3112/Crey Cares

Crey Cares
Date of Scene:	28 September 2015
Location:	Paragon City <CoH>
Synopsis:	In the exciting finale to the Mechanics of Diplomacy story arc, a 5th Column base is invaded by the good guys!
Cast of Characters:	346, 560, 769, 842, 860, 876

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Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    Crey's Folly. Once called 'Venice', this veritable ocean of manufacturing was transitioning away from environment-damaging pollution and sweatshops and other unpleasant back in the 50s and 60s and had become a model of environmentally-friendly efficiency and profit up until about a year or so ago... Around when the Rikti invaded, bombarded a Crey facility that was likely doing something dangerous and illegal, and spread a toxic filth over the entire zone, rendering it uninhabitable. Even after the war has ended, and the Rikti driven out (kind of. They can still be found here, but there's no full-scale army present anymore), no real efforts to reclaim it are presently viable.

    Well the city itself can't reclaim it right now, but various villain groups have moved in now that the dust has settled. The gang of cybernetically-and-chemically-augmented villains known as the Freakshow are even starting to build their own community here, despite this zone being a toxic cesspool. How they think THAT'S going to work out for them is a mystery, but they ARE crazy.

    With the direction of Flag-Bearer, the team has managed to locate the entrance to a 5th Column base in this area. He explained that the fascist super soldiers have been increasing their presence here ever since the Rikti Invasion, but a base in the area is new. Likewise, the presence of the Clockwork as they try to scavenge through the ruins under the control of a large Clockwork called Gizmode is a relatively recent development. It might not seem like it on the surface but Crey's Folly is actually a hotly contested area, with many villain groups vying for control. Why a diplomat that multiple groups are fighting over would be brought here is unclear. It's like inviting the other groups to come try to claim him.

    After either sneaking past, fighting through, or simply bypassing entirely the various villains in the area, ranging from swarms of biting insects with slowing toxins, to electrifying Freakshow Juicers, to power-armored Crey operatives, to the first glimpse that these heroes may have had of the much-spoken-of Rikti in the form of their genetically-engineered minions the 'Rikti Monkeys' capering about and ambushing anything that comes too close, they eventually make it to a sewer tunnel beneath a ledge that overlooks an expanse of toxic water, with an island that is part of Paragon Water Works looming up from such. Crey are all over the structure, and seem to be quite agitated about something.

    But infiltrating that tunnel leads the heroes not into sewers but into a network of cave tunnels dug right underneath the sewer system. And it is there that they find the 5th Column base where Aeron Jernigan and the REAL Jason Manfried wait to be rescued! The sound of boots falling on the floor in concert echoes through the halls, and shouts in accented English. The skull-bearing banners that fly upon the walls are also kind of a tip-off.

Testament (842) has posed:
    With the amount of mutated creatures here, causing trouble, Testament just wants to swing through the place in full maniac mode and just wipe them all out. But see, he has allies with him that wouldn't approve of such tactics, either because it would bring too much attention to them, or because it's just plain wrong. So instead he gets to a higher vantage point and scouts the area. Before the rest of the party can try rushing or sneaking through, Testament will offer teleportation to the area they need to be at. Hence the scouting-- if he could see where he was going to, it would be easier.

    As for the teleportation itself? Saber and Berserker would have seen this already. He rips into his finger with one sharp tooth and then draws a circle of his own blood one the ground. Then he instructs everyone going along to stand well inside it-- and don't break it. Because teleport accidents could be... gruesome.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    So they have to watch out for Freakshow, Crey, Clockwork, AND these fascist super-soldiers?! Shirou has found himself the half-terrified victim of Testament's teleport magic! Blood stuff, yuck, that's just not cool.

    He accepts the offer though, rather than get separated from everyone else.

    So Shirou reappears at the destination. Kanshou and Bakuya are still in hand and his clothes have been significantly dirtied by all the rough and tumble...

Saber (346) has posed:
     So many villain groups. There simply wasn't enough time to fight their way past them all, even as Elites with considerable strength, powers, and abilities. While she would otherwise be more than happy to let Testament go to town -- in fact, she might have even joined the Gear -- they were on something of a schedule. The rest of the group was likely to be on the same page, perhaps for much the same reason. As much as these other malefactors needed to be addressed eventually, it would have to wait for the moment.

     Accepting the offer of teleportation, once Testament had done so, Saber opted to sneak past what they could and quickly dispatch those they could not to the Ziggurat's medical transport bay as quickly as possible.

     Fortunately, even in what might have otherwise been noisy armour, the Servant paused near the entrance of the (somewhat obvious) base, listening carefully, trying to pick out individual groups. If they could isolate them, the smaller groups would be much more manageable than one large group. Moreover, it would lessen the chance of an alarm being sounded, potentially risking the lives of the hostages.

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    Once within the base itself, a conversation can be overheard by Saber as she listens for the sounds echoing throughout the winding tunnels, with their generators and ventilation systems and so on scattered throughout the area. "Zhat men in ze north-west holding cells... Who is he?"

    "I haff no idea. Some Raserei dropped him off with ze other one, and zen left. If we are meant to know, Nebel Unterofizzier Heinrich will tell us!"

    "Are you sure zat even Heinrich knows? Zhere has been much coming and going wizhout reporting in lately! I sometimes feel as zhough half of us are not even 5th Column..."

    Hmmm... To the north-west then. Two prisoners, including one who arrived just recently. That could very well be the diplomat and the doorman! There may be enemies between here and there, but at least they don't have to clear out the whole base!

    Mission Objectives: Rescue the prisoners and escort them to safety.

Testament (842) has posed:
    Testament is just glad his teleportation doesn't make too much noise when he's using magic. It does, however, require a few moments of recovery when he gets done with it. He'll remain quiet, and the raven will perch on his shoulder, ruffling its feathers. Testament reaches up and pets the raven, with a fond smile.

    Though he noticed Shirou's discomfiture earlier, as he was drawing the circle. He wasn't able to respond to it then. Now, though, as he recovers, he aims a look at Shirou. His hair falls over one eye. And he just grins, a mad gleam sliding over his one visible eye. Yes, he's just messing with Shirou. He may not kill humans anymore, but hassling humans is a perfectly acceptable pastime.

    Though he'll get over it pretty quickly. Still, there are enemies, so unfortunately for Shirou, Testament will have to be gross again. This time by tearing into the side of his finger, directing an arc of blood to spray out. But it's to congeal into a scythe, so it won't hit anyone. Still gross though.

    He looks to Saber. Quietly he inquires, "Do you hear anything?"

Berserker (860) has posed:
    Berserk is ALL FOR avoiding everything fight-related. The others should be aware now that while she has some surprising combat abilities, she simply doesn't have nearly the oomph that Saber and Testament have. Maybe that's why she didn't join them? Or did she? Because while Saber is listening, she'll hear something odd.

    A small discussion of surprise, wondering when they started recruiting women... and then the slow slump of two bodies sliding to the floor. Berserker's voice will be clearly heard, "Since I decided that being a man was uncouth and silly."

    Not that she looks like Berserker. She looks completely caucasian now, complete with flowing blonde hair instead of the normal darker color.

Saber (346) has posed:
     For her part, Saber had seen far more odious magic than Testament's; he hadn't summoned legions of netherworld creatures using the bodies of children. Dark as it might be, simple blood magic wasn't anything particularly disturbing, especially considering that it was employed often enough in her era. It /was/ a bit strange that someone from a version of the future would be able to use it, but such as it was.

     The flaxen-haired knight nodded. "It would seem that the hostages are in the north-west of the base. We should be able to dispatch the patrols quickly if we remain vigilant."

     Sea-green eyes flick to the Berserker, who seems to have some rather interesting Assassin-like skills. "That may work to our advantage. Perhaps a stealth attack would eliminate them much more quickly."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    And testament gets treated to another unsettled look by Shirou. "... Does everything you do involve blood?" he asks, just sliiightly incredulous along with the mild disgust. But well, he can't talk much. Most of what he does is always swords...

    It's become apparent that things are just plain weird out here, and the hostages are northwest. Shirou has his Union GPS which he quickly pulls out for a compass check. Kanshou and Bakuya are allowed to vanish in favor of, once again, his bow! "Er... I don't suppose we can just teleport them out and keep things simple on the way out, can we?"

    He finds himself giving testament an uncertain look...

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    With the two nearest guards knocked out, and a new ally, as well as the general location of the prisoners, the heroes seem to be doing a pretty good job of getting to their mission objective so far! Though of course the real test is when they actually set out into the tunnels to do so. If Testament makes the attempt to teleport the prisoners out from here, or to teleport to them directly, he will run into strange interference... Like a 'wall' to his magic that it simply slams into without making any progress, denying it completely. He can teleport other places in the base, depending on if he needs to know his destination or not, but actually teleporting INTO the prisoner block or teleporting people there OUT of it seems to be prevented somehow...

    Given that Paragon City has plenty of teleporting heroes (and villains) of its own, it probably makes sense that technology to prevent it exists. Otherwise there'd be little keeping teleporting super villains from escaping their cells at 'the Zig'!

    But Berserker might have an idea of the lay-out of the base by now, and be able to guide the others down the proper tunnels. There will no doubt be patrols to defeat along the way, men with rifles and hand to hand combat skills and hand grenades, and even what seems to be a werewolf with claws, strength, speed, leaping ability, and resilience in abundance!

    But the rooms full of soldiers in the middle of training can probably be safely avoided for now, and eventually leads to the cell block, where heaviled-reinforced doors in a wall, along with a Nebel Unterofizzier in his blue and grey uniform, are discovered!

    "I vill ask you nicely only once more: Why haff ze Raserei put you in my prison? I haff been given command authority here!"

    "I don't know, I tell you!" Aeron Jernigan's frightened voice comes from within one of the cells.

    "I'd like to know that myself," Jason Manfried adds on. "Maybe you should ask the ones who kidnapped us."

Testament (842) has posed:
    The sound of Berserker's voice gets a surprised look from Testament, and the Gear looks in the direction he's heard the voice from. "...Interesting," he muses in his oddly distorted voice. And a nod to Saber's words. "That would likely be best for all involved," he agrees. Less chance for them to kill the hostages.

    Shirou's question gets a smirk. "Not everything. Just most things." As for teleporting them out? "That might be tricky. I generally need to see or know where I'm teleporting to. Regeneration won't help me if I teleport myself into a wall." That's rather instantly fatal, yes.

    Due to the aforementioned limitation on his teleportation magics, Testament doesn't try teleporting them into, or the hostages out of, that area. They'll just have to walk. Given the need for secrecy and stealth, Testament refrains from going psycho in here. Instead he keeps to the shadows as they near the prisoner block.

    When required to engage in combat on the way however, he is swift and brutal. That scythe is a big damn weapon. Plus, there's the whole 'enemies being stabbed with their own shed blood', since Testament can control blood-- even another's-- when it's outside the body. Freaky, but it works.

    The conversation gets a raised eyebrow. "...Not as organized as I thought," he decides. A look to the group. "Ideas?"

Berserker (860) has posed:
    "Ahh, it's good to see you again, everyone." Berserker is just not going to mention how she looks completely different, is she? The 5th Column soldier does look a little odd whipping her fan out of her top and opening it up, fanning herself thoughtfully. "I'm afraid that while I can guide you to the cells, security is a bit more tight there, and you may be forced to use a little of that 'force' which is so popular to get matters settled here. That is where you come in, I think."

    Which is why Berserker is going to let the others charge ahead, and mostly hang back with Shirou. A few fireballs from her fan will support and distract anyone for the mainline fighters, at least that's her hope, but there's no escaping the fact that for a Servant, Berserker is actually rather fragile. She takes a bullet in the hip while she's doing all this, and by the time the group moves on she's tightening a bandage and hobbling a bit. "Mn, most inconvenient," she mutters. It doesn't appear to be a fatal wound, but it took a pretty big chunk out, and it's enough to slow her down. Let's hope she doesn't need to do hand to hand.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou really hates killing and violence, but here there's little choice. When enemies come into view and can't be avoided, he's quick to launch copies of Froberge - strangely flaming part-spirit blades that ignore mundane armor - from his bow!

    "We have to also get them out without being cornered by everything that hears us breaking IN..."

Saber (346) has posed:
     It's lucky for Shirou that there's only violence but no killing, what with the medical teleports being what they are. But to be fair, she and Testament were front-line-style fighters, the Gear leaning towards the damage side while Saber leaned towards the defensive. At least they should be able to cause little in the way of a ruckus and avoid setting off an alarm.

     Unfortunately, she is not always able to 'tank' everything. Saber frowned slightly at Berserker's injury with some worry. Servants were resilient, but when mana ran out, there was little else to bind them to the material plane. "Conserve your energy," she cautioned.

     Testament earned a soft 'hm'. "If we clear this hallway, we should have little trouble extracting the gentlemen. Be prepared for an ambush once they are rescued, however."

Nerevarine (876) has posed:
     The gathering of heroes soon gains another member--the Nerevarine, whose golden armor is far from subtle, however protective it may be. Reaching them is a simple matter, following the slowly disappearing trail of Fifth Column soldiers as they each get teleported to the Zig. No one can say that these fellows don't make quick work of their enemies--at least, when the odds are in their favor. Talis' stride is quick and urgent as he approaches the other Elites. His hoarse voice is all the more so when he hisses a warning at them.

     "There is /treachery/ afoot," he spits in hushed tones so as not to alert any patrols to their presence. "I was late--because I had to avoid several groups of criminals to get here. If you intend to get the nobleman I suggest doing it quickly."

Testament (842) has posed:
    "I'll break through if we're cornered," Testament replies to Shirou. "I don't die as quickly." The note of Berserker's injury gets a frown. Saber's mention of conserving energy gets a nod. "Do you need energy? I have enough to spare at the moment." That regeneration has to come from somewhere. And he can't guarantee that he'll have it to spare AFTER the fight.

    Saber's suggestion gets a nod. "It sounds like there's only one person. Between all of us we should be able to take him down with little trouble."

    Talis appears and Testament nods to the words spoken. "You have a point," he agrees. Looking to the group at large, "Shall we, than?"

Saber (346) has posed:
     Saber's eyes flicked to Talis as he approached. "That is indeed the plan, I believe," she reassured him.

     The knight nodded at the Gear's reassurance directed at Shirou. "We will be able to distract any reinforcements. If we are cornered, be prepared to take advantage of an opening we will try to provide you, then you and Berserker lead them out."

     Her gaze turned back to their objective. "Agreed. Then, we should go in first."

     Readying herself, she bent low into her knees, readying herself for her sudden burst of speed. "Now!" she signalled before blurring into motion, her sword trained on the lone officer. And if it was a trap? She was in perfect tanking position in the lead.

Berserker (860) has posed:
    To Testament, Berserker smiles, "The offer is kind, but not needed. My beloved provides me with more than enough for me as I am now, but it will take a little time to heal that." It's probably worse than it looks, for a mortal being, the problem is that Berserker is relatively weak as the superhuman Servants go. A good reason to hang back.

    Fortunately Saber is rushing in to take the damage if possible. "Hmmhmm..." Berserker, however, is going to hang back... but will try to be useful in her own way. Concentrating, she sends out a ripple of power that those with mystical senses should be able to feel, encircling the general area of the cell block. It's not really a Bounded Field, exactly, but close... the idea is just a simple ward, to hopefully alert her to anyone trying to approach from a different direction. She's not sure how well it will work in this case, but any advance warning helps, right?

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "They're all over the place." Shirou affirms to talis, his eyes on the sole lieutenant interrogating their charges. When Saber gets ready so does he. His bow's at the ready and a copy of Froberge altered into an arrow for his single needed shot - yeah, he doesn't think they'll need much to take down this guy!

    "Hopefully that won't happen... we've just got to get out of here with them and go." Shirou dives into the room following Saber, nocking the bow and readying his shot threateningly at the lieutenant. It's pretty obvious that this is no normal arrow, what with it glowing and fragments of the 'blade' orbiting a core of weird, white fire...

    In other words, he's hoping the lieutenant just SURRENDERS and makes this easy.

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    At the yell of 'Now!' from Saber, Heinrich turns around and yells, "Vat!? How did you get in here!?" He is slow to react, though he seems to be drawing a 12-gauge shotgun. Other yells can be heard as well! ...From the cells themselves, thankfully, not from the tunnels. However some of their content may be odd.

    "Oh, no! Not her again!" Jernigan cries out in fear at the sound of Saber's voice.

    Jason Manfried's voice cries out, "Wonderful! We're saved! ...Wait, what's wrong? Those are the good guys!"

    With five heroes here now, the lieutenant doesn't really have a chance. Saber is attacking, and she alone can take him out. But if other people want to lend a hand as well, they may be able to stop him from even getting a shot off or a grenade thrown or a punch... Also thrown!

    He'll take two or three hits at most from these Elites (total, not from each) before crumpling with a yell of, "Vat is happening in my base!?" and passing out.

    Then it's just a matter of cracking open the cell doors and getting the prisoners out. Though the fact that one of them seems to be terrified of his rescuers is a bit odd.

Testament (842) has posed:
    Testament won't even bother dealing with the one they've taken down. No, he'll go right over to those cells and start working on getting them out. If Heinrich had a key, he'll grab it. Otherwise, slice! The locks-- possibly the doors themselves-- are going to get cut open.

    He blinks, though, at the words from Jernigan. He seems to be not very glad to see them. Which is odd, yes. Because they've been trying to rescue him the whole time!

    In fact, Testament voices that. Making no effort to get any nearer Jernigan, he says quietly, "Fine thanks for the hoops we've had to jump through to get here. If I wanted to be derided, I'd stay in my own world." He turns, taking a few steps away as the raven alights on his shoulder again. And he waits for someone else to deal with the frightened diplomat. He's not the kind to deal well with frightened people.

Berserker (860) has posed:
    Berserker already set up the ward, so she's a bit preoccupied. By the time she looks back to the room, Heinrich is already going to be down. She adjusts her hair back into a ponytail, then walks into the room to help free the prisoners.

    Of course, one of them is terrified of Saber. This can be remedied easily by pointing out the truth. "Oh, her? You must be mistaken, good sir. I don't blame you, there are like eight or nine petite sword-wielding blondes with her look running about, you may have had a poor encounter with another."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou winces. Well, down goes another dude. Couldn't be helped if they're going to rescue anyone, really. But couldn't he have just SURRENDERED? "...err..."

    .... Oh well. Shirou lowers the bow and instead returns his copy of Froberge to its normal form - a simple, oddly 'cracked'-looking sword with some fairy letters inscribed along the blade. He then puts a hand against one of the two cell doors... "Trace, on..."

    In a matter of moments, the lock glows faintly with a surge of prana... and is rather forcibly disabled! ... Because it just sort of quietly falls apart.

    But he does peer at Jernigan, rather curious about that exclamation. "This is supposed to be a rescue. What's up with that attitude?"

Nerevarine (876) has posed:
     Talis leaves the opening of the cells to the other elites, but doesn't refrain from voicing his opinion. "Will you n'wahs SHUT UP? If it's such an inconvenience to be rescued, we can leave you in your cells and get out of here before the others show up." The Nerevarine's frowning helmet seems perfectly appropriate for his sour sentiment.

     With that spoken, he turns and readies a spell, facing the direction he came from. His palms face the ground, his legs bend at the knee, and his stance widens a bit, as if he's bracing himself for something.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Once Heinrich was dealt with, the King of Knights paused for a moment with a puzzled frown, her eyes narrowing slightly at Jernigan's reaction. There was something odd about the diplomat, but not like the last time they had encountered him. There was certainly something bizarre afoot, as the others had likewise noticed. However, this was not the time and place to question him, especially since Manfried indeed sounded properly like himself.

     The serious mood was somewhat thrown off by Berserker's quip. "...Ah." She thought she had heard Nero over the radio again, but she had paid it little mind. Had he come across the...lively...red-clad Saber who inexplicably shared her face. And hairstyle, and some variation of her dress...

     The Servant shook her head. That too was another mystery best reserved for later. "Come, let us be on our way," she simply said once the two hostages had been freed, already peeking out into the corridor for incoming patrols or ambushes.

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    The doors are sliced by Testament and mundaned by Berserker and Shirou'd by Shirou, and open in short order! Aeron Jernigan, Welsh diplomat, blinks a bit owlishly in the sudden light, though he cringes away at the sight of Testament as well. Berserker still looks like a 5th Columnist so he doesn't recognize her immediately, and he hasn't met Shirou or Talis so he views them with complete unfamiliarity! ...Though, actually, wasn't Shirou one of the FIRST people to rescue the diplomat? Back at the hotel? With the Clockwork? Maybe it's just that he's been a prisoner of some very not-nice people. The man DOES look kind of roughed-up and mistreated. And if he was in a dark cell all this time, he certainly could have been facing some sort of torture or brainwashing attempts! Perhaps the 5th Column was even smart enough to realize that he had been rescued by people like Saber and Testament multiple times, and attempt to trick him into thinking that if these rescuers came for him yet again it might be a trick of some kind, to complicate the rescue attempt.

    Really, there's all kinds of explanations. The fact that Berserker indicates there might be many of Saber running around just seems to confuse the frazzled man even more. "And are there multiple of HIM too?" he asks incredulously as he points towards Testament. Then he recognizes Berserker's voice as well. "Ah! It's you as well!?"

    The hostile response from Testament and Talis has done nothing for the diplomat's nerves, but Jason Manfried comes over and tries to calm him. "Easy, easy. The ones who kidnapped you and brought you here were the same ones who kidnapped me. Remember? They were with those 5th Column soldiers. And among them was someone who looked just like you. Those were imposters of some kind. Maybe Crey was responsible for them, maybe they wore disguises... Who knows! But these heroes are clearly here to rescue us. They already took out the guy who was guarding us. They wouldn't do that if they were our enemies, right?"

    Jernigan shakes his head, though not really to say 'no'. "I don't know. I don't know what's going on! I just came here on vacation to see Paragon City, and then I was kidnapped by soldiers of some kind, and then I managed to escape only to be rescued by Crey who kept asking me about 'funding' for some sort of 'rebuilding project'. Then I was attacked by robots, and you all rescued me... Then I got back to the embassy and... Three people with the voices and faces of Saber, Testament, and Berserker tricked me into opening my door. Then, as Mister Manfried says, there was also someone who looked just like me there! Then I was brought here by the..."

    He rubs his head. "I suppose they were imposters. Would have had to have been. And there were also soldiers like the ones here as well. Though not the same ones that kidnapped me originally. Paragon City is such a dangerous place!"

    "Return zat man to us! We have yet to learn all zat he knows!" an accented yell can be heard suddenly! Seems a silent alarm must have been tripped or something by the cells being broken open! As the sound of bootfalls comes closer and closer, Jason Manfried just groans and says, "I'm too old for this." He has the good sense to stay back and out of the crossfire, and even drags Jernigan along with him behind cover, as 5th Column soldiers come running into the prison room, throwing grenades and firing their rifles, all led by a pale-skinned, pointy-eared, begoggled monster of some kind that evokes the imagery of nosferatu... Of a vampire!

Testament (842) has posed:
    Testament pauses as Jernigan asks if there are multiples of him. "In the Multiverse? Probably. But only one from my world." Then the mention of possible impostors. Now THAT is a logical explanation he can excuse. But he'll need to apologize for being rude later. Now though, he nods. "There was someone impersonating Manfried," he points out. The venom has left his voice. "If they could make a copy of him, they could make copies of us too."

    And then suddenly there are people throwing grenades and firing rifles as they file into the room. Testament growls when he takes a few shots to his torso. And he quickly raises his scythe... TO CUT OFF HIS OWN ARM JUST BELOW THE ELBOW! Eugh! But the blood from his arm sprays out and forward, forming itself into a 'net' that catches further bullets fired in his direction. The cut-off arm regenerates practically instantaneously, before the net even forms.

    That done, he raises that arm and a surge of magic is felt. He seems to bow, and then a shapeless, reddish creature comes from the ground somewhere, and lunges forward across the floor. The thing is all teeth, and it's looking to take a bite out of the attackers.

Nerevarine (876) has posed:
     The Nerevarine snarls as he hears the story, his raspy voice conveying plenty of displeasure--his suspicions were indeed correct. Something is going on beneath the surface, but there isn't time to find out what just yet. "It doesn't end there. They could also make copies of Jernigan. Copies which could be in his place at this very moment."

     Before he can speculate any further, Talis is forced to begin casting his spell, as the sound of approaching Fifth Column troops echoes through the halls. He hollers a challenge back at the officer making demands. "Come and get him, swit!" A bullet zips towards him and grazes his thigh, bringing him to one knee for a moment. With a grunt of effort, he rises, making an arcane gesture and concentrating.

     A crackling ball of lighting flies forward, colliding with the wall at the far end of the hallway and exploding into a damaging sphere of wild energy! With the spell cast, Talis raises his shield and acts as a bulwark for any fellow elites with a preference for ranged combat.

Berserker (860) has posed:
    As the argument goes on, Berserker sighs, "Really now? My true form is set aside for my beloved alone." She fans herself with her... fan. "I assure you it was an imposter."

    She might say more, but you know, distractions with bullets and vampires. Prana rushes into her fan, and she flicks it to deflect several bullets unerringly away from herself, taking no chances after the one that holed her thigh.

    The hand grenade is another matter, and the explosion picks her up and hurls Berserker bodily against a wall with a loud, pained gasp! The thud-slide that ends there is rattling for her... but she's still in the fight, even if she was injured.

    "Ara ara... now they have vampires? I am /so/ glad that nazis weren't about in my time," she sighs heavily, whipping her fan up to send a spray of flame jets toward the soldiers. Maybe vampires burn.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Suddenly, the confusion was cleared away for the most part. Multiple versions of the same person was frequent enough for long-time Elites to become almost blase about the strange phenomenon. Only, if the beleaguered diplomat was reacting in the way he was, it stood to reason that it was not simply an alternate version of herself...particularly when Testament and Berserker apparently had similar alternates on the loose. No, this was something entirely different.

     "I can assure you that we are the ones who rescued you from the Clockwork," she replied, turning her head back to them. "And yes, there is a duplicate of you, as well. However, it is best that we take our leave now."

     As if to deliberately prove her point, there were suddenly rifles were fired and grenades were thrown in their general direction. The knight didn't waste any more time, agilely dodging bullets and heading straight for the vampire hopefully before he can pull off one of his mental tricks. Such a thing wouldn't affect her or Berserker, but the others might not have such defences. She might not be able to cleave him in two with a single strike, but at least she could force him on the defensive.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    With GRENADES flying around, Shirou really has no choice at all. He leaps back towards Jason and Jernigan's cover to join them... but not just to cower.

    Instead, Shirou extends a hand. "RHO... AIAS!"

    It's taxing on his prana supply, but that's better than being shredded by grenades and all the fragments they can send everywhere. He's sure Saber and the others can tank that, but HE and the hostages really can't!

    Just before the grenades go off, pink light flickers from his palm... then blossoms into a HUGE concave... barrier, shaped vaguely like a blooming flower. There's only four petals on it and it looks somewhat RAGGED, but the conjured shield does hold up. Blast after blast from grenades and gunfire slams into it, but Shirou simply keeps the guard going. It takes five grenades before even ONE of the petals shatters, and THAT gets him flinching through gritted teeth. "What kind of morons throw grenades around at a time like this?!"

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    Mr. Manfried doesn't seem pleased with the discovery that he has been replaced with an imposter as well, but this isn't the time, and he doesn't seem THAT surprised. If they're replacing everyone else, why not him? With his Contact network, an impostor could get a LOT of information on heroic activities, it makes sense in a diabolical way. But that has to wait because, hey-ho, nazis here!
    As the Vampyri Commandant is prevented from unleashing psychic powers upon the heroes even as his allies fall all around him to blood-scythes and fire balls to the face flung by fans and then a BIG BALL OF EXPLOSIVE ENERGY, he is soon one of the last few standing as he tries to instantly-regenerate-away at least SOME of the damage from Saber's sword that has already devastated his fighting ability. That leaves him too busy to assault minds or try to lift the Elites into the air with telekinesis before forcefully slamming them back down, or anything of the sort. The end result of the fight seems clear even before it arrives. And with Shirou guarding the non-combatants with his shield, there aren't going to be any unfortunate casualties, it seems!

    The 5th Column are outmatched, despite their training, their equipment, and their super soldier serum. They are by no means just cannon fodder, and could probably take down a single hero in large numbers if they had the chance... But they do not have that chance.

    Jernigan and Manfried remain behind some storage crates, unsure if it's safe to emerge... And it seems it isn't!

    
    Suddenly, there's a very non-accented yell in English! "Turn over the diplomat!" The sound of Crey power armor whining with high-powered hydraulics and humming from their power generators comes down the hall. Shortly, Crey Infiltrators in the form of men and women in business attire and sunglasses, armed with firearms and martial arts prowess, led by a Crey Cryo Tank in his blue-white power armor, come barging around a corner and immediately open fire into the enclosed area, attacking 5th Column remnants and heroes alike, with bullets and ice bolts!

    Mission Objectives: Defeat all Ambushers (3 waves remaining), Escort prisoners to exit

Testament (842) has posed:
    Here we go. Finally something Testament can just go kill-crazy on. Well, even if he isn't supposed to, he has every intention of it. Between the three groups of people all fighting over Jernigan like a toy that one kid has that another kid wants-- and he was more stung by Jernigan's initial repulsion of him than he let on; it reminded him far too much of the reaction humans in his world had to seeing him-- Testament's patience has been utterly pushed beyond the breaking point, stomped into the dirt, then shot repeatedly and dipped in acid to make sure there was nothing left.

    So, as the group makes a break for the exit, he's one of the first out. Propelled by some odd force that makes a low guttural 'WHOOOSH', he moves forward and slices, intending to make a path. He's using the live edge of his blade here too. He's not looking to wound. He's looking to kill.

    And the damage he's suffering doesn't seem to be helping him keep a handle on it, either. Whenever he gets hit, he emits a low chuckle. Whenever he's thrown back or knocked down, and outright laughs. And regenerates the damage. But those with mystical senses will be able to tell that this regeneration isn't free. His magical signature grows weaker as he regenerates damage. He's in no danger now, but that may change soon. But on the bright side, the way he laughs at being hurt might help in unnerving some of the soldiers and making them flee.

Berserker (860) has posed:
    Oh. More. This is... not all that great for someone like Berserker. She huffs, "Really, Shirou, shouldn't you be letting a lady hide behind there as well?" It's mostly a tease though, because Berserker is all too happy hurling fireballs and lightning bolts right back. A crack of thunder, a roar of a fire jet, and she goes right into a series of small assaults. Her fireballs aren't that big or anything, but they just keep coming. How much prana does her Master have to spare?

    This time, Berserker manages to avoid any bullets, but in the chaos she does need to contend with a martial artist. She cna only really handle one or two, in her present state, but fortunately Testament is a death machine. "Ahh, shouldn't you pay attention to your friends?" she asks of the soldier, blocking a punch with her fan, then sidestepping a kick, before finally getting an elbow jab landing in her side and sending her into a crate with a crash.

    She quickly retaliates when the man comes in for the kill, a prana-charged fan whipping across his throat to slash it open. "Ara ara, blood on my uniform, how... unclean."

    Well, that just means MOAR FIREBALLS!

Saber (346) has posed:
     It would seem that you were correct, Master Manfried," Saber called out even as she unleashed a flurry of attacks on the unsuspecting Cryo Tank. His powersuit's abilities might slow her down a little, but she was still well above the speed of a human being. "It would seem that the Crey are most likely behind these impostors."

     As Testament cleared a path, the Servant held back to draw attention off the two non-heroes, her invisible blade impossible for their foes to detect even with their specialised equipment. "I would suggest that you leave now," she sternly told the remaining Crey, who were likely not going to listen to her regardless. "This is not a battle you can win."

Nerevarine (876) has posed:
     Talis lowers his shield, placing it on the back of his armor and putting away his mace. Since Shirou's got the hostages protected, he decides to hang back with Berserker, giving fire support to Testament and Saber. With both hands free, he readies a spell. Rather than risk harming his allies with the radius of another elemental ball spell, he elects to use a more focused spell instead. With a wave of his hands and a slight warp of energy around him, a baleful red bolt shoots forth, hungrily sapping the life energy of any foe unfortunate enough to stand in its path. "You have a good grasp of Destruction magic, outlander," he says to Berserker.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Suddenly hearing SOMEONE ELSE going after the officials gets Shirou's head whipping around. And he can't help but blurt, "First imposter kidnappers, then Nazi supersoldiers, now martial artists in power armor?!"

    What is ALSO pretty obvious is that his shield's not going to last. Another petal is shared off and a third is cracking, prompting a further wince.

    Well, this is enough to get him on the verge of panic!

    He resists the urge to bark something ridiculous at Berserker. Particularly about ladies and fireballs. Yeah, that would be just a bad idea. So he swallows that down fast and instead hunkers down further. He can only assume that the WHOLE AREA is getting ready to invade them, and so...

    "My Body is made of swords,
    A shell of steel with fire for blood.
    I have created over a thousand blades,
    Never retreating, never knowing victory..."

    Nothing much happens just yet, but there's a build-up of prana within him for those who can sense it. And the beginnings of a boundary field flicker outwards, beginning to assemble. A rather complicated one for that matter.

    Hints of flame and crimson light, sparks and glowing slag, whiffs of smoke begin to fill the air...

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    Crey are sliced by furious scythe slashes from Testament, pummeled with fireballs and thunder claps and lightning bolts that have them teetering every which way or simply put out of commission, Nerevarine is weakening the enemies so that they're even MORE quickly defeated, and Saber's sword is deflecting ice bolts and wreaking havoc on the Power Armored foe. Before the Crey operatives can actually consider a retreat (thankfully the 5th Column are all down, Nazipire and all), however...
    The sound of machinery grinding and churning is suddenly added to the chaos, as a warbling, monotone voice calls out, "*ZZT* Turn over the unit to us!" Clockwork again!? After a short time, cobbled-together robots in all shapes and sizes come barreling into the room. The heavy clanking foot falls of a larger Clockwork on the way can also be made out over the din of battle!

    Shirou may be preparing to use his most major ability, but it doesn't seem the robots are waiting that long, because the moment they come into view, pinning the remaining Crey between the heroes and themselves, electric bolts start sizzling down the corridor, shocking Crey just as much as any unfortunate good guys caught in the way!

    At least they're making progress!

    Mission Objectives: Defeat all Ambushers (2 waves remaining), Escort prisoners to exit

Berserker (860) has posed:
    Picking herself up rather painfully, Berserker is still all smiles, especially seeing the powersuit getting torn apart by Saber. "So, these are the ones behind our little mess? How terrible." She tsks softly. "They even tried to copy me and sully my good name. It would be a poor showing if such word got back to my beloved. I do not take kindly upon that. In fact, I am starting to get rather cross. I think... you're all going to need to burn."

    A sudden surge of power rushes through her body, resulting in a literal, flickering aura and a mystical pressure. It isn't her Noble Phantasm, but it does prove she is a Berserker, as her entire body is suffused with an incredible coursing flow of prana, so much that she nearly glows purple. "So burn."


"Burn burn burn burn..." It's not shouted, but Berserker begins whispering it rapidly before sending a much, much larger and hotter stream of fire and crackling lightning mingled together right down toward the incoming soldiers, pouring an obscene amount of prana into the attack all at once.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou blinks at the fact there's now also MECHANICAL TROUBLEMAKERS forcing their way in on the action. WHAT THE HECK? "Does EVERYONE want these two?!" Why?

    Oh well. He can't really deal with that. Not as another 'petal' of Rho Aias shatters from taking too much stray fire and some deliberate. It's an utter MADHOUSE in here!

    "This is why I wanted to just teleport out once we found them!" He exclaims... then continues his chant.

    "I stand atop a hill of swords,
    Forging weapons from my flesh.
    This lonely path needs no reward.
    My whole life is UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"

    Nothing might've been really happening before, but now the world turns topsy-turvy! There's a great lurching sensation as EVERYONE's momentarily blinded by a wave of world-consuming, yet, strangely heatless flames. The Boundary Field stretches outwards further and further... even Shirou's not sure how much it's going to pull in!

    But as the light dies down, the battlefield is no longer a cramped little cavern with some cells. Instead everyone finds themselves fighting on barren earth, cracked from heat and thickly red from iron content. Here and there sparks float skywards as if cast from a smith's anvil. The sky is a brilliant twilight despite having no sun...

    And as far as the eye can see, weapons impale the ground. Mundane swords, fantastic swords. Some might be familiar to a few here, but many are not. they hapzardly impale the ground, leaning to and fro. Gleaming, masterful works of art.

    "If you guys think bringing waves of overwhelming force is going to work, think again. There's more than enough swords here for each of you!"

    With a single gesture, Shirou commands a thousand swords to rise high into the sky. They seem to appear from EVERYWHERE and hang high over the waves of incoming Clockwork and some of the isolated other enemies. In just a moment they come flying down like meteors!

    Anywhere his allies are, well, there's no swords flying down anywhere near them. Shirou doesn't want to risk friendly fire.

Testament (842) has posed:
    Robots. They don't have skin to cut or blood to bleed out. So Testament figures he'd better switch tactics a little. Though he's forced to stop and steady himself as Shirou's ability quite literally rocks his world for a moment. It almost looks familiar... like a post-Crusades ruin in his own world. In fact, he starts to remember something... something that he hadn't remembered in a long time...

    {Fire. It's everywhere. Everything's burning. Everyone's dead. He's been walking from one side of the village to the other, trying to find survivors. But they're all dead, no one's still alive. The monster. It killed everything.}

    {Finally he just can't walk anymore. He's tired, and utterly unable to think. He collapses to his knees next to a man and a woman. The hands of a child support him and keep him from falling completely on his face. His own hands... they're so tiny. Frail. Weak. He couldn't save anyone...}

    Testament's expression changed, from joyful mayhem to not-quite there. He's somewhere else mentally. Only for a few moments. Taking damage shakes him out of it, and he gasps in pain this time, stumbling back. His stance is wide to keep him from falling, his head down, his hair covering his face. Suddenly his breathing is ragged and he's shaking. Did he get hurt seriously?

    Apparently not. He raises both hands, shouting a Word, and a large arcane portal appears before him. As he draws those hands down again, suddenly, he screams, "NIGHTMARE CIRCULAR!" And as he shouts these two words, a massive skull and claws, both made of blood, explode from the portal, aimed at the group of robots.

    "I am not weak I am not frail I am not useless I am not worthless..."

    It's a mantra, under his breath, muttered in a broken, slightly mad tone. At least he hasn't attacked an ally yet...

Saber (346) has posed:
     Saber's expression became rather flat at the Clockwork were the next group to descend on them. This was getting tiresome.

     And from what she could see, everyone else had much the same feelings on the matter. The petite knight glimpsed Berserker unleashing the sort of attack one would normally expect from a Servant of her class; now she was understanding why the otherwise polite, quirky housewife-in-training had been summoned as one. It was not terribly strange, not when one of her finest knights was still impossibly able to catch Noble Phantasms out of thin air and either fight with them or hurl them back at the Archer who shot them at him.

     And speaking of Noble Phantasms -- or rather, Reality Marbles -- she could hear Shirou beginning his chant. She had only witnessed it once before that she could recall, but the Clockwork didn't stand a chance...if he finished the chant. Now was a good time to keep the psychic constructs from interrupting him, and while she was hesitant to use Excalibur in this situation, it was not as if she didn't have other powerful attacks. One, in fact, she could release with little preparation.

     Dropping into her en garde stance, the Servant bent low into her knees, building up her prana and focusing into her hands. Yet, it was not into Excalibur itself that she collected her energy, but into the Bounded Field surrounding it. An inexplicable wind seemed to pick up from nowhere, building in intensity as Saber directed the prana into them.

     Just when it seemed to build into a high-pressure miniature hurricane around her, Saber stepped forward and released it in all its strength at the hapless Clockwork.

     "Strike Air!"

Nerevarine (876) has posed:
     Everyone else appears to be going all out. Well--to say that would be an insult to the sheer level of power he's seeing thrown around. Part of him wonders what things would have been like if Tamriel had unified two centuries ago. Perhaps... no. It's best not to dwell on that right now. Talis beats back the anger and channels it, making it into a weapon. His mace bangs against his shield, and he bellows, running into the forefront with his shield raised. The gilded face of Indoril Nerevar upon his helm reflects the enemies before him, even as they fall to the combined might of the other Elites.

     His arm swings true and with years of experience behind it, adding brute force at the apex of each swing rather than throughout the entirety. The prongs of his ebony mace smash violently against the faces of artificial and human enemies alike, his shield held defiantly against them as those with enough willpower to do so attempt to strike back. 'Hold, don't hide,' his teachers had said so many years ago, and it's a lesson he's taken to heart. The elf is a whirlwind of brute precision, the weapons merely extensions of his body. The red-stained ground reminds him of the slopes of Red Mountain, and each swing reminds him of the Madgod's fiends.

     The longer he fights, the angrier he gets. If he had fought harder--if he had been faster, if he had disobeyed, perhaps. It becomes their fault, as it always does with anger, and the Dunmer takes it all out on those left standing by the combined assault of Shirou, Testament, Berserker, and Saber.

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    Crey and lesser Clockwork are all set afire in the narrow passage that they can't escape from. They thought they had the heroes trapped, but now it is they who are trapped in the conflagration! They fall quickly before the sorcerous might of Berserker, ablaze and being electrocuted simultaneously! Both burny and shocky! It's the worst of both worlds! Metallic bodies melt and Power Armor shorts out!

    The ones that struggle to get back up due to having no flesh, despite missing scrap metal limbs or having lost their hold on the heads they were carrying under their arms, are then blasted right back to the floor with a powerful wind shockwave, defeating several more in the process! Their remaining armoring is torn right off their frames by the ferocity of Saber's attack, anything that retained a hold on its head has now lost such, and some of those with heads bolted on have had such come loose and go flying to hit other Clockwork behind them!

    Crowd Control and AoE! Exactly what Sabers are best known for! Or at least this one.

    "Gizmode will obtain the unit for our King!" an especially large Clockwork announces suddenly as it clomps its way into the crowded, flaming tunnel, its head barely cleaning the ceiling and its bulky shoulders gouging the walls. Some variant of Clockwork Prince, with four arms instead of two. It unleashes electrical streams from all four of its arms at once, sweeping them across the room from multiple directions. It may be difficult to avoid! Taking this thing down is a priority for certain!

    Fortunately, Shirou manages to trap it inside of his Reality Marble along with the handful of remaining Clockwork, meaning everyone can pummel this Elite Boss with everything they've got!

    As swords rain down upon it and the smaller robots, they have no real ability to defend against that. They aren't super dodgy, they just have a slight resistance to sharp and blunt weapons from non-Elite sources. And with this many swords, including magic blood weapons and holy blades, that mild durability isn't going to matter much. Still, the Elite Boss is a tough one to crack. Testament's blasting of it actually takes the huge robot off its feet despite its weight and sturdiness, sending it tumbling across the terrain, one heavy impact and slow somersault after another. Its own weight turns it into a sort of wrecking ball that rolls over its last few allies, crunching most of them in the process.

    Tattered, torn, slashed, smashed, missing three of its four arms, heavy armor plating of cobbled-together junk stripped away to reveal a skeletal frame of lead pipes and rusted bolts and other things that seem to just in no way support a robot's required motivating forces, Gizmode (the Clockwork that Flag-Bearer mentioned was leading the other Clockwork in this area) struggles to get back up despite the savage beating it has endured.

    Then Talis comes forth and begins smashing the one or two Cogs who still stand, blackened and sizzling and bent by their own leader landing upon them. Heads are taken off, the Cryo Tank who has gotten to his feet and is trying to figure out what direction to run is smashed in his helmetted face... And taken down.

    And then Talis is taking Gizmode apart with mace blows, blocking any counter attacks with its one remaining arm, knocking the much taller enemy backwards over and over and over again, tearing chunks of its frame off with each strike, making this golem powered and controlled by the mind of a mad king have to retreat over and over.

    And eventually, the monster falls down, defeated. And the tiny Gears that spawn from it afterwards, assembling themselves after a few seconds from their 'parent's remains, are likewise soon to be smashed to pie<span class=" bold_fg_b bg_n ++ es.

    chb">Mission Objectives:</span> Defeat all Ambushers (1 wave remaining), Escort prisoners to exit

    Well, the enemies all seem to be defeated... Surely there's nothing waiting for them outside once this reality marble collapses...

Berserker (860) has posed:
    "Burn burn burnburnburnbu-*" Her voice starts to raise as Berserker sends out another lance of flame, and another, frying and melting tiny gears. It would appear that her 'rage' isn't quite so intense that she doesn't recognize friend from foe though. When all the gears are gone, she pauses, that aura of dangerous power fading. A snap of her fan and the object moves to cover the vivid blush over her face.

    "Ara ara... I seem to have lost my temper just a little. I do apologize for that /unseemly/ display," Berserker hurriedly gasps. Her hair has taken on a slightly darker tinge, the shifting of her body having slipped a little during the whole ordeal. "Oh my look at the lovely Reality Marble..."

    Yes, change the subject.

    Still, there's much to be said for what happened here. "My, we have some powerful allies with us today, don't we? I expected such from a Saber, but this really is quite the demonstration of what one can find in the multiverse!" Evidently Testament and Talis showing their full skills - or something close to it - is pleasing and impressive to her.

    "Now then, why don't we get our quarry out the door before more surprises show up?"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    With both Berserker and Testament starting to behave... WEIRDLY... Shirou's blood runs cold for a few seconds. Who ARE his allies here?! At least Saber and Talis are reliable, right?! Yeah... very much so. As often, Saber's displays of power and skill strike awe and admiration in him.

    Unusually, Testament's mystical rampage is wreaking havoc on the area directly around him... the world of swords flickers and stutters, rips in space appearing and vanishing the more he exerts his magic. The same happens from Berserker's assaults... until they finally stop, anyways.

    Either way... Saber to the rescue. Shirou smiles a little at how well that worked out.

    Shirou has no reason to leave his guard post. All of the heavy hitters are over THERE sweeping through enemies, and he... well...

    He just does some wild gestures, commanding more of the world's swords to do his bidding from afar. Once everyone has pummeled Gizmode down... the rain of swords also goes down to a trickle, only smashing a few of the Clockwork that the others miss.

    Finally though, Unlimited Blade Works fades with another lurching sensation and Shirou drops to one knee, gasping for breath. Everyone's back in the tunnel they were in previously... except now there's a bunch of broken swords everywhere and whatever there might be of the fallen enemies.

    As for Shirou, well, he's down to little prana left, but he seems to have nabbed Kanshou and Bakuya from his Reality Marble before it collapsed, and they remain in his hands.

    "That takes pretty much everything out of me!" He exclaims, REALLY hoping that was the end of it all... "Can we get out of here now before anyone else shows up? How is everyone...?!"

Testament (842) has posed:
    Whatever might be out there better HOPE it's not hostile and in his sight. For its OWN sake. Testament is in no mood to parlay. He stands with his feet about shoulder width apart, his spine bent awkwardly, head down, and hair covering his face. He holds the haft of his scythe in both hands close to the end that those have the blade on it. His breathing is still ragged, his shoulders heaving and trembling.

    Berserker's voice, back to normal and talking about something called a 'Reality Marble', reaches him and he draws in a deep breath. He draws a deep, shuddering breath, and then straightens. Though his hair remains mostly over his face, leaving only half of his mouth visible. In a low, dangerous tone, he says, "...Whoever is outside this... place, had better pray they aren't in my way."

    He half turns to Shirou. "...Dispel it." Referring to the Reality Marble. "It's giving me a headache." THAT'S putting it mildly! But he doesn't want to go into too many details. His memories are his alone, after all.

    Fortunately the Reality Marble fades, either because Shirou could no longer hold it or because he dispelled it. One of the two. At least it's gone, that's the important part. He says nothing, even in response to Shirou's question, but his breathing seems to be calming and settling into something more normal. He seems all right though.

    The more important, yet unasked, question is though... is anything else stupid enough to go up against this group of Elites? Testament hopes not. As much as he wouldn't admit it, he lost it there at the end, and isn't confident he could keep it together much longer.

Demetrios Vasilikos (769) has posed:
    And indeed there's... No one waiting for them! The thoroughly scorched, gouged, and STILL burning tunnel is empty of enemies. Anyone who had yet to be teleported to medical is in the process of such now, Aeron Jernigan and Jason Manfried are getting out from behind cover, and once it has been confirmed that no more enemies wait to ambush them, the heroes and their rescued hostages all make it to the exit! ...And they even pass several rooms that were full of 5th Column soldiers that have mysteriously gone empty for some reason. Those guys didn't come to attack them... So where did they go? It will just have to be a mystery, it seems!

    Dun DUN dunnnn... DAH!

    Mission Complete!

    ...Boy are they all going to have a story to tell when they get back.