How was it that the third floor was creepier and more decrepit than the second? As Bak stomped down the hallway she hoped it wouldn't become a pattern. What if the floors higher up were too weak to support her? All it would take was one giving way and she probably wouldn't stop until she ended up in the basement. 

The stairs had put her right in front of apartment 308, a room that was so obviously haunted just from the vibe that she'd only needed to switch to thermals for confirmation. After that she'd continued her search, slowly and cautiously like last time. 307 had nothing but a door barely hanging on its hinges, but she gasped slightly when she spotted blazing red-orange outline of a living form in 306. From the looks of it they were splayed out on the floor, surrounded by three cold shapes. Her pace quickened toward the door, which alerted the imps. The ceased whatever it was thy were ding and took up positions behind the body, putting it between them and whatever was coming toward their room. She saw a bright ball of red as on of them conjured a fireball as she prepared to smash in the door. Then she heard a noise.

A sort of electric sizzle, followed by two short, high pitched screams. Bak cocked her head to the side, confused, and looked back at the outlines of the imps in 306. Even through the wall she could tell they were just as confused as she was as two more balls of red flared to life. Bak took three quick steps back behind the corner as the door opened up and someone stepped into the hallway. Another followed after them, and she could hear their voices echoing in the cluttered hallways. Then another one showed up from the other side of the hall? Who were they? St. Laural's kids were still down on the first floor, she thought. 

She leaned forward and too a quick peak around the corner at them. Was that...oh nooooooo.

The human body is made up of 60% water. This already made it frighteningly good at conducting electricity, but Bak had the misfortune of also being around...at least 20% metal. Which meant, to Bak, that she was at least 80% susceptible to lightning attacks. This had been proven last year by the man now lurking around the corner like a waiting doom. What were Kings boys even doing here in the first place? Today, of all days! It was like this had been planned out by some sort of spiteful god. The feeling of electricity rocketing around her body like a teenager with a new drivers licence in a country with no speed limits was the third most awful experience she had ever had.    There was no way she could take that guy while he was alone, and he had two friends with him.

She thought about what she should do. Hide out until the coast was clear? No, she could not even move without her footfalls alerting them and if they even vaguely looked they would find her standing here. She pressed her gun barrel against the wall and considered going for broke with a full barrage and praying she knocked them all out. Did that have a chance of working? If it didn't [i]Zap, Crackle, Sizzle[/i], and that would be that. She could blow up part of the building, dump them all down to the second floor, but, oh! No, no, no. The rest of the committee was down there. What if the floor fell on someone? No, no, too risky. No way in hell. No way they could fight up here, she couldn't risk that. Besides, if she got bogged down here the St. Laura's kids would be coming up behind and she'd never re-take the lead she'd gained.

That left diplomacy, and that didn't have a history of working out well in her favor. Bak sighed. She wished Clara was here.

There came a sudden, loud knocking  as Bak tapped her gun against the wall. "Hello?" she called out to them from around the corner. "Vigilantes, da? I do not know what you are doing here, but I do not want to fight. I do not think we have reason to. I am coming out now, please do not be shooting at me. Thank you." With that the armor and guns of her forearms rotated backwards to free up her hands and she stepped out from around the corner, hands raised, palms out. She waved at them a little. "You see? No silly business. Please do not Zap."

[@rawkhawk64][@Renny][@Bartimaeus]