It is a good thing you had everything prepared as you got there. The blanket that has been with you for a while, each piece that's been torn off being in some service to you and AA-12 in your travels, now it is time for the pink scrap of cloth to pay its final service. You took your only incendiary grenade and wrapped it in, leaving the pin visible and easily detachable.
Now, just a corner away from your target, you pull said pin, wait for the right moment, and throw. The flames sprouted just as it left your hand, flying into the direction of the upcoming ringleader. There was audible shock with gunfire as she tried to shoot it out of the air, but she ended up only tearing a few pieces off the flaming fire ball before it reached her. Like many other attacks, she tried to deflect it with her compact ordnance launcher, but as it impacted the flames and embers spread and reached around it, kissing the ringleader with its heat, spreading along the walls.
At that moment, you're already holding the pin of a stun grenade, the last one in your inventory, and throw the blinding device at her feet. You pull out one of your machetes out, blade in right hand, gun in the left, and charge at the snake with one eye closed.
For a moment, everything goes white. For you, everything goes black for a moment after. Once both are over, you open your other eye that has been closed for protection. Your predictions were correct, and you were now face to face with the ringleader, closer than ever before. One of her wheels was set ablaze, and her eyes were closed shut. You took this chance to send a volley of gunfire at this close range.
But to your surprise, the second wheel moved to block your line of fire. Even among this chaos, with her sight temporarily blinded and systems flaring, she must have enough processing power to detect incoming danger with sensors within the wheel itself. However, your attack still made her stumble backwards a bit. Should you press your attack, she'll surely fall down the stairs. So that's what you do.
The wheel blocks your every attempt to shoot, so you take your blade instead and try getting around it. As she tries to push you off, you drop to the floor and let the wheel pass you, giving you a free shot at the ringleader. But you notice her eyes finally beginning to open, and just in time to see your blade about to slash at her. You only leave a small cut on her stomach, one that still makes her grimace. Not relenting your attack, you try to aim your gun at her, but she catches your hand as you try, leaving the volley of bullets to hit the ceiling.
It is time for her to go on the offensive, as you can see the still flaming wheel coming at you from the side, her tight grip on your hand preventing you from retreating. But clearly she underestimates the flexibility of a SMG type. You jump, twisting your body in the air as you flee the flames passing under you, breaking through the stairwell's railing. When you land, you slash at Ouroboros' legs, causing her to fall to one knee. She grunts, but sends the other wheel to crush you. Your quick reflexes save you again, as you jump and land on the wheel. Now at face level with the ringleader, you flash her a smirk before jumping right onto her. Next thing she knew, you were sitting on her shoulder with your legs locked around her neck. She still held your left arm to prevent you from shooting her, so you opted to use the machete in your right arm. But the only thing you'd end up stabbing is the palm of her hand coming up to stop it. She was gritting her teeth and groaning to get you off of herself, stumbling all over the place. You tightened your grip on her, as that is all you could do with your position. Should you manage to press tight enough to choke her, she'll start overheating.
She keeps stumbling on the stairs, ordnance launchers swinging all over the place, her digimind clearly strained. Finally she takes a wrong step, but not backwards. To the side, off the side of the stairs. The both of you fall for a few floors, wrestling for control even as the air brushes against your hair. She manages to pull her palm out of your machete's blade before the both of you impact the ground. The ringleader's weapons make heavy clunking noises as they fell too, just inches from crushing your head. The impact knocks the knife out of your hand. You may be disoriented from the heavy impact - your opponent is heavier than she looks - but you strike while the metal is hot. You try to wrangle your left gun-wielding arm free with the help of your right arm, and you can feel her grip weakening. But she clearly won't give it to you easily, as her other bleeding hand reaches for your head. She grabs your hair in an iron grip and pulls, causing you to groan as your head is bent sideways.
This painfully position more reminiscent of a catfight now is only getting more intense as Ouroboros tries to shake you off, dragging the both of you along the dusty tiled floor, you pulling on her hair from time to time to give her a taste of her own medicine. But you can feel her neck starting to heat up, so even now you're making progress. Though, not long after, she started regaining control over her ordnance launchers, the two wheels of death picking themselves off the ground and howering again. And you can hear the guns loading. Clearly she must be aware that using those at such close range with so little visibility is almost guaranteed to get her hurt as well, right? But as you watch the gears shift, you realize she's going for something even worse and more desperate. The explosive rockets within revealed, your eyes widen. This snake is wild!
As you'd rather live though, so you aim to spoil her ridiculous offense. With the little control of your gun that you have, you point it towards the launcher preparing its rockets, shooting at it in hopes of disabling it in time. Clearly you did something, as it began spinning all over the place. You managed to mess with its aim, and that's when it shot. An entire cluster of rockets, aiming straight up. You watched the trail of smoke they left behind as they raced up the stairwell all the way to the ceiling. The explosion was loud, and the building shook. From up high you could see heavy chunks of concrete falling downwards. That's your cue to bail. You release Ouroboros from the leg lock, but quickly elbow her face to disorient her enough to free yourself. The second her grip loosened, you dashed with all your might, running away from the impact zone.
"GRIFFIIII-"
You heard her scream, and it's abrupt end, replaced by the round impact of stone against stone. You didn't look back, you just kept running, as the whole building was collapsing around you. There was the moonlight shining at the end of the hall, your exit. No matter your exhaustion, this is a home stretch.
Then the doorway collapsed. You were left running in darkness. It almost seemed like there was no other way out when…
BOOM!
Like the building could handle any more explosions, your previously blocked off exit was suddenly reopened by an explosive impact, bathing you in moonlight once more. Your pace remains unchanged, running like hell, until you finally reach it. One last mad dash as rocks fall behind you, finally you're outside. You slide for a few meters along the wet ground, your momentum taking you quite a distance before finally stopping. You rolled over to your back, watching the cloudy sky and falling raindrops, taking deep breaths.
"Well? Have you 'touched the snake' like you said you would?"
You recognized that voice, and she soon entered your vision as well. Her golden gaze looking at you from above with a casual smile, smoke emanating from an underbarrel grenade launcher on her gun. You smile back and reply…
[X] "I have a feeling she didn't like it. Should I ask for consent next time?"
[ ] "Note to self: no step on snek."
[ ] "It's a shame. I wanted to touch her more."
[ ] "Turns out she was a first timer. Didn't last long at all~"
[ ] By sticking your tongue out.
[ ] Write-in
Ots-14 offered you her hand, which you accepted. Your feet felt heavy after that run, but that's just a feeling. You made a system scan, revealing 87% body integrity, with strain on your digimind subsiding with the calm moment. It might look like you've come through almost unscathed, but considering the many near misses you've made and the resources you spent, it was quite a fight. A shame about the machete, but at least you've made it out alive. You perform a reload, another magazine gone.
"Well, that's the biggest problem dealt with, and that just by yourself. That's commendable, Veresk." spoke your team leader, looking at the half collapsed building, some rocks still falling "Now we can return to our original objective. Come, we'll rendezvous with the others."
The two of you start walking off, leaving the massive pile of rubble behind. You take a few more glances at the attachment she has, watching her load another explosive shell into it.
"Thanks again for the rescue, Ots-14. You came in the nick of time."
"Please, whenever I have the underbarrel grenade launcher attachment, call me Groza."
"Sure thing." you replied "Where'd you get it anyway? You didn't have it earlier."
"I keep it as a trump card. The commander forbids me from using it recklessly as it is resource heavy. Technically I shouldn't have used it at all…"
"Want me to… keep it a secret?" you give her a wink, to which she chuckled.
"Thanks, but the commander would notice a missing shell. Do not worry, it was a shell well spent, but please try and get backup next time. You didn't strike me as the a lone wolf type."
[ ] "Sorry, old habits."
[ ] "I work better alone."
[ ] "I didn't want anyone to get hurt, so I minimized casualties."
[ ] "Everyone was kind of unavailable."
[X] Write-in: You smirk at The Groza "All that running, gunning, booms, and expletives from Snakey... all I could do was hang out. And you came for me, my hero-..." you look at the under slung grenade launcher and give it a gentle peck with your lips "...-ic grenade launcher~. I knew I could count on you to save me!~"
"U-uhm, either way, I am glad to see you safe and the ringleader down. But it's a shame you didn't have a chance to catch yourself a trophy this time."
"Heh… who says I didn't?" you reply with a wink, opening your palm to reveal one of the hair pins of Area S06's ringleader. It was quite decent quality, shaped like a short horn, colored a jet black. "The only shame is that I ruined her hair."
The assault rifle was visibly surprised, and impressed. She looked at the trinket for a while.
"... she did look a bit like a snake, didn't she?"
"A cute snake."
"I suppose. Well, moving on, we have pinpointed the jammer's location to the building we have pointed at earlier. Echelon 2 is already on site waiting for us, and Echelon 3 is currently on the 3rd vantage point south from here."
"Is there still resistance?"
"Yes, which is why someone needs to intercept Echelon 3 and point them to a better vantage point to the west, on top of an old supermarket. If you're feeling up for it, you could make the trip and point them in the right direction. If not, you can come with me to Echelon 2 and I'll send SPP-1 instead. I have a feeling it'd do your companion some good to see you're alright."
"Is she that worried for me?"
"You tell me, I was merely worried the enemy might follow the trail of candy wrappings."
[X] Assist Echelon 2.
[ ] Deliver new orders to Echelon 3.
