Tamarind is skipping back and forth between views from her own eyes, from her drones overhead, and from the sensors on the car with Bobby and Raven. Despite the drama with Tiny and the card it is the latter than grabs her attention.

She tells Mato "Let me know if I need to be focused on the here and now, I think I need to do some remote piloting."

Then she messages Raven <<Raven, dear, would you like me to drive for a bit? I'll let you know if I have to leave to pay attention here.>> Remote driving the Americar is somewhat awful due to the sensor suite being designed more for autonomous driving than for remote control, but it is certainly possible. She gives herself an AR dashboard and smooths out the car's movements at the least.

Mato watches the encounter. He wishes he were dragon, capable of seeing moves and countermoves four, five, six steps in advance. Instead he's stuck on move #1.

"What's the play here?" he whispers, mostly to himself, while he watches the standoff between the Crimson Crush and the Halloweeners.

"The friction is inevitable," he continues, thinking out loud. "But what's better for Redmond? A unified syndicate that can keep the peace, or a fractured syndicate where the district isn't ruled by some criminal kleptocracy, or some draconic monarchy?"

But ultimately he wants to get paid, so he figures trying it Mel's way is worth a shot. But, speaking of shots, his preferred set of gear just drove off in the Americar.

That armor jacket has fire-proofing, he thinks wistfully looking down at his AM-tailored chasseur field uniform. And my AK. And my high-explosive grenades. I could just blow the card up, everyone's happy. Except Tiny.

He retrieves his Walther P118, then he grabs a selection of grenades, figuring that they can add to the general chaos. The pepper punch grenades should help break things up if they get out of hand.

"But why doesn't Tiny just rip it up?" he asks nobody in particular. "Why fight over something Stank thought he wanted to destroy anyway? Is Stank looking for this fight, or does he really want to negotiate?" He thinks of the Crush plotting a trap with the Humanis goons and wonders if the Halloweeners will meet a similar fate. But the reinforcements on the way mostly seem to be Halloweeners...

The Crush are viciously violent goons, but they are at least predictable as far as ill-tempered gangers go. Halloweeners are psychotic pyromaniacs, and generally the fewer of those in the world, the better. Mato slaps a magazine of explosive rounds in the Walther, thinking that he might introduce them to those Molotov cocktails.

"Wait here," he tells Tamarind. "I'm going to pick a fight."

Rachel replies to Tamarind. << Oh, you can do that? That would be great! I really need to practice driving some more, when we have the time. That autopilot is a better driver than I am. Maybe you can give me some lessons, when things have calmed down once more. >>

"I will take a quick look into the van, if you don't mind," she says to Bobby. "Tam will drive the car until further notice."

Stealthily, Rachel approaches the van in her astral form, making use of any existing cover to hide her approach and taking only a quick peak into the back through the roof for now, in order to assess what is in there. She will also look out for any signs of the card blooming in astral space, of course.



If there is no astral activity that threatens to expose her presence, the witch will take a moment to assense the people inside the van.

Rachel spots three people in the van. She does not identify anything magical in the van aside from a biofiber pocket faintly glowing on one of the auras. The pocket may be large enough for the card, but aside from its existence, there is no evidence that the card is there. There are no obvious signs of spells.

There is an awakened person with a magic equivalent of her own, as well as two mundanes in the car, both with minor cyberwar augmentations in their brain.

Rachel returns and sends the information to the others.

<< I have looked into the van. Three people, one mage and two mundanes with minor augmentations, mostly headware. The card is not visible, but there is a biofiber pocket, where they most likely keep it. >>

Bobby nodded: <<Alright. The mage is a problem, but as long as there are no spirits around, we can pull this off. Tamarind do we have options to stop the car with electronic warfare? I could go bear and rip it open, but it's a bit too public for that - even with invisibility.>>

<< Are we trying to get the card back? >>

<<That was my understanding - why else should we follow them?>> Bobby replied

<<Yeah, let's stay in the game>> Mato replies.

He gets out of the Eurovan and looks around. He's a dude dressed in an expensive suit in Redmond with a bunch of angry gangers nearby. He'll try to stay to the shadows as much as possible.

He wants a concealed position where he can see as much as possible and keep overwatch. His goal is to be an agent provocateur from the dark.

He also wants a Molotov cocktail. He looks to see if there's a Halloweener straggler that he could pick off. He also checks Tamarind's drone feeds to see if one of the reinforcements is lagging behind.

Mato looks for an elevated position that he might be able to use for an ambush. Failing that, some alleyway or concealed position that he could use to get the drop on someone passing by. His hydraulic jacks and retractable climbing claws help him move vertically.

He has other backup plans but first he'll get the lay of the land.

<< Just making sure. I can probably seperate them, if we can get the car stopped. My spirit friend could cause fear in one or two of them, and I also know some spells that could help with that, which might give us the time needed to get the card. >>

<<Idea: make your spirit invisible, have it manifest inside the car and open the car door from the inside for me, when they stop at a red light. Doesn't have to be a large spirit. I'll go in as a monkey also invisible and fish the card out before they notice what's going on.>>
Bobby suggested.

Using Tamarind's drone feed, it is not difficult to find an isolated group of Halloweeners; the minor groups are two, while most are five or six. Mato has no problem sneaking; he might as well wears a gorilla costume - all eyes are on the Halloweeners and their flame weapons, massing their numbers in a disorganized but very quick manner around the building. Mato might as well wear a gorilla costume, as nobody pays attention to him.

It is not difficult to ambush a small group of Halloweeners if they have an organization or a coherent plan. It does not seem so. Instead, they seem more interested in shock and awe, making their way to the building with as many distractions as possible. Occasionally tossing around Molotovs for gigs on shops and buildings or just at people that walk the street. They seem to need no provocation,
or any reason for their attacks.

In sharp contrast, the Crimson Crush is quiet - and they avoid confrontation despite themselves. They make their way to a rallying point, and some of them move in pairs ahead of the Haloweeners to give people enough heads-up to clear the streets and bolt the windows. Others seem to use some intel of their own to avoid the Halloweeners as they make their way to their gathering.


@Tamarind, notices that the building is sieged with the Halloweeners blocking anyone from getting in or out, including the inhabitants, that seem terrified to be caught in that crossfire. She can spot a very tall human in a trenchcoat making his way inside. The weather is very cloudy; it drizzles rain occasionally. It has been for a week, and fire is unlikely to spread too much in these conditions, but it can still choke or burn anyone inside the building.

At the building, the leader of that siege is now apparent; a Rager named Inferno seems to be in charge, and as old-school as it is, they seem to yell at each other from a distance rather than use a comlink or anything similar. Inferno has a surprisingly loud voice that fits an orc or a troll more than a mere human. "First, release the prisoners, then we talk about the magic card. Do that now, or I burn the entire building and everyone inside." He says calmly.

Prisoners?! Tiny seems genuinely surprised and says, "Give me a minute" before leaving the Balcony. Whatever Inferno has demanded has caught him by surprise.

Once Mato has found an isolated pair of Halloweeners, he plans to ambush them. His goal is to do this quietly and non-lethally, using his shock hand on one and perhaps grappling the other and choking them out. Granted, this is a dicey proposition when you're as strong as a troll and your arms are metal instead of meat. A slight slip could crush someone's windpipe rather than just constricting their carotid arteries. Luckily, Mato has a fine touch and isn't really concerned with it. And if he goofs? Oh well. Fewer Halloweeners in the world would generally be a good thing.

He wants to claim some of the Molotov cocktails for himself. He'll also frisk the Halloweeners to see what they're carrying, whether it's weapons or combat stims or communication equipment. A commlink or an earbud or anything else that would allow him to eavesdrop would be wiz.

<< That's a good idea, but this is not how magic works, unfortunately. Spells cannot travel between the physical and the astral space. I can send in the spirit to open the door, but at that point, they will be alarmed. I can check right before, where the one with the pocket is located. We just need that card, right? >>

<<Right, don't worry, all I need is the open door and a second to get in - preferably while the car is stationary and I'm invisible.>>

Bobby replied.

<< You are invisible, already. >>

@Mato The perfect opportunity is a gamble, but a good enough opportunity is a good thing to settle. Two Halloweeners are carrying a beltful of Molotov cocktails that seems at a standoff with a dog next to a rundown office building residence. The glass windows were covered over the years with logs and plastic sheets, but the building is in use, and likely contains multiple squatters. None of them seems eager to face the lunatics - well, except for the dog that seems determined to keep them away.

On the plus side, the surprise is almost guaranteed as they are distracted by the dog, on the negative you are likely not truly alone. Though it is raining and the streets are empty - there may be eyes behind the shut windows. Also, there is no telling how friendly the dog is going to be with Mato.

Between driving the Americar remotely, Tamarind finally responds to Bobby
<<Sorry, nothing better for stopping a vehicle right now than hitting it with taser. Once it is stopped I can pry it open easily enough -- my medical drone's "jaws of life" are good at that. I have electronic warfare tricks to keep a message from getting out, and I could jam or use 'fuzzy' ammo rounds to try to make enough noise to confuse the pilot and force manual control.>>

She isn't quite sure what Mato is doing, but offers <<Would you like a Flying Eye with a taser for back-up?>>

<<Sure>> Mato responds. <<But let's use it up front so that we don't get to the backup phase. Taze the one on the left while I taze the other one. Right in the neck if you can. Hopefully that will satisfy the dog. If the dog objects to me...>> He thinks back to his time with the hellhounds at Pike Hall. <<... I'll take care of things.>>

Mato acknowledges that there might be eyes watching him from inside the building, but he'll take the risk. What are they going to say? That a corper in a suit emerged from the night to abuse some gangers and box their ears? Ha! He might as well be wearing a giant bat costume.

Once the Flying Eye is in place he'll strike.

Thank goodness for split screens Tamarind thinks, as she jumps back and forth between making sure that the Americar stays on the road and monitoring Auntie 2's progress towards Mato. Fortunately with all of the commotion it is unlikely that anyone is going to pay a lot of attention to a small drone zipping through the air. The Flying Eyes do have a distinctive whistling-whish from their air jets, but the Halloweeners aren't exactly standing around quietly, so Tamarind just hopes for the best rather than taking the time to sneak the drone into position. She should have sent it in Mato's pocket, but what is done is done. To be on the safe side, she flies it around 8-9 metres above head level.

She tells Bobby <<I'm just going to help Mato for a few seconds, then I'll get ready on the Squelch>>

Once it is within medium range she pings Raven <<I need to focus on someething else for six seconds, can you keep the car straight for a bit?>> Once Raven has the controls in hand, Tamarind alerts Mato <<in 3>>, then she focuses on the drone, taking aim at the ganger for a few seconds, then pings Mato <<now>> and takes her taser shot. As soon as she is done there she passes control of the drone to her RCC, telling it to shoot at either ganger if they are moving.

Then she picks the car back up, telling Raven <<I've got you>> and to Bobby <<Let me know when.>>

Mato appreciates Tamarind's synchronization and rigger-like precision. On cue, he strides right up to his target and places the palm of his right hand on the back of their neck. His shock hand disgorges enough volts to drop a troll. Mato holds the contact perhaps a moment too long; the smell of burnt hair reaches his olfactory sensors. He crinkles his nose.

Once the targets are done tweaking and freaking from their respective tazings, he tries to grab one with each arm and lower them gently gently to the ground to avoid make a loud crash. Once that is complete, he intends to frisk them for interesting bits, like earbuds or glasses or commlinks or anything else they might be using to communicate. He'll disarm them too, but he's mostly interested in the Molotov cocktails. A lighter or some matches to light the cocktails would also be wiz.

Once that's complete, he gives a playful wink to the barking dog before disappearing into the shadows.

<<Excellent shot>> he commends Tamarind.

The two Haloweeners drop before they manage to do anything; they do not carry much on them besides an emperor comlink, the kind handed over at the Funhouse, a small purse of pills of unknown composition, an energy bubble gum, car/house keys, as well as cheap cred sticks.

There are no identifying details on them like SINs or library cards, perhaps it is part of the job of being a chaos agent.

Mato leaves the pills, the bubble gum, the keys, and the cheap credsticks. He's not a petty thief. Well, not at the moment at least.

He sees if he can get lucky with the commlink. Perhaps it is unlocked, or can be unlocked by biometrics from the incapacitated Halloweeners. If so, he'll take his prize back to Tamarind for interrogation.

As for the dog, Mato remembers what he learned from the kennels: stay calm, speak softly, keep your eyes low, don't bare your teeth, and move slowly.

"There's a good pup," he says soothingly. "Took care of those Halloweeners for you. Your turf, neh? I don't taste that good anyway. You'd hurt your teeth and get slobber on my suit. No need for that. There we go, nice and easy."

Mato backs away smoothly, leaving the dog to its territory, and taking his Molotovs with him.

Bobby changed his form and patiently waited for the other car to stop at a red light to do his smash and grab.

@It takes a while for the car to stop, perhaps 20 minutes when it stops at a traffic light halfway to Renton.

@Mato the dog, remains suspicious but considerably less hostile. It keeps its distance and focuses on you, but it is no longer roaring. The comlinks are locked with a four-digit pin code. So one needs to hack them or guess the password.

<< I guess, this is it. Door will open in a moment... hopefully! >>

Rachel accompanies her spirit in the astral space, in order to figure out, where the one with the pocket is. Maybe she can do something about it, once the door is open, and she can see inside.

Then she asks her spirit to materialize inside and open the door, and begin to create confusion by causing fear in the (meta-)humans inside, starting with the driver (assuming that one is mundane), and then the one with the pocket.

She returns to their own car right after.

The awakened is supernaturally fast and strikes the spirit with a quick jab before the mundanes even recognize the danger. Compared to that super elegant, and precise move, the other two are sluggish to respond. The driver responds very emotionally and instinctively, and Rachel can hear the emotional echos of "Fuck Fuck Fuck!" or something along these lines. The other mundane is in complete control, and she skillfully readies a small weapon (challenging to determine which weapon from the astral).

While the adept attempted to send the spirit elsewhere, the spirit dodged like a martial artist. The back of the van was never so happy, and several milliseconds later, the mundane woman fired her taser on the spirit, taking the time to aim.



Simultaneously, the car speeds up through the red light as the driver pushes the gas in a frenzy, narrowly avoiding the incoming traffic. The woman is tossed back to her seat while the adept keeps his ground despite the sudden moment. The spirit seems to barely register the change.

Rachel sticks around in the astral space for now, telling the spirit to defend himself, once the door is open, and then scare the one with the gun away first.

If that works out, maybe that person will leave the van, and it would be so much easier to get the card back.

That was the moment Bobby had waited for - the door opened and he went over with ape speed.

Once there, the invisible ape homed in on the described person with their biopocket and extricated whatever was inside that pocket, before throwing himself out of the car.

If anyone notices the invisible ape trying to jump into the moving car once the door opens, they don't act on it when there is an obvious and visible threat in the car.

The adept continues with the kong fu, with his glowing hands and legs, while the now prone woman does not bother getting up at that speed; she takes the time to breathe in so that the taser is held as stable as possible, and fires another dart at the immense spirit.

Bobby instantly identifies the woman as Frisson, but she appears different. It is impossible to miss the genuine amusement and excitement of the situation on her face. She is wearing a cheap suit, oversized coat, and a skirt with elegant but flat black shoes. It is not apparent where the special pocket is precisely.

Bobby didn't hessitate - his trained eye picked up where the coat had been modified recently. Due to the chaos around him, he let the subtle approach go and just grabbed on to the garment and ripped with all his ape strength, partially disrobing the lying little PITA.

Frisson does not notice the invisible ape until it is too late. She cries with surprise at being tackled to the ground and then having her skirt ripped away. Crude but effective Bobby had the skirt in his hand, just in time the adept turned to Bobby being flagged by the garment he now carried and he said "no you don't" as he charged. He seems surprisingly accurate despite guesstimating the exact location.

Bobby ducked unter the surprisingly accurate strikes. His advantage was his invisibility, the fact that he was only half the size of a normal human and that his arms were disproportionally long. Having secured his prize, he went to jump out of the car, despite it accelerating into oncoming traffic.

Jumping out of the car is relatively easy. Not getting accidentally run over while invisible is another thing entirely. Drivers would not slow down or move away because they did not see the ape. None of the passengers feels compelled to jump out of the moving vehicle. They are content to deal with the spirit and get away.

Bobby dodged a passing delivery van that had likely not activated it's ultrasound sensors. Then he was back at the car, still parked at the red light. With one long arm, he pulled himself back into the open window and let the transformation drop.

"Alright, let's see if the little trouble card is still here, of if I just sexually assaulted a runner for no good reason."

Mato, retreating from his victims, tries to keep an eye on the assembled Halloweeners.

Mato's does not hold the mental powers of the Halloweeners in high esteem, so his guess is that the passcode is something simple. He tries a few obvious candidates to see if he gets lucky. Among others he will try 1031 and 3110, hoping that they are unoriginal enough to use the date of Halloween.

If that doesn't work, and if it seems like he has time before the Halloweeners do anything, he'll return to Tamarind to see if she has any computer tricks up her sleeve.

He's annoyed that Tiny went back inside. If Tiny were still outside, then the Halloweeners would think that the (fake) card is still in his pocket. Now that he's gone inside, they might think that he's passed it off to someone else. That makes it harder to "destroy" the card publicly. For now he'll keep the pulse of the situation and try to ride the wave of violence if and when it crashes. He also waits to hear an update on "the prisoners", should Tiny return.

Seeing that Bobby is getting out, Rachel asks her spirit to disengage and dematerialize. His task is done, and he can go home. She also thanks him for his help, of course. They couldn't have done it without him.

She spends a moment to erase any astral signatures left by her magic.

Heading back into the car herself, she 'wakes up', just a few moments after Bobby also gets back.

"Yes, that worked out really well. And without harming them, other than their pride a little, I suppose. I appreciate that."

Once in the car, Bobby searches the pocket for his prize. The biofiber pocket contains a thin cartbord envelope with arcana symbols; inside it, four regular-sized envelopes contain four smaller letters with elaborate arcane symbols suitable to the Shinto tradition. There is a title on each smaller envelope "invisibility," "magic fingers," "influence," and "mask."

Raven identifies the big envelope as a vault of ages, the stabilization runes are unmistakable, and the inks to create one are very expensive. It takes a true alchemist to create this item, and the preparations appear professional work.

"Drek. So the card is somewhere else."
<<The Op was a bust, no tarot only preparations.

Tamarind, we take control over the car again, we can't follow them anyway. Maybe a spirit or a drone can.>>

@Mato cannot crack one of the devices, but the other has the most imaginative 1234 password. There are a few message back and forth, but the one that registers "... Go wild in Touristville until they surrender the card, make sure the populace know that Big Stank has gone too far. "

Tamarind can see a convoy with Big Stank and all of the Crimson Crush forced amassed at a nearby building; a delegation of the crimson guard joins them in red hooded uniform. As the convoy approaches, the Haloweeners are hesitant to fire due to the magical crimson crush and the prisoners which are heavily beaten are connected to wooden polls with massive amounts of industrial grade duct tape.

As they arrive Tiny exits with the card at hand, he is very loud without an effort, and his low base voice is easily heard across the entire scene. Your "prisoners" have confessed to working for Inferno. This means that Inferno and anyone that sides with him has broken their oath of fealty and are now considered traitors. Choose the right side, or be consumed by the fire you like so much " - he says, waving the card like a trophy or a tool to get everyone's attention.

Then augmented listeners can hear him saying to himself , "I wonder why they like that ugly card so much."

The Halloweeners seem to be confused, they did not expect that. Some of them look for Inferno for an explanation while others are quietly setting away from the siege. There is a moment of hesitation and confusion as the bikes and Morgans park and the Crimson Crush takes their positions.

Mato updates Raven and Bobby - and Tamarind too, he's not sure how much she can see - about the situation at the dilapidated office building.

<<Big Stank just showed up with the prisoners that the Halloweeners asked for. Hey, I recognize those guys! Those were the Humanis goons hassling us outside the bank! The ones that chased Stank but got ambushed!>>

<<Oi, here's the bombshell: Stank says that the prisoners have confessed to working for the Halloweeners. Looks like the Halloweeners were looking to take Stank out but have some plausible deniability at the same time!>>

<<Stank has some Crimson Guards here from the Funhouse. Bobby, you'll know them better than any of us. Looks like Stank is leveling a J'Accuse at the Halloweeners. Drama, drama.>>

He takes the unlocked commlink (and the locked one too) back to Tamarind.

"Is there anything you can do with these?" he asks her, dumping them onto the passenger seat. Then he goes off to keep an eye on the proceedings.

The prisoners have elevated this encounter into something more than just a standoff. But would the Halloweeners back down?

They're psychotic, Mato thinks. You can't depend on them to do anything sane.

He decides to take a "watch and wait" approach, morbidly curious about the dramatic outcome. He tries to sneak into a position where he'll be in range to throw a Molotov. A rooftop will do, if there's a suitable one available.

Hearing, that the card was not in the pocket, after all, Rachel sends another text to the rest, while she takes a look at the envelope, that Bobby liberated. It could still be a useful asset for them in the future. So, at least, they got something out of this whole thing.

<< Since the card wasn't with them, it might still be where it was before. Let me quickly check, if I can find it there. I will be back in a moment. >>

Accompanied by her brave spirit, Rachel takes to the astral space once more, in order to check on the last known location of the card.

@Mato finds a nearby high position on the roof of a container home. Though, to be fair, he can also toss a grenade to the balcony from the street.

Inferno looks amazed; he and his devil-themed gang look confused and off balance as they watch each other in outrage and doubt and are uncertain about where the center of attention should be.

Inferno eventually says, "You ambushed my people; we gave you a quick taste of hell as is our right. I thought you, of all people, would get an eye for ten eyes. You couldn't handle us, so you came crying to the dragon?! is that it?"

Big Stank explains , "First they attacked me, second and much worse - they did so wearing these clothes, and lifts two Humanis jackets dramatically, making sure that everyone can see them. After a short while, he tosses them on the ground and spits on them.

He scornfully stands on the clothes and ensures they are submerged in mud. Humanis scum!
Then he stands a head taller and walks toward Inferno, looking menacing as he is twice as big as the horned demon costumed - human. Make up your mind, Humanis scum. Die in a blaze of glory, or walk peacefully in shame, letting the entire world see that the famous Haloweener's insanity is nothing but a mask." Mato can swear that Big Stank provokes him to attack.

Inferno rebukes, "We would not be caught dead in that outfit. That is bull-drek!" To his lieutenant, he hisses, "Get Nightmare now!"

His men seem to be calculated rather than mindlessly charging, the forces are more balanced now, and the prisoners are crucified right next to them; the Humanis outfits lay a pond next to Big Stank. To say that they are distracted would be an understatement.

Mato can see Tiny's wary crew getting into positions by the broken glass windows.
Their guns point at the Halloweeners; Big Stank crew also raises their guns in anticipation and takes positions with cover unopposed by the confused and outraged Halloweeners. Tiny tapes the card to a small flying eye drone (via duct tape). He is the only Crimson Crush that does not seem ready for action.


Inferno looks at the Crimson Guard. "Urubia declared US traitors?" he seems offended by the suggestion. The crimson guard nods but does not speak or directly look at him.






Raven's trip to the building is swift, but once there, she is greeted by six spirits of fire that deny her access to the building or its surroundings. "Nobody enters," one of them comments. She can spot Mato in his position. The little she can see includes Mato on a nearby high ground, Big Stank, the Crison guards, the prisoners, and a dual-natured entity, with some spell wrapped around it that stands next to Big Stank.

<<Tamarind!>> Mato comms. <<Tiny is taping the card to a flying eye drone. Can you intercept??>>

Mato is ready to light the powder keg. Despite the fact he went to some effort to steal some Molotovs, he doesn't want a flaming bottle arcing through the air giving away his position. He prefers a nice, dark grenade for this, one that's good and loud. He opts for his flash-bang and aims it at the back of the pack, where nobody will see it coming and the others won't realize that it isn't a gunshot. Mato isn't expecting strong powers of perception from drug-fueled gangers, but there could be some clearer heads - like the Crimson Guard, or watchers - that require a modicum of discretion.

He grabs the cylinder marked with blue tape, pulls the pin, then lobs it toward the back of the assembled mob.

Tamarind has been watching through the Flying Eye she'd sent to help Mato. She messages him <<if that drone goes anywhere I'll see if I can intercept it. Won't be easy, the tasers in my Flying Eyes makes them a bit more sluggish, but I can three to one, and try to zap it out of the sky at the right place. Failing that I might be able to drop it from the matrix side, but I'd need to get lucky there.>>

"Oh, sure. Privat property. I get it. Moving on."

Rachel will then head towards Mato and manifest next to him.

"Hi! Building is guarded by six fire spirits. Can't get inside. Uhm... so, what's the plan here? If you need any help, I have my spirit friend with me."

She will also take a moment assensing the spirits and that dual-natured entity, as well as the spell.

@Raven -
1. The spell is an illusion spell.
2. The dual-natured entity seems like an astrally perceiving awakened.
3. The spirits are F6 bound spirits, all tied to the awakened person (the Crimson Guard, but she does not know exactly what happens).

@Mato Once the grenade goes off, the carnage begins. Six fire spirits materialize next to the Haloweeners that cheer up for the unexpected reinforcement. Unexpectedly, the spirits use their auras and fire-throwing ability to light up all the Molotovs stacks in their vicinity, causing a chain of explosions that leaves the Haloweeners in complete chaos. The spirits dematerialized as quickly as they came.

Burning and screaming Haloweeners run around in the rain in disarray while dozens of Crimson Crush control the area with automatic fire. Despite inferior numbers, it is a massacre rather than a two-sided combat. A brief second from triggering the scene, tens of Halloweeners in costumes lie in the mud, and whoever is still standing runs away or toward the building in a suicide-by-orcs kind of feat.

Inferno is safe from the initial onslaut due to being so close to Big Stank. The orc himself freazes and seems surprised it takes him a few precious seconds to respond to the situation and reach for his sidearm and by that time Inferno runs away. He manages to shoot a few rounds from his pistol in Inferno's general direction - but these are more for the protocol than to actually hit the man.

Tiny pilots the little drone away from the scene in the general direction of the lake. Perhaps to deter Nightmare from intervening in the combat by providing a more attractive target.

@Raven - From her perspective, she is uncertain what happens but the entire astral space becomes aspected with violence and death to the point where it is unpleasant to exist. There is fires and hate, and fear and pain and suffering and all of them collide to a big chunk of background count that would cause most spells to fail. The fire spirits leave very quickly, leaving the way to the building open. The spirits would only return to protect the astral once they finish consuming the stacks of Molotovs prepared by the Haloweeners.

Rachel will make use of the confusion, to quickly head into the building (using existing cover and staying close to the ground to make it not too obvious) for a swift check (looking for the card mostly).



Afterwards, she heads back to the van.

<< Back here. @Bobby: Just a reminder, you are still invisible. It is getting very heated with the gangs. Six fire spirits were guarding the house and just attacked the Halloweeners. >>

@Raven, from a quick several-second look, you do not see the card in the building. Either it is well hidden, or it is not there.

@Tamarind The flying eye is piloted manually without any significant sophistication. A Sony Emperor comlink controls it.