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Post by NightshadeVII on Dec 26, 2022 7:24:29 GMT -6
At the other’s explanation, Samael nodded, not even the slightest bit curious about why the man knew what he knew and who his partner was. He had places to be and people to take care of, and all he wanted was to be sure that the human beside him was not trying to slow him down. For a moment, he thought to himself that perhaps he should have just stormed the warehouse from the beginning, save them all the trouble. It was hard to get in the way of a corpse twisted into usefulness, after all.
Then, now in the edge of his field of vision, the agent signed something else, quick gestures that were quickly translated. 3 gunmen. Another nod came from Samael. “Understood.”
Quietly, the dullahan turned his back to the officer, removing leather gloves. The hands beneath were disgusting things, skin and flesh suspended in a state of never-ending, never-progressing decay. Dark, dead veins squirmed beneath the surface as he flexed his hands, once, twice. The skin began to bulge in places where it should not, something beneath pressing upwards, stretching tissue to the breaking point and then further still. A wet, tearing sound joined the ambiance of the warehouse without fanfare as mental plates pushed through the skin of the dullahan’s arms, falling into place to create misshapen armoured gauntlets. The metal itself was bent, unable to even echo its former glory- the dullahan found that fitting- and the chipped metal was more than enough to serve its purpose. Should these three gunmen show themselves, they would meet more resistance than expected.
As the two entered finally entered the room, man and once-man, Samael began to make his way towards the staircase, stepping lightly around debris on the floor. The so-called grunts in this place were lowest on his list of priorities, making them both expendable should they cause trouble, but also not worth the time to bother. The dullahan would do what he had to do regardless. Still he made sure to keep the agent and the doors he was inspecting within his field of vision, should he be attacked or otherwise act in ways that would hinder the dullahan’s process. Whenever the agent looked to him, the dullahan would tilt his head slightly, silently inquiring and gesturing at the doors. Was it that one? This one? Had they been detected? Despite his purposeful stride and apparent disinterest, Samael held his morbid whip at the ready, and the strange changes to his shape from before remained visible, hinting at other things hiding beneath dead skin, ready to emerge when called upon.
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 3, 2023 0:53:36 GMT -6
The first of the three doors did not seem to have anyone of interest within it. The room was silent and still, and there were no guards or soldiers present. Only the faint whistling sound of wind, and the vague creaking of whatever it was on the floor around their feet. A soft banging from the ceiling where something loose knocked against the wall. Nothing more. He shook his head towards Sam ‘no’ with that door.
He moved along the side of the large room, checking the second door to avoid visual detection within any of the rooms. Cassius moved the mirror under the door, and this time, stopped, gesturing to Sam ‘two’ and ‘radio.’ No detection. They had not been noticed. Which was good if they had a transponder on hand.
The soldier paused, turning to the third door with his mirror, leaning against the back half of the door-frame, when the handle rattled, and the door swung outward. While Cassius was behind the door, and shielded from view, if the man within stepped out, Sam would be well within his field of vision. As he was, Sam remained unseen.
Worse, if alerted, this soldier would alert the other two, who would likely sound the alarm.
The man who opened the door paused at the frame, looking around. He was a large man wearing tactical gear, gun slung over his arm, not readied. He held a radio in one hand, and a flashlight in the other. The man had no reason to think the facility was besieged.
Yet.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Jan 29, 2023 9:45:38 GMT -6
Suddenly, the door swung open, and demands for a plan rose. One guard with no weapons at the ready wasn’t much of a problem on his own, what was a problem however, was the radio. If the guard managed to alert anyone, it would be over. So, the first step would be to make sure that that was not allowed to happen.
The dullahan acted quickly, and surprisingly quietly. The morbid whip in his hand began to unfurl one second, and the next, it was arcing through the air, towards the guard. At first it seemed like a wild swing, but with a few adjustments, a subtle flick of the wrist, the whip came down hard on the guards wrist. Barely a breath later, the whip recoiled, knocking against the radio with the motion. Samael aimed to either force the guard to drop the radio or snatch it out of his hand.
Disguised by the whipping motion, the dullahan made a small toss of the head, from cassius towards the guard, hoping the officer would catch onto the idea. While the guard was focused hopefully on the pain in his wrist and what caused it, the officer had an opening to subdue him. The faster and quieter, the better.
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 2, 2023 2:41:13 GMT -6
The guard dropped his radio, yelping with surprise as Samael’s whip arced over his wrist. He staggered back, eyes roving the darkness before he spotted the Dullahan, his hands traveling quickly to his rifle as he pulled himself into the ‘ready’ position.
A moment too late.
Agent Lucidus lunged out from behind the mercenary, flinging the rifle out of his hands and into the floor with an arm, and dragging him backward into the other room with a forceful headlock. The man tried to shout, but the sound was strangled. Was he being choked?
The mercenary was flipped a second time and buckled on Cassius’ knee, then slammed directly into the pavement floor with a heavy ‘thunk.’ Had he not been wearing a helmet, he might have been killed, but instead, it seemed to daze him, like a bird stunning an insect.
Cassius then made quick work applying zip ties to his legs and arms, and duct taping his mouth, as if he did that sort of thing reasonably often.
He then looked up and listened for any signs of movement across the room.
Nothing.
No one heard them.
Good.
He sprung up and away from his victim, closing the steel door behind him as he puttered off, moving along the wall and to the steel stairwell.
There he waited for Samael to join him, before heading down the stairs himself.
The room beneath was the remains of an active factory floor. There were vehicle construction robots everywhere.
Cassius would have been enthralled if he was not working. They were huge and impressive, their rusted hydraulics scattered all over the floor. Some of the walls were partially collapsed, rotting furniture interspersed with fresh tables and chairs that were likely placed here to support the new ‘staff’ members.
He paused partway up the stairs when he spotted three armed men talking at the table across the way, sharing coffee. A partial wall separated Samael and Cassius from the other two, and a silent room of dead machinery.
None of these men had their weapons, and they hadn’t been spotted yet from across the room.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Feb 14, 2023 17:40:05 GMT -6
The officer’s measured brutality and the sounds of the guard’s struggle did nothing to faze the dullahan, in fact, as the scuffle ended, he found himself puzzled more than anything else. Samael did not see why it was necessary to restrain the guard, when killing him would be more efficient and permanently remove the obstacle. It would be easy, preferred even, restraints could be broken out of after all. But the officer had his own orders to follow in this, of course, and though Samael didn’t care about them, he could respect them for now.
Still, there was no time to waste worrying over one incapacitated guard, and the two quickly moved on, descending down the stairs to the remains of an active factory floor, in the same state of disrepair as everything else. Machines lined the room, their rusted guts spread carelessly across the floor. He took in the situation silently, studying the room. The guards seemed unaware of them for now, but would have to be dealt with if they were to proceed.
For just a moment while Samael considered their options, his thoughts drifted and worry wormed itself into his mind. Nathaniel. Are you there? Silence, for a moment, enough to feed darker thoughts. Then, a feeling of hands tugging at his sleeve. The dullahan didn’t turn to look, knowing he would see nothing. Tired… The dullahan allowed himself a brief moment of relief, putting his worries aside now that he knew the young spirit was unharmed. Rest. You’ve done well. I’ll handle everything from here. Though the warm feeling remained, revealing that the spirit stayed close by, his words were softer when he next spoke, like he was drifting off to sleep. Careful...
Samael nodded, returning his attention to the room. The whole exchange lasted little more than a few seconds, communication and intention moving faster between spirits than it did with regular conversation. All throughout, the dullahan had tapped a finger quietly against his thigh, counting the time between Nathaniel’s replies. They still had time, but that did not mean that they could afford to just stand around doing nothing.
Quiet as the dead, Samael moved to crouch behind the half wall, picking up a nearby abandoned component and turning it over experimentally. It was simple, but it might just do the trick. Then, he looked back at the officer, hoping the other would catch onto his intentions. Deciding on a spot that would turn the guards’ lines of sight away from the the stairwell and the two infiltrators, the dullahan aimed and threw, the whisper of rustling cloth the only thing that betrayed his movements, drowned out by the clang of metal against concrete.
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Post by jarahamee on Feb 15, 2023 1:53:13 GMT -6
The two closest to the thrown object turned in its direction and wandered, in no particular hurry, to go investigate. The last one wandered towards the window to pick up a rifle, and peered around, thankfully in the wrong direction. None of them appeared alarmed just yet.
In the meantime, Cassius took the moment to move to the left, using the wall for cover, and hid himself near the corner, by the door. If the layout was correct, they could avoid the guards entirely.
He paused, and in the ensuing scuffle, put his tactical mirror under the door, checked it, then seemed satisfied, before turning the knob and pushing inwards to escape into the room beyond and out of their view.
The room within was quiet and dark. There was a door to their right, which likely lead to the factory area, and then another door straight in front of them, which one might assume lead towards their objective, the stairwell.
Cassius paused, listening at the right door for a moment, before padding off towards the farther door.
The two of them could hear muttered voices and footsteps outside of the right door.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Apr 14, 2023 1:40:16 GMT -6
Remembering that the officer knew the layout of the building, Samael followed carefully, a few steps behind. Though the officer remained in a strange grey area, where Sam didn’t know whether to trust him or not. After all, the man was an officer of the law, yet he had so easily agreed to work with Samael, who had essentially taken on the role of vigilante tonight. He didn’t like not knowing where he had people and what to expect of them, and currently, the officer was firmly within that category. Perhaps it was best that way. The dullahan preferred working alone, for a myriad reasons, and wasn’t exactly keen on buddying up with a WDSA officer. And besides, just because the man’s alliances were more fluid now, didn’t mean he wouldn’t suddenly turn and try and arrest the dullahan. Should it come to that, Samael would probably be able to overpower him. Such was the fragility of the living.
The same went for the guards. Though he would not hesitate to engage them, should the need arise, and would not feel guilty about whatever harm he might cause, the dullahan still tried not to fall into the old habit of taking lives prematurely. Hopefully, whoever scurried behind the door to the right had them good sense to remain there. Decayed hands flexed once, perhaps impatient. He wouldn’t complain about the lack of resistance, but surely, they would be on borrowed time soon.
Upon reaching the farther door and hearing nothing of note behind it, the dullahan sent the officer a slight nod, indicating he was ready to proceed.
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 16, 2023 19:53:12 GMT -6
Cassius moved Northward, keeping a watchful eye on the Eastern door. While he had no doubt that the Dullahan would overwhelm anything that came out of the door, he was certain they would alert the rest of the building long before they reached the hostages. For now, his new ally was cooperating. He wondered how long that would last.
The scarred man turned his back briefly to shuffle his mirror out of his bag, sliding it under the door here as well, checking briefly.
With a nod, he pushed on he knob, and pressed it open.
The room beyond opened into darkness. A rail at the other end of the room indicated another stairwell descending downward. There was a doorway here that likely opened into the common room with the soldiers.
The floor here was covered in dust and debris. It was very likely that they would make noise crossing the grounds with the amount of glass, metal and stone scattered here.
Cassius paused, staring at the floor, and then moved to the edge of the room, attempting to avoid crushing any of the debris.
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Post by NightshadeVII on May 8, 2023 16:13:40 GMT -6
Their process was unhindered, for now, rooms checked and subsequently ignored. The sound of people, the hired soldiers, remained a constant reminder of their delicate situation. The darkness they now entered didn’t pose much of a problem for the dullahan, his strange sight barely needing to adjust as he scanned the room, noting doors and debris. The railing at the other end marking a path forward. They had to keep moving.
There was an impatient set to Samael’s shoulders, muscles tensed. His hands clenched and unclenched over and over as he began to regret his decision to cooperate with the officer. Sure, he understood the need for caution- but if they both knew what was at stake, as the officer claimed, one would assume that a sense of urgency would also be appropriate.
Once a route was decided, the dullahan followed the officer quietly, edging around the room to avoid debris while keeping his complaints to himself. Mostly. Though quiet, the headless creature found other was to express his displeasures with the mortal. Should the officer pause or slow to a pace Samael deemed unacceptable, the dullahan would nudge the human with a heavy boot none to gently, snagging a heel, urging him to keep moving. Of course, he wasn’t aiming to hurt or trip the human, the movement was more controlled than that. Despite his urgency, he wasn’t keen on drawing the unnecessary attention of the building’s soldiers. Who knew what they would do with the children then? What the leaders of this organization might think to do with themselves?
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Post by jarahamee on May 11, 2023 2:49:48 GMT -6
Cassius moved steadily, keeping his physical distance from Samael as he strafed around the debris. For him, it was more reflexive than intentional. The super had been… cooperative so far, but seemed more than happy to kill whatever was in its path (and why wouldn’t it?). While the old soldier was not particularly concerned about potential conflict, he was concerned with success, and unnecessary risk, and he found his eye, and Beast’s keen senses, straining in both Samael’s and the guard’s direction.
So far…so good.
The stairwell awaited, and he descended downwards into the darkness, his footsteps quiet as a cat’s. The rubber boot soles really were an improvement over the old leather. And, unlike any of these humans, he could see well in the darkness.
At the bottom, another door awaited. Thick, metal.
Cassius took out his mirror and swept under the door. A flickering light in an empty, branching hallway. No guards.
He reached out and touched the handle, pushing downwards to open it.
Locked. One of the others above probably had a key.
Cassius reached into a bag and took a vial of dissolvent from one of the pouches, aware that Samael was behind him, and would be tempted to (probably noisily) force the door. “I’m going to dissolve the lock and then seal it behind us. Then activate a device so they can’t call each other on this floor. This is where the children are. In this level.”
Who were hopefully still alive. And who Samael appeared to care about.
Without any further delay, he poured some the dissolvent over the locking mechanism, and with a soft fizzing sound the metal of the lock melted away. Obligingly, the door swung outwards, and Cassius, careful not to touch the dissolvent, pushed it the rest of the way open and moved inside.
The hallway that greeted them was likely a basement level. The two of them stood in a long hallway, with corridors branching to either side: East or West.
As Samael decided his route, Cassius poured another vial of something over the edges of the door to fuse them to the rest of the metal-reinforced wall, and removed a device from his bag, pressing a button before putting it on the ground.
And just like that, he lost his connection to the rest of the team. Hopefully they didn’t worry.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Jun 18, 2023 3:11:36 GMT -6
The dullahan waved a hand as if dismissing a fly as the officer explained his process with the door, clearly uninterested in the specifics. He wasn’t here for a alchemical demonstration. Instead, while he human worked, Samael kept looking back the way they came, making sure no one had ended up following them.
Moments later, the door fell open in an almost slack-jawed manner, revealing a branching hallway, underlying the whole warehouse above. Empty, for now. He had a lot of ground to cover, and was keen to get started; the less he had to rely on the officer, the better. This was tolerance, not teamwork.
“I’ll go left”, the dullahan’s tone left no room for objection, and he didn’t seem interested in waiting for the officer’s reaction, only lingering for a few seconds to make sure the human had even heard him.
Then with a quiet huff, Samael headed off down his chosen hallway, each step quiet and deliberate, though his shoulders tensed and his hands clenched and unclenched. Being alone again was a small relief. Everything would be easier this way.
The dullahan could still sense the young spirit’s presence, weakened by exertion, but still stable. Seemed like Nathaniel was laying low for now. Good.
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Post by jarahamee on Jun 21, 2023 0:57:54 GMT -6
“I will go right.”
The agent replied, his voice calm and even as Samael departed in the other direction. He watched him until he disappeared into the other hallway. They were close enough to his goal that he could safely reach his targets and prevent any threats from eliminating them before it was too late. He just had to go the opposite way, and he had no doubt that whatever the Dullahan was going to do, it was not going to be stealthy, and it would certainly draw the attention of whatever men were stationed here.
Then, without further consideration, Agent Lucidus moved through the right door, into the corresponding hallway, sealing it behind him and disappearing entirely. He had a mission to finish, and then, he would tie up all loose ends.
Samuel entered the opposite door. He could see an obvious keyhole on both sides of the door, and noted that it had a heavy door, meant to close when released.
On the right he noted four doors, on the left he noted three. As he rounded the corner, the third door on the left opened suddenly, and a tall, heavily armored man wearing tactical gear stepped out. He had his hand on his semi-automatic, which was half-lifted, but appeared relaxed.
He paused as he turned his head to the left, noticed Sam, and then made a soft cry, starting to reflexively lift his weapon. Behind him, a second figure slunk out of the open doorway, apparently without weapons. A thin figure, perhaps a small man or a woman, hands raised.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Jul 2, 2023 16:35:14 GMT -6
Being rid of the officer’s presence was a relief, allowing Samael to relax and focus properly for the first time since he’d joined up with the human. What a strange one that man was, so readily joining forces with a faceless vigilante armed with bones who refused to elaborate on his motives. It was an advantage for the dullahan, of course, but surely it couldn’t be proper protocol. That didn’t matter for now.
The undead barely had time to take in the hallway he was now in before more pressing matters demanded his attention. Armoured security. Just one for now, and one that clearly wasn’t expecting intruders, if his gasp was anything to go by. Someone accompanied the guard, hostage or decoy, either way they were unarmed and thus not the bigger threat. First, the guard had to be neutralized.
Barely had the guard noticed Samael before programmed muscle memory kicked in, before thought. With a practiced flick of his wrist, the dullahan lashed out with the spine whip, aiming to either knock the gun from the armoured man’s hand or at least snag his wrist, yank him off balance. Should the morbid instrument make contact with flesh, the vicious blend of bone and leather could flay skin, leaving horrible scars in its wake. Samael advanced swiftly, quietly, not wanting to give the man any chance of escape. A precise stomp was aimed at the side of the man’s knee and his hand closed to a fist, ready to follow up with a punch aimed at the part of the guard’s abdomen not covered by tactical gear. If weaknesses were presented, the dullahan would pry them open.
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Post by jarahamee on Jul 5, 2023 1:41:10 GMT -6
The dullahan’s weapon contacted the armed man’s gun, ripping it painfully out of his hands. In the same motion, the momentum tugged him forward into a stumble. The security guard’s stagger was not precisely what the construct might have intended, and thus his foot missed the knee, instead kicking him in his mid-section and sending him careening into the entryway. He connected heavily with a thud, bounced off and fell on the floor on all fours.
A move that would have likely done more had he not been wearing a helmet or armor. For the moment, he seemed stunned.
The second person, who had appeared unarmed, placed both hands out in front of them as soon as she saw Sam, and the Dullahan would realize that this was a magic-user. He felt the hum in the air a moment before he saw the crackles between her fingertips, and saw the way her hair and clothing raised about her, halo-like.
About the time the first man impacted the wall, she pressed her hands together, sending a lightning-bolt out to strike Sam.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Jul 14, 2023 8:08:08 GMT -6
As soon as the gun fell. The dullahan kicked it away, sending it far down the hallway, out of reach.
Not one to linger, Samael was already moving by the time the guard was sent flying, but the crackle of lightning caught him by surprise none the less. He turned to lunge at the magic user, reaching out with a hand twisted by protruding metal. But he had not turned far enough. Lightning licked down the side of his arm, tearing through cloth and blazing through dead nerves, making his arm twitch unnaturally, loosing coordination. Discoloured skin split to reveal greyish red muscle woven with plates of metal. The smell of zinged flesh filled the hallway. Samael felt nothing. This was what he was made for.
Quickly, the dullahan transferred his whip to his electrocuted hand and caught the caster’s arm in a bruising grip with the other pulling her forward. Without hesitation, he brought the pommel of his whip down on the base of her neck, the weapon impacting against her spine with enough force to crack bone with a clean hit.
Without loosing momentum, he wrapped the whip around her throat, pulling it tight to cut off airflow. The vertebrae woven into the whip dug into her skin, drawing blood. All the while he kept his gaze steady on the stunned guards, watching for movement.
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