Metro City, Phillip's Tale.

[TheOneTrueGod]

This is the thread for Phillip's part of the metro city tale.

[TheOneTrueGod]

It is evening in early July. A refreshing breeze blows in over the red river as you sit on top of the bowling alley, looking up at the stars. You remember your parents telling you about the different constellations when you were younger, but it is now a distant memory. As you are staring up at the stars, you notice something odd... The big dipper started stretching. You sit up, and realize that the stars in it are starting to fall, leaving giant streaks behind them. All of a sudden, the sign reading 'open 5PM - 9AM' flicks on and begins humming in the window downstairs. You stare for a moment longer, then quickly jump to action -- That sign is only ever on when Reb suspects problems are coming your way.

[OOC: You have about a minute to do whatever you want to / need to do.]

Soon enough, you hear the grinding of a pipe being dragged across a concrete wall, and an angry voice shouts at you from the back of the building: Phillip! I know you're in there! Come out here and face me or the place gets torched!

You suspect he is not alone.

[Just_Ice]

The young man grits his teeth in frustration as he runs his fingers through his slicked-back dirty blonde hair. With not a moment to lose, he dashes down the dilapidated staircase to the employee bathroom, which is elevated somewhat. He looks out the building from the tinted window, hoping to catch a glimpse of his apparently arson-willing opponent. On the way into the unkempt lavatory he grabs the only to-code thing about the building- the wall mounted fire extinguisher, hoping it even works. This of course doesn't set off any alarms, as there _are none_.

[TheOneTrueGod]

As you peer out the window you see Reggie, from the crimson gang, standing alone in the alleyway wearing the gang's standard black and red leather jacket. Reggie was one of the higher-ups in the gang, and you're not sure why he has shown up here personally. He usually sends his goons out for these kinds of jobs. But, then again, you also thought he would have learned to stay away from here by now. He is holding a lead pipe in one hand, and a molotov in the other, and is looking around anxiously.

[Just_Ice]

Phillip spits at the sight of Reggie havin' the scrotum necessary to show up alone. While it's true that the building is so poorly designed and the paint so flammable that the walls will go up in smoke even before the three-and-a-half supports do, besides the molotov the dumb lug is only hardly a threat on his own. Opening the window silently, slipping through and sliding down the exposed water piping like a fire pole, he lands in the dark alleyway in the challenger's peripheral.

Phillip has decided to be subtle about the deed - no reason to bug Reb with his own business. The prepared punk slips the extinguisher out of his pocket and pulls out the safety pin - he intends to neutralize the molotov, ideally along with Reggie's ugly face.

[TheOneTrueGod]

[Add 2 dice to your Dex+Stealth rolls due to home court advantage.
You can try to hit him at the maximum range and make only one Dex+Stealth roll, and roll Dex+Firearms to spray him.
Or you can make two Dex+Stealth rolls to get close enough to do a Dex+Melee to spray him.]

[When you've finished, make a wits+awareness roll]

[TheOneTrueGod]

You slide down the drain pipe gracefully, but there is a puddle waiting for you at the bottom. You make a loud splash as you land in it, but seize the moment of surprise to dash forward and spray the fire extinguisher at Reggie. He turns to face you, shouts out and then is hit with the blast full-force.
You spot two more crimson gang members up on the roof of the convenience store beside the bowling alley. They jump off the roof with a quiet 'whoop', landing beside their leader. One is wielding a knife, and the other an old baseball bat made out of wood. They both have on the customary red bandannas and red/black leather jackets of the crimson gang.

The one with the bat charges at you, swinging his bat wildly.
[3 successes - get a 2 die stunt to avoid being hit. Then it's your turn.]

Turn Order:
Phillip: 0
Knife: 3
Reggie: 5
Bat: 6

[Just_Ice]

Not wasting time wondering how the thugs got onto the roof of a convenience store or jumped a story and ran here so quickly, Phillips instead made with the whole escaping getting pasted deal. Using the nearby wall to his advantage, Phillip quickly turned and ran up it sideways, running up to windowsill eight feet off the ground. Grabbing the sill with one hand, he used the other (still clutching the fire extinguisher) to eject a planter, showering dirt onto the striken-out thug below. Finally, he drops from the ledge, smashing the fire extinguisher onto his cranium.

[TheOneTrueGod]

After watching his clumsy gang-brother act, the crimson knife-wielder takes a quick step forward and tries to drive his knife into your side, while Reggie jumps out of the fog looking a little crazed and bringing his pipe down in an overhead swing.

You're able to easily twist out of the way of the knife, but the pipe poses a bigger problem. [1 die stunt to avoid. Then it's your turn.]

Turn Order:
Phillip:5
Bat: 6
Knife: 7
Reggie: 10

[Just_Ice]

Although he notices the plumbing affixation escaping the mist and adopting a heading that could ruin his whole day, Phil found it impossible to enact a proper dodge. The downwards strike, combined with the unspacious alleyway further clustered with mountains of meat, restricted his movements to "get hit".

Quick to act as always, the boy that lived in the bowling alley went down on all fours like a cat and braced for impact. This was music to Reginald's eyes, as he decided it might be a good time to merely paralyze the object of his infuriation for life. When he struck, he did not strike delicious backbone, but instead the rather unwelcome feeling of metal. Unbeknownst to him, Phillip's weapon resided at the back of his jacket, sheathed until such a time until it was needed, and guarding his posterior.

The jostling from the impact prompted it to loosen from the grips of the leather loops it slept in, and it vaulted towards the pavement. Just before it could reach the ground, the blonde brawler stepped up to a crouch and drew it. Tossing the extinguisher into the air as a distraction, he got to work from his unique position. Sticking the pole between reggie's open legs, he hooked the back of reggie's right calf, and put the other end at the side of his right knee. Cranking like a lever, he spread the poor men's legs as men's legs were never meant to do.

[TheOneTrueGod]

You bang up Reggie's legs pretty badly, but he is more determined than you give him credit for. He backhands you across the face and then brings his pipe down on your shoulder, sending pain spiraling through it. [Take 3 bashing damage. You'll also need to roll stamina + resistance and get at least 1 success in order to avoid taking a -1 penalty]

The knife wielding thug tries to take advantage of your momentary lapse, and brings his knife in to hit you in the leg, trying to pin you. [Stunt to avoid.]

Meanwhile, the bat wielding thug still looks a little nauseous, and he puts his head in his hands.

Turn Order:
Phillip:10
Knife: 11
Bat: 12
Reggie: 15

[Just_Ice]

2 successes.

Reggie's counter-attack is unprecendentedly fearsome, but it'll take more than crippling shoulder pain and a smack to the face to throw Phillip off his game. Toughing it out, he stumbles back to the wall and makes to engage in furious retribution, until he notices the cutter coming in for his leg. Un-interested in dealing with the knife artist properly, he merely backpedals a smidgeon and looks up - yup, it's right on time. The fire extinguisher comes back to earth, landing directly on the knife and parrying its wielder.

Pushing this "threat" out of the way, an indignant Phillip gives his quarry a look of disrespect that would humble royalty. Swinging his fence pole from its resting position on his shoulder, Phillip strikes his foe hard in the chest. Once he is staggered, he lets one hand off his weapon while the other switches to gripping the coiled mesh. Using the chain-link, the brawler casts off the pole behind and around Reggie's fat head, hooking it.

Having grappled Reggie, the regular taughtness of the chain mesh about the pole reels him in, and Phil uses his other arm to deliver a furious muay thai forearm to the face. Taking the pole back once more, he slips it under Reggie's huge foot and trips him, finally stabbing the handle end into his stomach just as he hits the ground.

[doubleattack Reggie]

[TheOneTrueGod]

Reggie's head hits the pavement with a resounding crack, and his eyes flutter shut. You give him a good whack in the chest, just to be sure.

The bat-wielding thug sees what you did to his leader, gets a terrified look on his face, and then says Screw this, I ain't being paid enough to do this!, and turns and runs.

His knife-wielding friend shouts at him Coward! Get back here or Melvin will have your head! and then turns to you. He grabs the fire extinguisher, puts a small hole in it, and then throws it at the ground at your feet as hard as he can.

It hits the ground hard, and the small pinprick hole expands with explosive force, showering you with foam and a few small bits of metal that broke off. [1L damage]

After the initial shock of the explosion has worn off, you look up and see the shadowy form of the knife-wielder jumping at you, knife coming down at your head. [stunt to block/dodge]

Phillip:15
Knife: 19

[Just_Ice]

Cursing the ingenuity of the thug while in a coughing fit, Phillip leaned on his pole for support and watched around him. A flash of serrated steel called him to action, and he rapidly switched to defense. Holding his weapon above himself, he opened it as one might unroll a scroll.

Where the knifer had hoped to strike flesh, he had only found his fist stuck in the painful grip of a link of chain mesh. Rolling the thing up again, Phillip caught his hand like one might catch a hand in a rolled-up rug. His blue eyes shone menacingly from the smoke as he spoke for the first time in this entire thread.

"You got me pretty good there. I'd like t'a return the favour - that is, unless you're gonna sing to me about this Melvin putz, since Reggie's already a little down on his luck. But you ain't a squealer, are ya? First, I guess I'll have to put ya in the mood."

His eyes narrow menacingly while he grips his weapon like a large handle centered on the thug's hand. Despite his injuries interfering, Phil cranks the thing around, twisting the thug's hand painfully.

[TheOneTrueGod]

He lets out a pained yelp, and his knife clatters to the ground loudly. He lets out a grunted sentence, I'll talk... About this! and takes a swing at you, but it isn't too hard to avoid his out-of-range fist.

You give the chain a yank again, and he says All Right, all right! Melvin's the new leader of the crimson gang. He took over from Paul a couple of days ago, and now he's after this whole side of town. Don't worry, he'll... what's that?

You see a flash of light off in the distance, and a couple of seconds later hear a faint 'Boomf' sound. Not 5 seconds after that, there is another. And another. And they seem to be getting closer. After the fourth, you hear whistling sound above you that begins faint, but becomes louder and louder. You look up and see a streak of light directly above you, getting alarmingly larger by the second.

You turn to try and get yourself to cover, but it is too late. Whatever it was crashes into the convenience store beside you, completely demolishing it, and sending a wave of dirt, bricks, mortar, and lots of heat your way. Reggie and the knife thugs bodies are instantly incinerated, but you... barely feel the heat at all. In fact, even the bricks and mortar seem to be flying by you, striking the bowling alley wall behind you without leaving a scratch on you.

When the chaos is over, there is a dim red glow coming from the crater where the convenience store used to be, and the bowling alley's wall looks like it needs a bit of a repair job.

[Just_Ice]

Phillip stands in abject shock at what's happened, not even realising he's miraculously avoided taking a stone shower. Recognizing that that unsightly brain stain has yet to be removed from his skull, he snaps back to reality a bit.

Seeing the remains (or lack thereof) of his opponents from a minute prior, he freezes up again. While it was hardly as if death was unheard of in the city, incineration was an entirely different matter. More than a little out of it, he wandered towards the remains of the corner store, pushing the wire-frame of the "E" out of his way and using his pole to aid both his physical and mental stability.

[TheOneTrueGod]

Walking through the shock, you part the debris and find a crater, maybe 30 feet deep. Pierced sewage lines bleed water into the hole, and you can barely see the street through the mess of wreckage along the perimeter. As the crater gets deeper, you notice that the water pooling in the bottom faster than it can drain seems to have a hole in it... and inside the hole is whatever was creating the glow you noticed from the outside.

Carefully sliding down to see what could have caused this devastation, you spot a small red orb in the middle of the pool of water.

[Just_Ice]

Now thirty-something feet underneath the pavement, Phillip contemplates the fact that he is stuck in a small chamber with an orb that was the centerpiece of the destruction of at least two city blocks. Not interested in being engulfed in a ball of nuclear fire like the others, he decides instead to lightly tap the orb with his pole. If there is no reaction, he will wade through the filthy water a bit closer and pick it up.

[TheOneTrueGod]

Your feet slosh through the water, and you reach over and pick up the orb. It gives off a slight warmth, breaking through the shock that you're in and calming your nerves. You hold onto it a moment longer, affixed by it, when you hear police sirens. Knowing this is not the place to be, you turn to leave, and find that your body has been completely rejuvenated. You quickly head out the same way you came in, and figure that this is not the best place to be seen by the police.

[Irregardless of where you decide to go]
As you leave, you play with the orb in your hands. Whenever you are holding on to it, you feel much stronger, and more confidant.

As you are mulling things over, you think back on what the knife thug said. The crimson gang was always kind of useless, back when Paul used to run things. They were disorganized and they knew their place, and more importantly, they wouldn't have torched random businesses just to try and get at their enemies. You know that the crimson gang's old hideout was in the old apartment building down on 5th... maybe it's time to go pay them a visit, while the cops are distracted with these... things.

[Whenever you are clutching the orb in your hand, you get +1 Str, +1 Dex, +1 Stamina, +1 Willpower. The strength bonus is enough to wield your pipe in one hand as effectively as you did in two.]

[Just_Ice]

Feeling as pumped as he was confused, and not interested in explaining the property damage to Reb, Phillip decided he'd go return the favour to the boys on 5th. He was about as impressed with the Crimsons as he was with the name "Melvin".

When Phil pocketed the orb in his inner jacket for safekeeping, he noticed a signficant loss of energy. Not thinking too much of it, he hurried off through some back alleyways to avoid the police.

[TheOneTrueGod]

The place isn't too far, and you know the alleys of the area well enough to get you there without taking you onto any major streets. The apartment building in question is located right beside an old recycling depot. No one wanted to live next to the smell, so it was closed, and was going to be demolished and replaced, but for 'some reason', the plans for it to be demolished got lost in the shuffle. Soon after, the crimson gang moved in. It looks like they're still here -- you can see a couple of their goons standing near the door looking nonchalante, but you notice the bulge of a pistol under one of their jackets.

Other than the recycling depot, there is a used car salesman on the other side of the building, and it is backed by the highway. You are currently across the street from the apartment, hiding in an old, half-demolished duplex lot. Looking closer at the car lot, you see a small crater inside of it, not unlike the one near your bowling alley. This one is significantly smaller though, maybe a few meters across.

Suddenly you notice movement in the car lot. You count 14 people hiding among the cars there, making their way towards the apartment. One of the guards notices them, and shouts They're here again!, at which point all 14 of the people charge the building.

The guard pulls out his pistol and starts shooting wildly at them, while 6 or 8 members of the crimson gang emerge from the house wielding a variety of weapons. They meet in the streets, meters away from the apartment and the brawl begins.

[Just_Ice]

Not sure what to make of the situation, Phillip first slinks to inspect the crater in the car lot. If he finds nothing there, he will spit in annoyance and move to the parking lot's fence to figure out exactly which gang is attacking the Crimsons.

[TheOneTrueGod]

Sneaking around the fight is easy, as everyone is already distracted by the big brawl. When you make it to the crater and look inside you find it empty save for a bit of pooling water at the bottom. Moving over to get a better look, you get close enough to recognize the distinctive garb of the so-called 'pirate' gang. Every member of it dresses like a pirate, and they've made their claim to fame by stopping cargo trucks, and stealing whatever they're carrying to sell on the black market. Rumour has it that their headquarters is in an old ship down by the river docks.

You also notice, out by the buzzing light atop the old metal '35' house number, that there is a smaller fire-exit to the building that's unguarded. With any luck, it's broken down-enough that you'll be able to get in there. Unfortunately, to get there, you'd need to pass pretty close to the brawl that's going on in the street.

[Just_Ice]

While it might be possible to sneak by without any attention, and joining in the fight is surprisingly attractive, Phillip decides to take a third option, and distract the lot of them further. He pulls out his fencepole and pounds the hoods of some of the really cheap-looking clunkers (What's anothing ding in a $300.00 PoS? It might as well not even run!) to set off some alarms.

This is risky, but he will then use a car to stealthily surmount the car lot's small office building, and rise to a crouch on its ceiling. Then he will use his weapon as a sort of rope ladder - Hooking the pole on the iron spikes atop the wall and then climbing the actual fencing to reach the top. From there, he will equip the red orb and drop in a safe, preferably soft or slanted, landing zone. Once there, he can go around the other side into the building at his leisure, laughing to himself about how he's messed with everyone.

[TheOneTrueGod]

The din of metal on metal dies down for a second as the car alarm starts, and then as further car alarms start cascading on from the sound of the first one.
They've brought reinforcements! We need help out here! Comes the cry of a hard-to-source voice.

You quickly take your leave from the field of sirens, lest you attract a wandering gaze, and with a quick hoist, you are over the fence between the two lots. It is childs play to make your way around to the back of the building. When you turn the corner, however, you are startled to find a guard there waiting for you. You throw yourself behind the cover of a dumpster and wait for the bullets to start flying. When none come, you take a peek out and realize you were fortunate enough that he hadn't seen you yet. He seems to be relaxing and enjoying a cigarette; his automatic pistol left forgotten a few feet away from him on a few crates. He must not know about the fighting going on out front, and no wonder, as the complete silence suddenly impresses itself upon you.

Gripping your new prize tightly in your hand, a feeling of confidence wells up inside of you. By your estimates, you could probably make it over to him before he has a chance to grab his gun.

[Just_Ice]

Swelling with confidence, Phillip makes a dash for the crate. Although he's faster than ever before, that's no reason for him to start playing fair; he whips his weapon out to the crate, knocking the wooden box over as the the fencing deflects into the air, spinning. Catching it in mid-air, the empowered street punk brings his weapon down on his foe's soft, unsuspecting head.

[TheOneTrueGod]

The back-door guard hears your feet pounding on the pavement and opens his mouth to shout as he reaches for his gun, but you are far too fast for that. His body crumples almost effortlessly under your strike, and he hits the ground. The auto-pistol feels light in your hand, and taking a quick look, you notice that there are only 3 bullets in the thing. That would explain why no one out front is using any guns -- they're mostly for show.

The back door stands tauntingly in front of you, so with no one left to hold you back, you make your way inside. As soon as the door opens, you are welcomed with a facefull of smokey air - these thugs evidently don't care for the latest smoking regulations. The door leads to a hallway, which turns to the right. Poking your head around the corner, you see four goons -- two of them are rifling through a big box in the corner that is full of hand-held weapons, and two of them are sitting at a table, playing on despite the commotion outside.

From somewhere in the front of the buliding, you hear a shout Hurry up and get out here!, and the two that were rummaging through the box finally grab a monkey wrench and a butchers cleaver, and take their leave.

To your left are some stairs up, and that is probably where this Melvin would keep himself -- safely behind his cronies. But, on the other hand, neither of the two thugs currently playing cards are directly facing you. You might be able to take one of them by surprise before they could react. The one on the left is a rather big looking fellow, but the one on the right looks like he has a bulge under his jacket...

[Just_Ice]

Taking advantage of the boarded-up windows, the heroic hooligan first flicks a nearby handy switch, which shuts the lights off on the two as he approaches them. Using the fiery orb to illuminate his advance, he approaches the man on the right. With his increased strength, he easily kicks the chair out from under him, then bashes him twice in the ribs before he can even reach the ground.

[TheOneTrueGod]

Your swings connect brutally, and his head cracks against the decrepit hardwood floor. Feeling satisfied with your work, you suddenly realize just how visible a glowing object is in a dark room as a thick hand lands on your shoulder.

You turn to face the now standing man, who looms over you seeming a lot bigger than he was sitting down. He brings his wound-back fist into your stomach, and your weapon falls out of your hands as you go flying backwards smashing into the concrete-behind-plaster wall behind you, leaving a solid dent. He smirks as you slide to the ground, and begins walking towards you, kicking your weapon away as he does so. [2 Bashing damage]

[Just_Ice]

"Sonuva," Phillip complained, rubbing the back of his head and spitting blood, "I considered lettin' ya off the hook, but now I guess ya left me no choice. I gotta pound... all two tons of you... the old fashioned way!"

Pushing off the wall, the truant troublemaker dashes at his new foe. He uses a series of kicks as steps and runs right up the front of him, perfectly back-flipping off after kicking him in his bald head. Phillip follows this up by crouching down, and delivering a springing headbutt to HIS torso as an answer to the punch. After the slight daze that inevitably follows, he makes a sprint on all fours for his weapon.

[TheOneTrueGod]

Your head feels like it has struck steel. The world spins around you, and you hear the big brute laughing at you. His fist flies towards you again and it is only through sheer pluck that you force yourself out of your daze and roll out of the way of his fist.

[Just_Ice]

Phil struggled to keep any sense of balance in his life, secretly wondering if anyone got the number of that train he must have stricken. Shaking himself off, he saw his trusty pole to the side of him, and that the giant was already well ahead of him. He had no doubts that he would need it to win, but the wobble he felt in his knees told him not to do anything stupid.

He'd been going about this entirely the wrong way, thanks to the stupid orb. It doesn't matter if you have magic or not- some people are still going to be way tougher than you. Instead of making a dash for the pole, Phillip tucked away his orb and hid beneath the table. When the big lug walks by, he'd tie his shoelaces together, and take the pole back on his inevitable momentous fall.

[TheOneTrueGod]

As the last source of light in this dark apartment goes out, you silently slide over to the table.
Where are you puny man. Come out come out wherever you are.

You hear his heavy footsteps come near you, and then a loud "thud" and the shattering of wood as he kicks the chair right near where you were moments ago. Siezing the opportunity, you quickly reach out and fumblingly tie his shoelaces together. As you are doing so, your clenched fist slips a little, but you notice that the orb has stopped giving off light, as if it knew what you wanted...
He feels your hands moving at the last moment, moves to kick you, and trips over his now tied shoelaces. He comes crashing down onto the table, breaking straight through it, but you are easily able to roll out from under it.

[Just_Ice]

From his acrobatic tumble, Phillip repositions himself atop his trusty weapon. His opponent down, and re-armed, he smirks and slips the red orb out again, basking his now-intimidating grin in its luminescence.

"Puny man? Think I'm puny, ****head?" He questioned, half-mocking and half-annoyed, "Don't gotta be big to deal with chumps like you. Lemme know how yer' ten inches on me does ya when you're flailin' around on the ground, ya plug."

Using his foot to slide a chair across the ground to the not-so-gentle giant, the triumphant fighter hops atop the back, and plants his pole end-down into the man's cheek. The fencepole now sits upside-down from the position its manufacturer's had originally intended it for, held there by the elevated Phillip. Although the huge man scrambles to get up, it is of no use, as it is already too late to protest the beating coming his way.

"Have fun eating applesauce, moron."

Preforming a death-defying aerial front-flip from atop the seat, the Street Fighter buries a vicious axe-kick into the top of the pole- ideally erasing a jaw in the process.

[TheOneTrueGod]

You hear the audible crack of his jaw breaking, and he cries out in pain, but this man just doesn't seem to care. He brings his arm up in a sweeping motion and swings your pole off of him. He brings his now-tied-together feet up to try and slam them into you while you are off-balance, but fortune is on your side and his feet do not connect.

He is currently on the ground behind you, on his knees trying to get up.

[TheOneTrueGod]

<double post>

[Just_Ice]

Phillip simply looks on in awe for a moment at his implacable contender. Snapping out of his agape state, he commends the giant on his toughness.

I get the feelin' I could break every bone in yer freakshow body and you wouldn't even slow down. I ain't got time to screw around here, so I've cooked up somethin' a little different. This one's straight from Reb's alley, mother****er!"

Phil puts his money where his mouth is. Gripping the red orb tightly and grabbing the tied shoelaces, he pulls his opponent's legs back, locking the lace behind his neck. The result is a dumb-looking tyre of a person, which he jumps atop of. He begins to kick the top of the now rounded-man, keeping balance as he does so. This forces the enforcer into a series of forced somersaults, and Phillip steers him in circles using the fence section against the ground. Once he's picked up enough speed, he heads for the window. He leaps off his human wheel, and sticks the fencepole beneath it, causing it to skip and be defenestrated from sight.

Phillip re-adjusts his jacket, which had been scuffed during the scuffle. Looking up at the stairs up, he muses to himself.

"Damn, ain't no way he won't see me comin' now."

[TheOneTrueGod]

As you bend down to leap off of him, a meaty hand comes up and grabs your leg. You spin around once with him before the both of you go flying out the window. Time seems to slow down as the glass shatters around you. Hand on your pole, you spin your body and bring it full force onto his hand. With a low yelp, he releases your leg, and you resume your spin, until you catch on to a nearby drainpipe with an aim that startles even you. It appears the hallways you walked down were on a bit of a slant, because you're almost a story up now. You watch the guard fall down and hit his head on the pavement. Hard. It looks like this is finally enough to quiet him, at least for now.

Brushing off your jacket with one hand, you look up and notice a light on in a window two floors up -- and the window is reachable from the drainpipe. You hear the sounds of footfalls coming down the stairs, and a sudden exclamation - Hey, what happened to the lights?... Did those damn pirates get inside?