Gladys hefts her Shield as she steps through the portal behind the human Captain. Though her sword hand is empty, she moves with the weight of her Sword accounted for; Should the landing zone require clearing, their makeshift Legion would need her blade at a moment's notice.
There was always something crooked at watching the backs of your compatriots, even if it was right. It made you feel less brave than those who walked ahead. This was the Light, Eliza thought. Heads held high, defiantly walking into Hell. Quiet, but not resigned. Fearless, or maybe foolish. Only time would tell.
She pinched her cigarette, tucking the rest of it back into its box, and hopped on her new bike.
And of course they are interrupted the moment he tries to adapt to the new situation. This if expected in the field, but not on base. Solus still does as a soldier should and adapts to the new circumstances. His brows twitch nonetheless while he places a Featherlight Charm on the container next to their shipping crate. Then he picks it up and falls in line, following right after War Forger.
Miriam takes the chance to offer him a supportive smile. You could see from a mile away the elf was wound up tighter than a nun's asshole and frankly, she was there with him given the impression the Captain had made.
Ah, well, nothing to be done about it now. Just march her pretty little ass through the portal lugging them crates. Someone had to and just about everyone else had elected to instead go in at the ready for a fight.
As the last members of the task force enter the portal, Rift Diver looks around the hanger one last time.
"Once more into the breach." She mutters to herself before entering the portal, which closes mere seconds later in a flash of dark light.
As it turns out, travelling through portals is weird, and travelling through one of Rift Diver's portals is even weirder. For a few seconds every member of the team feels as though they're flying in a dozen directions at once before another portal appears and the realm's physics seem to adjust themselves. It's an odd trip all told, leaving the humans of the task force feeling some strange kind of not quite nausea, and the elves slightly hungry.
Upon crossing into the new dimension, most of the group finds itself standing atop the shipping container. Eliza and Strand overshoot the container however, and land on the empty field below. Or at least it would be empty if it wasn't for the small party of demons who don't seem to have gotten the memo. Oh well, at least they weren't expecting visitors.
Turn order: War Forger, Solus, Hellhound A
Clara
Akira, Infernal B, Hellhound E
Rinnia, Hell's Foot Soldier, Hellhound Alpha, Hellhound B, Hellhound D
Captain Masson
Gladys
Miriam
Anatolia, Infernal A, Infernal C
Eliza, Strand, Husk A, Hellhound C
Rift Diver, Husk B
Surprise attack successful! Allied forces gain a free round to attack!
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Entered a new dimension! Gain 1 exp.
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Despite the oddity of this unfamiliar dimensional travel, instincts honed by training and war alert Solus to the threat in an instant. He lets go of the parcel he carries with a little nudge, making it float to the ground a bit on the side. Practiced motions see blade and dagger drawn as he leaps from the container.
"Form up and thin out the group!" he bellows, then immediately focusses his attention on the pair Husks; they are the weakest enemies he knows.
(Ember: 250 Base Damage, +32 dice = 282 Total Damage
Husk A: 25 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, -6 Armor Pierce +19 dice = 28 Total Damage Reduction
254 Final End Damage
Husk A Health: 125 - 254 = -129
Splotch #1)
And each enemy destroyed is one less source of danger. A single slice of Ember is enough to kill the first Husk, going diagonally through its chest and spilling blood across the ground. Solus steps around the corpse and rams his dagger into the other Husk nearby.
(Ash: 250 Base Damage, +50 Aim for the Jugular!, +42 dice = 342 Total Damage
Husk B: 25 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +8 dice = 28 Total Damage Reduction
314 Final End Damage
Husk B Health: 125 - 314 = -189
Splotch #2; old Doomguy would be proud)
Ash's power tilts his hand upward, making the polished steel slide into the demon's throat like a a sheath of flesh. It gurgles and drops as Solus retreats out of the enemy formation, forming up with his allies.
The Captain steps out from the portal. A thump accompanies her arrival, equipment weighing her down. Head spinning, a palm makes it's way to her face. Then, a pause. Despite the pain, she hears them first.
Huge, hulking bodies, inhuman in nature; mockeries of the human form. They snort like oversized pigs, parading around in mismatched clumps. All the beasts are missing are horns and tridents. A couple of years ago, they would've been a joke. But now? Everyone knows what they are:
Demons.
"Contact! CF Team, clear to engage and weapons free! Fuck, they're right on top of us; just focus on clearing out this group! Everyone still coming through, haul ass!"
Start Turn: The Captain gives the order to Focus Fire. The party can synchronize all of their attacks, regardless of race, and the Base Damage of everyone with a pre-existing synchronizing ability is increased by 100% when doing so.
The Captain accesses the field. She picks out priority targets; then, she makes her directive known.
Ash's power tilts his hand upward, making the polished steel slide into the demon's throat like a a sheath of flesh. It gurgles and drops as Solus retreats out of the enemy formation, forming up with his allies.
Neutralized! Take out the Hellhounds, I have the infernals!"
The Captain takes that moment to follow up on her own directive.
Anti-Demon Rifle: 250 Base Damage, +50 Full-Auto, +60 Holy = 360 Total Damage
Infernal A: 75 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +3 Dice = 68 Total Damage Reduction
292 Final End Damage
Infernal A health: 250 - 282 = -42
Scratch 1
The first infernal hits the ground, plugged with holes. The rest of the demons scamper, now aware of their presence. Too slow. The Captain controls her sightlines, swiftly moving from one target to the next in one burst.
187 Final End Damage
Infernal B health: 250 - 187 = 63
2's Lit
Lead barks from the Captain's rifle. Stray rounds hit shrubs and trees, hitting the natural instead of the unnatural. But some hit, and a demon squeals as holy rounds burn in its chest. It falls to the ground in pain, teetering on the verge of death.
Anti-Demon Rifle: +50 Full-Auto + 50 Full-Auto + 60 Holy = 160 Base Damage
Infernal B: 75 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +4 Dice, = 69 Total Damage Reduction
91 Final End Damage
Infernal B health: 63 - 91 = -28
Scratch 2
A single round to its grotesque head finishes the job. Then, the last infernal finds itself zeroed in at the middle of its stride.
Anti-Demon Rifle: 250 Base Damage, +50 Full-Auto, +50 Full-Auto, +50 Full-Auto + 60 Holy = 460 Base Damage
Infernal C: 75 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +11 Dice, = 76 Total Damage Reduction
384 Final End Damage
Infernal C health: 250 - 384 = -134
Scratch 3
Her second burst drops the last infernal. She moves to a Hellhound: click.
Noticing that one of the unknown, vaguely canine foes looks stronger than the others, Clara leaps off the shipping container to bash it with the sharpened edges of her shield, thinking that if anything here has a dangerous spell she needs to be ready to protect the others from, its probably that one. (Mirror Shield: 300 Base Damage, +5 Dice = 305 Total Damage)
Miriam grits her teeth and powers through the weirdness of the portal like the big girl she is. It doesn't have anything on hauling shit while under heavy spellfire.
Speaking of her experience with sieges, it immediately goes to use as they appear surrounded. Years of experience keep her calm and steady, letting her magic pump through her body and gear even as she lays down the crates with workman like efficiency. Not fast enough to be in time to join the round of shooting, but there's enough people spraying and chopping that she doesn't need to. Scrambling may give them a small edge in this battle but fuck them for the war if the supplies she's carrying get screwed somehow.
...Firing artillery shots into a melee is a recipe for friendly fire. Damnit. Of all the positions for her squad members to arrive in... And there go Solus and Clara charging in...
Rinnia decides her best option right now would be to keep an eye out for any possible reinforcements, though if feasible she'll also take potshots at any demons sufficiently far away from any allies that they won't get caught in the explosions.
Gladys emerges from the dimensional crossing, notes her slight hunger, and then the sheer number of enemies surrounding them as her follow deployees go to work. If ApT is not known, assuming 1.
ApT Check:
Allied ApT: 5
Enemy ApT: 7 Redoubled Effort: 2 Bonus ApT
The Husks and Infernals are already finished as Gladys' pushes to match the speed of their remaining foes, eye locking onto the Foot Soldier and it's axe as she leaps off the cargo container. Sword Of The Legion forms in her hand as she swings at Hell's Foot Soldier.
Sword Of The Legion: 300 Base Damage, +200 Horrific Speed Gap, 95 dice = 595 Total Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier: 50 Base Resilience, 7 dice, -10 surprise = 47 Total Reduction
548 End Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier Health: 750 - 548 = 202 Remaining
Her Sword cuts deep into the chest of it's target. She yanks out the blade from the muscular torso, taking another swing at it from the other side.
Sword Of The Legion: 300 Base Damage, +200 Horrific Speed Gap, 80 dice = 580 Total Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier: 50 Base Resilience, 9 dice, -10 surprise = 49 Total Reduction
531 End Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier Health: 202 - 531 = -329 Remaining
Her second cut completes the first, decapitating the Demon with remarkable ease. Momentum carries her to meet up with Solus, as well as striking at one of the strange canine presumably demons.
Sword Of The Legion: 300 Base Damage, +200 Horrific Speed Gap (ignore if Hellhound has 2 or mort ApT), 54 dice = 554 Total Damage or 354 Total Damage without Horrific Speed Gap
Antolia passes through the portal into a hot LZ and immediately sidesteps to clear the passage. She drops to one knee and sets her pack down in one motion, before shouldering her rifle and sending a bullet drilling straight into the eye socket of the largest Hellhound.
Seer-57 DMR: 400 Base Damage, 58 dice = 458 Total Damage
Hellhound Alpha: [-25% BR] Ow my eyes!
Strand darts her gaze around the new landscape. The rumble of the ATV acting as a backtrack to the bark of battle rifles and battle orders. She points her carbine towards some of the demonic forces, then points it away - aiming one-handed into a melee fight was poor manners.
Right, melee would produce injuries!
Strings of pink magic trailed behind Strand as she focused her magic to blaze, "My soul surges with power! Witness the might of Harmony!"
All the trailing magic rushed back to Harmony. A pink outline of wings appears on her back as the outline of long hair flows from the back of her helmet. The barrel of Harmony's carbine glows not only with magic, but with a sensation of hopefulness that makes it stand out to any that see it
The weight of the world felt lighter as Harmony cast her now-sharper eyes over the area. Now she could take a shot with confidence. Or rush in to heal any wounds.
The ATV bounces slightly as it touches down, right in the midst of a dozen demons. Because of course they did. Luckily, the elves immediately took the opportunity to dive into the fray, taking some of the attention away. Still, stalling out here was the worst decision possible.
Eliza slams the pedal down as she peels the steering into the tightest turn that keeps all four wheels on the ground, landing roughly parallel to the rapidly developing elven line. Then, with the slightest mental apology to Strand, she runs over a Hellhound at sixty miles an hour.
Thrown out of the portal and seeing herself on top of the shipping container, she refocused herself from the sensation of traveling through Rift Divers portal, as the sense of the nasua ended up fading away. Grabbing her rifle from her back, she pulled the trigger and fired up the Hellhound nearest to her...
Combat Math for attacks against Hellhound E:
700+84+60(Holy)=844
As the first ones through the portal, War Forger and Solus have first blood, the magical girl staying atop the container while the Elven officer dives into melee range.
Handgun: 100 base damage + 14 dice = 114 Total Damage
Hellhound A: 50 Base Resilence - 10 Suprise + 23 dice = 63 damage reduction.
114 - 63 = 51 End Damage
150 - 51 = 99
While War Forger does manage to land a solid hit on one of the Hellhounds with her handgun, it stays standing.
Ember: 250 Base Damage, +32 dice = 282 Total Damage
Husk A: 25 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, -6 Armor Pierce +19 dice = 28 Total Damage Reduction
254 Final End Damage
Husk A Health: 125 - 254 = -129
Ash: 250 Base Damage, +50 Aim for the Jugular!, +42 dice = 342 Total Damage
Husk B: 25 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +8 dice = 28 Total Damage Reduction
314 Final End Damage
Husk B Health: 125 - 314 = -189
Two Husks quickly fall to Solus' blades, their cries of hunger at long last silenced.
Mirror Shield: 300 Base Damage, +5 Dice = 305 Total Damage
Hellhound Alpha: 100 Base Resilience - 10 Surprise + 3 = 93 Damage Reduction
305 - 93 = 212 End Damage
Hellhound Alpha Health: 300 - 212 = 88
Clara's shield nails the larger hound square in the face. Although the beast howls in pain as it's snout is pushed in and fractured, the Alpha stays standing.
Anti-Demon Rifle: 350 Base Damage + 60 Holy +84 dice + 70 Full Auto + 70 Full Auto + 70 Full Auto + 70 Full Auto + 70 Full Auto = 844 Total Damage
Hellhound E: 50 Base Resilence - 10 Suprise + 19 = 59 Damage Reduction.
844 - 59 = 785 End Damage
785 - 150 = Hellhound E got fucked up
Akira empties her whole magazine into the closest Hellhound, and by the time she's done the monster's entire head has ceased to exist.
MADPAWS: 500 Base Damage *15(Lethal Suprise) = I'm not even rolling for this, Hellhound D is so dead the promise breaker that created it felt that. Hope the broken window was worth it kid.
Rinnia spots a target at the edge of her safe range and fires before the beast can even think of closing, leaving only a crater to mark the beast's former position.
Anti-Demon Rifle: 250 Base Damage, +50 Full-Auto, +60 Holy = 360 Total Damage
Infernal A: 75 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +3 Dice = 68 Total Damage Reduction
292 Final End Damage
Infernal A health: 250 - 282 = -42
187 Final End Damage
Infernal B health: 250 - 187 = 63
Anti-Demon Rifle: +50 Full-Auto + 50 Full-Auto + 60 Holy = 160 Base Damage
Infernal B: 75 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +4 Dice, = 69 Total Damage Reduction
91 Final End Damage
Infernal B health: 63 - 91 = -28
Anti-Demon Rifle: 250 Base Damage, +50 Full-Auto, +50 Full-Auto, +50 Full-Auto + 60 Holy = 460 Base Damage
Infernal C: 75 Base Resilience, -10 Surprise, +11 Dice, = 76 Total Damage Reduction
384 Final End Damage
Infernal C health: 250 - 384 = -134
The Captain targets the Infernals and reaps a bloody toll across the battlefield, and while one makes a hell of an attempt, none of her targets survive the assault.
Sword Of The Legion: 300 Base Damage, +200 Horrific Speed Gap, 95 dice = 595 Total Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier: 50 Base Resilience, 7 dice, -10 surprise = 47 Total Reduction
548 End Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier Health: 750 - 548 = 202 Remaining
Sword Of The Legion: 300 Base Damage, +200 Horrific Speed Gap, 80 dice = 580 Total Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier: 50 Base Resilience, 9 dice, -10 surprise = 49 Total Reduction
531 End Damage
Hell's Foot Soldier Health: 202 - 531 = -329 Remaining
Sword Of The Legion: 300 Base Damage + 54 dice = 354 Total Damage
Hellhound C: 50 Base Resilence - 10 Suprise + 4 = 44 Damage Reduction.
354 - 44 = 310 End Damage
150 - 310 = -160
Gladys dives into the melee and moves like a dancer of death, the Foot Soldier and a Hellhound quickly falling to her blade.
Mirriam secures the supplies she's carrying and hunkers down for the moment, though her blood boils at the slaughter taking place as she searches for the right place to strike. (+25 damage next turn only)
Seer-57 DMR: 400 Base Damage, 58 dice = 458 Total Damage
Hellhound Alpha: 100 Base Resilience - 10 Called Shot: Eyes - 10 Surprise + 21 = 101 Damage Reduction
458 - 101 = 357 End Damage
Hellhound Alpha Health: 88 - 357 = -269
Anatolia's aim is true, and her bullet flies straight into the Alpha's eye socket and out the back of it's head with a spray of gore.
Strand's transformation draws the attention of Hellhound A, and the spectacle of it distracts the hound just long enough for Eliza to ram it.
150 Base Damage + 120 (Speed) = 270 total damage
Hellhound A: 50 Base Resilence - 10 Suprise + 16 dice = 46 damage reduction.
Damage reduction is less than ATV's resilience, ATV does not take damage.
270 - 46 = 224 End Damage
99 - 224 = -125
Already wounded by War Forger's handgun, Eliza gives her ATV (plus herself and Strand) a fiery red paintjob as she rams the creature at 30 MPH, leaving a broken corpse behind her.
Only one enemy remains as Rift Diver steps through the portal.
Rift Diver closes the portal behind her and opens another, she dives through the hole in reality and exits several stories above the last hell hound. Rift Diver holds out her left hand in front of her as a dark and baleful light gathers in her palm. A beam soon shoots out of her hand and silently pierces the Hellhound. Rift Diver open another portal on the ground and drops through as the last demon falls. She exists out of another portal at the base of the shipping container, momentum carrying her high enough to step onto the container and walk over to War Forge.
"I told you we'd be fine Tat."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Solus gains 20 exp.
War Forger gains 5 exp.
Clara gains 5 exp.
Akira gains 10 exp.
Rinnia gains 10 exp.
Captain Masson gains 30 exp.
Gladys gains 20 exp.
Miriam gains 0 exp.
Anatolia gains 10 exp.
Strand gains 0 exp.
Eliza gains 10 exp.
Rift Diver gains 0 exp and the Vlad Tepes award.
Enemies killed: 15
Enemy tier: 1
All participants except Rift Diver gain 15 bonus exp!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With no enemies immediately visible, Gladys relaxes minutely. Sheathing her sword, she looks over the bodies and the area. The demon dogs thing might not have had a chance to act, but their slimmer build looked faster both on foot and in melee than the hulking foot soldiers. "Drop zone cleared. The demon dogs seem likely swifter than the foot soldier, though perhaps not as agile as the Husks."
Harmony, not expecting the sudden jolt, swayed on her perch before tumbling off the ATV onto the ground. The brief roll carries her into the perforated body of a recently-deceased Infernal. Harmony springs to her feet, grimacing beneath the helmet at the gore now splattered across her armor.
"Shine."
Ethereal wings reach towards the sky and a soft white light surrounds Harmony. The gore and blood on the ground and her armor scatters as grey ash.
All targets dead, no noticeable energy to healing comrades. Harmony felt a sheepish feeling rising up. She was going to need to step up to keep up with other elites.
Solus scans the field a moment longer to ascertain no sign of ambushers, then sheathes Ember and Ash. It was a swift and bloody encounter, possibly the best they could have hoped for.
"Good work, everyone," is really all he has to say about the carnage. Strand's little display of power is curious and draws the eye, but ultimately just cleaner and faster than what he himself could do with some directed flames.
Rather than commenting, Solus turns back to War Forger; a quick jump has him back on top of the container, unwilling to look up to the Magical Girl like this. "What is next? Should we clear those corpses before you set up?"
Solus scans the field a moment longer to ascertain no sign of ambushers, then sheathes Ember and Ash. It was a swift and bloody encounter, possibly the best they could have hoped for.
"Good work, everyone," is really all he has to say about the carnage. Strand's little display of power is curious and draws the eye, but ultimately just cleaner and faster than what he himself could do with some directed flames.
Rather than commenting, Solus turns back to War Forger; a quick jump has him back on top of the container, unwilling to look up to the Magical Girl like this. "What is next? Should we clear those corpses before you set up?"
The magical girl shakes her head. "No, there's plenty of space here."
War Forger holsters her handgun before jumping off the container and running out into the field. She stands around for a moment deciding on the right spot, before drawing a red sidearm and firing a flare at the ground. Immediately six humanoid figures fade into existence around War Forger and approach her flare. The figures don't waste a moment before pulling out tools and beginning to build a large structure, pulling materials out of thin air as they go. First they lay a foundation, then begin building walls, a layer of scaffolding forms around the structure as the walls climb above shoulder height, soon interior walls and an arched roof take shape, and then the builders split into two groups, one disassembling the scaffold, and the other building a pair of improvised towers in front of the structure.
The whole process begins and ends in a single minute, and when it's done a pair of figures with bows appear atop the towers while ten figures armed with clubs march out the door. The sixteen figures on the ground then form lines on either side of the door and stand at attention. War Forger waves everyone over before walking inside, nodding at the figures as she passes.
"C'mon! It's time to get to work."
--------------------------------------------------
War Forger Character sheet updated!
Solus watches the rapid construction with awe; once everything stands, he nods in appreciation and follows War Forger. He makes an effort to avoid the corpses nonetheless. They will probably start to reek soon.
"I see. Though, on second thought, we should probably get rid of those bodies before they start to reek. Can you order those golems to dig a pit or drag them away?"
Gladys looks at the lined up... golems? Suppose it's as a good a term as any. She considers their clubs and her own Sword, before shaking her head. If War Forger can construct such a simple group without prep time, then she can present her sword to Forger as a potential arm for the golems later. She follows in War Forger and Solus, jogging to catch up the moment she spent in thought.
Harmony, not expecting the sudden jolt, swayed on her perch before tumbling off the ATV onto the ground. The brief roll carries her into the perforated body of a recently-deceased Infernal. Harmony springs to her feet, grimacing beneath the helmet at the gore now splattered across her armor.
Eliza pulled the ATV into one last drifting turn, just managing to catch the tail end of Rift Diver annihilating the last of the enemy forces. She looked back for Strand, instead finding her rolled off the vehicle and in the muck. Eliza wiped the blood on her brow off with her jacket, only managed to smear it more as her jacket was equally splattered. She gave up, fishing in her inside jacket pocket for her old friend and lighting it up again to settle her racing heart.
Fifteen enemies gone in the blink of an eye. Not a lot of wasted shots. This team was skilled, for sure.
She walkked over to specialist Strand, aborting an extended hand when the girl leapt to her feet. "Sorry about that," Eliza said, completely unapologetic. "You okay?"
