Re: MISSION: The Dissolution of Drachma and RIOTE's Rebirth

[Dai]

"Tch." His eyes narrowed slightly, yet still keeping that confidence that was burning within. The streaking projectile had changed course and disappeared into that overbearing blackness that was Aurelius' black hole. So, his gamble had failed? Typical. Gritting his teeth, Dai took a step backwards, raising an arm slightly, watching through the red orbs with careful detail. "Dai, don't move." He blinked, but nodded. Alright. If she ordered it... he would bring the sun down from the sky. Closing his eyes, he drew the bo staff out and stabbed it down in front of him, gritting his teeth and smirking. Whatever she had planned, he would go along with. "As you wish, Reila." He watched, and waited... and then felt himself to be slightly awestruck. A wall, greater than one he had ever known to not be Briggs, grew above them all. The redhead growled softly, smiling and chuckling internally. "Think I'll win the championship this year?"[/color] A small laugh came from the Alchemist to match her's. "Most... certainly." He smiled brightly at her, before suddenly switching his gaze to the wall itself. N-what? [i]"This divides us and RIOTE. Now we can g--" Her surprise was just the same as his, the wall falling, collapsing into nothing. "NGH--" Clicking his fingers, he attempted to fix his magnetic field, but he was too late, and the deluge dragged him under.

Water. Water bad.

His heart stopped. Reila. He couldn't see Reila. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck... He couldn't see Reila. There were no wisps of red hair to be seen. He'd just gotten her back, he wasn't losing her again. Fuck... THERE! He was almost out of breath. Any longer, and he'd begin to drown. Moving through the water as quickly as he could, Dai reached out a hand and gripped it tightly, bubbles spreading out as he felt himself choke slightly. F... Pushing upwards, Dai pulled her to the surface with him and erupted into air, gasping for air. "Haah..." He coughed, staring back at her and nodded, pulling her away with him, not caring if she resisted or not. It was no longer about winning this fight, it was about surviving. "Fuck. My sunglasses." A refreshing voice. The redhead coughed a little, and looked up at Spade with a waterlogged expression. And then, Reila spoke. That should be the last of your worries. I...I failed... We need to run." He nodded in agreement. "I ain't running this time." Hnngh... "Suit yourself. BOARD THE SHIP. STOP STANDING THERE LIKE DUMBFOUNDED IDIOTS. IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, GET YOUR ASSES ON BOARD." He looked back at Reila, and then at Spade once more. What to do, what to do... Ugh, he hated being this conflicted sometimes. It should've been easy. Choose the girl, leave Spade.

But...

No, it was that man's choice to do that. Turning away, Daigoro followed Reila, entering the ship and taking his place. They would return to Briggs...

And they would've lost.

[Thread LEFT]

[Guest]

”How about you lower that gun, and then we start talking this out?” said a voice from behind in the unexpected familiarity of the Esparian tongue. Miguel glanced out the window he had stationed himself at one last time, carefully observing all the movements of the remaining enemy soldiers. They were scrambling, but not in the direction of the Esparians or his location, it seemed. Well as long as they weren't pursuing the children, then all was fine, he could focus on....

Miguel's sharp golden gaze shot towards the woman he had cornered on the battlefield earlier. The Esparian in drachman uniform, who's men had attacked his companions. He still couldn't figure out her affiliation, nor the nature of her identity. He shifted the aim of his rifle as she drew and opened her fan. Sparks of energy began to dance across the object and throughout the room. The atmosphere seemed to change and shift, it made him feel uneasy. Alchemy. An Esparian Alchemist? This woman was growing stranger by the minute. With the unpredictable element of alchemy at work, the wary Esparian mercenary rested his finger against the trigger of his rifle, that pointed at the strange woman, though it was not concentrated dead on her, lest he spark unneeded hostilities in this Esparian standoff.

He looked carefully over her once more, taking not of the bullet wound on her arm. "Are you sure it's okay for you to come up here alone? I'm armed, and you're probably aware of Esparian resentment of alchemy. For all you know, I could be a member of the inquisition, specialized dealing with alchemical threats." Miguel voiced dryly, planning out his next move in case she made her own, while at the same time he pondered over the identity of the strange Esparian woman. A few seconds passed, and curiosity got the better of him.

"Still....it's obvious you are Esparian. But what I don't get is why you were parading around in Drachman clothes, or why you attacked my companions." said Miguel, lowering his aim just a bit. It was a subtle gesture on his part, meant to ease the tension between the two. All he had to do was keep talking and perhaps they could put their differences behind them and go their separate ways. Afterall, he had not business her in Drachma anymore. Screw what Valentin had planned, dying on foreign soil was not worth it, it was best that he see the rest back to Esparia safely. Even though this woman was with the group that killed Catalina, even though he could pull the trigger and draw her blood to avenge Catalina's death, he did not. Revenge wouldn't earn him anything but more blood on his hands. It wouldn't bring Catalina back from the dead, and it wouldn't make anyone happier. It was best to shed their grievances and move on. "But..." continued Miguel, "I don't really bear any resentment towards you. Lets put away our weapons and-"

BOOM

An explosion erupted from outside, within view of the window, engulfing a building a few blocks away. The sounds of shouting and gunfire increased once more. And in the distant, the looming sound of a thousand marching feet. Men clad in black uniforms marched into view while Amestrian and Cretan soldiers scrambled to flee the tide. RIOTE, great. They may have had formal ties with the Esparian inquisition, but they made Miguel feel uneasy....

"Hello, Amestrians. Do you hear my voice?". The radio of the Esparian woman crackled and a soft voice, which Miguel likened to that of a temptress, with words soft and tinged with cruelty, called through.

"I'm glad you do so. It's been so long since I got to hear you all, my wonderful people. Have you forgotten the voice of your wonderful Fuhrer yet? I hope not... it'd make me so sad." It was that woman, Hild, that former Fuhrer of Amestris and the current head of RIOTE. He never met her, no, but he certainly had her of her.

"My next words are to all of my wonderful RIOTE troops that I've left in hiding throughout Moscow... come. DESTROY THEM. And Amestris. I'm glad that you survived the night, however your lieu to survive is now null and void. Say your last goodbyes, and just let my men kill you, please~"

She certainly was loco, no doubt. But then again, she was the leader of the world's most infamous terrorist organization, and one of the most wanted people in the world, so it was not that much of a surprise. But it was for reasons like this that Miguel opted to have no part in this. They stood on bloody ideals and sparked violence and war in their wake. The inquisition was hardly better....no, best rid his mind of those thoughts, to confront that and whatever shady dealings Vasco had in mind.... Esparia didn't need another bloody revolution.

Either way, the sun was rising, the night gave way to the light of the morning, and the enemy was breaking before the legions of RIOTE. They were done hear, it was time for him to meet up with the rest of the Esparians and arrange for them to depart back to Esparia as soon as possible.

But what of the woman he was with now. They were no longer enemies, but they were not comrades either. He was not obligated to help her, even if escape looked bleak for her now, with the hordes of RIOTE cutting them off from the receding Amestrian forces. No more was to be expected than letting them go their separate ways....though, the altruism, in Miguel's heart of hearts said otherwise.


Miguel, in an act of confidence that in present conditions, she would not attack him, lowerd his rifle completely, and spoke up. "Listen, we are no longer enemies, nor are we now allies, but that does not mean I can simply leave another Esparian here to die. Your escape is probably cut off, your country is retreating unconditionally. I'll escort you as far as you need to go, cut off your radio, hide it, and follow me, we're getting out of Moscow, we'll slip right past RIOTE, as far as they'd know, you're with me, and I'm on their side. I really don't care for this war, just think of this as an act of good will towards a fellow Esparian."

[Guest]

Before he could even find their coordinates, Vivian was off contacting her people. Probably the best idea, he supposed. Amestris was already in retreat, and… He shook his head. He didn’t want to imagine what horror caused the general to turn tail. At least she wasn’t a coward like some Drachman officers he’d served under. Back in the day, of course.

He sighed heavily, looking out the window as rays of light began creeping down the street. They had lasted through the night, but at what cost? Was it worth it? Looking at the other three, he shifted uncomfortably. Perhaps he should’ve tried talking the general out of it. Invasions into Drachma tended to be unsuccessful in the colder months. Always.

Watching the vehicle come to a halt outside their building, he couldn’t help but eye the Cretan engineering. Radically different from the Drachman machinery he was used to. Ripping his eyes away from it – and banishing the thoughts about which parts he should salvage from it – he kept an eye out as the others made their way into the APC. Entering last, he took a seat, looking over at the Cretan, the Doctor, and the subordinate of General Whiskey.

”Guess we managed to make it out huh?”

Viktor nods slowly, looking down at the floor. ”It would seem so,” he says solemnly.

Exit Thread

[Guest]

Regret lined every touch, every breath, every thought. Her back was pushing against the cold steel, and she stared out into the distance in front of her. Had she truly just...? The girl shook her head. She had affirmed herself to her cause. She had made her choice, even if she had to throw away one of the two people who gave her meaning. Closing her eyes, she swallowed her pride. She swallowed her joy, leaving only despair, regret and hatred. Despair in that she would forever lose that which she had built for herself. Regret for the innocents that she had destroyed. Hatred for those which would kill more innocents in years to come. "Aurel... I'm a monster." Laughing quietly to herself, Hild's body slowly raised itself up from the floor now, having returned to it's sitting position. The girl stared blankly into the distance, watching the wall along the other side with a careful and dead-set gaze. Growling softly, Hild sniffed at the air before her and sighed. She was going to finish this world and drown it in peace. Blood begets blood, you know? So that peace that this world would be drowning in? It would be blood. Blood. Yes, that sort of blood. The blood of the evil, including herself. Yes, she had already labeled herself as such. Chuckling, Hild Schwarz took a few steps forwards, and turned towards the stairs, staring to return back down them. She was Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.

"So it is my burden to remember my sin, and to return to it all." She nodded to herself, and stepped back down towards the entrance hall, giggling now. She... was crazy, yes. Not obscenely, yet still crazy. And then, the sound of a helicopter. W-what was that? Narrowing her eyes, Hild broke out into a run, sprinting through the echo-ing hallway, towards their landing pad. Wait, that was--"Wha..." Why was Aurelius... leaving her behind? She stepped forwards and wiped a tear off of her face, scared, confused, and for the first time in her life... truly lonely. Even with that regret that she'd felt, she had taken comfort in the life of Aurelius. For everything, Aurelius had been of the greatest comfort to her. He wouldn't leave her side like thi--had he heard her? She looked down slightly, and cursed herself. She should have guessed, that man's ears... No... "No... don't misunderstand, Aurelius..." She just wanted... she wanted his happiness. She was happy when he was by her side, so she was able to work on his happiness. That... that was why she had sought the destruction of these people! She had seen him like this--she had seen the disgust that he had for humans! She'd heard him comment over it, even when it was under hushed breaths! That was all for him! She may regret it now, but it didn't matter! N-no... no, no, no. She would kill for Aurelius' love. She would kill for it, and she would kill for it, and she would kill, kill, kill for it. This was that which she desired. If Aurelius made her happy, then she would do all in her power to make him happy. "Yes, happy and alive." She chuckled to herself, a slightly momentary 'heee' noise escaping her throat as she did so.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kiiiill them all..." She giggled, and cackled, and made a variety of noises, all of which sounded suspiciously like laughter. But what if he had misunderstood? No, she wouldn't have that. She would show him how loyal she was to this cause. Even if it hurt her in the end, she would never abandon this cause. Her guns would fire true and people would die. Death. Was that not such a trivial term? A placeholder for life? Yes, death was simply another stage of life, so it deserved... to be treated as such. With that thought in her head, Hild began her trek down to the car. She hadn't forgotten about that. In fact, she could drive that, with little difficulty. Smirking, her slow movements eventually reached the black vehicle, and it was easy enough to find the keys and open the door, pulling the vehicle out and putting her foot down. It would not take her long. Not long at all. The car sprinted through the snowy wastes, Hild heading towards the direction that she had seen the helicopter. Moscow, and for some reason she expected the Kremlin, though she wasn't sure why. And, as the vehicle drove, she could always feel that nagging feeling at the back of her mind... as if there was something that would be wrong with this encounter...

A field of the deepest darkness, and a rushing torrent of water. Those were the images that greeted Hild from behind, as she finally reached her destination. The Amestrians were making their retreat, and she could see the three figures standing behind the hole, killing soldiers upon soldiers, consuming everything with their Alchemy. She growled softly, bringing the vehicle to a stop and kicking the door out; she had no time for normal exits. As she slowly made her way out of the car, she noticed it and shook her head. A man, Amestrian. He was sneaking up behind Aurelius, of all people. Shaking her head, Hild brought out one of her X guns and raised it into the air, aiming down the sights. A trigger was pulled, and a loud 'whoosh' was made as the outer edge of the bullet reacted with the air, creating a long trail of fire. This trail streamed towards the soldier, and hit him in the back, slowly beginning to incinerate his body. She smirked to herself as he screamed, and she slowly approached the trio, flames burning in both eyes; the blue and mangled red. "You dare leave without me?" Her voice held no tones of loss, nor of regret. "I, who order this death to the people?" She was not speaking outside herself, but with something that she needed to speak of. And then, of all things, a sigh. A sigh of frustration. Shaking her head, Hild looked directly at the trio, not caring if they listened, simply saying what she had to say. "I regret it somewhat, the deaths of those millions. I do not care about the militants, nor about the Alchemists, simply those who did not need to be caught up in this..." She laughed, shaking her head and cackling. "However, I'll do anything, Aurelius. Anything to make you happy and bring some form of peace to this place. Anything to show you that I am NOT just some naive girl..." That, of course, was a total lie. She was a naive girl, and she could not deny that any longer. "I have thought it over. Humans are a hateful breed that have no real way of living..." A cackle. Those little pieces were showing up her madness, still. "I want to continue my work as RIOTE's memory... not just for peace, but for you, Aurelius." She chuckled, turning away now. "Shall I leave that up to you? Kill me here, if you wish. If you think that, because I have a few defective emotions, I'm now useless, kill me now." It was an open invitation...

She would take either punishment...

(This post... probably isn't that great. =/}

[Elastor Ito]

The cut at Takatori's ankles skimmed across the snow, showering the light-swimming air with small, glowing crystals. He spun around, red hair flaring out in the light as it gradually faded into the same bleary sunrise. Everything seemed orange then: the snow, the sky, Takatori's blazing eyes, and hateful smirk. But the man was reaching for something so quickly that Ela barely had enough time to register it. His sword didn't pause, hardly allowing its wielder to take a moment to see what exactly the man was pulling out from his coat this time. Who knew, maybe it was something else meant to ruin his life and plunge him into the fiery abyss from whilst he came. Fuck that. Silver sailed over head, knocking off strands of hair and breathing harsh rings through frigid wind. Not one of his own hit again, but from the other side, Ela nearly felt his heart stop.

"Honestly kid, you should be blaming your parents for this. If they had kept up their end of the fucking deal, then maybe I wouldn't have had to give them a dance of death. I wonder if your sister will be as understanding when she realizes you are the reason her husband and children were taken from her." Something sounding like a gunshot reverberated off the nearby mountains, shuddering into his very soul with words that stung worse than a fireball of lead. He hardly knew what was happening, hardly was able to pull himself out of the shadows in his mind, growing darker and darker as smoke filled his lungs and he found himself on top of a girl he felt something for because...he protected her. His arms were around her, protecting her head from whatever that had exploded. Realization began pricking his mind with harsh claws of reason. Why did he care? Why should he care? After the situations they had shared, shouldn't he have just left her there--standing there cluelessly in the wake of destruction--to let her body break down in the burning rays of a rocket? That was what it looked like now. Blurry, exploding where they had just been standing. Takatori was gone. He was gone. The chance had passed. He had failed. He had failed, but... He no longer wanted to move. Here was fine. Just being here, caressed by the soft pullings of her smell past the airy metallic taste of blood and far-off yells of pain. Here was fine.

Elastor felt himself moving to stand, gripping the ungrippable snow to drag himself up through a trail of blood. Ah, he had been shot. It all made sense now. Why he felt darkness creeping in on him, cold fingers caressing his skin under his clothes, and squeezing out the contents of what kept him alive. Death. No, he wouldn't die. Even with a bullet lodged in him, he would help Csilla to stand proudly. ...because that was who Ela was. His muffled eyes scanned her face, hunting for anything out of place in her expression or any clarifications that she had been injured at all. No, he had not failed completely. She was okay. That last step she took to stand happened slowly, he saw her arms fly through the smoke, through the shadow, and wrap carelessly around his neck, sending jolts of surprise through his being, rupturing any inner peace he had gained since being shot. And she was there, her lips pressed tightly against his...soft...wet...he couldn't breathe, and his knees nearly buckled. He didn't know where she went, but she was gone. There wasn't time to stop her, not even a moment to say 'wait'. Wait. Too late. Don't die out there.

"The Amestrians have started sounding their retreats, and we must follow suit. Elastor, make sure Lieutenant Angelis makes it to her people, or we’ll provide passage for her through Creta. Once you have everyone, then come pick u-“ Retreat? ...retreat? Ela gripped the snow until it piled under his fingernails and melted. Why was that not surprising? He stood there, stooping to one side, trying to see more than three feet in front of him, and then finally realized something. He failed the first orders already. Lieutenant Angelis was already gone. And have everyone? Have everyone, who? Pick up what? Why did it cut off? Something was wrong. He sensed danger with whatever was left of his consciousness and threw himself forth, hijacking a nearby vehicle and hopping inside. No time to think. After just a few moments of pedal-to-the-medaling it, Dietrich swam back into volume on his radio, sounding ragged and...wrong. Get us on the move, repeated in his mind over and over again until the coordinates locked on and Ela slammed on the brakes. The jeep careened to the side and flipped over, gliding in the snow and allowing Ela a mere second to launch himself out of the wonderful parking job and to Dietrich's feet where he fell in shambles of his usually erect stance. Blinking hurt. His eyes just wanted to stay closed. But he refused. Adamantly.

"Lord Dietrich...sir," Ela had to pause, wincing from the way his stomach clenched. Already, the snow around him was soaked with blood from the large, gaping bullet wound in his gut. "all our men are assembled at an air carrier just a few blocks from here..." His vision was going completely now... but he could still see the drops of red oozing from his King as well. He wanted to say something, but to draw attention to it would surely only hinder rather than show his utmost concern. He did care, not only because it gouged a hole in his pride, but also because he was currently experiencing the same kind of pain. Retreating now...was a good idea. He wasn't sure just...just how much....longer he could...

He was laying in the snow, having fallen sideways, just barely grasping sinews of thought that fell away like sand through his cold fingertips. So quickly he was slipping away, that he no longer heard anything, no longer felt anything, and was almost floating--floating in a sea of "I wonder if your sister will be as understanding when she realizes you are the reason her husband and children were taken from her." What. Anouk...her husband...her children? Her...her family? His breath hitched, eyes squeezed tight as he lay limply on his side, barely staying there, barely existing. Her family was gone because of him? Unbearable...unbearable amounts of pain wracked his body and he really was no longer there. If he died then, he would have had so many regrets...

[EXIT MISSION]

[Aurelius Schwartz]

“Hi Aurel," she began. Said man turned around to match the light, hesitant voice to the small body of his soon-to-be newest bearer. She continued, he listened past the wails of dying as the very voice was sucked out of them into the void. "Sorry if I failed too badly with guarding the Kremlin. If it helps any, the majority of Amestrians trying to take the Kremlin were either filled with arrows or crushed by falling debris.” He nodded, silently examining her flit towards the descending enemy and then their immediate fall into demise. He almost nodded again, but stopped himself, letting her move closer to him as he would only a trusted ally. No, not even that. To Aurel, Nyx was not a pawn; she was something akin to that which he did not find morbidly annoying. She was a child; she was his child. He labeled her--he stamped her with his seal and let her be there and nowhere else. Nyx was Nyx by name and by code--a girl that knew not his most human of feelings, as he liked it.

A sound to his right made him turn from the men strewn with arrows to the one called Takatori. Now, this was a man. He felt a smirk curl viney clutches around his lips and he bowed his head slightly in greeting. Takatori was the only member of RIOTE granted such freedoms as the Men in White (MiW). It made Aurelius slightly disconcerted to know that he didn't control every action of RIOTE fully, but at the same time, it was comfort to know that if he did die, RIOTE would still survive. And yet...maybe it would be better for RIOTE to go down with the ship, himself being the ship... "Lovely day for a massacre, wouldn't you agree? Got any orders besides tear those pussies to shreds? Cuz that's fine for me." Hm. Aurel took a moment to think, staring blankly up at the soldier that flipped to the ground below with a sickening crunch. It was beyond him--everything dust in the snowy Drachman wind. Takatori was a man--the only man worthy of being himself and holding what Aurel had entrusted to him. Anyone else, would have already been dead. Add a little evil into the mix...because without it, a true collection of peace could never be. That essence defined Takatori, and defined the MiW to a T.

"Certainly. As for orders, I believe you already know what to do." He kufu-ed slightly and turned away, heading straight toward the confluence of redheads. But before he met them, a giant wall appeared in an instant, stopping him in his tracks. Who knew that the little girl at Fort Briggs was capable of such things. He turned to glance at his two companions, mainly wanting to see each of their individual reactions. Only because it would serve as mild entertainment midst this rather boring display of power. See, he could wipe it away in an instant with...just the flick of a hand...albeit the consequences it would entail. He touched the cool ice, barely even thinking about what he was doing before it immediately turned into water, rushing rigidly in the opposite direction of his troops and towards the ship the Amestrians were fleeing to. He snickered and felt a shooting pain through his body, coughing into his hand. There, he left speckles of blood, which also dripped from his lips and down his chin. Vicious eyes, he felt his own murderous glare building out from his mismatched stare like an extension of himself into gold before it vanished underwater. He, too, was drowning...because chimera weren't meant to perform alchemy like this. He swayed slightly backwards, vision blurring across the troops of uniformed RIOTE soldiers flooding past him to chase off the retreat.

A man. Quite different than that which defined Takatori as a man. This guy... "Hey there, beautiful. You look like a fairy princess that fell out of a children's book. And what's with the eye patch, tryin' to be Edward Teach or something? Oh that's sad: Aurel, man, hate to burst your bubble, but mullets are kind of out outdated... the reason is because..." ...was going to die. CLICK. Wait, it would defile his plan. To kill this sad excuse for a human being would be to dirty his hands and taint the plan he already had set in stone. Che. He grit his teeth and turned around.

"What a waste of time." He drew the black hole back to himself, watching it disperse to allow the ants to run back towards their egotistical lives, warranting an excuse for everlasting peace when really...this was what would bring true peace. This. He grinning through blood, flashing fangs and ultimate confidence. Today, we allow you to live--to fight another day because that it what it takes to invent ever-lasting peace. There was someone behind him. No, two people. He nearly turned, hand clutching sweaty palms to his trident, but the sound of a familiar bullet made him stop. Stark still.

"You dare leave without me?" ... "I, who order this death to the people?" Aurel turned around, a sour look glowing through his eyes. Not now, Hild. I'm tired. Can't you see that? He sighed himself almost completely in unison with her. "I regret it somewhat, the deaths of those millions. I do not care about the militants, nor about the Alchemists, simply those who did not need to be caught up in this... However, I'll do anything, Aurelius. Anything to make you happy and bring some form of peace to this place. Anything to show you that I am NOT just some naive girl..." He opened his mouth to exhibit a snarky response, but shut it to seal away his laughter of her lie. "I have thought it over. Humans are a hateful breed that have no real way of living...I want to continue my work as RIOTE's memory... not just for peace, but for you, Aurelius. Shall I leave that up to you? Kill me here, if you wish. If you think that, because I have a few defective emotions, I'm now useless, kill me now." No, Aurel wasn't going to shut his mouth this time--wasn't going to silently take it and walk away. He raised his hand, dropped his trident to the snow, and slapped her across the face. It was like a kiss--a kiss of anger. Aurel did not get angry often, but he was angry now. It wafted off him, growing like an aura in the air and twisting itself tightly around Hild's neck in strangulation. Aurel did not raise his hand again; he opened his mouth.

"You are not fit to run RIOTE in this state; you understand not the feats one must trek in order to make you own wishes come true. Leave it to me as you always have to thoroughly make that come true in the purest of forms. Hild, open your mouth against me again and no longer will any of this be possible."

[EXIT MISSION]

[Reila Tsukino]

EXIT THE MISSION OR YOUR CHARACTER WILL AUTOMATICALLY DIE. I REPEAT EXIT THE MISSION OR-- -shot-

Yeah so, I'm waiting to exit with Reila until all the Amestrians exit. So like if you posted once in the mission but went on hiatus or anything, your character/s will still die because I WARNED YOU not to join if you thought you wouldn't be around. 150 words and [EXIT MISSION] is all I ask.

[Guest]

Oh my mymymymy.... He almost hadn't even noticed the little angelic girl with the pretty little bow and arrow. How quaint. He wanted to squash her wings. Just pluck those feathers right out, one by one. What sorts of sounds would she make? Oh... wait... thats right.... She was part of RIOTE. Nyx. Yes, he knew her name. Yes, he had seen her files. BUT STILL...!! The shiny feathers..... But did she sing like a bird? THAT was the question.... Bullets? Oh yes, right... They were fighting. He kicked away a man's body, watching it get sucked into the void of the black hole. Pfft. What a joke this was before Aurelius' power.

Onto the lovely RIOTE leader though, his... boss. Technically. Not that he'd ever rule this wild bronco. At least his presence called forth an almost organic smirk from the cruel cruel man, practically the very form of Chaos incarnate for which Takatori lived for. Mmm... well.. sorta. He could get pre-tty damn close. "Certainly. As for orders, I believe you already know what to do." Heh. Very well. "Excellent. I can live with that. BOYS!" He called to his men, knowing that they would hear as he raised his pistol and fired, a great big grin upon his lips. "MAKE THEM FUCKERS DANCE!" He could hear how Aurel was laughing his strange little laugh (honestly it sounded like some sort of shit off of those cartoons little bastards would watch).

He slashed away a useless hand, glancing up as the ice-storm came towards them, raising an eyebrow as he began to laugh. Oh it was good ol' cackle at that! Really? Was that all? A fucking snow storm? THEY WERE IN A COLD COUNTRY YA DUMB SHIT! What the hell did he care? BRING IT-oh. Now it was just water.... Heh...Hehehe...HehehehehehehehehahahahahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHA! A FUCKING TSUNAMI WAVE OF ICEY WATER WAS WHAT IT WAS NOW! What to offer the "bad guys" a lovely weapon with your god-forsaken alchemy. But he could hear how his "boss" was coughing, glancing over to the mis-match eyed chimera as blood seemed to flake out into his hand. Thats what you fucking got. Cock-sucking-ass-cunt-nugget-ALCHEMY. Yea, suck that dick bitch! HAH! Oh man, this was just too much.... Takatori needed to get into more action like this more often! Though.... considering the couple of missions he had sent his lieutenants on? Maybe he'd still get this rush soon enough....

Ah... The Head of Central.... Alkahestrist... Brother to Saeji. The fuck did he- "Hey there, beautiful. You look like a fairy princess that fell out of a children's book. And what's with the eye patch, tryin' to be Edward Teach or something? Oh that's sad: Aurel, man, hate to burst your bubble, but mullets are kind of out outdated... the reason is because..." Both eyebrows raised as his single eye stared down at this man, scoffing in amusement. Really? That the best he could do? His eyebrow twitched and a half-smirk lit up his features, the tattoo above his eyebrow twisting to the point beyond recognition. Another twitch. Well he might get fewer contracts if he did kill this guy.... Or well... It would certainly be annoying to have forces of Amestris beating down his door. Nah, didn't need that at all.

"What a waste of time."

Whistling shrilly, he slipped the pistol back into his coat, gesturing with his sword to head onward as the pitiful armies of Amestris, Xing, and Creta hurried back to their mommies. Yeah, thats right. Go back home. Pussies. Glancing over to Aurel, he had withdrawn the black hole and was turning about. A sigh. Funs over, back to work.... "'k boys, time to get back to the grinding stone.... This fiesta is over." He murmured into his radio, placing the back of his sword against his shoulders, looking like some wandering ronin or something. What with his cloak fluttering and everything. So the white clothed men gathered up and slipped away like rats into the night, the tall imposing man whistling calmly to himself as two fresh guards came up on either side of him. The music had gone quiet, leaving the chitterings gnawing ever so slightly at the basest point of his mind. Insane, insane.. insane, insane... I'm becoming insane...

[GTFO-ING OUTTA THIS THREAD]

[Guest]

So, her brother had decided to take a separate helicopter. Probably one with Hild, where they would continue on with their world domination. Bitterness was swelling deep inside her chest, not because she was jealous of Hild, but jealous that she was not apart of their grand plan. The beautiful woman slowly approaches the window pain, stares out over the vast array of snow. It was so pure, so peaceful as the flakes slowly fluttered to the ground. In the midst of her jealous rage, her brother make contact with her through the headpiece.

"So tell me, sister. Does that label ring true? As you well know, I was adopted. The prospect of blood-siblings is not impossible. But first let me confirm with you that your side of the plan must now be carried out. Hild is useless. Bring about your allies, one of which was Envy I believe. Meet me at the Kremlin. A helicopter waits for you. I hope you like the design. It was stylized to fit your liking." His voice was as cold as ever. Even over the phone it sent shivers up and down her spine.

Without word, the connection was lost and he was gone again. It’s nothing she wasn’t use to, honestly, Vanity spent most of her time alone. Most of her siblings didn’t trust her, others wanted nothing more but to idolize her, and the few select that didn’t, chose not to associate themselves with her.

Alena quickly takes the stairs out of the hiding place, to the custom designed helicopter. It was stunning, fit for a queen. Once inside, she chose to abandon her brothers plan and go on her own means.

“Tch, he doesn’t need me at this point. I’ve got what I wanted, Drachma. Plus, I have another things I need now.” With that Alena told the pilot of the plane to head for Creta. “I’ve got a date with Toss...” She mumbles to herself before looking out the window over the vast destruction of the Kremlin.

[Exits Thread]

[Guest]

Digging, digging...but then he stopped. Something hit him in the back of the head, and caused him to turn around, eyes sharp, pupils dilated. It was Inimeg...she told him to snap out of it, but what was there for him to snap out of? It was all the same, whether he was the shy, calm, easily manipulated Alex, or this Alex...he couldn't tell the difference. But then he heard something...something spine-chilling, something exciting. It was a voice on the radio...

"Hello, Amestrians. Do you hear my voice? I'm glad you do so. It's been so long since I got to hear you all, my wonderful people. Have you forgotten the voice of your wonderful Fuhrer yet? I hope not... it'd make me so sad. My next words are to all of my wonderful RIOTE troops that I've left in hiding throughout Moscow... come. DESTROY THEM. And Amestris. I'm glad that you survived the night, however your lieu to survive is now null and void. Say your last goodbyes, and just let my men kill you, please~"

Then it happened. People arose from places that they shouldn't have fit in the first place, but they had guns and were ready to strike at anything that moved. "Shit." Then everything went black for a moment, and Alex felt himself fall forward, but he caught himself. "SHIT. His head was pounding, and he had almost forgotten what had happened from the time he got off the crashing aircraft until now - but it all came back to him in an instant, and it overwhelmed him. It had happened again, and there were still remnants of his blood-seeking urges etched into his thoughts. He had to get out of here. NOW. Wobbling as he got to his feet, he took out a RIOTE soldier that had approached to see if it was necessary to even shoot at Alex. He cursed inwardly and fought back the tears that were pushing their way through at this painful realization that what was happening with him was no longer a minor issue. It had grown into something more serious than that, and he just wanted to leave...he wanted to go somewhere where he could be alone, hide from the world and never have to feel anything like that again.

"SHIT, MAN," he yelled, wiping his face with his wrist (his hands were too bloodied), as he ran toward the aircraft that would be retreating to Briggs. It didn't take long, and once he was inside, he passed by a soldier who came to talk to him about some important matter on orders from Reila, but Alex was too flustered and mixed up to pay attention. He passively dismissed the man, and then slowly made his way to the back of the ship, into a dark corner, and he sat, clutching his legs and biting his lower lip. What if Reila found out? Or Dai? Or Xan? The three people he feared - and respected - the most? A heavy, shaky breath escaped him, as he sunk into the shadows, just wanting it all to be over.

[EXIT THREAD]

[Guest]

"Dae Dae! You're safe! I was so worried, where were you back there? I escaped the Kremlin but I couldn't see you from the treetops!"

Daemon stopped dead in his tracks, and felt a tinge of relief. At least she was still alive and in once piece.

"Sorry, Nyxie...I got...held up by something." That something was a fiery cage set up by Spade Aeries. It was still such a puzzling situation, but he took the experience with him, and would later decipher every little aspect in it to find some logical, useful meaning. Just then, as he was about to say something else, Hild's voice chimed over the radio of a nearby fallen Amestrian soldier. Daemon searched for the device and pulled it off of the deceased man.

"Hello, Amestrians. Do you hear my voice? I'm glad you do so. It's been so long since I got to hear you all, my wonderful people. Have you forgotten the voice of your wonderful Fuhrer yet? I hope not... it'd make me so sad. My next words are to all of my wonderful RIOTE troops that I've left in hiding throughout Moscow... come. DESTROY THEM. And Amestris. I'm glad that you survived the night, however your lieu to survive is now null and void. Say your last goodbyes, and just let my men kill you, please~"

Hmmm....it seemed the bulk of the fighting was over now, and it was coming down to the final blows to ensure RIOTE's victory. With a satisfied grunt, the chimera turned his attention back to Nyx, who began to run away somewhere, but not before she announced her leaving.

“Okay Dae-Dae, I think Hildy wants us now. C’mon!~”

"I- Nyxie..." He wasn't sure if he was really meant to follow or not...and he felt that he had to, that he had to follow Nyx to make sure she was safe, but at the same time...he felt that he wasn't needed at all, and should stay near the main front. He let the girl run off to take care of...whatever business she had with Hild and Aurelius. Daemon then turned toward the running soldiers and struck down any that came within his reach, accompanied by RIOTE PAWNS. PAWNS, whereas he himself played a much larger role in this bigger plan for the world. He reverted to his instinctual self, taking down his enemies mercilessly and quickly as they all seemed to vanish, all headed in the same direction. It seemed they were retreating. Then Aurelius himself had landed in a helicopter, making a rather attention-filled entrance. Seeing as most of the enemy was no longer there, the chimera made his way over to the RIOTE mastermind.

"My liege," he muttered once again. This strange gravitation that he had toward Aurelius lacked true reason or explanation, but it was there, and he could sense it with his entire being. Despite how he was trained, he let himself go with this feeling...and would do so until the end of his own life.

[EXIT THREAD: lalalala fighting and following Aurel wherever the dude ends up]

[Envy]

Difficulties started to appear when Envy had arrived in Moscow. Surely there was a lot of shit going down, but Drachman soldiers could still recognized his Amestrian uniform, which he forgot to change on his way there. Someone tried to shoot him, but since the man had chosen not to perform a headshot, bullet simply bounced of from Envy's reinforced skin. Envy realized his mistake by now and started to fix it. Starting from that guy who tried to shoot him. He seemed to be confused from the bounced bullet, so shooting him had become so much more easier. Part two in this plan to fix the uniform issue was to find some deserted area. Which was quite easy. The first building on his left had received a lot of damage and it would suffice. Envy rushed inside before any other soldier would notice something odd about his clothes. He made final preparations by making sure that no one could see him. And then he transformed again. Only this time, his form was that of a civilian. This new pedestrian had very tattered clothes and looked very exhausted and weak. The final phase was to fall down on the floor and pretend to be too injured to move. These defenders of their homeland found him rather quickly and carried him over to safety. ''Good. Now I just need to come up with some trivial things for this now form and they'll let me stay here. That should give me long enough time to find that puny organization''.

''...aren't we?'', the militant who was escorting this weak pedestrian declared. Envy didn't quite catch what he had said. And he didn't care either, but he was trying to make a new character. ''I'm sorry'', Envy started with a rather weak-toned voice. ''I'm too shocked to hear properly. What did you say?'' ''We are truly thankful for our Tzar Alena for so many of us surviving this horror, aren't we?'' Envy didn't reply to this conversation. But it had caused a chain of thoughts inside his head. ''Alena. I'm acting as a drachman civilian, so it would be suspicious to ask more. But I happen to know only one who's name is Alena. Could it be...''

[EXIT MISSION: Undercover style]

[Guest]

Ah, an Esparian standoff. She always wondered what it’d feel like to be in one, but she never assumed it would be so… literal. She eyed the man’s rifle carefully, paying more attention to where it was pointing than the man himself.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to come up here alone? I'm armed, and you're probably aware of Esparian resentment of alchemy.” That… would certainly explain why he gave her a look similar to when her father sees her. And why her mother told her to stay out of Esparia… Looks like she was behind on the times. Again. ”For all you know, I could be a member of the inquisition, specialized dealing with alchemical threats." She shifted slightly, pondering that statement. On the one hand, by saying it he was merely trying to intimidate her, or bluff his way out of the situation. But, on the other hand…

”Concentrate!”[/color] she yells at herself, her eyes snapping to the Esparian man’s. Awkward silence filled the gap. She was… tongue-tied? Whatever the hell that meant. Normal social situations were hard enough, and now she had to confront this man, whose companion had died as a direct result of her orders? Not that he would know, but… No. She had to focus.

[i]"Still....it's obvious you are Esparian. But what I don't get is why you were parading around in Drachman clothes, or why you attacked my companions." Ah the elephant in the room, she supposed. Another euphemism she never quite got. But trying to understand it fully could wait. He lowered his gun. A good sign, at any rate. In return, she relaxed herself, stopping her influence of the air around them. It would seem as though this man were sane and rational, not invested in the conflict. Like her. ”But… I don't really bear any resentment towards you. Lets put away our weapons and-"

Isabella looked out the window as a large explosion rocked the building they were in. That… That wasn’t a conventional weapon, and it certainly wasn’t something Amestris had tucked up its sleeve. And now the man was offering her a ticket out…

Folding her fan, she says, ”If you get me out of here alive, I’ll answer any questions you have.”

((EXITING THREAD WITH Miguel IN TOW))

[Guest]

”We’ve lost Florence, sir,” Cravetz said. Dietrich sighs, clutching his wound as a result. Too fast movement on his part, and too long for help to arrive. And with… Whatever happened, he couldn’t blame them.

”Elastor, where are you?” he mutters, as a jeep careens into view. Drachman by make, but driven by a Cretan. Strange sight, especially when it flipped onto its side, sending Elastor flying out.

”Stop saluting, Yeoman Ito,” he says softly. ”Cravetz, start treating Elastor. Thum, help move Florence. Now.”

After flipping the jeep back over, Dietrich and Thum lay Florence’s body in the back, then moving onto loading Elastor up. ”Thum, take the wheel. Cravetz, you…” Dietrich goes into a coughing fit, one hand covering his mouth and the other clutching at his chest again. When he was done, he wiped his eyes of tears of pain, noting the specks of blood on his other hand. Troublesome.

”Let’s move,” he says, hoping into the passenger seat.

Switching frequencies, he slowly takes a deep breath in. ”General Tsukino, I’m need an emergency evac…”

[EXIT THREAD]

[Nyx]

(~( Lawlz at TakaTORI. Nyx loves him too. )~)

Nyx pondered her small mind back to Daemon as she stood by her leader. Remembering he had been by her side moments before she made her movements towards Aurel and Hild. Glancing around, she was a bit disappointed not to see him. He must have decided not to follow her after all… No matter, she’d be able to talk to him soon anyways. Turning attention back to the Amestrians, Cretarians and Xingese before her, she had stopped firing arrows. They were curving into Aurel’s black hole anyways. She watched his amazing displays of power and technique in a bit of awe. Who could blame her? Rambo himself could do nothing but drop his jaw to Aurel’s toes at the sight of a black hole, or flash-melting a massive wall of ice! But then she noticed something else; immediately after performing the feat of alchemy, Aurel coughed a bit of blood into his hand, causing Nyx to move a bit closer, by instinct. She glanced into his mismatched eyes. He had the situation under control, as far as control went. Nyx, however, was bound by her instincts to protect Hild and Aurel, and seeing something she couldn’t fight for him disconcerted her rather deeply. She shouldn’t have been as worried, but it was beyond her control. Fragile thing, emotions are…

Nyx watched as Spade approached, and listened as he insulted Aurel. He. Insulted. Aurel? Within seconds, Nyx’s bow had been raised, four arrows drawn back, locked on Spade’s stomach. Not his eye or throat. Eye was a quick death, throat was noble execution. Heart would have been a messaged killing, but stomach. Stomach was a painful death, slow but inevitable. Nyx’s only weapon of torture. But wait… No, she decided against it. A bit confused, she lowered Hemera. No, even in war, it was wrong; she wouldn’t attack him, because it seemed like it was time to retreat. Apparently, Aurel was thinking along those lines as well, for he didn’t attack the Amestrian general either. She then turned her attention to a new form on the advancing horizon. Hild.

As Daemon worshipped Aurel, his master, Nyx worshipped Hild to that extent. Of course, she worshipped Aurel too, just not quite as much. Seeing Hild walk forward, talking to Aurel, Nyx watched her, not speaking but simply observing her. Hild was everything Nyx wanted to be. Hearing Hild speak these things, though, particularly the submissive statement telling Aurel to kill her if he so wished, affected Nyx. The small child immediately shifted her thinking to that of which Hild was not thinking properly, possibly a temporary insanity resulting from this wicked war. Of course. That’s all there was, otherwise Hild would be okay. Nyx’s attention turned to Hild once more as Aurel slapped her. Nyx’s eyes flashed wide immediately. Without even realizing it, Hemera had shifted from her waist to her hand, though she hadn’t yet raised it. Her feet and knees had shifted almost to a combat stance, but had stopped halfway. What was she doing? She couldn’t attack Aurel, he would destroy her. Not only that, she was morally obligated not to do that. To attack Aurel was only a method of protecting him from greater harm, in some strange circumstance. Attacking Aurel would do nothing at all. Not only that though, Nyx was confused. Terribly, horribly, confusingly confused, in the most pure sense of the word, ‘confusion.’ Aurel shouldn’t be slapping Hild. Nyx was obligated to defend Hild from anyone that attacked her, but she couldn’t attack Aurel, but he shouldn’t attack Hild, and Hild had been slapped and, and…. Nyx had dropped her offensive half-stance, and placed Hemera back at her waist. Her large violet eyes were obviously perplexed, fixated in a strange mist. It didn’t make sense. As she had broken Daemon, Aurel had broken Nyx. Or rather, Nyx had broken herself through the lack of understanding to figure out why Aurel had slapped Hild, and the naïveté to ignore it for what it was; Aurel was trying to make Hild think straight, and get her back in line to where she could act as RIOTE leader again. If Nyx had known that, things would have been much simpler, but unfortunately she had no idea what had occurred. Putting it out of her mind, she noticed Daemon in the crowd, and was tempted to go his side, where she knew all was well, where Aurel’s slapping Hild just then didn’t affect Nyx as it did, where nothing was confusing and everything was straightforward and easy. But deep down, she knew Aurel and Hild needed her to stay there for whatever reason. She didn’t understand it, but she knew she was supposed to be there. So there she would be.

(~(EXIT MISSION; Nyx just follows Aurel and Hild around in silence, doing whatever they say to do… btw, this took a WHOLE DAY to write. xD I hate having to post during school…)~)

[Guest]

There were…. There were sixteen of them. Five were killed in the lobby, two on the second floor, four on the third, and… Another four in the stairwells. So she wasn’t alone.

The tenement building wasn’t where she wanted to be having this fight. These were Amestrian soldiers, no alchemists. She was used to fire and ice being flung around, not bullets. And she was short on ammunition. Two smoke grenades in the lobby, one on the second floor… Four frag grenades used in the stairwells… Her last flashbang used in clearing out a room on the third floor. Ammunition was just about out anyway.

Her head perked up at the sound of crunching glass. He was in the living room then. Pulling out Swift Justice and Cain, she waits. Two shots left. If one hit, she’d take him down for sure, but not out. And if she missed… Well, thank God the apartment was small.

Whipping around the corner, she fires one round, missing despite catching the Amestrian flat-footed. The Amestrian whips his rifle around, but it was too unwieldy for him. Thrusting Cain deep into the man’s chest, she forces him down onto his back, putting the gun barrel under the man’s chin. And without a word, she pulls the trigger.

Sighing in relief, she hears the retreat report on the soldier’s radio. It appeared it was her time to leave as well…

[EXIT THREAD]

[Guest]

They watched as the Amestrians began to fall back, retreating from the glorious show that their strange comrade put on. The results were… particularly effective. Something they couldn’t match, nor were likely to. But, they could aspire…

Eyeing a Cretan APC, they raise their arm and fire off several magnetic grappling hooks. Bending their knees, they pulled at the hulking vehicle, and, along with the internal wenches, began pulling it closer. The tires screeched, making a cloud of white smoke in a feeble attempt to get away. Pathetic.

But, the men appeared to still have some fighting spirit left in them. The rocket pods on the top of the vehicle tilted downwards, aiming at them. This wouldn’t end well. Shifting to their side, they planned on taking the full brunt of their attack. Time almost slowed down as the missiles left their tubes, screeching towards them a-

”Ow! Wha- what’s happening? Brother? Aunt Marynia? Someone?”

Zina franticly looked around the cramped cockpit, where several screens were flashing different colors and screaming things at her. She… She didn’t know what they meant. And outside was… Fire. No, she had to get out.

”Let me out…” she says, pressing against the hatch in front of her. ”Let me out, let me out, LET ME OUT!” Tears welling up in her eyes, the hatch lurched open, almost throwing her into the fires before her. Panicking, they scrambled straight backwards, almost entering the cockpit again. Curling up into a ball, the sound of the strange vehicle limping away barely registered in their mind.

No, they were safe here. She was safe.

[THEY EXIT THE THREAD]

[Guest]

He reacted... to her shout. This on it's own was new, and she felt herself step back slightly, in special worry. What was Aurelius going to do? Why was he approaching her like that? Her beloved... was she finally of no more use to him? If she was, would he destroy her? Would she be killed, cast off to the wind? She shook her head slightly, shivering in the spot, teeth chattering. N-no... And then, a sting. A slap on the face. The advent of sudden force caused her to stumble and fall, landing on her knees in the snow, rubbing her face tenderly. It hurt, but that pain had come from Aurelius... and as the heat grew in between her legs, she attempted to shake it off. The pain, it hurt so much, but it felt so good... that everything about it confused Hild. Was she supposed to recoil in horror, or moan out her pleasure to the man? What was the right choice, the right path? She had made him angry... it was almost enough to kill her inside... "You are not fit to run RIOTE in this state; you understand not the feats one must trek in order to make you own wishes come true. "Hah..." Her mouth was slightly agape, and the scent of lavender that so oft sprung from her hair was now mulled and dirtied by the pure anger emanating from Aurelius. "Leave it to me as you always have to thoroughly make that come true in the purest of forms." Her gaze fell slightly, and she closed her eyes in order to repent for her travesty against him. What was she thinking, going up against Aurelius? No, she needed to be strong enough to stand at his side and fight for what he wanted. Hee... that, and she had to make sure nobody got to him. Aurel belonged to HILD, and HILD ALONE. "Hild, open your mouth against me again and no longer will any of this be possible." She gasped, and nodded solemnly, slowly standing up and resigning herself to her fate. "I-I understand..."

Hild Schwarz was a woman of many contradictions, much like the moon and the sun, and the night and the day. At times, she was quiet, demure, peaceful. At others, she had no mental state to continue with. All-in-all, it was plain to see that Hild was no longer right of mind, nor true of state. Instead, she was but a monster, fighting for a peace that she would most likely never know...

[Thread LEFT]

[Guest]

The thunderous, earth-shaking rumble of the war rolling remained in the distance as the members of Lt. Colonel Ito's personal squad licked their wounds. Sitrep? One injured, Sgt. Herrman, and one KIA, Private Klein. They had suffered some damage from the enemy mercenaries, but had managed to inflict their own, drive them off, and secure the objective. Since then, it had been quiet on their front. Ito and that psychopath, along with those soldiers all dressed up in white, had left towards the Kremlin, which at this point, was a ground zero as far as damaged and destruction were concerned. The place was a flaming ruin now.

Nika let out a heavy sigh as she gazed out towards the black clouds of smoke that engulfed the Kremlin, nine blocks down. She wondered if Lt. Colonel Ito was okay, he had gone in that direction a while ago. Dawn was now breaking over the horizon, and he hadn't reported back. No, of course he was fine, he wouldn't go dying before she did.

She glanced over the interior of the room once more, along with all her men. Their were a lot of damaged from the firefight, and the higher floors had partially collapsed from that eyepatched man's grenade launcher. She had been on the top floor when he fired it, after that Drachman woman managed to get away in that desperate base jump maneuver, so she alone had the pleasure of sprinting down the staircase, past the fire and rubble. Lucky for them all the building was still holding up, and the first and second floors weren't damaged too badly. Even the small fires in the higher floors had died down. Including Herrman, who had suffered a severe bullet wound to his shoulder, she had eight men with her still. The three soldiers outside had been killed in the ambush by the people who attacked Ito.

"Suns already up.....where the hell is the commander?" A soldier, Ulfric, mumbled to himself off in the corner by the window.

"Hell if I know. We aren't encountering anymore resistance, and we already lost Franz, Mark, Wilhelm and Stefan. We need to try to recover the bodies....we need to get back to base, we're sitting ducks out here." Said Gisil, a loud brown haired man in his thirties. Always the voice of complaint, no matter how much Nika had tried to stamp it out. He resented her for leading the team when he felt he deserved the position.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not about to go dying in this war. Our so-called leaders blew us sky-fucking-high and now the new ones are parading us into a fucking freezing death trap. Volke knows, he's been monitoring the communications line the whole damn time. Right?"

Volke, a dark haired and quiet man gave a hesitant nod and mumbled something illegible before going back to his equipment.

"We're getting slaughtered out there, and RIOTE hasn't even made its damn move. Commander Tsukino's ship was shot down, Black's troops haven't penetrated defenses yet, and Aeries's troops and our own have been beaten down to probably half their god damn initial strength. I don't know about you guys, but I vote we get the fuck out of h-"

"Shut it" Nika ordered coldly, her sights still focused ahead, looking for enemies, looking for movement to report. Gisil never knew when to shut his mouth....she'd have to chew him out after this was over. "We have our orders, we're waiting for Ito or Tsukino to make the call for a retreat. Point blank. Now stop complaining and return to your posts"

"Fuck this! Don't you get it woman!? They're fucking dead. Ito, Tsukino, the whole damn Amestrian military is fucking dead, and I'm not sticking around to join them. If you want to stay here, fine, I hope RIOTE drags you to hell. Anyone with common fucking sense, follow me!"

He took two steps towards the door, then he found a gun in his face. "Return to your post or I shoot you for desertion" growled Nika, her cold gray eyes glaring back at him. Everything from her expression to the energy she projected was adamant and severe. Whether or not it was a bluff, it was difficult to tell with her, and Gisil's hesitance only went to reflect his uncertainty against her. He choked on his words, leaving him with only a look of shock and a spell of cold sweat to speak for him. Nervously, he looked around at everyone else, looking for some form of assistance, but to no avail, for the rest of the unit remained silent. Defeated and speechless, Gisil resentfully returned to his position, averting his eyes from everyone else's and muttering something under his breath. After she was certain he was put back in his place, Nika turned back to her task, just as her personal radio, along with the others, went off in a crackle of static and poison coated words.

"Hello, Amestrians. Do you hear my voice? I'm glad you do so. It's been so long since I got to hear you all, my wonderful people. Have you forgotten the voice of your wonderful Fuhrer yet? I hope not... it'd make me so sad..... My next words are to all of my wonderful RIOTE troops that I've left in hiding throughout Moscow... come. DESTROY THEM. And Amestris. I'm glad that you survived the night, however your lieu to survive is now null and void. Say your last goodbyes, and just let my men kill you, please~"

Looked like RIOTE and the former Fuhrer were finally ready to enter the fray. Legions clad in uniforms of black seemingly emerged forward from oblivion, filling the streets like a terrible tide. A new barrage of gunfire and explosions rocked the city, and the RIOTE soldiers advanced upon the Kremlin, decimating all the resistance it encountered, and it seemed like Nika and her soldiers were among their targets, for a detachment from the main force deterred from its course towards the Kremlin and made way towards her position. Looked like this confrontation was unavoidable. Severely out manned and out gunned, a desperate eruption of gun fire filled the street.

It all occurred so fast, the blizzard of bullets, the explosions and shrapnel. Windows shattered, the face of the building was torn and whittled away, and then bloodied and torn, comrades fell too. Nika squeezed the trigger of her rifle tightly and the gun sounded off in turn. One down, then two.......she had brought down half a dozen enemies from the her station by the window as bullets pelted the wall outside, but RIOTE kept advancing, more soldiers appearing from the shadows to fill the gaps. Fuck fuck fuck FUCK! They were going to be slaughtered, they hardly had the strength and ammo to stave off a force of that size! Backup? No, that was out of the question. It was over unless they retreated. But the order....what if Gisil was right, what if most of the commanders were.....no, if they left now, they were deserters. They couldn't flee from the line of duty, if the Amestrian army died here today, then they would die along with them. As if fate were to confirm it, another one of her men fell to the floor, his face disfigured from a fresh bullet wound. Well, this was it, looks like they'd all die here fighting for their country. Not a bad way to go. Not bad at all. A soldier dies a soldier's death.

The radio crackled on again midst the roar of the skirmish
"ALL FORT BRIGGS SOLDIERS... RETREAT!!!!!!!!"

Commander Tsukino! She was alive afterall. The next message rang through and all shadows of doubt were cast out of her mind, and whether she admitted it at the time or not, her heart skipped a beat in a pang of relief. "Nika. We need to regroup. Get as many men out of there as you can, destroy all weaponry left behind."

Nika ducked behind the wall next to her window and snatched her radio off of her belt. "Copy that Lt. Colonel, we're encountering heavy resistance, we'll be delayed on the rendezvous with the main force. Over and out."

She could have asked Ito a thousand things, but now wasn't the time. Her duty and her soldiers came first, she could cater to her own whims on her own damn time.

"Alright, you hear the Commander, we're retreating, ASAP. Private Volke, plant C4 charges around the building's support, we're bringing this place down on their heads"

"Roger"

"Gisil, Karla, secure the back. Ulfric, grab Herrman and go. Klaus, get up here and help me lay out suppresive fire. Go go!"

The five of them set into motion quickly. Gisil and Karla vanished out the back door, Ulfric rushed over the Herrman's side and threw hoisted him over his shoulder with a loud grunt, Volke brought out the C4 and set the charges in a few places while Klaus moved to the nearest window and stuck his assault rifle out, spraying bullets into the advancing enemy along with Nika. It all seemed like a plan unfolding just as it had came to mind, but plans have a funny way of never working out as you imagine them. This was the truth Nika realized as a man clad in a black uniform came out from behind his cover and pointed a rocket right at the building. She yelled, or at least, she began to, but the deafening sound of the explosion tearing the front of the building wide open drowned out her voice, blasting her with debris that pelted her, and throwing her backwards onto the floor.

The room span around violently.......there was a giant hole in the wall where Klaus had been standing. Buried under the rubble. Riote soldiers poured in through the smoke. They didn't see her. They spotted Ulfric and Herrman. Nika raised her weapon and shot at them. They shot first. Ulfric went down, then the RIOTE soldiers fell. Nika kept firing, her gun letting forth a steady stream of rapid fire, all muffled by the continued deafness and ringing in her ears. She strafed over to Ulfric and Herrman and stood over them, firing at the RIOTE soldiers that tried to gain entry. Her vision was still hazy. Someone was beside her. Gisil. Covering them. Nika got onto her knees and put her fingers up to Herrman's neck. Dead. Ulfric squirmed, he was still alive, but he was wounded badly. No time to think about the situation. Nika pulled Ulfric out from under Herrman's body and lifted him onto her shoulder and back and dragged him to the back exit while Gisil followed with a volley of suppressive fire.

With the burden of Ulfric bearing down on her frame, Nika trudged out into the snow, the sun illuminated the back alley with an orange tint. Karla rushed over to assist her with Ulfric. The two of them supported him, half dragging him through the snow as he tried to limp along. The harsh ringing in her ears finally stopped, it was finally quiet again, Nika sighed in relief as the five of them ran through they alley, getting the hell away from the building. Volke turned to her and shouted...yet words did not come from his mouth, as if he were simply mouthing his exclamation. He pulled the remote detonation button from his coat pocket and jabbed his thumb into the building. The tremor of the explosion rocked the ground they stood on as the rushed out of the alleyway, yet the silence still persisted. Nika looked back at the building in confusion. Had it not exploded? No, it had, it was up in flames, it was falling to pieces before her eyes. It was an imposing scene of destruction, an eruption of rubble and fire, but it did not emit a sound.

"Karla, why ca-" She stopped mid sentence. No, she didn't even hear herself begin. She couldn't hear herself speak, she couldn't hear the female sergeant question what she said, she couldn't hear the groans of pain coming from the man they dragged through the snow in their hurry towards the main forces retreat. For Veronika Alkaev, in this symphony of war, everything was silent.

[Exit Thread]

[Guest]

Surealis just stood there taking everything in, it was time for him to depart and for him to go into solitude yet again. He would stay in contact with everyone that he needed to and when he were to be called upon again, Surealis would be ready to fight. Noticing others departing he walked the other way back down the stairs into the basement where he would pull a leaver opening a secret passage. Walking through the elaborate tunnel system was a tedious job and he had limited time to leave the area.

Pulling the chain on the other side so that the wall would close up again, Surealis had a fair hike till outside the city where a driver would be waiting for him. The king of beasts today had seen things that many would be lucky to see, the creation of a stone it was an amazing thing and something he would never forget.

[EXIT THREAD]

(Sorry about wait and stuff guys, so much going on and its all but nearly over.)

[Reila Tsukino]

[EXIT MISSION]

ALRIGHTY GUYS! Anyone who hasn't exited the mission yet is now dust in the wind! I will begin purging characters this weekend.

DON'T GET LAZY NOW. Go post and make threads dammit!

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