ICSYL Scourge

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Take out the archers and the gunners, eh? Easier said than done. Still, when it came to dealing with projectile weapons, Bart was generally the man for the job. And so, shouting an affirmative to his commander, he focused on one of the elves in back and surged forward through a gap between the armored swordsmen, trailing a stream of wind behind him that threw dust in the air in a wide arc. The elves were able to see through it better than the humans, of course, but even they could only barely see a blur that passed between two of them and a shining object that missed one of them by a hair.

When the dust settled a second or two later, Bart was on the other side of the fight, with one of his knives floating alongside him. The closest elf to him pulled an arrow from her quiver...and then looked down to see that her bowstring had been cut.

"Oops," Bart said dryly, and as the other elf readied an arrow on her completely intact bow, Bart threw up a wall of wind in front of him, sending the arrow flying off into the far distance almost the instant it left the string. Knowing that he couldn't stand around though, he ran to the right, launching a number of small rocks and a lot of sand, dust, and grit up into the faces of the hostiles. This was mostly an irritant, of course, but he knew it would keep their attention and prevent them from firing while they were shielding their eyes.

Out of curiosity, he looked over at the elf who he'd disarmed, and was startled to see that, in the absence of her bow, she'd pulled out a short sword and was now coming right for him, skirting along the outside of the miniature storm he was creating. He cursed under his breath, because he couldn't possibly deal with her and keep up his magic. He'd have to choose, and quickly, unless he could get some help.
 
"Got it" Alexandra nodded at Lowe hearing what he said, she was surrounded by earth wall with the civilians and the rest of the escort party. The main goal was to protect the civilians, they were scared from what was going on here, Alex didn't want anyone to die that was her worst fear, seeing peoples that aren't warriors die, she hated that.

Seeing that the enemies were high in the air she thought if here knives were able to reach them. Looking at the flying beasts she was thinking that she could hit the once that were flying lower but not Sheena she was to high in the air. But it wasn't time to think for this Alex had to react quickly before the beasts make their move.

Alexandra grabbed the knives that were held on her belt. Holding in one of her hand 3 and in the other hand 2 knives. She looked at their weak spots thinking if she could hit their wings with the knives the beasts will lose balance and fall on the ground. Alexandra turned at the others looking at them with a angry look and said "Lets do it" She quickly jumped on the earth wall landing on it looking at one of the beasts she then jumped from the wall throwing 3 knives that were in her right hand aiming one of the beasts wing, when she landed on the ground she saw that the knives she threw hit one beast in the wing, the beast started falling from the air, Alexandra then started running at his direction stabbing one of her blades in his stomach, but Alexandra didn't noticed that another wind beast was about to hit her from the back while she was stabbing the falling wind beast.

When Alex got the blade out from the dead wind beast, she turned her head around seeing that another wind beast was about to tackle her from the back, the beast almost hit her but she jumped with a backflip in the air landing on his back, she than stabbed the 2 knives that were in her left hand in his back, the beast started falling and before he could hit the ground Alexandra jumped from his back landing on the ground.
 
13 ran and flanked them taking out a gunner and a spell caster in quick succession with after launching a dozen or so of his energy balls do to the spell casters shielding abilities. Then he noticed Bart's predicament and rush right into the back of the elf woman fist outstretched covered in lightning. His lightning covered hand ripped a Basketball sized hole in her chest instantly killing her. Then another elf came up with her bow and the other a male drew a sword due to being to close to use his spells. 13 just looked and ran straight at the spellcaster with the sword faster than he could react and threw an enrgy ball at the elvish woman who managed to dodge but not before 13 impaled the man with 13's own lightning encased fist again. He then turned on the human gunner who stood up behind him to take a shot but missed as 13 ducked out of the way and suddenly found a hole in his chest from one of 13's energy balls. *Well that was lucky?*

13 then turned around but had found that Bart had taken care of the other archer. 13 then turned again to find the two heavily armed swordsmen running away as there cover had been taken out but they were running toward his group. Their commander was yelling at 13's group for hiding calling them weak and cowardly and was shooting at carla and the others keeping their heads down. 13 then spoke from behind him, Surrender Commander it's over your only chance has been snuffed out and you stand alone amugst a forrest of enemies. Surrender or Fight. Your choice but chose carefully because there is no honor in dieing needlessly. Then the commander turned around and looked at him everyone had stopped trying to engage and just stared at 13 and the enemy Commander.

"You Talk To Me About Honor You Stupid Beast!" the commander began his rant, but 13 cut him off.

Don't speak to a survivor of the Dark Beast Wars about honor! We showed honor to our enemies!

The enemy commander would hear none of it though and continued to rant and rave until he pulled his cannon on 13 but was not even close to fast enough. 13 dodged the first shot which landed where he had been. The next shot almost hit him when he landed in a new area making him fly to the side a bit and had to roll. *f*** that hurts!* 13 engaged again throwing energy balls at the commander getting several hits on the enemy commander's armor. He then went in and smashed the commanders gun on the ground disarming him but he went for his sword. The sword came out surprisingly fast as 13 engaged him in close combat. 13 was starting to get fatigued now for it had been along time since he was in major combat with a good opponent. He was starting to like the thought of killing the commander. *He's good must of been in the Dark Beast Wars.*
 
Noe continued fuming until she saw a rather large gathering of wind beasts approaching, led by their priestess. From what Noe had heard, they worshipped her like a goddess. Being worshipped like a goddess didn't seem so bad, if it was because of your power...Not a bad way to live... Snapping out of her thoughts, she watched as their immaculate leader flew into the skies like a coward, leaving her minions to do all the work for her. What good is a leader if they won't fight alongside their supporters?

And before she knew it, the beasts were upon them. She looked for the civilians and, after locating them, dashed off to try protecting them. She approached with a running start, grabbing the hand of one of the women in an attempt to lead her to relative safety. At that moment, one of the enemies swooped down and attacked Noe's arm with razor-sharp talons, leaving somewhat deep claw marks on both women's arms. Noe stumbled forward from the amount of force she was pulling the civilian with, falling face-first into the sand. The wind beast continued the assault, prompting Noe to repeatedly kick the wind beast away in desperation. It could only laugh as she struggled in vain, shielding her body from the assault as well as she could. The beast flew up high and swooped down with more speed than before, when it felt a tight grip on its leg. The source was Noe, but it didn't stop there. She swung it around, slamming it into the sand. She refused to release its leg, however.


"Die, annoying bird..."

She put pressure on his leg, obviously hurting the beast. She paused for a moment, and the beast thought she might stop, but she promptly broke the poor thing's leg, leaving it screaming into the wind before her aura began to separate and solidify into what looked like metal fragments. She pointed at its wings and the fragments shot out into both of its wings, prompting more screams. She beckoned to them, and they formed a single blade, with which she let loose a vicious stab, leaving it dead and bloody. She stared at the enemies in the distance with a cold stare, walking calmly to the big battle.
 
Alexandra heard a loud scream like it was from a wind beast, she turned her head around seeing Noe torturing a wind beast, what was she doing she though she was getting the attention, Noe will draw the opponents were she is and the civilians are very close to her, they will get hurt i have to do something. Alexandra saw how most of the beasts are heading at Noes direction with a blade in their hand, I have to help she though. Alexandra was thinking what to do, help the civilians or help Noe in the battle, but there was no time for thinking right now.

Alexandra started running at Noes direction seeing that the wind beasts are getting closer to Noe, Alexandra quickly grabbed some knives from both from her hip in her hands and threw them at the wind beasts slowing some of them, they were to many so that she could kill them, Alex was just trying to slow them. Alex grabbed Noes shoulder turning her around in front Alex, she said with a very fast voice at None "Noe escort the civilians at a safe place, ill handle the wind beasts. I can kill them quietly not like you, i don't want you drawing attention again, go go go, we don't have time" Alexandra said it very fast so she didn't knew if Noe understood her. Alexandra started walking to the battle, she grabbed the knives from her shoulders having four knives in both of her hands, she was walking calmly, holding the knives waiting for the wind beasts to get closer.
 
Bastian took advantage of 13's fatigue to grab the cannon and smacked 13 away with it. "Ahahaha! You can't dodge THAT!!! Enough you pathetic whelp! You may have been in the Dark Beast wars but you're still but a kid compared to me!! This is not over, the ALF WILL NEVER DIE!!!!" He then backed off from 13 since he wanted to use the cannon for maximum damage. Swords were not his forte after all, only a backup weapon now.

The Commander sounded his horn one more time and then again in an attempt to signal more men. "MORE!!!! I know there are more survivors!!Join the fight as we liberate these poor fools!!! They are not worthy of the resources Arcadia has!"

Slowly, his horn reached the absolute last of the survivors. More armored troops came first, two of them and then four archers and one gunner. "YES! Now we can overwhelm them! We've still got numbers yet just don't under estimate them!!!! I will slay the Dark Beast herself and the rest will run scared without a leader!!!" He laughed confidently as the two armored troops protected the ranged ones and got in a formation with them, marching towards the ABC members. He then focused back on Carla.

He aimed at her. Yet he choreographed his attack with his words. She fired a beam off at the incoming cannon shot, blowing it up in the air before it could reach her. She turned her attention onto the new troops, their formation could protect the ranged troops but with them all together in one place, it made them all prime targets for her.

Carla charged up her energy for a bit. The commander had to finally reload his cannon before he could fire again, giving her ample time. She then lobbed an energy grenade towards the new troops in the formation, causing them to scramble as a small dark energy explosion struck the area.

The armored troops were unable to escape it, taking quite a bit of damage to their armor and one of the archers was easily killed by it. Carla's true goal was to cause them to split up, making it easier for the others to deal with them. Sadly, she had little time to pick them off as the Commander focused on her.

This time, he fired off three cannonballs at once, all at Carla. "I'm not with the OOA but your unit is guilty of ignorance. The sin of ignorance MUST be punished! An ignorant wench of a Dark Beast, unaware of my cannon's true power!!!!"

This time Carla could not dodge it, although she escaped major damage the explosions knocked her back painfully. "This is the power of science, the ALF! Now do you understand? There is always hope, even if you kill all my men, I can still fight with this cannon's power!! It's ingenious isn't it? Can you still rise or has my weapon blasted sense into your inferior brain?" He smirked with delight.

Cannon this, cannon that. Carla had grown sick of Bastian's obsession with his weapon. She did not struggle for long and got up, determined to wipe that smirk off his face and to destroy that damned cannon! She quickly fired off a series of four beams off at Bastian, aiming for his cannon.

The commander was blind-sided. He tossed his cannon down to protect it, realizing Carla meant to destroy it. However because of this, the beams hit his armor and created a few cracks in it.

"What will it be your armor or your precious cannon? You must make your choice. The Armor to protect your life or your precious cannon?" She called out to the Commander, amused at his predicament while reading to fire again at him. She was trying to hold back as much as possible for now though. Fatigue was beginning to set in. She had to end this soon and had to conserve her energy, she did not want to use it all in this battle...

"You think I would succumb to your tactics? Never!!! The myths of Dark Beasts bringing only misfortune and death are just myths; we'd have won the war if the bombs hadn't been dropped! I will prove it here and NOW! Watch this men, I will kill her before you all and show you they are not Demi-Gods! Just glorified monsters!!! We never needed the bombs to win the war!!" The Commander was still stubborn even given the facts. He just would not quit. Grasping his beloved cannon once more.

The remaining three archers and the gunner and the four armored troops began to set their sights on Bart and 13. They thought the Commander had Carla under control and in a way he did, with her attention focused on him she had to deal with the Commander first. This time however the armored units had the idea of surrounding 13 and they all aimed for him, realizing they could not hit Bart under normal circumstances with their swords.

Meanwhile, the escort party's ordeal continued....

In the sky, Sheena was there, thinking to herself, of past missions and of what she was about to do.

"Why'd it come to this, Shine? I don't wish to fight them but we've no choice, I just wish you were still with us.. These forces Lucia assigned to me, to change them. To show them the way, I need to show our people the right path!" Sheena reflected to herself as she charged her energy while up in the sky.

She looked down and aimed at the Professor, "I must make an example of her! Her act of aggression is one of the factors that started this conflict!!!"
Sheena meditated for a bit longer before returning down, planning her moves out carefully.

Several Wind Beasts dived right for Lowe, noticing he was guarding the research team. The Wind Beasts saw them as the prime targets. Scientists were the enemies of the OOA, it would be doubtful they would ever give their ways to conform to the OOA's policies on technology.

One of the wind beasts created a cutting gust of wind aimed at the research team. Lowe used a good deal of energy to create an armor of earth around his body. He then intercepted the gust and absorbed it safely as it hit him and stopped.

He then encased both of his hands with stone fists and awaited the wind beast's next moves. There was no way he could catch them as they were too fast and he was slow but he had a chance of countering them if they moved in on him and the research team. He just had to wait for the right moment to counter.

A Wind Beast attempted to soar past Lowe but was knocked down by Lowe's right arm and punched directly in the head with his left, crushing his skull. Three Wind Beasts then collided with Lowe from separate directions and attempted to lift him into the air but struggled with the weight of his armor but finally managed to get him slightly off the ground. However, he broke free of one of the beasts and punched the other two away. This got them off him for now but they were ready to attack again.

"It's me you want now, huh? Well I will take off this armor if you agree to cease all attacks on the civilians! What do you say to that? If you want a real fight, you can have it with me!" Lowe issued his challenge to the Wind Beasts. He thought they might agree to it but they had something else in mind.

The wind beasts were merely upset by this instead of backing down. Suddenly the Professor assisted Lowe up as she released her fire energy in the form of a side-winding flame, it shocked the Wind Beasts and set their wings ablaze rather quickly, they then fell to the ground in flames. She muttered to Lowe, "Hehehe, poor bastards didn't see it coming. I didn't feel anything when I set them ablaze! If they want to attack helpless people, I have no reason to show mercy towards them now do I?" She was as reckless as ever but effective in her surprise attack at least.

Without warning, Sheena suddenly descended upon the Professor holding a halberd made of wind energy. She created a tornado and manipulated it to suspend The Professor in the air. Sheena then moved so fast, Ruby saw after-images of her! She tried to release her fire energy at Sheena but missed her every time, it was impossible to aim while in such a state!

Sheena then stabbed The Professor several times with the halberd, not going too deep intending this to be a warning. She then dispelled the tornado and slammed The Professor down towards the ground with her halberd. "This is the Emerald Flash, usually meant for killing I held back to disable you and take you out of this fight! You're no ABC fighter, this is a joke! There's no honor in fighting someone who can't even hit me once! Don't start fights you can't win!"

Lowe barley managed to catch The Professor in time but succeeded. "Holy crap, what has she done to you!? You need some treatment now! Let's get moving Renault could help!" He looked at her wounds, noticing her knees were hit the hardest, she was bleeding badly from them. She had a few cuts elsewhere but those were the most serious. Sheena had intended to hamper Ruby's movement.

"I'll be fine! I could never hope to protect my children if I died that easily!" The Professor got up but struggled to stand, her knees bleeding, she then leaned on Lowe. "You're not in the right you mental midget! You got a cheap shot on me but that's it. I've got something that'll terrify even you! Watch me everyone, I'll make fried chicken out of her! We'll be eating good tonight!" She taunted, over-doing it greatly and getting Sheena's attention in the process.

Ruby held a small fireball in both her hands. She then poured energy into it for a good minute until it grew into a large flare. She hurled it into the skies at Sheena, Sheena easily dodged it but soon it exploded and knocked Sheena out of the sky. However, she did not fall to the ground as she regained her flight right before hitting the ground.

"Pray tell what that supposed to accomplish? Did I damage your brain with my attack? Just surrender and live with your family, you don't belong on the battlefield and the OOA won't allow you to build anymore horrific weapons like the bombs! If you would just surrender, we could all leave on good terms!!! No one else has to die here!" Sheena shouted at The Professor.

The Professor laughed manically ignoring her pain, "Oh, you're about to experience retribution! Your childish little world where the Gods will magically save us all is about to come crashing down in magnificent flames! You should be begging me. We're not naive so we won't forgive your little flock for the whole TRYING TO KILL US ALL thing you've got going on! You should have tried to eliminate the flare with your wind energy or something instead of dodging, but you fell for it instead! A fatal mistake!"

It was true. The flare could be seen easily from Arcadia and even beyond it. The explosion was loud as well, even if it didn't kill anyone, it served a better purpose. To beckon to reinforcements!

Dumbfounded Sheena realized what Ruby was getting at,"A signal flare? NO! That means. We cannot dawdle, Lucia will not accept failure in our mission! We have to defeat them before their help arrives!"

She then whispered to Lowe, "Let's get these people somewhere safer if we can. Keep moving forward! All of Arcadia saw that flare so help is on the way.. My husband for sure and whoever else saw it. We can just play it safe and stall until they get here. That should force them to retreat or suffer a loss here. One thing I know for sure is I have to fight again. I need to get better than this! I used to be stronger until I locked myself away in the lab to find a way to fix the world."

Sheena spoke to one of her soldiers,"Soldier,please deliver this message to the rest of them, we are to focus attacks on the actual ABC members, the attacking of civilians is a crime and not what we should be focusing on! Kill the ABC forces only if you have to but target them only! Once they are gone, the civilians will be a simple matter. We have to hurry as the enemy is going to receive reinforcements. Our ground forces may not come soon enough. The ALF must have found them. That is all!" Her soldier nodded and sped off to inform all of Sheena's forces.

This would change some of their strategy yet not all of the wind beasts would accept this. Wind being such a destructive element, if they used their energy civilians would still get caught in their attacks. They saw Sheena's words as just guidelines; after all she could not watch them all or know if it was on purpose or on accident. It meant their tactics would not change much, just no more direct attacks on the civilians.

"You don't look good at all, Professor! We're almost there and everyone is still accounted for. Just hang on!" Lowe said to The Professor, heading over to where Renault was. This treatment upset the Professor, hating how she was humiliated and became nothing more than a burden holding Lowe back from fighting. Yet the signal flare was a wise idea indeed.

Sheena scouted out the ABC members now. Lowe was in no shape to fight her with The Professor using him to move and the others did not personally threaten her too much. She found herself most interested in Noe." A demon..Now she seems strong, perhaps the others are holding back, she is not. If we could win this and then recruit her to our side she could be a great ally...But first I must see if she is worthy." Sheena flew above Noe, casting her shadow on her and then right back up into the sky once again.

Sheena targeted Noe next. She dispelled her halberd for now and instead began to speed up, swinging her talons rapidly at Noe in quick succession, finally she created her halberd and swung it at Noe, eager to see if she could dodge it.
 
Noe ignored Alexandra entirely, eyes focused on the battle ahead. Before she could do much advancing, a shadow swooped in above her, disappearing as quickly as it arrived.


She stopped in place as the same shadow descended upon her from above at high speeds. She had a quick second to gather herself. She blocked the first few strikes from doing any vital damage, save for some cuts on her arms, then pushed both arms forward to repel her, only for her to shoot back with a halberd swing. Noe bent her body backwards, and the halberd clipped some strands of hair from her head. Wasting no time, she pointed her finger at Sheena, sending her fragments to surround Sheena. They circled around her, indiscriminately moving in to attempt cutting her. At the end of what she hoped would be effective, she moved her finger down and grabbed a newly formed hilt as the fragments joined together and attempted to wrap around her leg, aiming to take Sheena's flight out of the equation. She would not be intimidated so easily...
 
Sheena grinned at the situation as she just barely managed to speed off away from the blade fragments. She only had a fraction of a second to spare. It impressed Sheena and made her fly away back up into the sky.

"I like a challenge yet I must hurry and finish her soon. That would be fatal if she pulled me to the ground. I'd lose all my maneuverability on the ground.. I can't get in that close again which limits my attacks. I must approach her differently." Sheena had to plan out her next move and flew up a bit higher until she had her next move ready.

Sheena flew back down so she could clearly face Noe yet kept her distance at the same time so she could not be caught. She dispelled her halberd and created five kunai in one hand. She then released a strong gust of wind towards Noe and tossed the kunai with it, propelling them towards her at a quick speed as she manipulated their movement towards her. "This will be enough! She may be able to deploy that strange blade again but from this distance I have the advantage here! Hopefully none of her comrades will interfere in this. I doubt they'll pose as much of a threat, nothing I cannot handle!"

She was confident this would be it. This move usually finished off the ALF troops she fought with before with ease, it was just too fast for them. She hoped Noe do the same yet she wanted a good fight to truly judge Noe's fighting prowess. The OOA was all about recruiting the strong after all. Sheena personally did not believe might made right. Yet she believed the OOA needed more powerful fighters to counter with the ALF's new technology.
 
In the time it took Edward to make it just a few feet the Arcadian Brigade Regiment had called for support. The signal flare illuminated the desert for but a moment against the ashen sky. It had been more than once he had come to their aid in times like these. But would the money pay out be worth it this time? Last three times he had assisted units in trouble he had lost more than he gained. This situation seemed different from the others though, he had a pretty good grasp of what the situation was like and he had the element of surprise left. Unfortunately there was nobody on the brink of sleeping, none he could feel from this distance. ”I could get into shape.” Edward turned his route straight to where the signal had come from.

By the time he had arrived the group was whittled down to only a select group of elites and their commander, he knew her well, Sheena. That oversized Dodo bird had more than once sent entire divisions at himself and at those he assisted in the ALF. To her he was branded an enemy but the others in the OOA seemed slightly more forgiving. They had believed every soul could be saved from the metallic cold clutches of technology, a real load of beast piss. In this case, he was not noticed, the girl she was fighting was far more interesting, someone he had not much of a chance to meet. He could feel a strange pulsating feeling from her as if she was locked in a dream herself. A worthy test subject if she survives this. Now this was well worth the meager pay if he could figure her out.

Now was the time to secure his outlandish and vague ideas with his commitment to fighting Sheena. Before he could get to her though several elites popped out of nowhere, must have taken out one of the lower ranked body guards or two. ”I’d suggest you move but I see you must be beyond a doctor’s advice.” Irodin lifted up his arms readies for combat. His fighting style was peculiar, as it really was just him spinning and hoping he hit the target. The two men had high command stamped Crusader Swords. They were standard issue for the upper levels of the OOA. It was also a fair token for each one you defeated as you were not supposed to defeat these ones. The sword was slightly smaller than a claymore but came down with practically the same force. Edward had blocked the attack with his own blade catching it in the small hook near his elbow. He proceeded to push the blade off of his and swing for the beast’s stomach. He stepped backward allowing his buddy to come in for a swing.

This time Edward blocked with his other arm; he struggled against the blow his arm shaking trying to keep the blade from snapping off the catch. ”Is…that all.” He managed to ask in his fight. The second beast now came in, he could not fight two swords, he forced the first blade into the ground narrowly dodging the second one coming in for a vertical slash. After he landed a foot back the first beast’s blade was lifted up for a quick jab, Irodin had no time to recuperate from his last dodge and took the blade slightly in his thigh. He backed off as quick as possible, he could feel the blood trickling down his leg. ”Damn nut.” He blurted out if it remained this way he would lose for sure. There was only one way to deal with them, something he’d rather not use until he was up against Sheena, but it was time for his transformation.

He focused his energies and the air around the three became dark for a moment. Suddenly through the darkness his ethereal, nightmarish form had come into being. ”I’m afraid I am also a doctor who practices malpractice.” They may have been elite soldiers but even they were somewhat hesitant to attack their new foe. ”May your god have mercy on your soul.” He extended his plague claw slashing at the second beast. It tore a large portion of his uniform off, ripped through his arm’s armor, and cut only slightly into his skin, but that was enough. The soldier was already driven insane. Plague claw was a device he used, a fear causing agent manipulated the brain. Irodin’s form became that much more terrifying driving the man into madness. Soon his form was sprouting up all around him, the first beast was worried and tried to calm his comrade down. Instead he wound up getting hacked to bits by his own teammate. ”And this is why I love the OOA, so superstitious they cannot think logically through these mental traps.” The doc said as the beast came to. He saw his actions, he could do nothing but grieve for his actions, and that set him in a poor position. The claw entered his back and came out through his chest. ”Sometimes, I think you guys are just too easy. But you stopped me from attacking Sheena right away, so fair play to you.” He ripped his claw out and the second one fell to the ground on top of his mutilated friend. It was time to join whatever spat the girl left herself in.
 
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13 then started shooting at the rest trying to keep their heads down. He nailed 2 of them, one in the head dropping the soldier, and hitting the other in the ass as he dove for cover. The others took cover until 13’s gun emptied. 13 looked at the empty gun in his hands threw it at the enemy troops. He then threw an explosive energy ball at them as he ran for cover.
 
Noe recalled her blades as Sheena retreated into her safe haven, the sky. A few moments later, she re-appeared, and the two stared at each other. Without warning, she unleashed a wave of five kunai, speeding them along with a strong gust of wind. She dodged the first three with no issue, but suddenly grabbed at her head, the fourth kunai grazing her arm. The fragments disintegrated in time for the final kunai to make it past her arms, a tiny yet intense flash fading in and out as she gasped and moaned, before finally hitting the hot sand below, her hands covering the wound as her body became motionless on the desert floor.
 
Sheena looked disappointed to see Noe had perished but did not seem to concern herself with the flash Noe produced. She had no idea what it was. "This is unfortunate. I had hoped I would not kill her so easily, I needed to test her. I do not wish to take lives so easily. In war causalities are inevitable, just like you said Shine. We can't take joy in killing others, there's no glory in this war. I must confirm her death myself. It could motivate them to surrender realizing they lost one of their best fighters so easily." Sheena contemplated about the situation.

She landed by Noe to inspect her body. However when she descended she heard Noe's heart still beating and realized her mistake. Sheena called out,"Clever girl. None the less I won't make it that easy for you to catch me!!" Sheena tried to fly but Noe had Sheena right where she wanted her. It would take time for Sheena to get back into the air, ample time for Noe to attempt an attack.
 
"That wasn't very nice at all, Little Miss Birdy! This whole anbush is sooooo soooooooo meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean!" She leaped up and kept a tight grip on Sheena's leg, revealing an incredibly childish face, complete with pouty lips. As she stood up, a light thud sounded as the kunai hit the sand. It was charred beyond recognition, and Sheena soon saw how that happened. The energy that made up the blades had re-surfaced behind Noe in the form of moderately-sized wisps.

"I tricked you, I tricked you!~ Am I good at playing dead? Huh?~ Huh huh huh?~ Welllllllll, I'll make sure youuuuuuu don't have to!~"

More energy encased her feet, forming two bladed grieves, each complete with a curved blade, emphasizing the deadliness. She spread her fingers and playfully pointed one towards Sheena, and the wisp obeyed, slamming itself into the sand behind her, creating a blazing wall of violet flames.

"Let's play....Tag! Youuuuu're it!~" Noe taunted as she aimed her leg on a curve towards Sheena, using the blade like a guillotine.
 
Caught off guard Sheena was unable to fully avoid the attack and was grazed by Noe's greave, finally drawing blood before she could escape. "Not bad, you're the only one who has managed to land an attack on me in months. Yet you did resort to such a silly game!" Sheena did not realize Noe had these multiple personalities just yet but was beginning to notice something was wrong with her sanity.

With utmost swiftness, Sheena flew high above Noe's wall of fire. "It was interesting but I think it is due time to end this. You were a worthy opponent! Please don't hate me for this, consider it an honor to die by my hand!" She gathered a good deal of energy quickly and focused it to perform one big attack on Noe.

She began to sped up immensely, moving so fast now that she created after-images. She flew at Noe and tackled her head on. After recovering quickly, Sheena created her signature halberd and swung it at her a countless amount of times. After finishing that maneuver she flew back into the sky and launched her halberd straight at Noe's head. "Emerald Judgment! This is goodbye! It's sad I was never introduced to you. May your soul rest in peace! The Gods determined your fate and I carried it out!!!" She silently uttered a prayer afterwards and looked up towards the sky.

Sheena assumed this would kill Noe. She had no time to test her any longer. It all came down to whether her last attack would kill Noe or fail. "This should be enough to kill her. I have to save energy for the others. I had hoped it would not come to this but she is too dangerous as an enemy to keep alive. If only we could meet under different circumstances, it would not have had to end this way. If only we could join forces. Kill or be killed, it's sad we can't find a better way in times like these, isn't it Shine?" She opened up her locket, staring at the picture inside it.
 
"Aww, come back and play with meeeeeeeeee!~ I promise not to bite!" Noe yelled after Sheena as she retreated into the air. She jumped around, waving her arms around as if she expected her to return from the gesture. She gave up after a moment, and glanced at her greave, noticing Sheena's blood on it. She raised her greave near her face and licked the blade slowly, cleaning it at the same time.

"Yum yum, birdy! Maybe I might have to bite!" She was joking, of course, but it was fun to joke. It was also fun to kill and to cut!

Suddenly, Sheena appeared out of nowhere, bringing several afterimages with her. The real one tackled her with a ton of force, sending her sliding through the sand.

"Eh... That's no fun, birdbrain! That's no fun at a-"

Noe cut the sentence short as she dodged a few strikes, while a few others cut her up. She rapidly retreated, and Noe wiped her blood from her mouth, watching for Sheena. She dived straight at Noe, halberd in hand, aiming for her head. She bent backwards quickly, lifting her leg as Sheena dashed past, hoping to cut her along the way.

"Try better than that, bird brain!~"
 
It was clear now. Bastian and the ALF forces were doomed. There was no saving them from losing this battle now.

Seeing how most of his men were dying Bastian finally swallowed his pride, "Men...We're at a loss here in all honesty. This operation was a failure. All of you must retreat! I'll cover your escape!!I will join you afterwards! I...Can't deny it any longer. That Dark Beast is a monster! No doubt the one whom ruined our plan!"

Reluctantly, his troops followed their orders and retreated. Bastian laughed madly, "Now I am free to fight to my full extent. You haven't seen this cannon's full power! Allow me to show you all!!!I may die but you all will join me! FOR THE ALF!"

He attempted to load his cannon with a few special rounds but Carla interrupted him by firing on him. Carla called out, "Stop him!!!! We can't let him fire those special rounds of his! He has to die now!"

Reacting rather quickly, Bart utilized his Shredding Wind. It picked up some debris from the fighting and weapons of the fallen ALF troops and bombarded Bastian with it. It did not hit Bastian too hard at all but it served to buy time for the others to think up something. Carla acted first, intending to end Bastian's attempt at a last stand. "That is all I got, Carla!" He said to her signaling this was her chance.

She ran towards Bastian, firing off tiny energy beams, finally breaking a small hole in the armor near his chest. Bastian let go of his cannon and readied his sword. "COME AT ME, DARK BEAST! I will die at my feet, never on my knees!!!!I do not fear death, I knew what I signed up for! Abscus FOREVER!!!!"

Carla ran at Bastian, reading her rifle's bayonet and aiming it so it would pierce into his heart. Bastian saw it coming and shielded the hole. Quickly, Bart tried to grab Bastian, Bastian broke free and hit Bart away with his sword. However in the time it took to do that, Carla fired off a near point-blank range energy shot into his chest, making it easy for the bayonet to go through his heart.

The bayonet pierced through Bastian's heart, killing him instantly. He finally died, no more speeches, no more rambling about how great Abscus was and most importantly no more talk of his beloved cannon. He was just a corpse, like the rest of them. Died for nothing but for the pride and greed of his country.

"Dead. We've done it, Bart, 13 you've all done well! But we must assist the others!!" She looked over at the cannon and the ammo for it. She grabbed it quickly, just in case they needed extra fire power or to study it.

At the Escort Party's location.

Sheena was not too shocked to find she had been cut. She backed off and realized she had taken a poor approach. Yet her wounds were minor at best, she could keep the fight going until Noe was dead if she so desired. "You're a twisted individual. You are a danger to yourself and others!!!! You've left me with no choice then. I will end the suffering of your illness! This time, you WILL die! You will not defy your fate!" She ignored her wounds and flew into the air and began to gather her energy.

Before she could react, Sheena was violently tackled and nearly knocked onto the ground by another wind beast! She regained flight just at the right moment to avoid suffering a major fall injury.

The assailant was Commander Nacim, leader of the 4th unit and Carla's superior! Nacim was a Wind Beast with white wings and many battle scars. He was a brooding and ominous figure, yet his tactical advice was what gave the ABC the advantage and earned him a spot among their ranks. He appeared to be in his late thirties.

His true origin was shrouded in mystery but he came to Arcadia one day and joined the ABC. He acted more like a dead man than a living one and shunned social interaction with anyone in the Brigade. While it seems he does care for Arcadia,his main motive was to combat both the OOA and the ALF for revenge of some sort. He seemed to even enjoy fighting at times. This time however, it was a personal matter. Someone knew who he was before he "became" Nacim.

Nacim told Noe, "You've done well Noe but I shall taking things from here! This one is mine! The reinforcements are here! Head back to Arcadia with the others! That's an order!!!! I will pursue this one myself!" He created a naginata with his energy and had a grim expression his face as he looked down at Sheena.

As Sheena recovered she flew back into the air but was chased by Nacim. She finally caught a good look at him. "S-s-hine?? You're dead!!! You're not him are you?! It can't be true!" She looked at the situation and saw how Edward was there.. She even saw ABC reinforcements in the distance. The tide was turning and it would be a slaughter if the OOA forces did not retreat. Even Sheena and her wind beasts could not win against those odds.

"Noe.... she is a threat.. Then there's that freak-show of a demon on a rampage... And now this..I have to do what is best for my people in this situation."
She contemplated and came to a conclusion.

"All troops retreat!!!! We've done all we can!!!! This is too much!! Don't worry about me. I'll catch up! I will take the brunt of the punishment from Lady Lucia so fear not! Just survive, there is no need to lose any more lives!" Sheena ordered her troops, they immediately obeyed and began the retreat.

One troop however was hesitant as he tried to confront Nacim, "Commander Sheena! You can't hope to beat him alone, he's-" Nacim quickly used his naginata and brutally stabbed it straight through the wind beast's skull ending his speech. "Silence! This is between me and her! Worthless OOA tool!" He yelled angrily.

Sheena looked terrified and she flew off. Nacim chased after her. "Why, why are you doing this to your own people Shine?! What made you like this?! You...I thought this is what you'd want!!!"

Nacim responded,"People who are so easily manipulated don't deserve to live! I will cut the strings of all the OOA's puppets! If you want to know the answers, then you'll come with me Sheena! Don't make this anymore difficult than it has to be!"

Nacim sped off after her, chasing her. He was determined and Sheena was hesitant, allowing him just the chance he needed to catch up. It was clear they were going to take this to somewhere far off where no one could see or hear them. They climbed higher and higher until they were out of sight in the sky.

Reinforcements on the ground finally arrived consisting of around thirty ABC troops. Leading the way was the fire beast Duo Blaze, the Professor's Husband! He was a brash fire beast in his 30s. He was rather large in terms of muscle mass and had the look of a hardened fighter. As a matter of fact, Duo used to be an Arcadian arena fighter whom could no longer make a living after the world came to an end. He ended up joining the ABC.

He was not too intelligent but he had his heart in the right place, always concerning himself with Ruby and their children. He wanted to restore the world just as badly as she did. He loved fighting but hated war, fights where people hated and aimed to kill one-another were things he would rather stay out of. "Secure the civilians and the researchers then get them to Arcadia now! RUBY!!!!! I'm here for you, where are ya?!!! RUBY! RUBY!!!" Duo yelled out, his tone proving just how worried sick he was about her.

The fighters quickly rushed towards the civilians and the researchers and began to hurry them towards Arcadia. Duo looked around for Ruby on the other hand, having issues finding her. "Over here you brute!!! DUO! We're gonna be fine so quit making such a big deal!" Ruby signaled Duo to her and Lowe.

Duo took Ruby's hand and had her lean on him now, her injuries upsetting Duo clearly. He then spoke to both of them,"What did they do you Ruby? Oh man!! Let's get you patched up here and you can tell us exactly what happened here. Lowe, you do the talking! You better not have screwed up your mission!"

Ruby smiled as she replied, "Duo, I can talk myself! He did just fine. I just got hit with a cheap shot by that retarded bird bitch. I've been hurt worst before and you know it! Oh! The test was a success at least.. We can restore the world back to the way it was!" She embraced Duo in a brief moment of celebration.

"Hell yeah! I wish Zigus would have let me be there. I could have beaten some sense into that wind beast! Oh that is just what we need. A shame these bastards started attacking you guys. Who knows if we'll even get a chance to restore the land. They just can't accept the fact we don't want to be a part of their war. This isn't the future we wanted for our children..To be living in a war zone." Duo sighed as his excitement faded realizing his plans with Ruby to restore the world were going to be put on indefinite hold.

Lowe explained,"Sorry I couldn't do anything, Mr.Blaze. Carla and the others aren't back yet so I am in charge. The OOA ambushed us after we split from her group. She and the other dealt with the ALF whom tried to ambush us first. It's strange they both picked the same time to plan ambushes like this. This is big, we have to tell Zigus. But Carla...I need to find Carla! You guys go back to Arcadia with the others, I'll be fine out here!" Lowe looked behind him and in all directions and saw no sign of her and the others.

"Calm down, buddy. I know you got a thing for her but she's a dark beast and tougher than you and me! She didn't die out there, she'll be back!"
Duo said confidently, knowing the strength of dark beasts first hand having fought a few in his career.

Ruby laughed as she pointed out to the distance, "Hey Lowe, here's your girl, as creepily emotionless as ever, good luck with that! Bart and 13 made it too! So no one died on us... yet. Looks like she brought us a present too. Very interesting."

"Carla!!! Oh and the rest of you too errr, don't get me wrong! Glad you all survived, we did too! We've got a lot to talk about here!"
Lowe was overjoyed as he ran towards Carla and greeted her.

Carla nodded and said simply,"Indeed we do Lowe, this is just the beginning. We have to prepare for the real war that is about to start. These were just warning shots at least and attempts to scout out the ABC's power at most." She was still focused on the mission, Lowe's concern for her was something she did not pick up on right away.

Could they even hope to win against both the OOA and the ALF in a real war? What allies could they possibly find? Could they at least aim for a peace treaty if victory was impossible? Shintaion would never be the same again, there would be no safe zone from the war. There would be no healing for this devastated and twisted world! It was another time and place but it was just going be another war. One that would further damn the future of the world inevitably.
 
13's exploding energy ball had done a good enough number to keep the enemies heads down and he got out from cover right when they started to retreat. Their commander was going on about his sacrifice. *Really he's got to keep on talking?* 13 was thinking about getting involved but then he saw something more interesting to him. *WTH? Can it be? Yes, it is it's another thunder beast. But... I didn't know they had thunder Beasts in the ALF?* 13 noticed the only remaining scout from the ALF force running away with the other troops, The beast was obviously one since it shot a bolt of lightning to shoot up dirt for cover. *This is just getting weirder and weirder.* 13 then noticed that Carla had killed the ALF Commander. As soon as Carla gave the orders to move out they moved out heading for the civies.

When the group got there Lowe the big romantic lug greeted all of them but by the way he said it you could tell he was mainly concerned about Carla. Yeah nice to see ya too you big lug. Then he saw Duo the professor's husband standing with her holding hands. Hey Duo! Why don't you give Lowe here some pointers on picking up a girl! The comment made Lowe noticeably embarrassed, and Carla Irritated. Everyone else just laughed.
 
[OOC: I will post again later on. Just want to resolve this part now as I have to take control of other player's characters and such.]

There they were, near the top of the world. High above it all, they could see how the world was a shadow of its former self. It wasn't beautiful to look at any longer. The chase soon ended then they locked eyes. Confusion and sadness in Sheena's eyes. Pure malice in Nacim's eyes along with some traces of regret.

Nacim told Sheena his side of the story,"Sheena. I hoped never to run into you like this. Shine died in that atrocity. The Shrivisk Purging you see, along with four hundred of the greatest surviving Wind Beasts. All because Lucia did not authorize the use of an airship due to her beliefs, we had no chance to survive the traps they laid down for us. It was just to get rid of Shine since the people were beginning to love him more than Lucia, her jealousy set all of it in motion. The plans were leaked to the ALF on purpose just to get rid of Shine and his followers..So many died that day just to try to set up a base on our people's birth place....That was how she deceived us. The promise of restoring our mother land was too much to resist."


Sheena denied it,"That...Can't be true...Lady Lucia would never do such a thing!!! Someone else must have been behind it. She wouldn't kill our people like that!!!! I don't believe it! You must have been lied to!" She was totally caught off guard by Nacim's accusations.

Nacim told his fragmented story to Sheena, "She did...I heard it straight from the ALF before they sold me off as a slave for humiliation, the sole survivor. They beat me to death for their own amusement, Sheena. Yet I lived on though as a man named Nacim, I assumed his identity. He was a Wind Beast just like you and me.. An old man whom wanted a bright future for his only surviving daughter. He worked tirelessly only to have her sold into slavery when it wasn't enough to pay the ALF."

He continued still hiding many details from her, "She perished from being literally worked to death. He became a terrorist to the ALF but a hero to me, helping free slaves such as myself... Killing the politicians and slave traders whom stole his purpose for living from him.. They thought they killed him in a botched attack but his despair and hatred for this world lives on inside me! It is what binds me to this world! A vengeful phantom that lusts for the blood of the ALF! I have done terrible things just to survive Sheena, things Shine never would have done. Things I would rather forget. Nacim's Naginata has spilled too much blood."

Sheena looked distressed and saddened,"Shine....I....It's been too long. Please, we can work this out. We can make a alliance between the OOA and the ABC.. Then I can call an investigation into that incident so we can discover the truth.. I think that would be the best course of action. We should not have to fight each other. We can go back to the way things used to be Shine, it's not too late!You are the king of our people, Shine! We have to keep the royal family alive!"

Out of nowhere, Nacim aimed his Naginata at Sheena's neck while an evil grin surfaced, "Join forces with the one whom let so many good men and women DIE that day? Join forces with the one whom betrayed and killed me?! Lucia, the false Goddess whom uses our people as cannon fodder?! There's no way in hell I'd do that! You are nothing but a figurehead to her. If I kill you, it would deal a huge blow to the OOA! Nacim would kill you without a second thought! It would bring glory to the ABC to kill an elite commander so early on! Make peace with your precious Gods now, but even they won't save you from me!"

Sheena closed her eyes as if expecting him to kill her then and there. She did not fight back or move. "Please, Shine...Don't do it! I...still love you! You must feel the same! I know you might not agree with my methods but we don't have to end it like this just to keep up this facade! You're not Nasim the terrorist, you're Shine the King!!! Please remember!!!"

Nacim then hesitated. He remembered his time spent with Sheena. They were childhood friends, comrades and even planned to get married one day. She would be his queen and lead their people to a new age. It was all just a dream though, no one could achieve happiness in this world so easily now. There was no escape from the wars, no chance for peace and love.

None the less, he could not murder her. She was the only person he truly cared among the living. Maybe in another world, they could have found happiness together.... If only. For now their situation was truly hopeless. They could not join the same side, they would be enemies indefinitely.

He could not bring himself to kill her in cold blood. He nearly shed a tear at thought of committing an atrocity, killing the woman he loved just for the sake of his goals.This sorrow was one emotion he could not hide. "Leave and never face me again, Sheena. I cannot kill you....Consider it one last gift from Shine...I just wish you would join us..But it's too late, you cannot. Our people would fall apart without you.. I hope one day the truth will set you free from Lucia's control. Please think for yourself instead of trusting her blindly. One woman should not have so much power and influence above all her people!"

Nasim continued his warning, "You are the only decent person left in the OOA. Perhaps letting you live will come in handy. Now go! I will tell them slipped through my clutches! Tell them nothing of my survival! I am Nacim now, the terror of the skies, not Shine the noble king! I wish for nothing more than the OOA and the ALF alike to be wiped off the face of the planet!! I am willing to kill thousands with my own hands if it would make our world a better place!!! A world where no one would suffer what Nasim and Shine both endured...."

Sheena smiled and grabbed hold of Shine's hand, pushing the Naginata back. "Thank you, Shine! I....Can't make any promises as I must follow orders but I will find the truth before I blindly accuse Lady Lucia! Those men and women whom died that day..I won't forget them! I pray for them and for you....I will save your soul yet, Shine!We will meet again!" With that she flew off towards Teros, confident she could reunite with Shine one day. Yet now she had the seeds of doubt put into her. She wondered if Shine's words were true, did Lucia really do such a thing?

Nasim flew back towards Arcadia, saying not another word to her. He had to make sure his lie was convincing, he did not want to lose this shot at revenge against his mortal enemies. No one really knew him so tricking them would be simple. Just another lie to add to the countless ones he told before.
 
Renault could only watch as his comrades took on the main enemy forces, having to work to upkeep a barrier to protect the few civilians with little to no combat experience. He truly wished to be out on the front lines, but the emergence of a few wind beasts who had split off from the main group with the goal of taking easy prey kept him away. They currently circled, occasionally diving down before being repelled by the barrier. However, do to the short casting time, the barrier was growing weaker, and not even Renault's constant upkeep could repair the damage quickly enough. He needed a new course of action and fast.

As one of the three wind beasts swooped down again, he withdrew the barrier, much to the surprise of the attacking beast. Running forward, Renault jumped up, swinging his staff square into the head of the beast. Given that the beast had been focused on not crashing into the sand, he couldn't protect himself from the blow and crumpled in a heap, lifeless and motionless. The other two beasts, angered, swooped down in unison, spiraling with one another. There was no time for a barrier, they were far too fast for that, but he needed to end this quickly, being outnumbered was poor when protecting others.

He blocked the first attack, but suffered a scratch across his back, causing him to arch in pain. Filled with annoyance, he turned to the beast that had successfully hit him. Muttering an incantation, a whip of light emerged from the sapphire atop his staff, lashing out at the ankle of the wind beast as it tried to speed away for another attack. However, it wasn't fast enough and Renault pulled back on his staff, bringing the beast with it. He whipped the wind beast around and around before bringing him crashing to the ground. The sand helped soften the impact, but the spinning surely dazed even a creature accustomed to high speed flying.

The final beast realized that he no longer had the advantage of numbers and, given that Renault was far superior in defensive movements than he was in offensive. Falling back, he ran off with the main party, hoping to return to advantage with numbers. Renault could do nothing but watch, having nothing in his arsenal to take down the beast at a distance. However, he could do something about the beast he had felled, and before it could regain its composure and take flight, Renault issued a spell of binding, keeping it from moving any limbs. The beast screeched in anger, but Renault merely used a knockout spell and tapped the bottom of his staff on the wind beast's head, making it lights out.

Now that that ordeal was done and over with, Renault could rejoin the rest of his group. However, it seemed that the fighting was mainly done as Renault joined the rest of the group with the remainder of the civilians. He surveyed them and found that while most had minor injuries, the one sustained by Professor Ruby. Making his way to her, he waited for her reunion with her husband to subside before interjecting, "Professor, it seems you've been wounded, shall you have me treat it for you?"
 
"Yes please, that'd be good of you Renault. Thank you very much." The Professor said, glad to accept since her wounds were hurting. The area was safe now so it was good timing. Her pride was wounded in the "battle" with Sheena but she was moving on now. She realized she had to get stronger fast. There wouldn't be time for her world restoration project during the war, she realized she'd soon be back to developing weapons. She was more of a scientist than a warrior nowadays still. Yet she still wished to try her hand at both.

Carla made a minor smile as she glanced at Lowe. They did have quite a history together. She knew Lowe more than anyone else in the Brigade. Lowe's father was one of the few vocal public supporters of the Dark Beasts after all. He wanted to show the people the Dark Beasts weren't the evil monsters they had been portrayed as.. Of course he had bias in the matter, Lowe's mom was a Dark Beast. Even through all his hard work and research of the Dark Beast's history and culture, they all just saw him as a filthy "Dark Beast" lover.

Just like Carla, in the end Lowe was the last of his family. His parents and his siblings didn't get away in time when aura bombs hit Abscus, Lowe was in Arcadia and thus survived. Carla was also the last, her parents were some of the last to leave Shrivisk, giving them no chance of survival. Carla reminded Lowe of the old world and her life before it went downhill.

The problem was Carla had to deal with the war and being a leader. No time to day-dream about what they'd do in times of peace with the war looming over them. That's why it bothered Carla to talk about the future, it was if she had a feeling she and Lowe wouldn't have a future together. What are the odds they could both survive the war after all?

"Lowe..Thank you for your concern but we made it just fine. Bart and 13 did their best and we succeeded because of that." She said to Lowe simply, avoiding showing any traces of embarrassment from Lowe's affection. She was too professional to show signs of weakness like that. Didn't want anyone using such things against her anyhow.

"Oh..I see. Yeah forgive me there if I got carried away, heh. I am just glad you're not hurt." He didn't feel the need to hold back his emotions. He did not think about the negative factors like Carla did, he didn't believe anyone would disapprove of them together. She was a Dark Beast but people in Arcadia generally understood she was not to be feared. Still, he respected Carla as well and didn't bother her about it in front of all these people. It was something for another time.

Bart was somewhat glad to hear Carla gave him credit. Yet he didn't take pride in the fighting he had to do, he wished it wouldn't have came to that. If only their commander had surrendered and let go of his pride, no one would have had to die there. He still had hopes the world could change one day though, maybe all of this war would end eventually. It couldn't last forever, there weren't many people left out there to fight.

Alexandra asked Carla, "Carla, what do you think happened to Commander Nacim? I have faith in him but it has been a while. Maybe Bart should go looking for him?"

Right before Carla could respond to Alexandra's inquiry, Nacim swooped down. "She slipped through my fingers this time..Next time The Emerald Eagle will be caged! Hmph. I will leave the rest to you, Carla. I've no time to waste here. War is coming and Zigus must know!" He flew off back to Arcadia, barley saying a word to any of those under his command. Since he barley interacted with them outside of commanding them. Despite his lack of social interaction, he knew all about speeches to rally up the brigade.

Taking charge of the situation Carla ordered, "All ABC members, return to Arcadia post haste! That is all.. I'm dismissing you for now. Wrap up whatever else you have to do there and await further orders once you return." With this, the members were free for now, to finish things up in the desert and to head off into the city to enjoy this respite. Perhaps it would be some of the last free time the Brigade could possibly have.
 
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