"Help save a life?"
..Diane thinks about this for a minute, looking around.
.."Sure."
She then slides the window open and carefully climbs out onto the ledge. As she does, Spice waves his little arms.
"What are you doing? There's no need to-"Diane then reaches out with both arms and grips the robot tightly as she can, stepping off the ledge and into empty space as she does.
"Eep!"[Leaping out of a Window 3d6: 11 Agility+1 = 12]
Immediately they start dropping, making Diane's stomach lurch. She spares a glance at the ground, which now feels further away than she usually thinks of it being, and-
Well, they're not falling quite at full speed. The robot in her arms is pull upwards quite strongly, feeling like he's about to yank out of her grip, and the street below still approaches rapidly. Diane braces for the impact.
Tuck and roll. She manages to touch the ground with her feet and then bend forward to absorb some of the impact, then go into a forward roll. The metal can bashes into the street rather than her, then she's flipping over, and finally... Back on her feet again, squatting there in the middle of an alleyway. She lets go of Spice, who quickly bobs up slightly out of reach.
"Ouch. That really hurt, you know. Well, never mind that, follow me please!"The robot zips off, and Diane has to practically sprint after to keep up, but a few blocks later they've reached a destination. A small brick and mortar bistro wedged, somewhat incongruously, on a street corner in between a garage and an empty shop. Though peering through the front window Diane does see some people. Following the robot, she pushes the glass door open and enters. (Continued below.)
"Fuck off. You said you're a merc? You want me following your orders? Hire me."
Icatrina said before pointedly turning away and ignoring the mercenary, instead looking intently at the guides who had asked her for help, the flash of reflexive pride and anger she had shown rapidly fading.
"I've been hired as a medic, Shade! Besides, the more people who end up injured, the more valuable my service becomes. It would make for a rather perverse incentive for me to also be in command of the group."
Francesca cheerily rambles at the catgirl mercenary, unsubtly stepping between her and Icatrina.
Before the girl can say any more, Shadesoul puts a hand on Francesca's shoulder, wearing a dangerous smile.
[Stand Ground 3d6: 13 Shadesoul Strength-1 = 12]
The mercenary begins to firmly sweep Francesca aside, but, seeing this coming, the rich girl digs in her heels and refuses to be moved, standing as a literal barrier between the cat-mercenary and Icatrina. Seemingly unperturbed, she continues speaking.
"I'd recommend you for leading the group instead, having the most combat training, but then you're technically a subcontractor! So your job is really just to keep me safe, while my job is simply to repair these girls after bad things happen to them."
"Or we could fight to figure out who's in charge, then have another go whenever somebody thinks it's their turn."
Shadesoul's ears go vertical with surprise as she looks at Kora, who is now chewing on a massive steak sub filled with onions and peppers. However, the mercenary then relaxes, chuckling.
"Maybe you girls do have hope, after all."
While the above is going on, Icatrina fearlessly tunes out the other conversation and talks to The Dragon.
"When do we get where we're going? Is there anything more you can tell us about the situation?"
"Yes, we will leave this spot shortly, and very soon thereafter arrive at the destination. The area is just outside of a prison, formerly operated by your government, and the girl we are going to rescue was, until recently, a prisoner there. However, the prison discontinued operation due to offensive actions taken by a non-government group, and unexpectedly, another governmental group has retaliated with an offensive action of their own. As far as our monitoring can tell, the girl, Seven, remains unharmed, yet remains also in danger due to the hostilities between humans in the area. Therefore, we hope that violence of our own shall have no need to be applied. Was that clear to you?"Just then, yet another teenager barges into the scene, and she is described like this:
Short and skinny. Unnaturally long hair and red eyes.
"We're ready! Go!"The newcomer hardly has any time to get her bearings before the view of the street outside disappears in an instant, replaced with scrolling sky.
"...Greetings, Diane. I am the Dragon, the conveyance you presently inhabit. We are presently in a bit of a rush, but I must inform you that when we land we will be amidst a battle zone. You may be in danger if you exit." The room itself echos faintly with a pleasant voice.
Seven raises a hand out towards the passing truck.
"Origin point, moving technical vehicle! Target to contain, individual manning the mounted firearm! OBLIGATION!"
[-2 Mana] [-1 Mana]
Instantly and obediently, the truck's bed sprouts chains which wrap around the gunner's torso and arms, forcefully yanking his grip away from the machine gun's grips. And then pulling him fully prone onto the truck's bed.
[Resistance 3d6: 14]
He shouts and trashes in the chains, defiant of the magical force, but he has no true hope of escaping.
So long as seven maintains the power. She feels... so tired, from all of this. Her head swims, any more of this and she may pass out.
In spite of the gunner's incapacitation, the technical races down the road still, taking it further and further away from Seven. It's clear that the driver doesn't care to fight, and is focused on escaping.
Stats:
Strength: +0
Endurance: +0
Agility: +0
Awareness: +1
Charisma: +1
Knowledge: +1
Health: Fine!
Mana: 20/20
Inventory:
Plain Clothing
Backpack of odds and ends
Water Bottle
Military Rations x5
Old Axe
Powers:
Radio Telepathy: No cost. Instinctual, Capillary.
Allows for telepathic communication with other magical beings. Also allows one to listen in on mundane radio transmissions. Telepathic transmissions are in turn detectable by mundane means, but are instinctively encrypted, sounding like jumbled static though mundane technology.
Magical Form: 1 Mana to transform, 0 to revert to mundane form. Instinctual, Transformation.
A basic and safe form of transformation magic which lightly modifies your body and soul to better carry magic. While in a magical form, any other magic you use is much stronger, but your mundane abilities are a bit weaker, due to being detached from such concerns. In addition, you will be much more noticeable and possibly identifiable as a magical being. If you lose consciousness or run out of mana, you will harmlessly revert to your mundane form.
Cheap Heal: 1 Mana per use. Simple, Amorphous, Generative.
Allows you to touch someone and rapidly regenerate their body into an "ideal" shape. Cheap and effective. Will nearly instantly close wounds, restore organs, and even regrow limbs, but is less effective at nullifying illness or toxins. This power relies on aspects from friendliness and kindness, and will not function if one bears intent to harm the target. This power becomes much cheaper in mana when used by a soul suffused in kindness.
Shield: 1 Mana for first Layer, N+1 for each additional Layer, Concentration. Lattice.
One of the more complex powers taught to beginners, due to its excellent ability to prevent loss of life. The user is surrounded as long as they concentrate in a shining lattice of runes which protect them from any one 'hit': whether a fist, bullet, or point-blank explosion. Regardless of how much damage is absorbed, the shield will immediately shatter. Multiple layers of shield may be active at once, but the cost increases for each. The shield protects a bit more area than just your own body, allowing allies to take cover as well, but making it harder to dodge attacks entirely.
Stats:
Strength: +0
Endurance: +1
Agility: +1
Awareness: +1
Charisma: +0
Knowledge: +0
Health: Singed shoulder (treated)
Mana: 16/20
Inventory:
Plain Clothing
Backpack of odds and ends
Water Bottle
Military Rations x5
Powers:
Radio Telepathy: No cost. Instinctual, Capillary.
Allows for telepathic communication with other magical beings. Also allows one to listen in on mundane radio transmissions. Telepathic transmissions are in turn detectable by mundane means, but are instinctively encrypted, sounding like jumbled static though mundane technology.
Magical Form: 1 Mana to transform, 0 to revert to mundane form. Instinctual, Transformation.
A basic and safe form of transformation magic which lightly modifies your body and soul to better carry magic. While in a magical form, any other magic you use is much stronger, but your mundane abilities are a bit weaker, due to being detached from such concerns. In addition, you will be much more noticeable and possibly identifiable as a magical being. If you lose consciousness or run out of mana, you will harmlessly revert to your mundane form.
Improvise!: ? Mana per use. Instinctual, Amorphous, Lattice.
Magic can do anything! Why not give it a try? Channeling Creativity as a way of mimicking other aspects, Diane can bring into existence anything that she can imagine, to the extent that she can indeed imagine that thing. Objects created in this way are unstable and temporary, but no less real. A Knowledge roll may be made to determine duration, and a poor roll can result in unpredictable outcomes. Sometimes, it's better to know what you're doing.
Mana Bolt: 1 Mana per bolt. Simple, Amorphous.
Create a dense structure of Mana and then throw it at something. Roughly analogous to throwing a brick at somebody's head, both in terms of simplicity and efficacy. Though an effective weapon against most organics, this basic form of magic lacks the appropriate aspects to exert lethal force. This makes for a good base to learning more effective and expensive attack powers.
Stats:
Strength: +0
Endurance: +1
Agility: +0
Awareness: +1
Charisma: +1
Knowledge: +0
Health: Magical Form, Bruised and Battered
Mana: 3/20
Inventory:
Plain Clothing (A grey jumpsuit, adorned with various patches, pockets, and tassels, sewn on crudely by her own hand. The additions appear to be made with torn-apart copies of the jumpsuit itself.)
Backpack of odds and ends
Water Bottle
Military Rations x5
Powers:
Radio Telepathy: No cost. Instinctual, Capillary.
Allows for telepathic communication with other magical beings. Also allows one to listen in on mundane radio transmissions. Telepathic transmissions are in turn detectable by mundane means, but are instinctively encrypted, sounding like jumbled static though mundane technology.
Magical Form: 1 Mana to transform, 0 to revert to mundane form. Instinctual, Transformation.
A basic and safe form of transformation magic which lightly modifies your body and soul to better carry magic. While in a magical form, any other magic you use is much stronger, but your mundane abilities are a bit weaker, due to being detached from such concerns. In addition, you will be much more noticeable and possibly identifiable as a magical being. If you lose consciousness or run out of mana, you will harmlessly revert to your mundane form.
Binding of Obligation: 2 Mana per use, 3 Mana to maintain. Lattice, Summon.
With a gesture, chains erupt from the ground or walls to entangle and trap your target, preventing it from moving. The chains are very strong and a normal human being will be entirely incapacitated, but the power may fail to fully envelop larger targets. Additionally, the target will have their life and motivation slowly drained out of them, as Seven enforces order on their soul.
Fly: 2 Mana per use, 1 Mana to maintain. Lattice, Infuse.
You sprout a large pair of wings from your shoulder blades and gain the ability to fly. This flight is very fast, making it easy to avoid attacks, but is hard to control in tight spaces. While this flight is powered entirely by magic, the wings are a physical manifestation of the magic, and if they're damaged you'll fall. Thankfully these aren't truly a part of your body and will feel no pain nor shed blood.
Stats:
Strength: +1
Endurance: +1
Agility: +0
Awareness: +0
Charisma: +1
Knowledge: +0
Health: Beat up
Mana: 19/20
Inventory:
Plain Clothing (ragged burlap tunic and knee-length pants tied with a belt of sailor's rope, heavily repaired rope sandals, worn out workman's gloves with patched and padded knuckles)
Backpack of odds and ends
Water Bottle
Military Rations x5
Powers:
Radio Telepathy: No cost. Instinctual, Capillary.
Allows for telepathic communication with other magical beings. Also allows one to listen in on mundane radio transmissions. Telepathic transmissions are in turn detectable by mundane means, but are instinctively encrypted, sounding like jumbled static though mundane technology.
Magical Form: 1 Mana to transform, 0 to revert to mundane form. Instinctual, Transformation.
A basic and safe form of transformation magic which lightly modifies your body and soul to better carry magic. While in a magical form, any other magic you use is much stronger, but your mundane abilities are a bit weaker, due to being detached from such concerns. In addition, you will be much more noticeable and possibly identifiable as a magical being. If you lose consciousness or run out of mana, you will harmlessly revert to your mundane form.
Strength Boost: 2 Mana per use, 1 Mana to maintain. Simple, Infuse.
Even devoid of other aspects, Mana is strength. It's a simple matter to feed that mana back into yourself and make yourself stronger. As long as the boost is active, you're more able to strike, lift, and leap. Be aware that while this can make you faster, you won't have enhanced reflexes to match!
Shield: 1 Mana for first Layer, N+1 for each additional Layer, Concentration. Lattice.
One of the more complex powers taught to beginners, due to its excellent ability to prevent loss of life. The user is surrounded as long as they concentrate in a shining lattice of runes which protect them from any one 'hit': whether a fist, bullet, or point-blank explosion. Regardless of how much damage is absorbed, the shield will immediately shatter. Multiple layers of shield may be active at once, but the cost increases for each. The shield protects a bit more area than just your own body, allowing allies to take cover as well, but making it harder to dodge attacks entirely.
Followers:
Name: his name is "Rat" now, whether he likes it or not
Description: Scrawny raggy 13 year old boy. Particularly useless and untrustworthy.
Health: Bruised
Inventory: Satchel of odd and ends
Stats:
Strength: +0
Endurance: +1
Agility: +0
Awareness: +0
Charisma: +0
Knowledge: +2
Health: Fine!
Mana: 20/20
Inventory:
Plain Clothing
Backpack of odds and ends
Water Bottle
Military Rations x5
Mk.9 Target Pistol
.37 Cal Mk.9 Magazine
Powers:
Radio Telepathy: No cost. Instinctual, Capillary.
Allows for telepathic communication with other magical beings. Also allows one to listen in on mundane radio transmissions. Telepathic transmissions are in turn detectable by mundane means, but are instinctively encrypted, sounding like jumbled static though mundane technology.
Magical Form: 1 Mana to transform, 0 to revert to mundane form. Instinctual, Transformation.
A basic and safe form of transformation magic which lightly modifies your body and soul to better carry magic. While in a magical form, any other magic you use is much stronger, but your mundane abilities are a bit weaker, due to being detached from such concerns. In addition, you will be much more noticeable and possibly identifiable as a magical being. If you lose consciousness or run out of mana, you will harmlessly revert to your mundane form.
Heal: 3 Mana per use. Simple, Amorphous, Generative.
Allows you to touch someone and rapidly regenerate their body into an "ideal" shape. Expensive, but effective. Will nearly instantly close wounds, restore organs, and even regrow limbs, but is less effective at nullifying illness or toxins. This power relies on aspects from friendliness and kindness, and will not function if one bears intent to harm the target.
Soulsee: No Cost, Concentration. Simple, Capillary.
By concentrating, you're able to directly sense the outer aura of souls as though through a sixth sense. These auras can be brightly seen through smoke or haze, but not through solid objects. By examining someone's aura you can learn about their emotional state and deeper nature, and of course the lack of an aura leads to the conclusion that you're not looking at a human being...
Followers:
Name: 'Shadesoul'
Description: A "catmodded" young security guard employed by Francesca's father. Beneath a very thin facade of professionalism, she's an adventurer at heart, which is to say greedy and bloodthirsty. A bit tall, with pink hair and yellow eyes.
Health: catnapping
Inventory: "Unassuming" Business Suit, Bulletproof Vest, N5K SMG, 3x .37 Cal N5K magazine
Author
Topic: Full Metal Dress: All that for... (Read 10384 times)