Melislav Adrimirovich buried his nose in many of the books that Emerald had gathered from the library at Plainsworth. When he heard there was an old warrior of the Legion spotted somewhere out of the city walls in the nights, like a ghost, he grew intrigued. When the Lorekeeper convinces Dame Albrecht to look into it, he was the obvious choice to lead the mission. The Ghost Owls, with their many skilled encounters against the Broken, Emerald with her medical tonics, and Elaina, ever vigilant with that mechanical eye, climbed their way down the fort walls opposite of the main Broken camps.
Earlier that day, Melislav and Elaina had interviewed many local workers and soldiers on the wall, learning of all the locations that the Ghost of the Legion had been spotted at. Now, under the cover of the morning darkness, they maneuvered across the big boulders and between the cracks of them out of sight. The sun started to rise as they ranged away from the fort and into the rocky hills that had the most mysterious spotting over the course of recent months.
By all accounts, one of the Chosen had been broken here and this legionnaire had been buried alive in the caves here, and this was years ago. He should be dead by all rights, but it seems as though he had taken up life as a hermit or was trapped underground for years and only recently surfaced.
Frerya pointed over at a spot of disturbed ground and Elaina scurried over as Melislav put up a hand to command the squad to stop. She investigated the tracks and it indeed appeared that the Broken already had a team inside the cave network that opened up ahead of them between the rocks. Not only were there the usual dragging footprints of the Rotters and their Crow handlers, but also very large and warped foot prints of some nasty looking Horrors.
They lit the lamps and torches carried by half the squad and started to descend into the depths of the caves. It became clear quite early that the main issue would start off as simply a difficulty of navigating the labyrinthine caves. The squad spanned out under Melislav’s leadership and peered down numerous paths through the rocks, all of them fairly narrow.
With Melislav’s leadership, they picked up the trail as they found the heavy disturbances of the big Horrors. They moved down single file and quiet, hiding the light when needed and pulling it back out to make the treacherous journey, Emerald having to call for stops to patch up a couple of twisted ankles.
The cave opened up and they all came to a halt as Elaina adjusted her mechanical eye to look for signs of the supernatural. She did indeed find some strange wispy tendrils, revealing the presence of something more. “I see what looks like a silver chord, something that might show ways to approach our target. But... I also see straight up this way, the main way, looks like we have our enemy between us and him.”
Elaina motioned forward just for Melislav and the two of them quietly skulked ahead to make visual contact with the Broken. They were looking at their backs. They could see the famed horror, Black Rotting Gale, the Abomination. It was unmistakable with its many alchemical components. They’d found some documents on Victoria Karhowl about this particular experiment. Syringes, implants, wires, tubes, and vessels of dim glowing fluids covered its massive body.
Not only that, but a Wailing Horror covered in what must have been hundreds of faces, moaned and filled the tunnels with eerie and uneasy echoes. “We’d have the advantage, but we might not have to fight them.” Melislav whispered as he backed away to the rest of the squad.
They could all hear the moans and sighs of all those faces back there. Melislav looked around at the team, looking tired from all the fast journeying they had done. “We’re going to find another way around to him. Elaina, spotted a faint trail off that way.”
They all looked about and nodded at each other, relieved to not be pushed into a bloody brawl in these close quarters.
Elaina led the way, sometimes stopping to adjust her eye and see the next turn in the winding path between all the optional tunnels.
They found themselves at what first looked like a dead end, but then it was clear that there was a crawl space down at their feet that was far too narrow to allow for easy travel. This was probably why this way looked less traveled.
After a short assessment by the squad, the determination came that they’d need to strip off their armor and disarm. The only way through this gap was going to be to push their belongings in front of them, hoping to rearm quickly on the other side.
“Looks like its time for leaders to lead the way.” Melislav starts to strip down his heavy padded, chain armor and set his commanding longsword into its sheath and unbuckled it.
The rest of the squad did so as Elaina watched the back of the group for enemy scouts.
Melislav dropped his gear and struggled to push the pack forward through the tightest part of the gap as he started to crawl while his bag led the way. He kept on pushing and kicking up old dust, stopping to cough and then quiet down, but only a deaf man would not have heard them coming. He must have pushed about thirty feet or so when he finally felt his bag push out into an open room. He crawled forward quietly and just as his head cleared the ledge and got into the room, a foot stopped down next to him.
A sing song male voice croaked in a way that sounded like he hadn’t spoken in years. “Well, what a surprise, not an undead, not what I was expecting.”
Melislav looked up and saw a man that defied description, but he did his best to process it anyway. His outfit appeared to mostly be made out of braided ropes and one of his pecs was mostly revealed by the scant outfit. He was bald but for a nasty scar that traveled from his eyebrow all the way back to the base of his skull. Most importantly of all, when he smiled, his teeth were a shambles. There were some missing and that smile sent a shiver down Melislav’s back.
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“Hello. I’m hoping you’re the lost Legionnaire.” He says with a little wave.
The man reached down and grabbed Melislav’s shoulder and hefted him up with some ease. “Its been so long since I heard mention of that. I suppose one could say that about me.”
“I’m Melislav Adrimirovich, Officer of the Legion and myself and my people here are prepared to rescue you from this abode.” Melislav puts his hand back out for a professional curtesy shake.
“You can call me Johanas Parnov. And this is basically my grave. You want to rescue me from doom and the dead, eh?” He smiles, showing off those gritty discolored and misshapen teeth just as some of the other squad members crawl into the cavern.
Bapsta wretches a little bit seeing his teeth and smelling his breath and makes to investigating the rubble pile that used to be a wider entrance at the far end of the hall. Azure Twig Fingers goes to look it over with Elaina, both of the ladies nodding and pointing at weak spots in the structure of the tunnel.
“Well, should you choose to be rescued, we are here to spirit you to the Commander, Dame Albrecht.” Melislav nods to the stranger.
“Well well. Albrecht not only survived but rode her aspirations to the top? Impressive. I’d love to speak to the commander yet again. Lead on.” He puts a hand on Melislav’s shoulder, sending a shiver down his neck and back. “And should you or your men need medical aid, I’d be happy to provide.”
Emerald walks up and puts a hand on Melislav’s other shoulder. “We’ve gotten him through some grievous injuries, and my tonics will continue to do so,” seeming to get a bit defensive of her work.
“Tis true, this is where a great big werewolf took a chunk out of me.” Melislav lifts his tunic and the scar is impressive even to this grizzled man. “No more time for that, we need to get back out of here.”
Elaina waves a hand to get the group’s attention. “Azure and I feel as though we have a good advantage here to take out those nasty horrors and leave them buried down here and removed from the campaign.” Azure is already setting up some wires and small charges and pitons to hold it together.
Melislav looks to the exit and Emerald, obviously wanting the team to show their confidence gives a silently physical urging to get this little ambush set up.
Melislav nods after looking around at the squad and seeing them all eager to get involved. “Very well. Set up the charges in the tunnel but also widen this exit so that we can wear our armor and still fall back without stripping naked. If you can give me that, then I say we set up a firing line here and take down the big guys before leaving.” He draws a line in the sandy dirt with the back of his boot, marking where the squad will line up to lay down a hail of fire from safety.
The others watch and prepare their weapons with black shot as Elaina attempts to set up the perfect explosive trap. As she starts to wire it up after rubbing her chin and contemplating, Azure steps up and clears her throat. Though Elaina is the veteran sniper of the legion, Azure has made it clear for months that she is the one and only expert Rigger and Explosives master the legion can rely upon. “This one goes here, that one goes there.”
Elaina swallows her Orite pride and nods. “Of course, I should have seen that. The blast wave here would knock out the opposite potentially before it goes off.”
Azure smiles. “And if we set a flare charge here, when it goes off, it’ll look like a horned skull.” As she sets up some for a decorative approach to demolish.
They move back, set up a small charge to open up the crawl space and detonate it with little fanfare.
Emerald gets out her tonics and starts to mix them with a special herbal agent she has in a panyar leaf wrap. She looks around at the crew. “Everybody should do a shot of this before we get into the fight. It’ll refine your vision and aim. Trust me. These herbs are often used by forest hunters back home. They could hit a squirrel from a hundred yards out.” She grins as she sips some herself and cocks her pistol, not one to be left out of the firing line.
The squad lines up, fully loaded and ready as the first bits of light from the Broken’s torches starts to peak through the rocks. Not long after the first peaking lights, a loud smash echoes through the tunnel. Then another one as the rocks break and collapse, forming a gap to the other side. There, standing tall and glowing with various unguents, is one of the greatest Horrors the Broken have to bring to bear.
A wave of dust and rock particles travels on a wave of hot air across the squad as Melislav puts up a hand to hold the unit from firing. “Wait until that charge goes off so we can see what we have left to deal with.”
Sverina coughs and then holds her breath as she leans down in front of the unit with her axe and shield, getting ready for any that make it through. Everyone else has a rifle aimed down the hall.
The big beast starts to charge as the small room shakes from the mass of monster barreling towards them. “Should be about... now.” Azure starts and Elaina and Azure say now together as the explosion rocks the tunnel and the sound is deafening in the small space.
Nothing can be seen through the kicked-up particulates in the air, but Elaina adjusts her eye and can see the beast still coming through towards them. She yelps out for the squad to prepare, but with the ringing in their ears, it falls unheard.
Melislav steps just a little forward of the unit as he holds his arm, waiting to use the rifles for the next wave. Then, they all see the big thing stomping toward them. They all flinch as Sverina steps up to fight the thing one on one and give the squad a moment to brace.
Just as she is about to connect and tangle, her sister puts a hand on Sverina’s shoulder and pulls her back. And just as she does, the big ball of flesh and metallic enhancements tumbles down and slides on the ground right in front of the squad, the explosions having torn its back and sides apart.
They all cheer but Melislav holds up his arm again to signal them to be ready as the wailing one screams with its many faces as it follows down the tunnel towards them. “Now!” Melislav calls out and drops his arm down to signal them to fire.
The squads rifles fire a devastating volley in unison as Johanas grins that gross toothy grin at seeing the wanton destruction of the Broken’s heavy hitters. “Impressive.” He says as the wailing one is silenced by the firing line.
They can all hear the slow shuffling and moans now of the hordes of shambling undead.
Elaina and Melislav have a silent conversation about the needs for this fight and then Elaina darts for the exit that they earlier widened. “Lets go,” Melislav exhales after holding his breath through the volleys of thick smoking fire that recently grazed by him.
They all file out orderly and well fashioned, leaving Melislav and Sverina at the back to hold off a couple of advanced Rotters and then they both slide under the ledge to safety as the room behind them fills up with the rank and file.
“We fucking did it.” Bapsta smiles. “Nobody can stop the Ghost Owls.” He high fives Freriya and looks to the other members as they all start to skulk their way out of the operation zone.