Ark watched the next come. He smacked his sword out of the man's hand with his own sword in his left, then slashed him across the throat before sticking through the top of his torso with his sword.

For reasons which he did not know, armour seemed to be little to no use against his sword. He watched a man with a massive two-handed sword behead one of his temple guard and charge at Ark. He side-stepped the cleave, spun so he was facing away, and stuck his dagger through his victim's back.

He pulled it free, and sheathed the dagger. He grabbed a nearby throwing spear, pulled back, and slammed it into the face of an attacker. He spun to his next opponent, but parried wrong. The attack struck across his chest, biting into the leather, and breaking a few rungs of mail. Ark also felt a rib go.

He pulled back and killed that attacker, spun, and saw a captain charging at him. "FOR PRINCESS SELIA!" yelled the man.

Ark blocked his attack, and forced it down and brought his face to an inch of that man's. "You fight for her death, but I fight for her life." Then pulled his dagger and cut his throat. He turned away from the gurgling man and tried to see where he should go next.

OOC: The princess' name is Selia or something, Cesia was a fake now...

A new battering ram crew had taken up position on the ram. The Ram smashed into the door splintering several boards. "Drop the Portcullas!" The gridded gate fell behind closing off the last access to the main gates. The main gates splinered. "FIRE!!!" The archers in the court yard killed the battering ram crew easilly.

[OOC] @_@ yikes, I leave for a new years trip and I’m about 3 chapters behind.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to work Thid in once more.

I guess it's time for some heavy reading....unless someone wants to give me the Cliff’s Notes on what’s happened since the camp before the bridge?[OOC]

OOC: Your in Alba castle. CId is about to crush you. Your there just to hold him off.

OOC: Not Cid himself mind you. Just his army. Which dwarfs ours. You have two options, be with CJ, and LWM as they take the people to Aviona, or you can be in the fight. If you go for the fight, you're either in two groups, 1) The people that have gone into the enemy's ranks (Raiden, BM) or 2) The people that are on the wall, by the gate, etc. fighting to hold the castle. (Me, and Jad)

OOC: He's with you at the castle... Everyone was basically ordered/forced to say expect those three. And Cid might be there, in a tent in the back drinking some wine and laughing evily or something

OOC: Well, the fighters were told to stay. Which is why Cesia, Dawn, and Lynx left. That leaves Ark, Vace, Tama, Jude, and Gin to fight at the castle. Your pick Gato.

Vace had made it out of the city without attracting attention, and was now running towards the enemy's rear. He was searching and spotted the enenmy's new weapon, but knew those would be well defended. Instead, he saw a bunch of lightly defended tents with a lot of activity. He realized it was the tents with the new things needed for the weapons, since they didn't want the elements ruining them, and that almost all the guards had been 'drafted' by the weapon workers to help carry the goblin powder to the weapons so the elements wouldn't effect it. Vace crawled along the ground and waited for a group of Cid's soldiers to leave the tent, then he cut through the back and got in. He saw lot's of barrels holding the powder, and he quickly stabbed a hole in the side of two, then rolled one out the hole in the tent. It was at the back of the supply tent, so the guards didn't even notice.

He rolled it a good distance away, staying in the tallest part of the grass and slowly rolling it away. When he got a distance enough away he could stand like normal, turned the barrel up and moved it away from the line of powder. He charged his sword with electricity and stabbed it down on the line. It immediatly sparked and fizzed to life, burning it's way down the powder. Vace sat patiently, waiting for the burning powder to cross the field of long grass, and saw a spark as it neared the tent. A few seconds later, there was a massive explosion that sent troops flying, and that was so large it actually knocked over two nearby weapons, damaging them so they wouldn't fire any more. Vace smiled at a job well done, then made his way along the outskirts of battle, trying not to be noticed and looking for any more opportunities for sabatoge.

Ark saw the explosion. "Nice work Vace." He spun back to his current problem. The ladders had been put up and knocked down constantly, but that wasn't it. They had bringing three people in groups. One with an overly large shield, one with a sword, and one with a spear. The men with shields would advance, then the spearman would stick the spear out to stab people, then open allowing the swordsmen to get out. This was massacering the archers. Ark flicked a throwing dagger out, and caught a man in the face with it. He ran at them, and ran through them to the archers. With a smirk, he kicked a vat of oil onto them, then walked through them again as they screamed, fell, and died by various means.

Ark shoved a ladder down, and took stock of how they were holding up. Not too well. He sheathed his sword, and ran up the stairs. The situation looked back from higher up. There were just too many. He blted back into the fight, hewing the first man he could.

He didn't even notice as his retinue was butchered around him, or when the corpses piled higher. He stumbled away from the melee, and took stock on himself. Nasty cut on his arm, right below the mail sleeve. He tore a peice of fabric off, and tied that, then noticed he had three arrows sticking out of him. Apparently the armour had been very good indeed, despite the rungs digging into him and the various bruisees and broken ribs he'd incured.

[OOC] Well, i was a few seconds from killing off Thid but now that i have pondered upon the subject i think i can bring him back, and explain why he has been more or less absent from the battle. [OOC]

Thid made his way through the street as flames licked the sides of buildings. He hurried out of the was as bucket chains of people were formed to attempt to contain the fire. Sorry people, thought Thid as he dashed past the fire lines with a large bundle under his shoulder, i've got more important places to be. Thid looked up toward the archer stands on the battlements, that'll be the perfect spot.

OOC: Just by chance, how are you going to get up there, and how are you moving through a city that's overrun?

IC: Ark dispatched his opponent, and looked for the next. There was none. He looked, and saw no ladders were up. Something was wrong.

"GET DOWN!" Everyone dropped as a flurry of arrows, and mortar shells shot at them. People screamed in pain as they were hit. They were going to pick them off. "Everyone to the keep!" They crawled away, then escaped into the deeper depths of the castle. Once everyone who was till alive was out, they barricaded it.

Eventually, they got down to see the rest of the troops. Because of the space on the wall, not all had been able to be there. Ark slumped against a wall, and broke the shafts of some of the arrows in his armour.

He got up, feeling a bead of sweat push it's way through the blood and grime on his face. His hands were almost pure red, and his armour was spattered all over. "Now we go to battle. This was a defense to buy time, it did not work. We must charge out, and meet them head on where their machines cannot be used without risk. I want archers back onto the wall, and some fighters. The rest of us, get ready to charge."

All of them nodded obligingly, and the archers grabbed extra quivers before running out. Ark knew that they'd eventually meet up with Thid, and he hoped the guy could hold the wall.

They all took a moment to rest before marching towards the gate, and their last stand.

"Retreat to the Palace! The Gate is overrun!" Gin sliced down a warrior. "Pull back!" He cut down another soldier. He moved through the smoke in the street evading notice cutting down enemies as he pulled back.

[OOC] Ok, that's an important piece of information that i would have liked. But i can roll with that. [OOC]

As Thid made his way through the streets, loud explosions could be heard up toward the castle. Well, it sounds like they're having quite the party.

Just then Thid heard a large group of people on the next street and he darted into a dark alleyway. A Platoon of soldiers was making their way up toward the front of the battle lines. Even though I’m not dressed like a soldier, i would still draw unwanted attention from the hostile armed folk if they saw my bow and the bundle under my arm. At the best they would think me a townsman looting corpses and buildings.

Once the platoon of soldiers had past Thid continued to make his way toward the outer wall of the town.

Vace had made his way back towards the caslte, with his partially filled barrel of guoblin powder, when he noticed the overwhelming forces that were now pushing through the gates. <Whoops. guess I've got to play sewer rat one more time.> Vace thinks, but suddenly realized he didn't know how Tama and Jude were doing on their plan to knock out the enemy super weapon. He cursed his luck and stayed on a hill with the barrel so he had a good viewpoint of the battle, trying to find those two so they could all escape back into the palace thrugh the sewer, becuase he had a little plan for this barrel.

(OOC: So the Albans were just gunna arrive at Aviona unannounced? I figured they sent out a messenger... And I already asked Celes about the Avions helping out, and she said it was 'k...yeesh, we're still gunna lose, just not die...)

OOC: Alba didn't even know about this till yesterday, and it takes 3 days for a messanger to get to Aviona... They wouldn't even know about it yet(Since all the countries seem very stupid...)

Ark ran into Gin. Soldiers streamed past him with cries of battle. "Do your best to get everyone away. I've got one gambit left, and when it goes, get them out of here as best you can." He glanced back to the battle that was held at the gate by angered soldiers full of desperation.

OOC: Maybe the Avions set up a halfway point...or something, I dunno, they're comin to help at the last minute...not to turn the tide of war, prolly just to rescue the biggie heros....

OOC: Your running in the sewers

(OOC: Oh, So thats where Jude is...I got confused...and I guess we'll just have to come out and get saved at some point...)

"Did I ever mention that I hate enclosed spaces? Especially closed spaces where I'm going to certain death and sloshing through feces to get there."

Ark hopped onto his horse. Behind him, his company grabbed their lances and such and Ark looked at the now open doors.

He sighed and yelled, "CHARGE!" 200 horse broke into an all out gallop, charging straight into the foe. The infantry scattered to let them through, and then they were there.

Ark cleaved the head off of the first person he could, and heard as hundreds of lances spitted their targets. He wheeled his horse, hacking as he did, fighting open a gap.

Their charge had opened lots of room. The remaining infantry that could hauled butt out of there and the calvary carved a hole open in their foes. Ark looked across the battlefield, and saw how much they were going to fight. It didn't even phase him.

His horse knocked a warrior down, and Ark stabbed another. He wheeled around, blade flashing. His knights followed.

It was a desperate push, one final gambit. It was the last chance for the rest to evacuate, and Ark's last gambit to buy precious time...

OOC: Sacrificial charge boys. Haul yo asses OUTTA 'DER!

"Well Hell." He growled at an on coming knight and in a flash sliced the man in half from hip to shoulder. He was in the sewers before the hour was up.

(OOC: we've reached our 100 post limit, so if people could start evacuating outta there and such, it would be appreciated so we can start the next chapter with us all getting to, or already in, Aviona.... ^_^ (sorry I haven't been around much. >_<;; )

OOC: How long did they hold out?

OOC: Well, the people probably went about a day before the huge attack, and in the grand scheme of things all the preperations probably bought time as well. Then the army would have to scour, plunder, and take over the place, so it should be enough. And Jad? Edit your post. Ark just made a huge suicide charge to buy you time to get out.

OOC: And not have Gin kill half the army? Are you mad SS?

OOC: I do think I'm running a temperature, and I ate that weird meat today...I do believe I am.