(Untitled)

[tidesnpc]

Characters: The crew of the Amestris
Content: SABOTEURS! IN THE AMMY!
Setting: All around the Amestris
Time: After the anonymous post.
Warnings: Sabotage! Maybe some fighting and epic chase scenes.

Comments

[mysterious_aura]

Shadows crept along the sides of the walls and floors, seeming to envelop the entire cargo hold with each step they took into the room. Footsteps and a set of hooves resounded clearly within the deadening silence, a sound that was almost eerie considering their location. Undoubtedly, it would prove wise to take Kotaro's advice of "be on your guard" to heart. Of course, Tear didn't need a reminder. Armed with her sharpened staff and her usual garters of knives, she kept her senses alert and prepared for anything.

Well, that was, almost anything.

Catching the sound of a voice, the quartermaster's gaze shifted in the direction of it, only to find a reindeer with a hat in her line of vision. If there was a good way to upset her concentration momentarily, it was definitely the presence of that cute, little Chopper -- if she recalled his name correctly. Mentally chiding herself for letting it affect her for even a second, the young woman carefully kept her face a stoic neutral.

"Anything relevant to the sabotages," she answered, her voice as uninflected as her expression. "Perhaps even a trace of anyone who may have been here or still is." She paused for a second, drawing her attention away from her search to glance back at him. "Don't forget to be on your guard at the same time."

[sockcapsoldier]

Link had a bit of a frown, set in already. He was obviously annoyed, but not so obviously shaken up, about this whole situation, and from his Shadow reawakening only days earlier dude to a certain racist grandmother, he was still mentally beating himself over that.

However despite that, Link was as armed as he could be. His trusty tunic and parachute pants on, and his bag of holding attached to his belt on his back. His long sword attached, beneath the shield on his back, and the sheath of his short one on his right hip.

He continued walking down in what would be total silence, if he was not lightly hitting the wall with his blade, ever few feet.

[notabomber]

"Lieutenant Grants is right. It's likely the saboteurs took pains to disguise their efforts, so we'll have to be thorough in our inspection. I suggest concentrating on important structural elements first, and moving from there to the cargo itself." He looked around, a little despairingly at everything stored in the ship's hold. There was no way they would be able to check every box and bag in the place. There was simply too much of it.

Hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he looked around at the dimly lit stacks of boxes and various other items scattered about, trying to decide where to begin. If he were going to take out a ship this size, what would he have done? "They may have tampered with structural supports by removing bolts or weakening joints with acid. There could even be small explosive devices, though those would be harder to disguise. Look for anything that seems out of place."

With that, he moved towards the nearest wall to begin looking for anything remotely out of the ordinary.

[rumbledoc]

Ah, so then it was a little like a puzzle in books that Chopper liked to do at a younger age- find the difference in the scene, and point it out!

That seemed like a much simpler task, now, he thought, looking a little more relieved as he stayed with the group. As they walked, he turned his head carefully, as to not let his antlers hit anyone as the reindeer inspected the contents of the cargo hold.

Everyone seemed so prepared- weapons, armor. Would his ability be enough in a fight?

Only time and the trials ahead would tell.

[mysterious_aura]

It seemed they had their work cut out for them. The only problem was deciding where to start.

Sweeping her eyes around the proximity, the quartermaster finally settled on the wall opposite of the lieutenant commander's inspection. While it didn't look unusual or even discolored in the slightest, she could only take one step at a time. After all, with the lack of lighting and number of contents, nothing seemed out-of-place at first glance.

As she proceeded with her examination, she occasionally tossed a glance back at the others. It wouldn't bode well if they neglected to look over their shoulders every now and then. They needed to keep an eye and ear out for anything and everything, a principle Tear applied even when the situation didn't call for it.

[sockcapsoldier]

With his fellow quartermasters inspecting the walls, Link headed over to the supportbeams.

He wondered if there was any cargo people could hide in.

[notabomber]

There was a discolored spot on one of the steel ribs of the ship that caught Katsura's eye. He paused, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at it lightly, frowning. "I think someone has been spreading corrosive on some of these beams," he commented to the rest of the group. "Damage looks minimal for now, but someone's going to have to come and scrub it off." He had a lot of things tucked into his coat, but a bucket of water was not one of them.

Shadows shifted around in the dim light, producing an uneasy atmosphere. Were they alone? Or was someone waiting in the shadows for the best time to strike?

[tidesnpc]

From further within the cargo hold, some of the shadows shifted. If one had sharp ears, they may be able to pick up some hissed whispers, though the words would likely become blurred over the distance.

"Damn! Those meddling fools are here already. Finish them, quickly!"

And with that command, a well-armed group of would be saboteurs surged from behind the crates of cargo further inside.

[ooc: feel free the NPC the mooks yourselves like in the log when Serenity dropped off cargo for the Grinders! Have fun finding the leader of this motley bunch! Keep an eye out for updates in the OOC post]

[rumbledoc]

He had prepared and prepared what to do if trouble should arise, and when it did, Chopper stifled his usual response, a shriek of terror, and set to work.

In an instant, the small deer puffed up, until a large, very different sort of creature replaced it. With a fierce growl, Chopper leapt at the group.

[mysterious_aura]

At the sound of additional footsteps, Tear instantly swerved in the direction of the sound with eyes focused and slightly narrowed.

"Prepare!" Although she was certain the others were already aware of the enemies' presence, it couldn't hurt to make an announcement in case anyone didn't manage to notice in time.

Without another moment's hesitation, she straightened herself and went into battle stance. Grasping her staff with both hands, she charged forward to swing her weapon towards them. Although the dim lighting made it a bit difficult to make out their figures well, she could see just enough. Using the pointed tip, she primarily aimed for their faces and chest -- fatal points that would kill if it managed to make contact. As a soldier, she nearly always aimed for her opponent's death, for that was surely their intention as well.

[sockcapsoldier]

Link ran into the fray, pulling out his shield from off his back.

This was his ship, and god damnit, if anyone was going to defile it, it was going to be him!

[notabomber]

They'd been taken by surprise, but not unprepared. Thankfully, it looked as if everyone on the team was able to defend themselves, even the reindeer, who was suddenly not very small at all.

"I'm afraid you're all going to regret attacking this ship," he commented to none of the saboteurs in particular as he unsheathed his sword and dove into the frey. It had been awhile since he'd seen any proper combat. He was going to enjoy dealing with people who thought they could get away with destroying a ship with innocent civilians on it.

[rumbledoc]

For a first fight that he intentionally walked into, Chopper was doing so-so, if he were at a point to make any evaluations. Brute strength of the crystals' powers alone, while powerful against his smaller foes, meant that there was a larger area to attack as well. Cuts began to accumulate as he held back the aggressors.

The usually small deer's footing faltered slightly as he took a step back. In this form, though, the step was distinctly noticeable, as one step was equivalent to five in his 'Brain Point' form. Redoubling his efforts, Chopper continued to help his allies to the best of his ability.

[mysterious_aura]

Once the battle commenced, there really wasn't much more to say or do, except to fight. It was operative and only word, for it dictated the following actions necessary for her to take. They were her enemies -- nothing more, nothing less.

With a deft jerk of her wrist, she whirled her sharpened staff with trained expertise. Every now and then, she withdrew a knife from her garter to toss into the struggle. It was never a good idea to be predictable.

[sockcapsoldier]

As Link hacked, slashed, and bashed his way through the saboteurs, he felt like this wasn't the right way of attack.

Quickly retreating and putting some distance between him and the attackers, sheathing his blade and shield, he pushed his bag of holding open, and pulled out his bow and quiver.

Taking careful aim, he fired a bolt at one of the attackers.

[notabomber]

The cargo hold had quickly turned chaotic. They were outnumbered, but it was clear, Katsura noted with a tiny hint of pride, that his crewmates were not going to give up without a fight.

However, they did need to do more than slash their way through their opponents here. It would do them no good in the long run if they killed everyone and failed to get more information about whoever had set them against the ship.

An arrow went whizzing past his head and thunked into the chest of a man who'd been trying to get around behind him. "We need to take some of them alive," he called out to the rest of the team. Of course, 'some' meant 'not all.'