Genesis Crisis: Resurgence IC

Arusian Agents
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog curled his lips and his eyebrows were furrowed, wondering if he had heard it right. Ehlana was making the valid point here; Belobog was probably the most effective sniper of the squad and to increase their chances, it was better for him to be there.

Then again, Belobog realized what Alexei was saying indirectly; no matter how they wanted to look at this with optimistic view, this mission still had high risk of failure.

The information of the Aegis was out-dated, the enemies probably have upper hand in position due to their early arrival of scene and if they needed someone to make proper logical and evaluative report, Ehlana was the soldier who could do that due to her background.

"I agree with Alexei on this one." Said Belobog heavily, "This is the mission with several hidden factors. We need someone to analyze from the back and make a report out of it. I don't think we will fall, but if we do, we should make sure our replacement could do better job than us." Said Belobog, with a smirk on his face. "For that to work, we need brain like yours to study them and make sure the greenhorns do not make the mistake that we are probably going to make. I doubt it, but you never know."

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Police Cruiser
Luke Jaron

Luke didn't say much as he felt little nervous due to the contact they are going to make. If he remembered correctly, this Keynes guy was related to the military.

Probably the guy Luke wanted to avoid as he was technically violating the law.

Luke quietly concentrated on driving so that they could get to their destination safe and fast. He never felt like he wanted to get something done this badly.

Of course, first of all, he wanted to get this done because he wanted to save his friend, but he also wanted to get out of this situation quickly.

Luke was afraid that he might have to forcefully say good bye to his strain that was like part of him; Luke did not like the idea at all and he probably need to say good bye to this group as soon as possible.

However, Luke remembered 'Alex', their missing friend. 'What am I thinking? I promised I would help them to find him... I shouldn't run away...' Thought Luke, dismissing the idea of getting away.

Besides, Luke did not feel like Mark turned into redcape by natural means. Luke had awaken his strain longer than Mark did and it did not turned Luke into such beast; he doubted it was strain's fault.

'It had to be something else' thought Luke, he was not ready to say goodbye to his strain and he would never say goodbye to his strain. Strain was part of him and he was not going to let it go now.

In any case, as he glanced at the tracker once again he could clearly see that they were now getting really close to Mark.

Arusian Agents

Alexei sighed. He knew Ehlana would fight back on his call - especially when her points were more than valid - but it couldn't be helped. It was one of the reasons he liked her though. Both of them liked to cut straight to the heart of things without pretense.

"You don't have the combat training that Belo has," Alexei said. "And since we don't know the full extent of this Aegis' capabilities, we can't take any chances."

He took out the small black case holding Maxim's nanobugs and passed it up to her.

"Besides," he muttered, "if someone's going to be firing these things around me, I want it to be someone with a cool head."

Belo was an excellent shot, but he was displaying somewhat alarming tendencies of late. As he said, Alexei wasn't taking chances.

Capital

"James." Keynes responded in kind before giving James the nod to speak.

He waited while the plan was outlined. It didn't seem too extravagant, and Aegis seemed to be making good use of the resources available to them. "I think the lot of you have got a pretty good plan laid out." Keynes said, scratching his chin for a moment. "Just be sure that you're prepared for all possible outcomes. It might not have crossed your mind already, but we don't know for sure that the Redcape isn't contagious to other magic users. It's probably best if anyone aside from you avoids any direct contact with it."


"As for the matter of transportation, I'll have that dealt with. Just give me a call when you've got it captured."

He smiled at James and reached for the button to end the transmission. "Good luck..."

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Truck

"I'm not out to impress anyone." Marcus responded with a shrug. "If they're determined to send me back, I appreciate the fact that you're willing to go to bat for me, but I wouldn't want to be the cause of tension between you and your brother."


"That aside, I think if I were him, I wouldn't be too thrilled with you showing up either. So, if the plan is just to observe from a distance, I'm on board with that. The less risk to us, the more likely they are to not lay into me for bringing you out here." He smirked, glancing in Lenka's direction for a moment. "Although I'm fairly convinced that you would have found a different way to get here anyway. So, I guess, in my defense, I was looking out for your safety."

Arusian Agents
- Ehlana -

Ehlana took the case of nanobugs without hesitation. Belo and Alexei were both right in their own way. Having the other two on the ground to fight would increase their chances of success and that was all that mattered in this case. There was just too many variables they didn’t know about.

So she put personal feelings aside and nodded in agreement. Just because she felt more comfortable in hand-to-hand combat, didn’t mean it was best for the mission in this case. And she trusted Alexei to make the right call.

“Alright, sounds reasonable,“ she said, her grey eyes calm “Can I use your rifle, Alexei?”

While they were getting closer, Ehlana now pulled up a map of the surrounding area, anaylzing the buildings that were around their designated target.

“I’ll be posting up here,” she said and pointed an area that was high enough to oversee the area and at the same time just far enough away to be out of the danger zone. Even though she lacked experience in sniping practice, she knew what she was looking for in the ideal spot.

“When we get there, drop me off here. Give me five minutes to set up” she said to Belo and pointed at the map. “You should probably take the car, so in case things do go south, you can quickly get out of there.”

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Truck
- Lenka -

“Oh please! Don’t bring my brother into this. I will deal with him,” she said, gesturing wildly, “No one goes out of their way like this just to be turned away at the finish line.”

“Even though you’re not used to having much, it’s okay to want something every once in a while and to set goals and dreams“ she gave him a long look. “Seriously though, you should show them a bit more that you care about coming along.” Lenka grinned at him, her voice stayed light, but there was a slight seriousness in her eyes.

Her expression darkened a little at the mention of her safety. “Thanks, but  I can take care of myself.” She pushed her lower lip into a light pout. It didn’t stay long on her face though and she recovered quickly.

Why did everybody think she needed to be looked out for? Did she really look that helpless? Ever since she was little, the overbearing way others treated her had annoyed her. Yes, there was no known cause for her fainting spells, but there also was no discernible pattern to predict them. She had accepted it. Why couldn’t everybody else?

Police Cruiser

Somehow, Keynes' transmission suddenly made this all seem too real. Rise hugged herself and gazed out the window, memories of the Redcape's golden eyes and the flames eating up the stage played before her eyes.

An alert beeped on the cruiser's console. They'd found it.

"Stop the car," Rise said. "We don't want to startle it. Let's get closer on foot."

They parked and climbed out, everyone collecting their weapons and equipment. Rise clenched her fans with trembling fingers and headed out to the edge of the rocky outcropping.

There, down in the gorge below, a figure of writing crimson tendrils sat perched, its head moving nervously about. It seemed to be...sniffing the air.

"I think it can smell us," Rise whispered. Just then, the Redcape froze.

And looked up at them.

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Arusian Agents

Ehlana seemed to accept Alexei's reasoning. That made things a bit easier for him

Alexei reached a thick arm around Ehlana's chair and held up the sniper rifle for her.

"You aim, you shoot," he said, smiling. "No problem."

He patted her shoulder, then reclined back in his seat, just as they got an alert.

"The cruiser Aegis is using made it to the Redcape," he said, his face darkening. "Floor it, Belo."

Redcape Fight
- James -

James nodded.

Keynes had made a good point. They still didn’t know enough about the Redcapes and the reason for their transformation. This matter increased his worry about everyone else. He looked at Rise, feeling the increasing worry. He just needed to make sure to put that thing to sleep as quickly as possible so they could finally put an end to this.

Finally they arrived. Once they go out of the car, James collected a case of stunners and the stun gun as well as his katanas. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving them behind.

Slowly they approached the Redcape. James took Rise’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “It’s going to be okay,” he said more calmly than he felt.

Just then the Redcape stiffened. It knew they were here, so there was no time to lose. “Lisa, I think this is your cue,” he whispered and turned towards her. “The rest of you try to spread out. Attacking from several directions will give us more flexibility.”

Aegis
Luke Jaron

"Got it." Said Luke, "Taking the front." Then Luke summoned his magic circle, and put his hand to Lisa's shoulder. "Makakaja" said Luke, Lisa could feel much stronger with her spell. "You probably need it." Said Luke and he quickly made his way down by jumping off from where he was.

As Luke quickly rushing down towards the Redcape that had looked up, Luke quickly used another. "Tetrakarn", the invisible force field surrounded Luke and this would have reflected its tendrils attack as he came down like a comet.

Luke's gauntlet had its stunner ready, hoping that Lisa could hold Redcape in place for him to deliver the first blow.

_________________________________________

Arusian Agents
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog did what Alexei had said; the vehicle stopped its movement, ready to deploy the agents. Belobog closed his eyes and let out his short breath. His eyes opened, calm and collected, it was now time to cast his emotions aside and focus on the mission. Whatever happened with the old guards no longer mattered; Belobog was ready to only focus on one thing. It was time to deal with the threat that might threaten the mission to bring his country to the surface. He got his melee weapon and his pistols.

"Ready." Said Belobog as every equipment was ready to be used. There was no longer warmth in his eyes any more. Just like the mission he always did with them so far. Alexei was right; even though, Belobog showed sign of emotionally unsteadiness outside of the mission, he was probably much calm and cold blooded when it came to mission.

He was not a type who would show mercy at Aegis members even they happened to be young kids.

Truck

"It's not like I'm afraid to want things or set goals." Marcus responded with a shrug.

Wait. Was he? Surely not, right? Maybe if he actually had to think about it this much, the answer might be a surprising 'yes'.

There would have to be more time to think on that later though. Clearly he'd struck a nerve, and Marcus didn't know for the life of him why that somehow managed to amuse him.

"I don't recall saying you couldn't take care of yourself." He responded, keeping his eyes on the road. "What I said was that I was looking out for your safety. It's a thing friends do, and I'd expect you to do the same for me."

The data pad beeped, and Marcus glanced at it.

"Looks like we go on foot from here if we want to remain under the radar." He said, pulling the truck off to the side and parking.

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Aegis

"Thanks." Lisa gave Luke a weak smile as he launched himself forward.

Her entire complexion went pale at James' words, despite the energy flowing through her. Ever since the incident on the falling satellite, she hadn't cared much for heights. "I hate this part..." She muttered before pressing her palms to her legs, just above the knees.

Magic circles bloomed around her legs, and she moved her palms to her elbows, creating the same effect. With a deep breath, Lisa spread her arms outward and her body lifted into the air.

On her exhale, Lisa's body tilted forward into a runner's position, and as her eyes locked onto the Redcape, she shot forward through the air, zooming over its head.

Aegis - Coast

Rise squeezed James' hand back, then made a dash down the slope. Luke had already made a desperate dive at the Redcape. He was as reckless as Alex.

Fortunately, the Tetrakarn spell worked. The Redcape immediately lashed out with its crimson tendrils, but the field deflected them back. With a shriek, it vaulted back out of the way and latched onto a the craggy wall of the slope.

"Maragi!" Rise called, slashing her fan at the magic circle she'd conjured. The spread of fireballs launched through the air, crashing into the rock in a shower of flames and smoke. Hopefully, it would give Lisa some cover as flew over the Redcape into position.

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Arusian Agents

Alexei watched Belo as he prepared his equipment for battle. He seemed much more focused and detached. Good. He would need to keep his wits about him.

Alexei turned and approached Ehlana, watching as she examined the sniper rifle intently.

"How's it handling for you?" he asked. He pulled out a cig and began to puff on it. Might as well take the opportunity while he had the chance.

Aegis - Coast
- James -

So it had begun.

James exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around the stun gun. He waited for Lisa’s spell to take full effect and then steadied his aim towards the Redcape.

Rise and Luke leapt into action and their plan worked. The Redcape focused its attention entirely on them.

Holding the stun gun steady while leaning on the rock, he released the stunner in a deliberate movement. It shot through the air, heading towards the Redcapes shoulder.

Not wanting to take any chance, he fired another two stunners, this time aiming for the neck.

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Truck
- Lenka -

Lenka bit her lip and looked out the window.

“I’m sorry,” she suddenly said, referring to their most recent conversation. “I tend to overreact a little sometimes. I know you mean well.”

They stopped when the data pad beeped and Lenka grabbed her camera and the data pad. “Let’s go,” she said excitedly, a big grin on her face. She looked excited, maybe with a little nervousness mixed in. “Do you need anything else?”

Staying in the shade of the rugged terrain, they moved closer to the location of the Redcape and Aegis.

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Arusian Agents
- Ehlana -

As soon as the car stopped, there was an air of focus around them. They all knew what they had to do and looking at the other two, she could tell that they were more than prepared to do it.

“It’s good,” she replied.

Ehlana exited the car. “I’ll check in, once I’m set up. You should get going,” she said and put the com in her ear. Turning right, she made her way through some boulders and went on to ascend to higher ground.

Ehlana crouched down, laying her body flat on the ground. She could feel the cold rock underneath her. A cool breeze was coming from the sea that couldn’t be too far away, judging by the smell of the salt.

The rock she had selected was high enough to allow her to look into the gorge. She almost had a clear view of everything that was going on, except for a few boulders that blocked part of the view directly at the beginning of the gorge and the far end where the path curved out of view.
________

“Ready,” Ehlana echoed through the com when she heard the okay from Belo that they were in position. She looked through the scope of the rifle, surveying the situation in the gorge.

“I can see four people engaged with the Redcape. Confirming from the files: Risette Esteed. Lisa. And James Carter. The fourth person is male, but not Alexander Dranos. I repeat, it’s not Alexander. However, he appears to be a strain user nevertheless so keep your guard up.”

Arusian Agents
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog followed Alexei's direction, they were getting close to the Aegis group and the Redcape. As they got closer, Belobog could feel his heart started to slow down, like the predator that studies its prey before the hunt.

"Noted, moving closer to the targets." Belobog replied back as Ehlana had informed them that there was no Alexander Dranos.

Belobog was now able to see the Aegis with his naked eyes. "In position to engage. Your call, Alexei." Said Belobog on the radio; as he was looking at the Aegis group, his eyes stared at the young male who was not in the file. However, Belobog, due to his street background he was good with remembering faces and he realized where he saw that face. He was the young male at the concert... the one who was sitting beside the red hair male who was turned into the redcape.

Belobog whispered to himself, "Stupid boy, wasting his life at the thing that won't last long." Belobog ready his weapon and waited order from Alexei to engage.

Aegis-ish?

"Don't worry about it." Marcus responded, giving Lenka a smile as they climbed out of the truck. Despite the previously heavy conversation, her excitement about arriving on the scene seemed to be contagious.

He walked beside her as they began the trek uphill in the direction the data pad indicated the Redcape to be. "I think you've pretty much got it all covered." Marcus said, gesturing to her camera and data pad.

"Do you want me to carry something for you though?" He asked. "It's not exactly easy to take photos with one hand and record information with the other." Although he was sure that in her mind, she had probably imagined herself doing exactly that.

[OOC: I assume Lenka and Marcus will arrive on the scene in your post, Alina.]

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Aegis

Lisa twisted to the side as the Redcape leapt past her and suddenly found herself surrounded by smoke and debris, as the hillside exploded in flames. Shifting the wind around her, she changed direction for a second pass, and her palm smacked the side of the Redcape's torso as she ducked under a swipe of its arm.

Launching out of the smoke cloud, she left behind a stream of contrails, which dispersed as she landed on all fours and rolled to her feet. Flexing her fingers outward and then squeezing them together, Lisa activated the magic circle she'd left on the Redcape, forcing its body into the side of the hill and effectively restraining it. The terrain actually made this more simple because she only had to focus on pushing from one direction instead of several.

Arusians

Alexei crouched with Belo, analyzing the battle and its combatants. Alexander Dranos might not be there, but they still had four strain users to deal with. They'd need to play smart.

"Ehlana, aim for the one with the stunners - Carter. We don't want that Redcape getting immobilized."

The other big problem was the Tarsos girl. She seemed to have extraordinary power with her strain and was somehow keeping the Redcape restrained.

"Take her out," he indicated to Belo. "I'll keep the other two engaged. Move out."

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Aegis

The Redcape was pinned against the canyon wall, and Rise felt a surge of relief. Maybe this would be easier than they thought.

A stunner hit the Redcape, and it spasmed and flailed as the electricity surged through its body. Before the other two could hit, however, the Redcape was suddenly released from Lisa's hold.

What had happened?

"Lisa?" Rise called out as the Redcape writhed on the ground, its tendrils lashing out haphazardly. Before she could get an answer, a big hulking man had dropped down in front of her, a large baton crackling with electricity in his massive hands.

"Who are you?" Rise demanded, bringing her fans up. The man chose to reply by swinging that baton right for her head.

Arusians
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

"Affirmative, engaging." said Belo, and he straight away went ahead and started firing his pistols at the girl who looked like restraining the Redcape.

As the pistol was set as semi-automatic, it fired several rounds at once. As the bullets were electromagnetic bullets, it would disrupt whatever magic circle appears in front of them.

Even though, he was aiming for the kill, the terrain made it difficult for him to aim perfectly and as it was fired when he quickly moved in, the accuracy of his shots were not up to par. It definitely had some bullets flying somewhere else. But, he was sure even Kurik would not be able to dodge all of them. The cold-blooded soldier quickly took cover to check on his prey once more.

He was not going to go easy on even a mere girl. He had a mission for his country and the very existence of this group was marked as a threat to the mission. He was going to whatever he could to eliminate them.

__________________________________________

Aegis
Luke Jaron

Luke eyes were widen as the Redcape was free from the invisible force that Lisa should have been applying it, Luke quickly avoided its tendrils attack that was coming after him.

As he quickly avoided, he turned his head to Rise. He was going to ask her what's happening with Lisa's side and also to check on her if she was okay as he was sure that such event would have equally surprised Rise as well.

As Luke turned his head to Rise's location, he discovered a bear like man standing in front of her. "Tetrakarn" Luke quickly summoned his circle and lend out the support to Rise, so that such heavy and quick swing from the man could be reflected. Luke quickly enhanced himself "Sukukaja" and he rushed to the man who tried to strike Rise. Without any hesitation, as Luke reached the man, he revealed his own stunner from his gauntlet and aimed at the man's left torso.

Arusians
- Ehlana -

“Copy that,” Ehlana confirmed and adjusted her scope.

Ehlana cursed when she saw the dust and debris fly up. It was obscuring her vision. However, it looked like Aegis was taken by surprise by the arrival of Belo and Alexei.

The only one currently full in her view was the blonde male, James Carter. Carefully she took aim and released the shot. It hit James in the shoulder, the injection going clean through his sleeve. Ehlana kept her eye on him until he reacted.

“Shot is fired. Carter is hit. Expect transformation shortly," she said in her com and turned the scope slightly to view the rest of the scene.

Soon the other members of Aegis would find out what happened to their comrade and it was sure to throw them off and hopefully give them an advantage.

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Aegis
- James -

James clicked his tongue when the second and third stunner missed and the Redcape was released from Lisa’s hold. His eyebrows drew together. Did something go wrong?

Looking around, he could immediately see what was wrong. Two strangers had appeared. One of them quite big and tall was attacking Rise and Luke while the other seemed to be focused on Lisa.

Where did they come from and what did they want? And most importantly…how did they find them? Before he could find an answer to any of these questions or even take a step to help Lisa or Rise, he suddenly he felt something strike his shoulder.

Looking down, he was surprised to find a dart-like projectile sticking in it. Unable to utter any sound or warning, a burning sensation began to race through his body. It was unbearable pain that spread rapidly and the shock to his system caused his body to collapse on all fours.

It felt like a skull splitting headache and he curled up, breathing heavily. Then, maybe half a minute later, he felt the pain began to ease up.

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At the gorge
- Lenka -

“Yes, thanks. Take the data pad,” she said and handed it to him. They were getting pretty close anyway, so soon they wouldn’t be needing it. They hiked towards the gorge mostly in silence until they could hear noise. She crouched down and took a deep breath to prepare herself.

“Let’s try to stay safe,” she said to Marcus.

A dozen meters away from the fight, Lenka's eyes were glued to the action. Even though she had raised her camera, she had yet to take a picture. This wasn't what she expected. Why were there other people fighting Aegis? This wasn't supposed to happen. They were only supposed to capture the Redcape. Snapping out of it, she raised the camera to her eyes and took some pictures of the action and fights.

Then, without warning, her brother paled and with a surprised look on his face, went down. Just like that. No scream, not direct attack, nothing. And the silence in which it happened, the weird inexplicable way, it scared her.

Lenka inhaled sharply. Without thinking, she moved to break cover.

[OOC: Payne, I think for the better timing, have Marcus hold Lenka back once. Please.]

Aegis

The sound of gunshots registered in Lisa's ears at roughly the same time as her left leg felt like it had been lit on fire. Gritting her teeth to contain a scream of pain, she dropped on one knee, clutching her leg. Another bullet zipped across the edge of her right shoulder, grazing the skin instead of digging in, but painful all the same.

Redcapes didn't shoot bullets.

As she pulled her hand away from her leg, all she could see was the coat of red covering it. Great. With a grunt of pain, she put her fingers back over the wound, clamping down to slow the bleeding.

Where did the shots come from? In the settling smoke and dust, it was hard to tell. Even so, the entry wounds gave her a pretty good idea of where to start looking.

"You wanna play, hide and seek, huh?" Lisa grumbled, scanning the terrain that had previously been behind her. A small cloud of dust rose from an outcropping, as if the ground there had been disturbed by someone in a hurry. "Well, consider yourself found!" She screamed, flexing the fingers on her other hand outward.

Holding the Redcape in place had been nothing compared to this. Sweat ran down her face from the exertion, and whether her blurring vision was a result of blood loss or magic usage, she didn't know. Of course, she also didn't care. The circle around the Redcape, which had contracted when she took the first shot expanded again, sending the monster hurling through the air towards her unseen attacker.

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Gorge

"Right." Marcus nodded, taking the data pad and falling in beside his traveling companion.

As they topped the ridge, it became apparent that not everything was going according to plan though. Sure, there was a Redcape, but there were also people here that didn't belong. People with guns...

Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus saw Lenka lower her camera, a worried look on her face. She took a step forward, and he instinctively grabbed her wrist to keep her from moving any further.

"Hey there. I thought the plan was observation." He said, pulling her back into the cover of the treeline. "Besides, you just said 'let's stay safe', and walking into that doesn't exactly line up with my idea of safety."

Aegis

Her assailant, whoever he was, hit hard and fast. Rise had successfully deflected his attacks with her fans, but already her arms were starting to feel sore. The man didn't show any signs of slowing down, however.

It was just then that Luke cast his spell. The blow meant to strike her right shoulder deflected back, throwing the man off balance. Luke was there the next moment, striking toward the man's left side. Despite the momentary surprise, the man had already regained his footing and batted aside Luke's attack.

"Not bad, boy," the man said, an unusual accent in his words. "But not good enough, either."

He spun about like a twister, his baton lashing out again and again in a deadly arc, crackling with electricity.

Rise watched, rooted to the spot. She should be following up with an attack, but she'd just noticed Lisa was being attacked as well. And James - what had happened to him? How many of these people were there, and just who were they anyway?

Just then, the Redcape leaped onto the rock beside her, lashing out with its tendrils. Rise deflected them aside, then cast an Agi spell right into its chest. The Redcape fell back, shrieking. The stunner had slowed it down, but it wasn't enough to put it out of comission.

Suddenly, things were looking very bleak. Then, the Redcape was suddenly picked up and hurled through the air. Rise blinked, then turned her attention back to the hulking man fighting Luke. With a cry, she charged back into the fray.

Gorge
- Lenka -

A strong arm held her back and Lenka turned around, her wide blue eyes looking almost angry. “What?!” she asked, her voice angry and scared at the same time.

Marcus reasoning made sense, but she refused to give in to the logic.

“I don’t care. He’s my brother,” she said with a firm voice. Deep emotion was burning in her eyes. “I’m not going to leave him there alone.”

There was no way she was going to stay here. The same reasons and emotions that had lead her to follow Aegis now compelled her to throw aside any safety concerns and walk right towards trouble. She pulled her arm from his grip and without a second thought, rushed over to James.

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Arusians
- Ehlana -

Ehlana's eyes were drawn to a sudden movement from the side. "Damnit! Belo, Alexei, someone else appeared. Female. Blond. I don't know where she came from. Stay alert, there might be more," she said in her com.

Despite the confusion, her voice was calm and collected. "Also, I don't know why he hasn't transformed yet," she added. "The nanobugs indicate a clean hit."

Arusians
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

Belobog smirked, the girl lost her cool and she took an action of tossing Redcape at him; sadly for her, that monster was not going to reach where he was. Belobog was hidden from her, but she was not hidden from Belobog sight.

The moment she had the monster coming to where he was, Belobog quickly stepped out of his place before monster reached him as his eyes were not away from her movement. Besides, from fight with Kurik, he learned not to stay in one place when he was fighting with strain user. One of the best solution would be, however, killing the monster now. This is, of course, if the monster was being an obstacle of killing this girl. But, for now, he needed it alive. For the mission.

Belobog quickly fired shot at the back of tossed monster as he rushed towards the girl; the only reason why she could toss the monster at her will, he already concluded in his calculative mind that she had placed something on it.

For strain user, it would probably be a magic circle; Kurik showed how his strain could be applied to others and Belobog took note of that. 'This girl probably be using the same method.'

If he was correct and if the magic circle finally disrupted, the monster would have gained its freedom once more. Besides, Belobog made sure the bullet would graze at its back so that it would not be so deadly to the monster.

Belobog's locked on his cold eyes at the girl who looked already exhausted. He quickly fired another round and went for the another solid cover to reload.

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Aegis
Luke Jaron

Luke was not an ordinary boy to begin with, even without strain, he was fighting in the wilderness with his bare hands, cracking stone without his strain was ordinary thing for him.

He even had to fight military officer for the sake of his survival two years ago and he also had to have blood on his hand.

He probably did his best not to kill, but he definitely made some people regret their life, so that he could live on.

These thoughts made Luke focused, and he too quickly regained his balance from the man's counter. He quickly locked his eyes to the man's movement and did not flinch even from the deathly arc swing of the man. He could hear his heart rushing, and his adrenaline was pumping.

The batons with electrical cracking sound was disturbing, and his swings was faster than usual individual. It showed that man was well trained like him, and Luke's instinct screamed that he had to kill the man in order to survive.

As he could still feel the effect of Sukukaja, he had to make the best choice he had. It was then he heard Rise's incoming attack. Luke quickly let out his own two stunner out from his gauntlet to meet with bear-like man's baton, and he quickly kicked the man's gut with his foot, hoping this would create opportunity for Rise for successful attack.

Aegis

Chest heaving with exertion, Lisa released the magic circle on the Redcape. She couldn't possibly hope to hold it down any longer, and hurling it had used up far too much of her magic. Now, she only had fumes left to deal with her armed attacker, which meant she needed a plan. Right. Now.

When he raised the gun to point at her again, Lisa ducked and rolled behind a boulder, wincing as her injured leg impacted the ground. In the past, she could easily handle an enemy at range, but bullets had never been a factor. They moved too quickly for her to dodge them, and were small enough that her magic couldn't push them aside.

Reaching into her bag, Lisa retrieved two silver meditation balls. Swirling them between her fingers, she contemplated her options. Harassment was her best weapon right now, until she could get the upper hand.

Leaving the balls drifting in midair, Lisa placed her palm on the ground beside her and pushed herself to her feet. A magic circle spread from the hand holding her injured leg, and when she took the hand away, the pain remained, but the bleeding had stopped. At least for now...

Giving a glance over her shoulder, Lisa stumbled forward, heading for the next pile of boulders.

Gorge


"Lenka!" Marcus growled out her name in an attempt to get her attention, but it was a lost cause. Engaging a group of people with guns wasn't part of the plan, and he wasn't sure whether to be impressed by Lenka's resolve or irritated by her lack of caution. Probably a bit of both...

Muttering a curse, he also broke from the treeline. She had a good head start though. Perhaps that was better. If she was the first to arrive at her brother's side, it might soften the blow of Marcus' presence a bit. He just needed to make sure she arrived at her destination unharmed.

Alexei

Alexei could see the look of a trapped animal in the young man's eyes. Interesting.

He wasn't one of the members of Aegis, but he traveled with them. He wasn't on any of their files, but he had a magic strain. Who was this kid?

He had experience with fighting. That much was certain. But it wouldn't be enough. Alexei had been training every day for years beyond his memory till everything blurred together. This kid wouldn't beat him in a straight fight.

Then Ehlana's voice came through his calm. The idea that even more people were entering the fray was bothersome, but he took it in stride. It just meant he would have to finish off his current opponents more quicky. But when Ehlana's report that James had not transformed came through, he faltered.

"What? But-"

Damn that kid. The small opening was all he needed. The punk planted a boot in his stomach, knocking him back. Alexei staggered, then remembered a moment too late about the girl behind him. Burning pain streaked across his skin as one of her metal fans slashed down his back.

Alexei grunted, pivoted, and kicked out. He caught the girl in her wrists, sending her fans flying out of her hands. He snatched at her unguarded forarm and threw her through the air into the other guy, sending them sprawling to the ground.

"Damn it," Alexei muttered, every movement sending pain down his back. He could keep fighting, but he was going to have to be very serious now.

"Ehlana, take the blonde girl out," he ordered. The last thing he needed was for James and her to jump into the fray. Maybe it hadn't worked on James, for whatever reason, but if that girl was a strain user like the redhaired kid down here, it was worth another shot.

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Ergo Research

Kokonoe glowered moodily at the conference screen, hands dug deep into her labcoat pockets.

"I love that everyone assumes I'll just drop everything I'm doing and cooperate," she growled. "Did anyone think of informing me of these developments beforehand?"

Jax had the decency to look apologetic.

"Things moved faster than I expected," he told her. "Keynes just told me Aegis had reported finding the Redcape."

Keynes. That rat bastard had known and didn't say anything. He would be lucky if she put out by next year.

"Fine," she snapped. "I'll handle it. Lambda can pick them up and get them here. I'll have something to contain the Redcape by then."

Kokonoe cut the communication and opened up the intercom to start barking orders. Getting up a containment field from scratch within the hour. God, why didn't they just ask her to make water into wine while they were at it...

Aegis
- James & Lenka -

“James, are you okay?” Lenka asked and touched his shoulder. If she had completely ignored what was going on around her, she now became fully aware. The gunshots echoed in her ears and she could feel her heart beating in her chest. Everything screamed danger.

James opened his eyes. The pain had subsided to a dull ache that seemed to fade more and more. Then he became aware of someone next to him that he instantly recognized and he sat up.

“Yeah, I think I’m fine,” he still felt a little dazed. “Lenka. What are you doing here?"

Only now did he have a chance to look around and after a few seconds he realized the seriousness of the situation around them. Then it dawned on him. Whoever had shot him, could still be around. Maybe even aiming to shoot again.

“You both can explain when this is over. We need to take cover, quick,” he said and pulled Lenka up and moved behind a big boulder. He waved towards Marcus, signalling him to take cover as well. Both of them would have some serious explaining to do once this mess was over.

Lenka felt relief wash over her when her brother got up and seemed to be alright. Before she had a chance to answer, James pulled her up and out of the way. She gasped when she saw how Rise and Luke were almost powerless in their efforts.

Even though worry for her brother had driven her out here, now that he seemed alright, she felt equally worried for Rise and the others.

“Can’t you do something to help them?” she asked, her voice worried.

"I will, just stay here," he said and sounded equally worried. The odds were not in their favor. And where the hell was Lisa?

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Arusians
- Ehlana -

“Copy that,” she replied calmly and shifted the rifle slightly to get a better view of Lenka. Just then, both Lenka and James moved out of view. Another young man moved through her sightings. Just how many of them were there?

“That’s a negative on the shot,” Ehlana said in her com. “They moved out of sight.”

She waited a couple seconds to see if they would reappear, but nothing happened.

“Belo, get them out in the open again,” she said. From her point of view it looked like Belo had almost effectively taken care of the other girl and was in a better position to move than Alexei.

Aegis
Luke Jaron

As Rise was tossed at him, Luke quickly grabbed her waist and her head so that Rise won't be too affected by the sudden toss of bear man and the roll they had due to its force.

Luke's quick action stopped Rise and himself sprawling too far away, "Matetrakarn" Said Luke to give him and Rise the moment to stood up against the bear man once more.

"Rise, you alright?" Luke asked, quickly taking the stance to fight the man once more.
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Arusian Agents
Belobog Volkov, "Belo"

The girl was cornered, Belo smirked. All he had to do was choke her out and make her even more desperate. He just needed to be careful so that the cornered mouse won't bite him back. However, the thought of killing her had to be stopped.

New enemies joined in and it sounded like Ehlana couldn't deal with them in time. Belo clicked his tongue once, "Roger, changing targets"

Belobog quickly left his cover and went towards where the new targets are, quickly taking the cover to check on the new targets.

Belobog bite his lips, they just ran into the cover as he had reached them; he had to expose them, "Should have brought some explosives....." Said Belobog, regretting that he didn't.

Belobog let out his short breathe, and quickly moved in to where the three targets are. James was coming out from the cover, but Belobog's objective was to get all these three targets out from the cover.

Belobog quickly make his way around the cover that three targets were hiding, however, he did not do silently. When he got there, he was visible and he let lose his pistols at the blonde hair girl and two males, hoping it would intimidate them to move towards the open space together to find new cover which would give Ehlana to shoot them down.

Aegis

Lisa allowed herself to breathe a small sigh of relief as the man who'd been following her peeled away to turn back. It was a short lived moment though. If he was turning back, that meant the others were in danger of him approaching from this direction now. Gritting her teeth with every step to keep from crying out in pain, Lisa hobbled after him, trying to stay far enough back that he wouldn't hear her approach.

As he skirted around the others, Lisa pushed herself into the cover of a few small trees, watching him as she was sure he had previously been watching her. Four more metal meditation balls joined the other two already in the air, and as Lisa waved her fingers, they shot upwards, over the treetops.

Just as he began to open fire on the others, the metal balls descended, swirling all about the man and hitting him from obscure angles. A gun wouldn't help him against the small projectiles at close range. They darted for exposed weaknesses. His forearms, knees, even the small of his back, anywhere that would swiftly disable the man.

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"Marakukaja." Marcus muttered, waving his hand in between Lenka, James, and himself. A magic circle spawned beneath each of them, surrounding their bodies with a soft, blue glow.

"It's best not to get hit, as I don't think this will completely stop a bullet." He grumbled, glancing between Lenka and James. "If you do take a shot, the barrier will at least lessen the damage though."

The sound of rustling branches drew his attention, and Marcus turned to see a man with two pistols circling them. Without thought, he stepped forward, putting himself between the man and Lenka. This wasn't how he'd planned on things going.

"Sukukaja."

The world seemed to move in slow motion as the pistols trained on Marcus, and although he heard the shots go off, the bullets didn't seem to fire for a second. Twisting, he wrapped an arm around Lenka's waist and kicked sideways, propelling himself into James' back. It was doubtful that either the brother or the sister would appreciate the movement, but it was better than either taking a bullet.

When he collided with James, Marcus gripped the back of the other man's shirt, spinning again to throw James forward, while at the same time shielding Lenka from any of the bullets that had tracked their progress with his own body.

A single shot took him in the shoulder, but it didn't penetrate the skin. Too bad it still felt like getting hit with a sledge hammer...

With a groan, he landed on his knees, one arm still around Lenka, and the other pressed against a boulder to keep him from falling on top of her.

"You alright, partner?" Marcus asked as he released her from his grip.

Aegis
- James -

Before James could move another step, several things happened almost simultaneously. Shots were fired and Marcus unleashed a barrier and speed spell, saving them from the bullets.

James landed on his feet after being thrown and threw a glance at Lenka. Yes she was fine, maybe a little shaken, but already able to get up.

Quickly he grabbed the stun gun. This was going too far. They needed to end this fight. While the man that had just shot at them was distracted, he unleashed three stunners at Belo. Lisa’s ability to control the small metal spheres had come just in the right moment.

Trusting that Lenka and Marcus would be alright, he quickly moved down the gorge towards the other fight. Rise and Luke didn’t fare too well against the bulky man. He suppressed the urge to give in to his worry and rush to their side. Instead he unleashed another two stunners towards Alexei while Rise and Luke re-grouped.

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Gorge
- Lenka -

It took Lenka a few seconds to get her bearings back after being rushed through the air and suddenly finding herself sitting on the hard ground with Marcus kneeling between her and the attacker.

“Am I alright?” she echoed and shook her head in disbelief. “Of course I am,” she said and moved to get up. “What about you? I saw how that bullet hit you…” there was a look of honest concern on her face and her hand touched his shoulder where the bullet had impacted. “Are you going to be okay?”

From the corner of her eye, she saw how James threw them a look  to make sure they were alright, before taking off to rejoin the fight.

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- Redcape -

The Redcape screeched angrily when it smashed into the rocks after being tossed by Lisa. Its tendrils lashed out, sending up waves of debris and rocks. It leaped up and in a fit of rage and pain it began to run rampage through the gorge, lashing out with its tendrils at anything that moved.

For its size it moved swiftly and soon reached the entrance of the gorge where it saw a few tiny humans standing in the way of its escape. With another feral cry, the tendrils shot out towards the surrounding boulders, ready to bury anyone within the vicinity under rocks.