[Tongue Twister] Today, Rory is practicing. She’s not the most stealthy of Fox’s children, and it’s become a bit of a joke among the others in the pack. While they all fade from view with ease, and slink around with confidence, Rory tends to trip over her own feet, her hair practically glows in even the most minimal of light, or she crashes right into the garbage can that she’s trying to duck behind. Most often, they use her as a distraction so they can get into place because of this – but that doesn’t stop her from trying. She always tries.
So today, she practices.
[dex+stealth+Fox = 8]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 3, 4, 4, 6, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] Shadow to shadow, hiding place to hiding place, bit by bit down the street. Slow and steady…
[Bad things] Rory is practising. Shadow o shadow, slow and steady.
Only, Rory is not the only thing that moves through the shadows. As she comes to the entrance of a small alleyway, skulking quite adeptly into the shadows (you know it is only because she is on her own, when she tries it tomorrow with her pack, she is going to stumble over something).
A sound, coming from deeper within the Alley draws the fiery red heads attention. A whimper, and muted, rough voices. Laughter, filled with a dark glee almost. A woman crying.
[Tongue Twister] The sounds draw her attention easily. She snaps her head toward the alley, curls flaring about her shoulders as she does so. She remains so still, so very very still, and listens. Whimpering, crying, laughter and roughness. She chews on her lower lip, absently, and then makes her decision near instantly. This is Bogeyman territory, after all.
Direction changes, and she slinks into the alley itself, carefully, carefully, and peers into the shadows deep within in an attempt to see what’s really going on…
[percpt+alert = 5]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 5, 6, 7, 7, 8 (Success x 4 at target 6)
[Bad things] She spots them soon enough. A young woman, she cant be past her teens quite yet lies against the alley wall there in the darkness. She is whimpering softly, crying. Behind, a little deeper in the dark stands two large figures. Both are clearly over 6 feet tall, near enough to 7 in truth. They stand apart, and held between them is the form of a young male, about the same age as the girl, or possibly just past his teens.
The two figures hold him between them, each grabbing an arm.
“Awrig’t… Who’ver gits the big part gits first turn wi’t the girl, yeh?”
The other growls low in his laughter, and they both start pulling on the young mans arms, hard. His feet suspended inches above the ground. The sound of muscle and sinew tearing, bones cracking quickly drowns all other noises. The boy cant even scream.
[Tongue Twister] She has always made her decisions quickly. She is a creature of impulse, and while her impulse is normally to cower and submit to those of higher station – in situations like these, she proves she is a child of her moon, a moon that swells heavy and pregnant and full somewhere above, hidden by the daylight, the clouds. But she feels it none the less. It is her moon. And she is Ahroun. She is Gaian. and these? These are not nice men.
She sneaks, and they are distracted. They are large, and strong, and there are at least two – and she is not big and strong… at least, not for a moment. She sneaks forward, and soon, massive paws hit the ground, directly behind them, her great Dire Wolf form covered in red fur that’s kinked and curly, just as her hair normally is.
And low in her throat a rumbling growl that is the only warning before she leaps for the closest of the two laughing men….
[Tongue Twister] [CHOMP!]
Dex + Brawl + Hispo = 3+4+2= 9 diff 5 – reroll 10s
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 9 at target 5) Re-rolls: 5
[Tongue Twister] DONT PWINK! BITE LIKE YA MEAN IT!
Str + Hispo + Bite + (suxx-1) = 4+3+2 = 9 + 8
Dice Rolled:[ 17 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Bad things] [GODS! SOAK!]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 6, 7, 9, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)
[Bad things] The two laugh, not noticing the shadow that turns into a great beast of death and mayhem sneaking up on them. They are having way to much fun after all. The boy has gone limp between them, the girl lies, covering her eyes, whimpering low. As the growl starts, the two barely has time to react before Rory is all over them.
The closest man finds the hispo tearing at his arm, and he screams, dropping the girl, and perhaps surprisingly, as he stumbles further into the alley, he does not turn to fight, but rather flees, taking off running as quickly as he can go.
The other, the one who spoke before, is not quite to easily startled. The sound of bones cracking and muscles expanding as he snap shifts to Crinos, a great big hulk of a thing, with claws that drip black ichor. His teeth are blunted, flat, like the teeth of a human, and not those of a wolf. Metis born, like rory. The massive thing does not hold back, lunging at rory.
[Blunted tooth Init +7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8
[Tongue Twister] Hispo:
Inits: +8
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5
[Bad things] Init order
Blunted Tooth 15
rory 13
Declare in reverse
[Tongue Twister] [2 rage, split first action
1a: bite
1b: bite
1r: bite
2r: DIE FUCKER OMG Bite.]
[Bad things] [Reflexive 1 rage, split first action
1a. Claw
1b. Claw
Rage 1. Claw]
[First split attack, dex(crinos) + brawl -2 split)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 6, 6, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)
[Bad things] [Damage str(crinos) +1 + 3]
Dice Rolled:[ 11 d10 ] 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] Ack! Soak!
Sta+Hispo = 4+3=7
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Second claw, dex(crinos) + brawl -3 split)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 1, 4, 6 (Failure at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] CHOMP!
split 1: Dex + Brawl + Hispo = 3+4+2 = 9 -2 for split = 7 diff 5 – reroll 10s
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 5 at target 5) Re-rolls: 1
[Tongue Twister] LIKE YA MEAN IT!
Str + Hispo + Bite + (suxx-1) = 4+3+2 = 9 + 4
Dice Rolled:[ 13 d10 ] 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Soak!)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 4, 4, 6, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] are you SERIOUS? CHOMPITY!
split 2: Dex + Brawl + Hispo = 3+4+2 = 9 -3 for split = 6 diff 5 – reroll 10s
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 (Success x 4 at target 5)
[Tongue Twister] DON’T BE A WHORE, KAHSEENO!
Str + Hispo + Bite + (suxx-1) = 4+3+2 = 9 + 3
Dice Rolled:[ 12 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Ouch! soaking!)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 6, 6, 6, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Relexive, 1 WP Resist pain)
(Rage 1, claw )
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Have at thee! str(crinos) + 1 + 2)
Dice Rolled:[ 10 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] SOAK dammit!
Sta+Hispo = 4+3=7
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] OUCH!
CHOMPITY!
R1 of 2: Dex + Brawl + Hispo = 3+4+2-1(ow)= 8 diff 5 – reroll 10s
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 5, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 3 at target 5) Re-rolls: 1
[Tongue Twister] LIKE YA MEAN IT!
Str + Hispo + Bite + (suxx-1) = 4+3+2 = 9 +2
Dice Rolled:[ 11 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 5, 6, 6, 6, 8, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 7 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Soak it like ya mean it!)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 (Failure at target 6)
[Bad things] (I AM ANGRY NOW! RAGE REVIVE!)
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 8) [WP]
[Tongue Twister] I BELIEVE I KEELLED YOU ONCE ALREADY! DIE!
Bite:
Dex + Brawl + Hispo = 3+4+2-1= 8 diff 5 – reroll 10s
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 5, 7, 10 (Failure at target 5) [WP] Re-rolls: 1
[Bad things] There is no qurater asked, nor one given. The Spiral, wearing his crinos form launches himself at rory, tearing at her once, but claws finding only fur. The second swipe goes wide as rory sinks her teeth into his leg. He stumbles back as the gaian metis lunges at him again, teeth tearing skin and flesh from his arm.
Rage fuels them both, and the spiral sinks his claws into Rory’s shoulder, coming away bloody. However, his sneering smiel is cut abruptly short as rory sinks her fangs into the soft belly of the other, and tears it open, intestines pouring out. The large beast stumbles back, one massive paw coming to feebly try to hold the guts in, even as the rage in him boils up, keeping him moving. Rory’ thinking she had felled the beast lunges again, snapping jaws in the air.
[Bad things] [Init Blunted tooth +7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10
[Tongue Twister] INITS! +8
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2
[Tongue Twister] Lather, rinse, repeat – only DIE THIS TIME MR SPIRAL!
2 Rage, split first action
1a: bite
1b: bite
1r: bite
2r: SRSLY? DIE!
[Bad things] [Reflxive, 2 rage. split three times]
1a. Claw
1b. Claw
1c. Claw
Rage 1. Claw
Rage 2. Claw
[Rolling 1a, claw. Dex(crinos) + brawl -3 split)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 7, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Damage, Str(crinos) + 1)
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6 (Failure at target 6)
[Bad things] (1b Claw -4 split)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 3, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Damage str + 1)
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 2, 5, 6, 7, 7, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] HOLYCHRISTSOAK!
Sta+Hispo = 4+3=7
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)
[Bad things] (1c Claw -5 split)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Dam str(crinos) +1)
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Tongue Twister] OHHOLYMOTHEROFFUCKINSOAK
Soak:
Sta+Hispo = 4+3=7
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 6, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Bad things] (Rolling WP to stay on fallen foe instead of going after screaming girl!)
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1 (Botch x 1 at target 6)
[Bad things] The Crinos rages back from the brink of death, falling on Rory like a whirlwind. Claws sinking into the hispos flesh, tearing at her shoulder and flanks, spraying red blood on the alley walls. Claws find soft flesh between ribs, and the spiral tears Rory’s side open.
As she falls, the frenzied thing howls, a wet, gurgling sound as it turns its burning red eyes from the fallen foe, and starts rushing after the coward tat fled and left it to fight alone, loosing itself into the frenzy.
Leaving one badly wounded Metis on the ground, next to a dead young man, and a hysterical, whimpering girl, lost to the delirium.
[Tongue Twister] She is a redheaded killing machine – which is quite a difference from her normal shy, quiet, submissive demeanor. Here, she is all rage and teeth and fire and fight…
…right up until the last strike, that takes her down. She had him. She had him dead to rights, but a lucky strike sends blood spraying, and pain flashing behind her eyes, as she topples to the side, the light going dangerously close to out in her eyes. The hispo form falls to the dirty alley floor with a thud, and she falls still…
Fortunately, the Wyrmspawn, in his frenzy has taken off after his chickenshit packmate that ran, leaving Rory bleeding in the alley, next to the dead man, and the hysterical woman. Her ribs rise and fall in uneven hitches of breath, red fur stained crimson in the shadows of the alley.
Her packmates would have heard her as she flew into battle. They would have heard her as she grunted with the impact of that last hit. They would have felt her fall, her presence flickering yet remaining steady. It’s a close thing, this… but she lives.
She’s a giant veil breech waiting to happen – but she lives.
[Low Key] Rory was in an alley. Alone. Dying.
Wrong.
She was never alone. The moment that she realized there was something wrong, three others in the city stopped what they were doing. Three others turned toward the general direction of Bronzeville. The moment she started fighting, three others began running.
Perhaps its a blessing that he’d over extended himself. The others would have been there by now. They’d have crossed over to the other side, where shadows ruled even in the day, and charged ahead across planes of thought on four legs, their white tipped tails flailing in the air. The fact that they weren’t here, the fact that it was Delmar, too sapped from his personal proclivities to cross over onto the other side, too sapped to use anything better than his sneakers to help him run faster, an d his lerger, near-man form to help him run longer, showed up first, meant worrying things for the other two.
But they would worry about one thing at a time.
At the other end of the alley, something crashes into garbage cans and a dumpsters. Something lands heavy foot-falls in quick succession toward the Hispo lying prone. A Bogeyman was coming. He wasn’t especially concerned about being quiet about it.
[Tongue Twister] Despite their rocky start, Rory genuinely likes Delmar. Sure, she had to beat his ass once to gain his respect, but he is Fenrir. That is to be expected. Any of her family, her pack, would be welcome – but that Delmar came running, giving his all, pushing himself harder, faster to arrive first, to crash into the alley and race to her side…
It is proof of how far they have come – he knows she would do the same for him.
He’s not particularly quiet, but the red-furred hispo remains prone, the steady rise and fall of exposed ribs the one tell that shows she still lives, still clings to life, and waits for him.
Nearby there is a dead man.
Near him is a hysterical delirium experiencing woman that whimpers and cowers.
And blood.
So. much. blood.
It’s not all Rory’s – there’s a trail leading out of the alley.
[Per ST ruling: once he hits her with the talen – spending 1 gn for +4!]
[Low Key] Liquor wasn’t the only thing he kept tucked into the pouch of his hoody, the hood of which has flown off during his mad dash here. Delmar drops himself down near the bloodied hispo and as he reaches ou t a hand one of the small, dried gourds he has in there tumbles out.
Its a rough, thick hand that picks up the the talen, making it look small. Too small to be so powerful. A similar hand claps over it, crushing the thing between both hands, and letting the dust fall over the wounded beast.
C’mon… she could hear him thinking to her. To all of them. This has to work.
[Tongue Twister] C’mon, he says. It has to work.
C’mon, she hears. Make it work.
A hitch of her breath, a deeper inhale, and the dust that he scatters over the fallen beast glows unearthly blue as it touches red fur, sinking in and going where it does the most good. It’s nothing short of magic – they kill with it, they heal with it – and nothing short of beautiful as the beast takes a deeper breath, one that sees muscle and bone reconnecting, re-knitting, melding together before his hopeful eyes…
Until her eyes – brilliant green and filled with Rage – snap open and lips peel back into a snarling growl as the beast pushes herself to her feet, a move that’s faster than it should be. She is injured still, but no longer laying prone, no longer close to death…
She whips her head toward Delmar, eyes clouded for a moment with the rage that the thing, that Wyrmspawn, had dropped her like that – until she sees it is him, and the cloud clears and she huffs a breath against the center of his chest, bloody muzzle touching his hoodie, nuzzling just over his heart.
“Thanks.”
Some words are easy.
[Low Key] There was blood everywhere. On his hoodie, now. On her. There was blood in the alley, on the dead body and the living one. There was blood leading away from them. A trail easy enough to follow. But not for very long.
Thanks
“Well…uhh…y’know.”
But this was no setting for a conversation. Not over all this god damn screaming. He leaves the bloody hispo to head over to the screaming woman, standing her up by the arms.
“Run.” He says to her. “He’s uhh…fucking crazy. Got a knife. Run!”
And if anything can reach thgrough the Delirium, if she can actually hear him, he lets her go. To run. Or not run. Whetever.
“Crazy Monkeys” His gutteral growl remarks, and he steps toward the trail of blood.
“You need me to get you somewhere safe?”
This time, obviously, he wasn’t talking to the screaming woman.
[Bad things] The woman, stares wide eyed, not really seeing anything even as she stares directly at Delmar.
(Run)
When he lets her go, she runs as if the hounds of hell were on her trail.
[Tongue Twister] There’s a trail. And she quivers in anticipation, wanting to find him, to rend him limb from fucking limb. He’s frenzied. He’s searching for his packmate. He’ll be hell bent on getting anything that gets in his way.
He’s dangerous.
Rory wants him dead.
But he’s had too far a head start, and the sky is opening up,the scent of rain and thunder heavy in the air. The woman runs, and Rory, Rory finally slides down into her Monkey skin, and pushes her curls back from her face. She is covered in blood, and the gash in her thigh, in her side, still bleed a little too freely.
Need to get somewhere safe? “Yeah.”
She tries to give the rain a headstart on the alley cleanup though, first. She waits till Delmar is at her side, faces the bloodcovered alley floor, and does her best to create enough water to start the cleaning process before the storm.
[Create Element, Water: 1 gn spent, roll temp = 2+wp]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 3 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]
[Tongue Twister] [To clarify…]
She looks at Delmar again, her shy little grin gruesome and bloodcovered. “I man cake it.”
[Low Key] She can make it. That’s what she meant anyway. Its all the encouragement he needs in order to chase off after the one that got away. But as he follows the trail, he thinks back to Rory.
So what can you tell me about this thing?
[Tongue Twister] He takes off, and she hesitates, but watches him go. Should he yell, she’ll follow him, and she’ll be back up, even in her current state. She peels off her sweater, and goes about tying it tight about the gash in her thigh, as he asks his question.
Spiral. Tough, hit bard, little damage. Rackmate pan, scared. Died once and bame cack.
[Low Key] Its some time before there’s any response from Delmar. And when there is, he sounds grim. Disappointed.
“Got away. Underground. No way I’m going down there. Not by myself, anyway. Meet you back at the house.”
[Tongue Twister] She waits. Tense and ready and…
…there it is. Disappointed. She should have had him. Should have gotten them BOTH. A heavy sigh, disappointed […failuremetismulebadworthless..] but a mental nod. Ok.
And she moves off toward the packhouse. Slower now, but under her own power – that, and sheer determination.