predatory ● instincts

Boomer sighed as the fighting continued... She was tired of this. She was never good at calming people down. She was better at riling them up. Into the air. With explosives. A small smile came to her lips at the thought, but quickly disappeared as the arguing pressed on. Who cared what the government was like? There was barely any government left with this damn invasion. She simply couldn't take any more. I guess someone heard her... someone who wanted to fuck her over. For a huge...giant... REALLY BIG PURPLE SQUID emerged from the lake beside them and roared a thundering roar. Boomer covered her ears and stared up at the thing just as it grabbed Bili and pulled her into the air.

"BILI!" She yelled. She ran for Paladin, hoping to be able to work with him to take this beast down. But... the world decided to hate her even more and flung Paladin off into the midst of the forest. Boomer made some face of fear as she turned to look up at the beast as it looked back down at her. Three more tentacles flung themselves down beside her. Boomer jumped out of the way and sighed. It was just thing... thing and her. Beast vs. [S]Man[/S] Woman. She had to asses the area... If she could plant a few of her C4 on some of the tentacles... perhaps the demon would leave. She have to get to Bili's tentacle and the ones harassing Paladin... but... she had to figure out a plan of action.

"Ok, Parkour... Don't fail me now." She muttered to herself. She could take out the tentacles beside her easy. That would also give her a straight path to the body and the rest of the tentacles. She calculated the position of Bili and Paladin... With a quick jump... tuck and roll to the floor, she'd be in position to blow the tentacles around Paladin and get them out of the way... Unless she could communicate with Paladin and tell him to get that heated chainsaw blade of his up and running. Boomer sighed and nodded. She could do this.

She pulled out a few small explosives from one of her side packs. They were like mini mines, fitting in the palm of her hand. She had invented them herself. Although small, they packed a punch. Boomer turned to the tentacles beside her and ran right for them. She jumped, landing on them with one hand, planting a bomb on the middle tentacle. She quickly sprinted from there toward the body of the best. She had almost slipped a few times, knocking her off balance a bit, but she kept moving. She had to keep moving. She tried to climb up his body, but found it was far to slimy. She had to think of another way. She assessed the area again, noticing a tentacle that was swaying like a roller coaster. She smirked and jumped onto it, running toward it's tip. It swung down and then... up. It flung her into the air.

Boomer readied another mine and bombed Bili's tentacle. She gripped it, planting the next bomb and then climbing her way up to Bili. "When I say now... You hug my waist as tight as you can. Got it?" She said. She pulled out a small cylinder and flipped it's lid, revealing a bright red button. "Guess why they call me Boomer." She smirked and hit the button. Two loud explosions went off, severing two limbs. Boomer grabbed Bili as the tentacle started to separate and loosen it's grip on her. She jumped off the tentacle and hit the ground on her metal arm, rolling over the ground. She hit the ground a bit too hard and had let go of Bili, but they were safe on the ground now. Boomer grunted and groaned, picking herself up. She looked toward Paladin who was still on the ground from those tentacles. Boomer made it to her feet, a little dizzy but called out to Paladin. She made a motion like she was starting up a chainsaw, hoping he got the hint!

Much to her pleasure, Boomer did not let her down. She was distracted from the slow sawing by the wonderful display of Boomer's parkour. It was good to see her team's prowess, but it was a shame to see that Paladin was knocked out of the way. Soon, however, she didn't have time to think about it any longer for Boomer was there giving her instructions.

Saying nothing, Bili waited for the signal and sheathed her knife. A moment later, the tentacle detached and Bili was clasping onto Boomer for dear life. Bracing herself for impact, Bili tucked her head to her chest as she felt Boomer brace herself against the ground, rolling away from Boomer, Bili leapt up as she reoriented herself. Smirking widely, she looked over at Boomer. "That hurt like hell, but damn! Thanks Cap'n. Now onto killing this thing!" Running to the back she'd lost from the grab, Bili strapped it back on and pulled out a few of the knives, taking aim to throw a few at the beast's eyes to blind it. Hopefully Paladin would catch on to Boomer's signal and use the chainsaw.

Skipping around like a kid at Christmas, the brunette was all wound up for the rest of the day. Pure bliss would push her on for the rest of today. Why, not even the darkening clouds in the sky could bother her.

It was then when she felt a drop fall onto her face. Brows furrowing, she looked into those looming gray clouds and saw something that frightened her. It was a vision and although she didn't know why it was being played before her eyes, she nodded with silent acceptance.

"C'mon you two. We need to hustle now. We've got probably a good hour to go and that rain looks like it'll hit any second now."

Team B, although seemingly slower than the rest, was actually covering a lot of ground. It was evident that his group had fast paced walkers whose strides were easily able to push them further, faster.

A rustle in the bushes caused Luli to let out a hiss while drawing out her spinner. "We're being… watched." Prowling now, the preppy woman wasn't about to let this terror in the bushes prolong their movement. They needed to make it to the docks and stat!

As PB drew close to her, the woman moved behind him. He was safe and comforting. Around him, she felt at ease. He was her knight in… well, a trench coat and a beanie. Still, it was nice to know that he had her back. Even Xiaolian came up to defend her sister. This, of course, brought a smile to the woman's lips. These two people - one a stranger and one a long-time friend - were there beside her, protecting her. She didn't need it though but she always welcomed it. Together, as a team, they would kick ass and show the world that love, justice, and a smile can bring about salvation.

"Here, froggy, froggy," she cooed as she was the bait after all.

AGENCY EYEQUIP DATA ON SPIRIT
The following information is displayed on screen before your eyes (Team B only)....

LEVEL 5 TOADMISTERS (x10)
Small in size, Toadmisters are not as easy as one would think. They are nibble and fast like that of a ninja and, to top it all off, they can re-grow limbs. Their tongues act as their weapon and these little colorful monsters are poisonous. Touching them is highly frowned upon so use caution when engaging in a battle. Should the poison make contact with your skin, it is crucial that you treat with anti-poison. The effects of the poison are not lethal but they will cause hallucinations and constipation.

KNOWN METHOD TO SLAY OR WEAKEN
Ranged weapons work best as you don't want to get too close to this thing.

CHANCE OF SURVIVAL RATE
06% chance that blows will not prove fatal

SUGGESTED TACTIC
Show those slimy bastards what you're made of!

TOTAL POINTS ACHIEVABLE
50

**NEWBIE NOTES FROM SYCOM
It's not always necessary to kill every member of a swarm. Some monsters will retreat once enough comrades have fallen.

Paladin seemed to be down for the count. Little did his teammates know but his head was smashed against the large, thick trunk of a husky tree. Moving would be impossible at this point because he was rendered unconscious. From time to time, his mind would get a surge of energy but only enough to let the male's eyes flicker like a dying flame. Blood gushed from his head. From the looks of it, his head and palms took the blunt of the force. Neck and back spared, he would be able to function but not with that aching, throbbing, swelling headache that seemed to pulse throughout his body. Numb, cold hands were ripped up quite badly but could be mended and healed with some time and a medical expert who just so happened to be station at that dock they needed to reach.

They probably had about two hours left in their journey and one of them was already down. If Boomer and Bili were able to handle this monster on their own, they would be forced to carry Paladin the rest of the way. To their dismay, no other team could even offer up their assistance. The girls were on their own for the rest of this time. And, unfortunately, Paladin's weight would slow their pace. They would be lucky if they made it to the docks before midnight. And a search party would be useless, especially in the forthcoming rain.

SQUIDFACE seemed to know that he was getting himself into trouble. When the two girls were rushing toward him, his eye immediately when to the fallen Paladin who the girls still didn't notice was down for the count. If he could just finish off that gu-

A roar erupted when a bladed object slid into his gut. With the speed of a cheetah, the monster's tentacle knocked Bili off her feet. Again, Boomer was left to come to the aid of her teammate. With such speed and vigor, the raven dished out some more explosives that crippled another tentacle. At this rate, he would be out of arms. Three were destroyed and now this forth one?

That deafening roar came again, which slowed Boomer to a near halt. As her body dropped into the fetal position, he moved back toward Bili. Her hands were bleeding due to the knocking as were her knees. She would be the next to take out.

Two tentacles crashed into the earth beside Bili. However, it was poorly executed as the beast left Boomer (once she was able to stand) a clear path right to his vulnerable, soft underbelly. With a good handful of explosives, she could weaken the monster. All she needed to do was have Bili take some hits. Serious hits. If Bili were able to withstand a good lashing, it would allow Boomer the chance to kill this bitch of a ghost. Granted, there was a fair chance that Bili wouldn't last, especially since the woman's stamina was on the lower end of the scale. Paladin would have been best to be in this spot but, alas, he was busy suffering a concussion. Lovely.

Well, it was Boomer's call. She could either let Bili get the shit kicked out her of or she could figure out another way. Another way like… maybe those eyes? That thing seemed to be pretty dependent on them. If only she had a slingshot. Or maybe some flash grenades. Oh the possibilities! She could save Bili and, together, while the monster was flailing and trying to get its eyes back to working properly, they could make a run for the stomach and rip that thing open. Of course, that plan would require that SQUIDFACE didn't dodge her attack. Which meant… damn, she would have to get up close and in person with that thing if she wanted to blind it. Well, at least she had a bit more stamina than Bili. Could she do it? Would she do it? Put her life on the line rather than let Bili's life hang in limbo?

From the looks of things, Team A is a pickle. Whatever will they do?

"ah.." She went down again, her purple hair getting in her way. She tried her best to tuck it behind her ears as she tried to find the brown wire.

Finding the brown wire, she then lightly brought the red and brow wires together, expecting everything to lunge forward.

As one of the Toadmisters jumped out he drew his pistol and it shot it's tongue at him and he only just dodged it and pulled the trigger a few times aiming for it's brain to be specific. He then gently pushed Luli and Xiaolian behind him and asked "Don't suppose any of you know how to make something like Napalm?". He saw a few more of the frogs jumped out and the one he shot sprung back to life but it moved slower as if one of the bullets was stuck.

Sure enough, the engine jerked forward. It did that several times actually. It was starting to get on Princess' nerves, too.

"How-many-times-is-it-going-to-do-this." His words were choppy and broken, but it was to be expected from the convulsing vehicle. It did eventually ease into a much smoother ride but it was a painfully slow ride. Definitely faster than walking but it wasn't going 60 MPH or anything of that nature. Maybe 20 MPH tops. And it didn't help that there, in the tracks before them, laid a giant lizard. It was a weird looking thing, too. It appeared to be made out of… ice?

Upon seeing this monster, Princess readied himself for an attack. And then it hit him. "Can we just ram into it?" His head swiveled back to look at the two who were able to hitch a ride. It was a good thing Duke was fast and that Baby had chain-like whips. Had they not had speed and skill on their side, they would have been… well, walking. Back on the question at hand though, Princess continued on. "If only we had a plow of sorts up front."

Looking around the car, he noticed a lock on the underside of the bench they were previously sitting on. If they were lucky, there was something of use in there.

Fumbling across the floor, Princess tried to jar open the thing but needed Duke's help. Together, they opened the hidden compartment and opened it up to see…

"SMGs?"

Princess was thoroughly impressed. Compared to the other two teams, these three on Team C were without guns. And now, as if by sheer luck (go Princess and his high luck factor), they were given guns. Granted, bullets were necessary but, from the look of things, they had enough to pelt that lizard.

Smirk on his face, the pink-haired male hoisted two guns up and butted them against his chest. "I feel like I'm a mobster. If only I had a cigar and a hat."

AGENCY EYEQUIP DATA ON SPIRIT
The following information is displayed on screen before your eyes (Team C only)....

LEVEL 5 IZZARD
This thing is about the size of a car and about as tough as a tank, making this one of the hardest Level 5 monsters to beat. It's slow and usually doesn't attack. The downside if that this monster's health and defenses are off the charts. The only way to do any damage is to get this thing to lift its ice plates. It's a lot like a porcupine. When the needles are down, it's impossible to kill. But, once the spikes are up, blast it. The huge downside to this monster is the fact that it can spit ice needles. The good news is, ice will eventually thaw and melt.

KNOWN METHOD TO SLAY OR WEAKEN
Unknown due to lack of information on this monster.

CHANCE OF SURVIVAL RATE
??% chance that blows will not prove fatal

SUGGESTED TACTIC
No tactic suggested.

TOTAL POINTS ACHIEVABLE
5 or 10. 10 is achievable if data can be collected and sent to HQ.

**NEWBIE NOTES FROM SYCOM
Since this monster is lacking data, it would be nice to see someone kill it. Rumor has it that it has a soft underbelly. If you could just flip it over, you could get some great data. However, this thing weights the same as a tank. Flipping will be hard.

"Nope! I don't have those. But I do have some cherry bombs. But I don't know how to use those." With a shrug, she tugged them out of her pack and offered them up to PB. "Will these help in any way?"

Shield out, Xiaolian let one of the ghostly toads collide with it. It was awesome to know that she was always safe behind this shield. If only she could figure out how to use the sword alongside the shield. Feeling a bit of courage, she unsheathed the weapon and steadied her grip on it. Pointing it at one of the TOADMISTERS, the woman bit her lip.

"This whole 're-growth' thing is a pain. Should I aim for the brain or the heart?"

"Both! Go for both," Luli said whirling out her bladed yo-yo. Swinging it above her head, she shot it out and watched it carve into the flesh of one of the slimy creatures.

At this rate, they would just do nothing. The team needed to work together. If Xiaolian could defend while Luli and PB killed them, maybe then they should a shot. This, of course, required Luli to use her spinner to encircle the creatures and PB to have true and pure aim. Of course, if aim wasn't that great, they could just let Xiaolian swing her sword a few times. It looked as if the monsters' speed slowed with each regrowth. Maybe they could retard its movements to a near halt? It was worth a shot. The only thing that sucked was the fact that there were ten TOADMISTERS and only three of them. Thankfully, four of the ten were holding back. They looked rather old, too, as these monsters had beards. Perhaps elders?

Duke pulled hard on the ebrake, slowing it to a stop some ten or fifteen yards from the lizard.

"If I jam my pipe under there, I should have enough leverage to flip that thing over. Then one of you can stab it with a syringe, pull out some tissue and we can kill it."

Duke seemed confident about this plan, and got ready to launch himself over the top of the car, though he looked down at Babydoll, awaiting her orders to proceed or not.

"Alright...time to play smart" he said accepting the bombs and lighting one, as one of them lashed it's tongue again he threw the bomb at it, the tongue catching it and the Toadmister swallowed it and soon it exploded. "Ugh...gross..." PB said as some of it hit him.

Having no luck getting Paladin to wake up or even move for that matter, Boomer bit her lip and turned to Bili to think up a plan. After a minute of quick discussing they decided that a full frontal attack would be the best plan. Which... was probably the worst idea on their part. Bili had run toward the monster and threw one of her bladed objects at him. Bili watched the squid get pissed. This was not going to turn out well for them. If they could just- BOOM! Bili had be knocked off her feet. Boomer quickly dashed out a few contact explosives that blew off another limb. It roared an earsplitting sound.

Boomer crumbled to the floor, holding her ears with her hands. They would all be deaf by the time they got this thing down. And so far, neither of her teammates would be much help right now. After recovering a bit, Boomer stood to her feet and assessed the situation. Obviously, the beast's torso was wide open... but... to get to that she would have to leave Bili helpless. She couldn't carry two teammates to safety, she wasn't that strong. She could easily do the same thing she did before, but his eyes were on Bili... and that's where the tentacles were. Finally she turned back to the demon's torso. If she could latch on a flash close to the eyes, she could blind that thing, grab her team mates and RUN.

Boomer bit her lip and nodded. She always had a good arm. A properly aimed flash grenade under the eye would blind the demon for sure. Boomer quickly pulled out one of her many flash grenades and also pulled out one of her knifes. She pressed it against the canister and pulled off one of her necklaces. She tied the knife to the canister, pulled the tab, aimed, and threw the grenade. Although aiming for under the eye, the knife pierced the demon right in the eye. Boomer closed her eyes and turned away so she wouldn't get blinded at the bright explosion. Boomer quickly rushed toward Paladin and pulled him on to her back. As fast as she could, she rushed over to Bili and helped her up as well. "Go! GO! Run!" She said, "While it's blinded!"

She watched a good hit slash deep into the creatures gut, but before she could celebrate her victory by getting another one, she was harshly knocked off her feet. Hitting the ground quite unpleasantly, Bili pushed herself up to find that a smear of blood was left behind from where her hands had landed and both knees. Ow. Holy shit ow. Anger flooded through her and she went to rush again but found that her muscles were just as stubborn as she was, but not in a way that would help her at all. Letting out a frustrated cry, she punched the ground. Which sent another shock of pain through her. That temper, right. She needed to get that under control.

Before she could get herself back together, two tentacles crashed around her, both nearly hitting her. Green eyes glancing at Boomer, she saw the choice they had to make. She would get beaten to a pulp, but Boomer would have the chance to kill it. She nodded, having made up her mind. Bili would take the hits, her stamina may not be her strongest assest, but her willpower was- and sheer stubbornness could help her survive anything. Bili signed to Boomer that she wanted the beast dead and Bili wouldn't hold it against Boomer if she killed it and Bili suffered a few more injuries. After all, injuries healed. Dead monsters didn't.

But before she could get slammed with a torrent of attacks, Boomer surprised her by blinding it instead, and Bili took the hint, taking Boomer's outstretched hand, Bili leapt up and bolted alongside Boomer. "Thank you Boomer! Do you need help with Paladin?" she asked, still running as fast as she could. Boomer's strength impressed her, but she supposed a mechanical arm had something to do with that.

Earlier

Gabriel stood by the river remembering the good times he had and how the river helped him so much. His happy thoughts were cut short by a giant tentacle jetting out of the water "YOU'VE BETRAYED ME RIVER!" not hesitating at all Gabriel drew his pistols and began firing madly at the beast. The loud bangs from the gun soon became clicks as his pistols fired the last bit of ammo they had.

Re-holstering his pistols Gabriel ran towards the beast, as he drew his machete. Jumping up he latched onto a tentacle and began crudely hacking away at the tentacle to no avail. The beast let out a massive wail "That can't be good..."

With one mighty flick of the tentacle the beast flung Gabriel off sending him flying head first into a tree. The suit let out a small constant ringing *Emergency System Activated, Helmet Critically Damaged, Large Crack in Helmet, Retracting Helmet* The helmet retracted, Gabriel could barely see straight "Oh this can't be good..."

Gabriel tried to stand up but fell and again slammed his head on the tree again "I lost to a tree...not a good day for me." Gabriel was out cold.

Team A seemed to be in a bind, still. Paladin's consciousness was still flickering in and out, but, thankfully, he wasn't dead. He had his armor and helmet to thank for that. Bili was in one piece, although she was pretty torn up. Boomer was in the same tight spot as Bili but seemed to be fairing just a slight bit better.

Thankfully, the monster, SQUIDFACE, seemed to be on his last leg. It was hard to believe it was only worth ten mislay points. But, maybe they could argue with Daliah and Sycom about it and get themselves 20 or even 30 points. It might even be safe for them to assume that the intel on the monster was wrong, hence the low rating.

Of course, with the beast blinded now, who was to say it wouldn't go easy. At first, Team A was caught off guard but now the joke was on the ghost.

It was them when Tema A got its first glimpse of relief. The monster, confused by the clouds that seemed to plague its eyes, started to whale on itself. One good explosive to the underbelly would destroy it. It's legs seemed to be fumbled and jumbled up. But, to make sure things were good and safe to Boomer to plant a bomb, Bili could just distract it.

With the felines heading out, Wind could now focus on doing some damage on the route the agents would take. The movement of the agents was so predictable. Rarely did they take a path that Wind hadn't already destroyed. It probably helped that his birds were everywhere. Why, even NYC wasn't safe because his little ghostly, feathered friends eavesdropped on all situations. They also hid in the trees that lined the agent's movements and they would continue to follow them as instructed.

For a brief moment, he stopped and let his eyes transform. Needing to see what the birds saw, he watched as a large squid-like creature unleashed hell on one of the teams. With a large grin on his face, he cackled. "Seems like some of the teams are meeting some worthy foes."

Trying hard to remember who he left in command of the water, he turned toward his sister. She was the one that really knew everything. It was her own private job. The petite white hair woman was to remember everyone and everything that Wind did. Well, maybe not everything, but the majority of the Judgement Day interactions were left for her to record and remember.

"Enyo, who commands the beasts of the sea?" His question was probably odd, since neither of the women could see what he saw. They would, however, note that his eyes were different from usual, which allowed him the ability to see through the eyes of the birds he controlled.

In all honestly, though, Wind forgot, more often than not, who his generals and commanders were. The watchdog of the sea was none other than Zak. He was a soldier prior to his unexpected death caused by… friendly fire. Being a navy guy, Wind thought it was logical to put the man who spent years in the water in charge of the water. Besides, Zak had taken a liking to a shark.

The ruler of the sky was obviously, Wind. The land was divided into several groups. Sekhmet was of the Savannah or prairie lands. Eris was of the jungle. A pair of twins, Fawn (deer partner) and Baehr (a grizzly bear teammate), ruled the forest. Rammy's domain was the mountains (his sidekick is a ram). The desert was guarded by a nasty brute by the name of Bones (teamed up with a lizard) who, in his previous life, was married to the lovely Qengaruk (arctic lemming) of the frozen tundra and lands.

Wind was in the process of setting up two more ranks one of male with a wolf and another for a female with a horse. Although he had forgotten it, he had also appointed Zudia (linked with a walrus) to assist Zak of the sea.

While Sekhmet was busy trying to pilfer through all the generals in her mind, Wind turned his attention to a nearby wolf that had crept in. With a smirk on his face, he nodded in silence. The agreement, whatever it may be, was done and the wolf went on its way.

"We need to find an amphibian army leader. Do we know anyone loyal to me that would like to gain a spot at the triangle table meetings?" In his head, he counted thirteen seats at that table - one of them being open. "We should look for a frog or toad." The pale male paused for a moment. "Hmmm, we should probably find a snake and an insect wielder, too."

The reason behind needing the generals was simple. Wind could only command so many. He needed others to mobilize troops and storm areas. For example, Qengaruk was doing a lovely job up north with her rallying of soldiers. Although just a rodent, she had won the respect of the people by saying that she was related to a great grizzly who ruled the forest. Zak, being partnered with a shark, was able to control nearly all of the sea. The only ones he had an issue with were large whale spirits or those damn SQUIDFACE who have a mind of their own.

Pacing back and forth, he finally moved the group onward again toward their location. As they rain, he noticed that the population of ghosts started to dwindle. The resistance was getting closer. Parts of Michigan were heavily protected, especially since the president's daughter lived in that region.

"We need to use caution in his area," he heeded while slowing the group down again. "We don't need to be caught off guard and lose our strength. We've got a bigger target than these rebels."

"I nominate Baby for that job," Princess said with a smug look on his face. Although he was "assigned" the assault role, the pink-haired boy really had no intension of fighting. He was already wearing thin and was growing rather tired. A good night's rest would refuel him. But, alas, sleep was not possible with this defense-based monster in their way.

Now, should Baby Doll instruct that he be the one to secure the data on this monster, he would. Not because he was all for following orders. No, he just didn't want tension. If Baby Doll was mad, then Duke would be mad. Both of them being pissed would result in little to no sleep, or so he assumed.

With a sigh, his eyes slid toward the purple-haired woman.

"My orders, boss."

"Eh.." Baby looked up at Duke, she wasn't really in the mood to defeat any monsters. It would probably take longer if she tried anyway. She figured Duke could beat that thing within a few minutes. "Well..you can go take care of it..Unless you want to Princess"

She looked back at Princess. He didn't look like he was in the mood of doing much either. Guess it was up to Duke after all. Although, if he said no, she wasn't really sure if she would be able to yell at him and force him to, so all she could really do was hope that he would follow her orders..

GHOST POINTS
The following information contains the monster levels and scores associated with said level.

LEVEL 5: 5
LEVEL 4: 10
LEVEL 3: 50
LEVEL 2: 100
LEVEL 1: 250
RANK S: 500

Duke seemed very disgruntled.

"My weapon won't do much against a foe like this. If it's got a soft underbelly, I need something to cut it. If you are delegating me the sole responsibility, not only will I need a syringe, which I doubt I can handle without breaking, but two or three of your swords, Princess. Katana blades are fragile, right? Need constant care, yes? It would be a shame if I accidentally plunged the blade in too deep, and chipped it on the beast's shell."

He approached the lazy man, squatting as if he were talking to a small child.

"Now if you don't want to come and help, I can always make you."