The watcher interrupts Nix as his body begins to move. What now? Circling his body he sees that the truck is on the move.
He sits up and takes a deep breath, the weight of the material world seeming a thousand times heavier than astral space. "Buddy. A spirit was watching you. Not sure they figured out why you were staked out, nor did I find out for sure who the spirit was bound to...." He takes a deep sigh, "This day has been the damnedest set of dead leads I've ever had. I hope this guy breaks our current streak."
Full Version: Blood of the People
OOC: I'm not moving to the van, I'm telling the van to move to me, depending on what walkinghawk does. Yeah autopilot.
[ Spoiler ]
Caliph is able to intecept and record a short communication from WalkingHawk's car. It is encrypted however. The car pulls out and away shortly after.
Quick copy the message to the truck and have it run a brute-force decrypt, see if this gives me some clue. Record the baseline message traffic - the link-ups and logins between the car and the traffic control net, etc. to see if I can get something from those, later.
As he gets in, send a quick message to Nix, marked URGENT. <<@Nix (Caliph) - Target moving. Have the ghost guarding me move to follow it.>>
Trigger the van to start moving towards me, and round the corner once Walkinghawk's vehicle gets out of sight. Keep the sniffer tracking the signal trace, hopefully I can keep a lock on him that way.
Hop in the van. Listen to Nix as he tells me about the spirit and stuff. Blink a couple times. It's getting me a bit worked up. "So. I was watched the whole time I was staking out. WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? What the fuck was I supposed to do if a ghost came down to kick my ass? Scream No comprende as I die??? You have no clue who the fuck this ghost works for, who's surveilling me, how they made me, NOTHING? Why the hell didn't you beat it up and ask it? Can you do that to spirits? Did it send out any comms? Does Walkinghawk know he's being trailed? Do you have ANY fucking clue?"
As he gets in, send a quick message to Nix, marked URGENT. <<@Nix (Caliph) - Target moving. Have the ghost guarding me move to follow it.>>
Trigger the van to start moving towards me, and round the corner once Walkinghawk's vehicle gets out of sight. Keep the sniffer tracking the signal trace, hopefully I can keep a lock on him that way.
Hop in the van. Listen to Nix as he tells me about the spirit and stuff. Blink a couple times. It's getting me a bit worked up. "So. I was watched the whole time I was staking out. WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? What the fuck was I supposed to do if a ghost came down to kick my ass? Scream No comprende as I die??? You have no clue who the fuck this ghost works for, who's surveilling me, how they made me, NOTHING? Why the hell didn't you beat it up and ask it? Can you do that to spirits? Did it send out any comms? Does Walkinghawk know he's being trailed? Do you have ANY fucking clue?"
[ Spoiler ]
OOC: Assuming there is no astral surveillance on WalkingHawk, Nix will put a watcher on him, following at a distance with orders to immediately fetch me if he enters an astral ward.
"While you were being watched, I didn't feel that you'd been made. I have a watcher looking over you right now to insure that you didn't have any issues... like ghosts coming to kick your ass." His tone is amused, but not so humored as to be insulting. "I had to take some time to try to track the source to insure that it wasn't linked to our targets. Since the trail really didn't go anywhere, I doubt it. I have a tail on him. At this point, he does not appear to realize he is under surveillance." His tone a little more serious, but level. "Just chill and lets keep at this. The decisions I made, I made with the intent to keep us from being discovered.. or drawing undo attention to ourselves."
"While you were being watched, I didn't feel that you'd been made. I have a watcher looking over you right now to insure that you didn't have any issues... like ghosts coming to kick your ass." His tone is amused, but not so humored as to be insulting. "I had to take some time to try to track the source to insure that it wasn't linked to our targets. Since the trail really didn't go anywhere, I doubt it. I have a tail on him. At this point, he does not appear to realize he is under surveillance." His tone a little more serious, but level. "Just chill and lets keep at this. The decisions I made, I made with the intent to keep us from being discovered.. or drawing undo attention to ourselves."
Caliph
@Nix - There does not seem to be any astral cover on WalkingHawk's vehicle, although there is a light (Force 3) ward. Typical really, especially for an awakened police officer of the Security Force.
Walking Hawk drives for a while, headed south along the I-15 freeway.
Make 3 Shadowing tests.
[ Spoiler ]
@Nix - There does not seem to be any astral cover on WalkingHawk's vehicle, although there is a light (Force 3) ward. Typical really, especially for an awakened police officer of the Security Force.
Walking Hawk drives for a while, headed south along the I-15 freeway.
Make 3 Shadowing tests.
[ Spoiler ]
"Fuck." Beat a fist into the steering wheel, but not hard. It's a nice faux-wood steering wheel, and my fist is steel. "Nixy, baby, can you send this encrypted message to your hacker friend and have him decrypt it? Maybe find something out about the commcodes on both ends if the message is exciting?" My truck is running mostly on autopilot right now, so it doesn't swerve despite my venting. Pull back into the seat and check on the progress as we roll down the street, a block or two from Walkinghawk's car. Still staying back a ways, trying to remain undetected. I'm going to break contact if he does any signature surveillance detection moves like doubling back on himself, etc.
[ Spoiler ]
Waiting on Nix's reply
Nix looks up from his daydreaming, "I... uh.... sorry, yea.." He tried to remember what it was that had his attention, but the thought was gone. Surely it had to have something to do with a clean beach, deep blue water and buxom young women with more energy than common sense.
He packages up the encrypted data provided by Caliph, leans back into his seat and launches himself into cyberspace. When he arrives on the other side, he steps into the Starship Enterprise. He finds the agent known as Commander Data and turns over the package. "Please take this to Captain Spider and ask him if he would decrypt this for me. Thanks."
He packages up the encrypted data provided by Caliph, leans back into his seat and launches himself into cyberspace. When he arrives on the other side, he steps into the Starship Enterprise. He finds the agent known as Commander Data and turns over the package. "Please take this to Captain Spider and ask him if he would decrypt this for me. Thanks."
The drive is long as WalkingHawk continues to cruise south down I-15, going into the more rural areas of Utah County. After a good ten minutes, Nix's commlink beeps
<<<< [Nyx]Spider- You owe me 200.
Contents -
#1 - I see them. Is it set?
#2 - Yes
-End
Walking Hawk takes the exit to an out of the way town called "Benjamin"
<<<< [Nyx]Spider- You owe me 200.
Contents -
#1 - I see them. Is it set?
#2 - Yes
-End
Walking Hawk takes the exit to an out of the way town called "Benjamin"
"Shit! Ambush." He forwards the information to Caliph and 300 
to spider.
<<@Spider [Nix] More than worth every penny my friend. I appreciate your continued assistance.>>
"I'm going astral" and with that Nix leans back and lets his consciousness float out of this body. Time to see if we picked up a tail. and he begins for a trail on the van.
to spider. <<@Spider [Nix] More than worth every penny my friend. I appreciate your continued assistance.>>
"I'm going astral" and with that Nix leans back and lets his consciousness float out of this body. Time to see if we picked up a tail. and he begins for a trail on the van.
Smile, and wait for the next exit. Pull off, and pull towards the closest gas station. Pull round the back, and arm ALL of the security systems on the vehicle - including ordering the LMG to chamber a round.
"Stay put." - uselessly said to Nix's inanimate form. Swear about Eyes, as I grab my Ares Alpha and sling it and its gym bag over my shoulder.
"Stay put." - uselessly said to Nix's inanimate form. Swear about Eyes, as I grab my Ares Alpha and sling it and its gym bag over my shoulder.
[ Spoiler ]
As Caliph's security systems fire up and he grabs for his gun, the E.W. system pings showing the vehicle is receiving a signal. He has just enough time to look before he's rocked by an explosion from beneath the vehicle.
Roll Vehicle Damage Resistance vs DV 12, w/ Vehicle Body and Half Vehicle Armor
Roll Vehicle Damage Resistance vs DV 12, w/ Vehicle Body and Half Vehicle Armor
On the astral scouting the freeway, Nix feels pain rip through his body, tearing in to his astral form. From his position, he can see the explosion that .....
[ Spoiler ]
Vehicle Body 16 + 1/2 Armor 4 (20 dice) = 5,1,4,4,4,3,4,6,6,1,6,2,6,2,5,1,4,2,2,1 = 6 hits.
Rolls derived from a simple dice roller I programmed in excel.
Rolls derived from a simple dice roller I programmed in excel.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
Nix' consciousness snaps back to his body as it is thrown around the van, "AAAHHHHHHHHHH"
As he recovers from the initial shock and trauma of the explosion his first thought is to call two of his bound air elementals and have one of them use its guard power on Caliph and himself.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
Dampers kick in as the blast rolls under the truck. Wires kick in less than half a rapidly-accelerating heartbeat later. Both of them keep my bell from being rung too badly. Cab fills with choking, gutting, horrible smoke, left front tire leaves contact with the road, vehicle lurches but keeps rolling. Automatically slowing down to compensate for the blast. We'll see how long that lasts. Hopefully Nix is still smart enough after that to protect himself, because - deep breath - I'm out....
Kick the door open, grab the sniper rifle and the gym bag, wait a second for a safe speed, tuck and roll out the door, pray that there isn't much oncoming traffic or that it's smart enough to swerve. Lie down for a second as I throw the chameleon bag off the sniper rifle, send a command to the truck to roll a couple hundred meters down the road and park. And acquire targets. Definitely acquire targets.
Caliph rolls out of the moving van, shulers and arms still burning fro the small pieces of shrapnel. The sounds the van is making don't sound very good, but at least the van didn't blow up. Taking a moment to orient him self, he thanks the spirits for the backwater locale, as there is no traffic to speak of.
As if the thought of the van exploding summoned it, a pillar of fire forms up in the form of a humanoid, moving towards the van. Between Caliph and the elemental, a second one forms up out of the road, a 3 meter tall earth elemental, moving towards him.
-----------------------------------------
Inside the van, as Nix tries to move ,a large peice of van floor wedged into his back, Nix senses his elementals tense. He senses another presence manifest within the now open, moving van.
Initiative and Declare Actions
As if the thought of the van exploding summoned it, a pillar of fire forms up in the form of a humanoid, moving towards the van. Between Caliph and the elemental, a second one forms up out of the road, a 3 meter tall earth elemental, moving towards him.
-----------------------------------------
Inside the van, as Nix tries to move ,a large peice of van floor wedged into his back, Nix senses his elementals tense. He senses another presence manifest within the now open, moving van.
Initiative and Declare Actions
[ Spoiler ]
Nix's anxiety level was pegging out and his life was beginning to pass before his eyes. He was wounded, the van is almost destroyed and the threats were still coming. He had no idea what Caliph was facing, but if the summoner was outside with him, Caliph was outclassed.
He commands the elemental on stand-by to "Defend Caliph!". His perceptions still focused on the astral plane, he looks towards the looming, new threat as he calls in his final air elemental to stand-by. Someone is definitely gonna get their ass kicked.
Hmm... Bad. Chamber a round into the sniper rifle as I scan the area for anything more than the two obvious threats. Looking for the caster. Give up as the bolt slams forward with the first round. Send the command "engage center-of-mass of the large thermal signature" to the truck, as I exhale and pull the trigger, firing at the rock thing walking towards me.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
The living road lurches forward unbelievably fast, swinging an appendage of sold asphalt and reflectors for caliph's head as he tries to take aim with the massive sniper rifle. one hit and that rifle's calibration is going to be horribly off. The pillar of fire blasts out a cone of flame at the fleeing van and it's trail of gasoline, while the van it's self fills with acrid smoke well beyond what should be possible.
[ Spoiler ]
The van was becoming a death trap. As he gagged on the swirling mists from the air elemental, Nix had little choice. Jumping from the van, he cast levitate to facilitate a landing.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
The "road" swings it's appendage at Caliph, who practically sprawls out beneath it's swing. He feels the pavement brush his hair, missing taking off his head by only inches. The living road lurches to the side as if struck by some unseen force, knocked "off balance" momentarily. Crouched, Caliph aims for what he can only assume is the end, leveling the massive rifle, and fires once. A huge whole appears where the "head" used to be, and the pavement falls apart, making a good sized pile of rock in the middle of the ground.
Nix dives clear of the van as the blast of flame sears everything around him, melting metal. His hastily cast spell saves his life, bringing him up above the inferno below, where the gas finally ignites. The machine gun on top opens up towards the spirit of fire, which nimbly dodges aside, unhurt as the gun seizes up.
Round 1 Phase 2
As the van slow to a crawl, a column of0 smoke 0pours out of the roof, forming up into a cloud above the ruined vehicle. The smoke cloud flashes once, and a bolt of heat lightning streaks out directly at Caliph. The fire spirit rears up and lets loose a roar, like a furnaces of hell have just been opened and lunges forward at Nix in a rage.
[ Spoiler ]
As the van slow to a crawl, a column of0 smoke 0pours out of the roof, forming up into a cloud above the ruined vehicle. The smoke cloud flashes once, and a bolt of heat lightning streaks out directly at Caliph. The fire spirit rears up and lets loose a roar, like a furnaces of hell have just been opened and lunges forward at Nix in a rage.
[ Spoiler ]
Half-burned, still choking and madder than a hornet just out of a nest used as a volley ball, Nix flies away from the burning vehicle. He no more than exits the vehicle and an unnatural fear takes him causing him to fly at all possible speed away from the scene...... leaving Caliph and the spirits to end the battle without him.
[ Spoiler ]
Kill the rock thing. Something from the van shoots a lightning bolt at me as I'm turning to engage the flaming... thingy.... I have no idea if I can even hurt this thing, but I'm smarting for clever ideas at the moment. Well, that and the lightning that slams into me. The gyros pop out of my non-firing wrist as I come to the crouch and fire.
[/spoiler]
[ Spoiler ]
[/spoiler]
[ Spoiler ]
Caliph's second shot tears in to the being of flame, tearing it apart somehow. Before his eyes it loses its cohesion and falls apart into the flames around it. Not taking the time to watch, Caliph quickly fires off another shot at the attacking cloud of Smoke above the van, recognizing a spirit when he sees one. Trying to shoot down air is about as impossible as one would think however. He has no way of knowing if he even hit it, or if it had any affect what so ever. In the distance, he can see Nix flying away in a panic.
The astral spirits continue battling unknown to anyone while a wounded Caliph squares off against a spirit in the form of a storm of heat lightning.
Nix will literally be in full flight for the next 3 combat rounds, at which point he can roll (Willpower+Charisma) against threshold 4 to turn back.
Initiative for Caliph
Take a jolt, bad, from the smoke cloud. One last chance at this mother fucker, then I bolt. Who knows how to run from the air, either... Steel myself, wait for the shot, take it. Inshallah, this ends now.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
.The next shot tears into the cloud, ripping it apart and disrupting the spirit much as the previous two were. Nix's astral spirit is soon disrupted as well, although there is no sign of it on the physical plane.
After another 15 or so second of full flight, Nix manages to get him self under control enough to turn back, seeing the attacking spirits gone.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
Breathe out, again, as my last shot rings out. Look around, check for more threats. Double take, when I notice a small fox coming over a hill to the north... seems wierd that an animal would be running towards fire and gunshots, unless there's something wierder north. Worry about it in a second, though - there's going to be folks rolling in, soon, to check on the disturbance. Pop a message - <<@Nix (Caliph) - Get the fuck back here. I killed them for you.>>
Mental inventory quick. Queue the commlink to do the physical inventory and query all the stuff I have on me.
Get back to the truck, quickly, pop the machinegun mount off the top of the truck, clear the jam. Set it up covering the hill to the north, smartlink feed picture-in-picture on my eyeballs. Grab the fire extinguisher and check over the slag pile at the back of the truck. Make sure there's nothing still burning. Grab my rucksack.
Stash the sniper rifle in it's bag, lash it to the rucksack. Pull the AK out of the gym bag. Lash the machinegun to the top of the rucksack, cover it with my sleeping bag.
Move a couple hundred yards northwest, mark my position with a restricted AR object, wait for Nix. Pop another message to the name my smuggler buddy gave me - <<@Anonymous (Caliph) - This is Raul's buddy. What's the chance I can get an airlift wrecker from yall - something with enough lift to evac a van to yall's motor pool. High priority.>>
Mental inventory quick. Queue the commlink to do the physical inventory and query all the stuff I have on me.
Get back to the truck, quickly, pop the machinegun mount off the top of the truck, clear the jam. Set it up covering the hill to the north, smartlink feed picture-in-picture on my eyeballs. Grab the fire extinguisher and check over the slag pile at the back of the truck. Make sure there's nothing still burning. Grab my rucksack.
Stash the sniper rifle in it's bag, lash it to the rucksack. Pull the AK out of the gym bag. Lash the machinegun to the top of the rucksack, cover it with my sleeping bag.
Move a couple hundred yards northwest, mark my position with a restricted AR object, wait for Nix. Pop another message to the name my smuggler buddy gave me - <<@Anonymous (Caliph) - This is Raul's buddy. What's the chance I can get an airlift wrecker from yall - something with enough lift to evac a van to yall's motor pool. High priority.>>
[ Spoiler ]
Caliph - roll perception - visual
Perception: Intuition 5 + Perception 4 + Visual 2 + Visual Enhancement 3 - Wound 2 (if applicable) = 3,5,5,1,2,4,5,2,3,1,6,3,5,5 (6 hits, 4 if wound applies).
Caliph looks around quickly, assessing what is left of the situation and starts texting a messag.e He stops a moment later, doing a double take. Lookng back he sees what he at first took for a coyote. Looking closer, it's actually a fox coming over a small hill from the north.
[ Spoiler ]
[ Spoiler ]
Nix finally gains control of his faculties and stops his flight. He turns back to the battle scene and races back to Caliph. How in the hell am I going to explain this..?
As he flies back into the scene of the battle and the carnage, still perceiving, he replies to Caliph.
<<@Caliph [Nix] Damn spirit hit me with magical fear. Counter spelling is of no effect. In any case, it is done for now.>>
As he flies back into the scene of the battle and the carnage, still perceiving, he replies to Caliph.
<<@Caliph [Nix] Damn spirit hit me with magical fear. Counter spelling is of no effect. In any case, it is done for now.>>
[ Spoiler ]
Nix Roll Perception -4 visual
[ Spoiler ]
Coming back to the scene, Nix sets down and releases the levitation spell. His switches back and forth between the astral and mundane senses seeking threats, still very much on edge. He stiffens slightly as he moves from the pain of being tosses around during initial attack on the van and knows that his fatigue is catching up to him. Time for this day to be over....
[ Spoiler ]
"Something wierd over that hill up north. Can you ghostwalk down that way and see what the hell's up?"
Point in the general direction for him. I'd say more, but my give-a-shit meter is dragging bottom.
Point in the general direction for him. I'd say more, but my give-a-shit meter is dragging bottom.
"Yea. I can do that."
He then takes a moment to call forth a large fire elemental.
OOC: F6. Optional powers: Fear, Search. Summoning: 5,6,4,3,4,1,6 = 3 hits
"Stay with me and if we are attacked, use your fear power to drive away the attackers."
He then lays down near Caliph and heads out astrally towards where his teammate directed. He moves cautiously as possible, not desiring to run into a second ambush within a minute of the last.
He then takes a moment to call forth a large fire elemental.
OOC: F6. Optional powers: Fear, Search. Summoning: 5,6,4,3,4,1,6 = 3 hits
"Stay with me and if we are attacked, use your fear power to drive away the attackers."
He then lays down near Caliph and heads out astrally towards where his teammate directed. He moves cautiously as possible, not desiring to run into a second ambush within a minute of the last.
[ Spoiler ]
Nix - Perception test - +2 for actively searching, subtract for wound modifiers, -2 for cover as you are astral and looking for something in the grass.
Threshold 2
Assuming you hit the threshold, make an Assenssing Test.
Fuck. Bystanders. Nudge the machinegun with my foot, covertly as I can, to reposition it so it can cover both the hill and the truck. Shoulda thought of that. Keep it picture-in-picture, and have it mark the vehicles pulling over as target reference points, ready to engage on my command. Keep the AK and the other guns with the rucksack in its hide.
Push-up, brush my self off, and begin walking all nonchalant like back towards the truck, looking for some well-wisher who wants to look over my shit or some dude masked as a well wisher who wants to kill us. Either way.
Shout and wave as I come up, make to discourage them from getting near the truck. Yell "Vehicle is clear! I was the only guy in there!" And, of course, look for cobalt blue mustangs.
Push-up, brush my self off, and begin walking all nonchalant like back towards the truck, looking for some well-wisher who wants to look over my shit or some dude masked as a well wisher who wants to kill us. Either way.
Shout and wave as I come up, make to discourage them from getting near the truck. Yell "Vehicle is clear! I was the only guy in there!" And, of course, look for cobalt blue mustangs.
Nix hovers around seeking whatever Caliph saw.
[ Spoiler ]
Nix is able to spot the Fox as well. The Fox has a couple of spells sustained on it's person. It's aura also matches that of the summoned spirits. It is also a shape shifter. It is also looking back at Nix.
Nix - Astral Initative
Nix - Astral Initative
OOC: Initiative 13 (-1 wounds, -1 stun) = 11 + 4 [6,4,6,6,2,1,3,3,1,5,4] = 15
A moment of dawning occurs for Nix. He only prays he is not so wounded at this point so to loose this final gambit.
A moment of dawning occurs for Nix. He only prays he is not so wounded at this point so to loose this final gambit.
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