Behind the Crown [IC], Behind the crown are shadows Options

[Koekepan]

Some rugged tape from the toolkit in Karmakaze's car will do a good enough job of sealing the box's corners and angles for now.

Jimmy groans, but doesn't stir while manhandled. A fire hydrant keeps him on his hoop, rather than his back.

The spirit rather resembles a tangle of gutters and electric wires. Water drips from it, and moss decorates it with a green, slimy layer.

[pbangarth]

With Jimmy safely propped up, and Karmakaze doing the tape thing, Blue has a moment to talk to the spirit.

::: Thanks for the help with the snakes. By what name shall I call you? ::: Blue is keeping a list of the spirit names he has come to know. He could be on to something.

[Koekepan]

:::Brickrot. Where the lichens and mosses nibble the stones to grit and dust, you will find me.:::

Brickrot has a voice like the hiss of drizzle on a roof, the low whine of the breeze in the wires and the gurgling trickle of water down gutters.

[Bastard]

"""Good to go. Hopefully that will hold them for now. We may not have another shot at Jeremy for a while. I think we should take care of that, right after this..."""

She smacks the stirring thug a few times on the face to wake him up. As he starts to come to, she lets him know the basic area of town he is in.

"""You're not in the roughest of neighborhoods, and there is a bus stop at the end of the road there,""" she points in the direction of the main road. There should be a stop up there somewhere.

"""I suggest you lay low for a bit, and catch that bus first thing in the morning. I also suggest finding a new line of work."""

[Koekepan]

Jimmy looks bleary-eyed at Karmakaze's face, then slowly nods. Tacoma's a long way from Ballard, but the buses will get him across the enclave, eventually.

At least he shows no sign of fight.

[pbangarth]

""" I agree. Let's head back and deal with the people in the car outside, then assess the situation.

""" My new buddy, Brickrot, here, well in the astral nearby, will be of help, I'm sure. """

As he settles into the car, Blue considers the task of neutralizing two guards without setting off an alarm.

""" Do you think neutralizing the security would be enough to send a message to Jeremy? He seems to get really aggressive when challenged. You know, one of those."""

[Bastard]

"""Here,""" Karma says, handing Blue her comlink.

"""Open up the Bounty app, and search Jeremy's name. It should automatically log me in. I bet he is wanted for something. Frag, his truck was left at the cafe on the bay.

"""My weapons are loaded with gel rounds. I should be able to subdue the guards. Do you have a sleep spell to knock them out, or a distraction spell or something so we can approach and egress stealthy?"""

[Koekepan]

Wonder of wonders, Jeremy Huang's name comes up clean.

Blue can poke and prod at the options, all the way down to unpaid traffic fines, but somehow mister Huang turns up squeaky-clean.

The closest thing to a dossier on him is a list of known associates with bounties, past or present. That is quite impressive; but Jeremy himself appears to be a teflon tubesnake coated in grease. He just seems to have the bad luck to keep hiring three time losers.

[pbangarth]

""" Your app shows Jeremy to be squeaky clean! He must have amazing PR. However, he does appear to associate with people who do have bounties. That info might be useful. """ Blue considers Karmakaze's question.

""" I can knock people out, one at a time. Jeremy, here, is an example. I'm no where near as fast as you, though, so if there are two in the car, we should coordinate actions to hit them both at the same time. as far as a distraction, my spirit could certainly draw their attention away from us moving to neutralize them. """

[pbangarth]

""" Actually, """ Blue adds, """ now that I think about it, there are two more things I can do that can help. I have a couple of one-off spells-on-a-stick that apply. I can make one of us invisible to both organic and mechanical vision, and I can make one of us able to detect a particular individual within about a 35 meter range. That last one was a good hit, so even if the target is behind a serious astral barrier, he should be detectable.

""" I could cast that second one once inside the building, and even walls won't block it. I used it once to find a worker at Biozu who had fallen into the waste disposal system and knocked himself out.

""" Until I can set up my Lodge, though, I can do each of those only once. """

[Bastard]

"""Well, instead of dropping Jeremy off to the police then, maybe we drop him off to his employers, all bundled up. We got to do something to keep him off your back, without just making you a bigger target."""

[pbangarth]

Blue's face lights up like a Christmas tree. """ Hey! I know. Let's grab him, and then advertise on that bounty website that we have his sorry hoop up for sale for the highest bidder. """

[Bastard]

"""It is a regulated site, so it's probably not a great place to advertise we kidnapped someone. Even if they are a piece of drek that deserve it."""

[Koekepan]

The car is now approaching the street of Jeremy's lovenest. The weather has cleared up, leaving the air cool and still. This area has pretty good services, so the street lights are bright and the electricity is running.

[pbangarth]

You know what the downside of a powerful will is? Try to change the guy's mind. Just try. Nietzsche admonishes the superior man to follow with conviction, as well as to lead so. Blue has perhaps a bit more to learn in that regard.

""" No. seriously. Think about it. We have no idea who has it out for Jeremy, but I bet someone in your community does. How else are we going to find out where to bur -- get rid -- sequester this guy? """

[Bastard]

"""No... hmm... By regulated I mean it is regulated by the government and megacorps. It would be better to ask in the shadows than to advertise we have kidnapped someone to the whole legal world. You legally cannot capture a bounty before a bounty has even been issued. We would probably end up in jail, on the bounty board ourselves, and then I would be completely in the shadows."""

[pbangarth]

""" Yeah, I get it. Let's deal with the issue of the moment before I get ahead of myself. """

Blue does an inventory check of his pre-cast spells. Six left out of the ten he started with. Blue and Karmakaze each have a Heal spell. Blue also has available one Astral Armor, one detect Individual, one Influence, and one Improved Invisibility. +++ Man, I have to get that Lodge set up again. And soon. +++

For immediate use, the Improved Invisibility and the Influence are to hand. He regenerates some spell defense, just in case.

[ Spoiler ]

1 Sorcery and 1 Spell Pool.

Blue also connects with the city spirit. ::: Brickrot. I am glad you are close. Things might get violent shortly. :::

[Koekepan]

Brickrot makes no verbal reply, but Blue knows that it is there.

Overhead, the low clouds reflect the lights of the city. They are clouds, although the pervading miasma of the harbour suggests some other sorts of vapour to the nose. The dwellings in this area are moderately well-maintained, with few of them showing the sooty streaks of atmospheric damage to the lights of Karmakaze's car.

[pbangarth]

As they approach the love nest, Blue strategizes with Karmakaze.

""" So how do we do this? Park a ways back from the alleged guards and sneak up on them? You are probably way better at that than I am, but my spirit can help all three of us be much less noticeable. I could use the Invisibility on one of us, but maybe that's not necessary at this point? You go one side, I go the other and we cue our attacks to knock them out at the same time? I could have us linked mentally to help that go off correctly, but then it would be harder for me to cast the spell that stuns my guy. Can you hold your shots till you see me zap my target?"""

Blue waits to hear what his more experienced partner has to say.

[Bastard]

"""If you can conceal us, I say we sneak up on the guards. Can you knock them out with a spell? If not, break the window, then I can hit them with gel rounds and/or my shock gloves. Then we duct tape them to the car, so they don't sneak up on us while we get Jeremy.

"""Inside, don't forget his girlfriend. We have no idea if she is an adept, a mage, an innocent. Best be prepared for the worst.

"""Back to what we do with him, my contact did say there was a contract out for him, but it was to the underworld. Let me call my fixer.

"""Sorry... I got sidetracked by those dragonettes, and forgot all about it. Busy fraggin' night."""

With a frustrated sigh, she calls Jaxx...

[pbangarth]

""" Yeah, the windows are a problem. I don't have an easy way to break them anymore, and that would still give them some warning. I appreciate your desire not to use lethal force. That's why I prefer at first to knock someone out, rather than fry them. But let me think a moment."""

Blue pulls from deep in his memories of Thaumaturgy class. """ I would have to cast two of those knockout spells at the same time. I've never done that before except in a tutorial class. It hurt like hell. I could lower the force of the spells a bit, so the drain from the energy flowing through me won't burn me so much. But that would make it easier for them to resist. """ It seems as if Blue is talking to himself as much as to Karmakaze.

""" Unless ... unless I have Brickrot confuse them first. Then they would be much less able to resist the spells and I could get away with the reduced force. Yeah! So ... Brickrot still owes three services to me tonight. One would get used to make us hard to be noticed. All three of us. Then Brickrot would move to where he ... she ... they can see the two people in the car, and even through the window they could use their confuse power to addle the guards' brains. At the same time as Brickrot moves in I would move to where I can see the occupants of the car, and you get close, too. Then, once Brickrot has done their thing, I shoot the two spells at the lower force but knockout level damage, and it just might work. I might even make it through the casting unscathed!

""" Even if they don't both get knocked out, it will be devilishly difficult for one of them to do anything useful. That's when we could follow up with your speed ... smash a window and gel rounds to the face. What do you think? """

That's when Blue notices Karmakaze is making a call.

[Koekepan]

<<<Karmadoodles! Tall and pale she stalks the night for her prey! Gimme good news, you got something big wriggling on your hook? Or were you just lonely?>>>

Jaxx is his old irrepressible self, apparently.

[Bastard]

<<<[Karma>Jaxx]"""Hi Jaxx!""">>> she attempts to sound chipper.

<<<[Karma>Jaxx]"""I got some items I would like to offload. One subdued, possibly unconscious Jeremy Huang for starters. On top of that, I have a box of 15 to 20 dragonette hatchlings, which are little magical snakes. Nasty little bastards, but so far not too bad, since they are right out of the egg. I got a shaman with me who can get you set up on their care.""">>>

[Koekepan]

Jaxx hardly misses a beat. <<<OK, Karmawriggles, I don't know too much about snakes - maybe check a talismonger, ja - but Huang? The genuine article? The big cheese? If so, I have an offer to make and you're gonna love it! How would you like your credstick to chompachompa fifty K this very night? I'll make the coffee and set out the snacks, you just bring the main event.>>>

[Bastard]

<<<[Karma>Jaxx]Is that the best your contact will do, Jaxxarooney? I heard he has had a pretty big falling out with his employer, and there might be a few buyers.>>>