Skies above Amaine Forest.

Once Edgar passed the threshold of the trees, he started to pick up speed. the canopy was dark, pale, almost grey with foreboding evil, he could feel the oppressive weight of foreboding fear and hatred seeping from every bush, branch and root of this place. Hell's influence was stronger than he had ever felt it. Even that underground gateway on Earth was not this tainted. he could see the dark Spire amid the ruins of Asrond ahead, shrouded by tendrils of black mist, and dark clouds. this once was his target for the mission.... but this damn MAKO reactor... it's presence forced him to try and find another way, to try and find a way fo disabling the reactor, or destroying the gate with setting it off. But that plan, combined with Leland's desire to obtain some demon killing weapon called Death Sentence meant that people would die, good innocent people... An unacceptible compromise.

Now, with confronting an agent of the enemy who was a local, Ed had to face a harsh truth... if he continued to drag this out, more and more people would be killed. No matter how hard he fought, he was never going to win. His mother had all the power, and far too many soldiers to throw at him, and she lacked his compulsion towards saving any innocents caught in the crossfire.

The thought ripped at him, and his aura flared, driving his speed towards the tower that much greater.

[From here]

The helicopter soared high above the Amaine woodland, and it was dreadfully quiet... and that was saying something, Rufus liked the quiet. It was an odd sense of finality that befell every one of them, he supposed. Even the body guard he called in after all this time, resumed to act like a stone wall to him. He occasionally gave her a glance, an attractive young woman who reminded him of another blonde woman he was entangled with. In fact, it was his ex wife, Nora Fallensky. Nora was a High Minktail Elf, who turned out to be quite vicious and liked to torture members of his staff; and that was before she decided to go on a genocidal warpath against his supporters during the DarkSEED Schism. She killed a lot of people, and he supposed she was originally drawn by his darkness and reputation he had garnered after the Selzamat Rebellion a little after the Beijio Civil War... when DarkSEED got a mixed reputation as Tenik Inc's private army- you do as Tenik says and you'll be rewarded handsomely; resist and your corpses will become the foundation when DarkSEED comes to steam roll you and your families, going about with Tenik's ambitions as planned.

"Not many people like me." He says out loud, sighing. He half realized he had spoken out loud, but continued to speak his thoughts anyhow. "Shortly after I fell from that Airship, the DarkSEED Schism occurred; all the Anti-Tenik groups rejoiced. They thought: 'with Tenik missing or dead, and Tenik's Spies done with, and the armies split between the original ordeals and change, that the army will dissolve...' but thats not how it turned out at all." He leaned against his right fist, now staring out the window down into the trees below, half wondering if that foolish Gunslinger was roaming around down there.

"No. What happened was a damn massacre that left the TIRS heavily wounded, and left members of DarkSEED confused on who to side with: Revan Uptincross and the TIRS, or Nora Fallensky, General Lionheart and the Crimson Knight Brigade... the elite DarkSEED special forces division I originally gave the go ahead for... allowed that corrupted spawn of Scar'd and Fenira of a General to bypass a bunch of red tape to build his own force that could take out DarkSEED and TIRS... Gods, it was right in my face and I didn't see. I let it happen. Damn... does it really take, falling out of an airship to humble a man who didn't care about the consequences of his actions?" He asked himself, raising his hand and glanced into it. "There is more blood on my hands than most of my ancestor's combined... even Alexander Tenik, the Golden Heir did not have this much blood... and he killed 99% of the TIRS who worked for his father in cold blood... hunted them down like animals. Trapped poor Grimoire in a coffin of silver for centuries... any other survivors just managing to slip under the radar." He closed his eyes and sighed.

Pulling himself away from the window, he reopens his eyes and stares at Nat again. "So... are you willing to still work with this devil of a man, Ms. Wyverncleaver?" he asked.

Rufus Tenik wrote:[From here]

The helicopter soared high above the Amaine woodland, and it was dreadfully quiet... and that was saying something, Rufus liked the quiet. It was an odd sense of finality that befell every one of them, he supposed. Even the body guard he called in after all this time, resumed to act like a stone wall to him. He occasionally gave her a glance, an attractive young woman who reminded him of another blonde woman he was entangled with. In fact, it was his ex wife, Nora Fallensky. Nora was a High Minktail Elf, who turned out to be quite vicious and liked to torture members of his staff; and that was before she decided to go on a genocidal warpath against his supporters during the DarkSEED Schism. She killed a lot of people, and he supposed she was originally drawn by his darkness and reputation he had garnered after the Selzamat Rebellion a little after the Beijio Civil War... when DarkSEED got a mixed reputation as Tenik Inc's private army- you do as Tenik says and you'll be rewarded handsomely; resist and your corpses will become the foundation when DarkSEED comes to steam roll you and your families, going about with Tenik's ambitions as planned.

"Not many people like me." He says out loud, sighing. He half realized he had spoken out loud, but continued to speak his thoughts anyhow. "Shortly after I fell from that Airship, the DarkSEED Schism occurred; all the Anti-Tenik groups rejoiced. They thought: 'with Tenik missing or dead, and Tenik's Spies done with, and the armies split between the original ordeals and change, that the army will dissolve...' but thats not how it turned out at all." He leaned against his right fist, now staring out the window down into the trees below, half wondering if that foolish Gunslinger was roaming around down there.

"No. What happened was a damn massacre that left the TIRS heavily wounded, and left members of DarkSEED confused on who to side with: Revan Uptincross and the TIRS, or Nora Fallensky, General Lionheart and the Crimson Knight Brigade... the elite DarkSEED special forces division I originally gave the go ahead for... allowed that corrupted spawn of Scar'd and Fenira of a General to bypass a bunch of red tape to build his own force that could take out DarkSEED and TIRS... Gods, it was right in my face and I didn't see. I let it happen. Damn... does it really take, falling out of an airship to humble a man who didn't care about the consequences of his actions?" He asked himself, raising his hand and glanced into it. "There is more blood on my hands than most of my ancestor's combined... even Alexander Tenik, the Golden Heir did not have this much blood... and he killed 99% of the TIRS who worked for his father in cold blood... hunted them down like animals. Trapped poor Grimoire in a coffin of silver for centuries... any other survivors just managing to slip under the radar." He closed his eyes and sighed.

Pulling himself away from the window, he reopens his eyes and stares at Nat again. "So... are you willing to still work with this devil of a man, Ms. Wyverncleaver?" he asked.

Nat was performing maintenance on her multiple guns and back up guns when Rufus addressed her. "Natalya," she says, sliding the slide of her heavy performance pistol back onto the frame and barrel, letting the metal fly into place with a metallic 'ka-chunk'. "...and honestly, Sir, I haven't been listening to you since we left Beijio. What's your question again?" She says in a professional, yet board tone. ((ooc: Think Riza Hawkeye voice and mannerism))

Natalya Wyverncleaver wrote:

Rufus Tenik wrote:[From here]

The helicopter soared high above the Amaine woodland, and it was dreadfully quiet... and that was saying something, Rufus liked the quiet. It was an odd sense of finality that befell every one of them, he supposed. Even the body guard he called in after all this time, resumed to act like a stone wall to him. He occasionally gave her a glance, an attractive young woman who reminded him of another blonde woman he was entangled with. In fact, it was his ex wife, Nora Fallensky. Nora was a High Minktail Elf, who turned out to be quite vicious and liked to torture members of his staff; and that was before she decided to go on a genocidal warpath against his supporters during the DarkSEED Schism. She killed a lot of people, and he supposed she was originally drawn by his darkness and reputation he had garnered after the Selzamat Rebellion a little after the Beijio Civil War... when DarkSEED got a mixed reputation as Tenik Inc's private army- you do as Tenik says and you'll be rewarded handsomely; resist and your corpses will become the foundation when DarkSEED comes to steam roll you and your families, going about with Tenik's ambitions as planned.

"Not many people like me." He says out loud, sighing. He half realized he had spoken out loud, but continued to speak his thoughts anyhow. "Shortly after I fell from that Airship, the DarkSEED Schism occurred; all the Anti-Tenik groups rejoiced. They thought: 'with Tenik missing or dead, and Tenik's Spies done with, and the armies split between the original ordeals and change, that the army will dissolve...' but thats not how it turned out at all." He leaned against his right fist, now staring out the window down into the trees below, half wondering if that foolish Gunslinger was roaming around down there.

"No. What happened was a damn massacre that left the TIRS heavily wounded, and left members of DarkSEED confused on who to side with: Revan Uptincross and the TIRS, or Nora Fallensky, General Lionheart and the Crimson Knight Brigade... the elite DarkSEED special forces division I originally gave the go ahead for... allowed that corrupted spawn of Scar'd and Fenira of a General to bypass a bunch of red tape to build his own force that could take out DarkSEED and TIRS... Gods, it was right in my face and I didn't see. I let it happen. Damn... does it really take, falling out of an airship to humble a man who didn't care about the consequences of his actions?" He asked himself, raising his hand and glanced into it. "There is more blood on my hands than most of my ancestor's combined... even Alexander Tenik, the Golden Heir did not have this much blood... and he killed 99% of the TIRS who worked for his father in cold blood... hunted them down like animals. Trapped poor Grimoire in a coffin of silver for centuries... any other survivors just managing to slip under the radar." He closed his eyes and sighed.

Pulling himself away from the window, he reopens his eyes and stares at Nat again. "So... are you willing to still work with this devil of a man, Ms. Wyverncleaver?" he asked.

Nat was performing maintenance on her multiple guns and back up guns when Rufus addressed her. "Natalya," she says, sliding the slide of her heavy performance pistol back onto the frame and barrel, letting the metal fly into place with a metallic 'ka-chunk'. "...and honestly, Sir, I haven't been listening to you since we left Beijio. What's your question again?" She says in a professional, yet board tone. ((ooc: Think Riza Hawkeye voice and mannerism))

Rufus leaned back into his seat and sighed heavily. "...I'd have ignored my ramblings was I in your shoes too, I suppose... Gods, my father did love to prattl-ACHOO-AAHCHOO---HAAAAAACHOOO!!!" He suddenly sneezed, his eyes stinging! "Ow! That was like a punch to the face! Gah... whats that saying again? 'Sneeze three times, and someone's thinking of you'?" He wiped his nose with a handkerchief.

Natalya only casually glanced up at him, before glancing back down at her weapon. "Gesundheit." She says, slamming a fresh mag into her secondary pistol, tucking it away. "...I think the saying was 'if someone is thinking ill of you', Sir." She corrected, working on her back up pistol now.

Natalya Wyverncleaver wrote:Natalya only casually glanced up at him, before glancing back down at her weapon. "Gesundheit." She says, slamming a fresh mag into her secondary pistol, tucking it away. "...I think the saying was 'if someone is thinking ill of you', Sir." She corrected, working on her back up pistol now.

He frowned. "...you can call me Rufus, Natalya." He says, more annoyed by the constant reminder of being older than he used to be.

"I can't do that, Sir. I'm your bodyguard, a gun for hire, not a friend for hire." She replied coldly. "You're a V.I.P., you being alive affects my livelihood, and as a professional I'd care more if we didn't get to know each other beyond the currently established contract." She explained, sliding her mag into the spare gun, and then slid it away like the previous two, reaching for the heavy weapons case to inspect the special weapons should things go awry.

Rufus was now more annoyed by her droid like response. She was somewhat similar to Revan Uptincross 18 years ago... save he had more personality. "Well then, I'm updating the contract to allow you to call me informally as I am with you, hows that sound?" He asked, smirking.

"I decline." Natalya replied instantly, checking the magazines of the DARKSEED SMGC1's, noting that the flashlight was faulty. "The flashlight isn't up to status... who prepped this helicopter?" She asked sternly to the flight crew. "And the ammunition isn't armor piercing incendiary like I requested. Fess up, or I'll bring this to your commanding officer!" Nat scolded the ADN staff occupying the helicopter.

Rufus held his face, rubbing his eyes gently. "Gods... Revan, why..." he mumbled, before pulling his hand away leaning towards Nat. "Natalya... what does it matter? Its a flashlight, they die all the time. Afterall, my company's no longer in business to make new batteries; these models are post '40, what did you expect? As for the ammo, I'm pretty sure they don't make that in nine-millimeter... relax, judging from the dust, the weapon hasn't been used in some time anyway. There's nothing out here worth shooting at, so let it go, will you? The flight crew hardly need to be chewed out for something so... trivial." He sighed.

Nat turned to him with lidded eyes. "Its my job, remember? To watch your ass and make sure it doesn't get shot. I prefer to shoot your enemies first, before they get the chance." She explained evenly, slamming the weapon crate closed with a loud CLANK. "This level of incompetence is why the ADN is still suffering casualties against the likes of Crimson Knight Brigade, its frankly deplorable. The whole organization needs to be reevaluated and properly organized."

Natalya Wyverncleaver wrote:Nat turned to him with lidded eyes. "Its my job, remember? To watch your ass and make sure it doesn't get shot. I prefer to shoot your enemies first, before they get the chance." She explained evenly, slamming the weapon crate closed with a loud CLANK. "This level of incompetence is why the ADN is still suffering casualties against the likes of Crimson Knight Brigade, its frankly deplorable. The whole organization needs to be reevaluated and properly organized."

He narrowed his eyes. "But advising the ADN isn't your job, nor your priority that would be mine. Ms. Wyverncleaver, I feel as though that is a direct attack at my competency of my position and more importantly the efforts of the brave members within the ADN! If there is something on your mind that you really want to say to me directly, I welcome it; Gods above it will change the monotony in this cabin!" He banged his cane against the metal floor! "I may no longer be the political powerhouse that everyone had either relied or spat on, but I think it unfair that you should swing your proverbial dick at these soldiers who work to uphold the Tri-Continental Trust as best as they damn near can! They put their lives on the line for all of us, and they are to be respected in my presence unless someone understandably speaks out of line, and at the present moment that is YOU, my dear. Call me what you will, but I will not stand listening to you berate these men and woman any longer!" He finished with a small 'huff' of his chest, leaning back into his seat. Both hands were on the top of his cane, folded over one another nicely.

Rufus Tenik wrote:

Natalya Wyverncleaver wrote:Nat turned to him with lidded eyes. "Its my job, remember? To watch your ass and make sure it doesn't get shot. I prefer to shoot your enemies first, before they get the chance." She explained evenly, slamming the weapon crate closed with a loud CLANK. "This level of incompetence is why the ADN is still suffering casualties against the likes of Crimson Knight Brigade, its frankly deplorable. The whole organization needs to be reevaluated and properly organized."

He narrowed his eyes. "But advising the ADN isn't your job, nor your priority that would be mine. Ms. Wyverncleaver, I feel as though that is a direct attack at my competency of my position and more importantly the efforts of the brave members within the ADN! If there is something on your mind that you really want to say to me directly, I welcome it; Gods above it will change the monotony in this cabin!" He banged his cane against the metal floor! "I may no longer be the political powerhouse that everyone had either relied or spat on, but I think it unfair that you should swing your proverbial dick at these soldiers who work to uphold the Tri-Continental Trust as best as they damn near can! They put their lives on the line for all of us, and they are to be respected in my presence unless someone understandably speaks out of line, and at the present moment that is YOU, my dear. Call me what you will, but I will not stand listening to you berate these men and woman any longer!" He finished with a small 'huff' of his chest, leaning back into his seat. Both hands were on the top of his cane, folded over one another nicely.

She gazed evenly at him for a long time... silently observing him. "Sir, you are correct in that regard. I cannot advise the ADN. However, I find I must correct your assumption of me, my duties, and my regard to these commandos. I know full well the risks these men and women put themselves through every day. If you had read my dossier, you would know that I was a Captain in your Military Police for a few years before I was requested personally by the President to oversee Vice President Rufus George Alexander Tenik's personal protection. I was refused my services till today, and since then I have been in standby, waiting to fulfill my duties as requested. In that time, what have I seen? Monsters sprouting out of towers that have been dormant beneath our soil, CKB attacks all over the planet, demons, rumors of discontent in Fenira, a presence appearing somewhere in the Galideno Desert, among other matters that are too numerous to list out. The ADN is falling apart. We are falling apart because there is no one lighting the fires under the bellies, there is no passion no protocol being enforced. We are a joke, a shadow of DarkSEED that the common people have no faith in any longer. On top of it all, I have been organizing the revival of the fledgling T.I.R.S. operations force that was originally tasked to you, since I am the only, on paper, sworn in, TIRS member I was given the rank of Captain and since no one of higher rank surpasses me, what I say, goes." Nat expressed. "They have failed my expectations of properly equipping this helicopter to my exact specifications, and there by I am in no means out of line given that it interferes with my objective to protect you, Sir."

She took the weapon crate in her lap and then set it back where she found it, before folding her arms across her chest. "My inspection is complete, the overall efficiency is 65% to my preferred standards. This helicopter needs a portable missile launcher to meet my expectations efficiently." Natalya explained.

Rufus sat there, mouth slightly open as he nodded. "...Your codename was Queen... I think I'm going to call you Evil Queen from now on." He says, half impressed, half annoyed with her, but had no other retort to offer the woman. She was right in many regards, he gave her that. Gods he could have used her 18 years ago in the TIRS, she had given Revan a run for his money! He turned his head away, unsure whether this was a stalemate or loss, he no longer cared... he only wished the flight to Danton was ever closer to its conclusion.

[From here]

A large shadow soon approached the helicopter's right side, a brush of scales hammering against the side of the hull causes the door to crunch deafeningly inward! Argayrth swinging her large claws across the metal surface as she holds the machine in hand and barrel rolls while holding the underside of the machine, the blades swinging wildly but missing the dragoness' purble and shiny black scales!

Rufus Tenik wrote:Rufus sat there, mouth slightly open as he nodded. "...Your codename was Queen... I think I'm going to call you Evil Queen from now on." He says, half impressed, half annoyed with her, but had no other retort to offer the woman. She was right in many regards, he gave her that. Gods he could have used her 18 years ago in the TIRS, she had given Revan a run for his money! He turned his head away, unsure whether this was a stalemate or loss, he no longer cared... he only wished the flight to Danton was ever closer to its conclusion.

"Call me what you want, Sir." She says in dispassionate manner, not affected the name anyway. She was turning her head to the left, hands still folded when she saw the shimmer of scales-

Argayrth, Lord Of Yellow wrote:[From here]

A large shadow soon approached the helicopter's right side, a brush of scales hammering against the side of the hull causes the door to crunch deafeningly inward! Argayrth swinging her large claws across the metal surface as she holds the machine in hand and barrel rolls while holding the underside of the machine, the blades swinging wildly but missing the dragoness' purble and shiny black scales!

It was too quick, the red flashing lights, the alarms and buzzing of warnings, the screams of shock and frustration of the crew, the sudden loss of direction and gravity as the world spun side ways, in ways a helicopter was not supposed to! Anything that wasn't buckled down flew up, or down or sideways, bouncing into people or objects. The door gunner was hit by a long weapon crate that had not been tied down, crushing their chest, the sliding door, the door peeling off as the young woman scream was briefly heard as she was torn away from the interior of the helicopter and somewhere into the canopy of green hundreds of feet below them! The pilots cursing over the headset was unfiltered, while the unnatural whine of the heli's blades grew ever more worrying! There was no sound from the flight mechanic as he was flung into Nat, his full body weight knocking the wind out of her before he ricocheted into the empty seat beside Tenik, his helmet crushed and blood splattering the Vice President and his body guard before his body peeled out the doorway into the wobbling, breaking away propeller blades! Red mist showered the Amaine briefly, along with a loud booming crash of thunder as the rotor failed and blew out! Caution and Warning tones were unable to be drowned out by the blowing wind that blew through the interior of the heli! If not for Natalya and Rufus being secured to their seats, they would have suffered similar fates! At this point Nat however, was struggling to keep herself conscious as the G-forces tore through her body an the sense of vertigo and rushing of blood eventually caused her to black out, slumped in her seat!

It was all a blur... the machine was spinning, a poor girl was flung out the door... wind so powerful that it was impossible to breathe, the flight mechanic's blood splashing against his left side in a coat of red, the alarms the whirling, the bangs! He was reminded of his fall from the HighWind, of the particulars of falling without a chute into the thick woods of the Itheteca Mountain Chain. His cane flew from his hand, he didn't know where. His body pulling from the seat, the belt beginning to tear! He would have panicked, but he had no time; his vision grew black and only a blur of images followed between moments of darkness as the beast had them at their mercy!

Argay drew her claws from the underbelly of the metal humming bird to the cockpit, her claws tearing away the protective bubble and sliced into the nekomimi pilot as her lithe, bloody body screamed in agony before being thrown miles to the dragoness's right! The elven co-pilot screamed as he saw the dragoness' head peer over him, the bloody claws which had tatters of the pilot's uniform and fuzzy fur crunched into her seat! He flailed as she brought her scaly lips to his face... her mouth large enough to engulf him... her mouth glowing a baleful green, before noxious, fumes were blown into his face, into the cabin... and she then clicked her tongue... yellow-green flames dispersed through the cloud, fire consuming the elf and transformed him into a charred skeleton almost instantly as the flames spread through the hold, immolating the other guards flames kissing the pair in the cargo/transport hold before the Dragoness had swung her body around, holding the metal bird clipped of its wings by the cockpit, before throwing the husk down towards where she had been slumbering before!

The copter tumbled, breaking several trees before hitting the earth with a loud BANG!

[To here]

The dragoness snarled... hovering there for a few moments before flying over to inspect the crash site. Hell hath no fury like a female dragon disturbed!