sheep_game | Rescue Rangers

[ Acheron is going to take some sort of cover behind one of the cubicle walls in an attempt to avoid those flying claws. He has to take a second to breathe and scrub the tears from his face but does manage to peek around the structure with his pistol (loaded with poison coated bullets) at the ready. If he can find an opening he'll take it but he's not sure he should waste the bullets when she can melt into... ink? ]

[runs, rolls, and narrowly dodges what's being thrown- coming into position near Melody's cubicle and taking cover where available. he switches to honeysuckle rounds and peeks his head out, lining up a shot or two, no visible hesitation, and aiming for vital areas on the legs to (hopefully) incapacitate the target.]

[ Scarab is not wasting any words on this woman. The closest he comes is an irriated growl when her arm reforms.

The claws retract, and his suit surges up to envelop his hands entirely and form into ARM BLADES. LIKE ARMS, BUT BLADES!!! These he's infused with the wolf poison that Perci developed, and these he's going to try to stab directly opposite where one of those honeysuckle bullets has hit, aiming to go as deep as he can before violently wrenching them back out ]

Do you have ANY idea who you're talking too--GAH!

[JUST GETS SHOT. AND KEEPS GETTING SHOT. It doesn't seem to have any immediate effect, even the honeysuckle, as her 'real' body seems to be made of the inky, black ooze, and it constantly recovers and heals. However, when one hits her mask, a crack forms. She immediately raises a sleeve to protect the rest of it, leaving her open for some slashes from Scarab. This time, though once again the cuts reform from the gunk, that wolf poison may slowly be working its way in, as she makes a sound of retching, though they can't see her face.]

Stop. . .STOP SHOOTING ME YOU BRUTES!!

[She moreso howls it than screams it, sending out a wave of shadows, a fear effect. (roll a 1d10, if 5 or higher they see minor hallucinations but can fight through, less than 5 they see another member as something horrifying/dangerous.]

[ROLLED A 10, SHE AIN'T GOT NOTHING ON WHAT DEATH DID TO LILY AFTER RITUAL TWO

he's holding the sunflowers steady in the crook of his elbow, still blasting her head and mask with sunlight. gets the bag with the potato/hollyboy hybrids open with his free hand, scoops them up, and throws the poisonous little things at her too; even if they just sink into the ink they'll probably still hurt her]

[ALSO ROLLED A 10.

and he's noticing that reaction to the crack in the mask and he's aiming for a cheek.]

Nah, don't think I will.

[Lethe was messing around with the computer on his desk when the chaos broke out, so he's caught flat-footed when the fighting starts. it takes him longer to react than normal, but he jumps off his chair and slides for partial cover too; those damn knives can go straight into his space without any problems.

since the crew is already aiming for the mask, Lethe jumps right into connecting everyone with his Teacher skill ((sorry for the tl;dr, we have newbies in the group)) as long as they accept it. normally he wouldn't do this for everyone immediately, but he also tries to connect Miss Bea to them via a one-way connection, so that they can anticipate where and how she is going to attack but she can't anticipate their moves back. whether that has any effect on a shadow beast remains to be seen, but he's sure gonna try anyways!]

Don't let her get close to anyone. She bites.

[ 1, as expected

Anything coming into his brain is initially, at least, shut out by the wave of fear that hits him hard. The first instinct he has is to look to Bombay, his partner, trying to see him through the shadows and confirm he's okay-- But all he sees is another inky wolf, all fur and ink and teeth gnashing and seeming to move toward him - ]

Shit-- where the hell did this thing come from?!

[ his arms are shaking as he aims his gun and fires before anyone can say a thing ]

[7, but gonna eat a bullet ig

it doesn't take much effort to see through the hallucinations. however, that initial impact catches him off guard. though he maintains his focus on the enemy, switching tactics to shooting the mask instead, he doesn't account for friendly fire from his own partner (thanks????). not picking up another enemy in his peripheral when he hears Acheron shout, he doesn't immediately turn his attention to him before he feels something hit him in his side, and he grunts from the shock of it.

welp. he's been shot enough to know what that is.]

Acheron--!

[he's partially knocked off balance, but keeps his grip on his gun. wtf just happened???]

[ ROLLED A 5! Whatever vision he sees seems to just infuriate him even more, and he surges in to try to bury a poisoned blade deep in the shoulder of Bea's least injured arm. May as well try to disable as many limbs as possible!! And thanks to Lethe's warning, he's keeping his other arm drawn up defensively to keep his face and throat shielded as best he can.

He also doesn't hesitate to accept the teacher skill. His senses are fully engaged in the fight, in staying peripherally aware of everyone else in the room, in monitoring ~~his~~ Ananke's body (which he perceives like a detailed clinical report rather than any physical sensation). Anyone who tries to focus on Scarab's senses for that last item will get the sense that 'all systems are stable'. ]

Edited 2024-01-19 00:23 (UTC)

Stupid. . .barbarians! Ggh!

[At least that's now two less people shooting at her, though Styx's shot is blocked by another sleeve, the bullet being absorbed and then shot back out at high speed. She gears up for another shadow attack only to have to shrink back due to all the hecking SUNFLOWERS. She tries to dodge Scarab, but the poison makes her sluggish, and she practically throws herself across the table to get away from him, leaving a trail of ooze.

And then--what's this? Lethe with the Teacher Skill?? Definitely a boost for them. . .but not so much being connected with Bea. While she can't sense their moves, they all get a bit more than anticipating her moves. Her thoughts seem to flood the whole office, and

This can't be happening. I must. I MUST live, for him--Is it happening again? Like before? They'll take everything, kill everyone! Trampled, destroyed, there's no hope, we're done for--no, no keep it together, don't let Him win, that pit is too deep, you're better than this WE'RE BETTER THAN THIS no no no no no stop--!!

KEEP YOUR MASK ON!!

A shriek, and even if they expect it, it doesn't stop it. Numerous blades pierce from her body and then shoot forward indiscriminately, like an inky blade filled nail grenade.]

[good: the Teacher skill means he can feel the bomb coming, and that he should NOT dive into the cubicle and accidentally kill both hostages. ducks around the side of it instead, yelling]

Acheron, Bombay, GET DOWN! Stop shooting each other! Don't aim at the door! Try to get her mask!

[bad: he himself is a bit too slow to totally avoid that blast and he doesn't have full cover anyway, so he does get kinda stabbed a lot. oops.

neutral: it doesn't seem to faze him while he's running on this much adrenaline, so he gets the sunlight on her again and starts casting a spell, though it'll take a few seconds. anyone who vibe checks him through Teacher can feel him very steady and unrattled despite the pain and chaos, fear and panic coldly sublimated until the fight is done.]

Edited 2024-01-19 01:19 (UTC)

Jesus fuckin'--

[thank fuck for the Teacher skill so he's not going to the cubicles to block the attack. also thank fuck he's used to getting impaled and such, so he mostly just crouches low and tries to minimize the amount of lethal spots that can be hit even while he keeps his gun trained on that mask and shoots again.

he's sturdy enough to take a few hits without his aim getting knocked too much. sometimes you're trained for shit like this specifically. kinda.]

[ he's still too stunned and frightened to fully register whether or not he gets hit by Bea's attack. His pistol wavers but stays aimed at Bombay even though his attention is being split because of her shriek-- ]

[that panicked look in Acheron's eyes is enough to tell him shit is going down in his head. unfortunately there's no time to hold his hand and talk about feelings and shit.

he rushes out of cover, with some claws grazing him, and managing to take a couple of shots at the mask as he moves toward Acheron--

while shouting at Charon.]

I can handle myself, watch your own ass!

[and sure enough, he seems fine despite a bullet being lodged in his side. in seconds he's on Acheron, grabbing the gun and knocking him out, still maintaining cover. don't need him shooting anyone else or getting himself hurt.

after a breath he's back to shooting at the mask.]

[ Being covered in a fancy armored supersuit means he is not worrying about those knives at all. Most of them bounce right off, and when a few do pierce through enough to deal damage he only slows down for a few fractions of a second. Through the teacher skill connection comes the faint echo of Ananke's thoughts, muffled and distant, but firm: "Don't you dare stop!"

Scarab gives chase, hopping up on the table and darting over it after her and slashes furiously at anything within reach with one arm blade while he shifts the other back into a clawed hand. ]

Edited 2024-01-19 02:25 (UTC)

Brutes! Animals! I knew it, I KNEW IT!

[Shrieking, panic, fear--no no no!! Another shot from Styx, another crack. What would one more do. . .? Another slice from Scarab as she stumbles backward, this time near the cubicles. With Teacher they anticipate another attack--but this time it's not knives. She pulls back a sleeve, this time revealing a human's hand. . .

And she simply slaps at Lethe's cubicle, before darting out the way. That's enough to count for attempting to escape. The tiled office floor begins to shake, and Lethe's cubicle drops. Someone will need to do some quick maneuvering if they don't want a mess on the bottom floor. Melody's cubicle remains in tact for now. ]

[his fear resistance is gone you monster]

OH COME ON!

[the whole cubicle is dropping and there's no reason to behave anymore so he's just going to shove the whole ass desk that's in there with him into one of the walls in the hopes that it breaks the barrier he's stuck in]

[well he doesn't know if this will work but it's the best shot he has in the moment:

the spell he was casting was Pale Palace. the reason he yelled not to aim at the door becomes apparent because a portal suddenly opens up on it, and a bigass blue-and-white dragon flows through, fanged jaws agape.

he WAS going to blast Bea and her mask with it, but the second she hits the cubicle he swings it around. huge jagged shards of ice thud into the opening -- if they can smash the barrier they'll pin the back of the cubicle into the wall behind it. it might not hold it for long if successful, but it might give Lethe time to get out, or somone else to dive in and grab him.

sorry to Lethe specifically who can sense how his head just exploded with pain but we do what we must]

[well, good news about person who has been trying to get that fucking mask--he ain't afraid to start moving over toward the cubicle even though it does put him closer to Bea. all the better to get a clearer aim while guarding where Lethe might try to climb out of the cubicle or someone might try reaching for him. GUARDING THE EXIT.]

C'mon, now. I wanna see what kinda pretty smile ya got behind that shitty mask.

[aaaand he takes another shot at that mask.]

[leaving Acheron safely tucked away, he charges in for backup. now acting as another line of defense guarding the exit, he takes aim at the cracks previously formed in the mask and fires off a couple of shots after Wolfwood.]

[ Scarab roars in wordless rage when the cubicle drops, raising the clawed hand for a strike—and there's Ananke coming through the Teacher Skill again: "No noNOGETHIM!!!"

The roar cuts short with a choked off noise of frustration and he whips around to dive towards the falling (pinned???) cubicle. If the barrier's still up then he's BLASTING IT WITH ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY BEAMS FUCK YOU BARRIER LET HIM THROUGH, but otherwise is going to entirely focus on grabbing Lethe and dragging him back to stable ground near Charon and Styx ]

[GOOD: the the dragon's ice manages to pin the cubicle without like, also skewering Lethe. Somehow. Sure.

BAD: the floor still crumbled beneath it and there's a whole ass desk and computer in there, the former which Lethe is trying to crash through the barrier with. Gravity is a bitch when you're suspended in air, so the bottom of the cubicle gives way to the weight, crumbling as well, leaving Lethe now free falling.

THE BETTER: IT'S OKAY SCARAB CAN FLY AND IS PULLING LETHE BACK UP. ripperoni to that computer.

As stated Melody's cubicle is perfectly in tact! Oh. Hey. What's that hissing sound. Some kind of gas is starting to fill it. Hm. Well don't worry about that it'll take a while. Well, maybe worry about Melody, who's coughing up black gunk.

MEANWHILE, THIS BITCH. In the ensuing chaos she lunges for the remote for the tv, fumbling with it, briefly cutting to a feed of the others being tortured in various ways, but that's not what she's after. Another press, and the tv begins to move, revealing a hidden passage in the wall she makes a beeline for. . .or tries to, anyway. Bang bang.

First it's Styx's bullet, it hits her mask dead center, and then Bombay's follows up shattering what hold remains from previous cracked areas. It slowly begins to crumble away, revealing a very human looking woman's face, aside from her fangs and yellow eyes. She looks at them wide eyed, going pale, fear practically oozing from her. . .but it's not fear of the intruders. It's something else.]

What. . .what have you done. . .!

[hey all that black ooze and ink on her? It's starting to consume her. Stand by. Or don't! I'm not your boss.]

[ELLIE SAID LETHE DIVED BEHIND THE DESK OUTTA THE WAY OF EARLIER MISSILES LET ME LIVE

there is a lot going on here. hm.]

Hold fire.

[even as he says that he grabs more of the sunflowers, snapping them all to on. just absolutely blasting the shadow ooze with sunlight now, avoiding that revealed face and any non-ink body parts.

it would take him a whole extra ten seconds to do anything about Melody's cubicle so he trusts one of the others will go for her.]

[ melody is not much help, unfortunately, there's quite a bit of blood and she is coughing up some shady black substance continuously. her skin also looks.... weirdly porcelain? like a doll's. she's just slumped against the wall ]

[ she does manage to squeak out: ]

Lethe-san... Is he alright?

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