MINI MISSION: Drachmalands

[Guest]

((Story Note: In terms of the timeline, this occurs BEFORE the Dietrich mission/Creta's invasion. Please keep that in mind when you post. Don't make me break out my flux capacitor.))

Flashback (fluff-tastic, but not required to read):

Spoiler:

Viktor wakes up suddenly, clutching his shotgun close to his chest. Taking a deep breath in, he exhales slowly. Today was the day, and it was close to the time. Shaking his head, he got up and started getting ready for the occasion.

He had recently sent out a message, explaining the situation. There was a Vault with treasure, he knew where it was, and he needed help getting into it. The entire process was anonymous, sent out through his few remaining contacts, though he did provide his name, a time and date, and a set of coordinates. If anyone bothered to look up said coordinates, they’d realize it was in Drachma – more specifically, Bumblefuck, Drachma. The middle of nowhere, with the closest town being a dozen clicks west, past some mountains… and long deserted.

Stepping out of his tent in his old Drachman uniform, he grabbed his shotgun, standing tall and stoic, hopeful to find those that would answer his call. He took a deep breath in, his lungs filling with the fresh mountain air. He was also hoping they took care not to wear any foreign flags or symbols, should they be militants. Last he knew, this would be a military installation, controlled by Drachma. Though it has been five years since he last heard about it, he didn’t want to risk sparking an international incident. Explaining it to Lt. General Tsukino would be the easy part…

Looking around, admiring the mountain range he had chosen to set up as the meeting place, he couldn’t help but admire Drachma’s beauty. But while he was doing that, he noticed some people approaching in the distance. These would be the ones he would lead into battle.

Watching as the first one neared his position, he called out to them. ”Greetings, friend. You wouldn’t be here to admire the view, would you?” His hands gripped tighter on his shotgun, though he didn’t bring it to bear. Doing such would be rather impolite. ”Though, perhaps you’re looking for something valuable?”

[Guest]

"Privet, drug. Vy ne byli by zdesʹ, chtoby polyubovatʹsya vidom, ne tak li?"

He could not understand a thing said out of a giant walrus flapping it's mandibles. Apparently this creature was speaking to him. Until it had occurred to Nikolaus that fuzzy monkey was in fact a human male. Speaking a language most alien to the Major's ears. He would discern it as Drachman. A language he does not speak.

In fact, Nikolaus happening by here was a pure accident, he was not one of the people summoned here, but he does recall having killed some guy hiking his way to this location on the way and having looted his corpse for some details. Or more precisely, just the elaborate design of the thing detailing what must be detailed, so he is without knowledge of the meeting.

"Well... privet vidom back to you, asshole." He retorts harshly, obviously unaware what the friendly tone of Viktor indicates otherwise as an insult, looking around as he now knows, he went the ABSOLUTELY wrong direction for his infiltration mission into Drachma, "Bah, fuck it."

He glanced around, only to look back at Viktor whom was wearing a Drachman uniform in lieu to Nikolaus's white winter uniform lined with fur for warmth.

"Answer me abominable snow man! Answer me thee these riddles three. What are you doing here? Who are you? And where the fuck am I by the bumble!?" For the most part, he hadn't recognized Viktor as someone working for Amestris, yet, but should be promising enough for the quest to begin as to what would happen! At a point.

Brandishing his own SMG, though it is pointed forward in the general direction than at Viktor himself. Oblivious to the recordings of the message and coordinates he swiped from the original holder as for the purpose of this apparent meeting ground, or the were-walrus before him a good distance for that matter.

[Guest]

Dear lord it was bloody cold here.... Creta had it's cold regions too, but this was just.... Vivian was thankful for her snow gear, hugging her coat closer to her body as she peered out through her goggles. Her hood and rather thick gear made it sort of hard to tell just exactly which gender she was, a mask of sorts covering the lower half of her face. It wasn't clear where she was from since she knew it was probably best to just wear some rather neutral clothing on such a mission, trudging through the snow up to the two men before her.

The larger one had clearly spoken Drachman judging by it's sound, but she had no idea what he had said until he began to speak Amestrian. Both of them. Oh good, there wouldn't be a language barrier. She had received info of this from one of her comrades, and.... well treasure hunting was never quite her thing, but she was here as if to prove something to those assholes friends of hers. If nothing else, this was something of interest to her for information. She remained quiet as the two men talked, instead observing the situation since it was far wiser to. A Drachman... and an Amestrian so far.... She regarded the Amestrian with some caution, but she didn't let that reach her eyes or reflect in her body language. Great first impression right? No, she was as calm and impassive as ever, wondering if they could tell that she was a girl.

Observing the Amestrian's gun, she had to roll her eyes and sigh on the inside, stepping forward and actually into their clear range of vision. The fact he already had his weapon out and was pointing it about so placed a slightly bad taste in her mouth. "Calm yourself sir. This is the meeting place for those who are seeking something from a certain place. Whether its treasure, curiosity, or answers. I'll let him introduce himself." She answered, her voice clear yet muffled by the mask that covered her face past the goggles. She bowed her head respectfully to Viktor, debating if she wanted to remove her hood, goggles, and face mask briefly or not. For now lets not, her hands still ready to grab for her pistols should this Amestrian decide to attack. She hoped she would not be perceived rude for answering for the Drachman, but frankly, Nikolaus was being far worse than she.

"How many others are expected if I may inquire?" She raised her eyes to Viktor's, curious to see just how many others had received the call or were happening upon this place just like their third member had.

[Guest]

He heard the message of a vault, and took up the offer. Nuchiha had been in Drachma before, he's been there for a portion of his life as a matter of fact. He knew the dangers, frigid cold, flash blizzards... Drachma was a dangerous place indeed, besides the climate, the animals were extremely aggressive and had thick hides to withstand the cold. What was in the vault? He knew it was treasure, the note explained that but what kind? No matter, maybe they would find out soon enough!

The coordinates led to Drachma of course... But to some town he never heard of in the middle of freaking no where. Was it even near anything? No matter, he trekked onto this unknown area. He wore a thick winter coat, with a some new hat called a ushanka. He had a assault rifle holstered on his back, it was for self defense against the wildlife and flame alchemy isn't best used in cold climates. He swung it out of it's holstered position to inspect it, it was indeed a old rifle. The design was very simple, making it extremely reliable. The long barrel gave it extreme accuracy, the only drawback was the ammunition was a pretty large caliber compared to others, making it heavier, the rifle its self was heavy and the iron sights weren't perfect. Maybe he would customize and modify it later, he used the rifle ever since he found it.

He checked his pocket, he still had a lighter, cigarettes and two flasks of alcohol, specifically Whiskey and the other Vodka. Alcohol could make you warm, or at least feel warm. As he approached the area, he breathed in the air... Cold, frigid but it had a strange fresh feeling to it.

Nuchiha then saw a tent finally, with 3 others... Were they fellow adventurers lured by the message? As he approached the tent, he saw a man in a rather old uniform with a shotgun in hand... Nuchiha approached carefully not to aggravate him, or he could be shot by the man. He heard the man call out to the person nearest to him, he spoke in Drachman. He couldn't hear from his position, he then saw an Amestrian, and a another unknown person wearing a mask. As he approached, he watched the Amestrian, this was a remote area so he could try to pull something. As he saw a SMG this raised his alert, especially since it was in a "ready" position.

As he stopped moving forward a little bit behind the two but in front of Viktor. "Hello, you are Viktor, I presume?" Nuchiha said speaking in Drachman where everyone else spoke Amestrian, he did this as a sign of respect to Viktor. He then saw the masked woman, he could tell by her voice, she looked familiar... Did he see her somewhere? On the battlefield, or maybe she was from Creta? "And you are?" Nuchiha said at the woman, taking a leap of faith. There wouldn't be any repercussions, though he may make himself look weird nothing more. Nuchiha then reached to make himself able to pull his rifle into a ready position, incase the Amestrian or Viktor decided to fire. Nuchiha also noticed, he spoke all the languages being spoken here, this was a great advantage. Unless someone was holding back a language which was quite possible.

[Guest]

[Taking place before Vanity is in control of Drachma then]

Fortunately, Alena had already been in Drachma the last couple of weeks on a special request from a sibling. It really was a beautiful country, a little chilly in parts but the cold didn’t affect the homunculus too much. She received word from Viktor about a mission that he needed some help on. Strange, considering they never really encountered one another, but it sounded promising and a girl could never turn down rewards….

Her agile body would be excellent in the snow, allowing her easy access throughout the heavily dampen from the frosted forest. She wore a tight body suit, black, with a fur hood cloaked around her face. To keep the harsh winds and sleet from her eyes, Alena had on thick black goggles. In her right hand was a whip, and strapped around her left thigh was her infamous rose gun.

Unlike the other, Vanity didn’t travel with them up the mountainside. Instead, she came via her own transportation. A slick, new age jet, driven by her favorite sibling Toss, was quickly hovering in the sky a few yards away from the group.

“1, 2, 3” She mumbles to herself before leaping out of the door. Her body was falling towards the earth in a very graceful way. With a sudden release, a massive parachute flings out allowing the girl a safe landing to the ground. Vanity brushes herself off and detaches the parachute and waving Toss off. Immediately the jet was out of sight, far from any eye to spot.

“Heh, just the way I like it.” She grumbles and struts in the snow towards Viktor. His shoulders were broad, his muscles where tight, and she only imagined what he had underneath all that clothing. “Well, Alena at your service my friend. I’m here to lend a hand in any way possible.” Alena smiles a honest grin as she looks around at the small group of people standing around Viktor.

[Guest]

At one of his mercenary bases White Fox was hard at work trying to gather as much money as he could. White Fox was working hard to gather money because he knew that he would need an extreme amount of money in order to fund a plan he had been working on. Using his contacts White Fox collected information on anything that could help him get the money he needed. That’s when White Fox received a message about there being a vault with treasure in Drachma. Of course he knew that this could be a prank or a trap, but White Fox really needed the money.

So White Fox thought it was at least worth checking out. He then rented a snowmobile and road it to the location where White Fox was supposed to meet the person who sent the message. When White Fox had reached the meeting place, he could see things had already gotten complicated. Fools you are suppose to backstab each other after the treasure has been found, not before.

[Guest]

Viktor looked at the first one to arrive with amusement. He seemed to be missing a few screws, but many of his best war buddies were the same. Maybe once he lowered his gun they could be friends.

”Tell me, Amestrian, do you really not know why I’m here?” A strange situation, though the luck of it spoke wonders. If he had stumbled his way here, then he should be let in on the mission. He seemed prepared enough anyway.

Viktor was about to answer Niko’s questions when a second figure appeared nearby. Heavily dressed, military equipment, though he wasn’t terribly familiar with what the person carried. Sniffing the air, he could smell that she was foreign and a woman. Women always smelled nicer. Except Alexander Krull, who smelled suspiciously of oranges…

”How many others? I do not know, but we have a deadline. We shall wait and see how many arrive on time.”

Then, a third one. Another man, who had some similar smells to the woman. Both foreign. ”Dah, I am Viktor,” he says to the man, who quickly made a comment to his fellow countryman. Woman. Whatever.

”So, we are now four,” he mutters to himself, scratching his chin. ”Excellent. Let us wait but a bit longer. I’m sure more are climbing up as we sp-“

Viktor looked around, his ears twitching. Looking up, he watches as a jet flies by, and another woman makes a particularly improbable landing. She gives her a strange look as she introduced herself, pondering how one struts in snow such as this, before taking a few moments to take everything in.

”You, mystery man,” he says, pointing at White Fox, ”come down here now. Much to discuss.”

Sliding his shotgun into its special holster on his back, he looks around at the group. ”I will take this time to re-introduce myself. I am Viktor Stalin, and I am a soldier of a special caliber. Anything else is not required for you to know, and I expect the same from you. I called you all here for one simple task: helping me find two things of interest in a vault I know of. It is guarded, and will be dangerous. But, in return for your services, you are welcome to take as much as you can carry. Understand?” He looks at them, waiting for their confirmation on that bit of information. ”Good. Then we shall walk and talk, dah?”

Leading them away from the campsite, he takes a small detonator from his pocket, and pressed the button once everyone’s a safe distance. In an instant, the campsite he had made for himself exploded, leaving no evidence of its existence. Overkill? Perhaps, to anyone else. But a true Drachman didn’t know the meaning of that word.

The journey ahead would be difficult, and hopefully they’d hit their destination within a few hours.

((OOC: This is a time for characters to be able to talk and ask questions. Now’d be a good time to gather some information, should you want it. Next step of the mission’ll be in a couple of days.))

[Xan]

The lack of people at the camp site had not been a tip off that Xanthus Icarus was quite late, nor did it tell him that the group had already moved on. The real tip that he should have arrived earlier came mere moments after he arrived, when rather unceremoniously, a large explosion destroyed the campsite and very nearly ended one of his several dozen lives. How had Xan even learned about the campsite and its importance beyond being but a simple, if temporary, human dwelling? Rather simply in fact.

During a recent trip to Drachma, Xanthus had happened upon a traveler who had been bleeding to death from several wounds. Deciding to 'put him out of his misery,' the Homunculus devoured him and assimilated his knowledge of the mission that Viktor was currently leading. And that was how Xanthus found himself in a now ruined campsite, thinking of a way to find his hopefully soon to be 'adventuring party.' Doing a quick spot check...er, quickly looking around, Xanthus spotted what seemed like a familiar humanoid shape and began to sprint towards it at a pace that was somewhat beyond that of what most would consider to be a normal human level.

[Guest]

Glancing up as another man walked up, an eyebrow raised beneath her hood for she recognized him to be another member of the Creta military. Granted, she'd only seen a couple of other units besides her own, but she was still good with faces. But his name.... she didn't know that. Perhaps they had merely seen each other in passing at some point or another. He at least spoke Drachman and Amestrian which was excellent, another sign that language would not be a barrier amongst them. It was becoming clear that maybe she should have invested more of an interest in languages instead.... Oh well, no matter. It wasn't too much of a hindrance at this point. Her eyes rested upon Viktor at his answer and nodded once in answer to it.

Hearing the other Cretan's question, she was about to answer when a jet flew over head, narrowing her eyes. Flashy. Very very flashy. Not necessarily wise, but clearly this person didn't care. Her gaze followed the lean figure's descent into the group, remaining quiet for the moment. Some people just liked an entrance. Another man showed up and stood off to the side, remaining rather quiet since the rest of the group had at least spoken.

Stepping closer to Nuchiha so she didn't have to shout to him, allowing for the others to speak. "First Lieutenant Vivian Olivia Duchamp of the 58th Division. " She murmured, beginning to seriously debating attempting to remove the water that was about her, aka the snow. It was starting to try to get through her winter clothes and it was not helping her mood any. Still, she would remain pleasant and civil as she had been trained to be no matter the situation. Turning now to adjust for all the people there, she nodded to Alena and then the quiet man, her eyes falling upon Viktor as he addressed them all.

Quick, clear, and to the point. She liked this, she liked this a lot. Once more, Vivian nodded her head slowly, her blue eyes darting amongst the others in her group. Get into the vault, find said things, survive, get out. Simple enough, but there was always some sort of catch. Yes, that death thing.... Ah well, she was good at what she did as she expected everyone else was as well. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled it slowly from behind her mask, her body somehow relaxing further as she followed after their leader. Let it--

BOOM

--begin? The explosion of his base behind them was extremely unexpected, but she merely turned as a reaction. "Huh. Well thats one rather efficient way to do it I suppose." She murmured to herself, shrugging lightly as she returned to following after Viktor. "So Viktor, what exactly is this Vault like? Civilian? Military? Any fortifications or defenses that we should know about?" She called as best as she could from behind her mask, her warm breath briefly heating her skin before the icy cold air sucked it all away. Hearing footsteps coming from behind, she spun and drew her pistol, pausing as she saw it was another person. Raising an eyebrow (even though he couldn't see it), she lowered her pistol and slid it back within its holster, realizing that the direction from which he had come was that of the now destroyed campsite. "We have another. Welcome." She spoke, nodding to Xan in greetings, her feet resuming their press into the snow.

[Guest]

There was a mysterious force that compelled Nikolaus to in fact go against his urges to shoot Viktor for the supposed insult he inflicted upon one of Nikolaus's stature. To shoot him... but this force... it somehow wanted him to follow Viktor just because he was leading an adventure group. Certainly this is a mysterious anomaly at most. But he felt his perception beyond what others perceive itch, his "sixth" sense felt a couple of other presences appear, and one screaming of many souls. Two in fact -- Humonculi.

Viktor's question was not to be answered though, and neither one of Vivian's inquiries.

"Another of Father's kin, eh?" He thought to himself, ignoring Vivian's remark over the meeting place as he walked past Nuchina and the other to feel even another presence besides the obnoxious one that came from a helicopter. Which he knew was a Humonculus, speculating she might be Lust. She was pleasing to the eye, but not exactly Nikolaus's type, he preferred his not frail or petite. But she did have an arrogant look to her, presumptuous and assured, some confidence.

Though he moved past her as she would move towards Viktor, the one whom he had an attention to was the one from a distance, an even greater Humonculus that makes this one a lesser, if not a weaker one. Yes... that one was powerful certainly which slapped a grin across Nikolaus's face. Versin was not in Stuka's interests at the moment.

It was only that Viktor took the lead, the big husky Drachman that Nikolaus followed suit to see what the giant spoke of. Perhaps it was what the Amestrian was searching for after all. Giving an approving nod to Xanthus as he would slow down as to let the rest of the group gain ahead of Nikolaus, this way he would be to the back.

An explosion later and some heated air brushed from Nikolaus's back, nothing too much, it was just nice to feel in the coldness of the weather which warmed him up if not temporarily. He looked back to see the camp destroyed. Explosions... terrible way to get rid of evidences. They caused so much noise. He noted that Viktor was lucky to not have caused an avalanche at their location otherwise all of them are screwed.

Ah well, Nikolaus kept his eyes peeled and so are his senses for any surroundings. Grasping and concentrating as we walked along with this band of plucky misfits he had grown to observe.

(Spot check anyone?)

Keeping his SMG at the ready just in case of any unfortunate events because as one can see, an explosion CLEARLY attracts attention, and does not go for Nikolaus's style of attack. He would clearly be a sneakier element among the team and would prefer to see the threat first hand and deal with them accordingly.

[Guest]

Nuchiha heard Viktor's answer, that was good, he was in the right area. Then he heard the jet... Wait a minute, why? Why would someone fly a jet over? Unless the jet had a good radar, it could crash into a mountain. As he saw the woman jump out, Nuchiha doubted her survival. She landed, wait what? No matter, he needed to focus at the task at hand. As she stepped closer, what was she doing? Maybe it was to lessen the distance for lesser voice volume. "Ah, Sergeant Major Revan, of the Royal Task Force and IC-IC." Nuchiha answered in response. There weren't many Cretarians around, then same could be said about the others.

Nuchiha realized, was his clothing too tight? No, if anything too loose, but he was accustomed to the harsh winter of Drachma because he had lived there before. Then Viktor addressed everyone, Nuchiha listened intently. He was quick and sharp to make his point. This was good, he definitely had leadership capabilities. Nuchiha gazed at the group, they were a little larger than a fireteam which was 4 soldiers but smaller than a squad which was 8. This was good, they were flexible. Nuchiha nodded his head in confirmation of Viktor's proposal.

What was inside this vault? If it was a goose chase, this would definitely put a mark onto his record. But if he found something, he could be promoted possibly. Was there a catch of some sort? Possibly, that was only in movies however and movies... Were not exactly the best source for information. As he was following Viktor, he saw a detonator, was this the catch? Nuchiha slowed his pace, as he pulled the detonator it was the camp. Destroy any evidence he was here, that's a good sign. Maybe he was a criminal? No, the time he sent out the message government agents would've responded.

Anyways, as they trekked on he wondered what the vault exactly was. He heard Vivian question Viktor to exactly what the vault was. The air, it was cold, but it felt fresh for some reason. Nuchiha rubbed his hands together once to produce a small but hot flame that went out in a couple seconds. It warmed him up, and it was small because of the cold air and low humidity. As she suddenly turned around, Nuchiha also looked back as he held his sling to draw his rifle quickly if necessary. It was another person, who was it? He heard Vivian say welcome to the man, Nuchiha nodded as a sign if welcoming him. He trekked on, wondering where the vault was.

As they trekked, Nuchiha had the urge to inspect his rifle, as he reached for it. He was able to slide it over in front of himself. There wasn't any damage, nothing. He checked his radio, he still had a signal with Creta. Since he was IC-IC, he had a better radio than others, because that was his job, Intelligence, Counter-Intelligence and Communications. Or IC-IC if you prefer a shortened version. Where was the vault, what was in it? Maybe Viktor would listen to Vivian, as Nuchiha eavesdropped onto their conversation.

[Guest]

Viktor sighed at Vivian’s questions. ”Simple, little girl. It is a vault. A bunker buried beneath the earth. A complex beneath the feet of the village it resides in.” He remembered plummeting to the earth, with Sasha strapped to his chest, the cold wind whipping across his face, almost unbearable. ”It was not always in military hands, but it was never civilian. It is hidden. It is protected. That much I can be sure of.”

Looking back, he sees Xan running up to Viktor, causing him to raise an eyebrow. He had expected to work with a bunch of nobodies, a rag-tag group, not one of his superiors…

”The general hasn’t learned I snuck out, has she?” he asks Xan instinctively in his native tongue. Shaking his head, he adds, ”Good of you to join us on our journey to the Vault. Just keep in mind who’s leading this… expedition.” He sniffs the air, noting a strange but familiar scent wafting off of Xan. ”Perhaps you should arrive on time next time,” he says with a grin.

Looking back at Vivian, he gives her a nice, strong pat on the shoulder. ”There will be fighting, but at least we won’t need to worry about the air defenses, those fuckers. We’ll just have to worry about foot soldiers and some artillery. That is, assuming the newer tenants haven’t gotten more clever.”

Looking back at Nuchiha, he raises an eyebrow. ”And perhaps next time you can ask a question, and not be all sneaky-sneaky.”

-----------------------------

After a few hours, the Viktor leads the group into a Drachman ghost town. Dozens of buildings are lined up in streets, plotting a rough grid on the snow-covered landscape. Most of the windows are shattered, the wood old and splintering from the harsh conditions of the mountains. Some buildings seem to be severely damaged form the weather, with collapsed roofs and supports rotting away to completely collapsed buildings. Stranger still, some seem to be damaged from an outside force. Bullet holes, spent casings, parts of walls completely blown out, and more.

Viktor leads the group into a building on the outskirts of town, kicking the door in rather unceremoniously, causing the building to shudder. Walking inside carefully, the wooden floors creak at his every step. Making his way into what appeared to be the main room, he started to push aside the small furniture and threw old, worn toys out of the way. Whoever was here last must have either had a lot of kids, or ran a daycare.

Pulling out a map, Viktor unrolls it on the floor. It was crudely drawn, likely by Viktor himself, lacking many details that a normal map would have. The scale seemed to have been largely eyeballed, but it did contain a compass in the top right corner, which was surprisingly drawn neatly and accurately.

”We are… we are… Ah ha! Right now, we are here!” he says rather excitedly pointing to a specific square-ish figure on the map. ”And we need to get here.” He points to a large pseudo-rectangle in the center of town, with the label “Town Hall” written inside it. ”If luck shines on us, we will sneak to the Vault door and fight our way through. If not-”

The sound of glass breaking interrupts Viktor, as a grenade lands on top of the map. His eyes widen as he moves with inhuman speed, leaping out of the nearby window dramatically as the grenade explodes behind him, not looking back at it. Landing in the snow, he looks up, seeing two white-clad soldiers with rather spiffy-yet-still-Drachman weapons staring right back at him.

((Dungeon Master’s Author’s Notes:

The grenade is more for dramatic effect. Whether you choose to be caught in the blast (or harmed by it, or whatever) is entirely up to you. Otherwise, might I note that the current objective is to get to the Town Hall. How you do so is up to you, and I’ll outright say that there are no right answers, only wrong ones. That being said, try and split the trip over a couple posts.

Also, I’m experimenting with stuff. Deal with it.))

[Guest]

"Ah, Sergeant Major Revan, of the Royal Task Force and IC-IC." His answer lingered in her mind as she followed after the group, moving forward from the back as Nikolaus began to talk to the newcomer behind her. So she moved up towards Viktor, her strides lengthening thanks to her long legs. The 5'8" woman soon caught up, just in time to hear their leaders answer to her question.

Her lips tightened at the beginning to his answer. Clearly it was a vault, that wasn't the point of what she had asked. So it was beneath a village then. That... She hoped that nobody lived there in case the bunker ended up exploding or caving in by some happening. You never knew with these sort of missions. Especially because she knew so little of this place. Raising her goggled eyes, she nodded once. At least that was an improvement. So it was a third factor persay. Neutral in the sense that it had no official owner. Not in the conventional sense.

"Thank you sir." She murmured loud enough for him to hear, falling back from his side a bit. It was strange to be amongst so many unfamiliar people, even her countryman was foreign. And a member of the RTF... She hoped to apply once she got home from this expedition. Maybe she'd become a member of the Royal Guard. Truly she hoped she made the grade. Taking a deep breath, it was a mix of the steamy breath from her mask and the cold trying to sneak in, adjusting her hood slightly since it felt like it was starting to fall. Whether or not it actually was, she didn't want to risk it.

Blue eyes followed Viktor's movements as he clearly knew the man that had come up late to them, deciding it was impolite to listen in even if information could be gathered that way. In fact... She shifted her gaze and saw that Nunchiha was sticking close, furrowing her brows beneath her warm layers. Eavesdropping? Possibly. Then she wondered about the others of their group.... Alena, flashy and proud. The Amestrian who was seemingly more on edge now that Xan had joined them. Did he know something? Entirely possible. The quiet asiatic one who lingered off to the side, she would be sure to keep an eye on him. Such a strange group they had. But hardly surprising since this was a job more suited for a mercenary or some such.

Suddenly feeling a rather strong pat on her shoulder, it was good her knees were already bent mid-stride to absorb the force of it. A well-meaning gesture she was sure. Well that was reassuring, neither of those two things were too terribly much to worry about. That wasn't to say she wasn't going to take this seriously. All battles were serious in this matter. "Very good sir." Her voice sounded lower than it normally was, whether it was from the distortion of her mask or the elements getting in the way, or all of the above.

Blinking as he suddenly turned back, her gaze came to rest upon Nunchiha, the briefest of glints passing over her blue depths. She wondered about him, she knew his departments from a distance but it raised questions just what he did exactly in those departments. Maybe she'd find out during this mission.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Long treks, if the military taught you anything, it was how to deal with long treks through shitty terrain. Derelict buildings came into view, drawing Vivian's attention with a rather sharp clarity. So no one really lived here after all. Least she didn't have to worry about collateral damage in that sense. The only people who might be here would be those either guarding said vault, or others like them. And if that were the case... then it would be alright. This town had seen hell in more senses than one and it was somehow... humbling. Least to her it held that sense.

It was so quiet. Besides the whistling wind, it was just... quiet. She never got used to that. Whether it was the life that filled the halls of her home in Oxford, or the military, or even the sounds of distant battle, something could always be heard. To have things be so still.... It was disconcerting. She turned her head sharply as Viktor kicked the door in, a hand sliding into the folds of her bulky clothes to pull out a pistol. They must be close.

She scanned the various items littering the room, the distant sound of children screaming with delight echoing in her mind. Aye, a town gone through hell. She stood by one window near the door, only taking a moment to see what Viktor was doing now. For now, she would keep an eye out for anything. It really was far too quiet. She wished she had grabbed her sword after all. Curse and damnation! The drachman murmuring was doing nothing for her nerves either. At least not until she heard him speaking Amestrian once more. She started to turn to see what he was talking about when she too heard the sound of breaking glass. Right near her.

Oh bloody hell--

She dove out the door at a very odd angle, the explosion raging behind her as shrapel went flying. She covered her face and curled, shards of who-knew-what still striking her since she hadn't rolled nearly far enough away. Ringing... God her ears were ringing. She hated being right sometimes. A shard of wood had stabbed itself into her left arm, gritting her teeth against the pain of it. Great. Things had hardly begun and she already had gotten herself injured. Uncurling, she felt the fact she had numerous cuts on her legs, and she had to ignore them. She could tend to them later.

Immediately sitting up, she pointed her pistols to check the- Oh. Company. One of the soldiers turned to point his weapon at her, forcing her to stand down. Bugger it all, she could feel the blood leaking from her wound into the snow, staining that pure white red. Bugger!

[Xan]

Some hours previous...

Xanthus managed to catch up to the group fairly easily, sprinting with far above average speed and endurance. When he arrived, he seemed to be well accepted into the group, as though he had been partly expected. However, considering the method he had used to get this far, the Homunculus doubted that he had been expected in the least, in fact he doubted it highly. Taking a moment to examine his party, Xanthus found an intriguing variety amongst the would-be adventurers.

Generally, he found the group to be acceptable for the task at hand. Of course, there was one individual in particular who captured his attention more than the others, and he gave a wave and a knowing smile to the woman. At one point, Viktor Stalin spoke to Xan, asking if Reila had discovered that he had unceremoniously left Briggs and in the same breath continued to say two more things that made Xanthus chuckle a fair bit.

"Reila has no idea that you 'snuck out.' What she does know however, is that I had to conduct secretive business in Moscow and that I needed a natural Drachman, so I simply took you with me. And do not worry; this isn't Fort Briggs, so I'm not going to bother with the command giving. I'm just here for some fun..."

Present Time

And 'fun' was exactly what Xanthus Icarus was about to have, though in a most unexpected way. After some hours of travel, the group eventually reached their apparent destination; a Drachman ghost town, which apparently had been abandoned some time ago. The Homunculus took a moment to commit as many details about the town to memory as he could, which he figured might come in handy later on.

The eight man party was led by Viktor to a building on the outskirts of town and without much apparent effort, the man-bear kicked the door down. Nodding his approval, Xanthus followed him inside and began to look around the room. He noted the toys, the furniture, and the overall sense that children had dwelt in the small place, but more than that he noted the absolutely poor condition that the house was in. Of course, with no one to maintain it, what else was to be expected?

The party's leader took out a map, and Xanthus examined it for a moment. It was drawn poorly, ironically the compass being the only thing drawn correctly. The Ishvallan took a few moments to look at the map, committing details to memory as best he could and making comparisons with the town that the map was supposedly of. He saw the groups' destination upon the map and was about to comment upon it when suddenly a loud crash sounded, as though a window had been broken. Hardly a moment later, a grenade had appeared upon the map, right in Viktors' face.

"..."

Xanthus barely had time to register the fact that what he was looking at was a grenade before he ran in the direction of the nearest wall to himself, which happened to be perpendicular to the window that Viktor seemed to be running toward. Fortunately, his shadows could move with a speed that was near incomprehensible when the situation called for it. They dashed forward and sliced a large portion of the wall into pieces, then got to work cutting those pieces to pieces. Suffice to say, by the time Xan made it to the wall, he found it easily broken through, and it was a good thing that he did, for an explosion was right behind him. A successful barrel roll through the wall landed Xanthus on the side of the house more unscathed than not, and judging simply by human unwillingness to die, he figured that he more than likely was not the only was to escape the blast radius.

The sound of guns being prepared forced the Ishvallans attention to a small group of men directly in front of him. The Ishvallan's hands went up for a moment, but in the mean time the house began to come down behind him, capturing the attention of some of the men for a split second. Ah humans, unwilling to die...but sometimes death was simply unavoidable. The shadows behind the Ishvallan began to stir, and he was tempted to end all of their lives at once with one fell swoop. But then he reconsidered, and the shadows relaxed and became dormant once again. Xanthus smiled at the men with amusement even as he had his hands raised high in the air. He could simply kill them, of this he had no doubt...of course, there was perhaps no need to kill the men...not so soon at any rate.

[Guest]

Nuchiha listened intently to Viktor and Vivian's conversation, he didn't want to intrude, or annoy Viktor witha question. He then heard Viktor say something about a general and being snuck out. Wait a minute, something was suspicious... Then he was caught, how? Well, Nuchiha wasn't exactly sneaking just happened to be nearby. The group trekked on, it wasn't miserable for Nuchiha, he lived in Drachma for a little while as a matter of fact. He was used to the cold already.

As the trek lasted for... Maybe a few hours? Who knows, Nuchiha didn't have a watch unfortunately. They entered a town, guess by middle of nowhere, he meant a ghost town. The town was blanketed with white snow, Nuchiha could tell buildings were lined up, a lot in poor conditions. As Nuchiha attempted to gain finer detail, he saw... Strange, bullet holes, casings... Destroyed walls, was this a war zone? Perhaps a trap?

No, if it was Viktor was too close for a artillery shell to kill them and not injure him. Nuchiha squatted down, as he examined a shell casing, he took care not to pick it up. Traps can be made if done cleverly enough. The casing, was clearly smaller than the one his rifle used, but he could find some of the same size. The casings were, not the same as Cretarian weaponry, or the modern ones.

Nuchiha followed Viktor, he lead the group to a building on the outskirt of a town. He saw as he kicked down the door, was he trying to gain attention? Still, the building wobbled a bit, but remained stable. Nuchiha waited for Viktor to go inside, he was the leader and his survival instinct told him to have anyone else activate traps. Nuchiha followed behind, not too close or too far however.

Nuchiha almost stepped on a object, as he looked at it... It was a toy, this brought memories of his childhood... One that was taken away by the Amestrians. He saw Viktor unroll a map on the floor. One of Nuchiha's hobbies was maps, he couldn't help but... Mentally criticize the map, it was poorly drawn and obviously seen a day or two. The only thing done correctly was the compass, sad... The compass could be crude and you can still find your way.

Nuchiha listened to Viktor, all he heard was that they needed to get to Town Hall. Nuchiha was memorizing the map, what if they left him? Or he was seperated? He could get to the vault, or lead everyone else incase of a unfortunate event. Then... The glass broke, as a metal oval shaped object landed on the map, it was a grenade!

Nuchiha immediately sprinted out of the door, he saw his comrade Vivian had already jumped out. She was injured, but he looked to see Drachman soldiers or what appeared to be such. Nuchiha stood, he realized, his uniform was white and similar... Coincidence? Well, they weren't exactly the same, maybe he can pass as a Drachman soldier? The area under his left shoulder was hit by a fragment of wood, it didn't pierce his thick coat or skin, but the blunt damage... Still had quite a shock.

Nuchiha stood his ground despite the temporary pain. If there was one thing he knew, Drachman soldiers were tough. He needed to act like it, if he was going to pass a disguise. Nuchiha was lifting both of his arms, he was giving a sign for the need of assistance, if his attempt failed he would continue until his hands were up. A fake surrender for now, if needed however. Nuchiha never knew that, wearing all white clothing and a old styled winter coat, with some funky hat or a Ushanka as they called it, could be a disguise. Never less, only time could tell... And there wasn't much left.

[Guest]

A few hours. That was enough to gather fluids into the bladder as to make it a priority to empty them out so one has an empty desire to release, and to have full thoughts more unto the mission. Holding it in would one would say... not make someone exactly in the best of moods. Pissing can be serious business for a man, and a damned good exercise for being able to shoot from the hips if done correctly... not that anyone should know that. No siree. That's between Nikolaus and how he urinates. The cold hadn't helped, only served to make him desperate for a leak.

But much earlier, his curiousity about the vault was kindled verily so. Mysteries of what he yearns made him desire it greatly. Perhaps there is a philosopher's stone he can acquire from there? If so, this would help him greatly. These two Homunculi that he can tell apart very easily from others, their motives to Nikolaus are very unclear. But these humans... thralls, they cannot tell them from others. They cannot know for what they cannot see. Nikolaus can. Oh lucky him~! He can see what nobody else can see, which struck a smug smile across him.

And much later, more to the present timing, the Amestrian officer drifts from the rest of the group. Happening into the building which looked like a bar -- it had several stools and culminated a rich grouping of alcohol, from whiskey to vodka of all sorts of brand, albeit old brands. Nikolaus recognized some of them from defunct companies now long gone.

The building was withered, rather segments of the wall, it was the sort of thing he knew to read. Yet overall, stood thanks to a single pillar in the middle of the room. But since this was indeed a pub, it should have a bathroom, after all, how else would customers help themselves out of the liquids they drank?

Going towards the girl's bathroom since there were some rather... fresh shit actually, laying on top of the squatting type of toilet in the men's toilet, actually wait. To have skipped this toilet...

As Nikolaus unzipped and pulled out to which he pissed with towards the other squatter's toilet with his free hand not wielding the gun, door closed behind him and all, sudden thoughts rushed to him, one relieved and relaxed, analytic in the calming subtle sound isolated in his room of liquid stream clashing against the clean unused surface of the girl's toilet. Just why was there FRESH SHIT, to the men's toilet in an otherwise 'abandoned' town?

"Fresh shit eh? Fresh shit split on the sit, hit and bit the without a wit. But truly? They suck at STEALTH. Fuckers, all of them." Flowed thoughts, "And it was warm too probably, otherwise would've been more solid, smelled fresh and heavy as well... by fresh, shit is rotting anyways. Bah, someone else must've been around here."

Upon finishing up his bladder's emptying, zipping up his pants as he shook his hands, grasping for the foregrip of his SMG, an explosion ensued, not in his building, but around the other building, probably where the rest of the group was. This pub, for all of its fragile state, hadn't shaken. Good, the explosion was faraway and so was the group, perhaps the enemy's attention wasn't lingering around?

He pushed the door slowly open and yet silently, his footsteps were soundless. Best bide his time and help them out in a more opportune time, the Homunculi, as Nikolaus was confident in them dealing with the enemy. Why rush stupidly into death and give away his position? That's not the sniper's conduct. And it would sabotage the team in a way to those whom cannot see the value of timing attacks. For now, he merely peeked around the corner, glimpsing at the doorways, because it wasn't angled towards the building his companions were in, he couldn't get much information. But the vision of his was limited thanks to obstructions, and the fact the windows were enveloped in the obscuring blanket of snow. Plus there was the doorway with the old style saloon makings weren't helping out, but that is good, if he cannot see the enemy, they could not see him either.

It is after all, pointed right for the entrance in the corridor of buildings, several buildings away, right relative to that building the rest of everyone entered that is. They were at the outskirts after all, so enemy attention would most probably not assume one within the confines of the town.

An opportunity will come perhaps... he does after all, have the element of surprise here. Wait for it... wait for it... perhaps it will come... perhaps not...

(DUN DUNNA DUNNA! DING DING DING! Potential attack of OPPORTUNITY awaits. Rogue stealth mode ACTIVATE.)

"Bingo, figured this shit ain't no good SHIT." Thinks he, harbinger of shadow and deceit.

[Guest]

((Vi: I decided to be incredibly vague, leaving you room to do stuff and whatnot. Kinda like that time I did that thing at the place? Just like that. Anyway, if you want me to change it, can. Just wanted to get this post done.))

Shifting, Viktor saw Vivian next to him. At least he wasn’t totally screwed, presume the foreigner knew how to handle herself. This would be a challenging, but it was doable. Especially if one was willing to get shot a few times.

”This is no way to treat a guest, is it?” he asks with a grin.

”Stay quiet and get up. Hands in the air.”

Sighing, Viktor slowly gets himself up. ”My friend is injured, so perhaps if I could…”

”Stand still!” The soldier pointed his rifle at him, causing Viktor to raise his arms in a relaxed manner, just like all the other times it’s happened to him.

”There’s two of you. Pick her up.”

Sighing, the second soldier offers one hand to Vivian, his other still pointing the rifle in her general direction. The first one, though, was still aiming at him. Not ideal, but…

Ducking, Viktor bulrushes the first guard, crashing through the window yet again. The second guard whips around and fires off a few shots, catching Viktor in the back and side, but he seems to stop after that. All the better, considering Viktor had his hands full.

Landing on the ground with a loud thump, Viktor wrestles the assault rifle away from the soldier, throwing it off to the side. The soldier retaliates by swinging away at Viktor, catching his left check and chin a couple times each.

Grabbing the soldier’s neck, Viktor punches the man in the stomach three times for good measure, before taking a hold of the soldier’s wrists and pinning him down to the floor. The soldier, gasping for air, tries to wriggle himself out of the hold, but Viktor lunges at the man’s neck, his teeth digging into the soft flesh like a hot knife through butter. With a few tugs, he rips out a good chunk of flesh, and spits it out next to the soldier. Letting go of the man, he watches as the man soon loses consciousness from blood loss. Satisfied with the kill, he turns and slowly makes his way back outside to the Cretan, clutching his side where a bullet got him. Through the window for a third time, he looks at the other soldier… Or rather, what had happened to him.

”Excellent job,” he says with a smile, kneeling down next to her. ”Let us get to the Vault quickly, then. There should be some supplies we can scavenge there, yes?” Without her permission, he picks her up and breaks into a sprint for the Town Hall. After all, the longer they stayed out here in their current conditions, the more likely they were to die.

((Hey, I know it’s been a while, but I’m willing to finish this if you guys are. Anyone who doesn’t make it to the Vault by my next post will be left behind, but otherwise alive.))

[Guest]

Bodies were left about, split and strewn with blood. Slits present as necks were sliced up to the adam's apple. Their life expired, and they were dead. Yet one lay bare without his coat or Ushanka. It seems the man in black unscathed, Nikolaus, saw fit to wear a disguise. Casually strolling in large strides through the enemy ranks of those that are left behind to watch the area, pretending to be among them. Sneaking about past them, as it was a simpler job as much as running towards the general direction of the group that seems to be interesting as to... tag along with. Or so it seems.

Going through the corridor of assorted building, and towards the townhall, which just so happened to be his span of attention by sheer coincidence. Using his superior tracking skills, he spots the footprints on the snow, and the bodies dead, dressed like his disguise, as to indicate that indeed the presence he should follow is the footstep. Anything not these enemy soldiers, are his friends, thus Nikolaus discarded his overcoat that made up his disguise but kept the fancy Ushanka he wore on his head.

Rushing towards the townhall, following the large footprints in quite the hasty sprint, kicking one soldier in front that happened to have as well had the idea earlier, and has arrived earlier, down to the ground. It was by stealth, the enemy was kicked down, that Nikolaus so much as shot him several times on the back with his SMG, making a distinction not to accidentally shot himself. Skipping now past the dead corpse, he finally reaches the town hall. And follows the large Viktor, having regrouped with him after the initial scuffle with the patrols around that he happened by. All of them slain and some of them were looted of their effects.

Such as a lighter, a flashlight, and a Creig army knife (Swiss army knife) from the corpses of the first group he killed.

"You made quite a lot of friends, man-bear." Commented Nikolaus snidely, to the larger male going his way towards the building.

[Guest]

Her ears wouldn't stop ringing.... God dammit all... Why had she decided to go off on this mad chase again? Oh right... Curiosity and the possibility of interesting things for Creta... Well what did curiosity do to the cat? It bloody well killed it, thats what! And with that rifle barrel staring her down, Vivian glared up at the men in uniform that pointed them, glancing over to Viktor who wasn't too far away in the least bit. Ow ow ow... Her arm was beginning to throb quite painfully as she left the shard in her arm, blood still managing to trickle out around the edges of the wound down her hand into the snow. What a position she had gotten herself into. Idiot! And where were the others now?

Then their mission leader began to speak in Drachman, or so she assumed since she didn't understand him in the least bit, glancing between him and their captors. It seemed that the Amestrian was alive and somewhere, she couldn't seem him at all in the area. God, what were they saying? Her brows furrowed as one of the soldiers offered his hand to her, uneasy at the unexpected show of kindness. She hadn't really expected to get captured at this point, but.... Grimacing, she took his hand with her good arm, and pulled downward, kicking upward to knock his rifle aside as its bullets rang out into the air. He faceplanted towards the snow as she let go with her hand and brought her elbow down on his spine with a resounding thud, her fist then slamming into the back of his head. He crumpled to the snow unconscious, her hands diving for his assault rifle as she straightened up to look for her companion in this fight.

Much to her surprise, Viktor had the man pinned and was... biting... his neck... Her eyes widened a bit at the gruesome, but efficient, sight as the man's throat was ripped apart from his neck, his blood spilling forth like a fountain to pool quickly beneath him. Standing up a bit taller as he came over to her, it felt like she had a shit ton of paper cuts lacerating the skin of her legs but that was minor compared to her arm. She just hoped she'd be able to keep it once everything was said and done. ”Excellent job. Let us get to the Vault quickly, then. There should be some supplies we can scavenge there, yes?” "Thank you s-" She'd admit, she gave a small squeal of surprise as he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, the pair of them racing off towards the Town Hall. Blinking wildly, she could honestly say that it hadn't quite happened before and it was.... strange.

Craning her neck a bit, she heard more footsteps and saw that there was a Drachman coming towards them at a rather relaxed pace, staring to raise the assault rifle she held before she gave pause, glancing to the weapons in his hands. Was he the Amestrian? Nikolaus, was it? He seemed to be the only one coming towards them and he wasn't shooting so process of elimination would dictate the possibility was high. "Um... I appreciate your enthusiasm sir, but... You can put me down. I can walk, just scratches on my legs." She spoke carefully, still holding the assault rifle ready should their follower not be whom she believed it might be.

[Guest]

”You made quite a lot of friends, man-bear.” Ah, the strange man with guts was speaking. But he didn’t quite get his tone of voice.

”These are not my friends. Not anymore…”

”Um... I appreciate your enthusiasm sir, but... You can put me down. I can walk, just scratches on my legs."

Looking around quickly, he noticed there was a severe lack of… Well, opposition. Chuckling, he slides the tiny woman off his shoulder, gently placing her on the ground. ”Move quickly, you two. We have little time to spare now.”

Moving through the ghost town, the distant sounds of gunshots and small explosions echoed through the deserted streets. Clouds had moved in overhead, casting the village in dim light, making the crumbling scenery that much more depressing. But, soon enough, they had arrived at their destination: the town hall.

Breathing heavily, and clutching his side, he motions for Vivian and Nikolaus to enter. The interior, however, was worse for wear than the exterior would suggest. Patches of ice and piles of snow collected in the main lobby, filing cabinets were pushed over, papers strewn about, almost untouched by time due to the cold weather. Leading the trio deeper into the heart of the building only revealed the damage to be more severe. Collapsed stairwells, broken elevators, and a room housing a den of wolves… And yet not a single body, dried up puddle of blood, or hastily written dying note was to be seen.

After some time, Viktor eventually found an entrance into the basement. Fiddling with the doorknob, he soon became frustrated with the busted door before he aimed his shotgun at it and removed the hinges. Kicking down the door, he looks back down the hallway, towards where they came from.

”We need to continue without them,” he says to the two, wondering himself if they were alright. ”Let us move, then.”

The basement, surprisingly, was in excellent condition. Weaving through the maze that was the maintenance tunnels, they soon find themselves at a large room. Several crates are lying around, ranging from food to medical supplies to ammunition. Opposite of them are two large, metal doors, painted red and brown with Drachma’s symbol in the center.

”Grab what you need,” he says, prying open a crate of medical supplies. ”We rest here no longer than we need to. They’ll be expecting us.”

----TIME SKIP----

All patched up himself, he looked at Vivian and Nikolaus to make sure they were also ready. Heading over to a small console to the side of the doors, he stares at it for a few seconds. Tentatively, he enters a number combination, and… Then he enters it again. And again. Visibly frustrates, he punches the console. A few clicks and whirs later, the keypad makes a small, delightful sound and the blast doors slowly open. He readies his gun, waiting for the inevitable resistance on the other side and…

Little by little, the doors separate, revealing a simple, clean, sterile environment on the other side. White walls, floors, and ceiling with bright lights. A blast of stale air rushes past the trio, the ventilation system and filters still operational. Down the hallway are a series of displays, presumably of their accomplishments. Some are weapons, others organs or strange creatures, alchemical circles and seals, and the like. Walking down the hallway, Viktor glances at the different displays, before reaching the end of the hallways, where it splits. To the right is an armory, the doors open, and somewhat ransacked. To the left headed towards the research laboratories, the path to which seemed to be littered by corpses of white-coated men and women, pools of blood collecting on uneven parts of the floor.

”Take what you wish,” he says, heading towards the labs. ”I need to look for something.”

[Guest]

Within the inner bowel of this sanctum, perhaps they truly found solitude? Nay. Nikolaus could not abide with this. So, when he followed them and away from the guards, he made the occasional spot checks as he was rife with paranoia. Checking the ceiling every so often as the ground, the furniture, and whatever objects adorned the room. That was after having followed Viktor unto and away from the place of turmoil, and towards the place of resting after the maze had scantly done its job of averting the intrepid trio of the epitome of goodness. Though Nikolaus suspects treachery at hand. But wait, something feels odd. Why does he feel like something will guide him to do things he normally doesn't do? That's a mystery. It must be an outside force compelling him to do such irrational actions on a whim. Perhaps a fluke. Or perhaps Amnesia Dust. Maybe it was the leprechauns. Who knows?

In the time that passed, Nikolaus holstered his SMG, and took several knives and a belt from the crate specifically designed to hold throwing knives, two flashbangs, and an incendiary grenade. And finally, he took an oxygen mask with intact air reserves, bringing it closer to his mouth as he blew the dust away from the visor lens. Pulling off his cap to wear his oxygen mask as if it were a hat. He didn't need to use it now.

His attention was invited by the blast doors springing to life as well as the man-bear's rather lacking of subtlety and finesse. He took a mop from the room before he followed Viktor inwards into the nether-regions and belly of what unknown horrors potentially awaits. Peeling his senses, his detection of life to heighten and perceive what he wouldn't normally do with his naked eyes. Taking slow steps behind until he divorced himself from the giant. Ever so more being more alert, looking up at the ceiling and keeping his feet spry. Past all the sort of assortments such as those Alchemy seals and whatnot, it's not like he has an interest in alchemy considering his incapability of performing it. So he didn't bother nearing it.

If he knew from experience, rarely do quiet rooms EVER are quiet, or are in fact uninhabited. But oddly, he took a turn left. Pulling his SMG and holding it close to his chest, holding it tightly, as his eyes methodically scan the laboratory he entered. Left and right in an instant, as well as at the ceiling once again, and at the floor. Of course, not after he peeled for any signs of life by the Dragon's Pulse. Concentrating just for that.

"Oh lookie, a couple of scientists horribly killed to death. Must be something peaceful around here I bet." He grumbled in a hush sarcastically.

[Guest]

Oh, they were speaking. So... Indeed, he must be the Amestrian. Vivian relaxed fully for the moment, drawing a quick intake of breath as her injured arm got bounced the wrong way. Son of a.... She really hoped she wouldn't lose that arm at the end of this. Lord what would her parents have to say about that.... Hopefully nothing since they knew this was her duty though.... this wasn't exactly on orders from anyone necessarily... Her eyes widened a little again as she was suddenly being put down, carefully standing on her legs while holding her injured arm carefully to her chest. No, she wouldn't pull that shard out yet. It was probably the only thing keeping her blood inside of her right now despite how much still was leaking out. Just a little longer... There had to be a medical station somewhere in this place....

”Move quickly, you two. We have little time to spare now.”

She didn't need to be told twice, immediately taking after the large man that was their leader while she held her assault rifle at the ready. One could never be too sure about these things. The town was quiet except for some excitement in the distance, her head bowing low against the cold. As the sky darkened overhead, the overwhelming sense of forgoteness only grew in the town, making it seem all the more... lonely.. to her. What had peoples lives been like here? Had they been proud of the things they had done? Did they hate it? What hopes had they had? It was.... a very somber sensation. But soon enough, Vivian raised her blue eyes to the building that loomed overhead, guessing this must be their goal considering how Viktor was slowing.

She slipped inside while sweat clung to her brow beneath her hood, letting the assault rifle hang at her side via the strap while sliding off the hood with a hand. Lifting the goggles up onto her brow, the mask was lowered from her face after it, allowing her face to be free for now as the cold air caressed her pale skin. Her breath swirled out into the air as she panted from the exercise, glancing around the decrepit building. Much like the town, it had seen much better days.... Whatever had happened here, it must have been quite a fight. Unless the conditions in which they found themselves were the only cause for such a scattered sight. She wasn't even sure what to think as she followed slowly after Viktor, her mind wandering as she glanced at some of the files that were there. What in the world had they....

Blinking, she realized she had fallen behind a little, forcing her legs to push forward to catch up to Viktor as he fidgeted with a door. She turned away as he fired at the broken door and well... forced his way in. That was certainly one way to do it, though considering the state of the place it was hardly surprising. So much was in disrepair.....”We need to continue without them,” Nodding once, Vivian's expression hardened a little as she too, glanced back towards where the others must have fallen behind. They seemed like capable people, they could probably handle themselves fine... ”Let us move, then.” And so onward they went.

Down, down, the deep dark hole... Why did that sound like a line from something? It might have been, she had been known to quote movies or books on occasion. Heh. Her eyes had to adjust to the light a bit since... huh. This area was still in pristine condition practically. Maybe there had been a bombing or some sort of event that had destroyed the town hall that the basement wouldn't have been affected by. Or some other sort of... thing. Who knew? This was Drachma after all. Speaking of which, what on earth had possessed them to make such a maze of the maintenance tunnels? Who planned this sort of thing? Well... She supposed it would deter outsiders from finding the super secret lab at the base of it...Her legs were beginning to ache and it was getting harder to think as blood pittered onto the ground behind her. She'd really need....

.... that. That right there in front of him. As the crates came into view, Vivian's blue gaze drifted towards the medical supply though they did glance towards the large doors screaming Drachma's pride with its symbol on the metal facades. ”Grab what you need. We rest here no longer than we need to. They’ll be expecting us.” "Aye sir." She murmured softly, also moving towards one of the medical crates. Now time for the fun part... pulling out the spike.....

TIME SKIP

Looking over the bandage that was securely wrapped around her arm, Vivian nodded once before looking up to Viktor to show that she was ready. Nikolaus was already shifting, the pain meds she had found offering a pleasant numbness to the dull throb that had permeated her brain before. Pain meds were an amazing thing.... There seemed to be some trouble with the doors though and it made her eyebrows furrow. But again, a swift punch and they were through. Things in Drachma just needed a shotgun shell or a hit to get them to work huh? At least in old decrepit buildings that housed a secret vault. Tentatively, she shifted her injured arm, holding her assault rifle in both hands as she should, readying to fire as the doors slowly opened to reveal-

Blood hit her nostrils first along with the clear fact that no one had been in that place for a while. Stale air was stale... Uck. And bright lights were unnecessary! Dear lord. Blinking twice, a grimace remained firmly on her features in concentration, forcing herself to remain focused and not distracted by the alchemical circles that were scattered across the walls. She wanted to figure out what they were for, how they might have been used, if they could be useful to her own research or not. But now was really not the time since they were in enemy territory without much knowledge on what lay beyond them. There could be some giant robotic creature of some sort at the end for all they knew, the place certainly seemed like it should have some fantastical guardian of some sort.

They made it to the end of the hall and found what was the armory and... corpses. Lovely. That explained the blood. "Oh lookie, a couple of scientists horribly killed to death. Must be something peaceful around here I bet." Her nose wrinkled a little as she glanced towards her partners in crime, waiting to see if Viktor had any orders. ”Take what you wish. I need to look for something.” She almost opened her mouth to speak, but decided it was better not to, instead remaining with the Amestrian as she carefully moved towards the armory. It was probably best to not separate too terribly much from each other, but they all certainly weren't helpless. Rounding the doorway, she checked quickly in the room following procedure and found it was empty. There was some blood on the floor, however, and some splotches on the wall. That... was concerning. Glancing through what was there, she picked up an extra knife or two and pistols with plenty of ammo that she stuffed into her extra pouches.

She wasn't sure if it was more eerie down here than it was in the town, but there was certainly a stillness here that left her... uneasy. Slipping out of the armory, she checked the hallway once more before walking up after the Amestrian, wondering if they should continue onward after Viktor. She ended up deciding that was a good plan, taking her time to make sure nothing was going to pop out at her like in some movie. That would just be tragic.

[Reila Tsukino]

archiving...

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