Pious

LOL. Guess it really is my lucky day.

Thanks also for the wallpaper LJ. It looks amazing. The missus is so totally jealous.

There is only the body of Kai Long Shin I think.

By the time the Arachnos ship reached Paragon City skies most of the team had finally regained consciousness. Pious had provided a wide radius of air that could carry the hunters slowly, down to a safe descent onto land. "Thank you for doing this Bozeman" said Pious, still not sure what the tannoy's message really meant. "My team and I are ready to exit the aircraft on your word. Perhaps one day we could repay you this favour".

As the news of the mission success reached the Nighthunter allies, motorcycle engines roared and the masterminds disappeared into the distance, carrying their injured. Meanwhile inside the Arachnos flier, Pious offered the Bane Spider identified as 'Bozeman' a friendly handshake. "Pious Hunter" he said politely. "These are my friends, we're incredibly thankful for your extracting teleport. If you could get us as close to the states as possible, we'd be much obliged."

Pious's heart skipped a beat as the Corporation marched forth. Suddenly a strange light birthed from thin air and danced crazily around the hunters. It zipped and zoomed, lashing out around the castle lounge as it swelled and grew. Then as quickly as it had come, it was gone, taking the Nighthunters with it.

Moments later, Pious was the first to regain consciousness. He looked about him and noticed the entire Nighthunters rescue team laying next to him, including the kidnapped. Morilanthi and his girlfriend Misty, Altair and Suraya Balfear, Morrighan, Alena and Zaisha, Damsel and Hazel, Sabrina's body and her dead son David, and what looked like Laya, Mary and the Silvatian. They were in an Arachnos flier, beneath the bright red resurrection rings.

"What in the Lord's good name just happened?" Pious asked out loud. "Were we just saved by Arachnos?"

Silvas was engaged in combat elsewhere in the castle and both the Rogue Isles Nighthunters and the Wolfhunter were fighting a losing battle outside against Countess Leeches. Inside at the main lounge, the Nighthunters were pinned down. Besieged by the surrounding army of zombies and under attack by the archvillain Elizabeth Bathory, the rescue team could only sit under their leader's forcefield, taking damage and fighting back where they can. Suddenly a new arrival entered the arena. Pious looked on with horror as the familiar smell of Headbreaker's cigar caught his nostrils. The fighting seemed to pause as all three groups watched each other, no doubt calculating on whose side they all fell.

When the environmental sonic attack reached the invisible Nighthunters, Pious erected a forcefield using a specific energy from the outer spectrum. He was about to retaliate by conjuring a spectral army when he noticed the white-haired man wasn't the enemy. In fact, he was protecting Hazel, not harming her. Martial artist Alena Corvas and Morrighan Spireside the night elf both got the jump on the screaming fae. A localised thundercloud swirled into form near the ceiling, sending powerful lightening at nearby foes.

As the invisibility spell dropped, Pious approached the man who had saved his daughter, arms open to collect her. "I don't know who you are sir but as Adam Moore once explained to me, not everyone in the Court are allied with Bathory of their own free will, and not all of you are evil murdering monsters like she is. Thank you for helping us. I'd like my child now; it’s time we went home."

The demon's hide deflected the first bullet but the high velocity and pin point accuracy of the hitman's shots was hard to beat, the following bullets penetrated the hulking monster's body and exited through the back, carrying with it bloodied muscles and intestines. The beast stumbled a little but kept its footing. He was angry now and that only increased his power; with great strength he slammed his hoofs onto the castle rooftop and ice began to spread out over the stones, capturing its nearby foes in a block of ice.

As the Arachnos government ships arrived, the thugs and ninjas began to fall back to join the mercenaries and robots near the front of the castle. They were under heavy fire from the rooftop but it wasn't lethal. They also had switched from live rounds to concussive. Only one of Countess Leeches's helicopters was left in the air, firing on the small army of Nighthunter robots. Leeches herself had positioned her own bots strategically inside the doors, blocking the way.

The coalitional hunting troupe the Wolf Pack were holding their own against the weak army of Infected but four on thirty was quickly becoming a losing battle. The six Nighthunter masterminds sent their minions to direct fire onto the army of Infected as well as the shooters on the rooftop. Mindful of the Arachnos ships, the leading brute of the redside Nighthunters flew past field commander Blade Racer and nestled himself close enough to dialogue with the Arachnos.

"Sir we are citizens of the Etoile Isles, present here in Cap Au Diable" he begun, attempting a negotiation with the commanding Bane Spiders. "Here's the situation; our conflict lies with the Countess Bathory but we are receiving heavy fire from that helicopter over there and that army of Infected. There are shooters on the castle rooftop firing concussive rounds and we've retaliated in kind. The initiating cause of the disturbance is Bathory; she has kidnapped our women and children. So we sent a stealthed rescue team inside and we're out here supplying covering fire. Sir... we're ready to seize all fire and leave the situation to the Arachnos government but please we really need your assistance. Any ideas?"

Thats what the plot moderator said in the opening post.

Don't think it completely rules out non-Unionverse characters but send him a PM first perhaps? He is Big_Game_EU.

This is where I envy the Americans. How do they mod plots so tightly and so successfully? Think there was a thread about this somewhere.

Just to clarify, it's only a team of six masterminds and the Corp hitman Bathory must've paid, is doing his job well in knocking them out.

It appears the Corporation are coming in riding on a trail of Arachnos so you don't necessarily have to write in Aeon if you don't want to Liz.

A sub-plot like this will always bring its surprises and in this case, the Nighthunters have moved in without warning and seized their loved-ones superquick.

It's the complete opposite pace to Moth Cathedral. It's just the way things go. Expect a sewer team and you get a strike team masking a stealth team. Tada!

I'm thinking Game will introduce a follow-up chapter in a few days if he's not working. He's worked hard with this and as I said, he still has plenty planned out.

Still burning wildly Sabrina collected her son's corpse in her arms and rose to her feet. She staggered and stumbled but her spirit held her up. Step by step she forged her way out of the room, leaving the three heroes alone to free the prisoners. At the door she was met by the other four Nighthunters who had only just arrived. As she passed them, her burning heat melted away their magical disguises. Alena Corvas, Zaisha, Morrighan Spireside and the Priest stood there, some in kevlar armour. Something in Sabrina's eyes was enough to convey the message because slowly, the heroes stepped aside. She had walked through the castle carrying the now charred corpse of her dead son, while enduring third-degree burns before finding his killer. Kai Long Shin was playing video games.