Johnathan
*`A vast, barren, and dark snowfield of eternal night, whose even little atmospheric light is snuffed by a persistent snowstorm.`*

*The blue light dissipates, and the group finds themselves within the midst of darkness.*

A dark, yet not perfectly dark, field of snow, encompassed each of those who emerged on the other side of the teleportative Ground Gate. The atmosphere was cold, yet not so terribly cold as to threaten immediate frostbite, but even what faint remnants of heat still trapped about their bodies would soon be swept away, as a **Powerful, howling gust of air** Whistled beyond them, carrying in its wake the frosty breath of *Snow.*

***A blizzard.***

Though they were certainly in the midst of the superstructure known as the *Vektet,* There was very much so *Weather,* And *Extreme weather,* At that. The air was not initially chilling to the bone, but the following gusts of powerful wind that carried thick flakes of snow would gnaw beyond their flesh and into the very cores of their body, blinding each in a flurry of elements that threatened to sever their lines-of-sight toward one another. The turbulent conditions would continue to assail them for the first twenty-seconds-or-so of their entrance, before calming, if only a little, allowing them enough comfort to gain their bearings.

The fogginess of their sightlines would depart, and in the following moments, they would be allowed the briefest of moments to acquire clear sightlines of their immediate surroundings.
_ _

Firstly, far, far in the sky above, hung the figure of something ever-recognized by those who called the nights of Earth familiar: a bluish-white orb; an astral figure; the **Moon.** A full moon — or, at the very least, an image *Of* The full moon — hung high in the sky above, so to recreate the moonlit nights of a land lost to those within the *Vektet.* There were no stars to accompany it, and yet its sight was unmistakable, illuminating the dark snowfield below in the moment of blue clarity.

Secondly, far to the west and some distance to the north (with their immediate rear being south, for reference), was a **Faint light,** Glowing with a slight warmth, even within the cold of the persistent night. What it illuminated was unclear, and yet its presence was still clearly detectable.

Thirdly, far to the east, and some distance to the north, was a sort of **Highground, atop of which was a dimly-lit, tower-shaped structure,** Its form vague and nebulous, indistinct at the distance from which they viewed it. Still, as the moon overhead lit its silhouette, it certainly would stand out as a peculiarity to further investigate.

Fourthly, directly to the north, quite some distance from them, was a **Wall.**
A gargantuan wall, which spanned from horizon-to-horizon, towering dozens of meters into the air, and interrupted only by a singular, towering gate at its center.
And atop that wall, above that gate, a light glitters, as something moves, ever-subtly...

Finally, and most prevalently, immediately surrounding them, in every direction—
**Bodies in the dozens, claimed by the snow, each pierced through and stuck to the permafrost below by great-arrows of pure silver.**
Clad in an almost golden-seeming alloy of brass, the bodies of the armored soldiers would be only familiar to Cumhall and Kuo—
_ _

__`𝙋𝙎𝘾𝙃𝙒`__

—the sound of tremendous built-up force in the distance being released, in a single instance, as the glittering light from atop the wall grew brighter in intensity, as if it was closing in on them—

__`𝙒𝙃𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙇𝙀...`__

—the sound of a sharpened projectile, piercing the atmosphere in an alarming, high-pitched tone which cut the night apart—

**𝙎 𝙇 𝘼 𝙈**

—**The sound of an impact akin to a mortarshell, slamming into the ground just ahead of them, kicking up hundreds of kilograms of snow in a single impact.**

As the snow scattered about their forms, the blizzard winds picked up once again, chaotically carrying the disturbed brumal powder every-which-way, blinding all of them in a single instance. The blizzard returned in full fury, stacking one woe atop another — **They were under attack, blinded, and in the midst of a blizzard.** As each were separated from one another in the blindness of the snow, there were few other options but one: __***Run.***__
Luke
As he stepped through the gate with the others, the cold hit Abstral quickly. 

```"Maybe warn us next time, eh?"``` Abstral said as he put the hood of his robes up. He had to use his magic to keep it up due to the strong weather in this... Room? 

It was only then he noticed he couldn't see anyone else around him. He heard the loud boom second.

Summoning his twin curved swords for both his protection and for the light, not bright but at least something, they shone, Abstral charged forth while calling out.

```"Hello? Fellow companions? You around anywhere?"``` He asked as he made his way what he hoped was forwards, though he could have sworn he walked a bit *Away* From the entrance to... Wherever this is, he couldn't see *Where* He was going after all.



**He quickly picked up the pace, running forward, Northeast.
Sharon
As the eyes of the man adjust, he lets out a shiver; not one fit to deal with blizzards or the cold. No, that was the expertise of Tabby the tabaxi, who, unfortunately, is not around currently. Looking around, The Rook takes account of all things laid out; watching the mysterious light move about, before panning down to *The bodies*. Countless armored folk lay dead at the group's feet, prompting the question of *What exactly fired that kind of arrow?*

*PSCHW*

*PLOOF*

Snow rises upwards swiftly, taking The Rook by surprise as he comes to the only real conclusion; they're *Under attack*. 

In a bellowing voice, The Rook yells a simple, yet effective command. _**"MOVE."**_ And, following his own advice, he begins to harness his magical technique built off of pure energy, *Running in place* And allowing the violet energy to build from his boots and lace into the ground, admittedly kicking up a fair amount of snow himself as he does so. 

In a split second, he unleashes the pent up energy, speeding across the great open plain *Towards the wall* At a pace that would be shocking for someone so clad in armor as he.

Of course, upon releasing the energy that has been magically stored, the table back at the Vektet's perimeter would suddenly lurch upward, no doubt messing with whatever may have been laid out ontop of it – it was an accident, of course, but still an inconvenience.
Michael
*Swiftly sprinting into the gate with the others, sachiko felt a chill in their fur, as well as a shock of cold in their back paws. As they stare down in curiosity as to what this chill came from, they were greeted by a familiar foe: cold, white snow.*

*Looking up to take in their surroundings, they are also greeted by a great gust of cold air: a blizzard was to be seen. Hah, haven't seen these things in a bit, she thinks.*

*Aside from the intense blowing winds and cold throwing her off her balance, for the first couple minutes here, sachiko seemed to be alright, for they could make out her surroundings just fine. Sure the... Sight of corpses and carnage all around, as well as the fact they were unsure how to utilize their abilties, and the other fact that they were severely behind from the other mercinaries brought great worry to them, but with a good creep and sneak around them, sachiko could live, and no one would notice.*

*But questions of course invade her mind. Where exactly did these bodies come from... And what was the commotion here exactly? From the loud sounds in the distance, to the sound of a bellowing voice they could barely make out, sachiko was greatly unsure.*

*They decide to take a moment to think about this for a moment. Dead bodies, the sounds of ignition, the sudden sight of arrows and bullets, something was rather familiar of this moment, but what was it...?*

*But as they begun to think about this, her ears perk up. A sound! The sound of a call, specifically. A bellowing call. However, they struggle to really make out the sound, which left them unsure as to what the voice really meant.*


" Moo...? "

*Sachiko quietly questions outloud. Why would they need to "Moo" Right about now...?*

*But just suddenly, their questions were answered by something striking the snow near them. An arrow. And then, another. At first this did not phase or worry sachiko, perhaps all would be fine! But just suddenly, the bellowing voice's words made sense.*

" Oh..."Move".....Haha. Everything makes sense now...! "
*Sachiko began to chuckle lightly, turning around from the scene only to instantly bolt out of there and search for any sign of the rest of the mercenaries.*
Mark
```diff
- "Great" -
```
He had little to comment on the state of the second floor, he felt no effect from the cold, bundled up nicely in his armour with not a millimetre of skin to show. Around him he could just make out his companions, the new faces panicked, they acted brash and impulsive, he smiled, of course so too did he upon first arrival in the vektet *It would soon beat that out of them*

His every move was calculated now after his experience on the first floor. First he switched off the VARET, dropping it entirely so he would not be hindered by its weight, kicking it under a snow covered body in case he needed it later.
Little could be made out of the surroundings, his eye naturally drew towards the tower; his ultimate goal. Yet for now there still remained secrets to be found, he considered the many options that surrounded him, but ultimately the decision was made for him.

As the projectile made contact he was little phased, getting worked up would only end badly so instead he thought logically, most likely it came from atop, or behind the wall, so to say if he got close enough to the wall he would end up in a blind spot where the fire could not reach, however they would likely have placements of smaller gunmen for such an occasion, and his black armour would do little for stealth in the endless white.
The solution then, was to get through or over the wall, despite its immense size.
So he began to walk, not run, the projectile had been slow moving and he would do best to conserve his energy, it was unlikely that their opponents could see well either, and in the event a projectile was headed straight for him, to dodge would be of minor difficulty.
Matthew
The drone whirred and beeped frantically upon arrival within the second floor, video and audio was being disrupted by the storm, radar too was disrupted, infrared saw only purple and none if its other sensors would do much to help see, it clung to Cumhall's back, and made disgruntled beeps, for there was no data to collect here.