MISSION: SALT THE EARTH

[initiatesnpc]

Date & Time: October 17 - October 23
Location: Southwest Russia, 1223 CE
Characters: ALL; tag yourselves in
Summary: The Initiative sends all of the Transports on a mission to fight troops of the Golden Horde.
Warnings: war, violence, npc death (notify a mod if there's cause to add a particular warning!)

It is a warm day when the Transports arrive, a breeze blowing and sparse clouds in the sky. Before them is an expanse of flat land interspersed with some short, rolling hills. There are sparse trees, but for the most part it is grassland. It would be ideal for farming, but has not been utilized as such yet. Several miles in the distance is a small town, and the troops of the Golden Horde have made their camp just outside of it. There are about a thousand soldiers present, and the mission is simple: send a message that this land cannot be claimed. They will do this by defeating these warriors who are feared throughout the medieval world. They will then punctuate this statement by ensuring that this land cannot be farmed for centuries.

It is a small expanse of land that the Initiative has their eyes on, no more than ten miles in diameter. But for some reason, they have deemed it to be of a deep strategic importance.

The Transports arrive in the early morning, escorted by several Initiative officers, whose presence is meant primarily to keep things organized while the actual battle is to be left to the Transports. Under the guidance of these Initiative officers, the first order of business for the Transports is to set up a camp of their own. The battle will commence in the late afternoon, six hours after their initial arrival.

The battle will take place halfway between each side's respective camps. Many of the Mongolians will fall in combat. On the fifth day, the remaining soldiers will retreat, surrendering the area. Once the region has been secured, the second portion of the mission will commense, in which the Initiative will oversee the dispersement of a chemical agent over the land to ensure that no crops may be grown there. It will be harmless to all humans and animal life, and some weeds may even be able to take root, but the grain farming that would have otherwise taken place on this land will not be able to be undertaken. The land outside of this ten mile radius will be unharmed, but this small region will be barren, seen as cursed when the legend of the defeat of the soldiers of the Golden Horde is passed on.

A week after the mission's commencement, the Transports will be sent back to Exsilium. Their mission will have been a success. But the fallout of it will remain to be seen...

Comments

open!

[mentore]

[The class and caliber of soldiers are not unlike what he's faced before, which is very convenient for him. As a seasoned veteran in nearly every class of warfare so far, Ezio chooses to fight the way he knows best: attack the key operatives. If you take a head, three more will grow in its place, but if you take the heart... well, that much is obvious.

You might find Ezio riding hard on horseback, having stolen it from a soldier, with a sword in hand. You might find Ezio sneaking between ranks and silently assassinating enemies where he can. And while he does have a crossbow, the arrows don't fit his weapon, so he takes to using stolen bows as well.]

[gamora]

[ Once an assassin, always an assassin. There's an art to it, really, and it's something Gamora once appreciated and aimed for. She still does now that she has to work as a mercenary - though her work tends to deal more with swords now than it used to. But her eye is still trained and she spots Ezio doing what she knows best - quick, efficient, and very good.

Well it's too good of a chance to miss, and she sheaths her sword to track him - finding his next target before he does. It's about impressing just as much as anything else, and a few blows to the nerve clusters of an officer brings the man down right in front of Ezio before the other can do... whatever it is that he does. Gamora intends on finding out, after all. ]

[mentore]

[Ezio had the intention of driving his blade through the man's throat, then taking the sword to use for his own, but the green-skinned stranger made short work of the soldier. There is little time to speak, so all Ezio does now is nod in gratitude before moving onto the next soldier.

Which happens to be a man behind Gamora. In less than half a second there's a throwing knife lodged in the soldier's head.]

[gamora]

[ There's a grin at that, and Gamora ducks under the arm he threw the knife with a practiced skill - her own hands shooting out with knives to slice the calf muscles in the legs of two men, bringing them down on one knee to cut their necks with little preamble.

It's almost like showing off, if showing off came with killing as many people as she can get her hands on. ]

[mentore]

[It's half showing-off, half-survival for him. He's not one to flourish his movements in battle, but he is pleasantly surprised to find someone as skilled as her on the battlefield.

The next soldier is too far for him to use his blades, so he chooses to unsheathe his sword now. Once, twice does the sword of his ancestor Altaïr clash against the other's sword, but it quickly cuts through a leg, then his throat. The momentum he gained continues on to slash through another soldier.]

[gamora]

[ Gamora's swordsmanship is by no means shoddy, but the benefits of a sword named Godslayer are better shown on things that aren't incredibly outclassed. Give her someone in heavy armor and then they'll see. For right now she's content to go mostly hand to hand.

So she weaves in and out of a group of them, stepping with purpose and twisting out of the way of any blade they attempt to cut her with. Speed and skill over brute strength, she thinks, and slams the tips of her fingers into the windpipes of anyone she can get in reach of. ]

[mentore]

[A soldier comes charging in from behind Gamora, sword on the ready. Ezio wastes no time in rushing in and slashing the man apart. The corpse falls to the ground unceremoniously and the Assassin pulls himself onto the horse with the distinct ease of a seasoned veteran.

Wheeling the horse around, he offers a hand to Gamora.]

We're wasting time on these men. There are others to find.

[gamora]

[ There's a long second before Gamora willingly reaches out to put her hand in his. Not only because she is generally unsure about the animal but mostly because she hates relying on others that haven't proved themselves trustworthy. He's right, however, and her desire to travel quickly and to better target overrules any caution. She doesn't let him pull her up - instead using his hand and arm to steady her as she jumps off the ground to land behind him.

All in all he should be glad she didn't throw a flip in there for good measure. And the fact that she's lighter than humans so the horse doesn't spook. ]

Let's go.

Re: open!

[demonbloodblade]

[Ezio might come across a slain patrol, the horses unharmed but the riders quite dead from a large blade; someone else apparently is working on opening the way. He might even come across her doing that thing.]

[mentore]

[Death is hardly new to him, but the manner of this death is, to say the least, gruesome.

He has to stop for a moment to watch the woman who is more than likely the one who caused the death of the soldiers, visibly impressed.]

[demonbloodblade]

[She wields a sword easily two-thirds her height with ease and skill. A head goes off, finishing one group.

She looks around, sees the man in white, and salutes him.]

[goneonenight]

[The ease with which Yoruichi makes her way through the field of battle is a little unsettling. She's fought before, of course, but these are humans, and even though she's holding back, they're simply no match for her.]

[More than one burly soldier has died with a look of surprise, taken off guard by the small woman in black. She's swift, with no movement wasted as she fights. And when her scavenged sword snaps at the tip, she simply fights barehanded, ducking under a wild swing of a heavy sword to kick out at the side of her opponent's knee, coolly snapping his neck as he stumbles.]

[Her golden eyes immediately snap up to meet the next threat, as alert as the moment she'd stepped on the battlefield.]

[mentore]

[That next threat is within Ezio's immediate vicinity. In a rapid flurry, he pounces onto the man, slipping a hidden blade deep into the soldier's throat. He wastes no time in shooting an oncoming soldier with his hidden pistol.

The sight of the woman doesn't exactly surprise Ezio. He had many a female recruit become Master Assassins under his tutelage. All he does is nod at her before stealing the man's battle axe.]

[goneonenight]

[She nods back in wordless thanks, before a stumbling rush behind her warns her of another attack. An effortless sidestep, and she disarms the soldier with a sharp strike to the forearm. Another strike to the throat and he topples.]

[Despite her resolve not to draw undue attention by using abilities beyond those of most humans, when she looks up to see someone attempting to sneak up on her fellow Transport, she simply reacts.]

[One moment she's standing over her recent kill, and the next she's just past Ezio, having moved too quickly for the eye to see. It's painfully easy to disarm the enemy soldier and use his own dagger against him. He's dead before he hits the ground, her thrust unerringly finding his heart.]

[mentore]

[Had she not reached the soldier, likely he would've been dealing with a wound and the man would've been dead by his hand.

The incredible speed though... he almost hesitates to continue. It reminds him too much of the work of a certain artifact, as it could almost have been an illusion. He's back into the swing of the battle, though, driving the axe clean through a man and lodging it into another soldier's chest with ease.]

[goneonenight]

[There's no time to regret having used her flash step, but even if there had been, Yoruichi wouldn't have bothered. It had been necessary, so she sees no use worrying about it.]

[Yoruichi dips to scoop up a sword, then darts forward to take out another two soldiers. With that, their little area is clear for the moment, in one of those strange battlefield lulls. She could run off to engage another group of opponents, but prefers to just take advantage of the break in fighting. As accomplished a warrior as she is, she takes no pleasure in killing.]

[She looks over at Ezio, giving him another nod, raising her voice to be heard over the surrounding din.]

Thanks for the help earlier.

[mentore]

[He nods, grateful for the breather. Conserving energy is better than ruthlessly attacking and charging.

Ezio moves to gather up spare knives small and sharp enough to throw as well as arrows for the stolen bow.]

Same to you. You have some skill in fighting.

[goneonenight]

[Yoruichi keeps her sword for the time being, although she does take the time to examine the edge for any nicks or hairline cracks. She's still alert to her surroundings, her gaze sweeping the immediate area from time to time.]

I got my start early--I've been doing this a while.

[She looks no older than her late twenties, but she speaks with the calm assurance of long experience. Her eyes follow him as he continues to gather weapons.]

I gather it's the same for you.

let me know if this isn't ok or needs to be changed.

[payback]

[Rin wasn't always such a good spook but she's become one now. Still, she's no expert at sneaking or killing - no expert beyond her smarts and the sense she can muster, and her oversights still trip her up sometimes.

She's done a decent job of slipping behind enemy lines and, well. She doesn't feel right about killing people while they're in bed, or getting a meal, or playing dice. But she feels okay about making herself really obnoxious. Scuttling barrels of water, quietly opening parcels of food and leaving the goodies inside open to the air and whatever furry scavengers might be sneaking with the camp. Cutting lines and misplacing small but important-looking things, the battlefield equivalent of the goblin that steals your socks while you're in the dryer.

Most of the soldiers aren't stealthy at all. But Rin is really well-cloaked, swathed in a field of misdirection that actually operates on a psychic level. Don't look at me, it says. You don't see me. I am not actually here. You don't hear me. I'm not actually here. And for the most part people who aren't looking for something odd skip right by her.

Unfortunately Ezio is pretty sneaky. Sneaky enough that Rin is the one to skip right by him, on one of his absolutely stealthy little forays, until one of those funny sort of unlucky little moments takes place and she actually steps right into him while he's in the shadows and she's on her way into them.

Whoops.]

works for me!

[mentore]

[Ezio had desperately hoped the woman would pass him by as he didn't want to reveal himself, but she did just the opposite.

While he does take half a step back, he firmly grips her shoulders to stop her from continuing further on. He pushes her behind him, slipping further into the shadows and glancing out towards the enemy battalion.]

You find yourself in luck today. Be grateful I am not an enemy.

[whatsupcroc]

< Ezio! Look to your left! There's a man with bow waiting around the back side of those rocks up ahead! >

[ Collette's voice spoke directly into Ezio's mind, a one way communication carrying some of her earnest concern and a hint of the excitement that thrummed deep in her bones in the middle of a battle. Getting everyone back alive was the top priority.

The rest, why they were fighting, it wasn't so clearcut as the Initiative wanted it to be. Protect their homes, protect this place, have no explanation of how it works feasibly -- all stuff she wasn't good at thinking through anyway.

This? The whole eye in the sky thing? She could do that. Her shadow crossed Ezio's back, then comes out before him and the horse he rides. A giant bird, cutting through the skies above. ]

[mentore]

[The voice, though familiar, threw Ezio off enough to turn in what he thought was the direction of it. He hadn't seen an eagle earlier...

He's not sure if the information is accurate, but Ezio directs his horse towards the left. If the man does have a bow, there's no point in going after him with a sword. When he begins to slow the horse down, he reaches for the bow and takes aim at the archer who is, indeed, there.]

[whatsupcroc]

[ From where she is on wing, Collette loops far around, watching both men below. The enemy archer is already adjusting to Ezio, but the advantage is still to him for having not charged forward blindly into the other archer's path.

Movement from further down catches her attention. Two other men, doing what they can to be stealthy. ]

< Two guys are coming up from the nine o'clock position! >

[ She realized belatedly that clocks might not have relevance back in the 1600's. When did they get to be a big thing? Was everything still sundials? Who made Big Ben? ]

< Off to your right, through the grasses. I don't see quivers with either of them. They probably only have swords -- I'll distract them, so be careful! >

[ Trusting Ezio to deal with the archer, the bald eagle that was Collette tucked her wings in and came in for an angled dive, calling out in her sharp eagle's voice as she shot over the heads of two startled fighters of the Golden Horde. ]

< Betcha've never seen an eagle fly like this! >

[mentore]

[Ezio shoots off an arrow, hitting the soldier squarely in the forehead.

Immediately, he takes aim again, but he realizes they're far too armored for an instant kill shot with an arrow. He aims for the legs, notching off an arrow and letting it fly. He doesn't even stop to see if it hits its mark, he need to get rid of them before they join the advancing army.

But it finally sinks in... he knows that voice because it's...]

Collette?

[whatsupcroc]

( She hears him calling out as she fights to get back in the air, circling around his way. Her shadow crosses over his horse's hindquarters. )

< In the feathers! Nice shot. >

( Admiration in her voice even as she represses a shiver. )

< I don't see anyone else close by. Can I come in for a landing? Thumbs up for a yes! >