MRDRHAWK

Things appeared to be going smoothly, and Tanya felt like the southern end of the room was covered. To that end, she decided to give Lani and her friend some assistance by moving forward. “I’ve got your back, you two. I’ll show them what a Maldolche can do.” Tanya moves to (8,27)

A rather ominous warning of impending peril, Miles noted. But before he could properly thank the lizard man, he was gone, fleeing in peril. Hm. Given the others were already engaging their adversaries, Miles rushed a bit to the side, sliding in front of one of the enemy mercenaries - the one Mikhail jammed a dagger into on a counter attack. “Sloppy.” Miles to (5,2) and attack Mercenary 1 with his Iron Sword

Tanya had gotten startled by Marigold suddenly popping up, and essentially meowed in surprise when she’d cleaved through the man’s armour like it was nothing. Right, okay. ”Looks like this room’s mostly cleaned up. Onto the next.” She said simply, hefting her lance and moving forward. Tanya to (5,28)

Boy, everything sure escalated quickly. Scylla wondered, for the slightest of moments, if she was the normal one here, with how much people were getting worked up over it. Of course, she stopped thinking that when she realized that, no, she really wasn’t. Might as well throw her two cents in. ”I mean…” Scylla waved her hand around, gesticulating perhaps more than she should have. “I’m not gonna be happy about having to do it, but I’ll kill if I have to.” After all, how was she gonna protect people if she couldn’t put down someone who was threatening her comrades? “But, uh, from the looks of it, I get the feeling some of us are gonna end up throttling each other before we even get out there with real hostiles. No offense.”

Nyx wondered if anyone that wasn’t Krauser was someone she used to know. It wouldn’t really matter to her, given these people were scummy as hell, but it was worth a thought. What was worth more of a thought, though, is shooting a guy in the dick. And one of them was carting around one of those “pure” weapons, and Nyx didn’t give two shits about those. Nyx to (26,12), Iron Bow on Merc 5

Given that everyone else appeared to be heading north, Miles had the temptation to follow. However, something caught his eye - one of the wagons was nearby, and he felt an obligation to warn them of the growing battle. ”Mikhail, I would ask that you keep the others safe. I’m sure your lord would ask the same.” With that statement to his erstwhile companion, he took off to the wagon. Miles to (6,2) and visit the wagon.

Nyx could hear Syn mumbling to herself, and honestly, it was cute that she was included in that. Gotta love being your wife’s motivation! Well, okay, not wife yet, but still. Maybe she could get there one day… if these fuckboys didn’t interfere. ”Oi, love. I got yer back.” Nyx clasped Syndra’s hand in hers, if only for a moment, to confirm this. She wasn’t leaving her girlfriend’s side without a good reason, here; after all, she was the one they were after to begin with. ”Le’s kill me past once an’ fer all.” Nyx to (27,9)

Tanya gritted her teeth, and clenched her spear just a bit tighter than normal. She’d been a bit shell shocked at first, but now she was pissed. These people were like a second family to her at this point, and they’d been wronged. Now, these Underground bastards were going to pay. She’d show them what the Spear of Justice was all about. Moving forward, she parked herself in front of Miria, before turning her head back towards her. “Little hero… be careful. And remember, I’ve got your back.” Tanya to (3,31)

Nyx had been… a bit loopy still, given how bad Krauser fucked her up. But even with that, she couldn't sit back and let this dude who was ogling Syndra get his shit in. She groaned as she rose to her feet, a bit shaky still. Tio’s healing could only do so much to combat just how bad she got rocked, albeit that might just be because everyone was in a rush. “Look, m’sure that m’the last one who should be talkin’ now, given I used t’run wit dem lads. Hell, one o’ th’ fuckers who we got jumped by was someone I ran wit in the past. Pretty sure he had a weird love-hate boner fer me, but that ain’t here or there.” ”Th’ point is, ye can ‘ear it from me, an’ not ‘im, cuz I missed it tha’ night. If Luthier’s in this shit, we’re gonna need some real fuckin’ miracles ‘ere. That guy’s more’n seven shades o’fucked up, an’ th’reason I nearly died that night I ditched ‘em.” Nyx was unsteady, swaying on her feet, and… was that a tear from her eye? Yeah, and a few more, too. But she pressed on, knowing why she was really pissed. “But I don’ give two shits bout what they did t’me. They took family - Viry’s gone. Mikoto’s gone, an’ she’s family too, even if she don’ get it yet. Listen, buddy: I ain’t give two fucks ‘bout yer mum. Yer family ain’t shit fer us - they fucked wit’ our family. An’ that means they fucked wit’ th’wrong pack o’ tigers. So get th’fuck outta th’way, unless ye wanna be first.“ She was practically hissing at Kieran now, but that didn’t matter. Nyx was in full mom mode, and someone fucked with her family. “M’through runnin’. M’through wit’ Luthier’s bullshit. They ain’t gettin’ Synnie. We’re gettin’ our family back whole, m’gettin’ some answers, an’ that big fuck Krauser n’ his lads is getting put in the dirt like I shoulda done a long fuckin time ago.”

Hm. Well, it seemed like this group wouldn’t be cooperative, but before Miles could get a word in edgewise, they’d all taken off. Ah, lovely - divided disaster management. Even Mikhail had run off ahead, and therefore Miles went in pursuit. He knew Alex- his liege would be rather cross if something happened to her friend’s retainer, if nothing else, which gave him the motivation needed. ”Mikhail, I’d suggest not splitting off in a situation like this. At the very least, the two of us can stick together.” Miles said coolly, though as he looked around, things seemed rather odd to him. Perhaps he was simply letting stress get to him, but this was definitely rubbing him the wrong way.

Scylla frowned, wondering if maybe she’d lost the plot along the way of Louise’s explanation. Her brow was furrowed, and her lips were pursed. “So, what, did we get sent on a glorified publicity stunt? Like, I get that the danger is real and all, but this is grabbing a gun to shoot an anthill, it feels like.” She was sure she’d get some weird looks, so she figured it was best to keep going anyways until she inevitably got told to fuck off. “I mean, I don’t see how this makes them look good, even. Either they get in shit for excessive force - which, if the Cap’n is right, is kinda the problem they been dealing with to begin with - if we succeed, or they get in shit for inadequacy if we screw up. Unless I’m missing something, this is kinda… messed up, no matter what way we look at it.”

Mikhail had called out so fast, Miles hadn’t even had time to brace himself. Naturally, this left him caught off guard by the women - and their companion - who’d emerged. Miles was somewhat wary of trusting others, but given Alex had sent him over this way for a reason… perhaps he could temper his expectations for now. “Hold a moment. I would first like to know who you are before we continue.” Miles folded his arms, melding organic and mechanic together for a moment. “I mean no offense. However, given the tenseness of the situation, I would at least like to know of whom we share a battlefield with.” Miles suspected they were more than simple travellers, but then again, so were him and Mikhail. Something felt off, and his mind was racing.

Everything had begun so swiftly, Miles barely had time to react before Alex leapt out of their carriage. Even after following suit, she’d ordered him to check the other carts, rather than protecting her. Again. Honestly, every time with this one. Still, an order was an order, and he was duty-bound. ”Thy will be done, Milady.” Miles made sure to grab his sword before taking off, having no desire to be caught unaware. Turning back to Mikhail, he gave the man a curt nod. “Watch my back, and I’ll watch your front. Let’s get back to our lieges in one piece, and put this farce behind us quickly.” He added, and began to make his way towards the cart Alex pointed at.

Scylla had, thankfully, calmed down from her initial anger after the first full-group simulation, with a little help. Okay, maybe a lot of help. And a few pokes. Whatever, it was fine. “‘Sup.” She said, very professionally. “We, uh, doin’ this finally? Feels like I’ve been losing track of time since the big sim.”

Tanya couldn’t help but be a bit shocked at the idea of Tasha being so… angry. Still, this wasn’t quite her place, and… well, Tanya wasn’t blind to who was missing from the room here. “Right… if you need me, just call for me, okay Commander?” She slipped from the room, and looked over towards Renais. Cin had gotten healed and then immediately walked off, leaving the young healer and the feline Clouded to their own devices. “Hey, Renais. You need a hand gathering people up for healing? I’d like to think I’m pretty strong… and I can back you up in case there’s any stragglers.” Plus, Tanya wondered how well she was holding up, and wanted to support Renais as best as she could.

Tanya frowned, watching Cin leave the room, frustrated. She didn’t want him to beat himself up over everything, and hoped Siorel was alright… but she’d be overstepping her boundaries to go after him. So, instead, she turned to Tasha. “This is… bad, right? That fox was… probably the strongest of us besides the Evokers themselves. If they got her so easily, then just what kind of powerhouses are we up against, here?” These definitely weren’t some common thugs, no. But Tanya wasn’t sure what exactly this all meant. All the dots were connecting, sure, but that didn’t mean she got the idea; this was out of her usual element. If only she’d learned more from Papa before she left home. Nyx let out a very pained sigh of relief as Syta confirmed that Krauser had, indeed, fucked up yet again. Ah, he really hadn’t changed much over the years, beyond his weird hate-boner for her. The news of Mikoto getting taken away… given how strong she was, there must have been some heavy hitters over on the other end. Maybe even… “Fuck… well, tha’ ain’t good, but m’gettin’ th’ feelin’ tha’ means they fucked up their real objective.” It made sense, at least for Nyx; she knew they were in league with Islexia down in the Underground, even back when she was there, and Synnie was the estranged daughter of a warlord. She could put that shit together in her sleep. “Well, she’s th’ mos’ important t’me in particular, but… if they got any o’ th’ other Tigers… they’re m’family too.” Nyx lolled her head over to Lani. “Oi, Lani. Didja… see who mighta been leadin’ ‘em? Krauser’s a… big dumbfuck, always has been. He ain’t… the kinda lad who’d be leadin’ this big an operation.”

Man, Nyx could really use some shut-eye. She wanted it real bad, too, but then Lani and her new blonde buddy - shit, head hurt too much, she couldn’t remember the name - were by her side. Thank fuck she could remember voices well enough, even if her vision was blurry. ”Th’ fuck…? Synnie… she’s still ‘ere?” Wait, wasn’t Krauser here for her, specifically? Man, that big lug was still a complete fuck-up, even after all this time. “They… di’n’t grab… anyone else… did they?” If Nyx remembered anything, it was that if the Underground had this big of an operation, they sure as shit weren’t leaving empty-handed.

WHIRRRRRR… Click, click. Again, his arm made those terrible noises as he made some last-minute adjustments. Miles let out a deep sigh, content with his own fiddling. He’s glad that Alex - Princess Alexandra - is distracted; he knows how much she hates seeing him tinker with his own body so openly. He has to, though, to protect her, both as her retainer and knight, and a member of the Sorrel family. ”Al- Milady. Please don’t wear yourself out before the festival starts.” Miles said softly, eyes never leaving his arm. He had to make sure everything was in order… there, everything worked perfectly. His fingers still moved, and he could shift as needed. From there, his attention was undivided upon his liege’s face. “Besides, I’m sure that Prince Alister would prefer his esteemed company to be… upright, during such an important gathering.” Really, Alex- The princess had too much energy for her own good, sometimes. Still, it was infectious, in a way. “I am relieved you aren’t disheartened by the long trip, though. I did worry you may be a bit… terse, being still for so long.”

“Oh, it’s a right shitshow out there.” Tanya answered Gean rather pointedly, tail flicking in irritation as she did. “Sari got rocked, badly, and so did that girl who’s always with him, I think. Some… insanely strong light mage got in the way.” Tanya was still trying to shake a few of the cobwebs out of her brain, too. “I have no idea what they were going for, but I guess Syndra was gonna get grabbed, but she wasn’t, and… Well, you already saw that they took the fox.” Then, thinking back to Syndra for a second, a thought crossed her mind. ”Wait, Gean, who was rooming with Syndra? That would probably be… Nyx, right? I haven’t seen her out of that room since this all started, not even now that we’re trying to lick our wounds.” That… might be bad. Hopefully it’s just because she’s in there shooting out the window, but Tanya got the feeling something was up.

Okay, Nyx was in dire straits. Her vision was definitely starting to get blurry, and the sounds of fighting seemed to be fading. Nyx hoped that was because things were winding down, and not that she was losing consciousness, but frankly, she had no clue either way. She heard vague sounds of someone coming in, but all she could see was some vague blurry shape. “Fuck off, Krauser… ye big bitch…” Nyx sputtered out, groaning right after. Right, words were not a good idea right now.

Ugh, damn light… Tanya was shocked by how well Miria was handling all this, but then again, the little hero kept surprising Tanya so much that she wondered if she shouldn’t just expect it by now. “Right… Sorry for being so damn loud. Keep upright, you hear me?” Tanya headed over to the room in question, seeing Cinead with Tasha, and sliding to the other side of the captain. “Glad to see you two in one piece. More than I can say for a few others… it’s a mess out there.” Then a thought crossed the cat’s mind, looking over to Cinead. “Hey, lemme handle the captain. Don’t you have someone else you gotta look after, Cin?” Tanya wasn’t blind; she knew how much him & Siorel had gotten on since their initial encounter. But the shorter girl was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn’t help but wonder.

Tanya had been trying to provide aid where she could, but every time she got near, someone else was already doing something about the mess, and she found herself rather stuck. Kind of the story of her life the last little while, really; how could she spread the Maldolche family’s justice if she always felt lost and stuck? And furthermore, given everything, would this even be justice in her family’s eyes? Any thoughts Tanya may have had, swirling through her head at a frankly inopportune time, came crashing down as the light blinded her. “Mrowwww?!” Tanya cried out, her tail whipping all over the place, as she crumpled to the floor clutching her face. This was bad, she couldn’t see. She could barely hear Miria and Sari somewhere nearby, and hoped that maybe her shout might get someone to give her a hand in re-orienting herself.

Well, it was official - this day fucking sucked. It was bad enough having her past bite her in the ass… but now Nyx, in her sheer brilliance, actually managed to shoot Syn in the ass while trying to get Krauser. Yeah, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. ”Fuck! Dammit… okay, fuck, m’head… s’pretty bad. Tha’s a lotta blood ‘dere.” Nyx’s head lolled to the side, her bow clattering to the floor. She had to try and move, but given how hard she hit that wall, she suspected that was going to be very difficult. “Shit… come on, lasses, save m’girl… fuck knows I got’er inta’ this mess.”

Tanya hadn’t expected everything to go south that quickly. But now that it had, she knew she needed to get the hell away from that guy - especially since he had light magic on him. Miria… well, hopefully Miria would manage. Tanya knew that the little mouse was made of sturdy stuff. Besides, if even Mikoto couldn’t handle him, what chance did Tanya have? She needed to get the heck out of here… “Hey, little mouse!” She called out to Miria, trying to avoid giving her name to the goons. “We’ve gotta try and regroup with the others-“ A bright flash a distance away, and Tanya could only barely make out Sari’s form slumped on the ground. “Shit! Sari’s hurt, little mouse! We really gotta go help - whoever’s on that end of the inn, they can’t deal with that mage over there alone!”

Fuck… fuck! Nyx had to do something, but she could barely move! She wasn’t about to let this crusty fucker take her dame from her! Groggily, she tried to reach for the bow and arrow beside the bed, hoping to whatever gods didn’t hate the Tigers that she could actually aim this properly. ”Y’ain’t gettin’ shit fer nothin’, ya big bitch! I popped ye once, an’ imma pop ye again!” Nyx could barely nock the arrow, and fired at Krauser, hoping to at least slow him down, if not stop him outright. She couldn’t let him take Syn… she just couldn’t.