Soon Vace held his newly repaired sword, and swung it with a test for balance, and decided it was quite possibly better than before. He went to a practice area, and with the new honed blade he easily cut through wooden blocks and metal plates. He left his chainmail with the smith as well, who took one look and threw it in a pile of scrap metal. "You, my sir, are truley a man that knows your smithing, and I'm surprised you didn't realize that armor could barely stop a wooden arrow. What you need I have over here." The smith walked into the back, and after some clanking and lifting, he pushed out a trolley with a suit of finely crafted plate mail armor.

"It's not quite as nice as your new sword is, but it is the best that we have crafted with our ability, short of the king's armor. I figure with your new smithing tips, we might get some of your nice new weapons and armor into our soldiers hands and who knows how it might help." Vace stared in awe at the armor, which was made of some plain metal with no marks or emblams added yet, but he could see a master smith had helped in it's creation. Soon Vace tried it on, and after some test swings and practice, he found it to be surprisingly light and mobile. When he asked the smith, he said a passing dwarf helped them make a few dozen suits of it in return for a favor they did for him, and that it was the best he had ever seen. All the senior knights had already gotten suits of it, and they had some left, so since Vace had taught them new smithing tricks, it wasn't too much to give him a suit of the armor. Vace smiled as he walked out of the armory, for once feeling things were looking up, and that he might be ready for the battle ahead.

"Actually, I was beginning to question why I'm still here... I could have just left and tried to go back to the castle... to see if my teacher was okay. But the more I think about it, I believe she's dead. I can't go home now... and ... I really have no other place to go... or people to be with. I guess I'm just going to end up in the way now..." She stopped as Ark peered through the wall, then looked down, getting quiet.

She stayed quiet until Ark once again stuck his head into the room, this time through the door. "I suppose so..."

Gin knocked loudly on Jude's door "Make yourselves decent. We have a meeting." He then went to his room and grabbed his naginata. He was the first to arrive after the princess.

Ark left, and stopped at a junction. Vace came up, and Ark whistled. "That's some damn nice armour. Looks a lot like the stuff the Temple Guard wear. So, you ready for what's comin'?"

OOC: Ark is in the door, and Celes never said she went there yet...

Lynx sighed and got up from his bed. Deciding that the old wizards robes were to ripped up to continue to wear, Lynx grabbed a shirt and pants from the closet, put them on, then left for the meeting place.

ooc: did he hide the door when he was in the frame? It's still there. We aren't talking advanced quantom mechanics here.

Vace smiled confidently and said, "With this new armor and my repaired sword, I feel ready for anything. I just hope Cid's army is ready for us in the coming battle." Vace then noticed Ark's new armor and equipment and said, "Looks like I'm not the only one that noticed something he likes in the armory. So whats going on? I heard something about a meeting, hopefully that the king is mobalizing his army, and that he doesn't have to pull together something from scratch and actually has trained troops ready for Cid's army."

"I've never liked plate. I grabbed the best chain-mail I could find. It and the leather should be just as good." He frowned at the next question. "I honestly have no clue. We're supposed to go and meet with the king, and I hope we can persuade him to get ready. This isn't exactly the home-coming I wanted. Actually, I didn't really want a home-coming."

OOC: And Ark's body was in front of it... Gin would have had to reach over Ark just to knock on the door...

Lynx knocked on all the doors with his staff as he passed, and when he passed Ark and Vace he gave them a quick tap on the head to hurry them along.

"Were goin', no need to rush Lynx, I don't think getting to the meeting a minute or two late will matter in the grand scheme of things considering an army is bearing down on us from Cid's Kingdom in a few days regardless of what we do." Vace said.

Ark offered his hand out. "You're one of the more honorable people I've known Vace. When the fight hits here, odds are one of us is bound to die. I just wanna' thank you, for stickin' around this long."

Vace shook Ark's hand and said, with much more confidence then he felt, "Not sure what all the pre-death sentiment is about, it's only a war, nothing to worry about. I've been in a war once, nasty buisness, but as long as you watch your friends backs, they'll watch yours, so as long as we all stick together, the only ones that will be doing any dying are Cid's army. The goal of war is to make some other poor bastard die for his country so you don't have to die for yours, just remember that."

After a bit, the servent came out again, "Excellent, is everyone here?" He looked around. "Miss Seilen is already in the meeting room, providing his majesty with information about the army... So if everyone is present, we will depart now, please follow me."

The man then led the group through the winding and twisting halls of the Alban castle. Before long, they came upon a large metting room. The officials of the capital were sitting around a very large table. It almost looked as if they were going to sit down and have a friendly dinner, but the mood was too dark to be anything good.

The king stood at the front of the table, along with his Chancellor, "Please, my good friends, have a seat." He said, motioning to the empty chairs.

After everyone had found a seat, the king began.

"Thanks to our inteligence and help from Lady Seilen, we now have enough information to decide what our course of action will be..." The king's face looked bleak, but yet, he kept his chin high and spoke clearly, "We have sent messangers to every town and city in Alba, seeking the assistance of every able man to help in the cause. ...But yet... I fear it will not be enough."

The officials looked at each other with startled looks on their faces. Some of them whispered to one another.

"But... just because there is no hope, does not mean we won't go down fighting. We will need any information you know about their army to help us have a fighting chance. We are planning on evacuating the woman and children to the border, where, hopefully, our Avionan allies will come and give shelter to our survivors. We have already sent a messanger to Aviona, we can only pray he will get there in time."

The king then stopped pacing, and turned to the group, "Which is where you come in. We ask you, please escape from here with Lady Seilen. I fear that you eleven are our only hope in stopping Cid..."

(OOC: whew. next plot advancement! )

"No. Frickin. Way." Ark crossed his arms. "Your nation is a scapegoat. A scapegoat that we caused. You might be thinking that you give a half-assed effort to save thousands of lives, and all you've worked for in your life, but I'll give it my all to save your work. You might not have the spine to fight, but I sure as hell do. No way I'm running and abandoning my homeland."

"It's been common knowledge among the Mercenaries Guild for months now that the Hessian have been working on newer and improved siege technologies. A friend of mine said he was there for a demonstration of a device he called a mortar. It is used to launch an exploding stone over a castles walls. He said the device launched the stone at a range of just a half mile. But he has been known to exaggerate."

Atleast they know their screwed...

OOC: Why are you still trying to make Cid look good?

"I have a small suggestion since Ark brought it up. Perhaps some of us should stay here to help in the war effort, while the rest of us travel with those evacuating to make sure they have a safe trip." Dawn spoke up softly. "Those of us who have experience fighting can stay, and the rest of us leave..."

"I agree with Dawn, the fighters should stay and help in the fight." Vace and Ark will unfortuantly die, but atleast Tama, Gin, and Jude would be gone...

"We can't just abandon you at your final hour like this. Cid's army is coming, we can't stop that, but we can't just leave you here to die either. We've too come far and through too much to help you, and we won't just quit and retreat now. When Cid is done with your army, he will simply have more time to grow and become more powerful before he continues his conquest, and if we don't do our best to slow him down or stop him now, then in the future we might not be able to come up with enough to stop him." Vace said.

"Agreeing to throw away your best warriors again Lynx? I remember you did that once before. At Beiden pass you ordered your troops to their deaths. I was there. I was the sole survivor of the fifteenth wave you sent to their deaths."

"I never commanded at Beiden. You seem to have me mistaken with someone else."

"How many cats were given command of an army. Just one, Lynx, you. So was it cause we were mercenaries and you didn't want to pay our prices or are you just that stupid?"

"But you do know that if you stay, it will be suicide! There is no way our country will be able to stand up to that kind of power!" The king protested, "I know you're trying to help, but if you die here, then you will never get a chance to kill Cid. Are you willing to accept that?"

"You really shouldn't make things up. For one, I never commanded at Beiden in the last 100 years. Two, every kingdom I did command at kept me hidden, and my orders were sent through someone else. As you said, you were just a grunt in that war, so you would not have known about me. But again, I wasn't there."

"One moment sire." Ark grabbed Gin and Lynx by their ears, and pulled them over to a wall.

Then he phased their heads and stuck them through the wall, then let go, effectively leaving them stuck with their heads through the wall.

"I'm not pulling you two out until you agree TO SHUT THE HELL UP WITH YOUR CONSTANT BICKERING."

With a smile, he turned back and said, "Sorry your highness. Now, I think you can survive the assault. It'll need precision though."

OOC: Not how I saw that being resolved, but it works...

Vace, in his bravado, was struck by something the king said, "...if you die here, then you will never get a chance to kill Cid..." Vace was an honerable man, and it seemed against everything he held true to abandon this kingdom in it's time of need, but the only thing that could rival his sense of Honor was his desire for vengence against his worst enemies, and Cid had made it to the top of that list. His sense of honor wared with his sense of vengence over what to do. <There has to be some way I can help that won't get me killed and will let me get Cid...> Vace thought, but he couldn't think of anyway. All his steam taken out, he slumped back in his chair, deep in thought over what to do.

"What's a matter, catboy? Don't want to admit to your victims your crimes? You should be proud, you won the pass. You broke the enemy lines and did what everyone thought was impossible. At the cost of 3/4 of your own army. But what's breaking a few eggs to make an ommelette?"

OOC: Jad, shut up already. It was bad enough when you were trying to control the RP, and now your trying to control my character. Just shut up already.

Ark walked back, and grabbed Gin's hands and stuck them through. "I'm adding an extremity every time."

He looked back at the king. He would probably die, but he escape and go for Cid...but...

"Cesia, how big do you think Cid's ego is? Think he'll come for the attack?"

"Great, now I'm stuck in a wall because the idiot merc likes to lie..." Lynx mumbled to himself.

The people were shocked at first at the people having themselves shoved into the walls, but they shook it off and continued the meeting.

Cesia sat back and thought. "I'm not sure if Cid would be there or not. If he knows or believes that we are here, then, yes, I would say he would show up, just to see us die." She thought a second, "But you never know with a horrible monster such as himself."

"That's it then. If Cid shows up, we have Lynx cook something up, or we launch a really large trebuchet shot at him. Granted, if he's got my abilities that might not work, but I know he won't have that good control. In the meantime, I'll fight on the walls. I'm sure if I get some people helping me, I can take down the things that need to be taken down."

"Cid would most definatly be here if it meant he could watch us die. He must have a monstrous ego just to have the desire to be named king of a kingdom and be willing to take it from the rightful ruler. However, Cid is also crafty and careful, and he knows that every one of us would like nothing more than to be the one that end Cid's life, and he obviously doesn't want that. There really is no telling what Cid may or may not do." Vace concluded.

From the wall, Lynx commented. "The only way we could kill Cid if he came is if we had highly trained assassins. And we don't. Alba didn't even know about any of this until we told you, so you don't even have your army assumbled yet. You could only hold out for a couple of days at most."

"There in lies the problem. He's a loose cannon. I know what I'm gonna' do though. I'm staying and fighting. You guys decide amongst yourselves." He went and sat down, pondering any possible ways to avert this.

Vace had a thought, "Your highness, do you know how long it would take a group of messengers to get from here to the capital of Aviona?"

The king looked troubled, "On horseback, without stopping or slowing down, it would take at least three days." The king started to pace again, "It will be lucky if they even get there before we are attacked..."

"Or a couple of hours at least. Begin the evacuations as fast as you can, but do not trust for aid to arrive in time."

"I would suggest your current plan, but instead of fight, barricade and surrender once the barricade is broken. Of course, I'm guessing you don't like the idea of surrendering."

"Maybe, but the Avionans are much faster than any human, and some are faster than most horses. If we could get the princess with some others to guard her to the Avionans, and convince them to send an army to help you, combined with your troops they might be enough to return here and break Cid's Army! We have a few days to prepare, and regardless of what you do, send all of your best scouts to begin trapping the forests and roads around here. Cid will head straight for the capital, so he will arrive here in less than a week possibly." Vace said excitedly, with figures and plans whirring through his head.

"That's five days before they get here, if it's a perfect run with no stops or any problems. My guess is with the new weapons Cid has, Alba will have already fallen."

Vace thought about the weapons of Cids. They shoot stone balls long distances... it sounds like a strange catapult, but with longer range. It is a metal tube, with most likely a wood support frame, and the explosive powder to shoot the balls...

Suddenly he asked the Albans, "Are there any nearby swamps where we can get a large amount of pitch? Cid's cannons may be long range and nasty, but every weapon has it's flaws, we just need to think of the flaws in this weapon."

"We have no intelligence to say we have a five day lead. We have no clue where The Hessian's army is.

The king shook his head sadly, "There are no moats nmearby, and no way to tell how long we have..."

"I cannot force you to stay or leave... but I need to know your final choice of who in your group is staying and who is leaving."

"A compromise perhaps. Are there escape routes out of the city if they break the defences?"

"I don't know about all of you, but I'll be going with the group towards Aviona. I'm not skilled at fighting, only healing, so I'm not sure of how much good I could do staying here. I can at least help ensure the safety of the women and children that will be evacuated." She bowed her head towards the king. "And I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to them."

"I still suggest all fighters stay here, while the rest get to Aviona as fast as possible."

The king nodded at Gin, "There are the sewers that could be used. But we are still going to evactuate as many people as possible, as soon as possible. Miss Dawn, Sir Lynx, and Lady Seilen will be at the head of the group of escapees."

"Oh no you don't coward. We are going to use our talents to by some time. There has to be some alternate escape routes. The Sewers sound good."

"He just said there are sewers, and that's the plan you idiot. Buy as much time as possible, and hopefully you'll be smart enough to surrender before to many casualties start to happen. Cid won't kill you afterwards. Either he will try to force you in his army, which we could later use for a backstab attack, or if he tried to execute you all, he will lose any allies he has and gain more enemies." Lynx then adressed Ark. "Get me out of the wall already."

"An alternate escape? Ha, I can follow both. I will definatly stay here." Vace said, then turned to Lynx and said, "Hmm, leaving already? I figured you would want to give your tactical skills a warm up since you haven't led an army to war in so long."

"Or he will order his lietenants to not accept surrender. We fight to hold the defences as long as we can before retreating."

"Him not accepting the surrender will also make him lose allies and gain more enemies." Lynx turned to Vace. "I lead a small skirmish a couple of years, and you don't exactly forget these things. Besides, I'll be of more use at the main base instead of a road block."

"Your not up on your military ettiquite. They have never had to accept surrender in battle. We'd have to surrender the entire army and that means capture. You don't like me, and I don't like you. but my plans lead to a minimum of causalties and the secured freedoms of those involved."

"Meh, your loss. And as to Cid, he lost most of his allies when he lead a hostile coup against the ruler of his nation, and he lost the rest when he attacked a peaceful fellow nation over what is obviously a sham. Think about it, Alba has been peaceful for this long, has no army, and no hostile acts, why would they assasinate the king of a neighbor when they are obviously totally unprepared to take advantage of the aftermath? Hopefully I give the other kingdoms leaders more credit when I say I don't think many people were duped by that."

"I fail to see why you think being captured means more casualties then trying to run. But it doesn't matter, as long as you just hold out." Lynx again turned to Vace. "Some nations would not attack Cid yet, but him slaughtering Alba even after they surrendered or tried to surrendered would probably cause the other nations to attack."

"You do realize he wants a legitimate attack. This kingdom is just a testing ground for his new weapons and tactics. He's going to press his technolgical advatage over any nation that attacks him."

"There are nations that are much more powerful then Cid's nation, and do you think it would be that hard to copy, improve, and change Cid's new weapon?"

"Yes I do. It would take months to reverse engineer the designs and they'd first need a captured working model. In that time he could have marched halfway across the continent."

"I'm almost positive I've got the plans to how you make those weapons in my head, and again, other nations could crush him anyway. The Aviona's have a better army then Cid's."

"Right, nice bluff. But you knew nothing of that weapon until I told you about them. Only person in the kingdom who knows anything about those things is Pikey, and he's left by now."

"Stop argueing. His weapon is just an improvement of goblin fireworks and dwarven explosives. It's not that hard to figure out."

"Oh that's right I keep forgetting you know everything. We can't fail with the all knowing pussy cat around. So did you know Cid was going to start a coup d'etat and did nothing, or is the amazing lynx not all he's cooked up to be."

"I was in Aetherea for a day, and I was just passing throguh. I didn't bother to investigate in the Captain of the Royal Guard. But this I have been thinking about, and I know it. And I've done a lot of research on goblin and dwarven technology, and overseen the productions of them."

"Yes and those are wrapped in paper and ceramics. What's your point? You know magic. You need a metalurgist and an alchemist to make these things."

(ooc: rocketry and gunmaking are two completely different fields. The objective is the same but they are not.)

OOC: He never said they would be perfect weapons, just functional

"I happen to have several years worth of training and experience in metalurgist and alchemist fields. When you lived as long as I have, you do anything you can to pass the time."

OOC: As for you having this smart drunk mercenary never seemed to bother you...

ooc: some drunks aren't as stupid as you seem to think they are. Gin is very well educated.

"Even if you could build it. It would be months before we could use it in any kind of practicality. We have days not months."

OOC: That of course explains his job choice of mercenary...

ooc: He choose to be a mercenary cause he is disgusted by the nobility exploiting everyone to get ahead. So given the choice of living inside the system or outside of it he chose outside. He is a skilled swordsmen, which means he's studied, and in studying combat he's studied other things, poetry, music, rhetoric, arithmatic, and medicine for instance. Being a mercenary just pays his bills.

OOC: Because of course, all nobility are corrupt and will do anything for more money...

When is next chapter anyway? I think who is staying and who is going is settled...

ooc: Yep everybody is staying till the walls are breached then we break for it

OOC: No... Lynx, Dawn, and Cesia/Whatever her real name is are getting a head start on the escape to Aviona, everyone else is staying to buy more time

ooc: oh right I forgot Lynx is a wuss and leads from the rear like a coward.

[OOC]
So you're calling my character a wuss as well...? (which in all rights she might as well be one, but that's besides the point.)

Could ya'll PLEASE stop with the bickering again? --;

OOC: Or, he's smart and getting a head start to help prepare the Avion forces, mention his new weapons idea (Celes is still deciding on that one) and do other things in a more important place. He's hoping that the people who are staying know enough to just stall.

ooc: like me she has said. You can do it. but it will take months to get right and to produce any number to be significant. So it's a moot point. it's time you don't have.

OOC: No, he knows he couldn't get a cannon in time. Instead, he wants extremely smaller versions (one shot rifle gun things) and make as many of those as possible with the time that Alba is holding off Cid's army.

ooc: Which won't be that long. Again it would take months to get it right, and don't give me the "A wizard did it argument. You might as well make crossbows since in the middle ages they had more punching power and were easier to reload than rifles.

OOC: Well, Lynx just happen to have it right already. But again, it's not your choice, it's Celes'. And how does a crossbow have more of a punch then a gun?

(OOC: don't worry, we'll work it out once we get to Aviona, but for now, no more arguing. I already pushed it last night with running the chapter past the 100 post limit and this isn't going to help matters. ^^;; I'm working on the next chapter as we speak... so prepare for bloodshed *laughes maniacly* )