No.752299[Last 50 Posts]
(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OqqbesJ-Ks)
/DRACON/
Booting…
Hello user! Today's date is Tuesday, November 14th, 601 A.F.N. You have no scheduled events for today.
>Command Prompt: /sys:(User: 0130)/Prog/Quests/Carousel/Thread 1.0
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Opening.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Opening..>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Opening…Opened.
>>>>CAROUSELRain hangs in the sky of Centro, Manehatten this evening. The CWC had this storm moved over from the upper districts to down here. Despite the weather, the area is as alive as ever. Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, Diamond Dogs, Goats, Felids, Dragons and even Minotaurs go about their business, their glassy reflections in the pavement below them flawlessly emulating their every movement. Off the corner of 17th and Mane lies Centro Pawn Shop. A black Felid and a Unicorn sit under the overhang, catching a break from the rain. The lights are on inside, and if you read it right, this is the time and the place that mysterious message in your PDA sent you to. Hopefully this opportunity is a change of fate for you.
No.752301
>>752299Shielded from the rain with an old green tarp, a goo pony trots along the approaching street, tunelessly humming to herself as she follows the arrow on her PDA, a pseudopod keeping the piece of tech aloft nearby.
The concrete hisses beneath her as steam drifts up from her hoofprints, and an unhealthily green glow shines out from under the tarp, like undercarriage lights of the passing cars.
Pausing to look both ways, she crosses the street, consulting her PDA one more time before nodding, knocking on the door and entering the well-lit shop.
"Helloo? Anypony home?"
No.752303
>>752299https://pastebin.com/gbKZkVwEZirali was humming a tune as she made her way down the street, head obscured behind her helmet that covered her entire head, instead displaying a pixel art face that copied her own facial movements on the front. She cast a lazy glance around the area as she checked her own PDA.
No.752304
>>752299https://pastebin.com/6majz0GCThe cloaked stallion takes a moment or two to check his own PDA, before slipping into the pawn shop and out of the rain. He resists the urge to shake himself out a little bit, before looking around for… whatever he's supposed to find here.
No.752306
>>752299https://pastebin.com/KrwqK0CuMako checks his wrist PDA, walking purposefully towards the pawn shop. This must be the place. Doesn't look like much to him, but looks are usually deceiving. He stops for a moment to look over his shoulder, then stalks into the shop without a word, taking off his wide brimmed hat and peering around.
No.752310
>>752301The only response you receive is a glance from the diamond dog at the counter.
>>752301>>752303>>752304>>752306You all enter to see a similar sight. The shop is seemingly very poorly stocked, a few guns and other items hang on the walls, but that's it. The only occupants are two diamond dogs. One at the counter, leaning on his own hand as he dismissively looks over you all. Another diamond dog sits in a chair nearby, half asleep by the looks of it.
In addition to the two dogs, you also see three strangers walk in as well. Seems you weren't the only one to receive this mysterious message.
"Do you need something?" The yellowish dog at the counter barks, his voice gravely and grating.
No.752312
>>752310The stallion's voice is soft, but he's not mumbling so much as to make it impossible to make him out.
"Just looking around. An old friend sent me."
No.752313
>>752310>>752304>>752303>>752302He looks around, acknowledging the others present. "Guessing you're all here for the same reason I am." He holds up his PDA bracer, then takes initiative and talks to the Dog.
"Got a message to come here," he explains. "Sent by an old friend. 'A *very* old friend,'" he quotes from the message. "How mysterious. …So. What's the deal, mate?"
No.752317
>>752313"Hmm? O-Oh, right. Yeah."
No.752319
>>752310>>752313"Yeah I got that message too but I have no frigging idea who it was so… Yeah I'm as confused as everyone else.
No.752323
>>752319He shrugs slightly. "Long as we're getting paid, right love?"
No.752326
>>752312"Not a lot to look around at." He says in return.
>>752312>>752313>>752319"We've got a lot of 'Old Friends'. You're gonna need to be more specific. You said PDA message, right?" He gestures towards Mako. "Show me and I'll tell you what the deal is,
mate" He snidely remarks, outstretching his paw.
"Lighten up, Volts." The other, darker amber colored dog pipes up, eyes still closed as he speaks. "They're probably just lost or something."
No.752327
>>752319>>752323"More or less. More details would've been nice, but I guess we'll get them later."
No.752328
>>752323"Money is good yeah. Helps ya buy stuff. Like this badass helmet."
No.752330
>>752326He unclips the PDA screen, leaving only the bracer attached, and hands it over. "Dunno why all the secrecy, but if it means cracking skulls and getting paid, I'm the guy. Don't know about the rest of this lot though, never met 'em before in me life."
>>752328"Looks a bit shit," he remarks with a barely concealed grin.
>>752327"Something's up for sure, yeah. Hopefully it doesn't mean crossing any big timers. Trying to keep a low profile, you know?"
No.752331
>>752330"Oh go suck on a sewage run off pipe."
No.752332
>>752330"You can say that again." the stallion says, somewhat nervously.
>>752326"It sounds like we're all here for the same reason." he says, pulling out his PDA and showing the message.
No.752338
>>752326"I mean the PDA said to meet here so not likely."
No.752344
>>752313"Ohh, yeah i got that message too!" replies the goopony, waving the pseudopod gripping the PDA around. "If it was the same message, do you think we'll be working together?"
>>752326She perks up as the dog's name is revealed
"Ah, so you're Volts! The message said to look for you, that you might need some help?"
No.752346
>>752330>>752332>>752331>>752344He takes the PDA and attaches a wire from the computer on his desk. A gentle blue glow emanates from the monitor as he goes through the message. "Amps, come look at this." He barks to the other dog, who groggily walks over. They both look at it for a while, running various commands.
"Well well well…" Amps says, slowly waking up. "You'll all certainly get paid, that's for sure." He says, his voice much more approachable and calming than the other dog. "I'm sure this is all a bit strange for you, if you've all got questions we can try to answer."
"Or just show them to the boss so they get out of our fur." Volts says, sliding the PDA back across the counter to Mako.
No.752347
>>752346"Well… I'd ask about the secrecy, but I guess it makes enough sense. I guess we ought to leave asking about the job to the boss?"
No.752349
>>752346"I mean so long as this isn't gonna be too much of a drag I'm game."
No.752351
>>752331He just chuckles.
>>752344"Seems that way," he replies. "I dunno what any of you are good at, but I imagine we've all got some useful skills in morally dubious areas."
>>752346"Like I told this lot, as long as I'm getting paid and it's not too much trouble in the long run, I'm down for anything. Who's the boss man then?"
No.752355
>>752346"Questions? Hmm.. i don't know. Who's the Boss?"
No.752364
>>752355The amberish dog happily responds. "Dr. Ven. Well, I don't know if he's a doctor, but that's what he calls himself. He used to be a corporate researcher for some massive medical firm, don't know which one." He says, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't know how he ended up being a fixer either, just that he keeps paying us rent and we let him use us as a front."
>>752347>>752349>>752351"Good." Volts answers flatly. Amps takes his place at the front counter as Volts leads you into a cold, concrete stairwell. As you head down he talks. "So none of you know each other? We're really just getting groups of randoms now… typical, Ven." He says, the last part a remark to himself.
As you reach the floor below, Volts stops at the door to speak. "Ven will have your answers for all this. Just be careful what you say around him, alright? The unicorn is paranoid as they come." He turns away and knocks on the door twice. "Ven! The payment for the gem job is here."
The door creaks open and you see Ven's room. It's primarily dominated by a large, sprawling computer system with multiple monitors of varying sizes that each flicker with different information, ranging from tabloid news to complicated calculations. The other half of the room is personal affairs, a bed, a table, and a cabinet neatly tucked away in the corner. For the overwhelming mess of wires and hardware the one half is, the room is astonishingly clean.
Standing in the middle of the room, telekinesis holding up a PDA while typing into the console is what you presume to be Ven. A unicorn, maybe 50 years old with an ash gray coat and a mane to match. He barely notices you as he says: "Come. Sit. I'll be with you in a moment." Volts gives you all a glance as he leaves you all alone with Ven.
No.752366
>>752364"Uhm… hey." he manages, before whinnying a little as he's told to wait. He takes a seat, remaining silent for now.
No.752368
>>752364"Ven, huh." He nods and follows them down.
"Nah, only just met these trotters two minutes ago," he confirms. "He must have good taste picking me for whatever this is."
Gem job, he thinks. A heist, maybe? Should be interesting.
He takes a moment to look around the room; not just an office, but a bedroom as well. Odd.
He doesn't hesitate to take a seat, leaning back slightly and eyeing the unicorn. "What's up, doc?"
No.752370
>>752364Trotting over to an available chair near Gamma, Rads drapes her tarp over the seat to avoid a mess and sits down, the glow remaining ever present.
>>752366"How exciting! I've never done work like
this before; have you?"
No.752372
>>752370"Heists? Yeah, I've done them before. I'm pretty decent at getting in where I don't belong." he explains, pulling the hood of his cloak down off of his head after a moment.
No.752375
>>752372"Ooh, maybe I can learn a thing or two from you, then!"
"If we're going to work together, we should start with names. I'm Lambent Cascade, but you can call me Rads." She replies, extending a hoof out to shake.
No.752376
>>752366>>752368>>752370After a moment of fiddling with his PDA he puts it down and joins you all at the table. He looks over all of you quizzically for a minute then speaks up, his voice quiet, but firm.
"You all are the extra group of runners our uh… mutual contact… is providing me? I'm sure you are all experts and don't need introductions to each other or this line of work. I have a job for you. It's simple, a da-"
He's cut off by Volts, who is still standing at the door.
"Boss. It's not how they said it would be. There's only four of them and I don't think they even know each other. This isn't proper payment. You should just ask the-" He stops at a wave of Ven's hoof.
"I trust their judgement." He says calmly. Volts calling him paranoid seems very inaccurate based on his demeanor. "So all of you need to be penned in so to speak. Where to begin…" His thoughts seem to drift away from himself for a moment, before he is struck with a solution. "Please, another moment. In the meantime, please try and get acquainted. You don't need to be friends, but it would help." He says, leaving the table to go fiddle with his computer.
No.752378
>>752376"Right. Simple e-" he stops himself when Volts speaks up, before nodding a little bit when Ven continues on. "Introductions? Yeah, I can do that."
>>752375"You can call me Gamma, for now." he says, shaking the goopony's hoof and cocking his head to the side.
No.752379
>>752376"So we're introducing ourselves to the class then?" he remarks. "Well, I'm Mako. I can run and jump and hit things real good. That's about it." He picks absent mindedly at a hangnail.
No.752381
>>752379>>752376Rads hoofclaps enthusiastically. "Very useful!"
"I can share what
I do, too. Let me just find the right seed.."
The goopony fishes through her bags for a moment, before pulling a seed from a plastic bag. Curling it into her pseudopod, the glow from her flares as the seed starts to open!
[1d10] Miracle Grow, Flower
Roll #1 10 = 10 No.752382
>>752364>>752364>>752376The zeeb just sorta let things go on around her right now.
No.752383
>>752379>>752381>>752382"Oh! Uhm, right. I'm pretty good at infiltration in general, so I guess that'd be my specialty."
No.752386
>>752381Mako watches with interest as you begin to work your skills. "Fancy. That some kind of magic or something? Don't see that too often."
>>752382"No name, sweetin? Guess I'll just call you Jumbotron with that bucket of yours."
>>752383>>752382>>752381"So we've got a fighter, yours truly, teaming up with what, a spy, a wizard, and, uh…" He stops short at Zirali. "Whatever you're good at. Seems like a well rounded group. Whatever's cooking for us, I can't see it being that hard with what we've got going on." He seems to approve of the group. "Whoever hired us knows their bloody times tables."
No.752387
>>752381The seed quickly blossoms into magenta Zennia, the petals of it seemingly shifting on their own as it sits in your hoof. Upon closer inspection, the flower seems to glow with some energy as it sways left and right. Seems like it might be magical in some regard now.
>>752378>>752379>>752381>>752382"Right, right. Explanations." Ven returns to the table, his PDA displaying something as he puts it in the center. "Two months ago I received a message from the same contact that brings us here today. A job offering with a bit payout I couldn't deny."
He isn't lying. A similar message, timestamped about two months ago displays on the screen.
"It was nothing out of the ordinary for my associates and I. A gem heist, a fragment-of-a-gem heist. The gem was recovered and payments exchanged but it cost my crew their lives. All of them but that one, but he's not interested in work anymore."
Again, all truth. Correspondence between the two shows on the screen confirming this.
"I notified the client, and they offered a replacement. Said they had a group of experts ready to go. Seems that would be all of you.
This is true as well. Seeing [null] refer to all of you as their 'consummate professionals' is a bit jarring, but its still there.
"That leaves us here." He says, turning off the PDA and looking around at all of you. "I apologize that we meet under such strange conditions but I trust whatever our friend is planning. They have not failed me before. We will have to make some adjustments, but business can carry on as usual with you all as replacements." He seems very accepting of this awkward situation.
No.752388
>>752386"Magic? I'm not sure.. I just know the more I can glow the better things grow."
"I've got a whole bunch of these seeds, if you need a plant for something, I'm your pony!"
No.752390
>>752387"I… see. So, was it just nastier than expected?" he asks, frowning a little bit. "Where's the hit, anyways? Gem theft seems easy enough."
No.752391
>>752382>>752386"Oh apologies… I can make some Pretty potent minions to help run distraction for us."
No.752392
>>752387"Expert, huh." He looks smug at being referred to as such.
"Who'd you say the client is again? Not that it really matters, but I'm curious. Seems we all have a mutual acquaintance, somehow."
"Anyway, if I'm understanding, the gem bit was recovered, then? So where do we come in? What's the job?"
>>752391"Huh. I've got a little doover of a minion myself. Should be useful if we put 'em together."
No.752394
Seeing the flower is finished Growing, Rads eyes the glowing petals with glee, settling it into her semi-solid mane for safe keeping.
>>752391"Ooh, Can i see?" Rads giddily asks
>>752387"Ah, so we'll get to go gem hunting?"
No.752395
>>752394>>752392Oh I guess I can try. Doesn't always wanna work though." She said as she pulled out her holo-orb and began to channel her magic.
[1d10+1] summon minion
Roll #1 2 + 1 = 3 No.752396
>>752388>>752392"Well, maybe it's not magic- though, I don't really know how a goo pony works…" he says, with a bit of a shrug.
No.752398
>>752390>>752394"No, they were very specific in their messages. They would be handling matters of these gem fragments personally from now on." He says, somewhat upset at the lost income.
>>752395It surely does not want to work. A minion begins to try to pull itself from the orb as it is almost given form and then it snaps back into the sphere, a slight
Bzzzt sound as it does.
>>752392"I am not entirely sure. They're an absolute mystery. I was hoping you had information on them, but alas. They do pay extremely well however. As does the client for the job I was hoping I could utilize you four for. It's a surprisingly large payment, given the ease of the work. A simple datagrab. It's a…" He looks around for his PDA for exact details. "A prototype Anti-Virus IC program being developed by Mantra-Core. The building housing it is in Manehatten and is rather low security by my research. We simply infiltrate after hours, recover a copy and send the datastick along to the client. I will be coming along personally, however." He says, firm in that last statement.
"We can move on it in about two days, and I can provide housing until then. There are rooms upstairs. Payment would be 5,000 bits for each of you. Do we have a deal?"
No.752400
>>752398Whelp… Guess it's not gonna pop out at the moment. This things handy but it is really frigging temperamental when ya don't want it to be."
No.752402
>>752395He looks disappointed as it fails to work. "Womp womp. Well, let's hope that doesn't keep up when we're on the job. I've had issues getting mine to work as well. I find if you give it a good whack it tends to sort itself out."
>>752398"Well, you say it's easy, but that usually means there's going to be a spanner or three in the works. Do we have a plan for getting in? Disguises, maybe?"
No.752403
>>752398"Ah, alright. I'm not as experienced with data theft, but I'll see what I can do."
>>752402"Hmm… disguises shouldn't be necessary for me. W-Well, hopefully."
No.752404
>>752400"Aw.. It was worth the try."
>>752398"Oh, a Datastick? That's okay too! We'll help you get a copy, no problem."
No.752406
>>752402"That is my preferred method too. That and yelling at it."
No.752408
>>752403He eyes you over, a bit confused at what you mean that a disguise won't be necessary.
>>752404His horn lights up as he goes through a desk drawer near his computer "It was in one of these…" eventually he produces two USB thumbdrives. "We simply copy the contents of their primary research computer onto these. One is for my personal affairs."
>>752402>>752406"There is a set of offices nearby that are being renovated. The Mantra-Core offices are currently closed as the construction workers rewire the electrical systems. While their contracts denote that the construction company will be responsible for security in the meantime, it's a corner that always gets cut. We should be the only ones in the entire building if we go in after hours. Our only complication would be circumventing the door locks."
No.752410
>>752408"Oh! Uh, right. I can shapeshift, sorta." he says, before thinking on who to choose…
>Disguise (Volt): [1d10+4]Roll #1 4 + 4 = 8 No.752412
>>752408"Well, my gut tells me there's going to be complications, else our mysterious Mr X wouldn't have picked me for the job. Either way, sounds cut and dry. We'll just have to keep our wits about us and improvise when it inevitably starts going tits up. I'm in."
No.752413
>>752408She moves her head around to get a better look at the drive, before nodding. "We use these to copy the data, got it!"
"Door locks, hmm.. Maybe the guard office has a spare?"
No.752415
>>752413"I can pick the locks, so that shouldn't be an issue."
No.752417
>>752410You feel the teeth in your mouth slowly pull themselves into sharp diamond dog canines first, then your jaw grows to fit them as the rest of your body grows yellow fur not unlike the coat you already possessed. The transformation moves down your body as your tail morphs into the club-like tail of a diamond dog. As your hooves finish themselves into dog paws your posture changes to cause you to lean back into your seat, embracing your new bipedal form.
You feel weirdly angry.
Ven is undoubtedly impressed. "Fascinating. I've heard of similar such cases of extremely talented shapeshifters."
>>752412"I am not sure of what parameters any of you are filling. You seem capable enough, however."
>>752413>>752415"Both potential options. Volts was looking into the potential of a rooftop entry I believe. I'm not sure why he took interest in this job however. Typically the dogs aren't ones to care for my affairs."
>>752410>>752412>>752413>>752415"Seems we have our prospects set. Exact details can be discussed tomorrow. In the time being if any of you have questions don't hesitate to ask Amps or I. Amps can show you your rooms as well."
No.752419
>>752408"We could try shorting the doors. Or I could try to sing ror the guards so they let us in." She joked.
No.752422
>>752417"Hmm.. Maybe they felt bad the last group was lost?"
>>752417"Sounds good!"
With the meeting wrapping up, Rads hops off the chair, throwing her tarp back on as the group moves to the rooms.
No.752423
>>752417"Hey… it worked." he says, looking his new body over. "I-I mean, it worked without any mistakes."
>>752417>>752422"A room sounds pretty nice, actually." he says, shaking himself out. He certainly doesn't have the right demeanor for Volt, but he looks the part. After a moment or two, he returns to his normal form and wobbles slightly before landing on his forehooves.
No.752426
>>752417>>752410Sitting back in his chair looking pleased at the new job, he nods with smug satisfaction, then frowns and sits up in a double take as Gamma changes his appearance. "Whoa. How'd you do that? You a changeling or something?"
No.752427
>>752426"A changeling? No- err, not entirely. Gene-splicing experiments. I didn't really understand most of it, though I wasn't ever in a position to read notes."
No.752726
>>752427He blinks. "Huh. Can't imagine it was pleasant. Must be useful though."
No.752727
>>752726"It wasn't, no." he says, tugging at his cloak. "And, it's… mostly useful. It doesn't always work right, but when it does, it's really hard to see through."
No.752736
>>752419>>752422>>752727>>752726You all find yourself settled in quite nicely in the next few days. The upstairs rooms left by the previous occupants are quite scarce, as most of the furniture and decorations were sold after their passing.
Volts and Amps continue their day shift-night shift routine, only seeing both awake early in the morning or late in the evening. Ven mostly remains secluded, but is always up for a chat. The enigmatic messenger in your PDA is silent for now, as if they know now is just a time for waiting.
Eventually, Thursday evening comes around. According to the Brudiclad Construction contracts Ven has shown you, the scheduled construction should end in a few hours. In the meantime, a closed sign hangs in the window of the CPS and Ven, Volts, Amps and you four gather in Ven's room to go over last minute planning.
Amps holds a cup of Soykaf Coffee nervously as Volts stands arms crossed in the corner. Ven begins to speak: "Resistance should be minimal, so we won't need any heavy armaments. Any non-hostile contacts should be subdued or dissuaded. This job isn't worth cleaning up bodies." Volts scoffs at that statement. Ven continues. "Hostile resistance can be dealt with, but if we have the data it would be better to simply retreat. Our options for entry would be one of these three:
"Entrance through the front door. This would require either a hack or some sort of disguise in order to bypass the biometric scanner." He says, looking towards Gamma.
"Going through the construction site. We wouldn't require much finesse, but running into a few lingering employees or third rate private security mercenaries could be a possibility." He says, looking towards Zirali and Mako.
"Lastly, the rooftop entry. We can access the adjacent building and I can teleport us to the Mantra-Core roof. There is a maintenance elevator we can take directly into the building. Who knows what we'll encounter once we're there." He says, looking towards Rads.
"The decision will be made by all of us. Thoughts?" He asks, carefully studying everyone's reactions.
No.752744
>>752736He folds his arms and checks his nails as Ven gives the group a rundown. "Nonlethal. Got it. Get in, cause as little fuss and muss as possible, and get out."
"Best option to me seems the construction site. If we can get our hands on some uniforms it shouldn't be too hard to talk our way through whoever's left behind. Rooftop shouldn't be too hard either. Might be better to take a stairwell in though. Quieter, more sneaky peeky like."
No.752746
>>752736"Hacking I'm not so good with- but, I could do disguising pretty easily, as long as I'm allowed a little time to get it right." he explains, before humming. "Rooftop entry could be easy enough too, if it's got a lock I can pick."
No.752747
>>752736"I mean the construction site seems to be the most simple path but if guys don't wanna tussle, I won't complain."
No.752770
>>752736"Hmm".. ponders the goo pony, tapping a squishy hoof to her head in thought. "We wouldn't want to hurt anypony too badly.. the construction site sounds like the safest route!"
No.752774
>>752770>>752747>>752744"Construction site it is, then."
No.752776
>>752774"Fine by me," he shrugs.
No.752782
>>752774>>752776>>752770>>752747"Seems we have a consensus." Ven looks at his PDA after. "The time is right as well, if we leave now we should make it on time." With this, Volts and Amps both leave and Ven begins gathering his things.
The trip is short and uneventful. Manehatten is quiet tonight, not a patter of rain or commotion of crowds. The construction site is equally as quiet. The lights are all off in this building and the Mantra-Core building next door.
"We should just be able to walk in. The opening to our target is two floors up." He looks over his PDA, blue light shining into his cloak. "The construction details don't denote the location of stairs. We'll have to find them ourselves." He begins trotting forward.
No.752785
>>752782The zebra nodded as she produced her orb once more and worked to summon a hologram to join her as some extra muscle.
[1d10+1] Summon
Roll #1 5 + 1 = 6 No.752787
>>752782"Won't hurt to look around some, just to make sure we find it. Let's get going then, yeah?" he asks, taking a quick peek.
>Master Thief: [1d10]Roll #1 7 = 7 No.752789
>>752782He follows along casually, keeping an eye out for a flight of stairs or some way to get to the higher levels, along with any signs of night life at the construction site.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.752792
>>752782Happily trotting along with the others, Rads brings down her hood to illuminate the area in green light as she looks around the site
[1d10] perception
Roll #1 6 = 6 No.752795
>>752785The orb flickers and studders once more, but then stabilizes and a clone pulls itself out, and a holographic zebra looks back at you.
>>752787You look around and see nothing of interest on first glance, but then a glint catches your eye. It's a malfunctioning work light, barely flickering at the top of a scaffolding. Seems like a good way up to the second floor.
>>752789You don't see much. However, you do hear faint walking in talking in the distance. You're not sure if it's just the chatter of the city or something else, though…
>>752792You shine with a healthy glow. On the battered dirt below you you see a bit of grass grow at your hooves. As for the rest of the site, your light shows you the same scaffolding that Gamma noticed.
Ven notices it as well. "It works." He says, quietly. He teleports to the top of it and waits for the rest of you to climb up. You notice now that his casting has been entirely silent.
>Roll to Climb No.752801
>>752795She grinned and gave it a hoof bump before moving to the area there others were and moved to climb.
[1d10] Climb
[1d10] Climb minion if needed
Roll #1 6 = 6 /
Roll #2 4 = 4 No.752806
>>752795Happy to see the greenery growing around her, she shifts her attention to the scaffolding as Ven teleports up.
Trotting over, she carefully maneuvers herself up the scaffolding, engulfing the bars with her hooves for stability as she makes the climb.
[1d10] Climbing
Roll #1 2 = 2 No.752807
>>752795"Oh, hey- there's a way up." the stallion notes, trying to climb up the scaffolding to the second floor.
>Climb! [1d10]Roll #1 10 = 10 No.752811
>>752795>>752801>>752806>>752807"Heads up lads, there might be someone creeping around still. Think I heard something. Might be nothing, but stay sharp."
He sizes up the scaffolding for a minute, then shrugs, and starts climbing it like a monkey.
>Acrobatics: Mako is extremely nimble, to the point of being able to perform great feats of dexterity such as climbing up walls, sprinting great distances or performing leaps and spins uncommon for his ilk. +2 to all movement based rolls outside of combat.[1d10+2]
Roll #1 4 + 2 = 6 No.752812
>>752811"Hmm? Sure, right. We'll be careful."
No.752814
>>752801You hop skip and jump up to the top. It's a nice view from here. Your companion tags along a bit slower, but makes it up as well.
>>752806Unfortunately your hooves slip right through the bars. Seems this workplace isn't very goo pony inclusive. Ven looks down at your struggle. "Give me a moment." He says, his horn beginning to glow as he offers to teleport you.
>>752807One moment, you're standing on the ground, the next, on top of the scaffolding. You aren't sure how it happened, but you're up there, and feel strangely lighter for some reason.
>>752811You leap and twirl around the bars of the scaffolding, making it look like a performance rather than a mere climb. You reach the top and Ven gives you a glance of praise.
While Ven targets Rads to teleport her up, the rest of you walk into the second floor. This is the second floor of the building under construction. Just across the balcony overlooking the first floor reception area should be an opening to Mantra-Core. It's a short walk, but best to keep your guard up.
No.752816
>>752814The Zebra decided to try and pull another of her Holograms out as they kept moving.
[1d10+1] Summon
Roll #1 7 + 1 = 8 No.752817
>>752814He gives Ven a wink as he walks past him after climbing up.
Seeing the way forward, he heads towards it eagerly, ears pricked up in case of security guards and the like.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.752820
>>752814Slipping unsuccessfully through the bars of the scaffolding to splat back onto the ground floor.
At the offer, Rads gets back onto her hooves, presumably bracing herself for the teleportation spell. "Aw, thank you!"
No.752821
>>752814"I… hmm. Ah, it's fine." he says, not paying it any mind. He tries to keep his eyes peeled for anyone that might spot them!
>Perception: [1d10]Roll #1 10 = 10 No.752823
>>752820Ven warps you up to the scaffolding. "My pleasure. Didn't expect we'd have to climb up like that." He says, stepping inside.
>>752816Another hologram pulls itself out effortlessly. It waves to the other one and they trot along with you, steps synchronized.
>>752817You don't hear anything. That is, until you walk right into a synthetic plant and knock it and the pot it was in right into the ground, a loud clattering smash as it hits. Ven freezes for a moment at this, carefully looking around. He doesn't hear it, but you do. Someone just said "What was that?" a good distance away.
>>752821You don't notice anyone in this room, or from what you can see of the Mantra-Core building. However you can see something else. A flashing red light on the nearby lobby door. The display next to it reads 'TAMPER DETECTED. DOOR SEAL BROKEN 8 (EIGHT) MINUTES AGO.'
No.752824
>>752823"Uh… I think we might be late to the party? Or, detected? It's saying the door seal broke 8 minutes ago."
No.752828
>>752824"Oh? Do you think somepony had the same idea as us?"
No.752829
>>752823>>752824"Then we might wanna hurry to stop whoever beat us here if we wanna do this."
No.752830
>>752823He freezes as he breaks the fake plant. "Karabast," he curses under his breath. He looks around to see if there's any way he could cover up the mess before a guard comes and catches on.
[1d10] Perception
>>752824"Figures. Well, too late to do anything about it. We should keep moving and deal with that when we get to it. Whoever's in here is probably onto us."
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.752831
>>752823Zirali decided to give a glance for clues.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.752832
>>752830>>752829>>752828"Yeah, we'd best hurry up. This could turn pretty messy."
No.752834
>>752824>>752828>>752829"We just got here. That wasn't us." Ven says worriedly. "We need to move fast. I don't want to run into security or worse."
>>752830There's nothing around. That voice is getting closer though, you can hear footsteps a few rooms over.
>>752831There's not much you can tell from this distance. The door and it's lock don't look obviously tampered with, but maybe with a closer inspection you could tell exactly how it was broken.
Ven speaks up while moving forward. "If there's someone else here, they're not here for the same thing. We need to go." He moves on into the Mantra-Core building, a sea of cubicles and work terminals. You can hear the gentle whir of a thousand little cooling fans as the terminals sleep. It's almost comforting, given the stressful scenario. "We are looking for administrator terminal. It should have the network access we need."
No.752836
>>752834The zebra would check back later but for now she needed to head in. She followed Ven and did her best to find the terminal.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 6 = 6 No.752837
>>752834"Well, we can't all get what we want, Doc," he quips. "Whoever's around is coming our way, so uh, baby steps."
He nods in response to Ven's instructions, creeping around for anything fitting the description.
[1d10]
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.752838
>>752834"Right. Let's find it, and get out- no need to waste time." he says, helping search.
>Perception: [1d10]Roll #1 8 = 8 No.752840
>>752834Trotting into the mantra-core building behind Ven, Rads snakes her way through the cubicles, looking through the computers with confusion.
"Hmm.. If it was the admin's computer, it would look the biggest of the office.. Or maybe more screens..?" she mutters, the green light giving her position away among the cubicle jungle.
[1d10] Searching
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.752845
>>752837You search through the web of monitors, not finding anything indicating what you're looking for. You do manage to not step into any plants this time, fortunately.
>>752840You search through the web of monitors, not finding anything indicating what you're looking for. You do manage to not create any plants this time, unfortunately.
>>752836Your zebras and yourself spread out, each searching around. You don't find the terminal, but someone carelessly left their BitDrive on their desk. It's only twenty bits, but it's likely nobody would notice if you took it.
>>752838You and Ven stumble upon it at the same time. A desktop with an open command prompt. The display reads out that it is in Admin Access mode. One command sits in the prompt:
/sys:(User:MantraAdmin)/Prog/P: -search: "Development" OR "New" OR "AntiVirus" OR "Ciber Netix
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Searching…>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>14 Results Found. Display? Y.Underneath it is a collection of corporate emails and other unimportant data. But the last, most recent one is the one that catches your eye. It's a location of a physical copy of this new Anti-Virus IC. Located a few floors down. "Whoever ran this is an amateur." Ven says. "It's terribly inefficient. And I can get the program from here. Just need a few minutes." His horn and the keyboard begin to glow as he runs commands.
Just as he starts to type, a dark blue Pegasus and a white Dragon walk in!
>Roll to Hide! No.752850
>>752845Without hesitating, the griffon turns into… a rat! Hopefully small enough to not be immediately visible, and and also not really too out of the place, seeing as the door was left open!
>"Disguise": [1d10+4]Roll #1 7 + 4 = 11 No.752852
>>752845She looked around before casually pocketing the device with a whistle.
>>752845She then eeped and tried to hide under the desk.
[1d10] Hide
Roll #1 6 = 6 No.752853
>>752845As the pair of strangers wander in, Rads quickly pulls her hood up before pulling herself under the desk and into a ball, wrapping herself in the tarp.
[1d10] Goo
Roll #1 8 = 8 No.752854
>>752845As he hears the two strangers approaching, he makes himself scarce, slinking into the shadows and trying to find a hiding place.
[1d10] Hiding
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.752855
>>752850You feel your tail quickly tighten into the thin, tough, rope-like tail of a rat as you shrink down. Your fur grows out into a mangier coat, and you grow a little pointed nose and whiskers. You quickly chitter along the floor and find a tiny little hole to hide in. You have a strange desire to eat garbage.
>>752852Your backup dancers and yourself cram under a desk. It's a tight fit, but all three of you fit under there.
>>752853You slip under the desk, pulling all of your nebulous form underneath and out of sight.
>>752854You try to find a place to hide, but panic. You end up face to face with the pair.
"Uh, who are you?" The Pegasus asks. "Probably just one of the night shift security guys, Lumen." The dragon playfully bonks the pegasus' forearm. The Pegasus stumbles on his words as the Dragon speaks for him.
"Hey look, my boyfriend works here. He just needs to access his work terminal and get some personal files he left on there. Sorry if we're getting in the way of security patrols." The Dragon says as the Lumen produces a employee ID shakily.
Seems like they're waiting on your approval.
No.752856
>>752855Gamma watches from within the hole, waiting to see what the rest of the crew does.
No.752857
>>752856He also tries to ignore the desire to eat garbage.
No.752858
>>752855Rads extends a pseudopod, forming an eyestalk to peek out from under the cover of the desk, watching the scene unfold.
No.752859
>>752855He blinks, but tries to go with it. He's not the best at talking his way out of situations, but he'll give it a shot. He takes Lumen's ID and inspects it, before handing it back, giving them what he tries to pass as a hard, judging look. "Right you are," he grunts, in a slightly gruffer voice than usual. "You're not meant to be here after hours, but I'll allow it. Move along."
[1d10] Bluff if needed?????
Roll #1 2 = 2 No.752860
>>752855She slowly peeked out of her hiding spot to look around.
No.752863
>>752858>>752860You watch as Mako tries to put on an act.
>>752861You look longingly at the nearby garbage can, dreaming of the sweet trash that lies within. Your stomach pangs for a moment, but it subsides. You do not eat garbage.
>>752859"See, that was easy, Lum." The dragon says as they both walk over to a terminal. After a few clacks of typing they go to leave. Lumen speaks up before they go. "Could you radio the other security guard and tell him that we're in the clear? The uh… pale green diamond dog. He kept bothering us about being here after hours." He says, still a bit uncomfortable. The pegasus and dragon walk out. Once you're sure they're gone Ven speaks up. "There isn't a 'Pale Green Diamond Dog' on the security team." He says, the monitor now displaying a employee database. "Whoever he's talking about is our door tamperer."
No.752864
>>752863"Hm? Yeah, will do. Rest easy." He nods at them and continues onward.
As he reunites with Ven, he nods as he takes in this information. "Any theories on who they are? Someone else after the same thing as us, maybe?"
No.752866
>>752863"Unless maybe they were our tamperers and they just pulled a fast one on us?"
No.752867
>>752863>>752864Gamma looks at the garbage can longingly, beginning to scuttle towards the trash can, before shaking his head, thinking better on it, and ignoring it.
"So… three groups, then? Us, those two, and the dog."
No.752868
>>752863Retracting the eyestalk, Rads quickly unbundles and rejoins the others.
"Did they run off with the data before us?"
No.752869
>>752867"Looks like it. Don't have to worry about them two though, they're morons."
No.752870
>>752868"I have it already." Ven says, flashing the two USB drives.
>>752864"I'm not sure. These files were last accessed over a month ago."
>>752866>>752867"Unlikely. With that employee ID they could just scan into any door." He says, walking over to the terminal Lumen used. "No admin access. He couldn't take the files if he wanted them. I doubt they're a threat. That dog however…"
You all exit the Mantra-Core building the way you came. It's quiet on the way out. No signs of tripped alarms or alerted security. As you go to re-enter the construction site a figure stands in the door. A diamond dog. Silhouetted by the broken light behind them. Their body is a mess of cybernetic enhancements in varying states of damage and disrepair. Their head remains entirely organic however, only a scarf wrapped around their neck gently floating in the wind. Suddenly, a blade protrudes from their right arm, a concealed sword glowing yellow. They lift it to horizontal, and point at Ven. Their voice is a raspy, jagged growl.
"Hand it over."
No.753389
>>752870He looks unimpressed by the Dog's menacing appearance. He plays dumb. "Hand what over? Do I look like I have money? I mean I do, just not here. I don't have much in me pockets either, 'less you're a big fan of lint."
No.753390
>>752870The Zebra narrowed her eyes and moved to pull one more Hologram out to help with this potential brawl.
[1d10+1] Summoning
Roll #1 5 + 1 = 6 No.753397
>>752870Gamma remains in rat form for a little bit longer, scuttling closer towards the diamond dog in hopes that he's not seen.
>Stealth? I don't know if my attempt from the last session still counts [1d10]Roll #1 6 = 6 No.753407
>>753389"You're funny. Surprised you ended up running favors instead of being a comedian, dog." He says, oozing with bitter sarcasm.
>>753390Your orb easily beckons another figure, making you a full quartet of zebras. The diamond dog is less impressed. "I don't want to fight."
>>753397You chitter your way forward. The mysterious diamond dog notices you, but pays no mind to an unassuming rat on the floor. As he speaks however, Ven silently drops one of the datasticks near you. You're not sure whether or not he meant to.
He takes a step forward, and his face is illuminated by the lights within Mantra-Core. His fur is a pale green, that of snow on pine trees. His mouth is particularly jagged for a diamond dog, leading to an intimidating grimace. "You're the one in charge." He says, pointing toward Ven. "You aren't the first he's sent on this mission."
Ven stands silently, weighing things in his mind.
No.753410
>>753407Gamma snatches up the datastick, scooting off with it to hide underneath a desk. He'll remain ready in case things fo bad- no telling what's to come in the next few moments!
No.753411
>>753407"I also do funerals," he quips, taking a step forward. "Know what. I don't know who you are, you don't know who we are. Why don't we all just take a minute, have a chat and put our weapons down. Eh? Don't have to resort to beating the shit out of each other just yet."
[1d10] Persuasion
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.753415
>>753407"You're pointing a blade at one of us, seems like a bit of a threat."
No.753435
>>753407"Not the first?" chimes in the goo pony, looking to Vel quizically.
No.753437
>>753415"I am pointing a blade at him." He says, asserting it toward Ven. "I don't kill grunts."
>>753411"We'll cut politician off the list too." He says, unconvinced.
>>753435"This one asks the right questions."
>>753410Ven silently acknowledges you and steps forward. "You can have it." He says, kicking the other datastick across the floor. The dog stops it with his foot before pulling a handgun from his hip and shooting it.
"You've made the right choice. But I can't let you live long enough to make the wrong one." He says as he shoots the door keypad, setting off a loud alarm and contacting local security officers in the area. Amidst the chaos, he attempts to escape out the construction site!
No.753439
>>753437"Worth a shot," he shrugs, casually taking off his steel hat.
Mako springs to action as soon as he starts bailing, chasing after him in hot pursuit. He hurls his hat like a disc, aiming at the Dog's feet to trip him up!
>Dash: instant, recharge 2; Mako's keen reflexes make him a very quick combatant. This skill allows Mako to rapidly move to an adjacent zone and evade an incoming attack if there is one. The DC to do so is equal to the enemy's attack roll-1. If there is no incoming attack, Dash becomes automatic.
>Boomerang: weapon, ranged; You’re quite skilled at being able to hit an enemy no matter what, even by tossing any old object. Shoot or throw your weapon at an enemy to deal damage. If this fails, you can make Boomerang a minimum success by giving Boomerang X turns of recharge, with X being the bonus this skill needs to succeed. If Boomerang is boosted it will deal damage next turn instead as it rebounds back, striking the enemy from behind. You cannot boost a Crit Fail, and this skill cannot Crit if boosted. On Crit you show off your amazing throw, giving you a Bonus Action to use your weapon’s skill this turn as you catch it on the fly back.
>auto instant move to his zone[1d10] Boomerang
Roll #1 7 = 7 No.753440
>>753437"I was willing to let you go but then you had to be a dick about it.
She and her horde of minions promptly moved to rush him down.
>Zirali and her hoard move to close the distance between them. No.753444
>>753437At the sound of the alarm, Rads winces from the noise, quickly looking for Gamma before scooping him up with a pseudopod and galloping out, moving with the others to escape!
No.753448
>>753437>>753444Gamma squeaks a little bit as he's snatched up, holding on to the datastick for now.
No.753454
>>753439You slide towards him with blistering speed, avoiding registration by his cyberwear. Your hat meets his legs with a satisfying twang of metal hitting metal as he goes to jump from the scaffolding and he trips forward, rolling and standing back up as his robotic parts correct his tumble. He looks a bit scraped up from this, and his leg gives a few electric arcs.
>Dog takes 2 hits, 4/6>>753440All four of you move in perfect form together, hopping off the scaffolding to see Mako and the dog having a showdown. "Come on now. Five versus one?"
>>753444You obtain a rat. Being the last in the building you notice the display on the alarmed keypad showing a new message "SECURITY OFFICERS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED. ESTIMATED THREE MINUTES UNTIL ARRIVAL." It might just be something to intimidate criminals, but you probably don't want to take that chance.
>>753448You are picked up by a goopone. It feels sorta gross, but also kinda comfy.
The dog continues to try to flee, attempting to hop the fence out of the build site.
Dog escape [1d10]
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.753455
>>753454"Like I said, you were a dick!" she yelled out as they moved to swarm him with angry zeeb strikes.
[1d10] Punch
[1d10] Those
[1d10] Lights
[1d10] Out
Roll #1 10 = 10 /
Roll #2 4 = 4 /
Roll #3 4 = 4 /
Roll #4 7 = 7 No.753456
>>753454"I said let's have a chat!" He recollects his hat and hurls it again in one swift motion, looking to kneecap him.
>Snipe: recharge 2, requires a ranged weapon; Aim for a critical spot on a target to deal massive damage. You may raise the DC of this skill by X, causing Snipe to deal X more hits of damage. There is no cap on this. On Crit you strike a nerve, hindering the target and giving them a DC+X to all their actions next turn, with X being how much you raised Snipe’s DC by.[1d10] +2 DC
Roll #1 2 = 2 No.753457
>>753454"We probably oughta scoot as soon as we can- the alarm on this door to the construction site was already tripped, right? They'll probably check here first."
No.753459
>>753454>>753457"Mhm! Three minutes!" Adds Rads, Rolling a ball of semi-solid mass from her gooey form, before tossing it at the retreating dog.
>Aimed shot No.753462
>>753459Gamma leaps off of Rads and returns to his normal form, trying to jab them with one of his syringes!
>Sleeper Serum: [1d10]Roll #1 1 = 1 No.753468
>>753455Your clones manage to hit him decently well, but nothing beats an original. You come in with the final haymaker after their three hit setup that truly send him spinning.
>Dog takes 3 hits, 1/6>>753456Your hat misses entirely, leaving itself wedged in a nearby stack of wood planks.
>>753459Your glob lands perfectly onto the dog, knocking him off his paws and onto the ground. He groans as he speaks, trying to get back up.
>Dog is 0/6>>753462Your midair transformation is quite glamorous, but you are a bit disoriented by it as you attempt to prick the dog. After missing him terribly, you realize where your needle is. Right in your thigh.
>Roll to resist your own Sleep Serum in addition to any actions taken.>>753457>>753459"They're right." He says, his voice shifted away from his confident demeanor. "I'll cut you a deal. I can hold off the cops while you four make an escape. We can all walk away from this with our lives."
You all hear the sounds of sirens fast approaching.
No.753470
>>753468The Four Zebras surrounded him "I mean you just tried to screw our job up, so I really wouldn't be that keen on trusting you."
No.753471
>>753468He tries to save face by scampering over and retrieving his hat. "Well, look who can't walk the walk," he says mockingly.
"What do you get out of it?" he asks accusingly.
No.753472
>>753468"A-Ah, geez, that's not good." he says, ripping the syringe out and trying to stave off the effects.
>Resist: [1d10]Roll #1 5 = 5 No.753475
>>753468"Ooh, can we have the data back first?" she asks, looming over the prone dog, his muzzle tinged with a green glow.
[1d10] Persuasion
Roll #1 8 = 8 No.753479
>>753470"It's all business. Maybe one day you'll understand." He says, not sure which Zebra to look at.
>>753471"You don't kill me. I'd rather go down ripping some police robots head off than to a crew of third rate shadowrunners."
>>753472You pull the needle out too late, and the strange serum courses through your veins. You stumble a bit and have a heavy feeling in your eyelids, but manage to stay awake. You have a feeling you're going to sleep really well tonight though.
>>753475"Not a chance." He says, slowly standing up.
The sirens are extremely close now. "I can charge them head on. It'll buy you enough time. I just need you to not shoot me in the back." He says, adjusting his arm mounted blade. He looks over the party a bit confused. "Where's the unicorn?" You realize Ven is nowhere to be found.
No.753483
>>753479"He's… uh… I figure he made his own way out. He seems like a relatively prepared guy."
No.753484
>>753479"Your funeral. I'll be sure to do my routine at it." He winks and turns to leave, then pauses. "Karabast. Where'd he get off to?" He starts twitching his ears, scurrying around trying to find any signs of him before the cops arrive.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 7 = 7 No.753485
>>753479Looking around confused for Ven, The goo pony tilts her head.
"Maybe he ran ahead?"
"That's fine! Thank you for not stabbing us."
Stepping back, Rads lets the dog stand back up, before looking about for an escape path.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 6 = 6 No.753488
"Fair enough, and if your offering… well I'll take it."
No.753489
>>753488>>753479Fug me, forgot to link))
No.753490
>>753483>>753484>>753485>>753489The dog stands up, brushes himself off, and starts walking towards the sounds of danger.
The escape is astonishingly easy, with this mysterious interloper causing a large distraction for local law enforcement they hardly bat an eye at you four slipping through the city streets. You are all about halfway there when Mako's PDA starts to light up. It's a voice call from an unknown ID. Before he can manage to do anything it somehow accepts itself. A voice, sounding like a young male griffon soaked in the synthetic electronic sound of a voice changer comes out.
"Well that was interesting. I'm actually surprised my group of misfits managed to complete the job. Well, technically. Not only that but they managed to make a friend and lose another." You can't tell if they're proud or not. "Seems some complications have arisen right, darlings?" Their voice modulation twinges on that last word, sounding more like a refined unicorn female.
No.753491
>>753490He looks confused as the message starts ringing out, but goes with it. "Oh ye of little faith. Things are screwy, but we should be able to sort it out. So when are we getting paid?"
No.753496
>>753490"I'm just glad nobody got hurt… except Gamma. I think Gamma stabbed himself"
No.753498
>>753496>>753490"Ahaha… you bet I did. I should be fine for now, but I'd rather not push it." he says, before flicking an ear and looking to Mako's PDA.
No.753499
>>753498"You can ride on my holograms if you want. Not like they mind."
No.753500
>>753490"We met a nice dog who took care of the police for us!" Adds Rads, looking over Mako's shoulder to reply to the voice.
"And we've got the data! Where did you want it?"
No.753501
>>753491"Right- here's one of the datasticks- I think Ven dropped it for me." he says, passing it over.
No.753502
>>753501>>753490"Ah, cheers." He takes it, flipping it up in the air like a coin before catching it and returning his attention to his PDA. "So, what do we do with this doover then?"
No.753504
>>753491"And that is why I like you, Mako. Always about the job. Don't let feelings get in the way." They say, praising you and themselves. "Unfortunately, I don't control that. Ven had payment on delivery. You're going to have to find out who his buyer is."
>>753496"Yes, yes Zirali. I am glad as well. Not a scratch on any of you."
>>753498"Gamma, my endearing little wildcard. Your strange talents certainly are paying off. Just try not to poison yourself anymore." They say, with a small giggle.
>>753500"Nice isn't a word you should just throw around, Lambent. I'm not sure who that is, but I swear I've seen them somewhere. He could be a threat."
>>753500>>753491"I don't need the data, darlings. I am, however, interested in who Ven's buyer is. Find him, and you get paid. I can offer you something else in the meantime."
A message appears in the corner of Mako's PDA. A 1000 Bit transfer. You each notice an identical sum transferred to your accounts soon after. "Consider it an advance. Now go to bed. You all look exhausted. You especially, Gamma."
No.753505
>>753504"Bloody hell, bloody hell. Why don't we just track down that mutt and shake the money out of him."
His annoyance is alleviated some by the money transfer. "Ah. Thank you kindly. Any idea where we can find Ven now? Or his buyer?"
No.753506
>>753504"I'm not really tired at all, I normally work nights."
No.753507
>>753504Gamma flicks his ears and flushes with embarrassment, wishing he was a rat for just a moment, before saying "R-Right, I'm glad they are. And, uhm, I'll try my best."
No.753508
>>753504"Aw.. Okay."
A pseudopod pulls her tablet free from her tarp, noting the transfer.
"Ah, thank you!"
"We can look for the buyer, though where to begin.."
No.753509
>>753505>>753506>>753507>>753508"Good. I'll begin looking into leads on this dog and Ven's buyer." They say, signing off without another word.
You all return to the CPS. Amps is behind the counter, who gives you a silent nod as you enter. He looks over all of you, and notices Ven's absence "I'm not one to ask questions. Volts might though. Be ready to explain that."
Until then, you all have the rest of the night to yourselves.
No.753510
>>753509"R-Right. I guess we better be ready for that, yeah. I think I oughta take a seat for now- let the worst of that serum wear off." he says, chuckling nervously and finding a chair in the room.
No.753720
>>753509"Not much to explain," he points out to Amps. "We'll know as much as he does." He goes to find Volts and debrief him on what went down.
No.753731
>>753510You take a seat in the chair Amps was originally sleeping in when you first came here. It's large and comfortable, with a red leather exterior that shines despite it's wear. Amps notices you and speaks to you. "You alright? You seemed a little woozy coming in. Not drinking on the job, right?"
>>753720Amps seems a bit confused at this. "Huh? I thought you killed him to be honest."
You find Volts in his room. He'd usually be asleep at this time of night but he's sitting in a chair near a console, tabbing through various message boards. "Couldn't sleep." His voice sounds a bit weaker than you've come to expect. "How did the job go." He grumbles.
No.753735
>>753731"Why would I? That cuts off the money." He looks genuinely perplexed at Amps' take.
He makes a so-so gesture. "Bit of good, bit of bad. Good news is we got the thing Ven wanted from us. Bad news, we stirred up the hive a bit. Some rival dog showed up, wanted to fight us for it. We kicked his arse, then he rang the alarm. Ven disappeared in the confusion, so…" He pulls out his coat pocket in a "no money" gesture. "Got a message from boss man saying we'd be able to get paid if we found Ven's buyer for the data. Any ideas where to start?"
No.753740
>>753509Zirali and her holo hooligans go to take a nap in the meantime.
No.753743
>>753731"Ahaha… it went alright, but with some complications. We got the job done, info included, but after a scuffle with a Diamond Dog, Ven sorta… disappeared. We can still get paid if we can find the buyer."
No.753754
>>753735"Huh." He grunts, upset but hiding it. "I had a feeling something was gonna go wrong." He sighs, and kicks himself away from the console on his rolling chair. "Look, I don't trust any of you motherfuckers after what happened to the old crew. Don't know what it is, probably paranoia. But I'll tell you this. Something is up, Ven's kept this job really down low. Every single message between him and the client has been deleted or encrypted. It's fucked." He says, looking down in frustration.
"Encrypted you say?" A voice pops up from your PDA. Sounds like a diamond dog, but still with that synthesized twinge. "Probably not that hard to crack." [null] says.
"The hell is that?" Volts asks.
>>753740You head off to your room. It's not much, but it's comfortable to have a place to crash after a stressful night like this. Your holozeebs lay on the floor, gently flickering in rest mode.
>>753743"Nobody's hurt, right? Can't lose another crew." He says, still concerned for your safety.
No.753755
>>753754"That'd be the boss man. He likes his cloak and dagger. Long as I get paid," he shrugs. "So what is it now?" he asks the voice from the PDA.
No.753757
>>753754"W-We're fine, yeah. I dosed myself with sedative on accident, so I'll probably sleep pretty hard tonight."
No.753758
>>753731>>753743"Mhm, Ven is missing! Did you see him come back earlier?" Asks the goo pony, having found a seat nearby.
No.753762
>>753754Zirali remained out for some time as she was a bit tired before this.
No.753765
>>753755"Weird." Volts replies, turning back to his console.
[null] continues. "Even if he deleted everything there's still IP codes leading back to the original sender. They'd be easy to get. Knowing who they're from is another task. We'd require access to a fairly substantial database of IDs to get it. Get me into Ven's computer and I'll have the data before morning."
Volts looks at you. "I'll plug it in. It's our best lead on Ven and your payment." He offers to take your PDA.
>>753757"Oh dear. I'm surprised you're still standing. I'd be out like a light." He says, giggling a bit.
>>753758"He hasn't been here, no. I don't know where he'd go but he's been rather secretive about his life outside of this.
No.753769
>>753765"Sounds like a plan," he nods, passing over his PDA.
No.753771
>>753765"Aw.. I hope he's okay. The Dog wasn't
that scary, He didn't have to run away."
As Volts fiddles with the PDA and computer, Rads peers over the desk to check the screen.
No.753773
>>753765Gamma folds his ears back and giggles nervously, before saying "Yeah, I fought it off well enough. A little tired, though."
No.753777
>>753769Volts takes the PDA downstairs to Ven's room.
>>753771It's a mess of private messages from all sorts of people. Nothing that looks related to the job, however.
>>753769>>753773You all sleep in varying levels of comfort. The rooms are still bare. The only decorations being a few beds and a table in each. It's not the worst place to stay but at least it's free. You each awaken the next day refreshed in comparison than the shitty night you had. As you come downstairs Volt is at the counter, large cup of coffee in claw. "Your boss wanted to talk to you, Mako." He says, sliding the PDA across the counter as a pair of pegasi walk in to peruse the wares.
No.753780
>>753777"Righto," he nods, rubbing the back of his neck. He saunters over to the counter and picks up the PDA. "What's up."
No.753781
>>753777Having slept on the tarp to avoid staining the flooring, Rads Reconstitutes herself and gathers her equipment together, before returning to the counter.
>>753780"Ooh, what did he say?" She asks, eying the PDA with interest
No.753782
>>753777Zirali and her holo posse stroll out, with her riding the three hard light beings in place of walking.
No.753783
>>753777Gamma's happy just to have a nice, relatively safe place to sleep, so he's more than comfortable where he is. He awakens the next morning a little later than anyone else, owing to the Sleeper Serum, but he's up… eventually.
No.753788
>>753780>>753781>>753782>>753783You all gather around the PDA as [null] speaks. "I have very, very good news for all of you." She says, their tone feminine again. "Not only do I have the ID codes for Dr. Ven's correspondences, I've managed to actually decrypt a few of the emails. This buyer knew that our mysterious cyberdog might show up. We can pursue either the codes leading to our buyer, or figure out what this dog knows. If he was trying to stop you he might have good reason and he might know something about Ven."
Volts overhears the conversation "My money is on the dog. Payment can wait, let's get answers."
[null] speaks up again. "Do you know how much Ven was being paid for this job, darling? 500,000 bits. He was ripping all of you off for this. I'd follow the money."
No.753790
>>753788"I guess the Money isn't a bad choice if that's how much he was going after for this."
No.753791
>>753788"Not being in the dark about this'd be nice… but, 500 thousand's an awful lot. I figure we probably don't have the time to check out both of them, do we?"
No.753793
>>753788>>753791>>753790>>753781He lets out a low whistle. "500 thousand? Could almost cover rent with that," he says jokingly. "I say we follow the money. Track down the buyer, and if it doesn't lead anywhere we can chase up that Dog. Shake something out of that mutt. Might even be able to find where Ven scarpered off to, either way."
No.753796
>>753788"Hmm.. I hope Ven is okay.. if we can't search for him now, maybe his buyer will know more?"
No.753804
>>753790>>753791>>753793>>753796Volt seems upset at your consensus. "Fine. I'll keep an eye out for leads on the dog though."
[null] speaks up with glee "Perfect. These codes will need to be checked against a database. EXO would be preferable, but that's a tough safe to crack." You've heard of this place. It's a massive data vault guarded and maintained by some shadowy organization. Their obsession with maintaining data on every single citizen of Manehatten is a bit creepy, but effective and brutally efficient. "I have a local contact that could assist. A street samurai by the name of Lucra Moren. She prefers to be called Lucy. Last I heard she was running a street gang out on Thorn Street. Find her, and maybe you'll have a chance at this job. Any questions?"
No.753809
>>753804"Sure, we could look for her. Let's get going then, yeah?"
No.753810
>>753804"Lucra Moren? Sounds fun! Do you have a map to Thorn Street?" asks Rads, eager after the mention of meeting somepony.
No.753811
>>753804"What species should we be keeping an eye out for? Equine or other?"
No.753812
>>753804"Sure, sounds like a good time, no alcohol required. Just point us in the right direction luv." He waits to receive coordinates.
No.753813
>>753810>>753809>>753812"It's a good amount of blocks away. Your best bet would be to take the underground there." Volts mentions.
>>753811"She's an earth pony. Purple coat, dirty blond mane. I'm betting she still has that sword of hers strapped to her back at all times. She's not going to tolerate nonsense, so it's better you just tell her who sent you. She knows me as Cherry Breeze."
You all exit to the metro station. It's not much of a step up from the alley way of Centro. A myriad of species stand on the platform with you four, each clamoring about their business and such. In such a populated place like this, opportunity could arise at any moment.
>Roll Perception. No.753814
>>753813"Cherry Breeze," he repeats. "We'll get the job done, no worries."
He looks around the crowd, keeping an eye out for their contact, or anything else out of the ordinary.
[1d10]
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.753815
>>753813"Cherry Breeze? Gotcha- here's hoping we find her quick." he says, before heading off with the others.
>Perception: [1d10]"At least it sounds like she stands out… yeah?"
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.753816
>>753813Having trotter her way to the metro with the others, Rads passes the time waiting by pony watching, taking in the sights of the platform.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.753817
>>753813The zebra popped open the eye slit on her helmet to get a good look at the area trying to spot the pony.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.753818
>>753814A minotaur sitting on a nearby bench makes eye contact with you as you look over the station. You glare at each other for a moment and then he exhales through his nose and looks away.
>>753815>>753816You both walk around a bit, observing the station. However, you both carelessly walk into each other, bonking your heads together. You're both a bit dazed by it, with Gamma getting some of Rads' goo on himself and Rads getting some of Gamma's… Gamma on her.
>Both of your next rolls get -1.>>753817You can't see much above the crowded station, but you do notice a scrolling display saying the next train will be here in a few moments. Lucky timing. Nothing else seems out of the ordinary.
You all board the train as it arrives. Your car is rather sparce. A griffon couple sit on one end and a earth pony sits by himself on the other end. "You guys locals?" the earth pony speaks up. His fur is brown and he looks a bit smaller than most earth ponies.
No.753819
>>753818He inspects his nails as the train takes off, glancing up as the earth pony speaks up. Not often that people try to talk to strangers on public transport. "Kinda," he replies.
No.753820
>>753818"I mean I live here but I wasn't always from the city. What about you?"
No.753821
>>753818>>753815Having been partially walked into by Gamma, Rads quickly extracts herself. "Oops, sorry Gamma!"
Boarding the train, Rads drapes her tarp onto the seat, plopping down and getting comfortable before the car gets in motion.
"Oh no, just passing through!" she chipperly replies.
No.753822
>>753821"Ah! U-Uhm, no worries! Sorry, I wasn't really watching where I was going, either." he says, giggling nervously.
>>753818"Me? No, not much of a local. Are you?"
No.753823
>>753819>>753821>>753822His voice is raspy, tiny, and reclusive as he speaks. As if the very words he is saying are scared to be said. "Th-there is a ancient evil lurking in the circuity. A deity. An ending to the world as we know it. A great disorder summoned from the times before the nightmare ended." He begins to shake. "It is being brought here on purpose. By ponies. By us. But by one, the one, him the-"
He cuts off abruptly. "The vision came to me. I acted on it as it came. I apologize if I scared you. I am Del." He says, the trance like state he was in having worn off.
>>753820"I am a citizen of the world. A street oracle. I see beyond the veil of our world and the digital world."
He is silent for a long while. When he speaks, it's quiet. "Is there something you would like to know?"
No.753828
>>753823"Hmm… how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Hoovesy Pop?"
No.754353
>>753823He exhales with mild amusement. No stranger to crazies on public transport, he decides to humor this one. He puts his hand behind his back and holds up [1d3+1] fingers. "Alright then. How many fingers am I holding up?" he asks with a slight smirk.
Roll #1 1 + 1 = 2 No.754354
>>753823"Mm? Uh…" he trails off a little bit "Is this, uh, ancient evil… close?"
No.754355
>>753828He looks you over a bit, as if following the lines your stripes form in curiosity. When the small earth pony looks back into your eyes, he answers with a simple head motion towards Mako.
>>754353"You both ask for numbers…" He mutters to himself, as if those words were a complicated math problem. "…But have you asked eachother?" His tone is once again in the trance like state.
>>754354"You sound unsure. A question is never wrong." His normal voice chimes out. "However I am unsure of this… evil is not the right word. This being is far, but not unreachable. The true meanings evade me."
You all notice the griffon couple looking over at you all. They don't look concerned or fascinated, just a bit off put by it.
No.754356
>>754355"Uh… huh. Well, good to know that the, uh… whatever it is isn't too close."
No.754357
>>754355He rolls his eyes and looks over to Zirali, taking Del's words literally.
>>753828"Oi Jumbotron, how many fingers am I holding up?"
No.754358
>>753823"Words sir, I need them."
>>7543572?"
No.754359
>>754356"Perhaps. Sometimes it is better for our fears to be near and visible, not obfuscated by mystery."
>>754357>>754358"Hah. You are a clever dog." He says, giggling as he lays back into his seat.
With this, the train begins to slow down and a display above you all reads "THORN STREET STATION" The doors open slowly as a kind corporate voice reads out the station voice on the intercom. It's a lot quieter on the station floor just a few cloaked figures sitting on the benches and stairs up to Thorn Street. A minotaur stands by the stairs looking intimidating.
"This is your stop." Del says.
No.754360
>>754358"Wrong!" He holds up two. "Wait, no, that's right. Eh, lucky guess." He turns his attention back to Del.
>>754355"So you can like see the future yeah? How's this mission we're on gonna go down? I mean it's probably gonna go well, since I'm here, but, you know." He looks at Del expectantly.
No.754361
>>754359"Yeah… I think that makes sense. If you know it's coming, you at least have the ability to do something about it…"
>>754359"Hmm? Oh- I guess this is our stop, yeah."
No.754362
>>754359Zirali coughed and sighed, her mask showing an annoyed look as her question was more or less ignored and she climbed to her hooves "Well alrighty then weirdo."
>>754360"I know, hard to believe I can count with my holo posse with me."
No.754363
>>754359"Yeah, it is. Good talk." He nods to Del and heads off as the train arrives. "Basket case," he mutters under his breath as he steps off, looking around.
>>754362"How do you keep track of them all anyway?" he asks out of curiosity. "I mean I have trouble enough wrangling my one holo. Can't imagine controlling a whole bunch at once."
No.754364
>>754360"I see…" His eyes are closed for a while. "…My vision is clouded. I apologize. All I really see is a fire. Small, but burning still." He nods and concludes. "I hope this means something to you."
>>754361>>754362>>754363You all step out of the car to Thorn Station. It is clearly lower budget than the station in Centro. Benches are missing, the displays are all older models and station itself has cracks running through the concrete. However the place seems very well kept. There's not a speck of trash or debris sitting on the ground. The minotaur by the stairs notices you all and sends some glances at you. He doesn't seem hostile, but the shotgun by his side says that he could be if he wants to.
No.754365
>>754364"Not really, but I'll keep it in mind."
As he and the others step off, he takes a look around. He looks impressed by how cleanly it is. "Where's all the grime?" he asks no one in particular.
Noticing the minotaur, he saunters over to him. "Oi mate. You live around here? We're looking for someone named Lucy."
No.754366
>>754363Heads up display in the helmet keeps me up to date, other than that they're pretty self reliant, they attack foes and protect friends. Simple yet effective programming."
>>754364"I lived in an apartment like this once." she said looking around.
No.754367
>>754366"Fair nuff. Mine's not the brightest, and kind of glitchy. Hard to get rid of. Don't bring him out unless I need the help."
No.754368
>>754367"Yeah went for durable, simple, and numerous. Turns out it works well if you focus on it."
No.754369
>>754364>>754365"Yeah! It's real important we speak to her." replies Rads, stepping off the train onto the pristine platform.
"If not, maybe you know someone who might?"
No.754370
>>754364"Hrm… well- ask him, I guess? Other than that, maybe we ought to take a look around for a little, and see what we can find."
No.754371
>>754365"I do. But I'm betting you don't." He says, exhaling through his nose as he stands up. He's tall and intimidating, but speaks slowly and calmly. "You don't look like corporate spies or undercover cops, so I'll break it down for you. Thorn streets open to anyone who ain't a narc but if you cause trouble we'll do a lot more than kick you out. Got me?"
>>754366>>754367>>754369>>754370"Lucy? Not my job to collect names. Just ask around, someone'll know who that is. Try the bars or something." He gruffly says. "Those places are usually quiet at this hour though."
Above him, the mid afternoon sun shines through the station stairs.
No.754372
>>754371"Loud and clear. We're not here to cause a ruckus, don't worry."
"Hm. Guess it's worth a shot. Know of any places close by?" He looks around casually for any watering holes in the vicinity.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 2 = 2 No.754373
>>754371"Hopefully we don't run into too many corp types around here… anyways- we'll take a look around, then."
>Perception [1d10]Roll #1 2 = 2 No.754374
>>754371As the minotaur mentions the bar and as Mako finishes speaking with him, Rads slinks off to find the station's directory, to point her in the right direction.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 7 = 7 No.754375
>>754371Zirali shrugged and did her best to search for the contact.
[1d10] perception
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.754376
>>754372"Just two. Loft's is a quiet little hole in the wall. Good to just sit back and drink at. It's a couple blocks down if you head right out the station." He sighs as he continues. "And Glam's. Pretty much the opposite, it's loud, colorful and full of every drink and drug you could imagine. Glam himself is a popular cat though. Good chance he knows this Lucy character. If you end up going there, I didn't send you."
>>754373Stepping up and out of the station, you take in Thorn street. It's a stark contrast to what you've experienced so far. There's a lot less lights and advertisements. The space between buildings have clotheslines instead of drones. It's a slum, but the people there are trying to make the best of it. You're a bit caught up in first impressions and fail to notice anything useful, though.
>>754374You cleverly squish over to the directory, showing you a map of the streets in the nearby areas. A lot of it is graffitied or glitching but you do manage to make out more in depth directions to the places the minotaur mentioned. Along with that, one building a few blocks across from the station is circled. No label, however.
>>754375You and your herd walk up the stairs with Gamma. You catch a few curious glances from nearby ponies at your holozeebs. A passing griffon girl even says "Cool." out loud as she walks by. Looking around, you notice nothing that Gamma didn't, save for a few curious onlookers.
No.754377
>>754376"Hmm… well, I've got nothing." the stallion says, nodding a little to himself.
No.754378
>>754376"Hmm.."
Looking over the map, Rads pulls out her tablet, switching to picture mode to grab a shot of the directory board, before trotting back to Mako.
>>754372"Makooo~, I found the directory! It says there are two bars nearby, Loft and Glam's." she says, gesturing vaguely down the street with a pseudopod. "Which should we check first?"
Seeing as the others have wandered off, she tilts her head, looking around the dog. "Where did everypony go?"
No.754379
>>754376"I mean I don't even know your name," he shrugs. "But thanks. I'll keep an eye out."
>>754378"Hm. Well, Glam's seems to be the more popular joint. I reckon there's a good place to start."
He does a double take as he notices the others have left. "Oh. Rude. Should probably catch up to 'em." He looks around to see where they could've gone.
[1d10]
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.754380
>>754376Zirali paused and she and her squad did a little pose for the onlookers with a bit of flair for the sake of entertainment.
No.754381
>>754377>>754380You hear faint applause from Zirali's fans in the distance. The griffon notices both of you. "Look at you two, already makin friends in town." She says, her town punkish and immature. "Name's Chase. You guys new on the Thorn?" She asks.
>>754378>>754379You step out onto the surface and find that your companions nowhere to be found. Maybe it's just Mako's poor searching, but they don't seem to be around here. There aren't huge crowds around, but it could be possible they are just blending in.
No.754382
>>754381"Mm? Yeah- well, I'm definitely new here, but I've got no clue about her. Any tips on what to check out here?"
No.754383
>>754381Up the stairs and onto the street proper, Rads peeks above the bustle to try and spot the pair.
[1d10] Perception
>>754379"Do you think they went ahead on their own?" she asks, gelatinous legs extending slightly to give extra height over the street.
Roll #1 2 = 2 No.754384
>>754383>>754381"Karabast. Looks like they did," he curses. He looks around to see if there's a high point he can climb to to get a better view.
[1d10]
Roll #1 3 = 3 No.754385
>>754381"Yeah that's a fair statement I guess."
No.754386
>>754382"Depends on what you wanna find! A lotta people come here to do a lot of things." She says, adjusting the spiked wristband around her talon. "You two a pair of dancers or something? Would explain her whole routine."
>>754385"Knew it." She says smugly.
>>754383You extend up a few feet but still no sign of the two of them. You do see a few ponies looking at you weirdly.
>>754384There's a streetlamp nearby, but the metal seems so worn out it'd probably collapse if you tried to climb it.
No.754387
>>754386>>754383"Ah, screw it." He asks a random bypasser, annoyed at the time-wasting. "Oi. You. Know how to get to Glam's?"
No.754388
>>754386Shortening her hooves back to normal length, She lets out a bubbly huff, before turning to Mako.
>>754387"Ohh, we should have gotten their numbers! Now what? Do you think Null might know how to call them?"
No.754389
>>754386"We're looking for a pony. Think they have a sword or something. I honestly forgot the details."
No.754390
>>754386"Huh? O-Oh, no. I don't think I'd ever be particularly good in the spotlight." the stallion says, pulling his cloak a little closer around himself. "Anyways… maybe just somewhere to relax for a little? We're looking for someone, so a place where people go to unwind wouldn't be a bad start."
No.754391
>>754387The pegasus you pull aside is a bit annoyed, but compliant. "Right down the street. Big, bright place. Hard to miss." He says, pointing you in the right direction. You can see it in the distance, and the small crowd of people gathering around.
>>754389"Hah. Tell me about it. Used to do work like that and I got so bored of it."
>>754390"Oh? I'd take you to my favorite resturant but when I walked past this morning some diamond dog gang was lurking outside. Overheard them talking about some meeting they were gonna have with a selsword. Important stuff. Don't wanna end up running into a bunch of strapped goons over some sushi, right?
No.754392
>>754388"Maybe. Let's put a pin in that for now and see about tracking down some intel."
>>754391>>754388"Yeah, see there we go. We've got a heading now. Cheers," he adds as an aside to the pegasus. "Let's get a move on, yeah? We can worry about the others later. They're looking for the same person as us, after all." He starts heading purposefully towards Glam's.
No.754393
>>754391>>754392"Okay.." Replies Rads, trotting along after Mako.
As the pair travel down the street, Rads casts one last look at the surrounding area for any sign of the two.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 7 = 7 No.754394
>>754391"Hmm… sounds like serious stuff- you probably had the right of it, though- I'd hate to get stabbed over a bite to eat just 'cause some thug's a little itchy. Thanks for the heads up."
No.754395
>>754392You head on over. The place isn't as the minotaur described. It's quiet right now, but you could imagine what it would look like when it starts to pick up. "Not open yet, dog." The unicorn at the door says to you without looking up from his clipboard. When he does look up, he continues. "You don't look like the nightclub type anyways."
>>754393At first, you only notice a purple griffon girl. She looks at you with shock.
>>754394"No problem. And uh, is that goo pony staring at us with you guys?" She says, looking at Rads a bit off-put.
No.754396
>>754395"Oh- don't mind her. She's just, uh… like that."
No.754875
>>754395"Good thing we're not here to club then. Looking for someone. Heard this is a popular joint for all sorts. Any chance we could talk to someone in charge?"
>>754396>>754389He does a bit of a double take. "Oh there you two are. Almost had me worried. But not really. Any leads on our mystery mare?"
No.754876
>>754875"Hmm? Oh- uhm, a little. A gang of Diamond Dogs was lurking around outside a… sushi shop? A restaraunt. They were gonna meet with some Sellsword, which is probably who we're after."
No.754877
>>754876"Cool. More than what we've found at least. All we've managed to get is places where some people might know about her. Like this neon nightmare." He waves a hand at the bar entrance.
No.754878
>>754395Zirali waved to the griffin.
No.755130
>>754396"Riiiight." Chase slowly backs off as you reunite with your companions. "I'll leave you all to it then."
>>754878Chase waves back, trying not to seem like a part of the party as they're talked to by the bouncer.
>>754875"The boss doesn't like to be bothered. He's a busy cat that doesn't have time for fanboys, fangirls and fan-" He looks over Rads for a moment. "He doesn't have time for fans." He says quickly.
>>754876>>754877"Those goons still there? The little security detail is local but the ones keeping the place closed are some gang out of Neighpon. Lotus something or whatever." He looks back over his datapad clipboard and a few images pop out into holographic space. "
Three Phases Glam's favorite restaurant for miles. He's probably still upset it's closed for all that still." The Minotaur says as he exhales through his nose.
No.755131
>>755130"We're looking for information, not autographs," he replies. "You sure you can't put in a word for us?" He pulls out 50 bits and gives him a meaningful side glance.
[1d10] Persuade
Roll #1 10 = 10 No.755132
>>755130Zirali did her best to close the distance between her and the other.
No.755133
>>754395While not quite who she was looking for, Rads waves at the griffon with a pseudopod, before turning her attention to the bouncer.
>>754876"Ooh, do you think that's really her? Maybe we should follow them!"
No.755134
>>755133"I think that's our best bet for now, at least."
No.755135
>>755132"You uh, still need something? Seems you guys have it handled now. That bouncer is just letting your friends in."
>>755133She looks even more surprised when a pseudopod emerges from your body. She sheepishly raises a claw and waves in return.
>>755131He takes the bits and tucks them into his pocket. "I can put in a lot more than a word. You all mean business and won't waste Glam's time, come on and meet him yourself." He opens a single side of the double doors behind him, revealing the currently dull interior of the nightclub. Chase looks over and takes a few steps closer, interested in it but backing up when the bouncer glances at her.
No.755136
>>755135"Alright. Bloody beauty." He follows the bouncer in, looking back at his companions with a smug look. He does a slight double take seeing Chase there. "Who are you again?"
No.755137
>>755135"Right. Let's get to meeting 'em then, yeah?"
No.755138
>>755135"Oh no, was just coming over to see if you wanted to join us or not. Or chat. I dunno."
No.755139
>>755135"Thank you!" cheerily replies Rads, before slipping into the club behind Mako.
No.755141
>>755138"Oh. No thanks. That place kinda skeeves me out. Be careful around Glam, he can sorta be a weird cat."
>>755137>>755136>>755139You all enter into the nightclub. The floor is eerily silent, only a few lights are on and there is almost no sound besides a few bartenders shuffling glasses around off to your right. The minotaur guides you accross the dancefloor and into a back hallway lined with red carpet and walls. At the end is an elevator directly to Glam's apartment.
As you enter the barrage of strange decor and colors hits you all at once. From abstract paintings on the walls, to synthetic hardlight statues floating in mid air, Glam's place is very… eccentric. You can hear soft electronic music play along with the voice of a felid nearby.
"…well tell him that I don't care! If she doesn't want to perform that's fine by me, just as long as she isn't playing other places behind my back." He notices you all enter and raises a single finger of his paw in a 'Wait.' motion. "Look, I've got company. Just pay off her talent agent or something, I don't know." The pink and gold felid in a robe hangs up his PDA and drops it into the strange spherical chair hanging from the ceiling he's sitting in. He clicks his tongue and then speaks, eyeing over each of you. "Ali, you brought me gifts? I am so touched." On further consideration he continues. "Ehhh… They don't really look my type. Maybe one or two but…"
"Boss." The minotaur says.
"…I think maybe the zebra could look cute if she…"
"Boss. Ali says again.
"…and really since the goo pony could be anything really-"
"Glam!" He shouts.
"Oh! Did you need something? Not you Ali, these four. Surely my security guards haven't just let some random chaff in. You all must be interested in something, yes?" He says, crossing a leg over another and spreading his arms out to offer you all seats on various oddly shaped couches.
No.755143
>>755141He raises an eyebrow at the spectacle, but doesn't question it. Nor does he waste timew with too much pleasantries. He introduces himself and gets to the point. "Mako Rinzler. Maybe you've heard of me, but probably not. Me and my mates are looking for someone in town, heard you're the guy to talk to about meeting people who don't want to be met. Specifically, one…" He checks his datapad. "Lucra Moren. Heard she runs an operation out of these parts. Got anything for us?"
No.755144
>>755141Zirali nodded and went off looking for… someone. She lost track of the others so she was just sort of looking for people who stood out now.
No.755146
>>755141Gamma blinks once or twice in confusion at the entire exchange, before letting out a soft whiny and saying "Yeah, nothing like that. We're just looking for someone in particular."
No.755147
>>755141A seat was prompted, and Rads takes it, setting down on the couch Tarp first to avoid making a stain on the fabric.
>>755143"Yeah! It's very important we find her, would you know where she'd be?"
No.755149
>>755143"Lucy?" He holds a paw up to his chin. "She came into town maybe three, four weeks ago? I could tell she was one of those 'All Business' types like you but something was different about the way she did it. She started taking out some of the less desirable gangs and left upstanding places of culture and art such as myself unscathed."
>>755146He turns over to you, sitting very strangely in his chair. "Very particular. She had this flawless, straight cut hair and some fancy old world sword on her back. Barely spoke to anyone around here. None of my agents even heard her voice."
>>755147"If it's very important around here, then it involves me. The last we heard of her we my contact said she was going to 'cut the head off of the snake'. Not sure what that means. The only snake that ever operated around here I cut off myself. Aviv had it coming.
>>755144"Admiring the artwork? It's all more expensive than you can afford, so don't touch it." He says, despite there being very little malice in his tone.
Ali exhales through his nose as he leans against a nearby wall. Glam shrugs his shoulders and looks at you all. "That's all I know, really."
>Roll Perception to see what this cat is really up to. No.755150
>>755149"No idea where she could be? I'm sure you've got ears, and your ears have ears."
[1d10] Persuade
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 1 = 1 /
Roll #2 2 = 2 No.755153
>>755149"Huh? Oh I guess. Wasn't planning on touching it. I don't see with my hooves."
No.755154
>>755153[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.755157
>>755149"Hmm… definitely sticks out, then- at the least, someone like that won't be too terribly hard to find, right?"
>Perception: [1d10]Roll #1 7 = 7 No.755158
>>755149"Aw.." says Rads, drooping in her seat. "Are you sure you haven't seen her? Would you know someone who might have?"
[1d10] Persuasion
Roll #1 9 = 9 No.755159
>>755150"They do. And they hear a lot of things, like a quartet of off-key singers sticking out in Thorn like-" He stops, looks towards Ali, then continues. "Well like a thorn. In my side. I don't mean to make the terrible pun."
You can't discern much from his demeanor or room. The way he sits is awfully strange, but it seems that's just the way he is.
>>755153>>755154Ali lumbers over to you and stands near a sculpture. He looks down on you, carefully studying your every move. He is wordless, but his expression says everything you need to know.
>>755157"And somebody who sticks out like that might attract some attention they might not want, right? They start causing problems, trying to change things, and people who like the status quo get upset, send little groups of runners to-" He traces a paw across his neck slowly, and then slumps down pretending to be dead.
>>755158"I've seen her and I'm sure you have too. You must have got a good look on that Syndicate PDA when you took the bounty out on her, right? Gotta say, you're the first group of assassins to pay us to fuck up your job. Whatever. Let's finish this up!"
With that, four more security personnel enter the room from hallways adjacent. Two diamond dogs, a pegasus and tall dragon with runes tattooed on their body surround you now, escalating the situation immensely.
No.755160
>>755159"A-Assassins? Come now, please- we just need to talk to her about a run that went sideways. I'm not much of a fighter anyways, really- unless fighting tumblers and safe combinations counts." the earth pony says, looking around nervously.
No.755162
>>755159He frowns. "If I wanted to kill you I wouldn't be waltzing in the front door now would I. You have a brain. Use it. All we want is to be pointed in the right direction, and then we'll be on our way." He tries to de escalate the situation while peering around for potential escape routes.
[1d10] Persuade
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 2 = 2 /
Roll #2 9 = 9 No.755163
>>755159"Hm? Assassin? No-no, we really
do just want to talk to her!" says Rads, jumping up in surprise!
"We had some questions about another job that she might know about, that's all.."
[1d10] Persuasion
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.755166
>>755160"Really?" He says with a genuine interest. "I could use someone like you. These brutes can barely open a safe
with the keys."
>>755162"I suppose that's true. Maybe you're bluffing but you don't seem intimidated by my threats. I bet it's all bravado though." He says, smirking at you.
>>755163"You all keep mentioning this other job. Tell me what that is and why you need to speak with Lucra. She very specifically told me to look out for little groups of runners like you all. The more disorganized and thrown together they looked, the more of a threat they were she said." He says, waving his goons down as he fiddles with one of his own claws.
The rune-clad dragon clenches a fist, and a fire hisses in his claw. He releases it with a sigh. The two diamond dogs lower their rifles and stand at attention. Things are just as tense, but at least it isn't going to be a bloodbath.
No.755168
>>755166"Long and convoluted story short, we're trying to get into the EXO database to follow up on a job we took. Our boss said Lucy could help with that."
No.755169
>>755166"I'm a little busy right now, but maybe after we've finished this up. We're looking for her to figure out how to open some data files. The guy that put us up from the job just sort of… well… vanished."
No.755170
>>755169>>755166"Yeah! We were mid-mission and he disappeared, we learned she may know where he went."
No.755171
>>755159Zirali was really hoping that she had her minions right now as they were surrounded.
No.755172
>>755168>>755169>>755170>>755171"Huh. Certainly odd. Exactly the type of business I'd expect her to get involved in though."
He mulls it over a bit, then concedes. With another wave of his paws all the guards leave except the dragon who waits patiently near the door, taking Ali's spot. Glam looks at a clock on the wall, then back at all of you.
"She had a meeting a few hours ago. By now she's back in her apartment. Room 214. Axkan over there will show you the way." He gestures towards the dragon. "Now, unless you have any more questions or are going to go downstairs and buy drinks, get out of my fur and my nightclub."
No.755173
>>755172"Huh- I was worried she might've been getting held up elsewhere. Well, that's good- hopefully she won't mind a few visitors, then- thanks for the help!"
No.755175
>>755172"Ah, thank you for the help, and for not killing us! Sorry for the confusion!"
With the matter settled, Rads heads for the door, waiting for the others before following Axkan out.
No.755177
>>755172"Gladly." He touches the brim of his hat and leaves with the others. "Wanker," he mutters to himself once he's safely out of earshot.
No.755178
>>755172Zirali remained quiet and tailed the others out.
No.755180
>>755173>>755175>>755177>>755178The dragon leads you back through Glam's room to a back stairwell. After a few flights of stairs you reach the apartments above Glam's. They're drab in comparison to the lightshow downstairs. Axkan walks to room 214, looks at the number, looks at you, then nods his head ever so slightly. One quarter of an inch. The dragon is tall, imposing but absolutely silent. He walks away, leaving you all alone.
Interestingly, the door is already cracked open a tiny bit.
No.755181
>>755180Zirali works to summon a hologram to investigate the room.
[1d10+1} Summoning
No.755182
[1d10+1] Summoning but right this time
Roll #1 8 + 1 = 9
No.755183
>>755180He watches patiently to make sure Axkan really is gone, then sums up the room, looking for any potential oddities before knocking.
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.755185
>>755180Gamma returns the gesture to Axkan and frowns as he notices the door slightly ajar, taking a look around.
>Master Thief: [1d10]Roll #1 5 = 5 No.755186
>>755180Waving goodbye to Axkan as he marches off, Rads turns her attention to the door, noting the opened state of it.
"Hello?" she calls, peeking through the crack of the door.
No.755188
>>755181>>755182At first you don't see the hologram come out of your orb, then realize it merely spawned on the opposite side of you. It smiles and waves before trotting in. It looks back at you with some concern.
>>755183The dragon is gone unusually quickly, must be busy. Poking your head into the room you notice a small kitchen. It looks completely unused, with some pots and pans bearing a bit of dust.
>>755185There's a short entrance with a door on your right. Towards the end of it you can see the flicker of some sort of light.
>>755186Being the only one to actually just say something, you get a response. There's a small amount of clattering, then the sound of something metal hitting the ground. With every description you've recieved of Lucy thus far, the figure in front of you betrays it immensely. Her coat is purple with her mane cut in a flawless edge hanging just below her ear. She stands before you wearing a black sweatshirt, covering up the various splatterings of blood in her coat. Her apartment is a bit of a mess, with various containers of fast food, video game discs and other things strewn about. The nicest thing in the entire place is a katana, carefully placed onto the couch in it's sheath.
"You guys uh… need something?
No.755189
>>755188She sent it into the room first to play Canary in the coal mine.
No.755190
>>755188"You Lucy?" he asks plainly. "Cherry Breeze sent us. We need to talk."
No.755191
>>755188>>755189Or not. the duo waved instead.
No.755192
>>755188"Oh, Hello!" Replies Rads, waving a pseudopod in grreting.
"I'm Rads! We were told you could help us with unlocking a databank? Glam let us through."
No.755194
>>755188"Oh! Uh… hey. Sorry, we weren't really sure what to expect. We're here to talk about a database."
No.755196
>>755191>>755192>>755194She stares at all of you, motionless for a bit. Afterwards she looks at the floor in confusion. "Yeah, sure. Look I've had a long day and I just want to go to-"
>>755190"Oh." She stops. A range of emotions spread over her face, the last being a resignation to fate. "I knew she'd cash out on this one day. Come inside and we can talk about the job." She doesn't look happy about all this, but she isn't trying to stop it either.
"Wanna order pizza or something for this?"
No.755442
>>755133"Sure, luv. Long as it doesn't have onion. This might take a bit, so it'll be on me." He takes off his hat as he enters. "Name's Mako, by the way. Cherry said you could help us with a pretty high profile job involving a little place called EXO." He side eyes her to gauge her reaction.
No.755443
>>755196She nodded "I mean if you wanna go crash I won't stop ya."
No.755444
>>755196"Ah- uh… sure. I could go for just about anything, really. Sorry to drop this all on you."
No.755445
>>755196"Ooh, pizza? sounds tasty!" replies rads, slinking past the pony into the room.
No.755446
>>755442She looks at you a bit strangely when you mention onion, but shrugs it off. She walks into the small kitchen to your right and sighs as you explain the rest. "I'm guessing you mean that 'little' ironically. EXO isn't a public library. It's a highly funded and guarded information datavault. Nobody's quite sure who funds it and what their goal is but it's still there. And Cherry wants something from it… any of you know what exactly?"
>>755443"Don't sleep when Cherry has a job on the table. I don't know where she gets it, but that girl has bits to spend and workers like us to spend it on." The earth pony studies you intently, then your clone and the rest of the party. "I'll admit you fou- five don't really look like her usual crowd of career criminals. How do you know Cherry then?"
>>755444"Eh, just finished something else up anyways." Lucy says, running a small hand towel under the sink and wiping blood out of her coat. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. Glam probably gave you a lot of shit just to talk to me."
>>755445She pokes away at her PDA for a bit, ordering pizza for you all. "Should be here in half an hour. I've never seen a crew run well on empty stomachs. Do you guys have names? Or are you all anonymous and weird like Cherry?"
As you slip past her into the rest of her apartment, you notice her couch and trideo television setup. There's a few custom wire jobs leading to an old P64 console next to a crate full of old video games. On the screen itself a vaguely fantasy looking game is paused.
No.755447
>>755446"I unno, someone told me they needed a job done and I was good to do it."
No.755448
>>755446"Well, there's a lot of money on the line here. "Cherry"'s had us on a wild goose chase so far, but with your help, we might be able to get a head start." He proceeds to explain the current situation, leading up to the EXO lead Null pointed them towards.
No.755449
>>755446"Eh… not that much. Kind of an odd one, though. I hope whatever it was went well-ish?" he asks, looking at the blood with a bit of concern.
"Oh! Right. Uhm, Gamma."
No.755450
>>755448>>755446"…You've got red on you," he adds, noticing the blood on her clothes.
No.755451
>>755446>>755450"Oh! are you hurt?" chimes in Rads, finally noticing the red as well.
No.755452
>>755447"Makes sense."
>>755448Lucy sighs and chuckles before going on. "Sounds exactly like her. Fake names, minimal contact." She steps away from the sink and leans onto the kitchen table, her PDA still sitting on it. "I know why she had you contact me, however. We had a EXO raid put together back when Cherry was still here in Manehatten. Once she left I had to shelve away the plans. Luckily I still have them." She pulls up a schematic of the EXO facility. It's complicated and hard to work out exactly what you're looking at.
>>755449"Never met anyone named Gamma. Is that Saddle Arabian or something?" She says, entirely guessing.
>>755449>>755450>>755451"Oh. It's not mine. I've been doing a bit of vigilante work for Glam lately, keeping the other gangs in their place. It gets messy from time to time."
You all hear a distant crashing noise followed by some confused chatter, but can't identify exactly what or where it came from. Lucy is immediately on edge and quickly walks over to her katana. "Maybe I missed a couple."
>Roll Perception No.755453
>>755452Zirali killed the video of Video clips set to a memetic song
[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.755454
>>755452"Hmm? Nah, just an odd name my parents picked. It sort of stuck, I guess?" he says, offering a bit of a chuckle.
>>755452>Perception: [1d10]"Not yours? Well, uh… that's good, at least!"
Roll #1 3 = 3 No.755455
>>755452Turning her attention to the commotion, Rads trots over to the door, placing an ear to the frame.
[1d10] Perception
"Hmm.."
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.755456
>>755452He tilts his head. "I have no idea how to read this. Care to explain?" He's about to say something more, but his attention is drawn to the distant sound. His ears prick up and he tenses, reaching for his hat and trying to make out what he's hearing.
>Sound Hound: passive; Rather than brutishly train your paws, your ears give you a much more refined sense for your surroundings. With your heightened hearing and a bit of focus, you can listen on whispers and distant conversations with ease. Allies that aware of your ability can use this to speak at you at near whispering without either of you needing to roll to keep it from being overheard, except by other Diamond Dogs with Sound Hound. In combat, for the first turn any attack targeting you hits on a DC+2, or DC+1 for stealth attacks and ambushes.[1d10] Perception
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.755457
>>755453>>755454Neither of you can pick up much.
>>755455Pressing your gelatinous ear against the frame of the door makes you unable to hear anything. However you can feel subtle vibrations coming from the opposite end of the hallway you entered from.
>>755456The sound is gone quickly but it echoes subtly in your mind. It's breaking glass. And it's not as far as you think. "MPD Bounty Drones." Lucy says, disappointingly as she looks over a different image on her PDA. "Help me get rid of them and I'll help you."
With a deep breath she draws her sword and stands by the door, nodding to the rest of you before swinging it open and rolling off into the hallway. Floating above her with glowing red scanners are three drones. "Lucra Moren. Surrender now or lethal force will be utilized."
Just then, Lucy tumbles past the group and slashes one of the drones!
[1d10]
The drones shoot wildly at Lucy, Rads and Zirali!
[1d10] Lucy
[1d10 Rads
[1d10] Zirali (DC+1 from Z-Tactic)
Roll #1 2 = 2 /
Roll #2 4 = 4 /
Roll #3 6 = 6 No.755458
>>755457Shooting at Rads [1d10]
Roll #1 9 = 9 No.755459
>>755457His eyes widen, and he rushes to Rads' side, bringing his steel hat up to try and block the incoming shots!
>[CUSTOM JOB] Brace: weapon; Rush to a close by ally’s side and help them stand against an attack. When an ally would take any type of damage, you can use this to cut that damage in half on success. You can also use this on yourself, but only against enemy attacks and not counterattack damage. [1d10]
Roll #1 6 = 6 No.755460
>>755457Zirali went wide eyed and worked to summon another drone as she had her one active Hologram prepared to intercept any other attacks that might go for her.
[1d10+1] Summoning
Minion {Readying Counter)
Roll #1 4 + 1 = 5 No.755461
>>755460>>755457Minion is readying to counter the drone that shot at Zirali.
No.755462
>>755457Hunkering behind her shielding and shored up with Mako's hat, Rads peeks out from her cover to hock a radball at one of the drones!
>Aimed shot No.755463
>>755457"Woah! A-Alright, then!" the stallion whinnies, slipping his knife from its sheath and swinging at one of the drone taking a shot at Rads.
>Rupture: [1d10] (DC-1 from Single Weapon)Roll #1 7 = 7 No.755464
>>755459You dash over to Rads, intercepting most of the bullets. All but one bounce off your hat with satisfying
tink! noises. The last shot ricochets back into Rads, but landing slowly enough that it merely sinks through her and onto the ground.
>>755460The orb sputters and fizzes, your concentration broken by the gunfire. The existing hologram locks onto the drone, readying to counter it's next move.
>>755462You slip your appendage past Mako's hat and lob a ball of slime at the group of drones. It lands with a satisfying smack and one of the drones falls to the ground, sputtering to get back up.
>Drone 1 3/1, Drone 2 6/1, Drone 3 6/1>>755463You dash towards the drones singling out the one that just shot at Rads. The knife finds the crook of it's scanners, causing it to spin in confusion for a few moments after being slashed. It readjusts, but is looking in bad shape.
>Drone 1 3/1, Drone 2 4/1, Drone 3 6/1Lucy's tumble misses entirely, causing her to hit the floor disgracefully. Luckily the drone shooting at her misses as well, giving her a chance to slash it in revenge!
>Weapon[1d10]
The first drone opens a port on it's underside, revealing a scanner that locks onto Mako!
>Marked for Death: recharge 4 after effect ends; Mark a target. All successful rolls against it Autocrit for 2 turns. On Crit Fail you mark yourself, causing your next roll to be a Crit Fail if it fails in any way. [1d10]
The other two drones attempt to shoot at Gamma!
[1d10]
[1d10]
Roll #1 2 = 2 /
Roll #2 3 = 3 /
Roll #3 8 = 8 /
Roll #4 8 = 8 No.755465
>>755464With the drones now barreling down on Gamma, Rads dives towards the earth pony, plating raised to the volley!
[1d10] Brace!
Roll #1 4 = 4 No.755466
>>755464The stallion stumbles backwards and attempts to roll to safety, not keen on being swiss-cheesed!
>Dodge: [1d10]Roll #1 2 = 2 No.755467
>>755464The zebra grunted and had to move to strike drone 1 with force.
Her minion meanwhile moves to counters Drone 3's shot and promptly tries to slam it down.
[1d10] Strike Drone 1
[1d10] Slam Drone 3
Roll #1 10 = 10 /
Roll #2 1 = 1 No.755468
>>755464As one of the drones faces him down, he grits his teeth and hurls the hat like a discus, aiming for its photoreceptors.
>Snipe: recharge 2, requires a ranged weapon; Aim for a critical spot on a target to deal massive damage. You may raise the DC of this skill by X, causing Snipe to deal X more hits of damage. There is no cap on this. On Crit you strike a nerve, hindering the target and giving them a DC+X to all their actions next turn, with X being how much you raised Snipe’s DC by.[1d10] +2 hits, hits on an 8
Roll #1 5 = 5 No.755469
>>755465>>755466The shots from the drones are accurate and fierce, even with Rads and the holographic Zebra stepping in to take the hit. Gamma remains unscathed while the other two are hit in the arm.
>Rads and Zebra take one hit>>755467The scanning drone completely doesn't notice you as you dash towards it and plunge your hoof into it, causing it to spin out as it clatters against the floor. The red light on it's chassis fades out.
>Drone 1 0/0, Drone 2 4/1, Drone 3 6/1>>755468Your aim was dead on and exactly where the drone was… three seconds before your hat actually gets to it. Zirali slams it before you can actually hit it, leaving your hat to wedge itself into a wall.
Lucy misses yet again, cursing under her breath as she launches herself into another tumble into the weakened remaining drone!
Tumble [1d10]
The two drones focus their fire on Lucy!
[1d10]
[1d10]
Roll #1 6 = 6 /
Roll #2 10 = 10 /
Roll #3 1 = 1 No.755470
>>755469>>755467He nods in thanks to Zirali for the assist, then turns his attention to the first of the drones. He thinks fast and grabs his hat out of the wall, hurling it at the drone!
> Boomerang: weapon, ranged; You’re quite skilled at being able to hit an enemy no matter what, even by tossing any old object. Shoot or throw your weapon at an enemy to deal damage. If this fails, you can make Boomerang a minimum success by giving Boomerang X turns of recharge, with X being the bonus this skill needs to succeed. If Boomerang is boosted it will deal damage next turn instead as it rebounds back, striking the enemy from behind. You cannot boost a Crit Fail, and this skill cannot Crit if boosted. On Crit you show off your amazing throw, giving you a Bonus Action to use your weapon’s skill this turn as you catch it on the fly back. [1d10]
Roll #1 7 = 7 No.755471
>>755469"Thanks!" the stallion calls out, scrabbling back up to his hooves and jabbing at the first of two security drones going after Lucy!
>Rupture: [1d10] (DC -1)Roll #1 4 = 4 No.755472
>>755469Zirali nodded and worked to summon a second hologram as she had her minion go to hit Drone 3.
[1d10+1] Summoning
[1d10] Attack
Roll #1 2 + 1 = 3 /
Roll #2 6 = 6 No.755473
>>755469Stumbling from the hail of gunfire, Rads advances onto Lucy's position, Doing what she can to shield her from the attack!
[1d10] Brace
Roll #1 2 = 2 No.755474
>>755470You quickly retrieve your hat and throw it into the drone. It's caught off guard as it shoots towards Lucy and it is hit cleanly by the metal brim.
>Drone 2 2/1>>755471As the drone goes flying from Mako's hat, you manage to barely slash it as it goes past you.
>Drone 2 1/1>>755472The hologram orb is resilient, and doesn't even budge. Your minion slams into the drone, leaving a serious dent on the side of it.
>Drone 3 5/1>>755473You dash over to Lucy but lose control and end up splashing right into her, causing you both to get hit.
>Both suffer 1 hitDrone 2 is barely able to function, and spins around aimlessly.
Drone 3 fires on Mako!
[1d10]
Lucy rises from the ground and takes the easy swing at Drone 2.
[1d10]
Roll #1 6 = 6 /
Roll #2 8 = 8 No.755475
>>755474Zirali made an annoyed noise and decided to join her minion on wailing on Drone 3.
[1d10] attack
[1d10] attack
Roll #1 5 = 5 /
Roll #2 3 = 3 No.755476
>>755474As the drone opens fire, he rushes forward and falls into a power slide before uppercutting with the steel hat, slashing it with the metal edge!
>Dash: instant, recharge 2; Mako's keen reflexes make him a very quick combatant. This skill allows Mako to rapidly move to an adjacent zone and evade an incoming attack if there is one. The DC to do so is equal to the enemy's attack roll-1. If there is no incoming attack, Dash becomes automatic.[1d10]
[1d10] Regular attack
Roll #1 8 = 8 /
Roll #2 1 = 1 No.755477
Splashing onto Lucy, the poor pony is left with concerningly green stains as Rads reforms off of her.
Shaking her head, The goo pony forms another radball, lobbing the iridescent slime at the hovering drone!
[1d10] Ranged
Roll #1 6 = 6
No.755478
>>755474"We almost got 'em!" Gamma says, trying a more focused strike to underside of Drone 2
>Restrained Strike: [1d10] (DC-1)Roll #1 6 = 6 No.755479
>>755475You both bonk it at the same moment, causing it to spur out and fall to the ground.
>Drone 3 3/1>>755476You manage to slide past the drone gracefully. In fact, you slide so well you slide clean past the drone and all the way to the other end of the hallway. You can see the smashed window the drones entered through.
>>755477"Goes well with the red stains." She says jokingly.
>>755477>>755478Your attacks land perfectly at the same moment, causing the drone to spin out and clatter onto the floor.
>Drone 3 0/1All three of the robots lie motionless on the ground, two of them deactivated and the last one flickering gently. Lucy walks over to the broken window to help Mako up and look out it.
"No more are coming. At least for tonight."
"Uhh…" After she says this, you all hear a voice at the end of the hallway you entered. A young pegasus, absolutely quivering his voice and body stands wide eyed and tries to speak after witnessing all that. "I have two uh… pizzas for uh… Lucy?"
No.755480
>>755479Gamma lets out a sigh of relief and settles on to his haunches for a moment, saying "Whoo… that went pretty well! Everyone okay?" he asks, looking around at the others. He flicks an ear as he hears the delivery colt, nodding a bit and saying "Uhm… yeah, that's us- don't mind the, uh… y-ya know."
No.755481
>>755479"Oh.. sorry!" Replies Rads, eying the now likely ruined shirt. "clumsy me, tripping into you."
>>755480>>755475>>755476"Anypony injured?" Asks Rads, moving between the party to check for cuts and scrapes.
No.755482
>>755481"I'm good."
>>755479"I could go for that pizza though."
No.755483
>>755479He grinds to a halt and gathers himself, mumbling something about being out of practice.
As promised, he saunters over to the pizza guy, paying for them and leaving him a generous 20 bit tip. "Mum's the word," he says to him meaningfully with a smirk, gesturing vaguely at the bedlam.
"Well," he says to Lucy after he leaves, "someone's bound to have overheard this mess. Should we be laying low somewhere till it blows over?" He holds out the pizza boxes for her to take.
No.755484
>>755480The colt doesn't answer. He just sorta stumbles on words until Mako takes the pizzas.
>>755481"Not a problem, Rads. I was sloppy back there, you had my back more than once. Thanks." Lucy says, brushing herself off and smiling.
>>755482>>755483The pegasus only manages to say "…What?" before he slowly backs away and retreats down the stairs.
Lucy walks over to you. "You're right, this isn't optimal. Seems the MPD are onto my latest hideout. There's nowhere better than Thorn though. They can send drones all they want but they aren't getting an actual squad in here anytime soon. Thorn residents wouldn't let them set one hoof down."
She mulls it over for a bit. "For now, let's eat and think out this heist. I'll talk to Glam in the morning and see if he can help at all. We're all alive, and I appreciate that." She says, moving with the pizzas back into her apartment, leaving them on the table as she goes to get changed out of her bloody, slimy clothes.
No.755485
>>755484"Yeah! Uhm… thanks." the stallion says, fishing through his pockets to find the bits he needs to tip the colt well.
No.755486
>>755484"You've got it!"
Strapping her shield back down, Rads follows Lucy back into the apartment, helping her with the boxes as she leaves to change.
No.755487
>>755484"Glam almost had us killed before, you know," he comments casually as he enters and helps himself to a slice of pizza.
"So. Run me by this facility, would you? Those plans looked downright non-Euclidean."
No.755488
>>755484>>755485"Well, that's a relief- I think we can handle the drones just fine, unless they have heavy-duty ones, or something similar."
He also takes a slice of pizza once they're set down.
No.755489
>>755488>>755486>>755482"I think of drones as paper bots," he agrees in response to Gamma, sitting on the couch and folding his hands behind his head.
"So. What do youse think of this job coming up? Got a good feeling about it myself, but there's always curveballs in this line of work. Like that rat Ven."
No.755490
>>755484Zirali grabs a slice and chills as she lifted her mask to rub at her eyes a bit.
No.755491
>>755490>>755489"I mean if the pays decent it seems fine."
No.755492
>>755487She returns only wearing an oversized shirt with some band name emblazoned on it. She chuckles at the comment about Glam. "You don't get as far as he did without being a little paranoid. He's really a fun guy if you get to know him."
>>755487"EXO is an absolute rat's nest. The actual vault and server is the lowest basement, but the only direct access is from an elevator from the forty-first floor of the building." She throws her PDA back onto the table, the elevator she mention highlighted.
>>755488"No drones there. All living security and personnel." She says, rotating the image and pointing out the very bottom of the elevator shaft. "They've got a unique security tactic. Instead of trying to prevent break-ins, they prevent break-outs. Once you go down into the main server room, there's only one way out."
No.755493
>>755489"Hmm.. Not sure.. Something hidden like this must be really important though!"
Taking a slice of pizza, she sets it into her mouth as one, before closing her jaw, the pizza bubbling away from some reaction.
"Do you think Ven is okay?" she asks, a mouth opening elsewhere on her muzzle as the pizza dissolves.
No.755494
>>755492"Ah. Right back the way you came, which'll be crawling with guards." he says, taking another slice of pizza and humming a bit in thought.
No.755798
>>755492>>755494"I'm feeling disguises like last time," he remarks through bites of pizza. "If we can take out a few guards quietly we should be able to bullshit our way out of the server room. Question though, how do we get in? What's on the table there?"
No.755799
>>755798"As long as I get a good look at one, I
should be able to make a really, really convincing disguise."
No.755800
>>755492Zirali sighed as she ate, letting her helmet have some time off her face, shaking her mane loose of it's helmet hair shape.
No.755801
>>755799"Don't worry about that mate, I'll get one of 'em for ya. Rest of us will need the clothes but."
>>755800"Oh hey you actually have a face under there. Almost thought you were a bot for a while. You gonna tell us your name or?"
No.755802
>>755798"Hmm.. Maybe a roof vent?" offers Rads, the pizza sizzling away within her as a pseudopod grips another slice.
"We can crawl through and open a door!"
No.755803
>>755801"I don't think most of us could fit, but it's not a bad idea."
>>755801"Hey- if there's no other way, I could disguise, walk in, grab the uniforms and walk out.
No.755804
>>755798Lucy bites into her pizza without taking her eyes off of the projected image of the compound. "The place you likely want to be is the server room. Good chance you'll be able to find information on your buyer, Ven and anyone else that's slighted you."
>>755799"You're a tailor or something? I didn't take you for the type…" she says a bit curious and confused.
>>755802Lucy stares as you dissolve the slice before shaking her head out of her dumbfoundedness. "Roof vent was Cherry and I's original plan. The building has been remodeled more than once since then. It's still possible, but I'd think about alternatives."
No.755805
>>755803He scoffs. "What, just waltz right in and grab uniforms? Tall order, but if you think you can do it go right ahead."
>>755802>>755804"Wouldn't be the first time I've had to crawl through a vent. Only problem is how do we get to the roof undetected. Other than that it sounds like a good idea, 'less there's something else you had in mind."
No.755806
>>755801"Oh I didn't before? It's Zirali." she said half a slice hanging from her mouth.
>>755804Any kind of nasty security in that room?"
No.755807
>>755804"Oh! Uh, no- I'm just shapeshifting. If we can pull one aside, I could disguise myself."
>>755805"W-Well, nono! Not, uh, not quite like that. Just finding some spare uniforms, if I could find any."
No.755808
>>755805>>755803"Maybe there's a uniform vendor? I worked at this super nice greenhouse that had a machine that dispensed them!"
No.755809
>>755805Lucy turns the blueprints slowly. "That's the risk. It's an easy trip down to Floor 0 but getting to it could have complications."
>>755806She chuckles. "All the security is nasty. Bastion security still takes their contracts and the certainly earn them. Experimental weapons, magic and tech."
>>755807>>755808"Interesting… we could pose as a delivery crew and get a set of these uniforms. The minimum pay wageslaves working shipping and receiving probably don't even check ID. They'd let us in right when we ask."
"Could run this buy your friends back in Centro though. I'm sure they'll have an opinion."
No.755810
>>755808>>755809"Hmm… both of those sound like good ideas, yeah. They won't care if we act a little off either, I bet- plenty of weird people around, you know?"
No.755811
>>755809"Ooh, all we have to do is figure out when their supplies are due!"
No.755862
>>755810>>755811>>755812After a long, fruitless night of discussing plans and alternatives, you each end up asleep in various locations in Lucy's apartment. The following morning Lucy heads with you to Glam who nervously fiddles with his claws as you approach. After his long apology about misunderstandings and how he owes you a favor for trying to kill you, you head out of Thorn street for now.
Lucy hesitates as you step down into the subway station. After a moment's consideration she steps down with the rest of you, bearing only a pair of saddlebags and her katana strewn across her back. This mission was a success with Lucy coming back to Centro with you. But her knowledge of [null] and the task at hand has only really added more questions.
>Despite this, you feel like you have learned something from this tumultuous trip. +3 Karma to all party members.After a much more uneventful return trip than the one you took out to Thorn you all find yourself back at Centro. The skies are cloudy and dull. The dogs are suspiciously absent.
Lucy speaks up. "Cute place. Not one of Cherry's safehouses I remember though. That means we have basically nothing to work with for this heist. That means not enough firepower to kick the door down and hold off security. Seems like the stealth approach is our best bet. Objections?"
No.755863
>>755862He snorts with displeasure at meeting up with Glam again. "You yellow little shit. Next time, it'll be double- no, triple the pay, up front, or you can find some other goon to do your dirty work."
-
He takes a look around, arms folded. "None from me. I can work with stealth. Seems like the easiest way to go about it. Forget the uniforms."
No.755864
>>755862I mean with enough time I can get a decent gang together of holograms to act as muscle for us."
No.755865
>>755864He nods. "Once things inevitably go tits up we'll need some meat shields for sure. Can't see this going any other way than punching our way out."
No.755866
>>755862>That's a total of 4 Karma, I think!"Stealth is fine by me, yup. It'd probably be a bad idea to risk making too much noise, even if we had the gear to. Need me to try scouting ahead?"
