[CENTER][COLOR=CCCAAA][sub][h3]A R T E M I S   C H A S E[/h3]
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[color=gold]◄[/color]  HELSTON    [color=gold]▎[/color]   FRIDAY    [color=gold]▎[/color]  26 OCTOBER  [color=gold]►[/color][/sub][/COLOR][/CENTER]

Being lost in a trance of memories wasn’t planned for Artemis, but her crystalline eyes were narrow and spaced. She stared into the distance, towards the booming sounds of battle that somehow called out to her—not to the baker or the caretaker that she portrayed herself to be, but the warrior within that embeds itself beneath her condemning fortitude. She took a breath in, and she tasted the metal and blood again. She furrowed her brows, and she remembered the expressions of war. She blinked her eyes, rapidly to shake her thoughts away, but still, she felt pain. 

Venser crept out from the corner of her eye and Artemis gasped, jumping back lightly in surprise and shaking the daze that consumed her. She looks around in confusion, obvious that she was lost in thought. First, Artemis took in her surroundings, eying the gathered fighters and discerning the type of crowd that she’d fight alongside. It was different than what she remembered. They didn’t bear the union colors, they didn’t organize themselves in squads of uniformed militants, they didn’t have strict supervisors instructing their coming suicide. They were a diverse group of simple citizens of Helston, but they bore a bravery that bled more genuine than Artemis had seen within the Unions. A peculiar group formed and Artemis squinted in wonder from the strange aura that they released: a short girl, a masked man, a smoking militant. Beyond the three was another group that appeared incompetent, but somehow released a sense of hidden intimidation. She couldn't pinpoint how the tides of battle would flow.

Artemis looked to Venser, then to the gun in her hand. She sheathed the gun into the holster that scrunched the fabric of her pants around her right thigh. She listened closely to his spiel, becoming reminded again of the lionheart that Venser was—he spoke bluntly and straight to the point, with confidence and certainty. He was a worthy companion to Artemis, and she valued the glimpse of kindness that lied just behind his imposing and cautious demeanor.

She stood in silence, thinking, after he finished speaking. The rundown he gave her stirred her stomach with emotions. Her gut tightened at the thought of inhuman creatures since she prepared more for a union attack in which she’d have more of an upper hand. This reminded her of the difficulty that went hand in hand with every battle, but also her instincts that made her rise. The aeonic fighter within her jostled her body. Artemis swallowed hard before speaking sternly, [COLOR=CCCAAA]“We’ll ride into the fray with the rest of them, but refrain from engaging on the enemy until we understand enough about it to initiate some sort of counter-attack. It doesn't look like they're giving us much time to strategize since they're already piling people into the convoys. From the sounds of it, we might be on the wrong side of victory. But maybe Helston will meet it’s saviours today.”[/color] Artemis paused, [COLOR=CCCAAA]“The sun is bright.”[/color]

Artemis walked closer to Venser to truly see the determination in his eyes. She let out a sigh, almost appearing afraid to join the battle, not from the situation at hand, but from the release of restraints that she bore for so long, [COLOR=CCCAAA]“Venser. I’m not sure how well you are with a gun, or how well you serve in battle, but,”[/color] she stopped herself from becoming emotional or showing weakness, [COLOR=CCCAAA]“I know you’re full of surprises, so I’ll try to not picture your dead body at the foot of some alien.”[/color] Artemis let out a faint smile before proceeding past him to join the others to board the convoys. Whether he would follow behind her or not, Artemis let her mind scurry back to it’s memories for the short moment that she had left before returning to the battlefield once again. Venser’s smart. Their instincts will work together, Artemis was sure.


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As much as Artemis tried to prepare herself mentally for combat again, she found that it still came at her as hard and fast as the red creature did towards the many fighters of Helston. One by one, they met their fate, whether it was as gruesome as being eaten alive or as fast as being thrown an absurd distance towards the concealed horizon. Artemis’ breaths were quick, not from physical exhaustion, but from her slow awakening in the midst of what felt to be a dust storm. The small aliens charged themselves towards her mercilessly and in groups. Her aim was rusty, but she steadied her shots well enough to shoot down the creatures before they got too close.

Artemis felt cowardly, leaning against the convoy for camouflage and safety. The enemy was far too unknown for Artemis to charge in confidently, so she watched from a distance and saved her ammunition. Bullets seemed to have little to no effect on the red creature and it’s speed was impeccable given how strong it was. Helston didn’t deserve to face a creature of this magnitude.

It wasn’t until the reveal of the first aeon that the morale of Helston would increase. He was strong with his abilities and he casted confidently, almost as if the range was his specialty. Artemis, on the other hand, preferred close-quarters, but her fighting techniques were geared towards humans, not aliens. The array of bullets that continued to rain upon the creature wouldn’t allow for her to engage anyway. The masked man hurdled pillars of earth towards the creature—a powerful attack, but too slow in comparison to the creatures high speed. His next attack showed a weakness of the enemy: the light from his ability caused the creature to become cautious.

Artemis saw her chance to dart into close-quarters once the creature became shrouded in a cloud of dust. The gunshots ceased from the enemy being obscured. Artemis bolted forward and unleashed blasts of aeonic power from the heels of her boots, causing her to close the gap between the cloud of uncertainty and her quickly. Within the instance, the trimming of her suit became tinted with blue and yellow as aeonic power flowed through it’s complex material. It was faint beneath her clothes and could only be seen if looking close enough. But with the speed from her blast, she could only be seen hurling herself into melee range and disappearing into the cloud.

Artemis skidded in a circle along the dusty terrain, taking in as much as she could before the creature would notice her close-presence. It was tall and mighty, humanoid looking but with menacing teeth and threatening tentacles that protruded from it’s face. She was now close enough to hear the snarls of it’s wrath and anger, eying it’s body as she skid to try and find any weakpoints, but it’s skin appeared thick and protective, especially in it’s hands and feet which implied knowledge of close-quarter combat. Her scarf barely held on from her speed as she ducked her chin into it’s thick fabric to avoid inhaling the debris, readying herself. The best way to attack in the moment would be to match the speed of the creature, so she clenched her fists as the gloves of her suit hissed with aeonic power. With a jab of her fist, a mix of electricity and extreme force jolted at the creatures stomach. She uppercut with her other fist at the same spot, causing the creature to lift up from it’s feet from the combination of her aeonic strength and her blast attack. The blast caused the the cloud of dust to disperse quickly as strings of lightning flew out with the wind of her enhanced force, revealing the two of them. Assuming that a shower of bullets would follow the reveal, Artemis blasted from her feet again to disengage fluidly. The creature was stunned by her attack, but regained his composure quickly and assumed a stance for his next attack.

Artemis tried to flee from his sight, but she noticed the lack of eyes on the creature. She found cover by the convoy as she pondered. She learned two things thus far: it probably senses the presence of them somehow since it can’t see, and it quivered at the conjured light. The fight seemed to take a hopeful turn as Artemis continued to study the creature.