IC: Dancing within the Void, In-character thread for the game Options

[Method]

Vertigo does her best not to look edgy, despite how unnerving it is to be scrutinized so... especially without the cover of a good mask spell.
After all, going unnoticed was her stock and trade.

But with practiced grace and confidence, she bows low enough not to offend and returns his gaze with a smile.

"Konbanwa, Kukyo-sama. Otsukaresamadeshita, ne?"

[ Spoiler ]

"Good evening, Mr. Kukyo. You must be tired (after a long days work), right?"

[Toras]

McCoy bows respectfully, as others are doing but he does not let on that he is aware of the Japanese language. Not everyone is. But best to be polite.

"Good evening sir."

[DireRadiant]

Gregor straightened up, not much to move since he stood erect to begin with, but the appearance of straightening was important in this kind of game. Without apparent struggle he tilted his head down and bent slightly at the waist, making sure to lower his eyes at the right moment.

Straightening upright again he quietly introduced himself, "I use the name Sweetness."

[BishopMcQ]

"You can call me Finn."

No bow, the old aryan stood stock straight. His eyes crossed over the people, glance at the door, look at the people.

"My specialization is longarms and ranged support."

[Fenris]

Tank shrugs and turns back to Kukyo.

"Specifics aren't necessary at the moment, you can trust I have the bases covered. There's two more assets I've picked up to fill in some holes, and they'll be arriving shortly. In the meantime, I think that's it?" He looks at Kukyo in a way that observant people would have called 'hopeful'.

The neutral faced Asian man nods to Finn as he speaks, but saves his words for Tank.

"I think this group will do. If it turns out they're not as competent as you've put forth, we'll know fairly quickly and I'll simply seek more assets elsewhere. That said," he turns to the assembled group, "I would still like an actual test of your abilities."

As he speaks, he withdraws a slim black cloth from his pocket, and proceeds to tie it around his eyes as a blindfold.

"I'm going to walk across the parking lot to the car that just pulled up outside. I expect to not be hurt, and I expect for all of my assailants to be alive when all is said and done." With a final nod in Tank's direction, the now blindfolded Johnson turns and begins walking a calm and measured pace towards the front door of the office space.

Beyond, at the far end of the parking lot, everyone can see the sleek shape of a Westwind 3K pulling up. To the right of the door, down by the Stuffer Shack, the gang is still loitering.

[BishopMcQ]

With a muttered comment about Johnsons and their games, Finn steps just outside the door. He draws his pistol from a rear holster and keeps it close to his body.

Looking across the gangers, he picks the biggest ugliest one.

"Kneecaps are still alive. Big guy, put the Johnson in the car. Everyone else, protect the J and the ork."

[Redjack]

Atreus follows the human out the door and steps to the side, noticing the Johnson vanish from sight as begins his visual sweep of the gangers. Simultaneously, he summons mana though his body moving with super-metahuman grace then flexes his muscles, feeling the mana welling up tight, like a stretched rubber band across all the muscles of his body. Time to party, he thinks.

[Method]

With a start, Vertigo swings into action following the stiff asian gentleman toward the front of the building. What the hell is wrong with this guy!?

She glances out the front window to where the Chained Souls are loitering down the way, hoping they are paying more attention to the Westwind than the front of MJM Services.

Focusing her concentration she begins to weave an illusion around the Johnson, erasing his presence from the visual light spectrum...

[Toras]

McCoy currently wishing he had brought some gel rounds for his SMG, realized that he could probably use some more diversity in his attack methods. Lighting up his AR, he starts scanning the group for open NAN's. Gangers never got the good security on their ware, and if one them happened to have anything fun like wired reflexes...well accidents can happen.

[DireRadiant]

Gregor mildly shook his head, then with his right hand on his walking stick, raised his left hand and summoned his will.

[Fenris]

The Chained Souls are obviously paying more then a little attention to MJM. Apparently assuming the door wouldn't be an issue, Kukyo steps through the opened door and into the parking lot, walking at a slow and measured pace towards the car in the distance. All of the gangers turn from looking at the Westwind as a shout goes up from the orc in the front, and he sprints towards the 'runners and the Johnson, the sun glinting off 8" long spurs extending from the backs of his fists. Simultaneously, several of the gangers raise weapons and begin moving towards the offices.

As the Johnson disappears from the sight of some, some of the gangers look around, obviously confused.

A low grating and rumbling sound comes out of the doorway in the office, where a collection of tables, chairs, and a vending machine seem to pull themselves together in a vaguely humanoid shape. The shape stands crouched next to the orc, obviously awaiting orders.

[BishopMcQ]

Even as the gangers take their first few steps, Finn's arm begins to rise and level the pistol. With the cross-hairs lining over the anticipated position of each ganger's kneecaps, the assassin counts to three and pulls the trigger. A quiet exhalation of gases accompanies the act.

Movement in his peripheral triggers and instinctive shift to the person carrying the largest weapon. With another exhalation from the pistol, Finn targets the ganger pulling an automatic weapon from his coat.

Shattered kneecaps wouldn't prove fatal while the Johnson was standing here. His experience told him that blinding pain made it harder to aim.

With a raised voice to carry across the parking lot, "Anyone who wants to be able to walk, leave now."

[Redjack]

Atreus breaks into a run, moving to place the ork between himself and the rest of the gangers. His adrenaline surging, mixing with raw mana. He feels like he is running on pure jet fuel. He closes the distance between himself and the ork in the blink of an eye. Running straight towards the ork then at the last moment he lurches into the air to the ork's left, spinning and bringing his right fist around into the ork's face - a combination of gymnastics and karate.

[Fenris]

Two of the gangers scream as joints explode in a pink haze. Barely clutching the SMG's, they drop to one knee, simultaneously screaming curses.

The orc that was rushing at the group glances backward for only a moment at the screams and abruptly stops as Atreus' arrives suddenly in front of him, blocking his path.

Surprisingly, none of the gangers seemed phased at all by the image of Kukyo rushing away from the car and the gang.

For McCoy, the world is much more about the ebb and flow of data moving through the air around him. The only obvious, unhidden commlink in the area of the gangers seems to be centered around the troll that is currently leveling the shotgun at the group.

[BishopMcQ]

One.

Moving with the speed of skill, unhumanly augmented, Finn transitions between threats. The ganger bearing a shotgun becomes the first priority. Aiming for the soft tissue just above the knee joint, he fires a single round.

Two.

The mental counting was running on a completely different track of thought than his threat selection. By fifteen, they needed to be moving. Screaming gangers and shots fired were nearly as effective at calling Lonestar as turning on the hot light at the donut shop.

In the back, a ganger moving without weapons registers as a higher threat than punks with guns. Can't kill them. The barrel shifts from center mass to kneecap. Another quiet shot.

Three.

"Take your wounded and leave or bleed out and die."

[Method]

The ache in Vertigo's side intensifies into a stabbing pain that radiates across her chest and arms. The illusion was too draining and didn't seem to be effective anyway. The phantasmic image of Kukyo shimmers and disappears with a flash as she refocuses her concentration on sustaining the invisibility spell keeping the real Kukyo hidden from sight.

She glances over her shoulder to the lanky troll Tank while drawing her Colt Manhunter. "Are there any other exits from this building?"

[Fenris]

Chaos erupts across the parking lot as shots are fired and people go running.

The odd construction of desks and tables strides out into the parking lot, letting out a roar that sounds like car brakes and monorail alarms all jumbled together. One of the gangers, the heavily muscled human with the baseball, goes from casually sauntering towards the group to running away screaming as a slug from Finn's pistol punches through his leg, and the monstrosity pushes out into the parking lot.

Tank chuckles, still closing window blinds as Vertigo talks. "No other way out, I'm afraid. But good luck." This last is spoken as he swings the door shut and pulls the blinds on the inside after the woman's form as she darts out into the parking lot and tumbles behind a nearby car.

The troll ganger, standing head and shoulders above the rest, roars as another shot from Finn cracks bone and sinew in his leg. Still dragging himself along, he works the pump on the shotgun with one hand, the gun looking almost miniature in his hands as it roars twice.

Further back across the parking lot, two of the wounded gangers have refocused their efforts. Leaning against the side of a beaten up sedan, they both shout and leveling the SMG's at Finn, the calm and patient sharpshooting seeming the biggest threat at the moment. The air is filled with the whine of automatic gun fire, ricocheting off pavement and building alike.

In front of Atreus, closest to the group, the orc looks staggered but not out. He takes half a step back, still obviously a little dazed, and lunges forward, both of the blades across the back of his hands digging for flesh from Atreus.

[Redjack]

Atreus' feet hit the ground and he spins as the ork's spurs reach furiously for his head. He has no time to be amazed that the ork is still standing. He steps back with his left foot, shifting his hips and bringing his right arm from right to left across his face. The block barely deflects the spurs from his face and a tuft of his long, thin hair falls to the ground, a casualty of the ork's rage. Oh! Now its REALLY on!

[DireRadiant]

Flicking his fingers Gregor felt the streams of energy, energy he couldn't see, as they did their work. The spirits of the place manifested, oozing out of the cabinets and chairs, and stood obedient before him.

With a slight smile he pointed out the door, and along with a push of his will, gave the command, "Find me a Coward would you?" for "Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once." Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37)

Mentally he shook his head as he realized everyone else was already moving, and had already taken action, someday he would have to look into some ritual Bargains to enhance himself, but as usual, it was better to let others do the dirty work. This way he wouldn't ruin his suit.

should be over by the time I get to the door

[BishopMcQ]

Four

Dodging to one side, the assassin does a half flip and combat rolls behind one of the vehicles in the parking lot. Bullets spray the air around him. Returning to his firing position, the shotgun blast gives a glancing blow to his side, shredding the press flats and revealing an armored vest.

One more shot like that and he wouldn't care about keeping the gangers alive.

[Fenris]

Despite being obviously off-balance from Atreus' previous blow, the orc seems nothing if not persistent. With a roar, he throws himself at the slim elf again, the blades flashing in the glow of the streetlights as he jabs and swipes.

[Redjack]

Atreus watches as the large ork telegraphs his impending attack. His feet rooted to the ground, the elf executes a classic, but simple rising block, easily stopping the larger opponents attack. He holds the ork on the tip of his toes, suspended for a moment that seems to freeze in time and space, before dropping the blocking hand back to his hip and whipping the other into the ork's solar plexus with a yaka-zuka (reverse punch strike). That's for my hair...

[Fenris]

Atreus - The orc seems to hang, frozen in a single moment, before suddenly flying backwards, off his feet and obviously unconscious as his limp body hits the ground.

Finn - Still cocky, the troll strides forward, already pumping the shotgun for his next shot. As the orc's body hits the ground, he gives a shout and ducks low, charging forward. The bullet meant for his kneecap catches him in the upper torso instead, spinning the tall form around in a spray of blood as his momentum carries him forward, sprawling the corpse near the limp form of the orc and Atreus

The ganger with the SMG yells as he clasps a hand to his midsection, a bit of blood bubbling up past his lips as he scrabbles frantically to hold in the blood flowing freely from the entry wound. The gun clatters to the ground.

[BishopMcQ]

Five

Finn watches as the troll leans into the path of oncoming death. The ganger had obviously chosen poorly, but there was little he could do to alter trajectories of bullets in midflight. Raising his voice to carry over the gunfire, the assassin gives the gangers their last chance to get out of this alive.

"Alright kids, we've moved from walking to breathing. Anyone who wants to keep breathing beyond the next thirty seconds needs to be somewhere else. NOW!"

Six

In a solid firing position, he aims the pistol at the other ganger with an SMG. The barrel waves slightly as if to shoo him away.

[Redjack]

The attack on the ork is no more completed than Atreus spins and bounds towards the two remaining gangers. He selects neither, instead sliding between the both of them, squatting and spinning in position. He whips his leg out at the knee of the first and reaches out with his hand striking with the edge of the hand into the back of knee of the second. His intent is to take the final two off their feet before they have a chance to do anymore harm.