Miracle Men - Phase Two IC

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Summer worked as she listened, unconcerned with the possibility of making a mistake even though her attention was divided. The components she was working with were simple and durable, unlikely to risk damage even as she rushed through the task. When Scylla finished, Summer took a momentary pause from stripping the rubber casing off the ground wires, and addressed Scylla directly. "Its quite a tale you've got" Returning to her work, Summer answered the question raised at her "I'll admit, mine is far less dramatic. Nothing so grand as being on the receiving end of enforced colonialism. I was just a really smart kid who made a really dumb mistake. I was barely a teen at the time I graduated college, and had all these ideas in my head, things that I wanted to do, and see, and build. I was sure I'd be able to change the world in the span of a decade." Though her normal tone was fairly polite, if a bit detached, Summer's voice became a bit agitated as she continued to speak. The memories clearly were not pleasant ones. "When I was offred a job for a company called Kesscorp, I jumped on it. They made me a great offer, lots of funding and freedom to work on the projects I wanted. They seemed very trustworthy. I didn't take the time to read through the fine print on the contracts, or look to deep into the company's history, and just took them at their word" She paused, sighing and shaking her head. "I was stupid."

The microwave was almost entirely disassembled at this point, each component carefully sorted into piles and set aside with meticulous care. "For a while, things were alright. I worked on the Mark 1 version of my armor, and was making huge strides in it. Never payed much attention to my coworkers projects, I didn't really want to get involved with them. It was a competitive environment, and being just a kid, I really had to work hard to show I could pull my own weight." Summer began reconnecting wires, into what appeared to be a makeshift circuit board. "Anyhow, one of the other projects on the floor where I worked was a dark-matter reactor. Never learned the specifics, but the short version is that whoever was building it skipped a dozen saftey steps when he built the thing. Like I said, it was a highly competitive work space, and everyone who was there wanted the number one spot. Damn reactor exploded less than a minute after it turned on, and took half the floor with it. Guess you could say I was lucky to even survive. But I got a lovely parting gift." Summer tapped the side of her wheelchair a few times, to make the point clear. "Lots of people who get blasted with exotic radiation get endowed with strange and wonderous powers. I lost half a year to a coma, got a body that was broken and poisoned. Nervous system, muscles, all soft tissue. My life expectancy dropped to a year and a half without treatment, and treatment would run for at least a few million dollers."

While she was somewhat agetated before, Summer was clearly angry now "And Kesscorp didn't care one bit. They stole my work from me while I was laying in a hospital bed, erased any sign that it belonged to me, and then slapped me with half a dozen lawsuits when I tried to get them to cover the medications and surgery and treatments I needed to keep breathing. Those bastards made a hundred million dollers off of MY work, and couldn't spare a fraction of it in return!" Summer jolted momentarilly, having given herself a minor electric shock as she reconnected two wires. The suprise seemed to settle her down somewhat, because when she continued speaking, she was back to her usual, calm, self. "So there I was, wasting away and with no idea what else to do. So I started building myself another suit, figuring that if I was going to die, I'd at least make sure to spite the people responsible. I hammered away at Kesscorp with the Mark 2 suit, making sure they paid for what they'd done. Weirdest thing happened though. I guess people who saw my attacks figured that I'd been hired by someone else to do it. I started getting job offers and requests from other companies who wanted attacks against their rivals. People willing to throw down 5, sometimes 6 digit paychecks for contracts that usually took less than a week." Summer gave a shrug "Like I was going to turn them down. I had no intention of dropping dead, and staying alive for me was a very expensive prospect, so I took the mercenary work and made a decent living doing it. Uprgraded my suit 5 times since then, though I ended up getting captured when the police managed to suprise me while I was doing some maintenance on it. Not long after that, I got a new job offer, and that brings us up to the present."

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"Ah, si, si!" the kid says, a smile running across his face. He stands up, making sure the money and drugs likely stored in his pockets is safe. "Follow me," the kid says, motioning for Second Shooter to follow him. The two walk several blocks around town, moving a little further into the city, before the kid turns down an alleyway. The dusk plays with the alleyway light, cloaking most of it in shadow leaving very little exposed to direct sunlight. About halfway down the alley the two buildings that make up the alley's left wall separate at a small gap, and a single beam of sunlight splits the darkness from here. The kid walks all the way down the alley, stopping to knock on an iron door.

"¿Quién está ahí?" shouts a voice from inside questioningly. The boy shouts back, "Es Rico!" A moment passes and then the sound of door locks clicking open can be heard from the other side of the iron door. In a few seconds the door slides open and a man wearing ill-fitting clothes with long and coarse looking hair steps out. "¡Hola Rico!" the man says happily, his arms out at his sides to further the greeting. "¿Usted es volver a comprar más cosas?" he asks, patting the boy on the shoulder. Then the man's eyes go out and look around the alley. He spots Second Shooter, standing there with his suitcase by his side. The man points to him, and angrily asks, "¿Quién es usted?" He pauses for a moment, keeping his finger pointed at Shooter. "Gringo, I asked who you are?" he says, changing his language.

Spoiler: Second Shooter

Show

You are extremely certain that this kid is nothing special in any way, shape, or form. The best he could probably do is throw a decent punch, and even then he has little chance against someone like Second Shooter. A single bullet would easily take him out of a fight, and if placed correctly it could kill him without any hassle.

Nia:
"Un momento, por favor," a man dressed in formal attire says from the back of the shop. Ballesteros' office isn't so much an office as much as it is a magic shop. A long counter lines the building from the door to the back, various bottles, charms, and other magical knickknacks waiting on the counter with price tags attached. Shelves line the walls, all filled with items used in spells, potions, books on mystic subjects, and an occasional weapon enchanted against this or that demon. At the back of the shop is a Hispanic man in his later thirties, placing a few new items on the shelves from a box he holds in his hand. After a moment of letting Nia look around, he sets down the box and turns to see the demon in disguise.

"Cómo puedo-" he stops dead in his tracks as his eyes fall on Nia. His eyes narrow, and he reaches over onto the counter where he quickly grabs a silver sword. "I didn't know if the demon's trap was still working. I guess I do now. I'll have to pray for its restoration later, but for now, why have you come to my store?" he asks, pointing the sword at Nia from across the room. "Demons don't usually choose to walk in without a reason. Is it retribution? Assassination? A random act of violence? I'd like to know before I send you back to Hell."

[Green Bean]

Nia mentally shrugged to himself as his disguise lasted all of a dozen or two syllables. It looked like it was time for Plan B. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Well, you got me half-pegged. Yeah, I'm a demon, but I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to hire an investigator. The sign on the door said that was a thing you do, right?"

[Arcran]

Shooter frowns again. Gringo. He didn't like the word, especially coming from scum like this. The man was too ill dressed, too slimy, too low to be high enough on the pole to know about a vampire computer engineer. Then again, it was an alley without sunlight. Perhaps the man himself was a vampire?

"A hitman," he says simply, hands at rest by his side. "New in town and looking for a job. If you could send me in the direction of your employer I'm sure I could cut you in on the payoff," he says, never breaking eye contact with the man.

Spoiler: Assessment

Show

Going to Assess this guy too. Can never be too safe.

(1d20+12)[21]

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"Who do you think my boss is that he needs some old man to do his dirty work, Gringo?" the man asks, still sceptically eying Second Shooter. "Besides, when bullets make bodies, then bad days follow. That's what my Tato always told me. Everything's good here, we make good money, and only the dumb hurt themselves. Why stir up trouble, eh?" he asks, stepping toward Second Shooter.

Spoiler: Second Shooter

Show

Once again, you make the assumption that this man isn't that big of a threat. He would probably punch a little harder than Rico can, but a single bullet would still probably drop him or kill him quickly. Even up close he wouldn't be much of an issue, as he just looks like a typical street thug with little to no combat training at all.

Nia:
"Yes, I do a little investigating for good folk who need help. But I don't see why a demon would ever want my help, and I certainly don't see why I should trust you. The good Lord says you are monsters and can't be trusted, and I know that to be truth. I never met one of you who didn't try and gut me eventually." Ballesteros never takes the sword away from his defense, ready in paranoia for Nia to attack him.

[Arcran]

"Why not take a little more money? How much work is it, eh?" he inquires. "Show me your boss. I can promise you that he'll thank you for it later. Maybe give you a promotion. It can't be fun working the streets, no? Bring me to your boss and I promise you'll be in some manor in two years."

The reward could very possibly be his life, Shooter can't help but think to himself. This was the last time he was going to ask.

[Green Bean]

"Oh great, you too, huh? I'm not that kind of demon, and- oh, nevermind, it doesn't matter. I don't want to be here any more than you do." Nia lowered his hands, but slowly, not giving Angel an excuse to attack. "You heard of a guy named Count Duval? I'm sure you have. Anyway, the people holding my leash want him dead - deader - and the word is you're the guy who knows where he lives."

Nia nonchalantly eyed up Angel's trinkets and magical defences. He couldn't kill the guy, but escape was always an option. "So there, you don't even need to trust me. Just tell me where Duval lives; maybe I'll kill him, maybe he kills me. Either way your city's better off, and you never see me again."

Spoiler

Show

Trying to determine what specifically Angel has in terms of anti-demon counter-measures, with an emphasis on anything preventing me from escaping.

Expertise: Demonology - (1d20+8)[13]

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"No dice, Gringo. My boss don't want what you're selling, and I know a cushy job when I see one. I like what I've got going!" the man shouts, getting more agitated. "Cops stay away 'cause we're too small, clients come to us 'cause they know we're the best, and our sellers like little Rico here," he says, patting the boy on the head, "are the best in town." He mumbles quieter to Rico, "go on, little man." Rico runs off, heading down the alley as quickly as he could. "Now go back to the home, Old man. Bet they've got bingo going tonight. Leave our buisness to us."

Nia:
"I've fought Duval a few times before," Angel says, lowering his weapon a little bit. "He's not exactly as easy man to take down, but you're certainly welcome to try. But before I help you out, I need to know exactly who I'm helping. Duval isn't the biggest threat around, and I certainly don't want to help remove the vampire lord of Guadalajara just to put in power the werewolves or one of the demon clans. And I definitely don't want to see the Santa Muerte arrive in town. So, show me who I am working with, por favor." As he says those last words, Nia's earpiece rings a little, reminding him of the earlier restrictions on this mission. No revealing your employer, or it's lights out permanently.

Spoiler: Nia

Show

At a glance, there doesn't appear to be anything trapping you inside Angel's office. There are no real traps on the inside that you can see, at least not against your particular brand of demon, although there are plenty of things on the shelves that can be of use against you. Most of the stuff you see is ingredients that can be mixed into defenses against your species, although all of that would take time. There are a couple of trinkets and pre-mixed potions that would do some damage, and the silver sword he wields is certainly cause for alarm.

[Green Bean]

"Let me tell you, I'm under one hell of an NDA here. Pun intended, I guess." Nia went through his mental Rolodex of people he could pin this on. Something secretive, but largely benign, and factitious enough that they plausibly wouldn't ask Angel directly. Ah, the Order of Light! They fit the bill, and it might be nice to throw a little sand in Eldrich's gears. "But you're a smart guy, right? Maybe you don't need me to tell you what kind of order I work for. What matters is that Duval may not seem your biggest threat, but he is casting a long shadow in the world at large. And where there is shadow, you can always find light. "

Spoiler

Show

Nia's going to imply that he's working for the Order of Light.

Deception: (1d20+20)[23] (+5 more if he's into women who look like models)

[Propagandist]

Scylla is silent for a while after Summer finishes her story, digesting all that was said, finding herself getting angry on behalf of her new teammate. "That's an awful tale. You deserved none of that."

"As long as it isn't something that will set the chip off, I will do what I can to help you. Anything we might find or steal that would be useful, I will keep safe. Beyond magic and miracles, is there a... cure?" Scylla's question stems from an ignorance of surface physiology as much as sympathy. "Or are these expensive treatments the best there is?"

"And while it might not make you feel better physically, is there anyone you would like to see suffer a bit before they die?" Scylla's chipper attitude returns with this change in subject matter. "I'm good at such things- I have quite a list of my own, and who knows where these missions might take us, after all."

[Arcran]

Shooter sighs, something which would likely seem a sigh of despair to an outside observer. It actuality, it was a sigh of relief; shooting was so much easier than speaking.

In one smooth motion Shooter draws his pistol, firing right past the ear of the boss. The shot ricocheted off the wall, off the lip of the roof and finally into the back of Rico's skull, killing the boy instantly.

"Now, will you take me to your boss or should we bet on how many times I can skip a bullet before it finds your knee?" Shooter says simply, the gun disappearing from his hand once more.

All of this was delivered by a particular calmness. Shooter knew he wasn't particularly imposing (age would do that) but, fortunately, actions tended to speak louder than words.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"Rico..." the man says, shocked at Second Shooter's cold blooded murder of the teenage kid. "He was just a kid, man... Didn't even have any family left..." The man is clearly shaken, and wordlessly mouths several things to himself while holding his forehead. "He was a good kid! Never made trouble, always did good work! Screw Duval's instructions, you're dying here!" The man's mouth suddenly warps a bit, his canines ejecting much further out and sharpening into blades. He blinks and his eyes reopen, taking on the appearance of a deep and brightly glowing red light. The vampire lunges at Second Shooter, swinging with the clear intent to shatter the sniper's arm at the elbow and make him less of a threat.

Spoiler: Rolls for this

Show

(1d20+9)[20] vs. Parry to hit. Toughness DC 21.

Nia:
"Hmm..." Angel hums out, clearly considering what Nia said. After a moment he speaks again, saying, "Alright, if what you say is true, then I can help. But you'll excuse me if I chose to keep the sword," he says, lowering it, but not letting it go completely. "This may be the longest conversation I've ever held with a demon, but I'm still a bit worried you'll smash my head against the counter if I turn around without it." Angel reaches into his shirt and pulls out a necklace with a silver cross at the end, displaying it for added effect. He walks around the wooden counter, which has various religious symbols carved into it, and reaches under the counter for something. He pulls out a large leather-bound journal, which he unbuckles and opens. Inside are countless pages with notes, pictures, and sketchings of all kinds of supernatural beings. He starts flipping through them and says, "I assume you aren't going after Duval alone, so you may want to bring your friends in here now so they can hear it too."

[Arcran]

The blow easily catches Shooter but for an old man the president-killer is surprisingly spry, actually rolling with the attack to make the vampire's massive power all but useless.

His first thought is to run for the streets, get the vampire into the sunlight but, tempting as that may be, it simply was not an option. That would get too much civilian presence and possibly blow the mission.

There was, however, a different option; the rooftop. With a quick draw, Shooter pulls his adhesive climbing cable from his belt, pulling him up towards the rooftop. At the same time, Shooter aims down the iron sights of his pistol, firing from on high.

Spoiler: Attack

Show

Gun is silenced, so it shouldn't draw much attention.

AC: (1d20+12)[28] I realize I messed this up: I only get a +10 with my pistol, so subtract 2 from this.
Damage: Toughness DC 21, 26 if AC is 19-20.

If it misses, has Homing for two rounds. If it hits, he's making a DC 18 Toughness next turn.

[Green Bean]

"Oh, you better believe I'm not. Just figured rolling in here with the heavies was the wrong decision." Nia keyed his earpiece to open a channel to Vazer, Jettatura, and Cici. "Alright, we're all clear in here. Come on in, just keep things friendly, right?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer didn't reply verbally, just walked to the building. Hands in his pockets, baseball cap on backwards, he looked like a pretty average fellow all told, even considering the contemptuous smirk he was still wearing. He gave a silent upnod to Angel and just leaned against the wall directly right of the door.

[Mono Vertigo]

Sid comes in, a normal-looking scrawny woman, giving off nonetheless the vague feeling she used to be a goth, or a nerd, or some other kind of social pariah in her younger years. "Hello!", she says somewhat cheerfully, staring awkwardly at Angel.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using Assessment on Angel. If I'm not wrong, the GM rolls secretly for that.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici walks up rubbing her arm, looking around wondering if anyone is stareing at her....her tail curls around her leg as she leans against the left side of the door-

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter's bullet nails the vampire in the leg, the silver bullet burying itself in his leg. "Aargh!" the vampire screams in pain. From the bullet wound, smoke begins pouring out and it audibly sizzles inside his leg. The vampire lunges at the alleyway wall, climbing up like a spider, and reaches for Second Shooter. But light pouring over the rooftop meets his fingertips, charring them quickly as the vampire quickly retracts his hand in pain. He snarls at Second Shooter and drops down, scanning the alley for something.

Spoiler: Vampire Rolls!

Show

Toughness Roll: (1d20+3)[11]. Toughness -1 and Dazed.

Nia, Vanish, Jettatura, CiCi:
"This everyone?" Angel asks as soon as Cici enters, giving each of the villains a once-over with his eyes. When he receives a nod from Nia, he chooses to continue. He flips a few pages, finally landing at the part of the journal he was looking for. "When you're going after Duval, you face one big problem: his home isn't exactly easy to track. Even I have never been able to find it without invitation. Duval, back in the early colonial days, received a spell from one of the local priests that allowed him to move entire cities in seconds. Duval's extremely paranoid, he constantly uses the spell to make sure he and his family remain undetected. Unfortunately, it means I cannot track his home or the magic. However, Duval is big on keeping up appearances. He likes to be known, but doesn't like for his vampire parts to be seen." Angel slides the book up to the counter's edge for the others to see. "He routinely holds parties for all kinds of socialites in the city, human ones, not his fellow fangs. This is the easiest way to get into his home. He sends out an entire fleet of cars to transport people to his hacienda, all black cars with tinted windows for the driver's safety. You're in luck, because tonight Duval is supposed to be having one of these parties." Angel points out several photographs of the black cars, each with a license plate that is a crude pun about vampires. "Find one of the cars, follow it to Duval's home, and you're in. But I should warn you, word is he recently got his hand on some ancient relic that I imagine will be rather dangerous in his hands."

Spoiler: Jettatura

Show

Angel appears to be your typical human, albeit he appears as a glowing being of pure white light to Jettatura, but very athletic and clearly in good shape. Given that he regularly deals with the supernatural, his mind is likely highly resistant against mental attacks. In addition, you get the sense that he possesses some kind of internal abilities even he may not be aware of. It may have been how he was able to see through Nia's disguise without any issue.

Scylla, Asura:
After an hour or two of work, the vampire detector is completed, meaning Asura and Scylla now have a means of finding Duval's vampires. And just in time too, as they glance out the windows and see that the sun has almost disappeared over the mountains, dipping the dusk into nearly night. The sky is still relatively light, but shadows cover this part of town. The town has started to pick up at night, as people can be seen roaming the streets, and a few people lurk in groups around the parking lot.

[Arcran]

Had Shooter been a typical, unprofessional assassin this is likely where he would have taunted his quarry. Or laughed. Or simply grinned. Or all three at once.

Instead, Shooter rests the pistol on his arm, taking careful aim at the vampire. His next shot would kill the beast, or at least as close as a bullet can do it.

Spoiler: Action

Show

Just going to use Improved Aim this round.

However, don't forget the Secondary Effect for his bullet. That'll be a DC 18 Toughness.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer listened intently to the detective's advice, nodding occasionally. He glanced briefly over the pictures, a cursory look at first, until he spotted the license plates, whereupon he lost himself for a few moments reading the various puns. "Heh. Heh heh. Nice. ...Uh, sorry." Getting back to business, he said, "I should be able to locate and...tail one of the vehicles, but it would be easier alone. There is also some element of luck involved, so it would likely be ideal if you all conducted a separate search just in case. Mr. Ballesteros, would it be safe to say that the lair will remain in one place for the duration of the party? He doesn't generally wait for his guests to arrive, teleport the place elsewhere, and send his guests home from a different location, does he?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'm also considering running like an internet/social media search and maybe finding an invitee that way, but would that be an Investigation check (i.e. have Vazer pull out his smart phone and look it up) or a Technology check (i.e. ask one of the tech whizzes to handle it) or...something else (Expertise [Current Events] maybe?)

[Cogsrow]

-Cici sighs and looks out the window feeling useless, she wasn't cut out for this it seems, the best she can hope for is to fly higher than they could see-

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, Vanish, Jettatura, CiCi:
"Yes, for the night it will remain where it is," Angel says to Vanish's question. "But only for tonight, unfortunately. Duval has a habit of moving around after his parties, and he can go for months between them, so you likely only have this shot tonight. Try the more wealthy parts of town, that's where most of his invitations seem to go. Also, expect a little increased and more skilled security. His usual guard will still be in place, but there will be more guards hidden around, Duval doesn't like people crashing the party." Angel lifts up his shirt, revealing a massive scar that runs from his hips up towards his chest, likely from some kind of sword. "Trust me."

Second Shooter:
The bullet still lodged in the vampire's leg wound continues pouring out smoke from the burning wound. The vampire grunts in pain, but still seems just as determined to take Second Shooter out. The vampire finally finds what he was looking for, slowly moving a short distance to a nearby trash bin, where he reaches down despite the burning pain to pick up a brick he likely intends to chuck at Second Shooter.

Spoiler: Vampire Rolls!

Show

Vampire Toughness Roll for last round effect: (1d20+2)[9]. Another -1 and dazed again.
Vampire Toughness Roll for this round: (1d20+2)[11]. Another -1 and now staggered instead.

[Arcran]

Shooter had never liked attempting to snipe with his pistol. While he was more than capable of it he preferred that extra weight of a real rifle and the power of it. As the vampire picks up a rock Shooter drops low, flattening himself against the rooftop. It wouldn't do to get taken out by a simple stone, would it?

With a slow, deliberate pull Shooter takes the shot, the bullet inbound for the vampire's heart. A killshot, plain and simple.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Dropping Prone. Prone Fighter means I ignore the normal penalties besides Hindered. Vampire has a -5 penalty to any ranged attacks.

I'll be going All-Out-Attack, trading 5 of my Active Defenses for +5 to hit.
I'll also be using Power Attack, taking a -5 to hit for a +5 Damage.

That brings our total to-hit bonus up to +10 and the damage bonus up to +5.

AC: (1d20+22)[30] Crits on 19-20
Damage: This will be a DC 28 Toughness, 33 if it crits.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter lines up the shot perfectly for the vampire's heart, firing the silver bullet into the monster's chest. The bullet pierces through the shirt, cracking through the bone, and burying itself in the monster's heart. As this happens, the vampire rears up, preparing to throw the brick at Second Shooter to knock him down, when the bullet finds its mark. The beast freezes in his tracks, and drops the brick. His limbs go numb as he falls to his knees, landing sitting on his legs. From the center of his chest where the bullet hit, his skin starts drying out, becoming a cold, grey, cracked rock. The process spreads slowly across his now-immobile body, long enough for him to speak.

"Heh. Silver. Always thought it would be a stake," he says, suddenly at peace, the snarling beast having receded. "Guess I was wrong and right about not taking you to see Señor Duval, huh?" The process spreads up to his neck, preparing to overtake his head, as his arms are already two thirds gone. The vampire chuckles a little to himself, his body not moving too much as it becomes solid rock. "Que Dios tenga misericordia de mí," he says to himself, then he looks up at Second Shooter. "Adios man. Be seeing you soon, Gringo," he says as the process overtakes his head. It seals at the fingertips, soles of his feet, and the top of his head, and immediately shatters into trillions of little pieces. The vampire blows away, literally dust on the wind, leaving nothing but a couple of silver bullets.

Spoiler: Second Shooter Only: Perception DC 25

Show

At the end of the alleyway as you watch the vampire blow away, you spot a security camera turn towards the dead body of Rico. It scans the area for a moment, settling briefly on the vampire blowing away in the wind. Then, it turns up a bit and spots you. The camera slowly follows your movement, obviously watching you.

Spoiler: Vampire Rolls!

Show

Vampire Toughness Roll: (1d20+1)[16]. Readjusted for not-so-secret weakness : 11. That means 4 degrees of failure, so he is dead.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer nods, that might help remove at least some of the luck from the equation. "Any particular streets you'd suggest?" he asked.

Even as he did, he was poking at his smart phone. Patience was not one of Vazer's strongest virtues. He browsed a few social network sites, searching for any indication of people who had been invited to Duval's party, and then ran a couple searches for homes for sale or rent in the city, mainly just to grab a couple addresses for use as seed targets to begin his search at.

Spoiler

Show

Investigation: (1d20+10)[18]

[Arcran]

Shooter stands there silently, watching the vampire turn to dust. A kill shot, just like he'd planned.

When he turns to use his communicator he catches a glimpse of a camera out of the corner of his eye. With a deliberate motion he lifts his gun, firing it right into the lens of the camera. While it may have been overly dramatic it sent a clear message. Shooter was not afraid of Duval in the slightest and, in addition, is willing to literally spit in his face.

His message sent to the vampire, Shooter quickly touches his ear, turning on the comlink.

"Duval knows of our presence within the city. Made contact with a hostile bloodsucker just now. Threat is now eliminated but, before his death, he made it very clear that Devual was expecting a visit. Shooter out," he says, using his adhesive gun to lower himself back to the ground.

Once he has two feet on the solid ground once more Shooter takes a few quick strides towards the small hole in the wall the vampire had lived in, gun in one hand and his briefcase in the other. Once inside he simply begins to search for something, anything that could lead back to Duval or Silvanno.

Spoiler: Action

Show

Using "I Don't Miss" on the camera. It's a Precise Perception attack with a DC 22 Toughness if you want to do that.

Going to Investigate! Doo doo doo!
(1d20+14)[28]

[Mono Vertigo]

That Angel guy is interesting. Not devoid of sins - no one is, no one can be - but it would be wise to keep him on their side. If only because she feels hexing him would be difficult.
"I'll have to disguise as one of his guests, I think. I'll pass with a little luck, and what's a little luck, if not your enemies being unlucky? Heheh."
Her plan involved stealing one of the guest's wallet, clothes, and jewelry. In the best cast, in their house; in the worst case, while they're still wearing them.

[Propagandist]

Scylla peers through the window, looking suspiciously at those lurking outside. The vampires were aware of their presence, Shooter had discovered that much. Were these vampiric ambushers, or just the sort of fine upstanding people who skulk around cheap hotel parking lots at night?

She speaks into her commlink. "The vampire-detecting device is ready. There are some suspicious-looking people gathered outside the hotel. I vote we test it. Perhaps we can get the name of one of these important guests."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer held up one finger and brought his phone to his ear, walking out of the building and saying, "Speak." Then, once he was outside, he cased about to make sure no one was nearby, and if they weren't, would speak (softly) into the commlink. "Acknowledged. We believe we have figured out how to find the estate, but it will have to be tonight. Scylla, please inform us if you require backup, or notify us if you confirm there is no threat." He wouldn't break off from the others until he was sure. "Also, requesting your coordinates," that last, of course, wasn't actually to Scylla, but even with his precautions, he didn't plan to even vaguely allude to the possibility of the General's existence. He took "don't reveal your employer" seriously even without having a chip in his head.

Then he put away the phone and walked back inside.

[Queen Sapes]

Vanish, Nia, Jettatura, and CiCi:
"Of course. Uno momento," Angel says, reaching under the counter, pulling out a notepad and a pen. He starts scribbling out street names on the paper as he speaks to Jettatura. "I don't believe it matters to me how you hope to gain entrance, just be sure not to lead him back here if, and when, you are unsuccessful in killing the Count." He writes while Vanish steps out to speak with the rest of the team over the earpiece, the General feeding him Scylla's location upon his request. When Vanish walks back in, Angel rips the paper off of the notepad and hands it to Vanish and the team. "There you are. Every major street in the richer parts of Guadalajara. I suggest you get moving, night is falling soon, and it isn't safe to walk Guadalajara at night. For more reasons than the vampires." Angel says, closing up the journal and putting it back under the counter.

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter enters into a small room, only about the size of a typical bedroom, but enough space for a vampire living here for work. The only window in the entire room is covered by a heavy blanket, and Second Shooter moves it aside to peer out. The window looks out onto the street, but with how it faces, sunlight would flood the room at dawn, giving good reason to the blanket. The main part of the room is occupied by a green couch that has seen some wear, and a television that sits on a table playing some Spanish soap opera. Two boxes sit on the ground next to the TV, one filled with bags of unmarked drugs, the other filled with money in rolls. Shooter checks the couch cushions, looking for anything that might have fallen through the cracks, only to find the TV remote. A fridge sits in the corner of the room, and Shooter pops it open. Inside are dozens of full blood bags and even more empty ones, each marked with the words 'Hospital Univeristario de Guadalajara' indicating where they came from. On top of the fridge is a pad of paper and a pen which lists names and amount of product carried. The name of the kid from outside 'Rico' is on the list of names. Finally, Second Shooter turns to the final thing in the room besides for a sexy calendar, an older computer sitting alone on a desk.

Shooter moves over to access the outdated piece of technology, only a couple years old at most. Shooter shakes the mouse as the computer clicks on, and he begins searching through it for something useful. Unfortunately, there are only two things on the computer of any interest: the internet search history which is shockingly dry, and a document that acts as sort of an event planner, listing the visiting times of someone named 'Gerardo'. The last one was days ago, and the next one isn't for another week. Not a lot in the room to go on, and certainly no information that directly involves either Duval or Silvanno. Second Shooter is about to leave the room when something interesting happens on the computer. A new text document opens itself up and begins typing out a message as Second Shooter watches.

Hey Buddy. You know, Guadalajara used to have a big problem with gangs. It doesn't anymore since the city got a lot more money and the police were able to take care of them, but a lot of the older generation still remembers the gang days. And a lot of those older folks are pretty jumpy, calling the police on anything they hear that might

The typing stops for a second then erases the word 'might' before going again.

might be a gunshot or somebody getting beat up in an alleyway or anything like that really. There's maybe a hundred calls a day like that. Most of the time it's nothing, just some kids playing baseball, or a stray cat knocking over trash cans, or even a muffler that doesn't work right. Almost all of the city is now hooked up together thanks to our big technology renaissance. And even though I don't usually need to, I like to check out every one of these calls. So you can guess my surprise when one of these calls actually turned out to be something! First, I see a kid lying dead in an alleyway from a bullet to the head. I think 'whoever did this doesn't get a chance to turn himself in'. Then, I see a vampire, no gun, being dusted at the other end of the alley, and I start getting confused. Finally, I see some guy standing on the rooftop with a gun in his hand, and I get pretty conflicted. So here's what we'll do: you take the kid's body to a hospital or a priest or something, then turn yourself in, and we never have to talk again. Don't? It doesn't matter where you run away to, I'll find you, deliver the beating of your life, and then throw you in jail. You got one chance to make the right decision. Please choose the one that's more fun for me.