Odyssey || ArknightsXPunishing: Gray Raven (OLD BOOK)

Chapter 31: Expedition

Düsseldorf, Germany
23:45

Sounds of stray gunfire lit the surroundings of an abandoned town in the middle of nowhere. Located in the vast expanse covered with never-ending snow, one could just wonder why such a lively activity would occur here.

In the years following the outbreak of the virus, Earth's weather conditions have declined. Hence, most of France and Germany, all the way to Russia, are in a state of permanent winter.

In one of the many snow covered trees, a female construct is currently hiding under the foliage. Her breathing was ragged, and she couldn't control her lips from quivering from the ice cold weather. She breathes in and out, trying to calm the uneasiness spreading in her core. Her eyes darted towards the grayish metal object scattered on the pristine, white snow.

The airship of the WGAA is on flames, it's frontal body separated from the rest. Mangled pieces of metal are scattered over the snowy plains, with smoke crisscrossing it's way towards the sky. Fires ravaged the damaged fuselage of the crashed airship, with the occasional sparks of broken electrical circuits emanating from its body.

Ayla shifts from her prone position, finally feeling the cold seeping through her dress. Her clothes was tattered, pockmarked by burn marks on its edges. Even with a 2nd grade winter clothing, it didn't help much since she could already feel that her joints were already freezing.

They were supposed to link up with another team of archeological experts in city 70, but was halted because of a strange transmission they received. They were warned to turn tail and head back, as reports of an unidentified group of humans have attacked the city.

Shortly after receiving that warning, alarms blared throughout the aircraft, before being hit by a missile. The hull was instantly severed, and she knew full well she could have died had not one of the members of her team pushed her out before the transport crashed.

"I gotta move. I need to search for Narzissa...and the others..." Ayla says in between bating breaths as she made her way through the knee deep snow. She holds her oversized scythe in one hand as she traverses the barren wasteland, ready to fight if someone sees her.

Suddenly, she hears another set of gunfire, followed by indistinct shouting. She managed to catch a glimpse of the ensuing firefight that was happening in the distance. The distinct sounds of Babylonia's plasma gun can be heard combating small arms fire from these unknown aggressors. It came from the half burned and half burried cockpit.

She saw men dressed in peculiar winter clothing fall like flies after being hit by blue plasma bullets. Some of them ran back for cover, while others that are brave enough or just plain stupid kept firing back. Continuous plasma fire relentlessly rained down upon the soldiers, thinning out their ranks.

Ayla felt her hope was restored. That means either one of the pilot or co pilot was alive. She couldn't use the tracking system because it was busted after the crash. She craned her neck to see if she could catch a glimpse of survivors from her team.

But that sliver of hope she had soon vanished, as an explosion nearly knocked her out of her feet. She grimaced as a large fire ball engulfed the severed cockpit, the source of plasma fire no longer active. She curses under her breath, as shouts and cheers from their unknown enemies echoed through the air.

She grits her teeth, before following the frost covered road leading to the outskirts of an abandoned town. Rundown houses lined the area, all of them blanketed in thick layers of snow. Some buildings still stood tall, while others have been reduced to nothing but dirt.

Finally arriving on a deserted structure, Ayla forces the door to open with her scythe. She climbed a set of stairs leading to the 2nd floor. She needs to have a good eye around her surroundings, especially since she doesn't know who were their attackers.