It did not take long before the pilot signaled for a hasty departure. The sound of Pulse Fire roared outside the thick plating of the Nautilus. The Dreadnaught had begun its bombardment of the wastelands around Astral to clear them of the Mordrem infestation. Such ruckus had caught the attention of hulking monsters capable of lobbing infectious bio-mass into the atmosphere and fast moving flyers that were particularly harmful would they enter the interiors of Nautilus. The U.D.F. Air Force was hard at work and yet again had the chance to show High Command what they were made of. Most pilots of the U.D.F. were highly revered, only second to Guardians, even the ones controlling massive Mechs. Their minds and bodies had to do so many different things simultaneously that it would make the lesser of kin tremble. A red light flickered and illuminated the inside of the dropship. It warned of the slowly closing cargo bay doors through which the squad had entered. The Sergeant and his men were the last to enter and buckle up. It was time to leave the safety of the Nautilus and the things above Libra. It was time to cast oneself into the depths of danger on a world once called ‘home’.

The drop to the surface was a bumpy ride. Even if they were tightly strapped into special chairs located along the walls of the ship, Selene and those of lighter frames still trembled in their seating. Of course, the highly armored U.D.F. soldiers accompanying the Sergeant barely moved where they sat, as their gear kept them in place. They were an interesting bunch, the typical testosterone-infused maniacs with feisty attitudes. They shouted and high-fived each other as the dropship tilted to near ninety degree angle, its nose pointing straight down. “Express elevator to Hell, going down!” One of the soldiers shouted, and the others laughed hysterically. Obviously, ‘protecting’ the drop of Selene’s squad was not their only mission. They were to join the primary assault once their secondary objective was completed. However, such was not the case for Selene and her friends. They had been strictly forbidden to join the primary effort, especially after retrieving the ‘sensitive assets & information,’ whatever it was.

As the dropship leveled out, the pilot announced forty-five seconds until target drop location. Selene and the others began to unbuckled and make ready for disembarking. The U.D.F. soldiers prepared the ‘Rover’ that would serve as the squad’s transportation from the dropship to the highly classified rally point. The hover machine was a custom modification, stripped of all tracking devices and other identifying features. This meant that they had to be careful with where they traveled with it, as they could be tagged as the enemy and blown to bits and pieces by artillery. “Listen up!” The Sergeant spoke, but getting the squad’s attention was much more difficult than one could imagine. They were, after all, a bunch of misfits and anarchists who did everything their own way, only ever slightly listening to their supposed commander. “[color=00aeef]Hey![/color]” Selene shouted to get everyone locked on the Sergeant, whom grunted. “Thank you, Commander. We will drop you here,” The Sergeant pointed at a holographic map that was displayed on the wall around which everyone had gathered, “and from there, you will travel with the Rover until you reach the enclosed, classified rally point,” he continued and handed Selene an unmarked, sealed envelope. “Be advised, this is a black operation, and as such, you cannot receive any form of U.D.F. support should you need it,” the Sergeant concluded. Selene simply nodded to acknowledge the information. “God Speed Commander,” the Sergeant said and hit a button that opened the cargo bay doors.

[center]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weewaTuUheQ]Theme Song[/url]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/ufO9HFY.jpg[/img][/center]

The squad was dropped on the outskirts of Astral. It was a marshland devoid of any noticeable Mordrem activity, thus not bombarded by Nautilus. Most of the hostile activity emanated from the North, whereas marshland was located in the south. The friends were relatively silent during the short ride with the Rover. Or at least Selene sat in quietude and observed the surrounding environment. Things seemed too quiet for being a large scale assault. She could undoubtedly hear the commotion from the city nearby, Mordrem roars and gunfire, but the marshlands were suspiciously dormant. However, that suspicious proved to be factual. A massive slab of slime infested mud was suddenly flung at the vehicle, which came to a screeching halt and crashed into the shallow waters of the marsh. The abrupt stop propelled Selene and her friends forward in a chaotic manner. While some manage to gracefully land on their feet, Selene was not as lucky. The girl had sat at an angle that she could not recover from during mid-flight, thus found herself completely soaked in the pestilent waters. However, she was not hurt. As the force was softened by the muddy waters and weeds of the marsh, the friends managed to recover within the minute. “[color=00aeef]Is everyone alright?[/color]” Selene shouted.

In that moment, that which had caused the crash crawled over the wrecked Rover and revealed itself. It was a hideous creature with large, deadened eyes, razor sharp fins and fangs, and an illuminated antenna dangling from its forehead. It was also rather small, no taller than the average human person. It was obviously the result of the Mordrem disease, or what laymrn called the ‘Divine’ disease, as it came from the Heavens with the Calamity. The creature appeared to be some kind of deep sea fish, but how or why it had appeared on the surface was a mystery. It emitted a gurgling sound as it snarled at the friends, clearly indicating hostility. Not that any of that mattered to Selene. The creature had just wrecked their transportation, which meant that they had to trek through the marsh for the remainder of the distance. This realization did not sit well with Selene. “[color=00aeef]Is this a joke?[/color]” She snapped, and readied her weapon. “[color=00aeef]Kill that thing, we don’t have time for this![/color]”

[hider=Combat: Enemy][img]http://i.imgur.com/D6UxSiF.jpg[/img]
[h3]"Lurker"[/h3][indent][i]This creature appears to be a mutation of the Mordrem disease. Judging from its appearance, this lurker seems to have the characteristics of a deep sea fish. Due to its natural habitat, it's rare to see these mutations anywhere near the surface, but it does happen. They are rather aggressive in their combat, but ultimately cowardly. Their most dangerous asset is their ability to spit razor sharp chorals.[/i][/indent]
[b]Statistics[/b][color=FFD700][list]
[*]Stagger: 0/10000
[*]Physical Attack: 150
[*]Magical Attack: 50
[*]Immune: [i]Water[/i], [img]https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/thumb/1/1d/Confusion_40px.png/18px-Confusion_40px.png[/img].
[*]Weakness: [i]Fire[/i].[/list][/color]
[b]Abilities[/b][color=CD5C5C][list]
[*][i]"Escape"[/i]: Lurker will leave the battle before being defeated. This ability cannot be prevented.
[*][i]"Thousand Corals"[/i]: Lurker spits razor sharp chorals at its target. (Rare occurrence)[/list][/color]
[b]Spirits[/b]

[i]"Muddy Slime"[/i] 
Element: Water-Dark. 
Ability: [color=fff200]Infect[/color]. 
Status Effects: [img]https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/thumb/7/76/Blind_40px.png/18px-Blind_40px.png[/img][img]https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/thumb/1/13/Agony_40px.png/18px-Agony_40px.png[/img]. 
Description: [i]This spirit takes the form of mud and pestilent slime that soaks a target. The stench is quite unbearable![/i]

[i]"Hydro Blast"[/i] 
Element: Water. 
Ability: [color=fff200]Trample[/color]. 
Status Effects: -
Description: [i]This spirit takes the form of a large orb of water that blasts an enemy.[/i]

[i]"Torment"[/i] 
Element: Dark. 
Ability: [color=fff200]Morbid[/color]. 
Status Effects: -
Description: [i]This spirit takes the form of a shadowy mist that looms over a target. The spirit exhausts itself upon use, but also exhausts a spirit of the target.[/i][/hider]

[hider=Combat: Players]
[B]Selene[/b]
0/3000
Status Effects:
Exhaustion:

[B]Eric[/b]
0/3000
Status Effects:
Exhaustion:

[B]Aurelia[/b]
0/3000
Status Effects:
Exhaustion:

[B]Wren[/b]
0/3000
Status Effects:
Exhaustion:

[B]Ito[/b]
0/3000
Status Effects:
Exhaustion:

[B]Cassandra[/b]
0/3000
Status Effects:
Exhaustion:
[/hider]