The Proving Grounds: Forgotten City; City Hall, Parking Lot

1821Y 02M23D 0400H

A scream from somewhere caught everyone's attention.

"GET OUTTA... WAY..."

Suddenly, hordes of mutants came running out of a street corner — soon enough, what looks like a mini IAV Stryker ('IAV' Interim Armored Vehicle) without any armaments came crashing out of a house, running over a bunch of mutants, painting the pavement with bile and gore.

Everyone was dumbfounded ( even the mutants ) as they watch a Priestess riding on the hood of the armored vehicle desperately holding on to its reins as it slips sideways because of the viscous fluid blanketing its six wheels.

It slammed into a decrepit building, bursting out of other side, landing on a dried out pond.

The IAV's wheel dug in the dirt as it tried to get back unto the road, kicking mud and everything else buried behind it.

She whips the reins making the vehicle's engine roar, all six wheels spun making the tank shoot up like a rocket, its suspension jump thrice as it landed back to solid ground.

While she struggles to keep her vehicle under control. Panic and terror reign on the streets, as the mob of mutants stampede out of the rampaging vehicles path.

The Priestess with tears on her eyes shouted. "AM SO — SORRY..." As she mercilessly made roadkill of the hapless mutants, before spinning out of control then boomeranging towards the pair of Brutes, slamming hard.

Without seatbelt the Priestess went flying towards Luci.

The Sorceress felt like she was waking up from some kind of weird demented nightmare as she dashed towards the Priestess catching her — they rolled some distance before a broken ice cream truck stopped their momentum. Both of them sustaining bruises all over.

Luci tapped her. "Are you alright?"

Still dazed and blood streaming down her forehead the Priestess replied. "Am fi—ne... Am fine, Reilly..." Afterward, her head tilted backwards then fainted.

"Hey..." Luci shook the Priestess when something caught her eyes.

On the back of the IAV, a black figure was hanging, stepped down making the vehicle's suspension jump.

Luci grinned at the sight. 'Now that is a surprise. A Paladin — rare defensive class, how peculiar to see one alone.

She watched as the Paladin walk towards the still standing Brute and kick its arm sending it back to the ground.

He opened his right palm and the Great War Hammer attach to the side of the IAV zoomed towards him, he then dropped it on the Brute's head making some kind of art on the concrete.

The other Brute shove away the IAV then charge towards him, the Paladin took his round shield attaches to his back and threw it to the Brute's kneecap breaking it and making the mutant fall facedown beside its pair. The Paladin lifted his hammer and transferred it to the other Brute's head completing the masterpiece.

A fairy came out of Paladin's Wolf Mantle complaining. "Where the hell did that thieving Cat learn to drive. Sheesh!" It then crawled on top of the wolf's head and laid on its fur then lazily wave a hand.

A link request appeared on the group's HUDs. As they accepted it, a deathly calm voice echoed through. "Mage, Summoner get on top of the wagon."

'Wagon!?' The Summoner look at the IAV then nodded, she then ran towards Luci.

Baby took hold of the Priestess then gestured to her summon. "Ca'li, por pavor..." The skull masked girl understood immediately, took her by the arms and lifted her towards the wagon.

As the girls secure the wagon, the Paladin issued another order. "The rest of you fall back to the wagon then secure its perimeter. Summoner, Mage cover their retreat."

The boys look at Baby, making her shout. "Go!!!" They ran as soon as they heard her, the horde followed in pursuit.

Luci fired a particle beam right between the warrior pair, disintegrating a lane of mutants. As soon as Acki reach the front of the vehicle he turned around and cleave through his pursuers.

Menan dash through the right side, while Shiro was already at the rear with a pile of severed mutant bodies lines nicely in a semi circle.

"I'll send to the Cathedral anyone who let a single mutant get pass..." The Paladin threatened.

. . .

The Priestess woke up in the middle of the battlefield as piles of corpses surrounded them.

"Lan'do, give em weapons to me!" Tapping her wagon rapidly below her. A roof hatch opened up, she immediately grabs what's inside, to her surprise...

"A ladle!? Ah ain't cookin'... ya hear!" Hitting her wagon with it. A steel pot shot out of the hatch hitting her on the head then covering it.

Luci held the Priestess by the shoulder. "It's alright Love, just stay there and protect yourself. We will get out of this alive." The Priestess nodded making the pot cover her face.

The Sorceress looked around her, mob and mob of mutants are coming out of every direction. The normal ones are easy enough kill for the boys but there is too many and Baby is already doing her best to cover all four directions all on her own.

She desperately looked around for a target when the Fairy spoke through her comms. "Witch, 35° N coming out of the line of vehicles two dumdums and some dorks."

Luci immediately uttered, "System... App... Compass," looking towards the direction there are two Brutes and some normals walking between a line vehicles, not wasting any time she casted. "Mage Art — Pink, Grand Arrow!"

The Sorceress comms opened again. "Witch, you skewered five — but... are you an idiot? You wasted too much Mana on Dumdums alone, aim better use less."

'This — potty mouthed runt.' Luci scowled behind her, but the Fairy grinned from ear to ear knowing she's pissed.

Baby looked around, breathing heavily trying to keep up with the pace, especially at Menan's side. Acki is doing well, some mutants from time to time get a bite or a scratch on him but his not letting up she can feel him competing with the Paladin.

The mutants can barely do anything with the Paladin's full bodied armor but he is putting a lot of effort trying to kill multiples with his blunt weapons and a hidden dagger on his right arm.

Among everyone Shiro is doing excellent, but there is already signs of him slowing down and the horde surrounding them are not diminishing at all, no matter how many they kill.

Baby summoned all her courage and shouted, "We should retreat... I don't see an end to this and we are almost at our limit." Trying to address it to the Paladin.

The Fairy laughs insultingly. "Retreat? When we are almost at the end... ridiculous."

"End?" The Summoner questioned the Fairy.

"Yes, kill everything you see on this filthy piece of shit then victory is ours. Hoh ho ho ho."

Baby gritted her teeth, she can't see a way to escape either without the Paladin's help. "You heard her, Kill everything that is not us till there is only us, Comprende?"