Chapter 36: Rainbow Six Keep

A weird scream echoed out in the keep, clearly another darkling, it didn’t come from either of the halls though. It was from beneath, quite far down to by the sound of it. Tom guessed Nunuk and Dakota had made their move then. The figure looked confused for a split second, then angry as he started to bellow orders. A split second was all that Tom needed. He had held his sights on the one holding Kokashi and pulled the trigger. The crack of firing the rifle indoors filled the hall, blowing the brains of the target all over the wall. Everyone around him flinched, but Tom didn’t have the time to feel sorry for their sensitive ears right now.

He cycled the action and took aim at the lead figure. His priority was to ensure that guy didn’t order Kiran's execution if it wasn’t already too late now. With the scope on 1x, he could target with both eyes open. He quickly brought the gun on target and sent another round thundering into the chest of the lead figure. Only to be rewarded with a resounding *ping.* He couldn’t even see a dent at this distance, the round had just smashed itself to pieces on impact. The figure looked to Tom, sneering before turning to run back down the stairs being followed by the two flanking him. Tom ran the action again and fired into his back with the same result.

“Dammit!” Tom exclaimed, “I’ll kill that bastard!”

The darkling holding Captain Tyborg took two good arrows, one to the neck and one in the eye socket. Damn, they were not messing around with those things. Even if they had been a bit slow to react.

But the arrow going for the other escorts' captor bounced off its helmet. The darkling just threw the escort to the side and charged at captain Tyborg, sword held high. Tom ran the action and nailed the charging darkling in the upper chest and it collapsed on top of the captain.

Tom got to his feet sprinting for the stairs, frantically trying to load his rifle as he ran. He needed to get to Kiran right now.

How was Tom planning on killing this guy if his rifle didn’t do the trick? Thinking back to Nunuk’s armor it wasn’t fully enclosed, it would be a matter of hitting the weak spots, places not covered by plate then, that would be a tall order.

He charged down the stairs coming face to face with one of the darklings who had been flanking the bad guy, Tom just fired two from the hip. He didn’t have time for delaying actions. Coming down to the corridor the doors were all closed. Would Kiran be in one of the rooms? The sound of fighting was still coming from beneath. Perhaps Dakota and Nunuk had tried to cut them off? In that case, he might be trying to escape. Down then, Tom concluded. He half jumped down the next set of stairs to the level that housed the smithy, again there was nobody here it would seem. That combined with the fact they had snuffed out the lights were starting to freak Tom out. Why hadn’t he gotten his NVG’s repaired immediately!? There had to have been quite a few of them, otherwise, this mission would have been certain suicide and now they were hiding and waiting for him in the dark.

He stood there for a second trying to see into the dark pondering where they would have gone when he heard a clack of claws on stone. Tom turned, bringing the rifle down to the hip. The darkling already had its sword out and lunged at him having hidden under the stairs. He pulled the trigger blowing a hole in the thing’s abdomen. but the sword continued its arc down for his neck. He did his best to duck the swing hitting his helmet glancing down into his neck.

The leather bracing for the pauldron took most of it but the blade still drew blood. The creature roared at him. Tom let go of the rifle, bringing up his left arm to try and hold the beast back from cutting further into his neck while he drew the revolver with his right and put two more rounds into the thing's chest for good measure.

That was of course when he heard a door open behind him, accompanied by a few of those hissing screams he had heard in the last battle. Changing tactics he instead grabbed the creature's arm with his left and used his greater weight to pull it over backward into a tumble, kicking it in the stomach with his right foot sending it flying into its newly arrived companions.

Low grav certainly made it easier to be an action hero, Tom thought as he laid on his back watching the three darklings stumble to the floor. He rolled over onto his belly and took aim at the two currently fighting to get their dead or dying comrade off them, waiting for them to succeed. As they got up he rewarded them with a round to the face each.

He didn’t have time for laying on the ground. He needed to get to the chief a-hole now. Getting up, he slammed another round into the rifle and holstered the revolver drawing a fresh one. He looked around again, more thoroughly this time, no one in sight then came faint shouting from down below.

“Stop hiding behind chattel you fucking coward and fight me!” Nunuk was clearly getting into the spirit of things then.

He could also hear footsteps coming from behind him as Anchor made his way down the stairs, Tom had nearly taken the guy’s head off in surprise.

“You okay?” The guard asked.

“Yes yes, need to get down now Nunuk!” Tom just replied making his way to the next set of stairs, going down a bit more carefully this time. This horror show was playing some serious tricks with his nerves.

“I’ll take point” Anchor stated, running ahead. Tom heard fighting coming from above now too, swords clashing and more of those horrible screams. Looking back he saw Jackalope getting down the stairs as they were going down the next set.

“The fuckers are just hiding, keep your eyes open” Jackalope shouted at them from down the hall.

Tom didn’t pay her any mind, he could attest to that himself. As he followed Anchor down the stairs his heart was pounding. This was taking too long. Was the arsehole already at Nunuk and where was she exactly?

Anchor kept a good pace, moving with shield up and sword at the ready, as they made it down to the last level they could see the pitch-black corridor, Tom knew the armory door was at the end. He checked under the stairs for targets but found none. Coming back around to look down the corridor a Darkling fell from the ceiling onto Anchor’s back. It didn’t even have a weapon, it just clawed at the armored guard trying to bite and scratch him, it looked wounded already as well. Tom brought up the revolver but couldn’t get a clean shot with Anchor moving around trying to shake the thing.

“Get this thing off me!” Anchor demanded desperately.

Tom just charged the two of them shoulder checking them both to the ground. The darkling decided this warranted switching targets, trying to turn to hiss at Tom, releasing Anchor. Tom rewarded the creature with a round straight down the throat. With predictable results.

He moved to get help Anchor back up, as the guard got to his feet he pushed Tom towards the wall just fast enough for Tom to see a spear come flying past in front of him. Followed by an annoyed sounding screech from further down the hallway. Tom couldn’t see the piece of shit responsible through the darkness but it could clearly see him. “Hold them back” came the familiar voice followed by the door slamming shut.

He hid behind Anchor who brought up his shield and advanced down the corridor. Jackalope made it down the stairs, Esmeralda following closely taking up positions behind Tom, bows at the ready. With back up, Tom switched back to the rifle.

“So you think you get to have all the fun?” Jackalope added, sounding confident as ever.

“Not funny” Tom just answered in a plain tone this seemed to shut her up for the moment.

As they advanced Tom made out a pair of eyes in the dark. He stepped to the left and fired. The muzzle flash lit up the room enough to make out the target for a split second along with three others he hadn’t seen. There was a thunk of a body hitting the floor and Anchor hitting the deck clutching his left ear. Followed by the sound of screeching lunatics and pounding clawed feet as the others charged down the hall. Jackalope and Esmeralda both fired into the darkness. Tom running the action as fast as he could there wasn’t time for precision fire here as he fired blind. Only two came out of the darkness. Tom hit one in the shoulder, it stumbled but kept coming he fired again but missed. Jackalope saved his ass, putting one into its leg causing it to stumble. Tom quickly took advantage, finishing it off.

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The last one was still coming and Esmeralda’s shots had done little to slow it down despite finding their marks. As Tom ran the action again the creature lunged for him. He pulled the trigger to a resounding click, his eyes going wide.

“Shit!” Was all he managed to get out as he tried bringing the rifle up to defend himself. The darkling leaped over Anchor who was still dazed on the ground and brought a small warhammer around wide. The swing hit his upper arm penetrating the plates with the sharp spike, it hurt like hell, but Tom remained standing. The shield bash that followed did the trick though, knocking him over backward Into Jackalope. The creature landing on top of him pinning his right arm between them. The pain was immense and he wondered if he had just had both his arms broken. It sure hurt like it.

The darkling closed its jaws around his head as he stared into the maw of the beast and he could hear it squeeze his helmet creaking. Tom admitted it now, he was fucking scared. His right arm was stuck between the two and he fumbled for his revolver with his left hand. Not able to get to it, having landed on his left side. He felt the pressure on his skull growing and starting to hurt a lot. He resorted to try and punch the thing in the face to little effect.

He could hear Jackalope swearing a lot of new interesting words he had yet to learn. Then he heard a blade slide through flesh and the creature went limp. Its jaws still locked on his head.

“Don’t like it in here” He cried out, trying not to sound as panicked as he was. And was rewarded by Esmeralda prying the darkling of him and rolling it off to the side. He just laid there for a moment staring up.

“Thank you” He let out in a meager voice, Jackalope reaching down a hand to help him up.

“You aren’t done yet. Get up!” She retorted in her usual brash confidence, pulling. him to his feet. His hand hurt like hell but it still appeared to work. Looking around, Anchor was still clutching his left ear, clearly not pleased.

“Sorry,” Tom went, not having considered what firing right next to the guy’s ear would do.

“That hurt a lot” The guard replied, sounding very unhappy.

“We haven't got time for this guys!" Esmeralda went, taking the lead running down to the door, slamming against it

“And it’s locked because of course, it is!” She shouted at the door in frustration.

Jackalope looked to Tom with a knowing glance having seen first hand how to deal with locks. He was busy reloading his revolvers as fast as he could.

“No time for that" Tom went to Jackalope, shouldering his rifle and taking aim “Step back!”

Esmeralda complied, looking worried. Once they were all well clear Tom fired at the hinges, blowing them to pieces. He really needed his shotgun for this, but he had more protection than normal, so he crossed his fingers no fragments found anything too important or hit someone they shouldn’t on the other side.

He stepped back and put one through the lock as well. Taking a few steps back he took a running kick at the door. It didn’t budge at all, but he heard groaning from inside.

“They are holding the door shut” It came from within, clearly Dakota. She sounded out of breath Tom thought.

“So what are you gonna do now huh? You are surrounded without escape” It came from the room again. Nunuk this time and she sounded very tired.

“Not if I can get through you I’m not” the familiar voice answered.

Right then, time to burn some ammo Tom thought stepping back reloading the rifle and shouldering it. He just hoped there wasn’t anything he cared about on the other side. He let rip firing into the door at chest level firing as quickly as he could run the gun. The noise was deafening even for him and the flashes really messing with his vision. He heard unnatural screaming from inside the room and saw blood leak out under the door. With all six shots spent he drew a revolver and gestured for Jackalope to join him. Together they charged the door shoulder first.

As they hit, the door creaked and finally gave way, opening to an armory covered in blue blood. Up against the door leading out, Dakota and Nunuk stood back to back, Dakota facing a darkling and Nunuk the figure in black. On the floor lay two mangled Darklings having been torn to pieces, by the fusillade. In the corner stood a further three Darklings, two holding Anastasi and Kiran with blades at their throats. The room was strewn with corpses all having been cut to pieces. Entire arms severed and plates sliced open helmets split with broken faces inside. Clearly the work of Nunuk.

The one in black had clearly done a number on the lady, blue blood dripping from his sword. He himself looked clean. Nunuk on the other hand was not standing straight and in pain, The fighting having taken quite the toll on her.

“What? How?” the figure exclaimed, turning away from Nunuk for a split second looking at Tom and Jackalope. Nunuk took advantage, lunging at her opponent, looking to run him through. The figure reacted swiftly though, catching the attack on his shield knocking it aside, looking back to his opponent.

“Oh no you don’t” The lunge had left Nunuks right side wide open as the black figure brought his blade back in. The wounded Nunuk was too slow to counter as he drove his blade up under Nunuks armpit piercing through her armor runes burning bright on both her armor and his blade, it was a nasty cut. Nunuk roaring out in pain.

“Mother!” Dakota screamed out before having to parry an incoming swing.

Tom took aim at the back of the bastard’s tail. There was a bit of protection at the root of it but the rest was only lightly covered. He fired, scoring a penetrating hit on the first shot.

The figure stepped back his turn to roar in pain. Turning to face Tom just in time to look down the barrel of Tom's revolver. The armor had a relatively weak-looking neck and eye holes of course, that would have to do, Tom thought. As he began firing both hands clutching the revolver. He advanced into the room while firing, the first round bouncing off the top part of the helmet. The second hit at the base of the neck right above the chest plate just before the figure managed to raise his shield. It went through. The figure let out a gurgle and dropped its blade clutching its neck. The third went wide, the fourth struck high on the neck also going in with the fifth hitting him square in the throat. The figure slumped to the ground eyes wide, blood leaking from its mouth.

The darklings in the corner just looked at him as if waiting to be told what to do. The one fighting Dakota seemed to keep at it, Jackalope rushing to help out her beleaguered friend.

The figure sputtered coughing up blood trying to say something. Tom had a good idea of what that might be as he dropped the spent revolver drawing the other one. three targets six shots, make them count, he thought to himself. Turning to the ones in the corner.

“Kill kiehd.. kids” The figure gurgled out.

As Tom lined up the gun taking aim at the one holding Kiran. The range was no more than a few meters but Tom was shaking badly by now. His heart rate through the roof, adrenaline pumping and he didn’t have time to steady himself. He fired the first shot as the darkling held up the screaming Kiran as if to protect itself, readying a knife to do its gruesome duty. The shot hit the wall right above the shoulder. Tom fired again as fast as he could get the gun back on target. The shot scraped past Kiran's cheek plunging into the chest of the darkling’s center of mass. Tom fired again, slightly higher. That had been way too close. Putting the third round through the creature's eye, dropping it dead, knife clattering to the floor.

As he turned to the other darkling holding Anastasi he fired high again, careful not to hit the kid. The shot went high and hit the wall. He felt Anchor coming past him charging the third darkling who was moving towards Kiran now. Esmeralda let out an ear-piercing scream as the knife slid into Anastasi’s chest. It was loud enough to make Tom’s eyes lose focus staggering him. It clearly affected even the darklings, the one holding Anastasi clutching its ears, dropping the kid.

Tom struggled to make out his target through the sort of mental haze affecting him. Anchor had tackled the third one and was rolling around on the ground with it. Tom had brawled with the guy before, he could handle himself. As his sight cleared the one who had held Anastasi was clearly coming back to its senses as well bowing down, going to confirm the kill. Tom let fly with every round left, perforating the Darkling like a range target. It staggered but still standing letting out a deafening screech. None of the shots had hit anything immediately fatal.

Tom set off at a sprint, closing the distance as fast as he could, feet hammering at the ground bringing the blade up to run the bastard through. The darkling didn’t even seem bothered by him, still concentrated on the little Anastasi, who was trying to crawl away despite her bindings and knife lodged in her chest, leaving a deep blue trail behind her. Crying as only a child could.

Tom slammed into the darkling driving his sword through its gut, shoulder checking it into the wall hard enough he felt bone cracking. The creature screeched in pain looking up to him. Tom grabbed it by the snout with his left hand forcing its head against the wall exposing its throat then he let go of his sword and drew his knife slicing it open in a spray of blood. Satisfied it wasn’t getting back up he turned to Anastasi lying on the floor still crying. Why did it have to be the two youngest? It wasn't fair.

Esmeralda came running over, tears streaming from her face.

“No No No No” bending down to pick up her choking kid.

The was a bone-shattering snap as Anchor got his arms around the third dragonettes head and twisted, dropping it dead to then rushing to pick up Kiran who was lying crying on the floor. Jackalope and Dakota had managed to corner and kill the last of the darklings in the room, leaving only the sound of crying kids hanging in the air.