Private Last Stand

[Argaloth(Dead)]

Theme
Kesh ~ Somewhere in the desert | 14:35 Local time​

"Another group was wiped out... I don't know how much longer we can fight these monster" commented one soldier to another as they stood to watch, on top of the barricade wall. Leaning on the top of the wall, watching more and more men leave or arrive from their hidden base. However, recently more group left the secret rebel base than arrived as the Bryn'adûl seemed to finally catch up to the rebel's tactics. To make matters worse, the last rebel base also lost contact with their remaining rebel cells, placing the base completely in the dark.

"Don't give up hope, as long as we're still alive, we can fight these monstrosities and take back our planet! Besides, don't forget we still sent out multiple smaller ships for help, one of them bound to have reached someone... they have to" explained the other freedom fighter, desperately holding on to that slimmer of hope that someone would come and help them.
"I hope you're right..." said the first soldier, taking a binocular, scanning the area in front of them.

"Any sign of returning cells?" Asked a third man down on the fort's ground, dressed in ragtag armour from what they could get their hands on. "No sign or sight of any returning cells" called the first soldier. It had been very quiet most of the morning and not much to do for the remaining rebels in the last true rebel base on Kesh. Even though they all had to be on guard for any air patrols, a lot of the soldiers were bored, nervous or itching news from some of the cells out there.

A sudden low rumble, which started to increase in volume and intensity, made the people on the wall to look in the direction of the sound and their worse fear came to past. Thousands of Bryn Drones swarmed the entire valley, all heading for the last remaining rebel base on Kesh. The whole area lit up like a Christmas tree, as every single freedom fighter got up on the wall and started to blast anything that moved.

"BLAST EVERYTHING!!!" Roared the captain and highest-ranked officer as he joined in of shooting as many Drones as possible, but even he, deep down, knew that it was futile. Further back, Argaloth stood beside Ostak and a Drone Commander, watching the remnant of insignificant lifeforms get wiped out by a superior race. The Ravager Brute stood on all four like a silverback gorilla, and could finally destroy the pestering annoyance from Kesh and take control as ruler over this planet.

Ostak Cl'mana

 

[Ostak Cl'mana]

Equipment: Shaman robes, Spitter Utility Bow (10 explosive arrows in quiver)
Beasts: 3 x Ra'mak War Beasts (100% integrity / 99% / 99%)
Allies: Argaloth

KESH - 14:35:23 LOCAL TIME - APPROX. 130 KM SE OF VEMNAK OVERSIGHT CENTER #014

Time was running out for the heretics.
​

Overwhelmed by numbers and firepower, it would not be long before the last bastion of insurrection had been quelled. The hope that they had put in planetary liberation had rapidly proved to be physically impossible - even if one of the multi-system empires were to amass a fleet large enough to penetrate through the Bryn'adul frontier and into the Kesh system, full-scale terraformation would be necessary to restore an arable world. With their end near, Ostak thought back to the beginning of the insurrection crisis.

Vemnak Oversight Center #014, better known among the Tachael-Vemnak secret policing organization as VOC-014, was Overseer Ostak Cl'mana's base of operations for the entire Kesh system. The Command Department of the Center's Inner Chamber, reports had begun to arrive of a group of planetary natives that had somehow survived the initial pillaging of the planet undetected, presumably through the use of an underground bunker. They were numerous and quickly armed themselves, launching ambushes against Draelvasier supply routes to sustain their operations. However, none of the rebels had ever discovered the VOC thanks to the charm that continued to be cast around it by the Warlock sentries of the facility. Additionally, the rebels had never dared to directly strike any Constructs or settlements, perhaps lacking the firepower to challenge the Draelvasier garrisons on the planet in open combat. If either command center had been destroyed, then perhaps the rebels could have kept a foothold for several months longer and been far more destructive. However, their cowardice was their undoing. Ostak had watched as more reports came into the Command Department of the planetary garrison learning the strategy of the rebels and launching highly destructive counteroffensives, toppling base after base. Before long, the insurrectionists were forced on the defensive, hunkered away in their hidden fortresses. Yet even those would not last. The Command Department received even more reports from Vemnak agents posing as Brutes and Zealots, detailing campaigns in which smaller forts were annihilated and larger defensive structures were left alone but quarantined from the outside, and after several weeks of waiting, squads had marched in to find nearly their entire population dead of starvation or thirst. Now, only one structure remained, and Ostak had personally arrived under his disguise as a Shaman Beast Master to witness the ultimate demise of the rebels.

Ostak's Ra'maks let out terrible cries of hunger and anguish as they dove restlessly towards the rebels, their plasma cannons tearing apart anything that escaped their vast maw. He stood to the right of a massive Ravager Brute named Agraloth, a being who was nearly twice the Beast Master's height and many times heavier. To the left of the pair was a Drone Commander, the junior member of the trio overseeing the battle. While Ostak had little to say about the Commander, the Ravager had become prominent in the Command Department reports he had received in the past weeks. After the previous Warlord of the Kesh system had been deposed for his failure to prevent the initial insurrection, the being named Agraloth had been selected to take his place. As his new senior partner in Kesh operations, Agraloth was the only being outside the Tachael-Vemnak and Ish'makra who knew of his identity as the system's Overseer. Ostak had privately judged the Ravager greatly, and overcome his initial biases to find him to be a worthy candidate. His strength was greater than that of any specimen Ostak had ever seen, excluding only the Chieftain himself. However, he was not all muscle, and Command Department reports had attested to his quick wit winning the planetary garrison numerous skirmishes. His loyalty was unquestionable, and Ostak had no doubt that he could keep a secret.

Now, as Ostak redirected one of his Ra'mak back towards the command trio, he would test the new Warlord for the final time.

"Warlord Agraloth, if you would not mind, please join me on my Ra'mak mount as we fly into the interior of the rebel base and end their insignificant lives once and for all."

​

 

[Argaloth(Dead)]

Theme​

Watching the last pathetic rebel base get swarmed with Drones in the massive numbers, truly placed a smile on Argaloth's face as he stood beside a Drone Commander and Ostak. Ostak was one of those Bryn with mystical powers and at first, he saw it as a weakness for Ostak for quite a while. But recently he had come to accept the advantage the magic did in battle but despite Argaloth's acceptance of Ostak's magic, it could still not beat natural brute ferocity in strength, at least in his mind.

Besides, the magic also removed the satisfaction of crushing an enemy's skull in your bare hands, hearing the skull pop under pressure. A Ra'mak came towards them, followed by Ostak requesting Argaloth to join. With a low rumble, the massive Ravager climbed onboard the colossal beast and felt the wind pick up as they flew through the air.

The Ravager Brute was one of few words, using his brute might to do a lot of the talking, but the crushing of the last rebel base made him in a good mood. As they got closer to the fighting, the rebel fought valiantly and their heavy manned turrets slaughtered many of the Drones as they charged the base.

"Time to end his insignificant rebellion, once and for all" agreed Argaloth in his deep guttural voice and as soon as they passed over the base the Ravager Brute simply jumped from the back of the Ra'mak, plummeting through the air. I large crater formed as dust and sand were sent all around the Ravager. Despite his broken bones, his regenerating immediately started to heal his wounds and bones, followed by Argaloth releasing a primal roar as he stood in the middle of the base.

Ostak Cl'mana

 

[Ostak Cl'mana]

Equipment: Shaman robes, Spitter Utility Bow (10 explosive arrows in quiver)
Beasts: 3 x Ra'mak War Beasts (97% integrity / 99% / 99%)
Allies: Argaloth

KESH - 14:37:37 LOCAL TIME - APPROX. 131 KM SE OF VEMNAK OVERSIGHT CENTER #014

The pair and their War Beast mount shot up into the air, charging relentlessly towards the front lines.
​

Ostak used a small portion of his spiritual energy to direct the beast dozens of meters above the advancing Drones, shrugging off stray cannon bolts that barely dented its armor. The rebels manning the garrison ahead seemed even smaller from above, mere rats attempting to hold back a horde of monsters.

Ravager Agraloth took the initiative, diving down into the base's interior courtyard and creating a shockwave large enough to knock several soldiers back. Ostak followed shortly behind, creating a thin net of spiritual energy to cushion his landing, preventing any bone or muscle damage despite his great fall. The Beast Master threw out his spiritual energy to the War Beast one more time, directing it to dive into a portion of the fortress walls. It descended rapidly, its maw and cannons creating a large hole in the exterior wall that would be an easily accessible breach point once the Drones arrived.

In the meantime, the two most powerful authorities on Kesh would handle the rebels themselves.

Nearly four dozen individuals of primarily humanoid form scrambled to meet them, basic rifles and pistols in their hand. Time seemed to pause for the Shaman-Overseer as he analyzed the situation. Ostak lacked Agraloth's pure physical prowess, likely unrivaled among the species in his Ravager form. In a battle of physical stamina, Ostak would fall far before the Ravager. However, Ostak had one key advantage over both Agraloth and the rebels, an advantage that justified his arrival unarmed aside from his one small bow. As a Beast Master greatly reinforced by advanced supplementary Tachael-Vemnak training, Ostak's full capability in spiritual power rivaled that of the most senior of Seers and Shamen.

As the platoon began to fire, Ostak extended his right hand outwards and created a translucent purple wall six meters long and four meters tall that absorbed every bullet that came its way without faltering, much like a Quilxyn Protector. With his left hand, Ostak projected five translucent pale purple lances a meter above him, each one directed by a finger of his. He flicked each finger of his left hand and watched as each lance thrust deep into a hostile, each vanishing the moment it pierced their hearts and returning to their original levitating position above Ostak before being hurled once more.

Ostak kept his focus and lances on one half of the enemy formation, leaving the rest to the Ravager's immense physical power.​

 

[Argaloth(Dead)]

Argaloth felt the bolts hit him, many didn't penetrate him, while some did and those that did only fueled his rage. With a deep primal roar, the massive Ravager charged the nearest rebels, massecrating them into pieces or ripping their bodies apart as if they were made of paper. A loud boom filled then fort at Argaloth rechived a rocket to the face, knocking him on to his side.

Just as the rebels felt a small glimmer of hope for taking out Argaloth, their hearts dropped when in reality, they saw with their own eyes Argaloth's head started to repair itself. Before long, the Ravager had healed all traces of wounds on him and grabbed some concrete in a great show of strength and heaved a massive piece of wall rubble at the central building in the fort.

The concrete completely tore through the building, killing many rebels in one swing. Argaloth stormed on all four, like a gorilla, the Ravager launched himself towards the gaping hole in the building and just started to rip apart. Ostak would find that much in terms of firepower was barely non-existing for the rebels and many tried to run, only to get absolutely swarmed by drone units. When the drone units finally arrived it was over for the rebels, truly this time.

Ostak Cl'mana