Dark Heresy - Wisdom is the beginning of fear.

[Capntastic]

Dulov was without a suitable long range weapon. He was struck, for a moment, with despair- before he decided to resolve the need for them.

[Chargin' towards the foe]

[Jak Snide]

The Hustle

Their assailant continued to pour fire onto the acolyte's position. Crisis dodged out of the way of the man's aim in time. Gunner was not so lucky, an armour piercing round catching him across the side of his stomach and inflicting a shallow. The bystanders behind them weren't as lucky, people screaming as they went down while the rest finally began to panic and run for their lives. The man was already in motion as Mikolas drew his weapon and charged, running straight towards the ruins of an stone wall, his torso twisting around 180 degrees as he slipped a fresh magazine into his weapon. Gunner fired, the bolt glancing off his arm and detonating, shredding the clothing there to reveal the cybernetics beneath. Crisis tracked his target and let rip, but the target was too fast, boosting his speed to avoid the attack. His shots tore through the stalls next to where Orday's body lay, the high calibre rounds tearing through unarmoured hivers and adding to the chaos.

Their target reached the bottom of the stone wall and, still with his torso rotated in a fashion no unaugmented human could achieve, ran straight up and over it, disappearing from sight.

(Map updated. Mikolas' charge falls short, Gunner is hit for 3 wounds but damages his target in return. Crisis has his attack dodged and guns down a handful of unfortunate shoppers in the process. It's readily apparent to all of the acolytes that this man is heavily augmented with bionics, allowing him to act far faster than any normal human as well as mocking the conventional notion that people can't run up sheer surfaces. He's disappeared from sight and I've marked his last known position.)

[Capntastic]

Mikolas continued his chase, snarling at his prey.

[Besyanteo]

Gunner grunted as he was hit. It didn't feel serious, and he wasn't about to let the villian get away. He could tear Crisis apart right now, for his blatant disregard for the citizens, and running a distant second his disregard for Gunner's own authority. He didn't have time to think about it now, though. As bad as it was that these people were dead, it would be a disgrace to everyone involved if the masked, bionic using assailant were to escape now. He gave chase, with every intention and putting a gaping hole somewhere in his person as soon as possible.

(Chase, dunno if that's full move or if there's a run or what right at the moment.)

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis uttered several curses in his mind. It seemed as if the enemy was anticipating the shot from him in particular, despite beating him in reaction time...

High probability of manstoppers. Standard capacity despite custom job. Heavy augmentation verified. Chance of engagement with target on other side of wall: 32%. Subpar tactics not fully utilizing abilities of augmentations suspected.

With that, he dashed over through the opening to the wall, making sure to stop behind cover...

[Yay running off of AG Bonus 4]

[Jak Snide]

The Hustle

Gunner and Crisis split up, the former seeing the other head to one end of the wall before sprinting towards the other, hoping to catch their quarry in a pincer movement. Mikolas took a different approach, dashing over to the wall and hauling himself atop it with ease. He saw the robed attacker, briefcase still in hand, fleeing towards Crisis. He turned and fired, his torso still twisted around in defiance of human physiology. Two slugs struck him, punching neat holes through his flesh but hitting nothing important. The giant snarled, ran along the wall and launched himself through the air, feet outstretched towards him.

He landed right on top of him, colliding with his whole body rather than just his lefs. The augmented killer was slammed into the ground, his autopistol sent flying. Mikolas was on him instantly, pinning him to the ground. The people around them scattered or dived for cover, fanning the crowds down the alley towards Gunner and Crisis.

Mikolas:

Spoiler:

You get an eyefull of the man's features; a sombre drawn face watery-grey eyes. He looks just a little annoyed and far more composed than you'd expect.

(Map updated. Mikolas, in a series of stunning rolls, has managed to knock down and grapple the cybernetic man. Neither Gunner or Crisis saw this, although the latter heard an impact of some sort over the cries of terrified people. Addendum: Mik also took 5 damage from the two bullets that hit him.)

[Besyanteo]

Gunner will wade through the crowd, moving as quickly as he can to reach where he believes the target to be. He will stop short of doing something monstrously stupid like firing into the air, of course.

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis would round the corner himself, moving through the fleeing, stampeding crowds as to investigate the source of that impact. It could be good or bad--though likely both, and he kept both guns at ready as he did so. When dealing with someone that augmented, it's pointless to take risks. Even such ones as 'save the civilians'.

To him, it appeared as if Gunner's naivete had come into play; he knew the stakes of this mission, and yet tried to play the hero by insisting on not hurting civilians.

The drop in efficiency would be astounding if he had complied.


Furthermore, the enemy was able to run up walls. Allowing any room for him--even something as risky as trying to disable instead of kill--is a fatal error, especially when he has the information that Orday was ready to exchange.

[Capntastic]

Mik continued grappling his foe, trying to maneuver this foe into a good hold or limb-lock.

[Jak Snide]

The man contorted in Mikolas' grasp, limbs bending backwards and snaking out of his grasp with frightening speed. He felt a burning pain in his chest as a small powered blade, previously concealed in the attacker's wrist, punched into him. The energy field scorched the air from his lungs and the man took control of the grapple, forcing Mik up to his knees, holding the blade to his throat as Crisis slipped around the corner, the assassin's weapons trained on his target.

"Drop your weapons." he ordered, speaking calmly and clearly over the din of a hundred terrified hivers. Gunner approached down the alley behind him, muscling through the masses as he tried to close the distance between them. He could see Mikolas was in trouble and that the man's attention was fixed on Crisis.

(Map updated. The attacker took control of the grapple and stabbed Mikolas in the chest for 13 damage. He spent a fate point to reduce that damage to 9, but he's still on -1 wound and winded. As such he may only take a 1/2 action next turn. The pair of them are facing Crisis; any missed shots have a good chance of hitting Mikolas unless Crisis takes a -20 penalty to ensure he won't. On the plus side there are no civilians in the way. Gunner is further away and still has a half-dozen people between him and his endangered comrade. The cybernetic man is currently holding a wrist mounted blade to Mikolas' throat and has the briefcase in his other hand.)

[Besyanteo]

Gunner will attempt to bowl through the crowds, running as best he can. The cybernetic man still hadn't seen him, which meant there was a chance to keep this tragedy from becoming worse still. There was Crisis on the other side.

Use discretion... Use discretion, dammit!

(Attempt at a run with a Str check to bowl through people not getting the fuck out of his way. :o If it works and he gets in range, he will totally tackled that mofo off of Mik. This will hopefully not make things even worse than they are.)

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis stared down the hostage-taker. Immediately, several things went through his mind. The stakes of the mission first, and the man's demands next.

...and then his hard-trained instincts came in, full-force. The ship he served on. One of the utmost priorities of all, never emphasized enough.

Never acquiesce to a hostage-taker's demands, regardless of the person whose life is in danger. They knew what they were getting into when they took their job. Never allow one man's life to get in the way of your objective. All demands are to be met with one, and only one thing: Death. Understand this, and understand this well.

Mikolas may have been annoying at times. Infuriating. And a liability. But he knew what he was getting into when he took the job. Despite this, he had served his role as a vanguard to the fullest of his abilities. Crisis had full confidence that any of the other Acolytes would do the same thing if he were at the mercy of one such as this. If he would live, it would be a fortunate matter, but death is a part of the job. Perhaps the easiest release; one who is dead can no longer be driven to madness or corruption.

The enemy was there. The objective was vital to the mission. One man's life is not worth that of billions, nay, trillions.

And with that, he trained both guns on the would-be hitman. Holding down the trigger for one, triple-tapping the other.

...it was up to the Emperor now. May He grant the strength and ability to see this task done.

[Two-weapon attack. Full-Auto on the Orthlack, semiauto on the Carnodon. Spending FP for either on a case-by-case basis. May the Emperor be on Crisis' side.]

[Jak Snide]

Gunner thundered down the street, shouldering a screaming woman into a nearby stall as he made his mad dash to save Mikolas' life. He stumbled only to catch himself on a wooden post and kept going.

Mikolas and his captor came to the realisation that Crisis wasn't going to hold fire at the same time. Before either could act, however, Gunner slammed into the back of them. Crisis pulled the triggers. What happened next was chaos. Bodies flew in all directions. Two guns spat death, the muzzle flare on the autopistol almost blinding at such short range. Gunner slammed into the corner of another stall as he rebounded from the collision. Mikolas was sent sprawling forward. Their foe had been swung around by Gunner's outstretched arm, staggering towards a stall. Crisis' shots followed him. Sparks danced across the man as bullets embedded themselves in bionics. Mikolas felt something punch through his right foot and failed to suppress a roar of pain. The robed man, his mechanical body still functional despite the punishment, slipped something out of his robes and slapped it onto the briefcase before dropping it and running between two stalls, up and over the wall and out of sight in.

Mikolas lay on the ground, his entire leg pulsing with pain. Crisis noted that his target was out of sight again. Gunner, meanwhile, noticed something about the briefcase.

Gunner:

Spoiler:

That demolitions training you took has paid off. The bastard's strapped a bloody melta bomb to the case. If it goes off it'll vaporise the entire thing and anyone else within a few meters.

(Map updated. Crisis hit 4 times with the Orthlak and both times with the Carnadon. One stray bullet caught Mik in the right foot, dropping him to -6 wounds. He moves at half speed until medical attention is received but, thanks to passing a Toughness test, has not lost use of the foot permanently. Gunner escaped with nothing more than a bit of bruising. The attacker is now out of sight and the briefcase is on the ground between Mikolas and Gunner.)

[Besyanteo]

Gunner wasted no time setting to work on disarming the melta. He only spared a moment to bark an order to Crisis and Mikolas, taking no spare time to actually check on their condition.

"After him!"

He prayed he wouldn't regret those words later.

[Capntastic]

Mik dragged himself away and up onto his feet, wincing and exhaling a sort of wheezing snarl. He steadied himself on a stall, and did his best to concentrate on not bleeding out.

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis didn't need to know much in the way of specifics to understand that what that man placed on the suitcase was -very- bad; bugs and transmitters? Typically small in regards to what they're placed on, as noticed previously. Subtle, and easily-missed.

This? Was not.

By the Emperor's grace, it seemed, Mikolas survived. But this didn't matter. The enemy was getting away, and he had no idea of what sort of blast radius it had. Carnodon firmly in hand, he went around the corner, making sure to keep cover, but also get a safe distance from whatever the hell he placed on the suitcase.

[Jak Snide]

Gunner dropped to his knees as Mikolas hauled himself to his feet. The device was a pattern he was familiar with, thankfully, and he set about cracking open a small panel to get at its innards, vaguely remembering that there was some prayer he was supposed to be chanting to pacify the thing's spirit long enough for him to disarm it. The shrill beeping it began to emit when he exposed the innards of the explosive made him regret his lack of diligence. It was most likely that he now only had a few short seconds left to live.

Crisis rounded the corner, pausing in cover and observed. The cybernetic man had disappeared from sight.

The melta bomb's tone went solid as Gunner grasped at some internal component he half-recognised and yanked it free and reflexively closed his eyes, as if that would save him from an abrupt vaporisation. He opened them a second later to find that he was still alive and, as far as he could tell, holding an inert melta bomb, the magnetic clasp that had allowed it to grip the briefcase disabled as well. Then the stall next to him exploded as buckshot whizzed past his head, a surly looking gunman emerging from an alley and ejecting the spent cartridge from a pump-action shotgun.

(Map updated. Gunner successfully disarmed the bomb after spending a fate point to reroll and succeeding by 1 entire point. Crisis has lost sight of his target but has heard the gunfire behind him. Mikolas is on his feet but, since I forgot to mention this last round, suffering from 2 levels of Fatigue, giving him a -10 to all rolls on top of his halved movement speed.)

[Kelne]

Cryvus firmly vetoed the idea of going to the arbites. While they were notoriously difficult to corrupt, the more people knew about their mission here, the more likely someone would inadvertently give the game away. Besides which, unless explicitly countermanded by Inquisitorial authority, they would be inclined to act immediately on the information. Besides which, their mission was meant to remain quiet even after the fact if at all possible. For now, it seemed their best avenue was the Choir itself.

He did resolve to do something about Mithras's wounds the next time the man emerged from his quarters. He had a sneaking suspicion they were going to need him fighting fit again before this was over, though there was no reason for him to telegraph the swiftness of his recovery.

[ChristianC]

Mithras spent most of the day inside his quarters, but a few hours after their meeting he emerged, bleary-eyed and wincing, rubbing his forehead slowly as he walked through the enormous corridors wearing a set of pajamas that had been graciously given to him by the host-family. A selection of dark-red spots dotted the clothing, evidence that his wounds had opened some time or another, but there was no profuse bleeding, the apothecarians that had healed him had surely done their job well... not miraculously, but well.

Finally, after walking around for nearly half-an-hour, Mithras found his way to the kitchen of the estate, and proceeded to attempt to procure a dose of recaf, the source of his biting headache. This proved... difficult, as the kitchen staff were unsure whether recaf (why not actual coffee?) was to be served to the honored guests, but after a brief shouting and pointing session, a steaming cup of the black slur was handed to the guardsman cleverly disguised as a higher-ranking guardsman, and he even had a thermos with more of the bitter, thick mixture in it for future us. Once recaf was in his hands, he steered his way back to the corridors, continuing his lazy gait-like walk, being indescribably bored and awake.

[Capntastic]

Mikolas slammed one hand to the wound in his chest, ignoring the pain as best as he could manage. His mind was too frazzled, and his body too damaged- both throbbing in tune almost to the point of overwhelming his senses from within and without. His eye was clenched shut, with his bionic burning uncaringly. He was in no shape for any particularly daring maneuvers.

He slipped around the stall he was leaning on- dragging his shot foot, and made to bring his Fury pattern laspistol out to defend himself. He'd yet to even practice with it or fire it once; the outfitter who described it to him seemed confident in its role as a real deathdealer. Mik managed a smile as he simultaneously inhaled, forced himself to open his eye, and bring the laspistol up to a firing position.

He'd heard in some hellhole hive tavern that when your back was against the wall, that was when the Emperor was with you the most.

(Mik's gonna fall back [moving a few tiles West], and switch to his Fury laspistol)

[Besyanteo]

Gunner sized up the man in a glance, as that was all he really had time for. Not Magistratum, no green coat. Nothing to indicate Arbites... armed and attacking. Only one real option. His mauler still have 5 shots left, which should be 4 more than necessary. His response to the man's demand was to point his own weapon and fire.

(Half aim, fire)

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis cursed in his mind. The target got away alive. However, the information was neither stolen nor destroyed--so far, the mission was to be a success. They could simply take the case and get the hell out of this area--well...there would be one last thing to do on the way out, he figured. Orday was respectable enough, but...

...then he heard the gunshot. Looks like matters weren't over yet.

Heavy-caliber weapon discharge. Range to firer, short. New threat determined.

With that, he turned, keeping an eye out for more potential threats as he moved closer to the sound, making sure to keep in cover as much as possible--and sticking to the shadows that he can find. The Orthlack would be holstered, with the Carnodon being focused on entirely now. No time to reload...

[Jak Snide]

House Strophes

Despite the invigorating effects of his guard-quality drink Mithras found himself feeling rather light headed. Dealing with the servants had taken more out of him than he'd thought and the next few minutes turned into a recaf filled blur. When he forced his mind back into focus he found himself ambling back towards the West wing of the second floor of the estate. He could pick up the hushed voices of the acolytes who hadn't gone downhive discussing something through the door to the reception room of the wing.

Sister Masha gave way to Cryvus' argument; if secrecy was paramount then the Arbites were a resource that would remain untapped. Brother Gear put forward the idea of contacting Lady Borella and attempting to obtain some more of the drug from her, perhaps after a sizeable donation to the Choir.

---

The Hustle

Mikolas limped away from the latest threat only to spot another man heading down an alley towards them, his shotgun swinging up as he spotted the acolyte. A split-second later he was thrown backwards as a bullet caught him in the side, the thug's finger pulling the trigger reflexively and sending the blast of buckshot meant for him flying into the air. The man fell back as quickly as he could, clutching his wound and wincing, as Crisis nestled into cover again. The assassin was most likely disappointed that the shot hadn't put the man down.

Gunner enjoyed a far greater degree of success. He carefully aimed his weapon, taking the time to line up his shot despite the threat of a face full of lead pellets, and fired. The bolt hit his foe dead centre. A look of horror washed over the man's face for a split second before the round detonated, blowing his torso apart and splattering the nearby stalls with gore.

(Map updated. Crisis and Mikolas spot the second thug and Crisis puts a hole in him, throwing off the man's aim and forcing him to retreat. The white arrow shows where he was spotted and the path he moved in afterwards. Gunner, meanwhile, scores a Righteous Fury and deals 24 points of damage after reduction. This ends his target in a gruesome fashion.)

[NamagomiMk0]

This, Crisis noted, is what he didn't quite care for about pistols. If that shot were with his rifle, he likely would've put the man down on the spot. As it stands, the enemy is poised to flee--likely another ganger trying to get lucky if anything. That can't be allowed.

As such, he advanced down-alley, moving for cover as he quickly lined up another snap-shot with the Carnodon, courtesy of the red-dot sight mounted on the weapon. Regardless of its issues, it still proved to be accurate.

[As usual, if enemy has cover, called shot--preferably to the head if possible. FP if the weapon would jam.]

[Besyanteo]

Crisis had the second thread in hand, apparently. Things seemed to be promising to get worse by the minute, and that was no good at all. Gunner stowed the parts of the melta device (in separate pockets, of note), grabbed the case and went to help Mik. They needed to leave, now.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

[ChristianC]

Mithras ambled up to the door, feeling damnably light-headed (which, in perspective, was tons better than the abstinence-headache anyway), and peered through the door, noticing who was there and then politely... well, knocking wasn't exactly what he did... Although his intention, his hand kind of... slid against the door, making a raspy sound, and he frowned, trying again. Fine dexterity seemed to have escaped him, and, putting down his cup and thermos gently (with one arm in a sling, he'd resorted to keeping it in the armpit of his unwounded arm), he tried once more, at a better effect, making a few errant knocks.

[Capntastic]

Mik wheezed, scowling, and brought his Fury pistol up, aiming down the sights, and then blasted away.

(Half aim, fire)

[Jak Snide]

House Strophes

Sister Masha abruptly raised her good hand to halt the conversation before calling out "Come in."

The Hustle

Mikolas steadied himself against the stall as he drew a bead on the thug. His shot was good, but the man was being cautious now, throwing himself out of the way at the last moment. It didn't help him in the long run; Crisis advanced around the corner and fired, the shot striking him in the right knee and sending him tumbling to the ground, howling in pain. Gunner hurridely collected the few pieces of the disarmed melta bomb and grasped the briefcase firmly in one hand.

Gunner:

Spoiler:

You notice the lock on the briefcase. Hopefully Orday hadn't rigged a trap up in case someone tried to force it. The key might still be on his body.

A third assailant rounded a corner and into view, spotting Mikolas instantly and snapping off a shot. The giant did the only thing he could; he released his grip on the stall next to him and stumbled backwards. His foot wound ached under the impact of a heavy step but the buckshot shredded a selection of poorly made clothing rather than his face.

(Map updated. Mikolas hits but the thug dodges in response. Crisis moves forward and kneecaps him, taking the man out of the fight. Gunner has secured both the defused melta bomb and the briefcase. Mikolas spends his last fate point to avoid taking a face full of buckshot.)

[ChristianC]

Mithras stepped inside as soon as Sister Masha had opened her mouth, closing the door behind him and giving a nod.

"I'm feeling a slight bit better, would it be a bother if I joined?"

[Capntastic]

Instincts kicking in, Mik lunged towards the wall hoping to avoid another shot being fired at him.

(Mik's gonna move Northly as defensively as possible.)

[Besyanteo]

Damn it all, more of them? If this was what passed for Magistratum here, they'd be overwhelmed before long, and that would be the end of it. It still seemed more likely that they were simply opportunists, but with each one that arrived that likelihood dwindled. He moved to Mik's side and snapped off a shot at the new threat. If nothing else, he meant to keep Mik alive as long as he could.

(As stated; I don't know if the movement gives me time for half aim or not, but Gunner will do it if he can. As always, if there's a chance to hit the crowd, Gunner will also avoid doing that.)

[Kelne]

A good look at Mithras determined that, all things considered, Cryvus should have gotten around to him much earlier. He hadn't been aware that he was quite so bad, perhaps because he'd held up so well for the end of the party. Well, the time to rectify things as best he could was now.

"My apologies, Mithras," he said, "I really should have done this sooner." With that, he stretched out a hand towards the ersatz colonel and channeled the energies of the warp into healing.

((Using the healer power.))

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis checked around. There was another gunman around the corner--this one trained on Mikolas. They could just be opportunists, but they could also be something more. Their low grade of equipment suggested either the former, or gangers--their armor was not significant, and they were using shotguns--of a non-repeating pattern. Useless alone, but a potential hazard in numbers.

He took this moment to back into better cover, taking a clip out and reloading his Orthlack. Hopefully, he wouldn't be stuck to the point where he'd run out of ammunition...though those shotguns are a viable option if he coul get the time to grab and reload it...

[ChristianC]

Mithras stiffened a little as Cryvus used his powers... Even though it stilled the aching pain and the stiffness in his joints, it felt... unnatural... witchcraft. He had to exert some control over himself not to reel back, as despite his comradeship with the elderly man, just the thought of these... strange powers made his stomach knot.

"No... No apologies needed, Cryvus," he waved it off, smiling a little strained, "No, I feel much better already."

[Jak Snide]

House Strophes

Mithras saw his unease mirrored in both Gear and Masha, the priest touching the icon at his neck while the other made the symbol of the aquila with her good hand. Both of them had already known what Cryvus was and were aware of his good reputation with Inquisitor Skane. It didn't change the fact that he was engaging in warpcraft, nor did its sanctioned nature allay their ingrained superstition. Despite the gut-twisting sensation of his flesh knitting back together in a most unnatural fashion Mithras found himself speaking truly; he did feel significantly better.

"We were discussing our options." Masha stated once the unsavoury business of healing a fellow servant of the throne was over with, gesturing towards a number of unoccupied chairs. "Going to the Arbites is, as Cryvus has emphasised, not an option. Frankly I'm unsure if there is anything we can do at this stage beyond wait. Unless you have a means of placating our honourable host."

---

The Hustle

Mikolas limped into the narrow alley that ran behind a pair of stalls, both of their respective owners cowering on the ground. The man in the one next to him was either blabbering a prayer for salvation or gibbering in terror. Gunner moved up to a collection of junk and snapped off a shot. The bolt struck the ruined column next to him, blasting a chunk out of it and provoking the man he'd aimed at to return fire. What little cover he'd taken saved his leg from a mauling, but enough buckshot found its way through to make him wince in pain. Crisis, meanwhile, slipped a fresh magazine into his autopistol as he slid forward into cover, wary of any new threats presenting themselves.

(Map updated. Gunner misses and is shot in return, though the low cover he was standing behind reduced a potentially horrible wound to a mere 2 points of damage, putting him on 8/13 wounds. Crisis' Orthlak is reloaded and he's peeking around the corner to the South. There's no sign of any lawmen showing up and the streets now count as deserted, those few that remain keeping their heads down and staying in cover.)

[NamagomiMk0]

Crisis slowly advanced up the alleyway, staying in cover as he reholstered the Orthlack and grabbed the Carnodon again. Four shots expended, maybe enough for a single semiauto burst if he had the time. Approaching the corner from which the firefight was occurring, he intended to see if the enemy wasn't quite behind full cover relative to his position...

[Besyanteo]

The solution to this situation felt fairly obvious. Gunner would retreat a short distance, forcing his assailant to follow if he wanted a clean shot. He'd come around the corner, and Crisis would take his head off when he was out in the open. Crisis was already moving somewhere that would allow this to work sooner. Gunner moved out from behind his cover, covering ground fast as he could manage.

(Taking the long way around the stand to get to Mik from the square north of him. If that leaves time, he'll try to help the big man up and start getting the fuck out of here.)

[Capntastic]

Mik staggered north, holding his Fury in front of him.

(Half move north, ready to blast any foe what gets in his way)

[Jak Snide]

The Hustle

Mikolas staggered north, managing to make out a dead end through his fuzzy vision. He veered right, back towards the alleyway the cybernetic killer had initially fled down, only to bump into Gunner. The senior acolyte steadied the man with both arms, nearly bowled over backwards by the weight of the man, before another blast of buckshot shredded the roof of the stall next to him. More shooters were coming out of the woodwork.

Crisis advanced carefully back the way he came. Another hostile stepped out in front of him, but his attention was fixed elsewhere. The assassin shot him point-blank in the head, blowing out his left temple and killing the man instantly. He barely had time to congratulate himself before there was a roar from behind him and he was sent stumbling forward. His disguised mesh cloak had undoubtedly saved him from a painful death, but the force of a full load of buckshot striking him square in the back still hurt.

(Map updated. Mikolas and Gunner both head North, pursued by the man they'd already spotted and come under fire from another. Crisis shoots the latter dead only to be shot in the back for 6 damage by a sneaky shotgunner.)

[ChristianC]

Mithras shuddered slightly as the warpcraft let its hold go of his body... but he still felt the cold tingle, and he nodded quickly to Cryvus before seating himself in one of the unoccupied chairs, elbows on the table. "I guess it's not... but our lady would want us to remain as unofficial as possible."

He gave a little shrug, "The more we involve ourselves with the authority, the more of a trail we leave behind... the other path might be more difficult, but so will finding us be... for now, it might be best to wait for the others to finish what they are doing, and consider trying to get into contact with the hostess again and show them our interest."