Refugee Camp.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Moderator notes: chronologically speaking this takes place after the events of
Reestablishing what was lost (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=5803) and A Time of Prophecy (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=5926) a link to the recruitment thread is Here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=72591#post72591) and just to be thorough for those of you who haven't read Letho's quest its right here; (And you SHOULD be reading it cause this will affect Althanas history :P) The Price of Freedom II (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=3867) I'm not in that quest but I will take part in the later chapters))

Prologue

The revolution for Corone's future loomed upon them all. Forces both visible and invisible to the naked eye worked for their fair share of the pie. Individuals possessing foresight took advantage of the unique opportunities war presented. Each faction took appropriate sides. The Syndicate stood to prosper greater from their inherent greed. Other such organizations attempted to profit in realistic ways such as supplying the Corone Empire's military wing or supplying the rebels. In Underwood, one such group of rebels fought to save old Corone's values. Fighting desperately for the rapidly fading ideals of freedom and justice. Some argued that freedom belonged to everyone.

As each sect fought desperately for a piece of the pie always one group suffered more than everyone else. Each war claimed countless nameless victims. Conspiracies attached themselves to the investigation of wars by future generations. The stars guided ever soul to their destinies. Inevitably everyone chose sides. In some cases they never realized they did. In the town of Scara Brae a small contingent of Rangers planned to defeat the Corone Empire where it stood. Yet their forces were spread thin. The Inquisition seemed like a pack of ghosts striking at the will of some darker force. The latest atrocities after the Gisela Massacre kept getting worse and worse. The leader of the rebellion received notice of a new event.

There they stood in that building looking at the documentation.

"I can't believe it's been under our nose this whole damned time. The Inquisition just keeps getting several foot-falls ahead of us." One of the gathered men said, obviously the leader.

"They've been streaming from Radasanth ever since the Empire took over it."

"Don't call it that." Spat the leader. "We can still save Corone before its truly lost." A middle aged man, his hair cropped short with a silver tinge to it wore the mantle of leader. Piercing blue eyes sat in his orbitals. The man's frame stocky in nature not saturate with muscles. He seemed like an individual educated as an athlete not a warrior. The others also seemed physically well fit wearing the traditional garb of the Rangers. Cases of equipment stood in various positions around the large room. A war room contained the small group of freedom fighters as they overlooked a table containing various documentation. Various parchments of many different types littered the top of the liviol table. "The refugee camp is about seven days to the south-west in one of Concordia's smaller towns."

"Do we have a name for it?" One of the other lads asked.

"It's called Milax. Named after some local deity. I think some sort of deity of crafting and black-smithing. Not one of the Thaynes at all." The leader placed a hand on his chin thinking deeply for a moment. Not very many cultures in Corone necessarily worshiped the Thayne-dom. In the room, the very mention of the Thaynes caused discomfort to those assembled. The Thaynes resembled parts of an outside culture exported into the continent many ages prior. Many of the smaller communities of Corone still resisted the Thaynes' to this day. After a moment passed one of the lads came up with an idea.

"Hired help! I don't know why I never thought it before!" The man said suddenly excited. "One of my mates recently joined an organization called The Gol'Bron--something having to do with those blasted Thaynes of theirs. It's all a bunch of lies of you asked me but that's just my opinion." Pausing to quench his thirst with a nearby mug filled with a local tea. "They probably hire out members of their crew for such jobs. We're too short-handed to protect every place the Inquisition chooses to raze. This is becoming a bleeding Witch Hunt. I'm telling you man something else is behind all this."

Frustration now.

The leader pondered the new suggestion for a moment.

"All right we'll contact the Gol'Bron maybe they'll have a willing mercenary for this task." The leader finally said.

"It will have to be someone with no morals." One of the other lads stated as a grim shadow seemed to be-fall the room.

*******************************************


A valley lurked somewhere in Corone housing the current fledgeling members of an organization calling itself The Gol'Bron. Using the Thayne-hood as a hook for those looking for salvation from the tides of war. Formerly known as the Red Hand members of the organization saw the forging of the Corone Empire as a natural evolution forward. In general, the majority of The Gol'Brone fold cared very little about the looming war. Refugees trickled in slowly into their camps at first filled with the promise of work. Word spread out like wild-fire with the promise of available shelter and work.

Within the complex tapestry lurked a particularly strange thread. An intricate piece of artwork unfolding across history, The Gol'Bron weaved a beautiful tapestry. This particular thread in the fabric however, placed an ugly stain upon the larger body. The particularly ugly blotch in the Gol'Bron's roster, a boy named Lorenor. Currently the lad lurked in the basement levels of The Gol'Bron's training facility. No lights penetrated this sub-basement filled with many old crates. Feeling impatience, the boy's hard training pre-occupied most of his days. Once the long training stopped, isolation set in. Nobody wanted to be around such a dark individual.

Where once he draped his body in old, filthy rags, the boy now wore the training clothing provided by the Monks of the Order. When the daylight hours reigned supreme an age-old weakness revealed itself. The boy receded to the lower levels of the building where darkness ruled. Many hours passed without contact from another soul. He felt confined to his fate the isolation in darnkness so long as he knew some in the Gol'Bron might become allies. With the passage of sometime, the boy's ears caught movement from the stairwell section of his private sanctuary. Individuals made their way down the stair.

The scents traveled across the air eventually making their way to his sensory array. Choosing to climb several nearby crates the boy wanted to give himself an aerial advantage if the need arose. He recognize some of the scents of the men. These men are trainers. The boy thought to himself sensing Nocks nearby.

"We know you're down here lad this is your favorite place to hide. We came offering you a job." The men entered the boy's sanctuary searching for him.
"The letter arrived by courier this morning. Right now we need every hand we can get working on rebuilding our town. We don't have very many people to spare for outside work. But you were thought of immediately." The boy heard whispers at that point and saw that Nocks moved forward on his own feeling his way through the darkness. "The letter said they needed a warrior capable of getting things done. We thought of you first. All though your combat education isn't the greatest right now you're a resourceful lad. Lorenor please! This is important. Ranger Nailo approved of this mission himself and I know if there's anyone you respect its HIM." The boy crouched down atop the crate for a moment pondering the request. Work huh?

Nocks continued to feel out the darkness waiting for any sign of Lorenor.

"I know you're in here I can SMELL you lad. Please come out!" Nocks called out to the small warrior.

Finally after sometime passed, Lorenor decided to take the job. He moved quietly from his perch atop the crate, stealthily making his way towards Nocks back-side. Staring at Nocks for a moment the boy decided to accept the job, revealing himself with his raspy voice. "I will accept the job though I'll need suitable weapons and armor." The lad's strange voice echoed across the darkness. Somehow the shadowy presence seemed to amplify the creepy nature of his voice. The Monk felt a shiver go up his spine every time he heard that way of speaking. He turned slowly towards the young immortal's person noticing the piercing purple eyes. "We will equip you with extras from the store room okay? And we will equip you with the information from the letter. A member of The Gol'Bron regardless of his personal beliefs should always be well equipped. I have just the things for your skill level in mind anyway. Come with me."

The boy followed the Monk.

********************

Several individuals stood around the boy. They guarded The Gol'Bron's current vaults. Right now several Black-Smiths and other skilled crafters made their ways into the ranks of the group. The looming war in Corone provided nearly an endless supply of eager workers. Some argued this a blessing from the Thaynes in disguise renewing their faith to the particular deities they followed. Lorenor still cared very little about the Thaynes except that to him, the so-called deities represented the prospect of enemies. The boy stood in the hallway before the store-room while several tough looking individuals took care of Nocks' order. Only certain individuals of The Gol'Bron obtained clearance from their leaders to access the vaults.

After some time passed several individuals emerged from the deeper part of the store-room carrying with them various supplies of interest. Each of the objects contained in wooden boxes crafted finely of oak. One of the men told the small warrior a changing room lurked nearby. The boy picked up the boxes feeling their light nature. Somehow, he expected things to be much heavier. Making his way towards an empty room the lad noticed the unremarkeable nature of it. Basically an empty room that measured roughly twenty paces in every direction the lad had ample space to move. But not much at all. He guessed at one point the room served as a prisoner cell.

Opening the boxes slowly Lorenor emptied their contents. Four such boxes stood in the room with him now. One of the boxes contained a light chain-mail armor outfitted with black leather. Placing the surprisingly comfortable armor on his person matching pants and boots completed the suit of armor. The boy noticed his mobility didn't cramp up at the placement of the very light armor. The boy now wore a leather shirt with long sleeves, matching pants and boots all outfitted with the chain mail on the inside. Readily accessible steel seemed like the likely metal in his armor. Another box contained a leather cloak and hood also outfitted with the steel chain-mail inside the material. Several packs and a utility belt lurked in that box as well.

Within the last box Lorenor saw a sheathed weapon. The boy attached the plain black scabbard upon his waist for easy access. The sword itself a small double-edged sword made of finely crafted steel. The boy examined his weapon for a moment noticing how light it actually felt in his hand. He swirled the weapon around for a few moments remembering his recent intense training. The same box also contained a necklace bearing the marks of The Gol'Bron. Swiftly, the lad placed the piece around his neck. The composition of the necklace reminded the lad of gold. Resembling a Xiphos in nature the boy quickly got used to the weapon. The last box contained the charts and maps the boy needed in regards to his mission.

************************************************

Moving by night only it took the young immortal several days to make it to Milax. The town lurked somewhere in Concordia Forest. The Gol'Bron put out notice skilled adventurers currently had work available. Waiting on the outskirts of Milax, the boy noticed the town still stood. Somehow with some luck, he'd managed to beat the Inquisition there. The boy hoped that his leaders put word out for the job quickly enough. After all--it paid to have allies in the right placed. The lad's cloak flowed in the wind and carried the emblem of The Gol'Bron. He waited in the clearing outside of Milax for the others to arrive--everything was very quiet.

(Enter here)^

[sasquatch]

"Chicago, praise be! I've found you!"

Sidney couldn't help but gawk in surprise at the diminutive person clinging to his trousers.

"Hillary?" he exclaimed, willing himself to remain put. That tattered blood-red shawl was unmistakably hers. The head bent over the tiny shoulders, revealing an almost perfectly round face housed in a sea of writhing golden curls. "Auntie Rebecca sent me to find you!" the youth breathed, still latched determinedly onto his pant leg. He had only just stepped off the ferry. Only five seconds to savour the solidity of land...

"She told me you'd be arriving today! Oh Chicago..." The plump, cherubic visage buried itself in the folds of tan fabric surrounding his limb. Sid shifted uncomfortably, eager to get out of the way of the many passengers who were streaming rudely past him, no doubt thinking him the rude one for hindering the ebb and flow of the pier's foot traffic. "Hillary -- " he prompted again, gently freeing his leg and placing a tar-smeared hand on the little girl's shoulder. "Hillary, I really think we should -- "

"Yes, yes, of course," she said quickly, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the wooden planks with a strength and ferocity that was down-right abnormal for such a small child. If he had been capable of it, Sid might have spluttered indignantly. As it was, he quietly allowed himself to be led, still in awe over Hillary's sudden appearance. She was the daughter of a farmer who had lived near 'Auntie Rebecca' -- the witch who had taken him under her wing. What she was doing so displaced from the serene clutches of open country that had been both their homes for so long Sid could only guess at. He did suspect, however, that young Hillary would be enlightening him soon as to that very peculiarity.

The bustle of travellers met with the clopping of hooves, the groaning of overloaded carts, the clanging of bells, and the buzz of several hundred conversations. The hot morning had accumulated a massive throng to the water's edge, and the port was swollen with more activity than one could rightly comprehend. When they left the pier, Hillary and Sid were almost immediately engulfed in a wave of bodies so thick that to attempt to cut across them, as Hillary seemed intent upon, was far from a sane venture.

And yet the little girl did just that. Her tiny, pudgy brown hand severing the theoretical circulation from his finger tips, so strong was her grip, Hillary led Sid diagonally through the masses, unencumbered left arm held out in front of her, the hand pointed as to find the scarce crevices between bodies. Sid was only able to catch the most fleeting glimpses of disgruntled faces flying past him, his own theoretically blood-deprived fingers curled around Hillary's as insurance that he would not be left behind.

After several minutes of frantic crowd-cutting, they finally reached the street edge and the various tradesmen and their equally as varied carts. The pungently sweet odour of fruit and sun-warmed meat invaded his nostrils. Carts piled high with bruised melons, grapes, and avocado formed an impenetrable wall in front of them. Bamboo cages filled with singing canaries; buckets of fish packed in ground ice pink with their blood; weakly struggling quail hanging upside down by their skinny legs, charcoal pits roasting spits of animal flesh, buckets of gristle in tidy odd-numbered rows; knitted wears, sandals, and exotic hollowed bone scabbards; day-old rye; rows upon rows of imported Radasanthian beans, celery, painted masks, eel.

Hillary swiftly found a space between a fruit-seller and his butcher neighbor, and the two slid between them into the shadows opposite. The relief from the heat and sun of the smokey street was overwhelming. Sid was likely to collapse if Hillary hadn't grabbed ahold of him again. "Come on!" she urged, leading him past the shade into a side-street and, once again, into the sun. Sidney decided he hated the sun.

"Chambers is waiting. We shan't make him wait any longer!"

"Hillary -- listen," Sid interjected, ready for the explanation to come and the exhausting journey to end. "What's goin' on?" She didn't respond, instead taking a sharp turn that nearly had him hitting his head on a sign portruding from the stone wall, proclaiming the establishment as the "Screaming Prophet Lodge".

As far as taverns go in Corone, this one was fairly deserted, and, well, clean. There were a few tables set up, the wood damp from a recent sponging, each with it's own array of mismatched chairs and candles. A rickety-looking staircase to the right of the bar area led up to a second story, openly viewed from below, and doubtlessly where the guest rooms resided. A stout, bald-headed man stood behind the counter, writing something down on a notepad hanging on the wall. He looked up when they entered, and the mouth behind his bristly mustache blossomed into a grin.

"Ah, Hillary! I see you found yer friend."

Hillary did an odd sort of half-courtesy before roughly yanking Sid over to a corner table, where a large, hairy brown dog sat in one of the chairs. Sid might have called it a wolf, except that it had a human's naked hands instead of forepaws, which it used to delicately slice the rectangle of cured ham that sat on a plate before it. "Hi Chambers! This is him," Hillary hastily introduced, finally letting Sidney go and plopping in a chair next to the wolf thing, her feet dangling excitedly a good foot above the ground. Chambers appraised the archer silently with his feral brown eyes. "So you're the dead earth-guy I'm hearing so much about," the canine said at length in a ponderously deep masculine voice, carefully setting his utensils down. "I'm Chambers."

"Uhm...Sidney," he offered in return, fidgeting.

"Come now, have a seat. We have much to discuss," Chambers continued silkily, motioning toward the remaining empty chair at the table. Sid did as he was told, removing his heavy arbalest and pack and positioning them on the spotless floor at his feet. The bald-headed bartender strolled over and set three wooden mugs of water down between them before disappearing up the staircase, leaving the trio alone. Sid clasped his hands in his lap, very much in the dark.

"So," began the wolf, selecting a mug and pushing it across the table to Hillary, who grabbed it and started noisily chugging it's contents. "The woman you may know as Auntie Rebecca has a request to make of you."

Sidney nodded mutely, even though he hadn't a clue as to what Chambers was talking about, other than that yes, he did know a woman who often went by the title 'Auntie Rebecca'. The human-handed wolf glanced at Hillary and cleared his throat; she produced a weathered piece of parchment from the inside of her shawl without so much as lowering her mug, and slapped it on the table near Sid, who cautiously peered over at it.

"It's a copy of a notice put up a week or so ago," Chambers summarized, back to cutting his meat into perfect geometric shapes. "They're looking for help. You might come in handy, if half the stories I've heard told of that shooting of yours are true."

Sid re-read the notice and sat back, shaking his head. "But...why me? I mean..." This was just so unbelievably random. "You'll do it, Sidney," Chambers growled, and the undead felt a spark of dread in his lifeless veins at the sound of the venom in the voice. The wolf was staring hungrily at him. "She wants you to help, so you're going to do it. No questions asked. Are we clear?" At this the creature fully parted his jaws, and his tongue shot out like a chameleon's, striking the dish with a loud clang. What appeared to be a toothy mouth at the end of it snatched up a cube of sliced ham and the tongue retreated lightning-fast into Chambers' gullet. He grinned. Sidney swallowed.

"Alright...I'll help."

"Good. Now, where were we? Oh yes..."

--

Later that week, near Milax...

--

"You Lorenor?"

Sidney's boots squelched in the wet grass of the clearing, his sight focused on the lights of the town beyond them. He turned his single-eyed gaze back to the figure he had presumed to be Lorenor. The mercanary -- if indeed that was who it was, standing there -- had probably known he was coming, but Sid hadn't taken any precautions other than to remain under the radar from those wishing him harm and not, as he figured it, future comrades-in-arms. He paused, waiting for a reply from the shadow barely indestinguishable from the surrounding night, his finger resting on the trigger of the hulking bow he carried.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

The sun may have set on Jadet, but the fair town's citizens had no intentions of turning in. As the sky changed from a sapphire blue to a bright orange then fading to black, a few of the citizens piled themselves into a tavern called "The Copper Bolt"--apparently all of the other names involving metals and random objects that could be found in alleyways had been claimed.

Inside the tavern, one would find a new definition of "seedy". The mirror behind the bar was in good need of a scrub with a wire brush, the rotting oak posts keeping the second floor from collapsing onto the first were in dire need of replacement, and the tables had their fair share of cuts and splinters from standard drunken male posturing, stained by the countless drinks that had been spilled on them. Behind the bar, there sat a giant of a man--Tall, muscular, his thick, black beard and bald head casting off quite the intimidating aura. Several scars showed on his arms and face as he carefully eyed everyone who walked through his door, as if to say cause trouble tonight, punk, and I'll tear off your testicles and shove them into your eye sockets.

The patrons themselves were just as grubby as the tavern they were gathered in. It was as if someone had dropped off several barrels of good ale in the middle of a plague-infested middle-of-nowhere settlement. There was not a clean looking person among the deafening lot, their clothes ragged and torn by time, their hair all matted down from the sweat and dirt of the day's chores. The better part of them were already drunk and spinning stories about slaying some demons--although it was likely that none of them had so much as killed a rat before in their miserable lives.

Behind a set of swinging doors near the bar, there stood a scrawny, pale, raven-haired barmaid. Along with a dirt-brown dress that was tight enough to push up what little boobs she had, she wore a scowl. These people. Their smell, their sounds, their sight, there mere existence... I hate them. I hate them all. Her thin nose crinkled slightly as these thoughts passed through her head. But alas, despite her misgivings toward anyone else with a pulse, she had a job to do tonight.

The barmaid took her last breath of relatively fresh air from the back room as she picked up two cold glass mugs, both of them filled to the brim with golden, frothy liquid. She tried to hide her dislike of the noisy, smelly patrons with the most superficial smile she could muster as she pushed through the doors and began to walk towards two customers who were seated near the back wall. The rank odor of dozens of sweaty men filled her nostrils, causing her to gag as she snaked her way through the maze of chairs and tables.

The barmaid arrived at the table in question and politely set down the two drinks. Seated at the table were two men. The one on the left was in his mid-thirties, a few strands of gray hair mingled with his flowing black ponytail. He didn't appear like the type of riff-raff that would normally frequent the Copper Bolt; his features were fair, and could almost be considered a pretty-boy. A black, crushed velvet cloak flowed almost like a waterfall off his back, his dark green shirt soaking in whatever light the candles sparsely placed on the wall could give off. The man on the right looked less refined--He was significantly bigger, darker, and more muscular; had a crimson mop of bushy, tangled hair topping of a face that only a mother could love, granted that she had a paper bag with eye holes handy just in case she got sick of it. This particular man only wore a sleeveless white shirt, choosing to show off his ample muscles if the need for ego-boosting arose. And boy, does he look as dumb as hell, the barmaid thought to herself as she turned away from the table without a word to her two customers.

The man on the left sneered at the barmaid's lack of politeness. "Yeah, thanks." He gazed at his drink for a few seconds, deciding instead to let it sit for a while. "Okay, Kurt. Continue with your little story."

The utterance of his name had disturbed the man on the right from pounding his ale down his throat. He slammed the half-empty mug down on the table, his deep, thunderous voice cutting through the rest of the tavern like a knife. "What? Oh, yeah! Where was I...? Oh! Right! So anyways, I go up to the two guys, 'n I'm all like, 'Okay you dirt sons of bitches, gimme' those jewels back!' They looked at me, and were all like, 'What are you gonna' do?'" Kurt's eyes narrowed as he clenched his hands in front of him as if he was strangling someone. "You know me, Devin, I's don't like to waste words if I don't have to. So I just run up to those guys, and made them drop the jewels."

Devin let out a hearty chuckle as his pal put on a small reenactment of the incident, swinging his meaty fists through the air and grunting loudly. The smaller man took up his drink, downing a healthy gulp of bitter. Kurt continued with his story until he noticed something strange about his friend.

"Uh, dude, you aren't lookin' so good right now..."

Kurt was right. The color had completely disappeared from Devin's face, and he was hunching over, a look of severe pain cracking his face. Mere seconds later, a stream of bile found its way up his gullet and out of his mouth, splashing all over the table. Everything else in the tavern had come to a standstill, the patrons turning their attention towards the man who was getting sick all over the place. The barmaid had been watching the spectacle from behind the swinging doors, and she rushed towards the table.

Her voice laced with concern, she said, "Oh, my. Look at this mess you made. Here, let's get you some fresh air." As she draped his arm around her shoulder, Devin's friend spoke up, his voice shaking with fear.

"N-no! You leave him right there! He'll b-be okay! He just needs more drinks to settle his stomach!"

The barmaid shot Kurt a dirty look, as if his idea was the stupidest thing she had heard all day--which it was. "Look, do you want your friend here to be okay?"

The big man put on a puppy face, hurt by the barmaid's sudden outburst. "You're... You're right. Here, I'll help you." His massive frame stood up, but the woman held out her free hand to stop him.

"No, that's quite alright. I can handle him myself."

Her expression remaining blank, the barmaid helped Devin to stand up. The man was groggy and loose, his head rolling around on his shoulders like a tether ball hanging from its pole. The color was returning to his face, although he still looked as if another round of bile was due any second now. The patrons moved aside silently save for their chairs scraping against the wooden floor, their eyes never once leaving Devin and the barmaid as they slowly made their way out of the tavern and into the moonlit streets of Jadet.

As the noises associated with the tavern slowly built back up to its previous intensity, she took Devin's arm off of her shoulder. His strength was slowly returning to him as fresh air filled his lungs. He didn't know what was wrong with his drink, but he chose not to think about it at the moment. "Huhh... Huhh... Hey, thanks for bringing me out here..." Lightheaded, Devin turned to his left only to find that the woman was no longer standing there.

A split second later, he could feel an impact against the back of his left knee, forcing to the ground. Before he could react, his windpipe tightened and cut off his air supply--a quick inspection by his hands confirmed that there was a metal wire wrapped around his throat. His eyes bulged out of their sockets as he tried to struggle against the wire, but instead he felt his energy rapidly leaving him.

The woman remained firm, refusing to move until she was absolutely certain that Devin had passed away. His lifeless body collapsed to the cobblestoned streets as she pressed a button on a device concealed in her left sleeve, causing the wire to retract with a soft whir. Feeling no remorse, pity, or any sort of emotion for that matter, she stood over Devin for a few seconds, reveling in the thought of the pay day she was about to receive. She dragged the relatively light corpse into a remote alley that she had picked out the previous night. She was lucky that the patrol were on the other side of town in the meantime. Before abandoning Devin's body, the woman slipped off a gold ring that was on the man's right hand--proof positive that he was dead and that the assassin had done her job well.


***

A man sat at the desk in his room at a local inn, his face softly illuminated by an oil lamp as he scribbled something down on a piece of parchment. There were a few knocks at the door, snapping him out of his complacency.

With his gruff voice, he shouted, "Who's there?"

A light, slightly raspy voice replied, "Madison Freebird."

The man folded his parchment and placed it in one of the pockets of his duster. "Ah, come in, come in!" The door opened and Madison, who was back in her purple velvet dress, swiftly entered the room, her heels lightly clicking on the floor.

"So, how about my pay?" Her voice was cold as she tossed her recent target's ring to her contractor.

"Straight to the point, I see." A smile grew across the man's face, cutting into his scruffy beard as he examined the ring by the lamp. After he was satisfied, he reached into a pocket in his coat, producing another small slip of parchment. He handed the strip to Madison, who greeted it with a look that mixed perplexity with frank disappointment--more of the latter than the former.

"'The hell's this?"

The man nodded at the parchment that she held with her thin, bony hands. "That's a tip for another job."

An uneasy silence filled the room. Trying to conceal her anger, Madison spoke up. "We agreed on a lump sum of gold, and all I get is a fucking piece of paper?"

The smile left the man's face as he swiftly replied. "Hey, I'm doing you a favor. This job'll pay out far more than the beans I was willing to give you. But hey, if you don't take this job, then everything that you did tonight would go to waste, am I correct?"

Madison was searching for the proper words to say, but found that action would be the appropriate response in her case. She leaped at the man, whipping out a short length of wire on her way. Before the man could even raise his eyebrows in surprise, Madison was behind him, her wire wrapped around his neck. His muffled chokes filled the room as the assassin tried to think about how to follow up--her thoughts leaning towards killing the bastard who stiffed her.

After a few more seconds to make sure that her wire and done its job of conveying her anger, she sighed. "Fine. I'll accept this as payment. But if this whole thing turns out to be a sham, then you better pray to whatever gods you believe in that our paths never cross again. Understood?" He weakly shook his head in agreement, causing the assassin to release her grip on the wire and retract it into her sleeve. Once freed, the man collapsed to the floor and painfully gasped for air, trying to form a sentence. But Madison didn't care what more he had to say. She slammed his door on her way out.


***

There were few things that Madison considered beautiful about the word around her; one of theme being the clear night sky while traveling through Condordia. It was one of the few instances that she felt at peace with herself, feeling her spirit link with the millions of stars that dotted the sky.

She had been traveling for days towards a town named Milax--where she was to meet up with a man named Lorenor. She had no idea what he looked like, except for the minor detail of the emblem of the Gol'Bron gracing his cape.

Madison had been walking most of the night, with nothing but the crickets chirping to keep her company. She had been nearing the town when she spotted two figures in a nearby clearing. In the pale moonlight, she could barely make out a strange symbol embroidered on a cape, but nothing else about either person. That must be him, she thought to herself as she took a turn off the path and towards the two men who were ankle high in grass and weeds.

"Hey. Are you Lorenor? I'm here about some job that was offered a week or so ago." She knew that being so blunt and up front could prove dangerous, but she didn't really have any other choice.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Alone to his thoughts for a time, the boy carefully observed the town of Milax as it lay ahead showing a sneak peak at his future. The boy nestled himself at the crux of his destiny. A Civil War and the fate of a Nation hung in the balance of the small motley crew assembling to protect a simple refugee camp from the wrath of the Inquisition. Normally, the boy wouldn't care about such matters. But this time, obsession over something he referred to only as "The Glory" lead him to want to accomplish greater things than himself. The desire for reward only partially motivated his actions. In the end, it was a raw desire for fame. Was the boy insane? Perhaps. The price one paid for a constant cycle of death and reincarnation across the eternal night.

The Endless revealed to him that he was no longer isolated. Coming out of his personal nearly meditative state, the boy allowed reality to settle into his peripheral vision. Questions traveled across the wind now. Questions reached his ears from voices that the boy never heard before. With the wind, one of the warriors carried with them an all-too familiar scent. One that the boy himself felt accustomed to. Owning a texture similar to rotting
vinegar and associated with the scents of rigor mortis, the boy associated the smells of the first guest to the undead. Immediately, he thought to himself that he might like this first individual.

A time later, a second individual showed up. So there are three. The boy thought to himself allowed the questions to linger for a time allowing the dramatic moment of being near his person reveal himself. The second person had a feminine scent associated to her. He knew right away she was a woman but a DANGEROUS woman at her. The air of death followed her, but not in the same way that the undead fellow smelled. No, that person had blood on her hands. Such a relevation amused the boy greatly. He became excited and eager to get the job underway. The Corone Rangers tasked him to find a group of companions. The Gol'Bron was the boy's hammer in this mission against the Inquisition. He shifted his newly acquired weapon for a moment and turned to face his two companions.

The Endless spoke a promise of the pain yet to come. In the darkness, the shadowy figure owned by the boy moved in a nearly supernatural sort of way creating an odd visage. The dark shadowy form was accentuated by the glow of purple, energy-like eyes deeply inset into his undead skull. His entire face looked sunken in with the weight of eternity, over-all an unpleasant looking fellow the image of death might be attractive to those with such a destructive fetish. A long series of dread-locks bunched together and ending at waist-level flowed from the top of his head. A scar, visible underneath his bottom lip flowed organically from that point to well unto the lad's neck. He had no ears, and his lips were large. The boy wore all black. A leather jacket with a black shirt underneath it, the outlines of a sparking gold necklace were just visible in the night around his neck. The boy seemed frail but undead sometimes possessed supernatural strength far greater than any beefy barbarian could hope to muster. The blood was the life. The boy examined both of his companion in detail for a brief moment.

He guessed that the girl seemed to be an Assassin of sorts by the nature of the smell of blood around her person. Her small frail body owned an air of danger that he immediately grew to like. The big man covered in rags was an image after his own wretched form. He couldn't see a face but he liked the man's dressing style. Sometimes the simplest outfits spoke volumes. A cold air wrapped itself around the clearing now as the boy looked at both individuals for a long moment allowing them the chance to take HIM in as well. They were about to embark upon a very dangerous mission.

"To answer your questions, yes, I am Lorenor. Lorenor V'halkulus. Sorry that my intro took so long but I was conferring with The Endless you see. My actions are guided by their hand. Its okay if you don't understand what I am talking about, few know about The Endless unless you venture deep into Haidia and find out for yourself. Though such a task might be for another night." Lorenor looked upon the girl and then the man once more. His raspy voice filling the air. "The town before us is a refugee camp named Milax. Informants from the Corone Rangers told my people about two days ago that the Inquisition was coming. They are going to attempt to raze the village and kill the refugees trying to live there. This is officially an isolated region outside of the jurisdiction of Corone's actions. If the Inquisition destroyed this camp it might spark off an international incident as many of the refugees here aren't native to Corone. THIS must be prevented at all costs. My informants also told me that a certain individual is here representing the newly formed Corone Empire. This individual is taking advantage of a very volatile situation as it is." The boy continued to speak explaining why they were all there.

"This is where YOU come in my pale skinned Assassin friend." He looked over to the girl. The boy thought that she might be surprised that he knew what she was just by the scent around her. "The individual must be eliminated and proof of that individual's death must be ascertained. He is a Viceroy from the Corone Empire. A man named Lemmers. We will take care of his forward guard for you. My sources said that the Inquisition was about a week out already. They should arrive in two more nights. In the mean time we are to take care of Lemmers and his entourage. We are to ascertain the truth of the Inquisitions' claims that terrorists are hiding in the Refugee Camp and possibly capture them in an attempt to negotiate with the Inquisition. The Inquisition must be stopped from razing the refugee camp at all costs. This is game time boys and girls." The boy said with a grave tone to his voice. "The fate of Corone hangs in the balance tonight. There will be chance for ample reward for all of us from the Corone Rangers THEMSELVES should we succeed here tonight. We can also loot things from anybody we take out fitting the mission at hand."

Lorenor waited for their response.

"What do you say? Ready to play the hero tonight?" Frankly, the boy liked the idea already.

[Tenki]

"I seem to keep ending up in this forest, if I keep it up it'll be the first place I know well on this planet." Tenki mused to himself as he picked his way among the path he'd found that would lead him toward Milax, crumpled paper in his hand. He'd come across it in while wasting time in pub on the outskirts of Gisela, trying his best to look not out of place and comfortable. Well as comfortable as one can expected to be when the nation one had ended up in seemed ready to tear itself apart and in fact was doing just that. He'd managed to avoid the witch hunts by staying low and adapting fast, just one of the things he'd been grateful for having his partner, Luin, around for since he was pretty sure that without it doing translation work for him, he'd have long been brought to the noose with all the turmoil about. He'd been able to hear most of the story from listening in on the pub goers' murmurs of discontent and news. He'd apparently just missed not only a violet change in the regional government, but a following massacre of those not of the same view, just days before. After gleaning that information he had been quick to get out of town, but found and pulled down a paper flier put up on a back alley on the way out of town. Since Luin had been able to use the scripts in the bar to understand the regional written language, he was able to translate it as not only an offer for work, but for a chance to work against the newly forming and seemingly corrupt government taking hold. Tho the woods seemed to house a group holding out, Tenki himself still knew very little about the politics of what was really going on here, but for him the offer had given enough details to get his interest. In this case, his interest was the civilians that needed protecting. As added bonuses, not only would he be able to get some money for use on this world, but he would possibly be able to find out the full story on what was going on here. Suddenly Luin piped up, cutting thru Tenki's moment of introspection.

"Sir, we approach the destination." A monotone, male voice with a metallic undertone rang in the air for a moment. "Thank you Luin. It'd probably be best if you stayed quiet unless I call for you, at least for a bit. These people probably wont know what to make of you." Tenki gave a short glance down the the large arrowhead resting atop his shirt. "Alright." the metal edged voice sounded again.

Looking ahead, Tenki could see a small clearing ahead with several people in it. He stood just inside the trees at the edge for a minute, looking over the bunch and listening... Looks like three of them, two close to my size and the other about a foot shorter. Can't tell much about the short one, the heavy looking robes and defined hunch in the back was all he could really get. The others however, had some telling things about them. The woman was professional at whatever it was she did from her poised posture and blunt questioning. The other man, about his size, was harder to tell much about, other than large bow he had on prominent display. A hunter of some sort, maybe. Mercenaries all. "I would never have thought this would be the kind of thing I'd be getting myself into a few months ago." he fussed internally. "Oh well, at least I can try to uphold some basic ideals here in the interim" continuing to watch and listen, the other two had both called the short one Lorenor. And now he was giving a rundown of the attempted plan.

When Lorenor finished giving out the details, capping it all off with "What do you say? Ready to play the hero tonight?" Tenki practically couldn't help himself, he stepped out from the tree line, into the moonlit clearing. "Why not, seems like a good cause and a chance to scare down some filth." No sooner had he finished his words before he picked up a light and raunchy smell, not unlike bad food... or... the bodies of the dead. He tried not to, but he was sure his face was at least twisted into some non-normal contortion.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Madison found that she actually heard a little less than half of what Lorenor had said. She had been distracted by a foul stench that had invaded the air around the three, a matter magnified by the fact that she had taken pride in her cleanliness. As she discreetly sniffed the air around her, she thought to herself, it's one thing to skip a bath or two, but to smell like a damned slaughterhouse... She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the stench coming from one of the men didn't make her lose her lunch.

The assassin paid no attention as Lorenor told them the prelude as to why they were there. She glanced around, trying to pick out the features of her two new teammates in the Coronian moonlight. The mutant who was speaking had some decent looking clothes on, a complete leather outfit with a dark cape that bore the emblem of the Gol'Bron on the back, embroidered with beautiful gold thread. His face reminded her of the faces of all of her past victims after the rotting of death had gone into full swing; it was a pale gray, his features nearly imploding into his skull. She could get a whiff of his odor--definitely unpleasant, he smelled as bad as he looked.

The thing to her left didn't fare as well in her eyes, however. He must've been a foot taller than Lorenor, making him only a few inches taller than Madison herself. On the negative side, she could barely make out his facial features--what was left of them, anyways. She picked out a severe burn covering half of his face, the white glob that she supposed was an eye at one point sticking out like a sore thumb. His slight frame was dressed in the strangest rags she had ever seen. She leaned in ever so slightly, also catching the strong scent of the undead emanating from this man as well. This particular waft almost caused her to throw up right in the middle of Lorenor's speech. Undead or not, a bar of soap won't kill you.

The Gol'Bron representative was starting to get to the good part of his monologue. She listened intently as he informed her about who she had to kill, but noticed that he was sparse on details involving how--and she preferred it that way. To Madison, assassination was an art form; the victim being the canvas, her wire or daggers being the brush that painted in shades of a deep crimson hue. The assassin slowly reached into her left sleeve, gently caressing the iron device her wire was contained in like an old lover, the anticipation of death to come stirring up an inhuman desire inside her heart.

Lorenor wrapped up his speech, asking if there were any questions. But before Madison had a chance to open her mouth, a voice cut in from the treeline. Someone had been listening in on their conversation. Her cold gaze darted over to the figure in the darkness, and she asked the mutant with a hint of anger, "Two point question. One, do you know who that is? If the answer is no, then can I kill him, seeing as he heard our little conversation?" Her hands quickly gripped her twin kris daggers, ready to unsheathe them and slay the intruder. For all they knew, he could be a spy for the inquisition.

[sasquatch]

short, but at least I replied. :p



Clang!

"But I still don't understand why it has to be me, of all people..."

Five minutes into the explanation, and Sid was finding his regrets.

Clang!

The plate opposite him rattled under the strain of yet another tongue-punch. Chambers was chewing thoughtfully, the spindly fingers of one disturbingly human hand tapping the table in a strangely familiar 3/4 rhythmic pattern. He reminded the archer of one of those tacky costumes that could be found strung up in the windows of his old hometown's thrift store around All Hallow's Eve, collecting dust and the incredulous stares of the local tourist population. "Have you not been listening to a word I've been saying?" The wolf spoke so abruptly that even Hillary jumped a little in her seat before sending a searing glare of warning at the undead.

With a decidedly colourful rumbling beneath his breath Chambers' carnivorous tongue once again struck out at the plate.

Clang!

Sidney couldn't help but flinch. It was terribly distracting.

"What? Is that bothering you?" Chambers must have noticed. The darkness had once again returned to his voice, and he was grinning toothily at the archer from across the table. Sidney shook his head 'no' very quickly. "Well good," continued the creature, withdrawing into his seat. "I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable. That wouldn't be right, would it?" Another hasty shake of the head.


A lady arrived, her lean, pale face luminous in what meagre light was afforded by the night. Sidney turned to face her uncertainly as she hailed the boy, unable to ascertain anything from her own peculiar appearance, although he faintly sensed that there was something about her the cloaked boy seemed to appreciate. He reached up to absently brush a strand of stray greying hair that had been pushed into his eyes by the breeze, regarding her quietly. Another to join their mission? How many more would come? After she had spoken, their host launched into a lengthy speech, confirming his identity and the nature of their mission. Sidney listened in, still cautiously throwing side-long glances at the revealed assassin. There were a good many things of which Lorenor spoke of that his simpleton mind failed to comprehend, but the gist was, at least, perfectly clear.

Lorenor finished off with a rather unusual question. Sidney was already nodding tentatively when another made his presence known from the underbrush, a blond-headed man about his height garbed in that infinitely outlandish way Sid had learned to associate with 'off-worlders', as he had heard Rebecca once fondly refer to them over tea one afternoon. The archer had jumped with the sudden introduction, turning his hideously partially-melted face toward the man as well as the deadly looking nose of the arbalest. The lithe dark-haired assassin reacted in kind, only with a request as to whether or not she should dispatch of their newest arrival. Sidney's head swiveled from right to left, his good eye watching for the reactions of the three others assembled there as he himself remained silent.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Finally, we can move on))

The boy expected a trio. This was what The Endless spoke of. A trinity to stop the Inquisition's acts of violence. He admired both of the darker inclined member's of his teams' paranoia. But then realized that might be dangerous to his cause. He raised a hand towards them in a negative fashion, a closed fist really, to ask them to halt. The boy was expecting a third member to join their party. He lowered his arm after a brief moment passed and he went over to greet Tenki. He'd seen Off-Worlders before and knew they oft had a strange way of dressing. Off-Worlders were a weird lot. The boy approached the newcomer for a moment knowing he stood out like a sore thumb. "Piece of advice my friend. Get a change of clothing. You stand out and this makes you look really green. Green as they come. My friends here are a paranoid lot and wouldn't hesitate to kill you. But I stand in their way. We ARE ALL TO WORK AS A UNIT UNDERSTAND?! The boy suddenly growled turning to face the ragged undead and his fellow assassin. "The Inquisition will destroy us if we fail to act as one. Any objections to this one joining our party should be voiced now."

The boy spoke in a commanding way surprising even himself. This was temporary though, lives were on the line. By a stroke of sheer luck they'd beaten the Inquisition to Milax. Now though, time moved against them all as always. The boy looked up at the night sky as if for comfort. Soon, the daylight hours might start creeping overhead and he'd be useless to them forcing to recede underground. Still, there were things he could DO underneath the Milax Refugee Camp sending refugees to another location where they might be safe. Plans burned in his head. The Dark Mother gave the boy her blessings as he worked to solve the emerging problems. Right now, he was the thread that binded them all together. Feeling very uncomfortable in his leadership position, the boy simply decided not to worry and acted where he found necessary to act. He felt himself calming down a little bit more and breathed the night air. He looked at his potential friends for a moment with a grave expression.

"This is no laughing matter. If the Inquisition catches us we'll be executed on sight. With the Corone Empire forming, they will hunt their enemies down like swine and dogs. We have only one chance, one good chance, to save this Refugee Camp before all Hell breaks loose. I personally want to avoid seeing another Gisela Massacre. What about you guys?" There was passion in the boy's voice as he spoke now. "I personally want to compound the Corone Empire as much as I can." The boy said hoping to motivate his companions before they went into the Milax compound.

[Tenki]

Tenki halted his advance towards the group as two of the bunch immediately took a hostile stance to his appearance form the edge of the woods. Holding still reaction less, Tenki forced himself to become calm. He reflected back on some of the basic training on how to handle tense situations and the only thing that came to mind was some notes out of hostage negotiation. Namely the part about remaining calm and in control but making no actions that could further provoke a target. Still, that didn't stop Tenki from having his shield program called up in his mind, ready to go at a moments notice. It wouldn't hold but for a moment or two without Luin up but if it did get violent this soon, he certainly didn't want to be off guard from the start. The group conversed for just a moment before the one he'd seen referred to as Lorenor not only attempted to bring the others off being alert, but walked over to him, and other than giving a hard time about his clothes, gave a rather nice little speech about acting together. Deciding he was right, Tenki added to it a bit. "He's right you know, if we are to going to be working together for these people, we're all going to have to be less suspicious and a bit more trusting. That isn't to say you don't have the right to be suspicious, but bearing arms against me so quick certainly isn't going to help with the trust part."

It was only then that Tenki was able to get a better look at the group's individuals. It seemed he was more or less correct about the girl, as she had acted in a manner consistent with what he had though up till now. But the surprise came from other two males. The one over by the girl had a horribly disfigured face, including one of his eyes, to the extent that Tenki wondered if he would even be a good shot with that large crossbow of his. Other than that he seemed normal enough. But the real mystery was the one just in front of him now. Short for an adult human, the skin coloring and more importantly, the purple glow coming up in the place of eye sockets just shouted something unusual. Still he decided after that little piece he'd given he may as well be the one to try and begin introductions. He reached up and put his right hand on the left shoulder of Lorenor's cloak as he spoke up and made his way beside him. "I appreciate the advice sir, but I don't think we're going to have much time at the moment to worry about how I dress in public." He reached up and pulled he sunglasses out of his hair, assuming they were probably the worst offending item, and placed them in an interior pocket of his large black duster. "Perhaps this will help a bit." Turning to face Lorenor and extending his left hand forward. "I'm Tenki by the way."



By the way Sasquatch, you called that last one short, I'm curious as to what you consider lengthy.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Madison slowly released her death grip on the daggers as Lorenor's words echoed through her head. "We are all to work as a unit..." A quiet fury built as she recalled the last time she was on a "team". Her brother Trevor was gutted with a sword, Justin had his arm broken, and Michael's nose was permanently smeared across his face; the latter two Madison did herself after the two brothers blamed her for the death of the third, resulting in her banishment from the Freebird house. She clenched her teeth at the thought of how her family could screw her over like that. However, she could find no reason to object the appearance of the new person; figuring that with the look that Lorenor had just given her, he'd probably tear her apart.

She had been alone for roughly four years since that incident, content to travel with nobody but the moon and the shadows as her companions. And yet here she was, at the threshold of a seemingly important mission, with three teammates--guys, no less. She glanced around in the night as she let out a soft sigh, until something caught her eye. A glint of moonlight reflected off a small piece of steel that was a part of one mean-looking crossbow, held by the deadest of the men. Her recurring nightmare flashed in front of her eyes, the one where she opened her bedroom door only to be greeted by a crossbow bolt fired by her dead and decaying brother Trevor.

She could feel her pulse quicken and her breath become more rapid, a deep rooted fear sending chills through her veins. Quickly, she brought her brown leather satchel forward, releasing the strap on it and tearing through the contents until her thin fingers felt the light, chilly tingle of a glass vial. She pulled the small tube out of the satchel, holding it up to the moon to make sure the contents were still intact.

The vial contained a thick red liquid Madison "borrowed" from an unlucky bandit who thought he had the cojones to attack a mentally unstable anorexic woman with a pretty purple velvet dress who was traveling by her lonesome several days ago. She yanked the small rubber stopper off and brought the end of the vial to her blackened lips, the blood smoothly emptying into her mouth. She slowly closed her eyes, the metallic taste relieved her stress and replaced it with a small sensation of euphoria.

Madison heard the third man introduce himself as Tenki while she replaced the stopper and put the empty glass vial back into her satchel. She opened her eyes, giving him a good once-over. He looked more respectable, more professional than her other two companions. His black clothing sucked in the moonlight, save for his dark red shirt. He was tall, but not extremely well built. He was clean shaven, his features unspectacular but not unpleasant to look at. A well groomed tussle of blond hair sat on top of his head.

An introduction of her own sat on the tip of her tounge, but she chose not to say it, even if it was only her first name. Madison was aware of the consequences of failure here; it would be best if her teammates didn't know who she was in case they were captured. There was no buzzkill such as one where somebody ratted you out.

Her eyes darted from Tenki back over to Lorenor. Her face remaining blank, she went straight for the point. "I hope you've done your research and have a plan ready." Her eyes examined the mutant once more, looking for a sign that the Gol'Bron representative knew what he was getting the four into.

[sasquatch]

Lorenor's timely intervention helped ease his nerves a bit, but Sid still wasn't convinced of the trustworthiness of either team mate, the mutant who had called them here included. But it wasn't his place to have a fit simply because he couldn't find it himself to trust them all completely right off the bat, although a little foresight into the capabilities of their leader would have been nice. As things stood, Sid had no choice in the matter. Chambers had been adamant about that. The tip of the arbalest lowered stiffly, his finger still in place. It never hurt to be vigilant. If his training among the commandos back home had taught him anything...

The off-worlder introduced himself, agreeing with Lorenor on the fact that they should at least attempt to have faith in one another if they wished to get anything accomplished tonight. Sid couldn't help but get the distinct impression that the dark-eyed assassin standing near him wasn't too keen on his presence among the adventurers, for whatever reason, and this, paired with her infinitely odd behaviour (he watched as she downed the red liquid within the vial, hoping against hope that she hadn't just drank what he suspected she had), wasn't helping ease his nerves any.

The edgy assassin in question queried Lorenor after his plan in the place of an introduction of her own. It would have been nice if she had given them something other to go by. Sidney sighed openly before stating his own title -- whether or not he was conscious of how out of place it sounded coming directly after the small woman's query would remain a mystery. "I'm Sidney West," he blurted, leaving out the nickname Hillary liked to use. He then shifted his weight from one foot to the next, adjusting the bow in his hands and awaiting a reply -- any reply, especially one that marked the beginning of their venture. The sooner it was over with, the sooner he could retire to his inn and away from the uncomfortable company of those currently standing around him. His eyes continuously glanced nervously in the assassin's direction.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

The boy decided right then that being a member of the Gol'bron had its merits as well as its pitfalls. On that night however, there were more merits than the latter. The boy dug into his personal traveling packs and retrieved a parcel of some sort. He removed something for the bundle that was strictly for his person, and tossed the rest of the bundle at his companions. Within that thick bundle, sat documentation. The Church of Ethereal Sway secretly leaked information on the Milax Camp situation to the Corone Rangers. That explained Lorenor's involvement with the group. As an Assassin of the Church of Ethereal Sway in training, the boy was after someone that rumor suggested might arrive at the camp that night.

Within the documentation there lurked floor plans of the camp, important edifices, and most importantly a LIST. A very important list. Marked in red at the top of the list was the single word PROOF. Apparently, they were to take this documentation to a tribunal set up in Salvar in an attempt to convict wrong-doers during Corone's power grab. Corone's power grab threatened the safety of all other Nations. Salvar included. Denizens of Salvar lurked within the Refugee Camp marked as Priority Extraction.

The List seemed like an odd sort of pandora's box. Over-all 500 individuals lurked on the list. Names gotten by the Church of Ethereal Sway through unknown matters of subterfuge. The boy knew more than 500 people were currently cramped into the pathetic excuse for a refugee camp. To say that the Milax Camp was a Civil Rights violation of unprecedented proportions might be an under-statement. Documented proof of torture and mass killings lurked in the bundle as well. The Corone Empire gave the Inquisition full authority to slaughter thousands of innocents by calling them enemy of the state.

This had to be stopped.

"It's all there. Black Lists. Victims. Torture Chambers, somehow a group I work for got it all. I don't quite understand how but they use sophisticated methods of spying. You ask me if I'm prepared, there is your answer. Make no mistake I am terrified of the Inquisition all of you should be. But I'm no fool. I come prepared. We have contacts within the Refugee Camp we are supposed to meet up with. That's our basic most plan. If things go south we are free to use whatever means necessary to secure the safety of the refugees we can save from that terrible place. Normally I wouldn't care about such matters, but the people who have hired me hired me because of my hatred of the Corone Empire." The boy said.

"Look through those documents and familiarize yourselves with them. I also have one weapon for each of you in there."

((You guys can make these up and claim them as spoils at the end of the quest))

[Tenki]

His attention on Lorenor for the time, Tenki completely missed most of the girl's small panic attack, finally taking notice as she fumbled rapidly in her bag and payed only minor attention to the vial she downed, chalking it up as a medicine of some type for such an episode. Any concern he had started to build for her however was quickly washed away when she curtly demanded any information Lorenor may have about the Camp.

Nearly as soon as she had asked for the information, the other, tall gentleman blurted out his own name in an abrupt introduction, Sidney West. Tenki took note of the name for the fellow, anything to replace the mental moniker of "Man with Melted Face" he'd been using on his own.

However, he wasn't even given time to reply as a large, partially unwrapped bundle landed on the floor of the clearing. His attention going back to Lorenor for a moment, who had already pulled a smaller package out of the larger one and had it in his hands. As Tenki reached down and grabbed a lengthy roll of paper, which unfurled itself nearly to the ground as he did so. Staring the the list of tiny, well printed names, he failed to grasp what this really was until Lorenor began talking about the real situation in the camp. This wasn't just a group needing protection, this was a group needing liberation. These were the names of the captive, as if they failed, likely a list of the soon to be deceased. Taking a glance down at the bundle, it was obvious a simply LARGE amount of information was going to be involved, far more than a normal person could ever hope to commit to memory in the short time available to them.

Sighing heavily for a moment, it was obvious he was going to need Luin's help just to run the logistics involved in this operation. He hated having to make it obvious he wasn't much different then the average person here on this world, but he was going to have to do this, or no one but Lorenor would have much of a shot in knowing everything the documents contained, and that assumed Lorenor had indeed read them all before now. Reaching down into the bundle and pulling all of the multiple papers out of the bundle, each a different thickness, length, and width when compared to the others, as if the paper itself had been printed for each task written upon it. He paused among the bundle for a moment while collecting the documents, eying a detailed sheath, Tenki slipped it open a bit to find an ivory handled, simple bladed steel dagger about 5 inches in total length, tip to tip. Pulling it out and tying the fasteners around his waist, giving a firm tug to make sure it was in place before taking a minute to pick up some small stones from around the clearing, Tenki finally proceeded to unfurl them all on the ground, ink skyward, end to end, as if he was laying down some sort of odd carpet. Taking a look over the spread collection of data and nodding to himself in approval, Tenki went though with his makeshift plan.

"I guess it was a bit foolish to try and keep you out of this after all." Tenki said, his voice somewhere between apologetic and annoyed, like a child expecting an upcoming scolding. Without much of a pause, a reply came from what was probably the most unsuspected source to the others in the group, the dark jewel in the metal arrowhead around Tenki's neck spoke up, an adult male voice with a metallic undertone came across clear as if there was another person standing amongst the group. "Indeed, sir." "Luin, can you copy everything on these documents into your memory? I'll be needing to review it later." "Alright... gathering copies." A soft, dark purple glow settled over the group of documents for a few moments before fading out just as gently as it had faded in. "Copying has completed, shall you review?" "No, I'll come back to it later, I expect some explanations will be in order first." "Alright." Tenki looked up at the group, which he had all but completely ignored during his little escapade.

"I was the one talking about trust earlier, so I won't cut corners here. I can't tell you everything you may want to know, but I'll answer any questions you want to ask as best I can."

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Ugh. Details.

Madison half-heartedly flipped through the stack of parchments, spending not more than half a second on each sheet. The 500-some odd names listed blurred together like a bunch of black squiggles. She huffed out a deep sigh as she shoved the list of names into Sidney's decaying hands. Yeah, like I going to need to know any of those people on that list. Lorenor stated that I'm the one going after this Lemmers guy, and from the way he's making it sound, my target'll be the only one here that doesn't look like he's two steps from death. He definitely won't be hard to single out.

She knelt down to pick up another one of the documents that Tenki had placed on the ground, her velvet dress picking up a few dewdrops from the grass that swayed lightly with the night breeze. Giving this new pile a closer look, she could make out blueprints to various buildings inside Milax; these would be far more useful to Madison than the list of names. She began to memorize the layout of the town: Hiding spots, ambush points, and possible escape routes--just in case. She spent several minutes doting over the blueprints, looking up briefly to blankly stare at Tenki, who was conversing with his necklace. Strangely enough, the necklace responded, causing nothing more than a raised eyebrow on the assassin's thin, pale face as she went back to reading the maps.

She flipped to the last sheet, the paper rustling softly against her fingerless lace gloves. After giving this particular map a once over, a torch lit up in the back of her mind. "Hey, Lorenor," she called, her thin raspy voice cutting through the night, "Take a look at this one. Do you think this is where the Viceroy will be staying?" She jabbed her hand outwards in his direction.

The page in question was a blueprint for possibly the most important residential building in any town: The Mayor's house. People in charge like to live comfortably, which was proven by the extravagant layout of the house. Three floors, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two big guest rooms, a full kitchen, and a living room that almost engulfed the entire first floor of the house. Perfect for a Viceroy to be staying in during a visit to this forsaken hell hole.

As she awaited an answer, Madison knelt down once more, reaching into the bag Lorenor had tossed onto the ground. She came out with a single glove for a right hand. The glove itself was made of thin leather and long enough to go halfway down her forearm, but the backs of the palm and fingers had steel plates fastened to them. At the end of each finger sat a steel cone, filed to a sharp point that could pierce flesh. It was a strange weapon that resembled the claws of a great eagle more than anything else, but Madison fell in love with the gauntlet as she began to fantasize the numerous ways she could kill someone with it. A sparkle appeared in her eyes as images of the blood and death flashed through her mind.

[sasquatch]

Sidney took the list, reluctantly shifting his bow so it hung over one wide shoulder by it's strap. The parchment felt rough beneath his fingertips, a sort of mundane peculiarity of life on Althanas that he had yet to acclimate to, even after a year spent on this most unusual rock. Earth paper had always been smooth and straight-edged, most unlike the narrow, jaundiced strip of a gut-wrenching length now pinched firmly between his pale digits. Kernels of sand still remained from where they had adhered to the ink in an attempt to dry it, detaching at the most frail brush of a finger.

As Tenki and the assassin rummaged through the pile, Sid stood off to one side, immersing himself in the list, letting the scroll sift slowly through his grip as he studied each and every name to pass his eye with rapt attention. The sheer number of souls listed here by some thin, spidery script, hardly legible through the blackness, was staggering. It was solidifying. Here was proof for what they were fighting for, the sort of proof that the archer could readily believe in. They weren't being lied to, here. This was real.

Sidney continued to read, searching for the two familiar titles that should have been here. The names were unstoppable, falling off the page into the space by his feet; the blur of them was sickening and meaningful at once. But where were they? Sid imagined that he felt a coldness in his chest, where a beating heart should have hung. That organ was a useless clump of flesh, probably blackened despite the Goddess' spell of non-decay, unable to feel anything...he willed the imagined coldness to fade, but it resisted; the phantom of a racing pulse shook his hands.

Then...he saw them. One right after the other, near the end. They were alive, these two people whose existence Chambers had mentioned in the tavern, speaking thickly around the wreathing, sentient tongue in his mouth with a knowing sneer. Sid exhaled in relief, willpower inflating lungs that never did so naturally; a great deal of tension fell away. He'd find them.

He neatly rolled up the scroll, completely oblivious as to what had transpired between Tenki and his necklace. The assassin had knelt and selected something from the bag; a spiked glove of sorts, and Sid remembered what Lorenor had said about there being a weapon for each of them. He stooped in turn, carefully setting the account of the five-hundred souls inside. Truth be told, he wasn't too keen on having to add to his armory, and the short, double-sheath of faded brown leather taken from the folds was held with some trepidation. As far as Sid was concerned, his trusty arbalest provided protection enough. Sure, it wasn't the best pick for a melee situation, but he had his dagger for that.

The archer straightened, examining the double-sheath in closer detail. Two identical sheaths, each roughly seven inches in length, had been banded together side by side. The slender hilts were plainly wrapped in a strip of black cloth which wound around and around, showing bare metal between the gaps. He gently pulled out a blade, noticing at once the heaviness of it's thin, straight steel edge and an exceptional balance. Ah...so these were throwing knives. He re-holstered it and pushed his jacket aside, revealing his conservatively tucked-in shirt and an empty underarm holster attached to his belt, where another, somewhat larger curved sheath rested. Sid hooked the knives' container next to the ornate dagger and shrugged his jacket back into place, once again obscuring his curious arsenal. It would have been impolite to have declined the gift. He'd make a point of practicing with them later.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Viceroy Lemmers Doubois was a handsome man. Arriving at his position of power through a life-long carriers of favors and paying favors back, the man developed a network of followers. Boasting Parliament members in his pocketbook, the Viceroy was truly disheartened at the assassination of the Parliament members leading to Corone's current state of affairs. Since his family came from a long heritage of native Coronians, the man had the features according to what someone of a prime household might have. His cheekbones were well defined, his shoulders proud and wide, and thick bushy eyebrows peaked above the mountains of his powerful emerald eyes. If Lemmers had anything it mostly likely was beauty.

Most men care very little about their physical appearance, especially the warrior types. That wasn't the case with Lemmers. A narcissist, by birth-right the man kept himself impeccably clean at all times. He was well-pampered and taken care of constantly. Its no wonder that his current dark deeds reflecting his cancerous Atma. Achieving his current position of power, the Viceroy ate at his dinner table whilst the darkness gathered outside his make-shift home. The mansion, was a decoy. Meant to thwart foolish assassination attempts while the Corone Empire re-organized itself.

The higher echelons of power understood the threat of bandits. But they had measures in place. Step aligned itself with the new Empire, they had the allegiance of the Knights of Dawn and many other factions yet. High cheekbones adorned the man's face creating a strangely exotic appearance on a very common face of Corone's Humans. His cheek-bones resembled those of someone whose heritage lay with the original tribal men of Corone's wilderness. Yes, the Mansion a clever decoy indeed. Attackers might most likely think a high-official like him probably rested in the big house. Such fools the enemies of the Corone Empire were.

Lemmers had mane of long silver hair suggesting an intermingling of elven blood somewhere down the bloodline. Such acts seemed commonplace with so many Wood Elves about. His eyes were the most handsome part of the vile creature. Lemmers had a wide nose, and a completely clean-shaven face to finalize the package. Wide shoulders marked his impressive physique suggesting an athlete that swims often in his spare time. These days, Lemmeers didn't have very much spare time for athletics.

Documents sat at his table even as he ate his food. It was a hearty meal that might feed a whole group of Fallien refugees. The man ate very slowly, a somber expression on his face. Data and figures from the latest batch showed very little promise. A few of the statistical data from the latest refugees did show promise. Sitting well guarded within a large dining area build in an underground area, the man named Lemmers looked over the research papers. His eyebrows borrowed into a deep frown.

A man entered the room wearing a white uniform. The uniform of a scientist working on some dark experiments. Owning a particular air about him, the man had eyes that made him seem very old. They were dark and he wore a wrinkly beard contrasting the well-kept nature of Lemmers. The scientist seemed more like an old wizard than someone knowing the advanced secrets he knew. Researching for the Corone Empire on their secret program began decades ago during the Second Uprising. He adjusted his infamous spectacles once before beginning his discussion with Lemmers.

The man walked over to Lemmers and the discussions began...

********************************************

The boy said nothing but looked over at Tenki nodding to him deeply. Hearing many voices of his own, the young immortal didn't feel bothered by a new voice. His fractured psyche made it so that very little bothered him these nights. Lorenor looked up at the night sky instinctively noticing that clouds covered the stars. He wished he could see some stars, he wanted to look at the Dark Mother for comfort.

Tonight's mission awarded the boy with none.

Using significant resources to find out about Camp M-Lax as it was being called by Corone officials, the boy felt a kind of tension in his stomach. This tension reminded him of the feelings he often got when a dangerous monster lurked nearby, or a trap. Shrugging his feelings aside the boy eyed his companions a few moments longer allowing them to become familiar with the documents. When Madison showed him the map, the boy shook his head.

The intelligence he gathered suggested otherwise.

"It seems the building is some sort of a decoy. My informants were able to gather that much information from the camp. We know very little, but it is almost CERTAIN that he is not residing within the big house. However, there are other officials that are residing there. Maybe we might be able to use that knowledge to our advantage." The boy said, deep in thought even as he spoke. His eyes revealed very little except that strange purple glow. It casted its shadow upon his face.

[Tenki]

I apologize to the three of you for the delay in my last post, I had some family and personal issues come up that prevented me from replying in my normally timely manner. Thankfully it's all corrected now. For now, a short and simple post to get things moving again.

Taken aback by lack of any major reactions to what he's just done, Tenki couldn't help but wonder what manner of things this world actually held on it. The way things had been going, it would likely be a while, if ever, before he could leave Althanas, so he expected he would have plenty of time to look into it.

Making his way back over to Lorenor and the girl, since they seemed to have begun forming a plan of action. "If you think there will still be officials loyal to the Viceroy there, we may indeed be able to get information useful to us out of them. But what's to keep one of them inside, or outside the building from alerting the Viceroy to our presence. If the Viceroy gets wind of our existence before we are ready and have him exposed to us, it could cause him to completely disregard what little care is given to those in the camp we wish to protect. We will need to be very careful and plan this out." He knew it was a bit of stating the obvious, but in his mind at least, approaching this kind of thing methodically may be the only way for it to work in the end.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Madison sighed. I go and find something remotely useful amongst those documents, and that mutant goes and blows up my thinking. Oh well, his "information" better be right. A slight breeze began to toss her short hair a little bit, getting her bangs in her eyes.

The assassin was becoming anxious. She had killed a man to be here tonight, and by golly, all they were doing was standing around. By her own experience, if they had come to kill someone, then the target should've been dead moments after they had arrived. She wanted to choke the mutant for all of his careful planning and attempt at leadership of the motley crew. You go in, you kill them, you get out without dying yourself. How hard can it possibly be?

A silent fury was beginning to build deep within her as she drew out a small length of her wire. The concealed device let out a small whir as she began to twirl her fingers around the thin metallic strand.

[sasquatch]

I'll be able to edit in a post shortly. Just a few more days, I'm afraid. Sorry for the delay -- family matters.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Its time to move on. Sas seemed to have vanished all together. Sas whenever you can please contact me on AIM and let me know you are okay. You can post whenever you get the chance to. I'm just gonna write that you stayed behind cause I feel uncomfortable writing you out complete giving your situation. Thank you for your participation in the quest. You're welcome to post whenever you have an opportunity to post))

Meanwhile--

In the single fancy house that overlooked the camp's over world, activity resumed as per normal oblivious to the intruders. Rinklaud was a man who was dedicated to scientific research. Having come with the Golems many ages ago Rinklaud did battle with the Golem's Promised One. A warrior named Lorenor tainted with the darkness. After researching a powerful elemental form known as The Dark, Rinklaud was able to manufacture it into a bio-weapon. Production stopped when the scientist was foiled by a desperate group of heroes. The party was lead by a man hailing from Dressed Fish Town known as Neosaim Hyakureiki.

Rinklaud was thinking about that fateful day. He thought about it a lot. He was able to engineer a monster that he called The Endless off an entity he discovered many ages prior in his investigation of Althanas. Since it was merely a prototype, the one called Lorenor was able to leap into the entity and completely destroy it. As a result, Rinklaud was defeated and forced to work a life of servitude doing junk research for the Golems of the Ark.

The scientist adjusted his glasses for a moment and they seemed to catch a flash of light as he made that movement. The one reward he was able to get out of the entire battle with Neosaim Hyakureiki was the fact that he'd been able to acquire a sample of Lorenor's unique blood. Lorenor possessed black blood, but more importantly, a rare techno-virus not native to Althanas laced Lorenor's genetic code.

Somehow the warrior was a piece of the grander scheme. As a scientist, Rinklaud couldn't ignore the lucrative new research and studied the sample in secrecy learning a great deal about Lorenor. He was able to manufacture something very interesting indeed from Lorenor's bio-data. This was the reason he needed to ally himself with the odious Aristocracy meat heads, they provided him with limitless funds. The current Civil War in Corone provided the perfect back-drop for Rinklaud to obtain a limitless supply of test subjects for the experiments going on in the basement levels of the huge house.

This was the dining room they currently sat in. The entire camp site was well protected and fortified against intruders. At least those arrogant members of the Aristocracy thought. Rinklaud knew better. This whole thing was an elaborate trap to draw Lorenor out and regain his vengeance once and for all. Ever since the Second Uprising, Rinklaud was able to obtain tainted samples saturated with Lorenor's DNA. More experimental bio-weapons were forged. This time, Rinklaud was confidence that his science would defeat the Golem's Chosen One for good this time.

He conversed with his current benefactor, Lemmers.

"So everything is on schedulde."

"How is the weapon going?"

"The weapon is making progress it is near completion."

"Are you sure HE will be drawn out? I'm taking an awful risk placing this camp and its resources in danger if he indeed shows up."

"If its not him, some other group of do-gooders will show up. But I'm confident from my research that he will show. We've placed things play."

"All right. You'd better be right. This LORENOR sounds like he's too dangerous a threat to leave walking around. Nobody needs heroes like that anyway. We already have that blasted fool Letho to deal with."

"Right. Well I need to get back to the labs. I have to oversee necessary research for my other experiments."

"Rinklaud. Don't leave just yet." Lemmers said and suddenly stood, grabbing the old scientist by the collar. "If you attempt to betray me in anyway or choose not to deliver me the goods I was promised, you will pay most dearly." Lemmers threatened, acid in his voice.

Revealing his hidden power, Rinklaud easily shoved Lemmers aside.

"Don't be a fool Viceroy. I have no reason to betray you. It would not be logical. You're paying for my experiments and allowing me to conduct my research in peace. You've allowed me to advanced my research unnoticed all these years. And while those fools in Parliament scramble to create a weak empire, we can take it over right from underneath them with the power that we are creating. We will be light years ahead of anything they can throw at us! Their allegiances are weak. We will gather the darkness to prepare for the coming of the Dark Mother and eradicate her once and for all." Rinklaud was determined to destroy the Golem's Anti-Paladin. Most importantly, he was determined to get his hands on the Fallen Thayne known as N'Jal...

The second time of Darkness was upon them.

**************************************************

Lorenor proceeded forward without his companions if need be. He had a sneaking suspicion that they would follow him into Hell's maw if they were required to go there. Lorenor sensed activity all around him. For such a camp there was strangely nobody wandering around outside except for patrols of guardsmen. In fact, one such set of patrols approached Lorenor as soon as he attempted to enter the camp.

Several structures loomed all around them. Some of them were simple buildings made out of mud. Others were made of firmer materials but the biggest building was made out of brick blocks. It was stylized in Victorian themed architectural design. Large columns and gargoyle like statues were decorative features of the large house. Lorenor saw that it lurked directly ahead of him but a large group of men wearing Steel and Plynt armors.

The leader of the trio walked over to Lorenor first.

"State your business here." The man said with a deep Corone accent.

"We're here to shut this place down." Lorenor replied and suddenly attacked the man.

The battle began.

[Tenki]

They had traveled only a short distance before arriving at the camp, having arrived only a half hour or so after leaving the clearing. It was Lorenor that went up to the camp first. Tenki had chosen to stay out sight in the woods at the edge of the camp for now to see what he reaction to a presence would be. Lorenor struck out at the guards below. There was only three right now, but they were armored and he was not. He was curious as to how the foul smelling creature would try to take the guards out, armed with as seemingly little as he had.

They had split apart approaching the camp and as such, Tenki had no clue as to where the other two had ended up along the perimeter, or even if they made it alright. He suspected they did but, like himself, they were busy with other things at the moment before they could regroup into a unit of some kind.

Looking over the camp, he could see just how startlingly accurate the maps had been. other than things that had been recently built up or knocked down, likely in the last few days, they seemed perfect. That would make the infiltration that much easier. He glanced down at his pendant. "Luin, can you display the map of this area you copied earlier?" "I'm on it. Display Data." The soft, metallic voice replied. A perfect copy of the map's design emanated from the jewel in the center of the pendant, pulling up at face level for Tenki. He looked over the layout for a quieter way in, eventually settling on a part of the camp a fair way from where Lorenor was, where the settlement had cut into a small hill. He should be able to literally hop the fence in a couple of spots there, providing the area wasn't covered in guards. It was a tad risky to leave Lorenor to his own devices for now, but he seemed like the type not to willingly get over his head. And if the map proved inaccurate, he'd just come back and follow Lorenor as best he could until they met back up. He made his way over for the hill along the tree line to stay out of view, his black duster allowing him fairly well covered from standing out in the moonlight as he went.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Looks like its just you and I Tenki))

Lorenor thrust his weapon against the weapons of the trained guards. I will have to be quick if I am to take these men down. I know they won't be the only ones that are here. This is just a forward troop. Lorenor felt a slash against his shoulder and winced in pain. The burning agony of feeling his flesh sliced open caused the ghoul to take the situation much more seriously. I gotta keep my focus here.

"YOU WON'T WIN THIS BATTLE YOU FOOL JUST GIVE IT UP!" The head of the guards yelled towards Lorenor's person. Suddenly, he realized that he was alone. Tenki wasn't there to back him up and the rest of his companions were no where to be found. In one fell moment, the mutant found himself completely alone in the face of his enemy. There were precious little options he could use against these warriors. He took up John Mattis' sword meeting the opponents blade to blade.

"Back up. I'll take this idiot myself." The man said to his colleagues and they stepped backwards. Lorenor saw this as an advantage. All he had to do was tear through the ranks of his enemies by biting them one by one. The ghoul worked in a systematic fashion. If I can just bite this guy, it'll start the contamination process. Lorenor thought to himself as he started the fight against this guard's captain. The man took his sword up at the last possible moment countering Lorenor's every move.

The sword dance begun. Lorenor swung forward with every ounce of strength that he could muster. The man reacted in kind with an angry expression on his face. "YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HERE, TERRORIST! WHEN YOU FALL YOU'LL BE NOTHING BUT ANOTHER MEMORY!" Lorenor heard the man say, and perhaps he was right. There were important works that needed doing. Lorenor had to fight for the survival of the refugees locked away in this place called Milax. Feeling the clangs of his sword against his enemy's sword, the ghoul reacted with some finesse after all the recent battles he'd been having. Every time that the ghoul fought, he'd gotten his combat skills just a little bit sharper. His combat instinct just a little bit more refined and he knew this.

He wasn't the superior of the two warriors, but the ghoul was just a little bit clever. He knew what he needed to do in order to survive. Fall back on his natural animal instincts. The guard wore no helmet. He wore a full suit of armor, but no helmet upon his head. Lorenor recognized basic steel that was well worn. Clearly a sign of a man who didn't opt to clean his armor to a shiny glean very often. The ground beneath the warriors kicked up dust as they fought. The two other guards cheered their fellow on drawing attention from several more nearby guards. They stopped what they were doing and the enemy numbers grew to six. Lorenor frowned as he saw this. This was a bad idea now that I think about it. All I have to do is bite one or two of them but then what do I do next? I'm all alone. Lorenor knew that more guards would be coming.

[Tenki]

Arriving at the hill he'd seen on his map, Tenki found the hilly area, complete with the guard tower and small hut, labeled as a house turned guard station on the map. Exactly what he wanted to find. What he hadn't wanted to find however, was the fact they were all occupied. Lights were on in the hut, and multiple guards were in the tower, watching for...escapees? Or maybe infiltrators, like himself. Tenki began to ponder how to sneak in from his vantage point on the tree line when a lone guard came running up the the two buildings. In full armor, it was hard to distinguish one guard from another. As he approached he stopped a few yards from the buildings before shouting out.

"Hey, some insane lowlife just ran up to the front gate and started a fight. The captain is taking him on personally. Best show we've had in weeks." The nameless grunt turned and ran back towards the front, presumedly to get a good view. Four guards came out of the house and ran after the messenger, and two climbed down the the tower moments later to join them. Tenki waited for a moment to make sure they had all cleared out before simply marching up the small hill and hopping over to the roof of the guardhouse.

Carefully climbing down off the building, he went around and peeked around the corner, glad to see no signs of the guards that had gone to watch the ongoing fight between Lorenor and the Captain.

"Luin, can you detect any life signs in the building here?" "Sir, no life inside building or within 30 yards." "Thank you, Luin." Safe in the knowledge he was alone and hopefully had some time, Tenki slipped inside the building. Inside he found the tattered remains of the family home it used to have been. a painting of a happy looking family of four sat on the floor against the wall, removed from it's residence over the small stone fireplace and had been torn in several places in the process. the table was covered in half eaten scraps and empty bottles and mugs. the bookshelves were empty and the bits of paper in and around the fireplace suggested where to. Had anyone been in the room with Tenki, they would have seen the large frown and furrowed brow he now wore upon his face. Making his way into the bedroom, he found exactly what he was looking for. Spare sets of the lightweight but strong armor and clothing that the guards were using.

Tenki quickly slipped off his own clothes and layed them and the dagger Lorenor had given him earlier on the bed, but leaving Luin around his neck as he changed into the armor set. The process took several minutes as Tenki had to look over the parts to figure out how they were worn, eventually overcoming the fact he'd not worn such armor himself before. The armor consisted of thick leather pants and long sleeved top with a plate mail chest plate to guard the vital organs during combat, bracer over the lower arms and armor plated boots as well as a heavy leather helm that covered the top, back and sides of the head, as well as the nose bridge, leaving only the eyes and lower face exposed. As Tenki put the helmet on to finish his masquerade, Luin spoke up once more.

"Sir. You attempt to hide among them?" the device interjected. "For now. I can get closer to them looking like them than I will in my normal clothes." "If I suggest, old clothes could be basis for replacement of barrier armor." Tenki held still for a moment, slightly befuddled as to why he hadnt thought of this himself in the process. Of course it made sense. It would allow Luin to take his old civilian clothes from the TSAB days and infuse them with the protection program damaged upon his rough arrival on Althanas.By allowing Luin to merge the clothes into the program as their design it would allow him access to the armor again... which would go a long way in keeping him safe in the future.

"Go for it, Luin." he approved. "Sir, deconstructing target design. Time for program repair, two hours." Luin went to work, and to observers, the clothes Tenki had removed and placed on the bed would have appeared to have unravel themselves, as thread by thread their design, makeup and layout were absorbed by Luin to recreate the armor program lost to Tenki months ago. As the clothes finished their act, Tenki reached down and took his dagger that had lay under his clothes when he had removed them. Once more attaching it to his person, althought now attached to the outside of the armor, Tenki again gave it a firm tug to make sure it was in place before wiggling around and making some large, sweeping gestures, surprised to find his range of movement almost the same as with his normal outfit. This ment Tenki would be able to move and fight like he knew how, if the need arose, which was looking more likely. His thoughts turned to Lorenor, who must have been the one they talked about fighting with the captain. "Brash fool." He commented to himself as he made his way outside the building and towards the front, where Lorenor, and later the guards, had all headed.

Within a few minutes at a brisk jog, he was back at the front of the camp and despite hearing it from the guards, was still surprised to see Lorenor still holding his own with the captain. At least a dozen of the guards that had been close to the entrance had since made their way to view the fight. Tenki would have guessed there were at least fifteen guards, including the captain, now here at the front of the camp. Watching the battle from the back, it because fairly obvious to Tenki from his old mock battle with his instructors the captain was literally playing with Lorenor. He had the advantage, knew it, and was merely not finishing off the poor creature for his own amusement. Lorenor was pretty much appeared to be at the captain's mercy. Tenki reached for the dagger's handle and let his hand rest upon it. It was risky... but he may be able to throw the blade at the captain. He mulled over the details for bit, looking for a clear shot, as the "battle" continued on.

[sweet_oblivion]

"Oh yes, this is going to be great!" Dino laughed as he moved into position. He watched as the guards circled around the fight. He had paid little attention to it, but it seemed that someone was trying to challenge their leader. It did not matter any ways, because sooner or later they could be in to much of a panic to care about some little fight. Unluckily for them, it just so happened to be sooner.

Dino watched as his partner came rushing toward the front gate, 240 pounds of shell and muscle express on a one way ticket to painsville for anyone who got in its way. Genbu was more revved up then usual too. Dino had promised him a good meal with what ever he could sell, knowing that the guards had some useful and more probably expensive items tucked away, Dino was sure to make a pretty penny, as well as gain something or another for research.

The tortoise had smashed through the crowd of guards, not caring who or what was in his way. One of the guards had been caught on the top of his head, but Genbu just continued to charge until he rammed through the gate. He tossed the guard aside and began to attack any others that got in his way, biting, slamming and trampling anyone who dare oppose him.

Genbu had done his part, now it was time for Dino to do what he needed to. The plan was simple. Sneak in, and sneak out, with as much as he could carry. If the guards forces were dwindled down enough, then he might have time to make one or two more trips if he left anything to load on to Genbu before getting the hell out of dodge. A straight up theft probably would have been a bit easier, but Dino had no clue what these guards had at their disposal, and he did not want to take the chance of screwing up and being chased down by some psycho ass boy scouts.

Dino made it in unnoticed, Genbu keeping up the pandemonium and chaos as planned while Dino searched around. There was one huge building at the center, which was more then likely where all the rumored treasures were being held, but he figured he might be able to find some smaller things in a few other places if he looked hard enough, that and barging into what was probably the most protected place was not a smart idea. They would either send some more soldiers to help, or beef up their defense, but at least by then, Dino would know his odds.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Like pawns in someone's twisted chess game, the pieces were all set on the board now. The guards, wanting to witness the battle between Lorenor and the Captain, moved into position around the ghoul and his opponent. In the middle of the battle, time seemed to slow down. There was no sound other than the sound of the crowd cheering for their Captain. The Captain seemed to have the upper hand during the entirety of the match. However, Lorenor was a planning and calculating son of a bitch. His green sword flashed against the dull gray steel of the Captain's own blade.

Sounds of swords clashing and warriors fighting filled the air. Loud clangs reverberated against one another. Lorenor met each of the skillful thrusts with counters of his own. So far, the two hadn't scored a single hit against one another except for the previous round of attacks. The Captain's face was one of frustration, whilst Lorenor kept his face completely calm. Give me something to take advantage of, come on jerk. Lorenor continued the dance, moving skillfully against the Captain with John Mattis' longsword. He knew he would have to name it something at some point...if he lived that long.

Thinking that it would've been great to have his friends alongside his person, Lorenor let that thought slide. Stealing a glance towards the guards around him, he could feel at least 20 gathered all around. They were watching the battle between the intruder and the captain.

"I'll give you that one you're a persistent little bastard. Why don't you just give up already so we can arrest you?" The Captain taunted.

"That won't be happening anytime soon. You'll have to kill me before I surrender. I'm actually rather planning on your death pretty soon."

"Oh really? And how's that little one?"

The two warriors danced back and forth. Each one trying to gain the advantage of the other, Lorenor's Plynt longsword proved to be a great advantage in the battle. It wore against the integrity of the Captain's steel longsword, even though it was of Masterwork quality. Lorenor continued to keep the calm expression on his face while he fought. He could afford no distraction, no revealing of his emotions.

In the heat of the battle, something happened that Lorenor hadn't planned for at all. "Monster attack!" A nearby guard yelled, and all the gathered guards went into panic mode. Lorenor felt something coming up behind them all so he moved off to the side whilst evading an incoming sword attack. Lorenor heard the cries injured guard as a giant...tortoise suddenly erupted through the front gate. Some fool closed it from earlier to attempt to lock Lorenor inside the camp, and any who would attempt to escape.

Evading the sword attack, Lorenor took advantage of the sudden appearance of Genbu. The ghoul slashed backwards towards his opponents' sword. The Captain was still in a forward movement from the previous attack and unable to counter Lorenor's incoming maneuver. A sound of swords clashing was heard as the guards reacted to the sudden commotion of the huge tortoise.

Rebounding off the Captain's sword, Lorenor suddenly lunged his blade forward and into the Captain. A moment later, there was a sudden scream as the ghoul pierced the Captain's armor. Lorenor moved forward with all his might and ran the Captain through. The loud scream was satisfying to the ghoul's ears. A moment later, he suddenly pulled the sword quickly out of the Captain to inflict more damage to his internal organs. The Captain dropped his sword and fell to his knees.

"Y-you bastard." He coughed up blood. "How the hell did you do that?" The ghoul simply shook his head in the negative. Taking his sword up and pointing it to the sky, Lorenor suddenly swung the blade towards the Captain's neck. He looked at Lorenor with sheer terror when he realized what was about to happen. "No!" And a moment later, the Captain's head suddenly swung upwards through the air with a burst of blood from a bloody stump of a neck. Rotating through the air, the head landed with a sickening thump in a nearby position. Lorenor spat on the ground and prepared to face his next opponent.

Once the guards realized that their Captain had fallen at the hands of the ghoul, they stared at him as if Lorenor were the Devil himself.

In many ways, the follower of N'Jal was.

[Tenki]

Tenki was far enough in the back of the guards to see the stampeding beast and get out of its way. A good thing he figured as several guards unluckier than him were brought to bear under the beast, their low grade armor, which Tenki was now himself wearing, bent as tinfoil under the creatures weight.

Bringing his attention past the...turtle... Tenki was greeted with a ghastly but welcome sight. Somewhere in the chaos the captain had lost his focus, and Lorenor had been able to break past him for the kill. The blood was everywhere and the other guards were torn between attempting revenge, or dealing with the beast. Tenki took advantage of the chaos himself, walking right up behind one of the guards staring down Lorenor and plunged his dagger into the right side of the man, striking form the side, where the simple armor offered no protection. The man screamed in pain Tenki brought the blade out, and the guard collapsed on his knees, arms to the site of his wound to hold the bleeding down. The other guards turned to him, only to look back at Lorenor and the rampaging beast. At least for the moment, they were simply seeing to much outright CHAOS to be effective.

[sweet_oblivion]

Nothing. Not a damn thing.

Dino had already been through two or three piles of worthless junk. Well they probably were not worthless, but he was picky when it came to what he wanted, and anything useful to his work was more important then any loot. So far it had only been weapons, which a few guards had ran to grab to fight off Genbu more then likely. That small group had been easily taken care of, but more would be coming soon, assuming the rest of these guys weren't cowards and Genbu hadn't thrashed the majority of them.

It seemed that Genbu was not the only one that had the guards quivering in their boots. He had over heard some screaming about a demon at the front gate who had killed the Captain. "It couldn't be....." Dino smiled as he closed his eyes and felt the world around him through his spiritual sense. He hardly had to concentrate, already knowing what it was he was looking for. He was surprised he had not sensed Lorenor earlier, but it was probably for the best. With Lorenor in the mix things would most likely get a lot more interesting.

This was just getting better and better by the second. It was then Dino noticed the rather strong spiritual energy coming from central tower. "Defiantly getting better."

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Grinning to himself after his kill; Lorenor prepared an assault on the shocked guards. With his quick mind flashing strategies across his skull; the ghoul assessed the situation at hand. Lorenor knew the odds against him now and wasn't kidding himself that he could potentially meet his maker. Again. The bastard child saw that there were at least ten heads surrounding him wanting to make a quick kill out of him. Their confusion was only minute; momentary, it soon switched to anger. One of the men took control of the situation and asserted his foothold as the next commanding officer of the group.

"Destroy him. For the captain!"

Any momentary hesitation was quickly lost when the men heard their newly acquired orders. The ghoul took several steps backwards regretting his initial decision to take these cretins head on.

The buildings of camp Milax were short structures build quickly to accommodate few needs. Dull gray buildings as they were reflected the hollow emptiness of the camp and its vile purpose. The ghoul found himself on the side of heroism which was something all together not entirely new for Lorenor. The senior member of the Red Hand took in his surroundings carefully and tried to see if there was some tactical advantage he could give himself; there was none. Preparing to fight to the death; the ghoul readied his sword shining brightly in the moonlight. It was dark out. Stars shone brilliantly overhead with few clouds to bar their glow. The moon was only a quarter of the way full. Lorenor prepared himself to face the inevitable when something happened.

A blessing of N'Jal. Out of nowhere; a monster tortoise came from the front gates and crashed its way through the ranks of the enemy. Lorenor felt his hand tighten around the handle of the masterwork sword. The tortoise posed itself as a new threat attacking anything that got in its way. Lorenor quickly dove off to the side to evade the snapping beak like jaws of the great attacking beast. Panic descended upon the ranks of the soldiers as the devil beast attacked. Legs were broken; rib cages smashed, arms were quickly severed and other damage was done within moments. The huge tortoise tore through the ranks of the soldiers quickly. Lorenor found himself standing a few paces away when a guard worked around the attack and made it to Lorenor's person.

Immediately; the ghoul reacted. Lorenor intercepted a broadsword strike from a well constructed steel weapon. The man wore the armor of the guards, carrying a shield with himself as well. This shield was used to great effect. The ghoul spotted the body of the guards' captain nearby with its treasures. Lorenor would be helping himself to some newly acquired trophies! The ghoul wildly intercepted each of the much more skilled sword strikes. Moving his position nearby to the guard captain's body; Lorenor wanted to take the shield that was at his disposal. It was a steel masterwork quad shield build like a large rectangle. It looked heavy too. Lorenor countered another sword attack and suddenly broke into a sprint towards the guard captain. Evading some incoming attacks from the other soldiers; the ghoul made his way to the shield. Reaching out with greedy claws; Lorenor wrapped his fingers around the shield and quickly grabbed it. Exerting some effort; the ghoul wielded the newly acquired shield and equipped it on his person. He held it with his free arm, opting to fight one handed.

Lorenor held the sword out in front of him and prepared to do battle against the incoming guard. Bedlam descended on the field.

[Tenki]

Whatever short attention he had commanded form the guards was quickly shattered in the following moments as one of the remaining guards took charges and brought the rest to bear after Lorenor in vengeance for their fallen captain. Using this to his advantage, He stepped back from the chaos to take stock of all that was going on, the massive turtle had largely gone ignored now by all but a few guard not injured or killed by it's charge, taking what little force they had left to bear mostly against Lorenor, who was easily outnumbered ten to one or more. A couple of the guards were trying to push the turtle back or at least out of the way, but the beast seemed more interested in what almost appeared as if it was lounging about in the open to gather attention.

Checking around, Tenki was unable to locate anything to use in the skirmish other than the dagger in his hand. However, with the guards armed with short swords and other middle range weapons, he put the dagger away. Using it would get him killed in short order since he had little experience with such a weapon. What he did have experience with was Luin in it's longer ranged Lancer form. Sheathing the dagger back on his side, Tenki began to head towards the guards. "Luin." "Yes sir." "Set up." I'm on it, Set up." A short flash of Tenki's signature purple energy came form inside the armor he'd put up earlier, and as Tenki brought his hand up into a place to grip it, the shaft of Luin's Lancer Form came into existence, followed by the rest of it. Charging up behind the guards, Tenki flipped Luin over to the shaft end, and planted the butt of the shaft into the back of the neck of the rear guard. Ironically, this was the very guard that had taken control of the situation as best he could and sent the rest after Lorenor, and he now found himself attacked without realizing it. The impact sent the guard face first to the ground where, between the impact on the back of his head, this new impact with the ground sent his head spinning for a moment as he blacked out. Thankful, and a bit surprised as to the cleanliness of the hit and defeat of the guard, Tenki gathered himself up mentally from the relief of not having a prolonged fight on this end, and went towards the rest of the guards that had surrounded Lorenor in attempt to overwhelm his newly acquired shield.

[sweet_oblivion]

"We have a change of plans!" Dino shouted, though no human would be able to understand and probably would have gone unnoticed through all the comotion. As usual went it came to food, Genbu was ready to move at a moments notice. "Crash through everything! I want to leave this place in peices!"

"Right!" Genbu responded, which would reach the guards ears as nothing more then an angered roar as the tortoise repeled the remainder of the guards that continued to attempt at driving him off, and began to charge at the closest thing to him, which just happened to be one of the small storage houses. He would continue doing this until told to stop, or given a damn good reason not to keep on with the keep on.

As this went on, Dino would be busy searching for something of possible use, hoping for just a bit of luck, and thankfully getting it. Searching through one of the buildings on the opposite end of Genbu's rampage, he found a few crates and decided to open one. He could sense Genbu's presence so if he happened to come by this storage house, he would make sure to move out of the way, but for now he would check out the new item he had just discovered.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Meanwhile-

Studying the far-away image of Camp Milax, a man gathered his soldiers as they prepared to storm the encampment. Standing a top a hill several miles away from the camp, the leader of this militia inspected the scene before him through the augmented eye of a miniature telescope. Crystal orbs within the telescope's structure magnified the far away images and made them seem closer than they would normally appear. A man stared through the lens of the telescope. Several individuals gathered around their leader as he studied the scene before him. Scouts were already further ahead of the group, at least a day's journey ahead. It was possible some of the forward scouts already made it to Camp Milax.

"Are you sure this is wise?" One of the men suddenly asked. They wore the steel masterwork armor of the Knights of Dawn. Swords were at the ready, resting within scabbards located at the hips of each of the men on their preferred side of the body. Some men wore their swords on their back for ease of movement. Their leader, standing upon the soft earth, held the reigns of his horse. With a single, fluid movement, the man shrank the telescope and placed it back within his packs. "The All-Thayne blesses us. He gives us sight where others are obfuscated by darkness." Speaking calmly, he turned towards the soldier besides him.

"We wait. There is some sort of unforeseen event taking place."

"Interlopers?"

"Possibly." The man had long sandy blond hair. His eyes were blue and his face was well chiseled. With his helmet off, the soldier was a handsome middle aged man. He placed his helmet upon the saddle of his mare. "Our informants say that the Church is acting against us."

"From Salvar?" The other soldier questioned. "You can't be serious."

"I"m always serious you should know that by now Alexander." James Light-Foot stared in the general direction of Milax Camp. "This was a bad idea, so soon after the Gisela Massacre." Alexander looked upon his leader. "We can still break rank." The man said. James shot his second in command a deadly look. "The Knights of Dawn never break rank." He turned to look away from Alexander. "We're not cowards either. That man, Joshua Cronen insulted us back in the Dajas Pagoda. That ugly thing he protected...I would love to destroy it one day."

"Sir you might get your chance."

Hooves hitting the earth. James turned towards one of his forward scout returning from duty. "Report." The man atop the horse handed James a container tube filled with classified documentation. "We recorded those for you, specific layout, exactly like you asked. Only there's a serious problem.
There are individuals already engaging the forward guard of Camp Milax. The Viceroy was not spotted in the manor. Sir. One of them is that Lorenor bastard from the Dajas Pagoda."

"So. We meet again." James said and spat on the ground. "Prepare a small tactical squad of three of our best soldiers and one medic." James said. He turned towards Alexander and placed a friendly hand upon his shoulder. "You worry too much my old friend. With the All-Thayne guiding us, we can loose to no enemy. Not even our hated foe, N'Jal." Alexander nodded back to his superior officer. "Shall I accompany you then?"

"No. You stay here Alex. I want you with the forward advanced troop at all times. Make sure that the men are ready to proceed with the mission."

"You will be breaking rank then?" Alexander had a sly look on his face.

James returned the same sort of expression with a lopsided grin.

"That's classified my old friend." Mounting his horse, the current commanding officer of the Knights of Dawn marched forward towards his uncertain destiny. Four soldiers forming a small squadron to assist him...

****

Genbu continued to wreak havoc amidst the soldier's ranks. "Fall back to ranged positions!" Came the order. Whoever was the current, assumed commanding officer of the guardsmen issued the order. Soldiers struggled against certain injury from the superior beast as it made its way to the storage facility. Snipers perched on the various watchtowers began to focus their attacks upon Lorenor and Genbu at the same time. There were five watchtowers. Tenki Dugall was all but ignored in the chaos.

Grabbing the shield, Lorenor blocked several incoming sword swipes as a few brave, or foolish, soldiers continued to battle against the ghoul. Spotting the archers on their watchtowers, Lorenor decided to make a desperate attempt to ward off the snipers. Damn! I need to get into that building. Wildly swiping another incoming sword attack with a chaotic parry from his shortsword, Lorenor took advantage of the opening presented to him from the soldier before him.

He lunged suddenly forward with his plan. Without the others to assist him from before, he would have to depend on the guidance of the endless and of N'Jal. With just a little bit of luck, he would be able to make it through this night. Reaching out for the man, he suddenly burst around to the backside of the soldier and placed his steel sword to the neck of the man. He grabbed the soldier, by wrapping his shield arm around the man's front side and shifted his weight. Lorenor was able to turn the man completely around quickly so that they faced the few other soldiers brave enough to keep fighting the ghoul.

"Anymore sudden movements and your boy here gets it! I'm going to enter the house, and there's not a damned thing you can do to stop me. Call your damned archers off."

Was he bluffing?

Only time would tell. The soldiers began to react to the demands.