Parliament of Thieves

The first shot goes wide and a bullet explodes into the restaurant's doorframe sending small fragments of plaster into the air. Through the plaster dust, you can barely make out a small circle of blood forming on Peng's left shoulder. Looks like you tagged him, but he barely seems to have noticed ((3P damage to him)).

Blake's Combat Round 2 Initiative roll

Initiative = Reaction 3 + Intuition 3 = 6

6d6.hits(5) → [4,5,5,2,3,4] = (2)

Initiative score = 8

[OOC: Blake is SO not built for this.]

The car started to move and shots rang out all around her, plus glass was falling in the car. Hasty was not sure who was up and who was down, but she had no intention of letting the envelope go!

Reaction 7 + intuition 4, 11 dice = 6 hits =17

Reaction 5 + Intuition 3 = 8

8d6 → [3,3,6,6,1,3,5,3] =3 hits

Initiative score = 11

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2374927/

Two shots ring out and bullets race toward the Troll. The first bullet impacts him squarely in the chest, but he doesn't seem phased by it (absorbed it).

The second bullet, however, slams into his arm, and he seems to take notice (2S).

((And here goes round 2))

The adept, well injured, scrambles back into the Nightsky and screams out for his men. (Japanese) "The gai-jin obviously don't want to sell it, let's get the hell out of here before Peng does something stupid!"

((Hasty, you're up))

An idea cross's Hasty's mind as she starts to think the car is no longer safe. she did not think they would see her for she was so small but she thought of the envelope and that's where her idea came into play.

improved invisibility force 3 on the envelope.

magic 5, spell casting 4, = 9 dice = 4hits

drain 2S

will 7, intu 4, = 11 dice = 1hit glitch (that sucks)

(if hasty survives this glitch then) she fly's out the car window right side and then up the building to hide on the roof. (anyone wishing to see her or take a shot has -9 to there perception and also she has cover i think from the concealment.) envelope held tight to her chest.

((For the glitch, just take P instead of S))

The men who had come with the adept pile back into the car and it begins to reverse away from the scene of mayhem.

((Tani, you're up))

The slugs zip through the air toward the large troll. Impacting his chest at almost the exact same time, the bullets create two small splashes of blood as they rip through his lined coat. Peng stumbles back slightly, but quickly regains his footing. He turns his gaze toward you and glares; he looks PISSED ((2P + 3P = 5P))

He starts to raise his hands as if to cast on you, but decides that he values his life more than revenge. He turns and runs back into the restaurant.

((Next up is Hoshi and then Iceblade. Page 132 of corebook says highest edge wins a tie in initiative. Hoshi has 2 and Iceblade has 1))

Hoshi jumps off the floor clutching his wound and makes a short dash to his bike, as the black car peels out he sends a message to the team.

(English) "I think we should get out of here guys! Dont forget were on a deadline!

(ooc: are we still fighting?)

Iceblade took a deep breath as Auril left him. "She's always a nice gal to have around." He watched Peng all the way back into the restaurant, and then turned, quickly moving back to his bike. "I hope you weren't too put out by Auril's antics. She does like to put on a show. Now lets get out of here."

Hasty whips the sweat from her brow good job guys she says in the sub vocal, and she fly's back to the car. Lets get going!

As Peng (OOC: and whatever other of his group are still alive?) disappear into the restaurant and the Nightsky backs up, Blake realizes he has to move quickly if he'll have any chance of figuring out who these people are.

He opens the car door, stepping out quickly to get a good line of sight to the Nightsky. He uses his cybereye's built-in camera to take as many pictures as necessary to get the Nightsky's license plate number.

After making sure the site's safe, Blake goes up to any downed enemies and frisks them, taking anything interesting or useful. If they're still alive, he pumps them for information (Charisma 6 + Intimidation 3 + [More characters than NPCs] 2 + [Character causing subject physical pain] 2 = 13 dice).

Next, he walks quickly to the spot where Peng was first shot, being careful to stay out of sightlines into the restaurant. He tries to isolate the troll's blood (there has to be some from the amount of damage done to him!), tears off a piece of his shirt and mops up the blood with it. If he can't isolate the correct blood stain, he tries to collect some from each sample.

Walking back to the car, Blake subvocalizes, "How many troll mages named Peng do you think there are in Denver? I imagine someone might want to buy a sample of his DNA for ritual sorcery... Hoshi, I suggest you or Iceblade get some of that other guy's DNA as well. Black Fox, if you'll get in the car, we can get started again."

Once Black Fox is back in the car, Blake resumes the drive to the next coyote. While doing so, he calls up his Datahound contact. "Hey, Omni. Yeah, you know who it is. I need info on two things: a Nightsky (Blake uploads the picture of the Nightsky's license plate) - who owns it and who's using it. Also, I need details on a troll mage, goes by the name Peng. Yeah, I know I owe you..."

((Sorry real life has been beating the drek out of me lately. I'm back though, and the run can now continue - Also, none of the people left on the street are alive.))

Blake safely snaps a few pics of the license plates of the Nightsky and mop up a decent sized blood sample from Peng.

As you begin to pull the car away and head toward the next meet, constantly looking over your shoulder to ensure you're not being followed by either of those crazy slots, you hear the distant wails of the Star finally coming to your 'rescue'. They'd have just as likely shot you as saved you had they shown up in time, you think to yourself more than a little bitter.

Happy to be on your way again, you phone your contacts to see what you can find out about this mage called Peng and the adept in the Nightsky.

Hasty Jumps on the sub-vocal Hey someone call our next smuggler, let'em know we had some trouble but were good to go and on our way.

On his bike, Iceblade chuckled, watching the others. "Well, if this run wasn't going to be dangerous, they wouldn't have called all of us, right? Let's go meet Peaches."

Hasty frowned at ice blade words. She was up for the danger, never said she was not, plus she had played her part and protected the envelope. What was so funny? Did he think she was scared hmmm she thought, and decided not to press the issue. Then she hopped back on the sub-vocal can we just go gosh people...

Blake grunts his thanks to his contact and hangs up the phone. "OK, gang, I just got some info on what just happened. The Adept in the Nightsky is probably a guy named Jonny Ono, a fast-riser in the Yakuza. Young, well-connected. The troll, Peng, is a spellslinger for the Golden Triangle Triad. Neither one is someone to make enemies with."

Blake calls back Omni, running through the usual handshake. "Omni, two more things. I need to know what interest the Yakuza and Golden Triangle Triad would have in the Koshari Leadership Council, and if there are any deals in the works around those three entities. And let me know how much this information is going to cost me - I'm on something of a budget these days!"

Blake continues driving, looking to Black Fox to make contact with Peaches.

Hasty shifted uncomfortably in her seat when Blake spoke. Yakuza, Triads, she thought! She had heard from grump about them "you see'em don't let'em see you he said. And she knew they were bad news. She shifted again in the back seat. What had she gotten into, and she looked at where she held the invisible envelope. She transferred the sustaining of the spell to the necklace she wore a silver chain with one crystal feather link. It was given to her, by some one at the institute where she learned her psychic powers. (Nigel she thought of that nice man) he made focuses and he was a professor there. Also it helped that he was very fond of Hasty then called Serintha. Her new found thoughts of the past, made her feel at ease and so she breathed... Besides she was not sure they had seen her at all! Her team was pretty efficient!

Black's comm buzzes. A message from Peaches comes through. "Everything alright chummer? Getting worried, you're not here yet." He sends her a reply with a quick update on you status and ETA.

Well, things have gone swimmingly so far. Now you just have to manage one more border crossing, then deliver your package - apparently to a Mafia higher up. Since the last crossing went so painlessly, surely this one won't be any worse, right?=? It's still rush hour, so it looks like you've made the right choice in contacting Peaches.

As you pull up to the meet, you turn into a dilapidated parking garage. An Ork female wearing a chameleon suit waves you down as you get close. Her hood is down, causing her flamingly bright orange hair to stand out amongst the background. Judging from her face, she's just past middle-age. She hops into the vehicle and directs you down into the lowest level of the garage.

One there, she climbs out of the car and walks over to a rusted chain-link fence seperating the team from what appears to be a maintenance area. Looking around to make sure no one else is in the area, Peaches deftly moves the fence out of the way and waves the vehicles through, moving the fence back into place behind you. As you pass by some antiquated plumbing systems and down into a series of underground tunnels, Peaches begins to explain that these tunnels are commonly thought to be from an abandoned sewer expansion project, but that there are rumors that they might have even been constructed as emergency shelters during the height of the cold war, back in the 20th century.

The only lighting in the ancient musty tunnels comes from your vehicles and whatever other light sources you happen to have brought with you (-2 if you only have normal vision). The walls are decorated with occasional patches of graffiti, and you pass squatters living lives of quiet misery along the way.

Partway into the journey Peaches points out an open doorway with light spilling out into the darkness. From inside, you can hear the faint sound of country-western music and quiet laughter.

(English) "That's the Five by Five ya'll. I love it there. Great place ta get yerself a nice quiet drink... If you don't mind hanging out with smugglers that is."

Slightly further along the route, you can vaguely make out the screams of what sounds like a dwarven woman being attacked. She screeches in pain, and calls out for help, but it doesn't sound like anyone hears, or more possibly that anyone cares.

As you get closer, you can hear loud grunting, low growling, and the sound of flesh being savagely scratched at. Rounding the last bend, you see a group of 3 ghouls who have cornered the small female dwarf, and are viciously attacking her, clawing at her exposed skin.

The virus infecting the ghouls has caused them to lose every trace of body hair, and their skin has become a rough and scabbed hide. Their fingers, longer than before becoming ghouls, end in dangerously sharp claws and they appear to almost have fangs. This particular pack appear to have all been human before the infection.

Due to their keen sense of hearing and smell, they know you're coming before you get the chance to surprise them. Turning away from the mangled body of what was originally their prey, they snarl at you, blood dripping from their deformed hands and sharpened teeth.

((Initiative bitches))

Hasty's initiative roll

Reaction 7, intuition 4 = 11 dice = 6 hits = 17