The Infernal War

[Jack Robinson]

Your plane soars over the Swiss countryside, which is quickly becoming a barren wasteland. Fires dot the landscape, and even from your great height, you can see the mass of cars and people desperately trying to escape. The entire world is enduring this same struggle as the armies of hell wash over the land.

"Attention: we will be disembarking promptly. Windows will now be covered to avoid identification of HQ's location," the pilot says over the intercom. Black, opaque plastic slides over the windows. A few minutes later, the plane descends. You and around one hundred other WSA agents have arrived. There is a slight jolt as the plane lands, and a few seconds later, the plastic barriers open up. You're just outside a very fancy looking mansion, complete with gorgeous gardens, a black iron fence, and groundskeepers. .

"Disembark quickly," says the pilot, "The Council wants to meet with all of you. Good luck, and godspeed."

The doors to the plane slide open. You see a few men and women in suits approach your plane. They're already motioning for you to accompany them. You know none of these people, but you know what they are. Their purple suits mark them as Imminent Viceroys, the elite agents assigned to each Council Member. This really is it.

You've arrived.


@Kurogane86 @PoetLore @TreasureSniper

 

[Kurogane86]

It was literraly hell on Earth. Demons rose from the ground and started attacking the peaceful surface. Kane witnessed this and something took over him something inside his scrambled brain told him to fight these monsters. He was driven far more so than he had been in years, he fought killing demons until he was the last WSA agent left in his sector. He watched comrades fall before him, strong warriors that just couldn't fight an longer. It haunted his thoughts. The WSA ordered Kane to regroup at their headquarters.

He boarded a plane and found himself surrounded by other WSA agents he couldn't help but think if they were like him, were they the last survivors of their sector? His thoughts raced until the blinds started to close, something about keeping their headquarters location a secret. They finally touched down and Kane got escorted off the plan with the other agents. He pulled away from the group and pulled off his trench coat exposing his giant bird like wings. He spread his wings and his arms, getting rid of the cramped feeling he had for the long flight.

Kane was immediately pulled back by the viceroys. They wanted everyone to stay together for some reason. Kane started to feel irritated, "why? Why are we here? We should be out there fighting these bastards!"

 

[PoetLore]

Malcolm sat in the transport along with everyone else. The seas were a bit small for his large frame but he sat stiff and straight throughout the duration of the flight. Occasionally, his gaze would wander around the area he occupied with many others. He could see the same resolve and weariness in everyone. This was a war like none he had ever seen before, and he had seen far too many in his long life. The shades fell over the windows and he huffed a bit but otherwise ignored the precaution. If there were any among this group of survivors that would betray them, it would be best to unearth them now. This battle was decimating their ranks faster than anything he had ever seen, the last thing they needed were traitors among their ever thinning ranks.

They were rushed from the transport and kept in a tight group. He looked around and nodded to the few he did recognize, which were far less than he had hoped. His cape billowed behind him as he moved with long confident strides. He looked like a knight of old in his breastplate and gripping the hilt of his greatsword. The body armor he wore on the rest of his person was his only concession to modern apparel. That breastplate had been forged upon his eighteenth birthday and carried the crest of his family. He would never admit such a thing, but he felt protected and safe possibly having fate and luck at his back while wearing it.

He, as the others, did recognize the viceroys and while their appearance was welcome, it was also disconcerting. Were their numbers so low that the viceroys were going to be forced to join their ranks? Surely not! His mind rebelled at the very idea of it, but seeing them moving ahead so swiftly and with such urgency gave him cause to give credence to the possibility. He followed swiftly, eager to know the state of things around the world. His own territory was not yet overtaken, but he accredited that to the harshness of the weather in the barren northlands.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Faust was no stranger to war, some say he even lived for it. But even he was starting to feel that this may be the war they won't be winning, at least not anytime. The mec troopers were experiencing an unusually high amount of casualties during their skirmishes with the demonic armies on their front, although they succeeded in repelling their latest attacks, only time will tell if they will last.

Due to the size of his combat suit, Faust was transferred to a more human-sized suit while his main suit was stored in the cargo hold. Oddly enough he was not strangest looking one there as there a variety of humanoids that were present in the plane. Despite their differences in their exterior features, there is one common desire that holds them together, the desire to end this war. He turned towards the window of the plane to see an all too familiar sight, a land ravaged by war. A strong feeling of anger rose within him as he felt that he should be down fighting and slaughtering these invaders instead of going to some boring "board meeting."

"Whatever this is, it had better be worth it." he thought to himself as they landed. He didn't too much about secrecy of the location given the nature of situation. He exited the plane, his metal feet clanked against the floor of the plane with each footstep. He followed the instructions of viceroys as he too was curious about the reasoning behind this sudden meeting. The sooner they sort this matter out the sooner he can get back to killing these wretched and vile creatures.

 

[Jack Robinson]

You enter the grounds. Bronze gates swing open. Armed men patrol the gardens as you walk down a cobblestone pathway leading up to the mansion. You notice the path is lined with statues of past Council members and Head Maestros, and you swear you see their eyes follow you as you walk. No one says a word. The Viceroys offer no explanation. Kane speaks about his desire to fight the monsters. This elicits a dark smile from one of the Viceroys, a young man with sandy brown hair.

"Trust me, you'll get your chance sooner than you'd expect," he says.

You reach the mansion. The doors swing open, and the seven Council members walk out, followed by a British bulldog with a cigar sticking out of his mouth. Odd. Very odd. Even odder, the Council members stand aside as the dog waddles forward as if to deliver a speech. And then it does, in a very strong British accent.

"Hello, lads. Name's Bruce. I'm the Premier Associate in service to the Head Maestro. We're glad to have you here. This here is the Council. Introduce yourselves, loves."

They do so. Agent James Hobbes, Zeus Mugamba, Violeta Bonchini, Alvin Clark, Joao du Firmino, Hidetoshi Kira, and the Duke of Antarctica. Seven of the most powerful men and women to walk the earth. You feel better knowing they're on your side.

"I know you lot have a lot of questions, but now isn't an appropriate time to answer all of them. What you need to know is that you've been reassigned to a Special Actions Task Force that will be lead by Agent James Hobbes here. You will be privy to secrets and technology that are not usually given to agents of your rank. As well as...responsibilities. Agent Hobbes, you can take it from here. Explain it to them."

Just like that, the dog saunters back inside the mansion. A bald man in a grey suit steps forward, surveys the crowd, and then points at Kane, Malcolm, and Faust.

"You three. You're my Triumvirate. My top three. I've read your files. I know what you're about. Here's the deal. It's up to you to decide what the task force is going to do. We have too many battles going on, too many crises, we can't handle all of them. If we divide the strike force up, we lose their combined strength, and we're no better than the helpless chapters getting pummeled on a daily basis. It is up to all of you to turn the tide. You'll be in dangerous situations. Most of you will not survive. But all of you have the potential to be war heroes. All of you will be the difference makers."

Hobbes takes a silver orb out of his pocket and tosses it on the ground. It projects a hologram of Switzerland, with three red dots hovering over specific locations.

"We have three main issues in Switzerland, all of which could lead to certain consequences. The first is a civilian crisis in Bern. As the demon forces advance, they slaughter anyone in their path, or worse, enslave them. If the demons get their hands on a large civilian population, their numbers in the country could swell to unmanageable sizes."

He points to another dot. "Here we have the Swiss army. They're in full retreat over the Alps, and demons are spilling in. If we don't stop them there, we risk losing any assistance from Swiss forces as we try to fight back against our foes."

The last dot. "Finally, there are rumors of demon sympathizers in western Switzerland, specifically in a town called Yurgen. We already have demons to deal with, and we certainly don't want to have to fight humans on top of that."

Hobbes sighs. "As you can see, all three of these are pressing issues, but we only have time to send you to one of these locations. The demons are moving too rapidly, too randomly. We can't stop them everywhere. We have to pick our battles. The Council has deemed each of these as equally important, and stopping just one of them would be a much needed victory. You three will decide where you're going to go. It's only fair, seeing how you've offered your lives up to the cause. You should decide where your blood will be shed. I know it's a tough choice. If you choose to defer, the Council will choose your mission. But know we will support your decision, regardless of what it is."

You feel the rest of the agents look at you. This is it. You have a choice to make.

 

[Kurogane86]

Kane looked at the Viceroy that assured him that they'd get their chance to fight soon. "Excellent." Kane was led to where the others were and awaited for their grand meeting to begin. A group of men came forward along with dog that introduced them all and handed the meeting over to another. Agent Hobbs a bald looking serious man began talking about making Kane and two others his triumvirate.

Agent Hobbs explained they have 3 high important issues at hand that needed their attention. One was to save civilians, the other was to save an army and the third was to squash a group of sympathizers. Kane heard the agents options and the choice was clear. "We will save the innocent!" He yelled out from the ranks. "The innocent deserve protection above all else! The sympathisers will be devoured by the very monsters they adore and although it is regrettable the soldiers will have to fend for themselves."

Kane felt the hard stares from the other agents. He didn't care, he knew his choice was right. Something deep in his soul told him that if he didn't he'd regret it. He looked over to the others that were chosen. "What say you commrades?"

 

[TreasureSniper]

Although Faust was deeply honoured by the council's decision of allowing him to be part of the task force, this was not a time for celebration. He wasted no time in expressing his opinion on the matter.

"I am afraid I have to disagree." he spoke with a monotone robotic voice. "As noble as it sounds, saving these civillians will not offer us any tactical advantage in this war. War is won through soldiers, not through senseless acts of heroism. What would be the purpose of saving these civillians now if we are not able to save them later? As such, I propose we save our soldiers in the Alps to strengthen what little forces we have left to be used fo future battles and win this war."

"That being said, it appears that we are at an impasse. and you will be our tie breaker." The soldier said as he turned his head towards the scotsman. "Nonetheless, whatever your decision may be, I will respect it." and now they wait.

 

[PoetLore]

Malcolm listened to the dog and though his brain was a bit twisted at the realization that he was indeed listening to a dog, he did so. If nothing else that would be a good tale to be told at the local pub once this whole thing was over. Then he gave his attention to Hobbes. He at least knew of this name and reputation so it was a bit easier to take command from him, than from a dog, albeit a talking one.

They had a very harsh and hard task to choose and indeed there was no way to be all to everyone in this thing, regrettably. He stroked his beard and gave a deep sigh of resignation. "Aye lad, twould be good to save th' innocent were et nay fer the matter of tha demon horde descendin' on us like a pack a dogs o'er the last bone. We be in need of men...trained and willin'...it may be tha' we can save a few by bein' stronger. I say we aid tha Swiss."

He drew in a breath and looked at the two. "I be called Malcolm...Seems proper ta know tha names o' tha men I be throwin' ma lot along side o' dinna ya think?" he extended a large hand to the others ready to make their bond in life and death to fight their common foe. He was of the old school where men only needed a shake of their hands and an oath to be brothers and bound to each other.

 

[Kurogane86]

Kane looked at the one called Faust. He knew he had a point but couldn't agree with his decision. The soldiers could fight, the civilians couldn't. He looked over at the Scotsman who wanted to waste time with greetings. Kane felt annoyed but figured this was faster than calling the man a fool and fighting him for wasting time. Kane nodded "im Kane, I realize we need to know who each other are but time is of the essence. Please Malcom, your decision." Kane looked his new comrade in the eyes, as if telling him to hurry.

 

[PoetLore]

Malcolm tipped his head a bit as he shook the man's hand, "Ma accent be somewha' 'ard to pick up eh?" he shrugged, "I be in favor of addin' to our numbers and aidin' the Swiss...tis not as ye spoke, but tis my hope tha' more men will equal less loss in tha end." he didn't like throwing defenseless people to the wolves any more than the next guy, but this was war and war was a numbers game. It the Swiss men died, there were that many less to fight.

 

[Jack Robinson]

"I believe it's decided then," says Agent Hobbes, stepping forward. "You will go to the army's location in the Alps. Initial reports suggest they're in the middle of a full-blown retreat. Your objective will be to minimize casualties and find a way to keep the demons from coming through St. Jacques's Pass, which is where they've been moving most of their forces in from Italy. If you can manage to stop their advance, we would be able to divert resources to other areas. I'll be sending my Viceroy, Edwin, with you." A sandy-haired youth in a purple suit steps forward and nods at the assembly of agents.

"You will have to leave immediately. You will be equipped with heavy duty explosives, laser-proof body armor, and demon blade rounds. These demon blade rounds are made from the melted down remains of demonic weaponry, and if the recent field tests are anything to go by, they should be able to take down most demons. Try to move quickly and intelligently. The Triumvirate and Viceroy Edwin will be in charge of all tactics and decisions. Viceroys, please let those down in the armory know our agents are ready to go. You may now go board the airship you flew in on. Triumvirate, now is a good time to start discussing your plan of attack. Best of luck to you all. Godspeed."

With that, Hobbes and the rest of the Council goes back inside, leaving you with Viceroy Edwin to plan the attack as the other agents go to arm themselves and board the airship.

"Saint Jacques's Pass is a narrow chokehold being held by the Swiss army in between two large mountains. The demons are flowing through without any challenge, and they have the entire Swiss army pinned down there. We'll have to think of something clever to stop their advance," says Viceroy Edwin, "You three are more experienced in combat than I am. Any suggestions?"

 

[Kurogane86]

Kane looked annoyed at the decision to ignore the innocent people being threatened. "This is madness, you will sacrifice the innocent for fire power?" His rebutle was ignored as plans to help out the troops was approved and they were on their way. They spoke of weapons, armor and other things specialized in killing demons. "I need no such weaponry." His arm started sparking as streaks of static jumped all along his arm. "I fought those monsters as i am now, and choose my mobility rather than armor."

Kane followed the others to the airship. He was still upset at their choice but lightened up when he heared them talk about diverting resources to other areas. He heared the Vicerroy speak of the situation. He looked young, but considering their line of work nothing surprised him anymore. "If its as you say a we should trap them in the narrow pass and attack them from up above."

 

[TreasureSniper]

"With all due respect, sir. We wont be saving anyone if we chose to aid the civilians. We would merely be delaying their suffering and decrease our chances of winning this war." The metal man hoped that his slightly headstrong angel ally would realize the folly behind his initial decision.

"Good to meet you scotsman. I am MT-777 but my friends call me Faust." he said as his metal hand shook his new comrade in hand. "In terms of a plan, I propose that we use the explosives to blow up specific points of the two mountains to cause an avalanche to block off the narrow chokehold to slow their advance and buy us more time to set up defensive emplacements. Me and lightning boy over here can pick them off from the skies while the scotsman can help with the preparations on the ground."

"Also, with regards to the anti-demon weaponry, would it be possible to integrate some of these weapons, including the melee-variants to my battle suit,sir?" Faust directed his question to the viceroy and hoped that there was some way they could better tune his weapons against the demon threat.

 

[Jack Robinson]

Edwin purses his lips and examines the German cyborg. "Well, we do have some demon blades which could replace any melee augmentations you already have. I'm not sure exactly how your suit works, but I'm sure we can exchange your metal for demonic steel." He pulls out a phone and types a message. "I'll have Agent Arnold fix you up. Shouldn't take any time at all."

"As for the strategy, I think that will work very well. If we can bottleneck the demons, they'll be much easier to handle. I can work on the ground with Malcolm and the Swiss. I suppose if you two are up in the air and we manage to get our agents on the mountain passes, we should be able to take out many demons with few casualties. We'll just have to be ready to change tactics at any moment. Demons are unpredictable little beasts."

 

[Kurogane86]

Kane ignored the metal man, his comments wernt important now. These new comrades of his only thought of fighting, but what of the innocent. Kane vowed hed do all he can to qwell the demon infestation and save the people of the world. To do so he knew his strength alone wasnt enough, team work was necessary. Kane nodded in agreement as the metal man aka Faust agreed with his plan. "Kane." He said when Faust reffered to him as lightning boy. "My name is Kane."

"As you said this plan is best however." Kane looked at their accompanying Viceroy. "As you said the Demons are quick to catch on to our plans. We must deal as much damage as possible during the initial confusion." Kane looked around the ship. "We should strike hard and fadt without giving the cleverest of them a chance to breath."

 

[PoetLore]

Malcolm listened and was thoughtful as they made plans, including his part in it. narrow passes were a strategic advantage to the attacking forces, however they were also an easy way to be trapped without room to retreat as well. at the mention of demon metal augmentation however, he emerged from his internal reverie and turned his attention to Viceroy Edwin. "Have they a broadsword lying about?" He asked only half joking. His sword and speed were enough to take them down, but if this other metal could slice through them faster, or more effectively, he was all for using it. War was about knowledge of the enemy exploited to your advantage, if this metal weakened them then they should use it.

He looked at Kane and shook MT-777's hand, "Good to meet you. Have ye another name? That be a mouthful...Mebbe Sevens?" He asked hoping not to insult the man. "Et should be easy 'nough ta plant explosives an' cause tha pass ta be e'en smaller, but mebbe..we ken trap 'em in a dead end?" He looked at Edwin, "Have ye a map o' this pass??"

 

[Jack Robinson]

Edwin pulls out a small metal sphere from his breast pocket. He tosses it on the ground, and it projects a bird's eye view of the pass. You see it is rather narrow, perhaps a half-mile wide, but quite long, stretching from the Italian border all the way into the Swiss countryside. Massive mountains line all sides of the pass. Edwin points at a red dot sort of in the middle.

"That there is the last Swiss army's last stand. There are smaller pockets of troops further up and down the pass, as some were left behind during the retreat and others have retreated too far. This point where the main army is holed up is a little less than half a mile wide. There are a few paths on the sides of the mountains overlooking this point that we could use for snipers or artillery or whatnot." He points at a spot on the map a few miles from the red dot. "That's where we think the demons are. They could be right on top of the Swiss once we get there. Who knows. We'll be going in blind to an extent. If we can cause enough rocks and boulders and the like to fall down, we should be able to seal off the pass completely. Some demons will obviously still be able to get through, but they'll be stuck in that pass for the most part. We can choose what to do with them after that."

He grins at Malcolm. "As for a broadsword, well, to an extent. Demon blades are about five to six feet long. I'm sure we have one lying around that you can make use of. And if not, well, you could always scavenge one from the battlefield. So what do you all make of this? Once we seal the pass, if we're able to do so, how do we deal with the remaining demons?"

 

[PoetLore]

Malcolm looked at the image projected. "See here...." he said pointing to the Swiss end of the narrow pass. "If we ken create a box there wi' no way out an' position men at tha top o' tha' created ridge and 'ave tha rest fall in behin' 'em...we ken trap 'em an' mebbe save one alive ta ...learn on eh?" They needed to let their science people have at one of these things and find a weakness to exploit. "Should 'ave few losses on our side..and should be quick."

He gave Kane a glance, "Faster we get this contained the faster we can get ta yer civilians eh?" He could almost feel the other man's seething anger at them for choosing to gather more troops instead of defending the civilians, but it couldn't be helped. "Mebbe we ken accomplish both...heavens shinin' on us canna happen." he hoped so anyway. It was a shame that people were in peril, but they were everywhere, not just that one isolated place. They needed to have a few victories to boost morale and confidence again. He was hoping this would be the start of such events.

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Fill me in if there are any changes to the plan. I m gonna head over to the armory to oversee the modification to my suit." and with that, the metal man started walking to the armory. He is confident that the other two members of his team and viceroy were more than capable of coming up with a decent plan.

"So tell me, whatcha got for me, sir?" he asked an officer on the armory, hoping that he could get some details about the additional weaponry available. Maybe if he is lucky, he will get access to the experimental weapons that the councils been hiding from the lower level agents. Either way, he was excited to see what new "toys" he will get to play with and how much demons he will get to slaughter. He currently has the highest demon-kill rate in his Mec trooper squad and he intends to keep it that way.

 

[Jack Robinson]

The armory officer salutes Faust and pulls out something wrapped in cloth.

"This here is a demon blade that we've attached to an arm implant compatible with our mech troopers. This can replace your usual melee augmentations and should work normally in combat. Might have a couple kinks, but we trust you'll be fine in combat. If you need any adjustments or experience any issues, there'll be an armory official with your strike team who should be able to make quick onsight repairs if necessary. Do you need anything else?"

Meanwhile, back with Kane and Malcolm, Edwin turned off the map hologram and stuffed it in his breast pocket. "Sounds good to me. If we could get one of these demons alive, it could be extremely helpful. We could learn all sorts of things about their anatomy, about their plans, how their brains work, all sorts of things. We'd need a very skilled individual to incapacitate a demon in a way in which it'd be easy and safe to take back to base. Which one of you wants to do that? Because I'm nowhere near crazy enough to be willing to do that," Edwin smiles.