Detonation of the Powder Keg [OPEN]

[King Roxa Hiaten]

*Note that this is open to basically anyone and everyone who would have a reason to be in Roccia, knows Roxa and would be willing to help him, generally is against tyranny etc etc.*

The crowds flocked with haste and speed, more than Roxa had even anticipated himself, but that didn't really matter all that much to him at the moment, the fact that people were even here was a good sign, no even better, it was a wonderful sign. It means that the people of Roccia were actually backing him, but the positives came with negatives. People who were actually against him had also shown up and the last thing that the young leader wanted was for this protest to turn into a bloodbath, not yet anyway. Obviously, Roxa couldn't have just marched troops into the center of Roccia to keep this peaceful protest just that, so he'd had to smuggle in a few troops in disguise who were now acting as effectively a wall between those who supported Roxa, and those who didn't. But the two would merge eventually, and that's when the keg would go boom and everything comes together.

Roxa, wearing his hooded black jacket stepped up onto a stage which had been built by his supporters specifically for this event. He regretted not being able to bring the distinctly noticeable Riliath, but Gensayce was here, somewhere in the crowd, hidden in amongst the people. Boo's rang out from those who stood against him but they were outweighed by the cheers of those who supported him. Roxa raised a hand, and his own followers quietened down, the jeering crowd eventually followed suit, but only so that they could launch into a game of twenty questions with the mercenary.

"Who the hell do you even think you are?! You're just a kid!" Shouted out one member of the crowd. Behind his hood, Roxa smirked. It was easy to pick out his frame so they'd assumed he was as young as he appeared, they still didn't quite know who he was though it seems. He'd kept his name an enigma, he didn't want everyone jumping on the bandwagon simply because of his name.

"I am a warrior. I am a leader. I am as you say, merely a 'kid' in the eyes of some. But let me make one thing clear; I have seen more combat than most of you have ever dreamed of, I have challenged beings that most of you would simply dismiss as legend... I have traveled to the depths of Hellious and back simply to fulfill the legacy of a friend that I lost... A friend that died by my hand..."

"You killed your own friend?! Why on Allorum should we support you, what'll stop you stabbing us in the back?!" Roxa's smile widened as he addressed the next question.

"Because that friend had strayed away from the path of loyalty, honor and righteousness... He took a dark turn away from his friends and family in order to gain revenge on the very same people he had fought to protect... And so, I am continuing his work as he originally intended, I will protect this world from all evil that threatens it. I see no better way to do that than to stand at the front of the world stage, as one of the rulers of the many nations so that I may have a voice. So that you all may have a voice." He held his arms out wide. "You live under a tyrant. Surely you all wish to be free?!"

His supporters cheered, but those who were still wary fired off more questions.

"You don't even have a name! Why should we support you?! You brag about all this stuff you've done but then you never give us any clear examples! You're wearing that hood! Why don't you take it off?!" Well... He couldn't leave the suspension any longer it seems. He reached up the collar of the jacket and started unzipping it.

"Alright..." He muttered as the jacket opened wide, revealing faded white leather armor with a small insignia in the chest that looked somewhat familiar. Anyone who had been properly educated would recognize the emblem as being that of the former Saints. Next to the emblem was a newer one which he'd had put in place, a horse with a star either side, the symbol of the Kishu.

"I'll get to my name last. Let me tell you of my past. My parents were killed by bandits when I was nothing but a child... My sister too. I joined up with an organisation that promised peace, and for a time it looked like we were actually going to provide it, we fought many battles and took many lives. Sometimes if things could have been different, but then I realize that the past is the past... And it should stay there. We were abandoned on the field of battle and nearly killed, our leader became bitter and tried to destroy everything we all once held dear, I had to fight and kill two of my brothers in order to bring the peace we had all so duly wanted..." He clenched his fists as he brought his hands up to his hood slowly.

"But peace doesn't last. I fought against the Sumata, the Ketulunians and so many more. And now I'm tired of war and violence, so let me have this... One more bout of it... With luck no blood will be spilled, but that's a fools dream, this tyrant you follow will not give up his position easily..." He pulled the jacket and hood off in one swift movement, all of his white armor on display, the sleeves missing, showcasing the black tribal marking up his arms, the seals which he would probably end up using today.

"My name is Roxa Hiaten. I am a Saint and leader of the Kishu. With your help, I shall be your King."

The people erupted in cheers.

"Long live King Roxa!" They all cried as their new leader smiled, drawing the silver sword at his waist.

"Now! Let's go claim a throne!" He roared, as he suddenly burst forwards, his disguised guards discarding their clothing and charging forwards in the armor hidden underneath, Gensayce at their head, matching Roxa's speed. The people joined in behind them, grabbing pitchforks, torches, spears, swords. Whatever they could.

War had begun.

[Enizo]

A small group of about two dozen people watched from beyond the crowd. As everyone started cheering and praising Roxa two of the men stepped away from their group and approached him.

"You've been a very busy person, Roxa," a voice called out. As he approached Roxa the man took off his hood, revealing none other than Enzio himself, "I can't believe you planned to overthrow a century (or longer) old government without inviting me. Don't you know I like entering a fight with all the odds stacked against us?"

Enzio gave a big smile. Under the scared and dirt covered face was a young fifteen year old kid, a kid with amazingly powerful abilities, but still a kid nevertheless. He and Roxa fought together on various occasions: freeing Unda, fighting on the moon, suppressing riots in Chalybs. You know, the fun stuff.

[King Roxa Hiaten]

"What can I say, Enzio?" Roxa grinned as he paused in a courtyard to allow all of the people to properly arm themselves. "I knew for a fact that if I caused enough trouble, you'd eventually come running... And apparently you brought friends..." He nodded at the small group that had come with him. "We'll need all the help we can get!" He gave a nod as the rest of the crowds finally gathered behind Roxa, Gensayce coming to the front with his spear in hand.

"Roxa, word from Riliath. He is prepared to march the armies forwards." Roxa gave a small nod.

"Alright. You should go and get ready then, by the time you're all set and march on, we should have pushed through to the Castle... Or at least I hope so!" He watched the Ghiaccian bow and then set off towards the gates. As soon as Gensayce had left, the Roccian guards burst in from the other side. Mostly made up of Royal Guards, the majority of the city guard had actually joined in the riots.

Roxa looked across at Enzio and gave another grin. "Ready to cause some havoc?" He asked with a wink.

[Enizo]

"Actually only a couple of those guys are mine..." he smiled and motioned for the man next to him to step forward. The man was dressed in a incredibly sleek armor, it shined with a magnificence when the sun hit the man's full headed helmet.

"Lord Roxa..." the man spoke, his voice blunt but powerful, "I carry word from President Benjamin of Unda. He says it is 'my turn to repay your service'."

There was about a dozen of these men standing next to Roxa. These men were the special forces of Unda, trained by none other than Brea Cao-Wei himself.

"There is a small group of our Navy ready to blockade and destroy whatever you need." The soldier spoke, "It is an honor to serve with you. We're all prepared to what is necessary to crush the enemy."

"Don't you love these guys?" Enzio laughed, as the riots started moving ahead, "And I love wreaking havoc, it's my favorite pastime. Lead the way!"

[King Roxa Hiaten]

"I see..." Roxa said giving a small nod before turning to the Undian soldier.

"You say you have some ships, right? My armies'll be at the city gates pretty quickly, but the guards will have gotten them closed by then. So, guess what? Your guys have the honor of blowing down those city gates when my armies get here, I can handle any gates that we encounter further into the city." He stretched out his neck and turned to the royal guards that had come to intercept them.

"But for now... Let's clear out these guys!"

[Enizo]

"It would indeed be an honor." The soldier nodded, motioning one of his men to run a message. The other Undian troops turned their attention to the royal guards. They took out their crossbows and open fire with incredible accuracy, each arrows hit an area where it would kill the enemy with one shot. After the first shot a second arrow was automatically slipped in by the barrel on the crossbow.

While the troops dispatched a fair amount of guards the AG moved around the crowd to flank more of the guards. Enzio on the other hand clenched his hands together and swallowed a large amount of troops into a vortex of light and dark magic, they would never be seen again.

[King Roxa Hiaten]

Roxa turned to the guards and smirked. The black lines running up and down his arms glowing slightly as he charged forwards, his sword moving in swift motions more like a lash of water than that of silver. Guards fell to his left and right, the enemies blades seeming to just glide past him rather than making any contact, the peasants also rushed into the fray with much more brutality. The guards seemed dumbstruck, they had clearly been ordered to suppress this uprising, but that would mean killing their own people. The odd number of guards simply retreated, some of them surrendered, but the majority of them fought on.

Roxa rushed up to a guard and placed a palm against his chest. "Buh-bye." He said with a wink, before sending the guard flying through a wooden stall. The other guards suddenly turned their attentions to him, it seemingly dawned on them who this kid was, they'd heard the stories of this kid, but never knew it was him who was citing this whole rebellion. But then it seemed to cross their minds that they could be highly rewarded for taking him down, their morale stood for a little longer, whilst the waves of the people crashed against their shields.

[Enizo]

While the fighting took place in the capitol a small bird flew through the air. This bird was hardly ordinary, it was see-through. It was water.

It flew all the way to the edge of Roccian border, gliding over a small fleet of wooden Roccian warships that were facing off with six of Unda's steel warships. A small detachment of Unda's Third Fleet, the six armored ships included heavy guns packed with enough ammo to blow Chalybs off the map if they wanted.

The bird flew to the Unda's ships, locating the flag ship and landing with a message.

A sailor took the message and handed it over to the captain who began to read it.

"What's it say, sir?" the second in command ask as a small crowd gathered around the captain.

"It's coordinates... to fire on Roccia's capitol." He said looking over at his crew members, each one of them had a sour faces. There was a brief thought in the captain's mind, 'is this right?'. It vanished soon after as he stepped up to the edge, overlooking the enemy's Navy that far outnumbered them.

"Are they in place?" The captain asked, looking over to a Marine who stepped up next to him.

"Yes." He nodded, "We're ready to move on the signal."

"...Do it."

The Flagships gun's began to turn to the enemy, the sailors making all the adjustments they needed before the second in command called out, "Load the guns with a .33 round, aim it right above the enemies flagship!"

The sailors briefly looked at each other, whispering to themselves words of disbelief, "They want us to use a flare?"

The sailors didn't need to be asked twice. They loaded the guns with a .33 and waited orders.

"FIRE!" The captain yelled before the giant gun let off one shot. The shell flew through the air and exploded right above the Roccian Navy. Lighting up the entire area with a flare.

No one responded for a moment, even the Roccians weren't sure what they just did. They figured out soon enough, for people began crawling onto the Roccian ships.

More of the Special Marine forces were hiding under the Roccian fleet all this time. They climbed up onto the boat, and that's when the panic started to ensure. Unprepared, the Roccian soldiers were slaughtered by the Marines.

The Undian warships watched as screams filled the air around them. Within ten minutes the Marines had killed or captured everyone on the fleet.

The new Roccian government will appreciate the fact that we didn't destroy their fleet..., the Captain thought as he commanded his fleet to move in, sailing right past the now captured Roccian fleet. Soon they would be in range to rain hell down on the enemy.

----

Enzio looked for a way to break the lock between the guards and the rebels. Leaping onto one of the nearest buildings, he viewed the chaos below. Frowning, he drew two of his blades before sighing to himself, into the fire..., he thought as he leaped down onto a group of guards, swinging and hacking at everyone in his path.

[Gensayce Zidjiai]

"To think that over in Crepusculum, everyone's enjoying the Ball... And we're here about to basically go to war..." One of Gensayce's Captain's said as they trotted atop horses towards Silicis City. The Ice Wolf had just returned from the start of the engagement in order to lead the army forwards towards the city. Riliath was leading the second army, composed mostly of heavy infantry and cavalry, whilst Gensayce's force was mostly light infantry, archers and cavalry. Between them, they had a force that was diverse enough to handle anything that the Roccian's threw at them. Gensayce had one other unit though that Riliath's force was lacking, a different heavy infantry that Roxa had specifically requested for. The best of the best from both armies, dressed in silvery, blue plate with snarling wolves for their helms. These would, hopefully, be Roxa's royal guard in the future, his Wolf Guard.

"Lord Zidjiai!" A voice called as a scout quickly rode back from up ahead. Gensayce waved him down and motioned for him to come over.
"What is it?" Gensayce asked as he kept the army moving at a slow pace so as to keep up with Riliath's more heavily armored force. The scout seemed worried somewhat, as if something wasn't quite right.
"Roccia has managed to field an army, my Lord!" Gensayce frowned. An army wasn't what they had been expecting, they had hoped to catch Roccia off guard so as to avoid having to fight on an open field. Roccia may have neglected it's military these past few months, but that didn't mean that they couldn't field much larger numbers than them... It was important that they took the tactical advantage now, whilst they could.

Gensayce looked around still frowning, damn Roccia and it's flat plains... Still... Roccia relied mostly on heavy infantry these days, and the plains would do them a lot more harm than it would the Kishu forces and their heavily armored cavalry.

"Send word to Riliath." Gensayce ordered the scout. "We deploy in a reverse crescent formation. Heavy infantry in the center near the front, and then light infantry off on the wings moving further away to cover our flanks properly. On the tip of each side of the crescent I want heavy cavalry prepared to flank the enemy as soon as we are engaged, archers will stand just behind the heavy infantry in the center and engage the enemy as they approach. Finally, my light cavalry will be positioned in the center to help in the defense of either flank if it looks to cave." He looked back at his 20 or so heavy infantry.

"We'll prepare something special with the Wolf Guard as well."

[Riliath Infernus]

It didn't take the messenger long to reach Riliath, who was mounted atop Kasai with heavy cavalry on either of his flanks as they army marched in a column.

"Lord Infernus! Lord Infernus!" The scout cried as he approached the titan of black steel, who motioned the messenger to fall in with the rest of the cavalry and deliver the words of Gensayce. Riliath was marching as fast as he could, unfortunately given the sheer weight of his army, their pace was slow and Gensayce was having to deliberately keep his army moving at a much slower pace in order to allow them to keep up.
"What is it, man?" Riliath rumbled as the scout approached him.

The scout quickly laid out the threat that they faced and the plan that Gensayce had laid out. Riliath gave a small 'hmm' as he nodded suddenly and raised his halberd, resting the huge poleaxe upon his shoulder and looking back at his men. To the south, he could see the dust cloud of Gensayce's army coming to a halt as the men started to arrange the formation. Once again going over the Ice Wolf's plan in his mind, Riliath gave another, firm nod. It was the best plan for the situation, and Gensayce knew what he was doing when it came to tactics.

"Alright!" He roared. Turning to his troops he started to outline the positions that they should take and making sure that everyone was ready for an engagement. These troops were strong, steady and had seen combat before, they wouldn't crumble in the face of the conscription army of Roccia. As much as it pained him to do it, Riliath ordered his men to show mercy and take prisoners when they could, if they could try to win the army over to their side, everything would be much smoother on Roxa's front when everything came together.

A few minutes later...

It didn't take the two armies long to converge and get in formation. Riliath was sat atop Kasai next to Gensayce and both oversaw what was going on, making sure that everyone was where they're supposed to be. Then, over the horizon came the dust cloud of Roccia's army.

"We need to make this engagement as short as possible..." Riliath growled. "If we're late to the party, all of Roxa's work could have been for nothing..." He narrowed his eyes until Gensayce burst into laughter and looked across at Riliath.

"Remember, friend." He said. "Roxa could rip Silicis City apart with his bare hands if he wanted to... He will be fine." Riliath gave a nod and readied his weapon, preparing for battle.

[Enizo]

Enzio lost count of how many people he had struck down. It wasn't something he took pleasure in, in fact, he despised himself for it. He would tell himself that it was needed and try to ignore the screams that haunted his dreams.

He sent nearly a dozen guards flying back with a force of magic. He glanced over to the side to see the Undian soldiers handling themselves well. Actually, they were doing great: Roccian guards started to run away from the soldiers.

Man, those guys were drilled hard. Brea did a hellva job. Enzio thought as he turned his attention back to the guards.

[King Roxa Hiaten]

Those that tried to flee instead ran into Roxa, who now had his sword sheathed. They all paused for a moment and eyed him suspiciously, something seemed off about this kid and none of them could quite place it. One of the Lieutenants raised a hand, faltering for a moment as he prepared the order to charge, curiosity had gotten the better of the soldier and he wanted to know what it was that the young leader was up to. Roxa's gaze lifted to the Lieutenant, and that's when it struck the soldier, the young man's blue eyes seemed to be shining like headlamps in the darkness, which made sense given the way that the entire battlefield had seemed to darken somewhat.

'Eva!' Roxa thought to himself.

'Got it...' Came the reply from the spirit as she dragged Roxa from the reality of this world and into his own subconscious, the black tattoos moving up and down his arms seemed to pulsate...

It was almost like a prison in a sense, but made up with just one cell... A huge wrought iron gate blocked the way into a tiny cubicle that contained a large Iron Maiden which was chained and bolted to the walls. Within the iron structure was a bundle of chains which was also chained to the inside of the Maiden, all in all it seemed like an inescapable structure for whatever was inside. In here, the marks all over Roxa's body disappeared, all of the dirt and grime of the battlefield, gone.

He looked down at the lock on the gate to the cell, it wasn't a traditional lock with a key, it was just a big square lump of iron with lines intersecting all across it's surface. Looking across at the Iron Maiden, he spoke, reaching out with a hand.

"Let's see how well this works, huh..?"

He touched the square block of iron, and the lines across it lit up suddenly with bright white light, before sliding away from one another, unlocking the gate which swung forwards with a massive amount of force, an ungodly echoing scream ringing from within the cell. The pure power being released forced Roxa to raise a hand to shield himself and curse for a moment, before it all died down and silence took over in the warriors mind.

"Damn you, Roxa..." a deep gravelly voice rumbled. "You keep my trussed up like a slave, and use my powers at will... Do I mean nothing to you anymore..?" Roxa chuckled as he faded back into reality.

"You're split from my sister's soul now, Ave... You're just raw power to use."


The whole exchange in his mind had lasted a few milliseconds within the real world, but as Roxa opened his eyes, he grinned as he clenched his fists. He looked down at his hands which had mutated with the dark magic he had released from the seals on his arms. He looked across at the guards who were now backing away suspiciously before grinning darkly. He rushed forwards.

[Enizo]

The fleet of ships neared the shoreline. Even here the capitol was completely out of sight, the captain didn't hesitate as he barked orders to his crew.

"Everyone, pull of the 'dragon'!" He roared as the sailors started to crank various cranks, pulling up a massive gun that was longer than the warship itself. This beastly gun was like no other, 'artillery' was a simple word for it. Magic power artillery.

"LOAD THE GUN!" The second in command shouted. It took six guys to pick up the shell and ten men to completely load it. They adjusted it to the right angle, there was a moment of silence before the captain yelled.

"FIRE!" there was a massive 'BOOM' as the ship rocked back. The shell flew through the air and vanished in the distance ahead of them, the Captain only hoped it hit on target and didn't fall into a crowd of people. They'd never know.

----

Enzio kept on fighting, more and more soldiers fell to his blade. That's when a dark power flowed around Enzio. He frowned, "If I didn't know better Roxa... I would turn my blade on you." He said to himself as Roxa unleashed some impressive powers. While Enzio pressed forward there was a small hissing sound that could be heard, Enzio stopped. In fact, everyone stopped briefly, for the sound was so foreign.

A moment later they saw something streak through the sky and than a second later, the first gate to the city went sky high. Such a massive explosion overwhelmed the area, despite it being a distance ahead Enzio could feel the heat press against his face. He made small prayer for those who were just killed, he hoped their death was fast and painless.

"Holy shit..." Enzio blinked, "I'm glad they decided to fire before we reached the gate. By the gods..."

[Gensayce Zidjiai]

Not much earlier...

Gensayce was in position with the Wolf Guard. Whilst the main battle raged on above, Gensayce and the heavily armored troops had actually dug underground and moved through the battle-lines unnoticed. Once in the midst of the enemy troops, they burst forth from the ground with the shining armor dulled by the dirt of the earth, spears swinging to the left and the right as they engaged enemy troops outside of the city. Whilst in the thick of combat, one of the heavy cavalry units managed to burst through the enemy lines to Gensayce's position.

"Lord Zidjiai!" The units Lieutenant said with a nod, throwing him the reigns to his horse which had been brought with the unit. "Orders from Lord Infernus, he said that we are to break through the enemy and approach the city, he will hold here with the Heavy Infantry, the other units will break through when they can and join up with us." Gensayce nodded as he mounted up, still fighting whilst he did so.
"Then let us be off!"

Before they had the chance to do so, an epic boom sounded across the battlefield, almost all of the combatants paused for a moment as smoke started to rise from Silicis City... Gensayce assumed it was the heavy fire of the Undian ships... But he would take no chances.

"Let's go!" He cried, before setting off with the Wolf Guard and the Heavy Kishu Cavalry towards the city...

In the present...

Horsemen broke through the smoldering gate, not having to face much resistance given the devastation to the area, thankfully most of the populace were in the thick of the fighting, but Gensayce caught sight of a few innocent victims and gave a sorrowful shake of his head... This wasn't their fight, not completely. Still, he had to harden his heart to such things, he had to press on for Roxa's sake! He set the horsemen to a charge.

They crashed into the flank of the retreating enemy with all the force of a sledge hammer, instantly sending most of the guards scattering. Gensayce was atop his steed in the thick of it, his spear swinging from one side to another, taking down numerous guards. The Wolf Guard were behind him in a V-Shape, taking down other various opponents, whilst the rest of the Kishu Cavalry were powering behind in a long line, mopping up anything that the prior left behind.

[Enizo]

It'd be a lie to say that Enzio's heart briefly stopped when he saw the cavalry ride through, however, once he noticed that it was their men his heart returned to the common beat. "Good lord. How did you sneak this army into the heart of Roccia, Roxa!?" Enzio called out, "This is amazing!"

He wiped some sweat from his forehead before looking over at his AG and Undian soldiers. A couple of them were wounded but they all seemed to be in fighting conditions. Good, taking the city was one thing but holding it was going to be another ballgame.