In the distance Florence glows, golden and untouched, like a lie. Out here, the dark already belongs to teeth and the echoes of blood. The vineyard seems quiet, almost idyllic betraying nothing of the tension in the air. Melissa hovers behind a collapsed stone wall. Her breath slow and controlled. The Black combat fatigues blending in with her surroundings. behind her, half felt, half seen, her Wailing Echo hovers. Twenty meters downslope, three lesser vampires stalk a path between rows of grapevines. Lean, silent, bronze-rank. Not knowing they are already in a killing zone. Romy's voice is quiet, barely audible through the comms. “Wind from the west. They smell us in thirty seconds” Beside her Alexander is ready. Armor and cleaver already summoned he roles his shoulders. His smile a dark eager promise. “then let's not give them time to think about it.” Romy gets ready. Her conjured rifle starting to hum as she infuses it with Mana and prepares her skills. She leans over her cover. The runes on the weapon glow fire red the fast rhythmic, bang bang bang! Flowers of fire bloom on the rear most vampire. Chest, neck and head, the fire infused bronze-rank projectiles hit without a warning, ripping him from his feet.
The second vampire lunges forward. Virelles blood-red vines shoot up from the ground, wrapping around its feet, rooting it in place. It snarls in frustration, Melissa breathes, sound folding in on itself. Her Shrieking Lance is not loud, its focused. Her Echo acts with her, sound hits the trapped vampire and then hits again. Skin tearing, bones breaking at the same time as Virelle drains its stolen life force. The last one runs. Alexander laughs, bright, thrilled. “good instinct!” he charges. The vampire turns mid sprint, slashing wildly at the new attacker. Alexander takes the hit on his shoulder, blood spraying. The cleaver meets the vampire head on. Steel sings as he activates Crimson Strike. The weapon biting deep, then again bringing the creature down.
Silence hangs over the vineyard after the last vampire goes down, then the night answers. Melissa cogs her head, listening, hearing movement, snarls, six, maybe eight. her pulse quickens, but not in fear, in anticipation. “They're coming closer.” she says and Romy nods “ good, prepare to fallback position two” she says and the rest responds. Melissa and Alexander placing enhanced claymore charges then they move back. Closer to the residence. Romy aims, suppressive fire punching through grapevines and wooden posts, forcing the vampires in to predictable paths. Both charges detonate, reshaping the landscape. Melissa steps in to the open, several vampires pounce at the exposed victim. Their mistake, the Echo moving behind them. Melissa scrams, her Banshees Wail ripping though the path. The echo follows. Both Wails colliding in the middle, trapping the vampires in a storm of discordant force. At another path Romy aims, mana gathering in the under-barrel grenade luncher as a 40mm grenade is conjured by her skill. The dull thunk of the weapon precedes the explosion that rips through some iron-rank ghouls just before Alexander reaches them. Charging through the opening created by the explosion. With a wide swing he engages the vampires behind the minions.
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Melissa finishes of the aftermath of her assault then dashes around the brutal melee between Alexander and the vampires. Piling on damage where she can. Romy on the other hand picks of stragglers with controlled bursts. Its not a battle any more, its a mop up.
Soon the Vineyard is quiet again. Bodies cooling in the dirt and ash drifting between grapevines. Melissa exhales, hands shaking but smiling “That felt... different.” she says. Romy keeps an eye on the perimeter. “we chose the fight and they lack real combat training.” the section leader smiles “and no one on our side died.” there is a moment of silence before Alexander laughs “i count that as a win!” They look at Florence where the fighting intensifies. Melissa sighs “We cannot hold city's against gold-rank threats... but we can thin out the dark surrounding them” her Echo slowly dissipates as they look at each other “then lets keep going” Romy says as Alexander lifts the cleaver on his Shoulder
“side battles”
“payback”
“getting stronger”
The trio moves off into the dark. Three different answers to the same question.
