[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h6OCm6X.png[/img]
Level 7 - EXP 13/70
Words: 3378 // +5 EXP
Mysterious Lumber Mill - The Frozen Highlands[/center]
[hr]

It seems Ramattra’s advances to recruit allies had proved fruitful. A quiet moment had passed in the shredded-apart hallway, Ramattra strutted through before hearing two sets of steps approaching his location. As if something in his circuits fired off, hearing the sound of footsteps closing in made him react, quickly flourishing his staff as he flicked around to threaten whoever-or whatever had followed him. Noticing it was some of the fellow Seekers, Kit and Celica, Ramattra immediately lowered his weapon and offered a simple nod of apology to the duo that had followed him into the Lumber Mill. [color=bc8dbf]“Ah. Good, glad to see that some humans still have some skin. Come. Let’s find this trouble our friend ran into.”[/color] The Omnic was quick to turn over his shoulder to walk deeper into the building, leaving the other recruits behind, expecting them to follow. Kit and Celica had seemingly raised their guard toward Ramattra’s mistake, startled by the accidental threat. They offered one another a glance of confusion and concern, Celica’s bemused expression sharing the burden of displaying emotion for Kit.

When Kit and Celica caught up with their robotic companion, he began speaking again, debriefing details. [color=bc8dbf]“So. Our friend -erm, Heismay, I believe, was quite brief on the details.”[/color] Ramattra caught himself even trying to recall the names of the members who had followed him inside as he struggled to gather Heismay’s. It seemed they were about as fresh to the party as Ramattra was, now having a glimpse at the chain of command that existed within the Seekers. [color=bc8dbf]“You wouldn’t happen to have learned anything, have you?”[/color]

Celica was the first to chime in, finding herself speaking in part for the more quiet-sided Kit. “Partially. It was less a briefing and more of a warning. Heismay is small and intelligent enough to squeak himself out of any hairy situations, but the second we encounter whatever’s in here, we should expect a fight.” Ramattra, naturally, expected nothing less. While Heismay was a skilled fighter, it made sense for someone more stealthy to go in and out quietly if there was a threat of the caliber present. Luckily, Ramattra, Kit, and Celica were here to clean up whatever had threatened Heismay, so that it won’t be an issue for later. 

While the ambience of the mill was rather spooky and dark, the glow from Ramattra’s eyes mixed with the light provided by a makeshift torch Kit had assembled in passing through the longer corridors. The group stayed silent, minus the sound of armored/plated steps of steel from Kit and Ramattra, listening out for that ‘horrid breathing sound’ that Heismay described. They crept further and further into what began to open way into what appeared to be some sort of trashed arena, armed to the teeth with traps, the walls adorned with what appeared to be twisted metal and splintered planks of wood, and pieces of obscure treasures (if some of the items scattered about could be called that).

It became increasingly obvious that the three of them were standing in the lair of whatever had spooked Heismay out of the Mill, the trinkets and wares lying around all seemingly hoarded precariously, as if with reason. The air of the situation left even Ramattra uneasy, who couldn’t even quite place his metallic finger on why there was such lingering danger in the air. The Omnic raised his staff to the group, gesturing them to stop before proceeding forward. Just before Kit had lost his foot, Ramattra’s perception was just fast enough to stop the knight by blocking his pathway with his Void Accelerator before he tripped the lever inside a rusted bear trap. Kit looked like he had wanted to say a word of thanks! But… that was quickly interrupted by the low, groan-like breathing that began to creep up on the group… Something was approaching. Its steps were slow at first, as if weighed down by tons and tons of steel, making a racket with every single step of its horrifically shaped metallic legs. Kit was quick to douse out the torch to give some form of advantage to their assault, limiting their vision to the minimal light provided by Ramattra’s red sensors.

In the corner of their vision, the large figure that had occupied this lumber mill began to slowly creep its way parallel to the broken walls and planks that had temporarily concealed the group. It was difficult to coordinate an attack without speaking to one another, but none of them dared to speak and throw away their offense. The three of them shifted, looking at one another for confirmation. When the disfigured man was to pass through, the three of them attacked. The sound of their feet shuffling reverberated throughout the passageway, earning an inquisitive squeak from Scrapbeak as he reached into his abnormally large sack.

Now brandishing a sickle, Scrapbeaks scurried clomps of his feet turned into focused thumps, surveying the area for where his foes may be, whilst avoiding the traps masterfully. There was no possibility this was going to be a streamlined fight, and the second they initiate with Scrapbeak, the masked figure would be locked into a spar to the death. Taking the initiative, Celica summoned her dual pistols and glided across the floor, directly underneath Scrapbeak, firing off pop shots toward his torso. Enraged, Scrapbeak let out a gurgling groan as he stabbed his sickle haphazardly into the floor, trying to slice her. She was able to narrowly avoid being cut, but just as quickly, Ramattra appeared from the shadows to deliver a punishing uppercut in Nemesis form, knocking some of the wind from the enemy, but only achieving a wheeze of pain before Scrapbeak returned his attention to his two attackers, as if deciding which of them he wanted to murder first.

Seeing as Celica was his first assailant, he thought to focus on her first, given that she was the smallest of the group. Scrapbeak’s hobbling suddenly began to turn more into a fast-paced limp as he hunched toward her as she continued to deal whatever damage to him she could. Seeing as he was now RAPIDLY approaching her, his danger level suddenly went from a one to a ten faster than Ramattra was able to shift out of Nemesis form. Celica began to flee to the next room over to regroup their assault, but was now separated from the rest of her comrades. Ramattra was sure she could hold her own, given she was much faster than the monster could keep up with… But suddenly something interesting happened… Rather than chasing after Celica, or more strategically, Ramattra and Kit, who were now closest to him, he began to string a sharp wire throughout the doorways and split pieces of wood, anticipating Celica to chase herself back towards the mess he made and cut herself. This was no murderous, erratic killer. The three of them were playing against a strategic trapper on their home turf.

After setting up wire traps in a matter of seconds, Scrapbeak returned to hunting Celica, his brisk pace leading down a hallway, giving Kit and Ramattra a moment to think. “When it returns, I believe our best tactic for immobilizing it is to lure it to its traps and use that moment of weakness to deal some blows.” Kit finally chipped in. It was a sound strategy, but how would they go about it? The fastest of the three was Celica, and she was probably deep in the mill by now, distracting the monstrosity as it continued to slowly restrict her movement with wires between shredded steel and broken wooden appliances. Once the zipping sounds of wires stopped and the loud, uneven steps of Scrapbeak resumed, to chase after Celica, who was currently trying to find a loop around back to the rest of the group. 

[color=bc8dbf]“Now we have a moment to strategize,”[/color] Ramattra said bluntly as he stood, casting a red glare in the room around him. The two of them discussed how, once Celica returned, the goal was for her to continue drawing Scrapbeak towards her until they got him back inside the room. He wasn’t affected much by their damage, and Ramattra had a theory that the large pack of materials it carried on its back was responsible for “absorbing” a lot of the blows they dealt. They needed to catch it off guard, and the best way to do that was to force him into one of his traps. 

Like clockwork, once Kit and Ramattra were familiar with the plan, Celica had begun sliding back into the room from an opposite door, and for a moment, seemed to have lost Scrapbeak. “Wait… I thought he stayed behind with you two?” They lost him. The whole point of their plan was rendered useless, and they were now closed off from the room Celica had entered, unless they felt like dodging sharp wires. 

A loud creeping came from the hole that was in a wall nearby, the clangs of metallic steps closing in on the group. They had to play it safe now; if one of them made one wrong step, they were sure to step into a trap and meet their untimely fate. Able to pinpoint where the approaching sound had been coming from, Ramattra quickly entered nemesis form again and approached the hole from the left side, ready to enter a short offense against Scrapbeak. [color=bc8dbf]“Remember, if he steps into one of his traps, we have a moment to strike. Got it?”[/color]

Ramattra didn’t even let the group answer before Scrapbeak’s steps became more rhythmic, the sound of a blade being removed from his bag once again. This time, it was a small dagger that he crept around the corner of the hole with, Ramattra hiding in the dark just outside of his peripheral vision. When he finally turned out of the hole to investigate the room for Kit and Celica, Ramattra dealt another devastating blow, this time able to knock him back slightly. Along with his attack, Kit threw a firebomb at the hulking figure, igniting his tattered coat and leaving a terrible smell of burnt-mangled flesh in the air. Enraged, Scrapbeak screeched and began hobbling rapidly towards Kit, the contents of his bag rifling around as he grabbed a new weapon, a rusted harpoon spear, which he used to threaten Kit. For a moment, the blade almost clashed into Kit’s arm, but swiftly enough, Celica was able to knock Kit to the ground with a swift kick, avoiding the puncture. 

They weren’t going to win like this; there needed to be a way to make the enemy vulnerable, and he was always aware enough to avoid his traps. There needed to be a risk taken, because without him immobilized, there was no chance they could defeat him. That’s when Celica got an idea. Nearby, there stood a blinking [url=https://www.destinypedia.com/Web_Mine]red mine[/url] on the ground that looked like it was pressure-sensed. With that idea in mind, Celica would need to time her dash into Scrapbeak perfectly to throw him into the mine and eat the explosion. She stood and quickly ran, leaving Kit to deal with Scrapbeak for the time being. While Kit was recovering from being pushed out of the way of Scrapbeak’s harpoon, Ramattra grabbed onto a nearby log with his large fist and slammed it into the side of the mangled man, staggering him yet again, while Celica prepared to rush him into the mine. She was fully prepared to eat the explosion, knowing that most of the damage would be inflicted on their enemy, and that she could simply be healed by the healers back at camp. When Scrapbeak was in position, she dashed from the other side of the room, diving into him while he was vulnerable from being hit by a log. 


When Scrapbeak’s side crashed into the mine, an electronic whirring started up, making a sharp blinking noise as a ball full of liquid began dispensing a mysterious [url=https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Tyrant_Virus] liquid into the air.[/url] The liquid seemed to slow down the movement of both Celica and Scrapbeak, forming a web of mist and ice. With Scrapbeak vulnerable, Kit and Ramattra took this as a chance to begin a counter-attack, unleashing a flurry of punches and slashes towards Scrapbeak that began to slowly tear open his bag, dropping weapons and pieces of scrap onto the floor. He began to remove his large sack from his bag, probably in an attempt to escape the web that the mine had formed; however, he was quickly dealt with when Celica unleashed a Black Bane attack, using the multitude of ailments inflicted on Scrapbeak to punish him with a final blow. He let out a defeated cry, his mask pointed towards the hole-filled ceiling as he began to slowly turn to dust, allowing the gleaming Ramattra to exit combat. His form switched back to Omnic as he approached the remains of Scrapbeak…

[hider=Items get!]
Large Sack of Scrap (team valuable)
Scrapbeak’s mask (Treasure)
[/hider]

The three of them triumphed for a moment in their victory! This would be a cause to celebrate back at base, especially since the sack of scrap that was left behind could be used to repair and upgrade the stagecoach. “A worthy fight, you two. Very good.” Ramattra complimented, placing his free hands cupped on the shoulders of his new allies. Celica would give Ramattra a cautious yet warm smile at his praise before quickly doubling over and beginning to vomit a bright-blue liquid.  Concerned, Kit and Ramattra almost rushed to her aid to ask what was wrong, before she lifted a hand to the two, stopping them. “The robot. Let the robot carry me. Whatever was in that mine…” She could barely finish her sentence between wheezes, but the two of them got the picture. As far as she knew, Kit was human and was able to get infected. That left Kit to carry the large sack for the time being until they got to safety. 

Ramattra lifted her with ease, tossing her gently over his shoulder as she lifelessly dangled from lack of strength. What was going to happen to her? Neither of them particularly knew the answer, but the only option they had was to either return to the group or Snowdin. Both Ramattra and Kit thought it wiser to seek out Warden Rust, who might be able to provide some insight. Carrying their heavy cargo on their backs, they exited the Mill and asked their inquiry. “Well. I ain’t much one for rumors, but that [url=https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/House_Beneviento] Manor[/url] atop the mountain? Some police officer had been sticking his nose around up there, looking for some sort of weapon. A weapon that makes diseases. I’m unsure as to where he is now, but…” he pulled at his beard for a moment in contemplation. “I’d imagine you could find him back at that quaint little town, but that’s quite a walk.” Another moment of pulling his beard before he spoke. “But yknow. I did happen to come across quite an interesting object if you’d be interested.” 

He gestured for the group to follow them, leading them around the side of the mill, revealing a large sled nearby [url=https://i.imgur.com/NmMXwTe.jpeg] mounted by two abnormally large wolves.[/url] “I’ve no clue where it came from. It wasn’t here when you lot passed through earlier; however, I don’t see the harm in using it if you return it. And trust me, I will make sure it gets returned.” Rust seemed to have a good sense of morals, and with very few options for transportation, they were left to take the sled. 

…

Once they arrived in Snowdin, they quickly made their way to the inn, hoping that whoever might have information on what had been inflicted on Celica was staying the night here. The odd clerk at the front desk was shuffling papers when Ramattra burst through the door with the ill woman on his shoulder, startling her from her work before Ramattra began speaking immediately. [color=bc8dbf]“Is there an officer here?”[/color] He asked plainly, making sure the urgency of the situation was noted. The creature seemed concerned for a moment, unsure if he should provide the information. Ramattra repeated himself, the annoyance in his voice more apparent. [color=bc8dbf]“[i]Is. There. An. Officer. Here?[/i]”[/color] He hoped his threatening tone would be enough to wriggle the information he needed, and he seemed to get lucky, because the closer he got to the stairs leading to the inn’s rooms, he got intimidated and blurted out that he was in the 3rd room.

When they got to the room, Kit would knock on the door for Ramattra, hoping that there would be an answer. Silence. With another knock, the door was flung open by a [url=https://residentevil.fandom.com/wiki/Chris_Redfield]rugged man[/url] who seemed to have been disturbed by their late intrusion. “What the hell is your problem?” He asked sternly. It was hard to tell if the expression on his face was natural or an expression of annoyance. This was a no-nonsense guy who had had a long day. Before Ramattra could answer, Chris noticed the hunched girl over his shoulder, ill in the face with blue liquid dripping from her mouth. He stared for a moment, letting the quiet sift over the group before sighing and gesturing for them to come inside. 

“She’s going to be fine.” Christ started speaking, rifling through a large metallic case of empty syringes. He waved at Ramattra to leave her in his bed. “It’s only contagious through internal contact, so all of us will be fine as well. Damn, I really should have had that rookie look into this sooner.” He grumbled as he procured a silver syringe still with the plunger intact. “I can only save so many people from this damned virus, so it’s pertinent you tell me [i]where[/i] she got infected.” Ramattra and Kit would debrief their fight with Scrapbeak, and how, when they took it out, a mysterious liquid had sprayed into the air. Sighing, Chris stood over the girl, quickly administering the shot into her forearm. “Well. Like I said, she’ll be okay. But she can’t stay here. The cure won’t fully do its job for a couple of weeks, and my mission lies wherever I can purge that virus. I’m sure the shopkeeper next door would be willing to let you stay and collect your bearings.” With that, Ramattra, Kit, and Celica departed for the building next door, where the kind sister of the innkeeper allowed them to stay in a spare bedroom while Celica rested. The innkeeper had offered to care for Celica until she was well again, but Kit decided to speak up. “She saved my skin back there. I can stay and help the shopkeeper care for her in the meantime.” 

Ramattra tried to convince Kit to leave her and return to the seekers as best he could. [color=bc8dbf]“You are a valuable asset to the team. What I saw in combat back there would be useful for the coming battles.”[/color] Kit simply shook his head at the request. There was still part of him that was human after all.

“No. While my time with the Seekers was important, I cannot in good faith leave an ill person alone. I’ve sinned far too much before.” Kit turned to Celica, who now rested semi-peacefully atop a silk-sheeted bed with a bag of hot water on top of her head.

[color=bc8dbf]“... So be it.”[/color] There was a hint of annoyance as Ramattra collected the belongings of Scrapbeak on his back, tossing a small sack of gold coins he gathered from claiming the manor on a nearby bedside. While Ramattra was rather curt, he respected Kit’s valiance and would see to it that he was rewarded for his efforts. [color=bc8dbf]“Then may your adventures from here on treat you well, Kit the Chosen Undead.”[/color] He turned out of the door and began to make his way back to the sled, so that he could regroup with the team.