Ragnarok

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Sweeping the Jotunn off their feet by his waves, this was only the beginning of Genzai's assault, as he watched Leon head off to aid Quillan. Now, lets see if this will work as well as it did in training! the fused Shinto Vanguard said, as he took his hand/claw and formed into the palm of it a huge water blade, resembling his Kusanagi blade. Excellent! And now...be washed away with this blade's flow! And with that, the water Kusanagi was swung at the Jotunn, dealing quite the bit of damage to them. Even if it was water, the sheer force of the swing, like the swift crashing of the waves, was enough to injure them greatly.

 

As he finished his set of Jotunn, he noticed Man finishing his...and that's when they noticed Nailah in a current situation against Ymir. However, Genzai could not inch close to help his ally, lest he be frozen himself. However...

 

Man! I'm going to launch you over there to help Nailah. I take it you know what to do?

 

"Yes. I use Gift of the Wild, help Leon's mate!" Man said, somewhat smirking at the last part he said, which made Genzai smirk as well.

 

The plan was made, as Genzai picked Man up, and aimed for the rushing Nailah. Within moments, Pan's Vanguard was launched by his water incarnate jellyfish tentacles, launching him towards her.

 

"Gift of the Wild - Brother Eagle!" Man said, as the power of the proud eagle came upon him, sprouting two wings on his back. Within moments, he reached Nailah and lifted her into the air, allowing her to dodge Ymir's icy trap. "Man help?"

[Hotaru987]

Upon seeing Ymir attack her, Nailah gave something between a monkey screech and a bird's squawk. It made for a very strange combination. Anyway, Nailah wasn't too sure if she would be able to completely clear the attack when she was suddenly lifted into the air thanks to Man. A grin erupted onto her face. "Man help?"

 

Nailah nodded quickly, "Yes! Yes, Man definitely help." She was glad for the help. "Man, get me right above of Ymir." Assuming that he did so, and probably having to dodge a few of Ymir's attacks, she then told him to release her. Nailah found herself quite high up, since she now higher than the towering giant. She maneuvered herself so she was falling head first, and brought one of her fist back which in turn made the glowing fist do the same. "Tum Turu." The hieroglyph appeared on her forehead and just as it had done before for her weapon, her own descent towards the giant's head increased. Following that word she said, "Tak-kuseem." This time the hieroglyph appeared on her fist. Though she wasn't expecting for the spell to destroy Ymir by any means, she was hoping that the added force behind the attack would fair much better. 

 

Whether her attack hit or missed, she hoped that Man would be able to help her out of the air. 

[Kyng's Old Account]

It was Quillan who managed to salvage Leon's anarchic descent. Notus' Vanguard's speed was drastically improved, so much so it enabled him to catch Leon who was already meteoring from the sky downwards from Ymir's attack. Quillan did note that Leon had returned to his base form, having became unconscious from the sheer force Surtr smacked him at. As such, Quillan rested Leon down behind one of the hills, away from the conflict, before informing him that he'd ensure he got out alive. Fortunately there was not much else to Surtr's ploy. The Fire Giant had began to fall back, his squadron too retreating back from whence they had came. Though a small victory, the threat that was Ymir was still far at large.

 

A number of the frost giants noted Genzai's nature of avoiding Ymir, and attempted to use it to their advantage. They began to exhale frosty breath to  gradually freeze the Vanguard, and the large force that remained had effectively bound Genzai to the floor where he currently stood; of course in a frighteningly quick succession, one-by-one, they fell prey to Quillan's sharp strikes against the front of their throats, some simply killing, many even decapitating the Giants that attacked Genzai. With this work force disheartened, Quillan bolted to Genzai's side as he said "We can't have you getting cold feet, now can we?" in his shadowed form.

 

Ymir, however, was pretty damn pissed. Watching Nailah come from above, she pelleted from the sky and planted a hieroglyphic seal on his nose. A notable crack showed in the icy, rigid skin of the bridge of Ymir's nose, but the giant all but laughed it off. What would follow, however, was Ymir's attempt to crush Nailah: he would attempt to swat the girl straight into his face in aim to crush her body against his steel-like flesh. This was obvious as he began to raise his own hand from the fortress to do so.

 

Should Man save Nailah, we would witness Ymir's hand come crashing down straight into his face, the force of which causing him to roar in agony and flail back from the fortress, crushing a number of giants and soldiers below. Ymir's face, if his attempt was successful, would be covered in what remained of Nailah; or it would simply reveal a greater crack on his nose's bridge. The fact of the matter was that Ymir was brought away from the fight and, in doing so, caught wind of Surtr's retreat. Huffing with anger, he too began to flee, making a slow and steady march away from the fortress. Ragnarok's attack, for now at the least, had failed.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"We can't have you getting cold feet, now can we?"

 

There it was, even in the midst of the battle and even after saving him, Quillan was there going with his jokes again. Genzai simply smiled as he nodded at Notus' Vanguard, bowing slightly. Thank you Quillan...once again...you've saved my life. I suppose I am once again indebted to you. he said with a smile.

 

Meanwhile, Man did indeed bring Nailah above Ymir and once she did what she had to do, he swooped in to help her once more. "Nice shot!" Man said simply as he flew away from Ymir, as his Gift of the Wild ability ran its course, as the wings dissipated and they landed safely onto the ground.

 

Between all the Vanguards, they saw that both Ymir and Surtr had began to retreat from this fortress...meaning Ragnarok's attempt at an attack failed. Meaning in one other thing: THEY had won! Genzai looked towards Quillan once more, noting that Leon had been smacked by Surtr prior. Leon...is he alright? he asked.

[Hotaru987]

After her successful attack on Ymir, she couldn't help the grin that plastered onto her face. Though it was quickly gone once she realized she was about to get squashed like a bug by his on coming hand. There was no way for her to dodge it, and on instinct she tensed and closed her eyes not wanting to see her death. Now she knew how those poor bugs felt. Luckily, instead of the fleeting feeling of pain of being squashed, she felt hands swoop under her arms and fly her to safety. "Man! You are a life saver! I could kiss you right now!" She exclaimed, a huge breath of relief washing over her. Taking a glance over her shoulder, she saw Ymir as well as Surtr making a retreat. Once they touched the ground Nailah grinned at Man, "That'll show them not to take use lightly." 

 

She made her way over to Genzai and Quillian, wondering where Leon was. As she got closer her heard Genzai asking if Leon was ok, to which she jogged the rest of the way. "What do you mean 'Is Leon ok?' Where is he? What happened to him? Is he hurt? Is there some one treating him right now?" The interrogation flew from her mouth before she could stop herself, looking between Genzai and Quillian waiting for one of them to answer her.

[Kyng's Old Account]

Quillan's Fusion Form disengaged, the shadowed guise vanishing in a swift and smooth transition like a gust of wind. Looking to the pair of them he lead them to the spot, behind the hill, before sitting down by the unconscious Leon, who had by now returned to his base form as well. Bringing his fingers to his threat Quillan smirked. "He's still with us, but there's no chance I'm giving him a kiss of life." To this he teasingly glanced to Nailah as he bobbed his brows. With a chuckle afterwards he helped move Leon from his back into recovery position, in case of any breath-blocking situations such as potential sickness from shock. Afterwards he looked over to the fortress, hearing the cheers, the other Vanguards helping recover the dead. It was funny: though carrying falling comrades, no-one's spirits were dampened.

 

"Why are they so happy?" Quillan began to question, "I mean, yeah, they've just fended off a dangerous foe, but the men we've lost, they're not in a better place. They've just ceased to be, they're gone." He chuckled softly in thought. "I mean, I suppose nothing'll ever hurt them anymore, and they're in a peaceful state." He looked to the other Vanguards with a smile as he sat down, gazing back up to the dark, black sky of Erebus, it being pierced by large stone stalactites of the earth above.

 

"Perspective...it counts for everything." coughed Leon as his eyes weakly fluttered open. Quillan chuckled and looked back to him. "You can tell them, Cap'n, how ya winded up in this mess." Leon rolled his eyes before rubbing the back of his skull. "Surtr swatted me like a fly..." With this he simply began to laugh for a while, followed by a moment of silence as Leon ran his fingers through the dusty earthen ground.

 

Quillan broke the silence neatly, by simply asking "What now?" Leon began to ponder, but first he looked to his allies. Though he was silent, it was evident with his gauging look that he wanted to know what everyone thought.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Quillan did have a good point...the soldiers they had lost...the warriors...they were no longer able to aid them any more. Genzai's Fusion Form began to return to a human shape and form, as a light blue flash enveloped the Shinto Vanguard, as he returned to his normal self, however he did think on what Quillan had said. This battle, even though they survived, they lost a heavy amount of troops.

 

"What now?"

 

The words from Quillan forced Genzai to look at Leon, who looked back at the current Vanguards that surrounded him. "What we need to do, is make camp and tend to the wounded." he said, as he looked at most of the warriors that were still alive. "Besides you, Leon...there are quite a few who need to be treated for their injuries. And also, we need to put the dead to rest, as their help in this fight was needed."

 

Man crossed his arms, as his Fusion Form dissipated as well, nodding. "Genzai have point. No condition to fight...must rest."

 

"But, at the same time...while we rest and bury the dead...we also need to discuss counteractions against Loki's tricky Vanguard: Kari."

[Kyng's Old Account]

"Yeah, we had best get back." Quillan added. "They're setting up pyres back behind the walls. We'd might as well send these bodies off into oblivion." With this he looked over back to the fortress, watching the soldiers recover the damned. With a soft breath he shrugged and looked back to the rest of the Vanguards. He remained silent, clearly he wasn't for cracking jokes right about now. With this short silent stance, Quillan then made a move back down and towards the large amount of corpses as he proceeded to help with bringing the dead to the pyres.
 
Leon ran his hands through the dirt as he sighed. "What's sad is that, we were meant to kill Ymir now, but without the ability to focus the strength due to the huge loss in numbers...well..." With this he looked to the others. "We're going to have to draw back, and let them through; unless we want to lose more lives to a now impossible cause." Eventually the Vanguard found enough power in his legs to stand up, staggering a little as he did so, before cracking the lose joints in his neck. Wiping his mouth, he wrapped an arm over Nailah's shoulders and pecked her on the cheek, before making his way, like Quillan, to begin piling up the corpses, recovering the dead, and then putting them to their rest.
 
In a few hours, we'd find the order being given. Once the night's activity of honouring the dead, with the soldiers watching their bodies be burnt into the fires that took them wholly to oblivion, they were ordered to retreat back from the underworld to the world of the living. Alas, there would be no preventing a second attack now, and there was a need to redistribute soldiers around the world to keep the foes at bay elsewhere. As such, the retreat had began, with all of the units embarking on their exit from Erebus. It was now down to the Underworld Gods to keep the Titans at bay; there was few, or no faith in this, nor should there have been.
 
A few days later, the news was heard. Ymir and Surtr's push had been successful, and the gates of Tartarus were opened, though something strange had happened. While some of the Titans, such as Chronos and Prometheus, ranked with Ragnarok, the others such as Gaia simply remained neutral, though hostile to both Ragnarok and the Alliance alike. Indeed, the issues had greatly hastened faster than one could have so easily predicted.[hr]

Chapter 8 - The Calm before the Storm

We find ourselves quite distanced from that moment. Such a time was filled with many, many battles, and much bloodshed. Though, soon, everything had came to a stop. It was because, in Egypt no less, there was a snowflake. A snowflake, in Egypt. This was simply madness, the Gods thought; but when the word was spread, the Norse Pantheon dreaded when giving their response. A notice, given to all of the Alliance, spoke only the words "Fimbulwinter is upon us." For those more savvy with how things were, Fimbulwinter marked the date when a vicious winter would cloak the world, and end all life. The Alliance and Ragnarok were immune to this, since their fates were destined later, but the significance was that any family the Vanguards might have had would now die. Any pets, past loves, friends, enemies; none would be able to withstand the brutality, the raw horrendous cold of Fimbulwinter.

 

The blizzards were so fierce, there was no-one fighting. Everything froze.

 

We find the Spearheads seated in their Greek rendezvous, indoors of course. Leon sighed as he decided to sit back into the corner of his bed, looking over to the rest of the Vanguards. It would be hours before lunch rations are handed out. Clearly not many were quite happy about the fact that the final battle was looming ever closer. Though as potentially anticipated, it was Quillan who decided to speak up. "So I'm going to have to break the ice, hm?" He said, akin to his very punny nature, quite proud of that one. "C'mon guys, let's talk about something."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

The events that unfolded...it would've been great to say that Genzai saw it coming...but alas, this was beyond his thought process. And now, before them stood the Fimbulwinter...in short, the new ice age that ravaged this world. The Shinto Vanguard placed his hand upon the frosted window, watching the blizzard furiously rage outside.

 

"So I'm going to have to break the ice, hm? C'mon guys, let's talk about something."

 

Genzai simply sighed as his hand slowly dragged down on the frosted window, as he turned towards Quillan. "Talk about something? I suppose we can begin with the fact that I'm no longer able to aid you in these conditions..." he said, as he looked at his hand, before turning around and slamming his fist into a stone pillar. He sighed a bit, as Genzai just looked at the pillar. "My Fusion ability...my techniques...nothing will be able to work well with this Fimbulwinter raging."

[Ren✧]

"You are just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Quillan said, rolling his eyes at Genzai's remark. The mood of everyone had no doubt darkened since the coming of Fimbulwinter, but it seemed that Genzai's attitude had turned especially sour. Of course, Quillan couldn't blame the Vanguard. The water based warrior would indeed prove almost useless in the freezing tundra that had overtaken the world. It was the exact same problem that Genzai would have had fighting Ymir had he come in contact with the frost giant. "It's not like any of us are going out in weather like this. The only one of us that could survive these conditions is Man, and maybe Leon. Everyone is pretty much on hold until the snow starts to lighten. What we should be talking about is that son of a b*tch, Kari. Now that we have seen the power of the Vanguards of Ragnarok, we know what we are up against. Kari isn't gonna be our only enemy, we need a plan to take these guys down."

[Hotaru987]

Nailah sighed from her position on the floor. She was leaning against the bed, and resting against Leon's leg while making swirls on the floor. When the snow first came to Egypt Nailah was pretty excited despite what it meant. Though once it got colder and colder her enthusiasm left her cold, and saddened by the inevitable fate of her forgotten loved ones. Quilliab was the one to suggest breaking the ice, to which she cracked a smile. Genzai seemed to be more down than the rest due to the unfortunate circumstance of his powers. Quillian then said they should find a way to deal with Kari, something that Nailah agreed with. "He has a point. The most troubling thing about Kari is that he is a great strategist, that can make clones of himself. Last time we were lucky he was close enough to hear my word, but who knows what his range is for those clones, or what other powers he has. Though...I guess that's stating the obvious." She sighed. She didn't handle cold well, and she was convinced that her brain refused to work in these conditions. She laughed. It was almost like a hibernation animal.

[Ren✧]

Man stood at the window, his youthful face childishly watched the wicked torrent of snow and ice as it fell to the ground. Man hadn't ever seen snow before today, as there hadn't ever been much snow in the rain forest...and before that...well, he didn't remember. Of course, that story was the same for everyone in the room. No one remembered their past lives. Not their families, their friends. Not one Vanguard could tell you their favorite TV show of theirs as a kid or recite embarrassing toddler stories. But, somewhere out in the tundra the bodies of those in their past lives were being blanketed in the deceitful purity of white snow. Man turned back to the group, if he had been thinking this, then there was no doubt it had crossed the others' mind. After this war was over, what were they going to do?

 

"Kari bad man but more. There more bad men. Pan said so." Man recounted the words that Pan had once told his Vanguard while out in the Amazon. Pan had warned Man that there were people out there looking to destroy the world, which wouldn't have been necessarily bad for the wild. After all, it was humankind that had destroyed most of Pan's domain. However, if Pan let Ragnarok win, there was no way that the world he would return would be worth living in. 

[Kyng's Old Account]

Leon softly sat up, going to stroke Nailah's hair softly as he whispered "Come up here, you look cold." to her, inviting her to cuddle with him while looking to the others as they discussed what they were, well, going to do. Listening to the discussion between Quillan and Genzai, he thought and mulled over on how to beat that damn Vanguard. Quillan was sharp as ever: Kari was only one of the Ragnarok Vanguard, and he had set a damn high bar in terms of his raw power. It seemed that Man, too, was in the same boat. But Nailah mentioned something that sent a little shiver in Leon's bones. Kari, indeed, was a brilliant strategist. He had stolen and manipulated schemes in order to massacre, with clones alone. Leon knew Kari was stronger than he was, and he also knew there was no longer any time to train.

 

"Well, I think what we need to do about Kari is somewhat straightforward." Whether cuddling or simply petting Nailah, Leon looked among his team. "He will overpower us in the open, by overwhelming us with clones. So, instead, we need to attack him when he least expects it. We need to siege whatever Ragnarok Hold he is keeping himself in, and we need to assassinate him quickly, before he can respond." With this Leon began to purr contemplatively, his chin being bushed by his hand. "Quillan, you can dish out damage faster than anyone else here, so you'd be dealing the killing blow; but we don't know how combat-savvy Kari is..."

[Ren✧]

Quillan rolled his eyes and mimed a gagging movement as Leon and Nailah got all cuddly. His protest of the public display of affection was well meant, however. In truth, seeing the two together made Quillan feel a little more comfortable. He associated the feeling he got when he saw the two of them to the feeling that little children get when they see their parents' kiss. 

 

"Well, I think what we need to do about Kari is somewhat straightforward.He will overpower us in the open, by overwhelming us with clones. So, instead, we need to attack him when he least expects it. We need to siege whatever Ragnarok Hold he is keeping himself in, and we need to assassinate him quickly, before he can respond. Quillan, you can dish out damage faster than anyone else here, so you'd be dealing the killing blow; but we don't know how combat-savvy Kari is..."

 

Quillan listened to Leon's proposal. Everything he said was true. Kari was a bastard and a cheat, but it was impossible to dispute his power. His cloning ability was almost impossible to maneuver around. "We'll have to sneak in. Kari isn't dumb, if we come rushing in, he is bound to flee to a position that is most convenient for his abilities. In truth, it leaves us with two possible plans of action." Quillan said, somewhat surprising himself as the strategic ideas sprung to mind. "We can seige the hold with whatever force we can muster. The commotion will distract Kari away from the real plan, which will involve getting a smaller, covert team into the hold. While our army engages the majority of enemy defenses, the small team, namely us, will be able to sneak in and wait for things to settle down. Of course, the problem here is the potential loss of life. Attacking the hold that Kari is in will no doubt prove dangerous, and the initial assault could very well drive Kari to the battlefield. He would of course slaughter our army, then return to his room where I would lay in wait." Quillan explained his first idea to the team. He was no master strategist, but the idea seemed pretty sound, although Quillan was big on using a group of dedicated warriors as scapegoats for their hidden agenda.

 

"You said two plan..." Man further inquired. He sat down on the floor. After getting himself situated, he clapped his hands and from underneath the bed burst a ball of fur. The small form that was Pup nustled up against Man and quickly fell into a light sleep. 

 

"The second plan is less risky for the Alliance, but more dangerous for us. We could forgo the distracting assault, sneaking in under the protective shroud of night. This would of course mean that any enemy encountered would have to be quickly and quietly brought down, so as to not alert the hold's occupants that something is amiss. As Man told us, there is more than just Kari to worry about. Any number of Dark Vanguards could be there with him."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"He has a point. The most troubling thing about Kari is that he is a great strategist."

 

"That's not how I see it. He's not a great strategist...but merely a tricky little Vanguard, able to manipulate the same powers of that of the Norse God of Trickery himself." Genzai sighed, hearing Nailah mention this. "Simply a coward...and nothing more."

 

Most Heartful OST ~ The Truth

 

As the Shinto Vanguard said this, he then continued to listen to what the others were speaking of...namely Quillan and his two plans. The first plan...it had high stakes of life being lost...while the second plan would deal with them going. He looked at Quillan quickly, as he shook his head, still thinking about the first plan he had proposed.

 

"So...you would just give up the lives of all our comrades...?" he asked, as he swiftly made a quick motion towards the Greek Vanguard, pinning him against the wall with tears in his eyes. "Why would you even suggest something as crazy as that?! They're like family to us...the only ones still alive...and you would want to throw that all away?!" Genzai raised his fist, and slammed it into the wall, missing Quillan's head entirely. "I...I'm not letting them die for something like that...it isn't their place to..."

 

Genzai loosened his grip on the Greek Vanguard, as he slowly backed away near the window and slumped down onto the ground, staring at the floor. "I-I'm...I'm sorry..."

[Ren✧]

Quillan's face flashed red. Being the most quickly angered of the Vanguards a confrontation between Genzai and Quillan seemed inevitable now. "You think I don't understand?!" Quillan shouted at Genzai. "You think just because I am your guys' very own court jester that I can't somehow grasp the importance of human life? News flash, the clown gets it. Apparently more than you, water boy." Quillan said, fixing Genzai with an enraged glare. "This is a war. People are going to die, or have you not figured that out?! You act as if there is another way. Besides, did I not just offer an alternative? Don't give me that 'holier than thou' attitude, when I'm the one that has get up close and personal with that devil!" The air around Quillan crackled with energy, the muscles in his legs tensed as he prepared to leap towards Genzai, but before he could, the powerful arm of Man wrapped around him. 

 

"Calm down. You both being stupid. No fight friends."

[Hotaru987]

Nailah smiled and graciously took Leon up on his offer. Being as she was customed to the Egypt heat and not the cold, the exttra body heat was welcomed. Seeing Quillians reaction to them now cuddling she just stuck her tongue out in a playful mannor. It was then that Genzai made spoke up about her earlier words.

 

"That's not how I see it. He's not a great strategist...but merely a tricky little Vanguard, able to manipulate the same powers of that of the Norse God of Trickery himself." Nailah was going to reply but Quillian then menioned his two strategies.

 

The first, though hard to consider as a viable plan, would probably be their best chance of sucess if they were to attempt an attack on Kari's Hold. The second, more dangerous option, was more appealing to her conscious but their chance of sucess was just chopped in half at best. Genzai was the first to shoot down Quillian's plan, quickly pinning the vanguard against the wall and shouting about how thoughtless his plan was. Though Nailah could see where he was coming from there was no need for the anger displayed. As one would suspect Quillian was quick to bite back but thankfully Man stepped in to stop any further fighting.

 

Figuring more talking would assist to further difuse the tension Nailah spoke up, "Though it is hard to swallow, Quillian's first plan is most likely our best so it would be foolish to completely disregard it because it leaves a bad taste in our mouths. If we are to seriously attack Kari's Hold then every option must be considered even if the casualties are uncountable." She hated to say that. The thought of more comrads dying like before wasn't easy on her. Or for anyone for that matter, but logically the greater and longer the destraction could hold the better the oppertunity. "That being said perhaps I could offer a plan that fuses yours together. We still have a destraction but just on a smaller scale. Smiliar, though not to Kari's degree I can divide myself through the use of one of my words but I can only make three. So this is what I was thinking, you guys sneak into the fortress taking a clone of myself with you. While myself, and the other two split into three groups. Of course the clones wont be alone as I have two other Vanguards in mind that could help. Between that as well as our Units thats about a 3 groups of a four man team. With my clones we'll be able to stay in communication if necessary." She sighed, "We will still attack at night, as any Hold is less defensive and protected under the blanket of night. Perhaps with the sudden commotion outside they would send more guards out, and leave less in your way." Even with that plan, it was probably more dangerous than what Quillian suggested. Also if Kari was to suspect something, which he would most likely will, it would make it all the more difficult.

[Kyng's Old Account]

"Before we get ahead of ourselves." Leon spoke up, looking to the pair of Quillan and Genzai, particularly with Genzai for this initial point. "Our duty, as Vanguards, is not to protect our fellow comrade. Our duty, as Vanguards, is specifically to follow the orders of our Patron Deity. They have chosen us as their loyal servants, we put our faith in their judgement. We are of the Alliance because our Patrons and their brethren wish for the new world to be born with balance and order." The bridge of the Vanguard's nose creased as he frowned slightly to the Shinto Spearhead. "With this in mind, you must also remember that the only Gods we must push through are the merged Amun and Ra, and Osiris. We know of no other God, according to prophecy, who will be able to withstand this war. Be sure you remember that this implies not only can people die, they will die. This is certain. Our lives have been given forfeit for our cause, not our fellow soldier. Remember our priorities as a Vanguard."

 

With this he then turned his attention to Quillan in particular; of course his speech was directed to the entirety of the group, however it needed to be directed for this instance. The frowned face of Leon's pursed lips then opened again as he spoke up to say "Also, we must keep in mind that, as Vanguards, our duty is not to assemble missions, tasks, or the like. We have master Tacticians such as Athena within our ranks of Gods. It is their place to position us, not our's." With this said he hoped he had gotten the message across. As unfortunate as it sounded, the words spoken were the blunt truth.

 

With a gentle sigh he then closed his eyes. "I am not contradicting what I have said prior, however. What we are discussing now is not a battle plan. What we are discussing is strategy, and it must remain within our own powers as Vanguards." A quick glance to Quillan, Leon quickly stated "As much as I hate to say it, our priorities are the Gods, not the Vanguards. I fear that we'll be dragged away from dealing with Kari and his Dogs, and thrown to face off with the deities supporting Ragnarok." With this said he took a deep breath and contemplated the given plans, and with a moment's thought he pecked Nailah on the cheek to somewhat ease the tension in the air.

 

"Fortunately, with Fimbulwinter here, we'll now be able to accompany our Gods on the battlefield. Unfortunately, so will the Ragnarok Vanguards. But, this would imply they'd be bastioned with them as well, unless told otherwise. Therefore, Kari would not have a Hold, but rather he'd be in Loki's hold." Leon said with a smirk, the glint in his eye implying the gears of war were spinning in his mind. Though definitely influenced by his Patron, he had a knack at this kind of thought. It made him consider whether he was in the military in his previous life, though he didn't think about the matter for too long.

 

Leon chuckled softly as he looked to the group. "We need to change the topic from how we go assaulting fortresses to how we deal with our missions; besides, besieging is the Gods' discussion. It is evident we'll be combating Vanguards now, so let's consider this." He then looked to the group as he asked. "So, we know Kari. Vanguard of Loki, seems to be a master of illusion. Do we know of any other Ragnarok Vanguards?" Leon's face glanced among his group, gaugingly, clearly curious about the team's knowledge. "Because, to be frank, I only know of Kari because he's the bastard who stole from me." he softly added with an undertone of spite.

[Ren✧]

Quillan's face grew red with anger, again, at Leon's comment. He thought about lashing out at the leader of the Vanguards, but after a few breathing techniques he calmed the anger that had risen in his throat. There would be a time to use that later. "Do we know of any other Ragnarok Vanguards?" Quillan cautiously cleared his throat. "Um...actually...yes."

 

"You do?" Man asked in amazement. He had come to think of he and Quillan to be pretty close, so the thought that Quillan would know something so big and not say anything was shocking. 

 

"Clair told me about him. We ran into each other at Olympus awhile ago." Quillan began to explain, noticing that the room's full attention was now on him. "She seemed pretty scared actually. I know that Athena recalled her for more training, or whatever, but I think it had something more to do with protection. It seems that our friend, Phobos, and his brother Deimos, are hunting for Clair. And their using a Ragnarok Vanguard to do it. Clair told me his real name is Vladimir Zorak, but the rumors about the guy dub him with the name It or Him. He is the Vanguard of Deimos, and from what I've heard, the powers that Phobos once gave Clair pale in comparison to those that he has."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Genzai wanted to lash out at Leon's statement, but he knew it was futile, as he was right...right about everything he said. The Shinto Vanguard just simply sat there, slowly nodding.

 

"So, we know Kari. Vanguard of Loki, seems to be a master of illusion. Do we know of any other Ragnarok Vanguards?"

 

It was then he heard of Quillan's talk of the Vanguard of Deimos: Vladimir Zorak...and this Vanguard's powers rivaled those that Phobos gave Clair...a shuttering thought. However, Genzai too had news...

 

"Unfortunately I do. It happens to be the Vanguard of Goddess of Chaos and Discord herself...Eris." Genzai said, quickly seeing Quillan's face turn a bit white, as he knew from the stories how this Greek Goddess was. "I overheard the information from Apollo's Vanguard. Eris' Vanguard is known as...Eryn Strife. However, I am unsure of her current powers, though from Apollo's Vanguard...like her Goddess...Eryn has the powers that Eris had bestowed in the Golden Apple of Discord. These gloves she wears, which have the branded seal of the apple...from them, she calls forth the powers of chaos and discord..."

[Kyng's Old Account]

"A Vanguard of Deimos, and a Vanguard of Eris." Leon contemplated before chuckling. "The Vanguards of a son and a sibling of Ares. It sounds to me that the murderous Greek God of War is going to be one heck of a foe to deal with."

 

With this he stretched a little before looking to the others. "I guess it is time we did our homework. So, for starters we need to consider what these guys have. We can move away from Kari for the moment, since we know what he is capable of. While assuming may make an "ass" out of "u" and "me" it would be reckless to fight these Vanguards without any idea what they are capable of." Thinking for a moment he gave the other Vanguards an opportunity to respond to this, before stretching his arms as he continued. "Let's go in order of how they were announced, hm? Quillan, you were talking about Deimos' Vanguard then."

 

Leon glanced to Quillan, giving him an opportunity to pour more info on the character of Vladimir Zorak. With this in mind he'd patiently listen, before pitching in his own two cents: "Deimos is the personification of terror, unlike Phobos. As we witnessed from Clair, she gained power from the fear of those around her, but only when responding to horrific acts that she would do to frighten them. Terror, however, relates to the sensations felt before an act." If his definition would confuse, Leon'd chuckle and then offer a simple analogy. "Think of it like this: if we have a timeline, and pinpoint the centre of it with an act, Deimos' domain would be the feelings prior to the act, like dreading, whereas Phobos' domain would be the fear after the act, or in response to the act. Does that clear anything up?"

 

After the analogy Leon continued. "It would be wrong to assume Zorak invokes fear from his actions. That is outside his domain. It might be worth considering the fact that Zorak's powers will better manifest the more we dread or fear a response from him. This, of course, only applies if Zorak is exclusively Deimos' Vanguard." He looked over to the squad. "Any further comments before we move on to Eris' Vanguard? If not, Genzai, why don't you let us know everything you can tell us about the Vanguard in question?"

 

Giving Genzai an opportunity, as well as another for the other members to add in, Leon frowned in thought. "See, Eris is very difficult to judge. A Goddess of Chaos can be dangerous and unpredictable..." With this he then hammered his hand into the catch of his other when he had figured something out. "Whereas Ares is a murderous, genocidal, blood-thirsty warrior, Eris doesn't share these traits; plus, as shown from her little antic with the Golden Apple, she sets out little seeds of discord that grow into enormous issues - I mean, she did cause the darn Trojan War."

 

With this in mind Leon looked to Genzai. "Maybe Eryn's powers make a similar use of Eris' power - she may be dangerous in the sense that she'd deal small damage overtime. It is quite sinister, almost torturous in nature. Do you know anything about the kind of powers she uses?"

 

After this topic was discussed, a small little burden fell upon Leon as he scowled. "...last, but not least, Bodolf. Loki's Vanguard." Looking to the rest he sighed a little. "Illusions. He created an army of wolves and used them against us. They looked so real, but they were illusions, but..." With this Leon looked to Nailah. "Our little mage here used her magic, and discovered a positive and a negative factor. On the plus side, Kari's illusions require his concentration, since they vanished when Nailah clouded his mind with her sound magic. On the down side, however, he doesn't even need to be on the battlefield to create a clone; he can do it at a distance." Glancing back to the rest Leon asked them if they had any more potential intel they could offer surrounding Kari.

[Ren✧]

Quillan nodded at Leon's deduction. From what he had heard, Zorak's powers relied greatly on instilling fear in his enemies with just his mere presence. There was something that Leon hadn't addressed, however. "Not only is Zorak a problem, but also his Units. Either from Deimos or Phobos, that guy has received 3 Nightmare Units that are said to be able to combat an entire army by themselves. Luckily for us, they are weak to sunlight." Quillan said, eyeing Leon. The Egyptian Vanguard would be able to his power over the sun's rays to be able to weaken, if not destroy, the Nightmares as well as Zorak. "However, Zorak isn't just get aid from Deimos, but also Phobos. That means he is going to be incredibly powerful."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Well I do know the specific reason no man has been able to strike her down...in battle she's never once been dealt damage." Genzai said, rubbing his hands a bit. "Eryn...is almost like a siren and mermaid from the stories of old. Her beauty catches her prey's eyes...almost like them becoming entranced in a siren's song. Once they are held captive by it...it's already too late."

 

He slowly stood up and nodded at Leon. "As for what you said about her powers, I can only venture to guess you are right. It would be only natural that the Goddess of Chaos and Discord would choose someone as beautiful as she is...and to hand her the powers to slowly cause chaos. Apollo's Vanguard has seen the destruction that comes from her...he's seen the aftermath..."

[Kyng's Old Account]

Frowning in thought Leon looked to Quillan. "...and Phobos? Geez...I've never even heard of a Vanguard with two Patrons, he's clearly gonna be something else. "The units aren't any concern however. They can be as tough as they like - they're only on par with our's, and any Vanguard can overpower one. Even so, being weak to sunlight is something I can make use of. Thanks for the intel, Quillan." Afterwards he brought his glance over to Genzai, frowning to the tale. "A siren...? Those kind of powers could only stem from a deity of love, lust, beauty, etc. Eris' domain has nothing to do with it." With that he chuckled. "Plus, I doubt she's got anything on our little princess here." Nuzzling Nailah under his neck he smirked confidently. "Plus, for what it is worth - Kari took us by surprise. If we had the element of surprise I'm sure we'd obliterate him. These Vanguards are toast."

 

After a while, a knock on the door was heard, to which Leon gave the clearing for them to come in. With this the door opened, revealing Aaron the Lightbringer, yielding his charismatic smile as always; he was wearing Earth clothes, as he tended to do when not upon a mission, a subtle shirt, trousers and shoes number. Alongside him was another familiar face; Quillan's flair, Sandra, was in something on par with her usual attire, nothing modest and something raunchy, befitting to her patron; with a cheeky wink to Quillan she stood beside Apollo. Leon really did try not to look, so much so he hid his eyes into Nailah's neck for a moment before looking to the two. "Can we help you?"

 

"Actually it's the other way around." Apollo stated. "If you think I'm letting you guys contend with this covert mission alone you've got another thing coming; besides, you need more numbers anyway." With this Sandra added that "I managed to twist some arms, and I've brought along with us two guys who really think they can help out." With this she took a seat next to Quillan unsurprisingly, giving him occasional sultry looks, finding teasing him one of her many great pleasures. "Oh, and we've got someone else who also wanted to join in on the fun."

 

So, with this, the first of the three revealed himself in royal red armour, with a physique rivalling Man's. Jovan, the Vanguard of Zeus himself, made his thundering presence with a powerful, booming laughter. The sheer power he held could be felt in the room. With a smirk he looked to the Vanguards as he said with pride "We shall watch as the lessers tremble in fear - the Vanguard of Zeus is here; we'll strike them down and take Ragnarok down a few pegs! Bwahahahahaha!" The man towered over most, quite befitting for the Vanguard of the Greek Pantheon's King; with this he sat himself down and waited for the next Vanguard to show themself.

 

The next was a man more elderly, but his aura was not one of power nor pride, but sheer bravery. The man was Tyrone, the Vanguard for Tyr - his eyes filled with wisdom and bravery he smiled to the Vanguards. "I have studied Kari Bodolf with much interest - I see him as my personal rival as he is the closest tie I have to Fenrir. I also now that Kari commands Fenrir to his every whim." This news was grim in any shape or form. Fenrir was the fabled son of Loki, and the wolf who, not only devoured one of the hands of Tyr, but also the fated slayer of Odin. "As such I've also made good friends with Vidar and Vali, the two Norse who, along with Osiris and Amun-Ra, will be the only Gods fated to survive the end times; Vidar will kill Fenrir. My goal is to guide Fenrir to Vidar, as fated, but Kari will impede this. Since Ragnarok want to change destiny, and have taken such lengths to do so, I'm going to have to get involved." With a deep breath he looked to the door as the final Vanguard joining them revealed herself.

 

It was Clair. With a soft smile she gazed over the other Vanguards. "Hi everyone."

[Ren✧]

Quillan couldn't help but let a smile work its way on to his face when he saw Sandra. She of course was wearing something a little less conservative than everyone else and unlike Leon, didn't quite have the willpower to lower his gaze. One by one the new Vanguards began to show their faces. The first to appear was Jovan, the Vanguard of Zeus. He sported an air of power and confidence and a physique that could only be matched by Man's. Quillan turned to face his primitive friend who had also taken note of the new arrival's stature. Man stood to face the man. 

 

"You Vanguard of Zeus. King of Skies. King of Gods." Man stared into Jovan's eyes, the look of rivalry obviously passing between them. Quillan looked on with interest. Never before had he seen someone provoke Man in such a way with just their mere presence. However, just as Quillan thought something was about to happen a smile broke out on Man's face. "Welcome!" Man embraced the armored warrior, both of them letting out a powerful chuckle that made the room shake. "I am never going to understand that big lug." Quillan muttered, causing Sandra to offer a light laugh. 

 

The next Vanguard was a bit underwhelming compared to Jovan. He was an old man that started preaching about wisdom or something. Quillan couldn't help but to compare the newcomer to Genzai. The two seemed to share a lot of the same ideology. Honor. Bravery. Wisdom. Quillan was sure that they would get along swimmingly. 

 

The last arrival shook Quillan. Entering in royal, purple armor Clair sheepishly greeted the group. Clair? After all this time? "Well would you look at that?"