Inside the stairway, two men were scrambling down with as much speed as they could muster, all the while helplessly listening to an echoing chorous of gunfire, indistinct shouting, and the occasional metal screeching.
Huff Huff Huff
In Jerome's mind, he could picture broken machinery, guns, limbs scattered here and there, hear people dying, see agony written all over their faces. He sees himself holding on to a broken person as their life slowly drains away from their eyes.
BANG BANG BANG BANG
SCHREEEEEEEEEEeEEEeeEeeeeee
The sounds of battle waking Jerome from his delusions. He can feel butterflies in his stomach, his cold back as his shirt, drenched in sweat, stick to him.
"Fucking hell... I won't lose another!" Jerome mutters to himself as he tries... begs his body to go faster, to make it.
Behind Jerome, Thomas, still struggling to catch up to his vice-leader, finds himself getting further and further behind.
"Gah! Wait up!" Thomas says with a second thought.
"No!" Jerome yells back without even bothering to even turn.
Begrudingly but understandingly, Thomas tries to once more catch back up.
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It took them nearly 5 minutes to get back, maybe 4 and a half for Jerome, but when they finally saw what was happening, what the duo steeled themselves for, they had arrived at the most dire time.
As Jerome and Thomas reentered the cavernous hallway, the group had been pushed back and seperated to either side of the hallway, both sides looking as desperate as the other behind their EMS Shields, translucent domed shields that rely on ambient and recipient mana to be deployed. Nearly on top of each group were the perpetrators, the stalkers that was hunting the group, Silverline Spiders. These mechanical monsters were nearly 8 feet tall, had smoothly serrated legs, and had a head that only meatgrinder would love. They also had gotten their name because of two things they were known for. One was, if ever you were ambushed by one, the last thing you would see was a sliver line. The other, however, was quite literal because out of their mouths comes--
"Fucktards! DUCK!!" Tirra's voice screams out.
As soon as both Jerome and Thomas ducked under the influence of instinct and command, a silver beam passed through where their heads once were and struck the stairway, leaving behind only dark silver scorch marks and the smell of burning metal.
"Holy shit..." Thomas remarked in awe.
However, there was no time to gape in horror or awe. For after that initial fire, another silverline spider dropped directly infront of the duo. Its eyes, nearly invisible in its headframe, locked on to them, mouth open, revealing its rapidly rotating shredder gears, anticipating new treats, but its body shot up to hell.
SCHREEEEEEEEEeeeEeeEEeee
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Then, it raised its fore-legs.
"Shit" Jerome cursed, "Dodge!" Both he and Thomas then dived.
As the spider's skewer missed them both and hit the metal floor with intensity, making an impressive sound and puncture, it screeched once more in frustration and something else.
On the floor, the duo lay prone, somewhat dazed at the sudden turn of events, but both knew they had to get up or theyll be more than shish kebabs.
As Thomas began to get up, he began to have a funny feeling, and not in the "haha" way.
Where am I anyway... Thomas threw a glance at his surroundings and saw Jerome, just beginning to stand with his eyes glaring towards something above him, a bit away from him, just after some weird serrated blades.
For Jerome, he had managed to dodge that skewer by dodging to the right of the attack; as for Thomas, however, when he dodged, he managed to get himself underneath the Silverline Spider.
For Thomas, it was as if timed stopped as he realized his situation.
I... I'm going to get skewered. Thomas thought as his mind started to panic; then, he heard,
"Thomas! Shoot the damn thing! Its stuck and its on its last legs, now's the best we got!" Jerome barked, oblivious to Thomas's location, and started firing.
At his new orders, Thomas ignored his own initial dread, lifted his MP5, and started firing into the belly of the beast.
TATATATATATATATATATATATA
BANG chik-chak BANG chik-chak BANG chik-chak
SCHREEEEEeEEeeeEe
TATATATATATATATATATATA
BANG chik-chak BANG chik-chak
KREEEeereeee....
TATATATATATATA
After just only 7 seconds of gunfire, the mechanical monster chittered its last and started to collapse.
Underneath the monster however, Thomas, a bit of panic returning to his face, was scrambling to get out from under it. Luckily, Thomas was able to get out, and with a satisfying metalic crunch, the beast lay dead at their feet.
"Phew..." Thomas breathed out.
"No time! Come on already!" Jerome shouted as he dashed past Thomas towards one of the groups.
Thomas agreed in his mind and turned to follow Jerome, once more into the fray.
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As Jerome and Thomas sped to one of the cornered groups closer to them, the duo slowed, when they were near enough, to draw their refilled weapons and fire upon the new spider, adding on to the chorus of mayhem.
TATATATATATATATATA
BANG chik-chak BANG chik-chak
They both knew that their new fire support would be a relief to their comrades, however, as they soon found out, this spider wouldn't go down like the last.
TATATATATATATA
BANG chik-chak
As the spider quickly noticed the presence of the new interlopers, one of those trapped started to shout at them.
"-ome! Get to the others now!!" a man's voice boomed over the chorus of gun.
"What?!? Hold on Chris!! We'll get you out first!" Jerome replied, "Thomas, hurry, round the beast and shoot at its abdomen there, I'll hold its attention and-"
"JEROME!! GET TO THE OTHERS NOW, THATS AN ORDER!!!" Chris's voice boomed once more with authority.
Jerome flinched at this,
"But!-"
"They wont hold out much longer!! We'll handle this Silverline with Thomas! I need you on the other side!"
As soon as Chris finished, a sound akin to glass shattering was heard across the hallway. When Jerome turned to where the sound came from, he saw no shield but only 3 human figures and a large backpack being stared down by one damaged but irate spider.
"NOW!!!!" but by this point Jerome had already started running towards the other side, hoping to make it.
"And dont forget to protect the Egs!!" Tirra's voice trailing afterwards.
However, this left poor Thomas alone, his breathing starting to become eratic, as 6 tons of mechanical monstrosity bares its sights on him.
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[... Diagnostics Check...
Power:4946yrs9mo15d35m25s...
Power Supply:Not Connected...
Mainframe:Sub-optimal...
ROOT Connection:ERROR... ERROR... ERROR...
Beacon:Activated...
... ... ...
Surrounding Check...]