Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Aegis

- Marcus -

Marcus startled when Lenka directed a question at him, but after a second, he continued washing his dishes. "What do you want to know?" He asked with a grin. "Heights? Weights? Eye color?"

Putting aside his tea cup and fishing a bowl out of the sink, he chuckled at what would no doubt be an annoyed look on Lenka's face.

"Troy is the troublemaker. He's a little guy. So, he feels like he needs to make up for that in attitude, I guess. I imagine that I was probably just as bad when I was a pre-teen."

"Ben is the bookworm. One of those types that cracks open a book after breakfast and doesn't realize he's lost a whole day until after dinner. The rest of us worry about his lack of social skills, but at least he knows plenty of big words to throw into an intelligent conversation."

"Then, there's Rebecca, who has decided that she's Ben's mouthpiece. That can make for some interesting conversations, considering she's barely half his age. For a nine year old, that kid has some serious 'tude."

"Terrance is the youngest, and the caretakers pay the most attention to him, since he's still getting over losing his parents in the conflict. Sometimes, he disappears for a few hours, and the adults worry, but I know which tree he's hanging out in the top of. So, it's not too big of a deal."

"Jess is the other one my age, but she's always been the one that's had her life put together. I think she was a lot like Ben at his age, but over time, she's become more outgoing. If there's anything going on at the orphanage, you can assume she had a hand in planning it. That's what she does."

Sitting the bowl aside, Marcus washed his hands and turned, leaning back against the counter. "Your turn. Tell me about growing up with James." He said, waving in the direction of the table.

Caltha - Sewers

Nadenka

"Why did you want to enter the palace?"

Nadenka was not so sure if she wanted to answer, then again, why shouldn't she? After all, this might their last trip...

"I wanted to find what really happened..." She said softly, "I wanted to find out if he really ended up dead because of the bombing, or if he was betrayed by my country men." She continued to walk, "By the way, I am talking about dead fiancé" and added as she turned to right.

They were getting close.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Aegis
Luke Jaron

Luke entered the kitchen and saw Marcus having chat with Lenka. Luke knew his heart should start feeling envious of them. Surprisingly though, it looked like he really did move on with his feeling as the feeling of envy did not come so strong as it would be. Well, that's what he thought. In truth, it was his stubbornness and his heart's hardness suppressed his inner feelings.

But, nevertheless, he really wanted two of his new friends to be happy, together or not.

Luke sat on the table, not really feeling hungry, he just stared at the ceiling, not so sure what to think anymore.

Aegis Old Bunker

- Rise -

Rise breathed a small sigh of relief at the idea that Kokonoe might be able to help with what Alex was going through.

The meeting between the Grand Council and the Old Guard though... That immediately made her feel on edge again. Would they be able to resolve this situation peacefully? She hoped so from the bottom of her heart, but it didn't seem likely.

"Do you think we'll ever finally be at peace?" she murmured, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

No, this wasn't the time for sentiments like that. Rise forced her mouth into a smile and shook her head, as though to dismiss the question.

Luke sat on the table near them and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"You all right, Luke?" she asked. She glanced over at Marcus and Lenka, who seemed to be getting along quite well, and bit her lip. "Ohh. That."

-------------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Maxim -

Maxim hid a smile, pleased to see Kurik filling into his new role so well so quickly. The Council, however, did not share that sentiment.

"Is that a fact?" Serena said, her voice like ice. Maybe she and Alina Grey weren't so different. "Enlighten us, then, as to your purpose."

Maxim smiled politely. "This isn't a negotiation, Minister Winters. This is a coup."

At his words, the doors were suddenly sealed. The Army guards suddenly raised their weapons and aimed them at the Council members. Jax and the two Commanders leapt to their feet, the former raising his fists and the latter two producing weapons.

"You just made a big mistake," Jax growled.

Serena and Durmail also got to their feet. Serena remained calm, her face white but composed. Durmail, on the other hand, shook nervously and licked his lips.

"If you thought I would make for a more docile target than High General Grey, you're mistaken," Serena said, her fists clenched. "Violence is not my way, but I won't stand by and hand the keys to this country to you."

She looked to Jax and the two Commanders, who nodded in return. Before they could make a move, however, Durmail lunged and pulled Serena against him. A knife slipped from his sleeve, and he pressed it against her throat.

"Bold words, Serena," he said. "But the decision was never yours."

Commanders Barton and Sarasin stepped forward, but Durmail pressed the dagger more tightly against Serena's throat.

"You traitor," Sarasin spat. "You were a mole this whole time!"

Durmail snarled. "Traitor? What do you call Alina Grey, who deposed this country's rightful ruler? Rebels have no right to criticize rebellions, Sarasin."

Even with this sudden reversal, Serena remained composed, though her voice quivered just a touch.

"This changes nothing," she said. "Commanders, Chief Mathis, do your duty."

Jax nodded gravely. Then, he sprang into action, leaping toward the Old Guard leaders.

"Kurik, if you please," Maxim said, indicating Jax. His attention was focused on the two Commanders, who were circling from the other side while the Old Guard and loyal Army guards clashed on the outskirts of the room.

Commander Barton raised his sword, and Sarasin notched a bow in her arrow.

"Belo, the commanders," Maxim ordered.

-------------------------

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Ehlana -

In the prison, Ehlana sat in silence. Raidon hadn't returned, and no word had been sent.

Suddenly, the prison door opened and an unfamiliar Army guard came in, holding a tray.

"Got orders to bring you food," he said, sliding the tray into her cell. "Eat up."

-------------------------

Caltha - Sewers

- Alexei -

Nadenka hesitated at his question, and Alexei second-guessed whether he should have asked that at all.

"I wanted to find what really happened..." She said softly, "I wanted to find out if he really ended up dead because of the bombing, or if he was betrayed by my country men."

Alexei's brow furrowed. Even without her clarification, he knew there was only one person she could be talking about.

"Did you ever find out?" he asked. He worried that the question might cause her more pain, but he couldn't leave the matter unresolved.

Aegis - Old Bunker

- Lenka -

Lenka rolled her eyes at Marcus when he first tried to back out of her question. He then decided to answer her.

She watched his face while he was telling her about his foster sibling. It was clear he cared about them. All of them. Especially wanting to protect them. Maybe because they all seemed to be younger than him? Briefly she wondered how much contact he still had with them now that he was at the University.

"You miss them?" she asked. "It sounds like they are good people. How often do you visit them?"

When Marcus asked about James, Lenka turned around to look at her brother. He was still typing away on his laptop with Rise sitting close.  

She turned back to Marcus, looking somewhat thoughtful. "Well...you've seen him," she finally said. "He's trying. Always working to do his best. We're very close in some aspects of our life, but at the same time, James can bury himself in work for days. I know when my fainting spells started, he was around much more. That made us grow closer, even though I know he was mainly worried."

"He's my big brother, I'm sure it's in his nature to try and protect me," she shrugged. "I still enjoyed spending time with him. He was the only one around and I wasn't allowed to just roam around freely when I was younger."

"Nowadays, we talk. And we get along, but I think he still hasn't realized that I've grown up. I had hoped I would see more of him when I went to the University, but he's busy with his thesis and graduation."

There was a slightly lost smile on her face and she gave a small shrug. Saying the words made her realize that maybe it was time to try harder to get along with James.

- James -

James looked up from his keyboard to look at Rise. "What brought this on?" he asked surprised.

"Of course there will be peace," he said softly. "This conflict can't go on forever."

------------------------------------

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Ehlana -

When Ehlana heard the footsteps approaching, she stood up from the bed. She was half-expecting Raidon.

However, when someone else showed up, she took a few steps back, her suspicion arising.

The Army Guard slid the tray in her cell.

"Who ordered this?" she asked, half-expecting no answer. She eyed the food carefully. It didn't look especially appetizing. Then again, neither did Arusian food.

------------------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Kurik -

Kurik kept a straight face when Maxim revealed the grand news. Of course things wouldn't go over without resistance. Jax and the two Commanders didn't seem much fazed by the danger that Minister Serena was in and decided to still charge towards them.

Kurik tensed when Jax moved towards him. He moved his hand from his chest outwards. "Rakukaja," he said and cast the barrier and then moved swiftly to the side.

"We don't have to do this the hard way," he said.

Luke Jaron

Luke was caught off guard when Rise asked him of what's up with him. He scratched his head, embarrassed of what she was implying.

"That's not it at all." He said it nervously, "Well, I think my brain just shut down... for... um... no reason at all..." Unfortunately, he could not hide so well with what he was feeling at the moment.

________________________________________________________________________________

Nadenka Orlov

"No" Nadenka replied, "Well, I am still not so sure..." and continue to walk, "But doesn't matter any more now." she added, turning around to face Alexei, smiling. "I learned to let go." Then she stopped herself from saying further, she almost had said, because now I have you and I want to focus on you

She cleared her throat and continued to move forward, now coming to the ladder that would be leading them to air vent in the prison cell. "Come on, we are almost there" Said Nadenka bravely taking the ladder to the air vent.

Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Unlike Kurik who started off with avoiding the attack, Belobog quickly raised his two pistols, and aimed at the two commanders who had their weapons ready. Belobog aimed at the hands of the commander and after a quick reload, he fired at their shoulders. It was matter of speed and aim, and unfortunately for the two commanders, Belobog probably had upper hands with Arusian's weapon.

Quickly, he also moved to cover and reloaded, but once he did, he quickly fired his pistols again at the commanders, and he did not hesitate to fire at their chests and heads.

It was time for the blood, and it was overdue.

Aegis - Old Bunker

- Rise -

James looked up from his keyboard to look at Rise. "What brought this on?" he asked surprised.

"Of course there will be peace," he said softly. "This conflict can't go on forever."

Rise ducked her head, avoiding James' gaze. She felt guilty even bringing it up.

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't meant to be pessimistic," she said, sighing. "It just feels like there's always something coming up to throw off the peace."

She shook her head and smiled. "But I can't get let myself get pessimistic. I mean, I can't expect people to believe in me and my music if I can't practice what I sing, right?"

She turned back to Luke, who was talking about his brain shorting out for no reason. Rise tilted her head, brows knit in confusion.

"Luke... you've really got to learn to open more," she said. "I mean, if you can't trust us with your problems, then we can't help you."

------------------------------------

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Ehlana -

The guard narrowed his eyes and glared at her.

"Eat," he ordered, pointing at the tray.

Ehlana, however, wasn't buying this ruse. The guard muttered a curse under his breath and checked his calm.

"Doesn't matter at this point," he said, more to himself. He fished a small sphere from his pocket and pushed his thumb into the button. It gave a hiss, and he tossed it under the bars into Ehlana's cell. Immediately, thick gas began to issue forth and rise up through the cell.

"Should have eaten when you had the chance," the guard said, sneering. "At least it would have been painless. I think."

Already, Ehlana's eyes began to water, and breathing was becoming painful. She wouldn't be able to last long.

------------------------------------

Nadenka Orlov

"I learned to let go."

Nadenka turned and smiled at him. Alexei's eyes widened, and his heart hammered. She didn't really need to say anything more, because that already said enough.

"Nadenka..."

A noise came from up above them. Alexei bit his lip and shook his head. There would be time for that later. Gesturing to her to wait, Alexei took the lead up the ladder. If there was any danger up above, he wanted to be the one to bear the brunt of it.

Once he reached the top of the ladder, Alexei shoved aside the grate aside with a grunt and hauled himself out.

"The hell-?" came a voice from behind.

Alexei whirled around to face a prison guard staring back at him in surprise. But the surprise was Alexei's. Behind the guard was a prison cell filling with smoke, and in it was-

"Ehlana!"

------------------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Jax -

His opponent was fast and a magic user. It was times like these that Jax almost missed his synth seraph.

"We don't have to do this the hard way," Kurik, the enemy commander said.

"I think it's a little late for that," Jax replied. He dove forward, throwing a series of rapid jabs before swinging around with a powerful left hook.

Even that was just a distraction as he let the momentum of the hook twist his body to the side before lashing out with a ferocious kick.

------------------------------------

- Ariana -

Commander Barton and Commander Sarasin ducked as Belobog let loose a volley of bullets at them. Sarasin ducked behind the table, readying her arrow. Barton brought up his shield to deflect the bullets before rushing at Belo.

"Barton, down!" Sarasin yelled.

Barton dropped to the ground, shield raised up before him, as Sarasin let her arrow fly over his head directly at Belo.

Ariana watched the proceeding violence, slowly backing away toward the door. Two men rushed at her - Old Guard, Army, it didn't matter. At this point, everyone was her enemy.

"Mabufula!" she cried. Ice crystals erupted from the ground around, blasting back the men and throwing open the doors to the room.

This was her chance! Ariana raced from the room and down the hallway, blindly searching for an escape.

Maxim whirled around at the sound, his eyes going wide. No! This would ruin everything!

"Belo!" he shouted, whirling about. "Track her down, now! I'll deal with the commanders."

------------------------------------

- Raidon -

Raidon turned the corner and hurried down the hallway, only to stop short at the sounds of chaos from the state hall. Was he too late? Had the Old Guard - or the puppet master behind them - finally pulled their big move?

Suddenly, a small figure raced out of the room and down the hall toward him. Her ornate hat flew off her head as she ran, and he recognized the striking red hair and young face.

"Ariana Adalia?" he murmured, eyes wide.

Ariana stopped short, stricken with fear. Then she whirled about at the sounds of pursuing footsteps before looking back at him.

"Please," she blurted out. "They'll kill me!"

Raidon hesitated. He wanted to hurry to the state hall and help. Maybe he could help turn the tide. But if he was wrong, and he got captured or killed, it might be impossible to get word out in time.

And now, he had Ariana Adalia in his grasp, the enemy's queen in this game of chess. If she was right, and they killed her off after she'd served her use, they'd never be able to use her knowledge or influence.

"Come on," he said, grabbing hold of her and taking off at a run as their pursuer closed in. It became immediately obvious that Ariana wouldn't be able to keep up to his pace. Gritting his teeth, he stopped and scooped her up into his arms before breaking into his fastest run. He wouldn't be able to defend himself this way, but that was a risk he'd have to take if he wanted to make it back to the prison block in time.

Aegis

- Marcus -

"I do miss them." Marcus responded with a wistful smile. "Living in the university dorms, I only get to see them on Saturdays, assuming we don't have an exam coming up on Monday morning, but I try to make time to hang out with all of them while I'm around. It's getting harder as they get older though."

"Each of them is developing their own interests. Jess is the glue that holds them together, but she's only under the home's care for another two years, same as me. After that, I don't see her leaving though. She'll probably become the next caretaker after Lecarde retires."

He glanced from Lenka to James and back while she told him about her brother, and the pieces started to fall into place. Whether the other man knew it or not, his life had a profound impact on his sister. Lisa would probably even say that her independence was an attempt to gain James' acknowledgement, but he doubted Lenka would see it the same way. She had to be her own person. That much, she'd made perfectly clear.

"Something I've learned pretty recently about growing up is that sometimes, life is about letting go." Marcus spoke slowly, being careful with his words. "But it can also be about making a conscious decision of the things you really want to hold onto."

"He'll see you for who you are when he's ready." Marcus glanced at James before giving her a sad smile. "Even if that's long after you are."

------------------------------------------------------------

- Alina -

Alina took a deep breath as she bent over to retrieve her comm from where it had fallen by the running track. With the push of a button, she was once more greeted with the news that had thrown her into the latest tailspin. Now that she was prepared for it, although bittersweet, the information was more freeing than she expected.

Wiping away another tear, she pushed the button to dial Jax. The comm buzzed indicated an established outgoing signal, but he didn't pick up. Maybe he was stuck in a meeting or something.

With a sigh, she pocketed the comm and made her way towards the kitchen. If nothing else, Rise would want to know.

A few moments later, Alina made her way to the table, where she sank into one of the chairs. "I'm done processing." She said with a grimace.

------------------------------------------------------------

Kappal Mines - Outskirts

- Keynes -

Keynes silently slipped out of the room where he'd bound and gagged the two guards that got in his way a few minutes before. Now he had one of their radios. So, there was that, but he had a feeling the two of them would probably be missed sooner, rather than later.

He glanced at his comm, checking the nearby heat signatures. Nothing else within the section he was in now, but he doubted he'd find much in these deserted access tunnels. No, the answers he sought would be in the more active portion of the base. Too bad there were guards all over that area.

"Intruder in the southwest corridor." He grumbled into the radio, pitching his voice to match one of the men he'd just knocked out.

"And now, I wait." Keynes muttered, watching the heat signatures suddenly start moving more erratically towards the part of the complex furthest from him.

Aegis - Bunker

- Lenka -

"Well, good thing summer break is coming up," Lenka replied with a grin. "Hopefully that means you can visit them for a bit longer."

Her face fell a little when Marcus gave her a sad smile.

"I know," she said, sounding a bit melancholic. "Anyways, it's not your issue. It'll work itself out. And we have much more important issues now."

- James -

James put his arms around Rise and rubbed her shoulders. He could understand how she was feeling. There was no right answer for this.

"Even if you have doubts, I still believe in what you do and sing about," he said.

He kept one arm around her while he continued typing with the other.

-----------------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Kurik -

Kurik shrugged. Apparently Jax was determined.

His jabs were blocked by the spell. Not very surprising.

He dodged the left hook, but the shield dissipated and failed to block the kick Jax was following up with. It was too late to react, so Kurik took the hit.

Instead of letting Jax recoil, however, Kurik grabbed his leg, pulling him down with him to the ground.

"Fine, the hard way it is."

Twisting around, Kurik got to his feet and cast another spell, this time on Jax. "Tentarafoo." A daze of colors collided with Jax, confusing him.

"Tarukaja," he cast on himself. With this monkey on steroids it was better to be safe than sorry.

He pulled Jax to his feet and raised his arm to punch him in the face.

-----------------------------------

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Ehlana -

Suddenly the demeanor of the guard changed. Ehlana took a step back, but it was too late. He tossed a small sphere in her cell and suddenly the room filled with smoke.

It bit in her eyes and it was getting more and more difficult to breathe. She held her breath. The guard was still watching. She knew, stepping forward was like asking to be killed.

Instead she moved back in her cell until she could feel the sink behind her. She turned the faucet on and drenched her scarf, pulling it over her nose and mouth. Even though that made breathing a little easier, it didn't help much. Ehlana's eyes were watering and pain started in her chest.

Suddenly there was a distraction outside her cell. She tried to peer through the smoke to see who or what it was.

Belo

Belobog smirked as the commanders decided to make stay down, but that mood did not continue. New order was issued, and Belobog unwillingly had to follow.

"Darn it." Belobog commented in frustration and quickly ran out of it. It was then Belobog saw the man running, and it was clear that he was carrying someone.

He was not so sure if it was an anger or frustration, but he knew her safety was first. However, the anger inside him just came out and fired at the legs of running man as he chased him.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Nadenka

Nadenka quickly followed Alexei, she was not going to send him alone into the danger that they had to face. As Alexei surprised the guards by appearing in front of them, Nadenka quickly knocked them down.

The smoke wasn't looking too good as well, "Don't breathe!" Said Nadenka, and she pressed the button that sucks the air from the prison cell, and as the unwanted smoke leaves the cell, Nadenka quickly brought emergency hammer, "Don't stand there, use your muscle!" Nadenka called out to Alexei, passing him the hammer.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Luke

"Hmm?" Luke looked at Rise, caught off guard; little embarrassed that he was casually spacing out. "I, I don't have a problem." Said Luke, "Well, I am not really sure I do now." He smiled at Rise.

"I just not used to this, you know, surrounding with people who I could trust... I always had to take care of myself, and had to travel in isolation..." He shrugged, "So, yeah, don't worry about it, I will definitely come around get use to it." He gave his awkward laugh.

Aegis - Old Bunker

- Rise -

Rise gave James a kiss on the cheek and enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her as he continued to work. He was so sweet. Sometimes, she wondered how much worse her life would be if she hadn't realized his feelings for her - and hers for him.

Luke continued to talk to her, and she felt slightly guilty about being so affectionate with James, hoping that this wasn't making him think about Lenka.

"Get used to it, buddy," she said, smiling at him. "Cause now you've got us, you're not getting rid of us. And hey, you're into music, right? Maybe we can perform together after all this is over."

She winked at Luke, but her cheerful demeanor vanished the moment Alina walked through. The redhead sank into one of the chairs nearby, still looking like an incredible weight rested on her shoulders.

"I'm done processing," she said with a grimace.

With the implicit permission granted, Rise swallowed and nodded

"So... what happened?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"

------------------------------------------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Jax -

Jax smirked as his kick slipped past Kurik's guard and took him down. He knew it wouldn't be that easy though, and when Kurik latched onto his leg and pulled him down, he was already expecting a counter and braced himself for the fall.

Even so, as both men twisted onto their feet and sprang into action, Kurik was a hair faster. Jax lunged forward with a powerful hook, just as a stream of colors collided into him. He skidded short, dazed and confused.

This wasn't the first time he'd had the Tentarafoo spell cast on him, though, and despite being caught in a dizzying myriad of colors, he felt the shift in gravity as Kurik grabbed onto him. Lashing out blindly, Jax swung his arms around like a tornado, knocking them apart.

Jax fell back against the table, which struck him in the back. The pain helped to clear his mind from the spell, and his vision returned properly.

Before he could move, however, he caught sight of Commanders Barton and Sarasin rushing for Maxim, who appeared unarmed. Even as they rushed in close, he did nothing.

No, something was wrong. More fights than he could count had raised his instincts, and Jax knew Maxim had some ace in the hole.

"Wait!" he shouted.

It was too late. Maxim raised his arm and tugged his sleeve back to reveal what appeared to be a watch. Before either commander could react, Maxim tapped the top of it and shot off two darts, which dropped the commanders to the floor instantly.

Jax vaulted over the table, anger rushing through him like a wave of lava. Two of Kaddath's commanders, fine leaders and people, had just been cut down in front of him.

"What?" he murmured, stopping short. Barton and Sarasin struggled upward, and he felt a chill shoot down his spine.

No, he'd seen this happen before. Those darts... they were-!

Red tendrils burst forth and wrapped themselves around the commanders bodies, encaging them like mummies in writhing red bandages. The two turned their glowing golden eyes on Maxim, who calmly tapped a button on the side. A shrill note, almost too high-pitched to be heard, sounded through the room, and the Redcapes recoiled and shrank before him.

"Now, take care of the rest," he said, pointing a hand.

The Redcapes turned their golden eyes on Jax, who swore under his breath and backed away. There was no helping it. If he didn't use his Overlimit now, there was no way he could stop them all.

------------------------------------------------------------

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Alexei -

Alexei flashed Nadenka a smile as she used his distraction to take out the guard - if that's what he was. Why had he suddenly tried to kill Ehlana?

With Nadenka handling the smoke removal, Alexei swung the hammer Nadenka had give him with all his might, caving in the door with a few good strokes.

"Come on, let's go," he said, taking hold of Ehlana and helping her out of the cell.

As he did, sounds of commotion drew nearer to the cell block. Had the Army already realized what had happened?

The three rushed for the grate, but before they could make their escape, someone rushed in and stopped short.

------------------------------------------------------------

- Raidon -

Raidon hurried down the hall, managing to stay ahead of his pursuer despite his extra burden. His mind moved at breakneck speed, trying to strategize and plan.

He had to head for the prison block. Besides Adalia, Ehlana could still prove invaluable. With the two of them, he could reconvene with Alina and take action with the intelligence their two captives could provide.

Boots thundering on the tile, Raidon raced into the prison block. He slammed the emergency lockdown button, bringing barred gates down on all the passages in and out.

"Hold on," he told Ariana, who clutched his uniform. "Trafuri!"

For an instant, he and the young girl shifted onto the astral plane, passing right through the bars before returning to the material world. Hopefully, that would shake their pursuer.

"Ehlana!" he called out, entering her cell block. "We're-"

He stopped short at the sight of Ehlana out of her cell, an unconscious guard, and two others standing there. With no choice, he let Ariana down and drew his katana.

"Wait, you're..." Ariana murmured, her eyes widening at the sight of Alexei and Nadenka. "You're the turncoats who escaped after the Army raid."

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Ehlana -

Suddenly the door was being broken down and someone came through the door, pulling her out.

Once in the hall, Ehlana recognized him.

Alexei.

What the hell was he doing here?

Someone else was there and they pulled her towards the grate. And while she felt joy and relief rush through her, there was something nagging at the back of her mind. Something didn't add up.

Even though she didn't want to, she pulled away from Alexei and put some distance between them.

"No," she said, clearing her voice. "How do I know you're not also trying to kill me?"

In the next moment, Raidon and to her surprise Ariana appeared.

What the hell was going on?

She backed away further until her back hit the wall.

"What happened to you?" she asked Raidon.

-------------------------------------
Caltha - State Hall

- Kurik -

Kurik stepped back when the events with the Redcapes unfolded and Jax was momentarily distracted from their skirmish.

Subconsciously he took a step closer towards Maxim when Jax straightened up. Clearly that man was up to something.

No, he wouldn't allow him to recover any longer.

Taking advantage of the Tarukaja spell, he rushed towards Jax.

"Shibaboo," he cast before he reached the other man. Chains of energy shot out from the ground and immobilized his limbs. Using his momentum, he buried his fist in Jax' stomach and followed it up with an elbow strike.

Kappal Mines - Outskirts

As the last of the approaching heat signatures moved past his alcove, Keynes slipped into the hallway, heading in the opposite direction. It only took him a few minutes to sneak into what had clearly been some kind of conference room setup. A few loose papers sat on the table, but a quick shuffle through them turned up nothing important. In fact, the entire facility seemed somewhat abandoned, almost as if the Old Guard had no intention of coming back.

Frowning at that thought, Keynes continued down the hallway, occasionally glancing at his comm to confirm that there were no nearby heat signatures. After checking a few more doors, he entered what appeared to be a makeshift morgue. The temperature in this room was cooler than the hallway, and a single body lay on a cooling table, not yet deposited into a holding container.

With a flick of his wrist, Keynes pulled the sheet back, and muttered a curse under his breath. "Lambda, come to my current location. I need you to take a photo of this before we go back to the Capital."

------------------------------------------------------

Aegis

- Marcus -

"Yeah." Marcus grinned at the thought of visiting his adopted siblings.

"You should come meet them." He said before he could think better of it. "They'd like you."

He glanced towards the table, where a heavy conversation seemed to be taking place.

"Maybe we do have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment, but that doesn't make them any more important than the ones that you're dealing with personally."

He turned back to the counter and poured a cup of tea. "I think they'd agree." Marcus nodded towards the table before moving in that direction.

------------------------------------------------------

- Alina -

"Irony is a bitch, you know?" Alina blew out a long breath, trying to formulate a response. After a brief pause, she sat her comm on the table and set it to project an image above it.

"This is Ariana, formerly presumed to be High General Adalia's daughter."

"A DNA test proves that presumption was inaccurate. However, because of the government's access to DNA records, it also revealed a few things about Ariana's real heritage."

"A lookup found no living persons with a genetic sequence capable of being her parents. However, when cross referencing the records of the deceased, three potential matches were found."

Marcus leaned over her shoulder to sit a cup of tea on the table in front of her, and Alina gave him a grateful smile before taking a slow sip.

"Neither the mother nor the father were anyone important, although the mother's name is one I'm very familiar with. It's the the third record that was so important though."

She pushed another button on her comm, and the face it was displaying changed to a more familiar one. "Ariana Adalia and Jane Doe share a mother. They were half-sisters."

"So, although I'm not related to the girl by blood, you can see why this information might be a bit shocking to me."

Nadenka

Nadenka thought that it was going all well until "Ehlana" be paranoid about them. "Look here, sister. He risked his life to get here-" However, she could not respond fully as Raidon and the girl who claimed to the heir of the throne came in front of them.

"You got to be kidding me" Said Nadenka, "You were the mole all this time?" Her voice was mixed with surprise as she could not think of any other way that these two could come together. Then again remembering the loyalty and friendship that she knew about, she could not help wonder. "Or something went terribly wrong with the meeting." She commented, lowering the guard. "Make it brief. We got no time to waste."

_______________________________________________________________________________

Belobog

"TCh!!" Belobog was too frustrated. He could not believe that he missed the girl and the man right in front of his eyes. "How the hell-" Belobog then stopped, he remembered something about this capital. Even though, he was not so sure about everything, he did looked into that doctor's file and he studied a map that looked like underground sewer. If that was one way of escape...

Belobog grinned. "You are not going to get away easily rats." Said Belobog, heading to one of location that was marked as important location to enter and exit - the prison block.

________________________________________________________________________________

Luke

"I would love to do that" Said Luke with a smile. Rise and James showing affection to each other did not bother him much as well; he was definitely out of the loop, he just needed time to get it together.

As Alina come, and as everyone gathered around to here what was bothering her, Luke looked at the others. After what he heard about Jane Doe from Rise and others, he could only imagine how shocking it was for them too.

"Then we should rescue that girl." Said Luke, "We got to prevent her from being used as another sacrifice." Said Luke, remembering well how Jane Doe did so much for them and how she met her end in the stories of others. "I mean, your friend would have wanted that, right?"

Did he speak too soon? Then again, he did not want others to just dwell in the shock.

Caltha - State Hall

- Jax -

Jax felt fire scorching inside him as his eyes blazed with anger. Not again. This wasn't supposed to happen. The world was supposed to be changing. Freedom and peace had finally been achieved. So why was it all falling apart?

No...

Red static laced through the air around him as he tapped into his Overlimit. Not on his watch. Not as long as he still had strength. As long as he could still move a finger, he would fight till the very end.

"Heat Riser!" he cried, punching at the magic circle that appeared before him.

Just then, chains of energy shot out of the ground and ensnared him. Kurik leaped in front of him and buried his fist in Jax's stomach, but it was like hitting a brick wall. With a roar, Jax flexed his arms and broke through the bindings, catching Kurik's elbow before it could land. Digging his fingers into Kurik's arm, he lifted him off the ground and hurled him across the room.

"Incredible," Maxim murmured, eyes wide. Recovering is wits, he let out another shrill note from the device on his wrist, and the Redcapes leaped into action.

Jax pounced, striking the first Redcape in midair with a kick that sent crashing into the table with a high-pitched shriek. The second latched onto his back, but he seized it and slammed it into the ground.

Maxim took a step back, for the first time wondering if his plans might be undone by this sudden, unexpected factor. In that moment of contemplation, Jax crossed the length of the room and swung his fist at Maxim's head hard enough to knock it clean off.

Maxim gasped, going rigid as the fist stopped mere inches from his forehead. Ensnaring Jax's arms, legs, and waist were red tendrils from the Redcapes, who crawled toward him with shrill cries. Jax struggled against them, tearing through the tendrils only for three more to replace every one lost.

"Your strength is admirable," Maxim murmured, recovering his ability to breath and speak. "Both of body and spirit. But not enough, I'm afraid."

He nodded over Jax's shoulder to Kurik. A blow to the back of the head should be enough to bring down their last opposition.

------------------------------------------------------

Caltha - Palace Prison

- Alexei -

Alexei was stunned as Ehlana pulled away from him, her eyes wary. What had they done to her? Didn't she know who he was?

Nadenka became incensed and launched into a defense on Alexei's behalf, but he put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"Ehlana, it's me. Alexei." He took a tentative step toward her and shook his head. "Why would I want to kill you? We're comrades."

Before the could settle matters, a man in a black uniform arrived. Alexei recognized him from Arusia's intelligence files as Samael Raidon, former Chief of Police and current head of Internal Affairs. With him as Ariana Adalia, which made Alexei's eyes widen. Had he succeeded in kidnapping her?

Ehlana backed into the wall, her attention now on Raidon. As was Nadenka's, for that matter, as she accused him of being a mole for the Old Guard.

"You're mistaken," Raidon said. "The mole was Minister Durmail, and by now the Old Guard has subdued the Grand Council. A trap... all of it."

Nadeka was right. They had no time to waste, and they all knew it. Raidon's eyes flickered to everyone in the room.

"Is anyone here loyal to the Old Guard and the one they call Maxim?"

No one in the room answered. Raidon nodded.

"Good. We'll sort out the details later. For now, we need to escape," he said, pointing to the grate.

There was a moment's hesitation before the sound of footsteps jolted everyone into action. Alexei hauled back the grate again and took Nadenka's hand to help her down. Raidon pulled Ariana forward and handed her down to Nadenka. His every instinct protested handing away the Army's most valuable asset right now, but it couldn't be helped.

"Look after her," he told Nadenka, turning and pulling out his katana as Belo came around the corner.

"Belo..." Alexei murmured, eyes wide. He and Kurik had let Alexei and Nadenka escape before, but he couldn't count on that again.

"Ehlana, you next," he said, moving between her and Belo. "We'll follow."

He moved beside Raidon, unstrapping the baton from his waist. "Never thought I'd fight beside an Army man."

"First time for everything," Raidon murmured, the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

------------------------------------------------------

[quote="Payne"]Kappal Mines - Outskirts

A moment after Keynes' communication, Lambda teleported into the room beside him.

"You found what you were looking for?" she asked softly as he gestured to the sheet-covered object. When he pulled it back, she regarded it for a moment in silence before the red optic she had for an eye flashed ruby red.

"Done," she reported. "I'm sensing nearby life forms. Should we evacuate?"

------------------------------------------------------

Aegis

- Rise -

Rise watched anxiously, nibbling on her lip, as Alina let out a long, shaky breath and set up her com. Instantly, an image of Ariana Adalia, the former High General's heir appeared. Alina explained that DNA tests proved her heritage claim was false. No one in the room seemed very surprised. After all, it had been a very convenient claim for the Old Guard to stir up loyalist sentiment.

That wasn't the real surprise though. Alina had discovered Ariana's real heritage, and after explaining about cross referencing the matches, she switched he com to a different image.

Rise gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. "Jane?" she murmured through her fingers.

Ariana and Jane? Half-sisters? Shocking couldn't begin to describe it.

Rise put a hand on Alina's arm, not really sure what to say yet. Luke, however, seemed to have some ideas.

"Then we should rescue that girl," he blurted out. "We got to prevent her from being used as another sacrifice. I mean, your friend would have wanted that, right?"

Rise wasn't sure. How would Jane have felt? She'd sacrificed herself for Alina, Rise, Keynes, and all those she'd come to care about. Would she have done the same for someone like Ariana, someone trying to perpetuate that same government that had cost her life?

"What do you want to do?" she asked Alina.

Caltha - Prison

- Ehlana -

"I'm not your sister," she hissed back at Nadenka.

Raidon and Alexei were right though, the situation didn't warrant a long discussion and she was smart enough to realize this.

She could still see the shock and sadness in Alexei's eyes when she had pulled away from him. He was right, they were comrades, but at the moment she just didn't know who she could trust.

When Belo came around the corner, it just added to her confusion. So Alexei wasn't here to kill her, but he was prepared to fight Belo? Why? Wasn't he also his comrade?

Doubts returned to her eyes and she hesitated at the entrance to the grate.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Isn't he also your… our… comrade?"

She stood there, unable to make a decision. Could she really let Belo and Alexei fight?

-----------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Kurik -

Unfortunately for him, Jax managed to activate his Overlimit. Kurik felt the blow resonate all the way through his body. In the next moment, Jax hurled him across the room.

Slightly dazed, he got back up. As far as he could tell, everything was intact. His eyes fell onto Maxim, who was about to be attacked by Jax. A moment of panic shot through him. Then the Redcapes lept into action, stopping Jax just in time.

Kurik walked over to them and at Maxim's signal, he delivered a blow to the back of Jax' head, strong enough to render him unconscious.

"That was close," he said.

----------------------------

Aegis

- Lenka -

"It's a date then," Lenka grinned at him, her voice light. She really did want to meet the other kids in Marcus foster home. Hopefully when things had settled down there would be a chance for that.

She followed Marcus to the table where the others were and Alina revealed the big news.

"Well, my problems may not be any less important, but they're definitely less pressing," she whispered to him and sat down.

It was indeed a shock to find out that Ariana was related to Alina's family in some way, even though she didn't know enough about the situation to fully grasp the entire family history.

"I wonder if Ariana knows this," she mused while the other discussed what they should do next.

Caltha

- Keynes -

Keynes threw the sheet back over the body and nodded. "Yes. This is what I was looking for."

"Forward the image to my terminal, and take me back to my office at the Capitol. I have a feeling that my day is about to get a lot more hectic, and I might need you to stick around."

He waited until he felt the world shift around them and they stood in his office before continuing. "Thank you, Lambda. Can you teleport outside the Capitol building and get me a map of comm locations? I need to know where all of the Council members are."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Aegis

- Alina -

Alina shook her head at Luke, Rise, and Lenka's words. "I don't think Ariana has any clue about her heritage. She's been fed a steady stream of lies by Lord Farrington, and I get the feeling she's rather impressionable."

She frowned, taking another sip of tea. "Jane wouldn't approve of the girl's methods, and neither do I, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm the closest thing to family she has left."

"Despite our differences, family takes care of family." Alina glanced around the table, taking in the faces around her. "At the moment, there isn't much to be done with this information though. I'll need to talk it over with the Council once we get back to Caltha."

"For today, we should get in some more training. I have the unsettling feeling that this is the last calm before the storm."

-----------------------------------------------------------

- Marcus -

The calm before the storm?

Marcus sighed and rolled his shoulders in his seat. Here he was trying to make moves on Lenka, and the world might be falling apart around them. In some ways, that put things into perspective. He didn't want things to end without her knowing what he'd realized, but it didn't change the fact that there were bigger things to deal with, as Lenka herself seemed very aware.

"Let's take those new powers of yours for a spin then." Marcus grinned in Lenka's direction. "I'll volunteer as target practice."

Aegis

"I am in." Said Luke, besides training was best distraction that one could always get. Well, he did not feel the need for the distraction though. But he definitely need himself to be sharper.

When Marcus said about being the target practice, Luke shook his head gently. It was really clear to him now that Marcus cared about Lenka a lot. Luke hoped for his success.

"Well then, I am off to the training." Said Luke leaving the table, fired up with new motivation. If he want to help Alina to take that girl from Old Guard, Luke knew that Alina need strong allies, and Luke was sure going to make sure he was one of them.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Nadenka & Belo

Belobog was right and he finally caught them red-handed, however, he was shocked to see Alexei and Ehlana.

"You are...Alive?" Said Belobog, "No, that can't be..." Belobog shook his head, draw his pistols. "Never mind that, but what are you doing by standing by Kaddath man!" Belobog voice had anger, disappointment and confusion. "Alexei! I told you to run, not join with the enemies who disgraced us! And you! Ehlana, what's the meaning of this?"

Nadenka sighed, she knew that Belobog would be the one to come and stop them. He did hack her computer, and she was sure that he was going to use it to his advantage.

Nadenka looked at Ehlana, "Well, you want full-story, don't you? Then we need to make it out alive." Said Nadenka, "I know you can't trust me, and I don't need your trust. But, he isn't going to be a talk, and shoot later person." Then Nadenka turned to Adalia, gentle and softly. "Come on, your grace, I need you to be strong, just little longer." Said Nadenka, hoping that she would lead the two ladies out to safety.

"You better come back to me, Alexei. I like it warm, not cold." Nadenka said to Alexei as she ready herself to lead the two ladies out from the battle ground.

Caltha - Prison

- Alexei -

Alexei glanced back at Ehlana, his brow furrowed. He understood her confusion and her pain, but it couldn't be helped.

"The three of us are comrades, always," he said, turning and nodding at Belo. "But we have different goals right now, so it can't be helped. I have things I need to protect, so I can't let things end here."

He and Raidon exchanged sidelong glances.

"I didn't join with any enemy," Alexei stated flatly. "My enemy is anyone who tries to harm what I'm protecting. And right now, that's those two- no, those three women back there."

Both Alexei and Raidon readied their weapons and back toward their escape route, intending to fight defensively if possible. Ariana and Nadenka made their way down, with the latter calling back to Alexei.

"Heh, I'll come back whether you like it or not," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Every time."

It was a strange moment, but right then and there he decided he was going to kiss her the moment they escaped from here.

"I can't tell you what to do," Alexei told Raidon, turning back to face Belo. "But if you kill him, you and I will have to settle things ourselves later."

Raidon almost managed a smile. "Understood."

----------------------------------------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Maxim -

Maxim stared as Jax's body collapsed at his feet, his heart still hammering.

"That was close," Kurik said.

Yes, too close. For the first time, his plans had almost been completely undone. What a terrifying moment, like standing on the edge of an abyss.

"Quite," he murmured, recovering his senses. He pushed the button on his watch, and the almost imperceptibly shrill noise issued once more, causing the Redcapes to writhe and spasm. But Maxim didn't stop - not until they'd collapsed into senselessness, aside from a few twitches. The red tendrils coiling and ensnaring them peeled away, revealing the unconscious Commanders beneath.

"Lock these three up, and set up the jammers."

He motioned to the Old Guard soldiers still intact, who quickly began to set up the Arusian-manufactured jammers. It was imperative that they lock down all communication in and out of the Palace until their reinforcements arrived.

Right... now the other loose ends. Maxim turned to Kurik and leveled him with an intense stare.

"During the chaos, High Lady Adalia was taken... hostage," he said quietly. "She needs to be recovered... in one form or another."

At this stage, it was better for her to end up dead, in fact. It would make for a rallying tale of martyrdom, dying in her attempt to reclaim her birthright, all while paving the way for Kaddath's true future leader.

Maxim put a hand on Kurik's shoulder, then approached where Durmail was still holding Minister Winters with a knife to her throat. Despite his bluff, he hadn't been able to do the job when the others had resisted.

"I suppose negotiations are over," he said, smiling at her icy stare. "If High General Grey had been here, I suspect things might have gone differently. I've no doubt you'll wonder that as well in the days ahead. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Minister Winters. Even in your short tenure as acting leader of Kaddath, I'm sure you understand that."

He motioned for the men to take her away with the other captives. So close now. Victory was just within reach.

----------------------------------------------------------

Caltha - Keynes' Office

- Lambda -

When they arrived back at the Palace, Lambda left Keynes in his office and vanished once more to provide the intel he requested.

However, once outside, Lambda found her communications affected. Her sensors seemed to be hitting a wall, making sensing the others or reporting to Keynes impossible. Even worse, without being able to scan properly, she couldn't utilize her Traesto strain to get back inside without the possibility of teleporting into a wall or something equally hazardous.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, Lambda stared up at the Palace with her large red eye, unsure what do next.

----------------------------------------------------------

Aegis

- Rise -

Family takes care of family.

Rise had never really voiced it to Alina, but she'd always considered Jane her family too. And that made Alina family in a way, even if it wasn't by blood. So if Alina considered Ariana family, she would too.

"All right," she said, nodding. "If you want to help her, then I'm in."

The calm before the storm. She sighed, but some of her old fire still burned in her veins. Whatever it took, she was going to do her part to restore the peace and mend Alina's family.

"If you're up for it, I'll spar with you," Rise offered Alina, smiling. "What do you say? Think your ice can trump my fie?"

Caltha - Prison

- Ehlana -

Ehlana gave Belo a long look. This situation was so messed up and she really didn't want to leave things like this, but right now it couldn't be helped.

If they wanted to make it out of here, they needed to go now.

With a sigh, she made her way down the grate, eyeing Nadenka and Ariana suspiciously.

It seemed Nadenka thought she knew everything about Belo and Alexei. Ehlana didn't correct her. She didn't really care what the other woman thought.

She followed Nadenka and Ariana down the dark tunnel.

----------------------------

Caltha - State Hall

- Kurik -

Kurik took a moment to oversee the jammers being set up. He also wanted to make sure any of the remaining Old Guard soldiers were somewhat okay.

When he returned to Maxim, he was confronted with the news that Lady Adalia had managed to escape. That was troublesome. He understood Maxim's look and gave a slight nod. He would take care of it.

A quick glance around told him that Belo still hadn't returned, which could only mean that he was still in pursuit.

Maxim left to deal with the remaining Council members while Kurik grabbed a weapon and made his way to the control room. He needed to find Belo.

A scan of the cameras revealed a surprising scene. Alexei and Raidon had just squared off against Belo in a prison hallway. He played the security video back. Yes, Lady Adalia had been there, as well as the woman Alexei had escaped with earlier. And to his surprise Ehlana. Of course, this was the ideal location to keep her captive. And now they were all trying to escape together. He couldn't allow that.

Kurik pulled up the tunnel system. As much as he wanted to help Belo deal with Alexei and Raidon, capturing Lady Adalia had priority.

After selecting a point to intercept them, he ran off.

Moving silently through the sewer, he managed to intercept Nadenka, Lady Adalia and Ehlana. He held up a bright flashlight.

"This is as far as you'll go."

----------------------------

Aegis

- Lenka -

Lenka nodded and stood up. She suddenly felt slightly apprehensive. All morning she had managed to avoid the subject, but Marcus was right, at some point she needed to see if she could control whatever new power she now had.

"Let's go."

They made their way to the trainings hall.

"Sooo...how do I start?" she asked.


----------------------------

Caltha

- Keynes -

Lambda's lack of response had been Keynes' first clue that something wasn't right. When the monitor on his desk had displayed only static in place of the council chambers, he'd gotten even more suspicious. The lack of guards in the hallways was unsurprising, following those.

Now, Keynes stood in the shadow of a pillar on the edge of the hall. Voices drifted over to him as they set up some kind of communications jammers. Given the number of voices, Keynes doubted that he'd be able to handle everyone in the room at moment. Instead, he bided his time, waiting until the shuffle of feet signaled more than a few leaving the area.

On a silent count of thirty, he slipped a metallic ball from his sleeve and rolled it down the hallway. A moment later, with a soft 'pop', blinding light flashed amidst the remaining men in the room. As they reeled from the flash, Keynes laid into one of them with the butt of his spear, dropping him instantly. Another two fell to shock darts from his sleeves, writhing on the floor in a static enduced paralysis.

The remaining four staggered back, reaching for weapons as they tried to blink away the light spots caused by his entrance. That was about two more left than he'd hoped for after the initial assault. Swinging his spear around, Keynes charged for the next one in line, intending to strike the man's temple with the shaft.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aegis

- Alina -

"Thanks." Alina gave Rise a tight smile. "I know that I can't expect you guys to help me with family matters, but it means a lot that you're willing to step up and offer."

She rose to her feet, stretching her arms above her head. "You've gotten aweful full of yourself in the last year, haven't you, miss famous?" Alina teased. "Let's go. I'll knock that fire right out of you."

Hopefully, the desk job hadn't dulled her edge too much. Otherwise, this might be embarrassing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Marcus -

As they setup on either side of the training mat, Lenka suddenly phrased a question that Marcus wasn't sure how to answer. He blinked a few times, then scratched his chin, thinking. "Well, for me, it's like reaching for something on a high shelf. I know it's there, but I have to exert effort to get a hold of it."

Did that same principle apply to all kinds of magic though? Or was that just the way his strain worked? Marcus had never given that conscious thought.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Lisa -

Stifling a yawn, Lisa made her way into the kitchen and crossed the room to the coffee pot. She'd silently nodded at the others in passing, but any of the older members were aware of her aversion to mornings. So, they hadn't tried to make conversation.

She inhaled deeply, letting the aroma of coffee fill her lungs before taking a slow sip. Thank goodness Keynes wasn't the one making it this time. She still had traumatic memories of the slosh he'd called coffee, even after all this time.

Blinking a few times, she took another sip and headed back down the hallway. If everyone else was already in the training hall, she might as well join them.

Belobog

Belobog draw his pistol and his knife that disrupts strain; the looks of his eyes were fierce. He had no intention of letting them go unchallenged.

He was Arusian and this was for his country; he was determined to throw away his life if he has. He was ready to kill... Wait, was he really ready?

Was he ready to kill Alexei?

No, for the glory of Arusia, for the love of his country, what could he not do?

"Don't you dare mock me." Said Belobog, "If my life ends here, it's for Arusia, and true Arusians should avenge me. You lost the right to avenge me when you sided with that man."

Belobog fired his weapons at his targets.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Nadenka

Nadenka eyes stared at Kurik; she was surprised that he was there to intercept them and she was very aware that they had no chance of winning him. However, she decided to help Alexei, and she promised Lady Adalia to keep her safe.

"We are following her highness order, and shouldn't you be following with hers, too?" Nadenka asked, and she silently pushed the map to Ehlana's hand, and was ready to fire pistol that she got from knocked out guards. There was no way she was going to let them be captured by Kurik; even if it looked grim, she was going to be the distraction that they need to escape.

She may be the one to come cold though...

_________________________________________________________________________________


Luke

Luke who reached the training hall very first started with basic stamina building and he was much energized than before.

He after his own stamina training, and he definitely needed stronger person to spare with. Luke was hoping to see Alex joining the training.

If Alex joined, Luke would have approached Alex, smiling, but with his own resolve. "Could you be my training partner?"

Aegis

- Alina -

Rise smiled, glad to see Alina back in higher spirits. As they got into the training chamber, Rise brought out her fans and twirled them in her fingers.

"Knock the fire out, huh?" she said, smirking. "Then let's see you try this one on. Maragion!"

She swiped both her fans at the magic circle, a departure from her usual conjuring stance. Fire shot out from the circle in two lines, encircling from either side to strike like pincers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Alex -

Alex drifted into the training room, looking about uneasily as he recalled fighting with them all only yesterday. Rise and Alina were already hurling spells, and he unconsciously shivered and rubbed his arms.

"Could you be my training partner?"

Alex turned to find Luke smiling at him. He pointed at himself, surprised. "Me? But... why?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caltha

- Maxim -

Minutes ticked by, and neither Kurik nor Belo had returned. Maxim paced, agitated, wondering what could be keeping them.

"Sir." A guard approached him and saluted. "Something happened to one of the jammers. The signal just went down."

Maxim stopped and turned to regard him. Someone else was in the palace operating freely. The other council members and staff should have been rounded up by now. So who...?

"We need every jammer up and running," he said. "Get it fixed."

The man nodded and ran off. Maxim hesitated, then followed after him. He had to trust Kurik to handle Ariana. The jammers were his responsibility.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belobog

"Belo..." Alexei murmured. So that was it. Country over companionship.

Belo let off the first attack, firing his weapon off. Raidon, his left arm crossed over his chest, swiped at the magic circle he'd conjured.

"Mudo."

A circle appeared beneath Belo, covering him in an impenetrable field of darkness. Raidon immediately rushed toward Belo's left, so Alexei followed and went toward Belo's right. Alexei eyed Raidon's katana and bit the inside of his cheek. Whatever Belo said, even if he hated Alexei for the rest of his life, Alexei still had no intention of killing Belo unless there was no other option.

Raidon slashed his katana through the darkness where Belo was, while Alexei swiped his baton downward, hoping to knock out Belo first.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Ariana -

Ariana backed away at Kurik's unexpected arrival, her eyes wide and her fingers shaking. Nadenka boldly stepped forward to challenge him, with Ehlana close behind.

They couldn't stop him though. Ariana was sure of that.

"I don't... I don't want to die here," she whispered, unheard by anyone but the suffocating walls around them.

Aegis

- Lenka -

"That's a weird way to describe it," Lenka replied. "Can't you just use the spells and then things happen?"

She stepped on the mat and looked at the targets in the distance.

"I feel more like getting the spell to fire in the right direction would be more difficult." She could still feel the energy flowing through her, like a huge river flowing over rapids and picking up speed. It was enough to tap it to make her feel like things became electrified. What would happen if she jumped in fully?

Lenka shuddered slightly. Not something she wanted to try at this point.

"Well, I'll just try it," she declared. "I know I have a Zio strain, so I should be able to use first and maybe second level spells."

She took a stance and moved into conjuring position. Narrowing her eyes to focus on her target, she gripped the energy flowing through her. A magic circle appeared before her.

"Zio."

She released the spell. The lightning bolt shot forward from the magic circle followed by a massive shockwave. It hit the target and obliterated it together with a few more targets and a huge impact on the wall.

Lenka's mouth opened. "Ooops, I don't think it's supposed to have that effect."

------------------------------------

Caltha

- Ehlana & Kurik -

Kurik chuckled at Nadenka's words. "You can believe what you want. I have no quarrel with you. My only interest is to bring Lady Adalia back." His eyes looked at Ehlana for a quick second. They were filled with regret. It would have been better for her if she had died on her mission. He didn't want her as an opponent.

He could see Nadenka was ready to shoot. "Rakukaja," he cast quickly and then rushed in to attack her. The batons flashed in the dim light.

"Tentarafoo."

Along with his physical attack that aimed to strike the gun from Nadenka's hand, a rush of colors collided with her, creating a confusing light.

---------------

Ehlana took the map from Nadenka and then she stepped back. That woman was even more foolish than she thought. There was no way she would win against Kurik. Even with knowing what he was capable of, she had never been able to win against him.

She had one chance, if there was enough of a distraction.

Kurik didn't seem like he would let them go. No, he was loyal to Maxim, she could see that now. That made her wonder, if they were still loyal to Arusia or just to their own cause.

Then things happened very fast. Kurik went on the offensive and attacked. A daze of colors appeared in the tunnel. That was just the moment Ehlana had been waiting for. Lightning fast, she turned around and grabbed Ariana by the arm and then they ran.

Aegis

- Marcus, Lisa -

Marcus blinked a few times at the scorch marks on the wall. Maybe volunteering to be target practice had been a bit premature...

"It's because you have too much pent up energy." Lisa's voice drifted from the door, and Marcus turned to see her take a sip from her coffee cup.

"I can see the static coming off of you in waves." She continued, gesturing to the tiny sparks zipping across the carpet at Lenka's feet. Funny, Marcus hadn't even noticed those until Lisa mentioned them.

"With that kind of energy reserve, there are two different ways to burn it out, although I suspect your magic will be a lot like mine in that sense." Lisa tipped back the remainder of her coffee and let go of the cup, which floated across the room to drop itself into the trash.

"You can either burn excess energy by bending it into control." Lisa gestured towards the trash. "Or, you can channel it into raw power." She turned her hand over, pointing at the obliterated targets. "I might be able to help you dial it back, but it won't be easy."

------------------------------------------------------------------

- Alina -

"Bufula." A pillar of ice rose from the ground in front of Alina, blocking her from vision as Rise's fire washed around it on either side.

A moment later, the pillar shattered as five icicles speared through in on their way to Rise. "Mabufu." Of course, that wouldn't be enough, and Alina knew it. So, she was dashing right behind them, rapier raised to thrust.

"Show me what you've learned, Rise!"

------------------------------------------------------------------

Caltha

- Keynes -

Breathing heavily, Keynes turned towards the remaining three men. One had produced a spear from somewhere. The second had drawn a sword, and the third aimed the barrel of a gun at Keyne's chest. Well, at least it would be easy to figure out which one to deal with next.

The man with the sword suddenly ran towards him, blade raised over his head. Fool. The lack of coordination in their attack was obvious.

Twisting his lower body, Keynes stepped so that the man was between him and the gun. Then, he flipped his spear so that the butt end was aimed at the charging man. Right before he entered swinging distance, the spear extended, striking him directly in the forehead.

With a look of surprise, he crumpled to the ground, and Keynes raised his arm, firing a stunner from up his sleeve at the man with the gun. Unfortunately, the muscle spasm must have caused the man to pull the trigger because Keynes suddenly found himself on the ground with pain searing through his chest.

Muttering an oath, he rolled over, just as the spear tip cracked into the pavement beside where he'd been laying. Grasping the nearest foot, Keynes jerked the man's leg, pulling him off balance. The guard let out a groan when his head hit the pavement, but before he could push himself back to his feet, Keynes dug a finger into his neck, just above the shoulder, cutting off the circulation for a moment and putting the man out cold.

Breathing even harder now, he pushed himself to his feet and pulled his coat aside enough to check that his vest really had stopped the bullet. Yup, but it definitely didn't feel like it had.