<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/13/Ha_Otoko_color.jpg)</div><br/><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Wrociaw - Dense Forest</strong><br/><br/>Damian noticed how Allia pulled away from the conversation, without offering input, and seemed to be taking the straightforward route to the dropship. It was trivial for the man to deduce the issue, based on her professional conduct in the past. Her communications were likely even more shot than his and Kari's, and judging by the impaired mobility of her 'Mech, she likely would not be able to make the precarious trek through the hills. It was a pity, for it would have been the somewhat safer option for he and Kari. But, just like his commander's daughter, he was not about to leave anyone behind. He wasn't emotionally attached to most of them, though the two in his current company could be exceptions there. No, it was a matter of duty and loyalty. He could not expect people to watch his back, if he did not do the same for them. As such, he voiced no objection to the decision, and swiftly followed suit. He did not struggle to keep up, for Charybdis seemed to be in relatively better shape than his allies. This was not a testament to his skill as a warrior, but rather a fortunate side-effect of his focus on long-range combat. If left unambushed, he was more likely to steer clear from the brunt of incoming fire than front-liners such as the Black Knight and the Ghost.<br/><br/>Sadly, they did not get very far before they were subjected to more incoming fire. They had dallied for too long, but they were still not under attack by the brunt of the pursuing forces, so they still had a running chance.<br/><strong>"I will hang back slightly and try to slow them down. Charybdis' mobility is less compromised than your two 'Mechs, so I should be able to keep up,"</strong> the decision was not a request on his part. It made sense for them to press on while he used what ammo he had left to cause some flames to break out. If he was in luck, an alpha strike on a damaged Falcon could even cause an ammo explosion; which definitely heightened the chance for fire to make life for the pursuers very hard indeed.<br/><br/>He slowed his pace, and torso twisted enough to get some of the enemies in his sights. Locking on was pointless, given the wealth of bark that was standing between him and potential targets. Instead, he decided to rely on his gut instinct, and manually aim for specific areas. Both LRM-20's installed on his 'Mechs frame flared violently as a large payload was forced from the containers as a single volley. The explosions were powerful and while he was unable to take down any of the targets, several trees were toppled and began to form obstructions, while smoke began to billow from impacts sites as fires spread tremendously quickly through the dry woods. As a final effort he turned his remaining arm towards the nearest Falcon and fired the last three shells he had left in quick succession. A grin colored his lips as two struck the confused, medium 'Mech, crippling it and causing it to explode from internal damage. Needless to say, that explosion fanned the considerable flames.<br/><br/>Despite that success, Charybdis was now spent. Beyond a few more missiles, he had no ammo left and he did not trust the 'Mech to handle the recoil even if he did. If any more fighting was to be done, it was going to be up to his two compatriots.</div>