[img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/59130ec9-ed14-4987-990a-43bfc6f37c8a.png[/img] [@Ponn][@Majoraa][@ERode] What could you do with chaos but wait it out? Ashley’s shield would hold up against any drunken rioter, But add enough of them and things became dicy. The surface area of her shield was only so big, and attacks were coming from all sides. She could dodge here and there, but the Knight of Tomorrow would run out of stamina before her attackers would. Something needed to be done about their assault. [color=bd71e8]”Well that’s not good.”[/color] Fritzi said with a nervous chuckle. [color=bd71e8]”Did Finn just walk up to Dante? Never mind, Violet’s contracted to help us, so I’m sure she can provide assistance. I’ll page her through shortly, but I want to make one thing clear.”[/color] Fritzi’s force became stern. [color=bd71e8]”If your cover got blown, any one of those [i]creatures[/i] could go running to the Hand and expose who you are. If this is the case, I suggest [b]eliminating all hostiles with extreme prejudice[/b], preferably after you’ve extracted the children. That said, the three of you coming out of this alive is what’s most important.”[/color] Then Fritzi went silent. With a crack of static, a new voice joined the call. [color=#b0c8ff]"[/color][color=#bcc4ff]O[/color][color=#c8c0ff]w[/color][color=#d4bcff]o[/color][color=#e0b8ff]?[/color][color=#ecb4ff]”[/color] Came a cautious, yet youthful voice. [color=#b0c8ff]“[/color][color=#b0c8ff]U[/color][color=#b1c8ff]m[/color][color=#b1c8ff],[/color] [color=#b2c7ff]P[/color][color=#b3c7ff]w[/color][color=#b3c7ff]i[/color][color=#b4c7ff]n[/color][color=#b4c7ff]k[/color] [color=#b5c6ff]P[/color][color=#b6c6ff]w[/color][color=#b6c6ff]o[/color][color=#b7c6ff]w[/color][color=#b7c6ff]n[/color][color=#b8c5ff]d[/color][color=#b8c5ff]a[/color][color=#b9c5ff]h[/color] [color=#bac5ff]i[/color][color=#bac5ff]s[/color][color=#bbc4ff]n[/color][color=#bbc4ff]’[/color][color=#bcc4ff]t[/color] [color=#bdc4ff]s[/color][color=#bdc4ff]o[/color] [color=#bec3ff]g[/color][color=#bec3ff]o[/color][color=#bfc3ff]o[/color][color=#bfc3ff]d[/color] [color=#c0c3ff]a[/color][color=#c1c2ff]b[/color][color=#c1c2ff]o[/color][color=#c2c2ff]u[/color][color=#c2c2ff]t[/color] [color=#c3c2ff]f[/color][color=#c4c1ff]w[/color][color=#c4c1ff]e[/color][color=#c5c1ff]n[/color][color=#c5c1ff]d[/color][color=#c6c1ff]w[/color][color=#c6c1ff]y[/color] [color=#c7c0ff]f[/color][color=#c8c0ff]w[/color][color=#c8c0ff]i[/color][color=#c9c0ff]r[/color][color=#c9c0ff]e[/color][color=#cabfff],[/color] [color=#cbbfff]o[/color][color=#cbbfff]r[/color] [color=#ccbfff]p[/color][color=#cdbeff]w[/color][color=#cdbeff]u[/color][color=#cdbeff]t[/color][color=#cebeff]t[/color][color=#cebeff]i[/color][color=#cfbeff]n[/color][color=#cfbeff]g[/color] [color=#d0bdff]p[/color][color=#d1bdff]w[/color][color=#d1bdff]e[/color][color=#d2bdff]o[/color][color=#d2bdff]p[/color][color=#d3bcff]l[/color][color=#d3bcff]e[/color] [color=#d4bcff]t[/color][color=#d5bcff]o[/color] [color=#d6bbff]s[/color][color=#d6bbff]w[/color][color=#d7bbff]e[/color][color=#d7bbff]e[/color][color=#d8bbff]p[/color][color=#d8bbff].[/color] [color=#d9baff]S[/color][color=#dabaff]o[/color] [color=#dbbaff]h[/color][color=#dbbaff]e[/color] [color=#dcb9ff]w[/color][color=#dcb9ff]i[/color][color=#ddb9ff]w[/color] [color=#deb9ff]s[/color][color=#deb9ff]t[/color][color=#dfb8ff]a[/color][color=#dfb8ff]y[/color] [color=#e0b8ff]b[/color][color=#e1b8ff]a[/color][color=#e1b8ff]c[/color][color=#e2b7ff]k[/color][color=#e2b7ff].[/color] [color=#e3b7ff]B[/color][color=#e4b7ff]u[/color][color=#e4b7ff]t[/color] [color=#e5b6ff]i[/color][color=#e6b6ff]f[/color] [color=#e7b6ff]y[/color][color=#e7b6ff]o[/color][color=#e8b5ff]w[/color][color=#e8b5ff]o[/color] [color=#e9b5ff]c[/color][color=#eab5ff]a[/color][color=#eab5ff]n[/color] [color=#ebb4ff]o[/color][color=#ebb4ff]p[/color][color=#ecb4ff]e[/color][color=#ecb4ff]n[/color] [color=#edb4ff]a[/color] [color=#eeb3ff]w[/color][color=#efb3ff]i[/color][color=#efb3ff]n[/color][color=#f0b3ff]d[/color][color=#f0b3ff]o[/color][color=#f1b2ff]w[/color][color=#f1b2ff]o[/color][color=#f2b2ff],[/color] [color=#f3b2ff]I[/color] [color=#f4b1ff]c[/color][color=#f4b1ff]a[/color][color=#f5b1ff]n[/color] [color=#f6b1ff]h[/color][color=#f6b1ff]e[/color][color=#f7b0ff]w[/color][color=#f7b0ff]p[/color][color=#f8b0ff].[/color][color=#f8b0ff]"[/color] If Ashley could afford to look outside, she might spot the [url=https://cdn.donmai.us/sample/a7/76/__himemori_luna_and_luknight_hololive_drawn_by_shio_no_9__sample-a776ba5720825dafba427c670829ebf3.jpg]pink and violet colored duo[/url]. As a friend of Samuel, she likely heard stories about how protective the big pink fellow was. The windows by the front door didn’t look like they could be opened the conventional way, but was Ashley willing to invite them into the fight? Estelle’s baton flew over the jukebox only to get snatched out of the air by the cowboy on the other side. He then proceeded to “drink” from it, only to discover it wasn’t actually a bottle. [b]”Wut n’ tarnation?”[/b] In a display of poetic irony, the second object to fly towards the cowboy was a bottle, but he would not catch it. It smacked into his shoulder before falling to the ground and shattering. The cowboy sunk to his knees and started to paw through what remained of the bottle. [b]”Oh yea! Maybe Amanda is out back?”[/b] The stubborn girl pushed herself off the wall. [b]”Come on guys! Let’s go find Amanda!”[/b] But the other four didn’t need any encouragement. They were power walking towards the counter, maneuvering around the cowboys that had been distracted, or decommissioned. Finn was only half listening to what Dr. Moller was telling everyone through coms. Kind of hard to pay full attention when he was focused more on [i]not getting his ass knocked down by a giant hammer.[/i] He did, however, grit his teeth in response to Fritzi’s unintentional(?) jab at his recklessness. Right! Okay! He got it the last several times already! Thank you very much! [i]If he’s so dangerous why shouldn’t he just-[/i] As if the boss already knew what he was thinking, Fritzi had given the go ahead to kill. The Timekeeper discarded the pointless notion of minimizing casualties at that moment. [b]None of these bastards are making it out alive.[/b] The next moment Dante prepared to swing again, he fired a beam of lightning square at his chest. [sub][i][color=silver][Silver Beam][/color][Damage X] = [color=red]- 108[/color] 642 MP remaining[/i][/sub] The beam collided with Dante’s well defined chest. Rather than blowing a watermelon-sized hole in him, it caused a fistfull of sand to scatter in all directions. Afterwards, the hole collapsed shut. Most monsters would have been reeling from such a blow, but Dante seemed to be more resilient than your average monster. Finn had used an opening in Dante’s defenses to land a clean blow, but now it was Finn who was open to attack. Dante did not cease his swing. Finn had just enough time to bring up his blade for defense. But it was a mighty blow, and the boy was stumbling backwards. That was when Dante hopped forward and drove his foot into Finn’s chest. He flew straight into the arms of a waiting Dryad, who wrapped her vines around his arms and legs. [color=goldenrod]”[i]Gah-!?[/i] Let go of me!!”[/color] The rabbit hiding behind the dryad’s mask hissed as the cowboys closed in around Finn. But that was of little concern for Dante. He looked to the bar counter and noticed the school girls were approaching it. He moved like the wind, his body becoming a sea of floating sand particles. He moved through the counter and assembled himself in front of the far end of the counter. [b]”You can’t use the back exit.”[/b] He pointed at the door. [b]”You leave the way you came in!”[/b] [b]”Through that mess?”[/b] One of the girls shot back, but Dante didn’t budge. However, that didn’t stop one of the teenagers from trying her luck anyway. Maybe it was bravery or fear, but she lunged over the counter. But her advance was stopped by a swift swing of Dante’s hammer. Anyone looking on might have braced for what was sure to be a gruesome sight, but the blow didn’t dislodge her head. It didn’t even break the skin on her face. Instead, she fell backwards into her friends arms as sand poured out of mouth and ears. [b]”Meg!”[/b] Dante spun his hammer. [b]”Next one’s not going to get it so easy.”[/b] One of the cowboys behind the girls stood up and looked them up and down. He pulled back his fist for a wild haymaker, but was intercepted by a ball of flying sand. He sank to the floor screaming, scratching his arms as he rolled in the broken glass. Estelle wanted to be the rear guard, and she certainly gained the attention she wanted. The cowboys were content to march into her and get dealt with as they came, but the dryads were more shrewd. They bound across the table and circled around Estelle, trapping her between themselves and the cowboys. Their long, flail-like arms let them beat on her without standing directly in front of her sword. Estelle had nigh impenetrable defenses, but she’d need a plan if she wanted to survive an attack on all sides. [hr] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/96bf4041-5946-4c70-b1bc-768490163963.png[/img] [@Vertigo] It was always risky to let your mark leave your sight, especially one as slippery as the golden dragon. That said, Ciri had faith in [i]it[/i], and would likely be able to hear the dragon man’s screams when he realized what was pursuing him. The more difficult part of her plan was figuring out where to jump him. This wasn’t exactly a five star hotel. The roof didn’t have any interesting vistas as was likely off limits to the public. By that logic, the staircase wasn’t going to go straight to the roof. Moreover, there were no windows to let those outside know who was using the staircase. Unless someone wanted room service, they wanted as little interaction with the maid staff as possible. Guests were weird like that. The fire escape was not on this side of the building, which meant Ciri was going to have to enter through someone’s room. The most ideal window was already open. Ciri and her shadowy gorilla ally hurried in as quickly as they could. Who they happened upon was not a “rich fuck,” or at least not what not came to mind when thinking of one. It was a skinny teenager wearing a black shirt with a kanji on it. The wallpaper on his laptop depicted a scantily clad oni brandishing a katana in front of a raging waterfall. He looked over his shoulder at Ciri, but said nothing as she left the room. The hallway was clear. It seemed like the dragon hadn’t gotten to the top of the stairs yet. That would give Ciri just enough time to find a hiding place and wait. Then the door to the room beside Ciri’s opened up, the one further away from the staircase. What stepped out might have been a member of some bomb disposal unit. The gear was all present and correct, from the thick padding that covered their entire body to the diving suit looking helmet they wore. But there was something off about it. All of their armor had been stitched back together, sometimes with bits of kevlar sticking out of the seams. They had also spray painted the words “Viper” across their chest, and were holding a shotgun. Specifically, a SPAS, the one that found its way into all those video games because of its iconic folding shoulder brace. [color=#f3f82a]”I’ve got the dragon under control. You can go back underground if you’d like.”[/color] This wasn’t a member of Maverick Alternative, but their suggestion sounded more like an order than anything else. [hr] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/49e43850-6b94-4e43-94d0-440214371bfb.png[/img] [@The World][@Nakushita][@TaintedMushroom][@FamishedPants] Cast a melody and pray. That was really all Justin could do. The frame of the church door didn’t leave much room for hiding. The smoke in the entryway was noxious, which meant that he’d have to “hide” just outside the doorway. But with the gunmen on the second story, it was awkward to aim down the side of the building. Not only that, but everyone was either inside or running inside. There was no reason to assume Justin was still hanging outside. Or at least, that was how it seemed when the gunfire stopped and the gunmen shifted to new positions. The ground ahead of the church was covered in bullet holes and napalm, without a single hit landing on Justin or Marrie. Before Justin could get too comfortable (if that was even possible in his position) a ball of ash smacked into the side of his head. It felt a bit like getting hit with a very large snowball, only it burned his skin. Once he stumbled away from the doorframe, a voice called out. [b]”Bobo! Here’s one!”[/b] The cigar chomping nun poked her head out the window and spotted Justin.Much to his dismay, [i]this[/i] villain didn’t have as much as a single one liner to throw at him. She simply pointed her gun out the window and fired. But rather than shooting burning napalm, it fired a spray of black oil at Justin’s feet. The ground became slick where he stood, but more concerning was that Bobo resumed shooting napalm, this time directly at Justin. Meanwhile inside, Asher made a totally badass slide between the rows of seats. While he had hoped that he hadn’t been spotted, the ensuing gunfire over his head let him know that they might have had an approximation of his position. That didn’t stop him from finding his choice of music, even as splinters rained down on his head. When they stopped shooting at his position, stood up and let everyone know they hadn’t killed him yet. Then his shotgun clicked, and dragonfire erupted from hatred like the bass in his playlist. Though Asher hadn’t generated as much lift as he needed. The second story of the church was effectively a short balcony at the very front of the building, and it was almost ten feet in the air. Short of using a melody, it was unrealistic to expect his gun’s kickback to make the distance. But asher had managed to set some Pews on fire, and his rapid acceleration towards the gunmen made them run like mad. So if his goal was to sew chaos in their ranks, his mission was successful. Now about the landing… It wasn’t a problem. There were some old pews that weren’t quite able to take someone jumping on them as aggressively as Asher was, but his hardened outer body sustained no damage from the landing. He was also under the balcony now, which meant they couldn’t retaliate if they wanted to. But the construction workers were moving now. Two dropped down in front of Asher while another two hopped off of closer to the congregation of espers. They were totally unbothered by the drop, and already had their weapons drawn. There wouldn’t be much time to react. [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/40b268e9-9477-4d81-97d6-81ce4b87c2d3.png[/img] [color=tomato]"My little heart can’t take all this excitement!"[/color] [color=888888]— Mika Fang[/color][/center] This was going to be a mess regardless of what Himiko said. Of course she was going to be open to pawning off Mika if it meant more money, but it seemed like that was only something she was willing to do after they met with Oros. Mika had never met the mad esper, but she did know that Lenore was trouble, and she couldn’t picture the two of them working together. She couldn’t really picture GEMINI working with Sovereign either, but here we were. Was the money grubbing esper just bad at reading the room, trying to protect Mika in her own way, or looking for greater riches? It wasn’t a question that Mika could answer, and it bothered her. Her gaze returned to Angelie’s severed head. It was unfortunate that so much was going on. It wasn’t normal to look at something like this and just shrug it off, was it? Yet at the same time, it seemed so natural for something like this to happen. They had all come here on Himiko’s say so, why should she expect anyone to get out of this alive? But as much as Mika could rationalize it, it still felt unfortunate. It wasn’t something she could work through here though. Whatever this nagging feeling was, she had to keep it down until she was out of here. And if she didn’t get out of here, then it wouldn’t matter anyway. Pax was filled with corpses. [b]"That’s a bit of a shame, because I’d prefer to leave with her now."[/b] Lenore shrugged her shoulders before shoving her money back down her blouse. [b]"But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had planned on-"[/b] Lenore was interrupted when Marrie asked if she was friend or foe. That was when Sovereign, ever the talkative one, told Marrie to proceed with caution. That caused Lenore’s lips to curl into a smile. [b]"We prefer to [i]sell[/i] children. Isn’t that right, Nova?"[/b] A jet of smoke launched out of the hallway and struck Marrie in the back, covering her with smoke. The smoke cleared out seconds later, revealing a third nun. Like the others, she looked rather outlandish. She wasn’t holding a sword or wielding a flamethrower, but her face was covered in piercings and bandages. Not to mention the spiked leather harness she wore along with her gown. There was also a cigarette nestled between her fingers, but it didn’t stop her from holding Marrie’s shoulders. When she exhaled, thick gray smoke rolled out of her mouth. [b]"Yeaaaaa"[/b] The [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/05262c10-570e-4295-937f-bbc2db281367.jpg]nun[/url] exhaled the words. Her voice was deep, and she smelled like tobacco. [b]"Kids go for a fair price if you can find the right buyerrrrr."[/b] But Nova hadn’t just teleported into Marrie. Mika could tell that there was something else in that melody too. Her movements had become sluggish, and it couldn’t have been easy to breathe with that smoke stack hanging around her. [b]"See what I mean? But you look a little old, so-"[/b] And with that, Lenore took a swing. There was little Himiko could do in her situation, but the melody Justin had cast earlier prevented her from losing an arm. Lenore followed up by kicking the money loving esper into Mika, which sent them tumbling across the floor. There were a lot of things Mika wanted to do in her situation, but couldn’t. Either because it was out of her ability or Himiko was laying on top of her. But she felt like she could buy Asher a few extra seconds. A ball of spirit energy gathered in her hand, and she flung it between the two gunmen aiming at Asher. As soon as it contacted the floor, a big fat cat sprung up in its place. Maybe asher could use it as cover, or to scale to the second floor. Either way, she hoped Himiko would do something before Lenore struck again.