Traveler's Rest Hotel, Lobby Reception.
"Ahem... Do you like puzzles, Miss Langford?"
A voice sounded behind her, causing Vixella to shuffle to a stop.
The air fell silent as she who came into the main lobby had already been surrounded by shady dressed men of unknown origins.
"Puzzles...?"
Playing along, Vixella slowly turned around with a smile to notice the pneumatic pistols present on every hip.
"That's right, Miss Langford... Puzzles! Do you like them?"
The casual look on the man's face showed that he wasn't expecting much.
"Aah, I'd say I'm really bad at them."
With a shameless tone, she spoke.
"Then, would you kindly...!?"
The men suddenly shifted their hands down to their holsters as if seemingly ready to take action.
In return, Vixella yawned softly while stretching her arms.
"Yaawh... Can we take this tomorrow...?"
"Of course... Miss Langford... Tomorrow."
The leader then walked out of the entrance along with his crew.
"And there goes my bedtime for tonight."
Vixella sighed and headed towards the reception desk where the only receptionist stood there trembling.
"A-Are you going to be okay?", she paused and gawked at the cash bundle placed onto the counter, "W-What's this money for-!?"
"To put it simply... Collateral damage."
Past midnight, Courier Six who anticipated a late-night visit stayed awake in the living room, laying idly on one of the sofas.
Having turned off and moved all the lamps except the one beside her to the backrooms, the suite was now extremely dark.
Subtle footsteps that normal people wouldn't hear came into the corridor outside her room.
"Hey, I said I'm not interested!"
A moment of silence came by before murmurs and confusion of how she heard them sounded about.
"Men, get yourselves together...! Perform your duty...! Prepare to breach...!"
Their leader whispered out, seemingly frustrated as he moved closer to the door.
" "Yessir...!" "
"We are all in position...!"
"Don't take this the wrong way, Miss Langford...! Just hand over-"
"I'm not handing over anything!"
She shouted over him and snuck herself behind the archway leading into the living room before turning off the lamp she held.
The suite's door was bashed open as ten men orderly moved in and spread out to check around the entry room.
They began scanning the area with caution, having their hands raised as if ready to subdue Vixella if they found her.
"Miss Langford... There's no need to hide...!?"
A loud clonk then sounded the room as Vixella's lamp knocked the man who came first through the archway unconscious.
"Shit...! Man down...! Man down...!"
Muffled shouts came from one of the men that were present.
"Stay back Commander! I'll advance first- Aaaaaaargh-!?!"
The guy who tried to approach through the same archway had his face burnt to a crisp.
Vixella held the lamp out of the archway as it spewed forth an intense arc of flames.
By further amplifying the fire-magic device with her magical power, she made a flamethrower.
"We can't...", one of the men coughed and backed away from the fumes, "Ack... What do we do, Commander...!?"
"Her threat level is assessed... You know what to do...!"
Despite the distraction of the sound and brightness of the blazing flames, Vixella realized that everything fell suspiciously silent.
A soft thud came by as a hand-sized object shaped after a walnut rolled up to stop just below her.
Just then, an erratic shift in the air was followed by the sounds of wood and cloth being shredded and torn apart.
"That was close... To think this world had grenades as well..."
Vixella analyzed the situation as she glanced down at the now mangled body which she had used as a shield earlier.
Nothing was coming from the men on the other side of the suite beyond the living room's archway.
Vixella glanced around the dark, seeing if there was anything she could use to help her gain an advantage.
The people of this nation aren't known to be able to use direct magic spells but only amplify their magic into objects.
Thus, if she used magic on these men to end the fight quickly, it might raise too much attention upon herself.
Vixella grabbed the fire-lamp again before tossing it past the archway.
"Woah...!?"
Two soldiers leaped and ducked out of the way as the lamp crashed onto the welcome mat which immediately caught fire.
"Stomp out that fire...! We don't want to burn this place to the ground...!"
"Guess that's good enough of a distraction..."
She grabbed the two grenades latching on the dead men below her and scuttled deeper into the hotel suite.
The Commander then gestured out orders to his men as he coordinated with numbers and hand signals.
The men entered in pairs, scanning about in the dark just as a sound came from the kitchen beyond a tight corridor to the left.
The first guy to investigate the sound collapsed down as some sort of metal object slammed into his now disfigured face.
The rest of the men quickly scrammed for cover behind sofas before peeking out cautiously.
"A cooking pot...!? For real...!?"
"Miss Langford, listen! We'll leave you alone if you just tell us where the package is!"
The Commander's voice resounded the suite once again, much louder and demanding this time.
No reply came from the kitchen as the Commander signaled one of the better-trained soldiers to advance.
The soldier who turned the corner to enter the kitchen with his pneumatic musket pistol drawn never reported back.
After a few long seconds of silence and uncertainty, the bloody body of their ally was then thrown out into the corridor.
"Don't worry, it's Tomato Sauce! Aah, wait... It's called... Ketchup, right-!?"
Following that statement, all of the lights in the kitchen suddenly flicked on as everyone flinched before looking over.
Stepping out into the small corridor, Vixella had a pot on her head alongside with knives and frying pans strapped onto her.
"What the...!? Go subdue her already...!"
The Commander stood up to point-forward out of frustration.
"Commander, get down!"
One of the soldiers ran towards him in a hurry.
"...!?"
The man leaped and tumbled him over as they both fell behind the sofa, saving him from an untimely fate.
The steak knife which missed its mark for his neck slammed deep into the wall behind them.
Two soldiers then quickly dashed out to subdue Vixella.
Not giving the closest man a chance, she drew a knife before slashing his throat.
Blood gushed out as the splatters stained upon her somewhat roughed up clothes.
The other one who came in slightly after was then whacked away by the frying pan as a loud BONG! echoed the corridor.
Two more gunmen stood up from the sofa and point-fired for her legs with their pistols.
Much to their surprise, Vixella unfastened one of the pans and deflected away from the well-aimed pellets.
"Panboy's Battlegrounds just became a reality!"
She dropped the pan as two steak knives were then thrown into the two gunmen's necks before they even realized it.
"Now, you two behind the sofa! Show yourselves-----"
A loud clonk then resonated the whole suit as a spark came from the pot Vixella had on her head.
She then wavered for a bit before falling over to collapse forward without making the slightest of movements.
"Ugh... Did you get her...?"
The commander and the remaining man both stepped out from cover as they both began to approach cautiously.
"Seems like that shot knocked her out... Hey... We can tie her up and interrogate her later right?
"Hey, we're on a mission here! And you got a fiancée waiting for you at home, no-!?"
"Ahehehe... Why does that matter...? This girl doesn't look half bad... Plus, she asked for it-"
"Then please kindly relay my condolences to your fiancée!"
Vixella sprung up and jabbed the kitchen knife right into the man's crotch.
"AAAARGHH...!!?"
The man then crumbled forward before foaming from his mouth.
"Shit-!?"
The commander reflexively lurched back and reached for his holster, however-
"Too slow, don't you think?"
Before he could even raise his pistol, the barrel of Vixella's pistol was already rested against his face.
"Fast..." "Hayai..." ((LOL WEEB MODE OOF EM UP))
"Howdy-doo... Ugh..."
Being shot in the head while wearing a helmet, especially a pot, gave her a lot of concussion to recover from.
Vixella unsteadily took the commander's pistol out of his hand before tossing it into the kitchen.
"So... Do you come here often...? Because I suppose you don't."
Vixella smiled unsteadily as she blinked hard to recover from the daze.
"We had orders from our higherup in Vespelia... That's all I can afford to tell you..."
The commander replied with an earnest voice, seemingly trying to plead for his life.
"Aah? So you're just a Pawn Piece on the chessboard?"
"More of a Knight Piece."
"Does it matter?"
"Well, no... But Miss Langford... I suggest you hand over the package for everyone's sake-"
"Look... I don't know what's in the package but if it's so dangerous then why don't just go take it from the garage downstairs...?"
Vixella groaned slightly as she didn't hear the full story but told him about the package anyways.
"Huh...? You're not trying to stop us...?"
"Aah, I can just tell my boss the package nearly got me killed so I ran... I just want to lead a normal life nowadays, you see..."
Vixella finally decided that she didn't want to be chased around all night for some package that she didn't know anything about.
"I'm sure that goes for all of us... I guess that makes the two of us."
The commander gave off a wry look while still keeping his hands raised somewhat high.
"So we got off to a bad start... Would you mind sharing a late-night drink with me then? Please, have a seat."
Vixella holstered her pistol and decided to somewhat become friends with the commander to avoid further conflict.
"Well... Why, of course..."
The commander slowly walked back to sit on the sofa, seemingly confused as he felt a bit out of place.
"So would you like tea or coffee----"
Out of reflex, Vixella flinched and cowered down while raising the pot that was still on her head.
Upon opening her eyes, she was already lying flat on her back as the world seemed to spin around.
Still grasping the frying pan in her hand, she looked over to inspect the large hole busted right through it.
Vixella scoffed to herself out of disbelief until she heard it.
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Chuk Chuk.
It was no other than the sound of a shotgun pumping.
She scrammed for the kitchen, barely avoiding a burst of pellets that blasted down the painting hung upon the wall.
"You guys have shotguns...!?"
Vixella gasped for breath before peeking out with just one eye and pistol to return fire.
Chuk Chuk.
"It's merely a prototype."
The woman wearing a jagged mask and metal cuirass peeked around the living room's archway to fire off another round.
The wall that Vixella peeked out from was blasted away as hunkered down to barely avoid the wood splinters.
"That weird mask and armor get-up... Just what have I gotten myself into this time-!? You guys Special Forces or something...!?"
No further conversation came by as Vixella retreated further back into the kitchen and flipped over the dining table to use as cover.
Things, however, took a twist as she was instead met with a grenade that bounced around the doorway and came right for her.
BLAM!
The silence of the night broke as the sound of a glass shattering fell onto the empty night streets below.
Latching onto a lamppost, Vixella quickly lowered herself onto the ground before brushing off some dust.
She took a few unsteady steps forward while looking around for a short moment before running away from the scene.
Three men dashed around the corner of the Traveler's Rest hotel street with their pneumatic musket carbines raised.
According to their precise and coordinated movements, they were trained adepts in the combative field.
"I already told you where the package is... Why are you coming after a somewhat concerned citizen like me...!?"
Ducking and cowering, Vixella tried her best to avoid the pellets which whizzed by.
A few found their marks on her as she staggered slightly and groaned out in pain.
From the distance, her pursuers didn't realize that she was constantly healing her wounds with magic.
"Aah, this is nothing compared to when I was fighting the demons... Bring it on...!"
Deciding to retaliate, Vixella drew her pistol and returned fire over her shoulder... But the men didn't stop their chase.
She looked closer just to realize that they were wearing similar but fully armored attire compared to the shotgun woman earlier.
"That's cheating...!?"
She grumbled out before picking up the pace.
Vixella shook off the hurt as she flinched slightly and continued speeding up to gradually lose the men behind her.
After losing them behind a turn down the dark streets, she abruptly dove into an alleyway before hiding behind a dumpster.
She checked the remaining rounds in her pellet pouch before loading the last rounds from her pouch into the hopper of her pistol.
Footsteps shortly sounded as the heavily armored men came into the alleyway with their short-modified musket carbines raised.
PING!
A pellet bomb was then thrown down the alleyway.
"Hit the deck!"
Having have heard the initial pin-pulling, the three leaped away to completely avoid the blast fragments.
Little did they know that Vixella had pulled both of the grenades' pins at once but held the other one's safety lever.
Much to the relieved atmosphere as they got back up, the already primed pellet bomb was sent flying towards them.
BLAM!
Dust blew about in the fragmented alleyway as Vixella darted forth while snatching a pellet pouch from one of the corpses.
After appearing on the streets once again, she came to a slight stop and glanced over her shoulder to see two more men appear.
The roughed-up Courier then grinned to herself before picking up the pace to further dash down the midnight streets.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commander + 10 (20) Men :: Night Raid "Brief Meme Report"
Successfully retrieved the package... But with many casualties.
-- Bash Door Entry! Well shit. --
1: "Lamped" (Melee > Blunt, Head)
2: "Lamped" (Fire > Burn, Face)
-- Advanced into the Living Room! Ouch. --
3: "Potted" (Thrown > Blunt, Face)
-- Scout the Kitchen! Wait, what...? --
4 : "Ketchup-ed" (??? > ???, ???)
5: Saved Commander from getting "Steak Knifed" in the face. Both took cover behind a sofa.
-- Move in to subdue target! Nah. --
6: "Kitchen Knifed" (Melee > Slash, Throat)
7: "Frying Panned" (Melee > Blunt, Head)
-- Tactical Retreat! Nevermind. --
8, 9: Backed off and fired off at the target's legs. (Shot > Deflect, Frying Pan)
8: "Steak Knifed" (Thrown > Puncture, Neck)
9: "Steak Knifed" (Thrown > Puncture, Neck)
-- Ambush the target! Nope. --
5: "Musket Pistol-ed" (Shot > Deflect, Pot on Head)
Target: Played dead and retaliated on 5 after the commander and 5 let their guards down.
5: "Kitchen Knifed" (Stab > Slash, Crotch)
Commander: Lost his pistol and was held at gunpoint by the target.
Target: Exchanged information with the commander. Told the location of the package...?
Commander: Somehow convinced the target to spare his life and bought time for 10 to arrive.
-- Experimental Round Testing > Slug > Pellet Pumper... Success! --
10: Returns with a shotgun! Punctures the pan with experimental slug round! Forcing the target to retreat into the kitchen.
Commander: Threw a pellet bomb into the kitchen.
Target: Fled out of the kitchen window and latched onto a street lamp, scramming off into the night.
10: Applied first aid to the wounded 5 who was unfortunately castrated...
-- Chase and takedown or capture the target by all means! Yeah right. --
11, 12, 13: Standing guard by the outer hotel perimeters > Took chase after the target.
Covert Variant of Experimental Armor proved effective against standardized pellets! Begin production immediately!
11, 12, 13: "Pellet Bombed" (Explosion > Air Burst > Fragmentation)
15, 16: Took chase after the target after confirming 11, 12, and 13's deaths.
17: Arrived at the hotel suite and tended to the wounded, escorting the commander out alongside with 5 and 10.
20: Lost sight of 15 and 16. (15 and 16 > Missing in Action)
18, 19: Cautiously tracked the target's locations according to 20's flag signals from the bell tower. (Overwatch /w Telescope)
18, 19, 20: Later lost whereabouts of the target, despite having constantly tracked them by all means.
Cleanup.
Package Retrieval.
Exfiltrate.
Debrief.
End of Operation.
-- Commander's Notes on the Operation --
- The target was abnormally adept in fighting against numbers; causing major casualties before disappearing without a trace.
- Our men were not at fault though could require more training for the future. This was a unique case and will be looked into later.
- I hope 5's fiancé doesn't break up with him because of what he had sadly 'lost' during this operation... And the reason for why...
--
((Rough portrayal of the jagged steel mask these 'Special Forces' guys wear for covert & combat situations.))
((The mask has a thin fitting for a ONE-TIME-USE integrated magical emitter which can take ONE low-cal pellet.))
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/362703793596399618/514844687253897216/unknown.png]
((Combat operations >> Full Suit + Mask:: The street chase earlier with full-armored guys was a special introduction case.))
((Covert operations >> Chest Piece + Mask:: As seen earlier, they don't wear masks in outright-public to avoid suspicion.))
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/685570883628040259/750155616823148564/Vespelian_Heavy_Gunner.PNG]
(Random Reference.)
((The suit has a small magical emitter which can protect the whole body from some mid-cal pellet-fire in case the platings fail.))
((Due to being portable, the magical emitter will fail if hit consecutively... It also depends on how much magical fluid is carried.))
[https://slm-assets1.secondlife.com/assets/9965489/view_large/Vernian_Brigade_Corporal.jpg?1404898272]