Team 3

Sypha thought about the explanation Sammael gave them, but something didn't add up. True, Mr. Taggart was the only one of the original team, but if the issue was too many volunteers, then why summon Sypha or Marisa?

"If our mission was meant to kill Mr. Taggart's team, then why am I and Marisa here?" Sypha asked Sammael, looking at Marisa again. "After all, if the issue is too many members, why keep summoning more?"

"Shouldn't Mr. Taggart here be on his lonesome if the goal was to kill him and his team?" Sypha asked Sammael.

edited 2nd Jul '14 2:38:47 PM by GameGuruGG

Ami

"I suppose I am the head merc in this action though whether this makes me a leader of operations is up to debate." Something wasn't quite right with the man in front of her. Dressed in a cowboy's garb with a large poncho over his chest and lazily juggling a jagged knife, the mercenary seemed... particularly haunting. Unlike Murphy who merely looked bad, this one was most definitely a deadman. Neither aviator shades nor a brown shawl reminding of bandits of Old West mask the feeling of stillness the man before her emitted.

"Since you're here, Albrecht cocked up his part of the deal, most likely on purpose. The people I have to work with..." The man shook his head before sheathing the knife. "Are you willing to do go on your own or will I have to do it the hard way?"

"I have two theories for that. Either he finds you a disposable force that can stall Luciferians from opening Abyss or, perhaps more likely, it's a simple error of the summoning. A mere manifestation of him in another world would require an immense amount of energy that could only be drawn from Abyss itself. However, as someone with little experience regarding such arcane knowledge, there is a fair chance he simply miscalculated more than just people's will to help." Sammael responded to Sypha's query, untenting his fingers.

Team 2

Ami watched the undead cowboy carefully, her visor not coming up with any useful information. His outfit reminded Mercury of the cheesy western movies Minako imported from England and forced everyone to watch with her. The man would have been funny if not for his knife and the weird feeling he gave her.

"I don't plan on dying here, if that's what you mean," Sailor Mercury said. She wasn't really afraid of death itself, but she imagined Usagi's reaction to one of her close friends and guardians being killed would not be pretty. And who would explain everything to her mother when she never returned home? "Is there any chance I can convince you to let me and my friends here leave in peace?"

Team 3

"Maybe he just wanted to keep the ruse goin'. If everybody is sent to a mission with little purpose and only one comes alive, then it could be suspicious. Whoever did this could just want to give Killboy there a false sense of security by makin' him think that at least he'd have reinforcements with him in case somethin' goes wary and that whoever is doin' this actually cares about him."

Marisa then put her hands behind her head and looked up for a moment, then gave a carefree smirk to Doomguy

"Ya think it worked, Killboy?" her tone was almost taunting, but it sounded honestly curious if not mocking.

Zombie Approaching!

Sheik's ears twitched at the sound of stumbling feet. In a moment her throwing needles were in hand and ready to throw.

"Stay where you are if you mean us no harm. Otherwise prepare to die."

Team 3

I honestly wanted to tell this pale prettyboy that his words were as worthless as his mother in bed, I waited wishing to hear his flimsy suspicions and I could waltz out of his office with vindication. To tell him where he could stick his evidence, and leave giving the angel a double serving of the one finger salute. But his guess of the mission the man of Ipsum gave us hit very close to the mark, and there was now enough doubt there that I couldn't simply brush the angel off.

The more I heard from Sammael and continued to grin the more I felt a grimace pull across my face and boiling rage beginning to peak and bubble over in directions. At Sammael, at the Man of Ipsum (or the Second General, whichever it really was), at the others who had volunteered on this suicide mission, and at myself for not being able to do something to stop this. I still stubbornly clung to the idea that we weren't manipulated and this was not all just a senseless waste of life, but the angel pounded the nail into the coffin of that theory with more ease that I could rationalize it. Worse of all, I knew the feeling that had flashed when Sammael had first made the accusation. It was dread, that I had once again been the sole survivor of a massacre and to forever see the death of others and live was my fate.

More dead people on my hands. Another weight on my shoulders.

"I don't know why we were sent there" I explained, on the defensive. By now I had gripped the front of the table and was leaning forward, wanting to show some sort of control of the situation were in reality wanted to throw that dumb globe across the room and watch it shatter. "He didn't give any instructions before we got sent there. I assumed there'd be further briefing on site" That was not an unreasonable expectation, I thought. It was a common practice in missions when some sort of discretion was required. That we didn't, I attributed to having something to do with Chaos and his companions. And I couldn't give two shits about whatever inter-party skullduggery was going on between the hellspawn.

Marisa's poorly timed ribbing did not help the cluster bomb of anger I was dealing with right now. While perhaps she did not intended it that way, in this particularly vulnerable moment I wanted to lash out at anyone and before I knew it I already had peeled one of my hands of the pale man's desk and raised it up to the height of Marisa's head and balled it into a tight fist, the universal signal of wanting to break the offending person's face. I'm ashamed to say that I had every attention of doing so, if the HUD didn't reflect the look of my face, twisted in anger and confusion and doubt, back to myself and I realized what I was about to do. I brought the fist back down, instead pounding into the desk to admit a wordless defeat. I slumped down into one of the chairs and nodded my head.

"Yeah, Marisa. It did" I finally said, taking in deep breaths to calm myself, although it did little to unwind the knotted feeling in the bottom of my gut. I decided that, whatever the truth was, someone was going to pay in blood and guts.

"Regardless of why you and Mar were sent here after me," I said to Sypha "they're going to regret they did" I then looked to Sammael "IF what you say is true" Still a bit of that stubbornness with a death grip on the Man of Ipsum's innocence " What can I do to fix this?"

Ami

"I think not." Was the response as the undead mercenary pulled out another knife, this time with a pointy end at its tip, making it look a little like a butcher's hook. "This is meant to be a perfect score. One down, three more to go." With those words spoken the merc stopped juggling the jagged knife as he bent a little, taking off the shades with a one swift motion of his head, letting them fall to the floor. Green lights in where its eyes should be shined threateningly as the merc began slowly approaching Ami, knives at the ready.

ALLISTAIR RASMUNSEN, THE SKELETAL ASSASSIN

"My request is simple enough." Sammael's smile vanished in an instant. "Other teams and all their members have to be disposed of, so that Second General or anyone else cannot make any use of them. Killed, crippled or incapacitated, this is of no difference."

Link for her part didn't add anything to Sheik's statement as they faced off against the youth... she simply planted her feet on the floor and then held her shield up, blade instantly on her hand.

Team 4

Guy took a step backwards after his attack seemingly had no effect. "The name's Guy Cecil. Or if you prefer, Gailardia Galan Gardios. I'd like to say that I'm just as fond of you but you and your buddies killed our friend. That's not right."

Team 3

Any and all goodwill or patience I may have with this angel evaporated like a former human getting hit with the BFG 9000 the millisecond I heard what the pasty archangel want us to do. I would have been horrified at the prospect that someone would order the death of other people like if I hadn't already gone through this song a dance before, and I couldn't help of think of my old CO. The one I broke in half. If Marisa or Sypha had something more constructive to say I ruined it as I practically jumped out of the seat and got in Sammael's face.

"Go fuck yourself" I yelled. I could feel my blood boil at that "Those people did nothing wrong but wanting to help someone they thought needed it. They are not the enemy, and if you expect me to harm them then you don't know me as well as you think you do"

Team 2

Sailor Mercury sighed at Allistair's response. Why did the enemy always have to be so stubborn? Since he hadn't made a move yet, she made her own.

"Bubble Spray!" She created a thick, cold mist in the hallway and started moving as soon as she was obscured from view, ducking behind the human ice blocks for protection. He only had knives for weapons, so if Mercury kept her distance, he would be forced to throw them to attack, disarming himself.

Team 3

"Yeah, no way I'm goin' around killin' innocent people just because they were tricked! I ain't a murderer, if you could tell us about what's goin' on, just tell them too!"

Marisa seemed just as irritated by the suggestion as Doomguy was, for the first time she really seemed ticked off by something. What she was taking part in was no game, the fights were for real, deadly, she didn't want to kill anyone that didn't deserve and any others that had been tricked are far from qualifying. If anything, that suggestion only made the witch suspicious about what that Celestial truly had in mind, he seemed all too eager to get rid of everyone, so he likely could be tricking them himself.

Team 3

"I will not harm innocent people trying to help even if they were tricked," Sypha had made the group's decision unanimous. She seemed as pissed off as Doomguy and Marisa at the suggestion and crossed her arms in anger. If Sammael was telling the truth, it was not their fault and they should not be punished for the actions of another.

Ami

Allistair didn't seem to mind this attack as he slowly moved through the mist, holding his knives close to himself and gradually closing the distance towards Sailor Mercury.

At the same time however, now that Ami moved back inside the elevator Murphy let out a battlecry as he swung his scrap metal sword at her back, without rhyme and reason.

Sammael's smile appeared once again on his face as he began clapping in complete disregard for Doomguy's outburst. "Excellent. You've passed your test." He spoke, the emotionless curving of lips ever present. "I needed to see who am I dealing with. While your history of disobeying orders like this one, Mr. Taggart, is well-known to me, I had to make sure that your ventures through Hell didn't make you indifferent to depravity and, by extension, mind manipulation Second General is fond of. This extends to Miss Belnades and Miss Kirisame as well. Suffice to say, I'm pleased." The perhaps-angel took a glance at his pocket watch. "There is another way, of course, and it involves complete destruction of Second General. Any collateral damage done to other parts of demonic army is welcome though optional. That is, naturally, if you are still considering taking part in this operation."

"That's one hell of a fancy name." Night Shooter whistled, chuckling. "Name's Amadeo Nocturne Gunner though Night Shooter works just fine too. Sorry for your pal, but orders are to murderize you all. Hey, that rhymed, kinda!" The chief biker remarked with enthusiasm, grinning.

Team 2

Having forgotten about the only half frozen Murphy, Ami yelped when one of his sword swings got too close for comfort and moved away again. His blade had split part of the back of her uniform, drawing a small amount of blood. A few seconds later she realized that her position was now given away. Going for the element of surprise before she lost it.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Allistair would hear a harp being strummed before multiple powerful bursts of focused water geysers were fired in his direction.

Team 3

Hearing that Sypha and Marisa had my back and agreed me with the same vitriol and defiance is I had (if not the same amount of profanity) increased my own confidence. We were holding together against a singular enemy, and for the first time I felt like I was a part of a team and that these two were people of moral fiber. Of course, it was likely that we'd back attacked, one of the two would be dead, and I would have to drag the survivor out, if there was a survivor, while limping from whatever kind of wound these angels favored towards, but it would be worth it to see this religious shiteater's look on his face.

It was a test.

Well, okay, I had neither expected that nor did I know how to respond to it. At least I managed to slightly back away from the angel so that I wasn't yelling in his face anymore. It was a test. Apparently. Who did this guy this he was, Mr. Miyagi? There was still anger there that now had no where to go, and I did not like being tricked like this, but I was otherwise speechless and bewildered, and instead I responded by smacking my hand on my helmet.

He spoke that he did, in fact, know more of my history. Both my insubordination and my double tour through Hell. It seems he wanted to know if the latter had effected my ability for the former. If that was the kind of manipulation the demon was fond of and stubbornness was what countered it, then I guess I was the right man for the job.

"I may not like you," I responded as Sammael offered the alternative plan: To attack the demons themselves to stop the manipulation. "but I have nothing against killing a few more hellspawn"

Team 4

Guy asked the obvious question. "Who sent you? Why would anyone want us dead? We're trying to save the world here. If you value your life past this next contract, you'd be wise to put a stop to all this."

Team 4

"I have no time for this."

Henno simply drove on, using the traffic by swerving to the left and the right to gain some distance between the truck and the incoming squad cars.

Team 1

"N-no, I... p-please help me..." The teen didn't seem to exhibit any undead traits unlike Goldbaum from earlier. He was incredibly malnourished however and barely stood on his legs. At Sheik's warning he stopped in place, but promptly began sliding down the wall, in his eyes a sort of fear that could only be described as primal. "It's... it's here... will be... help..."

"It's of no use." Allistair dashed forward, a stream of water knocking off his hat, but otherwise leaving him unharmed. The top of his skull now visible, with a quick motion he made his way towards Ami, going for a small slash at her neck, a cost-efficient attack made to incapacitate opponent in a single motion.

"Save the world? That's rich!" Night Shooter roared with laughter. "What kind of crap did that old coot feed you? It's obvious he's out for power of the Abyss himself and just makes use of guilible folks like you - no offense - to stay hidden. Once you're done he'll dispose of you like trash."

"As for your other question, we're Luciferians. Or demons if you don't feel fancy. Alastor wants Abyss to gain an upper hand against Angels, it's as simple as that. I just savor the opportunity for a good brawl, regardless of whether he, Blus or Ipsum is successful."

Meanwhile, Henno had to face with another trouble, namely: a police road block and dozens of guns aimed at the truck. Their commanding captain, also with a megaphone, made his intent clear. "Pull the brake or we'll shoot!" He shouted.

edited 10th Jul '14 3:04:34 PM by FergardStratoavis

Team 4

"I suppose that could be true, but I'm just a bit more inclined to trust the person who hasn't tried to kill me yet. We'll find out the root of this on our own, trust me." Despite Guy's confidence when speaking, he was quite worried about defeating Night Shooter. He had deflected one of his most powerful attacks with hardly a scratch and was still standing strong. This was someone he would not be able to take down on his own.

"You guys still in the truck down there? I could sure use some help!"

Team 1

Concern drowned out fear as the sickly lad stumbled to the ground. Sheik lowered her weapons and ran to the child's aid, needles still in hand.

"Where did you come from?" asked the Sheikah.

Team 1

Nightcrawler moved forward, hands held out to immediately help the boy, but he stopped halfway through. That child... his eyes betrayed what he had gone through. Perhaps seeing a long-eared blue man wasn't the greatest of ideas. Remaining hidden in the semi-darkness, he closed his eyes, so the child could not see yellow orbs floating in the darkness, and began muttering a prayer for his wellbeing.

Team 2

Thinking fast, Sailor Mercury summoned her miniature computer and parried the undead man's knife slash with it, the blade hitting the thick casing instead of cutting her throat open. She pushed it aside and tried another point blank range Mercury Aqua Rhapsody.

Team 4

"WE GOT COMPANY AND THEY'RE BLOCKING THE WAY!"

Henno shouted to Guy before he told the others.

"Anyone disagrees to ramming the roadblock ahead of us?"

Team 1

Seeing the fear of the child and how Sheik was already on their side, Link instead decided to move slightly past them to block the direction from which the boy came... if something was coming for him then better that she and her shield were at the front to confront it. Besides, she didn't want to crowd the shaken boy.