Project S.W.O.R.D. IC Thread (discontinued)

[Cresion Breezes]

Interactions: Felipe Fortuno ( Solirus )
Mentions: Team A​

"Un onore conoscerti, sig Fortuno."_{An honour to meet you, Mr.Fortuno.} Alessio replied to the formerly quiet man, who introduced himself as Felipe Fortuno. It was interesting that the man went straight to Italian for the introduction, as well as initiating some small talk that he seemed quite reluctant to do previously. Alessio supposed it was because of his accent and phrasing that gave away he also knew the language, but it was also rather strange that Felipe didn't introduce himself or speak to anyone actively. It could be just a case of someone being introverted, but maybe...

"Sei..."_{Are you...} He paused for a moment before thinking of a way to phrase this. "...Lei parla inglese? Non sei familiare? Scomodo?"_{Do you speak English? Not very familiar? Comfortable?} All MTF members of SWORD should have some sort of proficiency in the English language, or else they wouldn't be assigned these tasks, but maybe he just preferred another language, although it's not as if his Italian sounded really native either. That was somewhat worrying, communication between members was important and all. "Il mietitore può essere duro, ma lei ha buone intenzioni."_{The Reaper may seem tough, but she is well-intentioned.}

Alessio let out a few awkward laughs when he was inquired about his opinion and worries about the assembled team, he wasn't the type who liked to lie or tell half-truths, but it would be rather problematic to answer the question "who worries you the most right now?" with "one of them is you". He didn't know what Felipe meant by "nervous" exactly though, Alessio preferred to trust his allies and leave the worry for the threats they would be facing, but he also knew that it was a common trait of newer MTF members to be nervous in the presence of others different from them. It was good that the arrival of the final team member and the subsequence movement to their office base gave him some breathing room soon after.

"No, nessuno in particulate."_{No, no one in particular.} It was a half-truth. "Niente di insolito, almeno. Sono più preoccupato per i demoni, preferisco non preoccuparmi dei miei alleati."_{Nothing out of the ordinary, at least. I'm more concerned with the demons, and I prefer to place some trust in my allies.} As they arrived in the new office Alessio hung around near the entrance and waited for the others to seat before choosing from the remaining few desks. From the team organization, it seems like he was right about being assigned here to serve as a sub-leader alongside Emily Zhang. He sighed gently after noticing that the man he was speaking to was actually assigned to his team, the heart of man was truly more frightening than any demon sometimes.

"Ma proprio come il mietitore, neanche a me piacciono le lotte intestine."_{But just like the Reaper, I also do not take kindly to infighting.} He added before going on to review the other two members, both of which were junior to himself and Senior Agent Fortuno. A young man from Australia...who didn't seem to have much combat experience, but the abilities granted by fallen pacts may make up for any deficiencies in that area. The same could be said for the other member, she had an interesting name. Ogre didn't seem like the type of name that would be given to a child, even if Alessio had heard strange things about American parents, it simply fitted her fallen form too well. Although many within SWORD went by epithet occasionally, it was still unusual for someone to forego their birth name completely. Alessio sighed a bit again, in terms of taking advantage of desperate people, much humanity was quite on par with demons.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Michiru Kuiiru Shizu

RedArmyShogun​

As Emily began speaking to her, Shizu paused misstep. She pulled down her glasses and looked towards the other woman. By her words, it sounded like she was worried about their respective reputations. One that Emily wasn't fond of, and one that Shizu had tried to cultivcate. With a chuckle she pulled down her glasses and replied, "Don't worry, I'm not worried about your curse. And, it's only a good thing, if people are talking, right, hunny?" She stated, flicking Emily's shoulder. "Besides," she began, popping her glasses back up, "It's more fun if the people gossip," she finished, with a gleam across those black lens. Her words ending as she started walking cooly away. Though she fully intended to follow Emily to where they where headed next. But one had to always maintain one's cool factor. Hence why she cooly walked away.

Shizu barely noticed the intense fear from the kid she had taken the sweets from. Which she was eating on the way towards their new offices, following Emily. She did notice, but things like that -well she barely registered them. Frankly, she didn't expect a coward like Dimitri to be amongst them. What good would a coward do in their line of work? So his shivering she just chalked up to being in awe of her. Like a kid looking up to their idol, or something similar. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the thought as she chewed on one of the beignets. Naturally, she was familiar with adoration from recruits and other agents. Of course, why wouldn't they look up to her? She was fantastic.

At the new offices, she leaned forward to look at the team list. "Hmm." She mused. Then walked over, popped out her seat, and swung her legs up onto her desk. With one leg folded over the other, she relaxed back in her chair. She rummaged in a drawer, pulling out some wrapped candy.

Annabella-Annaliese Angelova

Juju
​

"Ah, yes, I do recall my mother saying something similar about girls and their pretty things, though, I scarcely remember what 'pretty' looks like," Anna remarked with a pleasant smile. "An old crone? You? Oh, stop! Haha." Her words kind of fell into the background, though, as Fuyuko started fixating on the others -primarily the other Fallen. Of which Anna focused on. She frowned ever so slightly about the comment regarding Shizu, "Hm, yes, nice." She wasn't thrilled there was another big Fallen here, but kept to herself as Fuyuko enjoyed their antics.

She followed the others to the offices. Once there, she stood off to the side, rocking casually on her walking stick, with a small smile on her face. Listening, she heard the crinkling of paper as it was being pinned. Slowly she walked over. Not bumping into anything. Once at the paper, she asked aloud, "Would anyone mind telling me what the paper says? Where do I fit in? I'm Anna, again, by the way. Oh, Angelova, if the listings are by last name. Would you kindly?" Her question was to whoever was present, standing near her, and whoever was nice enough to respond. The blind woman simply stood there with a smile, awaiting an answer.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Aki's desires were relentlessly taunted when the woman in a suit came and abruptly absconded with not one, but two whole beignets! The blue-haired Fallen gasped in shock as the Devourer, Consumer, or whoever she was just licked her lips and walked away stuffing her face. This caused the excitable Fallen to pout until the young man who brought the pastries spoke to her.

Not one to dwell, her demeanor rebounded the moment he began speaking. "Yep! Super fast! That's my thing!" She decreed with pride and confidence.

Another gasp and quick as lightning, the wipe was used and finally Aki took her own treasure in the form of a chocolate one and immediately began snacking on it. "Thanks dude! You're the best! Sho good~" Humming contently to herself as she followed the rest of the herd inward, though she hardly seemed to be listening. It was apparent that she was, however, when she let out a whine. "Aw... I hate those things..." She complained as to the reports.

The office to Aki was "that boring place where she always got told not to talk and had to write papers." She wasn't exactly eager to spend her time there, and for a short time just munched solemnly on her pastry. A few stayed, a few left. It wasn't until Annabella asked about the assignment paper that she was drawn from her stupor.

Humming, the Fallen made her way over to the woman, leaning over her shoulder to look at the sheet. "Ange-lova... Oh! You're in my team!" Aki cheered, for some reason so delighted by said events that she wrapped one arm around the woman's shoulder. "Oh, with... Liuyang, Shimizu and-Oh crud... Nee-kee-toh-vuh-nuh...? Neekeetohvuhnuh... Neekeetovna--OH! Vampire lady!"

Interactions: Thalia_Neko BFabulous

 

[RedArmyShogun]

S.W.O.R.D. Camp Miller's Hill - Office
Emily Zhang - Irina Nikitovna
​

Hearing Anna out in the open, Emily didn't responder to the Cleaner, she had nothing to prove and nothing counter to say, but her thoughts drifted as she walked up to the bling girl. It was true from a point of view. She was cursed according to some, but not everyone died with her, and she would be able to direct them this time, to try doing her best to keeping them alive. As long as they weren't too green things should be fine. And she was not cursed. She always survived and did the mission. That was luck and skill in and of itself.

Back in the moment of the here and now, she lays a light hand on Anna's back and gently turns her to the next closest desk to the door, one that was more or less in a straight line. "This will be your seat..." The Reaper says, directing her calmly and slowly. "You're going to be with Element B this rotation, Lead Liuyang H. Members: Angelova A-A, Shimizu F, Kiyoko A, Nikitovna I. I'm sure some of you won't want to use last names alone. Either way I'll show you the way to the bathroom and the counterspace. Though I was told you can somewhat see through your oth-"

As she was about to finish that the landline red alert phone in her office started to ring, slightly before time of the shift to start. "Eh, have someone else show you around to those. I got to take this, very important." With that the Boss removed her touch and went back to her personal office, shutting the door.

​

Irina for her part was a little irked, for several reasons, including one talking to her right now, having her name butchered she scoffs, more so at being called Vampire Lady. "Just call me Irina, I rather it than you butchering my name. Blind girl, come to my voice and then walk straight ahead, there is a big computer thing at the end, hit it and turn left, counter is hard to miss. As to the rest have the Japanese girl help you. She seems to like hugging you too." She says as she watched her pounce on the other. She always heard the Japanese were a reserved people. This one didn't get the memo.

Gazing at Aki, she didn't see a point in remembering who either were. If they made an issue of it, she would tell them why. "They said there would be a key card or key telling you where you stay. Maybe yours is in brail." She says with a snicker. "Still, shit... The girl that you talked to before will be sitting next to you, crazy odds that all three of us are on the same team in the same cluster."

"Don't get too comfortable, we likely have work to do. I'll be back shortly, get things situated till then." Said Zhang as she opened her door, heading out the main exit at once. Taking note of this, Irina went back to setting out her things, eying the AK in the armory, they needed a keycard or code for that.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko

 

[TreasureSniper]

A few days back, a severe insect infestation was discovered at the Michigan hydroelectric power dam, prompting the calling of an exterminator. While insect infestations weren't new, this one was extraordinary because the present insects weren't usually found in large numbers together. The infestation consisted of scorpions, rhinoceros beetles, and dragonflies that weren't even native to the same continent.

Initially, there was some news coverage of the incident. However, the situation quickly turned into something more ominous. The area was closed off to news crews due to unforeseen hazards, and the entire facility was eventually put under quarantine. Numerous hive-like structures began to emerge all over the facility, namely, the floodgates of the dam, disrupting energy production before grinding them to a halt.

In truth, the area had become a hunting ground, a bloodsport arena. Every time a team of enforcers was dispatched, they never returned, with their last transmissions mentioning giant bugs and the smell of decaying flesh. Unmanned drones were sent to survey the area, but they were promptly destroyed upon entering the compound by an unseen threat. Aerial surveillance has revealed the perpetrators to fast-moving insect-like humanoids of unknown origin.

The authorities quickly recognized that there was a supernatural element at play as similar happenings had already been reported a few years ago. They had to call in S.W.O.R.D. operatives back then as well. They didn't see a reason not to follow the same protocol this time. Although information about the perpetrators was limited. The drones that were used for reconnaissance did manage to upload a few photos right before they were abruptly destroyed.

Spoiler

Based on the information they could get from similar encounters with this kind, the variant of these creatures seemed faster and much more resilient compared to their earlier counterparts. There is a lot of speculation from S.W.O.R.D whether it is a more mature member of the same species or simply a completely different breed. The agents assigned to this mission would receive a dossier about past events, all the details about the types of weapons they use to the weak points for swift extermination. Despite the danger they pose, some members of the research division wish to capture at least one live specimen for further studies. If that wasn't possible, they would instead request agents to try their best to not damage too much of the creature's body to provide a more fruitful autopsy.

RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko EmperorsChosen Juju ThatWhichShouldBe

 

[Azurian Dream]

Platteville, Wisconsin. Population 3,100

Platteville is a nice little historic town at the base of a minor mountain range that once housed a bustling mining area. The town still has many of the same buildings from over a century ago exuding quite the walk down memory lane for the wild west and there are several mines for tourists to enjoy in addition to numerous other blasts from the past.

Unfortunately, these same mining tour sites have had strange reports of higher than usually disappearances over the last few months for a small circuit town, but what adds to the realm of strangeness to catch S.W.O.R.D’s attention to the case was the more odd reports before the missing cases began. Night Guards reported strange singing, and feminine laughter throughout the caves when no one was there before final checks. The smell of rotting corpses where none were ever found, and the delusional sightings of the night crew swearing up and down they saw rats the size of cats with numerous eyes and mouths like that of nightmares straight from H.P. Lovecraft's works.

Spoiler: Sketch made from eye witness report...

It was when the reports of the feminine laughter stopped though that the Night Crew guards had a man go missing… and it was from there that reports of missing persons in Platteville began along with many hospital accounts swearing they are starting to get victims of bizarre rat bite marks with laced genetic of what can only be labeled as the black death strain on steroids. The more the missing piled up the more delusional night sightings of rats from hell emerged until one man was brought to the hospital with a chunk missing from his leg from a bite mark uncatalogued my animal control, but that wasn't what finally brought S.W.O.R.D's agreement to do a sweep of the mines even if it was in fact a form of minor demon infection spread. It what came forward after some digging into the matter.

When the first-night guard went missing another in the Wildman Mines swears up and down he saw a fever dream of a strange circle sculpture shining in the middle made of what he swore were human body parts with a view of somewhere otherworldly that one such rate popped up from. Demonic sweepage was a common pop up, and given what was coming out the military was more than equipped to handle it... yet the sculpture creating a portal out of human body parts... that got too dangerously close to a well-built profile of something much worse being potentially involved.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

S.W.O.R.D. Camp Miller's Hill - Command Center - Office
Emily Zhang
​

Upon reaching the command center Emily sighed, first day and already things were getting heated. Not one, nor two, but three hot spots. Though thankfully the time between them all were measured apart in days, it just took that long for Garrisons or local Law Enforcement to submit a request for an MTF. Her third mission it wasn't hard to see why they requested and MTF at once after she read the data, still, the old sub and sewer lines of New York City, that was a game of tag, minesweeper and a maze. Though it was actually fairly common that unnatural things would end up down there, be it by design or not. It seemed the base commander was out, the other teams were either on downtime or deployed, they would have no choice but to take on all three ops.

"Get the Helicopters ready for transport into JFK, We'll separate from there. Have the pilots know the gates the rest need to go to, use the business jets if you must." She tells one of the functionaries on duty, as they in turn shout to others below them or across comm units. Within the power they all would be out and about. Eying over the sheets, more detailed briefings could be had then and there in the office. Time was a luxury they did not have.

~~~~
With something of a jog, Emily swings open the office door and hurriedly enters and exits her office, grabbing the folders from before, she was flipping through them, as she went to the workstation, quickly making copies of the files, she also had the three briefing folders in hand, opening them as she muttered something to the effect of; "Fuck I need a sectary." Once her copies were done, she piled the originals on a desk and then brought up the workstation view screen as she put in a passcode and the file numbers.

"Alright, listen up! You all better be in here by now or someone is getting a boot up the ass. Teams A, B, C, group up with your other numbers. We each have a job, whoever is closest to the Armory, pop it open, code is 5759, information you all were going to get later.

Team A, you are going to Platteville, Wisconsin, a mining town, nothing too special, but they have a rat problem and likely something worse problem. Local Garrisons are in other major cities around the area."
Pulling up the one picture and missing persons cases she continues on, displaying them on the monitor. "They had people to go missing and the local Garrison is dealing with other issues in the state, they'll spare ten men to cover the exits but have requested an MTF to go in. Local guards report laughter, smelling dead flesh, one man missing and clear case of infernals. Expect greater hostiles."

Handing over the folders that contained who all was in the team with a bit of censoring and what was known of the mission to their Italian team member, the briefing concludes; "Report to Hangar five, you'll be flying out to JFK, from their to Milwaukee, where a convoy of four Garrison Guards in SUV's will pick you up, they will have more details on the operation. Use the folders to get to know one another, you'll have a four our travel time all in all. I'll see about getting more phones put in when we all get back, do what you wish with your team, but gear up and get out there." ( Azurian Dream Cresion Breezes )

Changing slides, this time it was a hydroelectric dam, and she had to display several other images, all at once, then in a rotating slide show.

"Team B, you get bugs. Though don't take them lightly, communications with the site have been spotty the last 48 hours, Garrison forces and State Troopers have the area on lockdown, it's a little north of Muskegon, national forest area, you'll be heading to hangar three, taking a flight to Detroit out of JFK as well, then a Train to Muskegon, and an SUV ride into the north, its woodlands out there, don't expect civilization.

Needless to say, whatever is making the hives needs to go, Garrison forces will assist if they are able or needed, the US Army Corp of Engineers plan to blow the hives, you just need to make it safe for them to get close. Other objectives and how you wish to deal with them can be done or learned on sight, your travel time will be 12 hours, these files are for you. Someone read them for Anna, too little notice for a brail edition." ( TreasureSniper ThatWhichShouldBe )

"And that leaves Team C." With that a couple grainy images from security cameras and body cams showed a number of images, first off was what looked to be a figure with the face of a Tengu, a bird like visage with a large nose was flanked by taller and unnaturally thin looking men at least seven feet tall, then images of zombie like figures rummaging about in the sewers. All in all, the ninja, or rather Japanese aspect of it all shown through clearly. The last image however was of a striking red eyed woman in much the same garb as the bodycam of who was the previous owner flickers out, a trail of blood as the being melts into the shadows. A dark concrete tunnel behind her.

Spoiler

"New York City as always is on fire in one or multiple locations. The Garrison Guards and NYPD have been coordinating to maneuver these threats for some time. Though this is the first they seen the woman, or rather the Archon. She killed a four-man element, but they more or less have her position pinned down. They want an MTF to go in and deal with her. Not the mission I had in mind for you Dimitri, but it's a mission, nonetheless. We'll be going into the old Subway tunnels and Sewers. Best as we can tell she's part of the same group and was likely summoned by local Yakuza or the Triads, we aren't sure, but Gangland has been on fire according to the NYPD with a slew of silent and not so silent killings being conducted against rivals. We'll be heading to Hangar four, to JFK, then to liaison with the Garrison Guards for a more detailed report. We head out within the hour. Travel time from then depends on New York City traffic, though we'll have a police escort. The rest of these files are for us."

"If any of you have questions, now is the time, just bear in mind, until we reach the locals, our information on these locations is rather limited. Use this time to talk with your teams and get geared up, the travel time should be uneventful. Team C, when we get to the City we'll form a plan."

Interactions: Everyone in the RP

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Annabella-Annaliese Angelova

​

The woman turned her head gently to the side as another woman leaned over her and began speaking from beside her. It was the energetic Fallen. Anna's first instinct was to freeze up and retreat inward and regard this individual with caution. -Especially given the girl touched her. That was like a no-go type of thing for Anna, when it came to 'them'. But she spoke with a friendly -if not overbearing- tone, so Anna relaxed. Her hand, which had gripped her cane firmly now relaxed its tension, no longer ready to swing.

At the same time, Emily answered as well. "Oh, Fuyuko is with me?" she chimed. "That's nice. They must know we're friends, how delightful." She was turned towards her desk. "Thank you very much, Emily and -um, I do not think I caught your name, but thank you," she said to the Fallen, maintaining a light tone in her voice. Normally speaking, Anna did not thank Fallen, but she could acknowledge this was a very simple manner, and the Fallen had attempted to aid her, so there was no reason to be rude.

"Ah, Irina? Very well, yes, that is a good name," she said, with a dip of her head to show she had acknowledged. Again, this individual was a Fallen, but Anna was in the process of being cordial with these people. She mentioned she thought it was odd. Anna cocked her head, "Is it? I don't think so. Things have a habit of working out like this."

They began talking about showing her around. She held up her hand, "That will not be necessary, thank you. I will be able to get around; I simply needed some help with the paper."

"Ah yes, a keycard.." She mused, pulling it from her desk and feeling it over to see if it was braille.

A bit later she joined her group at a mission debriefing. She reached in her folder and frowned as she didn't find what she was looking for -papers with braille describing the mission. To which Emily said as such. Too little notice? Did they not know she was blind? That was a bit irksome... But oh well. It wasn't like she wouldn't be able to sense her enemies later. If they were demons she'd have no trouble. Though, she wasn't to thrilled to hear they were bug-like.

Michiru Kuiiru Shizu

​

At the debriefing Shizu glimpsed the files. "An Archon, wheeww~" She whistled in a certain mocking tone, while her words implied something along the lines of 'Oh no'. Only to quickly put all the files back together by tapping them on the table. Then together she held the folder up and over her shoulder, where she tapped it casually, grinning forward at Emily, as she listened to her. There wasn't really a hint of concern on the woman's face.

When they were freed, Shizu quickly got up, and walked over to the armory, typing in the code, as she was first there. Stepping in, she reached for her things, slipping her pistols into their holsters. She paused, then snickered, before grabbing her six-shooter, and holstering that, too. She walked away, casually whistling a tune.

 

[Cresion Breezes]

Interactions: Team A - Felipe Fortuno ( Solirus ), Djalu Evans ( seasonedcat ), Ogre ( SirDerpingtonIV )
​

Alessio was quiet, but he had some concern in his mind about three incidents popping up. More specifically, it was three incidents that local forces couldn't handle anymore, the demonic threat has been getting a lot stronger in the past few years, even after the formation of SWORD it seemed like there was trouble holding them back. Alessio vaguely recalled his experiences from a decade ago, the growth surely had to be curved, exponential even. But even with the world being aware, the progress on investigating the source of demons was slow. He simply took a deep breath that was almost a sigh, and pulled up his mask once again.

He didn't liked the fact that the group had to be stretched rather thin so soon, but nothing could be done. The dossiers contained mostly information he already knew and went over while the group was gathering, but the same couldn't be said for the others. Gathering the three other members of the team Alessio cleared his throat a bit and attempted to address them while en route to the armoury.

"Ahem. Please try to get to know each other while we travel, it would only be beneficial in our operations. Make haste to explain your combat capabilities and weaknesses, I will cover all of you if needed, but please look out for each other as well." He eyed Felipe for a second before continuing. "As you already know, both SWORD and I expect you to collaborate, disputes that will turn you against each other will not be tolerated on the field."

His pressurized hydraulic rifle was already fastened onto his back, he had a feeling their first deployment would be rather hasty for some reason, canisters of sanctified water prepared along with it. He took a quick look and slid his fingers over the dozen of polished silver plated knives fastened on the inner layer of his coat, tightening the buckles that held the weapons in place.

"...Right. I hope you are all prepared." He continued to address his team. "In the event that I become incapacitated or killed in action, Agent Fortuno, please take over my leading role. And in the event where he also becomes...unfit as well, I will authorize and suggest here a full retreat, priority would be to get information out, there would be no point in all of us dying for nothing." Alessio was quite serious in tone, rather fitting for the subject matter, but the grimness was something he had gotten used to in the years of demon hunting, it seemed like nothing more than a practicality and formality now.

 

[Stros]

Upon hearing his name mentioned. Issac's attentive eyes shifted their focus away from the Orge and the more peculiar members of the group and came to center on Alessio Angelerio. Examining the man briefly, his attire would have been considered "odd" to many, but unfortunately it wasn't Issac's first run in with agents of the Vatican. In his dealings with the faithful servants to the Pope, he had come to notice a theme of theirs was to be wildly diverse and independent in both appearance and methodology. No two were ever alike in that regard. Though, the accent behind the man's voice and the ID around his waist simply helped to cement this initial assumption. At the mention of his reluctance to join the group in their meet and greet, Issac merely averted his gaze back to the energetic bunch of hunters, choosing to hold his tongue.

Pleasure...

Were the words he finally managed, after offering a curt nod in return as greeting. He soon was passed over for another gentleman in a corner of the room. Watching the strange man of faith begin dialogue with this man in their native tongue, Issac was slightly reassured by his presence. It was his belief that every team was in need of a man of faith, very much like a medic in standard combat. Though, the healing of the soul in this case was of far more importance.
~~~

As the gathering progressed towards the group moving to their working quarters, at the mention of infighting, Issac's eyes briefly met with Emily's before tracing to the other team member who she likely suspected of causing problems. The red eyed pale figure he had noticed skulking in the shadows before upon second inspection was equipped with a personal arsenal much like himself. Though, from her sickly appearance and bright red eyes, he got the notion they were from far being kindred spirits. Her self introduction as the Crimson Devil made this all the more apparent.
~~~

As the group began to congregate towards the offices, Issac took the moment to slip away and return to his vehicle. After yet another trip across the pond, the lights of his sedan flickered as the horn sounded. Unlocking the trunk with the use of his key ring, after rummaging through it, he re-appeared with his Remington 1100 in hand. Sliding a slug into the chamber, with a press of the autoloader underneath the shotgun, the round chambered before Issac fully loaded the under barrel tube to capacity. Slamming his trunk closed, he was soon carrying a sizable cardboard box which contained his office items. His Remington slung around his back, and his belt of slugs around his waist. The items of question in his hands had been deemed too "volatile" for standard shipping.
~~~

By the time he arrived at the office, everyone had seemed to have piled in and taken up a seating arrangement. Scanning the room, Issac made note of where the armory was before spotting a bulletin board with a sheet of paper that displayed his name. Walking over to it for closer inspection, he soon realized it was their team compositions. Tracing his name alongside Element C, he wasn't surprised to see that he only recognized a lone name.

Placing his things down on the only desk that was left, the box of items made a notable "thud". Garnering a few looks from those around him, Issac soon produced from the box a rather bulky gilded typewriter. Though, in place of gold it seemed to be gilded in silver with embroidered patterns weaved over its entire surface. At the front of this archaic machine were the large, legible words "St. Dominic". Indicating that it had been gilded if not blessed by the patrons of the renowned Spanish saint.

Setting a small desk lamp nearby it, alongside a well worn coffee mug and a few lighters. Issac had few if any "personal" possessions to reveal to his prospective teammates.
~~~

Watching Zhang hurry away from the office only to return and with papers in hand, Issac could understand what was likely coming. When the call was put forward to group up, he had to deduce which was Element C by the presence of Angelerio and the Crimson Devil. Standing idly by until the groups were assembled, contrast to the grouping before, this time around Issac squeezed in toward the front. Standing next to Zhang's desk for the brief, once finished he turned round to wordlessly hand out folders to his other teammates, before he quickly dug into the details regarding the case of an Archon in New York City.

His brows furrowed given the reality of the threat in such a densely populated area, and that in all likelihood their mission was going to have the highest levels of attrition and casualties all around. Looking up from the files of the case, his gaze wandered to the rest of his team. Watching as one left for the armory, the overconfident woman with shades, he turned to the rest.

"I've experience with hunting in sewers. It's dark, cramped, and bloody work… What of the rest of you?"

Addressing his team, it would do better now to account for those with or without experience. While there was a man clearly his senior in age, it didn't account for much if he had never even entered the underbelly of a city before. Skimming their files while awaiting their answers, Issac paid special attention to their skills and capabilities over their personal histories. As at the end of it all, they would all likely end up as fodder for a Demon one day, one way or another.

Interactions: Element C - Roman James Elder( jmann ) ,Dimitri Saint Jeanne( BFabulous ), Emily Zhang( RedArmyShogun )

 

[seasonedcat]

as Dajlu followed the group, he was thankfully able to deposit his items on his desk, the poor thing already a mess as he began to place a variety of New York-themed knickknacks on it as well as the still full shopping bags. Thankfully for the desk, Dajlu was called away from his mess-making to his team. As he listened to Felipe, he gave the other a lazy salute, "Ima be honest, mate, I have no clue who 'Agent Fortuno' is, nor do I know your name; I hope that doesn't come as an issue."

Dajlu gave the team's leader a crooked smile, awkwardly running his hand on the tip of his shortest horn. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small handful of lemon-flavored candy, each one having bright yellow packaging with a variety of poorly drawn 'sour' faces on them. When opened, they would each have some form of a shitty joke written on the inside of the packaging. His crooked teeth widened as he extended his hand to the group,

"So I am Dajlu, as most of you already know, a fallen, as you can probably tell; why don't we get these basic introductions out of the way, as I seem to have missed a good portion of them? We can also add something about ourselves, maybe, or you can ask a question or something, whatever your heart desire!" he giggled lightly as he gazed around the expressions of his teammates, hoping to receive some positive feedback.
Solirus Cresion Breezes SirDerpingtonIV

 

[TreasureSniper]

In a matter of a few days, the agents assigned to the extermination were swiftly transported to the entrance of the infested area. As expected, the area was completely sealed off with metal deployable barricades. Several guards were posted at entry points to the compound armed and ready to gun down anything that tried to exit the quarantine.

"About time, what took you so long?" A commanding voice greeted them as they exited their transport. Right after that they were promptly escorted into a tent where the commanding officer was looking over the holographic map of the dam.

From the map, they could see the several hives have been erected on the floodgates, stopping any water from getting through. "Ah S.W.O.R.D ops. Was getting worried that you guys were a no show." The commanding officer gave them a brief salute before immediately getting into the debrief.

"For now, they have the area under control. Nothing has tried to exit perimeter thus far. However, we haven't heard anything from the two teams we've sent in recently. " Tapping a few buttons onto the machine would bring up the last footage caught being their squad. "We know what these bugs are supposed to look like…but this thing…was something else…" The footage resumes, showing a group of soldiers opening fire on a humanoid figure that efficiently behead, bisect and eviscerate the soldiers. While the camera would never get a good look at this specific bug, it suffice to say that it was different even among the other bugs. It was taller, faster and had scythe-like protrusions on its limbs.

"We haven't found anything in the files that match that thing." Despite having had similar experiences in the past, every so often even S.W.O.R.D operatives would experience something new. "There have been efforts to get better. But…every time we try to get close, something in there tries to shoot us down." The commanding officer would turn the group's attention to photos of destroyed drones and helicopters with massive gashes on them. Cycling through the next few photos, they would eventually reveal that the culprit was an organic projectile, a long sharp spike made out of an unknown organic material that was strong enough to pierce through steel.

"With all that said. Your mission is simple. Retake the dam by any means necessary. Keep collateral damage to a minimal and of course, save however you can." Of course all of that was much easier said then done. "Once you've cleared the area of any hostile. We will take care of the rest." While they could theoretically handle these threats with more specialized weapons, they've been instructed to let the experts handle it instead.

RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko Juju ThatWhichShouldBe [/JUSTIFY]

 

[BFabulous]

Dimitri Saint Jeanna
Dimitri could feel Roman's calming aura just by the older man's proximity to him. The young man could feel his heart rate calming to a normal pace and his anxious thoughts coming at a slower pace. Dimitri immediately stood up from his desk to shake Roman's hand,"H-hi, sir!" As soon as their hands touched Dimitri felt like all his worries were lifted and the worrisome voice in the back of his mind became closer to a whisper. Even if Dimitri tried he wouldn't be able to hide his wonder,"H-how did you do that!? I ain't felt like this in years! Is it a spell, relic, or something else!? Is there a way to mimic that or is innate to you? Can you replicate it for multiple people? I'm not sure, but just from you getting close to me I could feel a difference, but your touch was like...the end result of a 10-year therapy session, that I probably should've had years ago!" The young man began to rapid-fire off questions.

Dimitri snapped back to Roman's words,"Oh! Sorry, sorry. Yes, sir! would love to do that. To be honest, this is actually my first combat-oriented mission before I was a part of the Occult Research Brigade, so some training with you would be AMAZING!" Dimitri smiled brightly at Roman as if they had known each other for a while. With a clear mind, Dimitri could see the value of training under Roman, even if he couldn't learn the spell or technique the older man, by his own words, had spun the block a few times and Dimitri understood he shouldn't waste this opportunity.

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~​

As Emily went down the details of their mission, Dimitri could feel his anxiety creeping back up, especially at the mention of his team's assignment. The video was chilling, to say the least, but Dimitri wasn't gonna let a little fear hold her down. That is a lie! BUT! He will at least try to muster up some courage and not piss on himself, although with the inclusion of Roman on his team, Emily's kind words, and he hoped Shizu was a Fallen able to rival this Archon. Isaac was the first to speak up,"I-I'm sorry, but I d-don't have much experience in combat, but if I'm not mistaken that Archon, or at least the first creature that was alongside those creepy tall creatures, had features of a Tengu and the woman at the end had Japanese elements incorporated in their clothing..." From Dimitri's point of view, he was surrounded by experience on his team and if he died it would probably be from his own mistake, but he wasn't going to die being useless. At least he hoped.

jmann RedArmyShogun Stros

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Whether Aki noted Anna's tension and just brushed it off or if it flew over her head remained to be seen. Regardless, she pouted when the designated "vampire girl" complained about Aki's pronunciation, releasing Anna from her grasp. "I wasn't hugging you at first, I just thought you were dead!" She retorted, as if that made more sense.

It was shortly thereafter that the lead returned with a sprint to her step, ushering them all for a briefing. Aki appeared mildly interested in the whole thing, until the actual details came. She went from interested and excited to aversion when it was announced they were dealing with bugs and hives, and she physically cringed. "Ehhh.... Hive missions are the wooorst..." She mewled in complaint to herself.

When they arrived and were ushered in to be briefed by the ground commander, Aki was mostly silent. Even with the rebreather-like mask adorning her face, one could still notice her face shifting to disgust and displeasure as they were shown footage of the bugs. This was the truth of why Aki disliked these missions. The creatures were creepy-looking and messy. It wasn't really for any other reason. It was a straightforward neutralize mission, but it was a straightforward mission involving a gross hive. As such, the ever energetic Aki was rather deflated. However, she seemed to be trying to psyche herself up.

"Alright... Just kill the bugs. Kill the gross bugs! As soon as the bugs are dead, I won't have to be around the bugs!" Aki mused with a steadfast huff, turning on a heel and ready to get to work. "Let's go kill the bugs! ...The gross... creepy bugs... Eugh..."

RedArmyShogun TreasureSniper Thalia_Neko Juju ThatWhichShouldBe

 

[Cresion Breezes]

Interactions: Djalu Evans ( seasonedcat )
​

"It is good to see you so lively, Agent Evans. It will be a long day ahead." Alessio responded, without any tinge of sarcasm as much as one may expect there to be. He had come to know what type of organization SWORD is, the young man's behavior was rather par for the course within it. "I have the dossiers of personnel briefings here, there is nothing classified, you are all free to read them." Alessio waved the file folder that he was holding onto just in case, although he didn't feel like any of the others were going to be that interested in looking through them, he sighed gently like a rather exhausted parent. It was going to be a long day ahead indeed.

"As for introductions, my name is Alessandro Angelerio, but please feel free to refer to me as 'Alessio', I am a tactical leader of SWORD, as you may know." He responded calmly, albeit a bit formally, while reaching out his hand for a handshake. "I've served with the pontifical guards of the Vatican to deal with demon-related threats for nine years prior to SWORD." Alessio cleared his throat a bit after the sentence, "I apologize, I do not mean to boast about my credentials, but I do hope that you all would be willing to rely on me as a teammate and leader. This is no easy task, and I will not expect you to treat it as such." Alessio has seen his fair share of missions gone awry both before and after SWORD, it was not enough to grant him a nickname of ill omen, but it is up there compared to those who are new to the industry.

"I mainly utilize sanctified weapons in combat, they are designed to be non-lethal if strays were to strike humans, but it is possible some fallen could experience ill effects. I would suggest to hold some caution if you have experienced such issues in the past." He added calmly as he tapped the wrapped hydraulic rifle on his back, he briefly considered making introductions for the other members, but decided to leave the opportunity for them to do it themselves for now. There wasn't much personal chit chat Alessio wanted to get into, not that he disliked it on principle, but throughout the years he had come to understand that allies in SWORD may be short-lived, sometimes very literally. As much as he wanted to treat his colleagues with a modicum of closeness, that was not a good decision for the preservation of one's emotional health, as hardy as Alessio's may be.

"That being said, do you have any worries that I may be of help with? I would be honoured to be of assistance."

 

[ThatWhichShouldBe]

Han Liuyang
GROUP B: RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko Juju EmperorsChosen

Ah, bugs. At least this would be his kinda close-up fight, even if some of the other agents might have trouble in such close-ranged conditions. And that spike? Nasty business. He could probably take a shot or two, but if it had any kind of sustained fire capacity he wouldn't want to get caught in the open by it... Especially if it was rapid-fire. He studies the files of his compatriots. He was team lead now, and that meant he had to figure out how to get everyone on the same page. Thankfully, his team looked to be pretty decent, he wasn't stuck with a bunch of rookies.

Annabella would make a damn good scout, Fuyuko made for good fire support, and Aki made for another melee combatant to shore up the front line. Damn well-balanced, they'd chosen these well.

"Alright, this should be pretty simple. Annabelle, take point, make sure any demons coming up don't surprise us. Me and Aki will follow behind, protect Fuyuko. If Annabelle finds any hotspots, Fuyuko will lay down fire to thin the numbers before the rest of us mop up. No big rush, just a steady sweep and clear. And of course, if Fuyuko starts getting to burnt up, we'll just clear them the old fashioned way up close."

 

[jmann]

Roman Elder
Special Agent

On Zhang's briefing, Roman snapped straight into action. He marched past Shizu into the armoury, subtly noting what she had gotten for herself. Roman familiarised himself with the layout and inventory. If they were going to be fighting an archon everyone would need to be prepared. He took two service pistols, ammunition, and two thick ballistic vests. After noting both his requests and Shizu's on the inventory activity sheet, he moved over to an unassigned desk and finally placed his belongings. The duffel bag could be folded inside out, in which it took the shape of a backpack with a dozen exterior pockets and straps containing all sorts of supplies from tourniquets to antibacterial wipes to a defibrillator if things got desperate.

Roman removed his jacket and started fastening on the vest as he listened to a man he assumed was Martin. Sewer work was good experience, any form of close-quarters combat could prove invaluable. He checked and loaded the pistol as he spoke:
"Mostly field work, myself. Specialist medical personnel. But I've been in more indoor firefights than I care to remember. Archons are different, of course, but we won't know how until we get there."

When Roman finished, he holstered the pistol on his waist and picked up the heaving backpack. He made his way back to Dimitri, holding out the vest and pistol.
"If you haven't got any combat experience you'll at least need to protect yourself. Don't worry, mate, I've also got a sat phone so you can stay in comms with the locals. Though, it's bloody useless once we're inside or underground."

---

Interactions: Element C: RedArmyShogun Stros Thalia_Neko

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Annabella-Annaliese Angelova

​

Anna wasn't partial to bugs because she could vaguely recall their small little creepy-crawly bodies, that always creeped her out as a little girl. But as she aged, she could no longer see them, so it was that crawling sensation on her that made her wary of bugs. As it was her only way of noticing them anymore. Seeing the thing behind that crawling sensation probably made it better? Or possibly made it worse. But it was up to her imagination to give a look to whatever may be crawling up her legs, or wriggling in her bed, or whatever. And that's what really got to her - human imaginations always made things worse.

The woman slightly chuckled at the briefing in the tent, "Oh, camera footage? Not my favorite." After she let the joke set in, she continued by holding up her hand, "It's okay, though, I got the gist of the footage. But are we sure none have escaped?" She asked, worriedly. Bugs were unusually hard to contain. Then again, if they only hung around their hives, it was likely they hadn't flown away.

Aki's whines were amusing, but upon hearing Liuyang's orders the woman nodded. "Understood. You can count on me." She turned to Fuyuko, "Fuyuko-chan, you can count on me to protect you. Now let's go."

She turned her head towards the commander-person who was there debriefing them. "Now where do we enter the dam?" she inquired, waiting for him to lead them there. Even at this distance, she could sense a huge mass of demons.. wriggling and writhing in their. That big structure beside them had a massive amount of demons. It made her skin crawl. And the sensation only got worse as they neared the entrance. It got nearly overbearing, feeling like a weight was crushing her. She approached with a frown. "We'll probably be swarmed rather soon upon entering," she commented flatly. She wasn't worried about herself, but honestly had no idea how the others would fare. Oh, she hoped they were as competent as they sounded.

Michiru Kuiiru Shizu

RedArmyShogun jmann Stros BFabulous
​

Shizu glanced at the white-haired old man who grabbed his stuff alongside her. Pistols like her. "Heh, good choice." She turned to the other gray-haired man who asked them a question. She had changed her top after using it as a napkin earlier, and was looking as spiffy as ever. "I'm not overly fond of sewer work -- really fucks up the duds, ya'know?" she replied, fluffing her blazer. Then more darkly she said, "But, I'm quite familiar with dark, drudgy, gungy, dank-type places. Don't worry about me." Only to flash a grin.

"Don't think just because I'm a woman I need to be protected down there."

Then she whistled, as if just now noticing the team. "I'm surrounded by guys! Heh, I wonder if some sort of screwed up love-triangle-quadrilateral? Will start up." She teased, while arbitrarily winking at Martin. "Not that I'm into dilfs! Don't go catchin' feelin's for me, alright boys? That'll make it all awkward. Heh hehh haha hahaa!" Shizu laughed.

After which, she glanced Dimitri's way, "Well spotted, kid! Glad to know we had someone watching the footage! You'd think will all these experienced agents around, we'd all know to watch the footage, and listen to the debriefing, but I guess not!" Her tone was pretty sarcastic, letting him know they already knew the information he tried to tell them. Though, it was a pretty harsh way of doing so. Finally, the woman became impatient.

"Alright let's go!!! When we leavin' this joint??!" Shizu cried out in a more exasperated tone. There were demons afoot! Time to go kill them.

 

[Azurian Dream]

​

"Its a pleasure to meet you it is Alessandro Angelerio," a random man in random attire completely appearing randomly out of nowhere addressed the man of the cloth. Sporting a huge knapsack on his back with his face completely hidden minus a scar over his left eye, and well... his orange eyes. The male had an aura of silence to him his steps his movements nothing had been given to make the team aware of his presence. With fingerless gloves, he handed out S.W.O.R.D operation visa cards as he shimmed his attire a bit creative a bit of a notable jingle of numerous items shuffling about as he introduced himself.

"I'll be ya handler for this OP names Ezio Salabar. Anything you need be it bandages to ammo to materials ill be managing to get ya provided I don't already have it on hand or not," he expressed as he pulled out a miniature projection device that displayed a small mining town with a much older American town look. The map started to project out maps of mines, a picture of a rather well-sized demonic rat, and numerous unnatural bubonic plague reports.

"Platteville, Wisconsin population 3,100. A while back there were numerous estranged reports of the happenstance of bizarre laughter, estranged alluring singing, the stench of rotted flesh where none was, and feminine laughter by the night guards of these closed mines. As you can imagine such as expected as mad rambling to the local authorities of bored individuals nothing that would eva pick up on S.W.O.R.D radar," Ezio expressed shaking his head for some reason as if disappointed at the lack of motivation from local authorities to have at least checked these things before the no doubt escalation that turned this to mundane complaints to demonic tomfoolery.

"Until the sighting of a demonic rat that happens to take a nice chunk of night guard stew," the image of the medical report showed a nasty leg chunk missing from the victim's leg. Though what was way more noticeable was the strange black veins appearing all around the wound very much of demonic and disease nature. The projector brought to their attention the enlarged disease riddle demonic rat.

"We have it confirmed that these are a lesser bubonic rat aka Black Death. These were what was truly responsible for the original well-known plague in the 1300's. As you know the bubonic plague has long since been turned curable. Yet directly from these vermin intense medical treatment is still needed... yet as you know this is easily something the military could handle... no were being called in a matter atop of this den," the projector swapped the imagery for what could only be described as a massive list of missing persons started to spin through the team's sight before halting on a hand-drawn sketch. It was in the Wildman Mines a night guard swears up and down he saw a fever dream of a strange circular sculpture shining in the middle made of what he swore were human body parts with a view of somewhere otherworldly that one such rate popped up from.

"At the apex of the bizarre reports there was one that caught S.W.O.R.D's attention immediately upon the first missing persons case. A sculpture made of a human was reported showing another world the victim swears up and down he did. Demonic seepage is common nowadays. but portals made of human parts are unfortunately the calling cards of what we fear is a potentially high-class Archon S.W.O.R.D's been hunting down for quite a while. Unfortunately, we're pretty sure they're long gone as once the missing person reports began the bizarre reports stopped. Yet the missing person's along with higher reports of sick people were thinking these rats might be being led by a demon left in charge of practicing portal creation... this is something we need to crush, and fast," the projector showed some other images but nothing of the Archon as it seemed not necessary or would be shown upon location for further report.

"If we can find survivors in the mines we will get them out as a priority, if we can find the guiding demon we kill it with a lady Ogre as juggernaut lead, as for the rats Mr. Angelerio I understand you're a bit of a holy chemist if you have something we can use to keep them off use or chemical kill them it would be much obliged. However, the main priority is the destruction of the demon still forming the sculpture portals... if we have the miss fortune of running into the archon though we are to retreat and wait for military assistance. Thus for you Dajlu, and Fortuna I will leave it to your discretion where you aid or to Mr. Angelerio decision," he expressed.

"If you are all set we are to head out asap."

Cresion Breezes Solirus SirDerpingtonIV seasonedcat

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Team B - The Dam
Irina Nikitovna
​

"The hell do you mean, what took us so long? We were there in a matter of hours, if there was delay it was in getting the request." Staring at the officer, the job at least was simple, though the request to keep damage light made her click her tongue. Turning her attention to her allies, it seemed Aki was scared of the bugs, or at least bothered by them. The blind girl didn't like the situation, but was not afraid it seems, then there was the priestess, and their commander. The later was less than impressive, they were not GRU material, at least the hugger had some decent weapons, she might live. Following along she took to task, studying the dam and its internal entryways.

"Forgetting someone hmm?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him as she pulled the charging handle on her AK, loading a round into the breech, tapping the underside of her rifle she eyed the main entrance to the Dam and smirked. "If you are worried about a Swarm when we go in, I have a 40mm surprise for them. Just keep the blind out of the way and I just knock on the door. Still, I much rather be left to my own devices. As to bugs, they are fucking stupid for the most, just infernals. Ran into something like this a couple of times in the Metro beneath Moscow. Though you can be sure there is a Demagogue down below, likely what took a chunk out of those aircraft."

Interactions: Juju ThatWhichShouldBe Thalia_Neko TreasureSniper

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Camp Miller's Hill - New York City-Metro
Emily Zhang
​

As the group went about arming itself or asking questions, Emily gives a bit of a shrug at that. "More than I care to admit, though in this case, we'll be dealing with the old subway networks more than a sewer, while there is some overlap, it's more akin to a maze than shit water." She said in response to Isaac, before shifting her attention to Dimitri. "Don't worry too much Rookie, I'm sure you'll make it, though, I think the Japanese aesthetics had more to do with the fact the Yakuza likely summoned her. Though they could just have a thing for it, we don't fully understand the motives and wills they have, but copying elements of Earth's cultures has been observed before."

Then there was Shizu to hear out, mostly it was her same joking mindset. With mentions on dark places and interiors, love triangles and the like, there was one thing of note that deserved her reply. When did they leave?

"Now." And with that Special Agent Zhang led the crew to the hangar as soon as they were ready, it was already spoiling up, it and the other two, hopefully all the groups met with success and no causalities.

~~~~
A couple hours later and they were in New York City and taken through police lines, an officer was waiting for the group to arrive, having had a Garrison and police escort bring them to the crisis site. With arms crossed and a cocky expression to his face, he looked to be East Asian, a name tag pinned to his shirt that simply said Hajima A, Captain. In his 30's give or take, it was unusual that someone so ranking and not all that senior would be waiting for them.

"You must be Reaper Zhang, and these your crew." Eying them all over, he wondered if they all would be okay. Two men that looked to be in their 50's, a short guy that looked a bit like a scared deer, and a woman that he got bad vibes from. And of course the sole survivor ones times too many. Least that's what the Garrison said when the response was given hours ago. "Anyways, I'm the most senior topside, those fuckers have been giving us a hard time, so most of the higher ups went down to block them off, we still keep losing men to the Ninja bitch though, so we are content with just pinning her down. Speaking of..."


With that he led them off to a near by stairwell, that went down to a metro station and from there on to a mobile HQ of sorts that had been set up down below, with some guards standing about to keep people away from things, a foldable table was laid out on the station flooring, with the privacy screens one normally would see in older hospitals. With that the main turns around to leave. "Good luck. All you need is on the table. You're gonna need both."

On said table was a map of where blockades were and the occasional marks of advances and retreats, communication codes and extensions for land line phones that were placed for work crews in decades past. Photos of the threats, and a general location of having contained them chiefly within an 8-block area beneath Queens. There was not much more information they had now than they did before.

"Our objective is simple, we need to remove the Archon and her puppets from play. The question is how we wish to go about it. Splitting up is a bad idea, but blindly going down a few city blocks worth of tunnels and train tracks is a little too time conserving. I tend to formulate plans with my teams than over them. So, what are you suggestion or best ways to go about this? I'm a gunman first and foremost that will get a job done. I don't have the powers and tricks some of you may have, but I know how to fight."

Interactions: jmann Stros BFabulous Thalia_Neko

 

[Juju]

Fuyuko Shimizu

RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko ThatWhichShouldBe EmperorsChosen​

As her group was given the briefing, Fuyuko leaned over to inspect the footage closely. Hivelike demons were typically composed of single-minded drones led by some sort of 'queen'. That being said, it was not unusual to have alternate forms of drones, or perhaps a hierarchy more advanced than just drones and queen. The projectile spines were concerning, but not nearly as much as the scythe-like creature. From their limited knowledge it was difficult to tell if this deadly monstrosity could be considered the leader, or just another guard.

She placed a hand over the kitsune mask hanging from her hip and whispered a small prayer for the souls of the soldiers she watched get cut down on camera.

At her captain’s orders she simply bowed her head, veil slinking away from her downturned face, “Understood.”

Fuyuko couldn’t help but internally flinch at his mention of ‘getting too burnt up’. It came as no surprise that others had read her file, strengths and weaknesses included. To work as a proper team, they would all need to be aware of shortcomings. This was something else, though. Fuyuko raised her head after the bow and rubbed at the burn scars on her hands. She would not be a burden today. No matter the pain, she would endure it for the sake of her new team.

She managed a smile when Annabelle reassured her that she would be protected during the mission. “Thank you, Anna. I’m grateful to have you with me.”

Crimson bow in hand, Fuyuko followed the others closer to the entrance. If the creatures had been sealed inside then Anna was quite right in her guess that they would swarm at any disturbance. Though Anna seemed to be about as cautious as Fuyuko, their redheaded ally did not seem as bothered.

"Insects are simple threats when alone, but in numbers – especially those directed by a single will – they can become a deadly force. We know that at least one is highly intelligent, but there is no say how many there could be. We mustn't underestimate the hive." she said carefully, not wanting to sound critical or commanding of her senior agent. For good measure, she bowed humbly, “I do not doubt your abilities, Nikitovna, but their home will be a maze to us. We must be vigilant not to become cornered or surrounded.”

Her brow knitted into a frown, “That is not to mention the projectile spines that destroyed the helicopters and drones…”

Fuyuko reached into an embossed pouch, one fastened just beside the kitsune mask, and pulled out a paper talisman. The black ink shimmered slightly when she touched it, as if the holy symbols had been painted mere seconds ago and still wet.

“Perhaps my talismans can help? If you carry one that’s activated it can provide protection against lesser demons, though it will break from the more powerful varieties. Still, it may serve to soften the blow enough for you to survive or retaliate in time.” She held the talismans out before her, offering them to any who would take one, “Until we locate the source of these spines, it could strike in a moment of chaos. It's not much, but I hope it will help in our efforts.”

Through her veil she glanced at Aki and Irina, a look of regret on her face, "My apologies to you both. I am told that holding on to a talisman can be uncomfortable for a fallen, though it will still protect you from attack."

 

[TreasureSniper]

As the agents entered the infested facility, they would immediately be greeted by the putrid stench of rotting corpses. There were much fewer dead bodies than expected, considering the amount of personnel that were sent in the investigation. All of which were in advanced stages of decomposing due to a foul-smelling liquid that covered them. From the files, the agents would know that this liquid was the bile of the insects which acted as decomposing accelerant, making it easier for them to feast on much fresher kills. Upon traveling into the compound, there would be many trails of blood and viscera that all seemed to lead in the same direction, the main generator building.

The larger remained unseen, but many flies and maggots were present on the corpses that remained. The loud and aggressive buzzing of flies almost seemed unnatural due to the sheer number of the present. These normal insects would become violently animated whenever the agents got too close to them. Despite looking like normal bugs, they seem to have adopted the strange ferocity towards the humanoids that approached them.

Among the many bodies that were present there, there was one that was particularly unusual. There was a soldier, mostly intact despite having his lower half wedged into a large crack in the ground. Its condition was pristine, with no visible mutilations, and no injuries of any sort seemed present. The body start to slowly move, looking like a youngling that had just freshly awoken from a nap. His movement was noticeably rigid, struggling to make even the most basic movement. Despite his eyes remaining closed, his mouth opened, allowing everyone to he weak frail voice of the man. "..Help...me...Help...me...." The man spoke, giving the group an awkward wave to attract their attention.

As they stepped closer towards the strange man, a large figure exited the shadows from the side of the building, dashing toward the squad from behind, seeking to ambush the unlucky bastard that was behind the group and swiftly bisect them with its powerful scythe-like appendages.

Spoiler: Mantis

At around the same time, another insectoid would make an appearance, this one coming from the rooftops of the facility. It was difficult to make out the shape of the creature due to its speed but its silhouette roughly resembled that of a dragonfly. Unlike the earlier creature, this one seemed content with keeping its distance from the group with it instead making use of it's pressurized liquid blasting capabilities, spewing out the familiar decomposing substance seen earlier on the other bodies. The caustic liquid showered towards the area where the squads were, likely causing significant chemical burns if not dealt with.

Spoiler: Dragonfly

RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko Juju ThatWhichShouldBe [/JUSTIFY]

 

[Stros]

Issac studied the metro map intently, his eyes glued to the numerous lines that bisected and weaved an intricate web beneath the Queens area. Making every attempt to burn a temporary image of the chart into his mind's eye. His frame was magnetized to the fold out table until his attention was eventually pulled away by the brief silence to follow the Reaper's request. Sparing an idle glance at the rest of his team, he soon cut in with his own thoughts.

"If we're not splitting up, I say task the recruit with picking up the trail… A familiar can do a portion of the work in our place."

Adding the last bit after receiving a mixed bag of expressions, Issac continued. Though, it was clear that he had spent a portion of the commute going over the files of his team in detail.

"Once I've a trail of bodies, I can begin tracking the Archon's movements. Demon's are hardly known for their discretion… Unless the Cleaner would rather schedule a brunch with it." Opening the group to counter suggestions, there was clear snark present in his final statement. Receiving a bemused smile in return, the comment seemed to amuse the Fallen more than anything. Ignoring this, in spite of his preference, there was no point in Issac arguing that he go on his own. He had attempted similar arguments in the past with previous MTF units, detailing his successes as a single operator, and yet it always proved to be a waste of time. For the time being, he would willingly work with the others. At least until shit decided to hit the fan full force.

"If all else fails, we can rely on radio chatter. The Archon won't stay here long with this cordon in place… If things stay quiet for too long, I say we start suspecting police cooperation."

Producing a small handheld radio for everyone to see. Issac had asked for it from one of the officers up top before entering the guarded subway system. With a faintly audible "click" he soon returned it to his waist side. Where it could be heard "chirping" with muffled voices soon after the fact.

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[Cresion Breezes]

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When the newcomer appeared rather suddenly Alessio quickly turned to the man who made a rather unsettling entrance, he held his arm out a bit seemingly wanting to separate the other members of his team from the newcomer. It was more of an instinctive move, the silence and sudden nature of his appearance put a rather heavy tension in the air. "...Greetings, Agent Salabar." Alessio held out his SWORD badge with his rank and name as a courtesy move, he more or less expected the same from the other operation leader involved. "Just 'Alessio' is fine...And next time, please try to refrain from using any of your abilities when approaching us, it's rather...startling. I may not be able to guarantee your safety if any of my more...impetuous teammates would jump on you." He added, as the man gave off a strange aura and his ability to appear silently was possibly linked to some sort of arcane power, in addition to his eye colour. Alessio has caught his amount of flake outside of SWORD for the distinctive red hue of his own eyes, he was more than familiar with those traits.

Alessio was rather calm, or even unamused as he listened to the description of the operation, smaller beastial demons that run amok, with toxic qualities. It wasn't something that he or SWORD has not dealt with before. However, the mention of an Archon was rather worrying, especially when the correspondent did not give or show any information about the particular Archon other than the ritualistic "calling card" associated. Alessio furrowed his brow as the operative seems to want to start the mission without such information on hand.

"Excuse me, Agent Salabar. I have a concern." He stepped forward in an attempt to stop the mission from continuing as of the moment. "Please contact the intelligence departments and provide me with information on this Archon. Running with the possibility of encountering one without any intel would be a risk I would not want my team to take, such information may prove paramount even if our goal is to retreat. If this is a long-term pursuit target of SWORD, that should be of no issue. Archons are not lowly demons, they are crafty enough to create an illusion of absence as a trap." Alessio's voice was a bit different from his usual calming tone, it was more akin to a real officer's interrogative voice now, bright red eyes fixated on the mysterious correspondent with a gaze that evoked a certain degree of seriousness.