Forest Engagement

[Rud Solus]

Help split the enemy forces by engaging in a battle in the forest outside the witch caves. Kill as many as you can but do not press into the caves themselves. Hold the line and keep them engaged. 3 Slots. Open/PvP - Dice if no opposition join within 72 hours of all participants posting.

The eery silence of the forest was disturbed when Rud descended through the trees with the help of his jetpack. Aside from his Shriek-Hawk and sidearm he had three extra powerpacks for each, but as usual, carried no grenades. He hadn't since Onderon...

His heavy cybernetic feet sank a few inches into the damp soil, the muscles in his shins already cramping up from the shere strain of the two fake feet. "Badger Three touched ground," he spoke softly into his comm unit towards the other Mandalorians who were tasked with taking this patch of trees as he loaded his rifle and put it firmly against his shoulder. "Don't forget-" he cautioned, "-under no circumstance do we enter the caves."

He began to walk forward slowly, making an effort to not look like his cybernetic feet were slowing him down on this terrain, as he scanned the dark forest surrounding him for both the native dathomiri, fellow Mandalorians and other threats. As a Rally Master he couldn't be seen taking a step backwards, he couldn't be seen as if his cybernetics made him unfit for ground combat. It didnt matter to a Mandalorian's code whether he had a newfound appreciation for naval engagements, for as a badger he needed to excell on the ground as well.

He just hoped they would only encounter the dathomiri here today.



@Kraken @Gian Greydragon

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo halted, listening as his clansman touched down not twenty feet away, parallel to the tracker's position. Facing front, he strained his senses, seeking signs of life amongst the trees. He found none. Moving forwards, the tracker did his best to step lightly, difficult when weighed down by gear; he made do, his boots sinking into the soft ground, leaving prints that even a blind man could follow. Not that anyone was; he made sure to double back every so often, lying in wait for any wouldbe attackers, giving his brothers ample time to put distance between them before catching up. He was at home here. The forest was where he belonged.

Arturo adjusted his bandoleer as Rud cautioned him and the other Mandalorian over comms, cinching the ammunition belt tight as he muttered a toneless, one-word reply: "Copy." He kept a firm grip on his A-10 Long Rifle as the procession carried onwards, on to where the forest ended and the aptly named 'Witch caves' began. Not long now, Arturo thought, checking over his shoulder as he sidestepped a patch of swampy ground, all mud and stagnant water. Today's job was a simple one: Cause a ruckus outside the Witch caves but do not proceed into them. Draw attention, kill and kill and kill but do not enter the caves. His superiors hadn't had to stress the point; he would do what he had been ordered to, and would listen to his Rally Master. Nothing more, nothing less.

Arturo drew to another halt as the trees thickened and twisted ahead, the canopy above blotting out the sun, strands of brilliant light piercing the leafy barrier that separated them from the sky above. He looked right, seeking his brother amongst the trees, finding him a heartbeat later. The other warrior was nearby, somewhere. Arturo knew that much. He just hoped the man would appear when the time was right; they would need all the help they could get in the coming battle.

Here's hoping we only have to deal with the natives...

@Gian Greydragon @Ecclessey

 

[Rud Solus]

Somewhat more confident with the knowledge that a fellow Solus had his back, Rud continued his slow forward momentum. The pain in his shins was increasing in intensity as the suction in the mud made the cybernetic feet even heavier than they already where. It was beginning to distract him, his focus going from the forest to his pain, but luckily the Dathomiri witches made their move too soon. Rud caught movement to his right and spotted ten Dathomiri Witches charging his location. "Contact!" the Rally Master shouted into his comm unit, 'On my location!"

He turned towards the witches and with his rifle already raised it took only a split second to find aim. Two witches fell after his shots hit either their face or upper torso, but a third dodged successfully and put herself into range to return fire. Knowing he can't dodge eight attacks by the time they all come in range, Rud tried to get into cover but failed, the heavy cybernetics slowing him down too much and the energy arrow fired by the witch hit him in his upper right leg.

The pain pulled his focus away entirely as his left hand let go of the rifle and grabbed his leg, leaving his survival entirely up to the Mandalorians that had descended into the forest with him. Already a cripple, Rud immediately realized that there was no way he would be able to regain use of his leg during this encounter, but he also knew that it was paramount that he would not show it to his fellow Mandalorians or the Marauders he was leading into battle.


@Kraken @Gian Greydragon
8 of 10 remaining

 

[Arturo Solus]

Contacts?!

Shifting right, Arturo caught what Rud did as ten or so Witches broke through the half-dark in a wild rush. An ambush launched too early? Arturo couldn't tell; the Dathomiri were a strange peoples, and Arturo had not a thimble of knowledge concerning their traditions, and the dark arts they practiced. They were an anomaly to him. Fortunately, they're killable, he thought, bounding to his feet as a wave of cold fear washed over him. Then, it was gone, ousted by the need to move and act.

He ran diagonally, cutting a swathe through the trees, firing intermittently as he neared his brother's position. He saw one witch fall, a bolt catching her in the throat as she pelted towards him. Her feet slid out from under her, and suddenly she was face down in the mud, replaced by one of her sisters. Arturo didn't wait to see the other Witch mourn. He ran, reaching his clansman within seconds, time standing still as he slid to a stop five feet to his brother's left. "You okay, vod?!" He would ask, firing as quickly as his blaster would allow, more to hinder and slow than kill. Not that I'll complain... He thought, reloading.

A witch appeared to his right, and he swiveled about, two bolts catching her midriff as one of the witches's own sizzled by his ear. She went down, and stayed there. He turned back, glancing about the trunk he was using for cover. It was difficult to see, even moreso to hit anything, the forest thick and disorienting. The Witches were moving, still- that much he could tell. Their progress had slowed dramatically, however. Good. Using the following lull to retrieve Rud's Shriek-Hawk from where it had fallen, Arturo threw the gun towards his comrade, diving for cover as a volley of bolts splintered and shattered the forest around him.

A bolt thumped into the tree four inches shy of where Arturo knelt. He returned fire, gladdened to see a third witch drop, unmoving. He leaned back, swapping out packs as he idly wondered where the other Mandalorian was to, and how this would all end.

@Ecclessey @Gian Greydragon Witches remaining: 5/10

 

[Rud Solus]

Rud caught his rifle and pressed it to his shoulder as they rose ever so slightly into a small shrug, "Where's the back-up?" he said, no through the commlink but directly to Arturo. His leg was killing him and there was no way he would be getting his cybernetics out of that mud with natural strength alone, but that wasn't the first of his worries. Taking aim at two witches who were sprinting into range, Rud shot and killed both with shots to the upper torso. "Oh Kriff this-" the young rally master cursed as he activated his jetpack for a combat jump, propelling him a good nine meters and into cover of some trees. The mud never stood a chance.

Although finally in cover, Rud hadn't the best of landings. Something to do with having two very heavy cybernetic feet and a gaping wound in his upper right leg that further ruined any chances of mobility. He needed to use his upper body for momentum to be able to turn and fire from cover, but it took longer than it should have, making it impossible to fire at the witches. "-these witches will not be sending me to manda. I can karking promise you that."

@Kraken @Gian Greydragon
3 of 10 remaining

 

[Arturo Solus]

"Oh, I believe you,"

Arturo shouted through the dark, Rud's words lost to the sound of blaster fire and the pounding of his heart. The Rally Master was a tricky man to pin down; one moment he was on the ground, his cybernetics causing him all manners of pain. The next, he was jetting upwards into the trees. Making a nest for himself, I bet. The thought wasn't funny -the idea kind of was- but Arturo laughed anyway. A low, humorless chuckle, nigh imperceptible. He put it down to the adrenaline. It always made him do stupid things, made him feel invincible which, he supposed, in that moment, he was.

Advancing after his brother, Arturo pressed up on the remaining witches, putting one down as she screamed some weird incantation at him, her voice shrill, enduring even as she died. Another one, tattooed and armor, appeared to his left. He pivoted, fired, and the witch was ducking away, out of sight and mind as the other circled round to his right. She fired, missing by an inch or two. Gods above! Arturo thought, sinking to a knee, his crosshairs dancing across her chest as he turned, finger squeezing the trigger.

He didn't miss.

The witch dropped, two holes burned through her abdomen. Arturo grimaced as the freshly-made corpse hit earth, already backing up, spinning, listening for the last surviving witch, suddenly unsure of himself. The forest was silent, eerily so, silent as the grave. Arturo wiped a smear of dirt from his visor, straining to see through the dancing, dim light and the lingering gun smoke. Someone hit him in the back,

hard. He only comprehended what was happening after his body struck dirt, the A-10 falling away from him, out of reach. The Witch, kriff! Rolling onto his back, Arturo scrambled to unholster the pistol at his hip, strangely calm as the last witch pulled a Vibroblade and raised it high. The blade shone menacingly, catching the light.

Well, damn.

@Ecclessey @Gian Greydragon Witches remaining: 1/10

 

[Rud Solus]

When Rud finally turned his body around, Arturo had taken out a few more witches and was in a tough spot with the last one. In an attempt to come to his fellow badger's aide, Rud fired at the witch but missed. Luckily for Arturo, the witch somehow saw Rud as more of a threat, seeing as he wasn't laying in the mud, and quickly switched the vibroblade for her energy bow before firing at the cripple. Ofcourse, her energy arrow did hit its mark, although not lethal, it his Rud in the right shoulder. Dropping his rifle -again- and losing balance he fell out of the tree and with the help of a last second jetpack burst fell right on top of the witch.

The malnourished body of the witch croaked as the fully armored Mandalorian fell on her, killing her the second her neck broke. Rud, too, didn't get off unscathed and while a burn-wound covered most of his right shoulder, the fall had dislocated his left.

Rud Solus had probably the worst luck of all the badgers.

"You-" he groaned, the pain interfering with every strain of thought, "-okay?" Where were the troops of clan Ordo in all of this? Where were the men Cuyan promised?

@Kraken @Gian Greydragon

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo raised his arms as the blade loomed, all attempts to free his Blaster Pistol forgotten as he prepared to shield himself as best he could. The Witch sat heavily across his chest, smiling the insane smile of a woman who'd played with fire one too many times and been burnt, severely. From the evil glint in her eye to the tattoos covering most of the exposed skin, it was clear -from where he lay, at least- that the witch was a maniac. So far gone that the only viable cure to the madness that plagued her mind was death. So be it, Arturo thought grimly, readying himself for the first strike, and the inevitable follow-through.

It never came. It was only after Arturo dropped his guard that he noticed the witch was looking up and away from him, something high up in the trees garnering her attention. He followed her gaze, squinting through a ray of blinding sunlight to- Rud! Arturo had wondered where his brother had got to, and in the moment of discovery, the tracker's mind wandered yet again to the blaster at his hip. He looked back at the witch, flinching as she ditched the blade and pulled an Energy Bow out of nowhere, an arrow already nocked. Blaster fire streaked from the canopy above, missing the witch by a hair's breadth; she loosed the arrow as Rud's last bolt zipped by. It hit.

The snap-crack of branches superseded the following quiet, the lack of noise somehow deafening to the tracker as he finally managed to free his blaster. He raised it up, squeezing off a shot that hit the witch in gut, almost doubling her up. And then, Rud struck; Arturo hadn't seen that coming, nor did he know what to do as his brother collided with the witch, the pair going down in a tangle of limbs. Arturo heard the sickening sound of bone crunching, and he pushed himself away, mutely observing the scene as the witch breathed her last.

Arturo spent a second or two just lying there, staring, the dull ache of exertion letting him know that he still lived. He tried to make sense of the blur that made up the last ten seconds and found he couldn't, his mind blank as he clambered to his feet. He retrieved his A-10, flying on autopilot, a quick glance at his clansman's injuries -the scorch marks marring his armor- making him grimace, his returning thoughts given anonymity by his visor.

"I'm fine," he answered, walking over to his Rally Master, nudging the still-warm corpse at Rud's side with his boot. "You okay? You took a few knocks there."

@Ecclessey

 

[Rud Solus]

Rud tried his best to ignore the pain, but when that failed he tried his best to brave it. "Have been better-" he replied to Arturo just when he violently turned onto his left shoulder and with an uncomfortable knack seemed to put it back in place, somewhat. "-Argh!" both his shoulders felt immovably heavy, the nerves in both damaged and the muscles strained beyond what they should during combat. "Looking forward to that kolto-bath about now, though." Rud grimaced and drew his sidearm as he scanned the forest for more witches. He knew that they needed to keep pressing some manner of assault so the witch clans would be forced to stretch too thin in other areas where Mandalorians were engaging. Therefore, although all he wanted right now was to submerse himself into said kolto-bath onboard their flagship, Rud opened the coms channel, "Burn it down."

Looking at Arturo for a moment, Rud nodded and then turned towards the general direction of the caves. Three seconds later his wrist-rocket made impact with the trees, shattering the smaller branches and clearing line of sight. Further back the same happened with other trees and constituted the first sign both Rud and Arturo had had from their fellows in this cursed forest. Later on Rud would hear in the post-mission briefing that they, too, had to deal with an ambush.

It was here that one witch ran into the clearing that both Rud and Arturo were laying in. She looked confused, hurt and in panic. Under normal circumstances Rud would have tried to calm her down in order to capture her, but the pain he was fighting was limiting any rational and strategic line of thought. There was nothing that made him consider the benefit for long term operations if they captured a witch they could interrogate. Instead, all Rud felt was the primal urge for survival and he immediately blaster her.

@Kraken
OOC: Feel free to close it up.

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo nodded, shading his eyes with a hand as Rud's wrist-rocket turned the forest to cinders, a great wave of heat and energy washing over him, making the trees groan in unison. Through the ringing in his ears, Arturo heard other hollow thumps as his brothers and sisters laid waste to the world around them, mirroring their predecessor. Despite the distance between the groups, the tracker still felt it as the ground beneath his boots began to quake and shiver, each blast setting his skin crawling in anticipation for the next. He doubted there'd be much left by the end; fire and devastation was all they'd leave in their wake. The order had been given. The forest would burn.

He snapped out of his reverie as one final witch strayed into the clearing, her eyes wide in terror, appearance disheveled. She froze the moment she noticed the two Mandalorian warriors. Arturo brought his A-10 to bear on her chest as she made to turn and flee, shaking his head as she thought better of it. He watched Rud out of the corner of his eye, the Rally Master resting squarely in his peripherals. He waited for the nod, tensing slightly in case the witch tried to make another break for it. She didn't. "What's the call?" Arturo asked, blinking, sweating inside his armor.

The answer came a second later in the form of blaster fire, a quick one-two burst that killed the girl almost instantly. Arturo blinked again, relaxing as she crumpled, feeling conflicting emotions, familiar now: Pride swelled his chest, forcing a smile that he didn't really feel; the witch's death signified a job well done, another promise kept. Guilt lingered at the edges of his soul, tearing another part away from him as he realized his brother had just gunned down an unarmed foe, one who -probably- would've surrendered to them, given the chance.

He turned to his brother, silently regarding the man as he checked his weapon. "Well, I guess that puts an end to it," he said, not really surprised to find that he bore no ill will for the warrior. They'd both seen enough these past few months. They'd fought and killed enough, witnessed enough, bled and suffered enough. Arturo didn't question the reasoning behind Rud's decision; It had been made, and that was that. There was no place for regret. No need for it. "Come on." He said, reaching out to punch Rud's shoulder in a small gesture of camaraderie, wary of the man's wounds. "Let's go regroup with the others, and leave this hellhole to the ghosts."

//End Thread​