Armin reacted with the speed only a vampire could possess. As soon as he heard the shot go off, he lunged at the man and grabbed his wrist, twisting it viciously in an attempt to make him let go of the shotgun. He threw a quick glance at Dianne as he did this, but didn't stop to make sure she was all right. Subduing the threat was his highest priority.

{The man was caught completely off guard when Armin lunged at him, dropping the shotgun quickly.}

Man: Woah, woah, what are you doing? Don’t interfere!”

{Dianne rolls over, coughing, slowly getting to her feet.}

Armin let go of the man's arm and quickly bent to pick up the shotgun. Keeping it pointed in the man's general direction, he backed up towards Dianne. 'You alright?' he muttered, looking down at her as she started to get up.

{Dianne nods, grimacing.}
Dianne: “Yeah...I think so..”

Man: “What are you doing? Don’t you know what she is?”

{As he said that, two more men from the adjacent room began to fire in their direction with revolvers.}

Armin turned his shotgun towards the men in the other room and fired at them, several times, his grim expression showing that he didn't care if he killed them. While doing this, he - seemingly by instinct - stepped in front of Dianne to make sure she didn't get hit again. Maybe it was because he knew he'd heal from a bullet wound faster than her.

{From the other room came a pained cry, indicating that Armin's shot hit its mark. As they took cover, they cried out in terror as Barnabas set upon them. Barnabas emerges from the other room, covered in blood.}

Barnabas: "Well, that was dramatic..."

{Dianne, finally standing, reaches to the other room. The slain gunmen come in as draugrs.}

Dianne: "We need....to leave..."

{She says, breathing heavily. From the other room, three more gunmen appear. They take one look at Barnabas and run.}
Gunman: "They have a ghoul! Retreat!"

Armin tossed his spent shotgun aside and picked up one of the dead mens' revolvers instead. 'C'mon,' he said, and continued on towards the exit, gazing around alertly for signs of threat. He was hoping that everyone would be too scared of Barnabas to get close enough to shoot at them.

{Dianne takes the lead, despite wincing at every move. Once they got to the entrance, Dianne started walking down the long hallway. However, before she could get to the front, the doors opened in front of her. Standing between the pair and the outside was this heavily armored humanoid. His scent identified him as an orc. He had thick steel plate armor, head to toe, a hand cannon in one, and a suspicious metal box in the other. The draugrs opened fire, but their small caliber weapons couldn't penetrate.}

Dianne: "Barnabas!"

{Barnabas appears, brandishing his spectral chains. The juggernaut, however, pulled the lever on the side of the metal box. This opened the box, unleashing a blinding bright light. When it hit Dianne, she shrieked, put her arms up, and stumbled backwards. Barnabas and the draugrs screeched, and Barnabas flickered, then evaporated away.}

(FYI, to Armin, the light would just be uncomfortable to look directly at. It won't hurt him at all. If he's near Dianne or the draugrs, he'll hear a painful sizzling though.)

Armin didn't look away from the orc, despite having to squint through the bright light. His thoughts were racing. //Light... it hurt the draugrs... it's a weapon for use against dark creatures... And he's heavily armoured... I don't think I could pierce that with a blade or gun...//

His mind vaguely recalled a conversation with Dianne from days ago. Without giving himself time to hesitate, he shifted into a massive rhinoceras and charged straight at the doorway that the orc was blocking. He swung his head, horns crashing against the figure's armour.

(I gotta say, I certainly wasn't expecting that. XD)

(XD)

Orc: "Oh, what the fu-!"

{Armin's impact launched the orc through the door, sending him into the streets. His light weapon broke, revealing an impossibly bright stone. However, it bounced forward instead of back, illuminating the hallway. Through the open door, however, it was revealed that there were more gunmen. A /lot/ more gunmen. They began to run for the entrance of the museum in droves.}

Gunman: "It's a rhino! Shoot it!"

Other gunman: "Hold your fire! He's not the target!"

{From behind him, there were more gunshots, and the sounds of a scuffle. However, those shots were not aimed for Armin...}

(I'm legit just trying to figure out what to do right now. XD)

(Yeah, it's a lot going on at once. I can dial it back if need be.)

Still in rhino form, Armin kicked the illuminated stone outside. He briefly considered charging at the approaching gunmen, but the sounds of gunfire in the hallway behind told him that he couldn't waste time doing that.

He swung his head at the ceiling above the museum doors, gouging through them. Stone and plaster came crashing down, blocking the doorway with rubble. //Let's see them try to shift that.//

He then shifted back to human form and turned around to see where the gunfire sounds were emanating from, raising his revolver in preparation to shoot them.

(Ah, points for creativity, Armin. Kudos.)

{Back in the museum lobby, Dianne was wrestling with that first gunman that Armin spared. He had apparently pulled out a hand cannon and tried to shoot her. Dianne was clearly bleeding, but seemed to still possess the strength to fight. The two draugrs were assailing two other gunmen. Despite the draugr's ragged conditions, they seemed to be winning. As soon as Armin entered the main lobby, the security doors in the hall behind him, (Or at least the ones that still functioned) slammed shut, as the entire museum entered a lockdown state.}

Armin ignored the sound of slamming doors and quickly aimed his revolver at the man Dianne was grappling with, shooting him cleanly through the head. Just for good measure, he turned and shot the gunmen fighting with the draugrs, too.

'We need to find an alternative way out,' he called. 'The front doors are a no-go. Maybe we should go back the way we came and look for another exit door, or a window.'

{Dianne didn't answer Armin immediately. She pushed the man's corpse aside, and turned to Armin, holding her bleeding side. She had been shot in the side and left leg. She looks at Armin with a pained expression. But, when she looked at him, her eyes were not their usual red and black. They looked normal, white where the black had been and green irises.}

Dianne: "Armin...I...."

{Before she could finish, she collapses to the floor.}

'Sh.it..'

Armin darted forwards and managed to grab her just before she hit the floor. With a grunt of effort, he pulled her over to the nearest wall and set her down leaning against it. He knelt in front of her, checking to see if she was conscious or not. The whole while, he was acutely aware that there were still people outside, probably trying to get in right this moment.

{The draugrs rushed to her side as well. She opened her eyes weakly as she sat there. Her side wound was not too severe, but the bullet had struck an unarmored area on her leg.}

Draugr: "Her wounds have bullets in them. They need to be removed."

Dianne: "...Barnabas......"

{Barnabas appears, although, very faintly.}

Dianne: "Go....get.......Titan...."

Armin glanced briefly at the draugr who had spoken. 'There's nothing I can do about that until we get out of here.' He then turned to Barnabas, noticing how faint the ghoul looked. He wondered if the light weapon blast had damaged him somehow.

'Yeah, go call Titan. If you can. We'll need him. I can't get Dianne out of here and fight off a hundred frickin' soldiers at the same time.'

Dianne: "They're....Hunters, Armin..."

{She states between labored breaths.}

Dianne: "We....We need to get outside...."

{Dianne starts attempting to stand, but it soon becomes clear that she is unable to do so.}

'Well, we can't just walk out the front doors,' said Armin. He gazed around, thinking. '...I saw an emergency exit door near the Ferros exhibit.... We'll use that to get outside, and then Titan will be here to rescue us...'

He glanced back at Dianne as she attempted to stand. Then he went over to her left side, pulled her arm around his neck, and slowly stood up while supporting her.

{As they headed for the emergency exit, the draugrs growled and raised their guns towards the doorway.}

Dr. Billingsly: "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

{It was Dr. Billingsly, holding a large medkit.}

Dr. Billingsly: "You can't go out that way. The entire museum is in lockdown and they have the building surrounded. Please, let me help you."

Armin lifted his revolver with his free hand and pointed it at the old man. 'Oh yeah?' he growled. 'For all we know, you could be the one who sent those hunters after us. Maybe you're just trying to trap us. I can't trust you.'

Dr. Billingsly: "Wha-you think-No! Why would I do that? If she dies, all she knows goes with her. You saw my interest in having an interview, why would I jeapordize her life like that? Besides, I can prove I didn't premediate this."

{He takes out his phone and slides it to them. One of the draugrs picks it up, reads it, then shows Armin. It was a public text message sent by the Agamidae Police Department. It reads: "Citizens be advised. Please avoid the downtown area. The Agamidae Police Department are working in conjunction with the hunter group Bloodrazor to apprehend a dangerous nonhuman individual. Individual is a female dragon shifter, 6' 4" tall, light complexion, black hair, red and black eyes. The individual is a magic user and should be considered armed and dangerous. If spotted, please leave the area immediately."}

Dr. Billingsly: "That message was sent to every Agamidae citizen about twenty minutes ago. That hunter group was clearly waiting for you to arrive."

Armin read the text through several times, then looked up. 'OK... seems like it /was/ sent a while ago.' He considered for a moment. //We don't have to stay here for long anyway. Titan will be here soon to pick us up...//

'OK. I'll believe you for now. But if you try anything funny, I'll put a bullet through your head. So, how are you going to help us?'

Dr. Billingsly: "I can provide you a way out of the city. In the loading dock, there's an armored vehicle used for transporting artifacts between museums. We can use it to escape. It should be armored enough to withstand their munitions."

Armin nodded slowly. It occurred to him than Titan might not even be able to land in the city, at least not without crushing dozens of bystanders. If they could drive out safely, then he'd take that option.

'Alright. We'll do that, then. As soon as we get outside the city, we'll be safe.'

Dr. Billingsly: "Then it's settled. Follow me, the loading dock is this way."

{He leads the way to a metal door at the back of the museum. As Armin helps Dianne along, she's leaving a trail of blood from her leg wound.}

Dr. Billingsly: "Hurry! Once we get into the vehicle, you'll need to stem that bleeding."

Armin didn't respond, his energy focused on supporting Dianne and keeping an eye out for potential threats. However, he followed Dr Billingsly to the loading dock as quickly as he could, looking around for the vehicle they were supposed to be using.

{Billingsly puts his hand on a panel by the door. It scanned his hand and opened. Behind it was a vehicle bay with an armored truck. Billingsly fumbles with the key and unlocks it.}

Dr. Billingsly: "Quick, get in the back."

{He runs over to the driver's seat and starts the engine, waiting for them to get in.}

'I sure hope you can drive,' said Armin darkly. He stepped up into the back of the truck, using a surge of strength to lift Dianne in with him. Once they were in, he carefully sat her down and then turned and beckoned the two draugrs to get in the truck too.

{The draugrs jumped in without hesitation and closed up the back. With that, Billingsly peeled out of the loading dock and onto the street. Dianne grimaced with pain at every jolt, trying to keep herself still. As they drove, the numerous hunters caught on quickly.}

Hunter: "There, that's a museum truck! Take it down! "

{They began to fire on the car, but the thick armor plating deflected their rounds with ease.}

Dr. Billingsly: "See? Nothing gets through this plating!"

'Yeah, great,' said Armin vaguely in response, not really listening to what the old man said. He was inspecting Dianne's leg wound, grimacing at the sight. The smell of blood in the enclosed space was overpowering, especially for a vampire, with senses fine-tuned to detect it.

'I kinda need something to bandage this, or slow the bleeding. Didn't you have a medkit when you came in?' he said, addressing Dr Billingsly.

{Billingsly tosses the medkit to Armin over his shoulder.}

Billingsly: "Here! Stop the bleeding, best you can."

{As he drives, he takes a sharp turn to avoid a fireball. It seems that a few of the hunters were dragon shifters themselves and were trying to stop them. the maneuver forced Dianne to put out her wounded leg to avoid falling, eliciting a cry from her as she put weight on it.}

Armin caught the medkit, then yelped at the truck's sudden turn. Muttering curses, he put a hand on Dianne's shoulder to steady her as the truck levelled out. 'I knew that guy would suck at driving...'

He turned away and opened the medkit, rummaging through the contents until he found some bandages. 'Hold her still, in case the truck veers again,' he ordered one of the draugrs. He then started bandaging up the wound, firmly enough to slow the bleeding. He knew they'd have to remove the bullet later, but he had no intention of trying that in the back of a moving vehicle.

Dr. Billingsly: "You try dodging fireballs while being shot at..."

{He grumbles. The draugrs hold Dianne steady as Armin bandaged the wound. She winced as he worked, biting her lip at the pain.}

'You should've brought a dragon-proof truck,' Armin muttered, too low for Billingsly to hear from the driver's seat. Frowning with concentration, he finished binding up the wound. 'Alright, that's enough for now. We can take a better look at it later, when we're not being shot at.'

Dianne: "Armin....Armin...Listen...If-"

{She was abruptly cut off when the car was struck by an anti dragon round. Whoever shot it hit the wheel, blowing it off. The car swerved and flipped on its side, skidding across the pavement.}
Dr. Billingsly: "Oh noooo!"

Armin cried out in shock as the truck rolled over. He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them as the truck slowly ground to a halt on the side of the road.

//OK, we /really/ need Barnabas and Titan to show up now,// he thought frantically. He looked around to see if everyone else was all right.

'OK, what the heII do we do now?!'

{Dianne was still reeling from the impact, pulling herself into a ball. She wasn't fit to voice her concern at this time, bit she did open her eyes to look at Armin. Her expression was one of fear. Despite having dominated every combat situation thus far, her green eyes looked at Armin with genuine worry.}

Dr. Billingsly: "I-I don't know! I think we'll just have to make a run for it!"

{From outside, the voices of the hunters could be heard.}

Hunter: "Haha! Nowhere to run now, you necromancer scum!"

Armin met Dianne's gaze for a brief moment, his expression showing a mixture of fear and grim determination. He'd noticed the changed colour of her eyes, but that was the last thing on his mind right now. He turned away, gripping his revolver.

'...Maybe if I jump out and start shooting at them, it'll give you four enough time to jump out and make a run for it. If you can meet up with Barnabas and Titan, you'll be OK.'

{Upon hearing the, Dianne reaches out and feebly grabs Armin's jacket.}

Dianne: "No!....Don't....They're almost....here...Just stall...stall..."
{As her grip failed, the draugrs look at each other.}

Draugr: "We need a diversion. Once Titan gets here, we'll be ok. He's close."

(*This)

Armin was gazing towards the side door of the truck, barely aware of Dianne's weak tug on his jacket '...I just need to hold them off long enough for Titan to arrive,' he muttered. 'He'll be here in a minute...'

Without stopping to think, he shoved the side door open and climbed out, jumping down onto the pavement . 'Hey!' he shouted at the nearest approaching hunters. 'I'm armed!' And he fired off a couple of shots in their direction.

{As Armin fired upon them, they raised their weapons, but quickly lowered them again. Behind them, a massive eagle flies down and shfts into a vampire. He's tall, sporting a trench coat and a hat, like all the rest.}

Vampire: "Armin, I presume?"

Armin watched warily as the vampire appeared, not letting his guard down. His gaze flickered back and forth between the vampire and the other hunters. 'Yeah, that's me,' he answered shortly. 'How did you know?'

Vampire: "Well, I make it my business to know everything about my target. That includes known associates. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Paxton. George Paxton, leader of the Bloodrazor hunter clan. In latent terms, I hunt dangerous people, and that woman in there, is a real threat."

Armin shook his head slightly, keeping his revolver aimed at the other vampire. 'She isn't a threat. Not anymore. Yes, she was dangerous once, and yes, she's killed before, but she doesn't do that anymore. Back off and find someone to hunt who's /actually/ endangering peoples' lives.'

{George just chuckles at Armin.}

George: "Boi, you got no idea. You can put lipstick on a pig, but that don't make it a pretty lady. What she is, is a disaster waiting to happen. She's gotta go, but you don't have to."

'Yeah? Well, I'm the one standing in front of the truck with a gun pointed at your face.' Armin grinned, baring his fangs. 'Come and get some.'

//OK Titan, now please hurry up and get here before I get shot by a ton of people.//

{George smiles at Armin.}

George: "Ya got guts, kid. Maybe in a few hundred years, we'll be working together. Ya never know."

{George hazards a look up, and his smug, self satisfied look melts right off.}

George: "Oh, sh!t...Retreat! Everyone, fall back!"

{Titan has arrived. He flies in with an earth shaking roar and lands with such an impact that the surrounding buildings take damage.}

Titan: "ARMIN, GET IN THE DAM.N CAR NOW!"

Armin glanced at Titan, then jumped back and threw himself through the side door of the car, firing a couple of bullets towards the hunter group as he did so.

{Titan proceeded to rip up a chunk of the ground and throw it at the fleeing hunters. He then grabs a nearby building and rips it off its foundation, throwing it into the street. After that, he turns, scoops up the car, and launches himself into the air, torwards the Tundra. Inside the car, Barnabas appears, looking more solid than before. }

Barnabas: "And you thought I was useless..."

{He sits next to Dianne looking her over worriedly.}

'Yeah, you're not as useless as I thought,' said Armin reluctantly, glancing at Barnabas. 'Thanks.' As Titan carried them away, he leaned forwards and rested his head on his hands, breathing slowly, trying to come down from the adrenaline rush. //Everyone's OK. We're all alive...//

{Once Titan got far enough from the city, he landed in the icy woods, putting the car down.}

Titan: "Armin, Barnabas says Dianne's been shot. Patch her up quickly. We cannot linger."

Armin opened his eyes and glanced swiftly out of the windows at the woodland scenery. 'They'd better not be following us...'

He then went over to inspect Dianne's gunshot wound, carefully removing the bandages. He grimaced slightly at the scent of blood, but the bleeding did seem to have slowed down from earlier. 'Yeah, there bullet's still lodged there,' he muttered as he probed the wound. 'Not very deep, though. Looks easy enough to get out.'

{As Armin probed the wound, Dianne yells in pain. Despite this, she takes off her ruined coat and attempts to undo the straps on her armor cuirass. The wound on her side wasn't bleeding anymore, but the end of the bullet was sticking out. The armor did well in stopping it.}
Dr. Billingsly: "Here, there are forceps in the medkit."

Barnabas: "Wait, why is he here?"

(Man, Fred and Rex ain't going to be happy when they see this special news report on "Agamidae attacked by savage necromancer!" :/)

(Oh no, RIP. XD
I bet they'll be phoning tomorrow to ask what's going on.
Had to post a new room, I'll reply there.)