Zompania Draft - Draftees only, days 1-3.5

[lucetimods]

Who: All Draftees
What: This is your death. Followed by your time-traveling life and desperate bomb hunting.
When: From May 22 to May 20 to early May 23 (days 1-4)
Where: Zompania
Summary: Information post here
Rating: Varies on thread, please mark explicit material.

This post is for the draftee-only portion of the Zompania draft--the day 3 death, time travel to day 1, and then the events until the arrival of the reinforcements. Be sure to use the above info post for any plotting needs you might have. Enjoy!

Please note that there is a specific top-level comment thread for:

• The day 3 arrival of the draftees and the 6 hours that follow until the bomb is dropped
  
• Death--This thread can be treated as REFERENCE ONLY. Responding to it isn't necessary.
  
• Threads prior to departing for Zompania--post resurrection freak outs, arguments over how to proceed, etc.

All other threading, from day 1 until the reinforcements arrive, should be conducted as normal.

Be sure to tag this post appropriately: [canon] character name

Comments

NPC Threads

[lucetimods]

 

Specialist Davis - Day 3, Round 1

[specializing]

[He was supposed to be able to handle it on his own. The invasion plans had been meticulously crafted and timed with the precision of a Swiss watch. He and his forces knew what they were up against, or they thought they did. But the times when everything smoothly follows the plan are not the times that shape you into a real soldier - he knows that well. Still, this hell is more than more than the standard margin of error had predicted. His reinforcements never came. Something went seriously wrong, and the whole assault unraveled. In his hands.

That's when the last-ditch call to arms was fired out. As if anyone had any choice in the matter.

The freshly-conscripted fighters (or not so fresh, considering the hour) can find Davis scrambling around behind the lines, issuing brusque orders and attempting to suffocate any outbreak of panic in the air. That stuff is contagious, and he won't have it. While his right shoulder is wrapped in bandages that are slowly soaking through with a telltale rust color, he'll erase any doubts of his capabilities with his sharp body language, which is carefully forced in order to exude steel-like command.

But there are moments where he lets it slip. And his haggard grimace says it all.]

DAY 3, ROUND 1: Arrival

[lucetimods]

[For threads upon arrival at the battlefield from Luceti, prior to the bomb being dropped.]

[relictusdeus]

A) [From long hours spent confined to a pitch-black cellar to life in the bowels of the demon castle where no man unarmed had any hope of crawling out alive; and bloody raids waged by moonlight to his tunnels within the enclosure -- he knows darkness as few men do. And he’s familiar with what terrible things can and have called the shadows home, being one of them.

Chauve-Souris and Laser Blade at the ready, the devil forgemaster greets the enemy baring his teeth in a fierce grin before parrying and slashing and stabbing with gleeful ease, the air alive with demonic energy he gives off in waves. Firebrand is out and circling him on high-alert, holding its own as it breathes streams of fire into the faces of his attackers and peppers the battlefield with bombs from overhead, guarding itself when necessary.]

B) [Finding rest in hostile territory is all too necessary, difficult as it is. And with few options available in the ways of higher ground, Isaac settles for claiming a sturdy tree branch fairly high off the ground where he’s at least somewhat hidden among the leaves. There, he has a quick meal of dried meat, bread, and a gulp of water from a flask in his pack before the distant, ever-present sounds of the dying lull him to sleep. But even with Abel vigilantly keeping watch, Isaac sleeps only briefly, catching it in snatches. Anything longer is meant for the dead.]

DAY 3, ROUND 1 : You are dead. [for your reference]

[lucetimods]

Death isn’t what you expect. There is no choir, no tunnel with a light as one end, no hellish fires, no waiting ancestors.

But there is something. And it is watching you. No, not watching. It peers through flesh and bone and into spirit and does not care what it sees

ancient

alien

hungry

and you begin to unravel, drowning in water--not water, no, blood, no, molten rock, no, the fire at the heart of a sun, no, the collective rotting flesh of everyone who has ever died on this planet, no--and precise fingernails like scalpels excise one long line of muscle (oh, does it feel pain? does it squirm?) from your heart, only--

DAY 3, ROUND 1: You are alive.

[lucetimods]

[Anything else specifically before departing for Zompania? All other threading should go on the post as normal, please!]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Even Jade feels... shaken by this experience. He doesn't show it at all when he's around others, however. He repurposes this into a drive. He knows that so many of their forces have to have been hit even harder by this trauma, and that they need to be fully functioning if they're going to stop this bomb.

It's another bizarre twist of fate that he'd never thought would be possible. The chance to turn back time and undo a mistake. Jade Curtiss is determined not to fail in this.

He'll seek out people to talk to and see if they're fit for service; focusing on people from his own world, but also anyone else showing visible or just subtle signs of some problems. He's not exactly guidance counselor material, but he knows how to act like one. And he's set on cutting off anyone who's mindset will make them a hindrance.

He'll also seek out the other leadership types to discuss a course of action.]

Loki (Day 1 through mid-day 4)

[complicatedliar]

[Day 1]
[Loki is not part of any single group as they head toward the city, but rather goes where a quick, silent knife may be most useful. While he keeps a particular eye out for those he does actually care about (Billy, Iroh, Rogue, Thor, Kirk, Eugene, Jack), he wants to keep the other draftees alive and as uninjured as possible until the bomb has been found and dealt with; that seems the best way to hedge his bets. He's not one to engage cultists head-on, but instead often simply appears behind them, dagger going for the throat, the heart, or the wings.

He also brought a surprising amount of food and water with him, which he might consider sharing with even someone he doesn't particularly care about, if they seem to be flagging badly. Hedging the bets, hedging the bets. He does not want to die again.]

[Day 2 and into 3]
[At Zompania, Loki utilizes his ability to become invisible or disguise himself as a cultist to scout for a good way through the defenses--and to keep his daggers thoroughly wet with blood. If someone reasonably competent wishes to accompany him, he can disguise them as well. He can play the team game when it suits him, or even use that strategy to slip a small party through so they can attack from behind.

Inside the city is a bit disturbing, though it doesn't bother him nearly so much as others. He's seen more than his share of horrors, though he definitely draws the line at mass sacrifice. The very energy of the place makes his skin crawl, but he still thoroughly investigates the altar. He'll keep an eye out for anyone that seems particularly troubled, and may even try to prod them a bit to get them back into focus. Now is not the time to worry about people who are already dead.

As search teams begin to split up and cordon the city in the fading light, he somehow ends up throwing his lot in with Steve Rogers. Well. At least someone still has a sense of humor. Loki isn't shy about killing any cultists he comes across, though some of them may not meet such a swift death--there's always the possibility one will know the location of the bomb and be compelled to talk.]

[Day 3]
[After the bomb is found, Loki takes part in generating the distraction. With someone acting as his lookout, Loki is able to focus almost entirely on his magic. The result is a beautifully chaotic mess. Dragons and other creatures far stranger roar through the street in his area. An army of Lokis chases each other around. There is a revue of dancing Avengers in scandalously short skirts. Buildings seem to vanish or move, melt or begin to collapse.

It's rather fun. He comes out of that feeling shockingly hopeful, though needing to rest and tries to find a safe place to take a nap and eat.]

[Late day 3 to day 4, pre-reinforcements]
[This is where everything goes wrong, and fast, and badly. His intention is to begin scouting the city more thoroughly for a means of escape, or at the least a more defensible position. But he is caught by a Dream Shifter, and it is only Billy's intervention that saves him.

Loki comes out of the experience thoroughly shell-shocked. While he tries to concentrate on the business at hand, he is shaken and no longer quite so ready to combat. He takes some very bad wounds he might have otherwise avoided, not thinking to stop and find a healer--though he can be temporarily stopped. After encountering Steve again and learning of Thor's death, he seems to regain a little bit of his focus. He returns to combat with single-minded intensity, becoming injured again. During a pause in an empty street, he sends Rogue a short message (I've killed Mother again.) before hearing the sound of a group of cultists with shift hunters. He saves their intended targets (Jack and Eugene), but at the cost of his own life.

And thus did Loki, son of Frigga, come to die.]

arright let's do this day 3? yes?

[selfhelp]

[Billy... is not doing great right now. "Frazzled" is one word to describe his mental state, and if asked, he'd probably say it doesn't even come close. He feels like he's at the end of his rope and he'll go mad if one more terrible thing happens this week.

Unfortunately this means that of course, of course something terrible has to happen now.

He'd used a locating spell to try and track down Loki, since his explosive magic show earlier in the day has him worried that he could hurt someone if he fights near people who can't handle or protect themselves against magic, and Loki is the most qualified to get out or stop him if things go sour. More than that, though... he's found his power again, and it's because he lost it that Thor died right in front of it. There's not a chance in hell he's letting that happen to Loki, too. He owes Thor that much.

The locating spell, though... it doesn't work the way it should. He gets a vague location, but there's no mental picture to go along with it- instead the spell just bounces around helplessly in his mind, ricocheting off the walls of his brain and giving him a headache. What the hell...?

Grimacing and shoving off the spell, he flies towards the area as fast as he can, not trusting his rebounded magic to do a teleport properly right now. Once he arrives, he understands why it went wrong in the first place.

A Dream Shifter. Loki's caught in it, trapped in some strange invented world. Billy couldn't locate him because he was there, but... not there at all.

Crap.]

Loki!!

Firo Days 1-3

[foundafamily]

Day 1 (Warning for grievous injury)

[Death isn’t so foreign to Firo. He’s faced it a few times himself, both personally and in those memories from Szilard. While it’s never been a fun experience, it’s never been like what he felt after that bomb dropped.

But if there’s anything Firo’s good at, it’s forgetting. At least for a little bit. There’s only one memory he can’t shove aside right now, and that’s the memory of Seto being killed on a draft all that time ago. Brushing off his confusion at what the hell just happened, Firo throws himself into the fight to get some revenge with his trusty knife.

A knife against the cultists? ...Yeah, not the greatest of ideas. It’s all he has, though, and he’s making do with it against a couple of them until one manages to get past his guard and lop his arm off between the wrist and elbow. He grits his teeth and glances over his shoulder at whoever’s nearby:]

Hey, you! Can you help me out here?

[He jerks his head to one of the cultists nearby as he lunges for the other one, as if he’s not even concerned about the arm. And he’s not, really, because as soon as the words are out of his mouth, the arm and the blood lift off the ground and squirm right back into place on his body.]

Day 2

[In the wee hours of the morning, Firo’s standing outside Zompania, cleaning off his knife as he tries to figure out a way in. He tenses when he realizes someone’s nearby, relaxing only a little when he recognizes them as a fellow Lucetian. He jerks his head toward the city before them.]

So what’s your plan?

Day 2-3

[Firo moves slowly through the city, unable to hide his look of disgust at the carnage around them. Sure, he wasn’t too kind to the fighters outside the walls, but there are children.

His first priority, as always, is to get rid of as many attackers as he can, but he keeps an eye out for other Lucetians that may need help.]

Day 1

[stilldontgotit]

[As soon as the arm comes off, Riku leaps into action. His Keyblade whirls through the air, striking one of the cultists from behind.

Under normal circumstances, Riku would've moved in for another attack, but seeing Firo's arm squirm like that leaves him with a sick, twisting feeling in his stomach, and he averts his eyes for a moment. That momentary pause gives just enough time for the cultist to spring back into action, and he's forced to throw up his weapon to defend.]

You know, I think we just ticked them off.

[Then again, when aren't cultists seething with rage? Of course they're not gonna hold back.]

Rock Lee (Days 1-4!)

[niceguypose]

[Day 1]

[Rock Lee is an ideal scout under the circumstances - he's able to reaching incredible speeds, can take care of himself in a fight and relies on purely physical ability, so he doesn't have to worry about Shifters. Once he's had some time to come to terms with what they experienced, he's ready to get into action and keep moving, to keep himself from dwelling on what happened.

If anyone wants to be an extra pair of eyes, why not come along with Lee as he scouts around? If you don't mind him giving you a piggyback ride, that is. Otherwise, he can also help others who are in a pinch, against the likes of Shifters or Shift Hunters.]

[Day 2]

[For most of this day, he may be preoccupied in aiding Vegeta's stand against the Cultists. He'll likely need a round of healing once he rejoins the forces.

And that evening, he spends a quiet moment fallen to his knees after seeing the rows of corpses.]

[Day 3]

[Rock Lee is part of the fray in the city! He goes back and forth, helping with the search efforts for the bomb and trying to cover as much ground in the city as possible. When the time comes, he'll start opening some Gates and engaging some Cultists in battle to draw attention away from the infiltration team.

Otherwise, he'll mostly be doing whatever he can to help out! Once again he can help to save people from Shifters or Shift Hunters. And he'll also take additional orders from anyone who has a task for him! And he'll also be near collapsing at several points, in need of a healer.]

[Day 4]

[As the struggle continues, Rock Lee ends up going through a destructive cycle. He seeks out Cultists to fight, battles them valiantly, sometimes resorting to opening Gates in the process, and he will either require a team-up or will achieve victory while sustaining horrible injuries. Then he will need someone to heal him, and he'll be ready to run off and do that all over again.

At some point before the reinforcements arrive, Lee will be brutally wounded and caught within a Dream Shifter's snare within an abandoned building. Erica Fontaine is the one who will find him there.]

day 1

[petreefied]

[It's true that in many ways, the 3DMG was only a burden out in the main battlefield. It wasn't meant to be worn during long travel on foot, but it wasn't exactly as if the Malnosso had provided proper horses for them.

However. Even if the gear was weighing Petra down, she was not about to consider the idea of being piggybacked all the way to the city. No way.]

Thank you, but it wouldn't be that practical. I'll be fine once we make it into the city, they made us run in this during drills sometimes, so it isn't that heavy, I promise.

Isaac [Days 1-4] tw: gore, disembowelment

[relictusdeus]

[Days 1-3]

[The plan had been simple. To fight with every ounce of defiance in him and to step away from the madness bloodied and bitterly triumphant as he has before. But being killed – disintegrated by a powerful blast - only to wake tinglingly aware of the last few seconds marking the end of his existence and the beginnings of a vivid, dream-like non-existence has a way of complicating things. His priorities haven’t changed. They’ve merely made room for another that thrusts itself into the forefront of his mind and feeds an all-encompassing desire to kill. Revenge is always a powerful motivator. It too is an old friend.

Survivors can be the most dangerous sort of people - and more dangerous yet is one with little left to lose. And it’s hard, harder than ever to remember a time when his hands had shaken and his throat had filled with bile at a grinning, bloodied skull of a faceless enemy staring back at him or while watching fingers clutch desperately at slimy, unraveling spools of intestine.

The stench of blood and sickly-sweet rot hangs heavy in the city square. It’s there, among the stacks of corpses, where he stops for the first time in hours and pulls in a deep breath. It smells like home.

BOMB SEARCH SCENARIO: Something has been pulling at him, a tingling at the edges of his awareness that has only built and built into a steady hum. Souls; a concentration of hundreds of souls writhing, calling to him across the wasteland.]

[Days 3 (after the bomb is dealt with by infiltration team) - 4, pre-reinforcements]

[Through the efforts of others, history is denied the chance to repeat and death is averted for another moment or two. But while the bomb threat is neutralized, the matter is far from resolved in his mind.

Pale eyes wild and hungry and bright with purpose, Isaac turns Abel and his own anger onto the enemy swarm, tearing bloody swathes through them. Time is on his side. And while watching men roast in their own armour or slamming the stiletto of his boot down between a fallen cultist's legs and giving it a twist doesn’t offer him closure, it’s something. It’s something to do while the voices in his mind crescendo from a hum to a dull roar to a deafening screech, pulling at his brain in all directions. They clamour for the blood of those who robbed him of his chance to kill those who had killed him first.

But devils have their limits and eventually Isaac is forced to pull out of the fray, teleporting to his Day 1 resting place outside the city to eat, drink, and chase down a small, quick meal with a sip of Julia’s potion while Abel guards him relentlessly. Everything carefully rationed.]

[Bomb Search Scenario]

[tearmeanewone]

[Elizabeth feels like she's been dragged along behind a buggy, and they're barely three days into the draft. She's starving, and bloody, and filthy, and she has a headache from the constant tear-opening she's been doing. And if they don't find that bomb soon, her headache isn't going to be a problem for much longer.]

[She spots Isaac and moves over to him, her tired expression turning into concern the closer she gets.]

Isaac... is something wrong?

Zuko [Days 1 - 4]

[lordhotman]

[Day 1]

[The firebenders, Iroh, Wan, and himself, are designated as one of the scouting groups that are tasked with finding a way into the city. Using his stealth skills he tries to find a way in but to no avail.]

[Day 2]

[Another day of searching for a way in and fighting. Eventually Zuko and the rest of his group come across an underground sewage tunnel. After going in and discovering where it leads, into the city, he uses his journal to tell everyone else that they've found a way in and how to get there. He will even stand at the entrance to direct people in. Inside the tunnel there is a lot blood and a lot of nastiness associated with sewers. The sight inside the city is gruesome and it shakes Zuko to his core.]

[Day 3]

[Fighting and more fighting. Zuko becomes separated from his uncle and Wan and joins the infiltration team. He's stationed outside with Thor to hold off the enemy and keep them from getting inside where their teammates are.]

[Day 4 before reinforcements.]

[Zuko is at his wits end. He's tired, injured, though not to the point of being unable to fight, and just a mess. By this point his fatigue has made him vulnerable and he's not thinking quite right. He's hanging in there as well as he can but he's not sure how much longer he will last.

Either on this day or late day 3 he will also be assisting in cremating the many bodies and moving their bones into mass graves.]

so you said we were gonna look for a SECRET TUNNEL?

[justdid]

[Wan has seen carnage he could never even imagine happening back home. He's died and he's felt his soul being torn apart. But this? This was the worst part of the draft for him. His entire life he has tried to help those who need it. He could hear the people of the city screaming and crying for help.

The night should have been spent getting whatever rest he could, but that was impossible now. So long as there was a chance he could save them Wan had exactly one purpose; and that was getting into the city. To even entertain the idea that he couldn't help them was unthinkable. He had to get into the city somehow, he was going to help them even if it meant going alone or dying again.

Thankfully he wasn't alone.]

Raine - (Days 1-4, open)

[wise_maiden]

1

[ It's a new day to start again, and there's no time to waste. Just like before, once she pulls herself together, she will try to be as fluid as possible to those that need her assistance, or aiding with the stealthiness in the return to the city. Though she will need help in getting away from those shift hunters - the downside to any filial magic used outside the barrier. ]

2

[ Second verse, same as the first - who has time for proper rest in this kind of situation? No one, that's for sure, so don't be too surprised if you end up feeling gentle waves of healing energy rejuvenating those weary limbs. Though to keep it up, the healer is going to need a point to recharge somehow - surely someone can help her find a safe place for that before the hecticness picks up again. With the teams beginning to split up, she can't get separated now. But chaos has it's whims, so hopefully someone will be attentive if their reliable healer seems to get lost in the shuffle -]

3

[ Today is the day when all tenseness hits. The teams have their assignments, and there are only so many people she can cover at once. Still she's going to do her part for those that need it, continuing to heal and support those outside as needed. Shifters in the vicinity will need to be taken out for her to maintain her effectiveness, though there may be an opportunity when those in the vicinity bear witness to and feel the effects of Fairy Circle, which sends waves of restoring energy across a wide area as well as devastating some of the third party soldiers nearby with devastating holy energy. Given the dark state city, the bright lights might stand out, as it wasn't even intended as a distraction.

Even once it becomes clear that their mission to remove the bomb was a success, it doesn't stop the fighting, either, or that continuing weariness to keep moving on. There are still injured to care for, and now that they're back on the original day they had been pulled in - who knew how much longer this would continue? But the protection spells continue, as well as helping to find a secure area for the battleworn to be stabilized and recover in. And hopefully pull together those willing to defend that area as well. ]

4

[ The fatigue is strong in this one, but after trying to get in another small snack for her energy reserves she'll be back among the groups, aiding where needed and providing support for them to keep going. It still seems bleak, even with the bomb's removal, but that doesn't stop the drive to ensure that survival happens. In the chaos it still seems that she's too late to help in some instances, which weighs on her, but she can't let that prevent her from being there for someone else who might need it. So she'll continue on, supporting and defending whenever their own lines are disrupted by outside forces. ]

Day 4

[beastofthesea]

[The cultists seem to have Lugia in their sights after he damaged and destroyed a number of their airships the day before. The fact that he's also probably the biggest target around doesn't help him either.

The Pokemon is flying overhead, continuing to fight. Though by now he's tired and his energy is running low. So much so that he can't use his most powerful attacks.

However, he doesn't see it coming when suddenly he's fired upon. There's an explosion and a roar.

The great white beast then plummets towards the ground, his body leaving a thin trail of smoke as he falls.

Then there is a loud crash as he lands on an already crumbled building below. The force of his crash flattening what's left of it. Hopefully there was no one inside.

Lugia on the other hand, is sprawled, his body limp. He lifts his head for a moment, pain in his eyes as he looks up. His head then drops again and the guardian dies. Once again, he has failed.]

Jade Curtiss (well...all the days relevant to this log)

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Days 1-2]

[Jade focuses on coordinating efforts, collaborating with the likes of Gai and Erwin to do so. He will collect reports from scouting groups to analyze them, using the journals when they're within a feasible range of each other. And primarily, he'll be trying to organize all of the available soldiers to be as effective as possible. His lance is always at his hand; he doesn't want to risk anything gruesome happening as he does not know exactly how a power-dampening shift would effect his contamination effect.

He will survey the conditions of the soldiers as well, to assess if they would be useful or a hindrance in the battles within the city. He will lend a helping hand to those in trouble, but he will also approach those whom he thinks are liabilities to try to give them the harsh truth.

Additionally, on the first night, he'll be keeping an eye out for anyone trying to do anything rash upon hearing the screams, in order to try to calm them down. He will also remain set and keep people moving when seeing the rows of corpses on the second day; but he will take a moment to examine them, even if they disturb him more than it may seem.]

[Day 3]

[Jade does what he can to organize things in the search for the bomb. Very likely, he'll end up seeking a Cultist to interrogate. Anyone want to play his good cop, or perhaps just a less bad cop?

While one team is going to deal with the bomb, Jade focuses his efforts on taking down the airships. He'll be attacking them with his fonic artes most likely, at some points using his powerful Mystic Artes. He'll also keep in command and try to coordinate anyone who seems directionless or who seems to be doing more harm than good.

He will also try to check in with the infiltration team afterwards to assess what happened to the bomb.]

[Day 4]

[Jade keeps on fighting the good fight and stopping for healing breaks. He'll keep on doing his best to keep the soldiers organized while they fight off the Cultists, possibly seeking out a building to fortify. One could also help him take down a Shifter - although in this case Jade is at least able of fighting effectively without his fonic artes to fall back on.]

Late Day 2

[lordhotman]

[Jade will eventually receive a message from "Team Fire" over the journals.]

We've found a way in. There's an underground tunnel that goes inside.

[Zuko will then give directions to the entrance of said tunnel.]

Kurt Wagner (Days 1-4, open for business)

[wildbluevagner]

[Day 1-2]

[Kurt won't be too well in the aftermath of what happened. And it will leave him more likely to freeze up in combat than ever, even with the two swords he wields that he's been practicing with.

He'll mostly help with scouting and largely stick near the X-group. At least he can lend a unique aid towards scouting out areas with his powers; he can teleport a small group of people up to two miles at a time. He will try to teleport away with the others if there's any sign of danger, but it won't always be so easy. Especially if there's a Shifter around...

On the evening of the first day, Kurt may try teleporting towards the source of the screams and will need someone to hold him back.

Once they arrive at the city, Kurt nearly breaks down at the site of the bodies. Once he's calmed down enough, he'll close his eyes in prayer.]

[Day 3]

[Kurt does what he can to help out with the search effort! Anyone want to team up with him in trying to find a way to capture and interrogate a Cultist? Otherwise, he'll also be teleporting into random areas in hopes of finding the bomb. At some points, he may end up teleporting into a Cultist ambush.

And once the time comes to indirectly help the infiltration team, Kurt will be helping out with the taking down of airships. Specifically, he can teleport a small group of people inside to sabotage it from the inside. He'll also focus on using his teleporting to find creative ways to incapacitate Cultists without killing them, but that can only work so many times.]

[Day 4]

[Kurt teleports to and fro to try to keep up with the battle. He's still very hesitant about direct combat, but in many cases, he will have no choice. Once again, he'll end up needing help fighting off Cultists while his powers are disabled by a Shifter.]

Day 2

[complicatedliar]

[Loki is nearby, when the unholy noise starts. There's been a slight pause in combat, a moment taken to regroup while they consider the next attempts to be made at finding entry.

It's only through luck that he catches sight of Kurt heading toward the city, and the boy's intentions are painfully obvious. He uses a bit of his own magic to close the distance and catches Kurt very, very firmly by the shoulder. Not enough to hurt, but enough that he will not be shaken off easily.]

Stop.

Lugia [Days 1 - 4]

[beastofthesea]

[Day 1 and 2]

[Once he figures out what to do with himself, Lugia will doing a combination of transport and fighting. Those that are not as good at fighting or are injured, can find refuge and protection on his back. Plus he can get those injured to a healer. His Safeguard creating a deflecting barrier from many of the cultists attacks. Plus he also deals some decent blows on the enemy forces with his own heavy hitting attacks when he needs to. Think of him as a mini mobile base for all your war time needs!]

[Day 3]

[This day he's doing more fighting than transporting. As part of the team going against the airships, Lugia will be slicing through them with Aeroblast. Those in his team are welcome to ride on his back into battle. Still, is quick transporation is needed for anyone, you can count on this Pokemon.]

[Day 4 before reinforcements.]

[During the fighting, Lugia is in the air when he's struck with a moral wound. The Pokemon falling from the sky and landing with a heavy crash in the city. It's there that he dies. Fortunately, Raine is nearby and manages to resurrect him.]

Day 1 yeeeah!

[vambraced]

[Jack just so happens to come across Lugia mid-battle with some of the cultists. It was kind of hard not to when you were looking at a giant white beast of some kind, even with all the conflict going on around him. Honestly, he's not entirely sure if the thing's on their side or not, failing to spot the Filial wings at first, so he chooses to be cautious as he approaches his vicinity, trying to get a better look.

...that is until one of the soldiers trying to assail the creature spots Jack and decides to dive for him instead!]

Ginia Solana [Days 1-4]

[whiskytraitorfirefight]

[Day 1]
[With ammo something best conserved and a need for stealth, Ginia sticks to her knives as she stalks her way toward the city. She keeps an eye out for people she knows, always makes sure someone is nearby (can't shout for help when you have no voice), and moves swiftly but quietly. She never engages anyone head on, instead looking for a good opportunity to strike with a machete in the back or wings or a knife across the throat.]

[Day 2]
[Ginia's far more comfortable inside the city. It's a battlefield she knows and she moves easily between and in and out of building. She's still careful with how much ammo she uses, but with more people to trade ammo with and the sound of battle constantly raging, Ginia begins using her gun as well. And if she meets up with people to watch her back and fight alongside, stealth is dropped in favor of outright slaughter.

And with every Third Party member she kills or body she comes across, she's quick to search for supplies or personal items that can be saved and later returned. No disrespect to the dead meant, but the dead don't need what the living can used.

Ginia can also be found scavenging buildings for supplies - food and water especially - and divvying them out to people. She also serves as a runner between groups as needed. She's not the chattiest at all, and she doesn't have her phone, but she has a pen and paper to carry message or write her own.

The stacks of bodies bother her. They bother her a lot, but she buries her discomfort and continues to wear a stoic mask.

There's time to break down in the village, not now.]

[Day 3]
[With one team out to disarm the bomb and another out to take down airships to create a distraction, why not have an additional distraction on top of a distraction?

With help from Sam Yao, some fire alarms are rigged up as portable noisemakers. They're annoying, irritating, and thank god for earplugs as Ginia races around town with alarms ringing and beeping on her back, pulling Third Party members away from both teams and leading them on a merry chase. With no abilities other than the occasional speed boost thanks to Kipinn, Ginia runs and climbs, using alleyways and cutting through buildings, drawing her enemies into traps laid by others, or ditching the noisemaker and circling around to get the drop on them herself.]

[Day 4]
[Ginia is exhausted physically and mentally, but there's no time to rest. They killed her once, they aren't killing her again. So she pushes on, alternating between scavenging supplies and fighting. Ammo is low, her blades are beginning to lose their edge, but you do what you can to survive.]

day 2

[petreefied]

[It isn't as if Petra hasn't seen dead bodies. But never this many, never so methodically stored away. This had something to do with that bomb, didn't it? But how... There wasn't much time to think about that, though, and Petra wouldn't be the best at figuring it out, anyway. So instead she focuses on surviving, doing what she can do well.

It's natural to scavenge through the buildings, finding what might still be useful. Water was particularly relevant, considering the effort it took to get in the city in the first place. Teaming up with Ginia was a natural enough choice, as well, meeting her halfway through the hallway of an apartment complex.]

Did you get the rest of the hall? There was only rotten meat in the rooms I searched.

Jean (all relevant days)

[wipesfaith]

[Days 1, 2]

[He doesn't have time to dwell on the fact that he had died. That's what he tells himself, even as his every action is punctuated with the afterthought of when will it happen again? The disadvantage of the terrain does nothing to level his ill-contained dread - back home, to fight on flat ground without a mount is to already be a corpse. It's not like he's gonna get eaten here, but he doesn't really fancy getting skewered on a spear either.

With the 3D maneuver gear rendered useless, Jean has only the blades - and the speed of his own legs - to rely on. He does what he can, and he follows the orders he's given, and he pushes forward. But there are moments where he gets overwhelmed by the onslaught of Cultists, moments where be bites off more than he can chew. He'll definitely need back-up.

Once their forces break into the city on the evening of the second day, he'll be taking the high road, slinging himself up to the nearest rooftop and using the closely-crowded layout of the city to his advantage. Jean feels more in control here, but he doesn't let his confidence over-inflate - he knows failure is still a very real probability. He does not let his gaze linger on the bodies below; he keeps his eye out for more Cultists, and any comrades he can assist.]

[Day 3]

[There's a bomb hidden somewhere in this city, and they need to find it before it detonates and they all die all over again. The urgency is palpable, thick in the air. He makes himself useful in whatever way he can, whether it's clearing the streets of enemies or following any orders issued by his superior officers. When he gets the chance, he'll pick through the eerily abandoned buildings to procure supplies - food and medical - to bring back to the others. Even though the bomb has been dismantled, the battle is only getting uglier - they need to keep their energy up.]

[Day 4]

[By now, the goal is self-preservation. Worn thin by days of fighting and nights of little sleep, Jean settles into a defensive role. He won't go looking for trouble, he'll just strike back when it comes to him, and he'll try to hold out for as long as possible. How much longer will this hell last?]

[Day 1]

[whiskytraitorfirefight]

[Stealth be damned. When Ginia catches sight of Jean pinned down by a group of five soldiers, her gun is out. They may be wearing leather armor, but that's not enough to stop a bullet. She charges, three shots heralding her arrival. Two shots take a foot soldier in the back, a third hits a soldier in the shoulder.

When she's close enough, she pulls out her machete. She slashes at the first soldier she shot, cleaving deep into his neck. She rips the blade out and turns and raises her gun, shooting another soldier in the head, blood bursting from the exit wound.]

Ion - Days 1-4

[distressedude]

Day 1
[Traumatizing though it may have been, experiencing the bomb dropping was a wake-up call for Ion. Up until then, he'd spent most of his time silently following the others, trying to stay out of the way without needing to stray too far. He wasn't even sure he'd be able to concentrate enough to produce an arte for how terrified he was. But things were different now. They needed to stop that bomb from being dropped -- at all costs. They couldn't afford to let this opportunity go to waste.]

[Ion spends most of the time near the bulk of the group from his own world, never straying out of earshot. But rather than simply staying behind and hiding, this time he's prepared to fight, backing up the others with his own artes whenever things start looking dicey. He's spent the past few months training under Cliff, and while he may not be anywhere near strong enough to fight up front, it's given him enough stamina to manage more than his usual one or two arte limit. And without the barrier limiting his power, his artes make for a great tool in a pinch, capable of taking out multiple targets at once.]

[He'll fight as needed, and volunteer to take watch when they set up camp at night. Regardless of whether or not the screams in the distance are getting to him, he won't show it. But he also won't be sleeping that night.]

Day 2
[Ion's artes a bit too flashy for trying to scout for an entrance into the city, so he falls back and aids in healing the wounded where he can. Thankfully, he can rely more on Nala's healing magic for this, which doesn't put any additional strain on his body like his artes do. On the outside, he appears to be doing okay, insisting that he doesn't need any more breaks than the others and that they should move on whenever they can.]

[But when they do make their way inside, he returns to the same silence he had at the beginning of the draft -- and for good reason. It just didn't seem right to say anything, being surrounded by the bodies of innocent civilians they were too late to rescue. He can't help but feel reminded of a similar massacre back on Auldrant, the smell of death just as prevalent here as it had been back then...]

Day 3
[There's no time for rest before Day 3, and while the various groups begin splitting up to find the bomb, Ion sticks close to those he knows and offers more back-up artes again whenever they're needed. But by now, he's begun to feel the strain being put on his body, and using more than one or two at a given time will make him lightheaded and dizzy. He'll still be insisting he doesn't need to rest, but that doesn't mean someone shouldn't try insisting the opposite.]

[Much like the previous day, there will be moments where he won't speak or say anything to anyone, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Though whether he's truly lost in them or just trying in vain to hold them back is anyone's guess.]

Day 4
[Although news that the bomb-drop has been prevented brings him some comfort, so long as they're still fighting, the battle isn't over yet. Ion spends much of the day fighting an inexplicable headache, now reduced to using only one arte before collapsing to his knees. He still hasn't slept much at all since they arrived, and it's starting to show. But until the reinforcements arrive, he can't rest yet. Not while his friends and comrades are still in danger.]

Day 2

[stilldontgotit]

[Is there really time to stop and mourn? With cultists flooding the city, one would think it best to stay on the move. Scout out the terrain. Continue fighting, and yet, like Ion, Riku finds his eyes drawn to the corpses, his blood freezing over and his stomach twisting and churning.

He approaches slowly, trying to keep his eyes fixed on Ion rather than the bodies down below.]

...I guess this just proves why we've gotta pull through. If we don't, what's stopping this from happening again?

[Days 1 - 4 ]

[folklorist]

[ Day 1-2 ]

Helios will be fighting and managing barriers throughout the city and battlefield for a good majority of the day. There will be effective barriers in the following areas: The park. The school building, and one of the apartment complexes. Helios will checking and defending those areas mostly throughout the several days that they're there. He'll also be fighting alongside any and all magic and non-magic users. If people need weapons enchanted he will try to help with that too. Though the enchantments might not last long due to lack of supplies. But Helios will definitely offer cover and magical firepower to anyone who needs it.

At one point he'll be surrounded by a group of third party members, so some assistance would be helpful!

[ Day 3 ]

The airships are the things he's mainly focused on at this point. There's bright flashing of fire and lighting that will be issued off of buildings and even the watchtower at some point. Helios will be focusing on taking them out with the small group of people he's assigned to.

[ Day 4 ]

Helios is going to be grievously injured on this day. It was a misstep on his part, one that almost gets him killed. He's so very fatigued and almost out of energy to really do much of anything. His body over taxed and completely exhausted of its ability to use magic. But he will keep fighting, despite everything, he doesn't give up easily as he remembers that bomb and feeling it brought. That's what keeps him going and that's what he's fighting to stop.

Day 4 let's do this

[vambraced]

[It was still going. The onslaught seemed endless. If reinforcements didn't arrive soon then Jack wasn't sure how much longer they could hold out...

He was exhausted by this point, battered and cut, but he wasn't about to give up now. The swordsman chose to stay on the outside of the buildings and on top of them since it was hard to implement his techniques when being swamped inside a room. His speed was slowing as his body tired; the weight of his sword seemed only to increase as time went by...

...it was enough for a cultist to catch him from behind, raising a crude, half-rusted spear to spell the final blow.]

[Days 1-3]

[averybadfeeling]

[Day 1:] [Obi-Wan, for all that he's been through, has never actually died before. It's not an experience that rests well on him, especially not under such horrible circumstances. He does not allow it to interfere with his purpose, and he will be taking great pains to assist any who are wounded, less powerful, or simply not suited to combat as they make their way back to Zompania. This, this is a mission he comprehends. Protecting people. Helping the soldiers. This, he can do.]

[Day 2:][Obi-Wan will be found aiding protecting the largest of the entrances, ensuring that nobody attempts to bottleneck them at the entry points. He's still operating mostly alone, with more of an eye toward protecting his fellow fighters than talking to them, but he's more open to suggestions if anybody has need of his talents.

Once he's inside, he's going to ignore the horrifying sights before him. He's not new to screams of anguish, nor to corpses. Job to do. Focus on the job.]

[Day 3:][When the bomb is found, Obi-Wan will be assisting in holding off the Malnosso outside while the infiltrators and diversion teams do their thing. Once the bomb is safely disarmed, he'll be helping to build a fortified defense point.]

Day 2

[lordhotman]

[The sewer was not a pleasant place to be. From the waste down Zuko was wet with disgusting water mixed with blood from the tunnel that they found leading into the city.

He hadn't actually gone out the other side yet, instead he let his uncle and Wan go ahead. But after hearing the screams the day before... he's not sure he wants to see what's on the other side.

He tries not to think about it though, and instead guards the entrance as others make their way over to get inside. His double dao swords drawn and ready as he keeps a watchful eye out for any of the cultists. Firebending would draw too much attention.]

Wan: Days 1-4

[justdid]

Day 1:

[Wan has no time to dwell on his death. When night falls and the city starts it's screams for help he will become obsessed with finding a way in. Sacrificing precious sleep in the process. He has to save someone, anyone. He cannot let them suffer.]

Day 2:

[On a scouting team with Zuko and Iroh, they do find a way into the city. But he's not prepared at all for what he see's. There wasn't anyone left to save in those mountains of corpses. The sight and smell of the carnage is too much for him to handle.]

Day 3:

[Wan is in his element in the city. Using the terrain to his full advantage. His tricks are becoming more violent as he's emotionally shut down. He has exactly one goal now: keep everyone else alive.

He will spend his days in survival mode: scavenging food, protecting safe buildings claimed by the other draftees, and acting as a flamethrower for characters in trouble.]

Day 4:

[By day 4 Wan is his most vulnerable. He's barely functioning with as little food and sleep as possible. He's going to try valiantly to keep going: but he's completely worn down physically and mentally.]

Day 2 Prior to finding the entrance

[tea_lover64]

[Iroh is calm and collected as they make their way through to find an entrance. Already they had encounters with a patrol. Thankfully they had not encountered any shifters as of yet. The loss of firebending would prove to be rather costly for this team]

Wan, how are you holding up?

[He glances over at the man. It hadn't been an easy day so far]

All the days

[deathsdoctor]

[Days 1-2 (sunset): To Zompania. Law is in one of the groups scouting ahead and finding the safest path for the draftees to approach Zompania. He makes the shadows his own and doesn't use any of his abilities save his Haki.

The light from Room is too conspicuous and too dangerous to be risked.

He doesn't speak much unless necessarily - occasionally his expression pinches like he's in pain, but otherwise it remains icily frozen in a sort of calm that looked at too long slices like a razor. Any Third Party members simply get sliced. Sudden, vicious deaths and the pirate doesn't care how bloody they are as long as they're fast.

Once at the walls, the search begins and eventually something is found that looks promising. A breach in the walls, not big enough to squeeze through, but certainly enough to tell if there's anyone around on the other side. If he is covered, it is certainly within his power to make it silently larger.]

[Day 2 (city)- Day 3: It's been a very long time since he's seen so many bodies. Memories well underneath the ice freezing his core but do not surface as he gently pries open one's eyes and looks with clinical detachment. He flips the woman - for the corpse is a woman, pale and with hair long and red and wild like a certain pirate woman; indeed she could be her twin - over and grimaces, not only for the scent of cooked flesh.

There's a hole at the base of her skull and her wings have been stripped down to tendon and bone. And there's something etched on them. Symbols in some strange language under his touch and his head begins to swim the longer he's in contact with the bone.

Disturbing, but he has no time to linger any more than that. Slaughtering any Third Party in his way comes first, and once he reaches the altar, his teeth begin to grind. The next Third Party kill that follows is especially brutal to behold.

In the following hours as they search for the bomb, he marries Gai and Elizabeth, before splitting off for the airships and taking a number of people with him to help neutralize them. It will be an excellent distraction and if they want to get to the bomb, they will need one.

Besides.

If they can't disarm the bomb, then he'll be damned if it makes it out of the city.]

[Day 4 (before reinforcements): Day four finds Law pale, with a small amount of sweat beading along his brow and one hand briefly pressed against his chest. It looks like he could use a rest, and indeed, he's keeping to the shadows again to avoid detection. Once he does get a little, whatever's ailing him passes and he is mysteriously fine again. Well as fine as someone could be in this mess.

Perhaps he overstrained his limits.

Perhaps not.

The reason why is written down in the notebook secured in his coat.]

[Day 2 - Altar]

[whiskytraitorfirefight]

[With an apartment building next to the altar, it's a risky scavenging spot, but also quite fruitful. Ginia has a pack loaded up with cans of food, a few bottles of water, blankets, and a few first aid kits. She makes her way to the top of the building, moving around quietly in case there were cultists inside.

Breaking into an apartment, she moves over to a living room window and peers out to get a look at the area around the altar. Taking out her notepad and pen, she begins making rough drawings of what she can see.]

Steve Rogers [Days 1-4]

[neversurrender]

[Day 1-2] [Steve spends the majority of these days on the moves. First, trekking behind enemy lines, fighting off any enemies that enter his path. He allows anyone to follow him if they want, after making sure they're stable enough and not injured enough to slow him down. By nightfall, once they're right outside the city, he keeps watch as people sleep. There's no rest for him as long as he can hear those screams.

On day two, early in the morning, he leads a group out to scout the city, searching for a way in. Once inside the city he throws himself into the fighting with rage and disgust for the things the cultists have done. If they had the time and resources after he would make sure the corpses all had a decent burial at least. It feels wrong to him to just leave them laying in piles like that. He takes his frustrations out on their enemies, using any means he sees necessary.]

[Day 3] [This day begins with another night of no sleep. Finding the bomb is their top priority and Steve volunteers to lead one of the many small groups dividing in search for it. Steve continues to throw himself into the thick of the fighting until the bomb is found. After that he will join a group working to disable the cultist's airships.]

[Day 4] [Worn down and without sleep, Steve will still be pushing himself to help defend whatever kind of base they have left. But he's wearing thin and is nearly ready to drop by the time reinforcements arrive.]

Totally the best teammates EVAR

[complicatedliar]

[True to his word, Loki actually joins a team when it comes time to do an organized search of the city. It's necessary; individual hunting has done nothing, and their time is running very, very short.

It's still dark out when he ends up with Steve Rogers. Well, nice that the universe still has a sense of humor about these things. Before the team moves out he takes a moment to briefly call Rogue and just check in with her. Then he stands nex to Steve, ready to go.]

Searching a new city for an object that we've not really seen. This will go well.

[But he's very, very determined. That being alive thing. He'd like to keep doing it.]

Riku: Days 1 - 3;

[stilldontgotit]

Day 1;

[It's hard to shake the fact that he-- no, that they all died. Riku's tried running the situation through his head again and again, but the longer he dwells on what happened, the more it starts to consume his thoughts until he's forced to stop. After all, they have a second chance. Fretting over the bomb will only slow him down.

With the objective clear, Riku sets off for Zompania, though as he moves, he keeps his eyes out for any familiar faces, along with stragglers, wounded and unwounded alike. His primary objective is to scout the territory, and he's joined by his Komory Bat, who occasionally flitters past Riku and towards anyone else in the vicinity.

When the sounds of moans and screams catch his ear, he picks up the pace, shouting back to any others within proximity.]

Hey, can anyone here teleport? I don't know what's going on in there, but at this rate, but the quicker we get there, the better!

Day 2;

[Upon reaching the wall, Riku opts for a quick and dirty means of entering the city. In short, he dashes straight at the wall and uses it at a springboard, performing a wall jump while his body glows bright purple. On the positive side, he manages to make it up top, getting a glimpse of the city from above. The downside? His brief moment of desperation leaves him wide open to cultist attacks. Riku's not stupid enough to try and fight Third Party forces all by himself, so, after some time, he doubles back, opting to search for another way in and keeping his eyes peeled for Mickey; the last thing he wants is to leave his friend behind when the two swore to stick together.

He eventually makes it into the city, where his fellow draftees may find him and his Komory Bat dragging an unconscious cultist towards a nearby building... all while simultaneously blasting off spells. His Komory Bat screeches, trying to confuse their attackers with supersonic rays.

He'll call out to anyone else interested in carting the cultist to shelter, with the intent to interrogate.

Later that night, he can be spotted near the school building, safe thanks to Helios' barrier. While the fighting wages on outside, he sits and stares wearily at the corpses that litter the streets. Should anyone need healing, he's got a couple of Elixirs set in a pile and healing spells where they fail.]

Day 3;

[When the airship sabotage begins, Riku makes his way up to the rooftops through a series of wall jumps. He'll be keeping his eyes out for Helios, Lugia, and Wanda, his fellow Team Magic comrades.

Riku's methods rely heavily on hard-hitting spells. Passersby may notice streaks of fire raining down from the sky. The source? The meteors Riku continuously launches between bursts of electricity, fire, and ice. He'll work at whatever pace his teammates are comfortable with and stay close, particularly if they need healing support. At a time like this, a few Curaga spells go a long way.]

day 2

[petreefied]

[Free cultist to interrogate? Well. He'll certainly find a taker in the Survey Corps. It'll be after Erwin's taken custody of the cultist that Petra follows after Riku, calling out to him and trying not to pay too much mind to his brightly colored friend.]

Thank you for letting us take him. You've had something to drink and eat, right?

[It's no small favor to them that they were allowed to take him in--Petra's happy to share what supplies they've managed to scavange if Riku hasn't had the time to find his own.]

Days 1-3

[aerialassault]

Day 1-2:

War wasn't new to him. He had faced the treacherous trials of a planetside war before, and the months he had spent travelling on foot with the strangers who went on to become close friends weren't something that he was going to forget. The clash of steel and the stench of blood were old news to him.

It was dying that was new-- and that pissed him off.

But this was war, and this was no time to get lost in an existential crisis. Instead of riding the wave of the white-hot fury that surged through him, like he wanted to, Cliff let rationality win that round.

Instead, he channeled that same furious energy into something that he could do. A bodyguard to the core, Cliff made it a point to protect his friends and any non-combatants that he found along the way back to Zompania. Should he get separated from his friends, he would focus on other things. Providing cover for any combatants who needed it, getting people out of sticky situations, or dragging anyone who seemed to be a liability from the heat of battle were easy enough for him.

In the face of the bodies in the city, and the tortured screams that howled through the entire night, this was all that he could do.

Day 3

The anger that fueled his actions took a turn for desperation at this point. Time was of the essence, and Cliff would be damned if he let that bomb go off again. He would be helping out anyone in any way that he could-- being the big, strapping guy that he was left him with limited options, but there was always an opening for someone who looked tough and knew how to play a solid game of hardball.

After successful disarmament, Cliff would focus on building a defensable base with anyone who was willing to help. They were all tired, and it was looking like they were going to be in this for the long haul.]

Day 3 - before disarmament

[ahappylie]

[They'd gotten separated somewhere along the way - not that Souji was surprised with how the fighting was going. Working their way into the city had been hard enough, but once inside, it was row after row of bodies, narrow spaces, and unyielding attacks. Souji had taken to running along rooftops when the area allowed it just to avoid getting boxed in amid the dead. He'd been counting the days and he knew today was the day that the others were going to have to find that bomb and destroy it or they'd all die again.

Unfortunately, that wasn't his field of expertise and so he had to stay behind, cause some noise, keep the cultists distracted from the main team, and try to stay alive.

As Souji leapt from one rooftop to another, he narrowed in on a familiar form and a small group of cultists trying to flank him from a side alley. Skidding to a stop, he drew his sword and dropped, point down, onto the last cultist in the line.]

Behind you!

Erwin [days 1-4]

[corps]

day one & day two.

[ He's always been prepared to die. Since they took his father away, since he entered military training, since he joined the Survey Corps--it could have been at any of those points that Erwin had resigned himself to death. But he hadn't expected to die like that.

Still, he is not dead now, and there is work to be done.

He'll try to keep his group together, even if the going is difficult for them when the 3DMG is more a burden than anything, and he himself is weighted down with a satchel filled with the extra gas cannisters they've been conserving over the last few months. But there is no telling how long this draft will last, and if they run out of gas, they are left without their primary weapon.

The blades are good and sharp, at least, made for slicing deep through Titan flesh, and they serve to cut cultists well enough too. While Erwin prefers to avoid bloodshed, he sees when it is necessary; they are quite literally fighting for their lives, and cutting down enemies is a grim necessity.

It's a blessing when they are able to breach the city at last, and the gear can do what it is meant to do. He leads his group high along the buildings, finally in more familiar and advantageous territory. They'll be moving frequently, fighting only when necessary just as at home, watches set up when they can find brief hours to rest. Erwin doesn't. Rest, that is. Or, rather, he can't. He examines multiple bodies over the course of the day, both civilian and enemy. His face is stony and unreadable, as dour as during any expedition beyond the walls. Any expression beyond a clenched jaw and deep-set frown will be difficult to wring from him. ]

day three.

[ The search for the bomb is on, but that isn't all Erwin is looking to find. Though discovering the bomb's whereabouts is the most pressing issue, and the one he, like others, is concentrating on, he cannot fail to use this situation for what it is worth. He has the chance here and now to talk to others from outside his own enclosure--from outside the system entirely. It's a wealth of information that simply can't be wasted.

To that end, most of the day for him will be spent in a secluded room, guarded as he discusses relevant matters with as many cultists as they were able to capture during the night--under extreme duress on their part. It's a grim and gruesome process, but it gets the job done, and eventually the bomb's location is known--not only by them, but by others, too. Only then does he send Levi away to join the group attempting to retrieve it, instructing him to capture rather than kill anyone who seemed important. Erwin desperately wants to speak to these people, to anyone related to the bomb who might be able to give him more information than the cultists he'd already wrung information from.

They succeed, but there is little point in washing the blood from his hands. ]

day four.

[ Yesterday's achievement with the bomb means little when they could still be wiped out by the Third Party's forces at any moment. Erwin will be attempting to make sure this is not the case by doing what he does best: making plans and giving orders. He'll be working with others to create and implement defensive strategies, though everyone's hope hinges on the arrival of reinforcements from Luceti. He knows as well as anyone that they won't last without them. ]

[Day 3] [Warning: Brutal violence, torture, language, here on out]

[whiskytraitorfirefight]

['Know your price. Don't let anyone buy it and never sell it out.' Wasn't that what she learned as a hunter, what she passed onto Jean in hopes it would keep him safe? But hadn't she warned Jean all the same to not end up like her?

She wonders what everyone else would say if they could see her. Evan, who had been tortured when he was barely a teen, endured having his arm slowly ground off until there was nothing but a few inches of skin and bone? Charon, who had been the one to torture Evan and many, many years later assisted them? Erika, who could break fingers with a grin and laugh and grind her cigarettes into arms?

Though it wasn't as if her hands were clean. They were dirted long ago and no amount of soap and water and bleach could scrub them clean. That was the life she choose long ago. Playing the bad guy to save those that were good. And with a bomb somewhere in the city, it was not the time to be morally upright.

But she knew torture didn't work. Could cite the research and studies and the fact people would say anything under duress if it meant saving their skin. Information under stress was unreliable and trusting it was risky.

So maybe it was a good thing they had a lot of cultists to work with (and across the village, other little set ups too).

War wasn't hell, hell was war, and humans were self-made demons who would burn themselves and claim it was heavenly light.

Ginia enters the room and throws the cultist slung over her shoulders to the floor. Blindfolded, gagged, hands tied, ankles tied, and hamstrung for good measure. He wasn't going anywhere.]

/Learn anything yet?/ [Ginia asks as she walks into Erwin's field of vision, tilting a head toward his current subject.]

Elizabeth [Days 1-3]

[tearmeanewone]

[Day 1]

[Elizabeth spends the majority of Day 1 stuck to Booker, Robert, Rosalind, and Gai. She's extremely shaken up by the whole Dying Thing, and hasn't really recovered mentally yet. There's evidence of her nose bleeding, and she looks pale as her eyes dart around nervously looking at apparently nothing. Her power is still going full-blast, but her mental state is causing rapid-fire ghost images of gear, medical kits, barricades, and so on to appear and flicker out of existence. She's a liability, and she knows it, but she can't seem to get it under control.]

[Day 2]

[A full day of mental recovery has helped, and Elizabeth has a better handle on her tears as they approach the city. She can hear the sounds of the pleading and screaming on the other side, but she resolutely keeps her eyes shut and makes a concentrated effort not to open a door and look. It's hard, so hard, and when everything ends abruptly, she covers her face so she still won't see if she opens her eyes.]

[Day 2 - Locked to Gai + Infinites and Law Later]

[As they walk through the city, single file, through the bodies Elizabeth heard screaming only hours ago, frozen images of children at play and people carrying on their their everyday lives flicker over the corpses. Elizabeth has to close her eyes again, but she reaches out and pinches a bit of Gai's coat between her thumb and finger. So she can keep walking in the right direction.]

[This is worse than Columbia, worse than Finkton, worse than anything she's seen before. Gai, she knows, has been fiercely focused on the battle, on getting them out alive, and so Elizabeth has tried to keep brave for his sake. It wouldn't help anyone to see her go all to pieces, but walking through corpses is breaking her very quickly.]

I don't... [She whispers, hoping he won't hear her.] I don't think I'm going to make it out of here.

[Day 3]

[Elizabeth volunteers for the infiltration squad, now sporting a haircut that looks like it was done with a knife. To prepare, she makes her way to one of the weapons holding areas with a list in mind. Once there, she procures the supplies the team requested (via fancy tear-work) and starts out on the mission.]

Day 1 or 2? If this works.

[complicatedliar]

[There isn't much time for discussion in this battle, but Loki still takes note of interesting things he sees--such as the power displayed by one of the women he doesn't know all that well. She also seems badly shaken, which means she's on his list of people to watch.

It's a strange feeling, to be actually rescuing people. Do Thor and Steve feel like this all the time? Ugh. Vomitous. No wonder they're so insufferable. (But even he can admit, he rather likes some of the looks he gets from people. Respect and fear. He'll take it.)

Anyway, that's beside the point of this particular situation. A shift hunter, running loose on the battlefield has been attracted by the random magic (or whatever it is). Loki catches site of it before it reaches the intended target, though not as far back as he'd like. And he knows better than to try to use magic on it.

So he tries to attract the creature's attention by throwing several daggers at it in rapid succession. His aim is true, as always.]