[center][h1]Stand[/h1]
[h2]Part 1[/h2]

[b]Starring...
[color=00bfff]Yang'Ze, Avatar of Ull'Yang[/color]
[color=orange]Custos, Avatar of Kyre[/color]
[color=Peru]Goliath, Avatar of Teknall[/color][/b]
[/center]
[hider=A Bar Fight Brews]Yang'Ze, Custos and Goliath walk into a bar...
Actually, they meet in the forest between the horde and the village.
They discuss tactics, and decide that Custos will lure Violence away to one of the ruined villages and the other two will jump in and join the fight.
[/hider]

A faint golden light, high above the clouds, could be seen streaking across the Galbarian night sky. Yang'Ze flew with such speed that he parted the clouds, leaving a long narrow sky path behind him.

He looked at the ground below him as he flew. Teknall had pointed him towards the Hain village that they would use as a temporary headquarters during their assault on Vestec's little horde, but he had not given him the exact position of the village so he had to rely on himself to find it. 

Nevertheless, after a couple of hours of searching, his eyes indeed fell upon a small forested area that surrounded a small village. From the crude architecture and the small pack of stone golems, Urtelem as Teknall had previously called them, Yang'Ze deduced that it was a Hain village.

He lowered his speed and slowly descended. After finding a suitable location, not too close to the village but not too far away from it as well, Yang'Ze manipulated his staff, instantly shrinking its size down to the size of a grain, collecting it before letting his body free-fall until he landed on a small hill.

He had chosen that specific location because of its superior birds-eye view of the area surrounding the village. [color=00bfff][i][b]"Ugh, I do hope they will be quick to come here..."[/b][/i][/color] he thought as he sat down on the small hill's peak.

There he waited, only for a few handwidths of the moon, before a figure of wood and stone approached from the base of the hill. It procced up slowly, giving the deception of it being a slow and lumbering figure. Once at the top, it stopped near Yang'Ze, [color=orange]"Greetings, I am Custos, avatar of Kyre."[/color]

Slowly opening his eyes, Ull'Yang's Avatar stood up and shifted his body to face the new arrival. [color=00bfff][b]"Many greetings to you as well. I am Yang'Ze, avatar of Ull'Yang,"[/b][/color] Yang'Ze replied while bowing his head.

[color=00bfff][b]"Teknall has already filled me in on the details of our little 'operation'. I would certainly like to have your opinion on how you think we should go about doing this..."[/b][/color] Yang'Ze told Custos, getting straight to the point.

Custos stood still, as though thinking or receiving a message, [color=orange]"Why does Ull'Yang not speak through you? Kyre is currently training Teknall's disciple, but will speak through me if Ull'Yang wishes."[/color]

Yang'Ze was momentarily taken aback by Custos's response. [color=00bfff][b]"You are speaking to Ull'Yang, or a quarter of my consciousness for that matter. Right now, I am in the process of creating my own separate demiplane,"[/b][/color] Yang'Ze said and looked upwards to the sky.

[color=00bfff][b]"Ah, not even I can connect with my main body right now. I have erected a barrier, shielding the miniature plane from any outside interference. You'd have to wait until my main body steps outside the plane if you desire to talk to it."[/b][/color]

Yang'Ze looked back towards Custos. [color=00bfff][b]"I don't really mind whoever talks. It's of no importance really. I, however, would really like to know if you have some sort of strategy to combat Vestec's avatar. I was told we have very little knowledge about his abilities..."[/b][/color] Yang'Ze said.

[color=orange]"Then Kyre will watch and listen through me,"[/color] A pause again before continuing, [color=orange]"It is true that we know next to nothing about his abilities, and while full discussion of a strategy is best to be put off until Teknall arrives, we can decide a base to work off of."[/color]

Though it wasn't necessary for an avatar, at least for him, Custos sat down with crossed legs before speaking again, [color=orange]"No matter what, we must make sure to have the battle happen in an unpopulated area, likely further east, so that we minimize the chance of innocents being killed as collateral. What say you?"[/color]

[color=00bfff][b]"Mortals will die anyway,"[/b][/color] Yang'Ze said after listening to Custos's words. He sat down beside him and continued. [color=00bfff][b]"Even without Violence to guide them, the horde will clash with the Hain warriors that are defending the village, this is inevitable."[/b]

[color=00bfff][b]"The only way I can think of that would minimize the mortal death count of this battle would be for us to simply get rid of Violence as soon as possible. That way we can then return and influence the battle in favor of the Hain since we have three avatars on our side..."[/b][/color]

[color=orange]"Yes, mortals will die, but we don't need both the horde and the village we are helping to be destroyed in the fight, so we will need to get Violence away from here."[/color] Custos shifted some, before continuing, [color=orange]"The battle of the village will not happen until a few days from now, and it would be best not to interfere with our avatars unless it is needed, or until it seems ok to do so."[/color]

Yang'Ze listened to Custos as he thought about how they would proceed with the confrontation. One thing was for sure, though, until Teknall's avatar met with them and until they actually confronted Violence, planning things out would remain to just that, plans. [color=00bfff][b]"Nothing is set to stone..."[/b][/color] Yang'Ze muttered and sighed.

[hr]
It wasn't until dawn broke that the final member of the trio arrived. A black rift opened near them and out stepped Teknall, and behind him loomed Goliath, its dark metal armor glinting in the sunrise.

Teknall took a deep breath in through his nose. [color=Peru]"Ah, cool, fresh air. Good morning, Yang'Ze, Kyre,"[/color] Teknall greeted. [color=Peru]"Your new avatar fits you quite well, Kyre. This here is Goliath,"[/color] he patted a hand against the metal chestplate of Goliath, [color=Peru]"I'll leave you to preparing for battle."[/color]

And with that, Teknall left, walking off into the trees and disappearing from sight.

[color=Peru][b]"Although really, I'm still here,"[/b][/color] resonated Teknall's voice. However, it did not come from Teknall, but from Goliath. [color=Peru][b]"So, what's the plan so far?"[/b][/color] His voice, as spoken through Goliath, was deeper and metallic, and had a very faint echo to it.

Custos stilled for a moment, its eyes dull for a split second before glowing brighter than before. Then Kyre spoke, a deep yet clear voice through the avatar, [color=orange][b]"Thank you for the compliment, but as you have shown, straight to the plans. Mostly, we have waited for you to arrive, but one thing we have agreed on, I think, is that we must force this fight away from this place to minimize the loss of mortal lives."[/b][/color]

Yang'Ze nodded, greeting Teknall, before standing up. He looked at Goliath, paced around the metallic avatar before exclaiming, [color=00bfff][b]"Heh, seems like a sturdy avatar you have here. Certainly fits your whole theme, haha." [/b][/color]

[color=00bfff][b]"Of course, isolating Violence will give us another advantage, apart from our numerical superiority. I had also previously suggested we create some kind of trap. I doubt Violence would come out if he knew he would go against three other avatars. Could we lure him with something?"[/b][/color] Yang'Ze asked both of them.

[color=Peru][b]"I think the mere prospect of a fight would be enough to lure Violence,"[/b][/color] Teknall said. [color=Peru][b]"If one of us were to challenge him to battle, that should goad him to leave the camp."[/b][/color]

[color=orange][b]"Then I would be the best for that role, as Violence, and Vestec, would be expecting it. And if there was trouble in getting him to come, perhaps if he wished to fight there, we could play a card. Vestec would not wish the entertainment of the battle for the village to be ruined in the process."[/b][/color] Custos stood, [color=orange][b]"But how shall we make sure he stays where we want him when we get him away?"[/b][/color]

[color=Peru][b]"Short of some sort of measure to seal him away in some kind of arena, we will have to rely on distance from where we don't want him to be, and the relentlessness of our assault so that he would not have a chance to flee,"[/b][/color] Teknall said. [color=Peru][b]"The key point is that we need to keep him away from the village, and other villages if possible."[/b][/color]

[color=00bfff][b]"Mhm, yes. Custos should be the one to bait Violence. Now, I think it's safe for us to assume that Vestec would be prepared to go against two avatars. I don't think he would guess that you'd come to me for extra help... So we should use that to our advantage,"[/b][/color] Yang'Ze said.

[color=00bfff][b]"When it's time for the ambush, we could have Goliath over here attack first, so as to make Violence concentrate on the two of you and lower his guard to any other potential threats. Then I'll come in from behind for a pincer attack. I don't think he would be able to escape the simultaneous attack of three avatars..."[/b][/color]

[color=orange][b]"To the east is what remains of a village, here,"[/b][/color] Kyre transferred the memory of where it was, one of the many that he had visited to collect the ashes from, [color=orange][b]"There is not but wildlife there, and there is nothing left for the battle to desecrate. Can we agree on this?"[/b][/color]

[color=Peru][b]"Agreed. This is perhaps the best plan we can devise with so little information,"[/b][/color] Teknall replied.

Yang'Ze simply nodded his confirmation after receiving the memory transfer from Custos.

[color=orange][b]"Then it is settled..."[/b][/color] Kyre's voice takes on a somber tone, [color=orange][b]"Violence and this horde have taken the lives of many Hain, and destroyed too many futures. I will be glad to see this over..."[/b][/color]

[color=orange][b]"Now, let us begin..."[/b][/color]