Chapter 160 - Reckoning of Ulut (2)

At Harrison's Castle.... 

"Brace the door, cover the windows!" A Nest guard commander yelled, motioning to the dozens of guards scurrying about in the central grand hallway of the opulent castle. Metal barriers and hastily assembled fortifications were stacked upon one another, barricading the entry points while repeaters fired away continuously at the upper floors, stalling the approach of the invading Ghosts.

"Not one single filthy Ghost will get through, not on my watc-" The commander's assurance was cut short by a deafening explosion that ripped apart the tall thick castle doors like it was paper. Fragments of ornamental hardwood, metal decorations and nails were flung in all directions, the immense force of the blast rending the air apart with a thunderous roar. Countless Nest guards were staggered by the resulting tremor, stumbling as they cowered behind cover while the blinding daylight from beyond the broken door streamed in.

In the midst of the door's ruin stood a towering hulk of armor, the spear still sizzling from the impact. The Nest guards all paled upon the sight of the man, having seen him unilaterally destroy the relic shield without breaking a sweat. The commander hoisted himself on a nearby metal barrier, raising his helmet to watch Kyle staring right at his soul. A wave of terror erupted among the defending guards, the commander not immune either. "That's... that's him! That's the Ghost leader! What are you idiots waiting for?! FIRE! FIRE!" The commander hastily yelled in panic.

The pellets slammed into the armor helplessly, the exosuit's layered and honeycomb structure negating most of the incoming kinetic damage. Kyle merely raised his spear once more forward, a veritable sea of Ghosts and Versian soldiers charging past him into the fray with unimaginable bravery. Immediately the front of the grand hallway was engulfed in a fearsome battle, pellets and fists exchanged as Ghosts and Nest guards fought for survival.

Kyle didn't even try to kill any of them, merely walking through the waves of carnage, standing proud and tall above the chaos with dignity. An aura of invincibility surrounded him, the Nest guard scampering in retreat with each step he took forward. Soldiers fought and died all around him, but Kyle alone stood firm, marching down the hallway with purpose.

The commander scrambled back to a defensive line in the rear, each of the Nest guards sweating buckets as they watched their comrades slaughtered like fish in a barrel. "Use the relic cannon! The relic cannon!" The commander urged, shaking the operator out of his stupor. The crew frantically loaded a relic battery pack into a conspicuous spot on the white metallic cannon, taking aim right at Kyle. However, instead of unleashing a blob of plasma, it only churned up slowly, building more and more energy.

"Why aren't we shooting? He's coming!" The commander shouted frantically.

 "Sir, the cannon takes time to charge!"

 "Fire now! Fire no-" The commander pointed at Kyle, or at least at where Kyle was standing. The commander's confusion at Kyle's disappearance was interrupted by a sharp piercing sound, followed by blood gurgling as the operator next to him found his head skewered on a spear. The operator writhed as he was lifted up high before being flung to the ground lifeless, Kyle already behind the defensive fortifications.

 "No! I don't want to die!" The commander crawled on all fours, trying to escape the unfolding destruction and wanton killing as Kyle eviscerated each of the Nest guards. First, the valiant fighters fell one by one to Kyle's spear, but soon all that was left were cowards squirming through the rivers of blood of their own comrades. Before the commander could take another crawl forward, he felt an iron grip clasped tightly around his neck before his body was lifted up high, legs dangling as he came face to face with the armored Kyle.

 "You look important. Where is Harrison?"

 "I... I can't tell you-AAAAAAAAAAAAA" The commander screamed as Kyle used the spear to pierce through the commander's stomach, breaking the self-immolation engraving every Nest member had.

 "Now you can." Kyle spoke calmly to the skewered commander hanging on his spear. "Show me where Harrison is, and I'll let you live."

 "Arghhh.... he's in his private lab, in the basement, in the basement!"

"Show me."

Kyle marched forward, the commander painfully squirming like a fish out of water as blood trickled down the shaft. The commander pointed out the way, Kyle leading a squad of Ghosts behind him as they stormed the castle, flushing out every Nest guard that tried to fight back. The Ghosts captured the servants and executed every member of Nest, not leaving a single enemy alive in their warpath through the castle, the once ornate marble floors now red with blood.

The commander gave directions to Kyle, leading him deeper into the castle before finally reaching a painted wall. Interestingly enough, Kyle noticed that the mural painted was depicting a literal war in the heavens, a clash between angels and demons. I seem to recall that the goblins had mentioned such a heavenly war. However, the angels and demons were fighting among each other on the ground rather than from the sky above. Instead, blue rays were shown to be shining through the clouds, burning angels and demons alike. Orbital weaponry...?

However, Kyle would have time later to ponder on what the mural meant. For now, he seemed to have been led to a dead end at the end of the grand hallway. "If this is a trap, you'll be the first to die."

"It's not... it's not!" The commander wheezed, blood trickling from his throat. "The lever... there, in the demon's mouth?"

Kyle spotted a strange mechanism in one of the painted demon's mouths, gesturing for a Ghost to activate it. As soon as the Ghost pulled the lever, the wall began to lurch, descending into a gap in the ground with the hiss of pneumatic systems. The composition of the secret door looked nothing like arctech machinery, instead compromising Galactic Era metals and carbon-based structures.

MG404: [Adminstrator Access | Access Denied | Current Administrator has overridden all secret keys.]

Installation 13? Kyle recalled that the Oracle he had discovered in the Culdao Peaks was called Installation 12. Yet he noticed the system message mentioning the presence of a current administrator. Does this mean...

Alarm bells began to ring in Kyle's head as he instinctively ducked out of the way of the secret corridor while two laser turrets immediately descended from the ceiling, firing a torrential rain of fire on the unprepared Ghosts. The lasers seared holes through the armor that was not designed for thermal attacks, the intense heat melting the metal and fusing it with the Ghosts' skin as they screamed out in pain. The commander fared no better, a burst of laser tearing through his head and leaving a smoldering hole cutting cleanly into his forehead.

Kyle flicked the commander off the spear, yanking the spear out of the body when a sudden communication from Culo came in over the radio. [Reporting in, we lost Jakub! There's a mage on the battlefield, he can teleport!]

"I have more things to worry about her. Sasha, get me more railguns and take out those turrets!" Kyle ordered. The laser turrets swiveled quickly, leaving almost no room for a normal human to dodge. However, the laser turrets also had a limited range, allowing Sasha and the other Ghosts to fire railguns from the other side of the hallway into the secret corridor. To the Ghosts surprise, the projectiles were immediately targeted by the laser turrets, sniping them out of the air with precision and causing them to blow up the moment they entered the corridor, a cloud of smoke and flames enveloping the turrets.

Kyle watched the turrets stop firing as they were engulfed in the flame, realizing something important. "Sasha, fire again!" As soon as the next volley of projectiles entered the corridor and were similarly intercepted, instead of the smoke and heat billowing past the turrets harmlessly, they instead saw Kyle bursting out from behind, the spear already centimeters from the turret's camera lens. With two rapid stabs, the turrets were incapacitated, the spearhead severing their electrical connection with the rest of the supposed installation.

However, the secret door suddenly slammed back upwards, sealing off the secret corridor and cutting Kyle off from the reinforcing Ghosts. Kyle immediately turned back to the door, planning to stab his spear into the metal when he heard a slow clapping sound echoing through the corridor from behind him.

"So. Leader of the Ghost. The famed Ghost of Versia. Doesn't really roll off the tongue, but I suppose you are the real enemy I've been fighting against all this while." Harrison's voice carried all the way from the very end of the corridor, a second door opening to reveal a private lab similar to what Kyle had in the Oracle. "Someone who knows the truth behind these ruins."

Kyle didn't respond, immediately dashing forward to attack Harrison with the Spear when he was suddenly stopped by a similar bubble shield, his speed slowing down before he was flung backwards, feet skidding along the corridor as Harrison merely chuckled.

"Why the rush? I assume you're here to capture me. After all, you've been very persistent in chasing me down, even to the point where you didn't even wait a week to follow me all the way here to Ulut." Harrison grinned.

"Drop the shield, and maybe I'll let you live with one limb," Kyle ordered, earning a laugh from Harrison once more.

"Someone else who knows it's a shield! And here I thought I was alone in a world of idiots." Harrison nodded approvingly, while Kyle's eyes surveyed the lab in its entirety. Countless relics were laid out on the table, but the most important of all was a glistening golden exosuit, one that Kyle slightly recognized from his former life as a crime lord. He tried to look at the make and outline of the armor, attempting to determine its manufacturer. However, some of the designs and material composition were far too different from what he was used to.

Harrison noticed Kyle's gaze landing on the open exosuit propped up behind him. "You seem to know a lot about these relics? Just who exactly are you working for? The Wardens? The rebels?"

"Where did you find that exosuit?" Kyle countered, not wanting to give away any clues.

"Where did you learn to make that exosuit?" Harrison shot back. "I used to think that I was the only one in the world who truly understood the history and nature of the relics. That I alone was destined to rule at the top of the world, above the heads of everyone who was ignorant. Imagine my surprise to learn that the Ghost leader was able to reverse engineer the Aurtla Planes, create his own exosuit, and form weaponry that even I didn't know about. I've been thinking long and hard about how I would feel, knowing that I had an equal."

"An equal?" Kyle raised an eyebrow. "You're nothing worth being an equal of. You couldn't even defend Tenar."

"I never wanted to. My partnership with Mornero was merely a farce. With you now stabilizing Tenar and getting rid of the competition, I can finally enforce my rules, my way over Versia once I wipe out your entire army here in Ulut. Of course, my 'equal' should have known that. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. But now I know how having an equal feels. I thought it would be like finding a best friend that I never had." Harrison spoke as he inserted his body into the open exosuit, the Galactic Era armor closing in around each leg with latches, the joints sealing into place with foam.

"Instead, all I feel is anger, and a desire to destroy you in your entirety. Only I STAND alone at the top of the world. Not you, not that dammed Dekar, and certainly not your Ghosts!" Harrison swore as he fully entered the exosuit, the golden armor now fully encasing Harrison in his entirety. Nano muscles flexed as miniature armor hexes fluctuated with each of Harrison's motions while thruster flaps and aerodynamic plates actuated, running their full range of motion. A gap in the ceiling of Harrison's lab began to open, clearly leading out up into the sky.

"Now you get to sit here like a good dog while I eradicate the pests in my city. You can listen to the screams of your men while you're trapped here?" Harrison smirked under the golden helmet, laser weaponry charging up on the arms.

"Trapped?" Kyle finally let out a smile. "I was never trapped. I was just trying to figure out just what model the exosuit was. D-class, or C-class?"

"Don't try to bluff-" Harrison's counter taunt was cut short as Kyle launched a piercing jab with the spear, the stabbing arm accelerating with the force of a boulder slamming into the shield. In an instant the shield cracked, catching Harrison off-guard while Kyle immediately flung his spear towards the gap.

The spear sailed up through the gap, Harrison figuring out what Kyle was trying to do. Harrison attempted to activate the exosuit's flight thrusters in a bid to leave, but instead, he felt a sudden shock slam into his armor, Kyle punching the exosuit head-on while the spear detonated in the middle of the gap, causing the surrounding rock to dislodge and crumble, the entire vertical tunnel collapsing downwards and sealing off the lab as rubble surged into the private lab. The center of the lab had countless Galactic Era relics buried under the heaps of stone and dust, leaving a mound that blocked the exit upwards.

"Who's trapped now?" Kyle cracked his armored knuckles, flexing his arm as he stepped up to the struggling Harrison, Harrison dizzy from the blow. As Kyle stepped within range, Harrison immediately extended his forearm forwards, the hydrualic motors whirring before a mounted wrist laser blasted Kyle in close range.

"All you have is an arctech armor, which is nothing compared to the real deal! You’re just delaying the inevitable, and you don't even have your Spear." Harrison mocked as he stood back upright, having feigned the dizziness. However, his taunt was stopped short as the laser had barely any effect on Kyle's armor, leaving only a simple scorch mark.

"I only need my hands to beat you. Besides, I'm planning to take the exosuit for myself."

"Ridiculou-"

Penchant for Violence!

Harrison couldn't react as Kyle kicked off the rubble, a wave of dust and soot being flung backwards while Kyle's fist was rapidly approaching Harrison's helmet. Thruster flaps on the front of Harrison's thighs immediately activated, releasing a burst of gas that propelled him sideways slightly, Harrison ducking beneath Kyle's fist and delivering an extended left kick.

Kyle drove his foot in, not following through on his punch as he took a step back, catching Harrison off-guard again. Kyle's right arm grappled Harrison's left leg, attempting to spin him one round. Instead, Harrison's exosuit motors whirred violently, the exoskeletal structure beneath the golden veneer allowing Harrison to suddenly kick his right leg outwards in a show of immense core strength, thrusters assisting. The right stomp was parried by Kyle's left arm, forcing Kyle to break his grip on Harrison's left leg and letting Harrison dropped to the ground.

Harrison spun back into a fighting posture, unleashing two bolts of continuous laser at Kyle. Kyle leaped and weaved through the collapsed lab, ducking behind rubble and damaged lab equipment while Harrison swiveled to track his motion. Kyle kicked up a large stone before flinging it at Harrison, Harrison slicing it apart with the laser only to see Kyle right behind the boulder, throwing a strong right hook.

Harrison effortlessly dodged the right hook, but Kyle didn't let up the combo, the two pacing back and forth as Kyle kept the tempo going, throwing punch and kick one after another. The speed was far too fast even for Harrison to see, a few hits going through but it barely dented the armor, boosting Harrison's confidence. "You can't even break thi-"

Kyle slammed his palm into the ribs of the exosuit, sending a rippling shockwave that ruptured through even the supporting foam inside. Harrison involuntarily gagged as he staggered backward, unable to dodge again as a kick swept him off his feet, the weight of the exosuit causing him to crash hard onto the rubble-filled ground.

"Activate automatic combat guidance!" Harrison screamed beneath the armor, his teeth bloodied from the repeated hits as the exosuit suddenly came to life on its own, Harrison's body merely hitching a ride as the exosuit forced his limbs into a fighting posture. Kyle immediately took two steps back, carefully circling the exosuit with caution.

"Afraid now?" Harrison taunted. "This suit has the guidance of an intangible oracle with unmatched reflexes. Not even three enhanced humans can match the prowess of the oracle!"

He's talking about the suit's AI. A crutch for the weak. Kyle's eyes observed the motion of the exosuit, not making the first move until he knew more. The question is which AI this is. 

"It's not too late to surrender now!" Harrison continued shouting through the exosuit's speaker. "Kneel, and maybe I'll let you lick my boots."

Kyle didn't respond to the taunt, merely continuing his careful patient circling. A minute passed as Harrison began to get antsy. "Fine, if you're not coming to me, then I'll bring the fight to you!"

The exosuit lunged forward with increased agility unlike Harrison's manual control before, Kyle side-stepping the attack. Lasers and fists flew across the crumbling lab as Kyle narrowly avoided a few hits, though he was starting to take some head-on. Harrison's fist smacked into Kyle's crossguard, sending Kyle skidding back two meters from the sheer strength. Kyle barely had time to recover as the exosuit closed the gap in three leaps, performing a roundhouse kick followed by an uppercut.

They danced across the lab, exchanging blows and moves with exponentially increasing strength, the battery pack at the back of Harrison's exosuit going into overdrive as the exosuit began to push the limits. Harrison could no longer keep up with the speed of the guidance, his body merely a puppet as he was flung to and fro by the suit's A.I. Yet he stayed strong, watching as Kyle began to endure more and more hits to the body. Bit by bit, Kyle's arctech armor was starting to fracture from the repeated strikes, the gauntlet and chest armor beginning to show more wear and tear.

Harrison felt his leg automatically slam into the chestplate of Kyle, sending the Ghost leader flying back into the midst of rubble, collapsing into a smoky cloud of soot. The exosuit began to wind down, Harrison finally regaining a bit of control as he staggered forward. But even before he could say a word, Kyle suddenly shot out from the cloud, grabbing the exosuit's head by the face and slamming it into the ground.

Harrison choked on a mixture of blood and saliva as the exosuit whirred back into life, the automatic combat guidance coming back online, the thrusters immediately disengaging Harrison from Kyle's grip. The exosuit spun into a striking position, using the thrusters to enhance each of its punches and kicks. Yet to Harrison's surprise, none of the hits were landing anymore, Kyle simply standing in place and dodging effortlessly. Each missed strike only built more panic in Harrison's heart, while the combat guidance continued to ramp up the pace, attempting to land a hit on Kyle.

As if Kyle had a precognitive ability, each undodgeable strike was parried pre-emptively, Kyle able to keep up with the combat A.I. Harrison didn't sense a single drop of fear from Kyle, Kyle's posture firm and determined. He couldn't even keep track of the moves being exchanged, his mind being yanked about rapidly as the exosuit began to overheat. Before long, Kyle was finally able to sneak a few hits in, the palm strikes landing again on the same ribs area. The violent tremors rippled through his body, damaging Harrison's organs as he sputtered out blood inside the helmet.

"Warning: user's vitals threatened. Combat guidance disengaged. Seek immediate medical help." The suit released control to Harrison, who immediately dropped to both knees, struggling to recover.

"No! Continue combat guidance!" Harrison urged, but it was far too late. He felt a tight clasp wrap around his helmet, yanking it clear of his head as electronics and circuitry fizzled from the sudden removal. Harrison looked up to the towering Kyle standing in front of him, an armored fist punching him right in the cheeks and sending him tumbling away, sprawled onto the ground.

"How..." Harrison coughed, blood trickling down his lips as he turned to face Kyle approaching him. "The oracle is undefeatable! You're just a human wearing a fake exosuit, nothing more!"

"I'm more than just a human," Kyle spoke with gravitas, each step weighing down on Harrison as he got closer. "I've trained with thousands of combat A.Is, training with more hours than your entire life combined. And you think I can't beat a simple rudimentary combat software from a D-Class manufacturer?! Ridiculous!"

Kyle grabbed Harrison by the neck, pinning him against the wall while Harrison's legs dangled helplessly. "My name is *Kyle* Hawthorn, Dominator of the Kablsk Spice Routes, Ruler of the Neadrsa Flow and Crime Lord of the Melsura Star Sector. And you, Harrison, shall never see another person again as long as I live, not until you give up all of your knowledge to me."

Kyle delivered another fist right into Harrison's face, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold. With Harrison unconscious, Kyle let his body slump to the floor, but not before disengaging the exosuit. His fingers ran along the back spine of the golden exosuit, finding the disengage emergency button to undo the suit. The front of the suit opened, Harrison's body falling out lifelessly and collapsed on the ground with a dull thud, while Kyle immediately inspected the exosuit with his eyes.

Looks like I was right. It's a celebrity version of a Crimson Raider exosuit. Not even good enough for local security troopers in my time. Kyle thumbed over a few engravings on the interior of the exosuit, noting the pristine quality that it had been stored. Based on my investigations in the Culdao Peaks, it should have been at least a thousand years. Yet this installation doesn't seem to be affected by the nano plague that ate the Oracle away. Kyle looked around, spotting a cryopod nearby, half covered in rubble, similar to the ones Kyle had found in the depths of Tenar's catacombs. Seems like this was what saved it over the years.

Still, despite the low-grade of the exosuit, it was still a rare find. Kyle knew that this might very well be the only intact exosuit that he would ever get, though apart from the combat A.I, it paled in comparison to his current Version 0 exosuit. With this as a reference, I can finally perfect a proper exosuit from head to toe. 

Further investigations around the lab showed more treasures to be found - the relics buried under the rubble were all made of Galactic Era metals and plastics unaffected by the nano plague. Kyle recalled that the Oracle back in the Culdao Peaks could be upgraded with the use of such materials, making a mental plan to bring all of this back for further study. With Harrison now subdued and under his control, the war was basically over in Versia. It was only a matter of time before Versia would be reunited. Now I have to plan for my return to Raktor... 

Kyle suddenly remembered Culo's warning. A teleportation mage - he might try to rescue Harrison. I must ensure Harrison is securely restrainted. Kyle turned around and walked back towards the collapsed Harrison, only to see a ripple in space appear right next to the unconscious body and exosuit. Kyle immediately rushed forward in a bid to grab onto Harrison, but another portal appeared right in front of his face, an arcia-empowered fist slamming head-on, the force multiplied by his own speed.

Kyle grunted as he stumbled back from the self-inflicted hit, watching the fist disappear and reappear next to Harrison, two hands now tugging the unconscious body by the leg as well as the disengaged exosuit by the arm through the portal. Kyle's mind kicked into action, his hand extending outwards at the split second while Harrison was halfway in. Arcia Disruption! Kyle channeled the subclass skill into the mage's portal, disrupting the flow of arcia.

Instead of Harrison and the exosuit disappearing into the portal, the portal immediately slammed shut, dissipating into a flurry of snowflakes that soared upwards instead of floating toward the ground. The half-severed body of Harrison collapsed onto the ground, his entire lower half sundered by the sudden closing of the portal. Kyle knew he had to act fast, immediately grabbing the dying Harrison and sprinting over to the cryopod. Memories of Galactic Era device activation procedures surged into Kyle's brain as he rapidly opened the pod's door, placing Harrison's severed body inside and turning on the stasis.

The pod immediately surged with a strong electrical hum, freezing the contents to near absolute zero steadily, preserving Harrison in a cryostasis vacuum. Kyle let out a sigh of relief, though he was already wondering about how he could move the pod back to the Culdao Peaks without breaking the electrical connection needed to maintain absolute zero. At the same time, the door was finally broken in, Sasha managing to cleave through the thick Galactic Era metal armor, Ghosts pouring into the collapsed lab. They gaped in awe at the sheer amount of relics scattered like unwanted toys amidst the rubble, while Sasha immediately ran up to Kyle, spotting Harrison encased in the cryopod.

[We're in the cleanup phase of the city. I assume that is Harrison. Where did his lower body go?]

"Not important. His brain is the critical part. Make sure this pod is untouched. Catalog everything and pack them all up. I want them ready for immediate shipment to the Culdao Peaks." Kyle ordered as he walked over to the equally half-sundered exosuit, the top half now missing. Kyle wondered how he could have stopped the mage from opening a portal. His subclass skill could only disrupt skills that are already in motion. I have to work on a neutralizing field of sorts, but that's a project for next time. "Spread the news of Harrison's capture. The battle is won."

"Yes, sir. What do we do with the surviving members of Nest."

"Keep them as prisoners, but remove their self-immolation engraving. Let Dekar decide how he wants their labor to be used." Kyle waved his hands dismissively.

As the daylight waned into the night, the citizens of Ulut were rounded up and dragged out of the shelter. Every collaborator and worker for Harrison was marked and branded as a traitor, hauled off to the very same prison in Creuliz where they would toil in menial labor. Leftover equipment was stacked stories high, all weaponry and ammunition that could be reused by the Versian army.

Dekar himself was already in Ulut, declaring victory in the civil war with light thrower devices and arctech radios carrying his voice all across the country. "It is with great honor that I declare Versia unified under one banner, no longer divided by those who seek to exploit us. We shall never fall to the machinations of greater powers beyond our borders and shall only strive to rebuild Versia into the glory that it deserves. Forward, citizens of Versia. Forge the future together, without regret and without shame! Forwards, Versia!"

"FORWARDS, VERSIA!" The assembled soldiers at the announcement shouted back in unison, pumping their fists in the air. As the Versian soldiers celebrated the victory after months of strife, Kyle was busy reorganizing his forces for his return to Raktor, discussing future plans with Dekar.

"You have everything Harrison owned. As long as you do not betray Versia, I will always honor the deal we've made." Dekar assured, shaking Kyle's hand as they returned to Tenar on an Aurtla plane a few hours later.

"Good. But I have problems to solve back home." Kyle explained. "Culo and Lisa will stay to assist in the reorganization, but the Ghosts will remain a separate organization under my control."

Dekar's joyous expression darkened a little. "You're asking me to allow a paramilitary group capable of overthrowing entire nations in my territory?"

"A simple non-aggression pact will suffice, and any Ghosts that wish to return to civilian life or join the military is more than welcome to." Kyle offered.

"Hmm... understood." Dekar nodded, not wanting to antagonize Kyle. He had seen firsthand the power with which Kyle was able to run over Harrison like he was nothing. Already rumors of Kyle being able to defeat a relic exosuit were spreading like wildfire, creating a local legend of the Ghost leader.

Kyle soon left for Desham, announcing the new steps moving forward to the returning Ghosts. Many took the offer of returning to civilian life, having only joined to fight for the rebellion. Others wanted to protect Versia, signing up with the Versian military as ranking officers and offering their expertise to train new recruits. Only a core group of Ghosts remained, enough to form a single division. Yet despite their low numbers compared to their peak, Kyle knew this was exactly the people he needed for the fights to come. He had them assemble in the barracks of Desham a day after Ulut's fall, joined by Sasha and Feldon flanking him on both sides as he stood on a stage.

"From now on, the Ghosts are no longer just a rebel group. We are more than just beasts of no nation. Each and every one of you knows exactly what you’ve signed up for. You want something more than just being a normal civilian, something bigger and greater. You all made your choice to stay under my charge despite understanding that we are now officially a paramilitary group. We fight for hire, mercenaries for battle anywhere in the world. In due time, our combined strength and technology will make us the best in the field, able to ensure victory anywhere we set our eyes on." Kyle announced, speaking to the remaining assembled Ghosts in the barracks of Desham.

"Many of our comrades have moved on to greener pastures, but for those of you who seek glory, who seek power, fame, and riches - follow me. And I will lead you to heights unlike anything the world has ever seen!" Kyle pumped his fist into the air, earning a salute in unison from the Ghosts.

"And we already have our first contract in Raktor. Load up the Aurtla planes - we set forth for the Culdao Peaks in three days."