Turning back to the door, Quint thought over the things Acous was talking about. A bipedal tank? Mana absorption from the surrounding area? Certainly it worked with mages, but that was simply due to nature and how humans have naturally adapted to the use of magic over the years.
Shaking off the feeling, she headed back up stairs. One of the members of her support team must have heard that. Get to a safer spot, and then she'll talk with the team.
It wasn't too long when Quint escaped the laboratories and removed her disguise. Sorting it into her backpack, and taking out her pistol she reentered the forest. Her eyes darted left to right as she looked around. Things seemed quiet for the forested area, no signs of birds or other creatures making their usual noises.
A loud rip from the trees scattered the birds as Quint looked up. A long pole like thing hurled towards her leg. Before she knew it, the purple haired mage fell to both hands, her left thigh burning. The same releasing sound echoed about as she quickly rolled behind a tree. A row of three crossbow bolts dug into the ground as she looked back at her leg. Stuck right in the middle was a crossbow bolt. Blood gushed out of the wound as her Barrier Jacket faltered for a moment. Gaining her concentration again, and with pistol in her other hand she peaked out of one side of the tree while grabbing on to the bolt.
Metal gleamed against the peaking sun as she quickly hid herself behind the tree as the bolts stuck into the tree. Gripping the bolt and powering her hand with magic, the bolt slowly lifted out of the wound. A woman's laughing giggle bounced off the forest in glee as leaves rustled around. Wasting no time, Quint got back to her feet and rose her pistol. Bounding towards her, a female figure landed in a tree point stance. Her eyes were turquoise much like her hair, with traces of some graying strains. A long bob cut with some strange metallic sensors just above her ears. It was the same woman in the helicopter nearly a week ago. While she looked older, her grin was one of a young child getting a new toy.
She giggled again looking back at Quint. "I am The Fear…" Rising to standing, she pointed a sinister looking metal crossbow, already loaded. Quint's lungs felt heavy as she tried to pull the trigger. Trees and sounds started to blend together as the turquoise mage smirked.
"That bolt is coated in the venom of the Cabral Wandering Spider. All that pain… simply delicious…"
Trying to keep her stance, Quint's hands faltered, her legs turning to jello. "Your limbs paralyzed, lungs halted, even your heart stopping to beat…" Her giggle sounding muffled as Quint brought her free hand down and quickly removed the bolt with a magically charged hand.
The Fear's eyes glistened when she threw the bolt away. "Good, good. There'd be no fun if you died that easily… But the poison…" Grinning again, stepped backwards as her body was engulfed by it, as if she was fading into it.
"The Boss's apprentice… Prepare to feel the fear!"
Disappearing, Quint ran herself behind some tree as she rummaged through her backpack. Going through the contents in her small medical kit, she pulled out a small needle labeled 'Serum'. Jabbing it into her leg, the groggy feeling fade away as she slowed her breathe. The trees, grass and leaves all rustled around. Taking her Strike Arts stance, she scanned all over the place. Nothing so far.
A little snapping sound popped behind her as Quint tried to turn around for to be stopped by something feeling up her breasts. A near lustful moan nearly escaped her mouth before she sharply gasped. The accusing hands at her boobs were wrapped in navy blue Jacket armor as they squeezed again.
"The Boss sure does know how to pick'em." The Fear purred behind her. "Nice and soft."
"KYYYAAAA!"
Immediately swiping at the air behind her, Quint unleashed a torrent of swears, rapidly bashing away at the air, her magic bursts blowing back wind. All the while, The Fear continued to laugh at her achievement.
Finally calming down, she dodged to the right as crossbow bolts sprang up. She was lucky that The Fear was still goofing about. The light ruffle of branches and bark pinged in her ear as she fired a few shots in the distance. The matter diver grunted as she looked back at her opponent, before disappearing into the tree. She did something. But who know's for how long.
The blunette continued to jump and hop through trunks and branches, all while using the cover of the leaves as Quint kept on her feet. Standing still would be suicidal. Five crossbow bolts tore through the air, just moments where she stood as she her opponent mumble. "Damn… Hungry…" Looking around the corner, The Fear loaded another bolt as it struck an animal, its death wail silenced in a second.
Turning towards it, the purple haired mage saw The Fear dive towards the dead creature, a small Shutran rabbit as she skinned it and devoured its insides. Her stomach easily handled the scene as she cracked two shots off, The Fear choking on some of the meat before sinking into the ground. Leaping from the ground like a spring, Quint traced her movement to another tree as she blasting away as the cartridge hissed out of the pistol. Reloading, she didn't hear a single grunt. Her shots must have missed as the familiar snap of her crossbow became her rebuttal. Rolling to the side, one of the bolts snipped at her Barrier Jacket before regaining strength. Back on her feet, she cursed under her breathe for only having a Sniper Rifle as her other weapon. Her knuckles cracked as she flexed them, standing tall again.
More and more crossbow bolts impaled the ground as she ducked and wove in between the trees, peaking out behind cover whenever she needed. Every time she could, tracing the movement of branches and leaves, Quint banked a shot where the movement would lead to as the matter diver coughed and grunted against the shots, her own Barrier Jacket falling.
Hearing her stomach growl again, the purple-haired mage stood out in the open, eyes watching every corner. To her feet a small rainbow colored frog. Firing at creature, it twitched for a moment before freezing in its tracks. Taking a punt, the small animal flew through the air and landed near by. Rustling leaves followed by a muffled crunch of boots, The Fear quickly gobbled up the frog. Pausing, she immediately curled over, coughing loudly. "Poison!" She screamed, as blood slowly rose from her throat.
Not taking any more chances, Quint cracked one last shot at her enemy as the Cobra flipped over on her back. Body twitching and hands contorting her eyes swelled. "I… I can see it..!"
Uh oh.
"I see..! The Fear… The Fear…"
Taking cover, Quint covered her ears as the matter diver exploded, spikes of her tainted crossbow bolts spreading all about the forest. Unfortunate birds and rabbits impaled by the spikes fell and died as she looked around. Taking a moment to recover her breathe, she snapped on her radio and hailed back home.
"Snake, did we just hear right?" The Major raised his voice. "It sounds like you just defeated The Fear!"
"I beat The Pain just yesterday too."
"This… Excellent job, Snake! How does it feel to defeat one of the legendary Cobras?"
Leaning against a log, she sighed. "… Tiring."
"Atta girl. That leaves only two more."
"Major, I've gotta ask you though. Why do they keep exploding?"
"It's a part of their legend actually. Sigint?"
"Ahaha, I've got this one." Quint's mysterious weapons support chimed in. "It's actually a little thing called a 'Microbomb'."
"A 'microbomb'?"
"Uh huh. During the Second World War, the Cobras were sent in for the nasty wet-works. The stuff that makes you cringe at night. So to that end, they all carried a little bomb to make sure that not even their corpses would be left behind. No trace of evidence. Call it like a suicide pill, just like the one you have around your neck."
Patting down her chest, Quint found a small chain wrapped around her neck. She pulled it out and saw a small capsule of kinds, just small enough to swallow without water. "So something like that, huh? Just without a revival pill or a 'put-yourself-back-together' thing."
"Yup, the very one hooked to your molar. Pretty sweet eh?" Sigint cleared his throat before continuing. "But I thought it was just a folk tale. Never thought it'd be true." He paused. "But aren't they in friendly territory? So why need the microbomb?"
Wrapping her head around the idea, a few things immediately popped in her head. The Cobra Unit was a multinational group, composing of the USH, USSS and some other smaller nations. By leaving them behind for this one mission, they have forfeited their allegiance. Soldiers without a flag.
"Maybe it's because their ready to die." She finally spoke up.
"What do you mean?"
"They've got no country to return to. No unit to look after."
"And all that remains is…"
"The battlefield."
The sounds of the forest called back to Quint as she closed the channel and continued back to the warehouse. I wonder if The Boss feels the same way…
-.-.-
Exiting the warehouse from a backdoor, her radio rang again. From Eva's frequency. Quint took a moment to look around before clicking it on again.
"Snake, you there?" Eva's voice called.
"Eva? Where are you?"
"In Groznyj Grad. Doctor Flor is here too, finishing up the Fanzabastovka. Where are you?"
"At the warehouse near Acous' research facility. He gave me a key up the mountain to a hidden passage to Groznyj Grad."
She sounded a bit shocked. "Really? Why?"
"He was drunk."
"Hopefully he won't regret his decision." Eva hummed for a moment. "Snake, there is one problem with that route. The mountain entrance to that tunnel is sealed. You'll need a key to get through."
"Don't I already have a key..?"
"No, no. I mean like an actual key." Frowning, Eva's words helped picked her mood back up. "But don't worry. I have an idea. There is an abandoned ruin at the top of the mountains. Meet me there."
"Alright. Got it." Just before she clicked off her radio, Eva told her to hold.
"Wait. I've also been looking through some of the deployment commands and it seems that one of the Cobras might be near; The End."
"You mean the young Sniper?"
"The very same. Be careful out there Snake, he maybe younger than you, but you're in his environment. The entire forest is on his side."
"Wait huh?" Quint was dumbfounded. The entire forest?
"Yes. That's right. The forest he is said to be camping out is divided into three areas: A river, a plateau and a clearing. He'll be waiting in one of those areas. From what I heard, he also has a supernatural knack for camouflaging himself as well."
"You mean that Barrier Jacket he has, the one with all the leaves on them, isn't just for show?"
"How'd you know?" Eva questioned.
"I kinda saw… from that water dock near the warehouse."
"Ah, I see." The brunette was silent for a moment before she continued. "He may know the forest around him, but he doesn't know you Snake. I'm sure that you can beat him."
Smirking as her own Barrier Jacket adjusted to the forest, Quint started to trek towards the base of the mountain. "Don't worry. I intend to."
-.-.-
Her body pressed against a tree, Quint peeked out. Nothing but the quiet sounds of the jungle. No boots marching through. Bending down to her stomach, she slowly crawled through underbrush as bugs and birds flew out, wishing to be away from the human. Stopping every moment to rest her ear against the ground, she listened to the ground. Still no footsteps nearby.
The purple haired agent eventually reached a fallen log as she peak above again, the pulpy water of the moss flowing down. Nobody here… Something's off. Leaping over the log, she continued down the path, watching and listening to the forest. Hopefully Eva's rumor about The End's supernatural ability wouldn't be true.
Nearing the clearing, Quint shielded her eyes against the sun. The forest seemed to quiet down, rabbits and leaves stopped rustling in the underbrush. Even the snakes seemed to stop as if they were listening into an announcement.
"Can you hear me!? Snake?!" A man's voice boomed around the forest. Looking around, the Haimirian agent tried to see if it came from a single direction. "I am The End! I am here to send you to your ultimate fate! You'll make a fine quarry for my hunt!"
Immediately ducking down behind a tree, she continued scan the forest. Nothing but green in every direction. Throwing her backpack around, Quint hastily assembled the SVD rifle. A quick double check to make sure it wasn't going to jam, she quickly searched the trees. A small shining-
"Sweet dreams!"
The thunderous crack of The End's sniper rifle burst through the forest as Quint cried out in pain. Magic rounds! Barrier Jacket shimming, she looked around. The shot was definitely forward. Looking for another tree, the Haimirian agent dashed over. Another crack from a sniper rifle broke the ground just a few inches away. That angle isn't up far. He's close.
Looking further into the jungle, she spotted a small weapons cache building. Rushing towards it, The End took another shot as it pierced through the legging as Quint scrambled on her legs. Still pushing forward she leapt behind the cover of the building. Her entire leg numb, the purple-haired woman crawled to the door and pushed it open.
Crates of ammunition and experimental gadgets laid in clean order. Stacked on each other in rows, a small smile crept on her face. She got to her feet, leaning against the walls. Realizing that The End could be moving to a new position, Quint quickly grabbed a few bullets and experimental grenades. Smoke, stun and some other new type grenade, she stowed them into her backpack before looking around one more time.
The door slid open with Quint's slightest push. Gently, she closed the door and peaked over to the side. It seemed that The End had moved. Just as she thought. Hopping down, the purple-haired agent listened to the forest. A river flowed just nearby. Thinking that it was the best way to go, she followed a rough path down. Her ears heard well when she smelt the water vapors from little waterfalls. The low droning of frogs and other animals minding their own business in the forest filled the air. Who would have guessed that this place would be the battlefield?
Searching for any sign of The End, Quint crept forward to the sounds of the animals. For a few seconds the animals stopped. Feeling that she was going in the right direction, Quint continued, tracking for any places where The End could have been. It wasn't too long before she saw foot prints in the mud around the river. Still fresh too. Smiling, she followed the path laid by the tracks. Still looking up, a small little glimmer from the trees caught her attention. It wasn't the sunlight from the leaves. Immediately, she took cover near a fallen log, gritting her teeth.
For a few moments, she listened back to the animals. The birds chirping returned followed with the bugs. Sighing with relieve, Quint rested her head on the log. Maybe she was just seeing things. Double checking, the violet haired woman traced the glimmer until she saw a person with a sniper rifle perched a small waterfall away. Using the log as her tripod, Quint cocked the rifle up, making sure that the scope didn't making a shining light back. I can't see his head…
Quint pulled the trigger, the powerful crack of the rifle followed a grunt of pain. Firing two more, The End stood up and lobed a flash grenade. Immediately covering her eyes and ears, the grenade exploded as its flash and bang muffled against her cover. As Quint looked back up, The End had already fled. Body low, the Haimirian agent rushed where The End was, smiling when she saw wet footprints with blood splattering with each other step. Eyeing the trail and listening to the sounds of the forest, she crept forward, taking over between the trees and the rocks nearby.
Only a few moments later and Quint popped her head out of some underbrush. The End was resting against a tree not too far, tending to his wounds. A shot at his leg, shoulder and stomach bled as he leaned his head against a tree. Holstering her rifle and taking out her pistol, she slowly crept up behind the Sniper and yelled, "Freeze!"
His eyes immediately shot open, shocked. "B-b-but how did…?" He dropped his rifle, turning around. Patting him down, Quint felt the textures of his combat gear. It felt like leaves, but had a bulky undercoating of protection. Finding some mana cartridges and even a candy bar, her Barrier Jacket slowly shifted to match the texture of The End's suit.
"The Boss would be proud of you." He smirked. Kicking up his rifle, The End grabbed the weapon and swung it against Quint's stomach. Quint yelled out in pain as she curled against the hit, but didn't move an inch. Pushing through the pain, she dropped her pistol and grabbed on The End's rifle, twisting his arm around and throwing him off. Tumbling away and getting back to his feet, the Cobra member murmured a few choice curse words before rushing into the forest.
He can't get away that much! She gritted, picking up her pistol before rushing after him. His heavy breathing and steps squished against the soft ground made it easy for Quint to track him down. The Cobra Sniper leaved over himself, and having slid down a little cliff the blood loss started to get to him as he tried to hide behind cover. The Haimirian agent easily lined her shot, her cartridge spent and the crack of her pistol booming through the forest.
The End frozen as he fell to the side, his body laid out. "Spirits of the Forest… I thank you." He said, his voice tired and strained.
"The time has come for another generation. One without enemies of the past to lead." A parrot, green with a yellow head fluttered down to his shoulder as it cocked its head. "What a splendid way. To end this all."
Feeling what's going to happen next Quint hid herself behind a small log, her eyes peaking over to see how the End would explode. A dust storm of leaves?
"I have no regrets." He lifted his shoulder up as the parrot flapped its wings to fly away. "I can return to the forest at last…"
The leaves on his armor wilted and turned brown before a small explosion bursted from his stomach. Its subtle breeze shaking the trees where he laid, throwing the leaves into bits and scattering them above the treeline.
Breathing easy, Quint shook her head and rested against the log. One Cobra left.