Event Major Contract: Queen of Leeches

[The Gatekeeper]

Theme​

They all knew the nature of the contract. What they didn't know was what specific horrors awaited them once they set foot in the swamps to hunt the Queen of Leeches. No two contracts were the same, and few contracts ever ended without blood being shed. Each hunter took his or her life in their own hands, and made peace with the outcome before ever setting foot in the hunting grounds.

Reports were terrible regarding what to expect. The local's tips were shady at best with mentions of a "witch's hut," a now-abandoned town, and countless smaller shacks, hunting towers, and fisheries littering the swamp. What was certain above everything else was that the area was now completely overrun with monstrosities.

Most civilians had evacuated the area except for the most obstinate of beings, and there would be few friendly faces within the swamp. Hunters from all across the galaxy had come for this payout, and each member knew that perhaps more dangerous than even the monsters were the other hunters who they hadn't come with. It would be kill or be killed in the marshes.

Each team approaching the swamps would have to pick their entry point and deal with the repercussions of those decisions in time. Only time could tell who had the cunning and skill to bring down the Queen of Leeches.

Spoiler: Please Read; First post instructions

Hello all, this is the kickoff of the AHA event. Please follow all instructions listed below.

• Please list which characters/team you arriving with (if any) and include your group name at the top of your post
• Please include your three pieces of special gear (at the bottom of post) in your OP if selected
• Please include a summary section in your posts
• Please PM me with the compass direction (North, Northwest, etc) that your group is arriving to the swamp from
• This is a death enabled event with a 48 hour posting window. @Reaper may kill people who time out among other unexpected appearances.
• Happy hunting!

 

[Bravo]

Northwest

Bravo... Bravo... Bravo... What a stupid name. She hated it. She loathed it. But it was her name...her call sign...her signature. Her mentor always called her that- his name was Hurley. Hurley loved her and she loved him. No matter how many times he almost killed her, she still loved him because he taught her how live and stay living. Hurley was hard on Bravo because he knew that she could be pushed to greater heights.

Now she was in some swamp hunting a leech-witch.

She came prepared, though, like she always did with all of her hunts. With a cycler rifle slung over her shoulder, a DMT rifle loaded with hollow point rounds, a single ODS Mauler fitted with a suppressor held in one hand with a vibro-dagger in the other. Her skull-mask was fitted with a voice scrambler that gave her feminine sound a deeper more brutish voice mimicking that of a hefty thug. The clothing she wore hid the fact that she was indeed a woman even if she was shorter than most the actual men she'd worked with. Blast-vests helped with the disguise as much as they gave her ample protection.

There was a single adrenaline stimuli that sat nicely in one of her vest pockets just in case things got dicey. The headset she wore wasn't picking up anyone else's signals so far, but she knew there were already Hunters out here with her. Trust was hard to come by for Bravo- especially with her fellow Hunters, so maybe working by herself for now would prove beneficial. You couldn't waste time with people that couldn't keep up.

Bravo debated wearing a ghillie suit, but her dark green, brown, and grey clothes were probably enough. Leeches didn't need eyes to see you anyway as long as you gave off body heat. Unfortunately for Bravo, she was warm blooded, but, she was also in a swamp. Mud was in ample supply and it usually did a good job of masking your body temp, even if it wasn't perfect. The blood-sucking invertebrates were going to be the biggest problem- not the witch. So, Bravo began scooping handfuls of mud and slagging them over herself. It wasn't pretty and it smelled bad, but it was going to raise her survivability.

Can't say the same for the others...

@Phoenix

Spoiler: TLDR

Bravo enters from the Northwest and rubs mud over herself in an attempt to mask her body temp Predator style.

 

[Ayşe Mataraci]

Team OrcTree​

Ayşe's boots sunk into the bog mud the moment she stepped foot from her ship and into the swamp. The entire placed was rank with the smell of stagnant and stale water, the sulfurous stink of decomposition. Ayşe's nose wrinkled just a little as she looked out at the land in front of her, though she noticed little in the way of useful information.

Contrary to her normal style of operation, Ayşe had opted to take on this hunt with the aid of a partner. Trudging through the swamplands of this backwater shithole alone to find something called the Queen of fucking Leeches seemed less than ideal.

Plus, her partner was like ninety percent tree. She had to have some kind of bonus here, right? Swamps were just forests with more stink and less bears. Tree people should feel right at home, or at least that's what Ayşe thought.

While she waited for her partner to exit the ship, Ayşe did a final check of her gear. It seemed unlikely they'd be returning to the ship any time soon, so anything the Orcolan wanted to bring on this hunt needed to be on her person right now.

Ayşe's outrider rifle was slung across her back and loaded with incendiary ammunition.. Her pistol was holstered on her left hip, a vibroknife on her right thigh, and her beloved chainsword was currently tucked into a sheathe that hung from her belt. Ayşe had also opted to bring an antidote potion that was in the pocket of her jacket as well as a single incendiary grenade that she'd use for emergencies.

Checking her commlink, Ayşe would dial it in to the encrypted frequency that she shared with Venus. For now, Ayşe would wait outside of the ship, slipping a cigarette and lighter out of the case she always kept on her person and popping it into her mouth, giving it a light as she exhaled a small plume of smoke.

Queen of fucking Leeches.

Jesus Christ.

Spoiler: summary

Ayşe arrives with Venus and waits outside the ship for now after a gear check.

@Phoenix @lizziie

 

[Venus]

An Orc and a Tree walk into a swamp...​

Venus wasn't just 90% tree, she was 100% tree (or plant, to be more specific). It was the reason her ship was outfitted with lights akin to those found in greenhouses. Venus was at her peak and ready to rumble with this so-called 'Queen of Leeches.' She was glad she didn't have blood; leeches sounded like a gross, icky nightmare to deal with.

She'd brought her typical loadout with her off the ship, in addition to three other items: an antidote potion, hollow point ammunition for her rifle, and incendiary ammunition for her plasma bow.

"Do you think anyone else is coming for the contract?" Venus asked Ayşe as she finally descended down out of the ship. There was the sound of wood against wood as her body grew about six inches over the course of several seconds until she was eye-to-eye with the Orcolan woman. She rolled her shoulders back to reposition the pack and the weapons slung across her body.

tl;dr:
- Venus descends the ship.
- antidote, hollow point & incendiary ammo

tag: @Logan @Phoenix

 

[Akira Tay]

Akira quietly moved through the swampy landscape - leaving her skip in the clearing behind her. She slipped between the rows of waterlogged trees, each footstep causing her boots to sink into the foul-smelling mud. It was an environment that vaguely reminded her of the wilds of Shili - if not for the ever-present danger that lurked within the swamps, and served to be the very reason for her arrival.

Like the rest of the Hunters, Akira had journeyed to the backwater planet in pursuit of the contract - and the especially large payoff that it promised. The Togruta hadn’t been part of the AHA for very long, and had only joined the organization after leaving her career in the FWA behind. That life was behind her, and helping to eliminate the ‘Queen of Leeches’ had the potential to jumpstart her new one.

As per usual, the Togruta was equipped with her usual loadout - sporting a vibroblade and Pioneer Slug Pistol on her hip, alongside a plasma bow slung over her shoulder. She had a pair of Proximity Mines and a Cyroban Grenade tucked into her belt, while her pistol was loaded with poison ammunition.

Akira arrived without a partner - preferring to begin her hunt alone. Whatever was waiting for her within the wilds, Akira was prepared for it - relying upon her acute sense of perception via her Montrals to detect any movement nearby.

Spoiler: TLDR

Akira approaches.
She is arriving with Poison ammnition, Proximity Mines and a Cyroban Grenade.

 

[Ice]

The Boogeymen

Ice was not normally one to work with others, but Zero had insisted on teaming up based on how dangerous the hunt was. She reluctantly agreed, but she knew neither would hesitate to kill the other if they slowed one another down. The Huntress first scaled a tree to gain perspective. She peered through her macrobinocs to spot for any movement.

Ice was adorned in camouflage to blend in easier with the swamp. She had gone on several hunts before, but swamp was not a well practiced terrain for her. She hoped Zero would be instrumental in that regard. The two of them agreed to communicate only through the sign language frequently used by their chapter for stealth hunts.

Spoiler: inventory

Utility Tools - Macrobinocs, Medkit, rope, firestarter, compass, headlamp, tarp, hunting knife, dried foods, water filter. Weapons - Bow, expanding arrowheads (hollow point slot), suppressed slugthrower pistol and antidote.

Spoiler: actions

Ice climbs a tree and looks through her binocs

@Orbit

 

[Zero]

Zero was as known for his tendency to hunt alone just like Ice but this time was different. The fact they were together must have been a surprise to almost everyone that even knew anything about them, but he managed to convince her to come along. He could be quite persuasive as he had a certain way with words. There had been mewlings of a massive contract and multiple chapters had swarmed to it like flies predictably. Even though he rarely spoke, that did not mean Zero wasn't listening and observing what others said. Upon the revelation that multiple teams would be participating in this, he shared the information with Ice, which led them here to join forces for the time being.

While his partner took the tree, Zero remained on the ground level, amongst the muck and low-standing plant life as he blended in almost perfectly. Compared to Ice, he was as familiar with swamps as he was with the back of his hand. Because of his lack of ranged weaponry, his tracking and stalking skills across various terrains grew exponentially to accommodate.

After he had first checked the area and prepped it quietly for his presence, he laid on his stomach to prevent his stature from making him stand out. With the natural colors that filled in his suit and his almost complete stillness, someone could have walked right past and missed him if they weren't staring hard enough. Zero was at a downward and diagonal angle from Ice's position, one that allowed them to see and communicate with each other if needed but his gaze and ears remained alert.

Even though he had a pair of binocs in hand, Zero had enough faith in Ice's sight that instead of joining her, he scanned the area around them instead to ensure no one or creature snuck up.

Spoiler: Inventory

Anidote potion, Incendiary grenade, Suppressed Slug-thrower.

Spoiler: Actions

Zero lies prone on the ground hidden and scans the area around him.

@Phoenix

 

[Vega]

The iron giant
​

Slowly making his way, the metal hunter made his way through the swamp on his own. A tall droid of metal covered in mud from head to toe in order to "blend in" better as he slowly walked, trying to make as little noise as possible. Of course, at the end of the day he was still a two meters tall droid and heavily armored, so he knew it would be a matter of time before he was spotted by his prety, he just took these precautions to make it more likely for him to spot what he was hunting before it spotted him.

Many thoughts crossed the droid's processor as he remembered what he had been told by father: His purpose here was to bait whatever was in the swamp and do as much damage as possible in the process, the only way he could be useful to other hunters as his father put it, so he would gladly oblige. Vega had brought some extra toys for this hunt, toys that would do as much damage as possible to whatever he was up against but first he had to find said targets, so Vega would use his scout HUD for its intended purpose and scout the area.

Spoiler: TLDR

Vega arrives and uses his scout hud to scout the area

Spoiler: Equipment

Incendiary ammo for the rifle, dioxis grenade and proximity mines

@Phoenix

 

[Sidapa]

Sister Marshall Lee wasn't having a nice day.

On her way to the swampy hell she was supposed to hunt some leech overlord her hunting partner had decided to bail on her for one absurdly simple response: leeches creeped him out, and despite his attempts to act tough he had demanded for the kindly nun to offer him a ride back to Utapau. The sheer audacity was enough for the smile on her face to crack and morph into a disappointed light frown. She didn't grace him with a response and instead opted to plant a dagger into his skull the moment he turned his back to her. The Association didn't need people with weak stomachs, and by eliminating this fool who trembled at the thought of leeches Sister Marshall Lee had done the Utapau Chapter a favor.

Only those with iron wills may be given the privilege to ascend, whatever that means, thought the nun as she exited her ship. The Cyber Cat perched on her shoulder leapt off of her and clambered on top of her BNG Y-Wing to serve as a lookout once she entered the swamp. She adjusted the weapons she carried, taking note of the incendiary ammunition, poison ammunition, and the antidote potion she had packed on her way here. Clad in camouflage to blend in with her surroundings, Sister Marshall Lee approached the swamp and stealthily took cover on the patches of tall grass and vegetation lining the area and making sure to reduce any shine from her equipment.

The smiling nun opted to scout her immediate surroundings first, taking note of anything noteworthy her gaze could find as well as making sure that nothing or no one could easily jump or latch at her. Minimizing her movements as best she could, she surreptitiously glanced over her shoulder to ensure that no one or nothing had followed her, before training her gaze forward.

Spoiler: Equipment

Weapons:
Poison ammunitions + a pair of slug pistols
Incendiary ammunitions + rifle
Antidote potion
Utility tools:
Map, compass, tarp, firestarter, water filter, two daggers

Spoiler: Summary

Sister Marshall Lee enters the swamp, hides in the tall grass and makes sure to reduce her equipments' shine to minimize being spotted, makes sure that no one has followed her, and scouts her immediate surroundings.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

As it turned out, @Bravo would be the first person to run across leeches. As she began to dig through the mud, the first of the strange, unnatural creatures came squirming out of the mud, looking to latch onto her. Almost without warning, they began to appear out of the ground all around her and she would be forced to decide between pressing across the open water in front of her to the series of buildings beyond or stay where she was and risk being devoured by the blood suckers.

@Venus and @Ayşe Mataraci would begin making their way through the swamp and if they headed straight they would eventually arrive at a small overhang perhaps ten to fifteen feet above them on which was perched at least one building. Their view of what was beyond was obstructed by the ledge. Finding a way to vault up or - probably more simply - pass around to one side or the other to come into the buildings proper would be up to them.

As for @Akira, she would press on through the swamps and find her progress currently unimpeded. "Smooth sailing" wasn't something that could ever be used to describe an AHA hunt, but this was about as close as you could get. She would pass through a clearing and be able to see a large series of buildings in the distance with planks of wood all around it as if some sort of lumber yard. She would be able to see vague, slow movement of... what might have been people in the distance. Whether she opted to travel to the lumber yard or simply pass by was up to her. She would be able to sense that her target was not at that location but still beyond.

@Ice and @Zero would be able to feel their target in the distance... not close, but not far either. From her vantage point, Ice would be able to just make out buildings to her right and open swamp land stretching on in front of her for quite some distance. An extensive series of partially shattered wooden docks seemed to exist over that swampland, but solid ground was interspersed in inconsistent patterns. To the left was what might have been a boathouse of sorts... a larger building set right down along the water docks.

@Vega would have his work cut out for him more than the other hunters. Swamps were not kind to droids, and without the serum flowing through his blood to pull him toward his target, he would be left with little way to actually track the Queen of Leeches. In the thick of the marsh, the droid would first stumble upon a series of shacks, the bridges leading up to them all but shattered, and he would hear the sounds of rustling ahead along with grunts of exertion as if someone were hitting something repeatedly.

@Sidapa would come to the same series of buildings as @Vega, spotting the robot before he spotted her by the clunking sound of his servos and armor. She, too, would hear the sounds of smashing and grunting and the first sights of bodies littering the ground. Bodies in half-emaciated states that had been hacked or beaten into the ground.

 

[Bravo]

Bravo's eyes widened as she watched the little blood suckers burst from the mud around her. This wasn't a great start. She looked over her shoulder at her ship and wondered if it was worth drawing more attention from potential hunters. No, she'd have to face the water and all of the leeches within. The suit Bravo wore kept her skin covered, but the bigger leeches probably could tear through the armorweave like it was nothing. So, she needed to keep a quick pace.

There wasn't much that grossed the Hunter out and a swamp was very low on that list. The water was dirty and sometimes Bravo swore she was stepping on bodies that had sunk to the bottom of the water. Bravo did try to stay in the shallower areas so that the water only reached her knees or the waist at the very most, making sure to keep an eye out for anything and anyone else who might wish Bravo harm. She didn't like being out in the open like this- in fact, her situation was probably one of the few that actually raised her anxiety.

Hopefully, the buildings ahead would provide better cover for her than the everglades.

@Phoenix

Spoiler: TL/DR

Bravo heads towards the buildings in attempt to get away from the leeches. She's keeping an eye out for more potential enemies.

 

[Ayşe Mataraci]

Team OrcTree​

Probably, Ayşe said idly as the two began walking deeper into the swamps. I will be fairly surprised if we are the only ones to chase the contract. Whether anyone else manages to survive long enough for us to see them is another question entirely.

After awhile, the looming overhang with its apparent lone building came into view and Ayşe couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow as she stopped a few meters away and looked up toward it.

Unsure of just what they were encountering, Ayşe would take out her rifle and start heading around the left side of the overhang to see if it was more easily scaled from the side or the front. While not overly trigger happy, Ayşe would keep her wits about her and draw her rifle on anything that moved that wasn't her tree friend.

She'd make no hesitation in unloading some incendiary rounds in anything that looked sussy. If they ran into something that looked more humanoid than monster, Ayşe would hold her fire but would still approach with trepidation and caution.

At least they hadn't stumbled into any leeches yet.

Spoiler: summary

Ayşe draws her rifle and starts walking around the left side of the overhang. If she sees anything odd she'll shoot it, but if it looks like a person she won't and instead approach with caution.

@Phoenix @lizziie

 

[Venus]

OrcTree​

The two of them approached the overhand, which was only five or so feet above their heads. Ayse started to make her way around, but Venus figured she'd take a peek over the edge. Slowly the Neti began to grow in size until she reached her full height, allowing her to see above the overhang and get a look at the house on top. If it looked safe enough, she would place her 'elbows' on the ground and haul herself over the edge. She kept her vibroblade in her hand whiles she did, just in case she needed an extra grip or a quick way to defend herself.

tl;dr: Venus grows and climbs over the overhang.

tag: @Phoenix incendiary ammo -> suppressor for rifle

 

[Sidapa]

Approaching the Iron Giant
​

She didn't need to wait too long to notice something within her vicinity.

Sister Marshall Lee – no, Sidapa saw the hulking droid first before she heard it. It didn't look like it was guarding the buildings she could spot from a distance as the gigantic machine seemed to approach that location. Then came the smashing and grunting, one brow rising in intrigue. The hunter followed the droid with her gaze for a moment, debating if she should reveal herself or not. But waiting wouldn't exactly get her anywhere so she rose from her hiding spot, forgoing stealth as she threw a bit of caution to the wind to approach the droid.

"Good day, Master Droid," the hunter greeted the iron giant as soon as she was within earshot, movements non-threatening and maintaining a fair distance between them in case the droid came swinging. She flicked pieces of grass that stubbornly clung to her suit before offering the droid a polite smile. "Have you come to inspect what caused..."

Sidapa surveyed the bodies that littered the ground, taking note of their half-emaciated states and the way they were hacked and beaten to the ground.

"...those?"

Should the droid not attack and give way, Sidapa would make her way towards the nearest corpse to inspect it closely in an attempt to ascertain what had caused these damages.

"Or maybe check out what's making those grunting, smashing sounds ahead?"

Spoiler: Actions

Sidapa emerges from her hiding spot, approaches and greets Vega, and closely inspects one of the dead bodies.

@Versok @Phoenix

 

[Ice]

Boogeymen​

Ice spotted nothing of significance ahead, but she did pause when she spotted the boathouse. She used sign language to illustrate it to Zero standing below, deciding that she wanted to go into the building. She could sense the direction of the target, but the boathouse could possibly provide additional supplies or a way through the marsh waters.

She hopped down from the tree and began to make her way over, gesturing for Zero to keep his eyes out for their surroundings. Ice hated the thought of this, mainly because it temporarily took her off course of the hunt, but she didn’t have full confidence in navigating the marshes just yet.

TLDR: Ice goes to investigate the boathouse

@Orbit @Phoenix

 

[Vega]

The droid's photoreceptors were fixated on the noise ahead, Vega processing the many ways he could approach it and realizing that not many were optimal: Walking slowly towards it could perhaps work, the noise he made by moving around muffled by the sound ahead, but since the bridge towards the shacks themselves were destroyed he would need to either climb up or use his jump boots, which would be louder.

Before going with any of the choices he had in mind the droid would be greeted by a human looking woman, the suit she was wearing and the weapons she was carrying making it quite obvious that she was a hunter "Affirmative, investigation is the first directive in order to achieve extermination of the target" The droid said, his photoreceptors now looking at the nun as if he could stare through her soul "My designation is to assist those that share the same objective as I do, but be advised, stand in the way of my directive and you shall be terminated too." Vega warned. He knew of the reputation of infighting the association had and the only reason they were a tolerated risk at all was because one of his functions was to "bait" the monsters.

"Probability of the cause of the sound being the same as the cause of the dead organics is high, caution is advised." Vega said, his hand now pointing at the broken bridges that would usually lead towards the shacks "Primary path compromised, other alternatives deemed too loud, I recommend circling around the shacks until the cause of the sound is within sight. We shall use our ranged weaponry" Vega explained as he took out his rifle "Unless you can come up with a better choice." Regardless, Vega would investigate the corpses too, it was the best way to understand what they were up against before trying to confront whatever was making noise ahead.

Spoiler: TLDR

Investigating corpses

@Phoenix @Sidapa

 

[Akira Tay]

Despite her relatively uneventful progress through the swamp, Akira didn’t let her guard down. She was experienced with AHA contracts enough to know that things could escalate at the drop of a pin. Underestimating her quarry was the quickest way to get herself killed.

Her eyes swept between the trees and waterlogged landscape, equally relying on her natural sense of echolocation to pinpoint the movement all around her. Thus, it didn’t take long for the Togruta to notice the lumber mill ahead - and the movement that came from that direction. It was slow and vaguely humanoid.. But certainly not anything that provided certainty. More importantly, Akira couldn’t help but wonder why any of the locals would willingly venture this deep into the swamp, knowing about the Queen of Leeches.

Without a word, the Togruta slung the plasma-bow from across her shoulder, holding it in front of her body. Her fingers pinched the drawstring, prepared to pull it back and loose an arrow at a moments notice.

Despite knowing that her target was far off, Akira began to slowly approach the lumber mill - eyes narrowed cautiously. She had no desire to be surprised later-down-the-line by whatever lurked there, and perhaps it would provide some clue towards dealing with her actual target.

 

[Zero]

Time ticked by slowly as Zero remained prone amongst the thick brush, his gaze vigilant as he scanned the surrounding flora. Halfway through the process, the serum that flowed within his blood caught a scent in the air and alerted him. Almost immediately, he felt almost a mixture between a pull and a pulse, one that reverberated all the way to his stomach before eventually settling. They were near.

Ice came down from the tree shortly after, informing him with hand gestures of the landmarks that were near him from above first. When her feet touched the ground, Zero slowly slid back before getting on his heels in a crouched position. With his cloak, it completely enveloped his body and made appear as if a small layer of green skin had been peeled from the ground.

Before Ice could move out, Zero held up a hand for her to wait. Without saying anything, he glanced around until he found what he was looking for, two sticks. Reaching out, he brought one over to himself before sliding the next one to the fellow Hunter. Turning towards her after, he held up on hand, his fingers curling into unique positions as he communicated with her, Silent. Follow. Exactly. Even almost in broken language, the message was still clear.

Zero would begin to lead the way, his footsteps barely making a sound as he carefully placed each foot. The stick would be used in order to test the ground and water they stepped across as he would jab at the two from time to time. Their method wouldn't be the fastest but it would be the most efficient, allowing them a steady progression through the swamp. As they walked, he would still maintain his watch, the Hunter's head scanning from left to right as they pushed on quietly.

TLDR: Zero gets up and links up with Ice. He gives them each a long stick to check the ground and help move before going to investigate the boat house.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

@Bravo had made a decision by pressing through the water. Though it wasn't immediately detrimental, she would periodically find leeches grabbing onto her legs and hips as she plodded through the water. Venom from the leeches would begin to seep into her blood and she would feel faintly woozy.

She would manage to make it to the buildings before seeing the "people" who were milling around it. Leeches clung to their bodies and they wandered as almost mindless husks of themselves. Three of them spotted the woman and made lunges toward her, grabbing and rushing with strangled gurgles in the backs of their throats.

Meanwhile, @Venus would be able to climb over the ridge of the lumber mill while @Ayşe Mataraci made her way around the side, making it to the upper area where they, too, would find leech-covered former civilians beginning to lunge at the pair. Ayse would find three lunging at her while two more moved in toward the Neti.

In the distance, @Akira Tay would be able to see the orc woman and her happy tree friend being lunged at by the leechers as and be given the choice between engaging them or simply trying to skirt around the mess that was quickly becoming the lumber mill and on toward her target.

@Vega and @Sidapa would be able to see that the buildings they had arrived at were a fishery. Unfortunately, before they had much time to do anything else, they would be waylaid. The swamps were not a place to find friends, build partnerships, or do much talking. The noise they made attracted the attention of the hunters who had previously been the source of the grunting. There was no forewarning as a grenade - cooked for several seconds - flew over and detonated just above the heads of the duo. A split second later two hunters popped partially out from cover and began opening fire on them with slugthrowers.

@Ice and @Zero would find their slow progress was slow but steady and thus far safer than everyone else's experiences. Their trip into the boathouse at first revealed no signs of anyone having been there recently. Vines and branches were overgrown and the doors to the main buildings were all closed and barred. Several boats along the dock were still tied up ranging from small to large, motorized or manual, row-powered. Many options for crossing the water in the direction of their target were available to them.

 

[Zero]

Their approach to the boathouse had been uneventful but that's what they wanted. Entering the structure shortly after, there there would be no signs of discernable activity taken place and implied that they were the first to reach the dock. Immediately, the boats swaying in the water seized Zero's attention, the number of them also supporting of the fact that their arrival had been the most recent.

Approaching the edge, Zero would first check the rowboats as he jabbed his stick on the base and seats of each one. When he found the healthiest of the bunch, he motioned to toss his stick in before he glanced to the rest of the boats. As he watched them bob in the water for a moment, a new idea sprouted inside his head. Instead of hopping in the rowboat, the Hunter would give an upward nod toward it, letting out a gruff and muffled, "Hmmph," to indicate it should be the one they use themselves.

Zero then walked down to the rest of the boats, specifically the ones with motors still attached to them. The process to check them was repeated, the quiet taps of his stick able to be heard by Ice until he found one suitable. When he found the one he wanted, he placed his stick on the ground before the macrobinocs in his hand dipped back underneath his cloak only to be replaced by a sharp knife.

One by one, the line that kept each boat secure to the dock would be severed with a single slash, Zero moving in between each support. After each cut, he would use his foot to kick the boats out into the water, leaving them unusable for anyone else as they floated out into the middle of the water or even further. All that would be left was the rowboat that Ice was in and one motorboat that he stood above.

Zero would take a step into the boat before glancing over to Ice, holding up one hand as he communicated, Fast. Exit. Rolling his shoulders to push his cloak back, he revealed the chain wrapped around his torso snuggly. With one hand, he pulled it off in a smooth motion before gripping the blade at the end. He stabbed the blade into the side of the boat, safely above the waterline and turning the weapon into a makeshift tow. Once, that was done, he wrapped the other end around his long stick before eventually walking back over to the rowboat and settling in his seat.

The long stick would be slid underneath Zero's seat, securing it in place as then he placed both his macrobinocs, his shortsword, and knife on the ground in front of him.

TLDR: Zero finds the healthiest rowboat and motorboat. Cuts the lines to the rest of the boats before pushing them out into the water to make them unusable for others. Afterward, fashions a makeshift tow with his chain whip between the two boats left for the Boogeymen.

@Sreeya @Phoenix