The Price of Loyalty(Preston)
Date: 2025-06-28 22:02
(The Price of Loyalty(Preston):Preston)
[Sat Jun 28 2025]
In overlook above a warehouse
Perched on a low ridge, this overlook offers a clear line of sight down into the industrial yard of the warehouse below. Bushes, and trees make for decent enough cover. A small trail leads upwards from the street behind, leading directly to a small clearing atop the ridge. Surrounding the ridgeline is a wooden fence that’s seen some better days. It’s still standing though, for now.
It is about 65F(18C) degrees. The mist is heaviest At King and Woodcrest/span>/spanAs the small team arrive in their magical form of travels, they’d notice where they end up. The sound of some distant cars pass by, the honking of a truck. Besides that, it’s a relatively quiet night, at least where they are.
There’s a faint smell of forest pervading the overlook, with the slightest smells of a leftover party. Alcohol, and some vomit off in the distance.
Off in the short distance lies what’s probably the target objective. A lone standing warehouse that’s well-lit. Lining the outside is a small fence, that has yet to be fully fixed. It looks as if there’s been an opening, like someone has already been here to prep the place. Lining the overhanging roof are a few cameras that may or may not be working. For some it’s probably hard to tell from this distance.
“So,” Preston begins, taking a little squat, trying to hide his larger frame from peering eyes by using the concealment of a nearby bush. “That’s the warehouse,” he points out, which in fact, should be particularly obvious, since it looks like a warehouse and this is where they’ve ended up. “Mission should be relatively quick and simple. I’m honestly not expecting much in the way of resistance.” Turning his head, he address the group, and re-iterates just as a quick refresher. “We’re pretty much going in there,” the man points towards the warehouse. “Subdue guards, if there are any,” a beat, “I’d very much prefer not to kill them if we can help it, and then, just trash the place. Break stuff, whatever. Might even be some money in there, and if there is, you can take it. I don’t care.” Once that’s all said and done, Preston quickly checks his firearm – making sure the safety is on.
Padding up beside Preston, Catrina looks out at the warehouse, using Preston to hide herself as she does. “Looks fairly easy. Does anyone have explosives? That might be handy at the very least.” A finger lifts, tracing an invisible line along the wall, and the beak of the onesie dips slightly as she nods again.
Verity crouches low besides the assembled team, one hand braced against the earth as her eyes flick between the warehouse and the blinking cameras. It’s hard to tell whether she’s comprehending much behind the oversized helmet she’s donned, but what looks like an attempt at a nod is as good as a acknowledgement from her for now.
Opening one of the pouches of her harness belt, Lykaia plugs out a silencer from it and screws it at the front of her rifle. She is, of course, in matte blacks. Perfect for a more urban area, where the light doesn’t shine too much. Out of the gate, Lykaia moves forward, not the first she’s been through a mirrorgate, and kneels down somewhat more forward, carbine in the ready position. As someone speaks, she keeps her eyes forward, “Cameras? Any way into the system to check their functionality?”
Opening one of the pouches of her harness belt, Lykaia plugs out a silencer from it and screws it at the front of her rifle. She is, of course, in matte blacks. Perfect for a more urban area, where the light doesn’t shine too much. Out of the gate, Lykaia moves forward, not the first she’s been through a mirrorgate, and kneels down somewhat more forward, carbine in the ready position. As Preston speaks, she keeps her eyes forward, but asks when he finishes “Cameras? Any way into the system to check their functionality?”
Seraphina has a normal nose, but not so normal eyes, that one might wonder if the glasses are all but a ruse. She peers down along the way to the warehouse pointed out by Preston, a nod given him. “Got it. In and out.” She tells him as well as the outhers. “If need be, I’ll act as distraction..” She grins aside to the tall man, eyes trailing to Verity, Lykaia, and Verity. “But if we are quiet enough, and try to stay out of the line of sight…” She pulls her phone out. “I can check on their functionality but I’m not exactly pro at cameras.”
“Worse case scenario,” Seraphina says, creeping a little closer to get some kind of signal, despite the distance. “I can melt them.”
Seraphina considers. “Or best case.”
“Can assist a camera.” Lykaia says, her tone more quietened down.
It’s one thing at a time from Preston, answering each question and each thought in turn. First is Catrina’s, “Explosives are sort of loud, I don’t actually want to make that much noise if we can help.” Then it’s Lykaia’s, but Seraphina has seemingly that covered. “I never was able to get super close in my first attempts, didn’t wanna rattle anybody.” Pointing towards the warehouse fence, he indicates a break in the fence. “Got about that far, cut the fence, we should be able to get in there, I’m thinking someone who isn’t me, who’s quieter, and smaller go through first. Take a look around? We can cover you from up here, if need be.” A look is given towards Lykaia, Verity, Seraphina and Catrina in turn. “I’ve got rope, so I can lower you down to the ground, and we’ll tie it to a tree, giving access down and up.”
Verity pushes herself up and scuttles over to stand next to Seraphina, peering at her phone. There’s probably a bump of heads thanks to what she’s wearing for incognito mode. After that little mishap, she adjusts, distancing herself so she isn’t so invasive in the other’s space. “I’ll just.” She motions vaguely, trying to sound as competent as everyone else. “Do stuff,” she tacks on to everyone else’s abilities, wiggling her fingers mysteriously, then digs around the front pocket of her apron, pulling out a revolver. “Three two one not it,” she quickly calls out, waving her hands and shaking her head.
“I can sneak around, if needed.” Catrina offers, giving only a nod in indication of the explosives being off the table. “My magic won’t work unless I expose one of my focuses, but…” She shrugs. “I should be able to manage if no one else can.”
Despite Seraphina’s heels, it is pretty obvious that the woman is fairly quick and quiet, those heels barely having made a sound on concrete. “Up to you, boss,” she tells someone. “I’m not exactly tiny if that is what you’re wanting.” She stands a fair height. “But I think I am one of the less brighly colored of us all.” At least when it comes to Verity. But her darkened eyes do look over Lykaia as a possibility.
Despite Seraphina’s heels, it is pretty obvious that the woman is fairly quick and quiet, those heels barely having made a sound on concrete. “Up to you, boss,” she tells Preston. “I’m not exactly tiny if that is what you’re wanting.” She stands a fair height. “But I think I am one of the less brighly colored of us all.” At least when it comes to Verity. But her darkened eyes do look over Lykaia as a possibility.
“Can hide yourself with it, C.” Lykaia says, before peering onward, over the compound. “Can cover. But shouldn’t move too close, till we know locations of camera, functionality.” She keeps her eyes forward until speaking, then looking back to Seraphina “You’re more suited to it.”
As Preston thinks of the best line of approach, he’s already moving across the overlook, edging towards the forest. Pulling out pretty sturdy length of rope from his rucksack. Pressing his gloved hand to a trunk, he tests it for strength, like that’s really going to do anything. A nod of confirmation, Preston nods and ties the rope to the trunk, then tosses it over the edge. Quiet, he gestures towards Seraphina, and then Verity. “I think you two should go, Sera first,” the callsigns have been thrown aside rather quickly. “Verity behind. If there’s a guard, Verity, you can distract it, and Lykaia can drop them. The three of us will wait up here, and wait until that little section is clear, then we move through, and sweep in.”
Adding a new thought, Preston glances towards Catrina, “And you can spot for Lykaia, for the moment. I’ll man the rope.”
“On it.” Catrina says, moving over to someone’ side. Lowering her voice, Catrina asks “Does spotting mean I should be seeing things for you, because I’m not like a vampire. You might be on your own there.”
“Okay, fine,” Verity remarks, not sounding very pleased, but she has consolation that she isn’t traversing down the rope alone. In that vein, she nods at Seraphina to take the lead. “After you, Lady,” she administers in a muffled voice, then throws out random call signs she’s seen in the movies with her right hand, though they might as well be gang signs. Stepping forward, she lays a finger at Preston and Seraphina in turn, entrusting them with her safety. “Don’t let me fall,” she pleads, patiently waiting for Seraphina to head down first.
“On it.” Catrina says, moving over to Lykaia’s side. Lowering her voice, Catrina asks “Does spotting mean I should be seeing things for you, because I’m not like a vampire. You might be on your own there.”
Seraphina nods once more to Preston and then to Lykaia, motioning her closer with a beckoning of fingers before she is trying to again get a gander at the warehouse. She has her own camera up, and the picture expanded in order to pinpoint some of the cameras. “Okay!” She smiles to Verity and Catrina. “I can just jump it, not sure that I need rope.” Perhaps a little cocky. Unintentional cocky. She begins to move, forward, slinking into shadows where they exist, and marking a path of least resistance for others to follow suit. Then, she is down into the darkness below the ridge. She appears to fly. Momentarily, with said jump. But … will she land superhero style? That is the question.
Lykaia places up a bipod under her carbine, attaching it to the underside of her rifle’s barrel and taking position just slightly to not have her rifle poke out while she’s lying on her belly. Her head leans over to someone, tone quiet “Tell when you have visual contact. Four eyes better than two.”
Lykaia places up a bipod under her carbine, attaching it to the underside of her rifle’s barrel and taking position just slightly to not have her rifle poke out while she’s lying on her belly. Her head leans over to Catrina, tone quiet “Tell when you have visual contact. Four eyes better than two.”
“Okay.” Catrina says with a short nod, moving up a bit to get a better view of the area.
The trip down from Seraphina and Verity goes rather smoothly in fact. Preston is good at using rope, as Preston lowers both wom- well only the one woman, Verity, since Seraphina just jumped, quickly and efficiently. It’s not a very long trip down, even if someone was to fall, it might maybe be a broken leg, depending if they fell badly, but not death.
Unless you land on your head.
Once they’re down it’s just a short trek to that already pried open fence. A cursory scan would reveal it’s not trapped, there’s no wires, no nothing. The security here does seem particularly lowkey, and not at all costly.
As Seraphina and Verity manage to make their way towards that fence, they’d come closer to the hole – it’s Preston-sized, and should be an easy squeeze.
Verity hesitates at the edge, eyes flicking between the drop and the path Seraphina took with ease. She lets out a small, breathy laugh and cracks her knuckles, wincing with regret at the small pop, but she maintains a cool facade behind her helmet. Not one to be outdone, she grips the rope and… her descent begins in a stuttering rhythm, pausing every wiggle to make sure her flats don’t slip off. Compared to Seraphina, it takes me an eternity to get down, but she manages a cheeky grin as she swings the last few feet and lands with a quiet patter of soes besides Seraphina.
When they come across the obstacle with a break, she makes a most astute observation. “Look. A hole.”
“Silent your phone, C.” Lykaia tells over, adjusting her carbine rifle and peering out over the path the group’s taking. A hand reaches to the safety lock and turns it to live fire. Finger stays off trigger.
Nodding, Catrina pulls out her phone for a moment before returning it to its place in the duck suit.
On the ground, at the bottom, and as the others make their way down likely far more safe than a woman who dreams of flying, Seraphina continues forward through the junk, her camera pinpointing a camera.
It is, in fact a hole, fortunately though, the security at this warehouse is very lax. There’s not even a single guard outside, and closer inspection might have people noticing that the cameras are down for the moment. Probably stupid system update. It’s really fortunate in fact. In front of the two women, just across the way is a metallic door, if someone were to test it, they’d find that it’s in fact locked.
Now that the coast is rather clear, Preston gestures to Catrina, motioning her that way, “Should be good, you go next, Cat.”
Across the distance, Preston gestures to both Seraphina and Verity – holding his fist, palm towards them in a silent handsign.
Hopping up, Catrina nods, moving over to the rope and scrambling down, checking for any eyes on her movements from the warehouse before making a dash for the other two that have already made it, trying her best to stick to the shadows where possible, even though the sunny coloring of her outfit quite quickly ruins that illusion of stealth.
“Drat..” Seraphina says, when the camera continues upon its swivel. “Anyone know elecro-whatever?” Otherwise, we’re going to have to find another way.” Fire. Everything is better with it, no?
Unfortunately, Seraphina’s attempt to hack into the camera doesn’t work, and the system update that had it broken has resolved itself. Cameras can be some tough cookies to crack sometimes. That camera swivels rather slowly though, back and forth. A little pattern in the movement.
Somewhere down the path, a guard actually does his job – there’s a sniffle from a man, and he’s deciding to head that way. Right towards that hole.
Twisting to watch the guard as best she can, Catrina fishes around in the front of the onesie, before producing a small medallion. With a quick flash, it is surrounded in prismatic light, and her form blurs slightly, flickering out of existence as she runs to meet up with Seraphina and Verity.
Verity huddles next to the hole she clambered through, sitting inconspicuously while she waits for the rest of the team to gather and assess the situation. In the meanwhile, she stares at that locked door like a kid locked out of their own home. Spotting some movement from a direction that hasn’t been okayed by the crew, she holds a finger up as if to signal, squinting. “Eyes on me… or not,” she whispers to herself in a strained voice, snapping her fingers lightly. On her end, nothing seems to happen.
Lykaia adjusts a little, turning her rifle to the side in the direction of the guard, finger lays onto the trigger and she keeps him in her iron sight, ready to fire if he steps any closer.
Verity’s spell worked, only slightly. The man looked to be on his rounds outside, and probably looking for a spot to take a leak, the fence was a good spot, out of the way, but a flicker of something happens in his vision, and he turns away – only to turn his attention back towards Catrina in particular. It’s like he’s a deer in headlights. The man is rather large, and burly. “OI,” he shouts, beginning to stalk his way towards Catrina, as Seraphina attempts to sneak past. It’s a successful attempt from Seraphina, and she’s past the man, but Catrina is not. “YOU. C’MERE.” The man shouts.
Verity starts making frantic hand gestures – the universal sign that there’s trouble and they need help. Emphasized by pointing at the guard they’ve just alerted.
While she is speeding past, sticking to shadows and cover, Seraphina pulls out her broad sword. If all fails, she has it gripped, and ready to try to land the hilt against his temple.
Lykaia’s shot goes wide, whizzing just past the guard. The man grunts, and turns his attention towards the bullet. “COME HERE!” He bellows, and hopefully he doesn’t rouse any other guards. Still though, he stalks towards Catrina, she’s the first person he sees.
Catrina is clearly not too familiar with the task of running in a onesie, and so, after a rather embarrassing moment of stumbling where her hood seems to be blocking her vision, she tumbles to the ground, tipping her head back to look up at the guard.
Taking a breath, Catrina gives herself half a second to consider what exactly she’s about to do, before she lets out an impromptu “Quack!” With her best duck impression, before lunging and trying to shank the guard with her knife, drawn from a hidden sheath along the inside of her arm as she goes.
(OOC Note: Preston messed up the syntax, one second please!)
(OOC Note: Going to try something! Sorry about this!)
(OOC: Okay, sorry about that!)
(OOC: Sorry about that! I’ll get back on track here now!)
Seraphina fails to knock the guard out, the man is quick enough to dodge past that. Just barrelling past that sword and towards Catrina. “NO QUACK! YOU DEAD. THEN I COOK DUCK.” Forward he marches, apparently not caring about the hail of bullets that someone might rain down on him. As that well paid security guard pushes forward, Preston begins to climb down the rope, wanting to get to the bottom and into the fray as quick as possible.
Seraphina fails to knock the guard out, the man is quick enough to dodge past that. Just barrelling past that sword and towards Catrina. “NO QUACK! YOU DEAD. THEN I COOK DUCK.” Forward he marches, apparently not caring about the hail of bullets that Lykaia might rain down on him. As that well paid security guard pushes forward, Preston begins to climb down the rope, wanting to get to the bottom and into the fray as quick as possible.
“Uh oh…” Catrina squeaks, scrabbling backward and up onto her feet as the guard approaches.
(OOC: Okay, it’s working now. I’ll emote and we’ll continue)
That guard rounds the corner, to find Catrina, but spots Seraphina, and Verity instead. He shouts, and just barrels through the door, leading them into the warehouse to protect the goods.
Preston says “OW! “
(OOC Note: Try using ‘George!’
It would seem that the large security guard was all bark, and really no bite. Except for poor Preston, he got clobbered a bunch, and he’s even limping his away towards the rest of the group.
The inside of the warehouse is exactly what it would seem like in the tin can. Almost exactly what Preston even mentioned would happen. There’s metal shelves lining the floor, boxes and crates are all over the place. Fortunately for the rag-tag team of people, there’s no more guards inside. It was just that one, who’s well, now lying on the floor in a broken and beaten lump.
Preston gritting his teeth, Preston scans the floor. “Well..” he begins, breathing out. “That.. did not go to plan.” Marching his way towards the corpse, he kicks it, making sure the large dude is rather dead.
Seraphina goes over to the corpse and wiggles her arrow tip right on out of him. She asks, out of concern for the team, “Everyone good?” She takes a moment to study THEM before she even bothers with the tin can they are in.
Wincing where she’d been clobbered a few times herself, Catrina sits heavily by the corpse, then, just for good measure, she stabs it in the side, twisting the blade up and under the ribs before tearing it loose again. “That hurt. A lot.” She mutters, then, pushing herself up and trying fruitlessly to wipe some blood off her onesie, she turns in a slow circle. “So. We have to break this stuff now?”
Verity drops her revolver into the large front pocket of her apron dress and scampers over to the centrefold where all the action happened, giving a cursory look over the fallen security guard before clapping her hands together like she’s just concluded some dirty work. “All good here,” she chimes in for the collective status report. “Nice job, team,” comes some praise.
Lykaia picks up her rifle, removing the bipod, keeping the silencer in place. She draws out her baton. For the security guard, she really didn’t help with it as his body drops when she draws near. “Nothing is foolproof. He was loud.” She reaches for the still sheathed glock, and detaches a flashbang from it. “Could try breach wall. Or we try door. Flash, in.”
Preston gestures to the massive, almost cartoonish hole that security guard made as he broke his way into the warehouse. “We should be good actually,” Preston mentions to Lykaia. “We just gotta ruin all the contraband inside.”
“I can try to pick the lock… if it is locked. Or I can try to melt the handle off.” Seraphina suggests with some chipperness in her honeyed draw. “Or… that.”
“Didn’t bring molotov.” Lykaia answers to Preston, attaching the flashbang back to the thigh holster. “Frags, Teargas. What’s the plan?”
“How concerned about noise are we now?” Catrina asks Preston, making her way a little closer to the hole and peeking in at the shipping container.
Preston leans against the wall for a moment, just inhaling and exhaling, his eyes scan the place, frowning slightly. “At this point?” Preston turns to Catrina. “I think that fucker,” Preston nods in corpse’s direction, “Made enough noise for all of us. Doesn’t look like there’s any other guards, but for all I know there could a QRF on their way.”
Thankfully, the warehouse is powered by a generator, a gas one even, and off to a corner there’s a few gas cans. “There.” He points it out, “Let’s just dump that, and toss grenades inside?” It’s a suggestion, a question to the rest of the group. “I spot some briefcases, if anyone wants to take one. Might be money, or drugs inside.”
Nodding to Preston, Catrina moves over to grab the briefcases, moving them clear of the warehouse for the group to divide later. The gasoline and grenades earn an eager look, but she keeps back out of that whole mess, fingers drumming against the cases as she watches with anticipation.
Lykaia collapses the baton, slides it back into its holster. The rifle is, with silencer, left hanging with the lock switched back to safe. She moves to the can, grabs one and then starts pouring it all over the goodies. “Cat. Take briefcases out? You’re weak. We’ll be quicker with gassing.”
Slinging the bow over her shoulder, Seraphina stores away her sword, and then begins to snag things she can easily take along with her, a briefcase, along with Catrina. “I don’t have the ability to demo anything, but I can help get Cat out. I can set a quick fire and poke a hole in a can with an arrow or a bullet, and then we can walk away… slow mo like.”
Verity pokes around the shipping containers and crates, but when it’s made clear they’re not here to shop around leisurely, she hurries back, letting those qualified or brave enough with explosives work their stuff, pausing to grab a briefcase and lug it out of the warehouse.
“Alright, that’s settled then,” Preston says, working his way over to help Lykaia with pouring gas everywhere. There’s a few cans, about six in total and between the group, and whoever else has decided to help, it’s easy enough work.
“Let’s get out of here,” Preston calls out, ushering the group towards that comical hole. “Sera, light it up once we’re outside,” turning to Lykaia, “And.. yeah, throw whatever you have in there. Let’s just burn this shit.”
Seraphina pulls out a little piece of yellowing paper from her bag, and balls it up in her hands. “I suggest that everyone who needs to get a headstart, get it. Because once I throw this, we’re not going to have a whole lot of time.” The edges of the paper start to darken, and smoke, turning a charred color.
Catrina is already clear of the warehouse herself, so she just watches.
Verity stands behind a pile of briefcases, patiently waiting and watching while looking over their haul for anything of value. “Huh,” she murmurs to herself.
And when Preston tells her to throw her thing in there, she grabs around, for another pouch and out comes an IED. Is Lykaia carrying this all the time? She pulls a small thread, sticking out from the cylindric device and tosses it over at the goodies -BOOM- it goes up loudly, a cloud of flame rushes out. Neighbours down the road or bypassing cars definitely heard that. “We should go.”
“Yup,” Preston calls out over the sudden burst of fire from Seraphina and Lykaia both. The explosion ringing out, rattling the floor. It’s all gone up in smoke. Preston is the last one out, ushering the group away from the warehouse, and back towards the outlook – towards that rope. “I’ll stay at the bottom,” Preston calls out, glancing behind him. “Meet at the top and we’ll take the gate back.”
Catrina watches the explosion with rapt fascination, going on almost autopilot to get up to the outlook, eyes never leaving the flames as she grins behind the beak hood.
Well, that was unexpected, as Seraphina, perhaps misunderstanding that Preston wanted her to start the fire, holds onto a piece of now smouldering paper, while the IED tossed into the mix of gas by Lykaia ignites everything. It seems piddly now that she tosses that fiery piece into a blaze. It just fizzles to forgotten ash. She looks back at the blaze, fascinated as it sizzles and pops, and builds in pressure. But she can’t stay. She starts to climb up the ridge, fingers seeking ridges that she can grip, and pull herself up.
Preston climbs up after the group, making sure everyone is safe and up top. Exhaling as he unties his rope, he begins to tuck it back into his pack, curling it back up. Making his way towards that still shimmering gateway, that’s left there, he urges people to people, leading the way back to New Haven proper. “I think,” Preston jokes, “This counts as walking away slow-mo, huh?”