Week 12.2
LinkOnScepter
The One who Strangles Concepts to death
- Location
- Interwebs
You immediately get out your phone and start texting to the people you need to come help you. As you do, you're already rushing to catch up with Elizabeth. She's surprisingly gotten ahead of you by quite a bit. To the point where the only reason you're able to follow is because you're able to catch sight of her blonde hair before she rounds a corner. You do this a few times, making a group text and mass sending it to the three you need help from.
Yamato because obviously. He's your brother, the leader of your group, and smart. He'll know what to do in this situation if you can't figure it out. Would probably have a better strategy than just "hit them really hard".
Yameko cause, again, obviously. She's Yamato's Partner and you have no doubt that you're gonna be up against some people who can handle the supernatural. You'd rather be safe than sorry.
The last person made you pause though. You were going to ask Estella and Irina to come help you out. It would be under the same principle as Yamato and Yameko. The two were Partners, and you'd probably need them to be together so they're at their best. But the issue with that is you're not sure if the Organization is aware Estella is on your side. You have no doubt that she could handle herself, but the longer it takes the Organization to realize she's helping you, the better for you in the long run. And that advantage will be gone real fast if she shows up blasting alongside Irina. But you want at least one of them here just in case you need the firepower.
Biting your, you say that Elizabeth is in trouble and you're going to help her, but you're gonna need backup. But you add on the end that, if possible, Estella can just send Irina if she can manage it. Because you think that the Organization is involved in this and you don't want them to find out about her just yet. You keep your phone and focus back on following Elizabeth. But your focus is drawn back to your phone when you get multiple replies asking where you are.
You take a minute to look at your current surroundings and spot one of the stairwell signs. Rounding the corner, you catch the sight of a skirt that you're certain is Elizabeth's. If only because you've keeping up with her this entire time. There's no one else who could've gotten in front of you since then. Frowning, you head up the stairs and stop at the landing to pull out your phone. You explain how you're heading one of the stairwells, then take a moment to look at another sign. Once you see the "W" you add that it's in the "West Wing" of Raijin. You keep going up and up until eventually you stop at the last landing.
Because it's here that you realize what Elizabeth's destination is.
The roof.
"Figures," you grumble, taking out your phone and texting the information to everyone. You immediately get Yamato saying he and Yameko will be on their way. They're in the Eastern Wing so it might them a bit to reach you. Meanwhile, Irina has gotten the go ahead from Estella but says that she'll take a bit longer. Estella was busy talking to a few of the staff members and it took a lot of excuses to get her out without seeming impolite. She does stress to not get involved until she shows up, unless things get really, really bad.
You bite your lip but tell them okay...though you do summon Yato in case you have to use him. You raise up your arms and say, "Yato? We might be seeing the Organization soon. You ready?"
"Always. But, and pardon me for asking this Lord Hayato, are you certain that this is a good idea?" Yato sounds skeptical of something.
"That what's a good idea?" you ask, wondering what he's talking about.
"Helping this woman. I can understand wanting to ensure she's safe. But is it truly wise to show ourselves to our enemies in such a way. If what she said is true, then they likely already know what you can do. This whole thing could be a trap or trick to get you alone and-"
"Yato, before you finish that sentence, ask yourself this: Who are you talking to right now?"
There's silence between the two of you for a few moments. Then Yato speaks up, "A good point my Lord. Then I only ask we be prepared for whatever will come next."
You nod then stand up straight while watching the door. On the one hand, you know that Elizabeth is probably in trouble right now. But you also don't want to rush in without Yamato or Irina here. You've got no clue what you could be up against out there, and the last time you fought something supernatural put you in bandages for a few weeks. And that was when you were fighting it one on one, when it was using its human host like a puppet. This time you'd be up against humans who probably were used to dealing with the supernatural.
Rushing in is exactly the kind of thing you shouldn't do. So you're going to-
[Elizabeth Combat Check: 28 (Roll) + 50 (Swords) + 75 (???) + 10 (Sword Perk) + 25 (Dodging) + 10 (Dodging Perk) - 50 (Outnumbered by Skilled Opponents) - 10 (???) = 138]
[Organization Agents Combat Check: 6 (Agent 1 Roll) + 27 (Agent 2 Roll) + 50 (Working Together) + 40 (???) + 50 (???) + 10 (???) + 15 (???) + 40 (???) + 50 (???) + 15 (???) = 303]
"Ggggaaaahhhh!"
[Ever Present Shield Activates]
You don't even need to think about your next few actions. You immediately rush to the door and kick it open, running out to see why Elizabeth just screamed. You make it just in time to see Elizabeth soaring through the air from being hit hard. She's coming right at you and you quickly brace yourself to catch her. You grunt as you catch her in your arms, sliding a bit while adjusting to her weight. The girl slumps in your arms giving you a chance to look at her current condition.
And she's not looking good.
[Medicine: 6: Failure]
You're pretty sure that blood isn't supposed to be falling down her face like that. Or leaking so much that it's staining the front of her uniform. Though despite her injuries, you notice that her hands are still gripping a pair of twin swords.
[Swords: 31: Success!]
They look like European longswords, and their blades have clearly been cared for. Whoever made these knew what they were doing. Because despite Elizabeth clearly being in a fight you can't spot any scratches or chinks in the metal. And the guards are still standing strong even if Elizabeth probably used them to defend against an attack or two. You wonder where she got them from.
The girl groans as she forces her eyes open. She looks up at you and they widen as she realizes where she is. Her brows furrow as she frowns, "Nagai! I said not to follow me!"
"You should've known that would've just done the opposite," you say, helping her get to her feet and trying to brush any dust off, "Are you okay?"
"Fine!" she steps away from you, legs wobbling but grip on her swords remains strong. She looks over at her opponent and takes up a stance. One where the blade in her left hand is held in a tight grip, while the one in her right is held in a loose one.
[Perception Check: Mixed Work Of Art Auto-Pass]
Ah. You've heard of that style when you were practicing your MMA. You think it's called "Steel Devil Style". In one hand they hold their killing intent, while in the other they hold their skills with a blade. The idea is to fight with insane amounts of speed that makes their blades look like blurs in motion. To overwhelm the opponent's defenses and strike at any weak points they show over the course of the battle. You imagine that something like that would be pretty good against any normal foe.
Unfortunately...
"Hey! Look who it is!"
...she's not up against normal foes.
You finally turn to observe your adversaries and are surprised. Not at the Organization members. They look how you expected them too. A man and a women, both wearing black three piece suits with a matching pair of watches on chains. The man is a bit scrawny with bags under his eyes and oily black hair. His glassy eyes seem to observe the world with a sense of indifference and nonchalance from beneath his messy hair. In contrast, the woman is much more animated. She's hopping around while pounding her fists together, her suit barely able to contain her excitement. Her hair is far more put together with a sort of luster to its brown color. Her eyes are red and seem slightly rabid.
That isn't what surprised you.
What surprised you were the monsters that were standing next to them.
[Supernatural: Fundamental Knowledge Check: 23 VS DC 20: Success! +2 XP!]
Next to the man, floating in a puddle of water that it seemed to be creating, was a green scaly Kappa. And you meant the literal type of Kappa. It had the soft bald spot for a head, messy black hair, duck like face, and turtle like body. It was even munching on a cucumber that it got from...somewhere. It didn't seem to be paying much attention to what was happening around it, but you could see flecks of blood in its puddle.
And next to the woman was...an umbrella. An umbrella...with an eye and mouth on the front of it. With multiple small blades sticking out the bottom of its frills. You think this thing is called a Kasa-Obake. A long, fat tongue hands from its mouth that drips a strange black substance on the ground. Multiple blades on its frills are leaking blood that no doubt belongs to Elizabeth.
You have to do a double take for a second. You thought the Organization wanted to kill or capture yokai and stuff. Why are two of their agents seemingly working with them?!
The woman yells again while pointing a finger at you, "Hey, Keiji! Didn't we just get orders to do something about that kid right there? What was his name again? Something with an N or H?"
"Nagai Hayato," the man, Keiji, says with the same indifference he has on his face, "And yes, Keiko. Though we were meant to be more discrete about it. Hey, man, could you like forget you say any of this and just turn around? If you're looking for a fight, well we'll get to you soon enough. But right now we're kind of busy with the crazy sword bitch right there."
He jerks his head in Elizabeth's direction. She grits her teeth and spreads her feet out as she readies herself for combat. Then the girl, Keiki, waves her hand back and forth, "Nah, nah, nah! Not gonna let that happen! We've got the chance to take out two birds with one stone here! We can kill both the girl and the guy then get back to office for lunch. Bet they'll be a big promotion in it, don't ya think so?"
"No, but you're not gonna listen to anything I have to say, are you?"
"I knew you would agree!"
Keiji puts a hand on his head and sighs, "Fine. Fine. Change of plans, Nagai. Can you make this a bit easier on us and just fall over dead? I don't really want to have to deal with anything too stressful today."
[Empathy: Feelings Check: 65 VS DC 50: Success! +1 XP!]
...The guy's not lying.
But you feel like there might be a bit more to it than that. Otherwise he would've just left this to Keiko rather than stuck around. Maybe the two of them actually like each other? You don't know.
But what you do know is they're probably about to attack you. The Kasa-Obake starts hopping up and down, before leaping into Keiko's hands. She holds the thing up like a shield as its blades all extend, ready to draw more blood.
Keiji crouches down next to the Kappa and taps it on its head, "Hey, stop eating. It's time for more work."
"What?! Bu-Bu-But you said I could have a snack!" the Kappa says, looking rather despondent.
"I know, but that guy is kind of stopping us," he points a finger at you and the Kappa's eyes narrow.
It puts its cucumber in the pool before screeching in rage at you. You get into your stance and prepare for battle.
"Nagai, leave them both to me," Elizabeth says and you want to tell her no. But, as if reading your mind, she continues, "I can handle myself. You heard what they said. You're already on their radar. If you fight now, you'll just be digging a deeper hole for yourself. Run, get your brother, and both of you get out of this school. Otherwise...your life will become hell."
[Empathy: Feelings Check: 65 VS DC 60: Success! +1 Elizabeth RP!]
[Empathy: Motives Check: 63 VS DC 60: Success! +1 Elizabeth RP!]
You get why she's saying what she's saying. She's trying to look out for you. You're reminded of your conversation from a few weeks back. Where she asked you what you'd do if people who hated Supernaturals came after you. And what you said back then. Maybe this is what she meant. That she knew about the Organization and what they'd do if they found out about you and your brother.
And like then, she's trying to get you to think of yourself and him first. Not her.
But...you don't think you do that.
It's just not in you.
So, there's only one thing to do...
[] Stand and fight until Yamato and Irina get here. Be defensive and focus on outlasting them until your backup arrives. Then you'll take them on together.
[] Stand and fight these bastards. Pick a target, rush in, and take them down. Go full offense and try to have them down before your backup arrives.
[] See if you can convince Elizabeth to work with you. Together, the two of you will stand a much better chance at fighting them than you would alone. But that's only if she's willing to fight alongside you. Hope those lesson Estella gave you pay off. (Empathy + Speech CSC)
[] Write in...
Yamato because obviously. He's your brother, the leader of your group, and smart. He'll know what to do in this situation if you can't figure it out. Would probably have a better strategy than just "hit them really hard".
Yameko cause, again, obviously. She's Yamato's Partner and you have no doubt that you're gonna be up against some people who can handle the supernatural. You'd rather be safe than sorry.
The last person made you pause though. You were going to ask Estella and Irina to come help you out. It would be under the same principle as Yamato and Yameko. The two were Partners, and you'd probably need them to be together so they're at their best. But the issue with that is you're not sure if the Organization is aware Estella is on your side. You have no doubt that she could handle herself, but the longer it takes the Organization to realize she's helping you, the better for you in the long run. And that advantage will be gone real fast if she shows up blasting alongside Irina. But you want at least one of them here just in case you need the firepower.
Biting your, you say that Elizabeth is in trouble and you're going to help her, but you're gonna need backup. But you add on the end that, if possible, Estella can just send Irina if she can manage it. Because you think that the Organization is involved in this and you don't want them to find out about her just yet. You keep your phone and focus back on following Elizabeth. But your focus is drawn back to your phone when you get multiple replies asking where you are.
You take a minute to look at your current surroundings and spot one of the stairwell signs. Rounding the corner, you catch the sight of a skirt that you're certain is Elizabeth's. If only because you've keeping up with her this entire time. There's no one else who could've gotten in front of you since then. Frowning, you head up the stairs and stop at the landing to pull out your phone. You explain how you're heading one of the stairwells, then take a moment to look at another sign. Once you see the "W" you add that it's in the "West Wing" of Raijin. You keep going up and up until eventually you stop at the last landing.
Because it's here that you realize what Elizabeth's destination is.
The roof.
"Figures," you grumble, taking out your phone and texting the information to everyone. You immediately get Yamato saying he and Yameko will be on their way. They're in the Eastern Wing so it might them a bit to reach you. Meanwhile, Irina has gotten the go ahead from Estella but says that she'll take a bit longer. Estella was busy talking to a few of the staff members and it took a lot of excuses to get her out without seeming impolite. She does stress to not get involved until she shows up, unless things get really, really bad.
You bite your lip but tell them okay...though you do summon Yato in case you have to use him. You raise up your arms and say, "Yato? We might be seeing the Organization soon. You ready?"
"Always. But, and pardon me for asking this Lord Hayato, are you certain that this is a good idea?" Yato sounds skeptical of something.
"That what's a good idea?" you ask, wondering what he's talking about.
"Helping this woman. I can understand wanting to ensure she's safe. But is it truly wise to show ourselves to our enemies in such a way. If what she said is true, then they likely already know what you can do. This whole thing could be a trap or trick to get you alone and-"
"Yato, before you finish that sentence, ask yourself this: Who are you talking to right now?"
There's silence between the two of you for a few moments. Then Yato speaks up, "A good point my Lord. Then I only ask we be prepared for whatever will come next."
You nod then stand up straight while watching the door. On the one hand, you know that Elizabeth is probably in trouble right now. But you also don't want to rush in without Yamato or Irina here. You've got no clue what you could be up against out there, and the last time you fought something supernatural put you in bandages for a few weeks. And that was when you were fighting it one on one, when it was using its human host like a puppet. This time you'd be up against humans who probably were used to dealing with the supernatural.
Rushing in is exactly the kind of thing you shouldn't do. So you're going to-
[Elizabeth Combat Check: 28 (Roll) + 50 (Swords) + 75 (???) + 10 (Sword Perk) + 25 (Dodging) + 10 (Dodging Perk) - 50 (Outnumbered by Skilled Opponents) - 10 (???) = 138]
[Organization Agents Combat Check: 6 (Agent 1 Roll) + 27 (Agent 2 Roll) + 50 (Working Together) + 40 (???) + 50 (???) + 10 (???) + 15 (???) + 40 (???) + 50 (???) + 15 (???) = 303]
"Ggggaaaahhhh!"
[Ever Present Shield Activates]
You don't even need to think about your next few actions. You immediately rush to the door and kick it open, running out to see why Elizabeth just screamed. You make it just in time to see Elizabeth soaring through the air from being hit hard. She's coming right at you and you quickly brace yourself to catch her. You grunt as you catch her in your arms, sliding a bit while adjusting to her weight. The girl slumps in your arms giving you a chance to look at her current condition.
And she's not looking good.
[Medicine: 6: Failure]
You're pretty sure that blood isn't supposed to be falling down her face like that. Or leaking so much that it's staining the front of her uniform. Though despite her injuries, you notice that her hands are still gripping a pair of twin swords.
[Swords: 31: Success!]
They look like European longswords, and their blades have clearly been cared for. Whoever made these knew what they were doing. Because despite Elizabeth clearly being in a fight you can't spot any scratches or chinks in the metal. And the guards are still standing strong even if Elizabeth probably used them to defend against an attack or two. You wonder where she got them from.
The girl groans as she forces her eyes open. She looks up at you and they widen as she realizes where she is. Her brows furrow as she frowns, "Nagai! I said not to follow me!"
"You should've known that would've just done the opposite," you say, helping her get to her feet and trying to brush any dust off, "Are you okay?"
"Fine!" she steps away from you, legs wobbling but grip on her swords remains strong. She looks over at her opponent and takes up a stance. One where the blade in her left hand is held in a tight grip, while the one in her right is held in a loose one.
[Perception Check: Mixed Work Of Art Auto-Pass]
Ah. You've heard of that style when you were practicing your MMA. You think it's called "Steel Devil Style". In one hand they hold their killing intent, while in the other they hold their skills with a blade. The idea is to fight with insane amounts of speed that makes their blades look like blurs in motion. To overwhelm the opponent's defenses and strike at any weak points they show over the course of the battle. You imagine that something like that would be pretty good against any normal foe.
Unfortunately...
"Hey! Look who it is!"
...she's not up against normal foes.
You finally turn to observe your adversaries and are surprised. Not at the Organization members. They look how you expected them too. A man and a women, both wearing black three piece suits with a matching pair of watches on chains. The man is a bit scrawny with bags under his eyes and oily black hair. His glassy eyes seem to observe the world with a sense of indifference and nonchalance from beneath his messy hair. In contrast, the woman is much more animated. She's hopping around while pounding her fists together, her suit barely able to contain her excitement. Her hair is far more put together with a sort of luster to its brown color. Her eyes are red and seem slightly rabid.
That isn't what surprised you.
What surprised you were the monsters that were standing next to them.
[Supernatural: Fundamental Knowledge Check: 23 VS DC 20: Success! +2 XP!]
Next to the man, floating in a puddle of water that it seemed to be creating, was a green scaly Kappa. And you meant the literal type of Kappa. It had the soft bald spot for a head, messy black hair, duck like face, and turtle like body. It was even munching on a cucumber that it got from...somewhere. It didn't seem to be paying much attention to what was happening around it, but you could see flecks of blood in its puddle.
And next to the woman was...an umbrella. An umbrella...with an eye and mouth on the front of it. With multiple small blades sticking out the bottom of its frills. You think this thing is called a Kasa-Obake. A long, fat tongue hands from its mouth that drips a strange black substance on the ground. Multiple blades on its frills are leaking blood that no doubt belongs to Elizabeth.
You have to do a double take for a second. You thought the Organization wanted to kill or capture yokai and stuff. Why are two of their agents seemingly working with them?!
The woman yells again while pointing a finger at you, "Hey, Keiji! Didn't we just get orders to do something about that kid right there? What was his name again? Something with an N or H?"
"Nagai Hayato," the man, Keiji, says with the same indifference he has on his face, "And yes, Keiko. Though we were meant to be more discrete about it. Hey, man, could you like forget you say any of this and just turn around? If you're looking for a fight, well we'll get to you soon enough. But right now we're kind of busy with the crazy sword bitch right there."
He jerks his head in Elizabeth's direction. She grits her teeth and spreads her feet out as she readies herself for combat. Then the girl, Keiki, waves her hand back and forth, "Nah, nah, nah! Not gonna let that happen! We've got the chance to take out two birds with one stone here! We can kill both the girl and the guy then get back to office for lunch. Bet they'll be a big promotion in it, don't ya think so?"
"No, but you're not gonna listen to anything I have to say, are you?"
"I knew you would agree!"
Keiji puts a hand on his head and sighs, "Fine. Fine. Change of plans, Nagai. Can you make this a bit easier on us and just fall over dead? I don't really want to have to deal with anything too stressful today."
[Empathy: Feelings Check: 65 VS DC 50: Success! +1 XP!]
...The guy's not lying.
But you feel like there might be a bit more to it than that. Otherwise he would've just left this to Keiko rather than stuck around. Maybe the two of them actually like each other? You don't know.
But what you do know is they're probably about to attack you. The Kasa-Obake starts hopping up and down, before leaping into Keiko's hands. She holds the thing up like a shield as its blades all extend, ready to draw more blood.
Keiji crouches down next to the Kappa and taps it on its head, "Hey, stop eating. It's time for more work."
"What?! Bu-Bu-But you said I could have a snack!" the Kappa says, looking rather despondent.
"I know, but that guy is kind of stopping us," he points a finger at you and the Kappa's eyes narrow.
It puts its cucumber in the pool before screeching in rage at you. You get into your stance and prepare for battle.
"Nagai, leave them both to me," Elizabeth says and you want to tell her no. But, as if reading your mind, she continues, "I can handle myself. You heard what they said. You're already on their radar. If you fight now, you'll just be digging a deeper hole for yourself. Run, get your brother, and both of you get out of this school. Otherwise...your life will become hell."
[Empathy: Feelings Check: 65 VS DC 60: Success! +1 Elizabeth RP!]
[Empathy: Motives Check: 63 VS DC 60: Success! +1 Elizabeth RP!]
You get why she's saying what she's saying. She's trying to look out for you. You're reminded of your conversation from a few weeks back. Where she asked you what you'd do if people who hated Supernaturals came after you. And what you said back then. Maybe this is what she meant. That she knew about the Organization and what they'd do if they found out about you and your brother.
And like then, she's trying to get you to think of yourself and him first. Not her.
But...you don't think you do that.
It's just not in you.
So, there's only one thing to do...
[] Stand and fight until Yamato and Irina get here. Be defensive and focus on outlasting them until your backup arrives. Then you'll take them on together.
[] Stand and fight these bastards. Pick a target, rush in, and take them down. Go full offense and try to have them down before your backup arrives.
[] See if you can convince Elizabeth to work with you. Together, the two of you will stand a much better chance at fighting them than you would alone. But that's only if she's willing to fight alongside you. Hope those lesson Estella gave you pay off. (Empathy + Speech CSC)
[] Write in...