Flight of the Monarchs (CVNU)

The Warning had been issued; the Venezuelan Government weakened by the loss of its cherished primer readied to do battle with the Cardinals; but they knew not what The Monarchs brought with them. Each Sect had their own part to fulfill Red, White and Black; each of them would be instrumental in performing a coup on the socialist nation.

Having met with each and every member of the Monarchs beforehand; Z arranged for their transportation to Venezuela as well as a small number of Cardinals to accompany each of them. Each of them had their own mission to fulfill as well.

The Cardinals spent months buying a surplus of ammunition as well as high explosive weapons to do battle with tanks helicopters and any other type of heavy machinery.

The wind pressed against her face; blowing her immaculate hair behind her, she worried not for herself or even for the newly anointed Shadow Cardinal. Her worry rest in the heart of both Zeon, Isis and Isabella though all well capable of handling themselves in combat; her maternal feelings begin to overcome her.

In the pitch black of night the sounds of the Cardinals engaging the Venezuelan army resounded throughout the jungle. Colombia’s army stood poised on the border ready to defend its homeland should the Cardinals try to push into their homeland. The Cardinals numbers were heavily increased quickly, due to the Shadow Cardinal post in Belize, set up by Catalina.

Her feet hit the ground; quickly removing her parachute Ziccarra took a position with her Cardinals in a small shelter to the right of her landing point. “Domina, I don’t think landing here was a good idea…” one of her Cardinals revealed in fear.

Left and right her Cardinal brother and sisters fell to the superior might of the Venezuelan offense; Z had never been in combat of this sort before, as bloody as it was the rush she got excited her a bit.

“No my brother, this is perfect” she said, pushing her hands outward, her fox nosed mask flashed red. In a matter of moments everyone one in the area wearing a Red Cardinal Uniform transformed into the national Colombian army.

“Remember your location when times get tough mijo” she said, winking at him. The Venezuelan assault halted a bit as they seemed confused. Fire caused them to duck low as the Columbians returned fire on the Venezuelans.

The first of her many strategic plans sprang into motion, masked by the Colombian counter assault the Red Cardinals began their attack pressing north. This midnight assault aided Z in terms of the media; as news spread across the world of a Colombian-Venezuelan skirmish; this was the sign for both the Shadow Cardinals and the White Cardinals lead by Quintus and Zeon respectively to launch their attacks.

As the Venezuelan army retreated back; Z’s illusion wore off, hidden within the confides of the Amazon Jungle the Red Clad Cardinals appeared from what looked like tree’s previously. As the rain began to stir overhead; she stood "Ace Deuce" with her mask on her forehead the Malagan Beauty gave her universal command to all units.

“Kill them”

Blurs of pure black silhouettes streaked through the sky at unbelievable speeds. Piercing the clouds like darts thrown by the hand of Zeus himself the Shadow Cardinals dove with perfected form, arms folded flat against their sides while holding a triangular formation. Their anointed leader and one of only two people ever to have survived the Cardinal Pit out front as a commander should. Closing in on their objective target and landing zone soaring over the Golfo de Venezuela on their way to Lara. Extending their arms releasing the mesh like fabric attached to their wrists and waist fabricating the necessary drag enabling the collection of peerless killers to swoop in. Utilizing the brilliantly engineered flying squirrel suits to glide into the city undetected. Silently issuing his commands through a series of hand and finger gesture the Black Cardinal dispatched his assassins to unleash hell and rain down death upon the population.

Even as the first shots were fired on the border, chaos began to seep into the interior of the country. It began in rural areas and outlying communities: community elders, religious figures, and other influential individuals would wake in the night, screaming, shaking, and bathed in sweat. They would speak of nightmarish visions, of voices that seemed to emanate from the depths of some darksome underworld, accompanied by visions of a terrible nature. The voices promised an era of unprecedented hardship and suffering unless the country were to change its course, and soon.

Not all the recipients of these nocturnal messages shared them with others, and not all those who did were received credulously by their communities, but enough were to start rumors and speculation racing across the countryside. As the stories were compared and found to be consistent, murmurs grew of their possible meaning. Crowds of people gathered around the visionaries, some merely curious, some afraid, some desperate for direction, for a cause to rally to in an uncertain time. These crowds grew larger, and began to migrate towards larger and larger population centers, some eventually even reaching the capital.

At first, they had little impact. Such crowds were an expected part of any change in leadership, and law enforcement was not unprepared. Crowds were dispersed, leaders arrested, and for a time the tide seemed stemmed. However, the crowds kept returning, in larger and larger numbers, demanding change, some change, any change.

The crowds were soon aided by a seemingly coincidental series of events that hampered the government’s ability to respond. Several critical communication HUBs were taken down for “maintenance” at the same time, making it nearly impossible for the various departments and agencies to coordinate their efforts. Several power plants throughout the capital were plagued by a series of inauspicious accidents: a worker asleep at his post resulted in overloaded circuitry, a series of necessary switches flipped out of sequence, a seemingly random outbreak of fire forcing an evacuation…suddenly large sections of Caracas found themselves without power or effective communication. Many barricaded themselves in their homes, others took to the streets and began the looting that inevitably accompanies such a breakdown of civil infrastructure, and throughout the city, the cries of the visionaries rose, urging people to embrace the change, to help bring their homeland salvation…

The chaos in the capital was soon felt throughout the country. Orders were never received, messages never sent, supplies and reinforcements were failing to arrive when needed. The entire country seemed to be momentarily thrown off-balance by what most would call a bizarre stroke of bad luck.

There was one, however, who knew exactly what these events portended. He knew this, because he was their primary architect. The Demon of Silence sat upon his throne, ensconced in his astral fortress, and watched the seeds he had planted grow and bear fruit. It was so easy to sow chaos among the humans; their willingness to resort to fear and fanaticism when faced with the slightest disruption of their vaunted social order was a tendency he had exploited time and again throughout his long existence. This was his gift to his new ally, the young Knightfall: a gesture of good faith, a taste of the benefits that their alliance could provide. Though his actions would not go so far as to deliver the country into the hands of the Monarchs (soldiers were, after all, still soldiers, and would fight to defend their country), it would impede the initial resistance that their forces would be facing.

The Demon watched with undisguised glee, feeding on the fear and anger that steadily saturated the country in advance of the Cardinal forces.

One man against an army is only something that worked in the movies and fairy tales, that is if you only think in direct methods. The Monarchs planned invasion had proved impossible to cover up entirely building up to the initial strike, for all their individual power, none of them had ever planned a coup of this scale before. Enthusiasm pressed for the rushed purchases of military grade technology, accumulated in a manner that valued speed over discretion. Normally this error would go unnoticed until it was too late, but he had been tracking global technology purchases for years in his efforts of dealing with Black Cell, the Monarchs indiscretions stood out like a neon sign in comparison. This had allowed him time to make plans of his own and not be forced to fly in blind, forced to react to insurmountable odds. There was no way he could stop this invasion on his own, but he could make subtle but significant moves, impeding the assault from the shadows and giving the Venezuelan military a chance to collect itself and pose a defense of their own.

A 5th weapons and ammunition cache exploded in the background behind the Monarchs own front lines, hovering inches off the ground and under full stealth he was undetectable. The fog of war only made his silent movements more effective, there was no way any of the Cardinals could know how they were taking losses behind their own lines other than to assume that the Venezuelan military were using guerrilla tactics and had penetrated their defenses. He was selective, only taking out high value targets, knowing that time was limited before their forces would close in to search, forcing him to move on to another area or risk being discovered simply by chance.

REDACTED - "Wilhelm what is the status of the communications project?"

Wilhelm - "Internet protocol redirects for critical targets is 73% complete, serious targets will commence next as designated"

An attempt to cripple enemy communications is Invasion 101, and he would have to admit they did a pretty good job of gumming up the works, but their inexperience in these matters meant they left some holes to be exploited. Venezuela was not considered by any means among the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but they did have an extensive mobile network with 96% penetration. Data transferred by thousands of independent cellular towers, each with battery backups allowing for at least 8 hours of use even with the main power grid down. Too many spread out across the entire country to ever target directly.

Wilhelm had previously hacked into all three cellular carriers of the region (Telefonica, Movilnet, Digitel) as well as the state controlled telecom regulator (CONATEL) and was in the process of redirecting critical military, intelligence, governmental, and utility communications from their secure landline and data connections to the various mobile networks. This was only a temporary solution, the government would need to get power back online or once the backup batteries failed they would be cut off once again. At the very least it would allow them time to mount their own defense and see if he really was alone in the defense of a nation.

"THe SHaDoWS ReVeaL THeMSeLVeS; iNiTiaTiNG LauNCH."

The calming hum of a single engine plane resonated within Charles' ear. That was the only thing descent upon the plane. The seats, the surrounding, even the smell was so uncomfortable it would make any normal man vomit, but Charles needed a fast ride out of the states. One with no questions asked, and after a bribe of two thousand dollars questions were easily avoidable. He needed a new life, the one he was leaving behind in the U.S was riddled with meta humans and mutant hunting him down. Oddly enough Charles was reading one the tabloid papers of his exploits at the time. It told the story of a man, covered in ice, robbing banks with no remorse. Charles favorite part was next. Eye witness would even say that the man would turn into a snow beast full of rage leaving behind a wave of destruction in it's path. Charles was slightly disturbed at the limited description of his efforts. To him the devastation was much more than described it was almost up there with one of the seven deadly plagues. But now all he wanted was to start fresh in Venezuela. He figured with limited police and military he would easily be able to make a killing financially and physically.

Suddenly the plane began to make a hard right turn flinging Charles to the left side of the plane. “What the Hell?” Charles asked as he ran into the cockpit. The pilot was grasping the stick tightly and responded “Some kind of hell is going on down there.” They both looked out the window staring down at the land from the plane. The pilot continued “A war with someone is what's going on down there. And because of it no one is aloud to land. We must turn around or be shot down!” The pilot continued his turn, while praying he could leave South America, before becoming a target.

“I'm sorry that will not do” was Charles only response. He spoke calm and clearly to the pilot, with an air of superiority. Charles had already made his mind up. There was no way in the world he was going back. No way in the world. “It was..........interesting, our encounter. But now we must part.” He then placed his hand on the pilot's shoulder and upon contact the mans skin turned ice cold blue. In seconds the freezing touch covered the pilots entire body as he screamed and trashed about. But in the end Charles' touch of death was completed and the man fell forward on the control panel. Now spinning downwards at an alarming rate Charles was out of options. “Well it looks like time for the people of South America to get to know the Chiller Killer.”

Charles closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Layers of ice began oozing out of his pores and flowed across his body. He then began to grow large to a monstrous proportion with a facial structure of a beast. He stood over eight feet tall making the tiny cockpit look like a toy. With his new unbridled strength and one inch claws he began ripping through the steel frame like it was paper. He then leaped upward from it devastated husk only to fall feet first on South Americans sovereign soil. With a humongous earth shattering thump, Chiller Killer landed smack dab in the middle of a confrontation. Charles could care less who was fighting whom, he just wanted to partake in the spoils. Tanks were firing from one side as soldiers moved in from the other. The air reeked of gun powder and death as the beast threw them around like rag dolls.

There was a calm silence in the air, well calm to Kalliste, the soldiers gave off an energetic vibe, for some the energy came from thirst of battle, some worry, some fear, and some from the horrible coffee on board ship. “3 minutes until dispatch” buzzed throughout the vessel on the intercom system. Kalliste left her spot in the main room to go change into her combat gear. Behind her metal closet doors hung a customized suit fabricated from spider silk woven with microscopic shreds of adamantium for extra protection in the rare case Kalliste could not provide her own. The suit was in two pieces, the pants came to the top of her long legs and hung perfectly below her belly button across her flat stomach. The second piece was a sleeveless top that cut off just below her breast while still remaining tight so it would not move without intention. The majority of her tanned stomach and arms were bare, full suits were constricting and seemed to slow Kalliste down, she enjoyed the freedom to twist without resistance. “One minute” Kalliste slipped into her fighting boots that attached seamlessly into her pants, then her gloves that were cut after the knuckle and she made her way back to the main room.

In the room mouthpieces were being given out to soldiers, these mask filtered oxygen out of the water allowing them to breathe. Kalliste passed on the mask, she knew after being submerged for seconds, she would naturally do what the masks were created to do thanks to her ability to adapt to almost any situation. “Opening doors” The soldiers room shifted to the walls and the floor pulled away from itself revealing the ocean beneath. Kalliste walked to the front of the crowd and jumped in, just after all the soldiers began to dive and follow Kalliste in the direction of ’s beaches.

The swim was about 25 minutes because the ship could not risk raising alarm in the night. Kalliste’s rich dark brown hair undulated with the waves as she progressed. Her bright blue eyes could see clearly in the dark water and she could see that they were just yards off of the beach, she motioned for some soldiers to stay spread out on the beach, but she took a few with her up a small river leading more towards central Caracas where they would wait untilthe time was just right for the invasion.

- Calabozo,Venezuela-Rented out casino-Afternoon-

Hudson shifted back from the poker table in his chair to look at his watch and decided the time was right. The Cardinals had no doubt already made their presence known so the Monarch’s plan was fully set in motion. Hudson had to make his move now so, pulled out a few bottles of modified champagne to treat his guests to. Glasses where passed around, alcohol filled the glasses and the Venezuelan gang leaders (Hudson’s guests at the table) indulged themselves in the toxins. “Enjoy my friends! Those beverages where made to perfection.” Hudson boasted. Each of the 8 gang leaders brought one or two of their best men with them just in case things got sticky. They all watched each other and Hudson with an eagle’s eye.

“Now I really appreciate you all meeting me here despite you’re… Well… differences” the gang leaders who had the drinks all had expressions on their faces that would suggest they wanted to say something, but they all remained quite while Hudson continued “Now I brought you all here to talk about a bidding for military grade weapons right?” Hudson laughed and the gang leaders turned pale as the toxin in their drinks poisoned their internal organs and they died quite/quick deaths.

At that very moment the members that were brought along for back up readied their weapons, but they were quickly taken away into the shadows and their necks where met with the cold blades of Black Cardinals.

Hudson now addressed the backups “Now that I have your full attention. I’ll be debriefing you on what you’re really here for.” Hudson pulled out a cigar and prepared it for enjoying, then continues to speak “You are in charge of your factions now and you will all be working for the Monarchs. You will inform all that serve you that they work under the Cardinals now. If you don’t know who the Cardinals are-” He put the cigar in the left corner of his mouth “you’re a fool and you will be killed in the crossfire without question… Am I clear enough? I hope so for your sake.”

Hudson and the Black Cardinals left the premise and soon after so did the new gang leaders in pursuit of informing their groups of the new orders.

Those large blue crystal eyes stared up at him with a profound sadness. He knew she didn't understand, but he hoped one day she would. Kneeling down he took Maya's hand softly in his own. "There is something that I have to do, and I promise you that I will be careful. The world is changing on us Maya and it needs people to stand up for it. Protect it. Wars are no longer fought by just soldiers. There are threats out there that even they cannot defeat. It's why we must fight. The only thing evil needs to win in this world, is for the good men in it to do nothing. Please forgive me". He pulled her in and crushed her with a loving warm hug, tears moistened his crimson eyes and he held her tight. A smile crossing his face as he felt her hug him back, but a bit tighter.

Stopping at the door he reminded her of what to do. "Open the door for no one but Sarah." Maya's gymnastics coach. "Make sure that you do your homework and you listen to her. You understand?" He smiled knowing she would, but she would also push her boundaries with bending to rules to see what she could get away with. Andy went to step out when he heard Maya cry out "Daddy!" She dashed towards him and he scooped her up in his arms once more. "I love you Princess." He smiled once more and kissed her forehead. Slinging his bag over his shoulder he was off for war.

2 hours later:

The Court of Arcani. Andy had heard of this group throughout is travels. Their 'flocks' seemed to have major centers in each city he visited. Mostly Andy had avoided them, wanting nothing to do with them or their movements. But he also knew they had been keeping tabs on him. Pulling up in his '81 Trans Am he let the engine roar alive once more before he shut her down. Slipping out of the door he viewed the scene around him. They were geared for war.

"Lets get one thing straight" he said commandingly as he stepped through the crowd. "I'm not here to make friends and I'm not one of your flock." He flung the sheath of his sword behind his back and fastened it down. "But I am here for the same reasons you are. I see some people out there who have power. They believe that this power gives them the right to take things that don't belong to them. Well I'm here to say no. No way."

His voice raised as he continued on. "We're here to show the world that we're not all like them. That with great power comes great responsibility. If these bullies want to pick on someone. Then let them come and pick on someone their own size! We're here to fight! It's time the world became aware that it's not alone. That it has Heroes who will stand up and fight!"

Hours later:

The hum of the plane was loud and made conversation almost impossible. Andy sat there staring at the picture in his hand, whispering a prayer. The co-pilot entered the back and called out the estimated time of arrival. All of the warriors began to check their packs and supplies, it was time for war.

Isabella and the Red Cardinals pushed towards the capital building; the fighting intensified around them as they made their initial push. “Everyone secure the weapons!” she screamed, being jarred back as an explosion ripped through their camp. Her body soared into the air rolling to a stop not too far from Chillerkiller.

Pushing back to her feet, she held her hand on her head a bit disoriented; blood trickled down her neck, but it was not hers. “Chiller, I want a wall of ICE around this city” she said, holding on to her side.

Word of Quintus and Z’s attacks in the Western and Southern part of the country finally got to her; Zeon in the East would make reinforcements impossible. “Formación cardinal!” she screamed, and the Cardinals In her direct vicinity formed around her.

Unorganized and usual Z had foretold of the massive “hero” counter attack; people who willingly allowed the Iron Tyrant Warsman to takeover Crotia and Romania with no action, stood in front of the Cardinal Offensive to protect a perceived threat.

Wiping a piece of lint from her body Isabella leaned back in unison with her Cardinals as if they were participating in some sort of Cardinal Dance. “Cardinals…Mask” she commanded, slipping her “Eyes of Truth” on her face.

The word quickly spread; some didn’t get it fast enough as the plans flying overhead quickly dowsed the city in a thick and blinding mustard gas courtesy of Rumble Man. “I wonder how many people remembered there gas mask” she taunted knowing the Venezuelans were better suited for war with poisonous gas than the average hero was.

“Domina, why are you publically purchasing so many weapons?” Isabella asked, sitting atop the piano as Z played a tune for her. “Well Mi amor, the purchases is just a paper trail, something for the world to take notice to” she said, closing her eyes envisioning Quintus in her keys.
“People will focus most of their attention on our weapons, which they won’t realize they’ve fallen exactly where we wanted them” she said, winking at her beautiful servant.

Pushing the hilt of her Black Rose Blade forward, Isabella commanded her next trick; something that would undoubtedly swing the numbers in the Cardinals Favor. “Death is not your ally, it is ours…” her eyes glazed over with a thick black aura; and the Cardinal Dead began to rise; all around them the Venezuelan dead began to rise.

The power of illusion was Isabella’s to control, but the power of the dead aided her aswell. As Chillkiller completed his wall around the port city of Caracas, and the mustard gas reduced visibility. The Cardinals and the Dead would feast on the enemies of the monarchs.

@Kalliste@Uncommon

"You guys take the congressional building"

@ChillerKiller and @Rumble Man

"We'll handle them" she said, smirking a bit.

The deadly Italian woman stood at the bow of the speeding boat, her brown eyes focused ahead as she stood in her White Cardinal uniform, which hugged every curve of Zeon's body. Her mind was focused on what was to be done, attack the Eastern part of Venezuela and completely cut off reinforcement to the Capital of the Country, which she was sure was already under attack. Her Cardinal warriors stood behind her, the only boat in the waters, cutting through the Atlantic Ocean like butter as it approached the shores of Venezuela Caribbean Coast.

"Loro ci vedono!" <They see us!> One of the Cardinal's yelled out, pointing at the shores as dozens of men standing at the sores waiting for the group could be seen with assault vehicles.

All Zeon could do was give a twisted grin. "Voglio che vedere con noi." <I want them to see us.> She whispered as the assault vehicles began firing upon the boat, bullets flying all around them. All the Cardinals began ducking down to the ground, but the White Cardinal Leader stood her ground, even as a bullet grazed her cheek.

Just then a clapping sound of thunder echoed through the night sky as the assault suddenly stopped. The Venezuela army stood confused, looking around in the sky as helicopters were suddenly seen advancing forward, speeding pass Zeon's boat as they began raining their own attack, bullets came down like hail upon the army, blood staining the beaches as White Cardinals descended from the choppers and onto the sandy beach, the deadly projectiles stopped as the highly trained warriors began battling on foot. Like vipers they strike with speed and precision their blades slicing through the flesh of the army, but of course, not without cost. Bodies of both sides laid along the beaches as Zeon finally reached the beach.

Stepping down on the foreign land she took a deep breath in, looking at her prideful warriors, all the one's still standing, even with bullet wounds, were ready to press forward. All of them waiting on the command of their leader.

But before she could speak multiple arrows one by one at amazing speed flew above the group of Cardinal's from one of the aircraft and into the trees. Grunt's, gasps and cries of pain could be heard as one by one bodies were seen slamming into the sand, falling from the trees with a rifles landing not too far away their bodies. Her savior then descended from the chopper, his feet sinking into the sand as stood up with a sly grin on his face, it was none other than Micheal, she had asked him to join her forces for the invasion. When he agreed she placed him to ride in one of the choppers with the other Cardinals for that reason, he was more deadly with a bow and arrow than a sniper was with a sniper rifle.

Giving him a coy grin she nodded at him as she turned back to her Cardinal's. "Dipendenza e pericoloso." <Dependence and dangerous> she spoke to her Cardinals, regarding to the red tattoo they all bore on their forearms. Just those three words were all that the White Cardinal needed, like a flood they rushed forward ahead of her, shouts, screams and gunfire could be heard echoing through the air as Zeon stood with a venomous smile curling on her lips. Things were going according to plan, they will have controlled the entire Easter part of the country in just a few hours.

Micheal stayed behind with Zeon as he walked up to her, turning her attention to her amore, she slowly reached up behind his neck she gently pulled him down towards her, giving him a soft kiss of gratitude for a moment before pulling away. "Thank you Bell'uomo." she whispered to him, gently sliding her hand away from his neck as she turned her attention back to the direction of her Cardinal's. "We need to take Maturin, then take to the Embalse De Guri... from there, I want the Guri Dam destroyed..." She began walking forward, following the trains of now corpses, both Venezuela army and Cardinal's. "If we can destroy that Dam, not only will we cut the electricity to most of the Eastern cities and also flood all those small islands along the way like Isla Crozo, El Pade, Marta, Monagas, Sabana... those are just the few, not to mention it will also flood out the army who are taking cover along those islands." She smiled to herself, she studied the area until it was like the back of her hand, she was ready to do proud to the Liafador name. "We will be unstoppable."

Charles was having fun, or at least what passes for fun when you have no emotions. The pathetic attempts of the Columbian military was a joke when compared to his. Not even the large caliber shells launched forward from their tanks could damage the frozen hide of Chiller Killer. His wave of assault was massive, leaving behind countless bodies and crushed vehicles. In fact the blood was so great that his cold protruding ice claws dripped with the remains even before they would freeze upon his hands. It had been a long time since he heard such screams of agony from those he crushed under his might, and oddly enough it meant nothing too him.

Finally his orders came in “Chiller, I want a wall of ICE around this city!” He was not fond of being told what to do but the money and power he was offered for this offensive was enough to bring even a smile to his cold face. “One wall of Ice coming up.” He responded as the breath from his mouth turned to steam when he spoke. He then began picking up speed as he started running forward with the Caribbean Sea to his back. With his speed increasing, his momentum was now enough for a monstrous leap. With his left foot planted he launched skywards over the battle zone towards Caracas city limits.

While soaring through the clouds Charles was lucky enough to have left ground zero before it's next attack. Several incoming planes loaded to the barrel with thick and blinding mustard gas were already dropping their haul on the poor fools of Caracas. Charles was not much for using such tactics. He was more of a hands on type of fighter. Still one could not argue with results.

Finally he landed on the outer limits of Caracas with an erupting slam to the ground. The incoming Columbian forces had not arrived to the boarder yet. That meant once his Ice wall went up only the few soldiers inside where left to contend with. That, plus the poisons gas around the city would soon make the city theirs! He then raised his beastly hands and aimed them in front of him. Immediately the air around him turned cold as a wall made of pure ice began to form. Minute after minute the wall grew in size and strength. Layer after layer Charles kept applying more ice until his construct finally stood as a solid barrier between Caracas and it surrounding cities. It should be strong enough to hold of the military but other incursions from the heroic type could still prove to be a problem. With that in mind Charles gave word to a Red Cardinal “Tell Scarlett X I shall stay here to reinforce my wall, just encase anyone tries to break through it. If you need me call. Oh and I would wish you luck but you do not need it.” As the messenger drove off in his hummer Charles turned his attention back to his wall ready to defend it.

Charles powered down for a few seconds and reverted back to his human form. The amount of energy he had been using was taking it's toll on him and he needed to rest. He sat down leaning against his construction, relishing from it's cold touch, His mind began racing with the possibilities he would soon have once Venezuela was his. Suddenly he heard a rather large crackling sound as the lighted images around the city flickered off and on. Some one was definitely playing with the cities power supply. As to who it was or what the outcome from it would be, it would still play a part in the takeover.

Opening Moves

The 'Outlaw' cruised at fifty seven thousand feet, a prototype, an airborne aircraft carrier. On loan from the bounty hunter known as Creed it served as Amaranth's flagship for the conflict. A monstrous metal Leviathan of the sky, and in its belly the Titan of War, Amaranth Strix.

He reclined in the captains chair, the blade Armand laying across his lap. His eyes were closed for he saw not with his eyes but with the all seeing clairvoyant eyes of Albert Eostrix.

And through those eyes he surveyed the entire country. From river to hill, from forest to beach, and from the sea to the sky. Troop movements, short scrimmages, the arrival of heroes and villains alike. Few sights were hidden from him.

"Mm. Interesting."His deep voice echoed through the bridge.

"What is sir?"Albert's telepathic voice touched his mind.

"I had predicted this concentration against the capitol. Ziccarra's paradigm has always centered upon her perception of power. Thus when attempting to seize power she would focus on those who she perceives to hold power."

"And you disagree with her approach?"

"Not necessarily. However I'm surprised by this attempt to blockade off the country."

"You didn't anticipate it?"

"No Albert, I did not. Furthermore it is.. well.. not optimal. A blockade functions by concentrating ones forces around the areas of a port, and repelling a weaker navy. Rarely, if ever, are these attempted on land, and even more rarely are they attempted on such a large scale."

Amaranth momentarily turned his attention to the statistics he had memorized. Venezuela had roughly 492 airports 806 kilometers of railroads and 96,100 kilometers of roadways, and 7,100 kilometers of waterways.

All citizens of from 18 to 60 years old were required to register for military service. Roughly 11,689,000 of them were actually fit for duty. Only about 155,00 of them were currently enlisted, but there were also 786,000 reserves. With roughly 4,900 of their locally produced Tiuna jeep they should be able to mobilize about 20,000 of them pretty quickly.They also had around 750 APCs and IFVs.

Around 290 extremely outdated tanks although Amaranth did not have much faith in them.

In support of that there was a 163 mobile artillery pieces, 1,250 or so portable mortars, 600 anti-tank weapons, and about 15,000 logistical vehicles.

"Are communications still down?"

"Not entirely, temporary service has been restored. I'm not certain how long it will last, and the military is struggling to adapt to the rapid changes. In addition the power is still down in most areas, making charging batteries or even acquiring a signal a challenge for some."

"Good."

"How is that 'good' sir?"

"Improves our bargaining position. Link me with Venezuelan command."

Positional Strength

A confused barrage of screaming, curses and maddened orders filled Amaranth's ears. He silenced them.

"GENTLEMEN" His 'shout' loud enough to cause physical pain, various generals, admiralty and commanders doubled over in pain.

"This is Amaranth. And this is your chance to save your country, save your lives, and become heroes in the process.And all that I ask of you in return?"

"Money."

Prepared Variation

Minutes later a deal had been struck.

And a few minutes after that the Venezuelan armed forces were linked through a network of psychic lines established by Albert. Secure beyond the reach of most technological intrusion it would allow the Venezuelan military to coordinate its actions without interruption, loss of service, or interdiction.

Within the same network the Flock forces were linked. Every Flock in the country had been mobilized. At their first psychic command they had begin stealing as many trucks and other vehicles as they could find. Equipped with a varity of firearms they had stockpiled, bought from the Cartels, or borrowed from the army, they joined with the Venezuelan soldiers.

The plan was simple.

Assault on Maturin

Within two and a half hours 25,000 Venezuelan soldiers, 50 tanks, a hundred APC's 30 artillery pieces and three hundred logistical vehicles begin their assault on@Zeon Liafador . In support were roughly 2,340 Flock troops, all mounted in 'Technicals', four wheel drive trucks with machine-guns rocket launchers, mortars and the like wielded in the bed of the truck. The illumination from the airborne golden sphere allowed them full visibility, and aided them in targeting the ninja like Cardinals.

They do not disperse and attack the line of their forces, instead they concentrate into a spear like formation. Tanks and APC's in front, with artillery and mortar fire falling like rain upon the Cardinal's positions.

Behind the tanks and APC's came a wave of armored jeeps with machine guns RPG's and various other heavy weaponry. They laid down a virtual curtain of automatic weapon fire, rockets and mortars upon any target that even resembled a hostile. And following them was the mass of support vehicles, artillery, command staff, and logistical support.

Above them, from 35,000 feet in the air Amaranth viewed the assault through his telepathic link to the clairvoyant Albert.

"Now is the time Albert."

"Send in Preston."

Caracas

"You guys take the congressional building" Was commanded into Kalliste's ear, unfortunatley, she did not like being told what to do unless by one of the big three for the invasion. However Kalliste was trying to make sure the team had no internal disputes so she would obey. The water was exceptionaly clear minus the blood that began to assimilate into the liquid. She contiued to swim with her few other soldiers until she would reach a prime point to reveal herself for the attack.

She was as close to congressional building as she could get, with a wave of the hand she and her men jumped out simoltaneously. Nobody had seen them. Kalliste ordered they split up, they would take the streets and Kalliste would go on top the roofs for a vantage point to attack from above. The nearest building was a two story house with a car in the driveway, charging the car Kalliste planned her route, jump from car to the tiled roof, get to the flat center without disturbing the tiles or anyone inside then make her way towards the target. The plan was executed perfectly, the car barley moved as Kalliste's light foot propelled her through the air with one elegant flip, the tiles responded similarly, barley making a noise as she ran up the short distance to where the two sloped sides met. From there she began running down the roofs, jumping from building to building, ocassionaly needing to jump off a telephone pole or a tree. Within a minute she had eyes on target, and her target had eyes on the men employed to aide her. They were shot instantly by the large group of men gathered around the building. That was the silent part of Kalliste's plan, draw attention to the men so the opponents would not consider her, also the opponents would either be shaken up or over confident, either one worked to her advantage. Her powers did not allow her to mentally assault the men but she would still play her hand at mental warfare.

The humid air filled her lungs and her chest expanded with the breath as her exposed skin glimmered slightly in the moonlight. The sound of gunshots rang throughout the air and echoed off of building throughout the city. Kalliste originally had planned to wait for Uncommon to arrive, but she figured she would begin and he could join once he showed. She had one two pistols on her hip and knives strapped to her legs and one on her left arm, but she brought an extra weapon to initiate her attack. The rifle with a grenade launcher attatchment was not her favorite weapon but it seemed the most effective for "crowd conrtol" she slung it off her back, took aim and fired on the front stairs.

The soldiers broke form instantly, finding cover behind a newly fallen column or behind a tree, no cover would help because as soon as they had processed what occured, Kalliste had fired her only magazine for the rifle, the bullets found themselves dug into the back of soldier's skulls or lodged in their chest. She then moved to a tree, she examined the uniform's at light speed she could easily tell who was a higher rank, these she took out with her pistols. Again the discord grew further, taking down this building would be more symbolic plus there may be a chance some officials resided inside, and Kalliste would love to see them dead because it was necessary for the plan. Still she remained unseen, the once large group and been reduced and now the fun part began. Kalliste sprung from her tree and her legs pushed her far enough to soar across the courtyard onto the steps. The men seemed suprised to be attacked by a woman because they were hesistant to attack, Kalliste chuckled and punched a man in the face with the right power and angle to break his nose, sending shards of bone into his brain. He died instantly. Then the rest began too attack some attempting to shower her with bullets, but she danced around the thick circle of men forming, she was too fast now that she had been put in danger her powers began to activate and she felt her body adapting to the situation, she could proccess faster, everything but her seemed a little slower. Her whole body became stronger, the few bullets that hit her did hurt, but they did not penetrate the flesh they simply bounced off of her. Surely they would leave a bruise because the danger was not great enough to grant full resistance. She continued killing, stabbing, swiping, snapping necks. A pile of bodies lay around her and just one was left. He begged to be left alive, claiming to have a family to get back too. "I had a family once too, they will get over your existance quite quickly i believe." She walked behind him, kissed his neck, then slit his throat.

The battle was over, or at least Kalliste thought so, she heard a rumbling from within the building and suddenly all the windows shattered and a group of four men became visible. They looked similar, they must have been brothers, and each seemed to represent an element, water, fire, earth, or air. This must have been one of the capitol's more elite form of protection. Kalliste did not know the extent of their powers, but she did know it would not be an easy fight, she hoped Uncommon would arrive soon.

Orders were given so August undoubtedly followed.

As soon as Hudson emerged from the closed indoors of the casino to the blood and toxin filled air of the outside he protected his face with a gas mask. The mask did force him to dispose of his cigar, which did upset him, but that was a problem easily outweighed by the possibly of his lungs collapsing to the dangerous air.

He fought his way through the furious crowds and didn't shy away from killing the occasional soldier here a there with his katana. The blade was exactly conventional for this occasion, but the beautiful image of crimson blood sliding off the weapon made August feel powerful in a very primal way so he brought it along anyway. He didn't pack too heavy for this mission because he knew he would need to stay mobile throughout several endeavors, but he did hide a pistol, some smoke bombs and a knife for back up.

It became clear that Hudson would have to find his way off the streets to the roof tops for transportation when a stray tomahawk found its way into his right shoulder. “Who the hell brought a goddamn tomahawk?” He shouted before yanking it out of his shoulder and scaling the nearest building. Getting to the top of the small building was hard enough with wall the chaos breaking out on all sides, and wouldn't have been possible without the support of the nearby Cardinals, but the real challenge was getting to the Congressional building. The fighting left several building severely damaged or with gasping wholes in the roof almost too big for Hudson to leap over. Though eventually the old man did make it to the target and he could see his partner had already made it to the objective and had guests with her. They didn't look friendly

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A good minute went by and Hudson found himself leaping through a hole in the important building. His entrance was closely followed by a barrage of smoke bombs so he could get a second with Kalliste before taking a shot at the elemental attackers. The gas mask alone he was wearing made it hard to identify Hudson and the smoke didn’t help so he had to place a brave hand on Kalliste’s shoulder and yelled so that his mask didn’t drown out his words “The name’s August Hudson! It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am! I’ll be assisting you in taking over this building for the Monarchs!” The Venezuelan super defense started to blast through Hudson’s wall of smoke and attacked with no mercy.

Sharp waves of water slashed Hudson all over knock him to his back. His previous injury in addition to these new gashes didn't allow him to kip up as he usually would, but as soon as he was on his feet the katana and pistol were put to work in tandem to show the enemies an eye for an eye. While fighting he joked with the extremely young assassin “I heard you put assassins my age to shame in the killing game! Though I’ve also heard that dolphins have born night vision!” At the end of that sentence he cut the water elemental’s legs clean off with his katana and caught a glimpse of the rest of the foes battling with Kallistle. “This has become far more challenging than I thought it would.” He mumbled to himself before charging in to assist the young woman.

Caracas

@ChillerKiller and @Rumble Man

"We'll handle them" she said, smirking a bit.

His friend seemed to be having a good time, yet for this certain adventure he wore the same suit as the other 'red cardinals' to blend into the carnage. Dispatching troops left and right, this ruse aimed to root out 'naive' heroes trying to aim directly at the forces with the aim to wipe them out. Surprises are best served in cold steel, which several armed forces quickly found out when their fully automatic modern weaponry are rendered obsolete by vastly superior martial skill.

Dennis moved with such guile that it seems that he is more than one person, the fact that the reds attack as a unit enables him to shift between places. Sometimes giving a direct strike to the enemy morale of a hidden fang that might bite from any direction, whenever he is about to get hurt the damaged body would be that of a fellow cardinal. Not tricks, no smoke and mirrors just application of skill which became the old-new body substitution subterfuge.

Switching his arsenal and making slight modifications in his costume with every angular strike, keeping his opponents guessing. Consistency is kept with the usage of 'weaker' weapon choices. Not even anything from his 'poisoner' arsenal had been used yet, as he wants to promote the deadliness of the cardinals and gibe his opponents a shadow of doubt.

Appearing without a name, as the men and women beside him. Red stripes over his face, as those who fought by him. Red splashes over the entire unit, as made from those who stand against him. Taking notes and thanking Ziccara's choice in units for giving him opportunities to experiment with his methods. Thoughts which ran fluid as he connects with a stab, a cut and a slash which are done as a baby would naturally make a crawl.

Bodies open up to make a path for the cardinals, offal parade the streets for the coming of the red rain. The unit is fast and the snow is helping, moving around and keeping the 'ice wall' in form. Making a perimeter around his icy friend so that he has the leisure to do whatever he wants, claiming the steps for victory before the real enemies had even arrive.

Fresh cadavers littered in the open field, potential hosts marked with a pletora of traps as the cardinals rig them. Enemy weapons scattered and rearranged in pre-planned positions. Quick for the taking, yet bad for mistreatment.

Make the others look good, edit out the mistakes that might occur. Work in the shadows to ensure that everyone else is doing fine, and kill anybody who interferes from an anonymous guise. Reveal nothing, steal everything.

"Beware our blade, teeth of death, tongue of pain."

The deathly shout from a man rang in Kalliste's ear, she looked over her shoulder for a split second to see the water elemental fall to the ground with his leg a few feet away. "And they tell me you are an old man, doesn't seem like it in the slightest!" The man named August must have been at least 6'2" with silver hair and ice blue eyes, he seemed older yet still very dapper and young at the same time. Within the split second it took Kalliste to look, the earth elemental had hit her in the stomach with a large rock, send her back into a tree. She gasped for air and color returned to her face quickly, she charged the nearest elemental which appeared to be fire and dug her knife into his stomach, he let out a small noise and in that same moment the knife was twisted in his stomach. Kalliste withdrew the knife and met August in the center of the courtyard. "Nice to meet you, whats the plan?"

"You sure about this?"

"Positive, sir," the Court agent responded.

Preston sighed, but he understood. He didn't need a parachute. Nobody like him did. He hated heights though. The feeling of helplessness so far from the ground churned his stomach. He bit the bullet and stood on the edge of the hydraulic door leading down into the abyss of the Venezuelan countryside. With a slight leap, he jumped out of the aircraft and brought his fists high over his head. Anger began to well up in his chest. He did not know what he was enraged about, but the feeling burned in his blood. There was no turning back now.

"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Just like the heroes in his favorite comic books...

---

He hit the hostile metropolis like a comet, sending a ripple effect through the soil and unearthing untold tons of dust and dirt. The Red Cardinal grunts opened fire through the debris a good chunk of what the captured city of Maturin had become. Their bullets impacted against his rocky skin like tin cans against a cement sidewalk. Preston climbed out of the rubble and raised his arms in a calm manner, trying to get them to stop firing.

"Hey, hey! I'm just here to settle some disputes ya had with a few friends of mine. No need to get violent!"

The only thing that stopped them from shooting him was the fact that their magazines suddenly clicked empty. Then the tanks strolled into position, lowering their cannons in four directions down at the orange Goliath. His baby blues widened in anticipation of the incoming hurt as the shells broke apart on his body, exploding on impact and sending his temper rising. He managed to endure the barrage long enough to predict where the next shell would fall and he caught it successfully, sending it back where it came from with a simple pitching motion. The crew disembarked from the metal death trap just in time. Within the next few seconds, the loading mechanism collided with the already live shell and detonated within the chamber.

"Okay, now I see what they was talkin' about! Yer nothin' but brainwashed monkeys doin' that Liafador psycho's dirty work! I don't wanna hurt ya, but there's nothin' else I can do!"

He pulled his hands apart and brought them back together in a monstrous clap. A thunderous shock wave expanded from Preston's palms, blowing any surrounding resistance away with tornado-force winds. The tanks that lined up around him were now trapped upside-down. He groaned and hopped onto the vehicles in an attempt to fish out the crew members, but before he could sink his fingers into the metal hull of the first tank he felt something behind him. In fact, he could see the shadow creeping up over him.

"Ah, nuts."

---

Sent thirty feet into the air, he came back down just as hard and stopped only when his head bumped into the roots of a large tree. His pursuer landed on his stomach, crunching his boots against the rocky skin of the Brooklyn brawler. The twin AT4 missile launches cradled in his hands, the large masked mountain of a man leaped off his stony opponent and kicked him away once more so that he would be in ideal range of the weapons he dual-wielded. Squeezing the triggers simultaneously, he withstood the recoil without moving. Preston barely had time to rub his head and groan to a sitting position before the rockets hit him in the face and stomach, respectively, and exploded.

Shaking from the sudden blood loss, Preston quivered and crawled to his feet. His foe tossed down the empty missile launches to the ground and bore his meaty fists. With each roaring their battle cries, they charged at each other and clashed with the sound of a forest collapsing around them.

Batalla de Ayacucho

Z sat perched high in a tree with her mask still on her face; rain beat down on both her and her Cardinals. She thought it was kind of metaphoric; they used to Colombian forces on the border to surmount the Venezuelan counter-attack; but in the skirmishes since then; they had suffered heavy losses. The Rain was metaphoric, in some way it was indicative of the mind state her forces were in.

Isabella reported of a successful push in Caracas; the news was indeed welcomed, but she knew winning Caracas meant nothing. Her Red Cardinals dug deep in the jungle, while Quintus and the Shadow Cardinal rested high in the Andes peak, while Zeon came by water all for a specific reasons.

As long as the Venezuelan people had heart, they would fight until their deaths; Z’s push North, Q’s push east and Zeon’s push west would spread despair across the land, all the while recruiting future Cardinals.Though her push north was not without problems; she lost tons of Cardinals and was even wounded.

“Hold this position for now” Z said landing back on the forest floor in a crouched position. The Shadow Cardinals represented the strongest Cardinal element; their control of the shadows would prove to be more problematic for the heavy fire.

“Air Force fly-overs will spot us come morning, the Militia men aren’t too far off either” she said, pulling a map from her belt she placed it on the table she detailed the nearest Venezuelan military bases.

“Puerto Ayachuco” she said, marking it on her map. “We are under fire from this, base time to return the favor” her mask began to glow a crimson red, as a vast number of illusion based Cardinals appeared.

“It will do you all well to NOT get mixed with this bunch” she said, separating the two groups. The sounds of the jaguars in the background, sort of rattled her Cardinals; but she was absolutely sure that pressing forward with an assault on Puerto Ayachuco; could help the Cardinals claim dominance over the Amazonas State.

“I have called in a supplied drop-off at LZ34566798, it should land about 10 feet in that direction” she pointed, readying them to push forward. Still in the cover of darkness, the sound of a helicopter overhead caused them to lay low.

“We have to start progressing forward, our thermal image will be our downfall, Cardinals move out” both the illusions and the real deal moved north on the supplies.

“Quintus…” Z, whispered silently, following behind her troops. Her family’s name was on the line here; she’d either be the next Supreme Chancellor of Venezuela or an international criminal. She found solace in her thoughts of victory as they would all be together again.

The Huge palletized cache of weapons rest in various spots across the 10 feet perimeter. The cache included a bit more explosive weapons. ‘Wait here” she commanded taking a small squadron with her to scout the area.

The thick rain aided by the fog clouded her vision, relying almost solely on her ears, the Cardinal Queen shifted her focus to the ambient noise around her. Like echolocation, she picked apart the sounds carefully, first focusing on trees; she mentally logged the sound. Next, the ground, the leaves, and downed vegetation.

To her left there was an anomaly, before she could relay the information to her Cardinals, a bullet hit her shoulder dropping her on impact.

Commanding them to return fire, she constructed her stage two layer of illusions; huge helicopters roared above them flushing out the Venezuelan forces. As she thought they were equipped with night vision goggles.

The Helicopter illusion fire temporary snagged the attention of the Cardinals; who returned fire to push back the Venezuelan advance. Rolling out of sight; Z took refuge behind a tree ripping a piece of cloth from her arm; she applied an improvised tourniquet to prevent further blood loss.

“Keep pursuing them…” she grunted, bracing herself against the tree to push herself back to a vertical base.

The illusion Cardinals marched into Ayachuco and stormed directly towards the Military base; the massive city was under siege it’s self by the 450 Cardinals masked inside the illusion.

Cardinal’s operation SAW weapons and high explosive weapons were instructed to attack and secure roads that lead to the cities of San Fernando and Caicara; capturing the Amazon State would leave Z uncontested in the south.

The Outlaw

"Clairvoyant scan. And link me."

"Yes sir."

Moments later Amaranth's perceptions left the grey metal interior of the flying aircraft carrier and begin to sweep over the country. A vast panoramic view, unhindered by the restrictions of normal vision he was able to perceive the entire field of vision in perfect detail rather than being forced to focus upon a single part.

"The Cardinals have begun to assault the southern cities."Amaranth let one hand rest upon the adamantium blade in his lap, and brought the other hand up to stroke his goatee.

"And I have no idea why."

"Perhaps she wants to destroy the bases there sir?"

"Perhaps Albert. But to what gain? The military has already been mobilized. And there is very little of value in the south, unless she is hedging her bets."

"Hedging her bets?"

"Yes, the south has the fewest roads, the greatest number if indigenous tribes and the roughest terrain. Its possible she wishes to hold the south in case she is defeated. Then she would have a defensible area to retreat to. The trucks, tanks, and so on of the Government wouldn't be optimal in that terrain."

"Ah, I see."

"What is our situation down there?"

"Not good, most of the military has already departed for the north. Reserves are sparse, the majority of the reserves come from the more heavily populated north."

"So what are we looking at?"

"Only about 20% of the Venezuelan reserves are in the south and only about 2% are mobilized."

"That's.. not optimal. She's located our weakest area. Alright, 2% of the Venezuelan reserve is about 15,500 or so. What's the Flock status in the area."

"Limited in number but heavily armed, we did a lot of business with the Cartels in that area. Around 600 or so, fully mobile, with plenty of automatic weapons and anti-tank weapons."

"Alright. Link them together and send them at Puerto Ayacucho"

"What about Caicara and San Fernando?"

"Ignore Caicara. What's the situation near San Fernando?"

"Good sir, center of the north so its virtually surrounded by our forces."

"Excellent. Order all available forces to concentrate on San Fernando."

"Burn them out."

Assault on Puerto Ayacucho

16,100 fighters begin their assault on Puerto Ayacucho. Roughly 15,500 of them were Venezeulan reservists, mostly armed with AK-47s and FALs. For transportation they had whatever vehicles they could borrow or steal, often at gun point. They all had some degree of training, and many of their officers were retired members of the army which provided them with moderately effective leadership. While they lacked night vision goggles they used the headlights of their cars to illuminate the roadways.

The other 600 were Flock fighters, veterans of the drug wars, battles with the military, police and rival cartel forces. They were heavily armed, skilled, and lead by hardened commanders. For transportation they had a variety of four wheel drive trucks with Kevlar inserts inside the panels and steel plates wielded to the outside of the vehicles. Heavy fifty calliber Browning machine guns were mounted in the beds of the trucks, and there were a large number of RPG-7's stored as well. Equipped with night vision and excellent gunsights they were capable of engaging nearly any target.

The attack itself was simple. Thousands of vehicles roared down the roads at full speed, each vehicle with one leader who was linked into the psychic network, allowing near perfect coordination. Any light barricades were driven over by hundreds of cars, or blasted into nothingness by RPG and .50 machine-gun fire. Defensive positions would be assaulted by the same combination of firepower, followed by waves of hundreds or even thousands of Venezeulan reserves.

"NeaReST SouRCe LoCaTeD......TRiaNGuLaTioN CoMPLeTe. LauNCH iNiTiaTiNG."

@Amaranth_Strix:

In-spite of an unexplained light radiating upon the country essentially robbing the shadow cardinals of their stealth like advantage, their leader had remained visually un-phased. Marching his legion downward attacking and seizing every airfield from Trujillo to San Cristobal. Procuring a total of six small air strips none of which housed a military presence only small single and double prop planes, perfectly suited for the Knightfall's basic yet potentially deadly plan. Having sensed the psionic whiplash of a psychic presence clouding the country like a blanket hovering in the atmosphere, he had decided to take decisive counter measures. Standing in the middle of the most basic of fortifications while the distracting sobs of those orphaned through the course of his Western siege echoed behind him, a silver case was escorted by two converted armed rebels. Gently, they placed it upon the extended wooden table atop a plethora of maps and hand carved wooden representations of troop deployments. "Excellent." speaking to himself with a confident tone while opening the case. Removing a Promethiam plated helmet with a mirror glass polish and red tint. More then a vanity driven accessory the helmet was a protective barrier. Shielding Quintus' from succumbing to outside mental influences recently responsible for the Venezuelan resurgence. Though incapable of intercepting the commands and machinations of the top tier telepath the Knightfall's own mental prowess was enough to track the source.

The recent addition of the Flock and their long lived commander had helped balance the seemingly lopsided escalation as both Amaranth and Ziccarra engaged in a brilliant display of strategical chess. Engineering various counters that were predicated upon action and reaction, often time operating on a level of superhuman anticipation working four or five moves ahead of each others current military engagements. Yet the recent decision to chase the Liafador Legacy down into Puerto Ayacucho would cause the Knightfall Cardinal to react accordingly. Using his captured airfields to advance East of San Cristoba along the border of Barinas and Apure with retaliative ease. As the opposition's focus had been locked in on the capital in the North, Zeon to the West, and now Ziccarra in the South.

Having abandoned previous command to march straight East towards the Capital Quintus had disobeyed the direct order and instead appeared influenced by emotion. Predicating his latest course off the innovative vessel known as the Outlaw's drastically deviated course as it took elevated position above Puerto Ayacucho. Swelling ground troops patriotically swarming in on the Cardinal Catalina with a rudimentary straight forward attack. Yet their resilient spirit more then adequately supplemented any lack of profound tactics. Mighty as the military presence on the ground may have been the floating command center, absent aerial support, was about to become the Knightfall's primary target. Dozens of basic propelled plans piloted by various shadow cardinals racing towards the floating metal marvel with kamikaze mind sets. Like a swarm of killer bees bent on destruction they disparately attempted to crash into the haul before being blasted out of the sky by the Outlaws technological defenses.

Using the voluntary deaths of his legion, the Marquee Martial Artist used them to mask his own position. Racing towards the deck of the Outlaw having sky dived from the back of a passing Cargo plane with a hand full of Cardinals. Many of whom did make it as they were either shot from the sky or missed their mark. Leaving Quintus and three Shadow Cardinals to see their mission to success. Flapping open their squirrel suits just feet before impact each one launching a series of small explosives encased in a gel like glue in hopes they would stick to the deck before creating a large enough hole for them to drop into without having to land first. The Black Cardinal having no idea of what, or who, he was going to find leading inside. Had he known, he would have made sure more then just three Cardinals had survived the skydive.

The TM 700 sat idle at the end of the Outlaw, the mechanized craft a pride and joy to the Pirate Princess. Within the mech was a artificial inteligence named LAW. It had borded the mech as Kayle was escaping the prison. Sense then a akward but friendly relationship had forged between the Warden's A.I and the Warden's killer. "Law power up the systems I want you to provide the needed airsuport for this mission." The floodlights flickered like a person might blink their eyes in surprise.

"Wait your tight rear in a even more up tight run the show attitude is going to let me drive?" Kayle simply nodded as she continued to check her guns and the guns of the TM. "You know you shouldn't place emotions into a business like this.Thought you always aimed to be profesional."

"Im a thieving pirate I don't do a job straightlined. I get sh*t done. Besides I can't help it, I was the victem of something like that below. They think their doing some good or that theres something to game. What they do though is waste money get soldiers killed, f over families, and turn victems into murderers. I shot my own mom because of an invasion...im not a hero but I won't stand for this either." She locked the ammo in place for the mech and double checked her own gear. "Im going to bring in Quintus because it business, im going to massacre the rest of these people for pleasure." A small emerald sucker popped into the woman's mouth at the end of the statment. Moments later a powerful explosion knocked the siren to the ground. A series of gets were swooping in on the Outlaw. Many of them had rudimentary guns or just flew in at suicidal speeds. A few however had actual weapons to open fire on the massive airship. These ones provided cover in a overlaping tactic that helped to try and soften the aproach. It was suicide for either plane but these Cardinal's didn't seem to give a damn about that fact.

The mechanical behemouth rose to its feet raising its left arm and opening fire. High calibur explosive tiped bolt rounds spat out of the minigun in a storm of bullets. Streems of gunfire riping apart jets alongside the Outlaw's natural deffenses. LAW barked out various judgments as if it was a oficer on the field. All the while every judgment being "guilty." The word always followed by a thunderous boom of an aircraft exploding. It took hits along the way leaving black marks on the paint but never did it actualy harm the oversized war machine.

Kayle whipped out her sniper rifle, Tap which fired explosive rounds. With spot on aim and impecible swiftness the pirate zoomed in on a plane and fired. The round would tear through the air leaving a vapor trail and before one could tell the head of a pilot would splatter the cockpit with gore. The jet spiraling downwards untill coliding with the earth, the sniper moving to the next target just as quick as she had scoped in on the previous kill. A group of people began to swoop in dropping off payloads of sticky explosives on aproach. Kayle suspected it to be semtax, wich even as small packages exploded similar to C4. The high amount being dropped was more then enough to blast open an entry.

Tap already raised, the spot on acurate siren scoped in on the cardinal on the left. A high explosive round traveling at fourthousand mph towards the cardinals neck. The weapon snapped into its compact version as Kayle holstered it to draw Slick. A corrosive round submachine gun. "Strix are target's just came to us. Corridor heading likely to the rec room, imagine from there he would head your way. Im in pursuit" the bullet spawning merc remarked over the comm. A slide dropping her into the hallway where she was instantly ready to open fire if her target could be spotted.

@Ziccarra_Liafador

59

Strigidae 59 was born into darkness.

For Strgidae 59 was blind.

There was nothing at all the matter with his eyes. No, it was his brain that was broken. His visual cortex, located inside his occipital lobe was mutated and would not, ever, process visual stimuli, even when projected directly into his brain by a Choir telepath. Instead it added its mapping capabilities to his other senses.

He continually mapped the entirety of his surroundings by sound alone. They called it 'sonar hearing' or 'echolocation', and his was so clear and sharp he could tell what an object was made from by the slightly different 'sound' it made.

The other four senses were just as sharp. 59 could feel heartbeats in the vibration of the earth, and taste the hint of poisons on the air. But most importantly he could track a single human across a warzone.

And he had tracked Ziccarra.

But senses alone would never have secured the elevation of a blind man into the Strigidae. 59 was born with another rare gift. Perhaps his most powerful attribute.

Strigidae 59 was driven.

When he was 9 years old he watched his parents stabbed by a anti-mutant hero. His father was stabbed in the throat and died quickly. His mother was stabbed in the lungs. 59 ran to a pay phone and called 911.

He returned and held his mothers hand for 12 minutes and 42 seconds.

She died afraid and she died in pain.

59 couldn't see the pain in her eyes but he could hear it in her voice. He couldn't stop his mutant mind from mapping her lungs filling with blood. He couldn't see, nor could he not see.

He turned 10 during their funeral.

When it was over he set in the hallway of Family Services. In an office to his left a case worker discussed his future in dry, businesslike tones with the lawyer that controlled his family trust.

59 wrote his future in the dust on the floor.

He wrote 24, for the twenty four hours in a day. Then he wrote 8 for the hours he needed to rest every day. He wrote 2, for the hours he needed for other tasks. Then he wrote 14 for the number of hours he would train.

He wrote 10 for the years he would train. 365 for the days in a year. 3,650 for the days in ten years (59 didn't know about leap year). And 51,100 for the number of hours he would train in ten years.

On his 20th birthday he had trained 51,439 hours.

He was a master of five martial arts, 17 weapons, 2 tactical systems and held a PHD in human physiology.

59 presented himself to the Flock and was accepted. Two years later he had 192 confirmed kills and was inducted into the Strigidae. A month later he could no longer remember how many kills he had.

After only six years in the Strigidae he selected to learn the ways of KHUENATEN by Amaranth.

It took ten years.

At 38 he returned to the Strigidae. He could run a mile in sixty seconds, bench press almost two tons, go for a week without sleep, and endure the most terrible of wounds without collapsing.

Now he was 45.

And he had come to kill Ziccarra Liadafor.

Killers in Dark

He could smell her blood and hear her heartbeat. Strigidae could taste her poisons on the air, mixed with gun oil and the tang of steel.

His feet made no sound, and he knew for he was silent even to himself. His hands were less than a whisper in the darkness.

Two titanium/ceramic alloy knives flashed out of that darkness. His aim was peerless, there was not a micron of deviation between the path Strigidae 59 intended and the path the blades followed. The knives themselves were an alloy developed for Asteria, and were sharp enough to slice through cold rolled steel. Strigidae was strong enough and skillful enough he had once thrown them through the six inch steel armor of a Humvee.

The first throwing knife blurring through the air toward Ziccarra's internal carotid artery, the artery that carried blood to the brain and eyes. The second throwing knife scythes toward her femoral artery.

And then Strigidae himself is on her, moving so quickly he simply flickers out of the darkness, his paired swords snicking through the air, one aiming to impale her through her left eye socket, and the second flying down toward her right arm, aiming to sever it at the synovial hing joint of the elbow.

Caracas, Venezuela- Congressional Building

The taking of the congressional building was sticky, but progressed in the two Monarch’s favor, though the time was now right to discuss an actual game plan for controlling the building. The two assassins (or terrorist as some may say) stood back to in the center of the beautiful, but battle scared, building. “As a matter of fact ma’am I do have a plan.” He took a few crack shots at the standing elements before further unraveling his thoughts. “Since you’re probably faster than me on foot, I’ll use what remaining smoke bombs I have –“He was cut off by a seemingly stray piece of technology that knocked him straight to the floor. Apparently the tech had soon formed an enormous threat made of metal that made was bold enough to give the silver devil an ultimatum.

Hudson grinned and with both hands on his katana, looked straight the giant in the eyes far above “So I see you wanted to die along with these last stand dumb a**es huh?” At that very moment August back flipped over a blast of fire from an elemental and leaves flames heading full force at the metal giant. “You can shoot better than that now can’t you? Too bad I’ll never find out.” August taunted the fire elemental only seconds before decapitating her with his katana.

He had to stop and catch his breath for a second because the whole endeavor was burning every inch of his body. He eventually re-mobilized and split his attention between Kalliste and the giant. Addressing the female fatal he asked “Have you ever doubted your possibility of making it out of a certain situation alive? I mean a serious situation. Not like one of those crazy raves where people inject themselves with rhino blood and drink sh*t alcohol.”

@Kalliste: @_Golem_

The Cardinal offense on the city of Caracas gained a bit of stability; ChillerKiller’s ice wall around the city, poisonous mustard gas bellowing into the sky, and the undead thanks to the Black Rose Blade; all allowed Isabella to reduce her force loss substantially.

The Red Cardinals, The White Cardinals and even the Black Cardinals were all expendable; they served no real purpose other than to slow down the Venezuelan Assault. With every soul that fell, the curse of Isabella’s blade caused them to reanimate for the Cardinals. (Just in the City of Caracas)

Zeon in the East, Ziccarra in the South and Quintus in the west; they did as intended drawing the opposition to that area. The Venezuelan army was being spread thin, fighting in the north, fighting in the south and east and west.

In the south Ziccarra was having the hardest time pushing north; met by heavy reserve résistance she would’ve fell if not for a reinforcement of Shadow Cardinals. Isabella thought to pull out, however her mission in Caracas was pivotal to capturing Venezuela.

Zeon in the east was also met with heavy opposition; Quintus was making a move to aid his wife in the south; something both Z and Isabella didn’t account for but was understandable.

Each Cardinal that fell, each civilian, each Military men dead; was hers to command; her fox nose mask glared sending out the official order to push back the Venezuelans. An estimated 1,943,901 people living in the city; subtract from that number those lost in the initial attack, those lost from the mustard gas; and her numbers were rising substantially.

While Kalliste and Uncommon looked to secure the congressional building a symbol of Venezuelan sovereignty, Isabella made a mad dash for the naval port; her zombifyed soldiers fired upon the port drawing the fire from the Navy.

“It does not matter how many troops you have; they cannot defeat my illusions” Isabella hissed, casting a stage 2 illusion in the bay. The gigantic tentacles of a kraken temporarily drew the attention of the surrounding naval ships, this allowed her to slip into the security bunker.

The Presidential Honor Guard held the bunker under maximum security; they were supposed to be sailing for refuge in Peru, but it would seem Isabella caught them in the act. Casting a stage 3 illusion on herself she simply transformed into a member of the honor guard.

Pulling from her belt two small canister; she launched them down the hallway and watched as the laughing clouded the hallway. They were already prepared, the mustard gas alerted them to the presence of chemical attacks, pushing the Black Rose Blade forward, and the shards detached hitting two guards standing at the door.

Taking their I’D, the Cardinal Admin gained access to Nicolás Maduro, incumbent president of Venezuela and his family.

“So much for the commander and chief going down with his ship” Isabella taunted. “Truth is, The Monarch do not need the Cardinals” Isabella said, straddling a seat gazing into the eyes of Nicolas’s wife.

“I am not sure, how you are still expertly moving your men, but I applaud you” She pushed off the seat and stood up. “You or your whore queen will not succeed!” he said, spitting at the feet of Isabella.

“That is not very nice” she said, sliding her fox nose mask behind her head, the moment she did so her illusion of Isabella shattered and Z revealed herself. “Especially when I traveled all this way to see you” she chuckled a bit.

“Surrender officially, do not give me a big LECture on how the Venezuelans will never surrender; I know; but maybe your wife will” she said, pushing her Black Rose blade forward; wrapping it around the waist of his wife; pulling forcefully the whip-like sword brought her back into the arms of Z.

“What’s it going to be…”

Ice wall keeps them trapped, as his friend does his part in the raid. The presence of poison gas keeps relives Rome of the anguish as normal air is as bad for him as Zyklon B is for those locked inside the gas chambers in Auschwitz. The environment plays to his every advantage, keeping count of the tallies racked by his assistance for the red cardinals.

Along with his standard weapons is a chinese one handed Liuyedao, modified with an s guard along with a ring pommel for his special maneuvers. It has a long and gradual curvature for the blade, it serves as his bistoury where he applies surgical precision in ending life. The blade is held in his right hand, which is alternated into his left in every few blade-strokes. 150 centimeters and 2500 grams, a piece from 19th century BC China.

A different extension from the body with a similar appearance to the ones that the other cardinals are using, since everybody even mercs seem to forsake their cultural blades for the use of a Nipponese katana these days. Essentially ranged combat loathing converged into fine craftsmanship, especially with today's available wonders such as the introduction of CNT

Swords finally getting the bump needed after they were overtaken by the advent of firearms, hard carbides assisting in superb cutting performance. Strong tension, the ultra-hard fullerene for a lethal edge. Long as it is thin, and for an extra kick the blade itself has 'telescoping' features.

Dead men appear within his sword span radius, littering the ground with their bodies. Swift cuts made with the swing of an arm, as dumb personnel continue to use their firearms at close quarters. Inside a one meter range shooters are as good as dead, even in defensive shooting thirty meters are a sign to draw. A room is necessary for them to aim, unlock and reload. Unlike those folks, this weapon does not jam, has no limitation of 'ammo' and best of all it is quiet to use.

Superhuman skill also takes away the advantage of a firearm such as, quicker attacks, greater range and even multiple attacks. This cardinal sincerely wishes good luck for anyone trying to grab his wrist for a 'short' struggles, but somebody did. A team of two approaches and takes initiative to hold so his friend can take the kill-shot. That would work on a baseline human, but in this setting being unaugmented could only take you so far.

He is not at a total advantage either as Rome felt the aggregate pain 5 of every human in a miles perimeter, his kills are all done within the space of one strike. Moving on as efficiently as possible and guarding the Cardinals under his wing as he can feel their pain as well. Knowing their condition as as the fight goes, yet there is another learned skill that makes this a landslide.

There are men and women in the exact same battlefield that have been thought the art of ki flow as part of their esoteric training, a skill he does not possess. However he can sense and accurately see 'killing intent' which would not be as versatile in a normal condition. In a battle field where every soldier is set to kill though, it proves to be as good or perhaps superior to conventional forms of pre-sight. He can see graphics projected in the air, diagrams and expanded dioramas of trajectory and destructive yields.

Simply not being there where the lines of 'death' are drawn. alternatively he pin-points several markers of vulnerability with every motion. Instant 'kill' beacons marked at every chink in their modern armor. Guiding his body through a maze of skirmish.

Giving a motion to his comrades at these idiots, laughing wildly at the 'dumbf**ks bring gun into a swordfight" using a cheap tool against the king of weapons that made and shifted entire civilizations in the olden days.

'Cut to kill !' as a red hurricane moved past batches of human corpses. Going in, going out. Being fast, knowing what lies ahead as even without the presence those powers he can recreate this effect by experience alone. Memories in his muscles gained from a long experience hunting down beasts. As this is not a world where human potential can be surpassed by technology, train hard enough and the sun lies within your grasp.

Guns cocked, barrels aimed and triggers sque-

zips past and cut

"That is what you get for watching too much Indiana jones, padre"

The red cardinals are doing fine, bringing good to their regiment,

perhaps if a superhuman were to intervene then things would get better

as for now they hold the line.

@Amaranth_Strix:

From his astral vantage point, the Demon sensed the sudden increase in coordination among the defenders. Casting his vast consciousness across the country like a web, he sought the cause. Some of it was attributable to the partial restoration of communication services, but the increase was too widespread and efficient to be entirely due to that. Digging a bit deeper, he discovered the true caused, and allowed himself a brief chuckle of admiration: a psychic network. The architect of this complication had to be both strong and skilled, indeed. Still, the Demon had a long history of making strong and skilled individuals into victims, and it certainly would not do to allow his hard work to be so simply circumvented.

It was not terribly difficult to locate the source of the network: one of those who had arrived after the instigation of hostilities. He was a member of the group that were known as the Flock, he believed. A sadistic grin spread across his inhuman visage at this realization. He had encountered the leader of this radical group some time earlier, and their meeting had not been cordial. This was going to be a truly enjoyable task. His own mental shielding manifested as armor as he approached Albert's mind, and a fiery psychic blade appeared in one clawed hand.

"What have we here?"he growled malevolently."Some truly fine work, I have to admit. I almost feel a twinge of regret at having to destroy its creator. Almost."With that, the Demon lunged forward, his blade swung in a deadly arc at Albert's astral presence.

For what seemed like days, Charles held his post at the wall. He stood there staring through the frozen ice at the Valenzuela's military. Their feeble attempts to gain access to Caracas thwarted by such a simple construct as his. For brief moments Charles considered lowering it just for the opportunity to dispatch some of the soldiers himself. But for the betterment of the take over, or more specifically for the betterment of him, he should stay at the wall. In the mean time Charles kept one eye opened for incoming aerial assault. That was one flaw he had with his wall, It was tall, almost twenty stories tall, but that was not tall enough to stop a plane.

A minute later a cloud of dust rose in the distance as a battalion of red cardinals came roaring down the road. Waving their flag high they cheered with the sound resonating with pride. Charles could only assume the battle was going well for them. Upon arrival one the higher ranking soldiers saluted Charles followed by a salute from the whole squad. The leader then bowed in a sign of respect to the cold criminal and began reporting the state of the war. One minute into it Charles was already bored and yelled “Fine, fine, I don't need to know every move you men have made, just tell me where I'm needed!” The ranking officer scratched the back of his head and replied “For right now the our best men and women are attempting to take the Congressional Building. We have two top assassins there.” Without hesitation Charles grabbed the officer and ordered “Then get me a jeep and a driver, for that is where I'm going!”

After several hours of riding in a jeep that hit every pot hole on the road the only words Charles would say to the young driver would be “Shut up and drive faster!” No matter how many times the soldier would try to engage Charles in conversation, only the criminals cold demeanor would shine through. But as luck would have it the two men finally arrived at their location. The scene was truly a sight of a battle. The streets alone were covered in blood from the remains of burning bodies. The damage to the surrounding buildings would range in the millions, but all that meant nothing to Charles. He was more interested in the sight of a gigantic robot standing in front of two members of his team. In response to a threat Charles stood in his human form ready to battle by forging a small personal shield of ice around his left arm. He then turned toward his team mates pointed toward the giant and simply asked “What is that thing and is he on our side?”

@Strigidae_: The lengthy wait was finally rewarded, a small detachment of U.S Marine Corp stationed in Sao Poalo had reached the coast and began to provide support for the Cardinals in their efforts. Relations between the U.S and Hugo Chavez were always tense; but this motion didn’t stem from any sentiment to stop socialism.

The details of this invasion were discussed between Z and the Ziev administration; when they sought to overthrow Warsman in Europe. The Marines would follow the Orininco River to Puerto Ayochucho to aid Isabella and Quintus in capture of the Amazonas State; this would split the country right down the middle, and with the battle of Caracas ensuing in the north; Ziccarra could clear the way for an American D-Day.

Her Cardinals with the surprising Shadow Cardinals aid, managed to hold their ground, with her second tier illusion going on; her numbers appeared vast. Holding her wound, her eyes closed to focus her mind to ignore the pain.

Her ears twitched, prompting her to Push off her right foot Isabella (Still disguised as Z), spun linear in the air as the two knives passed her by.

Landing vertically, she manifested her sword in her hands quickly. Telegraphing his stab with a swipe from her blade; the sister blade came screaming for her arm holding the blade. Spinning back on her left shoulder in a spin move motion she bounced out to his left side.

Isabella wasn’t an instructor, she saw the battle for what it was; despite blood falling from her aching left shoulder, her Cardinal training allowed her mind to bypass it. Casting the 3 tier illusion on herself; this would allow her to strike unorthodox.

Wasting little time she detached the shards, causing the weapon to become a bladed whip; pushing the shards forward, the shards petal danced towards the assassin. She let loose a deep breath, the wounds on both her shoulder and spleen starting to hinder her more and more.

@Kayle_Rez:

Elusively sprinting through the inner halls of the roguish vessel with complimenting Parkour variations, which in turn allowed for a quick and effortless transition over, under, and around, any number of handrails and level changes, Quintus was quickly advancing towards the ship's command bridge. When suddenly the unexpected arrival of an oversized machine piloted by what appeared to a human operator slid into view up ahead. Instantly opening fire attempting to gown down the acrobatic intruder the same way it had his second in command, the Shadow Cardinal Alexis Karilenko. However the Perennial Polymath was far from a Shadow Cardinal, having only ever encountered three things beyond his realm of achievable speed and bullets were not among them.

Instantaneous acceleration propelled the esoterically trained husband of the Liafador Legacy up and along the one side of the hallways wall leveling his entire body horizontally defining the laws of gravity with sheer unadulterated speed. Closing the gap waiting until within a more favorable distance before cartwheel flipping off the wall simultaneously launching 22 elongated silver pellets containing a self-made cocktail of dry ice and other mixtures of instantly freezing compounds. Targeting the base of the mighty machine, its intended purpose to adhere the legs and feet of the robotic suit to the floor immobilizing it.

Meanwhile Quintus hit the ground with a somersault rolling forward striking upwards from a kneeling position. His fingers striking towards the hand held weapon with enough extortion to drive straw through steel. Years of cultivated martial arts training through the Arashikage and Keijijo clans having turned the Living Weapon's fingers into unbreakable rods of penetrating destruction. Looking to strike past the weapon opposed to directly at it as any basic combatant was taught.

The War had escalated beyond the point of return as most had expected and battle lines had been drawn with each side yet to play their wildcards. Cinematic clusters of theatrical military engagements were on full display with the Venezuelan population caught in the middle. And those who had seldom viewed themselves as heroes had now been forced to champion the cause.

The White Cardinal's were advancing quickly to Maturin, Venezeula forces didn't stand a chance again'st her small army. Or so she thought. As soon as her group hit Maturin, it seemed a whole new army was waiting for them. Tanks, APC's, more Venezuelan soldiers, logistical vehicles... someone had been busy. But Zeon didn't even flinch her mind was already made up, they would kill everyone, and take the vehicles. Explosions were going off all around them as bullets flew all around them, one by one White Cardinal's fell, but it didn't stop them. Standing further away from the actual battle with Micheal, Zeon turned to him, grasping his hand into hers as she watched him slip on his mask with his free hand.

"You need to move ahead without us." He spoke looking down at her through his mask, "I'll take of this little obstetrical you go to the Dam, I'll get in contact when we're done here."

With a maleficent smile and a nod of her head she let go of Micheal's hand as she turned to a small group of five Cardinal's. "È cinque, con me." <You five, with me.>

The group didn't hesitate as they began following her, Zeon separating herself from the rest of the Cardinal's, but not before doing something else. Pulling up her com-link in her mask she looked to the sky. "Portate il fuoco." <Bring in the fire.>

Again the sound of thunder filled the sky as the same helicopter that dropped off the Cardinal's came back, the turrets on them sending deadly projectiles down to the opposing Army, distracting them, allowing her group to advance forward. White Cardinal's with RPG's were also on the aircraft's shooting down missiles at the tanks, vehicles and APC's. But of course, not without cost, choppers began falling from the sky, but not without purposely crashing into the opposing force, making the aircraft's themselves weapons.

The Assassin leaped into battle, pulling out his bow and arrow, sending an exploding arrow into the barrel of a tank, causing it to literally blow it's top off as he sent three more towards vehicles that had any missiles or explosives on them. The Earth rumbled as the civilians of the city screamed for their lives, bodies of their loved once's scattered all over the place. Grasping onto the grenades of a fallen solider, Micheal climbed into a tank, Micheal opened the hatchet on top, pulling the pins out of one of them and tossing it inside the tank, the men screamed as the deadly assassin leaped off vehicle the explosion pushing him down to the ground as he tuck rolled, dirt kicking up as a solider pointed the barrel of his gun at him. The solider then fell forward, body landing on the ground with a THUD, a shuriken stuck in the back of his neck. Looking up he met the eyes of a White Cardinal, the two nod their head at each other as he helped Micheal up, the two rushing back into battle.

Guri Dam

Zeon and her small team of Cardinal's ran through the parking lot of the Dam, there were a few cars left, showing that there were some late workers still inside. "Uccidete tutti." <Kill everyone.> Her voice was like ice as each Cardinal ran off in a different direction as she went right through the front door. Security guard stood up as he saw her, pulling out his gun as she leaped over the desk, kicking the man in the chest, forcing him down as she pinned him down. Using the palm of her hand a she slammed against the top of his head, the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head as blood began drizzling out of nose, his body going limp as Zeon gave a chuckle.

Pushing herself off of him she began making her way deeper into the building, going to the control center.

Outlaw Under Siege

The metal monstrosity shakes from end to end under the impacts of Quintus's kamikaze Cardinals. Lights flicker on and off, desks and chairs sway wildly. A few of the less sure-footed crewmen slip and fall, while their wiser or luckier brethren grab to any nearby surface for stability.

Warning lights flicker on and off, and the red alert klaxon begins blaring its obnoxious music.

"Shut that thing off."It was soon deactivated.

"Albert, status."

"The ship has sustained heavy damage on the landing deck sir."

"Can it still be used?"

"No sir, the damage is extensive."

"Alright. Who is attacking us?"

"Its Quintus sir, Quintus and some of his Cardinals. It seems the boarded us by leaping out of civilian planes."

"You are kidding me Albert."

"No sir, I am not."

"Only Quintus. That is a hell of a stunt. Where is he now?"

"He is fighting one of the bounty hunters sir."

"Alright. Just let them be. If Quintus wins I'll deal with him then."

Astral Warfare

Just as Albert begin to reply a demonic form manifested before him in the psychic realm. Garbed in the panoply of horror and armed with a blade of pure hatred it snarled its vile threats and struck.

The blade pierced Albert's side and he let out a howl of agony. Iridescent vapor leaked from the wound, an astral metaphor for his mental strength leaking away under the savage assault. He 'drifted' backwards, grabbing his side and doubling over in agony. Whatever this beast was it was strong. Stronger than anything.

Far stronger than Albert himself.

Yet he had a not so secret weapon. Albert was currently linked into around a million minds. The residual psychic potential of so many humans, amplified by their fear, their rage and stress. The adrenaline of a million fighters coursed through his mind, reinvigorating him in an instant, though not healing his wound. And he 'borrowed' their strength, the minute fraction of unused power that lay in every mortals mind. One or two was not much, but a million? A million might allow him to contest with this horrific monstrosity of the mind, at least for a short time.

Then he called upon the buried dreams of a million minds. Those half remembered vague worlds one lived in for eight hours a night, confusing, twisting, turning realms without logic or reason. Albert twisted those dreams into a million glowing nets made manifest around the demonic visage of his astral attacker.

He clenched his fist and the nets flew upon the demon from all sides.

They would not attempt to hold him down, but rather to entangle him. To weave him into a dream, and then another dream and another. A million dreams each twisted and tangled into another dream until it was a labyrinth of divine proportion. No weight, for even with the strength of a million minds Albert would not trust his power against the titanic force of the demonic entity. Instead it was a maze.

But this came at a cost, for Albert was forced to reduce his psychic network down to the most critical members, for he lacked the strength to battle the demon and maintain perfect coverage.

The Sea and the Sky

"...-bert! Albert!"Amaranth's voice snapped him out of his trance and returned his attention to the material plane. He could only hope the net of dreams could hold the demon long enough for his task to be complete, otherwise..

Blood dripped from under his porcelain mask."I'm here sir."

"Everything okay?"

"Under attack from a psychic manifestation. Whatever it is its STRONG sir. But I've got a few moments at least. What do you need?"

"I need another clairvoyant scan, if you can spare a moment."

Once more Albert linked Amaranth's vision into his clairvoyant scan and his highly enhanced perceptions swept the country from north the south.

"Odd. The marines from theSao Poalo base are moving up the river."The base was to protect the American consulate there, and only had a few hundred troops at best.

"Mobilize the airfore and Navy Albert, bring us over the Navy's head and have the airforce link up with us."

"And the Marines sir?"

"Airstrike. If some get away, don't worry about it I just want their boats disabled."

The order was given.

Twenty four Su-30 strike fighters soon made lift-off from various air bases. They were soon joined by nine F-16's, 8 CF-5 fighter-bombers, and 8 OV-10 air-ground attack planes. Lastly 17 JL-8's light attack jets took to the skies.

On the sea six Lupo class missile frigates begin cruising down theOrinoco River. Four Guaiqueri corvettes trailed in their wake, and sixCapana class transport and supply boats after them.

The Outlaw, still streaming smoke and fire from Quintus's reckless assault, manoeuvred into place over the fleet, and the fifty eight combat jets of the airforce flew in formation around the Outlaw. Each ship, plane, and flying ship linked their radar and sonar covering together, each synchronizing their fire control computers, so that they each moved inside multiple overlapping bubbles of missile, flak, flare and jamming defenses.

As one they located the Marine transports on their radars. As one their computers acquired target locks. As one they fed the data to the Lupo class missile frigates. They were specialized for sea-to-sea warfare, designed to locate targets and put missiles into them. And as one they fired, six Otomat sea-to-sea missiles. Each screamed through the air at 310m/s, each bearing a 210kg warhead, each with enough radar and GPS to find a battle ship and sink it, but now aided by the linked fire controls of the entire Venezuelan Airforce and Navy.

@Zeon Liafador:

Wind kicked about with a frenzy as the hatch to the place opened up. Solider after solider jumped out from the back and opened their parachute. Andy stood there watching over them as they soared downward, a unified force to defend a land not of their own.

"Hey! Do you want a pack?" Screamed the man standing behind Andy, a large backpack in his arms.

Glancing backwards he just smirked at the man. "Real men don't need chutes." The grin on his face only widened as he jumped forward. His legs tightened together and his arms quickly fitted down to his sides. He launched out of the plate like a missile honed in on a target. His crimson red eyes gleamed with excitement behind those red tinted sunglasses.

Estimating his distance he quickly changed his position in the air. His arms flapping out to slow his decent as they were caught up in the wind currents. His body immediately turned from his head first downward spiral to his feet sternly placed below him. One hand slowly reached towards his face and lifted the glasses just a bit to expose his eyes.

A bright crimson energy poured out from his eyes in a perfect line, soaring downward and crashing into the ground below. He felt the initial jerk as his beams crashed into the ground which now looked as if a meteor had embedded itself into the pavement. A continual flow of energy streamed out of his eyes and down into the street below, every second slowing his decent even more. Just as he was some thirty feet or so from impact he lowered the glasses once more and landed with a sickening thud. The pavement cracked below his impact as he landed in a low crouch.

What seemed like hours had passed by and he found himself with no shortage of enemies to fight. Gripped in his left hand was a marvelous sword, a weapon of legend forged through magic and the elements. Etched in diamonds at the base of the blade were the seven edicts of Bushido. The hilt to this magnificent weapon was polished white and shaped in the form of a dragon, two rubies set into its eyes. In his other hand was a glowing red shield constructed of energy from his own body.

Like a knight of the old tales the warrior looked for evil to fight. Though he wore no glimmering armor. Instead he wore a dark-blue, almost black body suit that would allow him to disappear into the shadows should the situation arise. As he stalked quietly down the alley he noticed things were too quiet..

War was going on, why was this street not filled with screams and cries of war? Then suddenly the shadows attacked. From either side blades set with the intent of a silent kill swept down towards him. Two Cardinals attacked simultaneously and with perfect coordination.

With little to no time to react Andy ducked down into a low defensive position. His shield bearing up above him to take the brunt of the attack. Both blades met its solid surface and Andy wasted no time for his counterattack. With a powerful thrust he kicked out from under him with his right leg. Crashing his heel into the red ninja's shin, which sent the silent warrior tumbling backwards in pain. But he had made no noise, no recognition of pain or anger.

The second Cardinal struck out with a flurry of attacks. Slicing at Andy with a series of blows that gave no opening to counter. Now forced on the defensive he knew not to underestimate his opponents. These were not just some punks dressed up for Halloween, or people who spent a few years training and thought themselves warriors. Both of these men were trained, and trained well. The moment Andy forced an opening on one the other was there to counter and defense his ally.

Spinning around Andy defended another string of attacks. The two warriors gaining no ground then decided to change their tactics. One feinted forward with an attack and then pulled back quickly as the other attacked instead. The one who had feinted then vanished into the shadows. With just one opponent now visible Andy concentrated his efforts on what was there barreling down on top of him. Just as he would gain the advantage shruikens flung into the night sky towards him, but were quickly blocked by his shield. However this created an opening for the duo to change. The one heavily pressed could now slip into the shadows as his ally came down at Andy with a renewed strength.

Unexpectedly the night sky was temporarily lit ablaze by a shinning light from the heavens. The shadows retreated to their dark dank corners and revealed the two assailants. Now was the time to end this!

Behind his glasses Andy's eyes brightened. Both warriors came down upon him from opposing directions, perfectly synced like the trained ninjas they were. Without so much as a second thought removed his glasses with one hand, his gaze set firmly on the one to his left. Like an erupting volcano energy blasted forth from his eyes and crashed into the ninja. The impact instantly broke numerous ribs and sent the man propelling backwards. The wall he crashed into broke beneath the pressure and crumbled down around him.

Just as he released the blasts from his eyes. Andy's right arm extended towards the sprinting ninja and his shield launched from his arm like a discus. The blast was nothing like the impact of the eye beams, but it was sufficient force to disarm and knockout the ninja.

Riffling through his stuff Andy began to search for some sort of clues. Oddly enough the man was carrying some sort of oxygen mask. Stuffing it into his pack Andy began to smack the ninja to begin his interrogation.

"Tell me their plans!" He ordered thunderously, but before he could even finish threatening the Ninja he crunched down on one of his teeth, swallowing something held inside. Just seconds later he was foaming at the mouth and dead.

Hours later Andy received intel through a physic connection the resistance had built. There was an unopposed force assaulting the Dam. If left unchecked this attack could cripple their chances of returning power, and worse. For if things did not go their way this invading force could blow the dam. The casualties..

"No." He spoke more to himself than through the mental connection. No more innocent lives would be lost, not if he could help it. "I got eta on the Dam in 10 minutes." Now in a full dead on sprint he had a heading. A purpose.

_________________

Guri Dam

Slumped down onto one knee Andy checked the security guard for a pulse. He sighed heavily confirming what he already knew. Dead. Checking the security cameras as the station he hoped to catch some glimpse of where the attackers were. But it came to no surprise that whomever was assaulting this place knew how to stay hidden. Taking just a few minutes he back tracked the camera feed to try and find footage of the person who killed the guard officer. It was a woman, and from what he saw she was better trained than any of the others he had encountered so far. He would have to stay alert and be on guard.

With caution he made his way down the hall for the main command center. The approaching hero had no knowledge of the five other Cardinals in the facility..

@Ziccarra_Liafador:

Strigidae 59 is momentarily astounded at the acrobatic evasions of his elusive prey. Her senses, reflexes and fighting skills all working in perfect harmony to detect his surprise attack and evade the entirety of it, while wounded and no doubt fatigued after her long battle.

To make matters worse the sword which had targeted her eye socket was now trapped, sticking in the trunk of the tree she had been leaning against.

But just as he started to wrench the blade free the acrobatic Cardnial manoeuvred around to his left and unleashed her unorthodox whip-blade. Her supreme. skills and surprising swiftness catching him completely off guard. He had never expected her to be this skillful, or this quick. Nor had he expected her to select such tactically adroit maneuvers in the heat of the moment.

And as a result the whip blade slammed into his side, the razor sharp weapon slicing through the reinforced Kevlar of his Strigidae garb. Blood sprays through the air, little ruby droplets of pain. He grunts, grasping his side and staggering away, abandoning the sword pinned in the tree.

Impressive. But this isn't over yet.

Now with only one sword he fills that empty hand with the Uzi submachine gun strapped to his thigh. Inside that machine gun were thirty bullets.. made from clay.

Leveling the fully automatic weapon at the ground around him he emptied the entire clip. The clay rounds slammed into the wet Venezuelan soil, burrowing deep into the most earth. And their the quantum sorcery worked by Kratesis comes alive.

A face made from clay bursts forth from the ground. Its slimy lips part and a horrible moan emits from them. It echos through the air, the air itself bowing under the weight of its suffering.

And then a second face.

And a third.

And on and on until thirty clay faces burst from the ground, each with a gurgling, moaning cry of agony. And then shoulders form, then arms, and then they drag themselves free of the confines of earth. Great formless golems of slippery clay, each fifteen feet tall, strong enough to lift a greyhound bus, and made from undying mud.

Twenty eight of them turn and attack the Cardinals forces. Hands morph into blades of clay, faces into draconic maws full of slippery teeth, arms spew hardened bullets of clay.

But two turn toward Z.

The first forms itself into a massive ball of mud, taller and wider than any man, and begins rolling toward her at ever increasing speeds. Meaning to simply roll over her and trap her within its confines to die by suffocation.

The second unleashes a spray of clay globs, hundreds and hundreds of them, hosing her position with a never ending stream of sticky mud. Intending to trap one of her arms or legs to the ground, perhaps even block on of her airways or pin her eyes closed.

Strigiday 59 himself takes a single step backwards into the shadows...

..and vanishes utterly. Somewhere in the darkness he circles, blade in hand, Uzi reloaded, waiting for his moment to strike once more.

"It's the man that makes the art, not the other way around."

- Rickson Gracie

The sheath goes with the sword and it presents a variety of options when dealing with multiple foes 'here is my perimeter, over there is their perimeter' their cone of fire and my personal sphere of influence. At range they have advantage, but the moment they enter they will die.

Besides telescoping his blade comes with other features, such as "photothermal deflection." which translates to invisibility and it doesn't just turn invisible itself—it actually cloaks what it's surrounding. Separating molecules by the diameter of a nanotube, with an organism by cutting cell membranes and slicing apart DNA and proteins. A basically invisible sword, that would easily cut through a human sized object unless the human was wearing very good armor. Trading off strength for thickness to have an ultra thin blade, which would also be a requirement for a sword that could cut through just about anything. Slice! right through an APC or a Tank.

Dennis Tueller, a policeman from Saltlake Utah made a theory of the '21 foot rule' few know it as the Tueller Drill. Which is simply about sometimes that even contact weapons can be deadly given the appropriate context, also that wielders of the firearm may be arrogant in their approach. Based on a simple experiment which covers with their set of test variables that the "average" time to draw and shoot a firearm is 1.5 seconds which is equal to the time the "average" time it takes to cover 21 feet.

After all there is a reason why they are better for ranged confrontations, time, distance, and reactionary gap are all on my side in a distance of less than one feet. Their weapons are redundant since there will be no opportunity to discharge the weapon. Using guile and misdirection moving them, herding them in direction aligning their spheres together.

I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.

- molly irvins

These are then pulsed with electromagnetic field vibrations and plasma to give them even more cutting power. Creating a type of "energy vibro-sword".The telescoping portion behind the cutting edge could contain a bundle of carbon-nano tube threads that are held in place and energized with plasma creating a burning edge. The telescoping portion would also be made of advanced materials for strength such as CNT. The rigid edge would be thin enough on one edge to follow through the hot cutting edge and thick enough at the other side to make a rigid parrying weapon

@Amaranth_Strix:

To say that the Demon was caught off-guard by Albert’s attack would have been an understatement. He had attacked the telepath specifically to put an end to the psychic network, and to have his objective suddenly used as a weapon against him was entirely unexpected. Though a part of him allowed for some grudging admiration for the sheer gall of the maneuver (to say nothing of the expertise required to actually execute it), the only outward display the Demon made was to howl in enraged fury as layer upon convoluted layer of dream enveloped him. It would take a staggering amount of time to negotiate such a maze. However, the Demon of Silence had no intention of doing so.

Dispersing his sword, the Demon held up both of his clawed hands. Each finger distorted grotesquely, each claw lengthening and curving until his hands resembled nothing so much as a twisted pieces of farming equipment, with each unnatural finger ending in a wicked, scythe-like blade. With a roar, he tore into the dreamscape savagely, rending the thought-forms as though they were nothing but a field of wheat. This would spread untold suffering across the country, as slumbering citizens would be jarred from their slumber as their very dreams were viciously rent asunder by the horrific entity. Slowly, steadily, a sadistic sense of glee building beneath his rage, he pressed forward, determined to reach Albert.

@Strigidae_: @Ziccarra_Liafador:

Silently observing the ensuing political turmoil in the nation of Venezuela through a meticulously crafted well of ethereal properties, enigmatic Ishin found himself capturing even the subtlest detail of the tension-infested event. Initially harboring no intention of interfering due to his disinterest in Venezuelan politics, the prominent inclusion of the talented Cardinal Queen was powerful enough a motivator for him to reconsider his premeditated decision of excluding himself from the current conflicts. Through his focused observations, the Mysterious Messiah has grown aware of the Court of Arcani's presence as one of Ziccarra's primary forms of opposition. While indeed, an undoubted ally to the Court, the existent circumstances of the war steadily threaten to disrupt this. Harboring a inherent compulsion to aid his pupil, Ziccarra, Ishin was quick to decide on lending his aid to the master illusionist.

Calmly rising from his seated position, and to his feet, Ishin diverted his attention away from his intellectual observations, briefly addressing the surrounding clansmen in his personal quarters, "Get my battle attire, scroll, and kunai", instructing one of the clansmen before turning to a clanswoman. Arms regally folded behind his back, he unfolded his left arm, using his index finger to point towards his personally customized nihonto, Seishin-Katta, hanging stylishly on the uniquely decorated walls, alongside a variety of other bladed weaponry. "That one as well", directing his index finger towards the broad and flat sword, Hansha. Quickly, his requested items were respectfully rested before him. "Leave", quickly gesturing for his obedient followers to depart while he changes into attire, appropriate for what he was to soon immerse himself into. Gently removing the ceremonial, black Impero robes, revealing his perfectly sculpted, intricately tattooed frame, the Keijijo Enigma reached for his historically iconic mask, briefly studying the expressionless mask's features. Cladding himself in his characteristic, dark hooded attire and gloved gauntlets, the Martial Arts Messiah stylistically slid his nihonto into a beautifully decorated, dark violet sheathed, resting it atop a nearby table. Directing his attention towards Hansha, he carefully wrapped its large, flat blade with specifically created white bandages. Strapping his largest sword on his back first, he followed by strapping Seishin-Katta to Hansha. Via Chakra-Potaru, he metaphysically transported his kunai and Keijijo Geijutsu scroll into one of his chakra-points.

While intent on not deteriorating his relationship with the Court of Arcani, he was their ally only in mutant affairs, political ones were an entirely different matter. Tying the eerie Impero Mask firmly to his left bicep, he then approached a lone candle positioned in the center of his dimly lit quarters. With a rather peculiar match, he lit the candle, generating a captivating, emerald flame, its created smoke ethereally enhancing his metaphysical capabilities. With mastered breathing techniques, the peerless Grandmaster directed the smoke's mystical properties towards his mental chakra-points, dramatically enhancing his already fearsome telepathic capabilities. Effortlessly locating Ziccarra's psionic signature with the aid of the vivid emerald flame's sparkling smoke, he issued a message, "I'm coming to help you", his statement, brief and to the point. With a quick blow, he extinguished the unique flame, terminating its temporary metaphysical enhancements. Prior to his departure, Ishin instructed the Keijijo Elite to maintain the monastery's nigh-impenetrable ethereal field during his absence.

Now, sprinting across the globe at his characteristically unparalleled speed, Ishin relied on the perfected abilities of his spiritual chakras to appropriately locate the individual metaphysical signatures of Ziccarra and Quintus. Through his observations however, the Impero had noticed the dilemma that Isabella was in as she posed as Ziccarra in Puerto Ayochuco. Compelled instead to aid her, he uses his legendary speed to reach her immediate area by pinpointing the largest concentration of metahuman ethereal signatures in Isabella's location. Having managed to locate her, he sprints towards her location, coming to an abrupt halt as he very suddenly, appears two feet to her right. Utilizing his carefully constructed, invisible chi-based aura to prevent undesired environmental destruction as a result of his high-speed movement, he quickly manifests a chi-based barrier around Isabella and himself, protecting both from the devastating assault of Strigidae's mudmen. The force of the rolling mudmen's impact on his barrier radiated across it, the strain of maintaining the barrier quickly stimulating a sense of brief pain in Ishin's chakra-points. Turning to Isabella, he spoke, "We can overwhelm him together. His mudmen should not be a problem", he suggested, quickly reaching for Hansha's hilt and unstrapping it from his back, the bandages around its large blade reduced to ashes as he readied himself for battle.

@Kayle_Rez: @Quintus_Knightfall:

Previously:

Rip contacted Amaranth on the ship's comm. "We're in on your hunt for Quintus." The Angel of Death had no idea what he was signing him and his companions for a war.

Present Day, The Outlaw over Venezuela:

The MacAbres stood in the small armory of the Outlaw. "Dammit, Ghost. We're not soldiers. I never meant to entre a war."

"We'll be fine brother, I'm untouchable." Danny grinned phasing in and out of vision and tangibility as he sat wrapping his bare feet. "And Patch... well, he may lack finesse, but he's got the best endurance I've seen in a mutant. He's like the bloody Energizer Bunny. And you... you're nigh immortal with your life siphon."

"And Switch? Did you think about Jess?" He placed his gloved hands on his hips, shadows weaving around him matching his sour mood.

Ghost faltered. He rubbed the back of his neck in shame. Switch had been in chameleon mode in the back and sparked to life. "There! You two didn't even notice me! I'm almost as good as Ghost with my stealth. It's not fair that I end up getting treated like a child. I can fight!"

Rip's brows knit. "You have no formal training. You're not even old enough to hold a gun."

Suddenly, there was a sickening explosion.

"Time's up." An eerie smile spread across Patch's face. "Et's do er die time now, keddies."

Angel threw an anxious glance toward Switch. "You stay in stealth and close behind me at all times." The girl nodded as she worked at blending her skin tone to match her environment, rushing over to his side.

Ghost faded from view, drawing a dagger and a silenced pistol from his belt. His voice came from the air. "Paddy, try not to do anything that will drop us suddenly from the sky, 'kay?"

"No promises, Dee." The Patchwork man grinned.

Patch, with all the grace of a bulldozer, kicked open the door. He held a large bottle of liquor in one hand and a shovel in the other. He took a long swig before tossing the bottle in the direction of the bounty, the glass shattering on contact with the floor. He lept through the air, landing closer on three limbs before igniting the liquid with his pyro thumb with a flick. "Just ta heat thengs uppa bit..." He stood to his feet to begin swinging his sharpened shovel.

Ghost phased through the wall and chuckled softly. One guy left, and it's Quintus. Pretty sure this guy is tougher than he seems. He had made his way around to the other side and was firing muffled shots stationed at the end of the hall on one knee. The bullets seemed to come from nowhere, the metal pellets suddenly appearing from thin air after the stifled blasts.

Rip entered through the door, shadows warping around him into the shape of two ominous wings, his black eyes turned a glowing white. He whispered to the hidden figure behind him. "There's just one. Switch, please, take cover somewhere in the back of the ship. I don't want you getting hurt."

"But..." She interjected with a small, female voice before retreating further back, but keeping a watchful eye on the scene.

The dark angel extended a hand casting a swirling darkness toward the man the shapes curling into snapping jaws. The resurrect was uneasy. Someone like Quintus would not be such an easy target. His preliminary research had told him that much. But his voice was calm and cool, with all the poise his English accent could deliver. "You're outnumbered, Knightfall."

@Kayle_Rez: @Dichot:

Deep in the haul of a smuggler extraordinaire's crafty vessel, a small yet pivotal confrontation was unfolding. Quintus, poised to confront the source of the rebellion's military tactical heart and soul, had been halted in his pursuit by the mecha armored renegade Kayle Rez. Reactionary maneuvers had acrobatically guided the gymnastically gifted villain through a maelstrom of machine gun fire placing him directly in front of his target. Enabling the murderous Knightfall to dispatch a series of immobilizing capsules in hopes of adhering its lower extremities to the grated metal flooring. When suddenly he was beset upon by another volley of bullets. Only this time the muffled sound and stealth initiated approach had caught the bullet dodging aristocrat off guard. Instantly his right shoulder spat crimson graffiti towards the mechanized bounty hunter in front of him, while another bullet ricocheted off his burgundy helmet with such force it was torn off his head spiraling across the floor.

Stumbling with dizzying disorientation the commanding intonation of yet another arrival gave the injured Knightfall a target. Focusing on the voice out of pure instinct Quintus lashed out with an anemic Psi Blast in the direction of the shadow manipulators mind. Aiming to briefly stun the English accent wielding opposition unable to sustain enough cognitive thought to unleash worse. But with clarity rapidly improving the Perennial Polymath spun around gracefully before breaking into several long sprint inducing strides towards Kayle.

Optimizing the highest levels of his superhuman speed achieving a level that would appear as a multi-colored flash for those operating with normal level of perception. Transitioning into a stylish baseball slide shooting the small gap in the hall, Quintus' triple jointed frame contorted in a visually stunning display of elusiveness as he propelled himself past Ms. Rez. Using his momentum to slide back to his fight without loss of motion and then blending into the shadows of the ship's beams and rails with his own marionette like control of the shadows.

The target was fast beyond the natural capabilites of the Pirate Princess Kayle Aurorez. However nobody said she had to travel conventionally. "Screw this, I'm a blood hound not a cat." The lost Keresh going to hop into her mech and heading towards where Quintus would be. The mech dropping into the hallway infront of the man. "Law get the doors" the A.I quickly making sure that their was but one exit and that was by the assassin or the pirate going through the other.

The TM 700 is a mechanical armor system, the one in Kayle's posession heavly moddified as well. The wire frame linking it all together is laced in a tightly woven nano fiber with in the skeletal framing. If left as just that it would look much like a well muscled human with no neck. This skeletal and wire work was supported next by a crystalyn skin. Carefully constructed the diamond architecture crafted to the mobility of the machine. Next came the sub components and bells, computer monitors cock pits fuel cells thrusters etc. This was then covered in a strong ceramite armor with a strong titanium hull over that. Punching a hole through this required something that could puncture space designed craft. This mechanized behemouth had a cockpit at the core of the body composed of a window again equivalent to a space designed vessel, though a weekpoint it was still able to withstand alot of force. And the armor of the chest had a added layer which could be moved over the window if need be.

Located in the legs near the back were thrusters capable of pushing the mech into speeds needed of a stealth designed aircraft. Small after burners were in each arm at the forarm near the elbow allowing the mech to make sharp movments impossible for most aircraft. On the back were two wings that folded up in mech form providing protection from the flank. In the aircraft of course these wings expanded, located on either form of the wings were the secondary thrusters. The crystalyn under layer inside telographed a three hundred sixty degree view by vibrations so that combat mobility was at its peek.

Most importantly however was that the mech injected a neurological link into the pilot linking the A.I and pilot as one. The tactical precision of the machine tied into the intuitive guner of mythic talents. The siren of pirates meshed with the aid of unwavering law. The turret of the right hand opened fire on the lethal Knightfall. Despite the small volley of the explosive rounds and their speed they were dodged. The mind of the A.I and pirate assessing the speed and acrobatic performance of the man. More importantly however was the execution, Law looked to learn the most likely landing positions. While Kayle looked to adopt her body to try and track these movements. This way they could place bullets heading towards point A initial location, point B and C most likely landing position, and point D the space between point A B and C.

It was hard to know where and when the small marble sized spheres were thrown. The trained combative eyes however spoting the pellets in flight. A series of rounds sent to cut down the numbers with a precision that was almost beyond human. Sevral charges of freezing concoctions detonating in the air effecting neither armored titan or acrobatic legend. Still some landed bursting along the feet of the giant locking it in position. Quintus dropping into a flawlessly executed parkor originated roll to come up in a disarming attack. His fingers sank almost knuckles deep into the wrist of the machine having struck a joint the blow was as deep as it could of been. Kayle was at first shocked, though that was quickly replaced by annoyance. "I hope those get stuck there ass hole" being her remark as the mechs afterburners of the arm angled toward the man. Before this could happen however the assassin had taken a bullet to a shoulder quickly making an attack on the fellow mercenery Dichot.

Quick and acrobaticly stunning remarkably fast motions were taken to get behind the mech. A milisecond later the thrusters of the back and legs kicked in. The powerful jet engines easily shattering the ice and rocketing forwards and allowing the mech to turn sharply towards the target. Then to rocket towards him goal being to smash Quintus into the adjacent wall at speeds entering hypersonic velocities which range from just short of four thousand mph to just below eight thousand. Which presumming she could carry through with the attack would likely mean Knightfall pace. Of course the design modified by a girl whos passion was guns and machines ment she could stop if needed as well. This was crucial for the third part of the attack, backing up from close range with a burst of the thrusters and trying to get a lock on Quintus mid section.

Where then the Rail gun would fire, the projectile almost spear length. A ranged projectile exceeding five thousand miles per hour and likely to turn the target to mist if it hit or perhaps even came close. Kayle Aurorez, the pirate princess and woman with a bullet for every name spared no expense when it came to a target. A series of rounds from the turret would then be fired as a second rail was loaded. The bullets and impresive accuracy forged of machine and man trying to lock on for a second railgun round.

in Maturin

Micheal stood on top of a rolling tank that two of the White Carindal's stole, using it against the Venezuela forces. The war was still raging on in the city, which was really just a diversion. The Assassin grin under his mask as he spotted a man with an RPG, quickly aiming his bow and letting an arrow fly, hitting the man right before he pulled the trigger, causing him to stumble back and pull the trigger on accident while the weapon was faced at the ground, causing him to blow himself, and his team around him, up into a bloody mess.But both sides had taken heavy blows, more than half the White Cardinal forces were now gone, their bodies carpeting the floor with their enemy. But as their numbers shrunk, the more deadly they become, being harder to spot, allowing the ninja like warriors to attack silently from the shadows while others attempted to draw attention to themselves.

However, all this time two team of white Cardinal's went around the city, going right towards the weaker area's without an army protecting them. The forces were so focused on Maturin, it seemed that they figured the Cardinal's would fail there. One team went right towards Tucupita while another team went down the Rio Orinoco, going right towards Ciudad Guayana, the two teams quickly advanced, taking down the little support the other cities had and taking over with almost no hesitation from the civilians. Now it was all up to Zeon.

Guri Dam

Gasps of air and chocking gargles could be heard as the White Cardinal's and Zeon advanced deeper into the building, killing off everyone without a chance of surrender. The only person alive was a worker, who was in charge of the flow of the Dam. "Por ahora, usted vive." <For now, you live..>The young Liafador whispered into the man's ear, his body trembling in fear as the Cardinal's stood silent behind her, blood dripping off their blades.

Turning to them she gave a smirky grin. "Controllare l'area di nuovo, voglio fare in modo che nessuno è qui." <Check the area again, I want to make sure no one is here.>

The five Cardinal's bowed their head as they took off in different directions without a word. As one of the Cardinal's began his sweep he noted a man walking around the area, one that he hadn't seen before. Being as silent as the shadows around them he pulled out a Shurikenin each hand, throwing them towards the man at the same time as he then drew his blade, leaping out of the shadows as he began his assault on the hero.

Zeon began walking with the man up to the control room, her blade pressed lightly against the back of his neck as they entered room filled with computers and pressure meters. With a chuckle the two made their way to the middle of the hydropump room, the room that kept the damn from collapsing on itself. "Apague las bombas."<Turn off the pumps.> The worker turned around, fear in his eyes.

"Pero si hago eso, el maldito va a implosionar sobre sí mismo!"<But if I do that, the damn will implode on itself!>

Zeon laughed,"Exactamente!"<Exactly!> She shoved the man towards the computers. "La presa será destruido y se inundará una buena parte de la sección oriental del país" <The dam will be destroyed and it will flood a good portion of the Eastern section of the country>

"Usted está loco!" <You are crazy!>

"Me han dicho que un par de veces. Ahora ponte a trabajar!" <I've been told that a couple of times. Now get to work!>

The man walked up to the computers, as he hestiantly began entering codes and numbers... all he could do was hope and pray someone was going to be walking through those doors to save him.

@Zeon Liafador:

From the darkest of shadows two shuriken's were flung towards him, and on instinct alone he reacted. Side-stepping the first with his enhanced reflexes and decades of training. As the projectile whistled passed him it imbedded into the complexes wall. Already in motion he brought his sword up defensively in front of him. The section shuriken met the fine blades edge and was perfectly spit in two. Both ends now harmlessly toppled down onto the floor with a light ping.

Leaping into the fray the Cardinal began his onslaught of attacks. Though this Cardinal may of looked slightly different than the two he had faced out in the town. He knew immediately they were just as skilled, if not more so. Time was of the essence and he could not afford to hold back in fear of killing one.

Andy continued to work against the ninja and just as he created an opening to strike two more soared out of the shadows with swords drawn. Without hesitation he switched to a one-handed fighting style as he activated his shield with his other arm. Its red hue lighting up the hallway.

Continuously the Cardinals pressed their attacks working in perfect unison. This clan whomever they might be were well versed in pack tactics, fighting together. As one moved in for his attack the others shifted to keep their flanking position, posed to attack as soon as the other withdrew. Onward they pressed and Andy found himself hard to go on the offensive. At any time he would gain an upper hand on one he would fall back just out of reach and one of the others would lunge in with a hard flurry.

"They're delaying" Andy said to himself. It became obvious now as he fended off the next series of blows. While they were intent on killing him, none of them were willing to risk their numbers to make that strike. This showed an intelligence beyond capable foot soldiers. These were students of war. They knew that individually none of them stood a chance against him. He was stronger, faster, and overall better trained. With two of them they could challenge him and but would be hard pressed for a win. However three of them.. with three of them they could try and ware their opponent down enough for a clean kill. They knew that if one of them fell then the others would soon join him, and they must give Zeon the time she needed to finish her task.

There was one advantage these Cardinals were not aware of, one that could change the outcome of any battle. As Andy slipped passed the pressing Cardinal he turned to position them so they were all in an arc in front of him. He knew this would only last one second before they scrambled back into flanking positions, but all he needed was one a second.

Just as he moved his hand lowered his goggles. His eyes lit ablaze with a glowing red energy. Immediately that crimson energy poured out from his eyes in a wide arc, just a dragon spewing his breath of fire, encompassing the entire area around the ninjas. The complex shook with a thunderous quake at the wall of the hallway cracked and broke beneath the pressure, exposing the room next to them. Settling the glasses back on his brow Andy set back down his path. The female ninja was not among them.

Entering the main command canter he saw her, and what appeared to be a worker reluctantly operating the computer. "Step away from the console!" He demanded with a commanding voice. His sword drawn out in front of him as he crouched into a defensive position.

Little did Andy know there were two more Cardinals stalking back that way..

(Previous Kayle post)

A siren isn't a hero, not a martyre or even a visionary. A siren is a master of esentially two things seductive nature and geting something she wants. You might find them in the learder position of a military or political force. Perhaps you might find them as a thief, in this universe there are always six no more and no less. Kayle was one of them, the Pirates Siren. She was not in this war for the greater good of this world, she wasn't planning to lead the nation into liberation. One purpose existed to her get paid, for the capture or kill of Quintus and if possible massacre anyone else she could. However the position of things was rapidly changing to demand the gun blazer to be more then just a soldier of fortune.

For reasons that alluded Aurorez the Lord of War was pulling out of this one. Perhaps that should of served as a omen, a prediction that this war wasn't boding well for the deffenders of this country. Perhaps it was a sign that the bullet generator was out classed out matched and out of her league. Of course these thoughts didn't come to her mind. She concluded if nothing else she was a pirate, she fought dirty. The systems of the Outlaw were passed over to Law. The mighty aircraft now placed in the hands of the Pirate Princess for the mission. This instantly placed her in a troubling position though also simultaneously maybe a good one. Kayle was not a general but she was a pilot. Place her in a domain where she had to be a scientist or politician she wasn't going to flourish. Give her a weapon to design or ship to control however and she was more then capable.

Her tactic worked and a machine waying much more then the acrobatic master of combat. The speed seamed to outclass him and lead to road kill a bloody smear and broken bits of bone against the dented wall. But the Knightfall was stubborn and resiliant despite the wound he tried to move to continue the fight. Tragectory tracked the turret began to spit hot lead towards the target ripping through the air and metal and finaly it found flesh. And once the weapon found flesh it seamed to be entirely unforgiving. Quintus fell in a pile of identifiable slabs of meat grounded into a sort of mush. Then however it disolved, fadded away an illusion...

This was a revelation and agitation at the same time. A trick of the mind can drastically effect a person even once gone. Despite knowing an illusion stabed someone the mind still thinks its in the dying moments. Somethhing like this however doesn't work on the nonsentient things. The gears of Law were not cold and potentially running slow. The hand had no inflicted wound from the powerful strike of the Knightfall. However this also meant she'd failed to make a kill, a fact that rang loud and clear when an explosive struck the near by wall. The Outlaw was a well armored and structured vessel, outside it had a few smoking collumns from the suicidal assault used as Quintus' distraction. Inside however things could be alot more vulnerable. If you throw a gernade at a tank it probably won't acomplish much, if you place the very same type of gernade though inside the tank it shuts the tank down. That small package from the inside exploded with enough force to blast a massive hole in the Outlaw. It might not send the large aircraft to the watters below but it did take a chunk out of the vessel. The differance in air pressure sucking what little was in the room outside. Powerful engines combating the vacume effects and Law starting to track where the target was going.

Kayle hoped Dichot was going to be ok that he had a method to avoid a deathly plummet. This siren however was still the one who plunders the worlds who does things for her. This target came first and formost. Especially after that last attack, not only had it harmed the pirates home but it had also busted the armor on the upper segment of the left arm. The machine was durable but it still faced a powerful explosion that was designed to cripple an aircraft. If it was used against the mech directly or placed somewhere more vital to the ship either of the two could have been in serious trouble. Above all else however Kayle was simply materialistic and what had just been done was insulting, like a slap to the face a Knightfall needed put into his place.

"Law using Outlaw's systems set this place on lockdown. Nobody gets in or out of anywhere unless they're coming to back us up." Lockdown would lock everything, the crew could do its job aside from that however the flying home was now a flying safe. "Switch target identifiers. We wan't to target the thing with a heart beat the illusion won't have one. Strix's mind f*cker I need you to help shield my mind from more of that. Nothing much just tap me into your psychic link." By doing this the mental attacks on her would be scattered out to the thousands and thus hopefully ineffective on the pirate. With that she changed a rocket to be a cryogenic when it exploded it would flash freeze the whole room. The rocket shot through the air towards the room Quintus was in, punching through the door like paper and detonating. Likely to make the hole room ice, the mech and its pilot would be at the door by then rail gun armed to shoot at the heart of what hopefully was a frozen target.

(Previous Quintus post)

Instantaneously the utility room flash froze with a blanket of icy captivity covering every square inch. Luckily the esoterically trained Keijijo renegade was already in the process of snaking his way through the ventilation shaft utilizing the accumulative abilities of his precog coupled with the Ninjustu art of Intonjutsu. Somewhat puzzled by the effortless ease in which his pursuer was able to track his every move, attributing it to the futuristic technology housed within the bounty hunter's mechanized combat module. But his thoughts were soon turned to more pressing matters as the vent began to heat up. Escalating rapidly to near incinerating proportion forcing Quintus to abruptly cut a hole in the shaft or risk being burned alive. The Outlaws lockdown protocols taking counter initiatives as directed by its newly appointed captain. "What the hell is this thing made of" the Knightfall thought to himself. Several explosions from both inside and out as well as an entire room frozen to the point of Arctic extremes had done little to alter its flight capabilities. And to make matters worse, something, or one, was blocking any attempt to assault the machingun madam's mind.

The void that had represented Amaranth's presence was also suddenly absent which begged an entirely different set of questions. Looking around the well illuminated hallway with a smirk as he noticed the blast doors on either end locked down making it impossible to escape, the Shadow Cardinal placed two fingers along the side of his temple. Although he could no longer attack the mind of Kayle, he could in fact search out the mind, or minds, of the crew. His cognitive thought racing through the ship pacing various officers, soldiers, and deckhands, on its way to the bridge until delving into the mind of a dedicated operator. Blood began dripping down Quintus' face streaming from his nose as he mental manipulated the young controller. Completely unaware of his actions as he began unlocking the corridors. "Excellent." thought Quintus with a mental flash. "Now, I want you to chart a new set of coordinates, and crash this vessel into the Rio Meta."

With one last piece of business to attend to and the security doors unlocked, the Knightfall Polymath followed the stench of heated metal and expelled gun residue. Peering around the corner setting his gaze upon the metal monstrosity before stepping out as if initiating a Mexican Stand-off. Without a word he flashed his good arm forward rolling two golf ball sized metal spheres towards his target. Each one exploding releasing an electromagnetic pulse designed to fry any circuitry in its blast radius.

POST

The explosion went off as expected turning the room into ice regretfully not containing the desired target. Despite the speed and attempted shots at the Knightfall nothing had landed. Thankfully however the countermeasures of the Outlaw were even more impresive then Kayle had expected them to be. From what Kayle knew the base was a large and well designed structure built to stay in the air so long as nothing critical was targeted. It was no different then a living organism, you could damage alot of a person without it sending the person to the grave. Blowing up the engine is like shooting the heart, even an amputation however is survivable. And the Outlaw was designed with alot of armor meant to take a beating. A mercenary based craft isn't something to be made into a floating gunship. It's important it can last in a fight but thats not the primary conception. Despite all that though the vessel showed fully capable of combating the intruder.

Strix's telepath employed for the mission began to be targeted by the Knightfall. Where Inner Demon showed to be more intrusive Quintus was a careful person blending with the minds untill able to seize control. Sometimes the frontal assault wasn't the tactic to obtain the desired effects. There was a single issue with the tactic the impervious mind sought after. The Artificial Inteligence was piloting the Outlaw not those in the bridge. They helped run the carrier but they were not the driver. Instead of piloting the aircraft into its destruction Law moved to place the aircraft above the ocean. The height so high that to simply jump out would almost for sure be someones death. This intrusion however also weekend the mental link established between those trying to resist the invasion. Kayle the pirate siren and Law the A.I and mech were able to save the home, though perhaps at the loss of the best means of winning a war.

War waged in Venesuala though to stay ready and combative against one of the worlds most dangerous targets Outlaw had to forsake those lands for the moment. Keeping Quintus from making everyone go Rambo against the person beside them required something equivelant to abandoning those not airborn for the time. And soon enough the source of the trouble made his apearence. Conflict sparking before the doors had so much as locked again.

He was clevar, facing against a mech in hand to hand in tight spaces wasn't wise. Even if one could dodge bullets with ease it got hard when movement became restricted. Two small round explosives seamingly no bigger then a marble detonated. A blinding flash of electricity shooting in all directions. This shut down the mech making the best tool of Law out of commision and simultaneously halting Law from using Outlaw to help fight back. This also shortend Kayle's shield for a moment resulting in a small explosion of surgical like needles. Should the small unexpected blast succeed and the needles find skin they would trigger a neural drug that made the mind think wounds should bleed more. Often resulting to a person bleeding out. Kayle wasn't done there however soon leaping from the mech.

Kayle withdrew the assault rifle Surge releasing a spray of bullets where Quintus was and where she predicted he would go. To the random onlooker it likely looked sporadic, though in truth it was precise ensuring as best as possible that the evasion of one round would lead to the bullet wound of another. Landing sevral feet away she fired another burst of ammo, the electrical rifle filling the gaps between where the Knightfall was and where he would likely go. While Vamps two shoulder mounted cannons targeted where the pirate thought the acrobatic assassin would land. Vamps were a shoulder mounted gun releasing small needles, these needles stuck into what they hit and then emited a cloud of plasmic energy. The primary effect of the plasma though was that it burned most it touched while absorbing bloodcells. These bloodcells were transported to the cannon and thus the user, in effect leaching life of a target to grant healing properties to the user.

@andy_steven_summers

The man stood before the computer system, his forehead beaded with sweat as he turned the first out of four sets of pumps off. A grin danced on the Liafador's face as the man moved on to the second computer system, typing his codes in the computer, but suddenly, like an earthquake, the entire dam shook violently, causing the two to stumble towards the walls. The man let out a panic cry as Zeon grit her teeth, someone was here. "You keep working if you want to live." <Sigues trabajando si quieres vivir.> the White Cardinal leader hissed as footsteps were heard coming at her.

"Step away from the console!" A man stood before her, a blade drawn out.

The man jerked away from the console, lifting his hands in the air in fear, his eyes widen as he dropped to his knees.

"Levántate te engañe!" <Get up you fool!> She yelled at him as she grabbed him from his shirt, pulling him upward until he stood on his own feet, shoving him to another set of consoles. Her head then turned back to the hero.

She was impressed he made it this far to her, the elegant Italian Cardinal stood tall as she took a few steps towards him, but was far enough to keep a safe distance. "An American?" Her Italian accent a bit thick, making more of a statement than asking a question. "And to think I thought I wouldn't have any fun in this war." She slowly drew out her own blade from it's sheath. "Do you really think you can stop me Eroe<hero>? I have an entire army with me... and you are a lone warrior." She walked behind the man who was still at the console, his hands shaking as he began typing away as she pressed the tip of her blade behind the base of his neck. "Make any move and I'll kill him." If he was like any of the Eroe's that she's heard of from America, he'll hesitate attacking her if she would threaten an innocents life.

Just then, almost on cue the last two Cardinal's rushed behind the American Hero. Like two vipers they attacked at once in lighting formation, they just needed to buy more time for Zeon. Just then, the second set of pumps shut down as red lights began flashing throughout the room, the pressure was beginning to slowly build up. Just two more pumps and the entire Easter part of the country will be under water.

War cries resonated continuously like white noise in the distance. However the most prevalent sound where she stood was that of the relentless rain pouring through the humid jungle, assailing the lush foliage before dripping against the rich Venezuelan soil. Drops of water streamed down her forehead, over her pale blue eyes, and past her high cheekbones before eventually slipping of her refined jawbone. The rain-soaked goddess stood still in the quiet jungle, the occasional cry of exotic birds breaking the static hum of gunshots and death the war between the Cardinals and Venezuela. Most of the forest's wildlife had fled long before the battle, something within their primal instinct alerting them to danger before it was too late. An instinct humans, as Amora saw it, had lost.

Raising a single hand, the gold bangles around her wrist dangling loosely, a number of ghost-like figures appeared. They started out as nothing but smoke in the night air, but began to take form until a set of Roman soldiers stood before her. The absent of light in their eyes showed no self-will, the men nothing but puppets on strings she held her in hands.

Just as soon as the men had been summoned, they fled, turning once more to smoke that raced ominously through the trees and toward the raging battle several miles from where Amora waited. Some of her warriors would remain shadows, attacking the minds of the Venezuelan soldiers and driving them mad before a Cardinal could finish the job. Others would take the form of a Cardinal and fight inconspicuously along the deadly group of assassins. Regardless of the technique, the warriors served one purpose and one purpose solely: To ensure a Cardinal victory against Venezuela. The goddess' aide was done silently and unnoticed. She made sure to keep her involvement in the war unknown, as she needed to if her future plans were to be executed correctly.

Streams of eerie moonlight poured through gaps in the jungle and across her face, illuminating frigid blue eyes, eyes that held no interest, nor compassion, in the affairs of the Cardinals. However she needed them to grow stronger if they were to be of any use to her. And she needed them alive. At least for now.

@quintus_knightfall: @kayle_rez:

Rip's mind when fuzzy with the sudden psionic attack. The shadowy shapes dissipated into the air. "Ah!" His hand flew to his head as he stumbled back, attempting to regain control of his mind.

"RIP!" Switch leapt out from her cover, throwing off her stealth to return to her usual form of a petite girl with short, black hair. She wrapped a slender arm around him to steady with black clad man.

Ghost smirked invisibly as one of his bullets struck the Knightfall. He reloaded his weapon, watching for his opponent's next move.

Patch watched Quintus with his specialized green eye. He had taken it from a mutant to augment his vision, the orb capable of telescopic, even microscopic sight. But only one. He had his heart set on making his other eye shoot lasers… if he could find a mutant of that sort. "Oh, $h!+…" He saw an explosive device fly through the air. There was an explosion. The patchwork man lurched back toward Rip and Switch. "Damn, and I just patched myself together a few days ago. My parts were all pretty..." He reattached pieces of skin and watched as they grafted to his body.

Ghost phased through the flying debris. He stuck his empty weapon back in his holster, still invisible.

Rip regained control of himself and created a wall of solidified darkness to shield himself and his companions from the blast of cryonic missile.

Danny jumped up with a grunt, the best identification of his location. He raced back toward Quintus and Kayle. If he could find some way of incapacitating the telepath. He shouted out. "Patch! Shovel." Patrick threw the shovel toward his friend's voice, the tool turning invisible as it was caught in Ghost's hand. He trusted the altercation with the pirate would be enough to distract him while the Ghost crept up behind him and knock him out with a blow to the head.

@zeon_liafador:

His eyes watched her as she stalked closer to him. His mind already racing with calculations of their distance and what it would take the close the gap. The mind of the warrior played with the trigonometry of not just the room, but his and his opponents in relation to the room. Complex equations were rapidly solved and stored, ready for use when the inevitable happened.

This Italian kept her distance and he couldn't help but to smirk when she referred to him as American. In truth that is what he was now, it had been an entire decade since he last stepped foot on the islands of Japan. He had always known he was not born of that culture, but part of him still held its traditions as his own. Things like honor and discipline, integrity and courage, were not just words to him, but a way of life. Each day of his life he tried to achieve of level of excellence in his mind, body, and soul. For this is what Bushido meant, it was not words of wisdom, but edicts to live by.

His words were replied back to her carefully. Making sure that he articulated each and every aspect of them. His voice did not raise, and was not shown in anger. Just a calm collected response full of his confidence and resolve. "There is no fun in War my Lady". He bowed his head respectively to her as any gentleman would do to a woman.

"You may have an army, and I may be alone". He paused for a moment and let his eyes fall on her heavily. Taking in her entire measure as he breathed slowly. "But that changes nothing. I am here, and you are there." Her villainy was already on display as she threatened the man at the console, should he attack.

His enhanced hearing had already alerted him of the impending ambush. While the two remaining Cardinals may be clad and cloaked in shadows. They were not of the shadows, and no matter how thoroughly trained there was always a sign, and this hero was well verse in the arts of infiltration of noticing that what was not to be seen. He had faced off against these ninjas before and they held no more surprises for him.

Waiting until the last possible moment he stabbed his magnificent blade into the floor of the room. The tip of its blade effortlessly biting into the stone floor as it if was a hot knife through butter. Spinning around he face his attackers he dropped down onto his knees in a small crouch and brought his forearms in front of him. Just as the Cardinals swords were to rain down on the American ninja a red shield of energy appeared. Steel clashed against energy and with his incredible strength and positioning he was easily able to support their weighted attacks. Now knowing what to expect from the threatening Italian he wanted to finish this fast. There would be no fighting against these two and her, this would end now.

The glow behind his glasses brightened as he lowered into his defensive stance. Just as the assassins brought down their swords his eyes lit up and erupted. A wide cascading arc of energy flowed out from his eyes like a powering waterfall. Both Cardinals were caught in its fury and immediately flung backwards with a sickening thud.

Warning sirens filled the room as the second pump was shut off. The main lights dimmed down as the emergency systems were put into effect. The exit signs lit up but there was no one left to run. If this damn fell, there would be nowhere to run.

"Enough!" He commanded with his booming voice. Rising back to his feet and grabbing his sword once more. "Let us end this like True Warriors, with Honor." He stalked to his left and then back towards his right like a caged tiger. "I challenge you Cardinal to a duel not only for this facility." His voice still held vigor and power as he lifted his swords tip to point towards the worker. "But for that ones life."

"Do you accept! Or dishonor yourself and your clan".

@kayle_rez: @dichot:

As soon as the explosion initiated Quintus theatrically whipped his arms into the air cultivating a wall of shadows dense enough to deflect the flying needles. It seemed as if every aspect of the mecha suit contained a weaponized counter for all situations. Defense, offensive, and even reactionary. Luckily the Shadow Cardinals near peerless speed and reflexes coupled with his limited precog enabled him to react with instinctual melody. Not so lucky though was the fact that immediately following the successful defense of the projectile based explosion, a hail of bullets ripped through the cloaking shield ripping through the Knightfalls hands, legs, arms, and shoulders, with plasma cannon's firing from seemingly out of nowhere melting anything it came in contact with. The bullet crazed bounty hunter having discharged enough ordinance within the confines of the ship to level a small army and yet the Outlaw remained virtually un-phased.

And while Quintus shadow based shield wasnt enough to defend everything, it was enough to slow down the offensive assault allowing him, though injured, an opportunity to manifest a shadow beneath his feet teleporting him through the bottom of the invincible flying craft. But not before a violently executed assault alongside his head via a well placed shovel knocked him unconscious. Leaving his body to dangle lifelessly as it fell out of the sky away from the Outlaw.