School House Rumbles 3: Act 3. Warriors and Liberators.

[Eternal Torment]

"Oh?" Lunarius seemed a bit surprised by Sloane's reaction, but it eventually gave way to amusement.

Stabbing the ground with his sword, he rested both hands on the weapon's pommel. "You are a very precious person to her, perhaps even more than you know..."

Sloane wavered just a little more, against his better judgement.

He didn't want to die here, not when he was so happy! He couldn't really enjoy it, though. The situation was too serious for him to completely disregard his own safety.

Still, it made his pain seem inconsequential. There was more purpose to this fight than simply freeing Rosemary. With his spirit renewed, he could start fighting better again.

He raised his arm back up, trying to refocus on the fight.

"You'd really just blurt it out, just like that?"

[Yun Lao]

Sloane wavered just a little more, against his better judgement.

He didn't want to die here, not when he was so happy! He couldn't really enjoy it, though. The situation was too serious for him to completely disregard his own safety.

Still, it made his pain seem inconsequential. There was more purpose to this fight than simply freeing Rosemary. With his spirit renewed, he could start fighting better again.

He raised his arm back up, trying to refocus on the fight.

"You'd really just blurt it out, just like that?"

"What use do I have with this information?" He replied, pulling the Sword of Sorrows from the ground once again.

"Regardless, what I haven't told you is that romantically...you're nonexistent."

[Eternal Torment]

"What use do I have with this information?" He replied, pulling the Sword of Sorrows from the ground once again.

"Regardless, what I haven't told you is that romantically...you're nonexistent."

Sloane raised an eyebrow as he continued advancing.

"Well, I never did believe that I'd be a good contender. Sucks for me, I guess."

There was an odd tone to his voice. There was a hint of sadness, but mixed in with that was... relief?

"At least there's some place for me in Rosemary's heart. And if I'm in no place to ruin a romance that never existed...."

He sped up his movements, sliding almost parallel to the ground with knife held in a reverse grip.

"Then I can just freak the fuck out AS MUCH AS I WANNNTTT!!!"

[Rhyvurg]

"But Mrs. Sato, I am of the legal drinking age," Maxana says. Even if she was not, there is not much she can do to stop her.

"Don't be silly, you can't be a day over fifteen."

[Yun Lao]

Sloane raised an eyebrow as he continued advancing.

"Well, I never did believe that I'd be a good contender. Sucks for me, I guess."

There was an odd tone to his voice. There was a hint of sadness, but mixed in with that was... relief?

"At least there's some place for me in Rosemary's heart. And if I'm in no place to ruin a romance that never existed...."

He sped up his movements, sliding almost parallel to the ground with knife held in a reverse grip.

"Then I can just freak the fuck out AS MUCH AS I WANNNTTT!!!"

The fingers that had been severed by Sloane's knife had returned with a slight flex of his previously injured hand.

"Freak out as much as you want."

A simple stance was all he needed to prepare for Sloane's charge. "You will feel despair all the same."

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

Sergei Stoneback leaned against the wall in the hallway, head tilted back and right hand tucked in his pocket. His left hand drifted lazily to the cigarette in his mouth as he took a drag off of it. He adjusted his lean slightly to stop his sword, slung over his shoulder, as he blew a smoke ring into the air.

He's been in the hallway for over an hour, but he didn't really care. The last few months had been hell, and if this was what he was told to do, he'd do it. Besides, it beat being out on the streets. Carmen got a sick thrill out of hunting down rebellious pockets of insurgents and disposing of them before the media got wind of them. She hated having to play it right and send them to the Gulag.

Sergei grimaced slightly. Carmen Altero, his old friend, had changed. She had always been forceful, even viscious at times. Ruthless in her profession, much like Bale had been when they had first met, but never like.........this. He'd seen the look in her eyes, the lust for violence that had crept into them since their return from the botched Reclaimation mission those years ago. Bale had saved their lives with the power he had discovered, had made them all more powerful too, but something had shifted.

He looked up as the door to the office opened and Carmen walked out. She wore her favorite green, tight fitted suit, and as she looked toward him, for just a moment, Sergei felt like things were like they used to be. She smiled slightly at him and walked over, but the moment ended and Sergei was in the present once more. The smile she had was more feral, a snarl of upcoming mayhem than pleasant greeting.

"Sergei! Bale's just updated me. A new crop of would be protesters toward his media control just popped up in Sector 12. I get to go 'supress' them. Want to come along?"

She looked excited, her face slightly flushed. Sergei could see the ether power in her eyes, giving them almost a fever bright intensity. Sergei took a drag off his cig and shook his head.

"Sorry Carmen, but Bale's got some reports he wants me to go over with him. You go have fun."

Carmen flicks her hair back and grins.

"More for me then. Later!"

She disappeared down the hallway's other door, leaving Sergei alone once more. The bodyguard took another drag and shook his head. He owed alot to Bale Volkov. He had saved his life, given him power and prestige. Brought him out of poverty and given him a place amongst his trusted advisors and allies. He had known Carmen and Bale for years, and they had worked togteher, survived, and made Eden their own.

But sometimes Sergei wondered. He was a killer. A monster, no doubt about it. He had been a killer for nothing before he had joined with Bale, and he was a killer after. He had more blood on his hands than most, and all of it had been taken without hesitation or regrets.

But what Carmen did was something else entirely. Sergei had never delighted in his work, before or after, but Carmen lived now for blood and death.

Quite truthfully, she scared Sergei.

Worse though, as much as she scared him, Bale was worse. If Carmen scared him, than Bale Volkov terrified him down to his very soul.

Whereas Carmen delighted in the open violence and slaughter, Bale Volkov was the exact opposite. He was cold and calculating, his grin errie as if he knew exactly what moves his opponents were doing before they knew it themselves. And his eye, the glow and power it possessed, made Sergei's own advanced abilities seem like childsplay.

Yet he couldn't do anything. He had sworn on that day years ago that he would pledge his life to Bale, to his ideals and plans. He owed the man everything, and if nothing else, he would honor that vow. If he didn't, he would be nothing, wouldn't he?

Somedays, he wasn't so sure anymore.

A beep on his wrist jarred his thoughts. He toggled the controls and read the data. The Gulag was compromised? As the head of Bale's security, he was also in charge of monitoring the Gulag and all prisoner transports aswell. And while the Gulag's camera's were all offline for some unknown reason when he tried to access them, the data feed from the shuttle used to escape the Gulag still worked, being in an enclosed loop that feed directly to his data-reader.

Sergei observed everything, saw the people in the shuttle, and took another drag off the cigarette. This should be reported back to Bale ASAP. Carmen had clearly not gotten the job done, and Bale needed to know this for sure.

He was interrupted as Bale's secretary opened the door and gestured for Sergei to come, saying Bale would see him now. Sergei paused for a moment, observing the data, his mind shifting and swirling. He finally nodded to the woman and thanked her before closing the data-reader, deleting the data-feed info from it as he got up from the wall, readjusted his sword, took one last drag off his cig, and headed toward the door.

He would do what needed to be done, as he always did.

[FarBeyondC]

A few hours?

It wasn't enough time for any real preparations, but there was no helping that; time was now a luxury- at least, if they wanted the best chance possible of success. After all, it could only- until contradicting evidence proved otherwise- be assumed that time favored Volkov and his forces more than it did her, her friends, and- assuming they were actually on the same side- Raveneye and his supporters.

Still, more time would have been nice. she thought, in the middle of transferring more of her power into shards similar to those made earlier. As the creation of these did not render her completely unable to act, she was also preparing for herself a little meal- one whose preparation involved perhaps a bit more of a certain liquor than it usually called for. But only just a bit. At least, that would be her excuse if anyone later asked her about it. Not that the 19 year old Cramoisie needed an excuse to drink as much as she pleased.

[Eternal Torment]

The fingers that had been severed by Sloane's knife had returned with a slight flex of his previously injured hand.

"Freak out as much as you want."

A simple stance was all he needed to prepare for Sloane's charge. "You will feel despair all the same."

Sloane responded by converting the slide into a flying tackle, seemingly exposing himself to an impaling charge from Lunarius.

[Hazard]

Pretending to be drunk was tough.

Robert smiled as he waved at a seemingly random direction.

Really tough.

It had been a spur of the moment thing really, but he might as well keep it up. Shame on Sloane going for a duel though. He could really use a fight to break some tension.

It would be rude to interfere though.

Damn.

Oh well, at least this way he could surprise the weird guy if things went south.

"Go Sloane," Robert said, purposely slurring his words.

[Tami]

The fingers that had been severed by Sloane's knife had returned with a slight flex of his previously injured hand.

"Freak out as much as you want."

A simple stance was all he needed to prepare for Sloane's charge. "You will feel despair all the same."

Sloane responded by converting the slide into a flying tackle, seemingly exposing himself to an impaling charge from Lunarius.

Rivia stood nearby and watched, having put away her book and headed over to where he was. This was Sloane and Rose's fight, so she hesitated, waiting to see if Sloane could handle it on his own, or if he was going to need help.

[Yun Lao]

Sloane responded by converting the slide into a flying tackle, seemingly exposing himself to an impaling charge from Lunarius.

Lunarius watched Sloane's charge with nostalgia. The boy's attacks lacked the power of Dean Gaitlain and the speed of Ramus Navila, but his spirit was nearly the same. Unfortunately for Sloane, he had carved Dean's heart out near the end of that fight. Perhaps in a few years, maybe even months, they would have matched the Dragons of old.

Dropping the Sword of Sorrows, Lunarius crouched low before meeting Sloane's tackle with an uppercut underneath the jaw. Retracting that very same fist, it lunged out once again to seize him by the face. With fingertips burrowing into the sides of Sloane's face, Lunarius stood up, resulting in the other being lifted up off the floor by the very same hold.

"I've always admired the passion of the youth, no matter how many generations I've witnessed. Perhaps is it because it reminds me of the passion I once had." Opening his free hand, his weapon materialized within his grasp. For a moment, he seemed poised to run Sloane through with the sword, only for the spirit to sigh. "I suppose it is unhealthy to dwell in the past. It's time to end this." Flinging Sloane towards Cas, Lunarius clenched his now free hand bringing forth a summon swarm of energy particulars that began to form above his head.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

"Don't worry, I won't," she says with a smirk. "And I will. One way or another." With that, she teleports back to where Xaric Raveneye is and waits for him to finish his work.

After a while, Ramilia gets fed up with waiting. "Um, Xaric, is it okay if I make a quick phone call?"

[Hazard]

Lunarius watched Sloane's charge with nostalgia. The boy's attacks lacked the power of Dean Gaitlain and the speed of Ramus Navila, but his spirit was nearly the same. Unfortunately for Sloane, he had carved Dean's heart out near the end of that fight. Perhaps in a few years, maybe even months, they would have matched the Dragons of old.

Dropping the Sword of Sorrows, Lunarius crouched low before meeting Sloane's tackle with an uppercut underneath the jaw. Retracting that very same fist, it lunged out once again to seize him by the face. With fingertips burrowing into the sides of Sloane's face, Lunarius stood up, resulting in the other being lifted up off the floor by the very same hold.

"I've always admired the passion of the youth, no matter how many generations I've witnessed. Perhaps is it because it reminds me of the passion I once had." Opening his free hand, his weapon materialized within his grasp. For a moment, he seemed poised to run Sloane through with the sword, only for the spirit to sigh. "I suppose it is unhealthy to dwell in the past. It's time to end this." Flinging Sloane towards Cas, Lunarius clenched his now free hand bringing forth a summon swarm of energy particulars that began to form above his head.

Bang!

The loud sound echoed across the room as Robert launched a dust bullet towards the man.

"Yeah so, sorry but I kind of want to butt in now," he said.

"Sorry Sloane. You probably had something planned and all, but I can't just stand and watch," Robert said, scratching the back of his head with a guilty look on his face.

"Anyway, cheers!" He said, raising his bottle in Lunarius direction.

[Yun Lao]

Bang!

The loud sound echoed across the room as Robert launched a dust bullet towards the man.

"Yeah so, sorry but I kind of want to butt in now," he said.

"Sorry Sloane. You probably had something planned and all, but I can't just stand and watch," Robert said, scratching the back of his head with a guilty look on his face.

"Anyway, cheers!" He said, raising his bottle in Lunarius direction.

The bullet struck, sending a faint mist of black smoke from Lunarius' body; unfortunately, this did nothing to stop him from gathering energy. Although gathering at a lazy pace, the navy blue energy had managed to finally form the rough shape of sphere. Shortly after, it had gathered enough to form a stable change, resulting in a color change to a almost blindingly bright sickly green hue. Those close enough would begin to feel their bodies heating up from within, almost as if the fluids within were beginning to boil.

To those who had lived their lives unable to learn of the Old World, the dangers of nuclear energy and radiation might have been nonexistent, yet perhaps instinct might have told them that what he possessed had to be stopped as soon as possible.

[WickedElphaba]

Bang!

The loud sound echoed across the room as Robert launched a dust bullet towards the man.

"Yeah so, sorry but I kind of want to butt in now," he said.

"Sorry Sloane. You probably had something planned and all, but I can't just stand and watch," Robert said, scratching the back of his head with a guilty look on his face.

"Anyway, cheers!" He said, raising his bottle in Lunarius direction.

Startled by the noise, Skye spills out into the hall to see what the ruckus is. "What the hell?" She asks.