Sorry about the delay. I was hit with writer's block for several of the scenes, making it insanely difficult to get this out, not to mention finals last week or the fact that I began preliminary work (and beginning several chapters) on a new project of mine. But I'm glad I managed to get this chapter out, since I don't have to worry about this chapter anymore, and hopefully writer's block won't be so severe with the next chapter. Still, it's kinda crappy (at least I personally think so) since I just wanted to get this out of the way at this point, so forgive the lower quality compared to the others.

By the way, the Advance Wars reference last chapter was the line: "Easier said than done boss. You didn't leave me anything to work with," which is word-for-word exactly what Grit says to Olaf in either the last mission or second-to-last mission in Blue Moon depending on whether you use Andy or Max in Mission 4. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Review Responses:

Unimportant: The Encyclopedia was the best name I could come up with. Lame, I know, but that was it. And by 'more military', I think I meant that it was more referring to tactics, chain of command, etc. When you're in the heat of battle, you don't tend to pay much attention to anything outside of what you need to do.

Ender2142: I replied to your review over PM, but thanks again.

PSI master Lucas: I replied to your review over PM, but thanks again.

Phoesong: You're forgiven for the tardiness...not that I have been late getting reviews out before. *Looks at Academic Acceleration, which I have still not reviewed* Thanks for the compliments, and no, you're not acting like a grumpy grinch...at least not more than I do on a regular basis, and to be honest, I do appreciate it. Seriously, I'm pretty dang critical when I want to be. In regards to the emotion, you just highlighted the one point which I am sure that I don't do well in either real life or writing...unless its humor of course.

In regards to Chapter 7, in Ninten's defense, he did not rush over and practically curl up right next to the fireplace like Lucas did. I'm trying to make it clear that Kumatora has conflicting loyalties to the Pigmasks... And what happens to James will be revealed in this chapter. But, well, I'm trying to portray it as worse, but it won't be as easy since the group won't be with the army the entire time (considering that in the games the protags have the hitting power of an entire army...in three or four adolescents, I'd say it's justified).

I really appreciate your comment on the hard work, so special thanks there. But sadly, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to work as hard in the future unless I get inspiration (though with my inspiration currently directed elsewhere, that's gonna be a bit of a chore). Maybe I should go and play Hyrule Warriors again since that heavily inspired the plot. See ya later!

Disclaimer: I do not own Earthbound…or pretty much anything in this fic other than the plot and OCs…and original locations as well.

Ninten sighed as he finally set the paper down, and then stretched to get some feeling back into his legs. He always hated writing, and he hated writing reports of just about any kind. It was the reason why he didn't envy those higher up on the chain of command; all of that boring paperwork would be the death of him.

"Finally finished?" Paula asked from the corner of the tent the group spent yesterday night in.

"Paula, if I wasn't finished, would you honestly see me getting up right now?" Ninten asked with a small smirk.

"If you were slacking off," Paula retorted.

"Oh really? And when did you have the honor of seeing me act like a lazy bum before?" Ninten said, but was quickly filled with dread. 'Oh, why did I have to tempt fate? WHY?'

Paula smirked (which made Ninten regret his words even more) as she said, "Well, there was that time when you accidentally forgot to file in a report to Captain Levins just a year and a half ago-"

"That doesn't count!" Ninten protested, distinctively remembering Levins chewing him out for that. "It was just a listing of my PSI abilities, not an actual report!"

"Still doesn't change the fact."

"Shut up," Ninten glared, which only prompted Paula to laugh.

"So what are you two lovebirds up too?" Teddy asked as he entered (read; barged) into the tent.

Ninten scowled at Teddy's assumption. "She's teasing me like a friend would...and we're only friends," Ninten said.

"Yeah, and that teasing wasn't actually bickering like an old married couple," Teddy retorted, sporting a massive grin on his face. Frankly, it made the battle-hardened veteran want to puke.

"We have no 'interest' in each other in that way," Paula clarified.

"Okay then," Teddy said, though his grin didn't disappear.

"So is there a reason you came here in the first place, or is this the day where you try to pair people up romantically?" Ninten inquired, trying to maintain his patience.

"The two colonels want to speak with you and your friends," Teddy answered. "Something about a plan that they need you and your team for."

"At the command tent?" Ninten asked, though he already thought it was the correct location.

"Yep," Teddy nodded.

"Well then, let's go round up everyone," Ninten said, brow furrowing as he activated his PSI senses to track down Lucas and Ana.

Lucas stood in front of the medic as he scanned a list, looking for a particular name. Eventually he looked up, though with a solemn expression on his face.

"What happened to him?" Lucas asked.

The medic sighed, and if Lucas wasn't dreading the outcome already, he was now. "I'm afraid James died," he said. "It was just too far to the medical outpost, and no PSI user was available in time to heal him. I'm...I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lucas replied, giving a forced smile, and hiding how the news affected him. "Thank you for telling me," he added before he turned around and left the tent.

Lucas simply stalked past all the soldiers (not that they paid any mind to him; they were just busy doing their own thing) as he headed to the edge of the camp. His emotions were just a mixture of grief and rage; grief at the death of someone he knew, and rage towards the ones who did it...and himself.

If only he had managed to conserve more of his energy through the battle. Then James would still be alive. And Lucas didn't give him a chance to bond when he offered it.

His fist clenched as he entered a small wooded area close to the encampment, dangerously sparkling with PSI. First his mother, then his brother, then the villagers...and now this. How many more would fall to the Pigmasks, and his own stupidity, before this war ended?

Lucas finally reached a clearing where no one was and proceeded to punch a tree. He kicked it a few more times and punched it one last time, panting heavily after the last punch. Because he infused all of his blows with PSI for extra power, much of the trunk had caved in, leaving the remainder teetering on the edge.

'Oh no... What have I done?' Lucas dreaded, appalled at himself for violating the nature of the forest. He hung his head in shame, shaking his head. Even though it was only one tree, his mother had always stressed to take care of the environment in every possible way, and here he was, going against her wish.

He simply sat down on the rock and stared at the tree, wondering why he had lost control like that. Yes, he had lost control before, but that was when he was younger; he was years older now. He shouldn't be throwing fits like those!

Before he could reprimand himself further, the sound of footsteps turned his attention to the pathway he came from, seeing two familiar faces walking towards him.

"There you are Lucas," Ninten said. "We were wondering where you went off to."

"Just hanging around...you know how it is," Lucas replied, trying to conceal his emotions. Since Ninten gave no outward indication that he noticed anything, the blonde assumed he was doing a good enough job at that.

"Always the loner," Teddy mused to himself.

"So why were you looking for me?" Lucas asked.

"The colonels are calling a meeting," Ninten replied. "I think it has to do with some sort of plan, but we all have to be in attendance."

"Why?"

"They probably need us to spearhead it. We're powerful PSI users anyway," Ninten shrugged.

"I hate it when we get these 'privileges' because of PSI," Lucas grumbled. "'Equality' by ass."

"Wouldn't go that far, but yeah; playing black sheep is no fun. And that comes from experience," Ninten remarked as he began to walk back down the path. "So you coming or what?"

"Right behind you," Lucas said, standing up and keeping up with his friend.

Ana sighed as she watched the colonels squabble over the plan itself. She and Paula were the first ones to arrive, only to discover that the colonels were in disagreement and Captain Holland looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here as the argument escalated.

"We have the initiative," Lee argued as he leaned over the table. "With all of their defeats, there is no way that the Pigmasks can sustain a counter-offensive for very long, much less patch up the line without giving up ground. We need to strike now before their issues can be rectified."

"Just a small counter-offensive may be all that they need to take out a good portion of our strength," Livingston countered. "If their reinforcements arrive ahead of schedule, there is a good chance that everything that we've achieved could be undone."

"We have those new units that are acting as reserves for the army," Lee reasoned. "Trust me; the situation won't be as dire as you think.

"Regardless, what you're proposing is near lunacy in terms of what you're asking the men to do!" Livingston retorted.

"The Pigmasks won't be expecting such a bold move though," Lee said. "We could accelerate their defeat on this front since the tide has turned and maybe even take back Castle Town in the process."

"What if this is all a trap?"

"Then we shall trick them into springing it in the wrong place...oh, hello you three." Ana turned to face the entrance of the tent to see Ninten, Lucas, and Teddy walk in. "Come sit down."

"So what is this?" Ninten asked, looking at the map.

"This is our plan," Holland replied, putting a finger on the map. "Two of our reserve companies will break through the weakest part of the Pigmask line; the left flank. Afterward, the offensive will split in two as it swings south," she explained as her fingers traced their path. "One company will hammer their line from behind and the other will storm Mount Itoi."

"Their base?" Ninten questioned. "Wouldn't it be heavily defended?"

"They have a battalion holding it, but you will have the advantage of surprise," Lee said. "They wouldn't be expecting us to pull of such a bold maneuver."

"But why would they be so foolish as to leave a wide-open gap like that to their HQ?" Holland asked. "They should at least have reserves they can throw in..."

"And that's why we're staging a fake attack; draw their reserves elsewhere while the main force proceeds," Lee argued. "It also helps that the diversionary force is larger than the primary force."

"I would feel a lot safer if we had even one more battalion to cover our rear or something," Ninten said. "We need someone to cover us since both units will be on the attack in enemy territory."

"We can commit one or two of the new units, even if they're experimental," Lee offered.

"Experimental?" Lucas asked.

"They're using captured Pigmask weaponry," Livingston elaborated. "While we have some being broken down and analyzed, we have enough to form combat units centered around them since they were so kind as to let us walk into their maintenance facilities and leave the directions out for us."

Teddy laughed. "Well, let's give our thanks to those Pigsnots by ripping one in their face!" Teddy exclaimed, pumping his fist. "Let's go with the plan!"

"What about Poo?" Ninten asked, obviously ignoring Teddy's outburst.

"He'll be part of the diversionary action," Lee answered. "I needed you six here because you all are participating in the Mount Itoi assault force with Holland leading the company. I'll personally inform Captain Adams of his role as well as the other commanders, but you four should provide the firepower necessary to blast our way in."

"Makes sense," Paula said.

"I don't like this," Livingston commented, leaning back in his chair. "So much can go wrong here..."

"Believe me; I'm quite uncomfortable with this too," Ninten told the superior officer. "But if we don't take this chance, who knows what we might miss out on?"

"Good point," Livingston conceded. "Alright, you five go with Captain Holland for now. Holland, prepare your unit for battle. I want it ready to march early in two days early in the morning; we'll decide on the time later. Dismissed."

Two days later and the offensive was under way. Getting through the enemy lines was the easy part; they only had to overwhelm the token forces left since the majority were pulled away to block the diversionary attack. Paula didn't participate in that since the Eagleland troops mopped up the resistance before she could make her way into the fighting. Granted, she was glad that she didn't have to kill, but there are going to be far more challenges ahead.

The princess remained silent as dusk turned into dawn, the earliest rays of the sun beginning to come over the horizon. She allowed herself the briefest of smiles before returning to her focused state, fingering the hilt of her rapier in case any Pigmasks tried to jump them. Not for the first time, she thanked Ninten for agreeing to train her, even though her father had explicitly forbidden him to do anything that could potentially harm her, but after much pestering the two of them, they eventually gave in as long as she trained with wooden weapons, which Paula was happy with anyway.

And through her practice she gained valuable skill to use in battle. Least she could be useful in a fight as opposed to without her training. She hated that feeling of helplessness.

Paula squinted as she caught sight of the imposing peak of the mountain ahead of them, seeing the dark silhouette in the distance. Despite how far away it appeared, Paula knew that it wouldn't be long until they reached the Pigmask base and assaulted it, for better or worse. Next to her, she sensed Lucas's tension given how stiff his body appeared, but given what she knew of his history with the Pigmasks, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised.

The princess noticed that her best friend was slowing down after his conversation with Captain Holland finished. She moved aside so he could walk right next to her. She tilted her head, trying to let him know that she was curious about what it was.

"We need help with a plan," he said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's about the terrain; it's really bad for us," Ninten replied. "There's only one safe path that we know of going up, and all the rest is too perilous or we don't know anything about them. With only one path, they could easily concentrate enough forces to completely block off our advance."

"I get what you're saying," Paula nodded. "We can't afford to split up our forces too much, but without anywhere else to outmaneuver them, we're sitting ducks."

"Exactly."

"I'm sorry, but I have nothing," Paula admitted after a few moments of thought.

Ninten frowned. "Oh well, it was still worth asking," he said.

"Well, I'll see if I can come up with anything," Paula reassured her friend. "Oh, and Ninten?"

"Yes?"

Paula took a deep breath, knowing she had to talk with him about this. "You know that she's going to be there, right?" the princess asked, remembering who the commander of Mt. Itoi was from the briefing earlier this morning.

"I know," Ninten replied, without even the slightest waver in his voice.

"Will you be alright? The last time you two tested, she-"

"She outperformed me in combat and power, I know," Ninten interrupted. "But that was over three years ago, and you know how much can change in that time.

"But without your PSI-"

"I have the necessary techniques to hold my own, Paula. All the rest I can do without, even if they would be nice," he admitted. "But believe me, she won't beat me the same way she would always do before. All these years apart made me able to narrow my list of weaknesses down."

"I hope you're right..." Paula trailed off, glancing off to the side to hide her apprehension for her friend.

The march continued in silence, everyone keenly aware of the looming mountain in the horizon growing ever larger with every step. Ana gulped as she tried to hold herself together, wrapping her arms around herself to try and contain her shivers. Frankly, she had forgotten the reason that she wanted to tag along with them. Not only was homesickness nipping at her, but she was sure nobody would listen to her complaints. Why would they, when Lucas had devastating PSI, Paula didn't even flinch in the face of death, and Ninten being the unofficial leader? She didn't have any of their qualities...she was a burden to them.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and Ana turned to face the confident Ninten, wearing a reassuring smile. He must have noticed she felt down, though he probably did not know the exact reason. Nevertheless, Ana felt a thankful smile creep onto her face as her worries ebbed. Not that they disappeared or anything, but Ninten's confidence was quite...infectious despite how dry he could be sometimes. And now she remembered the reason; to help them and protect her family by defeated the Pigmask threat.

With her newfound strength, she felt far less fearful as they approached the mountain path itself. "Halt!" she heard Captain Holland order, all of the soldiers around her immediately stopping. The only exception seemed to be Ninten, who was squeezing his way through the ranks, Ana following just in case.

It only took a minute for them to emerge at the head, Ninten asking "What's the situation?"

"Exactly as I feared," Holland replied, handing her telescope to the lieutenant. "They've got the path completely blocked off and heavily fortified."

"And our heavy weapons are on the rear," Ninten grumbled. "Even if we weren't spotted by the time we got up here, they would effectively be saying 'Hey! We're here! Come kill us all!'"

"I've been on this mountain before," Teddy said. "And there's one factor which you've overlooked."

"And what might that be?" Holland asked, folding her arms. Ana had to be skeptical as well since Teddy had not demonstrated any sort of ability to plan well, since his plans consisted of rushing at the enemy with everything.

"The caves."

"You're kidding me," Ninten flatly stated. Ana did not recall anything regarding these 'caves', though she did remember something being said about it during the briefing.

"My middle name has nothing to do with 'lying', so I'm afraid not," Teddy joked.

"But how do we know that these caves are safe to travel through?" Ana questioned curiously.

"The Pigsnots just as scared of the dark as you guys are, so why not?"

"Two problems. One: I'm not scared of the dark. Two: How do you even know they're scared of the dark in the first place?" Ninten questioned with an incredulous tone to his words.

"Would you rather take your chances with that?" Teddy asked, gesturing to the heavily-defended pathway.

"I would if I could tell that that wasn't suicide," Ninten replied.

"But it might be our only shot of getting through," Ana said without thinking. She nearly shrunk back as all eyes turned to her, though she resisted the urge. "I-If we can save the lives, it would be worth it," she continued, her voice a bit shaky but still getting the point across.

"I'd say the caves," Holland agreed. "But you better be right about this," she growled at Teddy. "I'm putting the lives of all of us on the line because of your plan. Do not betray my trust."

Teddy nodded, for once not saying anything. Ana simply assumed that he recognized the severity of the decision and what could possibly happen.

"All of our forces can't fit in there though; not without detection," Holland said. "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna have to split in two, with one force staging a diversionary attack to try to get through the blockade while the others go behind the lines and see what they can do."

"Whatever works, though we'd have to use torches," Ninten said.

"Not a problem," Holland replied. "We have a few torches in our supplies. They'll do."

"But the caves are guarded," Lucas remarked, looking at the nearest cave entrance, which was not too far from the Eagleland force. "Are you sure we can take them out quickly and silently enough before they realize that we're here?"

"If we move quickly," Teddy answered.

Ana watched as the Pigmasks were just standing there, no doubt unaware of what danger they were in. They were just milling around, either making occasional comments to each other or gazing into the distance for suspicious activity (in vain). Then, she saw Ninten appear right in their midst, blade drawn: the signal to attack.

All of a sudden, the cave entrance was alive with the sound of crashing steel as battle was joined, the cries of the wounded quickly following. Ana saw Ninten wreak chaos on them with him cutting down a number of Pigmasks single-handedly. She barely even started charging up a PSI attack when the first of the Eagleland soldiers were already upon the Pigmasks, their screams causing Ana to wince. Before long, all the Pigmasks in the area were dead, with only two Eagleland soldiers slightly wounded on the ground, with Lucas kneeling down next to them.

"Hold still; I'll get you fixed up," she heard Lucas say to the wounded, applying Lifeup to their wounds.

Ana smiled as she saw the sight. She always liked helping other people out, whether it be healing their injuries or just everyday chores. She would've appreciated them to do the same for her, so why shouldn't she?

The girl gasped as she was slammed in the back, resulting in her falling forward onto the ground, face-first. She groaned from the impact, beginning to push herself up, only to be slammed back down with a weight on her back, terror flooding her since she didn't even know what was going on...

The weight promptly disappeared in just a second, much to her relief. She was able to stand up after taking several deep breaths, and she glanced behind her to see a Pigmask bleeding out on the ground, Ninten standing right over him as he wiped his Giant Knife off before sheathing it, glaring at the corpse.

"You okay?" he asked as he turned to Ana.

"Y-Yeah...I'm just shaken, that's all," Ana replied, still not used to the sight of blood or death, but managing to hold back the vomit this time.

"You'll get used to it," Ninten said, evidently reading her thoughts (not with PSI either).

Considering everything that happened, Ana doubted that she would ever get used to it.

"We'll have to be more alert," Holland observed. "This is a prime area for guerrilla tactics...good thing that none of us died finding that out the hard way."

"We should get a move on," Teddy said, apparently ignoring Holland's advice (at least not giving any outward acknowledgement of it). "Can't let those Pigsnots wait for too long before we pound their faces in."

"I swear, you love the smell of battle," Ana heard Ninten growl as he trudged after Teddy into the cave.

She knew that they were here.

The attack was far sooner than she had anticipated, but that made her much relieved since her plan was working better than she expected it to. She was pleased, especially since it was clear to her that the Pigmask High Command had lost its head by going after the forbidden power for whatever reason they wanted.

"Commander!" Kumatora growled as she glared at the Pigmask that had just barged in, not thrilled about her thoughts being interrupted. "Enemy forces are assaulting the mountain!" the Pigmask cried. "T-They're already causing massive damage to the first barricade! W-What do we do? There's no way we can hold the base with the size of their force!"

"I know."

"What?" the Pigmask gasped. "Y-You...know we can't win?"

"If they have struck panic among our forces already, then there is little hope of victory," Kumatora replied.

"W-What should we do? Retreat?" the Pigmask suggested.

"Our...'superiors' have ordered me to hold this mountain. Failure to stand our ground to the very end would mean that we've escaped the enemy...only to land in a firing squad."

"T-They'd kill us if we ran?" the Pigmask gaped in disbelief.

"Yes; now go do your job!" Kumatora snapped.

The Pigmask yelped as he clumsily saluted, then bolted out of the door. Kumatora knew that she had to take care of the classified information, and try to carry out her plan without her superiors leaning the truth. It was a shame that Fassad installed an eavesdropping device during his brief stint as commander here (she was most displeased when she found out), so that had to go. She nodded to herself as she moved a bookcase aside and pressed the previously concealed button, steeling her resolve for what was to come.

Paula's hand tightened around the hilt of her rapier, trying to avoid wincing at the continuous sound of the armor clanking. Granted, it did provide protection, but there was no way that any Pigmask in here would not hear them coming from a mile away. 'So much for surprise,' she figured, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

Still, it surprised her that no Pigmask had shown themselves yet. Not even one was seen through the march. Maybe Teddy did have the right idea.

Of course, right then and there a group of Pigmasks blocked the tunnel, leveling their guns at them. "Open fire!" one of them cried as they did just that. One Eagleland soldier fell from the barrage, but Paula sighed in relief when psychic shields prevented more causalities.

She proceeded to move up through the columns, feeling psychic fire burn at her fingertips as she squeezed her way to the front.

"No Lucas!" she heard Ninten cry once she emerged from the crowd. Paula turned and her eyes widened in panic as she saw the all-too familiar hexagons in Lucas's hands. "Fire that and we'll be risking a cave-in!" he explained.

Lucas winced as he clenched his fist, letting the attack fade away. She would have to talk with him later about it, but now wasn't the time. Paula let the fire loose over the Pigmasks, a few already fallen from Ana's PK Beams. The Pigmasks screamed as they ran around, burning as they were picked off by more blasts of PK Beam and musket shots.

"That was close," Holland remarked. "Alright; Ninten and Ana, stay in the front," she ordered. "Paula and Lucas, cover the rear."

All four PSI users nodded as they headed their separate ways.

Paula glanced at Lucas, opening her mouth to speak. "It's not your fault," she said.

"I know...I just feel that I should know better than to be that reckless," Lucas sighed.

"We all make mistakes."

"That's not what I meant," Lucas muttered as he clenched his fist. "I saw my brother rush off recklessly to his death. I knew that it was a suicide mission from the beginning, but no matter what, he would not accept anything that could even the odds; much less abandon his revenge plot. I...I thought that I learned to not be reckless from him, but I'm not so sure..."

"It's very different in everyday life to be reckless than when you're caught up in the heat of the moment," Paula replied, feeling sympathetic toward the blonde boy. "Even Ninten has made hasty and reckless decisions before, especially during his training days. Granted, five years in the Royal Guard had taught him to keep his cool, but it still happens."

"It just seems that I'm...getting more reckless lately."

Paula shrugged. "It seems that way because it isn't so obvious. You'll learn," she reassured him.

"I hope so..."

Paula wished she could help Lucas more, but she couldn't think of anything else to say as they trudged on through the cave, the clanking of armor being the only noise in the cave.

Ana sighed with relief as they finally made it out of the caves. The air in there was disgusting to breathe in, and she no longer had to worry about being blinded by the darkness.

Only problem was a horde of chimeras had appeared around them, forcing the Eagleland soldiers to defend from their attacks, several unfortunately not reacting fast enough. As much as Ana wanted to help the wounded, she had to hold back the chimeras bearing down on her. She deployed a shield, managing to hold back a mechanical deer's charge. As soon as the chimera was repelled, she began blasting the chimeras in front of her with precise beams or bolts of lightning.

But it wasn't enough. Several chimeras were able to stand against her PSI and rushed at the girl. However, Lucas jumped in front of her with a PK Love, blasting them all back. Ana give a quick "thank you" to the boy as he replied with a nod of acknowledgement.

With that, the skirmish was over. All the chimeras were either dead or fleeing and from what Ana could see, at least two Eagleland soldiers were killed.

"You know, wouldn't it have been to their advantage to cave in the entrance?" one of the soldiers wondered.

"They're dumb; I've seen them in action before and they would only concentrate on killing people," another explained.

Ana noticed that Lucas seemed to be looking at something and she noticed Paula walking up to him.

"See something Lucas?" the princess asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Looks like a door."

"Hold on; let me bust it down," Teddy said, running towards it and throwing a massive punch at it before anyone could raise any objection. They could hear the sound of the impact, but all it left was a dent and the man rubbing his knuckles.

"And since when is punching iron with bare fists a good idea?" Ninten deadpanned.

"I suppose you can do better?" Teddy remarked with a glare, obviously in a bad mood.

Ninten ignored Teddy's reaction as he walked over to the door, drawing his Giant Knife. It glowed from the PSI energy he pushed into the blade as he stabbed it into the door, cutting through the metal. The veteran dragged it around in a circle, cutting an opening in the door. He managed to grab it before it fell, setting it down gently onto the ground. His heavy breathing was a tell-tale sign that it took a lot of effort to perform this stunt. Ninten briefly looked at Teddy.

"Let's just go in," the man grumbled.

Ninten nodded as he ducked through, leading everyone into the breach.

The first thing they noticed that stood out about the new area was how run down it was. Paula knew that the facility had been abandoned for a very long time, but she was surprised that the Pigmasks hadn't seen fit to do more patchwork to fix it up some more.

Still, the Pigmasks seemed to be able to tolerate it, since a trio rounded the corner, instantly freezing upon seeing the Eagleland soldiers.

That was fatal mistake given that all three fell onto the ground seconds later, their blood staining the already-dirty floor.

Paula scowled. Not only would the muskets and PSI blasts attract nearby attention, but the blood on the ground was a dead giveaway that something happened here. Once the Pigmasks found it, there would be no doubt that the Pigmasks would be notified of their presence on their home turf.

Sure enough, Lucas ducked back from the corner. "Pigmasks; a lot of them," he said.

Paula nodded as she ushered the soldiers (some of them dragging the three corpses) out of sight of the Pigmasks Lucas saw, knowing that stealth would be important from here on out. The Pigmasks passed by without looking down the hall that closely, much to their relief.

Holland signaled the unit to come out and move forward around the corner and continued down the hallway. Thankfully it didn't seem as this base was heavily manned, most of their forces probably tied down with the other force heading up the mountain. Paula briefly wondered what became of helping them out, though she knew that taking out the commander would be an invaluable strategic asset to the cause. It would not decide the battle, but it definitely would help the war.

Then a nearby door opened and the Pigmasks rushing out of there stopped dead at the sight of the Eagleland soldiers, who were in a similar state of shock.

Then all hell broke loose.

Paula fired off several bolts of electricity and blasts of ice at the Pigmasks, though she soon had to stop in fear of hitting her own soldiers. The Pigmasks were bottled up right in the doorway, with the Eagleland forces exacting a terrible toll from what little she could see from their chokepoint. It wasn't long before the skirmish ended in favor of Eagleland's soldiers.

Still, two or three Eagleland soldiers were lying on the ground, dead. Paula frowned but forced herself to look away. It was necessary for her to not lose herself with every death; it would only inhibit her ability to act in war conditions, as much as it tore her apart.

"It appears that this way is leading to a vital part of the base," Ninten said, reading a sign up on the wall. "One of their 'control centers' is up ahead, whatever that means."

"Their commanders can't be far from here then," Paula replied.

"I also sense one of their PSI users over there," Ninten said, looking over there. "I'll deal with this."

Paula looked at him, already knowing who it was he was referring to. "You'll be all alone," she replied, though she already knew that he realized this.

"Let us come too," Lucas said, his PSI sparkling around his hands for emphasis.

"It's more important that you take out the base," Ninten explained. "Don't worry; I don't intend to die out there. I'm just gonna tie down one of their elite soldiers," he called over his shoulder as he dashed down the hallway before turning.

"More like settle an old score," Paula muttered to herself, easily seeing through his excuse. Nevertheless, she knew it would do more harm than good trying to stop him, so she followed Lucas and Ana anyway.

"The control room is just up ahead," Holland announced. "We just gotta get through this area."

"And any Pigmasks blocking our way?" Lucas inquired as another group of their enemies stumbled upon them.

"Nope. Apparently they must've been drawn away or Pigmask security is really lax."

"Well then, allow me," Lucas smirked as he stepped forward, charging up his signature PK Love before blasting it at the door.

Paula watched as the doors crumbled under the power of Lucas's PSI. She saw every Pigmask scientist in the room freeze up instantly, and even the guards were taken aback. Naturally, those that tried to fire their guns were quickly dispatched by the PSI users as the Eagleland troops rounded up the surrendering enemies.

"Is this the control room?" Holland asked one of the scientists, probably for confirmation.

"Y-Yes ma'am," the scientist replied, obviously intimidated by the broadsword that Holland had in her hand.

"How do we shut down the security system them?" she interrogated.

"I-I-I don't know!" the scientist cried, flinching as in fear of being killed for his ignorance. "H-Honest! But our s-superior does..."

"Where is he?"

The scientist pointed a trembling figure at another one of the scientists towards the middle of the group. Holland backed away from the terrified scientist as she stalked over to the 'boss'.

"How do you shut down the security system?" Holland demanded.

"I-It's...complicated," the head scientist replied.

"What do you mean?" Paula asked, getting tired of all this stalling all the interrogated scientists were trying.

"Make one error...and you could send the entire base into haywire," the head scientist replied.

"Then shut it down yourself," Holland replied. "You do know how to do that, right?"

"Yes," the boss answered.

"Oh, and don't try anything funny, or I'll make sure you won't live to tell about it," Holland threatened, swinging her sword for emphasis. "Clear?"

"Crystal," the scientist gulped. "Wait, what is that guy doing?"

Paula turned to the controls to see Teddy raise one of his knives into the air.

"Teddy! Stop!" she barked, but it was too late. The man in question stabbed down on the control panel, knife obviously slicing through several wires. An alarm began to blare as the panel short-circuited, Teddy backing up just as it blew up.

"You fool!" the head scientist barked. "You just caused the entire system to malfunction!"

"Just by doing that?" he asked with a tilt to his head.

"The system is programmed to automatically trigger maximum defenses, regardless of the situation, if the controls were compromised! That means that every automated machine here is mobilizing against not only your soldiers but the Pigmasks as well!"

"Well then, let's withdraw and let the system kill the Pigmasks off," Teddy shrugged.

"And abandon all the intel we can get? No," Holland growled. "Is there any way to stop this?" she asked the scientist.

"You need to get to the backup controls and sever all power from the core!" the scientist replied.

"You heard him everyone! Get to the mainframe! And don't use it for target practice this time!" Holland ordered, leading everyone (except those guarding the prisoners) out of the room.

"This is why I hate machines," Paula heard Teddy mutter under his breath as they followed Holland out.

The commander exited the door, walking down the hallway. Now that all the classified information was locked up, she could say that she tried her best to protect it since there was nowhere near enough time to evacuate it...not that she planned on facing Fassad after this again. There was no way he'd let her go if she didn't take care of it as soon as she could, and she was honestly glad that it wasn't. And she sensed one of their PSI users peel off from the group...and she knew who that one was.

She leaned out of the way of a Pigmask soaring through the air. She watched as the soldier hit the wall and collapsed onto the floor. She felt bad for him, having to take on such a challenging foe as a PSI user without any proper support.

Sure enough, just the person she expected was standing at the end of the hallway. She smirked. "Well, you certainly have grown stronger over the years, even with your PSI Core shattered, haven't you?" she remarked.

"You shouldn't expect anything less four years later," Ninten replied, his face not giving any emotion away, just as she remembered him being like in battle. "And I don't expect anything less from you either."

"But with your PSI Core shattered, you can't use all of your PSI techniques, right?" Kumatora asked. "That is a...unique part of our technology, being able to fool the core into thinking its intact when it really isn't. I'm not a scientist, so don't think I can lecture you for this for hours...not that you would understand all the advanced terminology even if I did. But you're arrogant enough to think that you stand a chance against me with only two fragments?"

"You see, I have the essentials that are necessary to fight," Ninten said. "Most of my other powers are for protecting groups, not just merely myself. Sure, I'm still at a disadvantage without higher forms of Lifeup or any offensive PSI...but it'll be like our last spar together." Ninten's mouth curled into a smirk.

"In that case, mind as well give you a fair fight," Kumatora said as she reached out with her telekinesis, grabbing and swinging her hammer with two hands. She pushed the excitement of the battle out of her mind; she had to at least hold him enough for that to happen.

"You know the saying. One shall stand..."

"And one shall fall," she finished, lunging forward with her hammer raised.

And that last line totally had nothing to do with Transformers. Nope. Not at all.

Anyway, I hope to get out the next chapter next weekend...but if my inspiration keeps up the way it is, it's not likely. Expect it in two weeks, hopefully. Well, have a great day everyone!

PSI Encyclopedia

Mt. Itoi: A vast mountain nearby Ellay, which is relatively close to Castle Town as well. Its creation wasn't actually natural, instead created by the aliens to serve as a massive forward base once the first phase of the PSI Wars ended. As such, much of the alien architecture and structures remain; albeit, in various states of disrepair. One enduring legacy was the vast network of caves that provided a shortcut to the peak that didn't include traveling up the steep incline of the first half. The second half is much more manageable to climb, though it still requires ropes and awareness to avoid walking off of cliffs.

Pigmask Control Centers: These are the 'mother' of their entire defense; every single one has a variety of functions that rely on the control center of the base, from automated defense systems to their radio network. Naturally, these are vital to take out in battle, though there is always a backup that goes onto full alert mode if the main control center is destroyed due to the probable offensive that must be stopped. However, the backup is so underpowered that they could not install a feature that distinguishes friend from foe, so it would be for the best of the Pigmasks to place it under heavy guard.