~~GM~~
Collab by myself, @Daedalus725 @Freebird @MiracleKa @Lori
Their forces had suddenly dwindled to basically nothing, except a few stragglers that decided dying wasn't a great idea against the killer robot. They were quick to make a retreat back to the snowcats, to disappear back into the blizzard beyond the edges of Aodh's spell. The lone sniper that had ducked out fast enough to avoid Nina, Blaziken and V1's barrage of attacks was quick to make that same retreat.
He was joined by a handful of cultists that wielded shotguns, as they cowered behind the rocks while their comrades fell in battle. They were ready to fall back with their sniper commander. Only they were instead cut off by, who else,
Nina and Blaziken
As the remaining forces made a retreat, Blaziken let up on her frontal assault and watched the carnage ensue around her. Violence like this was usually only reserved for the toughest Mystery Dungeons, in her world, but it seems to be more commonplace here... Which is both sad and alarming. She'll need to stay on guard.
Leaping forward and landing near the rocks the remaining cultists were hiding behind, the Blaziken saw the other strong fighter on her "side" approaching, as well. Might as well be cordial about all this: after all, they're clearly not playing by Blaziken's usual rules.
"Do you want to let them retreat?" The humanoid avian asks, crossing her arms and pointing her beak at the cowering cultists. "I'm partial to mercy, but..."
As a mercenary by trade, Nina was hardly unused to the notion of having to shed blood as part of her job. Still, unless her employer specifically paid for her to take the life of someone, she isn't one to take lives unnecessarily. "I'm not one to go around unleashing a bloodbath unless it's a requirement of the job," she glanced over at Blaziken.
The Counter shot a cold glare at the cultists who were cowering, drawing her sword out of its sheath by a few inches. "I have no personal grievances with you," she remarked sternly. "So consider yourself warned - leave now if you treasure your lives. Do not give us a reason to reconsider this offer." Her body language was clear; she would allow the remaining cultists to leave in peace - but her partially unsheathed weapon was a signal that if they got up to any monkey business she would make them pay dearly.
The few cultists that did remain all wielded long ranged weaponry, and they each looked at each other, then the unfolding developments with V1, then back to each other, then back to Nina and Blaziken.
Then immediately tried firing upon them with a barrage of gunfire.... The idiots.
Blaziken's pupils narrow and she slams her foot on the ground, summoning another Earthquake in the ice and taking cover beind one of the large ice-boulders that erupt out of the ground, jumping down into a crevice hacked into the ground by her move.
After the initial wave of gunfire, Blaziken growls and nurses a hyper-condensed ball of flame in her beak. Gathering thermal energy in her mouth, Blaziken holds it, holds it, holds it long enough for it to be too hot, even for her...
...Then she fires.
[Blaziken used Blast Burn!]
A singular mote of flame soars across the battlefield, from behind Blaziken's cover... and then explodes violently, multiuple times, into the crowd of cultists. The icy wasteland is turned into a sea of dynamite explosion and napalm eruptions, as the strongest Fire-type attack available to any Pokemon is unleashed upon Blaziken's enemies.
Nina shrank back and threw her arms over her head to shield her face from the blast wave of Blaziken's Blast Burn as the cultists foolishly chose to open fire on them, the swordswoman peeking through the gap between her arms with one open eye to assess the damage done.
As the initial explosions and conflagration died down, Nina dropped her arms and pulled her sword out of its sheath with a fluid, practiced motion. "So you've made your bed, now sleep in it," she monologued as she crossed the now-blazing landscape with fleet-footed strides.
Any cultists who were still left standing in the aftermath of Blaziken's infernal counterattack would find the Counter merc bursting through the sea of fire, her hair billowing in the wind and her jacket flapping dramatically behind her as she dived right into their ranks to perform a series of sweeping slashes with her sword like a human buzzsaw.
-------
At the same time, who was quick enough to do an incredible double backflip short range teleportation to right in front of the cultists closer to the snowcats, landing with a perfect superhero landing with both katanas out?
"Evening boys!" Wade shouted to them all, flipping his swords while standing up again, "I'd say single file only, but I like to share the love around at once!" With that, he quickly took out the first fella charging at him, slashing at his legs, then slicing off his head and giving it a roundhouse kick into the next fella charging at him.
Alex and Laios would be right behind the group for them to do whatever they decided on.
"Right" Laios shouted, using his years of dungeon work, to back up this weird red zombie guy, striking at any upon death is distracted but having to be extra careful do to his lack of armor.
Keep moving. Ask questions later. Even if the one leading them should've been very much dead and was talking utter nonsense, and the other was running through the snow mostly naked. Not that Alex was much better off, really, in his t-shirt and jeans and sneakers. But whatever gibberish the red guy spouted out, at least he seemed competent. And the other guy was handling most of the "cleanup" well enough, leaving Alex mostly free as he followed in tow. The influx of untapped potential that hung in the air was almost intoxicating, souls of the damnable and the dying practically screaming in his ears--along with another voice. Where exactly was the harm in making the most of these men who were already condemned? It was kill or be killed, and he wasn't going to get answers by being dead or useless.
He could already feel the rosary start to burn, as if it was expressing disapproval for merely considering it, but Alex clutched it, stymying the sting. "Fuck it," he muttered as he hung back, letting Wade and Laios rack up the body count for him. He needed to concentrate, and there was no better time to work something big than right now, with plenty of "fuel" to spare himself the cost.
It was a strange sensation, drawing in the souls of the recent dead. Heady, like breathing in too much of a favorite incense or drinking a bit too much wine. There was a certain rush in it as the soul was pulled in, similar to breathing in an early winter morning and just as briskly pleasant. But then there was the rush of memories, of thoughts, of feelings being unravelled into yourself, the last wishes of the dying, and it took a strong will and a stronger soul to not lose yourself amidst them. It was something Alex was practiced at, and it was exactly the element of madness he needed.
Power snaked out towards the remaining assailants now that Alex could see them, wrapping around their minds and distorting their perceptions. Foe to friend, friend to foe--the intake of memories and the heat of combat was dizzying, painful, overwhelming, insane, and Alex willed that madness into the shooters, trying to turn them against each other as much as he could. The rosary blazed white-hot in protest, the stench of burning flesh tainting the air as he concentrated. "All right, Blondie, Little Red! I can't hold this for long--make the most of it!"
"Oi! Big Red!" Deadpool shouted back, kicking one of the now confused cultists right in the dick, then delivering a brain scrambling DDT, then kipping back up onto his feet.
"Little Red has bad connotations!" Another mad cultist tried slashing off Deadpool's head from behind, only to be met with the end of a katana blade struck right through his throat. Yet another mad cultist tried attacking both of them, with Wade using his now dead cultist as a body shield. The sword was lodged right into the shoulder, and with a shove, sent the still alive one towards Laios to do some damage.
Laios taking advantage of the soldiers weekend state to lop his head of. Finding it pretty easy when compared to cutting though the red dragon he's not sure if that's a thought that others would find disturbing if he shared it. He would focus on chopping limbs off of any of his foes when he sees the chance
"Big Red. Noted." Alex shuddered as the last of the soldiers fell, the pain of his bloodied and raw wrist finally registering, the fresh intake of final, brutal moments filling his skull to bursting. But amidst the pain, there was satisfaction. Glee. There was the fleeting impulse to gloat, to drain and defile what was left of their foes, but the revenant hissed and held a hand to his head. The rosary still burned, an echo of disappointment and concern stymying the dark hunger that was almost more overwhelming than the carnage. "Was that the last of them?" he asked after a moment, glancing between the other two and back to the encampment.
With a final slash of his blades across a cultists' throat, sending his head flying into the air and landing perfectly atop one of the exhaust pipes that stick out, Wade realized what Alec was talking about. There weren't any left.
V1 killed all of them that hadn't retreated. Nina and Blaziken did a fair share of stopping those. And Alex, Laios and him were left with pretty much scraps. "Oh... I guess it was."
It was a bit anti-climatic to end it like this, but it was an end. The battle had been won. The cultists and soldiers were defeated, and the village was saved.
------------
The scavengers slowly moved out from cover, keeping their rifles at the ready. But it didn't take them long to realize just how complete their victory was, thanks to the efforts of the scattered. Someone holla'd out from the back, before slowly a cheer began to rang out. Some began to clap, others showed their appreciation by offering hands shakes and back pats.
"Fuckin' A, that was amazing!"
"How the hell did you do all that?"
"I knew not all scattered were bad to have!"
Just some of the comments being passed around as even Nina, Blaziken and Alex were offered praise for their quick actions. "Alright people, let's get this place cleaned up! Someone grab those snowcats, and the search the bodies for anything we can use! You guys," one of the lieutenants told the whole group, "you'll come with me. There's someone you're definitely going to want to meet."
OLD ARMADILLO
That was the name of the town. Built upon some old ghost town, the place was usually more lively when blizzards weren't in the way. As Aodh's spell faded, the snow returned in force, burying the town one more in a sheet of white fluff. Citizens were barricaded inside their homes as a safety precaution for the attack by the Godrick's forces, and until the blizzard subsided, they were remain inside. Arden's forces split up as well to check in on supplies, their power sources, store found items, and get themselves something warm to eat and drink.
Yet, the scattered group were brought to where the town met the base of the mountain. It look to be an old cavern that was originally a mineshaft, but expanded by unnatural means. Like someone pushed the rocks back to open up more space. No tools or explosives needed. Covering the entrance of the cavern was a large rock door that looked impossible to move. It was so big and bulky, it would probably take twenty men to move them.
Yet, slowly they opened up. And standing right in the center of the doors, pushing them open... was a small girl dressed in a green attire.
TOPH
"What are you ladies doing?! Get inside before you let a draft in!" She shouted to everyone. Once they were inside, she closed the doors like it was nothing. The whole cavern, lit up with both electrical lights and torches, was filled with different scattered. Aliens, humanoids, actual humans, species from a dozen different worlds working together. Some organizing their own supplies, others keeping the warmth going, and a few running around to send out reports. This was like some sort of resistence operation. And right in the center of the cavern was a large white tent, with a man inside coordinating everything with another man by his side. A female Turian by the looks of it.
"Hey Adrian! Visitors are here!"
Adrian Carton de Wiart
"Ah good. Our newest arrivals," the officer mentioned aloud, giving out a piece of paper to the cyborg, "give this over to Jensen, then have him report back to me with the findings," he asked of the Turian, who quickly saluted him and ran off. "Apologies for not sending out aid during your fight. With the blizzard going on, we couldn't risk troops getting ambushed or lost." He then addressed the group, grabbing a pipe that was on the table.
"But you've got injured I see. Oakyli!" The officer shouted to the far end of the tent. A Sylvari came running over with a box of medical supplies.
"We've wounded here. Treat them as best you can."
"We're running low on antibiotics, sir. I can only spare a few, but not enough to deal with the injured we already have."
"Any word from Kapor?"
"None, sir."
"Check with communications again afterwards. See if we can't reach him. The storm is likely intefereing with radio." The officer instructed, before the Sylvari then moved over to Alex, taking his arm and leading him over to a chair to sit down on while he checked his wound. "Adrian Carton de Wiart. Leftenant-General of the British Empire. Our 'mushroom' is Oakyli. And Toph is our door lady. I take it you all have some questions?"
