task:

Items: Central System 2UP, 2x Energy pistol 2UP, both loaded with Dynamic Capsules 2UP.

Selbst ist die Frau.

Ro's nerves tingled. She had to only look forward now. EDI was set up with an order of things to make as usual.

Here it was, the main stage. Ro stood atop the palace veranda, looking out over the great city bejeweled in waves of sand. This was her time to shine, pun very much intended. For she would take her place out on this white marble grandstand metres above the rest of the city. As previously determined, she would be acting general for this all important battle. Today was the day that many lives changed for the better or worse as a result of Rokuju’s hand. Yes, she stood above the Alabastian troops like a divine puppet master, ready to command them to her will. The lords of the city had been there when the king had made his desperate decree, and they had reluctantly pledged their willingness to serve under her. It had been a few days since Hamilton had landed on Sandy Island, but on this morn, they had come a-knockin’ on the city walls. She took a deep inward breath, gaze washing over ladders that had been slammed against the outer wall of the city. It was about time to begin.

She watched the men scramble over the high granite walls much like a child would watch a line of ants climb. Could she just reach out and squish them? Were they that vulnerable? Or was it too egotistical to think she had that sort of power? After all, she had made it all the way here, to the top of the food chain after an uncanny series of events. Ro was curious about how far she could push this. Reminding herself with a shake of the head, she told herself not to play games. There was too much riding on this. Looking back up at the battle breaking out, she began to focus. The Hamiltonian soldiers swarmed over the walls cutting down the few troops she had stationed up there. In the lead up to now, an hour didn’t pass when one of her commanders hadn’t questioned her decision with bewilderment. To give up the defensive position on the wall was surely insanity! After all, such a well fortified high ground advantage could turn the massive number disadvantage in their favour. But no, this was part of her plan. The art of the siege had been refined over hundreds, if not thousands of years. There wasn’t much that she could bring to the table to ever hope to go up against General Joedat that he hadn’t already accounted for. No, Hamilton had invaded with full knowledge of the defensive measures here as well as Alabasta’s overall military potential. They wouldn’t have made a move if they weren’t in full confidence that they would be able to break the city.

What’s more, is that this battle was a time sensitive thing. Wars weren’t only fought with such nonstop violence. Ro had decided that if she were on the opposing side, her move would not be to attack directly, but to surround and then starve out the city. A tactic that would take a long time to achieve, but definitely the safest. With no food and water coming in from the provinces, the large population of Alabasta would eventually starve to death. She had to stop this from being an eventuality. This was the second reason as to why giving up the wall was such a crucial part of her plan. It tied into the mischief she had caused yesterday, with the severing of the enemy’s supply line, the forward force would have to make one of two decisions. Attack, or march all the way back over the desert to meet the rest of the army. Just as it happened, Ro had been the centre of their communication network too, so letting Joedat fall blind to what had happened the day before was easy. Withdrawing wasn’t really an option, as it could very well cost them the opportunity. It would have given them at least four more days to prepare, the extra time being an absolute game changer. No, they would want to keep up the pressure. And so the siege had started.

She bet that they had felt like things were going well for them. They had made it onto the grand walls of Alabasta with an acceptable number of losses. Ro had placed a small force on the walls which had been enough to make the defense believable. It had taken them a full two hours to scale the walls. Thankfully, the desert dwelling king had also been preparing for war and had more soldiers available to him than the Hamiltonians were expecting. It wasn’t a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but it was just enough to make the facade believable while holding forces in reserve to execute the rest of her plan. “Come.” She uttered. And they came. Streaming down the inside walls and streaming over the sparsely guarded gate system. Minutes passed and she watched the warriors at work, heaving away at the gates, drawing them up and unleashing the torrent of Hamiltonian forces waiting on the other side.

The wave of troops flooded through the city gates like a dam that had just been blown. They rushed forwards through the city with unrelenting speed. Almost all of them were foot soldiers, carrying spears, swords and firearms. They yelled as they charged, a chorus of war erupting into Alabasta. At the head of the charge was a small cavalry unit with a banner on it. That was all the detail that Rokuju could make out, but that was enough to know that General Joedat was on his way. The first area that the Hamiltonian army intruded upon was the industrial and business zoned areas. Large factories and office buildings funneled the army into a long line as they charged down the main highway towards the palace. Only when the whole army had made it's way inside the walls did Ro make her move. Bringing the small microphone device to her mouth, she spoke out to the captains that controlled the Alabastian men. "Show starts in twenty seconds, On my mark, begin phase one... Go!" The orders were sent out as sound waves, the air being filled with the message. These were her puppet strings, the triggers that she would press to command the battle from afar.

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Two massive explosions went off, the shock wave from the bang filling out the area and having a noticeable effect on those close to the area. The first explosion was the result of charges being set inside the tallest buildings in the industrial zone that were closest to the main road. Rokuju had surveyed this area prior to the battle, noting which structural weaknesses she could take advantage of to get the result she was looking for. Three large buildings fell over sideways, debris crumbling over the main road until a massive obstacle of metal and stone had been formed in front of the army. Not everything had gone to plan however, the speed of the elite cavalry unit had put distance between themselves and the army. The imperfections in how quickly the Alabastian troops had set off the explosion had caused it to be seconds later, enough time for the unit to pass by the barrier. They now had a clear line towards the palace, however they were cut off from the rest of the army. The seconds explosion rang through the city behind the army, necks craning to get a better look. Charges had been planted into the wall this time, bringing down the open gate and creating a mess of the entrance that the invaders had just used. A few unfortunate stragglers had been crushed under the rockfall, truly caught between a rock and a hard place. This created another obstacle, now the army would have a hard time moving forward or getting away. However it wasn't like they were trapped, the army could always take the time to climb over, or they could go through the side streets. Phase one wasn't finished however, Ro watched as her patented gas wire was loaded crossbow bolts and shot across the rockfalls on both sides. Thunk, the bolts buried into stone, a dozen of inch thick wiring suspended over the rubble. Then the invention was turned on, gas spraying out from small valves that ran along the length of the wire. The gas ignited, creating flamethrowers that spread across both ends of the main road. Hamiltonian troops uttered noises of horror as both their forward and backward paths were now blocked by huge walls of fire that stretched up into the sky. Anyone could see that if they were to push through this area, maybe some could get through, but they would have to climb over the bodies of their scorched comrades and be very much worse for wear on the other side. The only obvious plan now was to go through the side streets. Ro smiled to herself. This was just the conclusion she was pushing them towards.

Second phase was about to get underway. The army was beginning to form up and organise their next plan of attack. She had to keep up the pressure. She didn't want the enemy force to coordinate. Luckily, due to previous preparations, she had access to the communications that the army had been using. Ro had supplied the enemy with the same earpieces that she was using to communicate with her own troops. While giving the enemy an advantage, she had also taken pleasure in being keyed in with their every move. But it was time that this privilege was to be taken away. Pulling out a remote control, she fiddled with a dial, sending a noise signal with huge amplitude to all of the Hamiltonian officers. She could see the reaction on the ground, the men standing in front of squads trying to order their troops. These men suddenly clutched their head and screamed, dropping down to the ground as the side of their brains had been blown out. The soldiers watched in terror as their leaders died in front of them, seemingly for no reason. Confusion and discord pursued, the soldiers lost their coordination. The sheep had lost their shepherds. And there was one hungry wolf waiting in the woods. Joedat's cavalry unit had managed to rid themselves of the devices upon seeing one of their horsemen being taken out. They had been separated from the main army by the rockfall. Ro watched as the decision was made to push forward. They could have circled back around and helped out the main army, but it seemed the general had something else on his mind. The thundering hooves begun again as the squad began to make it's way towards the palace. Well this was a kink in the plan, luckily, she had some back up tricks. Shouting orders into her radio, Alabastian soldiers scuttled into place, attempting to carry out her orders before the horsemen rode over the top of them, their silver halberds singing as they sliced through flesh.

Damnit, they were through, and free to cause havoc wherever they pleased inside the city walls. This would cause problems, but she did not really have anything at her disposal to deal with such a highly mobile elite force. She did not have the option of rallying her troops from the front lines, she needed them in position. Sacrifices had to be made. Ro let the general be for now, while she focused on micro managing the rest of the battle. “Alpha and Delta teams go. Epsilon ready for my signal.” The command traveled down the line, distributing her orders to the lieutenants on the ground, which then filtered out to each squad. Ro watched from above as men rushed out at the hamiltonian force, two groups attacking each flank. They yelled and clanged metal armour, making a huge racket and drawing attention. The invading soldiers perked up, noticing they were under attack and began to respond with their own rallying. With their leadership gone, however, they had no organisation and simply ran at the attackers in a group. There the Alpha and Delta teams would engage for no more than two minutes, and then withdraw, running away from the fight. With no one telling them not to stray from the pack nor anywhere else to go, the hamiltonian force began to pursue the attackers, splitting the army up into two as they chased down their respective teams. Seeing as things were going to plan, Ro would bark out another order. “Alpha and Delta, go to your homes. Epsilon lieutenants, you are free to engage. Bravo squads standby.” Ro’s blue eyes glazed over the battlefield in front of her. It was all so simple at it’s base. As formulaic and strategically rudimentary as a game of chess. Supply the cause, and they will supply the effect. If you are looking for a particular force, all that is necessary is its’ equal and opposite.

crafting:

The Alpha and Delta squads began splitting up, as they ran deeper into the city. The urban jungle was getting denser, roads turning into streets which turned into alleyways. The hamiltonian forces followed on, thinking that they were storming the city with their unrivaled power, the cowardly enemy fleeing. Whenever the troops looked like they were starting to condense back into formation, maybe a particularly charismatic individual taking control, Epsilon would flood out of the buildings around them, swamping them in chaos once more, only to flee again. By this time, the city of Alubarna was flooded with the two armies. “Bravo squads, fire when ready.” Smaller explosions erupted from various buildings, bursts of flame and concentrated hails of bullets could be heard. See, the retreat by the first three teams was not simply about wrecking their formations, but by baiting them into areas that had been prepared with traps or highly defensible locations. An overzealous chase would end when the pursuers were crushed by a fallen building, scorched by a retrofitted gas flamethrower, skewered by spring loaded spear traps for simply lead down a dead end with a nest of riflemen sitting in wait. Yes, this was the ultimate bait, milking the home field advantage for everything that it had. Thanks to Rokuju’s expertise and the manufacturing capabilities of her business, she was able to transform the city into a weapon itself. Of course, it was not a perfect fight, by any means. Sometimes a squad would be caught out, sandwiched or just overrun by the enemy. The alabastian force Ro had at her disposal was noticeably smaller than the invaders, and probably of a lower quality too. Her plan was not carried out well by all and as a consequence, there were breaks in the net here and there. Regardless, there was carnage on both sides. It would take a year to was the streams of blood from between the cobbles.

A crash came from the floor below the Vinsmoke. “Damnit, I thought I had more time-” she muttered under her breath. It looked like Joedat had come to cut the head off the snake. Turning around, Ro saw a jet black stallion crash through the massive stone doors, leading half a dozen cavalry directly into the throne room. The general gave an aura of power, even from just existing. His eyes peered down at the shrieking nobles with utter contempt. Slicing the air with his black, haki coated halberd sent a wave of cutting force singing through the air, bisecting some of the fleeing and carving a huge hole in the side of the fortress building. What sheer power. They had rode their horses straight up the stairway to get here. They must have bulldozed through dozens of elite palace guards to get here already.
“Guards, get in front of me! Protect me!” The king screamed while scrambling out of his throne. Ten or so of the king’s guard gathered around the invaders, attempting to push them back. Joedat’s black horse reared up, giving a terrifying whinnie before kicking the man directly in front of him, knocking him flat on his ass. The general dismounted, spinning his weapon, he cleaved through the front line like it was butter. Ro decided it was at this time that it was probably best to deal with this threat. It was not really a problem to her whether the king died now, but she could not lose her position here on the battlefield or her chain of command would crumble. Still standing out on the veranda, she looked into the throne room where the slaughtering was happening. Cocking her two pistols loaded up with her dynamic capsules, she let rip with a flurry of shots into the back of the room. The general turned, seemingly before she even moved and sent another wave of force smashing through the air, destroying the bullets and sending a deadly projectile towards her. Ro summoned strength from inside her, sending a sphere of light out from her core which collapsed into the wind slash and crushed it and kept going, knocking all men and horses off their feet, except for Joedat. He reached out with a black hand and crushed through the barrier as if he could grab it. However, Ro had used this time to send another flurry of capsules out into the room, activating the flashbang function, sending everyone bar the general into a concussive daze. Then she switched to the incendiary function, igniting the whole throne room in an intense fire. Within seconds, the nobility of Alabasta, along with the king, had been cremated in a brimstone oven.

There he stood, eyes turned to black pits of hatred, Joedat’s full attention was on Rokuju. He advanced through the flames, seemingly uncaring for his environment. “You’re that girl. You betrayed us. You were supposed to open the gates and let us take the city. How dare you defy us. I will kill you.” he spat. Ro did not waver, staring back into the hot room. It really was like she was facing down a real demon, ascending from a place of eternal torment.
“You may be able to kill me, but it will take you a lot of time. Time you don’t have.” Ro stepped to the side so that when Joedat came out onto the veranda, he could see the chaos below. The general took a few seconds to look over the scene, his dead expression wavering for a second before he turned back to her, advancing another step.
“The king is dead. If I kill you, this war is over!”
“The war will be over before you get the chance. Your people are dying. Look, both of the forces are a quarter of what they started out to be. In another half an hour, there will be nothing left. I know mutual destruction is not the victory you were looking for.” It was clear from this position that this conflict had already had a massive impact on both sides. The city of Alubarna was near ruins already. There was no point in taking a treasure this tarnished. But even so, Ro could feel that this man would keep going, fueled by his hatred. “Danon made me promise something before he died.”
“I knew it!” She could sense he was heating up, ready to fly at her.
“He asked me to spare his people. I could tell that he loved them. I can see that you have that same love.” Joedat hesitated. “I cannot keep that promise if you make the decision to keep going.” The brandished halberd fell limply to his side, the large man looking over the city, seeing his people fighting a war that nobody would win. “Go home now, and there will be no more reason to keep fighting.” Rokuju was completely sincere. He turned back to her, and she felt like she could understand her, like an empathic link. This was simply business to her, she bore them no ill will.
“Okay.” Was all he said. With one massive leap, General Joedat cleared the veranda and descended into the city below. Rokuju watched him rally his troops and leave, the Vinsmoke calling her own forces to lay down their arms. This was the mark of a good leader. Putting himself aside and making the welfare of his people a priority. Those ashes that used to make up a king could have learned a thing or two. Standing atop a ruined city, she was humbled by his action.

Black smoke filled the air from Alubarna. The city and the residing force had been decimated but she had done what everyone had thought to be impossible. Rokuju Vinsmoke: girl genius, had won the war.

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~exit~
Thread Closed

the task is fine but i'm confused as to why you're claiming crafting stuff in this topic
nothing u are doing is crafting related at all. you're just claiming the word count and using it to say you made stuff all crafting related claims are denied.