[Day: Wednsday, October 3rd. Time: 8:00 p.m.] [It's a chilly night here in London as you gather at the office. The door's bears no name, not that customers seem to come here directly, anyhow.] [Session Start] * Togo is sitting behind one of the desks in the office, idly cleaning a really old looking revolver that looks like it just fell out of an old western. [For you history buffs, people stopped making new revolvers about thirty-five years ago.] * Herman comes walking in! He shuts the door behind him. It's cold outside, and so he wears a studded leather jacket. Wait, he always wears that thing. "Hey." ( Can I assume I have a way to contact everyone directly at this point, either via phone or e-mail? ) (If Togo asked after last session, he got Herman's contact info, yeah. But not his name, because he didn't ask for that one! ;P) * Togo snaps the chamber of the revolver back into place with a flick of his wrist, stows it in his coat, and waves. "Got my message then?" (I don't think he has Khalil's) (I don't know. What WAS his message? >.>;) (DID you get a message to Lukas? Yeah.) ( The message was likely something like 'Meet at 8ish. Job tonight.' ) * Khalil sits at the coffee table, playing on a wooden chess set. He seems to be playing himself. Unfortunately, he also seems to be losing. (So much detail. No wonder he gets such shitty intel people.) (A few weeks of that and they'd be strangling him. ^_~) ( s'all he knows at this point. =P ) * Herman shrugs. "Yeah." He looks at Khalil and the chess set. "I guess he did, too." Sorry for the lack of details, but... well, I don't have any details yet. Just know a job's coming in tonight. Figures. * Khalil doesn't look up from the set. "It seems a rather improper way to run an organization." He moves the black knight. The black knight always triumphs! * Herman taps the end of his pipe against his leg. "Hey, did ya do anything about what's her name... Beth yet?" I dunno. Might be that however our backers know what's gonna happen, it doesn't give them details, just a general idea and a date'n time. * Togo shrugs. "Could also be that they've got a hard on for that cryptic bullshit." * Herman rolls his eyes. "Scrying. That's an imperfect science." * Khalil glances up at Herman. "Scrying?" Yeah, scrying. You know, divination through magic or whatever. I am afraid I am not well versed in the mystical arts. Whatever it is, they haven't been wrong yet. Just consistently lacking in important details. Sure. Oh yeah. Do you know who our backers *are*, Mister Togo? Not a clue. * Lukas walks in, doll in... well, not exactly tow, but posession! The doll will desc itself, somehow, as usual. He has a disk in his left hand and upon walking up behind Herman says to him, "Hey, man." * Togo waves to Lukas. "'ey Volt." * Herman pulls the gun he picked up from Beth yesterday out from under his jacket and jumps a little at Lukas' entrance, but he doesn't point the gun at him when he looks over with a grin. "Hey. How've ya been?" * Khalil sighs and stands up, leaving the pieces where they are. "Very well." He bows his head slightly in greetings to Volt. [The doll is currently wearing an outfit that's mostly frilly silk, but parts of it are black mesh and the entire thing seems to have been sewn together by a deranged blender.] (That's Ten for you.) (What's black and white and red all over? A gothic lolita in a deranged blender.) Was just telling the others that I haven't gotten the specifics on tonight's job. But they should be coming in soon. * Lukas smirks faintly at Togo, then looks to Herman and holds up the disk. "Not bad. Reviewing the most boring surveillance data I've ever destroyed." Then he tosses the disk to Togo. "Absolutely nothing of worth on there except the exorcism and the speeding woman." Aww, and here I thought break ins happened hourly. If one is good, you would never know about it Damn. Talked to a coupla my sources, and I've got nothing. No trace on the chopper, no line on anyone putting out feelers for the Rosetta stone... * Herman tosses Beth's gun onto Togo's desk, then eyes the doll. He pulls a black and metal spiked bracelet off his wrist, handing it to Lukas. "Here, she doesn't look fucked up enough yet." Did get my memory jogged on what exactly the stone does... s'like a battery for spirit energy. [Togo's PDA blinks.] * Khalil sighs. "I doubt I could have followed the helicopter but for what it is worth, I am sorry." ( Er, beeps ) (It does both!) ( It probably does. Welcome to the future. ) Don't be. *pulls out his PDA* (It blemps.) ( Blinking would be particularly useless for Togo, however. ) * Lukas chuckles and takes the bracelet. "Uh, thanks." He looks down at Ten for a second. "It'll make a nice belt, I guess." Then he pats her on the head, looking back to Herman. "Say thanks to the nice man, Ten." * Togo checks his PDA! * Ten speaks! "Thank. You." You're welcome. * Khalil glances over at Lukas. "That is an interesting doll." * Togo frowns at his PDA. "Well that's different." Yes? * Lukas smiles faintly. "One of a kind." * Herman turns his attention to Togo. "What?" I quite imagine we all are in some way. If I'm remembering my demonology right... there are Japanese turtle demons in the penguin enclosure at the city zoo. * Khalil sighs longingly. "At least...I hope so." We're supposed to relocate them... somewhere. Without harming them. (Well... that's one way to thin out the number of PCs.) Uh... I dunno if I'm any good at demon relocation. * Khalil then...peers at Togo. "We are not supposed to harm demons?" If I remember correctly, they're not really evil... more like wild animals. Where do they want 'em relocated *to*? * Lukas frowns slightly at the whole deal! Just says 'from the penguin habitat'. What do we know about said demons? Well, we can't fucking well turn them loose on the rest of London or somethin'. (Right, let's move them to the dolphin tank.) 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 1. Okay... first of all, Lord only knows how Japanese turtle demons ended up in the London zoo. Puttin' that aside... they're strong and have nasty claws, but like I said, they ain't really evil. Just kinda territorial, like wild animals. Not too much smarter. They have these bowls on their heads filled with water. Drain the water, and you drain their strength. * Lukas decides now is a great time to walk moreso into the room, although he doesn't bother sitting down. And they like cucumbers. * Herman rubs at his face. "And we're supposed to transport them how and to where?" A lot. * Togo falls silent for a moment. "If we can get them to the river, they should just find their way out to sea and back to Japan." Got a truck or something? Nope, but the river's only a few blocks from the zoo. We might just be able to lead them over to there. ... I can't believe I'm asking this, but does anyone know where we can get a whole lotta cucumbers this time of night? * Lukas snorts. "Yes, let's lead the penguin parade through the streets. With cucumbers instead of a flute." * Herman says, dryly, "The grocery store." And what if they decide that the river is their territory instead of swimming out to sea? ... right. Dumb question. And yeah, Volt, something like that. *turns to Khalil* They'll wanna go back to Japan, I think. You think? I believe with these sorts of things, it would be better to be certain. Can't be. And lacking a better idea, it'll hafta do. * Lukas runs his fingers back through his hair and says, with tinges of sarcasm, "Do you think they'll be carrying computers? Or did you call a computer hacker to wave cucumbers in the air?" He did not know about the mission at the time, I am afraid. Though researching their habitat and patterns may be of benefit. ( They called you, Lukas, because in the future cucumbers will have computers in them and you'll need to enter a password or hack into them before you can eat them. ) Well, an extra set of hands would be useful. A map of the area so we can figure the safest route to lead them from the penguin enclosure to the river without passing by a bunch of drunken soccer hooligans who'll mistake them for Liverpool fans would be, too. I've got some stuff to pick up. I'll get the cucumbers while I'm at it. I'll see you guys at the zoo. * Lukas glances to Khalil. "I gathered." He then mms faintly and looks back to Togo before saying, "You don't need to lead them out of the Zoo. There's a waterway straight through the place." This would be a mission where that Ashley person would be useful. Is he not coming? Not here yet, and I don't have his contact info. Alys' either. ( Hah. He WOULD be useful XD ) * Herman snerks at the mention of Ashley and walks out. Where ya goin'? * Lukas looks at Togo like he's deaf instead of blind. "He said to get stuff. Probably means he's gettin' stuff." * Herman lets Lukas answer for him! Ha. (You're welcome! XD) (High five, dude.) ... huh. Goin' deaf in my old age. * Khalil chuckles at Lukas's response. * Togo shakes his head. "So you comin', Volt? Silly mission or not, it'll still get you a check." And a free trip to the zoo. * Lukas pauses for a second, then shakes his head and says, "Art Museum, now the Zoo. I feel like a tourist. You sure you're not getting your orders from Orbitocity?" (Dre: Nic's show is Coke, and Gryph's show is hot cocoa.) If they have an Occult tour special, then it's possible. I have always wanted to see the fine culture of London. It is fortunate that a poor college student such as myself receives such free perks. Can you find us a decent route from the penguin enclosure to the river? * Khalil then considers. "How heavy are these 'demons'? Heavier'n your average person. * Lukas shrugs slightly. "Can't be that hard to find." (Ah, the kappa. Someone in MC1 died trying to take care of them! But he was dumb.) That does not give me an idea. How heavy? ( It wouldn't be MC if there weren't any kappa on the third mission :P ) (Sure it would.) (We'll just hit them all with bowling balls.) Coupla hundred pounds? Maybe a bit more? * Khalil nods. "How active is this area at night?" ( Good question! ) ( Not very. It's mostly surround by parks. ) Not very. Mostly parks around there. * Khalil nods again. "I may be able to help. If we have a route." Carry them to the river? * Khalil nods. "If all else fails." (/me feels like a bobble-head doll) (You're not?) (Not yet!) (I AM! *nodnodnodnodnod*) My thought exactly. Makes for a good backup plan. I'm also gonna want you ready to go airborne with a cucumber on a string to entice any stragglers back to the group. (Hush, you.) * Lukas says, "Let's hope it don't come to carrying around, uh, a bunch of demon penguins. Can we get going?" * Khalil stares at Togo for a long while. ...how...degrading. * Togo pauses for a moment, then facepalms. "That has gotta be the silliest order I've ever given." And they're demon turtles, Volt. Just hanging out in the penguin enclosure. m'sorry, Khalil, but ridiculous times call for ridiculous measures. Demonic possession of animals may be contagious. We never can tell. They're not possessed, that I can remember. Just... turtle-shaped demons. But point taken. Should we get going, or do you need another minute to plot a route, Volt? * Khalil sighs and hangs his head a little. "Is there somewhere nearby the area that I can...'change'? A water closet in the zoo perhaps? It's a zoo. Gotta have bathrooms. And a map. Come on, Togo, this isn't rocket surgery. Oh, and Volt? Don't let me forget, when this is over I've got a coupla things I need your help with. * Lukas blinks, then nods, before smirking. "Does that mean I can beg off on this for later work, or is that on the clock time too?" 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-5) and gets 5. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-2) and gets 7. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets 10. On the clock time. Got some sources looking into where that chopper coulda come from, and I figured you might be able to get into a few places to look that they can't. * Khalil looks thoughtful for a little while. ... Togo... Hmm? Did you send a report to this organization employing us? About the museum? Yup. I am just suddenly curious why this mission is of import over investigating a stolen artifact such as the Rosetta Stone. Not a clue. * Lukas mms slightly, then starts walking. Lack of leads for one thing, I guess. Yes but you would think they would wish us to investigate...or at least mention it. * Khalil shrugs and starts walking. * Togo slips Elizabeth's gun into his trenchcoat, adds it to his character sheet, stands up, and starts out the door, closing it behind him. "You'd think." [Time: 9:30. You meet at the zoo, one way or another. It's surrounded by parks, the actual zoo area being closed off by a gate. There's a guardhouse out front, with a single guard inside.] ( The-MC3er-Named-Herman-But-Whose-Name-We-Don't-Know there? ) * Herman is there, hanging out up front. He's got a backpack and a large bag, probably full of cucumbers. ( That answers that. ) * Lukas meets at the zoo! Ten's poking out of his own backpack. He yawns. * Herman also has a pipe, but that nearly goes without saying at this point, doesn't it? * Togo pulls out his MI5 credentials, walks over to the guardhouse, and knocks. [The guard is watching TV, but at the knock he gets up and lifts the window. "Hullo."] * Togo holds up his badge. "Sorry to bother you, but we've gotten a tip that someone's planning to sneak in and smuggle some of the rare animals out of here tonight to sell on the black market. I need to get my team in there so we can head it off." * Khalil rubs his hands at the cold. That robe may be warm, but not warm enough. * Lukas doesn't seem cold! Maybe it's his own riding jacket and stuff. * Herman isn't cold, either. Khalil needs to wear more animal skin. [The guard blinks. "Steal? Really?"] ( No, silly. Steel. They're going to make them into secret weapons. ) (As opposed to public weapons.) (Indeed.) Sounds silly, but some of these animals can get a fair price. MI5 wouldn't be involved, but the skell who's supposed to smuggle them outta the country moonlights as an arms smuggler, and this'll give us an reason to lock him up. [He nods. "Well, we can't have that."] ( Yes. They didn't bribe me enough.) [He opens the gate. "Go ahead and step in. I'll keep watch out here. Oh, and mind the penguin pen."] Yeah? They gonna bite us or somethin'? ["No. No, there's...." He hesitates, then says, "Just trust me and stay away."] * Herman blinks. "What?" We'll be careful. *heads in; motions for the others to follow* "Nothing." ... Sure, man. * Herman goes on in. * Herman takes the bag and pipe and backpack with him. Yay stuff! * Khalil heads in as well after Herman. * Lukas follows at the rear. Well, okay, Ten's technically VERY last. Ha ha. [You enter the zoo! There's lions, tigers and bears nearby. The penguin pen is way in the back.] (Woo! Last!) Okay... I have to admit that this is gonna be a new one for me. So let's all be careful, hmm? All of them are new ones to me, so I figure I shall take the same approach. [A bit past the bears are the elephants, and across from them are pandas.] * Khalil looks at the elephants. And pandas. Awww, cute pandas. * Lukas nods. "Uh, yeah." He points off in a straight line. "The waterway's over there. Not that bad." He pauses for a second, then adds, "And I got the fraction of a second it took to look for anything else on these? They're called kappa. And they eat people too. Apparently. So, uh, watch out for their big sharp nasty pointy teeth." [The panda pens are filled with bamboo. Unfortunately the bears seem to be asleep. As do most of the animals.] ( Except for the giraffes. Because THEY'RE WATCHING US. ) Wonderful. I do hope they are not irritated. s'why we're trying this the peaceful way before you start playing hungry eagle to their poor, slow, carnivorous, inhumanly strong turtle. ( Panda! ) I do recall the story of the turtle and the eagle, yes. So yeah. We're trying the Pied Piper technique first. * Lukas stands there and nods. He has a faint smile on his face. If things get ugly, I have these... *holds out a fist-sized grenade-type thing* Flash grenades. They'll blind just about anything with eyes. I'll shout out a warning before I throw. And these turtles are not intelligent enough to understand your warning as well? Nope. From what I remember, they're just above animal intelligence. Defiantely don't speak English. ...I thought you said this was a first. * Herman walks along. "And if you get water out of their heads, they weaken. However the hell we're s'posed to do that. Oh, anyone want a cucumber?" I am not much of a cucumber eater. Trip them. * Herman hands Togo the bag of cucumbers. * Lukas smirks faintly and looks over at Herman. "Thanks for the invitation, but I'll eat the ammo after we're done with it." * Togo shrugs. "I said I've never tried to lead a group of bipedal turtle demons out of a zoo. I never said I don't know about them." [The path intersects with another at one point. To one side is the Australian section, and the other leads to apes.] Still, it is not much of a first, comparatively speaking. Granted. * Togo keeps heading for the penguins! Whichever way that is. [Eventually you reach the penguin pen. Kind of. The pen is blocked off by several barriers. There's a sign that reads "Temporarily off limits". There's also a walrus pit and polar bears nearby, if you care.] Mmm. Looks like the zoo is aware of their infestation. The guy in front made it pretty obvious. I would believe so as well. Though truly, I believe human sized turtle demons would be a difficult thing to miss. You'd be amazed. ( Are there sharks? ) * Khalil looks at Togo. "So shall I change now or should I await the failing of our primary plan?" ( Nah, sharks are in the aquarium. ) Change now. Anyway, yeah. Cucumbers in there. * Herman points at the bag Togo's holding. "I can make more, so it's no problem if we run out." Right then. Once Khalil's ready... * Khalil heads towards the nearest men's room he saw along the way. ... I just realized something. What? * Togo turns to Herman. "I never caught your name." Never asked. * Lukas snickers. * Herman holds his hand out to Togo. "Herman Jensen. Don't drop the cucumbers." (And Khalil still doesn't know!) (Woot!) * Togo manages to shake Herman's hand without dropping the cucumbers. See what six years in the Army will do for you? And you are? * Khalil comes back with flapping wings. Actually, you hear the noise before you see him. Since his feathers are black, he kind of blends in with the nighttime. He's robeless and shirtless, but actually looks warmer now. Warm feathers. He lets out a small scree as he stops in midair. * Herman looks up at the scree and blinks. "Uh, yeah." Togo. ( SKREE! ) (Wah! He turned into a metroid!) (Now he attaches to TOGO'S HEAD.) * Khalil sighs and folds his arms. "Am I going to go through this every time?" He looks from Togo to Herman and back. "It seems I have missed introductions." ( I have missiles. Stay away. ) Well, we're not all used to... uh... wings. I'm not used to wings. Don't see 'em that often. Believe me. It took me some time to get used to as well. Though I believe the beak is more off-putting. * Khalil lets off a guttural chuckle without opening his beak, ruffling his chest feathers. As long as you don't poop on my head, we're cool. ...your humour is tasteless, Togo. Don't even joke about that. Besides, it is my upper half that is bird. * Herman opens his backpack and pulls out a long coil of rope, handing that to Togo, too. * Khalil sighs and unfolds his arms, holding out his talons. "I am at your disposal." (*hmms and wonders if he should have an alternative nick between griffin form and human form) * Togo shrugs, takes the rope, and starts tieing one end around a coupla cucumbers while he walks over to the edge of the penguin enclosure. ( KHLGryphon? ) (KHLgryphon) (...I keel you, Togo) [The penguins pen is set up in a small pit made out to look like a glacier. The tuxedo birds are waddling around on a slab of not-really-ice, waking furiously at the water around them.] Penguins seem upset. *pauses* I would too if giant turtle demons were running around my house. ...you are a master of the obvious, Togo. * Lukas pulls out his little dart gun again. "It's good to have a talent." * Togo bows, takes hold of the non-cucumber end of the rope, then tosses the tied cucumber down to the edge of the water. ( Wak. Cucumber. ) * Herman walks over and takes a look in. (There we go. Khalil can go fishing for kappa.) * Griff_Khalil eyes the penguin pond. "Turtle fishing. What a passtime." (*hums the fishing music from BoF4*) (He's like those koopa clouds in double dash) ( Lakitu!) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8) and gets 11. [Togo is pulled over the railing and into the pit!] Whoa! * Herman makes a grab for Togo before he falls over the edge. ( Body roll, Herman! ) * Lukas' eyes widen but he's no reactionary match for Herman! 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8) and gets 13. [Herman doesn't make it in time!] * Griff_Khalil blinks at that and flies towards the falling Togo, making a grasp for his shoulders with his talons. [Togo lands on a cold slab of not-ice as a green turtle-like creature pokes its head out of the water. "Kappa?"] (They're Kappamon.) (Gotta cuke 'em all) (...ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. ) * Togo gets his bearings back, eyes the kappa, then rolls a cucumber up to the edge of the water. * Griff_Khalil apparently doesn't make it and just circles the pond, watching the kappa carefully. * Herman peers down. He doesn't say anything because, uh... don't want to make the turtle guys mad at Togo. [The kappa grabs it, munching on it. It pulls itself out of the water and moves towards Togo. "Kappa!"] * Lukas cautiously looks over the edge, bringing his gun up and around. He mutters, "Christ." It's okay, guys. Under control for the moment. You have a strange idea of the term "under control." (You'd say that if you were halfway down its mouth.) ('Iff unda controlf!') ( Well, of course it would be. ) (He'd poke it in the spleen on his way down. ) (Now that's just silly...) (He'd fire a LAW into the spleen on the way down. Duh.) ( That's what I said, poke it in the spleen. >.> ) (LAW's a bit more than a 'poke' ^^;) * Togo tosses another cucumber a few yards to the side of the kappa to keep it distracted as he tries to climb out. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8) and gets 7. [The kappa goes for the cucumber as Togo pulls himself out. "Kappa!"] ...you could have just let me carry you out. Coulda. But this helped my ego a bit. Yes. As would have slipping and falling. Anyway. Let's see how many of these things there are. * Togo grabs a handful of cucumbers and tosses them down at the edge of the water. * Griff_Khalil hovers high over the water and watches down on the surface as the cucumbers plunk. [The kappa finishes the cucumber and walks up to the wall, looking upwards at you. "Kappa?" At that it turns around and goes for the cucumbers. Meanwhile, two more kappa come up and grab at them.] ( Awww, they're so cute! ) I am afraid I do not speak Kappa. * Lukas looks slightly nervous and still has his gun ready. ["Kappa?" "Kappa!"] (Tonberry > Kappa) ( Do you really want tonberries instead? O.o ) (No, not really.) ( [The tonberry stabs Ten in the throat, yelling "Doink!" Make a new character!] ) * Herman backs away a bit. He looks through his backpack and pulls out a ziplock bag of seeds, still eyeing the kappa. Three... any more? *tosses another handful down* ... you know, what happens if we run out of cucumbers? [No more kappa come up as the other three gather up the cucumbers.] Herman said he can make more. The...yes. Herman must be your name then? * Griff_Khalil glances at said pipe-wielder. * Herman eyes the seeds. "Yup. And you are?" I am Khalil. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. For a second time I suppose. [The kappa finish the cucumbers, and look up at you. "Kappa?"] And I do believe they want more. Yeah. ... So, you think the biggest cucumber they've ever seen would lure 'em? It is possible I'll grow one near the waterway, then. Better keep luring them, Togo. And get a flute while you're at it. * Lukas glances off to Herman, then back down as he says, "I'll just stand here and hope they can be put to sleep if they come up for more than just a taste." * Togo pulls some rope out of his trenchcoat, ties a cucumber to one end, and holds the other end up over his head. "Khalil? I need you to grab this and use it as a lure to get them to come up over the railing. Volt and I are gonna back away." What, you don't wanna come with? What about the rabid pandas? * Lukas chuckles. "No, I'm more wondering if Togo has anything that's non lethal in there." I do, actually. Hey, plus one for army boys. * Lukas waves his hand. "We'll catch up, I'm sure." You have fun with your giant cucumber. * Griff_Khalil nods and then sighs, his wings sagging a bit. "This is very very demeaning. I thought I would let you know." (YAY. I feel better.) * Griff_Khalil does hover closer to the edge though. (HEE.) (A good solid cucumber joke.) (Heh) (And used with Herman, it has extra punch.) Hey, you can do all sorts of things with a giant cucumber. I'll show you sometime; I've got enough to make extra. * Herman walks off. s'for a good cause, Khalil. *backs away from the edge of the pit; motions for Lukas to do the same* [The kappa look up and grab at the cucumber.] * Lukas chuckles to himself, then gets motioned back and backs up! God knows he's not gonna argue about backing AWAY from the feral Pokappa. [They push each other out of the way.] [The kappa do go for the cucumber, though.] * Togo refrains from barking out advice to Khalil, lest this become even more demeaning for the poor lad. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8) and gets 7. [One of the kappa jumps and grabs the cucumber. Strength roll, Khalil!] * Griff_Khalil pulls the rope away, flapping higher as the kappas reach for it. * Lukas chuckles oddly to himself. Still watching carefully. ( Agi roll, then str if you fail ) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8) and gets 10. [Khalil makes it out of the way before the kappa can grab a hold of the cucumber.] Fly it a bit over the edge to try'n lure 'em over! * Griff_Khalil phews and hovers just a little higher, within reach if the kappa starts scaling the walls, acting as a lure. [The kappa do begin scaling the walls, though only two make it up. The third wails, "Kappaaaa!"] ( Awww! ;-; Poor hungry Kappa. ) * Lukas baaaaacks away. Yep. Not afraid to not stand his ground here. * Togo tosses the ones that make it up a few cucumbers to keep them occupied. "Lure that third one up here, Khalil!" * Griff_Khalil keeps the cucumber out of reach until they're actually up. [The kappa make it to the top. Two of them, anyhow.] [They grab at the Togo-tossed cucumbers!] * Griff_Khalil takes advantage of the distraction to try and lure the last of the hungry Kappas up. [They go through the cucumbers fast.] * Togo tosses a couple more, then reaches into his coat and pulls out a few extra cucumbers to put into the bag. [The third one finally gets up there. One of the kappa goes after the cucumbers Togo tossed, but the other one sees him pull them from his coat and waddle-runs at him, yelling, "KAPPAAAAAA!"] * Togo tosses s'more cucumbers at its feet as he backs away. [The kappa seems disinterested in those, as it now realizes Togo is a source for cucumbers.] [Though the other one seems happy to have them. And the third finally makes it up.] Aww shit. *runs for the river, dropping cucumbers behind him as he does* * Lukas makes with the running too, yelling, "Herman, that giant cuke better be ready!" 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8) and gets 12. * Griff_Khalil tries to stay ahead of the kappas, dangling the cucumber in front of them. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8) and gets 8. This is the part of the job I really, really hate! *runruns, dropping cucumbers behind him and to the sides as he does* [The other two kappa gather up the cucumbers as they can, but the third chases after Togo. "Kappakappakappakappakappa!"] Keep the other two along the right path, Khalil! I've got this one under control! *runruncucumberdrops* ...you do realize you say that far too often for your own good. This isn't control! [Meanwhile, you approach the waterway! Herman's a lazy bum and has only grown the cucumber halfway. Actually, the woman pointing a gun at his head probably has something to do with it too. She's a semi-attractive black-haired woman in brown slacks, a red shirt and a grey jacket. And she has two cronies. (more!)] ( Your cucumber or your life. Sorry, don't swing that way. ...) [The other two look like pop-idols: short, dark haired in pig-tails, pink halter tops and mini skirts, red elbow-length gloves and matching thigh- high boots.] ( Hearing rolls! ) 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-2) and gets 9. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets 7. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-6) and gets 0. (At first look I thought that said "Herring Rolls" I was trying to figure out what the hell that meant) 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-6) and gets 4. [Lukas is the only one who doesn't catch the woman say something as they approach: "More of them. What should I do?"] * Herman grins at the guys as they approach. His arm's twisted behind his back, and the black-haired lady has a gun to his head. "Rachel says hi." [Meanwhile, there's a kappa chasing Togo!] * Togo pulls a big bag of cucumbers out of his trenchcoat, and tosses them at the feet of the women. "Fetch, Kappa!" [She nudges Herman with her gun. "Drop your weapon." He's still got the pipe, so she probably means that.] * Herman shrugs slightly and drops the pipe, letting it clatter to the ground. * Lukas 's gun comes up as Togo tosses the cucumbers. [The kappa runs past Togo and dashes for the cucumbers. She turns her head to her henchme.. women. "Neutralize it."] (Well, they're going straight for the women, so!) (Yeah, really. c.c;) (I have a clear shot, right?) (Or is Herman, big lug that he is, in the way?) ( At those two, yes. At the one holding Herman, hell no. ) * Togo pulls out his PP-200 SMG, which is not much bigger than a pistol except for the really long clip, now that he has his hands free. * Lukas fires his dart-gun at the woman holding Herman hostage. She should really be looking where she's going. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-3) and gets 9. [They nod in unison. "Yes ma'am!" Standing back to back, they raise their hands into the air. Ribbon-like energy flows out from their gloved hands, gathering above them to form a massive (and I mean MASSIVE) sword that's as wide as a person and probably twice as tall. They each grab onto the long handle with both hands.] ( Herman! Gimme a body roll at... ) (+1 Bonus.) 2d8-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-1) and gets 7. [Herman is shot by a dart and slumps. The woman switches her grip to hold him up with a hand. "Thanks."] * Herman 's eyes roll up, and he passes out. The lady can hold him up, but he's dead weight... no fun, really. (... are you nuts?) (She was holding his arm behind his back!) ( No she wouldn't. She'd just wrap her free arm around his chest. ) [Meanwhile, the kappa is almost upon the woman. The twins watch it expectantly.] (What happened to the other two?) ( They're eating the cucumber trail Togo left. ) * Togo fires a burst at the two with his SMG, trying to distract them enough to give the kappa a clear shot. ( Roll init ) * Lukas snorts. "He'll live." [Says the woman, "I wouldn't be so sure."] 2d8+14 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8+14) and gets 27. 2d8+14 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8+14) and gets 25. 2d8+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8+7) and gets 14. 2d8+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8+7) and gets 15. [Khalil, Togo, woman in glasses, Twins, Kappa, Ten, Lukas] [Khalil's turn!] * Griff_Khalil looks at the twins and frowns, flying towards one of them at full speed, bullrushing/tackling to break their concentration. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-3) and gets 12. [Khalil flies towards them, but they spin as he approaches, just enough to get out of the way.] [Togo's turn!] (...spin with a gigantic sword? @_@) ( Would you rather I say "Khalil must be nearsighted or something because he manages to miss them?" ) (Nah.) * Togo fires a burst at the two with his SMG, trying to distract them enough to give the kappa a clear path, since he has no clear shot at the woman holding Herman. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 2. ( Made. Spreading, so can hit both. ) [Togo does hit them both. They react in unison, but maintain their hold on the massive weapon.] [Togo does keep a path clear for the woman, who scowls. She shoves Herman's motionless body into the waterway, then dives out of the way as the kappa approaches.] * Herman falls in with a loud splash. He doesn't notice. He's unconscious! [Meanwhile, Togo keeps the twins from attacking the kappa, so they go for Khalil instead, swinging their enormous weapon with remarkable speed, considering how much it looks like it weighs.] ( That's a def roll at +1 ) (And that's with the +2 for them to hit?) ( Yes, actually ) 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-4) and gets 2. [Khalil manages to get out of the way. Meanwhile, the kappa stops at the bag and devours cucumbers.] [Ten's turn] ( ... you were supposed to eat the women, not the cucumbers. KAPPA! ) (Kappa translation: "Silly Togo, women don't have cucumbers.") ( *snicker* ) * Ten is inanimate! [Lukas's turn!] ( One of these days, Ten is gonna sprout kawaii little loligoth machineguns, right? ) (*puts that on upgrade list*) * Lukas cross-cuts his way toward the river while taking another stun-dart shot at the woman! 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-3) and gets 4. [Lukas fires at her, but she manages to roll out of the way in time.] [Khalil's turn] (YAY. Hit by 3. Let's hope her dodge-from-the-ground isn't as good as her hostage-taking--damn!) Khalil! Get Herman outta the water! * Griff_Khalil lets out a small lion-like snarl. "I *know* that." He flies towards Herman as fast as possible and grips his shoulders with his talons. [Khalil pulls Herman out. Togo's turn!] * Herman drips in protest. * Togo fires another burst at the twins, keeping his distance from both the kappa and their gigantic sword. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 5. ( Cucumbers, giant swords... it's like one big Phallus-O-Thon. ) (Pretty much.) ( At least we don't have teh giant foam wang from ATC2. ) (Ha.) (Yes, we do not have the foam wang filled with silvery goo.) [Togo hits the twins again! They fall to their knees, briefly.] [Meanwhile the woman gets to her feet and fires at Lukas.] (Togo is the Prince of the Sea! On your knees!) (Your insults are unpardonable! You shall be punished.) 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-2) and gets 12. [Lukas is shot in his gun hand! Ouch.] [Meanwhile, the Twins leap into the air, fully spinning around and bringing their sword down with them. When it collides with the ground, there's a rumbling, and the earth splits in Togo's direction.] 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 10. [Togo loses his balance and falls into the pit!] [The kappa eats cucumbers. Meanwhile the other two are catching up.] [Ten's turn] * Lukas dropped his gun, of course. "Fuck! Ow. Ow!" 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-5) and gets 10. [Excitingly, nothing happens.] [Lukas's turn] * Lukas scoops up his gun with his left hand and stands still, trying to get a good _level_ shot at her with his off-hand. He looks a bit angry. (Full attack.) 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-5) and gets 4. (Made by 3, which will hopefully counteract any off-hand penalty. ^^;) ( There's no off-hand penalty. Only penalty would be if it was a two- handed weapon ) (Everyone in anime has awesome ambidexterity) (Apparently! I feel more ambidextrous already.) [However, the woman does manage to avoid the attack. She seems to have rather good reflexes.] [Khalil's turn] (Ba-dum ching.) * Griff_Khalil makes sure that Herman's in a safe spot and not drowning or anything. If he is, he flies back and strikes at the woman's gun-hand with his taloned fist. [Herman isn't dead yet!] [But who knows how much water he's swallowed?] (Is he breathing?) ( He seems to be ) ( Good enough! ) 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-2) and gets 8. ( Meanwhile, Togo has died of old age... ) (And got a funeral where all his lovely goth mistresses of old come to see him off!) ( He was depressed and angry, not a goth. Yeesh. ) (So you're telling me he wouldn't draw in the goth chicks?) [Khalil grabs hold of the woman, forcing her to let go of her weapon.] [Togo's turn] [Though he's in a deep pit.] ( Well, he would. He'd just have ignored/shot them. ) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8) and gets 6. [Togo climbs out of the pit! And right into the twins. They take a swing at him.] ( Def at +1 ) 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-2) and gets 2. [Togo does manage to avoid the massive blade. And he doesn't fall in the pit again, which is nice.] ( Although it would've been fairly funny. ) [Meanwhile, the other woman grabs another gun from her coat and fires at Khalil, but she misses.] [The kappa eats! It's joined by the other two, and they finish the cucumbers.] [Ten's turn] 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-5) and gets 5. [The gun flies out of the woman's hand.] [Lukas's turn] * Lukas smiles faintly, then tries ANOTHER full-attack shot! 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-5) and gets 0. [Lukas hits the woman! But she doesn't seem to succumb to the poison.] [Khalil's turn!] * Griff_Khalil looks at the woman steadily. "You...just made a mistake." He draws closed his fist and slugs her in the stomach. His talons aren't exposed yet, so he must be pulling his punches. 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-4) and gets 2. [She takes a punch in the stomach with a grimace.] [Togo's turn] * Togo rolls away from the pit, and fires another burst from his SMG at the twins. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 12. [Togo manages to hit the ground to either side of the twins!] [Meanwhile, the woman draws a switchblade from her jacket and strikes at Khalil, but misses.] [The twins don't however. They preform their earth-splitting attack again, but this time aimed at Lukas, dropping him into a fissure. (Ten can have a def roll to avoid it if she wishes.)] 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-4) and gets 5. [Ten takes to the air and avoids falling with Lukas. Her turn] * Ten stays right where she is as Lukas and his backpack fall away from her. 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-5) and gets 6. * Lukas oofs and falls into a pit just a little deeper than he is tall! * Togo is currently a bit busy, and doesn't notice that! [The twins manage to maintain hold of the gigantic blade, if they'd ever lost control in the first place.] [Lukas is inna pit. His turn] * Lukas tries to climb out. The real problem here, of course, being the wounded hand... 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8) and gets 5. ( That's at a +2 'cause of his hand. ) (Then miss!) [Lukas nearly climbs up, but he loses his grip when his hand suddenly throbs too much to handle, and tumbles back down.] [Khalil's turn] * Lukas falls and stands there clutching his hand. "Ahhhh, shit. Knew being shot was no good for me." * Griff_Khalil follows up the punch to the gut with a forearm slam to the side of her head. 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-4) and gets 7. [Khalil clocks the woman in her head.] [Togo's turn!] * Togo finishes his roll, sets himself on one knee, aims, and fires another burst at the twins. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 3. [Togo perforates them. They fall to the ground with a thud.] [The woman eyes that and runs. She taps at her ear as she goes, yelling, "Mission failed! #A01 and #A02 are down!"] [Ten's turn] * Ten falls in the hole. [Lukas's turn!] * Lukas rubs his hand and sighs before trying to pull his way up again. 2d8+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8+2) and gets 6. [Lukas almost makes it again, but meets with similar results.] [Khalil's turn!] * Lukas grimaces again and clutches his hand. "Damn..." he mutters. * Griff_Khalil lets out a mild string of curses in Arabic, followed by "" before he flies after the woman, trying to take her down much like he did the twins earlier. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-3) and gets 9. [Khalil tackles her to the ground.] ( Hot. ) [Hawt griffon on girl action.] [Allah would so kill Khalil right now.] (;_;) * Togo walks over to the pit, and offers Lukas a hand up. (But...Allah is merciful! Allah is good! Allah is... oh who am I kidding? I'm burning in flames.) (It was for a good cause!) * Herman lies there all unconscious and NOT burning in flames because he's SOAKED IN WATER. HA. * Lukas takes Togo's hand with his one good one and tries to pull himself up once more! Whether Togo's peered out or NOT. * Griff_Khalil repositions his grip so he's pinning the woman. "One of you look after Herman. In the meanwhile, I could use that rope we had earlier. I believe I dropped it." [The woman struggles against Khalil futily.] * Ten does her best to at least get partway into Lukas's backpack _before_ Togo looked down. (>_>) * Griff_Khalil takes off the communicator in the woman's ear if he can see it as well and turns it off. (You had a turn to do it in! Hide, Ten, Hide!) 2d8+6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8+6) and gets 14. * Togo pulls Lukas up out of the pit. "Go check on Herman, will ya? I'm gonna go give Khalil some rope, and then I'll do something about your hand." [The woman twists and turns her head, and Khalil can't get at it. "Rachel," she shouts, "I'm being taken captive. There's no choice. Activate the Artemis system." She pauses then adds, "It was nice to work with you."] [She starts screaming and convulsing.] * Lukas nods slightly and says, "Yeah, su--" * Griff_Khalil lets out a rather longer string in Arabic. [After a half-minute she goes limp.] * Lukas winces for the first bit, then sighs and walks over to check on Herman. Ah shit. Not again. * Griff_Khalil lets out a screech for a second and then lets her fall. He starts searching for any identification or just anything in general on her person other than the communicator. * Togo sighs, and joins Lukas over at Herman. He pulls his nanite medpack out of his trenchcoat and hands it to Lukas. "Put this over your hand for five minutes." * Herman is unconscious but breathing. He's on his side, and he seems to have coughed up some water at some point. ( So the kappas are full? ) ( Or are they...BEHIND YOU!? ) (AIEE.) * Lukas takes the pack, putting it on his hand. "Shit. Now I owe him a beer. Or three." [The kappas are full. They turn their attention towards you. "Kappa?"] [The woman is roused by Khalil's searching. She turns over to look at him and shrieks.] * Togo picks up the not-full-sized-but-still-fairly-large cucumber that Herman was working on, waves it at the kappa, then throws it into the river. [They dive in after it.] * Griff_Khalil stops and eyes the woman. "Please, be calm." Coming from a half- bird-man, half-lion that probably isn't comforting. [It very much isn't, and she continues to shriek.] [The pandas wake up.] * Griff_Khalil clamps a hand over her mouth. If only because he's had a long day and listening to shrieking that close hurts his ears. ( OH SHIT SHE WOKE THE PANDAS. ) ( They eat you to death. ) (Now we wilil hvae to sate them with beach balls.) (Toldja there were rabid pandas.) [More like talons.] * Togo walks over to the woman, shaking his head. "Khalil, let her up. Ma'am, do you know who you are or where you are?" [Meanwhile, he continues to feel her up and finds two clips of ammo, a flashbang and a s'more bar.] (Allah approves!) * Griff_Khalil sighs and shakes his head. "Nothing identifying. Lest they have her fingerprints on them." He takes his talon away and hands them back to her. "I apologize, madam." [She goes into shock and faints.] (Yeah. I would if I had a s'more and they gave it back to me, too.) (They've got to be crazy!) * Griff_Khalil sighs. "And this is why I tend not to stay in this form." Well, good job in the fight regardless. And I think the kappas are gone. * Griff_Khalil nods solemnly and simply drops the things on or next to the woman, walking over to check on Herman. "Is he alright?" ( Can end when you're ready. ) * Lukas glances bac to the two of them, then back to Herman with a chuckle. "Yeah, it's just stun drugs. It'll wear off." And he'll be happy to hear his cucumber saved the day after all. If he doesn't hit me with the pipe first. I meant more from the water but that is good to hear. [End]