Cum Aperit Pandemonium {DEAD}

[North Arkana]

Abigail shrugged. "I don't need any more R&R right now. I'm ready to go. You, ma'am?" gesturing towards Adelina. "If two or three people stood vigilant, perhaps the rest of the gang could have an easier walk."

Adelina shook her head. "No, moving on right now wouldn't be a good idea. Everything about this dio abbandonato foresta screams ambush to me. Even a winter forest still shows more signs of life than what this place has shown. The piccoli animali only fall silent when there's something around that can hunt them, kill them."

Her grip on her rifle tightens for a moment, before she shoves the tin of fish back into one of her pockets.

"Santa Madre... we're probably being hunted."

Of course, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut after Phil spoke, and turned to him, his eyes filled with disdain. "Really?" he said curtly, sounding almost entirely contemptuous. "First of all, how exactly would that help? Even if your assumption is right--which it might not be--even if we keep moving, anything that may or may not be targeting us can just follow. And it might very well be faster than we are. There's also the possibility that maybe whatever it is--if it even exists--might be more attracted to moving targets. Or haven't you ever heard of an ambush predator? If you're actually from the past, that's the sort of thing you should know, isn't it? Most of the animals on Earth are extinct nowadays, and even I know that. Then again, you don't seem to know much of anything. You think walking through deep snow is quiet? You think it's easy to move through? If we moved on and something came at us, it'd be practically impossible to get away from it. Plus, in case you hadn't realized, trees make good cover, whereas being here at least lets us see what might be coming. And if we're going to get ambushed, it's better to not be tired out, so we'd at least have a somewhat higher chance of survival. Sure, staying here isn't the greatest idea ever either, but in this situation, what is? But sure, mhm, let's just wander off into an alien forest, filled with deep snow, making our movements louder and harder to pull off. What could possibly go wrong? You think you know so much because, what, you've written a few books? That's pathetic. You wouldn't last five minutes here on your own, that's obvious enough. I hope you don't have anyone back home who's going to miss you too much, because even if there is a way for you to get back, the chances of an idiot like you surviving long enough to find it?"

He paused, and smiled humorlessly--and then spat out a string of invective in a language that clearly wasn't English, pausing only to viciously bite into the chocolate he held in a way that suggested he might have wanted to be able to do it to Phil's head.

"From now on, how about you keep any other brilliant ideas to yourself?" he finally suggested, now back to English and smiling once again. "Let the people with actual experience do the talking, and keep your little fantasy world exactly where it belongs--away from reality. Sound good?"

"Calmati, as much as I agree with you about l'idiota, our ears are as important as our eyes, especially if we're being hunted, capisci?"

[Zjaum]

Phil sighed and resumed his hushed voice. "Okay, well, then, if we're being hunted, and apparently flight is not an option, then maybe we should hunker down, you know- not behave like a bunch of morons standing around in the middle of the woods- which, well, we are. Fortifications, foxholes, a ledge, something where we have some advantage. My gosh, I recognize you all think I'm insane, am perhaps I am, but you can't possibly believe that doing nothing is a good idea? Hell, I might actually, surprisingly do better on my own. Not that I will, but still..."

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Speaking With Aurek
Commander Kato Galen

---

"Oh just perfect..." Kato muttered to himself before he sighed. After sighing he looked at the three of them and spoke, "First, while being prepared for the worse is a good idea, jumping to conclusions is never a good idea. And in cases like this, assuming the worse just leads to fear, which leads to people not thinking straight. Second, it doesn't matter if staying here or continuing through the forest is a bad idea. We need to meet up with the rest of the Dragontooth Company, so we will have to continue through the forest. And third... did you just call me a moron?"

With the final questions he looked directly at Phil, "We are on a planet that we know nothing about, in an enviroment where while its not cold enough to sustain snow, snow remains. An enviroment that seemingly defies all convential logic. As such how about we rush on through it? That sounds like a brilliant idea now does it? Rhetorical questions. We didn't stop in this clearing so we could sit with our thumbs up our ass, excuse my language. We stop for the sole purpose of a short rest so if something does decide to ambush us or chase us through that forest, we'd have the energy to fight and or flee. Thus increasing chances of survival. Also, did I not say to keep your eyes and ears open? With snow as deep as it is nothing will be able to sneak up on us effectively. And it is also deep enough that it will slow down anything that could charge through the forest at us. And take a look around, there are a few large rocks, and fallen trees here to provide cover if need be. We are resting here because it is fair more advantagous to us than if we didn't."

He paused and took a breath, "So, if you think you have a better chance by yourself, then I have no power to stop you. After all, you are not a member of the Dragontooth Company, and despite the fact I don't want to see innocents die, if you refuse the protection that comes with us than so be it...."

It was then that he was interupted by a certain someone in the group screaming...

---

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Hearing Things
Alastor Brone

---

He continued staring into the forest, as if he saw something or heard something. But he didn't. He didn't see anything or hear anything. But still, something told him to look in that direction. He felt as if something was out there. As he looked out, it was as if the world around him ceased to exist. His focus was completely on the forest. There was no sound, even the sound of others speaking around him. Just silence and the forest.

And then he heard it. Gunfire, explosions, screaming, crying, he heard it all. Fire blazing, people being ripped limb by limb, he heard it all. The sounds of battle, no, the sounds of slaughter rang out in his ears. It was horrible, instinctually he covered his ears, but he could still hear it. Through it all, he heard two different voices, speaking over each other. What they said, he could not tell. But they spoke as the sounds of slaughter continued. Knowing that he covered his ears, but he still heard it, and it frightened him. So, he began to panic, curled up and screamed as tears fell from his face.

"NO, NO, NO!" He screamed over and over, "MAKE IT STOP!"

[Charlia]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Speaking With Aurek
Commander Kato Galen

---

"Oh just perfect..." Kato muttered to himself before he sighed. After sighing he looked at the three of them and spoke, "First, while being prepared for the worse is a good idea, jumping to conclusions is never a good idea. And in cases like this, assuming the worse just leads to fear, which leads to people not thinking straight. Second, it doesn't matter if staying here or continuing through the forest is a bad idea. We need to meet up with the rest of the Dragontooth Company, so we will have to continue through the forest. And third... did you just call me a moron?"

With the final questions he looked directly at Phil, "We are on a planet that we know nothing about, in an enviroment where while its not cold enough to sustain snow, snow remains. An enviroment that seemingly defies all convential logic. As such how about we rush on through it? That sounds like a brilliant idea now does it? Rhetorical questions. We didn't stop in this clearing so we could sit with our thumbs up our ass, excuse my language. We stop for the sole purpose of a short rest so if something does decide to ambush us or chase us through that forest, we'd have the energy to fight and or flee. Thus increasing chances of survival. Also, did I not say to keep your eyes and ears open? With snow as deep as it is nothing will be able to sneak up on us effectively. And it is also deep enough that it will slow down anything that could charge through the forest at us. And take a look around, there are a few large rocks, and fallen trees here to provide cover if need be. We are resting here because it is fair more advantagous to us than if we didn't."

He paused and took a breath, "So, if you think you have a better chance by yourself, then I have no power to stop you. After all, you are not a member of the Dragontooth Company, and despite the fact I don't want to see innocents die, if you refuse the protection that comes with us than so be it...."

It was then that he was interupted by a certain someone in the group screaming...

Hearing Kato agreeing with his criticism definitely helped Aurek calm down a little bit--at least he wasn't the only one who could realize how stupid this person was. Oh, feel free to go off by yourself, he wanted to say, and almost did--but then one of the new people started screaming.

Almost immediately one of his hands went to the silver cross hanging around his neck, and he gripped it tightly, breathing in deeply as he took in the scene. The other person--whoever he was--was curled up in terror, crying, screaming, and covering his ears--

He could remember doing something like that himself, once, and had to close his eyes and ground himself. Now wasn't the time to think about that, wasn't the time to remember huddling in the darkness, covering his ears to try and block out the awful sounds--trying to muffle his own sobs as blood began to seep under the door--

He moved over to the edge of the clearing, scooping up a handful of snow and walking back over to where the panicking one was. That redhead from before was trying to help him out, and he gave her the snow, allowing her to keep dealing with the situation and returning to where he'd been before. Best not to get too involved, since he hadn't fully gotten past all of that himself...

---

When Alastor started screaming, Charlotte stiffened momentarily, but soon enough was calm enough to attempt to help.

"Alastor," she said, keeping her voice calm but firm, trying to make certain he could hear her over his own screams without sounding like a threat. "Alastor, I don't know what you're seeing, but it isn't real, all right? You're safe." As safe as you can be. That man from earlier, the one with the gun, walked over quickly, and she looked up warily--but he only gave her a handful of snow before retreating. It didn't make sense at first, but it clicked only a few moments later--the cold, wet sensation of the snow would help ground Alastor in the present. "Hold on to this, all right?" she asked. "And try to stay calm. Whatever it is you're seeing or hearing isn't real. Try to remember that. It's only in your mind, so you're not in any real danger. Just breathe deeply and try to stay calm, okay?"

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Life Comes
Commander Kato Galen and Alastor Brone

---

There was no grounding for Alastor, all he heard was the sounds of the slaughter, until they stopped as suddenly as they began. After they stopped, Alastor fell unconscious, but only for a moment before his eyes shot open again, and he tried to catch his breath. He looked around quickly and then back to the forest. At this point Kato had arrived and was crouching down near Alastor.

"People." Alastor said, and pointed into the forest, "There are people coming this way... armed people..."

"How do you know that?" Kato asked as Alastor looked at him.

"I.... I don't know...." Alastor said and looked to the ground, "I think... I think they told me..."

"Strange..." Kato said and stood up. He then looked at everyone, "Everyone find cover, all weapons point towards the forest..."

"No...." Alastor spoke again, "Armed people are coming... with injured... Attacked and forced to flee..."

[Tracian Empire]

As Alastor suddenly started to scream.. Arno did nothing. What could he even do, anyway? He had no idea how to deal with people who had panic attacks, and the red haired girl - Charlotte was her name - seemed to be much better at it. So he just.. stood there, in silence.. feeling bad about his inability to do anything. And then.. the black haired boy suddenly came back to his senses, his screams finally coming to an end as the leader of that weird group - Kato, was crouching down next to him. Alastor suddenly said that people were coming.. and that those people had told him that..which would have certainly made anyone question the boy's sanity. But surprisingly enough, Kato seemed to trust him - telling them to get ready, to find cover, to prepare their weapons.. only for Alastor to claim that those people had been attacked and forced to flee..

This was just so confusing.

"....Wasn't this planet supposed to be abandoned anyway?", the ashen eyed boy asked, hesitatingly. "So are these people who are coming supposed to be friendly? And what about whoever attacked them and forced them to flee? Wouldn't the attackers be trying to follow them?"

[Zjaum]

First, Adelina started the conclusion; Phil just ended with the logical follow-up. IF there was someone following who was faster and stronger, et cetera. Second, they were of absolutely no use to whatever maybe remained of the Dragontooth Company dead. They would get there; they weren't going to stay forever. Third, the military isn't generally known for recruiting, let alone disposing wantonly, the best and brightest minds the world has to offer. Unless something has fundamentally changed in the way generals of the future do logic, the smartest keep warm at home. So, while technically he implied that the whole posse was acting in a moronic fashion, he wouldn't put it past the leader to be one.

However, Richardson didn't say any of that. He was quiet, as he was often during this walk but not as his reputation would predict. He simply nodded solemnly and returned to his resting spot, then acknowledging the blood-curling screams of seemingly the actual weakest among them. Armed people coming. Huh. "Oh, boy," he said to himself, barely in the hearing range of everyone present. "I wish we had some sort of defense against this group of heavily-armed, apparently battle-hardened individuals. Nah, that wouldn't be thinking straight; that would be jumping to conclusions. We're only in the most desolate planet in existence, with survival rates in the single digits. What moron thought of that idea?"

Abigail loosened herself up a tad, getting into a nice comfortable position. If these guns were anything close to the ones she used to have, the kickback would hurt like hell. Actually, a few questions are in order. "What is the ammo capacity of this gun, and when are we allowed to fire?"

[Aidannadia]

Fox's walked with the rest of the individuals here was actually enjoyable. The scenery was beautiful; the others kept to themselves; the temperature was just right. He swore he heard a mosquito bothering him for a moment but it had quickly disappeared before a loud slap crushed him with impunity.

Eventually, the band came to a clearing. All things considered, Fox wasn't a fan of open areas, but there seemed to be some geography to lean against towards the middle of the clearing. A few of his comrades were enjoying sitting on rocks while he had another smoke.

"This is just bizarre..." He mumbled to himself, keeping alert and sketching the forest in his journal. He turned when he overheard a ruckus going on with the troops.

"Strange..." Kato said and stood up. He then looked at everyone, "Everyone find cover, all weapons point towards the forest..."

"No...." Alastor spoke again, "Armed people are coming... with injured... Attacked and forced to flee..."

Fox immediately put away his pencil and pad and went for his sidearm. "Should we move towards the forest edge and hang back until we ascertain the situation? I don't wanna let strangers see us before we see them, if I'm to assume everything about this situation isn't a complete load of shit." He snorted, kind of ducking behind the geography and obviously ready to move at any moment.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Preparing a Defense
Commander Kato Galen

---

"You are pushing your luck..." Kato said and glared at Phil, "If he is right, and thats a big if, then note how he said armed? Not heavily armed. Nor did he say battle-hardened. Thinking straight is not the same as jumping to conclusions, for thinking straight requires you to use your brain to think over many different possibilities. Jumping to conclusions is what you just did, again. You have concluded that because they are armed, then they must be heavily armed, and battle hardened. By jumping to conclusions you lower your own survival rate. So, for everyones safety, including yours, stop jumping to conclusions. If you can't do that, then just shut up."

"Fire on my orders." Kato then said as he looked to Abigail, "Don't want to start a fight that can be avoided. About 40 rounds, but best make each shot count."

Then his attention turned to Fox, who made the wise suggestion of using the forest. "That was what I was going to say. We are all going to move back a few feet into the tree line. Those with weapons will find trees closer to the clearing, and those without will hide behind trees behind those with weapons. As for if this is a false call, we still need to act as if it wasn't. We can't risk believing its false and then finding out its true."

Finally, Kato's attention turned to Arno, "The only thing humanity ever was able to learn about this planet was its name. Pandemonium. And from its name, and from the fact that there are alien trees that we can see, we can not dimiss the possibility that there is some form of intelligent life here. As for if they are friendly, well it is possible, but the opposite is also possible. But there is also the possibility that whoever is fleeing this way is the remainder of the Dragontooth Company. And yes, if this is true, then there is a possibility that those who attacked this unknown party could be chasing them, so we should be ready for that possibility."

Within the next two minutes, the entire group had fallen back into the forest edge, and where watching the clearing. The silence was broken a few moments later as the sound of a group of somethings could be heard running through the deep snow, followed by shouting. The shouting instantly let Kato and the rest of his group know that who ever was coming spoke English. Which lead Kato to lean towards three possibilities, until the first person of this fleeing group bursted into the clearing. At that point, Kato instantly knew who these people where.

"Don't shoot!" Kato shouted as the rest of the fleeing group entered the clearing. Upon hearing Kato shout, they turned their weapons in his direction, but lowered them when Kato stepped out from behind a tree. "Its alright, its the rest of the Dragontooth Company, no need to hide."

With that Kato walked towards the rest of his men, and approached one of them specifically. He engaged in a conversation with this other man. They weren't talking very loud, so no one else could hear them. The other man pointed to the forest as he spoke, and his face was visibly pale. He said something that made Kato also turn slightly pale, and looked to the forest.

"EVERYONE OUT OF THE FOREST NOW!" Kato shouted, and then turned to the rest of his men, "We only have a few minutes before the enemy is upon us. I want all fallen trees in this clearing to be moved into a square in the centre. Injuried and those unable to fight will get into the centre of this square. Everyone else, I want all weapons pointing at the forest. Lets go."

"Pandemonium... what a fitting name." Kato mummbled to himself as he moved to help his men get the logs moved. It didn't take them long to get the log square made, and get the injuried in its centre. While all the men of the Dragontooth Company who remained got behind the logs, placing the barrels of their weapons on the fallen trees, Kato grabbed some rifles from the injuried men, and handed them to those who only had a side arm, along with Chelsea and Phil, "Make every shot count. Demons are coming for us... I'll explain later."

He then approached Alastor, and Charlotte, who where both sitting against a rock near the centre of the square, and handed one of his pistols to Charlotte before pointing out the safety, "Press that, point and then pull the trigger. You seem much more stable then your friend, so best you have a weapon as well."

He didn't give her any time to say anything before he returned to the fallen trees, and faced the forest. He pulled his other pistol just as the sounds of something moving in the forest could be heard. Actually, the sounds of multiple somethings could be heard, approaching from all sides. Then everything went silent once again, only to broken by an extremely high pitched and loud scream, as humanoid figures rushed towards the clearing from the forest on all sides.

It was only when they got to the edge of the forest edge that it became clear that these were not humans. The pale skinned creatures charged forward, not running very fast, but screaming as they approached.

"OPEN FIRE!!" Kato shouted, and started firing at the creatures.

[Zjaum]

Why bother getting legal with someone who clearly didn't care. Phil walked back, hunched over in case of any far-off gunman who wanted to take potshots. He hid behind the tree like a good little boy and, as per Kato's request, shut up (for a moment). When Kato's very own Dragontooth Company appeared and were identified, Phil clapped once, grin as wide as a mile. "My apologies, Mr. Cato! Apparently it's the Dragontooth Company, and, if they're anything like you, they're clearly no threat to us at all!" He approached one of the soldiers and saluted, in a considerably less jovial and more sober tone. "Good morning. My name is Phillip Richardson. Thanks for coming to get us." He shook hands with those who would let him, which were unsurprisingly few. Abigail bowed; she had respect for the military but oddly didn't have that many in her family.

Upon the call to action to build a shelter, Richardson did what he could, trying not to get in the way of the Company but lifting lumber and helping out where he could. Abigail set down her rifle and did the same, and often the two of them moved the logs together. He didn't have a gun, but he knew he should do his part. He collected a gun and make sure he knew what the mechanisms were and down which line he should look for accuracy. "Make every shot count. Demons are coming for us... I'll explain later," said the Commander. "Yes sir," was his response.

As the murmurs in the forest drew closer, he held his gun tight and murmured something of his own. "Wabra wo werai, wo eyeketrau [Lest I be counted amongst the timid]" Gone was the jokester. Here was a man who would fight, who would do his part for something clearly greater than him. He took a knee and prepared for the worst.

Abigail, in contrast, loosened up, to prepare for the absolute pain her shoulder would receive. She would have to sacrifice it for the good of the group. The demons, apparently, charged forward, and Abigail wasted no time shooting them. She was guessing, really, where to shoot. These creatures seemed to have massive plating where the human heart and head would be, so she decided to aim for the abdomen and the lower head, where an opening could be found. She was a decent shot, from her time on the farm, but she still wasn't perfect. So long as these forty were lodged where they should be, nothing else matters.

Phil took his time shooting. Not because he was lagging; he just wasn't as experienced with guns and wanted to make every shot count. He aimed for the legs and stomach, his lower position giving him an advantage in shooting upward into the demons' less-protected features. Perhaps he would die with strangers, but he would fall in the most real moment of his life.

[Charlia]

Those creatures--they weren't those he preferred to kill, but they were still a danger, and he could feel the adrenaline rush coming on, a smile twisting his face and laughter brewing somewhere deep inside him. As usual, his aim was impeccable--one shot after another, and as the creatures fell he counted to himself, his smile growing with each one that fell.

Oh, he liked this. The danger, the speed of it--none of it bothered him, not really. He wanted more. He wanted more of this, it was never enough, never quite enough--

The smile on his face was far brighter than it should have been.

---

Chelsea's head hurt. This was crazy. To go from a regular life to this--well, as regular as her life could get, which she supposed didn't fit most people's definitions. Could be worse, she supposed... But she didn't want to think too hard about that.

Oh, well. Getting all philosophical or whatever that counted as wouldn't help. That guy--Kato--had given her a gun. It was time to shoot some freaks.

---

Charlotte had intended to try and help with the wounded, but Kato gave her a gun, apparently intending for her to actually fight. She didn't know how to use a gun--she'd never even touched one before, not even a toy. Was it really a good idea for her to have this? But before she could protest, he was off again, and she was left with the weapon that, admittedly, frightened her a great deal. She knew how much damage it could do, and she was afraid of doing something wrong. His explanation had seemed simple enough, but--

I guess the only thing I can do is try...

[Aidannadia]

It felt like only a couple minutes while all these events unfolded around Fox. Without hesitation, defenses were constructed and the lines of battle were drawn. The artist had refused to trade a rifle for his pistol, knowing full well he hadn't a clue how to hold it without dislocating his shoulder in the process. Instead, he kept his sidearm at his side with the extra rounds he'd procured from the ship earlier. "Don't suppose we'll get a smoke break before these fu-"

A creature straight out of a horror movie revealed itself from the forest. Fox's hands shook nervously, and he took a breath just to get his bearings once more. This isn't real. I have no reason to be scared. He raised his weapon and fired three times, aiming center mass on the creature. Others began to sprint from the forest edge, and Fox continued to try to keep himself together as what seemed like an army was advancing on the group's position. His shots became more frantic, reloads more hurried, and his accuracy admittedly rather dismal in comparison to the others.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
First Contact
Commander Kato Galen

---

The Dragontooth Company survivors kept their heads cool, as they fired into the advances creatures. However, like the others, they would quickly learn that it took more than on shot to take them down. Any singular shot to the torso, while able to penetrate the creatures outer layer, causing a greenish liquid to flow out the wound, did not stop them, but often the second or third shot would. Any shots to the legs, while damaging the legs only served to slow the creatures down. Basically, it became clear that to kill the creatures, one needed to either put two to three shots into its chest, or one shot to the head.

"Aim for the head or chest!" Kato shouted, "They may look armoured enough to stop bullets, but they aren't!"

But these creatures strength was not in durability, but in numbers, and it seemed that for everyone they shot down, two more would emerge from the forest. In fact, a few minutes into the battle, similar looking creatures to the others emerged from the forest, the only difference seen imediately being the increased bulk, and the bladed pincer. They where also taller, slower and possibly had greater durability due to the fact that when one took a shot to the head, it kept walking. Fortunately there were fewer of these new creatures than the old.

One of these new creatures was the target for Kato, who after firing a few shots into, put his pistol away, and reached for the sword he had been carrying. While he wasn't a bad shot, Kato preferred using this blade whenever the chance came. This was unorthadox, wielding a sword in this day and age, but he still did it, and faced with a horde of creatures that seemingly had no ability to fight at range, the risks involved with using his sword lessened. Taking a step over the fallen tree, he stood with his hand ready to unsheath the blade when his target or any of the creatures got close enough.

"Closer..." Kato muttered as his target closed in. The other creatures in his vecinity where dispatched by other members of the Dragontooth Company before they could get to their commander. They didn't need to be told to do this, as they understood somewhat was going on in Kato's head. When his target stepped close enough, Kato lunged as he drew the blade. In one motion, Kato learned how effective his blade was as it cut through the creatures outer layer with relative ease.

And so, the battle continued, with these new creatures approaching from all directions along with the horde of the original creatures.

[Granis]

Jeremy was not enjoying his space-time travelling adventure as much as he thought he would when he and Hannah had played games about it as kids. As a matter of fact, the real thing was a little more pants-shittingly horrifying than he'd expected, and that was taking his usual pessimism into account.

Things had kind of started off bad, ever since he's noticed that buzzing in his head. At first, he'd slapped the back of his head to try and swat the annoying insect he'd assumed it was, but when a couple of those didn't work, he concluded that it might not have been something on his head, so much as something in it.

Tumour... was his immediate first thought, but he decided it would be best for his mental state of he didn't immediately pick that conclusion, and instead decided to go for something a little less depressing.

Heh, maybe the universe is trying to even the odds or something... Give us superpowers so we don't immediately die...

"No, that's retarded..." He mumbled to himself. "Let's stick to things that happen in reality for our theories from now on... Like spontaneous space-time travel... Goddamnit..."

However, things took a turn for the worse shortly afterwards, one thing led to another, and now he found himself leaning against a log, firing the rifle as best he could into a crowd of quite possibly literal hellspawn. Damn it, why did things have to go this way?! Yeah, he could shoot a gun, but he was only average at best! And now the commander was saying to go for the head if possible, and he was barely managing to hit their chests, because unfortunately these things moved a fair bit more erratically than stationary cans sitting on a log!

He, on the other hand, played that part rather well, and he desperately fought to suppress the mental image of an alien monster with a gun hiding in the tree line, ready to knock them off for target practice...

Damn it, no! He was panicking, which was making him miss even more shots, which, sure enough, naturally looped right back around to make him panic even more, and oh my god, he probably wouldn't make it through this, would he? All those big words, most of which admittedly said by Hannah rather than him, but still, big words about him none the less, and he was almost definitely gonna die huddled against a log, because he missed one too many shots against these fucking DOOM mooks, and-

And suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked behind him to see Hannah standing over him. She looked down at him, one of those exceedingly rare genuine, non-smug smiles on her face.

"Just aim and shoot, Jeremy." She said, and he wasn't entirely sure how he heard her over the sounds of the battle, but for whatever reason, each word reached his ears clear as day. "They might run fast, but they also run straight. They'll only get you if you let them."

And then she looked into the fray, an odd, actually rather alarming expression on her face. It seemed almost wistful...

"And even then, that's only if I let them first."

And to his horror, he watched as Hannah dropped her shotgun, stepped onto, and then over the log.

"Cover me."

Jeremy, sure that he was about to lose the girl who was essentially his only friend, here or back home, immediately reached out towards her.

"Wha-... What the hell are you doi-"

But he paused, a cold sensation flowing over him as he went to grab the shotgun so he could force her to take it back.

The trigger, along with a large portion of the grip, had somehow wound up broken, not quite smashed, but... It seemed like the best word would be 'crumpled', considering how it looked like it'd been folded in on itself.

And it felt like he could only watch, as his best friend marched into the battlefield.

Hannah, much like Jeremy, was in... Let's just say 'not the best' mindset. It'd been weird enough when she'd been walking with Chelsea and heard a weird buzzing noise. Assuming it'd been some kind of bug, she'd gone and smacked the back of her head. However, she was shocked to notice that somehow, that single, light smack had caused her to stumble forwards for about three metres, nearly falling over. However, she put it to the back of her mind, because hey, maybe she just tripped on an exposed tree root or something, and it was all some weird coincidence.

What had been harder to ignore had been the log.

While it seemed like the others were having their fair share of difficulty picking it up and moving it into position, she barely felt a strain, even though she could tell she was doing a significant amount of the lifting from what she could feel. Still, maybe it just felt like she was doing a lot of the lifting because she was kinda weak, and the others were doing most of the work...

And then she'd tried to fire her shotgun at one of the creatures that had gotten a little too close for comfort, and finally accepted that, yeah, something might be up.

Oh, she'd killed the monster, got the bastard right in the head! But in the process of pulling the trigger, she'd felt the weapon contort around her hand, leaving it visibly unable to fire again. So, unless the Dragontooth company had decided to use weapons with some rather major design flaws, it looked like her strength had gotten a bit of an upgrade.

And so here she was, calmly walking into the battlefield in what was probably a fairly suicidal move. She needed to know though. To figure out for sure if she could do this. She'd watched that Kato guy do it with his sword, and he wasn't dead yet, so hey, there was at least a chance!

Right as she thought that, she noticed one of the monsters... she wanted to say 'see' her, but she wasn't too sure these things even had eyes. However, whether the creature took in the environment around it through sight or another sense didn't matter all that much at the moment. What mattered was that it detected her.

Within a moment, it was sprinting towards her, and she dropped a stance that might allow her to keep up a decent defence if this didn't work out.

And as it got within striking distance, Hannah took a deep breath in, drew her fist back, and punched.

[Zjaum]

Abigail had seen the impact of the sword. It gave her a tad bit of hope; maybe melee was a better and more accurate solution. There were, on her old farm, the occasional coyotes. Often a pitchfork was the only weapon she had. The problem was her lack of a blade. She decided it was best to keep shooting, keep firing, and hopefully she would make it through the day.

She had expended thirty bullets, give or take a couple, when she saw Hannah step out. She didn't want to waste her last ten unfocused, nor did she want to hit an ally. Hence, she lowered her gun and watched Hannah as she moved out into the fray, with close intent. If Hannah could fight the demon in hand-to-hand without the need for a blade, then she might as well join them. Phil, excited as he was at the prospect of close quarters combat, knew that ranged attack was historically the single advantage humans had over all other life, so he stuck to his rifle. Head and chest. Stick to those.

And then Hannah punched. Abigail's jaw dropped. "They're weak to melee!" she cried. With that, she ran past the group into the fray, her gun tossed aside in the snow, fingers clenched in a fighter's position.

Big mistake. BIG MISTAKE. Her first and last punch cracked her knuckles and almost broke her wrist, and the strength of the demons was too much for her to bear. She was grabbed, but thankfully Phil's careful shooting saved her from certain death. Her escape, though, came at a cost: a bladed demon had swiped her leg, leaving a walkable but still hellish wound on the back of her thigh. She limped back as fast as was physically possible for her at that state, covered by the Phil and Co. (and Company) that wasn't already too distracted. She was the first into the square. What a foolhardy decision she made. Dragontooth men offered to help, but she rejected it. "Go, save the others. I'm not worth it. I'll live." She was losing consciousness, it seemed. She just wanted to go to sleep. She grasped the wall with her hands, feeling every portion of it, embracing it like it was a part of her. Just... rest...

Pykrete is a mixture of wood pulp and ice. The pieces of lumber infuse with the bonds of water, preventing the structure from fracturing and in fact giving the entire structure the toughness of concrete. So long as the ice remains frozen, not even bullets can penetrate it, and it is even tougher when struck. Abigail felt the snow move beneath her, but not in one direction. It all seemed to be... moving towards her, for some reason. She blinked and noticed several things. A good portion of the wood was gone, as if termites had eaten through the barricade. Now only dust lay to commemorate it. Second, and more importantly, she was considerably taller than before. She had nothing with which to measure herself, but on tiptoe she barely saw over the trees. She looked down at the now almost-adorably tiny Dragontooth Company in shock and disbelief. Her would had healed. That, or it was too small for Abigail's eyes to see. She took a deep breath, which make an air current that rustled the trees. Doing her best not to step on anyone, she ventured forward.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Strange Happenings in Battle
Commander Kato Galen

---

Hannah's punch didn't just have an effect on the one enemy she faced, but also had an effect on the creatures behind it. The punch shattered the hard, chitinous skin, and the force launched the creature's bodies backwards, into more of the approaching creatures. There was a moment where all the creatures in the general area of Hannah paused, before turning from charging the logs, to charging Hannah.

"Impressive..." Kato said to himself as he watched what Hannah just did. Now, it would have appeared that he was distracted, but as he looked at her, he slashed his blade at one of the creatures, judging its distance by sound alone, and taking its head. "Almost to impressive..."

At the sametime, some chaos errupted within the defensive square as Abigail grew, causing some of the Dragontooth company to point their guns at her. But before they could fire, Kato yelled an order, as he continued to fight, drawing their attention away from the 23 foot Abigial, and back to the enemy that was trying to kill them. He then shouted to Abigail, "How about you use that new found size to fight?"

Okay, what the hell is happening? He thought to himself as they continued to fight.

[Charlia]

None of it felt real.

Then again, nothing ever really felt real to her. It was so easy to squint through her goggles and pretend she was playing a video game, point, shoot, typical things really. Of course it was still quite different, there were all sorts of things that had to be factored in, but at the end of it all she felt... really rather distant. Sure, there was a bit of a thrill if she got a good shot, if she saw one of the things go down, but she didn't really feel too scared. Actually, she thought she might even feel calmer than she normally did. That... probably wasn't a good thing.

Well, so long as she wasn't dying, did it really matter? Heck, even if I do, does it matter? At least she'd be having a bit of fun.

That definitely wasn't a thought she was supposed to be having.

---

He shouldn't have been enjoying this, not really. That wasn't healthy. It wasn't a good way of dealing with things. He glanced over at Kato for a moment, and saw exactly what he expected to see--the same cool determination that was always there. Of course. He snarled as another of the creatures fell, pushing the anger out and away and into them the way he always did.

Ah, it felt good to take them out. He enjoyed the thrill of it all. Aeterna they weren't, but they were something. And he was tired of holding back.

One of the civilians grew, and he got more than a little suspicious--but he didn't have time to bother wondering too much, as that would have been a bit of a distraction and he preferred to keep his mind as focused on what happened to matter at the time as possible. Kato was the one who was good at multitasking and thinking about two things at once, and all of that. Aurek... well, he just wasn't. Not that he hadn't tried, of course, but it seemed that some things were simply beyond his capabilities.

Well, he could kill these beasts just fine.

---

She'd given up on shooting at the creatures as Kato had instructed after she'd turned out to pretty much just be a failure at it--her hands shook, throwing off her aim, which wasn't very good in the first place, thus causing an entirely separate issue of its own, and in general, she had learned the important fact that she was not very good at using a gun.

But there were wounded people, at least, and at the very least she could do something to try and help them, even if she didn't have many actual supplies--yet the moment she started examining wounds to try and figure out who needed treatment the most urgently, something very strange happened.

Strange warmth pulsed through her, and several of the men simply... got up. As if they'd never been wounded at all. That--that wasn't possible, right? What was going on? Abigail's sudden growth and Hannah's surprising strength only made things worse, leaving her utterly bewildered and almost frightened.

What was happening?

[Zjaum]

"How about you use that new found size to fight? said the commander beneath her.

Abigail was panicked but not removed enough to provide a response. The many guns brought her back enough into reality. "Look, could you just give me a moment?! This isn't exactly something I do every day! Oh... oh my gosh... I'm a giant... oh my gosh..." She felt a pang in her stomach, as if about to hurl, though noticing that she's in a particularly unfortunate position to do so with respect to the soldiers beneath her. She took several deep breaths, again incurring the changes in local wind patterns.

Richardson had nearly exhausted his ammunition, or at least wished to save what was left, and began shouting at Abigail. "Hey! You might want to take some of the trees and use them as weapons to keep you stable!" The last thing he wanted was a giantess to lose her balance and crush everyone involved. Well, except Hannah, apparently. She seems to have things covered just fine. Oh, and the magical healer lady in the group. For some reason. He was beginning to feel sorry for their enemies at this point. God knows what other powers they secretly held in the group, if super strength, super size, and mass regeneration were the FIRST three.

Abigail couldn't hear him above the gunfire, as far away as his mouth was from her ears. "What?" Phil kept his distance, then pointed to the trees, then made a batting motion. The buzzing in his head had resumed again. Odd; maybe it was the loud, low boom of Abigail's voice. Perhaps something else.

Van der Rohe looked toward the forest. It was a good idea, but fragments of a better one were beginning to surface. Let's hope the demons can't speak English. She wanted to make sure that everyone knew her next actions, sort of like the beeping of a backing-up semi truck. She felt that way, anyways. After a minute of final formulations, she announced it. "All right! This is what I will do! I will lie down across the front of the barricade, smashing as much as I can with my hands, maybe even a log. You shoot all the demons going around me. If you need to-" She couldn't believe she was saying this- "to get on top of me to get a better position, please do so. I can't hear you very well over the gunshots, so please motion to me if you have any problems. I'm going to go now." She stepped over the remainder of the fighters, uprooted a loose trunk, and began to take her stance. Like a beached whale, she laid there, a great heap sinking into the ground. "Hannah, Kato, if you two want to retreat behind me, I can grab you and place you behind me. Say the word."

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Strange Happenings in Battle
Commander Kato Galen

---

Before Kato could say anything, Abigail laid down, and the creatures turned their attention to her. Specifically to her vital spots which where now at the perfect height to be attacked. Kato realized this, and rushed towards her. At the same time, the majority of the creatures began their charge of Abigail. Those that where not blocked by her body, where shot at. But those hidden from the view of the rest of the Dragontooth Company couldn't be shot. While Abigail certainly had the strength to one shot both of the two types of creatures charging, their numbers were far more than she could handle.

Kato hurried, making his way over Abigail's large form, silently swearing to himself. Yelling out to her would just waste time, he needed to act, he did not want to lose anyone who didn't sign up to risk their life. Once he got over her, he jumped down, and headed for her most vital weak point, her neck. If the creatures got there, they could possibly slash into her neck deep enough to sever her carotid artery. Unfortunately, the creatures seemed more intelligent than they first appeared to be, as not only did they identify and were surging towards Abigail's fairly exposed weak spot, but they also recognized Kato's attempt to get in their way.

As such, a fair number of the creatures broke off of the main surge, and charged towards Kato, forcing him to defend himself. He silently swore again, as he was engaged by a large number of creatures, barely managing to hold them off, and not making any progress towards Abigail's weak point. As Kato fought, the swarm of creatures had gotten to much for Abigail to effectively keep away. Before she could attempt to stand up, the first few creatures lunged, sinking their claws into her arm, and through their numbers and individual strength, managed to pin her arm down. At the same time, a few of the faster ones sank their claws into her neck, not yet deep enough to reach the carotid, but still enough to cause tremendous pain. They didn't stop with one slash into the neck, as they continued to claw at the neck as more of the creatures lunged on to her back, clawing into her as well, even while they where shot off the back. In the fury of the surge, Abigail was pinned down by the shear numbers, preventing her escape, as the slower creatures arrived, the creatures with the hardware to slice into her neck deep enough to sever the carotid.

It was with one slice from one of the slower creatures that sealed Abigail's fate. In a few seconds she would fall unconscious, and if she wasn't treated in a few minutes she would bleed out. As she began to bleed, Abigail was forced to return to her normal size. As if sensing that Abigail's time was near, the creatures turned their attention back to the rest of their enemies, charging the square once again. It was also obvious now that their was much more than before. so much, that for the first time, a few of them reached the logs, forcing some of the Dragontooth Company to engage in melee.

---

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
A Challenger Approaches
Alastor Brone

---

He remained close to Charlotte, staying silent, and sorta curled into a ball as he covered his ears. The sounds of battle were not something he enjoyed hearing. That said, he did see Abigail grow, and another person punch one of the monsters to death with one hit. So, when one of the creatures made it past the defensive line, and started charging towards the wounded, Charlotte, and him, he closed his eyes and readied himself for death. However, it didn't come. Instead something else came running out of the woods.

It was not a creature, and managed to not get hit by the firing of the Dragontooth Company. It managed to get past the line, and using a stone as a step, jumped forward, into the creature that threatened Charlotte and Alastor, driving its knife into the creatures neck and forcing it to the ground. This thing was a person, a human, and judging from her clothes, she was also from the past. Standing up, she whispered something before removing the knife and looking back at Charlotte specifically.

"It didn't touch you now did it?"

[Charlia]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
A Challenger Approaches
Alastor Brone

---

He remained close to Charlotte, staying silent, and sorta curled into a ball as he covered his ears. The sounds of battle were not something he enjoyed hearing. That said, he did see Abigail grow, and another person punch one of the monsters to death with one hit. So, when one of the creatures made it past the defensive line, and started charging towards the wounded, Charlotte, and him, he closed his eyes and readied himself for death. However, it didn't come. Instead something else came running out of the woods.

It was not a creature, and managed to not get hit by the firing of the Dragontooth Company. It managed to get past the line, and using a stone as a step, jumped forward, into the creature that threatened Charlotte and Alastor, driving its knife into the creatures neck and forcing it to the ground. This thing was a person, a human, and judging from her clothes, she was also from the past. Standing up, she whispered something before removing the knife and looking back at Charlotte specifically.

"It didn't touch you now did it?"

She'd been focusing on the wounded, trying to treat what injuries hadn't been healed by--whatever that was, when it had happened.

One of the creatures made it past the line, and came straight for the weakest members of the group--the wounded men, Alastor, and herself. It was too quick, she didn't have time to do anything except try to put herself between it and the others--the time it would take to kill her might be time for someone else to kill it before it could get to anyone else. Maybe, if they were lucky. All she could do was hope.

But the pain she was expecting never washed over her, the feeling of claws rending her flesh staying suspiciously absent. Her eyes opened, and she saw a girl--a girl with red hair much like Charlotte's own, but with the overly flat and even tone of it revealing that it had been dyed that way, and clothes indicating that she was from the past--or the present, to Charlotte's point of view. She still couldn't quite adjust to the fact that they were now, apparently, in the future. Still, the important part was that she wasn't actually dead, which was nice, although the look on the girl's face was... a little unsettling. Actually, the girl herself was a little unsettling. Something was off about her, or, more accurately, something was familiar--clawing at the back of Charlotte's mind but never quite there, words on the tip of her tongue that couldn't be voiced.

Something... something was wrong, but she didn't know what. So it was probably just her paranoia acting up again. Hypervigilance, always expecting things to go wrong and to get hurt. She could recognize it when she looked for it, but that didn't mean it would just go away.

"No, it didn't," she finally said, her voice soft but still clearly audible. "Thank you. You saved our lives."

[Aidannadia]

The creatures kept coming, each wave coming as a larger and larger force. His aim wasn't perfect, but he could down enough to feel like he was making headway against them.

"Oh fuck, I missed." He grumbled as he saw one break the line, coming straight for a group of wounded. Just then, he saw a blur of motion come in from nowhere. He fired at what he believed to be another attacker, missing given it's great speed. "Dammit not again-" It was then that he saw the creature he fired at was actually another human, obviously another survivor from the crash. Well, I'm glad I missed.

A roar got his attention once more on the creatures. Goddammit. I turned around for one minute and suddenly we're having to fend them off in close quarters. This really isn't the best- Another creature broke the line this time, coming straight for him. He fired a few shots, but in his panic, they all went wide and the creature continued to close in on him. The world seemed to move in slow motion as he saw the great speared hand of the monster shoot towards him. Perhaps as a reflex, or perhaps knowing what he could do deep down, he put his hands up to defend him and a purple barrier appeared between him and the creature.

[Granis]

To say things had gone from bad to worse would be an understatement.

Jeremy was already having a hard enough time registering all the old crazy stuff, so when the new crazy stuff started, well, he wasn't ashamed to admit he was beginning to have a hard time keeping up. First there was the thing with Hannah, which despite terrifying him at first now left him at the very least relieved that she didn't need the gun to hold her own, and was more than capable of smashing a few of the creatures away from her with each punch. Then there was one of his other fellow time travellers, who apparently also had a superpower, this one letting her turn into a giant. However, rather than helping out with the fighting, she apparently decided to act as a barricade for them, which was nice until he watched the creatures collectively decide to rip her throat out. Once that was done, the girl reverted to her normal size, and was probably currently in the process of dying as the creatures turned their attention back to the rest of them.

They were also right in front of them, so that was nice.

Desperately, Jeremy scanned the horde for an opening to get to the girl, but everywhere he looked, it seemed like he barely had a path to escape himself.

“Damn it!” He shouted, aiming his rifle at an approaching creature and pulling the trigger once more.

His gun merely clicked in response, and a lot of people probably would have given up right there. Jeremy though, he was used to fighting with exactly zero chance of victory. He did it every day, usually in the form of trying to convince Hannah not to run up and punch that random street thug.

And so, Jeremy dropped the rifle and unstrapped the wooden sword he’d strapped to his back.

“Fine, but you shits are gonna have to work for it!” He shouted, before running up to the nearest non-pincered creature and swinging the sword into the side of its skull.

Honestly, even he knew just how pointless this would be, but he was trying to stay optimistic. A Bokken was pretty dense after all, and could easily do some pretty bad damage to a normal human if the wielder intended it. In addition to that, he’d also swung at where the temple would be on a human, hoping that the admittedly small number of similarities the creatures had to the human body meant it would do literally anything. For a moment, a smile crossed his face as he thought he felt the creature lurch over a bit, but quickly found himself forced to dodge away when it responded with a swing of its own, narrowly missing his head. For the next few seconds, he and the creature were locked in a flurry of blows, Jeremy desperately taking whatever opening he could to get a strike in, while barely managing to dodge or block most of its slashes.

Most being the key word there, as at least two of the creature’s attacks had gotten past his sword and grazed him. After one last deflection to the side, he quickly stepped backwards a few paces to try and get some distance. It was likely only this that saved his life, as out of the corner
of his eye he saw another figure moving towards him and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the swing of the second creature.

Things weren’t looking good, if he had to be honest.

Despite his words before, he’d honestly hoped he’d somehow make it through this mess, that something might save him at the last minute. He gripped the bokken even tighter, the damage to the wooden weapon not escaping his notice. Particularly alarming was the large crack towards the middle of the ‘blades’ length, going diagonally upwards. On the bright side, it’d probably be pretty sharp when it broke, maybe even sharp enough to pierce the creatures chitin with enough force. Sadly, he’d probably only get one stab in before it broke for real, and even then, it wasn’t exactly likely that he’d be able to thrust with the force necessary to pierce the armour. He was a pretty strong guy, but not that strong.

But the only other choice would be to give up and die, and that just didn’t sit right with him.

The new creature attacked, and he dodged away so it was now between him and the original. Before it could spin back around to follow up with another attack, Jeremy swung the bokken down at the creatures back, causing the creature to stumble to the ground. As he expected, the wooden sword that had been his weapon of choice for nearly seven years now snapped in half, leaving the half in his hands looking more like a vicious spike than anything else. And while it hurt like hell to do it, it was exactly what he wanted.

He dashed forwards, moving around the new creature that was already spinning back to face him, having regained its balance, and dashed towards the original, spike aimed directly at the weaker-looking point directly above the creatures mouth.

Just before he made the thrust, Jeremy was ever so slightly distracted by the fact that the edges of his vision seemed to be… glowing?

And then he was about twelve metres ahead of where he’d initially been, rolling across the ground as pain shot through his shoulder. What the hell had just happened?!

“Jeremy!” He heard, and turned to see Hannah dash towards him and obliterate a creature that had been… shit, maybe just a few feet from him. “I’ll ask what the hell that rainbow thing you did was later, but first let’s get you and the fifty foot woman to a medic or something. Hang on tight!”

He was about to ask just how she planned to reach the girl, when he saw that whatever he’d just done, he’d landed a couple of feet away from her. He grunted in pain as she helped him up, and noted with irritation that his left arm felt way weaker than usual. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t use his legs, and after gingerly checking each one just to make sure, he removed his arm from her grasp.

“Don’t worry about me too much, my legs are still good. Just focus on her for now.”

Nodding, Hannah bent down and tried her best to pick the former giantess up in a way that wouldn’t make her injuries worse. Once she was satisfied that she probably wouldn’t kill her by running to suddenly, the pair ran towards one of the small groups of people.

“Hey!” She shouted. “We need a medic! Anyone who can help, get of your asses and let us know!”

Despite the rapidly worsening pain in his shoulder, Jeremy sighed, realising that even with the horrifying monsters all around them, he was still more afraid of Hannah pissing everyone else off…

[Zjaum]

Phil looked on as two of their cadre went out, against all odds, and picked her up. The logic that had been manifested in his economic background began to formulate in his mind. It was rather difficult as he was trying to fight for his life. A human with superpowers can do more than seemingly the entire battalion. No matter how sacrificial (and, quite frankly, stupid) her decision was, she would still be of more use than three or four people present. Logically, risking a superhero (two superheroes, maybe? The second seemed to have new powers as well) for another superhero wasn't worth the risk. On the other hand, risking, say, his own life and a few from the company to rescue the three of them- that would be a proper tradeoff. And apparently the newcomer could protect them all until they could get a proper escape.

"Everyone, here's what I think we should do!" He called out to the Company- at least, what was still left of it. "We should make a wedge and lodge ourselves into the enemy horde! We can give them enough time to escape, since they're the only chance we've got! I will form the spear, if anyone is hesitant about leading it!"

He took a breath in the brief moment where the monsters hadn't laid on him. He methodically carved out the point of a wedged wall in front of him to visualize the path he would need to take to cleave through the demons. He concentrated on forcing the point through, closing his eyes. He opened them, though, to find a large metal, wedged shield in his way.

He paused. Superpowers? Possibly. No, probably. Apparently his new powers were creation- at least, of this intriguing metal. This changed his equation. On his own, plain, he meant significantly less than her. Now, they were equal in their power. Endangering a powered individual was not worth the possibility of saving an equally-powered friend.

He muttered to himself. The hero must abandon his quest when logic dictates; it was a theme of many of his novels. The smartest, the most cunning will rule the world. Must he sacrifice his newfound companion? His gut said no, but he knew better than his gut. However, now that his services were available...

"Swords! Swords for everyone!" Phil cried, forging crude, machete-like blades from his vertical hand motions in the air. "If your blade breaks or you need a better one, please tell me! I have no shortage!" Tar'e wo werai, wo eyeketrau. I am no coward; I will stand by my companions until death takes me. When I sacrifice myself, it will not be in vain.

[Faal Lot Himdah]

Frozen Forests of Pandemonium
Quickly Come, Quickly Go
The Demons, Commander Kato Galen, and the newcomer

---

It was starting to look hopeless, with the number of the creatures not seeming to decrease in the slightest, while members of the Dragontooth Company started to meet their death. In a melee, the regular humans of the Dragontooth Company were out matched when it came to melee weapons, but not in skill. This skill was perhaps the only thing preventing the Dragontooth Company from being completely overwhelm. Things started to take a turn for the better, thanks to Phil's power, and the swords he created.

While swords where being handed out, Fox had a little problem of his own. He was face to face with one of the creatures, specifically one of the second type of creatures that had appeared. The thing produced a low growl as it pushed down into the purple barrier. Luckily however, the creature could not crack the barrier, no matter how hard it tried. But it either didn't know that, or didn't care, as it continued to strike the barrier, growling the whole time in frustration. It however stopped suddenly, and turned its head up.

"Oh, no need to thank me..." The newcomer said before looking back to the creatures as all the creatures looked skyward, "Looks like somethings up..."

They all ceased fighting. And after a moment, they turned around and retreated back into the forest. As they retreated, many of them flooded toward Hannah, knocking her down in the process. Once they had all passed over her, it would become clear why they knocked her over, and why this large group had retreated in that direction specifically. The body of Abigail had disappeared as it was taken by the horde of creatures. It wasn't just her body that disappeared, but many of the Dragontooth Company members that had died during the encounter where also unaccounted for as the creatures took them away.

As quickly as the creatures had appeared, the creatures disappeared, leaving the remainder of the Dragontooth Company in minor confusion and paranoia. Even Kato was not immune to this. Why would the creatures suddenly retreat? Was something else coming? Something more dangerous? And why would they take the dead? After a few minutes passed, and nothing came back out of the forest, Kato sheathed his blade, and turned to the survivors.

"I do not know what happened," He said as he approached them, "But while getting back to the ship might be the best idea, we are going to have to bunker down here as we will not be able to make it back to the ship before night falls. I will assign watches later, once I have made sense of what happened..."

[Charlia]

As the creatures retreated, Aurek had to visibly work to keep himself from just chasing after them, but settled for spitting curses in his mother tongue after them--ones that must have been quite harsh judging from the sound of his voice. "Taking the dead, too," he muttered angrily when he'd finished, and wrapped a hand around his crucifix before whispering something to himself.

"Making sense of what just happened would be a good plan, yeah," he added after Kato spoke. "Guess I'll just keep an eye out until you've assigned watches, take however long you need."

---

Chelsea slumped to the ground with relief when the things were gone, seeming quite happy to get a break even though people had died around her. What was that? she thought, before lifting her goggles and rubbing her eyes. Weird as heck...

---

Oh, thank goodness, Charlotte thought once the strange beings had retreated. She felt bad about the lives that had been lost, but there wasn't a lot she could do about that, anyway... and she was still so confused about what was even happening, what it was that she'd managed to do earlier, and the identity of this newcomer as well. "I might not need to thank you," she said softly, "but I'd like to anyway. You saved my life, after all. Of course I'm grateful..."