FicWad

Chapter 1

Satine ran down the dark hallway, killing enemies left and right. She just kept running. Ryoyuu was in the cells, and he needed her...

Ryoryuu just lay there, twitching. He saw one of the other prisoners, a girl with jet-black hair and dressed in a green Japanese schoolgirl uniform by the name of Saeko, pick the lock of her cell, then she picked the lock of his cell. “Wh-what are you doing?” He asked.
“Getting you and the Khajiit out of here.” She answered in a calm even tone as she unlatched the other cell. Ryoryuu struggled to get to his feet, and walked over and was helped by the Khajiit, Poe, who was just arrested today. They slowly walked down the corridor.

Satine finally reached the door to the main hall. She opened it and found the three of them already working their way out. She immediately grabbed Ryoryuu and led them to the hummer. With everyone in, they drove away as fast as they could until they reached their factory. Ryoryuu was barely able to move, but he just limped shamefully to his room, slamming the door shut, and he didn’t come out for almost a week.

While Ryoryuu was in his forced exile, Saeko and Poe were starting to get acquainted with the other members and the factory itself. Saeko started of introductions by giving her name as well as a simple bow. Poe, nearly knocking over one of the fold-away tables with his tail, stepped forward, gave his name, and stepped back. Satine bowed as well and warmly said,
“Nice to meet you, I am Satine, a Haibane, as you can plainly see.” Sebastian chuckled slightly at Satine’s introduction, but nonetheless stepped forward, knelt, used his arms to point toward Jake, and said,
“I present to you the honorable Sir Jake.” Jake gave an awkward wave as Sebastian stood back up and began to introduce himself. “I am Sebastian, Jake’s butler, as well as his power.” Sebastian said as he motioned towards himself in a modest sort of way. Daniel excitedly said, “Nice to meet you two! The name’s Daniel, the Resistance’s alchemist as well as magic extraordinaire.”, ending the introduction with a “peace” like finger pose.

Saeko was a tall, shapely teen with jet-black hair and a killer instinct. She was a very mature girl, almost to the point of abnormalities. One such abnormality was that she would always let the others get food first, and was polite to everyone. Another was her astounding ability to get anything she wanted.

Poe on the other hand, was quite simple-minded and, honestly, ignorant. He was just completely ignorant to everything that the Resistance did. He didn’t know much about weapons, either. It appeared he was more of a screw up than a useful ally. He could screw up anything from cleaning a gun to washing the dishes. However, he was always kind and offered to help with less dangerous tasks whenever he could.

Satine grew more and more worried as time grew on. Ryoryuu was still the one she cared about, and he wasn’t there. She didn’t feel right without him. And this guy Poe, he was not helping at all. It was obvious he was trying to win her over, no matter what. She just mused on life, working on a project. She wanted to make a dagger for Ryoryuu. And after spending the whole day on it, she was shocked to see Ryoyuu sitting behind her watching. “RYORYUU!!! You scared the fuck outta me!”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it, the curiosity was overwhelming. Who is that for?” Ryoryuu asked.
“Its for, err, no one. It’s mine.” Satine said nervously. “Oh, okay then.” Ryoryuu said and just walked to the kitchen to make dinner.

Ryoryuu walked to the table, setting the perfect mochi balls he made, along with special hand rolls and tempura. He sighed and just returned to the spire. He was ashamed of himself. His healing proved that Satine still cared, and he hurt her....

Saeko watched Ryoryuu as he set the table. She was intrigued with him. He was how she thought a man should be. Strong as a rock, but forgiving and just. She walked up the spire and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Ryoryuu said, and Saeko walked in calmly. “Thank you Saeko, for saving me.” Ryoryuu said in a quiet tone.
“It was nothing, especially for someone as kind as yourself.” He was pleased by her presence. She was a kind girl...

Satine just looked out her window, and saw something she didn’t want to see. Saeko was with Ryoryuu, and that was not a good thing in her eyes...

As Saeko was with Ryoryuu and Satine was watching from a distance, Poe was given the task of sweeping up after the evening meal. Despite his renowned clumsiness, the Resistance thought he couldn’t mess up if only armed with a broom. Unfortunately, within minutes of everone leaving, there was a loud crash in the dining area, causing Jake, Sebastian, and Daniel to come running, only to see that the fold-away dining table had been broken in half, nearly all of the glass china was shattered into thousands of pieces, and the room itself somehow had a crack in the wall. Sebastian, completely awestruck by the amount of destruction within the timespan, could only ask, “How on earth did this happen?” Poe, holding a now broken broomstick, could only shrug. Sebastian closed his eyes and put his hand to his face as he said, “Good grief. It seems as though you’ve added quite a large amount of work to my shoulders.” Jake said to Sebastian, “Daniel, Poe, and I will get new china. I expect this room to be clean by the time we get back.” Daniel added, “Just don’t let Poe carry anything.”

When they returned after about ten minutes with the replacement dishes, the three of them were in awe as they saw the “repaired dining area.” Sebastian smiled as he said, “After throwing out the old table, I used the broken glass to fashion this Japanese styled table. The remaining glass was used to make a new cupboard to house the replacement china. All floorboards have been cleaned and polished, and the ceiling has been repainted. The wall has been repaired, and all wallpaper has been replaced in the entire dining area.” Sebastian took out his gold pocket watch and said, “Look at the time, it appears as though the tea is finished brewing. Put the china away and I will return shortly with the tea.” After Jake and Daniel finished putting the china in the cupboards, Sebastian returned with the tea, giving everyone a cup of tea; Poe’s cup, however, was plastic. Daniel looked to Sebastian and said, “We couldn’t have been gone for more than ten minutes. How did you do all that work within so little time?” Sebastian bowed and replied, “If I couldn’t do this much for Jake, then what kind of butler would I be?” Despite the oddness of Sebastian’s answer, they all had their tea, and decided to call it a night.

As Saeko went to her room, she saw a simple Japanese futon with an Edo age Japanese symbol on the covers. Her room had a single window that let a small amount of light in. On opposing sides of the room, there bore Shinto bamboo electrical lanterns. In the middle of the room was an Arroyo Glasgow chain-hung lantern. Hung on the wall was a pedestal that allowed her to place her prized sword she got while she was back in Japan with a friend during the war; when she was with Takashi. Finally, there was a brown Mizuya chest. To her, these decorations were more than enough. In her mind, she would have been content with a single light and futon. Nonetheless, she set her sword on the pedestal, took off her school uniform and placed it beside the chest and went to sleep.

Poe also went to his room. His room had nothing more than a mattress with two sets of sheets, two windows on the same wall, a simple wood dresser and a empty glass display case. The display case he filled with his prized handmade bracelets. After that he just sat down and went to sleep.

Ryoryuu however, walked outside, and went into the woods behind the factory. He sat on a log and listened to the sounds of the world. He heard something and smiled, snatching the throwing knife out of the air, and threw it back at the would-be assassin. He heard a scream and walked over to the man, a small sneaky looking man, armed with some throwing knives. The knife had pierced his heart. He had no identification, and no money, but he had some equipment that was definitely Polera made. He was impressed. He had found a way through his security system. This was a challenge. He needed to upgrade his system, or abandon it altogether. He went inside lugging the dead assassin with him.

As Ryoryuu lugged the assassin into the factory, he wasn’t the only one awake at that hour. Jake was on his computer writing a new program by writing its base code. Sebastian asked, “Master if I may impose, what are you doing up at this hour?” Jake did not even take the time to stop typing as he said, “I am designing a program to predict the outcome of our battles. I won’t let the past repeat itself!” Sebastian nodded and said, “So, he is still the reason you fight so hard in the Resistance.” Jake stopped for a second and looked at Sebastian. “How in the world did you know about that?” Jake asked. Sebastian responded, “Must I remind you? You are me, and I am you. You bore no secrets from me, and nor can I lie to you.” Jake didn’t answer as he simply turned back to his computer, now pounding away at the keyboard.

Daniel awoke a few hours before dawn would set in. A simple series of thoughts continued to invade his mind: “Was using that potion on him worth it?” “That potion was my last hope... My last tie to an all too distant dream”. Daniel opened the safe, and looked at the note that read, “Use these after the war. I’ll look forward to seeing you again once the war is over” before placing it back in the safe and locking it. He then opened the drawers containing the alchemical ingredients and mixed several herbs together, resulting in a green incense. Allowing it to permeate the room for a few second, he put a cork over the top of the phial. The incense was, in actuality, a tranquilizing potion with an added essence of yew. The natural poison of the yew, when mixed with the tranquilizing potion, creates an aroma that can cause someone to fall asleep extremely quickly.
Chapter 2


The following day, Saeko prepared the morning breakfast, consisting of eggs over easy, hash browns, toast, and orange juice, for all seven of the Resistance members. Unfortunately due to the events of last night, Ryoryuu, Daniel, and Jake were still asleep, and Sebastian stayed with Jake, since Sebastian is Jake’s power. Seeing that half the people were missing, Saeko became somewhat disappointed but refused to show it. She set plates with a serving of food aside for the people who didn’t show up for breakfast. Satine remained silent for the whole meal, holding contempt for Saeko. Poe smiled and ate the food Saeko prepared. Expectantly however, when he reached for the Orange Juice, he accidentally knocked over his cup, spilling it all over the table. Wanting to avoid any further problems, Saeko offered to clean the table instead of Poe. Poe expressed gratitude and said, “Let me just refill my cup with more orange juice. “NO!! I mean just let me get it for you.” Saeko said in a tone of urgency. After she refilled his glass, breakfast continued until, Jake and Sebastian woke up and joined them for breakfast. “Go wake Daniel and Ryoryuu for me.” Saeko asked Sebastian. Sebastian nodded and went up the spire to get Ryoryuu, but as he was midway through climbing up the stairs, Ryoryuu opened his door and started climbing down the stairs. Since Ryoryuu was already going to eat, Sebastian left him alone and went down the hallway where Daniel’s room was located. As Sebastian tried to open Daniel’s door, which had the seal keeping the door locked, but was unsuccessful. Daniel opened the door, yawned, and said, “You know there is an enchantment in place to keep the door locked when active, right?” Sebastian said, “I am indeed aware of your enchantment, however I was told to awaken you.” Daniel ignored Sebastian’s answer, and, still partially tired and groggy from the incense, headed to the dining area for breakfast.

As Ryoryuu walked downstairs he couldn’t hold in what he had discovered. He sat down and said “There was an assassin that I killed last night, he had this on him.” He threw down a letter saying “The Resistance factory is to be infiltrated and this man is to be killed. Any method shall be permitted.” along with a picture of Ryoryuu. The others gasped and looked stunned.They all looked at Ryoryuu, and they saw a small smile of satisfaction on his face. “I knew the assassin, but only by reputation. He is a miracle worker, or rather... he was one.” He said with a devilish smile. “So... now what?” Satine asked politely. “We improve the security system, and survive, for now that is all we can do...” Ryoryuu said calmly. Everyone showed genuine signs of worry, for they had seen the destructive might of Ryoryuu’s defense network. They also knew how fool-proof it was. Several questions danced in everyone’s heads. “If that assassin could bypass the defenses are there others” and “How can we fight when we aren’t even relatively safe within our own compound”. After everyone finished eating breakfast, they had each left to do their own thing, as well as think of a solution to this whole mess.

Daniel didn’t waste any time in preparing a solution to this problem. Everyone had their own strong point, and magic was his. He asked Ryoryuu where the center of the factory was. “There is no need for an enchantment as you will find out in a minute...” Ryoryuu said calmly. Acknowledging his answer, Daniel nodded and descended the spire, heading in the general direction of his room. When Ryoryuu had used the word “enchantment”, Daniel realised he had forgotten that he had intended to test out his evoking magic by conjuring an enchantment table. He began chanting, “Nanikarananimade, watashi wa hanketsu...” a blue magic circle had appeared on the floor next to the alchemy table. Daniel finished the incantation, “Katachi o toru!” and a table with many strange symbols materialized as the magic circle disapppeared.

After breakfast, Jake had left to his room. He started up his newly made program. He ran at least fifty scenarios, specifically of intrusions into the factory, at a time on the monitor, examining each one closely as they all played simultaneously. He was shocked to see that there were many flaws in the security system Ryoryuu had set up if the enemy knew where to look.

Saeko was completely unsurprised by how Ryoryuu had reacted. But how easily the assassin had slipped by Ryoryuu’s legendary defenses. That was unnerving to her. She just sat at the foot of her bed and sighed.

Ryoryuu picked up the intercom, and said clearly over the loudspeaker. “We are moving to an alternate location. It is remote, and is underground. Only one way in, and one way out. Pack your things, and anything unnecessary will be left behind. I will enter the self destruct code, and this and everything for two miles, will be a crater. We leave in six hours, so pack up.” With that he packed up his weapons, and his clothes, which consist of mainly muscle shirts and blue jeans, and his beloved record player and his case of records. He also took the one thing he saved from his home, a bottle of scotch whisky.

Saeko just nodded to herself and packed up what little she had. Her clothes, and her sword were all she needed. She always wore clothes that were tight, and had no unnecessary pieces. A prime example of this was her current dress. She was wearing a tank top, and a mini skirt that was up past her wrists when she stands up straight. Not only were these good for fighting in, but they showed off her ever present curves, which is just what she wanted Ryoryuu to see.

Satine, always ready, as she had equipment and clothes packed away in case of just such an occasion, and was almost done packing in an hour. With her stuff packed, she decided it would be best if she helped the others.

The one who had the hardest time was Jake, however. He needed to disassemble his whole computer bank. He started with the monitor. Not many monitors had the graphics power to support his CPU. It took him ten minutes just to remove all the plugs. He prioritized his CPU tower next as it contained all the data he had gathered. Jake took a minute to think about which extremities he should bring with him. He decided that he could bring the Transmission encrypter/decrypter as well as his Subsonic Sequencing Module, a special device that allowed him to access the internet. The rest he had to leave behind. But after four long hours, he was packed. He ordered Sebastian to destroy the rest and to bring the CPU tower and monitor. Jake carried the Transmission encrypter/decrypter and his subsonic sequencing module. Satine carried the cords and plugs to the devices, as Jake didn’t want to give her too much to carry since she already had to take her stuff.

Of all the people, Daniel probably had the easiest time packing up. Most of the furnishings in his room, such as the bed, tables, the bookshelf, and the display case, could be conjured up again. He decided the best method was to place the Alchemical ingredients in a pocket dimension, as some ingredients were fragile. He put his clothes, fanfics, spellbooks, handmade Death Note, and the wand Jake made him in his suitcase. After he had packed everything, he took the safe, entered the combination 10311994, and carefully took the last item in the safe, the note, out and carefully slid it into the pocket of his black mage’s robe. As he was walking out the door, he muttered the word, “Kieru”, and everything in his room literally turned to dust. As he shut the door, he removed the seal that could lock the door, and ran to catch up with everyone else.

After loading up, they drove off to a safe distance. Ryoryuu stepped out and said happily “Well, you kiddies had better be ready for one hell of an explosion. I even added a little extra punch, about say 900 pounds of thermite, and over 200,000 gallons of napalm....” And with that he pressed the button, and that’s when all hell broke loose. A massive explosion shook the ground, even though they were over five miles away. The shock wave was so powerful it threw Ryoryuu against the Hummer. A second explosion created a massive fireball that scorched the area to the point where the heat was like being in an oven, even from where they were standing. Ryoryuu just smirked some. “Well, now that was interesting, I thought it would be bigger.” Satine just scoffed and said, “Bigger??? How could you make THAT bigger?!?!” “You have noooo idea how big I can make them.” Ryoryuu smiled as he spoke. “I could probably take out a whole town with one bomb, or take down a building with little damage to the surrounding area.” This made even Saeko a little wary.

Satine just drove off, going where Ryoryuu told her, until they reached a place even farther from town, a small empty lot near where Hollister used to be. In a happy tone, Ryoryuu spoke calmly “Welcome to Hidden Deep my friends.” They all got out and unloaded, following Ryoryuu to an old foundation, and then into a tunnel that came from under the foundation. He flicked on the lights and they were totally surprised to see an underground compound equivalent to that of the factory, only it was eight feet high, instead of 50 or 60.

Ryoryuu helped them all settle in. Each found a room, walls of concrete and several lights, all with a massive steel door, and several locks. They all looked the exact same. Ryoryuu knew it would be best if they made up the rooms as they saw fit.

With the little amount of equipment he brought with him, Jake found the smaller room to still be of perfect size. He set up his computer gear in the corner opposite to his bed, similarly to his original room. Sebastian quickly plugged in all the gear that Jake had just set up. As he finished, Jake plopped down on his bed.

As Daniel entered his room, he noticed the instant lack of any luxuries, aside for a simple bed and wardrobe. Daniel smirked and said, “This should be interesting.” He turned to one of the corners of the room and started chanting, “Mugen no fōmu wa, genjitsu ni jibun jishin o jitsugen suru”, and a magic circle appeared on the floor and started shimmering. Daniel finished the incantation, “KATACHI NI NARU!”, the same alchemy lab and enchanting table he destroyed in the Factory. Daniel had a full on smile and he could not help but shout, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!!! I KNEW I COULD PULL THAT SPELL OFF!!!!” Daniel shook his head for a moment, thinking, “I need to focus.” He then extended his hand toward his bed, and said, “Vicis!”. Within seconds, all his alchemy ingredients materialized into a pile on his bed. He spent the rest of the time organizing the ingredients and putting them into the compartments of the alchemy lab, as well as setting up his clothes in the wardrobe. As he finished, he walked up to his door, put his had to it, and said, “signantes vis”. Another enchantment, that functioned as a lock, appeared on his doorway again. Daniel sat down on his bed, thinking, “Finally... finished.” He then took out the note he had in his pocket that read, “Use these after the war. I’ll look forward to seeing you again once the war is over.”, after making sure the note was still there, he had a sudden epiphany. He conjured up a picture frame and took out a piece of blank white paper from his alchemy ingredients. He then began chanting, “Wasurete wa naranai hitsuyō ga aru koto, kakusa reta mamadearu koto ga, hon ronbun ni baindo suru koto ga dekimasu.” The paper glowed during the incantation, but when the spell was cast, the paper was still blank, or so it seemed. Daniel had cast a spell on the paper to bind a hidden image onto the paper, an image only he should be able to see, an image of someone now lost to him. He carefully framed the paper and put it his enchanting table for the time being.

Saeko also found her room to be, somewhat bland. It was similar in dimensions to the other rooms, and also had nothing more than a bed and dresser. She set up one thing she was able to bring with her, a display mount for her swords. She had three unique blades she brought with her. One was a long curved katana, the other two were matched set of short swords. She also lay her diary in the dresser along the wall, and then all her clothes. As she finished organising her clothes, she left her room, looking for Jake and Sebastian. After seeing the miracle he pulled off in the dining area of the factory, she figured he would be the best person to ask about getting some furnishings. She knocked on Jake’s door, and Sebastian answered, “I apologise, but my master has just finished unpacking and is now resting. Please, unless this is urgent, come see him another time.”, and closed the door. Slightly irritated, she figured if Sebastian was too busy tending to Jake, she would ask Poe, but quickly realized that would be a VERY bad idea. At the same time, Daniel had just opened his door, and started heading to the dining area of their new headquarters, Hidden Deep. Realising that Daniel could probably use his magic, she asked, “Hey, my room is rather droll. Do you mind helping me with some furnishings?” Daniel nodded and followed her to her room. Daniel said, “Just point to a location and tell me what you want there.” Saeko pointed the middle of the ceiling and said, “Could you please add a light there?” Daniel was vaguely familiar with Saeko’s room back in the Factory, and did his best to conjure a light similar to the light of her old room. Saeko thought for a second and said, “The only other thing I may need is a mirror.” Daniel asked, “Above your dresser or standing in the corner of the room?” She replied, “Standing in the corner of my room would be preferable.” Daniel didn’t even need an incantation for such a simple task, and quickly formed a long oval mirror with a brown wooden cover. Saeko bowed and thanked him. Daniel left while saying, “No problem”, and giving a flick of the symbol “V” with his fingers as he normally does. Saeko closed her door and turned to her mirror to examine her reflection. She then realised, that a strand of hair was in the middle of her face. She quickly moved it back to it’s regular part and settled down on her bed.


Poe set up his room by simply setting his stuff down, and laying on the bed. He just smiled, happy as can be. He had a hard time being a Kajiit. He was rejected by most people. Until his girlfriend came along, he was alone. She was a kind, loving girl. But he lost her to the Poleras. She was killed by a bomb when they first took over the area. He always missed her...

Satine, however, was feeling quite the opposite. She was furious. Saeko was trying to take Ryoryuu. She slammed her things on the ground, and shut the door, locking it. She put her clothes away, and just sat there, wondering what she could do to keep Saeko from taking Ryoryuu...

Ryoryuu smiled as he sat. The spire was nice, but this was his true home. He built this whole place himself. He designed it to only have one opening. It had its own filtered well, running water, and a sewer system. He had more to show them, so he picked up the intercom and said “Okay, everyone meet me in the entrance hall for a little tour.”

Satine got up and quickly walked to the entrance hall, seeing Saeko already there chatting with Ryoryuu. She just got even more jealous, seeing how well they got along. Then the others showed up...

“Hey guys!” said Poe in a happy voice. Daniel, Jake, and Sebastian were all in a similar mood, and Ryoryuu led them down the hallway. First he showed them the bathroom. “Here’s the bathroom, shower, running water and sewer system. Any questions?” Saeko asked calmly
“Are there set times for different people to take showers?”
Ryoryuu chuckled “First come first serve.” As they walked down the hall he showed them a room filled with exercise equipment. “This is the training room, we must ALL be in top shape. And Daniel, could you work on a potion that would help hand eye coordination?”
“Sure Ryoryuu, but why?”
“Oh, no reason” he said, and pointed at Poe while he had his back turned. Further down the hall, there was a fork in the path. “On the left is the armory. You may store your weapons either in your room or in the armory. On the right is a factory and a forge for making anything from bullets, swords and knives to computers. We are all going to have a job here. We shall decide who does what over dinner. Please feel free to ask me anything.” and with that, Ryoryuu walked to his room.

Satine simply walked over to his door and knocked. “Come on in Satine.” Ryoryuu said looking at the monitor on his wall.
“How did you know it was me?”
“You think I wouldn’t have cameras in this place?” He said as he grabbed the bottle of scotch and two glasses. “That looks expensive!!” Satine said as he poured the perfect golden brown liquid into the two glasses. “It is, it's a special bottle. Only one barrel is produced every year. This is the last bottle in existence.” he said as he handed her her glass. “A toast to a new home” And with that Satine took a sip, and dropped dead before Ryoryuu could drink even a drop. “DANIEL GET IN HERE NOW!!!!!!”

Daniel sprinted into Ryoryuu’s room, where he saw what used to be Satine, but when he tried to sense her spirit, it was gone. “Its, too late... Let me see that bottle...” and as he looked at it he sighed. “Poisoned, Silecteim, kills instantly.... I'll go filter this.” Ryoryuu just walked to the others and told them, he then carefully carried Satine’s body outside, and set her down as he dug the grave...

Daniel, Jake, Sebastian, Poe and Saeko just sat together, discussing things to get their minds off of what happened. But eventually the idle talk began to bore Saeko. “I am going to shower now...” And with that she walked to the bathroom and locked the door. Stripping down, she washed slowly, cleaning everything from her long black hair to her feet. She dried off, putting new clothes on, and walked calmly outside to see Ryoryuu. He needed a shoulder to cry on.

Ryoryuu just worked till he was drenched with sweat. He gently laid Satine’s body down. “Maybe I should pray, but that would imply there is a God.... And no God would let this, all this, happen...” He mused to himself as he slowly covered her body with dirt...

Saeko walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Ryoryuu just stood there, then dropped to his knees, and let the tears fall silently from his cheeks. “Its going to be all right Ryoryuu.” Saeko said, and led him back inside to her room. When they got there Saeko just held Ryoryuu close as they sat on her bed. “A man must be strong,” She said, “but he must also be a human.” Ryoryuu understood what she meant. He sat up straight and spoke quietly “Thank you Saeko, it means a lot.” “You’re the only one here I truly admire Ryoryuu, the others are nice, but none are like you. You are strong, yet gentle, a deadly fighter, who knows when to be kind and gentle as well. I truly care about you.” After she said this she leaned against him some, and they just sat there holding each other, neither one saying a word.

The next day Ryoryuu awoke in his room, and he sighed. He walked down the hall, and saw Saeko making breakfast. “So I guess you’re the cook?” “If that's what you want.” She responded, and kissed him on the cheek. Ryoryuu just smiled, glad no one was around. “So do you always wear clothes that hug your hips like that?” He asked. “Mmmm not always, but they are very comfortable, its like getting held around the waist. Maybe you could provide me with the real thing later?” She said teasingly. Daniel walked in, groggy from his work late last night.
“H-hey guys.” He yawned, and sat down. “Smells good Saeko!”
“Thank you Daniel.” She said with a smile. Ryoryuu just chuckled and went to his room with his bacon and eggs.

Poe, Jake and Sebastian ran into each other going down the hallway. Poe just nodded to Jake and Sebastian. They walked into the dining room, and saw everyone was there, except Ryoryuu.

After he ate, Ryoryuu went outside, and walked to the nearby woods, an old overgrown orchard. He sat under the twisted apricot tree he carved his name into as a boy. He drank down the last of the apricot brandy he had from the case he had given Satine. He just laid there, drunk as can be. Eventually he fell asleep, and woke up several hours later to his comms radio sounding. “Yeah yeah I’m here.” He said.
“Are you going to avoid us some more or can you spend some time working on a plan?” Jake said, obviously irritated. “You know what Jake, go fuck yourself!” Ryoryuu said, and flicked his set off. With that he got up and walked for over an hour, going up a hill overlooking the whole valley. He just sat there, for almost an hour. After that he walked back to the base and plopped down on his bed. Then he started to feel sorry for what he did. He truly wished he had apologised to Jake, and suddenly Jake stepped into his doorway and said “I forgive you.”
“But I didn’t say anything.” Ryoryuu said confused.
“But you just said you were sorry.” Jake said, even more confused than Ryoryuu.
“I am, but I didn’t say it. I just thought...... Wait, turn arround.” “
Okay...” Jake said. Ryoryuu just said with his thoughts “Okay Jake, turn around.” And Jake did. “You told me to turn around.” Jake said.
“No.... I THOUGHT IT!!!!!!” Ryoryuu said in a state of elation. He then thought “Saeko, could you please come to my room.” and within the minute she arrived. “Oh my God it works!!!”
“What are you TALKING about Ryoryuu?” Saeko said nervously.
“I can talk through telepathy!” Ryoryuu said in a state of utter amazement. “This means I can even drive someone insane without actually talking to them!” Saeko just sat there in amazement. After just discussing a few more menial issues, Jake left Saeko and Ryoryuu.

Saeko just shut the door, locking it. She sat in Ryoryuu’s lap. “So, where did you go today? I missed you love...” Saeko asked
“I needed to, relax. I didn’t mean to worry you.” Ryoryuu said, rubbing her thigh. They both just laid down and snuggled close to one another, slowly drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Saeko woke up first, and gently kissed Ryoryuu till he awoke, and he kissed her back just as softly. “Nmm morning my love.” Saeko said calmly as she got up to change. She got dressed in a tank top, and shorts that were high up on her leg. Ryoryuu wore his usual muscle shirt and blue jeans. They were perfect together. She held his hand as they walked down the hallway, and when Jake saw this he did a double take, and pulled on Sebastian’s sleeve. “Look at them, do you see what I see?” Jake asked.
“If by that you mean they are now ‘together’, then yes, and I too am completely surprised by this.” Sebastian said. “They have a special thing. I can tell master Jake. I know.”

Saeko made breakfast as Ryoryuu just went into the workshop and began crafting barbed wire. He labored till he had almost 2000 yards, and then he rolled it all up and put it in the supplies shed in the workshop. He smiled and just wiped the sweat away, when he heard a beeping. He had a message from someone. One of his secrets was calling.

Phe was sitting on her porch, when she saw a huge line of Polera trucks heading in the direction of the Factory. She had messaged her long-time friend Ryoryuu, telling him they had bought the ruse. “The freaks are going to the asylum” She wrote, and pressed send.

“The puppy must return to the pack” Was Ryoryuu’s reply. When Phe got this she smiled. She was finally going to come out of hiding. She stood up, and began packing her weapons. She had everything, from snipers, to heavy machine guns. She loaded them into her truck, and looked at her bright pink hair. At least it was pink till it changed to blue. She had the ability to change any physical appearance she had, including the sizes of her body parts. She started changing from a petite girl into a taller, stronger woman, and she got in the truck, and drove to the compound where Ryoryuu was...


Chapter 3

Ryoryuu went outside and waited for Phe, and almost as if on cue, she arrived. Smiling happily she got down from her massive truck, a three ton diesel beast that could carry anything. She smiled, and changed back into the petite girl with pink hair, and ran over to Ryoryuu, hugging him tight. She spoke with a voice that sounded like a flute. “Oh Ryoryuu I've missed you!!!”
“I know Phe, it has been too long. Thank you for remaining in the dark for me. Come inside, I have a room for you.” Ryoryuu said happily.
“Thank you” She said, and followed him downstairs.

When Saeko saw Phe she was shocked, she ran over to Phe, and gave her a massive hug. “Phe!!!” She exclaimed in a happy voice.
“Saeko?!?! I didn’t know you were with Ryoryuu!” She said happily.
“So you two know each other?” Ryoryuu asked inquisitively.
“KNOW EACH OTHER? Phe is practically my little sister!!!” Saeko said in a happy voice. “Come on Phe, I’l introduce you to everyone!” and with that Saeko dragged Phe to the main hall. Ryoryuu laughed. He had a feeling they knew each other.

Ryoryuu set up a table with some folders, filled with information on someone who Phe had been tracking, and easy thing for her. He looked at the man with disgust. It was the torture specialist who “Interrogated” him. This was personal, but it wasn't at the same time. He hated this man, but he needed to be killed to keep others from the same fate as Ryoryuu had.

As they all sat down, Phe smiled. “Is it time to kill someone?” She asked. “Yes it is Phe. I also need to tell everyone something.” Ryoryuu said, and he stared off into space some. Phe got up to get the others, a little nervous.

Ryoryuu knew this was a dangerous mission. They needed an ace in the hole. And Ryoryuu had that ace up his sleeve. Another one of his secrets was in an underground shed not far from the compound. He had three vehicles in there. One was a 1995 Toyota 4runner. He had filled any compartment he could with plastic explosives, but not where it could be seen. He also had a 1966 Dodge Charger, a classic muscle car, that happens to have over 2000 horsepower and 2500 foot pounds of torque. He also had a cache of weapons in the trunk, and two machine guns where the normal headlights would be. In addition to those, he had a 2006 Dodge one ton diesel truck, capable of hauling almost anything. This truck was to be an assault vehicle. It had armor plating, several forward facing machine guns, and a rear mounted M-2 Browning .50 Ca. heavy machine gun. He used his telepathic powers, and called everyone over. They soon arrived with the information he had left on the table. They were more than shocked to see what was inside the shed. Saeko, an avid mechanic, instantly fell in love with the Charger.

“So, here is how this is going to go. Saeko and I will take the Charger, Daniel, you Poe and Phe take the truck. Jake and Sebastian, you get the Hummer. I want Phe on the machine gun, Poe, you are in charge of spotting. Saeko and I are going to be running blocker for you. Jake, you take up the rear, and break off to the radio tower. I need you to work your wonders and get a tap set up on their whole system. Any questions?” Ryoryuu said, in a very commander-like way. “Yes, actually. What is the objective?” Daniel asked. “Simple, we are to do something we are yet to do. We are going to capture the “Interrogator” alive.” Ryoryuu answered. “If that is all we should get ready, we leave in four hours under the cover of darkness.”


Saeko followed Ryoryuu inside, and then to his room, shutting the door. “Ryoryuu, we should pack.” “Already did” He said calmly, “Figured we should spend some time together, we’re gonna be really tired tomorrow.” And with that they both locked together in a tight embrace, kissing each other with an unrelenting love and passion. They held each other close, cuddling for most of the time they had to get ready. They had a true love, one that would remain with them forever.

Phe had noticed something about Poe, he was always lonely. She decided to visit him after she had packed. Walking from her room, she knocked on his door. “Come in?” Poe said curiously. “How are you Poe? You seemed kinda lonely. Phe said softly, sitting on the bed with Poe. “I am quite lonely, thank you.” Poe said, surprised by her presence. “So how are you? You always seem so, shy around the others.” Phe said quietly, scooting closer to Poe. “Well, I tend to keep to myself, unless I happen to find someone I like.” Poe said smiling, slowly slipping his hand on top of Phe’s, and they just sat talking, holding hands.

An hour before they left, Ryoryuu called Sebastian over. “Could you do me a favor? I would like you to combine my room with Saeko’s, if its not too much trouble that is.” Sebastian smiled, eyes closed, and said, "Of course, Ryoryuu. If i couldn't do something as simple as this, then what kind of butler would i be?" At that, Ryoryuu and Saeko left their rooms to let Sebastian work his... “Magic”. Sebastian smiled and said, “This won’t take long. After all, I am simply one Hell of a butler.”

Ryoryuu and Saeko walked around the compound, and eventually sat beneath the Apricot tree, and just relaxed. They held onto one another, kissing each other softly on occasion, just relaxing at total peace with one another.

When they returned to their rooms, they were awestruck by what they saw. The wall separating their two rooms was completely removed. Sebastian said, “Ah, you have returned. As you can see, a dojo styled wallpaper has replaced the dreary metallic walls that once contained this room. I’ve added brown carpeting on top of the floor for added comfort. I also added another light similar to the one in Saeko’s room to maintain balance. All of your guns have been polished and sorted in your new walk in closet at the northern end of each of your rooms. Your more powerful guns are kept hanging on the wall. Also, I have replaced your mantle with two golden samurai figures each holding a sword outward. Also I’ve added several new lighting elements in each of the four corners of the room. The final change I have made, which you should both find of interest is the bed. I fused the two of them together, and moved it to the middle of the room” Both of them were extremely amazed by all the additions to the room. Sebastian added, “I also took the liberty of adding several new attires to your wardrobes, please look through them at your leisure.”, and left before they had the chance to thank him.

Soon enough, the time came. They knew what they had to do. The three vehicles, the Charger, Hummer, and truck, all sped off in their separate directions, each heading for their own target.

Saeko smiled, loving the car as Ryoryuu drove down the highway at over 160 miles per hour. She always loved a good driver, and fast cars. Ryoryuu just went as fast as he could, then he slowed down and went through the town, and started shooting out street lights. The others needed a diversion. He threw smoke bombs, shot windows and even caught a tree on fire, doing everything he could to drive the Poleras’ attention away from their base.

Jake and Sebastian started driving in the direction of the communication towers as soon as the other two cars had entered enemy territory. This gave them a slight advantage; with those two cars causing such a rucus, the biggest threat they had was preventing the guards from detecting them. Sebastian parked the Hummer at the enterance of the building and silently killed the guards at the entrance by precisely throwing two dinner knives at their jugulars. Jake then dismounted and followed Sebastian into the tower. Sebastian charged forward, and as the guards shot at him, he used a dinner tray to stop the bullets, and used dinner knives to kill each of them. As the two of them reached the heart of the tower, the lead engineer was there working, but Jake’s and Sebastian’s footsteps alerted him of their presence. He carefully took a few steps back from the computer and said, “Okay okay, you win. Just leave your butler at the entrance to this room, and you can have your way.” Jake started walking towards the computer, but Sebastian was shot several times by one of the guards hidden in the shadows, which caused him to fall to the ground, seemingly dead. The lead engineer pointed a gun at Jake and, almost exitedly said, “I-I did it?! Now kid, you’ll be the perfect hostage for your pathetic Resistance.” Jake, irritated at the engineer’s ignorance, shouted, “How long do you intend to play dead, Sebastian?” Still on the ground, Sebastian answered in his normal tone, “Not much longer master.” Sebastian then sat up, coughed up the six bullets that were shot at him and said, “I should return these to you”. As he said that, he threw the bullets at the guard, effectively killing him. The lead engineer, awestruck in fear by this seemingly invincible being, had his hand trembling and said, “W-What are you? You’re not human?” Sebastian started walking closer to the lead engineer and said, “Of course not, i am just simply one HELL of a butler.” The engineer, in fear, shot a bullet at Jake, but it didn’t even make contact with Jake. Sebastian, who is now behind the engineer, had the bullet in his hand, dropped it in the engineer’s sleeve, and said, “You shouldn’t be so hasty to shoot someone. It could be quite neck-ringingly annoying.” As he finished that sentence, blood started pouring out of the lead engineer’s jugular and he dropped to the floor dead. Jake took this opportunity to install the transmitter to the communication tower as well as a spyware designed to literally show what is on any Poleras computer that is currently hooked up to a communication device. As he finished, he turned to Sebastian and said, “Now that we have taken care of that, let’s return to Hidden Deep. I’m sure everyone is waiting for us.” As he said that, they began walking to the hummer.

At the same time, Phe, Poe and Daniel drove quickly towards the internment center Ryoryuu was being held at, and as soon as they parked, they all charged in. Daniel looked to Phe and Poe and said, “The biggest problem will be that the interrogator will try to escape if we get too close. You guys stay near the entrance and see if you can’t get their attention without getting overwhelmed. I will cast an invisibility spell on myself and find him without alerting the entire base that I am nearing his position.” Poe readied his claws and nodded, and Phe prepped her custom made Luger P-08 and said, “Don’t worry with this Luger, custom made with a laser sight, we can’t lose. THEY DON’T EVEN MAKE THESE ANYMORE!!!” Her shout saying this cause some of the guards to investigate who shouted. Daniel said, “Crap! kiete”, and became invisible before the guards arrived. Before the guards even got there, they were both shot and killed by Phe, who said, “DOUBLE TAP!!!” after she fired. As soon as she fired, a feminine voice was heard on the intercom, “Unauthorised gunfire in the enterance all guards investigate. Unauthorised gunfire in the enterance all guards investigate.” Phe motioned for Poe to stay back and said, “Let me take them on. I LOVE THIS GUN!!!”

Meanwhile, as Daniel heard the intercom, he knew that Phe and Poe were in battle and that he had to hurry. Quickly moving to the left and right of the hallway to avoid guards rushing towards the entrance, he finally arrived at the break room for the interrogators and workers who maintain the torture equipment. Using magic to open the door, he saw the only interrogator assigned to this building checking the security monitors of the entrance, growing slightly panicked as he watched the guards get blown away before they even got close to firing distance. As soon as he ensured the interrogator was in there, he whispered, “Kage no mōfu”, which caused the visibility in the room, for everyone except the caster, to become near zero. This was a spell that Daniel seldom used which blanketed the room in a dense fog, but he couldn’t prevent his allies from being affected by it too. Thankfully they weren’t here, and the interrogator grew more worried as he tried to feel for the door, but Daniel quickly said, “Nemuru”, and the interrogator fell unconscious.Taking the interrogator, Daniel literally sprinted through the compound to the entrance, where all of the guards were either dead or near dead and at least ten empty clips lay on the ground. Daniel looked to Poe and Phe and said, “help me get him to the car” As they finished stuffing the interrogator into the trunk, a guard, who wasn’t completely dead yet, trembled to aim and managed to fire off a bullet as he said, “long life the Pol...” and died. The bullet managed to hit Poe three inches from his lungs, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Phe shouted, “help him!” Daniel gave him a light purple potion and said, “That will only stablise his condition for a half-hour tops. All my magic is being used to keep the interrogator asleep. We have to find a place with medicine fast!”

They quickly took off westward, in the direction of Hidden Deep, but stopped off at a seemingly abandoned clinic, all the while Phe is panicked shouting to Poe, “Please be okay. Please be okay!”. They rushed him inside, and when they went to remove the bullet, they realised that none of them had the practical medical knowledge to actually remove the bullet safely. As they were debating their options, a tall woman with long blonde hair in a nurses uniform ran over to them, breasts bouncing, and said, “You could’ve asked for help from me you know?” Without asking for our permission, she started tending to Poe’s injury.” After a few minutes, the nurse said, “Okay, the internal bleeding has stopped and the bullet has been removed.” Phe said, “YOUR A LIFESAVER! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAVING POE!!! Miss...?” The nurse answered, “Shizuka” Daniel shook her hand and said, “If it weren’t for you, Poe may have been in critical condition. You know, we need someone like you in the resistance. Would you mind joining us?” She hugged Daniel tightly, nearly choking him, and said, “I would love~ to.” She stopped hugging him, and Daniel fixed his Black Mage hat and said, “excellent. We needed someone with medical expertise with us.” Poe regained consciousness, as he needed anesthetic for the treatment, and rejoined the others. They all headed back to Hidden Deep as they explained the situation to Poe along the way.

Ryoryuu sped away, Saeko obviously in a good mood. They saw a dust cloud in front of them. Ryoryuu smiled. “It appears that Jake and Sebastian are done. Glad to see them, now where the hell are Phe Daniel and Poe? Saeko, could you call them? I cant use my telepethy and drive, too much concentration involved.” “Sure!” Saeko said happily, “Phe, this is Saeko, do you read me?”

“Yeah yeah, were a little busy, meet you back at Hidden Deep later!!!” Phe answered on her radio. She was driving like a crazed woman, she needed to get back to Hidden Deep. The Dodge had taken heavy damage despite the armor plating. The engine was whineing and then there was a loud bang, and the engine died. They were stranded...

Ryoryuu waited as long as he could. He finally grabbed his tools, and called on the radio. “Phe, activate the homing beacon, I’m on my way.” With that he grabbed Saeko and drove off in the Charger. They went as fast as they could. When they got there, they saw the truck with the hood up, Phe pacing nervously. “Phe, you and, WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!?!” Shizuka started to get off the hummer, but her shoe got caught on the running board, causing her to smack into Ryoryuu with her cheast. She backed up a bit and said, “Hmm~? I’m Shizuka. And you are~?” “That isnt important yet, just get Poe in the car.” Ryoryuu said in a hurried voice as he threw the “Interrogator” on the ground, and to the amazement of the others, shot him in the head. Daniel shouted, “Why the heck did you kill him after all the work we did to capture him?!” “Would you rather have him alive and Poe dead?!?!” Ryoryuu shouted angrily, “Now get the fuck out of here!!!” Daniel, now that the interrogator was dead and he was free to use his magic, said, “Modori”, and in a flash, he literally vanished, teleporting back to Hidden Deep. Phe, Shizuka, and Poe piled into the vehicles and were at Hidden Deep within a few minutes.

Ryoryuu and Saeko worked long and hard, and by the time dawn had broken, they were ready to go. Driving as fast as they could, they got back to Hidden Deep. Pulling into the shed, they got out, covered in grease and smelled like diesel fuel. They stumbled down the stairs, and barely got to their room. They sat down on their bed, to tired to talk.

The next day, things finally started returning to normal, as Saeko was preparing scrambled eggs, hash browns, and french toast. Sebastian and Jake were the second and third to wake up. “Good morning guys” Jake said as he yawned. Saeko gave Jake his plate, and he sat down. Poe and Phe also entered the dining area at the same time. Saeko said, “You two seem happy.” Neither of them said a word, as each of them took a plate and started eating. Daniel also quickly arrived and followed suit, sitting down and eating. Ryoryuu walked out, and he looked totally different. He had just cut his hair from what was a mullet into a Marine style buzz cut. “Hey guys.” He said as he sat down. His change of hairstyle surprised everyone, and Jake asked, “What’s with your hair?” “Oh, nothing, I just got tired of it. Besides, summer is coming, i don’t wanna fry my brain.” Ryoryuu said calmly. “Okay then?” Jake answered with a slight sense of disbelief. The second the conversation ended, Nurse Shizuka entered the dining area and asked, “Ryoryuu~ when did you change you hair~?” As she asked that, everyone eating couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle After breakfast ended, everyone just left to do their jobs.

Ryoryuu smiled and walked to his room. He sat down and looked at the closet, wondering what Sebastian had made. He opened the door and laughed, seeing a muscle shirt with his name on it, and a pair of black leather shorts for Saeko. both were labeled “For ‘Private Time’ only”. Ryoryuu couldn’t help but laugh. Then Saeko came in and looked at Ryoryuu somewhat confused. “Whats so funny hun?” She asked, then saw what was in the closet, and couldn’t help but blush and laugh as well.

Jake left to his room, starting up his computer. He looked to Sebastian and said, “Let’s see if the wireless uplink to the enemies communications works.” He opened up a program that had a moving graph with a red line that signified the amount of chatter being picked up. As he activated the sound on his monitor, Sebastian and Jake heard one of the thugs that seemed to be in charge talking to one of his underlings. “We’ve searched all the houses on the past five blocks.” the underling said. “Damn those pests in the Resistance! Double your efforts, I want them found TODAY!!!” the thug in charge replied. After that, the line fell dead. Jake took this opportunity to reprogram his transmitter to send a feedback pulse into the most recent communication sent, thus allowing him to begin pinpointing the current force’s location. The computer showed a map of Gilhollroy, and began zooming in on a location about five miles north of the Resistance’s old factory. Jake said to himself, “ah, so thats where you are.” Sebastian answered, “Indeed sir, it would appear as though they aren’t even remotely close to determining our actual location. What’s troublesome is...” Jake finished, “I know, that was the territory we first took back from them; it was where we all lived before the war caused all this destruction.” Sebastian replied, “Aren’t you going to tell the others?” Jake answered, “Not yet, I want to see if I can’t dig up any more information on the Poleras’ current movements.”

Meanwhile, Poe was actually doing something right for once. He took the time after breakfast to make tuna sandwiches for Phe and himself. He also poured two glasses of milk, and brought them to Phe’s room. “Poe! Oh thank you for the sandwich, did you make these?” She said happily. “Actually yeah hehe, first thing I haven't messed up yet.” He responded almost comically. “Well, that’s not true Poe, you haven’t messed us up.” And as Phe spoke she kissed him softly on the cheek. Poe blushed some, invisible to anyone but him, but he blushed still the same.

Saeko and Ryoryuu were sitting on their bed, sipping on some Apricot Brandy. “You know, we’re gonna run out at the rate we’re goin, unless we make a still” Ryoryuu said calmly. “I could draw up plans if you want sweetie?” Saeko said calmly. “Yes please, we need it for cleaning wounds as well. And I have something to tell everyone, its a big surprise.” He said with a smile, and kissed her softly, the taste of brandy on her lips. They caressed eachother softly, curling up close to one another, and just kept kissing.

Sebastian walked down the hallway to the entrance of Phe’s room, and smiled. “So am I to combine your room with Poe’s?” He said and Phe nodded. “I’d be careful, he might blow it up.” He continued, chuckling. “I need to work, so if you would please let me do so, I shall be done within the hour.” And with that Phe left, letting Sebastian combine their rooms.

Poe was hard at work digging a trench with Ryoryuu. They were going to put in land mines and Foo gas. “Foo gas is essentially a napalm explosive that will bake anyone within fifty feet.” Ryoryuu explained as they set up the remote detonators. He also set up what was known as a “Hellhound” explosive. “This here, this scares even me... Imagine every part of you incinerated in under a second without damaging anything harder than wood, that is what this can do....” Ryoryuu said as he covered them all with dirt. They then walked back down to the base and saw Phe and Saeko in the kitchen giggling. “Well, how are our men today?” Saeko said almost too calmly. “We’re good. How are you ladies?” Poe said happily.

As everyone was hard at work, so too was Daniel. He had brewed a multitude of potions, ranging from elemental catalysts, healing potions, ailing mists, and even a few secret weapons. Unfortunately, a part of him still regretted using the last phial of Signifer Spes on Ryoryuu. He knew that she was the only one who was able to brew it, but he just had to try. To him, the only way to bring her back was with the potion that she made. He started using some of the ingredients that she used starting with essence of memory, a special dust that forms when someone’s memory is imprinted into materialised mana. Daniel didn’t know what ingredients she used, so he tried using logic to figure it out, which of course, ended, quite literally, blowing up in his face, as the ingredients mixed together horridly, not only making the potion a dud, but also sent a puff of black smoke towards Daniel. He quickly left his room in the direction of the showers to clean his face, but unfortunately,
Shizuka had started taking a shower, and inadvertently forgot to lock the door. As he opened the door he heard the water running, and, oblivious as ever, thought someone left the water running. He pulled the door open, only to see nurse Shizuka in the shower singing Pink! songs. Daniel quickly rushed out and said, “GOMEN NASAI!!!”, slamming the door in the process. Shizuka continued singing as if nothing ever happened. Daniel walked to his room to find some tissue, as he now had a bad nosebleed....

Ryoryuu and Saeko went out to work on the truck some more, as they had barely gotten home the night before. As they worked they found something that terrified them. “Is that a?...” Saeko said nervously as Ryoryuu pulled the unstable mini-nuke warhead from a shoulder-fired rocket out of the radiator. “We are beyond lucky that thing was a dud... One of these could take out a building.....” Ryoryuu said nervously, and brought it to the workshop for dismantling. He wanted to make this rocket into something even more deadly. If they used it right, then they would be even more dangerous than before...

The following morning, Jake had talked to Ryoryuu about the communication he had intercepted from the Poleras about searching for their base, and Ryoryuu had called a meeting. Everyone quickly arrived, somewhat curious about what’s up considering they had just finished a mission op. Sebastian was the first to speak, “As you are all aware, the Poleras are using a point in our territory as a base to search for our headquarters.” Jake pointed to a location on the map in the center of the room about five miles north of the Factory. Daniel was shocked and thought to himself, “That’s the location their using!?... but that’s” His chain of thought was interrupted when Ryoryuu said, “There is at least ten of them at the base at any one time, and several groups out searching. We’ll move out as soon as we are all ready!”

Ryoryuu went down to the workshop, and sighed, knowing this was dangerous at best. He slowly removed the detonator, and disassembled the outer shell of the MK-00 mini-nuke. There was allot of extra wiring and circuitry that could be removed. He smiled and decided to add a little touch of his own. He replaced the whole shell with the depleted uranium he used for the sniper rounds. This meant it could pierce through even the hardest of materials. He then built a custom launch tube, and set the controls up.

Phe and Poe spent the preparation period in their room. Poe mainly relied on his claws in battle so he equipped his bulletproof vest and put extra rounds in his pockets for Phe. Phe prepped her Luger P-08 as well, and the two of them left to the hummer and to rejoin the others.

Nurse Shizuka, Sebastian, and Jake decided it would be best for them to stay behind. Jake would monitor the Poleras’ communication, and since Shizuka didn’t have any medical supplies preset for battle, she spent the time preparing a field medic’s bag. Sebastian spent the time building a room in the base for Shizuka.

Daniel brought every potion his black mage robe could carry. Today, he was serious; he didn’t care about the risks. He was determined to kill every Poleras member in that area, and he knew exactly how to do it. To him, no one enters there with ill will and lives to tell the tale. He didn’t want to worry the others so he left in the direction of the hummer as well.

Ryoryuu and Saeko both prepared themselves, Ryoryuu with his guns, and Saeko decided to use the special sword given by her friend’s father. She polished it till it shone like a diamond. Ryoryuu decided to use his m-60 machine gun. This gun had been used in Vietnam, and was strictly fully-automatic. He loved this gun, he had even engraved the nickname soldiers of the Vietnam war had given it, the term “War Pig”. It usually fired the same rounds as an m-16, but he had modified it to take the larger, more deadly .30-.06 rounds. He also upped the fire rate by 20%, it now fired ten rounds per second, over 600 rounds per minute. He had a special laser mounted so he could have a monocular rangefinder instead of a scope, and he just aimed with the laser dot, that could be seen over two miles away. He smiled and Saeko just laughed. “Is that really necessary for this mission?” “Yeah~, well~ maybe it’s just a little destructive but oh well!”

When Poe, Phe, Daniel, Ryoryuu, and Saeko all piled into the hummer, and Ryoryuu took the wheel, speeding towards the location where the Poleras are staying. Becoming extremely impatient, Daniel said, “COME ON!!! THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG!!!! Modori!” Once again, Daniel vanished, but the four of them still charged onwards. Within minutes of Daniel’s leaving, they neared their destination, the clouds in the sky instantly became pitch black. Fireballs started raining down from the black clouds in many directions, and Ryoryuu had to make sharp turns and swerve the hummer just to avoid being hit by one. Jake’s voice could barely be heard over the extreme static of the comm systems as he said, “Ryoryuu? I’ve lost connection with the enemy communications. I’m sorry but... you’re on your own.” As they still continued to press forward, Ryoryuu said, “Damn it! Just what the hell is going on here?”. When they arrived at the coordinates Jake had specified to see literally everything a burning wreck. Bodies of the Poleras were burned beyond recognition, all the houses within the area were either a burning pile of ash or on fire and falling apart. All the houses... aside for one, which seemed miraculously unscathed, but a fireball was crashing towards it. Before it could make contact, it crashed into a barrier that seemed to be surrounding the house. Shortly after the four of them exited the hummer to investigate, the pitch black clouds cleared within a few seconds, and an otherworldly large gust of wind extinguished all the fires in the surrounding areas. Ryoryuu, Poe, Phe, and Saeko cautiously approached the house that was protected by the barrier, and to their surprise, Daniel was at the epicenter of the whole event. Ryoryuu couldn’t help but ask, “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!?!” Now much calmer, Daniel answered, “Well...”

Right as he cast the teleportation spell, he had arrived in the middle of the Poleras field base and said, “Sekai no subete no mono wa hakanaidesu. Shi no zenchōde wa, sorera ni hakki” The sky became filled with pitch black clouds, and he finished “Anata no ikari!!! BLACK RAIN!!!” As he did, giant fireballs started raining down, incinerating every person it touched. The spell itself could not be controlled, which is one of the main reasons it is a forbidden spell, and instead of the members of the Poleras trying to kill him, they were all fleeing, trying not to be hit by the fireballs. Luckly, not a single member escaped from the spell, but then again, even the surrounding buildings were being destroyed. A fireball was about to destory one of the houses, but Daniel panicked when it was about to hit the house, shouted, “NOOOO!!!! PRAESUM!” The fireball impacted the barrier not even leaving a scratch on the house.

“And a few minutes after that, you guys showed up.” Daniel finished. Ryoryuu shouted, “YOU LEFT YOU ASS!! IF YOU EVER USE A SPELL LIKE THAT AGAIN I SWEAR I’LL TREAT YOU LIKE THE INTERROGATOR!!” Daniel apologised and said, “Can you guys head back. There is something... personal i need to take care of.” As Daniel started to walk toward the house he had been protecting earlier, Ryoryuu got into the Hummer. “When I get to where I’m going, your gonna be twice as scared of me.....” And with that, Ryoryuu stomped on the gas and went flying towards one of the caves and stopped. He got out and ran as fast as he could, when all of a sudden the whole car disappeared in a white ball of pure fire. The blast threw Ryoryuu twenty feet and he landed on his face, the force was so powerful it even shook the ground near the house where everyone was. Saeko ran over as fast as she could, and she looked down at Ryoryuu, the whole back of his shirt burnt off. “Ryoryuu you crazy crazy man...” Ryoryuu coughed “Did you see that explosion? You had better have gotten that on camera.” He chuckled as he got up and they walked back holding hands.

Phe saw them and called Jake. “Hey, we need someone with another vehicle. YOU SHULDA SEEN IT JAKE!!! Ryoryuu blew it up with one of those crazy ‘hellhound’ bombs!!!” “I did see it Phe, I hacked into those old military satellites. The flash blacked out my screen for a second.” Jake said, Shizuka was already in the truck. “Shizuka is on her way, so hold tight for now.” Jake said calmly, leaning back in his chair. Ryoryuu had basically killed everyone in that cave with one bomb and a car to get it there. When nurse Shizuka arrived in the Charger, everyone but Daniel, who was in the house, piled in. Shizuka quickly asked, “Hmm~? Aren’t we missing someone? Where is Daniel?” Ryoryuu answered, “He said he had to take care of something, i guess he’ll either teleport to the base... again, or call for a ride.” Shizuka nodded “Okay~” and drove off.

Meanwhile, Daniel walked up to the house he had just finished protecting, and as the others drove off, with the exception of Ryoryuu, who was walking back to the base, Daniel muttered to himself, “It’s been a long time since, I’ve been here; since we’ve been here.” As he walked towards the front door, a lock enchantment extremely similar to the one he used to keep his door locked back at the Factory and Hidden Deep. Without even breaking the enchantment, Daniel opened the door and let out a slight smile as he mused, “You never change, do you?” The building he had fought, and killed, all the Poleras for was the house of the person whom Daniel cared for dearly. As he surveyed each of the minute details, remembering how he used to visit her commonly. Daniel started climbing up the stairs, and entered her old bedroom. Seeing the alchemy table on the other side of the room reminded him of her talent as an alchemist. She taught him almost everything there is to know about the art of alchemy. He snapped out of his reminiscent state and shouted to himself, “what the heck am i thinking?! I can’t get caught up in the past like that while the Poleras are still around.” As he turned around, a pink glow in the closet caught his eye. he quickly opened the closet door, revealing one last phial of Signifer Spes and a note that read “For when we finally see each other again”. Carefully taking both the note and the potion, he used “Modori” once again to return to Hidden Deep. As he returned to his room, he began contemplating the perfect time to use Signifer Spes, and the affect it would have if he did indeed try to bring her back.

Ryoryuu decided to walk. He thought about just how dangerous things were. While he was walking he felt something in the ground as he walked. He smiled and stopped grabing a grenade and pulled the pin, holding the safety handle down. Suddenly two burly men with black hair and black clothes, and a teenage girl with bright red hair and green eyes wearing combat style clothing, came out of the ground. “Well if it isn’t the tunnel rats... Long time no see. And if you get any closer you wont be seeing anything” Ryoryuu said calmly. “Now now Ryoryuu, is that the way your mommy taught you to treat people?” The one closest said. “No, but it is the way my father taught me to treat threats.” Ryoryuu smiled as he spoke. “It sure has been awhile. Now do I really need this grenade, or are you actually going to shoot me?” “Oh, we all know its a dud. We heard about your little group, and figured we should join, and I also heard that Jake is with you guys!” The teenage girl said happily. “Shit Jessica, you and your buddies here are very much needed. We’ve gone underground, literally. Our whole facility is underground” Ryoruu responded, and they all walked to the base together.

Jake was watching the whole thing unfold on his satellite camera, and he smiled. He thought Jessica was dead. She was his old girlfriend, but during the war they were separated. He was happy beyond measure. He smiled as Sebastian started making their rooms. Jake had yet another reason to fight.

Ryoryuu and Jessica’s group arrived shortly after the others, who took it easy as to not kick up dust. Ryoryuu opened the door and showed them in, and everyone was there to meet them. Jessica started the introductions speaking with a heavy Irish accent. “I am Jessica Oreily, I am glad to be helpful” The two guys walked up and smiled some, speaking with the same accent “We are Greg and Craig, we’re Jessica’s twin cousins.” Saeko bowed and smiled. “I am elated to be meeting you.” Poe, Phe and Daniel responded similarly, and Jake just smiled, as there was no introduction needed.

Ryoryuu walked down the hallway and into the store room, shutting the door. He opened a secret panel and walked down a small flight of stairs, and smiled. The oil well was working wonderfully, and the natural gas that came with it was being saved as well. They were now totally self sufficient.....

Saeko walked outside and smiled stretching her back in the warm sun, when she heard a loud sound, almost like a machine gun, only it wasn’t gunfire. She saw a remnant of the war, a TC-55 Gyrocopter flying straight for them. “Well, this is bad isn’t it....” She mused as she ran back inside to find Ryoryuu.

Ryoryuu walked from the storeroom only to run right into Saeko. “Ryoryu, They have a TC-55. They’ve come!!”
Ryoryuu just ran into his room and got his M-60 and an RPG-7 with the special mini-nuke, and yelled over the intercom “EVERYONE TO THE ENTRANCE!!!!” and sprinted to the door.

Once they had all gathered Ryoryuu said simply. “They know where we are. Be prepared to fight to the death. I’ll take point. Everyone else come out and scatter. So far this is only one squad, but I’m sure there are more.” And with that he slammed the door open and charged out only to be shot at by a minigun that was mounted to the doorway of one side. Its twin rotors were sending hurricane force winds everywhere. Ryoryuu was knocked back down the hallway, his left arm was gone at the elbow, and he was unconscious. The bleeding was bad, and Shizuka was unnerved by how torn the flesh was. She needed to stabilize him. She grabbed him by the legs and dragged him back.

Saeko grabbed the RPG, and took careful aim. She pulled the trigger, the rocket soared through the air, went right through the armor, and detonated, causing an earth shattering explosion, and suddenly it was just gone, and the sky was filled with a radiant heat. No one had time to celebrate, as three jeeps, armed with M-2 machine guns, and a heavy troop carrier holding over thirty soldiers armed with modified AK-47 rifles that shoot miniature rockets for bullets. Jake anticipated reinforcements, and as he equipped the isolinear chips on the backs of his hands, he began hacking reality. He caused one of the three jeeps to shut down it engine, and he motioned to Sebastian. He acknowledged and raced toward the vehicle. The Poleras members in the jeep started firing the rapid fire machine guns at Sebastian, who avoided each bullets with ease. Sebastian quickly eliminated the Poleras in the jeep. Sebastian then turned to the troop carrier, trying to draw its fire as well as figure out how to defeat it. Phe prepared her L115A3 AWM sniper rifle. As she carefully took aim, she killed each Poleras in the second jeep with deadly accuracy. As she was reloading, Poe quickly tossed her new clips. She took aim at the driver of the troop carrier, but as she fired, the bullet did not penetrate the glass. Phe looked to Poe and said, “Damn, we have to fall back. There is nothing more we can do!” Daniel smiled and chanted, “Sandā! Ima sugu kōgeki!” As he did, bolts of electricity materialized from a yellow magic circle that appeared twenty feet above the third jeep, striking each of the Poleras and causing the jeep to explode. As the members of the Resistance finished off the support vehicles, the troop carrier swerved to the side, causing Sebastian to jump back and return to Jake, and as the back of the carrier opened, the soldiers started pouring out the back. As the soldiers began shooting at Jake, Sebastian was forced to take a defensive position, deflecting the bullets using one of the silver serving trays that was in the dining area of Hidden Deep. Saeko quickly threw a fragmentation grenade into the back of the troop carrier, preventing any more soldiers from entering the fray. After that, she unsheathed her blade and began attacking the soldiers. Daniel took the grenade’s detonation as a sign to begin delivering the finishing blow, and he began chanting, “Kōri no hahen wa, zenpō ni tosshin. TUKITATER TO TAIJI!!!” As Saeko heard him finish the incantation, she took cover, and icicles quickly materialized and soared towards the rest of the soldiers. With near perfect accuracy, each of the icicles flew through the soldiers, effectively killing them.

As the sound of the gunfire ceased, Poe, Phe, Jessica’s group, Nurse Shizuka, and Ryoryuu, who is leaning on Saeko due to his lack of strength, exited Hidden Deep to see the status of the battle. They saw the destroyed jeeps, and the now empty troop carrier. Ryoryuu managed to mutter, “It looks... like... this carrier... is ours... now”, and fainted due to lack of energy. Daniel looked around and said, “Well, this is getting... interesting.”

End of book two of the “Resistance” Series