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Given the extreme range of the attack, it was only marginally successfull in that one bullet gave the Archer shade the equivilent of a flesh wound, while the another knicked it's arm, and the third effectively missed entirely. The archer readied it's next arrow against the location of the muzzle flashes in the distance from those shots.

(( Okay, NOW it's Vahns turn. ~wipes brow~ ))

((I'm entering. I'm on the shades side. I'm coming from the south (Cresent Plains), so I kinda need to know where I'll be in post order. So for now, only the entrance...))

They broke into a steady, quick jog, as they left the defenses of Cresent Plains, and entered into the Lakeside Ruins. Not exactly the full cavalry, but it was something. A nice, fat bruiser of a rook taking point of a V formation, flanked on either side by four pawns, forming sowrds in their hands. Nestled inside and at the rear of the V formation, was a human, pistol in hand, a bishop, and a pawn. They seemed fresh enough. no battle wounds, no sign of serious fatigue. They must have come from someplace nearby, ready to do battle.

It was chaos--gunfire, crossbow bolts streaking around, and a very, very familiar face fighting with a very unfamiliar face! However, Mooo knew better than to call out to Kami in the middle of a fight, so instead he quickly made his way behind several blasted-out rock walls, his lips pursed as he tried to figure out how best to get through this place.

Tugging his gloves down, Mooo ducked under a low-hanging wall, crouch-running close enough to where he could hear the struggle between Kami and his opponent--some thin fella that Kami seriously shouldn't be having as much trouble with as he was. This was bad.

Popping his head up from the wall, Mooo gripped its top with his left hand, vaulting over it and coming up A LITTLE TOO FAST--he ducked so fast that he fell over, Vahn's flamberge swinging where his head was, but Mooo reached his hands out a moment afterward to try and grip at Vahn's ankles--hey, that was one way to say "hey, how are ya."

And Mooo was rewarded with well over a thousand degree's in heat from mere contact with Vahn's greaves.

The UGH soldiers of course, would open fire on the shades on the parapets with their assault rifles, providing cover fire for the mercenaries.

Ji Long however, would roll the harnesses and weapons up as he stashed them away under some rubble in a crevice of the ruins. His job was done for now, and there was no need for him to remain.

Without his harnesses, gloves, boots, and weapons, the Chameleon suit made him literally invisible, and as such, he'd begin to weave through the ruins, while keeping low, in case a stray bullet found its way to him, and dive into the lake.

-> Rocky Lake

((Tactical retreat? More like wandering off after sabotaging the defense. I'm going to sleep. I have work in the morning.

And if someone wants to, take command of the 4 UGH soldiers.))

(Ankles, Vahn. Greaves cover your shins and in a best-case scenario your knees, not your ankles--as that would SEVERELY limit mobility. There are definitely wraps that hold your greaves up, but greaves cover your shins, not your ankles. xd )

OOC: Ye', you'd be at the edge of the plains right, where the ruins start, while Shou's at the fortress.

Dunno what the distance is but I'm sure you could spot a human shape moving in.

Jacob felt he was safe from the bolts behind the cover, but also knew he had to move up to be effective. He fired off two shots quickly from the opposite side of the cover, letting the strands of light bounce away from the gun at full intensity, then immediately intensified his own strands of shadows and shot out from the other side of the ruins.

Shades weren't idiots, but range (would have) worked both ways. The bolt(s) that (never) went his way were far from on target... and they couldn't make up with volume. In seconds, Jacob had pulled out a speedloader and emptied the chamber. When he reloaded, though, he didn't bother firing immediately. At this point, he was more busy advancing, slipping through the ruins. He'd show his face inside the ruins later than the rest of the team, but it was necessary for him to maintain personal surprise.

This path took him around slightly, which is how me saw the incoming shade forces. Jacob promptly moved for his radio, reporting only what he could see.
"Incoming, one big one, and near a dozen little ones. Away from us, but they're pumping dirt."
Jacob would deal with the advancing shades when they arrived. In the mean time, being flanked was bad, and he had only one group of foes to immediately dispatch.

When he fired again, he had closed to within ten meters of the walls, his limited magic letting him open up on his speed to a decent pace even while staying hidden. He once again pressed against rubble, and aimed for an archer.

Then, the magic gone and in easy view for the night-eyes of a shade, Jacob sent another triplet of bullets towards an archer before twisting to line up the remainder of the cylinder on another, firing it.

Five shots, he hoped two kills-- but he'd overstayed his welcome if they were not occupied otherwise than shooting at him.

((OOC: What's this? Actual responses while I was off? s**t, ah...
Well, whatever, minor editation necessary but nothing really changed in the end.))