IC: Striding the Soul's Edge Options

[WinterRat1]

Hunkering down a bit deeper behind cover into the shadows, Nameless listens to the crackle of the radio and waits for the guards to approach. Watching, and waiting to strike again.

[Fenris]

With a thought, Loki darts up even with the deck of the ship, searching around through the astral.

"I've got the astral out here."

[Fenris]

Iblis - There's a screech as the future-equivilent of polyurethene wheels grind across the deck, Iblis cutting left and going sharp around the corner, both guns up with almost constant flashes of flame as she fires. Each flash lights up her face in the dim light, and it's obvious from her expression that she's enjoying herself.

The guard is still several dozen meters away when she comes around the corner, and he barely even has time to register the white fur-covered blur before rounds start ringing off the deck around him, and he abandons all pretense of advancing, diving behind the edge of a cargo container instead. One round still impacts squarely in his side as he scrambles for cover.

Jake - You stretch out your will, wrenching the information you desire from the man's aura, your victim blissfully ignorant for the moment of your actions. Sifting through the myriad of colors, it's obvious that the man is Awakened, although obviously not to your level of potential. No cyberware cuts it's holes in his aura, and whatever information is coming over the radio appears to have made him anxious and alarmed. A few seconds later, the spirit you saw briefly outside darts down into the room where you stand. It glances at you with what appears to be a face in the amorphous cloud of mana that represents it's form, and pushes it's way through the veil and into the mundane world.

The general gist of the Russian coming over the radio seem to be of alarm, and something about pirates.

The spirit speaks in Russian as well, but strangely accented. It is incomprehensible for the most part, but the man looks even more alarmed and spins around, eyes frantically searching the room before his form shimmers and appears on the astral, fear flashing through both astral and mundane features as he sees you standing there.

[Fenris]

Steel - Guns sweep up as she tracks the guard diving for cover, and there's a scattering of sparks across the metal deck as death snatchs life, leaving the corpse tumbling, lifeless, to the ground.

The second gun rises, almost independent of the first, and sends a line of lead streaming towards the other guard. Chest, shoulder, neck, and face are torn away as the slugs tear flesh, and the SMG in his hands clatters to the deck.

[Medesha]

Steel allows herself a small smile.

[BishopMcQ]

A smile that is far from the friendly easy-going one that is shared with his teammates pulls across Jake's lips. Knowing that unless the shaman was paranoid enough to order the spirit to protect him physically, this fight was over before it even began. Following through with the killing dance that was begun with the watcher, Jake steps across and begins weaving his sword in tight guarded movements. He waits for the moment to come where he can strike out and sever the lifeforce of this mage.

[Fenris]

The ship is obviously waking up, and the shouts of alarm and the crackle of radio's begin's to fill the night.

[BishopMcQ]

The Italian Warrior Shaman feels the might of Ares flood into his sword as he lashes out towards the Russian sharing both worlds. Astral steel parts the gossamer threads that bind human thought and form rational beliefs. Jake leans into the attack, knowing that if he does not defeat the mage now, his own defenses may not be up to the task.

[Fenris]

The man cries out, falling backwards in his chair and scrabbling away as Jake brings the sword down, moved by pure force of will and leaving a swathe of red through the man's aura as a large portion of his life force is cleaved away.

[Fenris]

Iblis and Steel both look at each other, grin errily mirrored as they both hear the sound of the boots of several men clanging up the stairs of the superstructure, heading for the deck. Steel shifts, both guns coming up in synchronized motion as she takes aim on the door the men will be exiting through.

[WinterRat1]

Knowing that Iblis and Steel have the guys coming through the door, Nameless keeps watch, continually scanning the deck and waiting for any targets that might decide to enter his field of fire.

[Fenris]

The door to the structure clangs once, and creaks as it swings open, revealing one man pushing, and two more behind him, eyes already scanning the deck as they shout back and forth in Russian. The night isl it up as Steel and Iblis send a stream of lead into the tight space, a spray of blood filling the doorway as the three men literally disinegrate under the hail of gunfire. The sound of screaming and scrambling further down the hallway continues after the gunfire stops, and nobody else appears in the doorway.

[Fenris]

Jake - Mana crackles through the astral, the bolt slamming into your astral form and covering you briefly in a crackling aura before disappating. You see the mage's eyes wide just a bit more as he scrambles on hands and knees towards the open doorway.

Iblis and Steel - You both clearly see the slim form of an aerodynamic grenade come out of the red mist still hanging across the open doorway, landing no more then a metre to the right and a few metres in front of you. The grenade rolls a few more inches on the deck, and you're both caught in a wave of concussive force as the grenade explodes.

[BishopMcQ]

Purpose filled steps move Jake across the distance that the scrambling mage made. There is no remorse only the simple understanding that this has to be as he brings his sword down again.

May Ares take you and make your death swift and painless.

[Fenris]

Painless cannot be verified, but swift the mages death is. The sword slices down, leaving the physical body untouched. The mages astral form screams and parts, halves curling up and away and fading into the surrounding flows of mana.

[BishopMcQ]

Jake surveys the room briefly before exerting his will to move up and out of the superstructure. Rising above the ship in the cold night air he looks out over the pitched battle beneath him.

[Fenris]

Iblis and Steel - Catching sight of the grenade at almost the same moment, you both dive in opposite directions, turning just enough to let the brunt of the force smack into the protective armor. Unharmed, you glance towards the doorway, still propped open by the corpse of the last unlucky crewmen to come that way, but empty of live forms.

[Medesha]

Never one to hang back when charging in is more appropriate, Steel steps carefully over the corpse, trying not to slip on the bloody floor and peers into the next room. She moves forward slowly, guns up and ready to fire.

[Fenris]

As Steel steps around the corner, there's a rattle of fully automatic gun fire riccochets up the stairwell, sparks ringing off the metal bulkhead. 2 men crouched down at the bottom of the stairwell desperately unload their weapons at the doorway, already peering around the edge of the hallway and looking as if they wished they had more cover.

[BishopMcQ]

Dropping down the silver cord to his body, like a Red Samurai on a zipline, Jake tumbles back into flesh and meat. Reality takes a sharper edge even as his mind reels as it begins to once more process information with all of its senses. The shaman gasps for air as his lungs resume breathing at full capacity.

[Joker9125]

Upon hearing Jake's loud gasp for breath diesel turns to him and says "Nice to see that your back. Whats the plan now?"

[Fenris]

Moe - Havoc is breaking loose below decks as you slip down the stairs. Around the corner to your left, you can hear the rattle of fully automatic assault rifle fire, but luckily, the spot you're looking for is in the other direction. Slipping down the hallway, you ghost past frantic crewmembers, unarmed and unarmored, rushing deeper into the ship, a steady flow of emphatic Russian filling the corridor. You see three more men in armor and lugging AK-98's go trotting down the corridor towards the entrance to the deck. A few metres ahead should be the entrance to the air systems you're looking for.

Steel and Iblis - Rolling back out of direct line of the doorway, Steel grimaces as two of the random spray find their targets, the brushed velvet and lace clothing sporting two more holes, one in the shoulder, and the other a deep gash along her outer thigh.

[Buddha72]

The alert on her system goes off, each person tied into it recieves an alert that Steel has been injured. With a quick thought, the rack descends from her back pack and she slams the pistols into place, reloading with something with a little more kick. She sends a call out over comms.

We may need healing up here. She calmly walks to the tops of the stairs and through the doorway. "Avon calling!" With that she unloads a short burst from her guns into each man crouched at the bottom of the stairs. Her arms in a wide V like a scarecrow from an insane action flick.

[Blitz]

"Two more are on their way ta ya. Im abou' 'alfway to da target spo'."

:: Moe is momentarily grateful for the headware making the report to her companions silent as she slips through the cooridors, for a moment, thankful for her size which makes it much easier to avoid the traffic moving around or near her. ::

[Fenris]

Ilbis - The guard with the misfortune of leaning a little too far around the corner after Steel dropped out of the doorway slams into the wall behind him, holes stitched in the armored vest he's wearing. The other cries out and falls back, AK clattering to the floor as his mangled shoulder and arm leave a pool of blood on the deck.

Loki - Murmuring a quick chant to Rat, the shaman fades back into the shadows along the rail, disappearing from view and darting towards the open hatchway that Iblis is happily filling the interior of the ship with lead.

Nameless - Perched across the deck, you can hear the full auto fire coming from Steel and Iblis' location, but the report from Moe has two more heading your door, about to come out of the door you're covering.