Herald

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Val eyed the open space that was to be used for training. He wasn't surprised to see that it was so empty, he had seen enough Wild powers in use even over the last few days of his life to surmise that very little could survive if a Wild truly let loose. And the fact that he had cut a deal with what he hoped was one of the most physically intimidating types also reminded him daily of their destructive power. Although the feeling of red hot chains around his heart had eased as he had become used to Mercy's presence, anytime the Wild became inflamed he could feel the chains tighten and burn once again.

He had been expecting to train with Le Frey, the soldier's Wild clearly a good match against Mercy in terms of physical power and dexterity. He had also expected a dozen or so Ghost Corp riflemen with AE rounds to be trained on him at all times in case his Wild went.. well, wild. To be facing down a man that seemed to be just human was unexpected, and Val raised an eyebrow when the man's cloak hit the ground. What kind of game was he playing? Even without weapons, Mercy would crush a regular human like an empty canteen. Was this meant to measure Val's skill?

”Alright. Try to hit me, Guardian.”

Val pushed his curiosity to the side, though it was a sign of just how far he had been taken off guard by the situation that he hadn't yet attacked. Lawless were undisciplined fighters by nature, and to take on a military man, Val needed every advantage he could get, including surprise and first strike, which he had just lost in his hesitation.

The even ground. No obstacles. No weapons. Not even bad weather or the exhaustion of previous combat were present to tip the scales. All of it meant that their individual skill, creativity, and will were the only things that mattered in this match.

Val sighed a bit, his body seemingly relaxed as he took the extra moment to decide on a pattern of attack. Against someone untrained, it might have looked like a surrender or refusal to fight, but the subtle shift in weight to Val's lead foot gave away his attack.

Val dashed forward, a sloppy right punch aimed towards the General's nose that was expected to fail. If the man had half Val's fighting experience, it was the most obvious attack he could make and easily countered. The trick was to anticipate the counter when you knew your opening strike was going to fail. He pulled the strike short, instead using the momentum from the slight turn of his body and leaning into it to spin and lash out with his back leg aimed at the General's center mass. If he was lucky, he could drive the General back onto his own cloak, hopefully making his footing uncertain.

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

As soon as the crimson fluid sprayed out from the man's throat, Leon dashed forward, the silence area traveling with him to cut off any chance of a call for aid. He probably hadn't needed to bother with it, but small mistakes could cause big losses if you underestimate your foes. Just like the former Gunalar's thugs were now learning.

The thug turned towards the no revealed Iliskra, it's weapon flashing free of it's sheath in a curious lack of sound that went unnoticed. Leon knew better than to let an advantage go to waste, sprinting forward and throwing himself into an extended lunge with his sword, his off hand gripping the base of the pommel to increase the power behind the piercing blow. A shadow drank in the light along the blade as Mask's blessing lent and extra bit of supernatural edge to the weapon as it pierced the man's armor, sinking through his back, and bursting out of his chest. The man futilely gripped at his chest, trying to understand what had just happened, his mouth moving soundlessly. Leon reached out with a powerful arm, dragging the man backwards out of direct sight of the building and then shoving the rest of the blade through and twisting, splattering blood across his armor and pooling around his boots.

Three targets down, six potentials remaining.

As Ibdur trotted up, Leon shrugged as though to apologize for not saving a kill for him, then took the silenced coin out of his boot and tossing it into the shadows of an alleyway. Sound returned to the area, and Leon flinched as his ears adjusted to the sudden increase in noise.

He raised his hand and twirled his fingers in a circle, a universal sign to gather up for Elthel and her companions to see and then he nodded to Iliskra, looking towards the dilapidated house.

"Front door is almost always trapped and watched," he muttered, more to speak his thoughts aloud than to actually advise Iliskra. She was the true thief here. His eyes flicked to the barely covered windows and weakened walls, some of which had gaping holes in them. What a wreck of a hideout. As the rest of the kill team arrived and ducked into nearby shadows, Leon spoke again, "I'll take the window to the right of the front door. If you get into trouble, fall back towards the front door and if possible, we will assist. I'll breach last."

His reasoning for picking the closest window was sound. Despite any hangups Elthel might have, Leon was a proven healer. Which meant that he needed to be in the position everyone could find or that could go to them with little trouble if their need was dire. His decision to be the last one in was motivated by similar cause. Despite his skills, his allies had clearly made a life of their ability to slide through the shadows. Whereas he relied on the shadows welcoming him. He did not want to give away their presence by accident before the others had a chance to move fully inside and not risk being caught halfway into a building and halfway out.

He stalked through the shadows, his armor designed to make little noise and allow for freedom of movement at the cost of heavier protections like Ibdur's chain and plates. Stepping through the treeline, he sprinted while keeping his form low to the window he had designated, belly crawling up the last ten feet or so to minimize any chance of him being spotted. Once there, he listened intently, trying to hear if there was anyone in the room he was about to enter.

Once he was satisfied, he looked around to make sure none of his companions appeared to still be outside the building, and then picked himself up off the ground, sliding in through the window.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

I always have to go for the unpicked faction. I'll post up a detective by tomorrow night. Debating between werewolf, just because I am a huge fan of The Wolf Among Us, or a healer type just to be different.

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

No worries!

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic (Cops and Robbers)

Count me in as well :)

@Qia

*highfive*

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic (Cops and Robbers)

I definitely don't mind adding another 1-2 post a week RP to my list, but I am enjoying Umbra too. Still, show me interested!

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

I happened to be online. Because I have no life

FORGOTTEN REALMS - Gambit of Scoundrels

“Very well, Maskarran,”

Leon shrugged, not bothering to confirm or deny his faith. Which was just as good as admitting to being a part of the Lord of Shadows flock. If any of the group had been servants of a god of Light, he might have been hesitant, but all thieves owed part of their lives to the shadows. Either way, they would use his skills just as he would use theirs.

“You will take those two then? If you need me to drop one just quickly rise your left fist high and I will shoot.”

"Appreciated, but I suspect your arrows will do more good aimed towards the house," Leon commented, "my partner with the knives will cover us if I screw up." He nodded towards Iliskra, a plan already coming together in his mind.

"Sorry Ibdur, I know you'd love a good fight, but this is murder work, not battle," he said, trying to cheer up the dwarf, "I promise, next bastard I see that looks like they could make you break a sweat, they are all yours."

He turned his attention to both of his companions, "silence will be key for taking out the guards. They shout. Their friends will dig in." He took out a silver coin before he continued speaking, "I will tie a silence spell to this coin. Again, sorry, my friend, but your armor is much louder than ours and I doubt you will need Tempus's blessing to handle these layabouts. It will last about five minutes, but will nullify all sound within fifteen feet. Enough to allow us to kill the guards quietly. Once that is done, I'll toss away the coin. Ibdur, you'll need your hearing to catch anyone trying to escape us."

"Iliskra, I'm trusting you to handle the man on the far side, you move through the shadows better than Ibdur or myself," he admitted, "once the targets are down, we'll stand by for Elthel and hit the house together. Come on, we're burning time."

It was probably overkill compared to the forces they were arrayed against, but Leon was a careful man, always assuming the enemy had some hidden ace up their sleeve until they proved otherwise. It was how he survived.

Leon skulked through the shadows, muttering the prayer of silence, then tucking the coin into his boot for safekeeping until the guards could be downed. The air deadening around him was supernatural, touching on a fight or flight response from some primal early age of human history. He couldn't even say his heartbeat pounded in his ears... there was simply, nothing.

He made an effort to make sure Ibdur kept close by. True, even if he fell outside of the spell, the guards still wouldn't be likely to hear him coming since the spell would nullify the sound as it passed through the space around Leon, but better safe than sorry. He pressed himself deep into the shadows as close as he dared to the gate guards and waited.

Once Iliskra made her move or signaled him, he would dash in rapidly, letting his silence spell overtake the two guards.

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Val watched the General with acute interest, listening to the radio bark out a summary of the events back at the temporary hideout. He didn't mind people double checking his story, after all, he had said that the two Ghost Corp agents could pretty much confirm everything he was saying anyways, even if they were a bit indisposed at the moment. There was almost nothing to be gained from a lie so easily discovered. Not that there was much to be gained here anyways other than some breathing room from the Ravagers and Vinny.

Lawless... a bad name for bad people just like him. True, Val might have tried to help the Umbrans when he could have just cut his losses and run, but he had also executed those Ravagers without a second thought.

”Now, you're a guest here, willingly or not, and I feel I owe you an explanation. You have questions, I'm sure. I'll try to explain as best as I can.”

"Now that's the wonderful thing about me General Ghost Corp," Val said, looking up at the man without a hint of fear in his eyes, though for those that looked closely, Mercy's own eyes were beginning to reflect in his own, Molten specks of lava in the calm ocean that was his otherwise blue eyes, "I know you don't owe me a Dust damned thing, but I do appreciate the sentiment. Since you haven't had someone shoot my insubordinately handsome backside, I figure you ain't likely to unless I really prove to be a read headache."

"I won't pretend to even begin to understand whatever tests you're running, hell, that's what the white coats are for, right?," he said sighing a bit and shaking his head before looking at the General again, "but I figure the 'Guardian of the Fallaways' gets a few things his way, yeah? I want to be near them at all times. Not in the same room, me being a gentleman and all that, but something adjacent will do just fine. I also lost some gear in the tussle with the Ravagers, so a full kit and ammunition would be appreciated. While we're here, the ladies get taken care of like they're VIPs. Me you can toss a can of beans and a canteen of water twice a day and I'll be fine."

"If the ladies say they want to leave, then we're leaving, but we'll cross that bridge when or if it comes up," he said, knowing full well he was not going to be able to shoot his way out of a Ghost Corp facility. Similarly though, no one chased after a goal like theirs unless they were desperate, insane, or both. And so far, they had both proven more sane than Val himself.

"Lastly... and I expect this is a longshot," he said, for the first time looking a bit nervous and uncertain, "my own Wild. Mercy. He can be a bit violent. You've got a few... partnered people here yourself. If you've got someplace comparatively safe for them to practice, I want in on it. Trust me, you want me to have access to it too."

Umbra: The Abyssal Connection

Couldn't help it. Must sass the General.