Days before the Fall (Plot thread 2.5)

[A.B.A.]

A.B.A. was gripped by surprise, left stunned as she felt the embrace of Kain pull her into him. Everything from the tug of his bristled chin against her cheek to the feeling of his strong shoulders and arms tightening around hers seemed to click in her mind that it was real. Even the flow of his breath that hit the nape of her neck said to her, "I'm back.".

She wrapped her arms tightly around his chest and clutched the fabric of his coat as if he might vanish if she were to relax even a little. Her face pushed into his collar, muffling the sound of her sobs that came flooding along with her epiphany. "I've missed you so much sir." She cried in his arms for what felt like far too long, letting all of the pent up regret and pain she'd dammed up in her heart go. She felt pitiful, remembering the times that she'd played out what would happen if she could reunite with Kain again. She remembered thinking she would be stoic, that he would be her commander and order her to action and she would obey, taking down a long road together that lead to...well she never had imagined what would come after that. Yet here she was sobbing away like a child, and the only thing worse was that it felt so much better than her fantasies ever had.

"I'm sorry Kain. I'm so sorry. I was suppose to be so much stronger after all these years, in case...in case..." She couldn't get out the rest, and so she just held on to him, merely taking in the moment and letting it fill her.

[King Roxa Hiaten]

Roxa followed closely behind A.B.A. and stood with his arms crossed against his chest as she was reunited with Kain. The young king found himself curious if Kain would even recognize him, for a start, his entire body was somewhat taller and broader than when they had last seen each other and lest he forget that his entirety was covered by a suit of armour that seemed to be made purely of his own mana. Would Kain recognize the feel of this particular magic..? Would he sense that very same demon who had forced the leader of the Saints from Roxa's mind all those years ago? He was curious.

But he was not about to step in between A.B.A. and Kain. He walked forwards, past the pair, making sure that his crossed arms covered the two indents in his armour, each representing a promise that he had made. One in the shape of Kain's necklace, and another in the shape of Alessia's. He instead walked over to the rest of the group, they had planning to do, did they not?

[Kain Angelo]

This seemed to make it all real for Kain, being close to ABA truly brought back the feeling he was once again alive, a feeling he had longed for. Kain closed his eyes and hugged ABA tighter, "You survived, ABA. That's all that matters."

It didn't occur to Kain at first, but there was a sudden increase of movement happening around the group. Marines began rushing out of the gates, yelling orders for everyone to clear the way. Kain sat up as a dozen Marines rushed past them towards the docks in the far distance.

"There's a fleet off the coast!" A Marine yelled, "Dozens of warships!"

Indeed, while the group was currently too far to see it, there was at LEAST a dozen warships anchored off the coast. They were just sitting there, with the two fleets staring each other down.

The flag that flew above the fleet of warships was a flag not seen in over 1000 years. It was the flag of the Empire.

[A.B.A.]

As Kain rose to action and left A.B.A.'s arms she opened her eyes to see the soldiers moving around them. Her little escape had ended, and with it her vulnerable state. She ignored the hot wet tears that touched her face and focused on the other subject of her intense emotions. She saw past Kain and stared down at Roxa.

"No sir, there are much more important things that matter than my survival." She muttered to herself as she laid on her knees. She wondered at that moment if Kain could recognize Roxa at all in his current state. Unlike her forms or her illusions, Roxa's helm made his eyes difficult to meet, certainly making his identity hidden for the moment. What would Kain do if he found Roxa here right now? I can't leave him in the dark. I have to tell him.

"My lord, you..." Her words were overtaken by the authoritarian declaration of the soldier's announcement. Cursing the man she stopped, only to understand what his words meant. Once more Duo had arrived to taken precedent over her personal vendetta. Fine, looks like we deal with the most senior enemies first.

The enemy of our enemy is our friend, remember that girl. Seigmand quipped to her in his usual formal manner.

Shut it. She snapped back as she rose and took to Kain's side.

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea had initially been talking with the group within the castle, trying to alleviate their fears of him going out to fight. Blades be damned, he was a member of the Itan-Sha and no amount of old men who couldn't see the larger picture were going to keep him cooped up inside of Unda whilst the people died for him. He wasn't Benjamin and they would have to accept that. Thankfully, a Marine had burst in shouting about the appearance of enemy Warships off of the coast. Whilst it was most definitely an issue, Brea was simply happy to have the opportunity to get away from the delegation. Stepping outside, he immediately ordered that any civilians near the coast should be evacuated, and it wasn't long before people were running through, trying to get away from what potentially could become a battlefield.

Brea noticed one of the people running past as the local tailor, and as ridiculous as it sounded, an idea had struck him. Catching her by the arm as she ran past, he briefly and quietly relayed an order to her which earned him a look of confusion, but they nodded nonetheless and continued on the way. Brea gave a childish grin as he started barking orders for everyone to take their positions and prepare for combat. His right wrist rested against the hilts of his swords, whilst he moved around making sure that everyone was ready, with that done, he took a position beside Kain, and looked out at the warships.

He smirked briefly.

"A damn medal to the man that burns that Imperial flag down."

[Kain Angelo]

Kain smirked as Brea came to his side, their eyes locked on the Imperial flag that flew in the distance. The dark blue flag with three symbols - two symbols that represented Kain and Duo on opposite sides and another in the middle which was an ancient marking that meant 'the world' - it was something Kain deeply regretted, he could still remember clearly the day he and his brother designed it...

It was the day they were chosen to lead the Wild Undian rebellion against Central Unda. They came up for the design in the halls of Yulu, the capitol of Wild Unda at the time, and Kain could could remember his brother remarking how this flag was going to mean something one day...

And it did. But the feeling it evoked in Kain made him ill.

"It's been something I've been longing to do," Kain nodded towards Brea. Out in the distance, you could see a small ship being dispatched towards the Undian Fleet.

Kain watched, expecting to see explosions light up in the distance... but it didn't and after three minutes another runner came towards the President.

"Mr. President!" The young runner called, "I have a message from Emperor Angelo!"

[mahila]

Eerily enough, as quickly as Shanira had disappeared from the scene Zeke had only but a brief moment's time to enter the palace doors when a quiet, calm but authoritative voice spoke in his ear.

"I am more than happy to do so, sir."

Approaching the young man on his right side was a very pale woman, a hint of a glowing, light blue in her skin tone that gave away she was anything but a normal Allorum mortal. Her eyes were orb-shaped, a deep, shining blue and where they looked fierce her body language showed a lot more composure. She stood tall and ready for a fight, a very large, intricately-decorated bow in hand and she took to Zeke immediately only upon noticing symbols on him that she recognized, ones of her old 'home' and the castle in Santo-Luce.

"You are a skilled soldier?" she asked, despite the chaos brewing, she remained calm, and unlike the blonde girl who'd left only moments before she seemed to have a more decent grasp on the common language.

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea smiled grimly at the news of the runner. The President already had a few ideas about what the message from the former Emperor would be, but all the same, he knew that it wouldn't be good. He looked at the men around him, his smile not fading. He had a talent, he had been told in the past... A talent to lead men around him, to reach out to them and fight and die alongside them, if necessary. Morale was determinate on the strength, wisdom and charisma of the man who lead the charge.

"Then no doubt the former Emperor has sent a messenger in order to formally surrender to the President of Unda..?"

He might jest, but it showed the one thing that any soldier looks for in a leader. The ability to stare in the face of the worlds greatest evil and laugh.

[Kain Angelo]

The runner took two deep breaths of air, his face pale with fear, "No, Mr. President, he wishes to speak to you at the memorial in Numquam. He's waiting for you there."

Numquam was a small town about an hour or so away from the capitol, it hugged the sea with a population of about 600. The only thing sitting in between Numquam and the capitol was a Navy port.

"The enemy is in Numquam?" The Marine commander questioned, he had absolutely no word the Imperial forces were there let alone Duo himself!

Enizo, who had been talking to the Marine commander up until now, stepped forward, "The Allorum Guardians are ready to move out, if Duo wishes to have a fight than that's what he'll get!"

Kain stayed silent in thought, he had a sickly feeling that he just couldn't shake.

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea paused for a moment, a hand reaching up to the stubble of the past few days which had grown from neglect of his personal hygine. He let out a short sigh before chuckling slightly and scratching at his jawline.

"He'll offer me the chance to surrender." Brea said with a nod. "He sees himself, and in some ways is, a god amongst men. He believes himself to stand above the rest of us and will offer me much I'd imagine if I turn Unda over to him." His voice got progressively louder as he spoke, reaching out and grabbing the attention of the Marines around them. Brea's face was suddenly stern as he continued. "Perhaps not... Perhaps he simply wants to face me one-on-one, or perhaps he wants to laugh in my face before he makes his move. There are many things that Duo can do, many things that he can offer..." He looked around at the Marines, most of whom he had trained himself...

"And I shall go see him. I shall look him in the eye, and do you know what I shall tell him?" His mind flashed back to the battle over one thousand years ago. "I shall tell him, that not just Unda... But Allorum as a whole stands tall and proud and that here I stand as a testament to the power of men and their will. A peasant boy from Ignis, a cursed swordsman, a Captain to a great man and now... His successor..." He nodded slowly.

"I am a killer of Kings. And by the Blades if it saves Unda, I'll kill an Emperor too."

[/speech]

[Kain Angelo]

"Even the gods fear a Marine!" The Marines behind Brea roared as they pounded their fists against their armor, making such a strong sound that you could hear Marines all across the city join in. That line was part of a song often sang during training in the Undian Marines - it was no doubt influenced by the Itan-Sha.

The Marine Commander wanted to argue with the idea of sending the President to face Duo, but like all the Marines around Brea, he himself thought Brea could kill Duo.

As the thunderous roars of the Marines echoed across the area, Kain stepped away from the group, but not before whispering to ABA, "I must leave, you may come with me if you wish, but this is urgent."

If they wanted to defeat Duo, Kain needed something that could help ensure their victory... he needed to be fast for he feared Brea and the group was stepping right into a trap.

[Zaria DeGantz]

Zaria understood that there was a crisis at hand, but the new president seemed a little...all over the place. He'd hardly acknowledged anything she'd said recently, which annoyed her, but she knew well enough that there were more pressing matters to attend to, and it was something she would let slide. After all, she knew she would be needed amidst the chaos that was beginning to unfold.

"Brea, wait!" She darted after him.

She wasn't far behind when he ran out, and she stopped short upon seeing the enormous fleet of enemy war ships headed their way.

Zaria listened respectfully at the exchange between the runner and Brea. She had to respect how far he'd come in life through all the hardships he'd endured. She knew a bit about him from hearing her father- a former Undian Marine talk about him, and for the moment she was reminded that Brea was a LOT older than he led on.

She thought back to but a week ago, how she longed for some excitement. Well here it was, and it was arriving in full swarm.

"Brea, what exactly do you need me to do?" She asked the same question that she'd asked previously in the palace, of which she'd not received an answer. "Shall I gather my men and join you? Who will be protecting the homeland while you're away?"

She clenched her fists at her sides, which caused her gloves to glow. "Whatever it is, Bring it on!" She thought. "I'm ready."

[Brea Cao-Wei]

Brea turned to face his only Captain and scratched the back of his head, giving a nervous chuckle. Now that he thought about it... What would he have Zaria do? He thought back to when he had first served under Benjamin, the tasks that he had been given and enjoyed thoroughly and those he had despised, but that was in a time of relative peace, this was war... It was a completely different story. But one thing had always been something he had appreciated, and that was the choice to do as he wished.

"You have a few options as to what you can do, Captain." He said, his hand returning back to his side as his face fell into a middle point between stern and smiling. "You can either come with me, see Duo and hear whatever it is that he has to say... Or..." He motioned out to the ships out near the shore, which no doubt posed an imminent threat to Unda.

"Or you can stay here, as my Second-In-Command and lead Unda whilst I am gone. The choice is yours, Cap'n."

[A.B.A.]

Hmm, so he asks for a private meeting and yet lets us all know exactly where he'll be? I'd call him arrogant for baiting us to strike at him, but somehow I suspect that's exactly what he'd like us to do. Seigmand continued to muse aloud in A.B.A.'s head as each tidbit of information was revealed to the gathered group. While normally his incessant chatter would be enough for A.B.A. to demand he shut up and let her think, she stood quiet and reciprocated his ideas with her own.

He did this a lot the last time we fought him. He liked to make us think we had the upper hand before he struck. The memories of their encounters only further infuriated her. Remembering how smug he had been always boiled her blood, and only wanted to make her go with Brea so she could be there to smack his smug grin off his face.

If your foe lies in wait to spring his trap, you must surprise him with a trap of your own.[[/b]

Are you going to help or just throw out your vague stupid phrases like always?

Seigmand sighed to himself. What I mean is if he thinks he knows everything, you have to throw something at him that he doesn't know about to ruin the trap. Maybe someone who by all means should be dead, hmm?[/b] It felt almost like Seigmand grabbed her head and turned her towards Kain with how harshly he drilled the hint into her head. It was right as he approached her, and with his whispered words she nodded in agreement, understanding he had come to the same idea as the former king locked within her. She didn't wish to slow her leader with words, just a look in her eyes showed him she was ready to follow him anywhere, just like before.

Just like she'd never lost him.

[Bang Shishigami]

My lamenting, though powerful and true, was all but halted upon hearing the marine's proclamation of warship off the coast. Placing my hand upon my chest as I looked upon the casket of the once proud ruler of Unda, I approached the funereal casing, lowered myself to one knee, and gently placing my hand upon the man's resting place.

"I swear to you, by the will of Bang Shishigami and Ikaruga itself, you shall be avenged."

Pausing for a moment in thought, I rose, my few tears shed imbued with the will of fire that flared behind my eyes and deep in my heart. No longer would I wait, no longer would I stand by as Duo or his Empire wreaked havoc and destruction upon another single thing in Allorum. I had tried to follow those who seemed more knowledgeable, more prepared for such a foe, but planning has yielded no success, and so, I could only do what I do best; find evil, and destroy it.

With unparalleled speed, I broke away from the funeral grounds and took to the coast, all but ready to bring the fight to Duo and his sea faring cretins.

"With these hands, I shall see that not one ship, not one being, not one shot, even grazes the lands of Unda," I uttered to myself before I bounded off the cliffside to the water below, landing against the liquid surface as if it were solid ground by my ninja prowess before I tore across the glassy cerulean surface towards the ensuing fleets.