Operationlogs
The Temples Operation In District 82241117
In the chaos-infused darkness of the Black Forest of District 82, a dangerous mission unfolds near the dreaded Prison Complex of Midnight Hollow. Amid the harrowing sounds of agony and despair, a frenzied battle rages as Templar operatives, led by the indomitable Emmanuel, embark on a daring endeavor to intercept the Warden, a monstrous figure whose fingers have been grotesquely transformed into keys. Isabel, Emmanuel, and a host of other formidable characters clash with crazed convicts and navigate the nightmarish landscape, their resolve unwavering in the face of unspeakable horrors. As they press forward, their goal clear yet perilously out of reach, allies like Vindicta and Brock battles alongside, their loyalty and bravery shining like beacons in the oppressive gloom.
The conflict intensifies when the Warden himself emerges, his red eyes blazing with malice, his arm a terrifying combination of flesh and metal. In this moment of ultimate confrontation, strategies unravel, alliances are tested, and the very fabric of reality seems to warp under the strain of the hellish environment. Emmanuel, with commendable leadership and the unwavering support of his team, manages to outmaneuver the Warden, securing the keys that signify their hellish victory. In a heart-pounding dash to the extraction point, they endure a barrage of obstacles, their escape mirroring the very essence of hope battling against the suffocating grasp of despair. As they finally break free from the clutches of Midnight Hollow, their triumph resonates as a testament to the strength found in unity, a beacon of light in a realm overshadowed by darkness.
At Sat Nov 16 2024, in caves near District 82
Mission: Intercept the Warden whose fingers were fleshformed into keys and bring it back to the extraction point.
PRISON BREAK!
Escalations of war have once more plunged the Black Forest of District 82 into danger and chaos. Amid frequent explosions and fire-fights, the Temple seeks to seize advantage of rising tensions, to wrest the region free of the Hand's brutal control. At the epicentre of this is the Prison Complex of Midnight Hollow.
This is not a strictly noble mission; unlike the idealistic Order, the Temple has deemed the victims of Midnight Hollow to be long beyond saving. Their goal is to set the prisoners loose, and let them eat the guards. Rumours on Network666 abound that the Temple may have future designs on the complex, for once the dust has settled; but even should their operation succeed, there's no telling what dark horse may await the war-torn Hell border next.
the Prison Complex of Midnight Hollow
It is night, about 74F(23C) degrees, and the sky is partly covered by thin white clouds. There is a waning gibbous moon.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Isolde, it misses her.
Emmanuel charges toward stalagmite.
Isolde fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
It's been a slow, quiet march through the Black Forest thus far. The landscape of District 82 is bleak, burned and vast, and only the occasional spark of rocket-fire in the distance punctuates the perpetually darkened sky.
But eventually, each through their separate means, three teams have made their way to the Nightmarish prison complex of Midnight Hollow -- a stronghold of the Hand, and in this desolate landscape, a sight that surpasses even the surrounding forest in the weight of its despair. The sounds of agony can be heard from every corner, tortured souls begging for help. One of them reaches a hand through the bars of his cage towards Emmanuel, a lopsided and deformed monstrosity.
At first, traversal seems safest along the edges of the Complex. Until, suddenly, a *squelch* can be heard, and one of the walls reveals its deceptive nature through a slow, membranous tear. The head of a horned prisoner erupts from within, and with a sudden screech, reaches out to try and grab Vindicta. Stumbling out into the main passage of the complex, more convicts soon follow, moaning and brandishing makeshift weapons and broken bars.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Isolde charges toward a crazed escaped convict.
"Toward the sta.. stag.." Emmanuel gives up on naming the piece of scenery correctly, "Toward the rock, hm?" He calls out instead, as he shies away from the man asking for help for the time being, "Help is here, just let us do the helping, hm?" He quips back to the prisoner.
Declan charges toward stalagmite.
Brock charges toward depression.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Isolde, it misses her.
"Dios mio!" Irene exclaims at once, in her telltale Hispanic accent. Despite her outwardly masculine appearance, under so many layers, the disguise she wears becomes irrelevant at once. She backs up towards her fellow Templars in abject alarm, turning to stare at the deformed prisoners that encircle them. "This is Hell? It ... you know what? It looks like Hell."
Isolde fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Irene charges toward stalagmite.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"Understood," Declan gets to running, breaking in the knee joints of the suit with an effortful pace. "Yeah, it's hell, literal."
Novel remarks to Brock with, "This is going to fucking suck. At least the scenery's fucking nice," He sort of casually mentions as he blazes his way through, feed pounding.
Emmanuel makes a supernatural leap to stalagmite.
Isolde charges toward Novel.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at Isolde which misses her.
Isolde fades out of the nightmare.
Declan charges toward stalagmite.
Brock charges toward depression.
"Bro? This place looks like shit," Brock cocks an eyebrow aside to someone, "Take your fucking sunglasses off, bruh. This place sucks dick. Like major dick."
Novel charges toward depression.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at outcropping, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
"Bro? This place looks like shit," Brock cocks an eyebrow aside to Novel, "Take your fucking sunglasses off, bruh. This place sucks dick. Like major dick."
Vindicta squeals with fright when something reaches out of the darkness towards her, her tiny feet beating after Emmanuel as fast as they can as tears start to stream from her eyes already. "No like, no like, no like," she chants as she runs, rifle in hand, panting all the way. Reflexively she attempts to leap out of the way of an incoming demonic swipe, causing the mech in her armor to activate and propel her through the air. She screams with fright at first, then with joy, the familiarity of a leap causing her to twist beautifully in the air, like a dancer or an acrobat as she prepares for her landing with wide, wild pink eyes.
Irene charges toward stalagmite.
Novel perks up his sunglasses - and grins, a wide, terrible thing, as he mentions offhand to Brock, "Looks fucking fantastic to me. Already giving me some goddamn ideas. Could do with less fucking gore and mutants though. That's goddamn weird."
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier misses him.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Irene has the Warden whose fingers were fleshformed into keys.
Novel says "Focus on shooting apart the boulder or outcropping, will you?"
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"Sir?" Irene frets beside Emmanuel, and even this battle-hardened soldier seems to be losing her cool a little. "Do we ... shoot the prisoners? I ... I don't give orders, but I think we should shoot the prisoners." Yeah, not a rescue mission. Taking initiative even as she backs up towards the stalagmite, she lets loose a staccato of gunfire in the direction of the maddened, deformed Hellions.
"I mean, sure, bro, we can shoot rocks, I guess," Brock blurts out as he stares at Novel for several moments. "Naw, you're tripping. This place sucks. This is the future the democrats want, I tell ya."
Declan makes a supernatural leap to Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Novel.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at outcropping, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
"Nah, look at it. Nice clean lines, everything's organized. Neat." Novel gestures around at the horrific landscape about them. "Purposeful. And just listen to that fucking noise. All it needs is a beat drop and fewer cage bars and we'd really have a fucking party."
Emmanuel may just be the sort of leader who leads through doing, rather than saying, because he does, in fact, shoot the prisoners. "Just.." There's an attempt to find a way to justify this, before he gives up, "The needs of the many outweight the few. Anyone that is trying to stop us they are needing to be stopped in time, oui?"
Vindicta makes a supernatural leap to stalagmite.
Irene charges toward stalagmite.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at outcropping, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Vindicta charges toward stalagmite.
Novel casually plinks shots at rocks and boulders, the subtle tink and pop of explosive crossbow bolts driving into them.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
The prisoners, whether or not they're to be shot, do not seem to understand that anyone is here to liberate them. Years of torture have broken their minds and bodies, and when they see prey entering the Complex, they start to swarm one after the other. Those that have broken through the membrane close in on members of the Temple, the Disruptors, and the Fraternity of the Deep.
Clink, clink, clink. The shaking of keys can be heard down the corridor, and out emerges another figure, one taller, stronger, and more conscious than the others seem to be. He turns to survey the Complex with red eyes, and a mouth sewn shut, unable to speak. Then, he starts to charge Declan, squalling. As concerning as the attack may seem, an opportunity presents itself -- the keys are right there for the taking ...
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at outcropping, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
"I mean, bro? It stinks like actual shit here." Brock points out to someone then, apparently not entirely on board with his decorating ideas. "This place sucks, man. Let's just shoot everything here and head back somewhere nicer, yeah?"
"I mean, bro? It stinks like actual shit here." Brock points out to Novel then, apparently not entirely on board with his decorating ideas. "This place sucks, man. Let's just shoot everything here and head back somewhere nicer, yeah?"
Vindicta charges toward stalagmite.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier strikes his armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Novel wrinkles his nose up in thought at Brock's response. "...Yeah, you know what, fair fucking point. I don't think they even have toilets here," He responds to the man with a subtle shake of his head. "Nasty-ass shit. Let's just break things on the way out."
One of the prisoners appears to have heard Brock's words, and whether or not he can understand the meaning at all, he start to echo after the bro, in increasing pitch and volume. "Future the democrats want ... future the democrats want ..."
There's a pause as Brock notes that echo, and then raises a hand to gesture over toward the prisoner, "Alright, this dude is alright, he can come back with us." He decides.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at outcropping, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
"Do you see the Hand here?" Irene queries of Emmanuel with a look of gnawing concern, turning to survey the darkened corridors and bloodied prison cells. "They must be hiding here, somewhere. They wouldn't leave this shithole undefended like this. Commander, I'm concerned we may be wading into a trap."
Novel glances over to one of the maniacal prisoners, grinning at Brock. "It's your job to make sure he's fucking house-trained when you bring him with us."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating outcropping's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier damages it.
There's a quiet hiss that escapes Emmanuel as he's forced to reckon with more and more of the results of the Hand's guardianship of this place. "If I end up in a place like this, as a person like this? You can having my permission to put me out of my misery." There's a glance aside to Irene at their comment then, and a grim little dip of the chin. "Just be careful, Templars. Eyes on the swivels, hm?"
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at outcropping, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"..Gross." Brock blurts out, then considers it, "He can stay out in the fucking doghouse or something, yeah? If he's trying to shit on the rugs. "
"Novel and square man north by northeast," Vindicta warns as she skids to a stop behind that stalagmite, dropping herself down to her stomach mid-slide and deploying her bipod. It's an easy motion for her as she sets her sights on the escaped convicts, no pity in her her eyes despite their predicament. "Vindi shoot to kill," is the only warning that the prisoners get as they charge in on her location.
Declan stays crouched behind the stalagmite, laying down controlled bursts at the charging prisoners.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Get a shed for him with a concrete drain or someshit, right?" Novel advices to Brock. "That way you can just hose the whole thing down."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
outcropping fades out of the nightmare.
"Ditto, big same," the Millennial in hell echoes Emmanuel from behind her M4, albeit not terribly professional sounding; her voice mismatches her military ensemble. When Vindicta mentions a 'square man', Irene then turns to look over in the direction of Novel and his companion. "That's Brock Turner," she reveals to her allies. "He ..." How to describe Brock Turner? It takes the Temple Agent a moment to find the words. "... Is an idiot."
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off his armor.
Novel remarks to Brock, "Nice fucking job, by the way. Work over towards the boulder and get the fucking corner there too, I'm thinking."
Novel says "Or... nah, never mind. Let's just pick apart the boulder."
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off his armor.
This one particular, braindead prisoner, the one whom Brock declares 'alright' for having parroted his words, stares at him with owlish, hollow eyes. But, for whatever reason, he doesn't attack them, perhaps comprehending on some level that they may be here on a liberatory mission. He noses closer to the Frat bro and to Novel, though he does get a bit handsy, developing some strange fascination with the latter's plastic rain poncho. It crinkles mysteriously underneath his stubby, probing fingers. "The Warden holds the keys ..." he whisper to the pair in a sing-song voice. "He holds them forever, he will never be without them ..."
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on a crazed escaped convict, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It strikes his armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Fuck these creepers are getting closer," Irene warns her fellow Templars, and just when they've dealt with one group, another appears in the distance. She turns, taking slow, deep breaths. "I really fucking thought I'd seen it all. This isn't the first shitty POW prison I've seen in my days."
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Novel produces a lengthy sigh as the prisoner gets handsy, his blade-holding hand coming out to gently push the prisoner's shoulder to push them down into proper cover, his own poncho coated with dust and debris from the surroundings. "Well, currently, Frenchie's hanging onto them. We'll see if we can get you fuckers outta here, right?"
Emmanuel glances aside to Irene at her very briefly explanation of the enemy, adding, "This is it?" He's clearly surprised by this, but that surprise quickly turns to something else at the mention of a Warden. "I blame Fairfax for this," He decides, while she likely has nothing to do with any of this - except, of course, doing nothing about it. "Non my first either," He laments aside to Irene, swallowing a lump in his throat as he considers that mass of convicts.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
A crazed escaped convict swings his weapon at Emmanuel, it is parried by his steel battle-axe.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Harder to hit soon," Vindicta warns as everything draws closer and closer, and so the petite femme prepares to switch to her typical scatter shots for when things get rough. "Novel and... Brock.." she repeats after Irene, taking note of the amalgamation of Spongebob and Larry the Lobster. She nods her head in the affirmative, saving that information for later.
Any manner of fight has been utterly beaten, and tormented out of the friendly prisoner in Novel and Brock's corner. He doesn't at all resist when shoved down into cover, and just slumps down lamely, staring around at the membranous walls with a wide-eyed, helpless stare. "Babyfaced Bill was the first one out ... The Forsaken one," he cryptically states.
"Oh, you've made a friend." Brock murmurs aside to Novel and their new buddy. The man who knows this terrible place must be run by democrats. After a few moments, Brock reaches into his pocket and produces a protein bar, which he tosses at him, "You look like you need a pick-me-up, bro, yeah?"
Declan drums his fingers on his rifle stock.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
"Out where? Back to Earth? Or just dragged out of the fucking cells?" Novel flashes a grin over at Brock as he continues to plink down other structures with his weapon - not at all careful about destroying cell doors or structures for cover, apparently quite happy to let prisoners free. "And who was babyfaced Bill?"
"One of them mentioned the Warden," Irene's forced to concur with Emmanuel, when he blames the absent Order's Warden. It takes her a moment. "Oh. That's ... the Warden." She turns and points at the red-eyed man jangling the keys. "PRISON Warden. Actually, come to think of it, why is the Order's head called a Warden, are they all prisoners there?"
Now is not the time, Irene. As more of the maddened prisoners attack, she turns to spray them with a staccato of gunfire. If the Order were here, they would surely not approve. This is not rehabilitative justice. No one's trying to save these poor souls.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
"Because they're kind of like an idiot minder," Declan quips, right before raising his carbine for a single shot.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier misses him.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"Oui. They are prisoners," Emmanuel decides that this is the only reason for the name that makes sense, nodding behind his cover as he continues to open fire upon the prisoners. Clearly he's spent too much time around American law-enforcement. There's another, longer peek at the red-eyed man, and a cluck under his breath. "Is anyone packing quartz? Just in case?" He chirps over the Temple comms.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off his armor.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
Was the braindead prisoner supposed to catch? He doesn't. The protein bar hits him in the face, slides down into a fleshy pouch that's been mauled into his chest, and eventually slithers to the floor, covered in a strange black goop. It takes the prisoner a moment to realise Brock's given him anything at all, before he blinks, stoops, and collects the protein bar. He sniffs at it for a moment, and then he starts biting into it, wrapper and all. "He broke the door before you came," the deformed soul answers Novel, with his mouth full of plastic. "Babyfaced Bill, ran to the woods. Changed the Nightmare."
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Vindicta targets a a crazed escaped convict, watching as their high-caliber bullet shatters mid-flight, creating a shower of lead splinters that pelts those nearby. The attack strikes her armor with bruising force.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier strikes her armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off her armor.
"Vindi only pack heat," Vindicta replies to Emmanuel as her cold, pink eyes settle upon the demonic warden, staring down the sights of her scope with both eyes open. "You die now," she explains to them, thumbing a single incindiary round into her port and shoving the bolt forward, preparing herself as she lines up the shot. "No can tell," she banters quietly to her fellow Templars, "But Bianchini once wait so long for perfect shot, grow beard and moustache."
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
Brock just watches the tragedy of this poor soul for several seconds, and then shakes his head. If anything, this is building his resolve to fight to clear the swamp, as it were. To ensure that all those terrible democrats would not end up throwing innocent, authentic Americans into jails such as these for made up crimes like, 'misgendering', and 'electional intereference', tch. "Oh, yeah? He broke a door? That's sick, bro. He do it with his bare hands? Which door?" He tosses several questions at the poor prisoner.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
"Yeah, always," Irene answers Emmanuel quickly, pulling aside the lapel of her jacket to reveal a Walther 9mm pistol he'd once given her. "Not really enough for this, though, should've planned ahead."
When Vindicta tells the prisoners they're going to die, Irene tries to reassure her, even though it probably isn't needed, "It's a mercy, Bianchini, don't feel bad."
"Well, going to have to thank him for creating a fucking opening, then, and a way for us all to get in," Novel casually responds to the prisoner as he launches round after round into the distant boulder, angling his crossbow upwards so it can arch and get into range. "Too bad he didn't come by and break some more shit on the way in, yeah? Let everyone fucking out." He says with deepening amusement as he focuses himself on destruction.
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on a crazed escaped convict, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It deflects off her armor.
Declan launches a stab at Vindicta, it is parried by her reconditioned Husqvarna chainsaw.
Vindicta says "Heyhayes!! "
Declan says "Sorry. "
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
A crazed escaped convict swings her weapon at Emmanuel, it is parried by his steel battle-axe.
A crazed escaped convict swings her weapon at Emmanuel, it is parried by his steel battle-axe.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Emmanuel raises two fingers to his mouth, whistling as he calls in a drone strike upon a crazed escaped convict and their surroundings, which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
"You got it, bro," Brock flashes someone a thumbs up, ready to take his lead on this.
"You got it, bro," Brock flashes Novel a thumbs up, ready to take his lead on this.
You know, Hell actually isn't all that bad. Sure, there are filthy prisons full of fleshformed monstrosities, but unlike on Earth, there's a lot less plastic pollution -- an issue Brock has just dutifully corrected, when his newly liberated prison buddy bites into the plastic-wrapped protein bar. He eventually swallows it whole, and now, his body still contains fewer microplastics than either Brock's or Novel's does. "Take me to the Forsaken," he tries to barter, even though he's already received a bribe, "and I will show you Babyfaced Bill. The future the democrats want."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses her.
Novel glances at Brock and then back at the prisoner. He shrugs. "Alright. So - here's the trick, bro... if you grab onto him and hold on REAL fucking tight, you'll drag him back with us, though it"
Swiftly backing up from Declan when he attacks Vindicta, Irene alerts Emmanuel in a tone of alarm, "Shit, they did something to him, boss! The Warden got to him too!"
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Novel continues his train of thought as he settles in behind cover, relaxing, "Will probably fuck him up a little. He'll live, though. Don't let him fucking go no-matter what happens. And you gotta fucking... concentrate on it. Make it happen and shit," He advices the other man on the functional basics of working through Nightmare and dream logic.
Emmanuel raises two fingers to his mouth, whistling as he calls in a drone strike upon a crazed escaped convict and their surroundings, which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
"..Hm," There's a quiet sound of consideration from Emmanuel as he draws a taser from his person and squints aside to Declan "I keep telling you people, stop listening to her!" He blurts out, buzzing the weapon.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
Novel says "Okay, here we go."
"Can't help it, sir, she's much prettier than you," Declan grumbles back, but at least his gun and bayonet are pointing the right way now.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off her armor.
And that's when the Warden seizes his chance. (To be clear, unlike on Earth, here they have a man-Warden.) Snarling, he launches himself head-first at Declan and Vindicta, trying to wrestle them to the ground, and raising up his fleshformed arm to strike the pair of them. His fingers are prison keys, his arm an amalgamation of skin and steel.
Brock stares at Novel for several seconds, parsing this information. One might almost hear the gears in his head clicking, before there's a breathe of revelation, "Oh, I get it." He blurts out, with a chuff, "That's gay as shit, you're pranking me? Fuck that, I'm not hugging this dude."
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier strikes her armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Novel doesn't respond to Brock - he's already running out in the open, loading his crossbow and squinting as he sees the templars... wrestling with each other? Wrestling with someone else?
Emmanuel raises two fingers to his mouth, whistling as he calls in a drone strike upon a crazed escaped convict and their surroundings, which deflects off her armor.
Brock charges toward Novel.
Declan twists to the side, tossing an exo-powered kick to buy distance from the Warden as he pounces on them behind the stalagmite, trying to disengage.
"No, not her!" Irene flounders to explain this matter to Emmanuel, "him, that Warden! The one with the Keys!" She keeps backing up from someone, turning to ward off the other prisoners that the Warden is guarding with a spray of bullets.
stalagmite fades out of the nightmare.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it misses him.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"No, not her!" Irene flounders to explain this matter to Emmanuel, "him, that Warden! The one with the Keys!" She keeps backing up from Declan, turning to ward off the other prisoners that the Warden is guarding with a spray of bullets.
"Run!" Irene exclaims in alarm, pointing northwest. "To the gate!"
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which strikes his armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Broseph closing in," Vindicta mispronounces Brock's name in probably the only acceptable way, pointing north but keeping her attention trained upon a crazed escaped convict and then the warden as it tackles her, causing her to squeal with fright. Instinctively she tries to juxtapose her shield between her self and the assault, only to find- there isn't one there anymore. Instead, she watches as their cover fades from view and those key-shaped fingers clash against her exoskeleton.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier deflects off his armor.
While Emmanuel's handy dandy drones drop strike after strike on the likely innocent convicts, the Templar turns his attention to his compatriots and their battle with the man-Warden. He hefts his axe, the large, heavy thing that it is, and draws closer to try and disarm the Warden - by removing his arm. This isn't the first time that Emmanuel has been involved in the disarmament, only last time it was nuclear weapons, and removing corrupt dragon heads.
Vindicta targets a a crazed escaped convict, watching as their high-caliber bullet shatters mid-flight, creating a shower of lead splinters that pelts those nearby. The attack strikes his armor with bruising force.
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Novel.
But then someone is shouting run, and Emmanuel just starts doing exactly this. What a good boy, following orders. He turns and darts away from his allies, and friends, leaving them to rumble with the Warden while he flees.
Brock says "What are we shooting, brah?"
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at Vindicta, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, misses her.
Novel remarks back to someone, "Dude carrying the thingamjig. The french guy. Emmanuel -" He ducks his head down, trying to keep the worst of the bullets off of him as he beats feet.
Novel remarks back behind him, "Dude carrying the thingamjig. The french guy. Emmanuel -" He ducks his head down, trying to keep the worst of the bullets off of him as he beats feet.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier misses him.
"That explains why he's running away!" Brock laughs back at Novel, "Because he's French, get it? And they're always fucking running and surrendering."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it misses him.
Vindicta makes a supernatural leap to Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Emmanuel.
On all fours, the prisoner that Novel and Brock had befriended charges frantically after them, pleading to be taken with them. It's clear to see on his tortured face, but all that comes out of his mouth is, "The future democrats want! The future democrats want!"
Novel snorts out a laugh, clearly amused by this statement as he moves to cut off Emmanuel. "And I wasn't fucking kidding about it, Bro. Fucking grab the dude."
Irene shoots Novel with a tranq dart.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
"That's right, Junior! You tell 'em!" Brock yells aside to their newest little friend, and then gives Novel some side-eye, "You fucking hug, ay?" Despite this, he does rush closer to the poor prisoner. "Alright, Donnie, just lemme hold you. No homo. You need to say 'no homo' bro."
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at Emmanuel, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, misses him.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Tearing off after Emmanuel, who's lugging with him the Warden and his keys, Irene narrows her eyes over at Novel, aiming her M4 that way. "Boy am I glad you showed up to give me an excuse to shoot you," she calls his way, in a telltale Hispanic accent.
Declan makes a supernatural leap to Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier ineffectually wounds his right arm.
It seems that Vindicta's work to whittle down the enemy convicts paid off, as the Templar operatives are able to pick them off easily in short order. Meanwhile the tiny albino does her best to keep up with Emmanuel, using her body to provide him with cover as he sprints for the gate. "Keep going, Manwell!!" she insists as she's pelted with gunfire in place of the Commander. "Not look back! Almost there!"
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on Novel, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It completely misses him.
Novel somehow manages to avoid a literal wall of gunfire, the shots missing him as his own bolts rain down. He flashes a grin over at Irene, the shots only seeming to slow him down. "Hey, just be glad we weren't showing up to hassle you fucking earlier."
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Emmanuel.
A truly terrible thing is taking place in Hell. Brock is miseducating a prisoner who has had no real human contact, likely for years, whose brain is broken beyond comprehension. And all he can do is accept this meagre sliver of love he's been offered and echo to the frat idiot, "No homo." Really, for this alone, Brock belongs here, in Hell.
Huff, huff. Puff, puff. Emmanuel doesn't have the lung capacity to respond as he does his best to dart across the terrible, nightmarish landscape of the prison. The whirls and whines of his armour serves to punctuate every movement, as it keeps his going even as his lungs burn and complain.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Brock which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at Vindicta, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, grazes her left leg.
"The fuck did he just say?" Irene exclaims in alarm, turning to stare in horror over at Brock and his new friend. She must be one of those democrats.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier ineffectually wounds his right arm.
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on Novel, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It completely misses him.
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it misses him.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
"My man!" Brock blurts out to the poor misled prisoner, and after firing another arrow toward the fleeing Frenchman he moves to scoop them up in his arms in a crushing bear hug, "You're coming home with us, Donnie!" Not only has he claimed this person, but he's named him too.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his forehead.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his stomach.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his right shoulder.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his right arm.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his forehead.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his forehead.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his chest.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Brock which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his chest.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his left arm.
Albeit, in a way, even if it wasn't how anyone might've expected, it must be noted at this point that Brock is the only person here to have made any attempt to actually help any of the poor prisoners. The Temple's just been shooting at them.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at Emmanuel, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, misses him.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Novel seems to be, by and large, running out of steam, his own shots ineffectually going wide as he opts to retreat some - attempting to weather the storm of bullets and slowly running out of steam in the process.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier completely misses him.
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Declan, it sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
"Go to Hell," Irene scolds Novel, even as they all seem to be on their way out of it, at last.
The Combative Alliance has proved victorious.
The conflict intensifies when the Warden himself emerges, his red eyes blazing with malice, his arm a terrifying combination of flesh and metal. In this moment of ultimate confrontation, strategies unravel, alliances are tested, and the very fabric of reality seems to warp under the strain of the hellish environment. Emmanuel, with commendable leadership and the unwavering support of his team, manages to outmaneuver the Warden, securing the keys that signify their hellish victory. In a heart-pounding dash to the extraction point, they endure a barrage of obstacles, their escape mirroring the very essence of hope battling against the suffocating grasp of despair. As they finally break free from the clutches of Midnight Hollow, their triumph resonates as a testament to the strength found in unity, a beacon of light in a realm overshadowed by darkness.
At Sat Nov 16 2024, in caves near District 82
Mission: Intercept the Warden whose fingers were fleshformed into keys and bring it back to the extraction point.
PRISON BREAK!
Escalations of war have once more plunged the Black Forest of District 82 into danger and chaos. Amid frequent explosions and fire-fights, the Temple seeks to seize advantage of rising tensions, to wrest the region free of the Hand's brutal control. At the epicentre of this is the Prison Complex of Midnight Hollow.
This is not a strictly noble mission; unlike the idealistic Order, the Temple has deemed the victims of Midnight Hollow to be long beyond saving. Their goal is to set the prisoners loose, and let them eat the guards. Rumours on Network666 abound that the Temple may have future designs on the complex, for once the dust has settled; but even should their operation succeed, there's no telling what dark horse may await the war-torn Hell border next.
the Prison Complex of Midnight Hollow
It is night, about 74F(23C) degrees, and the sky is partly covered by thin white clouds. There is a waning gibbous moon.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Isolde, it misses her.
Emmanuel charges toward stalagmite.
Isolde fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
It's been a slow, quiet march through the Black Forest thus far. The landscape of District 82 is bleak, burned and vast, and only the occasional spark of rocket-fire in the distance punctuates the perpetually darkened sky.
But eventually, each through their separate means, three teams have made their way to the Nightmarish prison complex of Midnight Hollow -- a stronghold of the Hand, and in this desolate landscape, a sight that surpasses even the surrounding forest in the weight of its despair. The sounds of agony can be heard from every corner, tortured souls begging for help. One of them reaches a hand through the bars of his cage towards Emmanuel, a lopsided and deformed monstrosity.
At first, traversal seems safest along the edges of the Complex. Until, suddenly, a *squelch* can be heard, and one of the walls reveals its deceptive nature through a slow, membranous tear. The head of a horned prisoner erupts from within, and with a sudden screech, reaches out to try and grab Vindicta. Stumbling out into the main passage of the complex, more convicts soon follow, moaning and brandishing makeshift weapons and broken bars.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Isolde charges toward a crazed escaped convict.
"Toward the sta.. stag.." Emmanuel gives up on naming the piece of scenery correctly, "Toward the rock, hm?" He calls out instead, as he shies away from the man asking for help for the time being, "Help is here, just let us do the helping, hm?" He quips back to the prisoner.
Declan charges toward stalagmite.
Brock charges toward depression.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Isolde, it misses her.
"Dios mio!" Irene exclaims at once, in her telltale Hispanic accent. Despite her outwardly masculine appearance, under so many layers, the disguise she wears becomes irrelevant at once. She backs up towards her fellow Templars in abject alarm, turning to stare at the deformed prisoners that encircle them. "This is Hell? It ... you know what? It looks like Hell."
Isolde fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Irene charges toward stalagmite.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"Understood," Declan gets to running, breaking in the knee joints of the suit with an effortful pace. "Yeah, it's hell, literal."
Novel remarks to Brock with, "This is going to fucking suck. At least the scenery's fucking nice," He sort of casually mentions as he blazes his way through, feed pounding.
Emmanuel makes a supernatural leap to stalagmite.
Isolde charges toward Novel.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at Isolde which misses her.
Isolde fades out of the nightmare.
Declan charges toward stalagmite.
Brock charges toward depression.
"Bro? This place looks like shit," Brock cocks an eyebrow aside to someone, "Take your fucking sunglasses off, bruh. This place sucks dick. Like major dick."
Novel charges toward depression.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at outcropping, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
"Bro? This place looks like shit," Brock cocks an eyebrow aside to Novel, "Take your fucking sunglasses off, bruh. This place sucks dick. Like major dick."
Vindicta squeals with fright when something reaches out of the darkness towards her, her tiny feet beating after Emmanuel as fast as they can as tears start to stream from her eyes already. "No like, no like, no like," she chants as she runs, rifle in hand, panting all the way. Reflexively she attempts to leap out of the way of an incoming demonic swipe, causing the mech in her armor to activate and propel her through the air. She screams with fright at first, then with joy, the familiarity of a leap causing her to twist beautifully in the air, like a dancer or an acrobat as she prepares for her landing with wide, wild pink eyes.
Irene charges toward stalagmite.
Novel perks up his sunglasses - and grins, a wide, terrible thing, as he mentions offhand to Brock, "Looks fucking fantastic to me. Already giving me some goddamn ideas. Could do with less fucking gore and mutants though. That's goddamn weird."
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier misses him.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Irene has the Warden whose fingers were fleshformed into keys.
Novel says "Focus on shooting apart the boulder or outcropping, will you?"
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"Sir?" Irene frets beside Emmanuel, and even this battle-hardened soldier seems to be losing her cool a little. "Do we ... shoot the prisoners? I ... I don't give orders, but I think we should shoot the prisoners." Yeah, not a rescue mission. Taking initiative even as she backs up towards the stalagmite, she lets loose a staccato of gunfire in the direction of the maddened, deformed Hellions.
"I mean, sure, bro, we can shoot rocks, I guess," Brock blurts out as he stares at Novel for several moments. "Naw, you're tripping. This place sucks. This is the future the democrats want, I tell ya."
Declan makes a supernatural leap to Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Novel.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at outcropping, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
"Nah, look at it. Nice clean lines, everything's organized. Neat." Novel gestures around at the horrific landscape about them. "Purposeful. And just listen to that fucking noise. All it needs is a beat drop and fewer cage bars and we'd really have a fucking party."
Emmanuel may just be the sort of leader who leads through doing, rather than saying, because he does, in fact, shoot the prisoners. "Just.." There's an attempt to find a way to justify this, before he gives up, "The needs of the many outweight the few. Anyone that is trying to stop us they are needing to be stopped in time, oui?"
Vindicta makes a supernatural leap to stalagmite.
Irene charges toward stalagmite.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at outcropping, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Vindicta charges toward stalagmite.
Novel casually plinks shots at rocks and boulders, the subtle tink and pop of explosive crossbow bolts driving into them.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
The prisoners, whether or not they're to be shot, do not seem to understand that anyone is here to liberate them. Years of torture have broken their minds and bodies, and when they see prey entering the Complex, they start to swarm one after the other. Those that have broken through the membrane close in on members of the Temple, the Disruptors, and the Fraternity of the Deep.
Clink, clink, clink. The shaking of keys can be heard down the corridor, and out emerges another figure, one taller, stronger, and more conscious than the others seem to be. He turns to survey the Complex with red eyes, and a mouth sewn shut, unable to speak. Then, he starts to charge Declan, squalling. As concerning as the attack may seem, an opportunity presents itself -- the keys are right there for the taking ...
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at outcropping, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
"I mean, bro? It stinks like actual shit here." Brock points out to someone then, apparently not entirely on board with his decorating ideas. "This place sucks, man. Let's just shoot everything here and head back somewhere nicer, yeah?"
"I mean, bro? It stinks like actual shit here." Brock points out to Novel then, apparently not entirely on board with his decorating ideas. "This place sucks, man. Let's just shoot everything here and head back somewhere nicer, yeah?"
Vindicta charges toward stalagmite.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier strikes his armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
Novel wrinkles his nose up in thought at Brock's response. "...Yeah, you know what, fair fucking point. I don't think they even have toilets here," He responds to the man with a subtle shake of his head. "Nasty-ass shit. Let's just break things on the way out."
One of the prisoners appears to have heard Brock's words, and whether or not he can understand the meaning at all, he start to echo after the bro, in increasing pitch and volume. "Future the democrats want ... future the democrats want ..."
There's a pause as Brock notes that echo, and then raises a hand to gesture over toward the prisoner, "Alright, this dude is alright, he can come back with us." He decides.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at outcropping, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
"Do you see the Hand here?" Irene queries of Emmanuel with a look of gnawing concern, turning to survey the darkened corridors and bloodied prison cells. "They must be hiding here, somewhere. They wouldn't leave this shithole undefended like this. Commander, I'm concerned we may be wading into a trap."
Novel glances over to one of the maniacal prisoners, grinning at Brock. "It's your job to make sure he's fucking house-trained when you bring him with us."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating outcropping's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier damages it.
There's a quiet hiss that escapes Emmanuel as he's forced to reckon with more and more of the results of the Hand's guardianship of this place. "If I end up in a place like this, as a person like this? You can having my permission to put me out of my misery." There's a glance aside to Irene at their comment then, and a grim little dip of the chin. "Just be careful, Templars. Eyes on the swivels, hm?"
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at outcropping, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"..Gross." Brock blurts out, then considers it, "He can stay out in the fucking doghouse or something, yeah? If he's trying to shit on the rugs. "
"Novel and square man north by northeast," Vindicta warns as she skids to a stop behind that stalagmite, dropping herself down to her stomach mid-slide and deploying her bipod. It's an easy motion for her as she sets her sights on the escaped convicts, no pity in her her eyes despite their predicament. "Vindi shoot to kill," is the only warning that the prisoners get as they charge in on her location.
Declan stays crouched behind the stalagmite, laying down controlled bursts at the charging prisoners.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Get a shed for him with a concrete drain or someshit, right?" Novel advices to Brock. "That way you can just hose the whole thing down."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at outcropping, it damages it.
outcropping fades out of the nightmare.
"Ditto, big same," the Millennial in hell echoes Emmanuel from behind her M4, albeit not terribly professional sounding; her voice mismatches her military ensemble. When Vindicta mentions a 'square man', Irene then turns to look over in the direction of Novel and his companion. "That's Brock Turner," she reveals to her allies. "He ..." How to describe Brock Turner? It takes the Temple Agent a moment to find the words. "... Is an idiot."
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off his armor.
Novel remarks to Brock, "Nice fucking job, by the way. Work over towards the boulder and get the fucking corner there too, I'm thinking."
Novel says "Or... nah, never mind. Let's just pick apart the boulder."
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off his armor.
This one particular, braindead prisoner, the one whom Brock declares 'alright' for having parroted his words, stares at him with owlish, hollow eyes. But, for whatever reason, he doesn't attack them, perhaps comprehending on some level that they may be here on a liberatory mission. He noses closer to the Frat bro and to Novel, though he does get a bit handsy, developing some strange fascination with the latter's plastic rain poncho. It crinkles mysteriously underneath his stubby, probing fingers. "The Warden holds the keys ..." he whisper to the pair in a sing-song voice. "He holds them forever, he will never be without them ..."
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on a crazed escaped convict, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It strikes his armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Fuck these creepers are getting closer," Irene warns her fellow Templars, and just when they've dealt with one group, another appears in the distance. She turns, taking slow, deep breaths. "I really fucking thought I'd seen it all. This isn't the first shitty POW prison I've seen in my days."
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses him.
Novel produces a lengthy sigh as the prisoner gets handsy, his blade-holding hand coming out to gently push the prisoner's shoulder to push them down into proper cover, his own poncho coated with dust and debris from the surroundings. "Well, currently, Frenchie's hanging onto them. We'll see if we can get you fuckers outta here, right?"
Emmanuel glances aside to Irene at her very briefly explanation of the enemy, adding, "This is it?" He's clearly surprised by this, but that surprise quickly turns to something else at the mention of a Warden. "I blame Fairfax for this," He decides, while she likely has nothing to do with any of this - except, of course, doing nothing about it. "Non my first either," He laments aside to Irene, swallowing a lump in his throat as he considers that mass of convicts.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
A crazed escaped convict swings his weapon at Emmanuel, it is parried by his steel battle-axe.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Harder to hit soon," Vindicta warns as everything draws closer and closer, and so the petite femme prepares to switch to her typical scatter shots for when things get rough. "Novel and... Brock.." she repeats after Irene, taking note of the amalgamation of Spongebob and Larry the Lobster. She nods her head in the affirmative, saving that information for later.
Any manner of fight has been utterly beaten, and tormented out of the friendly prisoner in Novel and Brock's corner. He doesn't at all resist when shoved down into cover, and just slumps down lamely, staring around at the membranous walls with a wide-eyed, helpless stare. "Babyfaced Bill was the first one out ... The Forsaken one," he cryptically states.
"Oh, you've made a friend." Brock murmurs aside to Novel and their new buddy. The man who knows this terrible place must be run by democrats. After a few moments, Brock reaches into his pocket and produces a protein bar, which he tosses at him, "You look like you need a pick-me-up, bro, yeah?"
Declan drums his fingers on his rifle stock.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
"Out where? Back to Earth? Or just dragged out of the fucking cells?" Novel flashes a grin over at Brock as he continues to plink down other structures with his weapon - not at all careful about destroying cell doors or structures for cover, apparently quite happy to let prisoners free. "And who was babyfaced Bill?"
"One of them mentioned the Warden," Irene's forced to concur with Emmanuel, when he blames the absent Order's Warden. It takes her a moment. "Oh. That's ... the Warden." She turns and points at the red-eyed man jangling the keys. "PRISON Warden. Actually, come to think of it, why is the Order's head called a Warden, are they all prisoners there?"
Now is not the time, Irene. As more of the maddened prisoners attack, she turns to spray them with a staccato of gunfire. If the Order were here, they would surely not approve. This is not rehabilitative justice. No one's trying to save these poor souls.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
"Because they're kind of like an idiot minder," Declan quips, right before raising his carbine for a single shot.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier misses him.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
"Oui. They are prisoners," Emmanuel decides that this is the only reason for the name that makes sense, nodding behind his cover as he continues to open fire upon the prisoners. Clearly he's spent too much time around American law-enforcement. There's another, longer peek at the red-eyed man, and a cluck under his breath. "Is anyone packing quartz? Just in case?" He chirps over the Temple comms.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Emmanuel fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off his armor.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
Was the braindead prisoner supposed to catch? He doesn't. The protein bar hits him in the face, slides down into a fleshy pouch that's been mauled into his chest, and eventually slithers to the floor, covered in a strange black goop. It takes the prisoner a moment to realise Brock's given him anything at all, before he blinks, stoops, and collects the protein bar. He sniffs at it for a moment, and then he starts biting into it, wrapper and all. "He broke the door before you came," the deformed soul answers Novel, with his mouth full of plastic. "Babyfaced Bill, ran to the woods. Changed the Nightmare."
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Vindicta targets a a crazed escaped convict, watching as their high-caliber bullet shatters mid-flight, creating a shower of lead splinters that pelts those nearby. The attack strikes her armor with bruising force.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier strikes her armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off her armor.
"Vindi only pack heat," Vindicta replies to Emmanuel as her cold, pink eyes settle upon the demonic warden, staring down the sights of her scope with both eyes open. "You die now," she explains to them, thumbing a single incindiary round into her port and shoving the bolt forward, preparing herself as she lines up the shot. "No can tell," she banters quietly to her fellow Templars, "But Bianchini once wait so long for perfect shot, grow beard and moustache."
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at boulder, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, damages it.
Brock just watches the tragedy of this poor soul for several seconds, and then shakes his head. If anything, this is building his resolve to fight to clear the swamp, as it were. To ensure that all those terrible democrats would not end up throwing innocent, authentic Americans into jails such as these for made up crimes like, 'misgendering', and 'electional intereference', tch. "Oh, yeah? He broke a door? That's sick, bro. He do it with his bare hands? Which door?" He tosses several questions at the poor prisoner.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
"Yeah, always," Irene answers Emmanuel quickly, pulling aside the lapel of her jacket to reveal a Walther 9mm pistol he'd once given her. "Not really enough for this, though, should've planned ahead."
When Vindicta tells the prisoners they're going to die, Irene tries to reassure her, even though it probably isn't needed, "It's a mercy, Bianchini, don't feel bad."
"Well, going to have to thank him for creating a fucking opening, then, and a way for us all to get in," Novel casually responds to the prisoner as he launches round after round into the distant boulder, angling his crossbow upwards so it can arch and get into range. "Too bad he didn't come by and break some more shit on the way in, yeah? Let everyone fucking out." He says with deepening amusement as he focuses himself on destruction.
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on a crazed escaped convict, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It deflects off her armor.
Declan launches a stab at Vindicta, it is parried by her reconditioned Husqvarna chainsaw.
Vindicta says "Heyhayes!! "
Declan says "Sorry. "
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at boulder, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, damages it.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
A crazed escaped convict swings her weapon at Emmanuel, it is parried by his steel battle-axe.
A crazed escaped convict swings her weapon at Emmanuel, it is parried by his steel battle-axe.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Emmanuel raises two fingers to his mouth, whistling as he calls in a drone strike upon a crazed escaped convict and their surroundings, which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
"You got it, bro," Brock flashes someone a thumbs up, ready to take his lead on this.
"You got it, bro," Brock flashes Novel a thumbs up, ready to take his lead on this.
You know, Hell actually isn't all that bad. Sure, there are filthy prisons full of fleshformed monstrosities, but unlike on Earth, there's a lot less plastic pollution -- an issue Brock has just dutifully corrected, when his newly liberated prison buddy bites into the plastic-wrapped protein bar. He eventually swallows it whole, and now, his body still contains fewer microplastics than either Brock's or Novel's does. "Take me to the Forsaken," he tries to barter, even though he's already received a bribe, "and I will show you Babyfaced Bill. The future the democrats want."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which misses her.
Novel glances at Brock and then back at the prisoner. He shrugs. "Alright. So - here's the trick, bro... if you grab onto him and hold on REAL fucking tight, you'll drag him back with us, though it"
Swiftly backing up from Declan when he attacks Vindicta, Irene alerts Emmanuel in a tone of alarm, "Shit, they did something to him, boss! The Warden got to him too!"
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
Novel continues his train of thought as he settles in behind cover, relaxing, "Will probably fuck him up a little. He'll live, though. Don't let him fucking go no-matter what happens. And you gotta fucking... concentrate on it. Make it happen and shit," He advices the other man on the functional basics of working through Nightmare and dream logic.
Emmanuel raises two fingers to his mouth, whistling as he calls in a drone strike upon a crazed escaped convict and their surroundings, which sends up a spray of soil near her feet.
"..Hm," There's a quiet sound of consideration from Emmanuel as he draws a taser from his person and squints aside to Declan "I keep telling you people, stop listening to her!" He blurts out, buzzing the weapon.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at boulder, it damages it.
Novel says "Okay, here we go."
"Can't help it, sir, she's much prettier than you," Declan grumbles back, but at least his gun and bayonet are pointing the right way now.
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which deflects off her armor.
And that's when the Warden seizes his chance. (To be clear, unlike on Earth, here they have a man-Warden.) Snarling, he launches himself head-first at Declan and Vindicta, trying to wrestle them to the ground, and raising up his fleshformed arm to strike the pair of them. His fingers are prison keys, his arm an amalgamation of skin and steel.
Brock stares at Novel for several seconds, parsing this information. One might almost hear the gears in his head clicking, before there's a breathe of revelation, "Oh, I get it." He blurts out, with a chuff, "That's gay as shit, you're pranking me? Fuck that, I'm not hugging this dude."
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier strikes her armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
Novel doesn't respond to Brock - he's already running out in the open, loading his crossbow and squinting as he sees the templars... wrestling with each other? Wrestling with someone else?
Emmanuel raises two fingers to his mouth, whistling as he calls in a drone strike upon a crazed escaped convict and their surroundings, which deflects off her armor.
Brock charges toward Novel.
Declan twists to the side, tossing an exo-powered kick to buy distance from the Warden as he pounces on them behind the stalagmite, trying to disengage.
"No, not her!" Irene flounders to explain this matter to Emmanuel, "him, that Warden! The one with the Keys!" She keeps backing up from someone, turning to ward off the other prisoners that the Warden is guarding with a spray of bullets.
stalagmite fades out of the nightmare.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it misses him.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"No, not her!" Irene flounders to explain this matter to Emmanuel, "him, that Warden! The one with the Keys!" She keeps backing up from Declan, turning to ward off the other prisoners that the Warden is guarding with a spray of bullets.
"Run!" Irene exclaims in alarm, pointing northwest. "To the gate!"
Declan fires off a shot at a crazed escaped convict which strikes his armor with bruising force.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
"Broseph closing in," Vindicta mispronounces Brock's name in probably the only acceptable way, pointing north but keeping her attention trained upon a crazed escaped convict and then the warden as it tackles her, causing her to squeal with fright. Instinctively she tries to juxtapose her shield between her self and the assault, only to find- there isn't one there anymore. Instead, she watches as their cover fades from view and those key-shaped fingers clash against her exoskeleton.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating a crazed escaped convict's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier deflects off his armor.
While Emmanuel's handy dandy drones drop strike after strike on the likely innocent convicts, the Templar turns his attention to his compatriots and their battle with the man-Warden. He hefts his axe, the large, heavy thing that it is, and draws closer to try and disarm the Warden - by removing his arm. This isn't the first time that Emmanuel has been involved in the disarmament, only last time it was nuclear weapons, and removing corrupt dragon heads.
Vindicta targets a a crazed escaped convict, watching as their high-caliber bullet shatters mid-flight, creating a shower of lead splinters that pelts those nearby. The attack strikes his armor with bruising force.
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Novel.
But then someone is shouting run, and Emmanuel just starts doing exactly this. What a good boy, following orders. He turns and darts away from his allies, and friends, leaving them to rumble with the Warden while he flees.
Brock says "What are we shooting, brah?"
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
A crazed escaped convict draws and quickly fires an arrow at Irene, it misses him.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
a crazed escaped convict fades out of the nightmare.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at Vindicta, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, misses her.
Novel remarks back to someone, "Dude carrying the thingamjig. The french guy. Emmanuel -" He ducks his head down, trying to keep the worst of the bullets off of him as he beats feet.
Novel remarks back behind him, "Dude carrying the thingamjig. The french guy. Emmanuel -" He ducks his head down, trying to keep the worst of the bullets off of him as he beats feet.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier misses him.
"That explains why he's running away!" Brock laughs back at Novel, "Because he's French, get it? And they're always fucking running and surrendering."
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it misses him.
Vindicta makes a supernatural leap to Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Emmanuel.
On all fours, the prisoner that Novel and Brock had befriended charges frantically after them, pleading to be taken with them. It's clear to see on his tortured face, but all that comes out of his mouth is, "The future democrats want! The future democrats want!"
Novel snorts out a laugh, clearly amused by this statement as he moves to cut off Emmanuel. "And I wasn't fucking kidding about it, Bro. Fucking grab the dude."
Irene shoots Novel with a tranq dart.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
"That's right, Junior! You tell 'em!" Brock yells aside to their newest little friend, and then gives Novel some side-eye, "You fucking hug, ay?" Despite this, he does rush closer to the poor prisoner. "Alright, Donnie, just lemme hold you. No homo. You need to say 'no homo' bro."
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at Emmanuel, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, misses him.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Tearing off after Emmanuel, who's lugging with him the Warden and his keys, Irene narrows her eyes over at Novel, aiming her M4 that way. "Boy am I glad you showed up to give me an excuse to shoot you," she calls his way, in a telltale Hispanic accent.
Declan makes a supernatural leap to Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier ineffectually wounds his right arm.
It seems that Vindicta's work to whittle down the enemy convicts paid off, as the Templar operatives are able to pick them off easily in short order. Meanwhile the tiny albino does her best to keep up with Emmanuel, using her body to provide him with cover as he sprints for the gate. "Keep going, Manwell!!" she insists as she's pelted with gunfire in place of the Commander. "Not look back! Almost there!"
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on Novel, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It completely misses him.
Novel somehow manages to avoid a literal wall of gunfire, the shots missing him as his own bolts rain down. He flashes a grin over at Irene, the shots only seeming to slow him down. "Hey, just be glad we weren't showing up to hassle you fucking earlier."
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
Brock charges toward Emmanuel.
A truly terrible thing is taking place in Hell. Brock is miseducating a prisoner who has had no real human contact, likely for years, whose brain is broken beyond comprehension. And all he can do is accept this meagre sliver of love he's been offered and echo to the frat idiot, "No homo." Really, for this alone, Brock belongs here, in Hell.
Huff, huff. Puff, puff. Emmanuel doesn't have the lung capacity to respond as he does his best to dart across the terrible, nightmarish landscape of the prison. The whirls and whines of his armour serves to punctuate every movement, as it keeps his going even as his lungs burn and complain.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Brock which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which misses him.
Novel abruptly snaps a shot at Vindicta, using his free hand to help brace the firing of the bolt, grazes her left leg.
"The fuck did he just say?" Irene exclaims in alarm, turning to stare in horror over at Brock and his new friend. She must be one of those democrats.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier ineffectually wounds his right arm.
Vindicta steadies their breath, lining up a precise shot aimed directly at a vulnerable point on Novel, their gaze unblinking as they pull the trigger. It completely misses him.
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Emmanuel, it misses him.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
"My man!" Brock blurts out to the poor misled prisoner, and after firing another arrow toward the fleeing Frenchman he moves to scoop them up in his arms in a crushing bear hug, "You're coming home with us, Donnie!" Not only has he claimed this person, but he's named him too.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his forehead.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his stomach.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his right shoulder.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his right arm.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his forehead.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his forehead.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his chest.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Brock which misses him.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his chest.
A kevlar-clad Templar operative fires off a shot at Novel which ineffectually wounds his left arm.
Albeit, in a way, even if it wasn't how anyone might've expected, it must be noted at this point that Brock is the only person here to have made any attempt to actually help any of the poor prisoners. The Temple's just been shooting at them.
Novel notches back his crossbows with his pommel, and quickly fires a shot at Emmanuel, opting to jockey into a different position and readjust his grips, misses him.
Irene charges toward Emmanuel.
Novel seems to be, by and large, running out of steam, his own shots ineffectually going wide as he opts to retreat some - attempting to weather the storm of bullets and slowly running out of steam in the process.
A staccato of gunfire erupts from Irene's position, punctuating Novel's path. With deadly aim of his M4, the soldier completely misses him.
Emmanuel runs towards the extraction point.
Declan moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
Brock draws and quickly fires an arrow at Declan, it sends up a spray of soil near his feet.
Vindicta moves protectively towards Emmanuel.
"Go to Hell," Irene scolds Novel, even as they all seem to be on their way out of it, at last.
The Combative Alliance has proved victorious.