Although Bay City is a modern, developed, densely populated city full of skyscrapers, finance square still sticks out against the sky line like the good years in a company's revenue bar graph.

Coming down from above, the streets seem impossibly narrow and the building impossibly tall and narrow. All through the district the streets are fender-to-fender cars and the sidewalks are shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrians.

For several blocks around Treadwell Bank flashing police lights can be seen in a rough circle. And within that circle there is chaos.

Clouds of dust billow up from the ground. Car horns and alarms blare endlessly into the air. There are screams and cries of the scared and injured. The staccato tattoo of small arms fire. And even a few muffled thumps indicating small explosions.

Just outside the bank, the trail of destruction is easy enough to follow. Cars split and torn and on fire laying every which way. Empty sidewalks. Windows shattered. Stonework broken and crumbled into the streets.

Down the middle of the street is a trail of broken and split asphalt. And at the spearpoint of the trail, amid the dust can barely be seen a number of large, hulking figures, much larger than human, making their slow and ponderous way.

Bright muzzle flashes pepper the dust cloud around the figures, and then also from around them, as law enforcement attempts to take them down.

OOC: Let me know how you're approaching and/or from where, and how you engage. Roll me initiative, and if you engage with an attack, roll attack and any applicable damage as well. As much as possible, if you could summarize the rules for any special attacks or effects or spells or whatever as you use them. I'll get used to them as we go, but the less looking stuff up I have to do, the faster this all moves along.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Shitsumon looks down on the scene, and murmurs "yō kai".

Standing and floating towards the exit, he asks Doc, "have we news from Gecko?"

For reasons he has not explained, transforming into Shitsumon improves his English, but not his manners. "I can ease in behind them, unseen, and call you if I learn anything. But only if you give me leave to do so, if we fail to follow orders we are sure to be defeated. They appear organized, and assembled. As Sun Tzu has written, 'Nothing is more difficult than engaging an assembled force, directly. Hence, take the indirect route: lure others by holding out advantages.'"

"If you have another plan, I will gladly perform whatever task is required of me."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:06, Wed 02 June 2021.

"The threat is mechanical, more likely than not. They move with purpose. I believe conventional profit is a secondary concern. If the files have something on them, I lack data, or I haven't read them yet." Sam put the phone away, and took a breath. "Doc - do you want me to go in quiet, to support Gecko, or loud, to support Shitsumon?"

He would be surprised if he was asked to support Shadowborne. His patron didn't like that one, and had specifically asked Sam to watch him. Sam didn't really care - as far as he knew, one was defined by what they did.

The master was really intense about this, though.

Doc spoke quickly over the radio.

"Gecko can you add anything to what we can see?"

To the rest of the team.

"Loud! They are wrecking the city and we need them stopped right here."

"Altruist and Shitsumon  airdrop and go straight at them. front and rear."

"Shadowborne and Gecko close the flanks."

"I'll drop the car off at mom's and be right over."


Doc will be hovering the Mark 3 over the location of the initial battle and trying to get some readings while he is suiting up in the MACE.

I can't really ssee muchch more ththan you ffrom up here becauzze of ththe debris, dusst, and ssmoke, Gecko hisses slightly over the radio.  Iff anyone hass any demo chchargess or grenadess, I have an idea ththat might work.

"Both are loaded on the Mark 3 or I can bring them with me when I head down."

"On it. My comms are receiving and confirmation only until the fighting stops. Lots of yelling to come from me." Sam moved to a kneeling position, and focused internally. "Da'at-keter."

He arose as the Altruist, and quietly moved out the rear door. "Civilian lives are prioritized above the enemy's. For us both, Shitsumon. And please do not die yet."

He flew out to engage the enemy, aiming to draw the attention of whatever he believed was the most dangerous of them. "Fear not, Bay City!"

OOC: Let me know when rolls are needed, and I'll deliver them. He'll try to get an assessment of how hard he can hit them before he throws a punch. Mechanical life is still life to Altruist.

Shitsumon hears The Altruist out, and watches the latter exit the plane. "Amusing," says the samurai as he grips his sword and takes a ready stance before vanishing completely. Flying invisibly out the hatch behind The Altruist, Shitumon takes a different arc. Once at ground level he approaches the rear of the enemy's formation in an effort to see these oni. He must establish that they are evil, as only in conflict with evil does his full power emerge.

Cautiously approaching the trailing member of the formation till he's some ten meters away, Shitsumon opens himself to the flow of the chi. Even the metal walls of these creatures can't hide what life flows within them, if any does. Only by judging this life can Shitsumon know that these are enemies. It is true that the streets are being filled with the detritus of violence, but this is America. Shitsumon has seen Americans do much the same because their favorite sports team lost the playoffs, OR won!

OOC: his invisibility keeps him hidden from infrared, ultraviolet, heat, and motion detectors, see aura, presence sense, sense magic, sense evil, and even an animal's sense of smell. He makes no footprints and hardly any sound (prowl 84%), even  the power to see the invisible will only reveal a semi-transparent, ghost-like image of the character (which gives attackers a penalty of -2 to strike). This super-cloaking magic is broken only if the character engages in combat/attacks. At that instant, he becomes completely visible. The act of forcing open a door or window, picking a lock, tapping somebody, accidentally bumping somebody, or accidentally getting shot or hurt, is not considered an act of aggression or combat, so the invisibility is maintained.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:25, Fri 09 Apr 2021.

Anton simply nods his head and glides towards the hatch. Stopping just before it, he hisses three sharp syllables and the wispy shadows around him coalesce into a pair of vicious looking large Karambits, their blades flickering in and out of solidness(Shadesword Spell/5D6 Damage). Cocking his head to the left, he gives a cocky grin and dives out of the VTOL. Unlike the others, he does not fly. But that does not stop him...

Like an Olympic diver his body spears towards the ground...then straight on through as he dives into the shadow of the VTOL as if it was a deep, deep pool of endless black. Even as he was diving, more harsh, tones were slipping from his mouth, unheard by any but him.

In another blink, he appears behind the lead giant and slashes forward, aiming for what would be the Achilles tendon on a living being.

OOC: OK...Shadowbourne casts Shadesword at hatch, 10 Minute Duration, 5D6 Damage. If struck, -2 to strike and parry till next melee round, effects are cumulative with EACH strike landing. The Dual Blades is just a visual) dives out of VTOL, Shadow Stepping through shadow of VTOL just before impacting with ground(Shadow Step 150 ft range)...to the shadow of the lead antagonist, rise up and strike from behind. IF possible, he will use his next attack/action to plant Shadow Trap(Power, Shadow Does 4D6+10 Damage, Stuns Target, and they loose 1D4+1 Attacks/Actions...25 minute duration)...to either catch the target he attacked either falling backwards or stepping back to attack him....or if not that, then to hamper the next target in line.

19:25, Today: Shadowbourne rolled 18 using 1d20+3, rerolling max, rerolling ones ((15)).

19:35, Today: Shadowbourne rolled 20 using 1d20+11, rerolling max, rerolling ones.  Shadesword from Behind, Called Shot? Achilles Tendon

19:36, Today: Shadowbourne rolled 11 using 5d6.  Shadesword Damage.

19:38, Today: Shadowbourne rolled 21 using 4d6+10.  Shadow Trap Damage.

19:39, Today: Shadowbourne rolled 5 using 1d4+1.  Attacks/Actions Lost From Trap.

Unlessss you make a sspeccial vissit at my locattion, Gecko responds to Dr Roller.  Maybe I can usse the chchargess to even up the ffight a bit.

Doc establishes a hover over the battlefield and starts monitoring the instruments. The first thing he notices is that something down there is throwing up a PILE of interference. Everything from the radio bands to infrared and even radar is just filled with static and almost impossible for anyone to read with any accuracy.

Doc, however, is not just anyone. And with several careful adjustments, each more art than science, akin to a violin virtuoso's gentle vibrato, he manages to get a few pieces of hard data.


And then he starts suiting up.

Meanwhile, his team deploys.

Shitsumon hits the streets and approaches from the rear. His opened senses are immediately assaulted by the foulest, vilest, darkest and most horrifying negative energy he has ever experienced. Whatever these were, there was something alive in there. And it's chi was like swimming in an endless pit biting insects and feces.


Altruist approaches cautiously. The dust cloud emerging from the melee is massive and thick. But he sees very quickly these are enormous, bulky mechanical bipedal things. They are covered in thick plating and heavily armed. There are at least four of them. As he watches, one lets loose with a machine gun, and another fires a volley of mini-missiles at the roadblock up ahead.

Gecko tries to find a way into the battle.

Shadowbourne leaps from the Mark 3, travels through its shadow to the ground, lands directly behind the rearmost and cuts it across the hydraulic mechanism of the back of its knee with the shadow-forged daggers in his hands. His blades cut deep and the machine pauses and faulters. From the innards comes a thick, heavy hissing spray of a viscous black fluid...


OOC:
I'm going to put Shadowbourne first in the order, and Doc Roller last (but you can be in the MACE for that action). Everyone else please give me an initiative roll with your first combat post.

Shitsumon zips forward and applies his katana to the same cut made by Shadowbourne. As he appears, he speaks aloud, calling the target "fushizende jaakuna koto!"^*

OOC:
22:15, Today: Shitsumon rolled 19 using 1d20+11.  initiative.
22:18, Today: Shitsumon rolled 32 using 1d20+17.  hit the rearmost other leg (strike roll).
22:19, Today: Shitsumon rolled 15 using 3d6+2.  damage to leg.

These rolls reflect his karmic power, it was assumed this was the right thing to  do.

^*Unnatural, evil thing

Radioing the team Doc shares his findings,

"I count six very large mechanical, bipedal, creatures down there. Multiple heavy weapons on each. The one in the middle of their formation is venting a biological agent of some kind."

"Instruments aren't showing any pilots."

"I intercepted a transmission indicating there's an evac planned for a couple of minutes from now, at a park about three blocks south and one west."

"Contain the threat here. I'll recon the park."

Next he radios the police.

"This is Dr. Benjamin Roller of CRISP..."

He will instruct the police to fall back and concentrate on evacuating the area of conflict.

Last he will select the Doc-Mod M2A1 .50 machinegun/rifle and rocket off toward the park.

Altruist began by attempting to intercept the missiles aimed at the blockade.

OOC: 07:45, Today: Altruist rolled 18 using 1d20+10.  Dodging into attack. I think I successfully planted my face into the missiles.

"Understood, Doc." Altruist quickly planned his next moves - disabling weapons, mobility, sensory systems; in no particular order - figuring that would bring them down as quickly as possible without the need to chew through their likely prodigious armor.

Then again, if Shitsumon had no issues with these things, coming at them directly, he probably wouldn't either.

Gecko decides to hard-charge down the side of the building towards Doc Roller's transport.  He definitely thinks those charges would be a good idea.  Another thought occurs to him, as well, and he asks a question over the radio.
Hey, Doc.  Ya got a Carl Gusstavv or another recoillessss rifle in your flying armory?


18:19, Today: Gecko rolled 26 using 1d20+6.  Initiative.  Natural 20!
Moves at 1100'/Attack

Anton feels a burst of primal savagery when his blades slice across the exposed cable. Completing the slash, he spins, his hand brushing the shadow he just left, infusing the shadow with a semi-sentience, awakening its hunger. As he does, he turns his back to the arcing spray of hot viscous fluid.

OCC: He will simply ignore the prospect of the fluid hurting him. Instinctually, he would think of it as blood, not as of something dangerous. Plant the Trap, take the hit.

<quote Gecko>
Hey, Doc.  Ya got a Carl Gusstavv or another recoillessss rifle in your flying armory?

"Affirmative Gecko. M3A1 8.4mm with HE, HEAT, and Anti-Structure rounds."

He can almost hear the reptilian man smile over the radio.  Good.  I'm on my way.

ALREADY IN MOTION
Shadowbourne winces as the spray of viscous black fluid washes over him. But there is no pain, no visible reaction. It seems fine. It's just very warm and very sticky and very unpleasant.


Altruist shoves himself in the way of the volley of missiles and takes the hit. The front one explodes in his face, setting off the remainder. He is not injured, but the impact hurls him to the ground a few hundred feet away.

AND NOW
Shadowborne concentrates a moment and suddenly the shadows right in front of the mechanical beast grow darker and start to shimmer like a heat haze. The behemoth pauses as Shadowbourne strikes and its upper body starts to turn around.

And then Shitsumon comes running up from behind and strikes the same, vulnerable spot. His runesword cuts deep into the already damaged leg. Another spout of thick fluid bursts from the cut.

Its damaged leg buckles and steps forward... directly into the magic trap. Bolts of jet black energy crackle up the damaged leg, which splits at the knee and the thing tumbles into the pool of magic shadow.


MEANWHILE
Just as Doc Roller starts moving away toward the rendezvous point, Gecko charges at full speed down the side of a nearby building and lands on the flying platform and makes his way inside.

AND THEN
The Lead Mech looks up, sees Gecko enter the Mark 3, and swings its arm up, firing a burst from its chain gun even as it turns to one side and starts down a side street, easily tossing aside barricades and cars. The others adjust their course accordingly.

OOC: Doc, 135 damage coming the Mark 3's way from the machine gun, strike roll 16 to hit.

Also, the radio chatter indicates the route to the evac has changed. Shorter route, down this street, left turn, there they are. Only problem is that left turn goes straight *through* a five story walk up apartment building at the end of this side street.

The Front Guard Mech pinpoints on Altrist, its upper body pivoting as it walks past, and lets lose with a focused blast from its flamethrower. The gout of flame tears across the street, dangerously close to several tipped over cars.... and several dripping pools of gasoline...

OOC: Altruist, you are currently covered in flame. You can't see and you can't breathe.

The Anchor Mech has no chain gun and no flamethrower and no visible missle system. Instead, both of its arms end at the elbow. Each has a large rectangular tank and hose assembly of some sort attached and it is spraying out thin, powerful jets of a thick dark mist as it goes.

The Rear Guard Mech's upper body pivots all the way around, seeing Shitsumon and Shadowbourne. It raises its chain gun and strafes a line of fire right across the two of them.

OOC: Shadowbourne and Shitsumon, 50 damage coming your way, Strike Roll 12.

The Rear Mech has fallen mech and lies still. Crackles of jet-black energy course through it and its remaining three limbs twitch, but it does not rise.

Initiative Order:

99 - Shadowbourne (you've used 3 actions so far, one for the stab and two for the trap)
*20 - Gecko
19 - Shitsumon (even if you dodge the goop, you'll need to dodge the machine gun as well)
03 - Bad Guys
01 - Altruist (you didn't roll initiative, so we'll just say you got pushed clear by the missiles and come back into the action at the end of the order
00 - Doc Roller

Let me know if you have any questions.

Shitsumon spins as he hurtles through the air, avoiding the spraying goo. As the chain gun fires, he jukes towards the machine and thus avoids the robot's attack. Running forward, he launches himself into the air and swings on the chain gun, itself.

OOC:
14:20, Today: Shitsumon rolled 15 using 1d20+10.  automatic dodge (karmic power) vs goo.
14:21, Today: Shitsumon rolled 20 using 1d20+10.  automatic dodge (karmic power) vs chain gun.
Also, as part of his 'karmic power':

Heroes Unlimited Revised Second Edition pg 279:

When the cause is just, the motives good and/or selfless,
 ...
opponents get no bonuses to strike, parry or dodge the Karmic character. Straight, unmodified dice rolls only.

16:09, Today: Shitsumon rolled 34 using 1d20+17.  to hit the robot's chain gun.
16:09, Today: Shitsumon rolled 7 using 3d6+2.  damage to chain gun.

This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Sun 18 Apr 2021.

Despite being blinded, and the sudden lack of oxygen, Altruist made out the direction of the napalm spray dousing him. He focused through the blinding rain, and quickly flew up to where he believed the machine to be.

OOC: 17:28, Today: Altruist rolled 10 using 1d100.  Advanced Mathematics test to figure out vector of fire; TN 81. Awesome - even if penalties are retroactively applied, that should get me to the bad guy.

Unfortunately, words were not going to come from him, given the lack of oxygen. So, he went with a crushing punch for what he was hoping was the flamethrower, or the arm. He wasn't sure - he knew it was an extremity attachment, and that even if the machine itself was more than a drone or a piloted machine, it could do without it.

OOC: 17:34, Today: Altruist rolled 22 using 1d20+10.  Airborne punch; penalties for blindness not included. ...this was supposed to be a Called Shot, too. Aiming to disable the weapon.
17:36, Today: Altruist rolled 68 using 2d4+61.  Potential punch damage. Not pulling; half flight speed. If that hit, that might be the destruction of the weapon in question.

Inside the armory of the vehicle, Gecko begins the search for the M3 Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle, and a handful of HEAT rounds.

IN MOTION...
In response to the machinegun fire, Shadowbourne slips into a nearby shadow and vanishes from sight. Shitsumon, however, easily evades the black goo and the line of bullets, leaps onto the arm of the mech and strikes at the massive chain gun. His blade does not cut deep, but all the same he hears the grind of slipped gears inside there somewhere.

Doc Roller pauses attending to the sensors and his own armoured suit and jags the Mark 3 sideways, easily avoiding the bullets.

Just as the Mark 3 jigs and jags, Gecko arrives and suits up.

OOC: Gecko, whether it makes sense or not, you can consider yourself equipped and feel free to join the fray.

AND NOW...
Standing on top of the mech's arm, blade buried in the chain gun's housing, Shitsumon sees the other arm swing up to grab him.

Altruist does math inside his head (they always said we'd use this stuff in real life) and hurls himself, blindly and bodily, at the flamethrower. He feels the rush of air, the dizzy heady feeling of weightless flying, puts his fist out...

And then the satisfying crunch of his hand tearing through metal like carboard. He crunches the gun like a tin can. A gout of flaming jellied gasoline spurts out the rear and splashes all along the chest and faceplate of the mech. It stops moving. Something inside is struggling and squealing in what sounds like pain.

AND THEN...
The Lead Mech lets loose what looks like its final volley of missiles at the Mark 3 and makes it turn onto the narrow sidestreet. This is a tiny one-way street, more of a lane, with buildings looming up on either side. Almost no room for error here.

OOC: Doc, Gecko: volley of five mini-missiles coming your way. If they travel straight, and miss you, they will hit the skyscraper behind you. Attack roll 18.

The Front Guard Mech is stopped. Something inside is in distress.

The Anchor Mech turns all the way around and points both its hoses at Shitsumon and fires.

OOC: Shitsumon, if you get tagged by the hand, you won't able to avoid the blast. If you do, it's an Area Effect and you'll need to demonstrate clearing the area in some fashion. Let me know if that doesn't make sense.

The Rear Guard Mech is trying to grab Shitsumon.

The Rear Mech is still stuck in the magical trap.

Initiative Order:

(please don't forget to keep track of attacks/actions used)

99 - Shadowbourne (no post from player, temporarily removed from scene)
*20 - Gecko
19 - Shitsumon (can dodge the hand, the spray requires some kind of move to clear the area)
03 - Bad Guys
01 - Altruist (you can see from your vantage point that the missiles will hit the building if Doc Roller dodges them, plus there's whatever is struggling in the mech)
00 - Doc Roller (I don't think it matters yet, but going down that narrow street will trigger pilot rolls at +20%)

Let me know if you have any questions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:20, Wed 21 Apr 2021.

Doc targets the incoming missile volley with his laser designator and rips off a burst of .50bmg ammo in an effort to knock it down. A vain effort.

Having failed that he simply maneuvers the MACE into position to take the hit and prevent the munitions from hitting civilians.

"Team they've moved up their evac. We need to stop them before they leave this street!"

Gecko had just found thw Gustav, shoved five HEAT shells into a rangebag, and is in the process of actually loading a sixth shell into the weapon when he hears the lock-on alarm from the cockpit.
Before he has finished swearing, ¡MIERDA!, he has darted out the still open loading hatch and is on the roof of the vehicle with the Gustav pointed at the approaching volley of missiles.  With his feet planted firmly on the metal surface, and knowing he doesn't have time to take careful aim, he fires at the missile in the center.


Here's hoping it hits and takes them all out.....

19:10, Today: Gecko rolled 261 using 100d4.  HEAT damage.

19:09, Today: Gecko rolled 19 using 1d20-1.  Gustav +2 proficiency, -3 small target.  Natural 20!