Wealth in all its forms (Closed)

(I want to apologize in advance, It has been 1 day short of 2 months since this RP saw its last post. Everyone participating except for C.S.O. so far knows why; I've been battling with some clinical depression for the last ~month or so, and I just really want to say I'm sorry for not making a post sooner.)


Danielle was only barely able to make out the voice of Samantha over the roar of her own weapon, pulling her finger off of the trigger and immediately silencing her own gunfire. The six barrels continued to rotate from their momentum, and let out a loud clicking as each barrel made its way past the inactive firing mechanism. And she certainly wasn't able to see the magi hedgehog through the smoke and dust kicked up by her outburst.

As she had stopped though, she was able to hear Xenox and catch a glimpse of his glowing optical sensors through the darkened and foggy hallway. "Sound? What sound?" She shouted, ears still ringing from the extraordinarily loud cacophony of her handheld gatling gun. There was a certain anxious fury coursing through her veins. Her weapon stayed firmly held in her small hands at waist level, as the cat's only concern right now was for the safety of her team.


She could feel herself still vibrating from the heavy thud-thud-thud of the deadly weapon, even after it had stopped. And despite not being unable to see Samantha, as well as only barely even hearing her, Danielle knew she was nearby. However, she hadn't had any indication as to where Lisa or Karn were.

Karn, for one, was nowhere to be seen at the entrance of the facility where the bulk of the violence had taken place. He was remaining perfectly still as a concrete statue in the darkness someplace else. 


"Where's K-" The red cat began to ask of Samantha in a fearful rush before being interrupted by an assault of the Armored figure's battle rifle.

From there, things really went to hell. Lisa jolted to her feet as the gunfire erupted from behind her. The equine was hardly able to see much through the plumes of dust still coming to settle, and assumed that Danielle had once again opened fire, and was completely unaware that the soldier had run past to undertake some task back inside the ruins. She stood between the Red Cat, Samantha, Xenox, and the attacking soldier. Danielle spun in the direction of the attack, only to be blocked by the hulking horse darting up through the smoke.


"Danielle, st--Aghk!" She boomed, trying to intervene in what she thought was the security chief's loose trigger, but being proven wrong by several unguided bullets thumping into her thick arms and back. The massive equine thrust out one of her now wounded arms and tried to, very quickly and forcefully, usher the three other mobians around the corner and up the ramp away from the attack.

"Lisa get out of the fffffffffRICKING WAY!" The red cat screamed in response to being shoved up the ramp, trying to get back into the engagement. "Samantha, light up this bloody joint with some of your magic! Xenox find where that bastard went!" The cat was visibly angered, and glared directly into the huffing horse's eyes, silently defying the equines attempt at removing the team from the danger.


---------------------------------- Karn ---------------------------------------------

Karn was perfectly still, barely even changing back to his living state to close his eyes from the horror unfolding before him. There was gunfire, heavy gunfire, and people screaming. Some security officer he was now. Of course self-doubt and fear were flooding into his mind as the hallway ahead of him lit up like the Fourth of July and the tall intruder began making his way towards the coyote. 

Thankfully, it seemed that the soldier wasn't coming for the orange canine, and made a sharp right into an adjacent room, shouting to some unknown figure in his helmet. 

On the flip side, while the coyote had the lack of an engagement with the clearly insane intruder to be grateful for, there was apparently something else he had to be un-grateful for. A metal hand grasped onto his currently concrete neck, as if creeping around an obstacle for a vantage point. It was frightfully cold, and the feint sound of the metal claws scraping against his stone-skin was now the only thing Karn could hear; tunneling his senses into that single sensation.

[Oh lord chaos. Chaos Gaia Chaos Gaia Chaos Gaia Chaos ...]

The metal hand slid off of his neck, and there was something next to him now, slowly striding past him, almost entirely unnoticing of the fact that Karn was more than merely a lump of rock. He couldn't see it in the dark corridor, but its eyes glowed with a feint redness that seemed to flicker on and off. Like a machine attempting to reboot itself over and over.

The entity ducked into the doorway where the soldier had entered.

---------------------------------- Shrike ---------------------------------------------

While suppressive fire may have allowed the freelancer to momentarily escape the onslaught of the security team, it seemed that the rest of his mission wasn't going to get much easier. The communications radio cut out as Shrike ended his contact with the mysterious speaker.

The terminal flickered as it barely managed to come to life under the human's touch. It was certainly cracked and damaged; melted beyond almost any recognition, and caked in thick layers of dust that flaked off with each tap of the soldier's fingers. The only way he was going to extract any data from this thing was with a direct connection device, which thankfully enough the grey fox had provided him before sending him deep into the bowels of the facility, knowing that was going to be the case.

The download began.

If the soldier had any motion-tracking technology, it would certainly be flaring up as the metal newcomer at first slowly crept its way into the room before suddenly lunging at the busily engaged freelancer.

--------------------------------- Wolf ----------------------------------------------

The Mole, Fennec, and Rabbit each quietly dipped into the bushes behind Wolf as he beckoned them away from the path, careful to keep as low as they can in response to the clearly indicated desire for concealment. They each obediently crouch as well, despite not being asked to; Wolf was the leader, and it was crunch time.

Pan held her hand over the crackling communicator, cupping any tangible noises it let out and directing them away from the surrounding shrubbery in an attempt to prevent it from giving away their position. The device was still turned on in case Francis or John ended up getting their side of the signal functioning again amidst the battle, but so far it hadn't yielded any noise that wasn't audible from their vantage point in the forest; mostly just gunfire and destruction.

"They may need help now Wolf, but what about you? You might get hurt too, if you can help, then we can help too! The rest of the archeology team is out there as well; We could at least try and evacuate them?" She was clearly shaking in pure fear as rain pelted down on them from above, but if Wolf had the courage, then surely she could rise something within Pan and Lucas that'd give her the strength to go out and help.

Pan was skeptical of Crystals plan, and seemed more on-board with laying low for the moment. After all, it meant that Wolf could relay a message if things turned pear-shaped and then at least Danielle would know if something bad happened.

"Look, if Wolf manages to find John or Francis, he should be able to make communication with them and organize some sort of evacuation- if it's possible- for the rest of the crew. They would surely be already trying to get everyone out safely, we're civilians for chaos' sake."

The way the grey wolf phrased it certainly did spark enough within Pan to keep her wary of the fact that there could be more danger lurking within the forest. It wasn't exactly a strict fact that it would all already be engaging the team. This whole thing could have been a set up, and right now lying low could very well be the safest option.

Lucas, however, was allowing a small amount of curiosity to override his fear. "Volf, my mageek includez ze heeling. If you vould like me to come along in ze behind I can be quieet. If not, zen please take zis." He took a water-soaked flower from atop his head and held it in his hands for a moment before it began to glow a dull green. "If you drink ze rain from zis, zen it vill heal a zingle bullet-wound. I hear many of zem out zere, and if eet is ze enemy zen zis flower vill protect you."

Samantha was relieved to hear that she could be heard over the gun, and was just about to switch to a magic to clear the smoke... When they were shot at with suppressing fire.

Damn it, they spooked him after all.
Besides that, Samantha got a bit peeved at Danielle's order, and switched to a green book.

"Not how it works, and ENOUGH WITH THAT GUN!" "Garu!"

Samantha manifested a gust of wind! Hoping to clear the smoke away as she moved in front of Danielle, wasn't too hard, she was being quite loud.

"Please darling, just leave with the others! I notice that Karn isn't here, so I will find him, I'm more than capable." "But for chaos' sake, leave!"

Lisa got hurt too, she could help with that, but she needed to check on Shrike. Karn was honestly just 'on the way.' as cruel as the thought was.
Wasn't going to stop Xenox though, the help would be appreciated.

Xenox was still focusing on trying to locate the sound’s origin when he was hit in the head by one of the armored mystery person’s bullets. It caused him to stumble and shorted out his optical lights. He held a hand to his head where the bullet hit, trying to feel if there was a hole. Thankfully there was just a dent, but Xenox decided to do a diagnostics check anyway.

- DIAGNOSTICS RESULTS: OPTICAL LIGHTS OFFLINE -
- ATTEMPTING TO REBOOT OPTICAL LIGHT SYSTEM… -

After a few moments, Xenox’s optical lights flickered back on as he sighed that nothing needed immediate repair. He heard Danielle shout to find the armored person.

=While I would love to find them Miss Danielle, I’m afraid we have a bigger problem coming our way. Something big. I still can’t figure out what it is exactly, but my sensors are definitely picking up disturbance from something heading our way.=

Wolf looks to Crystal.

"It's best that you stay here for the moment. If there were a way to bring all of you there and be sure that you'd be safe, I'd be willing to do so. I just can't do so without knowing if I can protect the three of you, and that has to be my first concern. I'm... reasonably sure that I'll be okay on my own." he says, "If you're all out here, then you're not in immediate danger and you at least have a chance of being able to just sneak away out of sight rather than being out in the open."

He looks over to Pan.

"I'll do what I can to help the others at camp. Hopefully I can actually help stop whatever is happening there. If not, perhaps I can at least help the others to escape to safety. Send them back this way so they can meet up with Danielle and then the three of you could join them." he adds.

He then looks to Lucas.

"If they are able to come this way, they'll definitely need your help then. But if I were to bring you there and you were seen healing others... that might make you a bigger target for whatever is there. I will take the flower though... Hopefully it won't be needed." he then says, before carefully accepting the offered flower.

He takes a few moments to consider where the keep it, deciding to just tuck the stem under the belt his swords we're sheathed on. He glances around at the three of them.

"Alright. So stay out of sight and keep quiet. If the sounds of fighting stop and I don't get back here within a few minutes or if you hear someone else out here, head back for Danielle and assume the worst. Otherwise, I'll come back here to get you myself." he adds.

He looks back at Crystal, noting her apparent fear, then reaches over and rests his left paw on her right shoulder.

"Just keep calm, alright?" he tells her, "You don't need to try and do anything beyond that."

((Ok so, unfortunately Shrike has indicated he's no longer interested in the RP, but I'd really like to push forward with the story as we're only just starting the final act.))

---------------------------------- Shrike ---------------------------------------------


"Download complete"

Were the flickering, dull green words that appeared on the console in front of the soldier. The only thing operable about the machine was it's basic operating system, but the device his scientist friend had given him was designed to work around that. So the words were not conventional in their presentation, as if part of some graphical user interface, but rather appeared as a single line of letters amidst a flurry of commands and data streams.

"Finally!" The mint-visored soldier shouted, just as the newest piece of the game slammed into his back from behind. The freelancer spun around in a blur, large metal claws trying to tear at his neck but only managing to catch on his shoulder plates. This was going from bad to worse. Frantically reaching one hand forward to recover the downloaded data, he threw himself backwards, onto the no-longer-useful console, slamming the attacker. 

While it was far from enough to maim the robotic assailant, it was just enough to allow Shrike to pull himself away from its hold and commando roll across the room. He'd put just enough space between himself and the furthest wall to try a foolhardy escape attempt. It was going to be dangerous, but he needed to get out now.

He threw his GMR 70 Assault rifle down into the palm of his hand and wasted no time in unloading a grenade into the far wall. The explosion itself let out a shockwave which winded him, and the shrapnel blasted every which way. He was bleeding from somewhere, but-

The concrete wall which had been worn away by water damage and time was essentially evaporated by the blast, and with no more support for the cracked portion of the already collapsing roof of the ruined facility, there was a cave in. About 2 metric tons of earth and concrete flooded into the far side of the elongated storage room, along with a small amount of grey light, and the first pitter-pattering of rain.

A clattering of metal indicated that the robot had already fled the room, intimidated by the freelancer's drastic measure and impressive use of force, and with his mission complete, Shrike retreated out of his new exit.

---------------------------------- Team ---------------------------------------------

Danielle, whose blood was currently pumping a little faster and harder than it perhaps should have been, was more than a little annoyed by Samantha's ordering. While yes, the small red cat was doing a fair amount of barking herself, she felt it justified by the fact she was the supposed leader of the group. But perhaps in this instance she wasn't. After all, guns were always equal to guns. Magic however, could be far more.

The clarity that they now had without the large plumes of dust and smoke was certainly an aid in the communication of the group, but it seemed that with everyone yelling, communications were going just fine.

Danielle was in a state of mind to shout down the hedgehog, but when Xenox spoke up, she looked over to him, and in the process managed to catch sight of Lisa, who was bleeding in no small amount onto the dusty floor. "For Chaos' sake!" She growled to nobody in particular, though directing any fury she had in her frustration at Samantha. "Very well Xenox. You go with Samantha, she'll find Karn and you keep close with her. If you spot whatever the problem is that's coming our way then give a shout. I'll take care of her-" She said, bundling up her massive weapon back into its briefcase and slinging the much larger horses arm around her neck. "And you guys make sure Karn's-!"

There was a cacophonous explosion from the direction the armored soldier had gone. Followed by a tremendous crashing that seemed to rumble the entire very structure of the ruins they were standing in. Danielle ducked and winced as the thundering hellfire boomed around them, and then quickly shot up, giving Samantha and Xenox a look of fear and urgency. 

Being just herself and their muscle having been taken down by Shrike, it seemed Samantha and Xenox were the safest bet for recovering Karn from whatever the hell just happened and getting everyone out of here alive. Shrike, at this point, was already gone into the surrounding tropical rainforest.

Danielle slowly but hurriedly hauled Lisa up the ruined concrete ramp, gentle rain beginning to pitter-patter down on them from above. They needed to get back to camp ASAP, Pan had taken their medical equipment.

---------------------------------- Karn ---------------------------------------------

Karn was only just starting to consider un-concreting himself and making a break for the exit when a massive explosion rang out from the room in front of him. Chunks of rock and metal dinged against the wall through the long-deteriorated open doorway.

"Oh CHAOS!" He wailed, nerves barely holding on. 

He very quickly froze himself back together when the metallic figure darted out of the room where the detonation had taken place, obviously fleeing whatever had happened. The coyote feared that it may have been the creature's doing... And now it was clearly heading for the rest of the team.

---------------------------------- Wolf ---------------------------------------------

Crystal was obviously worried about Wolf, but her own fear had her essentially paralyzed. She wanted to help him, but didn't know how. While the small blue rabbit knew he could handle himself, the situation was just far too overwhelming. She listened quietly to his instruction and then nodded, silently huddling herself up into a bundle with her knees to her chest, sitting on the muddy forest floor.

Pan was in overall agreement with Wolf on this one. There was very little that she could do to help, and while it sounded selfish, it was more likely that she'd get hurt or even killed than if she lay here in wait.

Lucas gave Wolf a reassuring smile of acknowledgement. He wasn't the only healer on the team, but it looked like he was going to have quite a bit of work when the evacuees started coming... though it would be difficult to tell if they were evacuees or imposters. What mattered most to the fennec was that people were safe. Those who were already safe- Pan and Crystal- could stay that way. Wolf was right, the small fox charging in to heal people in the fray would be too dangerous, so keeping people safe when they got out here was something he could do without compromising the other two of their group.

A small, but nonetheless thumping, explosion rang out from somewhere in the campsite, followed by a chorus of shouting and panicked yells. The women's tents- which were the only ones that could be seen from their hiding place in the underbrush, however blurry it was through the torrential rain- collapsed as something big was thrown through several of the thin, fabric structures.

Lucas let out a small gasp, and Pan took to caring for Crystal who had begun to stare  off into the dark forest. "You had bezt be karrful." He said quietly, and with another small nod as he backed off into the bushes.

It was impossible to see what had been thrown through the tents, as the rain that seemed to blast from the darkened heavens turned any distinguishable colors into a blurred mess, but it had clearly been a large thing. Object or person, let alone friend or foe, was impossible to tell.

She wasn't entirely happy with how Danielle reacted to her orders, but the slap that she was- admittedly- planning would only serve to make things worse.

After the explosion, which she was half-expecting at this point, Samantha gave a solemn nod, as she dashed off in the direction of Karn.
The metallic sounds in the distance prompted her to summon the grey book once again, casting a spell in preparation.

"Tetrakarn."

The next non-magical impact she suffers will be reflected onto the one who caused it.

When the explosion happened, Xenox quickly went into a defensive stance in the direction of the noise, materializing a copy of Lisa's staff. When he heard Danielle's order, he nodded to her and said,

=Do not worry Miss Danielle. Miss Samantha and I will find Karn and get him out of here. You just worry about getting Lisa some help.=

Xenox then followed after Samantha as he began to start scanning for any life signatures other than Samantha's.

Wolf glances over the trio that had been left in his care and who he was choosing to leave behind for the time being. He wasn't sure that Danielle would approve of what he was doing, but he wasn't sure that he'd be able to just walk away from what was going on and be able to carry the guilt, especially if he could do something to help everyone left at the camp now.

The explosion in the camp quickly drew his focus back to the moment and he glances in the direction of its source, before returning his attention to Lucas.

"I'll be careful. I'd like to get out of this in one piece with the three of you and everyone else." he replies.

He gives the trio a quick nod, before turning and heading back through the bushes, staying low as he heads back out to the path connecting the camp to the dig site. Once he emerges from the underbrush, he turns back to face the direction Crystal, Pan and Lucas were and quickly does what he can to destroy the footprints the four of them had left in the mud so that if anyone came this way, it wouldn't be clear what direction they had left the path on.

Once that was done and he was now crouching in the path where their footprints came to an end, he reaches behind himself to withdraw his short swords. Holding one in each paw on either side of him, he takes a calming breath, relaxes and focuses. If anyone was watching him, they might notice a faint glow form around him from head to toe. It would be more noticeable since it had grown darker out, but there wasn't much that Wolf could do to address that. He looks ahead towards the camp... and then disappears.

At almost the exact same moment, Wolf reappears on the path but only a short walk to where it led into the campsite the teams had established. Wolf takes a moment to listen intently and glance around, checking to see if anyone was nearby or if they react to his sudden appearance.

(It's been almost 2 months. I'm really sorry y'all. I've just started getting back into work.)

---------------------------------- Team ---------------------------------------------

It was now just the two of them, Xenox and Samantha. Them, a lost coyote, and something. As far as they were aware, the initial, helmeted intruder was just super pissed at the moment, but in actuality he was long gone. Even though the mazelike ruin, built with thick concrete and earth was enough to dull the strongest of sensors, Xenox was immediately able to locate Karn with his advanced Nocturnus senses.

Oddly, it didn't seem Shrike was anywhere to be seen on his indicators.

The coyote was cold, but identifiable, having morphed back into a statue. He was only around the corner to their immediate left, and a little further ways down the dark hallway. Before they'd be able to spot his silhouette in the shadows, however, something mobian-shaped -and seeming to glimmer in the dull, overcast sunlight that barely filtered in through the entrance to the ruin- leapt out at the arcane Hedgehog.

A flurry of metal, the thing tried to grab ahold of Samantha with long, glistening claws, but her spell took effect immediately, throwing the creature back into the shadows. 


Exactly what the hell just happened was a mystery. Everything was such a steaming mess. But at the same time, perhaps it was best not to let curiosity take the forefront of thoughts, and instead take the failed attack as a sign they should grab Karn and bolt, or prepare a counter for another inevitable attempt.

---------------------------------- Wolf ---------------------------------------------


Whether or not Danielle approved of Wolf's actions was inconsequential. He wasn't Danielle, and given her hasty reaction back at the ruins, Wolf was probably better-suited to making sure everyone else stayed safe. Would there have been another option anyway had she been there?

The trio watched as he slinked out into the wet underbrush, glistening dimly in the subtle moonlight.

Lucas, while believing that Wolf's plan was a good one, figured he'd be much more useful being a little further away from the other pair. As Wolf smudged away their muddied footprints, the fennec began crawling further back the path in the direction they had come, as well as a little closer to it. The soggy flowers amidst his now soaked fur would soon lose their potency. And while Wolf's spell-imbued dowry would work, new enchantments wouldn't. So Lucas needed a fresh batch.

Pan, understanding what it was they needed to do in order to prepare for any incoming survivors, made sure to bundle herself and Crystal underneath a large enough frond. Being somewhat out of the rain, the mole was able to open up the medkit she'd carried in her logistical rucksack and double check its contents.

While Lucas and Pan were busy fulfilling their duties, Crystal was able to catch a glimpse of the Wolf channeling his energy. It was mystical, and it reminisced somewhat of the fennec's own glowing flowers. While Lucas's flowers glowed much more vibrantly than the wolf, it was a unique spectacle to see an entire figure glowing in such a way. She quietly marveled from her cold, shaky bundle under the frond.

However her quiet observations change very quickly when Wolf disappears. The small, frightened rabbit let out a short gasp, catching the attention of Pan and causing her to duck down, frantically scanning the perimeter for any sign of hostility, only to see nothing.

Their conversation, as it occurred, was too far away from Wolf to be heard over the clamor of rain pelting down on the tropical underbrush. As he approached the camp from his new position, he heard a "psst" from somewhere amidst the underbrush to the right side of the path. Followed by a much less subtle, however still whispered "oh good chaos, it's Beta team"

Anyone with a keen eye would be able to detect the muddied forms of the Crocodile which Samantha had made her detour to setting up camp with, and 2 other well-dressed mobians, huddling underneath a smattering of bromeliads. The first suited mobian was a Jay, female, and the second an Axolotl, male. Though such features were likely not distinguishable in darkness and downpour.

Samantha looked around for Shrike, but he either was being really quiet, or he was gone, because she couldn't find him.
Though, Karn still had to be around here, right?

Right before she could notice a shillouette, however, something leaped out at her! She could only get a glimpse of the machine's face before Tetrakarn activated and bounced it away.

That was terrifying. It was time for them to leave.

"X-Xenox! Karn's just around that corner, grab him and start running back to the entrance, I'll be right behind you!"

Assuming that Xenox started running, Samantha switches to her stark white book, and casts her second strongest spell. She didn't know what that thing was, but she wanted it dead.

"MEGIDOLA!"

A couple of beams of incredible power and energy are blasted towards the direction robot was bounced into, likely to decimate whatever they touched. Samantha, immediately after casting, books it out of there.

Xenox was carefully scanning around for Karn when Samantha was almost attacked by something that seemed to be made of metal. Could it be another android, like he was? Samantha then pointed out where Karn was. Looking to where she had said, Xenox indeed found a life signature, though they seemed to have turned their body into stone.

-They must have turned into stone to attempt to hide from whatever that thing was.- Xenox thought as he quickly went over to where Karn’s signature was.

Xenox then reached a hand out to Karn and helped him get going towards the exit. Though when he heard Samantha shout out her incantation, their Gizoid programming kicked in and they came to a halt. They turned back around and scanned the hedgehog as she did her spell, copying it to their ability chip.

-COPYING BATTLE DATA-

-BATTLE SCAN COMPLETE: MEGIDOLA-

Xenox then continued down the passageway to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Having arrived without any real issue and seeing that there was no sign of activity in the camp ahead and that he hadn't come under immediate attack reassured Wolf for the few moments he took to carefully glance around. He began to ease himself up from his crouch, only to be interrupted by sounds off to his right. Almost like some form of hissing sound. Glancing in that direction, while moving his head as little as possible, he also catches a voice mentioning his arrival as part of Beta team showing up.

Well, unless the rest of the team had somehow beaten him here, there was going to be some disappointment on that front.

It took just a few moments for Wolf to pick out the trio of forms hiding out of sight from anyone in the camp. With another quick glance towards the camp, just to make sure he hadn't been spotted, Wolf quickly moves off the path to join the three that had drawn his attention, doing his best to disturb their surroundings as little as possible. He crouches down close to them, glancing among them there.

"Sorry to say that it's just me. I have no idea how long the rest of the team will take to catch up. There were some problems at the work site... but I don't have any details about it." Wolf says, keeping his voice down.

It wasn't a reassuring message at all, but he thought it was best to be as honest as possible here. But before anyone would be able to comment, Wolf presses on.

"But what's going on here? Perhaps I'll be able to help." he adds.

(Whattt??? Me, making a post that isn't 2 months since the last post???)

---------------------------------- Team ---------------------------------------------

As Xenox and Samantha began to coordinate their escape with the currently frozen Karn, an echo of rolling thunder called from the exit. A true storm was beginning to build up outside. Even though it hadn't sounded very close by, and the rain was still barely more than a pitter-patter, it was clear more was to come.

Samantha's spell erupted into a cloud of dust and debris as chunks of concrete were blasted out of the decrepit wall, a loud metallic clang indicated that at least something had struck their mysterious attacker, though whether it was the hedgehog's spell or a piece of the rock wall was unclear. One thing was made quickly obvious, however; it was not yet destroyed. 

Karn let himself flop limply back into his fleshy form as Xenox approached. Finally a familair face. "Thank Gaia, Xenox." A tired hand reached out to grab ahold of the Gizoid, allowing him to drag the coyote along.

The metallic creature did not attempt to attack Samantha again, having learnt its lesson, and neither did it try to attack Xenox or Karn, but it did dart past them with alarming speed, seemingly retreating further into the darkness of the ruins. Though given the maze-like layout of the facility, it could very well be a ruse. 

"What happened to the other guy? Where's Danielle?" The slightly panicked coyote blurted, his heart clearly racing. "What the hell is going on?"


---------------------------------- Wolf ---------------------------------------------

The trio back slightly off into the ferns, providing a small amount of shelter from the rain, allowing Wolf to join them in the minute cover if he so wished, but still remaining close enough to see and hear him over the roar of the thunderstorm belting down above them.

The three of them were very clearly relieved and grateful for Wolf's presence, it was unclear how long they'd been huddled there, but given that the camp sight had been under attack for more than a half hour, it was anyone's guess. "Are the others alright? They're on their way?" The crocodile, Leonardo was his name, asked in a sort of loud whisper. 

It was disheartening, of course, to hear that the others weren't there yet, but at this moment the group were just glad for anyone to be there. "Well, if the others had some problems, then I can imagine it might have been related to what's going on here." The axolotl interrupted. 

The jay was third to speak, and she did so with no small amount of ruffled feathers as a large burst of flame erupted from the middle of the camp, visible from their current hiding position. "Some sort of... robot attacked us shortly after you all arrived at the dig sight. It's... It's huge, has to be about one and a half times the height of a regular mobian, and has some sort of insane strength. I think I saw James just get thrown through some of the tents a minute ago. I can't believe they're still fighting it out there." 

Better than a mutiny, at least.

Samantha, as they were running, switches over to the grey book once again, and replies to Karn.

"Well, 'the guy' seemed to have escaped, which, good for him." "As for Danielle, she's carrying Lisa up and out of here after being a bit trigger-happy."

Samantha says that last bit with a pit of extra annoyance.

"We should get back to the camp and the others as soon as possible, I have a feeling we're not quite done yet..."

Xenox nodded to Samantha. =It is likely to assume that you are correct about that Miss Samantha. We did not see whatever that thing was be taken down, rather it retreated. It possibly could be going to get more reinforcements, or somewhere to heal up. My scanners were not able to fully recognize what that thing was, only that there was some metal. So it could be an inorganic android similar to myself, or an organic creature wearing a sort of armor. Regardless, I think the best course of action should we need to fight that thing again, is get of of this base and fight it in the open where would be able to see it better.=

Wolf listens intently as the crocodile, axolotl and jay each speak in turn. He then looks to the crocodile.

"When I left the work site, the security team was alright, but something had gotten the attention of the group underground. I don't know what it was, I left with three members of the other teams and started to escort them back before I could find out." he says, looking to the axolotl as he continues, "I left them in hiding a ways back once we heard weapons here. I assume that Danielle has the rest of the team on the way by now."

He glances at the jay.

"You've got a robot, you said, here?" he pauses, visibly thinking about something for several moments, "Ah... that's some sort of automatic machine... I think. Like Xenox, I guess. Hmmm..."

He pauses again, considering his options.

"Well... something has to be done to stop it obviously. I don't know if I'll be able to do so, but I guess I'll have to try." he says, before blowing out a breath.

He then looks back over to the trio there in hiding with him.

"I'll go out there and do my best to get and keep its attention." he says, "If the three of you feel up to it, I think it might be best if you can help anyone still left in the camp to get out of here. Head towards the work site and meet up with Danielle and the others. That way if we can't stop it here now, maybe everyone else together can do so later."

Then remembering something else, Wolf reaches down and removes the flower Lucas had given him. He holds it out to the others.

"I was told by one of our team members that drinking rain from this could heal a bullet wound. I think I'm going to be too busy to make use of it right now, but if you find anyone hurt, it could help them." he adds.

(It’s been a month. I’ve been putting off making RP posts because I was hoping to do *a little something* else in the meantime but haven’t been able to just yet. Soon though. Figured it’d be best that I make another post here in the meantime.)


--------------------------------- Team ---------------------------------------------

(Ok so I’m dumb. Danielle and Lisa should have gotten back to Wolf’s group as soon as they left, in terms of chronology, but let’s just say that since Lisa is injured and also like 4x the size of Danielle, they probably would take longer to get there.)

Karn was visibly shook, and tired, having expending a great deal of energy to use his powers. “Oh Gaia, that thing! The… it touched me, I saw it.” The coyote was definitely not objecting to getting out it the ruins. “Please, I don’t want to fight it. I just want to get out of here.” A distant crackling of thunder from outside of the ruins echoed Karns voice, followed by the increasing pitter-patter of rain at the entrance of the decrepit facility. 

If Xenox was still watching carefully and it’s his sensors, he’d be able to see their mysterious metallic attacker stop moving. And finally it’s form would be somewhat visible through the static. It appeared as though it was a chameleon, with a thin frame. Whether it was a robot or armoured mobian was unclear. Were it the latter, it would surely have to be at least a cyborg.

“W-What about Alpha team?”

---------------------------------- Wolf ---------------------------------------------

It was at this point that a pair of shambling, stumbling footsteps had managed to make its way through the forest and mud towards the trio of mobians that Wolf had ordered to remain hidden. Lucas spotted them first, dipping out from underneath the fronds that he was hiding under, besides the path. If Wolf had been keeping a close eye on the forest during his conversation with the Alpha Team trio, he would have caught sight of the approaching duo, but even with the sloshing of muddy footsteps, the belting rain made their conversation inaudible.

The jay and axolotl were visibly relieved to hear that the others were on their way, but their hopes for immediate rescue were a little… temporarily wilted. Having never witnessed Wolf’s powers in use before, they were not too sure that he’d be able to handle the mechanoid currently laying waste to the camp. “Yes, yes a robot.” The crocodile said, staring out at something beyond some of the visible tents, trying to make something out in the shield of rain and trees. 

A figure was only barely discernible through the buffeting wall of rain, but what they did next was very, very visible. Another  plume of flame erupted from the figure, darting off into the camp, clearly contributing to the chaos of combat against the supposed robot. “I think that was Brit.” The axolotl mumbled. 

The jay nodded emphatically, “Yes, yes of course, John was supposed to be evacuating the logistical and archaeological teams, but we haven’t seen him for a while. If you can buy us some time we should be able to track back with whoever we can and meet with the others.”

“Thank you, and Chaos bless you.” The crocodile said, finally looking back to his companions in time to receive Lucas’s healing flower and very quickly scrambling to his feet. Time was of the essence.

(Sorry that my writing is crappy this time. I’m writing on my phone in a meeting lol)

Samantha replied with a bit of exasperation, she was trying to compose herself a little more, she can't regain magic while she's so tense...

"Quite right, Xenox, if we have to deal with that thing again- which, don't worry Karn darling, you just leave the fighting to us- we should do it on some better ground."

"As for the others, I don't think I've heard, though, I hope they're safe..."

=Please Mr. Karn, try to remain calm.= Xenox said in a hushed tone. =According to my sensors, it seems to be that the unidentified figure has come to a halt. If we make too much noise, then we risk the possibility that the unidentified figure will hear the noise and follow us out.=

Xenox didn’t know what the thing that attacked them was, or what exactly it was doing. For all he knew, it could be preparing to chase after them any second. But if he was able to help Karn calm down, they might have more of a chance if they did need to fight back.

"Good luck to you. Be safe." Wolf says to the trio.

With that, he starts to make his way out from the cover the four of them had been conversing in. Once he is able to, he stands and begins walking towards the area of the camp where the fighting appears to be taking place. He takes in a deep breath as he approaches, calming himself and focusing his energy. In response, the aura around him becomes noticeable once again.

"Now to see if I can actually be of help." he mutters softly to himself.

Being mindful of the rain soaked ground, Wolf hurries on towards the confrontation ahead and whatever might be waiting there.

--------------------------------- Team ---------------------------------------------

Indeed with the three of them tensed up, the brief moment of strategizing that the three of them were being afforded was going to go to waste. Karn nodded in response to Xenox's warning and allowed himself to bow over, focusing his vision on the ground and his mind on slowing down his own breathing. 

"Yes... yes of course... better ground. I-I'll shut up then..." 

Whether by magical or technological means, Samantha or Xenox could then be alerted to a stirring in the darkness, further ahead into the ruins and a few feet below their shoes. Not a stirring of activity or movement, but a stirring of electricity. It seemed someone had turned the lights back on downstairs. Whether this was bait for a trap, an attempt at unlocking some weapon, or an involuntary side-effect of some long forgotten plan was unclear. 

But Karn himself certainly was none-the-wiser to these going-ons. The coyote was now breathing a bit steadier and looked up at Xenox, "s-so" he whispered, "h-how are we going to stop it from g-getting out?"

There was still no sign of the aforementioned 'it'.


---------------------------------- Wolf ---------------------------------------------

The two figures who had met back up with Lucas ducked into the foliage alongside them. They were of course Lisa and Danielle, though indeed Lisa needed medical attention, urgently, and Danielle still had to explain what had happened to the present members of her team. After that, whether she upheld the duty of guarding the escape route or jumping in to help out with what she would be contractually obliged to do was unclear, seeing as strategically the former option was better, but responsibly the latter was her duty.

The jay, axolotl, and crocodile all nod to Wolf as he departs from the leafy refuge on the side of the mud-slicked path. The three of them immediately began a heated, yet hushed discussion on how best to go about the rescue operation once Wolf was engaged in the ongoing battle. Through the rain and head-scratching none of them were able to notice the wolf's aura shine again.

As he entered into the camp and weaved around what little tents there were between the perimeter and the center of the campsite, people came into view. People dashing and circling around a large mass of mobians who seemed to be engaging a single figure. 

From one of the tents adjacent to Wolf, a large mobian crawled, through the darkness and the rain it was hard to discern features, or health status, but it was clearly the walrus from Alpha team. James, as the blue jay had called him. His massive sidearms were nowhere to be seen. "Oh Gaia it's Beta team." He whispered gratefully, spotting Wolf.

Amidst the furious rabble taking place in the middle of the campsite, there was a loud cacophany of shouts as several mobians were thrown out of the central crowd. In the gap that was left behind, the assailant was visible from Wolf's position. Even through the flurry of melee weapons, fists, and magical assaults, two glowing green irises glowed in the darkness. The body of a hulking robotic chameleon, clad in thick red plating and clearly wielding impressive strength, slammed into more of the Alpha Team defenders who were desperately trying to take down the beast. 

At this point the droid had been damaged, so it was only a matter of time before it would be destroyed, the only question was why it remained to fight.

Samantha ponders this and has an idea, albeit, a questionable one. She would not sense this stirring

"Well, there is the option of collapsing this place, that I can accomplish." "Other than that, I don't have much of a clue."

Either way, she's getting out of here, they needed to get moving.