RUBY CITY DEFENDERS! Issue #2 - Caught between a Hammer, a Sickle... and a hard case!

ooc: How many gangsters are left who still have sight? If it is 4 or less, will try popping out and flashing them. If not, will think of something else.

Go for the two who can see since the others are already blind. Get those Tommy guns out of action, more dangerous to everyone than the pistols. [stupid 50 round drum magazine!] Then we can try taking them down if we blind them. So pop out, flash and pop back into hiding. Crit attack.

LIGHTNING BULLET and DARKRAVEN

The diminutive hero pops out and unleashes a powerful blast of light at the two goons with Tommy Guns before popping back in!

Of course, doing that whilst machine guns and pistols are blazing away introduces some risk!

OOC CRIT BLOW Flash 8 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,6,+0 Total:12 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 6,5,+0 Total:23 (31) vs
OV6 + Multi 2 + Crit Blow 4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 5,10,+0 Total:15 (27) Success +3
EV8 + 3 (EV11) vs RV6 + Multi 2 - Crit Blow 6 (RV2)=9 RAPs
The two Tommy Gun goons are reduced to 0 Dex for 9 Phases!

"Gahhh! My eyes!" yelled one as he pulled the blasting tommy gun up, punching bullets through the ceiling!

"These idiots!" yelled DarkRaven. "We need to get these people out of here!" he said, back turned to the bad guys ass he used his back as a shield for the family. He was bigger, wider, bulkier as if the Darkness around him had swelled.

OOC Let's see where that wild fire goes!

Roll(2d12)+0: 1,12,+0 Total:13 vs
Roll(2d12)+0: 2,2,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 2,4,+0 Total:6 vs
OV10 + Roll(4d12)+0: 7,6,11,12,+0 Total:23 Both Missed

Bullets zing all over the place. They tear up the walls, furniture, floor, ceiling... The windows CRISH! outwards and the deafening roar from the guns is almost painful!

Angry, DarkRaven shouts "Stay DOWN!" to the family who don't need telling twice in ANY language! He rushes at the wall past the family, leaning in with his shoulder!

OOC Str 6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,10,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 8,10,+0 Total:38 (44) vs
OV6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,6,+0 Total:7 (13) Success +8
EV8 + 8 (EV16) vs RV6=10 RAPs

DarkRaven CRASHES through the wall on the far side of the room and the entire thing EXPLODES outwards into the corridor in a cloud of dust and rubble, the wood stud framework splintered and destroyed thanks to the enhanced superhuman strength that DarkRaven brings to bear in his 'Dark' form.

He moves back and swirls his cape around to once more shield the family and shouts "Go! GO!"

Unfortunately with bullets still zinging about the family is petrified and stays down.

DarkRaven calls out "Lightning Bullet! We need to get the people out of here!"

"Hey! HEY!" roared a Mobster with a bestial voice. "YOU AIN'T TAKIN' DEM NOWHERE!"

OOC The next round might be critical in the attempt to get the family out. With several dazzled Mobsters you have a small respite but that wild fire of the machine guns is a problem!

The 3' tall hero stays low to the ground and dashes out to the two tommy gun wielding thugs and attempts to shock them with his lightning touch, crit blow.

Captain Conduit honks to the tune of 'Shave and a haircut, two bits' to get the other heroes' attention.

LIGHTNING BULLET

The diminutive hero dashes forward and puts a hand on each of the two dazzled goons with Tommy Guns blazing away!

OOC He wins initiative (seeing as they have 0 Dex) but that wild fire might be an issue!

Crit Blow Multi on two
Av7 + 1D M Artist (1D Acrobatics) + Roll(3d12)+0: 8,3,4,+0 Total:12 (19) vs
OV0 + Crit Blow 4 + Multi 2 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,8,+0 Total:17 (23) Missed!

Unfortunately both opponents at once with the power he's pouring into the attack prove to be a step too far!

OOC That wild fire again. Only a crazy die roll can really affect him...

Roll(2d12)+0: 9,3,+0 Total:12
Roll(2d12)+0: 1,4,+0 Total:5

Lightning Bullet Roll(3d12)+0: 4,3,1,+0 Total:7 (17) Missed
Roll(3d12)+0: 8,9,12,+0 Total:21 (31) Missed

Luckily he's far more effective at avoiding their wild fire and the two goons (finally) empty their guns. The deafening roar from the Tommy Guns finally silences. Smoke fills the room and dust fills the other side of the room where DarkRaven used impressive superhuman strength to smash through the wall.

Lightning Bullet can hear a distant honking of a horn...

DarkRaven has stood, spread his cape out and filled that side of the room with inky blackness that no ordinary light can penetrate! "You have to go! Go!" he hisses at the family. The blinded goons are fumbling about but too big to let anyone else in the room no matter how much the goons behind shout.

"What's goin' on?"

"Get outta da way!"

"Lemme atem!"

"Move it stoopid!"

"Who you callin' stoopid?"

Lightning Bullet hears that honking horn again... and something else.

Distant sirens. Someone in the hotel has called the cops!

=========

CAPTAIN CONDUIT and CONWAY

Conway growls as he turns back to where the horn is being honked on the truck and then tips his head to the side.

With a mutter he jogs back to the truck. "This could get messy if the flatfoots turn up an' start askin' questions why I'm workin' wid masks when the commissioner has said all yous guys are ta be dragged in!" He looks up at the hotel. "At least the shootin's stopped... fer now. What's keepin dose guys?"

OOC Lightning Bullet and DarkRaven need to get the family out of there. They are petrified with their heads down and DarkRaven can't teleport them against their will (maybe one he can, or two at most). The dazzled goons are actually hindering the rest of their buddies at the moment so Lightning Bullet might want to hang fire on taking them out - their guns are empty. LB has heard the honking horn from Captain Conduit outside and can also hear a distant Police siren. This might get even messier! Conway does NOT want to be seen associating with 'Capes' - it could cost him his badge and more besides!

"If ya don't wanna be recognized then put a damn mask on. Hell, I trust ya. Plus, I'm a nobody. Here... Captain." Fred takes off his mask and gives it to Conway to wear. He then fires a blast of electricity at the window of the room the hostages are in to hopefully break it open, so they can get out through the fire escape. "Now go pretend you just did that and can electrify your bullets if the thugs try anything stupid."

Lightning Bullet can hear a distant honking of a horn...

DarkRaven has stood, spread his cape out and filled that side of the room with inky blackness that no ordinary light can penetrate! "You have to go! Go!" he hisses at the family. The blinded goons are fumbling about but too big to let anyone else in the room no matter how much the goons behind shout.

"What's goin' on?"

"Get outta da way!"

"Lemme atem!"

"Move it stoopid!"

"Who you callin' stoopid?"

Lightning Bullet hears that honking horn again... and something else.

Distant sirens. Someone in the hotel has called the cops!



Dark Raven, can you teleport out the youngest one," Lightning Bullet snaps as he gets ready his next attack, "they have the weakest will, maybe you can do it that way? If you can't get them out, we are going down!"


If everyone currently in the room is blinded, LB will attack the closest thug who still has ammo in his gun with his electric touch. If anyone can still see then he will flash them.

CAPTAIN CONDUIT and CONWAY

Conway looks at the mask in his hand then at Captain Conduit, now maskless.

"Put it back on kid. Ya don't know where I've been an' though I don't like ta admit it, I need ya. if everyone knows who ya are, they'll never leave you in peace. If the wrong guys know... your family n friends will never be safe." he tosses the mask back. "You need ta get up there an' give your buddies a hand. Sneakin' in an' out is a bust. I'll stay down here wid th' engine runnin' "

Captain Conduit takes aim with his hand at the distant window where all the flashes of light and gunfire were coming from...

OOC Lightning 8 +

(17) vs
OV0 + Range 4 +

(18)
MISSED

With a shot that goes slightly awry and zaps against the wall of the Hotel Captain Conduit realises a shot from this distance will be tricky despite being pretty accurate most of the time. Conway may have a point about getting closer.

DARKRAVEN and LIGHTNING BULLET

Darkraven with his cloak spread and his aura of darkness swelling his body proportions was scarier than ever and having realised that he couldn't persuade the German family to go with him, tried a different tack.

"GO! RUN!" he roared, in his angriest, scariest voice!

OOC They don't really need telling twice now at this point!

The family scream and get up, running through the cloud of dust and smoke into the corridor. DarkRaven spun and shouted "LIGHTNING BULLET! TIME TO GO!"

The place was full of dust and smoke and Lightning Bullet saw an opportunity to leave through the same hole that DarkRaven was moving through behind the family, the window (which had oddly just lit up from a near miss from a blast of electricity) or he could stand and pound the blinded goons who were waving their weapons about in confusion. The dust/smoke was for the moment obscuring the view...

OOC Your call. This might be the window of opportunity you need...

Fred puts the mask back on. "Dark Raven's got my cape, so I can't fly. But I'll do what I can." Fred dodges between parked cars in the lot to get to the fire escape.

CONWAY and CAPTAIN CONDUIT

"Go get 'em kid." growled Conway, the hardened cop chewing on his cigar as he looks up at the distant window on the upper floor of the hotel. He glanced about. Police sirens were getting louder and closer!

Pumping his legs Captain Conduit sprinted back to the hotel and to the fire escape at the back. He looked up... and up... Without his cape this would test his stamina!

"Hey! Who's dat?" yelled a hotel worker as he stood with another as they had a smoke out the back of the hotel. One pointed at the costumed/masked man in hotel uniform. "Beats me." says the other. "Dis place gets crazier every day."

Up and up Fred Aster took two and three steps at a time, pounding away and remembering - or trying to - anything his old coach would say at track practise.

He wondered what his coach would say about Fred Aster now? Able to press ... a lot of weight, more than the guys at muscle beach at any rate, tough enough to take a beating and now fit enough to be on the fourth... fifth... level of the hotel without breaking a sweat or breathing hard!

OOC Body 6 more or less covers that. It will still take time to get from the bottom to the top but Fred won't be a sweating mess when he gets there. Whether there will be anyone left to help or rescue depends on what happens to LB and Darkraven...

"You hold the rear and I will take front and head down the stairs," Lightning Bullet yells out, then flying at his amazing 3 APs of flight, he tries to get in front of the panicked women and children and tries to lead them down the stairs to the lobby, ready to blast anyone with his Flash power if he runs across them.

Admin wrote:DARKRAVEN and LIGHTNING BULLET

Darkraven with his cloak spread and his aura of darkness swelling his body proportions was scarier than ever and having realised that he couldn't persuade the German family to go with him, tried a different tack.

"GO! RUN!" he roared, in his angriest, scariest voice!

OOC They don't really need telling twice now at this point!

The family scream and get up, running through the cloud of dust and smoke into the corridor. DarkRaven spun and shouted "LIGHTNING BULLET! TIME TO GO!"

The place was full of dust and smoke and Lightning Bullet saw an opportunity to leave through the same hole that DarkRaven was moving through behind the family, the window (which had oddly just lit up from a near miss from a blast of electricity) or he could stand and pound the blinded goons who were waving their weapons about in confusion. The dust/smoke was for the moment obscuring the view...

OOC Your call. This might be the window of opportunity you need...

'What is taking those two so long?' Captain Conduit wonders as he climbs the fire escape that leads to the window outside the room he saw the hostages in. 'Those jokers aren't crazy enough to try to lead a family through a room full of violent animal-enhanced mobsters, are they? One ofthem can teleport. He could have made like two or three trips by now. At least!'

CAPTAIN CONDUIT

Pounding up the stairs, his body charged with electrical energy and crackling with every step, Captain Conduit seemingly feels light as air. His enhanced strength and endurance make him feel as good, no better than an Olympic Athlete!

He looked up.

Sure was a lot of stairs on this fire escape.

=========

LIGHTNING BULLET and DARKRAVEN

Shouts behind them distracted but Lightning Bullet led the way. Flying or floating he headed to the stairwell and called out for the family to follow. They were near panic by now and bullets started flying again as the dark expanded shape of DarkRaven spread his black cloak wide to become a human shield of sorts!

The dust and smoke billowed into the corridor and they stepped on or around the rubble from the smashed wall.

Lightning Bullet opened the emergency stairwell door... and looked down. They were around twenty storeys up. This would take a while...

The old woman was gasping with panic, the children screaming, the woman trying to keep it together but they were scared for their lives!

"They won't get by me while I live!" barked DarkRaven. "Get them out of here!"

As he said that there were gunshots ringing out and DarkRaven cried out "Arggh! Dammit that stings! GO!"

=========

CAPTAIN CONDUIT

'Only a few floors more to get to the ... penthouse ... level...' Gasped Captain Conduit. Despite being nigh on superhuman there were limits to what someone could do and sprinting up steps floor after floor would soon tax anyone!

He heard the gunshots from the smashed windows now only a few floors up.

=========

LIGHTNING BULLET

The old woman was really struggling after only a couple of floors. The younger woman - Schmidts' wife - was trying to help her mother but it seemed clear they'd not make much more progress.

Lightning Bullet looked up.

Back at the Penthouse level DarkRaven leaned against the door to keep it shut and RATATATATATA rang out on the other side. Light shone through the bullet holes in the door and DarkRaven grunted, black smoke wisping off him. Despite that he held the door closed, but for how much longer?

"Carnsarnnet! I'm not designed to carry folks," Lightning Bullet muttered. "What to do? If I carry the old woman I won't be able to fire off a Flash if needed. If I don't, she won't make it any further. If only either one of us had been able to speak German, we wouldn't be in this mess! And taking the elevator would probably just get us all trapped inside a small room with guns waiting for us when the door opens."

He sighs. "No help for it, I guess. Hope the cops show up soon though."

He floats over to the two women and tries to get across the idea he will carry the old woman.

Approaching the penthouse level where he hears gunfire, Fred blasts the window to shatter it, creating an entrance for himself, shouting "Guten Tag!" before making good use of his Acrobatics (Dodging) skill to move out of the way of any shots fired back in his direction.

Lightning Bullet and DarkRaven

Lightning Bullet tries to persuade the two women to cooperate...

OOC A language barrier, they are terrified, masked men with super powers and bullets zinging about ... this will be the craziest roll ever if it succeeds. Highly, incredibly, unlikely...

Infl 3 + rolls 2d12 = 8 +6=14 (17) vs
OV2 + 8 (Hostile and other modifiers) + rolls 2d12 = 5 +4=9 (19) FAILED

Needless to say it was a mega long shot. Without Charisma skill you've little chance of success and even then had you rolled higher to overcome an RV10 with EV3 means you need a +29 swing over the Opposing Value.

That's not impossible but you need two decent doubles and a failed (3 or less) roll from the Opposing Value would help!

The women screamed at Lightning Bullet in response which was pretty much drowned out by gunfire! DarkRaven cried out "Dammit!" as Bullets flattened and pinged off his back. "I don't know how long I can stop these guys!" he yelled.

========

Captain Conduit

Getting to the right floor (eventually) CC popped his head in the window and shouted "Guten tag!"

Instantly he pulled back as a hail of bullets smashed brickwork and plaster to smithereens all around him! The RATATATATATATATATATATA! of Tommy guns rang out and CC remembered from the brief look that there'd been half a dozen suited hairy goons blasting pistols, shotguns, tommy guns into the stairwell door! Chances were that his two companions were behind that door and hadn't gotten far but might - hopefully - have gotten the family out of the room!

Getting them out of the building and to the safehouse of Lightning Bullets' base was another matter... he heard thudding footsteps running down the hall to the window...

=========

Lightning Bullet and DarkRaven

CRASH!

Someone heavy - and strong - crashed against the door! DarkRaven staggered, grunting with the effort. He stumbled, then leaned in, trying to hold the door closed. To Lightning Bullet and the family he shouted "Run! RUNNNN!"

Lightning Bullet and DarkRaven

CRASH!

Someone heavy - and strong - crashed against the door! DarkRaven staggered, grunting with the effort. He stumbled, then leaned in, trying to hold the door closed. To Lightning Bullet and the family he shouted "Run! RUNNNN!"


Not knowing what else to do, Lightning Bullet attempts to grab the old woman under the armpits and fly her down the stairs.

ooc: Now all we need is the sniper to start shooting and this will be the WORST rescue attempt EVER!

LIGHTNING BULLET

The diminutive hero scoops the old woman up in his arms and she wails in his ears before swooning - he hoped she'd not suffered too much in the way of shock! Despite not being able to fly very fast it was still faster than an ordinary person could traverse stairs and so he set off, floating down and around. As he'd hoped the wife of Schmidt cried out and grabbed a hand each of the kids before setting off after her mother.

DARKRAVEN

"Here! Try dis!" came a voice on the other side of the door. DarkRaven was struggling to hold what remained of the door shut and caught a glimpse of something through one of the many bullet holes.

"GRENADE!" he yelled and fell back from the door! In his panic he forgot to teleport and started scrambling backwards...

CAPTAIN CONDUIT

The hero snuck a peek in the window again and heard a clunk, clunk, clunk... rattle... He saw the Mobsters running back from the door on the landing and wondered if the coast was clear... until he saw the grenade at the base of the door!

Lightning Bullet keeps moving down the fire stairs as quick as he can, wondering if they are far enough down that they can try using the elevators or if the crooks would be waiting for them at the lobby if they did.

Thinking quickly, Captain Conduit picks up a novel sized chunk of shot up plaster and/or brick work and throws it at the grenade to move it way from that door and out the other door toward where the mob goons ran.

If I can, I'll use hero points for this trick shot to carom the grenade away from where the crooks put it and back toward them.

CAPTAIN CONDUIT

With so many bullets having zinged about there's ample opportunity to reach over the window ledge and scooped up a fist sized chunk of brickwork/plaster.

Throwing it to hit the grenade is another matter though!

OOC It's not that far away but to hit something with another thrown object about the same size isn't that easy ...

You had 8 HP left. 1 Die costs 6 HP.

CAPTAIN CONDUIT ON 2HP

AV6 + 1D Hero Point + 3d12+0 10,2,11+0 = 21 (27) vs
OV2 (rolling grenade) + 1 Distance + Trick Shot 4 + 2d12+0 8,4+0 = 12 (19) Success +4
EV6 (Dex) + 4 (EV10) vs RV7 (trick shot, rolling, distance)=3 RAPs, enough to direct the grenade AND knock it back into the room it came from!

With a 'shot of a lifetime' Captain Conduit reaches into the hallway over the ledge...

"HEY! WHO'S DAT GUY?" comes a yell

"SHUT DA DOOR DUMMY!"

"OH YEAH... OH..."

The voice trailed off as the grenade rolled between the mans' legs just as he was closing the door!

Captain Conduit ducked down...



Smoke and debris blasted out above his head and there was a huge crash of wood and plaster/brickwork!

He lifted his head over the ledge and wafted his hand in front of his face. His thermal vision allowed him to see through the dust but all it picked up (from here) were small fires in the corridor and the door blown off the room of the gangsters.

Captain Conduit heard groaning and coughing from within the room.

=========

LIGHTNING BULLET floated down the middle of the stairwell with the old lady in hand.

The family - mother and two kids - ran down the stairs as fast as they could (not very fast) to try and keep up, screaming and wailing all the while...

Then there was a BOOM! from above and DarkRaven was flung backwards a couple of feet as the door smashed in towards him! Smoke and dust spewed into the stairwell and would soon fill it in seconds!

What on earth was going on up there!?!

Darkraven coughed and spluttered down to Lightning Bullet "Keep going! I'll see what happened!"

He pulled his cape over his masked mouth and opened the remnant of the door into the dust filled corridor.

OOC CAPTAIN CONDUIT sees Darkraven with his thermal vision and can recognise his outline even through the otherwise blinding smoke. DarkRaven can't see through the dust/smoke though it seems. His body shape is... changed. It is MUCH bigger/wider and CC notes that the floor where DarkRaven is stood seems to be buckling... Darkraven doesn't know CC is there at the window and couldn't see him anyway (but could hear him shouting)

=========

CONWAY looked up at dust spewing from the upper floor of the hotel...

"Dagnabbit." he scowled, chewing through his stogie and looking at it in disgust. He heard sirens getting closer and turned to see police arriving on the scene, spilling out of several cars.

"CONWAY!" shouted one uniformed officers as others looked up at the dust cloud from the top floor and still more pounded towards the hotel lobby. "What's going on here?"

Conway ground his teeth then smiled as he walked over. This was gonna take some creative thinkin'...