One of the worst days in recent memory...
I assembled everyone early in the morning, the break of dawn. "Daylight is a precious commodity right now. So we are moving out now. We are going to find those natives and find out what they were hiding yesterday evening. Be on guard still, they could also mount a daytime attack on us. Let's move out."
I had shifted our mission to getting the natives to tell us everything they knew, because one of the things they knew was the fate of our comrades. I was in a foul mood following their games. I wish I had been there when Natasha and Lyosha were asking them questions. Then after the attack on our position, well, these guys had their chance to play nice.
We headed out into the jungle and it did not take us long to find some of the locals gathering vines and leaves. "Lyosh, you and Roma are on sniper duty. Natasha stay behind me. Everyone else, fan out and approach with care. These guys are considered hostile." Lyosha and Roma moved into a covered position as we went down the side of the hill towards the locals. As we approached our psionic detectors buzzed. They were probably putting up mind blocks or something like that. But they did not run from us. I grabbed one of them by the hair and told Natasha to tell the others we would kill anyone of them that moved. I dragged the guy back behind our line and pushed him to the ground. I picked him because he was close, and he registered as evil.
"Tell him to tell me where the bodies are. I know that he knows. If he says anything but 'I will take you to the bodies', then I will chop his fucking head off," I said to Natasha. "Tell him that. Make sure he understands."
They were taking too long in my opinion.
"Natasha, he has five seconds left to live if does not agree to take us to the bodies."
She started talking, he interrupted, she raised her voice, and then the message settled on him and was expressed with big wide open eyes. He said something quickly, gasping.
"Ok," she said.
"Just him," I said.
They had a brief exchange of words. "He wants his father to come, too," she said to me.
"Fine," I said. "Lyosh, Roma, fall in behind us but keep some distance."
"Yes, sir," they replied.
"Tell them not to follow us. I will know if they do," I said to Natasha.
We marched through the jungle, quickly at first. "What do you think, are we going in circles?" I asked over the radio.
"Not from this point of view," Lyosha responded.
Still, it was taking far too long for my comfort. "How much longer?"
"They say at least two hours," Natasha responded.
I shook my head. I suspected the worst, I felt like we were walking into a trap, but we needed to find the bodies. I was not going to leave that god foresaken island without them, or die trying.
We started up the side of one of the larger mountains on the island.
The younger one said something.
"At the top," Natasha translated.
As we started up the side our detectors went off and we were all looking around. "Halt," I ordered. "Lyosh, your detector buzzing?"
"Negative."
"A place of magic?" Natasha suggested.
"Can you see anything higher up?" I asked.
"Negative," Lyosha responded.
I checked our intel from the fly-overs our drones made in preparation. They had detected nothing out of the oridinary. The sun was getting low in the sky. "Well, if we are on top of this thing come night fall, at least we will be on the high ground. Let's move," I said.
We pressed on to the top of the mountain. The detectors were indicating magic all around, still. My eyes flashed from side to side as the younger one said something as he yanked his head over his left shoulder. "This way, five minutes," Natasha translated.
"Lyosh, sitrep?"
"All clear," he replied.
"It is getting dark. Fall in."
"On the way."
"Alright, we are waiting for Lyosha and Roma. We do not move until they catch up," I said to the others. Natasha translated.
Once we were all together, we moved. We came upon what the locals were calling "The Place of Death". And the sun was disappearing behind the horizon.
I clicked on my flashlight as the older one pointed down into a sort of hole. There our comrades lay, broken and mangled.
The old man spke slowly and Natasha's face grew ever more nervous as she translated how they were killed. His last words were, "this is the place of death. The place of your death!" His body fell to the ground as my silver edged blade slashed deep through his neck, nearly severing his head entirely as my blade found the bone of his spine. As for the other he began to transform into a were-panther. Pretty much everyone opened fire on him, killing him instantly.
"My team will get the bodies. The rest of you, organise a perimeter defense. We are going to be camping right here tonight," I said. I saw Natasha walking over and I intercepted her. "I want you to work on the perimeter."
"You do not have to hide me from the bodies, Kolya," she responded.
"This is not medical school," I said.
She stepped around me and I caught her by the arm. "Release me," she said through her teeth. She was on fire. So I let her go. She has become consumed by the brother-in-arms and leave-no-one-behind mindset.
It was too dark to work effectively. It was pitch black and we were trying to match feet to legs and legs to torso and so forth. It was impossible with our limited lighting resources.
"We will finish this job on sun up," I said.
"We might be able to get MA [Mortuary Affairs] up here. They can get these guys back together a lot faster than we can," Roma suggested.
"You are correct, but I am not leaving this hill without them," I replied.
Night came, and came with a vengeance. We had a pretty good defense set up, but we were not in our base, which means we did not have a better defense set up, and we had no opportunity to rearm or reload beyond the firepower that we brought with us.
Rather than coming in waves, the werepanthers came all at once. They ripped through our lines, overrunning our position with ease. We were split into small groups, sometimes individually isolated from each other. That, like the Finns in the Winter War, was their plan. It was deep night and there was shouting, growling, screaming, shooting, and all manner of fighting going on around me, but there were little details through the fog of war.
All of us, except Natasha were fighters. I tried to keep my eye on her, but she has a tendency to slip out of my sight during firefights. It has happened during her rescue, the fight in the cave, and it happened during that fight with the werepanthers.
The battle was very fluid. At times I would find myself fighting next to someone, get separated, and an hour later next to each other again. We shifted to get position on the monsters and avoid crossfires and hurting each other. It was a beautiful dance of warriors shifting, moving, and fighting.
After hours of fighting one could finally begin to sense victory. The number of werepanthers had been greatly reduced during the night, and only a few stranglers were hanging on early in the morning before the sun started to rise. We gravitated to one another and in a final push destroyed the remaining monsters, many of us by this point completely out of ammunition and down to knives, swords, and maces.
Bloody, tired, and high on adrenaline we set about destroying the werepanthers - chop off head, burn, repeat. While that was going on, I had my team assemble the bodies as best we could and prepare them for transport back to the beach, where a MA team could easily get them.
Operation Silver Strike - Day 3
Operation Silver Strike - Day 3
С волками жить, по-волчьи выть.
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Bert_the_Turtle
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Day 3 was a fucking mess. It started alright, Kolya told us we were going to locate and recover the bodies and to gear up. I stuffed a bunch of modified Claymore Mines that fire Silver coated Ball Bearings into my trademark Orange Dufflebag. I tucked a couple white parachute flares alone with some ordinary flares and chemlights into my pack. Then the modified Fragmentation Grenades for my Assault Rifle's grenade launcher went on a bandolier. Various pouches and pockets on myperson held hundreds of rounds for my various weapons. Capping it off, a pair of silvered combat knives went into special spring loaded sheaths up my sleeves. Now, looking very much like a bad Rambo Knockoff, I was ready to roll and went to the jumping off point.
There really isn't much for me to relate about the journey to the "Place of Death". Other then there was some threatening going on, I didn't understand a damn thing that was being said. I just kept on guard for any ambushes as we made our way towards the place where the bodies supposedly were.
We reached our destination as dark was falling. I heard our "guides" changing, but Kolya and company put them down before I could get within striking distance. Kolya ordered a perimeter established so I went about my chosen trade. First I setup the Claymores in a semicircle around our position which would present a wall of flying silver to any werepanthers that rushed us. Then I setup some C4 at the base of a pair of two large trees that, with a push of a button, would send them falling into the only path to our location (and I hesitate to even call it a path, that is too strong of a word).
Then the attack came. It was pitch black and from the Jungle they attacked in a vast wave of fur, fang and claw. My Claymores killed nine of them off the bat, but gave no pause to those forcing their way foreward through a hail of gunfire. I detonated the C4 and caught two of the bastards under the trees, the rest continued to swarm forth, going around or over the obstacles. I sent up a white parachute flare for illumination, it was critical in the early minutes of battle to see what was going on. Trying to establish a firing line was futile, they would not give us a chance to regroup. It was all I could do to keep my weapon loaded. When I ran out of clips for my Assault Rifle, (I had long since given up keeping the single-shot grenade launcher loaded) I dropped it and let the sling take care of it, and drew a pair of Colt Model 1911 .45 Handguns. Together they were as effective as the assault rifle I had been using but I was going through ammunition too fast and reloading two guns at once was a bitch. When they ran dry (all too soon) I reholstered them and drew my A.S.P. from my shoulder holster. I was one of the few with ammunition left at this point. I gave ground as I aimed carefully, making each and every shot count. When I emptied my last two clips, I tucked my weapon away and released my knives, catching them in my hands. Aiming for the throat of the beasts, I danced through the diminishing horde slashing and striking, parrying their teeth and claws with my blades.
I heard Natasha cry out over the radio. I saw her behind me and to the left, a Panther had breached her guard and knocked her down and was trying to chew through her armor. She was fortunate that she managed to block its attack on her neck with her arm, but if her armor was breached she would still be damned by the curse of lycanthropy. I delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of a panther that rushed me, and sprung into the air when I landed, bounding through the sea of corpses. I pushed off of a dying werepanther with my foot, and bodily hurled myself at the creature attacking Natasha, knocking it off of her. We tumbled on the ground, its jaws nearly catching my wrist. My knife came up with a long and low ripping sound, cutting it open from bottom to top and ending by driving the blade into its skull. Natasha was already back on her feet as I rolled to mine. The battle was ending, the last two panthers I saw were trying to out flank me. I pitched my knives at them, catching both in the heart. The most brutal, vicious, bloody, and dangerous fight I'd ever been in was over. And on one of the very rare occasions in my life, I had run out of ammo.
There really isn't much for me to relate about the journey to the "Place of Death". Other then there was some threatening going on, I didn't understand a damn thing that was being said. I just kept on guard for any ambushes as we made our way towards the place where the bodies supposedly were.
We reached our destination as dark was falling. I heard our "guides" changing, but Kolya and company put them down before I could get within striking distance. Kolya ordered a perimeter established so I went about my chosen trade. First I setup the Claymores in a semicircle around our position which would present a wall of flying silver to any werepanthers that rushed us. Then I setup some C4 at the base of a pair of two large trees that, with a push of a button, would send them falling into the only path to our location (and I hesitate to even call it a path, that is too strong of a word).
Then the attack came. It was pitch black and from the Jungle they attacked in a vast wave of fur, fang and claw. My Claymores killed nine of them off the bat, but gave no pause to those forcing their way foreward through a hail of gunfire. I detonated the C4 and caught two of the bastards under the trees, the rest continued to swarm forth, going around or over the obstacles. I sent up a white parachute flare for illumination, it was critical in the early minutes of battle to see what was going on. Trying to establish a firing line was futile, they would not give us a chance to regroup. It was all I could do to keep my weapon loaded. When I ran out of clips for my Assault Rifle, (I had long since given up keeping the single-shot grenade launcher loaded) I dropped it and let the sling take care of it, and drew a pair of Colt Model 1911 .45 Handguns. Together they were as effective as the assault rifle I had been using but I was going through ammunition too fast and reloading two guns at once was a bitch. When they ran dry (all too soon) I reholstered them and drew my A.S.P. from my shoulder holster. I was one of the few with ammunition left at this point. I gave ground as I aimed carefully, making each and every shot count. When I emptied my last two clips, I tucked my weapon away and released my knives, catching them in my hands. Aiming for the throat of the beasts, I danced through the diminishing horde slashing and striking, parrying their teeth and claws with my blades.
I heard Natasha cry out over the radio. I saw her behind me and to the left, a Panther had breached her guard and knocked her down and was trying to chew through her armor. She was fortunate that she managed to block its attack on her neck with her arm, but if her armor was breached she would still be damned by the curse of lycanthropy. I delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of a panther that rushed me, and sprung into the air when I landed, bounding through the sea of corpses. I pushed off of a dying werepanther with my foot, and bodily hurled myself at the creature attacking Natasha, knocking it off of her. We tumbled on the ground, its jaws nearly catching my wrist. My knife came up with a long and low ripping sound, cutting it open from bottom to top and ending by driving the blade into its skull. Natasha was already back on her feet as I rolled to mine. The battle was ending, the last two panthers I saw were trying to out flank me. I pitched my knives at them, catching both in the heart. The most brutal, vicious, bloody, and dangerous fight I'd ever been in was over. And on one of the very rare occasions in my life, I had run out of ammo.
Dym, Ваша боль будет вечна
We left camp at dawn with the intent of finding the natives and answers, we found them gathering vines and leaves and Koyla moved forward with Natasha to talk to them. Koyla was not in a pleasent mood and made some threats to get the natives to be more agreeable, we headed out to where we would find our answers. We spent the whole day walking before we came to a montain and were informed our answers were at the top, the sun was almost gone at this point and Koyla declared we would camp at the top and set a defensive position there. Magic was very strong in the air as we moved up the mountain, I began pulling the ambieant energy in to recharge a few of my spell talismans I had depleted in the fighting last night. We stopped at a hole and in it were the magled remains of the Russians, we were then informed this was our death spot. The old man died when Koyla removed his head, the young man tried to change to beast form and died in a hail of silver gunfire. We began setting what defenses we could and Koyla and Natasha went to prepare the bodies for transport.
The night fell fast and it was not long before a mass of werepanthers charged us, no waves or tatics just brutal numbers. I began hurling spells to try and funnel them in a limited route, then began dealing death as fast as I could before it came to close quarters. The group of us were split up and fighting raged all over in all manners, I caught fleeting glances of others at times was right next to or back to back with some one only to be split again. I burned through my ammo far faster than I would have liked and my spells fell silent not too long after my firearm. I hefted Skullcrusher and let her rip three fire balls into a mass of werepanters then began swinging her as she began her war hymn. We fought all night with little chance to breathe or rest, my enhanceing spells were depleted near dawn, my armor and invunrability spells went down near the end, the body armor the Russians provided managed to keep me in one piece after the magic was spent. I know that at one point I swear I saw Natasha down with a werepanther on her trying to rip her arm off, I cast a supernatural stregth spell on myself and hurled three werepanters off my immediate area and smashed a fourth as I tried to get to her. The mass of werebeast cut me off to keep us isolated from each other. I began smashing anything furry as I vented my rage at the thought Natasha may be dead, or worse infected. By morning we finished the last few werepanthers and had a chance to take stock of the damage inflicted on us, luckily no one was in horrible shape after that mess of a war.
The ambient magic was back up to a decent level and I began healing the worst of of our injurred while some of the others began beheading werepanthers and building a fire. If I never smell burning flesh in that quaintity again I'll be very happy. I found Natasha with a sore arm but in one piece, seems Bert almost fell over her in the chaos and finished her attacker before the thing got throuhg her armor.
"I may see if Koyla can get you some time off to study with me full time for a little while. That and there is some place here I need to go, my mentor's old cache. That is if you are willing to go and be put through a very hard learning session." I said when we finally had a chance to sit and rest for a few.
The night fell fast and it was not long before a mass of werepanthers charged us, no waves or tatics just brutal numbers. I began hurling spells to try and funnel them in a limited route, then began dealing death as fast as I could before it came to close quarters. The group of us were split up and fighting raged all over in all manners, I caught fleeting glances of others at times was right next to or back to back with some one only to be split again. I burned through my ammo far faster than I would have liked and my spells fell silent not too long after my firearm. I hefted Skullcrusher and let her rip three fire balls into a mass of werepanters then began swinging her as she began her war hymn. We fought all night with little chance to breathe or rest, my enhanceing spells were depleted near dawn, my armor and invunrability spells went down near the end, the body armor the Russians provided managed to keep me in one piece after the magic was spent. I know that at one point I swear I saw Natasha down with a werepanther on her trying to rip her arm off, I cast a supernatural stregth spell on myself and hurled three werepanters off my immediate area and smashed a fourth as I tried to get to her. The mass of werebeast cut me off to keep us isolated from each other. I began smashing anything furry as I vented my rage at the thought Natasha may be dead, or worse infected. By morning we finished the last few werepanthers and had a chance to take stock of the damage inflicted on us, luckily no one was in horrible shape after that mess of a war.
The ambient magic was back up to a decent level and I began healing the worst of of our injurred while some of the others began beheading werepanthers and building a fire. If I never smell burning flesh in that quaintity again I'll be very happy. I found Natasha with a sore arm but in one piece, seems Bert almost fell over her in the chaos and finished her attacker before the thing got throuhg her armor.
"I may see if Koyla can get you some time off to study with me full time for a little while. That and there is some place here I need to go, my mentor's old cache. That is if you are willing to go and be put through a very hard learning session." I said when we finally had a chance to sit and rest for a few.
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Ron Caliburn
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Bert_the_Turtle
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Ron Caliburn
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We are looking at a fairly large-scale pre-emptive strike on this demon's stronghold. Then we will go ahead and dial it down once we are done.
Permanent? I think that would be untenable at this time. Logistics nightmare. Already what we are looking at is a little more than uncomfortable.
Little recon units is certainly something we would like to have as an ongoing presence though.
Permanent? I think that would be untenable at this time. Logistics nightmare. Already what we are looking at is a little more than uncomfortable.
Little recon units is certainly something we would like to have as an ongoing presence though.
С волками жить, по-волчьи выть.
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The Dark Voice
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We need to get some roads constructed on that island so we can move supplies and personnel around.
Yes, now that you've butchered the island's inhabitants. And I thought the grand days of exploration were gone. It's good to see that such wonderful butchery still lives on.
I'm proud of you.
By the hands of you fools, my Master shall be freed.
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The Dark Voice
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If you are trying to provoke me into losing my temper you are to going to succede. I am as blood thirsty as anyone else who is threatened with lose of life and limb, you are a complete idiot for serving a demon. Once you are no longer needed you will face the same fate as everyone else. Oh and think about this: You admited to seeing what happens to the foolish villians who post here, yet your "master" ordered you to do so. Maybe they want some entertainment watching you get taken out?
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The Dark Voice
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Shadowstalker
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The Dark Voice
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Ron Caliburn
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We are still working on that.
Michael T has some familiarity with that world and has some suggestions, which Kolya, Michael, and Bert need to find time in their schedules to discuss.
Otherwise, we are going forward as planned. A mop operation that has been ongoing since our return has come back empty. Chances are very good we got all the werepanthers there.
Opsec and all but our next objective is recon on the island with the demon's stronghold. Michael may be able to help out there, as well.
So, yea, nothing exciting at this point.
Michael T has some familiarity with that world and has some suggestions, which Kolya, Michael, and Bert need to find time in their schedules to discuss.
Otherwise, we are going forward as planned. A mop operation that has been ongoing since our return has come back empty. Chances are very good we got all the werepanthers there.
Opsec and all but our next objective is recon on the island with the demon's stronghold. Michael may be able to help out there, as well.
So, yea, nothing exciting at this point.
Волков бояться — в лес не ходить.
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GhostSpider
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Ron Caliburn
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Bert_the_Turtle
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GhostSpider wrote:You got any info on this demon? Karlash is a living repository of demon lore and maybe he and I can help you?
Some very basic stuff that Shadowstalker and some others were able to get out of reading that medallion we got off the witch.
We are pretty close to getting a name, actually. Hopefully Michael T is alright, as he had some promising leads.
I will let you know what we come up with though, when we have something a little more than 'kudu type supernasty".
С волками жить, по-волчьи выть.
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Ron Caliburn
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Bert_the_Turtle
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Ron Caliburn
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