Rock the Castrum

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Under the snow laden fields between the borders of Bellum and Pergrande, what might have started as a disagreement turned into a full blown war between the two nations. The Pegrandian military has armed themselves with equipment to counter their enemy’s magics, meanwhile, the Bellian forces have been armed with arcane artifacts, weapons, and armors, to combat the opposing troops, their enchantments of unknown origin. The fight has already started, and people are dying left and right for the sake of their nations. How the tension between the two nations was left unchecked and unresolved, however, is none of his concern. Michael only cares for one thing and one thing only - money to pay for his bills and rent back in Neutral Grounds.

This isn’t to say that he has no principles. No, he believed that those with power must use that power for the greater good. The irresponsibility and arrogance of those with power, the villains who abuse their power for their own selfish greed, are ultimately an enemy of his. Such fate was deserved of the dark guild masters he fought and assassinated prior to this endeavor, though he was left battered and bruised after an encounter with a stronger guildmaster. Pergrande is large enough as it is. What could they want with Bellum? Michael isn’t privy of the details and how the war sparked is beyond him. It is obvious that he’s siding with Bellum, having siblings and stepsiblings using magic that was perfectly harmless. Well, except for Francois, who he knew is a league of his own - a one man army, who for some reason isn’t participating in the war. Though they were relatives, with his current state of mind, he isn’t close with them. All he knows is that if he sided with Pergrande, he’d be siding against magic, and it would draw the ire of his siblings.

How he would be perceived if he backed up Pergrande isn’t the only factor affecting his decision to fight for Bellum. Other than the difference in scale of landmass, he also thought of Pergrande’s anti-magic equipment to be problematic against magic users not only residing in Bellum, but of the whole of Ishgar. If left unchecked, they might launch crusades against countries harboring wizards and the likes. It is through the alliance between Bellum and the Magic Council of Fiore that brought about his employment, pegged by Giselle to lend them his… specialty.

Michael went to see his employer, though this time he is without his partner, Giselle, to keep him in check. She was busy with repairs in her business, and with the long weeks they were out from the Neutral Grounds, she has since been keeping up with requests. It’s not a problem, of course, since her iLac could connect to his ‘mental computer’. He had to travel alone to Bellum where he was to meet up with his comrades. He was afforded treatment as if he was part of their military due to his background as a soldier. His credentials were legitimate in the eyes of his employer, and combat data was sent to them prior to his arrival - courtesy of Giselle.  “So you’re Michael.” The employer said, “And you specialize in long range assassination?” “Yes, and I am also a capable infiltrator.”

“So it would seem.” The employer said as he took a gander at his combat data and nodded, satisfied with the information Giselle was kind enough to send. He assumed she had connections with Bellum, which is most likely because he was given a ‘special treatment’, or the honor of working alongside them as part of their military. After having witnessed his skills both as a sniper and fighter, and with his (unfortunate) background, his employer decided to draft him in as an infiltrator, putting his skills of subterfuge and assassination to use. He did know of his psionic background, though with war as it is, they need all the help they can get, and espers are no exception. This information was only known between him and his employer to avoid drawing the ire of the Bellian troops and preventing hostility. Afterall, Michael was a citizen of Fiore, sent by the magic council to their aid. "We're glad to have you on board. Rendezvous with the commanding officer in the briefing room, along with your fellow comrades. They'll need all the help they can get."

Michael was sent to the commanding officer to be briefed along with a small battalion of infiltrators, assassins, and subterfuge specialists. He couldn’t help but feel out of place among his comrades, being the only non-magic user in the room. Just to add some security to his identity, he had to project his Psionic aura to make it seem like he’s a wizard, disguising himself by camouflaging his psionic energy with the ethernanos found all around him. “And here we have a special guest here today. Private, introduce yourself.” The commanding officer announced, all the uniformed soldiers facing in his direction. There were whispers, asking who he is, or mumbling about his audacity to be given special treatment. He stood up in attention, and introduced himself. “The name’s Michael Brooklyn Morgan, previously a soldier of… an organization in Fiore.” He hesitated for a bit, deciding not to disclose information of his previous affiliations, “I use both Earth and Requip magic. Between the two, I am ultimately a sniper and an assassin.” It was previously agreed that he’d take the guise of a wizard wielding both Earth and Requip magics, as mentioned by his employer to hide his true abilities - psionics, or what the Pergrandians called psychokinesis. “You may stand down, private.” Michael sat down and listened to the commanding officer.

Along with other infiltrators, Michael was briefed of their mission. Their job? Annihilating enemy reinforcements stationed beyond the front lines. The troops were held in a small castrum beyond the winter laden forests of this frozen border, and it is only a matter of time before they depart. The castrum held armories containing anti-magic equipment and the forces were large. His success in this mission will tip the balance in favor of Bellum, supporting their forces by preventing reinforcements from coming through. This isn’t to say that there is only one castrum holding reinforcements. In addition to annihilating enemy forces and preventing their advances, he’s also told to trash the place, rendering it completely useless to the enemy. Destroy everything, the commanding officer said.

“All of you will be working on teams of three. However, our guest will be doing this mission solo.” Heads turned to face him again, some of which had faces of doubt while others of concern. Questions will be asked later after the briefing. “We will depart in 2 hours, so prepare yourselves to face the Pergrandian Troops. And don’t think about dying. All of you are too bloody useful! Dismissed!”

He was approached by some Bellian infiltrators, concerned that he’s going on this mission solo. “Are you sure you don’t need anyone, Michael?” One of them said while bringing their enchanted stave with them, “We can always send you a squad of infiltrator wizards to help you out.” Michael already set his mind to fighting the enemy alone, and bringing along Bellian troops with him would only rouse suspicion of his abilities. After all, he’s used to fighting alone, and he’s faced off fiercer opponents in the past. “Thanks, but not thanks.” Michael respectfully declined, knowing that bringing in more people would only result in more casualties against the forces of Bellum, “I have… fought opponents far stronger than what we’re facing. I’ll make quick work on them. The fight won’t even last for ten minutes.”

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Two hours after their briefing, Michael and his comrades left Bellum for the frozen borders between the two nations to accomplish their task in dismantling enemy support. White snow and tundras permeate the surrounding landscape as they finally reach their destination. Dark clouds loomed over the warring nations’ soldiers in their fight for their homeland, and death followed in their wake. It was a battlefield that Michael knew too well. Afterall, he was a soldier for the secretive faction of the Arch Vorbrundt order, and he was there when the organization fell from the heretics of their creed and duty. Of all the soldiers that day, only he was spared. He wasn’t able to give them a proper burial, and he is sure to exact his revenge against the surviving heretics.

The fact that he was unfazed after all the explosions and warcries spoke volumes of his experience, a fact acknowledged by the seniors of his Bellial comrades. No signs of nervousness, anxiety, worry. He was a model soldier to them, but he isn’t one who delivers speeches before the mission. No, he isn’t a charismatic leader. “I’m nervous.” One of them said as they were nearing their destination. The thought of dying has them on the edge, and the success of this operation meant that they would give Bellum a higher chance of winning this fight. “First time?” he said nonchalantly, and some of them turned to him. “Have you been in a war?” One of them asked, curious at his background as a soldier. There were still some that doubted his experience and all eyes were on him, expecting his story.

He dared not recall what transpired back in the order, but he can at least give them a piece of history. “It was less of a war and... more of an infighting.” He said, omitting the fact about his faction. What he said has led the others to assume that his squad was betrayed by a spy or a defector, and they were keen on listening in more on his story. “I was born for it. I was trained as a soldier and had to endure rigorous training to get to where I am now.” “So what happened then?”

There was a brief silence, everyone expecting to hear more of his tale. He wasn’t keen on talking about his past, and his silence spoke much of the trauma he had to endure. “I will not speak of it.”

Before he could be pressed further, the infiltrators arrived. “We’re here.” The said, driving the vehicle to a stop and parking it on open ground. Owing to their magics, the vehicle was invisible, and it was a miracle they could get this deep into the enemy lines without being detected. They knew what they were capable of, and seeing as they are facing opponents wielding psychokinesis, it’s no surprise if the higher ranked ones can see invisible objects. All of them got out of the invisible vehicle and made camp, one of them using their magic to project a field that bent light and rendered anything inside it invisible. The Bellian infiltrators were checking their gear and made sure their equipment was ok after the long drive. Michael, on the hand, only had to suit up. He mentally commanded his Soldier’s Gambit to activate his exosuit. A red hexagon shaped sigil appeared beneath him and rose upwards, replacing his clothes with his exosuit along the way. Some stared at him in awe while others were… checking out his assets.

Next, he mentally commanded his Soldier’s Gambit to summon his Snipe Strix armor. Several red hexagon shaped sigils appeared all around him, one for each piece of armor. Metallic pieces protruded from the sigils as they materialized from cyberspace, after which his armor pieces connected themselves to the ports on his exosuit. The helmet came second, another sigil appearing above his head. The helm of his armor fell and wore itself to his head just as the last piece of armor attached itself, threads weaving themselves to form a cloak, another part of Snipe Strix. The Bellian troops were in awe of his form, his glamour resonating dark, mysterious, and killer vibes.

He’s definitely looking the part.

He received some compliments after he called for his armor, a highly energetic young infiltrator walking towards him “Oh! You look so cool, Michael! Say, what do you call your requip? I don’t see a lot of requip magics using hexagon sigils!” He didn’t expect people to compliment his appearance, but what the young infiltrator remarked gave him a sense that he would get called out for his deception. “I guess ‘The Modern Soldier’ sounds appropriate? I’m not too sure myself.” “Oh, interesting! Mine’s the bombardier!” She said as she was coated in bright light, summoning her armor and cannon with her requip. “See?”

“You’re not too shabby, yourself.” He said, though now that he saw her in her bombardier armor, maybe he could ask Giselle for an… artillery themed armor. This gave him inspiration, taking a mental note of his idea as well as analyzing and storing pictures of the armor into his mental archives. He wasn’t too keen on conversing with people he is unfamiliar with and was grateful when their commanding officer called them to formation. Michael, being the special guest of this squad, was positioned at the center front, directly face to face with the commanding officer.

“Listen up! I’ll keep this short. The success of this mission will drastically improve Bellum’s chances of winning against the Pergrandian scum that we are up against. To reiterate - do NOT think about dying. Do ya’ll hear me?!”

“SIR, YES, SIR!” The Bellian infiltrators yelled in unison, a proof of their loyalty for their nation.

“Now move out!”

The infiltrators had already decided who to pair up with. Teams of three headed out towards their designated camps, cloaked under an invisibility spell that made it near impossible for them to be detected. Michael, on the other hand, mentally commanded his armor and activated the Snipe Strix’s set of programs, rendering himself invisible before he was given his own artifact that let him turn invisible as well. Michael’s designated castrum could be located deeper into the enemy territory. It’s farther, and he could open a portal on the specified location, but it’d risk detection. Using the Mach Cheetah armor is also risky, and so he decided to just walk towards the camp site.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

At last, he finally arrived at his designated target - Castrum Primordialis it was called, at the center of a field of snow. It was a rather large camp built deeper into enemy territory where reinforcements and supplies were on standby for the duration of the war. It was more of a fortress, harboring walls of Oblivium that made it impenetrable against enemy magic bombardments. From the looks of it, it looked like it could only withstand magical attacks more powerful than a magic space lasers’, but he isn’t sure about his assessment since information regarding the Oblivium material was new to him. Regardless, he can take it all apart with his telekinesis later.

It may just be him, but his radar isn’t working as it should be. There aren’t any dots inside the castrum, so his best bet was they used something that prevents them from being detected through extrasensory magic and abilities. Not a problem for him though, as his targets were all holed up in their tiny fortress. If there is a wall, there is always a gate. He scoured around the premises and found two entrances, both conveniently open and guarded by what looks to be imperial army officers and recruits - 2 officers on each side and 6 recruits patrolling over the walls.

If he’s going to do this, he has to do this discreetly - firstly by eliminating the tougher opponents. He has the distance advantage, being at most 2000 meters away from his targets, while his rifle’s attacks can reach up to that far and more. He also had the cover advantage, positioned himself in the middle of the snow covered forest while attacking from a higher ground so he could snipe better. He brought out his Strigiform RIfle, an upgraded version of his Nocturne Rifle all thanks to Giselle’s ingenuity, and activated ‘Gambit Protocol - Hyperlight Refraction Index’. With all of his arsenals prepared, heaimed at one of them while the rest looked away. And…

Thwip. Down goes one of the recruits, their lifeless body falling on the snow laden floor. No one expected this attack, and no one suspected it because after all, he is invisible, and his attacks are sound proof.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

So far, none of the sentries or recruits have noticed the dead body lying on the wall. If his position was compromised, he’d have to relocate. He expected them to hear the grunting of their fallen comrades, or the thumping of their body, but perhaps the floor was so snowy that it cushioned their fall? But since nothing happened, Michael continued on with his attack and...

Thwhip. Another one bites the dust as he carefully aimed the scope of his rifle and fired a beam of heated bullet against another recruit’s head, their armor completely useless against his true snipe.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

He’s making good progress in disposing of the invasive Pergrandian forces, his attack being unaware of the enemy. If he was in their ranks, he’d be most perceptive of the enemy attack at the slightest sound of death. “Hmm… they’re awfully unskilled. And unperceptive.” He muttered under his breath, taking aim at another one of the recruits on the wall. And...

Thwhip. Another one downed by his rifle. So far, his kill count was 3, and no one still suspected a thing. They didn’t make an effort to notice the crimson red snow or the gasps of their comrades.  It’s baffling that they aren’t made aware of their current situation, but perhaps the enemy isn’t as perceptive as he thought they were.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

After 3 rounds, Michael still wasn’t detected, nor was his efforts in killing one Pergrandian soldier after another noticed by the higher ups. Who can blame him? He’s invisible and sound proof. He decided to go for another soldier - one of the tougher looking ones by the gate. With his rifle aimed at their head, he pulled a trigger and...

Twhip. Another bullet was fired from the rifle’s barrel, darting past the white fields of snow. It pierced through one of the officer’s heads, blood splattering and turning the pure white snow into a crimson red.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Before the other officer could react as he turned to their fellow comrade, he fired another round against them before they had the opportunity to alarm the others of an enemy fire. His presence can’t be known to them, at least, not yet. Thwhip. Another one down. Still, it was going to be a matter of time before one of them noticed they were being attacked, but it would have been too late when he whittled down their forces to half.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

So far so good. In total, he has downed 5 enemy soldiers so far - 3 recruits and 2 officers from the looks of it. He just has to keep the ball rolling and eliminate the 3 remaining lookouts because firstly, they will have the higher ground if he decides to barge in and eliminate the enemy forces as quickly as possible. With how tall the walls were built, they could just duck in cover while they fire their weapons against him.

Once more, he took aim at one of the enemies and....

Thwip. Another one bit the dust as they fell to the floor, but their body almost nearly fell down the stairs as they got hit right at the head. He was certainly taking his time in killing them one by one, and there’s no rush just yet. He has plenty of time, though he wonders how the others are faring.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

It was harder for him to aim at the rest of the lookouts. There were only two of them left, and they were pretty far. He’d have to go a little closer to get a closer look, and he leapt from branch to branch and got on a better vantage point. He could now aim his rifle properly, and from the looks of it, they don’t seem to notice anything. Afterall, they had their backs turned. Maybe they didn’t notice anything amiss because of the helmet they were wearing, which definitely isn’t an excuse because he could hear the howling winds perfectly fine.

Once more, he aimed at one of them, and....

Thwip. Another one down as he fired one more heated bullet from his rifle, darting across the castrum to his victim. They fell, but towards the snow covered ground outside the castrum. The layer of snow might have been thick enough that it didn’t make as much of a sound. However, the other lookout managed to see the target fall down from his peripheral vision and decided to inspect it.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

He saw as the last lookout ran to where his target was before they fell, looking to see if they were fine. Michael was quick enough to aim his rifle to the last recruit, pulling the trigger before they could even get the chance to confirm their comrade’s condition.

Thwip. Another one bites the dust, their lifeless body falling headfirst to the snow laden ground outside of the castrum, landing directly on top of the other dead soldier. This makes 8 kills so far. No alarms were rung as their lookouts were assassinated from more or less 2000 meters away, which is a good thing. At the moment, Michael was thinking of storming the castrum and assassinating his targets from the inside now that there would be no more enemies from higher ground.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Michael felt confident in his ability to wipe out the rest of the enemy forces deep within the castrum, so there was little harm to him if he stormed into the enemy camp undetected. Afterall, none can see him, and their inability to see this coming will be their undoing. From 2000 feet away, he hurriedly went out of his vantage point within the forest to the open field of snow, running towards the enemy camp before they could get the chance to see their dead comrades. Not that it matters, it would have already been too late before they could seal the gate shut from enemy wizards. Technically, he isn’t one, but he’s an enemy to them regardless.

He finally arrived at one of the entrances and saw that he must have killed off almost half of the soldiers, whittling them down to a more acceptable amount for him to attack at close combat. Of course, they can’t see him, well, except for one of them.

Just one step into the gate, he could see that one of them was staring at him. They looked like they were stronger than the rest, perhaps one of the elite forces of Pergrande? Yet he could feel like they were the same as him though he can’t quite point out why. He does know, from their body language, that they could see him. Regardless of what he thought of them, they are an enemy that needs to be culled; threats that should be taken care of. Pity has no place in an era of war. Bringing out his Standard Pistol, he aimed both at two of the officers on both his sides, making sure to make a show of it; an execution done by the Hidden Hoot.

Thwip. Thwip. Bullet of heat and metal pierced through both officers’ heads with blood tainting the pure white ground of snow. This, of course, never made a sound except for a soft thud from the fall of their lifeless corpses.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

The paladin watched as two of his comrades fell victim to Michael’s cunning tactic of stealthy killing. This irked them clearly, looking around at the walls for the rest of their comrades, only to find that none of their men could be seen. The bodies of the lookouts did, after all, fall down to the ground, and one couldn’t exactly see them if they were from a higher ground. “Filthy wizard…” The paladin growled under its breath while the two officers accompanying were wondering why he was snarling at nothing. It was too late for them, however, as the invisible Michael pulled the trigger on his Strigiform Rifle and his Standard Pistol, both firing a bullet of heat and metal respectively. His shots pierced through their armor, the blood splattering and making a mess on the wall behind them.

That’s two enemies down.

The Paladin couldn’t help but feel uneasy. How could he have infiltrated their camp without detection? How did he get here? The questioning can come later. They have an enemy to fight. As expected, the Paladin rang the alarms, bringing all soldiers out to fight an enemy they can’t see. Through their psychokinesis, the paladin brought one of their fallen officer’s assault rifles and fired it against him.

Compared to the enemies he fought before, this attack was nothing to him. He watched as the bullets hit the photolyte plating of his armor while he walked closer to the paladin, It barely scratched the surface, while the rest of the enemy did see bullets ricocheting from his armor. This alerted them, asking among themselves how he infiltrated their camp. They were cocky at their anti-magic advantage firing a barrage of bullets from their pistols and assault rifles, but he ultimately has the upper hand for his invisibility. Some were able to hit, while others couldn’t.

All of them ran out of bullets, firing the entire magazine against him.

As if to mock them of their incompetence, Michael briefly showed himself, his visage worthy of being called an 'assassin'. To him, they were given the chance to see the man who assassinated his comrades left and right before being killed off themselves by his own pistols. That was, until the armor detached themselves, red hexagonal sigils appearing behind the parts and passing through each of them. What seemed to be burn marks and slight dents were now fixed, and he, once more, disappeared into obscurity.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Unfortunately for them, he doesn’t need to reload some of the recruits panicked as they reloaded their firearms, though the same can’t be said for the officers. It’s as if they have lived through rigorous training that they and the paladins were calm. To Michael, all of them were not as threatening as the dark guild master who he fought that almost killed him.

Before they could even finish reloading, Michael aimed both of his weapons at two recruits beside him while he walked closer to the Paladin. Thwip. Thwip. Two more fell to his bullets. Their numbers kept growing less and less, and he intended to defeat all of the weaker soldiers before fighting the top brass.

All of them attempted to fire against him once more. The paladin hits him, but like before, they couldn’t even dent through his armor. The same could be said for the rest of the Pergrandian soldiers, while some missed due to his invisibility. Due to his rifle’s mechanism, its chambers overheated from all the shooting he did. This was a quick fix, as another red hexagon shaped sigil appeared at the barrels front and slid through the weapon. He couldn’t feel the heat from the rifle as the fix was finished, executing its Gambit Protocol once more.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Their numbers were slowly dwindling down to more than half of their current roster all because they were under attack by an enemy they couldn’t see. Michael continued his onslaught and fired both guns against two other recruits. Thwip. Thwip. The bullets darted towards his enemies and bore a hole through their head.

Futile as it was, the remaining soldiers reloaded their weapons and attempted to hit Michael once more. The Paladin, once more, landed a hit, but it barely scratched the surface of his armor, during which it almost hit his worn out core as it disappeared into the cyberspace. Another core replaced it.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

Seeing their comrades fall to their deaths and with the dwindling of their numbers, the rest of the recruits had no choice but to abandon their posts.

As his commanding officer said, “Leave no scum alive.” Their cowardice is proof of their mettle, and to a soldier’s eyes, this offense is punishable by death. Though for this instance, Michael had the pleasure of executing them himself rather than the Paladin, robbing them of the satisfaction to punish. Thwip. Thwip. The recruits are dead. Only the paladin and the officers remained.

For some reason, the officers steeled their resolve and aimed their assault rifles at where the Paladin shot, giving them a hint to where they should aim.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

The enemy ranks were down to five soldiers, and his armor was close to being worn down. He can’t afford to slow down, for there are only five of them remaining. While they reloaded their weapons, Michael used this chance to aim his Strigiform Rifle and Standard Pistol at two of the officers on the ground, firing both of them simultaneously. Thwip. Thwip. Two more fell victim to his bullets as a hole formed on their heads, blood splattered against the concrete wall behind them.

And now there were three.

Michael was close when they, once more, open fired their rifles against him, all successfully landing a dent against his armor. Their bullets bore holes on his cloak, but it still wasn’t enough to stop him in his advances. At last, it dawned on them that their efforts to quell his bloodlust were for naught after unleashing barrages of bullets against him. Nevertheless, they were relentless in their offense.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

It was clear that the officers were retreating to the safety of their bunker while they were firing their assault rifles against him. The paladin acknowledged the futility of their offense, backing out as well to bunker behind him. Michael noticed their movements, and fired two bullets against the remaining officers, preventing them from escaping to their bunker. Thwip. Thwip. Down goes the rest of the weaker soldiers. All that’s left was the Paladin.

It’s at this moment that the Paladin was offered a choice - to fight, or to flee. If his attacks can pierce through their anti magic armor, what more can the Paladin do? No. They CAN do something. “I’d applaud you for your performance in disposing of our troops.” The Paladin said to him as Michael stopped advancing towards them. From two stories up, the Paladin leapt from the balcony to the ground where his comrades laid dead on the cold ground. “You are a model soldier. Pity that you are an enemy for the greater good - a wizard. A sinner.”

Michael had some choice words for the Paladin. “Your ignorance in acknowledging the goodness of magic, I can let go. However, you’ve come and spilt the blood of wizards who worked hard to make the world a better place for themselves. That I cannot ignore.”


“You talk too much!” The Paladin said as they dropped their weapon, "What do you know of magic?! You're ignorant to the inherent dangers of wielding the devil's power!". He could feel something from the Paladin. He could feel their psionic power grow, and before he could even continue, in the blink of an eye, the Paladin was already in front of him, delivering a swift blow on his armor. He could feel the strength of the enemy's psionic power just from the punch he received just now. However, it still wasn’t enough to completely dismantle his armor.

Combat Log:

Michael Brooklyn Morgan "Red Alert"

Rock the Castrum

“H-how?! How are you not dead yet?!” The paladin was clearly panicking, knowing that it was his turn to die if he doesn’t do anything. His psychic focus was his trump card, and yet it failed him completely. Though he does notice something - he guessed that Michael’s attacks are, in fact, magical in nature, having sensed the repulsive ethernanos emanating from his attacks. His face shifted from a panicked grimace to a cocky smirk, finally figuring out the principles of his magic. “I see. Well, in that case...”

In an instant, the Paladin lunged towards him once more. Michael aimed his pistol against him, pulling the trigger and releasing a bullet of metal. It, however, doesn’t affect the Paladin at all. His armor must be made of Oblivium, he thought to himself as he felt the Paladin’s fist connect to his armor, creating a dent on it.

Just as the Paladin crossed him, he lunged towards him once more for another attack.

Thwip.

The Paladin passed him once more. He looked down to find his chest riddled with blood. “There are two things you don’t know about me.” The Paladin felt himself losing blood from the bullet hole. It was large enough that you could somewhat see his innards. “Firstly, I am not a wizard, nor have I ever used magic in my entire life.”

Michael mentally commanded his armor to release his invisibility momentarily, his visage appearing before the Paladin. He was overflowing with fear, but it was all too late for him to save himself. He was dying, and these were the last seconds of his life. “Secondly…”

Having completed his mission in annihilating the enemy troops, it was now time for him to destroy the camp with this telekinesis. Concrete rubbles flew up and cracks formed by the bunker as he used his telekinesis to tear this place apart. Warehouses were destroyed, and their supplies were left exposed to the winter cold. “I am an esper.” He said as he caused several of the oblivium walls to crumble down to the ground from the intense telekinetic pressure, turning them into useless debris. Buildings came down crashing, and there were explosions as they dropped from the sky. It was convenient, with the explosion destroying what little supplies they had. "You... you traitor! Have you no shame betraying our motherland?!"

"...bold of you to assume I ever lived there in the first place." he said, the deep red lenses looking down on the dying soldier.

His wake of destruction, along with the realization that there was an esper more powerful than them, was the last thing the Paladin saw as they closed their eyes, their body now a lifeless husk.

Combat Log: