New Arrival(s) [open]

The sea-elf hid a frown, confused by the newcomer's resignation towards magical healing, but he nodded, not wanting to press the issue. As long as he would agree to have his wounds tended, the blue elf didn't particularly care how it was managed. "No magic, understood. I know we have at least one elf who can serve as a, ah, medic as you said."

He glanced over at Keleero. "I believe he went out a few fingers ago with Greywing."

Badger nodded, when Reefshadow told Juniper was out.
"Ohh, that's right. Funny, I thought he'd be back already. I hope they did not vanish..." Badger said, looking a little troubled. She watched the stranger from afar, but then nudged Keleero.

"I'll go get that hot water and see if we can get some other m-medic equipment." she said to the glider and moved out of the room.
Badger's eyebrows were furrowed and there was a faint wrinkle in between. She was feeling worried that the grey-haired newcomer did not want to be magically healed, but she was not going to pry.

~*~

Badger has exited this thread. Might come back later.

Curse this blasted weather! The farther into the central regions they were forced to go, the more rain they encounters. At least right now it was only mud and a dense fog to contend with as the massive Dengali force marched alongside war machines and tanks along a winding mountain road. The briefing had informed that the Resistance Factions were retreating into a mountain stronghold after a long battle at the foot of the mountain. Reports said that many were wounded and likely dying, and it seemed their forces had little to no ammunition reserves remaining. That was why the Emperor called for the entire force present in the region to march up the mountain and attack the stronghold. Take any wounded that would survive the trip back and "mercifully" execute the rest. Mercifully, of course, meant very little when it came from the mouth of the Emperor.

"Watch the front! Movement!"

The call was from someone maybe fifty feet ahead of her. Lowering the visor on her helmet and activating the infrared sensors, she began to scan the surrounding areas. The fog made it impossible to see more than 10 feet in front of her face.

"AMBU--!"

The voice was cut short at the sounds of weapons firing and those around her scrambling to take cover. That was when she saw the red forms. The helmet's programming pointed out those with transmitters with green hue, but as the red hues began to emerge within range, it was obvious they had just walked into a large resistance force. Hissing as she felt one of the needles in her own transmitter poking into her neck, she felt her heart rate start to slow as the mind-controlling serum was injected. Fear and doubt faded and all that remained was a calm sense of duty. Pressing herself against a tank, she began to return fire at the attackers with her plasma rifle.

The tank wasn't stopping, however. It was continuing to move forward. There was no cover on the mountainside where they currently were. Trees lined the upper slopes, but the lower slopes had fewer. There was a river a hundred feet or so down the slope that was high with excess water caused by the large amounts of rain the previous few days. Going downhill would not provide cover and the tanks couldn't go up the steep slope. Her duty was to protect the tanks.

Suddenly she was on her back, a growl being heard to her side. She turned to glance at her attacker. A young human had thrown her to the ground and was now coming around with a long knife. He should have opened with that attack. Kicking her feet, she was able to push herself away enough that the attack missed. Rising to her feet again, she blocked the next and began to fight back. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye as it landed at her feet. Grenade. The human was unaware of it, as his focus was on her. Of course, had she not had the serum injection she would have likely missed it, too.

Pushing herself off the human, turning, she meant to leap away, but the grenade went off, sending her into the air. Dropping her plasma rifle, she braced herself for impact on the sloped mountainside heading downward. The impact sent a jolt of pain through her right side before she launched forward again. Landing a few feet lower on the mountain, she tucked herself in and rolled, in an attempt to stop her descent. Had the ground not been so damp and muddy it may have worked. Instead, she found herself no longer bouncing foot to hand but just rolling.

She saw the rock coming but had no time to react. Everything went black the moment her head impacted. Limply, she continued to roll until, with a splash, she found herself in the fast and violent-moving river, being washed downstream.

--Elsewhere--

The crystals in the beacon room began to shimmer once more before a black-clothed and geared being appeared, falling approximately two feet to the floor, water splashing around the body. Landing with a heavy thud on her back, her tail curved away from her body, her right hand falling to the floor from her chest.

The black clothing she wore had several tears, in most places revealing her white, spotted fur beneath, but along her right leg and arm were various patches of what appeared to be burns, bleeding slowly. The helmet's visor had been completely shattered and there was a large split in the helmet itself, though only remained attached by a chin strap. She was laying on a backpack, though it obviously didn't have much in it considering the top flap was open, obviously having been torn as the clasp was still locked together. Her entire body was soaked.

She had a small strangely shaped sheath on her left thigh, still clasped, the weapon (a hand gun to give a visual) still secured in place. On her waist were two black boxes with an orange-colored liquid inside, as well two smaller cylinders next to them. Tucked into her right boot was the handle of what appeared to be a knife. Her head tilted back slightly revealing a black collar around her neck. Unseen with the helmet on, the collar secures to a metal device attached to the back of her neck. The device has a series of colored 'bubbles', a yellow-orange colored one (approximately centered in the row) steadily blinking.

Ooc: I thought I deleted that comment a week ago. Oops.

Eryk was startled and shocked at the best, when another ... person popped in the room. Literally popped. He backed away, but as the stranger seemingly had been pulled to the room the same way as the carpenter, the grey-haired male remained still. He had not noticed it, but his hand had moved on his ax, ready to fight and defend himself, in case the stranger proved to be dangerous.

Keleero froze. Not getting an answer of any kind from a sending was unsettling enough - it brought back a fair share of chilling memories. Judging from how the newest stranger moved it was clear their injuries were serious. But it was the words she spoke that numbed Keleero's mind to all but thoughts of strategy and survival.

He didn't know the language, couldn't understand the words, but he could hear the rhythm of them. It wasn't the same words the human by Steepside Mountain spoke, but they were different enough from elfin words to mark them as alien and threatening. The stranger didn't answer sendings and spoke some sort of human tongue - and whatever she'd said, it hadn't been friendly.

Badger's answer to his sending barely registered to Keleero for a good five heartbeats. His attention was too occupied by the strange weapon the newest stranger was aiming at them - it had to be a weapon, with how she was holding it. Was it some kind of crossbow? No, it looked nothing like a crossbow or a bow of any kind. A human-made sling? No...

~**Newest arrival doesn't seem too...happy to be here,**~ Keleero finally managed to answer Badger, sending images of how the stranger was aiming the foreign weapon at him, Eryk and Reefshadow, as well as the strange, human-sounding words she'd spoken. ~**Maybe it'd be best if you kept to the hot springs for a moment longer. And maybe find one of the healers. In case things go badly.**~ Getting more people than there already were involved in this could lead to a bloodbath, if that indeed was some strange kind of crossbow the newest stranger held. As much as Keleero wanted more warriors on his side should things deteriorate into a fight, he knew the sound strategy would be to keep the rest of their group spread out. Their potential opponent was, after all, a single, injured person.

If they hadn't been in a cave, panic might have moved Keleero to retreat. But fleeing rarely did one any good, especially when one had grown up inside a mountain one couldn't leave. No, the best strategy was usually to negotiate or outwit your enemy. If worst came to worst, that's when you fought - he had the advantage here, surrounded by rock. And you never, ever showed how terrified you were.

Face schooled into a perfectly blank mask, Keleero said to the newest stranger: "I'm afraid I don't speak that language. Can you understand what I'm saying?" He hoped his words would defuse the situation - he couldn't quite see what Eryk and Reefshadow were doing, but he thought Eryk looked posed to fight.