"FIRE!"
The abnormal thunder sounds the arrival of a new swarm of Land-bound Piranha, snapping and leaping along the inflow stream like some kind of amphibious salmon. Racing alongside the overflowing river are the Blurs, whom you have met before. Most of them take up varying firing positions - Damien even gets up into a spindly tree - and Advere takes up a spot in the middle, brandishing his Sword.

The thousands of Piranha close in - and attack.

The Blurs have been hostile before - especially that Darker one, so Andrew fires at him a bit. His bullets seem to bounce off the Man though, so he ultimately just wastes some rounds.
AMMO USED: 10 'Beowulf' rounds, 5 remaining in magazine
Appearance:
20, Black hair, brown eyes, 6', well built.
Condition(s)
Heavyweight (-1 to any actions involving fast movement)
Abilities
Fists of fury (+1 to actions involving melee)
Forced Break & Entry (+1 to actions involving breaking things)
Hyper Focus (+1 concentration. 3 of 6 uses)
RAGE FACE (+1 to intimidation & pain-ignorance)
Anti-Laser (Immune to attacks using Pure Energy as a Main Source, unless rolling a 1)
Blast-Proof (Immune to explosive forces, unless rolling a 1)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Berserk Mode - Uses all abilities as needed and an additional +1 to all rolls. -1 to the roll in which you exit this mode. Maximum 5 consecutive uses and 2 turn cooldown.
Weapons
M4 'Beowulf' Carbine (5 of 30 rounds)
Beretta 92FS (7 of 10 rounds, holstered)
Extendable baton (Wielded, snapped in half)
Inventory
Top gun sunglasses (Worn)
Blast-Proof Jacket (Pockets: 7 slot used, 3 available)
- Jacket Usage Manual
- 8 Rations (+1 to next action)
- A water bottle (+1 to next action, 1 use)
- Ammo (5 Handgun magazines)
Waist Pockets (18 slots used, 2 available)
- 3 rockets for a SMAW
- Swiss army knife
- Utility Machete
- Ammo (2 Drums, 4 Handgun Magazines)
Botanist's Backpack (19 slots used, 11 available):
- Flare Gun and 3 red flares
- A Folding Shovel
- Some empty vials
- 30ft of rope
- Briefcase (Broken lock but closed)
- 6 Beowulf Magazines
[/url]

Vlad slowly pulls out the Gator's Tooth from his Inventory while the Head Guerilla is distracted, jumps up at him and slams the tooth up through the bottom of his jaw. His head jerks back and he makes a "BHRGK" sound, and one of the others from behind Vlad yells "Foda-se!" and fires at him.

Time seems to slow.
Vlad pulls his legs up to drop to the ground and leaves the final Flare in his hand (Vat?) in the air as he falls. The shooter continues to fire at where Vlad was and where the Flare currently is. A tracer round hits the Flare, causing it to light and it explodes above Vlad.

Vlad hits the ground and pulls out his knife, moving normally.
All but the two Guerillas facing away are stunned and start to fire wildly into the air. The Flare hits the ground and spins around like a top, first smacking into Vlad and shooting off like a rocket into the Valley. He sweeps his legs around behind him and catches one of the Guerillas, who lands in a heap next to Vlad. The remaining two men are opposite each other now in the scramble, both pointing their guns at Vlad, who is in the middle of them and crouched.

Appearance:
27, Russian. 6' 2", shaved blonde hair, green eyes, well built.
Condition(s)
Rested for ∞ turns, ∞ turns before tiredness.
Holey foot (-1 to running every second turn)
Apricot Effect ( Anti-Poison )
Abilities
Cybernetics (+2 to mobile actions, speed is doubled, 4 of 5 uses)
Athletic (+1 to mobile actions)
Scar-face (+1 Intimidation, -1 Charisma etc)
Resilience (Gains one extra roll before death)
Pilot Training (Able to fly aircraft, Cannot roll 1s)
Mental Link (Can project thoughts to others and 'see' theirs)
Slow Motion (Uncontrollable)
Instinctual Actions (Vladimir does things without thinking or knowing)
Say what? ( ??? )
Weapons
Saiga-12 Combat Shotgun (6 of 8 shells, slung)
Khazar-replicated knife (Wielded)
Spy's Grappling Cane with hidden blade (Stored)
Inventory
Containment Unit (37 slots used, 13 available)
- Carved Wooden Statuette of self
- Radio
- Cellphone
- Flare gun
- Ammo (18 Shotgun Shells, 8 handgun magazines)
- 5 days of Rations (15 meals, +1 to next turn)
- TOP-SECRET Information File
- Bubblewrapped Mechanical Cube (Downed Phoenix?)
- Cybernetic Enhancement Kit (1 Use left, nonrefillable)
- Cybernetic Enhancement Upgrade Kit

Text is printed on Asfer's Screen:
"Understood, I will not attack. What is your mission objective?"
Immediately after Asfer's response and question, more text writes itself across his screen:

"Fire!"

Asfer looks outside and sees that they have company - the Blurs are back with more problems.
"Agreed."
Asfer trades the Mk. III with the the Mk. IV and arms it.
"Mark 4 Thermite Revolver armed and ready to fire Commander."
Appearance:
Pilot: 21y/o. Mobile Armored Frame EXpirimental 103 Cannon Exosuit.
Condition(s)
Loud (-2 to sneaking, stealth etc)
Heavyweight (-1 to any actions involving fast movement)
Limp (Old wound, -1 to running or faster)
Heavy Armour (Asfer's body is mostly safe from harm)
Generator Power 90%
Abilities
Large Muscle Mass (+1 to action requiring strength)
Sixth sense (+1 to detecting enemies, traps etc)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Super Sprint (Diverts all power to the legs of the Exo-Suit to sprint. Max 3 consecutive uses. +2 to sprints, -2 to any other power-using action)
Weapons
Mk.IV 20mm Thermite Revolver (5 of 5 rounds, minor action to reload) READY
Mk.II 5.7x28mm Vulcan Gun (100 of 250 rounds, 1 turn to reload) READY
Bladed Shield (Left arm) EXTENDED
Inventory
MAF-EX103C Exo-suit (1 turn to enter/exit)
Ultra-compact generator (Recharged by light, 5% per turn or 15% if resting)
Sensor node (Left Shoulder, IR, NV, auto-targeting camera)
Underslung Harpoon Gun (Attached to Thermite Revolver, loaded)
- 2 spare Harpoons
Rear cargo container: (17 slots used, 33 slots available)
- 40mm cannon rounds (3xHE, 3xFrag, 6xSmoke, 5xStun, 9 slots total)
- 250 spare Vulcan rounds (3 slots total)
- 9 spare Thermite rounds (5 slots)
Mk.III 40mm Revolver Cannon (5 of 6 rounds, 1 turn to reload) HE SHELL

"C'mon guys, we can't stay here forever!"
Ruben starts moving towards Asfer, keeping an eye out for how their newly-arrived defence force is handling things. As he is distracted, he walks right into the Lake and gets his foot stuck in the mud. Then, horrifyingly, a small fish surfaces in front of him and floats there, looking at him with two beady eyes. It grins like a cartoon character to show off its razor-sharp teeth and makes a sharp squeak.
Appearance:
24, blue eyes, 5'6", curly hair, stylish hat.
Condition(s)
Sprained Ankle (-1 to walking etc unless assisted)
Abilities
Veteran Sniper (+1 to sniping actions)
Sneaky (+1 to stealth actions)
Night Vision Goggles (+1 to seeing in low-light/darkness)
Branch Balancing (+1 to actions involving movement in/on trees)
Weapons
Silenced Dragunov Sniper Rifle (5-15x scope, .44 FMJ, Magazine 6/7, slung)
Silenced MP5 (Magazine 15/30, wielded)
Molotov x5 (Roll a 3 or higher to successfully throw)
Inventory
Wet Wooden Torch used as a Crutch
Night Vision Goggles (Worn, deactivated)
Backpack (12 slots used, 13 slots available)
- 5-10x Thermal Scope (1 turn to switch to, 1 slot)
- 5 Dragunov Magazines (2 slots)
- 5 MP5 Magazines (2 slots)
- Rations (3 days, 9 uses, +1 to next action, 3 slots) One used as padding on makeshift crutch
- Lighter (1 slot)
- 21pk Cigarettes (1 slot)

Andrew puts Johnny down and tells him to hold tight. So Johnny sits there, looking at his fruit. He takes a bite. It tastes nice, like a plum. He takes another bite, and another, and before he knows it he's holding the small stone in his fingers, licked clean. His mouth is a bit sour, but in a nice way, and his throat feels tingly. He throws the stone away into the nearby Lake. He feels light-headed.
NEW CONDITION: Light-headed (Unknown effect)
CONDITION UPDATED: Blood Loss (13 turns until loss of consciousness due to shock, death in 4 turns after that)
CONDITION UPDATED: Instant-5 Recuperation ( 10/10 )

Appearance:
22, stereotypical Chinese face, average build
Condition(s)
Instant-5 Recuperation ( 7/10 )
Shot (-1 to using non-preferred arm)
Pain (-1 to all rolls)
Blood Loss (15 turns until loss of consciousness, death 4 turns after.)
Abilities
(Johnny's abilities are unknown and will only be revealed when he uses them)
Night/Thermal Vision (No Darkness modifiers)
Motion Tracker (+1 to aiming at moving targets)
Sword Mastery (+2 while fighting with Tang-Jian & Sheath, -1 when using other melee weapons)
Observant (+1 to examining or similar)
Make it happen (instant-5, can only use once per 10 rolls, see condition)
Weapons
(Johnny's weapons are hidden from view and will only be revealed when he uses them)
JS 7.62 Sniper Rifle (10 rounds, hidden)
FN P90 Silenced (50 rounds, hidden)
Tang-Jian (Sheathed across back, under coat)
Tribal Belt Knife (1+ to hidden or stealthy attacks, sheathed)
Inventory
(Most of Johnny's inventory is hidden from view and will only be revealed when he uses it)
Bright Green Apricot-like fruit (Unknown effect, 1 slot)
Black Overcoat
Aviator Shades (NV, TV, Motion Tracking)
Bulletproof Vest (100%)
2x Laser InfraRed attachments (used)
Black Backpack (9 slots used, 16 available)
- 3 P90 Mags (2 slots)
- 3 JS 7.62 Mags (2 slots)
- Laptop (Touchscreen, linked to SR Scope) (2 slots)
- 2 Spare Laptop Batteries (Shake-to-charge, 100%-100%, 2 slots)

VNW Mech sends a notification to the other Mech:"Understood, I will not attack. What is your mission objective?" The Human asks.
The VNW Mech sends its current directive:
"Fire!"

Another Human shouts an order from a new location to the East. The VNW Mech sends a cease-communication code and a notification:
"Agreed." The Human replies.


Appearance:
10ft tall Spider-mech, Jungle Camo, Y-shaped feet, Serial no. on back
Condition(s)
Large Size (+1 to taking specific damage, cannot fit in small spaces)
Core Processing (Exploitable, Fast 'thinking')
Loud (Cannot sneak)
Abilities
Metal Plate Armour (Immune to small arms fire)
Thermal/Night Vision Camera (Automatic, no darkness modifiers)
Enhanced Radio System (External Mic & Speaker DISABLED)
Wireless (Internal Linksys Wifi Card)
Weapons
Rotary Autocannon (125/125 shells)
Modified M1b Browning Machinegun (500/500 rounds)
Inventory
Mk. IV Robotik© Octo-Core Realtime Processing Unit (A.I. V1.1b)
High Resolution Camera (Thermal/Night Vision)
'Black Box' Situational Events Recording Archive
Backup Processing Core (Storage only: must be manually connected)
3x Extra Firearm Mounting Ports
Storage Container (10 slots used, 2 available)
- 9x Cannon Ammo box (125 shells ea, Minor reload action)
- 1x Browning Ammo box (500 rounds, Major reload action)

Gathering up a sphere of energy in his hands, Advere faces the swarm and releases it towards the piranha. The ball implodes, and then a thin stream of energy fires out from the condensed sphere before turning into an enormous Shadow Wave which envelops a large swathe of the piranha, about 300 in total. After the wave passes, the fish that were caught within it are all disintegrated to some extent- the ones that were in the front are mostly bone, while the ones in the rear still have tattered patches of flesh hanging on their scorched skeletons.
Passive Abilities
CQC (+1 to rolls involving close quarters actions)
Light Step (+1 to rolls involving stealth or sneaking)
Magneto Field (A magnetic field that deflects enemy bullets.)
-Only when blurred
Techniques
Death Stare: Paralyze enemies with a terrifying gaze. Cost = 10 Energy
Dark Blur: Turn into the Dark Blur. Cost = 30 Energy
Shadow Hurl: Hurl out tangible shadows against your foes. Cost = 20 Energy
Shadow Wave: Create an explosive shockwave with a condensed ball of dark energy. Cost = 30 Energy
Annihilation: Unleash Godly fury with this high-energy attack; leaves you unable to fight for 1 turn. Cost = 80 Energy
Weapons
Lamina Tenebraum
M16A4 Rifle (30 rounds/3 magazines)
L9A1 High-Power Pistol (13 rounds/3 magazines)
Machete
Inventory
3 M67 Grenades
Full canteen of water (3 uses, restores Energy)
Hat and sunglasses
Condition(s)
Energy: 70 / 100

After settling down on the lower tree branches, Damien hoists up his M107 and plants the barrel between two thinner branches, looking out at the swarm. "C'mon... these things are always led by the Ban Ali scouts. Somebody's controlling them..." He sees the hundreds of fish being slaughtered by his allies and zooms in towards the small river that the piranha are flowing in through. "But where?" Suddenly, a bush near the river rustles, just slightly. Damien catches his breath- it could be a squirrel, or even just the wind- but moments later a dark shape shoots out, almost too fast to follow. A gunshot rings out, and there's an enormous splash of blood as the scout's head bursts open. "Boo-yah! Target down!" Well, that takes care of that- but the fish are still coming. They've already been incited to rage by the pheromones- getting rid of the source won't help. Somebody will need to activate the antidote. "It's bound to be near the scout. Or maybe there's a second scout altogether who's responsible for stopping the piranha after they're done. Hmm..." Damien puts the scope back up to his eye and scans the treeline, while below him, the battle rages on.
Passive Abilities
Marksman (+1 to rolls involving long-range combat)
First-Aid (+1 to rolls involving healing actions)
Null Field: An energy field that incinerates projectiles.
-Only when blurred
Hyperion Edge: A powerful light sword that spawns automatically with blur formation.
-Only when blurred
Dragoon Wings: Strong wings made out of light that spawn automatically with blur formation.
-Only when blurred
Techniques
Blur Morph: Turn into the Light Blur. Cost = 30 Energy
Blast: Generate a kinetic shockwave. Cost = 20 Energy
Panacea: Heal any and all injuries. Cost = 50 Energy
Sun Tendrils: Streams of tangible light. Cost = 20 Energy
Tsunami: Generates waves of burning light that rapidly expand in all directions. Cost = 50 Energy
Weapons
Barret M107 CQAM Rifle (8 rounds/5 magazines)
FA-MAS (30 rounds/2 magazines)
Conditions
Deadly Venom (Unpreventable death in 3 turns when activated)
Energy: 0 / 100

Taking a deep breath, Fred lets loose a storm of bullets from his M240 at the horde of piranha. The heavy rattle of the gun seems to barely faze Fred, and he continuously fires it at full auto until every bullet in his magazine is depleted. In the thick swarm, every bullet found its target, and more often than not, every bullet ripped its target in half. 10 seconds into the battle, there's already hundreds of dead piranha held off by the static line set up by the group. Seems like a good idea, but if they overrun us, we're ♥♥♥♥... Fred ducks to reload, quickly slams a new box mag into the rifle, chambers a round, and pops back up just as Damien fires off a round above him. "Boo-yah! Target down!"
Passive Abilities
Juggernaut (Increased health and endurance, reduces all damage taken)
Commando (+1 to rolls involving killing/shooting at animals/people; less affected by recoil and weight)
Awareness (Increased perception, less likely to be surprised by traps or ambushes)
Life Detection (+1 to rolls searching for people or vital signs)
Strong Arm (+1 to rolls involving throws; doesn't stack with "Knife Throw")
Techniques
Knife Throw (+2 to knife throw rolls)
Burst (+1 to a roll, removes negative modifiers temporarily; -2 to next roll)
Weapons
M240 w/ Foregrip & EOTech Holo-Sight (95 rounds/3 magazines)
Upgraded Mini-Uzi (Kinetically Charged Battery: 100%)
Combat Knife
Ban Ali Obsidian Spear
Inventory
First Aid Kit
Binoculars
N.V.G.
Heavy Kevlar Armor (Woodland Camo)
GPS
Atomic Watch
5 C4 Charges w/ detonator
Conditions

Gripping the MGL-140, David fires off two high explosive grenades into the incoming swarm, which send concussive shockwaves that rip through the piranha, killing dozens of them instantly. Before the smoke even clears, more piranha quickly show up and the horde grows in intensity; some piranha get past Advere and the wall of gunfire coming from the group behind him, so David whips out his PDR and mops up the stragglers that try to attack him. "Dammit, there's so many of them!"
Passive Abilities
Athletic (+1 to mobile actions)
CQC (+1 to close quarters' actions)
Knife Mastery (+1 to knife attacks; stacks with CQC)
Reactive Energy (Automatically attacks incoming threats. Four uses. [****])
Techniques
Long Jump (+1 to jumping)
Weapons
Magpul PDR (15 rounds/4 magazines)
MGL-140 loaded w/ Incendiary Grenades (4 rounds/2 discs)
-1 mag High Explosive Grenades (2 rounds/0 discs)
-1 mag Anti-Tank Grenades (5 rounds/0 discs)
Trench Knife
Inventory
Shoulder Bag:
-Rations
-Comprehensive First-Aid Kit
Conditions

"GRENADES FOR EVERYBODY!!!" Wilson launches the grenade in his M203, slamming a new shell into the launcher and firing that one into the swarm, again and again until the ground is soaked with blood from the result of 5 grenades. "Whoo! Feels good to blow ♥♥♥♥ up!"
Passive Abilities
Charismatic (+1 when interacting with people)
Tactical Mind (+1 when carrying out plans)
Blade Mastery (+1 to rolls using heavy blades, like machetes and scimitars)
Techniques
Dark Hands (Makes dark energy envelop hands. Four uses. [****])
Double Slash (Roll twice for blade attacks, take the larger roll.)
Weapons
M4A1 (12 rounds/5 magazines)
-M230 Underslung Grenade Launcher (1 round/6 grenades)
MAC-10 (15 rounds/4 magazines)
Composite Scimitar
Inventory
Backpack:
-N.V.G.
-$2.74 in loose change
Conditions