Days before the Fall (Plot thread 2.5)

[Mark Angelus Fri]

(War and Mission. War comes in later)

The closer they came to Unda, the tenser things became making it more and more evident that Unda was the correct destination.

Three days into their travel they witnessed a mass exodus of native Undian birds flying over the ocean towards Santo-Luce, the fact that these birds really couldn't make the trip only meant that something terrible was about to start in that region. One week into the travel they witnessed something even more eerie...

"What do you see...?" Kain asked Mark as they tried to peer through the moonless night.

"Warships..." Mark said, tracing his finger over the ships in the distance, "Hundreds of them."

They were moving in all directions... just judging from the path they were taking, they were heading towards Crepusculum, Santo-Luce, Roccia, Chalybs and Unda. The largest group was traveling a similar path that they were - towards Unda.

"They're preparing for a world wide invasion." Kain frowned, "Curve off from here, if they catch us we'll be blown straight out of the water..."

"Agreed. We'll need to pick up speed or they'll catch us, too." Mark turned back towards the crew. The entire deck was impossible to see because when they saw the warships approach they quickly shut out all lights.

The ghost crew knew what they had to do and before they knew it you could feel the ship pick up in speed. Mark needed to be careful, the warship only had so much energy... if it ran out they would need to find a new power supply for it or it'd vanish on them. Literally.

Thankfully half way into the second week, Central Unda was in sight. The only thing standing between them and Unda was a good dozen or so warships, each of them pointing their guns at the approaching warship.

On the closest warship, a sailor took a blow horn and called out to them.

"Central Unda is under Martial Law, all non essential ships will be turned away or destroyed. I repeat - you all will die if you do not turn back right away!" The sailor repeated it a couple more times. Mark growled, turning his attention back to the group.

"You guys are Captains, can't you get us in?" However, before any of them could react, there was an odd shift on the ship...

Suddenly dozens of men climbed up the side (Marines fully dressed in armor. Gods know how they managed that) and pulled out their weapons. Within mere moments each of the group had a crossbow or sword pointed at them.

"Well shit." Mark bluntly put it.

"This warship is now under the control of the Republic of Unda!" The Marine called, "Everything and everyone is now under Undian jurisdiction. Come quietly or die!"

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea stepped forwards, tying his Undian headband around his forehead as he did so. He stepped past Mark, and in one swift motion, had drawn out his red family sword, resting the tip of it lightly against the floor, merely inches away from the Marine's foot, showing absolutely no fear whatsoever of the man in front of him. To say that Brea was in a bad mood would be a pretty accurate statement, and despite knowing that the men he had trained were only doing their job, he had no time nor patience to suffer people that he thought as fools at the moment. His face was stern as he suddenly started barking orders.

"Come quietly or die?! Who in Hellious do you think you're talking to, Marine?! My name is Captain Brea Cao-Wei, Last of the Itan-Sha, Master Swordsman and Captain to President Benjamin Kirix-Unda." He looked around at the Marines on the ship, his eyes ablaze as he made eye contact with every man, despite the fact that the majority of them were wearing helmets. Eventually, his gaze fell back onto the Marine that had spoken.

"Me and my little party here have vital intel and resources that will turn the tide of this war, so unless you'd like me to court-martial you from here, to Hellious and then back again in the blink of an eye, I'd strongly suggest that you get these ships working on an escort for us. We need to see the President."

[Mark Angelus Fri]

"Oh fuck me! Lower your weapons!" The lead Marine quickly ordered, with the rest of the Marines quickly following his lead. They quickly stood at attention, saluting the group.

The Marine looked around the group, seeing many unusual faces before recognizing their other Captain, "Captain DeGantz is even here," The Marine sighed heavily, suddenly he looked back at Brea when he spoke of meeting the President.

The Marine took off his helmet, revealing a middle aged Eastern-Undian man that bowed his head low towards the group. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it as he tried to word his next sentence carefully...

"But, sir..." The Marine began, "YOU are the President."

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea paused for a moment, every possible situation that could have occurred whilst he had been gone ran through his mind quickly before disappearing again and none of them were at all good... His sword seemed to hand limp in his hand as his head bowed down slightly, the blonde bangs of his hair shading his face as he opened his mouth to speak, but no noise came from him for a moment. He took another brief second to compose himself, his mouth closing as his free fist tightened slightly.

"What's happened..? Where's Benjamin..?"

[Zaria DeGantz]

Zaria felt a drop in the pit of her stomach. She stepped forward to better address the Marine.

"What do you mean, Sir?" She demanded. "What is going on, and where is Benjamin? Details please!" She said, echoing Brea's words.

Inside she had a terrible feeling and didn't WANT to hear what happened, but on the outside she sounded a lot more confident than she felt.

She prepared herself, fearing for what the Marine had to say.

[Mark Angelus Fri]

"It'd be easier to show you both," The Marine bowed his head low before turning away from the two, motioning for the other warships to move away.

The warship sailed into the port, allowing the entire crew to exit into the capitol city. It was a most eerie sight to behold, the streets were filled with guards at every corner, Marines had check points scattered all around. Large pictures were painted on the sides of the buildings, many reading 'Arms for the Republic.' and 'If Unda falls, Allorum falls. Take up arms now!'.

As they stepped through the streets more and more Marines ran to their sides, "We've got high ranking officials here, I need every street ahead cleared!"

Marines quickly ran ahead, moving anyone on the streets away as they approached the palace. As the palace gates were pulled open to close to a dozen or so Marines that saluted them as the entered.

"Mr. President," A Marine said respectfully as he pulled open the door for them to enter. Inside the palace was a rather extraordinary sight, the entire area had flowers and pedals placed around the room, making it a rather bright and beautiful sight. However, it was what was being surrounded by the flowers was what caught everyone's eyes - in the middle of the room was a casket with President Benjamin in it, laying peacefully surrounded by the hundreds of flowers.

"He was assassinated," The Marine said while looking on towards the body of Benjamin, "I'm truly sorry. If you would excuse me, I'll give you guys a moment alone..."

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea stepped forwards silently, the sound of his boots echoing around the halls of the palace as he walked along the pathway, petals and roses laying at either side of it. The blonde swordsman finally reached the casket... He'd been praying, hoping to see something that would tell him it wasn't Benjamin. He, a man who had forsaken the gods and all that came with them, had been genuinely praying that the man laid out in the casket wasn't the man who had given him a home, a life, a chance. But there he was, looking exactly as Brea had remembered him when he had left for Santo-Luce a few days earlier. His hands balled up into fists, his teeth gritted tightly and ground together, as a small choked noise escaped from the back of his throat, he felt his knees shake, his shoulders heave.

"Hello, who is there?"

"My apologies sir, I did not mean to startle you"

Brea simply reached out with one hand, and placed it over Benjamin's which lay by his side. He took a deep breath, biting his bottom lip as he shut his eyes tightly, almost refusing to believe that he was stood here doing just this... Refusing to believe that Benjamin was gone... That the man who had given him so much, was gone...

"The world may not know of your sacrifice but I do. And I thank you for the risk that you and your allies took to attempt to stop that horrible man."

"Unlike the blue blood royalty, you have a clear mind and you see past the lies and fog to see a man for what he is, you have no idea how much your words mean to me... From this day forwards I swear my sword to you and Unda until further notice when I can be with my brothers and sisters"

Brea shook his head lightly, finally feeling the single trail of a tear run from his eye and down his cheek, as he finally moved away from Benjamin, taking a step back from the former President, and clasping his hands together in front of him, and bowing down onto one knee, lowering his head down.

"In my clan to tell someone's rank you would look at their seat in the main hall, the one sat in the tallest chair had the most authority, if you were being briefed by someone of a higher rank you would stay on one knee throughout the briefing if you were taller than them, out of respect"

Brea remained on his knee for a few moments, not moving, barely even breathing as he simply stared at the ground and blinked.

"It will be my honor to serve alongside you whilst you consolidate Unda's power"

He looked up and around at the palace. At the magnificence of this building which had been here far longer than Benjamin had, but he saw past the ivory and pearl and saw the symbolic references... This monument to peace that he had helped Benjamin to effectively build from the ground up. Somebody was now threatening that monument... And Gods be damned he was going to make sure that whoever did this would pay, they would pay with their own blood... With their own lives...

"If it wasn't for this man right here I am sure I would've collapsed from stress by now."

"I want you to go out and join the fight... and I want you to take Zaria with you."

"If we don't act now my death, along with my entire country will happen. So no matter where we look at it, my death will approach me with you by my side or not."

Brea finally stood up, and simply stared across at the corpse of whom he could only call one of his best friends, and felt a fire within him. Not his usual want to succeed and be the best that he could be, not the spark of vengeance he felt when he found out that everybody that he knew was dead. It was a will... A will of fire, a will of fire that burned within him, urging him onwards to make right everything that had gone so wrong...

[Zaria DeGantz]

Zaria stared in disbelief at the Casket that may before them. She was silent for a long while. She clenched her fists and the gloves she wore started to glow.

There were some vases around the room holding flowers in water. The water in the vases rattled around so violently that the vases might have broken. However; they stopped abruptly, as Zaria knelt down to pay her respects to Benjamin's lifeless body. Just a few days ago he was alive and well.

"I've failed you... I'm sorry sir." She addressed the casket. "You hired me to protect Unda, and I've failed at protecting even it's leader." She stood up. "Still... It was an honour to serve you while I did. Rest in Peace dear Benjamin."

She stood beside the casket silently. So many thoughts crossed her mind. WHO was responsible for this? Why? She had been obeying orders by leaving: she knew, but she was filled with so much regret.

She quickly turned and briskly walked out the large doors to the Marine that had brought them in. "Do you have ANY idea who did this?" She asked, her voice was dark and almost...scarey.

[Mark Angelus Fri]

"No ma'am," the Marine nodded, he was well used to pissed of superiors. But there was something in Zaria's eyes that made him glad he had a helmet, "I was there on the day it happened. We chased the assassin for a couple blocks until he vanished, I swear to the gods, we had him... there was twenty of us cornering him off when he just vanished."

The Marine shook his head in dismay, "I'm glad you two are back, though. The people need to have leaders, they need to be able to see somebody standing up to Duo. Now if you would excuse me, we'll have a Justice here soon to swear Brea as President..."

As the Marine left, Kain respectfully stood behind Zaria and Brea. Kain didn't know Benjamin, but anyone would was able to unite the four independent regions of Unda had his respect for sure...

He stepped up to Brea and placed his hand on his shoulder, never had he seen the hardened warrior so distraught, "I'm truly sorry, Brea..."

Suddenly the Marine from before came back into the room, holding a letter, "I'm so sorry, but I nearly forgot. There's a letter to the Captain's from Benjamin..."

He placed the letter into Brea's hand before stepping away. Most of it was addressed to Alexander Frexton of Santo-Luce, but at the end held some key points - the request for Brea to be made President... as well as a the presentation and declaration of the evidence needed to free the Itan-Sha of all crimes they've been committed of.

Benjamin was able to keep his promise to Brea and prove his old group to be innocent. Once the evidence had been presented to all governments they would remove the label that the Itan-Sha had carried throughout all of these years.

[Zeke Omoihake]

Zeke had stayed outside of the palace halls, his eyes cast towards the courtyard. He'd only needed a quick glance to spot the casket that stood amongst the decor to know what they were being led to, and the emotional burden was more than he could bare. To see their leader dead before them must have been a quiet torture to Zaria and Brea, and it was far too easy for Zeke to imagine himself walking up to a casket that held his lover in it's cold, padded trappings.

"I shouldn't have left. I screwed up badly. Crap I screwed it up." He muttered so quiet that only he could hear his own words.

It's Mark's fault you mean. He's the one that dragged you out to this. Had he not arrived and told you of his mission you'd have never left Alexander.

No, it was my choice. Zeke refused the idea, shaking his head slightly as the thought crept into his mind. Hidden by the cloth pouch, the orb within awoke with a slight hum.

You might have chose, but only because Mark knew exactly how to tempt you. He knew what you wanted and moved you, like a puppet.

I... He left the thought, considering the idea more before he responded. Even if he did, he thought it was for the good of Allorum.

Of course he did. Everyone is the hero of their own story after all. Didn't Trucido think the same thing before he tried to destroy you all?

Zeke didn't have anything to give to such an idea. He just continued to stare out at the courtyard, leaving his allies to mourn as he was left to reflect.

[shanira]

Shanira was surprisingly quiet as she tagged along with the group, avoiding the emotional meeting around the casket as it was something that she'd, well, already kinda known about. It wasn't that she lacked compassion, but she was very impassive to a lot of situations that didn't involve herself or Alexander. She found it useful considering her master in Santo-Luce was highly susceptible to drowning in his own emotions at every waking hour of the day, everything from extremely elated to self-pitying sorrow in a matter of minutes.

It was in a time like this that she'd been grateful for all the years she'd spent with him already, getting to know the different 'levels' of his feelings as she so called them. Leaning against a wall, Shanira closed her eyes and focused in on Alexander even now while all the talk of Benjamin was around her.
He was scared, but that was something that afflicted him since the day Zeke left. It delved deeper with Duo approaching, yet even now it wasn't enough to trigger that helpless sensation, almost like a nerve, a string in her brain that she knew when she felt it there was no time to waste.

Her eyes opened as she realized he was trying very, very hard to settle his own feelings, knowing that Shanira would go back even right now if she had to for him. It was almost funny in a way how he tried, but it would never work.

Shanira's gaze drifted back to watch Zaria and Brea. The sooner they were out of here the better, she thought.

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea read the letter that had been handed to him, barely registering Kain's hand on his shoulder as his eyes scanned across the single parchment in his own hands. The evidence was all here, an official statement that named the Itan-Sha as saviours rather than denounced them as heretics. If this was shown to those in power, he would be able to reform the group... He was free, in a sense, of his duty to Unda, he could be with his brothers and sisters again, reforge the clan from its smouldering ashes like a Pheonix, rising from its own death. He smiled weakly, he could easily turn around and walk away...

But he couldn't.

Someone had killed Benjamin in cold blood, and in those last moments, he'd named Brea as the second President of Unda, until a proper election could again take place. How could Brea accept te freedom given to him if he did not feel that he had properly paid it out in turn? No, he had to make sure that he had truly lived out his service to Benjamin and Unda before he could leave to reform the Itan-Sha. He closed his eyes, chewing his bottom lip as he handed the letter across to Zaria for her to read also, his mid a whirl with different thoughts and emotions as he let out one long, calming breath before his eyes snapped open, alight with a burning determination. He gave one last glance to the casket, before turning away from it and barking out orders... He clearly wasn't waiting to be sworn in. Brea was I'm charge now, he had to act like a leader.

"Alright! Firstly; lets get everybody up to speed." He looked across at the Marine. "Call together a council of delegates formed from the senate along with anybody who holds any kind of authority within Unda. Military commanders, guild masters, anyone who has a say as to how this nation is run." He ran a hand across the lower half of his face in thought. "Secondly; get me a damage report, I need to know what we've lost and what we've got. I'm going to need every bit of data if I'm to be of any help here..." He turned to Zaria.

"Finally... I'm going to need a Captain... And a friend." He nodded across to the Bluenette. "Benjamin brought you in to watch my back... I trust that you still plan on doing just that, I hope..?"

[Zaria DeGantz]

Zaria read the paper that was handed to her. She had mixed feelings upon reading it. She knew Brea had something to do with the clan listed, but what would this mean for Unda? Still- She was happy that justice had been served and that an innocent group of people were proven as such.

She looked at Brea and tried to manage a small smile. Her voice softened a little from the harsh tone she'd dished out before and she nodded. "Of course. Unda is my homeland, and I'll be forever loyal to it. That includes it's leader." She handed the paper back to him, then it dawned on her... Did he say friend? They hadn't known each other for very long, and although they were teammates, it hadn't occurred to her that Brea might consider her a friend. Secretly, she liked the sound of it. Surely in this time of sorrow, more friends were always welcome.

"I've got your back, Brea. You can count on it." She assured him. "What do you need me to do?"

[Mark Angelus Fri]

"Yes, Mr. President!" The Marine saluted before turning around and exiting the room. You could hear him relaying the commands from behind the door.

Mark couldn't help but think that this was the advantage they needed, with Brea in power they had access to all information circling around Unda. If Duo was here and Unda knew of it, than they'd be able to find out as well.

But for now it seemed like it was a waiting game. Gods know how long it'd take for everyone to gather...

"Looks like we've got some down time, everyone..." Mark looked back at Zeke, the man seemed to be acting so weird since the fight in Hellious. The outburst they had on the warship probably didn't help. Mark stepped up to Zeke, placing a hand on his shoulder he tried to get the man's attention, "Shocking sight, isn't it? I was here at this city awhile ago. It was nothing like this, it's like a ghost town right now."

As Mark spoke to Zeke, two Marines entered into the palace and approached Brea and Zaria.

"Excuse, Mr. President and Captain DeGantz, would you please follow me? I'm to escort you to a secure location for the meeting," It was clear that Unda wasn't going to risk loosing another President to any assassins Duo had left in the city.

[Enizo]

It wasn't too long after Mark and the other arrived that the Undian fleet once again was forced to scramble. But this time it wasn't just one warship, but an entire fleet of it.

The flags of the Allorum Guardians were flown high, waving as the wind pushed against it. The Undian fleet halted at the sight of the Allorum Guardian, and about forty minutes later they let them pass.

Enizo stepped off the warship with other Allorum Guardians following as well. Watched closely by the Undian Marines, the Allorum Guardians began their approach to the palace.

"Keep up everybody, we're almost there!" Enizo called to the back of the group.