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

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

Eisen lightes up like a miniture sun as the battle is joined. Her healing halo beams streak out again and again, stabbing down to help out allies and her classmates as they get injured. Dozens of the resistance's forces are healed and rejoin the fray, not asking how but simply grateful for the second chance.

Her targeting system, allowing her the advantage in aiming, also lays into the enemy with her blasters. Not killing, but crippling.

Alongside her is Marko, in all his cybernetic armored glory. Sitting astride his horse construct, he wields a copy of the legendary spear Gungnir in one hand, and the sword Masamune in the other. The horse stamps back and forth as the knight reaps through his enemy's, sparing who he can as he protects Eisen's flank.

[Hazard]

He was a ghost now. That was kind of creepy.

Robert sighed as an experimental punch went right through the intended target. Yep, all ghost. How or why could wait. Right now, he needed something more solid.

Shouldn't be too hard right?

His body was just earth. Building a body. What could be more simple? Just focus. Visualize. Imagine.

Cast Off!

Robert grinned as he felt the ground beneath his feat and the wind against his face. Better. Much better. The battle raging around him had slowed down to a crawl. Numerous statues brawling for a worthless cause.

Robert moved.

His form vanished from the battlefield as he run in between the enemy lines. Doing little more than lightly touching the people he found in his way.

Weight of the World.

It was enough. Robert moved towards the huge building leaving countless of immobile statues behind him.

[Eternal Torment]

With one knife, Sloane started slashing up the soldiers who opposed him.

He aimed to cripple, to sever tendons down to the bone, and to paralyze with pain.

None of them could touch him. He flitted between them like a ghost, moving faster than they could react and leaving before they could scream.

He had to admit, it made him feel much better to be on the giving end for once.

[Guy Smiley]

Mack flitted about the battlefield faster than most could react, shredding through armor with Glass Cutter to slice at the enemy's vitals. After sowing chaos in this manner for several seconds, he switched it up a bit.

Leaping high into the air over a massed formation of Volkov's forces, Mack switched from straight invisibility to a displacement effect. The lasers shot towards his suddenly-appearing illusionary double bent and circled his 'body' before slashing across the enemy lines. Other projectiles were fired as well, most passing through his doppelganger harmlessly. One shot had gone particularly wide, however, and scored Mack's shoulder. Mack snarled at the unexpected pain, and channeled his power into a fierce, hot wind, dry as the blasted lands outside the Eden dome had once been.

The soldiers below Mack felt the harsh wind scour their bodies only momentarily as their skin shriveled and cracked, the water in their bodies leeched away in mere moments by the impossibly dry wind. Mack sighed in relief as the moisture-laden air was carried up to him and transmuted into replacement flesh, removing all traces of the wound and reenergizing Mack to an incredible degree.

A few soldiers remained standing as their comrades crumbled and dropped to the ground, their stamina allowing them to withstand the assault. These found themselves covered in thick rime and a slowly-growing sheet of ice as Mack went from South Wind to North Wind. The cold seeped into their bones, and they found themselves incapable of movement. All but one, that is. This final man had somehow fought free of both dessication and bitter cold, and stood defiantly, still aiming a shot at Mack's duplicate from amongst the giant circle of iced-over corpses. As Mack reached the apex of his leap, he engaged East Wind again, switching places with the soldier as he fired his weapon.

Luckily for the soldier, he had been aiming at the illusionary Mack, so he was not hit as his own bullet came whistling by. However, he found himself a good ninety feet in the air. His fall was interrupted as Mack used Heaven's Auger to form a tornado beneath the hapless soldier and accelerate him to a velocity nearing Mack's best, firing the man like a bullet from a rail gun across the plaza and into a robot at speeds terminal for both.

Mack turned and looked for his next target. Spotting a mixed group of men and robots, he smiled evilly. He decided it was time for Open Sesame to see some action...

[Yun Lao]

[BGM: "Royal Road, Paradise"]

She was a human projectile soaring through the air, passing over the combat unfolded beneath. Perhaps, not to long ago, she would have be eager to fight as many as she could, but now she sought only the ones who could bring this battle to an end.

With the skyscraper out of reach, she was forced to land on the roof of one of the gravity barges with a resounding clang, prompting a few surprised cries and curses from those within. An apologetic smile and giggle given in response, Rosemary kicked off once more with Zetty's assistance. This could continue several more times, although at least point there must have been a communications made about the stupid little girl hopping across the barges for the later ones didn't seem too surprised.

Bullets tore through the air from an enemy craft, a few of them in particular grazing across her flesh like burning scratches. Landing upon another barge, the girl responded in kind with a jet-spray of water, courtesy of Ruluzuelo, that splashed windshields before freezing into thick sheets of ice. That was enough to stop their attack as they focused their efforts in regaining visual contact.

Glancing forth, she found that she was close enough to the skyscraper for one more jump and the only uncertainties left in her mind was the durability of the building and the dangers of those within. Leaping off the barge, the girl balled of her fist and reared back and summoned forth the power of her friends as she swung forth. The four fists of the elemental Visions materialized together as they smashed into the concrete and steel frame of Volkov's castle like a wrecking ball.

[Cthulhu_of_R'yleh]

Exhausted from the unexpected burst of energy earlier, Casimir had put Tenebrous away and was now using his speed and strength to clear a path through the opposition.

As he danced through them his kill count leveled; his strength only being enough to break their bones through the armor they wore. Dispatching a group of three, he spun quickly and caught a lance of laser fire to the helmet, burning through the visor and exposing his face.

The soldier that fired the shot dropped the rifle and Casimir heard him say; "... C-Casimir?"

The man knows me... That means... Understanding who was standing in front of him he shot forward and struck him hard across the helmet, shattering the visor and breaking the mans jaw. Then, as the man crumpled Casimir followed up with a knee to the ribs breaking several.

After he finished he merely looked down at the man. "Uncle," he replied calmly.

He debated killing him then, and thought better of it. It would only prove his Uncle right in the end, and he wanted to hear what the man had to say for himself.

If he actually had anything to say for himself.

Coating the broken and unconscious man in diamond leaving only enough space to breathe, he grabbed hold of his leg and continued fighting his way towards the tower, dispatching the soldiers that came at him by using his Uncle like a club.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

At the behest of Ramilia, Maxana refrains from utterly annihilating everyone in her path, instead opting for maiming them as much as possible. Limbs are lost, and the wounds are immediately cauterized while the electricity buzzing throughout their bodies is drained nearly completely, rendering them all unconscious.

Instead of firing off the charge, she stores it inside, intending to save for the fight with Volkov. She finally reaches the tower and stops just shy of the doors. First, she will need some help. Turning around, she taps her foot on the ground three times and says, "Come out, my little darling. Time to come out an play."

Two masked soldiers approach her slowly, flames and lime green leyline power circling around them. Just then, two fists burst out from underground and drag the two undergroud. The next second, they erupt from the ground, and land nearly fifty yards away. Just then, the ground breaks apart and the creature she created about an hour ago emerges.

"Yeah, Rocky Stonefists! You look amazing!" she says as she admires her handiwork. Rocky lets out a guttural bellow at the name, seeming to approve of it. "Now, for your partner in crime!"

She rubs her hands together and looses a massive fireball into the sky. She shapes it into the form she made on Mars; arms, legs, massive wings and the frightening visage all become clearly defined. Once satisfied, she fuses it with Ethereal energy to give it life. energy

The fire elemental lets out a frightening screech and divebombs to the ground below, slicing through an unfortunate soldier before landing gracefully next to Rocky. "L.M. Intel! You look just like I want you to. Now, go warm up before the main event"

She laughs victoriously as they take off, sending soldiers and robots flying in all directions while they catch their bearings.

[Rhyvurg]

Takeshi ignores the battle, besides swooping low over Volkov's troops. He wants the big guy, not the henchmen.

[Chrosis]

Skye quickly assesses the situation and calls out, "Spirits, aid me!"

A shimmer fills the air and three forms appear.

"Kaikaygo, Moombay, and Lawndawn, thank you for coming." She points at Cammy. "Lawndawn, will you protect her please?"

Then she adds, "Kaikaygo and Moombay, please stick with me."

She looks at Cammy and nods at the building. "Shall we?"

OOC: Kaikaygo: Str: 45, Sta: 20, Dur: 30, Spd: 35 | Moombay: Str: 30, Sta: 20, Dur: 35, Spd: 45 | Lawndawn: Str: 20, Sta: 30, Dur: 45, Spd: 35

Cammy was hesitant, eyeing the amassed enemy forces with a sense of trepidation, "I... We don't kill anyone, right?"

She could snap her fingers and level the whole complex, but she could never do that- maybe Cas had been right on Mars. Maybe she wasn't cut out for killing something, let alone someone. However, Volkov's forces didn't seem like they would make it easy.

She felt a heavy and on her shoulder and turned to see her grandfather, brimming with power behind her, "Taking a life is often necessary on the battlefield."

He squeezed gently, "That is a lesson I wish you to learn quickly, lest it be forced upon you."

She frowned, "I wont."

Marceau narrowed his eyes in return, "Then I hope you've taken my lessons to heart. It's better to kill with intent than by accident."

She bit her lip.

She had done her best to adhere to his lessons and to maintain control, but it was difficult. It had worked surprisingly well in the armory, but it might not be so easy on an open battlefield.

She hesitantly raised her arm, eager to prove her grandfather wrong- that she was in control of her power. She took aim at an enhancer and considered her options. She could see what would happen in her mind- the shockwave ripping through the battlefield and everything between her and her target. Even if he did survive, it wouldn't be pretty...

She glared at nothing in particular, hating her weakness and her own strength, "No."

"Camryn...", Marceau started, "If you cannot fire this attack then everything you've been through until now has been pointless."

She glared up to reply, but flinched back when a blast of energy burst of Marceau's shield, which was protecting them both.

He stared down at her, his voice like jagged ice, "That was an attempt on your life. Will you not even defend yourself?"

The poor girl was becoming more distraught by the moment, he ground crackling around her, "I..."

Over the past few months, she had definitely grown stronger. It was obvious, really, even to her. She had stood up to Casimir and Max and Elewa easily enough, but this... this could kill someone. She grit her teeth, trying to remember everything that Marceau had taught her- discipline and control.

She raised her hand again, pointed at the enhancer again. She took a deep breath again, "I... I can do this... I'm in control..."

Cammy was ready to fire when the enhancer crushed another man's skull with his bare hands. Camryn was stunned by the display of violence- stunned not only by the grotesque nature of the act, but also the malice with which it was performed. In that split second, all desire for control was lost. It was replaced by a burning anger- a hatred for the man who had performed the act and a terrible vengeance. With no regard for her target's safety, Camryn fired.

The force of the attack totally obliterated the man, sending a spray of red mist deep into the ranks behind him. Had it not been for Marceau's teachings (or the target's elevated position), there would have been undoubtedly many more casualties. Instead there was one dead man and a gaping hole in the cloud of smoke and debris.

For a moment, Camryn was silent, her face scrunched up in sorrow. She coud shed no tears for her monstrous act- the heat would not allow it. All she could do was allow herself to be pulled into cover by her Grandfather, whose smile was hidden too all but himself.

[WickedElphaba]

Cammy was hesitant, eyeing the amassed enemy forces with a sense of trepidation, "I... We don't kill anyone, right?"

She could snap her fingers and level the whole complex, but she could never do that- maybe Cas had been right on Mars. Maybe she wasn't cut out for killing something, let alone someone. However, Volkov's forces didn't seem like they would make it easy.

She felt a heavy and on her shoulder and turned to see her grandfather, brimming with power behind her, "Taking a life is often necessary on the battlefield."

He squeezed gently, "That is a lesson I wish you to learn quickly, lest it be forced upon you."

She frowned, "I wont."

Marceau narrowed his eyes in return, "Then I hope you've taken my lessons to heart. It's better to kill with intent than by accident."

She bit her lip.

She had done her best to adhere to his lessons and to maintain control, but it was difficult. It had worked surprisingly well in the armory, but it might not be so easy on an open battlefield.

She hesitantly raised her arm, eager to prove her grandfather wrong- that she was in control of her power. She took aim at an enhancer and considered her options. She could see what would happen in her mind- the shockwave ripping through the battlefield and everything between her and her target. Even if he did survive, it wouldn't be pretty...

She glared at nothing in particular, hating her weakness and her own strength, "No."

"Camryn...", Marceau started, "If you cannot fire this attack then everything you've been through until now has been pointless."

She glared up to reply, but flinched back when a blast of energy burst of Marceau's shield, which was protecting them both.

He stared down at her, his voice like jagged ice, "That was an attempt on your life. Will you not even defend yourself?"

The poor girl was becoming more distraught by the moment, he ground crackling around her, "I..."

Over the past few months, she had definitely grown stronger. It was obvious, really, even to her. She had stood up to Casimir and Max and Elewa easily enough, but this... this could kill someone. She grit her teeth, trying to remember everything that Marceau had taught her- discipline and control.

She raised her hand again, pointed at the enhancer again. She took a deep breath again, "I... I can do this... I'm in control..."

Cammy was ready to fire when the enhancer crushed another man's skull with his bare hands. Camryn was stunned by the display of violence- stunned not only by the grotesque nature of the act, but also the malice with which it was performed. In that split second, all desire for control was lost. It was replaced by a burning anger- a hatred for the man who had performed the act and a terrible vengeance. With no regard for her target's safety, Camryn fired.

The force of the attack totally obliterated the man, sending a spray of red mist deep into the ranks behind him. Had it not been for Marceau's teachings (or the target's elevated position), there would have been undoubtedly many more casualties. Instead there was one dead man and a gaping hole in the cloud of smoke and debris.

For a moment, Camryn was silent, her face scrunched up in sorrow. She coud shed no tears for her monstrous act- the heat would not allow it. All she could do was allow herself to be pulled into cover by her Grandfather, whose smile was hidden too all but himself.

Skye witnesses the vulgar act with a sense of dread, soundlessly whispering "No, Cammy! No!" But is unable to stop the other girl. The image of the incinerated man is imprinted into her mind's eye.

Tears well within her.

Skye snaps.

"Volkov!" She screams. "You did this! You destroyed her! And you will pay."

Skye shifts into metal and draws STABBY. She glares at the opposing forces and snarls to her City Spirits "Kill them. Kill them all." She enhances her own speed and crashes into a cluster of the enemy.

She is death to those between her and Volkov.

[Tami]

Hidden amonst the fighting, a man and a woman joined in. Wearing matching dark combat outfits and wielding strange curved bladed staff weapons, they attacked Volkov's army with surgical non-leathal precision.

[FarBeyondC]

When Eisen, Robert, Takeshi, and the then still unconscious Vi left- all but the last to the field where Volkov and the remnants of Eden's resistance waged war against each other- she was alone with Vi's clones, who- like the one they were cloned from- were also still unconscious.

If they were left here, they were surely going to die- which didn't sit well with her.

Perhaps...

There was no guarantee that they were still around, given so many people she knew were apparently captured. And even if they were untouched, there was no guarantee that they would even listen to what she would ask of them.

But still, it was worth checking to see if the Aldanes would accept nearly two dozen individuals; it wasn't exactly an unreasonable request, given what they have accepted in the past.

Lights reminscent of the phoenii from earlier arced from her to each clone, on contact becoming a mark upon each's skin. When all the clones were marked in this fashion, Iriesia rose from the ground and out of the building- gently willing the clones to move with her. When both she and the clones were well away from Baad Industries, she willed the ice within its main building to denotate after ten seconds.

Iriesia and the clones of Vi were halfway to their destination when Baad Industries main headquarters was enveloped in an explosion that razed the building and the land it stood on, leaving only a crater half as deep as the headquarters was tall.

---

Two hours.

That was how long it took Amare and Raishin to exhaustively search every single place where Garland, Galimany, and the others reported missing could possibly be. Well, they places that either of them knew of. And while it was indeed possible that they could be somewhere unknown to them, the more likely event was that they actually were captured- as impossible as it seemed.

"Are you satisfied now, Amadear?"

Amare 'answered' Rai's question with her fist, which despite seeing it coming managed to hit him anyway.

"I am now," she said as her left hook left Rai reeling in the street. After a few seconds, she moved to help him up. "Walk it off, wimp. And while you're at it, use those ears of yours to find something interesting."

In between forceful coughs, Rai managed to reply affirmatively, and the two began what would hopefully be a more fruitful search.

---

This is it...

Back to back, a pair of lovers were almost on their last legs, surrounded by several of Volkov's Reclamation Forces. The two had done well in the fight to free themselves and the surviving remnants of their family and friends from Volkov and what he represented. Unfortunately, the overwhelming numbers they faced had wore them down to the point where they knew that they would not- no, could not- survive this battle.

As the Reclamation Forces closed in for the kill, the two were of like mind.

Before they fell- as they fully expected they would before the end of the day- they would repay the debt of blood they owed to those who had killed and controlled so many.

"You mind if we cut in?" A distantly familiar voice seemingly called to them from beyond the crowd. "Actually, screw that. We're cutting in whether you like it or not. Go ahead and get those two looked at, I want a piece of the freaks wearing those masks."

What the hell...

Before either of the two even knew what was going on, a flash of light blinded both them and the forces that were surrounding them; by the time those blinded could see again, the two- who had passed out from exhaustion- were headed to a place of relative safety and all but one of the masked soldiers were on the ground- the last held in the air by Amare, who gleefully smashed her head into his own- sending the soldier flying into another group.

"Are these really the forces that took the city over? Come on, you weak *****, I want to at least have a little fun before the day is over."

Not knowing how the soldiers currently on the ground fell, a couple of others in the area were hesitant to approach the new combatant.

Amare was having none of that.

She punched the ground, causing a shockwave which sent the hesisant combatants- and several allies flying away. Then, a smile on her face, she went to town- somehow managing to take on only those allied with Volkov in her seemingly random rampage across the battlefield.

For now, Rai was providing support, unable to fully enter the fray for at least another minute.

Iriesia was currently nowhere to be found on the battlefield.

OT: Though everyone feels that she's approaching, and should be there in about 100 seconds.

[Chrosis]

Skye witnesses the vulgar act with a sense of dread, soundlessly whispering "No, Cammy! No!" But is unable to stop the other girl. The image of the incinerated man is imprinted into her mind's eye.

Tears well within her.

Skye snaps.

"Volkov!" She screams. "You did this! You destroyed her! And you will pay."

Skye shifts into metal and draws STABBY. She glares at the opposing forces and snarls to her City Spirits "Kill them. Kill them all." She enhances her own speed and crashes into a cluster of the enemy.

She is death to those between her and Volkov.

Camryn felt ill to her stomach, only vaguely aware of her surroundings. She gasped, her grandfather's voice on the edge of her senses as air ran into her lungs in short bursts. All she could think about was the fact that she had ended a man- annihilated him in such a manner that any family wouldn't even have a body for the funeral. They were soldiers, that didn't mean that you just... even then you couldn't just kill them! They had lives! Friends and family! It was all she could do to keep from retching at the thought of what she had done. Pain erupted from her cheek and she turned, confused, to look up at her grandfather.

He towered over her, his pupils nothing more than glowing pinpricks, "Pay attention, Camryn! You are still on a battlefield!"

She nodded dumbly, still in shock, "I... I killed him..."

Marceau squeezed her shoulder tightly, "You did, and for that, I'm proud."

Camryn looked up in shock, "I... how are you proud?! I'm a killer!"

Her grandfather merely smiled, "You stayed strong, dear Camryn. Many cadets, even soldiers and officers, fail to pull the trigger at a crucial moment. Some people, they... humanize the enemy. Try to make him something he isn't."

She struggled for the right words, "I... I'm not... I won't do it again! Never again!"

Marceau's cold demeanor never changed, "At the rate your friend Skye is going, I don't think it will make much of a difference at this point."

Cammy jerked up from her seated position (Had she been sitting? She didn't notice), "I-I have to stop her!"

She pushed out from behind cover, the earth itself swirling to protect her from the battle raging around her. Despite her attempts, though, Skye's speed kept her out of reach as she drove deeper into the enemy line. Cammy became desperate in her attempts to not only reach Skye, but protect her as well.

It started with killing a sniper, then what looked like an elemancer that was going to get the drop on her. Two more lives taken deliberately, over a dozen more from collateral damage. Cammy began to hyperventilate, a burning pain growing her her chest as she became more and more desperate.

She called out to Skye in vain, her voice lost over the cacophony of the battle.

[Hazard]

There was something to be said about being so fast everything was standing still. Namely, that you stopped paying attention to the statues.

And why shouldn't that happen? They were inconsequential. Part of the scenery.

And it made it easier. He had a goal, Volkov. One ride. No stops. Straight ahead.

It was so easy not to turn back. Because that would mean seeing his friends's bodies frozen as they killed people. Because that would mean seeing innocent people dying. The most grotesque spectacle of all, a frozen war. Never ending. Never stopping. Always continuing.

It was so much easier to prioritize.

Call him a hypocrite. He was turning away by heading forward, but it was easier. So much easier.

It was unfortunate, that the easy thing never came easy to Robert.

So he turned. He saw. He ran back.

Cammy jerked up from her seated position (Had she been sitting? She didn't notice), "I-I have to stop her!"

She pushed out from behind cover, the earth itself swirling to protect her from the battle raging around her. Despite her attempts, though, Skye's speed kept her out of reach as she drove deeper into the enemy line. Cammy became desperate in her attempts to not only reach Skye, but protect her as well.

It started with killing a sniper, then what looked like an elemancer that was going to get the drop on her. Two more lives taken deliberately, over a dozen more from collateral damage. Cammy began to hyperventilate, a burning pain growing her her chest as she became more and more desperate.

She called out to Skye in vain, her voice lost over the cacophony of the battle.

"Hey, don't make such a sad face," Robert said. "Don't you ever watch TV? If you call for help, someone will show up."

Robert offered her a small grin.

"Need a ride?"

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

[BGM: "Royal Road, Paradise"]

She was a human projectile soaring through the air, passing over the combat unfolded beneath. Perhaps, not to long ago, she would have be eager to fight as many as she could, but now she sought only the ones who could bring this battle to an end.

With the skyscraper out of reach, she was forced to land on the roof of one of the gravity barges with a resounding clang, prompting a few surprised cries and curses from those within. An apologetic smile and giggle given in response, Rosemary kicked off once more with Zetty's assistance. This could continue several more times, although at least point there must have been a communications made about the stupid little girl hopping across the barges for the later ones didn't seem too surprised.

Bullets tore through the air from an enemy craft, a few of them in particular grazing across her flesh like burning scratches. Landing upon another barge, the girl responded in kind with a jet-spray of water, courtesy of Ruluzuelo, that splashed windshields before freezing into thick sheets of ice. That was enough to stop their attack as they focused their efforts in regaining visual contact.

Glancing forth, she found that she was close enough to the skyscraper for one more jump and the only uncertainties left in her mind was the durability of the building and the dangers of those within. Leaping off the barge, the girl balled of her fist and reared back and summoned forth the power of her friends as she swung forth. The four fists of the elemental Visions materialized together as they smashed into the concrete and steel frame of Volkov's castle like a wrecking ball.

The force of her blow is mighty, but it fails her. A yellow barrier sprinsg up and absorbs the force of the blow, leaving it all for naught.

Volkov's tower is protected.