor paused to see some prostitutes in the streets offering their services to the highest bidders. A few soldiers took the bait.

Grinning to himself, the mutant also saw that there was a small squad of soldiers parked outside of the old saloon. Their numbers were roughly six heads that were visible. The mutant understood that several more could be patrolling or running errands. Greeting his fellows with a simple salute, Lorenor entered the Talisman. There was a large group of people gathered for one reason or another, and some were hired sell swords for the Empire.

Understanding the necessity for such a group of soldiers, Lorenor looked around for the commanding officer. He was a Commander with a slender build and athletic physique. Overall, he was an old soldier with a lot of military field medals. Including one particular adamantime award that was rarely given out these days ever since the Eternal Tap was cut off by the greed of the Magi. Holding the parcel in his hand, the mutant walked up to the commander and gave a stiff physical greeting common to the soldiers of the empire. The Commander eyed Lorenor for a moment. Then, asked the necessary question.

"What business have you here, cadet?" The man said calmly.

"I have important tactical information. The superior officers stationed at Junction Street sent me to you with this parcel. I was told to deliver it directly to you Sir." At that point, Lorenor handed the man the parcel, he took it calmly. It had the official seal of the Empire. "I was also told to assist you with whatever I can at the time being. I am completely at your disposal sir." Lorenor added that last part in having assumed the extra orders. They were never stated directly to him, but the mutant was perhaps a little over-zealous and eager to impress.

"Very well. You can join in with these mercenaries if you don't have any other courier jobs to run."

"None, Sir." Lorenor said. "If you have an operation planned, I'd like to be a part of it." The mutant said boldly.

"I have assembled this group of men from carefully chosen mercenaries and sell-swords. The job at hand is too important to trust to random strangers. I can place you in charged of the entire squad."

Blinking with surprise, the mutant was not expecting such a duty. He was expecting to simply be a part of the unit, not given command all together. "Your recent exploits in the Empire's outfits have helped earned you some commendations. You came through at a time when Radasanth needs heroes." The Commander explained. "You are also trust worthy and reliable. I want to keep you in this post for a while and see how you do. Should you succeed, there will be other jobs for you as well." The Commander said.

"Aye Sir. Thank you Sir." The mutant saluted one more time and moved in to join the other mercenaries. "Men. I have a Captain for you all. Your orders will be directly given to you from him." The Commander opened the parcel, quickly read the documents quickly and nodded to himself. He then walked over to Lorenor and handed some of the documents. "Maps and Orders." The Commander said. "Read it at your own leisure." Lorenor understood what that meant. Of all of the mercenaries a particular girl that looked like a fox gave off a powerful presence. Lorenor shot her a side-long glance and then returned his gaze to the Commander. "You are to defend a fortress." He said loudly.

"The Corone Rangers are your enemies, but there is rumors of another threat in that area. The Fortress is located to the South-East of Radasanth in Concordia Forest. There are many such fortresses we are attempting to hold all over Corone. If any of these fortresses fall to the Rangers, they could develop a strong foothold."

"Your concern is simply to weaken the Rangers whilst we resupply our military and prepare to storm the fortress." There was a pause whilst several of the mercenaries talked amongst themselves. Lorenor listened carefully to all of the conversations he could. These sell-swords seemed like a sturdy, experienced bunch. But time would tell. "You will receive the back-up of a fully armed regiment once we are capable of supplying it to you. If you can take the fortress down before then, it will be a huge assistance to our military. You will be well paid for this job. Do well, and there will be more work available." The man added, sealing the deal.

Lorenor prepared himself for his most difficult job of all: To lead.

[Miku]

Miku was rather surprised at the arrival of another soldier, this one in armor of the empire but he didn't look like an imperial soldier and more of a stranger where she couldn't really make out his facial feature except for his eyes as the hood held everything in shadows.

The vixen twitched her tail as she perked her ears to hear of the newcomer's role as the units commander. Miku thought for a moment as she noticed him looking at her. The girl went nervous for a moment and went to check Kirin to make sure it's condition was acceptable for a battle.

Miku, the K-301 is in fine shape, it only has 2% wear and no errors in the wiring. You checked it already.

I, I know, sorry. I just want to be sure.

The vixen was actually nervous about the glance she got. She had a feeling that he thought she didn't belong and maybe the stranger was right. Miku looked out of place, the weakest one here. All the other soldier were bigger and wore armor, she only wore a light outfit of shorts a shirt and a jacket. She wasn't in combat gear but she was hoping that her finesse and quickness would be an asset to the team.

The vixen noticed some other mercenaries stood out as well. There was one man in light leather armor who carried a bow and quiver of arrows who went to sit next to the vixen as orders were givin. “Hey lass, don't get too uptight. The job's not impossible and I know you will be fine as a scout.” He grinned a bit to the girl. “I can tell a girl like you is used to getting around. Not too muscular, not too thin, small breasts...”

Miku blinked and blushed at the mention of that area, the man had little tact though she was mostly surprised about the mention than what he said about them. “Well I'm Arron.” The man greeted. “expert archer and light infantry.”

“Miku, Swords woman and mechanist.” she answered a bit flay with a bow of her head in politeness. She wasn't sure about the archer but he would likely be important. The Vixen then looked to her commander and puzzled out a mystery. Who was he? Was he a strong tactician? Was he even with the empire even though he was in uniform of a cadet?

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"Dismissed."

Came the orders from the superior officer. It seemed clear that this man wanted the operation well under way. Lorenor could hear the words and nodded, he stared at the commander for a long moment, and the man stared back. Then, a smile was exchanged between the two men. Lorenor was a man of many secrets, some would say a dangerous collection of secrets. But the Empire had found a strange ally of sorts with the mutant. As the commander prepared to say something else, another soldier in his entourage stepped forward and placed a hand upon the man's shoulder. Lorenor did not recognize the other soldier. Words were exchanged between the commander and the other soldier and there was a look of frustration that appeared on the man's face.

Lorenor noticed the changes, as much as he could taste them. It was a feeling of electric blue hues, and a taste somewhat like vinegar. Able to see with a capacity beyond that of most Althanians, the mutant could see energy of various colors cascading across the wall, and from the very hearts of men folk. He took in the particular scent of blood in the room as he prepared to go shed it all in the name of the Empire. Most importantly though, in the name of the Red Hand. He thought of Sorahn un' Rohnahmeh, leader and chieftain of the Red Hand. He wondered if his chosen captain would approve of the mutant's secret and covert dealings within the Empire.

Putting his thoughts back on the mission at hand, Lorenor assessed the troops he would be dealing with. A burly fellow with large hands, a braided ponytail that ended mid-waist, orange colored hair, and brown eyes. His cheekbones and general bone structure suggested a Jadet heritage. Lorenor saw that the man wielded a big sword currently resting in its scabbard, in an angle, across his back. The man also had a shield made of dehlar that was strapped across his back as well. Wearing a simple outfit made out of linen, the man spoke in a friendly and jovial voice.

"You gonna be taking over the squad? Shouldah seen what happened to the last guy." The man chuckled. He was a rather clean and well mannered individual who even offered Lorenor his hand and a drink. "We don't have to set out right away, we can get a drink on it first. Whaddaya say?" Lorenor shook the man's hand carefully. "No drink, unless it's water, milk, or juice. I need you lot sober for the remainder of this operation. The operation started as soon as I assumed command of the mission." Lorenor did not like how that last part sounded.

"Gather what supplies you will need for the mission." Lorenor said calmly. "We set out at first light tomorrow morning. Give the men a fresh night to rest up and prepare for battle. There will likely not be a chance to rest again once we set out." Lorenor added. "Very well sire. My mistake. I will be holding you to that drink though." The mutant shook his head at the man's persistence. Then he grinned. "If you live that long, I'll consider it a date." Hearing those words, the jovial man laughed at Lorenor's considerations. "You're well met sire. Where will you be staying at?" The man inquired. "I thought about renting a room tonight."

"Don't bother captain. Me and the lads got the Inn fully stocked right now. However, if you'd like to split rent, we could get you in on one of our rooms."

Lorenor shook his head. "Business dealings huh? All right. I'll split a room with one of the fellows. Preferably you." Lorenor grinned slyly as he looked at the mercenary warrior. The man nodded knowingly. Lorenor instantly liked the jovial fellow. "By the way. My name is Sanders Kathor." He said casually, bowing his head in a welcoming greeting. By then, the commander had excused himself and was off on personal business with the rest of his men. Lorenor looked at the rest of the twenty-some soldiers in his command. Staring at the fox-girl, he kept sensing something very mysterious about her person. A scent that didn't fit in. Her facial features were also unlike any that he had ever seen in Corone or otherwise. She was a complete enigma. Lorenor saw that one of the fellows in the outfit had taken an immediate interest in the girl and decided he would allow the man to talk with her in private. Lorenor took a look around the room and saw many of the mercenaries in his command, and many of the patrons of the talisman. A group of his men were playing cards at a particular table. The mutant took interest in that, but did not abandon his position in front of the jovial man.

"So what time do you recommend we head off?" The jovial man asked.

"First light." Lorenor said. "They will not be expecting an attack in the daylight hours...we catch them off guard. Or at least attempt to. We will sneak in their fortress in disguise as a caravan." Lorenor said casually as the man listened. "What about that drink, sire?" The man grinned. Chuckling at that, Lorenor looked up at Sanders. "You drive a hard bargain." But alas, the mutant agreed to a drink.

[oblueknighto]

Blue woke up and quickly sat up on his bed then rubbed his face and scratched his hair. He got up and did his hygienic business. As he opened the door downstairs he heard the Commander dismiss the group. As he stepped down onto the stairs down he was listening to all the conversations going on he walked around looking for a free seat. Blue had a silk black mask on as always simply with two slits for his nose and mouth and with that he had dumped his helmet for this job because he wanted to play this one out as an official cadet.

Blue was casually walking up to the innkeeper asking for a cup of water and as he received it he turned to surprisingly see somebody straightforward talking with Sanders, a man of his squad. Blue then approached the talkative pair as Blue sipped at his water just to spit it out onto the man next to Sanders. After he apologised to the man he quickly turned to the innkeeper and spoke in a clear defining voice, "I want water, not alcohol, not mead, not juice or even milk. I want WA-TER. Okay?"

"Okay okay, you don't have to be so serious about this, it's just mead.", replied the innkeeper. Then as Blue turned around to once again sip his water he saw Lorenor's face and he was so shocked that he once again sprayed his water over Lorenor. With the bottom of his mask wet Blue spoke to Lorenor, "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were part of this operation and anyway where were you all this time?"

[Mutant_Lorenor]

A short while later, Lorenor sat the table with Sanders Kathor. The fellow drank a goblet of orange juice with a nearby pitcher, whilst he ate his breakfast. Many of the men of the mercenary squadron were situation around the duo as they ate their breakfast and chatted about the mission at hand. They were discussing the recent development of Lorenor joining the fray, as well as the general direction of the mission at hand. As the mercenary drank the orange juice, Lorenor drank a fruit punch of this or that combination of fruits. The mutant wanted all of his people sober for the mission ahead. Able to hear many of the conversations in the room, Lorenor focused on just the man before him. As they spoke about this or that matter, the mutant was mentally prepared for the struggle ahead. It was going to be a fight to remember. Lorenor would be certain of that. As the two talked, a second presence manifested against his sensory grid. Unlike the waitresses of the joint, this presence was a more familiar centralized one. A particularly strong scent of the wild brushed across the mutant's sensory grid and he grinned when he realized who was the owner of the scent.

A man approached the pair, Lorenor looked up, and he saw that it was indeed his fellow and friend, Blue Knight. Blue Knight ignored the conversation Lorenor was having with the fellow from the mercenary army. When he saw the somewhat angry scowl on the man's face, the mutant raised his hand towards his newly made friend. At least he assumed he would become a close friend with the lad. As Blue Knight spoke, Lorenor listened to the youth while taking a pull of the goblet. "Ah yes my friend. It has been sometime since that particular job." Lorenor said, making a reference to a previous mission. "The job made me realize that I was lacking in proper military tactics and strategy so I went and sought out training. I joined the Corone Armed Forces since then and have been working my way up the ranks." The mutant continued to look at Blue Knight for a moment then looked at his friend Sanders. "Introductions are in order." Lorenor said. "Sanders Kathor, this is a long-time friend of mine." He motioned towards Blue to introduce himself. Sanders looked at Blue for a moment, then at Lorenor. "Well why didn't you say so?" Sanders said. "My name is Sanders Kathor, as Lorenor said. Any friend of Lorenor's is a friend of mine." Sanders said with a brilliant grin. They waited for Blue Knight to make the next move.

[oblueknighto]

Blue took a sip from his water and finally drank some of the water then spoke, "It is a pleasure to meet you Sanders and I must say any friend of Lorenor is a friend to pretty much everybody he knows. Making friends and allies is something Lorenor is quite very good at." Blue shuffles into a seat opposite Lorenor and beside this Sanders.

Starting to talk about his squad, "So how was the battle plan, they told you how the Corone Rangers already have men in the fortress, right? The main problem is that there is nobody leading us, nobody to direct us and keep us in line well not that it's completely necessary. I mean, the squad we are a part of doesn't actually have many people who like each other but they're all strong and can handle themselves. I mean, archery requires skill and timing, if somebody strikes at me while I'm sharpshooting there isn't much that I can actually do.

"Now back to questions. I'm surprised that I never noticed Lorenor here before the official briefing so where did you exactly come from? How did you two get acquainted and why does it seems that the squad isn't drinking any alcohol? Did drinking too much make they finally snap and simply stop?"

You can bunny my character to say stuff like "What's so funny?" or "Your hiding something from me, right?" Things that would usually be the reaction for somebody who's paranoid and notices EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL. Since he does have a mental disorder.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Hearing the youth's words made Lorenor think of his younger days. It took him some time to realize how old he actually was. Taking a sip of his own drink, he looked at Sanders for a long moment, whilst he listened. Sanders seemed to keep himself leaned back with his arms folded across his chest. He closed his eyes while he listened to Blue Knight. The mutant saw that their food was placed on the table, breakfast, and he smelled the good stuff there on the plate dishes. Before he continued with the conversation, he turned to Blue and decided manners were in order. It would not do for a Salvarn lord to forget his manners. "Oh incidentally, before I forget, we were starting breakfast Blue. Would you like something to eat? Its on me." Lorenor said offering the youth some breakfast. Then he focused his attention on the conversation at hand. "Honestly I've been at the academy. There isn't much to tell you yet." Lorenor said. "I've just finished training at the Academy and am able to take on jobs for C.A.F. or mercenary units." He explained. "Being a graduate of the Academy makes an individual more desirable than someone who has not."

Sanders nodded at that one. "Old sellswords like myself, don't like rigorous military training. We tend to learn on our own through Adventuring." He chuckled at that and took a sip of his own drink. "Your comment on leadership is interesting. You missed it when Lorenor's superiors put him in charged of the group." Sanders healthily laughed at that. "This will be your first true mission will it not, Lorenor?" He asked of Lorenor. Lorenor listened and thought about that for a moment. "This will be my first mission as a post-graduate." Thinking back to his combat training for a moment, Lorenor put himself through intensive training with the Monks of Ai'Bron, as well as the C.A.F. Military Academy Institute. The mutant made considerable progress with his military training, and even acquired tactics and theorems for proper field leadership. As a man, he'd changed a lot from pre-training, to post-training. He thought about it for a moment, and then continued the conversation. "Yes Blue. The fort will be heavily guarded. We are to kill or arrest any of the Rangers that we find there."

The mutant thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "Acquiring any Officers would be a boon to C.A.F.'s political agenda." He looked at Blue for a long moment. "Do you require any equipment upgrades? We should resupply before heading out. C.A.F. will provide us with necessary weaponry, man-power and rations." Lorenor leaned forward. "I'll see to that personally. This won't be like that time with the Trolls." Lorenor sighed at the mention of the terrible mission against the group of mountain trolls. The mutant began to eat. Then waited for Blue to respond about the offer for breakfast.

[oblueknighto]

Blue was pondering over what was just said and it took some time to take in but it reflected his speech, "Huh? Hmmm. Ahhh, so your in charge now. Ohhh, that's going to get some taking used to since when you last took charge we were all doing our own stuff anyway. Especially how you accept help from anywhere and everywhere. It's crazy really. I wish you luck and will give you help wherever you need it, as long as you give me help by assigning a back guard. Don't worry, I'm sure you would but I've served under many others that have never done such a thing."

Sipping at his drink he eventually found the need to answer the question that Lorenor needed answered, "I'll pass on the breakfast but not on those 'upgrades' of yours. I would love to see what they have in stock as 'necessary weaponry' hopefully it isn't as bad as the crap that those volunteer soldiers get. I even missed my chance with the Golems evaluating all my equipment but I swear I'll catch them off guard one day and make them craft some high quality stuff for me. You could help too. I could use a sword so let's restock after the squad have finished breakfast."

Changing to a calm mood but still talking, "I better go study more at the Academy some time, maybe I could finally graduate like you. I started a while back but I still take breaks from time to time because they don't really care if your there or not, they just care if your doing something that benefits them. Even now it counts as part of my training at the Academy, I get money and I get to fight some rebels. Who wouldn't take up a job like this?"

Then Blue switched to a more grim and serious expression and spoke slowly as he changed his attitude completely, "Yes, the Rangers must all die. They are in the way of our advance, to end war one side must win. No matter which side wins there will be the ruling peace and if you fight for the winning side you could easily gain more than you'll ever want. May have already died in this War and people rebel against the ruling party for the sole reason of defying their military ruling."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

In a laid back and casual sort of way, Lorenor listened to everything that Blue Knight had just said. Always interested in the Elf's words, the mutant closed his eyes for a time concentrating on everything that Blue had said. Though currently not an intellectual by any means, the mutant was also not a stupid person. He'd learned a great deal from the earlier nights as a ghoul emerging from the caverns of Haidia. Now, he was a Salvarn Lord. Go figure. As he listened he took time to contemplate the businesses of the other soldiers. A few were smoking but none were drinking as per his orders. Good. Hard liquor would be had when the battle was over. Lorenor took a deep pull of the juice in front of him as Blue Knight talked. Blue Knight talked for a long moment and the conversation took on a decidedly darker tone. Having no real opinion about socialist matters, the mutant decided that matters of intrigue were better left to the old war-horse, Sanders. Almost as if the man had heard his thoughts, Sanders turned to look at Blue Knight for a long moment and then responded in kind.

"Well the problem with that is, the Corone Rangers are technically a part of the C.A.F. What happened is they split off and went on their own with their own leadership. They are very popular with the lower-classed citizen and have been able to rally support from them." Sanders said. "We as members of the C.A.F. have been unable to rally their support as the Corone Rangers have. Their leadership body is not stupid. They rally the poor and people with low-income, low-education prospects. They grow rapidly in number because the aristocracy cannot decide if it wants to support the Empire or support some other interim form of government." Sanders added, leaning back against his seat. "To me, I say the pyre with everything." He said after a bit. "These fuckers don't care about anybody but those who line their coffers with gold." Sanders thought carefully about what he was going to say next. "The Rangers, are revered as Heroes and have done a good job waging their propaganda war against our leadership body." Sanders kept his eyes on the Elf and took a pull of his drink as well.

After a moment, Lorenor chimed in. "I'm personally not interested in Socialist politics." Lorenor added to the conversation. "It's all a bunch of bullshit anyway." Lorenor turned to look at Blue Knight. "They want us to fight their wars for them, but turn around and put the knife in our backs. If you ask me, the most important aspect about this whole affair is the man standing next to you. Don't concern yourself with the affairs of the aristocracy because not even they know what they want half of the time unless its tax-money filling their coffers." Lorenor scoffed at that last part. Sanders was right, arguing semantics and geo-politics would get them nowhere. "The Corone Rangers wage a campaign to promote themselves as heroes for the common-man. When the common-man is protected under the law in Corone. Empire or not. The law is the law. The Corone Rangers are a bunch of vagrants and ruffians, nothing more. They will eventually defeat themselves as all trends do, and the people who offer them their employment pool will be the ones who suffer the most. The Corone Rangers will not be there to watch their backs." Lorenor said with a tone of acid in his voice. He ate a few bites of the food at the table before him and then waited to hear what Blue Knight would say. When arguing semantics, there was a fine-line between discussion, opinion, and debate. Lorenor would make his opinion known but that was about it. He wasn't trying to sway anybody's heart.

[oblueknighto]

"I understand how you are sympathetic towards others but for somebody like me who once had nothing of mine own started to earn everything myself. I was forced into law like a trained pet put into their natural environment. The people who lead us understand our ways but the people who pay us don't give a shit. We live our lives as part of the CAF but we still have control over our lives. I am meant to be training at the Academy right now but I am still here part of the squad not fighting for the Empire but fighting for my own freedom. I will buy my own freedom out of the world and seek back my destiny. People like Lorenor don't know how to aspire us with words but he does a lot more than that. He acts like a true leader, rushing into combat not giving commands, not telling us what to do. He will order you to defeat your enemy, survive and live another day. Great people like him don't lead a country but they still aspire everybody on the battlefield.", Blue spoke with true inspiration in his eyes.

Drinking the last of his water he continued, "We don't fight for our people, and nobody does. We fight for ourselves, our own reasons. We are the people who are not recorded in history. Every single life lost is just a 'sacrifice' but we all have our lives and I seek to be known as a liar, a cheat, a thief, an archer, a knight, a lord, a legend, an idol, a god. I don't care what people think of me, but I will be whatever I am and nothing else. I wish to be recorded, remembered and known for what I am: FREE!"

Blue broke chord and went back into his usual monotone voice speaking, "Then again, we don't have time for aspiring stories so let's just finish up breakfast and get ready to set off tomorrow. We'll have a long day ahead of us."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Surprised by Blue Knight's words, he couldn't help but think how much they made sense. The Elf always had a trick or three up his sleeve. Lorenor knew that from experience. Sanders couldn't have known or expected Blue Knight to react that way, but Lorenor knew the truth. Blue was a very opinionated and honest person. He was someone that could be trusted. In the other mission, Blue Knight had proven himself to be an adequate friend, soldier, and warrior. He was someone that Lorenor trusted to watch his back and would never put a knife there. Lorenor took a pull from his juice. He let it sit in his throat for a while before swallowing, and finally did. When he was done he took several more bites of the egg and biscuits and other breakfast items that sat on the table. It was a hearty meal. He turned towards Blue Knight. "Either way it goes my friend, make sure you eat heartily. This breakfast is my treat, so there is no worries about it." He reminded Blue of that matter then turned to Sanders. "When we march, it will be an indirect assault. We have to find someway to sneak into their fort..." Sanders nodded.

"Well from what intelligence we know about the Fort, sneaking it seems highly unlikely. They run a very tight shift there. It is our enemy after all and the Corone Rangers are not a mercenary outfit. They are military vets and have been holed up there for a time now."

"Very well. We shall prepare for a long siege, and march as a phalanx might then. We have to be ready for Archers. Are any in the squadron Magi?"

"There are a few." Sanders responded. "Well trained too. They should give us an edge."

"We shall need Arcane Shields." Lorenor commented thoughtfully knowing about the spells from a previous encounter. He had his own shielding capacity if the worse came to pass. Though truth be told, Lorenor did not like his odds. The Rangers were holed up in their fortress with the Thaynes knew what at their disposal. The mutant ate a few more bites until he realized that his plate was empty. Removing a biscuit from a nearby plate, he was thankful for the warmth. Lorenor spread some butter on the biscuit and prepared to consume it. Though he could eat normal food, it was not as satisfying as the freshly hunted flesh of monsters. End of the day, the ghoul was a flesh-eater after all. "We will need some way to penetrate their walls. Transporting a Siege Engine or three would be helpful if we had the backing of the Monks. The Monks are remaining neutral through this whole situation." Lorenor said casually. "Indeed. We could probably get their help in some way, however indirect." Sanders added to the conversation. He was finishing up his meal as well. They only had to wait until Blue Knight was done.

[oblueknighto]

Blue reached for a piece of bread and ate it while listening to Lorenor go on about the battle plans, when Lorenor finished he threw the last of the bread into his mouth and washed it down with his water. He waited for speech but it was him who their attention was focused on. Blue answered their expectations with very direct approach, "As we are all finished up with our tasks at the inn how about we check out these equipment upgrades of yours. I sure hope it's worth the trip."

Blue stood up from his seat moved to the side and then pushed the chair back in. He took his bow from it's rested position against the table and slung it onto his back then did the same with his matching quiver. He stepped towards the door turned towards the pair and said, "Lead the way, Lorenor."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

As Blue finished his meal, the other two finished their meal as well. Lorenor and Sanders stood up a short moment after Blue stood up. Lorenor waved for a nearby waitress, and she approached the trio. After a brief moment of negotiations, the mutant paid the gold that was owed for the meal. Then, he began to move towards Blue. Sanders placed a hand on the mutant's shoulder however. "We're going to the Armory right? I have a connection or two in there we can use. Plus, some of the fellows could use whetstones and what have you for their equipment upgrades." Lorenor noticed that Sanders waved to some of the other members of the mercenary army. Those who saw the signal, spread the word quickly through the ranks. A few who needed the equipment repairs and upgrades, got up, knowing that this was their last opportunity to ensure that any and all equipment was at top condition. Lorenor lead the way, taking the point of the group, with Sanders, and potentially, Blue standing close behind him. After the payments were being taken care of, Lorenor walked outside of the building.

A warm autumn afternoon greeted the small group outside. A breeze came in from the North biting with the edge of Winter. Lorenor wrapped his Salvarn cloak around his person, feeling the warmth and relishing in it. He was a man of simple pleasures, and this was one of them. Being able to adapt to any situation as his skills called for the adaptations. Lorenor turned to look at Sanders for a moment. "Lead the way." He said to the man for a moment. There were a number of C.A.F. storehouses in Radasanth proper. Lorenor was not certain which of the storehouses was their destination. "Number six is not far from here." Sanders said thoughtfully. "That's where we're going." Sanders turned towards Blue. "Try to get some Steel or Plynt equipment. The Rangers will be heavily armed and you will need to be prepared for this mission." After that, he nodded towards Blue and started to walk forward. Overhead, the afternoon sun flared bringing its warmth to the world. Some clouds littered the sky, and the world was preparing for winter once again. Lorenor sighed at that thought remembering what happened during that long, cold, Winter up North in Salvar...

[oblueknighto]

As his words broke the silence and brought up another he waited for a reply but it came from the mouth of another that he didn't expect to talk up in this situation. Sanders had brought up the factor of equipment repair and upgrades and thus many of the squad stood up, Blue was expecting more but it seemed that most of them were already prepared for the upcoming events. Not that Blue wasn't, he just wanted to check out the supplies for what they 'could' take. As Lorenor and Sanders led the group out Blue kept the door open for all the others to come out without any fuss. Being the last one he had an eye on everybody in the squad.

Blue stepped out of the inn taking in the air of the outside. He shook off all his worries as soon as he stepped outside. Even though the atmosphere inside was quite pleasant and relieving it was stuffy and noisy inside where as the outside was a lot better. Well at least compared to the inside. Radasanth was always busy and highly populated but the noise was not of soldiers screaming for more wine or mead but of footsteps in a continuous synchronised chain of stepping, shoving and the other miscellaneous sounds produced by the works, jobs and clothes of the people.

Blue closely followed the rest of the squad from the back determining who was trustworthy and who weren't, who was smart and who were simply determined, who wanted to fight and who were forced, who could fight and who couldn't. He learnt the most basic traits of most of the squad then slowly narrowed down his inspection to the members one at a time. By the time he found two suspicious people they had arrived at the storehouses and Blue found that they weren't suspicious but just nervous quite unlike him. He pretended to be nervous throughout his inspection and actually just had his paranoia kick in.

Finally arriving at the Armoury he slowly stepped across the ground pacing himself so that he would reach Lorenor in the record slowest time of 10 seconds for 5 metres. Of course he was just being paranoid watching the others in the squad converse between themselves. Blue knew that he needed something to focus on or he would become paranoid again so he started staring at the storehouse and stared at it as a whole, then as quarters then into every foot then inch then down to the smallest detail he could find. Then finally the rational side of his mind took over the thinking process. It processed the information all gathered and found the squad to be a capable, healthy organisation filled with good people for the job.

Stopping in front of Lorenor he then spoke, "Let's check it out."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Noticing that Blue took the rear flank of the squad, the mutant thought that strange. Most Archers were ranged units to begin with, but from what he knew of Blue Knight, he knew that the man was always the first one in a battle situation. Seeing that Blue's reaction was somewhat strange, Lorenor decided he would ask him about it at a later hour. For now though, there was a task at hand and he needed to be certain that the task was finished. The mutant walked in silence for the majority of the distance from the inn to Armoury number 6.

Sanders kept looking at him with a strange expression on his face. Lorenor did not mind the attention he was getting from the man. In fact, he rather found it quite flattering considering that he was not the most attractive of individuals on Althanas. If Sanders thought Lorenor was attractive in some way, the mutant would have to as him later. They walked for about ten minutes towards the Amoury. Lorenor noticed a bunch of barracks style buildings that were heavily armed. This was a district of Radasanth that was heavily patrolled by the Corone Armed Forces.

A rather new building greeted them when Sanders lead them to their destination. It stood at several stories high, was made out of newer building material and made capable of withstanding tremendous heat. After the terrible incidents of the razings during the Demon Wars. Lorenor guessed that the building had five or six floors to it judging by the windows, it bore the emblem of the Corone Armed Forces, and was colored a plain brown color. Its edges were edgy as the construction was like a gigantic cube built in the human style of architectural design.

The mutant saw that there were guard posts on every corner of the building, as well as on every building in this area. This seemed to be a district very important to the Corone Armed Forces. Lorenor saw many guards in the area in full battle-suits worn by rank and file. He noticed right away that the guards were fully mobilized for some large operation. When he turned to look at Sanders, he noticed that the man had been looking at him with a strange expression on his face. "They are mobilizing for a big operation. Must be hunting down the Rangers in full force." Lorenor shook his head.

"That's no concern of mine. Enemies come and go. I just expect to be well paid, and well trained." Lorenor said coldly. Sanders nodded. "You will get your dues. I can guarantee it. The C.A.F. pays us well." Sanders then turned towards a man next to Lorenor. "You there. Vendis." The other man turned towards Sanders quickly. "State your position and rank soldier."

"Vendis Snyke. Private First Class. Graduate of the Radasanth Military Academy, top of the class." Sanders nodded. "State your specialty." The man looked at Lorenor for a moment, and then back to Sanders. He hesitated on answering, but only for a moment. "Swordsman top order. Some Archery experience." Sanders nodded. "Good. You there. Partor. State your position and rank soldier." The other man nodded. And that's how it went. Lorenor quickly learned the names, rank and file of every man that had joined him to retrieve new equipment. When they had gone down the entire list, except for Blue, Sanders turned to look at Lorenor. "That fellow Blue is your man. Any man that works with Lorenor can be trusted. I have it in good faith." Sanders said with a sly grin.

The mutant nodded. "You are barely out of your Cadet years but you're already taking command of a full platoon. Remember that Lorenor. The higher ups expect much out of you." Lorenor listened to what was being said and then turned towards the building. "Don't worry about me. Let's just get our gear."

Sanders walked into the building and Lorenor followed. Inside the building was just as plain as the outside, but with a modern touch to design. Lorenor noticed that the hallways all had curved structures to them and there steep inclines to a few. Inclines that created platforms to upper levels. The mutant was impressed by the general design. Tiles were on the floor that were a brown color to match the outside of the building. It seemed that this building was designed more for functionality and less for personal satisfaction. Lorenor noticed the simplicity and masterful crafstmanship of everything inside. Chairs and tables were ornate, people sat around in various modes of dress reading various documents and the central Gathering Hall was well lit.

It took the mutant a moment to get used to the harsh lighting, despite the fact that it was daylight hours still outside. Regretting not having his full power, the mutant knew he was in a weakened state. But that was his secret and it belonged to none other. Sanders walked up to a man that sat behind a large oaken desk. The man was writing something down on a piece of parchment. A feather fountain pen scribbled on the parchment whatever it was that the official needed to write.

Lorenor smelled the well-oiled machine of human flesh and blood hard at work. It was a smell that fascinated him and repulsed him at the same time. The mutant flinched for a moment as if struck in the face really hard by a strong fist. Sanders spoke to the man briefly. Lorenor could have eavesdropped quite easily, but decided to focus his attention span elsewhere. The mutant focused on the various races native to Althanas as they congregated in the building. There were Elves of several different types, Dwarven folk from Jagged Edge Mountains, various breeds of humans, and races for which he had no name.

Once the transaction was completed between Sanders and the man at the desk, the mutant turned his attention back to him. Lorenor waited until he was called, and Sanders motioned for him to walk over to his position. Following his gut instinct, he simply decided to follow for the time being. It was not yet time to lead. "Take this marker." Sanders said. "You and I will have one. It will be connected to our entire platoon. With the marker at hand you can restock effectively towards your skill level." The mutant nodded at that explanation. Lorenor turned towards Blue for a moment and waved for his friend to approach. "Lead the way to where we can get our equipment and we'll be on our way towards their camp. Could you get what I requested?"

"I thought ahead of you." Sanders had a proud expression on his face. "We will have five Siege Engines and the crews to man them."

"Excellent. Stealth will not be a necessary option then."

"From our intelligence there is a weakness in the fort's defenses."

Lorenor raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me." He said, and they began the plans for attack whilst they waited for Blue. In the halls of the Corone Armed Forces main stronghold, he knew they were safe and could talk freely.

[oblueknighto]

Blue stuck to a strictly observation plan as all the members of the squad were being evaluated and noted the names of all these people, their expertise and how they acted. They needed to equip the whole squad so of course they needed to know what was actually needed. When the rest of the squad’s required equipment were taken down Lorenor and Sanders began conversing again while walking towards the storehouse. Following them Blue was the third to enter the storehouse as he closely observed the structure and detail of the building. They passed many guards and many other members of the C.A.F. while they proceeded through the building.

The interior was very plain but had fine details that almost shoved themselves out to tell that Blue was walking through a building so well made that even the differences in the look makes the building as solid as it is needed for its purpose. The structural make of the building was amazing to look at as it combined the strength of a circular structure with a magnificently simple look. Neither going too far on the complete purpose built structure or the interior look of the building. The tiles were the same tone, shade and deepness as the brown on the outside of the building. The furniture was very fancy and the small decoration there were on the walls were only intended for symbolic reasoning.

Blue then watched as Sanders tended to the official services of collecting the equipment or whatever else was needed in their current situation. The two then walked back together and as the two concluded their scene Blue was signalled to get back to them so he slowly walked towards the two and listened to their conversation. He hadn’t bothered to listen up to now but just observed with his eyes and made a basic take on whatever was happening. As the two of them continued their conversation Blue tried not to butt in until he actually had something decent to say unlike while they were at the inn. There it was a free place but now they were within the vicinity of many high up officials and were in a military facility filled with things they needed and many others treasured.

Blue wasn’t surprised when he heard that Sanders knew the weakness in the fort’s defences. Everything has a weakness and if they didn’t then they would be weak. Ever positive has a drawback and everything is equal just as some take advantage of their advantages while some get too scared of their disadvantages that they emphasise them and make them more obvious. The fort being a military station and all already had their weaknesses hidden beforehand but it's building structure would have been known to the military as it was previously their base and all.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Sanders laid it all out for them.

Lorenor nodded towards Blue when the lad rejoined them. "This is important Blue, so pay attention. I want you to be in my personal attack squad." The mutant said casually knowing that this would affect Blue greatly. Lorenor returned his attention span to Sanders. "All right everyone, listen up. Here is the battle plan." Lorenor saw that Sanders was removing several documents, maps included, of the fortress they were going to storm by force. They all walked towards a nearby strategy planning table. Sanders took the head of the table with Lorenor close by, and the rest of the squad gathered around them from there.

The mutant folded his arms across his chest and watched the postures of the others quite carefully. Things like body language, patience, and discipline would play a large role in the battle that was coming. Noticing that one or two of the squad members were slacking off, Lorenor memorized their faces quickly. He would pull rank if necessary as the superior officer in the group to set an example of trouble-makers.

"All right men, this is a map of the enemy fortress." Lorenor observed the drawing, and noticed that it was fairly simplistic in nature. There was some colored inks on the drawing as well to make the image slightly less plain than it would normally appear. The etches were a series of broad, swift brush strokes. Someone probably went through great lengths to complete the drawing. Evident in the artists' brush-stroke was a tremendous level of skill. "There are several floors to the fort in layers. Approximately ten floors including underground stations." Lorenor listened intently. "Here." Lorenor saw that the man moved his hand to the wall of the main structure. "That's the fortress' wall. It is very strong made to easily withstand a full-scale siege." The man said calmly. "Here, here and here." He pointed at the drawing at several different places. "There are sniper positions sitting within guard towers from what we've been able to gather. Our main platoon will gather here with the siege engines." Sanders said and pointed to an area roughly a mile or two out from the fort itself.

"However, the main platoon will be merely a distraction. A small, covert force consisting of myself, and Lorenor, and a group of tactical warriors will enter the fort through here." Pointing to the far end of the structure, Sanders revealed the weakness of the fortress. It was an ancient sewer gate that looked to be poorly guarded from the drawing on the map. "We will attack on two fronts. With the main force actively engaging our platoon we can attack from underneath them."

The mutant nodded at that. "They will not suspect a two-pronged attack." He said casually.

"That is the main idea." Sanders said. "That will be the battle plan. We will get our equipment now, and that will be that. We will begin preperations to siege the fort soon afterward. Our Magi will teleport us here, to this location." Sanders said and pointed to another location on the map to the southwest of the fortress, near to the sewer entrance. "We will gather our equipment now." And Sanders rolled up the maps, put them away, and prepared to head off to the equipment area.

Lorenor and his men followed.

[oblueknighto]

Blue took in Lorenor's words in a very serious fashion, he wondered what would be so special about being in his personal attack squad, was it just the ruling of word over the others or was it a group made to act differently? Being under Lorenor's direct command would change a lot of things for the soldiers as they would need to fight differently, accept all orders and obey Lorenor's own law. It could even just be there so that he squad is more unified under his lead as the squad as a whole would need to be cut into smaller bits and then even further to operate in an optimum way while storming a fortress.

As Lorenor had requested Blue intently listened to Sanders, not that he wouldn't have without the instruction. The plan was a twisted take on a two-pronged attack with the essence of a delayed sneak attack. The planning was a little too simple for Blue's liking but he didn't mind following out the plan as he knew it seemed a lot more simple than it would be to carry it out. Blue was part of the small covert force who will entering the fortress through the ancient sewer gate. It was a little on the dirty and disgusting side but it could never match the grotesque brought up in Blue's history.

Blue nodded when they once again brought up the equipment and he walked right behind Lorenor as they approached the equipment area. He expected the smell of rust and the dull sight of old blades and metals but instead he smelt polish and the bright gleam of blades as the light shined onto them. The equipment wasn't so bad after all as it was about ten times better than Blue's expectations.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

They arrived at a chamber that had a long table in front of it. Several well-dressed guards were visible in this hallway. Pacing back and forth at various intervals of time. This was a high-security vault. The guards were heavily armed, and even a few civilians were visible here conducting business with the guards. Lorenor could only guess at whatever it was that was being done. Seeing that it was Sanders leading this particular part of the adventure, Lorenor walked closely behind the man who acted as leader alongside the mutant. Lorenor kept observing the central activity of the vault area. The guards were comprised of an assortment of races. Lorenor even saw some bulky dragonians in the suits of armor. Overall, there were roughly thirty folk in the hallway that were visible to the naked eye. There were several more folk that Lorenor's eyes did catch on a different spectrum of sight. These men were clearly rogues and other stealthy units that did not want to be seen until it was too late. Admiring the security detail, Lorenor was thankful that he'd opted in joining in on the Corone Armed Forces.

"It's the next one over." Several vaults lined the wall. Each vault had a thick damascus security door with several locking mechanisms in play. The mutant felt the weight of archaic enchantments in the air. He could see several complex symbols present on the walls at or near the vault sites. One of the vaults had a symbol of glowing sword and shield, it was this vault that contained the armory for the Corone Armed Forces. "Wait here Lorenor." Lorenor saw Sanders walked towards one of the seated men and conduct some business with him. When that was happening, Lorenor continued to observe the area around him. A female guard walked over to Lorenor with a grin on her face. Observing that, the mutant turned to look at her calmly. "You're that recruit. The one that everybody is talking about aren't you?" He heard her ask. "I'm nothing special. I don't see why people are talking me at all." He saw that she chuckled visibly at that. "That's not what we here in this location. You're making quite an impression with the brass." She said casually. "Your name is Lorenor is it not?"

The mutant nodded. "What would yours be?" He asked casually. "My name? My name is Rebekah." Lorenor nodded at that. "Rebekah Miller. I was hoping I got a chance to talk to you before you took off." Lorenor frowned at that. "Why is that Rebekah?" He asked. "Well it's like this. A few of us got wind of the mission you're about to undertake. And well, we want to join you." Blinking several times at that, the mutant was taken aback. "How many of you want to assist?" Lorenor waited for the response. "Well it's like this. We're not doing much except for patrols around here, and we wanted in on some front-line action. So there are fifty of us that can be added to your platoon. But I want to fight alongside you." She said calmly, a certain look in her eye that Lorenor noticed. The mutant thought carefully about this. "Do you know who it is we're fighting? It's likely a suicide mission." The mutant knew that Blue Knight was nearby to his person. So he was speaking so that they could hear him. The other mercenaries were talking amongst themselves.

"I understand that. We are ready to assist you in anyway we can. We understand that this if your first command mission it is not?"

"Possibly. Though I've lead in other contexts." Lorenor said truthfully. "This is my first military campaign under Corone's banner." The mutant added keeping a very neutral expression on his face. "I understand." She said. "Your experience is highly sought after. We need strong, active leaders." Lorenor listened to her words, and then Sanders returned to their position. "You may join us." Lorenor said. "I want you to work directly with me." He added. He saw her nod and bowed deeply to the mutant. "I look forward to serving alongside you Lorenor. I am eager to see what you can do in a fight." The mutant nodded in response. "Walk with us then." And she did so, they walked over to the vault area to get their equipment checked out. Whoever needed updates would get them, but the mutant would not need any. He kept his equipment in prime condition. So when it was his turn to get his equipment checked out, Lorenor said one thing and one thing alone. "I want a mythril shield or equivalent is one is available." The man nodded. "Yessir, right away." Soon, the mutant had a shield that was masterwork and made of plynt. It would do. They didn't have extra mythril equipment available. Blue would get whatever he needed. The mutant attached the shield to his belt. It was masterwork and enchanted so that it was very, very lightweight. Once they were all ready, it would be time to go.

"Just a shield?" Sanders asked.

"Aye. I needed something to keep me alive a little while longer."

He saw Sanders chuckle at that and he grinned himself.

[oblueknighto]

Blue observed the happenings around Blue and at the guard's approach he noticed their sudden dealings with Lorenor. They quoted his unique nature as a recruit yet didn't bring up his unique nature as an undead which was quite common seeing the dealings of the Corone Armed Forces. Around his he could see humans, elves, drow, draconian, dwarven and even the odd undead. There were many other variations of those humanoids but they were essentially all the same in Blue's opinion.

The guards spoke of joining the squad and weren't even surprised at joining a suicide mission for the Empire. They all wanted glory in battle and thought that was better than life, Blue guessed. It was an understanding trade and as Blue was part of the mercenary business he could sympathise with the group of guards. The conversation ended with the guards officially joining their squad under Lorenor's command. Blue almost cracked up when the guard spoke of Lorenor being a strong and active leader. He could see how she was right in comparing him to those of Corone's army but if Blue knew something it was that Lorenor wasn't sought after because of his strength or his activity but his involvement with others and their cooperation with him. He wouldn't make much of a difference if he ran into large-scale battle alone. Then again, Lorenor was never alone so Blue didn't have much proof of that fact.

Now walking closer towards the vault area they finally saw the equipment up close and despite all his expectations rising they never dropped. Lorenor was in front of him in the equipment line taking only a simple shield and for some reason Sanders found it interesting so Blue added, "It's not like being undead means your invincible, just a lot harder to make them suffer and accept death as they are already dead. If that was what you meant..."

There wasn't any high class material but there were still things made of steel and plynt laying there for collection by the time it was his turn. He stared the equipment handler in the eye observing his hazel eyes staring Blue not in the eye but around his face then around his hands. The handler then looked up at Blue then spoke, "So what is it? Go on, tell me what you want."

Blue replied in a manner not suited of a request, "That blade, my friend is a great made.", spoken as he pointed to a blade made of plynt. Observing it anybody would have taken it as any ordinary sword but it had core along the middle of it. The core was almost in the shape of another sword in the longsword Blue was seeking so he decided on that one.

"Uhh, so you want that blade, right?", said the equipment handler

Replying Blue answered, "Yes, actually I WOULD like to take that one."

As the handler handed the longsword over to Blue he walked out of them line examining the blade staring into it's core noticing that it was semi-transparent and then upon staring through it and looking past it at the marble floor he made a wide grin under his mask and then started laughing at his findings, the core was made of Cillu. Then walking towards Lorenor he showed him the blade and asked him, "This is pane glass, no? Why would anybody make a core of pane glass around a longsword of plynt? It's completely insane! Even the pommel is made of pane glass! It seems almost as if somebody had crafted a blade of plynt right over a blade of Cillu. Craftsmen have completely no taste wasting money like that."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"The weapon probably detaches into two separate weapons." Lorenor noted.

"Glass from Fallien is very sharp. Treat that weapon with great care Blue and it will save your life. I see that the craftsmanship is masterwork in nature just by looking at it." Lorenor said casually to Blue as his companion was testing out his new find.

Once everybody was finished gathering their things, the mutant nodded to Rebekah and Sanders.

"We will ride now. We've used up a lot of time in the preparation. Our enemy will not hesitate to take advantage of that." Lorenor said. "It is important that we move on without fear now."

He saw Sanders nodded. "We've all fought many battles Lorenor. The hour is upon us. We are eager to end this dreaded Civil War. The Corone Rangers have many allies, but we have many more on our side."

The mutant looked at his fellows.

"We must use any means necessary to defeat our enemy." The mutant said. His mind was sharp, and he was ready to ride into battle. He was eager to kill the enemy.

"What are you suggesting?" He heard Sanders ask.

"I have some tricks up my sleeve we can call upon. It shouldn't be so one-sided. The siege will distract them long enough that we can call upon some of my tricks." The mutant said casually with an air of confidence. "I'm hoping security will be lax because of the frontal assault we are throwing at them." Lorenor observed.

His hand was rubbing his chin casually as they walked back to the main area of operations. Lorenor knew that by now, everybody should be ready for the battle. Noting that he was right, the mutant saw that his men were outside of the tavern waiting for him.

"Hail!" One of the soldiers said. "I trust that your operation was successful?"

Nodding at the words, the mutant was ready to ride.

"Sanders, are preparations ready for mass-transport?" Lorenor was looking at Sanders casually.

He saw that the man pointed towards the Magi in the group.

"They are ready. We only need to go to one of the Transport Chambers and they will do the rest. The Siege Engines were prepared as of last night. We were going to use them to storm the enemy fortress anyway."

"Excellent. We will do this then. Ready the men, we ride." Lorenor said, and they made the necessary plans to move ahead with the mission.

Moving a large platoon of several hundred mercenaries across a large area of land was no easy feat. The act would require tremendous planning, careful calculations, and a tremendous amount of magic. The entire platoon began to walk towards the designated area of transport where magi could safely work the teleportation magics. There were areas set aside in magi towers where they could access the land of Phantaria freely. Through Phantaria one could travel great distances quickly and efficiently. It was through one of these transport gates that the magi would send the entire platoon to their fates.

The battle had begun.

[oblueknighto]

Under his mask Blue kept his grin and burst out into three short stutter of laughs. Lorenor had told him that of the weapon's nature, he took the information in but was surprised that nobody had noticed the glass inside it before. He swung it around a few times and was surprised at how balanced the sword was, it was truly a masterfully made sword with it's balance perfect even when the core was made of a completely different substance.

Once everybody had completed their collection from the equipment handler they joined up and confirmed the battle plans making some confirmations on how hard the battle would be and how many people would be taken in the process they had to show no fear of their own death. The group moved on and exited the armoury heading to the tavern where the others were well armed and ready for the upcoming battle. When they arrived outside the the tavern Blue's mind split off and listened carefully as a late joiner to the squadron, it seemed that the Siege Engines were already prepared the night that Blue slept through and they were fully operational even with their change of plans.

As they finally led the march to the guarded gate, the guards were heavily armed with great weapons and you could tell that they were all well trained. These were probably veteran guards charged with the honour of keeping intruders out from one of the Corone gates and keeping infiltrators from inside the gate out of Corone. Their weapons weren't the ordinary shiny weapons that guards were given out of protocol, these veterans had lances, blades and even axes that were shiny in general but more purpose suited than the regular traditional weapons most guards had.

As the main gate opened up for the squadron Blue could see another gate that was smaller in size but shone with a bright light every colour of the spectrum flowing through the round archway. On the end supports he spotted glyphs with the gaps spread evenly along the metal archway forming the space that the portal fills. It was large enough for the whole of the squad to enter without much difficulty, and they did.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Reality blurred when they touched the realm of Phantaria. For a moment, Lorenor's senses completely blacked out at the exposure of time and space. Everything became nothing for the briefest of moments, and there was a brilliant flash of light. Lorenor felt like he was being pulled somewhere by invisible hands. The speed was mind-bending. He traveled quickly across the realms and into the lands of Phantaria. Once he was pushed out of the gate, the mutant landed on solid ground. Someone grabbed at him. Feeling a tremendous amount of pain coursing through his body, Lorenor growled in agony as he attempted to orient himself. His senses returned a few moments later. No longer, could he detect the Firmanent or the Antifirmanent. They were in Phantaria now. There were different laws of physics that were in play within this plane of existence. Several other individuals made their way through the gate, soon, the entire squadron was there. Everybody had passed through the gate successfully. As the individual grabbed at Lorenor he smelled that it was Rebekah.

"You get used to the pain, just breathe. It will all be over soon." She said casually to her companion.

Lorenor nodded once, then twice and tried to catch his breath. His hand went to his chest as he did this. Several individuals were around him as they all gathered on a large platform. Sanders walked over to him with a document in his hand.

"Okay we're looking for a certain platform and a certain door. I have it labeled here on this document that the fellows in the Gate-Area provided."

"How far away is it?" Lorenor asked. "I'm having some trouble adjusting to this place." Lorenor added.

"Well, we all are in a way. Some of us have been here before. So the effects of this place are not new." Sanders said in response. "So just take as much time as you need to in order to adjust."

All around them, the world moved. Phantaria had its own unique sights and sounds. It was an orgy of the senses. Lorenor smelled sulfur in the air, which reminded him a bit of the pyre. A bitter smell, the mutant had to cover his face with part of his cloak. As he looked around, he saw a barren wasteland of many platforms. Some of the platforms defied gravity. They were upside down with staircases leading to and from their structures. Doors were everywhere. Some of the platforms had as many as a thousand doors leading to and from different location. A loud howling wind drifted in the background carried debris everywhere. Lorenor could see the movement of the wind as it passed. There was a brilliant white space everywhere. There was no sky, no ground, no space or time. There was simply Phantaria. Platforms were laid in no immediately recognizable pattern as far as the eye could see. Stairs stretched for infinity. On the platform that they were on lurked about fifty doors, all leading to unique locales on Althanas.

What Lorenor noticed was that there were beings traveling the platforms. Some of them were natives of Phantaria, and others were travelers like they were. Moving from place to place on Althanas. None of the travelers paid any attention to Lorenor and his crew. They simply went about their business. Lorenor felt tiny compared to the weight of Phantaria. Yet, somehow, the land seemed familiar to him...as if he had been there before. A part of him felt like he was walking on his own grave. Shaking his head, Lorenor looked for Blue.

"Blue come here when you're ready. We're going to take formation and I want you to stay close at all times. When a battle occurs, be at the ready."

[oblueknighto]

Hyperventilating, for some reason Blue related the feeling of entering Phantaria almost like the sensation of hyperventilation. Blue felt numbness, tingling, light-headedness, chest pain. All which he recognised as reaction to hyperventilation, he took carefully moderated breath to try recover from the physical difficulties he is in. He had hyperventilated on many an occasion where he needed to pretend to be unconscious but of course he knew how to get out of it and regain control. First the tingling ended and then the numbness, soon only the pain remained. To Blue handling pain was like handling air, he always experienced it whether it was from combat or training as having a higher pain threshold was always something that warriors, fighters, knights and anybody of that sort needed.

Blue had come to Phantaria expectedly but for once he didn't bother to evaluate the risks beforehand, now with sudden realisation he made a big mistake. He stared into the nothingness of the plane, they were almost in a new world compared to the Firmament. The world moved differently, time flowed differently, the space stood differently.

Sniffing the gas that the Phantaria was filled with it was easy to discern with the clear smell of a substance he knew well, it was one that man of the 'new' countries had around. The smell gave off a clear signal that the air was more flammable than the atmosphere of Althanas, it smelt like the stuff they use in gunpower or other highly flammable materials that were invented for that purpose.

Even the sounds of the Phantaria were weird in how they literally went in one ear and went out the other, the winds were the only natural sound that Blue could make out. Then he turned to Lorenor who had turned to him, Blue took the order and started walking closer and closer to his leader. Their group set up their battle formation where Blue was pretty much next to Lorenor. Raising his bow above his head Blue fired an arrow to try test out how the atmosphere handled the weight and speed of an arrow. The arrow was let go at a forty-five degree angle so that it wouldn't hit anybody even if it dropped at any time.

"Awaiting further orders, My Lord.", said Blue in a sarcastic tone.

Could you include in your post if anything weird happens to the arrow, as I would like to know if there should be any distinctive differences from the Firmament.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Moving some distance into the sky, the lone arrow flowed towards the atmosphere. Interacting with the strange phenomenon that was all around in Phantaria, the arrow was subject to the bizarre laws of physics. Traveling about ten feet into the air, the arrow moved quickly for a short moment then strangely began to slow down. Finally, after the increased slow-down period the arrow seemed to hover there indefinitely. Lost to the confines of Phantaria's physics, the arrow hovered briefly of its own volition. Suddenly, a burst of debris struck the arrow with the strange sulfuric properties. The arrow burst into flames and vanished. There was a loud crackling noise as the arrow was shattered apart. Dust and debris from the arrow flew into the winds and were captured by them, lost forever. After the impressive display of raw energy, it was clear that Phantaria had its own agenda. With the arrow completely gone, everyone turned to look at Blue. Lorenor had a grin on his face but most were worried.

Sanders walked over to Blue. "Don't do that again. It draws needless attention to our party. There are monsters here too."

There were many sounds in the winds. It was the sounds of wails in the wind as if there were beasts traveling within the wind itself. A few moments later, something manifested in front of the group. Lorenor felt a tremendous power from the manifestation. Drawing his prevalida sword, Lorenor turned to face the newcomer.

"Lorenor, don't. It's one of them Elementals!"

Taking a good look at the creature, the mutant saw a manifestation of raw power. Energy crackled from the beast to the point that the reality itself of Phantaria rippled against the energetic phenomenon. Lorenor saw that the creature had a roughly humanoid configuration. It had two arms, no legs, several heads, and an upright spinal column. It was largely a blue-colored manifestation. The energy that wrapped around the creature was of a similar effect to the creature itself. Lorenor noticed that the temperature dropped considerably at the presence of the elemental. Each of his heads had different faces and different facial expressions. The mutant did not like the possibility of having to face such a being. Each head had long hair that flowed in the breeze. It was dressed elegantly in masterwork silk clothing that were dyed in blues and greens. Lorenor thought that the beast was a water elemental of some sort. Listening to what Sanders said, the mutant kept his weapon drawn. Suddenly remembering his damascus sword, Lorenor decided to sheath his prevalida weapon and draw that weapon instead.

Lorenor's damascus sword glowed with elemental energy. "If it wants a fight, I'm willing to oblige!" Lorenor said all too eagerly, without fear.

"Battle formations!" Sanders yelled, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He drew his own weapon.

"There is no need to draw your weapons against me." The Elemental began speaking. Voices, in everyone's head. It communicated with some sort of telepathic means. "I was merely curious at what such a large military presence was doing in Phantaria. The winds tossed your scent in my direction and I responded. Others would be thirsty for blood by now. But I am merely here to observe. That is unless you really do wish to fight me. Which would be folly." The Elemental said directly into their minds.

Lorenor was used to hearing voices. He turned to look at Sanders and Rebekah, and Blue for a long moment. The three represented his most trusted officers. Rebeka's face was relaxed, Sanders had a slightly worried expression on his face, and he wasn't sure about Blue. Blue always wore that mask to hide his expression. Then, Lorenor turned to face the Elemental.

"Will you let us pass then?"

"Pass? Nobody said anything about letting you pass. You must earn that right. Though I am here to observe, I cannot allow you to simply walk through Phantaria unchallenged." The elemental said. Energy began to gather at a quickened state.

"So then we must do battle." Lorenor said, challenging the elemental in response. "Name your stakes!" Lorenor called to the elemental.

"If you defeat me, I will reward you handsomely. And you will earn the right to pass. If you fall you must return to where ever shit-hole you came from. And never return to Phantaria."

"We shall see about that!" Lorenor yelled at the beast, and then held his damascus sword in hand. He turned to look at Sanders. "Let's do this then."

"Shields at the ready!" Sanders yelled to the men. "Archers!"

Lorenor equipped his newly acquired shield and added it to his combat stance.

The elemental moved into his own combat stance.

Channeling elemental energies, the creature called forth the vast powers at his command. Moving his two arms forward, the creature conjured two elemental swords, and a powerful aura gathered about his body. When it slashed through the air, a powerful gathering of elemental water manifested at the sword blade's maneuver. An arching beam of elemental water flowed through the air and expanded in size quickly as it moved to attack the group. With a formed phalanx, the soldiers prepared their shields and readied their bodies to push against the blast. Lorenor broke formation to distract the elemental. He prepared his damascus sword and took a quick leap over the blast, flipping in mid-air. Landing on the other side, the mutant moved to engage the powerful elemental. With his two elemental blades, the creature charged against Lorenor and the battle began. This battle was for the right to pass through Phantaria unchallenged as far as such matters went.

Archers launched arrows through the air, and magi launched spells quickly that were cast right away. Warriors kept their shields up and blocked the majority of the elemental blast. It still went through the shields, and a few of the warriors were knocked out by the powerful energy. In this fashion, there were roughly three casualties all together. However, they were not killed. Simply, they were knocked out. Each side would fight until there was a decisive winner. Lorenor engaged the creature directly whilst it periodically launched water spells at the group...

[oblueknighto]

Blue watched his arrow fly through the natural phenomenon known as the Phantaria, the world of doors, the entrance to time, the elimination of space, the magical realm which was supposedly meant to control the Firmament. The arrow flew in an ordinary manner for just a moment before it slowed to a stop. The arrow was stopped in mid air and it hovered there as if there was no force pushing it anywhere, the energy pulled away from the movement. Then the energy returned as the scattered remains of something broken crashed into it. As predicted Blue was correct about the atmosphere and it was indeed a lot more flammable than the gas on the Firmament. The arrow burst into flames then dissipated, almost like dust flowing apart. The arrow had disappeared into 'thin air' as some would say, the wind would carry it's remnants away to another part of the plane where it would build up with some other material and form something else, probably more debris.

Blue got warned about his quick experiment and was told not to repeat it, he didn't care much because he never planned to. It was a one-time test, something that he observe clearly without trouble. The phrase about monsters troubled Blue as he forgot to research on them, he hadn't even planned to go through Phantaria at all, but the mission is priority, something he needed to do for his own good.

Soon something formed in front of their group, the grotesque yet unique nature of the creature was very interesting for Blue to observe, the way it moved was in synch with Phantaria almost as if it was a part of the plane. One thing that Blue did know about the elemental was that it was something that belonged here, not something that came from the Firmament. It was a native the the plane unlike the squad which he assumed it took as intruders who wanted land, like a wild beast protecting it's territory.

Many members of the squadron quickly took on an offensive stance against the native but Sanders was quick to defend then to turn his stance towards the elemental too. They conversed for a short time discussing the battle at hand and when it ended the squad were already in formation to attack.

Blue quickly jumped out of the way as the water pulse rushed past him, he had nearly been caught in the wave. There was a need for quick regrouping as the elemental broke their formation. Although the native elemental was heavily outnumbered it put up a good fight, almost being even in strength. Blue knew the reactions of the world on his arrows so he rushed forward right behind Lorenor and now only 6 feet away from the creature he knocked his arrows one by one and fired them off. The first arrow didn't even reach the elemental with his spell slowing it then breaking it up, the next three arrows were shot into the elemental but didn't damage it directly.

Exactly as Blue had planned it, the third arrow his the first and second making them all burst into flames. The flames didn't really affect the elemental physically but it did make some of the attacks weaker, the steam was different from water and it seemed that the elemental either couldn't control it or had difficulties with it. Despite the usage of the flame it didn't make any major differences to the battle so Blue simply fired one last arrow above the elemental and let it hover there.

Dropping his bow back onto the ground Blue drew his newly acquired blade hoping that it wouldn't burn up like his arrows then he realised his enemy was made of a watery liquid that would simply turn to steam. Charging towards the squadron the elemental was closing in on their defence line which Blue was now part of, well the part of the defence line that hadn't been affected by the elemental attacks. Lorenor was the first to engage the native elemental with his blade in one hand and shield in another, Blue rushed in after him swinging his sword diagonally across the elemental, the strike was somehow blocked by the pure conjuration of energy pushing Blue back.

Yelling to Lorenor, "Give the order to surround the creature, we need to get closer to it if we are to win, arrows aren't effective and magic fizzles out of control more than normal in this plane, the warriors must be the main force in the attack."

Blue engaged the elemental from the other side of Lorenor whom had another warrior beside him. The warriors were not small in number compared to the few that had been defeated in battle although the archers in the squadron were a lot less competent in the plane of Phantaria.

The battle would be quick but they would have to go all out if they wanted to win.

As always, point out anything that doesn't belong or something that I have assumed about Phantaria or it's effects.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Moving with the altered laws of physics that existed within Phantaria, the arrows shot just past Lorenor's shoulders.

"Watch your aim!" The mutant yelled to nobody in particular, he was too busy parrying.

Adapting to the role of leadership, Lorenor flanked to his right to avoid incoming arrow shots. The rest of the men of the 103rd had bolts and arrows comprised of superior make to Blue's. These arrows flowed along a different line of physics in Phantaria than Blue's arrows. Some of the arrowheads and boltheads were naturally lighter, made of mythril and other materials like dehlar and plynt, making them much lighter. These arrow shots were never shot directly at the elemental, but rather, they were shot at strange angles near or around the elemental. This was done in a deliberate strategy of forming distractions. Talking amongst themselves, archers and magi planned various strategies to distract the elemental and to injure it as much as possible. Alone, there was no chance of defeating the beast, together, they were mighty. The fallen were moved off quickly to the side by healers and clerics. Magi launched bursts of wizard's fire across the battlefield meant to target the elemental by its naturally assumed weakness.

Wizard's fire was coated with the unnatural air of Phantaria, and moved much quicker through the air.

"Attack at will!" Lorenor yelled, taking advantage of his newly discovered leadership position.

Sanders moved in with his longsword at Lorenor's left, and several other warriors attacked in unison as well. When the arrows burst nearby to Lorenor's position, shrapnel and debris got caught in the mutant's body. His skin was thick thanks to his endurance, so the mutant barely felt the wood shrapnel that hit him. A large chunk of the wood pierced through his vlince clothing and jutted into his left deltoid muscle. Flinching at the impact, the mutant wanted to yell out in anguish but decided against it.

They were in the middle of war against a very serious opponent.

Managing to maneuver behind the Elemental, a small group of warriors quickly covered the distance between themselves and their opponent. The mutant kept the creature as busy as he could. He moved at an accelerated speed and reaction time, countering each incoming attack from the elemental's weapons that he could. Moving with the speed of water, the elemental flowed across Phantaria with supernatural speed. He moved faster than even Lorenor's best speed!

However, something was happening. The arrows that were shot at odd angles were bursting in the wind, or serving to easily distract the elemental. The elemental began to swipe at the arrows and bolts instead of concentrating fully on the warriors surrounding him. Bursts of wizard's fire flowed through the air connecting with the creature. In some cases, bursts of magical energy crackled through the air in brilliant explosions of light. Some strands of the magical fire flew dangerous close to the mutant's position.

Flowing to avoid incoming attacks, the elemental felled two more warriors.

Something happened just then. There was a burst of elemental fire as it hit the beast, and a few strands of the rippling elemental energy touched Lorenor's person as well. The wizard's explosion quickly engulfed the mutant and he couldn't suppress a scream that time. Despite his natural endurance and affinity for pain, the mutant was outmatched. Elemental energy rippled across his person, but an idea quickly struck the mutant's mind. Holding sword in hand, Lorenor ran towards the elemental at best speed. With the fire threatening to explode the mutant to ash, Lorenor jumped on the beast. Holding him with his beast strength, the mutant allowed the energy to burst through the elemental as well. As Lorenor got burned, he burned the elemental. Energy cascaded in a brilliant explosion, as the warriors that were nearby understood what Lorenor had just done.

"Now!" Yelled Sanders.

And the attack was on, just as a brilliant burst of light that came from within Lorenor exploded nearby to the elemental injuring it further...

The being was stunned for a brief moment...

[oblueknighto]

Blue rushed at the enemy as Sanders gave the signal. The others warriors were already surrounding the native elemental so they engaged it first but the majority of them didn't even harm the elemental even if distracting it for moments. Their attacks weren’t deflected by the elemental’s body but pass straight through the emptiness that was their enemy but one of their warriors had their blows glance off something. The angle of his attack was diverted giving off a few scenarios in Blue’s head and he run through them until he got the image of the warrior either being a retard or that there was something actually solid inside the elemental. Something solid was a good start to kill him since all the attacks on him so far had been shrugged off with time not giving them any edge over defeating the native elemental. They needed to find its weakness or at least weaken it somehow.

Then the prior events hit him.

Lorenor had sacrificed himself, or did what made it seem like he was sacrificing himself. Their leader had just rushed into the elemental head high all while flaming in a world with a high flammable than the air on the Firmament, ramming into the elemental with his sword in his hands. The excess amount of energy crashed back onto of itself and then exploded. Someone needed to take care of the squad even without Lorenor commanding them and Blue sure wasn’t going to be the one to take that role since he had no will to do it, all he wanted to do was get the job done in a clean fashion. He never wanted to get involved and didn’t even know that Lorenor was present until the mission had initiated but he had to keep his cool and continue acting as if he had changed from before, as if he cared about what was happening at the time.

Blue looked towards Sanders and saw someone who had been the closest to Lorenor in the squad while also being a part of the squad in a normal sense by knowing them. He could fight on par with the rest of the squadron and he could direct them while he fought, he had already begun to as he gave the signal to attack. He had to take the place of Lorenor and lead the battle while their leader was absent.

As Blue ran towards the elemental which had been stunned by the explosion and then had a surprise attack upon him, a good decision had been made as the rain of blades showered down upon him. Now it was their time to counterattack, the magi and other archers also showered the elemental with their fireballs and their exploding arrows while they did their best at taking advantage and avoiding the disadvantage of their environment as Blue couldn’t. Taking a chance Blue swung his plynt blade at the elemental but his swing was encountered an arrow near his face which had flew past so he lost his balance when he dodged it turning his hand and halfway through his swing he tripped and thrust the sword into and through the elemental. It really was ethereal or at least felt that way when the sword flew through. As the blade flew it’s trajectory dramatically changed as it passed through the elemental, telling Blue that his hypothesis was correct. The sword had then been on the other side of the elemental and he didn’t have any chance at retrieving it, the elemental’s form crackling with energy, clearly threatening to destroy the fragile flesh body that Blue inhabited.

Blue was crouched weakly on the ground with his hand behind him and as he looked around he saw a blade, brimming to the edge with a strange magical heat that it passively emitted. Thinking quickly he backed away from the elemental with his legs to push while using the cover from the ranged forces of the squadron that constantly hailed the elemental. As a fireball blew up in front of the elemental making it turn around giving Blue a chance even if only for a moment, he reached towards the blade and stood up using it as a weight to push off the ground. Though he could clearly feel the heat with his legs but his hand wasn’t burning, the handle wasn’t hot and even though his hands were touching the handle it wasn’t even warm. The heat seemed to radiate around the blade and it just seemed magical enough for Blue to believe it was powerful.

Beginning to regain his awareness of his surroundings he saw that the warriors were still surrounding the elemental with the help of the archers and the Magi holding it down with Sanders in the front next to another one of the warriors who had joined them, he saw the warrior was female but that was all. He was beginning to put the puzzle together piece by piece, there WAS something solid inside the elemental and it seemed to be the power core. In other words Blue thought it was pretty much a generator for the elemental’s physical yet intangible form since blades went through it, arrows got stopped by it and fireballs blew up on contact. It seemed to Blue as if the enormous amount of pure energy on Phantaria was formed into elementals of some kind, some had hostility against the ‘invaders’ or some simply wanted them to go back to where they belong or like this one in particular, wanted to test their strength.

“The strength of their squadron would be proved alright, I’ll prove it with a simple question.”, Blue whispered to himself. He was holding the blade that he now recognised, it was made of damascus and he even knew who it belonged to. The blade belonged to Lorenor, their leader, someone who took care of all his belongings and used them to the best of his ability. As Blue would also do so now.

He stepped closer to the elemental, he was only fifty centimetres from him, now thirty, now twenty, now ten. The elemental’s two arms weren't on that facing side so Blue recognised it as his back and thought how ironic it was that in the end he would destroy the elemental with his back faced to him. The elemental was blocking their path from venturing further out into Phantaria and he let some troops past him.

Blue raised his blade and swung it aiming right in the middle of the elemental at the exact spot where he had once hit the solid bit of the elemental, but as he swung he yelled at the elemental so that he would pierce the sounds of battle, “How will you reward us handsomely… if you are destroyed?”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Catching Blue's movements, Sanders realized that of all the members of the squadron, Blue Knight was the one to step up with a plan. Lorenor had provided them with the opening that they needed to defeat their opponent, and Sanders would be certain not to waste that opening. There was something solid within the Elemental, and his gut instinct told him that was their target, but he was too busy fending off the creature's elemental-sword attacks. He would be certain to rob one of those blades. Another fireball screamed passed Sanders' head. The skilled veteran was able to detect it incoming just in time to avoid it so that it slammed against the body of the weakened Elemental. Sanders was providing the creature with enough of a distraction that Blue Knight could use Lorenor's sword against the Elemental and be certain they would win the day.

The Elemental swung its weapon directly at Sanders. Sanders parried the incoming attack skillfully as the the other warriors kept the other swords at bay. They were moving in unison, and a light phalanx was formed surrounding the Elemental. Shields were at the ready, as ranks moved in for an attack, and then moved behind the shield. Sanders and a few of the more talented warriors were allowed to remain on the front lines. They were not required to keep to the phalanx because of their legendary swordsmanship capacity.

Indeed, Blue Knight struck the core of the beast. Just as suspected, the core was the very heart of the creature. It's essence. In one fell swoop, Blue Knight had gathered enough courage and resources to cleverly defeat their opponent. There was a reaction from the core, and the core exploded brilliantly showering them all with the elemental energy. Four swords of the Elemental fell down upon the ground. With the brilliant shower of energy, the Elemental spoke out to the entire group.

"You are all strong. You have passed the test. Your fallen shall be returned to you and you will have passage trough Phantaria. I will also reward you all with a special object."

And with that, the Elemental vanished.

In it's wake, was a confused Lorenor that was looking around for his fellows.

"What the hell just happened?" Lorenor said out loud. Sanders heard him and walked over to the mutant's position.

"Nothing to worry about. We won, that's what matters and I have a present for you."

"What sort of a gift?" Lorenor asked.

"One of these belongs to you since we could never have achieved victory without you." Sanders said. Sanders held two of the Elemental's swords.

They were all clearly made of Prevaldia.

Lorenor took one that had a brilliantly shining blue aura, and mysterious symbols that were etched along the surface of the blade. One Lorenor's hand touched the handle of the weapon, a scabbard manifested. It was also masterwork in quality. Lorenor placed the weapon on his person. He turned to look at Blue, nodded, and then walked over towards his fellow.

"I would like my sword back."

All of the men who had fallen in the attack were also revived by the power of the Elemental.

***

We're moving on. Sorry for the delay.

With their Siege Engines ready, the entire group moved directly to the location of the battle. Sanders and Lorenor had been given direct instructions of where to go in order to proceed to the battlefield they were all heading to. The Corone Rangers would wait no further. As they communed with the Elemental, Sanders and his elite squadron appeared in front of the sewer gates. A single group of Corone Rangers was there to guard the gate but they appeared bored and restless. Easy pickings. Lorenor, Sanders (And presumably Blue Knight) proceeded forward to take out these guards. There four men all together. It would be impossible for these men to sound any alarm. Sanders and Lorenor knew that to be the truth considering their position to the main castle. Sanders had gambled correctly on coming in through the sewer and using the main assault as a diversion. Giving hand signals to Lorenor, Sanders still retained the leadership position in the squadron.

Lorenor moved a short distance behind the other man, and a magi moved along with them. Once they moved in position the, attack began. Lorenor leaped at the nearest warrior, with his enchanted prevalida weapon in both hands. It was gripped tightly. Lorenor leaped through the air like a cheetah pouncing on prey.

The mutant saw that his victim reacted and grinned. Corone Rangers were surprised that a sneak-assault had reached them there. Panicked screams echoed through the tunnel as Lorenor and his companions attacked without mercy. They all knew that the Rangers would show the Imperials no mercy given the same situation reversed.

Attempting to react to Lorenor's attack, the man prepared his sword, but it was already too late. Lorenor kicked out just in time to move the man's sword and used the weight of the weapon as leverage. He swung downward and cleanly decapitated the man before jumping forward and landing on the ground. By the time Lorenor finished his movements the rest of the guards were already dead. Sanders had just finished slitting the throat of the last guard.

"Lorenor, give the signal. One of these bastards must have keys to get in, or we use magic."

"Whatever is easiest." Lorenor said calmly and walked over to the gate after sheathing his weapon. Steel. Perfect. They could smash the gate in if necessary. Turning towards the squad, he saw that the magi had gathered up the keys. The magi nodded towards Lorenor, Sanders, and Blue Knight. The mutant clapped his hands together and moved them forward towards the magi. "Toss them here."

"Yessir."

And Lorenor was now in possession of the keys.