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For a moment the men surrounding Riku would remain silent, weapons poised for those that had them. The wind would blow, and after a moment the leader of the group would motion with his gun, two of the soldiers appear on either side of the girl and grasping her arms. A third would remove her PokeBalls for the obvious reasons, and the group would move forward, forming a wide circle in case the child was set to explode. They'd do it...so why wouldn't the enemy?

Though she was being half dragged, Riku would find that the men guided her across the mountain much faster then she could have hoped to travel herself.

She would however be met with a bit of an oddity however as the men stopped before reaching the mountainside and the fortress built into it. In fact where they'd stopped looked like a perfectly flat field...well except for the obvious angle provided by the mountainside.

Then the ground would shudder, the snow disappear down a rapidly widening fissure....though as the glint of steel appeared, mixed with a series of bright lights, the child would release it wasn't a fissure...but a doorway. Just as the men around her had camouflaged their uniforms, so too had the entrance to the fortress been hidden from view.

Surprisingly only three of the group would guide Riku inside, the doors promptly slamming shut behind them and leaving the rest of the soldiers outside in the cold. Where she found herself now seemed to be some sort of hangar...the entire room seemed to be carved out of the mountain itself, various stairwells and raises walkways set up all over the place.

Of course Riku would only have a few moments to witness all this before she was rushed into a side passage and rushed to a small room several turns later. That was when the shoving started, and Riku would find herself in a tiny 4 by 5 foot cell. Surprisingly clean...it didn't appear as if it had seen much use since it's construction.

For a period of exactly thirty minutes would pass before Riku would here the ominous clank of metal from down the hall. The lights would dim slightly, and the girl would be faced with a rather odd sight. Standing in front of her locked cell door was a figure clad from head to two in gleaming armour constructed of a similar material to that of Professor Rook's mask .

It would seem that referring to this person as the 'White Knight' was something of a literal statement.

Arms crossed over their chest, the White Knight scoffed...releasing a deep, mature, but distinctly feminine voice "I highly doubt he expected me to help you...just not kill you" The White Knight stated, the tone of her words a mixture of mirth and cruelty. Though it was with those words the suspicions the scoff had begun would be confirmed; although the armour obscured her form, the White Knight was most certainly female.

"So you're one of his students eh?" She remarked dryly, looking over Riku briefly "Pff...pathetic" She stated with disgust "Just what I'd expect from one of my dear brother's students..." Suddenly she tilted her head to one side "He didn't tell you that did he? Still keeping secrets and lurking in the shadows I presume?" She asked, the question starting innocently enough, but the rapidly growing irritation in her voice was clear.

Abruptly the White Knight stomped her foot "Disgraceful! That coward is a shame on the family! Regardless of his position in Chess-Board or the Organization!" The woman barked, her tone resembling that of a drill-sergeant "The Executioner. HA! " She scoffed, though that part seemed more directed at herself.

"If you want out you'll have to work for it. Otherwise you're nothing more then kibble!" The woman barked at Riku "Is that clear!?"

"Good!" The woman barked, standing slightly at attention as she crossed her arms over her back. Briefly the woman would look over the girl, inspecting her closely "I suppose I should begin with an introduction. I am General Olivia Pandora VonTrune. You'll have to introduce yourself later" The woman stated, beginning to pace back and forth in front of the cell door "You have no doubt been informed, this is a major military base for the organization. Do date the enemy has never broken through the walls of Fort Steel" General Olivia began, occasionally looking in Riku's direction to ensure the child was paying attention "...Failure however has never stopped them from trying. As it happens my men are currently engaged in a drawn out skirmish on the other side of the mountain."

"Reports have been given however that we have some rats in our floorboards. I want you to flush them out" The woman declared, though it was clear by her tone that if Riku thought actual rats were involved she'd be sadly mistaken.

Pausing, the White Knight would unlock the cell door "I'll be letting you out now. You have permission to visit the medical bay, the cafeteria, and the main hangar. Leaving will prove impossible, and you will not me introduced to the Engineer until your mission is complete" She stated firmly "When you're ready to begin meet Corporal Johnson at the back of the hangar."

"Any questions?" She barked, her voice as always rather stern.

The woman would stand there in silence for a time, unseen by Riku the woman had cocked a brow beneath her helmet. Looking to her left the woman would give a silent nod to someone Riku wouldn't be quite able to see "I suppose I can't send a soldier out unarmed...least when there isn't a need for it" The General stated as she held out one hand and receiving a small burlap sack.

Grasping the top of the sack with her opposite hand the woman would hold the bag out for Riku. Obviously enough her PokeBalls and anything else they'd taken from her would be inside.

"If that's all you've got to ask I'll be leaving. We're still fighting a war after all" The woman stated tartly, before promptly striding out of the room and away from view.

"Quite lookin round like a lost little Skitty and get over here!" A man barked rather loudly at Riku, his voice echoing clear across the hangar; no doubt this was Corporal Johnson. Wearing a more traditional grunt uniform, though slightly modified for the cold, the man possessed a tall, thick build, the causing his uniform to bulge slightly from the muscle hidden underneath. With dark, rough skin and dark red eyes, the man was an oddity this far north...but there was little doubt to why he was here given his piercing visage. The only odd thing was the man seemed to be missing most of his left arm.

Once Riku approached the man he would sneer "So yer the one sent by the Castle Dungeon. Scrawny little thing ain't ya?" The man said gruffly, the hint of a snicker in his voice. It was more then a little clear he didn't think much of Riku. "Well ready to be a good little girl and play Janitor? Cause we've got a little mess for ya to clean!" He announced, kneeling down a moment later and putting one white gloved hand on the edge of a tarnished steel floor panel, the man would pry it loose from the floor...and given the thickness and obvious weight, it was evident a lesser man could never so much as manage he corner...

Beneath Riku would find a rather large hole, a short drop leading to a tunnel down bellow "Rats think they can tunnel in here! Fat chance!" The man laughed as if at some crude joke "General considered collapsing the whole thing; but now that we've got a man to spare...or rather a girl...she's got a better idea!"

"Your orders are to go down there and take the rats out. Low level idiots only good for tunnel. Once yer done report back. We'll send some men down to to bring a little welcoming present to whoever's at the end of this thing!" The man barked, though from the looks of it that was just how he normally spoke.

[Defeat 5 'Rats']

Encounter List:

1 - ???
2 - "Rat"
3 - Roggenrola
9 - Rat Trap
10 - "Rat"
11 - Diglett
12 - "Rat"
18 - "Rat" Duo
19 - Sandshrew
20 - Leftover Supplies?

Riku continued walking forward, but nothing happened. Well this tunnel was probably full of surprises. The girl could do nothing but continue forward. In the meanwhile, it did feel a little weird to be underground. Most of her missions were above ground walking securely on land...

[28/50]