The Loop: Reawakening

[NOTaHFfan]

@N01InParticular

Ari, you watch as a piece of shrapnel hits the canister with a loud pang. The event severely damaged the tank to a significant degree. This is perfect you think to yourself as you close the distance and prepare to cause some damage to the nearby soldiers.

Suddenly Ari noticed something get launched towards the water tank and leave a sizeable dent in its side with a loud pang.
Where did that come from?

That was lucky. Now that the structural integrity of the canister was compromised, perhaps making a hole in its side would be easier.

The canister was just a dozen steps away. At last, it was time. Ari wound up her arm and heard a familiar click sound. She’s heard it so many times, that hearing it now was almost reassuring. The mechanism was primed. It was no going back now.

@N01InParticular

As you all carry out your individual tasks, you all witness a horrific grinding noise as you see Ehre be sucked up into the turbine on the colossus’s wing, shredding him to pieces and sending his remains scattering out as nothing but a red mist.

Ari took one last look at the machine, to determine its exact position, just in time to witness something suspiciously human-shaped get lifted into the air and rapidly head towards one of its numerous turbines. The horrific sight that followed made it very clear what that object used to be before turning into a reddish mist.

What a horrible way to go, she thought. Her heart filled with burning anger. Had she acted quicker, this death could have been avoided.

@N01InParticular

Fortunately, his sacrifice wasn’t in vain, as the wing begins to catch fire from the sudden intervention of Ehre’s now humidified form into its mechanical parts.

However, this horrific incident proved something very crucial, as Ari watched the vile mechanism’s wing falter and catch on fire. The darn bird was not immune to moisture.

The pain that was about to follow the punch was nothing compared to the chance to take the colossus down for good.

Ari lined herself up as best as she could, to hit the canister from such an angle that the following explosion of water would be directed right toward the bird, clenched her teeth so hard she risked breaking them, and, gathering all of her might… finally threw her metal fist forward, activating the last charge.

She was going to try to run right after the impact, but she knew very well that there was no way she could avoid getting caught in the explosion herself. It was a risk she was willing to take. After all taking risks has been the only thing that kept her going over the course of the last three years.

[Cordax]

@N01InParticular

“Ms. Norda, what’re you doing out here? Especially with terrorists?”

“T-Thomas, what are you-”

A shooting pain rockets up Norda’s entire left side, cutting her off before she can finish her sentence. She seethes and breathes in slowly before attempting to speak again.

“I don’t know how I got here”, Norda lets out. “A-all I remember was hitting the ground and that thing”, she says, gesturing to the colossus wreaking havoc nearby, “was above me and a few other people.” Norda rests her head against the rough ground for a few moments before starting again. “Please, just try to help that wailing child survive. I can fend for m-myself”

[N01InParticular]

@DuneToa

Jacques

@TheCobaltCorsair

Silas

Silas, as the soldiers begin to fire at you, a voice rings out from behind you. You’re vaguely able to recognize it as one of your allies, all though, in the heat of the moment, the name seems to be slipping your mind. Of course, the bullet that just shredded your thigh isn’t helping with that either.

@T4k4nuv4

Adam

Adam Unfortunately, the soldier’s grip on the revolver remains true. Your attempt to knock it away from Ottar is fruitful; your slide, however, is very much not. As you tried to slip past the soldier, he brought the grip of his pistol down onto the top of your skull mid slide with a sickening crack, sending you reeling.

@Ghid

Ottar

Ottar, as you carry out your objective of “trying not to die,” you watch as the soldier that had been knocked into the pile of rubble begins to stir, his eyes locking on the confrontation between Adam and his comrade. Silently, he draws his own revolver and, with shaky hands, lowers it towards Adam, waiting to get a clear shot.

@NOTaHFfan

Ari

Ari, as you land a devastating blow to the canister, a highly concentrated stream of water blasts out from the tank and, luckily enough, towards the colossus’s other wing. Unfortunately, your other arm is caught in the high pressure stream as you try to duck out of the way, ripping off several chunks of your skin, the water thinning the blood from your wounds making them bleed more profusely.

@Cordax

Norda

Thomas steadies you, shifting your weight onto him. “I’m sorry, Ms. Norda, but I can’t disobey my orders like that. I mean, take a look around; look what he and the group he’s a part of have done.” He looks into your eyes. “Child or not, these people have just committed treason, and you of all people should know the consequences for that.”

[T4k4nuv4]

@N01InParticular

Unfortunately, the soldier’s grip on the revolver remains true. Your attempt to knock it away from Ottar is fruitful; your slide, however, is very much not. As you tried to slip past the soldier, he brought the grip of his pistol down onto the top of your skull mid slide with a sickening crack, sending you reeling.

Adam’s vision blurred from the impact of the pistol grip as water streamed from his eyes. The impact had stopped him from rising fully and his body was still low to the ground, so Adam struck out at the closest part of the soldier. Adam attempted to sweep the soldiers feet from underneath him, hoping that the soldier wouldn’t fall on Adam if he was knocked over.

[Ghid]

@N01InParticular

Ottar, as you carry out your objective of “trying not to die,” you watch as the soldier that had been knocked into the pile of rubble begins to stir, his eyes locking on the confrontation between Adam and his comrade. Silently, he draws his own revolver and, with shaky hands, lowers it towards Adam, waiting to get a clear shot.

There he was.

His gun shakily aimed towards whoever was brave enough to challenge the unknown amount of guards on the other side of the barrier, and also stupid enough to tell everyone where exactly poor little Ottar was hiding.

Repeatedly.

However, as this unknown raised his revolver, Ottar could feel his muscles tense. Something had to be done. He had to close the impressive gap and clobber the fellow before this blabbermouth could die. He had to. His life was at stake. What else could be done?

…

Am I insane?

Ottar didn’t need his experience working in the mechanical sweatshops of the city to know how to calculate a sizeable gap. Even if he somehow was able to throw himself five feet horizontally while in tremendous pain and with only one functional leg, it still wouldn’t be enough to close the distance. And even if it somehow was, the guard would simply blast his head open the moment he landed.

So there was nothing he could do.

This guard would assist his compatriot in killing the loud stranger, and together the pair would turn on him, now that he had been snitched on. The most he could hope for was that somehow this stranger’s hands were more competent than his mouth, and he was able to eliminate one of the guards before he himself was eliminated.

Fat chance.

@N01InParticular

Ari, as you land a devastating blow to the canister, a highly concentrated stream of water blasts out from the tank and, luckily enough, towards the colossus’s other wing.

A violent explosion occurred somewhere behind him, and not daring to fully take his eyes off the scene, Ottar only got a glimpse of the high-powered stream of water making its way towards the reeling colossus, but dreaded what might follow.

Either a devastating blow to whatever this horrid thing is… Or an extremely angry whatever this horrid thing is.

…Or both, but I’m not picky.

[NOTaHFfan]

@N01InParticular

Ari, as you land a devastating blow to the canister, a highly concentrated stream of water blasts out from the tank and, luckily enough, towards the colossus’s other wing. Unfortunately, your other arm is caught in the high pressure stream as you try to duck out of the way, ripping off several chunks of your skin, the water thinning the blood from your wounds making them bleed more profusely.

The impact of the steel hand against the hard metal of the canister resulted in a spike of pain going through Ari’s entire arm and ending in the shoulder blade. However, she did not have time to process it as her futile attempt to duck away from the powerful stream of water ended in that very stream of water colliding with her other, more healthy arm and sending her flying backwards, away from the canister. She hit the ground hard, unable to soften the impact, but the pain in her back was greatly overshadowed by the pain in her left arm. Ari was barely able to hold back from screaming, and, once she partially recovered from the shock, she took a glance at her arm. It was bruised badly and had several deep cuts that were bleeding intensely. Something had to be done about them if she didn’t want to slowly bleed out, but trying to bandage them up was no use with a right arm like that.

Suddenly a realisation hit her. The cartridge in her metal arm was still scolding hot from the charge going off. She could use it to cauterise the wounds.

Ari collected herself as best she could, sat up, slowly lifted the incredibly hot prosthesis and pressed it hard against one of the cuts. This time she couldn’t hold back a scream, as the intense burning pain was unbearable. But it seemed to work. She repeated the process several times until all of the wounds were successfully closed.

She needed something to help her dull the pain, so she instinctively reached her hand into one of her pockets and pulled out a familiar metal flask, now badly deformed from this day’s events. Much to her dismay, it was also empty, completely devoid of the cheap alcohol that used to be contained in it before. Ari swore under her breath and threw the now utterly useless flask into the nearest burning pile of rubble. Today was a horrible day…

Slowly she looked in the direction of the colossus, trying to determine if the water had done any damage to it.

Out of nowhere a thought crossed her mind: I wonder how that kid is doing… did he and the man manage to get away?

[DuneToa]

Jacques flinched as a gunshot cracked through the air, landing with a nasty wet impact nearby. He blinked, then realized that it wasn’t he who had been hit, but the man in front of him.
“S-S-Silas?? Are you all right?”
And how did I just remember his name? That is his name, right? And this all feels so… familiar, he thought.

Even as he finished he looked out through the door of the warehouse, just in time to see a tank of water explode in a blast of compressed liquid, the water smashing into the Titan with incredible force. Nearby, some of the soldiers were aiming for the warehouse, one reloading after having shot Silas in the leg. Not a good sign…

[GX_05]

@N01InParticular

Ari, as you land a devastating blow to the canister, a highly concentrated stream of water blasts out from the tank and, luckily enough, towards the colossus’s other wing.

“That is a big distraction if i do say so myself!” Rose continued to run. the crazy lady must’ve done it, that absolutely sounds like something she would do. I still need a weapon though, a sling isn’t enough for this mess. She continued to scan the docks for something she could use “come on! surely some soldiers died with all of this chaos! I just need a decent weapon!”

[Cordax]

@N01InParticular

“I’m sorry, Ms. Norda, but I can’t disobey my orders like that. I mean, take a look around; look what he and the group he’s a part of have done.”

"Thomas, please. He’s just a boy" Norda turns her head towards the man and stares into his swollen eyes. “I’m sure he is just as scared and confused as we all are. Whoever he is and whatever he has done, that boy has much more to live for than I do.”

Norda attempts to shrug off Thomas’s shoulder, but is unable to do so. “Please, I can’t even hear him anymore. I can fend for myself” She lets out a shaky breath and drops her head towards the ground. “Is this really what she would want you to do?”

ooc: if Thomas could have some backstory that involved someone close to him dying that’d be pretty cool; otherwise I’ll edit the post

[N01InParticular]

@T4k4nuv4

Adam’s

Adam, before you’re able to gain your composure and even attempt to sweep the soldier’s legs, he’s upon you again. bringing his revolver’s butt across your jaw, knocking you back down to the ground. “You should’ve backed down when you had the chance, but no, you had to be the hero.” The soldier brings the barrel of the revolver to meet your forehead, his thumb pulling back on the hammer and rotating a fresh bullet into the chamber. “Look where that’s gotten you, terrorist.”

@Ghid

Ottar

Ottar, you find you have the perfect view of the progressing disaster. You watch as Adam is beaten down, all of his attempts to counterattack so far wasted, pinned into a situation with very little hope of survival. However, if there’s one good thing you can possibly glean from this situation, it’s that the injured soldier not far from your position has lowered his weapon. Apparently, he’s assumed that his comrade has the situation handled for the moment. He breathes a sigh of relaxation among the chaos and takes a look around him. Wait, that’s weird. As he’s looking around, he seems to focus on your area quite a bit. Has he spotted you?

@NOTaHFfan

Ari

Ari, you watch as the colossus’s wing begins to spark slightly—nothing as damaging as the body of your comrade, who had been sucked into the other wing—but enough that it’s clear it won’t be flying anytime soon. However, the peace of that revelation is short-lived as you watch a panel on its chest open up, revealing what seams to be a bundle of tubes.

a gatling gun

@DuneToa

Jacques

@TheCobaltCorsair

Silas

You both see the colossus turn in the direction of the soldiers near the warehouse, the cluster of tubes extending out of its chest and beginning to spin. Before either of you can process this new addition to the colossus’ arsenal, you watch as it mows down many of the soldiers in a sweeping motion. This is a victory for sure, but a short-lived one, as the arc of the sweep includes the warehouse you two are currently sheltered in.

@GX_05

Rose

Rose, as you run, you hear the screams of many soldiers and a loud, continuous banging noise, as if hundreds of gunshots were going off in a matter of seconds. Risking a glance behind you, you see the colossus mowing down the group of soldiers you are currently fleeing from; unfortunately, if you don’t get out of dodge, you shall join in their fate.

@Cordax

Norda

Thomas goes to respond to you, the words catching in his throat for a moment. You see tears well up in his eyes. His expression was a mixture of sadness, grief, and blind rage. “You don’t get to talk about my mother like you knew her!” He pulls his revolver, not pointing at you, but his threat is clear. “I’m giving you one last chance, Norda.”

[Ghid]

@N01InParticular

He breathes a sigh of relaxation among the chaos and takes a look around him. Wait, that’s weird. As he’s looking around, he seems to focus on your area quite a bit. Has he spotted you?

Ottar swallowed to move his heart down from the top of his throat back into his ribcage.

Already quite close to the cover, he really only had one option available to him. Trying to close the gap with one leg was still just as impossible and still just as foolish. So would be pretending he didn’t exist; if the soldier had seen him, flattening on the ground would not only be a horrible defensive option but a clear indicator that he was in fact there.

So with little hope of surviving a head-on conflict, Ottar ever so slowly leaned fully against the rubble cover and chose a random spot in the distance to visually zone out on, keeping the soldier within his peripheral vision. With any luck, he might think he bled to death right there.

And Ottar hoped he decided soon. Because he could feel the lull of death creeping up from behind, and it felt almost nostalgic, in a way…

[DuneToa]

@N01InParticular

Before either of you can process this new addition to the colossus’ arsenal, you watch as it mows down many of the soldiers in a sweeping motion. This is a victory for sure, but a short-lived one, as the arc of the sweep includes the warehouse you two are currently sheltered in.

“Aw heck!”
Jacques stumbles just out of the path of a burst of tracers, seeing the glowing flashes as they strike the concrete floor in a spray of splinters and sparks.
“Quickly! Silas! To cover- fast!”
He catches himself against a large crate, the rough wood scraping him a bit painfully.
I gotta get out of that thing’s sight! This should stop it for a bit, he thinks. But even as he dodges behind the it, the titan’s guns fire again, turning the front of the crate into a patchwork of splintered wood and packing…

[NOTaHFfan]

@N01InParticular

Ari, you watch as the colossus’s wing begins to spark slightly—nothing as damaging as the body of your comrade, who had been sucked into the other wing—but enough that it’s clear it won’t be flying anytime soon.

Ari stared at the colossus with visible frustration. Her ploy didn’t do nearly as much damage to it as she had hoped. It was still very much alive and standing and certainly didn’t have plans to go down any time soon.

@N01InParticular

However, the peace of that revelation is short-lived as you watch a panel on its chest open up, revealing what seams to be a bundle of tubes.

a gatling gun

Her frustration briefly shifted to surprise and immediately switched to horror. Since when does it have that? This day was about to get much much worse.

@N01InParticular

you watch as it mows down many of the soldiers in a sweeping motion

As the machine started eviscerating the unlucky soldiers, Ari bolted towards the place where she left the kid without any further consideration. It was only a matter of time until it ran out of soldiers to shoot and switch to her. With the last charge gone, she didn’t have anything in her arsenal that she could hurt it with. The only option was to escape as quickly as possible.

Have the kid and the man been able to get away? She wondered as she ran. It wasn’t long until she’d be able able to find the answer.

[GX_05]

@N01InParticular

Rose, as you run, you hear the screams of many soldiers and a loud, continuous banging noise, as if hundreds of gunshots were going off in a matter of seconds. Risking a glance behind you, you see the colossus mowing down the group of soldiers you are currently fleeing from; unfortunately, if you don’t get out of dodge, you shall join in their fate.

“What the?” A storm of bullets rained upon the soldiers, the noise was almost deafening. All that Rose could do was run, but she was becoming tired. She was slowing down. Her ears hurt. Her legs hurt. Rose tripped on a random rock that had found itself right under her feet. She scrambled to get up again, but she didn’t have any strength left to run, so she crawled. desperatly hoping that that thing would shoot in any other direction. All of these years surviving in the streets, just to die like this? It can’t end here. Rose continued to crawl.

[TheCobaltCorsair]

@N01InParticular

You both see the colossus turn in the direction of the soldiers near the warehouse, the cluster of tubes extending out of its chest and beginning to spin. Before either of you can process this new addition to the colossus’ arsenal, you watch as it mows down many of the soldiers in a sweeping motion. This is a victory for sure, but a short-lived one, as the arc of the sweep includes the warehouse you two are currently sheltered in.

@DuneToa

“Quickly! Silas! To cover- fast!”

Silas was still too pained for words from the gunshot wound in his legs, as he leaned on his cane for support. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a grunt as he dove for whatever cover the crates in the warehouse would provide. As he hit the ground, his pocket watch fell out of his breast pocket. He quickly grabbed for it and clutched it tight in the hand that used to be holding his cane, though where his cane fell to as he sought cover was irrelevant given the current circumstances.

[N01InParticular]

@Ghid

Ottar

The soldier’s gaze hardens as he stands up, hand on revolver, as he walks towards your position. Your pulse beats in your throat as you lie motionless, hoping and praying that he assumes you have met your demise.

He’s five feet away now. You can hear his breath.

However, hope is just on the particular horizon you chose to focus on as Ari begins to bolt towards you at a full sprint.

@DuneToa

Jacques

@TheCobaltCorsair

Silas

Jacques, your dive behind the box is successful, as you lay down bullets whiz above your head, missing you by near inches. A support beam directly is less fortunate, nearly being cleaved in half by the volley.

Your friend Silas, however, is less fortunate. As you dive to the ground, bullets render your legs a useless mass of red, similar in appearance to Swiss cheese, funnily enough. However, besides your decimated legs, you’re still alive for the time being, although all the blood loss might pose a problem.

@GX_05

Rose

It wasn’t enough.

That’s all you can find yourself thinking as the bullets rip through your body, each hole punched through you being followed by a horrible, wretched, stinging, throbbing pain. Maybe if you were so inclined, you would remember your family or your comrades if you could even remember most of their names.

God, isn’t that sad?

Maybe next time, that is to say, if there even is one.

Rose, Status: deceased

@NOTaHFfan

Ari

Ari, as you bolt towards the kid and encroaching soldier, the latter whips around to face you, his lethargy apparent as it takes him a solid second to realize someone is charging at him. He takes a few steps back, tripping into the pile of rubble directly next to the kid, a steel pipe falling directly onto Ottar’s back whit a slam.

@T4k4nuv4

Adam

In your dazed state, you don’t react to the gun placed to your temple; the world is spinning too fast around you for you to even process the soldier’s taunts. However, he doesn’t move to kill you just yet, taking your silence as a challenge. Instead of the relatively simple solution of putting a bullet into your skull, he whips back the revolver and bashes you in the head once more.

@Cordax

Norda

Norda, you watch as Thomas’ grip on his gun falters slightly as he watches the colossus now down his comrades. His resolve is broken, and he allows the weapon to slip from his grip as it seems he begins to process the gravity of the situation.

[Ghid]

@N01InParticular

He’s five feet away now. You can hear his breath.

Ottar tried his best not to shake. The sound of the soldier’s breath was making it extra hard not to avert his eyes, but he had to keep staring forward, his jaw hanging loosely, to keep up the act of appearing dead.

He’s coming forward to shoot me, to make sure I’m REALLY dead, isn’t he?

@N01InParticular

He takes a few steps back, tripping into the pile of rubble directly next to the kid, a steel pipe falling directly onto Ottar’s back whit a slam.

The thought of Ari approaching rapidly didn’t help much at all as the next moment there was a loud noise, and the pain that followed forced a large ball of air into his lungs, preparing him to bellow out his anguish.

But the relief that followed hushed his cry with the horrible implication it carried.

His leg had stopped hurting.

[NOTaHFfan]

@N01InParticular

Ari, as you bolt towards the kid and encroaching soldier, the latter whips around to face you, his lethargy apparent as it takes him a solid second to realize someone is charging at him. He takes a few steps back, tripping into the pile of rubble directly next to the kid, a steel pipe falling directly onto Ottar’s back whit a slam.

Well, there it was. The place where Ari had last seen the kid. And, she was not the only person approaching it.

The soldier clearly did not anticipate her appearance, as he tripped when she got close. For a good measure, Ari decided to attempt to slam him down with her now non-functional, but still really heavy, metal arm as he fell.

@Ghid

The thought of Ari approaching rapidly didn’t help much at all as the next moment there was a loud noise, and the pain that followed forced a large ball of air into his lungs, preparing him to bellow out his anguish.

But the relief that followed hushed his cry with the horrible implication it carried.

His leg had stopped hurting.

You have to be kidding me!

It didn’t escape her attention that the kid was still there. The person who Ari asked to take him and run was nowhere to be seen.

It looked like she had no other choice but to carry him herself…

[T4k4nuv4]

@N01InParticular

In your dazed state, you don’t react to the gun placed to your temple; the world is spinning too fast around you for you to even process the soldier’s taunts. However, he doesn’t move to kill you just yet, taking your silence as a challenge. Instead of the relatively simple solution of putting a bullet into your skull, he whips back the revolver and bashes you in the head once more.

The hit with the revolver almost seemed to have the opposite effect as the other blows Adam had received, bringing him back into the moment. Adam spit a glob of blood onto the soldier’s shoe and gave out a dry laugh.
“You know, I think I finally understand why people don’t like us” he said to the soldier above. “I hope killing me give you your last joy in life, because as soon as you join the fight, your as dead as I am. The military stands no chance against that thing” Adam gestured towards the hulking monstrosity in the docks. Then he set his head down and closed his eyes. “At least it’s not my problem anymore, do your worst” he said, the tension from the fight leaving his body as he resigned himself to his inevitable end.

[DuneToa]

@N01InParticular

Jacques, your dive behind the box is successful, as you lay down bullets whiz above your head, missing you by near inches. A support beam directly is less fortunate, nearly being cleaved in half by the volley.

“No!”
Jacques peered around the side of the rapidly shattering crate just in time to see Silas’s lower half disintegrate painfully from the volley of bullets. He himself could feel a strain in his lungs, doubtless caused by the nasty wetness leaking through his ■■■■■ and jacket.
“Silas! I’ll get you out of here!”
He drew his air gun, loading a round into its chamber, (having retreated back behind the crate). As he frantically charged it with its pump, he heard numerous clangs and ricocheting bullets, a nearby support beam apparently taking the brunt of the soldiers’ firepower. As soon as the gun was fully pressurized, Jacques dodges to the left side of the crate and fires at the soldiers, hoping to disable the closest one.