• Nobles of Null is a forum based roleplay site where sci-fi and magic collide. Here, Earth remains fractured and divided despite humanity reaching out to the stars. Worse still, the trans-human slaves of one major power have escaped, only to establish their own Empire, seething with resentment at abuses of the past. Even the discovery of aliens, though medieval in development, has failed to rally these squabbling children of Earth together with its far darker implications. Worse still, is the discovery of the impossible - magic. Practiced by the alien locals, nearly depleted and therefore rare, its reality warping abilities remains abstract and distant to the general populace. All the while, unseen in the darkness of space, forces from without threaten to press in. For those with eyes opened by insight, it is clear that an era is about to end, and that a new age will dawn.

Chapter 1: Vital Signs Unwelcome

First Korofi did as instructed earlier taking the pain killers, which a sign he was taking that seriously was the lack of comment or even joke on that matter. Then came that white foam and with it intense pain, which made him grit his teeth and cause his vision to fade for a brief moment due to that pain. Luck was on his side as that didn't last long and his vision came into focus once more and with it his attention on the battle taking place. "Don't you know? Ladies dig nasty-ass scars...At least I hope they do." He made certain not to laugh at his joke, as he imagined his right side would file a complaint with the head office of brain and nerves. He was going to respond to the call to check the ammo out of reflex, but he looked at his right side and came a grunt of annoyance. "Yeah not checking my ammo count, but my pistol is good with my left hand." He was going to attempt to move forward, but it was better to go with the medical orders and stay back. He lowered to a seating position. "Always go with the grenade parties, it does one hell of a job on making them come out to play, no matter how shy the enemy is...Damn I almost laughed gonna have to not joke as much." He seemed to be speaking fine, but his expression and the grimaces of pain while speaking had shown the contrary. "Okay Lieutenant we can't be back here being lazy and vacation isn't here yet. We got the back just in case and no I'm going to avoid the joke of on your left." Korofi reached with his left hand and pulled out his pistol.
 
As everyone others would move up Douge went back to check on Korofi Noting the armor fused to his skin from the hit he took causing him to suck air threw his teeth before stating in a light hearted way. "hey look at the bright side, other than ladies digging your new scar you can save on gym membership as that shot might have helped burn some pounds off." Realising how much of that joke might have sounded heartless he would check his ammo before noting hes still got a good ammount of ammo left.

"well until you feel better Ill try to keep the jokes going in the front feel free to give me tips." he said before looking back were everyone was running off too. hed join them eventually but he wanted to make sure the units best joker was okay first.
 
Vlad stayed behind as well, keeping an eye on the group's surroundings while vainly trying to wipe xeno blood off his uniform. He did chuckle at the two squadmate's attempts at jokes, before trying his own. "Wait, in the GDW, you don't bleed when you go to the gym? Are you even trying?" he asked, giving up on his uniform to look at the rest of the group. "No pain, no gain, right?"

Seeing that Korofi and Rafael were being watched over sufficiently, the Russian nodded and started after Jurgen and the rest of the squad, rifle at the ready to kill more of the aliens.
 
"That fancy laser toy and your crawly friends just weren't enough huh?"

Jurgen almost had a smirk on his face. He didn't emote much especially with taunts towards an enemy that for all he knew, wouldn't even understand him. It wasn't often one would hear this side of him speak over the joint channel but with the rapid change in fortunes, he supposed it could be excused. Command wouldn't have a line to him anyways and that cocky confidence was something people remembered. It wasn't an act but it could function like one.

His weapon spat again and he saw fragments of carapace tear off of the creature's shoulder, whatever cries it would have made buried by gunfire.

"Korofi, how are you holding up?" He replied as he sprinted, another group of troopers aiming down the corridors in case the retreating beast decided on a heroic final stand. He'd held up... decently as an FNG. Harsh as it sounded, he was probably going to have take a re-examination given how his recklessness had gotten him injured; recklessness that hadn't amounted to much in his eyes. Rafael had been forced to tend to him and Jurgen much would have preferred him putting more rounds into the scuttling monster's crabby features.

Doug? He hadn't had the time to formulate an opinion between loads of supprssing fire and nearly being torn open by an overgrown centipede. He'd found that damn Vlad a pain in the arse at first but hopefully he could be someone else's rectal agony soon. It seemed he could at least earn his right to be undisciplined. It seemed Lars at the very least was the other truly reliable one in his eyes, on top of having proved that perhaps a sniper rifle wasn't that bad of an idea in close quarters.

He was thinking too much and that creature was retreating too quickly. He thought it had begun crawling and it had. The thing is, it was crawling faster on all... 10? 12? That was a lot of legs but it was moving with the speed of a spring, leaving a broken trail of its own blood. Like a shark, Jurgen and the rest of the squad followed the creature not even bothering to retreat. The solid tiling gave way to carpeted ground, broken doors, collapsed furniture and the intermittent, fresh stains it left as it ran for its life.

There was something else he noticed on his HUD scans - a fresh current of air! They were nearing an exit of some sort out of this maze, back to the surface. It also meant that this bastard would be getting back to its friends.

Jurgen and the squad ploughed through a half-hanging door the beast had crept under, his foot stomping down on a splashing puddle of its fluids. Yet the trail of blood had stopped and as he swept around, he saw no creature. He did see however, something far more concerning. Not the sickly, unusual coloration of the creature's lifeblood but tattered, scarred, charred-black forms scattered amidst the wreckage of what was once probably a living room.

Two arms, two legs, a roughly round head, rib cages, skin and bone - that was all he could see of them.

He cut his radio feed, taking a moment to exhale long and slow, shoulders rising and falling.

A massacre had taken place and given from the burn wounds and lack of any visible weaponry or armor on the bodies and ground, the targets hadn't been armed.

Jurgen remained paused and huffing, his weapon hanging in one arm as his head turned, trying to scan for maybe the vague chance of someone huddled under a table or beneath a rubble pile.

All the while, the sound of debris rattling across a nearby street and the wind that carried it filtered in through the ceiling and the rubble pile below. No light poured through beyond a dismal white upon the withered remains of the less fortunate.

He figured that it had escaped through there. He also figured he knew what the blood was for; the same blood that was why they even ran into this building. They were too late; maybe by hours, a day even. These bodies didn't look very old.
 
With an expressionless face, Rafael did the same, scanning for any life forms despite everything reading contrary. He could feel the slight press of metal from his cross necklace under his armor. It felt warm -- or maybe that was the sensation in his own chest.

Rafael crossed himself, snippets of a mumbled prayer in Spanish barely audible over the comms.
 
Korofi couldn't help but to laugh at the jokes directed at him, which on purpose he held his good side to try hold back some of the pain. He gritted his teeth and now spoke to most of the members over their comms. "Hah who needs a gym membership when you're on one heck of a burn diet, guaranteed to work and it was free. Pro tip when it comes to comedy? The big one is never call the leader by their rank unless it's too serious, makes them one of the gang when you don't. Also by the way Coach Jurgen? Doing well I'm not out of the game yet and can still go long to make a touchdown, but uh don't expect the victory dance after the touchdown." All of a sudden he could tell the deafening like silence amongst the squad, which prompted him to lift up as much as he could from his spot all the while holding his pistol and checking his surroundings back there just in case. "I know I talk too damn much, but anyone mind telling me about the eerie silence amongst the squad?"
 
Doug would move up with the rest of the team looking at the charred bodies in the room. He saw the same horror that everyone else saw, "Sir, did command know there were civi's here? from the damage of their bodies these couldn't be more than several hours old." He said with a little animosity in his voice. before looking for were the big creature they were shooting at was. "Where is that tinman?" he said more to himself as he attempted to leave the room seething in anger.
 
Vlad's face darkened as he looked at the carnage in what would have passed for fairly spacious living quarters back home in Akhtubinsk. "Da, we knew civilians were here," the Russian said. "The aliens might have been doing things to the bodies recently, but that charring looks older than that." Hearing Korofi's remark, he raised an eyebrow, pointed at the bodies, and said, "Not many jokes to make here, comrade."

The soldier looked over at Jurgen and asked, "What's next, Lieutenant?"
 
"Command, come in, command? We have bodies, civilian, and contact with the enemy. I repeat, civilian casualties and contact with the enemy. We are pinging our location to you."

Jurgen had placed his machine gun on a nearby bookshelf, collapsed onto its corner like a still image of a sinking ship dipping diagonally into the waves, the tip of his gun barrel resting against a partially collapsed wall.

"Command, I am requesting additional support. Where the hell are the rest of the squads? Come in!"

He had been repeating himself for roughly 10 or so minutes now, his restless pacing turning into stomps and interspersed with his armored fist slamming against the crumbling rebar. On and on he asked and the empty static answered.

His hand reached for the weapon, undoing the clasps as one box was removed and a fresh chain of bullets was inserted. Sealant gel could be heard filling the fractures in his helmet as he walked over to the rest of the squad, avoiding even turning his head to the sight of the charred remains.

"Coms are dead and the other squads aren't responding," He did not stop to answer any questions as he moved to one of the collapsed walls, weapon raised as he peered outwards. "I'm not going to ask; I'm sure the rest of you have tried. We can't stay here. We're heading-"

A sound like an echo from beneath the Earth answered by another of its kind. Loose rubble shook and abandoned buildings groaned. Some profane sort of life crept through the city and it did not mind being heard.

Jurgen ducked down, sweeping the road before motioning for the rest to follow him as he left. Whatever advantage in numbers and firepower they came with seemed to be a frail memory now. The corpse of Eos was alive and they were not welcome here.

 
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