[IC] Siren's Call

[Arunafeltz]

On 10/17/2017 at 6:04 AM, SpaceHelicopters said:

“And I ran~”

For those following the Tenno, despite her boon, she certainly didn’t make it easy for them to keep up. She kept her inhuman pace constant and showed no signs of slowing or fatigue, she anticipated turns – revealing that she possessed prior knowledge of the Galleon’s layout –, and on several occasions the group would lose sight of her, only to encounter another glittering dust cloud.

Perhaps she was more willing to babysit than she let on…

Soon enough the group would catch up to the pixie woman as she stood stock-still in the threshold of the exiting airlock that let out onto the “Fortuna’s” docking plinth. An air of worry surrounded the warrior as she store at the scene before her; loosing rather uncouth verbiage that did not mingle well with her refined tone.

“Well, sh*t…”

On the other side of the airlock, at the foot of the docking plinth lay a veritable graveyard of twisted bodies and burning corpses. The aftermath of Hark’s brethren’s engagement with the infested. Errant flames danced off the fetid corpses of felled undead, casting dancing shadows and sparking embers that lent the immediate area an even more unsettling mood as the horrid stench of burning decay filled the dank air. It would seem none of the ghouls had survived the fray, as the only standing forms among the shifting shadows seemed to be the damned; feasting noxiously upon the fallen with the sickening sounds of teeth scraping ferrite plating and rending unstable flesh from brittle bone in sloughed slabs. But most worrying among them was one figure with its back turned to the group; metallic clinking emanating from its standing form every few moments as it seemingly struggled with something unseen.

It stood tall, it’s gait unlike those nearby. Corpus, tall – most likely a Tech in life. Its suit appeared a faded white with the electric blue heraldry of a company long forgotten. Slowly, it turned; box-shaped helmet revealing a gaping hole in its visor – the victim of a high velocity round through the left temple. A bleached skull illuminated itself in the flickering fire-light; lone, blue-glowing cybernetic right eye fixed on the Supra in its hands as clumsy claws attempted to recall how to reload such an armament. Infested tendrils wound up the visible vertebrae of the long-dead Crewman’s neck and pooled in a pulsating mass visible within its exposed brain cavity, and cascaded down and about its torso and limbs.

Still trying to reload, the damned Tech looked up to the group; casting them all in the pale blue light of its one good eye. An audible click filled the air as finally the power pack finally found purchase in the gun’s dock, inciting the Tech to look down and inspect its arm in what could have been confused for surprise. With a flick of her wrist, the Tenno drew her curved-bladed polearm from her back and lunged, inciting an earsplitting and shrill cry of techno-organic noise from the infested Crewman. Nearby infested ceased their eating to stare up at the perceived threat; adding their cries to the deafening din as they too charged.

The undead Tech drew its Supra in a wide arc, sending bolts of plasma streaking in the direction of the gathered living and impacting various surfaces. The Tenno woman halted her charge to accept the brunt of the ballistic hail; twirling her polearm in a defensive flourish. Those bolts that she failed to deflect impacted against her shields and registered as a pale blue shimmer; save one that seemed to bypass the field’s regenerative flicker and tear across her right hip in a streak of spattering crimson. The murder-princess fell to her knee, muttering incredulously, “Same spot? Really!?” before whirling the curved blade of her weapon upwards to cleave a rushing infested from groin to right cheek.

She threw herself forward in a defensive roll, using the momentum of the action to rise back to her feet as she called back to the doorway, “Kill it quick! Before more come!”

 

5 hours ago, vodkacrepper said:

Hark stood still for some moments, pondering on the choice in front of him... but then he forgot what was the other options, and half a minute later than the other he would start to run toward each and every cloud like it was some kind of game, not really putting effort into his movements as each cloud made him lighter...

...then he saw the plasma-fire, 4-5 bolts coming from the infected Tech, it was at the moment that he heard the infamous trigger-word... "S#&$".

Hark took his Ignis and ran past the group, moving more in the frontline as he held his Flamethrower with one hand and the Jat-Kusar in the other, with the simple press of a trigger, flaming liquid would start coming out of his weapon in short bursts, trying to cover each infested in liquid hell instead of spraying it everywhere and wasting possible ammo.

"Hell is loose, Burn them All!"

He would then activate his melee weapon and slam it into an approaching Runner, crushing it and cutting it in half with the plasma fire that came out of it.

 

On 10/17/2017 at 7:00 AM, Daakjenaar said:

Frez got tired rather quickly, only barely keeping up with the trail the pixie lady left. He wasn't used to carrying this many supplies at once, much less for this long. When he finally reached the pixie again, he wanted to turn around after seeing the grisly sight.

The moment he saw the Tech, he stumbled backwards. He had never seen death before, but never this grotesque. All of these flaming bodies, the deformed things feasting on them. Frez was silent. All he could think of now was leaving and never coming back. Forgetting he had seen this.

Suddenly it snapped in his mind that these were Infested. And with that, his horror turned to panic. He knew all about them, of course. After recent incidents, it had been required that all personnel gain some understanding of them. A weakness to fire. A singular desire to devour more.

Physically superior to a crewman.

Frez was frozen, until he heard someone yelling. All he could pick up was the word "kill". Combined with the oncoming Infested, his training finally kicked in. He raised his Dera, firing in a wide area in front of him. He had no idea how many hit their mark, but he knew he was dead if one of those things got anywhere near him.

What remained of the old man's caution gave way to utter disgust. The Infested were a mockery of life and an insult to death, two things well-honoured in his tribe. A quick survey showed they were outnumbered, but that mattered little - for he was not alone. And he would not leave anyone to face the horde of undead by themselves.

The Grineer had the flamethrowers, so the lighter Infested were best left to them. The large ex-Corpus among their number was their biggest threat, especially while it was raining bolts of death upon them and the Tenno. He had to think and act quickly... and trust his new comrades.

If the two Grineer could continue giving the Tenno and the Crewman breathing room by engaging the advancing horde, they could focus on the one with the laser repeater. In that regard, the Manic was already doing well. The Crewman however, had a rather erratic cone of fire - a very real danger to those on his side. The old man patted his wrist firmly, and pointed his sword at the enemy shooter.

"Your target is he, and nothing else. Lead your gun, and its shots will follow."

With that instruction, he leapt forward over his head and to the Tenno's side, and with his Nikana - cut the next barrage of bolts out of the air like windblown leaves. The blade hummed as tempered steel split the projectiles. When he was sure that he had drawn the Tech's attention, he broke off from the Tenno and sprinted away in a wide arc, taking a flanking route towards the Tech to draw as much of its fire away from the rest of the team as he could. Hopefully the Tech would not be as accurate with its tracking on a small, routing target such as he, for the old man knew that once the gun reached it's full wind-up cycle, he could not hope to deflect even half of its lasers.

He'd just have to believe in the rest, and considering that they had all just met at gunpoint mere minutes ago - that was the hardest part.

[InfiniumV]

It certainly didn't take long to catch up to the crewman in this horrid vessel, but his initial attempt to greet him had fallen on perhaps not deaf, but just...preoccupied ears. Making sure to keep the same pace with the young fellow, he would have attempted to try again and properly greet him.

Well, if it wasn't for a certain elderly man to catch up with him and idly quip a quick retort to his attempt to speak to Frez. Had J'kotal been any younger he would have likely responded with turning around and/or tripping over - But as he had been in active service for roughly 7 years, he turned his head to catch a glimpse of the old fellow - The earlier twinge of hostility had seemingly vanished, but that might be because of the current situation more than anything. It did warrant a reply though.

"Heh, well - Considering ships and stations are always sitting in dead-space in view of the sun, I s'pose its technically ye-"

By the time he entered the room, it was apparent If it wasn't for his aforementioned experiences, he would have barreled the poor crewman over - But even then, he effectively announced his own arrival by swiveling his torso to the left and leaning back - Putting as much weight on his left prosthetic foot and bringing him to a gradual grinding halt - In the span of a few seconds, the situation had changed most drastically.

First? The Corpses of both Manics and oddly armored Grineer that he'd not seen before, and the infested now turning to the group with a great deal of ire, after their meal had been interrupted. Among the amalgamations was a large crewman - Despite its visible age, it had brought its supra to bear. It was a target of great concern to J'kotal considering the Supra was a light-machine-gun dedicated to counteract Grineer armor, but the gaggle of infestation accompanying it were by all means a more immediate threat.

Secondly? They found the Tenno again - On one knee and with a visible injury along its waistline, her ability to fight would have been crippled, as the wound seemed quite severe. Not severe enough to save one of the abominations that discovered how pleasant bisection really feels after a retaliatory strike as the Tenno stood once more.
It was at this moment the elderly man leapt ahead of him and placed himself in front of the prone Tenno. He would have considered this madness, if it were not for the fact that the man just cut apart incoming rounds and enemies with almost dismissive effort.

Thirdly? The Manic from earlier had raced by them and was running around with his flamethrower and a...Jat Kusar? What was a manic doing with that?
Judging by the fact that he wasn't dead yet - Rather, he was doing quite well. Perhaps he was a new type of manic?
In addition, the young crewman seemed to be caught in the deadlock between fight & flight - Peppering the oncoming horde with a flurry of poorly aimed Dera bolts in an attempt to stave off the ravenous horde. Whether this was effective was debatable, on the offhand.

By this time, four seconds had passed - Basic cognitive accelerators were utilized in most grineer clones, considering that without them, they took as long to react to something as a civilian without any prior combat experience. At this point, a basic human would have begun considering running or fighting. J'kotal, being a Grineer with a few years experience - was few steps ahead of that.

By this time he had instinctively reached for his primary weapon - A retrofitted Nox chemical-glueglob-launcher-thing , it was now little more than a juiced-up Ignis - He felt the familiar grip of the flamethrower in the palms of his hands. He knew what to do. He had a full tank of fuel to do it. Now all he needed was a cigar and old-earth metal blaring on the loudspeakers.

Whipping the Faux-Nox towards the oncoming horde, the flamethrower would spew a titanic stream of fire and fury - an incindiary cocktail of promethium, gasoline and other flammable additives, illuminating the cargo bay with a display of bright oranges and whites, Complimented by the Manics occasional gouts of flame from its own Ignis - The cargo-bay was now beginning to bear more of a resemblance to hell than a ships interior in regards to the undulating tide of fire and screaming,

J'kotal would prioritize the incineration of smaller infested first - Infestation-based events were horrifiying, but predictable to an extent - If the small-fry were at all present, then the larger of their ilk would be able to attack without retribution. They had to go before all else.
As he was doing so, he would begin moving in between the crewman, the downed Tenno, and the Manic - All the while taking great care to keep his line of fire clear from both the manic and the elderly man - They were deep in the melee, and J'kotal didn't come this far only to make an enemy out of a friendly fire incident!

Edited October 18, 2017 by InfiniumV
Minor inconsistency

[GrimLandon]

On 10/16/2017 at 5:04 PM, SpaceHelicopters said:

Table for two; party of one

Clambering up the side of a one-story home, Kastor’s shields would take a bit of a beating, but nothing that would prove life threatening before hauling himself over the roof’s steel lip. Ducking low would provide ample cover to avoid ballistic fire, but the horde would not be fooled so easily as to cease their pursuit so early. Infested shrieks and the sound of claws raking against glass and metal emanated upward and radiated out across the empty thoroughfare.

From here he could just barely make out the next nearest mark in the trail two buildings down against the sidewall of a small security tower overlooking a four-way intersection. Rather inconvenient, however, a small group of shambling dead paced about its base; one of which seemed to endlessly be stumbling into the tower’s entrance door. Closer examination would also reveal that while the brunt of the horde had followed him, one or two had broken away to mill about the general area of the previous marks.

New options were available to the Tenno now that he had the height advantage. If he were dead-set on following the trail, he could do as such by leaping from rooftop to rooftop; a feat impossible for an average man, but very much the opposite for even a warframe as heavy as his own. However, given the attractive nature of the trail, any hopes of abandoning the pursuing undead would be most certainly dashed. Plus, one failed jump or slip up would certainly leave him to the mercy of the horde, and with the ever-present pressure of their seeking fire, his odds of tripping up due to eventual injury were rather high.

Alternatively, he could break from the trail and venture along a more perilous route for the undead; one full of narrow byways and dead ends down below while he kept to the freedom of the open air. Given enough time and thoughtful planning, he could certainly either lessen the group to a more easily dispatched size or even lose them altogether. Unfortunately, losing the trial, even at least for the time being, would be assured; requiring him to backtrack to recover it and costing him precious time.

 

Kastor really didn't want to leave the trail. He had already invested so much time and effort into following it that leaving it would mean a lot of wasted energy. However he had to be a realist. He needed to lose this horde. He would have to hope he can find the trail once more. As such, he began to make his way down to an alleyway that was mostly out of sight of the undead. While it certainly wouldn't lose all of them, it was a good start. With this movement he would sprint forward, constantly turning corners and toward new alleys to make as hard to trail as possible. At the same time, he does his best to keep note of any turn he makes, or at the least keep a general note of the way back to the trail. But more important was losing the horde, or at least enough. Once the horde was down to a manageable size, he would re asses the situation.

[Agent_Maine]

On 10/18/2017 at 10:20 AM, IrishHades1798 said:

Kholdor looked over the dismembered doors and let out an over exaggerated sigh. "Well then, I guess this means we need to move. Hell, we need to move now and move frequently from the looks of things." He said. He kept his ear trained on the sounds outside and wanted to attempt to hear how many were outside. Due to the overlapping gurgling and unfamiliar sounds, he had almost no idea but he was going to go with nine. Still too many for him to feel comfortable fighting. 

"Well..." He began. "I do have an idea for how we can sneak past those monsters outside. We could try to hide ourselves a little ways up or maybe along the other direction of the hallway or near the door if we have to. Then, we could have your little friend there push off one of the crates and fly away as fast as possible while getting no attention to itself. Then, when those, uh, 'infected', come charging into this room we sneak past them and go on our way.  Technically we're using Alexis as a decoy, but she should be safe given how big this place is." He knew that if so much as one thing went wrong it would be another five-mile sprint to the nearest vent at best. But he was strapped for ideas. This seemed like the best plan available to him.

Bornstella sighed, glancing at Alexis. The small Nemes drone beeped in worry, obviously afraid. She thought for a moment, before turning back to Kholdor. "Alright, she'll do it." She said. "Alexis is small enough get away without any of them seeing. It should give us enough space and time to sneak through without getting detected. I just hope that we'll be taken to something which isn't filled with more Infested." Alexis beeped in worry once again, and Bornstella turned to her small drone. "We can do this." She said. "Ready?"

However, before they could do anything, their discussion would be cut short.

On 10/17/2017 at 5:18 AM, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

As Takar continued to follow the bootprints in the dust of the corridor, she also continued to think.

Where are these people going? And can I catch up to them?

And if I can, what then?

However, that soon became a moot point, as she reached the end of the trail: a large opening where a grate would have been, overlooking a large storage room.

Great. Now it will be even harder to track them.

She pulled out her silenced Arca Scisco and used its scope to take a closer look around, and to gauge the distance to the floor.

10 meters. That's enough to hurt me, but not enough to kill. I should try to tuck and roll.

She lowered herself by her arms, then dropped as carefully as she could, rolling just before impacting the crate below.

Fortunately, while it didn't break her fall completely, she did manage to escape with nothing more than bruises.

Unfortunately, it made a rather loud thump, followed by a clang as her Endura whacked against a metal container.

I can only hope that the only ones who heard that are friendly.

Well, guess I better start climbing down. Let's see if I can still track those footprints.

 

On 10/17/2017 at 9:04 AM, SpaceHelicopters said:

Bloodhound on the trail

The clatter Takar caused on entry would echo outward in the open expanse of the store yard; bouncing off all manner of surfaces and amplifying the volume in the nearby area. Those elsewhere in the yard would hear it, however given the nature of the room’s acoustics, source would be nigh impossible to discern. Though perceptibly louder than were there no shelves in the area, it would still come across as distant the further you were from the source (say, on the other side of the yard).

On the topic of tracking down allies, the dusty footprints would only continue into and through the labyrinth of shelves for about ten steps before dissipating in the absence of trackable residue. On the bright side, however, many of the crates at eye level seemed to be scuffed, scratched, and gouged around their latching mechanisms, and given their appearance they were relatively fresh.

 

On 10/17/2017 at 2:51 PM, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

Takar looked around as the trail disappeared.

What now? Is there any other sign I can follow?

As she looked around, she noticed the scratches on the nearby crates.

This isn't the work of the Infested. Only a human would do something like this.

Hopefully that Kubrow who's prints I saw will hear or smell me and alert it's owner.

Well, guess these scratches are as good a trail as any.

Takar drew her pistol and continued to follow the trail before her, observing that the scratches got more and more fresh the farther she went.

They can't be too far ahead, not with the sharp, shiny edges these scratches have.

Making sure her Carrier was set to highlight nearby lifeforms if they were close, she continued forward.

Bornstella turned quickly towards the direction the large noise had come from. "What the hell?" She said. "Did you hear that, Kholdor?" Pulling out her Arca Plasmor, Bornstella watched the store yard behind them. The large thump had come from somewhere in there - and it had definitely come from something living. None of the crates make a noise like that unless they fall; something basically impossible without the intervention of a living being.

"Don't tell me the Infested followed us through the vent."

[IrishHades1798]

On 10/18/2017 at 6:54 PM, Agent_Maine said:

Bornstella sighed, glancing at Alexis. The small Nemes drone beeped in worry, obviously afraid. She thought for a moment, before turning back to Kholdor. "Alright, she'll do it." She said. "Alexis is small enough get away without any of them seeing. It should give us enough space and time to sneak through without getting detected. I just hope that we'll be taken to something which isn't filled with more Infested." Alexis beeped in worry once again, and Bornstella turned to her small drone. "We can do this." She said. "Ready?"

However, before they could do anything, their discussion would be cut short.

 

 

Bornstella turned quickly towards the direction the large noise had come from. "What the hell?" She said. "Did you hear that, Kholdor?" Pulling out her Arca Plasmor, Bornstella watched the store yard behind them. The large thump had come from somewhere in there - and it had definitely come from something living. None of the crates make a noise like that unless they fall; something basically impossible without the intervention of a living being.

"Don't tell me the Infested followed us through the vent."

"The hell was that?" Kholdor yelled as quietly as one could really yell. He unholstered his Lato and Ceramic Dagger as he aimed towards the source of the noise. He looked at the point unmoving from his position as he waited for whatever creature had made its presence known to the group. He gave a low whistle to get Sunik's attention, who was already low to the ground, ready to pounce at a moments notice. Kholdor gave Sunik a low 'click' sound, and the Kubrow began quietly advancing to the source of the sound. Once the Kubrow thought itself close to the noise, he prepared himself to lunge forward and bring down whatever came through.

"If Sunik brings down whats around the corner, please don't shoot at him. I don't have the money for a new dog." Kholdor said to Bornstella.

Edited October 21, 2017 by IrishHades1798

[-AoN-CanoLathra-]

On 10/18/2017 at 6:54 PM, Agent_Maine said:

Bornstella sighed, glancing at Alexis. The small Nemes drone beeped in worry, obviously afraid. She thought for a moment, before turning back to Kholdor. "Alright, she'll do it." She said. "Alexis is small enough get away without any of them seeing. It should give us enough space and time to sneak through without getting detected. I just hope that we'll be taken to something which isn't filled with more Infested." Alexis beeped in worry once again, and Bornstella turned to her small drone. "We can do this." She said. "Ready?"

However, before they could do anything, their discussion would be cut short.

 

 

Bornstella turned quickly towards the direction the large noise had come from. "What the hell?" She said. "Did you hear that, Kholdor?" Pulling out her Arca Plasmor, Bornstella watched the store yard behind them. The large thump had come from somewhere in there - and it had definitely come from something living. None of the crates make a noise like that unless they fall; something basically impossible without the intervention of a living being.

"Don't tell me the Infested followed us through the vent."

52 minutes ago, IrishHades1798 said:

"The hell was that?" Kholdor yelled as quietly as one could really yell. He unholstered his Lato and Ceramic Dagger as he aimed towards the source of the noise. He looked at the point unmoving from his position as he waited for whatever creature had made its presence known to the group. He gave a low whistle to get Sunik's attention, who was already low to the ground, ready to pounce at a moments notice. Kholdor gave Sunik a low 'click' sound, and the Kubrow began quietly advancing to the source of the sound. Once the Kubrow thought itself close to the noise, he prepared himself to lunge forward and bring down whatever came through.

"If Sunik brings down whats around the corner, please don't shoot at him. I don't have the money for a new dog." Kholdor said to Bornstella.

As Takar followed the scratches, her Carrier chirped at her, alerting her to the presence of three life-forms up ahead. along with one robotic signature. Considering how immobile they were, and the fact that one was recognized as a Kubrow, Takar surmised that they weren't Infested.

That doesn't immediately mean allies, though, she thought. I still need to be careful, but I don't dare use my Void powers, not yet anyway.

How can I show them I'm friendly, without attracting the attention of the infested.

Takar pondered this for a bit, perplexed by the challenge ahead.

Maybe if I.....yeah, that might work. At least if they are hostile, they won't be hurting me.

With that, she directed her Carrier to head out into the open and draw the attention of the small group ahead of her, with directions to flee back if fired upon.

I just hope they don't damage it. I really don't want to waste time repairing it if I don't have to.

 

[Agent_Maine]

12 hours ago, IrishHades1798 said:

"The hell was that?" Kholdor yelled as quietly as one could really yell. He unholstered his Lato and Ceramic Dagger as he aimed towards the source of the noise. He looked at the point unmoving from his position as he waited for whatever creature had made its presence known to the group. He gave a low whistle to get Sunik's attention, who was already low to the ground, ready to pounce at a moments notice. Kholdor gave Sunik a low 'click' sound, and the Kubrow began quietly advancing to the source of the sound. Once the Kubrow thought itself close to the noise, he prepared himself to lunge forward and bring down whatever came through.

"If Sunik brings down whats around the corner, please don't shoot at him. I don't have the money for a new dog." Kholdor said to Bornstella.

"Of course." Bornstella replied, nodding. She slowly stalked forward, Arca Plasmor aimed. She hoped that it was an ally - no, she wanted it to be an ally. Her situation was not favorable and a potential addition to the group would boost their survival chances considerably. However, if it was one of those 'Infested' creatures, they'd have to run. The plan to distract the creatures using Alexis would be useless. And it would result in another twenty minutes of running. Bornstella took a deep breath in as she moved forward. Alexis slowly floated behind her, Laser Repeater ready to fire.

11 hours ago, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

As Takar followed the scratches, her Carrier chirped at her, alerting her to the presence of three life-forms up ahead. along with one robotic signature. Considering how immobile they were, and the fact that one was recognized as a Kubrow, Takar surmised that they weren't Infested.

That doesn't immediately mean allies, though, she thought. I still need to be careful, but I don't dare use my Void powers, not yet anyway.

How can I show them I'm friendly, without attracting the attention of the infested.

Takar pondered this for a bit, perplexed by the challenge ahead.

Maybe if I.....yeah, that might work. At least if they are hostile, they won't be hurting me.

With that, she directed her Carrier to head out into the open and draw the attention of the small group ahead of her, with directions to flee back if fired upon.

I just hope they don't damage it. I really don't want to waste time repairing it if I don't have to.

 

As Bornstella walked forward carefully, she noticed......what seemed to be a Sentinel? Floating out into the open? A Carrier? Here? Perhaps her luck had succeeded. No Infested had a Sentinel as a pet - and it didn't seem like this Carrier had been damaged or infested in any way. The most likely conclusion? It was another survivor. Someone potentially from one of those ships Takar had mentioned. Or perhaps Takar herself.

Bornstella could only hope.

She glanced over to Kholdor. "It's a Sentinel. A freaking Sentinel." She said to Kholdor quietly, as not to alarm the Carrier.

Edited October 21, 2017 by Agent_Maine

[-AoN-CanoLathra-]

1 hour ago, Agent_Maine said:

"Of course." Bornstella replied, nodding. She slowly stalked forward, Arca Plasmor aimed. She hoped that it was an ally - no, she wanted it to be an ally. Her situation was not favorable and a potential addition to the group would boost their survival chances considerably. However, if it was one of those 'Infested' creatures, they'd have to run. The plan to distract the creatures using Alexis would be useless. And it would result in another twenty minutes of running. Bornstella took a deep breath in as she moved forward. Alexis slowly floated behind her, Laser Repeater ready to fire.

As Bornstella walked forward carefully, she noticed......what seemed to be a Sentinel? Floating out into the open? A Carrier? Here? Perhaps her luck had succeeded. No Infested had a Sentinel as a pet - and it didn't seem like this Carrier had been damaged or infested in any way. The most likely conclusion? It was another survivor. Someone potentially from one of those ships Takar had mentioned. Or perhaps Takar herself.

Bornstella could only hope.

She glanced over to Kholdor. "It's a Sentinel. A freaking Sentinel." She said to Kholdor quietly, as not to alarm the Carrier.

Taking the distinct lack of gunfire as a good sign, Takar slowly walked around the corner.

There, she saw a rather interesting group.

A younger female Corpus, with what appeared to be an experimental armor, wielding an Arca Plasmor, a Human Male, with a ramshackle assembly of Quaro armor and body plating, carrying a Ceramic Dagger and a Lato, and a Sunika Kubrow that was staring straight into her eyes.

"Hello," Takar said. "I am Takar Lathra. Who might you be?"

Edited October 21, 2017 by -AoN-CanoLathra-

[WolfmanX9]

After about 5 seconds, the makeshift alarm bomb Thraks made went off and it seemed to have attracted every infested in the room to it. Once he was sure that every infested was distracted, he ran as fast as he could to the vent. Once near it, he kicked it open and as fast as his body could, crawl in the vent and he managed to escape just in time as the bomb exploded, surely bringing attention to more infested in the nearby room. Hopefully no infested would have the idea of crawling into the vent where he went.

[Agent_Maine]

On 10/22/2017 at 12:55 AM, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

Taking the distinct lack of gunfire as a good sign, Takar slowly walked around the corner.

There, she saw a rather interesting group.

A younger female Corpus, with what appeared to be an experimental armor, wielding an Arca Plasmor, a Human Male, with a ramshackle assembly of Quaro armor and body plating, carrying a Ceramic Dagger and a Lato, and a Sunika Kubrow that was staring straight into her eyes.

"Hello," Takar said. "I am Takar Lathra. Who might you be?"

Bornstella turned to face Takar, sighing as she powered her Arca Plasmor down. You're kidding. Takar had found them? What were the chances of something like that happening? Oh, screw the chances! It happened! And now, there is a new addition to the team. A powerful Tenno. Survival had just gotten a lot more easier. "Takar?" Bornstella said. "It's me, Bornstella. And this is Kholdor with his Kubrow, Sunik. Plus my flying robot Nemes, Alexis."

"How the hell did you find us so deep into this station?"

[-AoN-CanoLathra-]

1 hour ago, Agent_Maine said:

Bornstella turned to face Takar, sighing as she powered her Arca Plasmor down. You're kidding. Takar had found them? What were the chances of something like that happening? Oh, screw the chances! It happened! And now, there is a new addition to the team. A powerful Tenno. Survival had just gotten a lot more easier. "Takar?" Bornstella said. "It's me, Bornstella. And this is Kholdor with his Kubrow, Sunik. Plus my flying robot Nemes, Alexis."

"How the hell did you find us so deep into this station?"

Takar pondered this for a moment.

"Well, first I entered the loading bay where you were, but you weren't their anymore. So I wound up fighting the infested alongside the Origin Front for a little bit, but then the Hivemind here decided to have a little fun on account of my Void powers, and I 'woke up' in a different area. I walked until I heard a noise come from an air vent, so I jumped up and left my warframe tucked away in a safe corner, then followed the air vent until I found a bunch of bootprints in the dust, then followed those to this room, then followed the scratched containers here. I pretty much just followed the signs of non-infested life."

"Unfortunately, I seem to be cut off from my Warframe for the time being. I may be able to call it to me later, but for now, I'll have to survive without it."

Takar looked around, and surmised the state of the little group.

"So, what was going on before I got here? Catch me up to speed."

"Oh, and is your Kubrow friendly?"

[IrishHades1798]

5 hours ago, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

Takar pondered this for a moment.

"Well, first I entered the loading bay where you were, but you weren't their anymore. So I wound up fighting the infested alongside the Origin Front for a little bit, but then the Hivemind here decided to have a little fun on account of my Void powers, and I 'woke up' in a different area. I walked until I heard a noise come from an air vent, so I jumped up and left my warframe tucked away in a safe corner, then followed the air vent until I found a bunch of bootprints in the dust, then followed those to this room, then followed the scratched containers here. I pretty much just followed the signs of non-infested life."

"Unfortunately, I seem to be cut off from my Warframe for the time being. I may be able to call it to me later, but for now, I'll have to survive without it."

Takar looked around, and surmised the state of the little group.

"So, what was going on before I got here? Catch me up to speed."

"Oh, and is your Kubrow friendly?"

Kholdor at first kept his weapons trained, but soon lowered them after Bornstella powered down her Arca Plasmor. He whistled Sunik back to his side and holstered his weapons, moving toward the new companion. He walked up to... Takar? Tookur? Something.

"Ya, Sunik is friendly enough. Not much has been going on here, we're just trying to think of a way past those monsters outside. But before that, mind telling me what the hell a kid like you is doing on this ship? This ain't a place for youngin's." Kholdor asked. The child before him seemed very odd, even in the current circumstances. Most children Kholdor had met were either Corpus or, well, normal. But this kid had a weird floating vacuum with gold trimmings following it around so Kholdor really just didn't know what to make of the situation. 

Sunik however still remained on guard. The Kubrow stood behind Kholdor but kept its nose trained on the new arrival, occasionally letting out a low growl or bark. Kholdor was unsure if that was actually because of the kid or not, but regardless he kept his wits about him incase he needed to act.

[-AoN-CanoLathra-]

29 minutes ago, IrishHades1798 said:

Kholdor at first kept his weapons trained, but soon lowered them after Bornstella powered down her Arca Plasmor. He whistled Sunik back to his side and holstered his weapons, moving toward the new companion. He walked up to... Takar? Tookur? Something.

"Ya, Sunik is friendly enough. Not much has been going on here, we're just trying to think of a way past those monsters outside. But before that, mind telling me what the hell a kid like you is doing on this ship? This ain't a place for youngin's." Kholdor asked. The child before him seemed very odd, even in the current circumstances. Most children Kholdor had met were either Corpus or, well, normal. But this kid had a weird floating vacuum with gold trimmings following it around so Kholdor really just didn't know what to make of the situation. 

Sunik however still remained on guard. The Kubrow stood behind Kholdor but kept its nose trained on the new arrival, occasionally letting out a low growl or bark. Kholdor was unsure if that was actually because of the kid or not, but regardless he kept his wits about him incase he needed to act.

"......."

"If it wasn't for the Infested filling this ship, and the attention it would certainly bring from them, I would show you just how wrong you are. I am a Tenno, a child of the Zariman Ten-Zero. I was born of the Void, and it is the Void that sustains me. I have lived far longer than you have, and will continue to live centuries after you die. I carry with me the memories of the long dead Orokin Empire, and have spent the entirety of my waking life devoted to the study and classification of all that is within this solar system.

"So I am not, as you put it, a 'youngin''."

Takar felt more than a little insulted by what Kholdor had said, but she realized that fighting amongst themselves would only bring the attention of the Infested, so she better cool things off before she got too worked up.

"That said, I am without my Warframe, so I am certainly more vulnerable now than I would normally be. I will have to be very careful to survive, and I would appreciate it if we could work together to ensure our collective survival."

Takar then turned to Sunik, whom she recognized as a Sunika Kubrow, and, combined with his manner of speech, told her a lot about the mental capacity of the human who owned this animal.

"Hello boy! Would you like to meet me?" she asked, offering her open hand outwards in an invitation to come and sniff.

[IrishHades1798]

1 hour ago, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

"......."

"If it wasn't for the Infested filling this ship, and the attention it would certainly bring from them, I would show you just how wrong you are. I am a Tenno, a child of the Zariman Ten-Zero. I was born of the Void, and it is the Void that sustains me. I have lived far longer than you have, and will continue to live centuries after you die. I carry with me the memories of the long dead Orokin Empire, and have spent the entirety of my waking life devoted to the study and classification of all that is within this solar system.

"So I am not, as you put it, a 'youngin''."

Takar felt more than a little insulted by what Kholdor had said, but she realized that fighting amongst themselves would only bring the attention of the Infested, so she better cool things off before she got too worked up.

"That said, I am without my Warframe, so I am certainly more vulnerable now than I would normally be. I will have to be very careful to survive, and I would appreciate it if we could work together to ensure our collective survival."

Takar then turned to Sunik, whom she recognized as a Sunika Kubrow, and, combined with his manner of speech, told her a lot about the mental capacity of the human who owned this animal.

"Hello boy! Would you like to meet me?" she asked, offering her open hand outwards in an invitation to come and sniff.

Kholdor could not resist laughing at the absurd claims the kid was making. 'Holy hell, this kid has been sipping from the wrong teat for way too long'. Kholdor thought to himself. After Tuchunka or whatever the kids name was finished their little rant, Kholdor composed himself, though still grinning and said:

"Oooookay kid. I think you're a little confused on who and what a Tenno is. See, Tenno are the big killer war machines you might see in the relays or something.  Some are bigger than others but any of them could wipe out a Grineer or Corpus platoon. Now I may not be seeing straight after all that's gone down, but uh, I think you're a little short and a little frail to be a ruthless killing machine." Kholdor continued to have small spurts of laughter and giggling at the sheer thought of this seemingly harmless child being an object of fear that has halted even the most forceful of Grineer efforts., let alone Corpus. "And this 'warframe', what is that? Some kind of rusting Grineer mech suit or armor? Have they been the ones filling your head with this nonsense?"

As Takar approached Sunik, the Kubrow immediately assumed as threating a pose as it could muster, but upon seeing the peaceful gesture, softened. He leaned forward to the hand, sniffed it, and slinked back behind his master growling more intently. "Hey, now Sunik you knock that off right now," Kholdor said to his semi-loyal companion. He crouched down to the dogs level and placed a hand on its back and head, talking quietly but sternly. Eventually, Sunik calmed down but stuck close to Kholdor. The only time Sunik had reacted like this was when he sniffed that weird trader guy, Baro or something or other. Kholdor didn't know what to make of the situation as a whole but felt fine assuming that Takar was not a threat, simply misled or delusional.

[Agent_Maine]

21 minutes ago, IrishHades1798 said:

Kholdor could not resist laughing at the absurd claims the kid was making. 'Holy hell, this kid has been sipping from the wrong teat for way too long'. Kholdor thought to himself. After Tuchunka or whatever the kids name was finished their little rant, Kholdor composed himself, though still grinning and said:

"Oooookay kid. I think you're a little confused on who and what a Tenno is. See, Tenno are the big killer war machines you might see in the relays or something.  Some are bigger than others but any of them could wipe out a Grineer or Corpus platoon. Now I may not be seeing straight after all that's gone down, but uh, I think you're a little short and a little frail to be a ruthless killing machine." Kholdor continued to have small spurts of laughter and giggling at the sheer thought of this seemingly harmless child being an object of fear that has halted even the most forceful of Grineer efforts., let alone Corpus. "And this 'warframe', what is that? Some kind of rusting Grineer mech suit or armor? Have they been the ones filling your head with this nonsense?"

As Takar approached Sunik, the Kubrow immediately assumed as threating a pose as it could muster, but upon seeing the peaceful gesture, softened. He leaned forward to the hand, sniffed it, and slinked back behind his master growling more intently. "Hey, now Sunik you knock that off right now," Kholdor said to his semi-loyal companion. He crouched down to the dogs level and placed a hand on its back and head, talking quietly but sternly. Eventually, Sunik calmed down but stuck close to Kholdor. The only time Sunik had reacted like this was when he sniffed that weird trader guy, Baro or something or other. Kholdor didn't know what to make of the situation as a whole but felt fine assuming that Takar was not a threat, simply misled or delusional.

"What she says is true, Kholdor." Bornstella said. "You know those 'big killer war machines' Tenno are seen as? Those aren't the Tenno. From what the Corpus has seen, they're just controlled by the true Tenno - people like Takar. Apparently they are all stuck looking like children, though have lived since the Orokin Era." She placed her Arca Plasmor on her back. "So," She begun. "Every piece of information about the Tenno and their true forms the Corpus has gathered supports what Takar is saying."

[IrishHades1798]

1 hour ago, Agent_Maine said:

"What she says is true, Kholdor." Bornstella said. "You know those 'big killer war machines' Tenno are seen as? Those aren't the Tenno. From what the Corpus has seen, they're just controlled by the true Tenno - people like Takar. Apparently they are all stuck looking like children, though have lived since the Orokin Era." She placed her Arca Plasmor on her back. "So," She begun. "Every piece of information about the Tenno and their true forms the Corpus has gathered supports what Takar is saying."

Kholdor raised an eyebrow at Bornstella, hesitant to believe what she said was true. This had gone contrary to all Kholdor had believed about the Tenno, and to suddenly have the truth that the machines that, in all honesty, terrified him were controlled by these youths... It just didn't make any sense to him. Cupping his chin with his right hand, Kholdorbent down to Takar's level and looked the young one up and down, sizing her up and trying to see if anything, in particular, stood out as particularly threatening. Her eyes bothered him but as far as he could tell they simply looked ominous to him and nothing more, given on how well she could see.

"But she's just so..." Kholdor, still crouched down looked over to Bornstella and with a hand motion gesturing to all of Takar said: "Tiny."

[-AoN-CanoLathra-]

20 minutes ago, IrishHades1798 said:

"But she's just so..." Kholdor, still crouched down looked over to Bornstella and with a hand motion gesturing to all of Takar said: "Tiny."

"Have you ever seen a Titania? It is a warframe, what you knew as a Tenno, that can shrink down into a tiny pixie. While shrunk, she can kill an entire army of Grineer, Corpus, Infested, or Corrupted, without taking a single hit. Don't underestimate the small things.

"Also, if I didn't think it would attract the Infested, I would show you what I can do without my warframe to help me. Unfortunately, the Infested Hivemind of this place seems drawn to my Void energy. We should be fairly unnoticeable for now, but if I use my powers, they will come."

Takar looked around, scanning for any sign of the Infested.

"It's strange. There is no infestation growing here. Nor was there any in the vents. Or the docking bay. In order to have a mind this strong, and to create as many infested constructs as there were back at the docking bay, the Infestation would normally have to impregnate the entirety of the station's superstructure, along with the majority of the plating that makes up the walls and floor.

"But if that's not the case, why is it so strong? And how does it know how to access Tenno minds directly? It normally speaks through the Warframe's Technocyte construction.

"I don't like this. None of this makes any sense. We need to be very careful. Hopefully, we can find somewhere to build some sort of fortification and rest when necessary. Especially if anyone gets injured. I know some healing techniques, but they all involve my Void energy, so it's probably best that we avoid needing them at all.

"So, any ideas on where to go from here?"

[WolfmanX9]

While Thraks was trying to crawl in the vents as quiet as he could (although that proved to be hard with his equipment now and then hitting the walls of the vent), he kept his eyes and ears ready for anything that didn't look or sound like an infested being. He was sure he would eventually find a friendly face in this place, even though being all alone wasn't that bad either, he had his companion carabus sentinel with him (which had managed to survive with him during his very dangerous idea of his).

[Agent_Maine]

22 hours ago, -AoN-CanoLathra- said:

"Have you ever seen a Titania? It is a warframe, what you knew as a Tenno, that can shrink down into a tiny pixie. While shrunk, she can kill an entire army of Grineer, Corpus, Infested, or Corrupted, without taking a single hit. Don't underestimate the small things.

"Also, if I didn't think it would attract the Infested, I would show you what I can do without my warframe to help me. Unfortunately, the Infested Hivemind of this place seems drawn to my Void energy. We should be fairly unnoticeable for now, but if I use my powers, they will come."

Takar looked around, scanning for any sign of the Infested.

"It's strange. There is no infestation growing here. Nor was there any in the vents. Or the docking bay. In order to have a mind this strong, and to create as many infested constructs as there were back at the docking bay, the Infestation would normally have to impregnate the entirety of the station's superstructure, along with the majority of the plating that makes up the walls and floor.

"But if that's not the case, why is it so strong? And how does it know how to access Tenno minds directly? It normally speaks through the Warframe's Technocyte construction.

"I don't like this. None of this makes any sense. We need to be very careful. Hopefully, we can find somewhere to build some sort of fortification and rest when necessary. Especially if anyone gets injured. I know some healing techniques, but they all involve my Void energy, so it's probably best that we avoid needing them at all.

"So, any ideas on where to go from here?"

"Well, before you suddenly appeared, we were planning to sneak through there." Bornstella explained, pointing to the main doors and the hallway. "It appears the Infested has a presence beyond those doors. We were planning to get Alexis to make some noise in here, attract the Infested, and then we sneak past. Alexis would be able to float to us without being seen."

"I still believe this plan is capable of being done."

[SpaceHelicopters]

Origin Front

Fleeing the gathered infested proved to be a wise decision, albeit a costly one. Units were cut down by ravenous claws before they could propel themselves away and others would fall to the hail of venomous quills, bullets, and plasma fire. All in all, barely half of his initial breaching crew survived first contact, and still there were those among them who bore wounds in varying states of severity. Doubtless there were also those among them who would bear infection, but for the time being there would be no way of knowing for certain.

What remained of their fuel reserves was able to carry them to an unmarked vessel roughly thirty-two meters from the breach. Though clearly Corpus in design, the small frigate’s heraldry was that of no officially recognized company. Further, inspection of the vessel’s cozy interior would reveal that though drydocked for some time, the ship was definitely civilian in use and nature. For the time being, it would suffice for a brief respite. Coms would still be damaged, and even if repaired, local channels would all yield the same deafening static and garbled machine language.

Running Solo

Though numerous, the one-track-hivemind of the horde followed after the physics defying golem; funneling down narrow byways and wetly slapping into existing architecture as the crowd’s momentum carried their numbers like some sick, sentient fluid. The sounds of ballistics followed and carried the soaring Tenno, yet less and less seemed to even draw near as most were reabsorbed back into the narrowing wave of infested.

His winding hike through this residential district spanned a duration of roughly fifteen minutes; ultimately ending in a rather fortuitous ten-foot dividing wall that proved no obstacle for his frame’s prowess, but effectively halted the hunting party that pursued him. Languished cries of starved agony cried out for the supple flesh contained within his frame, but would prove ultimately fruitless as this armored mouse had successfully escaped the decaying cat’s clutches.

Kastor now sat at what seemed to be the edge of the residential area. There was no longer any trace of the massive entry that had heralded his entrance into the “Fortuna’s” city-heart. Before him the buildings stretched much higher than those he had seen before; climbing so high as to nearly scrape the dome distantly overhead. However, as to be expected, there was currently no sign of the void-marked trail. The option to backtrack and pick up where he left off was still viable, however care would need to be taken to ensure no infested began to form a horde against him.

However, it wasn’t as if the trail was going anywhere, and certainly some time would need to pass before some of the undead’s numbers thinned in the area. Additionally, it was becoming increasingly apparent that perhaps this excursion wasn’t going to come to an end nearly as soon as he previously believed. The establishments nearest him appear not only unmolested, but seem promising in terms of immediately useful supplies. One labeled “Paype Corp.”, which appeared to be some sort of eating establishment, and another seeming to be a tech repair center by the name of “Closed Circuits”.

Lastly, with the momentary lull, it would be difficult for Kastor to shake the creeping sensation of being watched. Local radar was coming up blank, making it rather difficult to discern whether the instinct was genuine or simply a byproduct of the installation’s dreadful atmosphere. Paranoia was to be expected, but whether this bore any credence, there were measures he could take to discover the truth. Whether he was willing to put in the time, to do them, however, was up to him.

Mo MOA’s, Mo Problems

The errant grenades bound off the docking ring’s metal floors into the darkness, illuminating the shaded walls in two bright flashes of burning fire and echoing out their thunderous uproar. The brunt of the explosions proved too far from their intended target to deal any real damage, however the Disruptor MOA’s auditory onslaught ceased as the powerful impacts disrupted its balance and battered its aged chassis. The stumble provided the perfect ceasefire to allow Hex’s lead line to tear across the infected proxy and sunder it into oblivion.

Though the machine gibberish ceased, the damage had already been done; frying any unshielded technology into uselessness and filling communications devices with deafening white noise. Time would not be allowed to lament too long, however. The initial shaking caused from the Tonkor’s grenade detonations had yet to cease, the cries of a thousand damned rising to return the death knell of their fallen kin.

 Even now the shadows waver in abstract forms at the edge of periphery; the shambling waves of flesh unified in their unsettling undulation. To stay and fight would be folly – that would be painfully clear to all but the most desperate to embark on a ruinous path to self-expiration. Time would be of the essence, and currently there was but one road to survival; the hallway in which the Disruptor MOA had been standing mere moments before. Darkness consumed the winding trail, obscuring the hopeful escape in a veil of uncertainty, but whether the uncertainty was preferable to the assured death would be for the two to decide.

Kill Quick or Die Faster

The screeches of burning infested mingled with the whip cracks of flame tongues coiling off the still-twitching bodies of infested freshly felled. With their efforts combined, the faux-Manic and pseudo-Nox drowned the rushing undead in a wave of flame; keeping the Tenno and Old Master from being accosted as they worked to slay the Tech of the damned. Errant flames licked at the undead Crewman, revealing a pale-blue shimmer that kept the fires at bay. This obvious presence of a proto-shield was no doubt the reason for the ghoul unit’s snuffing; rendering their flame-based weaponry useless as they were cut down in a swath of plasma fire.

The measures undertaken by Fudo to garner the attention of the infested Crewman would prove fruitful as it slung its Supra after him; blanketing the area in a wide arc of superheated energy bolts. Lucky for them all, the Tech had yet to recall recoil management and was still wielding the LMG with one arm, making its accuracy errant and unfocused. Turning its bleached skull toward the flanking human, it loosed a piercing screech of techno organic displeasure as it lurched forward and flailed violently; striking towards him with jagged claws of assimilated metal and wielding its Supra as a club. Its asymmetrical manner of fighting would certainly be a bit of a surprise and prove to be a worthy challenge to keep at bay as it passed between lightning fast claw attacks and feints to allow it to bring down it’s gun with potentially devastating force.

Despite the wound she suffered mere moments ago, the pixie woman clearly appeared far from hobbled as she sprinted toward the undead Crewman; circling around its right side and lunging into another physics defying leap and kicking up a cloud of glittering orange light that lay suspended where she pushed off. With a twirl of her polearm, she brought the flat of its blade to rest against the outside of her curled left arm and tucked into a ball to come careening against the Tech’s Supra like a cannon shot and deflect what might have been a decisive blow against the Old Master. The Tenno and LMG separated in opposing directions with great force; clattering against the ruined metal floor and tumbling some feet before coming to rest.

Flipping up to her feet in a display of martial prowess, the butterfly warrior released her polearm, the discarded weapon bouncing only once after colliding with the floor as it suddenly became weightless before vanishing in a shimmer of orange light. With inhuman speed and alien stillness, the drew both of her garishly colored pistols from her hips and loosed a barrage of heavy pistol fire that forcefully impacted and ricocheted off the damned Tech’s shielding; causing blue ripples to oscillate about its form with rising intensity until the field finally dispersed in a burst of shimmering blue motes.

“Strike true! Now’s your chance!” the matron of metal insects called out to the aged swordsman as two spent magazines fell from her pistols and vanished in similar fashion to her discarded polearm. The infested Crewman had recoiled out of instinct from the onslaught of lead, leaving it vulnerable for no more than a second more before it finished recovering. If there were a better time to deal the killing blow, the group certainly wouldn’t survive long enough to see it.

[Ghost333]

Slamming a fresh magazine into his clip, Hexer cursed in what sounded like in both Finnish and German translated into Welsh. Or it could've just been gibberish formed by a mind too angry, disoriented and ever-so-briefly unfocused to think about forming a coherent sentence.

"And of COURSE there's too god damn many of them!" The General barked, sweeping Grail off the floor and into one of his coat pockets and, seeing how at least one tunnel wasn't filled with the sounds of the dead save for echoes or the damned at all (though that may simply have been the darkness obscuring anything within), Hexer broke into a sprint.

"SAB! TACTICAL RETREAT!" He shouted, hoping that the Tenno wasn't suicidal, or angry enough, to stay and fight, giant jet hammer or no giant jet hammer.

[IrishHades1798]

On 10/24/2017 at 6:33 PM, Agent_Maine said:

"Well, before you suddenly appeared, we were planning to sneak through there." Bornstella explained, pointing to the main doors and the hallway. "It appears the Infested has a presence beyond those doors. We were planning to get Alexis to make some noise in here, attract the Infested, and then we sneak past. Alexis would be able to float to us without being seen."

"I still believe this plan is capable of being done."

"I think you're right. Tiny child or not, it's still the best bet we've got far as I could tell."

Kholdor looked back at this new person that had found herself in his and Bornstella's company. She seemed to hold an aura of self-righteousness, and she certainly acted like she was a superior to Kholdor. He had his hopes that she would indeed prove to be a boon to this rag-tag group, but if she turned out to be anything like Kholdor in his youth, then she might get everyone killed.

Looking at Takar, Kholdor said: "Just so you know, I don't offer piggyback rides. So don't ask."

Edited November 2, 2017 by IrishHades1798

[GrimLandon]

18 hours ago, SpaceHelicopters said:

 

Running Solo

Though numerous, the one-track-hivemind of the horde followed after the physics defying golem; funneling down narrow byways and wetly slapping into existing architecture as the crowd’s momentum carried their numbers like some sick, sentient fluid. The sounds of ballistics followed and carried the soaring Tenno, yet less and less seemed to even draw near as most were reabsorbed back into the narrowing wave of infested.

His winding hike through this residential district spanned a duration of roughly fifteen minutes; ultimately ending in a rather fortuitous ten-foot dividing wall that proved no obstacle for his frame’s prowess, but effectively halted the hunting party that pursued him. Languished cries of starved agony cried out for the supple flesh contained within his frame, but would prove ultimately fruitless as this armored mouse had successfully escaped the decaying cat’s clutches.

Kastor now sat at what seemed to be the edge of the residential area. There was no longer any trace of the massive entry that had heralded his entrance into the “Fortuna’s” city-heart. Before him the buildings stretched much higher than those he had seen before; climbing so high as to nearly scrape the dome distantly overhead. However, as to be expected, there was currently no sign of the void-marked trail. The option to backtrack and pick up where he left off was still viable, however care would need to be taken to ensure no infested began to form a horde against him.

However, it wasn’t as if the trail was going anywhere, and certainly some time would need to pass before some of the undead’s numbers thinned in the area. Additionally, it was becoming increasingly apparent that perhaps this excursion wasn’t going to come to an end nearly as soon as he previously believed. The establishments nearest him appear not only unmolested, but seem promising in terms of immediately useful supplies. One labeled “Paype Corp.”, which appeared to be some sort of eating establishment, and another seeming to be a tech repair center by the name of “Closed Circuits”.

Lastly, with the momentary lull, it would be difficult for Kastor to shake the creeping sensation of being watched. Local radar was coming up blank, making it rather difficult to discern whether the instinct was genuine or simply a byproduct of the installation’s dreadful atmosphere. Paranoia was to be expected, but whether this bore any credence, there were measures he could take to discover the truth. Whether he was willing to put in the time, to do them, however, was up to him.

 

Once Kastor was sure that he was safe. He took some time to take a breather. He went next to the nearest wall and sat down on the ground next to it. Once there, Kastor was snap out of his suit. Once he got out of his suit, he began to look around his rhino for any critical damage. 

"How are you holding up, old friend?" Kastor asked his rhino while continuing to look around at its structural integrity. His Rhino gave a simple nod, enough to confirm its well being but also disclose it's discontent at being pandered. Kastor's motto was always to be better safe then sorry. Even though the fight and subsequent chase was a far cry from his closest call, he wanted to be sure.

"Rest for now, old friend. You have done well." Kastor said to his Warframe. Content with his inspections, he sat down next to it and pondered his situation. 

This certainly seemed to be more then a simple extract by this point. While the ship is massive from the outside, it seems to be even larger on the inside. Upon thinking about his situation he came to a realization. He had been following this trail for god knows how long. Given the symbol seen at the beginning and the void trail, it probably will lead to something lucrative. At the same time, he first needed to worry about surviving himself. This mission could go longer then expected and he needed to plan for this. With that, after resting about twenty minutes, he stood up.

"Back into the fray, then?" he asked over to his resting Rhino. The Rhino stoop up and stretched about, looking ready for what was next. He rejoined his frame, and looked for options.

Once he felt the invisible eyes upon him, he would stop his advance towards the stores. Unsure who or what could be watching him. With that he drew his Hek, taking a more defensive stance. He kept his ears open to any noise, any movement. He decided that his standard warning would do. Still listening for any movement or noise, he declared,

"If someone is watching me, know I mean no harm. This is your chance to come out and declare yourself, for in the future I will be less receptive."

He would wait enough time for a response or for a confirmation of a figure. If neither came, he would continue his movement towards the repair store, intent on finding anything that might be useful in maintaining his gear. Afterwards he would move towards the eatery, looking for preserved food.

[Arunafeltz]

18 hours ago, SpaceHelicopters said:

 

Kill Quick or Die Faster

The screeches of burning infested mingled with the whip cracks of flame tongues coiling off the still-twitching bodies of infested freshly felled. With their efforts combined, the faux-Manic and pseudo-Nox drowned the rushing undead in a wave of flame; keeping the Tenno and Old Master from being accosted as they worked to slay the Tech of the damned. Errant flames licked at the undead Crewman, revealing a pale-blue shimmer that kept the fires at bay. This obvious presence of a proto-shield was no doubt the reason for the ghoul unit’s snuffing; rendering their flame-based weaponry useless as they were cut down in a swath of plasma fire.

The measures undertaken by Fudo to garner the attention of the infested Crewman would prove fruitful as it slung its Supra after him; blanketing the area in a wide arc of superheated energy bolts. Lucky for them all, the Tech had yet to recall recoil management and was still wielding the LMG with one arm, making its accuracy errant and unfocused. Turning its bleached skull toward the flanking human, it loosed a piercing screech of techno organic displeasure as it lurched forward and flailed violently; striking towards him with jagged claws of assimilated metal and wielding its Supra as a club. Its asymmetrical manner of fighting would certainly be a bit of a surprise and prove to be a worthy challenge to keep at bay as it passed between lightning fast claw attacks and feints to allow it to bring down it’s gun with potentially devastating force.

Despite the wound she suffered mere moments ago, the pixie woman clearly appeared far from hobbled as she sprinted toward the undead Crewman; circling around its right side and lunging into another physics defying leap and kicking up a cloud of glittering orange light that lay suspended where she pushed off. With a twirl of her polearm, she brought the flat of its blade to rest against the outside of her curled left arm and tucked into a ball to come careening against the Tech’s Supra like a cannon shot and deflect what might have been a decisive blow against the Old Master. The Tenno and LMG separated in opposing directions with great force; clattering against the ruined metal floor and tumbling some feet before coming to rest.

Flipping up to her feet in a display of martial prowess, the butterfly warrior released her polearm, the discarded weapon bouncing only once after colliding with the floor as it suddenly became weightless before vanishing in a shimmer of orange light. With inhuman speed and alien stillness, the drew both of her garishly colored pistols from her hips and loosed a barrage of heavy pistol fire that forcefully impacted and ricocheted off the damned Tech’s shielding; causing blue ripples to oscillate about its form with rising intensity until the field finally dispersed in a burst of shimmering blue motes.

“Strike true! Now’s your chance!” the matron of metal insects called out to the aged swordsman as two spent magazines fell from her pistols and vanished in similar fashion to her discarded polearm. The infested Crewman had recoiled out of instinct from the onslaught of lead, leaving it vulnerable for no more than a second more before it finished recovering. If there were a better time to deal the killing blow, the group certainly wouldn’t survive long enough to see it.

 

 

 

In his intense focus on deflecting the merciless barrage of projectiles, the old man had failed to anticipate the melee attacks. Crude and primal, but with its energy weaponry and shielding, he had forgotten for a few moments too long that his opponent was an Infested. 

With a shrill cry, the old man broke his sprint into a cartwheel between its clawing strokes, in a perpendicular direction to the hammer blow that followed. He was moments too late, and it would have caught him on his legs had the Tenno not intervened with timely precision in her scissor approach on their mutual target. The shock registered as he landed on his feet, and the realization that he had narrowly avoided a nigh-crippling blow had the old man stunned for a few long seconds. Did he simply still lack experience in battling the spaceborne Infested creatures? Or was the fate he deserved catching up to him?

Her command brought him back to his senses. He took a split-second to curse himself for losing concentration - and all the remainder to comprehend what had occurred during his brief spell of unfocusedness. Courtesy of the butterfly lady, the bluish sheen on the Tech had rippled its last. It was his turn.

His previous evasive maneuver had cost him all the momentum he was building up, and the Tech was mere feet away. With their sheer difference in height, a swift decapitation was impossible. The swordsman drew back his weapon, clasped a hand to the base of his blade and executed a half-swording thrust into the abdomen of the Tech, letting loose a hoarse grunt of exertion as he did so. Where the curved length of blade would find anchorage in knotted Infested flesh, he would twist his entire body to ground his foe on its knees, bringing its entire back to bear in full view of the Crewman and his energy rifle. 

 

[Daakjenaar]

1 hour ago, Arunafeltz said:

Snip

 

20 hours ago, SpaceHelicopters said:

Kill Quick or Die Faster

The screeches of burning infested mingled with the whip cracks of flame tongues coiling off the still-twitching bodies of infested freshly felled. With their efforts combined, the faux-Manic and pseudo-Nox drowned the rushing undead in a wave of flame; keeping the Tenno and Old Master from being accosted as they worked to slay the Tech of the damned. Errant flames licked at the undead Crewman, revealing a pale-blue shimmer that kept the fires at bay. This obvious presence of a proto-shield was no doubt the reason for the ghoul unit’s snuffing; rendering their flame-based weaponry useless as they were cut down in a swath of plasma fire.

The measures undertaken by Fudo to garner the attention of the infested Crewman would prove fruitful as it slung its Supra after him; blanketing the area in a wide arc of superheated energy bolts. Lucky for them all, the Tech had yet to recall recoil management and was still wielding the LMG with one arm, making its accuracy errant and unfocused. Turning its bleached skull toward the flanking human, it loosed a piercing screech of techno organic displeasure as it lurched forward and flailed violently; striking towards him with jagged claws of assimilated metal and wielding its Supra as a club. Its asymmetrical manner of fighting would certainly be a bit of a surprise and prove to be a worthy challenge to keep at bay as it passed between lightning fast claw attacks and feints to allow it to bring down it’s gun with potentially devastating force.

Despite the wound she suffered mere moments ago, the pixie woman clearly appeared far from hobbled as she sprinted toward the undead Crewman; circling around its right side and lunging into another physics defying leap and kicking up a cloud of glittering orange light that lay suspended where she pushed off. With a twirl of her polearm, she brought the flat of its blade to rest against the outside of her curled left arm and tucked into a ball to come careening against the Tech’s Supra like a cannon shot and deflect what might have been a decisive blow against the Old Master. The Tenno and LMG separated in opposing directions with great force; clattering against the ruined metal floor and tumbling some feet before coming to rest.

Flipping up to her feet in a display of martial prowess, the butterfly warrior released her polearm, the discarded weapon bouncing only once after colliding with the floor as it suddenly became weightless before vanishing in a shimmer of orange light. With inhuman speed and alien stillness, the drew both of her garishly colored pistols from her hips and loosed a barrage of heavy pistol fire that forcefully impacted and ricocheted off the damned Tech’s shielding; causing blue ripples to oscillate about its form with rising intensity until the field finally dispersed in a burst of shimmering blue motes.

“Strike true! Now’s your chance!” the matron of metal insects called out to the aged swordsman as two spent magazines fell from her pistols and vanished in similar fashion to her discarded polearm. The infested Crewman had recoiled out of instinct from the onslaught of lead, leaving it vulnerable for no more than a second more before it finished recovering. If there were a better time to deal the killing blow, the group certainly wouldn’t survive long enough to see it.

Seeing his chance after the old man made it vulnerable, Frez altered the direction of his torrent of lazers, managing to stop his shaking long enough to fire an accurate hail of energy bolts into the Tech.

He had never been this scared in his life, even after surviving his fair share of Tenno attacks. This was the first time he fought back against the thing causing him distress. His instinct to run away wasn't stamped out of him in training, but might have finally come in useful. His HUD became fogged up by his own breathing, reducing his visibility slightly.

His Osprey had finally caught up to see the burning corpses and Frez. It ran a scan for life signs, warming up the small energy weapon in case one of those things were just really good at playing dead. It would assist Frez, of course, but all threats needed to be neutralized before it would assist him in standing up. Frez's legs shaked too much to stand back up on his own, and a quick scan by the proxy revealed a heightened heart rate far beyond what would ever qualify as safe.