Difference between revisions of "1481/Daring Rescue"

Latest revision as of 12:09, 3 February 2015

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
It's late in the evening in Earth-9333. The coordinates Gabriel Nightingale has provided lead to a parking garage in a city in Central California, precisely at the top of the parking garage. There, Gabriel awaits, clad in a black jacket, a pair of jeans, and a bowler hat. He's looking through binoculars down at the freeway nearby, where one is likely to see something much odder.

A band of six men in armor, along with a young man with manacles on his arms and legs, march right to the side of the freeway, and no one seems to notice a thing, despite their armor seeming like it belongs in a museum. They have a variety of different weapons, one with a crossbow, one with a javelin, two with swords and shields, one with a battleaxe, and one with a maul being carried in one hand. Two are on each side of the prisoner, with two behind them, and two in front of them.

When the rest of the rescue party arrives, Gabriel turns to them. "Alright. This is unlikely to be a very easy battle, but I hope you guys can handle yourselves. We need to get the kid in the manacles out, alive, and preferabbly as unharmed as possible. I'll pay you each a large sum of money if this goes well." He clears his throat, and looks down to the warriors. "Those are Sebitti. War Gods. They're full of hatred, and command steel. They're also excellent warriors capable in almost every form of combat. Those weapons they hold are likely their 'Regalia'. That's a God's special weapon; it has special attributes."

Gabriel turns back from looking at the Sebitti, and narrows his eyes over the others. "Any questions before we move? Time is of the essence."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl's implants guide him to the listen co-ordinates. Without any transport, he has to walk all the way to the roof of the parking garage. He's likely a strange sight himself, with his dusty cape and all. Though, any weird looks her might receive are ignored as politely as possible. Yes, somehow Eryl has mastered the ability to politely ignore people.

     At the meeting place, he bows to Gabriel and introduces himself as 'Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation.' He listens closely to the strange man's explanation, his own eyes peering down at the group walking along the freeway. His implants don't exactly give him telescopic vision, but they can make estimates to fill in the blanks with reasonable accuracy.

     "I do have a question, in fact. You say that they 'command steel.' If so, will this be an issue?" He digs his left index finger under the skin of his right hand at the wrist and peels off the false skin glove, revealing the metal underneath. "If so, I can stay up here and provide covering fire."

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    Coordinates. How the hell is she going to do anything with this?

    A large, pointed stone floats haphazardly through the sky, drifting from side to side with its flat side up. On that is seated the blue-haired angel of Bhava-Agra, Tenshi Hinanai. In her hands, she holds a piece of paper with some numbers scribbled on it in bad penmanship. She holds it out at arm's length, tilting the paper from side to side, head tilting opposite of it.

    After a moment, the girl gives up and tosses the sheet over her shoulder, "Whatever, it's just a bunch of gibberish." Leaning back on her hands, she puffs, "Never gonna find 'em like that." Leaning, she glances down, "...Oh. Maybe they've seen the guy I'm looking for."

    A few moments later, a large stone smashes into the roof of the parking garage with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball. Standing on it, rubbing the underside of her nose with her finger, is Tenshi. Hand lowering, she rests it on her hip and leans forward, "Hey, humans! I'm looking for some jerk that got caught by a bunch of other jerks so I can decide which jerk needs more squishing. You seen anybody like that?"

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron didn't speak up on the radio. But that doesn't mean he wasn't listening. There is someone in trouble, and they need immediate help or they will die. Sounds like a scenario he might be able to contribute a little bit of assistance to. Though there's a few reasons why the chocobo isn't going to work in getting him here. Firstly, this looks like a modern world. And secondly, because he has company.

    So it's a sensible four-door sedan he arrives in. And yes, he's driving. Without turning the road into a demolition derby. Which might be all the odder when he and his companions get out. Why's that? Because it looks a little like a LARP group is getting out. Auron is dressed in a samurai-like outfit with a zweihander at his back, for one. The two people getting out of the back seat are a female warrior and a priestess. Might be kind of jarring.

    The female warrior is tall, muscular, black-haired woman wearing armor and wielding a sword and shield. She has a big, friendly grin on her face. The priestess is a blonde-haired woman whose robes are actually loose pants rather than the mobility-crippling ankle-length robe. She carries a staff for a weapon.

    Thankfully the Spirans three heard the explanation before Tenshi's rather unorthodox entrance. However, with all that noise there's probably not time for questions. He makes time, though, to offer, "Hello. My name is Auron, I'm a representative of the Union. I thought we might need some extra help. So I brought Lady Gisenia and her Guardian Deb."

    "Hello," Gisenia adds politely, bowing.

    In contrast, Deb waves in a mock-salute, "Yo."

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
"Not sure. They're capable of transforming it, shaping it, bending it like it was plastic. If you think you'll be safe, come along. If you don't want to take your chances, stay up here. I don't have much of a preference, but if you come and that hand tries to kill us, I'll destroy it myself." Gabriel's voice is cold and concise. He only gets in a nod to Auron, Gisenia, and Deb before Tenshi comes in very, very subtly. "Well, there goes a fucking stealth mission. I'm Gabriel Nightingale, the kid is down there, and so are the Sebitti that likely heard you. Also, not human, for the record." Gabriel does not seem very pleased, but he's quickly shifting to the Sebitti, something beginning to materialize in his hand.

Meanwhile, as Tenshi crashes down, the Sebitti march stops. And then, it begins to turn around, glancing upwards at the rooftop. The march begins to progress towards the parking structure now, to investigate the commotion. And the Sebitti, for those with good enough vision, are getting prepared for battle.

"Okay, no time to lose. Kid in the cuffs is the rescue target, keep him alive. Do whatever with the Sebitti. They're skilled, and I can't tell you what their weapons do. Just...go!" The object materializing in Gabriel's hand solidifies, a sharp bladed spear as tall as he, wielded in only one hand. He looks down from the top of the parking structure...and dives downwards. His spear lands straight into the ground, Gabriel spinning around on it and dismounting it to point towards the incoming march.

The two from the back and the two from the front move faster, whilst the two with the prisoner move back a bit. The prisoner doesn't make a move, and he doesn't seem to be paying very much attention. The four coming forward are one of the two with a sword and a shield, the one with the crossbow, the one with the maul, and the one with the greataxe. The one with the crossbow quickly diverts to the side, dropping to his knees and aiming his crossbow, looking for a suitable target, whilst the rest head straight for Gabriel.

It's go time.

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    "Oh, yeah?" Tenshi tilts her head at Gabriel, then hops off her stone, crossing to the railing to peer down at the Sebitti several stories down, "Oh, there's a lot of 'em! And you want the human alive? No guarantees but it looks like lots more fun to beat up the youkai anyway!" One hand grabs the railing and the girl vaults it with a "Hup!"

    Her other hand produces a katana hilt without a blade. Also, once she clears the railing, Tenshi does not actually fall. Instead, she plants her boots against it and kicks off, soaring over the formation. "Stealth missions are boring anyway!"

    Reaching a point roughly above the aliens(?), Tenshi brings herself to a halt and shoves her empty hand downward, the sword hilt dangling from her wrist by a strap, "You weird guys! Prepare to see the power of Heaven! It is I, Hinanai Tenshi, the greatest Tennyo in all of Bhava-Agra!" When her fingers spread, the ground rumbles uncomfortably, "Now bow before my strength, worms!"

    (Man I must sound so cool!)Oo.

    Her attack comes when she raises her hand upward, fingers dragging behind as if gripping something. The ground's rumble becomes more intense until a large number of basketball-sized keystones erupt from the ground and dart upward. They're easy enough to avoid, though there's a lot of them. It seems her intention is to scatter the group and sow confusion. This might make them easier to pick off for the others!.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl was about to explain that it is not just the hand, but all his limbs, but is interrupted by the dynamic entrance of Tenshi. Indeed, he isn't happy either, he would much prefer a quick, precise extraction and getaway, but not chance of that now.

     "I will stay up here, firing to deflect their attacks and keep them off-balance. Go," he says to Tenshi, Gabriel and Auron and his posse. Dropping to one knee, he points his right index finger down at the group of war gods. In the blink of an eye, he's taking in wind, distance, height, power in his KOAN Core and all other factors that could influence his shot.

     In an instant, he has a firing solution. Lining up his shots, he fires silently four times, his index finger flicking from target to target between each one. He's not going for killing shots, but instead aims at the wrists of each of the Seretti that move forward to engage Gabriel, aiming to knock their weapons from their hands.

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron nods to Gabriel's instructions. Then he looks to Deb. "Head down with Lady Gisenia. I'll go down the faster way, and cover him until you get there." After all, if these things can bend metal like Toph can, his sword is going to be useless. That in mind, he nods to Eryl's words, and then makes a quick detour to his car-- thankfully not destroyed after Tenshi's entrance-- and stows his sword. At the moment it's just going to be dead weight that might make HIM dead.

    As he does, Gisenia pauses a moment, concentrating on the prisoner. She raises the staff and energy swirling around her, and tries to cast Protect on the prisoner. If she can, it will manifest with a blue gridwork of hexagons appearing before the prisoner for a moment. Then she moves quickly, before her position can be tracked, and she and Deb start down the stairs.

    As for Auron, once his sword is stowed, he does... almost the same thing as Tenshi. In that he vaults over the side of the parking garage. Though he doesn't just fall down. He grabs hold of the edges of the concrete when a handhold presents itself. And carefully heads down the side of the building. Of the three Spirans, he'll probably reach the prisoner first, since Gisenia and Deb have to go the long way.

    He appears unarmed as he approaches the prisoner. But he's not going to just blindly run in. He's going to try to circle, approach from the back while the guards are hopefully distracted by the angel of rocks.

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
Tenshi's proclamation has the Sebitti staring at her for a brief second. She's not a God, they can tell that much; what the hell /is/ she? And then, rock attack! As soon as this begins, the Crossbow Sniper fires off a quick bolt at Tenshi, before his crossbow is suddenly falling out of his hand, shot in the wirst. Moving quickly from the shock, he raises his hand up, and points one finger at Eryl, and one at Gabriel. The bolt he fired keeps on course at Tenshi...before it suddenly splits into three, one part homing in on Tenshi, one at Eryl, and one at Gabriel.

Rising upwards, the man with the maul is slammed by a keystone, and is being flown into the air, until he suddenly twists his maul...and the head begins spinning like a drill. He slams it down into the stone, destroying it, before crashing maul first into the ground, causing a seismic wave that traverses from the prisoner to the parking garage. It's nothing but vibrations that might put someone off balance, however.

The one with the waraxe and the one with the sword and shield dodge the keystones, coming at Gabriel. He twirls his spear in his hand, using the blunt end to knock the guy with the waraxe back, before pointing the spear at the one with the shield; at his shield, specifically. "Alright, Longinus, DIVIDE!" Longinus, which seems to be the spear, begins to glow...and so does the shield. But nothing happens. Gabriel grins, speaking once again. "Ten becomes five." And then he lunges his spear into the shield. The sound of impact is crackling, as a cold, icy mist envelopes Longinus. He begins striking repeatedly, pushing the Sebit with the shield back with each hit. And on the fifth...the shield shatters. Gabriel takes advance of this to slice the sharp part of Longinus at the stunned Sebit's neck, slicing his head clean off, before turning to focus on the one with the waraxe.

The prisoner does not react to the Protect casted, but his chains seem to...shake a bit. And then stop shaking. As the magic is cast, the guard with the sword and shield dashes forward, his shield suddenly becoming the size of his body; it's being used as a battering ram, to hit /anything/ in front of him. Sadly, he can't actually see in front of himself anymore. He's the dumb one of the group. Meanwhile, the one with the javelin is a bit more clever, eying around. He doesn't spot Auron, but he does start twirling his javelin; metal spikes beginning to jut out of it as he does so, and he begins to slowly walk forward.

So far, one down, one disarmed, five left total.

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    That got 'em good! Tenshi plants her hands on her hips and laughs as keystones float up around her, what ones that hadn't been destroyed, at least. There's quite a few at her disposal even taking into account the stones smashed by the drill maul or shattered against that charging shield. A sudden crossbow bolt darts up her way, though, and the angel places a keystone between it and herself. This stops the bolt nicely, though the War God crossbow still has enough force to shatter the stone itself, peppering the tennyo with sharp rock shards.

    Leaning forward, the girl grins, "Eh? Eh? Are you really doing this?" The sword hilt dangling from her wrist is swung up, then caught in her outstretched hand, "If you're gonna punish me, you gotta commit to it!" As her fingers tighten, the katana hilt erupts into a long blade of crimson flame, which Tenshi sweeps in an arc in front of her. In its wake, the slash creates a card with eldritch designs on it.

    "You're dealing with the real deal, here! You might be gods, but I'm a whole different level of divinity!" Her ire is focused entirely on the crossbowman, even though he's been disarmed. With the blade of her sword disappearing, Tenshi snatches the card, which invokes in a flash of blue and violet, "Spell Card!"

    Something rumbles, Tenshi raises both hands overhead. Floating keystones smash into each other above her, accreating into a single, massive Keystone the size of a passenger van, "Heaven's Stone! World Creation Press!" Swinging her hands down, Tenshi hurls the huge stone downwards upon the former-bowman, but does not let go. Rather, she rides it down, laughing the entire way.

Auron (236) has posed:
    The charging shield guy is going to be charging into nothing because... by the time the Protect spell is cast, Deb and Gisenia have not made it to the ground. They're about halfway down, so... well, shield-charging guy is probably going to run into something else. However... Halfway down, Gisenia pauses again, and casts at the charging fellow. Well, kind of 'at' him. She'll aim so that he'll run into the area. And what happens in that area? An ethereal yellow clock appears, just for a moment, the hands moving backwards. Hopefully it'll slow him a little bit.

    For Auron's part? He has an idea. If they like metal so much... they probably won't like this. Reaching into his coat, he extracts a round yellow thing about the size of a large marble and tosses it at the javeling-spinning one. Which will call down a strike of lightning if it hits. And since he's got a spear raised...

    Yeah. PRobably won't feel real great if it hits.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     That's the only opponent with long-ranged capability neutralized. However, he managed to fire his shot before that... a shot that splits into three. For a moment, Eryl is stunned as Original Face proclaims the impossibility of this, and it looks like the bolt might hit him.

     But, despite that, it had already calculated it's trajectory and speed, and his hand comes up to grab it by the shaft before it can strike Eryl. Shaking his head, he tosses it away dismissively. 'Even a god's crossbow is still no match for my implants' he thinks. "But, I should not get cocky," he chides himself. Otherwise he might fail again, and that is not acceptable

     And now, the prisoner is no longer guarded. Time to take advantage of that with an attack that brings a little more risk. Eryl raises his arms, his elbows pointed down at the freeway, aiming at the two guards leaving the prisoner. Suddenly, the sleeves are torn open by a shot erupting from his elbows, two heavy slugs accelerating at them! For the shield-bearer, he aims at the shoulder, and at the elbow of the sword-wielder's sword-arm. The shots lack penetrating power, but the speed and weight of them should be enough to disable the arms they hit.

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
Poor Crossbow Sniper, we hardly knew you. He has almost no reaction time, as he points his crossbow up after grabbing it...and is splatted. Another one bites the dust.

The time slow magic works perfectly. The shield-rammer is caught, and is now just...charging very slowly. Someone should put him out of his misery. Meanwhile, the one with the javelin is struck straight with the lightning, the electricity arcing through each prong, through the javelin, straight into him. He screams in pain as his javelin /explodes/ into a burst of metal, impaling him on shards of his own weapon. No one probably expected this. Shards of metal move towards the prisoner, but the Protect spell causes them to just bounce to the ground.

Eryl's shots go flying. The one heading towards the shield-bearer, whether or not it's affected by the time slow, hits his shield, doing roughly nothing to it. But, he can't do anything anyways. On the other hand, the one with the sword is disarmed immediately, arm going limp. And then a spear slicing him in half, Gabriel moving straight through him when he has the opportunity before going back to joust with the axe-wielder.

The maul-wielder looks up, and spots Gisenia and Deb. He slams his maul into the ground...and is catapulted upwards, maul swinging around in one hand, the head spinning like a drill. He's not aiming very well, but he's a big guy and has a /huge/ hammer, so he's focusing more on hitting at all then precise spots.

As the axe-wielder moves forward, Gabriel points Longinus at the man. "Divide." The same glow envelops both Longinus and the Sebit, as Gabriel grins sharply. "One...becomes nothing." And then he slams the spear into the man's chest, which starts to freeze...before the Sebit /explodes/, blood showering over Gabriel. Gods are apparently very good at making a mess.

Auron (236) has posed:
    Deb sees it first, the maul-wielder and his leaping catapulting charge, right at them. She swears vilely, physically pushing Gisenia out of the way with her shield arm. Herself, though, she waits. Just long enough to see which hair the maul-wielder uses, and to measure his trajectory. She will roll to the side on which he's wielding that maul at the last moment.

    Why to the side? Because she's going to try to impale him with her sword along his side while his arm is still overextended. It's a cinch that, even with her visible strength for a human female, she's probably not going to win a strength battle with this guy. That's a chance she's not going to take.

    Gisenia gets to her feet. Staying out of the line of fire, she casts Protect on Deb as well, just in case. Wouldn't do for Deb to end up dead because she made a single miscalculation in battle.

    For his part, Auron's down by the prisoner. Unfortunately, some of the shards go in his direction too, and he grunts as he takes a couple shards in the arm. Deal with it later, he decides, and approaches the prisoner, trying to see if he can do anything to free the poor fellow. Probably magical restraints involved, in which case there's not much he can do about that. But he can act as a wall, at least.

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    SMASH.

    The rumble of magic fades and Tenshi hops off the now-firmly-embedded giant keystone she'd just slammed into the ground. Seemingly ignoring the fate of the dude she just squished underneath it like a cockroach, the angel turns in place and touches the brim of her hat with two fingers, "Pretty Angel Hinanai Tenshi strikes again! Quick, someone take a picture!"

    When it becomes clear that everyone else is still busy dealing with the last two surviving troopers and saving their hostage, the girl stamps her foot, "Well fine, be goody-two-shoes when I'm tryin' to be cool!" Pushing her hand out, the sword hilt swirls around in a circle on its strap, tracing a crimson line that forms, itself, a perfect circle. From this springs forth a cone of lasers directed at the back of the shield-carrying soldier, "Jeez! So /RUDE/, a girl can't even do a cool pose and get noticed with these jerks around!"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Looking down from above, Eryl isn't sure how he feels about the slaughter of these people. They are gods, so hopefully they will come back? Even so... well, not everyone can be as skilful as he at non-lethal takedowns, he supposes. He'll just ask later if they come back, and decide how to feel then.

     So, only two remain, and the one with the shield has the capacity to be troublesome. He gives a small sigh, and puts more power into his brain implants. Time to get a little fancier than he likes. Fancy always has a greater chance of backfiring.

     Again, he starts trying to figure out a firing solution, one that would reliably deliver shots to the back of the shield-bearer. Even if it means using controlled ricochets off the highway and surrounding buildings to land them.

     This one takes a little longer, a blink and a half, but he has some. But, then the girl with the rocks seems to have that one covered, and Auron's party is dealing with the maul-wielder. So he simply stands watch, just in case.

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
The maul-wielder is basically doing the melee variant of spray and pray, and is just ramming forward. Therefore, Deb is able to impale him rather easily, causing him to drop his maul...which drills a hole through the floor, never to be seen again (or atleast, until someone goes to the very bottom and finds it). He chokes on his blood, and is basically unable to move at this point, as he drops to his knees. The wounds aren't fatal, but there's a perfect chance to /make/ them fatal right now.

Shield Rammer Guy is pretty screwed, since he can barely do anything. The lasers, time-slowed or not, kill him when a few hit the back of his head, which is a pretty bad place to be hit by lasers. He doesn't slump, though. Atleast, he is, but very, very slowly.

With all but one of them dead so far, Gabriel causes his spear to disappear, and begins moving towards the prisoner. As he nears him, the prisoner suddenly begins clapping, the chains seeming to lengthen to allow him to move his arms freely, finally lifting his head up. Long black hair and brown eyes are noticable, and he looks to be no older than 20 at the most. He grins much like Gabriel did, as he speaks loudly. "Bravo, bravo. Are you a rescue party, or another group here to take me prisoner? I know /you/ are a God, but the others...nope. You could also strike me down right here, but I'm rather defenseless, and that'd not be very nice." The prisoner keeps grinning, as he glances around, rising to his feet, his ankle-chans lengthening as well.

"Morgan Vale, at your service."

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    "God?" Tenshi drops her hand to her side, glancing over her shoulder at the shackled prisoner, "Nope. Angel is closer. You heard me shoutin' my name and stuff but in case you were too blown away by how awesome I am--" She raises her hand to her chest, lifting her face proudly, eyes closed, "Hinanai Tenshi, strongest, bravest, smartest, and most humble of all the Tennyo in all of Bhava-Agra."

    Whirling in place, she snaps up the hilt of her sword and produces the flaming crimson blade. Bringing it up, she makes two quick motions that leave crimson scars in midair. Cleaves through the shackles holding the kid down.

    Straightening, the Sword of Hisou dissipating, Tenshi says, "You can thank me constantly and with lots of candy."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     And... it seems to be over. Eryl rubs the back of his neck as he looks down at the party, quirking an eyebrow as the supposed prisoner suddenly doesn't seem so imprisoned after all.

     Backing up, he takes a running jump off the roof! He puts extra power into his legs to let him clear the distance between the parking building and the freeway, then grabs the corners of the cape, using it as a parachute to slightly slow his fall. Upon hitting the road, he lands into a perfect roll, converting all that falling momentum into it.

     Popping up, he fixes his cape and bows his head to Morgan. "Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation. A pleasure." He then looks around. "Is anyone injured?"

Auron (236) has posed:
    Deb's not going to kill the guy. The battle's over, for all intents and purposes. So instead of finishing the maul-wielder off, she heads towards Gisenia and the pair make it down out of the parking garage and start over to where the prisoner is.

    Auron nods to the prisoner, who they discover is named Morgan, in greeting. "Auron," he offers simply in response. No titles or last name.

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
The remaining Sebit's just going to be sitting there for a bit, until he eventually regains the stamina to flee. Meanwhile, Gabriel inspects Morgan's chains, before stepping back. Morgan does not look injured at all; not a single bruise or cut on him. As Tenshi speaks, Morgan just nods, smiling, before speaking bluntly. "I have no idea what that is, and I am pretty sure humble people have modesty. Which means, stop bragging, you're doing yourself no favors." The Sword of Hisou slices through the shackles...and goes straight through them, the chains seeming to rustle before...calming down? Gabriel steps back, as Morgan sighs. "Yeah, that's not going to cut it. This is my Regalia; it's a pretty shitty one. Completely ordinary manacles, except for the fact they can't be destroyed or removed."

This statement causes Gabriel to raise an eyebrow. The chains were moving, as if they had a mind of their own. "Completely normal? Nothing else?". He questions Morgan, who just smiles and shakes his head. "Nope. I got a shitty Regalia that does absolutely nothing." Gabriel seems to frown, as he steps towards Morgan. The chains rustle softly. "You're...lying. I can see them move. They lengthened. How are you...lying? Are you really a Shinigami?"

"Do you doubt your intuition?" Morgan fires back rapidly at Gabriel, chuckling. Gabriel seems to be a bit...worried. "How? Shinigami cannot lie...very well, yet you do it as if it comes naturally to you." And then Morgan tosses in one last quip. "Probably because I'm cooler than you." Hair-flick.

Morgan turns to Auron and Eryl, tipping his head. "I have no idea what corporation that is, and Auron sounds like a robot name. Are you a robot? That'd be pretty fucking cool, actually." Gabriel sighs, turning to the others, before to Morgan. "Well, let's get you to the Mousai."

And then Gabriel stops. His grin stops as well, as he speaks clearly. "Aha, so this /wasn't/ a rescue mission. Mousai brought me up, didn't they? So this /is/ a delivery to another captor. What, going to ransom me off? Probably, since if the Mousai brought me up, I /must/ be worth something! And, well, you have a huge war going on, getting information from the Mousai is very valuable right now. But, I don't really feel like going with another captor, and I'm pretty sure the chains won't trust it again so soon after the last ones got sliced to bits." Gabriel seems to grimace. It may be indication that Morgan's completely right.

And then Morgan turns to the others. "Tell me. What did he tell you he was going to do with me after he rescued me? Nothing? Very little? He can't lie very well, after all. Did you guys /know/ you were simply helping transfer me from one captor to the next? I highly doubt you knew him personally, not being Gods and all."

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    Tenshi pauses when the Sword of Hisou does nothing to the shackles. She seems more intrigued by the reaction than annoyed, though, leaning forward when the chains shake, "Ooh. An Artifact, neat." Regalia, huh. The girl leans back, dismissing the blade of her sword and just twirling the hilt by its strap while the captive and the commander back-and-forth.

    Eyes closing, she stifles a yawn with her other hand. When questions are directed her way, the girl lowers her head, using a finger to clean out one ear, "Dude promised me a mountain of candy if I beat up some jerks, now it's all boring politics and accusations. Man, if I wanted to listen to this kind of stuff I'd drop in on the Yama." One red eye opens. In the same instant, she catches her sword's hilt and the blade of spiritual crimson ignites, "So I guess this means I'm not getting paid, then? I don't like being used, you know."

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron tilts his head. "No. I'm human," he assures Morgan. Nothing visibly electronic on him, no weird metal sound in his voice, no whirring when he moves. He breathes and has a normal heartbeat. Everything appears normal. Though Morgan's question does get a frown from Auron. "I heard nothing of his plans for you. Merely that he wanted you alive."

    Now, Auron might be operating with half his sight, but he can see the clues and subtext here. The conversation seems to indicate that Morgan has shown abilities that his kind-- presumably Morgan and Gabriel are the same 'kind'-- can't do. Even if it's something as small as being able to lie. And so he turns his head to Morgan, just slightly. Just enough to be able to see Gabriel out of his good eye. "...Lies of omission are still lies, you know," he says quietly.

    For the time being, Deb and Gisenia stay quiet. Deb takes a half-step in front of her Summoner when she notices Auron's tension. He is indeed tensed, just in case Gabriel's reaction is to attack them. "Perhaps a little bit of explanation is in order? Why exactly do you want him so badly that you'd 'leave out' important details like... oh, I don't know... that you were stealing him, not saving him?"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     "I would not expect you to. It is from another universe, do not worry," Eryl says in a friendly tone. Gabriel has said this world was newly Unified, so it wouldn't be surprising that the young man didn't know, after all.

     Eryl doesn't really chip in to the ensuing conversation, but he is listening intently. And he takes away two things from it.

     1.) This young man is an unusual example of his station.
     2.)He was being used.

     Right away, he tries to get in between Gabriel and Morgan. With a hiss, a thin rectangular blade emerges from his right forearm at the wrist, humming slightly. "So, you cannot lie, hm? Tell me then, what are your intentions regarding this young man?" He speaks coolly, not showing a hint of anger on his face. But, he almost seems to be looking down on Gabriel now, like he is an ant that Eryl wouldn't care less about treading underfoot.

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
Gabriel turns quickly to Tenshi as she ignites her blade. "You'll be paid. I promise.". Not a lie, spoken very clearly. Atleast, he believes he can promise it. Gabriel turns to Auron. "Lies of omission are something we /can/ do, however. It's a...very hazy thing." Morgan is just tapping his feet. He wants to see how this will go, as Gabriel continues, staring at the blades pointed at him with a bit of...unease. They'll tell if he's trying to lie. So, he speaks calmly. "I was going to bring him to the Mousai, Gods of Knowledge, who told me to rescue him. And then, I'd hold his life ransom. If he's as important as they say he is, they'd pay me quite a bit for him. Information and money, both vital. Our world's in /war/. Gods are fighting and we have no backup from those of Aether. I needed to use every resource possible. As Gods of Knowledge, Mousai have knowledge that most don't. And they're impartial in the war. Does this not make sense? He's just one person."

As soon as Gabriel mentions 'holding his life ransom', however, Morgan's chains...spring out. They don't touch Gabriel, but they're now much longer than they were, and his arm chains are inches from Gabriel's neck. Morgan just seems to smile. "Now, now, you don't want to make my completely normal Regalia angry. It really, /really/ doesn't like threats on my life." And then, turning his attention to Eryl, he lets the chains do whatever they're doing. "Another universe? Man, today is a /very/ interesting day. I'll have to learn more after either one of you or the Binds of Fate slaughter him."

Gabriel actually seems afraid. These are mercenaries with powers he doesn't know much about, plus Morgan is obviously /not/ a normal Shinigami. "Please. I was not lying about paying you. I swear on my life."

Tenshi Hinanai (477) has posed:
    "Man," Tenshi closes her eyes, "The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable." The blade of the Sword of Hisou is dissipated again and Tenshi removes the hilt from her wrist, tucking it into a pocket on her dress. The ground beneath her rumbles, carving out a circle until--with a wrenching motion and a loud crack of stone--a keystone erupts from the ground underneath her feet. The blue-haired angel sits on the flat surface, closing her eyes.

    "And betrayal is the only truth that sticks," she states from her seat. Raising a hand, the tennyo flicks two fingers in a half-hearted wave and guides her stone upward. It makes a curious whistling noise as it floats, like the stone isn't too keen on getting anywhere fast.

    "Try not to squish him too bad, huh?" the girl calls over her shoulder, "I just don't wanna watch. He's all yours, guys."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl listens closely as Gabriel explains. Now, way back when, Eryl was a utilitarian. He believed that the morally correct action was whatever one produced the most net happiness, or minimized unhappiness. But, that was over a century ago, and the things he's seen in that time shifted his point of view.

     Now, the moment someone says 'for the greater good' or 'it's just one life,' you've already convinced him you're in the wrong. But at the same time, no one deserves to die for having bad opinions. So, he looks to the others in turn. Auron and his allies are Union-affiliated, he doubts that they would kill an unarmed man. That just leaves Morgan and Tenshi. He begins to speak in an even tone.

     "This man is despicable, I think we all realize this. He used lies of omission to use us, and had plans to use Mister Vale's life purely for the value it might bring him. Many would argue that he deserves death at this point. But, do you really want to kill a man who is taking no steps to defend himself? He says there is a war happening here, and if that is the case, any of us may meet him again on the field of battle. Would it not be better to kill him then? At least it would be with a clear conscience, as it was in self-defence."

     He gives Gabriel one last glare. "Besides, the fact that his plan was so clumsy seems to indicate that he is no major threat anyway."

Auron (236) has posed:
    Ah-ha. So now they're getting to the crux of the matter. Gabriel's aims were got much more selfish aims than he'd originally let on. "If he's not a normal one of his kind, why don't you team up with him instead of using him as bait?" Auron inquires. "And these 'Mousai'. Can /they/ lie? Did it never cross your mind that they were wrong? Or merely using /you/?" No, Auron does not know what's going on. These are just suggestions, things for Gabriel to think about.

    Though he doesn't seem in any hurry to kill the man. He breathes a quiet sigh of relief as Tenshi seems unwilling to murder the other man over the payment she was promised. "Thank you," he offers to her as she floats away on her circle of rock. And when those chains start reaching for Gabriel's neck, he looks to Morgan.

    "Wait," he tries. He pauses for Eryl's words, and then nods. "This was done in desperation, not in malice. If his desire to save his world is genuine, there's no need to kill him." Even if profiting was part of his plan, that doesn't necessarily mean it was done out of genuine malice. Also there's Eryl's last comment to consider. "That as well. I think it speaks to his desperation, not to a degree of malice deserving of death."

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
"I'm not controlling them. It's not my choice whether they kill him or not." Morgan says, in response to everyone trying to stop him. "And that isn't a lie. I am a prisoner, but not really to any 'man'. I'm a prisoner to these chains. And they're just fucking stubborn. But, hey, atleast they want me alive." Morgan shrugs, as the chains get closer to Gabriel's neck. Gabriel's not really in a position to speak, so Morgan does so instead. "Mousai don't lie. Most Shinigami /can/ lie, but it's incredibly difficult, and they're always shitty liars. You can tell they're going to lie before they actually say the words. Mousai, however, don't even try. Not sure about lies of omission, but they will straight out be honest to your face. They are kind of cryptic fuckers, though. I actually have no clue why I know this, I'm as confused as you guys are, eff why eye." Yes, he actually says FYI out loud. "I wouldn't team up with him even if he asked. Dude's got an agenda. And he's a shady fucker. I'm not sure the Binds would trust him either, and they got ruling choice, to my own chagrin. I was half-hoping that sword would cut them in half, too."

However, Morgan looks down to the chains, and sighs. "But, he's worthless. You can kill him and make him no longer a threat, or you can maim him and make him no longer a threat. Your choice, I guess. Either way, likely to get bloody, so if you're squeamish, might want to turn around!"

The chains are kind enough that they give five seconds for anyone to turn around. And then they retract...before the bottom chain slides forward, slicing through Gabriel's kneecaps. He screams in pain, both legs amputated at the knees, as the top chain slides into his head, completely blunt, knocking him unconscious.

"Seems they do have mercy! Was wondering if they did, fucking things seemed like they had no morals. Well, they probably don't, they're shackles, after all." Morgan quips, as the chains retract to a comfortable level. He moves forward...and begins searching Gabriel's pockets, pulling out a wallet, and his radio. His first action is to flip through the wallet, pulling out 10 $10s, before pocketing all but two of the bills for himself and tossing the wallet aside. "Here, buy yourselves a soda. I'm not keeping up any other agreements he had." He hands a 10 dollar bill towards Auron and Eryl both. "Now, I'm kind of in the middle of a warzone. Do you guys mind getting me...I don't know, out of the fucking warzone?"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl's face falls as Morgan explains that the chains have a will of their own. Typically, from all the media he's consumed, sentient items are not pleasant things. So, when Morgan cautions them to get back, he does so, but he watches, just in case.

     And so, Gabriel is maimed, but not killed. As soon as the chains retract, Eryl is on him. Peeling the severed pant legs from the severed legs, he cuts them open lengthwise and starts tearing them into strips to make makeshift bandages to wrap around the bloody stumps.

     He ignores the pain from watching chains move, the offered money. He just tries to stabilize Gabriel ASAP.

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron's actually not as accustomed to gore as he might seem, all grizzled warrior that he appears to be. Most of his battles in Spira had been against fiends-- beings of spirit, who return the magical energy they use to manifest physically upon defeat. They don't bleed. He actually doesn't fight human opponents that often.

    He turns to Deb, then looks to Gisenia, and then makes a jerk of his head to indicate they should head back. Deb nods and quickly hustles Deb back towards the car. Just in time, apparently. Deb doesn't look back at the sickening sound and scream. Nope. They're not looking! Even Auron visibly flinches, closing his good eye and turning his head to the left enough to at least block the actual infliction of the amputation.

    He puts up a hand to refuse his share of the money. "That's all right." His world doesn't take this currency, and he doesn't intend to be spending much time in this world to spend money. However, he does offer, while rummaging around for healing items to give to Eryl-- every little bit helps, right?-- "I have a car. Do you want to leave this world, or just leave this particular area?" he inquires.

Morgan Vale (706) has posed:
Gabriel will be just fine. Higher healing rate than most people, plus it's just /knees/.

Morgan pockets the cash when rejected, shrugging, before turning to Auron. "Man, I have never been to another world. That sounds fucking amazing. Though, is it like, a Delorean, or something? Eh, don't care either way, this sounds fun. Just, don't take me to another warzone, chains miiight get a bit angry about that." Morgan grins. This is the start of something very exciting. And probably very dangerous in the long run, too.