>_>
<_<
: Hey River, why are people attacking us anyway? All I've heard is some government and tyranny and...my memory isn't that acute here.
: I mean people are DYING left and right--there's no-...
: Alright maybe I can suggest to Awena tha-
: Ahh wait, I'm speaking my thoughts out loud. Hi Awena! Hope you don't mind my conversation!
: *whimpers silently*
: ...Well, I was also going to suggest you shout "Don't kill us" or something to say we don't actually mean any harm and are just doing our job. Might be the police anyway. Heavily...armed...police.
: Blargh why can't I be of anymore use to you?!
...
Additional: Suggest tiny one-or-so-liner dialogue!
((Ah, that made me sad. Hopefully, this mission will end soon and we can go to something happier.))
<They are attacking because they want power. Some humans always want more. If you're asking me why these specific humans are attacking, then I don't know.> He sounds angry.
((Why is there a map? o_O))
The image of the wounded man crossed Theri's mind.
Awena, I suggest that you suggest to the men to spread out--whatever assailant that is here, he's still here. If they've got explosives and we're all bunched up...err, well that's obviously a bad thing. As in, spread out thoroughly. The image was so clear and vivid enough that the very idea of such utilizations of force via explosive origins fazed her. We should warn Zoe. Do you see anything there that could help? As in, given the direction of the shots and the wounds (sorry for bringing up the memory!) then...well, the general area where the killer is must be..above us? (It looked possible from below, too...) Well, my point is to suggest to the men. Your choice. No pressure? (Please don't take this as pressuring...)
...Or, perchance, is there anyway we could...err, sync vision? That's alright with you, right?
Suggest and talk!
You're right. I-I have to do something. Maybe we could just get out of here? replies Awena.
I don't understand why they are doing this."We have to spread out! They have explosives, remember?" she yells to a nearby guard to be heard over the ringing in her ears caused by the recent gunshots. The guard nods and spreads the word to the other, instructing them to spread out.
This turns to be the right choice, for a few moments later, something metalic can be heard bouncing on the concrete floor near the front of the guard's makeshift cover. It explodes but not with the deadly shockwave and shrapnel of a grenade. Instead it releases a white mist that causes Awena's throat to burn and her eyes to water. She instinctively tries to rub her eyes to make them feel better but that only ends up making them burn worse.
Coughing, she makes her way through the door. There is a flash of light like lightning coming from behind her, followed by the sound of another explosion and more gunfire.
She reaches the room Amelia is in, entering just in time to see Boris and Zoe closing the metal doors leading into the room behind her.
"We need help." she says and coughs some more, trying to clear her throat from whatever's burning it.
"They came through the windows." she says with her eyes closed, both to protect her eyes and to hide her emotions.
Your interface beeps and its screen lights up with an orange light.
Irine
If he wanted to attack, he'd have done a lot more than just grab her shoulder.
Stay ready for combat, be it either mental or physical, but do not initiate hostilities.
Zoe
-not influencing Zoe-
Irine
To the presence pressing upon me: <Hello? My name's Irine. I'm here to try to help, but I'm not sure how. Who are you? What's happening here?>
hopefully that won't spook him/her/it/them and I might get some more information, or maybe even some help or cooperation. or at least get him/her/it/them to stop pushing against me like that.
The hand pulls her. Zoe turns around, pushing the hand away from her shoulder as she does so.
"Get out of here. There's a problem." says Boris before she has a chance to say anything and quickly turns around and gets out of the shell.
You try to open your mind to whatever presence may be here but for some reason you feel nothing except for the pressure getting stronger. Maybe you're doing something wrong. Maybe it's not interested in talking. Or maybe it just can't understand you. Either way, you get no response and the pressure disappears the moment you and your host get out of the shell.
"They're inside. Help me close the door." Boris says and points to the two sliding metal doors leading to the room you came from.
"You didn't need to pull." says Zoe, trying to get to her angry mindset again, trying to get ready to fight.
"I don't like it in there." he replies.
They both grab one door and start pushing, moving the heavy metal thing until it's closed. As you do so, you can hear the sound of more explosions and more gunfire. After one door closes, they then reposition themselves and try to do the same with the other.
Awena comes through the door a few seconds before you close them, bringing with her a smell that burns your host's nose, making her want to sneeze.
"We need help." She looks terrible. It's not only the fact that she's coughing and crying, it's also the look on her face. She looks terrified.
"They came through the windows."Your interface beeps and its screen lights up with an orange light.
Lob some of that tear gas and a flashbang at whoever was shooting, then lob down two armed blocks of C4. Get to a safe distance and detonate.
Move toward potential objectives if situation does not become critical!
You grab a tear gas canister, pull the pin, cook it for a few seconds and throw it down. There are more shouts and then the canister explodes, filling the area with whitish smoke that hovers low, close to the ground floor.
Next you grab a flashbang, pull the pin and throw it down too for good measure. It explodes with a deafening bang that you can sounds painful even through your thick helmet and damaged ears, lighting up the room like lightning for a split second. Judging from the shouts that follow, it must have done a good job.
<Smoke, lights and fireworks. All we need is an electric guitar and we're set.>And finally, a block of C4. You flip its switch and the screen lights up. That's when bullets start flying towards you again, but this time they are more unfocused. They're just firing blindly. They don't know where you are.
Your interface beeps and its screen lights up with an orange light.
You push the buttons on the detonator, setting its frequency and then timer. You get ready to throw it. But at the last second a lucky stray bullet ricochets, hitting your hand just as you're about to lob it. It doesn't penetrate your armour but it causes you to flinch and drop it down, right below the catwalk you're on.
What's more, you can see the railing of the stairwell opposite to you vibrating. They must be getting ready to make a push upwards.
Wait a bit for more gunfire or an explosion, then enter the building and sneak towards the area where I felt the disturbance, keeping an eye out for guards and the other person attacking. If no gunfire or explosions occur, enter the same way but use even more caution.
You take a peek inside. There seem to be a lot of guards taking cover near a door. Your host might be good, but he's no immortal. Going in from here would probably not be a good idea.
You can also see the other attacker, a heavily armoured hulk full of weapons, currently taking cover and... throwing a grenade? The grenade turns out to be some sort of smoke grenade, obscuring most of the guards from sight.
Well, that works in your favour. However that still leaves the choice of what to do with the attacker. Your goals might not align.
You go inside anyway, stepping over the corpse of another dead guard. You stay low and approach the stairwell from the other side, moving very slowly, staying low and hiding in the shadows. There's a bang from a flashbang followed by a few more disorganised shots.
Your interface beeps and its screen lights up with an orange light.
DAFAfter a few seconds of thinking, your host settles on a simple plan. He needs some help. Otherwise he'll most likely die here or get captured, which would just as likely lead to death. Only chance he has is to call for help and hope he can reach someone. Just got to get up. Get in a building. Find a phone.
He attempts to pull himself up but the stress proves too much for him. He falls down, unconscious.
What about my turn? :<
((I've finished your upgrade trees, I'll PM them later today after I make a final check and then you can level up. I'll do your turns after you level up and I'm done processing that level up.))