Herald

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

”Protocol.” The general said plainly, not really giving much room for argument. ”But I am interested to hear how you got mixed up in all this. And what you can tell me about these two girls…”

Val sighed and swirled the fake coffee in the cup. Inwardly, Mercy raged at the implication of disarming himself simply because a human asked him to. At first, he considered sarcastically asking the Wild spirit if they really thought option B would be any better: transforming and trying to kill everyone in the room, but given the spirits inclination towards violence he decided not to even make it a discussion. He pulled his rifle off of his shoulder, handing it carefully to a nearby Ghost Corp soldier that had moved closer to take his weapons.

"And while you're at it, polish the stock and clean the sights," Val said as though he could give orders to a Ghost Corp, "and Dust help you if anyone touches my frakking scope alignment. I'll use you and them to dial back in the sights."

The rifle wasn't the only thing he handed over. In a show of trust, and the knowledge that even if he did manage to pull one of these weapons he would be shot approximately sixteen times before he could bring it up to harm anyone in the building, he also pulled out his AE handgun and fighting knife and handed them over.

"Sorry, I'm traveling light these days," he said as though he wasn't carrying enough weapons, "do I have a cavity search to look forward to or..."

Turning his attention back to the General, though he had little idea who the man really was, he opened up his smart mouth one more time.

"I doubt I can tell you anything you don't already know," he said, referring to the General's earlier question, "they fell out of the sky in a pod." He rattled off the approximate location of the pod, using landmarks known in the perimeter of the city.

"As for me. Right guy, wrong time and place. The Bears beat me to the pod, and I have a uhh... mixed history with Vinny. Wild Spirit showed up, chaos erupted. Guns fired. People died. I didn't," Val said, shrugging his shoulders. He was being purposefully obtuse, but only because he figured the Ghost Corp could likely put together the truth of what happened without his cooperation.

"The ladies asked for my help. I agreed. We took a nap... not together, mind you, I'm a gentleman after all," Val said, a smirk dancing across his face. "Next thing I knew, your boy over there on the stretcher was pointing a gun at me. We had a... slight disagreement, then I saw the wisdom of coming here to the Ghost Corp. And well... then the Ravagers showed up, and we had a bigger disagreement."

It was only after he told his story that he took a drink of the coffee, looking the General directly in the eyes as though he had no fear of it being poisoned or treated with some kind of mind affecting drug.

"So I did what any man in my position would do, I shot a few Ravagers, then boarded a flying green snake to the warm embrace of Ghost Corp," he said.

He downed the rest of the coffee in one big gulp, "which now leaves me in the awkward position of figuring out what it is you intend to do with the ladies," he said, gesturing with a nod towards VV and A, "pretty sure we owe your man there with the scales for getting us out from under the snouts of the Ravagers, but if you're going to hurt them, you'd be better off putting a bullet in me right now. Not to say they can't take care of themselves... but a man is only as good as his word and his rifle in the Dust. And well... you've got my rifle at the moment."

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

“Gunalar was not one for class,” Elthel remarked, “the inside looks even worse, you will see.”

Great... so while he may not have been the type to lay out traps, the building itself could be its own deathtrap, Leon thought, eyes scanning the shadows of the building. Honestly, he was wondering if Gunalar had some special attachment to the building. There was no tactical or economical reason to hang onto such a shoddy building that he could see. Then again, thugs rarely had to make sense with the decisions, they just beat the shit out of anyone who voiced a differing opinion.

"Still, I think it best to take every advantage we can get," Leon said, reaching up to touch the mask on his face, "excuse the touch, archer." He reached in and opened the connection to Mask, muttering a prayer of guidance for Firoz.

And then something more for all of us.

Leon reached deeper, the shadows writhing around him and a hint of a smiling mask glimpsed in the shadows at his feet. "May the divine favor I am blessed to receive, the shadows that shelter me, the dark that obscures my blade from my enemy, be of use to you all," he said, channeling a Blessing to his allies.

"The blessing will last five, maybe six minutes. It will not save you from certain death, but trust the shadows and your foe may find their sight obscured when defending themselves," Leon said, the best explanation he could offer for Mask's blessings.

"At your ready, Elthel," he said, drawing his longsword and holding it under his cloak to prevent any reflections, "my team can handle the two guards easily and slip into the house. Ibdur, can you hold the pallisade and prevent any rats from escaping?" He knew this was going to be murder work, and while he had no issue with taking the dwarf inside, if someone needed to hold the one obvious way in or out, it would serve well to be the armored and armed priest of Tempus.

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Posted. Happy Turkey Day all!

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Val felt a surge of energy pass through him, the ravager's blood on his hands feeling like tiny points of warmth and he would later swear he could feel Mercy smiling inside of him. It was a paltry feast, hardly worth consuming, but it was the first meal served to him and the act alone was enough to quiet Mercy for the moment. He had his own problems to deal with anyways, as three ravagers sought vengeance for the one he had killed.

Val had survived this long by learning how to fight smart. When the man dived at him with a knife, Val immediately sidestepped to put as much of his opponents body between him and his backup. A knife fight, he could win, but a knife fight against a man with two gunmen as backup, he needed a better edge. A bullet clipped his shoulder, drawing a red line of pain along his bicep, but he was too busy slashing at the knife wielder to return fire just yet. He muttered a curse and started to reach for Mercy's power again, consequences be damned... when the ravagers as a whole fell to their knees.

He blinked in surprise, still keeping his knees bent and ready to move as his eyes searched for a new threat arriving to the battlefield. When all he could see was the ghost corp man waving to him to join the others now mounting on the strange dragon like creature. For the briefest of moments, Val hesitated, a glance thrown to the paths that led outside. He could escape... make it out... maybe even outrun the Ravagers with a little luck and a few bullets... but that would leave the Umbra visitors to the Ghost Corp. Not as bad as the Ravagers, but still not great.

"Dust me," Val muttered, stashing his knife and casually aiming his handgun at the weeping ravagers. He might have felt something once for gunning down helpless men, but out here in the Dust, anyone you spared would just try to kill you tomorrow. He put two rounds towards each of the men he had been fighting, taking a moment to retrieve his rifle and dashing towards the dragon. He ducked low to slide underneath the incoming fire that would be aimed at his center of gravity, all but baseball sliding into the cover the dragon and vines provided. Like a cowboy out of some ancient story, he grabbed a fistful of... something on the dragon and used it to swing himself up onto the Wild.

Seeing the unconscious Wren, he reached out to grab ahold of the man, only to find a strange reptile covering the man's body, embers still glowing in it's blackened feathers.

"Whoa, buddy," Val said, "don't bite, just trying to help your friend." He wasn't sure if the creature understood the words, but he still reached out to hold Wren down and make sure he didn't slip off from whatever this dragon was about to do.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon shrugged his shoulders, double-checking his gear harness and ensuring he was ready for trouble as they began to head out into the city. With Elthel leading the group since she knew their destination, he fell back into a rearguard position near Ibdur. The dwarf was far from quiet, but silencing sounds was a minor power he could call upon if it became necessary. The positioning also gave them a solid rear defense in case of an ambush, though if they were ambushed on the way there, they were either very unlucky or had no hope of catching their quarry unawares.

He still wasn't convinced that this was the wisest move for them, but it was one of the only ones they had to make and realistically, the job was to make contact with an anti-Shagarm faction. Sure, it might be preferred if it was the Talons, but as long as they could direct knives into the backs of the mercenaries, any group would do. When they paused for Elthel to check ahead for any trouble, Leon glanced to the north, wondering how the rest of Breck's forces were doing. Based on the information they had been given, and the subtle nudges given to him by Mask, it was going to be a while before any significant changes were reported. All he could do is watch, wait, and be ready.

"Copper for your thoughts, Ibdur?," Leon asked, his eyes turning back towards the rooftops around them, "we're not off to a bad start with this group at least, but I do wish we knew more about our target."

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon nodded as Elthel gave them an update on Zilaster's status. He considered extending his sympathies at the suffering the man would have to endure, but their was little he could do about it. Mask had granted him power enough to heal and to slow the spread of poison, but eliminating poison from inside of a damaged body... that would be stepping on the toes of gods who's domains oversaw the end of a man's fate. He took his share of the payment, examining one of the pearls not out of greed, but rather with interest in them as potential foci for spells. Pearls had their uses in magic, usually in identification magic. It was hardly compensation considering his consumed potion, but it would suffice for now to open the door to what he hoped was either the remains of the Talons, or someone who could point them in that direction.

"Coin does tend to make the world go round... but for the record, I am far more interested in what a group like yours has to offer a band of misfits like us who are about to go piss in Shagarm's coffee cup on your behalf," Leon said, pocketing the pearls and turning to look at Elthel, "after all, Gunalar's death I could claim as self-defense. Not that any bruiser worth the name would spare my life over it, but it might be enough to dodge a price on my head. What you're asking us to do is a hit job. Deliberate and with the potential to be very loud."

"...but, last I checked this place of yours had a solid roof and some places where a body or three could hide out, and I am a man who needs his beauty sleep," Leon said, his tone shifting slightly to one of jest at the last few words, "so I'll go with you, my companions can answer for themselves of course, but I will. As long as you help us find someplace secure where we can rest once the job is done and it is understood that if I think any of the three of us are about to die pointlessly, I'll leave your ass in the dirt. For what it's worth, I don't expect you to throw away your life to save mine either."

He spoke the words with an air of a man who just wanted to set things straight with a new partner, making it clear that he valued his own life and Iliskra's and Ibdur's more than any revenge attempt of Elthels. He would fight as though they were best friends, up until the point where it became clear they were going to lose, if that ever became the case, then he would take his companions and extract them from harm.

"Deal?"

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Got a quick action post up! Resist being taken to the Ghost Corp HQ or forever hold your peace! :>

@Estylwen

"Getting shot or getting eaten... gosh, that's a hard choice to make,"

@Herald

I refer you to my character's quote.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

Leon continued to listen, filing away the information in his mind and trying to plug in some of the shadowy corners of this puzzle that was this city and it's factions. It bothered him how Shagarm could be so popular, able to motivate so many of the armed and dangerous masses, and yet no one had a reasonable clue as to the man's, if it even was a man, identity. Aside from this unpleasant fact, Shagarm's group seemed to be a typical black mercenary company taking advantage of the lack of rule of law. If the fates had been a little more in the Talon's favor... maybe Leon and Iliskra would find themselves employed on the other side of the line.

"You ever think we should have just headed out for a different city? Red Wizards, violent mercenaries, and an ineffective city guard," Leon said towards Iliskra, throwing her a friendly grin and a wink to show he was joking, "ah well, no glory for the idle, I guess."

"I take it then Shagarm is the closest thing to someone being in charge on this side of the city?," Leon asked rhetorically, "hopefully he wasn't overly fond of Gundalar."

If the Red Wizards launched an assault on Shagarm, they would have done so with forces they could afford to spare. If they were lucky, Breck's forces would arrive to reinforce the Guard soon, and maybe they could push hard against the Wizards. The less fighting that he had to do against those power grabbing fanatics, the better. The power of Mask would only protect him so far, and the Wizards rarely sent out an expedition unless they were prepared to turn it into a literal graveyard.

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Smaller post to avoid confirmed kills.

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

As Val dived for the remains of his tent, two shots rang out and he flinched, surprised that they weren't immediately followed by burning lines of pain piercing his vitals. He heard a body hit the ground with the telltale thump of a marionette with it's strings cut and he cursed loudly that it wasn't a ravager. He needed his weapons now!

Four more cracks broke the air. One shot went wide, striking a scrap of his tent and he threw himself flat at the sounds. Two more rounds struck the ground on either side of him, but the fourth found it's mark scraping a line of red hot pain along his ribs. He roared in pain, his connection with Mercy surging in red hot anger as the Wild's power tried to surge in his body once again. He fought down the instinct, he still wasn't recovered enough to risk another transformation and his control when assuming that form was severely lacking.

Wound. Maim. Kill... FEED!

Val muttered a curse under his breath, throwing himself forward enough to throw aside part of his damaged tent and reveal his weapons. With the ravager closing in, his hand grasped for his knife and pistol. Once he felt their solid grips in his hands, he rolled to his feet, dashing as fast as he could towards the ravager moving in on him. He threw himself at the opponent with a near reckless abandon, trying to secure the kill quickly so he could use his weapons to give covering fire to VV and A.

Already he could feel Mercy stirring again, the red hot chains burning around his heart dulling the pain of the wound in his side. He didn't know if he would need the power yet, but the next time he unleashed it, it would be for the kill.