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~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Sewers~~~~~~
The magic was like a solid wall between the machines and the Unbound pair in front of them. Their powerful lunges just caused the creatures to slam with all their might into the force-field, yet still even with the cracked lines that ran along some of their steel jaws and the bent bubbles of soft iron that made up their patchwork of skin, they still tried desperately to claw and bite through the shimmering wall between them and their prey.
The sudden shrinkage of the wall being quickly followed by Asuka’s immediate lunge was more than enough to take the more damaged of the Metalwolves by surprise. The sheer force from the young woman broke through the head of the machine like an eggshell, the chunks of metal and dark tiny gears which made up its skull spewing everywhere, most rolling into the sewer water as the now headless body stuttered wildly before falling against the closest wall like the lifeless hunk of metal it now was.
While the sight of the creature’s sudden end would have been unnerving, it was the actions of the remaining machines that would have been even worse. All attention on Asuka and Trisean had now been replaced by the body of the Metalwolf, to which now all others suddenly now flocked towards like vultures, their large claws and teeth tearing the form apart chunks at a time. Whatever they were doing within this huddle was clearly quite vicious to those looking on from the outside, yet still their entire attention was on this single action, and possible to go on for a short time longer. The rumbling of the massive beast that went onward with its cargo though could still be heard, even if it was more fading echoes.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Main Street - Bastion Castle~~~~~~
The ride through the streets of Hollow Bastion was rather uneventful for Nomis and his young nephew. Though there was the occasional act of rebellion from those who knew the occupants of the vehicle, in the form of angry shouts and pelts of rocks at the vehicle as it drove by, nothing seemed too important to stir Nomis and open his eyes, his right hand tapping his finger on the armrest as if in great thought. When it did happen though, it wasn’t calmly or with a smirk, the sudden shake and jitter of his body was more akin to waking from a deep dream or nightmare.
“What in all the worlds was that…?!” Nomis spoke quietly to himself, his eyes wildly moving side to side as if not seeing just empty space in the vehicle itself, but something that shouldn’t have been possible, another face.
Closing his eyes as the vehicle began to slow down, it having reached its destination of the castle’s inner walls, the older man remained still, like that of a statue, only the faintest hint of breathing still noticeable as his face soon started to form an incredibly enraged look.
“Why…why now of all days…?!” Said Nomis to himself once more, his voice raising just now above an internal whisper as his door was soon opened to the waiting maid standing ready.
It was as if everyone there was blocked out of sight for the man at the moment, after leaving the vehicle and making his way along the stone clad path towards the large metal doors of the castle, he continued to mumble to himself, the grip on his cane tightening as well as the now angry pounding of the sturdy object on the hard ground with every second step he took.
“It doesn’t matter…it’s too late now for him to act…”
Angrier and angrier he grew as the image of the white haired man with the group of kids continued to play over and over through his mind, the faint rumbles on the large door of the castle only now growing worse. The moment he placed his palm against its cold surface though did the shaking increase even more, the man stopping himself from actually forcing it open like always, as faint but clearly deep dark vein like lines began to spread up into sight around his neck and cheeks.
“It’s too late for all of them!!” That rage filled roar from the man was quickly accompanied by the immensely loud crash of metal, the large door of the castle swinging wide as if a Darkside itself had opened it. Though it remained still fastened to its mighty hinges, and the walls themselves stayed whole, the sheer sight of the action was truly monstrously frightening to see.
“Have them begin preparations at once!! I will not let him interfere any more!” Nomis continued to roar, the maids that still stood like statues waiting for word from the man himself, only now bowing as they turned and took off for some places throughout the castle that they seemed to know already.
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Most Recent Posts
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I did actually, sorry. I must have missed it, though I wanted the spectator out of the way so I could set up what happened in the latest post. If it's okay would you be able to take out that rubber part Piercing?
I did actually, sorry. I must have missed it, though I wanted the spectator out of the way so I could set up what happened in the latest post. If it's okay would you be able to take out that rubber part Piercing?
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~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District~~~~~~
Each stab from the machine’s three spider like legs seemed to be easily dealt with by Ace, his reactions to the attacks making it look like the easiest thing in the world. Yet it was the large eye that seemed to be speeding up, not the actual appendages themselves, the weird pupil watching every step the young man took and as the battle went on grew fast enough that even its own movements were learning to catch up with Ace.
The large blast of fire struck the back of the metal case that surrounded the eye, and as the flames quickly coiled and almost immediately dowsed its form, the legs were soon the first to go, the entire machine collapsing to the ground as a pile of incredibly heated metal. Chunks of pipe were soon flying through the air between Shizuka and the floating eye, its large claw easily cleaving through the small pieces of debris solid enough to damage it as well as rocks and bricks left behind from the storehouse itself, yet everything that was thrown was either battered away, pulverised or just simply dodged.
The collapse of the Tripod seemed to stop Shizuka’s machine for a few moments, its eye scanning the heap of metal in sync with the third floating Eyebot in the sky before both turned to look at one another, a small series of beeps rapidly sounding back to each other as if they were speaking. Quickly swinging back towards Shizuka, it was the spinning drill heading right for the woman that was the last thing the Eyebot managed to do, the hunk of steel combined with Shizuka’s own strengthened arms slamming straight into the side of the machine, the sheer force of which cracking open the metal skin like a box and causing some of the small dark gears inside to spill onto the ground, the mess soon followed by the lifeless husk of the machine itself.
Solely watching the wreckage below, the remaining machine continued to float high above everything, its pupil zooming in to watch the newer arrivals, especially that of the white haired older man. With pupils that had started off as blue and soon changed to purple at the start of this fight, the last machine seemed to take on a new colour than that of the others, the bright red appearing to react with sparks and crackles of electricity that escaped from the spreading sections of its case, a very clear sign to its increasing mass.
Swooping down and past the others, the sparks of static left a trail of blue as the machine suddenly stopped and turned back towards everyone once a fair distance between its two fallen clones. The electricity seemed to only get worse as the floating bot shook and its casing spread wider, revealing for the few brief moments the now rapidly spinning gears that made up its insides, all of which moved around a central larger version.
Creaking against the ground, it was the mangled pile of metal from the scorched machine that Lin and Ace dealt with that reacted first. Its own casing, tripod legs and all, soon skidded along the dust covered ground as if to meet up with the electric spewing eye, an action that seemed to be shared by the cracked machine that Shizuka had apparently dealt with.
The dark gears that spewed up out of the broken machines soon joined the collection within the remaining Eyebot, two equally large gears being of important notice as it linked up in the centre and seemed to immediately cause the smaller versions to react by spinning even faster and wilder. It was at this point the now lifeless cases fell to pieces, the parts quickly latching onto the floating machine all along its body and increasing its size and monstrous form by the second.
The machine’s large tripod legs were much larger and sturdier than its clone had before, pieces of metal that laid harmlessly in the dirt quickly piggybacking along with the cases when attracted to the floating eye, and now like the rest joined to make a weird amalgamation. Still looking down at the group with its still normal sized pupil, it now looked out of place with the massive casing that encircled it, the metal clearly much thicker and heavier than before and so in need of the reinforced legs and extra appendages that slowly rotated on grooves along the frame.
Taking a few extra stomps towards the group, the single eye seemed intently focused on the newest arrival to the scene, the screech of loud distorted beeps and sparks of electricity signalling its unhappiness, just before its three legs suddenly gave way underneath it, causing its massive form to slam into the ground with a small quake. With apparently no harm done, the large boulder shaped machine simply waited as the legs stretched out like spears before locking in place around its body, it was then that it started to spin, soon picking up speed as it began to move towards the group themselves like a monstrous spinning top.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Sewers~~~~~~
The splashing throughout the sewers soon grew to a deafening sound as the scraps of metal and now even shadows of some shambling creatures slowly came closer from around a corner, one which Trisean and Asuka would have most likely passed on their way through the labyrinth styled tunnels. It was the lead wolfs long snout and face that came into view, a sight which seemed to fit with some kind of giant alligator beast than any kind of common wolf.
The bright lights fitted along the skull, like eyes, were clearly mismatched as they swerved and soon settled on the tiny forms of Trisean and Asuka themselves further ahead down the main sewer tunnel. The deep growl from the monster seemed to echo deeply throughout the sewer, its hulking form slowly crawling into view as the large metal ridges on its back scrapped against the sides of its tight tunnel, and which once fully free, its long tail swinging through the air, allowing the newer sight of the smaller but still quite deadly looking Werewolf machines that slowly came into view.
Leaping over the large chains that were attached to the much larger beast, the Metalwolves howled as they charged towards the two ahead of them, the closer they got the sight of scorch marks and scratches soon becoming clearer on their metal hides, yet all the damage didn’t seem to hinder their deadliness. With a long drawn out howl, the great beast soon started to move again, the chains it had soon pulling out from the tunnel the large sealed cases, sliding half submerged in the water itself, yet not halting to correct anything as it soon began to disappear down another similarly sized tunnel with its large amount of cargo.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District~~~~~~
Each stab from the machine’s three spider like legs seemed to be easily dealt with by Ace, his reactions to the attacks making it look like the easiest thing in the world. Yet it was the large eye that seemed to be speeding up, not the actual appendages themselves, the weird pupil watching every step the young man took and as the battle went on grew fast enough that even its own movements were learning to catch up with Ace.
The large blast of fire struck the back of the metal case that surrounded the eye, and as the flames quickly coiled and almost immediately dowsed its form, the legs were soon the first to go, the entire machine collapsing to the ground as a pile of incredibly heated metal. Chunks of pipe were soon flying through the air between Shizuka and the floating eye, its large claw easily cleaving through the small pieces of debris solid enough to damage it as well as rocks and bricks left behind from the storehouse itself, yet everything that was thrown was either battered away, pulverised or just simply dodged.
The collapse of the Tripod seemed to stop Shizuka’s machine for a few moments, its eye scanning the heap of metal in sync with the third floating Eyebot in the sky before both turned to look at one another, a small series of beeps rapidly sounding back to each other as if they were speaking. Quickly swinging back towards Shizuka, it was the spinning drill heading right for the woman that was the last thing the Eyebot managed to do, the hunk of steel combined with Shizuka’s own strengthened arms slamming straight into the side of the machine, the sheer force of which cracking open the metal skin like a box and causing some of the small dark gears inside to spill onto the ground, the mess soon followed by the lifeless husk of the machine itself.
Solely watching the wreckage below, the remaining machine continued to float high above everything, its pupil zooming in to watch the newer arrivals, especially that of the white haired older man. With pupils that had started off as blue and soon changed to purple at the start of this fight, the last machine seemed to take on a new colour than that of the others, the bright red appearing to react with sparks and crackles of electricity that escaped from the spreading sections of its case, a very clear sign to its increasing mass.
Swooping down and past the others, the sparks of static left a trail of blue as the machine suddenly stopped and turned back towards everyone once a fair distance between its two fallen clones. The electricity seemed to only get worse as the floating bot shook and its casing spread wider, revealing for the few brief moments the now rapidly spinning gears that made up its insides, all of which moved around a central larger version.
Creaking against the ground, it was the mangled pile of metal from the scorched machine that Lin and Ace dealt with that reacted first. Its own casing, tripod legs and all, soon skidded along the dust covered ground as if to meet up with the electric spewing eye, an action that seemed to be shared by the cracked machine that Shizuka had apparently dealt with.
The dark gears that spewed up out of the broken machines soon joined the collection within the remaining Eyebot, two equally large gears being of important notice as it linked up in the centre and seemed to immediately cause the smaller versions to react by spinning even faster and wilder. It was at this point the now lifeless cases fell to pieces, the parts quickly latching onto the floating machine all along its body and increasing its size and monstrous form by the second.
The machine’s large tripod legs were much larger and sturdier than its clone had before, pieces of metal that laid harmlessly in the dirt quickly piggybacking along with the cases when attracted to the floating eye, and now like the rest joined to make a weird amalgamation. Still looking down at the group with its still normal sized pupil, it now looked out of place with the massive casing that encircled it, the metal clearly much thicker and heavier than before and so in need of the reinforced legs and extra appendages that slowly rotated on grooves along the frame.
Taking a few extra stomps towards the group, the single eye seemed intently focused on the newest arrival to the scene, the screech of loud distorted beeps and sparks of electricity signalling its unhappiness, just before its three legs suddenly gave way underneath it, causing its massive form to slam into the ground with a small quake. With apparently no harm done, the large boulder shaped machine simply waited as the legs stretched out like spears before locking in place around its body, it was then that it started to spin, soon picking up speed as it began to move towards the group themselves like a monstrous spinning top.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Sewers~~~~~~
The splashing throughout the sewers soon grew to a deafening sound as the scraps of metal and now even shadows of some shambling creatures slowly came closer from around a corner, one which Trisean and Asuka would have most likely passed on their way through the labyrinth styled tunnels. It was the lead wolfs long snout and face that came into view, a sight which seemed to fit with some kind of giant alligator beast than any kind of common wolf.
The bright lights fitted along the skull, like eyes, were clearly mismatched as they swerved and soon settled on the tiny forms of Trisean and Asuka themselves further ahead down the main sewer tunnel. The deep growl from the monster seemed to echo deeply throughout the sewer, its hulking form slowly crawling into view as the large metal ridges on its back scrapped against the sides of its tight tunnel, and which once fully free, its long tail swinging through the air, allowing the newer sight of the smaller but still quite deadly looking Werewolf machines that slowly came into view.
Leaping over the large chains that were attached to the much larger beast, the Metalwolves howled as they charged towards the two ahead of them, the closer they got the sight of scorch marks and scratches soon becoming clearer on their metal hides, yet all the damage didn’t seem to hinder their deadliness. With a long drawn out howl, the great beast soon started to move again, the chains it had soon pulling out from the tunnel the large sealed cases, sliding half submerged in the water itself, yet not halting to correct anything as it soon began to disappear down another similarly sized tunnel with its large amount of cargo.
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I'm almost finished with a quick post now, so I should have it posted very soon. ^^
Also nice post for Lin, SoleAccord. ^-^
I'm almost finished with a quick post now, so I should have it posted very soon. ^^
Also nice post for Lin, SoleAccord. ^-^
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~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District~~~~~~
He knew people weren’t inherently stupid…perhaps blissfully ignorant by choosing to believe anything anyone said, or fearful of going against the will of the stronger speaker, but stupid? Definitely not. That was something Nomis knew more than anyone, and it was by using that knowledge, to know the right moment when you can turn a crowd around to your way of thinking no matter the true reasoning behind it, that was what he was exceptionally good at.
“A very nice speech, Uncle Nomis.” Said the new voice off to the side of Nomis, the older man looking towards the shadow cast by the walls of the area with the rising sun, seeing the teenager just out of sight of the crowds who were further back out on the street, still facing the man.
“Thank you very much, Caleb. I trust there were no setbacks with your task, hmm?” Asked Nomis as the strange metal eye cameras, those that changed into their weird tripod forms, soon morphed back to match the floating type, all three now floating in the air behind both Nomis and Caleb.
It was by one of the machines suddenly blaring loud like a siren that caused Nomis to stop and look, not towards the eye itself, but that of the lone figure that suddenly leaped over the far wall with a small group of Heartless in tow.
“Look at this now, Caleb. They just keep giving themselves more rope to hang themselves with.” Nomis said, speaking quietly to young Caleb beside him, his smile slowly presenting itself more as he turned back towards the now panicking crowds, cane held in the air as he approached.
“Fear not, residents of Bastion! These creatures of darkness will not harm you, the Empire will protect you for as long as we are here! See how those who caused you harm, return to bring even more wanted destruction! But do not worry! Return quickly to your homes, and let your Empire protect you all!” The crowds had already started to leave from the moment the Heartless arrived, though the words spoken by Nomis seemed to bring some sort of order to the once growing chaos. The Empire’s authorities already beginning to mobilize and lead the large gathering of people out of the district as quickly as possible.
The large vehicles, filled with the only salvageable materials from the decimated storehouse, soon started to leave once the crowds had thinned enough on the district’s streets, only a long machine was left just outside on the sidewalk, its long body elegantly crafted and moulded as if from a single large piece of metal. Waiting by its side, a familiar mask wearing maid stood by the driver side door of the vehicle, only moving to open the passenger door for Nomis as he made his way towards it.
“Come Caleb. Things are in hand here.” With that said, Nomis tapped the end of his dark cane on the ground three times, each tap causing one of the floating machines to change colour from what was once a calming blue to now a malevolent purple.
It was after the door was shut by the maid that that floating machines sprang into action, their large frames swiftly moving through the air and around the Heartless, whom seemed to ignore the inorganic beings, and intently towards that of Ace and Shizuka. The first of the Eyebots came down towards Ace, its body morphing once more into a tripod form, except unlike before when it remained stationary, it soon used its new legs to try and impale the young man, stomping its sharpened points into the ground as it screeched static towards him.
For Shizuka, the second of the machines seemed to follow in suit with the Darkball she was currently engaged with. Choosing to remain floating in the air, hovering around in sync with the Heartless’ own movements, the machine soon sprouted a pair of long metal arms from inside its casing, the ends of which seemed to be fitted with a pair of tools, one being a singular sharp claw most likely used for cutting through metal, while the second arm was that of a drill, buzzing as it whirled wildly while charging for the young woman.
It was the third that remained a mystery for now, its form never changing, its position being the same place from where all three first started, only now high above the burned area where the storehouse once stood.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Sewers~~~~~~
The sound of splashing echoing throughout the sewers was something not at all strange to hear for those travelling through it. However it was the constant emergence of numerous and even louder forms of the sound that was unsettling to hear, especially coupled with that of the brief instances of metal scrapping against bricks that could just be made out during the very rare moments of silence between splashing water.
The hulking Metalwolves stood hunched as they made their way through the sewers of Hollow Bastion, their journey taking longer due to the assortment of sealed cases which they proceeded to drag behind them, the long chains attached to the items being held within their mouths as they followed behind the leader of their pack, the sight of which was even more monstrous than before.
Now more than twice the size of even the large Metalwolves themselves, the beast looked grossly out of proportion. Moving through the sewers, which are large enough to allow most adults to walk normally through and even the Metalwolves to pass with just a small hunch in their stance, proved to just be barely large enough for the leader, its massive form causing it to move on all fours though revealing as it walked the sight of two smaller forearms closer inside its chest area.
It was the large ridges of metal lining its back that seemed to be the cause of the echoing scraps throughout the sewer, and though its large main forearms and legs would splash into the water from time to time, them having slipped off the solid bricks that made up the side-paths of the sewer, it was its long reaching tail that appeared to be the main cause of the noise, hanging low towards the water and eventually slapping through it whenever the great beast stopped to gain its senses of the area.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District~~~~~~
He knew people weren’t inherently stupid…perhaps blissfully ignorant by choosing to believe anything anyone said, or fearful of going against the will of the stronger speaker, but stupid? Definitely not. That was something Nomis knew more than anyone, and it was by using that knowledge, to know the right moment when you can turn a crowd around to your way of thinking no matter the true reasoning behind it, that was what he was exceptionally good at.
“A very nice speech, Uncle Nomis.” Said the new voice off to the side of Nomis, the older man looking towards the shadow cast by the walls of the area with the rising sun, seeing the teenager just out of sight of the crowds who were further back out on the street, still facing the man.
“Thank you very much, Caleb. I trust there were no setbacks with your task, hmm?” Asked Nomis as the strange metal eye cameras, those that changed into their weird tripod forms, soon morphed back to match the floating type, all three now floating in the air behind both Nomis and Caleb.
It was by one of the machines suddenly blaring loud like a siren that caused Nomis to stop and look, not towards the eye itself, but that of the lone figure that suddenly leaped over the far wall with a small group of Heartless in tow.
“Look at this now, Caleb. They just keep giving themselves more rope to hang themselves with.” Nomis said, speaking quietly to young Caleb beside him, his smile slowly presenting itself more as he turned back towards the now panicking crowds, cane held in the air as he approached.
“Fear not, residents of Bastion! These creatures of darkness will not harm you, the Empire will protect you for as long as we are here! See how those who caused you harm, return to bring even more wanted destruction! But do not worry! Return quickly to your homes, and let your Empire protect you all!” The crowds had already started to leave from the moment the Heartless arrived, though the words spoken by Nomis seemed to bring some sort of order to the once growing chaos. The Empire’s authorities already beginning to mobilize and lead the large gathering of people out of the district as quickly as possible.
The large vehicles, filled with the only salvageable materials from the decimated storehouse, soon started to leave once the crowds had thinned enough on the district’s streets, only a long machine was left just outside on the sidewalk, its long body elegantly crafted and moulded as if from a single large piece of metal. Waiting by its side, a familiar mask wearing maid stood by the driver side door of the vehicle, only moving to open the passenger door for Nomis as he made his way towards it.
“Come Caleb. Things are in hand here.” With that said, Nomis tapped the end of his dark cane on the ground three times, each tap causing one of the floating machines to change colour from what was once a calming blue to now a malevolent purple.
It was after the door was shut by the maid that that floating machines sprang into action, their large frames swiftly moving through the air and around the Heartless, whom seemed to ignore the inorganic beings, and intently towards that of Ace and Shizuka. The first of the Eyebots came down towards Ace, its body morphing once more into a tripod form, except unlike before when it remained stationary, it soon used its new legs to try and impale the young man, stomping its sharpened points into the ground as it screeched static towards him.
For Shizuka, the second of the machines seemed to follow in suit with the Darkball she was currently engaged with. Choosing to remain floating in the air, hovering around in sync with the Heartless’ own movements, the machine soon sprouted a pair of long metal arms from inside its casing, the ends of which seemed to be fitted with a pair of tools, one being a singular sharp claw most likely used for cutting through metal, while the second arm was that of a drill, buzzing as it whirled wildly while charging for the young woman.
It was the third that remained a mystery for now, its form never changing, its position being the same place from where all three first started, only now high above the burned area where the storehouse once stood.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Sewers~~~~~~
The sound of splashing echoing throughout the sewers was something not at all strange to hear for those travelling through it. However it was the constant emergence of numerous and even louder forms of the sound that was unsettling to hear, especially coupled with that of the brief instances of metal scrapping against bricks that could just be made out during the very rare moments of silence between splashing water.
The hulking Metalwolves stood hunched as they made their way through the sewers of Hollow Bastion, their journey taking longer due to the assortment of sealed cases which they proceeded to drag behind them, the long chains attached to the items being held within their mouths as they followed behind the leader of their pack, the sight of which was even more monstrous than before.
Now more than twice the size of even the large Metalwolves themselves, the beast looked grossly out of proportion. Moving through the sewers, which are large enough to allow most adults to walk normally through and even the Metalwolves to pass with just a small hunch in their stance, proved to just be barely large enough for the leader, its massive form causing it to move on all fours though revealing as it walked the sight of two smaller forearms closer inside its chest area.
It was the large ridges of metal lining its back that seemed to be the cause of the echoing scraps throughout the sewer, and though its large main forearms and legs would splash into the water from time to time, them having slipped off the solid bricks that made up the side-paths of the sewer, it was its long reaching tail that appeared to be the main cause of the noise, hanging low towards the water and eventually slapping through it whenever the great beast stopped to gain its senses of the area.
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~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District - Storehouse remains~~~~~~
The sunrise had already begun to bath the large city of Hollow Bastion in its morning rays, the pillar of smoke, which at first had been a dark column rising into the night sky, had been reduced to nothing much but a white smouldering mess. The storehouse was now just a collection of charred mounds of wood and ash, metal struts protruded here and there, and while charred due to the inferno that had befallen the building, the metal had mostly remained undamaged in the end. Large vehicles now filled the surrounding zone of damage that was the storehouse, while the streets that led through the district were already full of citizens, some having been there from the moment the flames were first glimpsed only a few hours ago.
The clean-up of the disaster had already begun, once the firefighters had put out the last remnants of the blaze that is. Piles of the now scrapped metal and struts filled the truck like vehicles, with other similar machines designated for the pieces of wood and glass that just barely survived the fire. Those who came when the firefighters started to arrive, would find themselves to be the only ones to have seen the removal of the bodies, the sight of some nearly turning away the gathering crowds.
While rumours of what could have happened fuelled most of the citizens conversations, it was the now hushed whispers and murmurs of why exactly the familiar well-dressed man, who arrived shortly after sunrise to the site, was now approaching them. The strange floating mechanical eyes, which soon remodelled themselves slightly to produce a rather tripod lower half, positioned themselves either side of the man once he had stopped walking, the third of the machines continuing to float above the crowd with its gaze solely on Nomis himself.
“My dear residents of Bastion! Let me share with you the truth...the truth of last night’s most horrendous scene that is before you all this morning…”
Throughout the city stood tall steel posts with monitors facing the basic four directions, and while they came in various sizes and shapes, all were now showing the same sight, that of Nomis’ talk occurring right now from far down in the Storehouse Disctrict. Just as the crowds stood in person stood in silence to Nomis’ words, those who watched the monitors through the city did the same.
“I blame myself…I blame myself that I wasn’t able to act quickly enough, for you, the people of Bastion. Perhaps if I did I might have…” It was this short pause that he looked down, a small self-disappointed laugh and sigh escaping from his lips as he removed his pair of glasses for that small moment.
“No…Now is not the time to blame ourselves…Those who came and destroyed, they are to blame…Those who took food and medical need that was for you, the people, they are to blame…Those who came and killed whoever was in their way, even your own loved ones for just serving the Emperor loyally and with honour?! They are to blame!! And these, are who you can blame!!!”
The “true” images of the break-in were suddenly shown on all monitors throughout the city, and though quite blurry in some cases, it was clear it was none other than the Unbound Hearts who could have tried such a bold heist on the district. The angry cheers from most of the crowds who watched, were all united on behalf of Nomis, the man
kindly smiling as he placed his glasses back on, nodding in agreement with the people of Hollow Bastion.
“We will catch and punish these people who wronged you. Any information that you, the good people of Bastion, may have, please do not hesitate to inform your District Representative. Together we will be able to put the damage that has been done, right again.”
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District - Storehouse remains~~~~~~
The sunrise had already begun to bath the large city of Hollow Bastion in its morning rays, the pillar of smoke, which at first had been a dark column rising into the night sky, had been reduced to nothing much but a white smouldering mess. The storehouse was now just a collection of charred mounds of wood and ash, metal struts protruded here and there, and while charred due to the inferno that had befallen the building, the metal had mostly remained undamaged in the end. Large vehicles now filled the surrounding zone of damage that was the storehouse, while the streets that led through the district were already full of citizens, some having been there from the moment the flames were first glimpsed only a few hours ago.
The clean-up of the disaster had already begun, once the firefighters had put out the last remnants of the blaze that is. Piles of the now scrapped metal and struts filled the truck like vehicles, with other similar machines designated for the pieces of wood and glass that just barely survived the fire. Those who came when the firefighters started to arrive, would find themselves to be the only ones to have seen the removal of the bodies, the sight of some nearly turning away the gathering crowds.
While rumours of what could have happened fuelled most of the citizens conversations, it was the now hushed whispers and murmurs of why exactly the familiar well-dressed man, who arrived shortly after sunrise to the site, was now approaching them. The strange floating mechanical eyes, which soon remodelled themselves slightly to produce a rather tripod lower half, positioned themselves either side of the man once he had stopped walking, the third of the machines continuing to float above the crowd with its gaze solely on Nomis himself.
“My dear residents of Bastion! Let me share with you the truth...the truth of last night’s most horrendous scene that is before you all this morning…”
Throughout the city stood tall steel posts with monitors facing the basic four directions, and while they came in various sizes and shapes, all were now showing the same sight, that of Nomis’ talk occurring right now from far down in the Storehouse Disctrict. Just as the crowds stood in person stood in silence to Nomis’ words, those who watched the monitors through the city did the same.
“I blame myself…I blame myself that I wasn’t able to act quickly enough, for you, the people of Bastion. Perhaps if I did I might have…” It was this short pause that he looked down, a small self-disappointed laugh and sigh escaping from his lips as he removed his pair of glasses for that small moment.
“No…Now is not the time to blame ourselves…Those who came and destroyed, they are to blame…Those who took food and medical need that was for you, the people, they are to blame…Those who came and killed whoever was in their way, even your own loved ones for just serving the Emperor loyally and with honour?! They are to blame!! And these, are who you can blame!!!”
The “true” images of the break-in were suddenly shown on all monitors throughout the city, and though quite blurry in some cases, it was clear it was none other than the Unbound Hearts who could have tried such a bold heist on the district. The angry cheers from most of the crowds who watched, were all united on behalf of Nomis, the man
kindly smiling as he placed his glasses back on, nodding in agreement with the people of Hollow Bastion.
“We will catch and punish these people who wronged you. Any information that you, the good people of Bastion, may have, please do not hesitate to inform your District Representative. Together we will be able to put the damage that has been done, right again.”
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~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Factory~~~~~~
The sound of something dinging far above the lobby of the factory soon began to reach the senses of Salforge and Ryoko, it soon getting louder and more distinct every couple of seconds, until finally the gilded cage of an elevator reached the very bottom, the lobby itself. Peeling away as if they were some kind of wings from a bird, the crisscrossed bronze metal retracted enough of itself before allowing the single figure that was within the machine to finally exit. The woman’s long dress was something anyone stationed in the castle of Hollow Bastion would know quite well, the maid-styled outfit nearly reaching to the floor just like the others wore, and complete with the same smiling female mask they all wore too, the only thing that set this one apart from the others was the colour of her hair.
“Miss Ryoko…Mr Maxwell…Master Clacverk welcomes you.” Said the woman, her emotionless tone just like all the others as she spoke to the two newcomers, slowly bowing in respect to both as two more of the strangely designed elevators soon arrived to join the first.
“If you would follow me please…Sir Clacverk will see you now.” It was with those final words that the maid returned back into her own personal lift, the elegant crosshatched metal once again folding in on itself to seal her inside before the sound of dinging returned as the machine began its journey back up through the heights of the massive place.
Machines of many sizes could be viewed on ones travel up through the factory, the pipes that vented out the small clouds of steam sometimes shaking as a strong amount of pressure ran through its insides, while gears large enough to easily swallow up whole people should they fall into them slowly spun like the workings of a massive clock.
Finally reaching the top of the structure, the dinging coming from the elevator stopped, before opening just like it had done when it reached the lobby earlier. Stepping out, the maid immediately stood to the side and waited until the other two machines arrived, her head bowed and always towards the mirror polished floor of the control room.
“Sir Clacverk…Miss Ryoko and Mr Maxwell to see you.”
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Factory~~~~~~
The sound of something dinging far above the lobby of the factory soon began to reach the senses of Salforge and Ryoko, it soon getting louder and more distinct every couple of seconds, until finally the gilded cage of an elevator reached the very bottom, the lobby itself. Peeling away as if they were some kind of wings from a bird, the crisscrossed bronze metal retracted enough of itself before allowing the single figure that was within the machine to finally exit. The woman’s long dress was something anyone stationed in the castle of Hollow Bastion would know quite well, the maid-styled outfit nearly reaching to the floor just like the others wore, and complete with the same smiling female mask they all wore too, the only thing that set this one apart from the others was the colour of her hair.
“Miss Ryoko…Mr Maxwell…Master Clacverk welcomes you.” Said the woman, her emotionless tone just like all the others as she spoke to the two newcomers, slowly bowing in respect to both as two more of the strangely designed elevators soon arrived to join the first.
“If you would follow me please…Sir Clacverk will see you now.” It was with those final words that the maid returned back into her own personal lift, the elegant crosshatched metal once again folding in on itself to seal her inside before the sound of dinging returned as the machine began its journey back up through the heights of the massive place.
Machines of many sizes could be viewed on ones travel up through the factory, the pipes that vented out the small clouds of steam sometimes shaking as a strong amount of pressure ran through its insides, while gears large enough to easily swallow up whole people should they fall into them slowly spun like the workings of a massive clock.
Finally reaching the top of the structure, the dinging coming from the elevator stopped, before opening just like it had done when it reached the lobby earlier. Stepping out, the maid immediately stood to the side and waited until the other two machines arrived, her head bowed and always towards the mirror polished floor of the control room.
“Sir Clacverk…Miss Ryoko and Mr Maxwell to see you.”
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~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District~~~~~~
The large beasts slowly circled Ace and Shizuka, their long claws clattering and scrapping the rough storehouse floor with every pace they took, yet their half a dozen eyes each still watched the two for any chance of escape. It was the small amount of space each werewolf gave the other that allowed Shizuka access to the steel bars close by, and with surprising strength for someone much smaller than the machines, the metal beams were soon sent flying towards the creature closest to the entrance. The suddenness of it all definitely caught the machine off guard, the long hunk of metal easily slamming with its full force right on the side of the Werewolf’s head and bringing it down to the ground with an almighty crash.
The second beam caught the fallen machine’s chest just as it began to stand back up, but it was the third that came right afterwards that managed to cause the most harm, running right through the thick metal chest and seemingly putting the creature down for good, its many eyes fading as it lay now harmlessly on the floor. The last two metal struts however weren’t as effective. With one swatted away by the remaining machine like it was a twig, the final piece of metal was soon cleaved into four smaller chunks, the Metalwolf’s claws being more than sharp enough to pass through the steel like paper.
The rumbling that ran throughout the storehouse was enough to cause some of the higher stacked crates to come crashing down onto the ground, spilling their contents of machine parts, forged weapons, even dried packs of rations, soon the floor was covered in this and more, with splintered chunks of wood littering the piles. Racing over the growing mounds of now rubbish, the Metalwolves from every section of the storehouse seemed set on the heart of the quaking, arriving just to see the last few boxes and figures disappearing through the closing dark vortex. Like gravity returning to a vacuum, those crates which had been caught in the pull of the portal but had no time to make it through, came crashing down once more, whatever they had merely getting buried more and more with falling crates until silence filled the large building once more.
The five massive Metalwolves simply held their positions, all facing their sights on where the vortex had once been yet it was the first to be created that slowly took steps forward, before turning to face the four. With another howl from the lead Metalwolf, those four that remained swiftly shot in different directions of the storehouse. While two were busy digging through the piles of crushed crates for something specific, it seemed the other team had a much simpler job, each one leaping higher towards the rafters of the building and slicing through the thick pipes that ran along them.
Every new slice on the line of pipes allowing the gas within it to escape, until the storehouse was filled with nothing but the sound of hissing and highly dangerous gas. It was nothing more than a simple spark from one of the beasts landing feet that caused the massive reaction to occur, the storehouse exploded first with a deafening boom just before the fire erupted, like a beacon perfect for the pitch black sky. There was probably nowhere throughout Hollow Bastion that one wouldn’t be able to see this blazing inferno reaching high into the air, and that was the real purpose behind it, that no one would miss it.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Castle Keep~~~~~~
The once grand keep of Hollow Bastion had been mostly decimated at the time the Empire arrived on this world. While partly in restoration at the time itself, the castle keep was still formidable enough to hold a moderate amount of resistance, but even then it didn’t take too long before it and the world itself fell under the rule of the Emperor and his Empire. Since then the city of Hollow Bastion, as well as the castle itself, had slowly been rebuilt and remodelled, with once smaller sections soon expanded to accommodate the sudden increase of technological advancement that had never been seen on the world before the Empires rule.
The massive castle had changed drastically since then, its height now towering over the even bigger city below, strange hunks of metal shaped buildings clung to the side of the tower like structure the castle had become. And yet all this was still a work in progress, the peak of the castle/tower still being added to daily and though having reached passed the clouds, people could still see on clear sky days the unfinished work at its top.
The fire that blazed from the storehouse district was noticeable, even from the huge amount of distance the castle had between them. Light from this fire poured into one of the large rooms of the keep, the chamber fitted and filled with all manner of books and devices, the massive fireplace situated on the far wall having burned itself out hours ago and so brought in the pitch blackness to the room to begin with. Behind the large wooden desk and armchair, the single crack of light pouring out through the open sliver of an almost unnoticeable door revealed the wall of monitors and sitting figure before them all.
All but some of the screens now showed the raging fire down at the storehouse district. Some from a distance, some from a street levelled view while people seemed to flock towards its general direction all to see what was going on. Monitors that had once showed the invasion of the UHs as they entered the storehouse showed nothing but static now, but what they once had was now being replayed piece by piece on a large screen, of which all other monitors circled around it.
While not showing the entire chain of events, it was clear that was the point. Images showed the group of UHs ransacking the storehouse, their destruction of the defences outside clearly noticeable through the large opening of the building they had taken. Blood covered bodies lay strewn over piles of broken crates, some nearly beyond recognition. Blurry but still faint enough images of a figure stumbling over crates and planting a device on one of the far walls of the storehouse were the next to appear. All this building up to the final sequence of events, of the structure erupting with its earth quaking explosion.
Already new images were coming in through the other monitors, those arriving to combat with the fire soon stumbling across the littered bodies left by the UHs themselves, along with a few of their own members both inside and out of the blazing building. Tapping his finger on the desk as he watched, the figure smiled as he laid back in the chair.
“Wonderful…simply perfect…”
The faint sound of footsteps that could be heard from the joined room didn’t seem to unnerve the figure, still laying back in the chair as two young women entered, side by side and both identically dressed like those of maids, the colour of their hair seemingly the only difference between them both.
“Lord Nomis?”
“Master Clacverk?”
Both of the women spoke in unison, the masks they strangely wore covering both of their faces and revealed a simple design of a smiling woman, yet the emotionless tone from their voices was definitely contradicting.
“You wished to be informed when it was close to sunrise, Lord Nomis.”
“And that time is nearly here, Master Clacverk.”
“Thank you, my dears.” Said the figure, who after standing up from the chair allowed the two women to start slipping on the long but thick coat onto him, accompanying it with the dark metal cane which Nomis soon took possession off from the red haired maid.
“I trust preparations for our upcoming event are coming along well?” Nomis asked as he made his way past the two maids, entering the large study that joined the monitor room and almost immediately began flipping through some of the already opened books on the desk.
“Yes, Lord Nomis.”
“Quite well, Master Clacverk.”
“Good. It should be any day now, and then we will be able to do so much more.” Said the well-dressed man, his smile returning as he flipped through one of the larger books, revealing within it page after page of various diagrams of a growing and familiar structure.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Storehouse District~~~~~~
The large beasts slowly circled Ace and Shizuka, their long claws clattering and scrapping the rough storehouse floor with every pace they took, yet their half a dozen eyes each still watched the two for any chance of escape. It was the small amount of space each werewolf gave the other that allowed Shizuka access to the steel bars close by, and with surprising strength for someone much smaller than the machines, the metal beams were soon sent flying towards the creature closest to the entrance. The suddenness of it all definitely caught the machine off guard, the long hunk of metal easily slamming with its full force right on the side of the Werewolf’s head and bringing it down to the ground with an almighty crash.
The second beam caught the fallen machine’s chest just as it began to stand back up, but it was the third that came right afterwards that managed to cause the most harm, running right through the thick metal chest and seemingly putting the creature down for good, its many eyes fading as it lay now harmlessly on the floor. The last two metal struts however weren’t as effective. With one swatted away by the remaining machine like it was a twig, the final piece of metal was soon cleaved into four smaller chunks, the Metalwolf’s claws being more than sharp enough to pass through the steel like paper.
The rumbling that ran throughout the storehouse was enough to cause some of the higher stacked crates to come crashing down onto the ground, spilling their contents of machine parts, forged weapons, even dried packs of rations, soon the floor was covered in this and more, with splintered chunks of wood littering the piles. Racing over the growing mounds of now rubbish, the Metalwolves from every section of the storehouse seemed set on the heart of the quaking, arriving just to see the last few boxes and figures disappearing through the closing dark vortex. Like gravity returning to a vacuum, those crates which had been caught in the pull of the portal but had no time to make it through, came crashing down once more, whatever they had merely getting buried more and more with falling crates until silence filled the large building once more.
The five massive Metalwolves simply held their positions, all facing their sights on where the vortex had once been yet it was the first to be created that slowly took steps forward, before turning to face the four. With another howl from the lead Metalwolf, those four that remained swiftly shot in different directions of the storehouse. While two were busy digging through the piles of crushed crates for something specific, it seemed the other team had a much simpler job, each one leaping higher towards the rafters of the building and slicing through the thick pipes that ran along them.
Every new slice on the line of pipes allowing the gas within it to escape, until the storehouse was filled with nothing but the sound of hissing and highly dangerous gas. It was nothing more than a simple spark from one of the beasts landing feet that caused the massive reaction to occur, the storehouse exploded first with a deafening boom just before the fire erupted, like a beacon perfect for the pitch black sky. There was probably nowhere throughout Hollow Bastion that one wouldn’t be able to see this blazing inferno reaching high into the air, and that was the real purpose behind it, that no one would miss it.
~~~~~~Hollow Bastion / Castle Keep~~~~~~
The once grand keep of Hollow Bastion had been mostly decimated at the time the Empire arrived on this world. While partly in restoration at the time itself, the castle keep was still formidable enough to hold a moderate amount of resistance, but even then it didn’t take too long before it and the world itself fell under the rule of the Emperor and his Empire. Since then the city of Hollow Bastion, as well as the castle itself, had slowly been rebuilt and remodelled, with once smaller sections soon expanded to accommodate the sudden increase of technological advancement that had never been seen on the world before the Empires rule.
The massive castle had changed drastically since then, its height now towering over the even bigger city below, strange hunks of metal shaped buildings clung to the side of the tower like structure the castle had become. And yet all this was still a work in progress, the peak of the castle/tower still being added to daily and though having reached passed the clouds, people could still see on clear sky days the unfinished work at its top.
The fire that blazed from the storehouse district was noticeable, even from the huge amount of distance the castle had between them. Light from this fire poured into one of the large rooms of the keep, the chamber fitted and filled with all manner of books and devices, the massive fireplace situated on the far wall having burned itself out hours ago and so brought in the pitch blackness to the room to begin with. Behind the large wooden desk and armchair, the single crack of light pouring out through the open sliver of an almost unnoticeable door revealed the wall of monitors and sitting figure before them all.
All but some of the screens now showed the raging fire down at the storehouse district. Some from a distance, some from a street levelled view while people seemed to flock towards its general direction all to see what was going on. Monitors that had once showed the invasion of the UHs as they entered the storehouse showed nothing but static now, but what they once had was now being replayed piece by piece on a large screen, of which all other monitors circled around it.
While not showing the entire chain of events, it was clear that was the point. Images showed the group of UHs ransacking the storehouse, their destruction of the defences outside clearly noticeable through the large opening of the building they had taken. Blood covered bodies lay strewn over piles of broken crates, some nearly beyond recognition. Blurry but still faint enough images of a figure stumbling over crates and planting a device on one of the far walls of the storehouse were the next to appear. All this building up to the final sequence of events, of the structure erupting with its earth quaking explosion.
Already new images were coming in through the other monitors, those arriving to combat with the fire soon stumbling across the littered bodies left by the UHs themselves, along with a few of their own members both inside and out of the blazing building. Tapping his finger on the desk as he watched, the figure smiled as he laid back in the chair.
“Wonderful…simply perfect…”
The faint sound of footsteps that could be heard from the joined room didn’t seem to unnerve the figure, still laying back in the chair as two young women entered, side by side and both identically dressed like those of maids, the colour of their hair seemingly the only difference between them both.
“Lord Nomis?”
“Master Clacverk?”
Both of the women spoke in unison, the masks they strangely wore covering both of their faces and revealed a simple design of a smiling woman, yet the emotionless tone from their voices was definitely contradicting.
“You wished to be informed when it was close to sunrise, Lord Nomis.”
“And that time is nearly here, Master Clacverk.”
“Thank you, my dears.” Said the figure, who after standing up from the chair allowed the two women to start slipping on the long but thick coat onto him, accompanying it with the dark metal cane which Nomis soon took possession off from the red haired maid.
“I trust preparations for our upcoming event are coming along well?” Nomis asked as he made his way past the two maids, entering the large study that joined the monitor room and almost immediately began flipping through some of the already opened books on the desk.
“Yes, Lord Nomis.”
“Quite well, Master Clacverk.”
“Good. It should be any day now, and then we will be able to do so much more.” Said the well-dressed man, his smile returning as he flipped through one of the larger books, revealing within it page after page of various diagrams of a growing and familiar structure.
----------------------------------------
Nice posts, really liked the way you had Rika arrive with the others SoleAccord. ^^ I'll be working on a post now.
Oh, and just wanted to mention Pierce if you didn't get a chance to see, I sent a pm to you.
Edit: Just posted, didn't realise I wrote so much until I was almost finished it. ^-^
Nice posts, really liked the way you had Rika arrive with the others SoleAccord. ^^ I'll be working on a post now.
Oh, and just wanted to mention Pierce if you didn't get a chance to see, I sent a pm to you.
Edit: Just posted, didn't realise I wrote so much until I was almost finished it. ^-^
----------------------------------
Well I'd say the same would have gone for the soldiers the first machines killed, the only reason they'd do what they were doing being because they're trying to kill any and everyone inside the storehouses, no matter who they're with. It's okay then, I'll change the ending part slightly.
Edit: Just changed the last little paragraph, took out the mention of Rika in it. Sorry about that SoleAccord.
Well I'd say the same would have gone for the soldiers the first machines killed, the only reason they'd do what they were doing being because they're trying to kill any and everyone inside the storehouses, no matter who they're with. It's okay then, I'll change the ending part slightly.
Edit: Just changed the last little paragraph, took out the mention of Rika in it. Sorry about that SoleAccord.
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