Strand took a breath and willed the magic she had been focusing to blaze outward, "Witness the might of Harmony!"
As the phantom outlines formed Harmony directed her militia crew, "Follow."
Warwick and the rest were already on the move. Harmony slammed her foot into the soil and lunged into a sprint to catch up with them. As she entered the clearing she loosed her loaded 40mm grenade at the first clear shot to present itself. Harmony hardly glanced at the target, making smaller steps to match speed with the Elves.
The point of Harmony's bayonet glowed with purple light as she brandished it, trusting the phalanx member at her side to take advantage if anything attacks her.
As the demons and Phalanx close in on each other, Rinnia fires. Two mortars fly from the MADPAWS in quick succession towards the largest of the groups.
MADPAWS: 500 Base Damage * 2 Ordinance * 15 Lethal Surprise = Once again, I'm not rolling defense for this. Group 2 is dead.
MADPAWS 2: 500 Base Damage * 2 Ordinance = 1000 Total Damage
The mortars fly silently through the air on a high arc. The first mortar lands right in the middle of the rearmost group of demons, reducing the monsters to nothing and leaving behind only a crater to mark where they once stood.
The second mortar then lands in the middle of the front formation only a few seconds later, giving the demons just long enough to realize that something's wrong without granting the time to do anything about it. When the dust clears, only the Footsoldier's corpse is left even semi-intact.
Caught between two large explosions that decimate their forces, the Hellhounds come to a stop. This proves to be a mistake several of them won't live long enough to regret.
HE Grenade: 500 Base Damage + 500 Hope Boost + 75 Dice = 1075 total damage
Diane's grenade lands at the front of the Hellhound formation, shredding the Alpha and the hound next to it. The remaining hounds are still for a split second more before turning and moving away from the advancing Phalanx noticably slower than they should be able to.
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5 Hellhounds are Shocked and attempting to retreat!
Modifier discovered! Shock: A lesser form of Stun that stops the target from attacking the turn it's applied, lowers initiative, and temporarily cuts maximum movement speed in half. Stun immunity does not protect against Shock.
Hellhound C is Mutating!
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1: Solus, Gladys, Clara, Harmony, Militia squad 2.
2: Masson, Miriam, Eliza, Akira, Anatolia.
3:
4: Hellhound C.
5:
6: Hell hound B, Hellhound E.
7: Hellhound A.
8:
9: Hellhound D.
Gladys keeps pace with Solus, keeping her eyes and ears alert to their surroundings. Even with the Hellhounds slowed, shocked by the assault one might say, the missing group of demons catching them off guard could still be problematic.
Mob: Gladys gains base stats of Militia units, Militia units formed up around her sacrifice themselves to body block attacks on Gladys.
Base Damage: 300 -> 350
Base Resilience: 100 -> 150
The Steel Tide: Gladys and other Elves meld while in formation.
Esprit De Corps: Non-Elves can join the Phalanx, offering half of their stats as relevant.
Phalanx Base Damage: 350 + 250 + 300 + (250 + 10*5) / 2 = 1050
Phalanx Base Resilience: 150 + 185 + 210 = 545
Esprit De Corps (from Gladys): The Phalanx is immune to fear.
A Blade Forged From Scraps (from Solus): The Phalanx cannot be broken.
Harmony raises her carbine and takes a rolling step. With practiced efficiency she lines up on center mass of a hellhound and pulls the trigger twice in quick succession. An outline of magic violet sparks hangs in the air and wafts from where the rounds impacted.
(Carbine: 75 500 Base Damage, +93 Dice, +500 Hope Boost -?? Firing on the Move)
Miriam is grinning behind her helmet as she finally gets to shoot up some hellspawn for the first time in this campaign. She doesn't do anything fancy, just focusing fire on the mutating hellhound to make sure they didn't have a headache on their hands.
The flat crack of a rifle rings out from somewhere in the woods as Anatolia takes a pot shot at the leading hellhound of three remaining group.
Seer-57 DMR: 400 + 15 = 415
Hellhound C: 50 + 11 = 61
415 - 61 = 454
150 - 454 = -304 Hellhound C is dead
Anatolia's potshot finds it's mark in the mutating hellhound, the beast's front legs buckle under it first, sending the beast into a flip and then roll. It's dead before it even stops moving. The second it dies though, another hound starts to deform.
Harmony raises her carbine and takes a rolling step. With practiced efficiency she lines up on center mass of a hellhound and pulls the trigger twice in quick succession. An outline of magic violet sparks hangs in the air and wafts from where the rounds impacted.
Another hellhound dies as magical lead rips through it's body.
Miriam is grinning behind her helmet as she finally gets to shoot up some hellspawn for the first time in this campaign. She doesn't do anything fancy, just focusing fire on the mutating hellhound to make sure they didn't have a headache on their hands.
Seeing most Hellhounds felled and the remaining pair in flight, Solus calls out: "Company, halt!" He slows his march as well to stay in formation, one hand on his earpiece. "Illaoi, can you catch the stragglers?"
Their ranger is the only option now, what with both demons under cover of the trees. While waiting for her answer, Solus glances at the carnage. Unsightly, but undeniably efficient.
As the hellhounds take off at a dead run, Anatolia does the same, sprinting through the scrub and brush as though it weren't even there as she moves to cut off the hounds. Her rifle comes up and she squeezes a shot off without missing a step, the bullet threading through branches and tree trunks to burrow into the neck of the nearest hound.
Seeing most Hellhounds felled and the remaining pair in flight, Solus calls out: "Company, halt!" He slows his march as well to stay in formation, one hand on his earpiece. "Illaoi, can you catch the stragglers?"
Their ranger is the only option now, what with both demons under cover of the trees. While waiting for her answer, Solus glances at the carnage. Unsightly, but undeniably efficient.
As the hellhounds take off at a dead run, Anatolia does the same, sprinting through the scrub and brush as though it weren't even there as she moves to cut off the hounds. Her rifle comes up and she squeezes a shot off without missing a step, the bullet threading through branches and tree trunks to burrow into the neck of the nearest hound.
"In progress."
Miraculously, the hellhound manages a few steps after being shot, as though it's body refuses to believe it's dead for a few seconds before it's legs give out. Momentum from the run carries it's body into a tree with a wet crunch. Ahead of Anatolia, the last hellhound begins moving more erratically, as though it's trying to jink and dodge any following bullets. This slows the hound down noticeably, but it's still moving far faster than than it's hunter.
The final hellhound's evasive maneuvers are sufficient to break visual contact, and after a few moments unable to re-establish line of sight Anatolia slows to a halt. Raising a hand to her ear, she triggers her earpiece. "Warwick, Illaoi here. Runners cut down to one, but the last hound made it out."
"Understood," Solus answers immediately. "Return to the main force."
He wants to sigh, but perfection is for scenarios and not reality. So Solus turns to the troopers instead, sheathing his blades. "Legionnaires with me, we collect the useable bodies. Specialist Strand, call in and request extraction."
"Understood," Solus answers immediately. "Return to the main force."
He wants to sigh, but perfection is for scenarios and not reality. So Solus turns to the troopers instead, sheathing his blades. "Legionnaires with me, we collect the useable bodies. Specialist Strand, call in and request extraction."
"Understood," Solus answers immediately. "Return to the main force."
He wants to sigh, but perfection is for scenarios and not reality. So Solus turns to the troopers instead, sheathing his blades. "Legionnaires with me, we collect the useable bodies. Specialist Strand, call in and request extraction."
Gladys sheathes her blade, looking over the half-intact Footsoldier and various hellhound corpses. "I'll get the Footsoldier. Militia," a mental pause, could the militia carry the Hellhound corpses, "gather the intact Hellhound corpses for retrieval." She pauses, remembering to use the earpiece. "Anyone got a shovel we could use to gather the bits of Hellhound Alpha?"
Militia have formed up around Gladys:
Mob: Gladys gains base stats of Militia units, Militia units formed up around her sacrifice themselves to body block attacks on Gladys.
Base Damage: 300 -> 350
Base Resilience: 100 -> 150
Esprit De Corps: Gladys and Militia units can form a Phalanx.
Phalanx Base Damage: 350 -> 375
Phalanx Base Resilience: 150 -> 160
Roughly ten seconds after Strand's call, a portal opens on the northern edge of the clearing. Rift Diver steps through and looks around the clearing before taking a drink from her bowl.
Roughly ten seconds after Strand's call, a portal opens on the northern edge of the clearing. Rift Diver steps through and looks around the clearing before taking a drink from her bowl.
"Specialist Rinnia's artillery piece did excellent work; The Hellhound Alpha's bits are mixed in with the rest of the Hellhound bits. If we gather the bits up, the Alpha's bits at least should provide some higher grade fuel for the... Bounty System, I believe it was called? Unfortunately, none of us appear to have brought a shovel." Gladys goes to the half intact footsoldier corpse, ready to pick it up and carry it back. She also glances at the Militia, checking their progress on the whole 'gather intact Hellhound corpses' order. It was a bit more complex than just marching in formation or the 'clean this up' War Forger order earlier giving an opportunity to gauge their understanding.
Militia have formed up around Gladys:
Mob: Gladys gains base stats of Militia units, Militia units formed up around her sacrifice themselves to body block attacks on Gladys.
Base Damage: 300 -> 350
Base Resilience: 100 -> 150
Esprit De Corps: Gladys and Militia units can form a Phalanx.
Phalanx Base Damage: 350 -> 375
Phalanx Base Resilience: 150 -> 160
"Specialist Rinnia's artillery piece did excellent work; The Hellhound Alpha's bits are mixed in with the rest of the Hellhound bits. If we gather the bits up, the Alpha's bits at least should provide some higher grade fuel for the... Bounty System, I believe it was called? Unfortunately, none of us appear to have brought a shovel." Gladys goes to the half intact footsoldier corpse, ready to pick it up and carry it back. She also glances at the Militia, checking their progress on the whole 'gather intact Hellhound corpses' order. It was a bit more complex than just marching in formation or the 'clean this up' War Forger order earlier giving an opportunity to gauge their understanding.
"Yeah, thanks for somehow keeping a low profile by the way." She sighs and looks back to the portal.
"Builders have shovels, but for small fry like these I don't think we're gonna get anything out of the ones you turned to salsa. Just grab what you can and come back to base, ain't like demons are scarce around here." Rift Diver turns around and heads back through the portal.
"Yeah, we heard it back at base, thanks for keeping a low profile." She sighs and looks back to the portal.
"Builders have shovels, but for small fry like these I don't think we're gonna get anything out of the ones you turned to salsa. Just grab what you can and come back to base, ain't like demons are scarce around here." Rift Diver turns around and heads back through the portal.
"Understood! Militia, grab the intact corpses you have gathered and follow me." Gladys takes up the half intact Footsoldier corpse, and heads through the portal after Rift Diver.
With the transport taken care of by their additional forces, Solus follows through the portal as well. There was one who escaped, but he is ultimately content with the result.
As for Akira, she followed the others towards the portal that Rift Diver made, taking a quick glance at the corpses strewn around the battlefield. However, before she went through the portal that was made by Rift Diver, she quickly grabbed one of the many corpses lying around, afterwards heading into the portal...
Strand runs back towards the portal. Having directed the militia under her command to carry two of the bullet-ridden Hellhound corpses back and half-dragging the one she had killed she felt she had gotten some of the more intact options.
Almost enough to feel happy about it, as long as she didn't think about who was going to feed the remains into that bounty system contraption. An unhappy inner voice hoped it would be Masson or Cadaret.
Eliza reached down to pick up a piece of hellhound corpse, trying for what looked like the scruff of a neck. Like hell she was letting her jacket be covered in more blood, after the others had grabbed the bulk of the corpses. The med school classic, that. Always gotta rush if you want the clean bodies.
The bits of corpse promptly fell apart, flopping back onto the ground in pieces.
Eliza shrugged and called it a day, heading back through the portal.
