Kwartz responds with a sigh and rolling of his eyes, followed by a hand puppet of what you can assume is Serai speaking.
" The way she was I have half sure she was my mother... if it wasnt the fact she was so O-" Kwartz stopped right before he finished the word.. as if a self-preservation mechanism kicked in.
" Ugh.. how long till we drop down.. I might be able to nap at this rate... "
The ship takes a hard right and enters into a Plaza.
All sounds coming in through receivers are dimmed and a click and pop announces the activation of combat telecommunications.
The voice of the Titus from the wall comes across the line, "This is Abraham Albright, checking in as first call."
"Richard Langley, second call."
"Megumi Watanabe, third call."
"Nathan Owens, fourth call."
Abraham begins again, "Dropship will arrive at LZ One in eight seconds, Occams Oscar Nine and Loki Operatives disembark."
"Oscar Nine is to proceed from the roof through the building and clear it of any threats to protect their Loki Operatives flank."
"Oscar Nine is to exit the base of the building once cleared and join perimeter defense."
"Loki Operatives, once Oscar Nine is inside the building anything that comes through that door is kill on sight."
The ship hovers down on top of a large building, some ten or fifteen stories tall and Occams Oscar Nine and all Loki jump out.
The dropship immediately begins to depart and incoming goblets of acid crash against the exterior of the building. Below the ship many dogs are converging on a central building across the Plaza from the Loki's nest.
The dropship moves over to the next drop point, immediately outside the other building.
"Everyone else out, spread out and take perimeter while Black Company perform extraction. I want Longitus Foxtrot on North point."
"Longitus Echo Two on West."
"Titus Papa, Titus Quebec, Occams Victor Two and Occams Whiskey Two on East."
"Titus Tango Two, Occams Romeo One, Occams Alpha Two and Occams Charlie Five on South."
The ship touches down and is immediately met with the surge of dogs that are cut down instantly by the ships fired combined with the fire of departing soldiers.
Various Occams begin to call out, "Jotunheim!"
Kwartz leaps out, his eyes giving a slight jade tinge to his irises as he runs to a advantageous position. " Alright, I'll try to take care of the mid-range and clumped up ones, Juliett Three I know you are good at long-range. I'll keep them off you with Lima. Let's try and give our troops some relief. "
Kwartz takes his Longfang and targets the nearby Dog at the street.
Kwartz shot blows the leg off the Dog as it runs towards the plaza sending it to the ground and killing it.
At the same time Occams enters into the building from the roof, closing the access door behind them.
Audric enters into the dark of the building, and his occular implants take a moment as they begin to diffuse over to night vision.
The squad moves slowly at first, and the building is silent like a tomb, each Occams peering into various rooms and keeping each other in crossing fire.
That is, until the Occams make it to the stair well. The Occams who is approaching it is completely caught by surprise as the door is sheered away and a Mortemcursor impales into him pushing him down the hall.
Behind which follow three more of its kind, shrieking and running into the group of Occams who begin to fire wildly.
One is caught by several shots and falls to the ground, but the two others bound out of sight only to re-emerge from the ventilation system, cutting into four Occams as they engage back into the center of the Occams force.
The original Mortemcursor pins its victim to the wall before tearing the man to pieces and flanking the group of soldiers from behind.
Cyrus stands alongside his brethren behind the three squads of Occams, ahead of him pour a sea of Mortemcursor and Loricatus barreling down onto his position.
The Occams shout out in defiance against the approaching tidal wave.
Titus weapons begin to fire out and the clash begins in earnest.
A high pitched humming noise is heard from Audric's neck as adrenaline kicks in. He raises his Wyvern and aims, bursting 3 rounds at the closest Dog in the smaller of the two flanks.
If there is a room perpendicular to the dogs flank that's not blocked he will call out, "Get to that room and bottleneck through the door! Let's cut down these dogs movement!
If not then he will call out, "Clear out the smaller flank and get to that room! Bottleneck these dogs!"
AS I approached the battlefield my brow began to sweat. not from fear or nerves but from excitement, the time had finally arrived to prove my worth. I moved up to position about 20 feet up to the fleet of dogs that were in front and mowed them down with my Havoc.
"Die you sonuvah b@&$!es!!!!"
Serai jumps out, walking to the edge and begins setting up. Running her hand through her hair before she began to aim up a shot to the Loricatus in the middle of the lee crowded street down below."Kilo three, tonight we dine in hell"
Serai's shots pierces the Loricatus' hind quarters and the enormous Heartseeker finds soft flesh, the round explodes the creatures legs out.
The Loricatus continues to drag himself along the ground for several more meters before it finally slumps into death.
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Inside the building Audric's first shot finds its mark, shooting th Mortemcursor in the shoulder joint, causing an audible cracking of bone, but not dropping the beast.
Another Occams moves forwards to finish off the beast, but even injured it dispatches the Soldier.
Other occams continue to fire onto the other two bringing down one, but losing another Occams in the process, as he is caught by surprise of the creatures death throes.
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Cyrus' shot goes wide as the dog he aimed for pounces onto a nearby Occams, ripping into him.
Dogs are mowed down en masse as they charge into the line of soldiers. However, plenty more make it into melee and begin scything into the Jotuns.
---------------
On the Loki's nest, Lima moves up to the lip of the building and fires down onto the scaling Mortemcursor, tearing into one and killing it instantly, and stunning the other, causing it to fall a hundred feet to its death.
Audric shoots another 3 round burst at the same dog he had previously injured. Then back into a side room for cover.
" Let's not in Hell, Then my ice cream will melt. Unless you mean Hel.. but then my ballz would shrink. Opening Fire! "
Kwartz notes the Dog coming up the lip of the building and tries to take it down.
" You are still buying.. by the way "
Audric only strikes another time into the dog, but strikes the same wound he causes a moment before, and the limb goes flying off.
Unfortunately for a nearby Occams, the severed blade goes flying through him, leaving him decapitated.
The other Occams finish up the final Mortemcursor, and they're once again alone in the quiet.
Kwartz shot strikes the dog into the head, but does not find soft tissue and the hardened bone plating deflects the shot.
"Kilo three?, didn't you know?" Serai would line up another shot aiming for the dog this time on the street ahead of her first victim.
Serai shoots another dog blowing its arm off and killing it.
Lima steps to the other edge of the building and drawing his Lotus fires into the approaching dog.
The fully automatic spray finds it mark on each shot and the dog explodes into viscera, showering the streets below.
-----------------
On the streets the combat continues as Titus brings their weapons to bear once more, and grenades begin to go off. However the steady stream of demons is pushing them back towards the central part of the point.
Next time, stack up on the closed doors and Overwatch. We have 12 more flights Occams.
Audric grabs one of the fallen soldiers Wyvern and straps it to his back. The move with the rest down the next flight.
" Juliett Three that isnt romantic or Fun but I'll take free treat. The anticipation made me miss the last shot. Ah.. A Tank, I'll get it. "
Kwartz raises his Longfang and send sends two blasts into the beast.
Serai would now finish her previous statement lining up another shot into her view, "The man is supposed to buy..." Her face not showing any emotion as she sighted in her next target. Letting off another shot at another dog on the second building ahead.
" Yes, I think we are both Homosapian enough. " Kwartz checked his ammo, enough to fire once more before a reload.
Witnessing the carnage I realized that I might not make it out alive. I reloaded and fired another round into the big f#~#er ahead of me.
Kwartz hits the Loricatus with one of his shots but it does little damage.
Serai's shot just misses the Dog as it bounce over the lip of the building as she fires.
Lima finishes another Mortemcursor on top of the building, but the last remaining one seems more interested in Serai's and Kwartz and begins to charge them.
——————————————
In the streets the Jotuns continue to retreat to the center of the street against the charging dogs, grenades being thrown out in mass.
Cyrus combines with two other Titus to take down a Loricatus, and his squad mates opposite of him do the same.
——————————————–
Audric's squad proceeds down four flights of stairs before finding anything else. As they reach the ninth floor they exit the staircase for find two small bizarre creatures.
The two lead Occams are simultaneously covered in viscous fluid, leaving them screaming as their armor and flesh fall to the floor in liquid globs.
One of the Veneveru are killed in relatiation before the other runs out of sight.
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We need to kill it, keep an eye out and keep moving! Audric glances at the now globs of what used to be Occams before rushing down with the group
Kwartz sees the Dog coming and looks back at Serai.. then to the Dog, " Well I guess it was bound to happen. stay behind me I guess.. Should go smoothly. " he looks as the Loricatus continues on. " I should have aimed for the ass I suppose. "
Kwartz lined his Longfang up and quirked his head at the Dog, " I guess I should make this count. " Firing at point bank range.
Kwartz shoots the dog and sends it to the ground, its leg clearly broken, but still alive.
-----------------------
The Occams continue to move around the corner keeping watch of the corner, where they catch the Veneveru and shoot it down, but not before it takes one last Occams with it due to a blast of acid.
Battle Communications click back on in your headsets, the voice of Abraham Albright coming through, "Status report November?"
You hear Nathan Owens respond back, "Eyes on Sierra in 2..."
Audric coninues his course of action.
A few moments pass in silence, before Nathan Owens sounds out again on the comms, this time much more agitated and in the background you can hear screams.
"Skadi Sierra is dead. Repeat. Skadi Sierra is dead. We have visual of Longshanks. Repeat. Longshanks is here!"
A new voice cracks the intercom, "Skadi Bravo interrupting transmission, I have lost visual of Cancer. Repeat. Cancer is no longer in pursuit."
Richard Langley sounds out, "Bravo get back to Jotunheim ASAP! We have visual on Longshanks! All squads proceed to evac immediately! Report to local 192, - - - "
But as his transmission begins, a building near to Kwartz and Serai's begins to shake violently drowning out Langley voice, before falling away to reveal Rattlejack.
"Rattlejack is here! " says Longitus Foxtrot.
"What?" Says Langley, "Echo reported him over two miles away as of a minute ago! Repeat! All troops report - - - - "
But Rattlejack shakes his quills and a low thumping pulse sounds out, the communication relays crackle and die. Rail platforms flicker and die.
Kwartz and Serai see the target building glass shatter on the far side as Longshanks leaps from the building descending onto the members of Longitus Foxtrot below.
The four of them turning to have one of them have their legs cut out from underneath them as the demon lands. Another begins to fire before being swept up and their head devoured instantly by the beast, another being bisected at the same time by his claws.
The last remaining member left in the opening onslaught screams in anguish and falls to the street convulsing and shaking violently.
Longshanks seems amused for a moment before crushing the woman's skull with his foot at setting off towards the next Longitus group.
A moment later a man in black leaps from the building chasing after the beast, shooting at Longshanks as he runs, but the creature seems wholly intent on ignoring him.
At Cyrus' position an Occams pulls and Grenade and primes it only to have it explode immediately.
Other Occams take notice and call out, "Occams! Do your duty, clear a path for Titus!"
Another Titus pulls Cyrus away from firing, "C'mon were moving, NOW!"
The Occams begin to charge into the swarm of incoming Mortemcursor and Loricatus, taking out large swathes of them along with themselves with each Grenade. Even with their sacrifice however not all Titus make it through the sea of Mortemcursor, by the time they make it into the alleys, all the Occams have been exhausted and Cyrus is one of four remaining Titus.
Up on the Loki's Nest, Lima kills the injured Dog. As he watches the carnage unfold a series of increasingly more vulgar words escape his lips.
Inside the Occams had made it down to floor three and still have twelve remaining. Each of them huddled together listening, when communications cut one says, "Shit. What now!?"
"We do our job", says another.
"What?" Repeats the first, "Go out there and die? You heard them, Longshanks, they're already dead, f$*~ that."
A few Occams gather their things and rush downstairs leaving Audric with seven other men.
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I reload my cannon one more time and start to follow my comrades in battle. "Bastards! I will kill every last f$++in' one of you dirty mutts!" I said in frustration from our situation.
Kwartz pulls back his Longfang and reloaded a Heartseeker Round, noting his shot had crippled the beast, when its blood streaked upon his face from Lima's Lotus fire Kwartz did not bat an eye.
He looked back at Serai with a smirk. " This is why I dont always pay attention in training. Sometimes going for the legs is better.. aim for the chest but strike the legs, that way they are easier for the rest. Too bad there wasnt a nice line. I'd say I didnt waste ammo.. "
That was when the mission went to pot. Longshanks!? Kwartz as besieged by regret coming out this day. Sierra was dead, Longshanks was inbound, Cancer was missing. Communications had ceases and the rails short circuited or ceased function. None of this boded well.
His eyes flashed Jade once more and he took a moment to access the situation before speaking again.. in his signature lack of enthusiasm, but the delivery was.. uncharacteristically direct and serious.
" What a FUBAR situation we've fallen in to. Alright then, as of right now the recovery mission is null in void. Skadi Sierra to our knowledge has been be verified Dead. As such with the current our best course of action would be to retreat and head north near the Rendezvous point. We were give Local 192 as a point the coordinate cannot be more than a mile or two in that area. If possible, we regroup with the Occams or Titus groups available. "
He moves to remove the bladed arm from the dead Mortemcursor .
" That all good? "
Audric grabs his voice box and seems to turn a dail. Occams! Audric voice now loud and booming over the commotion. Are we cowards?! Are we a bunch of f@#!ing pussy b@~&!es?... We are Occams! Oscar Nine! Each one of our lives may end today! He smirks at the other Occams. So at least kill two before you die!
He begins to run to the lower levels.
Do your duty Occams, regroup with the Titus, the few on the roof will follow shortly! Move! Move! Move!
Serai looks to her gun noticing it was no longer active for use... "I don't feel like being the only ones on or in this building. We should head to the rendezvous. Think Dauhg will be okay?". Her face, and voice both perfectly monotone as she spoke. She reloaded her gun with a fresh heartseeker, removing the remaining 3 bullets and placing them into her bag.
Kwartz tilts his head a bit and shrugs his shoulders, " Don't worry too much about Occams Oscar Nine, it was a relatively older group. Occams might be the lower rung on the caste but they are just as deadly. We can rush down the building and go to their last known coordinates and escort the rest out. I'm not sure on our brethren to the south however. Lima, Juilett Three, get out your mid/close range weapons. It'll be tight in the building. "
Kwartz starts running down the building the spurs on his feet keeping him tether to the surface as he breaks through the window on the last floor the Occams had given a report.
Serai smirks in response to Kwartz while pulling out her Death Adder and securing her Longfang on her back. "Worried?... I'm simply curious" she'd say before jumping down in unison with Kwartz, her once serious face was replace now with pure joy as she jumped. It was a rush for her, one that not everyone was able to experience. Once back inside the building at a much lower level Serai would hold steady as silently as she could for a moment while holding onto her gun in a way that reflected her training with a handgun.
The three Loki break through into the 9th floor of the building.
Remains of Occams on the floor, and the bodies of Veneveru.
Clearly the Occams have already passed this floor but not reported their progress.
Kwartz checked the area with his Hardline At the ready. When it seemed like the area had been clear he gave the other two a nod. " All Clear, seems like they lost a few here at least. Veneveru. There is enough ammo around if we need it but I assume the rest went down. Let's not give them too much leeway. They might be having trouble..... So much work, Geez. Keep your sights up and ready for any surprises. Cover me. Every floor we switch who goes in between me and Lima. The other and Juliett Three will provide cover. Let's move. "
His last comment said with an apathetic tone, as he moved down to the next floor, systematically readying to fire before checking the next floor door.
Serai nods in silence still being as cautious as possible. Keeping her death adder raised she would follow in uniform movements with what was now her squad.
Audric and the men who followed him clear the rest of the building with a single casualty, arriving to the street outside the nest.
Where they see the remaining Titus beset by four Mortemcursor and a Loricatus.
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