defense: 12d6t5 3

The ork blocks the gunhand with massive forearms and tries to counter strike

attack: 13d6t5 1

Back in the killzone, the Doberman tries to cut down both combatants from long range

doberman attack: 6d6t5 1 Not that it matters but the stats are 7P, AP -2, -2 to defense pool for wide burst

Combat Round 1, Initiative Pass 4
The melee was going about how O'Connor expected. The ork was easily blocking his attacks, and he was easily dodging the ork. The one upshot was that he was just as easily dodging the Doberman's gunfire. Hopefully the ork was less skilled in that respect.

Sammy looked around. If she could spot the enemy mage, he would be target, otherwise the closest enemy she could see. A stunbolt went out to drop one of the enemy.


IP1/2
sunbolt force 5:
stunbolt: 10d6t5 3

resist drain:
resist drain: 9d6t5 4
no drain

Starlet fires off the Stunbolt at the remaining gunman on the ambush line, and feels very good about seeing him go down even though she knows it wasn't enough to take him down.

As Bullet Storm waits to defend an attack that doesn't come as Torley and Lil Homie reach the edge of the culvert. Looking down they see their target, his ivory robes covered in dirt and blood. He is limping painfully through the muck, trying to reach the shanty town of miserable dwellings a couple dozen meters upriver of the bridge.

(OOC : Starlet and Bullet Storm can take remaining actions.

Combat Round 2, Initiative Pass 1
O'Connor prepared for both the ork and LMG, but the attacks never came. Ironically, not being attacked is what left him flat footed.

Combat Round 2, Initiative Pass 2
Annoyed with the turn of events, he holstered his pistol with a huff. He raised his rifle at the retreating ork.


Combat Round 2, Initiative Pass 3
He lined up his shot for far longer than normal, his vision still blurred by the flashbang.


Combat Round 2, Initiative Pass 4
He aimed center mass, fired, and brought his rifle back on target.

Starlet, seeing no more enemies, rushes towards where Torley has seen the guy running.

As Bullet Storm wastes ammunition against blast shadows, Lil Homie is climbing the barrier to the river. The youmgster scrambles down the shallow embankment and looks to Torley as he recovers the AK to a shooting stance.

Torley sees his chance. He Commands the robed figure, "Stop!", Controlling his Voice so it comes from behind the figure. As he climbs down into the culvert, he tells Li'l Homie, "If he runs, shoot him."

Torley hopes the kid doesn't need to.

Medjay stops, the command taking hold, and turns around. He looks like he has aged 10 years since Torley had last seen him up close, was it really just an hour ago?

"Even if I could run, which I can't at the moment, that child couldn't hit me with that weapon at point blank range." the courier says with a thick English accent. "What you and your team should really consider, Samuel Torley, is whether the payday you are working so hard for is worth the Great Dragon Celedyr knowing your name and knowing you placed yourself among his enemies."

"If your dragon lord wants a piece of me, he can get in line. If I die some time in the future because I made one more enemy, so be it. The money means less to me than the rep that Torley does what you pay him to do.

"Whether the boy can hit you or not is irrelevant." Torley draws his pistol as he speaks. "Whether I can hit you or not is irrelevant. The real killer approaches and even if we two just slow you further, your end is assured if you resist. Distance means nothing to Bullet Storm.

"So the real decision is yours. Do you want to die right now, a failure, or live to serve your master still? That damn thing has changed hands so many times, who knows what the future brings? Put it down and walk away, and live to try another day."

"It occurs to me that neither of you is a very good shot, so any gunplay at this point will likely damage the map." Medjay removes the courier tube from his robe, Torley can see that there is some kind of device attached to it.

"I have attached an incendiary device to the map. I can trigger it if you attack me, and no one wins. Do not move, and keep your teammates at bay. I will leave it and I will walk away, and your friend and I can dance another time. Are those terms acceptable?"

"I've already told you you can walk as long as you leave the map." Torley holsters his pistol and holds his hands out to the sides palms down, as if to signal both Li'l Homey and the alleged Bullet Storm to hold off.

As so many times before, a lot of things flash across Torley's mind. There is the prize, right there. But a bomb with it. Medjay could blow it any time. But no, the dragon wouldn't like that. They think and plan in centuries. Celedyr will work another plan to get what he wants. Once Medjay is safe, Torley figures, he can take the map out of the tube and away from the incendiary.

"What I see is a tube with a bomb attached. Show me you are leaving the map, and we are square."

"I am not removing the map from the protective case that is boobytrapped."

Medjay leans the case on a small appliance nearby and starts moving away from Torley and the boy. His limp gradually diminishes as he reaches cover and then, with a flash of movement, he disappears into the night.

"I can hit you with just a thought," Sammy said as she stood next to Torley, "but I'm okay with leaving you."
As soon as he had gone, she would look at the others.
"I'll get it, you guys keep watch."
If the others agreed, she would move down and get the map case.

It never ceases to freak Torley out. I wonder how often she's been right there and I didn't know it. "Sure. I don't think they will destroy the map but we should disarm or remove the map from the the incendiary as soon as possible."

<< All concerned. We have the item in our possession. No need to continue hostilities. Minor issue with an incendiary attached to the case, but should be alright. >>

That'll get a rise.

Jane {Frosty} sounds off <<That's great! Are you guys alright?>>

Torley replies, <<< OK here. I avoided the bullet storm Bullet Storm fell into. Li'll Homey is fine, too. Managed to prevent him needing to try to kill Medjay. Kid is still a kid.>>>

Lil Homie bristles at the comment. "I could hit him, Drekhead showed me how to burst fire..." he mumbles, not quite to himself.

<< Okay...Anyway, you need to get yourselves here, ASAP. If anyone else is still in the hunt they are going to be after you guys now. Where is here? A private airstrip about six kilometrs to the north-north west of the airport. I am sending you the coordinates now, Innocent is here and we are going to pop smoke.>>

Getting a closer look at the mapcase, you can see that the 'incendiary device" is nothing more that a cheap tridwatch on an elastic band. Even careful handling, which Bullet Storm will insist on if he is present (Which he should be now.), it could be a fake out, but it isn't. The map is inside the case, perfectly safe.

O'Connor patted Lil' Homie on the shoulder, "You definitely would have hit him." He noted that Torley seems to have missed Lil' Homie's rather messy kill in the previous fight, but decided to not get pedantic at the moment. He was rather suprised that the incendiary was a fake, and that the map was genuine. He swapped to a fresh mag, and gave Lil' Homie a once over looking for injuries.

Lil Homie seems okay, and soon the group is carefully backtracking to their vehicle, which is blocked in by other abandoned vehicles. You are headed further back in the jam, you need to hire or steal another ride. Lil Homie say he can get you around the airport, but you need wheels.

"How about those motorcycle taxis," Sammy suggested, "that's how the guy actually managed to get away from us in the first place. I'm sure they can go to the airport and they can go through the traffic jams."

"Sounds good to me," Torley replies. He tries to flag down a few to carry the lot of them. Casting his Voice might catch drivers' attention better.

Con didn't like how exposed they would be on said taxis, but speed was probably their best defense now. He nodded his assent to Starlet.

Moving through the traffic is definitely easier, though you drop about 200 naira in the process.

Once you get around the airport, things get quiet, random orks have stopped taking potshots at you, you have a clear goal, you are even able to catch your breath for second. Of course that can't last.

You can see the lights of the small private airport ahead of when the road is blocked by several vehicles. Only one person is visible, O'Conner's "friend" from the hotel. The okadas come to a halt, and the drivers look very scared.

Torley reports to Jane, linking all in and including coordinates of their location. <<Near the airport. Blocked by what looks like crew of Englebrecht. Assessing the situation. >>

He addresses his colleagues. As I recall, this crew is strong on muscle but short on magic. Any ideas?

O'Connor popped the joints in his neck nonchalantly, "We fight our way through. There's no other choice."

Torley's voice has an edge to it. "I beg to differ." Fuck, this has been a painful and convoluted chase, with fools and arrogant assholes like that one ahead of them at every turn. King's Guards. Street thugs. Dragon's underlings. Sneaky thief. Religious fanatics. And worst of all, these Englebrecht bully boys. He's had enough.

He opens himself to the mana. But not just open; he lays his soul bare. Anger and frustration twist the flow. This is gonna hurt. There will be a cost.

They surely remember that time in the hotel room with Englebrecht lording it over him with all that hired muscle. His Voice appears right behind the lead asshole, close enough to the vehicles blocking the way to be heard there, but not so loud as to take in the nearby bystanders. They won't expect this little shit to do anything to them. The one they pushed around and dissed and dismissed and tossed out into the hallway.

"Blow your own brains out!"

Just as the muscle was about to start speaking, there is a flash of light from the vehicle behind him. He turns as people get out that vehicle covered in gore and crying out while holding their ears. The muscle runs to the car hollering one word "JUNIOR!" He pulls open the driver's door and catches the body, a quarter of the face and head missing. The okada drivers all start to try and pull their bikes around to go the other way.

"I can fireball people if needed, or summon a spirit to have a bit of fun," Sammy said as she looked around for a way to get out. While she could fight, that didn't mean she wouldn't do something else.

The color drained from O'Connor's face. Of course Torley's stunt had to off the one person that needed to survive this fight. He turned to the team, "Torley, what have you done? Englebrecht is going to hunt us to ends of the Earth from now on."

As Torley hops of the okada before it leaves, he says, "He'll hunt me. You two had nothing to do with it. Now, since the thugs look kinda confused, how about you two do your mojo and clear the path. Save a car. We'll need one." This does not sound like the old Torley.

Something has changed.

The orcs that piled out of the vehicles don't really seem to be interested in you, beyond reasonable precaution. They are very concerned about Junior offing himself. they talk to each other in Yoruba, among themselves. The muscle is in shock more than a little bit.

"They're here for someone else," Sammy said over the team radio, "let's keep our heads down and move away from this shit before they come to their senses."

Torley doesn't quite get what happened at first, and then when the Yoruba language starts buzzing, he gets it. Wrong language. Damn! He's almost as flustered as Englebrecht's muscle. But he recovers.

Sammy seems to know what is going on. "If you see a way around, I'll follow you. I'll keep my mouth shut unless the Area Boys come after us."