Reading Between the Lines [Zoinks, A Gjaum!]


Hanuman/Black Dog


Encroachment: 58% (33 + 5 first roll + 20 impulse encroachment roll)

Initiative: 12

Max HP: 30

Move: 21

Dash: 42​



Yuuka is, for once in her life, late to the party. While it wasn't particularly her fault, she did dallied a bit too much on the 'mystery' of this Super-Striker's identity. In fact, she's too distracted by this matter that she failed to notice that her lead, one Benimaru Tenzin, has disappeared into his other assignment (no doubt unintentionally taking his private cheerleading squad with him).


She sighs once more. This detective work isn't really suited for her at all. She'd better off asking someone else to do the facts-checking for her while she do the legwork, the arrangement with Suzu is certainly working and it's much more comfortable for her. In her contemplation, she even failed to notice that Kotori is practically staring at her throughout her conversation until it's obviously too late.


"...A-ah, Shimazu-san, sorry you had to see that. I just want to confirm the rumors with a junior of mine."


She was going to continue, but the arrival of the black limousine seems to have put a halt on that. She remembers hearing about the arrival of this American Senator at the periphery of her hearing earlier but hasn't exactly given it much of a thought. Her priorities remain in finding out just who this Super Striker is.


"By the way Shimazu-san, have you seen where Tenzin-san is? I have something I want to ask him..."


It was then that the sound of gunfire caught her by surprise. Yuuka managed to look up in time to catch the Russian mercenary gunning down the Senator. A certain instinct inside of her responded, and the unpleasant feeling inside her stomach seems to intensify as repulsion starts to creep in her psyche at the sight of that particular mercenary. She doesn't understand why...

[dice]1623[/dice]


[dice]1624[/dice]


...But somehow she managed to suppress the instinct. Her hesitation seems to prevent her from acting however, and the next surprise of the morning came just as sudden as the first one.


Why, it's one Super-Striker, of course.


Yuuka just stares at the scene dumbfounded as the object of her inquisition earlier just presented himself in front of her. She also did a double-take when she first take notice of his baseball theme. She'd expect something more...military-ish? But then again, her knowledge of him is so limited that he can be anything and she'd still do a double take. The mercenary, however, managed to be more than a match for the superhero as he swiftly applies excessive force at the baseball-man, leaving him reeling. Yuuka's first instinct is to rush in there and help him, but her cautious nature seems to put a stop on that in favor of a more...tactical approach, and by that she means looking around first before she runs.


With the school grounds quickly turning into a war zone again, Yuuka did a quick look-around to see who else is still standing after the latest fiasco. She spies Airi and Arika - as expected - standing with Tatsumaki-sensei a little bit to the side - now that one is a bit unexpected. Aside from those three there are the 2 delinquent-looking boys at the side and two other girls about her age still standing. Or at least she thinks they're about her age, she seems to remember them from the other classes. Acting fast, the taller girl fires a freakin' laser at the gunman while one of the delinquent boys follows suit with...is that a gun? Did he just bring a gun to school?


She's beginning to think that Himuro-kun has a point after all. If nothing else, the school probably has enough firepower to match an entire squadron of JSDF soldiers now...


As the lasers and acid-coated bullets flies towards the mercenary, Yuuka used that 'distraction' to swiftly and nimbly dodging through the spaces provided by the projectiles to run to where the reeling superhero is. She even makes it a point only to display her speed conservatively, but at this point she's not sure if it even matters anymore.


"Hey, are you alright?" She's beginning to think that's all she ever says for the past couple of days. Sounds like a catchphrase doesn't it?
 
(Rescue Team)





The ice shards miss the Senator by a wide margin, but they leave her rather shocked, just as Airi leaps in between them.


<JESUS! What're you trying to do?> she yelps reverting to English, as Airi takes on the brunt of the attack. Airi is nailed to a tree, forming a Pollack-esque collage of ichor. However, the performance is cut short, as her blood and guts slide back into her body just as quickly as they were dispatched, leaving her nary the worse for wear.


"Senator. Are you alright? I am BrBa-03 Codename: Morrigan. I've come here to assist you," Airi says, as Arika gets a phone call.


"Hello?"


"Oh, Hey, Arika. I'm feeling a little under the weather. Sorry. I did leave the flier with the A/V club. Just so you know," Airi says to Arika, as Aria looks on, agape.


"Then...Who? Oh, no," Arika sighs.


(Battle Team: (Haruna, E)


Kaneda's advance is not the wild rush of a berserker, or the tepid steps of an unsure greenhorn, but rather the purposeful stride of a veteran of many battles. Unaware, or perhaps just apathetic to the danger posed,


He leapt up and, with a flick of his finger, the trio of gunmen exploded in a blast of plasma. Meanwhile, Hiro obliged Haruna, and a wall of ice circled around the gunmen and the defenders, making a handy arena. Tamako, on the other hand, fires black streams of death towards the cybernetic warriors beside Koschei.


Riiko, meanwhile spins about, growing in size, arms becoming white, avian wings, legs become gnarled, scaled and clawed, and a fluffy tail of feathers pops out from beneath her skirt.


"Kamome Riiko, takes flight!" she called, and breathes a spray of poison gas at the gunmen.


"I...I..."Hiro says, his face a look of total shock.


"I MADE IT WITH A SEAGULL!??" he finishes his thought with a yell.


"Hiro, that's mean. I thought we had something special," Riiko says, pouting.


(Yuuka)


"Fuchigami Yuuka? Err--I'm fine, citizen. Thank you for your concern. the pursuit of Justice is always fraught with danger," Super Striker says, with a cough," If you will aid me, we may be able to take down this fiend!"


(Ryuu)


As Ryuu's instincts kick into fear, he runs to the door, where he finds a small figure blocking his way. The figure's body is hidden beneath a tiny space suit, save for their head. Or, what Ryuu assumes to be the head. It's in actuality, a melon-sized light bulb. The space-light-man is watching a video on a computer nearby, chuckling, and waving a cord-like tail behind them.


"Oh, Hello. You noticed too, eh? Me, I never let it get to me. Come on, pull up a chair. It's Chiwa's Kitten Time," the figure says, patting a chair beside him.
 

Bram Stoker/Neumann


Encroachment: 42% (32+1 from the first roll + 9 encroachment roll)

Initiative: 9

Max HP: 31

Move: 5

Dash: 10

Once again Kotori was late to a fight and she didn't know whether to curse her own lack of attention or her slow reflexes. Truly, if it was not for her quick mind and powers over blood, she would be all but useless in this situation. It was a fact that didn't sit well with the girl who dreamed of becoming a super villain.

The situation was bad as far as she could tell. Someone foolish had knocked out all the non-Overeds in the area and three men had stepped out of the shadows to attack the senator. At the sound of gunfire from these three assassins, Kotori's mind went blank. Like the bioweapon set loose on the MIR space station, she ceased to think for a moment as her thoughts came crashing to a halt at the fact that someone had the gall enough to assassinate a politician using overed powers in broad daylight. A few milliseconds later though her thought process began again, moving at the terrifying speeds only a Neumann could achieve. Possibilities for the reason behind the attack were thought of and soon discarded as Kotori analysed the scene before her.

The situation as subtly complex. The senator had an overed protecting him and thus was obviously involved in some of the more shady international overed organizations. It was most likely why someone had sent a well known killer like Koschei to take him out. Following this, Kotori pondered the consequences of this fight, her mind spinning off several scenarios in less than a second, simulating the possible outcomes in her mind as she did so. First, Koschei killed the senator. If this happened they would be in for a fight for their lives as none of them could be left alive to be witnesses. This would lead to two possibilities of the combined forces of this school either defeating the rouge assassin or being killed in turn by the undead Russian. Another path that could happen involved defeating Koschei, but this could lead them all into getting involved with the larger overed groups in the world. Taking into account that Airi was obviously an agent of some type, it was possible that they were already under observation.

Kotori grit her teeth for a moment before a wicked smile graced her features. If her calculations were correct, it would be the best path to provide assistance to the more powerful overeds, not only gaining favor from them, but allowing her to memorize their abilities for further exploitation later on. Kotori's right hand went to her left shoulder to begin her "transformation" but she stopped herself at the last moment. No, she thought to herself, it wouldn't do to reveal her true self over a mini-boss battle like this. Her dramatic reveal would have more impact once she had everyone's trust and confidence. It would be what Laika Kurdyavka would do.

So instead of suddenly cosplaying, Kotori observed Koschei's body, looking for weak spots. Once she had found one, a particularly malformed servo in the back part of the cyborg's left knee, Kotori reached into her pack and reach for the furry ketchup ninja that no-doubt dwelt within. Calling out to both Ketrin and Haruna, Kotori threw the contents of her bag towards Koschei. "Ketrin, Haruna, aim for the back of his left knee!"
Kotori used Weak Point Detection on Koschei. The roll for it, the impulse roll, and encroachment is below:

[dice]1683[/dice]

[dice]1682[/dice]

[dice]1684[/dice]

I get 3 autosucesses because of negotiation so that means Weak Point Detection works. Thus Haruna's next attack gets 9 attack bonus.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"THAT'S the senator?" The confusion on her face is evident. She had seen the senator. He had been filled with bullets and died. The thing that crawled out from inside, she assumed it was something else. It was also the senator. Her mind started reeling. It was just a bit too strange.


She tried to put the pieces together even though her body and her blood screamed to attack the thing. She needed to defend herself before the creature could infest her. But her mind was working slowly in the background, keeping her rage in check, even if just barely. This was a person before her, not a monster, though just like her just as capable of becoming one. And this person had been wearing - the thought turned her stomach - the form of the senator like a mask. A mask that covered its whole body.


And another student, not a normal human, had left in front of her Attack, but appeared none the worse for having taken the brunt of it. "YOU are the senator? But, how?" She remembered something about the person being an overed just like her. But her own powers were simply using her own self control to affect the world around her. But she needed to also recognize the possibility that other powers might allow someone to change forms, or just inhabit someone else. She really knew nothing about these powers that her school seemed to collect.

Shrugging of the condition of Berserk from the failed rolls.
 
(Battle Team (Haruna, Kotori))





Kotori flung the contents of her bag into the air, but despite her calculations, Kotori was not inside. No, the Tanuki ninja leaped out of a nearby tree, grabbed the manga and the textbooks and stuffed them into her tunic.


"No one can look at Mistress' drawing-books but me!" she yells. and leaps towards Koschei, a blur of speed.


"Ketrin Ketchup, a self-proclaimed ninja. Amusing to see even animals attempt to emulate the abilities I pursued myself," Koschei muses," as Ketrin emerges from her blur, in her massive battle form. She lands a massive kick aimed at the inside of Koschei's knee. Koschei collapses, the overwhelming stress of the plasma blasts, laser rays and poison bullets all obviously too much for him. However....


Kotori once decided, in one of her more artistic days, to try her hand at making her own action figure. Using a frame and clothes she bought from a strange store in Akiba, she had sought to recreate the feel of these toys. However, all she got was three broken frames and the realization that she just wasn't good at 3D design. What she saw was the reverse of this effect. Dislocated limbs napped into place, oddly splayed digits jerked back into usability, and the spine, once oddly positioned, snaked back into a usual straight line. Koschei was rebuilding himself.


"What? DIE YOU!" Ketrin roars, slamming her heel down on Koschei's torso, but the strike never landed. Koschei's hands lash out, grabbing the ninja's leg, spinning her in mid-air, before launching a shockwave of lightning through the tanuki.


"BLAGHABABLABABABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" she yells, and collapses on the ground.


Koschei then snaps his fingers, and the two other cyborgs vopen fire. They rain a hail of bullets from vulcan machine guns in their arms at E and at Haruna with an accuracy roll of 17 at E, and 8 at Haruna. What will you do?


(Oh, since I assume we're in combat now, the battle team will go first, so you can act once you resolve the attacks to you all, FYI.)


(Akiko)


"Would you vote for me now, as I am? You might not know this, but image is everything to a politician, especially to one such as I. I was never much when I was younger, at least until I hit my teens, when I got this...power. However, it didn't make me any more glamorous. Then I heard of them. If I could garner enough power, I could join them, and be as powerful as I wished, not matter what I was or looked like. That's why I formed the persona of Harry Schneider. A strong, powerful man? Who wouldn't wish to join such a person?" the Senator says, frowning, her eyes narrowing.


"You wished to join The Founding Fathers? Senator, that's prepos--" Airi said before getting slapped.


"Quiet! Like a half-breed clone like you would know of them! Besides, why am I telling you all this? Protect me, Morrigan!" the Senator says, as Airi nods, her eyes narrowing, and she nurses her slapped cheek.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
E, could only watch in unnerved confusion, as a Tanuki, suddenly jumped into the fray. Sure, it was taken out with ease, but it was still weird nonetheless. 'Freaks.' E'Zane, snapped his head towards the two girls, bearing down on the big-man's back. 'Ketrin? Ketrin? Is that, that thing's name?' The boy then proceeded, to make a mental note, of the blue-haired girl's features. After all of this was over, he would be steering clear of her, light-girl, Tamako, Kaneda, and Maki-Maki. This was just too ridiculous. Having powers was nice, but being around other people, with them also, just felt wrong. They were anomalies. Creepy anomalies. Just being near them, made him feel like an oddball himself. 'Just let me meet someone normal..'


BANG-BANG-BANG!





'Damnit!' His long, drawn-out reverie, had left him open to erupting gunfire, coming from the guns held, in two of the men's arms.





[dice]1736[/dice]


[dice]1737[/dice]


It looked as if his reflexes, would have taken him to safety, out of the path of hot led, but at the last moment, a small stumble, allowed the bullets to pierce his body. Coughing up blood, E wondered what the hell he was doing here. (-26 HP; Check OOC for damage roll)




-E'Zane, has used Water of Pain/Shot Gun (Major Action)-

Perform an [Atk. Power: +LV(1)]


ranged attack. If an attackthat


uses this Power deals at least one


point of damage, the Target will


receive the Bad Status Dazed.




Dazed:

​




All dazed characters receive a -2 dice


penalty towards all checks.

Opposed Check: 24


Damage if hits: 15 (9+5+1)





[dice]1738[/dice]


[dice]1739[/dice]


[dice]1740[/dice]


[dice]1741[/dice]


Aiming at the gunman off to the big man's left, E, once again shot a few bullets, while spraying him down. If the ringleader had extra lives, surely his lackeys would only have one, right? Positioning himself close to his target's body, E released another hit of sight-stealing chemicals.


-E'Zane, has used Blind Sheep (Auto)-


Declare right before the Target performs


a check. That check receives


a - [LV(3) + 1] dice penalty. This Power


may only be used once per Round.




"Okay! Listen up!" He shouted at the courtyard. "Give this one here, all you've got! We're gonna take these guys out, one by one, and leave fat man for last!"

"When we get to you tubby," E'zane growled at the man, "you're going to wish you had stayed dead."


​














HP: 2/28


Encroachment: 56


Has used <<Warding>>


Large Handgun x1


Weapon Case x1


Cellphone x1


Uniform x1
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Akiko had her powers for a little over a week. She didn't really understand hers, let alone anyone else's. This whole conversation was going a little above her head. Everyone else seemed to know more about what was happening than she did. Well, except for those lying on the ground unconscious.


"No." No, she wouldn't have voted for a tentacled monster to be a senator. She wasn't even sure she would vote for an old guy. But she still had 4 more years before she would be old enough to vote. "What are the founding fathers?" Yet another term she didn't know anything about.


Who were all these people? And what was she involved in?
 
(Attack Team (E, Yuuka))





The shot rings out, but doesn't strike, a massive lcoud of gas being blown up by the attack. When it clears, you see one of the cyborg soldiers standing in the way, its left arm a mangled mess. Its chaingun is ruined, and the arm, still attached and usable, is revealed to be hairy and ursine in nature. Something is not terribly right with these cyborgs.



and SUper Striker stands before Yuuka, his entire body is smoking and his bat is a ruined, looking as though it was sanded down to the handle.
"Speed Force engaged. That ought to even the odds," he says, coughing up blood and kneeling over. With that, the other cyborg soldier's chaingun sputters and explodes, its barrels bent out of shape, as htough hit with great force.


"Impressive, but now you've overextended yourself, Captain Flash. Who will rescue these poor peasants now? Koschei the Immortal is here!" Koschei says grandly, spreading his arms.


(Akiko)





"Tell her, then, clone. You told her about them in the first place," Senator Schneider says, frowning, as Airi coughs.


"Well, I don't know how familiar with American History you are, but the emergence of America was a collaboration of powerful, intelligent men. What is not often known is that these gentlemen largely all possessed supernatural abilities. George Washington shone with holy light and awed those who beheld him, Benjamin Franklin could bend lightning to his will, and Lafayette could produce heady musk who could bend those to his will (Well, more than a usual Frenchman, anyways). The battle at Yorktown was said to have leveled the city, as Lord Howe was part of the British contingent in the Royal Zoological Society with similar powers, able to control flames themselves. When America gained its independence, they sought to keep their stranglehold on American politics and economic power, reasoning that only the rational, educated, and most "Fit" of all men ought to hold political power, and retain the Franchise. This was the Founding Fathers, and they have held America within their grasp for these two hundred and fifty years. Even the Civil War was nothing they did not see and calculate into their equations. For Senator Schneider to want to join them? That's, that's--" Airi says, as Schneider loosens her terrible frown.


"It's more than that. It's...the path to true power," She says, her eyes watering up.
 
She was slow. That thought, more than any other thought ran through her mind, her mental processes caught up in what was happening before her. Kotori was partially a Neumann, a human-shaped super computer that could run in massive parallel during the course of a battle. In the time of less than a minute that she had been engaged in combat, her mind had already run thousands of simulations on how their group could survive against a kill squad of much more experienced overreds. But despite her mental speed, Kotori's body could not keep up. She had been neglectful of her own training for years now, having basically given up the sword in light of her father's inattention. And now that she actually needed a better body that could react fast she found herself failing miserably.


She didn't know what to do. She had no real combat power. Despite being a Shimazu she had no ungodly powers as her ancestors did. She was simply a smart little girl who could also control her blood. She could not become a robot with machine guns, move at super speed, or fire lasers. What could she do? Even with Super Striker engaging the enemy she was at a loss. If things continued they would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers and firepower.


Kotori stilled as an idea came to her. That was it wasn't it? Numbers and firepower.


Kotori bit into her thumb bringing forth a small amount of blood and held her hand out before her. Drawing upon the power within her, Kotori caused a small trickle of blood to pour from her digit onto the ground where it formed two of her Red Servants. Taking the time to makes sure she made them correctly, Kotori looked to the mechanical assailants the moment she finished and observed them. There, a small weak point at their hip where their small amounts of remaining flesh met the cybernetics unevenly. Thinking quickly, Kotori mentally ordered the two Red Servants forward, ordering them to grapple with the leftmost assassin lackey. While her Servants took off in their suicidal charge towards one of the assassins, Kotori made a mad dash towards Ketrin to pick her up.


As she did so, Kotori glanced over the nearby Haruna and spun off another mental simulation of her fighting style. What she found was that the other girl needed to turn her wrist two degrees clockwise for further accuracy. Kotori called out to Haruna as she scooped up her ketchup ninja and ran for the cover of a nearby wall. "Haruna! Turn your wrist two degrees clockwise while you fire and aim for the right hip of the one my minions are attacking!"


At this point Kotori gave up all pretenses of battle and ran for cover, hoping she would make it there and hide for the time being.

Ok so Kotori used Advice, Weakpoint Detection, and summoned up two Red Servants. The Servants are extra so you get to decide if they actually manage to distract the assassin minion for the time Haruna needs to shoot it. Other than that I gave Haruna a -1 Critical Value bonus (mm. 6) and a +1 die as well as a +9 damage bonus to her next attack.


[dice]1915[/dice]


[dice]1916[/dice]
 
"Americans? That was like a hundred years ago." The details of American history really eluded her. She knew what happened but not when. It didn't really matter to her. She wouldn't get to America until she won her first national Judo tournament. Then maybe, she would get to go.


"That was when the British guy, King George, fought against the American guy, Boy George, and had something to do with cherry trees. What does that have to do with Renegade virus? Did the Americans invent the virus?" That would be just like them. Invent a virus to turn people into monsters, but give them superpowers as well, to cause as much damage as possible.


Somewhere behind her, a fight was going on. She knew that, but if she didn't hold herself in very firm check, she would probably become part of that. Whoever was fighting had to deal with their own problems. She needed answers more than than a fight right now.
 
(Akiko)


Airi could only chuckle and shake her head, while Senator Schneider raised her eyebrows.


"I think I may need to add some remedial reading to your history reading, dear," Tatsumaki-sensei says, not skipping a beat.


"How can a teenage girl know so little of the history that affects you even here? I know of the Meiji Restoration, the Tokugawa Era, and the Warring States Period, and yet you don't even have your Georges straight. What will come of this nation? No, we didn't create Renegade. No one knows where it arose, and no one knows why it does what it does. Just that it can," Senator Schneider lamented.


(Action Team)





"Kotori-sama, can I fly?" Ketrin says, her face in the ground, Clearly, the Tanuki is severely addled.


Kotori feels a weight, not on her body, but on something else, something she hasn't ever thought she could feel wight on: her shadow. Looking down, she sees her shadow stand straight up, and turn to her, albeit far shorter than it normally is.


"Tell me, young girl, do you desire speed? The ability to run swift as birds?" the shadow asks her.
 

Hanuman/Black Dog


Encroachment: 63% (58%+2% Sonic Attack+3% Shadow Image)


Initiative: 12


Max HP: 30


Move: 21


Dash: 42
​



"...W-wait, how did you know-"


Yuuka's inquiry was cut short by the sudden movements that happen all over the place. It might have been too fast for other people to see, but it's not too fast for Yuuka. She witnessed how Super Striker struck the other two cyborgs numerous times at the same time anyone else (bar Yuuka) take to blink. Unfortunately, such display seemed to have take a toll at his physique. It's doubtful that he can even repeat the same stunt right now.


"That ought to even the odds."


"Impressive, but now you've overextended yourself, Captain Flash. Who will rescue these poor peasants now? Koschei the Immortal is here!"

[dice]2029[/dice]


[dice]2030[/dice]


[dice]2031[/dice]


Result: 24


Damage (assuming it hits):


[dice]2032[/dice]


Before Koschei can even react however, Yuuka followed Striker's example and strikes fast and true, without even appearing that she even moved. The only evidence that anything even happened was the air vacuum that was created as she went back and forth cutting the distance between them and the cyborg. Well, that, and how red her right hand is right now.


"...Geez, just what was he made out of? Some kind of super-secret metal alloy thing?" She quips weakly while wiggling her right fingers, somehow trying to soothe the pain.
 
"I don't need to know everything about America to pass history class." It was true. They spent 6 weeks on the history of America. 2 weeks of that focused on World War II, 2 weeks on the time after WWII, which left only 2 weeks for everything else. "I bet most American students couldn't even find Osaka on a map."


Now that her mind was calm, she started taking in her surroundings even more. Still, there was one of the robots still trying to attack despite being heavily damaged. She was still talking to the tentacled senator. There was a body lying nearby. There was just a lot going on. She started sorting through everything, trying to decide what was a real threat, and what she could afford to deal with later.
 
She had messed up. That was all she could think of when the figures turned at her despite being hit by plasma. Her eyes perfectly captured each bullet, but that amounted to nothing. Her body simply couldn't put out the speed needed to outpace the bullets, so she twisted her body while hoping to minimize the damage. Most of the burst went aside uselessly into her mirror coat. The rest of them slammed into her, turning her sprint into a crashing tumble behind one of the ice barriers.


Haruna set a new record for today as she saw stars during the day for the second time. For a brief period, she couldn't move or breath while laying prone on the ground. Staying awake before the pain put her out was all she could focus on right now. If she fell asleep here, chances were she wouldn't wake up again. Forcing air into her lungs made Haruna grit her teeth, but it was a good sign. That she was meant none of the bullets had hit her lungs, or anything else immediately vital. Fumbling with shaky hands, Haruna checked herself over briefly looking for where she had been hit.


What she saw made her stomach turn. The reinforced clothing hadn't done much at all, and where it did stop anything there were ugly bruises. The rest was a mess of blood, holes, and carved out grazing shots. The sight of it felt worse than the actual pain and made her want to cry. Haruna had never intended to win any pageants, but unless this virus was good at healing the body, she probably wouldn't be able to enter one.


Looking away quickly, she used the barrier for support to pull herself into a sitting position. Ignoring the protest from her body, it seemed that Kotori was here. That's right, she was here too this morning wasn't she? Good thing she's still in one piece. Haruna didn't trust her own voice to work without sending up something, so she made a point of breathing over congratulating. Maybe she was going into shock from the sudden hits? No, by all rights she should be in it and down for the count. Haruna guessed she had the renegade to thank for that. It seemed she was saying something but it took her brain a moment to organize the noise into something intelligible.


"Wrist?"


A slurred voice that she didn't want to acknowledge as her own leaked out, along with the sharp taste of copper filling her mouth. Fighting it down, Haruna glanced over the barrier at the two bloody figures moving in concert. Settling her eyes on the waist, her blurry vision sharpened into high resolution focus. An ugly mesh existed where the reddish green skin met grey steel that unevenly distributed the cyborg's weight. Lifting a hole filled arm onto the barrier, she used it to steady her aim. Twisting her wrist slightly, Haruna zoomed in on the target and pushed her will through.


Gathering up the power in her arm, she rotated it to as fast as possible making her ears ache from the noise produced. Narrow down the focus of the lens to a single point and channel the entire output into it. Surround it with stabilizing bands that kept her arm from jerking out of it's socket, Haruna emptied her lungs of air and fired. Melting away part of the wall, a large gust was kicked up as her blast sorched the ground it passed over heading clean through the target and detonating into the mountains on the other side of the school building.

[dice]2089[/dice]


[dice]2090[/dice]


[dice]2091[/dice]


[dice]2092[/dice]


Total of 22 dmg and...12 accuracy. Total of +6 to encroach from light hand, light bow, and concentrate.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This was impossible. That was the thought that rang through each of the processes in Kotori's mind as she observed the situation before her. Her eyes swept over Ketrin's still form, taking in her injuries as she crouched down low behind a wall nearby the sudden fight to the death that had erupted in the school courtyard. She set the raccoon-dog Overed down in front of her so that she could examine her injuries and winced at what she saw.


Turing Ketrin's head slightly to take stock of her wounds, Kotori saw a nasty lump on the back of the tanuki's head. Her mind dived down into what little medical knowledge she knew from reading doctor mangas and knew that there was little she could do. Ketrin definitely has a concussion but not likely internal bleeding in her skull. If she did, she would have only an hour at best to live before the blood fully clotted and squeezed her brain to the point of death. Thankfully, the wound wasn't deep and the skull hadn't been cracked. She was still talking at least so all Kotori had to do was keep her awake.


Kotori patted the tanuki's cheek with a slight amount of force to try and get the animal Overed's attention focused on her. "You can't fly just now Ketrin-chan. You need to stay focused on me. If you fall asleep now that will be it for you."


As she tried to keep her servant from falling into a coma, Kotori looked away from Ketrin to Haruna to take stock of her acquaintance and maybe-hopefully-friend's state. Kotori felt a cold, dead weight in her stomach upon seeing Haruna's injuries as the other girl checked over her own body. This was bad. No, this was worst than just a bad situation. While nothing immediately fatal had been hit, Haruna would likely bleed out if she wasn't treated at some point in the near future. Looking at the blood that trailed down from the holes in Haruna's body, Kotori experienced a strange almost-urge she couldn't quite identify. There was a prickling sensation in her mouth as the fangs in her mouth extended somewhat and she suddenly felt thirsty, for what she wasn't quite sure.


Before she could identify this feeling however, the hair on the back of her neck stood up as she felt some kind of weight fall down upon her on a metaphysical level. Turning slowly to look behind her, Kotori saw what was definitely the most unbelievable thing she had seen all day. Her shadow, an image cast by her body blocking the sun's rays, was standing up. Impossibly her shadow had become darker and stood up, talking to her in her own voice.


Feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, Kotori placed a hand on the ground to steady herself before she fell over. The multitude of parallel processes in her mind came to a stop as the impossibility before her made itself known. There was no response to the shadow's question at first, the silence dragging on to the point of uncomfortableness. But then a tiny spark lit itself within the darkness of her shocked mind. It was small at first, just an idle thought of how this was just like the times when the protagonists in the manga she read gained their power. The thought gained purchase in her head though as she latched onto the idea.


That was what she wanted wasn't it? To live her life like some hero's in a manga? To finally matter in a way she never hadn't before? Hadn't she lamented her lack of usefulness, her lack of strength and speed? Had she been stronger, couldn't she have stopped the falling out between Tetsuo and Kaneda? Even with her own power, she had not been able to be what her father wanted, what her friends needed. So was it so bad to take up such a sudden offer, even if the consequences could be terrible?


No, Kotori decided, she was already too full of regrets to turn this down.


Standing up shakily, Kotori turned to face her shadow. "You ask...." she begin, a manic grin starting to form on her face. "You ask of me if my heart yearns for power? If I, the Empress of the Blood Pact and the Keeper of the Endless Curse wish for the speed to truly bring forth my shining blade Murakumo? If you are my shadow then truly you know my answer!"


Kotori brought her right arm over her chest to her left shoulder and pulled at the tab there, causing her carefully-done sewing job to come undone and her tear-away school uniform to transform into her magical-girl outfit. Standing proudly, Kotori affixes her witches hat and looks down upon her own shadow as if she were some kind of nobility. "I, Kotori-sama, will take this power. Give me the speed that surpasses light itself!"
 
Yuuka's attack smashes Koschei into the wall, and he can only watch as Haruna blasts one of his minions into atoms with a series of well-placed laser shots. He extracts himself from the wall, and sighs. He extracts himself from the wall, just as a car drives up to the school. He sighs, and pushes a button on his wrist. The remaining cyborg soldier expels gas before exploding violently, and Koschei leaps off.


"Interesting, very interesting. I'll see what you can do later, when I put myself back together," he says.


Meanwhile, Kotori is having a sort of revelatory experience, as her shadow veers over and pecker her on the forehead. She feels a surge of strength throughout her body, a heady feeling indeed, and her entire body begins to feel warm as her blood itself churns with new strength.


(Roll for Impulse, Kotori)


It's almost enough to notice that you don't have that weight on your shadow anymore. Ketrin stirs and awakens, leaping up to her feet.


"What happened? Did we win?" she asked.


"That's what I'd like to know as well," Major Modern says, smoking a cigarette, and followed by another Airi, who looks positively under the weather.


"Sorry, Arika, I thought I told you that I-- Hello, Morrigan," Airi says, coolly.


"Hello, Mother," the Airi who had been conversing with Akiko, Senator Schneider, and Tatsumaki-sensei says sheepishly, her eyes averted.


Also, out of all of this, Super Striker is nowhere to be found.


What will you do?
 
Vehicle Morph




Max LV: 3 Timing: Minor




Skill: - DFCLTY:Auto




Target: Self RNG: Close




Encroach: 2 Restrict: -







"No."


Hello ladies. Look at your man, now back to Ryuu, now back to your man, now back to Ryuu. Sadly, he isn't Ryuu. And that's terrible. Look down, back up, where are you? You're in a feminist conspiracy that's attacking a school and Ryuu's greatest escape. Look again. Ryuu has a ipod in his hand. Anything is possible when you're a pure breed and not a cross specialist.


Ryuu is on a motorcycle.


"Fuck your lolcats."


Revving the engine, Ryuu acted perfectly at place atop his new mechanical steed, Wagner playing on his motorcycle's stereo.


Maybe, just maybe if he wasn't trying to avoid being recaptured by the feminists he might have humored the crazy. If only because space suit seemed like someone in the 'know' and could get information. But in this situation he couldn't risk it. No time. He kicked off, and atop his motorcycle aimed for down the hallway. The unknown. The man could have any available ability to stop him, and he should have been patient - but, but he knew what was coming. Ryuu knew he didn't have the time for patience's. They were coming.


Feminists.


[dice]2170[/dice]


(Lazy post, I know. Sorry, sorry)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The peace that was the shock of the end of the battle is halted by the roar of an engine, and the combatants could only give pause as they see a young man launch off on his motorbike. Out of a second story building window.


"WHAT WAS THAT? WAS THAT A STUDENT RIDING A BIKE INDOORS?" Tetsuo yelled, getting back to his feet. The poor boy had been bowled over by the frantic battle, but now, his sense of justice (And righteous indignation) apparently had centered him.


"Where were you, Major? While you're faffing about in your bunker with gene samples, I get attacked by Jack Clancy," Senator Schenider grumbled, as Major Modern approached her.


"Jack Clancy? I had heard it was Koschei attacking. Don't tell me," Modern said, as Schneider looked at him coolly.


"Ah," he said, finally, taking another drag on his cigarette.


"Yes. It seems Jack "Brass Tackle" Clancy, and Koschei the Immortal are the same person. It seems the sins of our nation extend further than we thought, "She said, as the two Airis seem to be having an argument of some sort.


However, a short astronaut with a light bulb head leaned out of the hole left by the biker, yelling at him.


"THAT'S NOT VERY NICE, YOU JERK!" he called.


(Ryuu)


Ryuu's bike ride got him far away. Far away, so far away. However, as he jetted into that sunset, like all good heroes, he was accompanied by a newcomer. Well,two newcomers. One was riding the other. Ryuu didn't realize that there were two, as one was wearing a red hat with handlebars that the other, riding on his back, was gripping. The capped fellow was running swiftly, easily keeping up with Ryuu and his bike, as his passenger, a short fellow in white with impressive;y groomed facial hair swung a short saber and declared," I say, I do say, boy, drive me closer, I want to hit him with my sword!"


"Everybody, everybody... Yes, at once, Colonel," the runner replied.


How will you respond?
 
Well, I'll be damned. E couldn't believe it. The cyborgs were gone and yet he was still alive; albeit barely. Alive was better than dead though, that was certain for sure. Stumbling over to a nearby wall of the courtyard, he tried to make sense of what was just witnessed. At least of what he understood. Crap. Which is not much. I had no idea who those people were..Koschei...Captain Flash...then there's light-girl...light-girl's spotter...Kaneda..Tamako..oh wait..


There was a whole smattering of people he didn't recognize gathering around where the shooting first rang out. Airi, and..and..oh forget it! With breath beginning to steady, E'zane began to realize things here at the school were way over his head. He literally hadn't even seen this Captain Flash move, before the weapons of one cyborg seemingly flattened into a pancake. The weirdos just keep on coming... Look at this one! Flying out of a second floor window, was a student..on his motor-bike. On an ordinary day, E would have applauded the student, even seek him out to be come friends for his daring stunt, but put in the context of an already crazy morning, it only served to further the feeling of sickness.


He sank to the floor wincing in pain, understanding that before he drifted off, there was one thing he had to do: hide his gun.


[Large Handgun Un-equipped & back in Weapon Case]





HP: 2/28


Encroachment: 56


Has used <<Warding>>


Large Handgun x1


Weapon Case x1


Cellphone x1


Uniform x1
 
Hanuman/Black Dog

​



Encroachment: 64% (+1% Ionocraft)

​






Initiative: 12


Max HP: 30


Move: 21


Dash: 42
​


There was a lull in the commotion, and then, as if it was all pre-planned from the beginning (on whoever’s packet of plans), the whole violence in the school ground thing grinded to a halt because of the absence of its main instigator. Just as Yuuka was checking on her (somewhat) wounds, everything around her seemed to disappear to the background. The boss cyborg, Super-Striker, everything that was related to the commotion. All it took was just a moment of weakness.


That, for some reason, pushed Yuuka’s button even more than anything else this morning.


“Oh no you don’t! Y’all don’t get to escape from me just like that! I didn’t even get one of my questions answered, damn it!”


Looking around the school grounds, she quickly deduced that the best thing to gather trail on those two characters is to look at everything from a high vantage point. Like on the top of the science building for example. Resisting the opportunity to offer a tsukkomi at the bike from second floor, Yuuka looks for a head start for a might climb…


As if on cue however, there’s a chain reaction of energy starting at the soles of her feet. A split second afterwards, she was airborne, without as much as a little fanfare except for the sudden gust of wind centered on her.


While obviously flabbergasted, Yuuka recovers remarkably quickly from the surprise, instead focusing her attention on looking for either the Super-Striker or the cyborg leader on the distance.
 
(Schoolground)


E is approached by an enthusiastic Tanako.


"I-I did it! I fought them! See? See?" She says, pumping her arms in the air, before realizing that people are staring at her, and she covers her burning face, flustered by her sudden openness.


" Ah, love. How sweet it is. Oh, are you putting away your toys? Good boy. Although I'm not sure those are allowed at school. Dear, dear, I suppose I'll pretend I didn't see it. Now, do me a favor and don't make me regret this decision, " Tatsumaki-sensei says, handing E a delicious health drink, "Drink, drink it up! It'll make you feel better. I must say, for someone so aloof and reserved, you seem to throw yourself into danger quite a bit. Did I misread you? Or are you a romantic at heart?" the teacher chuckles.


[dice]2350[/dice]


Meanwhile, with Haruna, Adapa returns to her shadow, and says, "It seems that I may have mistaken your era, Ha-Roo-Nah. I took it for an age of softness and weakness. But, it seems there are those with the hearts of warriors yet. Oh, by the by, that one little girl you were questioning? She left while you were fighting."


At the same time, Kotori can feel her demonic power swelling. That shadow did something to her, and it feel good. But what did it do?


(Yuuka)





Yuuka leaps up on the roof, and surveys the local area. Sadly, Koschei is nowhere to be found. Either he's using some sort of super-technology to mask his retreat, or your vantage point is blocked by any number of buildings. Whichever. You also don't see Super Striker around anywhere. However, you notice Benimaru approaching the courtyard, limping. This is curious, as all the other students seem to still be unconscious. Curious.


What will you do?
 
In life you tend to under appreciate the things you have. The tiny things that make every day bright often go unnoticed until they slip away through your fingers. We usually never realize this simple fact until it's gone with the morning dew. Much the same could be said for blood and adrenaline as both escaped Haruna in equal amounts. Sarcasm levels were just as much in decline but really that was a non-issue by now. Trying to damp out the noise, Haruna bit down on her blood soaked bag to keep from screaming. If that noise was from her body screaming at her or the general commotion, she couldn't say. They were more or less indistinguishable at this point.


Reaching into her mind, Haruna clumsily fumbled for the searing point of light in her brain. Grabbing it, she ripped it in the opposite direction like a power switch. With an abrupt start, the pain vanished to a distant throbbing giving her back a brief clarity to work. Focusing her will, a black orb appeared overhead, quietly descending and swallowing her whole. Inside of it the crimson flow began to reverse under the evil eye's influence. Pulling the life back into her body, and separating the foreign elements before they could mingle in her blood stream. Compacting itself, the eye shrunk down until it fit under the torn uniform binding her wounds.


'Take that old man, I'm a life saver without even taking a med class.'


Leaning her head back against the cold ice block, Haruna got her breath back. Ordinarily she would have complained about ice in spring but right now she was grateful. The cold felt nice, and was a confirmation that she was still alive. Ice block banzai. Not something a lot of people could say after taking a full burst from a crew mounted weapon. Noticing a small increase in weight, Haruna cracked open an eyelid to note Adapa had returned. Funny, as Haruna wasn't aware when exactly she had left. Giving a slight nod at the report, she mumbled an eloquent, "Mhmmm" and let it go at that. Grilling the oddball from earlier wasn't likely to yield anything further. If anything she seemed genuinely confused, and especially when she heard the term Renegade. Well, it was just a term after all and every source she met was calling it by some different name.


At any rate, she wasn't exactly feeling up to the vigors of investigation right now. More than that, she'd rather look into how she was going to deal with shrapnel if any existed. Getting out of this without some scars was just wishful thinking. Not that she could exactly go to the hospital and just say that Russian wizard gunbots felt like using her for target practice. Pushing herself up into a sitting position on the ice block, Haruna glanced at the surroundings with weary eyes.


Students safe and not bleeding to death from stray rounds, check. Her new friend Tama-chan is in her own romcom world, check. Two airis because her vision wasn't that gone yet, check. A bunch of other people milling around noisily, ayup. Adapa still not getting her name right despite being fluent in Japanese. 'Mission accomplished, I guess.' Pushing herself up with an increase in the dull throbbing, Haruna limped towards the building unsteadily. Just because the pain was gone didn't mean she was going to move with her usual grace with holes in her legs. Time to find a real medkit to do so manner of first aid. Going to a hospital with a small gravitational field on you just raised too many questions. Speaking of which, now was a good time to ask.


"Say, Adapa. Why is it you can speak Japanese okay but can't get my name right?" Raising an eyebrow, she didn't bother to change shoes on the way in. It was difficult to trust herself with that much dexterity right now.
 
At this, he couldn't help but force a chuckle under the guise of a cough. Yeah, she was one of them, but after everything was all said and done, the girl was still human; independence, pride, and all. About to give an off-hand remark, E was taken aback, his own face turning red as Maki-Maki's comment sunk in. "I could never fall for one of you," he muttered to himself. "And w-what do you mean they're not allowed in school!?" E stammered incredulously. "With people running like the wind, gravity balls, and light cannons all around, the staff are concerned about a gun?? Don't give me that teach. I'm the least of your worries."





As the repairing effects of the health drink entered his system, E'Zane mulled over the teacher's question in earnest. "Romantic at heart? Psh. Please. There was something to do and I did it. Simple as that. I was a bit overconfident in my skills and paid for it, but if I had to do it all again, I would." With a glance at Tamako, he continued, "Someone had to watch her. Someone had to make sure Kaneda didn't do anything stupid. Those guys were professional. I know how the experienced look and carry themselves. They'd mop the floor with ordinary kids like us. So on instinct I just jumped in cause if people around me were gonna die, might as well join them and go down fighting. No point running away and leaving them behind. That's not me. I hate these powers, but I'm not gonna act like I don't have them either. If you're talented, you're lucky. It's your duty to use it. Least, how I see it."








HP: 15/28


Encroachment: 56


Has used <<Warding>>


Large Handgun x1


Weapon Case x1


Cellphone x1


Uniform x1
 
(Schoolyard)


"S-so modest," Tamako says, her eyes becoming dreamy as Tatsumaki-sensei chuckles to herself.


"Give it up, tough guy. Just go along with it," she says.


After finishing his conversation with Senator Schneider, Major Modern turns to Akiko.


"We meet again. You seem well. Thank you for your assistance with the Senator. Can I get you anything?" he then turns to the students before him," You seem to have a rather strange band of friends. Was this another case of bad timing?"


Meanwhile, Adapa titters to Haruna.


"I apologize. I just find your fascination funny. I do it because names carry power. I gather that you and many in this era don't hold this belief, but they do. I do it out of respect for you and your safety. I am a powerful sage. If I use your name wrongly, I could maim or kill you. I suspect that that little girl you keep tailing has similar power," She says at length.


What will you do now?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top