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GM: Kensai
Players: Victor, Kensai
Synopsis: Injured, drained, and without most of his kit, Kensai must survive and make it to the safehouse before his enemies pen his name in the dead-book.
Date: Feb 2, 2084
Sons of the Skull III - Samurai in the Wind
The once pleasant development of Dove Valley is long past its glory days. This decayed suburb has become a sprawl of 20th century McMansions with extra overflow sheds built to stuff all of the yards between decayed edifices of the American Dream long dead.
Without corporate protection, the airlines and adjacent airport's management ceased to care about noise ordinances and shifted more takeoffs to roar over Dove Valley. This turned the picket fence idyll into the undefined mess of overflow housing here now, but at least the residents manage to stay off the streets, and out of the Warrens to the east - one can fall here and still have not quite hit bottom.
To the west, the dark satanic mills of the Denver Tech Center loom. Burnt out husks of buildings, one lonely Novatech subsidiary and the flickering glare of Regency Tech Center's holographic sign stand out from the otherwise decimated landscape. The irregularly lit dark tower that is the Regency casts a long shadow over the huddled houses in need of condemnation.
It is in the narrow network of alleys and warehouses and shut-down buildings that Kensai finds himself: hurt, barely geared, already spent - but the job is done. All he needs - is to survive.
Kensai ducks into an alley, watching a bright red sports car disappear with his objective and his teammate, and fights off the urge to vomit at the bullet wounds slowly filling his clothes with blood. "You'll be fine, Daichi," he tells himself. "Just… think of who to call… pav. Pav might be good." He leans against a wall, looking out for trouble, and begins to dial a number with his arm-phone…
It is past midnight on thursday night, having already passed to friday. There wasn't much happening in denver, just the usual nightlife, and a Red Oni concert in a shitty warehouse in a shitty part of town. The concert is already hitting the news, the victim of an attack by what appears to have been an anti-metahuman hate group. And now, at one in the morning, Kensai diails Victor up.
Victor is busily doing prep in the Red Lantern kitchen for some upcoming culinary experiment when his watch starts ringing. He eyes it uncertainly, but checks he's got the earpiece in before answering. "Moshi moshi, aniki!" he answers cheerily. Though it's unusual (or unheard of) to get a call from this person this late, and Victor should assume it means trouble, he's not going to let on to anyone else that might be in the bar.
Kensai forces his voice not to waver, though it is perhaps a little muffled by the mempo on his face. "V," he says. "Bit of a scrape here. Need exfil. My car's at <x> <y>, a few blocks from me, but not sure if the parking lot's a zoo or not. I'm in Dove Valley - not far from the old regency building. Any chance you can lend a hand?"
Kensai scoots down the alley a little further, seeking cover. His eyes scan around him - he needs to get away from the site of the battle, who knows who may be showing up soon, but to where?
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Intelligence for "detecting voice stress?":
1 3 3 5 11 11
«OOC» Kensai says, "you've worked with him enough to detect he's hurt, but not panicking."
Victor is initially quiet at the idea, then incredulous. "You want me to drive your *car*? Are you, uh, sure about that?" By now he must know where a spare set of keys are found around the bar. As he considers though he's convinced it's more of an emergency than it might have sounded at first. "Umm, yes, I assume this means you've already tried everyone else? Desperate times and all. I'll have a kit ready in the back seat. Maybe… ten minutes? Depending on traffic."
He's already pulling off the apron and cap, trading for his jacket and overcoat. And a pair of pistols. "Don't hang up, stay awake and keep describing where you are."
You say "No, i don't," with a shake of his head. "But I'm pretty sure you don't have one. You're at the bar, aren't you? The venue was on the other side of the tech center….it's not on fire this time!" He's moving down the alley at a good pace now. "It's fucking cold out here…" he mutters, and then adds. "No, omae. You were my first call."
Kensai flattens himself against a wall, looking around - wishing, not for the first time, that he could summon city spirits. A sky spirit is chancy among all these buildings, but a mist spirit…. just maybe. A small one. He starts chanting in archaic japanese, probably just audible over the phone…
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Conjuring vs TN 7 for "long shot. force 3 spirit, +2 mod wound, +2 bg count. No kp left.":
3 4 5 = 0 Successes
----------—[ Shadowrun Denver ]—-
==========================> +scan for Plot Room #4 <===========================
Victor Male Elf Charisma: 9
(Usually) Elven youth; avg height; slim. Red fauxhawk and green eyes.
Attired in form-fitting clothes.
Kensai Male Human Charisma: 4
Tall, Broad-Shouldered Japanese man.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Charisma vs TN 3 for "drain":
4 8 11 14 = 4 Successes
Kensai reaches out through the astral, beseeching the kami for help… but here among the human suffering there's too much muck to dig through, and his voice goes unheard. He shakes off the waves of mana backlash, finds a door, and ducks into it.
Victor stuffs a medkit and trauma patches into a backpack and shoulders it on his way out into the cold. "Is something going on? I saw some sort of news blips on my phone, but I've been busy. And I've had music playing in the kitchen. Anyway, why don't I come straight there? If there's some concert going on it's going to be impossible to get a car out of there anyway. We can get you stabilized and figure out what to do next."
You say "My sword's in the car," into the phone, but then relents. "But yeah. Straight here. I found a house to duck into, looks mostly empty. I was at a concert, watching Crimson play… you remember her band, right? The Red Oni? It got jumped by some racist fucks called the Sons of the Skull. One of her bandmates got nabbed. We got him back, but our ride only had two seats. So I sent them on." A pause. "I'm been in worse situations. At least there are no squid dogs yet."
"Be careful," he adds. "These fuckers don't play. A roto stitched me up with some fifty-call attention. It wasn't great."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Intelligence for "regular vision":
1 3 8 20
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Intelligence for "sight beyond sight":
1 2 3 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5 for "steelflower":
1 1 2 3 8
"…shit, I think I'm being followed. On the move."
"You are more than your sword, aniki," Victor says with a reassuring smile so potent it's audible in his voice. "Maybe you should take a break from a concert circuit for a while? You seem to be attracting all the worst people to your favorite performers."
He catches a cab on the street and starts navigating that way, lying down in the back to start adjusting his features to a nondescript business persona. Japanese, dark hair, human.
He hums while he works, only to pause at that remark. "What's the nearest intersection?"
Finally he sits up and looks around to see where the cab is. Not where he'd expected.
"So, more problems. Looks like traffic is getting diverted *away* from the scene, uhhh… I'm going to need to get the rest of the way on foot."
«OOC» Kensai says, "got any knowskills related to finding your way across town?"
«OOC» Victor says, "Nope!"
«OOC» Kensai says, "alrighty! give me an etq test, versus 4. can always ask the cabby, right?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Etiquette vs TN 4 for "where the fuck is this":
2 2 5 5 5 = 3 Successes
Kensai moves as quickly as he can, despite the pain, through the first floor of this abandoned apartment house and into another… less abandoned. Orks and dwarves, and even a troll, huddled up against the cold. "Not exactly moving across city streets," Kensai says. "I'll ask… you! Where are we? No, i mean, this… Hard luck road? Very Funny. I think… Sparrow Drive. Somewhere along Sparrow Drive, got that?"
Meanwhile, the cabby, a gruff-looking dark skinned ork, is able to give Victor an excellent set of directions to cut across the mile of remaining city to the feet of the abandoned regency building.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Stealth for "-2 from wounds":
2 4 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5:
1 3 3 5 5
Victor gets out to look around, then taps on the window to chat quickly with the cabbie. Once he's got some sense of how to get where he's going he gives the cabbie some extra tip and sets off at a run. It's only as mile, right?
"On my way, try not to get shot before I get there. Sparrow Drive. Cross streets? House numbers? Billboards or funny shop signs?"
Soon he's breathing harder as he trudges at top speed through the snows.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 4 + Combat Pool: 2 vs TN 9 for "throwing stars, +1 range, +4 cover.":
1 3 4 5 5 11 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Body vs TN 5:
1 1 1 1 4 5 = 1 Success
Kensai realizes after a moment that the stares he's getting are… fitting, for a six foot plus japanese man in a red oni-branded red coat, a crimson mempo, and in bloodstained clothes. Hardly inconspicuous. As he's about to respond to Victor, he catches a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye, but he's too slow. Something whips through the air and cuts into him. "A shruikyen?" He says with a flash of pain. "A fucking ninja star? Are you kidding me? Fuck that hurts!" He throws himself through a boarded up window, rolling into the snow, coming up to his feet, and sprinting as best as he can as he tries to shake his tail. "I see… regency, i think, about 4 blocks away all told, one south, three east… there's a Lou's Topless Revue over here, too. But I'm on the move."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Body vs TN 4 for "resisting cold":
1 4 5 5 5 10 = 5 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "body v 4, for resisting cold. if any of your armor has insulation, that will drop the power and give you extra dice!"
«OOC» Victor doesn't technically have such armor, no. who dresses for that. XD
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Body vs TN 4:
1 1 1 2 5 13 = 2 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "you're good! you're crossing the distance, but you still have a ways to go."
"I specifically told you not to get shot, and now you're finding clever loopholes," Victor jests. "Stay mobile and keep moving this direction. Once we're closer we're going to set a trap for your pursuer. Keep an eye out for buildings we can use. Apartment blocks, restaurants, anything we can break up sight lines."
You say "Could dive through this topless revue," laughing raggedly. "That might confuse things. Pursuer might not be willing to start a fight there, right?" He keeps moving, though, throwing a look back where he came before taking a hard left turn, falling back into standard evasion patterns his feet have memorized by rote. "Don't know who the fuck this is. Guys I tangled with aren't exactly throwing star types."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5 for "stealth, -2":
2 2 3 5 11
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Intelligence for "eyballs, -2":
4 4 5 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Intelligence for "astral sight":
1 2 5 7
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5:
1 2 4 5 17
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5:
1 3 4 4 5
Victor huffs and puffs as he runs through the ongoing blizzard. He cuts through alleys, running sideways along the walls where the snow has piled up to impassable drifts. "Those places have private booths, right? It could at least buy you a few minutes if you duck in there and lay low, but maybe whoever it is can smell your blood or something anyway." The sound of car horns comes through in the background as he runs through a crosswalk at the very end of the signal, grinning and flipping off the drivers while he goes.
"Don't you have some shuriken too, though? Are those just decorative?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Body for "soaking stun":
2 4 5 7 9 14
The abandoned regency building is visible to Victor now, and he sees a sign for Sparrow Drive.
Kensai hauls himself to a stop as he sees motion again. A figure, shorter than him, tightly bound in winter-camo ninja stuff, arm cocking back already. He throws himself to the side, and the next pair of stars clang against a dumpster. He shakes his head as his vision blurs. "Toxin. Some sort of toxin on these… what IS it with people throwing poison shit at me? Seen the hunter. Fcking Ninja. Ducking into Lou's now."
And now he's in, through the back door, to the screeches of the backstage girls.
Lou's Topless Revue (All you can eat soysteak and krillshrimp! Best in Denver!) has a lurid sign of a scantily-clad kickline, flashing in neon blue. The front parking lot is iced over, home to only a few cars, but from the noise coming from it along with the honky-tonk tunes, that's hardly kept it from being a full house!
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Etiquette for "please halp hide me":
1 2 4
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Etiquette for "please halp hide me now with money":
2 3 4
«OOC» Kensai says, "lolll"
"On Sparrow Drive now," Victor reports. "Aaand I can see Lou's Top— oh wow that is a sign isn't it." The blush is practically audible.
"Um, anyway, I'm down the block passing a liquor store with a big clown on the sign. Twisty's, I guess? Creepy." He continues surveying the scene as he runs closer. "Alleyway opposite of Lou's. Can you make it? I'll get down behind this dumpster, you lead your tail right past me…"
"I'm inside Lou's," into his arm phone. "Talking to the bouncer, trying not to get thrown out… Just handed him a pile of yen, and he's letting me hide in the VIP room. I'll tell him I've got company coming… or should I duck back out? No I don't need a dancer, thank you, yes she's very pretty but what happened to her teeth… i'm sorry! i'm sorry! have some more yen if it will make her stop crying!"
A pair of drunks roll out of the front of the club, leaning on each other, and laughing…
«Plot» Kensai says, "perception check, victor!"
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Intelligence:
2 2 2 3 8 9
He sees them because he's looking, and smart, and they're not trying to hide from him. Even as the two men step out, another figure appears in the light. A quick unzip and push back of a hood and the 'ninja outfit' is now a camo hoodie with matching sweat pants, revealing a young japanese 'man' with frosty blue hair and matching eyes walking into the club…
But Victor's super-sharp eyes and experience can detect that it's a woman in disguise as a man!
Victor hrms. "Is he going to let me come in there with guns? Even so I'd rather not start a firefight in a crowded bar." He peeks around the edge of the dumpster, toward the front of Lou's, the most well-reviewed titty bar on the block, taking note of the civilians out in front. "Stand by."
"I think I've spotted your tail. Clever outfit, actually. I might have to try that— later. Blue hair, blue eyes. Japanese, moving inside now."
You say "This is the CAS, small guns are legal at least… fuck, okay. Won't be hard to find out where a bloodied man went. All he needs is more money than me. I'll be on my way in a moment. Nab your cover. Oh and if you see someone in a red mask it's me, okay?"
«OOC» Kensai says, "we're not that far from this bit being finished, gaul, and we can finish up your decking side. :D"
"Red mask? You should know better than to buy merch *at* the show. It's always so overpriced!" Victor scolds. He checks his guns, readying the Nighthawk with exy rounds as he's in no mood to prolong a fight with poison-tossing shitheels. He takes one more glance at the front side of Lou's before shifting fully back into the cover of the dumpster. "Ready. Make it a good show."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Athletics for "i flee!":
3 3 5 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 8 vs TN 4 for "you dare?":
1 1 3 4 5 8 8 9 = 5 Successes
«OOC» Gaul says, "Sounds good, just getting supper prepped and such."
«OOC» Victor says, "I found the baby in the king cake. XD"
Kensai ducks out of his vip room with apologies to Krystalll Nite, and begins zipping down the hallway - only to be spotted by the stranger haggling with the bouncer. There's a shout, and the bouncer, a 200 kilo troll, is shoved to the ground with a smooth nasty ninjitsu move, freeing up a lane for another star…
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Athletics for "one more push!":
2 4 4 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 4 + Combat Pool: 2 vs TN 10 for "moving target, attacker in melee, cover":
3 3 3 3 4 9 = 0 Successes
Kensai dives out the door into the alley … narrowly under another thrown star. The big man hits the snow-covered alley floor with a heavy WHUMP. "They're right behind me," he hisses into his phone….
«OOC» Kensai says, "victor, reaction test v tn 2 for your hambush!"
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Reaction vs TN 2:
2 4 4 8 10 11 = 6 Successes
«OOC» Victor says, "combat sense 1 does something for this as well iirc"
«OOC» Gaul says, "You can add some of your CP to the reaction test :)"
«OOC» Kensai says, "yup that!"
«OOC» Victor says, "oh I see, it's adding 1/4 combat pool dice. well with 6 I think it'll be fine. :P"
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 8 vs TN 4 for "the hunter gets surprised! there's another fox in the glen!":
1 1 2 3 5 5 5 5 = 4 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "victor, you have a clean shot. +2 tn from them moving, but they can't dodge you either."
Victor lies in wait, silent and patient, with the pistol lined up exactly where his target will inevitably be. When he hears Kensai charging down the alley he breathes in. One. Two. Three.
And there's the guy (or girl, maybe) in the neat outfit. "Konnichiwa, asshole," he calls out as he squeezes off as many rounds as the pistol will allow.
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Pistols + Combat Pool: 4 vs TN 6 for "pew pew (shot #1)":
1 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 7 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Pistols + Combat Pool: 4 vs TN 6 for "pew pew (shot #2)":
1 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Pistols + Combat Pool: 4 vs TN 6 for "pew pew (shot #2)/kp1 :P":
1 2 3 4 4 7 9 10 11 = 4 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 8 for "soaking first shot":
2 3 3 5 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 8 for "soaking first shot kp":
1 2 2 3 4 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 8 for "soaking first shot kp":
1 3 5 5 7 11 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 - 1 vs TN 8 for "soaking first shot kp 6":
2 2 2 4 4 = 0 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "first bullet deals a moderate wound."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + 2 vs TN 8 for "soaking second shot kp 7":
1 1 2 2 5 5 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + 2 vs TN 8 for "soaking second shot kp 8":
1 1 2 2 3 4 4 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + 2 vs TN 8 for "soaking second shot kp 10":
1 2 3 4 4 5 5 5 = 0 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "wow. same with the second, and you've burned through all their kp at the same time."
«OOC» Victor says, "well that's something!"
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 4 for "keeping their feet":
1 2 3 4 4 4 = 3 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "+inits!"
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Initiative with a result of 11.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5 for "+5":
1 2 2 2 3
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Initiative with a modifier of -2 with a result of 17.
«OOC» Kensai says, "what a shitty roll for them."
«OOC» Victor says, "I'm ok with that. :P"
«Plot» Kensai says, "kensai 17, badguy 15, victor 11, kensai 7, badguy 5, victor 1"
«Plot» Kensai, on his feet now, will attempt to quickdraw his knife and take some revenge.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Reaction vs TN 6 for "tn 4 for conceal qd sheath, +2 for mod wounds":
2 3 5 8 9 11 16 = 4 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Edged Weapons + Combat Pool: 5 vs TN 6 for "base tn 4, +2 wounds":
2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 9 11 15 = 3 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Combat Pool: 6 - 1 (Ninjitsu penalty) vs TN 7 for "4 +3 from wounds":
1 1 1 4 5 5 5 5 5 8 9 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) has the Attribute Strength with the value '6 (7)'.
«OOC» Kensai says, "they have 4 impact armor. so tn will be 4."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Combat Pool: 4 vs TN 4 for "a knife???":
1 1 2 3 3 3 3 4 9 10 = 3 Successes
«OOC» Kensai says, "and they take a light! posing up."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 6 for "knockdown":
1 1 2 5 5 10 = 1 Success
The bullets rip through the air, both of them on-target, and the unsuspecting ninja staggers under the assault, blood staining their camo even as their charge is thrown off. That buys Kensai enough time to finish his roll up to his feet, draw the knife from the forearm-sheath and drop it low. His hunter only notices the gleaming tip at the last second, and tries to pivot out of the way, but Kensai closes the distance with a step and a KIAI shout, his hand moving lightning fast … the blade catches a lot of hidden armor, but there's blood on it as he pulls it free. The ninja staggers backwards, and uses that backward momentum to… fall back into the club, breaking line of sight!
«Plot» Kensai says, "kensai's action was to stab, ninja retreats behind cover. victor's turn!"
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Task Pool: 3 for "pay no attention to this roll":
1 1 1 3 3 4 5 5 8
Victor was trying to line up another shot before their target ends up retreating out of sight. He looks up the wall, considering. "We could just go," he suggests. "You need treatment. They're calling for backup, almost certainly. We're not going to have a brawl in the middle of a club."
"Hai!" Kensai says, agreeing, currently rolling with adrenaline. "Down the alley the other way?" As he speaks, he draws power into himself, readying a suprise should his foe peek their head out again. "Let's move!"
«OOC» Kensai says, "kensai readies action… ninja doesn't appear. If you want to pose starting to run, Victor, we can end combat time. For now."
Victor points out toward the street and begins backing that way, keeping the pistol lowered and ready. He watches the club's door, but also the surrounding walls, fire escapes, any windows. The way Kensai attracts bad luck and trouble, it's enough to make anyone cautious. "You go, I'll cover. Stay alert. Let's see if we can make it to your car at least so we can plug you into this medkit…"
Kensai nods and falls back, not arguing… this time… staggering into the street and turning right. At least enough of the bleeding has stopped… for now… to give him a fighting chance.
Some faces have appeared in nearby windows, staring down at the gunfire, but no threats emerge… yet…
Victor squints, then waves and grins at some of the onlookers. "That's a good take, everybody," he calls out, shifting his voice upward. "Now back to first positions, touch up the makeup, and we'll go again in five!"
He nods Kensai onward. "You alright enough to move? I have a trauma patch here somewhere, if you need it."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 for "patch rating":
1 1 1 2 3 8
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5 for "reacquring":
2 3 4 4 9
You say "As long as I keep moving," with a grunt. "I'm fine. If I stop too long I don't know if i'll be able to get back up again…" They are most of the way down next the length of the block when a slip of a figure ducks out of the topless revue, takes aim, and Fires! narrowly missing the pair as a bullet zips between them and explodes into the snow. "Fuck!" Kensai says. "We need cover again!"
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Intelligence:
3 5 10 11
Victor dodges reflexively at the sound, and the nearby whizz-crack of the bullet impacting. "At least it's not shuriken?" he jokes. "We're too out in the open anyway. Uhh, there's a stuffer shack, it's got to have a back door we can go out of. Maybe give us time to set another ambush, if not lose them entirely. Which way is your car?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Intelligence for "which way is it?":
2 3 4 5
Kensai points - in the opposite direction of the stuffer shack. There's a building on that side of the road, too, but is mostly boarded up… though there is a light peeking out from a side-door. There's another gun shot - this one misses to the right - and then their pursuer starts to move again…
You say "It's back at the concert venue," out of breath. "I got there early! I hung out with crimson backstage! It was supposed to be a fun night!"
Victor ughs. "It sounds wonderful," he grunts. "I could really use a tac map right about now… Uh, that way, I guess! If we could find another spot to get the drop on them, at least. I doubt you'll be able to keep running all that way." He charges toward the boarded-up building, looking for cluttered alleys or the like on the sides.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 3 for "luck":
1 4 9
«Plot» Kensai says, "11. more or less average luck. One of the alleys is completely frozen over, including the nissan truck parked in it. The other has a bunch of crates, probably navigable by an agile elf."
Kensai nods and heads up the stoop. "Flank around," he calls, "I'll try to find a back door, and maybe we can get them pincered!"
Kensai turns the knob, ready to throw his shoulder into it… but against all odds its unlocked, and he stumbles inside.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls Stealth for "-2":
2 3 4
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 5:
1 3 4 8 17
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 3:
5 5 11
At THAT moment, the long-awaited fuzz shows up. Blue lights split the night as a pair of Lonestar Cruisers rip into vision, full speed despite the ice!
Victor nods. "Best idea I've heard so far," he decides with a shrug. "I don't know what you did to piss these people off so much…" He jogs toward the alley until he's sure Kensai has made it inside, then accelerates to top speed to start making his way around back. Crates, walls, whatever.
"Oh, look who finally showed up," he grunts over the phone.
«OOC» Kensai says, "roll perception, victor?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Intelligence:
1 2 2 2 3 5
«Plot» Kensai says, "you are able to catch a glimpse of your tail as you round the corner - turning tail and running at the sound of sirens."
You say "V," his voice weaker than before. "You should … come see this."
Victor pauses in his traversal of the alley, glancing back in time to see their pursuer breaking off. "Looks like your friend is bugging out," he says. "Wait, what? See what. Don't say shit like that. That's always a fucking problem, you know that, right? Fuck."
He trudges *back* the half of the alley he'd scrambled through, making his way up the stoop and into the building, with his pistol held at waist height and ready to shoot. "Always something, isn't it," he mutters.
The scene is a bloodbath. Three dead dwarves, a dead oni, a dead night one… two more standard variety elves. Most of them are gunshot wounds, but one has been lynched, and her body is on fire… or at least smoldering, the glow from the white phosphorus she's been doused in providing that flickering light they'd seen outside.
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Meditation for "wtf :P":
2 2 3 4
«Plot» Kensai says, "when you find your zen state, you can pick up the faintest sound of… sobbing, near to you."
Victor comes up to a stop, going wide-eyed at the spectacle. He staggers to one side, nearly dropping his gun and even more nearly throwing up. He manages to prop his forearm against the door frame to steady himself while he catches his breath. "More work from the nice people you ran into earlier, I'm guessing?" he mutters. "The fuck is wrong with them…"
Now he's maybe regretting that he passed up an opportunity to finish one off. Oh, well.
He breathes in slowly and shuts his eyes for a moment. "Hang on, do you hear that?"
More focused now he lifts the gun up again and goes searching for the source of the sound. "Don't touch anything. Try not to bleed anywhere, either. You don't want to leave traces here."
Kensai's voice falls to a whisper. "They're a hate group," he says. "Sons of the Skull. Elves are satan's children. The pointy ears, right? And man shall inherit the earth. Sweet KAmi." He manages to avoid puking, but only barely.
Victor can find a closet, hidden under the staircase up, and the sound is coming from there… but as he nears, it goes dead silent.
"Stay back, put your weapons away," Victor says to Kensai in Japanese. "See if you can find, uh, a blanket or something."
He holsters his pistol as he approaches the concealed door. In Sperethiel he casts his voice closer to the door, just barely loud enough to be heard on the other side. "I'm Victor. I'm here to help. There is a human here as well, but he's with me. I'm going to open this door, but I want you to keep your eyes shut until we get outside, alright?"
"Who is?" Comes a voice in japanese, drifting from… further away than you might think. "Please, do not bring more violence. I cannot bear more. Please."
Kensai does look, finding a few blankets… all cruelly shredded. "Bastards," he mutters, and starts putting some of the scraps on the bodies like shrouds, and quietly chanting shinto prayers.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 1 for "hmmm":
3
Victor huhs and tries Japanese instead. "There's been enough for one night, that's for sure. We need to get you somewhere safe before whoever did all this comes back though. Can you open the door from that side? I'd suggest you keep your eyes closed for now though until we get you out of here."
There's the sound of quiet feet on… steps… and the sound of a catch working in the door. "Okay," the woman's voice replies. "I am opening."
The door swings open toward victor, revealing a five-foot-four japanese woman, dressed in a modern-ish spin on a poor person's off-the rack kimono. Her hands are covered in blood, and her face is stained with it, and her eyes are wide with fear. The basement below her stinks of blood and death. When she sees his round ears, her eyes flash with sudden anger and fear… but something settles. "You're not one of them, are you?" She asks. "Thank the kami." Her hand moves around from behind her back, and she slides the tanto she was holding into a small lacquered sheath. "Thank the spirits you've come."
«Plot» Kensai says, "for what it's worth, she appears to be entirely human herself."
«Auto-Judge[]» Victor (#14210) rolls Intelligence vs TN 4 for "empathic sense! it's good practice":
3 4 4 5 7 10 = 5 Successes
«Plot» Kensai says, "she is… more composed than she appears to be, and seems both relieved and surprised to see you. there's no aggressive intention towards you."
Victor stands clear of the door so as not to crowd whoever is on the other side, and he holds his hands up non-threateningly. He does look mildly surprised at who it is, and her condition… as well as the rest of the sensory experience. "I'm not one of anybody," he answers in Japanese. "I'm one-of-a-kind."
He does look her over with that appraising, attentive look, just in case. One teammate getting lasered is quite enough, thanks.
When it seems clear there's no hostility around he starts to lower his hands, but leaves them out of his pockets for the moment. "Konnichiwa," he greets her. "O-namae wa Minamikaze Rinji." He gestures toward Kensai. "My associate," who he will let handle his own introduction. "There are police in the area; we should get you as wrapped up as we can and evacuate this building before they find… this mess."
The woman's gaze shifts to Kensai. "He's hurt," she says, in clear no-nonsense corporate-perfect japanese, and suddenly she's all business, sweeping past victor with gymnast's grace. "How badly? Was it -them-?" Her gaze shifts out of focus in a way Victor's gotten used to by now, and then she swings it back to him. "Downstairs, rightmost bookcase, top shelf. My crane bag. Bring it to me. Mind the bodies - they won't hurt you, but you do not want to leave any trace, hai?" A shadow passes over her face, and for a moment her eyes are nearly serpentine. "They brought blood into my home, killed my patrons. They deserved what happened to them. But it is not your mess to get involved with."
Her gaze shifts back to Kensai, who is staring at her, a bit overwhelmed by her sudden change in demeanor. "What is your name, tall dark and stranger?"
You say "Help yourself to anything on the monsters," she calls out, after Victor, gently pushing kensai down into a chair. "They will not be needing it again in this life.""
Victor blinks a few times, looking back and forth between the two. "Uh, yes, I think it was the same group. I did not stop to exchange pleasantries with the assailant." He looks to Kensai and raises a brow, but then shrugs a bit helplessly as he mouths, /Not hostile/. He turns to make his way down the stairs, steadying against the walls and the railing with his gloved hand. He's careful not to look too closely at anything down there while he goes to retrieve the indicated bag.
It appears to be a small clinic. There are a couple of beds, a set of decades-old analysis equipment hooked up to each, and shelves of fell-off-the-truck-last-year medication, alchemical reagents, and holistic herbs. On the shelf indicated is a leather bag, about the size of a medkit in total size, but full of sweet-smelling herbs and salves.
There are three bodies on the floor, all wearing cold-weather combat fatigue like outfits, and bone-white skull masks. Each of them feature multiple cut wounds, and one also has a broken neck. There are a few submachine guns lying around, one belt of grenades, and a set of dentist's tools.
«Plot» Kensai says, "one more pose from you and we'll wrap up."
«Game» Backup to offline storage commencing. Game may freeze for a bit…
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) has the Attribute Body with the value '6'.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) has the Attribute Body Index with the value '0 (0.8)'.
Victor loots that set of grenades while he's there. A present for Mister Gaul.
He comes back up the stairs, leaving the bag near the others before moving to take up a sentry position near the front door. "Skulls," he tells Kensai. "Sounds like them. Some sort of clinic set up down there?"
To the woman he wonders, "I assume you were treating everyone in the neighborhood and these jerks took offense. Well, there's three less of them to worry about, at least."
«Plot» Kensai says, "victor loots 8 incendiary grenades and 4 WP minigrenades."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 (kampo) + Task Pool: 3 vs TN 6 for "diagnosing wounds":
1 1 2 3 3 3 4 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 (kampo) + Task Pool: 3 vs TN 6 for "diagnosing wounds kp":
1 1 1 1 2 3 4 4 7 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 (biotech) + Task Pool: 3 vs TN 6 for "first aid on kensai. +1 tn body index, -1 body score.":
1 1 3 3 3 4 4 5 8 = 1 Success
«Plot» Kensai says, "it takes her 10 turns but but she will heal him down to L."
The woman nods. "As many as I could. Those too poor or unwanted to see proper clinics. Not that there are any of those still open anywhere nearby. Urban abandonment. A tragedy."
Kensai is about to say something, but she cuts him off. "Don't speak," she says. "Not yet. Your chi is disrupted as it is." She fetches some needles out of her pouch, and a few herbs. "Off with your shirt," she commands, and sets to work.
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Karma Pool: 1 vs TN 6 for "astral sight, assensing kensai. +2 background.":
2 2 3 4 4 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Karma Pool: 1 vs TN 6 for "astral sight, assensing kensai. +2 background. kp":
1 1 1 3 3 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Karma Pool: 1 vs TN 6 for "astral sight, assensing kensai. +2 background. kp":
1 1 3 4 4 4 10 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 + Karma Pool: 1 - 1 vs TN 6 for "astral sight, assennsing kensai. +2 background. kp":
1 4 5 5 7 16 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 for "aura reading, same.":
1 1 2 5 8 17
«OOC» Kensai says, "two successes adds 1. so not as much as she'd like, but enough to work with."
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 6 (to no one) for "same on victor":
1 3 3 3 5 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 6 (to no one) for "same on victor kp":
2 3 4 4 5 9 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 - 1 vs TN 6 (to no one) for "same on victor kp":
3 3 3 3 4 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 - 1 vs TN 6 (to no one) for "same on victor kp":
1 2 3 7 14 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Kensai (#8241) rolls 6 vs TN 6 (to no one):
1 1 2 2 4 5 = 0 Successes
"He might also be poisoned," Victor adds. "I don't know if that matters for… whatever you're doing."
"I see that," the woman says. "Thank you. From the shoulder wound?" She eyeballs it. "The shoulder is badly damaged," she adds. "It will ake time to heal. A little more poison on that - or better aim - or a less skilled… me… and you might have lost full use of it. You should thank your friend for helping you."
She proceeds to heal him to nearly full fighting shape, and the pair are able to slip out again and make their way back to Kensai's car - and from there to the safehouse Kensai directs them too.
The sirens sing through the night, but according to all reports, it seems the remainder of the skulls have escaped lone star's net…
…For now.
«Plot» Kensai says, "end part III: Samurai in the Wind"
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