[center][h2][color=CFD3C6]Rurik Alexeev[/color] 
Christine Abigail
[color=f7941d]Thobias Thane[/color]   
Bak Tsarevna
[color=82ca9d]Samoth Moskono[/color][/h2][/center] 
[center][@Hammerman] [@6slyboy6] [@Bartimaeus] [@Gentlemanvaultboy][/center]
[hr]


With a roll of his eyes from being ordered about by Rurik, Thobias grabbed his and Christine's wrists and soon enough the three were up to the third floor.

[color=CFD3C6]". . . I will never get used to that,"[/color] Rurik said, his stomach feeling a bit flip-floppy. He had been under the grip of adrenaline last time, but after a second go defying the laws of physics, his internal organs weren't feeling so hot. Christine could only offer a sympathetic smile.

The fight beneath seemed to have ended not long after it began. A moment later, their attention was drawn to a nearby room by someone's shout. They were looking for King, so it must have been a vigilante. While the Vigilantes were certainly opposed to Mephisto's, they weren't their main enemy, not like St. Laurel's was.

[color=CFD3C6]"OK, before we run into someone we don't need to, let's go. Uhh, this way..."[/color] Rurik turned in the direction of the stairs to the fourth floor. With any luck, it would be mostly empty, perhaps just a few imps and Clara.

"Oh, but I think Bak is the other way!" Christine offered "helpfully." A stomping footfall soon proved her right. Rurik pursed his lips. He [i]had[/i] said they were gonna check on Bak. She'd just had to play the good girlfriend and pay attention to him, hadn't she?

[color=CFD3C6]"Good point..."[/color] Rurik said stiffly, through clenched teeth. The look on Thobias's fault told him that he too knew that Rurik had brought this upon himself. Smug bastard.

And so they went, being forced to jump over the hole first that Rurik had made, and then the other made by Andreim. Rurik feared that the floor would collapse under them, but somehow the crumbling structure held just enough for them to make their way.

They found a hole in the wall, and in the room was Bak, guns deployed.

[color=CFD3C6]"There, we found her. She seems fine. Right? You're good, aren't you, Bak?" [/color]

“Rurik!” She said, turning slightly toward him and giving him one of those weird half-smiles of hers. “Christine! Thobias…” She said, her voice suddenly going flat. “So good of you to come today.” Rurik was one thing, he showed up late but at the very least he bothered to show up. Thobias just showed up whenever he wanted. Bak could take measures to correct tardiness, but actual absences weren’t so simple. 

“Hold on for one moment, I am just finishing something up here.” She said, and fired. The missile flew over the top of Samoth’s cover at an angle, slammin into the ground behind it.

Samoth couldn’t react fast enough. He was more focused on listening to the other voices in the hall to hear the release of the missile, or its launch through the air towards him, until it was too late at least. He barely had time to begin moving before the blast detonated directly to his left into the floor.

The explosion sent him sprawling away from his cover, turning him over as he collided with a granite counter separating the apartment kitchen from the lounging area. His focus was dashed as he collided, dispersing his glaive and knocking the wind out of his lungs from the hard impact his back took the brunt of. He knew he couldn’t win this fight. Retreat was his only option. 	

He looked to his left, the area of the apartment furthest away from Bak Tsarevna. But also the most open. Without second thought, and even without waiting for his lungs to refresh their oxygen supply, he spurred himself to make a mad dash for the closed window while clutching his ribs, and focusing all his attention to the space to his right, aiming to telekinetically block any attacks he could as he made his escape.

Rurik sighed. More fighting, of course. He knew Bak would get mad if he didn’t help or something. He lazily fired a bolt after the fleeing enemy student, but it seemed to disperse upon hitting something. He fired again, but with the same result. Ah, of course, a barrier. Not quite as useful as his own, but also bigger.

[color=CFD3C6]“Oh no, he’s escaping,”[/color] Rurik said with obvious lack of caring. Another sigh. Fine, he’d make himself actually useful he supposed. He swore he was done after this. He grabbed Thobias’s wrist, [color=CFD3C6]“All right, do your thing.”[/color]

[color=f7941d]“I’m not a taxi service.”[/color] For a moment the two stared at each other, both showing obvious distaste for the predicament. [color=f7941d]“Ugh, fine.”[/color] With a sudden folding and unfolding of reality, and Rurik’s stomach, the two appeared in front of Samoth, Rurik charged and ready.

BAM!

An unstable blast flew free right into the fleeing boy.

[color=CFD3C6]“I got hi-!”[/color] Rurik began to call out, but stopped suddenly. [color=CFD3C6]“I… I got… HORF!”[/color] Without further warning he hurled all over the St. Laurels boy’s feet. 

[color=f7941d]“Yep. That’s enough of that.”[/color] Thobias pursed his lips and blinked away, leaving Rurik on his own, cut off from his allies.

[color=CFD3C6]“Uuuughhh… sorry about that. Teleporting’s a bitch to get used to…”[/color] Rurik actually apologized to his victim as he wiped off his chin. “Now, wh-” He looked up and realized his situation. There he was, sick to his stomach and off balance, and Thobias had left him. [color=CFD3C6]“That… bastard…”[/color]

Samoth was completely unprepared for a direct close-combat attack. The blast hit him directly in the chest, even before he could raise his arms, and knocked him off his feet. Once again what little air had re-entered his lungs was knocked out of them as he once again took an impact directly in his back. He groggily attempted to scramble to his feet, but before he could do so, he heard Rurik pause, and then wretch all over the Laurel’s feet. Samoth looked at his boots in disbelief. He narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted from his feet to Rurik.

He synthesized a kinetic bolt, launching it directly into the rival student’s stomach. Samoth would then attempt clamber to his feet, lunging at Rurik, throwing one palm into the boy’s rib as the other arm wrapped around his torso, under his arms.

Bak growled as Samoth got around Rurik and put him in between them. Rurik would never try at anything now if this was the sort of thing that ended up happening. She tried in vain to lean around around, stepping to the left, stepping to the right, trying to get and angle on Samoth and getting more frustrated all the while as he hid behind his human shield. 

She looked desperately down at her chainguns and let out a frustrated sign before her missile pod popped open again. “I am sorry Rurik.” She said apologetically. “This is rescue missile, not punishment missile.” 

Rurik’s jaw dropped. Rescue missile?! [color=CFD3C6]“Dude. Buddy. Pal. You need to let go,”[/color] he spoke in a panic to Samoth.

[color=82ca9d]“Why should I?”[/color] He said flatly. [color=82ca9d]“Not a chance.”[/color]

[color=CFD3C6]“You heard her! She’s gonna blow us both up, and I don’t wanna be standing here hugging it out out when she does!”[/color] Rurik’s eyes flitted nervously back-and-forth between Samoth and the soon to be fired missile-pod.

[color=82ca9d]“Hmm...No.”[/color] He smirked on the inside. This wasn’t exactly the best time for jokes, but it amused him either way. He tightened his grip on Rurik.

[color=CFD3C6]“Look I don’t even wanna be here! Just let me go and I’ll make it up to you!”[/color] Rurik skipped right to the bargaining phase of grief… Bak’s missiles hurt like hell.

Samoth pondered the proposition briefly, even though he already knew his answer.

Bak closed her eyes and the missile came whizzing out of the pod directly at them.

[color=82ca9d]“Fine.”[/color] He immediately released his grip upon Rurik, giving him a abrupt shove towards Bak. He would immediately begin sprinting straight for the window, planning to dive out of it head-first while covering his face with his crossed arms.

Rurik’s eyes went wide. Even as Samoth spoke, the missile was loosed. And then Samoth of course had to be a dick and push him toward it. Fortunately, Rurik felt his ability to use his powers return immediately. More by instinct than by skill, Rurik project his shield, lifting up and sort of scooping up the missile with his shield, sending it spiraling away up into the ceiling. He then held his shield there, like an umbrella against the rain of debris that ensued.
When the chaos passed, he looked around, first at Bak, and then at the broken window where Samoth used to be. He’d escaped. Bak was surely not going to be pleased.

[color=CFD3C6]“OK, look, I think we can all agree that in reality this is all Thobias’s fault.”[/color] Rurik crossed his arms. Not his, certainly. It wasn’t like he had the ability to go extra fast and dodge or anything. Nope… it had been totally out of his hands. Totally.

Thobias just flipped him off.