Snippet #2620910

It was dark, near midnight. The park was serene and quiet, with the steady burble of activity from the rest of the city a distant song. Families, couples, and occasional lonely wanderers walked through the park, minding their own business.

An inconspicuous fountain was currently unoccupied by any inhabitants. The soft trickle of water, the wisping wind through the trees, and the occasional call of a nocturnal bird... it painted the exact image of peace.

The silence is broken by a sudden whip-crack, deafening by comparison, and a bright flash of light originating about two feet up off the ground near the fountain, but thankfully not over it.

Thankfully because a group of four dropped onto the ground. Two of them landed on their feet; One, wearing a large, thick coat, and a peaked cap. His garb was almost entirely black, with the exception of some red pauldrons and other significant markings. He did not seem particularly alarmed, if his stance was any indication.

The other that landed on his feet immediately entered a crouched position, a thick blade in one hand and a similarly large shotgun held aloft in the other. He was dressed for a heavily forested environment, and was the only one among the group sufficiently dressed for the summer heat, with a tank top and baggy pants.

The other two were somewhat less graceful in their fall, but no less prepared. One, a slender figure with a long rifle, had fallen on her back with her gun ready to be aimed. Wearing thick armor and striking a tall and imposing silhouette despite her posture, she scanned the perimeter through the glowing blue scope of her rifle.

Lastly was a bulky man who hit the ground face-first and immediately began slurring out colourful, mostly incomprehensible curses. Covered not only in armor but in furs, it was without a doubt that he would likely be sweltering, even in the relative cool of the night.

"Quiet up Dog," spoke the man with the peaked cap. The grumbling curses did get quieter.
"Sound off."

"Dog," grunted the bulky man as he righted himself, scanning their surroundings.
"Wet," said the woman quietly.
"Devil," called the raspy, hardened voice of the crouching man.

Silence.

"Feth," rumbled the man in the peaked cap. They had lost people.