NEWS

Sam Mercer (ongoing) (hopefully)

  • 12 Replies
  • 6512 Views

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« on: <05-19-13/0712:57> »
Jim Donovan was already waiting at my usual booth at Callahan's when I walked in.  You can tell what kind of cop you are dealing with by what they eat.  A dirty cop would have the nuyen for the real thing, but Jim ate the same drek as the rest of us.  We'd been friends for a more than a couple of years, and he starting tossing work my way when I'd gotten , my PI's badge.

I motioned to Harry, the owner, for a cup of coffee as I settled into my seat.  Jim wrinkled his nose at me, as I slid a datacard to him.  He popped the card into his comm as my drink arrived, and I could taste the whiskey in it as I took a sip.  It'd been a rough night, and I needed something to stand me up before I got home.

"You stink, Sam.  What happen?"  Jim was done to business.  Social time would come after my report.

"Ghouls", I said, stretching my shoulders.  "A group of them were cleaning up after the mage you sent me after.  I guess they appreciate it when their dinner cooks itself."

Jim gave me a look, before pushing his steak and eggs away,  "So Moya is dead, then?"

"As a door nail, whatever that is.  He lost control of a fire spirit, and got roasted for his trouble.  Took a bit of work to get rid of it.  Idiot summoned a greater form.  Going off what I found in his apartment, I'd say he was the guy that took out that prison transport the other day.  Anyway, I've got a pair of my spirits guarding the place, to make sure nothing goes missing till your team get there.  So, job's done, and I get to go shower, as soon as you pay the bills."

He looked over the bill I'd attached to the report, and slid a cred stick to me.  "There you go.  I'll have my guys tape the place off."

Leaning back, he asked, "So, you gonna make it over for the game tomorrow?  it's the Brawl Championships, Liz is at her folks in Boston, and I've got a fridge full of beer that needs drinking."

I was about to answer, when my comm sounded.  Thumbing it on, I heard the voice of my landlady, Anna Mathews.

"Sam, get home quick, Ricky's run away."

Great.  Ricky was a very angry fourteen year old, who'd goblinized last year.  Living in Renton didn't make it any easier.  Guess my night wasn't over yet.

"I'm on the way, give me twenty minutes." I said, before turning my attention to Jim.  "Gotta go, Anna's boy took off."

"Alright, let me know if you need any help", he responded, as I left the table.

Outside, I kicked my Scorpion to life with a roar, the AR in my helmet's visor showing Anna's face off to the side as I plugged my comm into it.

"I don't know when he left.  He was here after dinner, but when I got up, his room was empty, and he's not answering his comm.  I found a pamphlet in his room.  Something about the Sons of Sauron."

Oh, that was bad.  The Sons hated anything that wasn't an Ork or a Troll.  Being an Elf, I doubted they would just let me grab the kid and ride off.  Cutting across traffic to the sounds of horns and angry shouts, I started towards Redmond

"Don't worry, Anna, I'll get him back.  I promise."
« Last Edit: <05-20-13/1104:46> by Dragonslayer »

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #1 on: <05-19-13/0757:56> »
It's a bit rough, I know, but I'll get it cleaned up later.

Probably help if I actually had an idea before I started typing.

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #2 on: <05-20-13/1040:12> »
I've been a private investigator for just over three years now.  I thought it was going to be my way to make up for the wrongs I did, but it hasn't worked out that way.  Except for a few cases Jim tosses my way due to manpower shortages, I mostly deal with cheating spouses.  It's not as glamorous as the trids made it out to be, so if a chance comes along to let me really help someone, like Ricky or his Mom, there was no way I could say no.

The Sons of Sauron were bad news, pure and simple.  Hate came easy to them, and it made sense, in a twisted sort of way.  With everything that had happen to the Orc and Troll communities, it was hard to blame someone who wanted to lash out.  Kids like Ricky, who got picked on and bullied, were easy recruits for the cause, angry soldiers that wanted to lash out at the world and it's ugliness.  It was about more than hate, though, it was about superiority.  Being bigger, stronger and meaner feed into the concept of the strong devouring the weak.

Remond, the parts that the tourists never saw, was prime breeding ground.  You had to be hard to live there, Lone Star wouldn't set foot anywhere in the area.  Safety came from a gun, a gang, or paying off someone else for protection.  Predators ran the streets, and there was only one way to ensure you didn't get eaten.  Look to tough to swallow.

I knew how to do that.  Before I got my ink lasered off, and left the colors behind, I rode with the Ancients.  They taught me how to survive.  Ten years I rode with them, learning how to fight, with blades, guns or my fists, and with magic, after I Awoke.  It was hard and painful, but I excelled.  I could have run my own crew, if I hadn't killed my best friend in a duel.  It was how we handle conflict, we killed each other almost as much as anyone we saw as an enemy.  Leaving it behind was difficult, but a few years in prison for assault can give you perspective.

Turning my bike into the Barrens, I started pulling Watchers from the Astral.  They aren't very smart, but they can find anything if they have a location and you give them exacting orders.  I sent them to all the Sons hangouts I knew of, with one task.  Find me Ricky Matthews.  I only hoped that I could find him before it was to late.  If he was wearing colors, I was in for a world of hurt.  I had my Warhawk and Ignis, one of my spirits to call.  Still, I didn't have the juice to take on a whole gang, especially if they packing heavy. Bulletproof, I was not.

It took some time, but one of my Watchers reported back with news, right before it got obliterated.    That was typical for me, the good news was I knew where the boy was.  The bad was that someone spotted my spirit, and took it out.  Which meant that they'd be waiting for me, if they were smart.

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #3 on: <05-26-13/0705:47> »
Most of the morning was over with by the time I was near the Sons club house.  Remond is fairly big after all, but having to find stretches of road that were passable while avoiding fortified neighborhoods and gang turf made for slow going.  I was still tired from the night before, and only had half a cup of coffee in me, so I slapped on my second stim patch of the day.  It took the edge off, most of it anyway.

About a block from where my Watcher died, I swung into an alley.  I didn't  know how many people I'd be facing, but I knew they had someone that could see into the astral, which meant they had to be dealt with first.  Leaving Ignus to watch my body, I slipped into the astral and headed towards the dilapidated house that my spirit had identified.  The astral was dirty, generations of bitterness and despair, with the fallout of Glow City only making it worse.  It limited my powers, but it did the same to the ward built around the house, and I tore through it like it was made of rice paper.

Moving into the interior at full speed, I could see several auras, bright against the greyness that signified the boundries of the house, but one was brighter still, an enormous Troll who moved his head as if searching.  Peering into the astral worked both ways, and I pounded the troll with a pair of stunbolts before he could see me or raise an alarm.

After that, I was free to flit around like a ghost.  I found over a dozen gang members, an Orc with what appeared to be synthetic muscles and a reinforced skeleton who was likely the boss, since he was the only one with augmentation.  I also found Ricky.  Drinking what I assumed to be beer and watching a trid, laughing with the others at something or other.  They suddenly got to their feet and rushed out, obviously, someone noticed the magical security was sleeping on the job.

Returning to my body I nearly slumped over, fatigue clawing at me.  I lapped on yet another stim patch, before pulling my bike out of the alleyway that had hidden me, and riding up to the house.  I only had to sit for about a minute, before the door burst open and the Sons came boiling out like hornets out of a disturbed hive.  They circled my bike, but didn't close in, settling for shouting slurs at me.

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #4 on: <06-04-13/0908:16> »
I was reaching for the power to do something nasty and permanent, when a single voice silenced the entire lot of them.

"Enough!  Back off the biker, chummers.  No turf fights allowed at the house, remember?!"

That was different.  I looked for the speaker, and found a very large Orc cradling a boxy shotgun standing in the doorway of the house.  The others backed off at his order, and I realized that none of them were wearing any sort of gang colors or symbols.  They were also unarmed, except for the one with the shotgun, which was nothing short of shocking.

"You mind losing the bucket, before I hold you responsible for dropping Tyler inside, and blast you clean off your bike?  We ain't looking for trouble round here, so better have a good answer damn quick!"  He added urgency to his words by pumping the action on the shotgun, which was either a sign of stupidity or meant he felt he didn't need a full load to deal with me.  Judging from the weathered look to him and the Glasgow Smile someone had given him at some point, I was leaning towards the latter.  So I did as he said.

"You have a house guest that needs to get home.  I was asked to come and collect him.  That's all.  Sorry if I played a bit rough with your boy, I was-"

"You were expecting a bunch of drekheads looking to put a hurt on any keebs, breeders or halfers we come across?  And so, you just jander in here, arctic cool, all by yourself after taking out the talent?  You are either the most dangerous guy in the sprawl, or a complete idiot.  Either way, this isn't a gang house-"

I was so busy eyeing the not gang, noticing the fairly new clothes, shiny skin that spoke of tattoo removal, that by the time I noticed his voice trailing off he'd already started towards me.  He wore a look that said that he recognized me, which was weird, and wanted to kill me very painfully.  He also had some other enhancements I'd missed, because he was off the porch and tackling me off my bike before the shotgun he'd dropped hit the ground.

My head bounced off the street and the grey around my vision started to turn black.  Should have kept my helmet on.  I started a spell, nothing flashy, when his fist buried itself in my gut and knock the wind out of me.  I lost the spell, then a couple of teeth when a fist came crashing into my jaw.

I learned several important things then.  First, getting beaten up by someone with metal bone lacing hurts far more than I'd expected.  Secondly, the guy giving the beating was named Emil, and thirdly, he was the only surviving member of a go-gang called the Crossbones, which was a name I knew.  Because back in the day, I helped kill them all.

Which meant I deserved the beating I was getting.

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #5 on: <06-04-13/0909:01> »
To anyone reading, sorry for the delay, but 18 month olds and keyboards are a bad combo.

Warmachinez

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 193
« Reply #6 on: <06-06-13/1136:01> »
To anyone reading, sorry for the delay, but 18 month olds and keyboards are a bad combo.

True that! I was there a few months ago, and i'll be there in a few months with my second one. Don't worry we'll wait while your changing diappers ;)
Chaos? Lack of protection? Enemies lurking in the shadows? Sounds
to me like the fun’s just beginning. Sorry you’ll miss it, omae.
> Kane

Hellion

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 393
« Reply #7 on: <06-12-13/0053:40> »
Lol happy to wait... got to love kids :D They are qualified Demolition experts when they come out of the womb
Its not the victors who write the history books, its the suvivors

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #8 on: <06-12-13/0359:24> »
Lol happy to wait... got to love kids :D They are qualified Demolition experts when they come out of the womb

I'm either at work (like now) or corralling my daughter who can break anything and everything, it seems.  I will finish things up when time permits.

Dragonslayer

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 210
« Reply #9 on: <06-18-13/0606:20> »
Deserving or not, I wasn't about to let him kill me.  I was in a bad position though.  I've won my share of duels, with knives or swords, and I'm not bad in a regular fight, but Emil went at me like a cage fighter, and all I could do was try to protect my head and chest by bringing my arms in close and trying to survive long enough to make an opening.

Ignis, get him off of me, I commanded, and heard screams as my fire spirit took form.  Two and a half meters of humanoid magma tends to do that, and only an idiot picks a fight with a spirit without time to prep.  It surged forward, a jet of flame proceeding it, and Emil threw himself off of me and rolled away before he got torched.

With his bulk no longer blocking my view, I could see the teens scattering, and Emil sprinting towards his house.  And his shotgun.  Iginis, however, didn't pursue, and I cursed when I realized my command hadn't been phrased to keep him on the attack.  I only had one more task he would perform for me before his was free of his binding, and it had to be phrased properly.  Ignis was a stickler in that regard.  Fortunately, my last request of him was simple.

By the time Emil had made it to the porch, I'd vanished from sight, the difficulty imposed on my spell casting from the area and my injuries outweighed by the power Ignis granted me.  It was up to my usual standards, but it would have to be enough.  At least the version of the spell I knew meant I was truly invisible, so even if Emil had eye modifications, he couldn't see me.  Tyler could have, if he woke up, but I'd hit him hard enough that it seemed unlikely.

Standing was difficult, I was shaky, and it wasn't from the adrenalin.  One eye was swollen shut, my ribs screamed at me with every breath, and my left arm wasn't doing what I told it to.  The fact that Emil had managed to hurt me that badly that quickly was terrifying.  He hadn't gotten me though, which meant the fight was on my terms now.  I didn't have spells that made me stronger or faster, or to kill with a look.  I wasn't trained for combat magic, I had been scout and lookout when I was a ganger, and I never bothered to expand my resources when I went legit.  Fortunately the good people at Ruger had made an equalizer, the Super Warhawk.  Six rounds, each with enough stopping power to drop a medium sized car, and no one dodges a bullet they can't see coming.

My vision was blurred, either from the hits to the head or the fact that I could only see out of one eye, so I crept closer as quietly as I could, thanking the stars above that Emil had made a stupid decision.  Instead of hunkering down in his house and waiting for me to come after him, he just stood there, looking for someone who'd not only vanished, but clearly had magical abilities.  Even devil rats know when to run, but Emil wasn't thinking straight.

I was close enough to touch him when I thumbed back the hammer of the revolver.  He froze instantly, which I couldn't blame him for, I'd have done the same thing.  Seconds ticked by,  as we stood there, the Orc with the shotgun and the invisible elf primed to empty his skull.  My arm stared to burn with fatigue, the Warhawk being a heavy gun after all, and I had to step back.

I had wronged Emil in the past, possibly in the worst way I could have.  Killing him in a fair fight was one thing, I could do that.

I could not, however, simply murder him.

Warmachinez

  • *
  • Chummer
  • **
  • Posts: 193
« Reply #10 on: <06-19-13/1515:44> »
The man has a conscience... that is a rare commodity among my players.
Chaos? Lack of protection? Enemies lurking in the shadows? Sounds
to me like the fun’s just beginning. Sorry you’ll miss it, omae.
> Kane

Hellion

  • *
  • Omae
  • ***
  • Posts: 393
« Reply #11 on: <06-19-13/1627:41> »
The man has a conscience... that is a rare commodity among my players.

Same here, only player I got is one who took the minor pacifist quality and that's because he believes that's part of RPing that quality otherwise he would be as ruthless and bloodthirsty as the rest..
Its not the victors who write the history books, its the suvivors

Deepeyes

  • *
  • Newb
  • *
  • Posts: 80
  • SRfic Aficionado
« Reply #12 on: <06-08-15/1253:13> »
Bump 'cauz I can't wait to read more ;)