This is a civilized world, a world that once was primitive and filled with delusional beliefs. But under the guidance of great minds it has now progressed into what we know as the modern civilization. A world that has forgotten it’s past and decided to ignore the land that was once covered by magic and mysticism. And that was our mistake. THE SETTING. The year is 2115 and on that time the world had suffered a drastic and violent change. It began 100 years ago with the resurgence of the forgotten magic. The civilization we knew was unexpectedly attacked by beings of fantasy and myth. We weren't ready to face them. This lead to a long war that devastated the contemporary era. Although modern weaponry was effective against magic and the powerful creatures, modern people were simply not ready to face them. This led to the world’s division and an endless war between humanity and fantasy. That was 100 years ago. Since then, the forces of the fantastical devastated society and took over half the world. Normal people were driven to the other side of the world. The political and economic landscapes were completely changed, the governments unified into a single entity that governed over the contemporary humans. The new country was renamed Gondwana. The magical side was labeled as Laurasia. Today the war continues, skirmishes and battles between Gondwana's forces and Laurasians are maintained in the militarized zone that separates the two halves of the world. Though the battles happen along the borders, in the centers of each country, society lives, but it lives a different life. Though it retains elements from the society 100 years ago, people now live with fear and uncertainty. Also besides regular schools, military schools have grown in number, and it is required for most of the youths. Those whose families can afford, go to normal schools. They are known as Nobles. But for everyone else, enlistment in the military academies is mandatory due to the need of soldiers able to face the threat of fantasy. The future is uncertain but thanks to a new technology called Cell, there is a ray of hope for mankind. The time to counterattack is close. THE GAME You’ll be now part of the new split world. As a Gondwanian you’re either a cadet, a fully trained soldier or a noble. Despite your choice you’ll be facing the threat of magic and fantasy with no more than modern weaponry, the Cell technology and your own guts. THE CELL TECHNOLOGY People had developed storage cells that can be applied to different devices, such as weapons. The main characteristic is the ability of the cells to store magical energy, thus the preferable name is Magic Cell. Some of the Laurasians that people had caught had been of help to understand a bit how magic works, the conclusion is that certain physiology plus an unknown element is necessary and thus modern people is unable to use it, however the Magic Cell can simulate the magic and apply it to the device it’s attached to. A limitation though is that as it works like a cell it can run out of magic thus ending the effect, it can also be recharged in the storage centers and it also has a function to caught and storage residual magical energy in battlefields or more likely in the environment after a Laurasian had used magic, they can also have a needle that can be directly injected into a Laurasian to forcibly extract its magical energy (killing it into the process), regardless of the method to recharge is always important to consider that the Cell’s magic is limited The Magic Cell can be plugged in any device with the right socket for it such as guns, swords or even ingenious devices developed. Once installed it has to be activated manually and it would grant the magical energy to the device so it could cause a magical effect that ranges from firing energy, imbuing short range weapons, the usage of psionic skills via device implanted around the head, there exists even backpacks that allows to create wings of energy to fly by the use of a Magic Cell. Other things include healing devices and technology to even reconstruct missed limbs (it takes around a week though and is extremely painful) As a regulation, it is forbidden the usage of a magic against a Gondwanian if by this it would cause serious harm to it. It is also forbidden to break the law by the usage of a Magic Cell. CHARACTER CREATION This story is about mankind facing the threat of fantasy, thus the main characters you’ll be playing will be Gondwanians Name: As society is now unified there is a mixture of different ethnics and thus names within people. Gender: Personality: You can omit this one. Role: Cadet, Soldier, Noble, other. Appearance: Take in consideration that a Cadet or Soldier would wear the respective uniform. Background: You can omit this one, but if there is something key or anything you would like to play feel free to tell me, I want people to be very immersive with the plot. Skills: I won’t put a point based system, but if you feel like you can mention the notorious skills of your character in warfare or other things. Weaponry: Ranging from pistols to machineguns, even swords are common nowadays as close combat with Laurasians is a frequent thing. Cell: The cell your character has, even nobles have Cells just in case. At the beginning you can have one or at most two Cells, as the game progresses you may unlock a bit more. Other: Regarding Laurasian’s characters. Name: Gender: Race: It can be anything as long as it can be conceptualized as part of fantasy and not reality. Appearance: Skill or Magic: A Laurasian is an innate fantasy being, thus their specialization in fantastic’s abilities is stronger than Gondwanians with the use of Cells. Weaponry: If needed You’ll be allowed to create a Laurasian character if you feel like, however there will be restrictions regarding it (Some restrictions may be lift later). -Being the Gondwanians the main focus initially, your focus on the Laurasian’s character must be obscure, mainly regarding the purpose of their attack and origin. -Laurasian’s characters won’t have too much spotlight during the first part of the game. -You’re free with the creation of the Laurasian’s character with the condition of it not being a gamebreaker creature and also not being a too strong one in general. (For example, you can create a human magician, but it won’t be a very strong magician, this to keep balance on the game). -Due to the Laurasian being a crucial element within the plot, the GM may have to need you to do certain action or be in certain place. -Laurasians will have a more free play as the game progresses. RULES -Have fun, this may turn into a pretty dark game, but don’t let this to ruin the mood for you, you’re free to add a bit of humor if you feel like. -No control over other people’s characters (Unless there is previous agreement for it) -No God Modding. -No no-selling. -Respect other player’s characters, this means that if you feel like mutilating its leg for whatever reason or kill it, you can only do it if the other part agree. In other words, don’t control the fate of another character. (GM can control a bit of action of Laurasians, though will previously ask the player to do it if needed) -If your character is an asshole, be an asshole in the game, behave outside of it, which means, don’t insult other players, don’t be an asshole yourself. -Any discussion or idea or whatever that is not within the game, do it in the discussion thread. -GM’s words are law -Any character must be PMd to the GM first before posting it on the discussion thread. -You’re free to add any idea or side plot, PM it with the GM first though. -Don’t post before intro post.
That dreadful glint of hope. The first shot was easy, the difficulty was only on aiming carefully at the target, yet not moving from its position with just pressing the trigger the job was done, it beginning was easy, however the subsequent moments would be a real hell. ------------------------------------------ The division that was traced after the 100 years of war split the world into two. However this didn’t meant an equal distribution of land and sea, and thus the Gondwanians, who had less terrain and less capacities to fight through the sky or sea were attempting to regain the solid ground as terrain, hence slowly but sure they were advancing through the frontier, yet that wasn’t their only move; they were trying to conquer a wild card, their last bet of hope for mankind to regain advantage. It resided in some abandoned facilities a few kilometers after passing the border. Luckily for Gondwanians, there was a still functioning railway that would easily help them seize the prize. However, they felt fear. The wild card was no different than a fairy tale, would then such card help them or side with their enemies? Regardless, even if the last were to happen, they certainly will not let the Laurasians get it. ------------------------------------------- “All these skirmishes in the frontier are leaving us out of men! Hence even if some of you are still cadets you had been chosen for this mission! Do not take it lightly, this is not only a real mission, but also a crucial one. If we regain the content of that vault, it’ll be a hard blow for these animals! I’m not asking you to do your best, I’m asking all of you to not fail! Don’t disappoint me!” Exclaimed a tall Caucasian man with a short blonde hair. A man with an impressive physique and a stern gaze. Colonel Conrad Winchester. In front of him there were formed several soldiers and cadets, men and women all dressed in the grey attire proper of the Gondwanian army. The strategy was simple, three trains would depart from the Но́выйУренго́йStation. The trains would cross the border defined after the war and would enter Laurasian territory arriving the Нады́м Station, after that, the group then would travel 11 kilometers to the north after abandoning the city, reaching the abandoned facility, after that they would enter the vault and seize a container, small enough to be carried by two to four men; they were instructed to not try to open the container and to not allow it to take damage during the mission. After successfully seizing it, the troop would have to return with it to the trains and depart again to the base, in case it were to be impossible, they would have to wait for an air carrier to arrive their position, yet air traveling was a dangerous option, hence it was expected that there would be no need to take this option. The main problem is that they will enter Laurasian territory and thus may encounter with the enemy; the spies already confirmed that the border isn’t severely patrolled, yet still the danger was real. Thus, a squadron would depart from the border, close to the railway, to work as a diversion for the Laurasians. Colonel Conrad Winchester was elected to lead the operation. A few hours after his speech, the troops were each one inside their respective trains, then, they received a new communicate from the Colonel through the speakers. “Remember, failing is not an option. Make sure to not let these beasts catch sight of you, the trains will already be calling too much attention. Each one of you has their Cell completely charged yet do not put all your faith on them. Remember your training, if you happen to encounter the Laurasians, avoid them, if you can’t, shoot them. If these bastards get to close use your short range weapons, as you know they’ve been manufactured to greatly damage them! We’ll try to keep the communications low, don’t disappoint me!” After that final speech, with a metallic sound, the trains begun its departure. On the meanwhile, the squadron was engaged in a fierce battle with an advance of Laurasians. They were not supposedly to be noticed, however, tricked by excitement and anxiety, a cadet snipped against a Laurasian, a Cetaur, who seemed to be completely alone, yet a mistake it was, suddenly the creatures noticed the attack and quickly readied their positions, within 40 minutes, the border turned into a battlefield. Centaur tropes were feared by even veteran soldiers. While they could shot a few of them, their bodies were strong and fast, the horse's legs made them quickly travel the land and launch a short range frontal attack, their arms were strong and they wielded swords and bows of a strong mythical material. In just a little time the ground was painted by crimson blood, from both allies and enemies, limbs and heads were spread and the skulls often crushed by the Centaur’s hoof. Only a few minutes later, the trains would find themselves being followed by figures crossing the sky, a mixture of eagle and lions rode by humanoid beings with pointy ears. Yet unlike the Cadet, they were carefully hiding, flying at a fair distance, and not letting themselves be noticed.
Karen was pissed. Goddamn that senseless numb-skull bastard Martin. He had cost the squadron tens of lives already. Previously, she was walking along an unpleasantly hot border in lots of clothing. Now, she was fighting things from children's fairy tales in unpleasantly hot weather with lots of clothing. Fuck Martin. She pulled out a gun out of her pocket and shot at an incoming Centaur. It's left leg faltered and it stumbled onto the ground. Karen ran at it, slamming the front of her crossbow into it's head, then firing a single, piercing bolt straight through its skull. She pulled it straight out with a sliver of whitish blood on it's head, reloading it. It smelled nice, though. Which was weird, when she thought about it. She hadn't used any of her cell yet. She just realized that. If there was a pack of creatures somewhere, it'd be good for thinning it out. She saw a pack charging straight at a cowering Martin. She frowned, considering letting them run him through, but sighed. An eighth of her cell went into the three loaded bolts, and she fired. The three bolts landed exactly where she wanted, and blew the pack to smithereens. She ran at the single alive centaur that somehow managed to avoid the bolts, and took out her standardized sword. The centaur raised its sword, and the swords clashed and shook with magical might. Karen slid backwards from the impact, then shot a bullet straight at the Centaur's hand. It dropped the sword in pain, then Karen ran at the monster. Jumping on its back, she decapitated the head with a clean swipe. She jumped off the back as it fell to the ground, and wiped several beads of sweat off of her face. It had been a while since she'd last ridden on top.
Mae felt the train jerk beneath her feet. Around her, the piled up boxes bumped against each other. Mae carefully crossed the floor and checked the strapping of all the make shift medi-bay equipment. More had been dropped off at the load site than usual. It wouldn't be enough. It never was, but still more than Mae expected. But then, she'd never seen so many young cadets on a mission. She had watched them arrive at the station and noted most of them carried inherited guns. She couldn't remember the exact statistic of cadets making it back alive on their first mission, but it wasn't good odds. The words of the colonel's announcement rang in her head. Failure is not an option. She pulled on the straps and ensured the boxes were tightly packed, but as the train lurched again one of the lids flew off and hit the floor. Mae picked the lid up and thumped it back into place. She reached over the boxes and looked out of the window. The train had picked up more speed. Her body wobbled and she grabbed onto one of the crates for support. Whoever was driving had put their foot down.
“We expect a lot from you Miss Alicia” These words still resonated within the young woman’s head. She was sitting on one of the many occupied seats within the train’s wagons. Despite her apparent calm demeanor she was indeed nervous and perhaps a bit frightened, despite being what the superiors likes to call “The Cadet of the year” she was still that, a cadet, hence even when apparently calm, she was hitting her feet nervously on the steel floor. Pictures took form in her mind, a cruel reminder, something she could not forget, she quickly dispersed them yet still hated the fact they had to choose this time to show. With her eyes closed she waited until she felt a small buzz in her ear. It could only mean one thing, trouble. She recalled the words instructed to her. “If your radar picks a signal inform immediately to one of the commanders”. Alicia quickly stood up and walked to the front wagon, the place occupied by the Commander Adrian Patterson. “Commander, Sir!” She exclaimed while making the formal salute, that classic one when the arm is flexed in 90 degrees and the forearm crossed through the chest, the hand always in a fist. “I have picked up a signal, it’s pretty weak but I had detected the presence of Laurasians behind us!” Adrian’s face became stern as he said “Understood” Then the speakers of that particular train resonated with the voice of the commander. “To all cadets and soldiers, Laurasian had been detected in the proximity. Everybody go to your designed spot and prepare for battle!” At this signal every single cadet or soldier stood up from their seats, those who were in charge of other jobs, such as engineering or the cargo room also prepared. The same repeated in the other two trains that traveled in front of this, the third one. Taking the stairs outside the wagon the soldiers and cadets climbed to the top of each one. Despite the speed of the machine and the wind resistance, their training allowed them to maneuver and maintain the balance. At the same time, within the rear wagon of the third train, the artillery readied and aimed at the sky waiting for the enemies to show up, and as the Laurasians themselves realized that their cover had been foiled they quickly revealed themselves. As soon as this happened, the gatling guns mercilessly begun its fire toward the numerous flying enemies, as expected, some of the griffins took the bullets and fell to the rails taking with them their unlucky rider, in others cases, the elves riding the creatures were the ones failing and dragging along their mount, yet a fair number executed evasive maneuvers and avoided the barrage of bullets. And the Gondwanians weren’t the only one who thought that move, suddenly, in front of the train a rain of arrows coming from seemingly all directions fell as if they were to be shooting stars. Many soldiers took the hits and fell, others luckily avoided the strike, and some could defend themselves with the usage of magic cells. Alicia herself had not need of using one of her cells, her radar warned her of the incoming attack earlier and thus she quickly took cover, once the first barrage ended she took a chance to counterattack. W83 – Force Rope, that was the name of a second cell she used to produce what seemed to be an ethereal whip made of magical energy, as a fierce snake, the whip crossed the sky and wrapped itself around the neck of one of the elves, then it pulled it and in just a span of seconds, the unlucky rider was now hanging from one of the train’s borders. The sight of the creature, dead by a broken neck as if it were to had just committed suicide with a rope, made felt Alicia sick for a moment, almost as throwing up, a disgusting sight it was. She quickly cut the connection within the ethereal rope and the artifact who produced it located on her forearm, thus the creature fell and was crushed by the train’s wheels. Just as her, many cadets and soldiers managed to kill some Laurasians, yet some also fell by their arrows and blades. Besides, elves were magical creatures, versed in what was the forces of nature, despite having but a small control over it, some cadets found themselves being pushed aside or even slashed by gust of winds produced by the “beasts” ---------------------------------------------------------------- At the same time, the advance in the border was engaged in fierce carnage. The bodies of cadets and centaurs decorated with red the once gray ground. There was however a side with advantage. The Gondwanians’s mighty tanks and artillery were quickly decimating the enemy from a safe distance; in the point where once there were a group of charging centaurs remained now nothing but a wall of black smoke. The cadets and soldiers felt confident, and within them there was Sergeant Rohan Schneider, a man known by his taste of violence enjoying the carnage. “I’m gonna make mincemeat of all those animals!!!” He exclaimed as he charged into battle. His magic cell, labeled PW77 – Bloody Mary was both respected and feared by his enemies. A metallic glove that could drain a little bit of his opponent’s magic and either fire it as a blast of energy or use it to empower his fist and make it strong enough to reduce a centaur’s bones to dust. He could fight at both, long and short range and had a strong perception born from experience, enough to make him quickly notice any incoming attack from a blind spot. A machinegun in one arm and the Bloody Mary in the other, he was indeed a beast on his own. For Gondwanians it seemed as if all were to be going perfect. However, these hopes vanished as the earth shook. Everybody’s attention was directed toward the strong noise coming from the distance and as the trees were pushed aside a giant figure was revealed. A creature shaped as an earth lizard, different from a dragon, yet still big enough to cause the same fear. It wasn’t alone, right above him its rider stood, a humanoid being with long ears, brown robes covering a strong physique and an arm made of what seemed to be draconic skin. “I’ve heard of him!” one exclaimed “Is that famous dark wizard, the one who is said to carry the blood of dragons within him” As if the wizard were too had been listened to what in the middle of the noisy battlefield two cadets said, he spoke in a strong tone, strong enough to be listened by everyone. “Fear filthy humans, as there exists no battlefield involving me in which our enemy had been proclaimed as a victor. This is Vul’ Kin who you are facing!!!” And as if this were to be a signal, the giant lizard opened its mouth and then the battlefield became a living hell of fire and scorching flesh. “I’ll make this your first one motherfucker!!!” Exclaimed Rohan who luckily wasn’t caught in the fire For the trains to reach its destination 30 minutes still remained.
“Everybody go to your designed spot and prepare for battle!” The tinny, crackling announcement came over the speakers closely followed by the rattling of gunfire. Artillery thundered somewhere down the track, making the air smell of smoke. “Shit,” Mae muttered, swinging her first aid kits over her shoulders and pulled her slender sword from the sheath that hugged her hips. She crossed quickly into the next wagon and was hit with the soldiers inside scrambling to their positions. From the window, Mae saw arrows rain down, briefly blocking the light and bringing the punctured bodies of tangled griffins and elves that crashed and tumbled out of sight. “Doc? What's the order?” called one of the soldiers, snapping her back to the moment. She steadied herself against the younger soldier before he heaved himself up to the top of the wagon. “Bring down the wounded you can. If they can bring themselves down they don't need to come down. Don't endanger yourself.” Mae spat the words out, but the walking wounded could still walk. If you could still walk, you weren't wounded. There simply weren't enough trained soldiers to 'mummy' those hurt. Or so the brass said. The first wave of bloodied and broken bodies were carried down and were dropped over the seats where moments before tense cadets had sat huddled in relative silence. Mae rolled out the cloth that contained syringes and began to administer the morphine. She calculated how long they would take to die, who would be in the worst pain, who she might be able to save. She would need to focus on the stopping excess blood loss in those it would benefit, but she was already paddling in slick red blood as the next group of battered bodies were brought back down. She gloved up, cleared her brain and began to set a broken limb.
"The military could use a man like you, as could the prisons." Jack mulled that line over in his head as he crouched behind the remnants of a scorched tank, leaning out for a moment to deliver a bullet to a charging centaur, the shot spreading and shredding the creature. Well, everything was on fire, well almost everything. He could still spot the odd straggler, running around, as well as someone suicidally charging towards the creature that had decided to obliterate the tank, fortunately he was already outside when it happened and avoided the worst of the heat, though part of his arm was visibly burnt. He made his wrist perpendicular to the tank's remnants and pressed a button on his tool, a bright light appearing before the plasma cutter kicked in, beginning to slice through the side and making an improvised shield, attaching a piece of what he presumed was the engine block as a handle as well as grabbing a few other items in his bad before dashing to a crater about fifty metres away, delivering the odd shot to anything moving on more than two legs before leaping into the pit, placing his shield at the top and using it as cover. He shouldn't have been there. He should have been two miles behind the lines, making sure the artillery kept on firing. But no. He'd been thrown out with the tanks to "secure the lines", and look where it'd gotten them. Half of the vehicles had the crew burnt alive and the majority of the rest were melting away. He let out another sigh. The wizard was a about fifty metres away, too far for anything he could do. He decided his best option was to wait, either till someone else killed the damn thing, or till it was over and a tank came to pick him up. It was then that a third option decided to present itself, he could wait till the new charging mass of centaurs decided to kill him.
Centaurs were certainly a force to be feared, however it felt strange. Besides the wizard and its beasts there were no more than centaurs on the enemy’s troops. In previous skirmishes between Gondwanians and Laurasians, several creatures were engaged into combat, birds able to freeze the very air, monsters crafted from the very tree, ethereal creatures with no visible shape that could only be detected by recognition systems, and several other kinds. High rank officers knew something was wrong, the battle was fierce thanks to the intromission of the wizard, yet they still had the advantage, even with that, the enemy charged filled with confidence. It was then when the earth trembled. The main offensive of Gondwanians were the artillery, a strong attack and from a safe position. Hence, any time the centaurs charged against them, a good portion fell from the bullets and explosives fired from long ranged weapons. But Laurasians were just waiting, it took a little time in which the centaurs worked as a diversion but soon the earth trembled and tore right in the line were the artillery was deployed. From the tore ground several figures emerged, beings of flesh and bones who although weak had the particularity of never falling into battle, always rearranging their bodies once it had been shattered into pieces. They were the living dead, zombies created from the very remains of centaurs and humans who had fell into this very battle. The draconic blood wasn’t the reason why Vul’ Kin was feared, it was this, the raising of the dead bodies as an endless army into the battle. And, as he approached the diversion to move the flesh and bones to the artillery line, the creatures awoke in the perfect spot to completely destroy the Gondwanian’s advantage. The tanks in the front were still a treat but soon that would be solved, a new line of creatures emerged, 2 meters tall at least and bodies made of pure stone, organic automatons known as the stone golems, and unlucky for the man named Jack, it was not the next charge of Centaurs those who would seek to end his life but instead one of the automatons who decided to pick him as its target. Slowly but menacing the creature advanced toward the young soldier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things weren’t better by those in the trains. Although they could fairly defend themselves against the flying creatures and their riders, their number was fairly low in comparison with the Gondwanians troop in the border, soon they found themselves not only wounded and tired but also covered in fear. The artillery worked to bring down a good number but it was just a little of time for them to run out of ammo. Several of the soldiers were engaged in close quarters with some of the elves who jumped above the wagons, some of them even hanging close to the railroad struggling to decide the right of who shall fell and not. Alicia maintained her composure the most she could yet although she impressively brought down a good number of enemies, her body was refusing to continue listening to her and soon she was fiercely hit by a blunt weapon of an enemy who charged against her with its flying beasts. The young woman was propelled backwards with brutal strength; luckily for her, she did not fell between the wheels, instead she landed in the small step between the door’s wagon and the stairs outside of it. She tried to stood up at which her body complained and found herself throwing blood right after the attempt. Reluctantly she realized she could fight no more and opened the door’s wagon leading to the improvised infirmary, she could just gaze at the number of wounded soldiers before she once again fell.
"Shit." Jack murmured beneath his breath, looking at the encroaching creatures. He gave a glance to his tool, running through the tools on hid wrist. Screw driver, no. Hammer, no. Plasma torch, maybe but too short a range. Spare wiring, he doubted he could trip them other. His teeth sank into his lip as he continued thinking. The centaurs could be dealt with by the shotgun, but he'd only have a couple of shells left, and there was no guarantee that they'd do anything against the golems. He looked at the spare parts from the tank. Fragments of an engine block, a fuel pump, a kinetic cell, and a good portion of scrap. "Okay. Okay." He mumbled beneath his breath, disassembling his shotgun and taking the required components, trigger, blasting cap from one of his shells and spring. He then grabbed the scrap, assembling his device. Once he was finished he placed a piece of wire across the centre of the crater, making a tripline and linking it to his creation. He grabbed his shield and began smashing at the earth, digging a hole in the side before sliding into it and facing the shield outward. He only hoped the bomb would get rid of the golems and not crush his bones. At this point, he wasn't willing to bet either way.
The creatures advanced toward the tanks, wrecking them into pieces. Although the mighty shots of the vehicles could dismantle into pieces one of the stone beasts, the charge time of the tanks weren’t as fast and thus they found themselves overwhelmed. A loud noise exploded in front of wrecked one as the soldier planted a bomb that brought down a few of the creatures. Yet after gauging it was sure to, the Centaurs charged again this time in great numbers, big enough that Jack’s only fate was a cruel demise. LV1-X Melter-Welder. That was the name of the cell used by the veteran soldier Kurtis who quickly showed himself in front of Jack. The tool particularly used to disintegrate the terrain and rearrange it, thus it tore the ground in front of him and reformed it into a big wall of ground and stones that hit and propelled the centaurs in the front and stopped the tracks of the rest. Though this only in a radius of 10 meters, still enough to save Jack. “Ya ok young man? In battlefield soldiers are deployed to be killed so much is no worth to save ‘em, but the good ones are gold, I saw what you did with the golems, ye’re a clever one aren’t ya?” said with a particular accent. Kurtis Asimov was particularly known due to his talent in the usage of a extremely powerful cell that many soldiers could not use, this without taking into account his skills in battle which were impressive by themselves. It also helped his friendly behavior, he was the kind of veteran who would happily take a bunch of cadets and soldiers for some drinks funded only by his own pocket. “This had become hell hole literally. Are ya good for a second round, more of these shits are coming.” Said as Centaurs begun to round the wall. “I can only use this thing two more times, it will be up to our talent with weapons!” Exclaimed as he raised a couple of submachineguns in each arm waiting for the beasts to show up.
Karen was facing a couple of stone golems all by herself. They were being particularly hard to destroy. Single bolts only destroyed one golem at a time, and she was facing around 10 of the small, yet somehow fast monstrosities. The Gondwanians were losing their momentum to over-powered creatures from fairy tales. Plain ridiculous. These golems were clearly meant as anti-Tanks. Karen intended to be the anti-everything. These golems was not going to stand a chance. The golems rushed at her, when she realized with a snap about her cell. She was not used to having it. Must be fully charged by now. Taking a second to aim at the charging mass of stone, she shot an explosive bolt that destroyed 5, while badly damaging the others. Using the other half of her cell, she hit the other half full on and destroyed it. Cell empty, she ran away towards an area where she could help more. She ran towards a struggling cadet fighting an undead solider. With a giant roundhouse kick, she landed her steel-toed boot straight into its skull, shattering it into bits. She shook the cadet's hand briefly, who looked at her in astonishment. "Keep fighting, soldier. Try and take out the not-invincible enemies, alright?" Karen ran ahead towards a golem running towards a tank. If we could keep up the artillery, we could still pull ahead. She slammed her left steel foot into the golem's head, which cracked into two pieces. Not much different from the undead, but these golems were far smaller, more agile, and more able to take hits.
Jack pushed the door away from him and looked at the veteran, before attempting to fire a shot at the new wall before replying. "Bright to enough to know we aren't going to hold out much longer." He looked at his gun, remembering he'd taken out a few essential components before slinging over his back. "And I don't have a gun. I have a plan, but I need to get to a tank or piece of artillery. Think we can get back to the line?"
Morphine, adrenaline, coagulant. Mae rotated the serums, her assistants filling up new syringes as quickly as they could. With no steady surface, they clamped the vials with their knees and held the glass and metal syringes in their teeth. This was worse than everything they'd been prepared for. On auto pilot she strapped limbs and bandaged what she could until the train stopped and she could actually start stitching. At first, she didn't hear the frantic shrieking of the junior doctors over at the windows, her attention was briefly drawn to a female soldier that crashed barely conscious into the wagon. “Get her off the floor!” Mae barked at one of the nearby assistants and turned her attention to the windows. A pair of elves with teeth sharpened into fangs were trying to blast their way into one of the windows, knocking the soldiers inside back with their icy wind blasts. At the next window, a griffin screeched, it's talons clamping and twisting the metal frames. It's giant sharp beak lunged forward, grabbing a soldier by the neck and shaking him like a dog with a rat. “We're being over run!” another soldier wailed as he too collapsed through the doorway. Mae spun and grabbed her sword from where she had propped it up and charged at the window. As one of the elves swung themselves in Mae drove her sword through it's chest. For a second, Mae saw the elves bright blue eyes register the shock before the light went out in her face. The victory only lasted a moment. A razor claw slammed into her back and forced her down so her face connected hard with the wagon floor. She kicked and spun herself round, the beady black eyes of the griffin met hers before it tilted it's head back and let out an ear shattering scream. Mae stabbed her sword forward and flicked on her cell. The griffin shot in for the kill, but found his own neck caught in a film of light that shimmered like oil on concrete. Mae gasped in a ragged breath and turned the barrier off. Caught inside the charge of energy, the griffins head severed and fell into her lap.
“Ulrich Newhope” “The fuck with that last name, nope, never heard of him. I mean you know, there are greatest heroes in history, the legend of King Arthur comes to mind, Hercules, Perseo, etc.” “Well yeah, is not that very known, still, read his name in a book of mythological heroes. Guy seems like your classical fairy tale” “How is that?” “You know, he is that kind of handsome young hero wielding a legendary sword which is said it was so strong that in the wrong hands it would had split the world into two. He is a noble hero, a man who’ll save humanity against any foe.” “Tch! Would be nice if such guy were to exists right? I mean, we don’t even know what’s gonna happen to us.” “Is just an forgotten idiot old tale anyway, I highly doubt a single guy could deal with all these beasts. Anyway, as I was saying, there was this part which caught my interest” “Which one?” “When it says that his sword would split the world into two, seems pretty similar to the current situation.” “This fucking war, what was the fucking government and army back then.” “Proving they suck of course” “Hahahahahah” Both men laughed and their laughter echoed in the bar occupied by only a few men. While some men were offering their lives in battle, those who lived asides from the war zone could enjoy their lives without any feeling of guilt. --------------------------------------------------- “C’mon buddy, move on!” exclaimed Kurtis at Jack, his submachinegun firing at the enemy. The man run, he headed to the next tank wrecked into pieces. “Make something good ‘pal. We’ll go for that thing!” said while pointing at the giant lizard. “YA HEARD ME! WE’RE GOING FOR THAT BIG PIECE OF SHIT!!!” Exclaimed to the soldiers in the surrounding. “I have two shots, I’m sure I can make it lost the balance if I change the terrain below it, then this guy here throw something good on it, but for that, we need a diversion! I’m not asking you to die, I’m asking all of you to fight ya? Fight the Centaurs aside, ignore the golems, they’re strong but slow, go for the wizard! Luckily our good sergeant is already on the work!” As he said that, Rohan Schneider after skillfully avoiding the lizard’s fire and crushing Centaurs on his way, took advantage of the tail’s beast to climb it. The wizard didn’t ignore him and soon both were facing each other. “A single human can’t beat our sacred magic!” Exclaimed as he conjured a certain mass of energy on his hands, yet that was a mistake of him. Rohan activated his cell whose very first characteristic was to drain an amount of magical energy from his opponent and convert it into kinetic energy, Vul’ Kin soon found his own magic attack being drained into the cell. “Shut up stupid animal!” Exclaimed Rohan as he propelled his metallic glove into a fist empowered by the energy of Vul’ Kin’s very magic. It was a descending blow, aiming to crush the wizard’s head beneath the strength of his fist. Yet Vul’ Kin skillfully evaded the attack by simply jumping a few steps backward. This didn’t stop Rohan’s Bloody Mary, propelled by the own energy and momentum the fist descended and smashed the giant’s creature’s back. Bloody Mary was certainly strong enough to break the bones of a centaur with a single impact, yet the lizard’s skin was harder and its bones too, hence even while a mighty hit it wasn’t strong enough to bring it down, yet the beast felt the hit, it roared its pain which was heard through the whole battlefield. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In only five more minutes the train would arrive its destination, or at least that was what they expected. The creatures however, devious as they were had a different plan. Due to the train constant shaking they didn’t felt it, but the earth was trembling. The ground tore into pieces breaking the railway in front of the first train, a giant figure, resembling a snake was carving its way through the ground. The speed of the serpent although fast wasn’t enough to surpass the train’s yet it still became an obstacle. The train’s speed, the train’s mass, the creature’s mass, all mixed in a single yet destructive chaos. The first train crashed against the creature, the back wagons raised product of the impact, the second train behind crashed against the wagons of the first one, such was the magnitude of the crash that those in the first train were probably crushed by it. The third train suffered no less, it crashed at high speed against the second one and was propelled out of the railway. All the soldiers who still fought above the wagons fell, some were crushed by the own train, others inside shook with the wagon, they had lost any concept of free movement and now were controlled by the inertia. It all happened quickly but it felt eternal. With grins in their faces, the elves withdraw, their enemy was caught into the trap and were now all crushed by the debris. A fool movement perhaps, for there were still a few ones who had just lost consciousness.
Jack sighed. "Fuck this." He shouted, beginning to the long jog back to the artillery line. He had a plan, whether it would work or not was a different matter entirely. Step one: Get to the defense grid. Substep one: DODGE! Jack slid to the ground as a centaur tried to decapitate him, rolling again as it tried to drive halberd into his head. He turned on the plasma torch quickly, cutting away the blade at the next strike and removing a leg. The creature let out another scream before Jack used the top of its own weapon to decapitate the monster. He looked at the charge on his cell. Seventy five percent left. He was reluctant to overcharge any of his tools, knowing that it was as likely to hurt him or destroy the cell entirely. He spotted a woman in the distance, remembering her from the base, Karen, Kate, something beginning with a K. "Hey, by order of." He paused for a second, a smile covering his face as he began to lie. "By decree of Kurtis Asimov, you're ordered to escort me back to base."
“Tch!” Kurtis clicked his tongue as the soldier left the area. He is a talented one, we could have a slight chance with him cooperating…. On the other hand, perhaps it’s wise for him to not risk his life. We’re soldiers, but many of us without a real choice. In other words, there is not vocation, only fear.
Alexis awoke, groggy and slow. His eyes were blurry and struggled to focus amidst the darkness of the carriage, though the occasional bright spark would fizz and glow violently. He felt like shit, his body aching considerably and his head felt like someone had dropped an anvil on it... repeatedly. And Alexis couldn't quite understand it but there was a strange force pushing against his body as he sat in the train seat, beating his back into the arch of the chair. It was at that moment the carriage lurched, the twisted metal carcass squealing like a dying pig and the whole thing shot backward a good foot. Alexis winced in pain and stared up the carriage to see a dead cadet falling through the aisle. The body buckled as it hit a seat and bounced onto another with a sickening crunch, heading straight for Alexis. The limbs flailed about and with only seconds to go Alexis threw himself to the other side of the carriage, grabbing hold of the back of another chair and watching as the dead cadet smashed into his last position and flew through the back of the carriage. Barely holding onto the chair Alexis hung there, slack jawed and staring at where the dead cadet had departed, watching the body fall for what seemed like forever, falling hundreds of feet until he broke into the ground. The carriage buckled and lurched once more and Alexis realised the perilous situation he was in. He had to climb. Alexis pulled himself up and gingerly stood up on the back of the chair, holding his arms out for balance. The whole damn carriage was swaying, enough to make Alexis sick to his stomach but he couldn't stop - every second was precious. A long thick cable danced about above him spitting out sparks and each time Alexis tried to move, it snapped at him viper like. He needed a way out and quickly; the whole thing was swinging over the cliff, ticking left and right like a timebomb. It was so dangerous inside the carriage, and that's when an idea came to mind. He looked at the window to see it smashed open yet with enough space for someone to fit through. As gently as he could, Alexis moved towards it walking across the chair back. The carriage groaned with every step. His heart was in his mouth and he reached out with one hand, ready to grab the edge. Underneath their was a loud thud and Alexis paused, eyes locked with the chair below him. A crack. There was no time. In a panic he thrust himself for the window, the seat buckling beneath and flushing away through the bottom of the hanging carriage, but the whole thing happened so fast. The last ditch effort to grab the window saw Alexis hopelessly snatch at thin air. His stomach dropped. Falling so fast. Hands digging into the wall but there was nothing to grab, no window or chair or lever to hold. The moonlight shone below him as the exit, and his inevitable doom, fast approached. "No, no, no, no ,no!" He yelled, pouring out of the bottom of the train into the crisp evening air and throwing one last desperate hand at the out swung door, latching onto the emergency handle. His body yanked hard on his arm and Alexis roared in pain, barely keeping grip on the handle. He banged his head a couple of times on the door, but he was able to hold. "Whoa... shit." He said with a forced laugh. The handle felt somewhat secure and he took a brief moment to catch his breath. The valley below was oddly serene, the moon sinking between the mountains and reflecting silver over the marshlands, the thick trees sculpted by the wind. He was still alive. Somehow. Sticking to the outside of the carriage Alexis pulled himself up and climbed across the railings, windows and twisted metal to reach the top of the carriage. It took him time, the adrenaline was starting to wear off and his injuries and fatigue were setting in hard. It was only once he reached the top that he realised the extent of the damage. The train carriages had all collapsed together, crushing each other and breaking apart. The first few were accordions, crunched so tightly that Alexis barely wanted to think about their aftermath. His own carriage had missed most of the smashing however, yet it had been forced over the side of the valley and hung by a single cable wire. Alexis stepped off the carriage and though there was fire and debris everywhere, he couldn't help but feel relieved to be on solid ground.
Mae waited a moment. Or was it an hour? She was cocooned in darkness, her body static. There had been screaming. The floor vanished from under her. Bodies flipped through the air and crashed, twisted and broken, against the metal seats. Worst of all, the silent unconscious soldiers just tumbled like rag dolls. At some point during this slow motion free fall, Mae had plunged her sword into...something. Floor or ceiling or chair, she had no idea, and activated her cell. The shimmering muddle of lights enveloped her and caught some soldiers falling nearby in a protective bubble. And then? She lost her grip. The bubble burst. Mae was thrown. Metal crunched and squealed. And then the screaming stopped. She blinked and raised her arm to push her dust and debris from her face. Her chest was constricted. Unable to breathe, she tried to shift her body but something was pinning her down. With a grunt, Mae heaved and pushed against the weight with all her body, eventually managing to writhe out from beneath it. Her shoulder and back throbbed with pain as she broke free and rolled onto her stomach. She coughed and spluttered then finally dragged in a deep breath. After the initial shock of pain subsided she drew herself up onto her knees. Pain pulsed just above her eye, and she tentatively touched her head. There was a cut over her brow, but the blood was thick and claggy. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and surveyed the area, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. In the far corner, a pale green-blue light caught her eye. My cell! She scrambled forward, stumbling as her knee gave way with a crunch. Mae shrieked, her hands instinctively padded down the area. It was swollen, but not broken. Sprained maybe. She could secure it later. Again, Mae heaved herself up and began a slow, unsteady limp over the soft and bumpy obstacles on the floor until she reached the cell attached to her sword. It was at 90% now, or there abouts. Not too bad. She lifted it to shine the eerie light across the wreckage, revealing a carpet of bodies tangled on the floor and felt hot bile in her stomach rise quickly to her mouth. Some of them would be alive, surely? She questioned herself frantically. What to do?What do I do? She turned quickly and started to look for an exit, seeing the windows above she felt panic begin to overwhelm her. She scrunched her eyes shut and took a slow, deep breath and forced herself to review the situation. Get out of the train. There would be other survivors doing the same. Search and rescue would come later. The bolted down chairs were now on the left wall. Mae edged closer to them, careful not to step on any of the bodies. She speared her sword into one of the seats above her head and pulled herself up. She wailed as her bad knee connected with the metal, but crunched her teeth together to get over the throbbing pain, scrambling up to get a good footing. “Come on, one arm, you can do this,” she scolded herself as her hand reached up to the open gap. With a deep, primal groan she lifted her body up and rolled out on top of the train, then lent in to retrieve her sword and cell. She fell heavily onto her back and panted. Her knee and back were on fire, but she was out. And for now, alive.
Darkness covered her eyes. It took a while for her to open them. Her whole body was drown into numbness for minutes or perhaps hours. Slowly she begun to regain her consciousness, she didn’t comprehend the current situation Slowly she begun to regain her sense of smell, it was disgusting, almost sickening. If she were to compare it with something it would be the smell of rusty iron, yet there was something else. Slowly she begun to regain her sense of touch, it was warm, between her hands she squeezed something that felt like jelly, as she regained her sense of hearing she could hear a sound that reminded her of noodles perhaps, or was it a pap? Then it came her sense of taste, it was salty and bitter, a very familiar taste, despite it was rarely if even tasted. Blood? And with that she regained her last feeling, sight at which she felt a deep horror. She expected her own blood to be covering her after the violent crash, and indeed she was bleeding, however. She didn’t taste her own blood. What surrounded her was not only debris, it was a carnival of carnage, several corpses, dead beings that a few moments ago were alive. Her face was splashed in the blood of several of her fellow cadets and soldiers. And what she was squeezing, she felt fear to even visualize it but she found the courage to do it. Alicia regretted the choice, the feeling of deep horror turned into scream as she found out. Guts, innards, entrails, tripes, whichever name fit the sight better, the split body of a cadet lied right at her side and her hands were squeezing a confusing mass of flesh. She violently shook of the flesh, the bodies, and everything she could and forced herself to stand up while heavily breathing. Her eyes widened in front of the new sight, everything which surrounded her was a carnage ten times bigger than what surrounded her. The image of death sickened her, her mind devious as it was put a fearful memory of her, a rope and a waving body, and she remembered that feeling, a dread comparison, but accurate to the terror she felt now. And once again she screamed and only after that she puked everything she could. In a semiflexed position she was heavily breathing. The young woman wiped her mouth and walked aimlessly through the festival of debris and bodies. She felt pain, of course, her body was also wounded, yet not enough to no let her walk. She walked for only a couple of minutes, but the shivering in her body and the fear in her mind turned them into eternal hours. Alicia was about to fall into despair and would had done were to not had been greeted by a better sight, a group of survivors gathering in a spot far from the derailing. Tears took form in her eyes as she run out from the despair to the small glint of hope, as soon as she reached the group she found that her horror was shared by many, her tears weren’t the only ones. A man who seemed to be an officer in the center of the gathering spoke to the survivors. “The diversion failed, we were ambushed by the enemy and lost many brave soldiers and promising young men and women. I know that many of you are afraid, even speechless. But we cannot stop now. Luckily the derailing happened 5 minutes before arriving our destiny, we can still reach the facilities and retrieve the container and there are no more Laurasians behind us. Those who can still continue, get ready to move, if anyone can’t, you’re free to stay here, but I can’t guarantee a proper rescue, neither your safety!” One would had expected a burst of complains in front of this speech, yet a silence covered the air. It was natural, soldiers had experienced this horror many times, and for cadets who felt it for the first time their only wish was to stay away from the grim scenery, despite that, there were a few who found no courage to go on. Alicia who remained speechless with all the color of her face drained after some minutes decided to go on, yet it wasn’t on bravery neither in the idea of escaping the field of carnage. It was because she knew it was her fate, or more likely, she felt it.
"I'll go." Alexis said from behind the group. He slung his sniper rifle onto his shoulder and walked into the circle, where they all turned to show their faces: weary, beaten, frightened. There had been a lot of death today, indeed, but this was something these cadets had to deal with and quickly. War is hell - and after a hundred years of it most knew it wouldn't end anytime soon. They had to keep fighting. "Vamos amigos, we have a mission to complete." Some stared in disbelief while others nodded quietly to themselves, taking a breath and puffing out their chests. It seemed callous, but Alexis had witnessed his fair share of loss and knew it would consume the group if they dwelled. Through the darkness one of the far away carriages burst into a cloud of fire, glazing the group in its brief orange glow. The ground shook and the bang was so loud that it echoed across the mountains. Cadets flinched, whimpered and crouched and one just slumped to the ground murmuring, "I don't wanna die." He couldn't have been older than 15, probably snuck into recruitment registration just for the chance to serve his country. Admirable, but sadly this blackened world wasn't for the honourable and proud anymore, it was for survivors. "Hey man," Alexis knelt by the boy and put a hand on his shoulder, "You're not going to die." He looked at the name tag on the boy's combats. Darwin. "Darwin, you are not going to die. Me and you, we are just too damn good to die. I mean come on cabrón, we are the heroes of this fucked up fairy tale!" Alexis said with a wide smile. The boy reacted with a slight lift of his head and a timid curl of the lips. "That's my man," Alexis stood up and offered a hand to the cadet, "Let's go save the day! I can't die - not until I add a dragon's tooth to my trophy collection..." He pulled up the cadet and gave him a hearty pack on the back, before giving him a smoke to calm the nerves. They would make it no doubt - they had to. Alexis had a good feeling in his gut; these soldiers were the ones that were destined to survive. A few had started marching on already, so Alexis caught up and offered them smokes too. "Cigarro?"
Meanwhile, at the battlefield, Karen was struggling with a particular elven warrior. It's sword swung right over her head, but she ducked just in time. She had managed to get the elf off of its mount, but this one was a chief or something. Tougher than usual. It wore decorative jewelry everywhere. Karen moved to grab the elf's feet, but it nimbly jumped backwards, readying its bow in about a second. Karen shot the bow straight out of its hands, then fired another shot at the elf's torso, which it blocked with a shield on its arm. Goddamn it. The elf leaped forward, putting all of its might into a single strike. Karen rolled to the side, catching the blade in her ribs. She winced, then grabbed the elf by the neck, quickly and violently twisting it. The elf made a cry of pain, then fell to the ground. Karen shot it once in the head, finishing it. She clutched at her side, gritting her teeth. She walked to a hiding spot, where she applied a quick bandage. She wouldn't last long with the injury.
Mae hobbled gingerly to a broken piece of train flung near the track and sat heavily. She had raided what was left of the medical supplies, mostly broken and scattered from their crates, but she'd scavenged what she could. She fumbled as she strapped a splint to her knee and bandaged it up tightly, tugging the material tight with her mouth. A group of soldiers were gathering around an officer. It seemed they were pressing on with the mission. One soldier was rallying the terrified cadets. Mae raised an eyebrow, but an oddly high pitched scream caught her attention. “Doctor Harrow!!” a body lunged at her and arms squeezed her neck. Mae flinched with pain. She peeled the crying face back to take a look. She was familiar, a girl who Mae had taught a year or so ago, but the name escaped her throbbing brain. “Glad to see you, too." “I don't know what to do!” “Get me up,” Mae said and clammy hands dragged her upwards. She tentatively tested the splint. It supported her weight, at least. The painkillers were starting to kick in, too. “They're all dead and bleeding and I don't know what to do!” the youngster wailed, her body shaking and face covered in a cocktail of mud and blood. “Well, let's sort you out first.” Mae pulled out a wipe from her bag and carefully cleaned the younger doctors face. The cut was pulsing and red, but not too deep. She cut a piece of padded bandage and taped it to her forehead, biting the tape between her teeth. “There.” The youngster seemed a little calmer. Mae took hold of her shoulder and squeezed it. “Listen to me. The medical carriage still has some usable equipment. Anyone who can should carry on. Use what's left of the painkillers on people you can't help and do what you can with the rest. Don't put yourself in any more danger,” she swallowed, her eyes slipped to the corpse of the broken train. “It's going to be a long walk back.” Mae looked at the young doctor and patted her shoulder softly. “We're soldiers as well as doctors.” The young doctor nodded quickly. “Alright.” She turned on her heel and strode purposefully back into the chaos. Mae smiled sadly, and walked across to the gathering soldiers.
Even taking a walk through hell would be a pleasant feeling. The previously gray battlefield was now painted with the whimsical color of fire, sometimes bright red, others orange and matching it the heinous smell of death as if it were to be a perfectly synchronized composition in a dreadful orchestra. For the young Jack the idea of running away would be soon wrecked as the earth shook more and more and not only the undead but also the giant stone creatures who hadn’t been destroyed yet were now occupying the rear, making of the artillery scraps of debris painted with the crimson inners of its wielders. The Gondwanians were enclosed in a circle of blood and fire. Karen’s temporal hideout was meaningless, the more dead bodies covered the battlefield the more undead beings were being created and each corner was slowly been infested by the seemingly invincible creatures. Kurtis Asimov run skillfully avoiding the fire and matching any running Centaur to his encounter without using his cell as resource, he needed it as the only chance to beat the giant beast, yet even when a talented man, his body was slowly feeling the numbness and pain. Yet he still continued struggling through it. However by this point his mind had already accepted what could be his possible, not, their possible fate. Even if we are to all die here, as long as the other group can retrieve the container our friends and families may have a hope for the future…. The reckless man, Rohan who had so far the only one to have damaged the beast was facing the devious wizard Vul’ Kin who offered the man a smile. “What… are you fucking laughing for?” Asked furiously the man as he charged once more against the wizard while charging his Bloody Mary. However his opponent seemingly vanished and then Rohan felt a sharp pain as he fell. “I just find hilarious how is common between both worlds to think that a wizard is not a menace without his magic.” “Both worlds?...” mumbled Rohan before realizing that his arm was twisted in a strange angle. In the span of second he attacked, the wizard skillfully evaded him and using his draconic arm twisted the arm of Rohan and made him fall. “Still this… magic you can use, if I can call it like that is quite troublesome, I’ll get rid of it..” said the wizard and then Rohan could felt what he could only describe as the worst pain he had ever felt before. It was different than when the wizard twisted his arm before, this time it was a complete abduction, the limb was fiercely ripped apart and removed, as Vul’ Kin saw the arm who held the Bloody Mary as a thread he took the best choice and that was to simply separate it from the body. Blood gushed profusely soaking the lower parts of the Wizard’s robes and this was accompanied by the painful scream of the man. “I can now guarantee that you are no longer a threat, now I’ll just end your life, feel grateful for you left quite the good impression on me. Never seen a man so reckless before.” Said as he extended his arm which seemed to be charging a new mass of magical energy that unlike before it could not be sucked by the man’s cell. “Farew…..” The wizard’s words were interrupted as it was also victim of a sharp pain, his shoulder was now soaking in blood at the same time that Rohan with a painful smile held a gun on his sane arm. “Don’t underestimate me fucking animal!!” exclaimed Rohan still aiming at the wizard. “I won’t again…” replied Vul’ Kin and this time without hesitation kicked the man with all his strength propelling him from the beast. Rohan could not react as he fell to the ground. All these events were happening at the same time that the train derailed, however it would still take a while before the survivors of that event would regain their consciousness
The trek was long. With heavy feet the soldiers trudged on, not once stopping for respite. Alexis gazed up at the skies in the hope of some untold guidance but found no comfort in the starless night. The moon had disappeared behind the far away mountains and darkness held thick, grasping tight at their hearts. Their boots were soft, but the wet splatter of marshland betrayed them and the long grass scratched loudly at their combat gear. They had groped blindly along the train tracks as a sure foot way to reach their objective, but the Laurasians had been wise to any persistent efforts, caving in a tunnel entrance with enough rock and rubble to bury a mountain giant. More wills were broken upon that blockade, to the point where some chose to go no further, their bodies numb and their souls completely empty. The rest of the group marched on through the marshland and Alexis paused for a moment to ponder whether he had a breaking point, and how far he would have to be pushed to meet it. He shivered at the thought. A hoot. It echoed in the distance. Most of the cadets had paid no mind but the veterans froze. Another hoot. "Get down!" Alexis hissed. The group paused, slow to the ground and unsure why they had stopped. Alexis' eyes prowled through the long grass like a tiger finding its prey, yet he felt the one being hunted. "Why have we stopped?" Yelled a weary cadet. "It's just a damn owl." "Shut your fucking mouth!" Alexis whispered loudly, glaring at the cadet through the curtain of long grass. There was a moment of silence. A third hoot. Three of the soldiers scuttled through to Alexis, kneeling low in a semi circle all with grimaces on their camouflaged faces. "You reckon it's spotted us?" Sergeant Raymond asked in hush, quietly checking rounds in her magazine. "Maybe, there's no way to be sure." Sergeant Demù said rubbing his black beard. "This is an ambush just waiting to happen." "Agreed." Corporal Tam said. "Wouldn't they have sprung it by now?" Raymond gave a quick look over the long grass to see a single, lonely marsh tree in the distance. "What are they waiting for?" She asked. "They want us to group." Alexis whispered. "Bag us all in one." Sure enough more of the cadets were moving towards their semi circle, curious as to why they had stopped. "We need to spread." "It couldn't be a Wizard... could it?" Demù said with a break in his voice, itching the back of his neck nervously. "No, he would have attacked already." Alexis said. "Something less powerful, an Apprentice possibly... hopefully - or a Mageling. The Owl has a good view on us. These cadets get any closer and they'll attack." "Let's spread out." Raymond said with strength in her voice. "I'll take some to the left, Corporal you go with Sergeant Desù and spread yourselves right." "I'll take the Owl." Alexis whispered coolly. "If I don't take him, it'll channel more help and things will get... Loco." "Loco? What do you mean loco?" Demù was petrified. Alexis whispered sarcastically, "Oh God, oh God we're all going to die!" and turned with a wry smile, "that's what i mean. Loco." Raymond chuckled under her breath, "Well then. Best leave you to that Owl, Sir." They spread out slowly, communicating it out to each of the cadets. The Owl hooted once more, but it was louder now, sharper. The creature knew the ruse was up. Alexis laid flat on his belly in the cold, wet marshland, hidden from view by the long grass and stiller than a stone. The wind was up, difficult to listen for movement. Down the scope he stared, breathing slow, carefully twisting the dial on the sight for more focus. The Owl. Through the green of night vision Alexis saw it, perched low on the marsh tree flitting in and out of view through the long grass. The wind turned and banked, swaying the branch and obscuring the shot with grass. Alexis waited. The creature hooted towards Sergeant Raymond and her cadets, it's wings a little open and arched. Aggressive and readying itself to strike. But Alexis waited. He ran his finger seductively down El Diablo's hair trigger, flirting with the shot, the killer touch a millimetre away. And yet, still he waited. The final hoot came and the beast's wings opened wide, preparing for its master's arrival. The harrowing call of the Owl was a battle cry and it raised itself off the low hanging branch for a second. The noise swept past like a whisper, followed by a loud thud in the wetland marsh. The Owl's body lay face down in the swamp, twitching and jolting even after death. Alexis held his breath a little while longer, gazing at the bouncing tree branch in the distance. The silence held for a time and Alexis eventually breathed out slow, with the warming sense that the master had thought it better not confront them. Yet the master was still out there... somewhere.
