Wing City Eastern Gate

Ike had been returning herself, a few new scars hidden under glamours on her body as she walked to the gate. And then she saw him. Uncertain, she looked closer to him, and tasted of his energy. She bit her bottom lip and then moved closer to the man that she was very certain she knew. "Darien?" She asked. He looked like hell had chewed him up and spit him out. "Is that you?" Of course it was. She picked up her pace until she was nearly running to him.

Carefully, she reached out and touched his shoulder. "Darien, it's Ike. What's happened to you? What's wrong?" He was bleeding. She moved to kneel on the ground in front of him, and worried her bottom lip. She couldn't heal worth shit. She was a fucking demon, not some high brow mage. But she could give him a little bit of energy so his own natural healing factor might help some. Carefully, Ike transferred a little bit of her energy to him. She'd have to feed later, but the brothel was doing well.

"Ike? The...the fuck?" Darien coughed again. The energy transfer helped a bit, enough for him to raise his head and look her in the face. It was clear one of his eyes was going to be swollen shut, so he went for the lame pun. "Man, are you a sight for sore eyes."

Just being with her seemed to give him the strength to get back on his feet, but the extra bit of energy transfer definitely helped. He managed to sheathe his weapon before drawing her into a weak hug. "I missed you so fucking much. But this is no place for a reunion. We gotta get somewhere safe. Whoever did this to me, he wanted me to live. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Ike nodded and kept an arm around him after the hug. "Come on." She said quietly. "My sisters have been watching Grin for me." she murmured, and led him onwards. "I'll get you to the house and we can call in a healer or something." She had stepped out, so to speak, to check on Amethyst. Watching that one was a time and a half. Luckily, hellspawn grew fast. Amethyst could live on her own now, and Ike checked on her less and less as time went by.

"Where did you go to cause this?" Somewhere dangerous, to be sure. She supported him carefully, and couldn't be happier than their place was in Eastern Wing City as it was. If it had been much farther, he'd not make it there, she was sure.

"I...I don't really remember." Gosh, he must have had that memory kicked out of him. And a lot more as well, judging by the stains on the back of his pants. "I'm just glad to see you're still okay. I've been...marketing the business. Had some others working for me, but it didn't really pan out." He reached out to touch Ike's face, as if they were a loving couple that had been separated and reunited. Which they sort of were, in a strange sense.

"But enough about me. I want to hear about how you've been before I pass out. And no sucking my energy while I'm unconscious because I want to enjoy it just as much as you do...Ratike." He smiled slightly as he dropped the reminder of the name and the events that had brought them together. It was quite the shame that he could not yet pay back his energy debt to her, but Darien figured Ike would know of at least one way to kick-start his recovery.

Ike's smiled as he touched her face. "I haven't been doing too much, you know that." She half carried him to the house, and opened the door for him. "Just watching over Grin and Amethyst." And that was often more than enough. "And running the brothel." she teased him, and helped him inside. He was so injured, so hurt. She fussed slightly, the girls not coming forward. They were at work, and the children were asleep. "I don't get to do too much Darien." He was probably the only one who got away with using her full first name. Everyone else had to simply call her Ike. A broken curse or not, she still wasn't likely to give out her name.

It caused too much trouble, in her opinion. "Don't pass out." She cautioned him, and gave him a bit more energy. "I have plenty of energy to keep you awake and healing. And I can always nip out for a quick feed if I'm running low. There was a reason they ran a brothel after all.

Despite himself, Darien thought he felt a pang of actual emotional involvement. Shit. Shit. Shit. His training warned against this. But it had been so long, and he was so banged up, he just started to lose himself.

"Thanks. Ike. Good to know that after everything I've done and been through, there are still some people that are willing to lend me a hand. And spare your energy...I think I'll take a nice long nap now. Wake me up in the morning, okay? Tell the girls that the boss is back and will welcome their get well soon presents."

Darien took a nice long sigh and nuzzled into the pillow, falling asleep with one of Ike's hands in his. Now was when her loaned energy would be put to best use, knitting together the rent flesh and repairing burst capillaries. Whoever thrashed him had been very careful to leave him alive, but otherwise spared no effort in giving him the grand tour of a world of pain. That was why Darien needed to sleep...unlike Ike, he wasn't attractive or skilled enough yet to replenish himself. Healing had to come first.

A massive, hulking, armored beast of a man pounded on the closed doors of a ramshackle building, his gleaming two-handed sword already brandished. "Let me in! I've had a hard night and I demand relief!" But there was a damn good reason the owner of the establishment decided to not allow him shelter. In fact, the blood drained from his face a bit when he sneaked a peek out the window. That yellow tabard. That shiny sword. That voice. He made a quick page over to Ike's room.

"Ike. Do not open that door. That is the man that fucked me up. Odds are he's here to finish the job after he sensed a lot of evil here. Everyone change into your best disguises and set the furniture up against a raid, just like we practiced. I'm not having him come in here unimpeded. And don't try to use your glamers, he can see you for what you are just like he did with me. Tonight we fight for the right to live our lives as we choose. Tonight we do battle against the misguided zealot. Tonight...we go to WAR."

Darien sighed and started kitting himself out in full battle-rattle, refilling on alchemical goodies to stash in his vest and warming up with a few forward and backward fencing steps. A grim look came over him as he got ready to face his greatest nightmare. A paladin.

Meanwhile, Gary continued to pound on the door, getting close to the breaking point of the solid wood.

The majority of the succubae exchanged glances, before all but Ike got everything set up and then quickly disappeared back to hell via a portal in one of the storage areas. Ike meanwhile frowned as she moved to stand next to Darien, clearly worried. "Darien?" She murmured, uncertain. "I...I'm not a fighter. How can I help?" None of them were fighters, at all. They weren't exactly a species meant for fighting! Ike bit her bottom lip as she watched the door, flinching at every hit.

She didn't even have a gun. Would a gun even work against a paladin?

"You have a special duty, Ike," Darien stared at her unflinching. "You stay up here. If I get my ass beat again, you are to swoop in and carry the both of us into the plant. Speaking of, make sure it's nice and hungry. He'll probably come chasing after me and get caught in it, but before that I wish to fight him fairly. I won't run away this time. Not when it means putting all we've worked so hard to accomplish in danger."

He finished strapping on his armor, gesturing to Ike to help him with the bits in the back. The breastplate was a little heavier than what he was used to, but against a heavier weapon he needed the extra protection. "Okay. In my lab, there's a control panel overlooking the plant. I want you to turn on the sprinklers and turn up the temperature control. I want it hot and humid in there for maximum activity. Me...I have a date with destiny." He gave Ike a smooch on the cheek and a stroke of her wings before walking off with a purpose.

Gary finally smashed down the door and looked around angrily, easily hopping the impromptu barricade before being met by the same man as before. "So, this is where you live? I will enjoy making it the place where you die as well. Consorting with demons...I cannot allow such iniquity to flourish!"

"Funny. I can't allow someone to come in my house and wreck my shit. You're no better than I am right now. Let's end this. Not as good versus evil, but as man versus man." The two circled each other, blades held at the ready and watching for a move from the other.

A special duty to drop a paladin into a hungry plant. Yeah, she could do that. Ike hurried to Darien's lab and turned on the sprinklers to the greenhouse where the plant was kept, and turn up the temperature quickly. Hopefully it would heat up fast. The succubus ignored the sounds of the door breaking, and locked the door to the lab, then opened the outer doors to the greenhouse. Then, satisfied she had done all she could, Ike tucked herself under a table in the corner and hid, focusing on sensing where they were. This was disastrous. A paladin in her brothel!

Gary struck first, lashing out with a vertical stroke that went clean through a coffee table in his rage...which was anything but blind, as he managed to move fast enough to not only slap aside Darien's counter-attack but also to give a diagonal cut as the smaller man jumped back. Shit. Too much leverage and reach...and here he came again with piledrivers on his mind.

Darien drew on his experiences at Gambit's Bar and grabbed an arm chair, using its legs to stop the paladin in his tracks and twist away the powerful sword before delivering a deadly jab that got caught in the seam between the chest plate and the shoulder. The warrior of light moaned and kicked for a while before reaching for his sword and slamming Darien in the side, sending him sprawling.

Good thing I went for the heavier stuff, Darien had just enough time to think before Gary was on him again, using his superior strength to come down and wrest away the Point of No Return from the bind. "Any last requests, conspirator?" he growled from behind the visor, blade held high and ready to go right through his throat.

"Yeah, I do. I got something to show you. IKE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" The breastplate meant he couldn't use the tentacles, so time to break out the emergency protocol.

Ike was there in a flash and she grabbed hold of his arm. "Catch me if you can!" She shouted to the paladin and took off running, pulling Darien behind her. It was a good thing that she had demonic strength. The succubus ran full tilt to the greenhouse, not daring to look behind her. He would follow. She was a demon, he was a paladin. He'd want to kill her. Breathing heavily, the succubus hit the open button and darted into the greenhouse, dragging Darien with her.

"Th-this better work."

"Oh, it will. I've fought him once before. You only ever get to really know a man after you do one of two things: When you fight him, or when you fuck him." Darien nodded at this bit of applicable knowledge as Gary rounded the corner, the fire of lust clear in his eyes as he followed the two into the greenhouse.

"Welcome to the jungle, motherfucker!" Darien cried as the vines came for all three of them. Gary was incredibly surprised. "What...what is this demonic trickery?" He went for his short sword and tried to cut himself free, but it just wasn't fast enough after Ike had put it into overdrive. Speaking of, the residents had to deal with its might as well. Darien knew what was coming and was so far able to dodge and counter each one of its advances. "Ike! Let's scram and let him swelter in that lunchbox!"

The question was, would Ike be able to slip free of its grasp in time? After all, they both knew what this thing was capable of better than the surprised Gary Mandolera.

Ike grabbed Darien's hand in hers and took off to the doors, diving through them and closing them behind her. Eyes wide, she collapsed to the floor and watched. "So...you've fought him, and now the plant's gonna fuck him. I suppose that means we know him well?" Well, at least she doubted this guy would be trouble again. Monstro in there was hell on earth to escape. Ike shuddered and turned her back on the scene. "...Are we gonna leave him in there?"

What looked like three human men in black suits, each carrying a black suitcase made of steel, came strolling down the path. They were out today to find small businesses to invest their labor in without being noticed by too many officials; simply put, they were looking for black market deals to expand their presence into Wing City. When they came to the split, the went towards Wing City.

A black SUV came down the road, stopping and parking. Currently this vehicle was on Auto Pilot and could be summoned at any given notice, so the Fireknaughts felt a bit more comfortable in this unknown location.

"Sir, it seems kinda dead out here. Shouldn't we be a bit more into the city?"

"Nah, we're in the right spot. Here is where we'll find what we need and plant our roots. You'll see."

"I hope so. We've been cooped up in those warehouses for year and i'm ready to do something besides shine the artillery."

"That will come, but first we need to build a path into the city and become a 'normal'. To do that, we'll need money. So keep quiet and keep an eye out. No need to talk too much and get the wrong persons attention."

As the Fireknaught made their way around the streets, sounds of armed conflict could be heard from one of the more glitzy looking store-fronts. Two men, and the clash of steel on steel, along with a woman's shouts. Maybe some sort of domestic dispute? A good set of ears would lead them to the right place.

Or was it more home invasion, as some sort of heavily armored knight swung a massive two-handed blade at a smaller, nimbler foe with a rapier trained on his assailant? After the knight proved victorious, it seemed the fallen one had planned for this, and called for the woman to help him escape. The brute gave chase. Three left...but two returned. It seemed the questing paladin had fallen for some sort of cunning trap.

"Man, oh man. So much traffic today," the man in a fedora and breastplate lamented. "Come on in, boys, big dumb and righteous smashed the door on his way in. Ike, stay on your guard until I say otherwise."

The Fireknaughts moved quickly to the sounds of the disturbance, pondering what the situation was. Whatever it was, it was over quickly, leaving the Fireknaught group the chance to move in and possibly talk to the beings that remained. They'd move to the man at the front and remained quiet for a second before they heard the man in the fedora speak and invite them inside.

With their brief cases held tight and moving in uniform, the group followed the man inside without hesitation and looked around. They noticed the damage at the doorway, but inside didn't seem to suffer much at all. The Fireknaught didn't intend to end up here, but they figured they'd see if they could find any leads while here.

One of the Fireknaught spoke up, "We just came to make sure everything was okay. What was their deal?"

The suited, armored man shrugged. "Eh. I run a business. He was one of those light in darkness types. We had to settle our ideological differences. So, you're here for the shipment, right? Hang on, I think I got a sample that I was packing for an occasion like just now."

He sighed and withdrew a vial of a viscous red liquid from inside his armor. "Stage blood. All I gotta do is get hit where I was carrying it. The armor will take it, but the candy glass will shatter and bam, it looks like you're bleeding out something bad. One of you boys care to test it to see if it fits your needs? I was trying to make something a vampire could drink without the predatory aspect, but I guess this will have to do."

The Imperial Guard, Sworn soldiers to humanity and the primary defense for the citizens of Wing City. Today there was a gathering at the Eastern Walls by many Imperial Squadrons. Their mission, reinforce this wall in case of emergencies. They were setting up camp, placing down barricades, sandbags and getting heavy weapons in position. This was hard, backbreaking work but the work would be well worth it in the end. Some men say that they would be getting extra re-caff if they held this side for a month with no trouble.

"About time somebody did something around here!"

If they hadn't noticed the news van pull up, they would now. Winne Rineswurth emerged in her trademark mustard skirtsuit, television crew piling out behind her. Her heels were slick black, her pearls were shining white, and her creepy-wide smile was all too red to be comfortable around in person. She shone on the telecasts.

"Where's hair?" Winne barked, a moment before turning that grin on the Imperial Guard. A younger girl rushed up, flushed, to spray and fluff the newscaster's hair; "We're live in five people!"

The few Imperial Guardsman that took notice of the woman would be sweating from the moving of the defenses. "Huh?...Hey, guys look over there." A Young Guardsman spoke to the others. He looked like he was in his early twenties at most. The others looked up in their standard issued Beige Flak Vests and las-guns slung around their shoulders.

The group looked at eachother in confusion. That was...a news van right?

Otto was servicing his forklift nearby and rubbed his visor clear with a rag. There was a lot of moving to be done and he was pretty sure there was a resource delivery coming soon. The mundane equipment at least he didn't need a tech-priest for. Gunnac, a local techmarine, was off building tarantula sentry guns way above his mettle though they'd have to find some tech priests to install the machine spirits. Something to do with a civic manifold.

"On your best behavior, guardsmen! The Emperor already sees you slacking. Don't let the natives see too! There's heavy turrets coming in soon and we need the grids up!", he called over from his grease-stained armor.

The slithering shotgun at his side clanked at the men in rendering otto's disapproving eye.

Kat was watching the entire scene unfold from a nearby city corner, with a latte in one hand, and a small cell phone in the other. To the casual observer, it looked like a random, well dressed native snapping texts, perhaps she was a businesswoman of some kind.

With the click of her phone, she snapped a picture of the wall, and it's defenses, along with slowly counting the number of guardsmen present.

Click, Click, Click.

She was snapping pictures right and left while sipping her coffee, it seemed whoever these Imperials were thought they could be the new Coalition, but these fortifications were useless, any significant military pressure and they'd fall.

So Kat went about slowly licking her lips, and sipping the last of her coffee, a couple more snaps of her cell phone, and she started to walk away from the Imperial Guards and their fortification exercise.

The makeup girl moved away from the newslady and no less than six crew members moved in. Three cameras were at the ready, aimed at Winne's best angles. She ran a knuckle across each eyebrow, then looked straight into Camera #2. A man in a baseball cap held his hand up near the news van, he was counting down from five. At three Winne straightened, at two a deep breath, a big smile on one, aaaaaaaaaaand we're live:

Greetings, Terra: This is Winne Rineswurth reporting live from Wing City Eastern Gate, bringing you exclusive updates on The Imperial Wall,

Winne Rineswurth gestured behind her, where a forklift whirred by and many young men worked to build a wall. She turned to approach a small group of the Imperial Guardsmen.

"The people must know: How much longer will this construction be going on? Border traffic is a nightmare!"

The driver of the van watched as a woman seemed to snap pictures and leave. He wondered if he should mention something, but decided it was above his pay grade to interrupt a TERRACAST:LIVE.

Tempestor Prime Caylum glanced across to the command squad, his eight veteran Scions, they fixed their berets and each in their own personal ways went over the last of their equipment, Caylum raised his arm and pressed one of the runes on the Slate monitron on his wrist and lower armour, he pressed the rune several more times, its video feed changing between monoscope of his tempestors; the sergeants of each squad, and then through one of his fifty troops and stopping when he came across a blocked view, with a growling angered voice Caylum activated his microbead and spoke to the tempestor of this transgressing scion.

“Tempestor Jeric, one of your Scions has obstructed their Monoscope, have him clear it, and once we return to the barracks, he will receive thirty lashes from the shock whip and miss two weeks meals” there was no defence of the soldier from the tempestor only the calm affirmation, the Officio Prefectus Commissar accompanying the regiment looked over at Caylum with dissatisfaction and spoke his distaste. “your punishment is light for such a transgression” Caylum glanced at the man and tapped his orders into the monitron


At the east gate, the sound of six Tuarox primes, the guardsman would recognise the sounds of the racing tracked beasts, the vehicles came to a screaming halt except for two, their gravimetric devices activating and the two vehicles mounted the walls of two buildings and drove up to the roofs each, the ten men inside each filing out and taking up positions and standing to attention.


From three of the four remaining vehicles, a total of thirty men and women stepped out and formed up into a small block, from the last of the vehicles Caylum and his command squad stepped out and before he could complete his approach to the platoon he yelled out “Jaws! Open and take your designated positions!”

The platoon did so splitting out into three ten man squads, falling into predetermined locations. Caylum made a hand gesture and the four taurox APCs began to move about and take up favourable positions.

The lord Commissar would yell out “as per orders, no civilian is to enter within ten blocks of the gate while work on fortifications are being done, unless they have a permission or a permit!” the Lord Commissar passed by the news crew heading towards the imperial guard troops. his head turning from side to side as he glared searching for the Officer in-charge here.

Four of the eight strong command squad would be approaching the stranger on the edge of all the commotion, two of which stop at ten meters away and raise their hot shot lasguns, the other two continuing their approach.

Each Scion of the 54th Psian jakals, clad in black and silver carapace armour their omnishield helmets and respmasks hiding their features leaving only crimson lenses to stare balefully at friend and or foe.


The Scions operated outside of the rest of the imperial regiments and in doing so had freedom to prosecute war as they sowed, however the reasoning in being here was in Lord Commissar Antarius interests. The rest of the Jakals were still within the barracks.