[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/89hm3ql.jpeg[/img]

[sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img]
[color=808080][color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [color=00aeef]#00aeef[/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019955d1-b513-770e-b929-5ff4a855a5ab.webp][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url][color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [color=375a87]#375a87[/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] nightinggale [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/MeRueZX][color=808080]outfit[/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] descendant tower [/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]

[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080] [color=d6d6d6]"June, Magni."[/color] Phil gestured for them to go ahead, and she pushed out of her seat after giving Jim’s hand a small squeeze. Her mind was whirling after watching Tobias and Zaria’s training, trying to come up with team formations for fights with their weaknesses and strengths in mind, contingency plans…

Juniper stepped into the area ahead of Magni, feeling jittery and nervous as she paused to hold the door open for him, taking a slow breath to try and clear her mind. She’d never gotten to attend the academy, but Thomas had. She found herself hesitating on the edge of the large yellow X, eyes lingering on the concrete walls that surrounded them. He had fought in this room, trained alongside people like Magni, and…it all felt like June was chasing his shadow, like they were kids again playing tag but she could never quite catch up to him, always reaching out, but never close enough to touch. 

[color=375a87]"This room looks like a war crime."[/color] She muttered, stepping into the yellow and keeping her stance loose. The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end, goosebumps rising across her exposed arms and midriff, she didn’t exactly know what to expect here, but she had a vague idea. [color=375a87]"Did you…use this a lot, when you attend the Academy?"[/color] She glanced toward Magni, feeling a little off kilter. 

If she were being honest, June hadn’t expected to be paired up with the mammoth of a man, she’d hoped for Jim or Imogen, someone she trusted inexplicitly, but she supposed, all things considered, this wasn’t bad either. He’d been kind this morning, and understanding, not judging her openly while she’d cried and spiraled. She still felt inadequate standing beside him though, her injury on display for everyone watching, and it made her feel like she needed to compensate more. June raised her hands, clenching her jaw as she ignored the pain in her side, tying her hair back to keep it out of her face. However long this took, it would be hell for her, but she’d trained for this, and she could ignore the pain for as long as she needed to. 

The resolve was visible on her face and in the way she widened her stance, tensing but confident as she prepared.

Magni was not the most observant man, but he knew the ways men would attempt to hide their nerves before battle. His current comrade seemed the type to put on a brave face, which was honorable. His eyes fell on the wound at her side, and noticed her clenched jaw out of the corner of his vision. He rotated his left arm while holding his shoulder with his right, stretching out his tense muscles. Her question was simple, and one he could answer easily. [color=00aeef]"Aye… We spent a great many days training here."[/color] His eyes scanned the walls, a small smile creeping at the corner of his lips. [color=00aeef]"Broke it in my first year… ‘Twas decided that I would be banned from using Mjolnir within these chambers since."[/color] He switched to stretching out his right arm and shoulder.

[color=375a87]"That’s what the hammer is called? Mjolnir?"[/color] June tried to pronounce it correctly, but when she said it opposed to how Magni had said it, she sounded as if she was saying [i]MeowMeow.[/i] [color=375a87]"Mjolnir? No…Mjolnir?"[/color] She paused, frowning at the yellow paint as the name rolled clumsily off her lips, it sounded like a bad cat impression, and her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment.

[color=00aeef]"Thou wilt do fine, Lady Wayne, so long as thou does not strain thyself greatly."[/color] He did not look at June, instead shifting his gaze up towards the window. He locked eyes with Imogen, flashing a toothy grin. [color=00aeef]"Thy goal is to avoid capture and to not wound thyself further. There will be time to demonstrate thy skills fully when at full strength."[/color] He pumped his arms back and forth to finish stretching them out while pacing around June in a circle, the tone of his voice firm. [color=00aeef]"Are thy wits sharp?"[/color]

She blinked up at Magni, not having expected the question. She offered a half smile, rolling her shoulders back some and testing how much give and pull she had with her side before it started to pull at the stitches, mentally categorizing the moves she knew couldn’t be performed and which once would be safe. [color=375a87]"I like to think so,"[/color] she said, shifting a little from foot to foot. [color=375a87]"I’ll have to rely on you for a bulk of the fighting because of my side, sorry in advance."[/color] It was clear from the tightness in her jaw that June didn’t like having to admit to a weakness like this, being restricted without her gear, and half of her fighting style, frayed at her nerves, but with great effort she allowed the tension to bleed from her shoulders. 

[color=d6d6d6]"Thumbs up when you’re both ready,"[/color] Phil’s voice echoed from a hidden speaker.

June raised a thumb, eyes sliding to the window to find Jim. 

Magni finally stood on the X next to June, standing up to his full height as he raised a thumb into the air. [color=00aeef]"Stay behind me, and thou wilt be fine. Guide my movements as thou can."[/color]

[color=d6d6d6]"Emergency shut down word is [i]‘watermelon’[/i]. Simulation will begin in 3… 2… 1."[/color] 


Around them, the concrete walls shimmered like a mirage, and then their environment snapped to something so mundane it was genuinely surprising. June blinked down at the familiar marble flooring of the lobby, eyebrows climbing up. [color=375a87]"Our worst case scenario is being in the tower?"[/color] Her lips twitched, but there was no actual humor in her tone. The idea that they could be attacked here of all places was a very real one, but it stole the last bit of security she’d deluded herself into having. [color=375a87]"Yeah, it makes sense."[/color] June muttered, glancing around nervously. 

[color=375a87]"How does this usually—"[/color] Her question was cut off as the glass to the front door shattered, a sharp bang cutting through the air, and something slammed into her shoulder. She crumpled to the ground, turning it into a hasty roll as phantom pain raced across the injury. More shots rang out, and soon the entire lobby was blanketed in broken glass, men in all black, full military grab running into the lobby, guns raised.

Magni’s wide smile never faltered as he felt the first impact against his skin. He felt June duck and roll behind him, but he hardly flinched from the stings. The pain was minimal and he simply let the shots come his way. They cut and tore small pricks through his shirt, but most of the barbs were simply crushed and fell to the ground before him. He took in a breath, his head shifting back to look towards June. The smile remained, as bright as ever, but something in his eyes shifted. He was happy, delighted even, but the joy was replaced with a euphoric lust for destruction. 

This was, in no way, his nightmare.

Magni’s movements were quick, as he had spent those first precious moments surveying his surroundings. It took him only one step to be within arms reach of a love-seat, which he effortlessly slid along the marbled floor behind him to provide June with some semblance of cover. More shots, more stings, but nothing as painful as the searing blaze of Musphelheim. Another two steps, and Magni had positioned himself in front of a couch, crouching down slightly. A hand hooked under the bottom of it, and a levered thrust both up and forwards sent the furniture rocketing towards a pocket of men on the left-side of the lobby. It moved with the speed and accuracy of a truck, crashing into the soldiers with a sickening crack. The next moment, Magni had grabbed two other men by the necks and smashed their heads together. The visible dents in the helmets and suddenly limp forms made it clear they were gone. He tossed the useless forms behind him in June’s direction, figuring she would have more need of whatever was on their person than he would. The brief look he shot back in June’s direction revealed that the same smile was plastered on his face, and he was only getting started.

So, two things Juniper learned from Magni’s bright and cheerful grin as he was shot repeatedly…one, Asgardian’s were on a whole other level, because what the [i]fuck.[/i] Two, he was a little insane, but actually it was pretty cool. Just the pure enthusiasm he exuded as the shots rang out startled a laugh from her, his smile contagious to the point where she couldn’t stop her own little grin from breaking free. Suddenly, the anxiety and tension from her drained, the pain in her shoulder and side dimming enough that she could push it aside, his confidence gave her enough energy to remember this was just a simulation. It was an awful one, because it was a worse case scenario, and she knew that the amount of enemies were…her smile dimmed just a smidge, because this was probably something her dad and Thomas had both faced, but Magni’s enthusiasm made it so much easier to not focus on the darker thoughts.

She crouched behind the love-seat, peaking out from the edge of it to take count of their approaching enemies. Not counting the ones Magni had already downed, there were thirty-six and more approaching from outside. That was fine, but she needed [i]something[/i] if she was going to be of any use here— two dull thuds impacted the wall behind her, bodies falling in a jumbled pile beside her, and when June’s eyes met Magni’s her grin had broadened into something that was just as bright as his own. She twisted around, ripping free the guns that were strapped around each man's thigh, eyeing them appraisingly for a second. [color=375a87]"Glock 45, gen 5 model known for its ability to use both Glock 19 and Glock 17 slides…"[/color] her grin widened further, bordering on something a little feral, and she slid down onto her stomach, ignoring the pinch in her side, head tilted with one ear flush to the ground, squeezing one eye shut so she could aim better. 

The guns shot smoothly, a perfect representation of how this gun normally shot which was impressive, and she kneecapped three men easily before they could close in on Magni. [color=375a87]"Six on the left,"[/color] she called out loud enough for Magni to hear, shifting her weapon to the right. The six were closing in first, if he could take care of them then…the gun fired four more times, five bodies thudding to the ground because of a very lucky trick shot, and she rolled onto her back to snag a clip from one of the bodies so she could reload.

Magni nodded, not bothering to speak as he was focused. All that erupted from his mouth was a primal grunt as he moved quickly. The pain was poignant, but he could barely feel it as he grit his teeth and did what he was best at. His first punch launched one of the men crashing into the concrete wall, leaving a large dent and a smear as the body fell back to the ground. He took out another two with a backswing of his right arm, feeling something crunch and crack under the swift and powerful movement. A single kick into the chest of one of the men sent him flying back into another. The last lifted the gun up to try and shoot Magni in the face, but the god was surprisingly quick for his size. His hand closed around the barrel of the gun, aiming it down directly to the center of his chest. The “bullet” stung, but Magni smiled through the pain as he wrenched the gun out of the soldier’s hand and used it as a cudgel into the side of the man’s face, launching him sliding across the ground.

As he looked up to face the hordes of soldiers still pouring in, he began to hold a hand out. He hesitated, stopping as he could almost feel Phil’s cold gaze from the observation platform. Mjolnir would certainly break the training chambers [i]again[/i], and it was against the rules. He could not go against a challenge… but he could use the next best thing. He stood up, holding his hands out in the air over the crumbled forms of some of the training bots beneath him. He felt that same familiar tingle as the marbled texture on the floor began to glitch around his feet, and the robots glitched between kitted out soldiers and their base metallic forms. Sparks of electricity shot up from them, licking at Magni’s fingers for a brief moment. Then, bolts of electric lightning seemed to course up and spark off of Magni’s body, his very eyes glowing. He lifted his hands, letting out a yell as a bolt of lightning erupted forth from him in a flash and arced between a good dozen soldiers. The targets shot sparks from their heads and joints, smoke rising as they slumped to the ground and the simulation struggled to hold its form as the bolt impacted some invisible wall.

[color=375a87]"Holy shit,"[/color] June peaked around the edge of the couch, mouth slack in genuine surprise as a literal bolt of fucking lightning lit up the space around them. She looked away, wanting to preserve her eyesight, but once it was gone she peaked back out, thoughtlessly shooting another mercenary that was trying to sneak up on Magni and had somehow managed to avoid getting electrocuted. To her, it was a show of power that seemed so far beyond anything Juniper would ever be capable of. 

One of the merc’s pulled something free from his vest, pulling the pin and chucking it toward Magni. Her eyes narrowed as the device bounced twice, rolling between his legs and closer to her. Smoke began to billow out of one end of it, filling up the air between them and cutting off her view of Magni and the mercenaries. [color=375a87]"Magn–"[/color] the solid weight of someone slamming into her side choked her words, and June felt her stitches pull and strain. The cold barrel of a gun pressed to her other side, but she was faster, shooting him once in the throat and then another time in the jaw, wheezing as she shoved the weight off of her chest. One of her stitches popped, she could feel the warmth of blood sliding down her side into the fabric of her sweatpants. 

She sat up, pressing against the back of the love seat as she took in a slow breath, closing her eyes and focusing her ears instead. Fifteen feet away, Magni was fighting what sounded to be four, no…five men. Three were closing in on her position from the left, two on the right. The smoke hindered her vision, but it didn’t clog her lungs, no hint of pepper or anything of that nature messing with her senses. That was good, she could push aside the pain from her stitches and focus on the fight instead. She counted to five, listening as the men approached, sliding the guns soundlessly to the floor. It sounded like they weren’t prepared to be hindered visually by the smoke either, interesting. Was it a miscalculation in the simulation, or an actual representation of the fallacy of man? Didn’t matter, she pushed up, ducking beneath a punch that she heard cutting through the air toward her head. 

Magni’s laugh cut through the air as a punch was launched into his jaw. He didn’t even flinch, the subtle sound of dented metal ringing through his skull with more feeling than the blow itself. He was swift in grabbing his opponent by the shoulder with his left hand, his right grabbing a rather decent imitation of a man’s thigh. He lifted the figure up into the air above him like a wrestling trophy. He lifted a knee up into the air, and brought the figure down swiftly over said knee. A spray of liquid sprayed across his face as he was left with two pieces of a figure. As more men moved in around him with batons and knives, Magni swung the dismembered robot around like weapons to bat the figures away.

June opened her eyes, knowing while she could rely solely on her hearing it wasn’t advisable, at this distance she could see well enough, and the grin on her lips slipped into something more serious as she focused, shifting her weight back and pushing up with her legs. She spun gracefully in the air, her leg cutting a line through the smoke, heel impacting with the chin of one of the men sending him careening into the wall. Another closed in from her right, and her focus shifted marginally, fighting stance slipping from Taekwondo to Muay Thai in such a way that spoke of relentless training. She landed, spun, and— left hook to the chin, right hook to the cheek, the top of her foot hitting the side of his knee in a merciless kick, the man dropped to one leg. She was a step ahead of him, hand lashing out, twisting his wrist before he could even press his finger onto the trigger of the gun he’d pulled until she heard something pop. The man screamed, the gun fell right into her other hand, and the shot rang sharply through the smoke. 

The sound of someone stomping toward her— they really were unelegant in the smoke, weren’t they —and June twisted around to her left. She took a second to take stock of the escalation of events, Magni was still fighting a few feet away which meant she wasn’t at risk of shooting him…good. Two shots, two bodies thudded to the ground, and that left her with one more behind her.

[color=00aeef]"Enough tricks!”[/color] A thunderous clap erupted through the simulation chamber, rattling the heavy glass window of the observation platform slightly. In an instant, a strong gust of wind whipped about the lobby, tossing the smoke up towards the ceiling and in through invisible grates. With only a dismembered and mostly metallic arm left in his right hand, Magni turned to look towards June and the attacker behind her. He was swift in launching the arm like a javelin out and through the simulated soldier's head, a red oily substance spraying out from the blow. Two other soldiers were busy shoving stun batons into Magni's sides. His arms twitched as electricity coursed through his veins, racing back at the simulated soldiers next to him.

With the cover of the smoke gone, June dipped back down behind the loveseat, swiping the guns from the new bodies surrounding her and shooting each soldier she’d downed through the temple with swift precision before getting back into position on the floor, leveling the gun so she could shoot three more mercs through the ankle before they could close in on Magni. It was uncomfortable now, because she was laying in a pool of her own blood that was cooling against the marble flooring, sticking to her skin in a way that left her cold. How many more would there be? It felt as if they’d already taken on an impossible amount of enemies, though June supposed that was the point and purpose of this particular simulation. She shot the wrist of each soldier trying to electrocute Magni, though she didn’t think he really needed help in that field. 


Her mind was racing, trying to think of a way to end this faster, despite the fact that they weren’t in any [i]real[/i] danger the urge to escape the onslaught was prevalent. Brown eyes darted around the lobby from where she crouched, trying to grasp at some form of plan. [i]What would Jim do?[/i] Her eyes passed over a sprinkler on the ceiling, sliding off of it, before bouncing back. There was a breath of hesitation, eyes sliding from the ceiling toward the entrance, where at least thirty more mercs had stepped into the lobby, looking to shoot Magni. 

Her jaw clenched, eyes narrowing on a point on the sprinkler above her. There were a few different ways someone could go about triggering them; triggering the heat sensitive liquid, or if the temperature around the sprinklers spiked, or just the alarm, but it wasn’t feasible for June to cross the room and pull the alarm, not with simulated bullets being trained on her forehead, and if Magni zapped them he ran the risk of compromising the whole system. No, her best bet would be to try and shatter the little glass bulb. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she ran through her options one more time, if this didn’t work…she categorized the distance of each sprinkler, and then lifted the gun in her head, leveling it on the sprinkler that was at the clear ninety degree angle on the ceiling, closing on eye and tilting her eyes some so she could focus on the target. 

A slow breath fell from her parted lips, gaze intent and calculating as she squeezed down on the trigger. [i]Bang. Bang. Bang.[/i] Her aim was true, each little glass bulb shattering as the bullets connected, releasing the torrent of water they’d been keeping at bay. It was startlingly cold, aim wavering for only a split second as June gasped, and then she refocused and shot three more times. In less than a minute, the lobby was flooded by a downpour of water. She scrambled toward the coffee station to her left in the few seconds of confusion, abandoning her guns, yanking open the cabinets beneath the counter. Juniper was bordering on frantic as she ripped out the cheap dividing shelf, tossing it over her back and sweeping the few boxes of instant coffee and creamer cups so she could crawl into the dry space, and curl away from the chaos. 

[color=375a87]"Fry them, Magni!"[/color] Her voice cut through it all, the cupboard snapping shut behind her. The water would be conductive enough that he could take them all down in one swoop of electricity.

As water rained down over Magni's head, he took a moment to look up and smile. The cool water washed over him, refreshing his spirit if not his body. Small stings still pelted him, more ceaseless robots. Juniper's command was simple, but Magni took in the moment. His gaze flicked up to where he knew the observation window to be. A hand flicked back his damp locks from his face, and he offered a wink to where he hoped Imogen was watching. [color=00aeef]"I am the Prince of Asgard, Lord of the skies."[/color]

Magni turned his head back towards the mercenaries rushing in. He acknowledged their hail of gunfire, letting them move in closer as he let loose his deafening decree. [color=00aeef]"I am the God of Thunder."[/color] He lifted a hand up into the air, small sparks seeming to gather around his open palm. The lights of the simulation chamber flickered. Outside of the tower, storm clouds swirled overhead. Bolts of lightning and peels of thunder tore the heavens. Lightning coursed down to lightning rods on the top of the tower, before arcing wildly. The wires of the tower grew hot as they needed the call of their god.

It was near instantaneous. A bright, blinding flash filled the simulation chamber. A couple loud pops could be heard as electricity surged through holographic projectors in the room, sparking along the layer of water filling the room. The training dummies exploded into fragments of metal and wires, all while the Asgardian swiped his open fist out towards them. Within a couple seconds, there were only stationary parts left in the gods' wake. The projectors struggled to try and keep up the facade. Magni slowly walked over towards the coffee cabinets, looking up in the direction of the barely visible observation window. [color=00aeef]"I declare our spar complete, Son of Coul. Dost thou object?"[/color]

The simulation further flickered before flicking off, leaving them in a simple concrete room. Smoke billowed from small projectors above. [color=d6d6d6]"Congratulations, Mr. Thorson, you have managed to break [i]another[/i] training room."[/color]

Magni shrugged his shoulders, waddling over towards where June was huddled for safety but moments ago. His shirt was shredded with a combination of bullet holes and tears in the fabric. His shorts suffered as well, with a pair of light blue boxers somewhat visible beneath where his skin was not exposed. His skin was clearly a bit bruised, but even that seemed already to be rapidly disappearing. [color=00aeef]"Thy wits served us well, Lady Wayne."[/color]

She pushed herself to her feet, grimacing at the twinge of pain that rolled down her side, disappointed that Jim’s hard work on her stitches had been wasted. He’d probably make her let those dumb robots restitch it now, but it wasn’t bleeding too badly. [color=375a87]"I couldn’t have handled so many opponents like you did, you gave me enough time to come up with a plan, great work Magni."[/color] A part of her brain was filing away more team formations, trying to come up with ways for Tobias and Magni to work together, knowing she’d need to see everyone else in action before any of her plans could solidify, but June headed back to the viewing area alongside Magni, feeling just a little more confident about their situation. 

[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

[center][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img]
[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] jim, imogen [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] [@webboysurf] [/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]