[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/6zc773j.jpg[/img][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr][center][color=silver]π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ›, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / β„‚π•£π•šπ•žπ•–π•Ÿ ℂ𝕦𝕝𝕑𝕒𝕖 πŸ™ / / ℕ𝕠𝕣π•₯π•™π•–π•£π•Ÿ 𝕆𝕦π•₯π•€π•œπ•šπ•£π•₯𝕀 / / πŸšπŸ™πŸšπŸ [/color][/center][hr] [center][h1][color=red]β“„[/color][/h1][/center] Determination and Devotion moved in tandem, though the former hung back as Devotion stepped close enough to the doll to turn the ground to sludge just as the monster neared the two girls. The doll's weight pushed it further into the sludge and it flailed angrily at the viscous liquid the ground had turned into. To no avail. Nestled up to its knees in Devotion's sludge, the doll was unable to retaliate as Kusari's rear attack cut a clean swath across the diagonal of its back, spilling the white blood everywhere. Spasming erratically in response to the attack, the doll tried signaling for help from the others, only to receive no response. Then Determination was in front of it, sinking into the sludge as well. The same slash that had obliterated the shadow puppet before now caught on the epaulet of Determination's new armor and the puppet put a fist through the doll's left eye with ease, embedding its arm deep into the doll's head. A sharp swing outwards with that same arm tore the head apart and the doll collapsed to the ground, dead. Orders completed and target eliminated, the puppets took on a neutral stance, with Determination sliding sharply out of the ground the moment Devotion's power vanished. Nearby, Hazel had already obliterated her target, clothes covered in the white fluid that spewed from the dead chainsaw doll. The last doll struggled beneath Sander's grip as he pounded on its reinforced arm joint. Without a leg and unable to pull Sander with the wires on its right hand, the doll was fighting a losing battle. As the joint cracked and weakened under the assault, the doll's mouth chattered loudly. On the fourth punch, its left arm broke apart at the shoulder, splashing Sander with white blood. The right arm continued pulling on the blood mage, but by now the conclusion of the fight was foregone. Several meters away, Christmas's broken screams rang out as Lawrence tightened the tourniquet on his leg. Pale from blood loss and dazed from pain, he mumbled nonsense in response to Lawrence and closed his eyes, breaths shallow. The faint pulse of his power in effect drifted through him as the light cuts on Lawrence's hands healed slowly from contact with the healer's blood. Despite that, the glassy mist shimmering around Sander and Christmas did not extend to Lawrence. Moving further from red team, the eye scorpion, still unable to see but no longer burdened by the effects of Lawrence's magic, spun around in several tight circles, trying to reorient itself. Before long, it shuffled towards the nearest batch of blurry movements, hunting for targets. By now, it had wandered to blue team. [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr] [center][h1][color=pink]☐[/color][/h1][/center] The golem let Myla set up another series of cutting lines, showing little reaction as the attacks dissipated against its body. With what remained of her strength, Myla stepped back, keeping an eye on the rim of the pit as she slowly moved Genevieve away first before coming back for Eric. Ethan struggled to his feet as she worked, wobbling as he gathered his magic again. The glow was returning to his body, albeit slowly, but even the inexperienced could tell he was in no condition to fight much longer. [color=f7976a]"How the fuck is it still alive?"[/color] he gasped as Myla took up position beside him. [color=f7976a]"...It might be one of DC's,"[/color] she muttered back, weakly drawing more neon lines in the air with tired swipes of her arm. Myla had stopped dancing, the thinness of her current lines almost laughably weak in damaging power. [color=f7976a]"Fuck. ...I'll just be glad it doesn't seem as smart as the other ones we've seen,"[/color] Ethan replied, trying to force an orb of light into sputtering existence. [color=f7976a]"We can't damage it like this. Without Shane we don't have enough firepower to take on one of DC's. Maybe we should ask--"[/color] [color=f7976a]"Can't risk the new kids against something we can't figure out. If it's happy standing in the hole for now, we'll take it as a fucking blessing and use the time to recover."[/color] He shouted at the air, even though he was perfectly aware the ankle cuff could pick up his speech at normal volume. [color=f7976a]"I know you're paying attention, Director Zhang. This is a potential category three mixed in with the one's. You need to withdraw the new kids and send--"[/color] The cuff on Ethan's left ankle beeped loudly in interruption. [color=f7976a]"Commander Kardos speaking. Threat level updated. No changes in orders."[/color] [color=f7976a]"All due respect, sir, are you insane? They can't fight this. Not now!"[/color] [color=f7976a]"Do not question my authority again, Sonnino. No changes in orders. That is final."[/color] [color=f7976a]"...Do we at least get backup? Or--wait, don't tell me--the new kids are the backup,"[/color] Ethan laughed bitterly as he said it. The cuff beeped into silence as confirmation. Ethan had to resist the urge to throw an unwavering "Fuck you" at the anklet. Myla spoke up before he could dwell on his frustration for long. [color=f7976a]"What's the plan if it acts before the rest of them are finished? I think we've already lost a few of the new kids."[/color] Ethan turned around sharply at that observation, catching sight of several still, bloody bodies in the distance. His jaw clenched until he was afraid he had locked it into position, but he refused to give in to that hot-headed anger that had cost Decker his life and nearly cost them Shane as well. [color=f7976a]"If it moves,"[/color] he said slowly, measuring each word, [color=f7976a]"we tell the new kids to run. Then we throw everything we've got at it and just fucking pray."[/color] Myla's grim face matched Ethan's as the words sank in. If they needed to stall for escape time in their current states, they would likely be the first ones to die. [color=f7976a]"...What about Gen and Eric?"[/color] she asked quietly. Ethan looked back at the unconscious forms of his teammates, recalling briefly a moment when there were far more than just the four of them. No one had ever been under any illusions about their fates. [color=f7976a]"They knew the risks."[/color] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr] [hider=OOC Interaction Tags/Notes:] [@Snagglepuss89][@Diggerton][@January][@GreenGoat][@RedDusk][@Piercing Light] Sander can finish off the wire doll and move on to other things in his post. Christmas is barely conscious, but that potato is down for the count either way. Wounds on Lawrence's hands are mostly gone. Red team enemies are all technically dead. Eye scorpion is near blue team. [@banjoanjo] is now in control of the monster. [/hider] [hr][center][color=silver]π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ›, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• 𝔼𝕒𝕀π•₯ / / π”Ήπ•¦π•šπ•π••π•šπ•Ÿπ•˜ 𝔻: π”»π•šπ•Ÿπ•šπ•Ÿπ•˜ ℍ𝕒𝕝𝕝 / / πŸšπŸ™π•©π•©[/color][/center][hr] As the custodian worked, the students watched warily, most of them holding their tongues while others whispered to nearby friends. Dissenting opinions weren't welcome at USARILN East when it came to management of less stable students and most were grateful the terrified staff hadn't accidentally called for summary execution of everyone in earshot of the cuffs. The damn things could pick up sounds from as far as 50 meters away for the express purpose of surveillance, though mass execution was a convenient bonus. Jason had gone back to his desk in the dining hall lobby, pale but composed--the mark of someone who had seen the event enough times to push reactions aside and focus on doing his job first. There would be time enough to submit a report to Director Zhang later. More importantly, he had to maintain the veneer of order in a place bustling with hair-trigger subnaturals. "Scared shitless" had become more natural than breathing for most of the staff in USARILN East, and they hid this to varying degrees. Jason adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down his nose again from the cold sweat breaking out across his face. He fumbled with the computer terminal attached to the lobby desk, fingers shaking as he double-clicked on the .pdf file for a standard incident report. The commotion had emptied out much of the first floor and the time of night meant there were few people who would be entering the dining hall. It was just as he settled into the mindless groove of typing up the report that he realized someone had arrived and was standing in front of the desk. The fearful look on his two coworkers' faces meant two things: a subnatural about to lose their shit or the Director herself. Eddie and Gerald were both frozen in the middle of their hushed conversation, eyes fixed on the arrival. Of course it had to be the Director. [color=f7976a]"Mr. Moreau,"[/color] she nodded at him, her usually immaculate business suit stained by small droplets of blood on her shoulder and upper arm, the specks dark red against the light grey wool. She sounded softer, lacking the usual projection in her voice, and Jason sure as hell wasn't about to ask her what had happened. [color=f7976a]"Mr. Crowther. Mr. Fraley,"[/color] she greeted each of his coworkers in turn, who both mumbled back a quick and stammered [color=f7976a]"Director."[/color] [color=f7976a]"Uh--Director! Good evening,"[/color] Jason stood up to greet her, the other two following suit. [color=f7976a]"My card, Mr. Moreau,"[/color] she tapped the card on the marble countertop again, and only then did Jason realize he had tuned out the sound the first time in his frazzled state of mind. With rapid apologies and harried fumbling, he scanned her through, watching as she caught the bloodstains on the floor and the scent in the air. He half-expected her to produce a gun from somewhere in her suit and shoot him, ridiculous though the thought was. Instead, her shoulders seemed to slump, ever so slightly. Without a word to anyone, she ascended the flight of stairs just inside the left set of double glass doors, heading to the third floor, towards the bar in the back. The students in her way quickly made themselves scarce while everyone else froze in place until she was gone, as if they were afraid of drawing even an iota of her attention. For her part, the Director ignored them all equally. [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr] [hider=OOC Interaction Tags/Notes:] [@VampireOracle][@ERode] If you follow Zhang, she'll be at the bar counter in the back of the third floor, drinking a Last Word with mezcal while talking to someone on her phone. [/hider] [hr][center][color=silver]π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ›, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• 𝔼𝕒𝕀π•₯ / / π”Ήπ•¦π•šπ•π••π•šπ•Ÿπ•˜ 𝔹 / / πŸšπŸ™π•©π•©[/color][/center][hr] The boy jogged up to Gregory, finally noticing that his victim had been scared out of the building. His parka rustled loudly with the crinkling of candy wrappers stashed somewhere deep in the pockets and his cold-flushed face grinned eagerly, the ruddy cheeks complimenting his emerald-green eyes. [color=f7976a]"Did I scare you?"[/color] he asked, giddy with giggles. In true childish fashion, he didn't wait for an answer, rummaging around in his pockets for a piece of candy that he hadn't already eaten. His brow furrowed with irritation before finally settling with a relieved sigh. He pulled out a round candy the size of a quarter, wrapped in wax paper meticulously decorated with pastel-colored art of a little girl in a blue frock following a pink rabbit. [color=f7976a]"Have a candy! They're caramel and super good. You can only get them from the stalls on Wednesdays--and I spend a bunch of my allowance on them. Oh, but Rosa told me not to ever buy it all out because the other students like them, too, so I always just buy 20 each week."[/color] He stopped suddenly with a pout. [color=f7976a]"But give me back the wrapper, okay? I like them most."[/color] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr] [hider=OOC Interaction Tags/Notes:] [@Zombehs] Collab post with me if Gregory's going to do more than just take the candy and run. But if he wants to assault the smol child [i]and then[/i] take the candy and run, you don't need to collab with me. 8D [/hider]