Regaldo’s Monday afternoon odd encounter(Axle)
Date: 2026-05-18 18:30
(Regaldo’s Monday afternoon odd encounter(Axle):Axle)
[Mon May 18 2026]
In outside a warehouse in the tall grass prairie reserve
Swaying grass is suddenly interrupted in this vast prairie by a large, gray stoned warehouse. It is much taller than most warehouses, reaching several floors, and at the top, a ring of windows glows with light. A fence had once surrounded the property, but very recently it seems, it was smashed to the ground, destroyed with brute force.
It is about 65F(18C) degrees. The mist is heaviest At King and Lake/span
The red butterfly follows along through the mirrorgate and floats up into the open of the prairie, towards the warehouse.
The group emerges onto the other side of the mirror to find a truly massive array. Vehicles have been pulled up to where once, a fence surrounded the large warehouse. Tactical gear and firearms are in abundance amongst the soldiers present, and a few, assumedly the aid from the Seventh, bare the blank looks of slave-soldiers. The warehouse itself is set in the center of this massive force, built of gray stone, with its top ringed with windows. The doors are firmly shut, though judging by the force gathered, doors won’t be the main challenge. The mirror has been set up against the back of one of the military vehicles, propped beneath the opened rear door. The grass is tramped down, and a few bullets already shine in the grass, along the edge of an invisible circle around the warehouse.
Static crackles across comms as Regaldo’s voice comes through, “Welcome to the party. Mind your heads and I hear they’re serving finger sandwiches inside.” he gives a pained laugh before the line cuts out.
Yukino glances over the people present, the softness in her expression wanes somewhat, and she moves a little away from Axle and the others, up until she finds a few women. They come in two coloring types. Four with black hair and gear, and a single with white hair and gear. They look like professionals, though the look in their eyes is flat, as if something is quite wrong with them. “One might be glad a team made it.” She says, polite, looking up at the five taller women before turning away from them. They do not respond and remain in a singular line.
All of them have the symbol of a stylized crimson butterfly on them.
Tapping his own earpiece, Axle responds dryly “Good. I was getting hungry.” Before glancing around to survey the situation.
After a brief visual assessment of their surroundings and their situation, Mercy’s nose notices the trail of blood near the mirror before her eyes do and she squints off to the west thoughtfully. “This bodes well.”
The comms crackle to life again as Regaldo reports, “Seems the Seventh has been having a field day. There’s about two dozen or so guards pushing back– Standby.” The comms cut as a few muffled sounds come from the west, “I’ll do what I can from here but don’t expect any heroics. I’m a little fucked up and high as a kite.”
“Gonna be a lot more blood before we’re done here,” Maeve murmurs, rubbing her nape. She’s looking over the faces, absently, assessing them in an instant, each of them.
It isn’t a moment later before the doors are opened. A line of shieldbearers march from within the warehouse, five, ten, fifteen, all assuming a locked formation as the front line of the Seventh and other allied soldiers open fire. Bullets ping in a rapid rain against shields as more slave-soldiers file out, some with axes, and some with firearms, who take up a return volley of shots. And off from the west, a quiet thump, then another. While made difficult by shields, a few soldiers are dropped by the thump of a rifle firing from somewhere. Though it is not nearly enough to stem the flow now pouring from the warehouse. There are four rows between the group and the front of the fighting lines currently. No side has claimed an advantage in driving the other away.
Mercy eyes her nearby fellows after taking stock of these new developments, weighing options in her head no doubt. “Well, thas’ a lot of dudes.. but I could try an’ mow some down via head-first barrelin’ right into ’em if that’d help.”
Yukino tilts her head towards the ear she has the earpiece on for the comms, and then glances back to the five human combat dolls. She raises her left hand up, and gestures them to follow. It is not far, just away from some of the vehicles to keep them between themselves and the warehouse, but still have enough space.
Her shoulders rise, and then drop, together with a single breath. The mortar is unslung and places onto the ground, the six rounds dropped besides it. She raises her hand again and makes a circle with the hand balling into a fist and the five dolls fan out protectively around them, not that any ambush is expected. It is then also there that she takes something smaller out from one of the bags along her harness, together with a controller that has a little display.
Following Yukino with his eyes, Axle blinks. “What are you…” Then, trailing off, he turns back to Mercy. “We need in that building. If you think you can get us in… do it.” He inspects the front wall. “Ideal would be we send that wall to kingdom come.”
“I can ward our people,” Maeve suggests, slipping her athame to hand, lazily dragging her gaze over the combat. “On Mercy, maybe, let her be the focal point for defending…”
“Long as y’all can cover me enough that I ain’ eatin’ like a thousand bullets before I even reach it, deal.” Mercy offers, and reaches down to start unlacing her boots.
“One finds the weather might be about to be quite bad, sir Axle.” Yukino calls over, letting the tiny spy drone fly up, her eyes turn down to the display on the controller. “One merely suggests to not be too close to where it rains, perhaps.”
“Deal.” Axle nods, stepping up and tapping a soldier on the shoulder. When the man turns, he points to the side. “Get the fuck out of the way.” A bit more harsh than expected, from the approach. It does however, work, and the soldier moves aside, starting an opening.
“Where it…” Axle pauses, eyes tracking up to the drone.
Maeve glances at the mortar and asks, “Is it about to be raining men?” It’s delivered entirely in a deadpan, straying to stay near, but not directly beside, Mercy, trusting Axle and Yukino to handle their roles.
As routine as it comes, Mercy unburdens herself of her thrift shop attire quickly and efficiently. This time though, there’s an extra step where she swipes the soft underside of her thumb against the tiny blade jutting out from a red-tinged titanium ring around her pointer, leaving a bead of blood behind that seems to soak into right the metal.
Dirt flies as Mercy(wolf) kicks off from a pivot to a sprint around the vehicle, and directly for the indicated wall of the base with no regard for anyone or anything that didn’t get out of her way fast enough.
“Holy shit.” Axle dives himself to the side from where he stood, out of Mercy(wolf)’s path.
“Unit B-1. Please load the mortar up… one might suggest tilting it…” Yukino begins, letting the drone hover over the fighting, switching it to thermal. Her own eyes lose their youthful spark, and grow quite dull. “B-1, tilt the mortar…”
Maeve steps behind the wolf, a light filling the arcane runes carved in her dagger as she points it at the wolf, sanguine shimmer there for only a moment as a warding shield settles not only on her, but around her, letting bullets plink off it.
Off in the distance, probably in Regaldo’s direction, a faint, “Woo!” can be heard. Probably.
Yukino keeps her gaze on the screen as the ground shakes and the shell hits right on its mark far too well. Firing a mortar this close is quite loud and if someone were to say something to her, she would be too deaf to hear it. Too deaf to hear whatever screaming someone may be about to cause, though she follows the doings of the were on the thermal of her hornet drone.
Yukino keeps her gaze on the screen as the ground shakes and the shell hits right on its mark far too well. Firing a mortar this close is quite loud and if someone were to say something to her, she would be too deaf to hear it. Too deaf to hear whatever screaming Mercy(wolf) may be about to cause, though she follows the doings of the were on the thermal of her hornet drone.
The mortar shell’s impact is loud. That is certain. The ground trembles underfoot as the impact arrives, a whole section of the enemy force annihilated in an instant. That is moments before Mercy(wolf) barrels in, soldiers leaping aside as best they can before several thousand pounds of pissed off wolf crush them. As bullets begin to rain down upon her, Maeve’s ward locks into place, only a few managing to make it through to actually strike Mercy(wolf)’s fur. Those that do, are little enough in effect. From the distance, more shots are fired, though the influence of these is little to none. At least none drop ally soldiers. The field between the forces is already growing to be littered with dead and dying, with that number ever increasing. It does seem though, that the enemy soldiers are more the ones dying than the group’s allies.
Yukino watches Mercy(wolf) ravage into the enemies for less than a handful of seconds before the drone is guided around to view the warehouse from another side. She stops when she finds another target, a little further away. She places a hand on the black dolls arm, slides a finger up and then taps thrice, then to the side, thoughtfully. The tinnitus in her ears is not going to just wane yet and when she is satisfied with the positioning, she places her full hand on the black dolls shoulder and taps twice, prompting the doll, in more mechanical motions than human ones, to load the second shell in.
This time, she signals for the next shot to happen with her bumped fist against the human doll’s arm and holds her hands over her ears, wincing.
Thanks to Maeve’s warding what bullets do get through are little more than bee stings and do nothing to slow Mercy(wolf) down, the momentum building and building until its skull and shoulder both SLAM into the wall.
The butterfly flies over the battlefield below, and then further across the prairie until landing near someone on the ground.
The butterfly flies over the battlefield below, and then further across the prairie until landing near Regaldo on the ground.
Axle sighs, unslinging his axe. And, with a surge of energy, he throws himself forward after Mercy(wolf), charging with reckless abandon into the enemy lines.
Sweating profusely despite the moderate temperatures, Regaldo rotates again, closer this time as he starts to exit the tall prairie grasses. His expression a mixture of pain and amazement as the exterior of the warehouse turns into a de facto war zone. He gives his head a firm shake and focuses on the task at hand with his scope scanning the tops of the buildings for any guards trying to get the drop on the party in the chaos. The movement outside his peripheral draws his attention with the butterfly getting a curiously raised brow, a fleeting glance, then back to scanning for targets.
While not, in the most technical sense, a frontline combatant, what with the being an arcanist, wearing scrubs with no visible armor besides a faint shimmer about her form, Maeve stays within a few steps of both Mercy(wolf) and Axle, swinging her blade as necessary, interposing herself between her boyfriend and danger, as they jog along behind the wrecking ball of a wolf, not afraid to sweep a foot to get a person mashed beneath the giant creature. “Shouldn’t have been in the way, really.”
As Yukino’s mortar fires again, there is a sudden boom, and, it is already clear, the shell is not going to go where they’d hoped. A massive crater is made, and where a section of their allies stood, there is now nothing.
As Mercy(wolf) rushes forward, enemy soldiers scramble aside, unwilling to be crushed by the rampaging beast, though a few are not so fortunate. The wall is one such. Stone crumbles away as Mercy(wolf) barrels through, creating a rather large hole in the wall. Screams come from inside, before a new hail of gunfire joins the cacophany, coming from within the warehouse.
As Axle and Maeve charge, the soldiers are just recovering from diving away from Mercy(wolf). That doesn’t stop them from firing a volley at Axle as he sets about his own mission of havoc, and, if it weren’t for Maeve interposing herself, he may have taken just as many wounds as he gives, though the casualties are moderate all the same.
Regaldo continues to harass those at the edges of the enemy, though whether from distraction or being high on medicines, he isn’t able to get as many clean shots as he may have wished. It is enough to hold, and to fend off a few groups attempting to slip around the sides, but not enough to do much more.
The enemy is still pressed back against the wall of the warehouse, pinned in place, and taking heavy casualties. However, the allies of the group are also in a sore spot, friendly fire having destabilized their ranks slightly.
As one might expect, even at Mercy(wolf)’s size and strength that collision didn’t tickle and the beast has to pause a short ways through the hole it made to shake off the disorientation from its little canine brain rattling around in its skull. Dust and debris fall all round as bits of the wall still periodically crumble off to hit the floor.
Yukino looks back down at her the camera on the controller when she feels the ground tremble, and this time, it takes a few seconds longer to get the sitch together. She hmms, seeing enemies drawn back against the warehouse walls. Her hand finds the doll’s arm again, she has the mortar loaded and adjusted again, and this time, rather than a specialized target, she makes to try to shell the middle of the warehouse instead. This time she only covers one of her ears, the one closest to the mortar.
With the hole in the wall now made, Axle shifts direction, following after Mercy(wolf) as she charges through, axe still swinging with wild, reckless abandon, heedless of his own self-preservation.
Regaldo mutters something under his breath as he changes mags, leaving the empty on the ground with a fresh sliding into place. Taking a moment to wipe his face, he unscrews the silencer from the barrel as he leaves his cover with a heavy limp and does his damned best to call his targets. “Axle, what’s the play?” crackles over the comms, “I’m down to my last .308 mag.”
The butterfly rises up again, and makes to land atop the scope of Regaldo’s rifle, if he allows it to.
Regaldo allows it
Closer into the battle, mindful of the allies, Maeve takes out her favorite tools – her throwing blades – and starts trying to open some holes into those she finds, while still staying glued to Axle’s side, very aggressively protecting him.
The butterfly probably got a little in the way and by fortune it worked out quite well instead.
Maeve does not, in fact, make unicorns. Sad.
Once Mercy(wolf) has recovered most of its senses it starts to mind its step a little more carefully so as to not knock a limb into Axle or Maeve and keep out of the way of their weapons while utilizing its own; itself. Anything not yet downed by them or the others is the potential victim of huge jaws that come in literally swinging as the animal whips its head towards any source of movement it doesn’t immediately recognize as ally.
Yukino’s mortar shell arcs through the air, and for a moment, it is evident that soldiers around her were expecting quite a lot more than a miss, some showing disappointment…
Until an explosion rocks the upper levels of the warehouse. Windows explode outward as the impact arrives, though its exact results are only clear to Yukino through her drone.
Mercy(wolf), still dazed from her charge, has become the focal point of the enemy fire within the warehouse, though her warding still holds, protecting the dazed wolf from being too badly injured. This distraction, however, does allow Axle increase his furious attack, cutting swaths through the soldiers within. The enemies inside the warehouse have slowed to a crawl as they deal with the breaching trio. Maeve’s knives, on their own, aren’t doing much, though she does still manage to take down a few as they filter in to close off the breach. That is until Mercy(wolf) regains her senses. Soldiers too brave or too slow are crushed between jaws as Mercy(wolf) continues to tear through any that dare to attempt to stand in her way. Fortunately, there isn’t much besides adversary in this warehouse at the moment, though a few groups of soldiers have noticed and started for the breach.
As Regaldo’s shots continue, either through luck, or something else, the rounds seem to, curve, ever so slightly. One that must have, couldn’t have, hit its target, shifts ever so slightly, causing the shot to paint those behind the enemy in the group red with blood. This serves to drive back the flanking attempts, and even begin thinning the outer edges of the formation.
The enemy outside the warehouse has almost entirely given way, two groups each flanking the breach and desperately trying to push back as the forces of the military and the Seventh slave-soldiers charge in toward the opening. The inside of the warehouse, however, is still rather chaotic.
Mercy(wolf) is definitely working through some shit given how vivacious it is with its all-out assault, ears perpetually pinned back to spare it some of the noise of gunfire, mortar blasts and screams. Once or twice when its body pivots a hind leg or its tail might swing a little too close to Axle and Maeve, but so far there’s been no friendly fire.
Yukino keeps her eyes down on the camera on her controller, needing to cycle from thermal to real-picture and then thermal again, with some messes still warm. It takes again a couple of seconds before she closes one eye when and shouts into her comm unit, still hearing the unpleasant beeping of her tinnitus. “One might see enemies. Top floor. About a dozen.” And then, without speaking into her comm unit “One thinks.” She deflates, there is a weariness in her eyes when she pushes the black doll and the black doll rises to her feet. She takes the moment to uninstall the mortar, and between uninstalling it from the ground, moving the drone to find anything she might forward to everyone else.
The butterfly rises into the air, and starts to make its way towards the warehouse.
Bleeding is a bitch. Being a natural in a war zone full of monsters is a bitch. Running out of ammo, you guessed it, is a bitch.
“Be safe little buddy.” Regaldo utters towards the departing butterfly. He saw it. Others saw it too, right? It’s not the drugs. He gives a solid shake of his head and shifts his scope towards the location Yukino called out, “I’ve only got three shots left then I’m on my sidearm.” he relays over comms.
Despite all his bitching, Regaldo seems to be smiling as if he’s having a grand time.
The inside of the warehouse is expansive, though the first level isn’t much visible due to all of the soldiers. A few staircases and ladders rise to the second level of platforms, where more soldiers are visible with firearms. As the group’s allies begin to enter, these soldiers on high turn fire from Mercy(wolf), Maeve and Axle, to them. The enemy is falling back from the breach, pressed away by the incoming tide of firepower.
Regaldo’s shots are true, but sometimes, distance just can’t be compensated for. The arc of the bullets aren’t quite enough to reach those upper windows.
Maeve does not suppose a giant fucking wolf will be doing much with a ladder, giant as she is, and nods toward a staircase, keeping their group warded as they travel up closer toward it, but also, just to fuck with anyone who seems too competent, from time to time… a little sanguine light warms her athame, and bloody tears roll down faces. Sorry, not sorry.
Shouldering his rifle, Regaldo switches to his sidearm and moves for cover, his movement slowed considerably by his wounded leg. Provided he reaches the wall for cover, he’ll press against only to slump and slide to the ground. “Just need a minute.” he reasons to anyone nearby as he tries to catch his breath.
Yukino slings the mortar around her shoulder again. The three remaining mortar shell stay on the ground, abandoned for now. She shouts into her comm unit again, the tinnitus lingering. “One observes a VIP target. Top floor. Slave soldiers surround to defend, it seems.” She gets the drone to be higher, but then also gives the battery status a brief glance, leaving it hovering where it does now. When the human dolls around her notice movement behind them, they stand up and fan out in front of her, crouched, weapons raised as they begin to move towards the building.
The butterfly continues on its slow journey in the sky towards the warehouse, and then swoops around to begin its tranquil flight towards the opening in the roof.
“Kill them all!” Axle roars over the comms, already running for the nearest staircase. Halfway there however, he pauses, turning to study the room, before diving for the stairs, taking cover and readying his shotgun, using his position to pick off targets hampering Mercy(wolf).
Sadly yes Mercy(wolf) is not equipped to handle ladder travel, so the staircase is where it heads and thus does Axle have his work cut out for him picking off threats without hitting the animal instead. Seems he’s a good shot though, at least. Anything that shows up directly in front of it of course is subject to its teeth and the occasional rake of claws too sharp to belong to a canine, and the ascent begins.
As Mercy(wolf) tries to force her way up the stairs, gunfire rains down upon her, soldiers throw themselves in her path, and, despite all her incredible strength, she cannot carve a way through, not yet at least.
Mercy(wolf) retreats a few steps with a frustrated snarl, overwhelmed for the moment by too many bodies and a constant hail of gunfire.
Maeve steps forward, focusing a bit more on trying to pinpoint thin the herd, versus relying on the tanks to mow down the baddies. Handfuls of knives fly, doing her best to create a gap that Mercy(wolf) and Axle can take advantage of.
Axle dives forward from the stairs cover, axe coming out to assist as Maeve peppers the enemies with knives, adding his own assistance, or trying.
Mercy(wolf) rallies itself, and with Axle and Maeve continuing their efforts attempts another rush up the stairs to lead the charge to the next level.
“Five more minutes, Tia.” comes with the barrel of Regaldo’s pistol touching into the dirt as his head lolls. He doesn’t head in with the others.
“S1.” Yukino starts with that, one of her hands reaching for the pendant and looking at it. They were closer to the warehouse now. “Eradicate hostiles. Move upon top floor to assist and reinforce this one.” This is what she says. It is, perhaps, fortunate for her that the only one who may see the pendant glowing might be Regaldo right now, and the random troops all around. Her dolls, who probably could not disobey even if they wanted. It comes with a disgusting crunch of bones, when the animated dragon on her back curls and then rips apart to the spaces where two large midnight-blue feathered wings sprout and sprout from her back. The shimmer of the stars lays on every single feather, she crouches low, and then ascends up into the skies with the beat of her own starry wings. Higher and higher she goes, until sweeping forward to make for the hole in the roof, as close as she might to the target VIP. The katana is drawn into a single hand.
As the group presses onward, reenforced by the wave of allies pouring through the breach behind them, Yukino soars on high, diving down toward the hole in the roof.
The second floor is mostly clear of enemies, the soldiers already having poured down to assist in the main fighting, though enough remain to draw the group’s combined allies. It is an easy task, however, to ascend to the next level.
This particular level of the warehouse is nothing more than an expansive ballroom, by the looks of it. Tables have been set up along the sides, set with expensive and, now abandoned, food. Doors line the walls, all closed, and to the far side is a pit for musicians, though this too, is vacant. A hole has been blown through the roof, and, sweeping down from this hole… is Yukino.
Positioned in the center of the room, and surrounded by several slave-soldiers is a single figure. They are garbed all in white, their features unrecognizable as either male or female. They possess a sort of eerie beauty to their form, drawing the eye, even if it is unwilling. And in their hand is a long, slender blade, the pommel carved from some strange, red wood. The metal gleams with an almost ethereal shimmer, distorting the light that strikes it, causing it to refract in a thousand stars and dapples onto the floor and walls as it moves, traced almost lazily through the air by its wielder.
What ever awaited Mercy(wolf) at the top of those stairs, a lavish ballroom and dining area is not what it expected. It pauses at the threshold, taking this all in; and the figure standing dead center of the room. The animal’s lips pull back to expose its teeth and it waits for the others, paused but nonetheless ready.
Maeve follows along behind the wolf, letting the tank tank, as is Mercy(wolf)’s main job, but certainly, she’s not stopping too far back to be useful, preparing to, with a few infernal words, cast something, should the fight begin.
“You know…” Axle says quietly as he stops beside Mercy(wolf). “Didn’t expect… that, as the leader of this shithole…” He watches the person warily, unwilling, it seems, to make a move quite yet.
Mercy(wolf) sniffs at the air audibly, trying to determine from a distance what THAT even is before it ends up rushing headlong into something especially nasty.
Yukino hovers in the air by the hole and, of course, with such things of beauty as she now witnesses, it might not take too long to realize what someone might be dealing with: Another monster. She makes a roll of her eyes. “The hawk with talent hides its talons.” She notices when Axle, wolf and Maeve also reach the ballroom. She mentions something, to them, then adjusts her blade and starts towards it, slowly, watching it and for what it does.
Yukino says “One found herself involuntarily finding something interesting before…“
The butterfly rises from the edge of the ceiling hole down again, flutters its way through, and then makes to land on Axle’s axe, if he lets it.
Axle allows the butterfly to land, staring at it.
Oh yeah, now Mercy(wolf) is bristling quite literally and the snarl continues while rising in volume more and more. It’s practically shaking in place from the force of holding itself back.
“Well, done!” The person levels a dazzling smile toward the group, sweeping it over each in turn. “Well done, indeed. I am quite impressed! It has been quite a long time since any have attempted to dismantle my organization. And even longer, since any have gotten this close! You almost make me fear you will succeed.” The person glances around at the slave-soldiers, already forming a rough line before them. “But, I wouldn’t worry too much. No…” The blade lifts, tracing through the air again. “I suppose you would like to try and kill me now, wouldn’t you?” The tip of the weapon ends pointing at Mercy(wolf)’s snout. “I already know she does. And you…” The blade sweeps over to point at Axle. “But you two. Why must you try so desperately? Wouldn’t it be far easier, far less painful, to… leave. Go home. Live your lives, and forget, that you ever knew about the Rings. I can assure you, it would be to your, great benefit.” A slender fingered hand drops to one hip. “Money… influence… subjects… All of these, are well within my ability to grant. Won’t you consider, just a moment, what you stand to gain?”
Her wings carry her closer, not too close. The creature says what it wants, and Yukino’s expression finds itself blank, staring. The youthful light that one might usually find in her eyes remains absent. The offer is processed, calculated, but by the end of it, she rises her katana, her wings lift her slightly more and she makes to attempt to strike it with a sweep of her blade, it or whatever that manages to come between her and it.
Yukino’s weapon does not light up with any fire.
As Yukino swings, the person lifts their own blade, moving with supernatural speed…
But still too slow, Yukino’s katana cutting a long slash across their arm as they spin away, not a drop of blood falling from the opened wound. “How, bothersome.” The person complains, lifting their free hand as they step back and away. “Kill them, you four. I cannot have them alive… so I shall have them dead.” And then, almost as an afterthought, they direct the blade with a lazy flick toward Axle. “And you… think about the repercussions of your decision. Kneel… and it will all be over.” Then, the person withdraws to the side, allowing four of the slave-soldiers to march forth.
“Of course you’re a shitblooded fucking asshole,” Maeve grouses as she looks at the person, haemomancy, of course, far less effective when a heart does not beat. “Shame, I was almost hoping to fight a cousin.”
The slave-soldiers march forward, ready to defend their master as they retreat with the other slaves. Axle winces, axe lowering slightly as light refracts off the Ring leader’s sword, lancing out to pierce into his forehead. It doesn’t leave a wound, but he looks much more tired.
Yukino states “One might consider these slaves best removed.”(Encourage)
Yukino states. “Sir Axle better handle them quickly.”(Encourage)
Taking several hits immediately, Axle falls back, his energy still clearly slow to come, though whatever had come over him seems to be faded as he steps away. Just then, the person sweeps out their blade once more. “Slavery. It is a beautiful thing.” They declare. “Absolute, fealty.” The point settles on Maeve. “You shall see.” And again, that light flashes out, striking her in the forehead.
The instant Yukino takes a swing, Mercy(wolf) presumes that to be all the permission it needs to charge in and start picking off the shieldbearers through overwhelming force.
Yukino quickly swings her wings to dash away from the slaves, closer to Maeve, where she is providing some encouragement.
“Maybe some day, when you’re rotting, wherever you go after we kill you, you’ll understand being willing to fight to the death for something,” Maeve forces out through gritted teeth as that feeling washes over her. “Bitch.”
Yukino points at the person, stating: “One wonders why that one is running away.(Encourage)
Rushing back in after shooting down the axe wielding soldier, Axle slashes into one of the shieldbearers.
Even weakened, moving slower than her limp leaves her naturally, Maeve falls into place beside Axle, shoving herself between him and danger. Stupid Angel.
As the fight continues, the Ring leader again lifts their blade. “You are a powerful one.” They say, giving Yukino a smile. “But strength… it is only a limited thing.” Then, their blade comes flashing down, light piercing out to strike her forehead.
As the last soldier falls, the Ring leader steps forward. “You prove more trouble, than perhaps I anticipated. But! worry not. I shall handle this just the same.” Then, lifting their blade, they flicker, blinking forward to stand in the middle of the group, the final two shieldbearers charging in behind them.
Yukino might suddenly be a little weaker, but, unsurprisingly for those who know her, it does not really seem to do much of a difference with her. Her strikes are slightly less, but this is not what she is focused on. After the last slave drops, she turns to the androgyous creature. “One might only look so… until another might find themselves to be quite a treat for a wolf, perhaps.”
“I look forward to treating your corpse like a lootbox,” Maeve says, with a tiny, sadistic smile. “Shame I can’t spend time doing things the Conclavian way. Too risky.”
Mercy(wolf) wastes no time in going for the main attraction now. No banter, no witty remarks, it cannot speak or mock; only harm.
As the Ring leader engages in the fight, they again spin their blade out, pointing at Maeve. “You, really, should, surrender, child. It is the only, decision.”
Yukino presses a button, and then flies to the middle of the fight, and simply happens to be inspiring in that moment, though it would have been better with some words, perhaps.
As the fighting continues, soldiers from downstairs rush in, drawn by the clamor. Noticing the new arrivals, the Ring leader turns, setting their eyes upon them. “Aha! New participants! Surely, you shall see sense.”
In the next moment, the eyes of the soldiers glaze over, and they lift their weapons, aiming at the group.
Maeve seems genuinely surprised when her knife strikes. Enough she doesn’t seem to register each hit finding her.
Yukino ended up being quite inspiring with her presence. One, who probably was not there at the start of the combat, a security operative, showed up in the middle of it, probably looking quite horrified at seeing their obligation with wings that they need to protect, let alone the battlefield that they had to pass through.
As the person falls, the blade once clutched in their hand begins to twist, warping and bending until, in a shower of multicolored sparks, it shatters into a thousand shards, the body of the Ring’s leader already dissolving into ashe.
As the soldiers are released from the influence of the leader’s hypnosis, they lower their weapons, dropping weakly to their knees as some strength leaves them.
Lowering his axe, Axle blows out a breath. “Its over, I think?” He looks around, eyeing the room, the bodies, the pile of ashe. “Hell… it, is over.”
Mercy(wolf) shakes its head roughly, blood and spittle flying in every direction, then with a satisfied chuff it pads over to the rest of the group, nose in the air- just in case there’s anyone or anything else still lurking.
Without showing an ounce of care for her own injuries, regeneration rapidly making them not a problem, Maeve steps to check over Axle. She is, without a doubt, mother henning him, and she gives a soft nod, looking down into the ash pile, nudging it with the toe of one medical grade work shoe.
Yukino lands, she cleans the blade on the corpse of the person. And then Regaldo joins them and she looks up. She wipes some sweat from her forehead and makes a small nod to him. The wings can’t exactly be hidden here and she looks down to the palm of her free hand before sheathing the blade. “If it is alright to say…” She mentions, starting there. “…one finds herself glad this is over. One feels… too exposed, perhaps.”
As silence falls, more and more soldiers begin to filter in. Clearing the building and rounding up all those that hid from the battle. Several of the Boardroom commanders arrive shortly after, making to escort the group out. As they do, one particular commander eyes Maeve. “Well done. You have helped the Boardroom tremendously today. I expect, that you will be wanting your rewards.”
As the group exits, there is Regaldo. Napping against the warehouse. “Please, collect your… companion, and we will be leaving this place.”
Mercy(wolf) wrinkles her muzzle after casting a wary wolf-eyed glance over the man urging the group to collect Regaldo. Not it.
Maeve’s expression flattens in an instant and muttering comes from her, under her breath, nothing favorable, and when she looks to him, hefting Regaldo like a sack of potatoes, as a tiny woman shouldn’t, she says, “Always a mildly awful time seeing you, Val.”
“It is a unique… pleasure, seeing you as well, Maeve.” The commander, Val, replies, watching with disapproval, before turning and making for the vehicle, whereupon he pulls out five briefcases, laying them out beside the mirror. “You will find the reward for your efforts in these. We thank you for the contributions you have made tonight, and before.” Then, pausing for a moment, he looks back, as soldiers come pouring out of the warehouse, followed by bedraggled and starved looking men and women. “You may leave now. Your work is done.”
Yukino glances back over the battlefield, and then to one of the briefcases. She pinches the bridge of her nose, sighs and then makes to take one of them.
“My work is NEVER done, Valentino,” Maeve corrects, scooping two briefcases, and smacking one of them against Regaldo, by sole matter of not having big enough hands to carry everything.
Crouching, Axle collects one as well, then looks to Mercy(wolf). “You plan on…” He trails off, studying the wolf.
“Right then.” Axle straightens, stepping toward the mirror. “Lets, get the hell home.”
Mercy falls in line after getting dressed, still spattered in blood both hers and not.