Valorus takes a sharp right ending up at a vantage point near one of the booths. He presses his back to the wall, eying any doors within his line of sight.
Krevlor moves up to the curved corner of the bar, carefully considering how to get cover from multiple angles before settling in, his gun out as he hunkers down.
Hammer still in hand, Darshe takes position by the staff entrance, opposite Herald.
The patrons leaving the club seem to pay the group little attention as they file out of the exit, and only Darshe is really jostled about as he stands by the cloakroom. The club is about three-quarters empty when the staff room doors open and three guards step out, each with a tactical baton in hand. They scan the club's interior and the stream of patrons exiting, their brows furrowed in suspicion.
The gang members advance slowly towards the press of people trying to make their way out of the club, their eyes straining against the dim lighting to see anything out of place. As they approach the corner of the bar as it winds around the edge of the room sinuously, they spot the figures of Herald and Krevlor near the bar and Darshe as a stone in the stream as the crowd of club-goers move around him toward the exit. They yell in alarm as their hands tighten around the batons in their hands.
Initiative - Round 1
15 - Bouncers
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valrous
The first of the three gang members advances around the curved corner of the bar and whips out quickly with the tactical baton in his hand, striking a deft blow to Herald's shoulder. The impact is heavy, but bruises flesh and skin rather than fracturing bone.
A second bouncer steps towards Darshe and brings his tactical baton down on the soldier, who manages to raise an arm up just in time to stop the weapon from braining him outright. The impact site throbs with pain and sends tingling shocks travelling up Darshe's arm.
The third ganger, a woman with a slicked down mohawk and tattoos on the side of her face draws her laser pistol and fires a shot towards Krevlor. The kasatha manages to duck away from the blast just in time as an explosion of sparks from the bar spews over his shoulder, eliciting panicked shrieks from the club-goers still within the club.
Herald takes a guarded step back and fires his rifle at the bouncer.
Darshe grits his teeth in pain, knowing that if it weren't for his armor, the bones in his forearm would probably be shattered. Fortunately, he only needed one arm to block the attack... which left his other hand free to clobber the bouncer with his assault hammer.
Krevlor crouches to avoid the spray of sparks but better the decor than him. Still huddled behind the bar he double taps in the direction of the mohawked tattooed woman to return fire but his shots go wide.
Valorus runs up to Darshe and casts Supercharge weapon on his hammer.
Taking a careful step backwards, Herald fires the laser pistol and watches as the blast catches the ganger squarely in the chest. The man shrieks in agony and fear, the noise managing to be heard even over the din of the alarm, as his clothes catch alight.
Emerging slightly from the frantic crowd attempting to flee the gunfight breaking out in the club, Darshe retaliates with the autohammer, smashing the bouncer in the side of the chest with a brutal swing. A sickening crunch of breaking ribs accompanies the blow, and the man doubles over in pain, managing to stay standing by account of pure nerve.
Krevlor, taking advantage of the confusion, quickly taps the trigger of his pistol twice, exchanging gunfire with the tattoo'ed woman. Each of the bullets flies off the mark in the darkness, embedding themselves in the doorframe behind her. Valorus makes his way through the crowd, nearly being trampled as club-goers flee in fear, and casts a simple spell that causes the weapon to arc with magical power.
Initiative - Round 1
15 - Bouncers
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valrous
Cree races further into the establishment, taking position near the circular bar inside and dropping to his stomach to sight his rifle.
Ducking between flailing limbs and sidling along the interior wall of the club's entryway, Cree manages to make his way to the dance floor and lowers himself on the sticky floor. As the remaining patrons rush to get out of the club, he watches through their feet as the bouncer that had been shot by Herald falls to his knees in front of the lashunta, his face a blistered mass as the flames engulf his chest and head. The shriek dies in his throat, and his still smouldering body keels over to the side, the acrid smell of charred flesh and burned hair and clothing fills the air, riding on tendrils of smoke.
Still reeling from Darshe's blow with the autohammer, the second bouncer steps back defensively and flees into the staff area that he had just come from not thirty seconds prior. The door stays open to reveal a large storeroom filled with supplies for the bar, as well as amplifiers, musical equipment, and a rack of costumes for the clubs dancers.
The female ganger screams in rage as she watches her comrade cut down, firing her pistol at the solarion in retaliation. The laser blast catches him in the shoulder, burrowing through armour and searing a thin line across his skin. She then flees through into the room behind the staff doors as well and can be heard yelling. "Ferani! Big guy! We're under attack!"
Initiative - Round 2
15 - Bouncers
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Herald drops to a knee. "S@!#!" he exclaims. "I'm gonna need a medkit."
"Coming." Krevlor moves up beside Herald and casts Mystic Cure while keeping his head down behind the counter.
With the enemy pulling back, whatever mojo Valorus worked on Darshe's hammer was unfortunately going to go to waste. Unwilling to let the bouncers get too comfortable in their cover, the soldier moves up to the door while unclipping one of the grenades from his belt. He takes a quick glance into the room, making sure that no innocents would get caught into the blast radius, before lobbing the frag grenade onto the table.
"Frag out!"
Cree sighs, springing to his feet again and sprinting for the now-open door that the bouncers retreated into, so he could see more than a mass of bar patrons packed at the door. "Every time I go right, they go left..."
As Krevlor expends his mystical energy into forming a curative spell and places a hand on Herald's good arm. The energy is soothing and after a few seconds have passed, the wound on Herald's shoulder feels numb. A cursory examination reveals that it is not numbness that the lashunta feels, but rather an absence of pain as the wound is fully healed.
[spoiler=GM Stuff]
At the door to the staff room, Darshe pulls one of the grenades from his belt and flings it into the room. The explosive device lands in the centre of the table amidst a pile of makeshift gambling chips and sits motionless for a moment before exploding. Those patrons remaining in the club scream in abject fear and attempt to surge forward to get out of the club.
Both of the remaining gangers duck in an attempt to make their profiles as small as possible, but it isn't enough to save one of them. The gang bouncer at the back of the room is thrown straight back into the wall and slumps lifelessly, leaving a bloody smear down the wall from the deep jagged wounds caused by several shards from the grenade and the demolished table. The woman manages to duck from the worst of the shrapnel, though one arm is shredded with lacerations from the blast.
Initiative - Round 2
15 - Bouncers
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
{"Well if we didn't get their attention before, we certainly have this time."} Valorus runs up to his comrades, takes his pistol and fires an attack at the remaining member.
doesn't kick in till his next turn.
The laser bolt hits the woman in the collarbone, searing through the reinforced stationwear and to the flesh below. As she yowls in pain, the fabric catches fire and quickly begins to envelop her shoulder and upper body.
Before she has a chance to thoroughly comprehend her situation, the door to the back room slams open, revealing a sizeable humanoid figure dressed from neck to toe in gleaming red heavy armour. A reptilian head with leathery skin in muted greens and blues turns to the group crowded in the doorway and cracks a sadistic grin.
The vesk enforcer reaches a hand up to his mouth and pulls the primer pin from a grenade before bowling it underarm towards the staff doorway. Valorus, Darshe, and Cree barely have a chance to react to the device as it skitters to a stop at Darshe's feet before it explodes, sending slivers of shrapnel flying in all directions.
The woman ganger's eyes grow wide in panic as she throws herself to the ground and begins to roll around and slap at the area of her shoulder and chest that is on fire. After a few seconds of panicked action, the flames smoulder out, filling the room with the acrid smell of burned flesh.
Initiative - Round 3
15+ - Vesk
15 - Bouncers
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Hearing the explosion Krevlor moves up to the other side of the door and peers at the vesk sending a torrent of psychic energy towards its. The grenade had been a bit much so he was taking the gloves off so to speak.
Herald moves to the corner of the bar after the explosion and peers around the corner. He takes a potshot at the one bouncer he can see trying to get off the floor.
Valorus fires another quick shot at the Bouncer before he jumps back to get out of the blast. He spends the time more collecting his thoughts.
Valorus didn't jump out of the way on time, but dang if his shot wasn't on point.
Herald's laser bolt launches from the pistol and sprays the bouncer in sparks as it explodes against the metal flooring of the storeroom. She stops just long enough for Valorus to get a clear shot at her. The shirren's laser blast fires directly through the woman's skull, setting her hair and scalp alight even as she ceases moving completely.
Initiative - Round 3
15+ - Vesk
15 - Bouncers
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Darshe knew a thing or two about explosives - the very second the grenade lands at his feet, the soldier shields his head with his arms and turns away, allowing his armor to absorb the brunt of the blast. He grits his teeth in pain, knowing that some of the shrapnel had torn right through. Fortunately, he did not think any of his vital organs had been damaged.
Afterwards, Darshe hustles into the room, taking cover behind the table, by the dead bouncers. Along the way he unslings his rifle from his shoulder, not exactly relishing the idea of tangling with a vesk in melee.
Cree ducks below the worst of the grenade blast, shielding his face with one arm. And again, I'm grateful they make those things explode up. Let'em tear up the tall folk...
Following the explosion, he drops to the ground, sighting in on the nearby bouncer and loosing a hot metal slug - an all too familiar routine for the young Ysoki by now.
Krevlor discharges his gun at the hulking Vesk figure after moving up to the door, the room was bigger than he had anticipated.
As Krevlor and Cree both take a shot at the vesk enforcer in the door frame, Darshe leaps over the still smouldering body of the gang bouncer in the middle of the room. As he takes refuge behind the shattered remains of the table and chairs, he spies a figure lying prone under a desk in the far end of the office beyond the door.
She is a slender woman with thin hair dyed pale green and appears to be covered in geometric tattoos across every inch of uncovered skin. She is holding a pistol in front of her as she stares at Darshe with a look of pure disgust on her features. She squeezes the trigger, and the bullet whizzes past Darshe's body, missing him by inches.
The vesk enforcer snarls as the bullets and lasers hit the wall nearby, and he reaches behind him to pull out a large laser rifle, wielding it in both hands. He lines up a shot against Krevlor and squeezes the trigger, letting loose a sizeable bolt of red energy. The bolt hits the kasatha mystic solidly in the upper chest near to his lower right shoulder, charring through the armour into the flesh underneath.
Initiative - Round 4
15++ - Human female (prone)
15+ - Vesk
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Darshe drops his hammer and then pops up from behind his cover, taking a quick potshot at the vesk before dropping down again.
Valorus jumps behind the table next to Darshe.
With so many rushing into the room after seeing the Vesk throw a grenade previously Krevlor doesn't move closer. Holding his position he fires his pistol once more at the hulking Vesk.
The vesk shrinks back slightly into the room behind him as the hail of bullets from Darshe and Krevlor hit the wall and ricochet around the storeroom.
Initiative - Round 4
15++ - Human female (prone)
15+ - Vesk
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Herald moves into the room, but keeps out of the line of fire of the Vesk.
Cree springs to his feet, dipping into the room and loosing a shot at the nearby Vesk as he throws his shoulder into the bar, hoping to use it as cover from both his target and the woman hiding further within. He looks over his shoulder and chuckles as he notices where his somewhat rogue shot had landed. "Ha! Better back down, big fella!"
The vesk enforcer is jolted backwards with the force of the bullet's impact, and he roars in pain, the sound loud and vibrating. "I back down to NO-ONE, pipsqueak!" he bellows in a guttural tone as he levels the artillery laser at the ysoki and squeezing the trigger. Cree manages to press himself against the sidebar to avoid the worst of the laser shot, his armour soaking the remainder of the impact, heating up quite considerably over the course of seconds. The vesk takes a step into the corner of the other room, attempting to find as much cover as he can.
The woman under the desk quickly taps two more times on the trigger, taking a quick pair of shots at Darshe and Valorus. Suddenly Darshe's shoulder erupts in agony as one of the bullets carves its way through his armour and clean out the other side, spilling thick rivulets of blood down his arm. The other shot whizzes past Valorus and shatters a large bottle of expensive spirits on the shelf behind him.
Initiative - Round 5
15++ - Human female (prone)
15+ - Vesk
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Seeking to put an end to the Vesk's heavy ordinance he moves quickly into the room diving behind a chair and the table for at least some cover. Focusing on the Vesk he unleashes his mental powers on the Vesk.
Cree winces as his organic arm is hit, the smell of singed fur in his nostrils as he drops to the ground to reduce his profile, taking careful aim at the Vesk and squeezing off another round from his weapon. It is clear by his expression that he is far too annoyed to come up with another clever retort for his quarry.
Darshe hisses with pain when he takes the hit - he reflexively squeezes a shot at his attacker before dropping prone and nursing his wound with his hand.
"Remind me to pick up some healing serum when this is over," he remarks to Valorus, not feeling terribly well.
Herald rushes to the doorway, hoping that his armor and powers can protect him long enough to lay down the boom. His glowing armor shimmers with a thousand brilliant colors for an instant before exploding into a blast of rainbow colors and burning heat.
"HEEEYAH!" he shouts as he unleashes his powers.
Krevlor feels his spell begin to tear apart the vesk's mind from the inside out, but the vesk's will is stronger than he had thought and the spell cuts out. The distraction caused by the psychic flensing of his mind allows for Cree to retaliate, the ysoki's shot catching the enforcer offguard. The vesk is knocked backward into the corner and does not have a chance to duck for cover as Herald unleashes a scintillating wreath of multi-coloured flames, and he falls to the ground as a smoking, charred husk.
Meanwhile, Darshe levels his rifle and pulls the trigger, and a grunt of pain from the office lets him know that his bullet has hit its mark.
Initiative - Round 5
15++ - Human female (prone)
15+ - Vesk (dead)
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Valorus says {"I am pretty sure you would remember"}
He stares down his remaining opponent, with Herald in the way, he wouldn't be able to put up a block. Instead he keeps an eye on his opponent.
As Valorus goes into a completely defensive stance, watching the gang leader's every twitch and move, the woman appears to scuttle back out from under the desk and stands up. "Who sent you?!" she roars in anger, gripping her pistol tightly. "I'll bet it was those a**holes sending you to clean up loose ends, wasn't it?!"
Initiative - Round 6
15++ - Human female
15+ - Vesk (dead)
15 - Bouncers (dead)
13 - Herald
11 - Krevlor
9 - Darshe
6 - Cree
4 - Valorus
Krevlor moves over to Darshe and focuses his mystical energies to heal the worst of his injuries. "You'll be alright now Darshe."
Herald presses into the room and levels his rifle at the woman, squeezing off a shot. His armor starts to pulse with color again as it starts regaining power.
"You should have turned down the job!" Herald calls back.