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[sub][color=steelblue]A R C H A D I A[/color] / / [color=steelblue]S H O R E L I N E   P A T R O L[/color][/sub][hr]
[color=darkgray]It was certainly a sight to behold. Multiple tons of metal slowly descended into the darkening azure depths as sporadic streams of bubbles outlined the reluctant fall against a dim glow of crimson flashing. The aerial Shyps of Archadia were built to withstand varying degrees of artillery as well as the wrath of mother nature while maintaining their renown defiance of gravity. The behemoths were comprised of special alloys of metal amalgamations that found their abnormal strength through patented processes; repetition and a rigorous testing phase allowed these military craft to be known as some of the safest transport any aspiring military could own. As Corbyn watched the Shyp be dragged towards the canal floor briefly, his mind had already settled on a likely paranoid conclusion - sabotage. Muscle memory pulled the SOLDIER's body through the pressure of the waters while an absent mind continued to parse and sift through every possible scenario. Elongated memories stretching back to the fringes of neural recall were forcibly pulled from their corners and various mental prisons in an effort to glean even the smallest details, a hopeful scavenging of mentality that attempted to piece together something that just made sense. Then the surface broke. 

A rough splash followed the commander's emergence and it only took a few moments for a curious gaze to twist into a half-disappointed frown. The man on fire, Kain, smashed into the sandy shoreline, a tower of flame spontaneously combusting toward the heavens and a maniacal bellow bursting ear drums all around. The increase in security meant that stray patrols could be out on the shorelines, but this kind of revealing was too much. The group hadn't even been given the chance to collect their bearings and wonder what happened before the massive berserker decided to--surely--draw every enemy within a mile radius to their exact location. In spite of his rationale however, Corbyn found him a slight grin at the sight of Archadians being downed. At the very least, Kain was good at what he needed to be good at. Setting foot on solid ground once more, the lancer took a moment to take stock of the surroundings. 

Beyond the beaches which were quickly filling with Archadian cavalry were several different paths that all seemed to run in the direction of a cityscape on the horizon. Though the group was caught at the moment, the nature of the mission was yet to be compromised. Metallic pings confirmed as much as Carmen brought claw to knee and pauldron several times in an almost ancient sequence of covert communication. Corbyn shifted glance to his peripheral vision, acknowledging his fellow commander's nod and spoken order with a slight smirk and quick nod of his own. It seemed there was no more time to hand over to the ruminations of earlier and the mission was truly to begin. However... There was a just a little work to be done first. Surveying the land once more, Corbyn wasted no time in picking a route and unlatching the double-headed lance from its back holster. Topographical maps of Archadia had been provided to the team at the Fort before even travelling to the encampment and the commander had taken the chance at hand to study the land as part of operation preparation. Once the debriefing at the encampment had begun, he had also considered the possibility that increased security would mean that any route into Faelan might need to be cleared before it could be taken. The worst case scenario had, of course, come to pass. 

Raising a flat hand in the air before pointing a rigid arm to the left, Corbyn didn't even bother looking back to see if his team had emerged from the canal. The strong would survive a minor setback like this. "Looks like the game is on, people," Corbyn said in elevated volume, "Stay on me and remember, our job is to infiltrate as quickly and quietly as possible." The commander pulled the lance from his back as he felt the beat of his heart begin to grow more frequent. "However... Thanks to our burning friend here, we've got a few obstacles blocking our route. Feel free to remove these troublesome things!" Launching from his rear foot, Corbyn took off to the left of the distraction team, exactly where he pointed, and quickly made his way towards his chosen route - a path covered by vegetation and a cluster of trees that were presently shrouded in a blanket of blackest night. A handful of Archadian infantry made their way towards the infiltration team drawn to the area by Kain's bright display of power. 

Sailing passed several of them, Corbyn set his sights on a group of three directly blocking his path. He was confident his team could handle the slight alteration to the plan, especially considering they would need to down each and every one of the grunts in their way if they had any chance of regaining the element of surprise before heading towards Faelan. Abruptly, the commander stopped in the midst of his enemies. The poor equipment they were outfitted with would only make things easier. The first of the three buried his brief surprise at the sudden statuesque commander, charging forward with gun in hand. Spinning low, Corbyn swept the shaft of his lance against the shins of the first brave soul, toppling the grunt before quickly coming back around and jabbing a spear-head into his neck. From there, a back kick disoriented a second infantrymen just long enough for a high spinning twirl to open his esophagus up while the third grunt luckily blocked one blow only to be tripped by one side of the fatal lance and impaled in the gut by the other. Corbyn spun the weapon in both hands for a moment to hastily fling blood from both heads before setting his sights back on the infiltration route. 

With only a brief pause, the commander disappeared into the thicket and slowed his speed down to a controlled, slightly crouched trot. He never even looked back to ensure the success of his team. In his mind, if any of them fell to an Archadian grunt, there was no use in putting trust in them in the first place.[/color]