Run #7: Through the Looking Glass

[Elliott]

Tyros' arms move in a flurry as he directs the waves of magic out and away from he and his friends (free action, counterspelling everything). Moving slowly towards the cultist at the north door, his right arms snaps out to the right (centering) and sends a small glowing ball of energy zipping into the cultist at the east door (manaball, f4).

Despite the vast amount of magic he is channeling and being faced by four mages intent on his destruction, Tyros breaks into song, belting out an ungulating, rythmic battle hymm of the ancient Scots.

[Drew Buddy]

Although he is without his usual equipment, Doc knows that he should have a direct neural connection to his implanted commlink, if it's still on. In his mind, he tries desperately to mimic the action that would normally fire up the Scan program.

[GM Nick]

Counterspelling

[Counterspelling (4) + WIL (6) = 6]
6 1 4 5 6 6 1 6 5 2

Manabolt (f4)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) = 3]
1 6 4 4 4 2 5 1 6 4 4 4 1 2

Enemy Counterspelling

[Counterspelling (4) + WIL (6) = 3]
4 2 5 1 6 4 4 4 6 3

Resist Drain

[WIL (6) + LOG (4) + Centering (1) + Focused Concentration (2) = 5]
5 1 1 6 4 2 2 3 2 5 5 1 5

The cultist raises his hand and Tyros' manabolt evaporates against his palm.

[GM Nick]

Lightning bolts erupt from all four cultists and zero in on the runners.

Lightning Bolt (f5)

[Spellcasting (5) + MAG (5) = 2]
1 1 5 1 5 4 4 2 1 2

Lightning Bolt (f5)

[Spellcasting (5) + MAG (5) = 3]
2 1 6 3 6 5 2 2 2 2

Lightning Bolt (f5)

[Spellcasting (5) + MAG (5) = 2]
4 4 2 3 6 2 5 3 1 2

Lightning Bolt (f5)

[Spellcasting (5) + MAG (5) = 6]
5 3 6 6 2 4 3 5 6 6

All four bolts of electricity converge on Tyros, forming a ball around him. With a concentrated grunt and a mighty roar, he flexes his shoulders outwards and repels the ball, dissipating the energy without a scratch on him.

[GM Nick]

Memory Test (4)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) = 3]
5 4 4 3 4 6 1 5 4 3

Tyros fights off the maddening sensation that something important has been forgotten.

[GM Nick]

Max lunges for Bell.

Melee Combat (Takedown)

[Unarmed Combat (2) + AGI (8) = 5]
1 1 6 1 3 5 5 6 2 6
[Unarmed Combat (4) + AGI (6) = 3]
3 2 6 4 2 3 4 5 1 5

...and pins him to the ground!

Bell grins up at Max, a single rivulet of blood running from his nostril.

"Stay awhile... and listen!"

[GM Nick]

The four cultists exchange glances.

"We must channel with more voracity, my brethren! Target the hermetic!"

Once again, collective hairs are raised by the culminating voltage being spread between the four robed men.

[Drew Buddy]

Seeing Bell well in hand, Doc turns his attention to the robed cultists. Hoping that breaking the connection with one of them could disrupt the spell, he hurls himself at the nearest cultist in a flying tackle.

[Elliott]

Falling deeper into the flows of magic, Tyros continues to send them away from the team (free action, counterspelling). Without ceasing his song, and with his eyes almost glazed with their attention on various weaves of energy, the huge troll almost casually reaches back and slugs the northern cultist.

[GM Nick]

The cultists, fully absorbed in their spell casting, fail to react in time and each go down without much effort.

The remaining two fire off super-charged bolts at Tyros.

Lightning Bolt (f8)

[Spellcasting (5) + MAG (5) = 6]
1 6 5 4 3 5 6 3 6 6

Tyros barely shrugs off the initial bolt, deflecting it aside with a sweep from his massive arm.

Lightning Bolt (f8)

[Spellcasting (5) + MAG (5) = 2]
3 2 5 4 1 3 2 4 2 5

He steps to the side in rhythm with the Celtic battle hymn and swats the second bolt out of the air.

[John]

Max glares into Bell's eyes below him and growls,

"Your listening days are over, motherfragger."

Pressing the bar of his forearm against Bell's throat, Max presses down hard against its structure, crushing his windpipe.

[GM Nick]

The thrashing Bell quickly loses all resemblance to the aforementioned Colonel and resumes the appearance of a very average and very dead middle aged man in a tweed suit.

Molly, who seems to have arrived from nowhere, cocks her head at Max.

"You going to stop murdering people and find my father?"

[John]

Max cocks his head at her and speaks decisively,

"I've had just about enough from you!"

Winding up, the elf delivers a sharp back-handed slap to Molly's right cheek.

[GM Nick]

Memory Test (3)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) = 3]
6 2 1 6 6 3 2 1 4 4

Tyros' eyes widen as all of his memories come flooding back.

[Elliott]

Tyros' song halts abruptly, mid verse. Without dropping his defenses, Tyros runs to the next cultist, and lays him out as well.

"Molly, how can you possibly be here? And why would I be looking for your father in the midst of my being awarded Magician of the year?"

[John]

Max snickers,

"I think the better question is, 'what kind of reality would this be if Tyros were being awarded Magician of the Year?'"

[GM Nick]

[ Buzz Cola Manufacturing HQ, Seattle ]

Rawhide inches his way along the rafters, gripping to the cross-beam for dear life. He glances over his shoulder at Max, Doc and Tyros, who are doing the same.

<Just a few more meters and we can drop down into the CEO's office.>

[Drew Buddy]

Doc almost loses his grip as his mind catches up to the current situation. He steadies himself, before daring to look down.

[John]

Max keeps pace rather ably, replying to the dwarf,

<Lead the way. I'm right behind you.>

[GM Nick]

Rawhide stops abruptly and clips a carabiner on to an eye-hole in the sectional beam. Using his burly arms, he flips himself end-over-end so that he's dangling off the end of the stealth rope attached to his vest. Ever so gingerly, the dwarf squeezes the clutch on his personal winch and begins to descending to the accompaniment of a near-silent whirring.

[GM Nick]

Rawhide releases the clutch and stifles a yelp as a security guard emerges from a bathroom door directly below him.

<Doc. Better deal with this fragger. Remember what the Johnson said: Non-lethal takedowns only.>

[Drew Buddy]

Doc reaches his hand to where he feels like he'll find a weapon.

< On it >

[GM Nick]

Doc's fingers make contact with a suppressed Ruger 100. Upon examining the magazine, he finds tranquilizer darts.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc grins, and quickly lines up the sights (( take aim )).
Centering on the guard's neck, he breathes out while squeezing the trigger. (( called shot ))

(( If I'm not mistaken, this should be a surprise attack? ))

[John]

Max holds his breath, waiting in rapt anticipation for the shot to report back its muffled *TWHIP* from Doc's pistol and ready to pounce on the man should it go awry.

[GM Nick]

(( The guard has no chance to dodge. ))

The guard twitches and begins to reach up towards his neck before doing a face-plant on the floor.

Rawhide releases the clutch and zips down to the warehouse floor.

<Tyros, get down here and help me with this body!>

[GM Nick]

Rawhide scratches his beard, happily oblivious to the fact that he has forgotten something.

(( Can't even attempt memory test. ))

[John]

Wanting in on the action, Max drops down as nimbly as he's able to assist Rawhide with the body.

[Elliott]

Tyros slips down his rope to the floor and hefts the guard's body over his shoulder. "What are we doing now?", he says with a shovel full of sarcasm.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc clips in his carabiner, and readies the rope.

< I'm going to watch our backs. Holler if you need me >

He scans up and down the hallway, looking for signs of movement.

[John]

Max watches with some dejected irritation as the massive troll easily lifts the body out of his comparatively struggling grasp. He doesn't let it bother him, though.

[GM Nick]

Rawhide pushes against the door to the CEO's office.

"Locked! Hey, Max--maybe you, the master of unlocking can get it open?"

[John]

Max tilts his head in confusion at Rawhide's suggestion,

"Uh, yeah. Master. That's me. Let's see what there is to see."

Max kneels down in front of the lock and reaches for his lockpick set...

[GM Nick]

Lockpick Test (3)

[Locksmith (3) + AGI (8) = 3]
6 1 5 1 1 1 6 2 2 4 1

Max's nimble fingers work the tumblers and in under a minute, the lock gives way.

Rawhide pushes the door open and peers inside.

"There should be a contract with Renraku here somewhere. We have to find it and replace it with the altered version."

[John]

Max nods, says "The master of unlocking is on it," and goes about hunting for the contract.