Rune Seaker 3: Rise to Kings

[Van Dossel]

Joa-Boo

((to Tyler))

"I'm ready for anything." Zaught said as the Collective ant lions met the small group with blades clashing. Zaught wielded a mace in one hand and a large shield in the other for point defense. The first out of many collective attacking was thrown into the air after Zaught tackled it with his shield and threw him over head as he spun low to deliver a blow with his mace against the side of the next on coming ant lion.

The three men with the two of you sprinted forward to join the fight and give their efforts. The odds where 2 to 1 but they where only simple Collective brawlers, nothing with any special abilities.

The 6th guy with you was a specialist from Impetus's group. He was a negotiator who knew the tunnels, and had seen allot of death in them. He didn't engage in any fighting at all and actually you where appointed to protect him as the Collective mindless ant lions came and beat the heck out of all of you. He was not to get touched. He called himself Tooge and was the kind of guy that even if he was told he should join in the fighting, he wouldn’t know how. He was useful however when it came to talking and navigating.

“Just up here now, we will make a left and head up the higher ridge. They are crawling on the floor level with all of their minerals and young. You guys do have long range weapons right? There are a few little surprises the Collective like to throw at us sometimes and it is always good to have someone handy with a gun or bow.” Tooge said with his noble shrilly voice.

Salin scowled, "You can't be serous! Ah hell, I only got this spear and rusty mail." Salin looked at down at the green blood seeping from the dead Collective at their feet. The fight they had put up was pitiful and if this was the best they had then the strike group would have nothing to worry about, sadly though Salin knew that these were only the lowly grunts and that the further in they would face bigger nastier Collective.

The group followed Tooge's directions up the ridge and looked at the minerals and young on the ground below them swarming around in panic of the battle raging on outside their home. Salin was at the head of the group since he had no range weapon and Tooge in the middel where he was most protected.

"So Tooge what surpises do these Collective have that you mention," Zaught asked eyeng the Collective below as they passed.  

[Salfos Iga Ninja Assassin]

"yes my lord. i shall not fail you." Rikimaru set out for Raven's troop. he got on a more private faster airship. and headed out preping his armor and his weapons and training his skills for what was to come. he was determined to accomplish his goals.

Salfos' group set out from the little tavern and conintued to head toward the Pieceps. he had to find Rex. they apporached the town's gate on there chocobos.

Rex left the tavern and walked the streets not bringing any attention and just listen to chatter going on about him trying to find anything. also he tried to find Salfos...  

[Joa-Boo]

((To Tyler))

“These Collective don’t have much care for the individual. They only care about the whole and the Queen. If you threaten the Queen then the whole comes after you like mad demons with no stop. If you threaten the whole then the Queen programs them all to fight against whatever threatens them. Their specialty is known as their Fire ants, nothing to do with the element but harsh and large explosives attached internally. These fire ants do nothing else but run at you with their bodies ready to blow at any moment. If that doesn’t get you some of them mount giant beetles that do nothing but break everything apart.” Tooge said with a grimace and hard voice. The thought bought back memories of past groups meeting the horrible fate of running into a group of Fire ants. The nobleman walked briskly in the middle of the group and read from his memory the next direction they should take. “By the end of this bridge we need to take a right and head through another bridge into the housing grounds.”

“I have heard some where that every Collective has the special ability of burrowing into the ground and traveling undetected. They be crawling all around us right now and we wouldn’t know at all.” The man in the back said. He was a young Lycan and had a lot of spirit. There was a long scar curving down his arm and parts of fur poking out from under his armor that suggested he didn’t have complete control over his wolf from. His name was Atias and he carried a long staff and rifle. He was better at magic then fighting up close but could let lose in his wolf form if needed.

The group continued moving slowly and steadily watching for any sign of the Collective following them, sure enough they where. All of a sudden the rock walls holding up the bridge crumbled and the floor beneath you feel. Around 12 Collective ant lions poured out of the ground and engaged the battle first hand.  

[Van Dossel]

((what are Ant Lions exactly....better yet just list all the types (you can keep some a secret if NO ONE knows about them as one of us would have been told about them if ANYONE knew about them.....since we are a isolated STRIKE TEAM infiltrating the camp.))  

[Arthien]

"I hate him so because he turned me into a vampire, and took my memories to 'protect' me." Helena spoke, her tone harsh. "I didn't know he was my brother until two days ago when he sent Epocalypse to kidnap me. Then, he killed me to make me 'prefect'. Would you love a brother who did such things to the little sister he claims to love so much? No. I want him dead. He doesn't deserve to breathe our air."  

[SkittleScion]

Joa-Boo

((To Serph))
((should I intervene with guy at all, I forget what we talked about with his reason for looking for Sogue.))

((Go ahead an intervene. I hadn't decided what he was gonna do with Sogue yet.))  

[Joa-Boo]

((To Ricky))
The ship takes off early the next morning in secret and is driven by a robotic crew. Your mission is very secret and the up most top secret material your out to uncover would be so dangerous in the wrong hands that no operation could undo the damage. The small sized one seat air ship shoots off at high speed straight into the air until it could no longer be seen by the naked eye and then falls into the right direction headed for the Dark hand castle in the Thunder Plains. The trip only took about an hour of restless anxiety and the landing only released a harsh feeling of importance. Your mission was to find Raven and give him orders straight from Joa Boo given in writing. Not even you are allowed to read the form because it has yet to be written. You where handed a magical script feather that shined a deep purple and would only write after being voice activated by a secret code Raven had been given for such an occasion a long time ago.

As your ship lands tightly in the small airdome found hovering just above the north tower of the castle the robotic crew self implode leaving no trace or evidence of ever being used. You are rushed out of the airdome by a meeting group of heavily armored shades and taken to a throne room where Raven spent most of his time with the other generals planning and searching for the Omega Alliance. You are introduced as the DHSS ((Dark Hand Secret Service)) and acknowledged by all attending the room. Raven himself steps over from his map reading scope and exchanges hellos with a bow and urges you into a private room.

“Please Rickymorow(sp). Follow me and we shall discuss your stay.” Raven said opening a door into a smaller but similar room that’s barred up for maximum security. As you look around most of the treasure pillaged is laying around in heaps for what ever use. “Tell me, what has our great Lord Joa Boo have for us that is so secret.”

At this point Raven is looking for the secret message you where handed and ordered to give him at the right time. The feather would begin writing in magic ink that only Raven’s eyes could read and he would be able to relay the message as needed to all other factions of interest.  

[Joa-Boo]

((To Rex and Salfos))

The rest of the trip went by quickly and before you knew it you where stopped at the entrance to Picep. Three Medagerith officers greet you and suggest that they search your chocobo and your belongings for some terrorist threat are at large. They first search the birds and move to your bags. There was standing against them or they would target you as terrorist and find all kinds of units trailing you down until you where found dead.

Once you get the clear you are allowed into the town and the ambassador for the company you borrowed the birds from took them to the ranch, you could get them back if needed once you left the town.

The town was large and cramped with buildings. The population of the country was almost twice that of all of the other countries making up Medagerith, other then the kingdom of course. However the population size, it was strangely clean and happy. Soldiers climbed the streets up and down in groups of four and could be seen everywhere. Billboards all over posted propaganda influencing the generations to build up armies to defend form the new threat of these judges. It was the first time you had ever heard of the phrase and your innocents of the topic played a big role in your confusion.

Thicker into the town you came across the place you would expect Rex to be. He was no longer there but wouldn’t be far if he needed to inform another member of his assassin faction. It wouldn’t be much longer before you found him. Good thing to because time was not something you seemed to have any more, something about an apocalypse.  

[Joa-Boo]

((To Tyler))
Ant Lions= basic Collective militia unit
Fire Ant= suicide bomber ant lion
Beatle Ant= ant lion mounting a beetle
Bugger= special sticky ant lions that climb along wall and use their butt end to fire long range poison stingers
Ant head= a very fat ant lion that carries an infestation of fire ants
Mosquito= flying ant lions
Scarab= a burrowing giant ant lion that causes quick sands and eat anything that sinks
Queen Ant= Claire is the teenage Queen ant of the Collective. She controls the entire brain of every Collective ant lion.  

[Salfos Iga Ninja Assassin]

Rikimaru looked around the small room. he shifted is weight and his armor moved silently. the dark black color gleamed in the light.

"if that scroll requires nothing more of me i would like to have a look around Raven. maybe rest in a room. i also would like to run a few checks on this armor for it is realitivly new. still a few chinks to work out."

Rikimaru began to drift to the door but only a little. he would have to wait for Raven's response.  

[Salfos Iga Ninja Assassin]

Salfos walked through the town looking for Rex and seeing their old place destroyed he knew he had to go to the forest location just out of town. Rex should be waiting for him. Salfos and Isao walked to the forest. found a tree and Salfos began tapping a rythme. the rythme just sounded like a woodpecker or other annoying creature.

Rex being in the hideout heard the familar tap and crept outside just to make sure that it was his friend. and sure enough it was Salfos, but he didnt recognize the girl though. he began to wonder who that might be.

"Hey Salfos!" Rex Greeted.

"Rex! why is everything in ruin back in the town?" Salfos asked.

"the Omega are doing everything they can to get new soldiers. was bad enough with Joa-Boo around, but now its even worse with these Judges killing everyone."

"i see now. well i need your help once again friend."

"alright but lets get out of the forest quickly down here."

they made there way into the hideout and sat at a table. where they can chat louder and not worry about eing sneaked up on.

"so what ya need Salfos?"

"I need you to help me collect a list of items. for i ran into this man name Crimson who was hell bent to kill joa-boo and mistaked me for being him. so now i cant use my shadow arts ability. makes traveling a bit longer ut i still got some magic and my physical abilities. the first item we need is a dragon egg. so we are going to head up to the mountains and gather one. we will need all the help we can get."

"sounds like fun when do we begin?"

"now."

the party left the hideout and got the chococbos and began to head to the base of the mountain where dragons inhabit.  

[Van Dossel]

Joa-Boo

((To Tyler))

“These Collective don’t have much care for the individual. They only care about the whole and the Queen. If you threaten the Queen then the whole comes after you like mad demons with no stop. If you threaten the whole then the Queen programs them all to fight against whatever threatens them. Their specialty is known as their Fire ants, nothing to do with the element but harsh and large explosives attached internally. These fire ants do nothing else but run at you with their bodies ready to blow at any moment. If that doesn’t get you some of them mount giant beetles that do nothing but break everything apart.” Tooge said with a grimace and hard voice. The thought bought back memories of past groups meeting the horrible fate of running into a group of Fire ants. The nobleman walked briskly in the middle of the group and read from his memory the next direction they should take. “By the end of this bridge we need to take a right and head through another bridge into the housing grounds.”

“I have heard some where that every Collective has the special ability of burrowing into the ground and traveling undetected. They be crawling all around us right now and we wouldn’t know at all.” The man in the back said. He was a young Lycan and had a lot of spirit. There was a long scar curving down his arm and parts of fur poking out from under his armor that suggested he didn’t have complete control over his wolf from. His name was Atias and he carried a long staff and rifle. He was better at magic then fighting up close but could let lose in his wolf form if needed.

The group continued moving slowly and steadily watching for any sign of the Collective following them, sure enough they where. All of a sudden the rock walls holding up the bridge crumbled and the floor beneath you feel. Around 12 Collective ant lions poured out of the ground and engaged the battle first hand.

Salin swung around and cleaved the head off of the naerest Ant Lion with ease as the others surrounded the negotiator and defend him from the ambush. Salin knocked a spear out of another ant lions hand and brought it around in a arc and split open the ant lion's chest. Zaught was at the front of the defense group and stab viciously at the ant lions inbetween him and Salin piercing holes into two as they fell to the ground. The others of the group killed Ant Lions and soon the Ant Lions where all dead and no one has suffered any wounds above a couple of scraps.

Salin drew his blood filled canteen and took a sip, "If this is all they got defending their Queen we will walk through them."

Atias laughed, "Yeah we smoked these bastards. I hope we go up against something more of a challenge."

Zaught shook his head and put his hand on the young werewolf's shoulder, "Boy do not let this go through your head. Pray this be the only things we fight for battle is not something fun, it is a nasty nesseity**."

Toorge started snapping his fingers signalling that they needed to move on. Quickly the group restablished their order and procceded on.  

[Joa-Boo]

((to Souge and Helena))

"Such hate, such fuel. We really could use you. My only problem is I'm not so sure how. We have a few missions but the main target is Joa Boo and I would like to keep you close to Sogue on that one." Specter thought to himself out loud and began to pace.

"If you can think of anything, let me know. Our first objective is to make you two unofficial." Specter says pointing to both of you.

"We need some kind of convincing performance of either the tow of you dying in battle of being crushed under a cave collapse, something that will get the Omega Alliance off your back and make the world think you to do not exists anymore." Jade explained moving closer into action, which he was ready to do.

“I could summon a sin spawn and have it act like it’s attacking you and then break a wall above you and make it seem like your being crushed under a collapse in the wall. That would convince them.” Whisper added, ready to cast her spells to get this operation on the move.

“Then it’s settled, Sogue and Helena, get back to your place in the Omega Alliance and wait for us to move in with the performance. All you guys have to do is act natural and we will get you out of there. The Omega Alliance will never know we are really stealing some of their best warriors. We will commence the operation early morning rounds tomorrow so not to many soldiers can intervene. We will see you then.” Specter said liking the idea and returning to write the rest of the plan out in greater detail. He was away at work now and wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Any questions Sogue before you jump into something with a little more action then you’ve been through in some time. This is going to be very time demanding and your not going to be able to risk any messing up. This is much more stressful.” Jade said giving a hand before you just walk out.