When Routine Isn't [Private w/ Ax L Rose]

This area is outside of Vale's walls, but within a relatively safe distance of the city.
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Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

A routine support mission was how it had been explained to her. A team on a patrol mission had run into trouble and sent out a distress call requesting support and possible extraction. Team QRTZ was a group of first years who's patrol was in an area that typically wasn't even as dangerous as a normal security node route, simply due to the fact it was within the security network that protected Vale. If anything particularly dangerous had been detected would have resulted in a full team of third or fourth years, or even a proper huntsman.

That was where her mind had been as the bullhead had lifted off, the normal jokes on the pilot's lips, excitement over flying again, and a sense of comfort coming over the wolf as she recognized the third year student who's lead she'd be following. Comfort that shattered as three scrolls received another alert. The team leader's aura had broken. The vital signal beside the name Almond Quill on her scroll confirmed he was still alive, but with two other members of his team in the red, and the last member, their range specialist not far off, there was no longer anything routine.

As her heart raced from what had happened, a gauntleted hand offered a small earbud that the wolf expected would be for communication. The sound of an old rock instrumental brought her back to Remnant, a reminder of who she was partnered with. Ax, the axe wielding rocker she'd been paired with once before, and far more capable in a fight than most other students she could be with. More importantly, one that new her capabilities. Their mission had changed, but who they were hadn't. From that moment, the flight was a blur as the wolf confirmed what she could about the medical information regarding each student. There had been no hesitation as she raided the Bullhead's first aid supplies for anything she might have been missing with the change in situation.

A blistering pace created a roaring wind that had drowned out her quiet words to confirm any relevant information about the team. Each member was a human, their kingdom's of origin a likely useless detail, but noted with the same focus in her mind as the one who had a replacement left eye that would limit certain kinds of dust from being used in recovery. So focused had she been that she'd nearly missed the fact she could hear the pilot speaking, confirming they were above a drop point near the endangered team, and the extraction coordinates less than a mile away. Close enough that they could easily get to it even if they needed to drag members of the team with them. A drop that happened without ceremony for the medic. A touch of wind and fire slowing her decent without her normal theatrics.

A routine support mission was how it started. Now, with their objective a just over a hundred feet away from them behind several trees on a rocky hillside, a Deathstalker was slamming its huge pincers into the small cave entrance where a rifle shot rung out striking against its hardened carapace to little effect. The word routine was something she'd never trust again, but at least they knew where the team was, and so far they were all alive. Ten creeps lingered near the larger grimm, seeming to wait for it to flush the students out. One of them tried to climb over the creature into the cave only for a precise shot to blow clean through it turning it into a cloud of black mist. Nine creeps...

“However you want to do this, I'll follow your lead.” There was a touch of fear in her voice, but it seemed neither her nor Ax had been noticed, or at the very least weren't nearly as enticing as the first years pinned in the cave. What was a Deathstalker's weakness again? Wasn't it the spots between the plates? At least she knew that she could take out the creeps with ease, but that had likely been team QRTZ's thoughts too.
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Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Ax's eyes had been shut throughout most of the Bullhead trip, an instrumental rock classic playing in her ears. She let the music take hold of her, keeping her focused and grounded in the present. She ran herself through a simple exercise - shifting and redirecting the flow of power between her cybernetic arm, her gauntlet, and her greaves using her aura. The subtle thrum of elemental energy flowing through her was functionally almost invisible, save for brief flickers of static and flashes of blue light from the occasional visible spark.

She knew that some first years had called for support initially on a low-priority channel, which meant that only a little extra support was warranted according to mission coordinators. Ax was a two-person relief team composed of a specialist for handling injuries - Terra - and herself; a specialist for handling an unexpected number of what Ax's training would define as Class II Grimm. She didn't get nervous before assignments anymore like she used to, but it was worth it to do everything she could to be as focused on the mission as possible before she dropped...

...but then the alert came. High priority signal. Ax glanced down at her scroll and frowned. That wasn't good. An organized team falling apart like this was a bad sign, even if it was first years... Ax had reviewed their dossiers on the way. This bunch wasn't just some bunch of incompetent kids. Either they'd really fucked up somehow, or something very unexpected happened.

Ax exhaled a breath and dismissed the alert. She knew what she needed to know. Agonizing over events she couldn't control could compromise her composure. She needed to be alert and at her best. She and Terra were the only reinforcements in position to quickly support, so they'd just have to make it work as best they could, or at least buy time for additional support if it was really ugly. The same song was still playing when Ax handed over an earbud with a small confident little grin, hoping to help give Terra's mind something to focus on and to help them be more in sync. It usually helped when she worked with Nym, at least.

Her eyes flicked over to look at Terra as she started to gather some supplies. Then Ax was up, according to the pilot. She rose from her spot, cracking open her case beside her, raising the blade of Electra Heart and resting the blade on her back where it floated in place, locked to a magnetic holster under her cropped jacket-top. She reached up to grab the bar above the drop doors, peering out in the direction her scroll indicated she needed to go. A bird's eye view wasn't helping - too much cover and foliage despite the clear drop zone.

"Roger that. Deploying," Ax confirmed. She led the drop, raising her arms out and letting herself fall from the ship. She let her body slowly rotate forward once before her greaves kicked in, slowing her fall to an easy glide. Her feet and a single fist hit the ground with a heavy thud, muted slightly by the soft ground and the grass. She heard Terra land behind her soon after.

They were at the edge of a clearing, and Ax could see ahead what had been obscured by the trees from above. A Deathstalker. 'Definitely warrants a high priority alert for a first-year team'. Ax rose her hand and gripped Electra Heart in her left hand. She heard Terra behind her.

"I'll take the pressure off the team first. Watch the little ones."

Ax's voice was stoic, yet confident and firm like she was accustomed to giving orders. With that, her feet left the ground and she dashed forth, the air and wind rippling around her as she rapidly accelerated, levitating along the ground. A second later her feet hit the ground at a sprint. She extended her right arm out as she closed in a bit, moving between the trees to line up a clear shot, her cybernetic arm splitting apart at the wrist. Blue electricity thrummed ominously as she thrust her arm out like a cannon. Deathstalkers were a Class III threat. Their armor plating covered most of their tail, but there was one weak point Ax favored the most... the tip of the tail, just below the stinger.

An arc of flashing blue light lanced out in an instant, striking precisely at the end of the beast's tail from behind. The creature screeched, the end of the beast's tail outright severed and burnt into nothing - the ominous glowing stinger fell heavily onto the creature's head, the tail thrashing wildly and uselessly. While the stinger was partially embedded in the scorpion-grimm's upper plate and the beast was clearly disoriented, it began to turn on uneasy legs toward Ax, recognizing that there was now a threat more deserving of its attention.

Easy. A Deathstalker could be surprisingly fast and resilient at their peak, but they could be stunned and staggered. Precision was key, and Ax knew the exact amplitude needed to efficiently sever the tail. She grinned, but her smirk faded the moment she saw the creeps advancing toward her in a pack. She darted backward and to the side, strafing away between the trees and using them to slow the creeps, keeping the Deathstalker in her peripheral vision. She kept distance pretty easily, her feet leaving the ground again as she dashed back. Her arm retracted into its normal shape before she raised her weapon like an instrument, strumming a riff that would've sounded perfectly suited to the song she'd been listening to on the way to the drop zone. Electric power built quickly, orbs coalescing into being all around her as her feet touched the ground again.

"...unruly crowd, but I think I can manage," Ax murmured with a grin.
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

“Understood.” Truly it was as good an order as she could have hoped for. As things stood, the other team was in a defensible position where the Deathstalker could not reach them, and if any of the creeps tried to get in without that armor plated monstrosity, their sniper could take them out. Another quick glance at the teams vitals showed all four were alive. That wouldn't change now that backup had arrived. That meant her own objective would be to follow Ax's initial charge, and once the avian had the attention of the grimm, deal some devastating damage of her own, and hopefully help create a weakpoint in the Deathstalker.

The forest took on a blue hue as Ax released her first attack to get the beasts attention, a devastating strike that created an opening in the Deathstalker's armor. Golden eyes blinked once and the world had already returned to its normal shades of greens and browns, the golden stinger embedded in a thick carapace holding her attention only long enough for her to commit it to memory. A plan would form in the back of her mind as she darted between trees silently, easily skating on a patch of ice rapidly forming and vanishing under her feet. There were nine targets more suited to her attention than the beast Ax had already wounded after all.

Terra drug her nails down her forearm pulling loose numerous threads of aura that trailed behind her as she skated between the trees. Flickering threads of lavender lingered in her wake like a web. Ax's initial hit had been enough to get even the Creeps attention, and without the fear that had plagued her on their last mission, she was invisible to them at the moment. The sound of guitar and the buzzing of electricity guided her direction, and helped her finish her plan.

“Flow!” Lavender shifted to a deep ocean blue, and the sound of crashing water followed her voice. A crystal of matching blue glowed behind her ear as she broke from between a pair of trees with a mad smile on her face and in the thick of the pack of creeps. One turned to snap at the wolf only for its jaws to close well behind where she'd been. A torrent of water slammed into the pack of creeps encroaching on the rocker pulling, the water rolling in on itself in her wake to pull them with her. It was impossible to know if they were all trapped in the wave of water, but those that were would be carried right back to the Deathstalker. The hard part was getting them there without getting pinched.

As the golden stinger came back into view Terra quickly reached a hand up to grab a tree branch overhead to swing herself on top of the branch. The wolf used her free hand to direct the watery payload of creeps into the air before arcing back down, the weight of all the creatures she'd trapped and a wave of water hammering the stinger like a nail. Not a one of the creatures had been killed by her attack, but she could quickly count nine of the creatures staggering from the disorienting trip. That was all of them, more importantly, they and the Deathstalker were all drenched in dust made water.
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Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

The fastest way to fry these Creeps wasn't quite the same thing as the most efficient way to clear them out. Ax wasn't afraid to get in close if she had to. She had terrain here she could use pretty well against them - Creeps were fast and liked to swarm you, but they weren't agile the same way Beowolves were. She could thin a few out while they advanced and take the rest down with her axe. The Deathstalker was marching in, pincers ready to smash through the trees in its way... she stood her ground confidently nevertheless. Shining spheres of electric energy orbited near her, the light reflective and almost glowing in Ax's eyes...

And then Terra was there in the thick of them. Ax's hand flattened against the strings, the music pausing long enough for Ax to process what was happening - Terra tore through them with a literal wave in tow, washing the little bastards from the trees and nearer toward the cavern. Ax watched in bewilderment as Terra managed to not only ensnare the beasts in the wave, but also to arc it through the air and drive the combined force of the water and the dogpile of little monsters onto the Deathstalker. It was a big, splashy mess... while the force of Terra's water-based bullying had clearly disoriented and stunned the beasts, Ax snapped back to attention the moment she saw movement.

Well, that was as clear a sign as any. Ax unleashed one final riff with a dark chuckle at the utter lack of threat these monsters posed under the combined might of their dust-based attacks. If she were a Grimm, she'd have been embarrassed for this bunch. As she strummed the guitar one final time, she rose her arm and pointed outward. In rapid succession the orbs all launched forth in a brief sequence, each one launching just a microsecond later, linked together by thin beams of lightning. They exploded with an almost blinding flash as they clashed into the massive mess of monsters, but after the rapid flash of blinking exploding lights, all was silent. All that remained of their foe was smoldering black and smoke.

They had not only disintegrated all the small Grimm seemingly instantly with the help of Terra's setup, but Ax had also obliterated about half of the Deathstalker's body, which was now slowly blowing away as dust in the wind. One of the trees nearby had been blown into pieces, a sizeable bit of the grass around the scorpion's disintegrating form burnt to ash. That had been a pretty efficient use of dust on Ax's part. Maybe less so on Terra's, but when you couldn't kill things efficiently, it was best to kill them fast.

Ax strummed her strings one final time, discordant notes announcing her triumph as she lowered her guitar and the strings winked away. She gave the dead Deathstalker a lazy, one-handed salute and peered up at Terra on her perch.

"...well, can safely say I've never seen a dust performance like that before. That'll do, new blood. That'll do," Ax raised her hands and began to gently clap, a small grin on her lips.
Last edited by Ax L Rose on Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

The wolf had been on several missions since her first with the rocker, but it was that routine security check with Ax that had stuck out the most. The memory of a horde of beowolves that was followed by an creature that had been terror itself for the wolf, a King Taijitu. A kind of grimm that had almost devoured her once before. Ax's confidence had been infectious then, and the way they had fought together had stuck out to the wolf. They both had the fire power to bring down larger threats and the agility to avoid harm, though it was the avian's experience that had made that first fight so effective. The past few months had been spent practicing with her dust, learning more efficient methods, but thanks to Ax, she'd also added water to her repertoire so that one day she could synergize more effectively with her.

That synergy was on full display as gauntleted fingers played a riff on her guitar that the wolf could feel in her chest. Or maybe that was just the chunk of wood from an exploding tree that had struck her harmlessly thanks to her aura. Terra fully expected the creeps to fry in the light show, to be nothing more than a black mist and a grim memory, but that would still leave the Deathstalker. Except, after the electric lightshow and the crackle of electricity faded, there was silence and the remains of half a Deathstalker blowing away in the wind.

“Neither have I.” The wolf was at a loss for words as she jumped down, the immediate urgency of the situation quite literally vanishing before her eyes. She still had work to do once they entered the cave, but she had a couple moments to breath and take in what had happened. There was no sarcasm in Ax's praise or clapping though. A Deathstalker was a real threat, and it was just dead. It was hard not to be in awe of what they'd done. She was just a first year!

“I mean, I've been practicing water and lightning synergy with my dust for a bit in case we worked together again, but it's never been so potent.” Maybe it had to do with the attacks coming from two different people, their aura more focused on a specific element? It could just be Ax's raw power with lightning dust. Stars, what would they have been capable of if they had done that with her semblance linking the two of them? Resonance between them would result in far more power with even less dust and aura used.
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Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

The sound of metal against metal accompanied each clap of Ax's hands. Aside from that, it was simply ambience in the forest now. Distant birds, the wind blowing through the trees...

"Grimm are all predictable. You can tell how much punishment they can take from their size, their plating..." Ax shrugged her shoulders gently. The damage she'd dealt to the beast with her more concentrated blast of electricity had also tenderized the big mean bastard too. Having its own stinger lodged in its body certainly didn't improve its ability to withstand extreme amplitude.

"I know what it takes to fry a lonely creep, but you multiply all the amplitude of each sphere together and get it all running through a streamlined conduit like that... I know what it takes to fry a big scorpion too." Ax explained laconically. There was obviously a lot more to this than that when it came to subtle interactions between dust and aura, but they definitely had other concerns. Ax turned toward the cave, raised Electra Heart onto the magnetic holster on her back, and began to jog toward the cave, motioning for Terra to follow.

"M'sure you'll get to the point where you can even create an on-the-fly strategy for handling them alone in time," Ax called back.

"I classify Grimm based on the strategies I devise to eliminate them. Deathstalkers are a multi-step process, but they're still a static formula pretty much, with a little wiggle room for improvisation should it be necessary. They're what I'd call a 'Class III'."

They still had a whole other matter to help these students with. Ax had a feeling Terra would be doing most of the work making sure the team they were relieving made it to their pickup point safe and sound.
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

The thought that grimm were a predictable danger sounded like a fact that should be difficult to swallow, but each encounter she'd had with them lent the idea credence. Beowolves were savage and fast, quickly picking out vulnerable targets to ravage with claw and fang. Grimm in general were attracted to weak targets, but Beowolves took that a step further. Creeps and Boarbatusks had certain similarities in how they moved. Both had the ability to move faster than their form would suggest in a straight line through a leap or roll, but they both had a harder time changing direction. They would try to leap or roll past if they missed, meaning they'd be at a distance again and able to redirect safely. It wasn't a thought the wolf had ever considered before Ax pointed it out.

“There's still a whole lot for me to learn, though I feel like I'm learning quickly.” It felt like she was always learning from the people she ended up paired with, but there was something about Ax that made a lot of what she said just click into place. It was why she had seriously started to consider broaching the idea of them being on a team, and why she'd taken the opportunity to speak with Ax's partner, Nym. Terra moved quickly to catch up with the avian, and to move ahead. While she was still learning, there were a few things where she was the more experienced of the two.

“We're friendlies from Beacon, hold your fire!” Terra called out while pulling a pair of emergency glow sticks out of the pack on her hip. A bit of pressure from her thumb caused both to begin to glow with a soft blue light. She bit down on the capped end of one and pulled it free, a few glowing specs of luminescent fluid dripping onto her top as she did so. “Team QRTZ are all humans, so they'll likely appreciate the light.”

As the pair approached the cave entrance, there were several subtle signs the wolf recognized from her time in Mantle's slums. The entrance was man-made, with old wooden and steel supported helping hold the shape of the tunnel, even under the might of a Deathstalker's destructive claws, though there was obvious damage from that and age. A mine, which meant there could be tunnels and more below to watch out for. Before Terra stepped into the mine entrance, she waved the one glowstick in front of the entrance to bait out a trigger happy sniper. No shot rung out.

The lack of a rifle shot didn't bring much comfort to the medic as she stepped into the threshold. While the soft blue light from the glowsticks in either hand only bathed about ten feet of the tunnel, the golden eyes of a faunus revealed far more. Unsturdy stone stairs down the tunnel, a rusty handrail, and the glint of light off of a sniper rifle scope, unmoving and trained right at them with the rifle braced against a damaged shield wedged into the ground. The wolf dragged the open glowstick along the wall leaving a thin trail that gave off little light.

“I don't know if you can see her, but their sniper is still aiming our way,” Terra whispered to her partner for the mission but didn't slow her steps as she carefully made her way debris covered stairs. Neither of them had suffered any injury during their fight, but a well placed rifle round could still hurt more than a little or even seriously injure one of them.

“We should try to avoid any sudden movements unless we want a sudden piercing.”
Even her sharp ears couldn't pick up the quiet sniffling of relief from the girl at the other end of the rifle who'd already taken her good hand away from the trigger, or the way the breath of the other two conscious members of Team QRTZ steadied as they realized help had arrived. There was still a general sense of unease and worry over their team leader being down, but things were looking up.
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Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Ax was never one to just let a girl pass ahead of her... unless said girl had a really nice butt. Actually, maybe on second thought Ax was the type to let a girl pass ahead of her. She found herself thinking more on her general impression of Terra, though, as her cool, calculating blue eyes followed the wolf taking the lead.

"...heh, yeah, you're pickin' up quick, Tear," she replied, briefly distracted by an errant flick of Terra's tail before redirecting attentions ahead to the darkness ahead. They'd already confirmed that no one was dead or unstable via scroll, which meant there was nothing to fear as far as injuries Ax couldn't endure the sight of. Ax was as cool and composed as could be. Stepping into the dark was easier when you weren't taking point, too.

“Team QRTZ are all humans, so they'll likely appreciate the light,” Terra said.

"Hope so," Ax replied absentmindedly, aiming to silence a critical voice in the back of her mind. A team of humans getting rescued by a pair of faunus... all the more reason to be cautious. She'd heard of "training accidents" that went something like this story. Despite her composure, part of her job was to consider the unlikely and have a plan for it... and encourage her partners to do the same.

"Watch for loose terrain, hazards, and traps. If I'd been chased into confined quarters by Grimm, I'd probably deploy some defenses if I had any. Cavern mouth faces west, so orient accordingly if we need to make a quick retreat. I'll watch our six," she called out softly, a projected whisper. Ax had the habit of making callouts like this constantly - she clearly took her responsibilities as a coach rather seriously, even if it led to her repeating herself and stating the obvious or unlikely at times. She opted not to voice her cynicism about assisting a human team... it was one of those 'if you know, then you know' kind of situations. That Ax's faunus teammate was as alert as she was meant Ax didn't likely need to go into details.

The avian's eyes were sharp as they were lit up by the luminous glow of their emergency light sources Terra had brought along. By now, Ax knew the telltale glint of a sniper scope - some subconscious thought process registered it almost immediately, her heart leaping in her chest. She had to resist the urge to dart back to the cavern entrance and dive for cover... sudden moves would only make the situation more anxious for some justifiably rattled students.

She raised her hands lightly, a gesture of surrender intended to seem disarming that had the side effect of also making Ax feel safer, and subsequently calm enough to not project nerves. She could more quickly repel incoming fire with her gauntlet-plates hands positioned thus, and... well, she'd give the humans their space 'til she was no longer in the line of fire, too. That'd also probably help keep this from escalation.

"...we're the cavalry," Ax called out coolly, conversationally, a rehearsed little half-smile forming on her lips, her tone still controlled but louder than before. She was aiming to project confidence, composure, easy intent... keeping things calm was important if they didn't want incidents.
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

“This is actually the part I'm familiar with.” Recovery and rescue... Any other time, any other day, Ax's praise would have filled her with pride. It meant she truly was growing, getting better despite her issues in training matches and what some of the professors believed. Right now though she tempered her pride, she had to keep her attention on her footing and on the sniper's weapon still leveled at them. A fact the avian was aware of too, and more so, Ax brought her attention to the potential for treachery. Her footsteps had been focused on finding a place that her foot wouldn't slide. A cord or string in her path would have gone unnoticed, same with a mine or IED. Her next step came down a little slower as she looked out for the new potential threat, but her eyes were sharp. Her pace had only slowed for a breath.

There was no shot, no mine waiting without warning, no treachery, just a ragged team of first years waiting at the bottom of the stairs, the rifle still unmoving as Terra stepped past the barrel. It was easy to see why. One of the sniper's arms hung limp at the shoulder, the medic's eyes quickly noting it was likely severely dislocated. There was no blood on the girl's jacket around the shoulder suggesting it wasn't at risk. Out of ingenuity and desperation the rifle-lance had been braced and tied to her a damaged shield and her arm to make her a stationary defense. “They sent you?” The sniper half muttered under her breath before looking away from the wolf. Terra's ear flicking was the only show that she'd heard.

Her attention was on the rest of the team and the place they'd holed up. It looked like the area had been widened out to be the staging point for a mine proper, with numerous tools and safety equipment scattered near a set of turned over lockers. An old generator was hooked up to a lighting system that had long since burnt out. The way into the mine itself was blocked by a collapse. In the corner opposite of where they'd laid out their injured teammate though was the most concerning sign, bones. Terra didn't bother to look long enough to identify them. It wasn't hard to guess that the mine had run into grimm and that some of the miners hadn't seen daylight again.

Zeke and Ren had their weapons in hand, the former anxious tapping the barrel of one of his pistols against his thigh, his finger resting on the trigger. Ren was leaning on his spear, eyes still on the entrance, though a clear look of relief washed over him to see not just reinforcements but a well known and experienced student behind the wolf. Behind the spearman was Almond laying on the ground near their packs. A camping pillow was under his head and a blanket had been put over him. Neither Zeke or Ren looked nearly as bad off as their team leader. While she'd suspected early that he'd be the first person she'd have to take care of, it was always worth a quick examination of the situation.

With a slow deliberate motion, Terra tossed the half emptied glowstick and the undamaged one into different parts of the room to spread the light around. “Ax, I'm going to start examining and treating their team leader. Depending on how bad it is, we might be here awhile. Tangie's arm appears dislocated, she'll be next if I can. Outside of medical decisions until we're done supporting you, Ax is in command.” Tangie and Ren both nodded without a bit of hesitation, but the last conscious team member grit his teeth for before nodding, the tapping of his pistol on his thigh grew a little more rapid. Unless something got in her way or stopped her, she'd kneel down next to Almond and start examining him by reaching out with her semblance.
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Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Her fear of these kids doing something stupid shrank considerably as she recognized the most obvious of the signs of injury ahead - an unnatural quality to the way an arm hung from a shoulder. It looked painful enough from Ax's angle that it elicited a faint little echo of empathetic concern that could probably be felt psionically, though not seen on her face. At least there wasn't any visible blood... though the riflewoman would certainly need a more detailed look to ensure her aura was handling it okay. The potential for severed tendons, ligaments and such that wouldn't be immediately visible externally was hard to gauge without a closer look.

She knew what it was like, feeling like your arm was being pulled too far... like your shoulder was being jerked out of its socket. That little pang of empathy rippled through the air, this time a little more strongly.

Ax noted what sounded like a pretty dry comment as one of them seemed to recognize Terra. What was that feeling...? It was like... a tinge of something ugly that she couldn't quite place. Some sort of malcontent... maybe more shame than disdain...? Regardless of the nuances Ax couldn't grip, she decided that didn't matter - she didn't like this chick's tone.

"I know, right? Who'd have thought they'd send someone who can heal you? Your lucky day, right?" Ax replied cheerily, her words just clipped enough to get a little of her annoyance out while still attempting to downplay her itch to be confrontational. Be grateful, her tone said. These lot were in too bad of shape to go pissing off their backup, much less their medic.

Clearly some mistakes had been made, judging from where they were stuck. She didn't like the idea of being forced to flee into a cave. As she noted the dusty, uncomfortable-human bones off a bit from those that still lived, she could only hope that whoever came before met a swift end. She opted to keep the more macabre notes crossing her mind to herself for the time being, eyes turning to Terra. This was the wolf's domain. Ax could do the field medic thing in a pinch, but Terra was unambiguously the better pick for making calls when it came to getting these kids back on their feet and heading to their evac point.

"Ax L. Rose at your service," Ax noted as Terra finished, giving her a nod. She didn't reach for her weapon despite wanting to have it ready in case of a back attack... she was more concerned about the kid with the itchy-looking trigger finger than a potential ambush at the moment. She was confident she'd hear whatever was coming should anything try to flank them.

"So, everyone's still got their arms and legs. Good." Ax tried to add some levity to the situation. Just another day at the office, right? This was what they signed up for.

"My teammate had to drag my feathery ass physically back to our LZ a few missions back in my case after I lost an arm," she noted, nodding her head at her own metal limb, gently lowering her hands.

"I've seen worse-looking hangovers. We'll have you lot back at Beacon in no time, but for now," her tone shifted to a more direct one... Terra would recognize this as her 'that's an order' tone. Apparently Ax was betting that these worried souls might take a little comfort in some proper direction at a time like this... but that they also might need a little warming up.

"Status report."
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

There was no satisfaction to be felt as the wolf knelt down beside the incapacitated leader of team QRTZ. There was no point in dwelling on her experiences with Almond and Tangie. Instead her motions were practiced and habitual. Her medical supplies were laid out beside her, piece by piece each in its spot, nothing opened until she needed it, but all available within her reach on either side of her. Furred ears turned and twitched listening to the sounds around her as she worked. Ax's voice was calming. There were few faunus she'd believe could take the reigns of an all human team even temporarily, but Ax was one of them. The shift to no nonsense put her own nerves at ease as she pulled back the blanket covering Almond.

She was greeted by the sight of a few haphazard bandages put on by amateur hands. Better than nothing, but only just. One was stained with more than a little blood, a more concerning yellow ichor that resembled the tail of the Deathstalker staining the fabric. It suggested most of the venom hadn't gotten into his system even before she pulled the bandage free. The wound was more of a cut than a puncture, a grazing blow from a stinger. Enough to get past aura, but what had brought him down was the venom that had seeped in. Still, she'd dealt with worse, and she'd gotten some very intense practice in the process of removing venom from a victim's system. Her lips curved into a smile at the thought, but continued with her work as the sniper tried to give a status report.

“The mission was a routine patrol. Check for signs of grimm activity, exterminate lesser grimm, call for back-up if we ran into any of the greater grimm variety.”
Tangie's voice shook, her cheeks damp from tears she hadn't been able to wipe away. “I noticed the creeps and told Almond.” She glanced from Ax towards the boy Terra was treating. A faint flicker of violet was visible between the wolf's hands and the wound in his shoulder at the time. She couldn't look for long before she turned her attention back to the faunus who'd requested the report.

“Since creeps are considered a lesser grimm, he instructed us to follow and engage. It felt like shooting fish in a barrel. They just continued in the direction we saw them running towards, and we killed maybe ten or fifteen with no incident. Then the ground beneath our feet erupted around us.” There were still bits of dirt and loose grass in her hair from the initial engagement. “The Deathstalker caught my shield arm before we even knew what was going on and started swinging me around like- like it was trying to rip it off. Ren got knocked away by me getting slammed into him, but he was the one who sent the initial distress signal. Zeke was doing what he could to manage the creeps since they all turned on us in. Almond called for us to retreat and landed a hit that knocked me free, but got stung in the process.” She knew the details were spotty. As is, she still hadn't found her feet to properly face the woman who came to their rescue. She could barely remember how they'd made it to the mine in the first place.

“I spotted the mine.” Ren stood up a little straighter as he filled in some of the missing details, but was still worn enough to keep some of his weight on his spear. “I grabbed Almond and used my dust to create a wall between us and most of the grimm. It was enough to put some space between us and make our retreat. Zeke covered the last part of our retreat and made sure we all got into the mine.”

“We never expected to run into something like that and everything turned to shit faster than-” Zeke cut himself off as he realized just what he was about to say to who and just hoped neither recognized the turn of phrase. “We were caught off guard.” His twitching hadn't calmed down, his eyes still on Terra as she worked on their team leader. He had no clue what he was seeing, but it made him nervous. Gloved hands, blood, that he recognized, but the shifting colored threads of aura between her hands and Almond's shoulder was putting him on high alert.
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Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Ax's expression was initially stoic as she listened to Tangie's report, though her sharp gaze softened as the woman continued. Mistakes may have been made, but they were pretty reasonable and forgivable ones that any bunch could've made just as easily. They'd been ambushed by an unexpected threat - they and their leader did what they could to keep control of the situation, but it just hadn't been in the cards. They did most of what they could right... this was a lot of bad luck. They'd made the most of it that they could.

"Tough luck," Ax pondered aloud, more to herself than anyone else as she nodded in quiet contemplation. She glanced over to Ren next, doing her best to follow his logic, feeling out the subtle ties between his active recollection and his emotional state. There was doubt, uncertainty beneath the surface. Sure enough, Zeke volunteered a nice, succinct take - they were caught off guard. She surmised that this fact must've meant they were calling every decision they made in the aftermath into question. Their morale had taken a blow.

"Sounds like this was the right play," Ax said after a moment. "Called for backup when you were supposed to, improvised and figured out a spot to hold out... the cave got you out of the open where you could get surrounded. Definitely more defensible than being out in the woods, the time you bought might've saved your lives..." her tone sounded gentle, compassionate, approving even. When things got tough, sometimes you had to figure it out on the fly. What mattered was that they were all alive.

If Ax minded what Zeke was about to say, it didn't show in her expression.

"Yeah, sounds like a fucked up situation," Ax nodded... though her eyes gradually narrowed at Zeke's apparent distractedness. She followed his eyes over to Terra, and then began to slowly step nearer, hoping to draw his attention properly and gently, making easy conversation as she did.

"Terra's semblance can be used to precisely manipulate aura. She's using it now to treat your leader. Terra, what's up? How's he doing? Got good news for me?" Ax spoke aloud. What this team needed right now was clarity, transparency. Whatever passing history these kids had with Terra came second to ensuring things went smoothly here and now in the present moment.
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

They'd been baited, and each of them knew it. It felt like it should have been obvious but they'd never considered the possibility that grimm could be cunning. It was enough to make Zeke seethe. He and Ren had gotten out of it mostly unscathed but that was the nature of how they fought. They avoided outright danger laying out supportive fire while Almond and Tangie did the heavy lifting. Now their team leader was unconcious and may still be in danger to succumbing to his wounds. Tangie who was usually the second in command was in awful shape herself, her arm hanging uselessly beside her, and this so called medic had barely given her a glance. It felt like a failure all around. When the bird stepped into his line of sight, he nearly cussed at her, but thought better of it. While her tone was gentle, she'd made a point of putting herself between the two of them.

“I've mostly got good news.” She drew one hand back from the wound a tendril of water following its way out. Most of the glowing yellow ichor that had seeped into the wound was trapped within and no longer able to affect Almond. She cast the water and venom to the side away from anyone else. “The sting was only a grazing hit. Enough of a hit that venom was able to enter his system and it's likely why he lost consciousness after attacking his aura. I've just finished removing it.” The scent of antiseptics burned her nose as she set to properly cleaning and bandaging the injury.

“I'll be able to start helping him heal now that the venom isn't impeding my efforts. His hands are bruised, maybe from hitting wrong with his weapon. He also has a cracked rib and minor contusions from a bit of a fall down the stairs by my guess. That's the worst besides the sting.” It was less to call out any specific person, but a hint that she could recognize injuries pretty quickly. Ren shifted uncomfortably at the mention of a fall. A missed step in the dark had sent them into a tumble. Terra continued to work as she talked, glad to be able to share a little good news for them.

“It's nothing that aura can't manage once it's jump-started. Once he wakes up, he'll be able to decide whether to continue their patrol or not. I'll need to treat Tangie as well of course, but that shouldn't be a problem.” Either her or Ax could technically call for them to be extracted at this point, but from a medical point of view, it wouldn't be necessary. Ax would be able to recognize other details like their overall morale maybe? Morale that would hopefully improve with a bit of good news.
User avatar
Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Ax could easily tell that Zeke was holding back. Being able to see it also made her actually kind of appreciate his efforts. He was dealing with a lot at the moment, but he was handling his emotions like a soldier sometimes needed to. Being able to empathize made it easier to not take it personally.

Ax glanced over to the others. It was tough to stay cool... that was the unfortunate reality of this situation. She could feel the dismal morale around Team QRTZ like a thick miasma trying to sap her confidence, a harsh current crashing against the rocks of her mind. A good leader would be able to give them relief right now, help them stay focused and get out. She had to fight to wince at Terra's assessment, though, as it definitely seemed a little... pointed?

"Well, if you're saying we're all gonna live to review combat data later, let's... not get carried away speculating on how this went down right now," Ax noted quickly, trying to gently coach Terra back on track as she gave her views on Almond's injuries. They both needed to be diplomatic and in-control - the signs that Terra and these kids had a past were obvious, but they were also potentially a serious complication that she'd probably need to note in her report. As much as Terra sounded like she knew her stuff, did she really need to open up on the guy's mistakes out loud like that? She'd have appreciated the deduction if she was reporting on cause of injury to a corpse, but she imagined that the leader's teammates probably didn't appreciate the way this was being framed... and it certainly wouldn't help with their confidence.

"What matters is that everyone's in bare-minimum moving or fighting shape before we head out, if possible. We'll get everyone full medical attention back home," Ax replied to Terra somewhat sharply, her jaw setting as she tried to quickly figure the best way to quash any notion of debate about the matter swiftly for everyone's benefit.

In a perfect world, Terra wouldn't have even suggested the idea of letting these kids push on... Ax didn't need them feeling spurred into prideful indignation about their leader being relieved of command for the time being, or bitterness about their mission getting scrubbed without them getting a say. It would've been better to just not even treat that as an option. While she wanted to explain her logic to Terra like a good coach and mentor, it'd have to wait until later because talking about the team like they weren't right next to her would only risk them taking things personally.

Extraction had always been on the table ever since their initial brief, right? Ax saw absolutely no good reason to push these kids to continue given that this was a routine assignment that any other team could easily be reassigned to. The original commanding patrol lead was unconscious and morale was at a severe decline. While Terra could currently assert that Almond was physically going to be fit to lead, presenting it as though he would be mentally fit could only be premature conjecture in his presently unconscious state. Ax wasn't here to be a cheerleader or a motivational speaker for these kids - she was here to make sure they didn't die. This was 100% not a situation where the mission came first.

Not only that, but Ax didn't want to be stuck here in this cave any longer than she had to be. The bones were all the evidence she'd needed that somehow, someway, people had met their end here. The tension in the air was thick and Ax was knew the cure - she could burn that anxiety by getting things moving and keeping everyone's head in the game.

"I like the confidence, but the mission does not come first here. We're the relief, we're authorized to get them out, so we're getting them out," Ax looked over to Terra as she spoke, and then looked back to the others.

"You guys did everything right. Patrols and scouting missions are all about being the eyes of your wider force. When you find a sign that unexpected resistance may be ahead, you don't push yourself to finalize your route - you report back and focus on staying alive as soon as you've confirmation. Whatever's ahead may be something far worse than command is aware of. You could be edging into a previously unmapped nest, or Grimm horde," Ax explained coolly to everyone.

"...which is why we're all leaving as soon as we're able. We can send over our combat data via scroll and let the higher-ups decide what they want to do with our reports after we've extracted," Ax's voice rose decisively.

"Any questions?"
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

As far as wounds went, Almonds were far from difficult to treat once the venom was removed from his system. A few threads of her own aura had been devoured by the virulent ichor before she'd realized the graze had been envenomed. The sting was the first she sealed up after insuring it was properly cleaned, the young man's skin looked as if nothing had happened by the time she was done with the wound. The cracked rib was next. A sharp movement or impact could lead to a punctured lung, and that would be a headache for all of them. A touch of earth and gravity dust made repairing the rib simple enough. It wasn't digging a bullet out of an organ, or reconstructing bone shattered by a Taijitu's fang.

“Yes, ma'am.” While the wolf felt a bit of annoyance at Ax's tone, she didn't let it show. Not even in a flick of her ear. Ax had command for anything besides medical, so it would just cause trouble if she questioned her now. The avian had asked for status. That meant detailed injuries including sources, whether or not the patient would recover and how quickly, and whether they would be able to continue their mission. Terra didn't disagree with the idea of getting them out of there. They'd already run into one unknown grimm nest, and as far as she could tell from the mission details and the map she'd looked at on the way here, this mine wasn't even a recorded location despite being near a patrol route.

That mattered less to her though than the last injury she was looking at. It would be the easiest to heal. Enough so that she had to intentionally control her aura not to heal them immediately. If he'd been awake, she'd not have bothered, but she wanted a chance to examine them just a little further while the others asked their questions. It didn't look simply like he'd hit wrong the closer she looked at it, but that he'd been hit. Though it sounded as if there were less questions and more anger.

“She can't even keep herself in one piece! Why do we have to-” The anger that had been building up started to spill from Zeke only to be shut down by Tangie. Whatever else he had to say went into the small rock the wiry boy kicked across the cave. There was a dull thud instead of the sound of it hitting rock, and this time a wolf's ear flicked in anger, but she kept her mouth shut for now.

“Zeke, shut it. I'd have called for extraction if Ax hadn't. It's just a patrol. We're meant to make sure there's no unusual activity. We found some.” Her voice was sharp, and she turned to stare Zeke down as well as she could with the limited light. “And like it or not, she's in command, even if-” She winced as she spoke her fear outloud and corrected herself. “When Almond wakes up.”

“Um- Ax right?”
Ren's voice was low, and he sounded uncertain. “We've done this patrol a few times since we became a team. It's a pretty standard route that's really just meant to be practice for inexperienced teams. We know that even if we don't want to admit it.” He shot a glare towards Zeke before looking back to Ax. “Usually the upper classmen's routes further out keep us from seeing anything like this. Is there a chance one of their teams ran into trouble and didn't get a chance to call for help or did this just slip through?” It was a question they'd asked while they'd waited for backup, but now without the threat of grimm crawling into the tunnels being so pressing, the question seemed worth asking. Even Zeke seemed to stop his twitching.
User avatar
Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Ax's expression remained level and cool despite the brief outburst from Zeke. She didn't like what she had heard, but she also didn't want to jump to any conclusions about it - not right now. As far as she was concerned, no one here had any room to criticize anyone else, and even if they did, it wasn't like it'd serve any practical purpose. She was silently grateful that one of Zeke's own had the sense to encourage him to refocus - Tangie had saved Ax the trouble of deescalating further.

Ax's eyes turned over to Ren next, before flicking upward in thought. In a perfect world she'd have had an immediate answer, but...

"No idea," Ax admitted with a little shrug.

"This is one of those times where we trust command to do their thing. Terra and I were briefed to tend to this team, no others. I've got no doubt that if someone else went off the radar, another team is probably being deployed to support them as we speak. Command doesn't take that sort of thing lightly," Ax spoke gently, reassuringly. She smiled a bit at that - aw, hell, these kids couldn't be too bad if they were worrying about other groups at a time like this.

"For now, try not to worry about that. Let's just handle the situation on our hands right here, m'kay?" Ax said.

"Let me know if any of you need help. Otherwise, we're heading out as soon as we've got Almond resuscitated."
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

The wolf rubbed at the side of her head where the kicked rock had struck her but still kept her anger to herself. Aura had stopped it from breaking skin, but it had still stung. Unfortunately, her examination of Almond's hands had changed her conclusion on his injury, and if she recalled from the Team readout, Zeke was a weapon enthusiast. A detail that wouldn't matter in most cases, but as the wolf finished healing the last of Almond's injuries she realized there was something the boy could probably do to make himself feel more useful than kicking rocks. Maybe it would stop him from pissing off Tangie, Ax, or herself in the meantime.

Terra waited as Ren asked his question, causing the tension in the air to grow thick. The wolf was glad she wasn't the actual lead on this. While she had her own reasons to have faith that command wouldn't simply ignore possible threats or leave a team to a terrible fate, she wouldn't have been able to voice them. Ax though knew how to lead. The wolf cracked her knuckles after she rose to her her feet. A series of quiet affirmatives sounded off from each member of the team in response to what Ax had said. Another bit of good news would be a relief for them, and she could use the way the tension seemed to fade to get Zeke to check on what she wanted.

“Almond's treatment is done, and he'll probably wake up on his own in a few minutes. He'll be a little sore, but otherwise fine.” Her eyes caught the light and seemed to flash as she looked towards the loudmouth. “Zeke, your team file mentioned you're quite good with weapons' engineering. I think your team leader's weapon may have malfunctioned and that's why his hands were injured. Could you double check and if there is something wrong see what you can do about that while I check on Tangie's shoulder?” Extraction or no, she suspected they'd want all of them capable of fighting if they encountered more grimm.

Zeke was quiet for a moment before he went to double check Almond's axe. Even seething the way he was, if there was a chance one of his teammate's weapons were busted he wasn't going to risk it. The hefty weapon had a blade that looked like it could have cracked a Deathstalker's plating just from a solid swing. Terra didn't waste time waiting for an answer and instead moved over to start gently examining Tangie's shoulder. Again the sniper looked down at the ground rather than at the wolf.

“Don't worry. We'll get you patched up too, and it will be like it never happened.” There was a lesson of her own to learn as the words left her lips. Never tempt fates. No sooner had she finished reassuring the sniper than a flash of deep purple lit the room from where Zeke sat with the axe and a curse left his lips. “Shit, the stabilizer is busted to hell. Almond would have taken the full brunt of the recoil from this gravity dust in this thing when he hit with it. You two didn't bring anything I might be able to use to fix it or at least disable the dust trigger?” Whatever animosity had been slipping through to the surface vanished as he turned his focus onto the problem at hand.
Last edited by Terra Fennel on Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Apparently Ax hadn't noticed the errant rock that struck her partner, but it was hard to say if she'd have made a big thing out of it even if she had. A hint of anger tickled at the back of Ax's mind, but she knew it was unavoidable and didn't see it as enough of a priority to pick it apart. She just needed to give herself - and everyone else - a good outlet for that energy. That meant keeping everyone moving and focused on getting out.

Ax glanced over at Terra as she spoke. Apparently taking no issue with this suggestion, she opted not to complicate matters. It wouldn't necessarily hurt to give the mouthy one something extra to do, and it was obviously practical to rectify any equipment issues that could complicate their extraction now while they couldn't get surrounded out in the open... assuming doing so was feasible given their limited access to tools and components.

Her eyes snapped to the source of the unexpected light. Thankfully she found it more curious than startling, though her lips curved into a hint of a frown at the bad news about the weapon's stabilizer.

Well, this was a tougher call. They were on the clock - the longer they stayed deployed, the more Grimm they would risk attracting with their developed auras and the wellspring of emotions concentrated here in this location. Ax had to estimate whether it'd ultimately be safer to just get moving while they could, and bet that she and Terra could protect them versus doing what she could to help them defend themselves.

Ax glanced down at the leather pack on her thigh contemplatively. As much as it might've been nice to give Zeke a bit of room to feel like he was contributing and go along with Terra's plan... that probably should have come second to getting while the getting was good. If they could pick up the pace here they could conceivably reach their extraction point before stronger Grimm showed up, and she while she was an expert in dust-tech... all dust tech was custom-built and nonstandard among students a lot of the time.

"Hard to say for sure with the designer in rough shape and all. What do you need? My own kit is probably a bit more on the... unconventional side," she reasoned aloud.

"Can take a look or see if I have tools that can help you out, but no promises. That said, we can get going now if someone can carry Almond. I like our odds better if we get going sooner rather than later when the bigger fish have started to show up. I'm prepared to cover you while we move, but the longer we stay here the bigger the horde will be on our way out."

If nothing else, she could rule out a quick fix if a repair wasn't practical on the fly with their relatively limited access to resources. Her current plan was to just take formation to protect anyone who had to march out to their LZ unarmed.
----------
Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
Terra Fennel
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Age: 18
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Wolf Faunus (Ears and Tail)
Aura Color: Lavender
Occupation: Medic
Semblance Name: Sal Norn
Weapon Name: Peregrine

The purple light flooding the room was a hue she knew well from her experience with dust. If any of them had a serious laceration, they would have seen the color sooner as she used it to pull a wound together before healing it. This was no benevolent shine however. A weapon stabilizer, something she knew little about was broken, and broken badly. There was nothing she could offer. Her tools were meant for fixing people. People like the girl who she was checking over now. The medic was careful and quick with her examination, confirming what she'd suspected at a glance. Tangie's shoulder was badly dislocated. The wolf gave a quick look up the stairs where she could still see daylight.

“Uh, if you want to move quick, I can just disable the gravity impact. Won't be as effective if we need it, but it's still an axe.” He would have preferred to fix it properly, but Ax was right even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. Her kit likely wouldn't give him everything he needed, and while he could figure out something, that would take extra time. Zeke was already quickly making the adjustments.

“I should be able to carry him.” Ren stood up straight and held his spear to the side. A moment later it collapsed down into a rod that was as long as his forearm, and fit on a holster on his thigh.

Terra's ear flicked at the mention of carrying Almond. Wouldn't that leave two of them unable to fight if they did encounter more grimm. Tangie seemed to be too distracted worriedly looking where Almond lay to notice the wolf's own discomfort at Ax's suggestion. While Almond shouldn't be injured in such a way that moving him was a danger in itself... Her thoughts quickly shifted to a checklist of what they needed to get them moving. She didn't like the call. Not one bit, but arguing with Ax wouldn't lead to them being treated and recovering, and that was more likely to invite trouble. Especially since it finally seemed everyone was ready to follow what she was saying.

Gritting her teeth she put her semblance into full effect on the sniper's shoulder causing a bit of a gasp from the girl. A rush of feelings from warmth to worry were shared between the two. Threads of aura were visible on Terra's hand that was placed on Tangie's shoulder. A purple hued light shone a second time, this time from the pair as she used gravity to easily pop the joint back into place. Tangie's eyes were wide as she looked at her shoulder. “Wait, isn't that supposed to... I don't know hurt?”

“Yeah, it normally hurts and takes longer.” Her voice was pained as she responded. Threads vanished as quickly as they appeared and Terra rolled and rubbed at her own shoulder to soothe a deep ache that wasn't her own. Terra pulled out her scroll, the faces of team QRTZ visible on the screen, their aura gauge visible through the transparent back. Zeke and Ren were low, but no longer in the red. Tangie was easily in fighting shape. Even Almond had a shred of aura from starting to recover, but he'd still not awoken yet.
User avatar
Ax L Rose
Posts: 282
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:27 pm
Age: 23
Gender Identity: Female
Race: Faunus - Major Mitchell's Cockatoo - Feathers
Aura Color: Electric Blue
Occupation: Huntress
Semblance Name: Harmonize
Weapon Name: Electra Heart + Rebel Yell

Before Zeke could even finish his statement, Ax was already fiddling with the tool pack on her thigh and striding over. She knelt down over by him and started by producing a few small, delicate-looking multitools. The chrome on the metal parts was smudged - they'd clearly seen a lot of use, but they were undeniably high quality. They were also clearly not typical standard-issue repair tools - indeed, any engineer that worked with Ax together on any sort of custom project would soon have no choice but to come to terms with the bird's Atlesian privilege, even despite her race.

"Good thinkin'," she said, giving him a determined nod and a small hint of a reassuring smile. She might not have exactly felt ecstatic about working with Zeke (and she assumed the feeling was probably mutual), but "fake it 'til you make it" was the play. Suspicion and fear were natural, but humans also instinctively looked to leadership in times of fear and stress. She'd make this work.

As Zeke began to call out for the parts he needed, Ax shifted gears to helping him navigate her custom tools. This would save them a lot of time - she didn't need to understand how anyone else's weapon worked in that instant, and he didn't need to know how the multitools were arranged. They'd help each other here. She could hand him what he needed thoughtlessly while she continued to puzzle out what they were going to do next.

It was one thing to recognize that they were on the clock, and that time was of the essence... but chasing after speed alone was like chasing after smoke. Haste could be the enemy if it led to her rushing injured students out into an ambush. Truth was timing, control, fluidity. She needed to get more information before they rushed out, and there weren't very many bodies on hand that'd make ideal scouts to secure their extraction. Even a small number of Grimm she might have been able to handle alone could be extremely threatening to her wounded comrades.

She had two options; either she scouted ahead and trusted Terra to watch over the others, or she sent Terra ahead while she stayed to protect them from stragglers herself. As long as whoever went ahead kept the mouth of the cavern secure, then only smaller, subterranean Grimm were likely able to venture into the dead-end cavern without making a *lot* of noise and cluing them in that they needed to leave immediately.

Terra, to her, seemed by far the better fit as the group's primary escort. Ax could probably cover more distance and scout more quickly if she went ahead. Subtlety wasn't much of a concern at this point - the Grimm, sooner or later, would know where they were. They needed to be moving by the time that happened. Further, Terra's semblance meant that in the worst case scenario, she might be able to use her dust more elegantly for pure defense, or even healing. Ax's preferred methods of deterring aggression required a bit more of a proactive approach, conversely.

She... wasn't really the most confident here, but she also didn't hate her odds of this play working out! If they rushed out into a bad situation, it was better to be in a bad situation where they could run than it was to be in one where their backs were to the wall. She still had to seem confident, though, so she thought confident thoughts in hopes of more convincingly feeling confident feelings. Fake it until you make it.

Zeke seemed to have his quick-fix moving along, so she took that moment to address the others.

"Alright, everyone. Plan is as follows - my partner Terra here will be primary escort. If I get separated from you lot, she's in command. What she says goes - her job is to defend each of you while I scout ahead and get a read on our route to our extraction point. I'll be on local comms, so keep scrolls handy if they're still online. We may not have enough time to plan a rigid extraction - depending on the Grimm already converging, we might have to adapt and figure it out on the fly. When I give the word to get moving..."

She trailed off, pausing to hand Zeke a different multitool. It bought her a second to think twice. She glanced over the others, assessing their states... she rose a hand and drew back a small panel, tapping a small sensor that projected a small readout of everyone's status. This also had the helpful advantage of helping Ax remembering everyone's names.

"...Tangie. You'll take point - Terra will guide you. Counting on that good eye, sniper," Ax said, giving the woman a quick wink.

"You'll all stay together and move together. If you encounter anything more than superficial opposition, focus on disengaging safely. Keep everyone in the loop and use comms if you see anything. Terra will cover the flank and provide support as needed. Zeke, Ren... I know you're both in rough shape, but I need you two to help carry Almond. Stay moving and only skirmish if absolutely necessary. Trust in your escort, and try not to do anything that'll attract too much attention from the Grimm."

Ax turned toward Terra.

"Terra - lead from the back, keep everyone moving to the LZ to the southwest. I need eyes on our flank, so aside from myself and Tangie, you're the best fit for keeping everyone moving. Don't let anyone get split up - you n' me should be the last two on the dropship if all goes as planned. We're gonna avoid holding the line if we can, which means we keep moving. Tentatively, we'll cut back through the clearing where we deployed. If it's quiet enough, I'll be back to help cover everyone. I'm not planning on making a diversion unless necessary, but if there's too many - though there shouldn't be - I may need to break off and lead them away from you. I can only keep 'em running in circles for so long, so I'm counting on you. And even if I'm off doing whatever, let me know immediately if you encounter any more resistance than you think you can handle on your own."

Ax looked over everyone one last time.

"Everyone got that? Good. Terra, I'll head out on your word, just give me the all-clear. If all goes well, I'll be right back with a clear road to our LZ. If not, be ready to get moving as directed on my call."
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Crystallize the pain,
Nothing is the same,
Hell is here, and it's here to stay.
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