Azseth

Endure. Survive. (Set in non-canon Last of Us world)

Ok, before I launch into the potential RP, a little about me:

My availability is extremely inconsistent. What this doesn't mean: I'm never on. I lose interest after a week and never come back.

What this does mean. I will say I will be on twice a week. That may be twice on consecutive days, the next time Monday and Sunday. I may be on 5 times one week, 6 the next, 2 the next.

What this means about you: if you have no patience, find an RP elsewhere so that we don't waste each other's time. I cannot stress this enough. Have. Patience.

I'm not going anywhere. My RPs however, are.

I'm very open to characters and ideas and I generally have vague arcs and do not have a designated plan for my RPs. I like open world RPs where the players make the RP happen through their characters. Sometimes, I may have a large plot point, but it's not constant.

I reserve the right to remove people from my RPs. This is something I don't think I've done (asterisk!) but I always throw it out there. Some times, ideas and styles clash, and it's mainly a problem when one party isn't willing to accommodate. When there's a problem and it doesn't solve itself, basically, I'm reserving the right to remove the problem.

My RPs are..."slow" in a sense. I do not create RP to cater to an individuals need for "constant cool stuff, gun fights, explosions and zombies!" This isn't an Xbox game.

I focus on character interactions and development. I try to create situations that challenge characters to change or have their ideals challenged. I'm the kind of person who thinks that 2 characters trapped in a room, unable to leave for whatever reason, is interesting. They talk. Open up. Bond. Grow resentful. Kill one another for resources. Hell, who knows? I don't!

So that's me in a nutshell. I seem rigid, and I can be, but, I'm not. I'm just rough around the edges.

Oh, last thing. I expect a lot out of you. Well, a lot in my own mind. I expect time and thought to be put into your character and the RP. That's a lot to me because, in my world, my time, and my thoughts are worth a shit ton. I don't want you wasting yours, and I don't want to waste mine. I expect some form of commitment. It's pretty minor (RP, be nice, and don't leave the RP for a shitty reason), but it's a commitment a lot of players cannot fulfill.

Last. If you are the person who gets all excited, spends time and creates a character, drops them into the world, and then....doesn't know what to do, and quits...then again. Please go elsewhere.

Ok. So. Where was I? Oh, the RP.

This takes place in the Last of Us world. However, it happens well before the video game and will have zero to do with anything in any of the games. Things that happen in the world (death, cordyceps, fireflies) may be in the game.

This RP will take place about 12 or 13 years after the outbreaks took their massive toll on the United States and the world. It will take place in a fictional city of Blue Valley in Arizona. Our chars, or at least some of them depending on the specifics, will have something to do with smuggling things in and out of the city.

This RP will contain mature content including vulgarity, violence, blood, sex and whatever else, but of course, nothing that violates any rules set forth by this site.

If you're interested, please let me know. I hope that anyone who reads this has a great, AND SAFE, holiday weekend.

Az

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

An ork and a human moved into a backroom of a store and sat down casually. The ork sat down slowly and heavily, grimacing slightly as he settled in. It was well after hours and the store, and streets were very quiet and dark.

“So. I’m assuming you’re coming to pay off what you owe on the account, eh Yegor?”

“Ha, hardly. I pay upfront, always. That’s why we always got along so well. And speaking of getting along so well, have you got the stuff we mentioned initially?”

“Drek. Right down to business. Big favors. Calls at, what is it, 3 am? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we’re parting ways Kyooz.”

“Indeed chum. Things went sideways. Pretty bad.”

“Ah. Again for you huh? Seems to be a trend with you.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement.

“You know, I’m gunna miss your smoothie, geared head, right? Best damn…shit, what are you? Mechanic? Decker? I dunno. All I know is you’re a hidden treasure here. You do my ‘trix fixes, you patch my ‘ware, mod my toys. Yeah. A damn hidden gem.”

“Nice to hear that, even if it’s from you. Anyway. You asked about that stuff, and—“

“And you got someone. You always got someone. I wonder how often that someone is actually you. But no matter what, you always got someone.”

“Damn right I always got someone. It’s how I survived this long chummer. This sprawl woulda sucked me up long ago, spit my ass out. I’m getting old brother, I’m getting old.”

“You are. And that’s why I trust you.”

The only response was a confused look which prompted the ork to continue. “You’re old. In this biz, that means you can be trusted. Because if not, you’d have been dusted a long time ago. But you can be trusted, but you’re not stupid. In this world, that blind, stupid trust, it’ll get you greased quick as drek. But you made it. A human. Here. Most people don’t know of you, or just give a nod of respect and keep it hush hush. I envy you. Us orks, we don’t get that.”

“Ah drek. Most people dunno how old orks grow to be. Shit, a lotta us humans are around from the kick off of all this shit. Sure, a shit ton of your orks die, but most of you die violently. Who knows how long you could live. If you, you know, put down the guns, stepped away from the shadows and did something respectable.”

“Some of us are past that point. I dunno.”

“You’re no victim kid. Look at me, in my damn face. The choices you have made in your life have brought you here. Why do you do it anyway? Honestly. I know that whole ‘I Yegor, I shoot bullets’ routine, and I never told you this, but I fucking hate Yegor. Never understood why the hell you play it so fraggin’ dumb.”

“Now now, one question at a time. Yegor is a tool. Nothing more.” The shop owner chuckled and opened his mouth but Kyuzo cut him off quickly. “Slot off frag face. Look. It’s like, why don’t you put up signs and advertise? Why don’t you get corporate work? Why don’t you lay heavy into the grab that money you’d be making by outfitting runners? Because you do what you have to do to stay alive and have some sort of edge. In the shadows, if you’re smart, capable, if you’re a leader, if you’re anything people look up to, they don’t look up to you. They target you. They’ll look you up, find someone to sell you out too. This bunch I’m running with now, I need to bail soon. They’re no good for me, no good for anyone. I miss that about Detroit.” He grimaced saying it, but remembered that he’d spoken to the man before about his past, albeit briefly. He’s so used to keeping that hidden that it was second nature now.

“And as much as you might wanna deny it, people like me are needed, to a degree. People out there, they got Corps robbing them, gangs stealing from them, cops stepping on their throats, governments turning their backs on them, organizations taking advantage of them. I remember back in Detroit, I started a war. I had enough of the Yaks out there. I know some places, the outfits are decent, respectable, don’t piss on people, but this outfit, they were trying to make a place there, carve out something new. So I did some work, pulled some strings and both the Star and local triads got wind of a few hits on them by those Yak boys. It was bloody, but you know what? As long as Lone, gangs, corps, and runners, they’re killing each other, they’re not focused on other things, like innocents.”

The old man’s look was one of interest and he motioned for Kyuzo to continue. “Sorry, I digressed. Anyway, one way or another, basically by my own hand, they find out it was me who turned the others onto them and they want revenge you know? So they send the bosses’...frag’s the term? Futokoro-Gatana. Right hand dude. They’re like brothers. They send him and two yak swordsmen after me. They find me in a bar and the guy, to his credit, asks if I wanted to do that there. I sad nah, let’s head out to somewhere away from prying eyes. Long story short, two goons get aced and it’s he and I, and he thought he had me, I turn and his sword meets my kukri. And that look.”

Kyuzo’s eyes glazed over slightly, and a wicked smirk crept onto his face. “That look is one of the things. Every once in a while, you get to show someone who thinks they’re god what it’s like. Those people that pray on those who cannot do anything, they don’t know what it’s like to feel that. Helpless. About to die. That that person standing over them with a sword, gun, about to cast some spell and end their life, even if they don’t deserve it, they have kids, people love them—that scum standing over them is putting a fear of god into them. And seeing that look in their eyes, at that one moment. They know they’re about to go off to whatever afterlife they believe in. They know that, if they believe god keeps score, they’re going to have hell to pay, and there is that edge of panic and fear. They finally get what they had coming. And it’s people like me that get to dish it out. Does it change anything? Not usually. Those victims are still dead. It’s not about violence, or blood, or revenge. It’s about there being some actual justice in dark places. And you know what. Maybe, sometimes it does make something better. And it sure as drek don’t make it any worse.”

“Very well. I can see your perspective. But there are other ways to make peace. And Kyuzo, you’re not at peace with yourse—“

“Aw, come on, you too? With the Universal Brotherhood, New Age Gods, One Spirit stuff? I’m just drekking you. But look. Everything has its place. Peace. Love. Words. Violence. Bloodshed. I guess I’m just really good at finding my niche.”

The man sighed and looked down for a moment, either sad or disappointed.

“I know you think I’m young. I am. And you’re old and experienced. It’s why you’re the only motherfragger on this planet I can talk to like this. But, well. I hope that you never go through something and actually agree with me. I mean that. You have been through a lot, we’ve talked about it. But you’re still…innocent to some things. I think that’s what really makes you a fraggin’ gem. Stay gold Ponyboy.”

“You know. In all my years, I’ve never really…thought that there was a difference in loss. You know? I mean, I thought losing a son was losing a son. Losing a husband or wife, it was all the same. I guess you’re right. I think this shop, this biz, it’s my little sanctuary. I may be the luckiest man in the city.”

“You just might. Now. How about my bullets, and my gun?”

“Yegor want his toys huh?” He had a look of distaste as he said it before continuing, with a laugh. “Yeah. These rounds. Man. I’m assuming you… I don’t even know. So yeah. 3 boxes of shotgun loads, 5 boxes of 308, 3 boxes of 668 and I could only get one box of the 50. This is some high end stuff.”

“What’d you hear about it?”

“Well, the shottie rounds are especially nasty. Corp erasers is what I heard. Seen a video. So it’s highly volatile and corrosive agents mixed with high temp thermite and copper rounds. First of all, I’m not sure what kind of guy would ever think this up, but I’m mad I didn’t first. Anyway, this vid’s got this corps security drone, the tanks. They take one shot with the scattergun and, holy drek. I mean, this stuff looks like someone threw up acid on that drone. It just, melted and shredded it. I can only think what it would do to some poor street sam, even the high end corp ones burnouts. They’d be gone. And the pistol and rifle rounds, just as devastating. But look man. I know you know your stuff. These things SCREAM collateral damage. You don’t understand. You need to think about what is behind that target, and then some. This shit is highly dangerous, highly illegal, and Corps, Lonestar and every other sec-corp are shitting themselves trying to get rid of these things.”

“I’m not in the habit of offing my own people, but thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And this thing. Kyooz, you’re lucky I always thought highly of you. This thing, I made. And you know that means it’s like one of my children I never had. It’s a Nolan Arms Hunter. 30 Caliber medium machine gun. Usually crew served, but I stripped this down to make it as tactical as it can be. Bipod gone—I know you need a bipod about as much as I need a dragon crawling up my ass. All premium parts, mostly titanium aluminum alloy. Lighter and less prone to overheating and damage than the original parts. Mag fed from bottom, can be belt fed on top. Integrated suppressor in a shorter barrel, smartlink per usual. Speaking of smartlink, before you go, I can hook it up like you asked. I’ll make your systems almost completely, if not completely, internal. No wireless. Very low likelihood of getting hacked, at least without someone porting into your arm. Not impossible, nothing is, especially if you run in to one of them technomancer types. But the good thing about me is I run my own hardware and software. So my ICs aren’t unbeatable, but most people ain’t seen stuff like this before. They’ll have to fight to get into your system, and you’ll be aware of it and can take measure if need be. But anyway, yeah, that Hunter. It’ll destroy the majority of any AVs you’ll see, let alone some chromed out corp guard. Especially with this, these are Armor Piercing Sabot Rounds. These things were MADE to eat through armor.”

Kyuzo nodded appreciatively and noted that schematics and information had been sent to his personal HUD. He put them away from later.

“And I have a gift for you. I went ahead and thought to myself, how’re you gunna move your arsenal. And I realized, you’d put them in a friggin trunk, like a short sighted whelp. So, I know a person who works on the magical side of things. I dunno all the fancy mage talk and terms. So basically, I got you a bag. This bag though, it’s a magical storage bag. This is the important part. It’s the side of a duffel bag. It can hold anything that’ll fit in there. You put it in, it’s gone, poof. Again, dunno how it works, and I hope it DOES, or you’ll be assed out on a LOT of gear. SO yeah. Drop it in, it’s gone. ONLY ZIP IT WHEN YOU’RE DONE. Period. When zipped, it’s supposed to shrink to like, a wallet or something, dunno. Get to where you’re going, unzip it, reach in, pull shit out. DO NOT ZIP UNTIL ALL THINGS ARE OUT! Once you zip again, you got a plain old, run of the mill duffel bag.”

“And what about that other thing?”

“Done. You know, if you ever wanted to know, they—“

“I don’t,” Kyuzo insisted.

“Understood. All’s well. And don’t forget to leave that credstick, I don’t need you blowing out of town with a bag full of my merch.”

“Ha! Yegor not leave old robo-breeder with no nuyen.”

“Yegor’s like a bad rash. You think he’s gone, but he doesn’t go away forever. Anyway, let’s go get your link patched up. And I need something from you.”

Both men stood, but Kyuzo looked at the man strangely. He’d never heard him say he needed anything, and it just caught him off guard. He silently waited for him to go on. “Humor me and come give an old man a hug. I know in this day and age, it’s an antiquated thing, but so am I.”

At first Kyuzo had no idea how to react, thinking maybe it was a joke or something. But the man quickly stepped forward and put his arms around the ork in a hug, which Kyuzo returned somewhat awkwardly. “It’s a Slavic thing.”

“It’s weird.”

“Shut up, or I’m charging you for the free merch.”

“Hug away old timer.”

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

My vote, personally. Meet at the room and get info for the run. It'll give us a chance to casually meet.

I ALSO think we should all have a post or something of our char doing whatever our char would be doing after arriving down south. Sitting in the room sulking, doing drugs, buying more guns (Kyuzo!), or whatever.

Just a thought. However, I don't care. I'll do whatever!

Az

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

I'm in no real rush to start. I still have one post rattling around upstairs for Kyuzo that I need to get down.

I AM looking forward to the IC though, not gunna lie.

Az

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

Detroit. Some time ago...

Kyuzo stared up at the ceiling he'd just fallen through, gasping desparately to find his breath. His ears were ringing from a combination of close range gun fire and adrenaline. He wanted to get up and help Mars, but right now, he was unable to breathe and checking his combat HUD for vital checks. His internal commlink lit up a moment later though and he mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kyooz, fuck man, I see your vitals still up. Don't worry, I fragged that drekhead good brother. You never saw him, he never saw me, I guess in the end, we win. Now we need to get the hell out of here before more--HOOOOOLY DREK, K, you fell a good thirty feet. You sure your totem isn't a cat, you got nine friggin' lives. Anyway, on my way down."

"Sorry Mars, had to catch my breath. Man, this armor was worth it. Stopped that buckshot from getting inside. But is didn't do drek about impact. I'm fairly confident a rib or two are busted to hell."

"Long hair, don't care. Get'yer ass up. I'm almost to you. So far, not picking up any re-ups, building looks clear."

Kyuzo managed to sit up, wincing slightly as he flexed his hands, not even realizing his cyber hand never required any such exercise. He looked at it, grimaced, and still knew there was a long way to go before getting used to it. He saw Mars come in through the door, the larger ork smiling at him as he approached. "Always sitting down on the job. Lazy ass."

"Shut up man. I just wanna get out of here. You have the file, so far security isn't an issue, and we should skin out."

"Agreed, let's get the fra--" the sound and energy of some magic projectile could be heard and felt as it ripped through Mars, spraying Kyuzo's face with a fair amount of blood and guts. Mars was closer to Kyuzo than anyone. He was more of a pack member to Kyuzo than his own flesh and blood.

And for the first time in his life, he felt something different. He'd lost control before. And in the past, his wolf spirit took control. But never this. It seemed both lost it.

He didn't even seem to mentally recall casting it, but it was obvious the attacker either didn't know Kyuzo was there or thought he was dead, and as he got up, he felt the buzz of a reflex spell and armor spell. His senses were...unreal. He didn't know how much of what he felt was magical, and what was simply some manifestation of his wolf spirit, but he never felt like this.

It was, literally, indescribable.

The pain from moments ago vanished as if he had adrenal dumps or pain supressors, and he lept up, cut a corner at a sharp angle, and the cut back to where the Ares Security mage came into view. In a flash, before the mage even registered he was under attack, smashed a shoulder into his chest. The two smashed into a metal crate and Kyuzo smiled, feeling bones crack and hearing the air expelled from the lungs of his prey.

The mage's hands went for his throat and to avoid being grabbed, his own arms came up and forced the mages hands away. Then he brought his hands down to the face of the mage, grabbed his head and forced his thumbs into the eye sockets. The mage screamed in a way that Kyuzo had never heard in his life as he was lifted into the air and smashed headfirst into the hard concrete. There was a bloody mess and silence, and it felt good. Then he heard a person approaching, but it sounded so clear. If sound could be pristine, it was what it sounded like.

With the speed and grace of an animal, he lept off in the direction of his next prey. He waited to see the barrel of an assault rifle peek by another large industrial crate before grabbing it with his cyber hand, squeezing it and to his surprise, crushing it. This wasn't magic, this wasn't rage, it was simply the awesome power of a quality cyberhand doing its job.

A fraction of a second later, the guard pulled the trigger, not realizing that the gun was crushed, and that this would cause the gun to essentially explode with the bulk of the force directed back at his face.

The soldier brought his own cyberarm down in a well placed defensive blow, but Kyuzo met it with his own cyber hand and brought his other elbow up toward the armpit joint of the cyber arm, smashing up with terrible force. He didn't tear the cyberarm off, but he could see the skin and metal stretch in a gruesome and disgusting manner, a combination of blood and some kind of blue fluid spurting out where the skin ripped at some place.

He then spun behind the guard, who seemed unable to react due to the pain and Kyuzo's speed, brought his cyberhand up quickly, and then slashed it down, metal tips first, into the area between the neck and shoulder of the human. He thought he could feel the cyberhand slicing through bone, wire, and muscle and he then brought his other hand up in the same motion, to the neck...and grabbed and ripped. His cyber arm pulled one way, his other hand the other, and it separated most of the guards body.

The guard hadn't hit the floor when he felt something behind him, some kind of magic, and then he was engulfed in a blue light....

-----------------------

"-oly drek I think he's waki--"

"-rug him again, he's coming out of it--"

He was being held up by...someone, and he opened his eyes. Some facility, oxygen tanks, chemicals. A lab. Seemed like the same building, just a different area. He had no idea how long it had been. He realized two trolls were holding him up, but from the waist down, he was shackled heavily. His eyes gained more focus and adjusted to the light. There were about a dozen well armed guards around him--some mages, some straight meat, some 'wared out. There were even two drones buzzing very close to him. A man had his back turned to him and was on a small commphone. "Yeah, got it. No worries. I'll take a few liberties with him. Send him off with something to remember us by."

Without so much as a word, the next...what was it? 10 minutes? 20? 30? An hour? They were spent beating and torturing Kyuzo. They turned up the sensitivity of the cyberhand and smashed at bone, tore out muscles. One man seemed to thoroughly enjoy heating up slim, sharp pieces of surgical steel and inserting them into Kyuzo's body.

For once in his life, Kyuzo didn't want to kill everything or make people pay.

He just wanted to die.

He realized that he'd stopped screaming and that there were voices, but voices directed at him. He looked left, and right, and he smirked, finding it odd that the trolls were still holding him up after all this time. Their arms were just as slick with blood as his own.

Part of him assumed it was to make sure these trolls suffered to some degree. Who knows...

"Kyuzo. Troggy. Look up. You've been such a splendid sport. But sadly, all things must come to an end."

Kyuzo went to say something but his throat was dry and bloody, so he seemed to just start coughing, which to those in the room seemed to be funnier than a stand up routine because they couldn't stop laughing.

"What's that?" He motioned for one of the other men, the surgical steel practitioner, to get some water and he gave Kyuzo a few drinks.

"Did you have a last request? Something to say? I cannot express enough, how please I am that some dregs, some gutter trash, dumb fucking trogs like you, you meta filth, you decide to try to one up one of the Trips. The frag were you thinkin--You know what, I'm sorry. It doesn't matter. You'll be dead like the rest of your team, and all is well that ends well. Now, you were saying."

"I--" He coughed heavily, but after a few seconds was able to talk.

"I want you...to take my sword...cut off my cyberhand...send it to whoever...is in charge...and...shove it up their pompous ass...If these trolls would let me go, I'd tear your ugly breeder face off with--" The man was caught offguard, initially expecting some honorable disposal of the orks hand or sword, but his face twisted in rage as he grabbed the sword and moved to Kyuzo.

"-my teeth. You're so powerful because I'm drugged, injured and held by two trolls. Bring that smug look out into the sprawl boy--"

Kyuzo was actually surprised by the reaction of the human. He hoped that inciting a rage would cause the man to strike him, making things quick and as painless as possible. Not the end, but the surprise. Regardless, the suit moved over to Kyuzo, exhaled deeply, and started to cut. Slow. Slicing. Painful layet by layer.

Kyuzo bellowed and roared and the trolls had to dig their fingers in to hold him. It would all be over soon...

Kyuzo's vision was something dreamlike, his hearing was distorted and he felt like he was watching this from someone else's eyes. The arm was finally cut free and the man, laughed. He then thought it would be funny to toss the entire arm to someone to the side.

Kyuzo smiled softly, at least he thought he did, and he said as loud as he could, "slot off, drekheads."

There was a quick beep from the cyberhand, and then an explosion rocked the entire building.

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

Also, are you planning on having any details about the conditions that had them leave "up north" and where that was? Keep in mind, Kyuzo has strong history in Detroit, maybe that would be a tie in if you feel you need or want to use it.

Working on the Kali opinion now.

Also, everyone. Well, first, Burrito, thanks for the kind words. Which leads to, I'm asking that if you have opinions on my posts, any feedback is welcomed. Via PM, in the thread, whatever. Part of it is me wanting just a general idea about my ability, but also to ensure I'm not posting shit that isn't clear, or doesn't fit in some way. I appreciate it.

Burrito and I have been collaborating behind the scenes, and if any of you want to work stuff out, and/or work together on a post (even something as simple as the initial meeting of our chars, or a deep conversation, or a talk after a fragged run) please let me know.

Thanks all.

Az

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

I haven't posted much, if anything if I'm not mistaken, about Kazuya CURRENTLY.

I was waiting for a bit more information.

Az

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

Also added to the OPINIONS OF TEAMMATES part of Kyuzo. Enjoy.

Az

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

A milk run gone right, a good night at the bar, a great early morning dinner with some chums…the perfect reason to walk down an alley and witness a mugging and a beating. Why not have that person getting beat down a small statured elf? Why not have the group be a mix of metas all larger? Why not have them obviously be gangers? Why not have them all just have a lethal look to them?

Because fate doesn’t give a shit about you.

While he wasn’t drunk, Kyuzo had a few, but those affects were gone the moment he realized what was happening and his body seemed to know what was going to happen before his mind did.

He couldn’t tell if the elf was male or female, but, you know...elves, right? It didn’t matter though. He did note a male troll with a mix match of streetgear on yet seeming to lack any real ‘ware, a human female who had the appearance of a summoner or shaman, and then a male ork who seemed to be shining through the darkness with all his augmentations. They were cheap in terms of price, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t lethal. When it comes to ‘ware, you pay to NOT see it, but sometimes seeing it is the point.

The female was kicking the elf while the troll was yelling something akin to ‘give me your shit’ or some such thing. Kyuzo took a few steps down the alley when the troll noticed him and made a click sound with his tongue. The two others responded by stepping away and squaring up to Kyuzo and the human quickly said in a calm, measured, and almost believable tone, “hold up citizen, Lone Star.”

“Good, me like to file report for drunk n’ disorderly.” He never stopped moving forward.

“Slot off drekhead, you go sleep it off somewhere else,” the ork commanded.

“Hoi maybe me n’ you got off on wrong foot, yeah? Let’s do this. Me give two options. Leave. Don’t. Either way, me n’ the daisy eater’re walking out the other side’a this alley. Go easy or go hard.”

In a deep, menacing voice that could almost be felt, the troll stepped in front of the two others, both of whom seemed about to speak, and said “know what wenig, you leave or I leave your guts splattered all across dis alley.”

“Fine. Me go.” He stopped moving forward, instead letting the other three move towards him, allowing them to gain confidence. In hindsight, his approach was sloppy, but he was drunk and this wasn't planned. The fact that they didn't pick up on it spoke a lot about their lack of perception.

The ork, now gaining some ganger swagger back, stepped forward and commanded, “leave yer credstick chummer. On the ground.”

“Really?” Kyuzo sounded somewhat dejected, if not disappointed. “You dregs so…predictable.”

The human seemed to finally be picking up on something being off about him, so he knew he had to hurry.

He reached in his outer pocket and tossed the stick on the floor in front of them. What they didn’t know is that it was a flashpack, smartlinked. The moment the software recognized that the 3 targets designated by Kyuzo’s smartlink feedback all had their retinas on it, it set off a series of amazingly bright lights aimed directly into each individual eye.

“The frag?”

“Oi suka….”

The moment after his smartlink fired the flashpack, Kyuzo took off running toward the three. His initial target was the magic user. She was small, not armored, and if she was as shaman, she’d call some form of aid.

However, as he whipped his predator around, he noticed that the wared out ork was moving towards him and moving to draw his own weapons. ‘Cyber eyes, anti-flash. Noooiice,’ he thought to himself as he let loose 3 rounds into the chest and face of the ork.

While one hand was subjecting the ork to some lead poisoning, the other reached to the small of his back and in one smooth motion, he grabbed and threw 2 gyroknives. They were on point enough to have caused damage, but the gyros and smartlink adjusted their paths slightly enough so that they killed on impact. The human mage was down and the ork fell a moment after.

Perhaps the troll had some augmented eye. Perhaps he was hopped up on some combat drug. Or perhaps Kyuzo just had bad luck. Either way, not a moment later, the troll drove forward and with speed that most trolls shouldn’t possess, he slapped the gun from Kyuzo’s hand and booted him in the stomach.

‘Drek. Nitro,’ he thought to himself. He stood up shakily and the troll launched a punch kick combo. While Kyuzo had little trouble deflecting, he couldn’t dodge well in the narrow alley. Dodging was preferred because blocking punches and kicks from a 7 foot something, 4 or 5 hundred pound troll ganger, nitroed out to his eyes was NOT a good idea. He could already feel deep bone bruising and his combat HUD was going on about trauma this, trauma that.

Kyuzo decided to dart in and attack, hitting a series of blows and managing to evade any real contact or damage as he did—but also seeming to DEAL no real damage in return. The troll picked up a discarded piece of rebar and threw it at Kyuzo. While attempting to move back and away, he didn’t realize he’d moved almost directly back against a dumpster.

The rebar tore through his clothing and skin, protruding out the back by several inches. His smartlink flashed a damage assessment on his combat HUD but it was ignored. There were more pressing matters to focus on, in the form of a charging troll. He sidestepped at the last moment, actually succeeding in NOT hitting a dumpster this time, and he watched the troll smash headfirst into the dumpster. To the ganger’s credit, it actually sent the dumpster sliding about 6 feet away, and it was already full of trash.

Moving as quick as he could thanks to an adrenal dump, he pulled his trenchknife and went to work stabbing the troll repeatedly, savagely. However the troll shook away the affects of running head first into a dumpster, and if he even realized he was being stabbed 20 or so times, he didn’t show it. He swung around and grabbed the rebar sticking out of Kyuzo’s chest and lifted him into the air.

'That hurt.'

A lot.

The two stared at one another and the troll roared victoriously while Kyuzo roared back, a mix of pain and defiance as he stabbed one last time into the head of the troll. He knew it wouldn’t kill the thing, but it would piss him off and give the troll something to remember him by. The troll’s own roar became one of pain from the knife biting into his head, when there were several bursts of gunfire and the troll slumped to his knees. He didn’t let go of the rebar and it took a moment for Kyuzo to realize that the elf had picked up the Ares Predator that had been dropped and emptied its contents.

The troll however, refused to die. He got back up to one knee and Kyuzo just let go of the trench knife as it stuck into the troll’s skull. For a split second, he stared at the thing in disbelief.

And for the first time in many, many months, the façade of the dumb ork slipped away. “You got to be fragging KIDDING me. That must have been some primo nitro.”

There was a slight whirring sound, then a metallic clunk. Out of the internal holster in his synthetic arm appeared a small, compact firearm. The troll looked at the sound just as Kyuzo’s hand moved towards it, gripping the hilt of the Colt revolver there. The large caliber revolver was a last resort, but this my friends, this was pretty much textbook definition of a last fragging resort. One shot and the troll dropped Kyuzo and fell to the floor.

And...why not have the rebar clip the edge of the wall on the way down, sending jolts of agony through the ork? Oh yeah, fate doesn’t give a shit about you.

Kyuzo put the pistol back, mouthing to himself, “most expensive rounds on the market, capable of piercing inches of armor, and I gotta waste it on some dregged out troll.” He ripped the rebar out and set the pain suppressor system to MAX, leaning against the wall and letting his gaze fall to the elf who was handing his gun over.

To the small, young elf’s credit, he wasn’t shaking badly. He was a street kid. He was small, but mentally, he was tough.

The kid didn’t say anything right away, he just kind of stared at Kyuzo and then said, “sorry.”

“The frag’re you sorry for kid?”

He pointed at Kyuzo, his shoulder, and said, “I kind of shot you.”

He looked down, seen the bloody whole. “You gotta be fragging kidding me!”

The elf turned and darted away, yelling over his shoulder, “you called me a daisy eater, you smelly trog!”

Shadowrun - The Sound and the Fury (Snow Crash Inspired)

I added an kinda maybe sorta important spoiler at the end of Kyuzo's profile. Read at your own peril.

Az