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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2017

    Default Masks: Dragon City IC

    Bandar Naga
    Issue One: Blood Money

    The top half of the cover is minimalist, black and white. A silhouette of a city skyline looms, tall pillars of darkness pricked through with light. Ranged below them, arrayed in defiant poses, are the heroes. They are bright, picked out in shining colours, contrasting with the monochromatic grandeur of the skyline. The eye is instinctively drawn to them, with their distinctive costumes and contrasting logos. Yet, despite all that, the skyline still fills the page, looming above the young heroes.

    You turn the cover, the first page rendered in almost monochromatic tones. A tall thin man, his face like a stone, is standing in a room, briefcase held in one hand. Opposite him are three women, who watch the room with colourless smiles. The central one carries a thin document in one hand, the outer two assault rifles. The three are otherwise identical, dressed in conservative black business suits. A new panel shows a close up of their eyes, perfectly ordinary and brown. Then they blink, and for a moment darkness fills up the eye sockets, leaking out in tendrils of smoke on the air. The leader smiles the smile that the shark makes as it circles the drowning man, and her eyes are once again perfectly brown.

    “Do you accept our offer, Charlie Li?”

    The words hang like smoke in the air, the man’s eyes narrowing. He is the wolf to their shark, the wall to their blade. Then he exhales, and asks the question that hangs so obviously in the air.

    “You know what I will do with those weapons?”

    Silence hangs in the moment, while the two bodyguards move slightly. The barrels of the guns glow red, decorated with what looks like Chinese characters, but probably aren’t. Then the woman laughs abruptly, and the panel cuts back to to Charlie’s face. His eyes widen slightly, looking at the thing that used to be a woman, off panel behind the reader. The voice is raspy, made by something that was clearly never human to begin with. It sounds amused in all the wrong ways.

    “We never said we were weirds, Charlie Li. The weapons will not be our problem.”

    The man looks at three women who stand calmly, watching him, still waiting. He abruptly pulls a pen from his pocket, and walks with jerky movements to a table. They hand him the document, and he signs it messily, still shaken. The smile on her face is now the smile of the sated shark, sinking back under the water. A panel shows Charlie leaving the office, hand reaching inside his jacket and curling around the gun hidden there. His face is drawn down, with the look of a man who believed himself to be the apex predator of the jungle, and now sees that he has a rival for that role. The last image on the page is a close up of the document that sits on the table, voices in the background.

    “We start deliveries tomorrow. Never let it be said that Trinity failed to provide.”

    Later that Day


    The Bandar Naga central library is not a place many people choose to go. It’s primary function is to serve as archives for those public records that are not classified. Very few, except historians and the occasional confused tourist pass through the metal detectors, don white gloves, and inspect the records of the state.

    Which is what makes it all the more surprising, then, when the distinctive sound of an energy weapon being discharged cuts through the usual rumble of early morning traffic. Almost immediately, the searing whine of a fire alarm follows, punctuated with what is definitively gunfire. The polished wooden doors of the lobby have been blown off their hinges, a curl of smoke rising from some point inside the building. A trio of black SUV’s lurk, idling, on the footpath, with several figures in kevlar and red fatigues standing guard.

    The sound of sporadic gunfire continues from deeper inside the building, undercut with the feral hum of a plasma weapon.

    Why were you in or near the library at this time of the morning? What do you do about this robbery?

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Ai

    Ai does not tolerate loneliness well. She's experienced so much of it, she's sick of it. But her new team mates cannot be around all the time--they have school, or they have to sleep, or eat, or see to personal affairs. Even Deadboy, who is often around when all the others are gone, needs his space sometimes. Ai is trying to learn to respect that, even though it's hard.

    Ai does have other things to occupy herself--she can go scavenging, or exploring, or fiddle around with the bits of human machinery she's picked up and experiment with how it interacts with her own, far more advanced tech. But sometimes she craves human company, and the others are all unavailable. On those days, like today, she wanders the city, people-watching, integrating herself into crowds, playing at being a human.

    The old women are her favorite group to follow around. Ai is happy to see them going about in their usual circuit--first the grocery, to stop and examine the produce in bins outside but not actually buy anything; next, the long plaza lined with boutique clothing stores, where they look in the windows but never enter the stores; and last, to the park across the street from the Bandar Naga public library, where they walk a slow lap and then sit on benches to smoke cigarettes.

    The old women don't talk to each other, not really. Sometimes they'll point out a particularly egregious price for food, or will complain about one ailment or another. Sometimes, while they smoke, they'll allow themselves to reminisce together about dead husbands or children now grown up and moved away. Shifted into the form of an old woman, Ai can integrate seamlessly into their little group--the women come and go, and no one notices another crinkled face.

    She joins them today as they make their way across the plaza. She's dressed in what she thinks of as their uniform--a loose button-down shirt, thin black pants, and a wide-brimmed hat to protect from the sun. The woman closest to her nods absently in a half-hearted greeting. Ai nods back.

    The group is halfway through their slow lap of the park when Ai hears it. The tell-tale hum of plasma weapons, then a loud, cracking crash as the doors of the library are blown of their hinges. The other women look around in alarm--hearing the continued gunfire, they hurry back towards the plaza, where they can take cover among the buildings. But Ai, moving at a speed that would be impossible for a woman of the age that she appears to be, runs towards the building.

    Seeing the vans and the figures in kevlar, she changes tactics. She shifts herself to be mostly translucent. Thus camouflaged, she flies over the vans and the figures in kevlar, searching for a window or skylight through which she could see what is happening inside.
    Last edited by gailforce; 2018-03-28 at 09:33 AM. Reason: roll

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Azuma was bored. She was bored and she wasn't handling it well. She glanced at her phone and gave a dramatic sigh to herself. How could it be this quiet? She glanced around the coffee shop she'd found herself in. Everyone was going about their business, just another day of enjoying drinks with mis-spelled names on them. Just another, completely mundane, ordinary day.

    Azuma folded her arms on the table in front of her, slumping forward to rest her cheek on them as she stared blankly out of the window. She'd been wandering the city for hours just waiting for something to happen, some call to action. She found herself zoning out, wondering what the others were doing. It'd be easy enough to call them... Maybe they could hang out...

    "Playing hookey?" Azuma started, abruptly sitting up as a woman sat herself down across from her. The stranger smiled, setting her drink down, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. But... Shouldn't you be at school..?"

    Azuma hesitated, "I... Uh..."

    That drew out a laugh from the stranger, "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone, but you might want to come up with a cover story in future."

    Frowning, Azuma folded her arms in front of her, glancing out the window again, "... Training day..?" She gave the woman a questioning look, as though seeking her approval.

    She smiled again, "See, that sounds a bit more-"

    She was cut off as the noise of an abrupt explosion rocked the room, drawing shocked shrieks from nearly everyone in the shop. Azuma leapt to her feet, eyes wide as she looked out the window. Across the street, the library doors were lying strewn on the street, and she could make out smoke curling out from inside. She felt a bizarre sense of excitement as she raced out of the shop, tinged with guilt almost immediately. As she ran, she reached out to the animal spirit Vermillion Guardian had gifted her. The little yellow-green jackalope appeared at her shoulder, bounding along through the air beside her.

    She glanced up to it, "Cotton, go find the others! Tell them there's something going down at the library!"

    She sensed a kind of mental nod as the spirit peeled off from her, bounding away to invisibility. Drawing closer to the library, she spotted the SUV's and the accompanying red-garbed people. Her eyes flitted between them, trying to work out what was going on.

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Azuma will be assessing the situation! Will edit in her questions once I know the roll result.

    Assess - (2D6)[3]

    Well, no questions, but hey! Potential!
    Last edited by Comissar; 2018-03-28 at 05:22 AM.



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

    Spoiler: Alternate Avatars
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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lizardfolk

    Join Date
    Jun 2010

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Sly

    Sly has been out doing some of his favorite activities. He started his day by visiting the city's best mango lassi stand; a little stand off in an isolated ethnic slum with limited public transit access. Fortunately, there isn't really anything that has limited access to Sly.

    After that, Sly spent a lot of time visiting some of his favorite perches around the city. Before noon while the sun is still low in the East, Sly "climbs" and sits on a gargoyle of a misplaced Catholic cathedral, built in the Gothic-revival style, that towers above more local architecture. He has been slowly chiseling his name and (what he imagines at least) an imposing silhouette of his face in an otherwise impossible to reach spot. As the sun hits its noontime zenith, Sly searches in the cavernous alleyways shaded by overhangs and walkways for some new place to eat. Usually he is disappointed by what he finds, but the few times Sly finds someone who is just honestly very good at cooking is more than worth the day after day of mediocre (and likely unsanitary) street food. Besides, it all beats the ascetic stuff he ate in the monastery.

    As the afternoon begins to drag on, Sly decides to head towards the other side of the city. He's got a real nice plan to put up the team's logo on a soon-to-be-exposed-via-demolition building side. As he teleports across rooftops, he spies Azuma's spirit familiar, Cotton, running through the streets. She never leaves her little critter alone... Might be fun to check out if there's some trouble Sly thinks to himself while he switches direction over toward the library.

    As he approaches, he quickly spots Azuma near the scene. He suddenly appears behind her saying "Waddup nerd? Skipping school to visit the library now? Ooooh, looks like we have some new friends here." Despite teasing Azuma, Sly takes a serious look over at the vehicles and the men standing outside there.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    I also want to roll to assess the situation, which will trigger Criminal Mind from my playbook.
    As per my OoC post, I also get a question: What's the best way past?
    Last edited by houlio; 2018-03-28 at 11:22 AM.
    Former Owner of GiTP's fanciest Bloodbowl Team: The Fancy Lads
    The League's Self-Proclaimed Perennial Favorites and Season III Champions!
    Current Owner and Manager of Rampant Professionalism

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Bat Country
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Zahid still has his motorcycle. He had, in theory at least, much faster or easier ways of getting around town. He could run and jump through the city at superhuman speed... if he didn't mind making a public spectacle of himself. Public transportation offered other complications... stares and whispers, buses and subway cars mysteriously emptying themselves at the next stop, shy requests for autographs. But the old Honda comes with a helmet. One that, with the visor down, covers his face quite nicely.

    He was riding back from class at the University when he noticed trouble. He'd just started his first couple of classes since It Happened. Whatever he could find in a big lecture hall with conveniently dark and remote corners. Come in a few minutes late... leave a couple minutes early. So far he'd avoided any awkward scenes. But speaking of awkward scenes... the traffic in front of him has slowed to a stop as pedestrians pour into the street in unruly clumps, looking more behind them than in front. As if they're running from something. Looking back toward where they came from he sees a stream of smoke rising from a blocky, official looking building. As he pulls over to the curb he can hear... and feel... the thud of something exploding inside. He gets out his phone and starts composing a text to "TEAM"... then he feels the black cat rubbing against his leg. That's right. They're on Hannah's data plan now.

    Zahid leaves his bike and follows the cat down the sidewalk and across a wide lawn until he finds Azuma and Sly eyeballing the front doors and a group of armed men who don't look like any police or soldiers he's ever seen. He can now hear muffled gunfire from inside...

    "Central Library? Somebody must really love books. Or really hate them... do we go through these guys, or is there another way in?"
    Last edited by Swami Monsoon; 2018-03-28 at 04:12 PM.
    "Do Driderettes buy their legwarmers in bulk?"

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    HalflingWizardGirl

    Join Date
    Aug 2013

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Somewhere in the dusty innards of the library, in a tiny room off to one side of the main record stacks, a young womanl sits hunched over a laptop, glancing occasionally at one of a haphazard pile of books as she taps away at her machine. She feels quite spectacularly out of place, and more than a little trapped. This is probably excessive, even for her, but with the whole 'hero' thing she'd been falling behind on her own life. It's going to be time to start making scholarship applications soon, and few universities are likely to look on her 'unique' skillset as something worthy of funding.

    Thus, she's here, in the dark of a private reeding room, sipping the can of HyperStar she'd smuggled past the metal detector and working on an essay about Bandar Naga's history. Specifically, the history of organized crime in the city. Because hey, why not try and make a little of that hard won 'practical knowledge' work for her? She's currently looking over the transcripts of Varan 'Butcher' Song's corruption trial in the sixties, trying to look for quotes from prosecution witnesses that illustrated the Butcher's reputation amongst the everyday inhabitants of Bandar Naga at the time.

    She looks up at the distant sound of energy weapons fire. She doesn't believe it. She doesn't want to believe it. She's about to return to her note taking when the gunfire starts. White scowls. The life never seems to leave her alone, does it? The former villain takes a second with her computer, checking her work was saved then shutting it down, before starting to take stock of the situation. She hadn't brought her costume with her, damn it, and had told that little such and such to stay in her room too. After all, who expects criminals to attack the public library with high tech weapons and assault rifles? So now if she does go out, it'll be with her face in plain sight, and unarmed, against whatever's attacking the building.

    That's not a choice. Taking a deep breath, White steps out of her reading room into the library proper, and starts to slowly move through the shelves. She's listening closely for gunfire or movement, trying to recall the parts of the building she'd gone past while coming in. She's going to have to find some way to signal the others, or at least find out more about just what's going on here.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

    Join Date
    May 2016

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Hannah found it quite ironic that the White Tiger had asked her to keep an eye on Paladin White. Hannah wasn't so sure on Shifu Yu's judgement and while Hannah had to admit that it was a bit odd that Paladin White hadn't even given them her real name, she sure had her reasons. Shifu Yu was a warrior of great skill and wisdom, but sometimes she just came off as a paranoid old woman who still live in the last century. Hannah didn't like sneaking after a teammate, but if it meant that she could ease her masters mind a bit, Hannah had no problem with "accidentally" bumping into White at the library. At least that was what she told herself, if she was honest with herself, she had her own reasons for stalking Paladin White. Hannah thought that she could learn a great deal from Paladin White, she carried fire inside her that Hannah lacked, but felt she needed.

    Hannah had just entered the library and was talking to the elderly librarian behind the reception desk, asking for Paladin White when the attack started. She had no time to really react and the force of the explosion when the library doors where blasted out of their hinges threw her over the counter. Hannah took a moment to get her bearings and then first checked on the librarian who cowered behind the desk. Hannah heard the sound of heavy footsteps, weapons being discharged and the low hum of the plasma weapons. She risked a quick look over the counter to see what she was dealing with and muttered a curse under her breath that got her a chiding look from the librarian. She couldn't really use her powers in here unless she wanted to burn down the library, which meant she had to go at this Brawler Girl style. She summoned Xiaojin, the little spirit and send her out to the others, to call for help and let them see what was happening at the front desk.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2017

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    @Ai: You float over the building, a leaf on the breeze. The library is arranged in a U shape, six stories, but with a central lobby, half as high and glass ceilinged. Clouds of smoke obscure your vision, but you can still see, inbetween the fires, something of the fight that is occurring. Jagged flashes of fighting, the tropical sun reflecting off weapons, red and black armour. The whine of the plasma weapons builds to a roar, discharging a searing burst of scarlet light, briefly illuminating a section of the smoke filled room.

    It is, you realise, a strange choice of weapon. The principles of the design are familiar, but you know that the technology can be weaponised in far more efficient ways. Why bother with a plasma rifle, when you can build a mass accelerator half the size? They are dramatic, to be sure, but hardly worth the trouble. It is this rumination that leads you to the answer of the question you were first considering. The weapon is for showing off, of that you are certain. In fact, this attack is for showing off. It designed to be dramatic, but make witnesses, do prove something. If you wish to defend your friends against this attack, you must defend their claims of control, as well as their lives.

    Even as you realise this fact, you see unusual movement below. The guards set around their vehicles are fanning out, kneeling behind walls and looking around cautiously. One of them pulls a pair of green goggles over his eyes, scanning the skies. He gestures, suddenly, finger stabbing upwards in your direction. A few of them raise their weapons to point at you, creating a row of spikes like that animal you remember seeing on TV. Porcupine, was it?


    @Azuma: Well, it's certainly not quiet anymore. The fire alarm is loud, even from your distant position. Cutting through it are the strident cracks of gunfire, and the menacing hum of an energy weapon. Everywhere around you, people are taking cover, ducking down back alleyways, or pulling their cars over. A woman with a pram struggles to get it tucked in behind a concrete pillar, while a man crouches down behind his BMW, still talking on his phone.

    You remember watching a video in primary school, telling kids how to respond if a villain attacked. Ted the Friendly Turtle just curled up in his shell when the bad guys came, and, if he could, found something solid to hide behind. Clearly the general population has been watching those clips too. Which does, unfortunately, make your dramatic run rather obvious.

    One of the thugs gathered around the van gestures in your direction, tapping her colleague on his armoured shoulder. He looks at you appraisingly, then makes a sweeping motion with his hand. As one, the troopers fan out, taking cover behind their cars, or one of the ornamental shrubs. Others scan the area for threats, a few of them pointing at something you can't see, up in the sky. A row of rifle barrels glare at you, and you aren't bulletproof.


    @Sly and Zahid: You recognise this. These cars, these guns, these kinds of people. They remind you of the thugs from the triads, the kinds that followed one of the big-shots around. They might be ex-military, they might not, but they know what they are doing. However, that doesn't make them brave. Those trucks are the thing that's standing between them and a showdown with people like you. The kind of showdown that ends with long stretches in prison, or worse.

    @Sly:In fact, for all their guns and gear, they don't want to fight you if they can help it. Avoid the trucks, and they'll probably take the odd pot-shot at you, but they won't really be trying. As if on cue, a door at the back of the building judders open. Some library staff tumble out, suits askew and high heels discarded. Coughing from the smoke, they stumble away from the building. That's your way in. Compared to the other entrances, the odd upturned shoe is a small hazard.

    You'd better move fast, though. Looks like your little discussion with the 'nerd' has drawn the attention of the thugs. Judging from the way they fan out, the tactical calm with which the identify your team, they might be military after all.

    @Zahid: If you recognise them, they recognise you. A disproportionate number of the guns are levelled at you in particular. On the far right, hidden behind the pot plants, you pick out one in particular. There's something about him that looks familiar, despite the new uniform. For a moment the connection evades you, then suddenly springs to mind. The uniform is new, but the expression of callous boredom, the look of the lazing predator remains the same.

    He is, or was, Triad. Once a collector of 'security payments' from businesses like your parents, he's apparently gone up in the world. Or down, depending how you see it. Chin, that was his name, you remember, as he braces his rifle into his shoulder and squints down the barrel.


    @Paladin: The fire alarms are shatteringly loud, making it a struggle to think clearly. Ruddy red lights flash, lighting up the narrow rows and filing cabinets in blood red. The shelves seem to loom over you, like the battlements of someone else's fortress. You see another figure sprinting down the isle opposite you, visible in the flickers between the slats of the shelf. At the end of the row, an illuminated exit sign shows you the salvation of a stairwell.

    If you start towards it, however, your hopes are dashed as soon as booted feet echo in the confined space. A soldier, wearing red fatigues and black armour, emerges from the gloomy smoke-ridden beneath. Without seeming to notice you, she moves rapidly down corridor. Whoever it is, she moves with purpose, eyes fixed on some point deeper into the library.

    As if to personify your conundrum, a curl of smoke tickles your lungs. The library won't last long, unless the fires are at least contained. On the other hand, the soldier represents an opportunity to find out exactly why this attack happened in the first place.


    @Guardian: The lobby is filled with chaos. The security officials surrounding the library doors are putting up semblance of resistance, but they are clearly outgunned by their foes. Firing the odd pot-shot with their pistols, they flee through the library, pursued lazily by their foes. Most of attackers are still grouped around their leader. A tall, dark skinned, girl, her face decorated with red and white war-paint, directs the soldiers with practiced precision. Held in both hands is the energy cannon, the barrel glowing with a barely contained fire.

    Calmly, the soldier raises the weapon, blasting another chunk out of the marble facade of the lobby. Already, fire creeps up along the plush carpet, raising thick black smoke into the air. Another goon kicks over a glass case, revelling in its explosive shattering. This pointless destruction continues as the squad pushes into the library, giving you an idea of their strategy.

    All this violence must serve some kind of purpose, you are forced to conclude. Clearly, considering that it would not have been challenging to steal or destroy the library with less drama, the attackers are making a show of force. All of this must be represent a dramatic gesture, demonstrating the danger that this group presents. The troops don't seem to be expecting any serious resistance. They are almost casual in their movements.

    Suddenly the leader raises on hand to her ear, then gestures to her squad. Several members split off, heading back towards the vehicles, while one or two push deeper into the library, leaving her alone. She stands alone in the foyer, listening intently to her earpiece.

    However, even as the leader exposes herself, the fire grows in strength. The fire is spreading rapidly along the carpet, sucking hungrily at the bottom level of book shelves. If it continues to spread, the whole library, and a large collection of Bandar Naga's archives are going up in smoke.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    I've tried to give everyone something to do. I hope the answer's to your Questions (for those of you who assessed the situation) are clear enough.
    Last edited by Mr. E; 2018-03-30 at 02:55 AM.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Comissar's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Azuma glanced at Sly as he ran alongside her, "Waddup nerd? Skipping school to visit the library now?"

    She hesitated a moment, "It's... A training day..?"

    Even to her own ears she sounded unconvincing. She'd have to practice. With Deadboy joining the pair as well, Azuma turned her eyes back forward. She was about to respond to his question when she noticed the gun barrels being levelled at her. Her eyes widened as she let out a quick "Oh crap."

    Gritting her teeth, she pumped her arms and legs harder, doing her best to zig-zag as she tried to close the gap before they could fire. It quickly became apparent that that wasn't going to happen. The crack of gunfire and whizz of bullets made her flinch over and over, and little tufts of dirt and grass kept flying up at her. She somehow managed to juke each of the shots though, with the worst she got being a nick on her arm that left a streak of red behind it.

    And then she was in amongst them. The men seemed almost as surprised as she was, and it took Azuma a moment to begin reacting.

    "Oh! Crap!"

    As one began to swing the butt of his rifle toward her head, she took a half step back, quickly dropping into stance as she used his momentum against him. The man quickly went tumbling, sans rifle, and she gave a quick little fist pump in the air at her small victory. She tossed the gun to the ground beside her, turning with a grin to see two more of the bad guys snarling as they came toward her. Her grin wilting away, Azuma gave another "... Crap!" before rushing toward them, doing her best to jink as she closed the gap.

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Rolling to directly engage!

    (2D6)[8]

    Will edit in a more complete description once I know what my result is. Here's hoping Azuma's not going to be pulling bullets out of her leg tonight.

    Edit - Woo! Azuma will be resisting or avoiding their blows! Taken the liberty of assuming they'll open fire, let me know if that's not ok.
    Last edited by Comissar; 2018-03-30 at 07:40 AM.



    GLaDOS Avatar and Pokémon Sig. by me

    Spoiler: Alternate Avatars
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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Gender
    Female

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Ai

    Ai loves nature documentaries, and likes porcupines and other spiky little earth creatures quite a bit. She does not, however, like being shot at.

    The bullets can't do much to her--she can make herself totally intangible, so that the bullets go right through her, or so dense and hard that they can't penetrate her skin at all. But she knows that if she tries to protect herself that way, she could very well make things worse. Bullets that go through her could strike some innocent civilian, or damage something precious. Bullets that ricochet can be even worse.

    It's clear to Ai that she needs to do something to de-escalate or control the situation. She can see the top of Brawler Girl's head, just beyond the line of guards. Sly and Deadboy soon appear next to her.

    Are the people in kevlar a part of this attack, or responders? Is this a human political trick? she wonders. In either case, she decides, she should leave them to her teammates outside. They are much better at navigating those situations. Ai should concentrate her efforts on controlling the situation inside.

    Still camouflaged and turning intangible, she sinks through the skylight and hovers above the lobby. Through the smoke, she sees the glowing barrel of the plasma weapon, and catches a glimpse of the woman holding it. The weapon fires--a chunk of marble just behind Ai's head is blasted away. If Ai can get that weapon out of the woman's hands, she will at least be able to prevent loud, flashy damage like that.

    Ai's right arm turns long and snake-like. She whips it towards the woman and tries to snatch the rifle from her hands.
    Last edited by gailforce; 2018-03-30 at 02:22 PM.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lizardfolk

    Join Date
    Jun 2010

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    As Sly is about to say Great, getting past these chumps won't be too hard after all, Azuma mutters Oh crap and decides to charge into the row of gun barrels.

    Sly's jaw drops for a second while he thinks This girl is insane while watching her charge into a hail of bullets. When she ends up on the other side without looking like a teenager sized hunk of swiss cheese, Sly composes himself enough to manifest a few psychic darts in his hands.

    "You and Azuma should be able to hand these guys their buts on a silver platter. I am going to distract them for a hot second and try to rush into the library. They must be after something in there." Sly says to recently arrived Zahid over the commotion.

    Sly runs up and teleports behind the two guys now squaring up against Azuma. He throws out some psychically manifested darts at their backs while shouting "Hey chumps, you forgot to cover your 6" to get their attention for a moment. Sly gets ready to teleport over to the open door at the back of the building once these two guys turn around.

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Sly is going to try to distract these two baddies from Azuma using his "Are You Watching Closely?" playbook move. If you think it should be a different move, that's fine and I'll reroll it.

    (2d6+2)[10]

    Awesome, I'll (1) get an opportunity, (2) expose a weakness, and (3) avoid further entanglement.
    Last edited by houlio; 2018-03-31 at 03:37 AM.
    Former Owner of GiTP's fanciest Bloodbowl Team: The Fancy Lads
    The League's Self-Proclaimed Perennial Favorites and Season III Champions!
    Current Owner and Manager of Rampant Professionalism

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Bat Country
    Gender
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    That guy again? @#%& him.

    Zahid points at Chin and then charges straight at him... if he's the leader, making him run might cause the whole squad to break. He winces as the bullets sting him, but he closes in, grabs the concrete planter Chin's taking cover behind and rips it from its moorings. The temperature around him drops perceptibly as he lifts it overhead and looks down at Chin and his men... "Hi, Chin. Here for the monthly fee? I'm sorry to tell you the library is going to very late with its payment. As in never. So you all can go ahead and leave now. Or you can get stuffed into this pot with the tulips..."

    Spoiler: ooc
    Show
    Directly engage a threat
    (2d6+1)[12]
    Results: create an opportunity for your allies, impress or frighten the opposition
    Last edited by Swami Monsoon; 2018-03-31 at 10:09 AM.
    "Do Driderettes buy their legwarmers in bulk?"

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    @Ai: The gun comes easily into your hands. It's clear that she wasn't expecting an attack from above. For a brief moment satisfaction runs in your viens. Then she whirls like a snake, the warpaint on her face shifting like crimson scales. It shimmers and glows, shifting and changing shape. You see a flash of her brown eyes, brows drawn down into lines of rage. Then she closes her fists, and darkness comes boiling out of the eyesockets. It is thick and smoky, like clouds before a lightning storm, and so fundamentally wrong that even you recognise it as something that no human ought to do.

    She raises a hand, an arm coated in warpaint gestures at you. Except the decorations aren't actually paint at all. Her flesh is covered with mottled scales, interlocking like some kind of predator. Perhaps, given the other inhuman qualities, it shouldn't surprise you when a corona of lightning erupts around her fist, then leaps out to strike at you.

    The fact that it hurts is equally unsurprising. The sensation isn't quite like what you expected, rather like being bathed in boiling water. Funny that. As quickly as it comes, the pain fades, and the predator in front of you fades as well. She glares at you, a normal human again, the scales once again warpaint. Small, short, angry, maybe even pathetic. She makes a pose that you recognise from watching Azuma. You've seen it before, right before your friend gets punched by somebody. Something to do with some human sport?

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    You trade blows with our weird friend in the war-paint. She marks Angry, and you must mark a condition in return.


    @Azuma: Surprisingly, nothing goes horribly wrong in your madcap dash across the concrete. No bullet sendings you stumbling, no sudden blow announces a visit to A&E. You hit the first man, and he crumples up fluidly. You come for the next two, even as they fire wildly. The shots miss, one of them suddenly collapsing from some unseen blow. The other swings his rifle butt at your head, but you dodge easily, spinning to the side, then sweeping his legs out with a low kick. He hits the ground heavily, then rolls away, stumbling to her feet and fleeing.

    Looking around, you see the rest of the squad following. They fall back towards their SUV's, firing from the hip. A few drop their weapons and run, the better to avoid your fists. Most seems to be keeping their discipline however, and bullets whip and whine around you, but nothing touches you, at least for now. Then the doors of the library shudder heavily, and more armoured heads emerge from the smoke, still firing.

    You stand alone, positioned between them and their escape route. They are teetering on the brink of terror, and that makes them dangerous. Several run at you, looming towards you, boots eating up the distance between you and them. They are trying to run you down, bowl you over with their height and weight, so they can make good their escape.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    One group of goons is functionally down for the count, thanks to your directly engage. The other is coming for you with murder in their eyes, but are equally likely to crumple if attacked.


    @Sly: Azuma may be crazy, but she is good at what she does. She takes down the goons surrounding her with what you would think was ease, if you couldn't hear her panicking. They are already falling back, or collapsing under her blows as you teleport away.

    The library fire-exits are a crowded place. Even as you arrive, the way is filled with panicking staff. The last are spilling out of the building, blocking the corridors. However, as you stand back, ready to slip in as they run out, you notice something interesting. The upper levels of the building are now dark and smoky, which makes the flash of red all the more obvious. A flicker of uniform can be seen, heading along the corridors with intent.

    The main attack is a distraction. Whatever your foes really want, they have detached one of their number to retrieve it, while the rest cause chaos. That made them hard to spot, but also leaves them exposed. You can the goon down easy, any time you want. Whoever it is, they won't be expecting someone to drop in behind them and dart 'em. Simple.


    @Zahid: Chin cowers for a moment, gazing up at the concrete block held above your head. His gun barrel bounces spasmodically, up and down. Eyes flicker from side to side, a mouse. You are the predator, he is the prey. For a moment more the two of your stand, a frozen tableaux against the surrounding violence. Then a sudden burst of fire catches you in the side, and Chin takes his moment.

    Leaping backwards, he scurries away from you, retreating back towards the vehicles, firing wildly as he goes. More goons are pouring out the library, streaming past you to retreat towards their vehicles. Bullets continue to bounce off your form, pinging away to slice gouges into the pavement.

    You can sense that they are on the edge of collapse. All it would take is a dramatic show of force, and the remaining soldiers might be persuaded to down arms and surrender. None of them really wants to go toe-to-toe with someone like you, after all.


    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    They aren't really vulnerable to your words, as I said in the OOC. They do retreat, but unfortunately they keep shooting at Azuma and you on the way out. However, with some more "concrete" (if you'll excuse the pun) evidence of your commitment to hitting them, they may change their minds.
    Last edited by Mr. E; 2018-04-14 at 03:57 AM.

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Azuma punched the air as the goons around her began falling back, a massive grin plastered over her face as she yelled "Yeah! You better run!"

    Her confidence was quickly knocked as a bullet whizzed past her, making her flinch and drop back into a crouch. "Crap!"

    Scurrying to cover behind one of the parked vehicles closer to the library exit, she risked a glance out to see what was happening, and was nearly met with a rifle butt to the face. Rolling backward, she just barely managed to avoid her impromptu tooth removal, and came up in a combat stance. It looked like a whole new group of people wanted to tangle with her, and that was just fine by her! Giving them a cocky grin, Azuma relaxed a little and called out "Hey! Looks like I've got to- Whoaooff!"

    Apparently the thugs didn't read the hero's handbook as they didn't give her time to quip. One of them managed to land a quick sucker punch to her side while she was grandstanding. Dancing back a couple of steps, Azuma took a couple of deep breaths to psyche herself up, then dove back into them, throwing out rapid strikes and doing her best to evade and avoid the return blows, with mixed success.

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Rolling to direct engage group 2, will edit in a description once I have a result!

    Direct Engage - (2D6)[6]

    Oh dear, well, I'll let you decide how she gets injured here (alternately, if someone spends a team to help out, she'll be avoiding blows again)
    Last edited by Comissar; 2018-04-14 at 06:38 AM.



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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

  15. - Top - End - #15
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Hannah did take a moment to think what she should do. Who seemed to be their leader was vulnerable, but so was the library and if she struck at her now, with more fire she might just make everything worse. No, the library was a priority. Hannah was pretty sure that some of the things stored here would be lost forever if she didn't do something, digitization of public records was frustratingly slow.

    Hannah could feel the fire raging around her, she felt the heat it emanated and took a deep breath. She had snuffed out fires before, but nothing on this scale and she would have to expose herself. Taking another deep breath, Hannah stood upright and hopped onto the counter. She stretched out her arms, palms facing the fire sources and then took another deep breath in while bringing her palms together. The heat rushed towards, flames flickered and dimmed, some snuffed out, but it wasn't enough as the fire kept raging on.

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    @Sahe: The flames lick up ever stronger in the aftermath of your failed attempt. Beyond the foyer, fire devours the heavy volumes, crackling and hissing over the charring pages. A thick black smoke chokes the hallways, and curls menacingly in the air. It seems prophetic, a symbol of the price of failure.

    Darkness, shot through with red, leaping up to cover the city and quench the light. Passion, creativity, warped and twisted, to tear down rather than build up. To turn back the progress, to destroy the hopes of the people, to turn back civilisation to an age of darkness. You remember your mentor's voice, speaking on a day when the sun sat low and glaring in the sky.

    'Fire melts metal. The element with which you are so attached and enamoured, girl, destroys as it builds up. It burns down the old to make way for the new. It destroys tradition, past wisdom, order and discipline. And what does it set in its place? Only ivory towers and pipe dreams!'

    All these thoughts run, disconnected and barging into one another, through your head in a moment. Then a curl of smoke twists down your throat, and drives you, coughing, from your accidental meditations. The library is still on fire, Ai is fighting a woman, and the sound of gunfire rips into your ears.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Have a glimpse of what could be, and mark Afraid. Seems like the future is a scary place

  17. - Top - End - #17
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Well, I'm not gonna stick around here to cheer these two on Sly thinks to himself while Azuma and Zahid seem to easily handle the goons out front. And Sly jumps out of the combat and towards the exit disgorging a crowd of terrified of staff and patrons.

    Looking through the window and seeing a loan individual stalking through the stacks yet, Sly thinks Well, it looks like these guys aren't just here to wreck a bunch of old books. Sly teleports into the building and will stalk through the library following this lone goon. He wants to see what these guys are after here before taking this lone guy down.
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  18. - Top - End - #18
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Zahid feels a flash of rage as Chin stares back at him. For a split second he is tempted to throw the planter right at him. But rather than do something irrevocable, he sends the concrete box crashing into an empty patch of sidewalk just close enough to the goons to give them another scare. He charges at Chin, reaching to tear the weapon out of his hands...

    "You guys are done here. DONE."

    Spoiler
    Show
    Directly engage a threat (overpower the leader)
    (2d6+1)[10]
    "Do Driderettes buy their legwarmers in bulk?"

  19. - Top - End - #19
    Orc in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Ai has dropped her camouflage now--there's no point in spending the mental energy to maintain it, considering that she's already revealed herself.

    As the snake woman below her takes a fighting stance, she tightens her tentacle-y grip on the plasma weapon. She can figure out some way to use this, she's sure. The snake woman isn't a threat, not really--her lightning powers sting, sure, but right now she's just a sweaty, tired human. The fire seems like the bigger threat.

    In her peripheral vision she sees Vermillion Guardian dart out from behind a desk and try to use her powers to quell the growing flames, only to be overcome. Yes, Ai needs to deal with this fire now.

    Ai flies back up, away from the snake woman and deeper into the billowing smoke. It doesn't affect her, but hopefully it will work as camouflage while she does what she needs to do. She hides herself behind a free-standing column, then gets to work. Hopefully she can do this quickly.

    The plasma weapon is built a bit clumsily, but Ai is familiar with the principles behind its design. If she changes the polarity of the mass converter, she should be able to reconfigure the molecular structure of the substance that the weapon produces. Ai's fingers turn into hard and spindly, like long needles, and she takes apart and rearranges the gun's guts.

    The modification of the weapon takes only a few seconds. When she's done, Ai flies towards the wildest part of the fire and fires the modified weapon into its heart.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show


    Rolling alien tech to turn the plasma gun into a super-powered fire extinguisher

    (2d6+2)[4]
    Last edited by gailforce; 2018-04-16 at 05:02 PM.

  20. - Top - End - #20
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Oh no! Hannah thought, looking wide eyed and shocked as the fire flared up, consuming more and more of the library. That had exactly the opposite effect of what she wanted, she had failed, let go of her powers in the wrong moment and now thick smoke was filling her lungs. She coughed as she made her way out of the smoke, noticing how Ai darted past her looking weird and taking cover, doing whatever complicated tech stuff it was she was doing. Maybe she had a solution for the fire? She needed to buy her time and distract the attackers.

    She spotted the leader, the weird woman with the snake tattoo that let her shoot lightning. Hannah charged at her with quick steps, not quite confident enough to use her powers again, after she had just failed and made things worse. Good thing she was still a formidable martial artist without her powers.

    Spoiler: Rolls
    Show

    Directly Engage: Danger 0-2 for Afraid
    (2d6-2)[2]
    I don't exactly know what I expected xD
    Last edited by Sahe; 2018-04-17 at 07:28 PM.

  21. - Top - End - #21
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    @Ai: What you are doing should be simple enough. You understand the principle, you’ve even seen a few of the more common versions of such weapons before. But, as you take the gun apart, it becomes increasingly apparent that this is not one of the common versions.

    The outside is clearly human made, machined out of steel and decorated with strange, but seemly unimportant symbols. The inside, however, is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Parts of it are crystalline, other elements made of a golden metal. It glows with a ruddy light as you tinker, and you swear that some parts of it moved when you looked away for a second. The power source pulses gently in your hand as you take it out, looking unnervingly like a heart. A heart of steel and crystal, but an organ nonetheless.

    However, with the fire raging, now is no time to be sentimental. You hurriedly rearrange the last few components, point at it the fire, and pull the trigger. There is a moment of silence, before what the humans would describe as “all hell” breaks loose. The gun hums, suddenly glowing a pure white, then bucks and spits in your hand.

    Tearing itself from your grip, it spins through the air, suddenly searingly bright, overloading your “eyes”. A blast of freezing cold engulfs you, and the crackle of the flames stops in a moment. When you can force your eyes open, against the bright glow that still emanates from the centre of the room, you see a truly bizarre sight.

    Snowflakes are floating through the air, settling on shattered bookshelves and charred carpet, even on your own form. This is strange enough, in a tropical city like Bandar Naga. In the centre of the room, the gun is encased in a thick sheet of ice, its barrel pointing up. A blade of ice extends vertically, punching through the ceiling of the ground floor, and extending further into the library. You can’t see how far it goes, although judging from the thickness of the sheet, quite some way.

    However, for all the drama, the fire is out, the smoke slowly dissipating on the breeze. As far as you can tell, your mission has been broadly successful. So the mishap isn’t that serious, then...

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    This was flipping hard to come up with a good result for, but I’m pretty pleased with my eventual decision.



    @Azuma: This group of soldiers is just as unskilled as the first group. You spin, hammering a fist into a thug’s chest, and he goes down, choking. A clumsy punch is thrown, and you fluidly weave around it, straightening up to counter-attack.

    Then someone shoots you. The bullet catches you on the shoulder-strap of your body armour, boring through the kevlar and tearing a small but bloody gouge in your shoulder. The round is low-velocity, probably from a pistol, but it still feels like being punched. The impact spins you sideways, and unbalanced, you tip backwards. Hitting the concrete doesn’t hurt that much, only removes what little dignity you might otherwise retain.

    From your position, you see the remaining soldiers stream past you. A few are still shooting at Zahid, although he seems to barely notice. Bullets ping and bounce off his form, while he strides implacably forward, looking every inch the real warrior, the real superhero. What, then, are you?

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Getting shot hurts. Take a Powerful Blow



    @Sly: The goon is terrified. She pulls her gas-mask over her head, settling it onto her pale face. Thick smoke is starting to fill up this level, forcing you to keep low to avoid choking. The gas-mask swivels, causing you to take cover, but the soldier merely takes a moment to stare longingly at the exit, before forcing herself deeper into the building.

    With hurried, jerky movements, she heads along, reaching a glass door. The sign above the frame announces that this section houses Item S: Supernatural Affairs Archival Material. Inside, she almost sprints down the rows of record boxes, stopping in front of the 1968 archives. Opening one of the drawers, the goon sorts rapidly through it, pulling out a thin sheaf of papers.

    The woman fumbles in one of her belt pouches, removing a small cigarette lighter. She takes the top sheet off the pile, flicking a flame into life, then brings the two closer…

    Then, with a sudden roar, a sheet of ice punches through the floor. The six-inch barrier separates you and the thug, trapping each of you on the opposite side. Thrown off balance, you stagger backwards, while she tips forward, landing heavily on the filing cabinet. The woman stares at the sheet in alarm, then at you on the other side. The papers lie on the floor, lost in her sudden fall, and she starts scrabbling towards them, lighter still in hand.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    I was going to let you just narrate taking a lone thug out, but since she is now on the opposite side of a wall of ice, an unleash to teleport across before she can set light to the documents might be in order. Unless, of course, you have a more cunning plan.



    @Zahid: You’re right. The remaining goons are, as you say, done. Most, Chin included, drop their weapons and flee before you reach them. A few are too slow, crumpling beneath your fists like paper dolls. Without the sounds of gunfire, the loud ringing of the fire alarm and the crackle of flames take primacy.

    The smell of smoke hangs in the air, thick and poisonous, while onlookers, reassured that the immediate danger is over, start to take pictures. You see cellphones raised towards the sky, people gesturing and pointing. The once placid library is a scene of devastation, thick, mangy clouds billowing overhead, while scattered figures lie unmoving on the manicured grass and marble steps.

    Then you notice Azuma. She’s lying flat on her back, a small amount of blood staining one shoulder of her pearly white costume. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, short, sharp breaths puffing out. Not dead, but not thrilled to be here either.

    Vermillion Guardian isn’t thrilled to be here either. She staggers back out of the doors of the library, driven back beneath the fists of something that used to be a woman. The form is still broadly humanoid, but the eyes of pure darkness and the shimmering red scales are most certainly not. It stops at the top of the steps, snarling something you can’t quite hear.

    Below her, your compatriot looks up at the looming thing, arms raised protectively, to ward off the blow that must be coming. A sudden flash of white light surges from the library, starkly illuminating the scene. The goons may be done, but the fight is not.


    @VG: You come at the warrior, and she pivots fluidly on one heel to meet you. She deflects your first blow, but only barely, and for a few moments you think you might have this in the bag. Then she raises a fist, and the warpaint changes to scales under your gaze. Teeth seem to glow in the half-light, while she lets her arms drop to her side.

    You hit her, at that moment, but she barely seems to notice. Then a fist comes lashing out, faster than a human ought to be, forcing you to dodge out of her way. Oily darkness comes boiling out of her eyes as she drives you back, driving you out of the library and onto the front steps.

    Her teeth are changed too, like serpent’s fangs, as she looms over you.

    “How weak, how painfully inadequate, how feeble art thou, protector?” The language is Chinese, a common lingua franca in the city, but arcane, maybe even medieval in its diction. “You show thouself to be poor substitutes for our strength. No wonder humanity has fallen so low, if these are its guardians.”

    She looks at you, with the look of a king who beholds his upstart peasantry scrabbling in the mud. You get the impression that it is not her that is speaking, so much as something through her. A sudden flash of light comes from behind her, making her seem to float on a wave of white fire.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Creepy shape-shifting lady is trying to mess with your mind. She wants to shift your Danger down, and your Superior up. Resist or accept this shift.

  22. - Top - End - #22
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    The fight was going... Ok..? Azuma hesitated to say it was going well, that would imply she was confidently flinging the goons left and right. Instead, her eyes were wide, acting more on instinct than any kind of plan as she did her best to dodge and weave through the thugs opposing her. When they started to thin out, she felt a grin tugging at her lips. She was going to win!

    White hot pain suddenly lanced through her shoulder. She only dully registered the bang of the gun, and it sounded like someone was yelling out in pain. Everything around her was spinning, and it was only thanks to her reflexes that she managed to avoid smacking her head on the concrete as she fell to the ground. Taking a shuddering breath in, she realised that the yelling had stopped.

    Oh... It was me...

    Gritting her teeth, she glanced up to see boots pounding past her, the black leather slightly blurry through the tears that had appeared in her eyes. She saw Zahid still fighting, still doing what he could to take down the bad guys. She had to help.

    Attempting to push herself up, she let out an involuntary gasp of pain as she put stress on her injured shoulder, flopping back down again. Fighting back her rising panic, she raised her uninjured arm so that she was laying her hand over the bullet wound. She was forced to pull it away again at the sharp pain that followed. After a few moments of trying to get her breath back, she rolled onto her uninjured side and tucked her legs under herself, propping herself up on one hand.

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Let's take a powerful blow then! As ever, will edit in the description once I have the result.

    Pain time! - (2D6)[10]

    Edit - Heh, figures this is when I get the 10

    Let's go with two options from the 7-9 table, will be giving ground and marking Afraid and Insecure.
    Last edited by Comissar; 2018-04-18 at 06:41 AM.



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  23. - Top - End - #23
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    The snake woman was just toying with her, easily driving Hannah back out of the library onto the steps. Franka stumbled and fell as the woman stepped closer, unleashing words that cut deeper than any of her attacks. She was right...Hannah was a failure, a nothing, a weak little street girl wanting to play a hero and fill shoes she wasn't prepared to fill. "No!", she protested meekly. She got up and looked around for her teammates, Ai still had to be in the building, she had no idea where Sly was, Zahid was still up going after some of the attackers. Then she saw Azuma, bleeding, on the ground.

    This was a fight they could not win. She focused back on the Snake Lady. She had to get away from her and buy them some time. Hannah made a sweeping kick on the ground, fire sweeping out of it in a circular pattern that snaked it's path around the woman, then she pulled her foot back, causing the flames to leap up and hopefully trap the woman in a wall of fire...at least for a moment.

    She didn't wait to see what happen and instead turned around, running towards Azuma.

    Spoiler: Roll
    Show

    Unleashing Powers, trying to create a firewall to buy some time:

    (2d6+1)[3]

    Seriously, what did I do to deserve this?
    Last edited by Sahe; 2018-04-18 at 07:10 AM.

  24. - Top - End - #24
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Sly recognizes his moment to strike as the lighter's flames begin to reach up towards the paper. Sly beings to lunge forward saying Isn't vandalism a bit below your paygra-"

    And a sudden wall of ice erupts through the floor, separating Sly and the goon. For the second time today, Sly's jaw drops. A wall of ice, in the middle of summer, in a burning building he thinks to himself as he struggles to process his increasingly improbable day.

    He doesn't have the luxury of time though as he spies the goon through the wall of ice lunging towards the now scattered papers. He sees the lighter's flame lick toward the old, dry paper in slow motion. He dives headfirst into the wall of ice, trying to teleport through it to catch his opposite.

    Spoiler: OoC
    Show
    Alrighty, we'll see if I can turn around this run of bad fortune with an Unleash Your Powers.

    (2d6)[10]

    WOOOOOO! I've managed to contribute!
    Last edited by houlio; 2018-04-18 at 11:33 AM.
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  25. - Top - End - #25
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Zahid speeds Chin on his way with one last kick to the backside. As the goons flee he turns his attention back to the library entrance... and sees Azuma on the ground. He makes it a few steps in her direction before Hannah emerges, with Snake Girl in hot pursuit. Literally, in this case, but the flames don't seem to be bothering her much. Hannah is already at Azuma's side, but she won't get the chance to help unless...

    American football is a guilty pleasure for Zahid and his father. They watch videos on the Internet and sometimes even stay up late to watch live games from the States. As he sprinted towards the serpent woman he imagines himself as a blitzing linebacker charging the quarterback's blind side. He hurdles the streak of flame on the pavement and tries to flatten her with a flying tackle...

    Spoiler
    Show
    Directly Engage
    (2d6+1)[6]
    (Note that the kick to Chin was just a solid human-strength kick, not a punch his pelvis through a car door super kick.)
    Last edited by Swami Monsoon; 2018-04-18 at 04:32 PM.
    "Do Driderettes buy their legwarmers in bulk?"

  26. - Top - End - #26
    Orc in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Ai gasps, more in surprise than in pain, as the weapon in her hands turns frigidly cold. She drops it in shock, but it stays suspended above the ground in a cocoon of ice.

    Well. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. But the fire's out, at least.

    A familiar voice yells in pain behind her, and Ai's head instantly whips around 180 degrees. She sees Azuma on the ground, bleeding and disoriented. VG is fighting with the snake woman, but she's isn't winning. Her teammates are in trouble, and the snake woman is still advancing.

    Ai forgets about the strange, surprisingly organic weapon and the wintry landscape she's accidentally created. She rockets towards the snake woman, lashing out with a super-dense tentacle that sprouts from her shoulder. She wraps it around the snake woman's ankle, trying to stop her in her path.

    "HEY!" Ai yells. "Your fight was with me, remember? Aren't you mad that I broke your clumsy little toy?" She does her best Sly impression (still not very good, but she's working on it) and puts on a sneer.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Ai is trying to provoke the snake woman into attacking her instead of VG or Azuma.

    (2d6+2)[12]
    Last edited by gailforce; 2018-04-19 at 01:43 AM.

  27. - Top - End - #27
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    @Azuma, Zahid, VG, Ai: It starts to rain, heavy drops falling thickly from the sky. You’re going to get soaked soon, the water plastering your skin to your body and soaking through your clothes. Matches the mood perfectly, in fact.

    Azuma props herself upright, the better to see the fight unfold. It is not a reassuring sight, seeing the snake-woman through a curtain of rain, which seems to thicken and coalesce around her. Hannah gestures, and a wall of flame leaps up to guard her stricken friends. The rain douses it almost immediately, water hissing and snapping like an angry serpent. Small clouds of steam rise from the pavement, shrouding the foe further.

    She makes no move to pursue Hannah, merely standing, head tilted back, letting the rain fall on her scaly brows and twisted hair. The sound of rain on the pavement rises to dull drumming thunder, snatches of chanting coming through it. Her lips move slowly, carefully mouthing an incantation of some kind.

    Ai comes flying out of the library, a tentacle-like arm lashing out to wrap around her foe. It loops around her shoulder, pulling her backwards, while the alien shouts something in the woman’s ear. She closes one hand into a fist, and lightning cascades over Ai’s body, throwing her off the snake woman. With barely a pause, the chanting continues, growing slightly louder, almost loud enough to hear what she is saying.

    Zahid comes running at her, leaping over the fading remnants of the fire, fist ready to strike.. She seemingly doesn’t notice him, placidly standing, arms raised, continuing with her magic. Zahid takes another step forward, reaching out to attack, and then the woman dissolves into mist, her clothes falling to the ground, her form blurring, then dissipating into the rain, vanishing like flowing mist.


    @Zahid: She’s gone. The battle is over. You’ve won. Pity how it doesn’t feel like victory. The rain continues to fall, soaking you to the skin, drumming down on the concrete tiles and greying out the scene. The sound of sirens rises, getting slowly louder. You see a policeman now, heading towards you. In his wake comes a man wearing business casual clothing, that most paradoxical of fashions, and carrying a thin leather satchel. He smiles a wide grin as her approaches, seeming rather out of place among the devastation.

    Another police car pulls up, followed by some ambulances. They’ve clearly been waiting for you and your friends to finish fighting, ready to clean up after. They seem stressed and undermanned, suggesting that this has not been the only fight this afternoon. That probably explains the lack of press descending on your location. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a bicycle come screeching to a halt, the occupant practically falling off it. They scrabble around in their backpack for something, then, notebook in hand, advance on your position.


    @Ai: The rain is falling, water trickling down from above. Something like this happens on almost every planet in the universe, you know. It has the same connotations in almost every culture, an universe-wide symbol. Rain is for sadness, for losing. Not that you lost. The library is mostly intact, Azuma and Hannah is safe, even you aren’t too badly hurt. It wasn’t that bad, you think, even if everyone looks like they might disagree.

    You see, from your prone position, several humans descending on the scene. Most pull up in large cars, logos and symbols written on the doors. Officials then, the ones that your teammates call policemen. A few disembark from a van, with big bags. One of these goes to your injured friend, engaging her in conversation. A few more individuals appear, this time not dressed in matching outfits. One has clothes that are all black and white, a brown leather bag clutched in one hand. The other is wearing bright colours, a yellow shirt and a watch made of blue plastic. She carries a notebook and an expression that suggests that she’s been exerting herself recently.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    Mark a condition for having a second run in with the lightning, this time somewhat intentionally.


    @Hannah: You see the woman vanish, leaving Zahid standing alone, soaking wet and defeated in victory, Ai sprawling on the ground nearby. In the distance, you can hear the sounds of sirens. The emergency services have probably been waiting in the wings, ready to sweep in and pick up the pieces. Of course, your attention is probably preoccupied with more immediate concerns.

    A small amount of blood is trickling from Azuma’s shoulder, but she is still breathing, if looking at you with terrified eyes. The bullet only nicked her, and the gouge will heal in time. The shoulder piece of her armour is destroyed, but ultimately replaceable. The real wound sits behind her eyes, in the fear that hangs in them. The fear that you can feel pulsing and building behind your own. The team won, but it doesn’t feel much like victory.


    @Azuma: Hannah looks shattered. You can see it in the slump of her shoulders, the look of dull exhaustion in the corners of her mouth. Last time you made such a mess, at least it didn’t hurt quite as much, at least no one had that expression on their face. In the distance you can hear sirens, the city’s emergency services scrambling to pick up the pieces left by your actions.

    Your shoulder pulses slowly, a bloody trickle emerging from it. It merges with the rain, spreading out to stain your clothing red. That is going to look so bad when you have to explain it to Dad. More than that, the whole battle is going to be so hard to explain to Dad. The guns, the plasma cannon, the fire. How are you going to persuade your father that this is a remotely safe occupation?


    @Azuma, VG: A paramedic crouches next to you, holding a first aid kit in one hand. He looks at you appraisingly, then nods to himself, gesturing at Azuma’s injured arm.

    “Let me have a look at that.” With practiced, rapid movements, he opens up the duffel and begins to dig inside, looking for something. “Was it a gun, or something,” he pauses, then shrugs, “else?”


    @Sly: The woman is quick, but only human. Stepping through the barrier, you catch with a blow, and she crumples, the lighter falling out of her grip. It lands on top of the pile of paper, giving you a moment of terror before the flame flickers out.

    You’ve won, apparently. Other than the goon, the floor is deserted, empty and quiet. The smoke quietly escapes out the windows, slowly clearing away. The papers lie spread over the floor, yellowed with age, but still readable. Rain patters down outside, softening and greying the cities edges. The soldier is still sprawled on the floor, breathing slowly and evenly.

    Her armour is the same as that of the soldiers outside, except the gas-mask pulled over her face, and the insignia stitched to one shoulder. Two symbols are juxtaposed next to each other, one almost on top of the other. The upper symbol you recognise, showing a green ring surrounding a pair of scales. Apparently this one is from the Jade Circle.

    The lower symbol is stranger, showing three dragons, one red, one blue, and one gold. The three glare at you with pure black eyes, and it feels unnervingly like they are actually watching. You hear emergency sirens in the distance. What has happened to your friends, while you went off on your own?


    Spoiler: OOC For Y’all
    Show
    Fight #1 is over, folks. I figured that our villain had no motive to hang around once she’d made her point, especially now that her goons have been defeated. Now you’ve just got to deal with the aftermath. Issue 1 has a bit longer to go, but will be closed up relatively soon.

  28. - Top - End - #28
    Orc in the Playground
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    Jun 2017
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    Female

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Ai picks herself off the ground slowly. The snake woman's lightning didn't really hurt, but she still feels bad. She should have stayed in control more, protected her fragile friends more effectively, done a better job modifying the plasma gun, not let the snake woman get away. At least it's over.

    Paramedics are tending to Azuma and Hannah. Ai knows she would just get in the way. Instead she flies over to Zahid and lands gently next to him, keeping an eye on the harried-looking humans who are approaching them.

    She raises her hand, and it morphs and spreads into a pale, fleshly umbrella that spreads over both of them to keep the rain off. (It is, by human standards, a little gross).

    "Do you want to get out of here?" she whispers. In her other palm rests her shrunken-down space ship.

  29. - Top - End - #29
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Bat Country
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Conditions:
    Potential: 1

    Zahid lunges at the snake woman and... he finds himself sliding across the suddenly slick pavement as she vanishes in a puff of vapor. The rough concrete snags and finally puts an end to his shirt, which has already been perforated by more than a dozen bullets. He tries to hold the fabric together for a few moments and then finally tears it completely off with a sigh of frustration. This is why no fancy costume... he'll have to pick up another half dozen shalwar kameez suits from Amir's shop soon. It's a good thing they're cheap, because they won't last long... His torso is covered with bruises, but they are already starting to fade. His exertion has deepened his aura of cold and the rain is now freezing on his skin and hair. This is the heroic image he presents as the reporters approach.

    When Ai makes her offer he is sorely tempted. But, after a moment's thought he looks over at Azuma and Hannah. "Thanks for the offer, but I need to be here for them." He glances at the posse of press and winces. "Even though it's going to suck. Because it's going to suck." He approaches Azuma and tries to sound reassuring. "Hey, how's it going? Thanks for having my back... we sure ruined their fun..." This is where he's supposed to say she'll be OK. But he's no doctor. He can do feelings, but he lacks skill in platitudes...
    Last edited by Swami Monsoon; 2018-04-19 at 10:47 PM.
    "Do Driderettes buy their legwarmers in bulk?"

  30. - Top - End - #30
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Jan 2012

    Default Re: Masks: Dragon City IC

    Conditions: Afraid, Insecure

    If it weren't for the fact she'd been shot just a few moments earlier, the feeling Azuma got when she saw Hannah's look as she made sure she was ok would've been the most painful thing she'd felt all day. Azuma just knew that she'd managed to make things so much worse than they needed to be. The others had already been at the scene, or at least known what they were doing running forward. All she'd managed to do was get shot. Then distract Hannah from her own fight. At least it was raining now, it made her tears of pain and frustration so much harder to see.

    Feeling she ought to say something, she opened her mouth and started "I-"

    And then the paramedic was on her, no time to apologise for being in the way. Biting back her apology, she looked up at the man as he crouched beside her. Reaching up with her uninjured arm, she fiddled one-handed with the straps of her shattered shoulder piece, trying to remove it to grant the man access. As she did, she answered his question, her voice beginning to waver as she did, "Uhh, gun. Bullet gun. I think."

    She glances up as Zahid comes over, giving him what felt like an easy to see forced smile. She tries to figure out what to say in response to his attempt to make her feel better, but her train of thought is sidelined as the throbbing pain in her shoulder begins to intensify. She grimaces, gaze falling as the paramedic takes over removal of her shoulder armour, beginning to examine her wound more directly. Without the compression the plastic had provided, and with the adrenaline now beginning to drain from her system, it turned out bullet wounds really really hurt!



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    Leah and Saura, Summer Rose, and Firebrand by me

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