Luminosity

XCOM: The Black Winter

"Shit, shit, shit."

Fiona stayed down and in cover throughout the explosion and the billowing flames emerging from down the ramp, trying to block out the horrifying sound of screams as people burned to death inside the warehouse. Water from the fire suppression system above steadily began to soak her. Great. That wasn't going to be fun once they were back outside in the cold and on the move.

If they lived that long. It wasn't the cold that Fiona had to worry about right now. As far as she could tell the explosion had to have been caused by something Carlotta did in shutting off the power, maybe unintentionally ruining something they were working on below. They somehow had yet to be detected in all the chaos, but Fiona still holstered her pistol and drew up her rifle instead. There was enough chaotic noise at this point that staying silent didn't seem worth sacrificing the firepower.

"Understood," she answered Sara, suppressing the uncomfortable knot twisting in her stomach. She'd heard what Jimbo said, about them ending up as fish in a barrel if they didn't get a move on, but she couldn't deny that they'd stumbled onto something bigger than they thought here. Something that could just maybe make the years spent and lives lost worth something. So long as they didn't just add their own corpses to the pile.

"I'm with you. But there's not going to be anything I can do if another blast goes off while we're down there." Fiona flicked off her safety, and prepared herself for a fight.

XCOM: The Black Winter

Fiona slipped inside the warehouse behind Sara and quietly shut the door behind her, staying low and keeping her pistol at the ready at all times. It was hard to hear anything over the heavy beating of her heart, thumping regularly in her ears, but they'd obviously been undetected so far. Even the others outside who had actually started engaging the enemy had maintained stealth. So far, so good.

They'd been seeing these human ADVENT troopers more and more. The further they got from the invasion, the more the people began to forget, or just be able to look past what was happening. Not all of them had suffered what Fiona and the others had been through, and it made it possible for them to serve their enemy. As far as Fiona was concerned, it made them the enemy too. Death was preferable to submission.

There were six of them in total, at least the ones they could see right now. Fiona and Sara could quickly even those numbers while they still had the element of surprise, but she imagined it would turn into a fair fight after that, and not one they could resolve silently. They'd survived this long by avoiding fair fights.

Then there was the matter of the unexpected ramp, and the unknown that lay at the bottom of it. Fiona would be lying if she said she wasn't curious, but she'd also be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about it. They were on the clock here, and going down there could very well be more than she or any of them could handle.

"We might not have time for that," she warned, though no doubt Sara already knew that. "But it's your call."

XCOM: The Black Winter

Fiona's hiking boots hit the ground with a soft thud, and she fell into place behind their impromptu leader. Even when she'd first been rescued by Falcon squad they didn't really have a leader, but in combat situations someone needed to call the shots, and Sara was the one to step up. Fiona was glad for that, at least.

Despite her near decade of experience working in resistance groups fighting against the aliens, Fiona wasn't all that experienced with combat work. People with her talents were hard to come by, and that meant she was often kept out of the fight, given the least risky role. If she got killed, it would be left to one of the others to keep the squad patched up. But the squad's numbers had dwindled low to the point where every pair of hands and boots were needed to keep them going. And that meant Fiona had to fight. She was getting better at it, at least, albeit slowly.

She kneeled down at Sara's back beside the building, holding her pistol steady. They were due for securing the supply building, with David and Carlotta tasked with the power. The need to stay quiet meant she only wanted to pull out the ACR if there was no other choice. Hopefully they could keep this clean. They were supposed to be collecting supplies, not expending them.

Watching David pull the ADVENT trooper's body out of sight, Fiona took in a deep breath, steadying herself. "Ready on your word," she whispered to Sara.

XCOM: The Black Winter

Fiona West

Fiona West

---

Age
26

Gender
Female

Country of Origin
United States

Squad Role
Medic

Personality Profile
Calm, cool, and collected. Fiona might not be the career soldier some of the others are, but she's been in the fight just as long in one way or another. By this point she has been pretty thoroughly deadened to violence, and doesn't flinch at all at the sight of blood, be it an alien's, her squadmate's, or her own. She has a laser focus, locking in on tasks with a fierce intensity that can make her hard to budge. Sometimes this works in her favor, and sometimes it comes at her expense.

Not being with the squad for as long put Fiona at a disadvantage, but three years of struggle has been enough time to form relationships and strengthen them. She doesn't often feel confident enough in her opinion to give it voice, but when she does she tries to be the voice of reason, and to do what's right. Right is subject she wavers on, though, given the quiet but intense hatred she harbors for ADVENT and the alien invaders.

She's had trouble relaxing for years, but music in particular was a former passion of hers. She knows how to play the guitar and sing decently, though she hasn't done either in a long time, and would need to find the instrument first. She'll readily agree to most things asked of her by other squadmates, still in the mode of wanting to better integrate with the group, and still with some traces of that youthful exuberance the war has almost extinguished.

Background Profile
Fiona was never supposed to be a soldier. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she had her sights set on medical school from the time she was young, aspiring to become a doctor. She was a diligent student with a steady family and strong social ties. But her city was hit hard by the first waves of the invasion. Fiona lost everyone, either killed as her parents or her boyfriend were, or simply vanished like her older sister did, taken by the aliens. She was sixteen at the time, and would never forget some of the horrors she witnessed those first few months.

After what she saw, there would never be any submitting to the invaders for Fiona. A resourceful and talented adolescent, she left the remains of her life behind, bouncing from civilian resistance group to resistance group as she grew older, soon crossing the border into Canada. While she did learn to fight, Fiona proved more valuable for her mind, choosing to study the specimens other resistance fighters were able to bring back from missions. Over time she learned a significant amount about the anatomy of various alien species, as well as receiving substantial experience as a medic and surgeon training beside more practiced hands.

When Fiona was 23 her group was found out and ambushed by the invaders. Those few that survived were taken prisoner, but in transit they were attacked by the XCOM Falcon Squad, who had been operating covertly in the area. Fiona was able to join the squad at the request of their medic at the time, a Russian named Vasiliy Pogodin. She kept up with them well for the next three years, steadily improving as a soldier, though as always her greatest assets are her medical skills and knowledge of enemy physiology.

When Vasiliy was killed in action nearly a year ago, Fiona became the new (and only remaining) medic of the team, responsible for keeping their dwindling numbers from slipping any further.

Inventory

Fiona's Outfit/Equipment

Primary: Remington Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR) w/4x scope in 5.56x45mm NATO (4 spare magazines)
Sidearm: Glock 17C pistol in 9x19mm Parabellum w/ suppressor (2 spare magazines)
Melee: Ka-Bar Combat Knife

Outfit/Armor: Fiona's armor is light and minimal, and won't slow her down much if she needs to get to someone quickly, though it's naturally somewhat light on protection. She wears it over a snug and warm undershirt and leggings, with more layers over or under as needed for the cold, though she's never been particularly bothered by it.

The rest of her gear consists of hiking boots w/ black gaiters, thigh holster/pouches for her pistol and stock of XCOM medikits, utility belt, fingerless Oakley gloves, ballistic glasses, her tactical headset, and backpack containing her medical equipment and survival gear.

Squad Relations
To be established later.

XCOM: The Black Winter

If you want me to change anything about the character, I'm totally willing to tweak stuff. Thought it might be nice to have some contrast in the experience levels in the squad, and also to have some living proof of stuff the squad has been up to in the ten year period they've been together.

Here she is

Fiona West

---

Age
26

Gender
Female

Country of Origin
United States

Squad Role
Medic

Personality Profile
Calm, cool, and collected. Fiona might not be the career soldier some of the others are, but she's been in the fight just as long in one way or another. By this point she has been pretty thoroughly deadened to violence, and doesn't flinch at all at the sight of blood, be it an alien's, her squadmate's, or her own. She has a laser focus, locking in on tasks with a fierce intensity that can make her hard to budge. Sometimes this works in her favor, and sometimes it comes at her expense.

Not being with the squad for as long put Fiona at a disadvantage, but three years of struggle has been enough time to form relationships and strengthen them. She doesn't often feel confident enough in her opinion to give it voice, but when she does she tries to be the voice of reason, and to do what's right. Right is subject she wavers on, though, given the quiet but intense hatred she harbors for ADVENT and the alien invaders.

She's had trouble relaxing for years, but music in particular was a former passion of hers. She knows how to play the guitar and sing decently, though she hasn't done either in a long time, and would need to find the instrument first. She'll readily agree to most things asked of her by other squadmates, still in the mode of wanting to better integrate with the group, and still with some traces of that youthful exuberance the war has almost extinguished.

Background Profile
Fiona was never supposed to be a soldier. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she had her sights set on medical school from the time she was young, aspiring to become a doctor. She was a diligent student with a steady family and strong social ties. But her city was hit hard by the first waves of the invasion. Fiona lost everyone, either killed as her parents or her boyfriend were, or simply vanished like her older sister did, taken by the aliens. She was sixteen at the time, and would never forget some of the horrors she witnessed those first few months.

After what she saw, there would never be any submitting to the invaders for Fiona. A resourceful and talented adolescent, she left the remains of her life behind, bouncing from civilian resistance group to resistance group as she grew older, soon crossing the border into Canada. While she did learn to fight, Fiona proved more valuable for her mind, choosing to study the specimens other resistance fighters were able to bring back from missions. Over time she learned a significant amount about the anatomy of various alien species, as well as receiving substantial experience as a medic and surgeon training beside more practiced hands.

When Fiona was 23 her group was found out and ambushed by the invaders. Those few that survived were taken prisoner, but in transit they were attacked by the XCOM Falcon Squad, who had been operating covertly in the area. Fiona was able to join the squad at the request of their medic at the time, a Russian named Vasiliy Pogodin. She kept up with them well for the next three years, steadily improving as a soldier, though as always her greatest assets are her medical skills and knowledge of enemy physiology.

When Vasiliy was killed in action nearly a year ago, Fiona became the new (and only remaining) medic of the team, responsible for keeping their dwindling numbers from slipping any further.

Inventory

Fiona's Outfit/Equipment

Primary: Remington Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR) w/4x scope in 5.56x45mm NATO (4 spare magazines)
Sidearm: Glock 17C pistol in 9x19mm Parabellum (2 spare magazines)
Melee: Ka-Bar Combat Knife

Outfit/Armor: Fiona's armor is light and minimal, and won't slow her down much if she needs to get to someone quickly, though it's naturally somewhat light on protection. She wears it over a snug and warm undershirt and leggings, with more layers over or under as needed for the cold, though she's never been particularly bothered by it.

The rest of her gear consists of hiking boots w/ black gaiters, thigh holster/pouches for her pistol and stock of XCOM medikits, utility belt, fingerless Oakley gloves, ballistic glasses, her tactical headset, and backpack containing her medical equipment and survival gear.

Squad Relations
To be established later.

On the gameplay system subject, I'm starting to lean towards the "don't need it" side. I like the idea of keeping track of health and damage taken and stuff, but I don't think it's a necessary feature for us to take the enemies seriously and have them be the meanies they are in the game (been forever since I played it, but I remember some of the aliens being really badass, haha).

And besides, struggling is more fun than blowing away redshirts, anyway.

XCOM: The Black Winter

Hi! Very interested. I don't mind either way on the freeform or gameplay system question there. I think the gameplay could be really interesting but I can see why some might not want it. I'll be thinking of a character.

Tombs and Blades (Swords of the Cutlass Coast) (Lum & Poo)

"Won't be the last one, I'm sure," she said, referring to the scarring. She'd chosen a very dangerous line of work, one where a lack of scars went hand in hand with a lack of experience. Valerie was well in the process of acquiring both, she just hoped it didn't kill her in the meantime. Her fortitude was not above average for a warrior or a mercenary. She'd have to do what she could to improve that.

But for the moment, they had an ordeal to survive. Valerie wasn't sure how she could really avoid moving, given that they were in a very hostile place. With any luck they could avoid more orcs. Of course, their luck had failed to hold already.

"Do we need to move somewhere, or do you think it's safe enough to rest here?" She really didn't like the idea of getting to her feet and stumbling around in the relative dark, but she thought she was capable enough for it, at least. But she much preferred the idea of staying. Despite how bad their situation was, she actually felt quite nice about the present. Lingering pain in her side was being drowned out by the wave of weariness coming over her, and Markus was more than comfortable enough to rest on.

Tombs and Blades (Swords of the Cutlass Coast) (Lum & Poo)

The realization that Markus was without his sword still hit Valerie like a stone. So her partner had no weapon other than the blunt instrument that was his shield and any magic he could still produce, and Valerie herself would be weakened by the wound she'd sustained for some time. She hoped they were lucky enough to avoid any more confrontations with orcs for the time being. But at least one of them still had their weapon.

"We'll find a way back for it," she promised, though she wasn't sure how reasonable that was. They certainly weren't going back the way they came, and where they were now was unclear. Maybe there was no way back, or maybe it would be cut off by too many orcs to handle. It was impossible to say, but it was easy to see that Markus had a deeper connection to his weapon than Valerie had with hers.

She gratefully accepted the water, and the bit of food. Even chewing was tiring, but Markus was right. She desperately needed the energy, and rest alone wouldn't provide that. "I'm sorry for ignoring you back there," she said, wincing as she swallowed. She took another drink. "It didn't look like you were going to make it without help. And I know I wouldn't, either. I think if we're going to survive this, it'll be together or not at all."

Tombs and Blades (Swords of the Cutlass Coast) (Lum & Poo)

Valerie rolled over onto her back shortly after crashing to the ground through the doorway. Wherever she was, complete darkness had taken over, the sounds of battle and struggle all but wiped out. Her wounded side was wet and warm; the effort of helping Markus and the strain of escaping afterwards had worsened it somewhat. More than that, her escape from the fight caused her desperate adrenaline to subside, and an intense tiredness surged through her body. For a moment she could only just lay there, breathing in and out, her eyes fluttered closed.

Markus's voice was a dull hum in her ears, and she couldn't make out the words. The only response she could come up with was a low groan, her head lolling to the side, arms sprawled useless above her head and to the side.

The sudden glow of light was the first thing she reacted to, tilting her head away from it and weakly writhing on the ground. Any sound of the blaze or of Markus was still drowned out by the regular gusts of her heavy breaths, and the steady thumps of her heart. At least until the pain came back. Her side had been dully throbbing ever since she'd been struck, but a sudden sharp pain caused her to gasp and wince, her whole body tensing again.

It was actually enough to bring a bit of sense back to her, and her eyes peeked open to see Markus's jacket being cinched around her abdomen, his hand pressing down on her as he moved closer. There was a decent amount of her blood on the ground beside her. More than she was comfortable with, but actually less than she'd feared. It was almost certainly the worst wound she'd suffered, but if she could just get a moment to rest she knew she could fight through it.

She adjusted the position of her head on his leg, working to keep her breathing steady despite the pain. She grimaced, and bit down on her lower lip. Slowly his words began to register with her. "Yeah," she managed, her voice breathy. "Yeah, that sounds good." Her eyes started to move around to the walls of the tomb they'd sealed themselves in. She had to strain to focus, but it looked like seastone.

"Are we safe here?" If it was safe to stop even for a moment Valerie knew she needed to take it.

Tombs and Blades (Swords of the Cutlass Coast) (Lum & Poo)

Valerie barely heard the blazing runes behind her, or the door grinding open, and neither really registered with her while the orc was still in front of her. Her attention was occupied by annoying distractions like the blood now dripping from its club, her blood, and the way she couldn't seem to properly draw a breath. She wavered where she stood, but refused to give any more ground, despite how weak she felt. The orc knew she was too drained to dodge anything, and pulled back for a wickedly heavy downward swing. Valerie tried to brace herself for it, knowing full well it would demolish her guard and surely leave her vulnerable to another wounding strike.

It never came, though, instead being met by Markus's shield before it could reach her. Even though he spoke menacingly to the orc and not her, Valerie found herself stumbling back a few steps by instinct, grateful for the relief from the fight, even if it was only a short one. Markus was able to swiftly and brutally dispatch the orc, but another took its place immediately afterwards, this one fresh and more than a match for him.

She heard his command, but didn't immediately follow it, looking back briefly at the opening before her eyes fell back on the battle between the two of them. Markus was barely able to block the next attack, and he lost his weapon soon afterwards. How was he supposed to be right behind her if he wasn't going to get away from this beast? Was he going to fight it hand to hand, as weary as he was? Even wounded, battered, and out of breath Valerie still had a better chance to attack, especially with the enemy distracted.

Rather than flee for the tomb, Valerie found herself lunging forward a few steps, temporarily pushing her injury to the back of her mind. She aimed a lunge for the orc's left leg, stabbing the point of her sword through its knee and immediately debilitating its ability to move. It roared in pain as that leg gave out from underneath, immediately turning its attention on Valerie. A swing of its axe came up high towards her head, and she was only barely able to lean away in time to avoid decapitation.

Her sword came free as she did, the sudden backwards momentum overwhelming her balance and causing her to fall onto her left side several paces from the orc and Markus. The ground proved magnetic, and Valerie's ability to ignore her injury swiftly ran out now that the attack was made. Her right hand went back to the bloody wound in her side, and she struggled to rise, obviously trying to get moving towards the doorway and their escape. Her body stubbornly refused her. Just need to get to my feet...