The Path to New Babylon

[Erik Vrell]

Erin passed through the gate and was overwhelmed by the heat. He had never experienced temperatures this high before as he had spent most of his life in the mountains with his psychic sect. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head in an effort to shield his head from the glaring sun. He noticed how empty the dunes were compared to coruscant, which meant he would have a hard time finding someone to guide him to New Babylon. He rode aimlessly for what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than thirty minutes before coming across a town. He entered and was greeted by the site of dozens of people going about their business. He heard someone shout "welcome to Carrefore." In his direction but no one attempted to talk to him. He wandered a little before coming across a building called 'Rick's Cafe Americain.' Erik could hear the sound of a large group of people inside, talking, drinking and singing. He tied his horse to a post outside and entered the building. There were plenty of people talking loudly, drinking a variety of beverages and gambling. It looked like a good place to find information to Erik so he approached the bar and began talking to the bartender. Not one to beat around the bush, Erik immediately asked the question he had on his mind. "Do you know where I can find New Babylon?" He asked. The bartender seemed to grow a little tensed when Erik asked this. He put down the glass he was polishing and put both hands on the counter of the bar. "You want to head north from here and turn left in about seventy miles." Erik thanked the man and left immediately, sensing that the bartender didn't want Erik there disrupting his business. He rode north for some time and realised that he was unsure of how far he has gone in miles. After a hasty calculation he decided that he had gone about seventh miles and turned left he rode onwards for another while before a city came into view. Erik urged his horse forwards and it picked up its pace. As Erik neared the city the guards stationed near the gate noticed his approach l. They crossed their weapons as he got close. "What do you want." The guard on the left asked. Erik swallowed and cleared his throat. "I want to join New Babylon." He said, hoping that he sounded worthy of joining the faction.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

A sweltering warmth blanketed the Dunes as the day’s sky, overcome with a cascade of orange hues, slowly began its decent into twilight. Erik Vrell, the Psychic who had become cross with the Empire, continued on his quest find alliances. Alliances he hoped, this time, wouldn’t end in his death and resurrection at the fountain in the Nexus.

Finally, after many hours by mount, a city skyline came into view. Erik urged his horse forward causing it to pick up its pace. As Erik neared the city, he came upon two guards stationed near the gate; they quickly noticed his approach. Crossing their weapons as he got close, the guard on the left called out to the psychic, "Halt! What do you want? State your business!"

Erik swallowed and cleared his throat, "I want to join New Babylon." As he spoke, he hoped he sounded worthy of joining the faction.

The guard studied the young man for a moment in silence, accessing him for any potential threats, but quickly discarded the thought. Erik Vrell didn’t exactly pose an immediately menacing image. Less than average in size, he didn’t carry much meat on him, and couldn’t stand more than five foot seven at best. With a scrawny frame to boot the guard dismissed any notion of danger outright.

Finally, the guard spoke, his body language stern, indicating he wouldn’t tolerate any funny business, “I see, well traveler, you have come to the right place. This is the grand city of Nippur. Once a mining community abandoned by the Empire, lost to vandals, our great King, Gilgamesh, has returned order, growth, and prosperity to the land. Now, while it is true New Babylon is accepting new recruits, they aren’t taking in just any geek off the streets, you have to be handy with the steel.” As the guard finished talking, he placed a forefinger to the hilt of his blade, made eye contact with his fellow guardsmen, and smirked at Erik Vrell.

Erik’s facial expressions came alive with intent as he looked as though he was about to respond before the guardsmen cut him off and spoke up again, “But, if you insist, and you think you have what it takes, I am sure New Babylon will give you the opportunity to prove your worth. Through this gate is the marketplace where various merchants and tradesmen offer their wares, from here the palace is visible. You’ll want to speak with a man named Anos, but if you can’t find him, look for a younger female with horns on her head. Her name is Eudocia. Both of them carry a lot of responsibility around here and are very busy, so it may prove difficult to locate and track them down, however, either one of them could give you more insight on how to join the faction. Just ask around, the people of Nippur should point you in the right direction. Enjoy your stay and as long as you don’t cause any trouble for me, I am sure you will.”

The physic shared a bit more conversation with the guards, gaining and gleaming as much valuable information about the city as he could before moving on. Once finished, Erik Vrell continued forward, entering the bustling mecca that was Nippur’s marketplace. Now determined to do what he must to prove himself worthy, the prime scanned the surrounding area and the palace in the distance. He wasn’t exactly sure where to look or who to talk to, but there was an entire city waiting to reveal those answers and more!

[Erik Vrell]

Erik urged his horse forward which slowly trotted through the gate. The marketplace was extremely crowded and Erik's horse had to be careful not to tread on anyone. As Erik weaved his horse through the crowd he looked for anyone who might have some information on the whereabouts of Anos. He approached a nearby merchant and dismounted his horse. "A new face eh?" The merchant said, looking Erik up and down. "A prime i'm guessing." Erik looked surprised that the merchant could tell that he was a prime and was met with a chuckle. "You don't meet many regular citizens wearing a get-up like that around here." He said, motioning to Erik's blue cloak. Erik cleared his throat. "Do you know where I can find a man named Anos?" Erik asked. The man thought for a moment. "Amos is one of King Gilgamesh's servants, so he will probably be busy, but if you ask for him outside the palace he may be able to see you if you have time to wait." Erik thanked the man and remounted his horse. He rode up to the large palace he had seen from the entrance of the city and walked to the main gates. The guards posted at the palace shouted in unison. "Stop right there. Do you have a meeting with King Gilgamesh?" Erik shook his head. "I just want to meet with a man named Anos. I was told he could help me join New Babylon." The guards looked at each other and one went inside the building, leaving the other outside. He sized up Erik as the other two had and somewhat doubted that he had what it takes to join them but didn't say anything.

The other guard emerged from the building a few minutes later. "Anos will have time to meet with you soon. He will talk with you in thirty minutes to an hour." Erik nodded and turned walked back to his horse which he had left tied to a post near a building close to the palace. He wandered around the city while waiting for his appointment with Anos, looking at the goods for sale and conversing with the shopkeepers. He was amazed that one man could take an old mining settlement and turn it into a bustling city, just as the guards had said. Not long after, a page ran up to Erik and stood stiff infront of him. "Anos will see you now at the palace." He than turned and rushed back to the palace. Erik walked back to the palace, again leaving his horse tied near the palace and approached the guards. "i'm here to see Anos." Again, one guard went inside, but this time he came back with a slightly elderly, bored looking man. "So you want to join New Babylon?" Anos said, his voice matching the bored expression on his face. Erik nodded vigorously and the old man sighed. Erik got the impression that he was getting bored of dealing with primes. "If you say so." Anos said, looking rather disinterested.

[Sasuke Uchiha]

The steady, pounding sounds of war drums grew near, as the putrid stench of death’s embrace tainted the evening air. Bathed in billows of smolder and ash, the night’s many stars turned a blind eye to the Dunes, as vandals, under the veil of night, descended upon their enemy.

“Wait, stop! We are but a simple mining community!” a man in the street protested, as a savage horde of raiders took the town and the man’s head with it. Decapitated, the man’s figure slumped under itself, his blood sullying the sand as his lifeless skull hit the ground with a sickening clunk. Shrieks, howls, and war cries called out to the night, as a volley of arrows, doused in kerosene, and alive with fire, soared overhead, illuminating the carnage that had befallen the miner’s village.

Simple folk, survivors of the harsh terrain, certainly, but elite soldiers they were not. Bodies of the fallen sprawled out in every direction, as they were just not prepared for the barbaric scourge that overwhelmed them. Not without their dignity, however, the inhabitants did fight back. Blood curdling screams of women and children pierced the night, causing their hearts to skip a beat, and inspiring vigor within them. They attempted to defend their own, and many joined the cause, picking up hammers, pick axes, and anything they could get their hands on. With luck, the town even enjoyed a brief moment of triumph, swinging the momentum, and keeping the raiders at bay. However, eventually the inevitable happened, an alpha emerged from the horde, distinguishing himself apart from the pack. A massive brute, wielding a monstrous blade; he cleaved his way through their numbers with ease. Dark eyes revealed no remorse as he halved a man, shoulder to groin; his blade coming away wet with crimson.

“Please! Stop! Whatever you want, it’s yours, just take it. Just leave us alone! Please!” a young woman pleaded with the brute, only to be snatched up by the roots of her hair and tossed into the pack of raiders. Clothes ripped from her flesh as the savages forced their lust and desire upon her.

The brute’s eyes shifted about, this way and that, scanning the village-- scanning his prey-- until they finally came to a stop. Huddled in a corner, three men had barricaded themselves in and were attempting to protect one of the village’s elderly. The savage’s face came alive with a wild grin as he marched over to the four of them, his raiders close on his heels.

Moments later the elderly man lay in a pool of blood, blood not that of his own, but that of his kin, that of the youth who had died trying to protect him. Saliva oozed from the brute’s mouth as his fellow raiders indulged themselves. Their teeth, razor sharp and carnivorous, tore the flesh from bones of the fallen. Cannibals, of the many threats one could face in the Dunes, none struck fear in the heart more.

“Please! Oh god no! Are you going to eat me?!” the elderly man squealed as he retreated as far away from them as he could.

“You? No, old man. Today is your lucky day.” the vandal sneered with sarcasm as he heaved the heavy blade over his shoulder.

“Today you are the only one we don’t eat. No, for you… we just have a simple message.”

“Anything! Please! Just don’t eat me, please!”

***

“Very well, come with me”

Erik followed the royal servant into a grand courtyard, leaving the dull and dry colors of the desert behind. Lavish and lush foliage drenched the courtyard’s visage as the brisk sounds of running water and cool temperament of an oasis enveloped the psychic. The imagery instilling a blissful moment of peace and tranquility the psychic had not anticipated. It was astounding. Hidden amongst the barren and desolate lands of the Dunes, Gilgamesh had all but reincarnated the Garden of Eden.

Whilst the psychic gawked at the beauty of the courtyard, the distance between Erik and Anos had grown, forcing the prime to quicken his pace or be left behind. Erik stole one last glance at the courtyard’s grandeur before turning the corner and finding Anos. They entered a hall and continued through the palace a few minutes longer before arriving at the desired chamber.

“Take a seat. This is New Babylon’s throne room. Today the King’s hand will be taking audiences with the people of Nippur. I have placed your name among the list of New Babylon recruits. All you have to do is await the Hand to call on you. After that, it’ll be up to you to prove yourself. Good luck.” Anos finished speaking, bid Erik Vrell farewell, and took his seat with Eudocia, next to the throne.

Vrell waited for maybe an hour before commotion started to spill into the chamber. The psychic sat at the edge of his seat, eager to witness the future proceedings, when the Hand of the King entered the chamber and took him by surprise. Vrell’s eye’s widened as he realized the rumors were true. Adorned in his most formal attire, Sasuke Uchiha sat atop a golden throne with a lion’s head protruding from its base. The Hand of the King was none other than the Illustrious Grand Champion of Dante’s Abyss!

Erik Vrell was besides himself with excitement. He had felt New Babylon was a strong choice in faction, but he had never dreamed he would be fighting alongside someone so famous! The hushed whispers came to a halt as a man of Nippur entered and the proceeding commenced with Anos addressing the court, “Elias Coalman, of a mining providence within our territory.”

“Thank you.” A small elderly man with salt and pepper hair spoke up as he took the podium. His movements indicated a suppressed pain from sustained injuries while his eyes expressed a fatigue beyond his years.

“They burned everything.” As he spoke, his eyes revealed the struggle he experienced, reliving the memories.

“Our fields, the livestock… Our homes.” He paused, looking the Hand of the King square in the eye, “They took our women… And then they took them again… And when they were done, they butchered them as though they were animals.”

Whispers erupted throughout the throne room at the revelation, but were quickly subdued by the signal from the Hand of the King.

“I lost three sons…” the seasoned miner continued, “My sons… My beautiful sons... They murdered them… Worse… They ate them!”

Shock and surprise struck the throne room until, once more, Sasuke signaled for silence.

“And the ones they didn’t eat…” His tired eyes now wet with pain, struggling to gather the words, “They covered our children in piss and lit them on fire!”

This time no amount of signaling silenced the uproar and outrage that swept the throne room. It was Anos, the voice of reason, who gained the audience, “Local thieves. Looting and pillaging. Nothing our guards can’t handle from here.”

Elias countered, “They weren’t thieves. They didn’t steal nothing. In fact, they left something behind.”

At that moment, three men who could have been kin to Elias Coalman entered the throne room, carrying amongst the three of them, a large brown sack. They spilled the contents before the Hand of the King, at his feet, revealing a bloody and mutilated, dead lion.

“The sigil of New Babylon!” someone shrieked!

“If people are attacking the villages under the protection of the king, then it would be... an act of war on Gilgamesh himself!” erupted an angered Eudocia.

“These men. Are they flying a sigil?” Anos questioned, but Elias looked confused. Anos rephrased, “Banners, did they represent their cause?”

“No, sir. The one who was leading them. Taller by a foot than any man I’ve ever met. Saw him cut the black smith in two. Saw him take the head of a horse with a single swing of his sword. I don’t know where they came from, but they said they had a message for you.”

Sasuke leaned forward, his curiosity getting the best of him, “Go on.”

“What he said was… ‘Tell your leader, one of the many false kings who lay claim to my sands, their reign has ended and the days of Baron Deathchew have just begun.’ ”

The Hand of the King had heard enough. Sasuke Uchiha stood, addressing Elias Coalman, “I cannot give you back what you have lost, nor restore your dead to life, but perhaps I can give you justice, in the name of our king, Gilgamesh.”

Sasuke cast his gaze over to the New Babylon and New Babylon recruit section of the chambers, “New Babylon! In the name of Gilgamesh and the grand city of Nippur, the first of his name, King of the Endless Dunes, lord of the nine verses and protector of the realm, I, Sasuke Uchiha, Hand of the King, charge you to bring the kings Justice to this terrorist and all those shared in his crimes. I denounce him and detain him. I strip him of all ranks and titles and sentence him to death!”

Slay Baron Deathchew!
Requirements: Not affiliated with the Empire.
Difficulty: Moderate (5000-10,000 words dependent on writing quality)
Reward: +Reputation and increased Influence with the New Babylon.
Info: Slay Baron Deathchew and shut down his organization! He is a bad dude and the Omniverse will be a better place with out him.

[Erik Vrell]

Erik was shocked by what he was hearing. A group of bandits who cannibalised innocents, raped women and burnt children. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about people who would do something like that. He decided at that moment that would stop the Baron at any cost. He didn't know how, but he would find a way. He waited quietly as people filtered out of the hall that the meeting has taken place in. He walked slowly, trying to think to some way to pull of what seemex to be impossible. He couldn't do it on his own, he knew that for sure. When inspiration illuded him, he decided to sit in the courtyard of the palace to clear his mind. After all, psychic powers worked at their best with a clear mind. So there he sat, in the middle of the courtyard, with his eyes closed, hoping that an ally would appear or a genius idea would pop into his head. He couldn't help but feel stupid in this situation.

[Victor Wolfe]

Victor walked towards the castle noticing the hustle and bustle going on, the atmosphere was tense, something big had clearly happened he noticed the man who had been doing the bidding of the King before, and he walked towards Anos, his piercing blue eyes showing next to no emotion towards the assassin now approaching him. “I have news to report directly to the king, I am sure he will be happy to hear this so I ask that you take me to him" Victor said in an authoritative but non aggressive tone.
" The King is not seeing any visitors today he has requested that the kings hand take over his duties for today, if you have something to report, you bring it to him" Anos said still not showing much emotion other than slight disdain, Victor noticed the clipboard in the hands of Anos, reading it he noticed that it was an order of business for audiences with the kings hand." Could you please put me onto that list, I have something important to discuss with the kings hand" Anos scribbled down Wolfes name at the bottom of the list after a guy from a mining community. He then left towards the throne room "At least he is quick and straight to the point, efficient, not the most likable guy, but efficient, I can work with that" Victor thought to himself letting out a chuckle.

He pushed open the gate to the throne room now filled with people, the champion of the Abyss Sasuke Uchiha, the teenage looked surprisingly fitting sitting on the throne as a king’s hand. Victor decided to take a seat along with the other guests waiting until it was his turn to be called upon, he draw a few glances but most people seemed to accept his presence without much of a second thought, just to make sure though he started to suppress his presence blending into the crowd more until they barely noticed him.
Once Sasuke had finished dealing with the current audience Anos announced in the elderly man who was before him on the list, he had not paid much attention to the people before as most had relatively light squabbles that where easily solved without the need of an assassin however this man seemed different he seemed really shaken, as if his whole world had just collapsed.

The man named Elias went into the details of how barbarically his people had been murdered and cannibalized this went far beyond the actions of even the most violent of bandits Victor knew, some of the people started crying hearing of this brutality, Victor had to hold back vomit, he had killed a lot of people and even performed acts of torture on suspects, but to senselessly and brutally murder so many people made him both sick and extremely angry. The Old man spoke about how they had actually left a gift for them to see. Suddenly the sweet but stomach churning stench of death, filled the air, it was a smell he had been exposed to many a time but one that he would never get used too. The smell came from the mangled corpse of a lion brought in by three men, the dropped it at the feet of Sasuke. Wolfe knew this was a public deceleration of war, he himself had used such methods to announce the start of wars that his empire would wage.

Elias delivered the message that he had clearly been forced to say to try and spread fear, after what had happened to his people Wolfe could not blame him. Luckily for New Babylon and the people of Nippur the king’s hand knew exactly the right thing to say in this situation. As he announced the hunt for Baron Deathclaw Wolfe stood up being the first to start clapping until others joined in causing the people to suppress there fear and focus on the anger at this deceleration of war. Once all things had quietened down Anos announced “Victor Wolfe the Assassin of New Babylon" Victor walked over to the throne but maintained enough distance so that everything he would say could still be heard throughout the room.

“Hello Sasuke Uchiha first i would like to congratulate you on your success in the Abyss, you did all of New Babylon proud, second of all I have some news that might serve as some consolation to the current situation, I have just returned from a very successful mission against the Empire , we have acquired an empire truck full of supplies weapons and who knows what else. The truck itself could be useful in later plans. The king did promise a reward so I would like to request that this belt i discovered in the back of the truck be my reward, I think it will be really beneficial to me." Victor pointed at the cloaking belt around his waist.

" Now I would like to be involved in this hunt for Baron Deathclaw, his action sicken and anger me more than most things tend to do and I think the best way to release this anger would be to drag my blades through his entrails and put his head on a pike at our gate" Victor quickly regained his composure " Sorry, that was crude of me, I just get angry when people slaughter people that believe they are under our protection , anyway I do not think this is a job the rookies could handle alone without unacceptable losses thus I volunteer to lead the mission to destroy this barbarian" Victor looked at the young shinobi awaiting his response.

[Demetri Malius]

"Here, this is the place."

Demetri could see the castle from here. It was intimidating, to say the least. Why was is that everywhere he went there seemed to be some sort of royal group of some sort. Of course, he didn't know of any in the Vasty Deep, but he was sure there was a king there as well.

Dax hopped off of the vehicle, quickly storming down the streets in search of his target. Demetri took a step, but looked back at the bike. He must secure some type of lock on it. Demetri took a few minutes to summon a device that locked the controls and power in place. It took a thief to know one.

Demetri then hurried down the streets of Nippur, using his senses to track the ottsel down to the castle. Guards stood at the front gate.

"Where is he!? He has to pay for what he did!" The small mammal was already shouting at the guards, while they smirked at belittled him.

"Look little buddy, your friend is doing some important business so go ahead and scurry on home before you get hurt." The defiant look on Dax's face intensified at the humility. Demetri could feel his fiery passion from around the corner.

Before approaching, Demetri attempted to stealth and sneak his way passed the gaurds. Perhaps from there he can-

BEEEEP!

The two guards became alerted as they held out their sword in a defensive stance.

"Hey! Whoever is there! Uncloak yourself immediate or suffer at the hand of the law!"

Demetri quickly faded back into view, his eyes focused on the devices above the gate that were aimed his direction.

"That's right, these tings can detect you even if you are invisible. Courtesy of His Majesty." Demetri gave a slight frown as the guards slowly lowered their weapon, but kept alert. "Don't try anything, Prime. if you make any sudden moves, we'll call for backup, and you'll have to deal with all the guards in the city. You two need to leave now."Demetri can tell he was being taken more seriousuly since he was obviously a prime.

His frown was covered by the cloth over his mouth and nose, but he wasn't defeated yet. Along the ride here he thought of a new trick he might be able to do. Perhaps he could try it out now.

"Now what do we do, I can't defend Jak from out here!" The ottsel pouted as he turned to Demetri, who was focused at the task at hand. "Any ideas?"

Demetri responded as he began focusing on his presence, this time not masking it, but instead forcing it to become separate from his body. "You might say I do, give me a few moments.'

Then, all at once, Demetri stepped back from his own essence, leaving behind his image while he moved about freely. As of the moment, he couldn't give his image any function, as it stood there motionless.

The guards started to become aggravated, raising their voices. "Hey are you deaf?! We said to get the hell out of-" The two guards were jerked back, Demetri having wrapped his chains around their necks, slowly depriving them of oxygen as the image before them vanished. Dax was just as surprised as the guards as they lost consciousness.

"Woah, that was awesome." The ottsel complimented the rogue as they both entered the castle.

"Listen just do whatever task you need to do, and we shall immediately flee from this area. The longer we remain, the lower our chances of survival." Demetri warned.

"Don't worry, I'll be quick, like what you did to those guards."The ottsel seemed confident in his abilities, but Demetri had his doubts.

Demetri took care as to avoid all guard posts and kept an eye out for the detection devices, until Demetri detected Primes. Three, to be exact. He quickly ushered Dax around as he silently took out the patrols guarding the throne room. This was it.

"I'll move on your attack, go ahead, and be careful, if Victor is in there, he is accompanied by two other primes. In and out, quick as can be."

The ottsel nodded his head. Demetri felt the rush of adrenaline as he waited for Dax to make his move.

[Demetri Malius]

Alright, so if I am correct, Dax just want to give Victor a kick to his shins or something, but you guys can attack if need be. After all, we are technically assaulting you base. However, Dax and I will attempt to flee, first because Dax doesn't want to die and second because I kinda want to make Colosseum. So choices are pretty much allow us to flee or chase us down. I'm fine with either.

[Jak Mar]

Daxter's fury was hanging on this moment. As Demetri stopped, the seatbelt strap pushed off and Daxter held his sharpened stick strapped to his back. He looked at Demetri for a short bit, and ran forward. If the guards were so foolish in thinking Orange Lightnin' was a pushover, they were wrong. He'd leave a little surprise. As Demetri got them inside, Daxter could do what he needed to.

Daxter used every advantage he could get and started to break the cameras around the room. He swung from one camera, made the screen go blank, and then swing to the next one and did the same for every camera located around the room.

Once the task was completed, Daxter quieted himself and held himself above the camera, looking for a spot where he could find Demetri fast. Once he located a drop spot where there was something behind it, Just as a orange streak sped down, a szing came out and the Ottsel's claws scraped the assassin's leg, drawing blood and running like hell Daxter's claws came out and he scratched Vic's Leg. He growled and ran as fast as hell as his legs could go, making sure the whole entirely of New Babylon wasn't after him and Demetri.

The slowest one, Erik had been trying to pay attention to instructions but Sasuke's ears perked "What the hell is that?!'
Victor turned his head "What do you mean, Sasuke. Something's strange happened. It's too quiet.

[Demetri Malius]

Demetri slipped into stealth as the ottsel began his attack. Demetri sensed Dax's presence as he approached who he assumed to be Victor, a battle sure to take place. The ottsel made a small jump, showing his claws and swiping upwards, poking holes in Victor's legwear. Now to make his own appear...

The ottsel quickly was back as fast as he left, whispering harshly and excitedly. " I got him! Let's get the heck out of here!" Yeah. Got him. Whatever that had meant to the small mammal. The primes seemed to be just as underwhelmed, but also concerned.

"Looks like someone got in." The prime by the throne spoke.

"Yeah, I think they scratched me." Victor confirmed.

"Does this happen often?" The third prime questioned.

"No, and it shouldn't." The one by the throne seemed agitated.

Demetri wasted no time as he chased after Dax, still cloaked just in case one or more of the primes decided to give chase. This was not what the thief had in mind for an assault, but now their objective was to get the hell out of there. If he had known it was going to be such a pitiful task, he might have not agreed to come. Some act of revenge that was....

[Sasuke Uchiha]

"Hey are you deaf?!” shouted one of two Nippur city guards, as they stared down at the emotionless and blank expression worn by that of Demetri Malius. It was a ruse, an ambush, veiled away by sleight of hand; the traits of an exceptional thief.

Irritated, one of the guards stepped forward and spoke, “We said to get the hell out of-“ but never finished; Demtri had already sprang forth from the shadows.

Subdued, the lifeless form of not one, but two city guards hit the ground with a thud, and while Demetri Malius had become less transparent the moment his chains coiled around their prey, his presence went unnoticed to the bustling marketplace; his handiwork however, did not. The moment their bodies hit the sands, a woman of the marketplace screamed with an extended arm and forefinger; roaring and rolling, alarm sirens bellowed shortly after.

The intruders, Daxter and Demetri, then shared in a brief exchange of cautious warnings before they began their advancement on the city. In no time at all they had surprising made their way through the city and arrived just outside the throne room and into the courtyard with little to no confrontation. The odds of this were one in a million, but lady luck seemed to be tagging along for this invasion. It meant nothing though, the sun shines on even a dog’s ass, every once in a while.

"I'll move on your attack,” it was Demtri who spoke, and while he clearly was leading this assault, he had made much more effort to conceal his presence than Daxter, who was just running rampant throughout the city in broad day light without cover of stealth, “go ahead, and be careful, if Victor is in there, he is accompanied by two other primes. In and out, quick as can be."

***

Erik Vrell excited the throne room with his mind racing at a million miles a minute. Over the course of an hour he had heard one of the most heinous acts of criminal behavior ever to be plaguing the faction he wished to join. This… Baron Deathchew, it seemed, was quite a nasty foe and like anyone else wishing to represent New Babylon, he had been commissioned to end Deathchew’s reign of terror…. But how? He had no idea where to start; it frustrated him.

Seeking refuge in the courtyard, he allowed the tranquility of its beauty to wash over him as he sat amongst the foliage upon a bench. With his eyes closed and a gentle mist gracing his face from the nearby fountains, he hoped an ally would appear or a genius idea would pop into his head. Instead, intruders descended upon him.
Chaos in the form of a tiny rodent charged into the courtyard, stirring up commotion as he hooted and hollered about revenge of some fashion. Erik arched an eyebrow as the intruder came near, reached him and passed him to the throne room. Vrell, alert, jumped to his feet… only to be knocked back down to the bench. Vrell accessed his surroundings, but found nothing. Whatever force had knocked him back to the bench was either gone, or hidden to the naked eye. Vrell didn’t know what was going on, but he knew that if he wanted to join New Babylon, he would have to act, and thus, the psychic sprang to his feet once more and rushed into the throne room after the rodent.

***

“Hello Sasuke Uchiha first i would like to congratulate you on your success in the Abyss, you did all of New Babylon proud, second of all I have some news that might serve as some consolation to the current situation, I have just returned from a very successful mission against the Empire, we have acquired an empire truck full of supplies weapons and who knows what else. The truck itself could be useful in later plans. The king did promise a reward so I would like to request that this belt i discovered in the back of the truck be my reward, I think it will be really beneficial to me." Victor pointed at the cloaking belt around his waist.

After the assassin finished speaking, Anos leaned closer to the King’s hand in order to discuss something privately. When finished, Sasuke turned from Anos to face Victor again, “This sounds acceptable, you may do so. Oh, and Wolfe, thank you for you kind words.”

" Now I would like to be involved in this hunt for Baron Deathclaw, his action sicken and anger me more than most things tend to do and I think the best way to release this anger would be to drag my blades through his entrails and put his head on a pike at our gate" Victor quickly regained his composure " Sorry, that was crude of me, I just get angry when people slaughter people that believe they are under our protection , anyway I do not think this is a job the rookies could handle alone without unacceptable losses thus I volunteer to lead the mission to destroy this barbarian" Victor looked at the young shinobi awaiting his response.

It was Eudocia, this time, who stole Sasuke’s ear for a brief moment before the King’s hand addressed Victor once more, “This, too, sounds acceptable. However, Victor, I feel that with your select…. Talents, I must stress this over all else: Ignore subterfuge. We will not give them a quick, unexpected death. They will know our wraith and they will fear its coming. We will descend upon them in the light of day, and they will know, they could do nothing to prevent their destruction. You are to send a message to all those of the nine verses, New Babylon and the people under its protection, are nothing to quarrel with.”

Avid admiration expressed itself upon the assassin’s face, however, before he could speak on it, or respond to the King’s hand, the sounds of the city’s alarms echoed into the throne room.

“We have an intruder?” questioned one of Gilgamesh’s most loyal servants, Anos, while expressing a puzzled look on his face, but, like previously, before anyone could respond, they were interrupted, this time by the doors to the throne room bursting open. Out of the chaos, the tiny wraith of the rodent intruder exploded into the chambers with Demetri Malius in tow and under stealth.

Blood stained Victor’s lower body as the assassin’s visage expressed bewilderment and the rodent began to cheer in glee, then made a mad dash for the exit with Demetri never breaking stealth and still on his heels. However, they only made it as far as the courtyard before Daxter slammed into a wall of purple energy. Daxter hit the ground with a thump and Demetri halted his progression, accessing the new threat: Erik Vrell.

The defensive purple energy dissipated, revealing a smirking expression plastered upon the psychic’s face, “You two sure picked the wrong tree to bark up. You do know they have the champion of Dante’s Abyss running things here, right? Oh and to the asshole who is hiding in the shadows, I know you are here and I don’t appreciate being knocked down.” He barked with anger present in his eyes.

Demetri bore into Vrell, attempting to glean any important information he could us. He had to act fast if the two of them were to get out of here alive. If he could just hatch a perfect strategy with the information he had; he could do this. This is what he did, he was a professional after all. He’d have them out of this jam in a jiffy… or so he thought.

All at once, every entrance to the courtyard became barricaded with the Nippur city guards, shoulder to shoulder and blocking passage.

“No one leaves this courtyard.” It was none other than the king’s hand himself, Sasuke Uchiha who entered the courtyard from the throne room; all of New Babylon’s present members following his lead, Victor Wolfe included. “Not without bloodshed!” Sasuke demanded.

Erik caught Sasuke’s eye and with a look of approval, pride swelled up within the psychic. He decided right then and there, this would be the day he proved himself a worthy asset to New Babylon, so, even if it killed him, he’d take these bastard intruders with him.

@Daxter&Demetri: You may stand and fight, or chose to flee. If you chose to flee, you will still have to fight in order to do so, as you two are surrounded.

@Victor&Erik: I don't really care who posts first, but a fight is beginning. As New Babylon members you are required to partake in this fight and choosing to avoid it will diminish your position as a member.

@Everyone: I will post in our discussion thread about the fight rules and about who we want to judge this. I am having a blast with this, lets all keep it up!

[Erik Vrell]

Erin watched as people began to filter into the room, blocking off the exits so no one could escape. Among those people were Sasuke Uchiha, the King's hand, and Victor Wolfe, who Erik was unfamiliar with. He smirked as he faced the two intruders. "You've picked the wrong faction to mess with." He said as he drew Mageslayer. Instead of waiting to be attacked, he leapt towards the pair of criminals, spurred onwards by their impudence. He slashed at Demetri who easily dodged his attack. Erik swung his sword again and again and and the thief nimbly dodged out of the way each time. By the time Erik was out of breath, he hadn't landed a single hit. Demetri laughed and became invisible once again. Erik stood with Mageslayer poised in front of him, expecting to be hit at any moment. He was suddenly hit with something that he couldn't see but felt like a blade. It dug a shallow wound into the back of his leg and pulled out. The crowd around him gasped as Demetri returned to the shadows and Erik fell to the his knee. Erik pulled himself up once again. He stood and waited. Finally, Demetri revealed himself once again and another chain came flying at him. It buried into his shoulder and he cursed quietly. He grimaced as he grabbed the chain in his shoulder and pulled it free. He yanked the chain with all his might and heard a small thud as Demetri was pulled off his feet. He stabbed the chain's blade into the ground and, after a few attempts, stabbed Mageslayer into the chain, holding the thief in place. Erik materialised his twin psi-blades and looked at him. "Now the fight can start." Erik said. Then Erik realised that Daxter was in the courtyard as well. "Well what do we have here?" Erik said as he approached the small creature before him. He picked up the Otsel by the tail. "What exactly are you supposed to be?" Erik said before a chain narrowly missed his head, snapping him back to reality. His dropped Daxter and turned to face the thief. "That was close." Erik said. He dashed at Demetri and slashed at him with his psi-blades. Demetri was still able to dodge most of his attacks but was slightly slower than before due to bding rooted to the ground. Erik feinted and stabbed towards Demetri's arm when he attempted to dodge. The thief was able to react quickly enough to dodge the full force of the swing but still got cut. Erik was shocked to see the psi-blades cut easily through the flesh of Demetri's arm. "I've cut through butter with more resistance than you." Erik said. As Erik said this the other primes joined the battle, Victor with his daggers and Sasuke with his bare hands. The three primes swung at the bound thief repeatedly, rarely getting a hit in and never getting a solid strike. Sasuke took a step back and made a hand sign which Erik didn't recognise before releasing a burst of flame, narrowly missing Demetri and singeing the thieve's clothing. As Demetri dodged out of the way, he tugged on the chain which was trapped in the ground and pulled it free. The thief dodged out of the way of one more swing from Victor before fading from sight. Erik dematerialised his psi-blades and picked up Mageslayer. The three primes looked around for the thief but he wasn't going to reveal himself until he was ready to face his three angry enemies. The atmosphere was tense as they waited for Demetri to reveal himself. Daxter hid away from the skirmish, wanting to help without putting himself in danger. Erik looked around for any sign of Demetri and saw a slight movement in the sand. He decided to take a chance and lunged for where he thought Demetri was standing. All he had seen was some sand moving in the breeze, but he heard a muffled gasp when he lunged. He kicked in the direction he had heard the gasp in and felt his foot hit something. Demetri was shoved backwards and left a mark on the sand he had landed on. "We see you now!" Erik cried and Sasuke launched another fireball in the direction of the thief, missing by a hairs breadth. Erik retreated back to the other two primes. This was going to be a long fight.

[Victor Wolfe]

With a quick burst of movement towards the now exposed prime Victor pounced thrusting with his daggers trying to find a weakness in his opponents defense, but for once the young assassin was struggling. His Opponent was physically weaker than he was but more skilled, able to dodge and parry away almost all of Wolfe's attacks. He was hitting harder and pushing the thief back more with each slash but was not really doing much damage wise. Wolfe jumped back watching as his two comrades continued the fight. He tried to analyse what would be best but this was cut short by the orange rodent known as Daxter flying for him. The creature clawed at the Assassin in fury its claws doing more damage than people would think as Wolfe's other leg started dripping blood onto the stone of the courtyard.

Furious at this second attack Wolfe used his knee to send the creature a few feet away with a well place blow. He checked to make sure that the other intruder was still occupied by his two allies. Once he was sure he was not going to have a blade chained through his skull he walked over to the rodent. “I show you mercy, something I as an assassin do not show most things. I allowed myself to feel sorry for you because of your friend's death, well now I am going to apologize to you because no amount of sympathy I feel towards you is going to stop me from killing you slowly and horribly. You see I am not mad about the leg, or the fact you wanted revenge, in fact that was very honorable. I am however totally livid that you walked into this city, broke into the palace and attacked out citizens just to deal some minor damage to my leg. It was so petty I cannot help but want to teach you what real revenge is!" Victor kicked the rodent into wall of a building with a loud crash. "I will finish killing you later , for now I have a bigger things to deal with" Victor said as he turned to Demetri who was doing a good job of holding his allies back with parries and near perfect dodges.

Deciding that he would try out a new technique he had thought of to match his new ability Victor waited until Demetri turned his back for a moment; this was all he needed to press the button on his belt quickly turning him invisible. He began to charge energy into his blades the full potential of their mysterious metal. Just in time as Erik over shot a swing of his sword allowing Demetri to counter causing the psychic to fall open to attack. Demetri went in for the kill.With a burst of movement Wolfe positioned himself behind Demetri and aimed the now explosively charged daggers in a wide slash intending to hit the back of his knees.

Sasuke Edit- Victor used the super move, Now You See Me... 1 sp used 2 remaining

[Jak Mar]

Daxter needed to be a distraction. Keep New Babylon busy with other problems, and then gather what he needed to survive. He kept a sharp tree spear on his back from the Tangled greens. The courtyard blared with alarms. The area quickly filled with New Babylon’s soldiers trying to block all the exits. Thinking to himself and looking at Demetri, cautiousness filled the Ottsel’s eyes as Demetri nodded to him as he nodded back.

As Daxter ran, one of New babylon’s slower runners had put up some wall of energy that left the ottsel to crash into. That annoyed him, but it wouldn’t stop him from his goals. Erik grabbed him from his tail turning him upside down, staring at him but a chain smacked Erik on his shoulder, and a stab mark left Erik slower making Daxter’s escape all the easier. Turning his ass around, it was time to draw blood. Playing with fire only leaves burns. This meant in Daxter’s terms that he’d draw it first. Daxter’s claws came out and gritted his teeth “THIS IS FOR JAK and DEMETRI!” His claws ripped across Vic’s legs leaving a large bloody mark across one of his legs.

Daxter valiantly cheered if for a second and gathered up the strength to keep running away from the angered group of folks. But something stopped him. The anger of Victor Wolfe

Victor questioned Daxter’s motives, why the hell did he run into New Babylon’s castle without a good reason? Daxter’s eyes filled with heated anger and rage.

Fire vs Fire flamed between the two past associates and now “enemies”.

Victor growled “I found MYSELF FEELING SORRY For you. I felt hurt for Jak’s death and this is how you repay me?”

Daxter growled and rage and tears filled his eyes “Try repaying me when Jak finds out what you've been doing to me.Jak's reaction won't be as well as you expected, wouldn't it?"

Hate laced Daxter's words and they intended to sting.

“It’s NOT The same! You BARELY Knew JAK. He IS MY BEST FRIEND!

Daxter wiped away his anger and ran toward the sand. As Daxter got sent flying toward one of the building’s wall, he felt his mouth and felt a tooth was missing and as he tried to move, one of his legs were hurt bad, and it hurt like hell. He covered his mouth as he tried to stand up.. He’d have to shuffle his legs carefully, but the blood running along his ottsel fur wasn’t going to be a good thing. He winced, he just had to get back to the fight and give Demetri more time. He had just the right idea.

He scooped some sand into his hand and as he got closer to the fight slower than usual, while Sasuke was busy, he took some sand and like a skilled baseball player, he wacked some sand into Sasuke’s eyes.
As Sasuke reeled to cover his eyes stinging, Daxter tried to avoid Erik AND Vic, and tried again to form another sand ball. Daxter scooped some more sand and threw it into Victor’s eyes as well.

With the attack, Demetri shielded his eyes from any collateral sand and seemed to regain his focus, recovering from the shock of Victor's attack. There was a serious look in his face now that his movement was hindered, but it seemed to disappear as Sasuke and Erik attempted to launch attacks on him. Victor eyes burned with fury as he turned to Dax.

I'll turn you into gloves, you ungrateful furry rodent!"

With a leap, Victor sprang forward with his daggers, prepared to strike the final blow to the ottsel. Dax braced himself for the attack, closing his eyes. I'm sorry Jak...

But it never came.

With a grunt, Victor felt metal pierce his leg, right before he was forcefully pulled back, a look of surprise and anger on his ace as he nearly collided with Sasuke and Erik, who's foe dissapeared in front of their very eyes.

Demetri some to have teleported, as the image that Sasuke and Erik fought had vanished and Demetri had appeared behind Victor, launching his attack in the same moment. The two passed each other as Victor narrowed his eyes.

"Dax, you need to get the the bike. " Demerti calmly handed him the small device that the two robos gave him in the Tangled. With no further instruction Dax felt Demetri's chains around his leg, and before he could utter a word, he was flying through the air, guards in his vision as he floated over them.

"Get the damn bastard!" The men shouted as the ottsel rushed towards the exit.

Daxter winced and his ottsel paws hurt from the sun, and there was a nasty bruise on one ottsel leg, this would slow him down some but while Demetri was gone, the distraction could get him toward that bike. Daxter looked up and ran against toward the bike in the courtyard..

But wait.. there was more problems… Townspeople AND guards…

One women screamed “AHHHHHHH! orange menace!

Daxter shook his head “I’m not a mancance! I’m the hero here!

He focused once again as a few guards of New Babylon tried to prevent him from getting any further. This finally was the moment to get things started.

Daxter took his sharp tree branch spear and scraped it against one of the town guards legs, causing injury to the guard. But it was in self-defense.

The guards ran into each other sort of for comedy effects. Daxter began to panic as his eyes kept looking for the bike Demetri was talking about. Wait…

… There it is…

There was mass panic between the townspeople of Nippur and the town guard running everywhere. The scene was quite chaotic. Daxter and Demetri would aim to cause as much chaos as they possibly could for New Babylon? After all, Dante's Abyss champion, Sasuke and Vic and Erik couldn't pass through a mass crowd, right? This might cause them to slow down at least for a short distance for now.

He slipped the device into the area he had sat in on the ride here. All once the chains on the bike unlocked and the engine roared to life.

Booting up Intelligent Robotic Infiltration Strategist...assessing situation...retrieving memories... complete.

What was this?

Suddenly a voice, it sounded female.

"Get in. Creator is in danger. I shall direct your course of action."

Woah.

Daxter actually thought this was pretty damn cool, a automatic bike. No way....

The robotic voice lead him through back roads, occasionally running over the guards in the way.

[Shay Cormac]

Doors slamming behind him, Shay clenched his fists seeing about every guard in the palace running into the city. Having about no clue where exactly this intruder was, the best Shay could do was jog along with the guards who had just left the building. Sighing, Shay tugged at his mask beneath his collar, covering his face in an attempt to look menacing.

To the average person, it definitely did the trick. Shay could only hope that whoever decided to come and attack New Babylon of all places would indeed be intimidated by such a thing. Not like it mattered at this point, though. As the guards took a sharp turn toward one of the palace's exits, Shay figured they were trying to block off exists rather than catch anybody, or at least just yet.

Gratefully so, Shay did figure this would be a nice way to get the jump on whoever was inside. From what Shay could remember, the few exits he and a number of guards were running towards was in the direction of the palace's courtyard. As immediately as they all came to the scene, shouting of orders were the only thing that could be heard beyond the stomping of feet marching towards the doors.

Shay could only wish he had an idea on whoever was barging into a big palace in the middle of a desert. How this person got in was another story entirely. Groaning, Shay assumed he was so grouchy because of his obviously sleep-deprived state. At least the partner he was assigned to got an eventual rest. Then again, Shay thought as he finally got into the courtyard's door, he did just literally run towards trouble in this case.

Blinking a few times, Shay was almost expecting a simple, lone Prime being tackled from all of his or her sides, but instead his eyes were greeted by a few more Primes than just one instead. Shay immediately noticed Victor, and about three other individuals. The first few seconds Shay saw this scene being played out in front of him, it only took him a few seconds to let the context of it all sink in.

First of all, for as many guards were coming into the courtyard, there were at least the same amount going out of the palace itself. That automatically got Shay to predict that there wasn't only one intruder, but rather two. Secondly, he could easily tell that the individuals who went by the names of Sasuke Uchiha and Erik Vrell were on his side. Sadly however, Shay didn't know their names, why they were on his side, or what exactly caused all of this.

Looking for only another split second, Shay immediately found the answer to that last question of his. The one in the black cloak on the far left of the courtyard, Demetri Malius. Again, Shay hadn't a single idea on who this man was, let alone his name, but the one thing Shay did know upon observing the man, is that he was a problem. A very big problem, at that.

Only a mere second had passed before the hooded man in black vanished before Shay's eyes. To say that Shay was at least a bit surprised would be an understatement. His eyes widened at the sight, or lack of sight for that matter, of Demetri's tricks. The guards passing him frantically looked around, shouting at each other in a desperate attempt at communication.

"Silence, and find him immediately!" a voice boomed through the courtroom, soon revealed to be Sasuke's. Shay immediately jogged over to the three, opening his masked mouth to speak.

"Mind telling me what exactly is going on he--" Shay choked out, hearing a sudden slashing noise from behind him, and feeling a surge of pain from his spine and down his waist, forcing a whine of pain from the Templar as he stumbled forwards a bit. It didn't take long for his clothes to seep with blood, but it took even less time for Sasuke and Victor to jump in that immediate direction, Erik following the two Primes up.

Sasuke jumped above Shay's toppling body, kicking behind him, yet hitting nothing. Dust flew from the ground, Demetri's body materializing as a result of his slashing movements. Groaning in frustration as Victor and Erik both tried to go after him as well, Sasuke blocked the two of them in their path with both of his arms as Demetri strafed away, eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"One of you go after the furred one, he can't be left unattended," Sasuke referred to Daxter, an offer in which Victor immediately took up, seeing how the assassin was promptly annoyed with the rodent for the bits of sand still stuck in his eyes.

Victor lowered Sasuke's arm, tightening the grip on one of his knives as he replied, "I will gladly go after that pest."

"In that case, I suppose we'll be handling this guy here?" Erik chimed in, looking expectantly at all three of them, Shay finally getting himself up. Squinting at Demetri still keeping his distance from the guards drawing their weapons onto him, the Templar drew both his sword and dagger, the ripping sounds of metal against his sheaths seeming to echo across the courtyard.

The assassin known as Victor immediately ran towards the courtyard's exit behind the three defending Primes, giving Demetri a bit of an idea. Looking at his odds, Demetri knew he was in a tight spot. Yet, he couldn't help but let out a very light chuckle as he looked on at Sasuke, Shay and Erik taking their stances.

There weren't many ways this could work out for Demetri, but he knew more than enough tricks to make this happen. Hopefully, the thief thought, he'd have time to do so.

A few seconds passed, then the room erupted into chaos.

[Demetri Malius]

"Damn these royal bastards, no different than those back home." Demetri harshly whispered to nobody in particular, thinking aloud.

The thief was at a clear disadvantage in this encounter. With three against him and the ottsel, they would have a hard time escaping. Within the past few minutes, Demetri had barely scraped by without too much injury. His dark clothing were singed, the cloth hardened by the heat of flames, as well as a few cuts and holes in the garments, his blood and skin revealed beneath the leather. The two deep gashes in his legs, inflicted by Victor, pained him the most. His movement was impaired, slowed by the sharp pain with each step. Demetri's cloak was the most damaged, the simple cloth always a moment behind his movements.

Fortunately, Demetri had managed to get his companion out of the immediate area, along with his lost secondary, IRIS. If current events didn't go as planned, which Demetri figured they wouldn't, at least they would be able to escape. It wouldn't be the first time Demetri would face the punishment of his actions, but as long as he played his cards right, he had a chance.

Demetri faced the three primes before him, however, another presence slipped into his senses. Demetri used his deception again as the figure soon arrived, and the solo strategist waited in the shadows, trying to interpret whether he was a friend or foe. As soon as the man began to utter friendly words to the prime in blue clothing, Demetri sent a chain his way, slashing at his left leg, hoping to cause enough damage to slow his movement. He needed these primes to be as hindered as possible to allow his escape. The thief attempted to execute a follow up attack, but was blocked by the prime his target had talked to. Demetri gritted his teeth in discontent, annoyed at his blocked attack.

The thief watched as the group quickly exchanged some words, and Victor began to give chase to the ottsel.

I'll be damned if I'm going to let you get away.

The rogue shot his trusty chains to the fleeing assassin, his focus and determination fueling his speed and aim. The chain mechanism prepared his shot, the gears inside grinding and forcing the spring mechanism to arm, before giving a quick release. With a soft jingle, the chains pierced the air, the metal shining with the reflection of the burning sun. The mechanism hummed with satisfaction at its successful launch, the gears spinning, giving enough slack to allow the chains their maximum projected speed. Demetri's eyes followed its trajectory, cracking a soft smile as his weapon reached for his target.

KLINK!

The sudden striking of metal caused the thief to narrow his eyes, his chain going limp mid-air before quickly returning for repairs.

The new arrival stood with a pistol aimed to the air, the gun smoking with freshly ignited gunpowder. The bullet had barely saved the prime's ally, piercing the chain and splitting is from its blade. The separated blade fell from the air, landing with a soft thud in the sand. Victor quickly vanished as he tracked the ottsel's trail out into the streets.

The thief turned his attention back to the three primes before him.

Victor's savior was quick to aim his second pistol at the thief, firing a second round. The worn thief barely deflected the bullet with his swordbreaker, at the cost of the blade being destroyed. Demetri had not faced such weapons before, and was perplexed at the force behind them. How could such small arms carry so much force?

The thief's quick thoughts were interrupted as he realized the blue-clothed prime had finished charging up another fire attack. Demetri began to try and dodge to his left, but suddenly found a blade stuck in his arm. Demetri reacted with his own blade being shot at its owner, who held a rope to his blade. With a tug from both primes, they were flung through they air, their faces grimacing before landing beside each other.

Sasuke quickly sputtered as he choked down his flame, refusing to look disgraceful with an collateral damage to an ally. Meanwhile, Erik stood in the back charging his own chakram attack. Shay and Demetri quickly stood up, Demetri summoning his swordbreaker once again and Shay unsheathing his sword and dagger. The thief quickly exchanged blows with the rogue assassin, while the Uchiha used a burst of speed to give a surprise attack to the intruder.

Demetri was shoved to the side with a kick, sending him into the range of Erik's prepared attack. The thief's eyes widened as the ring of energy shot towards him. With a quick spin and thrust of his hands, Demetri managed to get himself airborne, just a foot of the ground, but enough to aim his body to the hole in the center of the attack. As he pushed through, he felt a sharp pain on his sides, the energy having burned through his leather clothing and some of his flesh.

With a grunt, Demetri slowly stood up, out of breath from defending from the previous attacks. His legs ached with pain, the blood now seeped completely through his clothes and now tainting the sand with its crimson color. The three primes faced him once more. It was no use fighting, he needed to escape.

Demetri then paused for a moment as the three prepared their attacks. Shay stood with a rifle, Sasuke signed his fire technique, and Erik charged another chakhram.

Demetri slipped away, leaving a clone in his wake as he struggled to run after Victor. The three primes unleashed their attacks upon the clone, who began by deflecting the muskets bullet and sliding around the ring of energy, before then preparing for the fire, which never came. Sasuke had already passed the clone, following the visible trail of blood in the sand to follow the man who thought could deceive the great Uchiha.

1000 words according to google docs

[Sasuke Uchiha]

Pungent smells of ignited gunpowder engulfed the confines of the palace courtyard, as the clashing sounds of battle befell the, once, peaceful city of Nippur.

Swift, nimble, and fluid, the thief’s movements were but a series of elegantly executed evasions, allowing him solace, even in close quarters and with multiple adversaries. Void of wasted energy, his body was a reflection of his dedicated craft, narrowly avoiding blow after blow, and all the while purchasing precious minutes more for his associate, Daxter, to flee the scene. Albeit foolhardy and suicidal, no one could deny the cunning demonstrated by one, Demetri Malius.

….Which was perfectly fine for Sasuke Uchiha. Having only become the King’s Hand as a means to help ascertain his vengeance, he had no intention of sitting idling by, playing politics while his strength waned. In truth, he longed, with an aching in his heart, to refine his ninja art; to quench his blood thirsty agenda.

Slowly, the inevitable happened. Whether it was error or fatigue, it mattered not, Demetri lost his footing and took a direct hit—and many more after, causing blood to spill from wounds, and soaking the courtyard sands crimson. Victor stood, his blade wet with blood as he taunted the thief, a smug expression overtaking his visage.

The thief gave a groan and limped, exposing his injury to the trio of primes, and like shark tasting blood in water, Sasuke became alive with intent, as his hands began to speak the language of the shinobi.

He then abandoned the technique, on account of Demetri’s deception, and the chase was on! Rounding a corner the youth came screeching to a halt in bewilderment. He had expected some sort of grand... cat and mouse game, but there standing at the end of the passageway, awaited one Demetri Malius.

“What is the meaning of this? Are you just now realizing you don’t have a chance?” questioned a curious ninja, his movements like a spider stalking its latest catch.

“So, you’re the champ? I Got to say, I didn’t expect to cross you. This really all kind of… just… blew way out of proportion...” Demetri stammered as he took a hesitant step back.

“Are you telling me that you didn’t intentionally assault our guards... Recklessly thrash our kingdom... injure our people? And... I suppose, now, you're probably looking for mercy as a way out of this whole mess, huh?” Sasuke spoke, stepping forward, but halting immediately, his eyes wide as canyons; Demetri grinned.

*Whoosh!*

A sudden feeling of shame overcame the youth, as he was too late, Demetri had already gotten the drop on him. Vertigo enveloped Sasuke; he felt his neck become effected by whiplash, and his head collided with the ground, jarring his senses, before being viciously hauled up to the sky by his own foot, snared in an iron coil.

“Not exactly,” the thief cooed as he circled the incapacitated, Dante’s Abyss Champion, “I was just leaving.” Demetri said as he looked out over his shoulder, over the skyline of Nippur, as though he were anticipating something.

“It’s not going to work out for you. That I am certain of. ” the shinobi spat with disdain.

The intruder continued to watch the city streets, paying no mind to his captive. Whatever he was looking for, it appeared as though he expected its coming any minute now.

“Why don’t you just lay your weapons down and surrender, here and now? Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. You’ve only been lucky up until now.” Sasuke smirked, asserting his dominance even through his iron restraints.

“I’ll take my chances.” Demetri replied, barely aware of Sasuke, his eyes glued to the bustling market place that had been engrossed in a sea of New Babylon guards.

Laughter sounded from within the young shinobi, causing Demetri to give his undivided attention to Sasuke, who, in turn, responded with, “That’s just it. You never had a chance!”

Thunder erupted as a flash of hot, white energy flared to life as a defiant crackle resonated throughout Nippur. Smoldering bits of iron lay sprawled out, all around a, no longer restrained, Sasuke Uchiha. In his right hand he wielded the legendary, the devastating, Sword of Kusanagi, a blade that had been anointed in the blood of nearly a half dozen primes already.

Demetri, startled, took a step back, slipped, and found himself on his backside. Sasuke towered over his prey, “Lucky for you, this blade's bite isn’t meant for you.”

In a flash the immense power dissipated and the blade found itself back in its sheath, back on Sasuke’s back, “You don’t need a hammer to take out the trash, no, for that, you just use your own two hands!” and like that, the shinobi closed the distance between them and fired a barrage of punches and kicks at his opponent. Unlike previously in the fight, Demetri had some wear and tear on him now. His breathing was just a little harder, his movements just a little slower, and that’s all it took. Sasuke finally connected with something, sending his knuckles into his opponent’s tonsils.

Demetri hit the sand like a rock skiping across water, flailing about and taking collateral damage before finally colliding into a marketplace stand; a foul smelling fisherman’s stand, at that.

“Had enough?” Sasuke taunted as he took his stance, then prepared for more exchanges.

I Used my Artifact Chidori Blade- Tier 3 Super move. However, I didn't hit anyone with it. xD
I can no longer use it for this particular fight.

[Stephan Donnel]

“Ok, this isn’t ending well for the free trading market here…”

The fight going on in the same direction was something none of the merchants wanted today, as they scrambled away from the duo, screaming something about a ‘whore cage’ and whatnot. Stephan took another huff from the pipe and promptly began building up the pressure in the firing chamber of the “Steamliner”. As the small streaks of vapour escaped what little faults the recently assembled gun had Donnel released the smoke from his nostrils and as soon as three seconds passed, just enough for his intended effect, he quickly shut off the valves, raised the barrel and with a short “Hey, stop trashing what’s not yours!”, unloaded the oversized projectile at the ground between two fighters some thirty meters away.

Now, let me tell you something about the “Steamliner”. It was designed to knock war-machines over. So even if it misses – you WILL notice the shot. Right now, it hit the sandy, somewhat paved, ground almost directly between the combatants, punching up a cloud of dust with the sheer force of impact and likely leaving them at least a little bit deafened. Or not, seems the kid managed to turn away and cover his ears just in time. Huh.

A couple of seconds later a harsh a raspy voice rang out again.

“Boy, you better stop breaking the goods or this place will end up deserted eventually.”

Stephan walked slowly forward, spinning his left hand around as the gun whirred and loaded another stake. He stopped some 20 meters away, the muzzle pointed in the general direction of the duo.

“Who are you to disrupt Hokage, the King’s Hand?”

Not exactly phased by the blast Satsuke gazed at the interloper angrily, screaming back, shifting most of the attention from the beaten down thief to the new threat.

“Just a trader, mostly, who thinks that he better stop the rampage before it gets to him.”

Suddenly, ninja saw something, well, more like realized, because it had been obvious. The gun, the arm, even the part of the head, of the man before him were strikingly similar in the make to the peculiar chain-bracers the thief utilized. He actually started laughing.

“HA, I see it now, got a friend for yourself, didn’t you? THAT’S NOT CHANGING ANYTHING! I’ll take BOTH of you fools, especially now when one is almost dead already. See the power of the Shinobi, you old sack.”

With that the warrior took a wider posture, rapidly changing hand signs as something seemed to flow around his whole body, concentrating near the head.

“And I thought people still knew of respect…”
Sighed Stephan. The kid was obviously riding some sort of a righteous ‘high’. Would be a shame to knock him down…
“…whatever. I’m having none of it.”

A couple of seconds spend thinking to himself weren’t actually wasted, as the steam was pumping rapidly along the arm and into the gun. Barely 4 seconds passed after the cocky kid started his magical dance when the older man shifted his strangely immobile, up to this point, hand and released the pressure. Now, killing high-faulting adolescents isn’t something a proper officer would do, so Donnel simply aimed the shot at the ground near the feet of his ‘opponent’. Just as it hit the ground, once again causing an explosion of dust that obscured the target, Satsukes’ eyes seemed to flare up for a moment and he started to pronounce something about a ‘goat keg’, but he didn’t get to finish the phrase. Almost as soon as the projectile left the muzzle Captain placed the gun back into its holster on the left hip.

“Now to slap some sense into him…”

Stephan noted as he started walking towards the dissipating shroud of dirt. Only to be met with a running kick to the head as the Hokage jumped out from behind the cover of the dusty cloud, going into the air practically from spot and executing an almost perfect spinning kick. Almost, but the intentional near-miss impact suffered just a couple of moments ago thrown his balance off just enough for him to hit his opponent is the steely left temple, instead of neck, where the ninja was aiming. Stumbling sideways, while cursing under his breath Stephan could only watch in despair as his hat floated onto the ground. Regaining his composure, only to be thrown off balance by several lightning fast attacks on part of his opponent, Donnel performed a wide swing with his left arm, causing Satsuke to jump backwards and give that much time for the Captain to finally assume a proper pose for such pugilism.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

“Oh, you’re in for some major fisticuffs kid.”

The older man took a wide stance. Just as the opponents took a moment to gaze on one another again several vents flared up all along the left side of Stephan’s body, releasing a small cloud of white steam. Behind the monocle the intricate machinery of his clockwork eye was glowing faint red.

The less patient and far more driven ninja was who broke this momentary staredown. He shot off with a quick series of punches, most coming past the defences of his opponent and causing him to flinch visibly, yet those that didn’t met the solid metal of the artificial arm, causing a reactive vent of steam and a pained hiss from the Hokage, as he realized his punches actually hurt his now scalded hands somewhat. Satsuke grinned. This was getting interesting.

Code:

919 words, if MSWord is to be believed.

[Erik Vrell]

Erik sighed irritably as he entered the marketplace with Shay not far behind. Another arrogant intruder who didn't know his place. And this one had attacked the king's hand of all people! "I guess he needs to have the sense knocked into him." Erik muttered under his breath, oblivious to the man's metal half as he dashed forwards. He planted a kick on the side of the captain. While this normally wouldn't have knocked him off balance, he wasn't expecting the attack and lost his footing, although he managed to stay upright. "Who do you think you are!?" Erik shouted as he closed in for another kick, still unaware of the captain's metal half. "How DARE you attack the king's hand like that." As he said this, a gust of wind blew sand into his face, temporarily blinding him. He quickly wiped the sand from his eyes and opened them to see a metal fist rocketing towards him. It hit him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. He coughed violently and spat a small amount of blood on the sand. "That's not good." He thought to himself. Just as the steam captain swung his arm to crush the smaller psychic in front of him, Sasuke charged into him, sending him stumbling and almost knocking him off his feet. Stephan muttered something about 'damn kids' as he regained his balance and showed no signs of backing down. As Erik picked himself up, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Demetri slowly limping away from the stall he had been rammed into. Erik remembered with a start that they had been fighting Demetri to begin with and knew that he could't let him get away, but had a brick wall between him and his target. He was unsure of what to do when Shay entered the market place. He quickly took aim with his gun and fired off three shots into the direction of Stephan. Two hit his metal help and one grazed his flesh and blood leg. While this did minimal damage, it gave Erik a window to slip past. He dashed past the distracted steam captain and began to pursue Demetri.

Erik raced after the hooded figure limping away from the fight. "Where do you think you're going?" Erik shouted as he drew Mageslayer, only a short distance behind Demetri. The thief had a look of horror plastered on his face as he turned to see the psychic right behind him. While there was no doubt that he would be able to outrun Erik in a normal situation, but he was bleeding heavily and Erik was almost sprinting when Demetri turned to see him. He was tackled to the ground by the psychic before he could break into a run. "Surrender now! You're doomed anyway so just come peacefully!" Erik shouted. Demetri was surprisingly strong despite having lost so much blood and managed to throw the psychic off of him and break into a run. Erik was about to give chase when pain exploded in his stomach. "I need to get that checked when this whole mess is over." Erik thought to himself. Furious but impressed at Demetri's resistance, Erik drew himself up to his full height and purple mist began to flow from the sleeves of his cloak. His eyes flared with purple light as the mist formed a large bow. He drew the string back to it's maximum distance and an arrow began to form from the same mist. "This is your last warning!" Erik cried as he trained the arrow on the fleeing thief. "Surrender or die!"

Used tier one super move - Great Psi Bow
-1 SP. 1 SP remaining.
I just wanted to make it clear that Erik won't fire on Demetri if he surrenders.

[Demetri Malius]

At the flash of the Uchiha's weapon, Demetri felt a sense of doom come over him, his face flashing with fear as he stumbled back, allowing the kid to give him a series of punches and a kick that sent him tumbling into the sand. With just a glimpse of the weapon, the rogue knew that it could tear him with one strike, and that not even his chains could defend him. Hell, it could probably even maim headmaster Nealaphh.

The thief's mind rambled with thoughts as he coughed and spit out sand. His mind didn't register his injuries until after he stood up, hearing a gravelly voice beside him. Demetri was losing his focus, the thief was at the end of his rope, the fatigue from battle and his injuries were wearing him down quickly. As the voices around him rolled aorund in his head, his mind dizzy and drunk from pain and adrenaline, he felt another push from an attack, which sent him next to a shadows alley. Perhaps he could use this chance to escape. Like a drunken mercenary heading home from the tavern, Demetri limped and stumbled through the alley, hoping to find his escape.

But it seemed that it was not meant to be.

The voice of the mage shattered his thoughts, calling out to him for his knees to strike the sand. Stand down? How was he supposed to accomplish that task if he could hardly even stand up? The injured thief turned to face the mage, who seemed to hover off the floor as he charged his purple bow.

Was it finally over, his battle against the royal guild for the ottsel's petty revenge. Perhaps. But he couldn't bring himself to cave to the man.

Though his eyes could not track the shot, Demetri could feel its physical presence as it flew through the air. With a last act of defiance, he shot his chains forward, watching as they collided in the air. The sheer force of the arrow shattered the metal, the piercing cracks as it sizzle from its energy and shredded through each inch of it. There was nothing he could do to stop it.

The thief held his arms in front of him as the arrows hit his forearms piercing even through his chain mechanism destroying the gears inside, rendering it useless. The singular projectile continued its assault, tearing into his opposite arm as well, before finally glowing bright in front of his face an sizzling to nonexistence.

The thief fell back, too worn to support his own weight any longer, unable to create his chains or summon his trust defensive dagger. He gave a slight grin, seemingly satisfied with his defeat.

He didn't do too bad for defending against such odds. In fact, he felt as if, in his own way, he won. As he lay there with the hot sun glaring down on him, the locals slowly approaching his body for a closer look at the man who assaulted their king's guards, he felt a shadow slowly approach him.

"So, what are the charges?," the thief chuckled.

He accepted whatever fate they had in store for him, whatever it may be.