Re: MISSION: The South

[Xan]

Leviathan (Xanthus Icarus’s Rioyokai name) was watching the soon-to-be battle unfold. Truth be told, he had been present for quite a while, having arrived with the rest of RIOTE’s forces. However, no one had recognized him as either Xanthus or Leviathan because of the fact that he was not wearing the signature outfits or either, and his face was hidden.

The Ishvalan was wearing a black hooded cloak that covered his entire body from head to toe, effectively hiding his body frame, Ishvalan skin, and silver-white hair. And to cover his face, Leviathan was wearing a mask, which was about the only thing that may have marked his identity to the RIOTE troops around him, if he wanted them to realize that one of their leaders was standing right beside them. Leviathan was well known for always wearing a mask, and so far, no one in all of RIOTE had ever seen his face except for Berith. It made it much easier to conceal his identity as Major Xanthus Icarus, the Infinity Alchemist.

With an intrigued look that was hidden beneath his mask, Xanthus watched as Berith (Zaska) learned about the death of Asmodeus (Solange) via a communication device that was swiftly destroyed. Xanthus himself had already known of the death of Asmodeus of course, because he was the right hand man of Reila Tsukino, who was the Queen of Briggs. He made it his business to know about what happened in the Northern quadrant of Amestris. A good reason of his for not telling Berith about the death of his lover sooner? Xan hadn’t wanted to end up like that cell phone, of course.

‘Hmm…I guess that technically I’m the new second in command of RIOTE.’ Xan mused in his mind. ‘However, there is no use in using that power yet, as I’m just an observer for now. And besides, what difference does it make anyway? From third to second just means one less person to boss me around, which is a good thing I guess, but other than that, it’s all the same.’
Without really moving except for to get out of people’s way as they marched forward, Xanthus/Leviathan watched curiously as Berith began a battle with Brigadier General Reila Tsukino.

Was Xan curios about what had happened to South City? Not really. What was there to be curious about? Someone had made a Philosopher's Stone, and it had wiped out all of South City's inhabitants to be used as fuel. How did Xan feel about that? Curious? Yes, he was curious about the exact method of creating a stone and about the number of souls this one had claimed. Outraged at the deaths of the citizens of South City? Yes, but only for a second, then he suppressed that feeling. It was useless at this point to feel outrage or anger. There was no way to help the civilians, and there would be plenty of time to mourn their loss and feel upset about it later.

[Dai]

Daigoro nodded at Reila's comments about the bodies and such. She wasn't wrong, he'd surmised. But he still couldn't see them, and he was wondering why. He sighed, no need to worry about such trivial things. But it was beginning to get dark now - the sun was starting to go down in the sky, and that meant the forthcoming battle was about to get even more difficult to fight. He grimaced, and turned to Reila to say something back to her.

"I'm sure that we'll -" He just stopped. The Brigadier General was obviously in no position to talk right now. Not. At. All. He blinked. Those wires... They looked so familiar. Where had he seen them before? Then it hit him. They belonged to the leader of RIOTE, didn't they? Their enemy. He grimaced, but decided to avoid getting involved. He wasn't much of a fighter, in all honesty.

So he watched them exchanging blow after blow. Well, maybe not. It seemed that the fight was in Zaska's favour. And he watched Reila get knocked over, and Zaska going in for the kill.

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"The first thing you should know about a fight, my boy, is that there are three different types of fight." Spoke the man in grey. Daigoro's adoptive father, the one who had taught him about the world. Daigoro looked up at him, the light causing his face to become nothing but a silhouette.

"Three different ones? What... what are they, Father?" Daigoro was confused. Up until then, he'd always thought that a fight was a fight. And that was it.

"A fight for material possesions, a fight for love, and a fight for honour. You must not interfere with an honourable fight."

The red-headed child looked down at his hands.

A fight for honour, huh? I wonder if I'll ever find one of those. Daigoro sighed, turned, and walked out of the room.

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Daigoro grimaced. This was no fight for honour. There was no honour in the blows, only anger. Which meant that he could interfere. He had to - for Reila. His body moved, without his want or consent. It started to pick up speed, and he raised his left arm, clilcking it once, building up static. Nobody knew then, but something within Daigoro's emotional distress triggered the Stone's effect from his pocket, and the usual pale white glow of his Alchemy turned bright red. He looked at it in confusion, but thought nothing of it - he had to save her.

He closed his eyes, tears beginning to stream down his face. No, he had to remain strong, he had to finish this! His eyes snapped open, a new fire burning within. He now realised what this power was. The stone, all the souls of South City, were helping him to destroy it's attackers. He knew what he had to do, and within seconds, his left hand was on the body of Reila's assailant. Time seemed to freeze for a second, Daigoro had barely touched the man, but he knew that he had done it, as his Alchemy charged every single molecule of iron within Zaska's body to the point of unstability.

He stopped, hitting the ground about 6 feet away from the pair and rolling. He turned, just in time to see it. Every little bit of metal on the man's body had been charged. Every single molecule exploded. Every single one. The man's flesh disintegrated within milliseconds of Daigoro's Alchemy activating, and his blood spread far and wide, covering Reila and the ground around her like a red blanket. He blinked, as the red light from his pocket faded. What... had he just done? He slowly pushed himself to his feet, and staggered over towards the Brig Gen, weakened by his feat. He fell to his knees by her side, and put a hand up to his ear.

"Houka... You're in charge now. Don't ask why, just know that me and Brigadier General Tsukino will be out of the battle for a while. Ito out." He then looked at the woman, she had some burn marks from the explosion, but was otherwise physically unaffected. But that was only physically, wasn't it? Daigoro knew that there must've been some effect on her mind - hell, it affected him as well. He looked down at his hands.

"I don't know what happened, I just reacted..." He looked back up at her, hoping for an answer.

[Guest]

Red. There was something red flying towards him at incredible speed. Zaska had felt his claw connect with the woman's flesh, but he had somehow missed her throat. She was still alive, but he doubted conscious. Before he could react to finish her off, Zaska felt hands on him and a wave of shock coursed through his veins and down his spine. The sides of his head pulsed with surprise at the that someone had actually managed to touch him. In the next moment, a sharp pain quickly spread through his abdomen and he looked down to see the tip of a sword sticking out of him. ...What? The woman was still conscious enough to stab him? Damn. "Hah..ha" Zaska managed out, his steel eyes shining with anger and frustration. "You're even stronger than Sola..."

The chupacabra chimera was about to spin around and decapitate the redhead behind him when he froze as if the plug was pulled on his body. Suddenly his entire being no longer obeyed. And it couldn't be the sword's doing... He gaped with horror at what he felt happening inside him. The pain was unbearable. This was it, he knew it...and only black followed. Sola...I guess I'm joining you.

[RIP]

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila's first instinct was to protect her vitals. She immediately moved to the side, feeling the familiar touch of a cold blade. The claw slid neatly against her skin, slicing through her shoulder, muscle, and slashing at the bone beneath. It cracked harshly and she felt the friction resonate throughout her entire body. She was numb to the agony, her adrenalin pumping out the pain and replacing it with whatever strength she could muster. The impact sent Reila to the ground...hard. And in the next moment, dizzying gold eyes shifted from her attacker to the stream of red hair that followed: it was Dai. "No..!!" She breathed in a weak voice, silently praying that the chimera wouldn't turn in time to behead her head of military operations. Before thinking, her tachi flew out towards the black-haired man like a sharp ribbon of silver. It danced through the wind until it's frozen tip lodged itself a few inches into his stomach. She twisted it, trying to will her body to move and shove it all the way through when suddenly all she could see was red. The sky...the air, everything. Reila shut her eyes as tight as she could.

She was wet. Wiping the thick liquid from her eyes, she opened them and immediately felt light-headed. Blood...blood was everywhere--on her, surrounding her, the smell hanging in the air. She stared in horror, not registering what had just happened. What had happened? Dai...where was Dai? She looked around bewildered until she finally located him. He was talking on the radio. She couldn't tell what he was saying, and she also couldn't tell why she couldn't hear it over her speakers. She looked down at it and covered her mouth only to withdraw her hand. Oh shit shit..shit... The radio was filled with blood. Her hands were coated with it... She felt more of it oozing down her shoulder with every throb of her heart...And it was her own. She stood up, maybe too quickly, but she managed to stay on her feet long enough to make it half way to Dai. There, she fell to her knees, a desperate look in her dulled eyes. Her skin was burning and all she wished for at that moment was to roll in the snow outside of Briggs. "D-Dai..." She tried, breathing heavily. "The...the stone?"

So much death... It only ever brought death. She dropped her sword with a loud clank and shut her eyes, swaying slightly. There was blood everywhere... Did the human body really hold that much blood? Her eyes shot open and flickered at him like a flame right about to go out, but she gripped consciousness tightly and held out her hand. Trying to conceal her bewildered expression, Reila shot him a serious look. "Here." She would rather take the risks than allow him to. Who knew...maybe he would turn into a lake of blood as well. She would never allow it. But how could the stone activate on it's own, and from a pocket no less? That man...the leader of RIOTE...his life had ended so quickly--blown to nothingness. He would never see the sky again, never speak, never breathe... It was their fault he died. She felt tears gather in her eyes and before she knew it, they cascaded down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that covered everything.

[Guest]

Ilona heard the sounds of screaming the metal and swiftly turned, smacking her cane hard onto the ground. All she saw was blood and metal and a figure..Maybe two falling down. Guess they are hostiles after all. Ilona simply turned around again and smashed her fists together.
"Jay, we can attack."She said with her usual coldness.
"And you might want to get out of the way too.."Ilona left no time for Jay to run but simply smashed her hands onto the ground and sprang forth was huge mass of weapons including several cannons, gatling guns and chained flails. Without an order or hesitation, Ilona started firing, hearing suprised screams from the army and orders to open fire at her. She jumped over the cannons and transmutated her cane into a shotgun, shooting any nearby soliders. Ilona thought he radar like sense was much more useful but preferred the images better. But she had no time to do that. Ilona skidded onto the ground and slammed her hand onto the ground again, more cannons firing at the army. Their front line and their side should sustain heavy damage. At this point they are going to have to regroup....
Ilona's style of fighting made sure that the enemy wouldn't have time to attack or counter at all. If she could, she could of transmutated a whole lot of canons around the army, containing and practically massacring all of them. But we need some of them for questioning and they could have the stone. Seeing as this plan would not work, and Ilona was just one person, decided to work her way though. Then she saw someone familar among the screaming crowd...

[Xan]

Leviathan’s nonchalant expression quickly became one of absolute surprise as he watched Daigoro Ito, his fellow officer at Fort Briggs, kill Zaska in a way that was reminiscent of the Ishvalan, Scar, from whom Xanthus’s own technique’s were derived. Leviathan watched as Berith flew away from Dai and then was apparently disintegrated. Xan knew what Dai’s alchemy style was, and he also knew that the red head lacked that power to do what he had just done. Even if Dai hadn’t started to glow red, Xan’s own common sense would have revealed the truth to him.

Daigoro Ito had the Philosopher’s Stone…

Wasting no time, Xanthus pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing his mask and white hair. All of the RIOTE members who weren’t staring at the spot where Zaska’s body was suddenly realized that Leviathan was standing in their midst, and that with Berith dead and Asmodeus gone…he was the only member of the Rioyokai still alive, and consequently, the new supreme commander of RIOTE itself.

Suddenly a huge mass of cannons and other guns rose from almost no where, and suddenly began firing on the RIOTE troops. Strangely, time seemed to slow down for Xan at that moment…

There were RIOTE troops all around him, faces frozen in looks of utter terror…

Explosions were occurring toward the front of the army, and men were falling…

The men were leaderless, and Xan was the only one who could change that….

Without him, they would either rout or die…

However, in saving them, Xan would most likely have to use alchemy, and that would give his identity away. And even if it didn’t, then Ilona would definitely be able to use her unique “sight” to tell that it was him underneath the mask… (for who else could have created all of those weapons like except for her?) As his heart thumped at speeds near-unheard of, Xanthus's ears picked up a distinct ringing sound. At first he hardly dared to believe it, but then he remembered that he had kept his personal phone with him; something that was nigh-unheard of on the battlefield. With automatic reflexes, Xanthus answered the phone before he could stop himself...and was instantly struck frozen on the spot.

"Recognize my voice? Take lead of RIOTE and lead them into their deaths. Let yourself be taken into Fort Briggs and use them to kill Father. I'll meet you in the throne room." That voice...

"Aurel."

Suddenly Icarus knew no more hesitation. Touching his left hand to the ground, Xan used his alchemy to erect an enormous wall in front of the RIOTE troops. The wall was made of the solid rock that South City was built upon, and was thick enough and made of the proper materials to hold back Ilona’s onslaught for the moment. However, Xan knew that he was racing against the clock here. Using his alchemy again, the Ishvalan created a pillar that rose to about the height of the wall. From this point, he knew that everyone could see him, including RIOTE and Amestris. With a deep breath, Xan took off his hood and revealed his mask and white hair. This earned him the attention of the RIOTE troops beneath him, for now they all recognized him as Leviathan of the Rioyokai.

Knowing that he had perhaps half a minute before the military saw him and decided that he must be an enemy, Xan removed his mask and threw off his cloak, revealing to everyone present that Leviathan and Xanthus Icarus were one and the same.

Underneath the cloak, Xan had been wearing a black version of the traditional State Alchemist uniform. One could clearly see that silver of his pocket watch’s chain against the black of his uniform.

As Major Xanthus Icarus, the Infinity Alchemist and second head of Fort Briggs, I command you all to stand down and ceasefire in the name of the his Excellency the Fuhrer!

Xan had had to choose his words and timing carefully. Revealing his identity would stop the firing, as one State Alchemist couldn’t willingly fire on another without facing execution themselves. Using his rank and titles would keep the soldiers from firing, but would also make them question where he had been, but that was where the Fuhrer line had come in handy. Making a demand ‘in the name of his Excellency the Fuhrer' would bury the men’s suspicions, and keep them from firing on Xan even if they were still suspicious. After all, if a man were to fire his gun at an agent of the Fuhrer, that man would face a death sentence, and that would be the very least that would happen.

Realizing that he was working on a very limited time schedule, Leviathan turned around to address the RIOTE troops, although he kept a bit of attention focused on the military, just in case someone really would shoot at ‘an agent of the Fuhrer.’

With his red eyes seemingly gleaming in the sun, Xan began to speak to the RIOTE troops.

RIOTE troopers, there is not much time for explanations. As the Leviathan of the Rioyokai, chosen knights of Zero, I command you...retreat! Go to rally point Delta and await further orders from either Zero or myself. Run, you fools! Get to the trucks! I’ll cover your retreat!

Again, Xan invoked a name that would compel men to do as he willed. No RIOTE member would, or even could defy a Rioyokai member, even if he did turn out to be a State Alchemist. Zero had chosen him, so he must be loyal to the cause right? Without waiting for another second, the RIOTE members began a mass retreat towards the trucks that had brought them to South City in the first place.

And as for Xan, he turned back around to make good on his promise to cover their retreat.

Once again Xan used his alchemy, this time to make the wall longer and thicker, just in case Ilona tried to fire a few shots into it. Sitting down on his pillar, Xan waited for the reaction of the Amestris army with a small smile on his face, and a little chuckle escaping from his mouth. What a way to end his glorious military career. Aiding rebels in escaping from the military. ‘Oh well, it looks as though I won’t have to worry about trying to get promoted anymore, I guess.’ Xan mused under his breath.

[Guest]

Scion's eyes looked indiferrently at the scenery unfolding before him. A man, supposedly the infamous leader of RIOTE, an anti-alchemy organization the Fuhrer spoke about, launched his attack, without even thinking... what a foolish attempt at an attack. But it seemed that he engaged in a fight with the woman Scion saw before, and the events were going in his favor, but then he was killed... so fast and clean it was even beautiful.

All this time Scion was lying on a roof of a tent, watching from a distance, waiting for something. Then Alchemy came into play. The enemy force was ripped at like a rug. Even Scion couldn't hold it in:

"Hmph." - was all he said, but it this "hmph" he voiced all his dissapointment. The RIOTE wasn't even putting up much of a fight. Pathetic. But now he finnaly understood why these Fort Briggs Military weren't making trenches or setting up guns, barricades or RPG's - they had a lot of Alchemists here. 1..2..3 - maybe even more.

"Nii-san - I could feel it. The STONE!!! That man that killed the enemy leader has it!" - a voice almost shrieked through Scion's mind. It made him frown in pain. But as soon as he focused he saw that man - he remembered him vaugely.

"I understand." - his voice trembled with excitement. Hope, fear? Just for a second. There was emotion.

Scion jumped down from the tent and began walking towards Daigoro. His hand held Lilith's hilt tightly. He wasn't going to lose that stone. Never.

He could not see the enemy's reatreat, his attention focused on Daigoro.

[Dai]

Daigoro shivered. It was.. surprisingly cold here, considering on how warm the South usually was.

Is this the effect of killing somebody? I've killed before, but not like that... He looked at Reila, and blinked. She was breaking down right now, and it must've been something to do with the blood. She was also holding her arm, and Daigoro knew there was something wrong. His look of depression turned to a look of worry, and he pulled his military issue canteen off his belt. He opened the cap, still shivering, fumbling with the cold steel. He then moved it over to her shoulder, and poured some of the water onto the wound, trying to wash away some of the blood. Then he saw the wound, and it was pretty bad, as far as he could tell. Not as bad as it could be, but he needed to get her some medical attention.

He looked deeply into her eyes, and spoke softly.

"You must understand. My... only thought was of you. I never wanted to use it, I really didn't." He sighed, before reaching behind his head, and pulled the cloth that kept his hair intact out. It was cleaner than anything else, so it'd make a good bandage. Wrappping it around the wound, he sighed again, sitting back, his hair flowing around them. Time seemed to slow down where they were sitting, the sounds of the ensuing battle dimming down nearby. As the tears began to flow down her face, he realised that he was crying too.

What have I done?

You killed, Daigoro.

Why... Why did I do it?

You tried to save the girl, tried to be the hero.

I... just wanted to save her...

You were selfish.

I wasn't being selfish... I was just...

Just what?

Just...

Just WHAT?

"I..."

You..?

"I just wanted to save her..." Daigoro whispered, barely audible.

I didn't hear you...

"I just wanted to SAVE HER!" Daigoro shouted into mid-air, apparently to nobody. He didn't care who could hear him. He needed to get it out of his system. That said, his head bowed down to the ground.

Hrmph. I believe you.

Daigoro didn't even know where the voice had come from, but it had helped. He wiped the tears away from his face, and looked at Reila, who was still crying somewhat. He moved his hand to her face, and wiped away the tears. And then she turned serious, asking for the stone. He simply nodded, pulled it out of his pocket, and put it in her hand

"We protect this with our lives." His eyes narrowed, but snapped wide open when he heard a familiar voice projected over the area. He stood up, and swore. Quite loudly, in fact.

"That bastard. That traitor bastard!" He turned towards the voice, and grimaced. So, Xan had finally shown up, huh? But on the wrong side, it seemed. He knelt back down, and looked back at Reila, before putting a couple of arms around her, and picking her up, starting to slowly carry her back to base. He guessed that she could walk, but he didn't care. It was his fault that she was like that, and he was going to make it right.

"Reila... I will help you." He spoke, slowly stumbling along the ground towards the base. Not far to go now... They were going to make it...

And Daigoro failed to notice the presence closing in behind them. He was too focussed on the road ahead.

{OOC - Dai had a mental breakdown. Just so you know.}

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus picked up his communication device from its place in his pocket, and put it to his mouth with a slightly annoyed look on his face. A few minutes had passed by with him just staring at the military, and he wanted to know if the RIOTE members had made it away from the battle safely. Although he could have just turned around and looked, he did not want to risk being gunned down by some Amestrian soldier who just so happened to be a bit trigger happy.

Turning on the radio, Xan asked for a report on the retreat. He was answered by a RIOTE trooper who told him that approximately 25% of the troops had been felled by the sudden gunfire, and a further 20% had been injured, but that everyone who survived made it to the vehicles and were on their way to rally point delta. Well, there was some good news. RIOTE was going to survive this nightmarish day after all, and he would be its new Leader...or so it might have seemed.

With a smile, Xan turned the radio off just in time to hear Daigoro call him a traitor bastard in Ishvallan. That caused him to look in Dai’s direction with a scowl. Of course, had Dai said nothing, Xan would not have looked in his direction, but since Dai did say something, Xan looked over just in time to see Dai carrying Reila…with someone following them both. Xan quickly made up his mind about his next decision. He would not just turn his back on Dai and Reila, not after serving with them at Briggs for so long. No, he would at least explain himself to them first, and let them judge him for themselves before he disappeared. Of course, that would only be after he saved both of their lives…

Without another thought about his actions, Xan touched the wall with his construction alchemy arm. The wall and pillar both returned to the ground from whence they came, and Xan himself started to walk calmly toward Reila and Dai. ‘No use in making myself look any more suspicious than I already have.’ Thought Xan. ‘And if I go too fast at this point, the guy following Dai will just speed up. If we all continue at this pace, I should reach them first.’

Army of Amestris, I have a message of vital importance for the commanding officer present here. I have sent the rebels to a specialized trap zone, where they may be apprehended without further harm to military personal, as per the orders of his Excellency the Fuhrer, so there is no cause for alarm. As I said, I am Major Xanthus Icarus, the Infinity Alchemist and second head of Fort Briggs, and I am here under orders from the Fuhrer himself.

Quite honestly, Xan’s lie was not all that bad, considering that he was making it up as he went. However, Xan had a lot of skill and experience with lying, so no one around should have been able to tell the difference. All he had to do now was to keep up the ruse long enough to get to Dai and Reila…

[Guest]

Scion saw a man coming closer, when he finally decided to look around. On his way he heard the man - Xanthus, speak. He delcared to be an agent of the Fuhrer. He was no one Scion knew. He was lying. If Scion had emtions he would smile widely under his mask, but he did not - all that happened was that he narrowed his eyes and sped up. He didn't walk fast - he ran.
Just as he reached Dai and Reila he quickly unsheathed his sword and stood between them and Xanthus Icarus. He spoke quickly to Daigoro and Reila:

"Go faster, you are in danger - I will protect you from any attempt at persuit." - the voice hardly sounded like backup - emotionless and cold, but he really was backup. "I must not let the Stone be taken away". He then spoke loudly:

"Whoever you are, Xanthus Icarus - you are an imposter, and a terrible liar. I come from West City on orders from the General and Fuhrer. I was informed quite throughly, but I never heard your name mentioned. Go no further, or die." - it was partially a lie, but a better one. Scion had to work subtly... he wasn't a Horseman for nothing.

"He's an Alchemist, nii-san - be carefull."

Scion lowered the sword a little, but it did not mean he was relaxed - quite the contrary, he was ready for anything. And as Daigoro and the woman advanced, he followed them at the same distance, still facing Xanthus.

[Guest]

As soon as the alchemy had been used she growled. It was Xanthus. WHy was he helping the rebels? She walked over in time to hear him talking to Scion. Both were using rank to assist in their argument.

"Stand down Scion. You too Major" Houka said as she walked over sword drawn. Even though he outranked her she was currently in charge of the operation. "Xanthus is a member of Fort Briggs and is our second in command. However, I cannot vouch for him being sent by the Fuhrer." she said calmly and radioed in for some backup. A few soldiers walked over. "You will come with me Xanthus. I have been placed in charge of this operation and I want to know why you were with the rebels and why you defended them. I recognised your alchemy." She looked at the soldiers she had called over. "Escort the Brigadier General and Warrant Officer back to the make-shift headquarters." She activated her radio on all frequencies to alert the troops.

"Resume re-establishment of our poisiton. We need to secure this area immediately."

[Jay Furor]

Jay nodded to what Ilona said and almost immediately began blasting out rounds upon rounds of bullets from her minigun. She wasn't aiming at a certain person in the army, just a large, wide ranged fire. She wanted to take down as many as possible in one attack. As she cleared away about a quarter of her ammo, she stopped and began to go into the crowd of people and started slicing them to bits with her katana. But, as much as she enjoyed this time of helping someone to do something (And hoping that Reila would pay her again ... Cha-ching!) she heard Xan call his ceasefire and thus, she stopped and moved back towards Ilona. Killing came easily to her. This battle, mini-war whatever it could be called, wasn't enough to make Jay sweat. Though it did make the tattoo across her back tingle slightly, making her remember her year in the Amestrian Special Forces, before she had lost her left arm and her legs. Somehow this little battle was similar to the only other huge battle she had fought for the military...

[Guest]

Tsune smirked, his steel blue eyes shining dangerously from where he stood, feet planted on the pavement. Electricity swarmed through the air around him, crackling and popping with large arrays of light that shone through the darkening air. Long silver hair billowed out in the wind as it thrashed around him, whipping at his state alchemist uniform. A storm was brewing... He lifted his metal hand from his pocket at the first sounds of a vehicle approaching and his smirk dripped off his face. It was time to be serious. The setting sun painted light upon his hair in brilliant colors that were sliced with the lightning coursing through his body. His eyes flitted in the direction he expected them to come... and they did. Tsune had fit in well with RIOTE, but he hated lying to Berith. Still, evil had to be vanquished. What Berith was trying to do by eradicating Amestris wouldn't do anything but bring more death! Except by killing RIOTE, that also brought death, but at least...less people died this way... That was what he was trying to believed in. With Endavi gone, he felt he had to live a little more for both of them. It was no time to be depressed. Life wasn't alchemy--wasn't fighting and wars; life was about their results and if he let all of RIOTE's trucks get away, even if they won this battle, they still would have lost.

As the first truck swung into their rally point delta, Tsune pointed his finger like a gun at the tires. "Bang." He felt lightning break free from him, and slither from his finger like a stream no human could follow with their eyes. It not only melted the tires off and sent the car tumbling, but it also lit the hunk of mental on fire. Screams ensued and Tsune didn't flinch like he would have in the past; he merely aimed his next shot at the occupants...cold-heartedly. Their burned corpses would be found later with their faces twisted into scenes of agony that no one could relate to. The young alchemist rubbed his arms together once more, feeling his body charge further with electricity. He aimed at the next truck, noting to himself that only one other remained. He did the same to this one, killing everyone inside and sending large amounts of black smoke to block out the sunset. While his head was getting cloudy and black spots ate at the corners of his vision, he squinted through the static and pulled the trigger for the last time at the third truck. Since this time he aimed for the engine, the entire thing blew up in an array of blue fire. Tsune didn't bother checking for survivors. If some of RIOTE lived, at least they had a chance to change their ways.

Long silver hair flew out as Tsune turned on his heel and grabbed his motorcycle. He swung a leg over it and roared off into the distance. He grabbed the speaker of his radio set and spoke in a soft voice that flowed like velvet. "RIOTE has been destroyed. There may be survivors, but they aren't worthy of dying." He switched the speaker off and listened for reports back from the makeshift headquarters. While he waited, his eyes turned to the black smoke rising behind him. It was a menacing cloud that would be able to be seen for miles... He briefly wondered where Berith was; that man wouldn't have died from Tsune's assault. He only hoped that the chimera and his masked side-kick weren't causing further havoc to South City.

[Reila Tsukino]

It was soft and warm... It took all of Reila's efforts to keep from drifting off the moment she was lifted from the ground. He wanted to save her...? She smiled secretly to herself, her eyes closed with the effort to conserve energy. She felt a tightness in her shoulder, a dull ache, and something leaving her. She cracked her eyes opened to see it and noticed that something was wrapped around it. Why was that so familiar...? She stared blankly at it as the motion from moving made her head spin. That's it; it was the hair tie Dai always wore. She closed her eyes again, trying to think. When had he wrapped it around her...? She felt her hand twitch tighter around the stone she now held, trying to protect it from eyes she felt could see through her skin. Her arm moved and she slipped the millions of souls down her shirt and into her bra. Not even someone evil would dare venture there without losing their life. Her arm fell slack once more and she smiled sweetly. "Don't cry... I'm here with you...and we have something to protect..." She breathed, her voice very faint. She felt something feathery brushing against her hand and she reached to touch it. It was Dai's hair like a veil around her. She opened her eyes in time to hear a familiar voice coil through the air to their ears. Reila gasped.

It was Xan and not only was he on the wrong side, but his voice was filled with the same lies she had been hearing from him at Briggs. No... This was too much. Dai yelled something angry, and Reila was fretting over why she couldn't understand it when she realized that it was a different language. Whatever he said, Reila was sure she would agree. When Xan spoke again to her army, she blanched. Shit. He was going to play them right into his hands under her watch?! No way in hell. Act fast. She had to act fast. With speed she shouldn't have, Reila swiped Dai's radio, fiddling with the switches until she acquired the right frequency and sent her commanding voice out to the entire Amestris army that was currently stationed at South City. "Xanthus Icarus... welcome to the battle field," She hissed, pain clearly tracing the sides of her voice. She quickly recovered her strong tones and menacing voice, and continued with a single breath. "I hereby revoke all ties you have with Fort Briggs, the military, and declare you a wanted rebel by the order of Amestris! BRIGGS, MILITANTS, Do not fall for the enemy's lies. Fire upon the retreating rebel army, check for traps, and secure the area!" She dropped the radio with a pained sigh and closed her eyes just long enough to miss the fact that Xan was coming towards them. Dai was stumbling back to base, but... She shot her eyes open and turned quickly to look behind them. Wonderful. Now they had two enemies closing in from either side. She turned ahead and suddenly the hooded man was between them and Xan. Moments later, Houka was also on the scene, barking orders.

Reila burst out laughing. She slid from Dai's arms and stretched her unscathed arm into the sunset with a sigh interlaced with her amusement. "With that attitude, you won't last long at Briggs." The brigadier general couldn't seem to stop laughing as she moved closer to the red-headed girl. "This is the survival of the fittest." She threw her blood-stained pony tail back behind her and closed in on Houka, moving in front of the girl and facing Xan directly. "If you expect him to come with you quietly, he'll just end up killing you." She turned back to the girl behind her, eyes fierce with an eerie glow. "Why don't you light him on fire instead? We'll drag him back with us unconscious." Then her sharp golden orbs fell on the hooded man as she struggled to stay balanced on her feet. "I've never seen you before. You're exactly right, but..." She raised her tachi that was covered with blood and pointed it at his throat. "...something tells me so are you."

[Guest]

Houka looked at Reila for a moment and then nodded. She snapped her fingers and generated a fire that would scorch over Xanthu's body and hopefully knock him unconcious or at least disable him from using his alchemy. The fire was concentrated mostly on his arms. However, to make sure she quickly moved behind him and struck him in the back of the head with the hilt of her sword to make sure he was knocked out. She sighed deeply raising her sword and looked at her reflection in it before nodding again

"I suppose your right Brigadier General Reila." she said quietly. The whole situation of being left in charge and dealing with traitors was also new to her so she hadn't known what to do. "I'm not used to this whole leadership thing yet. I'm better at following orders then giving them. I suppose I will learn" She sheathed her sword. "Let's return to the temporary headquarters and work out what to do from there." Xanthus would have to stand trial so she had made sure not to kill him and she hoped her techniques had worked well enough to take him out for now.

[Jay Furor]

Jay wondered about the current events, deciding to stand nearby Ilona for a while. After a little while, however, she noticed Tsune. "You again!" she whispered, slightly surprised. She then, without a warning, ran at him, katana held out at her side. "HAAAAAA!" She screamed in rage as, once she got within range, she swung her blade at him. She realized that he looked a bit different, and wondered why exactly, a gang leader would be in the military, but she didn't really care. All she knew was that she wanted revenge. If Ilona saw it, she could just explain the situation to her. This man was the one who was responsible for her family's deaths. If she killed him, it would be all she needed to do as a mercenary, she could find something else. But, if she didn't kill him, then she would have not accomplished her vengeance. She had to.

((Yup, even in the midst of the South City massacre thingy, Jay doesn't forget her vendetta, or the fact that Tsune looks like the person she was hunting. XD))

[Guest]

"Shiiiiiiiiiiit!!!" Tsune chimed, racing past the mercenary that started charging him from nowhere with a sword no less. Thank god--if there was one--that he was on his motorcycle. He sped up, looking behind him at the enraged girl that was still convinced that he had killed her whole family. No way in hell was that true! He turned back ahead and suddenly there was a white-haired girl directly in his path. He was just about to smash into her when he slammed on his brakes and veered to the side. He jumped off the bike in time before it smashed into a large cannon protruding from the ground. The silver-haired boy gaped at the mangled motorcycle and untouched cannon and then turned to the state alchemist he almost wrecked into. "I'm so sorry!" He bowed slightly and then pried his eyes away from her and back the the mercenary that had almost caught up to him. He shifted on his feet. Should he run?

[lmao!!]

[Guest]

Scion watched the next events in complete silince. He was relieved that this man - Xanthus, wasn't met with open arms, but branded a traitor and a target for all the Military forces behind them. The events were developing in Scion's favour, then he was ordered to stand down.. he never took orders from the Military, but he had to keep his cover intact, so he moved away, as if "standing down" - he never sheathed his blade, but simply placed it near his right leg, Lilith's tip faced the ground.

Then the Head of Fort Briggs spoke to him, threathening him perhaps, and now the tip of her tachi was facing Scion. "Ooooh, bad decision." - but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Instead he spoke:

"Why do you poiint that wonderfull weapon at me? I am your ally and a friend - if you so wish." - Scion truly admiered swords... shame his voice did not express that admiration, - "I helped you in time of need, if I would be an enemy or an imposter... wouldn't this be the exact moment to strike? When you were unfocued and unpreapared? But I stood here.. on your side..." - Scion grew silent, his eyes brimmed with focus. Even if he lied - it was truly hard to tell he did.
He was too close to blowing his cover... he did not want these people to know he was working for the Fuhrer directly... this would compromise years of hard work.

Scion pulled away his hood and mask, revealing his face. Such display would be more fitting to win trust. His eyes looked directly into Reila's. Once again Scion regretted these eyes could not express anything but grim determination and focus. He sheathed his swords as well... so that he could unsheathe it with one quick movement, if he had to, but that would be his last resort - if nothing else would work.

[Jay Furor]

Jay noted that Ilona was there as well still, and that he had almost run her down while attempting his escape. But she would think about that later. Now was payback time. She charged at him again, still in a rage. She screamed as she swung the blade wildly, but at the same time with deadly precision. Then, if the katana wasn't bad enough, she shifted it to one hand and un-holstered her minigun. She had 75 percent of ammo left in it, and with a mini-gun's speed and firepower, she could rip his body to shreds with it in about three or four minutes of gun fire. She was totally convinced that he was the man she was after and unless he could convince her otherwise, she would permanently be at his throat, trying her hardest to kill him. And her hardest was VERY hard ... Very hard indeed...

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus was looking absolutely emotionless by this point. He had finally gotten his much needed time to think about his plans, and had decided that if it was possible, he needed to remain with the military. RIOTE was going to die today no matter what happened he realized. And even if it didn’t die, he would have to disband it himself as soon as possible. Xan’s musings were interrupted by the sound of screaming coming from the radio on his side. Something about lightning hitting the trucks and killing the men.

‘Hmm…well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Tsune was behind this. I’ll have to thank him for doing my job for me someday.’ Xan mused, right before he heard Reila declare him a traitor. That kind of hurt the Ishvalan. In truth, he hadn’t really done anything treacherous up until this point, and he had most certainly never wished to harm anyone at Briggs. Oh well, if that was how it had to be, if she wouldn’t even give him a chance to explain himself, then what was his next move?

Xan heard the order to burn him alive and reacted with the extreme reflexes that he had been honing since he was eight years old. Slamming his left hand to the ground, Xan erected a barrier between himself and the coming fire, one that was a second later blown to bits by the power of the explosion. However, Xan did not get to see it crumble, as suddenly, the same woman who had told him to stand down was suddenly aiming the end of the hilt of her sword at his head. Xan ducked, causing the blow to go uselessly over his head. Then, he spun around and placed his right hand about an inch away from the woman’s torso.

Listen carefully: Do not move. If I wanted to kill you, or to resist, you would be dead right now. In fact, you might even look a bit like Zaska. I am going to come peacefully and quietly because a battle here would take way too much time and effort, and I really don't want to kill dozens of soldiers. That would not be helpful. My only requests are that I be given a private cell away from everyone here. We don't want to risk any accidents right? Oh, and I don’t want to be shot at on the way there, or stabbed from behind. Are we clear?

Without waiting for an answer, Xan stood up to his full height, and placed his hands in his pockets. Honestly, they didn't think that he'd just sit there and be handcuffed, did they? With a little smile, Xan looked at Houka.

Well? Are you not going to escort me to my cell? Or whatever I'm being kept in?

In truth, behind Xan's nonchalant attitude, a maelstrom of emotions and thoughts was brewing. Reila had just torn off all ties that Xan had with Briggs and Amestris without giving him a chance to even say a single word in his own defense! And after he had risked his own life to try and save her, and after all that time that he had spent stationed at Briggs...Apparently, the universe had a sick sense of humor, and all that she wanted was to see him hang for crimes that he probably hadn't committed. 'Damn. What to do now?'

[Guest]

Ilona ceased fire and stood still, her face showing disugst and amusement. If this man wanted a message like that, he was at the wrong side at the wrong time. She had a nice conversation with him back at central but it was not enough to estabilish a personal relationship. Ilona tilted her head, sighing with disappointment.
"If you wanted to deliever a message like that, you're at the wrong side."And we shall blow you to pieces. Ilona never really liked the betrayer word or something with the same meaning as she had done something like that long ago. But for a good reason. This man whoever; his intentions are not good. Ilona stepped back a tiny bit, remaining on a stance. That woman who seems to be a general is injured, Daigoro is having what seems to be a mental breakdown, so it only left Jay, Grey and Ilona and some others, including herself to deal with the mess...

[Guest]

Scion looked over at the place where Xanthus stood. He was a formidable oponent, but there were too many of those who wanted him dead. Scion had little time to think and little time to act. But he acted nevertheless...
He made a few steps towards Xanthus, ignoring Reila's techi and gestured towards him, while be began speaking:

"I think this man will yield. If he wants a trial - he shall have one... we are not inhumane savages. We must give him this right." - Scion had to go all the way out to make this a good speech, - "This man decided not to fight back and be apprehended. He deserves a chance, does he not?"

"He is sure capable" - Scion looked over at Xanthus. Perhaps this act would put Scion into the good graces of this Alchemist. He was not sure about his allies, but he was sure that now perhaps they would listen to reason - and not their blind rage.
Emotions were ruling over these people. They could not think rationally. Scion made an adittional attempt:

"At least he must be questioned. He can have valuable inforamtion at his disposal. I think we should detain him, and question him in the morning, these events put us all on edge and made us tired. Let us deal with this matter once we rest." - Scion tried to even immitate some degree of emotion.

Scion's eyes once again glowed with determiation. Perhpas he had succeded...

[Guest]

Ilona glanced at Grey and nodded, understanding his point. It was better for Xan to have a trial and rot in a cell...Or not have a trial at all. Either way, it did not matter to her and Ilona did not take it personally."We should capture him now before he gets away and he's going to be easy to catch I bet."Ilona said, preparing to transmute an iron container around Xan and maybe some canons outside so he wouldn't even think of escaping..Otherwise he would be blown to bits like his army.
"And don't lump me with the others, I'm not all emotional about this, it's just all in a day's job."She said, directing this to Grey, placing the shotgun over her shoulder.
Ilona then heard a screeching of a motorcycle and quickly jumped out of the way, shooting the tires flat while she was at it. She landed on her two feet as the motorcycle crashed into one of the canons and slung her shotgun over her shoulder again, placing a hand on her hip with an annoyed look on her face.
"Watch where you are going."She said with a voice that screamed murder.

[Xan]

Xanthus Icarus had barely taken a more than three steps before he heard Ilona’s words. He turned to face her and noticed that she was in a battle stance. Never having been one to simply get gunned down without a word or a motion, Xan quickly touched the ground with his left hand and started to slowly lift it up, off of the ground. With his hand rose a half dozen cannons, all aimed at Ilona.

Ilona, please don’t try my patience. I said that I’d come quietly, not get gunned down.

As if on cue, the very man that Xan had been trying to keep Dai and Reila safe from stepped in to speak on his behalf. With a slightly confused look, Xan made a mental note to thank him for doing so later. Keeping his attention on Ilona, Reila, and Houka, Xan quickly took a quick look around. There was no use getting shot from an unknown angle. He took a quick note of the locations of the soldiers, who happened to be staring at the situation as though they were hypnotized, of Reila, the cold Ice Queen that would have had him scorched by fire without a moment’s hesitation, and of everyone else around him, including Dai, Jay, and Scion. Then, he put his right hand on the cannons and turned them all into fine powder.

I believe that I have made my point. The next person who even assumes a battle stance or aims a rifle at me will most likely not see the light of dawn tomorrow. Now, would someone be so kind as to take me to my cell? The day's event have made me quite sleepy and I desire a peaceful nap.

Xan had decided that he needed to think about what to do next after he had slept on it. And the only way to get some sleep at his point? Be arrested. Oh, this was going to be a most wonderful nap indeed!

[Guest]

Bella walked in dizzily with a little bit of bubbliness. Then saw Jay Furor,her best friend,Bella watched Jay happily while Jay goes on a killing spree like activity but only trying to kill one person. Yeah you get the idea. Anyways back to the main point, Bella begins to think that Jay is a little bit psycho like her. The crater as known as South City had bony corpses and dried up blood and flesh everywhere. Bella was beginning to like this place. Bella yelled at Jay not knowing what was happening "Hi Jay!" Bella then yelled retardedly "Hi person Jay is chasing!" Bella then started watching other events happening around her. There was a girl named Ilona talking to some weird dude named Grey. It was sorta interesting here so Bella sat down at the edge of the crater watching the events around her intensely. Then Bella stood up and brushed herself off and started to wander around the crater joyfully.

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