“He is using magic, my children!”
Seneth casts Clout at Chaggo
Cruising down the road, Nail attempts chatting with Kirk. “So, got any ideas?”
Sometime later: “Hey, how you guys doin’ over there,” Nail idly subvocalizes to the rest of the group.
As Goethe realizes the physad has now turned his attentions in his direction, the seasoned runner sizes up his situation in the blink of an eye.
Cue internal monologue.
*Physads, chummer. Now you remember why you hate them. In open street combat where you have all your resources at disposal, you usually win, but in cramped conditions, they have the upper hand. Tread carefully. The way I see it, you got these choices:
Option 1: Jump off the train. Granted, not a good option. Even if your athleticism did manage to allow you to survive coming to a sudden stop after traveling forward at 50 mph or so, your going to be feeling it for a while. Besides, Chaggo would kill Donovan in his current condition and likely escape from Seneth in the process. And for what? A broken contract? A reputation as a coward, and a stupid one at that? If you’re going to risk killing yourself, at least get paid for it.
Option 2: Play toreador to that angry bull. A more promising option. Then you could put two more bullets in places Chaggo was not meant to have them. Of course, if you fuck it up, you’re going to get a full serving of physad beatdown, and dollars to donuts he’s magicked that baton.
Option 3: Take it like a man. Suck it up, my friend. In a mano-a-mano fight, the advantages clearly lie with him, but you can hold your own in a bar fight, and while most bars aren’t hurtling at breakneck speeds, at least you’re not alone up here. That raven thing seems to at least be useful. Besides, Donovan’s got a foot in the grave, and Seneth could have real problems if Chaggo goes full out against him. You got the best chance of holding out, as long as you keep him distracted, the other guys should be able to finish him off. Besides, he’s already feeling the pain, and you’re at full health, that should equal things out a bit. And if that baton is a stun prod, well, Chaggo’s not the only runner here with non-conductive armor. Of course, a baton smack to the head hurts regardless. And if all else fails, well, there’s always the old Reichenbach Falls option. Just make sure you land on top of him rather than the other way around. Nothing like an ork cushion to make a sudden stop a bit more survivable.*
End Internal Monologue
His mind made up, Geothe holsters his pistol and will use unarmed melee against Chaggo.
Nice summary! I’ll give Donovan and Kirk some time to post (if they want, although it’s not essential) and then I’ll post the results later this evening.
Also, Seneth will not be able to participate this initiative pass, due to having run out of initiative passes. Raven will still fight, though (since spirits have 2 initiative passes). Seneth will get a chance to cast his spell in the next combat round, which will come after this initiative pass.
Can I use edge to improve spell casting? If so, he will.
Yes, there are a couple of things you can do. You can spend a point of Edge to add your total Edge score to a single dice roll (in this case a spellcasting test). You can also spend a point of Edge to get another initiative pass this round, which would let you participate in the current initiative pass, instead of waiting for the next combat round.
I will spend a point of Edge to get in on the current turn, and then cast Clout.
Goethe braces himself as Chaggo speeds toward him. The expandable baton slashes toward Goethe, zipping through the air like a whip. Goethe leaps forward with a sudden explosion of energy, raising his arm in an attempt to block Chaggo’s baton hand at the forearm. The attack that seemed to be heading for Goethe’s head suddenly changes angle and drops through Goethe’s defense, striking the shadowrunner across the ribs with a vicious CRACK.
“Broken ribs,” Goethe knows even before the pain hits him. “Nothing I haven’t felt before.” Goethe responds by continuing his forward motion, pinning Goethe’s weapon arm against the side of his body. Goethe’s opposite hand uses the butt of his pistol to crush down against Chaggo’s head. Chaggo attempts to block, but only manages to put himself off balance, and Goethe throws the ork down to the roof of the train.
Only then does Goethe suddenly realize he must gasp for breath. Chaggo’s enchanted weapon did much more damage than Goethe expected. Goethe glances down at his side, and sees blood oozing into his clothing.
Goethe and Chaggo have traded blows. Chaggo’s enchanted weapon caused four points of physical damage to Goethe, giving him a semi-serious wound. Goethe responded by dealing two points of stun damage to Chaggo, and knocking him down. Chaggo can’t take much more punishment and stay conscious!
As Chaggo falls, Raven is immediately upon him. With a screech, Raven uses a flurry of claws and talons to rake across Chaggo’s body, dealing 2 physical damage. Chaggo is bleeding from many wounds, and appears to lose consciousness.
Just then, Seneth’s spell slams into Chaggo. The clout spell visibly warps the air around it with a tremendous shockwave, and pounds the helpless ork with a mighty direct hit. Chaggo’s body tumbles across the roof of the train, and begins to slide off. Goethe is the only person in a position to save Chaggo from certain death.
Will Goethe grab Chaggo before he falls off, saving his life?
Seneth’s clout spell did four stun damage to Chaggo, finally finishing the ork. Chaggo is unconscious and will not wake up for several hours. Seneth suffered two points of stun damage as a result of drain, which will heal on its own with a bit of rest.
Seeing Chaggo’s lifeless body sliding away, Goethe considers how much easier things are likely to be if he just let’s Chaggo fall. Chaggo’s body won’t be found until long after the group is gone, the assassination part of the contract will be fulfilled, no one will wonder why we’re all carrying a beaten and broken Ork with us, and the personal satisfaction of knowing the guy who cracked his ribs and ruined his shirt is not going to be an issue ever again. But then he considers the flipside. We don’t know that Nail’s info is good yet, if it isn’t, Chaggo is likely our only chance to save Arry. Plus, someone’s got to pay for the new shirt Goethe’s going to need to buy, and Chaggo no doubt has some useful cred on him in that regard. Additionally, he’s not putting it past Chaggo to actually somehow survive the fall. Better to know where your enemy is than keep looking over your shoulder.
His mind made up, Geothe will make every effort to stop Chaggo’s body from falling off the train.
Assuming he’s successful, Geothe will say just to the lifeless body:
“Well, let’s just see if I saved your life only to postpone the inevitable, eh?”
He will then drag the Ork back to where Donovan and Seneth are. Dropping the Ork to the roof, he’ll address the rest of the group, including those on the Commlink.
"Nail, Chaggo is down and considerably worse for the wear. We’re en route to the address you found. Hopefully Lone Star will buy Seneth’s escaped loony story in regards to Chaggo. Kirk, what’s the best way to get there from here?
Goethe will then start rifling through Chaggo’s stuff, taking all his weapons, ammo, and any cred he finds.
“He’s alive for now Donovan. Until we confirm Arry’s location, we can’t kill him. Fortunately, he looks like he’ll be out for a while, so he’s not currently a threat, besides, I just disarmed him, so there’ll be even less to worry about should he actually wake up. Once Arry’s free, we’ll then deal with Chaggo permanently.”
Then as his adrenaline levels ebb, Goethe suddenly becomes aware of the pain caused by the wound in his chest. With a bit of a wince he says to Seneth:
“Warlock, I think we need some healing over here. Donovan looks like he’s got a foot in the grave already, and I’m not exactly my usual hale and hearty self. But treat him first if you don’t have enough to fully go around. I can manage; I usually do.”
Then looking back at the motionless body of Chaggo, a thought forms in Goethe’s head.
Hey, chummer. I might just be able to save your life after all and still get full payment. It will involve getting the boss to revise the contract, but I’ve got an idea that’ll be pretty persuasive if I’ve got this zombie pegged correctly. Of course, you’re still likely to be spending the rest of your life in some corp prison, but that’s your own damn fault for crossing the wrong corp.
Then he says once again to the whole group:
“By the way, Nail. After yet another fight against an adept, I think I finally figured out your kind’s real weapon focus. It’s bad breath.”
Brushing off the friendly teasing, Nail calmly replies to Goethe, “Any day you’re still breathing at all is a good one.”
Sometime later, Nail address Kirk again. “Got your head in the clouds, huh?” After a few seconds, “…Kirk…Hello in there?” Nail says as he knocks on the motorcycle. “Let’s just do a quick drive-by while the rest of the crew is on the way.”
Goethe successfully grabs hold of Chaggo’s wrist and hauls the unconscious ork back to the roof of the train. Goethe is not able to recover Chaggo’s weapons as the ork loses his grip on both the pistol and the baton, which tumble off the roof of the train and fall to the ground.
Lone Star will be busy dealing with the obvious trouble of the man who discharged a firearm inside the train, before dealing with the unknown trouble of open fire escape routes. The group suddenly feels the train’s brakes engaging, as emergency procedures are being followed after the crime inside the train. It’s a ten-foot drop from the roof of the train to the ground, which is low enough that the group can jump down and escape with Chaggo in tow, as long as the train isn’t moving.
The train stops in an industrial part of old Seattle, filled with warehouses and manufacturing buildings. A good portion of the buildings are boarded up and abandoned.
The shadowrunners regroup in a corner of a dark, abandoned building, which Goethe has accessed by breaking down a boarded door. Donovan is in bad shape, and needs medical attention soon. Chaggo’s injuries are a mixture of impressive bruises and serious looking lacerations and bullet wounds, but the sturdy ork will certainly survive. Goethe has also suffered a wound that could use healing, but the injury is more uncomfortable than dangerous.
Now, the group must decide how to use Seneth’s healing magic. Seneth will suffer drain from casting his healing spell, which could limit the effectiveness of subsequent spells. Seneth should assign priority to the following healing targets, as the higher priority targets will be healed first and have more likelihood of success in the casting attempt;
Donovan is hurt badly, and has a small chance of losing too much blood to survive. He is close to unconsciousness.
Chaggo has not suffered life threatening wounds, but he will not wake up soon unless he is healed.
Goethe has a serious, but non-fatal injury.
I will be away from my computer for several days following this post. I will return on Sunday! Please forgive my limited, intermittent posts for the next few days, since I’ll only have my phone to post from. I’ll try to keep up with the game while I’m away, though.
“My children, I will heal you. However, we must retreat after this so I can rest. Even I with all my years and power can not simply summon, cast, and heal endlessly.”
Seneth casts Heal on Donovan immediately.
Seneth does not want Chaggo to wake up soon, so he leaves him for the moment.
“Goethe, do you require healing now?”
To Seneth:
“I’ll be fine for now. Save your strength. If you want, get some rest for now. I’ll make sure Chaggo doesn’t go anywhere.”
Over the commlink (and to the rest of the group with him):
"Nail, see if you can get Donovan’s car and pick us up when you get a chance. We’re currently squatting in some abandoned house near where Lone Star stopped the train. I can probably figure out our position through my simrig, but Kirk can probably figure out much faster based on the information she can get from being in the transit system itself. The building we’re in is roughly <insert number here> paces from where the train stopped and looks like <insert description here>. And bring some manacles or such. We don’t want Chaggo to be a threat should he wake up. Make the trunk all nice and soft for him, too. He’s going to be riding in style.
“And if he wakes up before then, well, he no longer has his electrical resistance armor, so a few hits with the shock gloves should keep him nice and mellow until you get here. But, the sooner you get here the better. I really don’t desire a matched set of broken ribs if you catch my drift.”
Goethe sits down next to Chaggo’s motionless body and puts on his shock gloves, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of the unconscious Orks labored breathing and ready to strike should that rhythm begin to change.
“Ya know what I hate most about running, Seneth? The waiting.”
“But, my child, wasn’t the sight of that clout spell hitting this ‘Chaggo’ worth it? He was a great fool to mess with one like me.”
Seneth will find a place to rest as soon as is reasonable.
To Goethe and the group, “Roger that.”
To Kirk, “Well Kirk, looks like a change of plans.” Nail waits patiently for a reply, still enjoying the nice day.
Once Kirk shows a sign that she is paying attention, Nail will ask to go to Donovan’s car. He will pick up manacles somewhere on the way and join the group as soon as possible. With that said, no rush of course 
Seneth stands over Donovan with outstretched arms. Donovan coughs up blood as Seneth prepares his dramatic spell. “Just…get on with it,” Donovan grumbles unhappily. He’s unable to draw a full breath, as one of his lungs has almost completely filled with blood.
Seneth frowns at the disrespect shown by Donovan, but silently finishes casting the spell. With a sudden feeling of venting pressure, Donovan gasps and hacks a mighty cough, bringing the stale blood from his lung up and out in an impressive and disgusting display.
Seneth has healed 4 points of damage from Donovan, greatly reducing the severity of his injuries. Seneth has suffered some drain from casting, but he’s still in good condition, and all of the stun damage caused by the drain will heal before Chaggo wakes up.
Will Nail drive by the house Arry is being held at before bringing Donovan’s sedan to the warehouse?
Since i assume we’re close, Nail would prefer a quick drive-by the house, yes…
To Kirk: “On second thought, let’s swing by the house where Arry is being held real quick on our way.”
Goethe gives a quick quirk of an eyebrow at that statement, and then addresses Seneth:
“So what’s your story anyway? You don’t strike me as the typical runner. I mean, you Awakened are all quirky in your own ways, but you take it to a whole 'nother level. Don’t get me wrong, I mean no offense by it, and I’m not judging you in anyway, but you might have noticed you don’t exactly blend in, even amongst a culture as diverse as Runners are. When McManus turned me on to this job and I put feelers out for people to join me, I wasn’t surprised that Nail and Kirk jumped at the chance. But I wasn’t expecting you to come along. I mean, I’m glad you’re here and all, but you just don’t really seem the type that would desire this kind of life. So yeah, what’s you’re story if you don’t mind me asking. I understand if you’d rather not discuss it, but I figure there’s not much else to do while waiting for the rest of them to show up.”
Seneth is trying to rest a bit(at least when he gets a chance). He looks back at Goethe:
"I don’t fit in, my child? I guess that makes a certain kind of sense. I’m not sure what blending in is, anymore.
You are wise to be surprised that I came along, or at least very observant. I have very little interest in gain and this case, even up to now, has not been particularly interesting. However, I consulted with a guide of mine from the spirit realm, a guide I trust completely and was advised to help you all be successful. You won’t be surprised to learn that my guide takes the form of an Owl and represents age and wisdom.
I remember the Owl’s first words to me. ‘Seneth Keluszon, you will pursue wisdom until you obtain it.’ He wasn’t kidding.
This was years ago and also was same moment that I stopped physically aging, actually. I’d love to know how long ago that is, but I haven’t kept track of my age in…well, ages. Mind you, I’m not immortal or anything; at least I don’t think so. I just don’t age. I can be injured. My magic drains my energy. However, I have not aged physically since the day I met the Owl.
Have I obtained wisdom, my children? I assume not. After all, I still haven’t aged and I rather assume I will once I become wise.
So, you are right. I probably don’t blend in, but it isn’t my goal. I wouldn’t even know how."
**
And with that, I am off to Korea. I will have internet there, but will be out of touch for a couple days now.**
Until we hear from Kirk, I’ll be taking her over as an NPC.
As Nail rides toward the house where Arry is being held, he receives a garbled, static-filled transmission over his comlink.
“…ear me? Goethe? Nail? … been compromised. Going dark. … not attempt further contact…” and then only static. The voice was unmistakably that of McManus.
Darwin’s text-to-speech software translates an ominous message over Nail’s commlink. “Resuming operator functions. Stand-alone mode engaged. Last operator signal received minus twenty seven seconds.”
Goethe and Donovan have received the same transmissions over their commlink. The group has lost contact with the people in McManus’ safehouse, including Kirk. The remaining four of you are on your own for the rest of this run!
Nail arrives at the neighborhood indicated by Chaggo’s thug. It’s a quiet, residential area which somehow survived the intense urbanization the rest of Seattle went through over the past hundred years. Single family homes are spaced widely apart, like a 1990s pre-Awakening historical caricature of suburbia. The house indicated by the agent lies at the end of a cul-de-sac. Nail is afraid to arouse too much suspicion, and does not approach too closely.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group is licking their wounds in the abandoned warehouse. Chaggo begins to stir, but doesn’t appear to be awake.
Goethe knows better, though…
Nail has had very little success with his perception test, and can not find any more advanced information about the location he’s scouting.
Goethe rolled extremely well with a perception test, and realizes that Chaggo has been awake for an unknown amount of time, but is attempting to hide it, through a combination of physical mastery and subtle Adept magic.