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Edited by Unseelie Nil:
12/23/2019 4:33:31 PM
15
The End pt 2: Flesh and Steel
[spoiler]To be honest, I'm not happy with this. Life drama happened and soured my mood over the weekend, but it's done so... bleh?[/spoiler]
[u][b]Hoths Bar[/u][/b]
"None of the heavy stuff," Hoth sets two glasses on the bar before two weary fighters, "enough to take the edge off, but not enough to dull your wits. We've a war to win boys."
Hoth has graciously allowed his bar to be used as a field hospital and command center due to its location near the River Gate. The large room buzzes with activity as medics and fighters scurry about. Titan and Liam are discussing tactics around a holo of the city in one corner while Acro observes. Aku, Veggie, and Giant sit at a table recovering after their battles and sharing their experiences.
The doors fly open as Lee runs in, panting, "Backseat told me about Tigers! I can help!" Giant stands, "Over here!" He leads Lee to a row of cots where Dr False and other volunteers are treating the wounded. Tigers is laying pale and motionless in a cot with his gear next to him.
Lee kneels over him crushing one of his flowers into the wound and it is healed. A few moments pass and Tigers sits up coughing up a bit of thick, dark ichor. He looks around the room then shakes Lee's hand, "I thank you, friend." Lee smiles and tips his hat, "That's what I'm here for!"
Suddenly, Holmes and company barge into the bar. "Greetings everyone!" Holmes shouts, "We've little time, I need six volunteers to join us on a quest to deal with the beam and possibly fight the Goddess of Death!"
The room falls silent until Scylla the Sea Elf breaks it, "Can I stay and die in this bar instead?"
Watson steps forward, "Everyone, this is Captain Scylla. Captain Scylla, everyone. She and her cohorts have offered their help and I vouch for her."
"I'm staying with my men," Liam says without taking his attention away from the map. "As am I," Titan adds, "But I wish you luck."
Veggie steps forward, "Well I'm up for it!"
Followed by Aku, "You have my sword."
Then Lee, "And my guns!"
[b][i]"AND MY AXE."[/b][/i] Giant bellows, slamming the pummel of his axe into the floor for dramatic effect.
Tigers stands, adjusting his armor, "I think one near death experience is enough for today. I shall assist with the city's defense."
Acro approaches with Ember at his side, "My soul is beyond her reach, so I'm in."
"I can be of service..." an imp says from the bar. Ring narrows his eyes at the creature, "How so?"
The imp grins and flys awkwardly to a nearby table. "I'm Jeff. I was a close friend of the Prophet Xronad, and may have done a bit of snooping in the Witch Queens mansion... I can guide you!" Ring can tell this creature is a slimeball, but he detects no lies in his words and nods to Holmes.
"Then let us be off!" Holmes shouts, "Gather close as I prepare the teleportation spell!" The group forms a circle around the wizard and in a flash of light they vanish just as another pulse shakes the city.
There are murmurs and complaints, but everyone recovers quickly and is back to work.
"What's your status Cobalt?" Titan addresses the map and a mechanical voice responds, "30% efficiency. Anomalous pulses have damaged many systems throughout the city, making it difficult for my units to operate. All available Titans have been sent to reinforce the city gates. Larger units require further maintenance."
"Fish Elf," Liam growls, "What do you bring to the table?" Scylla sees all eyes on her and realizes for the first time just how alone she is.
"Well," she smiles wide and proud, "We got two Galleons and a dozen Frigates all armed with cannons upgraded with that same magic fire rainin down on your city. That please, milord?"
Titan nods, "We could use that. Maybe we should consider using a few ships to evac civilians?"
"Cobalt, add them to the map," Liam strokes his chin. "No, we'll need their guns for what I have planned." He inputs a few commands and the three watch a simulation play out.
"Bold, I like it." Titan responds, "We'll have to time it around the pulses for our vehicles."
Scylla produces a Sending Stone from her coat, "I'll give my people your orders."
"Hey, siege towers are on the move!" Backseat says over comms.
"Let's get to work." Liam grabs his helm and they depart.
[u][b]Southern Gate[/u][/b]
A rocket flies into the base of an approaching siege tower and the whole thing crumbles apart, dropping Wights and golems into the ranks below. Tilman begins reloading his launcher then drops it and falls to his back as a serpent beast climbs over the edge. He draws his revolver and unloads two shots into its face as Brotherhood Knights scorch it with laser fire and the beast falls.
Looking over the edge, Tilman sees the beasts have been using their own dead to scale the wall. "Loot!" He shouts, climbing onto the ledge, "Catch me!" Tilman backflips off the edge, an arch of flame following him, then unleashes a column of fire into the beasts below.
Loot fires his Tommygun into the army below with one hand and launches a whip of liquid gold out to Tilman with the other. It wraps around his chest and pulls him back to the wall, then Loot uses the momentum to send it into a nearby siege tower, sharpening it before impact so it slices clear through and decapitates a few of the Wights within.
The tower lowers its ramps and the Wights storm onto the wall. Loot unloads into their legs to cripple and trip them until a beast climbs the tower and lunges, impaling him with its long clawed legs. Several gold whips shoot out of his body and slice the beast to pieces. He rises, then dodges a blade meant for his chest that pierces his arm instead, which freezes over.
The Wight stares blankly at Loot as he looks at his golden fist. "Pff," Loot smiles and punches the Wight in the face until it no longer has one. He cracks his knuckles, shattering his frozen arm and reforming it into a blade.
"I'm gonna own this whole damn city after this."
A rocket flies past his head into the tower followed by a wave of flame that incinerates the remaining Wights. Tilman walks up to Loot, catching his breath, and they look out to the remaining dozen or so towers. "That was my last rocket."
"Please make room for these units," the mechanical voice of Cobalt asks from behind them. Three Titans awkwardly march up the stairs and take up positions upon the wall, which is only just wide enough to support them and the various fighters.
A Scorch unit deploys canisters into the crowds below and sets them off with a blast of thermite while a Tone unleashes a barrage into two nearby towers. The Legion unit simply reduces a tower and several dozen undead to tiny bits with a seemingly endless hail of lead.
As the fighters cheer on the devastation, Backseat calls them through Tilmans radio, "Liam needs you to open the gate when you see the signal!" The two exchange glances of confusion, but head for the controls as instructed.
Loot begins shlorping all over the controls again, "Alright, ready whenever I guess..." Tilman points to the sky, "I think that might be it." From the direction of the sea, a dozen balls of green flame rise and smash into the enemy outside the wall just as another pulse washes over them.
After recovering, Loot immediately opens the doors just as Liam and two dozen clones zoom past them on speeders. They glide through the path of flames and bodies created by the Elven ships, then loop around to prepare to charge the enemies main line at the River Gate.
Liam raises his black saber and points it forward, leading the charge in a wide v formation firing their blaster cannons into the enemy ranks. As they approach, Liam roars a battle cry that his troopers join and their formation tightens, then they slam into the enemy.
Liam alternates slashing on each side of him while his clones fire blaster carbines into the horde. For every one of theirs they lose, dozens of the enemy fall. Past the undead before them, Liam sees Titan and his Mandalorians formation approaching and raises his saber. Titan notices and does the same with his sword, then their formations break enough to pass eachother and surprise the enemy as they attempt to regroup.
~~~
Gorlok watches this from his monitors and nods approvingly, then frowns and turns to the shadows, "Now would be the perfect time to strike from within."
The hulking form of the Flesh Sculpter steps forward and rumbles an acknowledgment.
-
10 RepliesThe lights flicker as another explosion shakes the dimly lit bunker. The crowded room is mostly silent, save the occasional sobbing. A few Brotherhood soldiers patrol the edges to protect the civilians and watch for any signs of trouble on orders from Ringleader, but some turn on their charges on orders from another. The doppelgangers fire upon the true knights as their forms shift and swell within their power armor. Other doppelgangers and vampires among the crowd drop their disguises and join the slaughter as people panic and flee, save a single ignored teenager whose eyes are glued to his cellphone. ~~~ Gorlok watches this in horror. "This was not the plan!" He looks across the monitors, the eye in the sky, the fighting along the wall, the great monstrosity rising above the forest, and he feels that compulsion to serve but he resists with all his will and turns to the Flesh Sculpter with a rifle in hand. Before he can raise it, the Flesh Sculpter grabs him, claws and tendrils wrapping around his body, beginning to absorb him into its form. With a final roar of defiance, Gorlok pulls a pin from an incendiary grenade on his belt and the room is engulfed in flames. [b][u]Temple of Bernthal - City Center[/b][/u] From the steeple, Backseat can see the whole city. His rifle scope also helps. He scans the battle as his radio buzzes with chatter. He watches Liam and Titan ride through the enemy lines to the west, then loop around to charge again. He watches the Sea Elf ships firing into the enemy from the east. He watches Tigers fighting on the River Gate wall and he fires a few shots to cover him. Tigers salutes him, then runs out of sight. He watches the beam in the distance and notices an enormous red eye move into the eclipse. He grabs his radio, "Attention all channels, this is your friendly eye in the sky here to inform you of the larger, probably less friendly eye in the sky. I think it just winked at me. That is all." He watches a group of civilians flee their bunker, "Hey Til? Theres a problem down the road." "We heard," comes the reply, "Loot and I are heading that way now. Cobalt has the gate handled." He watches Loot and Tilman running for the bunker. Another pulse from the beam hits on schedule and his radio falls silent. He counts the seconds and it returns to life after eleven. A second and a half longer than the last pulse. He watches civilians attacking one of Cobalts mechs. 'What the hell?" He watches more destroying the gate controls to the north. "Shit!" He reaches for his radio, but is paralyzed with fear as something massive rises from the forest. Then something heavy hits the back of his head and the world goes dark. [u][b]Hoths Bar[/u][/b] "The walls have fallen," red lights fill the holo of the city as Cobalt reports, "Hostile forces within the city. Titan units down 56%. Large organic mass approaching. Attempting to power Jaeger...failure. Recommend evacuation." Scylla grips her Sending Stone and calls her fleet to the docks as Dr. False observes images of the approaching monster, "It appears to be a mass of bodies, fleshy tendrils, and...buildings? Neat!" He then spins on his heel and walks towards the doors. "Where you goin?" Scylla calls. False turns to her with a wicked grin, "To collect some samples and assert my dominance." [b][u]Beyond the Walls[/b][/u] "Get up! We need to move!" A Mandalorian shouts, offering his hand. Titan takes it and rises to his feet, his head pounding and hazy. A fleshy tendril yanks the man out of his hand and up to the monster looming over them. The man screams as more tendrils wrap around him, melding with his body, then he joins with the thousands of other gibbering mouths. Titan surveys the chaos around him. The monster stomps into the battle with its nine thick legs, picking up corpses and chunks of land to absorb into its form. He notices the undead have begun warping, stretching, growing new limbs, and even fusing with eachother. He also notices a few stray bolts and the sound of blasters not far from him. Another tendril swings for him and he dodges, then fights his way through the chaos. He finally finds what is left of his men joined with Liam and his troopers holding position around a mostly intact Laati. "Titan!" Liam shouts, "We need to hold here until the next pulse, then we can take off!" Titan says nothing and simply joins the fight. A few are lost either to the tendrils above or the nightmares around them until there are less than a dozen. Finally, the pulse hits them. They recover and Titan runs to the controls to prep for take off, but the engine remains silent. [b][u]The City[/b][/u] Loot and Tilman arrive at the bunker entrance in an alley to find nothing but bodies. A pulse passes over them and the bodies begin convulsing, then their heads all simultaneously turn to them and scream. More screams come from the bunker and Loot is already sealing the bunker door as Tilman burns the bodies around them. "So that's new..." Loot kicks one of the charred bodies, "Now what?" Tilman peaks down the street and sees a group of Wights and Golems approaching. Loot feels a tap on his shoulder and yelps, then spins to find it's just Backseat. "Sorry," he whispers, "Follow me." Loot raises his rifle, "Nah man, you might be one of those face stealers!" "Why would I be trying to lure you away from the bad guys then?!" Backseat loudly whispers. Their conversation is interrupted by the sounds of heavy gunfire and footsteps. A large shape blocks out the light in the alley and they see a Legion unit. It waves at the trio and says, "Come with me if you want to live. Tigers told me to say that." Backseat runs out and hugs its leg and the other two exit the alley to find a group of survivors that includes Tigers and Scylla. "The city is lost," Tigers explains, "They came from all sides, and from within. Some of the men I'd fought along side suddenly became monsters..." Scylla lays a hand on his shoulder, "My fleets at the docks. We'll save everyone we can." She looks up to the mech, "Don't think we got room for you though, big guy. Sorry." The Legion is silent and its lights dim, "Oh shit, I'm sorry! Please come back!" Then the ground shakes and they hear alarms in the distance as a massive shadow rises. From speakers through the city, Cobalt announces, "Cobalt Spectre online. Please clear the runway." The building sized mech takes two steps forward that shakes the ground beneath them, then begins dashing towards the distant battle. The Legion unit powers back up and turns to Scylla, "You must retreat. A large enemy force is approaching. This unit will hold them here." It turns and begins spinning the barrels of its gun. As they run, they hear more screams and gunfire that continues for a few minutes, then there is a brief moment of silence followed by a large explosion. [b][u]Beyond the Walls[/b][/u] In the distance, Liam watches a new wave of horrors coming from the city. Shards of bone begin to rain around them, some as long as a man, as the the new wave washes around them. "What fresh hell is this?" Liam asks no one in particular, and a voice responds from within the chaos. "Greetings, gentlemen!" Dr. False casually strolls out of the carnage, "Lovely day for a stroll, yes?" Before anyone can respond, Cobalt Spectre sprints over the city walls, unleashing a barrage of missiles into the mass of flesh, and a thousand voices scream in pain above them. Cobalt Spectre then swings a massive chain sword into the monsters form, splitting it open, and fires a shoulder mounted rail gun down its exposed center. Titan finally gets the dropship to start and everyone rushes onboard. False waves as they take off and the horde closes in around him. Then it begins to rise and the bodies fall away as an enormous red serpent with hundreds of eyes and mouths across the length of its body slams into the monster from below. Cobalt Spectre puts its sword on its back and grabs one of the monsters legs as the serpent begins to coil around it and together they flip it onto its back. The monster flails its legs at Cobalt Spectre and rips one of the mechs arms off. Cobalt Spectre responds by grabbing its sword and swinging it overhead to severe two legs. Then, the sky lights up and a deafening roar shakes the earth...
