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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 0:20:56 GMT
 HEADS, I LIVE. TAILS, YOU DIE.
The sun was just beginning to rise as Orion stepped onto the practice field. He'd been up until early studying the night before, and while he was making headway, he didn't feel right starting the day without his usual exercises to strengthen himself as a fighter. His sword was heavy, and harder to swing than most smaller, thinner blades, which meant that he had to work twice as hard to keep a speed that would allow him to triumph. He was up to the challenge. He'd gotten here by dint of hard work and dedication, not because he knew somebody, or because he'd gotten lucky. Lucky had never entered much into Orion's life. Perhaps that was why he did so well, because he never sat back and waited for luck to get him where he was determined to go.
Placing his sword in the sheath on his back, he knelt and began doing his push-ups. The sword, which weighed almost eighty pounds, added a significant amount of resistance weight to his workout, but keeping it on his person as he was, he was continuing to build his strength and making it more of an extension of himself, rather than just a weapon he happened to use. Sweat poured down his neck and face as he worked there on the dusty ground, his muscles flexing and stretching like a well-oiled machine. He would get breakfast after his workout, as he normally did. He wasn't keen to throw up during his routine, and a full stomach was an easy way to do that.
Once he finished his push-ups, he headed to the pull-up bar, with his sword still in its place on his back. Today wasn't his push day, so the exercise more loosened him up and got his body pumping, rather than wearing him out. He had too much to accomplish today to knock himself out first thing in the morning. Dust rose around his boots as he dropped back to the ground, stretching his shoulders and rolling his neck back and forth to loosen the tension that the exercise had put there.
With his body warmed up, he headed to the target range and put his ear-plugs in before choosing a lane. The targets were orange silhouette holos, but the computer would keep more exact records of how well he had done than the paper targets his brother had once used to practice throwing knives, way back in the day. He could still remember watching Theron practice for hours with those stupid knives, to protect himself from the seedy underbelly of Dagos. If only he had been there with their mother, perhaps she wouldn't have ended up on a slab. He lifted his lip in a faint growl as he lifted his gun, supporting the weight with both hands as he knew was the wisest.
The gun kicked as he squeezed the trigger, and a hole just off-center of the target glowed with a yellow outline, with the computer telling him just where the bullet had gone through. Readjusting his aim, Orion continued his target practice, getting a tight grouping that was getting ever closer to perfect center. Absorbed as he was in his practice, and with is ear-plugs in, he didn't notice as someone else came onto the range.
JUST STOP BREATHING, DAMN IT. PHARAOH LEAP. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sassy
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Post by Caroline Vorlan on Jul 26, 2016 16:35:36 GMT
 Notes Go on, make your comments | 'TIL DEATH DO US PART, AND IT DID Early morning was Dullahan’s favorite time in the guild; the only ones up this early were the ones who were training, voluntarily or forced by their officers. It was quiet, serene, and peaceful. She took a deep breath as she stepped out beneath the brightening sky. Her skin was charred, with a few bulletholes and one or two deep gashes, exposing her chassis underneath. It was a reminder of her mission last night. It was big, and it went awry; news wouldn’t have spread yet, but the day would be filled with meetings of all sorts. She didn’t bother with her jacket today, leaving only her dark jeans and tank top. The chill morning air felt refreshing against her skin, though it aggravated the skin around some of her wounds. She had an appointment in the med bay this morning to get her skin patched and repaired, and to have the superficial damage to her chassis examined. After that, meetings with the hunters, meetings with the government, meetings with both… This was the only time she was going to get any training in today. The sound of gunshots from within the range was music to her ears. She was thankful for the hunters who took the training seriously, of their own initiative, because they wanted to improve. She stepped in, and saw only one individual hard at work. Orion, she thought. She recognized him from the quick practice fight her had against Umbrage. She took up the lane next to him, taking the large headset-like ear protection and placing it on her head before she drew her own pistol and started up the holographic range. Instead of taking the proper pistol stance, she turned to her side and held it out straight-armed with her one hand. It was a light pistol, easily stabilized with her strength systems. She internally cursed herself for her weakness before; things would have ended differently if she hadn’t ditched her sidearm, if she had been a little more stable with it. Her face was furrowed in determination. She took a few shots, the gun’s recoil easy to control. Center mass, a bit of a wider grouping than she’d like. She moved her hand to one side, firing a few more shots into the shoulder, and then moving again to fire at the other. Each grouping became increasingly tighter as she fired. With her last three shots, she tried one of speed. One to the center group, one to the right shoulder, one to the left, bang bang bang, in quick succession, the shots landing a few inches away from each group. She ejected her clip and had a new one in just as the first clattered to the floor. |
Made by Siren of GS and THQ |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 23:35:25 GMT
HEADS, I LIVE. TAILS, YOU DIE.
Orion glanced up from his shooting as he heard another gun firing on the range, and he was surprised to see Dullahan, the Cyborg, had joined him on the range. The last time he'd seen her around, she'd been following Oliver around, and he assumed that it meant that she liked the bastard. Typically, that meant that they didn't like him, and he wasn't sure how he felt about someone who didn't like him sneaking up on him with a gun implanted in their hand. Still, she didn't seem to be paying him much attention, so he watched her shots for a few moments. He'd thought that a Cyborg would have better aim, or an internal aiming system, or something, but she was doing just fair, about as well as he was doing.
He said nothing, just watched, but as his eyes strayed to her body, he could see the obvious damage that had been done to her. Jeez, her owners had let her go back to work with that kind of damage? It was surprising, considering that the holes in the outer shell would be serious weaknesses in battle. But knowing the kind of financial backing she had, it was likely that she would get it fixed soon. Did that mean that something had happened quite recently? Something he'd not heard about?
"By Kalidas, what happened to you?" he asked, looking at the damage as he changed out the magazine. "Did I miss a good fight?"
The thought was aggravating, since he was itching to get back on the hunt. The increase in studying was not without its price, since he'd not had many tributes to give to Kalidas that week, but he wanted to more than make up for it on the weekend. It would be easier, now that he was diversifying his fighting style, and he was faring better and better in the practice matches. Perhaps Kalidas would take that into account, and wouldn't be offended by his falling behind. Besides, it wasn't as if he'd made her any promises he was breaking. If anything, learning these runes should help him keep his commitments to her more easily, because they would make him better on the hunt.
Once his gun was replenished with ammunition, he hit the button on the panel to clear away his previous shots, and lifted his weapon to face a fresh, whole target. Releasing a breath to relax his muscles and increase his accuracy, he kept practicing, with the grouping still smaller than last time, if a little further from the target. He tilted his head and lowered the gun, thinking. He was oversqueezing, over-compensating for the recoil. With that adjustment, he continued firing and did better.
JUST STOP BREATHING, DAMN IT. PHARAOH LEAP. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sassy
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Post by Caroline Vorlan on Jul 27, 2016 19:40:29 GMT
| 'TIL DEATH DO US PART, AND IT DID Before she squeezed the trigger, Orion spoke to her. She turned her head to consider him, and saw him looking at her torn and charred skin. She wasn’t one for light conversation, but frankly, we was relieved that someone was looking at her body for reasons other than wishful, carnal thinking. She turned her head back to the range and fired two shots. “Not much of a fight,” she stated. Her eyes narrowed as the events played out in her head. Another shot. “Most details are classified, you understand. I’m sure you’ll be informed some. There were casualties, hunter and agent.” A fury welled in her, which was exactly what she wanted. She kept her shots slow and steady, kept her tone and face as even as possible. Giving way to her personal anger was a mistake. She got away because of it, because Dullahan was sure she could catch her, look her in those eyes, and squeeze the life out of her inhuman body. “You’d have been one of them,” she said after a few silent moments, punctuated only by the gunshots from both of them. “Command sent us into a trap.” Bang! “It was a slaughter.” Bang! “Only I came back.” Bang! Bang! Bangbangbang!Another clip clattered to the ground. Dullahan replaced it, her movements more tepid. She turned to the computer and programmed a new target, and made it move back and forth down the range. She stepped to the far right of her lane and gripped the back of her hair with her free hand. The locks holding her neck to her torso made a small clang as she willed them open. Slowly, she lifted her head from her body, and placed it on the far left of her lane, her face towards the target. Her body took up her previous one-handed pistol stance. She needed to practice all angles with the gun. She cursed herself for letting her fall behind in practicing with this backup. Different firing positions, different head positions; they could all come up in the field, and she needed to be prepared. She wasn’t going to let any more escape. |
Made by Siren of GS and THQ |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2016 16:54:42 GMT
HEADS, I LIVE. TAILS, YOU DIE.
At her comment, Orion shrugged. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he was invincible, but he was rarely stupid enough to walk into a trap. If he'd been there, maybe things would have turned out differently, or maybe he'd be lying dead. There was no way of knowing, and whatever his pride might say, all it took was one screw-up to be as unlucky as those dead Hunters and agents now were. But whatever had led to it, he was surprised that her Command had made such a colossal mistake. Perhaps it was good that he'd decided to work for the Hunters, not directly under local law enforcement. They seemed to be run by fools. Not that it would have worked out anyway, now that they wanted to arrest the Magi instead of destroying them.
He stopped his firing as the Cyborg removed her head, staring for a long moment before he rolled his eyes and went back to his practicing. When a Cyborg did something like that, he questioned all the more why some people were lobbying that they treat them as human. Anyone who spent time around them knew that they were so obviously inhuman that pretending otherwise was laughable at best, and dangerously foolish at worst. Humanity had created them to do the jobs that no one else wanted to do, and they were accordingly tough. How else had would have Dullahan managed to survive an ambush that killed the humans involved? If Cyborgs were treated as human, would they still have been willing to do what they were made to do?
It was a philosophical discussion that he had no time or patience for. Cyborgs were not his area. Magi were.
Switching hands, Orion began to practice with his off-hand. If he was injured, it would be a useful skill, and he still had a long way to go until he was as proficient with his left hand versus his right. The shots went wide at first, hitting near the edge of the target, but he persisted, and the shots got closer and closer to center as he practiced. His sword fighting was two-handed, and that gave his left arm more strength than he'd had when he'd first started training in battle. He was getting better, no doubt, it was just taking time and practice. As with all things, he was more than willing to put forward the effort to improve. He'd never been one of the gifted, the naturally talented. Just persistent.
"Who decides who goes on these missions?" he asked, as he was switching out his magazines. "Because I'd rather not have the cops spend my life because of shitty intel."
JUST STOP BREATHING, DAMN IT. PHARAOH LEAP. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sassy
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Post by Caroline Vorlan on Jul 28, 2016 19:37:51 GMT
| 'TIL DEATH DO US PART, AND IT DID Dullahan turned to her other side and used her off-hand. Functioning with her detached head had become second nature to her after all these years. It was odd to be able to feel your body and adjust yourself from a distance, but just like you adjust to having one eye, the nuances become second nature. She could even function in close quarters combat in this way. She was adept at using her instincts to fight; many times she could end up fighting “blind” in a way. The sensation was impossible to describe, and it was fortunate that most people didn’t bother asking about it. “Depends,” she said. Her statements were very matter-of-fact, her demeanor unfazed by his implications or language. This time in particular, she felt the same way. “Sometimes my command. Sometimes the guild’s. Sometimes, like this one, they’re jointly commanded. Shit way to plan ops; too much potential for miscommunication. Sometimes officers get lucky enough to handpick their team, but I’m suspended from that luxury for now.” bangbangbang! “Maybe they’ll reconsider.” Her shots were on target, but the grouping was getting looser. Adjusting your aim was a bit more difficult when you couldn’t look directly down the sights. You had to feel it out, trust your body, but still be able to do it quickly. Life wasn’t a shooting range, and the magi weren’t always going to go quietly. When she switched clips, she changed her stance, kneeling behind the counter of the range, her wrists resting gently on top of it. Firing from cover like this was ideal, if she could get her head in a protected or hidden spot; opponents had only her gun to target, which was leagues more difficult than hitting someone’s head. “Intel wasn’t bad,” she said. Her shots were tight in this familiar, stable position. “Timing was. Told them it was too early, but my superiors would rather listen to yours than their own officers. I wanted to double-check our intel, gather more; had a bad feeling. Hunter-Sergeant Claris pushed us to strike.” Her eyes narrowed and she was silent as she fired her gun. After a few shots, her expression relaxed. “Too eager, and dead for it, along with everyone else. Didn’t need to end up that way.” She paused her next shot. “Killed as many Magi as we lost men and women, at least.” She fired off the last shots in her clip. All the magi she killed weren’t even worth one human life. “Could have gone better if they’d waited.” |
Made by Siren of GS and THQ |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2016 22:30:36 GMT
HEADS, I LIVE. TAILS, YOU DIE.
Orion snorted at her assertion that it was the Hunters that had gotten the group killed. No doubt, there were some Hunters that were more enthusiastic than skilled, and got hurt because of it, but he knew that in the long run, those idiots would weed themselves out. Someone who led with their temper instead of their head was a danger to everyone around them, and he didn't have a second of pity to spare for them. His own commanding officer wasn't as empty-headed as most, and he trusted that she wasn't about to get his ass murdered in an ambush. But the Cyborg was right: at least the spent lives equated to an equal number of killed Magi.
"I guess that's something," he conceded, shaking his head as he lowered his weapon. "Not enough, but something."
He had taken this job because it meant saving human lives that would have otherwise been lost to the Magi and their unnatural gifts. Unfortunately, one man wouldn't make much of a difference in the end. He would have to move up in the order if he was going to do anything substantial. Each Magi he killed was a step closer to taking out the threat, he knew, but Magi were being born every day. It was an uphill battle, and one that would take more drastic measures to finish. Unfortunately, the world seemed to be slowly turning away from doing what was necessary, since they had put on the breaks on the measures that had gotten them to where they were.
The Hunter's Guild provided free ammunition for target practice, but Orion didn't have much more time to spend on his practice, so he emptied his last magazine and cleared the chamber of his weapon before he disassembled it and began to clean its various pieces. It was best to keep his gun clean and in working order whenever he could. The metallic and oily scent of the cleaner filled the air as he cleaned the inner parts of the gun, and he didn't look up as he spoke again.
"Too many people come to this Guild with more enthusiasm for fighting than common sense," he commented. "Luckily, the world has a way of sifting through those people. Luckily for the rest of us, not so luckily for them."
Once the pieces had been given a good once-over and oiled, he put the gun back together again with the ease of much practice. With it reassembled, Orion set about filling up the magazines with fresh ammunition. His thumbs were beginning to ache from the pressure of pushing the bullets on the spring, but he was used to it by now. He was getting better with his weapon every day, and that included improving his hand strength.
JUST STOP BREATHING, DAMN IT. PHARAOH LEAP. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sassy
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Post by Caroline Vorlan on Aug 1, 2016 1:34:33 GMT
| 'TIL DEATH DO US PART, AND IT DID “Hm,” she said. She set her gun down as the last spent clip clattered to the ground. “That's one way to think about it. Though it's the job of their organization to straighten them out before they're sent into the field.” It wasn't meant as a slight towards Orion or the guild; it was a simple statement of fact. If they weren't properly disciplined, and their commanders were also eager to send them into the wolf's jaws, then it was a useless waste of life, time, and resources. She was disappointed in the guild, and had been for a long time. They were second to none as hunters, worthy of their namesake, tracking down singular targets and eliminating them, and to their credit, they often did it in ways that avoided paperwork and the need for public coverups. But on organized ops against a formidable group, their bounty-hunter tactics and mentality only endangered those who knew what they were doing. “It wouldn't matter if they were by themselves, but if it endangers the lives of allies, it becomes a problem.” With a thought and a twitch of her fingers, she summoned the revolver-like shotgun from her wrist. It expanded and twisted until it hung from her arm like a somewhat oversized bracelet. She withdraw some shells from the ammo belt on her waist. These were slugs, an alternative she was interested in trying instead of the pistol. She always had her main weapons built in; if she could get the accuracy down, even these small slugs could cripple a flying or fleeing magi. One by one, she thumbed the shells into their slots around her right wrist. “That enthusiasm killed my team, and could have done the same to me.” She held her arm out straight towards the moving target and fired the first slug. The sound was much louder than the pistol. However, the accuracy left something to be desired. “More importantly, it ruined a very important mission. I had to carry out the entire op by myself. Everyone else did nothing but die. Could have gone different.” Her arm recoiled little with each shot. Soon, the grouping tightened, though as it was a new concept, was still wider than the pistol. “Perhaps the report will be a wake-up call,” she stated. “If they're going to die, they may as well be useful before doing so.” |
Made by Siren of GS and THQ |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2016 22:38:16 GMT
HEADS, I LIVE. TAILS, YOU DIE.
Orion only grunted in response. He'd decided a long time ago that there was little to no point in arguing with a Cyborg. They were only as intelligent as their programmer, after all. Considering he'd likely never met the programmer, why would he want to start an argument with them? They could be book smart, but still dumb as rocks, and he would have no way of knowing aside from infuriating himself in an argument with an idiot. Besides, they had no feelings, so they had no way of understanding that their words could rub someone the wrong way. It was stupid to get worked up over it, really. At least, that was what he had to remind himself every few seconds that she was talking, to keep from trying to shoot her.
Besides, she wasn't entirely wrong. Hadn't Orion himself lamented the quality of some of the Hunters he interacted with, who were good at killing things, but tactically stupid? Was he really going to get upset because some outsider had pointed out what he himself had observed more than once? There were too many Hunters who were easy to defeat, if one had even the slightest grasp of caution and tactics, and it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Even if it was a Cyborg, and even if it was dissing the order that he'd devoted his life to, he wasn't going to shoot it. Nope. Wasn't going to do it. Not right now, anyway.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Orion put his gun away before he could be further tempted. And reminded himself, for perhaps the second dozen of times that he needed not to start a fight with the Cyborg.
"Well, good luck with that," he said stiffly, folding his arms and clenching his hands into fists. "I have other things to accomplish."
Without another word, he turned on his heel and headed off to the other end of the training field, where the training dummies were sitting. The other Hunters were beginning to awake, and this field wasn't quite as empty as the range had been, but he still had his sword exercises to work on. Drawing his sword, he began his usual work-up. Position 1. Position 1. Position 2. Position 2. Positon 1. Position 2. Pause. Begin again. It was a repetitive exercise, but it kept his sword work up to snuff.
JUST STOP BREATHING, DAMN IT. PHARAOH LEAP. |
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Sassy
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Post by Caroline Vorlan on Aug 2, 2016 18:57:29 GMT
Notes A solid place to end I think
| 'TIL DEATH DO US PART, AND IT DID “Very well,” she said as she fired the last few slugs. She picked her head up and placed it back on her neck, adjusting it slightly until the hidden locks lined up and she could secure them with another thought. “I’m glad to see some hunters take self-improvement seriously.” It was a statement more than a compliment. She disassembled her pistol and went to work on the maintenance of it. The range fell silent once more, another rare moment of peace and solitude the woman so enjoyed. Her mind was still focused on the recent op, and would be as she pushed herself to training for all hours of the day-literally- in the weeks to come. She looked up at the arms locker, a small counter behind thick, bullet-proof glass, not yet manned by the supplier. Perhaps it was time to rethink her strategy. She had fallen off practicing with longarms, but recent events told her that perhaps it would be best to focus her efforts there. She had advantages in the field; unmatched strength, bursts of speed, and a stable frame; it might not be a bad idea to carry a rifle around with her, in case the fire magi demon had more long-range surprises for her. She sighed as she cleared her target. The slugs were a cute idea, but impractical. Her built-in weapons should be reserved for close range; switching ammo was out of the question in the fast-paced field. She made a note to check out the rifle later today, and perhaps request one of her own. Once she completed her maintenance on her pistol and internal weapons, she retrieved the clips and dumped them into a bin to be refilled later. She stepped outside and saw Orion hard at work on his melee training. She thought swords were impractical in today’s world, but after watching him swing for a bit, she nodded in respect. She didn’t like the runic trickery he pulled on Umbrage, but she couldn’t deny the utility of having multiple methods for dealing with combatants. She had a meeting to attend, and walked off towards the offices. She made a note in her head about Orion. Perhaps he was what the guild needed to regain some semblance of respect. |
Made by Siren of GS and THQ |
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