Contract #6: For Whom The Bell Tolls: Part I

Conway · Post by **Conway** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:34 pm

((Congratz GM Nick on reaching 2500 posts. Thats a lotta work he does for us, chums!))

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:35 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Melee Combat (Tyros)

Damage Resistance (Grenadier)

{{ 11P DAMAGE! }}

The Grenadier seems to spontaneously rend from the tip of his head to his groin. The two distinct halves separate and fall away in a mist of gore.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:36 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

[ Max = 60 ]
[ Legion Rifleman B = 47 ]
[ Val = 44 ]
[ Legion Rifleman A = 42 ]
[ Legion Adept = 42 ]
[ Legion Heavy = 41 ]
[ Tyros = 38 ]

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:39 pm

[ Bravo Team ]

(( Thanks, Tom! Also, assuming penetrating strike. ))

Melee Combat (Sinjin)

Damage Resistance (X5)

{{ 13P DAMAGE! }}

Sinjin's heel strikes the center of the drone and propels it with such force that it bursts apart against the wall.

John · Post by **John** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:37 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Max's forearms throb dully. The adept contorts himself midair and lands on his feet with expected grace as Max draws back his arms and propels himself forward with his legs, lunging forward to grapple with the adept and bring him crashing to the ground.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:51 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Melee Combat (Max)

{{ 9P DAMAGE! }}

Max's forward momentum is a piston strike of kinetic energy. The elf's rigid arms connect with the adept's rib cage, producing a series of meaty pops and a pain-filled wheeze. The pair tumble together through the glass-strewn lobby and slide to a stop, Max straddling the injured Legion soldier with an expression of unbridled fury on his face.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 4:48 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

The Legion Rifleman steps over to Max and aims the butt of his rifle at the elf's crazed visage.

Melee Combat (LRB)

Max raises a forearm and deflects the bludgeoning attack with a quivering battle spine.

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 4:52 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Val hastily swipes a gloved hand over his combat visor, clearing away the dirt and concrete dust plastered there by the Legion soldier's barrage of LMG fire. Gritting his teeth in a silent snarl, he pops up and places the Legion Heavy above the sight rail.

(( Long, narrow burst. ))

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:43 pm

((No damage resistance to Max's attack?))

John · Post by **John** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:28 pm

(( My base is 4 or 5P, which would have put me at 11 or 12P had there been no roll. Looks like he just forgot to post it. ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:48 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Val's FN HAR chatters as the decker attempts to guide the firing solution on his desired target.

Ranged Combat (Val)

Damage Resistance (Heavy)

{{ 8P DAMAGE! }}

The heavy's breastplate tears away under the concentrated automatic fire, blood misting from several direct hits.

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:54 pm

[ Bravo Team ]

Haywire makes a disgusted face as the creepy-crawly drones converge on her position. She drops her hand to her thigh, withdrawing a black baton.

"Come on you little fraggers..."

Melee Combat (X5)

The battle mage weaves as a toxin-laced appendage snaps out at her. A crackle of crimson light briefly illuminates the back alley.

Melee Combat (Haywire)

Damage Resistance (X5)

{{ 9P DAMAGE! }}

The drone bifurcates as the mono-filament whip passes noiselessly through its mid-section. Both halves fall apart, revealing a diorama of micro-circuitry and sparking actuators.

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:58 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

A flash of elation breaks the surface of Val's combat discipline as his volley hits home, dropping the heavily-armed soldier to a knee. Val brings the muzzle down, compensating for recoil, and squeezes the trigger again as his smartlink reticle flashes an on-target notification.

(( Short, wide burst. ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:30 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Ranged Combat (Val)

Damage Resistance (Heavy)

{{ 7P DAMAGE! }}

The heavy head snaps back as one of Val's expertly placed bullets pierces his frontal lobe. His lifeless body crashes backwards through a maw of plate glass, suspending him mid-fall like a twisted art installation.

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:48 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Through dimming vision and ragged breaths, the Legion rifleman perseveres and manages to squeeze off a round at Val.

Ranged Combat (LRA)

Val swivels back to the safety of the half-destroyed planter, feeling the reverberation of each gunshot in his sternum as they pound just above his helmet.

Arm shaking, the Rifleman reaches up and fires another volley.

Ranged Combat (LRA)

Val keeps his head down, waiting for the right moment to return fire.

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:20 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

The pinned adept brings a knee up into Max's rib cage.

Melee Combat (Adept)

The elf tucks his left elbow in, deflecting the attack.

Post by **GM Nick** » Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:23 pm

[ Bravo Team ]

The remaining X5 drone scampers up to Sinjin's leg and begins hacking away.

Melee Combat (X5)

Sinjin lunges out of the way, never removing his eyes from the deadly scalpel-esque spider arm protruding from the metallic chassis.

(( You're up, turps. ))

Post by **GM Nick** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:41 am

[ Bravo Team ]

Haywire's peripheral vision registers a gray blur headed directly to her exposed calf.

Melee Combat (X5)

The lithe mage leaps nimbly over the advancing drone; the crimson contrail of her flickering weapon follows in her wake.

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:42 pm

[Alpha Team]

The bloody misty left in the air from the slaughtered Legion Grenadier at Tyros' feet begins to shimmer, as if boiling. Tyros' face contorts behind his visor as he throws his will behind the immense power unlocked from the blood. His insides churn as he brings the energy to bear. It burns him as it passes through in a way that normal mana never has - the struggle to contain the power could very well kill him. The mage thrusts his free hand out (centering) and the red haze quickly coalesces around his fist before firing off as a pulsing red ball towards the Legion rifleman (rifleman b - he is the unwounded one right?) (manabolt, f10 - don't forget the sacrifice drain successes)

John · Post by **John** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:43 pm

(( This isn't an area effect spell that could kill Max right beside him, is it? ))

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:40 pm

((Alas, no. I did consider using powerball which is an area of effect and would have killed the whole legion squad, but it would also has gotten Max too...the temptation was great, but Tyros wouldn't do it so I restrained myself

))

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 3:55 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Manabolt (10) (Tyros)

{{ 11P DAMAGE! }}

The Rifleman erupts in violet flames as the manabolt slams into him. His attempts to swat out the consuming energy are futile as they seep through his armor and scald his flesh.

John · Post by **John** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:16 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Max's back and left sides are suddenly ablaze with a heat that somehow radiates suffering and agony. The Legion soldier screams as he claws at his body, flailing wildly as he thrashes desperately about the room in a hopeless attempt at stopping the pain. The reddish-pink light transforms the chamber into the type of district into which he'd followed many dallying husbands and public figures over his years as a private investigator-- its new glow perfectly aping the neon hum ubiquitous the world over with buying and selling the comforts of young flesh.

Blocking out the screams, in an instant Max turns his attention back at the writhing adept beneath him. The elf adjusts his weight against his awakened enemy and comes to rest with a battlespined forearm against the man's neck. The two find themselves face to face, each of them able to feel the hot, hate filled breath of the other on his cheeks. Max can smell the last cigarette his enemy will ever have smoked. The combatants gnash their teeth and growl into each other, the physad clawing at Max's shoulders to try to find some purchase-- anything that will give him a hold with which to push the elf backward and gain a precious moment's reprieve and and even more precious breath of fresh air. He finds none. The Legion soldier growls out his final sound as the last of his breath is squeezed from him, Max's forearm bearing down and into his throat. His eyes bulge grotesquely from their sockets and the veins on his forehead stand out in alarm. No more sound escapes the adept but for the sickening, meaty crunch as his windpipe flattens.

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:05 am

[ Alpha Team ]

Melee Combat (Max)

Damage Resistance (Adept)

{{ 8P DAMAGE! }}

The color drains from the adept's face as the life is squeezed from him.

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:07 am

[ Bravo Team ]

Haywire's voice crackles across the comms. Her breath is ragged from the skirmish with the drones.

< Well, that was fun. I think I may have found our entrance, by the way. >

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:37 am

[ Bravo Team ]

Adams finishes prodding one of the drone carcasses as Haywire's comm comes through.

< Finally some good news. Heading there now, > he comms, giving one last glance around him before jogging in Haywires direction.

Post by **GM Nick** » Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:15 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

The residual magical energy drains away, evaporating from the corporeal world like absorbed moisture. Tyros turns his eyes to the last Legion man standing--the critically wounded Rifleman.

(( You're up, Elliott. ))

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Tue Dec 18, 2012 3:34 pm

[Alpha Team]

The last legion squaddie leans heavily against a large planter, blood running from his wounds, down his side and pooling quickly at his feet. The muzzle of his assault rifle sags as he watches, slack jawed, as one of his squad mates' blood boils him to a crisp and the other has his throat crushed mercilessly. It's over, and he knows it.

He grunts softly, looking down at the shape of a blade suddenly protruding from his breast, only discernable due to his own gore and viscera covering it. He wheezes a long, slow last breath as his legs give way and he slides down the wall to where he lies still.

Tyros wipes his sword clean on a drape that somehow remains sufficiently unsullied.

"We all in one piece? Let's move. The Prince is holed up on the 24th floor. We should probably take the stairs so we have a chance to announce ourselves before his guards open fire."

John · Post by **John** » Tue Dec 18, 2012 4:28 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Max climbs to his feet off of the dead adept, who lies suddenly motionless, adrift in a sea of combat rubble and gore. A few meaty pops escape Max's neck as he cranks it from side to side in hopes of alleviating some of the nervous tension that still surges through his body. His joints feeling like a collection of rock tumblers, the elf moves over toward where his weapon landed when it was shot out of his hands. Max picks up the shotgun and wipes the plaster dust off of its form. Max inspects the damaged region of the weapon where the slug slammed against it, nodding appreciatively when he finds it to have caused no significant structural damage.

Overstreet stands with his weapon back in hand, reloading the few expended rounds, and surveys his cohorts. "If you had told me an hour ago that we were going to geek six Legion soldiers without getting so much as a scratch, I'd have called you glitched on beetles..." Max trails off as he contemplates the team's skill and, ultimately, impossible fraggin' luck. Finally he nods. "Sounds about right, Tyros. The stairs it is. Can't say I'm excited about the idea, though." Max pats the compartment on his breast where he keeps his smokes, thinks better of it, and forges ahead.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:17 am

[ Bravo Team ]

Haywire doesn't look up as Doc and Sinjin approach, picking their way through the trashed street. She's shaking her head subtly and staring at a nondescript spot on the wall. Her fingertips hover a few centimeters from its surface as she traces an imaginary path.

"There's a faint inconsistency in the wall here, I think it's some kind of seam. I don't see any handles or control panels. Any ideas?"

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:25 am

[ Alpha Team ]

Max shoulders the stairway access door open, leading a quiet advance with the muzzle of his shotgun. A damaged, flickering fluorescent light casts the elf in a strobe, throwing into sharp relief a series of fresh blood spatters and bullet holes. He throws a hand up and flicks his wrist forward, flapping his fingers to indicate forward movement. Pivoting around the corner, the elf's targeting reticule centers on a silhouette and then dims as the features of a dead Tir guardsman come into focus.

The casualty is an elf, close in approximate age to Max himself. His eyes are open and vacant--transfixed on something that once occupied the same stairwell. An Ares Alpha, damaged beyond repair, lies at his feet. Max kneels silently and ejects the magazine. Empty. With a closer vantage, Max notices a series of grisly gashes raked across the elf's torso. The cuts are deep, having penetrated the armor and ruptured his internal organs.

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:34 am

[ Alpha Team ]

Val ascends the staircase slowly and steps cautiously to where Max is examining the Tir guardsman. A wave of terrifying familiarity surges through the decker as his widening eyes take in the condition of the body. His breathing increases in tempo. Screams briefly fill his ears as images of crimson-splashed snow dance before his eyes.

Projected from his helmet's external speakers, Val's voice is an ethereal whisper. "Six."

He shakes his head roughly, banishing the macabre flashback. He cranes his head upward, watching and listening for any sign of movement.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 11:39 am

[ Bravo Team ]

Adams brings his face close to the wall, studying the seam.

"Not entirely sure. They would have to have an external mechanism for getting in," he says, in a voice a hundred kilometers away.

(( Time for my old friend, the Engineering knowledge roll! ))

John · Post by **John** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:07 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

Max offers a slow, shallow nod in agreement with Val. The elf casts a wary glance up the open interior of the building's stairwell, knowing full-well that one of Six's counterparts could be stalking around any place. As the gloom of the of the place sets in, Max begins to consider pulling the ripcord on the mission for the sake of his daughter, the team, and his own life.

Post by **GM Nick** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:09 pm

[ Alpha Team ]

The stairwell offers no audible response to Max's querying glance, save the exhausting realization that the team has twenty three floors to go. He runs a compulsory hand over the guardsman's eyelids, shutting them for the final time.

Contract #6: For Whom The Bell Tolls: Part I

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