Broken Arrow/Lopata Anon

Im back anon, are you still out there? Dont even know how I made it.
>Break out and follow a trail along the base on the canyon
>By this point the long eared fucks are following me
>Well shit, ive got a few mags left for my RPK but I dont want to go out in a glory burst just yet.
>Stop and lay an obvious trap with one of the grenades
>Right beyond it hide a trap with two more of them
>Conceal myself a little way up the side of the slope
>As expected the Elves have their little superiority complex and start laughing at the clumsiness of the first trap
>Then walk straight into the second one
>Elf salsa flies and I open up on whats left
>Head down and finish the wounded off, stupid fucks were in a tight group so the grenades got most of them
>One elf, a male is screaming, both his legs gone at the knees. Silence him
>Grab gear and supplies and bug out fast before the rest come to investigate
I was lucky, it was a scout group of 6 and they were overconfident and cocky. Next time it might not be so.
Anyway, I've made camp for the night under a small overhang on a ledge in the gorge side. My PDA's battery is red, im gonna take a look at the solar charger and see if I cant get it working. I'll try to make it to the STALKER outpost at New Clitheroe, if anyone can warn them in advance I would be grateful.

(other anon)
im still here and yes you should get out of there as fast as you can, shitting milk levels of fast and tell everyone at camp to prepare for worst case scenario()

Thank you, whoever you are. Im trying to get out, but this shit is bad, they dropped us in deep and LT fuckwad demanded us to go deeper despite my warnings. Its going to take a few days to get to New Clitheroe, assuming it s not been trashed by these long eared shits.

At least my status is looking up though:
>Solar charger now works, and can keep my PDA running for a bit. Will need sun though.
>Some of the Elves had AK's, so I grabbed their mags
>Grabbed some food from them as well
No idea what this shit is, it smells funny, but Im gonna need it to get out of here.
Anyway, got a fire going. I know its going to give my position away but its that or freeze. At least they dont seem to be close by right now.

(other anon)
don't carry weird items that they had and you are not familiar with, mags may be ok to loot but try to stay away from anything else they were carrying, they could use it to track you (smell, or magic of tracking)()

ll try, but unless they back off the hunt im probably not going to have time to forage or hunt, this food could be vital.
Are elf ears still okay though?

(other anon)
Not him but if you have a bunch of elf ears you might be able to barter with the ratmen to hide out there for a while. If you stay too long they might try and make you eat a mushroom that would convert you to their weird religion unless you are useful enough at hunting though. As long as you don't have any problem with sharing a shelter with mutants.()

Hello? Is anyone still out there? Its Broken Arrow anon here, im still alive, somehow.
Todays been weird, I woke up and I could swear I heard elf voices, I could feel them closing in so I grabbed my RPK and prepared for the worst, but nothing happened. I just squatted there under my overhang, madly shovelling earth to make a bulwark/shell scrape with one hand and holding my RPK with the other, but they didnt come.
Its been like that all day, I can swear they are around, keep hearing stuff or feeling it in my gut, but the long eared fucks are not attacking. This is scary, its worse than them setting ambushes or coming for me, I can handle that shit with my gun. The fuckers know where I am, I swear it, but they are not trying to hit me. Its freaking me the fuck out.
Anyway, continued travelling South East today, followed the gorge until I left it and then followed the river a few more miles until it turned away and I had to reenter the forest. Food situation is still poor, I have enough rat packs to last another day then im on to this elf shit.
Anyway, making camp in a hollow tonight. It looks like rain, great. At least theres another charge left on this solar charger, so I wont be going dark just yet.

(Other anon)
hey, rain masks sounds and being water fucks up the elves' ability to track you by smell.
Is it en entirely impossible option to try to ask the elves why they are going full Aelfen SS on your ass?()

>why they are going full Aelfen SS on your ass?
It might have something to do with this minor insurgency war there playing on Royal colonial land. We've been fighting these fuckers now ever since they hit our outlying settlements last year and massacred some civilians. No one knows why, we were actually making inroads with relations as well but then the knife eared cunts decided to go all vietcong on us and its been like this ever since.
Im a volunteer ranger on hire with the military because I know the woods, and if you missed my earlier transmissions then im out here now because LT. fuckwad decided to ignore his guides (me) advice and lead us deeper into the woods despite the helis running low on fuel. Guess what happens when the air support has to jump out to refuel and your just a platoon of troops led by a incompetent shitbag in enemy territory? Fucking lucky I survived.

Fuckfuckfuck something moving in the trees, I swear its bypassed my perimeter defences. Fuck, it might be curtains for me if its the elves. Got a 45 rounder loaded up, lets make this count.

(other anon)
save one for yourself Anon
()

I.... I dont know what happened. So this shape moved and started to come up quickly and I opened up, but it dodged back and fled. Right over my defences, looks like I got some solid hits too but its not even bothered. Its just gone. Im scared anons, its not long till dawn but I dont know if its gonna come back and the Elves are still lurking out there. I can feel it.

(other anon)
Fast fairy in a long blanket playing fast ghost
Or fast wight.

wanna leave something out in open to give? good bait for trap.()

Might be, it seemed fast enough, and it would explain why 7.62 x 39mm did nothing to noticeable to it.

Anyway, im moving again, followed a small deer trail for a mile then reached a hilly section. I think ive lost the Elves for now.
..........
Scratch that, what the fuck? Clearing atop the hill, and I have eyes about two dozen of the long eared cunts, they have something big here, it looks like a base but theres a fucking missile battery at the centre, looks slavic. And a couple of what look like 40mm BOFOR's. Theres probably more Elves I cant see for the tents and trees and hill, what the fuck? If im right they are only 4ish days off from New Clitheroe as well. What is this?

(other anons)
 was going to suggest a tactic that got me out of a squeeze when some fuckin lizard folk cornered me in a cave. They had a choice. Either they run away, or my grenade takes the entire mountainside down on us all. My grenade may have been an apple with a pin in it, but it still worked. Be smarter than the enemy.

detonate the missiles and become an hero for the Motherland, comrade
nah, just messing with you, write down the location and get the fuck out asap, hopefully you can report it as soon as you can get a hold of your superiors
that or dox them here and let nature take its course, whatever suits you best()

So, things went bad, I dont know if im gonna make it out of here anons. Noting the location I circled the hill and started down and got about 400 yards when I hit a patrol. They were just as surprised, probably because they where not expecting someone to be coming from their camp, so I was able to get the first shots in, but even with the /k/ube 1 vs 9 is bad numbers. I hosed them with lead and tossed a grenade as they scattered but they got a few good hits, my arm and my side. Arms not too bad, but the side wounds still bleeding.
Managed to get away for now, but im down another mag and those bastards are swarming all over the forest.
Im nested under some roots, not sure where but its wet. Im getting cold. Looks like this may be it lads and traps, thanks for being there. At least one of those bastards had a spare charger for my PDA, was running low.

It looks like the /k/ube is not done with me yet anons, I live.
>Blacking out from bloodloss
>welpthisisit.gif
>Eyes close, thats it im gone
>Next thing I wake up, theres this glowing lamp in my face, tiny though
>and this fairy holding it
>Fairy puts her finger on her lips and gestures to the night
>Well okay, but im- apparently not bleeding out, my side is bound and not bleeding
>Fairy sits on my helmet (now resting on the ground) and turns off her lamp
>Shes wearing some tiny tactical gear, a smol platecarrier and a minute helmet
>".... Well thanks I guess.... Who are you?" I whisper
>She looks at me with concern, then squeaks back at me "Atya"
>"Nice name, what are you doing out here?"
>Get whispering to each other
>Turns out she is a tactical fairy that got lost from her flock and wandered about looking for them
>Shes been lonely and trying to avoid the elves so when she found me she was excited until she saw the wounds
>Some of the local fairies are fighting against the Elves for some reason, I cant understand but it seems to be an ancestral grudge
>Anyway, shes looking for a companion now, and she wants to know if I will take her along with me
>I might as well, theres no reason not to.
>Also asked about her weapon
>Apparently she doesnt have one right now,and nothing I have is small enough for her, besides fairie weapons need magic to be effective against human-size targets
>But she does have some magic, and training as a combat medic
>Also she knows where we are, apparently its closer to New Clitheroe than I thought, only 3 days out.
Things looking up anons.

>Checking uplink
A thank the /k/ube, its till working. Hello, is anyone out there? This is shot-in-the-side Broken Arrow anon here, can anyone read me?
Shits going south in a sarnie up here, the long eared bastards are all over and they are not happy their secret little staging base has been discovered.
Atya is still with me, blessed be the tiny little munchkin and her magical hands of healing, she does not seem to want to head off alone again even though she knows im probably not gonna make it. Something about the area being hostile and nasty things in the woods. Not elves though, but nasty.
So, been heading steadily South East, avoiding Elf patrols as we go, another thing Atya is so good at doing. That apparently is not her real name by the way, she picked it up through watching some show on a TV her group salvaged and likes it.
Anyway, if anyone within the vicinity of New Clitheroe can hear me, you need to get out and get everyone out. Or better yet prepare for defence, it looks like they are on the warpath.
Anyway, breaking out the first of the knife ear rations today, the last of the Human ones ran out early i the morning. The stuff does not taste bad actually, its quite nice.
We are holed up in a cave for now. Will update on status later.

>Uplink secure
Fuck, im back again anons. Its been a shitty night and a bad day, but im still alive somehow.
>Wake up innacave
>Atya hovering over me with a miniature SHMS over her head
>"WTF, when did they start producing mini respirators for fairies?"
>Then it hits me, the smell, the stench, like a wall of raw sewage mixed with the squeezings of a skunk
>Gagging it is all I can do to crawl to the exit and retch onto the ground
>Then I notice the Latrine pit, or what was the Latrine pit. Someone has covered it and stuck a sign that says 'doot not uncuvur 4 02 yeers very dangrus wast' in the top
>I look back at Atya, she shrugs and pats her mini E-tool
>Really confused now, who the hell is providing them with all this?
>And why am I-FFS Fairy.
>Go and wash in a stream then retrieve my thankfully un-shitted pants and trousers then look for food
>The other Elf ratpack watches me from the top of my pack but no way am I touching that thing if there is any other option
>Then I find it, at the bottom of my pack. A small survival wrap
>Two items, one bundle of 'mystery slavic meal deal' from Slav Boris's Babyushka Kitchen, the other a can of Finnish pork kock, dated for years back
>Praising the /k/ube I vacate the cave and rip the can open
>Finns, damn Finns, I love them and their weird food
>Start digging in when Atya flutters down and lands on my shoulder and pulls her SHMS off
>"Me too me too!" she squeaks
>Ah fugg it, give her some as well. Might as well spread the slavic goodness whilst we have it.
>With my medic fairy eating and making happy sounds on my shoulder I break trail and start off into the woods
>The going is good, and we make great time initially, heading down into a low vale and following a stream along its course
>Then we climb into the 'Die Walt Hexen' range and encounter our first sign of knife ears
>A camp, and tracks, not a day old
>Atya is still semi-slumbering in a slav-food induced haze of happiness, her hands resting on her round belly
>I am loath to wake the food-addled fairy but we need to be on the alert
>A quick poke to one stomach, a bitten finger, several curses muffled by a glove and a pointed (bleeding) finger later and Atya is fast sobering up and ready
>Together we proceed up and around the first hill, paying care to avoid an ancient barrow
>Theres countless of them up here and a big attraction for the STALKER's, but not something to tackle on ones own
>Over the brow the hill we head and start down the other side when Atya suddenly springs up and sniffs the air
>Before I know it shes flying infront of me whispering "nono" and pushing me back
>I stop and she scoots off ahead
>Well, time to rest...."
>She comes back quickly and gestures for me to follow
>A few hundred yards later we reach the edge of a small cliff, and I can hear voices in elvish
>Crawling to the edge we peak over and see a group of about twenty or so Elves in combat gear and holding a mix of weapons
>I can speak a little Elf so listen in
>"No idea, the human is still out there. Hes probably dead by now though"
>"Shut it Vriskan, you know shit-all, you said he was dead then he hit that patrol at camp"
>"Probably another one, one of these 'stwarkirs' from their base"
>"Out there? Please you fuck-"
>"Alright cut it out you two. All we need to know is that some human is in these woods who knows. We do the same as we are going to do with every other human in our way, find them and kill them. Not one can be allowed to live and potentially raise the alarm"
>"Yes sir!"
>"K'ves, you take your patrol-(had to duck back at this point)-and Rain, you head to the [elvish gibberish] to secure it for the main party"
>At this point the Elves move out in teams
>Look at Atya, she has the same 'oh fuck' expression on her face
>We have to go through a tract of land crawling with Elf Manhunter patrols
>We are so fucked
>Well time to unfuck this a bit, I check my RPK, mags and grenades and Atya checks her shovel and medical gear
>We wait 5 minutes then flank west until we find a way down the cliff and head on
>The going is rough, the long ears are out in force and we have to stop to hide from patrols
>Then in the distance a scream
>Ah fuck, Ata is already off and I follow
>We get there half an hour later
>Its a 2 man STALKER party, the Elves got both of them and by the looks of it had some fun
>Im not going to describe it but they made those poor bastards suffer
>Cut down the corpses and place a wooden cross at the head of each, we aint got the time for burials
>Grab the bits the Elves didnt take, Atya finds some medical supplies and gets herself tangled in human sized gauze and I grab a charger and some food
>Then Atya finds a tin of Soviet mystery meat and practically jizzes herself over it
>Itappearswehaveaslavboo.jpg
>Tin hugging fairy on shoulder I start off again heading on a steady course South East
>Over hills, through brooks and around streams, I dont know how we evade those long eared bastards but we do
>Not everyone does though and we see a couple more dead STALKERS over the day
>One put up a fight, they had to gun him down instead of torturing him
>Its close to dusk when we find one alive but dying
>Bastards staked him out and disembowelled him
>We cut him loose and try to make him comfortable, Atya buzzes around his gut wound trying to find a bandage big enough.
>He speaks as I try to comfort him
>"A-anon, Y-y-you have to warn them about the k-kife ears"
>"Im going to dont worry, just rest"
>"No.... Im done but they have to know"
>"They will anon, dont worry"
>"And p-please tell my girls.... Im sorry and I love them"
>"I will, but you will be there with me, just hold on mate"
>"Dont lie fag, I know im dying. Just tell them"
>"..... I will anon"
>"Thanks kid"
>Poor guy dies in my arms
>Search his body and take a picture showing a woman and a little girl infront of a stone house, grab some other possessions the elves missed
>We head off
>Atya is really subdued
>I think not being able to help the poor STALKER has hit her hard
>Its getting late and we need to stop but the Hexen range is a bad place to camp out
>Thankfully we get lucky and hit a STALKER lair
>Basically a hidden fortified cabin/fort/shelter with supplies inside for STALKER's who are in trouble
>Idontknowwhatcountsastroubleifthisdoesnt.need
>Set some traps outside then get in
>A map! Finally we can know roughly exactly where we are
>Looks like we made good time today, we should hit New Clitheroe tomorrow
>We sit down, Atya starts to cheer up a bit when I brake out the Boris package
>We heat the food over a stove and eat. Atya enjoys the stale greasy slav food and I manage to choke it down
>"Pity we dont have any kvass or vodka to drink with this"
>"K-vass? Vadka?"
>"Yeah, there these slav dri-"
>Atya's eyes light up
>"You mean thing by people who make this?"
>"Yes At-"
>"WE NEED"
>"Yes but-"
>"NEED NOW"
>After calming down the fairy we settle in for the night. Ammo is counted, guns are cleaned and wounds are checked.
>Turn in for the night, Atya has first watch and im tired after spending last night shitting my kidneys out
Thats it for now, I'll update later. Tomorrow, we should be reaching New Clithero.
Broken Arrow anon here
>Nightwatch drags on through to the early hours
>Gradually the alluring smell of cosmoline and slavic food eats its way into my exhausted brain an RPK-chan summons me to sleep
>BOOM.wav
>Wake up instantly, arms wrapped around my RPK, helmet half across face and a woody that makes no sense
>Atya grabs me and slaps me across the face squeaking some gibberish into my eye
>"Yeah fairy I deserved that"
>Then we hear it, elf voices. Fuckers have tripped a trap and are unsure. Sounds like at least a few are hurt
>Pull helmet on properly and tactically squat infront of the door
>Some jokers put a letter box in there and modded it to be a fireing slit
>Rckchak.mov
>"Cyka blyat knifeys"
>Unload 45 rounds of 7.6x39mm slavic goodness through the slit
>Elf screams echo out as Atya giggles maliciously on my shoulder
>Mag out, drop mag, charge handle, wait, wait, wait.... NOW
>Dakkaing the 2nd
>How I wish I had my old PK right now
>Atya grabs two of my grenades and flies off up the barrel of the artillery piece installed in the roof
>Seconds later I hear a double boom ad more elf screaming, then she flies back in grinning wildly and grabs two more
>Well, might as well follow on
>Stop spraying and start aiming for the shapes that rise in the predawn light to run or fire
>Another round of this and the elves break and run
>Atya doesnt need telling, we are in the shit. Sure we beat off this lot but the fucking army is heading this way and the forest is crawling with manhunter teams, and we just made a nice pretty fireworks show
>itisnowornever.flee
>Grab out shit and tactical out of the shelter
>Fuck the traps, we run through the passage created by the elves. No time to disarm and collect in the rest.
>Once out and in the clear we turn and sprint.Well I sprint and Atya rides on my backpack
>All those skipped fitness sessions come back to haunt and we only get 2 miles before im out
>Rest for a few minutes
>Then we hear a BOOM from the shelter's direction
>We get up and trek fast, or as fast as a wheezing faggot like me can make it anyway
>By now the knife ears are in pursuit and we are losing ground fast
>The first group catches us as we reach a dew pond in a small bowl in the hill
>6 of the faggots emerge on 4 and start shooting
>We are pinned, things are looking bad and then we hear the second group moving to flank us
>We both nope and I grab a bundle of grenades and throw them in the general direction of the groups
>Screams of panic are cut off by the sound of about 4 different types of grenade exploding at once
>Frag, smoke, flashbang, a fucking incendiary one and a teargas canister all go off
>Result: total confusion and panic
>We charge past them and flee into the woods
>Now this is bad
>Grenade status: low, mostly a mixed bunch of scavenged ones left, Ammo status: Eating through it, escape status: they KNOW
>We run around the lake and crest the peak before the next lot find us
>A group of about 5 run out of the trees ahead and start firing from behind some ancient stone wall
>I pop a flash and a frag and we charge
>Then Atya does something and suddenly theres 4 of us charging
>We break through, spraying gunfire about us as we do and Atya drops another precious grenade behind us as we pass
>Seconds later theres a dull 'whompf' and the stench of burning flesh as the elves start screaming
>"WTF Atya!?"
>She just grins back and giggles maliciously
>Remind me never to piss a fairy off
>Then the pain hits
>Im blown off my feet by a sledgehammer blow
>Fuckfuckfuckcuntfucknoowowowowowowithurts
>I roll over and look down
>Shit, one of the bastards has put a bullet through my leg
>Well these have been fun times Atya
>"Fly off little fairy"
>She shakes her head and rummages through my pouches
>"Its gonna take more than a bandage kid, just go"
>She shakes her head and grabs a bandage
>Last elf is moving up
>Fuck you too faggot ears
>Fire a burst from my RPK and blow his side open
>Atya starts bandaging my leg even though she can see it is hopeless
>Those bastards are using magic ammo to increase the lethality of their rounds
>Atya is sobbing, im feeling dizzy
>Its starting to hurt less now
>thisishowitendshuh.wav
>Suddenly a shout
>The other groups of elves have caught up with us
>They surround us, Atya is netted and the leader walks up to me
>"This is the one?" he asks in elvish
>"Ya" another replies
>"So much for a chase"
>His guns muzzle presses against my face
>"Di-"
>His head explodes
>The elves whatface and look around
>Precision rifle fire hits two more then bursts of MG and rifle fire cut into them
>sarge would be proud of that killzone
>My vision is dimming and everything is going weird
>Atya has freed herself and is frantically trying to wake me
>Nah, buzz off fairy im tired
>Vaguely see shapes looming over us
>Some words
>Nothing
>Come round to the stench of tendies, vodka and cheetos mixed with gunpowder, cum and cosmoline
>A face is staring down at me
>qt girl with feathers and bones in her hair
>Oh fugg, witch
>She looks up and calls to someone
>Wait, is this a good thing?
>She moves back and says something to me
>Nah, fuck you, I gotta get to New Clitheroe
>Prop myself upright
>Im in a large, low room in some stone and timber house
>Lots of witchy bits all over
>And guns
>waitaminute
>"Yer awake then"
>I look over to see a big green orc in battered jigsaw camo standing over me
>Just casually holding one of those Russian handcannon shotguns like its nothing
>"Im Cutz" the big Orc says, "Who you?"
>"I-im called Lopata" I stammer
>"Well Lopata you dun got the elfes riled up good an proppa. what you doin causin trouble in our land"
>" I didnt meant too... Wait, did you say our land?"
>Yah, this is New Clitheroe and dem hills our huntin lands. You gone gots the elves mad and now they killed lots"
>Sweetmerciful/k/ubebepraised
>I made it
>Cutta looks impatient and I dont want to get on the wrong side of an Orc carrying a 4 gauge long shotcannon like its nothing
>Stuttering a bit I start to explain what has happened and what I have been through over the past few days
>Then I stop and start over but slower this time
>He and the witch, now smoking a pipe, listen as I talk
>Eventually I finish and Cutta stands up
>"Lopata this is serious. We iz going to need to do something"
>"I know Cutta"
>"Youze lie there and I will get some of mah boyz to go an check"
>Cutta leaves and the witch walks over
>Now the big orc has gone the room is starting to smell less of cum and booze and more of spices and herbs
>"Well Lopata, thats been a rough ride for you hasnt it"
>Feel my AK evolving into an RPG
>"Its a good thing they found you in time and got you back, those elf bullets are cursed you know"
>RPG is becoming an ICBM
>"Anyway I know someone who is happy you made it"
>That smile, that coy grin, that body, all of my hnnnnn
>"Do. You. Know. Who."
>Shes leaning right over now, breathing smoke onto me
>It smells of honey and summer wine
>Shes brushing against me
>Feels so good
>And then she sits up
>"You can come in now, hes better"
>A hatch bangs open in the door and Atya shoots in and flies straight onto my face
>The witch looks down at me grinning like a bitch
>sheknowshowtocountermissile.slightcucked
>All of my sexual rage
>Then Atya hits my face
>Concerned fairy noises and hugs, I can live with it
>"Its fine Atya, its fine. Im not going to die just yet"
>Witch is over by the worktop mixing something up
>Man I feel better but still shit
>"Get some sleep Lopata" Witch calls "Your going to need it and Cutta's lot will be a while"
>True and I need sleep
>But I cant I need-
>RPK-chan slides into bed next to me
>Based Witch
>Pass out with Atya on my shoulder and Witch working on something
Broken Arrow anon back again. Its been a hell of a day.
>I am awoken from my slumbers by a giant hand grabbing me and shaking me like a doll
>"Wake up Lupata 'ummie"
>My rocking gaze registers the big green face of Cutta for a moment and then I am dropped back down on the the bed
>"Uh, ow, what is it Cutta" I ask
>"You were right, them pointy eared buggers ere comin here in numbas"
>"You found them?"
>Yeah, der about 10 minutes out"
>waitwhat.wat
>"Im organisin the defence" the massive orc continues "Nah knife eared cunt is gonna drive me aught of my land"
>I struggle upright and disentangle RPK-chan from the covers, noting the nutt stains
>Fucks sake
>cant help but notice the witch busy packing something in the background and Atya helping her
>Cutta looks down at me approvingly
>"Yer a fighta Lopata, am gonna be conscripting you. Grab yer stuff and get to the frontline"
>No way in hell am I arguing with 7 feet of muscle and shotcannon
>Grab my shit and get dressed again. All my mags have been refilled and theres a bandolier of grenades lying by my stuff. I glance up and Witch winks at me
>"C'mon Hexslut, yah done yet" Cutta calls
>"Yes, im ready" the Witch responds, tightening the final strap of the platecarrier she has on over her dress and shouldering a big bag with a medical cross on the front
>She strides to the door grabbing a Mossberg 500 from the wall rack as she passes it
>Atya swoops across and drops onto my shoulder grinning madly and clutching a miniature version of Hexslut's bag
>Happy fairy noises
>"Ready" I ask
>She grins back and holds up her bag
>we jump up and head to the door with Cutta and Hexslut
>Outside the rebuilt ruins of Clitheroe are a a bustle of activity
>Atop the roof's of the old stone buildings /k/ommando's set up mortar's and sniping
>In the town square shit has been cleared away to allow a motley battery of artillery to assemble
>Is that a Norinco AH4?!
>Two obese men huff past lugging a .30cal Browning between them
>Behind the fatties runs their ammotrap in full maid gettup
>Cutta leads the way and we swing into the main street and head to the northern edge
>As we walk we are passed by groups heading to the frontline
>One guy in a trenchcoat carrying dual micro uzis
>Some traps bearing first aid stuff and refreshments
>Actual grills in combat gear
>A motley assembly of men and orcs practically dressed in mines
>Someone drives a tank past, its hull adorned with glyphs
>howdidtheygetatank.jpg
>We continue past a beastemen squad
>hangonasec
>Furry and beastman squad
>As we get closer to the wall we pass small mortar pits dug into gardens and ruins
>On the roof tops snipers nests and MG posts appear
>I count at least four autocannon placements
>People call out to Cutta and Hexslut as we go
>Then we get to the wall
>Its a thick thing made of stone and topped with parapets and barbed wire
>"I'll be off to my position" Hexslut grins and turns to dash off, shotgun at the ready
>Cutta nods and then turns to me "Lopata, yer to go join them over there"
>He points to a bunch of stal/k/ers in full suits complete with respirators attached
>Well, could be worse, could be with the fur brigade
>Head over to my new battle buddies
>Atya perks up and sniffs the air
>Oh shit, they have slav quisine
>Grabbing the errant fairy I stuff her into a spare pouch and close it up
>Muffled protest noises, but I cant have a slav-addled fairy in this fight
>Approach the group, they glance over at me
>Men and women of various shapes and sizes and is that an orc? And a few dwarves?
>"Av nuu, im your new comrade" I say
>The stalkers look at each other and laugh
>"Welcome new meat" one of them says
>"Come tah die aye?" says another
>Well, could be worse
>We get talking as we prepare
>The Orc is called Big Mag and the guy with the Groza is known as Multicam because of his MTP fetish
>The Dwarves are Harold the Vex and Ilt and both love flamethrowers
>Chlorine is the tall lad in the hasmat suit preparing his gas bombs
>Slavshot is the 5'4" qt with the SVD with taped on grenade launchers
>Yes, launchers. She has at least six on there
>Onager has a grill in the sniper squad up in the castle
>Once the slav food is hidden away I let Atya out
>She flies straight up and punches me in the face, her face crumpled in a scowl
>well, I deserved that I guess
>Cardinal frowns at me "Lopata that is a fey. They lead you to sin"
>"I know Cardinal but I think we are already gone in that department"
>He shrugs "S'pose, you do have a point"
>Cardinal returns to his prayers and blessing the wall
>The dwarves bring up reserve tanks of fire fuel propping them by the wall
>whatisfiresafety
>Chlorine laughs manically as someone dumps a pneumatic mortar by him
>I hope the wind changes before he starts firing
>"Hey Lopata" I turn to see Slavshot, her brown eyes wide behind her respirator
>"Is that a fairy?"
>Yeah, shes called Atya"
>Slavshot squees and tries to catch the alarmed Atya who flits away from her
>We laugh and continue preparing
>Then it comes
>The sound of fighting closes and suddenly the vanguard burst from the treeline, sprinting back through the routes across the minefield
>Some of them stop to fire off shots into the treeline behind them
>returnfire.contact
>In the second floor of the fortified building behind us an autocannon opens up and rakes the treeline with tracer
>The rest of us hold our fire and let the snipers and heavy weapons do there job
>One of the scouts is hit and falls, his buddy turns back to get him and is hit
>Shit, gotta get-
>A fighter in combat gear jumps over the wall and runs out to grab them
>Shes hit twice and we see the shots exit her
>But keeps on running
>Huh?
>Reaching the two downed scouts she grabs them and starts running back
>Then I see why. Shes a slime.
>The last of the scouts and slimegirl make it over the gangplanks and they are pulled up
>Then we wait
>And then they come
>The first thing we know are the snipers opening up in the treelines
>A Lamia falls dead a few yards away, shot through the head and a man tumbles from the roof fort
>We open up, raking the treeline with shot whilst Chlorine makes a few calculations then fires off his first bomb
>Then the Elves come
>Using magic to blur and obscure there attack the elf bastards swarm from the trees towards us
>But artillery says fuck your magic
>What seems like a hundred guns, mortars and rocket batteries open up behind us, and I swear it blots out the sun for a brief moment with shell density
>Then all is fire and death and the concussive thump of explosions and Chlorines mad laughter as he opens with his mortar, not caring about the wind blowing towards us
>Slavshot is rapid-firing her SVD and racking up her count
>Fuck it, might as well join in
>I chase elven figures through the smoke and blurring with bursts of fire
>Then the first wave is gone
>We start to cheer, then the air is rent by a crack of thunder and a fortified house explodes
>Oh shit, they have artillery too
>From the trees heavy weapons open up, strafing our lines
>We duck for cover but Ilt is not fast enough and a cannon projectile rips his head off
>Harold screams and crawls over to his friend as Atya scrambles for bandages
>A girl cries out as shrapnel opens her arm like a trout and Atya flies off to try and help her
>Something blows a hole in the wall to our right
>"UP AND FIGHT" someone roars and I see an orc in commissar uniform striding down the line
>Oh shit nope, we get up and start to fire back
>Cannon fire chews the wall before us and we duck back but return to the fight as soon as it passes
>And behind all of this the Elves come
>Sneaking and low they reach the edge of the minefield, then one explodes and they fall back to a small slope
>More elves are emerging, these carrying engineers equipment
>NOPE, we focus fire on them
>Chlorine fires off another bomb
>Elves fall choking and coughing up blood as the gas does its work
>Chlorine fires another barrage and it looks like it might do the job
>But then the elves pull on gas hoods
>Ah shit
>I hit an engineer and Slavshot downs an elf with each shot, but still they come
>Then the engineers hit the defilade and take cover
>Something long comes over the edge and slithers into the minefield
>OHSHITBANGALORE.SHOUT
>'THOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM'
>The blast clears a lane and other elf units are doing the same
>The knife ears begin to swarm through the lanes under the cover of their heavy weapons
>The artillery craters provide cover for them
>Chlorine kicks me "Get Harold up, were gonna need him"
>I duck down and grab Harold who is still clutching Ilt's body and trying to put his head back on
>"Hes gone Harold, come on or were gonna die"
>Harold sobs and pulls away but I hold firm
>"You can mourn him later but now is the time for revenge"
>Harols looks at me
>"He waes my best friend how c'n he be dead?"
>"Harold you have to accept it please, we need you"
>Harold cries out and lays his friend down
>"Tae gonna pay for this!"
>Well, hes back fighting at least
>I stand back up as Harold grabs his flammenwerfer and prepares it
>Shit, the elves have gotten close
>But thankfully the shell holes do not let them get close and they are stuck about 60 yards out, unable to get closer
>Our mortars are playing all over them and elf bodies are being blown apart or into the air
>We have this in a bag
>And then the tips of a dozen RPG's poke out of the hole towards us
>"OH SHIT" slavshot screams and throws herself to the ground
>I snatch Atya out of the air and do the same as the roar of rocket motors drowns out the gunfire
>Our section rocks as enough explosives to kill a elder dragon smack into the wall
>The blast wave lifts us off the ground and throws us a few feet
>I pass out momentarily
>Come around ears ringing and head dazed
>Theres blood in my mouth
>Someone is shouting something
>The wall is ruined
>Slavshot is back upright firing
>She glances over at me and shouts something
>EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>I struggle to my knees and grope for RPK-chan
>A glance down the line shows similar stories, the bastards have blown us wide
>Elves are swarming the wall in some places
>My hearing finally returns and I hear Slavshot
>"FUCKS SAKE LOPATA YOU RETARD THERE COMING SHOOT THEM YOU SHITWIT"
>My head snaps forwards and I see elves approaching rapidly even as the survivors try to rally
>Fuck, I scramble forwards, slipping on some girls head and guts as I do
>Reaching a part of the wall that is still standing I lean around and fire into the onrushing storm
>It is to no avail
>Slavshot cuts her fire and blasts off her grenades into the mass, blowing elves open, but it is not enough to repulse them
>Oh shit, this is it
>The Harold rears up, tears in his eyes
>"THIS IS FER ILT YA BASTARDS"
>Fire washes across the Elves and they fall screaming
>smellslike'nam.burn
>Harold cackles madly and strides through one of the new holes in the wall
>"Get back you madman" Slavshot calls but Harold is on the grudgepath
>Still, they are falling back and we might be wining this
>Then a burst of gunfire flies down the wall and catches him in the side
>Harold spins round, his eyes wide
>"Ilt... Am comin brother"
>And then an elf runs up screaming behind him and smacks her bayonet through his head
>Ilt falls dead and the Elves are on us
>They swarm over the wall with bayonets and swords
>Men, orcs and other nonhumans fall as the pointy eared fucks shoot, stab and batter them to death
>An elf throws himself over the parapet and dives at me, but I throw myself backward and hit him with a burst from my gun
>Rolling out from under the dead elf I rise to a crouch and fire off a few shots but the lines are too tangled now
>They dont call me Lopata for nothing
>I draw my trusty shovel and charge, screaming, as RPK-chan swings from her sling
>Slavshot is in trouble with two elves grabbing her so I run to her aid first
>A quick swing splits the head of one elf and the second one takes the flat to the face
>As it scrabbles back Slavshot rolls upright and shoots it with her handgun
>Back to back we fight as Atya shelters between us, her hands over her ears
>Then Chlorine screams "GASGASGAS"
>OH FUCK
>We grab our respirators and pull them on as a noxious green cloud envelopes the area
>Elves fall choking and we gain a momentary breather
>Atya swoops out in her gasmask and tries to treat a knife wound in my arm I hadnt even noticed
>Then Big Mag stumbles through the mist, his helmet askew
>"Fall back to the second line!" he cries
>Well shit, were up and moving before we know it
>Up and out, into the street packed with moving bodies as shapes leap across the rooftops, the snipers and MG teams abandoning their positions
>Shots fly at us and the rearguard answers in in kind
>And then we reach the second line in a small square
>The killzone is prepared and we filter through the lines and into new positions
> Some madmen in the artillery unit have brought a few fieldguns forwards and dug them in
>We are ready
>Are we though?
>Then the elves come, laying down a barrage of smoke and illusion magic ahead of themselves
>The trapped and mined houses funnel them into the street and they are easy pickings
>The machineguns open up and then the field guns fire off with hollow thumps, lobbing HE and canistershot into the Elves
>They fall back but we know better than to cheer this time
>Artillery rains into the square and Elvish sappers bring up short range grenade throwers, but we hold firm
>Then the tank appears
>A tank covered in Elvish writing drives out of the street, shots pinging off its hull
>Its turret rotates and it kills a field gun and starts to hose the positions with machinegun fire
>"Une fois de plus dedans!"
>The field gun crew next to us let out a cheer and fire a shell straight into the tank
>It explodes and bursts open like a banana
>Cutta rises from a nearby trench
>"INTO THEM YA GITS"
>The sound is one of pure /k/ pride and rage, ripped from a hundred throats
>"UUUUUURRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
>A fervour takes us over and we rise screaming our battle cry
>Even Atya is charging with us, bayonet ready
>Chlorine ditches his bombs and draws a cavalry saber
>Big Mag is holding a halberd like an axe
>Together we all charge into the Elves, bayonets fixed
>The death of their tank and now this is too much for the knife eared bastards and they break and flee before us
>Too bad mercy is a bitch
>We cut them down as they run, smashing into them without mercy
>I see the surviving furries swarming over a terrified group and clubbing them with huge dildo's
>Big Mag splits four open at once with his halberd-axe
>Slavshot hangs back and picks them off with rapid fire
>Chlorine hacks with his saber
>Myself and Atya plunge into the mass with our bayonets, Atya slitting tendons as I stab and gut
>And then we are back at the old line, the shattered wall
>But we do not stop and we carry the pursuit out into the killing ground and right to the edge of the minefield where we stop and open fire on them as they flee and occasionally explode
>And then it is all over, we fall back to the wall and look to our own
>The defences are ruined, but the bodies stand four and five deep in places
>We slaughtered many but our own losses are high too
>As the wounded are evacuated out STALKER group that once stood at 18 strong is now reduced to Big Mag, Chlorine, Slavshot, Atya and myself
>Hexslut walks by to check up on us
>"How did you do hex?"
>She laughs and holds up her Mossy, showing the fresh belt of elf ears hanging from it
>"Quite well thanks Lopata, how about you. Is your side okay?"
>"Yeah, thanks. Whatever you did worked a treat"
>"Im glad to hear it" She turns to Big Mag "Any injured?"
>"Na, nuffin left anyway"
>Hexslut nods "They didnt leave many injured did they"
>We all shake our heads in agreement
>Hexslut turns to leave "Let me know if you need help"
>And then she is gone and we are on our own
>We sit in a circle and talk. Slavshot produces a bottle of vodka and we pass it round as we try to forget the slaughter we lived through
>Atya takes the bottle and starts chugging it
>Angry fairy noises ensue as Big Mag snatches the bottle from her
>Too late though, she is swaying and dead drunk
>As the drunken fairy buzzes back to my shoulder we continue to talk
>Then a shadow falls over us
>"You did good today lads" Cutta says
>We turn and Chlorine offers him the bottle
>Cutta takes it and knocks back a slug
>"Glad to see your still with us too Lopata."
>He looks grim
>"No way to make this easy boys but it aint over yet. Scouts say theres still more. Were gonna lose the light soon so help fix the wall then fall back ta the castle. Im cycling a fresh lot in for tonight"
>We nod in relief and Cutta walks off
>Then we start rebuilding the wall
>Using what we can we bolster the defences
>Stones, rubble, wood, elf bodies, everything
>Harold and Ilt's fuel tanks are carried out and buried with detonators
>Slowly things come together
>As we are finishing I hear a noise from the now-ruined house behind us
>And then a whimper
>I check my RPK and step through a hole in the wall
>There hiding in the corner is a female elf
>I grab her and drag her out of cover as she screams and struggles
>Too bad bitch, she is tossed unceremoniously before the others
>We look at each other as the elf cowers on the ground at our feet
>"Imma kill the fucker" Big Mag says and raises his axeberd
>As we step beck I look down and see the look of fear on the elves face
>And the nice curvy body she has
>"Hand on a sec Mag, I think she might have Other uses"
>Mag looks at me, then sees my look
>"Sure Lopata, if you want it you can have it"
>He kicks the elf, flipping her to my feet
>"Were just about done 'ere anyway, the relief force is just there"
Mag points at a group of milsurp larpers in Soviet WW2 gear heading our way
>I bind the elf's hands and we get ready to leave as Mag hands control and the detonator for the tanks over to the new guys
>They glance over at the elf prisoner and a few whistle appreciatively
>And then we head back to the castle, along the old roads
>Other elf prisoners can be seen, and /k/ommando's making good use of them for bayonet practice and lewding
>We pass the furry's house and the screams of the captured elves can be heard coming from within
>Off up the street, with the elf
>Others are spitting at her and a few offer to dispose of her for me
>Nah, fuck that, these bastards made me suffer for nearly a week and then this. Im owed
>We reach the castle and are sent to our quarters
>Atya is still slumbering drunkenly in her pouch so I stick her atop the wardrobe so we dont disturb her
>"Hey Mags, Chlroine, you want a go after me?"
>Mags grunts and waves the offer whilst Chlorine laughs
>"Thanks man, but ive got a lamia waiting for me"
>And then they are off
>Slavshot grunts something about beer and then heads off
>I open my door and shove the Elf in
>Throw her onto the bed and rip the gag out
>Im gonna hear her beg
>"Please human dont do this"
>She speaks English
>"Its wrong and you know your rules say you cant. Please think of them"
>Appealing to the Geneva Convention?
>I lean in close
>"Warcrimes go both ways bitch"
>You know what comes next
>First bit of relief in a week
>Secure the elf in a corner of the room when im done
>I am generous enough to give her a blanket and a rug to sleep on
>Finally, some sleep
>Night anons
Broken Arrow anon returns
>I am awoken to a cold grey light by a sharp slap across my face
>Shouting something incoherent I sit up to find Slavshot standing over me
>"Lopata get up, its an emergency!"
>"What"
>"The Elves, theyve taken the lower town!"
>WTF
>Glance over to where my Elf still lies
>Shes pulled the blanket around herself but shes still chained to the wall
>Something off though, im not sure what
>Anyway, priorities
>Get up and grab my gear and RPK-chan, then carefully pick up Atya's pouch from the cupboard
>Shes still sleeping and appears to have made a little nest within
>Let sleeping fairies sleep
>Holding her I check the elves chains one last time and leave some water and some scraps for her
>Outside Big Mag and Chlorine are waiting, Chlorine is fingering his bombs and Mag is holding his .30cal like I would hold a rifle
>"Yer up, good. We need teh to the main hall for briefing" Big Mag grunts
>We head down to the great hall to find the other castle residents there as well, some furries that snuck in, a few traps and actual maids, the girl sniper squad, a few other STALKER and Metro units, Gor/k/a squads, slavaboo's, wehrboo's, lamia's, Orcs and even a few Harpies, Witches and Slimes.
>Cutta stands before the throne at the head of the hall
>"Right yah bastards we have a situatun, the Elves attacked half an hour ago an carried the lowa town. Most of our lads got back but they ave loast most of the second line"
>Oh fuck, that based French artillery crew
>"Nah, am ordering a counter attack. Weve got a few technicals an the artillery has promised not ta shoot short this time"
>Besides me Slavshot sighs irritably
>"Yeah, they say that every time and every time they hit us. Its the American crew, they cant lay a barrage for shit"
>Chlorine nods in agreement "Tell me about it, remember Hi-Point Lizz? Didnt even get a chance to fly away"
>Big Mag grunts and Slavshot shakes her head
>Cutta continues "Anyway, your all tah get rearmed and ready"
>"Right then, leaders down here fer briefing, the rest of ya get gon an get ready"
>Big Mag glances at us "You erd the man, get moving" and heads off to the stairs
>The rest of us file down to the armoury with the others, the air rife with speculation about the habbenings
>The fairy pouch stirs and Atya emerges rubbing her eyes, her hair tousled
>She looks around in bleary confusion then looks up at me
>"Wats hazzening?"
>"Its the Elves Atya, they counter attacked"
>Atya squeaks and dives back into her pouch to hunt for her gear
>We enter the armoury and all is noise
>Chlorine heads off to the chem section and to get some more 9mm for his UMP whilst Slavshot and I force our way through to the slavic ammunition stockpile
>On the way I snag a few bandoliers of grenades and Slavshot grabs a couple of boxes for her many launchers
>After this we hit the mess and wait for Big Mag. We dont have to wait long
>Our 7 foot monster of a commander walks up in full DPM, carrying more ammo belts than the wehrboo MG teams
>"Airight you lot, its not as bad as we thought. The Elves ave only taken the Northern parts of the lowwa town so the mill is still in our hands an safe"
>We all cheer at this
>"Nah, our job is tah move across tah the Eastern flank an support the main thrust there. Simple stuff, just watch the flank an dont let them be ambushed.
>We all nod in relief, after yesterday there is no way we can take another frontline fight
>"All prepped? Good, move out"
>We leave the castle and start to head down to the outer bailey
>The sound of battle is obvious now, the hatter of guns and the steady crump of the mortars, interrupted by the thump of the big guns and sounds of explosives going off
>The air is thick with the charnel scent of death, cordite fumes and random whisps of gas
>The whole Northern edge o the town is going to hell
>Chlorine whistles and Slavshot gasps in outrage
>Big Mag laughs and chivvy's us along
>"Youll have time ta look later"
>We march out and into the street of the town
>Wounded are being dragged back to aid stations and the castle as a armoured tractor tows a armoured trailer full of /k/ommando shocktroops towards the front
>A SUV with two rocket pods bolted to its roof screams past, followed a moment later by a flatbed truck carrying a flakveirling
>Ohgods this is for real
>We cross and head down the side streets through the old part of the town
>Even back here the sound of fighting is loud
>Mortar pits light off as injured are dragged back and the counterattack is organised
>Atya cowers in her pouch, overwhelmed by the noise and violence
>We head to a set of terraced houses on the Eastern edge and wait our next orders
>The houses are still ruined from the Merge, but there is something familiar about them as we settle in
>Chlorine instantly goes to the kitchen and starts working in the sink
>Big Mag flops down on the remains of a sofa which gives out beneath him. Cursing he struggles to his feet and kicks a rotten cushion onto a pile of rubble
>Slavshot pauses for a moment and then climbs the wonky staircase to the remains of the upper floor
>I squat opposite Big Mag and break out some piroshki for Atya
>The tiny fairy grabs her chunk and slips into her pouch making happy noises
>Big Mag watches her "Thats a interesting thing you have. So, were did youse find each other then?"
>"Ah, she saved me" I tell him about my time near the Elf base
>"Hah, you got lucky young Lopata. Dont push it. Anyway, are you ready for this push?"
>"I hope so Mag, but I dont know if we have the manpower to counter the Elves. Theres a lot of them"
>"Yeah, but thats it you see, they need numbas to defeat uz lot because they cant fight very well"
>I shudder, remembering the manhunter death squads
>"Nah, dont worry young Lopata, we haz many special tricks and we fight harder anyway
>"Aye Mag, but theres so many of them - what if we run out of supplies before they run out of bodies?"
>Big Mag leans back and crosses his arms behind his head
>"Ah dont reckon that will happen. You see Cutta put a call in for aid with the Preston lot. Crimson Caravan is puttin together a relief caravan with aid from some other groups. So long as we hold out we will be relived"
>I have to admit I am impressed, Cutta seemed the sort to fight first and second and think on the strategic level third at the earliest
>"But the road... Its narrow and isolated and fr too vulnerable. If they cut it..."
>"Nah Lopata yer worryin too much again. Elves are not that smart to think of cuttin off our supplie lines"
>"If you say so Mag, but I still think it should be watched"
>Mag snorts "Anyway, how was your Elf then?"
>I laugh "Ha, not bad at all. It put up a bit of resistance but I think its starting to break in"
>"I dont know how you can Lopata, why not just kill it?"
>"Elves Mag, Elves are something else in bed. Especially ones with bodies like that. Its certainly an experience... And besides I can do what I like to it and who's gonna complain?"
>"Aye Loptata you have a fair point there...."
>Theres a cough at the door
>A harpy stands there in light webbing and a flack vest
>"Big Mag? Its time, move your unit to Crummins Point and keep to the flank in the advance"
>The harpy turns and takes flight again, her job done
>Big Mag gets up and hoists his .30cal
>"Time to be off guys"
>Chlorine wanders through and Slavshot descends agilely as we form up
>"Right then you lot, follow me" Big Mag bellows
>We head out the back of the ruined house and through into the alley
>It is only as I glance back that I recognise the house. It used to belong to my friend, before the merger. Its been so long since I saw him, or many of the old ones actually. Too long spent out on the frontier.
>Note to self, if we live through this go and see friends
>Mag leads us out and round to a low tavern, refitted as a small bunker
>Inside we stop and rest again. Slavshot grabs a beer and I check on Atya
>The tiny fairy is lying back in her pouch, half slumbering
>A quick shake of the pouch wakes her up again and she scowls up at me
>"C'mon Atya, its time to earn your keep"
>Atya rolls her eyes and flies up onto my shoulder
>We sit back and listen as the barrage intensifies and then
>"Its time to move"
>Big Mag gets up and we follow him out into the street and across into the rows of houses
>We enter and Chlorine fires off a flare. A moment later it is answered by another to the West and we start to advance
>We head from building to building, either through pre-existing passages or through holes Big Mag bludgeons through the walls, only crossing streets when we have too
>Through the first street and the second we advance fine, but on the third Atya flies up front and gestures for us to wait
>She flies off and a moment later comes back and beckons us on
>Silently we move down the houses until she leads us into a room facing the street
>Below us are two dozen elves, and a light armoured car
>There gonna flank the main thrust
>Not on our watch
>Big Mag gestures and we spread out along the row
>3... 2.. 1..
>All four of us open up at once
>Slavshot unleashes a volley of grenades as Chlorine drops a gas bomb then grabs his UMP and Big Mag walks a line of lead up and down the street
>I toss a grenade and then hammer the scattering elves with my RPK
>The fight is over in seconds, the Elves lie dead or dying on the floor, the armoured car a burning wreck
>We can hear the crew screaming within and trying to open the hatches as they crisp up
>We rise and move on, leaving the grisly scene as Atya drops back onto my shoulder
>We get another two streets before we hit Elves again
>This time they are in the buildings ahead of us
>We dont even bother trying to push in
>Chlorine throws several gas grenades into the house and then we wait at either side and pick off any who escape
>We push on and then Big Mag gestures
>Oh shit, the sound of fighting is behind us
>We have pushed farther than the main force
>We drop down to street level and dash across the road, expecting sniper fire or a hail of lead at any moment
>But nothing happens
>We make it across and enter the other side
>There we see the elf support units, mortaring the main thrust
>Slavshot glances at us and nods
>There is a muffled clatter as we affix bayonets
>Of course Big Mag has an actual sword for a bayonet
>Atya grabs two grenades from my harness
>We wait until the long eared fucks bring up fresh ammunition
>Then Atya flies high and drops her grenades into the ammo trailer and we open up, chopping them down
>Slavshot takes out the officers and anyone showing any initiative whilst Big Mag chops elves down like wood
>Then Atya's grenades go off and we all duck back as a cart load of mortar bombs goes up
>Ears ringing we drop down through holes in the floor and charge out into the stunned survivors
>It is quick and bloody, most Elves are unarmed and few come round to offer resistance
>I stab one and feel the shock pass through my arms, then raise my gun and fire off a burst into two more
>Atya does something to the minds of the less-dazed elves and they go slack
>Chlorine charges with his saber, hacking them up
>Slavshot supports us as Big Mag rips elven bodies apart
>And then we are done. We consolidate on the far side of the street
>"Well, what noe" Chlorine asks
>Big Mag laughs
>"Seeing as were behind em, lets go knock in the back door"
>Hes insane.... But hell arent we all?
>Together we climb into the ruins and start working back South towards the main force
So there we are, 4 surviving anons from the 4th STALKER squad. Chlorine the mad nutter with his penchant for chemical warfare, Slavshot the deadeye sniper with a explosive payload for up close, Big Mag our seven foot tall Orc Sgt who carries a Browning M1919a4 as a man might carry an AK, Atya the medical fairy with a slav cuisine addiction, and myself, the sole survivor with my RPK and shovel.
>And of course all five (well, four and 1/10) of us are on yet another suicide task
>This being only the second one of the day shows we might be slacking a bit...
>Anyway, we consolidate into the buildings on the far side of the street, breaching weapons ready
>Which proves to be a good thing as the eight elves in the ground floor are starting to come around after the mortar ammo truck exploded literally right outside
>We use our knives... Well, equivalents. I still want to know where Chlorine got a genuine Napoleonic cavalry saber.
>It is bloody but quick work and the only hold up comes when a lone male elf tries to put up a fight with Slavshot, which ends promptly when Big Mag pops his skull like a pimple between those massive hands
>Up stairs sounds troublesome though, we can hear movement
>Slavshot, Chlorine and myself get ready to breach when Big Mag raises his MG and fires off a burst into the ceiling
>There is a scream, some panicked gasping and then silence
>We creep up the stairs and investigate
>1, the bastards have cleared a tunnel right along this row
>And two, Big Mag got an observation officer and aide in his burst, nice.
>Our thoughts on the subject are cut short as a shout rings out from up the row, followed by a burst of gunfire
>I dive for cover and the others do likewise, Atya flying up through a hole in the ceiling for safety
>"Well" Slavshot calls over the leaden din "It looks like they know we're here now, any more bright ideas boss"
>Big Mag snorts and points upwards
>"Thems only shootin down this level, what about the attics"
>Oh shit the madman is right
>"Follow the fairy boys"
>Chlorine and myself climb up the ladder o find a relieved Atya sheltering behind a brick
>Then Big Mag punches through the floor and emerges like something out of a nightmare and Atya has to be stuffed into her pouch before she hits the roof
>We all pause, but the din of the firestorm below really makes it impossible to hear anything
>And then we go, breaking through the walls as quietly as possible and working our way along
>It all goes really well until we hit the knife ears on the 5th house
>Fortunately they are unprepared and we are not, Chlorine panics and throws a gas bomb and the rest of us grab our respirators and pull them on as the maniac commits even more warcrimes in the name of freedom
>Needless to say the Elves are not prepared for gas attacks and only a few pull on their respirators fast enough to avoid a lungful of death
>As the poisoned elves fall choking and coughing up blood Slavshot and I fire through the hole, picking off those still pulling respirators on or grasping for weapons
>Big Mag breaks through the wall and we head in, stepping around the twitching, gasping forms of dying elves as the gas sinks through the floor and into the lower levels
>I catch a glimpse of Chlorines eyes through his lenses
>Ever seen the eyes of a kid who just unwrapped a present to find a genuine pothelm, toy gun and bucket of toy soldiers?
>Yeah, like that. Like hes in heaven after just committing small scale genocide
>Anyway, we are now in a shittier position as the Elves know where we are
>Fortunately we have an answer of sorts as Chlorine flips to the underbarrel launcher on his UMP and selects a green cartridge from his pouches
>Big Mag punches a hole in the wall and Chlorine gasses it
>We are still moving fast enough that it catches the knife ears mostly off guard and leaves panicking and dying elves on the floor, but enough get organised and respiratored up enough to put up a fight
>Chlorine pops back and I toss two grenades through the hole
>one explosion later and Big Mag puts a hole through the other end of the wall and away from the newly formed gaping pit
>We get lucky on the next few houses, Elves are moving about beneath us but none of them are in the lofts
>We get to the 3rd to last house in good time and stop
>Knife ear language, elves
>Well, time to drop stealth for now then
>Chlorine pops two gas bombs and thrusts them through a gap in the wall, then another two and drops them directly through the floor
>Gurgling screams erupt as Big Mag punches a hole in the floor and we drop down strafing the panicked and dying Elves with automatic fire
>Shouts emerge from the through-corridor where it enters the next building but Slavshot leans out into the corridor and fires a fusillade from her underbarrel launchers
>The concussive blast checks our advance momentarily but then we are through and into the main base
>The gas is getting thicker and I swear Chlorine titters every time we pass a dying elf
>Which is pretty fucking often seeing as the nutcase just spontaneously converted three houses into gas chambers that would make Hitler wet.
>We clear the final two with ease but the elves in the third had enough of a warning to be prepared
>Most of them have hoods on and they start to put up a fight
>Getting through is tough and I am debating on using more grenades when Atya leaves her pouch and grabs two of my grenades before zipping in
>ohgodsbraceforimpact.fairy
>Two explosions later and the fire has significantly lessened enough for us to toss more grenades in and then push
>Most of the dead Elves are dead through shrapnel and bullet, not gas and I hear Chlorine let out a little sigh of disappointment
>We find Atya sheltered behind some slagged radio equipment that seems to have eaten a lot of shrapnel
>Despite the dazed expression our tireless helper fairy is apparently unhurt and perks up when Slavshot promises her a thimble of vodka if we live through this
>Big Mag takes a glance out of the window as we secure the upper floor
>He recoils sharply and the calls us over
>Apparently we are virtually on the Elf front line
>Theres a lot of Elves beneath us and only the massive battle going on literally on our doorstep has prevented them from noticing us
>Even so some of them are looking up at us and starting to get curious
>Even without the numbers the two technicals and car sat outside will murder us
>We have two choices, head back into Auschwitz or storm the bastards before they take us
>Like the intelligent people we are we choose three
>Chlorine and slavshot fire a barrage of gas bombs and grenades from the opening whilst I roll grenades down the stairs and Big Mag makes a hole in the back wall of the house
>As soon as we are done (And Slavshot has thrown a molotov or two for extra confusion) we all tactical down and out through the hoe big Mag has made, straight into the backyard, across the alley and into the next building
>The Elves here are surprised but recover quickly enough to catch me in the arm and Slavshot a creasing blow across the skull before grenades and an angry orc with a MMG silence them
>Atya tosses me a field dressing and flies off to see to Slavshot
>Chlorine and Big Mag grab the injured markswoman and drag he in to the house
>I follow and we dump her inside the door as we clear out the upper floor
>The elves put up a fight but good old breach and clear tactics deal with them
>I glance out of a window as we pass
>The chaos outside is impressive
>Elves are choking on the floor as others run over them, trying to assault the street we just came from
>Big swathes are on fire and one of the technicals appears to have stalled out in the fire
>Both the crew are panicking and trying to get out but the doors are jammed part-open
>Gas, fire and random rounds cooking off are creating a massive confused mess
>But despite all this they are starting to rally around officers
>And of course Slavshot is down
>We bring Slavshot upstairs, Atya is struggling to get her helmet off so I pull it off
>Its a nasty wound and we all wince, even Big Mag, but Atya goes straight to work
>Shes focused on her work but from what we pick up it appears the bullet deflected off Slavshots helmet and scored around her head before dropping out
>Shes alive but out cold
>And then a grenade crashes through the downstairs window and a burst of smallarms fire impacts on the wall
>The bastards have found us
>We all look at each other
>This is it, we live or die but we make our stand here
>Big Mag hefts his MMG and starts to fire from the windows into the mob as Chlorine dashes to the far side and I take the staircase
>I flip a table infront of it and settle down waiting, waiting, wa-here they come
>The first group makes it 4 steps up before I open up and cut them down with a blaze 7.6x39mm soviet death
>The next few are not quite so cocky, but the angle is good and I dissuade them from pushing well enough, with a few grenades as encouragers
>Its going well and I think we might actually have a chance here
>Then another Elf pushes around the corner and my bullets hit a shimmering shield of air infront of it
>Even as my brain registers this my hand is already instinctively moving for a special mag, but I ma not carrying any anti-caster rounds
>Even as my brain is shitting itself at this revelation my hand is deciding that a grenade is maybe the next best thing
>The grenade goes rolling over the edge and half a second later bounces back past and out of the window by me
>I start shitting myself as the sudden realisation of whats coming hits me about the same time as the fusilade from the elves advancing behind the sorceress hits the impromptu barricade
>Im in a shit position and they know it
>Cant run, because they will cut me down
>Cant stay because im gonna be butchered
>Cant grenade because magic bullshit
>I start to crawl away when the entire world seems to buck and roll as something big explodes outside
>The barricade gives way and I see the sorceress fall and lose concentration for a moment
>nowismytime.gif
>Magdump into the bitch more than I cumdumped that elf last night
>Her shield holds for the first second and I think I might have made a mistake
>And then it gives and two of my shots hit her
>One in the gut, the other in the shoulder
>She screams and crumples to the bottom of the stairs as the Elves panic
>Two of them drag the sorceress out whilst the others cover them
>A grenade clears the filth away
>We hold out for a few more minutes before the situation really starts to go bad
>By this point my ammunition supply is running low, when Big Mag lets out a shout of rage
>"Mih guns jammed"
>Oh shit, as soon as the MG falls silent the Elves surge forwards
>A grenade clatters up the stairs and finally persuades me to fall back into the room
>Chlorine is already in there dragging furniture over
>I catch his gaze and he looks grim, we are both low on ammo and at the limits of our endurance, Big Mag is frantically trying to fix his overheated Browning and Slavshot is out cold on the floor with Atya doing all that she can
>Shots slam into the side of the building and through the windows as feet thunder on the stairs
>I grab the bookcase and help Chlorine slam it into place as the first pointy eared faggot pokes his head over the banister
>Chlorine screams incoherently and removes his head with a burst from his UMP but the others respond with wild shots and grenades
>We hunker down behind the barricade and trade shots from our rapidly depleting supplies as the Elves push into us
>A few bursts later and Chlorine shouts "Last mag ready"
>My RPK clicks dry and I reach for another mag to find my hand resting on my final mag
>"Same here" I shout as Big Mag ditches his jammed gun and draws the sawn offs he uses as side arms
>Together the three of us man the barricade, conserving ammo and throwing our last grenades as the elves wear us down
>Its all over, it has to be. This is it.
>Im hit again in the arm and a second round slams into my plate carrier
>Big Mag stumbles as a round punches through the barricade and into his leg
>Chlorine ditches his bombs as a burst of fire rips across and narrowly misses them
>Im down on one knee, my chest hurts and my RPK is out, im down to my Webley
>Chlorine draws his makrov and continues to fire
>Another grenade goes off as we duck back
>And then the fire slackens and the knife ears stop pushing up the stairs
>Theres sounds of fighting outside and battlecries from other defenders
>Atya swoops up and looks out of the window then calls out in excitement as she sees friendly forces pushing up
>We let out a chear
>Shortly afterwards we hear friendlies break into the down stairs
>They reach the top of the stairs and stop
>"Whose up there"
>Big mag grins "Its us, Big Mags lot"
>Theres a muttered conversation and then a furry is shoved up onto the landing
>When it isnt instantly riddled with lead the rest of the group follow
>A professional team by the looks of it in tacticool operator gear carrying GR-36c's
>The leader walks forwards
>"Your supposed to be on the flank, what the fuck are you doing here?"
>This dwarf walks straight up to a 7' Orc and starts having a go at him
>Atya comes to the rescue, flying and and slapping the upstart in the face
>Before he can recover she points to Slavshot and starts screaming in his face about his incompetence and why has he not called for aid when we have injured
>Its so absurd, this tactedout dwarf with his operator unit being shouted down by a tiny fairy in some mini milsurp rig, that Chlorine bursts out laughing
>The dwarf finally quitens down and calls for evac for us, his face purple with rage
>We are led out, Slavshot carried on a stretcher between two medical traps
>Outside in the street all is hell
>Fire charred corpses and dead elves are piled everywhere and the main front is reorganising itself for another push
>In the centre is one of the technicals, a torched husk
>The other one appears to be the thing that made the explosions and is spread across a wide area
>A truck carries us back through the battlegrounds and into the centre of the town to the medical posts
>We debus and are led to waiting points
>I have two cracked ribs and a bruised liver, a hole in my right arm and a cracked shoulder
>Didnt even notice the last one
>They apply a salve to the ribs and some stuff to my shoulder to heal them faster, and a bandage and poultice to my arm
>Then im sent back to the castle for rest
>On the way meat Chlorine
>He was mostly okay, but part of his ear lobe got shot off
>Apparently Big Mag is being released later when they fix his thigh bone back together
>Slavshot should be okay, but they need time to work on her
>Hes taking her SVD back to our quarters for her
>We head back together and end up in my room. The elf is still there and she has eaten some of the scraps and drunk some of the water I left her
>Shes still chained to the wall
>Chlorine kicks her and she flinches back, trying to curl up on herself
>"Poor sport" he snorts and then comes to join me at the table
>I pull out two glasses and a thimble for Atya and a bottle of good mead the previous owner left here
>Its nice stuff and the three of us sit in silence for a few minutes, drinking.
>"did we do the right thing?" Chlorine asks
>I shrug "I dont know mate, but I like to think we did"
>Me too, but was it worth the cost? Mag's competence at leading is being questioned and Slavshot got hurt pretty bad"
>Again I shrug "I dont know. Atya?"
>Atya looks up and grumbles before returning to her drink
>Chlorine laughs "Maybe shes got the right idea"
>We drink a bit more then grab some food from the mess hall
>I remember to grab some slops for the elf
>We sit back down again in my room and drink and chat into the night
>By this point the pain numbers are wearing off and we split
>Chlorine heads back to his room and Lamia waifu and I drop the passed out fairy into her pouch. The elf recoils from me as I go past to drop Atya on the cupboard
>I crouch infront of the elf and poke her
>She stares back balefully
>"Your a monster you filthy bastard"
>Cant even be bothered hitting her for that, so I leave her there and go to bed.
>Got to sleep to heal.
>The elf finishes up as I decide I cant sleep anymore and sit up
>The anti-pain stuff has worn off by now and im really starting to feel the hurt
>In fact my arm itches as the flesh knits back together at an accelerated speed
>Look over at the elf
>Shes sat with her head on her knees sobbing
>Not that I can hear much
>Atya chirrups and calls me over to her pouch
>"Lopata, take the pots down"
>"Oh c'mon Atya, im injured an-"
>"TAKE THEM DOWN" the fairy shouts and punches me on the nose
>Cursing the little monster I grab the pots and head off down as Atya climbs back into her pouch and relaxes on a small recliner
>istildontknowwhereshegetsthisstuff.bemused
>I take the dishes down and dump them in the dirty pot stand in the mess hall
>Its too loud here and my head hurts
>I turn and start back up when I walk straight into something solid
>Look up
>Big Mag stares down at me
>"Young Lopata, wat ya doin?"
>myheadowowowowow
>"J-just heading back to bed"
>"Well ya can slepp later, c'mon we need tah grab Chlorine"
>WTF, not a combat mission already?
>We head up and pound on Chlorines door.
>Then Big Mag slams it open and together we petition his GF for permission to borrow him
>I'll tell you one thing, talking down a 12' snake girl who is PISSED is a talent and a half
>That neither of us knew, but thankfully Chlorine did
>Promising to be back in a minute he grabbed some pants and heads out with us
>We all sit in a small alcove
>"Well, the situatun is like this" Big Mag says
>"The counteroffensive was mostly good but they still ave a good chunk of low town and furermore there movin troops an stuff up the flanks. Fer now we are off ops until we getz patched up."
>He draws a breath
>"Speakin ere which, Slavshot's gonna make a full recovery, Hexslut said maybe 2 days tops"
>We get on to talking about the fight and how we reckon things are going to develop in the coming days
>Big Mag is determined the Elves will be thrown back in a day or two
>Chlorine reckons they have the staying power for a long and protracted siege, but that Cutta will authorise the mass use of chemical weapons once that becomes obvious to him
>His eyes are wide and his hands twitching excitedly as he says this
>Big Mag and exchange nervous glances
>We drop back into further speculation about the future and are just getting a really good arguement going when an angry hissing interrupts us
>Chlorines waifu rears up above us, her hands on her... IDK, hips and a scowl on her face
>Big Mag and I recoil whilst Chlorine whimpers
>"A few minutes wasnt it?" she says
>Chlorine manages to squeak a "yes" in responce
>"I think those are up now"
>"es"
>The Lamia grabs Chlorine and he meekly follows her back to bed
>Big Mag and I salute him as we watch him go
>Thats a braver man than either of us right there
>We sit and talk for a bit before Big Mag scratches at his cast and mutter something about getting a drink
>We split and head for our rooms
>Back in mine Atya is snoring on her recliner whilst the Elf is huddled up on her rug
>That thing is still nagging me
>I poke Atya awake and together we advance on the Elf
>She swears and pulls back but I grab her and hold her still
>Atya flies down and inspect her, making sure to spit at the elf who stares back with baleful eyes
>The fairy makes a full study then flies back
>I throw the elf back down and turn to Atya
>"Well?"
>Atya thinks for a moment then explains
>The Elf is healing fast. As in really, magically, fast
>This is unusual and there is only one explanation she can think of
>This is not an ordinary elf or even a High Elf
>This is a Moon Elf, a rare breed that resembles a wood elf but with inherent magic
>I sit on my bed and glance over
>It also means she is probably royalty, and high ranking in the elf army
>Well, she cant do much here, might as well interrogate her later
>but not now, im tired and need to heal
>Atya calls for food and after a couple of pizzas I head to bed.
>I wake up to the sound of artillery shells smashing into the castle grounds
>Dear sweet shit, when did the bastards range in on this place?!
>A shell strikes close to the tower it shakes
>The fairy pouch tumbles from the cupboard and clatters to the floor to the muffled thumps of tiny furniture falling about and some very fancy language, not all in fey.
>The Elf has pushed herself up to the wall and has her hands over her ears, her face in a snarl as the shrapnel rattles off the window
>As Atya tumbles from her pouch, frantically pulling her helmet and flakjacket on, I grab my helmet and throw it onto my head and run over to the wall, snagging my plate carrier on the way
>Both of us impact on the facing wall alongside them elf who glances briefly at us as I pull on my carrier
>Shit, she might be by fuck-prisoner and hate me but right now we are all on the same side
>Well, I suppose its her people hammering us, but you know what they say about friendly fire
>Shells slam into the grounds and facing wall for another few minutes and then the barrage ceases
>Atya and myself roll forwards as soon as we realise its over and survey the damage
>The window is cracked and a few panes have blown out and the impacts have thrown our gear and clothes about but apart from that we seem to have survived intact
>As we start trying to sort things out there is a hammering at the door
>I open it and Big Mag looms in the doorway, by the looks of it only just awake
>Shit, hes still wearing a peppa pig night cap
>"LOPATA, ARE YOU OKAY?"
>"Yeah, im good and so's Atya"
>"GOOD, WERE NEEDED TO HELP WITH THE DAMAGE"
>As he shouts this Chlorine runs past, dressed only in his pants, helmet, mask and a set of webbing
>Atya and I glance at each other and then back at the elf
>Shes recovered and glaring at us through narrowed eyes
>But still chained up
>I kick a bowl of leftovers over to her and lock the door behind us
>Then we head down the stairs and through along galley to an outside door
>We exit on to a scene of destruction
>The curtain wall has been ripped to shreds in this sector, and several of the structures on the inside of the wall have been demolished
>Fires have broken out and there are bodies everywhere, injured crying for help
>Some of the medics are already here tending as best they can
>Atya shoots off almost immediately, yanking stuff from her medical kit and starts tending to the nearest injured
>A nearby Neko in Rhodie rig is shouting commands
>She sees us and starts shouting commands
>The three of us go to work putting fires out and rescuing survivors from the blaze
>We keep working on the fires with buckets of water and fire brooms until the body of the fires are out
>Then we are reassigned to work on the rubble, clearing the wreckage away and pulling out people or whatever is left of them
>We work throughout the morning
>So much for a rest period, my arm and shoulder are hurting like a bitch
>At midday we cycle out for our break and sit down for a hot meal
>The sun has risen and we are hot under it but the work must go on
>At least we are not down in the town, fighting
>One of the servers, a Wolf Girl, tells us that the fighting has stalled again in the lower town
>Apparently rumour has it that Elf forces have been sighted flanking up the western flank and indeed the front line is creeping that way
>Thats kind of bad, if they get too far along they could threaten the main road
>Big Mag stands up and grunts through his tusks
>"Time fer work again"
>We return to the grim task of collecting the dead and remains from the wreckage
>It is not until dusk that we finish up
>The wreckage is cleared and as Chlorine staggers over to the body pile with a severed harpy wing we call it a day
>Together we retire to the mess hall
>Apparently the mess was hit because there is a hole in the roof and damage to the benches and tables
>Ah well, none of us are staying
>We grab food, remembering to grab something for the elf, and head back to our rooms
>On the way we pass Chlorines Lamia GF
>She's wearing tactical gear and carrying an SA80
>She winks at him and says something but im too tired to catch it
>He groans and nods
>We ascend the stairs and return to our rooms
>I just about collapse, and after dropping the elves food by her slump at the table
>Atya pokes me and I groan as she leads me to the sink and starts washing the dirt and gore off of us
>The water runs a grimy black-red
>Eventually it runs clean and Atya lets me leave to eat my food as she retreats into her pouch to eat
>I dont know where she gets that energy from
>My gut tells me this is a long way from over
>I slump over my table and gradually my eyes grow heavy
>The Elf is watching me... The last thing I see are her eyes and then everything fades
>Im not sure how long I sleep for but when I come too there is a mortar barrage underway
>Thankfully it seems to be falling short, but the bastards are still shelling us
>As the shells strafe the outer ward I raise my head and for a second I could swear I see a flash of light from the Elf's hand
>Then it is gone
>I stagger upright and walk over to check, bringing a light because its still dark
>The elf recoils from me but I grab her and check
>Nothing seems wrong with the cuffs
>But im up now and that look of hate mixed with fear is quite a turn on....
>She struggles and tries to resist, but to no avail
>The /k/ube knows she feels damn good
>Afterwards I leave her to curl up against the wall and pull her blanket over herself and sit on my bed
>Theres half a bottle a bottle of vodka on the table and I grab it on my way
>Shit, im not gonna lie I enjoy it but at the same time it leaves me feeling dirty afterwards
>I mean, shes a fucking murdering Elf, but even so, what if she wasnt?
>The burn of the slavic juice cleanses my mind and I remember the fallen, those gutted by Elves, shot, blown up or magicked to death
>I remember the Man Hunter squads in the forest and the dead STALKER's
>The screams of the ones they played with
>The dying STALKER who would never see his wife or daughter again
>And just like that the guilt is gone
>I look back at the cowering Elf, her wide eyes glazed with shock and fixed on me
>This bitch is probably guilty of dozens of warcrimes
>She deserves it, right?
>Thinking of the dying STALKER brings back memories
>I stumble over to my cupboard and fumble through my gear, being careful not to disturb the Fairy pouch, or the snoring occupant within
>The picture is still there, as are the tags and the wallet
>The poor bastards blood has dried on them leaving brown stains
>haveduty.gif
>The barrage is walking on now into the town so I grab my RPK-chan, leave my room and the cowering Elf and head down to the offices
>Theres a basic record of all STALKERS operating out of the base here and of their relatives, associates, etc
>Only the night staff are on duty, a single vampire in a Idolmaster shirt and joggers who is watching Monmusu
>He looks over the tags and wanders off into the back to return with a file
>As the bored leech yawns I go over the file
>Its all there, name, age, etc.... Family. Next of kin. Address.
>Thanking the Vampire I leave the office and head to the entrance
>Two girls are on guard, armed with HK-416's
>"Anon, passage is barred until dawn"
>"But I need too-"
>"No" The brunette steps forward and raises her weapon slightly
>I shrug and mutter an acceptance and turn back
>Theres feck all one can do until the 'morrow.
>Attempt failed I head to the mess hall
>Its late, and the hole in the roof only has a tarp covering it, but some staff are still in and I grab a cider
>The night wears on and I have another drink
>Dawn is taking its time and impatience sets in
>I rise and wander the halls, checking the defences and damage until the sky starts to turn grey in the East
>With the dawn comes the rain, small spats at first, streaks on the glass
>Then come the bigger drops with greater intensity and the deluge opens up
>Back in the mess hall the first round of breakfast is being served
>I grab a plate of black pudding, bacon, sausage egg and fried tomatoes and mushrooms and sit to enjoy greasy wholesome goodness
>Then on to the town
>I pass last nights guards as I head out, chatting as the head back
>The new guards let me pass after a quick glance ad I head into the rain-drenched town
>The drops bounce off my helmet and RPK-Chan as I head into the town
>All around there is bustle, units moving to the front, artillery redeploying, armour rearming and injured coming back here and there
>My injured leg aches as I go
>Really should not have pushed it
>I head South, past the mill and over into a street of old brick houses that seem to have withstood the test of time well
>There I find the house
>A lady answers the door, the same one in the picture
>"Yes, can I help you?"
>"Ma'am, im Lopata... hh"
>She looks at me and her face falls
>"Im sorry Ma'am, we did everything we could but it was too late"
>"Did he suffer?"
>"No, not much. He was thinking of you two when he went, he wanted to tell you both how much he loved you"
>She nods, looking away
>"He wanted you to have these"
>She takes the picture and the wallet and tags
>"He was in Iraq you know, he always said if anything got him it would be the sand men"
>There are tears in her eyes as she speaks
>"We moved here and settled after the merge because it seemed so perfect, ideal, out of the way, the perfect place to start agaa-oh god"
>She breaks down crying
>"Thankyou Lopata... Thankyou for being with him"
>She turns away crying and closes the door
>I stand there for a moment and then make my way back up to the castle
>The scene plays out in my mind again and again, the worst part is her thanking me even though we could do nothing to save him.
>Got to say it makes me feel shitty
>I walk back through the gates and past the damage teams, past the guards
>Back inside I head up to my room
>Inside Atya is awake, and chowing down on a tin of soviet rations. She looks up as I enter and waves
>Oh no, who fed the fairy slavic food
>It is too late. Atya giggles and flops over on her back, making happy fairy noises
>Great, the medic is now high on slav goodness
>As Atya giggles and crawls turgidly into her home/pouch I do a quick check on RPK-chan
>Nothing seems off with her, but it has been a while since she was serviced so I strip her down and start cleaning her
>The Elf tries to hide under her blanket, watching me warily
>Just as I am reassembling the gas system there is a commotion outside
>I put my kit down and head to the door
>Outside Slavshot is reeling up the stairs, her head bandaged like a Sikhs
>There is a wild look in her eyes and she seems determined to head for her objective no matter what
>Behind her a pair of traps in nurse outfit are trying to stop her from falling down whilst simultaneously chiding her and trying to stop her from falling over
>Slavshot is cursing them in several languages as she staggers on up and easily shrugging off their attempts to stop her
>She reaches the landing and staggers forwards a few steps
>Then she looks up and our eyes lock
>For a moment I am scared
>Those are the eyes of a killer crossed with a feral beast
>My heart skips a beat and I dare not move lest she strike
>And then just like that it is gone and she laughs
>"Hey Lopata, how a doin?"
>"Im good Slavshot, thanks. Hows your head?" I can barely keep the relief from my voice
>"Its better now" she says "But it still hurts a lot. Hexslut let me leave thankfully but I think that was because I threatened to butcher her staff"
>"Hahaha.... Yeah I can see why"
>/k/ube be, she is crazy
>"Anyway Lopata, have you seen my rifle?"
>"I think Chlorine left it in your room"
>She laughs and heads off, staggering like a drunk
>The traps see this and decide to make their escape and I wander back into my room
>About half a hour later, as I am listening to the fighting going on in the lower town, there is a knock at the door
>Its Chlorine
>"Hey Lopata we're getting together to have a few pints to celebrate Slavshots getting out of medical, want in?"
>"Sure thing, beats doing nothing"
>RnR is boring
>Atya is still asleep so I get leave her to lie and follow Chlorine out of the door
>Big Mag and Slavshot are waiting and together the four of us head down to the mess hall
>It is crowded with harpies trying to dry off and guards fresh from duty
>One Orc tanker in US overalls is stood at the bar with a large jug in his hand like a tankard
>We grab chairs and Big Mag grabs the first round
>Once we are relaxed Slavshot grins and takes a swig
>"So you cunts, what did ya do without me then?"
>We tell her about the previous days, skipping over the worst of the barrage
>She listens as we speak and then
>"Shit, im almost glad I was hit. By the way have you heard? Perimeter sentries fought some Elf scouts earlier over in the South West area"
>Chlorine and I share a look
>Oh shit, the road
>Even Big Mag is looking worried
>Slavshot continues
>"Do you think they could be after the road?" Slavshot asks
>"I do" Chlorine says, his face drawn
>"Mmmmm... Might be so afta all" Big Mag agrees
>"But how could they know about it" Slavshot asks
>"Well they have been preparing for this assault for some time" I point out "chances are they had scouts watching it"
>Big Mag and Chlorine agree
>Discussion continues for a while as to the overall objective of the Elves and their plans before dragging on to the state of the fighting in the lower town
>Apparently things are not good
>We are holding but the enemy is pressing hard
>They have us pinned and are gradually surrounding us
>Retreat along the road to the Garstang Holdfast is not an option
>Neither is heading cross country to Chorley Depot
>The Elves would just tear us apart as we moved through the heavily forested hills
>Not to mention the monsters
>And the pride of the locals would prevent retreat even if we could
>These are the madmen and women whom returned to the blasted and sacked wreckage of this town, journeying through miles of hostile territory with no support, to build their homes and livelihoods here
>There is no way they will let some pointy eared faggots drive them out just like that
>Talk turns to ways we can prevent them from surrounding us
>Slavshots eyes take on that crazed gleam again as she describes a plan involving sending suicide squads into the Elf lines to murder their leadership and inflict as much damage and death as possible before being cut down
>The three of us still sane shut her up before someone hears her and actually thinks its a good idea
>Time passes and we drink, eat and then drink some more
>Eventually, pissed and unable to walk straight we head back to our rooms
>Slavshot is complaining about the world spinning and I stop to vomit out of a window as we go
>Chlorine is focused on walking straight, his face screwed in concentration
>Big Mag is the only one who does not seem too badly off, just a bit tipsy
>Fuck orcs and their constitution
>we split as we reach our rooms
>I stagger in through the door and collapse in my chair, head in my hands
>Atya is nowhere to be seen either
>The Elf is watching me though, glaring as soon as I enter the room
>Well fuck her too
>I fumble at my belt and draw my Webley from its holster
>It needs cleaning
>Outside the rain grows in intensity, drowning out the sounds of fighting in the lower town
>The rain falls hard, splattering against the window panes like small arms fire off a tanks hull
>Sat at the table I begin to disassemble my Webley when the lightning flashes
>The entire room is illuminated in a bright strobe-like relief for a split second and then comes the thunder
>It crashes across the castle like a barrage of sound, rattling through my room and on into the depths
>The Elf lets out a little shriek
>Bitch is probably scared its divine wrath or somesuch
>There is a clatter and I look down
>The cylinder for my Webley is on the floor
>The hand that was holding it is trembling
>Thats weird, maybe its because im drunk
>The lightning flashes again and the thunder booms
>My hand clenches involuntarily
>Yeah, Im drunk. That must be it
>As I retrieve the cylinder I catch the Elf's gaze
>She is staring at me with a weird sly expression in her eyes
>Probably planning a breakout, bitch
>Anyway I cant clean my gun whilst drunk so I wrap the parts in an oilcloth and leave them on the table
>My bed looks inviting right now
>I collapse onto the sheets and close my eyes, stopping only to ensure RPK-chan is next to me
>It seems like an instant, but judging by the light it must be morning
>My head hurts and my tongue is dry
>As I get up the world swirls and I only just manage to stagger over to the toilet before vomiting up the contents of last nights indulgence
>Spend a few minutes there heaving until it is all out
Thankfully there is fresh water in the taps and I clean myself up as best I can
>Then I turn back to the room and head over to the table
>The Elf is awake already and watching me warily from under her blanket, although she looks tired
>Atya is still asleep by the looks of things
>I slump down at the table, feeling weak and like shit
>There is a note on the table
>"Gone to get food and do help with the casualties - Atya"
>great, so even my fairy has abandoned me
>Outside the rain hammers down
>There is a plate of food on the table
>Cold sausages and greasy bacon, hash browns, fried bread and beans
>Pushing the cloth-wrapped Webley to one side I grab the plate and start eating
>Its not easy, especially on a queasy stomach, but I choke down most of it
>The leftovers get kicked over to the Elf
>Once done I unwrap the Webley and start working on it again
>Concentration is good for getting over a hangover
>Outside the thunder and lightning from last night have died off
>Only the rain now hammers down, muffling the thump of mortars and cannon in the town
>Memories of the French artillery crew trickle back
>I wonder if they are still fighting now, if they have survived
>Kind of hope so, for frogs the where damn good
>Cleaning and reassembling the Webley takes time, especially in my state
>The Elf eats the scraps grudgingly whilst I do
>Eventually it is done and I kick back
>It is really our first day of true rest
>No work, no fire, noone under medical care
>That said I am worried about Slavshot. No matter what they say she does seem.... Changed
>well, psychotic
>Whatever that bullet did to her head it sure scrambled something
>Thinking of them, I wonder what the rest are up to anyway
>Its about mid afternoon, probably recovering as well
>As the hangover fades I switch over to gear maintenance
>RPK-chan is stripped, cleaned, and reassembled , the damaged plates are pulled out of my platecarrier (which is then washed, checked for damage and patched) and replaced, bayonet and shovel are both cleaned, sharpened and oiled and the rest of my gear gets a going over too.
>Eventually, as night falls, there is a knock on the door
>A maid opens it and delivers two plates of steaming hot stew on to the table
>Minutes later Atya arrives
>Over tea she tells me of her day
>She has been spending time in the medical centre in town, helping Hexslut
>Its not looking good
>Whilst we are holding them the supplies are starting to run low
>Mind you those are only rumours
>But Atya reckons it is getting bad
>Especially seeing how Hexslut was
>Whats more Elvish skirmishers are being encountered in greater numbers on the Western flank
>It looks lie they are pushing for the road and even Atya is worried they might cut us off
>Still that does not stop her trying to sneak a can of soviet mystery meat
>Once the meat is removed and the fairy placated she goes on to add an extra tidbit
>Apparently Crimson Caravan's UK branch is sending a relief and resupply force to aid us
>They should be here in two days
>Things are looking up, and as we toss the scrapings to the Elf we have a good laugh
>Everything should be over soon
>We drop off that night feeling elated
>.....
>Both of us are awoken in the early hours by a pounding on the door
>I open it and Big Mag looms in the space
>"Atya, Lopata, get yer gear"
>"Hummm.. What?"
>"Tha knife ear gits launched an attack on the road. Its been cut an the van o the relief trains been massacred"
>Oh shit.....
>I stand there for a moment in shock
>Okay, it was predicted and they had been scouting it, but a thrust like this? Its unheard of
>"The fuck Mags?"
>Its Slavshot
>"What do you mean the bastards have pushed up? They shouldnt have the numbers"
>"Nah, an they shoouldnt ave the numbers or gear for this mess either but they do"
>Big Mags peers past me towards the Elf
>"Your toy talked yet Lopata?"
>"Sorry Mags, at least nothing useful"
>Ah, 'kay. Grab Atya and lock this place up. We might be some time"
>I grab Atya's pouch and toss a bag of food at the Elf
>"Waters in the tap, die and stink my shit up and youll find there is no place safe"
>The Elf raises a hand and opens her mouth to speak but the door closes on her words and the lock clicks
>The others glance at me, all ready to go
>Big Mag takes the lead and we troops down to the main hall where the task force is assembling
>Last time it was an eclectic mix but this time it is even more so
>The remnants of mauled units are being pulled together and mashed into a vague fighting unit
>I can see Orks, Lamias, Harpies, Dwarfs, even a few Kobolds, Humans, a Slime or two and some other races all mingling together
>Orders are given quick and fast, no big speeches this time
>We are to gear up, get in there fast and wipe out the opposing forces then entrench and fortify the positions
>The only real kicker: the road is flanked by heavy forest. We are going to be fighting through the enemies terrain
>Everyone is shitting bricks at this
>Apart from Slabshot who is getting that unhinged homicidal look again
>We move off to the armoury
>Inside a lot has changed
>Gone are the masses of ammo and grenades, spare weapons and the like
>Now boxes are piled up neatly and everyone is handed a set amount from the dwindling stash
>Naturally this sits well with very few
>The uproar grows and several units try to push past and grab more gear but the security teams with shotgats fend them off
>Grumbling we move on
>Nobody likes going into battle with less than a small platoons worth of munitions and explosives
>Moral drops even further as we march into the rain (now that curious light drizzle unique to the North)
>Well, most of it does. The slimes are happy and some psychos like Slavshot are positively singing with joy
>Chlorine and I watch her warily
>Big Mags leads us on in the rabble column
>We troop down through the town, grumbling all the way, and on into the South West quarters
>These are the modern estates, built in the 2000's and 2010's
>Most of them are in ruins and even the STALKER's stay away from them as they are too far out to be of real use and built too flimsy to be fortified so they just cannibalised them as was needed
>We spread out as we hit the buildings and move through in dispersed squads
>In the drizzle, with the grey overcast skies glaring down and the hollow shells and tumbled walls all around everything seems distant
>Even the heavy fighting back in town is a distant memory, the sounds of battle muffled by the oppressive drizzle
>Everyone is nervous, expecting a snipers shot to ring out at any moment, expecting to feel a sudden sharp slam and then nothing
>But nothing happens and we advance on through the shells of the houses, the rubble and slick mud.
>It is not until we are about 2 3rds of the way through that it starts
>But not with a snipers bullet, nor a burst of machinegun fire, but with the scream of incoming shells
>Everyone dives for cover as the familiar ripping sound fills the air and then the first shell explodes among is, sending a body pinwheeling into the sky
>It is followed by a second and then a third and then the entire area erupts in explosions
>The four of us are in the shell of one of the houses when the ground explode
>Chlorine takes cover against an internal wall and I position myself across from him with a doorway between us
>Slavshot drops into a hole in the floor and pulls more rubble towards the edge
>Big Mag Runs into an alcove and drops to one knee, aiming his .30 through a hole in the wall
>Shells fall all around although the dispersed nature of our taskforce lessens the physical effects the mental effect is maddening
>Atya tries to fly to a casualty outside but a shell explodes and the shockwave throws her back inside and she bounces off a brick, landing hard near my feet
>I scoop her up and pull her into cover
>Her face is pulled in a pained grimace and she is holding her shoulder
>Someone outside shouts something and it echoes down the line in a multitude of voices
>"Rise and address! Prepare to advance!"
>youhavegottobeshittingme.webm
>Apparently not and I see other members of the force rising and advancing from cover to cover in the shattered remains
>Big Mag echoes the shout and then screams to us "Get up an get movin ya lazy cunts"
>Shitshitshit
>We rise and advance, moving from shattered shell to burnt out husk, collapsed wall to shell crater
>All the while shells fall around us and shrapnel flies past
>Atya clings to my backpack, unable to fly as we advance past injured and dying, no time to treat them, no time to attend to any but ourselves for even a moments halt means death
>Although it seems impossible bit by tiny bit the attack force makes its way to the edge of the ruins and begins to rally
>In the woods a machinegun opens up, spraying our positions with bullets
>Then smallarms fire echoes from the woods and our assault begins in proper
>Still under mortar fire we exchange shots with the enemy in the woods, firing off bursts against unseen foes
>Someone down the line pops smoke and fires grenades into the woods before pushing in
>Other units along the line follow them
>Seeing this Big Mag lets out a roar "INTO THEM"
>There is no time to fix bayonets nor prepare nor think
>We all rise into the firestorm as Slavshot pops off a volley of grenades from her underbarrel launchers
>Big Mag grabs Slavshot as he raises his own 40mm launcher, and gives him a stern look
>Fucker KNOWS the others wont know to put on their gasmasks around him
>Luckily the fragstorm from our snipers grenades appears to have partially silenced the incoming fire
>With Big Mag leading us we charge across the metres of dead ground and into the trees
>Every step seems to be an aeon, every metre a mile, as Elf fire whips around us
>We make it into the trees and suddenly all is dark and green
>Ahead several elves are trying frantically to recrew a machinegun
>Big Mag gives them no chance and cuts them down with his Halberd
>To my left Slavshot whips up here SVD and cracks off a few shots at some unseen targets
>On my right Chlorine hugs his UMP9, searching for targets as he huffs through his respirator
>There is the sound of movement to our right and several elves run out of the undergrowth
>They dont even get a chance as Chlorine and I mow them down with automatic fire
>We reach an old raised bank were once a hedge ran to denote the border of a field
>As Big Mag starts to step over it a gun opens up and bullets whizz over
>We all drop quickly, Mag cursing as he is hit in the thigh
>Atya gets to work on the ork as the rest of us start to trade shots with the gun nest
>The fire is too intense to do anything other than snap off a few unaimed shots before ducking back down again
>Even Slavshot cant get a bead on them, at least not before they walk fire over her position
>Either side of us we can hear the other surviving assault teams moving up as well and other guns opening up on them too
>It looks like the assault is stalling again
>Another team runs up and slams into the embankment next to us, 6 members all told
>The leader peaks over the top and ducks fast as a shot rattles off his helm
>"Motherfucking son of a cunt"
>He glances at another member of his group
>"Susie, give those long eared fagrags a taste of British courtesy"
>A slime girl in ragged DPM gives a cheery grin and pulls a short, fat barrelled cannon from her back
>As she unfolds its bipod revelation hits
>Its a mother fucking sawn off mortar
>A dwarf rolls over to the mortar and unhooks a shell from the rack on his back
>We all stare gobsmacked as the slime girl takes the shell and drops it in
>The mortar lets out a crack and a moment later the shell whistles down and explodes
>The leader is watching through some binoculars and shouts adjustments
>Another shell cracks off and this time we hear screams as it impacts on the enemy
>They fire another two shells and the incoming machinegun fire slackens back to almost nothing
>"NOW" the leader shouts and the other group storms over the top
>Big Mag lets out a bellow as Atya finishes tending to him and rises up after them
>As Slavshot scrambles madly over Chlorine and I exchange a glance and then follow on, covering our comrades backs.
>Flanking fire starts to come in as we cross the beaten ground, but it is too late and we make it to the Elves position intact
>The trench and gun pits are full of shattered bodies
>Clearly the mortar did its job well and we occupy the new positions, killing off any surviving elves with efficiency
>The other group takes the left and we go right
>I can hear the longears shouting to each other as they head towards us
>Chlorine holds up a grenade, a long tube with an orange ring
>Big Mag nods and Chlorine throws it as Slavshot giggles
>The grenade flies over the next bit of trench that the Elves are advancing down and lands on the ground by both that bit and the next bit along that is still firing on our allies
>"Well fuck, nice throwi-"
>'Whumpf'
>Suddenly everything is fire and the elves are screaming as a rolling cloud of fire ripples outwards and incinerates them
>Fire rolls down into the trench, scorching its way along the narrow passage
>We all duck back as the roaring sheet of flame ripples through the air above us
>Chlorine is smirking and Slavshot is outright giggling
>The Elves in the lines ahead of us are screaming as they burn in the conflagration
>I can smell the stench of scorching flesh and burning fat
>Then the fire sheet above us collapses back into itself and we can stand again
>The scene on the ground is nightmarish
>The bush has burnt back to the dirt and the trees in the immediate vicinity are charred and smoking skeletons
>Further out the forest is ablaze
>Pools of liquid fire collate on the ground
>Frantically the burning Elves are scrambling out of the trench line and trying to put the fires covering them out
>"Nah mercy" Big Mag spits
>Our smaller guns join the kachunkachunkachunka of his .30 as we cut the longears down
>Burning bodies fall on the ashen ground as our steady bursts cut into them
>"FRIENDLIES MOVING UP"
>We check fire as other units begin moving up to the line
>The fire in the trenches is still burning but several units have planks or bridging equipment that they use to clear the line
>With breached defences and under attack from two sides the Elves start to crumble and withdraw as best they can
>In minutes it is over as the other team clears the other side of the line the rest of the taskforce moves up to quickly take the line, cutting down any surviving Elves who dont manage to run
>We regroup fast, putting some order into the battered chaos
>There is no time to lose, to let the enemy recover
>Big Mag racks a new belt and Slavshot takes a moment to reload her launchers
>Chlorine slaps me on the shoulder
>"Holy shit Lopata did you see that? It was amazing!"
>"I thought you only liked gas bombs Chlorine"
>"Yeassss but I also like fire a bit too"
>"Ha, I honestly would never have thought you would be a pyro too"
>"Well I a-wait, where is Atya?"
>Chlorine and I look around frantically for the errant fairy
>"Oh shit Lopata, you dont think she could ha-"
>"No gods no, please dont say it"
>"But the fire, she was flying..."
>I dont need this
>"Shit Chlorine no, do-"
>Chlorine grabs my shoulder
>"There she is!"
>I look around and see Atya tending to a downed Dragonnewt with what looks to be a sucking chest wound
>She's applied a heavy bandage and pad to the hole and is in the process of fitting a valve to get the air out of his chest cavity
>Thankfully the tiny girl is unharmed
>I am loath to tear her away from her patient but Big Mag slaps me on the back
>"Grab yer tinkerbell Lopata, we need ta go on"
>I squeeze up to Atya and her patient
>2 other lightly injured non-humans are helping her
>Its not easy but I persuade her to leave the dragonnewt in their care
>Besides she has done all she can for him
>Already we can hear shouts further in as the enemy regroups
>A mortar 'chumpfs' and seconds later a shell lands a few yards behind us
>"Now or never" shouts a Dwarf wearing a German officers uniform "gogogogo"
>We scramble up the far side of the trench, leaving our wounded behind us
>Small arms fire plinks sporadically from the bush but its hasty and unaimed
>To my left Slavshot screams her fury as Big Mag howls in rage to m right
>The sound unlocks something primal in me and I find myself joining in
>All along the line the cry is taken up, a throaty roar of rage and fear and hatred
>Propelled by this we plunge through the undergrowth and into the enemies hasty positions
>Chlorine lobs a gas bomb ahead of us as we pull our respirators on and those near our group do likewise
>Fire slackens and we burst through into a clearing now wreathed in a toxic mist that scorches the earth where it lies
>The knife ears have a machinegun set up on the far side, not that they are in a position to use it
>One is on her knees gagging and retching blood
>Another has collapsed over the M2HB's receiver and is coughing up pink bubbles as his hands twitch
>The loader struggles upright wheezing and frothing reddish saliva, his skin blistering and peeling in bloody rags
>He's weeping as he lifts a Tokarev
>Before even Slavshot can shoot he puts the barrel to his head and blows his brains out
>We run across the clearing to secure the position
>Big Mag grabs the gunner and throws the dying elf bodily to the floor to crush him beneath his steel-shod boot
>The female tries to rise as we approach, a Luger in her bloodied hands
>I kick her as we come in, breaking her jaw with a crunch
>She falls gagging and coughs up a bloody chunk of something that is probably important
>I exchange a glance with Chlorine who just shrugs
>Atya flits to my ear and whispers "Do it"
>My shovel comes down with an awful finality and splits her skull like a ripe melon
>Big Mag grabs the HMG and turns it around with Chlorines help
>A Dwarf comes running over
>"Gimmae a go a that beauty"
>Mags laughs and steps back as a human and Lamia join the bearded gunner
>By now the breeze has started to really spread the gas and amidst the sound of combat we can hear wheezing and gasping coming from the forest ahead
>Big Mags steps back and we all drop to cover the MG team
>"Light em up stunty" Mags says
>The Dwarf grins and thumbs the trigger
>The machinegun flares into life and sends .50 FMJ death screaming into the underbush ahead of us as the Dwarf pans back and forth
>The rest of us hold our fire
>No point in wasting precious ammunition after all
>The Dwarf fires off a belt and then Big Mag places a hand on his shoulder
>"Enough, save the rest fer lata"
>The Dwarf starts to protest but the Lamia wraps her tail around his mouth
>"Of coursssse big boy" she hisses at Mags in a seductive tone
>Mags smiles back and winks
>Chlorine, Atya, Slavshot and myself all exchange a look
>"Roight then ya gits, its time to move on"
>As the impromptu MG team packs up their new toy the rest of us rise and start to advance into the fading gas
>The bush is riddled with dead and dying Elves, killed by the death cloud
>Those that are still alive get dispatched with blade work and not a round is wasted as we scavenge ammunition from their corpses
>Advancing fast we are able to keep under the aim of the enemy Mortars, one step ahead of the explosive death that arcs down from above
>It is Atya that saves us
>We must have advanced ahead of the main party (to be fair I think few are as used to fighting in gas clouds as we are)
>As Slavshot rises from slicing the throat of another Elf Atya barrels out of nowhere and bowls her over
>Before we can shout the fairy grabs a precious grenade from Slavshot then spins and lobs it with all her might into a large fern patch
>Slavshot curses and I start to shout Atya back when a hail of bullets rip out of the leaves and tear through the air above Slavshot
>Seconds later the grenade detonates and the fire slackens somewhat
>Big Mag instantly drops behind the ancient remnants of a rock wall and Chlorine and I hit the dirt and begin to return fire
>Not that we can see the enemy mind, but it does feel better when you shoot back
>The accursed respirators make fighting difficult too, adding to the wows
>Big Mag opens up with his M1919a4 and sends bullets scything into the fronds at knee height
>Pulped ferns froth and drop as hot lead plays back and forth between them
>"Fuck this" Slavshot hisses as she slaps a fresh volley into her undergun launchers
>The volley may have been guess-aimed but the ripple of explosions certainly did something right as the incoming fire drops
>Cautiously we advance into the shredded mass of foliage
>A few dozen yards in we find them, three Elves in dappled black/brown/green armour carrying HK 416 rifles with weird scopes fitted to them
>They are wearing helmets with some kind of slide-down integral respirator system which is odd
>By the looks of it they are Elvish special forces, or something like that
>Slavshot picks up one of the rifles and looks through the scope
>"Shit what the hell?"
>she pulls away
>"Whats up Slavshot?" Chlorine asks her
>"Take a look down these" she replies
>I take up one of the 416's as Chlorine takes Slavshots and Big Mag picks up the last like its a toy
>The scope looks weird and seems to be magitech so I am prepared for weirdness when I look down it but still
>As soon as I look down it the undergrowth vanishes for about 150 yards in all directions
>Pulling away again I can see its still there but the scope just does not register it
>Its basically a frigging wallhack
>Around me I hear my comrades exclaim as the realise this too
>Slavshot spits on a corpse as Chlorine and Big Mags curse the Elvish trickery
>Atya flits down in her tiny S-10 and mumbles something as she radiates an aura of smugness that would make a cat envious
>"Yes Atya, thanks for saving us" I say and give her a poke
>Indignant fairy noises ensue as we turn to more important matters
>Of course we all want the scopes but there is a problem
>These are NATO scopes and only Chlorines UMP-9 will accept them
>Big Mags MG is too old and both mine and Slavshots weapons are Soviet and thus lack the necessary mounts
>In the end we settle for mounting one on Chlorines gun and taking the other two to use as spyglasses
>By now the gas has cleared enough for us to remove our gasmasks and everyone signs in relief
>Atya looks incredibly smug underneath hers
>Then I notice her face, she has decorated in warpaint
>waitaminute.exe
>Thats not warpaint, its Elf blood
>Goddamn savage medic
>We can still hear fighting behind us but the dry cough of the mortars firing is closer
>We exchange a glance and nod
>"Roight lads, lets go kill 'em gunz" Big Mags snarls
>Chlorine takes point with his newly enhanced scope whilst Big Mags and myself periodically scan our surroundings with the dismounted ones
>We advance through the brush with the Elves wallhack scopes
>It appears the rest of the force has fallen behind somewhat and we have found ourselves ahead of the line
>Some would use this opportunity to continue ahead and destroy the enemy mortars, allowing our forces to advance easily
>But they are probably not low on ammunition and being hunted
>We call a halt as Big Mags decides to check his map and work out were we are in comparison to the rest of our lot
>Chlorine calls out a rock pile and we head to it
>The whistle-crump of mortars sounds constantly as we go and we hear bursts of gunfire and fighting from not too far back towards our lines
>"So we was here first " Big Mags points at the map "An then we went this way so we are about.... Here" he points at a chunk of the map that looks like the rest of it
>Slavshot looks down at the map "Isnt that the river boss? The one that were supposed to rally at?"
>Mags stares at the squiggly blue line "It is... But I dont wanna go over there in this shitstorm"
>Chlorine and I nod whilst Atya looks through her medical kit and shakes her head grimly
>Mags shrugs "Ah guess we hold here then"
>We take up defensive posts amongst the rocks with Slavshot in the centre and the rest of us covering the sides with out magic scopes
>The sniper hates being relegated to artillery support but puts up with it
>Thankfully we dont have long to wait
>First one then another, singly then in groups, the Elves come, falling back from the frontline
>Disconcertingly very few seem panicked and most are making an orderly withdrawal
>Luckily for us there are no Elf SF amongst them, so no magical scopes

>Not that this makes it any easier as we couch with fingers tensed on triggers waiting for them to pass, ready to open up at a moments notice
>Our forces start to appear, advancing up as the last of the Elves break contact and fall back
>A dwarf holding a Ictha, Orcs carrying heavy rifles, humans in milsurp and Lamia's slithering up, all pushing furries ahead to act as testers
>We wait until they are close before dropping down and shouting "Friendlies"
>Gunfire bursts out from a startled gnome before he is clubbed by someone and we re-emerge
>Its good to be back amongst our own and we share our news as quickly as we can
>The Elf SF are apparently still active and hunting, other units have reported contact with snipers that shoot from deep within the bush
>Furtheremore we are making good inroads too, although the mortars still fall close
>The main force has split into three and this group is the central one
>A burly Dwarf shoulder his way along the line
>"Aright aright shut up an regroup. Chungus, Bart an Cheese, you take your lot and probe ahead, Ocelot you anchor the right flank an Keebler, you have the left. Organise yourselves an get ready we move out in 2"
>Everyone scrambles to obey.
>We check our weapons and reloads whilst Atya sorts her medic bag and sneaks a chunk of cured meat from my pack
>The Dwarf comes back down and talks to Big Mags about something, the scope is shown and demonstrated and the Dwarf lets out some impressive curses
>He thanks Big mags and then glances at his watch
>"Okay faggots, form up an advance in an open line. Watch for the enemy an dont shoot our scouts, yer hear me!"
>We scramble to our feet. Chlorine takes the lead as the only one capable of mounting a scope on his gun and the rest of us follow him in a wedge
>The line sweeps through the bush and we continue until a fairy darts out of the woods ahead of us and the Dwarf calls a halt
>We stop and take up watch, although the undergrowth has cleared out enough to see

>With visual range now increased from 4 to 40 yards we advance more freely, less concerned about wallhack snipers
>By now the mortars have fallen silent as they realise the cant see us to hit us
>Sadly this doesnt last long and as we close to within 400 yards the bush thickens again and visual range drops
>The Dwarf calls a halt and we stop and dig in
>Big Mags pulls out a mattock and I dig with my shovel and even Atya scoops out a mini fairy sized hole with her E-tool whilst Slavshot and Chlorine cover us, the latter worryingly fingering his grenade launcher
>Idontwanttobegassed.mpeg
>We finish and jump in, the others joining us as along the line the other teams complete digging in
>All along the line a motley array of weaponry is made ready and then.... Silence, bar the coughs and occasional clack of a weapon being adjusted
>Thankfully the other detachments do not take too long to arrive
>Just as the tension is reaching critical limits several fairies fly out of the woodland behind us and a relay chain starts between the Dwarf's area and the woods
>Minutes later one of the contingents emerges and takes up positions on our right flank
>As they are digging in the other one appears and positions itself on our left
>As all this is going on the Dwarf leaves his position and heads out to meet a Human in the new contingent, a Dragonnewt joining them as several of the Human's staff produce bits of paper and stuff
>Seeing this Big Mags unslings his pack and pulls out an Orc trail ration
>If you have never encountered one of these before then feel lucky
>"Ah reckon we have some time before em lot decide what next" Big Mags rumbles "Best git some grub whilst there times"
>At this we grab out packs
>I yank out some sausage and bread and a bit of mystery meat for Atya whilst Slavshot pulls out a Polish MRE
>Chlorine pulls out some sandwiches wrapped in paper and a jetboil
>"Tea anyone?"
>Fuck yes, we all ascent
>We settle down as Chlorine brews up a nice big pot of tea
>Atya feasts on her mystery meat and we all recoil when Big Mags opens his ration
>Finally the tea is ready and we all produce our cups, even Atya scrabbling for a thimble to use
>Strong, dark and sweetened with condensed milk the brew is just what we need after the mornings fighting
>Big Mags sits back, his M1919a4 propped on the edge of our slit
>"Ya know, if it wernt for the Elves dis would be t' life"
>There is a blissful, almost relaxed, smile on his face and his eyes are half closed
>Hes actually relaxed
>All of us stare agape at this miracle of miracles
>Never once before has this been seen
>Then, it hits me
>And looking at the others I can see it has hit them too
>Here, in this shitty slit trench, with this shitty jetboil and these shitty brews, together, even with all the bloodshed and the enemy potentially all around
>Its comfy, relaxing. It feels right
>We all settle back as best we can and relax
>Gradually conversation is broached
>Chlorine talks about what he used to do before the konvergence
>Apparently he was a office worker in a shit cubicle somewhere in Birmingham
>Life consisted of being shouted at and trying to figure stupid stuff out, shit fast food and the internet with a dose of stress and overwork
>He hated it and was considering ending himself and taking a few managers with him
>When the merger hit he just grabbed his stuff and marched North into the new world figuring whatever happened at least it would be better than things were
>After a few weeks of rambling around and nearly being eaten by Goblins he found a Kobold village and took up with them
>Traded his smartphone for a sword and some armour and took off again as a guard on a caravan
>In his time he went deep into the world, although always along travel routes
>Kobolds taught him a lot, including the joy of chemical warfare
>Along the way he made money, traded a good sum of money for his UMP and grenade launcher and learned a lot about custom munitions making
>His jobs varied but he always took the most adventurous ones, mainly to make up for the years he wasted as a wageslave
>On one of these raids he met his GF, the Lamia
>He was hired out as part of a raiding party by some Elves desperate for help
>Goblins had kidnapped their womenfolk and they feared the worst
>Led by a Kobold scout the party penetrated the Goblin lair and fought a bloody path down through the winding tunnels
>Chemical warfare was banned because of the captives and so the fighting had to be tunnel to tunnel, chamber to chamber
>Finally the Goblin leader was gunned down in a hail of lead and the party pushed on to the prisoners chamber
>Some of the elves had already been violated, and there were some other prisoners down there too
>Some Humans, a clutch of young Harpies and a Lamia
>From what the Kobold translated it seems the Goblins didnt want to touch her
>Instead they planned to fatten her up and eat her
>On a side note, Chlorine has a hatred for Goblins.
>Anyway, Chlorine rescued her from the prison they had her in
>None of the others wanted anything to do with her, probably because she is half snake
>Chlorine put a blanket around her and helped her out
>After that they travelled together for a while and things just happened
>Eventually, and after one too many close encounters, they hitched up with a mercenary group
>This lasted for a bit but the mercs disbanded in the end after a hard fight left too many dead
>By this point they were close to Preston and decided to drop in there to see what was happening
>And so they heard about the STALKER initiative and moved into New Clitheroe with the others a few months back
>And the rest is history
>As Chlorine finish's speaking we hear a cry
>Poking her head up above the lip of the trench Slavshot takes a look around
>"Ah shit, better finish up now"
>We all scramble for our guns
>"Calm down you fuckwits, its not them. The big shots are finished and it looks like we're moving"
>"Shit" Chlorine mutters and tips the last of the tea away
>Slavshot hefts her SVD and I grab RPK-chan as Big Mags picks up his M1919a4 in one hand
>One fucking hand
>The Human Officer who seems to be in charge advances to the centre with two guards
>He is wearing a Russian officers uniform complete with rank pips
>Ponce
>"My valiant anons" he begins "Beyond thus lies our first objective, the river! If we take this then the route to the road will be open and we can finally see relief arrive!"
>He clears his throat
>"Now brave comrades, the enemy is broken! We have seen them flee before us, broken and running as we snap at there heals! Just one last push will see us bathe in victory and them shattered! ONWARDS!"
>Slavshot glances at us "Does he really believe that bullshit?" she mutters
>We exchange looks
>This is all we need, an enthusiastic officer.

>The officer turns and waves his stick in the direction of the river
>He really is doing this
>From further down the line a few shouts sound out and some figures scramble up out of cover
>The rest of us follow at a more cautious pace
>For once even the furries are not hyping up and charging in
>As we advance towards the thickening undergrowth I look up and down the line
>Theres something odd about it that I cant quite get
>Big Mags speaks up
>"Damn.... deres not many left."
>Slavshot, Chlorine and I look about
>He's right, thats what was off
>Out of the many of us who started out there is maybe just over half left capable of fighting
>I notice the MG team with the captured .50
>At least they survived
>The officer looks back at the body of the force
>"OH COME ON YOU SLACKERS, ITS ONE LAST TRIP THEN YOU CAN REST"
>Noone says it but everyone is thinking the same thing
>This guy is a moron and really wants us to advance into unknown hostile territory at the double?
>Nah
>Bar the newbies we continue to advance at a cautious pace
> Big Mags raises his scope and Chlorine and I do likewise
>The vegetation melts away before us and we can see through it
>Nothing stirs in our path
>Thats actually scarier than seeing stuff moving
>There should be stuff in there, deer, bear, Wyrm... Even Rabbits or Stoatjackals
>Instead there is nothing but stillness and silence
>The air is oppressive and close
>No way is this good
>We enter into the bush and the advance slows to a crawl much to the officers frustration
>Fuck him, he can run on ahead if he likes and hit an ambush or a trap
>The rest of us are cautious
>Atya flits above us to check the branches for wires whilst we check the ground for disturbance that might indicate a mine or worse, a spelltrap
>The officer paces up and down berating each group in turn for being slow
>Well fuck him
>The line creeps slowly towards the river ever on a lookout
>Finally we can see the bank through the scopes
>Its finally close and for a moment it seems we might make it when
>crump wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>"INCOMING" Big Mags screams and we dive for cover as the rest of the /k/ommandos do
>The shell hits to our left and blows chunks of someone into the air
>Inured are screaming and begging for help
>Another mortar sounds
>Shitshitshit
>Chlorine looks through his scope
>"Theres a ridge infront of the bank!"
>"Fuck it get up there!" Big Mags shouts
>We rise and start to run through the bush, branches whipping in our faces as Atya flits ahead
>Others follow us as a machinegun opens up and bullets begin to zip through the trees
>We break out of the sense stuff and sure enough there is the ridge of dirt right at the edge of the tree line
>The four of us throw ourselves behind it and start digging in as others arrive and do likewise
>The .50 team lug there gun out of the greenery and starts setting it up as some others dig them in

>I shovel at the dirt frantically
>In seconds Chlorine and I have a scrape big enough for all of us
>Slavshot and Big Mags cram in with us
>As they start to put down a concentrated barrage of fire on the far bank Chlorine and I dig down and then out
>In minutes we have linked up with the others to either side
>By now the Elves have opened up with mortars again and are raking the embankment with machinegun fire
>The Dwarf in charge of the .50 is answering as are a number of others
>Our gunline looks like something out of a Nuggetfest dream
>Guns of every sort poke out over the ridge and answer in a mixed cacophony of muzzleflashes
>I glimpse the officer try to climb out of cover only to be tackled by his aides
>Why didnt they let him suicide by stupid?
>No matter, we are bogged down now
>The attack has gone to pot
>Atya is flitting up and down the line treating wounds as fast as she can
>An Orc falls next to me, shot through the head
>Atya flits over then darts off as she sees she is already gone
>I finish digging and join the others in shooting
>Short, controlled bursts mind, ammo is low
>Machinegun fire runs across out position and throws dirt into my face
>Slavshot launches a grenade in response and an Elf gun nest explodes
>By now it is pretty obvious to everyone that we cannot last here
>The Elves have the numbers and ammunition whilst we have nothing
>Another Orc falls to his knees, clutching his chest as blood trickles beneath his fingers
>A Dwarf lass drops to help him and then falls over, the top of her head sliced open by shrapnel
>Atya flies over and tries to help the Orc who is now coughing up blood
>I focus on trying to hit the Elves
>A burst of fire sees a Elf rifleman tumble over his sandbagged position
>Another hits an Elf in the head and sends them crumpling back
>Then a runner pushes down the narrow trench
>"Orders from the top, affix bayonets and prepare to attack"
>"Your signal will be the smoke" the messenger adds as he pushes past
>We glance at each other and shrug
>"Might as well" Big Mags rumbles, loosening his halberd in its sheath
>Chlorine readies his saber, Slavshot grumbles something about the inelegance of close combat and I ready my shovel and affix my bayonet
>Atya flies back to us, pulling her own shovel out of its holder
>To the left of us the .50 team is really opening up and someone has produced a Type 2 somewhere to the right and is strafing the Elf positions
>Assault teams prepare themselves, readying bandoleers of grenades and demo charges for use
>Still no idea what they meant by "wait for the smoke"
>FUMPF
>Some bigger guns open up, small mortars
>shells burst on the far bank but instead of explosions billowing white clouds issue forth
>"Looks like this is it!" someone shouts
>Theres a moment of surprise and then a cute Lamia carrying a PP-90 in heavy armour and assault rig rises up
>"Lets get them!" she shouts with a massive grin on her face
>She turns and slithers towards the river
>That does it and the rest of us let out a mighty shout and leap over the edge
>The Knife-Ear fire is still incoming but the smoke has screwed there aim and its dropped off a lot
>We charge forwards and the Lamia rears up and plunges through into the open ground between us and the river, spearheading the charge
>I feel the mix of rage and pride that flows through all of us
>This is our fucking river and that is our fucking road and we will have it
>'THOOOOOMMMMMMM'
>The explosion catches us all by surprise as we clear the treeline and many drop for cover
>Dirt and other stuff showers down as the Lamia is blown several feet into the air
>She crashes back down and the lower half of her tail lands a couple of yards further back
>There is a moment of silence, bar the EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in my ears as the Lamia tries to get up
>Then she looks down and starts screaming
>Blood is spurting from the tattered ruin of her lower half
>I can see bone and even some fucking organs in the ruined flesh
>The rest of her, the majority of her snek-half twitches as blood pours from it
>"Oh shit, MINES" a gruff voice screams to my right
>I start to scramble back and the others do likewise
>A man and two hobbits grab the thrashing, screaming Lamia and drag her back
>Or at least her top bit
>We drop back behind the ridge of dirt and slide into our shellscrapes
>The Lamia is dropped in near us
>I can see the arterial blood pumping out in red spurts
>Her rescuers bend over her
>The man grabs her thrashing arms and tries to pin the snekgirl down whilst the two halflings and a woman make futile attempts to stem the bleeding
>Atya lets out a squeak and launches herself towards the dying Snek
>As she takes charge I turn my focus back to the problem at hand
>People are calling to one another and above all of this I hear the Officer call of engineers
>At least he is doing something right
>Chlorine raises his UMP and looks through the scope
>"Shit, it works on smoke too?"
>Holy shit, I life mine up and check
>Sure as sure I can see the Elves
>Most of them have stopped firing but a few MG's are keeping the fire coming through the smoke
>Slavshot swears
>"The hell cant they work on my gun? I could pic the bastards off"
>"Can it" Big Mags growls "Dis is not the time fer fightin each other"
>Nearby the Lamia shrieks in a manner that no living sapient being should
>I catch a glimpse from amidst the impromptu medical teams bodies
>Her cute face is screws up then falls slack and her eyes open wide, the pupils dilated with shock
>Her mouth drops open and she lets out a moan that dissolves into a cough
>Blood splatters out of her mouth and dribbles down her chin
>NOPE
>I look away again
>The sappers go over the top as more smoke is dropped
>They spread out and begin to search the ground with detectors and sticks
>For several tense minutes we watch them work as the incoming fire continues to walk up and down the beaten zones
>Some are hit
>One rolls over clutching his leg as bullets smash through it leaving it half-amputated
>His screams mingle with the cries of the wounded
>Another suddenly drops as several bullets lodge themselves in his head
>His body jerks as the gun sweeps back over him
>A woman raises herself up to signal something and a mortar shell smacks into the ground nearby
>The shrapnel rips her hand clean off and takes half her face too
>As she falls screaming her buddy tries to reach her only to eat a sweeping scythe of lead
>He drops without a sound, pulped organs hanging from fist sized holes in his back

>Its impressive to see
>Despite the shit flying around them and the mounting casualties the engineers push on, pulling up land mines as they go
>As the was is cleared others scramble up behind them to scurry out under the fire and bring the injured in
>A lot of these are the medical traps that tagged along
>Confuse my dick or not, those are brave women (men)
>"what are they doing" Chlorine mutters, looking down his scope
>I raise mine and look too
>The elf MG's are still firing but there is some activity in their back lines
>It is impossible to tell what is happening but there appears to be some frantic coming and going
>Big Mags looks too
>"Hey, whats going on?" Slavshot whines, looking up from her mundane scope
>"Shh" Chlorine hisses as he pans his scope up and down the line
>"Bitch you do not just shush me" Slavshot starts to rise but Big Mags cuffs her back down
>"Don be stupid" he grumbles
>A moan rises from Atya's impromptu surgery post
>I glance over
>The Lamia is lucking very pale
>Atya is directing the two halflings to hold something shut as she frantically sews arteries up
>The woman is holding the snekgirls head in her hands and trying to comfort her
>A mortar round impacts close by and the shockwave sets something loose
>The Lamia groans as a weak spray of blood floods out of her
>She grasps the womans sleeve and pulls herself up, putting her face closer to the womans
>"P-please", tears rolling down her face "Please...... Please......"
>The man places his arms under her to support her as the woman grasps the Lamias Hands
>Atya is frantically signalling for them to lie the snek back down before the pressure pushes more blood out of the seeping stump
>"Its okay honey" the woman says "Your going to be okay"
>The Lamia is shivering as she sobs "P-please... Dont want t... to die..."
>"Its okay, they're going to save you" the woman says as she tries to press the Lamia back down
>The man lowering her adds "Dont worry girl, your going to be fine"
>The Lamia sobs and tries to push back up "N-no..."
>Then she spasms and lets out a moan as her eyes roll up and back
>Atya flits up frantically as the reptilian body falls limp
>The two humans drop her body to the ground and begin frantic compression's
>I look away
>Its obvious she is beyond our help
>Chlorine and Mags glance at me
>We share the look of those who have been through that before
>Only this time there is no happy ending
>I hear Atya shriek angrily and the man try to comfort her
>"Hey, hey, fairy, you did as best you could, more than we could have done anyway"
>Good luck mate, placating that fairy is never fun
>Thankfully there are other casualties to occupy her
>Out in the open the engineers finish clearing the last of the mines and one of them waves a flag before they drop into the river
>Ironically now they are safer down there than up here
>Someone shouts a command and a whistle is blown
>More shouts are taken up along the line and we rise once again
>Fresh smoke shells drop and out own MG fire intensifies as we begin to advance across the open ground

>Big Mags is the first of us out of the trench and onto the ground
>He turns back and hauls Slavshot out
>As she stumbles out into the open Chlorine and I scramble out
>Atya flies above us safely out of the path of the tracers ripping through the smoke
>All around us others are doing the same
>The gun teams fall silent, waiting for us to clear their lines of fire
>Some fall here and there but the smoke prevents the Elves from seeing us
>We sprint across the open ground towards the river
>The MG fire starts to slacken
>Maybe they have realised its futile?
>"Something not right" Chlorine shouts "Why have they stopped firing?"
>"dont ask jest run" Big Mags shouts back
>"Well shit im just asking" Chlorine calls
>Before this can develop any further a blizzard of tracers erupt from the smoke and cut into a group running close by us
>"Shit"
>Before I can utter anything else more tracers rip out of the smoke
>/k/ommando's begin falling rapidly as volleys of smallarms fire rip through our ranks
>Atya lets out a startled chirrup and drops low as a blast or birdshot rips through the air
>I scream "Get down!" and throw myself into the dirt
>Tracers rip overhead, cutting through the space I was just occupying
>There is a pained grunt behind me and I look back to see Big Mags clutching his buttock
>A shot has skimmed it
>All three of them have hit the dirt now
>Big Mags crawls up as Slavshot curls up in a hollow
>"What da hell is this?"
>I shrug "I dont know Mags, but its costing us"
>"Oh shit" Chlorine calls over to us "Those specops bastards are directing them"
>I lift my own scope and look down it
>Sure enough several of those fancy keeblers are there directing the fire of MG's and volley lines of regular elves

>As we watch one armoured keebler directs a machineguns fire to strafe across a group of Dwarfs, shredding them in a leadstorm
>Noone can return fire through the smoke screen
>OUR smoke screen
>Several /k/ommandos are trying to return fire
>Lacking any way to see through the smoke they have little effect on the enemy
>Chlorine raises his UMP and tries to shoot back but the range is bad
>By now most of the assault wave is pinned down across the open field
>Groups rise and try to advance quickly only to drop as smallarms fire ripples across the field
>Slavshot swears and starts to prep her underbarrel launchers
>Chlorine is quick and grabs her arm before she can fire
>"Shit you nutcase you cant do that"
>"Why the fuck not gasman? you got a better idea?"
>"Listen to im" Big Mags rumbles "Youll 'it the engineer lads"
>"So what" Slavshot snarls "How else are we gonna shift then?"
>"Give them a chance" I say
>"Fine" Slavshot grumbles and lowers her gun
>"We could direct your fire" I suggest
>"Nah, this is a rifle" Slavshot points at her SVD "I need to be hitting the target not the area around it"
>fairpoint.png
>Chlorine raises his UMP again and looks down the scope
>"Lopata, Mags. I could direct your fire from here"
>We glance at him
>Fuck yes
>"Do it" Big Mags says and shoulders his M1919a4
>I raise RPK-chan and sight into the smoke
>"Ready!" Chlorine calls and we both fire a short burst
>Chlorine observes "Lopata your low, raise a bit. Mags, your off to the right"
>We correct and fire again
>"Lopata your high now drop it just a little, Mags you as well"
>We both drop our aim a bit and fire again
>"Okay your both sort of on target fire for effect"
>Slavshot snorts at that
>Ignoring our markswomans mirth Big Mags and I fire
>Chlorine watches our progress, calling out corrections
>I have no idea how effective we are being but at least its better than blind firing
>RPK-chan runs dry and I replace start to reload when Chlorine shouts out "stop and drop!"
>Big Mags and I hit the deck
>"I dont think he saw" Chlorine calls "but one of the knife-ears was looking this way"
>He raises his gun
>"Yeah, theres one of them watching this way, they must have noticed you guys shooting a bit too well"
>"Well shit what do we do"
>"Shut it ya git and stop shootin"
>Well fuck
>We press ourselves into the dirt again and begin to dig shellscrapes
>Officer Enthusiasm is for once not doing anything stu-
>"FORWARDS COMRADES"
>forfuckssakecanyoupleasenot.wav
>Officer mentally deranged stands up, pistol in hand, and starts to wave /k/omrades on
>One of his aides tackles him as a machinegun sweeps his area
>The Officer is knocked into the mud and the aides body dances land judders as the bullets rip into his side, spilling pulped entrails from the wound
>The willingness of people to die for this man is something else

>I honestly do not think we are going to make it
>The enemy has plenty of firepower and a better position
>And to make matters worse they can use our own smoke against us
>Ahead of us an Orc tries to advance only to have his leg scythed off
>A Dwarf runs to his aid and kneels down next to him only to be riddled with rifle fire and fall next to the Orc
>The orc lets out a howl of grief and grabs the dead Dwarf in his hands sobbing
>Seconds later a heavy calibre bullet blows his brains across the grass
>The open ground is a slaughter field running red with /k/ommando blood
>Big Mags is swearing and trying to clear a jam whilst the rest of us do our best to not be shot
>Apart from Chlorine who is occasionally raising his UMP to look through the scope
>Madman
>But right now we are fucked
>Any attempt to advance results in being scythed down
>Any attempt to retreat results in being riddled with shot
>Returning fire is all but impossible
>Big Mags and I start to discuss what to do next with occasional commentary from Slavshot and Chlorine
>We have just got to the point of considering digging a trench back to the treeline when the opposing bank explodes
>wut.png
>The three of us grab our Elfhack scopes whilst Slavshot bitches about not having one
>Across the river the enemy positions are under heavy attack, lots of them lying in ruin
>Madlads under the bank are throwing explosives up over the top then swarming up with SMG's and shotguns
>Bless the Engineers for they know no fear or sanity
>As the fire from the enemy bank drops away those of us still able rise and begin our assault
>Crossing the open ground we drop into the river and wade across
>The water is cold and surprisingly deep in places
>In the shallows on the far side engineers have rigged assault ladders and thrown down grip matting on the shallower sloped parts of the bank
>Some remain at the bottom waving us on and laying more routes up
>Our group reaches >Big Mags leads the way up the trench with the other groups coming up
>We pass a mix of elf and /k/ommando dead on the way
>Mostly engineers, those poor bastards opened the way
>We reach an intersection
>An assault group is clustered up at the corner taking cover
>We run up, keeping low, and slam into the wall next to them
>"'oo the feck are you?" the burly leader asks as he gives us the once over
>"Friendlies" Big Mags replies "Wots goin on?"
>"'eve got an MG nest up there wiv a few rifles" the leader gestures to the corner "An gettin anything up there is impossible"
>"Let us-"
>Before Big Mags can finish the leader shakes his head
>"Nah, nowt you can do 'ere. That way an take the 4th corner" he gestures back down the trench
>We turn back and head the way he indicated a ladder and I sling RPK-chan to climb
>The wood is slick and wet beneath my hands and the whole thing creaks as Big Mags starts to climb behind me
>I reach the top and unsling RPK-chan as I transition to the final shallower slope of the top of the bank
>A quick crawl and I drop into a a trench and land on the corpse of a dead Elf
>Half her lower jaw is missing and blood seeps from three holes in her chest
>I roll away and stand as Big Mags drops in behind me and Slavshot and Chlorine follow him
>"Prepare for a fight" Big Mags growls unsheathing his Halberd
>Other groups are moving this way and the sound of the fighting is getting louder
>We duck around a corner and run into a minor officer directing units
>"You, into that firepit"
>We do as he tells us and stumble down a narrow trench, tripping over bodies
>At the end is a firepit for a mortar
>Two others are here, a dwarf and a human, and a third is on the ground groaning and clutching his stomach
>Red bubbles out from between his fingers
>Atya jumps off my pack and drops down to see what she can do whilst the rest of us take up position on the parapet
>"Shit am I glad to see you" the Dwarf gasps "Its getting hot here"
>We acknowledge and take a look
>Bullets and flying down from a small wooden bunker some 100 yards ahead
>The Elves have at least 2 MG's and some small arms up there and are firing all around
>Below the bunker more are manning a ring of basic field fortifications
>"Dont even bother assaulting them" the human adds "Thats what we tried initially. It didnt work"
>Yeah, the numerous bodies close to the edge confirm that act of stupidity
>Behind us the injured man groans and Atya chirrups something at him
>Slavshot starts taking aim
>Big Mags says "Slav, kill those machineguns"
>She doesnt even acknowledge him, just adjusts her shot slightly
>bang.wav
>One of the guns in the bunker falls silent
>Damn this woman is good
>"Come on then shoot the bastard" Mags adds to the rest of us
>We open up together, spraying lead downrange as fast as we can
>Our bullets kick up a spray of dirt around the Elves position
>I adjust my fire up a little and start to land shots around the fortifications below the bunker
>I can see I'm hitting but not much else as the spray of mud being kicked up
>The Dwarf is operating an MP-40 and the Human a fudded up Springfield
>If we were not fighting a bigger threat I think I might have shot him for it
>Bullets kick up the dirt before us and then Slavshot fires again and the rain of lead lighten a bit
>"There recreweing the shitting machineguns... And I think they noticed us" she comments
>True to her words the guns start back up
>Slavshot fires again and one of them falls silent but the other one runs a spray of bullets across the edge of our firepit
>"JESUS" Chlorine shouts and ducks back
>Slacshot and I duck back as well as do the Dwarf and the Human
>Big Mags stands his ground and starts swearing profusely as a bullet creases his arm for his troubles
>Swearing he ducks back with the rest of us as the gun strafes our position
>Dirt dribbles down from the top and bullets whine overhead to hit the top of the far wall

>"We cant win this" the Dwarf grunts "Not even with yer sniper"
>"I know" Big Mags growls back
>"Its not my fault" Slavshot pouts "Theres a fuckton of them over there"
>Chlorine looks up at the top of the pit
>We remain there, bickering, for another minute or so before the MG fire finally drops off
>Almost instantly the human scrambles up with his fuddgun ready
>Before anyone can tell him not too he peeps over the parapet
>Headshot.wav
>His corpse tumbles back into the pit disturbing Atya who is busy stabilising her patient
>She lets out a squeak of annoyance and throws a tiny scalpel at him
>It would be amusing except she really could do some damage to us with those
>We wait another minute as the battle rages around and then Slavshot nudges me and points at my old helmet
>Grudgingly I balance it on the fudded Springfields 'sporting' floating stock and poke it above the parapet
>When it is not instantly blown off we all breath a sigh of relief and pull ourselves upright
>Over the top things are much as they were before
>The knife ears have sighted themselves well on a slight rise and none of our heavy equipment has been brought across the river yet
>Our guns are not enough to deal with the bunker and the range is too great for grenades
>"Shit" Chlorine says "If only we had artillery"
>We all agree
>Without bigger guns there is no way to bust this bunker
>Chlorine starts firing and the rest of us copy him
>Although this time we are less intense with our shooting, firing shallow bursts to avoid attracting attention
>They still shoot in our direction but its more scattered and less focused
>This goes on for several minutes whilst we try to formulate a plan and find out why the Dwarf isnt too sad about his buddy being headshot
>Apparently he was a fudd asshole
>We agree with him
>Just as the start of a plan is coming together we hear a battlecry from over the top
>Further in from our position a wave of /k/ommando's is rising from the trenches screaming for blood
>As we WTF Slavshot sights down her scope and then starts swearing profusely
>Before she can tell us what she saw I see it too, and then Chlorine and the rest
>The damn officer
>Sword out
>Leading the damn charge
>What the hell is with this madman and why do people follow him?

>Leading the charge the Officer runs towards the Elves bunker
>Elves who do the logical thing and start shooting at the incoming wave of attackers
>For a moment it seems like this might not actually be enough but then a couple more MG's join in and a mortar starts firing
>As we watch a shell lands directly infront of the Officer and a gout of what must be magically enhanced explosive sends broken bodies flying
>Im not sure what I expected the Officer to do but to be honest getting back up and dusting himself off as /k/omrades rush past him on the offensive was not it
>The five of us watch incredulously as he even takes the time to pull a small comb out and fix his hair as all around him bullets fly and bodies fall
>The he raises his sword once more and charges on extolling the men and women around him onwards towards the Elves bunker
>Chlorine starts muttering something, Big Mags swears and Slavshot sights down her scope
>"How the fuck is that guy still standing?" she asks aloud
>All of us shrug and watch on in disbelief
>"Well... Fire on em then" Big Mags says
>"The knife ears" he adds as we all stare at him in horror
>A sound plan is sound and we resume harassment fire on the Elf bunker
>The fight is quite clearly going against our forces but the officer is leading them on
>Even with his apparent morale boosting effects the kommando assault simply cannot get close in to the bunker before becoming bogged down by heavy fire that our harassment techniques are barely touching
>"We need some heavy firepower to breach that thing" the Dwarf grunts as he drops down to reload "Forget all this plinking away nonsense we need a cannon or something"
>"Well do you have a cannon" I ask
>"Does it look like I have a fucking cannon ye blind twat" the Dwarf responds
>"Neither do I so lets do what we can and keep plinking"
>The Dwarf grumbles but rises up to fire again
>Not that it does much good for us
>The attack is really bogging down now and thats not something they want to do
>But the Officer moves forward to extol them on in a second wave
>And at that moment a second mortar shell hits
>I dont see what happens but Slavshot emits another round of expletives and cries out "Hes down, the bastards down this time"
>Glancing over its obvious to see
>Without the officer to lead them on the Kommandos abandon the attack and start to retreat
>Not that the knife ears care as they open up on the fleeing personnel
>The casualties start to rack up as the wave runs for the trench line again
>Somehow, without even looking, I know the Officer will not be among the corpses
>He wont die so easily
>Atya flits up to look and lets out a strangled gasp of horror and misery as she sees the bodies
>Thankfully shes not stupid and doesnt instantly fly off to render aid although i can see she wants to
>"Well, what do we do now?" I ask Big Mags
>Big Mags considers this for a moment
>"We cant go round, we cant leave it 'ere...."
>"Thats right" The Dwarf pipes up "The bastards are well sited, if you look the road isnt far past them and they can cover it from there"
>"So we ave to go through then" Big Mags ponders "Wiv nothing like enough firepower"
>I glance over at Slavshot and Chlorine who are both following this
>After a moment Slavshot pipes up
>"Ive still got these launchers, get me close enough a-"
>"Nah" Big Mags says "Knife Ears wud gun ya down before you got close"
>"Well" Chlorine adds "I have a few gas grenades left..."
>Again Big Mags shakes his head as the Dwarf stares on in disbelief
>"Nah Chlorine, not them. Too risky"
>I can my own idea involving all the explosives we can scrounge and a giant catapult
>Something tells me he will not be amused
>The Dwarf squints at the bunker
>"Yeh know, if we had some Kobolds here we could tunnel to it"
>"If we had" Chlorine replies "But we dont"
>The Dwarf shrugs "I was only saying"
>We go back to watching and occasionally firing on the bunker
>This lasts for about 15 minutes or so
>Then another assault starts
>This time the officer does not appear to be involved as indicated by the lack of suicidal charges
>Instead someone fires smoke shells from a mortar and dowses the area in a cloud of white
>Then, as random bursts spit out of the smoke, the new wave advances
>They crawl cautiously out of the trench and advance slowly across moving in bursts
>It looks like this might make it
>Chlorine swears
>"Oh shit those poor bastards"
>Before we can ask what he means bullets churn up the ground around the lead group
>In seconds two are dead and several more injured
>Explosives rip through the others as they try to scramble for cover
>wtf.jpeg
>I pull out my own scope and look down it
>Several of the spec ops elves are directing the fire of a couple of machineguns and
>Holy shit
>A battery of grenade machineguns
>What the fuck?
>40mm cheatomatics blaze away and more good /k/ommandos die

>"FUCKING CUNTS" Slavshot screams and fires wildly into the smoke
>Through the scopes its easy to see she is missing
>"Calm down or a'll make yeh" Big Mag rumbles
>"Fuck you, there slaughtering us!"
>"Ah said calm"
>Big Mags glares at the sniper and she dutifully shuts up and pipes down
>I dont blame her, arguing with an Orc that uses an M1919a4 as a rifle is not anything I would want to do
>Behind us Atya lets out a cry of frustration
>I glance back to get a better look
>The body is, well, a body now
>There is clearly little else that can be done
>Atya is kicking it in frustration and thumping him with her tiny hands
>I break off and gather the sad fairy in my hands
>"Its okay Atya, you tried"
>She shakes her head and sobs
>Gently I lower her into the Fairy pouch
>She shrinks into it crying and curls up at the bottom
>Everyone else is watching
>Big Mags nods
>"Must be hard on her"
>I agree
>Silently we retake out positions and watch
>The attackers have retreated but there are still may dead and wounded on the field
>Recovering them is impossible with the heavy fire rippling from the Elf strongpoint
>Our attack has well and truly stalled
>For the next few minutes we sit in our hole and watch the enemy position, occasionally snapping off a shot or two whilst discussing how best to tackle the problem
>Amidst a truly heated debate as to whether or not digging a trench right up to them is a good idea or not Chlorine looks behind us and starts swearing
>We all turn around and begin swearing ourselves
>Several figures have grasped one of the Elven field guns and worked it around to be pointing at the bunker
>As we watch a Dwarf and Orc scramble up onto the chassis and lug a shell into the breach
>The gunners start to adjust the aim
>Wait, shit
>All five of us reach the same conclusion at the same time
>"SWEET /K/UBE, DIVE" I scream
>Not thats its needed, we are all dropping
>Atya tries to leave her pouch
>I grab her and stuff her right back in
>Fuckfuckfuckfuck BRACE!
>There is a fucking HUGE explosion and the air above our foxhole rips
>I swear the suction lifts me a little off the floor
>Then a second explosion further away
>I start to get up as the others groggily rise
>One by one we peak over the edge of the firing pit
>"Well.... Its certainly done something..." the Dwarf mutters
>"Indeed breathes Slavshot and Chlorine nods
>The shell must have hit somewhere close to the base of the log bunker
>A huge section of the long wall has been ripped open and the logs splintered and broken
>Theres a massive blast crater in the earth and a trench has collapsed
>Keeblers are struggling to get up and wandering around in a daze or lying unmoving
>We start to cheer then the Dwarf shouts "OH SHIT"
>We duck back down
>Seconds later the gun fires again and a second massive shell screams overhead
>The shell explodes and we all get up to look at the damage
>The bunker is ruined
>Knife Ears lie everywhere either dead or injured or stagger about in a shellshocked daze
>Officers and specops are trying to get them organised
>Too late
>Around them figures peak over the top of the trenches
>Figures that have seen death and slaughter
>Figures that have lost friends and loved ones to the Elves
>Figures bent on revenge
>There is no battlecry, no shout, no sounding of the charge
>Silently /K/ommandos climb over the top and advance on the shellshocked Elves
>"Fuckit" grunts Big Mags and he hauls himself over
>"Lets make the bastards pay"
>I start to climb out as does Chlorine
>Slavshot checks her launchers and then joins us
>The Dwarf grunts and tries to scramble up then asks for help
>Big Mags and I grasp his hands and lift him out
>Together we stalk quickly forwards over nomans land towards the Elves

>As we advance we fan out into a broad line
>The ground is puckered and pocked with shell holes and strafed with tossed lines of dirt from bullets
>Not that we mind as we walk
>Big Mags unlimbers his halberd and Chlorine draws his saber in one hand and his meme Glock in the other
>Slavshot is carrying her rifle still but the Dwarf has produced an axe
>Atya and I have out trusty shovels
>Ahead lies the Elf strongpoint, or rather the ruins of it
>A few shake off the shell shock enough to grab for weapons or try to stop the advance
>They all die
>All around the strongpoint the grim line of /k/ommandos approaches with silent intent
>Within minutes we reach the outlying scrapes
>An injured keebler tries to shelter her friend with her body whilst raising a Skorpion in one hand
>Big Mags lays her belly open with one blow from his halberd and crushes the other elves skull with his foot
>We advance on past the gutted elf, leaving her screaming and dying behind us
>A specops elf leans around a trench corner to shoot us and takes a bullet from Slavshot for his effort
>In the next trench we find several knife ears trying to get their bearings, clearly still stunned from the blast
>Before they can react we are upon them
>Chlorine and I jump into the trench together, weapons swinging
>I see Chlorines saber cut deep into the ribcage of one elf then I strike home myself, splitting the skull of one wide open at the temple
>As he falls I raise my shovel again
>The elf behind that one squeals, his eyes wide with fear as he tries to scramble away
>I put the blade of my shovel into his face and mechanically raise it again as he falls
>The next one tries to bring some bastardised SMLE to bear
>I grab his longarm and yank the muzzle past my side, jerking him towards me
>Before he can recover the edge of my shovel separates his neck vertebrae from his spinal column
>Not dead but paralysed
>I drop him into the mud and step over, leaving him to drown in the mire
>Atya yeets a grenade into an opening in the trench side as we pass it
>The next elf in the line lets a cry and raises her arms
>My shovel bounces off the air above them which shimmers
>She squeaks and looks away her eyes squeezed shut, vomit dribbling down her chin
>I sidestep and bring my weapon in a low scything arc that smashes into her shins, breaking them
>She falls with a scream and tries to push herself up on her arms
>I plant my boot on her back, pushing her back down
>She looks around, up at me, her young eyes wide with fear
>Before she can utter a word I smash the edge of my shovel into her head
>She drops to the floor, brains leaking from her ruined skull
>Movement behind me! I spin around shovel raised and only just manage to stop myself from braining the Dwarf
>"Jeeze laddie, watch it!"
>I stop, breathing hard
>Gradually the rest of reality filters in
>Big Mags and Chlorine are finishing the last of the keeblers behind me
>Slavshot is shouting something about something thats not immediate and therefore not important
>The Dwarf is looking up at me concerned, gore dripping from his axe
>"You okay laddie, yer lookin a bit pale"
>I breathe in then "Yeah, im good. Just need a drink"
>The water in my canteen tastes metallic and slightly stale
>This entire trench smells like an abattoir
>"Lopata, Dorf, form up" Big Mags snarls "Prepare to advance"
>"Ive got bead on that MG now, want me to take the shot?" Slavshot asks
>"Not yet, we go dis way" Big Mags says and points to the corner joint to the next line "Looks like a supply passage"
>I glance at the dwarf whom nods and then I turn and walk over to were the others are forming up
>Atya sits on my shoulder and chirrups in concern
>I smile weakly at her "Dont worry, im okay"
>She looks only slightly less concerned
>At the entrance to the communication trench we form up
>Slavshot takes one last look over the edge then gives the all clear
>Chlorine pulls a grenade he must have looted from a corpse and lobs it around the corner
>As soon as it detonates he and I swing around and clear
>Nothing except a couple of ruined bodies
>We rush the far end and stop short
>Silence
>Big Mags raises his fist
>Silence
>Silence
>Silence
>He starts to lower it
>Clinkclak
>A weapons action cycles
>We all brace
>Nothing, then some whispered elvish
>I make out the words "silence" and "Await"
>I bring my hand up and signal the information to Big Mags
>"Ambush, possible both sides"
>He nods then taps Chlorine on the shoulder
>Chlorine reaches for his gasmask and the rest of us immediately scramble to pull ours on
>The Dwarf pauses for a moment not fully understanding then realises and quickly pulls his battered S10 on
>Chlorine yanks out one of his infamous problem solvers and throws it through the exit

>Chlorine yeets his gas bomb around the corner
>theres a mad scramble, a shout of alarm and then the bomb detonates with a 'phumpffffffffffffffff'
>a greenish cloud fills the trench and the elf voices turn to panicked gurgling gasps
>Chlorine and myself break around the junction firing as we go
>on my side theres about six elves in mixed uniforms
>four are on the ground couching blood
>the other two where better prepared with respirators and start firing back
>there is a loud THOCK then RPK-chan speaks and one of the elves spins and falls as the heavy rounds tear into him
>the other, some heavy infantry keebler, dodges to one side firing as he goes
>his shots go wide and i land three solid hits on his plate carrier
>he drops then starts to get up
>i rush forwards a couple of steps then trip on one of the dying elves
>blood and dirt fills my eye ports
>shitshitshit
>i push myself up
>the elf is sitting up, raising his gun
>RPK-chan is under me
>an axe flies overhead and smacks into his face
>I look back
>The dwarf grins down at me
>"saved yer ass there laddy"

>The dwarf reaches down and pulls me up
>I snag RPK-chan on the way
>"Thanks mate, that was close"
>"Dinnae worry lad, we gotta look out fer each other"
>"Aye we do"
>The dwarf stomps past and kicks and kicks an injured elf then crushes its skull with his boot
>I lean against the side of the trench
>My heart is racing and my hands tremble as I pull my canteen loose raise it to my mouth
>Shit was way too close
>On the other side a gasmasked Chlorine is disembowelling the last of the Elves with his sabre whilst a likewise masked Big Mags is examining a bit of paper
>Atya flits by then doubles back and points at my stomach with a squeak
>As the adrenalin starts to fade from my system I feel an ache coming from down there
>There is a fucking round lodged in the armour plate
>Thank fuck the Elf only had a 5.45mm rifle, any real calibre and I could have been dead
>Still, it hurts like a bitch
>Atya tries to pull my plate carrier open but I push her away
>"'snot penetrated Atya, besides what if we got shot at again"
>Atya crosses her arms and pouts then reaches into her medics bag and pulls out an ampule
>Before I can object the tiny fairy hits me with the dope
>"Shit what the fuck At-actually thats not too bad..."
>Atya nods smugly and flits off to see to Slavshot
>I stand back up again
>Big Mags is summoning us, muffled through his mask
>The Dwarf and I move back to the junction, glancing warily at the far corner of the trench, now visible through the thinning gas cloud
>Big Mags is still holding that bit of paper
>This close we can see its a map
>"Right" he says "This is clearly us"
>One large finger points at a junction on the lines
>"Naw from what I can tell dis" he points at a dotted line "is a hidden tunnel that should take us too this bit 'ere"
>he points to another point at the far end of the line
>"Should be fun an we miss the gun nests"
>"What gun nests?" Chlorine asks
>in answer Big Mags raises a stick with a helmet on the end
>As soon as it clears the trench rim a burst of gunfire knocks it off and sends it jiggling to the floor
>"Dem nests"
>We all nod
>An orc he may be but Big Mags is not stupid
>"MOVEMENT" Slavshot shouts
>We all swivel to aim down the trench to the far corner
>Fingers ready on triggers
>A mirror retreats back
>"Friendlies" someone shouts
>We dont relax until a furry in a bright blue fursuit clutching an MP-5 wanders cautiously around the corner
>Slowly we lower our weapons as he ambles closer and several other figures emerge
>A Kobold, two Dragonnewts and a Gnome along with three humans
>All wearing a hodgepodge of armour and carrying a mixed bag of weapons
>The gas has all but dissipated by now but even so we keep our masks on
>"Good to see you" one of the humans calls, a chunky bloke wearing a flak jacket and one of those lightweight airborne helmets with the vents in and all the protective properties of a sieve
>He's even carrying an M4 with tacticool accessories and wearing shades
>Big Mags acknowledges him with a grunt
>They pause and the man looks confused
>After a moment it becomes clear that this fool is actually their leader
>We let out a collective internal groan
>/k/ube help us
>The man stares at Big Mags for a moment and then clears his throat
>"Are you okay?"
>Big Mags adopts a look of neutrality
>"We're fine, you"
>The looks a bit taken aback by this and his group exchange looks and muttered words
>"Of course for we are the 1st light assault airborne!"
>The entire group looks at us expectantly
>Atya chirrups quietly in the background
>Is this supposed to mean something? We glance at one another
>Finally Mags grunts a "Who?"
>The gasp from the group is audible
>They exchange looks of shock
>"W-w-what do you mean who-" one of the humans, a girl with overlong dyed pink hair and wearing the skimpiest shitty 'combat gear' I have ever seen, starts
>The man cuts her off
>"Its okay Battlevix, they are clearly from some out of the way place and do not know of our legendary selves"
>I look at them. Clean (relatively) gear, undamaged armour, guns that show a surprising amount of shine
>Slavshot moans "Larpers"
>The other group instantly takes offence
>Their leader raises a hand and they shut up. Mostly
>"Now then young miss, you do not understand" he begins
>"Shut the fuck up neckbeard" Slavshot snarls
>"YOU CANT SAY THAT" Battlevixen screams shrilly and raises her gun, some AR15 bastardisation
>Before things can degenerate into blue-on-blue Big Mags grabs Slavshots SVD and kerls it upright
>"ENOUGH... Ya know how te use 'em" he points at the other groups guns
>"Ofcourse" the leader blusters "But I must take exception towards your underlings most unto-"
>"Good" Big Mags cuts him off mid-rant "We found da tunnel 'ere an it shud skip the guns"
>The man looks up at Big Mags his mouth hanging open
>"Nah we need ta clear it gud 'n propa so-"
>"Well of course" the man cuts in "We shall of course be glad to lend our aid and expertise in this venture"
>I glance over at Chlorine and the Dwarf
>Its probably a good thing we still have our respirators on
>It means the others cant see our faces
>After a moment Big Mags prises his respirator off
>"Wat"
>The neckbeard calmly replies "We are an elite force, of course you will be glad we are here to help"
>The rest of them are still smiling smugly
>Battlevixen looks so smug I want to punch her
>Big Mags opens his mouth to retort when Slavshot grabs him
>Ripping her mask off she whispers something into his ear
>Mags face crinkles in thought for a moment then he laughs and stands up
>"Ofcerse, we would be glad ta have ya show us how"
>Slavshot winks at us as she passes back into position
>Chlorine, the Dwarf and I exchange looks
>Whatever Slavshot cooked up I feel slightly sorry for the other guys
>We move to where the tunnel should be
>A few taps on the duckboards later and the Dwarf locates the hidden entrance
>Before any of us can stack up the airborne whatevers move in
>"Let us show you how its done" the fat man says
>They stack up like characters in Rainbow either side of the hole
>One of them produces a heavy breaching mine and start trying to attach it to the door
>The Dwarf hisses and we move back as one
>Seconds after the first bolts lock in there is a cracking sound
>The plank the mine is locked too rips out and falls away with the mine
>I smash myself into the trench wall as everyone else does likewise
>Thankfully the mine is unarmed and the giggling gnome recovers it
>"Oopsie, I guess its not thaaaaattttt strong teeheehee"
>One of the Kobolds throws a grenade through the slit and the Dragonnewt hefts a fireaxe
>Shes wearing fortnite badges
>Chlorine has to pull his mask off to be sick

>A few minutes later they manage to open the way and declare it safe for us to approach
>The entrance is a shallow chamber in the soil then the tunnel leads away
>Only the Kobolds will be able to move easily in this
>The damn thing is only 4 and a half feet high and about 5 wide
>As Slavshot starts to swear and Atya looks on and chirps in horror the other group prepare to advance
>The Kobolds lead the way then the furry then the fatman and the femthot then the Gnome and the Dragonnewt bring up the rear
>"Just follow us" the neckbeard shouts "And do what we say, youll get through this easily"
>Battlevixen lets out a cry of disgust as she kneels in the dirt
>"Whaaaaattttt, its filthy, do we have too" she looks at the fatman
>He smiles at her "Nownow Battlevix, you know we have to sometimes do things we dont like"
>She looks unhappy but follows him in
>"Follow us" he calls back
>Big Mags nods at us "Weapons prep"
>We check our weapons, make sure our magazines are full and grenades are ready
>Atya drops back into her pouch and emerges with a bulging medic bag
>"Wait 5" Big Mags grunts
>Chlorine pipes up before anyone else can
>"What do you mean? Are we not going to move after them?"
>Slavshot laughs and Big Mags snorts
>"Nah, Slavshot was roight. Dey can move ahead an clear the worst fer us. We can use em like mine detectors"
>The plan dawns on us. Simple, deceptive, and beautiful
>And anything that kills off a bunch of LARPers is good in our books
>We wait a anxiously
>It doesnt take long
>A couple of minutes after the so-called 'elites' enter gunfire echoes down the tunnel and the screaming starts
>BIg Mags stands upright and stubs his cig out
>"Dwarf, Chlorine, yer on point, load a speshal un Chlorine. Lopata, yer supportin em an Slav yer with im. Ill be in the rear"
>Chlorine cackles and slides a gas shell into his launcher
>We pull our respirators back on and advance
>We advance along the tunnel
>The low, dark, cramped space forces into a low crouch and hems us in
>The Dwarf and Chlorine advance ahead of us, weapons ready
>Chlorine has his UMP in one hand and grenade launcher in the other like some demented chemical Rambo
>Behind them Slavshot and I advance awkwardly, our long guns clumsy in the tight space
>Atya hovers between us, medical kit ready
>The tunnel twists and turns, descending in a shallow slope
>Ahead we can hear gunfire, rapidly getting louder
>Screams and shouts too
>Suddenly an explosion rocks the tunnel and debris rain on our heads
>"Motherfucking madmen, de they nay ken grenades in a tunnel is stupid?!" the Dwarf swears in between spitting dirt
>"Shat it an move" Big Mags grunts, sneezing on the dust
>We clam up and move on
>Ahead the constant ripping of a machinegun is replaced by the chattering of assault rifles
>We are getting pretty close when a screaming figure runs out of the darkness
>On reflex the Dwarf and Chlorine open up
>As the tunnel is illuminated in the spastic strobe lighting of muzzle flash the figure jerks spasmodically, seemingly held aloft by the impact of the bullets
>After what must have been a second but seemed an age Big Mags calls for a ceasefire
>For a few tense moments we wait for something else to charge us
>When nothing does we move on up
>Chlorine swears and the Dwarf chuckles
>Its one of the Kobolds
>The poor bastard must have panicked and run straight into us
>Atya flies down to it and stares at the mess then turns to the pointmen and chitters angrily in fairy speak
>As our point team is chewed out by an angry fairy Slavshot cracks a tasteless joke and the two of us turn to Big Mags
>Mags just shrugs and points ahead
>"Sounds like ders still some left ta save. Reem em out later Atty"
>Atya snorts in disgust but drops back
>Around the next corner we see the other team
>Well, the dragonnewt and the thot
>The two of them are holed up at the next corner
>The dragonnewt is firing a MK 19 downrange from around the corner whilst the thot is blazing away with her AR from a niche in the far side
>Return fire streaks from round the corner and splats all over them
>The thot drops her rifle and pulls herself into the cubby hole, screaming and clutching her head
>The Dragonnewt looks at her then ducks back as a burst throws splinters from the wall
>As she ducks back she sees us and shouts something that is lost over the roar of gunfire
>We hurry forwards
>The tunnel is a bit wider here
>Battlevixen/the thot is hunkered back as far as she can get and the dragonnewt is clutching her bleeding cheek and swearing
>Atya drops onto her shoulder and tries to prise her hand off
>The Dragonnewt responds to this by swatting the fairy away
>Big mistake
>Chlorines gunbutt smacks into her face at the same time as Atya stabs her with the oversized ampule that appeared in her hand
>This combined assault is enough to knock the reptilian girl out
>Seriously, do not fuck with medical fairies
>As Atya start to chew Chlorine out we get a look at the wound
>Some splinters are stuck in her cheek
>Chlorine probably did more damage when he stocked her
>Big Mags pushes his way up and starts to speak when a shrill scream cuts above the gunfire
>"O. M. G. I KNEW YOU BASTARDS WERE EVIL"
>Battlevixen is staring at us, eyes wide and mouth an '0'
>She scrabbles for her rifle and shoulders it
>Slavshot screams a warning and we all dive for what little cover there is as the enraged thot opens up on us
>Bullets rip past and I hear a howl of pain and several meaty thunks
>Chlorine rolls over, clutching his neck and a couple of bullets hit my backplate, then there is a loud 'DOCK' and everything spins
>From above I hear the click as her gun runs empty
>Before she can do anything else there is an enraged roar
>Something large and long flies over me
>There is a very thottish scream
>I struggle up to sitting, dazed