Into a Rising Wind

[handsofwinter]

Winter holds the Nexus in its jaws, and its teeth sink ever deeper.

A month into the storm, the snow has yet to stop falling. The number of mouths to be fed has stopped dwindling, almost. Occasionally people go missing, and those who notice hope they’ve found a way back through their portals. It’s not enough to change the maths on their food supplies - all their supplies. Nobody is getting a full meal at a time, not any more. Isidor and Lyall have begun to enforce the rationing with iron hands. Both ignore the look that crosses Captain Kirk’s face when they upbraid a volunteer cook for being too generous – the look that lingers on Runa’s face if she’s close enough to hear. They’re doing what they must. They need a tight hold on their supplies if they want to get people through this. They need supplies even to send expeditions after more.

And expeditions are a difficult prospect now. Those who ventured into the storm and returned have brought stories that spread faster than Isidor hoped. The Crossroads Cafe has become a semi-official hub for those travelling outside or keeping watch on the bounds, a safe resting place kept warm by the combined power of Pokemon and Persona. In the long dark nights, people sit around the tables and share what they've seen, what they've heard from this scout or that refugee. Whispered tales of the creatures out there hunting in packs, hounding people from rooftops, even tearing open walls to reach them…

No-one goes out alone, now. Those brave enough to take the risk go in groups and arm themselves with the best weapons they can find. Sometimes they’re a risk to themselves. Not everyone knows how to handle that black market plasma pistol they picked up two days past. Not all of their team-mates keep their nerve when a figure looms out of the snows beside them. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s run afoul of monsters, and who of their own folly. Safer, but little less brave, are the people recruited to keep watch on that shifting line of torches. Just a precaution. The creatures don’t come past it, everyone says. But quietly, everyone doubts.

There've been bright moments, too. A strange alchemist comforting a lost child. An expedition team fighting their way home, back to back. Families brought safely through the snow by soldiers and wizards, by heroes young and old and sometimes surprising. A volunteer cook stepping up to prepare, if not quite a hundred thousand meals, then something that feels close. A young man saving the life of a stranger who'd threatened him. The past weeks have seen people who may never have known one another before come together to offer a blanket, or guiding words, or a helping hand in a search. Small moments, glowing reminders of how much good the people of the Nexus have on their side. But the Winter goes on, and the winds never get less bitter, and the smiles get more strained with every day.

Slowly the line of torches close on the Plaza, a noose no-one can afford to flee. Sheltered space is at a premium. Most of those who remain are settled as close to the centre as they can be. Whether in the big public bunker or the Cafe, people find themselves crammed all together, and tempers regularly fray among residents not too cold and exhausted for fighting. The more responsible Nexus-goers find themselves trying to duck out of (or break up) fights, or spending hours stuffing drafty accommodation with any insulation they can find. There’s snow to be shoveled from doors, pipes to be defrosted, bandages to be changed. Anything’s better than dealing with the problem of working bathrooms.

At one end of the Plaza headquarters, a makeshift screen has been dragged into place to give a semblance of privacy to Isidor’s desk. It’s painfully early in the morning, though the nights are so long and the days so dim beneath the storm clouds there’s little sense of time any more. There’s no-one around yet to wonder about the meeting going on. The only people present are Isidor, Lyall and a handful of senior volunteers – those who remain. Blaze-37 crouches by a makeshift fireplace, stacking the salvaged wood just right before she punches it lightly, setting it alight with the flames that ripple over her fist. The other robot, Ghost, is hovering over the desk playing flashlight for them, shining a pale beam over the maps and reports laid out there. Light, too, is a precious resource, as batteries die and outlets are lost to encroaching Winter. It’s the only reason those here have gotten sleep. They work until they have no light to work by.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Suou?” the Guardian asks when Isidor says they can begin.

“Officer Suou won’t be coming.”

That’s part of why they’re here, Isidor explains. The torches’ march has taken them past the Grand Library. The Crossroads Café is now on the very edge of the safe zone, along with all the people sheltering there. Katsuya’s magic is the only thing that will protect it. He can’t leave. It’s a turning point that only drives home the larger problem: they’re running out of time. They’re running out of everything. Most refugees are in some kind of shelter by now; what they lack is food to keep them alive and fuel to keep them warm. Isidor’s volunteers have counted heads and counted tins and counted everything backwards and forwards and the numbers never get better. Either they do something now, while they have the strength, or the meals will run dry in two weeks. Less, if anything goes wrong.

She lets that sink in. Nobody looks surprised: she’s confirming their worst suspicions and that gets a few flinches, but they understand. They talk, instead. By the time there’s a hint of daylight outside and someone knocks on the door for the first shot at rations, they have a plan. They need an expedition, bigger than any before. They need enough arms to discourage attack, the skills to get them to any buried supplies and the numbers to haul them back in quantity. Each of them walks away from the table with a mission in mind and an air of grim determination.

They have a job to do, and they’re going to need help.

((As before, so below: the main missions/subquests for the expedition prep are listed below. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. The OOC Post can be found here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note

Scouting the Expedition | A Fistful of Torches | Scrapyard Sweep | The Home Front | Medical Attention | Isidor's Expedition Call | Main Expedition: The Raid

Comments

Time to ~split the party~

[rekindledtitan]

Ghost materializes to supervise their removal of the beacon while the Exo keeps a lookout. The little robot drifts closer as Azwel places his hands on the ice, shell folding inward as he listens with fascination to the building vibrations – and jumps, when the ice suddenly cracks apart. Blaze shoots a look over her shoulder, turning back when she hears the device come free.

“Excellent!” Satisfied, she reaches out to take the beacon, and this time shows them how to collapse it into a significantly smaller tube they can stash in a pack. “You know what to do, then. Ghost will be listening for you on the comms. All going to plan, we’ll meet at the rendezvous within the hour.”

“That noise is going to draw attention. You should try to move fast and quiet. All of you.”

“Noted. Light go with you, friends.” With that, it’s time to split up. Blaze salutes the other team before she and Natalie head off on their designated route. The two routes they planned cut an irregular arc around the central Nexus, trying to sweep up as much equipment as possible while staying close enough to support each other if they need to. Blaze chose the set of beacons that she expected to require more climbing and crossing exposed ground, but Alpha Team have their own hazards to navigate. Sudden snowfalls, dark alleys… and now and then the wind carries a bitter, chemical smell…

Their first challenge, however, doesn’t come from behind. They find the beacon planted atop what looks like a snowed-over newsstand. As they advance onto the street to grab it, however, there’s a glimmer of blue light from a roof opposite- and a thunk Furiosa will recognize, as a sniper round from an electric rifle hits the wall behind their rearguard. The sniper is barely visible through the haze- and he may not be alone…

Watched over by Volcarona and Carbink, meanwhile, Bravo Team is making their own way through the icy streets. Blaze is so focused on plowing through the snow ahead that she almost walks past their target. She has to backtrack a few steps, turning to peer upward at what is… definitely some kind of radio tower perched atop a small building. Some kind built by enthusiastic amateurs, by the look of it. It sways and creaks alarmingly up there… but from high above, faint in the icy fog, there’s the steady flash of a green light.

“Huh. I almost forgot about this one.” Blaze rubs the back of her helmet and then shrugs. “Well, this could take a while, but it should be interesting.” She takes a step back, apparently about to try and replicate whatever feat enabled her to plant the beacon up there in the first place- when she stops dead, Ghost’s voice quiet in her speakers.

“Maybe you’re not the best person for this one, Guardian.”

She frowns- but then it clicks. Her mirrored faceplate turns up toward the Pokemon. Then to Natalie. “Can they bring it down?”

the split-up

[walking_on_fire]

"If you're referring to getting the beacon and not crashing the tower, then yes. I don't either of them could grab it, but I could." Natalie's eyes are focused on the green light, before motioning for Volcarona to come closer. Someone will need to grab the beacon and it might as well be her. Carbink still floats around the skies, being observant of any threats that may come their way.

"I'll go and grab it, just cover my back, since I'm going to be left in a open position." Without another word, she climbs onto the fire moth's back, confident and worried all at once. She'll wait for a moment, see if there's anything else that needs to be said, before taking off into the skies.

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze's eyes might have widened a bit inside her helm. Riding a Pokemon? Sure, it's big, but she wouldn't have thought of it... well, for obvious reasons, perhaps. She's quick to nod, moving to bound up onto one of the low rooftops nearby. "Copy that. I'll cover you. Watch for the sway."

From her new vantage she can see a bit better over the shrouded landscape around them. She can't watch Natalie too closely, though she hears the tower creak alarmingly and hopes her team-mate is exercising caution. She's tracking the faint hints of shadowy movement in a nearby street- real, or just a trick of the snow? Between Volcarona and the Sunbreaker herself, the pair of them must stand out badly in any kind of thermal sights - if the enemy has such things, if they look this way. But surely no-one has a chance of hearing them in this wind.

Natalie, meanwhile, gets the challenge of trying to drag the beacon out from the tower's metal frame - while her airborne mount fights the gusting wind, and the whole structure veers slowly from one side to another. The bad news is, the beacon's frozen in. The good news is, the heat from Volcarona's beating wings is swiftly beginning to melt it free. It might take some doing - and some nerve - but the trainer will be able to pull it free.

[walking_on_fire]

Natalie sighs, taking to the skies on Volcarona's back carefully, the cold being kept at bay by the Pokemon's warmth. However, a chill runs down her spine, a split second moment of fear that she shakes off. Do what needs to be done, the sooner the better. They hover close to the beacon, and upon seeing the ice, Natalie just waits patiently. Volcarona's heat will make it easier to collect the beacon, instead of trying to pry it free from the ice.

After a few tense minutes, she has Volcarona move closer, giving her enough time to pry the beacon free. Grasping it tightly with one hand, the other holding onto Volcarona tightly, she has the Pokemon back away from the tower opposite to whatever direction it's swaying. Just it case it decides to fall, she wants to be in a better position.

No words need to be said, as she makes her way back to the ground and Blaze.

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze waits until Natalie’s almost on the ground before she jumps back down, snow flying as her boots hit the drifts. She lets the younger woman fold up the beacon, or demonstrates how if Natalie missed it, before it can go away in a pack. That said, she claps her team-mate on the shoulder with a heavy hand, nodding to her and Volcarona both.

“Slick work, you two. That’s another one down!” She grabs up the sled propped against a wall- they haven’t needed it yet, but she’s aiming to reach that comms array sooner rather than later. “Holding up all right? The next one’s a cakewalk compared to that! We just get over there and do this by the book, we shouldn’t have any problems.”

There’s not much chance for conversation once they’re moving again, with the wind drowning out anything below a yell. Blaze moderates her pace if she notices her companion falling behind, but her attention is focused on the path ahead. The streets look different buried under snow, but she remembers the direction. Presently they’ll turn into a wide open area, sheltered by a scattering of trees and the medley of houses surrounding it. Massive drifts have piled up against the buildings, and it’s easy to see that if their occupants had stayed around they’d have been trapped.

“Nice day for a walk in the park, right?” Blaze calls cheerily, helm turning as she looks over her shoulder. She sets the sled down again and points to the middle of what’s usually a huge lawn, where out amid the swirling snow a green light blinks forlornly. “That’s our target. Pretty exposed, though.” She gestures to one of the houses and its low garden wall: it’s a bit of a walk across the snow, but it’s the nearest cover not already buried. “Hunker down and cover me for a minute, then we’ll be out of here.”

So far, so simple. While Natalie heads for the sheltering wall the Guardian marches out into the open with no real concern for the possibility of being shot at. It's possible she's being a tad... overprotective of the less experienced human, since she doesn't seem to feel any particular danger.

Then again, maybe it's not Natalie she's underestimating.

”FREEZE!” Her order is a bellow above the wind, sudden, urgent, allowing no moment of hesitation. The Titan herself has stopped dead still across the field: a white-on-black statue in the midst of the blizzard. Slowly, mechanically, she pivots on one foot to look back at Natalie; even at this distance, even through the blank faceplate, one can almost feel her locking eyes with the human. “Don’t take another step!” She pats the side of her helm and yells, “RADIO!”

Only once her team-mate has the radio on and lifted to talk can she explain, almost conversationally, “I’m standing on a mine. Most likely they’re all over this place. If your Pokemon can lift you back out of there without disturbing anything, get back to the street. It’s either that or you’re gonna have to turn around real carefully and walk back in your footprints.”

[walking_on_fire]

The sudden clap on the back is welcome, some sign of teamwork throughout this mentally draining winter. Volcarona isn't one to show emotions, but seems to hover around the group in a content manner, before Natalie has to give her Pokemon a serious look. "One down, many more to go." That look is enough to tell her message: back to formation, lest they get caught off-guard during an early moment of celebration.

"I'm fine for now. Let's just keep moving forward. The sooner we can get the mission complete, the better off everyone will be." Yes, she doesn't have the physical strength of Blaze, but she keeps up at an acceptable pace, thanking her lucky stars that she actually had winter gear at the ready for this. The wide open space, with houses once occupied is an eerie sight, another reminder that human life once thrived here. Volcarona and Carbink both hover overhead, providing support and warmth as needed.

"Not really. This weather isn't exactly warm nor pleasant." Is it supposed to be a joke? She isn't offended, but just shrugs her shoulders and keeps walking forward. The light of the beacon is refreshing, until...The cry to reach for her radio cuts through the howling wind. Mines. Scanning the nearby ground, she doesn't see anything that looks explosive, but a false move will end in disaster. She raises one hand and has Volcarona move closer, grabbing onto the Pokemon and carefully returning to the skies.

Again, she's back on the radio, desperately trying to figure out what to do next. "Blaze! I think I have an idea, but I'm not sure what to do afterwards." Think long, think wrong. "I can have Carbink come down to you and shield the explosion, but after that, well..." The Guardian will need to come up with a follow-up plan.

[rekindledtitan]

It's a relief to see Natalie climb back into the air so handily. Blaze relaxes as she follows Volcarona's ascent, even with the sudden death waiting beneath her boot. Even as she's starting to wonder what kind of monsters lay mines like this. Like they expected someone to come back here... But then Natalie makes her offer. Up where the golden moth is flapping higher to safety, it brings a warm chuckle over the radio.

"Negative. Not gonna be much chance of shielding me, and no point risking Carbink. Besides, the beacon's probably rigged too. I've got this. You fall back to a safe distance, 'cause there's gonna be shrapnel. And watch our back. It won't be quiet."

To her unseen companion, tucked within her shell, the Titan adds, "Ghost, alert Alpha to converge on our position. We're about to make some noise. Won't go unnoticed."

Granted, her audios picked up the distant stutter of rifle fire earlier, in little snatches over the wind. She has an idea Alpha's already made contact with the enemy. But there's been no call for reinforcement, and whatever they met seems to be handled. This, however? She aims to detonate as much of the minefield around her as she can. The words that come to mind are 'grenade' and 'hornet's nest'.

She waits a few moments for Natalie and her Pokemon to get clear before she springs forward and brings her fists down in a ground-slamming pound. If she could, she'd smile.

There is indeed going to be shrapnel flying, and an awful lot of snow and earth to boot.

[walking_on_fire]

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Normally, she'd let another person do whatever they want, but this winter has warped her line of thinking ever slightly. She's hesitant and fearful, unaware that Blaze can handle the problem at hand, but is still alert enough to understand her command. Get out of there. Directing Volcarona and Carbink to a safe distance, she keeps her eyes out to the storm, watching and waiting for something to emerge from the snowy winds. someone has to have planted those mines, after ll.

Then she sees Blaze raise her fist and what the actual hell is she doing?!?

Natalie is about to cry out, but the explosion is jarring, causing her to grab onto Volcarona tightly. Normally this sight would be amazing and cool, but now she has to wonder how much crap they'll attract with such a blast. Thankfully, she out of the blast zone, but now things are getting tense for the Pokemon trainer...

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze has it handled, all right… for a certain value of handled. In the wake of the detonation, as the dirt patters down, the air clears… a great swathe of the ground is a churned-up gash in the earth. Thrown back from the center of the destruction, there’s a sprawled corpse in white and black. Most of one. It’s a mercy that Blaze isn’t organic, but still… better that the storm veils the damage from Natalie’s view.

There’s little time even for shock, however. In a flash Ghost appears above his fallen Guardian, a bright glimmer of blue light darting close to the ground to keep out of the wind. What he does is also hard to see- for a moment he seems to expand out, swelling with brightening light that ripples over Blaze’s form…

And she jerks to life, a sharp convulsion before she rolls over and hauls herself up, staggering a little. Ghost disappears again; Blaze steadies herself and looks around for Natalie, to give her a thumbs-up.

“All good!” she calls out merrily. She gestures back to the ground remaining between her and the beacon. “I’m gonna go again!” Looks like Natalie isn’t getting any explanations just yet. Besides, the trainer will have to watch her own back. While Blaze turns to repeat the explosive process, something is scuttering over the roofs behind them, and it’s training its rifle sights on Volcarona…

[walking_on_fire]

What. Thank goodness the Pokemon trainer can't see what the heck is going on beneath her, but Ghost hovering around is a bit alarming. When the thumbs-up can be seen, there's a sigh of relief from Natalie. There's no point in asking about details or saying anything, and given's Blaze's nature, it doesn't seem like she'd get a response.

The rifle barrel isn't noticed, due to the storm and her attention being elsewhere. Even with insect eyes, Volcarona is better at spotting things that aren't as well hidden, thus the rifle goes unnoticed. Looks like the enemy has gotten the drop on the team this time around...

[rekindledtitan]

She's a lot closer than she was, now, and Blaze could make the bound to the beacon from here. Safe to assume it's going to cost her at least one more death, but a Guardian takes that in their stride. The tricky part is going to be getting the beacon away from the explosives intact...

Nothing to do but risk it. She sprints, leaps, and pulls on the Light to make it another arcing jump over the death-laden snow. Her boots come down less than a foot in front of the beacon. She grabs, twists, hurls it like a javelin. It sails across the snow, over the riven field, into the great snowdrift at the end of the park.

And behind it, Blaze... explodes again. It's fine. She'll be fine. Just give her a few moments.

Only a few moments may be too many for Natalie and her team. Behind them, a flicker of steel shadow in the snows becomes the gleam of an electric corona- and then a rifle shot lances up at Volcarona, blue-white and hissing with electrical energy. It's curving to match the Pokemon's flight- Volcarona needs to evade hard. And fast.

Ghost's voice on the radio is belated for both of them. "Detecting energy signatures behind us. Look out!"

[walking_on_fire]

"Fuck!"

The beam is completely disarming, not something a human can react to, but a bug with compound eyes can react much faster than a human giving commands. Heat, light...all things that insects are used to seeing and needing to react to. Before Natalie can get a word out, Volcarona is diving downward in a sharp angle, the trainer holding onto its matter white fur tightly. Fire burns off its wings, scorching the air and narrowly missing the Pokemon, but does graze one back wing.

Electric attacks, thankfully, are not super effective against a Bug/Fire Pokemon, but the pain is similar to that of a Pikachu shock. Not pleasant, but bearable. Natalie knows that direct assaults like that will add up in due time, so she can't afford to let Volcarona be the target once more. Tracking electrical shots means that heat must be involved...

"Carbink! Rock Slide!"

Hearing its trainer cry out means trouble is afoot and the floating rock Pokemon, hovers closer. It starts to spin, launching waves of decently sized rocks towards where the beam was fired. Maybe it'll hit the shooter, or if anything, slow them down from another attack. Either way, Volcarona needs to be faster...As if on cue, the moth speeds up, particles of yellow dust and light surrounding its form. Hopefully a Quiver Dance will give it an edge of speed and power against such a formidable foe, while flying dangerously close to the ground.

[rekindledtitan]

The high winds do little to sway the rocks Carbink hurls through the air. They hit the rooftop and thunder across tile and brick alike, bouncing off chimneys and over angled eaves. There's a glimpse of a many-limbed shape trying to duck desperately out of the way. If it's using some kind of thermal sights, the rock Pokemon must be next to invisible to it. The bad news is, it isn't alone. More shapes are coming, over the roofs and some dropping down to dart through the streets instead - but for a minute anyway, the only sniper in range is far too busy saving its own hide to target the Pokemon again.

Blaze wakes in the dirt again. Resurrection is, always, a thrill and a shock: being pulled back from the embrace of death is never an easy thing. It's merely familiar, after seven years. The smell of dirt, of burned metal, the flickers of strange memory in her thoughts, the haunting echo of a shock rifle's round- just another day.

Wait.

She's halfway to her feet when she freezes. That sound wasn't just an echo of memory. She doesn't think so. No. No, that was real. That sound was real and she knows that sound.

The Titan surges to her feet, scrambling out of the crater she's made for herself. Volcarona flutters over the ground nearby, evading fire, Natalie still on its back; Ghost is saying something she doesn't hear over the shock burning through her circuits. There are guttural voices on the wind and now she's sure.

"It's the Light-damned Fallen!"

[eumenis]

Furiosa moves quickly, taking the lead of her little group with a quiet nod at Natasha to take the rear. Azwel is a power-hitter, no question, but something about his impulsiveness makes Furiosa want to keep him corralled between them. Regardless, she figures they're all as well-equipped for this work as anyone in the Nexus, and she doesn't hesitate to make her way along their designated route.

She has her buckler at the ready, and she's as alert for ambush as she can be, but the sudden sniper shot catches her by surprise nonetheless thanks to the shit visibility.

"Eyes up! Eight o'clock!" She shouts out as soon as she gets a bead on where the shot comes from. Not for the first or last time, she wishes she was in a vehicle, but she plants her shield in the snow in front of her and crouches behind it, pulling out her own rifle and taking aim. Her first shot goes wide, but if she can just keep the sniper aiming at her instead of the other two, it's a start.

"I'll cover you. Do what you can as fast as you can."

[red_room]

Natasha's response to the shot is automatic but with the wind and visibility she's not going to be able to hit anything back with her handguns from down here at a street level. Even with a rifle, Furiosa is acting more as a distraction than anything. Dangerous work. The spy glances up quickly around them.

The building they've been walking along isn't very tall and sturdy enough that the wind and snow hasn't damaged it. Her guns are slipped away into holsters as she dodges the deepest bits of the snow drift to catch up to where Azwel was ahead of her.

She can't believe she's about to do this. It's going to work though. She's done it before. It's a plan Steve Rogers would approve of which by itself tells her how dangerous what she's thinking is about to be.

"Hey." Natasha doesn't shout but she presses on the word as hard as she can with her tone. Furiosa's trying to buy them time but it won't mean much if the sniper takes notice of them again. "You're a strong guy. Give a girl a boost?" She jerks her head slightly to the building next to them. "As big of one as you can do. I'm going up there. Now."

[lovesuwithknives]

He pauses and blinks, then figures it out. It's a pity, though, that his face is almost completely covered because he breaks out in the biggest grin. It's an insane plan and he likes it.

"Certainly," he answers cheerfully, as though this happens all the time. He looks up and runs a few calculations in his mind--proper angle, wind resistance, ahah!--and positions himself a little better. "Take a bit of a running start." He braces his feet and laces his hands together in front of him, then nods.

As soon as her foot hits his joined hands he'll heave upward with all his strength (and a little extra--she might feel an odd energy pushing her upward, as well), sending her flying in an arc that should easily land her on the top of the building.

He has to duck the next shot that screams past his head, so he can't see where she's gone, but he's confident she's gotten there.

[handsofwinter]

The sniper's attention stays focused on the human shooting back at them. In the howling wind, Furiosa's return fire makes her easier to track anyway. The creature on the roof knows what it's doing: it ducks out of sight if it spots Furiosa sighting, popping up farther along the roof to one side or the other and giving her just enough time to spot the gleam of its rifle charging. When her shield takes a direct hit she can feel it as a dull thud, muffled on the other side of layered plate and ballistic gel; a smell not quite like burning and a snap of sparks as the outer layer boils off some of the energy and dissipates some of the rest.

Caught up in trading shots, meanwhile, the sniper really isn't expecting an attack from its own altitude. From her new vantage, Natasha has a good angle on it. It moves fluidly back to the edge and peers through its sights. Seems like it'd be a bit tall for a human, if it stood. She might even be able to spot the second pair of arms steadying it against the wind that tugs at its short blue cape. She's got a prime opportunity to take it unawares...

Their battle has drawn attention from nearby- or maybe that sniper was a lookout, too. A howl rings through the air, deep and throaty beneath the whine of the wind. From around a corner ahead of them strides a new figure, heavy cloak flaring out around it. It's massive in comparison to the handful of smaller creatures that scamper from its shadow and scatter for cover: it must stand a good two feet above any of them. Its helm tapers up and back at either side into tall, several-pointed wings; smaller rounded-off horns jut sideways from above and below its facemask. Unlike the lesser creatures it bears a set of true armor, the extra plates on limbs and shoulders painted the same blue as its cloak. It has four brawny arms: the upper pair carry long crackling swords. Its glowing eyes are fixed on Azwel and Furiosa's position as it advances through the snow.

That's not the bad news. The bad news is that the first person to hit it is going to see their shot deflected by a thin shell of blue light.

[eumenis]

Furiosa has played this sniper-on-sniper game before. She's one of the best shots the Citadel ever produced, but she knew Vuvalini that were better, hence her assertion she's not really a sniper. But she's icy calm under fire and she can hit a target at a few hundred meters in good visibility.

This is not good visibility, however, and while her shots are close enough to hopefully make the enemy sniper uncomfortable--certainly enough to keep them moving--she's not making any kills like this. She's relieved to catch Natasha and Azwel conferring out of the corner of her eye; someone's got an idea and she's already fully in support without knowing what it is.

Except she didn't really expect it would involve throwing Natasha at their enemies. She takes her finger off the trigger of her rifle to watch with mouth slightly agape as the redhead leaps and flies through the air. For a second, she's afraid to fire again lest she hit her teammate, but once Natasha lands safely, Furiosa starts laughing quietly under her breath as she resumes her barrage of distraction-shots.

"Fuckin' chrome. Wait 'till the Ace hears this one," she mutters.

Of course, when the rest of their opposition rounds the corner, she has a moment of doubt that the Ace will be hearing anything from her ever again what in Mother's Name is THAT??

She takes another round of shots at the sniper, unwilling to let his attention stray from her while Natasha could get the drop on him, but after that she can't ignore the demonic figure coming at them, and the rifle swivels. She aims low, going for parts of the legs that look the least armored, but even at that rate she's dismayed to see the shield send her shots deflected.

"Azwel, if you can slice that schlanger up, now's the time!" She'll turn her fire toward its entourage for the moment.

They can't give ground this time. There's no permanent retreat here.

[red_room]

A running start is easier said than done in all this snow but Natasha finds a clearish path to hop around and pick up speed before Azwel and his strange tingling energies send her arcing up and even clearing the edge of the roof so that she can land rather than pulling herself up undignified like. Questions about what those energies are exactly will have to wait until later. Whether it's magic or not matters little in the grand scheme of things in this moment.

She misses the entrance of more of the bastards in her crouching approach behind the sniper. Even with it crouched like it is the creature's as tall as Natasha at full height. If it stood up it would dwarf her with it's size. There's something familiar about the look and sound of the rifle it's using but in the moment the spy can't place where she's seen it before.

There is no shout to catch its attention. No demand for an honorable fight. Natasha is not a warrior or a soldier. She's a spy. She raises her handgun until it's aimed directly at the back of the creature's head.

Two gunshots ring out over the wind. A body will tumble down shortly thereafter. Its rifle is too large for Natasha to carry but she will throw herself down alongside the gun and prop it back up against the side of the rooftop to give Azwel and Furiosa cover fire from where she is.

Only now is Natasha catching sight of the reinforcements on the ground level. Her curses are stifled. It's going to take her some time to get her sights in and get used to the gun enough to lay that fire down though...

[lovesuwithknives]

That howl manages to cut through the wind and into Azwel's skull with its unearthly tone, tightening his spine despite its deep tone. He shakes his head. Focus! He backs up only a step as the massive shape comes toward them, baring its weapons.

Azwel has fought some very large individuals in his life, but the biggest was a little over seven feet and would likely be dwarfed by this... creature. It reminds him a bit of the Azure Knight with that armour, but even the Azure Knight wasn't this monstrous.

The energy shield gives him pause, but only a momentary pause--it needs tested, after all.

Palindrome flashes brilliantly in the semi-darkness. Red and blue light slices through the air, greataxes and swords, from above and the right and the left. He follows it with a dagger to the front.

[handsofwinter]

The smaller, human-sized creatures are clearly trying to work their way around cover to flank the pair on the ground. From her vantage point up high, Natasha will be able to spot a couple darting off down a side-street, planning to circle round and come at her comrades from behind. The others pop in and out of cover with their pistols – save for the one whose masked head erupts with a burst of pale, luminous gas as Furiosa’s rifle finds its mark, and a moment later she sends its neighbor to the ground with a ragged cry.

The big one is another problem.

The closer it gets, the easier it is to get the demon’s measure. Even without the winged helm it must be close to eight feet tall, a bandolier of those spiny pistols slung across its chest. Up close, the eye slits beneath its angled brow are four in number, all glowing the same eerie blue. It advances on them, closing the distance swiftly even through the snow. It is not, however, prepared for Azwel's multi-pronged attack. The light of his blades flash from all directions, aside and above, and the creature's shield flares blue on all sides beneath the hammering assault... and perhaps even then it would hold, but for that last strike to the chest. There's a burst of light as the shield fails, scattering sparks into the wind as the demon snarls in outrage-

Then another flash, a blur of blue-white light, and suddenly it's right on top of them, one lower hand grabbing at Furiosa's shield to wrench it away, the other swiping to try and backhand her into the snow. The words it roars are unintelligible- but the contemptuous rage rings through. Its blades are raised against Azwel, either to slash at him if he gets in range or to parry another assault, and all its attention is on the one responsible for taking it off-guard. Furiosa seems to be practically disregarded...

[eumenis]

Furiosa is distracted on two fronts at once; she fires at the creatures coming at her directly and is very gratified to see a couple of them die or explode or...whatever that was. On the other hand, she feels the need to keep half an eye on the sniper. If she and Azwel are still pinned down, they're proper fucked.

A quick glance at the roof, and the visibility is still terrible, but she's in time to hear the gunshots and catch a brief coppery flash of Natasha's hair. If that situation isn't under control, it's about to be, she thinks.

Azwel's hail of blades is impressive as fuck. Everything is so fast and so bright she can't be sure whether it's hurt the demonic creature or not, but she dares to hope. She makes no noise as the shield gets ripped away--for the moment it's irrelevant--but clings to the rifle, raising her metal arm to meet that flying backhand. Maybe it'll hurt them both.

She rolls and tumbles in the snow, but as many times as she's fallen from a moving rig and lived to tell about it, she'd be ashamed if that made her miss a beat. She's up on her knees a moment later. The Taurus will be better at close range; she pulls it from her hip holster and aims at the back of the demon's legs. Hard to tell if a projectile will get through the armor, but if they can bring it down, between her and Azwel, she's pretty sure they can exploit whatever weak points it has before it gets back up.

[red_room]

It's too dangerous to try and take potshots at the big guy with her teammates so close on the ground. Clint was the sniper. For as much as she's trained under and alongside Hawkeye over the years her skills there are nowhere near his. The truth won't make Natasha swear any less.

While she sweeps for a safer shot to take the pair who broke off from the main group emerge at the edge of the side street they'd darted down. They're still more than a quick dash away from Azwel and Furiosa but she's only likely to get one shot off before the other scatters or dives into the fray.

If Natasha leaves her vantage point up top though, they're more easily going to be flanked and ganged up on. Her breathing slows while she stares down the sights again. Up here's where Natasha can do the most good for her team. Her gloved hand slides over the trigger. It's a bit awkward to grip but then, this wasn't made with humans in mind. As soon as one of the pair exits cover Natasha takes the shot.

She'll try for a followup on his buddy but it's definitely a long shot. The hope is really to keep its attention away from the other two while they're otherwise engaged.

[lovesuwithknives]

He whirls to look as Furiosa is batted aside, but breathes a short huff of relief upon seeing her get right back up again. Backing up, he takes in the presence of the swords, secure in the knowledge that he doesn't need to get within their reach. Instead, he circles round the demon, then draws a hand back and throws a spear, following it with the double swords, then pivots, sending a flurry of smaller swords at it.

Under the wrappings around his face he's grinning, though his eyes remain keen and calculating. He can ignore the wind as energies hum and rush through him, as his mind spins and clicks through the now habitual mental activity needed to fight.

The quick manifestation of these weapons takes a lot less out of him than that sonic manipulation he did earlier, and he looks as though he could keep this up for a while, his feet steady on the snowy ground as he sidesteps and pivots.

[handsofwinter]

The actual plates of the demon's armor only cover the outside of its limbs; Furiosa's rapid fire is rewarded as it stumbles to one knee, pale vapor wisping out from the other. The moment leaves it open to the spear that strikes its collar and draws a roar of pain. It raises its blades to block the swords that follow- nevertheless. First blood has has been drawn, and if it bleeds...

But. Enraged, wounded and partially hobbled, the demon is still very much in the fight. It rises- but finding its right leg weakened it simply drops back to all four lower limbs and lunges for Azwel with its swords like an immense spider, heedless of the smaller blades he's throwing into it. Some miss cleanly and some graze off and some stab through the gaps in that strange armor- but still it comes, whirling a double-bladed slash at him in a wide arc. He may evade it entirely, but it's putting both opponents back in front of itself. All the better to grab at one of those pistols slung across its chest.

From above, Natasha's shots fly true despite the heavy rifle - actually, she might find the bolts curve against the wind to track their target if she gets to sight on them properly. She drops one ambusher and the other doesn't so much as cry out for its companion- but if he doesn't spot the motion, the thunk and hiss of vapor may alert Azwel of the human-sized creature springing at his back with a shock knife.

The other small ones are moving in, too, emboldened to support their pack leader, even if their fear of Natasha is keeping them at bay for now. Their fire is focused on her, though the pistols are far less accurate at that range than the rifle. Either the pack or the big demon alone would be a hard fight; the longer they duel the more little ones are going to rush them- and the demon's shields will power up again in a moment. If they can take him down fast, now's the time.