Mappingy:
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00|
| ^
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05|
| ┌┘≈
| ┌┘.≈
| ○───┘...
| ▲⌂⌂.....♣
10| ^▲⌂⌂....♣♣
| ▲⌂⌂..♣♣♣
| ╗♣♣ ▲⌂⌂...♣♣
| ╚Y══╩╗⌂▲▲⌂⌂...♣
| ─────Y▲▲⌂⌂...♣♣
15| ....⌂⌂▲▲⌂⌂..♣
| ^ ....⌂⌂▲▲⌂⌂.┌──
| .V╔K▲⌂○──┘..
| ⌠┌≈≈≈ ..╔╝⌂/▲⌂⌂....
| ⌠|⌠≈≈ ⌠┌─╨○▲▲⌂⌂♣
20| ⌠|⌠≈≈≈⌠⌠⌠⌠⌠|#⌂▲ ⌂⌂⌂.♣
| ⌠|⌠└─┬─────┘⌂⌂▲ ⌂⌂..♣
| ─┘~~.|⌠⌠⌠⌠⌠⌂M▲▲ O....
| ~~~~≈≈≈ ⌂..
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25| ~~~~≈≈≈
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|~~ ~┌──≈≈≈≈≈ R
|~~~~|~~~~≈≈≈≈
|⌂⌂⌂~|~~~~~≈≈≈
30|○───┘~ ~~~♠
The Katytan caravan moves north one, then northwest two.
Turn Report:
Fighting Katytans establish a defensive screen to prevent further trespass while the captive Erak continues negotiations. The Erithrean scouts are retrieved, and the hunters to the southeast continue to play an enjoyable game of cat and mouse with the goblins.
Industrial efforts focus on improving comfort, beauty, and quality of life in the settlement, as there is no present need for expansion and all military supplies and defenses at present are more than sufficient. True production of goods for export has not yet begun, as enthusiasm for this still runs low. Marksmanship practice continues, but sparring is less popular for the time being.
Monsi, Sonoa, Nasri, and Elna depart for Kawareidou. Ginya is unable to leave yet, but letters addressed to Ranpu, Ryou, and Danalof accompany them. The four have two large handcarts laden with barrels of alcohol, as well as sample quantities of other quality goods.
One of the Katytan children loses a hand. Oops! The body part is preserved in obsidian before it dies, however, so it will not rot and could be restored if any way is found to restore circulation to it.
Erak and Yane, Interlude:
Deep within Mika's Covert Cave, Yane worked on a project of utmost secrecy while the two children--taken off active duty ever since Erak's cohorts escaped pursuit--gathered the necessary materials.
Whether Oce's petty theft or Mika's manipulation of the other children (and outright begging) was more effective was unclear, but Yane spared little idle thought for such questions (and none to consider the ramifications of encouraging deviant behavior.) Soon it would be time to unvail this great project, oh yes. For glory!
For the 37th time, her fingers slipped and the entire assembly collapsed into its elemental components.
Well, relatively soon... Oh well. There were better surprises in store for Erak.
The Hunt:
The mighty Katytan hunter stumped through the sea of pebbles once more. "Uh, how long have we been out here, Anna?"
The sharp response came, an echo heard off of mountainside for the first time in a while. Anna appeared to make no note of the fact. "You expect me to be keeping track of time and our quarry for you? Weeks, Eval. It's still early spring."
Eval still looked puzzled. "It feels like it's been a lot longer than that..."
Anna clicked her teeth. "The signs of nature don't lie. If you cared to pay attention to them, you'd see this as well." Eval nodded slowly. "Nature. Uhuh..."
They trekked onward, arriving at the slope where they climbed up once again. "We're close. Go to the left, Eval. They only have two ways out and we know which one we want to force them into."
Eval nodded again, though he still seemed confused. "Do you really think we'll find anything? It's been so long, and all we've seen are clouds and sticks and scuffed little pebbles..."
Anna sighed. "Just do as I say, Eval. I've been keeping track of their movements and I know this terrain like the back of my hand. Get a move on, lest they notice our approach and evade interception, though unless they know this place as well as I do we should stand a good chance of getting lucky even if you do prove worthless. Go on."
Feeling depressed, Eval climbed away to the left. What a featureless wasteland. There was hardly anything of interest here. Maybe he could take back some of the big bird eggs when they were done.
The Caravan:
Monsi grumbled as his cart once again got caught in the rocks. "Why are we travelling this way? And why do we always get stuck with the long hauling jobs? What's the point of trying to trade in the middle of a war, anyway?"
Nasri stomped his foot. "Stop whining, Monsi, and pay more attention to where you're pulling that cart. If you break it, because you're too busy annoying the rest of us, we're not going to help you fix it. Elna chuckled at that. If there was cart repair to be done, he'd be the one saddled with the task.
Heedless of warning, Monsi blubbered on. "Come on, if you're not going to tell me what the crap this is all about, you can pull the cart yourself." With that, he screeched to a halt, nearly causing Sonoa to fall on top of him. "Gah! Watch it!"
Elna and Nasri turned, Nasri quickly drawing his weapon "You will not, Monsi. I don't know what you've heard, but we're not in a 'war', and this is as much of a diplomatic mission as a trade mission. If you'd like an unfortunate accident to prevent you from carrying it out to the best of your ability, I can arrange that."
Monsi scoffed at first, then felt Sonoa's knuckles rap on the back of his head. He turned to see his frowning friend, then turned back to the guards, looking at least somewhat abashed. "Fine. This had better pay well, and I'd better get a good share of it. Pulling this cart is a lot harder than standing around looking pretty."
Nasri gestured firmly with a finger, and Monsi's cart began moving forward again. "You'll appreciate the services of your caravan guards a lot more if we come under fire. You're lucky I'm not making you wear your gear."
"You're lucky I'm just so darn nice," came Monsi's retort. Nasri ignored it, though Elna eyed him warily. The caravan trundled onward. Sonoa sighed. "I really hope we can get rid of those 'half-giants'. It'd be nice to build a road through here." Monsi grumbled. "I could certainly appreciate having one."
Elna smiled at them. "Be on your best behavior, and we just might have the chance. We don't have a 'face' for this trade mission, so that means everyone will have to do their part."
Nasri shrugged, looking at the reactions of the teamsters behind him. "I think you just volunteered for the job, Elna."
The Katytan magician sighed. "It was worth a shot, at least. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"
The guardsman laughed. "Yes, a very good start. Let's hope for even better new beginnings to come."
The Underkats:
The excitement was over and the bad guys got away... For now. They'd caught a couple, but the big one was locked away and they were guarding him all the time.
There was little point in bothering with him. The adults were giving him so much attention as it was. The other one was more interesting, but still not very. She just kept making noises and rocking back and forth in her cell. Ginya let Mika try to interrogate her, but the big pale-skinned woman--like Nasha, only bigger, and more pale-skinned, Mika mused--hadn't paid her much attention.
Mika had assumed that she probably just wasn't big enough, and rushed off to the pantry to get a big snack, returning to her secret room to spice it up and eat it. She was full now, but didn't really seem to have gotten any bigger. Oh, well. Boooring. Where was Oce? Was he still at the range?
As if he had heard her think, Oce dropped down out of the darkness. He had a snack of his own, and was looking at the stolen spice with longing. Too stuffed to resist, Mika relented. "Okay, you can have a little, but remember what I warned you about." Oce nodded and eagerly dusted his meal with the red powder, eating with a few bites, then lying against the wall of the small cave with Mika and sighing contentedly.
There they rested as the candle burned down, neither noticing or caring about the increasing heat in the cave. Mika's mind drifted as her latest dose of the drug kicked in, bringing visions of flame and violence and strange sensations that she ignored, as usual, detaching herself from the chaos and going to a place of peace.
She remembered the peace of the warm earth, before her birth--before the 'imps' attacked her, she recalled. There had been no sound and little movement, only the nourishing comfort of the warm rock...
Mika awoke with a start, the fire and chaos rushing back to the forefront of her consciouness. Magma was leaking in to her cave from one of her tunnels, and creeping across the floor! She shook Oce awake. "Oce! Oce, quick! We need to block that off or it's going to ruin our stuff!"
Oce shook himself, rattled by the abrupt and too-vigorous awakening, but quickly sized up the situation. It was as Mika said. The fire powder was already beginning to glow from the slow warming, the candle was in ruins, and the little statuettes arranged around the walls were starting to look a little ill-defined in feature and slack in posture.
He quickly began collecting handfuls of junk and stone and gathering it into a ball, and with Mika's aid, it was shoved into the breach and sealed with globs of pewter. The air in the cave was terrible, and they were both coughing as the fire powder began to let off a gas. Mika quickly sealed off the container as well, while Oce dashed through the exit.
He returned barely a minute minute later after a few gulps of fresh air from the exterior ventilation shaft, as he had not heard Mika follow. As he'd feared, there she was, unconscious on the floor, lying in the pool of magma surrounded by their mostly-ruined stash. He quickly extracted her to the children's quarters' yet unused medical center, dousing her with water and placing her on a bed, where he pounded on her chest.
The commotion called the attention of the other children, some of whom rushed off to find adult aid. Mika was already coming back to life, coughing repeatedly by the time the elders rushed in, and Oce stood aside as Masi ordered Icand and Oici to take the other children out, calling Nasha to assist him with helping Mika breathe. "Good job, Oce. You did a good job. I'll show you how to do that properly, later. Take off her goggles."
Oce refused to comply. Assuming he didn't understand, Masi gestured for Nasha to perform the task. She did so, unfazed by the Katytan child tugging and clawing at her arm. Both adult Katytans were taken aback by what they saw then, however.
Mika's pupils were scarcely detectable pinpricks in eyes that resembled a sea of molten fire. They gave off enough light to cast shadows upon the ceiling. Nasha began to comment, with a note of bewilderment, "She's minutes away from a--" Masi interrupted her. "Seconds! Get back!" He quickly did so himself, and Nasha blinked only momentarily before grabbing the screaming Oce and rushing out herself. The Katytan child raked and bit into her arm repeatedly, unable to break the skin, and Masi quickly sealed the stone doors behind her.
Nasha looked to Masi, her confusion shared by the many other Katytans in the room. "Should we really just leave her there like that?" Masi screamed his response, back to the door as if straining against some force. "Yes!"
There was a tremendous explosion and Masi's eyes bulged, the doors cracking behind and around him. A large chunk soared out into the room, that Oici quickly batted away with the flat of her sword, adding to the clamour. It landed on Icand, knocking the wind out of him. The flash of light was bright enough to force many of the children to shield their eyes with their hands, others cowering or covering their ears. Masi staggered forward, the last of the door he was holding up crumbling to the ground.
The room was full of and stone dust smoke and there was no trace of the bed but scattered ashes. Even the floor and wall around it had been damaged. Oce struggled against Nasha's grasp all the harder.
Masi yelled through his pain and quickly turned, the damage to his back clearly visible through his torn clothing as he stormed into the room. Oici leapt over the crowd of children to bar the doorway, and to the few of them that were still on their feet and not cowering in terror, "Let him work! Make yourselves useful and help Icand lift that rock!"
They did as asked and the slab was removed, revealing a bloody gash it left up near Icand's elbow. Oici mouthed an apology, but Icand merely tried to laugh, coughing out some of the dust that had caught him. Oici turned, planting her sword in a crack in the floor as she went to assist Masi, and Nasha, still holding the struggling Oce tightly in the crook of her arm, moved to the doorway and began the work of sorting out and calming down the panicking children.
Masi quickly kicked open the damaged medical cabinets as he collected what remained of Mika, who had blown into five pieces. There was still some hope, she was not dead yet. He yelled back over his shoulder, still using the pain to focus himself, "Icand! Magma! Now!"
Icand blinked and rushed off into the hall, returning not twenty seconds later to hand it off to Oici, and immediately rushed back out for more, calling Tytia to come out and perform damage control on the spills.
Oici worked quickly to seal Mika's blood inside and buy time. With his steel instruments and bloodmetal thread, Masi worked with incredible precision and swiftness to repair the tear in Mika's neck and her ruptured organs, and quickly moved on to putting them back in their proper places, removing and clamping shut any sections too badly mangled to repair.
By the time a minute had passed, Mika's severed leg, arm, and hand had been preserved, her chest was once again intact, and Masi was well into restoring her lower body. In another minute, her lost arm was reattached, and her other arm and leg were tied off to prevent bloodflow.
In the third minute, Masi and Oici working together restarted her heart and lungs and the biggest step toward stabilizing the dying child was completed. The coughing that Masi and Oici had surpressed began in earnest, and Masi collapsed onto the floor, the time of need over and the pain of his injuries returning.
Oici tended to Mika some minutes more under Masi's haggard direction, and eventually the critically injured child was considered stable enough to move to a magma pool in which to continue her recovery. Masi was impressed, but despite his success and the child's outstanding resilence, still he felt defeated. Why had he not seen the signs earlier?
Mika awoke in intense pain, not from the heat or injuries, but from the surgery. She could not move and felt faint from the loss of blood, simultaenously starving and extemely nauseous, but unable to heave. Despite her anxiety, her muscles were lax and her breathing slow. She stared up at Oce and Oici, where they were overlooking the magma-filled basin.
Oici put a cup of liquid before her. It was beginning to boil from the heat. "Quickly, drink. It will hurt, but you must drink." Or the heat would ruin it, Mika thought. She did not struggle and swallowed as it was poured into her mouth.
The pain did not become truly intense until it reached her stomach. Steamy tears filled her goggles, and she heard Oici send Oce for more of the drink. Mika cursed nothing in particular. What had she done to deserve this?
As if in answer to her call for justice, the pain began to dull and her mind returned to that peaceful place. She was distantly aware of drinking another cupful of liquid, and then that other world was gone, safe within her own mind, where there was no pain, no hurt, and definitely no explosions. Except, maybe, the pretty, quiet kind that looked like blossoming flowers.
The Caravan II: This Time It's Personal Delivery
Nasri was impressed. The face of the Kawaredou had changed dramatically since his last visit, stone walls having been built around the perimeter. Though well-built and nice to look at, Nasri, a well-trained siege engineer, still found fault in the hasty construction and inexperienced design layout. Oh, well. The great walls were a sight to behold, nonetheless, nonetheless.
Unarmed guards manned the wall as the caravan approached. A voice called down, "Hi there, Katytan travellers! What brings you to Kawareidou?" Elna stepped forward, uttering one of the few words in the Hitengu tongue that she had been taught. "Trade."
The guard mistook her reticence for curtness, and attempt to smooth things over. "Fine then, come in. I didn't mean to be rude, just doing my job." Elna smiled and nodded, not understanding a wood.
The caravan entered to find a tent city had arisen within the lowlands contained by the curtain wall. Troops were training all around with blades of light, wielding them with little experience but much enthusiasm.
As they arrived, Elna queried, "What is this? Ginya said these people were the extreme opposite of militant and had no defenses to speak of. I can see that this is new, but what could have prompted the change?"
Nasri smirked. "Perhaps they already know of our plight and are rushing to our aid even as we speak? Doubtful, but surely you can sense that we are not the target of their ire."
Elna did not seem entirely satisfied, but nodded. "You might be right. Nana has said a greater conflict is befalling us, now that our goddess has guided us here. Perhaps we are not alone. I should hope we are not alone..."
Nasri laughed. Elna didn't get the joke, and looked upon him with concern. Nasri shook his head. "Nevermind. The thought of allying with these people just strikes me as hilarious, somehow. Not that I'm opposed to it." He shrugged. "Ugh, damn it. The marketplace is still inaccessible." He yelled toward Sonoa and Monsi. "Stop here!"
Nasri waved a hand toward Elna. "Go park the carts and keep those two out of trouble. You can handle the trading, but I'll be fine handling the diplomacy." Elna looked concerned, but did not object. Nasri was certainly better-prepared.
The Katytan guardman swiftly approached a woman leading a large spear formation in their drills, one he recognized from before, though she had not said a word at that meeting. The young woman with oddly-shaped hair looked very drowsy, but it did not seem to diminish her skill. "Hello, there! Where is Ryou?"
With an extremely tired voice, as though she had just woken up, and sorely wished she hadn't so early, the woman responded: "Must be up in the parliament buildin'... Lots of arguments these daaays... with Uchiwaka gone, he has to take all the yellinsss..."
Nasri struggled to translate the slurred speech, but managed to isolate the most important part of the message, and gave the halting reply: "'Parliament Building' is here?"
The Hitengu commander aimed her spear at something high up the cliff. Like a shot from a bow, the spear extended rapidly, pointing toward a rather large building on a higher level. "And now companyyy, please do that as well... s'good trainin'." The trainees tried to expand their spears, with varying degrees of effectiveness.
Nasri nodded, amused by the display, and made a mental note to ask Ginya more about this 'Hijutsu'. He bowed to the Hitengu woman and thanked her before returning to the other caravanners.
"It seems these people have moved their capital to this city, presumably for the defense of their government. The source of conflict is likely to be far from here, and entirely unrelated to us." Elna and Sonoa nodded. Monsi spat.
Nasri went on. "I will go deliver the messages and offerings personally, it would appear we have no need to hire messangers after all. Find somewhere to unload the goods if you can, Elna, we're going to be staying here for a while to do business."
The guardsman gathered what he needed from the cart; two casks, three letters, and the pouches containing the offerings. He sighed and began the arduous task of climbing up to the city.
Arriving at the indicated structure some minutes later, Nasri was surprised to see Ryou burst out of the doors, angrily. Nasri put up a hand and moved to intercept him, reaching for Ginya's letter.
Ryou looked up at him. "Ahhh, it's you. Errr... Nasgy..? What brings you to thsi town, lad?"
Nasri was surprised any syllables of his name had been remembered properly, given that Ginya had only stated it once in his presence and Nasri had hardly been paying attention at the time. "Nasri. Here, a letter from Ginya."
Ryou took the envelope. It was addressed to him in big, blue Hitengu script, and had a sketch of Ginya giving the letter to Ryou on the reverse, in case anyone might have misunderstood. Ryou recognized the handwriting immediately--it was very large. He opened it and read:
"Greetings, Ryou. I thank you for the hospitality you afforded me during my stay with your people. Unfortunately, I am unable to return as planned. The bearer of this message brings you a fine cask of 'Redberry Exploshroom'. I assure you, it has not been poisoned in the least, and has never resulted in the death of its imbibers, even in creatures of your approximate size and anatomical structure.
"Indeed, it may even be la lucky beverage, for no one that has ever comsumed it has ever perished of unnatural causes, barring drowning. It is the first batch brewed in over twenty years, so you shall be the first to taste it! I can only hope that you enjoy this gift as much as I enjoyed my time with you.
"Sincerely, Ginya Sansoresta."
Nasri presented the cask as Ryou finished scanning the message. "Oh, a gift, huh? Just bring it to my house, if you please. I am very busy. Uchiwaka just returned, just to be gone again, mumbling stuff about water and mirrors and whatnot. Very busy these days."
In his own language, not bothering to translate the blathering beyond the delivery quest, Nasri curtly replied, "I'll leave this here for you, I have further business here."
He left the cask upon the steps and headed forward into the parliament building. Ryou quickly moved to object. "Hey! Hey, you can't just go in there!" Nasri looked down at Ryou with a strange expression. Was he objecting to the refusal of home delivery service? Nasri attempted to continue onward.
He heard a humming tone behind him. The guards beside the gate drew their own light swords, creating like humming noises. Nasri rolled his eyes, hearing Ryou's voice behind his back. "I said you can't just go in there. These are bothersome times."
Nasri turned, rubbing his index finger across his lips for a moment, pensive with rage building, then unceremoniously dropped the burden of his letters, the offerings, and the second cask, bowing stiffly and quickly moving to leave.
He heard Ryou's voice call out behind him once more. "If you want an offical audience, you will have to ask like everybody else." Nasri did not bother to respond, still fuming from the insult. Ryou picked up his cask and returned to his house, busily busying himself with other business.
A guard called after Nasri as he headed down toward the marketplace. "Hey, what is with this bag?"
Nasri stopped momentarily, clearly stating over his shoulder, "For Ranpu," angrily, and then continued on his way.
The guards searched and found the letter for Ranpu, bringing it inside to be opened and read.
"Greetings, Great Hitengu. I am sorry to report such dire circumstances to you, I will be brief. We find ourselves threatened by the Hrun of the west, who would seek to take our lands from us. Already, hundreds of them skulk in our hills, and one particularly bold party have committed armed trespass on the very threshold of our settlement.
"We have taken their leader into custody, and we would very much like to open a dialogue with your people on this matter, but we remain unable to spare many to the task, least of all myself. In the name of peace and prosperity, we humbly request you send whatever delegation you can spare to aid us in our time of need.
"As a gesture of goodwill, we have sent to Kawreidou a trade caravan, repllete with offerings that I dearly hope make it to your door. We hope that upi find as much joy in their appreciaton as did we in their creation.
"Sincerely, Ginya Sansoresta."
Nasri returned to the now-unloaded caravan, full of sarcasm. "That went well. Tch. Let's get our business done. Help me with that barrel."
He had a feeling this was going to be a long, long month.
The Second
The Katytan scouts quickly pulled back. A second force was approaching, it was clear, more than twice the size of the last. There would be no mercy this time.
Flares were lit, drums were sounded, and an ambush location was chosen. A force of two dozen Katytans led by Ison was arrayed for battle, and laid in wait as the first members of the enemy column rounded the corner.
Ison nearly choked when he saw them. Confusion spread through the ranks as the column approached, four wide and eight deep, with four teams of two, each leading, flanking, and guarding their rear.
Though they were well-armed and armoured, they wore golden bronze cuirass rather than iron plate, and did not wear helms. Ison remained suspicious that it might be some strange force of disguised half-giant midgets, but those under his command were quick to grasp upon a simpler explaination.
Icand was the first to call out. "Katytans! They're Katytans! Everybody stand down!" Those quickest of wit and keenest of eyesight quickly complied, and eagerly began to gather on the road below. The second Katytan force came to a stumbling halt, before quickly rushing forward in jubilation to embrace the Katytans of the first.
"At last! At last!" Ison heard someone call. He held up a finger as if about to issue a word of caution, then shrugged and quickly slid down the cliff. "Hey, you! I know you! You're that guy with the axe!" Ison nodded, embarassed not to recognize the Katytan who approached him in turn. "Why, yes. Indeed, I am." He shifted the weight on his shoulder to demonstrate.
The Katytan who had called him out quickly lost interest and rushed over to someone else, and the frenzied discourse continued for several minutes with fewer than half a dozen Katytans from all sixty-four standing guard. Ison felt it was time to take a stand, and grabbed one who wore a shield on her back, batting it a few times with his axe to pierce the din.
"Katytans. Katytans! Need I remind you--or inform you, as the case may be--that we are within territory that our enemies would claim as their own? Come, we must return and quickly reorganize. Pleasantries can wait. Who leads you?"
A Katytan with thick-muscled arms and what Ison hoped was exaggeratedly-sculpted chest armour stepped forward, though his deep voice suggested otherwise. "I am called the Second of the Katytans, and it is I who lead our party. We follow in Nasha's footsteps. Some of us have been out of contact since the Demon War, others were found in the hills and deserts on our way eastward. Our boats ran aground last winter, and we come seeking refuge."
Ison grew progressively more annoyed toward the end of the speech, dutifully inspecting his fingernails. "Yes, yes. I'm sure Nasha and the children would love to hear your story. As I've said, we're in what could effectively become hostile territory on a moment's notice. Please, let us make haste."
The Second cracked a grin. "Of course. Men! Forward!" The Katytans of the Second quickly fell into formation and resumed marching up the road, leaving the ambush party to scurry after them.
"Pssh," Ison thought. "These folks have been spending too much time around humans. Honestly... Marching in formation?" He caught himself stepping in tune to the beat, and quickly broke step as the largest concentration of Katytans the world had seen since Usmok's rampage approached the distant Crimson Inferno.
The Erithrean Meet: Rapidsummary
The Katytans meet the Erithreans, that is Nasha and two children, who tell them not to trespass. However, they are later retrieved, as Erak has been captured and the threat of Hrun attack is relaxed.
Ironically, the Erithreans first priority is to find help in their war. The Katytans, of course, have a similar problem and can offer no aid. Trade and other diplomacy fall similarly flat, due to similar needs and capabilities, though a plan for Erithrean co-habitation of the volcano is outlined, and there is brief discussion of the construction of a mountain tunnel/aqueduct to the east.
(Turn continued below in a second post... Too much information!)
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Topic: Battle of the Gods IV (Read 71760 times)