[T] CANDY-POP DEATHCULT IC (duh)

[Imp]

ROUND 2 - 7 Mercs remain

The warm, tropical island immediately erupted into bloodshed as the Candy agents attempted an infiltration, killing eight of the fifteen mercs. Once aware of the slaughter, the mercs fired back at whoever they could see through the thick foliage. Spraying and praying, the men unloaded their weapons and managed to draw blood from their targets. Both Nigai and Kandy were hit. The mercs hastily reload and prepare themselves for the counter attack.

The scene intensified, and so did Sahvri as he ran out from the bushes with his combat knife in hand. Catching the enemy unaware, the smooth agent slashed away at those closest to him. Some tried their luck and charged at him as he busied himself with the first target. Sahvri tackled the merc to the ground before plunging the knife into enemy's heart. Both rage and skill fueled him in this dance of death as he then rolled away from the corpse as another merc closed in, ready to attack Sahvri with the stock of his rifle. The man was most unfortunate as he felt the furry of Sahvri's blade after having his legs and stomach shredded. Among the melee maelstrom, Sahvri managed to miss one of the combatants as they blade only cut the breeze, However, like the breeze, the knife followed through into another nearby body. Specifically into the poor foe's left eye socket.

Without knife in hand, Sahvri jumped at another merc who was charging his flank with bayonet at the ready. Sahvri struggled with the soldier of fortune over the weapon before finally disarming him. Sahvri turned the rifle around and pierced his target's abdomen with the bayonet several times in quick succession. Four bodies had dropped in a matter of fifteen seconds. There was no time for pun-ishing jokes after each kill, no. He was in a state of madness at that very moment, but recovered from it and fell back into reality as he placed his boot on the head that held his knife, then proceeded to extract the blade and clean it on the corpse's coat.

[bluemoon]

With a nod to Kandy for her assistance, Wisp moved out again, the mercs now starting to retaliate, their remaining forces starting to fire their weapons at the agents. Sahvri was already working his way through their ranks, and she followed him into the fray, her rope in hand.

The mercs were spread thin, the Deathcult leader clearing a path for her to follow. She decided against stealth and ran head on, diving into the first man's chest with greater force than would be expected from a woman her size. Together they fell, Wisp wrapping her rope around his wrists as they struggled. She took a brightly colored tube from her pocket, applying a generous amount of a toxin to the side of his neck before jumping up, waving to him in a lady-like fashion and walking away.


The second merc was easier, his attention on one of her comrades when she approached him from behind. She didn't play fair, merely snapping his neck before he was even aware of her presence. She waited for his body to drop to the ground in a crumpled heap before she moved on.


One left she saw, and a scrawny one at that. She wasn't the best with long range weapons so she ignored the rifle at her feet and ran to close the gap, this time not able to use surprise to conquer her foe. She dove at the last minute, going into a roll, then jumping to her feet. A kick to the chest knocked the man back, and before he could regain his footing she was on him again. A body slam, his shirt front now in her hands as her right foot swept out and took his feet from under him. A final shove forced him to the ground. She pounced, using the flat of her palm to smash his nose. Her hands then went around his throat, her eyes narrowing as she choked the life from him.

As Wisp stood, she wiped her hands together to remove the dirt, scanning the area for any other danger but finding it clear. She stopped at the body of the man she had poisoned, retrieving her rope from his hands now that his struggle was over and made her way off the beach.

[Kortaga]

Nigai never hid from his opponents being the gunslinger that he was. Further confirmation that the alarm was taken out he noticed that several of the men pointed their guns at him. His face unmoved as he watched how their guns were pointed. He was a master of masters when it came to ranged combat. He walked forward and every time a shot came out he moved in a way that did not make sense to his attackers. Walking backwards, side to side, jumping periodically. Four bullets easily avoided though the last one he felt graze the left side of his rib cage. He looked down in annoyance. Failure! Me! No he simply refused to be the one who failed. This was supposed to be flawless. It must be the others fault, yes what person could dodge five shot other than him. He grinned to himself. Yes I am not at fault at all.

As he looked he noticed Kandy…the perky one with ice and stuff. The one who made good tea…she took two shots to her body. She would not be feeling well…

Niagi folded his larger rifle up and slide it onto his back. Once again with a clear and easy choice direction he walked without stealth or tact straight to Kandy. As he made it to her he wondered if he should use his magic to heal her. She was a magician herself and he wondered…well he figured with her ice trick that she might be able to heal herself. He needed to return the favor though…or maybe…he wanted to be honest…who knew.

He walked up to her and held out his hand palm facing her and allowed Green healing magic to pour out. He was unsure where her damage was and as he watched he noticed the other girl and the guide man going forward. Were they separating the parties into two teams? Also what happened to the bigger man…he was unsure. As he looked at kandy he wanted to say a number of things but all that came out was. “Healed?” He then stopped pouring out magic figuring that if she needed anymore assistance she could take care of herself. “Come…leaving…”

He felt his sweat leaking off of his forehead, not from combat but just from speaking three words to the woman. He stepped fluidly through the trees keeping his hand near his twin pistols in case things got messy.

[Imp]

Aboard the Umami vessel...

All patched up, and have taken what they needed from the corpses and camp, the team made their way aboard the large, grey vessel via a barge from a nearby dock. "This is the only of its kind. We're not sure what the Umami made it for, but now is the time to find out. Thankfully the Umami have terrible security, so they haven't a clue that we are here. Plus, this place is apparently derelict for a reason." Sahvri informed during the boarding process. The group had scaled the side via netting and grappling devices. It was a large ship, reminiscent of a small-scale oil tanker. They stood on the starboard side closest to the bridge a few decks above from their position.

"We can get a beautiful view up above and likely gather valuable intel from there. Or go below deck and see just what lies beneath. Or we can split up. I'll leave the decision to you" Sahvri then went on to check his gear and what valuables he collected.

[bluemoon]

Wisp boarded the ship after Sahvri, slightly winded from the climb up the netting. She brushed at her damp clothing, the spray from the water clinging to her camo pants. It was ghostly quiet, the waves against the side the only sound other than themselves. As Sahvri spoke, she stared up at the bridge he had indicated, agreeing that the view from that height would be outstanding.

She looked at the other members of her team when the options were presented to them. They were good together, would they be as productive if they split their talents? She for one thought not and she said as much, opening the conversation to anyone else who had a different viewpoint. While the floor was open for discussion, she began wiping at the paint on her face. The fight on land and her sweat had bled the colors together and she removed as much of it as she could while she stood there.

Once again she glanced up, counting three levels over their heads to the bridge. She liked the number three--it had always seemed lucky to her. "I think I would like to start up there," she said, pointing to the bridge. "I prefer the open air and up always seems better than down." There was no reasoning to it, just a gut feeling, but she was open to having her mind changed. "Does anyone else have another opinion?"

[Kortaga]

Nigai struggled to climb the side of the ship…he refused to ask for help but anyone who was keenly watching him would notice that he preferred to use tools which he had not brought…to help him with these sorts of things. Eventually making it to the top almost out of breath he saw the colorful lady also looked tired and hoped that he just fit in amongst the others. ‘Non-need know my terrible secrets…they should die with me to the grave…

Sexy guy spoke to them and Nigai felt irritation. Was this guy not the guide and the person leading this mission? Did we not actually have a leader? It made sense to get a bird’s eye view except for the fact the Nigai felt like anything of value would be inside the ship and thus making it a moot point. There is no way they would leave anything on top where a passing ship or plane could see what they were doing. No…they would just get caught climbing high…

The colorful lady began to remove her paint and he thought he was catching glimpses of her real skin color…something he felt dirty about. For her color was clothing…why was she stripping in front of us…Nigai felt uncomfortable he reached into his pack and pulled out a mask to cover his face. The mask itself was just a mirror so whomever looked at it they would simply see themselves before they died…how…psychological of him. How enlightened of him…how artistic of him…he expected praise but so rarely got it. Such was the struggling artist.

When the color-less lady started to speak Nigai face betrayed his thoughts. Thank goodness he wore the mask. She thought the exact opposite of him, he panicked…what would she think?

“Oh Nigai how stupid of you…how cute you think you are right…”
“Yea isn’t he stupid…girls know better…see the sexy guy knows…he lets us decide…”
“Go die Nigai…”

But…but…but I healed you…
The betrayal began to set in…what would everyone think of him? He would get back and suddenly find the looks…oh god the looks…mentally he screamed no to himself.

He could recover though. All he had to do was suggest something smart. He wanted to stick together.
“Tea lady…Nigai doesn’t trust us to split up…”
“Color lady…maybe he is just perverted…or maybe he worries about being alone with the sexy guy…yea maybe he is homophobic…”
He mentally screamed again. Why were these two so cruel to him? What did he do wrong?

All this transpired in the brief few seconds of decision making. As he looked to the color-lady he said, “…”

He paused for moment…wait that was not what he wanted to say… “…!” Really Nigai say something it’s been seven seconds they are going to look at you weird…

“Up…together…” He was mentally ready for the backlash. What would they say or do…would he have to go down alone? He fought well they would not ditch him so easily…right?

[Storm]

As the barge was along the grey vessel, Kandy watched as the team scampered up the netting. She then hopped upon the net and easily made her way up the side of the ship as she so often did while training on climbing ropes to reach unfortunates she wanted to remove from the role of living being. As she reached the deck, she listened to the cute commander guy give his briefing.

Her soft smile did not betray the sigh she wanted as the commander did not seem to have this thing well planned out. Sure, it would be simply marvy to run up into the control tower and sight see at things topside. It would be soooo normal for bad guys to keep their secrets laid out topside for anyone with two eyes, well, one eye if she jabbed her tanto in one of them, that brought out a slight giggle.

As the other cute guy slips on a mask, she smiles softly to him, after all, he did heal her after those such rude boys put a couple holes on her clothes. As Wisp speaks up mentioning the desire to explore topside in the open air, her only response is a soft smile. Both are viable options where the cute guy in the pretty mask also says 'up … together'. She glances quickly to him momentarily thinking just how useful that mask is, she could see her reflection perfectly in it, she would not need a mirror to do her eye shadow, lipstick application would be a breeze, but she drifts. Back to the matter at hand, in a upbeat and chipper tone she chimes in

"That is super marvy then, all settled, up and about to see what all can be found and seen from way up high..."

she removes her katana sheath holding it in her left hand

"...and while you sweeties are checking the way open stuff, think I am going to wander below to see what goodies these peeps have in their hidey holes. And pay no attention to muffled screams you might hear, we do take out anyone that might be wandering this lil shippie, don't we?" swaying back and forth in anticipation to get looking for goodies to report on and baddies to chill or slice.

[Imp]

Sahvri just chuckled to his comrades, each having their own unique characteristic. He would miss them once the mission was over as he'd likely be assigned elsewhere... if they returned back to base alive. "Alright, if you come across anything, of interest or danger, report it immediately. I'm not sure what we're in for, but once the bridge is secured, I'll access what intel I can and see about backup, if needed." Sahvri then equipped his rifle so as to not be caught off guard, if anything was even around. Things seemed dead quiet, with emphasis on the dead bit...

Heading inside to the stairs, it went from day and into night. Seemed the power was either off or on standby since nothing was illuminated. It was the way they'd all likely have to take since the stairway led up to the bridge and below deck. Sahvri was forced to switch on his flashlight attachment on his assault rifle and proceed with caution. All that could be heard, aside from the hard rubber boots on the barely audible with every step on metal, were the sounds of the ship only slightly shifting as it gently rocked due to the waves. He also picked up on a strong odor emanating from below deck. Something fetid, similar to fish, but worse. While he was happy he was going up, he figured he'd soon enough have to head down to see just what is going on, if a security terminal in the bridge didn't...

'Note to self, find a gasmask, if possible.'

Taking the lead, Sahvri continued up, keeping an ear out for anything out of the norm and with sights raised, clearing every inch in front as he ascended the stairs. One could never know what to expect on a derelict ship in a kooky world such as this.

[bluemoon]

A bit disappointed, Wisp looked at Kandy and Nigai as her and Sahvri started up the stairs. She had really hoped they would be sticking together. With a sigh of resignation, she turned her back on her teammates and began the ascent, the flashlight Sahvri held their only illumination. She walked a few steps behind him, keeping her eyes trained below her by moving sideways up the steps. For the longest time she was silent, a slight puff from her elevated breathing the only noise to reach her ears other than their foot falls.

"Do you really think it is safe for us to be divided?" she asked, unable to stop worrying. "If they encounter whatever is creating that smell, they may be in over their heads." Of course, she was assuming the 'whatever' was alive. If the smell was coming from death, the risk was minimal. "Maybe we should turn around?" She paused a moment, her indecision driving her crazy. She didn't like to question the directive...and if Sahvri said to keep moving up, she would follow his lead.

Still feeling uncertain, she took out the tubes of paint in her pocket and began applying a new mask, not needing light or a mirror to create an intricate design. She had been painting her face for so long that the skill came naturally. Although to others the paint was toxic, she was immune to its effects, feeling nothing but a slight tingle as it was applied. In no time she was decorated again, this time in tones of pale yellow, dark green, and black. Hopefully the right hues to blend into the ship's drab interior.

Straining her ears just a bit, she could now hear the sounds of descent below her and she let out a held breath. Chewing on her lip with nervous tension, she noticed she was falling behind and quickly closed the gap while she waited on the decision to continue with their ascent...or descend and join their friends.

[Storm]

As Kandy stepped over to a ladder leading below deck, an unpleasant odor emanated from below deck. Her eyes transitioned to pure white as she lowered herself into the darkness. Pondering if the quiet cutie was going to follow her, her vision looked into the darkened space she has entered. It seems musty which will work right into her favor is something needs to be changed into a popsicle. A cute smile graces her lips as she thinks more like a 'mercsicle' if she runs into any more of those rude boys that tore holes in her favorite kimono.

As her footing takes hold of the flooring, she removes her katana while letting her night vision take hold.