Demirari

Rabies would be a good bet if you biologically modify the disease to be more virulent and jack up all the effects the disease causes. If one would to make it so that the virus won't kill the host as quickly, you'll have a good virus in your hands. The thing is, human rabies don't hype up a person's aggressiveness to the point where they'll start biting people, its actually pretty tame compare to other diseases. So, in order for rabies to be more effective, you'll have to engineer it to make the affected host be very aggressive against other living beings that don't have the disease. The neo-rabies virus should also include more neurological capabilities, such as dampening pain receptors, and be able to enhance the human body to beyond its limits in the pursuit of spreading the disease. A jacked up rabies, in my opinion, would be a rather horrific thing to see.

The APC moved its way towards the wall of obstruction that was facing the south. It moved till it was around two-hundred meters away before Corporal Steers climbed out of the vehicle. He looked around before moving forward slowly, climbing up the rather large wall and peered at the middle of what was the battlefield against the Whisperer. Then, Corporal Steers looked up before noting Sapphire Placebo. Grabbing his flashlight by the teeth, Corporal Steers waved the beam of light in the general direction of her. It may or may not work, but the flashlight should be bright enough that if one were to look keenly, be able to see from the ground below and definitely bright enough to be seen from the air. As Corporal Steers was trying to get the attention of the eight, Sergeant Traverse peered out the window. That was where he spotted something lurking away slowly. Narrowing his eyes, Sergeant Traverse turned on the turret and looked around, using the magnifying feature. There was nothing in the streets besides the vehicle which only further heighten the paranoia. There is definitely something that is watching them. ---- @@Celestial Panzerhund, Aster Luck shifted a little before stopping and resting herself. She blinked slowly before smiling. "Thank you," she mumbled softly, her head raising up slowly before dropping down again, her eyes closed once more.

@,@@dragon4111, @@Birdy the Phoenix,@@FractalMoon, @@SpikusFyre, @@Celestial Panzerhund, "I'd hate to be rude, but the sergeant isn't here," Gentle Secret stated as she cocked her head to the right, "we're trying to find where the sergeant went, but anyways, I would agree the scout has earned a place to rest." Taking a few steps back from the group, Gentle Secret hopped onto one of group of debris blocking a road, "We should probably get going, it appears that nightfall is coming. I don't know about you all, but I don't want to be caught out in the dark here." ---- It began to darken as the sun slowly made its way across the grand ash-colored sky. Four hours would be the best bet before night finally falls upon Mareington, casting the city into darkness. Due to the large amounts of clouds gathering above, moonlight wouldn't be able to cast enough light upon the ruin city. One should take these signs as a warning to find the APC before darkness claims the city. It is insane to stay out at night in such conditions, especially with an increase of horrific activities. ---- "The route the eight will be taking is blocked by the destruction inflicted by the Whisperer," a stallion stated as he pointed at a large map of Mareington, "our operation has been extended by two days at most. This is most favorable. We'll need to act quickly to retrieve the device before they go for their objective." The stallion glanced at the ponies that have gathered around the table, "let us do this, for ponykind."

@, Got your request done: I hope you like it!

@, "E-everywhere," Aster Luck replied as she opened her eyes a little, "still can feel everything! I think I broke most of my ribcage." She tries to raise a hoof before wincing as a shot of pain raced from her right hoof, "and some of my bones in my hooves." ---- "Sergeant Traverse and Corporal Steer, I'm glad you two are fine," Lieutenant Remorse announced as he appeared from one of the buildings with armed guards. The fight against the Whisperer caused major loss, but thankfully he retained around 40% of his force. A large drop, for sure, but common sadly in Mareington. "Same here to you sir," Sergeant Traverse replied as he rolled down his window, "what did you come here for?" "There had been a soldier that deserted," Lieutenant Remorse responded as his guards dispersed around him, "I know not where he is, but here is a picture of him." Levitating a small photo, he gave it to Sergeant Traverse, "if you find him, do not kill him or imprison him. I'd recommend, actually, to recruit him to help the eight. I'd think they'll appreciate some extra help." "That is very ironic sir," Corporal Steers stated, one of his eyebrows raised. "Without a doubt," sighing, Lieutenant Remorse turned around, "good luck." With that, he and his entourage disappeared into the same building as they have come from and from there, left the general area using planned routes.

Ahah! Sure! That'll be really wonderful. Speeding through these requests as quick as I can, without incurring drop in quality!

Not sure if ok or not. Best advice is to get out of my room asap.

@, A large vehicle backed slowly, passing an alleyway where Flame Streak was currently located. It parked itself as a soldier, Corporal Steer, climbed out and looked around. His eyes briefly landed on the alleyway where Flame Streak was located before turning away, focusing his attention on making sure there wasn't any damage to the APC. The alleyway was relatively clean, minus some of the tipped over trashcans that littered every so often. There were two buildings that formed the alley from what one can tell, there was no entrance nor exit. To the back of Flame Streak, was another building that seemed to close off the alley, only allowing one entrance and exit that faced towards the APC. ---- @@FractalMoon, "I have to agree, and we have to find where Sergeant Traverse and Corporal Steer. If there were more of those kind of creatures, I'd like to have Rose to be with us. Anypony know the last location the vehicle was at before it evacuated?" Gentle Secret asked, looking at each of the eight ponies, waiting for some kind of response. (Rose is the APC)

"It may not have been the best judgement call to charge at the monster, but we did and we won even if it was a phyrric victory. And, I don't believe you should be the one saying anything, sure this is is terrible, but it was better than allowing these soldiers die in vain," Gentle Secret started as she glanced at what remained of the soldiers, "besides we won and it lost. That happens when ponies underestimate things." There was a loud snap as the atmosphere around the area seemed to light a little. It felt more peaceful, more calmer than it was before when it was tense. One could feel this imaginary force within themselves being weaken, it was as if Disharmony was dispelled from the area.

The Whisperer's muscles soon found themselves locking upon as it feel upon the ground, the neural link that linked its brain to its body being heavily damaged due to two lucky shots that found themselves burying into it. Now wheezing, the Whisperer attempted to move its body before growling in anger. Not even a single spark of fear was in its eyes as it continued to glare as best as it could at the damned eight. There was something that it knew that the eight didn't. A sudden rush of disharmonic energy soon burst into its body as it began fracturing. It seemed death was upon it as disharmonic energy that once gave it power and held it together in the physical plane began to give in. Like a blackhole, the energy began to rip into the muscles, sinew, bones, organs, skin, and all and tearing them into the dark maw that was concentrated disharmonic energy. It gave a single loud screech as it disappeared. It was of fear or anger, no pony knew what the true meaning was. However, it could had very well be of joy. Any examination that could be done disappeared without a single trace as the disharmonic energy collapsed upon itself, leaving a large pool of dark blood that foamed on the ground. Quietness was all that remained as a pair of eyes closed before disappearing not far off in one of the higher levels of a building that did not get demolished by the Whisperer. "We did it," Gentle Secret began, "well, more like every pony else except me really."

@@dragon4111, There was a loud snap as many cracks formed upon the barrel and a major component breaking under the sheer recoil presented to the 14mm rifle. It is clear that the rifle wouldn't be firing anytime soon without immediate maintenance to repair the mechanisms inside the gun and to replace the now cracked barrel. Near the ammunition box were some spare parts of fine quality laying side by side. ---- @, Aster Luck sighed as she felt whatever it was hitting her and healing her. Her eyes still closed, she laid in contentment, her pain slowly subsiding into pure nothing. ---- @@FractalMoon, The barrage of 14mm shells managed to hit their marks upon the Whisperer, causing it to screech in pure pain. A single shell had managed to chip the tip of its horn, causing disruption of disharmonic energy within its great body, forcing it expend many of its energy to contain the chaotic force that was threatening to tear it apart. As thin lines of disharmonic energy formed on its body, creating what appeared to be runes, large amounts of pure magic formed around it to forcefully close the disharmonic wounds. Cracks formed upon the ground it stood upon as the Whisperer purchased itself onto the ground, willing itself to stand even under the extreme pain it was in. In a fit of anger, it screeched, its eyes glaring at the eight before a couple of rounds penetrated into its flesh, the shield long gone due to the 14mm shells breaking through. Dark blood soon foamed through the wounds inflicted upon its body as it grind its jaws together. The Whisperer was blinded on the right, one of End Game's bullets managing to pierce through the right eye and severing the connection. Large blades of winds began firing, their accuracy poorer than previously. Each blade landed either far off or dangerous close at the ponies around it as the Whisperer slowly collapsed into the pool of blood that was beginning to collect under it. Its remaining eye flickered between each pony in contempt, the muscles underneath rippling frantically.

The Whisperer watched as its creations died before forming a pony-like smile. Its wings flared into their greatest breadth as the wind around the area began to pick up. In shards of many did the grand shield suddenly blow itself into. They fired in many directions, hitting buildings and flesh alike before dispersing into the world itself. The Whisperer was now seemingly exposed, though that was a foolishly thought as it began to clear each building one by one, causing them to collapse diagonally. The eight were now all but trapped in a decently sized prison that offered no escape unless they wished to expose their sides to the Whisperer. Sergeant Traverse and Corporal Steer were both isolated from helping the group, being busy getting out of the way of the collapsing buildings. "I..." it began to speak, its voice raspy, "am most curious on you all surviving so long. That... matters not for you all will die." ---- Gentle Secret, feeling the building started to tilt, jumped down from the window. Activating what would be her most powerful teleportation as of yet, she teleported herself at the last second. She fell only a mere two feet onto safety of a pile of debris, groaning as she got up shakily. She, too, was trapped within the makeshift prison the Whisperer has constructed. ---- "There," Aster Star bit her lower lip as a sudden shock of pain raced through her body, "should be a sniper manning the rifle. Careful." With that, she leaned herself against the wooden wall of the tower before sliding down. If it weren't for the soft breathing, one would easily mistaken her for the dead.

@@SpikusFyre,@@FractalMoon, @@Birdy the Phoenix, The flames managed to slow the creatures down by a noticeable amount, the heat hammering at the strings of disharmonic energy. This allowed for Silver Shine to be far more effective than what she could be against the corpses that had catch on fire. However, the smell of burning flesh soon rose into the air and began spreading. There were very few corpses that were shambling towards End Game, as most were being handled by Silver Shine, the soldiers, or were being slowed down. However, some rubber to the right of him began to shake as a couple of corpses climbed out. Their cracked skulls and broken bodies twisted back into shape forcefully with some sharp broken bones protruding out of the flesh. They growled as they moved forward towards him. ---- Turning the corner, the vehicle popped into view of the fighting. Immediately, its HMG turret started opening fire at the corpses. Compared to the smaller caliber that were being used, the .50 caliber rounds were tearing into the corpses with great efficiency. The sudden overwhelming firepower was cut short as the vehicle reversed backwards as the Whisper focused its attention at the armored vehicle. It was a timing that was worth gold as the ground before the vehicle soon bore a large thin slash. ---- The scout that was thrown at the watchtower, Aster Luck, groaned as she woke up. Grimacing at the pain, she crawled to the edge of the roof and peered down before quickly looking away. Her breathing chaotic, she injected herself with a minor medical reliever before throwing away the empty syringe. Feeling far better than previously, Aster Luck shakily got up on the dirtied rooftop and limped towards the watchtower. She could faintly see the iconic barrel of the 14mm rifle that was pointing upwards, signifying that there was no pony manning the large rifle.

The Whisperer leaped to the side with a burst of air, dodging most of the liquid plutonium. The liquids that managed to hit it caused instability of its shields, dropping it dangerously low. Sensing its defenses failing, the Whisperer did a quick teleportation to a collapsed rooftop. Opening its mouth, the Whisperer emitted a horrific sound that caused several soldiers to collapse in sheer agony, allowing it to catch its breath. The bullets that managed to penetrate the weaken shields and into its flesh only angered it as it glared at any remaining ponies, especially at Hazmat and End Game. Preparing a stance, the Whisperer gathered large amounts of disharmonic energy and corrupted the corpses of any soldiers and formed horrendous creations that seemed frail but still strong enough to kill. Without a single second left to spare, the creations began crawling or limbering towards what were once their allies. Using this moment of confusion, the Whisperer then proceeded to create a dome of pure dense magic as it began healing its wounds and restoring its shields. ---- Gentle Secret did a quick and easily teleportation onto a rooftop that was previously inaccessible due to a collapsed staircase. Taking a quick breather, Gentle Secret looked down before grimacing. What was happening down there did not look good. Levitating her rifle, she adjusted the ranges and peered downwards. She may not be a sharpshooter, but she can certainly shoot well enough at these distances. Concentrating, Gentle Secret fired once, scoring a side-hit against one of the reanimated corpses, causing it to stumble before slowly getting back up. Growling at that, Gentle Secret infused the next shot with more denser magic and fired again, this time hitting the target at the head and causing the flesh to fall apart, due to the disharmonic energy being disrupted. If one was able to intelligent enough, one can conclude that magic or some form of energy would be effective considering that bullets are either failing or taking much longer against the corpses. Though head-shots also worked, even better than using magic at times.

"Look," Sergeant Traverse started as he moved Draco out of the driver's seat, "I know ya'll want to help, and we'll go along. But," he raised a single hoof, "no one touches Rose and they, especially, do not drive her. Corporal Steer get on and start the turret." Corporal Steer climbed onto the the passenger seat and did some test procedures as the vehicle reversed out of the dead-end and slowly started moving forward. Making sure not to trap itself with the difficult terrain, the vehicle made its way towards the fighting. ---- Gentle Secret looked around before sighing, "Well, there goes most of our team." Checking her magic rifle for any defects, she turned towards the remaining ponies that haven't rushed towards where the action was, "well, I don't know about you ponies, but I'm going to help our team. Can't have them dying due to heroic fantasies can we?" With that, Gentle Secret made her way towards the fighting, by climbing onto the roof-top and making her way there. ---- @,@, @@SpikusFyre, The battle wasn't what one could call an average fight. It was more of shoot and run as the soldiers tried to penetrate through the thick defenses of the pony in the middle. Tall and slender while rippling with muscles underneath, the pony sported both a wing and a horn. An alicorn stood in the center, watching as ponies inferior to it try to remove it. As each bullet sped towards the alicorn, they were deflected by a grand shield when they approached one millimeter away from the alicorn's fur. The soldiers knew, of course, that their assault was futile. Their goal was not of trying to bring the creature down, but to stall it as long as possible. For how long, that is the question that lingers in each mind. In an instant, the Whisperer could start returning fire and they would surely not survive. A sudden burst of air greeted the field as a large bullet smashed into the shield and cracked it before dropping. That was the moment the alicorn decided to return the pleasure. Large gusts of air soon filled the air as buildings began to fall. Each fell with many precise and long slices cutting the great buildings into many deadly parts. At each strike, a soldier died, being bisected or cut to pieces without a warning. What was a strange fight soon started to turn into a bloodbath.

"Well, here we go," Gentle Secret began as she landed onto the ground in Mareington for the first time, "time to meet Lieutenant Remorse and start this adventure. Correct everypony?" As Gentle Secret was getting off the vehicle, five soldiers were moving towards the Whisperer. They rushed past the vehicle, each armed with a rifle and light armor. Not even acknowledging her nor the others, the soldiers rushed through the empty streets towards the source of sounds. Five blocks away, some ponies were hunkering down in buildings and nine blocks away, the source of the fighting was intense.

"Everyone out of the vehicle, it seems like the lieutenant has allowed us in," Sergeant Traverse declared as he opened the door and unlocked the passenger doors. "Better get moving, the faster this meeting is done, the more quicker you all are in your way in searching for those chips." ---- Three scouts moved quickly, their pace chaotic. Jumping through broken windows, they created the most difficult track they can in a short amount of time. Even a single delay in traversing through the difficult terrain could easily cost their lives. No sound was heard as they hastily jumped up from creaking stairs or as they burst through doors. They could not emit a word, not because they shouldn't, but they couldn't. In a second, the slowest scout tripped and he was no more. In a single second, the room behind them blossom in blood before collapsing upon itself, a large clean cut gutting through most of the building. His comrades, who were still alive, grimaced but continued on. Their tears fell onto their chest and left none for the floor below. The second scout misjudged and plummeted to her death, she died without a scream. The last scout saw the watchtower not far from her. If she could only just last for another three minutes. Hope soon found itself within her and was promptly crushed when she felt the air in her lungs escape. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, she was thrown against the watchtower, her body making a thud against the wooden wall. There, across her, stood the Whisperer, the true Whisperer of Whispers. It spread its mighty wings, its horn gleaming in the dark setting. Below her, as sound returned, were the rapid movement of hooves as soldiers readied to intercept the creature. Ten blocks away were the eight. They may be able to see the creature, they may not. It mattered little, for it will greet them.

@@dragon4111, @@SpikusFyre, @, "Money," Sergeant Traverse perked up from his seat, his hoof resting on his 9mm pistol he had nearby, "never show money. It is one of the most chaotic things one can give to others. It'll either be worth a fortune to them or it'll show nothing and make you look like a fool. I've remember a time when a 'friendly' talk turned into a bloodbath because one party thought they're smart and presented money. Money, miss, reeks of desperation and weakness." "There seems to be some movements, they're probably acting now. We'll probably either get into a fight or walk out of this without any issues," Corporal Steer suddenly stated as he watched an armored pony walk down some old stairs. @, Gentle Secret cocked her head before softly nodding, "Yeah, that'll probably be a good idea." ---- "Sir, it appears that the eight had arrived," a soldier started as a lieutenant entered into his office, being woken up early. "They have an armored transport with them and two drivers." The lieutenant looked disinterestedly at the files on his desk before looking up, "Did they confirm their presence?" "Affirmative sir, they've responded in fluent Ancient Equestrian," the soldier responded. Taking a sip of dull water, the lieutenant shook his head before motioning for the soldier to step outside of his office. Listening to the olden wood-flooring creak as the soldier made his way out of his office, the lieutenant finally responded, "Bring them in." Saluting, the soldier made his way downstairs. Making sure to step around the failing areas of the staircase, the soldier made his way to the doors. Stopping before the two guards posted there, he motioned for them to open them. Creaking, the ancient twin doors slowly opened, granting access to the eight ponies. Clearing his throat, the soldier walked up towards the rolled down windows of the driver's seat, "Under the orders of Lieutenant Remorse, the eight ponies are allowed in to visit with him. From then on, you'll be debriefed of what we know and we'll guide you to a safe zone where you ponies could hopefully start the search on those chips."

@, "Quite loud wasn't that," Gentle Secret said as she got up from her seat. Making sure her rifle was secure to her side, Gentle Secret stretched before peering through one of the small windows. "This situation doesn't look too good, especially if they are bandits." ---- @, "Probably," Corporal Steer replied as he pulled up the window enough to offer some protection while offering enough room for sound to travel through. "We'll need to wait as they get their commanding officer. Until then, we'll stay inside and wait for further orders."

@@FractalMoon, "We're making sure these ponies are scouts," Sergeant Traverse replied as he pulled out a standard issue 9mm pistol from a protective case. "Sometimes there are some bandits smart enough to pose as scouts and capture or kill our comrades. If they can recognize these commands as do us, we should be good. Tell everyone else back there to ready themselves." ---- Corporal Steer brought out a sheet of paper with intricate markings before lowering one of the windows. Clearing his through, he spoke an unknown language loud enough for some of the unknown to hear, but not enough to alarm any creature except for the ones with sharp hearing. If one were well-versed in ancient Equestrian history, they might recognize it as the Latimane language or Ancient Equestrian as commonly called by then and now. When Corporal Steer stopped, he waited a few seconds before somepony started replying in the same language, albeit more rougher and slower.

@@dragon4111 Corporal Steers lowered his pistol a bit, "A whisperer? Fine, but don't do that again without permission. Some nasty creatures roam these ruined areas." With that, Corporal Steers closed the door. There was a loud click as the door was locked and the whirring of the machine-gun rotating its turret. ---- The vehicle continued its route before slowing down. Now, around the armored vehicle, were ancient and ruined buildings. Some appeared to be seconds away from crumbling while some others fair far better. It had been forty years, but the corrupting and eroding effect of Disharmony was playing its part. The streets were mainly empty due to scavenging, brave scouts, or monsters. Very few were there any skeletons lying around. It was merely only bleak and dark due to the dark clouds above blocking most of the sun's rays. From the sides of buildings to the roads, plant-life began sprouting. If one were to look closely, they could see bullet marks and what appeared to be distinct ashen-markings painting around. What history they shared, only few knew and only a few wanted to tell. Turning around a corner, the vehicle stopped suddenly. There were movements, pony-like movements, inside the buildings. Three blocks away, a single sniper positioned his rifle, though few could tell his location. "Get the confirmation numbers," Sergeant Traverse ordered as he looked around. "We're going to need them to disembark and get help." "Yes sir," Corporal Steer replied as he ducked down his seat to get the papers.

"The hell was that?" Corporal Steer demanded as he opened the door that separated the front and the passengers. "Who fired?" He had entered, a small 9mm pistol levitating near him. There was a small metallic box strapped to his side, glowing with what seemed to be magic. The vehicle continued its course in a more hasten fashion now. Sergeant Traverse had decided to accelerate the speed, not wanting to be wasting around when there was a shot that was fired. That'll either attract monsters or bandits, both wouldn't be good for them. Not considering how open they were and they were still a few more miles away from Mareington and the nearest outpost stationed there.