Grab the research camera and get far, far away from that crater Faith just punched into the ground, while sticking with the team. Make sure to keep the camera pointed at it, just in case. Get out the modded Gauss Rifle.
((Assuming here that the research camera can attach to the suit shoulder or something, and that the combat shield attaches to the suit's forearm.))
Sounds like whatever that sound is does not like seismic disturbances. Also sounds like it can dig, probably what created the pits in the first place. I have a sneaking suspicion that it might come up through the new crater.
[str:6
[faith str:1-1]
You rip the camera away from faith with ease, so much so in fact that you end up losing hold of it and throwing it across the path. It lands near the edge of one of the pits, a good couple of meters away.
"Fuck. May, get behind me!"
Thomas draws his laser rifle, then sets high power and low dissipation. Try to drop the biggest ones with an aimed shot, but hit the groups of mooks with a slash (The thing where you swing the rifle, using the beam as a blade). Stay next to May, follow the group if we run.
You ready both your weapon and your legs, set to either make a valiant stand or cowardly retreat, which ever seems like the best idea at the time.
"There, she did it. Team, move away from this one pit but prepare for a tactical retreat, meaning we should prepare to follow the path until we either leave this place or find a place we won't be surrounded by these holes. We don't know what it's coming, but we can assume it isn't nice.
Anyways, prepare for a fight and fire as soon as they appear."
As Milno said it, he unlocked both gauss rifles from his back and held them firmly, preparing for what could come next.
Activate the EMM if needed and stay prepared to engage the creatures at "short range", where the gauss rifles are better. Alternate between rifles if there are many, with the biggest critters taking a dual-wielding shot (yeah, with penalty and all). Take a good firing position to make sure there won't be any friendly fire. That because I'm supposing a con roll of [1+1+1-1] while dual-wielding won't result in friendly fire if I'm correctly positioned.
Start retreating if things get bad or a teammate decides to do something stupid.
You only have 1 gauss rifle on my sheet. That and the scoped laser rifle.
You draw your weapons, one in either hand, and make ready to either open fire like the protagonist from an action movie or to run like...well the protagonist of an action movie. With any luck there will be explosions for you to run away from while not looking back at them.
"FAAAAITH! YOU GOD DANG IDIOT! IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING SO STUPID, INFORM US BEFOREHAND NEXT TIME! What were you thinking!?'
I am surrounded by idiots.
What to do what to do what to do. We are potentially facing several hostiles, at close range, in their home territory. Oh god. This is going to be a massacre. We don't even know if our weapons will work!
I, uh....this is an emergency, right?
((If this requires a roll, don't do it))
Travis whips out his manipulator, and overloads it to made a moderate heat ball/explosion ((enough to evaporate a house and its yard)), tossing it into the hole as quickly as he can. He makes it a slightly delayed overload, so it can get somewhat far down far down
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
---
((Either way))
Travis books it farther down the path, fleeing as far as he can without risking falling down the holes
I...uh. Someone has to take charge.
"Alright troops, form up! Create a firing line! Fire on my command!"
Travis kneels in the sand near his group, trying to create a firing line. He levels his Crystalline Projector and waits for the unknown menace to emerge. As soon as it is not at risk of falling back down the crater, he yells "OPEN FIRE" and proceeds to fire a Crystalline Shot at its most vulnerable area using an intuition roll
((Also, not that it matters, I do get a +1 to Intuition rolls, right?))
You drop to one knee and make ready to fire.
"Oh dear." Charro grimaced, steadying himself before glancing around at his companions, checking their positions and running to a spot where he hopefully wouldn't get caught in their crossfire.
He shouted to the others, "Hold onto your hats, people!"
He did just this, loosening the catches on his blade-hat and popping the circular blade off, holding it above his head in a ready- and dramatic looking- pose. He scanned the many pits around the crater Faith just made, tensely waiting for the first glimpse of whatever horrors lurked below.
"And let's try not to go shooting each other, either!"
>Position myself out of teammates' line of fire, ready bladehat for use if any enemy creatures get uncomfortably close to me--
Or if any nearby team members look like they're in immediate danger.
Be sure to remain within the lit area.
You duck down out of the line of fire and whip your rather crumpled, sandy hat off, ready to throw it at...well at whatever.
Retreat to around 30 meters away, further down the path, watching and ready to focus on both the original pit and the newly made crater with the camera.
"Calm down, but if you must panic, just run for it," Faith said nonchalantly, kneeling with the camera.
You're in the middle of trying to run when Simus rips the camera from your hands and chucks it across the sand, almost into one of the pits.
"What the hell?!"
Stop filtering out Faith and Milno.
Kneel at a point where I have good line of sight to the pit Faith disturbed, and get my rifle out. Fire at anything nonhuman that decides to do more than poke its head out.
Listen around to make certain we won't get ambushed from the other pits. If that should happen, turn towards one of those for the above.
"Amendment to the previous: And absolutely no punching the earth."
((And stop comparing time zones, I'm trying to post here! ))
You crouch down and listen as you align your aim with the mouth of the pit. It's hard to tell, judging from all the noise around you, but you think you hear things coming from the other pits as well, quieter but getting louder quickly.
Retreat to around 30 meters away, focusing on the pit with the camera.
"Calm down, but if you must panic, just run for it," Faith said nonchalantly, kneeling with the camera.
((Read my action.))
((I'm aware you're trying to steal my precious camera. No. :V
Not that it changes the plan if you do get it.))
((You left it on the ground. I'm taking it with me.))
I assumed she picked it up again as she started running.
Maurice gave Faith a blank look, then closed his faceplate.
Miss Ferratum-Inanis, relaying Milno's words as promised:
Team, move away from this one pit but prepare for a tactical retreat, meaning we should prepare to follow the path until we either leave this place or find a place we won't be surrounded by these holes. We don't know what it's coming, but we can assume it isn't nice.
Anyways, prepare for a fight and fire as soon as they appear.
Also, can I borrow that shield of Feyri's for now? In my experience, if you want to take use of a gauss rifle, you have to hold it with both of your hands - unless you are wearing an exoskeleton or posess herculean strength. Though maybe the shield provides for it, I haven't given it enough look.
Take (and don) the shield if Simus offers it. Also take the tesla saber if Thomas doesn't object.
Unshealth the Instrument (or take the saber in my hand, if it is available) and stand next to Milno, out of his line of fire (as well as anyone else's, if possible), ready to repel the close-combat assault.
(( Also, Feyri isn't a fool, she just got unlucky with a single mistake.
Which reminds me, no one is currently wielding her saber, right?
@Prosperus Good luck with your research and enduring the pace! ))
You wield the shield and your knife, ready to go medieval on alien asses.
Prepare MFM, get ready, cuz' this shots about to get heavy.
You get ready to use your weapon. You do this mainly by opening the cover. Thats it.
The group waits as the sound grows louder, becoming a deafening din of screeching and clicking and vibration through the ground. They grip their weapons like talismans to ward of the darkness, aiming at the edge of the pit and barely breathing as whatever lurks in the depths surges up to meet them. What comes from that pit is difficult to see at first, it looks like a geyser of india ink, a mass of solid black writhing and pouring out into the air. However, as i spills upward and separates out, it becomes clear. Shades, or something that looks like shades, are pouring out in an innumerable swarm. These things are not the tiny, fragile creatures the group has seen before though, they're thicker, more solid and some are over 7 feet long. And they're hissing out of the pit by the thousands, screaming up into the blackness outside the bubble. Some are crawling out of the pit, slithering along on paperthin legs, cutting through the sand like a razor. Another fountain begins to spew from a neighboring pit a moment later.