[Jay]

March, 28 AV

“Reports are coming in that-”

“-armed terrorists, with unknown intentions. We aren’t yet sure-”

“-126 passengers-”

“-dust shipments, very valuable-”

“Someone’s gotta stop them, my baby boy is on that train! Where are the huntsmen!?”

“We believe that it could be-”

“-obviously it’s another Celestial Legion invasion, you can tell by-”

“-it’s those damn Kozaks, I knew they were just biding their-”

“-an assault by Mantle’s military forces, they’re here to expand their colony, and-”

All across the capital and the city of Argus, news stations are abuzz with sudden reports of the violent takeover of the kingdom’s most crucial means of transportation between the two largest cities in Mistral, the Argus Limited. It happened fast, and word spread like wildfire, thanks to one brave passenger who managed to get word out that they were in dire need of help.

There was scarce little time for the Council to decide what to do, aside from send out their latest Huntsman task force to put an end to the threat, and attempt to assuage the fears of the public as best as they could. For many, the news reports provided a sense of comfort and security, in what was understandably a very trying and difficult time. Nobody knew what was happening, who was responsible, or what the terrorists were after, only that dozens, maybe even hundreds of people were in danger.

Especially the ones trapped inside a speeding locomotive.

There was one news station, however, that seemed much less concerned with settling public fears, and much more intent on stirring up trouble.

Dim lighting draped over a pudgy man in a tacky upholstered office chair, as he sat in front of a camera, sipping a glass of wine. Slicked back hair, beady red eyes, and a grin as plastic as his soul, Linden Mouche was perhaps a little too pleased to be bringing the breaking news to the public’s eye.

”Truthseekers of Mistral, welcome back to your one and only source for the good, the light, and the fount of forbidden knowledge that they don’t want you to know. But I do, and I’ll do ya one better- I’ll tell you exactly what they’re hiding, and I’ll tell you why they’re intentionally keeping you in the dark. Wake up sheeple! Your government is feeding you lies from the dirty palms of their silver-spoon-bearing hands!”

“They say an eyewitness aboard the Argus Limited phoned in and reported a terrorist attack on the train today, just twenty minutes ago. And do you know what I have to say to that!? It’s fake news! Fake! Sure, there’s gunmen aboard the train, yeah. But they sure as hell aren’t just any run of the mill terrorists. Folks, I’ve been telling you for years- it’s a Faunus uprising on our hands, and this is the first shot fired. Right now, those damn dirty dogmen and froggy freaks or whatever the hell they are, are taking human hostages. This isn’t simply a train hijacking, my friends, no, this is a declaration of WAR. We need to be up in arms over this! Get angry! I’m mad! I’m pissed off, and you wanna know the icing on the damn cake? Well let me tell ya something, folks.”

“We’re sending a crack team of recent Haven graduates to go stop this thing. You know their track record, right? Yeah, of course you do, if you got any self-preservation instincts at all. Killer pumpkins, Grimmified bioweapons, affiliations with Atlesian paramilitary forces, the works. Hell, their squad’s so-called “captain” was on the ground in Rochdale when all hell broke loose. We want these freaks saving our citizens? Our brothers, mothers, and friends? If you trust any lives with those damn Huntsmen, then you, my friend, are blind. But that’s alright, because I’m here to open your eyes. Huntsmen are frauds and wolves in sheep’s clothing- especially those creepy wolfpeople who need to fuck off right back to Menagerie where they came from. Hell, maybe that Revolutionary League has a point. Even if their leader is one of the very same devious bastards coming to take your jobs, your homes, and your wives. But maybe they got a point. Do we really need Huntsmen? Anyways, on to more important things- the deep state LIES, uncovered, about the subterranean Grimm worshipping cults hidden in your backyard…”

Whatever the case was, one thing was certain- the Argus Limited was in trouble, and the time for action was already there. Even as the squad of Huntsmen, comprised of the Council’s own Zalatyja Kryly elite forces and a handful of able freelancers, made their way through the skies in Mistral’s fastest VTOL, the “Manta” prototype on loan from Argus, the train was showing no signs of slowing down as it passed through the mountains.

The train was fast, but hopefully the airship was faster.

With limited intel on the situation inside the Argus Limited, they were going into a hostile hostage situation blind. All they could do was hope for the best, and do whatever they could do to minimize casualties, and take back the train.

DM Problem #1: Find a Secure Way Onto the Roof of the Train (Obstacle 9)

DM Problem #2: Investigate the Identity of the Hijackers (Social 11) (Info Rewarded Upon Success)

(OOC Info)

SPOILER: Click to show

WC: 853

This event will have a 200% XP modifier for PCs and 150% for DM. I will be starting a new round every 4 days at around 10 PM, EST and the event will last until the 9th of June.

As a faction-specific event, any characters involved in the Revolutionary League faction are not allowed to participate.

Council/Huntsman faction characters, and characters unaffiliated with either of the current major factions are allowed to participate.

This is a DE thread, and although it will have combat scenarios against Grimm and criminals. I highly doubt there will be a high possibility of death unless someone does something incredibly reckless for their skill level. If you are a starter character and charge alone into a swarm of Grimm, I hope someone is close by to help you. Or to pick up the pieces. :Clowning:

For the same reasons, HEROISM is ALLOWED but LIMITED in the number of times you can use it (3 times per character). Unless it is to solve a CRISIS other players got themselves into, in which case you can try Heroism rolls as much as you want but Crisis rules still apply if you miss your roll.
The intent is to make it so people can contribute with low-level problems that won't be immediately nuked with Heroism. You can still do it, but then you may not be able to solve problems with a higher DC if you used all of your +8 rolls to rescue kittens from trees.

The minimum for DC levels is 6. You can create 2 problems per character involved in the event and have a difficulty ceiling of 16 or 10 more than your skill modifier, whichever is more. Even if your character only has a 10% chance of success, you need to pitch problems that they can theoretically do. Two or more posts in a row interacting with no problem and introducing no problem, not counting the last round, will similarly cause you to forfeit all XP/RP.

Everyone MUST interact with a problem, either by attempting, or creating, one within their first post. Failure to do so will also result in forfeiting XP/RP.

Last, but most importantly, have fun, and go get that train. :KishCool:

Outcome Rank	OP needed	Outcome
S	700	Flawless mission. Not only were most of the passengers saved without any severe harm, the cargo was also untouched, and all terrorists involved have been either killed or captured. Linden Mouche is discredited publicly for his naysaying, and the public perception of Huntsmen grows a bit stronger.
A	600	An overall highly successful mission. There were some worrying moments, but solid teamwork and clear focus on the task at hand prevailed- the train is saved, and while some of the terrorists got away, it is unlikely that they will return any time soon.
B	500	Fairly successful mission. There were a few avoidable civilian casualties, and some of the cargo was missing upon arriving in Mistral City, but the important thing is that the bigger threats were dealt with, and the train was still saved.
C	400	A decent success. No real substantial information was gleaned about the terrorists’ motives or personnel, and there were quite a few casualties, as well as some minor damage to the train itself. But overall, the train made it to the station in one piece. Just another day in Mistral...
D	300	Barely able to call this a successful mission. The siege of the train was hasty, leading to a large loss of life, and collateral damage to the train and railway infrastructure has left the Argus Limited out of commission for several weeks, as repairs are required. Useless Huntsmen.
E	200	A national tragedy. More lives were lost than saved, and the valuable cargo was completely stolen in the chaos. The terrorist faction grows bolder, and strikes fear into the people of Mistral, even though most of their number present were defeated. Major damage to the Argus Limited leaves the train out of commission for at least a month or two, hampering trade between Argus and Mistral City. Public perception of Huntsmen drops, due to the shameful inability to protect the people aboard the train.
F	150	Catastrophic failure. Clearly, a number of things had to go terribly wrong here- the few surviving hostages are in bad condition, and the Argus Limited was destroyed in the process. Relations with Argus, and with Mantle, are strained as a new train, and new infrastructure, must be rebuilt from scratch. Terrorist faction gains a massive following, and a startling number of people seem to agree with Linden Mouche’s anti-Huntsman viewpoint… Not a good look for Mistral’s most elite force for justice.

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

Fuck, she could really use a drink. Not that she’d let herself slide down that slippery slope again any time soon. She’d been sober for a lot less time than she told people when they asked, but still long enough that she wasn’t about to flare up an old bad habit again for no good reason. And this wasn’t a good reason. Although it was an especially stress-inducing one. For a multitude of reasons, actually. Reasons she had neither the time, nor patience, to sort out at the moment, because she had a crisis to handle, and a train to reclaim. It was loud aboard the Manta, even before the hangar door swung open as they approached their quarry. To her left were some of her closest and most trusted friends and allies. Her squad, Mistral’s Zalatyja Kryly- at least, the members not deployed elsewhere throughout the kingdom. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to wait for them to arrive to the launch spot, so she just took who she had on hand, and a group of whatever Huntsmen were in the city at the time. Among that group, of course, was her cousin, and his own new team, Team THRN. Unfortunately, Team THCL’s Gris Lowell was one of the many casualties of Alina Rybalka’s terrorist retaliation to her arrest attempt, but the other three team members survived, and miraculously, so did Nik, largely due to his absence during the attack on the Kozaks; he was mountain-climbing above the Cloud District, trying to find a hawk that had pissed him off for whatever reason. Nik’s presence alone was enough to drive someone to drinking, honestly. But she couldn’t be picky with conditions like this. In addition, at least a few other Huntsmen were en route to meet them at the train, either in time for the breaching attempt, or shortly after. Among these were the trio of Argent, Shin, and Jade, the former of whom was to meet her group on the train, while the more experienced Huntsmen scouted further ahead for any signs of ambush. She just counted herself lucky that they were near the area the train was just about to pass through. As the Manta approached, she shouted over the rushing wind to her team. ”Target in sight! Touching down in sixty seconds. Unknown number of hostiles, unknown threat level, and we don’t know the state of the passengers, the crew, or the cargo. We’re running in blind. Proceed with caution; assume they’re expecting us. Our priority is ensuring the safety of the Kingdom, and its people.” Not exactly the peppiest speech, but she wasn’t pulling any punches. It was a nerve-wracking mission, and they really did know nothing about what to expect. Least of all the kind welcome awaiting them, as they finally caught up to the train, as it slowed down automatically to navigate the winding mountainous pass at the halfway mark between the two cities. Kishka’s eyes widened just as she went to instruct everybody on their breach strategy. Great. ”Lancers. Six and eight o’clock. A lot of them.” She tapped at what appeared to be thick cord, ending in a grappling hook, with her umbrella. An umbrella that was distinctly not Lucky 13- her own weapon had been melted to molten slag long ago. This one, in fact, was the much simpler fortified umbrella she’d used in her Sanctum days, grey and well-worn, with no ranged capabilities to speak of. ”I need someone to drop down and hitch us to the train, and someone to cover them; everyone else, we’ve got to take that swarm down. Watch for hostiles on the roof too. Mission starts now.” Taking the initiative of moving first, Kishka climbed out onto the small left wing of the experimental airship, and drew a fistful of lead balls from her blazer pocket; with a wave of her offhand, they flew, one at a time, into the swarm of Grimm, not doing a lot of damage, but chipping away at their numbers. It was frustrating. Her new weapon was still being designed and built. This would have to do for now, however, in the meantime. She stared down at the train. No idea what the terrorists were doing in there… Or what they wanted with the Argus Limited. She knew one thing, though- it was high time to put a stop to it. Problem Introduced: Lancer Swarm Attacks! (Combatants 10)

Aura// 99% | WC// 730 | TWC// 730

✬

[Opal Machias]

There just wasn’t any escaping the craziness that the life of a Huntsmen brings you, is there? Even if you decide to leave it for another career choice it has a special habit of finding you. At least that how I felt in my little hidey-hole at that moment. It had been nothing but a stroke of good luck that I happen to be in the right place at the right time when it all happens. I choose to take the train back to Haven rather than an airship to enjoy the scenic route. I needed the time to relax after all the lectures I had to endure during the conference I had been asked to attend. Seem having to progress so quickly at a young age has caught a few people's eyes.

However, if I had known it would have ended like this, I would have passed it. Okay, that was a lie. While I was not happy with the situation, a hostage situation of all things, I knew I could help. So long as I was smart about it at least. Keep it simple stupid. Those words rolled on repeat in my head as I skulk around peeking out from the trolley cart, I had hidden under in one of the hallways from the bathrooms. Sometimes being so small was a good thing, I begrudgingly told myself.

The hijacker was rounding up the passengers and gathering them in one place from the sound of it. What that place was I had no idea. At least not yet. Sure, I could have jumped out and drawn my sword on the few here at the time, but in the end, what would have done for the situation beyond setting the rest on high alert. Besides there was the chance they could have been stronger, or worst grab someone as a hostage. No, before being heroic and stupid I needed info and figure out where everyone was.

With one more careful peek out to ensure it was clear I quickly went into action. Quickly rolling out onto my feet before hurrying to the door at the end of the hall. Doing my best to stay low as to not be spotted through the window on the doors at either end. Having not heard any footsteps for a while now I only guess it was a matter of time before a patrol came back around to check things. At least that what I would have done in their shoes. Check, check again, and then triple check to make sure all passage was accounted for. The last thing you would want was someone running around acting like some hotshot from a B-rated action movie… or wait.

The novelty wasn’t wasted on me, but I didn’t have time to spare as I reached the door. Peeking through the small window the coat seemed clear, however. Not wanting to stand out in the open for longer than needed I quietly slide the door open just wide enough to fit before slipping in, shutting it behind me. A quick glance around told me I was back by the bathrooms which mean the seating car was just up ahead. For once I was glad my sister talked me into spending more on a private room. Otherwise, I doubt I would have been as lucky to have slipped away.

Forcing back on the mission I began my slow march forward, thankful for the carpeting floor. At the same time wishing for hardwood or something. It wasn’t like the bad guys needed to be quiet now so hearing stomping feet would have been nice, but you take what you can get. Which is how I ended up not hearing anything until the door at the far end started to open. Having only reached the midpoint of the hallway I did the only thing I could while lacking a cloak of invisibility. I ducked into the bathroom. Well, the little cubs that pass for the bathrooms on trains.

Only then did the repercussions of my choice hit me while looking around. I was essentially trapped with nowhere to hide. It only got worst as voices grew louder with muffler footsteps. “Oi! Someone in there?” A voice shouted. Either they must have seen or maybe heard me slip inside in a moment of panic. That or they were smarter than I took them for and noted a closed-door where there shouldn’t have been one. Either way, I was left with very few options to pick from. Attack or run. I couldn’t risk being discovered just yet, so I chose to run.

Opening the window that would have been far too small for most I took a moment to setter myself before doing something that was at least a little crazy. Not that I had the time as the footstep was just outside of the door now. Using every bit of training under my belt I jump holding onto the frame over the window to swing my feet out, using both the momentum of the swing and rushing air to carry me out just before the door slammed open! “I got ya you little… What?” A large man said looking in at the small room. “I told you no one was here! Come let go. And close that window. That probably what you heard.” I second man said while elbowing the other in the ribs.

Sadly, I never heard that my escape plan had worked as believe it or not it hard to hear on top of a train. Carefully I spun my body in the air after my jump, so the wind pulled me closer to the roof rather than being blown off into the rushing tree line. Once a foot touches the metal roof ice quickly coated it in place long enough to get another foot settle. Now that I was in my less than safe, safe spot, I needed to develop some plan. Maybe see if other was loose and could help, or maybe find some way to get the word out of what had happened.

That last thought quickly tossed to the rushing wind as I spotted that both gave me hope and dread at the same time. Looks like help was already on the way, but it seemed the reinforcement needed help from the looks of the Grimm’s buzzing around them. “Of course, nothing is ever easy when it comes to Haven….” I grumble securing my sword cane to my hip before getting to work. I tried my hand to spread my ice out over the train roof to offer a landing spot for the VTOL passages to drop down on, but keeping the ice strong enough to hold up again wind and not big enough to be spotted was proving truly problematic.

Attempting Problem: "Find a secure way onto the roof of the train" (Obstacle 9)

Using: Agi E(1) and Heroism(8)
Result: 8 + 9 = 17 Sucess

Problem Introduced: Help the reinforcement reach the train rooftop safely (Hazard 10)

Word count: 1,136

[Chloro Smoke]

we are the lost
and the silent

   tags: Ruqa Reyes

  WHERE THE SKIES END -- STARSET

 outfit: As described

words: 738

Unfortunately, she missed the allotted time frame. A train between Argus and the capital of Mistral, commonly known as the Argus Limited Run, possibly, was planned to be transporting dust between the two cities. It was the usual time slot that Chloro had planned to climb aboard and make her claim, but somehow, it had left... early. She had been studying this route for weeks, and it never left early. Even before the news reports started flaring up, she knew something was up. Those news reports just reaffirmed her suspicion. Today she was ready to make her claim, and her claim was being held hostage. She wasn't happy with that, and nor with the others be if she can't get just even a small sample of the dust.

During her research, she had found out that there was supposed to be some experimental dust aboard and it was that dust she was after. Whatever this was for, what it did, she knew not. All she knew, was that she wanted it for herself. So when the hostage situation came up, she was both pissed off and thrilled. Hostages were a bigger problem than some dust going missing, and she would be able to make a getaway before they realised which dust was missing. Bringing up the train route on her scroll, she made a few calculations of trajectory from atop her seat on her bike, now sprayed completely black. On her body, she wear nothing but jet black leathers and her helmet was all black outside of the LED's on the visor. After so much tinkering over the year, she can now hook up the helmet and scroll to project messages on it, as well as give herself a nice visual display on the inside. With the hookup to her scroll, she could have all sorts up on her display. Once the path was locked in, she pulled back on the motorbike and took off, activating a new gadget she designed for the bike, invisibility. It didn't stop the noise but it did mean she was unseen, just like she could be normally.

Along with invisibility, she had upgraded the speed of the motorbike and whilst it took a fair bit, she was gaining on the train, as it never left her vision infront once it came into view. Pulling a small wheelie to pick up a burst of speed, she glanced up to an airship as it was heading down, the rear hatch door just opening and revealing a few figures, none she could recognise from here but she could gather who it was. That new elite Huntsman team that the Council had decided on. From her position within the Council, she got only bits and pieces but it was enough to make decent guesses. Right now though, it was time to get on that train.

Nothing too insane was the plan. Ride up along side it, grab some sort of railing and slither through a window or door, before using a tablet to tap into any cameras aboard. As she closed in, the Lancers appeared and began causing a few issues for the airship. It was go time, and pressing a small button on the side of her bike, it began to take a life of its own, maintaining balance and speed. Another little upgrade, as she quickly pushed off and onto some handholds on the train. Once the rider has left the bike, it would reappear and slow down, being left behind and shutting down, displaying a GPS signal directed to Chloro's scroll, for a safe retrieval later. Once on the handholds, she climbed into one of the railcart links and climbed up the ladder that led to the rooftops. Peaking her head over whilst invisible, she saw a familiar boy in Opal, doing his part. It had been a while but now was no time for reunions. Clambering back down, she slipped into one of the carts and into a small bathroom quietly before reappearing and taking her tablet out and initiating the program a friend made for her.

It didn't take long at all, as her access to the trains cameras were granted within the minute, and whilst she was switching through each lens, she heard movements approaching, so she kept quiet immediately. A minute passed, and the movements faded into the distance, allowing her to continue her work. Unfortunately, she wasnt sure which train car was which, as the cameras just had numbers and there was no order in which the numbers came. However though, she now had full control over the security feed of the train, which was a giant boon to her, and less so for the huntsmen preparing to storm the train. Her investigation granted information on the terrorists which she kept in mind, as well as potential locations for her claim.

So far, so good.

♚ Made by SYLVIA of SA and GS ♚

Attempting Investigate the Identity of the Hijackers (Social 11)
Using Engineering C + Heroism
Roll: 9 + 4 + 8 = 21 (Success, no CRISIS)

[Reed Apollo]

Every news station was showing the same thing. The call to all available huntmen had been called in. The Argus Limited had been overtaken by terrorists, and someone needed to do something about it. Reed had seen the news, and dressed in his mission gear rapidly. Solaris Arc strapped to his right arm, his golden and white armored vest donned with his black pants and combat boots. Sure he was just a second year, but in moments of crisis beggars can't be choosers, and he hoped he would be allowed to help. People were in danger. That was all that mattered right now.

He had arrived at the Manta and though he didn't know many of the other huntmen there he immediately spotted Kishka, who also seemed to be in charge of the operation. She was his senior, and he knew quite a but about her, if only from rumors and seeing her around Haven. He had avoided making eye contact. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself and be told he had to stay back from the mission.

As they flew he felt the growing tension spreading through his body. Back stage jitters were what he considered them. It was always like this for him, even back when he performed at the circus. Tension, anxiety, and fear simmering beneath the surface. Those things had a tendency to vanish once the action started and Reed kept his focus on keeping them locked away in the back of his mind.

Kishka gave a brief rundown as the hanger opened, her commanding voice rising above the whirlwind of sound as air blasted into the hanger. Seemed like it wasn't just the crew that had been thrown together rapidly in response to the incident. They had basically no intel, and that meant things would be messy. As if in response to his thoughts she called out an incoming swarm of Lancers and made not of the tether line and hooked they would need secured to the train.

Wheels were turning in Reed's head. His weapon had no ranged form, and against Lancers in the air that was an issue. The order had been for someone to bring the line and anchor them to the train. So if he couldn't offer much support from the oncoming attack, why should the unit waste someone who could doing that. So as Kishka vanished out the door onto the wing Reed moved, even as those around him drew out weapons' and checked their ammunition.

He grabbed the hook the woman had indicated, and a quick glance showed him a button to draw the line in, let it out, and stop. He hit the second, and gave himself suitable slack as he wrapped the heavy cable around his arm, holding the hook and operating mechanism in his left hand. His yo-yo worked off a similar wench system, so at least that was familiar. He then did the only logical thing that came to mind. He leapt out of the massive airship.

Wind whipped around him, almost deafening him as he spread his limbs out to control his descent. The train below seemed to grow in size as he approached, and he noticed a figure standing on the train's roof. A patch of ice spread out before him. He was looking at the ship and Reed didn't get the feeling he was an enemy. He had already had plenty of chances to attack the ship if he had.

Things were going pretty well all things considered, up until Reed heard an inhuman bussing over the sound of the air. He spun and saw a Lancer  blasting towards him, tracking his descent even as the train grew ever closer. Stinger pointed out at the falling man. the insect like Grim seemed to have chosen it's prey.

Reed was able to twist out of the way, but there was a great tug that spun him back around as the Lancer missed him, but sliced through the cable he had trailing him. The portion of cable wrapped around his arm and connected to the hook went limp. Panic flared for a moment, and on instinct Reed twisted his right wrist and deployed Solaris Arc. The yo-yo flew out, and the body deployed small knifelike spikes as Reed whipped it around in the windstorm. The body of the weapon found purchase on the cable that was attempting to fly away and with another tug Reed watched as the yo-yo wrapped around the cable and the spike's dug in, tying them together.

He spun around again, aimed for the strange pad of ice and activated the winch in his weapon. He landed rather heavily onto the ice, the shards crunching under his feet.

"Okay, at least we have a line ran now." He thought, just before he was nearly ripped off the roof of the train.

With his weapon wrapped around the cable connected to the Manta, Reed had formed a line for the huntsmen above to drop down to the train. The downside however was that he was now the anchor, strapped to a moving airship on the roof of a moving train. The tension built in the line and he was whipped around, facing the back of the train. He looked up as the Lancers seemed to be everywhere above. The cable, his yo-yo and the cable that connected his weapon to his gauntlet snapped tightly and Reed's dug in his heels as the ice beneath his feet broke and he began to slide along the length of the train, his bodyweight shifting back to attempt to slow the process.

If the line wasn't secured to the train, Reed would quickly find himself pulled off the back of the train. The crew above would not have a solid way down anymore. Thankfully that wouldn't much matter to Reed, as if he was pulled off the train he would end up giving the nearby mountainside a wonderful face first kiss.

-----

WC:1001/TWC:1001

Attempting Problem: Help the reinforcement reach the train rooftop safely (Hazard 10)
Using: Agi E(1) and Heroism(8)
Result: 2+8=11 (Success, but Crisis)

New Problem (Crisis): Secure line to train (Hazard 10)

[Ruqa Reyes]

The situation was chaotic with so many questions about what was going on. There was no time for briefing when the demand for huntsman was called and they rushed to get into position.

If they didn't get to the bottom of this soon, there was a high likelihood that it would be a genuine disaster, with the lives of the many passengers at stake, but still, despite it all, Ruqa Reyes was smiling. Why should she worry about small stuff like that?

"Welp Miss Burzanova, thanks for the ride. I'll try to leave some leftovers for Golden Wings." Ruqa says, playfully challenging the leader of "Mistral's Most Elite Team of Huntsmen".

She watched the monkey faunus grab the end of the winch capable and leap haphazardly into the blowing winds. She nods, approving of the Haven students initiative. Her smile drops as the lancer swarm takes notice of the rapidly descending man as the insectoid creatures snap the cable into separate pieces.

Reacting quickly, Ruqa jabbed at the line release button, giving the wire a few more metres but deciding that it wasn't fast enough, she grabs onto the tether and pulls it directly out of the cable wheel. With haste, she follows the faunus' lead and jumps down from the aircraft, dragging along more tether with her.

In her decent black hornets swarm around the huntress all the same but she opts to not give them any mind as she drops through the entire swarm, punching the ones that get the closest.

Ruqa hits the roof of the train, pulling along enough cable to make up for the lost section of the tether. Ruqa grabs a section not currently intertwined with yoyo string and with a flash of ice dust, cold welds it onto the roof of the train. She breathes a sigh of relief and turns to the monkey faunus with an annoyed look on her face.

"Maybe we should just attach your little gizmo to the airship instead if a couple of grimm are going to break our main anchor straight away." Ruqa mutters. "But ah good job anyway."

She spares a second to look at the other person on the roof of the train. Considering the faunus and the blue haired cutie weren't at each others throats she appropriately categorized the later as a non-threat.

Not deviating from her target, Ruqa stomps over to a rooftop emergency exit, puts her fingers into the lock and rips it clean off it's hinges. She casually discards the metal hatch over the side of the train where it disappears along with the scenery.

Jumping down into the open entrance, she lands into a passenger car hallway. It is silent, except for the sounds of hiding passengers concerned over that sudden noise, with a few realizing that it was the sounds of huntsman reinforcements arriving and reacting appropriately with joy or disdain.

The sound of boots coming from the other side of the door closest to her made it evident that the terrorists were also aware of this fact and most likely deciding whether to go on the defensive or find some other way to push them back. Making a snap decision, Ruqa deprives them of that choice and throws the next car door open and comes face to face with the criminals.

Wearing a muddy brown leather jacket and tommy gun in hand, a lean man with blood red eyes and raven black hair merely sighs at her appearance and mutters orders at his two partners at either side. "They're early... Just stall them until the mouse arrives."

With a practised synchronicity, the three of them collectively throw three cylinders down the train car which expel a black acrid smoke, obscuring all vision. Ruqa tries to aimlessly charge through the smoke, only to be met with bullets that is blindly fired into the cloud. The terrorists were just as disoriented as the huntress in the room but were willing to put up with it until their eventual backup arrives.

Unable to tell left from right, Ruqa holds her ground, catching any stray bullets from flying past and injuring a hiding passenger. She wasn't going to be able to do this forever so the moment the fog dissipates or the terrorists stop to reload, she would have to make her move.

---

WC: 721

Weapon [D]

Colour Hex: 54e1fb

Attempting Problem: Secure line to the train  (Hazard 10)
Using: Weap D (2) and Heroism(8)
Result:9+10=19 (Success)

Introduced new problem: Clear the smoke hiding the terrorists (Hazard 8)

[Bianca Sabbato]

Fortunately, I had not been on a mission in some lost town in the Mistralian countryside when the alarm went off, and I was summoned to whatever shitshow as this argus limited deal. I was actually in my room doing some studies about aura theory when I got news of the takeover.

No one had any idea of what this happened or what the intentions of the terrorist were. But whatever the case, it was clear we could not just stand with our arms crossed as they did whatever the hell they were planning on doing. The golden wings got in contact with me immediately, and five minutes later, I was already moving.

The new Manta prototype was faster than any regular bullhead, in no small way thanks to Atlas high tech used on its construction, so we didn’t take long to reach the train. Time was of the essence, so I had to resign to prepare on the way to the target.

Tying my hair into a tight braid. I looked below me as the door opened, and we closed in on the train. I wasn’t wearing my typical Huntress outfit, but a black tactical suit more adequate for missions like this one. Likewise, instead of the mass-produced spears of the armory, I carried what was basically a long, featureless spear made entirely out of metal.

It was not Nereida, but it was closer to what I was used to. And hopefully, it wouldn’t snap as fast as wooden polearms.

On my left, I could see team THRN getting ready to fight as well. I was happy to see them off all people. They were nothing exceptional. But at least they weren’t psychos and blood-knights who would throw themselves at the first opportunity of a glorious death that they could find... But then again, they also had Nik now. So who knows how he may have influenced them.

All in all, I didn’t even know why we had to take him along in the first place. He was just bound to do something stupid somewhere down the line. And the team system that Beacon liked to use was bullshit anyway, so I would have liked to kept the others and told Nik to go watch the paint dry or something...

Whatever the case, I trusted Kishka. So if she believed it was good to have him, then I would respect her reasons.

-Yes. Ma'am- I replied to my captain as she gave her final orders before the mission finally started. Giving her a quick nod of encouragement before I prepared to move. Sadly, the Lancer swarm suddenly appearing forced me to shift my attention to them while the rest took care of the finer details.

-Taking the lancers out now...- I called as I grabbed the line and jumped onto the icy roof of the train. Using my semblance on the soles of my feet to create some crampons over them. That would give me some much-needed adherence to the cold ice.

Once I touched down, I had a good view of pretty much all the lancers around us. Helped by the fact that Kishka and the rest were already thinning the swarm, I should be able to make short work of them.

Concentrating on the ground at the sides of the train, I used my semblance to take out a big chunk of rock, about the size of a child, and brought it to me. Taking a deep breath, I broke it down into hundreds of shards no bigger than a pencil.

Once that was done, I began quickly destroying the clusters of Grimm around us. Sending the pieces of shrapnel flying at high speeds towards them and piercing their soft bodies like hot knives through butter. Once most of them were dealt with, I focused on finishing off the stragglers.

That didn’t take long either, regular lancers were pretty squishy, but if you had enough ammo, you could make short work of them. And considering a train was an earth-bound vehicle, I pretty much had unlimited ammo at my disposal if I needed it.

-Lancers eliminated- I called out to Kishka as the Grimm body parts remained over the roof and proximities of the Argus limited train, soon to dissolve into black smoke as usual.

Looking around me, I turned towards someone who had caught my attention some moments prior. Opal, it was a long time since I have seen him, but this was no time for heartfelt reunions. He wasn’t among the forces ensembled for this mission, which meant he must have been a passenger of the train.

A little unlucky for him... But quite lucky for us. I approached him with a small salute. -Opal. I take it you were a passenger. Any quick info you can share with us?- I asked him in passing, whatever useful information the blue-haired boy could report, I would relay to Kishka later.

Once that was done, I knew I saw Ruqa making an opening and entering the wagons already, so I decided to follow her inside to provide support...

Or at least this was my idea until I peeked down the emergency exit and saw a thick, dense cloak of smoke covering the whole wagon.

I felt my heart skipping a beat... I had to jump... There? I really disliked that idea... Smoke that dense was not something I had a good track record with. I felt a cold shudder down my spine, but I tried to not let it show.

Amassing more bodies inside of that smoke was probably a bad idea anyway. I didn’t want Ruqa to accidentally deck me in the face while trying to fight the terrorists. And I knew I was more than likely to do just that to my partner if I decided to go in there.

Tapping the screen of my mission Scroll (Which I had strapped tightly to my forearm). I sent a message informing every huntsman involved about the situation with the smokescreen in the wagon.

After that, I limited myself to securing the landing area for the rest of the operatives to reach down safely until one of us got a plan to deal with the smoke...

---

1039/1039 Words

---

Attempting: Lancer Swarm Attacks! (Combatants 10)
Using: Semblance set at "D" rank. D martial arts, D strength, D weapon, D dust enhancement.
Result: 10 Sucess.

[Jay]

”What was that!?”

The shout was muffled to the ears of Opal, Ruqa, and Reed on the roof, and too drowned out by the noise from the Manta and the Lancers for the others to hear it. Not that they wouldn’t know what was going on very soon- the commotion up on the roof had seemed to alert the hijackers, who were now sending out a handful of their number to deal with the unwelcome intruders.

Between each car, a few armed men and women in mismatched paramilitary gear and ski masks popped out of the woodworks to open suppressive fire on the Manta and the Huntsmen on the roof. None of them were especially good shots, really, but they didn’t need to be, to be a threat, as long as they had numbers and the tactical advantage of defensive cover and multiple angles of fire.

Which also would have been true for the Lancers, aside from the cover…

Except the Grimm hadn’t anticipated such a violent assault by Bianca’s Semblance. The bulk of the swarm was shredded to bits easily enough, freeing up room for the rest of the squad to drop down onto the train- especially now that the terrorists had taken a more cautious stance, to avoid getting the same earthy treatment.

Team THRN was the first, after Ruqa and Bianca, to dismount, as Nik forcefully shoved his teammates over, giving them barely enough time to grab the line. ”Nik… C’mon…” Canary groaned with a yawn as she slid down the tether, joining the others as they charged valiantly past Ruqa and the smokescreen, towards the very back of the train.

”Don’t do anything stupid, мудак! Бескарысны ідыёт…”

”Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

With Nik pushing his team forward (literally, at times), they blitzed right through the guards at the back of the train, disappearing through a hatch on the roof. Sounds of combat could be heard from within, almost immediately. Kishka rolled her eyes.

Inside the train, Chloro would find it easy enough to slip past the roaming patrols of hijackers, and was fortunate that she had missed the higher profile terrorists, who were busy heading certain tasks.

She couldn’t tell what was happening where, of course, but she could see a few screens showing scenes of interest; a stout, fat, guy, spraying some weird thick liquid on a car full of passengers, and the same liquid all over the place, throughout the train. A bunch of weird electronic devices scattered around, and a blonde girl in what appeared to be the control room, taking out the engineer. She had a lot more of the devices on her person, from the looks of it, though with just the camera feed, it would be hard for the faunus to tell what exactly the devices were used for. And finally, in the last room, she’d first spot a few heavy-duty crates and safes, then a tall armor-clad man with long black hair and a massive sword, dueling his way through the train’s remaining security team, and an assortment of crew members. It didn’t seem to be going that well for them, but before she could see much more happening, there was some commotion from up above, as a big chunk of metal flew down from the ceiling, knocking out the camera. Static. Very helpful.

Elsewhere on the train, Ruqa and Bianca were dealing with a smokescreen from one of the terrorists’ patrols. The dark-haired man scowled as he retreated towards cover. The Huntresses could barely hear him muttering into his radio as they unloaded suppressive fire on his position. ”Pozha-”

”Real names!!”

”How much longer?”

”Working on it! Just need a little more time.”

”We don’t have a little more time.”

Over the old Haven Academy chat, which would still be accessible for the recent graduates and current students present, a familiar name popped up, amidst all the other chaos, with a few quick messages- “CARMIM” had sent out a quick emergency alert, directing it to all Huntsmen nearby.

”Hey guys!!! We got trouble! Two huge Beringels are attacking Argus right now!!! Need all the help I can get to fight them, these dudes are super tough! Gotta take them out right now, or the city is totally toast!!”

Things were getting awfully exciting, awfully fast, aboard the Argus Limited.

SPOILER: Click to show

WC: 731 // TWC: 1584

DM Problem #1: Secure Squad Entry to the Train, From Manta (Obstacle 9)
Solved by Opal. 19 OP.
DM Problem #2: Identify the Identity of the Hijackers (Social 11)
Solved by Chloro. 21 OP.
Kishka Problem #1: Lancer Swarm Attacking the Manta (Combatants 10)
Solved by Bianca. 20 OP.
Opal Problem #1: Help the reinforcement reach the train rooftop safely (Hazard 10)
Solved by Reed. 20 OP.
Reed Crisis: Secure line to train (Hazard 10)
Solved by Ruqa.
Ruqa Problem #1: Clear the Smoke Hiding the Terrorists (Hazard 8)
Solved by Kishka. 18 OP.

Total OP: 98


Kishka: 30 RP (Problem Solved by Bianca, Solved Ruqa’s Problem)
Opal: 30 RP (Solved DM Problem #1, Problem Solved by Reed)
Chloro: 20 RP (Solved DM Problem #2)
Reed: 20 RP (Solved Opal’s Problem)
Ruqa: 28 RP (Solved Reed’s Crisis, Problem Solved by Kishka)
Bianca: 20 RP (Solved Kishka’s Problem)

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

She cocked a grin at Ruqa as the four-armed Huntress made her little remark. Even in a situation as dire as this one, Reyes knew how to keep things from getting too grim. ”Miss all the memes from the first time, huh? Heh. Go for it, we’ll be right behind you.” Things were happening fast, but luckily, her team was just as fast. Bianca and Ruqa were dependable, and she’d easily trust either of them with her life. And while Team THRN was a wild card, especially with Nik at the reins, she trusted that they were at least capable enough of handling themselves. She hoped that she wouldn’t regret that decision. The most questionable choice for her squad, in fact, was Reed Apollo. She knew him well enough from their brief overlaps at Sanctum and Haven, and from a chance encounter not too long ago that at least helped her to put a name to his face when he showed up for the mission. He’d tried to stay unnoticed and out of sight, but frankly, that was just not possible when Kishka knew every other member of her team better than him- he stood out like a sore thumb, but she didn’t say anything, because it was true. They did need whatever help they could get. She’d just have to ensure that he stayed out of harm’s way as much as possible. Her heart dropped as Reed’s initial attempt to tether the Manta was met with a very unfortunate Lancer attack. Good initiative, but poor execution- it was clear that he was still too inexperienced at watching his surroundings. That lack of awareness could have killed him. She moved to jump down and grab him, before he slid all the way off the train, but before she could, Ruqa was there to take control of the situation. Kishka smiled. Kid was going to get an ass-chewing later, for being so reckless, but for now, he was in safe hands. Bianca reported in as she started after the Lancers, drawing Kishka’s attention back to the most important matter at hand. Grimm swarm was bad news- made getting onto the train more difficult, and a sufficiently large group of Lancers could damage the train and stir up the passengers, bringing in even more Grimm. She got to work alongside Bianca, shooting down a few of the wasp-like creatures, though it was clear that the lizard girl was far better suited to the task than her. Which was perfectly fine- Kishka had long ago realized that the key to good leadership wasn’t being the best at everything, but knowing who was the best at what, and giving them the support they needed to do their jobs. And Bianca was by far the best offensive powerhouse they had on hand. As soon as the last of the Lancers went down, Kishka waited for the last of her team to exit the Manta, before flashing a thumbs up at the pilot and zip-lining down the tether with her umbrella. She touched ground on the icy patch Opal had made, and quickly wrenched the welded-on end up, allowing the VTOL to fly ahead, unhindered, so that it could be called back if needed. She hoped it wouldn’t be needed. Ideally, their mission was to retake the train, calm the passengers, and come to a stop in Mistral City, train intact and nobody seriously hurt. No airship evacuations needed. But if her previous missions had taught her anything, it was that nothing ever happened according to plan. She approached Opal quickly after landing, offering a curt wave. ”Thanks for the help. If you think you could give us a hand here, we could use it.” She left Bianca to ask Opal about the situation, as the armed gunmen made themselves known. Ruqa was first to leap into action, going after the dark-haired man and his duo of guards as he radioed in a warning to someone else on the train. She grimaced. That just made things significantly more difficult. ”We need to act fast. Let’s move.” Wasting no time, Kishka slid down the railing between cars, and threw herself into the entryway for the car where the smokescreen was set- Car Four, it looked like. Taking the initiative, she quickly observed the damage the bullets were doing to the train’s interior walls, and the exterior of the car behind them. Didn’t seem like they were using dust ammunition, or anything powerful enough to punch through steel for that matter, and they were utilizing suppressive fire, which was pretty poorly concentrated to begin with. Risks calculated in her mind, she moved into the car first, looking to deflect and bodyblock any bullets coming towards her and her crew, banking on her superior reflexes and durability to no-sell the steady spray of gunshots. It was a gamble that paid off- she moved menacingly through the smoke, outright knocking the bullets away with her simple, worn, umbrella, clearing a path forward for the rest of the team, as the goons shooting at them disappeared, racing away as soon as they realized how outmatched they were. Problem Attempted: Clear the Smokescreen (Hazard 8) Skill Used: C Agility Additional Die: C Dura Roll: 9 + 4 = 13 (Success)

Aura// 99% | WC// 866 | TWC// 1596

✬

[Chloro Smoke]

we are the lost
and the silent

   tags: Ruqa Reyes

  WHERE THE SKIES END -- STARSET

 outfit: As described

words: 443/1258

Looking through her new perspective of the train cars, she started taking the notes she needed to. These people definitely had some goal, but there was multiple avenues in which they're creating threats. Especially that huge guy with the sword, Chloro would absolutely be unable to contest him in a fight. She would need to direct the huntsmen's attention to him and then the rest. However, she didn't know what cart it was in. The guy sprayed that weird shit over the civilians was also a big concern. She wasn't familiar with such thick liquids, but at the same time, anything can be flamable nowadays. She did have some sort of heart after all, but she would need to make her play carefully. The blonde on the beginning train car could be easily dealt with by unlinking the railcars from the main engine and she would be set off on her own and an after thought once she had secured the goods.

So conclusions were then drafted up, that the car she was after was towards the centre as that was near where she saw Opal and the Mantra's hook landed. Whoever was part of the team, she knew that Kishka would be bringing the big guns. She could at least expect Ruqa, Bianca and maybe that Argent guy. She hadn't seen him for a while though so that was an unknown factor. Taking out a spare scroll she had robbed off some poor bastard days prior, she created a new alias for it so she could send updates to the huntsmen. Taking a picture of each scene, taking zooms on the specific terrorists in particular being the huge armoured guy with a sword, the blonde with the engineer, the fat guy with the strange liquid sprayer and the devices in question. She wasn't sure what they were for, but since these guys meant bad news, probably bombs. She would absolutely need to get in close proximity to actually deal with it.

Along with the pictures, she prepped a message as well. "Attention Huntsmen, these are the suspected heads of the takeover. Take intense caution. Standby for more updates from the eyes in the sky." She then signed off the message with her new alias - Kassandra Wraith. The name meant nothing to anyone, at least she assumed so. She sent the message off and continued to try and decript the devices in question, trying to take a rough sketch before finishing her thoughts and deciding on trying to find one herself. Slipping out of her small room, she crept along the train cars, towards where she believed the safes and crates to be.

♚ Made by SYLVIA of SA and GS ♚

Introducing a new problem "Identify the function of the devices" (Social 11)

[Ruqa Reyes]

Not knowing enough about what was in front of her, Ruqa was in a tight spot as the gunmen fired from multiple directions without giving her any hints on where she could go next.

Luckily, someone a fair bit quicker on the uptake didn't let such inconveniences stop them.

Ruqa didn't dare look behind her, for all good it would do, but she did see out of the corner of her eye a shape in the fog dash forward in front of her. Thinking to herself, Ruqa weighs the possibility of whether this was an ally running in, or the backup the gunner was expecting. None the less she resists the urge to clothesline the figure and is rewarded as she sees an umbrella peak out of the mist.

Ruqa gives a closed mouth smile and drops her position to follow behind Kishka who leads the way, swiping down the stray shots with her trusty umbrella.

Blind as they were, the bandits could infer that two huntsman were heading right for them and made the only choice they could. They ran like cowards, not that that would save them.

Ruqa bursts out of the smoke cloud and grabs one of them by the shoulder, meets distinct red eyes full of terror and flings the man over to his accomplishes in the hopes of knocking them down like bowling pins. To their credit, the mooks actually turn around and fucking catch him midair and carry him to safety, continuing to run without stopping for a second for pause. They were coordinated, that was for sure...

"What the hell kind of people are these guys?" Ruqa mutters.

Ruqa waves the remaining smoke out of her face, the black fog already dissipating as the gas canisters expel the last of their contents, which would leave it mostly clear for the next group to come in.

"HEY!" a shrill, rage filled voice peaks up.

Ruqa turns to see, well a mouse faunus, likely the so called backup. A blonde woman with round ears filled with piercings, dressed in leather and studs like she just came out of a rock concert. Ruqa has to almost choke back a laugh at the tiny little woman which is quickly noticed by the latter whose face pinches up even further.

"Listen, this doesn't have to be a thing. Just put the axe down and we'll make the rest of your captivity comfortable for you. Maybe even give you a wheel to run around in," Ruqa says with a smug look on her face, already marching forward being fairly certain of what response she was inviting.

The mouse faunus grits her teeth and points the business end towards the huntresses."You god damn ugly skanks!! How dare you hurt my bois!!!" the mouse faunus rages.

Even Ruqa is taken aback at the kind of volume this woman was putting out. Sheesh what a pair of lungs on this girl. Seems like there was some genuine loyalty among the thieves, not that Ruqa could appreciate it any. To Ruqa, they were all equally deserving of punishment.

"You think I'm gonna let that slide huuuuuuhhhh?!?! You've got something else coming sister!"

"By all means, come and try." Ruqa says, activating kinetic helix which shields her arms in a neon blue. "I'm gonna enjoy cracking your skull."

"You vile piece of shit! I'm gonna make you suffer!" the mouse screams and charges in swinging.

Ruqa catches the first axe blow with one hand, and serves a punch square in the nose, sending the smaller one flying into the other end of the train car. Ruqa doesn't let up, running forward to grab her enemy and bouncing the mouse faunus off a passenger compartment door which bends inward slightly.

The mouse faunus slides to the ground, obviously pained, but looks up snarling and suddenly isn't there anymore.

Ruqa blinks.

A flash of pink flower petals.

And suddenly that axe is right in front of her face, attached to a wide eyed mouse eager to spill her brains out.

In the milliseconds that it happens, Ruqa isn't able to raise a hand in time to block the strike, which sails through. The axe meet's Ruqa's neck, threatening to separate head from shoulders, but Ruqa's aura holds whereas the axe head does not. The steel axe shatters against Ruqa's iron skin, and chunks of broken metal scatter the floor.

Ruqa slams into the wall of the train, clutching at her neck, thankfully her aura saving her from getting her throat slashed. She still gasps for breath as she tries to recover from that trauma.

Realizing her weapon was broken, the mouse faunus backflips away to the other side of the car and examines her axe with a forlorn look.

"...shit not again..." Miette mutters, looking at the leftover handle of her weapon. She still raises it over her head, still confident in using what amounted to a stick as a weapon. She didn't need a blade to knock these bitches down a peg. "Alright who is next?!?!" she laughs, eager to get some payback and then some more.

---

WC: 852

Total Word Count: 1573

Weapon [D]
Ruqa's Colour Hex: 54e1fb

Miette's Colour Hex: FFBCD9

Introducing and Attempting Problem:

Deal with the Bad-Mouthed Mouse!!! (Combatants 12)
Using: Weap D (+2)
Result: 3+2=5 (Fail)

Attachments:

[Opal Machias]

Things were never easy with Haven… This was proven to me once again as I stood watching the airship from below. A swarm of Grimm’s, Lancers from the looks of it, was already chasing them and they haven’t even reached the train yet. Not I blame them for that part since a train full of scared passengers was boned to attract its share of Grimm’s. Still, when I made the platform, I didn’t expect people to jump out of a perfectly good airship. Okay, I did, but that was just how Huntsmen were. I just didn’t expect it to be some student leading the charge with some weird Yo-yo thing. Quite sure he was a student anyway. Fairly sure I have seen him around the Academy in the past… Maybe.

Maybe leading the charge wasn’t the right choice of words here. More like falling with style, maybe? I watch the kid spin through the Grimm’s just nearly making his landing while connecting his odd weapon with the cable. He was soon followed by another, a woman this time, dropping down helping him with the line before I could. Not a word left my mouth before the girl hurried and ripped the emergency exit up and tossed it to the side. The whole thing made me winced a bit watching stealth go falling away with the metal roofing. Then again if an airship and a swarm of Grimm’s haven’t alarmed everyone that something was happening, then I really had wasted all that time sneaking.

Thankfully, a familiar face soon appeared as Bianca landed after skillfully taking out the Lancer. She has gotten stronger again, I noted watching the fading body apart of the Grimm. I couldn’t help but smirk at my friend as she approached with a small salute. “Oh, you know me. Danger follows me like some lovesick stalker.” Shrugging my shoulders as I sigh before getting serious with her. “Sadly, I bet you lot know more than I do. So far, there haven’t been any demands or at least nothing I have heard. They are not gunning people down so that’s a plus, but this isn’t a robbery. Or if it is it’s a bad one. They have been here way too long for that.” I told her trying to remember anything that could be useful.

Sadly, I was lacking in that department now having to focus more on trying to get somewhere I could call for help. In the end, it looked like someone beat me to it and my time would have been better spent gathering info. Oh well, what was done was done. No point worrying about it now I mused pulling my cane out of its holder on my belt. There was work to be done and if the past year had taught me anything it was these guys were going to need a medic at some point. A moment later, I was relieved a bit watching a huntsmen team land and ran off followed shortly by Kishka.

It had been a while since I had seen her, but it honestly made me feel better knowing we had some heavy hitters among us now. Giving her a crip nod I had no reason not to help, simply happy I wasn’t going to have to do this alone as I hurry to follow. I felt the buzzing of my scroll in my pocket cursing the timing of whoever it was, but before I could even check I heard the shouting from below. Although muffled by the wind around us. It seemed someone was putting up more than just a token fight below. Hell, from the looks of it they were winning. Or at gotten in a surprisingly good cheap shot it on the girl I didn’t know.

Frowning I quickly spotted Ruqa down and choking? Okay, that wasn’t a good sign! So, without waiting I quickly dropped in causing the mouse to swing her stick in a threatening manner. It did look like an awfully hard stick to be fair. “Ohh ho ho! A new challenger has appeared!” However, for the moment I just ignore her giving my attention to the down Ruqa while holding up a finger for her to wait. This only angers the mousey girl more, as I hoped it would, short people tend to get upset when you ignore them. I would know. While I didn’t have the time to really check it was clearly no blood and despite the gasping Ruqa was breathing. “Going to be one nasty bruise, but you’re live.” I said while side-eyeing the mouse. Only a fool takes their eyes off an enemy during a fight.

“Speaking of nasty bruises how about you reconsidered her offer? As rude as it might have been its honesty a good deal. I really would hate to have to mark that pretty face.” I said giving her my best Bianca smile and charm. Of course, it didn’t work. That would never be my luck as the girl stared before laughing pointing the ax handle at me. “Oh, I’m going to have fun breaking you lover boy!” Said with a growl before rushing me! Wow… she actually knew I was a guy? I couldn’t help but muse as I knocked away her downward swing with my cane. Why was it only the bad guys who figure that out without me tell them?

Then again now wasn’t the time for ecstatic crises as I danced around her swings, blocking and countering when I could. She wasn’t bad and with a real weapon, she might have even been a threat but thankfully Ruqa fix that problem. It was only that pink light from before that I was really worried about, but I couldn’t really let this fight drag out. So, I did what I had to and rushed her hard forcing her back against the wall. It was then with a baited heavy thrust I saw the grin followed by the flash of pink!

One moment she was right in front of me and then she wasn’t! Like with Ruqa she now appears to my side with another deadly swing. This time it connected with the side of my head filling the room with a loud hollowing knocking sound. However, the mouse's wild-eyed grin quickly went from confusion to horror as the ice head she just creaked open shattered on the ground. “What the fuck!?!?” Now it was my turn to have a grin of my own I quickly drew my sword out across her chest before following with a hard blow right to her ribs with the metal body of my cane sword. A second later an aura broken mouse was slammed against the wall across from Ruqa with a sword to her neck.

“I think that’s enough out of you. Now be a good girl and tell me what your guy’s plan are…” I demanded with a few heavy breaths. Maybe I was a bit out of practice for the past few months. Still, it looked like my luck was turning a bit as I press the blade a little harder before shouting over my shoulder. “Got a live one here, Kishka!” If looks could kill, then the mouse would have killed me ten times over in that moment which honestly made me a bit wary. Not that I would let it show.

Word count: 1,231/ 2,367

Attempting Problem:
Deal with the Bad-Mouthed Mouse!!! (Combatants 12)
Using: Swordsmanship E(+1) + Heroism
Result: 7+9=16 Pass

Introducing Problem: Info on the Go! (Try to get any info from the little mouse) (Social 11)

[Reed Apollo]

Reed felt the tension in the line dragging him lessen by a degree and looked up to see the form of a woman plummeting out of the Manta. While he had stupidly gotten slammed by a Lancer, this huntress seemed to fly through the air with the agility of a bird. In her hand she held a length of the wire, slack trailing behind her. The insect Grimm swarm her, but she blasts through them with all the thought of a car splattering insects on the windshield. She lands, and in a flash he sees the loose line had been flash frozen to the roof of the train.

"Badass." Reed said, more to himself than anyone.

She looked annoyed and called out to Reed, her words bringing a small smile to the monkey Faunus.


"Ill be sure to leave a note in the comments section when we get back. Thanks for the save." He replied.


He twisted his wrist and Solaris Arc unwound itself from the line connecting the Manta to the train. Huntmen began to descend at a rapid pace and with a grumbling crack he saw rocks explode upward and attack the Lancer's. He looked behind him and saw another huntress seemingly concentrating for a moment. Another impressive display that only seemed to further make his initial attempt look worse.


 Brief exchanges and everyone was in movement. Everyone except Reed. For the briefest of moments he stood frozen. It wasn't fear that gripped him, it was uncertainty. Even as gunfire rang out from the terrorists on the train, his feet remained rooted to the spot. Everything was happening so fast, people whose names he didn't even know were moving about like a well oiled machine. There was only one part of that machine that seemed to be broken, him. He realized how out of his depth he was.

"What am I doing here? I can't do this." He thought to himself.

Those words triggered the stern face of his mentor Roland in his mind. Many years ago when they had first began his training Reed has said the same thing. They had been working on activating his aura, the caravan sitting comfortably nearby.

"I can't do this." Reed had said.

Roland had given him an annoyed look.

"It's not about you kid. It's about them." He said pointing at the caravan.

"When people are in need, you do what you have to. Failure isn't an option, even if the cost is your life. The moment between life and death, success and failure, that's the moment a huntsman shows his worth."

So Reed stood on the roof of the train and shook his head.

"Get your head in the game Reed." He said to himself.

And he moved.

He reached the rest of the group just as one of the huntman seemed to have taken a prisoner. The young man, slight in statue had his blade to the neck of a mouse Faunus. He was questioning the woman, and he called out to Kishka about having a live one. Reed locked eyes with the little mouse woman, and saw the stubborn hatred on her face. They needed her to talk.

And that thought brought a coy little smile to Reed's face. He might not be the best at being a huntman, but if there was one thing he could do, it was put on a show.

"Hold on there." He said, striding forward.

He tilted his head towards Kishka, giving her a small wink as he strode over to the man and the Faunus. He knelt down, reaching eye level with the small woman.

"Well isn't this a predicament." He said casually.

He looked up at the man with the sword.

"See, this is my friend Butcher." He said nodding at the man. He didn't know his name, but presumably neither did the captive.

He's well," He said letting out a huff for effect," He's quite the bloodthirsty guy. I once saw him kill ten men just to do it. When he was done, I could only piece back together eight of them to even identify them. I'd hate for something to happen to you, Faunus to Faunus. So maybe you should talk."


"Fuck off, you won't scare me!" The mouse shouted, her voice high and angry.

Reed's eyes narrowed. 
 
"I dont need to. You are already screwed no matter what." He said calmly.

"My friends are going to murder you." She spat back.

"I'd be more concerned about them killing you really, once I rush into the next room and let them know you told us everything." He said.

"I haven't told you anything." She shot back.

"You know that." Reed said, pointing at the girl, "And I know that" He said pointing at himself.

"But they don't. All I gotta do is tie you up, rush in and say something vague like, 'She said it would be just up ahead', or 'Don't forget about the trap Mouse mentioned.' Honestly the less detail i give the better, so long as I make it clear you sang like a bird."

Her face seemed to grow a shade or two paler.

"They know I'd never cave." She said, quiter this time.

"Trusting bunch terrorists?" He asked, "See alternatively, you tell us the plan. I throw you into the next car where your boys are like we just finished kicking your ass, and no ones the wiser."

 Bingo. He could see the wheels turning in her head.

"So, you want Butcher here to handle this? Want me to handle this? Or maybe you give us some info and everyone wins?"

The Mouse Faunus dropped her head, whether in resignation or shame Reed didn't know.

"FIne. Here's the deal..." She began

----

Word count: 959/1960


Attempting Problem:

Deal with Info on the Go! (Try to get any info from the little mouse) (Social 11)

Using: Social F(+0) + Heroism

Result: 9+8=17 Pass

[Bianca Sabbato]

Clicking my tongue at Opal’s depiction of the situation, I frowned as I realized this was likely to be way more complicated than what I assumed. I really had no idea of what the hell the terrorists were planning if they were neither making demands nor stealing things from the passengers.

-Guess we’ll find out. Good to have you here-

As I finished speaking with Opal. I noticed how Kishka had already dispelled the smokescreen. Which meant I could go down without butting faces with everyone else. But as I was about to do that, a strange character decided to appear out of nowhere.

It was a blonde mouse faunus with a really annoying voice to make the stereotype worse. She was really small, even smaller than me. But the way she broke her ax on Ruqa’s neck was a good indication that her appearance was misleading.

I was about to go down and help when Opal beat me to the punch. He seemed like he knew what to do. So I didn’t interfere for the moment. Only when the woman was subdued, I made my way down and checked the surroundings of the wagon.

Soon enough, Apollo made it as well and started questioning the mouse-lady.

Whatever the case as Opal... I mean, as Butcher and Apollo were busy dealing with the mouse girl. I took notice of an alarm going on in my scroll. That was strange since I doubter someone would be posting memes at a time like this.

As the others seemed to have the situation under control. I decided to take a look at the screen and see what the hell did they wanted. Since it was likely something related to the mission. And my eyes went wide when I saw the message waiting for me in my scroll. In the Haven Academy chatroom nonetheless.

Beringels? All the way back in Argus? The opposite direction the train was going? That was likely the worst possible scenario ever! It was a stroke of luck that Carmim managed to inform us of this where all media outlets and our official comms failed...

It was a disaster! I couldn’t believe this! It couldn’t be! Did...Did...

Did they actually believe such a cheap-ass trick would work? That I would fall for something like this after a full year of doing those escort missions? Of taking every minute detail into consideration. Training so I would always be focused and looking for subtle signs of trouble, for almost invisible indicators that something was wrong... But this was none of that. This was blatant as fuck.

For starters, I would notice if one of my schoolmates suddenly changed her internet name to be in all-caps. Second, Carmim didn’t start her sentences with a lower case. Those were the first things that jumped to my mind as soon as I read the message. It simply didn’t feel like something Carmim would write.

So I decided to put a small question for this so-called “CARMIM” to answer. It was less than what I should have asked for, but if she could remember that incident or even who we were with. I would let it slide.

The first red flag was when she didn’t immediately shut up and accepted my demand. I seriously doubted any professional huntress like Carmim would go beating around the bush in this situation. She would have likely trusted that I had a damn good reason to ask for that. Security protocols existed for a reason, after all.

This Carmim also conveniently was in Argus but hadn’t managed to get herself a manta to get her to the train. And she kept urging us to turn tail and leave the train pretty much at the same time we arrived. Not to mention threatening us with pretty much the scariest Grimm they taught us about.

Her seemingly forgetting the time Holly told her she didn’t consider her a friend also helped my case. Especially now that Holly was dead and interactions with her would not be forgotten easily. Besides, Carmin, the djembe girl, not remembering that she went there because she wanted to join a music club? Yeah... Right.

I would take the message seriously if we get any other media coverage or a notice from the higher-ups. Maybe even if CARMIM provided photographic evidence since I assumed she was messaging from her scroll. Until then. I wasn’t buying it.

Whatever the case. Back to the train. Apollo seemed to be doing a damn good job at intimidating cute mouse chick. It seemed like being part of a circus troupe taught him plenty of practical acting skills like that.

I was about to go and push further into the train when a rumble outside caught my attention. As the train took a curve, I peeked outside the window and saw a man in a winter coat. He apparently managed to get into the roof while we were all down here. And was now tinkering with the source of the noise I heard a second earlier.

One of the defense towers of the Argus limited. He appeared to be tinkering with it, a few sparks flying here and there as he rearranged wires and bolts. Every now and then, he would cast a look towards the Manta flying above us.

I called attention to it, so sooner rather than later, the rest of the huntsmen would see it as well. Reaching him would mean going back outside and running through the roofs to stop him. But it was probably a good idea to start thinking about doing it before he managed to turn that turret against us.

Worst case scenario, if they managed to control all of the towers and got inside the city, things could turn really nasty really fast.

---

968 / 2007 Words. 

---

Introducing new problem: Prevent the gunman from using the turret! (Obstacle 10)

[Jay]

“Kassandra Wraith” would head out of the train bathroom with plenty of new intel to work with. Even kind enough to share some of it with our plucky heroes! Unfortunately, moving forward meant moving towards the center of the train, where the Huntsmen were gathered, and where Miette and her boys were waging an attack on Mistral’s special forces.

A dangerous situation, for sure.

Worse, up ahead she would be able to see the liquid-spraying man causing massive amounts of havoc in the train car ahead, while the car beyond that one contained the blonde who… Smiled and waved up at the camera?

That couldn’t be good.

Ding.

lol hey qt, like what you see?? <3

Guess Chloro wasn't the only hacker aboard the Argus Limited...

----------

Well-trained as they appeared to be, it was still quite apparent that the gunmen were a little more out of their league than they were expecting. The situation in Mistral had, after all, been a pretty luxurious one for criminals for a while now- but now there were fully trained Huntsmen back on the prowl, and these guys were caught off-guard when one waltzed through their smokescreen and suppressive fire without taking a single bullet.

And further shocked to see a four-armed woman throw their leader around like a ragdoll.

Luckily, their reinforcements were on the way. Miette, or “Mouse,” was a fierce former bandit leader, and a tough warrior, considering her size and… well, her being one of them. And even more fortunately for the terrorist cell she’d been recruited into, she bore little love for her fellow Faunus.

And elsewhere on the train, the most elite of their numbers present were preparing themselves for the oncoming threat.

Miette sadly, however, was no more a match for the combined strength of the Huntsmen than her goons were. Ruqa wore her down a bit and broke her weapon, and Opal was right behind her to deliver a devastating blow to the neck. Taken down and pinned at sword-point, she grit her teeth at her captor.

”You dumb bitch!! I’ll never talk!!”

Reed had other plans, however.

After a well-acted intimidation scene, he had the little mouse girl squirming. Fine. Here’s the deal…”

The thought flickered through her mind to just tell a bunch of lies and run away while they were distracted. But, for as loyal as she was to her bosses, she did in fact like remaining alive, and she was more loyal to her boys, who would not be treated so kindly if she weren’t cooperative.

”I give you the scoop on the train, you and your dumb airship thing get me and my boys a flight out of here before we all get killed. Deal? Aw man, I really didn’t want to have to rat on the crew like this. This sucks… Whatever. Jet’s in the back, rigging up the cargo for our getaway, and fucking up the train security. Clover’s somewhere around here, tying down the hostages, and Nastya’s up ahead, controlling the train. And we’re trying to hit Mistral really hard, because well, fuck the city, y’know? That’s all I know, they didn’t tell me nothing else! Happy? Now get me and my boys out of here!” She huffed, face turning a bright shade of red. It was easily verifiable that her information was good, too, considering the messages from a mysterious Kassandra Wraith, with images that confirmed her descriptions, bringing the full picture to better light.

Hopefully the others could handle these clowns… She was strong, but they were stronger. She hoped.

Suddenly, a spurt of some bizarre liquid shot through the open door that Miette had come through- it was a translucent white, and splattered against the wall, narrowly missing “Butcher’s” head in the process. A mad cackling came from the next car up, as sounds of fighting increased two cars back. And up above, the sounds of footsteps on the roof only confirmed Bianca’s warning...

Things were getting pretty messy. Literally.

DM Problem #3: Reach the Train’s Cargo (Obstacle 11) - Info Given Upon Success
DM Problem #4: Get Past the Mysterious Liquid (Hazard 12) - Info Given Upon Success

OOC:

SPOILER: Click to show

WC: 701 // TWC: 2285

DM Problem #1: Secure Squad Entry to the Train, From Manta (Obstacle 9)
Solved by Opal. 19 OP.
DM Problem #2: Identify the Identity of the Hijackers (Social 11)
Solved by Chloro. 21 OP.
Kishka Problem #1: Lancer Swarm Attacking the Manta (Combatants 10)
Solved by Bianca. 20 OP.
Opal Problem #1: Help the reinforcement reach the train rooftop safely (Hazard 10)
Solved by Reed. 20 OP.
Reed Crisis: Secure line to train (Hazard 10)
Solved by Ruqa.
Ruqa Problem #1: Clear the Smoke Hiding the Terrorists (Hazard 8)
Solved by Kishka. 18 OP.
Chloro Problem #1: Identify the Function of the Devices (Social 11)

Ruqa Problem #2: Deal with the Bad-Mouthed Mouse!
Attempted by Ruqa. Solved by Opal. 27 OP.
Opal Problem #2: Info on the Go! (Social 11)
Solved by Reed. 21 OP.
Bianca Problem #1: Stop the Gunman from Using the Turret. (Obstacle 10)

DM Problem #3: Reach the Train’s Cargo (Obstacle 11) - Info Given Upon Success

DM Problem #4: Get Past the Mysterious Liquid (Hazard 12) - Info Given Upon Success


Total OP: 146



Kishka: 30 RP (Problem Solved by Bianca, Solved Ruqa’s Problem)
Opal: 61 RP (Solved DM Problem #1, Problem Solved by Reed, Solved Ruqa’s Problem, Problem Solved by Reed.)
Chloro: 20 RP (Solved DM Problem #2)
Reed: 40 RP (Solved Opal’s Problem, Solved Opal’s Problem.)
Ruqa: 28 RP (Solved Reed’s Crisis, Problem Solved by Kishka)
Bianca: 20 RP (Solved Kishka’s Problem)