Shattered crown: escape.

## Page 21

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - King's Castle, Fairhaven

The King's expression grew more grim than irritated as he witnessed Alina's reaction to the captain's gruesome death, and he let her guard explain without interruption. "I see. Perhaps she should remain indoors this afternoon rather than attend the execution in a few hours, if this has disturbed her so. I would hate to think I had caused her further distress." He turned his attention to Evelyn. "Have you told the guards that I'll be requiring their services during the event to replace all the bodyguards and captains who seem to keep dying and disappearing for no discernible reason?"

"Yes, Your Highness. It's all been arranged."

"You are dismissed, then. Gather a team and find out exactly what's going on in Lynne; be discreet about it."

With that, Evelyn bowed once to the King and once more to the Ambassador, offering her and her guards a small, hopefully reassuring smile before she made her way out the door.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - the Winter's End

When the train came to a stop at the next station, Erick rose from his seat but didn't move to exit the train. "That was fast... Is this even the right stop?" Erick thought aloud, giving Ryouki a questioning look. It hadn't seemed to him that they had been on the train long enough to reach their destination, but maybe he had just lost track of time...

Ryouki Sato-

He glanced out the window briefly and frowned. "No, this isn't the stop. Maybe the train needs replenishing for fuel or something...either way, I think it's just a delay." Ryouki grinned and motioned for Erick to sit down again.

--

-Viktor Starkov-

With Tula and Ryan's aid, Viktor dismissed the Princess from the throne room. Upon entering the hallway and looking for a spare room to wait in, Viktor snatched Tula by several of her wild curls.
"Hey!!" She struggled to keep a whispered tone.
"Start talking."
"Let go of my hair!"
"Not until you tell me where you were and what stained your right pant leg." Viktor snapped and saw Tula flush, adding. "To think, you went before the King in that state."
"I was taking a short cut." Tula enunciated.
"Where?"
"To a tavern."
"With?" Viktor raised a brow. "Use your words, you're a big girl."

Tabaraamon - Leader of the Seven Riders - The Wastes.

They were getting close, he could feel a difference in the air, not a different smell, he didn't have that sense, but something more subtle, his title "Death" was not just because of his leadership of the seven. They all had a power associated with their title, and his was to detect life forces near by.

They were getting close, and he remembered something Dimitry had told him a year or two ago. "You know why I like Falcon's Reach? It's so easy to be a menace to society, since most of the population is already on their knees." It was an interesting thought, though becoming less true from what he had heard.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris, Fairhaven.

He was watching the castle, waiting to see if any of the secret police were coming out. He didn't know their faces, but he knew how to spot that kind of person, blending into plain sight just to effortlessly, to inconspicuous, so he waited, his eyes scanning for anyone that seemed the right type.

The people avoided him, men giving him a wide birth and avoiding his eyes, mothers making their children hurry so they wouldn't be near him for long. It was what he had to deal with, four years wasn't enough time to erase the prejudice, or ignorance. He was from the Wastes, and that made him evil in their eyes.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel waited for the dust to settle, the guards relaxing a little as their thoughts obviously drifted away from the task at hand and the scene falling nearly silent. The woman from before had finally joined them, though she hadn't said a word to them yet, and Asbel couldn't help but feel restless. Sitting here doing nothing, saying nothing, and planning nothing seemed wrong. "I'm assuming everyone was stripped of all their weapons before we entered this hideout. Am I right?" He asked in a whisper, eying the others hopefully.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Hydris, Fairhaven

Evelyn kept up a leisurely pace as she left the castle grounds and merged with the crowd on the streets outside. People were already gathering for the execution that she was thankful to have been sent far, far away from. Other members of the secret police would travel in smaller numbers and meet Evelyn in Lynne to avoid arousing suspicion with a large groups, so she was responsible for getting herself there quickly and inconspicuously. I don't believe I'll be catching a train to Lynne anytime soon, so I'll just have to make do with what I have...

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - the Winter's End, Lynne

Erick sat down again, his brow furrowed slightly. Out of nowhere, he smiled and breathed a small chuckle. "I know where we are. We're in Lynne." He sighed contentedly, staring out the window. "Damn, it's been a long time, but it doesn't look like it's changed at all. You've never been here before, have you?"

-Ryouki Sato-

He shook his head. "Not since I first was on my way to Hydris." Pondering it a moment, he exhaled sharply, feeling adventurous. "We could always stop here for a few days before moving on to Braille. They won't be expecting us any time soon, since this is a surprise visit. My family can wait for a spot of sightseeing in Lynne." Ryouki shrugged. "If you want, that is."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

Leif nodded sadly "Yes they took them, I don't exactly carry any concealed weapons, daggers are to small for my hands." He brightened a little. "But I don't really need a weapon, just something I can swing and it won't smash on the first hit. Like several feet of thick chain, metal rods, one of the lighter guards if it comes down to it." He whispered.

"My charge isn't capable of walking though." He angled his head in the direction of where Kristen lay, it looked like she might be unconscious again.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris, Fairhaven.

There, walking alone at a measured pace, leaving the castle alone, not dressed like a servant, noble, and if she was a guard she would be with the rest of her patrol. He didn't have any other leads, so he angled towards her.

He decided for the direct approach. When he was right next to her he said. "Good day officer, I believe I require some assistance. I've got a rather large contract to dispose of a group of rebels in Lynne, but have no idea how to get to their hideout. Normally I would stake them out and figure it out on my own, but I'm strapped for time." His tone suggested someone asking for directions to the market district, and he tried to put on a friendly smile.

Embla:

Embla shook her head slightly. "In a way...they haven't taken away my fighting capability...bu I do believe we should wait this out and avoid a conflict."

"Second that."

Embla turned to see Jayzen propped up on his elbows blinking dazedly, wounds healed. His nature is coming to light... Embla frowned worriedly.

Jayzen:

Jayzen rubbed his eyes and propped himself up. His memory was kind of hazy, and he had no idea where he was. But he didn't want to fight right now, so yeah. He totally supported his sister's idea.

Even if he did feel like he could probably take on 20 men right now.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

"May I say something?" Silas said, his voice still low. For all the fear that was near-paralyzing him now, he miraculously found the ability to think clearly and speak up. He prayed they didn't look too suspicious. "Granted, we're over our heads for even thinking we have any sort chance against these people. There is no denying it. We've established that we're all unarmed. Most have sustained at least one injury of some sort, some serious. In all likelihood, the majority of us don't have a single experience in combat that could be used to defend ourselves. In contrast, our guardsmen look to be in a perfectly fit and healthy state. Although I've heard rebels get their recruits from the slums, I wouldn't hold out hope that they don't know a thing or two about beating us silly within seconds."

He took a heavy, ragged breath. Somehow, it helped. "But that doesn't mean escape is impossible. As much as I want to avoid conflict, the conflict has already come to us. What we need is a distraction. Or a series of distractions. These men probably weren't trained very well, unlike if they were in the army. If our experience about an hour ago was any indication, they aren't as disciplined or organized. If we're able to get them to focus on something else long enough and have ourselves stir up a good amount of confusion—which, if I'm correct, shouldn't be too hard—we can make a break for the exit. Separately." He looked at Mr. Novinha and Mr. Regnar's ward. "We may have to leave the heavily-wounded and our stolen items behind. If necessary, they could be used to slow our attackers down, instead them slowing down us."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - the Winter's End, Lynne

Erick's eyebrows shot up and he struggled with an answer, taken aback by Ryouki's suggestion. "Yeah. We probably shouldn't stay long, but a little sightseeing couldn't hurt." Erick was a little apprehensive about being so near to the place where he grew up after everything that had happened, but another part of him also missed it. Now that they were here, maybe they should take this opportunity to have a look around. "Just, uh... Be aware of your surroundings, okay? There's some really scary stuff going on around here nowadays."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel nodded thoughtfully and began to say something to Silas when he paused in a split second before any sound could leave his throat, and his eyes came to rest on Jayzen. How could he possibly be speaking, much less moving about, with injuries like his? Asbel had been worried the poor boy would be dead before they could make their escape, but seeing him then, it was as if he had somehow been healed. He doubted the rebels who had gone over there to help him could have made that much of a difference, let alone in so short a time.

Could he be a Kyuketsuki? If that had been the case, though, wouldn't his eyes have changed, being around all these (literally) bloody injuries? None of it added up. Whatever the case, though, he couldn't be bothered to deal with it now. The boy didn't strike him as a threat, nor did his sister, so the rebels remained his primary focus. With that in mind, he thought over Silas' points from the beginning. "A distraction," He repeated quietly, his eyes briefly scanning the large, open room around him. If their distraction was effective enough, they wouldn't have to leave anyone behind, and as far as Asbel was concerned, it was all or nothing. He wasn't leaving anyone here.

This was one of those times when he almost wished Nowaki was still around - almost. He was pretty darn distracting. "I'm sure we can think of something." He added, hoping it might spark some determination and creativity among the prisoners, himself included.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Hydris, Fairhaven

Evelyn raised an eyebrow at the Grail man's request and briefly made eye contact as if sizing him up. For him to be able to pick her out of a large, moving crowd so quickly after she had left the castle, he had either been spying on her or he was very experienced with this sort of business - possibly both. The fact he was asking for her assistance rather than offering his help unconditionally made her significantly less suspicious of him, but she was still wary by nature and resolved to keep a close eye on the man.

"By all means, then, tag along." She offered politely, already staring forward again. "All I ask is that you be as discreet about your task as possible. No offense, but the last thing I need is another hotheaded mercenary making a mess out of things like an excitable puppy with a gun."

Ryouki Sato

Ryouki nodded briskly. "I'll keep an eye on my wallet, and a lock and key on my lips." He quirked a wry smile and added. "I hear this is where a majority of the rebellion stuff is centered, correct?"

--

Alina Andreyevich

She frowned up at Ryan and wriggled out of his arms. "You don't have to hold me like I'm some child."

Ryan seemed to gloss over the Princess's remark. "Viktor, we can't just stay in this spare room forever. I think the rebellion has made its way into the castle. This isn't the time to waste qualms over Tula's relationship."

"I called it!" Viktor snapped, snagging Tula's hair and making the poor girl whine.

"Ryan, I told you not to!"

He ignored their quarreling. "Either we take Alina back to Rojya or it's The Game all over again."

Alina wrinkled her nose. "I'm not wearing boys clothes and I will not be pestered by Tula again about my bust size."

Viktor exhaled and yanked Tula's hair again to stop her from snickering. "I guess we'll have to split up? One of us takes her to Rojya, the other will hold for here and the one other should investigate the rebels. That is what Alina was sent here for, right?"

Alina's jaw dropped. "I was never told that was why I was here." Her voice took on a hard edge, and the soldiers caught onto her major trigger of being uninformed, being shut off.

Viktor frowned. "Okay, Tula," The one addressed frowned at Viktor.

"Let go of my hair." He let go of her hair

"You stay with Alina and hold fort at the castle. She still has work to do. I'll go back to the Embassy and-hopefully, stay alive-and write to the Czarina. Ryan, I want you to investigate what's going on in Lynne." His voice faltered. "I-I know it's a bit of a stretch, but we need to examine the source."

Ryan's eyes steeled. "Alright, I'll go. Don't miss me too much."

Alina seemed about to retch. "I'm going to get diabetes." Tula flicked her nose and after a swift glance at her comrades, she began to usher Alina deeper into the castle.

Ryan Petrushkov

Viktor and Ryan exchanged a glance, exchanged lips, and Ryan left with the taste of salt and mint on his tongue as he exited the castle without a trace, and made his way into town to get to the train station.

## Page 22

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Dimitry rolled his eyes "No offense but I don't need a government agent telling me how to do my job. I've lived long enough to know how to be discrete."

He relaxed slightly, his left hand leaving his daggers hilt. He didn't relax fully though, since his right was still hovering over the grip of his pistol. This would be interesting since it was unlikely he could use his rifle around this woman as it was likely she would recognize the wound pattern and that of the recently shot guard. Unless he used special ammunition. But that would be worth the pay out Cima had promised.

Tabaraamon - Leader of the Seven Riders - Farm land, Fairhaven.

They were there, finally. Now came the difficult part, they wouldn't be able to travel during the day without the risk of being spotted. In the Wastes that was fine, they could kill any unlucky hunter that stumbled on them, but they couldn't leave a trail of bodies out here, their mission was too important.

They would have to hide until it became dark enough to move without being seen.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

He raised an eyebrow. "We should wait. Let them get comfortable that we won't try anything. Or if wait until they try to move us, then we have a better chance to overpower them. Now is not the time, they are still alert."

He had an additional reason, he didn't want to leave Kristen here. She reminded him of his little sister. Also there was the chance help would come.

Tsukiko Sato

With Taiyo resisting a giggle or seven at the look of that one prisoner, she couldn't help but feel sad for his and the others' position. She didn't recieve much intel on the ransack of the train, but who knew? Maybe some of the passengers were innocent.

Usami probably would have more information on that. He would be coming back from the city patrol soon to report back any further news from Hydris.

Usami Sato

He passed through in the station at Lynne as his train had pulled in. Hidden under a dark hood and a half-mask, Usami kept his gaze forward, headed like a shark to get back to HQ at Wood's Hideout.

The young man completely didn't realise he had run into someone-hard. Literally, bumping into the taller man felt like hitting metal. The other man didn't seem fazed, but Usami definitely would have a bruise the next day. He pulled down his half-mask and looked up to apologise...

Ryouki had aged some, yes, but he still looked rather the same, with angular features, somewhat large eyes. He definitely tended more to personal appearance, having ditched the glasses and even wearing a spot of eyeliner and wore his brows somewhat thin.

Usami's heart dropped and he immediately pulled the mask back up and ran to get out of the station.

Ryouki Sato

Ryouki had turned to try and talk to the young boy who had bumped into his prosthetic, but found his words and the boy lost in the crowd. There was something familiar in the boy's hard expression, but also something distant and foggy in his memory. The boy also seemed to look somewhat similar to Ryouki himself, but that was most people with Kyushu immigrant descent with warm toned skin and upturned brown eyes. Ryouki decided to shrug this off and continue on his way.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas looked to Mr. Regnar. "Right. We have to look for the best opportunity. Watch their habits and see what we can manipulate." He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. To make a distraction for himself, his fingers begun to tap against its bonds.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Train Station, Lynne

Erick, who was walking a pace or two behind Ryouki, quickly caught up to him and moved to his side after the strange boy had bumped into his arm and run off. "What was his problem?" He asked, searching the crowd in front of them for any sign of the stranger. Unfortunately, he had completely lost sight of him.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Hydris, Fairhaven

Evelyn's eyebrows briefly raised at the man's retort but she said nothing in response so as not to inadvertently start an argument. That friendly front sure had disappeared quickly. As the two of them moved progressively farther away from the castle, Evelyn began to plan out the details of the route they would need to take now that transportation was going to be an issue.

She guessed they could take the last train that would be heading to Braile and then Lucan, get off at the first stop, then repeat the process from there to Lynne. The station would leave them farther away from their end destination, but the result was still faster than any alternative that came to mind, and they didn't have time to waste. Getting back, on the other hand, would definitely be an issue. The thought of not making it back to her son by nightfall was more than a little unsettling, even if he did have someone else to look after him until then.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's expression took on a familiar spaciness as he racked his brain for some sort of exploitable weakness in the rebels, but he hadn't completely shut the others out. "Agreed. It will take time for us to think of a suitable plan anyway." If the Novinha boy's condition was much less severe than it appeared, maybe they could use that to their advantage somehow.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris, Fairhaven.

He was glad she didn't speak, it have him plenty of time to think, and he had plenty of things to think about. First and foremost was the issue of his life, he would need to gorge his blade before Sun up tomorrow, and if he didn't... Tabaraamon made it clear that what ever happened wouldn't be good.

Then there was Tula. There were several things he had yet to tell her. Like his religious beliefs and obligations. Or his use of blood magic. Or explain the Jessica situation fully. He had hinted at it a little, but never went into detail. He would have to tell her those things eventually, before she found out about it from some other sources.

His hand left his pistol and he did a quick mental inventory of his supplies. He had eighty rounds of pistol ammunition and fifty round of assorted ammunition for his rifle, ranging from normal hollow points to high explosive armor piercing, and the highly illegal "ember bullets" made from the spent fuel rods used in the boilers of some sand ships.

Cima - Assassin - Grail-El embassy, Fairhaven.

She stood at attention as the chief ambassador stormed about the room throwing papers and shouting. Jessica even flung a vase against the wall during her outburst. This mess had been caused by a messenger sent from the king, eessentially accusing her of having that guard killed.

"Why can't we just rolled the first fleet in here? Level a neighborhood or two in the city and torch some of the farm lands!" Jessica shouted.

Cima shrugged. "You're not any help." The irritate ambassador snarled. Cima walked over and backhanded Jessica in the face. She snapped out of it. "Sorry... It's just this job takes everything out of me... I'm going to go lay down for a little bit." Jessica said in a defeated voice before leaving the room. Cima sighed and started cleaning up.

Viktor Starkov-

He rushed about the room in the Embasy, desperate to get a letter in to Genya before anyone decided to try and get into Rojya's Embassy.

Rojya hasn't made enemies in Falcon's Reach yet...right? Only within its own walls, Viktor mused.

"Viktor?" The Princess's voice startled him and he turned to see her, Tula not far behind.
"She demanded to see you." Tula explained.
Alina nodded and moved closer, her voice small but steady. "I don't want to go back to Rojya, so I must know...what's really the situation that was demanded of me to arrive here?"
Viktor took a moment's breath. "It's a story about a war, that's how it begins...but the rebellions have been bubbling underneath the surface of both of our nations for over five years, and in other nations probably longer than that. In short, no one is exactly very happy. You know the nation of Grail-El?"
"Not much about it...that is the Kingdom of Sand, right?"
Viktor continued. "Their people have also conspired with some of Falcon's Reach citizens and I believe it was someone here from either side that murdered that guard."
"So where do I stand on this issue?" Alina was stern. "No, where does ROJYA stand on this issue?"
Viktor took a long pause, and then articulated. "We have isolated ourselves to our own ordeal. You're here because your sister wanted you out of that, and because the King wanted someone either neutral or in his favour."
"My sister wants me out of everything." The princess's bitter tone was strong in her voice.
Tula went to rub the Princess's tense shoulder, trying calm her down.

-Ryouki Sato-

"I think I scared him off with my prosthetic...or hit him with it." Ryouki exhaled. "Once we check out, maybe I'll see him outside the station, I really should apologize to him."
This wasn't a total lie-after all, Ryouki felt it polite to do such-but there was something about that boy that was familiar, that he couldn't place...something that reminded him of home.

Boraci

I surveyed the area quietly while Asbel played peacemaker and all of the other hostages came in closer. I could almost feel their collective body heat, their pounding pulses.

As I scanned the perimeter, I noticed two female faces peeking in, specifically at Asbel. Just another assurance he was practically a celebrity. But maybe...

"Asbel - we have a few distracting individuals in the group, but it looks like we might have some help. Or are they just members of your fan club?" I inclined my head toward the gap in the wall and smirked. If I couldn't take on some street rebel trash, those things in the Wastes would come into the city just to shame me.

-Taiyo Sato-

She was instantly stopped at the glance and comment from a rather disturbed looking individual and frowned, sticking out her tongue. "We are not a fan club! It's called 'reconnaissance.'"
Tsukiko exhaled and added. "My sister requested we investigate the situation with the train crash."
"Since apparently subordinates are meant to be literally blind followers." Taiyo concluded with a frown. "Go back to your business, we're merely observing."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Train Station, Lynne

Erick smiled, placing his hands in his pockets. "Okay. I wouldn't get my hopes up, though. The way he was running, I almost expected to see a rabid dog chasing him." In the bustling station, it would be hard to pick out a single person, but even more noticeable was how loud it was. He could hear people shouting to be heard by the ticket vendors, complaining that the train was making an unscheduled stop and that they had "places to be."

The responses were much quieter and therefore stood out less, but Erick was able to glean that the cause was something to do with the crash in Lynne, which had taken place in a small town nearby. That would explain why the odor of smoke in the air was so much thicker than usual; it was almost enough to make his eyes water.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Train Station, Hydris, Fairhaven

Once they had reached the station, there was a significant amount of debate concerning whether or not the next train would even bother leaving the station, but it was eventually decided (for the most part, by the angry mob that demanded it) that the train would leave as planned and simply return to Hydris and stay put once the route was completed.

Lucky us, Evelyn nearly said aloud as she boarded the train, taking a seat about two rows back. She glanced to the Grail mercenary, hesitant to speak, but eventually decided on quietly asking just one thing. "Do you have a plan for getting back to Hydris?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

When Boraci's question registered in Asbel's brain, he gave him the kind of glare one would normally receive from someone who had just been woken up at four in the morning with a slap to the face. "Huh?" As if on queue, the two girls in question made themselves known, and Asbel looked over to them curiously. "I'm afraid we can't do that." He answered the more energetic of the two, putting on a polite smile that served to hide a devious spark in his eye.

"You might tell your superiors about our 'business' and get us all in trouble. So, you may either join the conversation - and perhaps lend us some useful information - or you may leave." He glanced about the room once more as he finished the sentence, hoping none of the rebels had heard him. Fortunately, it seems they were a little busy debating their own problems, and rather heatedly at that.

## Page 23

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Train station, Fairhaven.

Before Dimitry sat down he had to took the rifle off his back since its length would make it difficult to sit down, once he sat he put it between his knees, muzzle up. To the woman's question he shrugged. "Don't plan on heading back to Hydris for a while. Lynne is a better city for someone of my profession anyway."

That wasn't his real reason, but he wasn't about to tell a member of the secret police that he was the one who popped that guard and would be waiting for everything to calm down a little.

As the train started moving he muttered. "Pathetic way to get around... Utterly pathetic." He hated trains, not for the noise or smell, sand ships were worse, but because of the inflexibility of it, it always followed the rails, unlike walking, horse back, or a sand ship. It made sense for the needs of this kingdom, but he still despised them.

-Tsukiko Sato-

"I dunno," Tsukiko teased, smiling beneath her mask. "maybe we were casually spying and you just gave us an idea. Now we have all the more reason to stay."
"But weren't we just killing time for Usami to-" She elbowed her sister in the gut to cut her off and she groaned, crossing her arms over her stomach in pain. "Ow..."
"Do tell us, what exactly happened on the train? Us underlings aren't exactly the most informed, as my sister so eagerly pointed out."

--

-Ryouki Sato-

"There was something in his eyes..." Ryouki muttered. "I can't get it out of my head just how familiar he seemed."

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

As he boarded the train for Lynne, he spotted the King's attendant from earlier. My, this is awkward, he mused as he pulled a seat not far behind her, keeping a slim window to keep a curious eye on what her business might be on this train.

-Usami Sato-

Just as he was slowing down to make it out of the train station, Usami froze at the loud cry over the intercom of the station. "Don't' move! This is a hold-up! Everybody freeze with your hands behind your head!"

His eyes darted to the station and he was able to pick out other rebels inside, obviously aware of the plan, with weapons drawn and searching terrified civilians. A rebel girl in a similar half mask with a streak of bright pink in dark hair came up to search him, but he pulled down his mask and grinned. "I'm one of you, don't sweat."
The girl grinned in response, only swiftly. "Then get your ass movin', soldier."
Usami nodded and pulled the mask back over his mouth and nose. "Sorry, I wasn't aware." He muttered before drawing his katana and making his way back into the station.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Train Station, Lynne

Erick instinctively prepared for a confrontation when he saw weapons being drawn and heard the demand over the intercom, but reason kicked in soon enough and he grudgingly did as he was told, his fingers interlocking behind his head. He looked to Ryouki questioningly and was suddenly struck with a disturbing realization, causing him to fix his eyes to the floor and fall completely still.

If these rebels found out who he was, it could land the both of them in even bigger trouble; he had even more dangerous information than the secret police. Then again, in Lynne, he probably wouldn't stand out all that much. He had changed out of his uniform, and his dyed hair would actually make him less conspicuous here, so maybe he and Ryouki could simply pass unnoticed.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Train, Fairhaven >> Lynne

Evelyn stared out the window as the train doors closed and smirked at Dimitry's comment, the humor of the situation sinking in fairly quickly. "Had the option presented itself, I would have gladly traveled by airship. It would definitely make the return trip easier." She admitted, and just then, she noticed that someone rather familiar had taken a seat just behind her. Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten a good enough look at the man to place him, but she didn't dare look over her shoulder. In her line of work, staring at people was a big no-no.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel paused before answering the two girls, hesitant. He didn't see any harm in telling them, but that one girl seemed pretty crafty. "Sorcery." He replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, hiding the fact that the recent memory of it still made him want to curl up in a ball and hide in the corner of the room. "I saw the whole thing. An old man in a long robe sent the train flying off the tracks with a flick of the wrist and then disappeared into the shadows."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas merely stared at Mr. Sutherlin after he spoke, finding no words for what he felt. Obviously, he was playing with them, but he preferred they cut to the chase and give them no option at all, other than to leave. It wasn't like they were in the position to be giving demands of their own though.

Silas looked up at one of the balconies. An mysterious old man in a long robe using sorcery to derail their train. He made an indiscernible sound under his breath and nearly rolled his eyes. How utterly ludicrous. He wondered how they could joke about such things in their situation, but a part of him wished he could do the same. He'd take anything over this erratic heartbeat of his.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard -Wood's hideout, Lynne.

Leif nodded when Asbel spoke of the magician. "So that was what did it? Makes more sense then my idea that a god got bored." He was trying to portray one of the unfortunate stereotypes of his race, that they were all big dumb brutes, his hope was he would make Asbels lie more believable.

He thought he had heard the name Asbel before, but couldn't place it, names were difficult for him to remember but he thought one of Auduns men had mentioned that name before.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Train Fairhaven >>> Lynne.

The man sitting behind him had the secret police agent next to him worried, which made him worried. He knew he had seen the face a long time ago, but couldn't put a name to it. He put his right hand on his pistol and cocked it, the click impossible to hear in the noisy train.

In an attempt to make everything seem normal he continued his conversation with the woman next to him. "Airships are fast yes, but they aren't very comfortable, due to the weight limit. Now a sand ship... That is the way to go, dunes to steep to climb? Go through them, the bigger ones can just drive through rivers, pretty much the only thing that gets in the way of those are mountains and the iron curtain up north in Rojya."

-Taiyo Sato-

"Are you kidding me?"
Tsukiko seemed to find this funny, as she began to stroke an imaginary beard. "So I see, and was this sorcerer's beard so long that it covered his feet?"
"Kiko!" Taiyo scolded her and was met with another hit to the gut. She groaned her follow-up to the white haired boy. "Pleeeeease be honest. I'm so done with being uninformed about this!"

--

-Ryouki Sato-

Ryouki locked his fingers behind his head and scowled to hide his worry. His peripheral vision caught the boy from earlier with his hood down and a katana drawn nearing him and Erick, moments later finding the blade shaking as it neared his neck and he couldn't help but laugh as it clattered to the ground.
The boy growled behind him. "Brother, you're too damn tall."
His laugh instantly caught in his throat, and it took everything in him not to turn around in shock.
Ryouki swallowed before responding. "Maybe it's that you're too damn short."
He heard Usami make a 'tsh' noise as he searched Ryouki, and then his little brother come before him to retrieve his weapon.
Usami nodded to Erick. "This that boyfriend of yours? Bastien, the one you wrote about?"
"Long story, little brother." Ryouki exhaled.

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

At the mention of his mother nation, Ryan decided to cut in, aware of his now known presence. "The Curtain is rather durable-no, that is an understatement."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Train Station, Lynne

Erick's eyebrows shot up and his eyes darted between Ryouki and the masked boy from before, who was, apparently, none other than Ryouki's own brother. "You're kidding!" He exclaimed, though he kept the volume of his voice down low so as not to attract unwanted attention. He looked up at Ryouki with a smile, their precarious situation momentarily forgotten. "That's your brother?"

Without waiting for an answer, his question already confirmed in his mind, he looked to the young man in question. "Uh... Usami, right? Do we have time for introductions, or are you just gonna cuff us both and take us to your leader?" He asked, only half-joking despite the laughter in his voice.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Train, Fairhaven >> Lynne

Evelyn thought over the mercenary's explanation, intrigued, when the man behind them finally spoke up. She shifted in her seat to look back at him and immediately pinned him as one of Ambassador Andreyevich's guards, standing out in Evelyn's mind as usually appearing very laid back and calm; she didn't believe she had ever caught his name, though.

Perhaps the Ambassador had sent him to Lynne to bring back reliable intelligence on the train crash - or even to check on what the secret police were up to. "So I've heard." She replied evenly, neither sarcastic nor enthused. "Hearing about this sort of thing never ceases to amaze me, truth be told - especially after growing up in a kingdom that used to be absolutely convinced its technology was the best in the world." She supposed that went to show how much the state of their kingdom reflected that of its ruler: convinced it was some sort of prodigy yet lagging behind in almost every respect.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel kept a straight face but felt a rush of childish glee when Leif reinforced his tall tale; perhaps this little group of survivors could truly become a team and work together for a common goal. He grinned as the quieter of the two siblings played along as well, but the other girl still demanded an honest answer.

He sighed, his smile disappearing in favor of a very weary expression. He still planned on keeping up the act; if he had his way, this kid would never truly be sure that the train hadn't been destroyed by way of sorcery, even after she had been handed the truth outright. "I suppose you wouldn't believe me, would you? Fine." He paused, his eyes leaving the siblings for a few moments before he spoke up again. "The first class car of the train exploded and blew the entire thing off the tracks as it neared the station. There's your mundane, believable explanation. Happy?" He once again looked to the quieter sibling. "And no. I believe it just barely reached his wizardly bellybutton."

King of Falcon's Reach - King's Castle, Fairhaven

The King's fingertips tapped incessantly against the arm of his throne, the once steady rhythm becoming increasingly sporadic as he grew more nervous. A single guard entered the room, obviously coming down from a sprint and trying not to appear out of breath or disheveled. "My deepest apologies if I've kept you waiting, Your Highness." The guard said, falling into a bow.

"Please notify those who will be attending the execution that it will be starting in less than one hour's time." He said without skipping a single beat, paying no mind to the guard's flustered state or much of anything else.

"Right away, Your Majesty."

-Usami Sato-

He raised a brow, looking over the one in shock as he further questioned Ryouki. "He seems a bit more...squirrelly than you described." Sheathing his katana he searched Erick, and then his luggage, his fingers lingering on an ID card within Erick's belongings.
He stood once finished and called over to the woman from before. "Get the taller one! His associate needs to come with us as well."

Before Erick had a chance to respond, Usami sharply yanked down Erick's hands and bound them just as the rebels had done with other suspicious individuals.

As the woman, clearly taller than Usami, had Ryouki bound as well, Usami discreetly added. "Normally, we'd separate you two, but there's a lot we need to catch up on." Usami's voice was acidic and meant to bring in his brother willingly, playing on all sympathy he may have.

--

-Tsukiko Sato-

"Indeed," Tsukiko nodded sagely. "which I suppose is the essence of his wizardly powers, that is a fact."
Taiyo put her head in her hands. "To think you had better marks than me..."
"Did such wizard posess an army of rats to bring you here? After all, he must of used a great deal of magic to poof himself to your train."

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

Ryan shrugged. "I suppose the revelation of the other countries opened up some doors for Falcon's Reach. Ever since the Second War, I was hoping all of us nations would become friends."

--

-Tula Nikos-

A guard had come by then, alerting everyone that the execution would begin in an hour. Tula promptly thanked him for the notice and once the door closed, immediately began to force Viktor out of the room.
"You can write your letter outside, can't you?" She insisted. "Alina must change for the event."
"This isn't a damn ball or anything. She looks fine."
"You have no idea how princesses operate, do you?"
"I have plenty idea, we've been her guards for over ten years."
"You would understand if you were a woman."
"What-" She cut him off by slamming the door.

"Tula, what was that for?"
Tula rummaged through her inside jacket pocket and pulled out a vial, half filled with an orange liquid. "Take this right before the execution, it should prevent vomiting for a while."
Alina took the vial, examining the contents. "I've never seen this medicine before...this isn't like Kola."
"No, it's this other tonic from Arybya, I smuggled it before we left for Falcon's Reach-"
"Because you smuggle just about everything, you crook!" Alina scolded her.
"Once a crook, always a crook." Tula shrugged as she began removing her boots and pants. Alina turned scarlet as Tula began to change in front of her.
"S-So where did that Dimitry guy take you to soil your work pants like that?"
"Shortcut through the sewers." Tula answered bluntly. "Apparently that's how you get places quicker in Falcon's Reach."
"They don't have a metro here?"
"Rojya seems to be a bit further along than Falcon's Reach."
"That's so odd!"

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Train Fairhaven >>> Lynne.

"Nation's can not be friends if one does not offer anything in return. That is the reason Falcon's Reach and Grail-El are not allies, we buy food from you, but that is it. I don't know what the diplomatic situation is with Rojya. Better I assume, since a Assault Jumper team saved her life in the war."

Dimitry said with out the smirk he normally wore when speaking about Falcon's Reach. He lived here out of necessity, not choice, he couldn't live in Grail-El because of his crimes, and Rojya was just to cold. In retrospect he might have been able to go to the Vallak territories, but the difficulties of acquiring ammunition had made him think twice.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Fairhaven.

She was getting into her official uniform, the one designed to demonstrate the difference between them and the other nations. It was heavily based of the garb they wore when they were nomads, sand coloured fabric wrapped around her body, crisscrossed with leather belts. On top of that went a overcoat made from tanned hellhound skin. Hobnail boots clacked on the stone floor of her room. She carried a ceremonial dagger on her hip, which despite its decorations was still razor sharp.

She stepped out of her room where Cima waited. Her bodyguard was fully kitted out, the hills of swords and daggers bristling from her.

Half her security force was waiting as well, they didn't wear their dress uniforms, and had left their ceremonial weapons in the cases. It looked less like an honor guard and more like a assault team. That was the point, she was demonstrating the strength of the Grail-El military, since it seemed as if the king had forgotten.

She knew the king would be there, and expected that there would be a diplomatic conference about the shooting, politics was about appearances. This is why the king was having this execution, to make him appear strong. She would be there to appear stronger.

Was it a threat? Of course it was. Military might was all they held over Falcon's Reach, Falcon's Reach didn't depend on them for any critical imports, so the threat of violence was what they had.

## Page 24

Ryan Petrushkov

He nodded. "Yes, Rojya has been communicating with Falcon's Reach about improving the tech situation, as well as rebuilding communication with the Anglican Isles and Grail-El. The war appeared to have opened the Czarina's eyes a little in terms of the isolation policy. Parliament...not so much." Ryan shrugged, not sure how to elaborate in something other than his own tongue and settling for a summation. "They believe the Wastes was a further reason to keep up boundaries and isolate from the other nations, even the Isles that we have much to thank for most of the revolutionizing tech."

 Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Train Station, Lynne

Erick let a halfhearted curse slip under his breath as he noticed Usami eying his ID card, and his friendly demeanor faded slightly as his hands were bound behind him, but he remained calm. Any suspicion he would normally have felt was negated by the fact that Usami was Ryouki's brother, and he planned on playing along until Ryouki gave him a reason to do otherwise.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Train, Fairhaven >> Lynne

Evelyn held back a sigh at the mercenary's remark. It made sense, as much as she hated to admit it. Still, when they were all surrounded by a living desert that wanted nothing more than to eat them all alive, one would think they would be able to set aside the "equivalent exchange" rule and just watch each others' backs for once. "Then the Rojyan Parliament must have a great deal of faith in those walls. If they would trade valuable allies for them, they must truly be amazing." She had stripped the sarcasm from her voice, leaving it void of any clues that might indicate whether or not she was being serious.

 Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel grinned and subtly nodded to the rebels around them. "Only the army of rats you see before you. Now, since I answered your question, you can return the favor. If this army of rats planned to move us to a location in the building more secure than this, where might that be?"

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

As the crowd gathered around the gallows, whispering and shifting uncomfortably as if they were the ones about to be executed, the ill-fated prisoner had yet to be seen. Apparently, this sort of thing required a certain degree of ceremony. Danor had never seen anything like this before, but she honestly couldn't make herself stay away. Even though her squeamishness would most likely prompt her to leave before the brutal end, she wanted to see the King's face first - both his reaction and that of the crowd. What could they possibly be thinking?

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

As Asbel had been talking Leif had been fiddling with his hand cuffs, and came to the conclusion he couldn't pick the lock with out real picks, and despite his appearance he couldn't just rip them apart. If they escaped he would need to get these things off quickly, he just hoped they could get the guard with the keys early in the fight.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Train, Fairhaven >>> Lynne.

Dimitry's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. He wished he hadn't spoken and started this conversation. He looked out the window and tried to judge how close they were but couldn't, the terrain was just so repetitive.

He took out a book and started reading it, it was written in the Grail alphabet, it was a history of contacts with the other nations. Not the most fascinating reading, but better than conversation.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Jessica and Cima walked down the street to the town square where the execution would take place. With them were ten men in the protection team, enough to get her point across, but not enough to agitate the king.

 -Tsukiko Sato-

"We weren't informed of that." She and her sister, like on several occasions, accidentally harmonized.
Tsukiko heard her twin pout. "So it seems we're moving with you. Our brother and ourselves have just been moving from base to base with other nobodies."

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

"They are rather stupid, in my opinion." Ryan checked the time on the clock inside the train and broke a blue capsule into his hip flask, then proceeded to take a long pull from it, downing the medicated drink. "Too much isolation was what got Czar Andreyevich killed in the first place."

--

-Tula Nikos-

Viktor, herself and Alina called a carriage outside the Embassy to take them to the execution ground. Tula eyed Alina's wistful glance outside the windows at the area around them and her brows knit together.
"Printsessa?"
Alina's icy eyes flicked toward Tula briefly, showing her attention directed on the guard, but her thoughts lay elsewhere.
"You sure you don't want to skip out?"
"No, I'm already in the carriage. We aren't turning back."

The whole rest of the ride was uncomfortably silent, simply put.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - ??? Train Station, Lynne

As Evelyn exited the train, there were whispers among the crowd outside of yet another incident at a nearby station not long ago, though no one there seemed to know exactly what had happened. The rebels were being much bolder today than usual, and after the attempted assassination of the King the day before, she couldn't help but wonder if this might finally send the King over the edge. She had watched his state of mind deteriorate steadily as civil unrest grew, and it was only a matter of time before he finally found it impossible to treat the looming rebellion as an empty, distant threat.

She took a look at the map pinned up on the station wall to briefly get her bearings and find out where exactly they needed to be. It seemed like they needed to head to Glassvale, which wasn't far at all. Even better, it was small, which would make things much easier for her. Taking one last second to make sure she had memorized the path they would need to take, she then exited the station and followed the rising pillar of smoke in the distance.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel turned his attention to his fellow prisoners as the rebels discussed whether their hostages should be moved to a different, more secure building, and kept his voice down especially low in an attempt to keep the nearby twins from hearing him. "If I could, say, convince those two girls to set fire to the building once the rebels have moved us, do you think we would be able to break out of wherever they decide to put us?"

King of Falcon's Reach  - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor had made her exit long before the deed was done, having deemed it unhealthy to willingly subject oneself to such a grisly business, while the King was dealing with the full force of the aftermath. One civilian witness had gone into a fit of rage and attacked one of the guards overseeing the event, and was promptly arrested. As the would-be assassin was "removed" and people began to leave, the King rose from his seat and prepared to take his leave as well. Before he did so, he asked one of the guards to request that the ambassadors attending the execution come to a rather spontaneous meeting in the Great Hall in a few minutes. He believed they had some urgent matters to discuss.

Chapter Three -

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Train station, Lynne.

As the woman looked at the map Dimitry got fully prepared, reloading his rifle, attaching the bayonet and adjusting the scope magnification from the setting he used to kill the gaurd to something better for short to medium range combat.

From his baclpack he took two hand grenades and slid them into the pouches on his vest. Lastly he drew his knife from its sheath and checked its balance. Still perfect. He turned to the secret police officer. "Where too? I don't get paid by the hour so standing around doesn't help me."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

Leif nodded. "Most likely yes. I might loose some hair to the heat, but if that's the price of freedom, so be it." He did his best to hide his uneasiness, he didn't have a mortal terror of fire, more of a healthy respect for it. "Tell them to set the roof first, it'll cause the most panic, but won't be that much of a danger for us."

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Hydris, Fairhaven.

As they started walking towards the castle Jessica had time to think. The king was obviously paranoid, so she would have to tread carefully around any accusations of assisting the rebels the king might have, she didn't want to start a war with out the permission from the council.

The gates of the castle were heavily guarded, and a officer with a very impressive plumed helmet stepped forward. "Name and business?" He asked.

Jessica kept herself from rolling her eyes. "Jessica Stuart, the Grail-El ambassador." She swept her eyes across the guards, they seemed to be very anxious about facing down a pack of Caravaner infantry, even though they outnumbered the Grail three to one.

The plumed officer nodded. "You may enter, but you may only bring one bodyguard." The Grail soldiers tensed, the muzzles of their automatic rifles rising several degrees. Several of the kings guards put their hands on the hilt of their swords.

Jessica sighed and said "Cima, you are with me. Captain, if you hear gunfire or the sound of combat you have permission to do as you see fit."

The gates swung open, Jessica and Cima entered, the later with her arms crossed, hands on the throwing knife sheaths on her upper arms.

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Train station, Lynne.

As the woman looked at the map Dimitry got fully prepared, reloading his rifle, attaching the bayonet and adjusting the scope magnification from the setting he used to kill the gaurd to something better for short to medium range combat.

From his baclpack he took two hand grenades and slid them into the pouches on his vest. Lastly he drew his knife from its sheath and checked its balance. Still perfect. He turned to the secret police officer. "Where too? I don't get paid by the hour so standing around doesn't help me."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

Leif nodded. "Most likely yes. I might loose some hair to the heat, but if that's the price of freedom, so be it." He did his best to hide his uneasiness, he didn't have a mortal terror of fire, more of a healthy respect for it. "Tell them to set the roof first, it'll cause the most panic, but won't be that much of a danger for us."

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Hydris, Fairhaven.

As they started walking towards the castle Jessica had time to think. The king was obviously paranoid, so she would have to tread carefully around any accusations of assisting the rebels the king might have, she didn't want to start a war with out the permission from the council.

The gates of the castle were heavily guarded, and a officer with a very impressive plumed helmet stepped forward. "Name and business?" He asked.

Jessica kept herself from rolling her eyes. "Jessica Stuart, the Grail-El ambassador." She swept her eyes across the guards, they seemed to be very anxious about facing down a pack of Caravaner infantry, even though they outnumbered the Grail three to one.

The plumed officer nodded. "You may enter, but you may only bring one bodyguard." The Grail soldiers tensed, the muzzles of their automatic rifles rising several degrees. Several of the kings guards put their hands on the hilt of their swords.

Jessica sighed and said "Cima, you are with me. Captain, if you hear gunfire or the sound of combat you have permission to do as you see fit."

The gates swung open, Jessica and Cima entered, the later with her arms crossed, hands on the throwing knife sheaths on her upper arms.

  Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn looked over her shoulder at the two men and nodded, though her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw weapons out. "There are people waiting for us in Glassvale, most likely just outside the town square, which will be easy to find in such a small place. They should know where to go from there." She considered nagging the two about their weapons being visible, but that was most likely a lost cause, so she let the matter go unchallenged and turned to leave.

Glassvale was eerily quiet, though still very busy. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry to be off the streets as they passed one another, arms held close to their bodies and eyes downcast. "Let me know if you spot anyone who seems to be blending in a little too well." She muttered, unsure of what the Lynne agents might look like or exactly where they were. She wished she could have had a little more time to prepare for this, but hostage situations were just about the definition of "time sensitive."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel nodded in agreement with Leif and Boraci and opened his mouth to protest as the twins left, but he was interrupted by a piece of rather grim advice from one of them. Before he could say a word, they were gone. He hissed a foul curse under his breath and let his head fall back against the wooden paneling behind him with a dull thud, followed by a whiny noise like something one might hear from a fussy toddler. This briefly caught the guards' attention, so he waited for their eyes to leave him before he spoke again.

"Mr. Dermon, if you unlock these cuffs, I will tackle the man carrying my smoke bombs, set them all off at once, and run around in circles screaming bloody murder while you and the others escape. I don't even give a damn how we do this anymore." It was then that he noticed the newcomers entering the building, a new batch of prisoners in tow. Two of them looked oddly familiar, too. A tall, slender young man next to a shorter one with a green highlight in - no, it couldn't be. Could it? Asbel chuckled as realization hit him and he let his gaze settle on the high ceiling above him. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it soon."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Erick fidgeted with the bonds around his wrists as he was led alongside Ryouki into the abandoned building, and inside, against a wall, was a group of yet more prisoners, some of them looking to be badly injured. It wasn't hard to pick Asbel out of the bunch, and Erick found it extremely difficult not to smile or stare when he caught sight of the familiar face. He had only seen Asbel once since the mission, and that was just shortly after it had ended; how had he ended up there, he wondered?

King of Falcon's Reach  - Great Hall, Fairhaven

The King waited until everyone was seated, then a while longer, before he spoke up. His voice was quiet and methodical, though not entirely steady. "I'm sure this has been a trying day for all of you, so I'll make this as brief as I can: As I'm sure you've already been made aware, a captain of the Fairhaven guard was killed earlier this afternoon while on duty - shot through the heart during a routine patrol. I've recently been informed that a rather suspicious individual was sighted in Hydris today as well, before this shooting - a suspicious individual we have reason to believe may have been a Grail assassin. As of yet, he hasn't been arrested nor spotted again since."

He looked from Alina to Jessica and back, his expression a blank slate. "Thoughts? Questions, perhaps?"

## Page 25

Dimitry Popov -  Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

The three of them walked down the street, Dimitry taking up the rear, his eyes scanning for any sign of an attack, his rifle at his shoulder but pointed down several inches so he didn't point it directly at anyone. He hated cities, so enclosed, hundreds of possible ambush points, sniper perches and choke points.

He watched for anyone who seemed to blend in to well, but it was hard to do in Lynne. Everyone blended in. The way he had spotted the woman was he knew where she was leaving from, and the general direction she would be going, it had been easy.

A sudden movement in the corner of his eye made him turned sharply and bring his rifle up for a snap shot. A little beggar girl screamed and ran away when Dimitry leveled his rifle on her. "Can't be to careful." He muttered as an explanation to his companions.

There was something about the area that got to him, the civilians seemed more nervous, and several windows slammed shut as they passed.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard -Wood's hideout, Lynne.

"As soon as my hands are unbound I'll be ready to go."

He planned on helping the distraction, even for a few moments. Maybe bash some skulls in, toss one of the lighter ones, cause more confusion. The sight of more prisoners gave him an idea. "Once the new ones are inside the building our guards might not be watching us as well as the others get seated, it might give us a chance."

Jessica Stuart - Grail-El Ambassador - Great hall, Falcon's Reach.

She raised a single eyebrow at the kings accusation then in a measured voice said. "My government did not authorize such an operation. How would it be in my nations interest to murder a single officer?"

She raised a hand to show she was not finished with her statement. "Do you have proof it was a citizen of Grail-El? There are many merchants that sell clothing in the style of my nation, and we export large numbers of surplus fire arms. It was more than likely that your 'assassin' was merely dressed as a Caravaner in an attempt to turn our nation's against each other. It would be in the best interest of those opposed to your rule to isolate you from your allies."

She leaned back, her face expressionless, though pleased with her self, let the man fill in the blanks himself.

-Ryan Petrushkov-

He saw Ryan level the gun at the young girl and froze. "Oy, she's just a child."

--

-Ryouki Sato-

His eyes widened at the sight of Asbel, familiar amongst the other prisoners, and then before being marched in, the sight of a familiar pair of girls. One of them in turn lunged forward, only to be held back by the other girl.
"That's our brother!" Taiyo cried out. "Usami what the HELL?!!"
Usami glared at Taiyo and led the two sisters away from the prisoners, and Ryouki felt like a meteor crashed into his gut as they closed the doors. He ran a hand through his loosened hair and exhaled in exasperation.

--
-Tsukiko Sato-

Her sister ranted for what seemed like hours, ramming Usami's side with punches and tears of anger.
After not seeming to respond, Usami snapped. "He is fraternizing with the enemy! What else was I supposed to do, separate him? Our brother has some explaining to do and there was no other way to get him here with us."
Taiyo whimpered. "I thought I would never see Ryouki again..."
"He's probably changed, a lot." Tsukiko attempted to comfort her sister.
Usami grimaced. "He has...I can tell. He's...lost a lot."

--

-Alina Andreyevich-

"I don't think this sort of violence should be met with more violence." Alina's voice was strong, but trembled slightly as she started feeling a little sick. "That would be too much unnecessary bloodshed. These vigilantes are getting out of our control."

King of Falcon's Reach - The Great Hall

The King's posture straightened and his shoulders pushed back as he stared at Jessica, rage building in the pit of his stomach, when Alina spoke up and momentarily stalled his oncoming rant - or rather, redirected it onto herself. This was exactly what his advisors had warned him of. "What else would you have me do to maintain control, then, Princess?" His voice was eerily calm now, at a higher register than normal. "Ask them to stop? Appeal to their sense of compassion? Make more empty threats so they can disregard them out of hand and laugh at me behind closed doors? If there's some simple, easy solution to this that you've kept to yourself this entire time, Your Excellency, I would be most interested to hear it."

He turned his attention back to Jessica, putting on a paper-thin smile. "Now, that's an interesting concept indeed. Perhaps you're correct. You must admit, though, it's all rather convenient for you. People are beginning question how difficult it really is to commit crimes on my very doorstep and unrest continues to grow, while you seem to take every possible opportunity to prove how untouchable you are."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Erick stood in total shock as a pair of twins, soon recognizable as Tsukiko and Taiyo, approached them, and one scolded Usami for imprisoning their older brother. Erick's gaze fell and he stayed silent for a while after Ryouki's siblings left, occasionally glancing up at him to read his expression. Every time he did, he felt a twinge of guilt, and it took considerable effort for him to work up the nerve to speak. "They're probably just in shock after not seeing you for so long. They'll come around." He smiled, hoping to reassure him. "We can sort all this out."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Glassvale, Lynne

Evelyn watched the girl flee in terror but said nothing, focusing on the task at hand. She was used to seeing that sort of reaction, and having a part in it no longer bothered her. Whether she was working as a secret officer or a rebel vigilante, while she was on duty, she was something "other." Both identities were personae - carefully crafted facades that were separate from her own ego. It was probably an unhealthy way of thinking, but she found it kept her thoughts much tidier.

It wasn't long before she saw the sober, harsh faces of her fellow agents, and they saw her as well before long. She kept her voice low but didn't whisper, her tone casual but slightly impatient. "I'm here to oversee the situation and lend a hand. I was told you would have some sort of lead on the victims' whereabouts."

Out of the five agents present, two nodded and one politely clarified, "We've spent a while trying to track these people down and today's events led us right to them; we currently have their hideout surrounded. We were about to start things without you, actually." He glanced over Evelyn's shoulder at the two strangers, raising an eyebrow.

"I can vouch for them." The agent returned his attention to Evelyn and nodded affirmatively, and as he then turned to walk away, Evelyn followed.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - The Great Hall.

Jessica's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I have a solution, it may not be easy, but it is simple. Follow through with your threats, else they become meaningless."

Her eyes narrowed further. "And in response to your comment. It may seem convenient for us, but why would it be? Your nation is our primary trading partner, and the destabilization of your government is not in our best interest. What is not in our best interest would be chaos disrupting trade, or even worse a naive and idealistic fool that does not understand state craft as well as you."

She ignored the "untouchable" comment, as her response of "We do not prove we are untouchable, just remind" might not be the best thing for the situation.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

The pain in her leg had significantly reduced, to the point she could think straight. This excited her, in the middle of history in the making, she might be the one to name this event, see firsthand events that would be remembered for centuries, maybe the dawn of a new age.

She almost wanted the rebels to win, since the king wouldn't allow her to record something that could be deemed to criticize his rule. But they had taken her prisoner, so she didn't fully want them to win. She looked around for Leif, but couldn't see him from where she was.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

"How many are in there?" He asked one of the officers. More would be better, a higher chance he would be able to drain one of the rebels with his knife without anyone noticing, he did not want to explain that. As he waited for the response he started sizing up the building, and the area around it, looking for anyone watching them who might give warning to the rebels inside.

-Alina Andreyevich-

Now feeling quite stupid, the Princess kept her mouth shut and desperately, secretly wished that her sister was in her place. Alina never had much of a voice, even in her country. How else would she be able to back it up?

Tula cut in, sensing her distress and thinly veiling an angered tone. "Your Highness, I think Alina is referring to presenting them an ultimatum? Or perhaps conducting change ourselves-" Alina heard her guard squeak as Viktor had pinched her in the arm, preventing any more remarks that could be taken as offensive.

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

He noted several other officers almost whisking away his company and he shrugged before slowly tailing behind them, occasionally sipping from his flask.
It did catch him by surprise to see where those two had their loyalties, and didn't bother him either. Ryan often thought that,as reckless as they were, maybe the rebels had their wits straight.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

"I need a moment..." Ryouki exhaled. "I didn't even recognize them. I mean, Tsukiko always looked the same, but Taiyo has CHANGED." He put his head in his hands. "Oh god, I hope those two protected her from boys, oh NO." Ryouki's look at Erick was quite serious. "Erick, I'm almost thirty and the twins are probably like 25 and drinking and smoking and who knows what with these people I need to protect them and I can't do it from a cell!!"

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas grimaced. The new prisoners were louder and rowdier than they had been, but at least the twins were gone for now. Seeing a new opportunity, he impatiently turned to Mr. Dermon again. "So? What's it going to–"

A sharp noise echoed throughout the room and shook the building, sounding not unlike the explosion on the train. Another came soon after, and another. The rebels stumbled and looked around in confusion, some gathering around the hall leading to the entrance. Silas strained his ears to hear the faint sound of collapsing rubble and... gunfire.

At first, he thought it was the policemen, here to rescue them. But how could they have found their location and made a plan of action so quickly? Well, it was hard to hide such large group on the ground from the airships that littered the sky. The security forces of Falcon's Reach were also efficient when they wanted to be. But still, they had never used bombs for a raid or a rescue operation, at least to his knowledge. It was likelier that another rebel organization was executing an attack against this one.

So they were to be thrown into some petty gang squabble now. Fate never did smile down upon him.

"We better make a decision," he urged. "It appears it's either now or never." They could be running out in the middle of a war zone, caught up in the further massacre of innocents, but it was better than staying to see what their captors had in store for them. If they didn't want to leave, could he run out by himself? Silas swallowed and steeled himself for what was to come.

Boraci

I was about to unlock Mr. Reid's bonds when a new group arrived. I barely had time to register that Ryouki and Erick were among them when gunfire and bombs shook the air.

"Perfect," I murmured. I grasped Mr. Reid's wrists and brought them closer, quickly unlocking them. "Better not run off," I said, before turning to Asbel, then Leif. Each one was easier than the last. Soon, our original group was all freed.

"Those would be greatly appreciated," I said to Asbel. I straightened my back and dashed forward to a small wooden table with our weapons. Before grasping my own knives and gloves, I threw back Asbel's smoke grenades, ducking into a roll because the rebels had finally gotten a clue.

King of Falcon's Reach - The Great Hall

The King glanced at Jessica but didn't try to counter her argument. He hadn't lost; he was just a little confused, that was all. Maybe she was right, but if there was something fishy going on - and he was almost sure there was - then he would figure it out soon enough. He eyed the Princess' rather outspoken guard with disdain, reminded of Erick's earlier lapse in judgment. Such outbursts never ceased to annoy him, but maybe the girl had a valid point.

His expression became more relaxed, lacking the rage that had been bubbling just under the surface. He spoke in a more welcoming tone, his paranoia and anger reburied for the time being. "It is possible, I suppose, to present the rebels with an ultimatum of sorts." He absently raised a hand and rested it over his mouth, then slowly lowered it so he could be heard clearly. "It's possible."

After one more short pause, he came forward with an idea. "If the attacks persist, knights will be authorized to arrest any suspected rebels or sympathizers they encounter, measures will be taken to search the kingdom for them, and transportation will be shut down." He looked between Jessica and the Princess. "Does that sound reasonable enough?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Asbel clenched his shaking hands into fists as he heard the ensuing chaos outside, accompanied by the sound of screams. He wanted to help Erick and Ryouki, but choosing which prisoners to stay behind for based on whether or not he was personally acquainted with them seemed a tad selfish. In that case, he guessed it was all or nothing.

By the time he reached this conclusion, Boraci had unlocked his handcuffs and made a run for the table holding everyone's weapons. Asbel caught his smoke bombs with a grin before putting some distance between himself and the rest of the group. He tossed a bomb near the rebels surrounding Erick and Ryouki, directing some of their focus onto himself, and prayed the new prisoners would have the presence of mind to flee.

When the rebels began to shoot at him, he set off a number of bombs in strategic points between himself, the rebels, and the first group of hostages, trying to avoid obscuring the latter's way to the exit while still adequately hiding them. Realizing smoke wasn't exactly bulletproof, however, he ran to another nearly empty area of the auditorium, hoping the rebels might lose track of him for a few seconds.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Erick kept his voice barely above a whisper, determined to calm Ryouki down. "You won't end up in a cell. We'll get out of this somehow and help your family, but we have to stay focused." It wasn't long before he felt explosions shake the building, and his smile vanished in an instant. The grave nature of their situation didn't take long to sink in; they needed to get out of there quickly or they might not get out at all. What could they possibly do, though, handcuffed and unarmed?

When the rebels' attention was caught by the other group of hostages' attempt to escape, Erick knew that might be their only opportunity, and he immediately looked to Ryouki. "This is our chance! Let's go find your brother and sisters."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Evelyn listened for an answer to the mercenary's question, which came from the apparent leader of their team. "Nearly forty, far as we can tell." The unforeseen attack started just as they neared the hideout, and the agents ran for cover near a building to the side of the theatre. She could hear screams from inside as the bombs went off. The leader muttered a curse and drew his gun, constantly reassessing the situation. "Alright. A fair number of the rebels should be moving toward the front of the building now, in the direction of the attack, so we'll all head inside from the back entrance. The officers watching this place will follow."

Evelyn nodded and drew her weapons as well. "Lead the way." She looked over her shoulder at the Ambassador's guardsman. "Guard our right side. If the rebels see us, it will probably be from that direction." With that, the man who had explained their plan ducked as low to the ground as he could manage and began to sprint toward the rear of the building. Evelyn followed suit and soon noticed a few people moving toward them from nearby buildings and alleyways, catching on to the change in tactics and moving in to help them. The team would still be outnumbered, but at least they had their training going for them.

## Page 26

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's hideout, Lynne.

He was behind the secret police, his rifle thundering. A rebel turned and lifted a pistol before his head ceased to exist in a spray of red matter. He picked his shots carefully, aiming for heads, necks, or limbs, things the big rounds would disintegrate. He was in the lion's liar now, if someone connected the damage the rifle caused to that sustained by the captain and tried to arrest him he wouldn't be able to escape.

Someone lunged and him, he rammed the butt of his rifle in the man's face, shattering the bones with a sickening crunch, then plunged the red and black dagger into his attack's chest, the man went pale, and the skin seemed to shriveled slightly. The rush of adrenaline felt glorious, and he could almost hear the pleased laughter he knew Mezark would be making.

He glanced around in the hope no one had seen what he had just done.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

As the fight began he lunged for the nearest rebel, swinging his fist, connecting with the man's jaw, snapping the man's head back, with his other hand he backhanded the unconscious rebel, striking the temple killing instantly.

He looked for a weapon, and spotting nothing that would last for more than a few swings, charged another rebel, who got three shots off, one which connected with Leif's left lower arm. It hurt, a lot, but the other arm still worked well enough to neck chop the shooter. He needed to find his hammer, then get Kristen out of this place. In his rage confused state he started bellowing "Hammer! HAMMER!" Instead of calling for Kristen so she knew he would come get her.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

The world seemed to explode around her, bullets zipping by, smoke roiling around her, shouting, gunshots, the sound of swords cutting flesh, the acrid stench of gunpowder, it made her want to curl into a ball and hide from the world.

She didn't curl up, but she did lie on the floor so she wouldn't be caught in the cross fire.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Great Hall.

"I think that course of action would be wise." She said in an even tone.

"I will contact my government and have our security forces look over all citizens of Grail-El known to reside in Falcon's Reach, unless you object. This is to ensure mercenaries are not working for the rebels, and arms dealers do not sell to them."

She breathed easier, it seemed as if the kings anger had subsided, which was good, if it hadn't she might have started a war by mistake.

Boraci (Frederick Dermon)

Asbel and Leif were naturals in domestic battle. While the former had created formidable smoke screens, the latter was almost punching hard enough to make heads roll. I noticed a large hammer that he had been carrying, now on the floor and I hefted it onto my shoulder.

"Heads up, Leif," I shouted, swinging the weapon. Forseeably, my knees pinched a bit. Hybrid bodies were better, as far as I was concerned.

I slipped on my gloves and ducked over to the twin teenagers, and a woman who looked around my age, a dazed look in her eyes. "Come on," I said. "Bet there's a backdoor."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas ran to the archways by the walls when the fighting inside broke out. People were shooting from the stage to the seats to balconies up high, but it was hard to see anything too clearly with all the smoke. He held his arms tightly to keep them from shaking as he wildly searched for an exit of some kind. A backdoor. There had to be a backdoor somewhere. One that could lead him away from where most of the chaos was centered.

A bullet grazed the corner of his pillar. Like any ordinary person, Silas did what was natural—squat down, cover the top of his head with his hands, and pray fervently that he would make it out alive. A man with a green scarf came out of the smoke just then, causing Silas to scramble back in fear, but the man did nothing but collapse right in front of him. After taking a quick, hesitant look around—and grappling with the morality of what he was about to do—Silas dragged him against the wall and patted him down for any useful belongings, which he found to be a gun and his stolen wallet. How convenient.

As he stored these items on his own person, a sign danced at the edge of his vision, the word "exit" written prominently across its surface. He could barely make it out behind the farthest curtain of the stage. When he was sure that the path was (relatively) safe, he made a mad dash for it, not stopping until his shoulder barreled through the door and his feet just about tripped into the alleyway.

His first sight of the outside was just as he predicted.

Bodies were sewn across the street. Glassy-eyed rebels, soldiers... average citizens, soaked in pools of blood. Giant, purple tarps were hung from the rooftops. The air was thick with more smog than usual, with strangely-painted zeppelins dangerously close to the ground. Within seconds, this city had become the perfect picture of the apocalypse. Images of the war of five years past flashed through his mind, but he pushed it away as fast as it came. Now wasn't the time to relieve that nightmare.

Mustering up his courage, Silas cautiously inched forward to scan the street for any danger. There didn't seem to be much going on there compared to what he heard from the front. Perfect. He fumbled with the pistol in his hands, not quite sure how to use it but knowing he needed to try to defend himself somehow until he got back home.

Lynne, was it? Glassvale was three days away at most from his apartment in Braile. The fighting might not spread there if the watchmen managed to contains this or the rebels only had Fairhaven in their sights. But he still couldn't make it alone. Perhaps the other hostages could help him get out of the city at least, if he followed them. A handful looked like they werefamiliar with the ways of battle.

Silas ran back, peeked inside the theater, and yelled, "Hey, over here! Hey! There's a—" He whipped around at the pattering of footfall closing in on his location. Someone was coming. So soon? He peered down at his weapon, his body still shaking. Clearly, he wasn't ready for any sort of combat yet. He would have to look for another exit.

With that, Silas slammed the door shut and ran to the stairs on his right. One went down while the other went up. With no sign to help him this time, he would have to make one helluva educated guess and hope for the best. Decisions, decisions.

King of Falcon's Reach - The Great Hall

The King nodded to the two women, the concept of having more definite information putting him somewhat at ease. "Yes, that would be most helpful." His eyes lowered for a few moments as if he were daydreaming, then stole a glance at each Ambassador in turn. "It seems we have this particular matter sorted out for now, then. I suggest we all have our ends of this arrangement taken care of, and..." He trailed off and smiled. "And I suppose we'll convene again in due time, hopefully under better circumstances." He gave a slight bow of his head to dismiss the Ambassadors, clasping his restless hands behind his back.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Erick stumbled his first step after Ryouki, momentarily overwhelmed by his surroundings. There was so much to keep track of: Where was Asbel? Where were Usami and the twins? Were any of the rebels chasing them? He couldn't answer the first two questions, but seeing as how he was unarmed, he decided to ignore the third and just run - just keep running as fast as he could.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Asbel saw Erick and Ryouki start running and allowed himself to check them off his ever-growing list of concerns for the moment, focusing on his own survival first and foremost. He wouldn't be much help to anyone if he got shot right from the get-go. Leif seemed to be knocking rebels down as quickly as they could come at him, which was reassuring to see; Asbel just hoped he would be able to keep it up.

He heard a voice eerily similar to Mr. Reid's over the commotion, and although he couldn't see him from his current position, he knew the voice had come from the rear of the auditorium, and made a blind dash toward its source. Squinting and rapidly blinking the smoke out of his eyes, he didn't notice the equally disoriented rebel running straight at him until it was too late.

The two of them collided full force, knocking each other to the ground before they met eyes, wearing identical expressions of pure-and-simple terror. The rebel raised his gun, and Asbel, being the cool, calm, precise fighter he was, repeatedly and furiously attempted to kick the man's gun out of his hands. Though this endeavor was unsuccessful, he did succeed in causing the rebel to hit himself in the face with said gun. Good enough. As the rebel ducked his head and placed a hand over his now broken, bleeding nose, momentarily stunned, Asbel snatched the gun and ran.

When he finally caught sight of Silas, he made a beeline for him, but he froze in his tracks when he heard the back door to the theatre open, revealing a group of armed and very intimidating people. He readied his weapon, mistaking them for yet more rebels, until he noticed one familiar face and a familiar mask; he couldn't be sure of the mask-wearer's identity, but his stature and countenance certainly fit the bill. Noticing some members of the team responding in kind to his indirect threat, Asbel smiled and removed his finger from the trigger, then raised his hands. "My mistake." He glanced between Silas and the team, hoping the latter would pass by him quickly and start making themselves useful.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout, Lynne

Evelyn's eyebrows shot up when she saw Asbel, unmistakable among the sea of faces, and she slowly lowered her weapon. What an unfortunate coincidence, finding him here. How had he gotten himself mixed up in all this? The leader of the team addressed both Asbel and the man he kept glancing to, raising his voice over the gunfire and panicked shouts. "I suggest you two take cover beneath the building until it's safer to leave." He hastily motioned to a nearby downward staircase. "You probably don't want to be outside right now."

Boraci

I couldn't wait for much longer than a second. Bullets were spraying in all directions, making a sort of miniature wind current in the building.

I crouched as low as I could and ran toward a conglomeration of armed persons, presumably friendly, because Asbel and Mr. Reid had not been torn into immediately. I couldn't be sure if the teenagers and that woman were following me. I momentarily thought about glancing back, but decided against it.

I wasn't their babysitter. And I hardly knew them. I skirted around Asbel, my hands up.
"On my way, ma'am," I said to the female leader, who also seemed to know Asbel. That dog.

Holing up wasn't my style, but it seemed the best course of action at the moment.

## Page 27

essica Stuart - Ambassador - Great Hall.

Jessica nodded, stood up and bowed slightly before saying. "In a few hours there will be a large number of flares fired from my embassy. That is the request for the documents, it is much quicker than sending a messenger directly to Agnorak."

With that said she and Cima took their leave. Once out of the castle she spoke to Cima. "I want you to get in contact with the covert operations leader in the city and put a contract out on that shooter, if he's a Grail I want him dead and buried, if he's not capture him alive, we'll break him before delivering him to the king, that should help with our political situation."

Cima nodded, it was an easy task, she was the covert operations leader in the city. She would have to find some sucker to kill so the blame wouldn't touch Dimitry.

As they approached their embassy the communications chief came running, holding a piece of paper, a panicked look on his face. "Theirs been an airship raid in Lynne. I got confirmation from scout vanguard unit 4 and 10, both report that they aren't ours, the weapons aren't of our make, and the gondola is the wrong shape, envelope isn't ours either, doesn't have the anti-roc dorsal spine."

Jessica stopped. "What? When was this?"

The man breathed heavily for a second since he was hyper ventilating slightly. "They spotted them about an hour ago, flying towards Glassvale."

Jessica groaned. "Has the fleet been notified? They probably would want to know what's going on, give those pilots something to do other than spray hellhounds."

The man nodded "Yes ma'am."

"Also, send a messenger alerting the king, tell him that they are to far away for us to send interceptors."

"Yes ma'am, I'll go myself." With that he started running.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

Now armed with his massive blunt instrument he attacked with abandon, the 75 pound hammer spinning in his hands like a baton. Rebels crumbled around the hard wood haft, bones shattered against the metal head, he was a hurricane of metal and angry shouting, some times in the common language, but more often in his native tongue. He was a force of nature, broken bodies falling around him.

The shotgun blast got him in the small of the back, buckshot tearing into his flesh, he collapsed forward, pain greater than losing three of his toes to a shark, worse than any blade that struck him.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

He had mostly stopped firing, ammunition was expensive and the police seemed to have it under control. He did shoot any snipers he saw, splattering them across the balconies they fired from.

He dropped his rifle, letting hang from the sling. He yanked his pistol from the holster and unloaded the entire eight round magazine into a support column, the high explosive bullets bringing a balcony down with a crash, destroying the crank gun that several rebels had been trying to set up.

Then he saw a familiar face. "Asbel! You son of a bitch! Why haven't you responded to my letters!" He had sent several letters to where Alice had said Asbel had lived, asking if the other man knew any one that could get him a good job, Alice must have had the address wrong.

He reloaded his pistol and slid it back into its holster before diving behind cover as a volley of gunfire screamed past him.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

"And twiddle our thumbs quietly like sitting ducks while this building might be next to explode? I don't think so," Silas snapped at the newcomers. Suddenly, as he saw Mr. Sutherlin and Mr. Dermon run towards them, a subtle change came over his features, and he took a sharp intake of breath. He was losing control. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.

His voice was calmer when he spoke again, but there was something dangerous underlying his tone, and his fists were balled at his side. "Why should we listen to you anyway? Who are you anyway?" Unlike the rebels here, he didn't recognize the uniforms of these people.

 -Usami Sato-

He found himself trailing at the raucous sound of chaos outside the theatre. "A raid?" He mused.
Tsukiko moved her hand instinctively to the handle of her sword. "We should move-"
"No!" He chastised her. "We should stay here until it passes, and then find Ryouki."
Taiyo groaned. "That's so boriiiiiing!"
"You aren't armed."
"So?" She crossed her arms and cocked a hip.
"SO you aren't going anywhere."
"God, you're such a spoilsport!" Taiyo grimaced.

--

-Ryouki Sato-

He spotted an entrance into the theatre and immediately made a run for it, but found himself stopped at his peripheral glance at Asbel.
Should they leave him? Ryouki wasn't so sure...but his family was first priority at this point, so he ran for it, trying to navigate the dimly lit theatre.

--

-Tula Nikos-

With a synced salute, Tula and Viktor waved out the Princess and led her back to the Embassy.

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

He froze suddenly, the woman's neck in his squeezing hand, as the chaos seemed to die a little-if only-and Dimitry had spotted a familiar face. Odd. Very odd, indeed.
He snapped her head back anyway, and took a pull from his flask as he began to calm down.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel flinched at the sound of a rebel's neck being snapped by a nearby man in uniform, her limp form dropping unceremoniously to the floor. Unnerved by their ghastly surroundings as he looked to Dimitry, his voice was a little sheepish, but he still smiled and tried to push it to the back of his mind. It was strange to suddenly meet all these people again after so long, but it made him happy. When the man's question actually registered, however, Asbel was at a total loss.

Had he received any letters? It was definitely possible, as scatterbrained as he was, so he decided to assume responsibility. "I-I must have misplaced them." He took a few steps downstairs to avoid all the gunfire, which was coming far too close for comfort. "It's good to see you're still in one piece, though. Oh, and you'll never guess which adorable couple I ran into a few moments ago." He added, teasingly referring to Erick and Ryouki. He had considered reintroducing Boraci, who had recently made it to the exit along with the quiet lady from before, but it felt presumptuous.

His attention was abruptly caught by a threatening step forward from the secret police team's leader, who was probably even taller than Asbel. The man stared Silas down, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. Before he could speak, however, Evelyn interjected. The civilian's questions didn't bother her all that much, so she figured she would be better suited to handle them. "We were sent here specifically to make sure you make it out of this situation alive, Sir. It's in your best interest to trust us. What we plan to do is try to gather as many people as we can safely retrieve below the building, then escape as a group. There are still people in the auditorium who needn't be left behind." She looked to the leader for confirmation, and he seemed more or less in agreement.

With that, the team continued into the epicenter of all the violence and mayhem, weapons raised. Evelyn picked Asbel's new gun up from the floor and handed it back to him without a word, then looked to the two men not affiliated with the secret police. "You two can either stay to guard the civilians or come with us. Whichever suits your fancy." With that, she followed the rest of the officers, flashing an understandably nervous-looking civilian lady a reassuring smile as she passed her.

Well, that was unusually curt for polite Miss Evelyn, Asbel thought. As he saw it, she probably thought he had done something stupid and reckless to get himself there. How silly she was going to feel later when he explained how innocent he was. "So, are we going to listen to the nice lady with the gun and head downstairs, or does someone have another plan?" He asked, the broad question directed at Mr. Reid especially.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick struggled to keep up with Ryouki while still keeping an eye on his surroundings, constantly on the lookout for immediate threats. "You don't think they left the building, do you?" He asked, briefly returning his gaze to Ryouki.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's Hideout.

He was sitting, back against a pillar he had taken cover behind. He stuck his pistol around and fired off a few shots before turning and glancing at him. "Thats okay, they weren't that important. You saw Alice and Lucas? Here? What are they doing here?"

But before Asbel could respond the question the fire fight moved on, Dimitry breaking cover and running forward before ducking behind an over turned table. He rattled off the rest of his rifle magazine, crawled to another piece of cover and reloaded. The return fire seemed to be concentrated ahead and slightly to his right, from his pouch he yanked a grenade, pulled the pin with his teeth and tossed it in the general direction of the gunfire. He stuck his head around the corner to see the effect.

It landed at the feet of one of the rebels who looked at it in wonder, by the time his mind had put the links together it was to late, his eyes widened, then he and everyone within ten feet of him were shredded by the fragments.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Wood's Hideout.

She had been alone under the bench for most of the fighting, and peered out at a man dressed in a light brown duster, a huge metallic insect head leering at her, she had lost a good deal of blood and wasn't think straight, if she had she would have recognized the insect head as a gas mask.

But she wasn't thinking straight and screamed at the top of her lungs.

The man spun around, and she looked into the muzzle of a rifle, the blade attached to the bottom inches away from her face. Tried to put her hands up, but all she did was bash her knuckles on the underside of the bench she was hiding beneath.

-Ryouki Sato-

"I don't think so..." He mused and cursed to himself. "I wish they hadn't confiscated my lighter...it's so dim-"
"Brother! I never took you for the stalker-type!" A female voice, somewhat high in pitch, rang from behind the duo. Ryouki turned, faintly catching the appearance of his siblings, all together with the twins at the front and an exasperated Usami trailing behind them.
Taiyo laughed. "I guess Hydris really changes a man."
"It's not like I never wrote to you at ALL." Ryouki stepped forward and embraced his youngest sister. Tsukiko joined warily, but Usami stayed somewhat at a distance. The eldest pulled away beaming. "We have so much to catch up on. How have you been? Why aren't you in Braille? Where's Mum and Dad?"

Tsukiko's eyes cast to the floor. Usami exhaled and Taiyo's voice hitched and eyes began to water. "Dad's dead...and Mum went on a mission two months ago...she hasn't returned since." Her voice struggled to stay even and she quaked in Ryouki's arms.

Boraci-Swamp Bat Hybrid - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

I pulled a face after the military woman left, and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, with the accent to match.

"Alice and Lucas better not be here. What with their bab-." I cut myself off, realizing that might have come across as... Invasive, perhaps? I had not just been researching my own familial issues by the moonlight. A bat got bored every once and a while.

Which reminded me. "Mr. Reid, as a semi-stranger and fellow train bomb victim, I suggest we listen to the nice lady. I'd be devastated, though, if we left behind any civilians." A man of his disposition could appreciate dry sarcasm. He had a reputation at the lab cafes.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik of the 13th GD - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Mosin, now free, ran towards the nearest rebel's corpse, hoping to look for any weapon to help out the hostages in the firefight. Although he could not find anything, as luck would have it, he saw the table that had their weapons confiscated from them. "Ah, my sweet Shashka..." Mosin said enthusiastically. He buckled his scabbard and unsheathed her, looking for rebels to kill.

"Wait, I need a rifle. Shashka will help me find one, no?" Mosin whispered to himself, realizing again that even his dear Shaska won't win a firefight. Not to mention that he almost lost her too many times in the last couple of hours. Mosin ran towards a support column and peeked over the corner looking for the right opportunity to find a rifle. He noticed a rebel blindly firing over cover with one, his back facing Mosin, and apparently missing all of his shots. Click. While the rebel ejected the magazine and grabbed a fresh one from his diry, Mosin ran towards him, yelling a torrent of Rojyan curses.

"Oh shit!" The rebel frantically attempted to reload his rifle faster after seeing Mosin charging forward. Mosin swung at him before he could, splitting his head in half with blood. After putting away Sashka, Mosin knelt down and picked up the rifle, with the magazines scattered around the gory corpse. He flipped it over and read the inscription on the reciever "Ajy 75". He stood up, resting the rifle by its sling. Upon hearing Silas, he came over to the other end of the theater and looked curiously at these new people who burst through one of the backdoors. Although he was wary, he deemed them as no threat for now.

All of a sudden, a scream miraculously pierced his ears amidst all the noise. His instincts as a soldier guiding him, Mosin turned around and went back to look for the source. It wasn't long until he found a duster-wearing rebel aiming his rifle at a woman hiding under a bench. Leif's companion. Without hesitation, Mosin raised his rifle and fired a shot going right through the rebel's head, the bullet exiting through the eyepiece of his gas mask and leaving a clean hole. The rebel fell forward on the bench with a thud. Mosin coolly opened and closed the bolt of his gun, expending his used bullet in the chamber of the rifle. When he was finished, he knelt down and said, "Do not be afraid. I was one of the hostages too. Can you get up, miss?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel sighed and waved Dimitry and Boraci's remarks away, too flustered by their surroundings to remain patient. "No, the other one: Ryouki and Erick. I haven't seen Alice and Lucas in ages - or their little bundle of drool and loud noises."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Evelyn entered the fray with both weapons at the ready, a gun in her right hand and a sword-breaker in her left. She took a cautious approach and her progress through the room was slow, partly because of her reluctance to use bullets, favoring the use of her blade instead to save ammunition. Near the center of the room, she caught sight of a very tall man who appeared to have taken a shotgun blast to the lower back, and though part of her doubted he was even still alive, she cleared a path to the man and warily approached him just to make sure.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick's eyes went wide and his jaw hung slightly agape, the girl's words ringing in his head. His shoulders went rigid and he looked straight to Ryouki, fighting tears. "Ryouki..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say - or rather, knowing there was nothing to say. Suddenly, there was a piercing scream from behind him that prompted him to glance over his shoulder, but he soon put it out of his mind and turned his attention back to Ryouki.

## Page 28

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas ground his teeth, his nails biting into the palms of his hands. Another set of paths was being presented to him. Should he place his trust in these people with the rest and hole himself up in the basement until they came back or place his trust in himself and brave the battlefield outside on his own?

As he thought hard about his options, his attention was briefly diverted by the discussion happening around him. Alice and Lucas? The Oswald couple? The names Ryouki and Erick sound vaguely familiar as well. And judging by how Mister Sutherlin and this strange man wearing gas mask are acting so familiar with each other... A muscle under Silas's eye twitched. He understood perfectly what was going on here. Now did seem like a good time for a reunion, did it?

At the direction of the conversation, he was struck by a feeling of déjà vu. The papers liked to particularly emphasis on the romantic exploits of the heroes that triumphed over the Wastes in the year that followed. He always hated those gossip rags dominating the actual news, but the public seemed eat them up, especially the upper class. The scandalous appeal of a knight and an outlaw, or a drag queen and a king's knight. Personally, Silas couldn't care less about any of it. What he did care about was why so many heroes from five years ago were here. How could they remain so calm? Moreover, how were they even captured in the first place? Surely, they experienced worse in the Wastes.

Silas cast those questions from his mind. Unless their answers would increase his chances of survival, it was none of his business. They were captured, so their judgement was little better than his. It didn't matter if these strangers were on their side either; he wasn't keen to stay here for another minute longer. This building and the people inside of it were targets. Silas was a coward, but he was no fool.

"What are you asking me for? Head downstairs if you want. I'm getting out of here before it's too late." For these people to have come here, the path along the alley must have been cleared of rebels for the moment, which meant he could try for the backdoor again. There was strength in numbers, but if he didn't draw too much attention to himself and avoided the main areas of conflict, he might just make it unscathed. It seems like we would have to part ways after all.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's Hideout.

He took two slugs in the chest, his armored best preventing anything worse than a few bruises, but it did attract his attention to the firing slit built into one of the walls. He raised his rifle and dumped the entire magazine into it, his finger moving fast enough it sounded like he was firing on fully automatic.

Another bullet hissed by, and he spun lifting his pistol and blowing a man's head apart.

He ducked behind a pile of boxes and breathed easy, reloading his hand gun and rifle. He didn't respond to Asbels comment, at least there wouldn't be a chance for Lucas to get killed then come back from the dead, that wasn't natural. But maybe Erick could, it wouldn't surprise him that much.

Someone on the balcony shot at him, missing with the first shot, but the second hit him in the back of his mask. The thick metal protected him from death, but it rung like a gong and stunned him slightly.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - Wood's Hideout.

She stared at the man's body, the large hole in the back of his head like some sort of twisted mouth grinning at her. Then someone with a Rojyan accent said. "Don't be afraid. I was one of the hostages to. Can you get up miss?"

She shook her head and pointed to her leg. "It's broken, I can't move it, I might be able to roll out from under here, but that's all."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout.

 He moaned a little, not moving because it hurt to much. He just hoped the gods would see this as a honorable death, even though he had been shot in the back by a coward. Maybe he would live through this, but those scars... How would he explain them? They were to small for Kraken tentacles, maybe he could say it was one of those sand worms, that would work, no one knew what the wounds from those looked like.

 A woman approached him and he rasped "Help. The... Pellets... Hurts to move."

  -Ryouki Sato-

The scream jolted the dull noise that filled him at Taiyo's confession. Keeping hold of her hands, his own shaking he turned at the source of the noise and he led his siblings and Erick out to the conglomeration of the other prisoners to find it's source. He spotted several familiar faces amongst the new ones, Dimitry, Asbel, and one of the Czarina's guards, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of some rubble.

Was this one able to speak the common tongue or was it the other male one? He had forgotten.

Taiyo scoped the area and spoke up. "Well, what happened? Who exactly are you all and which one of you took my brother's arm because I'm going to fight you for it!!"
Tsukiko held her raging, crying sister back as she writhed and groaned.

"Isn't this awkward..." Ryouki exhaled to himself.

Boraci (Frederick Dermon)

As much as it was an unexpected surprise to see so many familiar faces after so long, there was a twinge of twisted regret that no one but Asbel knew it was me. But now wasn't the time to wallow in self-pity. My arm still felt like an abused pincushion, and Mr. Reid's wheels were turning.

The incessant clatter of running boots and gunfire stopped, smoke clogging the air. I could only assume that the interior of the theater had been secured. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an injured rebel, sitting in a pool of blood against a pillar. I knelt down next to him and snapped my fingers to get his attention.

"You. Yes, you dying. You're going to tell me who you work for."

His bloodshot eyes widened, and he couldn't take them off my fangs. He shook his head violently.

"I can't," he whispered hoarsely. I sighed and fixed the blades on my gloves.

"I'm not one of the King's little weasels. Just curious. You have nothing to lose. Except maybe more blood." I smirked.

He started to shake his head again when my non-injured arm lurched forward and dug a knife into his eye socket. His cry was annoying. I dug deeper.

"I'll make this easier for you. I already know he goes by Wood. First name will do." I had almost severed the nerves when he spit out a name. "What? Say it again."

"Hiram."

I retracted, shaken, and left the man to rejoin the others, where a man, resembling Ryouki, was demanding vengeance on said person's missing arm. I wiped the blood onto my sleeve.

"I'm afraid you're late on that front," I said, addressing the angry man. "About five years late." I clasped one of my gloves on Mr. Reid's shoulders. "Not yet," I muttered.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel paused to watch Dimitry when he saw two bullets strike him in the chest, slightly concerned. He was sure Dimitry would have shown up prepared for an occasion like this, but he still felt compelled to confirm that those bullets hadn't hit anything important. Once he had sufficiently verified that the man's internal organs were still intact, he returned his attention to Mr. Reid, who didn't exactly seem on board with the secret police's plan. Asbel could sympathize, but he still planned on staying put.

When Boraci approached the dying rebel and, presumably, tried to extract information, Asbel suddenly appeared not only awake for once, but genuinely startled. It surprised him to see Boraci acting that way, though he guessed it made sense - perhaps more than showing them mercy. Still, he averted his eyes, unable to hear their exchange except for the rebel's pained cries, and it was then that he saw Erick, Ryouki, the twins from earlier, and a rebel. The former two seemed comfortable around said rebel, so Asbel refrained from raising his weapon to the young man and assumed he was a spy or something of that nature. He did resemble Ryouki, though, so perhaps the two were related.

When one of the twins spoke up, Asbel's suspicions were confirmed: they must be Ryouki's relatives. Asbel smiled at them, starting to speak, when a shocking look from Erick killed his voice before it could leave his throat. He had scarcely seen the boy wearing such a grim expression, Ryouki seemed to be in a daze, and his sister was absolutely enraged, so he stowed away the pleasantries for later and elected to continue searching the room for survivors and any other rebels who might still be breathing.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Evelyn, upon realizing the violence between the hostages and rebels was more or less over, put away her weapons and looked at the gruesome wound in the man's back. He was losing blood quickly, and that was going to get worse before it got better unless something was done. It wasn't as if she could carry the man, and as much pain as he was in, he was probably going to need a lot of help to get anywhere. She looked to the small crowd near the exit, and before she could ask for help, an agent approached and knelt down by the man's other side. "Sir," Evelyn began, the other agent removing his coat and placing it over the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. "we can't stay here. We're going to try and help you up and then get you somewhere safer so we can treat this."

As she and the other agent tried to ease the injured man upright, there was a deafening crash behind her, like a clap of thunder, and she saw Asbel flinch as he stopped himself just short of running toward her. A cloud of dust brushed against her back, and when she turned toward the source of the noise, she saw that a bomb had fallen on the building nearest to them, the resulting shock causing a small section of the theatre near its entrance to crumble away. She was terrified now - there was no denying it - but she still had a job to do.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick gently set a hand on Ryouki's back for a second or two and then let it fall to his side, unable to read his expression. He noticed Dimitry then and smiled weakly at him, about to ask how he and Asbel had ended up there, when the bomb struck a nearby building and caused the front right corner of the theatre to break apart. Erick took Ryouki's hand and motioned for him and his siblings to follow him to the exit, making his way there at a hurried pace. They needed to get out of the building as quickly as possible; the theatre might be the next target, for all he knew.

 -Ryouki Sato-

He held tight to Erick's hand, his mind numbed by everything and his desperate need for something to take it away eating his insides. Taiyo seemed to calm down somewhat with gentle words from Tsukiko. The thought comforted him, the twins were always very close and about the only ones who could put each other at ease.

The exit seemed swift approaching, or they themselves were nearing it. Ryouki wasn't sure. His vision swarmed with the faces of everyone around him, then their feet, their weapons, the ground underneath them.

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

The soldier followed with the rebel crowd closely near the back. The youth girl's rant did make him curious. He recognized the man with the metal arm from the Czarina's return ceremony, and wondered what had caused such a horrible injury, what creature had taken an entire limb away from him.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik of the 13th GD - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

"Wait, where is that hammer-wielding Viking, Leif? He can help." Mosin looked around for the giant but he couldn't bear leaving the injured woman alone and that he would leave her defenseless like this. It was strange that those two would be separated in the first place. "Stay here. I will get him. Do not try to move your leg too much!" Mosin said to Kristen. "Do you know how to use a rifle?" His hands adjusted the iron sights of the gun.

He was about to walk away as soon as she would give her answer but he looked up and saw the front of the auditorium had fallen. The building was coming apart before his very eyes. "Change of plans," he said. "We are leaving now. I am going to carry you out." He was worried about how he would be able to properly defend the both of them but he would just have to place his trust in his training and his bet that the rebels would be more preoccupied with escaping.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas flinched as Mr. Dermon tortured the man for information. These people were more cold-blooded than he thought. When the rebel named the perpetrator behind their imprisonment, Silas widened his eyes in shock and a quiet rage built up inside of him.

Hiram Wood. Oh, he heard all about that little brat. The obnoxious boy genius who had been making waves in the scientific community when Silas was just beginning his career. He thought he had died during the Second War, but he must have got it wrong. Now that he thought about it, it was really no surprise that he would be involved in something like this.

A thought occurred to him then, and he eyed Mr. Sutherlin and the rest of the heroes with suspicion. Could it be that they were working together? It truly was quite a coincidence, was it? That they happened to be gathered here. Had they been the ones to put the bomb on the train? Silas stared down at his shoes. It was a slim possibility, but one that couldn't be ruled out.

He ignored the girl hurling threats and accusations at them. Taking her brother's arm? What was she talking about? Must be once of the delusional sort.

Just as he turned to leave once and for all, he felt someone grab him by the shoulder. Silas looked back at Mr. Dermon in bewilderment. "What are you doing? Unhand me." Another explosion rocked the theater, and he wobbled on his feet.

risten Mernoth - Noble - Wood's Hideout.

"I don't know where Leif is, the guards kept us separated." She said to the man who had rescued her.

When the bomb went off and the man said he would carry her out she did her best to push herself out from under the bench. "If you support my side I can walk, the other leg isn't badly injured." She tried to pull herself up but couldn't.

Leif Rengar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout.

Every thing was going numb, slowly and surely, he had lost feeling in his extremities, and his vision was clouding. He ground his teeth and tried to concentrate on the pain, it would keep him awake, because if he let himself slip out of consciousness he wouldn't wake up again.

The bomb going off helped somewhat, as it jolted his senses a bit, waking him up further.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's Hideout.

The ringing had subsided, and he felt around on the back of his armored mask, finding the dent the bullet had caused. It wasn't bad enough that it would risk a concussion, maybe a bruise the next morning, but nothing worse than that.

It seemed like the fighting was dying down, the gun shots were coming in longer intervals, and the smoke had begun to clear somewhat. He stood slowly, the rifle scope just below his eye.

He felt the blast of the bomb, the shockwave rippling his clothing somewhat, and pushing the air from his lungs. He spun in the direction of the blast and looked up into the sky where a medium sized airship hung suspended in the air. He started, it wasn't like any thing his countrymen had built. In some ways it was more attractive, a longer more graceful gas pouch, a single gondola that ran most of the vehicles length.

It lacked many things, the large spine across the top, smaller rudders and elevators, and it appeared to lack any mounted heavy weapons. Who had made it was a mystery to him, Cima kept him well informed about these sorts of things, so if she didn't tell him it was likely she didn't know about it either, which probably meant no one in his government had any idea where this flying machine had come from, if they knew it existed.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel observed Evelyn's slow progress toward the exit alongside Leif and the policeman, a hand over his injured arm. Behind them, through the newly created gaping hole in the building, an airship was partially visible, looming overhead like a vulture - or maybe that comparison was just his nerves getting the better of him. Asbel had a feeling the theatre wasn't long for this world, but it didn't look like Evelyn, Leif, and Mr. Policeman were going to start moving any faster than they already were.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Realizing this shortly after Asbel did, Evelyn looked up at her fellow agents by the exit and gave a small nod. "Go on ahead and get the others out of here. We're going to be a while. Where are we meeting?"

The team's leader paused for a moment as he considered her suggestion, then answered her question in a perfectly calm tone of voice. "There's actually a hospital fairly close to this place. We'll come up with a plan once we're there." He didn't say it, but his expression implied he didn't plan on waiting long if she was late.

She stole a glance at the man with the peach-colored hair, but she didn't intervene, and she didn't plan to unless a fight broke out. If they forced him to come along, he would only cause problems later. As for the task at hand, the Vallakian man was barely conscious, but she and the agent helping her were collectively strong enough to keep moving toward the exit at a fair pace. "Sir, stay with us." It would be a miracle if they all made it out of this alive.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick soon spotted Ryan as well, whom he had run into every so often on the job, and began to survey the area for his weapon. He had taken a single short sword with him, almost completely hidden under the coat he was wearing, and when he spotted it lying on a table nearby, he used his free hand to give Ryouki's a gentle pat before he let go to retrieve the weapon. He wasn't particularly skilled with guns, and he needed to be able to fight back if they ran into more rebels.

He carefully stepped around or over any fallen rebels in his way, but he didn't look down at them for more than a moment; he knew better than that. He secured the sword to his belt,and made a beeline back to Ryouki, and as he did, he noticed a man in uniform nearby, knelt down in front of a bench as if he had found something. After straining his vision slightly to see past all the smoke and dust, he could make out that there was actually a woman hiding underneath it He turned to face the man, debating whether or not to offer his help.

When another explosion shook the building, Erick's sense of urgency grew, and he heard a chuckle from Asbel, who had noticed the panicked expression on his face. "Go on, pipsqueak. I'm staying anyway." Erick hesitantly did as he was told, stealing one more glance at Ryouki and then following the rest of the group. He could only hope the others would be able to catch up soon. How could so many things have gone wrong so quickly, and how could he have run into so many of his old teammates at once after so long? This whole day was like a bizarre fever dream that made less and less sense as it went on.

## Page 29

-Ryouki Sato-

He took a step forward hesitantly, but was stopped by Usami. "You're not armed, you stay with us."

Ryouki saw Ryan go with the group and frowned. "That wasn't a very subtle pun, and I can fend for myself just fine, thank you."
"We need to talk. Now."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

He switched magazines on his rifle, trading anti-personnel rounds out for the incendiary rounds and aimed at the gas bag of the airship and started pulling the trigger, the recoil of these bullets had much more force, since they were designed extended range fighting. Every time he fired he staggered back slightly, the muzzle flash so bright it was briefly burned into his eyes after every shot.

Despite the rifles power and his marksmanship the airship seemed unscathed. "Helium! Damn it!" Helium didn't burn, the only way to bring this thing down would be punching enough big holes in the gas bag, and he didn't have any weapon on him capable of making a hole that big.

He unloaded the rest of his magazine into gondola, the spray of red all across the front windows suggesting he had hit someone inside. "We need to get out of here, right now!" He shouted. "The building's integrity is probably compromised, and the rebels probably have reinforcements on the way!"

He started looking for anyone who would need assistance, as he searched he also shot any wounded rebels, in the back of the head execution style, it would be better than bleeding out and helped calm his blood lust at the same time.

((Dimitry will be in the delayed group.))

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy.

"Where did those airships come from?" She asked her intelligence chief.

The man shrugged. "We have no clue, this is the first thing any of our operatives have seen of these vessels, different design, more suited to speed than ours, but much less agile and incapable of carrying much. At least that is what our analysts say from the description they received."

"Dont you have agents watching the sale of materials that could be used to construct airships?" Jessica said, arms crossed her irritation easy to see.

"Yes, and that is what concerns me, either they bribed one of our people, or are making it themselves, and some how are hiding the infrastructure required for the separation of gas, and the construction of that vessel."

Jessica nodded. "Very well, you are dismissed, send in the communication technician." The intelligence chief nodded and left, a minute later the communication tech entered. Jessica handed her a note. "Send this to the fleet, and fleet command."

The note read: Hostile airship identified, be aware. Any unidentified airships are to be considered hostile.

 Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas stood stock-still as he watched Mr. Regnar be carried from the building. It was happening again. He couldn't hide how much the similarities unnerved him. But it wasn't the Wastes attacking the provinces this time. It was their own people.

"Tch." He turned away and jerked himself from Mr. Dermon's grasp. Since he was clearly eager to get out, he would follow these mysterious people to the hospital, but he planned to separate as soon as they neared. For their sake, he hoped this rebel organization wasn't one of those who were cruel enough to destroy it.

As he crossed the threshold of the door, he looked at the carnage past the alleyway again. Pillaging a few villages in the countryside doesn't get this much funding. Someone must be supplying them—a noble, one of those up-and-coming businessmen, or a person outside the kingdom. Up until today, the rebels had only been minor nuisances. Although some had taken over a couple of towns in Lucan, it was unheard of them to execute a large-scale attack on a city or for them to get anywhere close to the kingdom's center, besides the short-lived protests by Acta Veritas in Braile.

He glared up at the sleek, new zeppelin among the smaller, factioned-owned ones he saw earlier. The machines must have been assembled and hidden around the area to have gotten this far, by different people for different reasons. He racked his brain for the extremists among the rebels. There were few, enough to count on a single hand. From what he gathered, Wood's Men had apparently been kidnapping people from train stations. It was possible they had simply took advantage of the explosion of the Fair Maid, and the hostages from there were an accident.

Boraci (Frederick Dermon)

"And I was just starting to like you," my mouth spouted as Mr. Reid tore away from my grasp. I inspected the remaining police, and Dimitry's support, and decided that group would be secure enough. It wasn't like Erick and Ryouki were helpless pups.

I gave Asbel a nod of assurement that I'd be staying behind. I took over the boss lady's side.

"Please, allow me." My human body wasn't all lanky limbs. For that, at least, I was grateful. The man was an absolute cartload, to be frank. "Geez, Leif, what've you been eating?"

The man with the curious sword seemed to be helping the woman that had accompanied the aforementioned tub of lard, so our bases seemed to be covered. Or at least I thought they were, before the bomb struck.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Evelyn nodded her thanks to the man who had taken her place helping the injured man out of the building, turning to look back at the people still farther back in the theatre. She turned to Asbel and lowered her voice as she spoke to him, and constantly analyzed his expression to make sure his mind wasn't wandering. "I'm going to go with the other officers. The secret police are a shady bunch and I'd like to keep an eye on them - make sure they really take these people where they say they will." Asbel nodded, placing his hands in his coat pockets and rocking forward and back on his heels. "Do you have ammo?"

Asbel raised a forefinger while he checked the chamber, then gave another affirmative nod. "Mm-hmm. Seems it hasn't been fired."

With that, Evelyn breathed a barely audible sigh and left with the rest of the group, jogging a bit to catch up with them. She wasn't sure how she felt about leaving those people with Asbel and vice versa, but she didn't trust these policemen at all; she knew how they operated. It didn't feel right to leave them unsupervised with innocent civilians in tow - well, some innocent civilians and that ambassador's guard, that is. With his conduct back at the theatre in mind, she didn't quite trust him either.

Nevertheless, when she heard the theatre being torn into and felt the impact of the bomb's shock wave against her back, she knew she had made a mistake.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick paused when he saw that Ryouki wasn't following, and when he overheard him talking with his brother, he felt a bit conflicted. Should he leave Ryouki to speak with his brother and sisters in private, or should he insist that they stay together? Before he could decide, as he lurked just outside the doorway, the bomb tore through the theatre, the blast knocking him back with no warning whatsoever.

 Cima - Assassin - Grail-El embassy.

She ducked into a door way as Jessica rounded the corner, she didn't want her boss to talk at her, from the sound of things the ambassador had figured out that she had been behind several recent killings in Hydris and the surrounding areas. She would have to deal with it eventually, but was not in the mood to at this point.

Leif Rengar - Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout.

Several people were carrying him now, and from the sound of things they were having serious issues doing so, one of them the man who had unlocked hand cuffs with his teeth had asked him a question, the answer to which would be 'most of a cow's but he was to weak to say anything. He concentrated on the pain, keeping him away from the darkness that waited him. He didn't want to die like this, he should have died in a honorable fight, but the fighting that had happened was hardly honorable.

Maybe the gods would forgive him, he had been killed by a coward, they had to understand that, great warriors had been murdered while they slept, it had to be better to be fighting.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's Hideout.

He noticed something odd, a man in a gas mask much like his. The man was dead, shot through the eye, his body slumped next to a man and a woman, the man had some sort of ceremonial sword on him and was trying to extract the woman from under a bench. Dimitry ignored them as he crouched down and pulled the dead man's mask off.

It was a caravaner, male, youngish though the facial scarring suggested a military background. He glanced at the man's rifle, a falcons reach made copy of a older rifle. That didn't give h enough information so he drew his dagger and started cutting the corpse's clothing off, starting at the right shoulder. Under the clothing was a tattoo, not particularly surprising, but it wasn't a very good one, slightly blurry, like the man had been struggling against it, he saw why. It was a criminal mark, and meant the man had been caught stealing. He removed the man's shirt, underneath was a substantial amount of ink, not as much as he had, but a great deal, all suggesting he had been an elite solider, probably Assault Jumper.

"Shit... Mercenary, probably one of many." He said under his breath.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Little by little, Evelyn regained her bearings, and the ringing in her ears began to quiet. If the theatre hadn't been directly hit, the bomb had come very close. No falling rubble or shrapnel had hit her, thankfully, and aside from some bruises and a headache, she was unharmed. She could only hope that everyone back in the theatre had been as lucky. Those civilians - Asbel included - were her responsibility, and she had to know whether or not they were alright. Still in somewhat of a daze, she slowly started back toward the door, motioning for the other agents, the guard, and the peach-haired man to keep going.

 Boraci (Frederick Dermon)

The bomb hit me in the back. Of course, I didn't mean that literally. That would have meant guts everywhere and an early death. What it did mean was that I was knocked off my feet because the ground revolted, like it was vomiting and we were but chunks of a late breakfast. Thankfully, Leif paid me the favor of not crushing me, but was instead thrusted upon the guard. My vision was clouded and my ears cut themselves off from sound until the world made sense again. The bomb explosion had ripped my arm wound open again, and thick green blood started to clog my fabric bandage. At this moment, I was still suspended in the air, and the smoke cleared to find that I was about to collide with an ax.

Great. I shifted my weight and my uninjured arm wrapped around a body that was attached to the ax, and my gloved hand covered their mouth. Little consolation for when we landed. I hoped she would have her teeth intact. The ringing finally stopped, and I rolled off of the woman, approximately my age. She was much shorter than me, but who wasn't? Her hair reminded me of the night birds that I often encountered in the lower sky.

"Sorry 'bout that," I croaked, sucking my bleeding fingers tentatively.

The bomb shock separated the siblings, separated Ryouki, knocked the whole world aside and filled Ryouki's head with white. White noise. White vision. Nothingness, before the dark.

--

-Tsukiko Sato-

As she came to after the shock of the bomb, she felt an intense, somewhat numb pain in her noise. Her fingers struggled to feel the warm, stickiness pouring out and she swore under her breath as her vision began to steady.

--

((MEANWHILE BACK AT THE PALACE))

-Tula Nikos-

She considered writing. She considered boarding a train and scouring the kingdom. Dimitry hadn't shown up in the city again and it drove her INSANE, not to mention the boring legal negotiations that she and Viktor had to assist Alina in handling since she proves to be less than competent in that field. At least she started warming up to talking, using whatever big words Viktor filled her head with to help her keep up with Miss Jessica and the King.

The murderer of that guard was never found and it left Tula feeling somewhat curious as to whom that marksmen could have been. The image of that gaping hole in the guard's chest didn't leave her head. Whatever blasted through him was something unheard of in Falcon's Reach. It made her wonder if he was Caravaner or Rojyan, if it even was a he or a she. Neither?

## Page 30

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick likened the feeling of the explosion's shock wave to having every inch of him simultaneously struck with a large wooden plank, and it easily knocked the air out of his lungs. Something flew by and scratched him mere inches below his right eye - some kind of wooden splinter. The brick wall behind him caught him before his feet could leave the ground, and he landed on his ass rather than his face, but the struggle to refill his lungs with oxygen was less than pleasant. When the world stopped spinning, shrieking, and shuddering beneath his feet, he opened his eyes to find that half the theatre was gone.

Ryouki. Ryouki was still in there, wasn't he? Erick fixed his eyes on the door frame and nearly ran into someone as he stumbled forward slightly upon standing. He recognized the woman in question as a member of the secret police: Evelyn Luciole. She steadied him with a hand on his arm and gave him a quick look up and down, obviously assessing him. Erick freed his arm somewhat roughly; he didn't have time for this. "S'cuse me." He muttered, continuing through the doorway before she could delay him further.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Evelyn sighed as she watched the man enter the nearly ruined building, debating her decision to let him go. Lurking in the doorway like a nervous child, she constantly looked over her shoulder at the group she had temporarily left. She wondered how they were faring, and if they had lost anyone in the explosion. For the moment, though, she returned her attention to the King's bodyguard. Not to sound cynical, but it was probably in her best interest to keep him alive. "Did you hit your head - or break anything?"

"Wouldn't tell you if I had," he called back impatiently, carefully moving chunks of theatre aside to clear a way through the building.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel lay on his stomach, cheek pressed against the hardwood floor, and silently wallowed in an obscene amount of self-pity. It was official: The world was out to get him. Lady Luck had spit in his face, kicked him between the legs, and shoved him down a large flight of stairs - again. At least he hadn't ended up with any gruesome injuries. He could feel a dull ache in a few of his lower ribs on the right side, however, and every time he took a breath, it became sharp and more easily traceable to a single point of impact. He had also hit his head for the second time today, because his poor little brain hadn't taken enough abuse already.

It would probably help matters if he moved into a more comfortable position, but he couldn't be asked. Evelyn, Dimitry, and Boraci would just have to go on without him. He could actually hear Evelyn from where he was, come to think of it. Well, it was nice to know she was still kicking, at least.

 Dmitry Popov - Mercenary - Wood's Hideout.

The dead Grail-El mercenary was not a good sign, in most cases of there was one mercenary there were many more, and often had access to heavy weapons such as heavy flare launchers, support guns and pack howitzers. For all he knew they were sitting in the sights of an artillery battery.

It was time to leave. He left the man and wounded woman to their own devices and headed for the nearest exit, it was locked, he kicked it in. The door set off the trip wire that had been set, and the booty trap on the floor went off. Dimitry cursed, he had been far enough from it to not get hurt by it, but it didn't help his mood.

Why did he always get dragged into this? He wasn't a citizen of Falcon's Reach, he didn't particularly like the country, but here he was, fighting their battles, no idea how much he would be paid, if he even got paid. "I hate my job." He muttered under his breath as he stalked down the hallway, looking for anything that might set off another trap.

Just a few hours earlier he had been sitting in a bar with Tula, enjoying life, and now was stuck in a war zone in his least favorite province of Falcon's Reach. What had he done to deserve this? At least Tula was relatively safe, while the rebels might attack Hydris it was doubtful they would attack the Rojya embassy.

Tabaraamon - Leader of the Seven - Farm land, Fairhaven.

The cow was looking at him weird, big stupid bovine didn't know what the hell a bunch of Shadowed Ones and their horses were doing in its barn, it probably didn't care either. Tabaraamon walked off, feeling the cow's stare on his back as it chewed its cud. "Stupid thing." He muttered.

"What is?" One of the others asked.

"The cow. It's watching me, and I don't know why." Tabaraamon snapped.

"It's just a cow, they aren't that smart, and that one doesn't even have horns." Another said.

"Oh shut up all of you, I need to pray, don't want to get in trouble with him." He keeled and started yelling at the sky. "Let my hand strike without mercy, let my blade never dull. Hell will be overburdened, the dead will have to stand in line. Let fire fall and oceans rise, amen."

-Ryouki Sato-

He saw his sister rise as his vision began to clear and began to make his way towards her groggily and in registering of the joint loose in his prosthetic.
"Bro...ther..?" Tsukiko managed, her voice nasally from holding off the blood coming out of her nose.
Ryouki reached a hand to grasp it and held tightly.
"Screwdriver..." He choked, his voice thick with the taste of gravel.
"What? Brother, what are you-" Tsukiko's eyes shifted to his loosened prosthetic arm and her eyes filled with panic. She glanced around the rubble and strained to be heard. "Usami!! Usami where are you?!" She struggled to help Ryouki off the dirty ground and his head rested on her knees. His senses registered her fingers in his hair, loose from the tail. The string that tied it back is long gone now and his overlong fringe hung over his eyes and striped his vision with strokes of inky black.

--

-Ryan Petrushkov-

He heard a young girl shouting, but couldn't place where. Everything was foggy, and other than her faint voice everything was a dull thrum in his head.
Ryan thought of Viktor-that worrywart that probably expected something horrible out of this trip. This was, however, their only look into what the rebels were truly up to. His thoughts drifted, in efforts to get his senses going again, and he thought of Viktor's unnaturally chapped lips, callused hands, his voice and the traces of an accent in the common tongue that rolled his "r"s just a bit and hardened consonants and glided smoothly-without the faults Ryan had when speaking, the way he stretched and how his back would arch in a perfect curve that was unusual for such a masculine guy, hard eyes that only softened when Ryan would-

Ryan came to and struggled to his feet, face flushed, and took a swig from his flask.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Glassvale, Lynne

He was running. Running through gray streets choked with smoke as the people around him fell one by one. Their ragtag team had thinned to a mere few on the way to the hospital. As they neared the halfway mark, he heard another bomb go off behind him, but his resolve kept him from turning back. He made his choice, and those people had made theirs. Whatever happened after wasn't his concern.

As he scampered along, he could see corpses and timbers collapsed against the rubble, some black against the hot glow, others melting into it. Even the wind’s strength couldn’t keep the scent of roasting flesh from his nose. He lowered his gaze to the ground. Feeling bad about their fates wouldn't raise them back from the dead, and he had his own hide to worry about.

Just then, a low rumbling sound caught his attention and Silas looked up at the sky, at the miniature army coming to their aid. The unmistakable emblem of Falcon's Reach and some Grail-El shone off their sides. It was much earlier than expected, but they were here! Help had arrived at last! He slowed down his pace and turned as he watched them descend on the rebels, a smile appearing on his face the first time that day.

But it would be long before they would finally be able to take them down. And Silas would be far gone by then.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

The group of secret police, along with the peach-haired young man, were already gone by the time Evelyn reached a clearing in the ex-theatre, and she just barely caught sight of the Grail mercenary she'd been traveling with before he left the scene. She thought about following after him but quickly dismissed the thought; he could probably look after himself. The wounded here, on the other hand...

The Rojyan Ambassador's guard had stayed behind as well, apparently having been caught in the theatre when the bomb struck, but he seemed alright. She searched the theatre for the injured Vallakian man and those in his company, and soon caught sight of the man who had taken her position helping to get him to safety. She approached him cautiously, keeping an eye out for the other agent they had been with, and spotted a young woman near him as well. "Are you two alright?" She looked to the tall man, brow slightly furrowed. They had to get to that hospital as quickly as possible, and so far, things were not working in their favor. "Where are the others?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel's attention was caught by a feminine voice somewhere in the building, raised to a frantic shout, and he grudgingly lifted himself upright. The effort made him wince, though he was fairly sure nothing was broken, so he waited a while to take in his surroundings before he tried to stand. Honestly, with all the damage done to the building, it was a wonder nothing had fallen from the ceiling and squashed him like a bug.

He couldn't help stealing a glance at a guard whom he had seen enter the theatre with Evelyn, his attention caught as he took a swig from the flask in his hand, but Asbel refocused his attention on the state of the theatre fairly quickly. Finally convincing himself to stand up, he noticed Dimitry taking his leave and began to follow him; unless Dimitry told him to leave outright, Asbel planned on asking him a few questions.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick rushed toward Tsukiko and Ryouki when he saw them, kneeling down to look over them both and make sure they weren't badly hurt. Tsukiko's nose was bleeding like crazy, and for all he knew, it might be broken, but Ryouki didn't seem seriously injured. When Tsukiko's panicked calling finally registered in his racing mind, he looked to her with a nod, placing a hand lightly on Ryouki's arm. "Stay put, okay? I'll go find them." With that, he stood up and rushed off to find Taiyo and Usami.

When he came across Ryan and noticed him taking a drink from a flask, he fought back the urge to raise his voice or glare at him and decided to get his attention calmly. "Mind lending us a hand?" he asked, making his point with a nod toward the others in the theatre.

-Ryan Petrushkov-

He put the flask by his hip and hesitantly began to raise a hand, but put it down, catching the scene and perhaps the context of the sarcastic young man's question. Kneeling he glanced over. "Is it your-"
"My arm, yeah." The man with unruly long hair finished the sentence. "I-It's a prosthetic, you see, and-"
The girl...boy...Ryan couldn't quite tell-and now wasn't the time to ask for names or pronouns, but their voice was very feminine. "Go find my brother, please. His name is Usami. He's...about this boy's height," She pointed at Sarcasm-Mouth. "...m-maybe a bit taller, and has a face like mine and Ryouki's." The girl motioned to the man on her folded knees. "With short hair in a sort of undercut."
Ryan nodded. "I'll see what I can do." He rose and began to search for someone who matched the girl-boy's description

--

-Usami Sato-

He dragged the delirious Taiyo through the rubble. The blast had knocked them back a considerable distance and now his sister was babbling nonsense as she started to regain her senses.

A tall man had come up to him, halting his sprint as the man seemed to weirdly examine him.
"E-Excuse you...?"
The man clicked his tongue. "Do you know a girl..." He held a hand to a height slightly above 5 feet. "This high, and with short black hair?"
"That sounds like my sister." Usami was curt. "I'm looking for her now actually so please-"
The man grinned and led him over with a wave of his hand, shouting back at the group who had emerged in the rubble. "I found him, Miss!"
Usami raced over and his eyes widened in concern. "What the..."
Tsukiko explained, her nose dripping red. "His prosthetic came loose upon impact. Thankfully it's all in one piece, just not exactly functioning..." She gingerly moved Ryouki so that way his arm could be seen.

All the joints and wiring had come unclasped. The prosthetic seems almost like a coiled up spring with metal joints and rivets connected to each bit in a manner that seemed as it it had been severely stretched out.

Usami breathed deep, and then spoke with authority. "Does anyone have anything I can use for tools?"

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale Lynne.

Someone was following him, of course, why didn't he guess it wasn't like the day was getting any better, now someone was following him. He drew his pistol and pointed in the direction he had come. "Come out and I won't shoot."

Tabaraamon - Leader of the Seven - Farm land, Fairhaven.

 "Ever wonder what it's like to die?" One of the others asked.

Tabaraamon nodded as he sharpened his sword. "Yes I have. I've been around long enough to wonder what it's like to actually die."

"And why is death so frightening? When you threaten someone you often threaten to kill them, but what if you want to die? What if life on the other side is better, or you are just recycled into reality again." Another said.

"I don't know, maybe it's better, maybe it's worse, I don't know, and since I don't know what death is like I'll eek out every last bit of life." Tabaraamon sighed.

Boraci

The woman who I had adopted as my landing cushion didn't seem to have heard me. O shrugged, and swatted my hands, trying to clear the dust. I noticed Asbel staggering out, past that Evelyn lady and a Rojyan guard. Beyond them, outside, Erick and Ryouki were holding their own. I mentally chided myself. We were all adults here. Just as I began to refocus, the police lady was in front of me.

"We're fine," I said with closed lips. "Leif and your guard are over there." I gestured vaguely to my right and coughed. Clots of green blood sputtered out, and I twisted my body in order to see what was the problem. A rusty nail had embedded itself into my back. Adrenaline was keeping me from feeling the pain.

"Miss," I said to the woman I had tackled, "You'd best stay with Evelyn. She's an old friend." I gestured to the police lady, my satire as rusty as the nail. "I have to, uh, catch a mercenary."

My manners had developed nicely, if I could say that modestly. Ignoring my aching arm and back, I stumbled out of the theater and after Asbel. I caught up with him, because he must have been hurting as much as I was. But probably more so.

"Come out and I won't shoot." Ah. Dimitry. I sidled silently around Asbel and into the Grail's sights, holding up my non-injured arm.

"Now when was that ever true?" I asked, mustering a smirk.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

A strange man walked into his line of sight and asked "Now when was that ever true?" in a way that suggested they knew each other, Dimitry was pretty sure he had never seen the man in his life... But there was something familiar about him, not the face or voice, but the body language and abnormal height reminded him of someone he had known.

Instead of lowering the pistol he put his finger on the trigger and changed his point of aim to compensate for the stranger's height. "Who the hell are you?" Dimitry hissed.

He tried to remember where he had seen the man before, but it always came up blank, he tried to run through a mental list of everyone he had killed just in case it was a ghost.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Cima paced outside one of the safe houses Grail-El military intelligence had set up in Hydris. She was pretty sure that this was the one the Black Wolf team was hiding, it made perfect sense, near the gates, a large market and directly on top of the meeting place of several large sewer pipes, plenty of ways in or out.

She summed up her courage and knocked on the door, she hadn't seen another Black Wolf I'm several years and wasn't sure how they would react to see her. A young man opened the door a sliver and Cima raised her palm, exposing the complex web of tattoos on her hand. The man's eyes widened and he opened the door the rest of the way, waving Cima inside.

"I assume you are here to speak to Trakus?" The young man asked.

Cima nodded. Trakus was the title of the leader of a pack. The name came from "Shadow Trakus" one of the original seven riders, and the undisputed master of stealth.

The young man led her her into a back room, down a staircase and then opened a cupboard, pressed on a brick in the wall. The back panel of the cupboard slid open. "She's in there." The young man said.

China entered the dark room and closed her eyes to let them adjust the the light level faster, when she opened them the room was still dark, but she could see the figure sitting next to a table.

"Hello daughter." Tarkus said in a low voice.

Cima bowed low, her hair touching the floor and undid the scarf that covered her lower face and mouth. In a pained voice she rasped. "I come with a warning. The king is frightened, and our ambassador is worried. A frightened animal will always strike harder and with less warning then a brave one."

"You come to tell me to be careful? You think we do not understand the risks we take?"

China shook her head. "No, I merely came to tell you that the king believes that Grail-El and Rojya are plotting against him, there was a killing earlier today as I am sure you are aware. The king thinks it was authorized by someone with in our government."

Tarkus rubbed her chin. "I see, the council is not yet decided on our course of action, so we must tread with care, the fleet has not yet been mobilized, so there is time yet." Then in almost a wistful tone she said.

"I long for a war, to drag this barbarian nation down into oblivion, to burn its cities, to but the heads of its nobles on spikes and feed their king to the worms. I lost my brother to these people. You are dismissed, if you have any more information do not delay to return daughter, Mummy's waiting."

Cima turned from her mother, replaced her mask and returned to the surface, deeply worried, she was worse then she had been the last time Cima had seen her. It also worried her that the council would send the single most Anti-Falcons Reach pack to this city, it would only make sense if the decision had already been made and they were waiting on something, but what?

## Page 31

-Tula Nikos-

On a short walk to clear her head-and escape Alina's barrage of questions-she was on her way back to the Embassy when she spotted an interesting character in a mask. It seemed to be a woman, slender, tall and in dark clothing.

Tula frowned, thankful that her uniform wasn't stark black in this weather, but was curious of this person. She was vaguely familiar. Maybe a friend of Dimitry's? Co-worker? Or was she in relation to the Grail-El Ambassador. Tula managed to deduce that she wasn't from Rojya, and definitely was out of place compared to most from Falcon's Reach.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout

Asbel stood perfectly still as Dimitry turned around to face him, pistol at the ready. Asbel smiled sheepishly, but before he could provide an explanation, his train of thought was lost as he realized Boraci had followed him. This was going to be interesting.

Asbel didn't bother raising his hands; he somehow doubted Dimitry saw him as a genuine threat. "I see you haven't changed much," he began, a hand on the back of his neck while his eyes freely wandered the hall. "That's nice to see." It was then that he noticed the bit of metal - possibly a nail head - sticking out of Boraci's back, and screwed his face up as if hoping to intimidate it. "You might want to get that looked at." He whispered in a low voice, pointing to the object in question.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick made his way back to the group of siblings and the guard when he heard Usami's voice, and felt a bit panicked by his question. He didn't have much on him, and the rebels had emptied his pockets when they were captured anyway. He shook his head, about to speak, when the ground shuddered, and the building's fragmented foundations began to crack and snap like a bundle of twigs. His voice became abnormally quiet, worry sneaking into his tone. "I don't know if we'll have time to fix here. This place isn't safe." He looked to Usami, trying his best not to seem confrontational, and waited to gauge his reaction.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

Evelyn's eyebrows raised as the stranger placed the woman in her care - and referred to her as an "old friend", which was almost as strange. Had they met before? Rather than pursuing the answer to her questions, however, she motioned for the woman to follow as she continued through the theatre. "Stay close, Miss, and let me know if you see anything I don't." She looked for the wounded man from before as well as the agent; though the doubted the former would have survived the blast, she still hadn't searched the entire building, so it was still entirely possible for him to simply be unconscious or trapped somewhere. "Hello?" She called out, scouring her surroundings. "Is anyone there?"

Boraci (Frederick Dermon)

Dimitry looked two parts confused, one part pissed off. Then again, that seemed to be his default setting. A few more wrinkles on the skin around his gas mask, but he was still fit. The pistol was a little under kill. I would have expected at least a semiautomatic.

"You're looking at it," I responded to Asbel.

I considered going all I'm-a-ghost-demon-from-your-past-come-to-kill-you on Dimitry, but decided against it. One of my finer decisions of that day.

"I go by the name of Frederick Dermon in this place," I said, slowly lowering my arm. "You know me as Boraci." I grinned as widely as I could at this point, revealing my fangs, if the green blood soaking my clothes wasn't enough.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

Dimitry cocked his head to the side and lowered his revolver. "What the hell happened to you? I mean... What the hell last time I saw you... Well you weren't wearing much more than a loin cloth. And you had wings big bat wings."

After several seconds of silence Dimitry put his revolver in his holster. "I know that there are surgeon's around here that can change your face, but I think this is a bit more than that." He nodded to Asbel, noticing him for the first time, he had been watching Boraci to intently. "Now that we got that all sorted out we should probably be getting out of here, I don't want to get dragged into any more stupid adventures to save your damned country."

It was to much of a coincidence to see Boraci, Asbel and Erick in the middle of a war zone, it didn't seem right. And what ever happened to Boraci wasn't normal.

-Usami Sato-

He nodded and turned to Tsukiko. "Get him up and balance one side, I'll hold up his prosthetic." Tsukiko did as asked and lifted her much taller brother onto one shoulder, not seeming to struggle much under his weight.
Usami gingerly held the prosthetic arm together and felt the large Rojyan man bump his shoulder. The man's hair fell into his eyes as he mused over the arm. "Is that Van Dietrich work?"
Usami's eyes widened and he glanced over the arm again. "It IS! Ryouki, what landed you an arm with Van Dietrich? That must have been-" His voice caught at the glance of the gnarly scar tissue around the amputated end, and Usami lowered his eyes. "L-Let's just go. We have a lot to talk about and no time to do it. Taiyo!"
Her head popped up as her daze broke.
"Help Tsukiko hold Ryouki up." He turned to face Erick. "Thank you...whoever you are...for being there for him. I-I just needed to get that off my chest. Last Ryouki wrote, he talked about Bastien's top notch jerkassness, so I'm glad he found someone new, better." Usami raised a brow. "Are you?"
Ryouki groaned. "Oh. My. God. Stoooooop."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel groaned at Boraci's response, but Dimitry's words seemed to jar him slightly. He nearly moved to take a step forward but stopped just short, holding up a hand as a signal to wait. "As a matter of fact, Dimitry, that's part of the reason I wanted to speak with you." As quickly as it had slipped, Asbel regained his calm expression and smiled. "Aside from catching up with old companions and all that. Without getting dragged into any adventure-like ordeals, perhaps you could just..."

He glanced downward and shook his head as if trying to physically clear it. "Perhaps you could lend us a hand just this once, for old times' sake rather than the sake of our damned country? If you can't stay, then on your way to wherever you're going, I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on the road ahead of the others - preferably until they're out of immediate danger." He wasn't sure if it was fair to ask, but even if Dimitry refused, it was worth a try.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick's eyebrows raised as Usami spoke, and he began to wonder if he had misread Ryouki's brother. A smile crossed his features, his shoulders raising in a shrug. "I don't eat people, if that counts for anything, but my knowledge of Shakespeare might be a bit lacking." He drew his weapon and took a position in front of them, planning to be their group's first defense against any unwanted visitors they might run on their way out of the area.

The ground still shook with every bomb that fell, and the sound of airships overhead had only grown louder. Erick looked to the secret officer, who was still searching the theatre along with another civilian, and waved a hand over his head to get her attention. "Hey! What's the plan?"

She looked back at him, then down the hallway Asbel, Boraci, and Dimitry had taken. "There's a hospital not far from here - it should be out of danger, at least for now. If I can't catch up right away, we should plan on meeting there."

"Will do." With that, Erick stole one last glance at Ryouki, his siblings, and the guard, before heading toward the exit.

-Tsukiko Sato-

She led the rest of the siblings in a race to escape the building and somehow manage to keep the exhausted Ryouki supported.
"Excellent!" She crowed at the announcement of the nearby hospital. "They can fix my nose too...I don't think it's broken but I don't know, honestly."

-Ryan Petrushkov-

He quickened his normally lazy pace to keep up with the group, discreetly eyeing the Sato siblings, Sarcasm-Mouth, and several of the others in the rebel group. They seemed faintly familiar, and the Van Dietrich prosthetic in particular struck him. The Sato siblings didn't seem like a particularly disheveled family, but certainly couldn't have afforded such a high quality prosthetic. Whomever the eldest of them was, and whatever landed him with a missing limb must have caught the old crawler's sympathies.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

He tried to run his hand through his hair, but the mask got in his way and he just brushed some dirt off the top. "For old times sake? You know what, fine I'll help for now, at least until we are out of danger. After that... We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now let's just get out the active combat zone before we get blown up."

He waited for Asbel to take the lead, as he didn't want to make a fool of himself by walking the wrong way. A part of him told him to get out while he still could, the more he was involved the harder it would be to untangle himself from the mess that was brewing.

But he had to help his friends, or at least those who had been involved in that mission to the wastes. This was looking to be the same sort of thing, he agreed to help for a short time, and in the end he had killed the sorceress. He hoped this wouldn't end with him ramming his blood blade into the king's face. He had a feeling that Tula didn't look well on killing royalty.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble woman - Wood's Hideout, Lynne.

Several soldiers helped her to her feet, then seeing she couldn't walk carried her toward the area most people were congregating.

It looked like Leif was there and several people were keeping him up right. She winced at the large wound in his back. She just wanted to write a book, not experience the events she was writing about. She had originally thought that the king was stepping to far, but now when she saw the truth behind the rebels she wasn't as sure... Were the executions and secret police that bad? To fight monsters didn't you some times need monsters?

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik of the 13th GD - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Mosin was about to help Kristen up and offer his shoulder but when the building was attacked again, he stumbled back and got on his knees, his senses shaken. When he finally managed to get his bearings, he saw a bunch of men by Kristen, about to carry her out. Taking one last look at the theater, he stood up and followed.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Wood's Hideout

After a short while longer, Evelyn finally spotted the wounded man, who was already being carried through the theatre by several men. She breathed a short sigh of relief as she spotted a few more survivors as well: a woman with a severely broken leg and a man in uniform, who didn't appear to be badly injured. So many others, however, hadn't been as fortunate. This entire time, she had been trying not to let her eyes linger on the corpses that littered the floor, but it was impossible not to notice them.

Still, there would be time to dwell on that later; for now, she had a job to do. She saw the King's guard dog leading a small group out of the theatre and quickened her pace in order to catch up to him, her thoughts lingering on Asbel for a few moments. She was a tad worried now that he was out of her sight in a place like this, but he could take care of himself. As much trouble as he was always getting into, he had developed a talent for getting himself back out of it again.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's eyes softened and he grinned at Dimitry. "That's the spirit." He motioned for Boraci to follow before returning his hand to his injured arm and starting forward. He didn't know this area well, but he was confident he could at least make it to an area open enough to see Evelyn and the others. If not, how hard could it be to find a hospital? Common sense suggested it wouldn't be particularly out of the way, so it was essentially just a matter of getting there in one piece.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Wood's Hideout

Erick looked back at Tsukiko and smiled, his brow furrowed slightly. "We'll get everything sorted out there. I don't know how long we'll be able to stay, but the hospital's probably a safe bet for now." As the bigger picture began to sink in, Erick tried harder and harder to force it to the back of his mind. The siblings' positions as rebels, the escalating conflict between the rebel groups and the King's men, and the deaths of those dozens of people in the theatre were all too daunting to face when what he really needed to focus on was getting Ryouki and his family out of Glassvale alive.

## Page 32

Ryan Petrushkov-

He heard the girl-Tsukiko-laugh in relief. "Excellent!" It struck him oddly as to how she could shift so easily. Perhaps that family was once very close. The young mechanic was overly concerned, and the seemingly youngest sibling was almost reluctant to hold up her eldest sibling. Ryan never came from a large family, not like Viktor or Tula experienced, and it was interesting to witness that dynamic from the outside. The soldier trailed behind them, keeping a steady pace.

--

-Usami Sato-

"This really is magnificent work..." He whispered, half to himself.
Ryouki chuckled. "I believe it's some kind of steel alloy, strong enough. It hasn't busted up until today."
"How did you meet Van Dietrich? Is he old? Young? Does he have an accent?"
"Hoy, steady!" Ryouki stumbled and Tsukiko immediately shifted to get him upright. His brother's attention turned back. "I'll tell you about it at the hospital, as well as everything else that happened in the past five years. There isn't exactly the time or energy..." Ryouki chuckled weakly. "In two years, I'll be 30...isn't that wild? I'm an old man now."
Usami rolled his eyes. "You are NOT."
"A perverted old man, right Erick?"
"You. Are. NOT."

Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

Cima walked back to the embassy head bowed. She had forgotten how much speaking hurt, the feeling of the damp air on her exposed bone was something she couldn't stand, it made the hairs on her neck stand up.She resisted the urge to reach beneath her mask knowing that it would be much worse. Her mother was always disconcerting, even when Cima was very young and went by her normal name her mother had seemed... Not right. To say the least.

The gates of the embassy loomed ahead along with a large crowd of protesters. Cima glanced at the four guards by the gates, their rifles were aimed at the ground at the protesters feet, but the soldiers on the roof of the building had their weapons leveled on the crowd, be it sniper rifles or large belt fed support weapons. Cima could sense the anger radiating off the crowd like a pungent odour. The protesters were shouting "Get out Sand-Scum! Get out!"

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy

Jessica paced her office, from which she had a clear view of the protesters as they waved their fists and shouted. She knew that her security forces had set up one of the pack howitzers had been set up to fire from the second story balcony if things got really bad. She had ordered that they fire tear gas first, but if the situation changed lethal shells could be used.

At this point the crowd hadn't done much, just stood around and shouted, but more people were trickling in, and mob mentality would be kicking in soon. She had sent a request for the kings guards to deal with this since they were his citizens, yet nothing had come of it. Maybe he was put out over the negotiations and was acting like a spoiled brat about it.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale.

Dimitry followed the others wondering what he had done to deserve this. He also wondered about Asbel, the white haired amnesiac had just showed up, Dimitry hadn't seen him with the other prisoners, and he definitely hadn't been with the secret police. Maybe he had broken free, Dimitry didn't know, or care what Asbel did with his life wasn't Dimitry's concern.

"So you mentioned that Alice and Lucas had a baby? That's surprising, I hadn't thought those two would stay together after the adrenaline from the war wore off. Guess I was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time when it came to those two." He said to Asbel.

If all things went well he could be back in Fairhavem by the next morning, hopefully in that time Tula hadn't been reassigned to some distant part of Rojya.

-Tula Nikos-

Almost in the blink of an eye, a crowd seemed to draw among the Grail-El Embassy. Angry Falcon's Reach citizens were spitting and raging against the walls, and guards outside threatened violence. Her heart begged Tula to intervene, but she worried that it would bring Rojya into more trouble than it had already landed itself in. Hesitantly, Tula stepped in that direction, and an old woman caught her eye
"Miss, help us please!" She hissed.
Tula stepped again, feet together, and she saluted. "I'm sorry ma'am. My loyalties are not with Falcon's Reach, I have no right to intervene-"
The old woman shrieked. "Then scram, you stupid girl!"
"I am 27 years old, certainly not a girl and not stupid enough to continue shouting against armed guards without a weapon." Tula struggled to keep an even voice.
"You said yourself, you have no right to intervene."
"I don't, but now I'm pissed off!" Tula raised her voice slightly and caught the attention of some other protestors. She turned to address them. "Go back to your homes, this isn't necessary. Our nations won't be here long-"
Voices in the crowd turned against her now, against Grail-El and now also Rojya.
"Stupid girl!" "Socialist!" "Your queen is on thin ice, lady!" "Get out of our country!"

Tula backed away slowly. "Me and my big mouth..." She muttered, unsure how to handle herself.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick raised his eyebrows, hiding the smirk on his face by keeping is eyes fixed forward, and nodded in mock agreement. "Oh, ancient - and a total perv." Another blast shook the ground and Erick paused, watching Mrs. Luciole carefully. She was taking the shorter route to the hospital; though they would be more visible than if they had stuck to alleyways and backyards, she probably reasoned that speed would do them more good than hiding from bombs. Around them, civilians were running in seemingly every direction, not knowing where to seek refuge, and even armed rebels were fleeing for their lives; it was pure and simple chaos.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel chuckled, his pace slowing. "I know what you mean, but it seems they're still quite close." He stopped behind a large building, eyeing his surroundings. After a few seconds of staring, he continued on his way, only slightly lost. He knew the general direction he was headed, but all the smoke and loud noises were throwing him off a little.

Danor Arkaitz - Gunsmith - Hydris, Fairhaven

Danor had been cursed, since she was very small, with a very keen sense of hearing that sometimes made it very difficult to concentrate on her work. Three people outside her shop were chitchatting about some protest outside the Grail -El Embassy, and her curiosity was piqued by the conversation. She wasn't about to stick her nose in the matter, but hearing about it was a little worrying. Still, she had seen it coming a mile away.

If things got ugly, she would pack her things and leave until they settled down again - if they settled down again. All things considered, maybe it would be best if she closed up shop a little early and kept to herself for the rest of the day. As she moved to lock her doors, one of the men outside shot her a glare, and she responded with nothing more than a slightly raised eyebrow as the bolt clicked shut. Yes, civilian, make threatening gestures toward the lady with a shop full of guns and ammunition - positively genius.

 Cima - Assassin -Hydris.

Cima's job included many things, close protection, theft of important documents, assassinations and internal security, but she never had seen a real mob before. Back on ship board there hadn't been enough people to make a mob. During times when large numbers were grouped together the average person had understood what would happen to them if they were in a mob that threatened a government facility.

And if they didn't back down this crowd would soon experience what it was like for the packs of hellhounds, flights of raven people and shades had experienced: the chatter of automatic rifles, choking gas and storm of lead and high explosive shells. Cima hoped they didn't push the guards any harder, most were relatively experienced soldiers, and used to holding their ground against things much fiercer then a Falcon's Reach rabble. But there were several less jaded soldiers and those were the ones most likely to open fire. She didn't want a blood bath.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was that woman Dimitry had been with, the one he met during the feast after the war was over... What was she doing here?

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy.

"Is this really necessary?" She asked as four soldiers manhandled a tripod mounted heavy machine gun into her office, set it up so it would overlook the courtyard and started feeding belts of 50 caliber ammunition into it.

Kalven Quint the commander of the troops nodded. "This building is highly defensible, we built it that way. But to make use of that we need to mount our heavy weapons where can cover the most ground. Your office gives us a cross fire with the gun in the left wing."

Jessica sighed and nodded. "Fine. Marlek is going to tell the crowd to disperse. Maybe they'll listen to him." Marlek was full blood 'Reacher, and they hopped it would go better then when Kalven had demanded that they disperse. If all else failed the embassy was built to survive a siege by the Falcon's Reach army.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

"So what have you been doing in the past five years? Mercenary work?" Dimitry asked Asbel, maybe the man would have connections he could get in contact with, maybe get a long term contract, those were where the big money was.

The whole situation they were in now gave him this feeling of dega-vu, running through a city in the middle of a battle. It reeked of the battle for Agnarok, and part of him expected a shade to rush him and try to take his head off. A bomb went off behind them, close enough that Dimitry could feel the shock wave, but not enough for them to be in danger.

 Ryouki Sato

His eyes darted about the surrounding area, of Lynne civilians in their strange hair colours and panicked expressions. The noise of the blasts dulled to a thrum in the background, ringing in his ears and made him wince. Taiyo looked concerned. "Brother?"

"Sorry...it's just the noise."

Usami frowned slightly. "Obviously, you can't be in much more pain than already."

"True-!" He gasped. "That was a nerve..."

"Sorry..." Usami untangled a few wires that looped together in the movement.

--

Tula Nikos

She slowly began to fume as some of the comments began to take a darker turn, making her mouth open in shock. Tula glanced around and back at some of the faces who turned toward her. "There are children around! Do you think this is the kind of example you want to set?" Taking a deep breath, she added. "First, I wouldn't consider myself some kind of Socialist. Second, my origin lies elsewhere and is none of your business!"

 Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

The group around Tula seemed to becoming more angry with her. Cima began moving towards Tula, drawing two extendable batons from their sheaths on her lower arms. She kept them retracted, the primary psychological effect came from their deployment, and Cima didn't want to waste any advantages she might have.

A thought went through her head, questioning her motives. She wasn't doing it for Tula, or even Dimitry, she was doing it for the common good. Cima knew Dimitry well enough to know what he would do if Tula was injured. And she didn't want that on her conscience.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy.

Marlek stepped out of the front doors flanked by two guards in full waste gear. The long cloaks, chests crisscrossed with ammunition belts and hand grenades, and gas masks over their faces. Both carried drum fed shotguns designed to dispose large packs of hellhounds. Marlek was dressed like a Grail merchant, one of the few types of Caravaners that weren't regularly with deep suspicion.

Jessica watched from her office as the three people approached the gates. Marlek had a new invention, a large voice loudener so he could be heard by people in the back of the crowd.

He lifted this device to his mouth and said. "Why do you come here? Why do you stand like an army at our gates? What have we done to you?"

So many voices shouted it was impossible to hear what they said, and it sounded like waves against the shore.

"We came to this land to trade with you, to ally ourselves with you against the wastes, we came seeking trade that would benefit both our nations. Your protest is disrupting your own merchants, hurting your economy! Disperse so you do not hurt your own nation!"

Several people began to move away, but others started throwing things: eggs, vegetables rocks and several glass bottles.

Marlek sighed. "Very well." Then he turned and walked back to the embassy, the back of his head red from a tomato that got him.

-Tula Nikos-

As the people became distracted, Tula's attention turned to the woman who came to her aid-the one she spotted on her walk and had seen with Dimitry before. She flashed her a polite smile. "Thank you very much-" The roar of the crowd throwing things cut her off and she winced at the splat of the tomato against the merchant's head.

"Isn't that rude, huh?!" Tula shouted above the noise. "How would you like it if we did that to YOUR country?!"
The old woman from before cried out a reply. "Rojya already has-that Curtain and military scum like you and your social crusader of a queen are practically a spit in our faces. Something truly awful must have possessed the King to let her brat sister come here."
Tula tensed and she saw the crowd go to a slight hush. "You can insult me, you can whine about being less industrialized than Rojya or Grail-El, and you can even insult the military-I couldn't give a single damn! But no one on the gods' green earth insults my Princess Alina and makes it out alive!"
"You wouldn't kill an old woman."
"You're dying anyway, so what?" Tula snapped, her voice rising. "I'll just get the job done faster." She turned her attention back to the young woman, and eyed her semi-drawn weapons with an open hand. "Can I borrow that for a minute?"

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel stumbled when the shock wave hit, but he regained his footing soon enough and continued walking, resisting the urge to look behind him at the damage. He was a bit hesitant to admit the answer to Dimitry's question, and his voice was slightly strained when he finally came out with it. "Sometimes. It's been a little bit of everything, really." Beggars couldn't be choosers, the way Asbel saw it; he took work for the rebels wherever he could find it, and Evelyn had been responsible for most of it. He had to tread more cautiously through rebel work than most, being such a "memorable" character, but she tended to do an excellent job of blending in when she wanted to.

Finally, he came to an area where Evelyn and the others were just barely visible, but he didn't dare catch their attention and risk slowing them down. He would be happy as long as he could see them well enough to follow them to the hospital - as happy as a sane man can be when surrounded by mayhem, fire, and corpses, that is.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Glassvale, Lynne

Erick looked back at Ryouki and smiled sheepishly. "We'll get you fixed up as soon as we're out of this." Erick's train of thought was suddenly lost as a chilling scream reached his ears, and his eyes darted to its source. It had been feminine, and almost definitely an adult's. Before long, he spotted the forest green hair of the woman who had made the sound, and the shock nearly halted him in his tracks. A woman was trapped in the rubble of the building, only her top half visible as she desperately grabbed and clawed at the ground in a futile attempt to free herself.

It was obvious she was a lost cause, but Erick couldn't bring himself to leave her there like that - especially after she spotted him. She locked eyes with him and reached out, but just as Erick began to consider rushing across the road toward her, a bomb fell some ways ahead of them on the woman's side of the road, and the following cloud of dust made it impossible for him to see her - or even if she had survived the blast. It was then that Evelyn, a short distance ahead, shouted for them to hurry up - that the hospital was close. Conflicted for only a split second longer, Erick took one look behind him to make sure Ryouki, his siblings, and the soldier were still there, then hurriedly moved to follow Evelyn.

 Boraci (Frederick Dermon)

I had opted to wait to catch up with Dimitry when things were less explosive. I stumbled as another bomb struck the earth and I again questioned why humans bothered living together in cities if they were just going to destroy said city. It simply didn't make sense.

"I'm guessing you're a hired gun," I interjected into the two men's conversation. The Grail man looked well, more mature, frown lines riddling his tan skin. "You still seein' that Tula girl? Roygian?" The last part can out more awkwardly than I was used to. Relationships had never really been my forte, and certainly not those kind of relationships.

I winced as the nail in my back seemed to scrape bone. I could faintly see that police woman and the others, and knew they must be heading to the hospital. Which wasn't exactly my favorite place. They'd ask too many questions, with answers they wouldn't want to hear.

## Page 33

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne.

Dimitry nodded. "Yeah, I'm still a hired gun, can't teach a old dog new tricks as they say. And yes, I'm still seeing her, kind of hard to stay in touch, we both have jobs that involve lots of travel." He sighed.

After several seconds he asked. "So what have you been up to? I assume it's easier to get a job now. What with." Dimitry made several gestures at Boraci's humanish body. He was still trying to wrap his head around the transformation, and a part of him thought it might have been Poppy's doing. But he didn't ask, he didn't want to make "Frederick" any more uncomfortable.

He almost cracked a joke about how he thought Boraci could have been a great express mail carrier, but thought it might be cruel.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

Cima raised her eyebrows slightly, then shrugged and passed Tula one of the ten inch long bowie knives she kept by the small of her back.

The crowd was getting increasingly ugly, and several people were moving towards them, fists or broken bottles held threatening the pair.

Cima winked at Tula then with a snap of her wrists extended the two battons, the small cylinders becoming six inch long metal poles with weighted tips, perfect for inflicting non-lethal pain.

The old hag that had started this turned on Cima. "What sort of monster are you? To give this psychopath a weapon to kill defenseless people?"

"Speak to me!" She demanded. "Show me your face coward!"

Cima narrowed her eyes and rasped. "You don't want me to."

"Coward! Coward! Show us your face you sand rat." A man shouted at her.

 -Tula Nikos-

She took the weapon, hands steady but her eyes quivered.
A burly man scoffed. "She's too hesitant, you won't do it!"
"I-I'm a soldier, I've killed many times before!" Tula felt her voice crack.
"Some soldier YOU are."
Tula exhaled. "A soldier wouldn't spill the blood of an innocent! Oh, gods, what was I thinking?" Her hands quivered around the handle of the knife.
The old woman laughed. "Coward!"
Fed up, Tula screamed out in frustration and tossed the knife blindly. The blade burrowed itself in the tall man's shoulder, spilling blood and awakening Tula's reason. The man was knocked back and the crowd roared in defense. She ran for the Embassy on instinct, her heart hammering against her sternum.

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - Crecelle Hospital, Glassvale, Lynne

Finally, just when Evelyn was beginning to doubt they would make it to their destination, one of the agents with her group raised a finger and pointed to a nearby right turn. "It's just there," he shouted, too out of breath to complete the sentence on the first try. "It'll be on our right!" As they approached the road the man had pointed to, the hospital came into view. Now, if they could just get in...

 When the group neared the front entrance, Evelyn spotted a man through a large window by the door - muscular and very tall, but with a few slivers of gray in his black hair that betrayed his age - along with a single streak of red on each side. He peered out at them, wary of their large number, but didn't move toward the door as they drew closer. Instead, he held tighter to the rifle he was carrying. Evelyn took this to mean that the entrance was probably locked, and this man was, for all intents and purposes, the hospital's first line of defense against violent intruders.

Erick put his weapon away upon seeing this, but Evelyn kept her gun in hand and a few feet between herself and the door. The man eyed the group with obvious discomfort, his brow furrowed. "You're not bringing weapons in here," he said, reasonably calm but gravely serious. Evelyn couldn't help but sigh; this wasn't going to be easy.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel listened quietly to Frederick and Dimitry's conversation, his attention split between that and the carnage around them. Part of him hoped he would be able to talk with them under normal, casual circumstances, since that was so incredibly rare, but for now, survival would suffice.

 Cima - Assassin - Hydris.

When Tula threw the dagger Cima gulped, hoping that nothing would come of it. But no, it was a perfect throw. Cima prepared for a fight, replacing the batons and drawing the twin stilettos from the sheaths at her ankles.

She chased after Tula, slashing at anyone that got in her way. She did her best to ensure the wounds were only superficial, to encourage people to leave her alone, but not to kill. Someone did draw a pistol on her, but a dagger through the eye removed that threat.

Someone grabbed her from behind and tried to restrain her. She grabbed the arm and pulled, rolling the man over her back and flinging him on the ground. A kick to the head rendered him unconscious. But slowed her down, the crowd had already closed behind her, the braver ones slowly approaching, some armed with swords or knives, others broken bottles or bare hands.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy.

"Tell the gas teams that they can fire." Jessica said. She didn't want to give the order, but the crowd was trying to break down the gates and needed to be dispersed. The king wasn't doing anything about this, probably because of the ongoing incident in Glassvale, but still.

The commander nodded and spoke into the intercom. "Fire irritant gas. Start at the center, cut the core out of this rabble."

The tinny reply came "Yes sir. Firing now." The dull thumps of  grenade launchers being fired came from the roof, and several rounds arched over the embassy walls and fell into the crowd. Thick gas started pouring out, exposure to the chemicals caused stinging eyes, throat irritation and a burning sensation on the skin, but wasn't lethal.

From the area the gas cloud covered came shouting and people began pushing away from it, panicked, thinking that it was mustard or nerve gas, which had much more lethal effects.

Boraci (Frederick Dermon) - "I'm Bat Man" - Glassvale, Lynn

I managed a short chortle, which ended being particularly painful for my diaphragm. The other group wasn't far ahead, but the hospital didn't appear to be taking numbers any time soon.

I shifted my bag uncomfortably, the files and that day's newspaper still gloriously untouched by fiery explosions. At least I hoped so. Was that singed smell coming from inside the leather bag? I calmed myself by taking a look around. Practically everything looked like it had been burnt at a stake.

"What, with a body like this? I assure you, it's only part-time." I grimaced, wondering what the circumstances would be that night. "I have some, uh, interests in the scientific community. Poppy and Danny helped for a bit, until, well, they didn't. Libraries are my new best friends." Or would be, if I had best friends, I added as an afterthought.

Asbel seemed grim, and I couldn't blame him. He must've been hurting too. Kinda a wuss at times, but he was a good guy. I smiled weakly at him.

"Sorry I can't fly you there. It'd be quicker."