//------------------------------// // Chapter 41: That's More Like It // Story: A Long Way to Fall // by Cinders of War //------------------------------// Things were not going well for the ground team. Almost as soon as they had arrived on site, the Templars had gone into high alert. While they hadn’t yet been spotted, there was no current way to get to the machine undetected, and the enemy was packing a lot more firepower than they were. “Trueshot. Trueshot!” Fire Frenzy whispered into his mic. “You there, man? We need covering fire! Trueshot! Darn it! He’s not answering.” he told Smokestack grimly. "The other teams?" Sparkplug asked as he leaned out to throw a knife at an approaching Templar, getting him in the center of his chest. "Rose's and Satin's teams are pinned at the entrances," Pierce briefed as he checked his phone. "Templars knew we were coming. High Noon's team got through, but they're trapped in one of the maintenance halls. Always one step ahead, but one day we’ll be the ones chasing them out. I remember back when I first joined-" Sparkplug groaned. “Hey, no offense, but can you just tell us how we’re meant to go about doing this? I don’t feel so hot carrying around several pounds of C4 here.” "Well, we will be if we don't get out of here," Broadside complained as he almost took a bullet to his face. "We'll have to manage on our own," Frenzy spat before sprinting out of cover. Two guards trained their rifles on him, but Broadside stood and unleashed a swarm of bullets from his LMG, tearing them down with a controlled sweep. Frenzy slashed forward, cutting a Templar across his chest before kicking another back into a third. There were plenty of crates to hide behind as the group of Assassins made their way through the hall, Frenzy leading the charge while Pierce directed them from the rear. Frenzy cut down another two guards ahead before the team turned right down another corridor. One tried to ambush them from behind, but Pierce grabbed ahold of the guard’s rifle, and at the same time, whipped out his baton and smashed the Templar on the left side of his head before delivering a downwards swipe, knocking the man down for good. He spun the rifle around and put it to his shoulders, using it to neutralize two more guards behind them. Smokestack spun his battleaxe and lodged it in a guard’s chest before throwing a knife at another up ahead, taking him down before Frenzy could do so. “Hey, stick to your own guys!” Frenzy looked back and spat at the body. “I had it.” Smokestack sighed and pulled his axe out. Pierce arrived next to him and pointed ahead. “Just a few more halls and we should be there. This place is like a maze, but a maze cannot defeat me. All you need is a map and-” More gunfire interrupted the hacker as he turned around and fired back with the acquired assault rifle. “Go! I’ll finish up here.” Smokestack nodded and ran up to join his brother and the others. A squad of soldiers in black jackets ran in, assault rifles with grenade launcher attachments pointed straight at the team. “Dragon Unit! Get down!” Sparkplug shouted as the first grenade flew at their position, impacting into a wooden crate, blowing splinters and fire across the hall as the Assassins made their way behind cover. Frenzy grunted as he pulled a splinter out of his shoulder, tossing it to the ground angrily before pulling out two throwing knives. He spun up and threw them both at the soldiers, lodging one in a soldier’s gun, and the other in another man’s neck. Sparkplug leapt from his position and thrust his prods into a soldier, knocking him down as he kicked another man from under his feet. The rest aimed their guns at the Assassin, but he quickly dived behind some pipes as Pierce activated his phone, blowing the pipes in the Templars’ faces, knocking them back. Having helmets on, the steam wouldn’t be too effective, but the few seconds he bought for his team were all they needed as they pushed forward. Each Assassin extended their hidden blades and quickly moved in before the steam cleared, skillfully taking down each Templar while remaining unseen, eventually continuing down the hall as the steampipe continued to blow out smoke. “We should almost be there now,” Pierce instructed from the back as he picked up a new rifle magazine from one of the Templar bodies. The next corner continued on to the left, but before Sparkplug turned the corner, a jet of fire blasted out from around the wall, forcing Sparkplug to leap back into Broadside, almost knocking them both over. “Back up!” A man in a gas mask and lightly plated armor walked out from the corner, a flamethrower in his hands and two gascans on his back. “Someone called the fire brigade? Because this fire’s going to be a hard one to put out after I’m done with it!” He lifted his weapon and launched out a stream of fire, forcing the Assassins back through one of the doors. Pierce was the first in, making sure there weren’t any other surprises in the room before calling back to the others to enter. Pumps and rusty cabinets lined the walls of the room, while four tanks were positioned in the center of the room. Unfortunately, there was no second entrance. “Pierce, is there a way out?” Sparkplug demanded an answer as he looked back into the hall. Smokestack and Broadside sealed the door and quickly pushed down a cabinet in front of it. Pierce tapped away on his phone, but found no other options. “No. The only way forward is through that maniac out there.” Frigid Night flung himself up the last three rungs of the orange ladder as he sped his way towards the power plant’s roof. He had heard Trueshot over the radio. They had tried to buy Frigid enough time to ambush Mirror Match, but it seemed that she had already dealt with them. More anger burned in Frigid’s chest. Now he had more reason to take down his former partner. “Friggy, where are you?” Mirror asked playfully over the radio. “You sure are taking your time. Are you sure you really want to kill me?” Frigid didn’t reply, instead picking up his speed while activating his eagle vision to look for her. He kept low, just in case she already had her sights on him and crept along a row of generators. The Assassin suddenly sensed a change in his surroundings and jumped ahead, narrowly avoiding a foot as it kicked out at his legs. He landed on the other side and unsheathed his hidden blades as Mirror Match walked out from behind the last generator. “Nice dodge, Friggy,” she smiled. She didn’t seem to carry any weapons with her, but Frigid watched her carefully. Frigid turned his rageful eyes towards her and let out a roar as he charged towards her, splitting off his trident extensions on his hidden blades. He swung one at her, but Mirror bent her body backwards, completely avoiding his attack before flipping out of his range. Frigid pulled two throwing knives out of his slings and threw them at her. “Not good enough,” Mirror said plainly as she dodged one and parried the other with her phantom blade. Frigid continued to attack, slashing out at her at every opportunity he had, but Mirror Match simply parried all his blows with just her single hidden blade. The yellow-skinned Assassin watched her arm move from left to right, almost like a blur or mirage, moving so fast that Frigid almost couldn’t see it. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes, but his hatred for her took over. It didn’t matter to him how fast she could move. What mattered that she would be dead at his feet eventually. She had to pay for what she did to Dust Fencer. Stepping a little too far forward, Mirror avoided Frigid’s lunge and twisted around him, grabbing his right arm and pushing him against one of the generators, pinning him down. “You don’t really think all this rage is helping you?” Mirror whispered in his ear. “It’s just making you careless. Where’s the real Frigid Night? I’ve missed him.” Frigid struggled to get free, but Mirror’s grip was solid. He did the only thing that made sense. He drew one of his legs up and extended a shoe blade. Frigid quickly kicked down as fast as he could, hearing the satisfying sound of his blade entering Mirror’s foot. “Ah!” Mirror shouted as she took a step back. Frigid took his chance to shake free and spin an elbow to her head. He somehow caught her by surprise, knocking the ex-Assassin down. Mirror Match quickly flipped herself back up and got into her combat stance. “Nice try, Friggy. That’s more like it!” Frigid unsheathed all his blades and prepared himself again. Even though she was his enemy now, Mirror Match had a point. He had rushed in blindly, expecting to take her down with mad swings and jabs, but that wasn’t the way. He had clouded his own sense of combat and surroundings when he should’ve thought it all through before engaging her. This time, it wasn’t going to be so easy for her. Anger was never the answer, and he should’ve remembered that. “Okay, Mirror,” Frigid said before taking in a deep breath. “This time, it’s for real.” “Great!” she smirked, calling him forward with one hand. “Then let’s see how much better you are now.”