Luke ran to the window when the noise interrupted his chat with Miss Hoffstetter. He saw the sky turn an unnatural colour and cursed under his breath.

Are we too late? he asked himself.

Then, turning to the lady, he silently requested her patience with an apologetic look, and called his men.

“Alright men! Everybody get into the house, and we’ll talk business. Somebody just turned up the volume. I don’t know what is happening out there, but we better move fast.”

They did a quick recon of the items found in the house, to see what was usable and what wasn’t.

“Ok, looks like we’ve got enough clothes to make everybody look German enough. We take the car and get a little closer to the castle. If we’re stopped, or questioned, we are German soldiers escorting Miss Hoffstetter and her entourage to Rautenberg. Let’s go people. Hurry up!”

He turned back to Miss Hoffstetter and grinned.

“I really hope you are on our side, lady. For your own sake as much as ours. You can explain yourself further on the way.”

As Romo, after having retrieved both uniform and gear, did a quick check of the exterior of the building and the surrounding area, he noticed that Clements was also doing a recon and was presently at the German officers car. Seeing the corporal occupied with that he made his way to McGuinness’s watch point to check on him.

“Anything to report Private”(*1) As he awaited the snipers answer he kept his eye’s open for anything strange and sure enough just as he was about to return to the house and report to the Captain the all clear things changed.

Suddenly as if from nowhere a harsh screeching sound as if dozens of rockets launching together was quickly followed by the night sky being lit up with an unearthly blue glow from the south. Though the light show was quickly over, once more plunging the night into darkness, the black of night somehow felt blacker than before.

Turning to McGuinness. “Keep your eyes open private, on high alert, but be ready to move quickly. I think we will be evacing this area soon.”
Moving quickly back to the house Romo entered to catch the Captain’s words.

“Ok, looks like we’ve got enough clothes to make everybody look German enough. We take the car and get a little closer to the castle. If we’re stopped, or questioned, we are German soldiers escorting Miss Hoffstetter and her entourage to Rautenberg. Let’s go people. Hurry up!”
The Captain then turned to face the German lady and grinned.

“I really hope you are on our side, lady. For your own sake as much as ours. You can explain yourself further on the way.”
As he turned away Romo spoke up

“Captain with all due respect, concerning the German uniforms, it would be best if I portrayed the German officer as I’m the only one of us that speaks fluent German.”(*2)

(*1) As Dreen has disappeared from the Inn I presume anything McGuiness replies will be on your next post AL as an NPC.
(*2) Allowing for some inter party RP here with Almerin.

Doc had started to put his medical kit back together, the lady seemed fine and no longer need his attention.

Suddenly from outside a loud whooshing pierced to night silence. A bright eerie glow lit the night sky. The three of them stared out the cabin window.

Doc dropped his kit, "Holy Mother of God!"

"Captain with all due respect, concerning the German uniforms, it would be best if I portrayed the German officer as I’m the only one of us that speaks fluent German."

Luke nodded.

"Very well. Anybody else who favours a particular dress? I would advice Brutal to be the driver."

He turned to the man and continued: "You won't have to speak any language at all, since your would-be superiors will. But you'll be close to the action if it breaks loose. I'm sure you like that."

"My business is aligned with yours, but you've been misinformed, Captain," Greta replied, after removing the compress from her face and thanking Doc for his kindness. "The castle has long had a reputation for ... strange occurrences. It was built on the convergence of 4 ley lines in the 1600's and has had a poisonous influence on its inhabitants. The Nazis (and here her full lip curled) have claimed the castle and are looking into ways to exploit its arcane powers."

(OOC: Presuming some looks of disbelief) "It stretches the imagination, yes, but I am a doctor of anthropology, specializing in comparative religions, and one man's faith is another man's occult. I've wanted to study Castle Rautenberg, and here, I was given an opportunity..."

Greta was about to continue when the windows of the cabin lit up with an unearthly blue glow, preceded by a whoosh that was more felt than heard.

The big soldier who had threatened her earlier re-entered the cabin, carrying a briefcase, and handing it to the Captain.

“You all seen that! Never seen a light that color before…. Seemed to come from the direction of the Castle. What you make of it Captain?”
Soon enough, however, his attention was back on Greta. “Maybe she knows what is going on up there? She spill her guts yet?”
Greta's full lips tightened, then relaxed. She wasn't about to let the big man get to her. She tossed her hair and pulled out a lipstick and compact from her purse. Fixing her lipstick, she cast a cold eye Brutal's way before resuming.

"As I was telling you, the Nazis are looking for weapons that you cannot counter with ordinary means. It looks as if they are making more progress than I would have credited them. They must have brought some goose-schteppers that can still read. "

“Alright men! " the Captain interrupted with a look of apology to Greta. "Everybody get into the house, and we’ll talk business. Somebody just turned up the volume. I don’t know what is happening out there, but we better move fast. Ok, looks like we’ve got enough clothes to make everybody look German enough. We take the car and get a little closer to the castle. If we’re stopped, or questioned, we are German soldiers escorting Miss Hoffstetter and her entourage to Rautenberg. Let’s go people. Hurry up!”

He turned back to Miss Hoffstetter and grinned.

“I really hope you are on our side, lady. For your own sake as much as ours. You can explain yourself further on the way.”
Greta nodded as she put her coat back on and tied her scarf around her hair. "The Castle doesn't know I was coming, we'll need the dead man to get us in. We should approach at high speed, desperate to get help for the major after we were attacked. As good soldiers, you didn't stop just because he died. And yes, I am on your side...I have no love for the Nazis and have been helping British intelligence whenever I could. "
OOC: Will stop and leave room for interactions and next steps.

Brutal noticed how the Captain apparently ignored every word that he said to him, he didn’t even take the offered briefcase, so he tossed it down at the man’s feet. Maybe if he tripped over it he might take notice. The man seemed totally clueless about things, he was reacting to his own fear and sense of what was important and didn’t seem to care about the experienced input from his subordinates.

Brutal noticed how the woman reacted to his words and he smiled back at her when she fixed up herself. He had to admit the woman had guts and wasn’t afraid of them really. He admired that in her, maybe she might come in handy later.

What she said about the ‘strange occurrences’ that were going on at the Castle was a bit disturbing, he didn’t understand all she said about ‘fey lines’ and such but it didn’t sound natural and he didn’t like things he couldn’t understand.

He listened to her add to their plan of using the uniforms for entrance to the castle as he donned a German uniform and nodded at the order to be the driver. He did like that idea, he could keep the shotgun handy across his lap and if they ran into trouble whomever approached his window could get a big surprise.

After he was dressed he went out to the car taking the keys and brought the car around to the front door of the cabin as those inside got dressed and prepared the ‘wounded’ Major for his trip to the Castle.

Luke took a step back as Brutal flung the briefcase at his feet. He hadn’t noticed the man offering the thing to him and wondered if there were other things he was not taking in. Was the woman having an effect on him?
Her story was odd, to say the least. But it was so weird that he didn’t think she would make it up. She’d most likely make something up that would be more plausible if she was their enemy.

He cast the corporal a questioning look.

“Where’d you find this?”

He decided the briefcase would have to be opened later, since he didn’t want to waste time in reaching the Castle.

When they started changing clothes, he returned his glance at the doctor of anthropology.

“I don’t know what kind of magic the Germans think they have found, and if it is real or not. But that glow suggests there is something going on, and we have our orders. We intend to bring that Castle to the ground, no matter what is going there.”

Glancing around, he noted that most of them had changed.

“If everybody’s ready, we should move.”

“Where’d you find this?”
While he was getting dressed, Brutal answered the Captain's question without even looking at him.

"It was in the car."

Once finished he snatched up the keys and headed out to bring the car around.

"I'll have the car out front in 1 min."

((OOC: No problem Almerin.. it works out for Brutal and his growing distaste for the Captain ))

After the glow faded the Captain called them all back in and a quick search of the cabin provided some interesting item.

As the stuff was brought to the main room Jack ran a mental list of what he saw.

One SS dress uniform
One SS field uniform
Two black overcoats, leather
Numerous civilian clothing items (Shirts, pants, socks, undies, etc)
Numerous large knives, cleavers and bonesaws.
One luger with one full clip (8 rds)

As Doc was reviewing the pile he heard the Captain.

“Ok, looks like we’ve got enough clothes to make everybody look German enough. We take the car and get a little closer to the castle. If we’re stopped, or questioned, we are German soldiers escorting Miss Hoffstetter and her entourage to Rautenberg. Let’s go people. Hurry up!”
Doc looks over the clothes and realized there was only enough for four men.

“Sir,I don’t think there’s enough clothes here for five disguises. If we’re going finish this we all need to be there. “

Jack looked down at the medical kit he had dropped to the floor, the white circle with its red cross stared him back in the face.

A lump seemed to form in Jack's stomach as a solution came to him. Reaching into his pocket Doc pulled his medics armband out slide it back in place on his arm.

“Sir, I think I found our fifth disguise.”

Doc gathered his gear and headed out the door. He stopped next to the corpse of German officer.

Kneeling down and lifting the body he let the still wet blood stain his hands and sleeves.
Doc opened the medical pack, pulled out some bandages and dressed the wound.
If they were going to use him as part of the rouse to gain entry to the castle it had to look the part.

Then reluctantly Jack unfastened his 45’s and laid them on the ground, hopefully he’d put them in the car’s trunk with his pack.

“This had better work or it could really ruin my day.”
Jack watched as Brutal brought the car around to the front of the cabin.

As Brutal drove up Jack swore he saw him smirk as Doc's guns hit the dirt.

That cruel look in the Corporal's eye sent it's message loud and clear. "Doc's defenseless"!

Doc narrowed his eyes and smirked back.

"Sorry baldy, but you just lost your chance."
With that Doc slipped off his jacket and put his sweet 45's back on crisscrossed his chest.
Adjusting the belt length so they hung neatly along his ribcage.

Opening his pack he took the German pistols he had taken from the farm house,nesting one under his shirt in his waste band in the small of his back.

Taking his combat knife he made slit in the lining of his jacket just below the neck, he was able to slip the pistol in the hole, when he put the jacket back on it sat there at the ready.

Now if he had to place his hands behind his head he'd stand a chance to get the drop on his captors.


Doc took the arm band back off and put it back in his pocket.
He lifted the medic kit and stung it over his should so the Red Cross was easily visible.

"Let'um jump to their own conclusions."

July 14th 1943, 2:45-4:00 am, Day Two of Mission
OOC: Because I have been delayed and I am sure you all want to get to the action, I have jumped you forward without much detail. You may backpost if you want any conversation and prep before this post starts

The engine of the major's car seemed to like the speed, or Brutal had a real lead foot, either way, you once on the main road, the car moved quickly down the road. It was a tight fit in the car but from a distance you all looked the part, and up close, well you could deal with that.

The roads became winding and steep fast, with many turns and valleys and up the edge of mountains. At one point the headlights showed a section of road barrier torn and twisted, where someone had misjudged a turn and when over the cliff edge.

After what seems like a long climb, you enter into a valley. Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors about the muddy roadway. Thick cold mist spreads a pallor over the road. Giant tree trunks stand on both sides of the road, their branches clawing into the fog. Ahead of you a high stone buttresses loom on either side of the road and a ancient iron gate hangs on rusted bent hinges. A faded signpost is revealed in the light "Barovia".

You drive on in the darkness and fog, feeling the chill in the air as the dampness reaches right through your clothing to your bones. Tall shapes loom out of the dense fog and the muddy ground gives way to slick wet cobblestones. tall shape appear around you that become recognizable as buildings and dwellings of a town, long deserted and ravaged by time. No one lives here anymore and it looks like it has been deserted for a long time. You pass through the main square of this ghost town, a signpost over a door reveals itself in the headlights as a tavern once called "Blood on The Vine".

You leave the village and move up again, cross over a bridge and continue on the road that cuts through an dense old forest. The thick damp undergrowth presses in on the roadway and the trees are so close the trunks almost touch. The forest have a silence to them of a forgotten grave.

Up you go again, winding around and over until you turn the corner and in the distance there is a large bridge across a great chasm. The sound of the Waterfall churning can be heard as you slow down as the bridge is lit and there is a small building on this side with a wooden bar gate across the road. There are four german soldiers there, coming out as you approach. One of them steps out, casual but wary and waves for you to stop. The other three take positions, one on either side of the road and the other back towards the bridge itself.

There is no way around this checkpoint. This was the bridge that one "team" was going to destroy so reinforcements couldn't reach the castle.

The one closer to you shouts out, "Halt! Ziehen Sie an der Seite und präsentieren sie ihr Papieren sofort!" (Halt! Pull to the side and present your papers immediately!)

As the group and the German women prepared to leave Romo quickly made his way outside and signaled McGuinness to join them inside. With everyone dressed in German uniforms, or some semblance of, they piled into the officers car and with Brutal behind the wheel headed towards the castle.

The trip through the winding hills and a strangely empty village was time consuming but thanks to Brutal’s ‘lead foot’ they reached the first enemy checkpoint without incident. Dressed in the Major’s uniform and being the only one among the men to speak fluent German Romo knew he would have to take the lead. Grabbing the real German Major’s briefcase he readied it to remove the paperwork permitting entrance to the castle. However he hoped he could bluff the car’s way past the guards without using them as no one had, had a real chance to look them over. Turning to the captain and the rest of the car poolers.

“Ok Sir hold the Lugar on Doc and keep him covered. You do the same McGuinness but use the MP40 say nothing but if things start to go south watch for my signal and then turn those on the guards.”

"Halt! Ziehen Sie an der Seite und präsentieren sie ihr Papieren sofort!" (Halt! Pull to the side and present your papers immediately!)

Romo, with one of his 45’s drawn and hidden from view, replied in what he hoped was his best hurried arrogant Nazi officer voice that would broke no delay to getting his “wounded” comrade to a hospital quickly.

"Schnell!!, oeffnen Sie das Tor, und warnen ihren Kontact das fremde Soldaten im Dorf von Barovia sind.Ich habe einen verwundeten Soldaten hier und brauche einen echten Arzt nicht dieses amarikanische Schwein"
(“Open this gate at once, you there Private contact your headquarters and warn them that there are enemy soldiers in the village of Barovia. I also have a wounded man here and must get him to a real doctor, not this captured American pig!!”)

(Edited text per Mom's Translation

The journey through the German landscape reminded Luke of books he used to read when he was younger. Books filled with foggy forests and eerie folk tales from all over the world.

A particular story about a man drinking his victims’ blood came to mind when he read the sign Barovia, but he couldn’t say why. Perhaps it was the gothic feel of this foreign place, perhaps it was the feeling doom that was creeping up his spine. Either way, he felt alienated from the war. He had lead soldiers into the quaking heart of battle, dodged bullets and grenades, but this dark and silent ride through a damp landscape felt different.

It felt as if he wasn’t supposed to be here.

He looked at the woman on his left, and gave her a comforting smile. She might guess that the reassuring gesture was meant for himself as much as her, but he didn’t care. He knew that he would start feeling a lot better when action started to build up. For some reason he was good at staying alive in the pandemonium of warfare. Perhaps it was the way he knew to blend into the background. That was a trait that bore him some ill tidings at time as well, but it kept him alive through many years of seducing lonely housewives, and dodging their unaware husbands.

As he looked back, he realized how he had been the one who had been seduced time and again.
He remembered the first time after his wife had died. It had been lonely and dark. The outside world had moved fast as he ploughed through bright memories. A distance had been growing between Luke and the rest of the world. People floated past and mattered less and less.
But than he had entered the Thomas’s porch, and the door that normally towered over his destined matt had opened. Mrs Thomas had accepted his daily delivery in person. An insignificant conversation later they were in the bedroom.
Later that day he had felt like part of him had returned to reality. Or perhaps it was that a part of his feelings had been dulled, and that in that numb state he was capable of functioning again.

A habit grew, and business had picked up.

And then the war had started.

---

There was little else he could do but follow Romo’s idea. He pointed the gun at the Doc, and hoped with all his heart that these soldiers would fall for their feint. As much as he preferred this would all go by with as little casualties as possible, part of him really wanted to squeeze that trigger into the German soldier’s gut. He hated that language. It sounded hateful.

McGuiness scrambled up a tree not far from the cabin with the screaming woman inside. Typical, he thought to himself. Nothing since he had come on this crazy mission had gone according to plan. SANFU *Situation-Normal-All-F#$%#$@-Up* That was the expression Pop loved. From the attack on the plane onward it was all pure military. SNAFU.

Oh well, he thought as settled into the branches. There was a job to do and it was their job to do. That is what marines did. And his part of that job was to line up his sights on the door of the cabin. He scanned through his scope and attempted to see if there was any immediate danger.

Before he had finished thoroughly checking the area he saw Romo stand up and approach the door. S$%#!! He screamed silently to himself! What is that idiot doing?! He heard him call out to the cabin in German. In disbelief the sniper held his aim on the door. He would be ready to plug a hole in anything that came out of the door. But what was the stupid sergeant doing?! If there was anything a sniper knew it was that you didn’t reveal your location until you knew everything that could be learned about your surroundings. They hadn’t scouted around yet! That damn fool of a sergeant had no idea how many people were in the cabin! Why would you ever expose yourself in the open like that when you didn’t even know what you were up against! Stupid! He admired the man’s bravery, and valued his language skills, but his assessment of the man went down a notch. Or two.

As he kept his sights lined up on the door he hoped the Sarge’s rash actions wouldn’t get them all killed.

A moment later the door opened and an angry Nazi officer stepped into the light. McGuiness could see him reaching for his sidearm to shoot the annoying visitor. McGuiness began to gradually squeeze the trigger when an arrow head suddenly blossomed out of the front of the Nazi’s throat. As the sniper released the pressure on the trigger the man collapsed to the ground.

# of Nazis killed by the unit on the mission so far: 1
At least that brought a smile.

He didn’t take his aim off of the door. Anything could come through that door at a moment’s notice. But while he held his aim he couldn’t help but think, “Damn! We needed that uniform! I’d have hit him in the head! Amateurs!”

He kept his aim on the door until the others moved inside and confirmed no more enemies within. He then started to scan the entire yard. He kept a watch everywhere, using the scope to try and sight down the road and past the various buildings. If anything was out there, he wanted to know about it.

While he scanned he continued to complain silently to himself about the Sarge’s rash behavior. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Pop always said. Which meant prevent yourself from getting shot! Don’t stand up in the open when you don’t know who is out there! A pound of cure would be mighty hard to come by around here. Sure, they had the Doc with them, and that was good. He liked Doc. But honestly, what could the guy do for a bullet wound here? Best not get shot in the first place. Which to Corban McGuiness meant not standing up in front of an unknown number of enemies!

The surprising thing was that he might have expected it of Brutal. The man was tough, but seemed to lack any sort of subtlety. Charging in like a bull in a China shop seemed like his sort of thing. Then again, he was still alive as a combat veteran, so maybe not. But the Sarge? He hadn’t expected rash behavior from him. Well, they had gotten lucky this time.

He continued to keep his eye on things from his perch in the tree until called for.