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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[Ah, no, those final few points are bashing]
"Are any of you doctors?" Vorel asked, producing the golden smartphone from her pocket and holding it up towards Isabelle as if taking a photo. "I have an app that might help..."
A golden light ran over Isabelle, and a holographic scale model wireframe of a person projected itself standing next to her. It showed the state of her body in elaborate medical detail, showing the detail on the fractures of the ribs, spreading bruises, and blood loss from bullet holes. State of the art medical technology in hospitals ten years ago couldn't get modelling like this. It also provided clear, excellent lighting.
[The Solutions phone gives a +3 equipment bonus to medicine rolls, however the complete lack of anything but improvised tools gives a -4 to first aid attempted right here]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"I am ... near enough." Isabelle coughed, weakly.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"You're not really in a state to operate," Vorel said, kneeling down beside her. For a moment, a vague reluctance crossed her face, and then she took a deep breath, coming to a resolution. "And you don't have health insurance." she murmured with reluctance, evidently not looking forwards to this.
The dragon girl closed her eyes. She placed one bloody claw on Isabelle's forehead and one on her own. She started speaking in clipped, broken words. The language she used, the way the glamour shifted as she used it, it was obvious to hear that there was something terribly wrong with the Contract she was using. Something there was broken, ill-formed, illegal. A Goblin Contract.
"Yo, your burdens are mine,
Hey, I steal them away,
On the cross he dies, I die,
Bitch, you live another day."
As she spoke, the talon scraped down both of their foreheads, cutting a horizontal line across Isabelle's and a vertical line across Vorel's.
And then Vorel coughed and spat up blood.
The wounds were gone from Isabelle - just baffingly, completely gone like they were never there - and transferred entirely, perfectly to Vorel's body. She slumped down onto the ground, and the wireframe medical image created by the phone transferred to her body.
Glamour hung in the air, thick and greasy like smoke, but it was almost like it had been created rather than expended. It tasted nasty, like eating burned-up chips from the bottom of the fryer, but it had an unhealthy appeal.
[Isabelle, all wounds are removed. Everyone, you can regain a point of glamour from that Contract's use if you so chose.
Sorry for not giving Jon a chance to react immediately, but in all likelihood he wouldn't have altered this decision. Should hold back until Druid does get a chance to post though.]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon looked down for a split-second to locate the shotgun lying on asphalt. When he looked back up, Cludge was falling, while Vorel stood by almost entirely unruffled. Her injuries must have been a ruse, but Isabelle hadn't been so lucky. While the adrenaline of the fight began to ebb, Jon crouched alongside the others at Isabelle’s side, torn between giving his friend some space and trying to help where he could.
Once again, Vorel surprised him, first with her hospital-in-a-phone, and then with the Contract that smelled like wet dog and made him think of hounds baying in the distance... Even so, with the taste of Glamour on his tongue, he realized he was hungry and so he ate - just a little, and it was greasy. He would probably regret his decision later, with the taste lingering, but for the moment it was oddly satisfying.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle gasped, blinking and momentarily disorientated. She felt better but worse at the same time; re-energised but dirty, as if someone had woken her up by smacking her in the face with a cheeseburger.
She reached up a hand to try to wipe the greasy stink off her face, even as she reflexively absorbed the rancid glamour ... and froze when she realised that she could move her arm freely.
What? What happened to the-?
She saw Vorel.
Oh.
She scrambled up and tried to help the dragon, recognising at once the eerily familiar injuries to the other's torso. It seemed obvious what had happend, if not exactly how. It also begged the question:
"W-Why?"
She stammered, as she laid Vorel down on the ground and began inspecting her for other injuries. She moved quickly and surely, reflexes borne of training and observation coming to the fore, as they battled with her confusion as to why the sheriff had done this to herself.
"J-just lie still. What did you ... nevermind." She spoke as much to Vorel as to herself. "I need something to bind that with, some water too. Charlene? Jon? Can one of you check our truck and bring me that water bottle I filled up this morning? And ... oh.
She glanced back at the bridge, where the police man had been.
"We need to help him too ... but don't go anywhere near him ... I think Cludge was forcing him to hold on to a pipe bomb. You might need to tell him to wait until we can get someone here to dispose of it safely."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
As Isabelle pointed out the still stationary police officer, the Solutions phone automatically illuminated him with another clear beam of light and produced a similar wireframe of the bomb he was holding. Red letters sprung to life: Improvised Explosive Device detected; minimum safe distance: 15 meters; recommended safe distance, 30 meters.
[The phone also gives a +3 to a Wits+Science or a Dexterity+Larceny check to disarm the detonator. The penalty for making the attempt is -2.]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene knelt down by Isabelle and tried to decide what to do. She remembered the training, fairly basic that she had had. Maybe she could keep her alive long enough... it wouldn't be much help... they had to call for help, that was the first... and then Vorel took over and everything happened fast and yet slow, like a daze.
Charlene watched. Felt the awful glamor and the broken words. It was like everything you knew was bad for you, and yet you ate it anyway, living in the moment and not caring for the future.
And then... nothing much had changed. One person down, in need of immediate attention and first aid. Charlene looked up again as Isabelle took over. Her mind still felt lightly dazed as she glanced towards the cop and his truck. "He should have a first aid kit in his car," she said and rose to her feet, "I'll go find it." Without waiting she began moving towards the police car, an eye on the man with the bomb
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The policeman had dropped the stop sign and was holding the bomb with both hands - the wireframe made it clear he was holding the trigger down. If he let the pressure off, the thing would explode.
He was still terrified out of his mind, and his hands were shaking as he clutched that bomb, but he didn't look in any danger of releasing it any time soon.
There was indeed a first-aid kit in the car; well stocked on poison antidotes, presumably to help hikers who got bitten by snakes in the mountains.
[The police car's first aid kit gives a +1 equipment bonus and nullifies the -4 penalty for lack of tools. The phone removes the environmental penalties from darkness. Total medicine modifier is thus +4 at this point]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Hold still, we'll get you help as soon as we can," Charlene said, trying to sound reassuring as she hurried up to the car with as much distance to the bomb as she could get. She found the first-aid kit and began moving back to give it to Isabelle
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle seized the first aid kit out of Charlene's hands and bent to the task. To her pleasant surprise, the kit was relatively well stocked. While it didn't contain any surgical tools, it was well supplied with antiseptics and painkillers and she immediately began measuring up an appropriate dosage.
"Just lie still, and breathe regularly."
She moved quickly and efficiently. Treating the gunshot wound first, she first cleaned the injuries, removing the few pellets that were easily accessible and suturing the holes closed. The thought of Vorel's sacrifice lent Isabelle a fierce energy, and in less than a minute she was already wrapping bandages over the dragon's side, the main piece of work done.
[OOC]
Spoiler
Show
If I read this right, this is an extended roll to treat Vorel for first aid. Minimum successes are the number of points of damage she has (6?) Um, still need a bit of help on understanding if I've done this right.
Dexterity (2) + Medicine (4) + Emergency Care (1) + Equipment (4) = 11 Dice (Holy Crap!)
Roll(11d10)+0:
5,8,9,9,7,7,5,4,8,8,10,+0
Total: 80
Roll(1d10)+0:
8,+0
Total:8
... 7 Successes ... holy crap!!!
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[You think 11 dice is a lot? Imagine what you could do if you were in a hospital. Imagine what you could do if you were in a Solutions hospital.
I've also seen bigger failures on more dice, so don't take it as a guarantor of success :smallwink: ]
It wasn't often in the medical profession when one could really take pride in their work, but this was one of those moments. The dragon would need a few weeks bed rest, but as long as she didn't do anything dramatic and pull those stitches she'd make a full recovery.
She painstakingly got to her feet with help, trying carefully not to move too suddenly. "Thank you. What next?"
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
[I could kill EVEN MORE people!]
Isabelle watched with professional dissatisfaction as Vorel got back on her feet.
"You really should just lie down until an ambulence gets here, I can't do anything about those ribs with this kit."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
While Isabelle attended to Vorel’s newly acquired wounds, Jon decided it was time to address the marshal who had been trying desperately to keep his grip on the pipe bomb during the fight. He did his best to ease into view slowly and avoid startling the man.
“Hey, you still holding up?” Jon looked for a nod or other acknowledgement from the officer, “We’re going to get this sorted out as soon as we can.” As he spoke, Jon tried to get a better look at the device, without alarming Cludge’s hostage.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"I can walk. If I can avoid a hospital and possible police visit, I would. I'll take my chances with Talmage's healing." Vorel said.
The police officer gave a terrified nod; but the fear started turning into relief. Any look that Jon could get at the pipe bomb was much more unclear than the wireframe generated by the phone - trigger being held down by shaking fingers, and a cluster of red and blue wires.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
After seeing Isabelle expertly deal with Vorel, Charlene picked up the smartphone and gave it a quick look as she followed Jon. Hopefully she could help with something.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Deadly
After seeing Isabelle expertly deal with Vorel, Charlene picked up the smartphone and gave it a quick look as she followed Jon. Hopefully she could help with something.
The phone's interface was disconcerting at first - all golden holograms hovering above the smooth gold surface. It was like a touchscreen, that also responded to vocal instructions and even, somehow, the movement of the eyes. It wasn't the sort of thing that could be mastered instantly
[No Computer dots? You're not going to be able to figure out any specific functions of the phone; you're pretty much beholden to it's automatic systems]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene considered the interface of the phone. She had a vague reminiscence of holding similar phones, of using them all the time, but all the details were gone from her mind. She felt rather ashamed at that, as if it was the ultimate insult to suggest she didn't know how to use a smartphone. Like an old grandma still struggling with the regular old cell phones.
She felt a sudden aversion to asking for help. On the other hand, the longer she stood and stared at it the more stupid she felt. "Maybe this can help," she said to Jon, and held out the phone, hoping he'd take it and not notice anything odd about it all
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle watched Vorel in silence for a moment.
"Fine." She said, with obvious reluctance. "But only because you magicked a gunshot and a bunch of broken ribs out of me."
Turning she watched the others further up the road. "I guess we help the police man, then we should head back."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon’s focus had been mainly on the bomb, so he hadn’t noticed Charlene’s difficulty. When she handed the phone to him, his own unfamiliarity with the technology became apparent. On some level, he knew that the device in front of him was more than just a gold-plated rectangle, but his memory of details beyond basic survival was full of holes.
“...maybe we should get Isabelle to take a look, too.”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"We could just call the bomb squad and leave?" Vorel suggested. "I know I'm not actually trained for disarming explosives."
[Does anyone in this group know how to use a computer? XD]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene looked back down the bridge towards Isabelle and Vorel. "Or Vorel. She'd know her own phone best, I'm sure." It wasn't admitting complete ignorance, just... common sense
[I imagine it'll be some of the first to come back to Charlene, once she gets some experience. Along with some social skills
Oh, and I figure you'd have told me, but just in case... I don't suppose Charlene recognizes the cop?]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Isabelle hadn't really been paying much attention to what had been going on with Jon and Charlene, she'd instead been more focused on watching Vorel as they walked to join the others.
The stitches seemed to be holding together, and the bleeding didn't seem to be spreading dangerously. Still, it bothered her that these wounds, her wounds, were now being borne by someone else.
She glanced up as they arrived, making sure not to get too close to where Jon was inspecting the pipe bomb.
"How's it going over here?"
[I has one computer dot, I also has one science dot (so can try to defuse)I also has one cheezeburger.]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Not sure. I never did get training to defuse bombs. There are good reasons to leave that sort of thing to those who know what they're doing, if you have the choice."
She approached the cop. "You may want to bite down, this could hurt a bit," she said as she reached out for the tape covering his mouth. "Ready?" Unless he made lots of muffled protestations, she then counted down from three and pulled the tape off.
[Even without any dots in Science, Charlene has four dots from Wits. Of course, four dots is a little risky considering what we're dealing with here. Certainly Charlene wouldn't even think to attempt it if she can't get help from Vorel and the phone, and even then she's probably going to prefer Vorel's idea]
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Jon looked up from the bomb as Isabelle approached. “We’re just trying to figure out what’s best to do about the bomb. I’d like to help, but this really isn’t something I know much about...”
He turned his attention back to the marshal, wincing a bit as Charlene prepared to remove the tape.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
The marshal bit his lip really hard as the tape was ripped off his mouth, taking a painfully large chunk of his moustache with it. He kept his death-grip on the bomb firmly in place.
"I swear to god, if you let me go I won't tell anyone," were the first words he said.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
I have got to get me one of these things.
Isabelle squinted at the wireframe image that Vorel’s phone had thrown up. The idea that phones could have jumped to three dimensions within a decade seemed incredible. That the phone could not only project a wireframe of any object nearby, but also analyse and helpfully label things like bomb components and bleeding bodies seemed impossible. If Isabelle had been forty years older and in possession of a pair of spectacles, she’d have checked her glasses to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on her. As it was, she just scratched the side of her nose and tried to understand the image of the pipe bomb that it was projecting.
“It doesn’t look that complicated.” She muttered “But I’d rather not mess with something that’s actually, y'know, explosive if I can help it.”
A wet tearing noise made her wince and look over to where Charlene and the policeman were standing ... and the first words out of the prisoner’s mouth caused her to blink in confusion.
“I don’t get it” She whispered to Vorel. “Didn’t we just save this guy’s life?”
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"I did just kill a guy right in front of him." Vorel said back with a shrug.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
Charlene was momentarily confused as well. She looked between the man and her friends. "We should call for help, let others deal with this."
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Yeah, in self defence. Or did he miss the part where he shot me? Er, shot you I mean." Isabelle whispered back again. "Charlene's right though. Unless we have to, it's probably best to leave this for a bomb squad."
EOD from first principles was probably something she shouldn't be attempting.
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Re: Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes
"Oh yeah. The magic. He's probably also concerned about all the magic," Vorel said, scratching her chin.
The marshal nodded furiously.