"I love it when a plan comes together!"

[infinite1up]

Who: Members of the City Guard, Sato, and a few others
What: Catchall for everything associated with Assault on Guard HQ
Where: City Guard HQ
When: From after Sato's network post through the next morning.
Warnings: Many violences, much death (likely mostly Sato's), wow.

Comments

[circumitus]

So, it isn't as carnal as it would seem. It's an effective fighter, between its movements now and what Rey had seen it do to the Working Joes in the tunnels. But it isn't indomitable. She just has to figure out what makes it work.

Like what in the hell that sizzling sound is.

She hits the ground, her weight landing her with a harder thud. Her teeth grit from under the layers of samandrine as she attempts to breathe through it. But the wind is knocked out of her.

Wherever it attempts to strike while she's down, she'll roll from under in an effort to avoid a more fatal attack.

[infinite1up]

Rey's roll takes her out of the way of a sharp downward strike direct to the middle of her chest, but the claws still strike a blow to her side, slicing easily through the black salamandrine and flesh, glancing off her ribs. The fact that they can't do more than scratch metal isn't likely to be much comfort though.

Bent over to make the strike is a vulnerable position; or could be. Unseen, that flattened head follows Rey and splits open into a huge toothed maw, fully prepared to latch onto whatever she throws its way next.

[circumitus]

If not for her own mouth being sealed shut, she'd have yelled as the claws pierce her side. Though her bone structure may be synthetically composed, the pain and the organic insides are all very real.

But she has experienced far worse. Enough that she doesn't hesitate when she finds an open mouth over her. She doesn't stop to think about how this can be possible. Just throws her hands up and clasps them over the upper and lower jaw. Its teeth sink into her palms, but blood doesn't gush out.

Rather, the heat from her skin causes trails of smoke to emit from her wounds. Her grip tightens, willing to risk whatever damage to her vessel to prevent her face from being chomped off.

[infinite1up]

The things sizzles under her hands, like holding wet pop rocks as the IBM particles keep cycling through dissolving and regeneration, but still doesn't catch fire or burn properly.

Locked into close combat, it digs its claws into her sides, and Rey can feel its legs bump up against hers, jostling to keep her pinned while it strains against the hands keeping its jaws open.

[circumitus]

The heat helps her more than damage the ghost. What would have sent blood and innards from her wounds only makes to mend before any organs can fall out. That is more of a band-aid than a fix; not caring for any of the internal damage that its claws are doing. Adrenaline keeps her from focusing on the pain too much and instead on what's in front of her.

Her muscles tense as she pushes all her strength into her arms than her feet. Her head wavering off the ground, still silent and blind. She makes to pry its mouth apart. To dislodge its jaw in two.

[infinite1up]

Not making any progress against Rey's strength, the black ghost changes tactics again. While her hands are busy keeping that mouth from snapping shut, its own with all six fingers stained red and black, very much visible, wrap around her neck, pressing down.

But the thing is starting to unravel at the edges by now, invisible matter starting to flake away from the back of its head, weakening the narrow hinge of its ravening lizard-like maw.

[circumitus]

Eyes snapping open and peering through the lens of her third lids, she drives every bit of her upper muscles against those teeth. Not paying mind to how much they're damaging her hands, her fingers. Or her inner organs against the sharpness of its claws ripping out of her side. The back of her head slams against the ground, nearly wavering her grip when she's knocked back down senseless.

It isn't long before she is at her task again. Propelled by the sharp pain searing through her vessel like a wildfire. Unable to breathe through her mouth under the immense pressure against her throat. She's suffocating.

All she needs is a few more seconds.

A split, fleeting moment.

And the top of the creature's head tears, severing from its lower jowl.

[infinite1up]

When the top half of its head breaks loose, it's as if it falls apart in her very hands, breaking apart into fragments and short strips of material before dissolving away completely. Even at that, it's oddly silent, still not uttering a breath or wheeze of pain.

The hands at her throat don't vanish right away, but the weight pinning her down eases as the deterioration catches up with the IBM faster than it can regenerate, bits starting to flake away from the rest of its body. It was only a matter of time, after all.

[circumitus]

It's gone.

No thud of a corpse. No spilling of blood over her. Whatever is left just vanishes.

If this turned out to be another ability it has and could just materialize nearby, it had every chance to take advantage of it now. As it is, she flops towards her stomach, holding herself upright by her elbows. She scans the surrounding area, but nothing manifests to make a return appearance.

Flakes of the dried black layer shed from her face. Allowing her to gasp, draw in a breath of air through her mouth into her lungs after having it nearly choked out of her.

More of the samandrine falls down her head, giving her more breathing room. Using her forearms, she pushes herself onto her legs, keeping her shaking, mangled hands out. She starts limping towards one of the shops where she has left some of her things, trying not to trip over her feet all the while.

She can't stop. Can't fall here. Because she has an urgent call to make.