[After coming back from your expedition to Scotland Mai asks you both to meet up with her in the library.] [We'll say that happens as early morning as you're both willing to get up the next day.] [Start!] * Marguerite is having the breakfast of champions - scotch, neat, and a cigarette. * Kurt pushes slowly into the room, still chewing on the last of whatever he picked up for breakfast. Oi, am I late? * Marguerite bolts the last of the scotch. "Nah." I just wanted to get an early start on drinkin'. Oh. I stopped in a drive through to grab breakfast, glad I didn't fuck anything up. * Mai eyes the cigarette, but you're in the lobby of the library, so she's not taking action just yet. "About when I expected. I wanted to let both of you know Ms. Mozzeralla is doing her best to move up the timing of the fight. She's presently pushing for this evening. Rules do allow for that, so I'm here to help if you have anything else you want to do before fight time." You gotta be kiddin' em. Damn. Damn and fuck. * Mai nods and glances again at Maggie's cigarette. "How's the research going, I take it there's more to tie up?" Yeah. Some very important stuff. * Marguerite takes the hint and swallows the damn thing. "Yes, damn it. We've got to get on this assignment thing that lady with the goat was yammering about." Goat? Oh, you found your diviner. Good. Be better if she came with a Berlitz tape, too. Having trouble interpretting some of what she said? And which mission? I dunno, Kurt got a better grasp of it than I did. Something about ice, I remember. And we've got to get something of hers and take it along. Ice? Well.. we did just have a team back from the Caucuses. Although the brunt of that next mission won't be for a few weeks left. ::she produces two briefing books out of thin air:: ( http://sab.zort.net/logs/sab16_briefing.htm ) * Marguerite pours some more scotch from a hip flask into the glass. And a possession of hers. Hmm... have any ideas? * Mechalink has joined #sab2020 I was thinking we could talk to that Tim guy and get a pair of her panties. You KNOW he has some. Well, if she wears any, anyway. Failing that all we gotta do is wink at her and she'll shuck those clothes in no time. * Mai frowns. "I think Tim's out right now, but there's a similar idea I can go for. Trouble is, she will probably find out about it. The idea being? * Mai frowns. "Taking advantage of the entropic effect of clothing Victor tends to have and the fact that he cleans his room about once a month." I dunno. How'd she find out about that? Worth a try. Victor will probably be there. I can get him out on a pretext, but it really comes down to how you wannt to spend your time." Fuck. * Mai crinkles her nose slightlly. "If you like I can get it for you now while you work out your next step." * Marguerite looks to Kurt. I'm... not sure how we're going to do this. * Marguerite looks at Mai. "Can we see those docs?" * Mai hands them over to each of you. * Marguerite flips through it. "Ugh, corporations." corporation and hell, no less Fuck me, a hellmouth. But man, the words "free fire zone" make me all tingly inside. Well, a hell. Many theologians presently think that if there actually was a Lucifer than the connection to his dimension was taken down during one of the crusades, thanks to Saladin. * Mai shrugs. "There's competing theories of course. Most of the scholarship seems to be a battle over national pride." * Mai lets you keep reading. Bah. It's just demons. * Marguerite flips it shut. "Okay. Let's have you snag those skivvies, and we've got to scheme how to get on this mission, and get it bumped up." * Mai nods, goes into the back and then leaves the library with a small collection of book restoration tools. * Marguerite leans back and puts her feet up on the nearest flat surface. "Alright. That lady said SAB had the path. We've got their path... we just gotta take the "next step" with a piece of her clothing, right?" * Marguerite makes the air quotes. (But not with her hair. :P) Ignoring the fucking crazy, what she said'd be right, yeah? We're definitely gonna need guns. Well, YOU'll need guns, at least. But the slut wants the date moved up to tonight. You think she knows? It's possible. You think we could tug on Eckerd to get this done today? Possibly. Nah.... she's not going to go for it. * ChanServ sets mode: +o Grysar Well, we could go do it ourselves. Head for the hellmouth and go in shooting? I love it. Fuckin' love it. * Marguerite pours herself a third belt of scotch. [Mai comes back at this point. She's got a few scraps of red leather in ziplock bag that she's holding with a small pair of tongs.] Got it. I don't even want to know. * Marguerite chokes on her scotch. "*coughcough*Jesus!*cough*: * Mai nods and puts the bag down by you guys. "Good, I'd prefer not to tell. Have a plan?" Yeah, we're going to walk into hell and start blowing shit up. I fucking love this plan. * Mai purses her lips for a moment. "Well, you likely could inflict an impressive amount of damage. The trouble is, you'd then die. Which is not a critique of your abilities, most warriors wouldn't manage an impressive amount of damage." Well, you sure we couldn't just ... kill our way out? Probably not. Bah. You'd have a chance, but only if you didn't get in very far. The problem is this is a plane we're talking about, not just some fortress. They'll have enough diversity of abilities that by the time you get far enough in, they'll start bringing in creatures geared to your weaknesses. The point of the joint strike force is to keep them distracted enough that they can't properly react to the intrusion team. * Marguerite finishes off the scotch, and looks at Mai as she elaborates a plan. You got another idea? Well, what exactly did the prophesy say you have to do? (prophecy) * Marguerite thinks. Fuck, I don't remember. * Mai glances over to Kurt. Somethin' with her clothing. All it really said was that the path has already been discovered by SAB, and the first step, if made with a possession of hers, will draw the answers we need. * Mai frowns. "Well, I'm not sure how far the first step is exactly. But I'm betting a full assault is at least step four. Perhaps you could scout the place, we could use some independent intelligence, given the unreliability of our allies of late." I'm good for scouting. I don't know about Mags here, though. * Marguerite makes a face. "Scoutin'?" I HAVE a silencer. The bitch is still in the box, though. Having to kill people rather defeats the purpose of scouting. Even worse. But fine, I'll do it. But it better give me a serious edge. * Mai nods. "Good luck, get to the airport, I'll arrange transport." She gestures to the bag. "And don't forget this. Maybe they'll be a lock that can only be openned with Yvonne's clothing or something." She seems dubious about that assertion. * Kurt reaches out and takes the bag, and slips it easily into a large pocket of his shorts. I'm so glad you took that. Let's fuckin' go. * Marguerite gets up and tosses the glass into the garbage. [And soon enough you're in Norway. You can easily get a rental at the airport, I'll let Maggie pick the type. It's now early afternoon and fairly brisque out. You're nearing the town with the manor house. You're still far enough away and mixed in with enough normal traffic that you're fairly certain you can't have been spotted yet.] * Kurt doesn't care, as long as Mags is driving. * Marguerite is driving a rather antique Mustang. How it got into Norway, only god knows. She's driven it as balls to the wall as she can without being horribly out of place. * Marguerite is also singing along to some Lynyrd Skynyrd. [The local village is about two miles away from the manor house. There's a wide river behind the manor house with small mountains on the farside. The house itself is otherwise surround by forests, aside from a clearing in the direction of the village. The only road approach is straight from the village.] Wanna ditch the car and walk up? Eh, up to you. [And I'll say you have satelitte maps of the area. No reason they'd hold those back from you.] I'm cool either way. * Marguerite just drives up within a tenth of a mile, pulls over, and gets out. "I hate this crap. Intel's nice and all, but I really prefer when it's handed to me and not the other way around. You ready?" (Hmm, properties actually probably big enough that the gate for the house is a half mile from it. Shall I put you a tenth of a mile from that?) * RDMgryphon is now known as AFKgryphon (Yes please.) [You can actually see the house in the distance. Three stories, very old architecture, but obviously has had some new additions and renovation in the past hundred years. There's a two meter tall stone fence and a gate house about a tenth of a mile up the road at the clearing. Fortunately you can find an easy spot to pull in and hide the car.] [The surrounding forest looks fairly old growth and dense. However, the underlying shrubbery has a hard time growing in the shade, so it wouldn't be hard to walk through. There's the occassional animal path, but no signs of anything else.] [End description.] Nice place. Yeah. Rather have the place in Scotland, though. [Oh, and give me wilderness tracking/survival rolls. Think that's off mind.] [Both Kurt and Maggie feel pretty confident they can figure an approach through the forest using the map that'll mean they'll probably see any patrols coming long before the patrols see them.] How are you as far as forests go? Pretty good. Spent my youth in the wilds of Indiana. Indiana has wilds? Two or three. Well then, let's go. You lead, I've seriously got no aptitude for this. * Kurt strolls off into the forest. * Marguerite follows. [Using your superior wilderness skills you make fairly fast progress through the forest. There seem to be occassional patrols within the stone walls, and the patrols seem big on robes, but you pick a good root so with a reasonable amount of hiding there's no way they see you.] [As you get to what Kurt thinks will be the easiest place to cross the stone wall, you notice that the trees this area seem older, more gnarled, and as if the past half dozen centuries have resulted in more warpage than growth. It gets worse on the far side of the wall.] [The wall itself is unevenly cut stone mortared together. Two meters tall, two inch spikes at the top. Not that pleasant looking.] [The spot your crossing at lets you wait until a guard troop has passed and then have a good two minute interval to get over the wall.] [End description.] Man, this place is fucking nasty. [And, for the record, to this point you haven't seen or heard any wild animals larger than a small bird or squirrel.] * Kurt waits patiently for a guard patrol to pass. So how are you at jumping walls? [Guard posse passes, this one has three robed individuals. One of them sounds more like a clip-clop sound than normal footfalls.] I'm a merc, I'm passable at anything. [And two minute interval starts now.] Sorry, passable just won't do. * Kurt scoops Mags up into his arms and hops over the fence. [Kurt gets over without any trouble, assuming Mags doesn't give him any trouble.] * Marguerite looks chagrined, but keeps silent except for a muttered "not again". [And you're over. There's a slight sense of wrong in the pit of your stomach. Like if you just ate greasy fast food for the first time in about three months. But not quite that bad.] * Kurt touches down gently on the other side and sets her down, then crouches and heads for the house. Ugh, I can feel it already. [And give me a sense of choice roll people. And tell me what that sense is.] [HA counts.] [You hear/see things when you're about half a minute out of sight of the wall and still not in sight of the manner house.] (Manor) Shit. Trouble from below, run for the house. * Kurt picks up to a fast trot. * Marguerite runs. "The trees are moving. Sans fucking wind." Wonderful. Guess we're already doin' our jobs, huh? [As you start moving roots begin to shoot up from the ground and branches from the nearby trees suddenly swing down, the whole area swarms with them for a moment, but they have a bit of trouble reaching you because of your speed. Even so, there are trees everywhere so speed only does so much.] [Most of the branchs, roots, and vine seem content to just grab you anywhere they can, but some try specifically for your arms and legs.] [Give me three defense rolls each.] [And then roll for init.] [Oh and sight awarenss roll if you like.] * Kurt stops dead in his tracks, then reaches out like lightning, grabbing Maggie and pulling her into his arms, and then he's gone as vine after limb after root shoots through the space he was in. Urk! Er, sorry about that, didn't think to stop and ask if you'd like to reenact the tree scene from evil dead. The fucking what from what? Better not to think about it if you don't already know. [Kurt notices that the farther away vines that are out of reach suddenly stop and resume normal form. Those out of reach also seemed to be centered on the ziplock bag you're carrying.] [Maggie, Trees, Kurt] Well, looks like they're after our little token. Um, if you can do anything without making too much noise, it'd be good if you did it. * Marguerite pulls out her silenced DE and shoots at a vine. [A root is severed in two and falls lifeless to the ground.] [The vines and branches keep reaching for you, the actual ones that are animated seem to very, however there's now one less than there used to be. Three defense rolls each (theoretically) please.] You shoot, I'll run! * Kurt isn't so much running as waiting for the vine to almost get there and then suddenly zipping away, but it's getting the job done. [Kurt again stays out of the way. We'll say he's four rounds from the house. However, he's now noticing strange dark brown/black fog rising from the ground beneath him.] [Kurt's turn!] Curiouser and curiouser. * Kurt sprints along the ground for the house, staying as light on his toes as a ninja laden with a gunbunny can be. [Maggie!] * Marguerite goes for another vine, since that's all she can do. [A vine jets towards Maggie's eyes and then flies past the two of you as it loses its connection to the tree.] [The eight remaining vines keep after you, and there's a great groaning as two trees bend and then try to collapse on top of you. One lands behind you no harm done. I'll need a defense roll at +3 (spreading) from Kurt, two more from Kurt, and two (theoretically) from Maggie.] [And the fog has nearly risen to your heads now.] Uh, Kurt? [The tree slams into the both of you and it hurts like hell (40, low pen, double protection from armour), and were it not for Kurt's superior physicality, he'd be pinned under it now, as is, he rolls out of the way and keeps moving, just in much pain. And the fog keeps rising.] [Kurt!] * Kurt rolls to his feet, somehow managing to keep Maggie in his arms in spite of being HIT WITH A TREE and keeps bookin' for the house. [Maggie!] [And three rounds from house.] Kurt, you got an objection to me hauli' out some serious cover fire? Go for it. THat fucking HURT> * Marguerite whips out Bubba, cranks it to Spread Mode, and lets loose at the highest concentration of vine. [Three vines, and a tree, are completely incinerated.] Run like the motherfucker you are, Kurt! [The remaining five vines reach for you, and another tree falls towards Kurt. Fortunately Kurt's moving fast enough that only two of the vines come close. One +3 tree defense roll from Kurt and a vine defense from each of you (theoretically).] [And at this point, the fog rises above your heads, you can still see fairly well, but the air acquires a bittersweet taste. Soul rolls +2 from both of you please.] [Maggie feels the effects of the fog trying to cloud her mind, but she pushes it off, Kurt however is not so lucky and finds great trouble focusing at all in the pervading gloom (drain mind two).] Fuck, this shit... you okay,' Kurt? I, uh, not really. Aw, fuck... You think you're losin' it, you drop me, right? [And another tree slams into Kurt and Maggie as he says that. Same damage. This time Kurt is pinned, at least for the moment.] Ungh. * Marguerite rolls as Kurt drops her. "Aw... jesus FUCK." * Kurt reaches into his pocket and flips out the baggie. "Take it and go, I'll catch up." [Kurt's turn!] * Marguerite snatches it out of the air and RUNS. [And awareness checks, sight/hearing (+2 for hearing) both of you.] * Kurt raises his hand out away from the tree and it begins glowing a burning red as he says loudly, "Katon... akuryoku no jutsu!" He slams his red-hot fist into the tree right above himself. [The tree explodes into chunks and splinters that still flame and threaten the nearby forest. Unfortunately it doesn't take out any vines as collateral damage.] [Maggie!] * Marguerite runs like crazy towards the house, tucking the baggie into her jumpsuit pockets as she does so. (one of her) [Two vines reaches for Kurt, but the majority, the three remaining, try for Maggie. Defense rolls! (melee or ranged personal works).] [And the fog continues to surround you. Soul roll each of you, -2 bonus.] [And finally, all the leaves on the surrounding trees begin curling up and turn brown and a sickly black and begin to fall from the tree tops towards you. Won't reach till next round.] [However, the energy of the full trees attacking you seems spent.] [Kurt has a vine wrap around his leg holding him tight and piercing his flesh with thorns covered with black liquid. Drain body (one) and two doses of five damage.] [Maggie is less fortunate and all three vines wrap around her, two grab on to her body armour and hold her fast but do not hurt her. One attacks her more exposed legs for the same damge.] [Both of you resist any mist effects.] [Leaves still falling, and you're entangled.] [Kurt!] Shit! [The poison feels like ice spreading through your vains, stiffining your limbs.] [Incidentally, there's only one not actively entangling vine now.] [Attacks at -4, no defenses.] (+4 rather) * Kurt whips a handful of knives through the air at Maggie, but they fail utterly to hit anything he was aiming at. (Retcon, describe the hit) * Kurt crosses his arms over his chest and then whips his hands out, a dagger spinning by its ring around each finger. He whips his arms back and then forward, sending a storm of sharp metal at Maggie. [The four vines around Maggie get a fair number of knives in them. One of the ones around her chest is sufficently damaged to break entirely. The rest look near it.] [Maggie! Two vines on you, one on your legs. Leaves falling from above. One vine on Kurt, one unattached vine.] [Maggie pulls away breaking the two vines.] Fuck! Finall! [The last free vine reaches for Maggie but misses. However, the first layer of leaves reach you. There's two layers, second is a lot thicker. Defense roll, +2 from spreading/area/shear number. Kurt just gets hit.] [And incidentally, the fog is getting weaker as a column of it forms in front of you.] [Maggie manages to dance out of the way of the leaves. Kurt isn't so lucky and several stick to his skin and he can feel them leaching his will. (drain soul 1).] [Kurt then Maggie. Targets remaining, column of smoke, one vine on Kurt, one free vine.] [And remainer of falling leaves.] (retcon, Maggie gets the drain too.) Rrrrgh... * Kurt reaches down to his right thigh and pulls out another shuriken, this one with an odd off-white tag fluttering from it. It's got some strange writing in black on, too. [Maggies turn!] * Kurt flings the knife point-first into the dirt between himself and the last active vine, incidentally shielding Mags, too. (Maggie's) * Marguerite RUNS for the border of the forest, shooting behind her at a vine, preferably one holding Kurt. [Kurt is freed! And the remaining vine shoots for Maggie and explodes as it hits the paper. And both of you need defense rolls. +4 from the leaves.] [The column of smoke now materalizes into speaking figure. "And I finally have my chance to finish you and gloat over your dead body Yvonne Nils-" The fog clears enough reveal a man who looks to be in his twenties but has a striking resemblence to Kristian from your briefing book. Although his skin is potch marked. He's wearing a cloak and a black fedora and staring at Maggie. "Who the fuck are you?"] [Both of you get covered in leaves (2 more soul damage each).] [And, incidentally, the forest, aside from some burning, seems utterly pacified.] We're the people who are trying to beat one Yvonne Mozzarella. Definitely trying to beat that Mozzarella. [The fog begins to clear and the man looks aghast. "You destroyed it all, three decades of my life went into this trap, it's been sitting here for six centuries." He waves a hand and the fires are put out.] * Guy seems mostly shocked at this point. You've got problems, dude. [The leaves aren't further draining you at the moment, but they are sticking to your skin.] * Marguerite gasps for breath. "You spent .... fucking six centuries on some LEAVES?" There's no way you should still be free! And how did you even trigger it? (alive, let alone free.) We, uh, got some of her clothes. We're just ... fucking special. And we're just that good. You had a hell of a trap there. And believe me, I've seen some freakishly nasty traps. * Guy puts a hand on his head. "Damn straight it was. Alright, so you're here to defeat Yvonne Nilsdtr or whatever she's calling herself now? Why here? It'd make sense to come here to kill my father, but even someone who could get through this would be a outmatched in that fight." We're here because a divination told us that coming here with something that belonged to her would let us find her true name. Looks like it worked. * Marguerite tries to brush off some of the leaves. A divination?! Tell me it wasn't sticks and rocks, at least tell me that. Guts and garters. [They come off slowly, you can make a body roll to accelerate the process, but it doesn't really matter.] It's not a proper divination unless something gets disemboweled. That's why they call it "spilling your guts", you know. * Guy nods. "Well, at least so long as something died. Well, you've got her true name. What are you going to do now?" Wait, you mean that's it? ... how the fuck did you pronounce that again? That's all we need to make with the ownage? Nilsdtr. And I've tracked her with it before, even got around the fact that I can't handle holy weapons, but I doubt that alone will be enough to defeat her. Hell, I sent her to a minor hell years ago and she apparently just made friends there. * Guy waves a few hands and the obvious signs of battle clean themselves up. No sign anything is re-animating though. Don't care. I only need to defeat her once. * Guy nods and then has a brief coughing fit. "You going to finish her?" Probably not. It disqualifies me. Though ordinarily I'd have no problem, you know? I can send her your regards, though. * Guy frowns. "Damn... well, I'll find another way to kill her and my father. ::he gestures in the direction of the house:: And please don't, but best of luck with your fight. If you ever do get around to killing her my dear father would likely richly reward you." * Guy gestures to the ground and a column of smoke begins to rise around him. Uh, see you later. * Marguerite rubs her head. Uh... sure. Let's get the h-... let's get out of here. Definitely. * Smoke keeps rising and the guy vanishes. "And really, he'll make it worth your while, the bastard's still obsessed. Just talk to Smee, they're riddled with his people." [Guy then vanishes!] ... are they. ...go fig. Nice to know. I bet Eckerd'll pay huge for THAT little bit of info. Yep. I'll even be nice and split it 50/50 with you. [And end! Any last witticisms will be upped into the log.]