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Post by Ribitta on May 6, 2012 0:23:58 GMT -5
The Taron man's expression soured as he was effectively ignored, "You have failed to answer my question, Mr. Saint. If it must be so, then so be it." The Taron nodded at his armor-clad men, two immediately splintering off, one for each bathroom in the small building. With an unfriendly smile, the mage took a step forward, speaking to Thomas once more, "No mercenary is ever truly welcome on Stamarian soil, Mr. Saint, papers or not. I expect you to not be difficult."
From inside the bathrooms, Scept, standing on one of the toilets, heard the heavy footfalls very clearly the moment they entered the cramped space. As the soldier destroyed the individual doors on each of the stalls, the boy gritted his teeth as the man came closer and closer, ready to act when he finally arrived. As the Stamarian reached Scept's cubicle, the boy backed up as far as possible, and, when the door shattered, he leaped straight at the man, filling his palms with electricity. The soldier screamed as they connected with his armor, immediately penetrating and scrambling the power.
Without a moment of hesitation, Scept opened a time field with as much strength as he could manage, speeding himself up to an incredible speed and launching himself out of the bathroom as fast as he could imagine. Unfortunately, though, the Taron in the larger room felt the magic the moment it began, stepping back and laying a dispelling charm on the floor. As Scept bolted out of the bathroom, his chronomancy instantly failed, and he went flying straight into the mage's hand. With a grunt, the Taron reached forward and captured Scept directly by the face, lifting him off the ground and slamming his entire body into the floor.
"Flip him," he demanded immediately, a large soldier responding at once and flipping Scept over onto his stomach so that the Taron could yank the cloak off and expose the neck of his victim. With a grin, the Taron chuckled at the sight, "Very, very good. And so another one comes home at last." At his words, every one of the Stamarian soldiers unholstered their weapons, pointing them vaguely in the direction their conflict could come from. With a twisted smile, the Taron spoke to Thomas yet again, "Your cooperation is appreciated as always, Mr. Saint. I trust you didn't become too attached to the boy to forget your job." The mage stood up, smirking all the while as he turned to leave the building, giving one more instruction to his men, "Shoot anyone who moves. Bind the boy and bring him to the vehicle."
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Post by Steinerman on May 6, 2012 0:35:52 GMT -5
Thomas glowered at the Mage, his mind racing with their chances. The Hell Legion were allies, and would be ready to jump into a fight at a moment's notice to aid the Outcasts, and he was sure Vesper had sent the servant girl off somewhere, no doubt to cajole another of the mercenary groups in town to aid them. But still, they were lightly armed and facing powered armor. Properly armed, he would have easily wagered that he would win such a fight. But now was not the time to fight, it would end in death, and that wouldn't help Scept in the slightest.
So he shrugged once, "Mark your words, Mage. The Emperor will probably have you executed for them in a few months." He muttered enigmatically. "Your Viceroys will hear of this treatment." He added on a moment later. But otherwise, he made no move to attack.
To his right, Aya was practically shaking with fury. The woman was protective of her own, and apparently the appearance of the Stamarians had solidified the fact that currently, Scept fell into that category. But she made no move to attack. Behind them, Vesper simply drank her beer and watched carefully. Not wanting to make any moves that would get them all shot.
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Post by Ribitta on May 7, 2012 12:08:08 GMT -5
Forget his job? What did that mean? Scept groaned; he knew exactly what it meant, and he had suspected it all along. Sure, these people didn't care for the Taron, but that hadn't stopped them from working together. Still stunned and largely dazed, time slipped away from the boy as he was bound, blindfolded, and man-handled. One moment he was walking shakily and the next moment rough hands shoved him into a vehicle, the door slamming behind him. Magic was gone from him; sight was gone from him.
Leaning his head back, the boy tried to ignore the bleeding on his head, shutting his eyes and trying to forget the world, only a handful of words making it through, "Sceptus Contra, is it? Your parents really must have hated you. They will not be the ones to discipline you, though; Stamaria will." Scept tried his best to shut him up, tuning that nasally, sneering voice out of his head. If he had to guess they'd be headed to the Stamarian outpost 30 miles to the south. Thinking hurt too much now, though.
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Post by Steinerman on May 7, 2012 16:42:02 GMT -5
The mercenaries remained still until the Stamarian soldiers had exited the building, and the dull roar of their vehicles engines indicated that they were on the move.
"Right." Thomas spat, his voice practically ice.
The Hell Legion Centurion stood slowly, "No Mercenary is truly welcome on their soil, eh? I imagine the BlackBlades and the Ironhands would like to know that."
"The Velites too." Another Legionnaire muttered darkly, sipping at his beer.
Thaddeus glanced to Thomas. "They took an Outcast. By definition, that means they pretty much took a Legionnaire as well. We're with you, Omega."
Thomas nodded sharply to the other soldiers, "Right." He stated again, his voice promising violence. "But we're going to have to accelerate plans, if we attack the Stamarians." He turned and glanced at Vesper. "Who'd you send that serving girl off to fetch?"
"The BlackBlades." Vesper replied calmly. The ordeal had been shaking for her, personally as a mage. The Taron were terrifying, she could imagine the terror of Scept, alone in their hands. "We might need them, Thomas. And besides, one of their leaders is here, if the barkeep is to be believed."
Thomas glanced at the barkeep, who was shakily pouring himself a beer. "What? He knows a BlackBlade commander on sight?"
"No, sir." The barkeep muttered. "But the woman was wearing quite a costume, rather hard to forget her. Black cloak and mask, skeleton bones handing from her belt."
Thomas was silent for a moment, and then a small smile broke out onto his lips. "The Bonedancer." He affirmed. "So she's here, eh? That's a good thing. She's wanted in on our operations for a while now."
Thaddeus looked worried for a moment. "Bloody . . . the Bonedancer's here? Wish we'd known that, would have saved us a trip. But she wants to join up?"
Thomas nodded, "Alright, we've got to get our man back. But in doing so, we're going to be attacking a Stamarian convoy at the least. That means we need to prepare, first. Get everyone out of country, now. Any other Legionnaires in Zailleon at the moment?" He questioned of the Centurion.
Thaddeus shook his head, "No, 'gov. We're it. But you Outcasts have a training base, and a couple hundred other boys out there on the highways right now, filling in for the Order. Some men in the port, too."
It was at that moment that the thumping of boots could be heard, heralding a squad of armored and masked soldiers entering the bar, their armor black as night. At their head a woman shrouded in a cloak and mask, bones hanging from her belt. The BlackBlades had arrived.
Before tensions could get higher than they were, Thomas pointed at the leader and motioned towards a corner of the bar. "Join me in my office, won't you?" He questioned politely. "We have much to discuss."
The masked woman gave a barely perceptible nod and broke off to join Thomas, the rest of her men leaning back against walls by the doors.
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Post by Ribitta on May 7, 2012 17:24:59 GMT -5
After a long ride in the dark that made the mage's stomach hurt, the Stamarians finally dragged him out of the car. Passing into incredible heat and then out of it once more, Scept's feet finally found cool, smooth tile; the Stamarian outpost, no doubt. An idle wonder passed through his mind as to the amount of concrete between him and freedom remained; it was quickly interrupted, though, by the blindfold being removed.
There wasn't a whole lot of light to hurt the boy's eyes, though he squinted all the same. Before he could take anything into account, though, a shove into his upper back pushed him into a room, a familiar sound following immediately behind him. Turning to face the way he had just come from, he was greeted by a large sheet of purple light covering the doorway; a shield of magic, no doubt, to stop him from leaving on his own.
A look around the room was further homage to his captives, though; the Taron always were all but royal in everything they did. The carpeted room with several pieces of furniture and a separate bathroom were much more than any normal prisoner of Stamaria could hope to receive, though it was not without price that Scept gained such comfort.
His captors were already gone, but they would be back. They would bring food, and then there would be talking. When it became clear Scept either didn't know anything substantial or that he didn't want to tell them, then the games would begin. The Taron could be civil, on the outside, but Scept knew better. It would be a long evening indeed.
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Post by Steinerman on May 7, 2012 17:50:22 GMT -5
The old, familiar cold of battle. Thomas glanced on at the Stamarian outpost, letting the feeling sweep over him, solidifying into an ice that seemed to make everything stand out. Night had almost completely fallen, by the time plans had been made. Aya had prowled up and down the bar, anxious to be in the fight, to rescue what she for the moment considered her ally.
But for such an operation, plans had to be made. The Bonedancer, while sympathetic, couldn't offer material support at the moment. "I'm sorry." She'd told him. "Mags is with me, but father still doesn't trust the Outcasts. Not after what Robert did to the Regals. We'll convince him, but it will take time."
And that had been that. Fortunately, she'd offered to safeguard the Outcast trainee's out of Zailleon. By now, BlackBlade forces were evacuating all Outcasts out of the country, except for the ones that had come to join Thomas.
Now behind him, the twenty Hell Legionnaires stood in two neat ranks, their usually golden armor covered in grey cloaks at the moment, to keep it from reflecting. Heavy shields upon their backs, rifles slung across their shoulders, and swords at their sides. The shields had been enhanced to offer a great deal of protection from bullets and other high-tech weapons. While not impervious, it would offer them a good chance. That, combined with their almost peerless training and unwavering attitude were what had made them such a fierce fighting force in Kemei.
Next to them, Aya stood with four other Outcast predators, faces darkened where need be, eyes covered by night-vision goggles. Bodies bristling with various silenced weapons.
And behind them were the machines that would bring sudden death to the Stamarian Outpost. Four Nix helicopter gunships. Long, sleek machines, seating a pilot and gunner each. The Outcasts were extremely proud of their airforce, and had used it to withering effect many times before. Fast and highly lethal, the Nix's would be upon the outpost almost before any detection system spotted them.
Thomas turned to face Vesper, and chuckled as she stood on her tiptoes and immediately began applying face-paint to his cheeks. "Worried, doc?" He questioned of the woman, her face already darkened by the same paint.
Her eyes locked with his, and he could see a fair measure of worry there. "Always. Just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I like to see fighting. But I'm not leaving Scept in there to the Taron."
Thomas gave her an encouraging smile. "Relax. This is what we do."
"I know. But either way, people are going to die tonight."
"Just be glad we didn't wait for the Taron-killer to get here. If we'd let that little thing come, we'd have to kill any Stamarian that even got a glimpse of it." Thomas replied helpfully. "Robert was adamant on that."
And then he turned to take in the surrounding soldiers once more. "Right, gunships provide heavy cover. Remember to laze targets of interest. Hell Legion secures the main entrance, Outcasts are the rescue unit. We exfil back to waiting transport and bug out. Any questions?"
The soldiers were silent. Thomas grinned at them, his eye shining brightly. "Right then, let's go remind the Stamarians that we're unwelcome on their soil."
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Post by Ribitta on May 8, 2012 0:34:27 GMT -5
Scept's body hit the floor, stunned and practically crippled for the time being. The way the departing Taron man exited the room you might've thought he had a massive trailing robe behind him, but all the smirking man had to do was hold his nose high and act like he hadn't just beaten a teenager to near death with his mind.
The purple light that guarded the door absorbed the Taron without hesitation, though, leaving Scept alone in the room now. Alone to himself. He had heard more than once that leaving the Taron Magi wasn't the hard part, it was coming back to them as the majority usually did. Scept had been given a meal earlier, but that had long since been thrown up midway through the interrogation, and now the boy lay crumpled on the carpet, sobbing silently.
Why had he been such a fool to trust Thomas? To trust Robert? The Outcasts in general, really. He had learned a long time ago people weren't to be trusted, but still something had gotten the better of him. Scept tried to argue with himself that he had been careful, that he hadn't simply been easily played and duped, but the cold reality of his cell didn't offer much hope in that train of thought. He was here, and that was that. He was here with the Taron, and he would likely be with the Taron for a very, very long time.
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Post by Steinerman on May 8, 2012 0:49:33 GMT -5
The rumble of vehicle engines turning on was overcome only by the slow whining buildup of the Nix's rotors as the helicopters (dragged to this spot via the ground vehicles to avoid early radar detection) powered, sending sand flying. Vesper bowed her head once as the other soldiers mounted up into an array of armored jeeps and trucks, preparing for the assault. "Hang on, Sceptus. We're coming for you." She whispered before hopping up into the truck with the Hell Legionnaires and accepting an offered helmet from them.
In almost perfect unison, the gunships lifted off. One splitting off while the others stayed in a hovering position for a few precious seconds. The lead gunship swept in towards the outpost, fired off a pair of missiles in quick succession (the lead missile intended to detonate any shielding the base might have) and then swept over the base in a roar. There was an explosion as the missiles found their mark in the communications building, cutting the base off from the outside world.
The Stamarian defenses, now alerted, tore up the sky, trying to track the gunship. Tracers lit up the air and flak bursts thundered. This however, was expected. The lead gunship continued on it's path straight through, acting as decoy so the rest of the squadron could identify defensive positions and destroy them.
The next few minutes were chaos as the gunships engaged the defenses with a barrage of rockets, the occasional missile and a hail of fire from their chin-guns. Sirens sounded from the outpost and the defensive guns roared in return, trying to track the nimble gunships.
The two jeeps and three trucks that held the ground forces rushed for the main entrance, which was guarded by a solid-looking bunker. The attack had been planned so that the trucks would hit the gate at roughly the same time as the gunships finished their first pass, hoping to capitalize upon the confusion of the assault. The first Hell Legion truck rammed straight through the gates and swerved swiftly to sideswipe into the bunker, hopefully blocking any return fire from the bunker gunports.
Hell Legionaries poured out of the vehicles and charged the bunker while the two Outcast jeeps rushed for the cluster of buildings that made up the main facility.
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Post by Ribitta on May 8, 2012 0:58:43 GMT -5
Inside Scept's cell, no outside noise could be heard. Whatever spell it was, though, certainly could not stop the boy from feeling the shaking in the ground. It was an odd sensation, feeling but not hearing, but it certainly made the boy lift his head up one way or another. Perhaps a Korin assault? A natural disaster? A coup? His thoughts got more and more ridiculous as he let them run wild. One thing was for sure, though; something was going on outside. Though he had not good reason to hope, the beaten and exhausted boy found himself doing so yet again.
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Post by Steinerman on May 8, 2012 1:12:12 GMT -5
There was a hissing whine as one of the last anti-air guns scored a few hits upon a passing Nix, sending the helicopter spinning in wild circles for several frenetic seconds before righting itself. Before the gun could fire another burst, another gunship soared past overhead and brought a pair of rockets down onto the defender.
Across the communications channels, Thomas heard the Hell Legionaries report that they'd cleared the bunker, no fatalities on their side, just wounds, which Vesper was currently patching up. He nodded grimly, the Stamarians were good soldiers, but the mercenaries had surprise on their side, and were at the very least equals in skill. A hard fight to be sure, but one they could win.
He drove the jeep to a skidding halt near what looked to be the main entrance of the complex, hearing the soft "pfft pfft" of one of the Predator's silenced rifles, he looked up to see a pair of Stamarian guards fall dead. As a one, the Outcasts exited their vehicles and made their way into the facility, weapons at the ready.
Thomas and Aya took the lead of two separate columns, each close to one side of the hallway. A Stamarian in powered armor appeared at the end of the hallway, though several latches on his armor were still undone, obviously the man had hurried when donning the armor. There was a thunderous roar as Thomas braced himself and fired Hellraiser, using the armor-piercing weapon to drop the Stamarian. As they passed the fallen body, Aya lowered her weapon just long enough to put a trio of shots into the helmet of the fallen warrior, then they continued forward.
Thirty seconds later they were in what looked to be the logistical support area, Aya staring intently at a Stamarian clerk, the young freckled woman shaking in fear. "A Taron brought a young boy here, where'd they take him?" Aya questioned, drawing a combat knife from her belt.
The woman's eyes grew big a saucers as she saw the knife and she gulped repeatedly before finally finding courage to speak. "He---he's in the guest quarters, but the mage put up some sort of spell around the door."
"Where are the quarters?" Aya questioned, cocking her head to the side with an eery look in her eyes.
"Main floor, Just past the armory, you can't miss them." The girl sobbed. A moment later Aya drew a dart gun and shot the woman in the thigh. "Sleep, little girl. Outcasts don't kill noncoms." Aya whispered before sheathing her knife and pistol and raising her rifle again. "Right, let's roll." She hissed. The group moved swiftly out and down the hall, heading for the armory and Scept's location.
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Post by Ribitta on May 8, 2012 23:17:22 GMT -5
Scept struggled to his feet, the shaking becoming more and more fierce. Could something be coming in this direction? If there was something, he doubted it would help him much. Desperately, the boy tried to find some place to hide; if men came in then it would be better for everyone if he could just stay out of sight. So long as it wasn't...
The purple light around the door vanished, and the Taron came stalking in a moment later. Robe partially burnt and face looking furious, the man immediately unleashed his anger on the floundering Scept, sending a sharp kick to the face to send him to the ground. The boy felt his nose snap at the impact, flying onto his back with blood gushing out of his face now.
As he finally regained vision, though, he found two more Stamarian soldiers pulling him away from the door that they had shut now. Scept could sense the magic in the room, realizing a moment later that the Taron was in the process of opening a portal, but to where... Scept could only guess.
One of the guards raised a hand to his ear, though, turning to speak to the Taron, "Sir, looks like they're already here." Who was they? Scept groaned as the Taron man cancelled his spell, turning around instead to grab Scept by the hair and force him to his knees. In both ears Scept could hear barrels clicking into place as each soldier pointed their firearm directly at his head.
Gritting his teeth, the boy raised his eyes just high enough to see the doorway. It was small, probably only capable of fitting one or people abreast in it. Once again, it looked, he was to be the object of bartering; a threat to shoot if whoever it was entered to quickly, no doubt.
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Post by Steinerman on May 9, 2012 1:32:02 GMT -5
Aya swore vehemently and held up her hand, signaling a stop. "Did you see that? That rodent Taron beat us into the room. A thousand gold says he's opening a portal."
Thomas concentrated on the room into which Aya had seen the Taron flee. Switching his mechanical eye's view to the high-tech infrared. Though fuzzy, he could make out what appeared to be four figures in the room, three of them gathered around a fourth, who appeared to be kneeling.
"Hostage situation." He hissed softly to the rest of the unit. Two of the Outcasts swiftly took up overwatch of the hallway, while the rest stacked up around the door. "Mage," Thomas called out loudly through the door. "Let the boy out alive, and you don't die."
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Post by Ribitta on May 9, 2012 1:46:54 GMT -5
Scept's eyes bulged in his head, trying to concentrate amidst the pain. The mage's whining voice filled everything in him, though, "You can't bargain with nothing to offer, Mr. Saint, I am not afraid of you. I could tear you apart with just a thought. If you don't want the boy's head to become a smoking crater, though, let him see your face one last time, at least. Let him see the man who will be the reason for his suffering for decades to come." The Taron bit off those last words with clear malice, sending a force spell toward the door and destroying it from its hinges.
Trying to drown out the the mage's laughter, Scept screwed his eyes together, trying to remain conscious. Had Thomas really betrayed him, if he were here now? It didn't make any sense. It never made any sense.
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Post by Steinerman on May 9, 2012 1:52:03 GMT -5
The Outcasts were flung away from the door as it exploded outwards. Though fortunately they only received bruises and cuts. In an instant, Thomas was back on his feet, voice angry. "You have Scept, I have the power to turn your lovely little building into a pile of rubble." He shouted back angrily, making sure to keep clear of the doorway. "In case you didn't notice, Mage. But my gunships have handily turned your Imperial Outpost into a ruin in just a few minutes. If you harm him, I'll bring down this building on your head."
Meanwhile, Aya and another Predator readied flashbangs, in case they really had the breach the room. Taking on the mage would be problematic, to say the least. And though Thomas made a good threat, it still didn't discount the fact that this situation really could end with several deaths, one of them being Scept. Aya frowned in concentration. She wasn't about to lose one of her allies.
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Post by Ribitta on May 9, 2012 2:23:43 GMT -5
The Taron's face twisted with fury, clearly unappreciative of someone ignoring his commands. Lifting his hand up, he bellowed toward the doorway, "I SAID LOOK AT ME, THOMAS SAINT!" The words were layered, hundreds of tones pressed into one voice as the Taron spoke magically; Scept knew what he was doing, and it made his head throb to the point where he had to shut his eyes to concentrate.
Amoria. A spell created and kept exclusively within the Taron. Scept knew about it, like many did, for it was something dangled above the heads of every student who hoped to progress within the Taron. It took the caster, and those who he chose, briefly into another world. No one really knew if it was a mental thing or truly an other-worldly experience, but the effects were strange. Anything that happened in Amoria would have equally dire consequences in the real world, but hours in Amoria translated to seconds in the real world. When you reappeared, though, you returned exactly to the spot you left.
When Scept opened his eyes, the world was completely different. The Taron still held his hair in his head and he was certainly still on his knees, but now they stood on a long stone bridge, located above an endless abyss. There were no light sources, save for that dull, reddish fog that seemed to illuminate everything just a little, and there were only three people. The two mages on one end of the bridge, and Thomas Saint on the other end, now completely exposed.
Amoria served a number of purposes by the Taron, but perhaps their favorite was to instill fear in the hearts of their enemies. It couldn't be held for long, as it was a mixture of the harshest forms of chronomancy and illusionary magic at the same time, but a flash of a world destroyed in front of your eyes brought grown men to their knees in tears. Now, though, the Taron seemed enraged. To trigger Amoria just to have a moment more of satisfaction with an execution? Scept would have laughed bitterly if he had the capacity to; he supposed the Taron was low enough.
The Taron was leaning forward now, absolutely gleeful of the situation. Grabbing Scept's face with one hand and yanking his hair with the other, the boy was forced to look toward the Taron as he spoke to him, "Well, then, boy. Any last words to your beloved 'ally' before I destroy him in both this world and the next? Let it be a lesson to never trust someone outside the Magi, child."
The Taron shoved Scept's head down again, so he could look at Thomas. Pulling himself together as best he could, Scept even managed to roll his eyes at the arrogance of the mage before grunting to Thomas, "Just... shoot him." He would take care of the rest.
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