Inside 61

[Shadowcaller]

Jim's Place

The who? How in the world could whatever it was detect her? Now she was just pissed. All this effort and she was spotted right away.
She doesn't reply though, staying perfectly quiet. She does look around the room though, there had to be something shiny she could find in here before she left.

[Deathkeeper]

Jim's Place

Just lying around? Some snack foods, a few assorted tools, and some half-assembled toys.
"And I know you're wandering around right now, so if you don't come in the next ten seconds, I'll know you're taking my stuff." he says, bluffing completely.

[Shadowcaller]

Jim's Place

The demon isn't wandering around, she's simply turning her head around!
She knew were people usually hid their shiny stuff though, in the kitchen! Ignoring Jim for a moment, she starts looking for it, hoping that she will find some cutlery she can grab.

[Deathkeeper]

Jim's Place

The kitchen is around the corner, past the "dining room" (it's just a small space to put a table). Brightly lit, it doesn't really have much to offer that's in plain sight. There's a cutting board, but no knives sitting around. Everything seems to be packed neatly away in the drawers and cabinets.
Speaking of which, the demon might notice a tiny little figure rummaging around in the pantry for something, red tail bobbing behind his black-clay back.

Oh, and the ringing sound of a metal bat being drawn out of a closet.

[Shadowcaller]

Jim's Place

In the girls mind, all the knives were hidden away since this guy was some kind of mass-murderer that hid all such things away. He was clearly freaky as heck with all those clones of him hanging around.
Feeling a bit desperate, she simply opens the closest drawer, grabs something at random (that's preferably shiny) and makes a run for the door.

[Deathkeeper]

Jim's Place

The girl comes away with a shiny metal corkscrew! There's nothing to stop her from making it out the door.

[Shadowcaller]

Jim's Place

Then she makes her getaway and doesn't stop running until she's sure she's a safe distance from the apartment.
She goes around a corner and turns visible to get a better look at her find. To her horror she realizes it must be some kind of torture instrument!
That guy was a mass murderer! Who else would have torture equipment just laying around like that?! But she needed further evidence first, one torture device was probably not enough before she showed Elias this guy...

[Morty]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

The appointed time for the exchange is late evening. The Shadow will arrive at a gas station, which is currently out of operation. There, he'll find a short, middle-aged Central Asian-looking woman in a worn suit. Behind her is a muscular, brown-skinned man with long, black hair, dressed in a sleeveless fur vest.

"You're the additional protection I hired from MERC, I assume," the woman says. "I'm Liu Min. The people I'm dealing with should arrive shortly."

[Cyber Punk]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

"That's me. You can call me Mr. Shadow, Miss Min." The Shadow replies, looking the two over. "I understand you have goods that need protecting. I'll be your eyes and ears and anything else you need me to be."

[Morty]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

"Indeed." Liu Min raises a briefcase she's holding in her hand. "I have no use for it, so I plan to sell it. However, I believe my client might decide to simply kill me and take it without paying. Which is where you come in. Hopefully having you and Narrak here will deter him... and if it doesn't, that you'll fight him and his goons off."

[Cyber Punk]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]
Next stop after mission: [Burnt Chrome Street:]

"No such thing as a milk run..." The Shadow says softly, before addressing Liu Ming in a normal tone of voice. "Gladly, ma'am." The Shadow cracks his knuckles. "Should they try anything, rest assured they'd regret it."

[Morty]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

Soon enough, the client arrives, and he's not alone. The man in the front is a tall, pale man with sharp features, and receding black hair. He's dressed in an unassuming grey shirt under a black waistcoat. There's a pair of large holsters on his belt, although it's hard to spot what they contain.

Following him are two men and a woman, dressed similarly to their employer. The first of the men has a complexion similar to Liu Min's other bodyguard, but his style of dress sets him apart. The other man looks quite similar to the leader, almost as though they might be relatives. The woman is short, stocky and brown-skinned.

"More protection, Liu? Disgraceful, now little trust there is in the world anymore," the man says. "Hand over the goods."

"First, let me see your cash, Takashi, Min says, staking a step back.

"I've got it right here," Takashi says, as his hands drop into the holsters and emerge, wearing heavy, partially metal gloves, with cables sticking out of them. "Get them," he tells his people as Min retreats behind her own bodyguards.

One of the men steps forward and punches, launching a fireball in Narrak's direction. It's blocked by a sheet of ice forming from a nearby puddle. Meanwhile, the other two gang members move towards the Shadow. The woman stomps the ground and makes a heaving motion with her arms, causing a wall of rock to emerge from the ground and shuffle towards him. The man makes a sweeping motion with his arm, transforming the water from a canteen he has on his belt into a fan of icicles towards him.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

In response to the words 'Get them', the Shadow shifts into a battle stance. Once Liu Ming and Narrak get attacked, the Shadow morphs his forearms so that serrated-edged blades are coming out of his wrists. On his palms, muzzles of what appear to be a firearm of some sort appear. He activates thrusters in his feet to make him move further, faster, and jumps up 7 metres into the air. As soon as he reaches the height, he aims at the heads of the two goons and fires.

"Eat this!"

[Morty]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

The eartbender responds to the shots by moving her wall in front of them and extending it upwards, thus putting in the way of the bullets. However, one of them does penetrate, and the waterbender can be heard swearing, having apparently received a wound. Then, however, their boss jumps onto the wall, and then jumps upwards from it, intending to meet Shadow as he falls, and throw a punch at him. As he does so, his glove crackles with electricity. If it connects, it'll shock the Shadow in addition to the impact of the blow.

[Shadowcaller]

[The Centaur and the God]

As Arty the noble centaur is minding his own business as a little wisp suddenly flies up to him. "Arty! Are you busy with something? Since I'm afraid something has, uh, come up and I might need your help... if you don't mind of course." He can hear Chadwicks voice echo in the air. The god seems troubled.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

The Shadow sees the goon boss jumping up at him. The fires up his leg thrusters and uses it to propel himself backwards, the punch only grazing his shoulder. "Lucky shot." The Shadow mutters before putting his palms on the boss goon's chest and firing a wave-motion type projectile. It should push him backwards and cause some internal damage, just enough to disorient him.

The Shadow turns off the thrusters and lets himself fall, intending to land in front of Liu Ming.

[Deathkeeper]

The Centaur and the God

Arty stands up, stowing away his book. He really wishes Chadwick would get a proper body. Talking to a floating light is so weird.
"Chadwick, I know I kinda skipped most of the steps I was supposed to take as a cleric, but in theory I'm supposed to be devoted to you and your wishes. You can ask me for things without asking permission first." he says politely, suppressing a sigh in the process.

[Shadowcaller]

The Centaur and the God

The wisp floats upwards, as if trying to appear more authoritarian. "Arty, never worry about how things are supposed to be. I will never expect you to drop everything at the blink of an eye every time just to aid me. But if you are willing and not preoccupied I was contacted by another god who needs our help. Her son, a very young god who hasn't manifested his powers yet have been kidnapped by a demon and she fears this is to lure her into a trap. So we're going to need one of my old weapons that's, uh, in the hands of a ogre right now. You see, during my period of madness I just gave it to this ogre and now they won't give it back. Now I could try to take it by force but that... wouldn't feel right. So perhaps you can convince him to return my mace to me?"

[Deathkeeper]

The Centaur and the God

Arty nods. Oh, dear.
"That sounds very serious. Erm, what kind of ogre are we talking? Did he tell you why he wouldn't give it back? I'm not entirely sure that I'll be incredibly more persuasive than you were, but I can try. What was special about the mace?"

Unless he's in a very large indoor place Arty could probably outrun an ogre if things went bad anyway. Though he wasn't quite sure how wisp-Chadwick would use a mace anyway.

[Shadowcaller]

The Centaur and the God

"His name is Patu and he's big and red with horns coming out from his head. The reason I gave the mace to him in the first place was since that I, eh, attempted to prove to him I wasn't a god since ogres of his kind aren't particularly fond of either gods or demons. He might be more favorable towards a mortal however, the mace is after all useless to him. Only I and my followers can use it to it's full potential which is besides illuminating a large area it could bypass the enemies defenses and strike exactly where you wanted it to, no matter how far away it was. A single touch by the weapon could banish a demon or scorch it's body with holy light." Chadwick explains.

[Deathkeeper]

The Centaur And the God

Arty nods again to show he's been paying attention. "Okay, that seems useful. Last questions: where is he, and is there anything else he likes or hates that I need to be careful of mentioning?" he says, his tone serious.

[Shadowcaller]

The Centaur And the God

"You shouldn't mention me or that you're associated with me in any way. But you could mention that you have fought against demons, or if you believe in retribution. He's pretty big on that, tooth for a tooth and all." Chadwick explains thoughtfully.

[Deathkeeper]

The Centaur and the God

Arty considers this. Well, it's something specific, at least.
"All right, Chadwick. I'll grab my stuff and get going. I'll keep you updated on what happens." he says, really hoping Chadwick didn't make a poor choice on relying on him for so many jobs.

[Shadowcaller]

The Centaur and the God

"Thank you Arty, you're doing me a huge favor here. You'll find Patu in a cave just outside Inside, close to that black keep. I can send a wisp to guide you there if it's needed, but it's important that you aren't seen in it's company by him." The wisp replies.

[Deathkeeper]

The Centaur and the God

Arty shakes his head.
"I'm sure I can find it. If not, I'll ask for your help." says Arty, reaching into his room to gear up for trouble, though not much of a trip. On the city outskirts, he can pack light without issue.

[Morty]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

The boss is pushed backwards and sent sprawling on the ground behind his lackey's wall, rather inelegantly. He tries to get up, but falls down again, groaning. Meanwhile, his two goons renew their attack. Liu Min continues to retreat, covered by the Shadow, trying to get behind some big dumpsters on the other side of the station.

The earthbender punches her wall, which shatters part of it. The shards are sent flying in the Shadow's direction, turning into sharp needles. The waterbender is slowed down by his earlier wound, but he waves his arms in a circular motion before bringing them together in front of him. It causes two jets of water to form from his canteen, aimed to smash into his opponent from his flanks.

[Shadowcaller]

The Centaur and the God

"If anything should happen, don't hesitate to call on my aid. Patu can be pretty violent if he feels that subterfuge is taking place. He prefers honest above all else so try not outright lie, he might be able to tell that you are." Chadwick says before Arty walks off.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

The Shadow lands in front of Liu Ming, covering her escape. Just then, he notices sharp stone needles headed towards him. If he were to dodge, he'd put Ming in danger. He raises up his arms instead and blows all but one of the needles away via wave motion. The last one hits his abdomen. Though it doesn't quite manage to penetrate his armor, it does cause some damage, if the pain is any indication. Thank God for his healing factor.

He was just about to retaliate when he saw jets of water moving to slam him from his sides. The Shadow raises up his hands to his sides and freezes the water while simultaneously jumping and rolling backwards. Unfortunately for him, part of his body gets a dose of water pressure slam, which serves to both harm him and slightly increase his bloodlust. As he lands, he fires a dart from his finger which, unhindered, should find its target and release a cloud of nerve gas.

[Morty]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

The earthbender is hit with the dart and begins to choke. The waterbender looks down on her in horror before gathering up the water he had spilt during his previous attacks and forming a sheet of ice in front of him.

"This isn't looking good, boss!" he cries.

Takashi swears. "Screw that, this thing isn't worth dying over! We're out of here!"

He finally manages to get up and run. His surviving followers soon follow. Min's other bodyguard can do little to pursue them, as he suffered a bad burn to his side.

[Cyber Punk]

[Outskirts - Gas Station]

Watching their retreat, The Shadow takes some potshots at the fleeing trio, to dispel any ideas they may have about trying to come back, before running to Liu Ming's side.

"No such thing as a milk run. Are you okay, ma'am?"