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Yes, it's going to blow pretty soon!
You want to go toe-to-toe with Eater, hm? Sure, sure.
"Time to go," Attero mutters to himself. The Oak Knights, though now routed, were beginning to be fed fresh troops, and no doubt they would come again when they had amassed enough to regain their courage.
Seeing no further reason to stay there, and having heard enough of hte shouts on the wind to gather that the charges were set--or at least close enough to set to warrent an expeditious retreat, Attero turns and begins a distance-eating lumbering job across the soon-to-be-ex-bridge.
Alas his steps are halted by the gibbering, mumbling, undying Eater that gyres and gimbles in his wabe.
"Greyskin mutant!" he spits out, lifting his warhammer in answer to Eater's Hold My Beer challenge.
"Cleanse! Purge! KILL!" he shouts, charging into melee.
He actually didn't want this fight. But if he didn't make a way past Easter...who will? Is the whole squad to be eaten by Eater for lack of a Heavy with the will to fight?
Not this day.
I know eater is a major bad arse, but he's pretty wounded.
What's the position and whatnot if we charge him?
Also, speaking of clocks: I did mention that those things were on timer fuses, right? Set to go off at the same time, more or less?
You now have two goals: (1) Make sure the enemy doesn't become aware of and disarm the charges before they go off, and (2) get off this bridge before they go off.
One Eye dusts himself off, does a quick survey, noting that Brother Attero has taken upon himself to deal with Eater. One Eye quickly barks orders to the victorious Grinning Ravens around him.
"Many kudos for pummeling that Hound off me. We are almost through, but there is still work be done. Our objective is to link up with the others and get off the bridge. Bounding overwatch, Alisa with me, Aron and Jughead together. Make sure to attract enemy attention-- they cannot be left unengaged to undo the charges. Go go go!"
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There was a place, near the old training fort. If you got beyond the foothills and up the mountain slope, there it was. Katya was pretty sure she was the only one who knew of it, this little cave. It wasn't obvious to find, the entrance was hidden by a blind rock-face but if you ducked beyond htat you found yourself in a place of wonder: glittering crystals imbedded in the cave wall, lit by the shaft of sunlight that came down from a gap in the roof. She's left the dumb rookies behind. They had one simple instruction: follow her tracks. It took her 20 minutes to lose them. Less, probably. She's angry and agitated, she doesn't understand why they've been assigned to her, don't the high command get that she's a loner? That's why they made her a scout in the first place. She's always been alone, she likes it that way.
(Katya is an orphan. She joined the Legion because it beat the hell out of the alternatives.)
The mood of serenity in the cave is overpowering. Katya's not alone. She doesn't know Shreya from Ivana, but she knows a Chosen when she sees one. There's no speech. Their eyes lock, and Shreya smiles.
You watch the flock, you guard the way for them and hunt the wolves who would harm them. But if you have no love for those you guard, you will grow to despise them and fall into darkness. Do not so. I give you a new command: care.
There's a blinding light and when Katya opens her eyes minutes or hours later, she is alone. It would be wrong to say she's a different person. But in the stony soil, a plant has taken root. She retraces her steps and finds the rookies. She isn't gentle with them: her voice strips the bark off the trees as she points out everything they failed to see. Several of them burst into tears. But she's teaching them and nearly all of them come back the next day for more lessons. At the end of the season, when they're something close to being competent, she feeels a fierce sense of pride. I did that.
It's a start.
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Sonia jumps almost out of her shoes as she turns round to find Katya standing behind her. She gives a nervous smile and runs one hand through her wild red hair. "Hello, Katya." (They've struck up a friendship, of sorts: Katya is one of the few people with a taste for drinking the bitter-tasting alcohol Sonia distils on occasion). "Ummm... can I help? Only things are a bit... with all the Stuff right now."
Katya nods. "Da. I have mission, possibly night mission. Would be helpful to have something in case. So I'm not blind as bat."
"You know, it's funny you should say that, and I know a lot of people use that term, but bats aren't actually blind, you know? They have..." Sonia trails off as she looks at Katya's expression. "You know what? That can, ummm, it can totally wait because I totally have something! Here." She beams as she hands the potion over. "Owlsight oil!"
Katya nods her head in thanks, but she has one more request. "Can I have this off-book? Quartermaster is busy man, I prefer not to give him burden of paperwork. You understand."
Sonia grins. "Oh, that's no problem at all! I'll just put an entry under 'breakages' and that's that. Umm, good luck! You know, with your mission and everything."
Katya sighs. "Spasibo." She hesitates for a moment. "I am sorry about Gurgles. His was great loss, great sacrifice." She tilts her head to one side as she looks at her friend. "You are good person, Sonia. Legion is lucky having you. I hope you will stay."
The cloying excess of emotion is getting uncomfortable now. Taking the potion, she leaves before Sonia can reply.
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Katya watches the 2 Hounds fall from the bridge and she's already reaching for another arrow when the light from the flare winks out. She doesn't even blink as she's left in total darkness. She was prepared for night-fighting. The bottle of Owlsight oil tickles like feathers, and she scrunches up her face as if she's about to sneeze. Thankfully she doesn't. It gives her an uncanny sort of sight. Things that move are much easier to see than things that aren't, somehow. It's hard to explain. But she can see. She sees the undead horror climb out of the river. Even missing one leg and part of its skull, it still hunts. It's bigger and clearly nastier than a normal Hound. Not that there's such a thing as a normal Hound, undead horrors that they are. But this one is presumably what the yellow flare was about.
With her newfound nightvision, Katya watches from a distance as an armoured figure charges across the bridge. His voice carries easily in the still night air, and she shakes her head wearily. Aterro is good man, good soldier, but stealth is elusive concept to him. And even on one leg, that undead creature looks like a real challenge. It’s time to do what she does best: even the odds. She doesn’t need to be able to see to find the Black Arrow in her quiver. Still concealed, using the darkness as her armour, she sights down the arrow at her target. Her aim is at the small of its back. That way, even if it survives the wound it should be knocked down. Easier for Aterro to deliver a killing blow. The Black Arrow is fired, quieter than a whisper. No sooner has it left her bow than another arrow (normal) is fitted to the string as she looks for her next target.
I want to do as much damage as possible to Eater and knock it down so it’s vulnerable. I’m going to swap position for effect (Risky -> Desparate) and Push myself for 2 stress to get extra effect. The black arrow gives me more effect as well, so this should actually do some real harm. Because I’m pushing, I can’t use DB this time round, I think.
Action is Shooting, again.
I get 2d for dots, 1d for Daredevil so 3d total. 2 extra effect plus potency from black arrow.
"Crap." Leon barely whispers as Eater crawls out of the water right freaking in front of them, as he holds his crew and debates on what to do, his hand is forced by Arttero's charge.
"That burns it, up at at em!" he barks as he charges the monster, blade raised.
Wow, a crit on your Marshal roll. Hm, what should that do?
Well, what did you say? "Make sure to attract enemy attention". Okay, so let's say they're doing a *really good job* at that.
At this point, are One Eye and the three Grinning Ravens at the end of the bridge or off the bridge? How are they positioned with respect to Brother Attero, Eater, and Leon and the other Grinning Ravens?
I'll push for the flashback to give them black shot and tell them to shoot eater with it.
That's 2 stress, yes?
You rolled a crit, so you can decide where they are. The default would be that they're making a big fuss somehow to distract the Black Oak Knights (who are regrouping, remember) from figuring out what you're actually up to. But if you want them down at the east end of the bridge with the rest of the group, you can have them there.
At this point, are One Eye and the three Grinning Ravens at the end of the bridge or off the bridge? How are they positioned with respect to Brother Attero, Eater, and Leon and the other Grinning Ravens?
One Eye's command was intended to keep a steady rate of suppression fire on the Knights, to keep their attention on the squad, while doing a full retreat to the other side of the bridge. Given that, their maneuver will likely take some time, so the rest of the team will perform their actions before the Doyen, Alisa, Jughead, and Aron make it back to Leon's detachment.
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Attero spared a quick look behind him. Quite suddenly, without a word, the squad that had been holding his flanks took off. Did Alisa even give him one last glance before she left? He squashed a feeling of chagrin.Does a tender and romantic heart beat beneath that exterior of blood-spattered iron?
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Attero halted his progress and brought his hands to his head. The crazy images along with the equally insane gibbering was like a sledgehammer ramming repeatedly on his skull. Nothing made sense. How long had he been here? A minute? An hour? A day? Forever?
"The fluidity of economics are that all gross irregularities are due to overactive restores happiness and gives the smackdown to sweating continually evolving, helping to resell dedicated I will not stand for Raining Cats and Dogs"
He was lost. He felt like he'd been leaning over to the left for a very long time, and leaning to the left was all that was important anymore. Did any words ever have meaning?
'They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mold them, and in the furnace of war forge them.'
The words came back to him. Like bubbles struggling up through a pool of tar, the words returned to him and tried to give him Meaning.
"My supporters know that I will protect fuses delightful rose essences and a hallucinogenic tobacco will constantly strive to research today’s market-driven Pilaf atop Stuffed Tortilla Drippings."
And then it was lost. Lost lost lost to the swirling vortex of life without meaning. Does meaning itself have no meaning? Does purpose itself lack a purpose? To what end can the end be justified?
'They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armour shall I clad them and with the mightiest weapons will they be armed.'
He felt his hands. They still held a shield, maybe. And Krieg. It was still there. He had not fallen off the planet. And that was something.
"In the financial marketplace Ephratah did prepareth bushels of curvy swords palling around with overseas manufacturers, Washington elitists and overpaid Pie essences and a 150-proof cheese essence in their Dixkowski he’d better shoot the football doth foul ruin wash away thy kin’s agnosticism of clairvoyance."
What was something? Was it important? Was anything ever important? Perhaps to become important something must first be unimportant. Yes. That was it. He must first walk. And then fall off this bridge.
'They will have tactics and strategies so that no foe can best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror.'
Bridge! He was on a bridge! And that bridge had to be destroyed. It all was coming back to him.
'They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are my Heavies and they--'
he shouts, coming full out of his revelry. The foul Xeno's blast had ripped the shield from his hands but he gripped Krieg in both hands and descended on Eater like a blow from the Nine-Layered Heavens.
One Eye's command was intended to keep a steady rate of suppression fire on the Knights, to keep their attention on the squad, while doing a full retreat to the other side of the bridge. Given that, their maneuver will likely take some time, so the rest of the team will perform their actions before the Doyen, Alisa, Jughead, and Aron make it back to Leon's detachment.You rolled a crit, so you can decide where they are. The default would be that they're making a big fuss somehow to distract the Black Oak Knights (who are regrouping, remember) from figuring out what you're actually up to. But if you want them down at the east end of the bridge with the rest of the group, you can have them there.
At this point, are One Eye and the three Grinning Ravens at the end of the bridge or off the bridge? How are they positioned with respect to Brother Attero, Eater, and Leon and the other Grinning Ravens?
With the final "Go", One Eye waved at Jughead and Aron to start bounding back towards the Eastern side of the bridge. One Eye pondered whether he had made a mistake in having Alisa with him, but figured that Aron and Jughead's camraderie with each other compensated for concentrating the firepower with him and Alisa.
Peering through the barricades with his Bartan lenses, he could see the Black Oak Knights reforming for another charge, though with a couple of the Knights dismounted due to earlier casualties among the horses. That gave the Doyen an idea.
"Target the horses, Alisa" he barked. Alisa nodded, aimed, and volleyed a shot at the distant targets. Immediately, one of the Knight's horses immediately hobbled and fell. As the current leader of the Knights tried to rally his men, the Doyen let fly with another shot that careened off that horse's shoulder, causing him to go off his horse too.
Alisa admired her handiwork, "Sweet dears, that is no way to treat such fine equine flesh." The doyen tapped her on the shoulder, "That may be so, but we have another engagement." The two began jogging back.
Jughead and Aron had taken root behind a pavise that was set up earlier. "If you spot any horses, shoot them first," yelled One Eye as they passed the two of them. "And don't miss this time darlings" added Alisa. One Eye considered giving her a look, and decided against. Better to conserve his attention and energy, he thought.
Alisa and One Eye got behind a makeshift barrier, and started reloading. Peering out, the Doyen could see that the Black Oak Knights, or at least the ones that were left, had dismounted and were picking their way across the bridge. As per Legion protocol for bounding overwatch, first Jughead sent off a shot, and about fifteen seconds later Aron let fly another. Although these shots did not draw blood, they did cause the Knights to keep their heads down and seek cover. After the second shot, the two made their way back as well.
After a couple of repetitions of this pattern, Alisa and One Eye reach Leon and the rest of the Grinning Ravens. "Monicca, Tabitha, and Leon. Looks like we all made it... wait where's Hans?" asks the Doyen to Leon.
Leon is stunned for a moment as, while organizing a probably suicidal attack, Eater ... Dies?
Seeing the rest of the squad run up, more or less alive, Leon opens his mouth to answer One Eye's question when the pair of gunshots ring out from under the bridge.
"Down there. Brave man stayed to make sure the hounds didn't disrupt the charge. Sounds like they found him.". as he's finishing the sentence the first charge goes off.
Let's split the difference. At the moment the charge goes off, you've sent Aron and Jughead ahead, and are following with Alisa, putting down harassing fire towards the Knights. Does that work?
One Eye startles with sound of the early charge going off. His internal count suggested that there was just a little time left before the rest would go off. "Alisa, Sweetheart," One Eye says with an exaggerated drawl," "good work, and get back to the others ASAP. Link up with the others, and keep those knights pinned. I'll deal with the down below."
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Eater whips its head back and forth, screaming, as it claws at its face. Some sort of horrible, vile-smelling black fluid sprays out wildly from its empty eye sockets, as if under pressure.
*Before*
When the orders came down. When the team and mission were chosen, Attero sought solitude. The time for action would come, but for now, he knelt in the dirt, in the dark. It was what she wanted.
He gathered up a handful of mud and added a splash of water. This he worked into mud. A stone, chosen well, he put in the mud, and unto the stone a drop of blood. No great arterial gush was needed, just a prick with a sharp dagger. The mud encased the stone, and he held it firm in one meaty fist, crushing it to packed hardness.
Holding the odd ball in one hand, and Krieg in the other, he made his Oath.
"I promise to lead the men into the zone of war, and conduct them to glory, no matter the ferocity or ingenuity of the foe. On this matter, and by this weapon, I swear."
Thinking upon it, he made another ball. Normally one would do, but this was no longer normal.
"I swear to crush the enemy, the mutants, and their servants, despite all they might throw at me. I pledge to do honor to the Legion and to the chosen."
Both went into a cargo pocket. These were Oaths of Moment, and they were represented by the rock. The mud around it was himself. Such a talsiman, such a reliquary, would tell him that even though he, a fragile, flawed human, might crumble, the Oath, the rock, would ever hold firm, and could not be broken.
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*now*
"More weight then applaud as I exit this is the happiest day of my life codeine bourbon this is no time to make enemies last words are for fools who haven't said enough it was a good idea at the time."
The beast's words echoed in his ears even as its death throes tossed the last of its precious yet foul juices upon him. He could smell the corruption therein, and feel its icy talons clutching at his soul.
'I pledge to do honor to the Legion.' The Oath he had recently taken rang in his head, and he knew his will was proof against this pollution.