Task Name: Green Wings(Lykaia)

April 7, 2026

PlotLog

Date: 2026-04-06 19:27

(Task Name: Green Wings(Lykaia):Lykaia)

[Mon Apr 6 2026]

In Outside a sewer exit
A rowdy trail in the dirt leads through trees that line a smelly river that flows from two stone-built exits. The exit itself is built circularly with stone bricked paths encircling the sewage flow on each side. The trees are large, branches stretching out with the first signs of spring growth that have somehow made it through despite the longer lasting cold days.

It is noon, about 79F(26C) degrees, and there are a few wispy white clouds in the sky. Waist high mist flows through the area. The mist is heaviest At Birch and Oakwood/span

“She left just before me,” Horace says to Mercy. “I saw her get out, but she was in her fox form. I don’t know if she got stuck in that form or not. Fae and their games.”

Mercy witnesses Selene whip a handgun out and GASPS loudly.

“Then it would seem that three of us got grabbed.” Lykaia concedes, moving to one of the mirrors, and getting it set up. “Crystalline is technically incorrect. And correctly, it is silication.” She says before stepping through the mirror. On the other side, past the mirror, everyone finds themselves just outside of the sewer exit with a rowdy trail that leads from somewhere unknown up to the sewer entrance itself. Waist-high mist flows through the area and for some reason, it is noon here, and warmer than it should be.

“Could try to Naturalize Lawson. But anyway… first. I have a gas mask for each of you. A cure is available, but the best prevention is not being affected at all. The spores will settle and infect you with CRV-3. If you are wounded, blooded, we will need you to get you the cure. Early. There is a point at which a cure will not be an option anymore.”

She exhales, and glances to the entrance. “Will be dark in there. We will also have to search. I brought a drone, too.”

Reality warps, and where she once was in a high-tech facility, now Selene finds herself somewhere that instantly has her scrunch that nose. Now, the girl is no desperado – She doesn’t exactly pull out a gun with any finesse, any flair, but at least prepares to use that thing holstered against her thigh by relaxing some straps off the gun. Have it actually be ready to get pulled from its holster. “There’s always a sewer level.” she remarks as a joke, to herself most likely. One might even catch her checking those beside her real quick. No obvious gamers here to probably get that reference.

now that they’re at the threshold, Mercy can’t help but let her anxiety for entering a dark enclosed space show in the frown she wears and the way her weight shifts from one foot to the other. The mask only seems an added dose of claustrophobia, but given the alternative she dons it all the same.

Horace pulls out his flashlight and clips it to the front of his tactical vest and then pulls on his gas mask like someone who has done this one too many times. “Drones,” he grumps like a Luddite, “have there place but are no match for boots on the ground assessments.”

It would seem that Lykaia does not have a rifle along today. “Anyone that would like to take point?” She asks, turning to the sewer entrance itself. “And are there any questions that I may be able to answer before we make to enter?”

Mercy lifts a hand, tentative though she may be. “Might be best I keep ahead of the pack, jus’ in case I gotta.. you know..”

Horace pulls out his own pistol, affixes a silencer and then motions for Mercy to lead the way since big wolf beats puny human most days

“I can’t see shit in the dark.. got ‘those’ binos, but.. well.. Great. Didn’t realize we stand to risk silicating ourselves. So whatever got them is airborne, then, if we need these masks?” Selene mutters away, muffled as her voice is behind that mask on her face. It takes a few moments before she takes that first, tentative steps with that claustrophobia-enhancing equipment on her face. “.. Doubt anything in my first aid kit’s gonna help with whatever that’s gonna.. infect us with.”

Mercy heaves a breath to steel herself and starts heading for the entrance, attention already strained well before they’ve even become enclosed in the tunnels.

Not even ten steps in and Mercy can be either seen, heard or both slipping on the sleek muddy tunnel floor in her very much not military-grade combat boots. She catches herself though and keeps going, hoping no one noticed. “So how many of these are we thinkin’ might be around?”

“It means that they got themselves settled, which is where we got to look for. Settled is undocumented.” Lykaia points out, shaking her head, but follows after Mercy, drawing her pistol from her holster and drawing her blade, reading them close to another, as well as a headlamp that ends up on her head. Then it goes inside. The smell worsens and darkness encompasses all and everything…

Fortunately, the aforementioned concern towards treading through the sewage finds itself answered here. The stone paths surround the sewage flow, though in some places it has gone over and dirtied the path. At the entrance, there is just silence.

Lykaia’s voice quietens by volumes when inside, and Mercy’s question has her answer “Two dozen are expected. Around twenty-five.”

Horace nods along as they go, thankful for the mask for the sewers if nothing else. He doesn’t ready any other weapons, there isn’t a reason to yet, and just follows Mercy as they walk

Audibly coming to halt when hearing the expected number of hostiles, Selene err’s and asks, “.. two dozen? And we’re here, bringing handgun caliber firearms and knives to bear against things all cry– silicated. Do we, like.. know if these kinds of things can even harm them.” she asks, quickly scurrying along to catch back up with the group. But her basic bitch eyes are struggling, and the gas mask she’s wearing isn’t making using those binoculars any easier.

Farther and farther Mercy leads them in, caught between keeping quiet to listen for threats and wanting to make idle conversation so she stops feeling like the walls are closing in. “That many? Y’all may need to keep back fer sure then, if they swarm us m’gonna like, you know, wall up.”

Mercy says “Jus’ try not to shoot me, please. Ain’ like gettin’ shot.“

“Anyone seeing or hearing anything?” Lykaia inquires as Mercy leads them on in. “Did bring explosives. From prior observations, we’re not expecting them to swarm… In the phases of observed transformations, they tend to meander at the later stage. Aggression increases and I would compare them to stereotypical zombies. Just with all the bullshit that comes with when it’s supernaturally created.”

“And yet you keep trying to interrupt my tea with a fun,” Horace says with a chuckle under his breath but still sticks to the wall of the tunnel as much as possible, nodding once to Lykaia

“… I call it a good day when I finish a rat in a single mag. Aren’t generic zombies stubbornly resilient to small arms fire and stabs and.. all that?” Selene continues, still tracking along with the group, but most certainly not sounding the surest of all.

Mercy stops every now and then to re-listen, hoping those behind her follow suit. “Can hear somethin’ pitter-patterin’ around, but ain’ sure if it comin’ from rodents or bigger problems.”

Lykaia follows closely behind Mercy, pistol in the readied position, besides the other woman’s shoulder. And just as the party turns…

Down, on the far end, a wide smile from a young girl’s head perks just around the corner from the far end, as if put onto a stick and held out. The eyes reflect the light that draws from Horace’s flashlight or Lykaia’s headlamp. Then it pulls back.

With Mercy catching the sound of something unidentified, Selene deems it a proper moment to properly unholster her firearm. Nothing gets cocked yet, but the safety is clicked off and the weapon’s held in low-ready. “.. Should’ve thought of bringing a silencer, too. Though.. with the echoing nature of..” she remarks, glancing at Horace and his choice of firearm. She doesn’t finish that sentence, instead brings up the binoculars to look around. Not in direction of the smile the others might catch. This girl’s making sure the flank is held up.

It’s an objective truth that children are vastly more terrifying than any monster could hope to be, and the sight of one smiling is that much more horrific to the extent that Mercy stumbles back a bit in alarm just before it vanishes back around the corner. “Hold up!” She calls out to the others, reassessing. “.. Y’all saw that right? I been hallucinatin’ here an’ there the last week or so an’ need to be sure.”

“The girl? Of course. I am getting bad Silent Hill meets bioshock vibes,” Horace mutters, “I swear to Christ I am putting a round between the eyes of the first kid that asks if I want to play a game.”

The girl shudders. “This is like the second Rundown all over again.” Selene remarks to herself, reliving some dreadful memories of walking around dark tunnels, surrounding by potential infected zombified humanoid, sneaking around somewhere all but welcoming to them. When the ‘hold up’ gets called, the lass is quick to stiffen up, showcasing the same terrible survival skills as a deer caught in a delivery driver’s headlights. “.. Do I wanna know what you think you saw? Had my eyes on our flank and all..” she inquires, all but in whisper tones now.

“Silent Hill meets G.T.F.O.” Selene shares agreeably, when Horace shares how his own vibe-meter is feeling right about now.

Inhaling, it seems that it was Lykaia and Mercy that noticed the girl first. When Mercy pulls back, Lykaia stares off at where it was and her breathe ends up held in and in and in, before she finally exhales. “Of course. When is it ever fucking simple, and of course, it is always fucking children.” She seethes, genuinely annoyed at it.

There are steps now, coming from the opposite side of where the girl had been, rushing, drawing close and closer…

“Okay. Alright. Good.” Mercy murmurs, soothed, and presses onward- but more slowly, carefully, now that she knows there is indeed something ahead. “.. No matter what it look like, that thing poke its head out again I expect one of you to shoot it in the skull if I miss.”

Let’s hope the flank is secured. Because Mercy’s suggestion is one that resonates with Selene. “.. Of course it’s a kid.” she, too, laments, shuffling around a bit to find a position her diminuitive self can find a firing solution that has no allies in between her and any intended mark. “.. Isn’t this a great time to be scouting ahead with the drone?” she asks in a hush-hush manner, her ear ill-attuned to the sound of other things drawing closer.

“You got the rear covered, Gin an’ Tonic?” Mercy asks Selene from over a shoulder, not having thought to get the girl’s actual name first. “Pretty sure we got incomin’ from other directions now so, look alive.”

And just as Selene made the suggestion, there is several ones that just draw around the corner. Creatures, once human, in their silicified state, rushing, that is, fast walking, pulling a leg after another, after themselves. “You know. A grenade would be great. But the Nachtlied stole that knowledge from me. Drone will be good on the kid.” And there, she already rushes into them.

Horace hears the clattering of weapons but cannot seem to find the source in the darkness

“Mmhm.” is all Selene answers with, flicking her attention back around on that flank. Binos in one hand, to see through the spots of darkness not lit up by any headlights. And just as she turns around, the infected draws closer. Alas, she forgot her Bile Bomb to lure these zombies away, having to instead quickly line up her handgun, cock back a shot, and find out if her two days of rigorous practice paid off. “.. Movement!” she warns, likely alerting nobody who wasn’t already alerted, if not already aiming or engaged.

There are so many. Too many, and maybe it’s the stress of being in an enclosed space or the sleep deprivation or everything going on but Mercy almost immediately loses all sense of caution and the warnings Lykaia communicated earlier. The mask is whipped off, along with everything else, and she buckles on the spot as her body begins to twist, writhe and warp while the inevitable pops and crunches echo off the walls of the tunnel, amplified.

Bigger, bigger, her limbs stretch and swell beyond their usual limits to the point even she can’t hold back the raspy scream that turns into an animalistic roar once it’s finally all said and done.

Mercy(wolf) takes one deep huff of infected air and charges forward to barrel into the thick of the approaching creatures, mindful of Lykaia ahead and Horace who may have been close by but only barely.

Thank fuck Selene wasn’t aiming in someone’ general direction, lest the sight of that transformation terrifies her to the point of pulling the trigger in some panic response. The sounds, however, do have her looking over with an ‘eek!’, the sight of the furred beast in the dark enough to ‘stagger’ her from engaging with anything heading up the group’s flank.

Thank fuck Selene wasn’t aiming in Mercy(wolf)’s general direction, lest the sight of that transformation terrifies her to the point of pulling the trigger in some panic response. The sounds, however, do have her looking over with an ‘eek!’, the sight of the furred beast in the dark enough to ‘stagger’ her from engaging with anything heading up the group’s flank.

Mercy(wolf) just crashes them all down to the ground, easily, two shots ring from behind her and Lykaia and hit their targets, dropping two of the five that had made their appearance. someone’ scream and then roar, causes for even more to appear. And worst yet, a much larger creature ahead of the tunnel. The same one… with the dangling head of a child. Lykaia in the meantime seems to have hit too early and missed her strike, and it gets worse, too. There were more steps rushing in and in from all the corridors all around, that is, from everywhere besides for the entrance they had taken into the sewers.

Mercy(wolf) just crashes them all down to the ground, easily, two shots ring from behind her and Lykaia and hit their targets, dropping two of the five that had made their appearance. Mercy(wolf)’s scream and then roar, causes for even more to appear. And worst yet, a much larger creature ahead of the tunnel. The same one… with the dangling head of a child. Lykaia in the meantime seems to have hit too early and missed her strike, and it gets worse, too. There were more steps rushing in and in from all the corridors all around, that is, from everywhere besides for the entrance they had taken into the sewers.

The universe itself must’ve bent its rules and regulations some, as against all odds it allowed Selene a chance to actually land a shot. Especially one made as hurriedly as she did, quickly flicking her gaze back around to secure the group’s flank where some of those scurrying infected were seem approaching them and pretty much letting loose the rounds with the trigger discipline of an angry Call of Duty kid actively screaming through their xbox microphone. It surprises even the girl herself to see her effectively stagger her target, and it’s only when that realization sinks in that she adopts a more proper stance, and works to secure a solid aim on the next silicated sucka’ stupid enough to step right where her barrel is aiming.

What do you get when an understimulated teen werewolf the size of a truck finds violent entertainment in an enclosed space? Problems. Mercy(wolf) may have bodily downed the creatures but it’s not enough, and one of their limp bodies is seized in her jaws to be roughly shaked to and fro with no doubt messy results. Then her lambent eyes alight on the larger one and she drops it; her massive body clumsily maneuvering through the tunnel at the risk of anyone in her way towards it, maw splitting to loose a singular, sharp and ear-splitting yelp of excitement.

Tired and bored as the teen looked before, the monster now tearing zombies to shreds was actively blocking the view of the next approaching threat. Seeing the werewolf was a terror in itself, even if it was her second time sighting this very same red-furred specimen so far, and the malformed monstrosity powering its way through the sewers has the girl vocalize another audible ‘eeek’. This time, she’s not panic-firing in the same manner as before.

Not when there’s an excitable mass of fur and supernatural muscle also still actively moving to engage this next target. Tight corridors, terrible visibility, and the self-awareness to know her gunmanship is pitiful to say the least.

Out come a manner of French-Canadian profanities, as Selene tries maneuver to find somewhere with a clearer line-of-sight, trekking her sneakers through all manners of yuck sure to need twelve sessions of power washing to rinse. “.. what in the holy poutaine of all that’s fuck is.. is that, Nachtlied?!” It looks like they’ve found the Tank-, or at least the Charger-variant of this strain of infected entities.

Horace grunts his disapproval at something or another and flicks the safety for his pistol to ‘on’ content in letting someone and Lykaia do the talking

Horace grunts his disapproval at something or another and flicks the safety for his pistol to ‘on’ content in letting Mercy(wolf) and Lykaia do the talking

The monstrous infected just straight up starts to rush at Mercy(wolf). The aggressive behavior that Lykaia had mentioned and is present in each of these infected is evident, even in whatever this has become, something that has Lykaia say a rather all too unhappy “Fuck me.” with all the displeasure of something that she was not expecting, and that should not be here, but is. “Mercy, can you fuck it up?” She shouts, not noticing Mercy(wolf) already charge at it, she steps closer, trying to draw her blade through one of the now pummeled down infected.

Selene’s complaint is answered with “Fuck if I know.”

Lykaia certainly only manages it because someone was nibbling on it.

Nothing’s too big for this size queen and if anything the prospect of fighting something larger than herself only excites Mercy(wolf) that much more. Another collision is imminent and her sights are fixed on the target most literally being dangled in front of her; the girl’s head.

“Do you know if we ahve to ‘misericorde’ these other fucks when we down them?” Selene asks next, gaze still flicking between the tussle of muscle and infected tissue going on further into the tunnel, and Lykaia. Then, her .45 is aimed towards another one of the stumbling monsters, definitely needing a moment to ensure she’s putting the target in between her crosshairs right. And to not fire at one caught in a melee with their Templar TOC. “You seen Zombieland, right?”

Horace considers the fight for a couple of times and then comments to Selene, “No, no let them cook as the youths say. When they disengage we can push them back towards the center.” He frowns though and pulls out his knife from his vest sheath. Just in case.

Finger sliding off the trigger, at least for now, Selene nods. “.. Asking if we need to double-tap the ones we down. We sure they won’t just stand up and all that? Because if so, if we push in further, we’d end up surrounded. Like at least now, our rear’s still open.” the lass remarks from behind that muffling barrier of the gas mask.

“.. Fucking trench doctor shit, you know. Mercy blow. Misericorde.” Selene continues, though moreso in a rambling-to-herself manner.

Just as Lykaia straightens and Selene’s shot rings through to take down one of the other silicified infected, the last remaining one also raises up to its feet. “No fucking clue. What’s zombieland?” She shouts back, bringing up her blade to defend herself from the one just risen up. The pat pat pat from the surrounding, now also greet the party with another five of them. The way back continues to look clear. For now…

Ahead, the monstrous infected suddenly snaps forward with its mouth, aiming for Mercy(wolf). It is fast, faster than it should be and would have certainly hit anyone that was not as violent intended as mercy is today. Its mouth opened big enough to consume most humans whole. Mercy(wolf) makes to jaw the girl’s head, finds it between her teeth, and finds it rockly, enough to crush if she so wishes.

“Mm,” Horace says to Selene in a noncommittal answer before adding, “I am sure these tunnels are old enough an errant electrical spark is just waiting to kick off a chain reaction for for the methane.”

A raspy chuckle escapes through the gas mask. “It’s a lesson to double-tap zombies. Lest a downed one bites your ankle and turns you into one of ’em.” Selene informs Lykaia, once her ears are cleared of the ringing she’s still getting used to. Smart girls would’ve brought protection, a lesson her mother surely would’ve tried to teach her. Chalk that up to more inexperience. “… or are your Temple operatives trailing behind us to collect them promptly enough?”

Jim’s comment has her attention diverting. For the first time, she’s checking the state of the sewer above her head. Gamers never look up, and this woman just proved that point. “Don’t give Fate any ideas. Not when we’re still down here.”

For all her reckless behavior it’s probably a blessing that Mercy(wolf) stands between this thing and the rest of the party, at least for as long as her supernaturally toughened hide can withstand. Jaws seize the head and a resounding CRUNCH follows as its crushed between them, while her forelimbs blindly rake their unsually sharp nails against the creature’s body.

God. That’s a sound you never want to hear. A skull getting cracked like a piece of rocky, jawbreaker candy. It promptly has Selene look over in the direction of Mercy(wolf), where thankfully most of the gruesome activity is happening behind the shroud of near-total darkness. She isn’t bringing her binoculars up to watch that gorefest.

“Got a hatchet of sorts in my satchel if you feel like chopping some zombie heads, Jim.” comes from Selene, having been briefly startled by Lykaia getting assaulted by a previously-downed zombie. “.. Think I was onto something with the double-tap.” Heeding her own words of caution, the lass turns her aim onto one of the zombies lying crumpled-up in the filth. “I play Spy myself. Dead Ringer, my ass.” One quiet gamer comment later, the littlest of the group works to put an extra round or two into the nearest of the infected monsters that have recently hit the dirt.

Horace squints inside the gas mask as he watches the two women’s fight off the zombies, “Who said anything about fate?” he asks blandly before taking a step forward. Not too close, but close enough if he is needed he is available

The skull cracks, and then shatters. It is not the same way bone cracks, it is teeth on silicon. It cracks, and then shatters apart. Pieces of grotesque shards of what had once been brain matter plummets atop of the beasts mouth and then clangs down to the ground. Nails rake into the silicified matter of the beast, and draw into it. The monstrous infected does not stop moving, it now makes to continue onward, towards Lykaia as the one closest in what could be considered visibility. The bast infected that had drawn from the nearby covering now shamble their way onward, towards Selene and Horace while Lykaia makes to strike the one she had just defended against.

Opposite to Selene’s concern, none of the ones sliced or shot so far, seem to stand up again.

“Got us one more here.” Selene warns, spotting a lone ‘survivor’ of those infected still ambling their way through the dark, and closing in on her and Horace. She can hit a downed, unmoving zombie, and must’ve accrued a massive debt with Lady Luck for having landed a shot on a runner before, but perhaps she’s got one more in the tank. One more shot to deafen those not wearing ear-protection in these acoustics-enhancing tunnels, and send the sorry, siliconed soul to their (hopefully) final grave.

Splintery remains are dislodged from the beast’s teeth with a rough shake of her head, tongue smacking against them for good measure. Mercy(wolf) has enough sense to bark out a sound and alert the others that more are coming, but she’s too preoccupied with trying to physically impede the larger one’s movement and tear at it until something vulnerable and vital is struck to stop now.

Alas. She’s only had one more in the chamber, and it’s a bullet with a name on it alright. But that name is ‘Sewer Wall’. It successfully meets up with that intended target. Just not the one that’s actually approaching them with harmful intent. Another ‘tabarnak’ slips from her lips. It was not Selene’s to kill.

The monstrous infected continues on and on, despite Mercy(wolf)’s raking, at least up until it is three fourths through. There, a place along the silicified ‘skin’ that is softer still, her claw digs in, rips a whole mass of flesh out and perhaps digs some more, and the beast comes to a stop and topples over and falls down onto its side onto the ground.

Selene’s shot rings through the sewer, and hits exactly the wall down somewhere behind the base infected. Horace stabs it into whatever resembles its skin, that is, it cracks into it, shatters a piece and makes it drop.

The one that Lykaia is dealing with, is soon handled with everyone else’s help. The corpse of the monstrous infected lies under Mercy(wolf), and now comes whatever more lies ahead…

Horace reverses his blade and slams it into the neck of one of the closest ones advancing on he and Selene before kicking it in the chest to free the blade. “Are we just killing Zombies or were we supposed to make it to an extraction point?”

Thank fuck Horace is there, able to finish the one looking to break their ranks with some flanking maneuvers with an ever-efficient knife into the neck. An audible sigh of relief is vented through her gas mask’s filters. “Hey, I hate to admit it.. but I haven’t exactly been keeping count.” Selene remarks to the group, at least those she’s still able to see around her. “… we’re nowhere near a dozen.” She nods to the brutish man once, adding, “.. if we’re to clear it all, we’ve.. only just begun, or what? How many samples do your people need exactly..?”

Mercy(wolf) heaves for breath now that her quarry has gone still, taking pause until the round Selene fires assaults her sensitive ears and spurs her into an agitated burst of motion. The tunnel surely shudders just a little when a shoulder collides with the wall from all her thrashing about, debris and clumps of gooey god knows what falling from the ceiling, but the second she’s reoriented that energy is directed towards the remaining creatures and off she goes again, as solid a hunting hound as they come.

“Extraction point?” Lykaia asks, taking a step back from the mess they are leaving behind with little scratches in her blade. “No, we are looking for an exact infestation. We’ll use the drone along now.” She glances to Selene, the shine of her headlamp brightens at her. “Selene, able to multi task, doing the drone scouting on one side while we move onward? And we are to destroy all of them…” She looks at the slain monstrous one “I am hesitant if there is more like these.” She looks at Mercy(wolf), storming off down into the darkness. “Mercy?”

Mercy(wolf) cannot reply, at least not with words, but her charging forward is followed by the inevitable sound of more fighting.

“Yeah.. Gimme that thing. Prob more up my speed than firearms.” Selene answers, stepping up with the first sign of anticipation, and some actual excitement. She’s all ready to put her hands on some controller, and provide some actual useful assistance. Gun uncocked, its safety flicked, and then holstered. Might surprise nobody that she’s pretty accustomed to keeping her eye on a screen while still NOT losing track of her surroundings fully. “.. Long as Mercy don’t mistake the drone for something edible. Lord knows I could go for some poultry, right about..”

She pauses. Looks around and remembers where she’s at. “.. right about after this mission.”

“Hmm,” Horace says thinking to himself as he slides his knife away along with his pistol.

Lykaia stares down from where the sound if fighting is coming from, and then makes to reach into one of her belt pouches, retrieving a controller with a little screen and the small sized drone from it, putting it together before handing both to Selene. “She can probably handle whatever that is… Selene… Take one of the side tunnels and go through? Try and memorize the way if it goes down and you find something useful.”

“Got’cha. That’s.. yeah. Smarter I take a side route. This thing’d get crushed like an ant if she so much as shrugs when I try slip by her.” Selene remarks, already gluing her eyes on the screen the very second that electronic visual- and scouting aide is sent a-flying. With the help of Lykaia providing a quick run-down of controls, it doesn’t take the girl too long to figure out how to make this thing turn and weave. She’s now got her own robotic dragonfly, and this new buddy is sent on a mission alright. “Reckon we’re looking for silicate formations or something, no?” she inquires, glancing up to make sure she hasn’t been standing here, playing with the drone, while the others have just meandered on or something.

The occasional rolling snarl can be heard in between erratic movement and splashing from many things in the dark of the tunnel farther along. Then all at once it goes silent, replaced soon after by the gentle thud of large paws as Mercy(wolf) returns to the group as the victor, head low and panting heavily, bits of modified flesh still sticking to her teeth.

“Well, welcome back, Mercy. Selene, do the drone, and a round-about. If you-” Lykaia greets Mercy(wolf) and then back to Selene “Do it carefully, you should be able to go quicker with time. We others… let’s just go that other way.”

Mercy(wolf) grunts a greeting back to Lykaia while lingering back some, given her size, though her head hangs by Horace companionably while she watches Selene at work with the drone.

Horace offers the man-killer wolf head scritches as they wait for the drone to do drone things

“For sure..” Selene says. “.. No loop-dee-loops or barrel rolls. I’ll send it through that tunnel first..” A nudge of the head into the darkness, towards one of the side paths of this sewer network. “.. and see if it loops back at all. Let’s hope the zombies forgot how to use doors.” On the drone’s display, they can track with her progress, as she makes sure to fly that handy piece of equipment through the middle of each tunnel. Not chancing it near walls, or making any tight turns. Speeding up on the straights, slowing down when coming upon junctions or turns. She briefly glances up, again startled by the sight of the gore-splattered wolf the size of a friendly, neighbourhood big rig. But hey, seeing the wolf return to them in one piece, and without groaning, brain-hungry pursuers elicits enough relief even this monstrous sight earns a smile from her.

It starts with a drone picking up the sound of chalk on a blackboard. A little bar that spikes upwards, and then a little more directing, and then it opens up into a silicified space, and at its center, grown from a crack in the ground, rises what resembles a massive flower.

“Masks should be used here for sure.” She comments, as the luminescent spores float around the area. “You know, I’d say we throw a bunch of explosives in after killing that and call it a day. Vanguard can dig this shit out on their own with agents more easily wasted than you or me.”

Did someone say explosives? Selene visibly perks up, eyes caught gleaming oh, so faintly in the lackluster lighting.

Mercy(wolf) blinks a few times hazily and protests to the headscritches with a whiny husky-like groan, but doesn’t actually do anything about it. Under all that fur Horace’s hand would feel an unusual level of intense heat radiating off of her, but that could just be werewolf things.

Muscles twitch and tense along Mercy(wolf)’s body like the engine is powering back up after a reprieve, a low growl building deep in her throat at nothing in particular.

Horace winces at the Selene’s excitement over explosives, the truck driver apparently preferring a more delicate approach.

“Anyway, let’s move on to that and get it handled. Mercy. Want to help murder it or do we just throw the explosives in and pray to whatever god you all pray to that it will kill the flower?” Lykaia asks, glancing from Selene to someone to Horace.

It probably takes a while of flying in the dark before there’s much to note caught on camera. And the longer it takes, the more she’s opting to take a slower and more cautious approach. There’s tangible build-up of tension, the horror vacuum of finding continued nothingness only making her dread what kind of discovery is due. But yeah. Then it finds a flower of sorts.

“Marika’s tits..” That’s the only comment the group gets to go off, to try and judge what it is Selene locates with the drone. Widened eyes shrouded behind the gask mask cast up at the group, she extends the display enough those around can also get a glimpse of it. “This tick any boxes?” she asks of Lykaia. Not just the room the drone flew into is unsettling, shown off as she makes the hovering dragonfly-bot pan around its horizontal axis, but there is one particular

“Should’ve grabbed the flamethrower.. It was tempting.” Selene laments in quiet muttering. “Not a lot of problems you can’t solve with a heavy flamer, they say.” She then looks to the group, letting those more seasoned in strategical approach suggest their course of action.

Selene fixes… but there is that one particular flower she, for obvious reason, transfixes the drone on soon enough. The clear target of today’s mission.

Mercy(wolf) is certainly not delicate but she’s probably a safer bet than explosives. Maybe. Regardless the massive animal snaps its teeth together loudly and starts to move in towards the floral foe.

“Does it have, like.. roots we should be cutting?” Selene vocalizes, eyes shooting down to the drone’s display, trying to lock herself in and find some form of boss fight mechanic the group could consider exploiting. Or, in real terms, locating any potential weaknesses in this flower-like entity ‘biological’ physique and presence they could try attack while leaving the wolf to trim the roses with her super-sized clippers.

And there, with Mercy(wolf) leading the way, Lykaia moves on after her, holstering the pistol into the thigh holster and grabbing the blade into both of her hands. “Selene, Horace. Cover us? That is, move the fuck away from it if you are shooting from range. Understood?” She makes to strike the flower, raising her blade above her head…

You needn’t say more. Selene wasn’t exactly planning to make acquaintances with whatever kind of lifeform this is up-close. The drone controller gets shoved down a pocket, and her gun is drawn instead.

The animal staggers a little on her path to what seems to be the last obstacle, almost slamming sideward into the wall again before she manages to catch herself. How long has Mercy(wolf) been breathing in this air sans a mask? Who cares, more violence awaits and she’s already lunging in to attempt to seize the thing’s ‘stem’ in her teeth much like she had the previous creature’s dangling head. Always go for the weaker looking points.

Horace walks over and pushes his toe into the ribs of the dead flower. “Right. That parts is done.”

Lykaia’s blade slashes, someone claws, and shots from both Horace and Selene pellet the flower as they all unitedly go after it now. A cut, a claw or bite, and then it is Horace who gives it the final shot and it stops squiggling. Or moving. Or whatever else that was with its dark kind of magic? The flower is down to the ground, toppled over. “So it would seem.” She unpacks explosives, throws them all around. “Everyone ready to GTFO?”

Hopefully Horace has fast reflexes because Mercy(wolf) is on that downed flower two seconds later to bite and tear at it, ripping the petals off and shredding what ever her teeth can find purchase on with a level of unnecessary aggression that’s uncharacteristic even for her.

There’s no time for gamer references or jokes. Shit’s got real serious real quick, and sincerity’s song is one sung through the voices of gunfire, clashing steel, and all manner of cacaphonous wolfish noise. Thankfully, the exchange wasn’t a drawn-out one, as the calcified thing soon lays wasted before the group. “Okay.. Explosives would’ve.. likely been a bit overkill.” Selene remarks. Emphasis is put on ‘bit’. She approaches, tentatively, drawn by curiosity to examine.

Lykaia’s blade slashes, Mercy(wolf) claws, and shots from both Horace and Selene pellet the flower as they all unitedly go after it now. A cut, a claw or bite, and then it is Horace who gives it the final shot and it stops squiggling. Or moving. Or whatever else that was with its dark kind of magic? The flower is down to the ground, toppled over. “So it would seem.” She unpacks explosives, throws them all around. “Everyone ready to GTFO?”

That is, Lykaia is watching Mercy(wolf) bite and chomp on the remains of that thing. “One of you will need to inject her and hope that it isn’t too late for her. Volunters? After we get out from here?”

When Selene examines it, it looks rocky, but more like a silicon based life force and not a carbon based one the way humans are.

“I’ll inject her,” Horace says with a long suffering sigh. “She is just like a cat. Loves playing with her food.” Rage Baiting the two ton wolf? Maybe.

Hesitation finds her yet again, though after a quick internal debate, Selene steps up to the batter’s plate nevertheless. “Sure. Pierced my own ears years ago, how hard can it be to pierce some..” She glances from syringe to the dead flower, lost for words. “.. bone? Rock? There’s probably still some squishy tissue there, yeah.” But Horace also accepts the offer, and she then looks from him to where Mercy(wolf) is still doing her thing. “Actually, better you do it. Yes.”

Mercy(wolf) must understand Horace enough still to retaliate considering she outright flings a chunk of the monster flower at him via whipping her huge head. It’s probably better that she’s taking this out on it and not them, but it’s only a matter of time the longer they linger here with a bored monster that’s still very much alive.

“Alright, let’s get the fuck out.” Lykaia decides, as she makes to turn away, stepping back into the darkness of the sewers. And then back into the corridors and ways and paths that lead back to the entrance and then the sewers… Whether anyone actually follows out, is really up to them. Regardless of whether it happens or not, once outside, Lykaia wanders off from the path, and then picks up a little coffer from a bush, inside, four syringes. She takes one of them and holds it out to Horace. “Good luck.”