Well. You chose this buddy...it didn't hafta be this way.
Nilan fires at the elf
Zhor steps to behind Blask and throws his spear at the elf.
The throw hits the right target and draws blood from the elf.
Kitty's shot pops the final image, and Glitch and Nilan are unable to draw a bead on the nimble opponent. The elf smiles at Nilan's tough talk. "No... I think it was always supposed to happen like this," the elf says in a serene voice, startling only in the contrast to the crashing and banging of spears and gunfire.
The bedroom door near the elf slides open with a hiss. Nothing exits the doorway - all of you later agree upon that - but with a loud *crack*, a tall, gaunt figure stands in front of Jink and Blask. Bone-white, it seems almost humanoid - two arms, two legs, a head - but it lacks any sort of eyes, and it's abnormally long arms end in long, savage hooks. It raises one and takes a lazy swipe at Jink.
The hook lands home, dealing a hefty blow to the ysoki.
Initiatives
Elf [-9]
Nilan, Blask [-22 sp], Glitch [-8 damage to Kitty], Zhor
???
Caloo, Jink [-11]
Caloo's eyes widen at this unexpected creature.
Initiatives
Elf [-9]
Nilan, Blask [-22 sp], Glitch [-8 damage to Kitty], Zhor
???
Caloo, Jink [-11]
"Who are you, anyway?" Caloo asks the elf as he rolls through the room, heading toward the tall, gaunt figure. "What really happened to Shurami?" Caloo moves past Jink and thrusts at the figure with his hand, from which extends, yet untested, venom spur. "And in Oras's name, what IS this creature?!"
Jink steps back to fire at the white figure
...a tall, gaunt figure stands in front of Jink and Blask. Bone-white, it seems almost humanoid - two arms, two legs, a head - but it lacks any sort of eyes, and it's abnormally long arms end in long, savage hooks.
Caloo rolls up and stabs the creature. It turns towards him with a grin - though Caloo wonders whether it's joy or a predatory grimace. We are Griggorim, a voice like the sound of a crashed hull echoes through everyone's heads as it stares at Caloo with it's hollow eyes.
Zhor has a brief moment of deja vu - a memory from studies of comparative religion. It's a heretical text of the Old Cults, popular on Aucturn, and really only a line on a page of that - but scholars of the sublanguage of Aklo the text is written in go back and forth on the word griggorim and it's definition, but the line "The griggorim will prepare for the Mother" has been debated - a reference to Lamashtu, Shub-Niggurath, or some fertility goddess lost to time. As for the definition of griggorim, it was debated whether it meant "harbingers," "servitors," or a name - well, guess you figured that one out.
Jinks' shot misses, and the elf takes a long look at Jink. He begins to speak - but the words are nonsensical to everyone except Jink.
Initiatives
Elf [-9]
Nilan, Blask [-22 sp], Glitch [-8 damage to Kitty], Zhor
Griggorim [-6 hp]
Caloo, Jink [-11]
Blask’s eyes go wide as the creature appears near him. He than punches at it twice around the door frame.
Zhor shuffles to one side, and tries to hurl his spear over Caloo's head and at the Griggorim.
Nilan turns his attention to the creature and blasts away
Glitch joins in attacking this new creature.
The creature seemingly senses the spear and the laser shots before they arrive, ducking and weaving through the attacks and lazily batting away Zhor's throw - but Nilan and Blask are both able to land decisive blows on the creature.
The creature stands weaving slightly before the hooks begin to lash out at Blask - clearly the creature felt his attacks keenly.
Blask manages to catch one blow, but the second hook rakes painfully into his belly. [i]All will fall before the Mother's will, the telepathic voice says again, and the elf begins to laugh hysterically.
Initiatives
Elf [-9]
Nilan, Blask [-35 sp], Glitch [-8 damage to Kitty], Zhor
Griggorim [-35 hp]
Caloo, Jink [-11 sp]
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"Yeah, yeah. I had your mother," Zhor mutters, catching his spear.
"And what is the Mother's will?" Caloo asks even as he jabs again with his stinger.
Muttering some snappy one-liner, Jink draws a bead on the creature and tries to put it down.
The bullet tears through the thing's face where an eye should be - Caloo can see the white of the wall behind the creature - but it continues to stand.
The elf, meanwhile, moves back under cover of the wall, moving with intent - and shooting at Jink unexpectedly as he goes. The ysoki takes a full face of the cyrogenic fluid - he can feel his whiskers crackling with the cold.
Initiatives
Elf [-9]
Nilan, Blask [-27 sp, 8 hp], Glitch [-8 damage to Kitty], Zhor
Griggorim [-50 hp]
Caloo, Jink [-19 sp]
Blask takes a brutal hook across his chest. He grunts in pain as he curses in Vesk language. He than takes a single meaty punch of his own, before taking a step back.
"Okay, weirdo, how about this?" Zhor says, as he sends a bolt of mental energy at the bizarre creature.
Glitch shoots the elf instead in hopes to remove the mirror images.
Nilan continues firing at the creature
Blask's attack takes down the creature - the hook swords fall from it's hands, then it falls to one knee, then both knees, then crumples.
The elf successfully resists the brunt of Zhor's psychic assault, but he stands there panting, no longer laughing, a trickle of blood coming out his nose.
Initiatives
Elf [-31]
Nilan, Blask [-27 sp, 8 hp], Glitch [-8 damage to Kitty], Zhor
Caloo, Jink [-19 sp]
"Keep him alive. He might know whats going on." Jink says, moving away from the door so he does not get shot again.
Taking heed of Jink's words, when Caloo rolls up to the elf he strikes to incapacitate, but not to kill.
The elf side-steps Caloo's attack and grins lopsidedly at the bantrid, blood still dripping from his nose. "The pact is made. I regret only that I will not be here to see it completed." With a mad grin, the elf steps away from Caloo and runs nimbly across the room and out the shattered glass of the window. A moment later, a sickening crunch confirms that the elf did not have a grand plan involving that window.
"That will draw some unwanted attention." Glitch tells. "Or more unwanted attention." he corrects himself, as a power outage isn't exactly stealthy.
"Wow. He certainly was committed to...whatever is going on here."
Caloo starts poking around the strange creature's carcass. "How much time do you think we have? I'd like to examine this thing and learn whatever we can."
Glitch googles response times of the law enforcement on the infosphere.
With the power outage, you're not able to access the Goldnet search functionality - though it looks like Longshot's backdoor app still has connectivity. It looks like she's got access points that aren't on the main grid... interesting.
It also appears that with the power outage, there aren't outgoing calls or messaging reaching the Peacemakers or anyone else. You're guessing that you'll have time to investigate before anyone realizes anything out of the ordinary is tied to here - at least, if the sound of breaking glass and yells outside (hopefully just looting??) are any indication. Though probably don't try to camp out in the apartment of the woman you're accused of murdering.
It also appears that with the power outage, the Peacemakers are being swamped with calls alerting them to the power outages and the looting and blackout tomfoolery happening around you, if the breaking glass and yelling are any indication about what else is going on. While they're definitely going to take notice when they realize what happened, there's probably enough of a diversion that you can take a look around - though it probably would not be a good idea to try to camp out in Shurami's living room.
Blask grabs a seat on the couch, and tries to catch his breath.
That...thing...hits...hard
He collects his thoughts, before helping to search the apartment.
That...thing...hits...hard
"Ah, Blask, ya big baby, let me look at that."
Zhor pokes at Blask's wounds for a moment, before pouring in some mystical energy. Though the wound burns, the flesh begins to knit together.
The living room looks pretty well ransacked - it looks like there was a large amount of turning the place over before, coupled with the new damage from the fight just now. Blask does notice that the hooks that had extended from the things arms are actually swords - a pair of them, in fact.
That said, you don't know how long the elf operative was here - you don't see any signs of missed information or clues inside the apartment.
Glitch takes his time to also check for anything of interest, while kitty keeps an eye on the outside for incoming trouble.
Well what's this - looks like your elf friend did have a little surprise up his sleeve.
Hidden in one of the corners is a button camera - so small that it would have been incredibly easy to miss. It doesn't have any wires running to it, so it must be either storing the recordings inside itself or transmitting them to somewhere else.
Blask glares at Zhor.
I block you from getting back to bits and you keep me standing. Unless you wish to change our unwritten agreement?
Blask loves battle. Even getting sliced and diced, he let out a razor tooth grin.
He laughs at Zhor, Bext time I’ll let the hooks dig into you and you can experience battle brother
He looks at the strange “hook” swords. He picks one up and inspects it for its battle worthiness.
Glitch unmounts the device and checks what's the way to get at the filmed material. "Um, guys, someone is watching this appartment."
He packs the camera away into a mint candy metal box that he stuffs with handkerchiefs. "Someone want some candy?" he offers the sweets he has now no place to store anymore.
Bext time I’ll let the hooks dig into you and you can experience battle brother
"Oh, trust me, I have. Hah!"
He looks at the strange “hook” swords. He picks one up and inspects it for its battle worthiness.
Source Starfinder Armory pg. 52
Level 3; Price 1,420Damage 1d8 S; Critical bleed 1d4
Bulk L; Special analog, trip
Description
A larger cousin of the hook knife, the hook sword is a longsword with a pronounced hook at one edge of the blade’s tip. This barb not only deals gouging wounds, but it can also be used to trip an unwary foe.
Glitch unmounts the device and checks what's the way to get at the filmed material. "Um, guys, someone is watching this appartment."
He packs the camera away into a mint candy metal box that he stuffs with handkerchiefs. "Someone want some candy?" he offers the sweets he has now no place to store anymore.
Bad news here - there doesn't appear to be any sort of local storage, which means this is being sent and recorded somewhere else. The good news is it looks like you can toggle the camera off or on pretty easily - and it is still recording (and transmitting) as Glitch packs it into the candy box. In fact, with a little bit of signal tracking via the comm units, Glitch is able to trace the transmitted signal to coordinates on the north side of the city.
"If we're done here I got a suggestion where to go next." Glitch tells, showing the coordinates on his mobile device.
He looks at the strange “hook” swords. He picks one up and inspects it for its battle worthiness.Source Starfinder Armory pg. 52...
"If we're done here I got a suggestion where to go next." Glitch tells, showing the coordinates on his mobile device.
Glitch orders a minibus to an address around the corner. "If you're ready, our ride will be here in a few minutes."
Glitch stows away his weapon to look inconspicuous and moves out of the room.
Let's go. Nilan says when Glitch announces he's traces the camera.
Faster the better.
Nilan's dialing up a rentacab as they leave the room. He remembers some of his dealings in the previous days and thinks he recalls someone talking about a cabbie that doesn't ask too many questions.
Yeah. I got a job. No questions asked. Yeah, I'm sending coordinates. Yeah. We know. Hurry.
to his allies Nilan says Cab's on the way. Cabbie wanted us to know there's a disturbance call in the area.
Blask grabs to two hook swords. If nothing else he could sell them after they finish their current job of “face punching” those responsible for the bounty.
Caloo looks over the thing's limbs--those hook swords had really looked like extensions of its body at first, very strange--prods its flesh in various places, and pokes around its strange eyes. When it becomes clear that transportation will be arriving any moment, the bantrid sighs. "I guess a flesh sample will have to do for further study." Caloo pulls out his knife and carves out a square of flesh from the creature's torso, then deposits it into a pocket.
After a comical moment of "Wait, you called a cab? I called a cab! Let me cancel my cab. Wait, are you cancelling your cab?," everything gets figured out - Glitch eventually defers to Nilan's "discrete transportation service provider" over more legitimate transport, as you all are still, technically speaking, wanted for murder.
Probably a few murders once order is restored to the surrounding area and your adversaries figure out what you did.
When the driver arrives, you trudge back down the four flights of stairs - and find a small crowd gathered, looking at the impromptu street art of your friend the elf's abrupt departure. No one seems to be paying attention to you, not when the competition is a gruesome body.
The party piles into the one extra-large transport that Nilan got for them - and good thing it was extra large, as there's already a large, surly-looking android and a female ysoki, lounging lazily in the center of the wrap-around seats.
"Get in. Shut the door. Don't make a scene - more than you already have, I guess," the ysoki says brusquely. "Blask, I'll let you make introductions, as you know everybody. Then we'll get to some brass goddamn tacks, shall we?"
Maybe my cab wold have been better. Glitch thinks as he sees Blasks and Jinks reaction.