[CENTER][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5292628][img]https://images2.imgbox.com/b5/4f/8JkzOeYn_o.png[/img][/url] [sub][i]Starring...[/i][/sub] [h3][color=ff2020]Scarlet Rubashka[/color] as [color=ff2020][i]Punished "Venom Bean"[/i][/color][/h3] [hider=Interactions] [@Kumbaris] [@13org] [@BigPapaBelial] [/hider] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup][/center] Even with the wind rushing through the trees, and the soft chirps and cries of the local wildlife, the quieter noises still made themselves present. Twigs snapping, bushes rustling, the like. The noises she was hearing now didn't alert Scarlet in the slightest, they simply gave her a mental image as to where her companions were at. The quiet footsteps of their commanding officer who went off to find a vehicle, the soft shuffling from Mike as he set Faye down, the subtle rustling and crunching from the steps Mike's friends took, and the uncomfortable swallow Mike made when taking his pill dry. However, Scarlet herself was still and quiet. Her breaths were slow and controlled, and her muscles all relaxed to rest comfortably still. With her rifle braced against the roots, its movements were also deliberate. Slowly moving from side to side, Scarlet had to act as a one-woman sniper/spotter team. Not an easy feat, but these aren't easy times. Her focus almost required her to ignore what Mike said to her, but seeing as there were no threats, she figured she can lend an ear for a moment. [color=ff2020]"Hm?"[/color] Her eyes remained glued to the scope. Her brain took a minute to dial-up and process the words that were just spoken to her, but in a few moments she comprehended them. [i]Alright. Now to wait for the cavalry. What a few days huh?[/i] [color=ff2020]"Oh, yeah."[/color] Scarlet almost whispered, a small smile creeping into her focused expression. [color=ff2020]"No kidding. Normally it would take a week or two for me to see this much action."[/color] She swayed her rifle slowly back in one direction, sweeping the area. [color=ff2020]"How are you holding-"[/color] Scarlet stopped herself midsentence as her heart skipped a beat. Out from the sides of the gas station appeared to be gunmen of some kind. Scratch that, five gunmen and one gunwoman. [i][color=ff2020]Shit.[/color][/i] Scarlet held up a hand to silence everyone present, looking through the scope to confirm what she is currently seeing. [color=ff2020]"Contact twelve o' clock."[/color] Scarlet said quietly, looking through the scope. She turned an additional nob on it, turning the assault rifle sight into a long-ranged scope to get a better look at them. As they slowly got closer, she could see more details of them, and get an accurate number of them. The operators dressed in a very similar fashion to how Scarlet did when she was on-duty. Tactical vests, ballcaps, aviators, practical clothing and heavily modified rifles. They also appear to share the same playbook as Scarlet herself, and the people she worked with. Scarlet's heartbeat raised with fear as she got a look at their rifles. Definitely those Soviet weapons the OMR have been talking about, except that they're kitted out with sights, suppressors and synthetic furniture. [color=ff2020]"Six infantry with AK-74 rifles and plate carriers. Paramilitaries."[/color] Scarlet noted quietly, gulping. [color=ff2020]"They're fanning out in pairs. Two to approaching our ten-o-clock, and two approaching our two-o-clock. They know what they're doing."[/color] [i]They can't know we're actually here right? Just running some kinda search right?[/i] Scarlet heard Mike ask, to which Scarlet replied with a slightly shaky breath. [color=ff2020]"They know that we're here in a general sense, but not our exact location. That's a six-man search-and-destroy pattern."[/color] Ignoring the uncanny feeling of looking at her operations method right in the mirror, Scarlet racked her brain for ideas. If she started firing now, even with her enchanted suppressor, the others would eventually figure out where the shots are coming from and return fire. With the two pairs flanking their position, the OMR agents would quickly get caught in a killzone and get lit up. In Bosnia, she managed to evade Serbian death squads with her coworkers and clients in situations like this, but back then, she had the advantage of time and camouflage. With what she was wearing now, they'll spot her in notime and send her packing to the afterlife. The best option she could think of was to toss a few smoke grenades, pick off a few of them, and repeat until all hostiles are down. But even that's too risky, and judging by how the operators carry themselves, they'll probably figure out what she's doing, adapt, and kill her. Scarlet gulped again, feeling her heart pound through her chest. Is this how it will end? With a quiet whimper in the woods, near some nowhere gas station, a failure to her squad? Then Michael brought something up. [i]Distractions.[/i] Scarlet blinked, and listened intently. He said that while he wasn't necessarily combat capable, he was pretty good with illusions and hard ritual forms. Scarlet nodded enthusiastically. [color=ff2020]"Yes, [i]please.[/i] I'll do what I can."[/color] She said, before bringing her sights back down upon the operators. [color=ff2020]"They're still far away. You got time."[/color] Scarlet said. She thought of some more ways to take them down, now that illusions and rituals were added to the equation. [color=ff2020][i]Looks like Mikey will save the day again.[/i][/color] The thought of it brings a small grin to Scarlet's lips. As Michael speaks and performs his rituals, Scarlet keeps an eye on the hostiles. Their movements were still slow and methodical. [i]Aawos, you are not welcome here.[/i] She slowly zoomed her scope back out, turning it back into the illusory red-dot the AUG came with. [i]Aawos, or face the fears, that all men feel.[/i] Scarlet swallowed, remaining as still as she could. Even if the sounds came from friendlies, they still brought a tinge of fear into Scarlet's heart. As Michael's companions, shrouded in the terrifying visages of their homeland horrors, approached the operatives, Scarlet did exactly as Michael asked and thought of ways to take down the enemy. With their attention turned away, Scarlet would have a chance to move and fire from a more advantageous angle. Once she thought of a plan, Scarlet spoke quickly and quietly. [color=ff2020]"Okay..."[/color] She gulped as she reached into her bag of holding, pulling out the Glock she was using earlier today. [color=ff2020]"Whatever you do, don't look at the twelve-o-clocks until [i]after[/i] you hear a bang. I'm gonna toss a flash at them to buy me some time to take down the 10-o-clocks."[/color] She unloaded the Glock's magazine and pulled back the slide, emptying the chamber. [color=ff2020]"I'm gonna have to run over to that rock over there before I start firing. It'll provide some decent cover and draw fire away from you guys."[/color] After putting the magazine and ejected round away, she produced two new magazines, the bullets themselves having a sharper and meaner appearance. She loaded one of them into her Glock, released the slide, and handed the gun and extra magazine to Mike. [color=ff2020]"The .45 has a bit of a kick to it, and I'm gonna want it back after this is all over. Gave you the expensive armor-piercing rounds too, so don't use 'em if you don't have to."[/color] She whispered. She looked solemnly down her scope and after taking a few deep breaths, she swallows. [color=ff2020]"If I go down, don't rescue me. Keep yourself and Faye hidden."[/color] She pats Mike on the shoulder and nods to him. [color=ff2020]"Until next time."[/color] Scarlet immediately stood up. She got a good look at the operatives, who were still focused on the horrors. The horrors seemed to be herding them a little closer together, bringing them into an easier killzone. She moved as quietly as she could to the rock she noted earlier. It being to her right, and thus closer to the 2-o-clocks, it should draw the soon-to-be firefight away from her friends. She got behind the rock, and once there, she pulled out a stun grenade from her bag of holding. With a pull of the pin, she threw the grenade right at the feet of the two 12-o-clocks. The homunculus ducked away, and after one of them shouted "Granata!", there was a loud [b][i]BANG!!![/i][/b] The 10-o-clocks and 2-o-clocks scattered, attempting to retreat from both the horrors and the explosion they heard. [i]CLICK![/i] went the AUG's safety from SAFE to SEMI. From behind the rock, Scarlet stood up, and brought the red dot ahead the two 10-o-clocks, who were trying to run to cover and away from Whitiko. She squeezed the trigger. [i][b]FWIP-FWIP![/b][/i] One 10-o-clock went down, taking one shot to his armor and one to his head. [i][b]FWIP-FWIP![/b][/i] Another double-tap brought the second one down, taking a bullet to one of his armor plates and to his right bicep. He fell down and screamed in pain. Scarlet immediately rotated to face the two 12-o-clocks, who were still dazed and stunned from the flashbang she threw at them. She took aim at the easy prey. One of the 12-o-clocks, an orc, managed to shake off the effects a little easier than his human compatriot. She squeezed the trigger once. [b][i]FWIP![/i][/b] Mundane suppressors still had a loud sound profile, only making guns hearing safe at best. But thanks to the expensive enchantments on this suppressor and the subsonic ammo she loaded, the suppressor here functioned just like the ones in Hollywood did in making her rifle very quiet. The only sound the other 12-o-clock heard was the sickening noise of his partner's forehead exploding. The large bearded man beside the orc looked between the skinwalker that approached him and the direction the gunshot came from. He shouted to the others, running and taking cover behind a tree to put some distance between himself and the skinwalker. "Blyat!" He shouted before returning fire to Scarlet's position in a vain attempt to suppress her. The shots went wide, hitting nothing but dirt and trees. The suppressors on the AKs were quite good too, but their noise profile was a little louder, allowing Scarlet and her OMR friends to get a decent idea of where they're firing from. Scarlet flipped her safety to AUTO, and took aim at the crouched human. Six rounds of hot lead soared at him, peppering his body and his armor in hollow-point 5.56s. He shouted in pain, falling onto his back with large crimson holes in his legs. Due to Scarlet's position, as well as the flashbang and gunshots that happened earlier, it didn't take long for the 2-o-clocks to find her. "" One of the 2-o-clocks shouted, the only woman of the group bringing her Kalashnikov to shoulder and taking a few shots at Scarlet. As Scarlet turned to return fire, two rounds hit the rock and one went straight through Scarlet's left shoulder. Blood splattered all over the tree behind her as Scarlet fell down onto her back. [color=ff2020]"Gah! Mother[i][b]fucker![/b][/i]"[/color] Scarlet shouted, clutching the painful, bleeding wound on her shoulder. [color=ff2020]""[/color] Scarlet shouted back in Russian. Portions of the rock exploded as the two continued firing sporadically at her with precise semi-automatic shots, moving about to stay clear of the scary Wendigo that approached them. Portions of the tree exploded in front of her as Scarlet pressed her back against the rock, holding her rifle with one hand, her left arm limp. [color=ff2020]"Fuck me..."[/color] She groaned in pain, her heart racing again. She looked over to where Michael and Faye were, and seeing that they were still far away from the fight, she smiled weakly and clutched her AUG.