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File: henchman.png (1.31 MB, 900x1560)
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Your name is Sean Clayton, aka Gunsmoke, aka Adjutant Tango. Last time, you survived a violent siege in Qurac, earned a transfer to a specialist unit, took up gardening, and managed to shatter the shackles holding back your magic.

> Hello everyone, and welcome back to another issue of DC: Henchman Quest! As always, I’m AxisQM. Rules are simple but flexible: 20-30 minutes to vote / roll what I say, rolls count even if you (or I) mess up the modifier, crit successes override, write-ins encouraged. If rolls / votes are slow to come in, I’ll do my best to adjust for it. Thanks again to the anon for the cover art, OC is always appreciated.

Our previous thread died in the midst of the session, so I’ll be forgoing most of the usual pleasantries and getting right back into the action.

Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/RwY7nc3S

Link to Previous Thread: http://thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2022/5290058/

Link to Archive: http://thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Henchman
>>
>>5330698

This time, you’re ready when the warrior-bird tries another foolhardy charge.

By ducking and weaving up a storm, you’re able to lure it into a corner and lay the foundation for your trap.

With a grunt of effort, you use Abyssal Shield to create a jet-black wall of heavy rock that pins the warrior-bird against the wall, keeping it nice and busy for the next stage of your plan.

Thankfully, the opening you leave open is just large enough for someone of your size and build to fit through with a few inches to spare.

To ensure that you have enough momentum, you fall back and get a running start, before bull-rushing the damn thing with all your might, flinging it over the balcony like a children’s toy; squawking and screeching all the way down.

Y’know it’s kinda funny that you’ve yet to use this “defensive” spell for anything other than clobbering someone.

Guess it says something about the way you think, when you see a shield and view it as just an improved way of funneling someone into another hit.

Now that you’ve got a chance to breathe, you notice that the golden portal which originally summoned the birdbrain is still open, albeit slowly vanishing. It’s incredibly risky, but you might be better off served by hauling ass to it and seeing if it’ll transport you out of this mess.

Hopefully, it’ll lead you someplace where the Squad and their killswitch can’t get to you. However, there’s no telling where you’ll end up.

Alternatively, you could just try to salvage this wreck of a mission and avoid tipping your hand too early. Which won’t be easy, especially since you just used magic in plain view of Warrant.

If he sells you down the river, you’re as good as dead.

Neither option is great, but that’s life for you.

It’s ironic in a way; much like your feathery friend, you’re also trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Either way, you need to make a decision fast before it closes altogether.

You decide to…

> Make a run for the portal. If Warrant’s still watching, he probably won’t take kindly to it, but you can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to escape.

> Let the portal dissipate. You’ll take the devil you know over a dive in a random portal any day.

> Other?
>>
>>5330699
> Make a run for the portal. If Warrant’s still watching, he probably won’t take kindly to it, but you can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to escape.

This is our out, the Squad probably can't detonate their bombs while we're in there, and now they know that we've broken past their anti-magic stuff. It's now or never
>>
>>5330699
> Make a run for the portal. If Warrant’s still watching, he probably won’t take kindly to it, but you can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to escape.
>>
>>5330699
> Let the portal dissipate. You’ll take the devil you know over a dive in a random portal any day.
we already have hackman, hairy detective holmes, and ghost man planning on getting us out, we're groovin without this.
>>
I'll go ahead and leave the vote open until 8:00, that way people can hopefully trickle over and I'll have time to grab something to eat.

Apologies for the interruption anons, but I had been hoping to get this all done and dusted in the previous thread.
>>
>>5330699
> Let the portal dissipate. You’ll take the devil you know over a dive in a random portal any day.
As much as I'd like to leave we do still have a bomb in our neck.
>>
>>5330699
>> Let the portal dissipate. You’ll take the devil you know over a dive in a random portal any day.
One day we'll actually enter the magical portals, I promise
>>
>>5330699
> Make a run for the portal. If Warrant’s still watching, he probably won’t take kindly to it, but you can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to escape.
>>
>>5330699
>> Make a run for the portal. If Warrant’s still watching, he probably won’t take kindly to it, but you can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to escape.
>>
>>5330699
>> Let the portal dissipate. You’ll take the devil you know over a dive in a random portal any day.
>>
>>5330699
> Make a run for the portal. If Warrant’s still watching, he probably won’t take kindly to it, but you can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to escape.
>>
Rolled 65 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5330716
>>5330742
>>5330762
>>5330763
>>5330786

Alright, looks like racing to the portal wins.

> Roll me some 1d100+35
>>
Rolled 100 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5330797
>>
>>5330799

Moments like these no longer surprise me.
>>
Rolled 50 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5330797
>>
File: 1532817606303.gif (1.62 MB, 336x167)
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>>5330799
Today I drink like a god

>>5330802
They should
nat 1 incoming
>>
Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>5330799
starting off strong
>>5330797
>>5330802
I'm sorry, we don't mean to do it
>>
>>5330799
>>5330803
>>5330805

That's a critical success, writing.
>>
I hope Warrant doesn't get disemboweled by a birdman or anything while we're out. He wasn't a weirdo or a dick.
>>
>>5330809
We didn't really knew him that long. But if he lives we'll break him out of Belle Reve alongside Shade and anyone else who wants to come along.
>>
>>5330809
He did leave us hanging
>>
>>5330799
O YEA BOI
>>
File: Warrant.jpg (71 KB, 480x480)
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>>5330808

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RlSgnpLbro

This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.

You’re as unsupervised as you could ever hope to be, and there’s a shining path to freedom beckoning you forward.

It’s risky and one hell of a gamble, but you’re out of options at this stage. Wherever you end up, it’s better than being in the clutches of Task Force X and being their junkyard dog.

You’ve got your own responsibilities and duties to attend to, and playing shocktrooper for a bunch of stuffed-shirt REMFs isn’t high on your list of priorities.

Hell, you’re already in deep shit anyhow. To survive that last fight, you needed to break out the magic; magic that the Suicide Squad believes is still sealed away.

If / when they find out you’ve managed to break those shackles, they’re definitely not going to give you an attaboy and a pat on the head. No, you’re already in for a penny; might as well go in for a pound.

You take a step forwards, interrupted by the crack of sniper rifle fired off in the distance.

The sniper shot hits directly in front of your feet, and you instinctively move into cover.

Your earpiece comes crackling back to life and you’re greeted to a familiar voice.

Warrant.

“Don’t even think about it. That was a warning shot; you take another step forward and the next one takes your head off.”

> “You want to bet? I’m not an easy target when I put my mind to it.”

Externally, you’re talking tough but internally, you’re cursing.

Fuck. Warrant wasn’t assigned as your partner, he was assigned as a goddamn observer, somebody to ensure that you toed the parting line. As soon as he can call in your betrayal, it’s only a matter of time until your bomb is triggered.

Just need to keep him talking while you plot out the fastest route to the portal that doesn’t get you shot.

He ignores your attempt at mocking humor and continues.

“We were all briefed on you, and your abilities. That you might attempt to escape in the field. Did you really think nobody suspected you?

Even if you manage to defuse your collar, there’s nowhere on this planet where you can hide.”

> “Guess it’s a good thing that I’m not planning on hiding then. Tell Lok that I’ll be seeing him soon enough.”

After tossing out something sufficiently cryptic, you make a run for it.

The sheer gall of it’s enough to surprise Warrant for a second, but he quickly recovers and begins taking potshots as you sprint towards the steadily disappearing portal.

Warrant’s a damn fine shot, but you’re running on pure nitro. Every step is enhanced with the knowledge that you’re closer to finally tasting freedom, and it practically gives you wings.

He doesn’t even come close to landing a direct shot, and you reach the portal with time to spare.

> Roll me some 1d10 until we get 3 different rolls.
>>
Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>5330837
Here we go
>>
Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>5330837
Sweet vengeance here we come.
>>
Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>5330837
>>
>>5330839
>>5330840
>>5330842
Bruh
>>
third roll anyone?
>>
Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>5330837
>>
>>5330839
>>5330840
>>5330842
>>5330851

Alright, last post of the night coming up.
>>
>>5330837
Poor guy. Just doing his job and now he's on the shitlist too. And I was feeling bad for the guy. Egg's on my face I suppose. Gonna have to break his trigger finger to teach him about manners.
>>
>>5330853

Without pausing to think, you leap through the portal at full speed, eager to escape Kahndaq and the yoke of the Suicide Squad.

When you reach the other side, you make an interesting discovery.

You weren’t quite sure what you were expecting, but this certainly isn’t it.

The portal abruptly deposits you in a featureless, all-encompassing void of utter darkness, before vanishing faster than you can even consider trying to retreat.

When you can start to really panic, a trio of doors quietly materialize from the aether, directly in front of you.

The first door is blood-red, and emblazoned with a helmet and a spear. From inside, you can hear the clash of swords and battle ringing in the distance.

The second door is blue, and emblazoned with a pair of scales and a scroll. From inside, you hear little apart from an occasional cough and rustling.

The third door is grey, and emblazoned with a bow and a crescent moon. From it, you hear the sounds of birds chirping and brooks babbling.

Curiously, the scorpion tattoo Set gave you when you first formed your pact begins to glow when you get near the second door.

And likewise, your right arm manifests the Claw of Horus without your urging whenever you get near the first or third doors.

Hey, at least the Squad isn’t liable to find you here anytime soon.

After pondering your options, you decide to…

> Open the blood-red door.

> Open the blue door.

> Open the grey door.
>>
>>5330865

That's all for tonight, anons! Thanks for playing, next session is Friday at 5:00 PM, vote closes then.

Have a good one.
>>
>>5330853
Wait, can't we use Roll the Die?
>>
>>5330865
>> Open the grey door.
>>5330868
for what?
>>
>>5330865
>Open the blue door.
Well Set has been a bro to us so far so I say we go with the second door.
>>
>>5330868

Already got burned at the start of the mission, anon.

But I did forget to include one thing; the bonus for the crit.

> Skill Improved! - Spring-Heeled Jack: +40 to any dodge or agility roll.
>>
>>5330865
> Open the blood-red door.
>>
>>5330865
>> Open the grey door.
>>
>>5330871
Aw shit hold on, I thought the 1d10 roll was a d100 for something

Ok so can we think a little about what door to choose? The red surely has something more personal with Pandion, maybe it's that pocket dimension when we talk an awful greek.

The second might be a huge magical archive of library, trying to go with the logic of scales = dragons and the scrolls

And the third might have another relation with Pandion, my guess is that it's some kind of dimension for some greek-roman Moon Goddess that is going to give us some trouble. If we can talk to Pandion right know it might help to get some extra information
>>
>>5330865
> Open the grey door.
>>
>>5330882
Yeah, that's about what I guessed too. The blue one is probably the safest but the first one got my curiosity.
>>
>>5330865
> Open the blood-red door
Kinda wish we'd stuck with the Squad a little longer, but oh well.
>>
>>5330902
Don't worry, there'll be a reunion tour later.
>>
>>5330865
Blood-red is Ares, or maybe Athena but probably Ares. blue is... Thoth, or maybe Anubis? Grey is Artemis, I think. Or Diana.

I'm inclined to go with the blue one.
>>
>>5330932
It's probably Thoth. Anubis' association with scales is a bit more direct and literal than Thoth's. But one of Thoth's domains is judgement. Thoth is fucking excellent though. Big smartypants and self made man.
>>
>>5330865
> Open the blue door.
Might be a good idea should we want to increase our magic spell book, also he would most likely notice that we have gotten hold of some of his books, so could lead to some interesting conversations
>>
>Open the blue door. As much as I want to meet mars/ares and fight Sparta style we need more magic. We are a novice and have spent the last arc building non-magic skills. Also, its time we pay back some of out debt to set.
>>
Also, what did that nat 100 actually get us? These doors?
>>
>>5331311
a boost to our dodge bonus?
>>
>>5330865
>> Open the grey door.
>>
> Open the blue door
I want to learn more magic
>>
>>5330865
>> Open the grey door.

We owe it to a real one
>>
>>5330873
Hey, I just realized you didn't give us our Second Skin bonus last thread, that narrow failure with the bird should have been a pass.
>>
>>5331450

Damn, you are absolutely correct.

Sorry for not noticing sooner, but that particular bonus completely slipped my mind.

As an aside, never worry about calling me out on my various blunders; if somebody had pointed it out at that time, I would've adjusted for it.

As penance, feel free to pitch interlude concepts at me. I've already got a rough outline for one that I've been working on, but I've got no problems with taking requests.

Good catch, anon. You've been without the armor for so long that I completely deleted Second Skin from my memory.
>>
>>5331620
For an interlude, seeing what the bats are up to is always fun.
>>
>>5331626
+1
>>
>>5331620
Something from the POV of someone in the squad, maybe Eiling or Lok? I wanna laugh at them finding out we've escaped
>>
>>5331628
+1
>>
>>5331620
It might be a bit of a spoiler but I'd really fucking love a SET POV.
>>5330865
> Open the blue door
>>
>>5331620
For a interlude from most to least would be

>>5331628
And then
>>5331626
>>
>>5331620
If it doesn't spoil anything, how about what Jack's been thinking during this whole thing. I miss our ghost bro.
>>
>>5330865
> Open the blood-red door.
We owe or greek friend two solids at least.

>>5331620
Interrogation of shade and our previous teammates by the brass in light of our startling sucessful escape.
>>
>>5331626
I'd like to make a random appearance in a distant city on camera just walking about as gunsmoke just to mess with the bats. Or they mistake somone else as us.
>>
>>5331620
Interlude on our boys in South america
>>
Hello, I have come to your writing and I find it very wonderful! In most cases I do not speak, although this is due to some other restrictions xaxa)) I still find out through the services of translation into English Russian. I'm a bit confused on REMF, I looked at the session before I can't find an explanation for it?
>>
>>5331978
According to Google, it's US Military lingo, along the lines of FUBAR or Blue Falcon. Rear-echelon motherfucker, if Google is to be believed.
>>
>>5330865
> Open the blue door.
Very curious what's behind it.
>>
>>5331978

I toss a bit of jargon into the mix to try and keep true to Sean's infantry background, so no worry about asking for clarification.

This anon has it right:
>>5332055

Rear
Echelon
Mother
Fucker

They're usually rocking some flavor of ineptness or nepotism, make decisions that impact actual soldiers, and will never see so much as 10 minutes of actual combat in their lives.

I think the US military started using it during Korea or Vietnam, can't quite remember.

Anyhow, session starts in about an hour and a half, so get your votes in before we go live.
>>
>>5331620
I know that you said that you were already working on it but I am curious how the Batman profile on our occult detective persona is going? other then that seeing how the Bat family is doing is always fun especially with us having seemingly gone to ground as far as operating ing in/around Gotham goes!
>>
>>5332510

Progress isn't going as fast as I'd like, but I'll keep plugging away at it.

I'll hopefully have it done within a week or so, but don't quote me on it.
>>
Alright, closing the vote.

Give me a bit of time to get everything tallied up and we'll take it from there.
>>
>>5332552

Looks like opening the blue door wins, writing.

Feel free to double-check my math, since it got pretty close.
>>
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>>5332556

After some deliberation, you decide to open the blue door.

The red door is obviously going to dump you in the middle of a battle or something similarly dangerous, and the silver door gives you a weird vibe.

Before you can reach for the handle, the door flings itself open all on its own (almost like it’s able to sense the finality of your decision) and a sudden, powerful force pulls you inside.

You lose all sense of direction and nearly black out like a pilot pulling a reckless loop. This bout of unexpected inertia makes you incredibly dizzy and nearly causes you to lose your lunch.

Thankfully, your wild ride ends before you blow chunks inside of your helmet.

When you manage to regain your bearings, you find yourself tucked amongst the stacks of a dusty old library. The stacks are organized eclectically; in some kind of bizarre pattern that you can’t make heads or tails of.

You scout around a little, but you can’t find an exit door or any other way out. Looks like you're stuck in here, unless you feel like trying to blow a way out.

A bit more recon reveals that the library is entirely deserted, aside from one other occupant; an older man who checks all your boxes for “old-school university professor.”

It wouldn’t shock you in the slightest to find out that his specialty subject something is something like philosophy or history.

He’s situated in a comfy looking armchair surrounded by a mountain of books encompassing every subject imaginable.

Despite the abruptness of your entrance, he doesn’t bother glancing up from the book that he’s currently reading.

The filigreed title on its spine identifies it as Logerquist’s Lament.

When you approach him, you decide to maintain an aura of…

> Aggression. You’re here to find a way home as quickly and efficiently as possible; anything else is just window dressing.

> Charm. There’s no sense in alienating the man right from the get-go; might as well try to open things up on a cheerful footing.

> Suspicion. You’ve just been sucked through a doorway that materialized in a magical rift you accidentally tore open; there has to be a catch somewhere.

> Curiosity. You’d like to learn more about this library and what it may contain; this could be an excellent opportunity to further refine your understanding of the magical arts.

> Other?
>>
>>5332582
> Charm. There’s no sense in alienating the man right from the get-go; might as well try to open things up on a cheerful footing.
>Hey, I think I helped write that book!
>>
>>5332582
>Curiosity.
Hey, isn't that the book we helped make happen? Did it get published already, or is this one of those fancy libraries that that has the books before they get written?
>>
>>5332582
>> Charm. There’s no sense in alienating the man right from the get-go; might as well try to open things up on a cheerful footing.
>>
>>5332582
>Suspicion. You’ve just been sucked through a doorway that materialized in a magical rift you accidentally tore open; there has to be a catch somewhere.
And a little bit of
> Curiosity. You’d like to learn more about this library and what it may contain; this could be an excellent opportunity to further refine your understanding of the magical arts.
>>
>>5332582
>Curiosity. You’d like to learn more about this library and what it may contain; this could be an excellent opportunity to further refine your understanding of the magical arts.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5332588
>>5332596

>>5332589
>>5332599

I'll go ahead and roll a d2 to settle the tie.

1 = Charm
2 = Curiosity
>>
>>5332607

Alright, roll me some 1d100+25

DC: 85 / 105
>>
Rolled 29 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5332608
>>
Rolled 24 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5332608
>>
Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>5332608
>>
>>5332609
>>5332614
>>5332616

That's a regular success, writing.
>>
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>>5332619

You decide to whip out your silver tongue and give it a whirl.

After all, you’ve always been good at making friends and influencing people, how hard could it be?

When you reach an appropriate distance for conversation, you gently clear your throat and address the lone figure.

> “Hey, buddy. You happen to know a way out of this place? I hate to interrupt your studies, but I’ve got a lot of stuff to catch up on, and I’d rather get it done sooner than later. Y’know what I mean?”

He just keeps flipping through the pages, totally giving you the cold shoulder.

Damn. It was worth a shot, but he doesn’t seem to be one for small talk.

Maybe if you try tailoring the conversation to something that interests him, you’ll be able to garner more than polite disinterest.

Wait a second, is he reading…?

A burst of inspiration hits you, and you know exactly how to grab his attention.

> “That a good book? I only ask because I’ve been helping write it; bit of a side project of mine, but it’s been pretty interesting so far.”

That perks him up immediately, and he studies you with an unfeeling gaze.

Judging from the minute stiffening of his body language, he evidently doesn’t like what he sees.

“It is…of passable quality so far. Especially considering that it’s supposedly the work of one of Set’s pawns.”

Given the way he practically spits the last part of the sentence, something tells you that he’s not exactly the biggest fan of the aforementioned deity.

In response, you quickly decide to…

> Make up some kind of lie and see if you can make it stick. It’ll be hard, but you’ll make it work somehow.

> Offer up a rationalization of your actions. You’ll make no apologies for ensuring your own survival.

> Counter with an insult of your own. If he feels like damning you with faint praise, then you’re more than happy to dish it right back. (Feel free to include a general subject / insult)

> Boldly proclaim your independence and that you’re nobody’s pawn. Who’s this guy to think that he can talk down to you, anyhow?

> Other?
>>
Rolled 71 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5332608
>inb4 nat 1
>>
Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>5332643
> Offer up a rationalization of your actions. You’ll make no apologies for ensuring your own survival.
>>
>>5332643
>> Counter with an insult of your own. If he feels like damning you with faint praise, then you’re more than happy to dish it right back. (Feel free to include a general subject / insult)
>I pride myself on not writing migraine-triggers, contrary to YOUR books.
I know it's you Thoth
>>
>>5332643
>Offer up a rationalization of your actions. You’ll make no apologies for ensuring your own survival.
>>
>>5332643
>I don't think of myself as a pawn, but pawns rarely do. You sound like you've got your own take. Care to share it?

Being a bit meta here, but I'd really like to know more about Set's fall from grace. From one of the slayers of Apep alongside Ra to betrayer of Osiris.
>>
>>5332643
> Offer up a rationalization of your actions. You’ll make no apologies for ensuring your own survival.
+
> Boldly proclaim your independence and that you’re nobody’s pawn. Who’s this guy to think that he can talk down to you, anyhow?

We’ve worked with Set, but we are hardly his pawn
>>
>>5332643
>> Offer up a rationalization of your actions. You’ll make no apologies for ensuring your own survival.
Bold of him to imply Set thinks far enough ahead to have a need for pawns. And if he's going to act like our loyalty and grudging respect for the guy who did help us out is a bad thing then he has been reading some really shitty philosophy lately.

Must be nice being able to sit in a cloister all day reading instead of having bodily functions and a life.
>>
>>5332643
> Offer up a rationalization of your actions. You’ll make no apologies for ensuring your own survival.
>>
Rolled 85, 15, 27 + 30 = 157 (3d100 + 30)

>>5332647
>>5332649
>>5332654
>>5332655
>>5332658

Looks like this option wins, but I'll fold in some of the other written-in stuff as best I can.

> Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+25
>>
Rolled 47 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5332665
>>
Rolled 67 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5332665
>>
Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>5332665
>>
>>5332667
>>5332671
>>5332675

That's a success, writing.

Nice roll, anon.
>>
>>5332675
you fucking god. Sean's silver tongue is still unmatched
>>
>>5332676
>>5332677
Thanks guys
>>
…You know I have to wonder if we happen to be in a realm that is similar to the Library that Dream of the Endless has which contains works both published and not, as well as those only ever written in the thoughts and minds of other beings?
>>
>>5332676

Your easygoing mood evaporates instantly at his venomous tone and the implied insult flavored with a healthy dose of condescension.

And your initial attempts at trying to keep things civil doesn’t mean that you’re not willing to start throwing verbal jabs of your own when challenged.

> “Only ‘passable?’ That’s an interesting way of putting it. Have you ever written anything of note, or do you just specialize in bland critiques?”

His face reddens and you can tell that you’ve hit a sore spot.

As he opens his mouth to retort, you cut him off and continue speaking.

> “And if you really think that Set thinks far enough into the future to have some kind of master plan for a ‘pawn’ like me, then you obviously aren’t as smart as you like to think you are. And for the record, I work with Set; not for Set. I make my own decisions and set my own goals, so don’t talk down to me like you’re above it all somehow.”

He scoffs at you, and you can feel the last vestiges of your patience beginning to ebb away.

“Your ignorance will be your undoing. Set is a manipulator, a liar, and a cheat. I wonder how your so-called “partnership” reflects your own twisted and misguided values.”

This fucking guy.

> “I’m going to make this easy for you, since you don’t seem to get it. Set’s done me a couple solids, and where I’m from, a favor given is a favor returned. Is that really so difficult to grasp something as fundamentally simple as loyalty? Set’s helped me out of a couple jams, and I’m willing to back him up when he needs it. Especially considering that the power he’s granted me is a big part of why I’m still alive to have pointless arguments about morality.”

“And is survival the only thing that matters? If so, you’re little better than the beasts in the fields, blindly toiling under their master’s yoke.”

You take a deep breath and go for the most cutting remark you can think of.

> “You’re one to talk. When was the last time you left your little cloister and actually did something useful or put yourself on the line for something? I’ll do you one better, when was the last time you interacted with something capable of holding a conversation back? I might not always do the right thing, but at least I’m doing something. What’s your excuse?”

When you finish your diatribe, you’re rewarded with a surprising sight.

Instead of the expected anger or a similarly hostile emotion, the look on face is one of interest mixed with just the slightest hint of shame.
>>
>>5332723

“You make a fair, if ill-mannered point. Perhaps my seclusion hasn’t sharpened my knowledge as I hoped it would. Regardless of my own opinions, I cannot deny that you truly believe in the meaning of your words.”

He lets out a defeated sigh.

“I’ve been a poor host and must offer penance to atone for my lack of hospitality. Your passion and rhetoric has proven you a worthy petitioner of Thoth, and I shall grant you a boon to recognize that status.”

Wait, Thoth?

Did you just successfully shit-talk an actual Egyptian god?

Set’s gonna have a field day with this one.

“What can I interest you in? I have a rather large collection, and I’m sure I can find something to suit your particular tastes.”

You decide to request…

> Details about Set’s fall from grace and imprisonment. He used to be a big shot in the Egyptian pantheon, and has always been pretty cagey about what got him put there.

> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.

> A tome from his private collection on a specific subject. Might as well help yourself, since he’s offering. (Include subject / book)

> Other?
>>
>>5332725
> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
>>
>>5332725
>> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
>>
>>5332725

(That's all for tonight, anons! As always, thanks for playing. Next session is Monday at 5:00 PM EST, hope to see you all then. I'll leave the vote open until that time, as is tradition.

I really appreciate all the feedback for interlude ideas, and I'll see what I can cobble together.

Have a good weekend, anons.)
>>
>>5332725
>A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
MAGIC NIGGAS
>>
>>5332725
> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
>>
>>5332725
>> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
A 1-1 with an OG magic man? bruh

I wonder if we'll see Thoth in a bar somewhere chatting in the background later.
>>
>>5332735
Scratch this
>Help with the bomb in our head
>>
>>5332725
> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
>>
>>5332725
>> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
>>
>>5332723
>> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.

Enjoy your weekend Axis hope you have a good one!
>>
>>5332725
>A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
And also
>A little help with the bomb in our head

We don't know it, but if Thoth is like the Spirit we found when searching for the Tome we could give him some information about what's actually out there in the streets that what he could know from the books

Or maybe another favor, because if Thoth can truly help us with the bomb this is a big win.
>>
>>5332738
We can invite him to a drink at the oblivion bar maybe?
>>
>>5332792
While I doubt he'd come for us, telling him about all the wacky people with all their wacky stories would probably intrigue him. Baby steps to the wider world.
>>
>>5332725
>Details about Set's fall from grace and imprisonment. Also, this bomb out of my fucking head.
>>
>>5332725
> Details about Set’s fall from grace and imprisonment. He used to be a big shot in the Egyptian pantheon, and has always been pretty cagey about what got him put there.
Also ask him what the hell he's been doing here all this time. Set's out there making chaos and this guy's in his library reading books? Not even teaching?
>>
>>5332725
> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
>Preferably something that could remove the bomb in our head
>>
>>5332725
adding this to my vote >>5332727
>Help with the bomb in our head
>>
>>5332725
> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
That exchange has to be hilarious to Set, but not nearly as much as Osiris getting his dick replaced with a golden dildo because a fish ate it.
>>
>>5332725
this>>5332769
>>
>>5332769
>Support
>>
>>5332827
Switching from this to
> A lecture on arcane theory. Chances are, you’ll never get a chance like this again.
I still want to ask him what the hell he's been doing with himself though. I doubt he'll be able to help with the bomb either, since magic doesn't have much to do with explosives.
>>
>>5330698
Spent the last few days reading through the archive, Good shit Axis. And I have to say that your writing has improved leaps and bounds from the earliest threads.
I should have picked this quest up way earlier, I got good laughs out of the Batman paranoia-posting.

>>5332725
>Details about Set’s fall from grace and imprisonment. He used to be a big shot in the Egyptian pantheon, and has always been pretty cagey about what got him put there.
Doubt Set's going to spill the beans easily. Also no guarantee he won't be an unreliable narrator.
>>
Alright, it looks like learning from Thoth and requesting aid with the bomb wins.

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100 to determine how well you absorb your new-found knowledge.

(You get an automatic +10 to Magical Theory stacked on top of however this goes.)

DC: 50 / 70 / 90
>>
Rolled 59 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5335736
>>
Rolled 82 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5335736
>>
Rolled 10, 4, 5, 10, 2, 10, 8, 8, 2, 2, 8, 1, 8, 7, 4, 9, 9, 3, 9, 5, 3, 2, 4, 8, 10 = 151 (25d10)

>>5335736
>>
Rolled 28 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5335736
HIGH NUMBERS BABY COME ON
>>
>>5335741
what the fuck
I KNOW for a fucking FACT I typed 1d100
>>
>>5335740
Woooo, high numbers!
>>5335741
....wrong numbers bud
>>
>>5335740
damn, no nat 100 or double nat 100 or triple nat 100. We are falling off guys
>>
>>5335737
>>5335740
>>5335742

That's a regular success. Think there might've been a bit of confusion, the +10 I referenced was an automatic stat gain regardless of success or failure.

Therefore...

> Skill Improved! Magical Theory +40 to rolls when attempting to read magical texts, +35 when rolling to unlock new spells.

Now, go ahead and select any 2 spells to receive a buff.

(They're listed in the Pastebin if you need a reference)

> ???
>>
>>5335749
That's an excellent success, the pluss 10 put us over 90
>>
>>5335749
>Roll the Die
>Spirit Detector
Holy fuck that's huge
>>
>>5335753
he just said there was no +10, we got tricked
>>
>>5335749
>Twister
We don't have other multitarget spells at the moment, let's beef this one up
>Fire Bolt
>>
>>5335749
Well, whatever.
Lets see.
Luck Drain
Roll the Dice
Fuck everybody's shit down to our level.
>>
>>5335749
>Roll the Die
>Luck Drain
>>
>>5335760
>+1
>>
>>5335759
>tfw you're a superhuman killing machine but some clown left a bunch of banana peels on the floor
>>
>>5335764
Who needs traditional magic spells when you can just make everyone around you unlucky
>>
>>5335769
My thought is, if we're going to be cursed, everyone gets to experience it too.
>>
>>5335749
>Luck
>Roll the die
>>
>>5335749
> Luck Drain
> Roll the Die
>>
>>5335759
>>5335760
>>5335763
>>5335778
>>5335779

Looks like Luck Drain and Roll the Die win, what improvement would you like?

Luck Drain:

> I roll a 1d25 to determine how much luck you siphon. It still impacts both friend and foe.

> I roll a 1d15+5 to determine how much luck you siphon. It still impacts both friend and foe.

> I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.

—————————————————

Roll the Die:

> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check with a +10 bonus.

> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.

> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was a critical failure (1), you may re-attempt the check with a +20 bonus.
>>
>>5335784
> I roll a 1d25 to determine how much luck you siphon. It still impacts both friend and foe.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was a critical failure (1), you may re-attempt the check with a +20 bonus.
>>
>>5335784
>> I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.
> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.
>>
>>5335784
>> I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.

>Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check with a +10 bonus.
>>
>>5335784
> I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.
Makes it better to fuck our enemies over.
> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was a critical failure (1), you may re-attempt the check with a +20 bonus.
Fuck the ones we have been getting.
>>
>>5335784
> I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.
> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.
>>
>>5335784
>I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.
>Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.
>>
>>5335787
>>5335792
>>5335794
>>5335797
>>5335798

It looks like the winners are:
> I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.
> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+40 to see if you can puzzle out a viable solution for the bomb jammed in your head.

DC: 80 / 120
>>
Rolled 97 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5335800
>>
Rolled 44 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5335800
>>
Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>5335800
>>5335803
Nice
>>
>>5335803
>>5335804
>>5335806

Nice, that's an excellent success.

For our last bit of rolling, go ahead and give me some 1d100+25 to see if you get Thoth to open up about his whole "hiding in a library between realms" schtick.

DC: 95
>>
Rolled 27 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5335808
>>
Rolled 43 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5335808
>>
Rolled 11 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5335808
>>
Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>5335808
>>
>>5335810
>>5335812
>>5335814

That's a failure.

Writing, this'll probably take me a while.
>>
>>5335816
>>5335814
>>5335815
Bugger
>>
>>5335816
the silver tongue's good streak is finally ending
>>
>>5335808
Well he'll keep being a baby bookworm. We'll see him again someday, I'm sure. Then we can drag him out to touch grass.
>>
>>5335816

The decision is an easy one; there’s no way on earth that you’re going to turn down the opportunity for personalized instruction from a literal god of magic / knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84LgUXs0yiA

When you deliver your answer to Thoth, he seems a tad surprised that someone would choose to study under him instead of raiding his vast collection of knowledge.

To his credit, he rapidly shakes off that hint of shock and begins by asking to explain everything you’ve come to understand about magic and how it can be harnessed.

And when you do so, he calmly and politely proceeds to tear hole after hole in your theories, assumptions, and beliefs; neatly solving the puzzle as to why so few people willingly speak with Thoth.

At first, you can’t help but be annoyed at him, but you quickly shake off your pride when you realize that Thoth is trying his absolute best to be gentle in his critique. Either the tongue-lashing you gave him earlier is still fresh in his mind, or you’ve managed to earn a modicum of respect as a petitioner of wisdom.

Maybe a bit of both.

Besides, for someone who’s been seemingly alone for who-knows how long, he’s doing a good job. He’s just a bit rusty, is all. And more importantly, when you carefully examine his arguments and dismissal of your previous knowledge, you are forced to concede the validity of his points.

And once you shed your damnable pride, your mind is like a sponge, absorbing every scrap of cryptic lore that Thoth imparts upon you. Much of it still flies over your head, but you’re starting to understand that you’ll never be able to truly understand everything related to magic.

That’s the funny thing about learning; the more willing you are to push the boundaries and risk looking stupid, the quicker and more efficiently you learn.

> Skill Improved! Magical Theory +40 to rolls when attempting to read magical texts, +35 when rolling to unlock new spells.

The most you can accomplish is carving out your own little niche of specialities and refining it as best you can. The process is highly subjective and requires in-depth experimentation, which you’re more than happy to carry out under Thoth’s watchful eye.

Utilizing your newly-acquired tutelage, you begin subtly tweaking your Chaos magic in attempt to better utilize the spells governed by that Nature.

Thoth is visibly uncomfortable at your casual usage of Chaos magic, but lets the matter lie.

As previous experience has taught you, Chaos is surprisingly malleable.

The hard part is forcing it to maintain a specific form or shape once directed, but your understanding of its nuances allow you to further strengthen your ability to bend it further to your will.

After all, the best kind of luck is the kind that you make yourself. And the runner-up is being able to swipe it from anyone looking to get in your way.
>>
>>5335848

> Spell Improved! Luck Drain: At any time, you can choose to activate or deactivate Luck Drain. When active, I roll a 1d15 to determine how much luck you siphon, and you can avoid impacting allies.

> Spell Improved! Roll the Die: Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.

Finally, you have but one final question for Thoth; does he know of any way to remove the explosive device implanted in your head?

As it would turn out, yes. But it won’t be as easy as all that.

While Thoth isn’t willing to just give you the answers, (viewing it as a final test of his teachings) he directs you to a section of the library and encourages you to begin searching for the solution on your own.

With grim resignation, you consign yourself to your fate, poring through stacks stuffed to the gills with esoteric writings in an attempt to find the panacea for your troubles.

It doesn’t help that the bookcases have a nasty habit of shuffling books around whenever you aren’t looking, but you eventually find the exact guide that you’ve been hoping for; a treatise on medical magic.

According to the author; some Victorian adventurer with a long and pompous name, a procedure exists that’s capable of removing all foreign objects from the body, entirely without pain. Supposedly, he pioneered it to remove an old bullet that he took during a duel that was causing him constant grief.

Regrettably, the spell only works once, with the listed reason being something about “brain death” and “internal calcification” being potential side effects of attempting repeated usages. The words “brain” and “death” placed in close proximity is more than enough to kill your interest in trying to experiment further.

When you speak the words and channel your magic, nothing to seems to happen until you notice a sudden warmth in your hand. Somehow, without your notice, an incredibly tiny device materializes within your grasp.

With a mailed fist, you crush it into a thousand pieces and savor the knowledge that you are once again a free man.

When you report your success back to Thoth, he quietly congratulates you on your success and opens a portal similar to the one you emerged from.

Before you leave, you thank Thoth for his aid, apologize for your harsh words earlier, and extend an offer to pay you a visit in the mortal world sometime.

He hems and haws about it, before promising to give it some thought. That’s a polite way of saying no, but hey, at least you tried.

When you step through the portal, you visualize yourself emerging in…

> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.

> Venezuela. You’ve got men out in the wire, and it’s time to bring in the cavalry.

> Belle Reve. You’ve shattered your bonds, and it’s time to pay Lok the visit that you promised.

> Other?
>>
>>5335849
>> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.
FREEDOM
>>
>>5335849
> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.

Let’s reconvene and re-up our communication sigil
>>
>>5335849
>> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.
Our boy
>>
>>5335849
> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.
>>
>>5335851
>>5335852
>>5335873
>>5335875

Alright, I'm going to go ahead and call it here for your long-awaited reunion with Jack (The Ghost with the Most) Craddock.

Going to have to call it earlier than I'd like today, need to work on interlude stuff and decompress a little.

We'll pick it up from here on Wednesday at 5:00 PM EST, hope to see you all there!

Feel free to shoot the shit or let me know if you have any questions. I'll be lurking for a while, and will attempt to give a coherent response if possible.
>>
>>5335876
How’s the Squad taking our departure?
>>
>>5335876
Has Thoth ever read "Socializing for dummies" or do we have to gift him a copy? Actually does his library also get notes or is it explicitly published works? Does he have a section that is just a giant wall of all the sticky notes ever posted?

That'd be a fun way to say hi to him and tell him to get some sun.
>>
>>5335892

Saying that they're not taking it well would be an understatement, especially now that you're well and truly out of their control.

Feel free to peruse the following link for an accurate depiction of Lok's emotional state:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8MZBUoQt68


>>5335896
He read "How to Make Friends and Influence People" and concluded that it wasn't worth the effort.

As for the library, the exact rules and regulations of what appears are currently unknown. There's a fair chance that explicitly writing him a note might garner a reaction, though.

inb4 somebody commissions Cullen to write a book about Thoth's lack of social skills
>>
>>5335849
> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.
>>
>>5335901
We must write Thoth a message telling him to come to our Broke Out Of Superjail Party and tell him Set bet he can't get laid with one of our strippers because all he does is read all day.
>>
>>5335901
>"THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT LITTLE SHIT HAD MAGIC THE ENTIRE TIME?!"
>"HE DID WHAT AND THEN LEFT, IN FRONT OF YOU?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOOT HIM, THE ENTIRE OPERATION IS AT RISK AND HE KNOWS MY FACE YOU COCK GOBBLING SHIT PACKER?!"
General Serano from Bulletstorm was a treasure trove of crude and delectable insults.
>>
>>5335901
>concluded that it wasn't worth the effort.
Oh man what a goober. Think of all the knowledge that is passed down orally he's missing out on. Entire histories lost because he doesn't see the value in just getting to know people. All of the anecdotal information that is never recorded and only kept for a single lifetime. Some of the wildest and most forward-leaping theories that will never be tested just because someone is too scared to voice them and he just lets them all go to waste because he won't just smile.

What a goober. We gotta get him outta that stuffy hellhole.

>we co-author a satirical piece about how smart people are sticks in the mud and get no bitches, the protagonist's name is Otthoh the legal librarian
Wonder how long it would take him to read it and realize we're ripping his ass out in prose.
>>
>>5335901
Lmao can’t wait to go back and stage that prison break
>>
>>5335849
>> Jack’s Mansion. You need to regroup and get your bearings before all else.
>>
Anons, we still need to get back to Venezuela to get that rifle for Jack. And I'd feel bad if we just left all our boys in the lurch against what's left of the Suicide Squad. Hell, we can dunk on them some more on National TV!
>>
>>5336004
We should attack Belle Reve first, we already put Gremlin and Bobo on track to find it, strike them when they least expect us. Once the Squad is gone for good taking Venezuela will be ez pz.
>>
>>5335849
>With a mailed fist, you crush it into a thousand pieces and savor the knowledge that you are once again a free man.
Damn it feels good. eat shit Lok (and by extension Waller)
I'd like to thin our tenure in the Squad is the shortest in it's history... buuut all those poor bastards that decided that the "bomb in your head" threat is bullshit and try to leave probably have us beat.

>>5336009
Well, once *this* particular branch on the Squad is gone at least. Didn't Lok tell us that there are other facilities all over? We can absolutely expect a team breathing down our neck later down the line.
Still, taking Belle Reve out will buy us time.
>>
>>5335876
While i do agree we need to get our bearings, we have to go back to our soldiers as soon as possible.
>>
>>5336009
>>5336004
Crippling the Squad enough to get them off our back is probably a priority, considering they've put a lot of assets into keeping the status quo in Venezuela

And not to mention that it's existence has to break some type of war crime law, right?
>>
>>5336444
Wait... From what I can remember, the Squad busted the roof with dropping the General in National TV and more bullshit like that, right? We should call our boys in Venezuela to give us some update and let us know if there are images in internet and the National TV about the SQ

If so we can ask them to go for that footage and any information or images about that, while we try to find a way to give the information to the Media. We already know about Cadmus and that sups death-virus, we don't have physical evidence but we have a lead.

I say that they should Focus into going for the footage, maybe make some "major attack" to some place while we actually go for the Rifle, like a decoy.

We give the rifle to Jack, by then the boys should have got the info, we deliver to the Media in Gotham or maybe give it to that boy Clark Kent to make a big history about the SQ affairs. While Belle Reave starts crashing down, maybe they'll try and move everything, which could be a nice timing for us to crash in the place with some help of Bane, free the people, and at the end, if we're in troubles we could make a little trade

Either we leak more info about Belle Reave and the boss of that division, Lok, or we're all cool

What do you think anons? I say that once we talk with Gremlin and Bobo we could see if they found anything juicy to add to our SQ files. Who knows? Maybe arrange some meeting with Batman and give it so the JL can dig in. But that could be dangerous because it's far to close to our identity
>>
>>5336468
Honestly getting knowledge of the Squad out there would help in taking it down, but getting Bane to help mixes Gunsmoke and Defcon a bit too much

We could do what we do best and take out some high-priority targets, steal some info; really throw a wrench into their command system
>>
>>5336487
>but getting Bane to help mixes Gunsmoke and Defcon a bit too much
That, and we most likely don't have enough pull with Bane to get help from him.
He's focused on conquering Gotham from the other gang leaders, splitting off forces for a regional takeover would put him at a disadvantage.
It'd be a tough sell to put it lightly.
>>
I am reading trough the archives, just reached thread 13, i must say this quest is really but have finally scaped the prision or at least gotten in contact with set or our men in venezuela? i am really worried about them there
>>
>>5336695
*great
i meant to sat great quest
>>
>>5336695
you are two threads away from finding out, don't give up yet
>>
>>5336695
Read nigga, read!
>>
>>5336695
Go back into your goblin hole anon and find out.
>>
Okay finally catched up. One word is amazing quest. Btw i dont know if anons nothed this but Gentleman Ghost seems to have a father son relashionship, so i was wondering if anybody wanted to name our enterprice after him in some way
>>
>>5337882
Try again with english.
>>
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>>5335876

When you step out of the portal and see the mansion again, you don’t even bother trying to contain the dumb grin that stretches across your face.

Even though it’s only been a couple months at most since you’ve been gone, it feels like an eternity.

Sucks that you had to leave your shiny new sword and shield back at Belle Reve, but it’s a small price to pay given your newly acquired freedom.

When you stride into the mansion, you’re immediately put on your guard. The mansion’s always been a bit dirty and dusty, but that’s part of its charm. However, the place looks utterly trashed; there are scattered holes in the floor, spills all over the carpet, and scribbled writing all over the wall.

> “Jack! You in here!?”

You receive no response, and being to feel a sense of looming dread as you begin following a trail of destruction upstairs.

Following the twisting corridors of the mansion, you find that the trail ends at Jack’s room, where the door is loosely hanging from its hinges.

Concerned, you quietly enter, only to discover that his study is an absolute mess. Empty liquor bottles are discarded everywhere, the wastebasket is filled to bursting with shredded pieces of paper, and it reeks like the spittoon in a biker bar.

Judging from the rank odor, Jack’s been on a truly legendary bender. Currently, he’s slumped over in a large armchair, surrounded by a pile of empty whiskey bottles and discarded notebooks.

Now that your worries about an immediate danger has passed, you intend on unobtrusively slipping out to avoid embarrassing him.

“I had hoped that you wouldn’t see me like this, Sean. Should’ve known you’d find your way home despite the odds; that’s what I get for having doubts.”

Never mind, guess you woke him up.

When it comes to things like smoking and drinking, you don’t have much room to lecture, but you still feel compelled to intervene.

> “Jack, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

When he goes to take a swig from a half-empty tumbler, you move to stop him.

> “C’mon, Jack. It’s me. Just put that down for a while and let me know what’s going on.”

Jack pulled you out from between the cracks in the sidewalk when nobody else would give you the time of the day. You’re not really good at dealing with feelings, but seeing him in this state this spurs you to action.

You gently but firmly pry the glass from his grip. He doesn’t struggle, instead beginning to sag into the armchair, as if physically weighed down.
>>
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>>5337998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgCRdAzizxY

“I am sorry for spoiling your homecoming, Sean, but I’m afraid that I’ve let things go a bit slack lately.”

You sit patiently, letting him work his way through it.

“I won’t lie. When I heard the news of your supposed death, I took it... rather poorly, as you may have noticed. To keep my mind from being consumed by grief, I turned to the oldest and most favored of my distractions; study, and the bottle.

When I heard the news of your miraculous survival, I began working to refurbish the mansion before you returned, but it appears that you managed to stymie my timetable.”

You take a seat nearby one of the cleaner chairs, intent on letting Jack vent.

“I know that we’ve already had this conversation, but I feel the need to extend my deepest apologies once more. Once again, I’ve sent you into the breach on a wing and a prayer. And for what?

The mad hope that I may one day find a peace that I no longer deserve.”

Jack gives a short and bitter chuckle.

“It’s amusing, when you really think about it.

I have relentlessly pursued this goal, my truest and most passionate desire, for decades, and now that I am the closest I have ever been to reaching it; I find myself paralyzed.

By fear. By doubt. By my own selfish weaknesses.”

The dam bursts and Jack lets the torrent fly free.

“I am so very afraid. I know that it must be done, but I cannot stop myself from worrying about what awaits when I pass. The next great adventure and all that.” Jack says, weakly grasping one of the empty bottles.

He staggers to his feet, heads toward one of the many bookshelves, and pulls a well-thumbed book of poetry out.

“Do you mind if I…..?”

> “Of course not.”

He clears his voice and begins to read, his voice audibly cracking at some parts.

"Have you news of my boy Jack?”
Not this tide.
"When d'you think that he'll come back?"
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Has any one else had word of him?"
Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

"Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?"
None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind—
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!
>>
>>5337999

After he finishes, he snaps the book shut and lays it onto a nearby end-table.

“I have enjoyed that poem for many, many years. It helps me to remember a life that seems more dream than memory.” He says, staring into the fireplace, deep in recollection.

“I had a family when I died. A wife and a son. It’s been so long that I can no longer remember their names or faces.”

He keeps staring into the fireplace, shoulders hunched as if they were carrying the weight of the world.

“I’m so very tired, Sean.”

Back when you were a Marine, being well-read, especially when it came to poetry, wasn’t exactly the most treasured skill among your fellow warfighters.

But after your “transition into the civilian sector,” you’ve become a lot more familiar with the classics. A fringe benefit of poring through loads of dusty old books.

Maybe he’d appreciate it if you reciprocated and read something that equally moves you?

You reach over and grab it, taking care not to damage the well-worn spine, and flip to a poem of particular significance, namely…

> Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

> Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

> The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson

> Do Not go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas

> In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

> Other?
>>
>>5338001
Good selection, Axis
> Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

I feel like this would resound with Sean the most. Young men sent to die, the author decrying the 'old lie' of the title. Hits hard

Now I'm gonna go cry till the next update
>>
>>5338001
> Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
>>
>>5338001
>> Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
>>
>>5338008
>>5338013

Looks like giving a rendition of Dulce Et Decorum Est wins, writing.
>>
>>5338029

You gently flip through the book, searching for something suited to your ideals that may help you empathize with Jack.

During the search, you find the entry for the poem that Jack recited, in a section dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.

One of the entries in particular catches your eye, Dulce Et Decorum Est, by Wilfred Owen.

It’s about the horrors of war, and how people are consumed in their search for honor and glory on the field of battle. Sounds like something that’s right up your alley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rV9RDS1AzM

After taking a deep breath, you work your way through the poem, doing your best to maintain a sense of decorum.

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer,
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie:

Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.
>>
>>5338051

Your recent experiences with Task Force X have only solidified your knowledge that fighting for any cause other than your own is one-way ticket to nowhere.

You were an honorable soldier who loyally led good men once, and what did it buy you?

A dishonorable discharge, a cell, and a death sentence.

And your men?

The reward for their service?

A nice sendoff, a fancy hole in hallowed ground, and a quick shunt out of view once the next sob story came rolling in.

But you’ll never forget, and you’ll never forgive.

No matter how far your journeys take you, you'll always be carrying a piece of them with you.

Just as a piece of you departed with them.

Overall, the poem made you feel…

(You can choose more than one)

> Angry. Men like you have been pawns on a greater board for centuries, and the time is overdue for a change. Even if that requires upending the game board entirely.

> Sad. Maybe Jack has the right idea, that the best thing we can hope for in this world is a graceful exit. But unlike his, yours won’t be coming anytime soon.

> Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.

> Disgusted. You’ve seen firsthand the consequences of allowing people to just trample all over you. Never again, no matter the opposition, no matter the cost.

> Other?
>>
>>5338058
>Angry. Men like you have been pawns on a greater board for centuries, and the time is overdue for a change. Even if that requires upending the game board entirely.
REVOLUTION!
>>
>>5338058
> Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.
>>
>>5338058
>Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.
"The Devil himself won't stop me."
>>
>>5338058
> Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.
>>
>>5338058

> Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.

BECOME CHAOS LORD
>>
>>5338058
>> Sad. Maybe Jack has the right idea, that the best thing we can hope for in this world is a graceful exit. But unlike his, yours won’t be coming anytime soon.
>>
>>5338058
> Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.

Cold, hard determination is scary good
>>
>>5338058
>> Determined. You can and will do better than anyone that stands in your way. As long as you keep pushing forward, it doesn’t matter what gets thrown in your way; you’ll just deal with it as it comes.
>>
>>5338063
>>5338064
>>5338065
>>5338066
>>5338069
>>5338074

Calling it here, writing.
>>
>>5338075

Despite the grim bleakness of the poem, it inspires a strangely calming, yet icy determination in you.

A reminder that no matter the hardship of the times or of the situation, that nothing is ever truly hopeless so long as you dig in deep and keep pushing through it.

This rhetoric bleeds into your recitation of the poem, and you can tell that Jack is touched by your obvious effort.

“You’re a good soul, Sean. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.”

> “Just so long as you get it through your thick skull that I’m not going anywhere, got that? We made a deal, and I’m sticking to it.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but it’s one that I’m happy to accept. Now that you’re back home, what do you plan to do next?”

And that’s truly the million-dollar question.

Speaking of a million dollars, you’ve managed to blow through almost all of your proceeds from the Keystone heist.

Turns out that real estate and high-quality military gear doesn’t come cheap.

You’ll need to check in on that laundromat front of yours soon and see how it’s been doing in terms of cash flow. It’d be higher if you ran some kind of illegal operations through it, but you’ve been a bit busy with everything else to worry overmuch about your business holdings.

Should be a nice little boost to your finances either way.
>>
>>5338106

As it stand, you’ve got three battleplans cooking.

The first, is that you stay in Gotham for a while and try to round up some support for a later excursion. And you know just the guy to call.

According to Jack, the gang war between Bane and Penguin has been cooling down, but that doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Hostilities could flare back up at any moment, and you made a hell of an impression when you torched the Iceberg Lounge on your last job for Bane.

if you were to pitch in ad help consolidate Bane’s position, you might be able to leverage that favor into something more tangible; like a well-armed detachment of mercenaries.

Alternatively, you could jump straight into the fight and clean-up the mess you left behind in Venezuela. While tempting, it’s definitely not going to be easy.

You’ll have to deal with Pedraza’s goons, as well as any Squad remnants that you missed on your first go-round. Plus, that’s assuming that they haven’t been reinforced in the wake of your breakout; the political situation down there could be radically different from the time of your failed assault on the Assembly. Hopefully Darius or Isaac can paint you a clearer picture when you reestablish contact.

But if you pull it off, the sky’s the limit. There’s no telling how a victory of that magnitude might catapult your operational ability, but it’ll definitely be well worth the effort.

On the other hand, maybe you’re better off checking in with Bobo and Gremlin and lining up your shot on Belle Reve?

The Squad’s going to be after your head for the foreseeable future; nailing them with a pre-emptive strike could be the way to go.

It’s definitely not something that they’d be expecting, and you’d be able to keep Task Force X in check. At the very least, you’d deliver a stark warning that you aren’t to be trifled with. As a bonus, you’d also be keeping your promise to Shade and depending upon Gremlin’s progress with finding a countermeasure for their bombs, you might even be able to pick up some grateful new recruits.

In the end, you decide that your main priority is…

(This one’s very important, so I’ll leave the vote open for about an hour.)

> Helping Bane consolidate his position in Gotham. Once you’ve earned some goodwill and some breathing room, you should be able to borrow a contingent of his men for a campaign.

> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.

> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.

> Other?
>>
>>5338107
>> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.

Cause we should see the job through and also it would free up our guys in Venezuela and also potentially free Set to aid us in wrecking Belle Reve!
>>
>>5338107
> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
>>
Ooooh man, tough choices. We'll be dealing with Metas - lots of them - no matter what and we'd basically be dealing with them by ourselves.
Sure the Liberators are in Venezuela but I'm not quite sure how much they'd help against Metas.
>>5338107
>Helping Bane consolidate his position in Gotham. Once you’ve earned some goodwill and some breathing room, you should be able to borrow a contingent of his men for a campaign.
Going with this for the extra firepower. Gotta have faith in our boys down south, they'll make do.

Anyone have ideas for the laundromat? Personally I don't see what we could do with it it's a damn laundromat - can't really use it as a front for anything too big.
>>
>>5338107
> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.

I feel like summoning an army from Bane to do it won't be as good as doing it ourselves

Getting evidence of the Squad or Assassinating/Kidnapping key individuals takes a knife, not a hammer

And the Squad still has the resources to keep the regime in Venezuela, so until then the boys can keep the standstill
>>
>>5338114
>Anyone have ideas for the laundromat? Personally I don't see what we could do with it it's a damn laundromat - can't really use it as a front for anything too big.
I say coke

We could buy detergent, emptying the bags, find a machine or something to close them and fill them with cocaine. Or maybe that's something our provider could do and we find a way to deliver it by big quantities

>>5338107
>Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
It might be an error but I say this with the option of Belle Reve are good. The first one I say we should go first for a solo mission for the Rifle, give it to Jack and end our business with the revolution, everything without being seen at all, nor our face or our full armor, we don't want attention to ourselves, and if the Revolution it's still hot with Darius and Isaac efforts, Pedraza and The SQ might think we we're some opportunistic asshole that saw a chance to steal it.

With raiding Belle Reve I have fear, because Shade already told us we should get stronger before doing so. Si, unless we really start doing some heavy training, get some new toys and some people, we might have troubles
>>
>>5338107
>> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
>>
>>5338107
>> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
>>
>>5338107
> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
They'll expect us in Venezuela. Let's hit them in the jaw instead, then we can clean up Venezuela.
>>
>>5338114
>>5338129
We could try gun-running, or smuggling in general. Get a few businesses as stopping points to hide and distribute goods to sellers, and use a couple as depots?

I don't know if Coke is a good idea, Sean doesn't seem like the type to do it, Tbh
>>
>>5338107
>> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
>>
>>5338114
>Anyone have ideas for the laundromat? Personally I don't see what we could do with it it's a damn laundromat - can't really use it as a front for anything too big.

Safehouse for rent on a first come first serve basis?
>>
Well, it looks like we have a tie for choosing our next major objective.

I'd prefer not to roll a tiebreaker on something important, so I'll go ahead and leave the vote ongoing until we pick things back up on Friday at 5:00 PM EST.

As always, thanks for playing, anons!

I know things were a little heavy tonight, feel free to let me know what you thought of it.

Anyhow, interludes are still in the works, but I'm making good progress.
>>
>>5338168
Thanks for writing and have a goodie til then!
>>
>>5338107
> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
>>
>>5338107
> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
>>
>>5338107
>> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
>>
>>5338107
> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
>>
> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
Head bombs are top priority even though we got ours out.
Can we just magic surgery the bombs like we did to ourselves?
>>
>>5338168
This was a really good session, you can write emotion just as well as action, which is pretty great

Can't wait for friday
>>
>>5338212
Using the spell more than once risks secondary effects, so no. But if we taught it to someone else they could use it once.
>>
>>5338107
>Venezuela
Can't leave the job undone.
>>
>>5338107
>Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
Having a gun that can kill demons is always a good thing.
>>
>>5338107
>> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
>>
>>5338107
> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.

Helping our boys out is a bit of a time sensitive issue I think.
>>
>>5338107
> Heading to Belle Reve to kick Task Force X directly where it hurts. You’re #1 on their shitlist and the feeling is assuredly mutual; it’s time for a reminder of what happens when somebody fucks with you.
As much as I'd like to help our boys we've already trained them good, and it's only due to the squad that we failed in our attempts. We take out the Squad and Venezuela is ours. We get the entire (or most, let's be honest, some are going to stab us in the back) suicide squad on our side, we can shoot to the moon (or the Watchtower in all honesty).
>>
>>5338107
>Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
>>
>>5338168
>Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.
Finish the fight. And find out why Set bitched out.
>>
>>5338168
> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.

BELL WE GOT A JOB TO DO
>>
>>5338444
Rather then most, I'd say we only get (and even want, honestly) a few tops. Most of them are lone wolves to begin with, either by preference or because they're too dangerous to work with others unless they've got a bomb planted in their brains. Probably just take the ones we've already got a rapport with and a few professionals and leave it at the rest of them owing us a favour.
>>
Okey, now i have better internet connection, i was the anon who recently finished the quest a few days ago, i wanted to say to axis that its a great quest.

And i wanted to ask, if other anons find GG´s relashionship with sean kinda like father and son? it makes me wonder what is the family situation of sean? we know he had a dad but nothing more? maybe orphaned too early?
> Heading back to Venezuela to finish the job that the Squad interrupted. You’ve got troops to lead, a traitor to kill, a dictator to topple, and a rifle to steal.

Anyways voting for this, and also. after we finish our thing in venezuela and get the guns, do we plan to go after the task force X or get bane´s help by doing missions for him?
>>
Alright, it looks like going for round 2 in Venezuela wins, writing.
>>
>>5340137

Now, onto business.

The first item on your checklist is to get your gear ready for a protracted campaign. You’ve still got 1.5 vials of Xenothium stashed away that could come in handy when it comes to supercharging your Apokoliptian Armor. Smith provided you with a list of potential upgrades after installing the self-repair protocol last time, so at least you’ve got a rough idea of what’s open to you.

Hopefully he’ll be fine with a rush order, you don’t have time to waste.

Alternatively, you could visit that disgraced bio-chemist that Index pointed you towards; Conrad Zeiss. He might be able to make something interesting out your surplus Xenothium.

In the end, you decide to…

(Choose as many as you’d like, keeping in mind that you’ve only got 1.5 Xenothium left.)

> Upgrade your armor’s targeting suite. Never a bad idea to be more efficient at putting your foes in the dirt. (When wearing the armor, 99s are counted as crits) (Costs .5 Xenothium)

> Upgrade your armor’s plating and defensive countermeasures. That’s what it’s there for, after all. (Protect against most forms of conventional small-arms fire and provides additional EMP hardening) (Costs .5 Xenothium)

> Upgrade your armor’s internal compensators. Surviving being shot is good, avoiding being shot in the first place is even better. (Gives you a +10 bonus when Roll the Die is triggered.) (Costs .5 Xenothium)

> Upgrade your armor’s field of movement. Just because you’re well armored doesn’t mean that you can’t keep up with your opponents (Gives you a +10 bonus to agility rolls) (Costs .5 Xenothium)

> Upgrade your armor with an intrusion prevention system. That way, nobody’ll be able to just swipe it from you again without getting nasty surprise. (Costs .5 Xenothium)

> Visit Zeiss and provide him with a vial. Maybe he can synthesize it into some kind of serum or performance-enhancer. (Costs 1 Xenothium)

> Other?
>>
>>5340138
> Visit Zeiss and provide him with a vial. Maybe he can synthesize it into some kind of serum or performance-enhancer. (Costs 1 Xenothium)
> Upgrade your armor’s plating and defensive countermeasures. That’s what it’s there for, after all. (Protect against most forms of conventional small-arms fire and provides additional EMP hardening) (Costs .5 Xenothium)
>>
>>5340138
> Upgrade your armor’s field of movement. Just because you’re well armored doesn’t mean that you can’t keep up with your opponents (Gives you a +10 bonus to agility rolls) (Costs .5 Xenothium)
>> Visit Zeiss and provide him with a vial. Maybe he can synthesize it into some kind of serum or performance-enhancer. (Costs 1 Xenothium)
>>
>>5340138
>> Upgrade your armor’s plating and defensive countermeasures. That’s what it’s there for, after all. (Protect against most forms of conventional small-arms fire and provides additional EMP hardening) (Costs .5 Xenothium)
>Upgrade the Carbine to pack more punch and give it extra modes, long range, shotgun blast, laser cannon...
>>
>>5340152
+1
>>
>>5340152
>>5340156

I'll allow the Carbine upgrade with what you described for a full vial.

That work for you?
>>
>>5340159
yep, that's what I expected
>>
>>5340150
>+1
>>
Closing the vote, give me a moment to tally everything up.
>>
>>5340163

By my count, it looks like using a vial on the serum and the other half-vial to upgrade the plating wins.

Writing.
>>
>>5340120
Oh boy I can't wait to get there, fumble rolls, and end right back in the squad!
>>
>>5340169
Honestly with the squad blowing through two super powered heavy hitters and a handful of very skilled operators and damn near losing a high value asset like the General all in a matter of hours I wouldn't be surprised if they rolled back most of their support down there. You just know someone got their ass chewed out for the resources already lost babysitting Pedraza.

Hopefully this time we won't have a legit gauntlet of metahumans and aliens to go through.
>>
>>5340181
I figured they'd do the exact opposite and drown it in resources to stamp out opposition, especially with us being out of their grasp and having a known interest in the area. Either way we're locked in now so let's hope we don't fuck up too hard.
>>
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>>5340164

After paying Smith’s alien junkyard a visit, engaging in some light haggling, and dropping off your armor for some additional hardening, you head for Zeiss’ lab; an abandoned studio nestled snugly in Crime Alley.

As the name would suggest, it’s not exactly the friendliest place in town. Just ask the Wayne family.

You keep a tight hold of your backup piece during your short-but-still-too-long foray into the urban jungle. If anyone knew the value of the cargo you’re carrying, you’d have to fight off a mob of hobos, thieves, and anything else crawling out of the woodwork.

Index didn’t provide a whole lot of information about the good doctor, mostly just that he’s a brilliant but disgraced bio-chemist that’s been paying the bills by moonlighting as a back-alley surgeon / researcher.

The only other academic you know seems to be more focused on the humanities rather than science, so he’ll have to do.

The address you’ve been given seems to be legit, judging from the barely legible red cross scrawled on top of a heavily secured steel door.

Since there’s no doorbell, you just being pounding on the door.

After a minute or so, a viewing port in the door is slid open and a grouchy looking man gives you the evil eye.

“We’re closed. Come back tomorrow.”

> “I think I have something that might interest you.”

“Terrific. Come back tomorrow with it.”

As he goes to slam the port shut, you quickly reach into your bag and surreptitiously produce the vial of Xenothium.

> “Does this happen to change your mind?”

“Is that...? You better get in here quick, before I come to my senses.”

After what sounds like a dozen separate locks click, the door abruptly swings open and your host leads you inside.

As you head towards what you assume to be the lab, Zeiss begins to grill you.

“So, what exactly are you here about? Xenothium doesn’t exactly grow on trees, and there are plenty of more ‘legitimate’ operations if you’re looking for some kind of analysis.”

He seems to be a pretty blunt guy, so you’ll just cut straight to the point.

> “Is there any way of refining this into some kind of serum, something that’ll make me stronger?”

Zeiss looks at you like you’ve grown multiple heads, before something in his expression seems to change.

Before, you were nothing but an annoyance, but now his eyes are lighting up like he’s stumbled across a great discovery.

“Perhaps. I’ve been dabbling with matters of human enhancement for some time, but the results are impossible to speculate on without further testing.”

He claps his hands together.

“In the spirit of discovery, I’m willing to make a trade. In exchange for the vial of Xenothium and allowing me to run some post-injection tests, I will use the bulk of the aforementioned Xenothium to synthesize a chemical cocktail for you.

Are these terms acceptable?”

It’s a bit shady, but you have no reason to decline just yet.

You provide your reluctant consent to his bargain and hand over the vial.
>>
>>5340207

“Excellent! I’ll need some time to set up the equipment, but the procedure itself should be relatively speedy. This isn’t my first foray into the field, so I’ve had plenty of time to refine my methods. Feel free to take a seat somewhere and wait.”

Without waiting for a response, he wheels towards a bank of expensive looking equipment and begins furiously typing while muttering something about “electrokinetic neural dispersion points” and “nanoscale internal refraction” while hooking the vial of Xenothium into some kind of scanner.

A few hours later, Zeiss presents the finished product; a syringe filled with an angry-red substance.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

> “What’ll it do?”

“Well, I’m not entirely certain. That’s the point of a clinical trial, after all. The health risks are minimal, but there are always the chance of side effects. Xenothium is a tricky beast, but I’m certain that it’s capable of unlocking great inner strength; but the impacts could vary based on a variety of genetic and lifestyle factors.

Are you ready for the injection? If not, you can always return another time, but I insist that the syringe remain in my possession. I must safeguard my research, after all.”

You decide to…

> Take the serum. You forked over the Xenothium for a reason, time to see what it can do. (Will require a roll, no re-rolling permitted)

> Leave it with Zeiss for now. You’ve got a lot of important stuff coming up, best to avoid jeopardizing it if there any debilitating side effects.

> Other?
>>
>>5340209
> Take the serum. You forked over the Xenothium for a reason, time to see what it can do. (Will require a roll, no re-rolling permitted)
>>
>>5340209
> Take the serum. You forked over the Xenothium for a reason, time to see what it can do. (Will require a roll, no re-rolling permitted)
Lets go, BALLS TO THE WALL
>>
>>5340209
> Take the serum. You forked over the Xenothium for a reason, time to see what it can do. (Will require a roll, no re-rolling permitted)
We got this, boys!
>>
>>5340212
>>5340213
>>5340214

Alright, let's see if fortune favors the bold.

Roll me some 1d100

DC : 50 / 75 / 100

This is going to crit, I just know it.
>>
Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>5340217
Here's hoping!
>>
Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>5340217
I wanna drink too...
>>
Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>5340217
>>
>>5340219
>>5340220
>>5340223

That's a minor success, writing.
>>
>>5340223
Fuck you lag
>>
>>5340225
Skill issue

>>5340224
Pleased to have prevented horrible things from happening.
>>
>>5340224
Could always be worse, especially when injecting mega-propane into your bloodstream with a back-alley scientist
>>
>>5340224

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ss29AYVJxU

You had the serum made for a reason, time to give it a try and see where it takes you.

To be honest, this entire scenario feels like something out of a particularly lazy after-school special. To complete the picture, all it’d need is one of the GI Joes to kick in the door, bodycheck you, and lead you off in handcuffs while proclaiming that winners don’t use drugs.

But desperate times call for desperate measures, and you’ve had more than your fair share of close calls lately. If you can scrape out another advantage over your plethora of foes, then it’ll have all been worth it.

After agreeing to the injection, Zeiss swabs your arm with a strong disinfectant before lining up the syringe.

When the needle slides into your arm, it’s surprisingly painless.

There’s still a little prick (not Zeiss), but that’s to be expected given the circumstances. When he depresses the plunger, you can’t discern any obvious effects.

At first, everything seems perfectly normal; hell, your immunizations before getting deployed had more kick than this.

And of course, the universe conspires to instantly make you regret your words when things abruptly take a turn.

Suddenly, you’re violently shaking and jittering, unable to exert control over your limbs. The closest potential equivalent you can reach is when you’ve BBQ’d yourself with a Lightning Bolt by accident.

Thankfully, the agonizing jolts quickly dissipate, leaving you panting and sweating from the inadvertent exhaustion.

Zeiss (who was busy taking notes about your reaction instead of intervening) runs you through a full battery of tests, though you stop short of allowing him to sample your blood or DNA.

Reluctantly, he presents you with his final conclusion; apparently, you’re no longer at risk of ever perishing from electrocution. No matter how much voltage he tries to pump into you, you barely register it as anything more dangerous than an uncomfortable sensation.

> Perk Gained! Insulated: You no longer suffer any negative effects from electrical discharges.

With your business concluded, you’re happy to quickly make your excuses to leave before he can try to further poke and prod at you.

As un-fun as that was, it definitely could’ve gone a whole lot worse given the unstable nature of Xenothium, so at least you have that consolation.

Besides checking on your laundromat, are there any other outstanding pieces of business left to handle before you fully devote yourself to the op in Venezuela?

> ???
>>
>>5340252
>tfw we can finally stop worrying about zapping ourselves when we fuck up the lightning bolt
Oh and a whole slew of other super peeps who like to use electricity. But that's less important. And hey, in an emergency we can act as a bridge between wires free of charge.

It's no super healing, super strength, or super alcoholism but it's pretty neat.
>>
>>5340252
Winners always do drugs!

>None I can think of, time for our second Venezuelan Vacation
>>
>>5340252
>no
>>
>>5340252
Oh, that's a nice minor success to be shock proof. That should be it, but ask the good doctor what he thinks he could do if he could make a refined version next time?
>>
>>5340252
>No, time to get curb stomped in Venezuela again
>>
>>5340254
>>5340255
>>5340256
>>5340257
>>5340265

Alright, looks like aside from a quick conversation or two, we're all ready for the main event.

This feels like a natural stopping point, so we'll pick up from here on Monday at 5:00 PM EST.

As always, thanks for playing!

Interlude progress is slow and steady, but it's a-coming.
>>
>>5340273
Nice, see you Monday

It's nice to be in the saddle again
>>
wait, shouldnt we try to unlock more ligthing spells? how much time does that take us axis?>>5340273
What would have happened if we failed that roll? death? also how much of our red stuff did the doctor use? the whole thing?
>>
>>5340559
>What would have happened if we failed that roll? death?
Nah I bet we'd have become violently dependent on Xenothium - processed or the raw stuff.
The doctor took an entire vial off of us but there is a very good chance he set aside *some* for his personal projects. I know i woulda in his shoes.
>>
>>5340273
I wonder what batmans doing while we were away
Also im not addicted or anything but where do we find more xenothium to inject
>>
>>5340559

Attempting to unlock new spells / improve existing takes quite a lot of time and effort, regardless of whether or not it's a successes.

Given the inherent instability of the conflict in Venezuela, it'd be a big delay.

>>5340559
>>5340617
>>5340699

I won't speculate as to the consequences of failure as of yet, just in case the opportunity arises for another dosage in the future.

As for the vial, he took the entire thing for further study, but it's unknown just how much he still has in reserve. Probably don't blow through the whole vial though.

Getting your mitts more Xenothium would probably necessitate a full blown heist of a hardened installation. Probably something even riskier than the Keystone raid. Still, it might be worth looking into when the tempo is lower.

As for Batman and Co, they've probably still got their hands full trying to keep the gang war from getting too destructive. Things are apparently quieting though, so that might not hold them back for long.
>>
>>5341716
I want to just pop the top and drink a vial like a shot. I need the forbidden kool-aid. Is it cherry flavored or raspberry? Perhaps cranberry? Questions that require answers.

Not asking for specifics but if we had hundo'd it, would the boost we received have been something that would take us out of B-tier and straight up into S-tier or would it have been another niche kind of upgrade but made really strong and more widely applicable? Like instead of getting completely insulated we became able to absorb and manipulate electrical currents as an example. Something that sounds pretty low-key until you realize the unfathomable application of such a thing.

We'll never get a hundo on it anyway.

Speaking of the bright nights in Gotham at the mo, is Joker getting antsy and jealous at Pengy and Bane sucking up so much of Bats' time?
>>
Is gentleman ghosts mansion in gotham? Zatanna put a magic tracker so if we practice won't we just get instantly descended on.
>>
>>5341981

Do.
Not.
Drink.
The.
Koolaid.

As for your second question, a hundred wouldn’t have put you in S-rank, it would’ve given a couple really useful boosts.


>>5343574

It’s on the outskirts of Gotham, but it’s still enough to keep your signature muted against the wider magical spectrum.

It’d take a truly massive spike of magic to allow her to hone on your location, so you’ll probably be fine.

(Keep in mind, this is not something you are aware of in-character.)
>>
>>5341981

Forgot your last question:

Joker's been unusually quiet, and people are starting to realize the implications of that.
>>
>>5343956
>Joker's been unusually quiet, and people are starting to realize the implications of that.

The Joker has a nuclear whoopy cushion, calling it now
>>
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13 KB JPG
>>5341716

As it turns out, Zeiss is more than happy to continue his experiments, so long as you continue to provide the necessary Xenothium.

It’s not exactly an over-the-counter type of item, but you’ll keep an eye out for the stuff.

In the meantime, you check in on your laundromat and find that it’s earned you a neat $50,000. It’s not a king’s ransom, especially compared to how much you had to fork over for the place, but it’s nothing to sneeze at. Every little bit helps, after all.

Back at the mansion, you begin focusing fully on your upcoming excursion into Venezuela.

After getting in touch with Bonilla via the secure communications backbone you shelled out the big bucks for, you’ve got a much clearer view of the situation on the ground.

The Grand Liberators have certainly been busy in your absence, attacking garrisons, burning supply caches, and generally being an absolute menace to anyone on Pedraza’s payroll. Thanks to those efforts, things are beginning to reach a tipping point.

After your attack on the National Assembly, public opinion turned sharply against Pedraza, especially when footage began circulating of the real events inside the legislature.

In response, Pedraza’s been cracking down harder and harder on dissidents and other enemies of the state, serving to only further anger the people.

In contrast, the Grand Liberators (and the Jungle Rats by extension) gained a lot of notoriety, even though the mission itself was a tactical failure. Thanks to all the media coverage of the event, it’s somehow turned into a strategic victory.

Unfortunately, not everything is sunshine and rainbows.
>>
File: Almonte.jpg (366 KB, 1920x2651)
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>>5344044

Thanks to your warning, Delrio wasn’t able to pull off whatever plot he had been cooking, but managed to escape with a handful of loyalists. Eventually he sought asylum with his old buddies and linked back up with the Escabedo Cartel. To win his way back into their good graces, he sold out the moles you had been blackmailing. Their bodies were discovered in varying degrees of disrepair, to put lightly.

As for the PLA, they’re on their last legs; Delrio apparently baited some of their key leaders into a ceasefire turned ambush. During the ambush, some high-level cartel bosses also bit the dust, leaving Delrio in a prime position for a takeover. Ever since, he’s fully thrown his lot in with Pedraza’s regime; using his hitmen and various connections to help prop him up.

The leadership core of the Grand Liberators have been drawing up various operations once they were informed of your survival, but you’ve only got the operational capability to realistically handle one at a time.

The first, which has Bonilla’s seal of approval, is vicious and simple. Pedraza’s presidential manor has been forced to pull a heft amount of security away to help quell the simmering unrest building in the major cities. Right now, he’s the most vulnerable he’s ever been; but that may not last forever.

And despite the weakened security presence, it still won’t be a cakewalk by any means. In addition to Pedraza’s stormtroopers and sicario hitmen, you’ll also run the risk of tangling with Task Force X assets still embedded within the country.

The next plan, proposed by Almonte, is that you target a major port that’s purportedly a major artery that Task Force X uses to supply Pedraza’s forces. Given the logistical damage your little stunt at their secret police HQ caused, crippling their main supply chain would be devastating.

There’s also a shipment slated for delivery within a day or so, offering a prime opportunity to dig deeper for proof the Squad’s involvement with Pedraza.

Lastly, Mondragon has a plan of his own; that you concentrate your efforts on wiping out Delrio and his power base. According to some scuttlebutt he was able to dredge up, Delrio’s throwing some kind of swanky “look at how much money I have” party to schmooze with regime collaborators, high-level military officers, and to remind his flunkies that he’s the biggest man in the room these days.

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to dismantle his operation in one fell swoop, and get a little payback while you’re at it.

> Launch an assault on Pedraza’s presidential palace. Cut the head off the serpent, and the body will follow.

> Go hunting for the Suicide Squad connection. If you can produce evidence linking them to the conflict, they’ll be forced to back off or risk total exposure.

> Focus your efforts on crashing Delrio’s party. That rat fuck and his cartel cronies need to learn the price of betrayal.

> Other?
>>
>>5344045
> Launch an assault on Pedraza’s presidential palace. Cut the head off the serpent, and the body will follow.

Hit the squad before they know we’re in country, get the Ace, and off Pedrazo all in one.
>>
>>5344045
> Focus your efforts on crashing Delrio’s party. That rat fuck and his cartel cronies need to learn the price of betrayal.
First we deal with that son of a bitch and then we go for the squad
>>
>>5344045
>> Launch an assault on Pedraza’s presidential palace. Cut the head off the serpent, and the body will follow.
Leaving the other two factions to their own devices is bound to have consequences but I really wanna finish Jack's request, we've put it off for too long.
>>
>>5344045
>Go hunting for the Suicide Squad connection. If you can produce evidence linking them to the conflict, they’ll be forced to back off or risk total exposure.
>>
>>5344045
>> Go hunting for the Suicide Squad connection. If you can produce evidence linking them to the conflict, they’ll be forced to back off or risk total exposure.
Lightning strike to force them out. Even if Pedraza goes into any number of little rat holes he'll be completely fucked without the squad backing him up.
>>
>>5344045
>Go hunting for the Suicide Squad connection. If you can produce evidence linking them to the conflict, they’ll be forced to back off or risk total exposure.
>>
>>5344045
>> Go hunting for the Suicide Squad connection. If you can produce evidence linking them to the conflict, they’ll be forced to back off or risk total exposure.
First stun and then cut of the head.
>>
>>5344045
> Go hunting for the Suicide Squad connection. If you can produce evidence linking them to the conflict, they’ll be forced to back off or risk total exposure.

They're pretty much the biggest risk to us
>>
>>5344063
>>5344081
>>5344083
>>5344084
>>5344086

Alright, looks like causing trouble at the port wins, writing.
>>
File: Mondragon.jpg (82 KB, 826x1076)
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82 KB JPG
>>5344087

If you can ensure that the Squad can’t effectively support Pedraza’s forces, the chances of victory tilts sharply in your favor.

And if you’re lucky, you might even find something that’ll threaten to put the existence of Task Force X in the public view.

Now that your choice of target has been made clear, how do you plan on achieving this objective?

Going at them with overwhelming force is always a valid tactic, but who knows what kind of freaks the Squad is posting down here.

Alternatively, you could try a softer touch and try to avoid spooking the enemy until your actions are irreversible. Of course, getting caught might leave you surrounded in heavily-armed enemy territory.

Lastly, you could try your hand at subterfuge. All you’d need to do is pick off an unlucky guard walking the perimeter, and you’re golden. Unless they see through your disguise, in which case all bets are off.

In the end, your overall strategy is to…

> Roll in hard and fast and crush the opposition before they know what hit them. It’s a staple of a guerrilla warfare for a reason.

> Attempt to sneak into the port without drawing attention. You’ll be in trouble if you’re detected, but handling things quietly and efficiently has always been your mantra.

> “Acquire” a uniform and blend in with their security detail. By the time they realize your gambit, the damage will have been done.

> Other?
>>
>>5344093
> Attempt to sneak into the port without drawing attention. You’ll be in trouble if you’re detected, but handling things quietly and efficiently has always been your mantra.
>>
>>5344093
>> “Acquire” a uniform and blend in with their security detail. By the time they realize your gambit, the damage will have been done.
Hey, it worked super well with the secret police. Thanks Delrio.
>>
>>5344093
> “Acquire” a uniform and blend in with their security detail. By the time they realize your gambit, the damage will have been done.
>>
>>5344093
> Attempt to sneak into the port without drawing attention. You’ll be in trouble if you’re detected, but handling things quietly and efficiently has always been your mantra.

Last time we went loud in Venezuela we were caught, let's use a soft hand
>>
>>5344093
>Attempt to sneak into the port without drawing attention. You’ll be in trouble if you’re detected, but handling things quietly and efficiently has always been your mantra.
I imagine they'll mostly have locals posted, Sean would probably stick out like a sore thumb in uniform.
>>
>>5344095
>>5344100
>>5344105

Looks like we're going for a stealthy infiltration, go ahead and choose your loadout.

Armor:
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> Conventional Armor (Less protection, but may raise fewer red flags)

Primary Weapon:
> Apokoliptian Carbine (Volatile Intergang tech, capable of putting a hole through damn near anything)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> M4 Carbine (All-around performer, includes grenade launcher)
> Dragunov Sniper Rifle (Excellent at long-range, poorly suited for close-quarter engagements)
> Benelli Shotgun (Excellent at close-quarter engagements, suffers at range)

Secondary Weapon:
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
> .44 Magnum (Hits hard)
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)

Melee Weapon:
> Curved Sword (Great for brawling, poor for stealth)
> Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)
> KABAR (Decent for both stealth / brawling)
> Knuckle trench knife (Good for brawling)

Explosives: (4 maximum)
> Fragmentation
> Smoke
> Flashbang
> Incendiary
> Thermite
>>
>>5344118
> Conventional Armor (Less protection, but may raise fewer red flags)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)
> KABAR (Decent for both stealth / brawling)
> Smoke
> Flashbang
> Incendiary
> Thermite
>>
>>5344118
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)
> Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)

>2 smoke grenades
>2 flashbangs
>>
>>5344118
>> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> .44 Magnum (Hits hard)
> Curved Sword (Great for brawling, poor for stealth)
> 2 Incendiary
> Thermite
> Smoke
>>
>>5344118
>Conventional Armor (Less protection, but may raise fewer red flags)
>Benelli Shotgun (Excellent at close-quarter engagements, suffers at range)
>Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
>Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)
>2 smoke
>Flashbang
>Thermite
>>
>>5344118
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)
> Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)
> 2 Incendiary
> Thermite
> Smoke
>>
Rolled 68, 4, 9 + 50 = 131 (3d100 + 50)

>>5344121
>>5344125
>>5344126
>>5344130
>>5344138

Alright, looks like the winners are:
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)
> Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)
> 2 Incendiary, 1 Thermite, 1 Smoke

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+70
>>
Rolled 30 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5344142
>>
Rolled 71 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5344142
>>
Rolled 21 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5344142
>>
>>5344143
>>5344144
>>5344147

That's a success, writing. Looks like they've got some particularly lazy personnel.
>>
>>5344149

The plan you decide upon is simple enough; you’ll sneak in, scrounge for intel / plant charges in key areas, while a backup unit of skirmishers and scoundrels takes a position nearby in case things abruptly go hot.

They’ll be tapped into local comms and jamming long-range signals, that way the guards can’t try to signal for a QRF or similar reinforcements.

Bonilla provides you with a set of coordinates, as well as a timetable for the attack.

Thankfully, it’ll be at night, so you have the luxury of using Shadow Cloak to help avoid attracting the attention of prying eyes.

To prevent capture and interrogation, the Grand Liberators have split into cells during your absence, but are making plans to reconvene after the raid; regardless of success or failure.

While you’re a bit disappointed that you’ll have to go a bit longer without truly reuniting with your troops, there’ll be plenty of time for a reunion once the mission is over.

Bonilla ends the strategy meeting with a gruff comment about “not getting yourself killed again”, a request that you’d be more than happy to oblige.

To that end, you pick out your equipment. As distinct as it may be, your Apokoliptian armor is still the toughest gear in your arsenal, especially after the latest upgrades. In addition, you bring a silenced MP5, your lucky Beretta (that you’ve finally picked out a silencer for), your Fairbairn-Sykes commando knife, a pair of incendiary grenades, a thermite grenade, and a smoke grenade.

When Jack drops you off at the rendezvous point at the designated hour, it's like walking into an old memory.

Just like before, the humid jungle heat slams into you like a truck. The heavy rainfall doesn’t help either, and you’re soaked like a genuine Jungle Rat within minutes.

At least some things never change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCikIkXslP0

The Liberators posted nearby offer their congratulations on your return, and hand you a stack of IED charges, courtesy of Almonte’s bombmaking skills.

After carefully tucking them away, you begin sneaking through the perimeter of the port. Bonilla picked a good time and place, the storm currently raging is definitely

Shadow Cloak helps too, makes it oh so easy to skirt patrols and checkpoints with nary an inquisitive glance.

Luckily, the guards (all wearing local military gear) seem more preoccupied with finding cover from the rain and smoking than they are with sentry duty. There are a couple officers that are more diligent and alert, but they’re few and far between, and you inevitably slip through the gaps in their defenses.

You would’ve thought that they had learned their lesson by now, but it’s never a good idea to underestimate the depths of human laziness.

Now that you’re inside-the-wire, what’s your next move?

> Focus primarily on planting the bombs.

> Split your attention evenly between planting the bombs and looking for intel.

> Focus primarily on hunting for information about Task Force X.

> Other?
>>
>>5344157
>> Split your attention evenly between planting the bombs and looking for intel.
>>
>>5344157
> Focus primarily on hunting for information about Task Force X.
>>
>>5344157
> Split your attention evenly between planting the bombs and looking for intel.
>>
>>5344157
> Split your attention evenly between planting the bombs and looking for intel.
>>
Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5344163
>>5344168
>>5344170

Alright, looks like we're focusing on both.

I'll just go ahead and roll a d2 to decide which roll goes first.

1 = Bombs
2 = Intel
>>
>>5344174

Looks like the intel hunt roll goes first, roll me some 1d100+40

DC: 85 / 105 / 125
>>
Rolled 77 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5344178
>>
Rolled 16 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5344178
>>
Rolled 83 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5344178
We have found someone's browser history. They like midget bondage.
>>
>>5344179
>>5344180
>>5344182

That's a regular success, go ahead and give me a followup roll of 1d100+25

DC: 75 / 95
>>
Rolled 92 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5344185
Crazy Talk don't fail me now
>>
Rolled 79 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5344185
So close to complete success.
>>
Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>5344185
>>
Rolled 100, 100, 68 + 60 = 328 (3d100 + 60)

>>5344186
>>5344187
>>5344188

That's an excellent success, finishing off the intel gathering.

Onto the demolition side of things, roll me some 1d100+70
>>
Rolled 38 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5344190
Oh WHAT IN THE GODDAMN
>>
File: 1511279365575.gif (1.99 MB, 280x202)
1.99 MB
1.99 MB GIF
Rolled 57 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5344190
>>
>>5344190
HMM

I WONDER WHAT THOSE ROLLS ARE FOR
>>
>>5344190
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK
>>
Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>5344190
OH NO
>>
Rolled 83 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

I guess we are takin some damage from the best they have to offer. I dont want us to get caught again.>>5344190
>>
Guess what guys, we walked right in on a surprise inspection ha ha ha

And some bigwig asshole is there with his fancy guards.

>>5344198
Hey, at the very least we did roll a total that was higher than theirs. 165 to their 160. But they fucking double crit. Jesus. This is nutty.
>>
No whats bullshit is that we still beat them Axis does not count those as crits.
>>
I meant to say if and please dont.>>5344204
>>
>>5344203
>>5344204
Hey, maybe those are our allies! If not, we still got our newly upgraded Roll The Die to take away their crits
>>
>>5344191
>>5344192
>>5344198

That's a.....

I honestly don't know what to classify this as, but it's definitely not a success.

Would you like to use Roll the Die?

> Yes.

> No.


And if so, would you like me to re-roll on my end?

> Yes.

> No.


>>5344204

Crits are crits regardless of who rolls them, anon. I've rolled plenty of critfails as your opposition and had suitable consequences for them. Wheel spins both ways, after all.
>>
>>5344194
Hey QM Can we use this?
> Once every mission, you have the option to re-attempt a skill check. If the failure was against an enemy roll, you may opt to have them re-roll as well.
>>
>>5344210
>> Yes.
> Yes.
I'm glad that upgrade vote won, I just knew it would make itself useful immediately
>>
>>5344210
YES
YES
>>
Fair enough. I just thought since there is no precedent that you might make an exception for one of them.
>>
>>5344215
We did get critted by Enforcer in the tournament arc, that could have been worse since we had also crit failed.
>>
Rolled 52, 45, 23 + 60 = 180 (3d100 + 60)

>>5344212
>>5344213
>>5344214

Alright, go ahead and give me some more dice+1d100+70

inb4 triple crit
>>
Rolled 43 + 60 (1d100 + 60)

>>5344221
>>
Rolled 60 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5344221
C'mon, crit'em back guys
>>
Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>5344221
>>
>>5344222
>>5344223
>>5344225

That's a success, writing. I'm starting to run out of steam, so I'll go ahead and call it for tonight.

We'll pick up from here on Wednesday at 5:00 PM EST. As always, thanks for playing and I hope to see you all there!

(I will never get a double crit again in my life, and I am 100% certain that it wouldn't have happened if Roll the Die had a different upgrade. The dice gods are truly the harshest of mistresses)
>>
>>5344230
Hey, never say never, this quest has a great track record of plot derailing luck.
Thanks for the run!
>>
>>5344225
>>5344223
Thank you both for rolling passing rolls!

>>5344230
What the hell did you do to have Murphy taunt you so?
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>>5344230
Out of interest, what would have happened if those crits had gone through? If you can't reveal them just yet, then that's fine, but I really want to know what would have gone down.
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>>5344345
Squad expecting us, the guy who KOed us before is waiting for us with 2 squads.
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>>5344345
Walk into a janitor's closet to plant on b and the general is in there waiting and punches us in the nuts.
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>>5344230
What a rollercoster, i hope we get out fine in the end. Axis, if the suicide squad dosnt appear in this mission, we will meet the general when we attack their main quarters right?
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>>5344345
>>5344347
>>5344352

Don't want to spoil anything, but it would've been rough. We're talking "pull every nasty trick in the book to win" type rough.

Specifics will be withheld, just in case another dramatic reversal of fate occurs.

Once things are done and dusted in Venezuela, feel free to ask again for the complete "what-if."

>>5344602

That's an excellent question, anon. One that I can't really answer without potential spoilers, but a reasonable deduction nonetheless.
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>>5345225
>We're talking "pull every nasty trick in the book to win" type rough.
Lok, naked, a milk jug full of industrial grade lube, and a CD player running smooth jazz. A horrific foe.
>>
Augh. I just cant help myself. I somehow want to take up that old plot thread about attending H.I.V.E. just so we can end up meeting Jinx. Similar powerset. Great acrobatics and hand to hand fighting skills. And maybe, just maybe we can help her better understand her power so she can be something other than bad luck.
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>>5345677
I mean... If we can, maybe pull a Little stunt as Gunsmoke, perk the attention of Penguin to go full asshurt and while that happens we're in H.I.V.E
>>
>>5344230

Your first stop is the customs and foreign shipping warehouses.

No matter how deep their paper trail goes, it inevitably has to end somewhere. If you can find some physical evidence of their plot and use it to build a better picture of how Task Force X moves munitions, you’ll gain greater insight into their inner workings.

And the more you know about your enemy, the easier it’ll be to rip the rug out from underneath them.

After dodging a few local patrols, you manage to reach the warehouse complex without running into any issues.

Judging from the amount of crates scattered throughout the warehouses, it looks like the shipment just got offloaded. Seems like you managed to catch them in the sweet-spot before delivery.

After wrenching one of the supply crates open, you give the goods a closer examination.

The gear itself is nothing special, certainly nothing like the stuff you’ve seen Task Force X operatives packing. Makes sense though, the Squad can’t afford to waste top-shelf equipment on a losing prospect like Pedraza.

That’d probably look bad on the quarterly budget report.

Luckily, none of the firearms have had their serial numbers scratched off yet, giving you a golden opportunity to start cataloguing as many as you can.

After noting down a couple crates worth of hardware, you hop onto a nearby computer to start trawling for anything useful.

There’s frustratingly little of note stored locally on the computer, but a little persistence yields an intriguing result.

Buried in a hidden directory is a huge spreadsheet and a text file written by a greedy Task Force X operative. According to their message, the spreadsheet is their insurance, just in case the Squad ever catches onto their skimming and double-dipping.

And the spreadsheet is stuffed full of incriminating information; referencing shipments of material marked for destruction being covertly routed by implanted logistics officers who faked the orders, and points to a renowned senatorial warhawk that’s been using their influenced to keep things under wraps.

Jackpot.

You’ve finally got something credible to hammer the Squad with, should you choose to try and drag them into the public view. After downloading the file, you purge all evidence of your digging, and evaporate back into the shadows.

Now, you just need to plant the IEDs, get outside the blast radius, and watch the fireworks.

Mixing Shadow Cloak with your own training makes it quick work and you plant all of the devices in critical junctures without attracting notice.

As you finish planting the last of Almonte’s “gifts”, an APC rolls into the port and comes to a screeching halt.

The back doors pop open, and a dozen Suicide Squad shocktroopers file out, as well as a series of distressingly familiar faces.

Looks like you’ve got some special guests darkening your doorstep.
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>>5346102

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHkliBWfPag

Leading the hostile forces is Warrant, as well as Plastique, Karma, and Catalyst. They’ve also got a pair of tagalongs that you aren’t familiar with.

One seems to be an older man, wearing a cleanly pressed suit and sporting some impressive facial hair. He’s tall too, maybe like 6’8. No visible weapons.

The other figure is female, slight of build but visibly compensating for it sheer craziness. She’s wearing some kind of weird knife-gauntlet hybrid that’s polished to a high sheen.

Just as you worried, it looks like Lok decided to hedge his bets and post somebody to monitor your old stomping grounds.

No sign of the General though, which either a very good or very bad sign.

Your mind is awash with possibilities, none of them positive.

How did they know that this was your next target?

Was it just a run of bad luck, or did you tip your hand somehow?

Fuck, what if this was all bait?!

You force yourself to calm down and compartmentalize.

Judging from their behavior, it seems like they’re on edge, but they haven’t actually spotted you.

At Warrant’s command, patrols begin to fan out and lockdown the entrances and exits to the port. You could probably still slip past them, but it’d be tricky. At least that way, you’d be able to avoid starting a fight you might not have the capacity to win.

Alternatively, you could try your luck and focus on knocking your old team off the board. That way, there’ll be less chance of them popping up again later.

Lastly, you could just target the non-powered operatives first, to avoid a scenario where you’re detected and boxed in to a corner.

In the end, you decide to…

> Quietly withdraw and avoid picking a fight. Hopefully the bombs will be enough to wipe some of them out.

> Handle your old team. This is an opportunity to really put a hurting on the Squad.

> Start picking off the regular operatives. It’ll serve to panic the rest, and will give you an edge should a fight break out.

> Other?
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>>5346103
>> Quietly withdraw and avoid picking a fight. Hopefully the bombs will be enough to wipe some of them out.
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>>5346103
> Quietly withdraw and avoid picking a fight. Hopefully the bombs will be enough to wipe some of them out.

We've got what we need, let the bombs do their job
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>>5346103
> Quietly withdraw and avoid picking a fight. Hopefully the bombs will be enough to wipe some of them out.
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>>5345677
We can't just adopt Jinx, man. Right?

>>5346103
>> Quietly withdraw and avoid picking a fight. Hopefully the bombs will be enough to wipe some of them out.
What's even better than getting exactly what we want? Them not knowing we did until after we've left.
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>>5346103
> Quietly withdraw and avoid picking a fight. Hopefully the bombs will be enough to wipe some of them out.
>>
Rolled 68, 62, 24 + 65 = 219 (3d100 + 65)

>>5346110
>>5346123
>>5346130
>>5346135
>>5346136

Alright, roll me some 1d100+70

DC to be determined.
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Rolled 64 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5346151
Oof.
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Rolled 35 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5346151
>>
Rolled 37 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5346151
Rollan
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Rolled 88 + 70 (1d100 + 70)

>>5346151
>>
Got so close we could practically taste them. Wew. Skin of our teeth.
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>>5346155
>>5346156
>>5346158

That's a success, by a very close margin.

Go ahead and roll me some 1d6, middle of three.
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Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5346170
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Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>5346170
I help:D
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Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>5346170
>>
Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5346170
>>
>>5346173
>>5346177
>>5346178

Alright, now give me another set of 1d6 until we have 3 unique rolls.
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Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>5346179
>>5346183
if that guy doesnt count here we go
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>>5346185

He does, I managed to fat-finger the post submission without correctly linking his roll.
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Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5346183
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Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>5346183
unga?
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Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>5346183
bunga
>>
Is this the number of Squaddies we caught we explosives and which ones?

I hope we got Warrant.
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Rolled 6, 86, 81 = 173 (3d100)

Alright, time for some rolling on my end.

DC: 75

First roll gets + 35

Second roll gets + 20

Third roll gets +25
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>>5346199

That is....an ironic result.

Writing.
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>>5346199
>6
Someone is having a very bad day.
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>>5346204
Hopefully it's Warrant

Or maybe the general got a huge load of c4 while he was leaning against a wall and got half his body fucked
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>>5346200

As tempting as it would be to square up with your former team, picking a fight out in the open would be risky at best. Not only do they have the advantage in numbers, you’re also not entirely clear as to each member’s powerset.

If you had more intel or a better chance of success, that’d be another story. But as it stands, trying to force a confrontation just wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

You’ve made it this long by dodging pointless risks, and entering into pitched battle for no reward just isn’t your way. Besides, there’ll be plenty of time later to mop up whoever Lok send headhunting for you.

Who knows; if you’re lucky enough, maybe the bombs’ll knock out a healthy portion of your opposition for you.

With the decision made, you carefully and quietly begin your exfiltration; doing your utmost to avoid notice of any kind.

Overall, sneaking through the newly strengthened perimeter is an absolute pain in the ass, and you could’ve sworn that Karma nearly spotted you a couple times. But with some well-timed misdirection, Shadow Cloak, and your natural talents, you’re able to break through the encirclement of the port with nothing more than a few close calls.

Thankfully, neither the grunts nor your ex-comrades manage to pick up your scent, and you’re able to make a clean break for the treeline with nary a shot fired.

By the time the bombs go off, you and the rest of your group of saboteurs have faded away into the brush, bundling into a concealed vehicle and escaping into the mud and darkness of the jungle.

On the long drive back to the temporary base camp, you mull over the overall results of the mission.

Honestly, you couldn’t have asked for much better.

You got in and got out without leaving a memorable trail, scored some dirt on Task Force X, and drove a wrench into the material support keeping Pedraza on life support.

No casualties on your end either, which is always a big plus.

Here’s hoping Warrant bit the dust during the bombardment, still owe him for when he took potshots at you back in Kahndaq.

Good thing you managed to get off that crazy train before it inevitably derailed, definitely one of your better decisions.

Speaking of which, what do you plan on doing with the information you’ve managed to compile about Task Force X’s involvement with Pedraza’s regime?

You decide to…

> Leak everything you’ve got on the Squad. If you can spark a media frenzy, then they’ll be forced to pull back the bulk of their support or risk getting caught in the act.

> Figure out a way to get in contact with Lok and attempt to blackmail him. Maybe the idea of getting dragged before a Senate sub-committee would wipe that smug look off his face.

> Figure out a way to transmit it to Cadmus. From what you’ve heard, there’s little love lost between them and Task Force X; maybe they’d be in a better position to leverage it.

> Just keep sitting on it for now. It’s always nice to have an ace in the hole for a rainy day.

> Other?
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>>5346231
> Just keep sitting on it for now. It’s always nice to have an ace in the hole for a rainy day.
I'd say sit on it unless someone has a good write in, none of these are too compelling for our current objectives
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>>5346231
> Leak everything you’ve got on the Squad. If you can spark a media frenzy, then they’ll be forced to pull back the bulk of their support or risk getting caught in the act.
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>>5346231
>Send a copy to Gremlin if we can, he'd know how to keep it as secure as possible, and leak it in all the right places if necessary
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>>5346245
>>5346237
I'll switch to this, always good to have a hardcopy backup
>>
> Figure out a way to transmit it to Cadmus. From what you’ve heard, there’s little love lost between them and Task Force X; maybe they’d be in a better position to leverage it.

I wonder if this is the route to meet someone from metropolis or waller
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>>5346245
>>5346246

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+40

DC: 70 / 95
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Rolled 90 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5346257
GOD PLZ
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Rolled 86 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5346257
Here's the nat 100
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Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>5346257
>>
>>5346260
>>5346261
>>5346262

That's an excellent success, writing.
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>>5346264

When you get back to base, one of the first things you do after the customary debriefing and after-action postmortem is to head for the communications center and spin up the hardened transmission backbone you had installed.

Money well spent, as it would seem.

With a little bit of tweaking, it’s more than capable of securely delivering the files you’ve gathered.

You give Gremlin a call, and he picks up after it rings a couple times.

> “Hey, Gremlin. How’s the snooping going?”

“Well, look who it is! Heard through the grapevine that you managed to bust yourself out, congratulations by the way. Kinda spoiled the elaborate drone-centric escape plan I had been drawing up, but it was probably never gonna happen anyhow. You would not believe how shitty the battery is on commercial drones, you’ve practically gotta daisy-chain a bunch of them together to form something with enough juice and processing power to do anything useful besides recon!

Shit, I completely ignored your question. Sorry, it’s just hard to switch it off sometimes. Anyhow, I’m close to a breakthrough, managed to find an old copy of the specs for that nano-bomb. Been analyzing it for weaknesses, but no luck so far. Thinking of farming it out to a buddy of mine who’s big on demolition stuff, but I’ll probably keep it in-house like you asked.

What’s up with you, enjoying your hard-won freedom?”

> “Kinda. I’m back to my old tricks, trying to get spring cleaning done. Managed to dig up something I’d like you to take a gander at and keep safe.”

“Cool, gimme a sec to look it over.”

He hums a bit of classical music as he pores over your findings.

“Jesus, you could get a real shitstorm brewing with this! What do you need me to do?”

> “Primarily, I want you to keep it safe. And…”

You hesitate a bit, trying to figure out a diplomatic way of explaining the second half of your request.

“And….what?”

> “And you don’t hear back from me again within a week, I want you to leak it to every media outlet and imageboard out in the wild blue yonder. A deadman’s switch, as it were.”

“I can handle that, but quit talking like that. You’ll make it, you always do. I’ve got faith that you’ll handle this; so give those bastards hell, alright?”

> “If nothing else, I’ll definitely make them work for it. Good talking to ya.”

“Likewise, see you soon.”
>>
>>5346326

After you finish your call with Gremlin, you take the time to reacquaint yourselves with the men; all of whom are glad to have you back in the saddle.

Guess you proved that you were in it to win it after you thrashed Pedraza like a piñata on live TV.

As much as you’d like to reconnect and assuage their doubts before sending them into battle again, there just isn’t enough time.

Once this revolution’s won, you’ll be sure to throw one hell of a rager in commemoration of their fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, the reports rolling in are as you predicted:

The destruction at the port managed to spook both Pedraza and Delrio, both of whom are scrambling.

Pedraza’s used the time to reinforce his position at the presidential palace and is requesting additional units by the hour. Delrio has also opted to flee and make a stand at Pedraza’s estate, likely reasoning that there’s safety in numbers.

You’re looking forward to violently disabusing him of that notion.

If you’re going to knock over the regime; this is your final opportunity before Pedraza consolidates and unleashes another wave of crackdowns and repression. As it stands, virtually everyone key to the running of the regime is dug in at Pedraza’s mansion; making them a big fat target.

Put bluntly, this is the big one.

Win or lose, live or die; it all comes down to whether or not you can figuratively storm the castle and kill the king.

When you enter the command tent to see how the planning session is going, you interrupt a chorus of arguing.

Each of your lieutenants is loudly debating the merits of their own individual stratagems, and the potential for violence is begging to rise.

Before things can get out of hand, you let out a sharp whistle and demand that everyone shut the fuck up.

Once silence falls, you turn to each of your trusted lieutenants and advisors for a synopsis of their battleplan.

Much like the man himself, Bonilla’s plan is bold, blunt, and to-the-point. He recommends that the Grand Liberators (with support from elements within the Jungle Rats) launch an all out ground assault on the presidential palace. As he points out, your men are well-trained and outfitted with both anti-air and anti-tank munitions.

After forming a ring of steel around the estate and neutralizing their perimeter defenses, you’d pincer the remaining defenders and choke the life out of them until they either submit or die.

It’ll be dirty and dangerous work, and it’s almost a guarantee that some of your men will pay the ultimate price whether you win or lose. And if they prove to be a nut that you’re incapable of cracking, the Grand Liberators will suffer devastating casualties.

Overall, it’s a solid and conventional strategy with a reasonable margin of success; albeit potentially costly in terms of manpower and resources.
>>
>>5346327

The next plan you hear is underhanded, cruel, and doubtlessly effective. With his old contacts in the PLA and resources stolen from the regime, Almonte is certain that he can whip up a few batches of sarin gas for dispersal near the palace. Anyone not wearing heavy-duty hazmat gear will be dead within minutes, saving you the hassle of needing to dislodge them.

However, what he proposes is genuine chemical warfare. There’s no going back once you open that kind of Pandora’s box. And if the dispersal is interrupted, the entire plan goes up in smoke.

The third plan is reliant on stealth, subterfuge, and trickery. Mondragon is convinced that an element of skirmishers can draw out the majority of Pedraza’s defenders and allow a small group of highly-trained assassins to infiltrate the palace grounds and eliminate Pedraza. Once he goes down, his men are sure to surrender.

But if you or anyone else gets caught, you’ll be knee-deep in hostile territory and likely swarmed before you can even get close to the man himself. And if his men are hardier than you anticipate, they may even keep fighting on regardless.

The fourth plan is reliant on charisma, ambition, and leadership. Isaac and Darius are of the opinion that the morale of both Pedraza’s and Delrio’s men are close to rock-bottom. If you can slip into their midst and sow discord and leverage existing disloyalty, you might be able to turn them against each other.

Hell, you might even be able to convince them to totally surrender. Of course, if you fail, you’ll be easy pickings for the entirety of whatever response force they can bring to bear. Not to mention the fact that Delrio is certain to try and seize power for himself if he sees the opportunity.

After careful consideration, you eventually decide to…

> Go with Bonilla’s plan. It won’t be easy, but a conventional assault still offers the best chances for survival with minimal cost.

> Go with Almonte’s plan. It’s incredibly distasteful, but sometimes hard decisions need to made in order to secure victory.

> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.

> Go with Darius’ and Isaac’s plan. If you can undermine the loyalty of the palace guard, they may end up doing the hard part for you.

> Other?
>>
>>5346330

This feels like a reasonable stopping point for tonight, anons. Vote's open until 5:00 PM EST on Friday. As always, thanks for playing and I hope to see you all there.

If you'd like to know who was killed as a result of the bombing at the docks, it was:

I'm going to make this message pointlessly long before getting to the actual name of the character so that nobody can guess based on the length of the spoiler. Anyhow, it was Plastique.
>>
>>5346330
>> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.
>>5346333
Shucks, now we'll never know what the cds were for
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>>5346330
> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.

> Go with Darius’ and Isaac’s plan. If you can undermine the loyalty of the palace guard, they may end up doing the hard part for you.
>>
>>5346330
> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.

Pedraza and the power he holds are practically the only things holding this regime together; taking him out as easily as possible will probably make the regime topple quickly

>>5346333
Oh. I can see why it was ironic
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>>5346330
> Go with Bonilla’s plan. It won’t be easy, but a conventional assault still offers the best chances for survival with minimal cost.
>>
>>5346330
Could we whip up the entire country into full blown revolucion? Get everyone in a frenzy now that they are this close to finally being free of Pedraza and his ilk? That the foreign powers backing him at their expense can no longer interfere? The time for liberation is nigh?

I'm sure even the soldiers working for Pedraza would shit their pants at a big enough movement from the people and plenty of them would either jump ship or flip sides just to avoid dying. To say nothing of any remaining patriots and sympathizers who haven't yet been weeded out or deserted.

> Go with Bonilla’s plan. It won’t be easy, but a conventional assault still offers the best chances for survival with minimal cost.
This is my fallback though. Solely for the good optics it would have for the people of Venezuela. It'd be a lot easier to install a puppet government if the people you are installing are viewed as undeniable heroes willing to sacrifice for their country. People kept making us go through all this work to leave behind our own little banana republic and I'd be pissed if we wasted all that at this point.

>>5346333
I guess that's why it was ironic. A shame. But no regrets.
>>
>>5346330
I don't see why we can't do somewhat of an amalgamation. We'll launch our ground war but not from all directions. Draw their attention and have a mix of saboteurs and assassins infiltrate. Start sowing discord to draw out the big wigs to stamp it out, then have the assassins hit them. And if course trap the ever loving shit out of whichever area we leave out of the assault.
>>
>>5346330
> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.
>Have the rest of our force attack every single government building, installation, facility, everything. Let the people themselves rise up!
>>
>>5346368
> Go with Bonilla’s plan. It won’t be easy, but a conventional assault still offers the best chances for survival with minimal cost.

> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.

I think this could work if we infiltrate and disrupt them before the main assault. Although stealth ops are our thing i think the optics are more important in this scenario.
Big boss time
>>
>>5346385
Oh yea we'd definitely be leasing the assault from the front. Give them a target they can't ignore.
>>
>>5346330
>> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.
>>
>>5346330
>Mondragon's plan
>>
>>5346330
>> Go with Darius’ and Isaac’s plan. If you can undermine the loyalty of the palace guard, they may end up doing the hard part for you.
>>
>>5346330
> Other?
Steal some rocket artillery or aircraft armed with bombs. Level the place or soften it up enough to assault.

We could also let it play out and wear them out by constantly making them bolt for the bunker while nothing happens. Make them fall complacent, nip at the heels of their power like military bases while the leaders are hiding. This can hurt morale of the loyalist and cause infighting in itself.

Otherwise id say cause infighting if no one wants to try that route.
> Go with Darius’ and Isaac’s plan. If you can undermine the loyalty of the palace guard, they may end up doing the hard part for you.

We should also aquire some brain bombs while we can. Put it in a lead box wrapped in tin foil and reverse enginneer it. Would make it easier to beat task force x. We might even get a few to defect to us.
>>
As an alternative plan how about a bit of a combo of all the plans!

With regards to chemical warfare what if instead of sarin gas we have them mix up some kind of knockout gas to be spread around the compound to knock out or at least reduce the forces we'd need to face after using a combo of Bonilla's and Mondragon's plans to surrounds the compound with B's forces focusing on taking out the perimeter defences and forces and M's men using both the confusion of the outside battle and cover and confusion of the smoke whist equipped with gas masks to infiltrate and exfil with Pedraza and the traitor along with any and all intel they can find and accrue and resources they can carry to the outside to meet up with Bonilla's forces once their part of the op is done and exile with them to force Pedenza to stand trial by the rebels which can be televised to show all the atrocities he has committed. And then If successful us the success and airing of Pedenza's closet to have the rebels call for their fellow citizens to stand down and join them in opposing Pedenza's reign. Many will likely jump ship when they see it's sinking and some may do so with no reason to fear going against retaliation against them or their families or having fooled themselves in believing the lies that were around them …So thoughts?
>>
I want to point out that if task force x does go down to an info dump they will probably "liquidate" all their deniable assets. Including the people. Do we have a plan for that? Because taking them down but getting every single one of the 'members' killed in the crossfire seems a little too extreme. But I don't really see another option. Unless we somehow manage to modify the spell that removed our bomb to work on others.
>>5345888
The problem is that the invite was for Gunsmoke. If we attended we would have to hide the magic. Cant even really talk about it because of how wired up Brother Blood has that place. I think there was a scene even saying he had cameras in the girls bathroom.
>>5346135
I would certainly try. Our interactions with Jinx would be so damn interesting based on how she would want to interact with Sean. Rival, Father figure, mentor, potential crush? Any of them could be interesting. I just want them to meet and see what happens.
Also Jinx had a thing about her powers going crazy on Friday the 13th. Do we have the same issue with our chaos powerset?
>>
>>5346330
>Go with Darius’ and Isaac’s plan. If you can undermine the loyalty of the palace guard, they may end up doing the hard part for you.
>>
>>5346891
>Cant even really talk about it because of how wired up Brother Blood has that place.
All you gotta do is get creepily close and whisper. And by creepily I mean about three millimeters away from her ear. Then you can whisper quietly enough even high quality directed listening devices can't pick it up.

Or just wait til we inevitably get sent out or wander off. Not like the people there are stuck inside the building every day of the year. If you don't want to seem like a mega weirdo I mean. Can't muscle in on Control Freaks' shtick now can we?

Jinx is impatient, bratty, and a bit standoffish. She probably wouldn't buy any talk about helping her without displaying that we too can make people unlucky. The whole "I can help you control it" thing has probably been pitched to her plenty. But she'd probably also really cling to that lifeline if it did finally seem genuine. So I'd say mentor. But with the way Sean acts and how starved of real human connection young villains tend to be it could absolutely (d)evolve into some strange pseudofamilial bond. With all the furniture throwing, screaming, hair-greying frustration it entails.

But this is all hypothetical, of course. She could just as easily plain hate our guts for simply existing and never change her mind. Teenagers. The only way to know is to try. But we're always so busy.
>>
> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.
I don't like the idea of undermining the loyalty of others. We kinda have a thing about betrayal due to being betrayed and seeing the claws memories don't we? I also don't like the idea of sacrificing the lives of a bunch of our men, or using biological warfare. The latter is bound to get some very powerful people asking dangerous questions about us.
>>
>>5346330
> Go with Bonilla’s plan. It won’t be easy, but a conventional assault still offers the best chances for survival with minimal cost.
We aren't no war criminal, and I think the squad might expect us to do the stealth option. Plus like another anon said, this really would be the best option for the people.
>>
>>5347257
You guys seem too confident that Jinx is gonna be her Teen Titans version and not her regular african shaman self, tho I don't really know either of them. Also, if Nightwing's an adult wouldn't Jinx also be adult by now?
>>
>>5347547
I am not even sure if she will even exist. She could easily not. She could also be an adult and dating kid flash and not having any issues now that she would be a hero. That would also mean that brother blood would no longer be in control over H.I.V.E. because he gets captured. Unless he escapes then H.I.V.E. would need a new headmaster/mistress.
Personally I am just talking about Jinx because I enjoyed her character and her having luck powers was also an interesting parallel.
If we never meet her I would be ever so slightly disappointed but hey, thats how some things go. Can't win em all. Its all up to the QM if she exists after all. The thought of trying to make her and Sean meet has been pinging around in the back of my head since we got luck powers and H.I.V.E. was mentioned.
>>
>>5347547
I didn't think classic Jinx was ever in H.I.V.E. but I'm not sure so I was just assuming if we met her there it'd be the TT version. As for her age, that's fair enough. I always get confused at which Robin is which. Doesn't help that half of them were part of the Teen Titans and the other half died or got revived or all sorts of wonky shit.

Of course that's considering we'd be following a single specific timeline with no deviation when I'm sure someone smarter and better versed than me can look at very niche details in characters we've seen and point out how it wouldn't be canon to said timeline.

All these are bridges we will cross when we get there. I just entertain the idea anons propose just because it's fun. Like anons wanting to rehabilitate Croc or even make him into a bayou farmer. It's fun to think about.
>>
> Go with Mondragon’s plan. A crack team of specialists can get the job done as long as they receive adequate support.
btw, axis, you remember that before we returned we were guarding queen bee right? what did she think of our sudden getting away?
>>
>>5346333
>>5347827
Oh yeah, that's something else I wanted to ask, what was the deal with Black Adam's villain convention? What would we have dealt with had we stayed?
>>
>>5347827
>>5347976

I plan on addressing those particular questions in one of the interludes I've been putting together.

Put bluntly, it ended up being an absolute catastrophe for many of the parties involved.
>>
>>5348326
Good
>>
Alright, closing the vote and tallying everything up.
>>
>>5348455

Alright, it looks like Mondragon’s plan has the most support, but I’m seeing some ideas being floated around about going for broke and completely toppling the regime.

Since you’ll only be leading a small group of raiders and cutthroats, that leaves the majority of the Grand Liberators available for additional tasking.

Therefore, feel free to choose any other additional areas of interest that you’d like to designate as priority targets, to be attacked in concurrence with your assault on Pedraza’s palace.

(Choose as many as you’d like, but each one will increase the overall DC for each pick.)

> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target critical national resources like oil fields, mines, and factories. If you can gain control of the industrial heartland, you’ll have a powerful card to play for future negotiations.

> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target key infrastructure. If you can seize ports, airports, and major highways, you’ll be able to control the flow of cargo and people throughout the country.

> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target important communications systems. If you can snag the major news stations and radio towers, you might be able to whip the people into a revolt.

> Use a portion of your remaining forces as backup for your raid on the palace. If things go sideways, you’ll need the extra support.

> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target essential financial institutions. If your forces control the treasury, the mint, and the banking system, you’ll be punching the regime right in the pocketbook.

> Other?
>>
>>5348461
> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target important communications systems. If you can snag the major news stations and radio towers, you might be able to whip the people into a revolt.
>>
>>5348461
> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target important communications systems. If you can snag the major news stations and radio towers, you might be able to whip the people into a revolt

> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target essential financial institutions. If your forces control the treasury, the mint, and the banking system, you’ll be punching the regime right in the pocketbook.

Getting the propaganda and funds seems good for regime-toppling, especially since we're going to kill Pedraza and basically break their morale
>>
>>5348461
Adding this as well to muy vote >>5348466
>>
>>5348461
> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target key infrastructure. If you can seize ports, airports, and major highways, you’ll be able to control the flow of cargo and people throughout the country.

> Use a portion of your remaining forces to target important communications systems. If you can snag the major news stations and radio towers, you might be able to whip the people into a revolt.
>>
>>5348466
>>5348467
>>5348470

Alright, looks like hitting the media centers and financial institutions win, writing.
>>
>>5348481

After deciding on your primary targets, now you just need to start delegating responsibilities.

Where should each of your lieutenants be assigned?

(As reminder, you can assign Bonilla, Almonte, Mondragon, Darius, and Isaac. No option requires an officer, feel free to distribute them as you see fit.)

> The assassination detail alongside you: (Insert officer pick(s) here)

> The skirmish and distraction element: (Insert officer pick(s) here)

> Sacking the financial institutions: (Insert officer pick(s) here)

> Sparking an uprising via the media: (Insert officer pick(s) here)

> Other?
>>
>>5348492
>Assassination detail
>Mondragon

>Skirmish
>Bonilla

>Financial Institutions
>Darius

>Media
>Isacc

Sure, they don't require officers, but having someone there takes a bit of worry off our back
>>
>>5348509

You forgot Almonte, anon.
>>
>>5348511
Lizard brain, forget things
>Almonte can help in the Skirmish too
>>
>>5348492
> The assassination detail alongside you: (Bonilla)

> The skirmish and distraction element: (Almonte,Mondragon)

> Sacking the financial institutions: (Darius)

> Sparking an uprising via the media: (Isaac)
>>
>>5348522
+1
>>
>>5348522
>+1
>>
>>5348522
>>5348526
>>5348534

Alright, locking in those roles and writing.
>>
>>5348539

After careful deliberation, you give Mondragon’s plan the greenlight.

You’ll never condone sending your men into the meat-grinder, and Almonte’s plan is just begging for something to backfire further down the line. And placing your trust in the disloyalty of others is a fools bargain.

Once again, being willing to tread where others dare not is what will win you the day. Upon Pedraza’s death, the crumbling cult of personality propping up his sycophants is sure to dissolve in an instant.

And due to the relatively small amount of manpower assigned to the assassination squad and skirmishers, that frees up a great deal of resources for coordinated strikes on other areas of importance.

You select Bonilla as the assassination detail. It’s a reasonable choice, he’s a seasoned NCO that’s never bucked your orders, has the respect of the men, and should be handy in a straight fight if one happens to break out.

In contrast, Almonte and Mondragon are better suited for the distraction and ambush units; Almonte’s penchant for setting explosive traps coupled with Mondragon’s talent for woodcraft and guerrilla strikes is sure to be a potent mix.

Meanwhile, Darius and Isaac have their own assignments. Darius’ll lead a contingent of troops and occupy major financial institutions to prevent anyone from trying to flee with the national reserves or collapse the economy. Isaac’ll seize control of the media and ensure that the major television and radio stations are broadcasting anti-Pedraza sentiment; hopefully providing a spark of rebellion that’ll inspire the people to rise up.

Upon receiving your orders, your lieutenants excuse themselves to begin preparing their various sections for what is sure to be a historic day in the history of Venezuela.

Bonilla, the last to leave, quietly informs you that some of the men could use a morale boost before taking their marching orders.

When you survey the camp, you quickly see that his worries are not unfounded. Even among some of the hardened veterans, it’s plain to see that many of them doubt that they’ll return from this operation.

As their commander, it’s your job to keep the men motivated and ready for anything.

To that end, you…

(Feel free to include speaking points / topics)

> Deliver a fire and brimstone condemnation of Pedraza and his tyranny. Light the flames of vengeance deep within their hearts as they march forward to deliver the final blow.

> Rally them around your hopes and ambitions for the future. Under your banner, you’ll liberate this land and forge a new path forward that each man will have their part to play in.

> Inspire them with recollections of what they’ve overcome and the bonds they’ve formed. That they rose from humble beginnings to shake the very foundations of the seat of power, as one.

> Waste no time with bandying words or fanciful speeches. Every man knows the score, simply remind them of their duty to the nation and themselves.

> Other?
>>
>>5348575
>> Deliver a fire and brimstone condemnation of Pedraza and his tyranny. Light the flames of vengeance deep within their hearts as they march forward to deliver the final blow.
>>
>>5348575
> Rally them around your hopes and ambitions for the future. Under your banner, you’ll liberate this land and forge a new path forward that each man will have their part to play in.
>>
>>5348585
>Support,
Revolutions based on forming something better last a lot longer than ones based on just tearing stuff down

Also, it's been a while since we talked about this, but are we going to get the New Gov to funnel us some money still?
>>
>>5348590

I've been waiting to see how things ultimately play out to determine what the options are the table are, but that's most probably going to be one of them.
>>
>>5348585
>>5348590

Alright, roll me some 1d100+25 to see how it goes.

No specific DC, this is just to gauge its overall effectiveness.
>>
Rolled 12 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5348603
>>
Rolled 92 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5348603

Slow night.
>>
>>5348575
> Inspire them with recollections of what they’ve overcome and the bonds they’ve formed. That they rose from humble beginnings to shake the very foundations of the seat of power, as one.
> Deliver a fire and brimstone condemnation of Pedraza and his tyranny. Light the flames of vengeance deep within their hearts as they march forward to deliver the final blow.
> Rally them around your hopes and ambitions for the future. Under your banner, you’ll liberate this land and forge a new path forward that each man will have their part to play in.
>>
Rolled 38 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5348603

Lizard brain makes my dice good(please)
>>
Rolled 9 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5348603
>>
I guess we are at the level of the French revolution. Bring out the black bags and firing lines.
>>
>>5348605
>>5348607
>>5348610

That's one hell of a speech, writing.

In the meantime, pick out your equipment while I get the next update ready.

Armor:
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> Conventional Armor (Less protection, but may raise fewer red flags)

Primary Weapon:
> Apokoliptian Carbine (Volatile Intergang tech, capable of putting a hole through damn near anything)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
> M4 Carbine (All-around performer, includes grenade launcher)
> Dragunov Sniper Rifle (Excellent at long-range, poorly suited for close-quarter engagements)
> Benelli Shotgun (Excellent at close-quarter engagements, suffers at range)

Secondary Weapon:
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
> .44 Magnum (Hits hard)
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)

Melee Weapon:
> Curved Sword (Great for brawling, poor for stealth)
> Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)
> KABAR (Decent for both stealth / brawling)
> Knuckle trench knife (Good for brawling)

Explosives: (4 maximum)
> Fragmentation
> Smoke
> Flashbang
> Incendiary
> Thermite
>>
>>5348619
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced
> Beretta M9 (Easy to conceal) (Silenced)
>2 Flashbangs
>2 Frag grenades
>>
>>5348619
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> Apokoliptian Carbine (Volatile Intergang tech, capable of putting a hole through damn near anything)
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
> KABAR (Decent for both stealth / brawling)
> Flashbang x 2
> Fragmentation x 2

I’m thinking hard hitting stuff for the Squad, some lighter stuff for any stealth, and grenades that aren’t going to turn the mansion into a pyre with us inside.
>>
>>5348619
>> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> Apokoliptian Carbine (Volatile Intergang tech, capable of putting a hole through damn near anything)
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
> Curved Sword (Great for brawling, poor for stealth)
>2 Flashbangs
>2 Frag grenades
>>
>>5348619
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
> Apokoliptian Carbine (Volatile Intergang tech, capable of putting a hole through damn near anything)
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
> KABAR (Decent for both stealth / brawling)
> Smoke (1)
> Flashbang (1)
> Incendiary (2)
>>
Guys are we really not going to leak Suicide Squad evidence to force them to pull out of the country? Aren't we going to just walk into a heavily defended palace with metahuman support with even less of an army to support us? Seems like a really bad idea not to reduce/eliminate the meta numbers.
>>
>>5348619
Armor:
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)
Primary Weapon:
> MP5 SMG (Well-suited for ambush tactics and stealthily engagements) (Silenced)
Secondary Weapon:
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)
Melee Weapon:
> Fairbairn-Sykes knife (Good for stealth)
Explosives: (4 maximum)
> 1 Smoke
> 2 Flashbang
> 1 Thermite
>>
>>5348619

As tempting as it would be to go on a hate-fueled tirade about Pedraza, you need something more concrete to assuage their concerns. Vitriol only gets you so far, but hope?

Hope can overturn even the mightiest of foes. And a smidgen of ambition never hurts either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw

You clamber on top of one of the technicals and begin rallying your men with a speech.

> “I won’t lie to anyone, this is the big one; the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Tonight, we march on the tyrant himself, to bring an end to his vile corruption and mold this land back into its former glory! We were all locked away because they feared what we were capable of. And you know what? They were right. Your strength and skills will be the stuff of legend!”

You take a quick breath, stopping to gauge the crowd. So far, people are starting to get into it.

>”When we topple Pedraza’s throne of lies, they will realize that we are the future! A shining example of ability and bravery for future generations to envy and emulate!” And unlike others who boast of their prowess and cower from a distance, I always lead from the front, shoulder-to-shoulder with all of you! In the course of this final victory, there will be sacrifices, but I will ask for nothing that I am not willing to offer myself!

Several begin to nod, remembering that you risked your own hide to ensure the safe withdrawal of the forces that attempted to kidnap Pedraza.

> “Even if I should fall in battle, I know that rough men stand ready to wreak havoc in memory of my name; brothers that will carry out the spirit of our struggle to even greater heights! Never forget; whether you be guerrilla, soldier, or criminal; so long as you fight under the banner of the Grand Liberators then you carry the spirit of the nation with you!”

Your men look hungry at the picture of the future you’ve painted for them.

> “Like our namesake, we will serve as the vanguard of Venezuela, no matter what hardships attempt to block our way! I have nothing but the highest confidence that we will emerge from this grand struggle with Pedraza’s head and the broken wills of his foreign puppet-masters. And this is only the start! Once we have secured the seat of power and handed control of the nation back to the people, we will never be forgotten! A grateful nation and a grateful people are sure to reward us greatly for every ounce of blood and sweat, all that remains is for us to win the greatest fight of our lives!”

With a clenched fist, you gesture towards the setting sun and deliver the last section of your call-to-arms.

>”GO FORTH AND DELIVER THE FINAL BLOW!”

> “FOR VENEZUELA!”

> “FOR THE GRAND LIBERATORS!”

> “FOR YOURSELVES!”

The men cheer, all traces of their previous doubts and concerns washed away in the face of your strong words and equally proven track-record.

All that’s left to ensure that you lead them to the victory they deserve.
>>
Rolled 93, 57 + 45 = 195 (2d100 + 45)

>>5348645

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+60 to determine how well the skirmishers led by Almonte and Mondragon do.

The following list is your selected equipment:

Armor:
> Apokoliptian Armor (Can tank all kinds of damage, but the Squad knows what it looks like)

Primary Weapon:
> Apokoliptian Carbine (Volatile Intergang tech, capable of putting a hole through damn near anything)

Secondary Weapon:
> Colt 1911 (Reliable and hardy) (Silenced)

Melee Weapon:
> KABAR (Decent for both stealth / brawling)

Explosives: (4 maximum)
> Flashbang x 2
> Fragmentation x 2
>>
Rolled 35 + 60 (1d100 + 60)

>>5348648
>>
Rolled 96 + 60 (1d100 + 60)

>>5348648
>>
Rolled 82 + 60 (1d100 + 60)

>>5348648

Lesgo
>>
Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>5348648
>>
Rolled 48, 49 + 40 = 137 (2d100 + 40)

>>5348649
>>5348651
>>5348652

That's a success.

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+40 to see how Darius' mission goes.

DC to be determined.
>>
>>5348651
Nice
>>
Rolled 16 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5348656
>>
Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>5348656
>>
Rolled 47 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5348656
RAAAAAAH
>>
>>5348662
Close
>>
Rolled 93 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>5348662
>>5348661
>>5348660

That's a failure by an unfortunately thin margin.

Go ahead and give me some 1d100+35 to see how Isaac's mission is going.

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 26 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5348665
>>
Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>5348665
>>
Rolled 66 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5348665
oh fucks sake
>>
Rolled 94 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

No
>>5348656
>>
Rolled 9 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5348665
check this 100
>>
Shit. My roll dont count.
>>
>>5348670
>>5348671
>>5348672

That's a failure, but it doesn't mean they're out of the fight just yet.

Things aren't over by a long shot.

Writing.
>>
>>5348683

You, Bonilla and your crack team of stealth specialists are in position, waiting for the report that you’re clear to begin your approach to the palace.

Judging from the screams, explosions, and bursts of gunfire cracking in the distance, the distraction is having its intended effect.

Unfortunately, when the first combat reports start rolling down the tacnet, the news is mixed.

Almonte and Mondragon have succeeded in baiting out and occupying the majority of the perimeter defenders, and can safely keep them contained without much issue.

Unfortunately, both Darius and Isaac have been bogged down with their strikes in the urban centers.

Both are requesting additional troops and resources to complete their objectives, but you’re spread too thin. The only available pool of assets at your disposal are the skirmishers.

And if you pull them out now, there’s a chance that the perimeter guards will re-establish their positions and jeopardize your ability to successfully sneak through their lines.

After quickly weighing the risks, variables, and potential outcomes, you decide to…

> Leave the skirmishers in place to cover your infiltration. It’ll guarantee that your team reaches the grounds without detection, but it’ll mean leaving Darius and Isaac on their own.

> Dispatch some of the skirmishers to reinforce Darius. It’ll complicate your infiltration path, but you need him to lockdown the financial sector.

> Dispatch some of the skirmishers to reinforce Isaac. It’ll complicate your infiltration path, but you need him to stir the people into a revolt.

> Dispatch the entirety of the skirmishers to reinforce Darius and Isaac. You’ll lose most of the advantage that the skirmishers bought you, but it’ll ensure that both Darius and Isaac can complete their mission.
>>
>>5348692
>> Dispatch some of the skirmishers to reinforce Isaac. It’ll complicate your infiltration path, but you need him to stir the people into a revolt.
>>
leave all but 2 skirmishers with us. Keep the best ones send the rest.
>>
>>5348696

I'm a bit confused, anon. Is your plan roughly something like:

"Keep a handful of your best skirmishers on duty at the palace and send the rest to reinforce Darius and Isaac?"
>>
>>5348692
> Dispatch the entirety of the skirmishers to reinforce Darius and Isaac. You’ll lose most of the advantage that the skirmishers bought you, but it’ll ensure that both Darius and Isaac can complete their mission.
>>
>>5348692
> Dispatch the entirety of the skirmishers to reinforce Darius and Isaac. You’ll lose most of the advantage that the skirmishers bought you, but it’ll ensure that both Darius and Isaac can complete their mission

Our plan is simple, get in, kill Ped, kill traitor, slip out

I'm confident that we can do this
>>
>>5348707
Don’t forget we need to grab the Ace
>>
Yes. Stupid phone posting. Must keep short.>>5348699
>>
>>5348692
> Dispatch the entirety of the skirmishers to reinforce Darius and Isaac. You’ll lose most of the advantage that the skirmishers bought you, but it’ll ensure that both Darius and Isaac can complete their mission.
>>
>>5348692
> Dispatch the entirety of the skirmishers to reinforce Darius and Isaac. You’ll lose most of the advantage that the skirmishers bought you, but it’ll ensure that both Darius and Isaac can complete their mission.
>>
Rolled 60, 37 + 70 = 167 (2d100 + 70)

Alright, looks like we're sending virtually all of the skirmishers to reinforce both Darius and Isaac.

Roll me some 1d100+80

(No Shadow Cloak this time, too many people with you.)
>>
Rolled 41 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5348716
Super duper sneaky
>>
>>5348716

Ignore the (No Shadow Cloak) part, accidentally copied the wrong bit from my notes. The +80 has that factored in already.
>>
Rolled 93 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

So if they airdrop the General AGAIN are we going to go for the salty runback or are we gonna tell him that we just had a trip down to the docks and have his organization by the balls? Part of me wants to kick his ass now that our armor is even tougher and we have more options available. But another part of me wants to get them to pull out right in front of Pedraza and Delrio as the ultimate power move.

He'd know we weren't bluffing. Probably.

On that note, I'll die laughing if they brought in a walking tazer meta and we can just strangle him to death while he tries to zap us with our new immunity. I wonder if someone pours enough current into us if it would set clothes or the nearby area on fire just from the way electricity loves to heat shit up. That'd be a double boost for us being as we are pyrophilic.

>>5348716
fucking dice, work
>>
Rolled 38 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5348716
>>
>>5348719
>>5348722
>>5348723

That's a success, looks like your gamble paid off.

Writing.
>>
>>5348727

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCpvHnGvNE

You can’t just leave Darius or Isaac in the lurch.

After passing on an order to Almonte and Mondragon to reroute all but their most skilled skirmishers, you and your squad of headhunters make your approach to the palace before the defenders can re-consolidate their positions.

Your target is Miraflores Palace, the traditional residence of the Venezuelan president. Old pictures reveal that it used to be a classy place, but Pedraza decided that a remodel into his tacky vacation home was in order.

It’s usually very heavily guarded, but the distraction Almonte and Mondragon cooked up was able to open up a route through the various checkpoints and security checks that would’ve stymied you otherwise.

There’s still a skeleton crew manning the outside of the palace, but your men are able to eliminate them without any disturbances.

You’re sure to run into more opposition on the inside, is there anything you’d like to do to rig the odds in your favor?

You…

> Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.

> Look for a secret entrance or alternate route inside. Pedraza’s the kind of paranoid bastard that’d have an escape tunnel or something dug into the foundations.

> Disguise your men as guards and have them silently clear the way for you. You’d look a little conspicuous in all your armor, so it’ll be up to Bonilla and his lot.

> Attempt to scale the building and work your way down from on-high. The majority of their defenses are likely positioned elsewhere, giving you an excellent opportunity to dodge the brunt of it.

> Other?
>>
>>5348744
> Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.
>>
>>5348744
> Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.

Getting rid of alarms, cameras and, God forbid, turrets would be a huge help
>>
>>5348744
>> Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.
>>
>>5348744
> Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.
>>
>>5348744
>Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.
>>
>>5348746
>>5348748
>>5348750
>>5348753
>>5348756

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+35

DC: 75 / 95
>>
Rolled 54 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5348757
>>
>>5348744
>> Hack into the security system and see if you can make the path ahead easier. You’ve already made a mockery of their network security a couple times, might as well add another to the tally.
>>
Rolled 80 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5348757
ok
>>
Rolled 8 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5348757
>>
Rolled 67 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

What are the chances after rolling in the 90s tonight this roll kills us? >>5348757
>>
>>5348764
And our savior is… this guy!
>>
File: likk.jpg (210 KB, 900x692)
210 KB
210 KB JPG
>>5348764
>>
>>5348758
>>5348764
>>5348765

That's an excellent success, writing.

Starting to get tired, so I'm going to go ahead and call it here.

We'll pick back up on Monday at 5:00 PM EST.

So far so good, anons; let's see if you can keep it going.

As always, hope to see you all there!
>>
>>5348770
See you Monday, can't wait to get these guys and our gun
>>
>>5348770
Great writing as always Axis, see you on Monday. Death to Pedraza!
>>
File: isaac.jpg (43 KB, 512x512)
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43 KB JPG
NOT LONG AGO

You light up the last of your looted smokes and take a deep drag as you study the aftermath of the latest rumble in the jungle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6GTGCskxnQ

Today’s job was to torch one of the enemy’s rapidly dwindling supply dumps and tighten your stranglehold over their supply lines. The raid itself was nothing special, managed to roll in under cover of night, steal everything worthwhile, and burned the rest.

They managed to squeal for help before getting ripped apart, so you were forced to keep things fluid.

As a result, a company of light armored hunter-killers were hot your heels, but the retards ended up overextending themselves. Turns out that remotely disabling their navigation systems and jamming their comms makes it real easy to lure them into traps.

And thanks to the swanky hardware that the boss outfitted your little paramilitary group with, the boys ripped em a new asshole.

The bursts of gunfire and victory cries in the distance must mean that the cleanup crew’s nearly done with the survivors. You were a bit squeamish about it at first, but you get used to it.

It’s not like they don’t deserve it, anyhow.

That was one of Bonilla’s first orders when he heard what happened to the boss; no quarter asked, no quarter given.

Yeah, ever since he went down and that rat fuck Delrio flipped over to El Presidente, things have gotten hot and heavy. Sucks that you had to change camps; was really starting to get used to the area.

The new camp is a lot shittier than the old one, but it’s somewhat better than getting murdered in your sleep.

Good thing the boss managed to pull through and pass on that Delrio was treating you all like a bunch of marks. Otherwise, who knows what that treacherous piece of shit would’ve pulled.

Too bad that the slippery bastard managed to dodge the boys dispatched to pay him a visit. He’s still in the country though, the Rats have spies watching the borders for any signs of movement.

They haven’t clocked him yet, but it’s only a matter of time until he gets cornered.

And boy, did he ever fuck up when he tried to double-cross the boss.
>>
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>>5350509

When you heard the news that the boss was alive and kicking, albeit stuffed in the cooler; you could hardly believe it.

Stubborn bastard must have the devil in his corner. He’ll have a lot of catching up to do, especially since the burning of the Assembly has thrown the Grand Liberators to the top-of-the rebel foodchain.

Pedraza’s got your little band brothers on the top of his hitlist, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from continuing to operate.

Problem is, casualties are starting to mount despite the victories, and there’s some major squabbling going on about our next big move.

Somehow, you found yourself doing your best to fill the void that the boss left behind. Got your own squad of raiders and killers, and have been calling your own shots for a while.

There’s a simple clarity to life in the Grand Liberators. Every so often, you, Darius, and the rest of your cell pop out of hiding, shoot as many guys as possible, steal everything not nailed down, and use it to ram something nasty down Pedraza’s throat.

Sure wish the boss had managed to finish the job before that freak jumped him, but it’s not like he could’ve seen that one coming. On the bright side, one of the reds managed to get ahold of the original footage and made sure to distribute it as far and wide as possible.

The bootlegs are grainy are shaky, but it still proves that somebody’s trying to tip the scales in El Presidente’s favor.

But that’s way above your paygrade.

It’s kinda funny how things play out. When you came down here, you wanted something to bloody you up a little and prove that you’ve got the stones to make it when the chips are down.

Well, you got your wish. And more.

You used to try and keep track of things that originally seemed important.

Kills.

Losses.

Days since you’ve had a shower.

But it’s become a lot easier to just focus on making it day-by-day and slowly choking the life out of the regime.

And hey, it’s still better than trying to run with any of the gangs in Blüdhaven.
>>
(Still working on other interlude stuff, but managed to get this one in a place I'm happy with. Hope you like it.)
>>
>>5350513
Me like it, yes.
>>
>>5350513
Good shit Axis, love to see that our boys are good and are well trained. Hopefully they aren't so bad in the head like us, or that they could remain mentally healty enough
>>
>>5350511
uh, isaac came around a lot from a low end thug from the intergang to a leader of his own team. i think it is kinda amazing how well he did since he is what, 19, 20? hope by the end of venezuela mission both of them come out as veteran as they get, no one is calling him a greenboy anymore
>>
>>5350551
FNG no more.
>>
>>5350513
Considering how all the pros we work with and we have one or multiple codenames, would darius and isaac also get codenames during or after this?
They're not like genghis or gremlin tier but i feel like they've achieved a level of proficiency.
>>
>>5350844

That is a distinct possibility.
>>
>>5348770

After cracking open a junction box, you’re able to tap into the palace’s internal CCTV feed and lock the cameras into a permanent loop.

Unless they’ve got a particularly eagle-eyed security guard watching the monitors, they won’t notice a thing.

While you’re there, you also take the liberty of blocking their external alarm system while one of your men cracks the lock to the front door. With no alarms, they can’t scream for reinforcements if you’re spotted halfway through.

After heading inside and posting a small rearguard to cover your back in case of unexpected difficulties, you’re now faced with the prospect of combing the place for your targets.

So far, it doesn't look like you've attracted any heat, but you can't afford to start celebrating just yet.

You’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so you’ll need to think it through carefully.

Your first priority is to locate…

> Pedraza. He’s the flimsy strut holding this deck of cards from collapsing; knock him off the board and everything changes.

> Delrio. If you can take him out, that should lessen some of the security around Pedraza; that, and you’ve got some unfinished business to take care of.

> The Ace of Winchesters. It’s your original reason for heading to Venezuela, and finding it would mean that you won’t be leaving empty-handed if things spiral out of control.

> Other?
>>
>>5351886
>> Pedraza. He’s the flimsy strut holding this deck of cards from collapsing; knock him off the board and everything changes.
>>
>>5351886
> Pedraza. He’s the flimsy strut holding this deck of cards from collapsing; knock him off the board and everything changes.

I don't think anyone under Pedraza's employ knows the full potential of the ace, so it'll be safe most likely

And we can get the location out of Pedraza before we end him, if need be
>>
>>5351886
> The Ace of Winchesters. It’s your original reason for heading to Venezuela, and finding it would mean that you won’t be leaving empty-handed if things spiral out of control.
>>
>>5351886
>> Pedraza. He’s the flimsy strut holding this deck of cards from collapsing; knock him off the board and everything changes.
>>
>>5351895
>>5351898
>>5351902

Alright, looks like we're keeping our eyes on the prize.

Roll me some 1d5 until I get three unique rolls.
>>
Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>5351919
>>
Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>5351919
>>
Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>5351919

Lesgo
>>
Rolled 3 (1d5)

>>5351919
>>
>>5351919
>>
Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>5351919
>>5351939
Let's try that again
>>
I can see we are gonna be here all day
>>
>>5351920
>>5351922
>>5351927
>>5351935
>>5351940

That's a statistically unlikely number of 2s and 3s, feel free to roll again if you'd like.
>>
Rolled 5 (1d5)

>>5351942
>>
Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>5351919
Another three!
>>
File: 45767654653564.gif (1.32 MB, 272x320)
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Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>5351920
>>5351922
>>5351927
>>5351935
>>5351940
uh
>>5351919
>>
Rolled 4 (1d5)

>>5351942
The dice gods demand another 3 or 2
>>
Rolled 36, 52 + 20 = 108 (2d100 + 20)

Alright, got some interesting results from that.

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100s+50

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 9 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351951
Pushovers
>>
Rolled 36 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351951
These rolls, I can see you trying to lure us into a sense of security...
>>
Rolled 80 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351951
Watch as we all get 1s!

(I'm joking please)
>>
Rolled 59, 67, 22 + 75 = 223 (3d100 + 75)

>>5351955
>>5351956
>>5351960

That's a success!

Go ahead and give me another set of 1d100+50

DC to be determined once again.

>>5351956
You got me, this is the setup for my triple crit
>>
Rolled 67 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351968
YAMEROOOOO
>>
Rolled 20 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351968
you sly devil
>>
Rolled 84 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351968
nothing but good vibes today
>>
Rolled 98, 35 + 55 = 188 (2d100 + 55)

>>5351970
>>5351971
>>5351972

That's a failure.

Go ahead and, give me one last round of 1d100+50

DC to once again be determined.
>>
Rolled 42 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351979
>98
Fucking dice gods, now we need to roll a crit
>>
Rolled 13 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351979
this is bullshit
>>
Rolled 42 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351979
>Dat 98
Things are about to get spicy
>>
Rolled 97 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5351968
Damn bro the fuck they get a +75 for? These guys are tweakin'. Must be scared as fuck to be that high strung.

>>5351979
>98
oof
>>
>>5351981
>>5351983
>>5351988

That's a failure, writing.
>>
File: SweetEmbraceOfDeath.gif (2.58 MB, 851x471)
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>>5351988
>>5351989
I SHOULDN'T HAVE ROLLED FUUUUCK
>>
>>5351995
dude... nothing would have changed
You know what could have changed it? Luck Drain
>>
>>5351995
Still would have failed, man. Don't worry about it. Only a hundo could have spared us.
>>
>>5351998

As a reminder, all you guys need to do is suggest switching it on.

Especially since it longer targets allies.
>>
>>5352003
Turn that shit on for the next rolls.
>>
>>5352003
Not to be that kinda guy but why wouldn't it just be a passive at that point?
>>
>>5351998
>>5351999
Huh, I missed enemy modifier being 55
Still feels bad tho
>>
Rolled 12 (1d15)

>>5352007

Fair enough, I just never considered that possibility because the "no hitting allies" upgrade was relatively recent.

I'll go ahead and try it out as a passive.

This'll be your + / enemy - for the next rolls.
>>
>>5352014
>I just never considered that possibility
No biggie. Apparently we all forgot the ability existed in the first place despite voting about it last week.
>>
>>5352024
We're very silly people, aren't we?
>>
>>5352031
True silly billies.
>>
>>5351993

Overall, it’s a pretty simple decision.

If you can tear Pedraza down, everything that he’s built and everyone that relies on his aid goes down with him.

You’ll have plenty of time to raid his vaults and snuff out Delrio later, once you’ve got the main objective locked down.

At first, things go simply as you sneak through the palace.

Thanks to your quiet entrance and neutralization of the palace security cameras, creeping up on and eliminating bored guards is almost too easy.

Guess they got complacent, figured that they’d earned themselves a safe, cushy posting away from the frontlines. And as a result, they let their guards down.

It’s a worthwhile lesson to take to heart; that complacency kills more slowly but just as throughly as a bullet.

During the course of your hunt for the tyrant, you begin checking one of the upper floors for any sign of his presence.

In the interest of carefulness, you check every room throughly.

One one such sweep, you’re combing some fancy ballroom when things take a sudden and abrupt shift

In the corner of your eye, a figure launches themselves directly at you in a shocking display of athleticism.

Before you can fully get out of their way, your assailant drives some kind of wicked-looking knife-gauntlet into the side of your armor, damaging, but failing to fully penetrate it.

If you hadn’t been packing your heavy gear, that would’ve gone right into a kidney or something equally nasty.

Bonilla and the rest of your men are quick to drive the figure back with some well placed bursts of gunfire, but an absolute behemoth of a man shields her from the bullets, all of which just bounce off of him.

Fuck, that’s never a good sign.

There’s an uneasy moment of peace when the smoke clears, and you use the opportunity to study your opposition more closely, as they do the same in return.

You vaguely recognize these two as the unknowns that showed up at the docks, right before you blew it to kingdom come.
>>
>>5352014
>>5352024
I thought it was already being factored honestly. It's true what they say about assuming.
>>
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>>5352046

The woman is giving you one hell of a death-glare, while her colossal companion just looks bored out of his mind.

“So, you’re the one.” She spits, obviously festering with rage.

“I’ve been looking forward to ripping your heart out for weeks, just to show you what it feels like.”

> “That’s odd, especially since I don’t think we’ve ever met.” You remark, flippantly.

The nonchalant reply seems to only further infuriate her, but the man mountain in the surprisingly classy suit rumbles out a warning before she can make another run on your life.

“Enough talk. Just kill him and be done with it. I’ll keep his dogs busy.”

“Gladly.” She snarls, intently locking gazes with you specifically.

Damn, you really must’ve pissed in her cornflakes at some point, but you have genuinely no idea who in the fuck she is.

Still, it looks like’s she determined to punch your ticket, so that’s the only thing that truly matters.

You decide to…

> Goad her into doing something stupid. After all, she’s already most of the way there, you just need to give her a little push. (Include a general comment / topic to needle her with.)

> Land a crippling shot with your carbine. Doesn’t matter how acrobatic you are if you don’t have a leg to stand on.

> Bring out the Claw. If she wants to get down and dirty, you’re more than happy to return the favor.

> Put a frag grenade directly at her feet. That ought to handle things nicely.

> Cast a spell (Specify)

> Other?
>>
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>>5352050

And here's her partner who is currently squaring up with Bonilla and your men.
>>
>>5352050
>> Bring out the Claw. If she wants to get down and dirty, you’re more than happy to return the favor.
Is this Knockout's gf? Sheet
>>
>>5352050
> Land a crippling shot with your carbine. Doesn’t matter how acrobatic you are if you don’t have a leg to stand on.
>>
>>5352050
>Put a frag grenade directly at her feet. That ought to handle things nicely.
"I hope you like pineapple."
>>
>>5352050
>> Bring out the Claw. If she wants to get down and dirty, you’re more than happy to return the favor.
UNGA BUNGA
>>
>>5352050
> Goad her into doing something stupid. After all, she’s already most of the way there, you just need to give her a little push. (Include a general comment / topic to needle her with.)

>Poke fun at how she's in all leather like some sort of dominatrix or prostitute

>>5352054
Oh God look at that mustache, he's gonna win
>>
>>5352050
> Goad her into doing something stupid. After all, she’s already most of the way there, you just need to give her a little push. (Include a general comment / topic to needle her with.)
I want to defenstrate her. Go on about how she's a literal who.
>>
>>5352050
>> Goad her into doing something stupid. After all, she’s already most of the way there, you just need to give her a little push. (Include a general comment / topic to needle her with.)
>"I'll just have to scrape you off from my boot like I did with whatever is up your ass."
Absolute dismissal. And then
> Land a crippling shot with your carbine. Doesn’t matter how acrobatic you are if you don’t have a leg to stand on.
If she jumps she deserves to get shot. If you can't fly then being mid-air is begging someone to hit you while you pretty much can't dodge.

>>5352062
What a man.
>>
>>5352050
>> Land a crippling shot with your carbine. Doesn’t matter how acrobatic you are if you don’t have a leg to stand on.
>>
Rolled 31, 2, 16 + 10 = 59 (3d100 + 10)

>>5352062
>>5352066
>>5352068

Alright, looks like we're trying to get under her skin.

Roll me some 1d100+25

(You get +12, she gets -12 to the final rolls)

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 50 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352072
Let's see if I should roll tonight
>>
Rolled 10 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352072
whoah, she's making it really easy
>>
Rolled 26 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352072
A 2? Man someone is not having a good time right now
>>
Rolled 62 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352072
Good dice? :D
>>
Rolled 16, 45 + 35 = 96 (2d100 + 35)

>>5352073
>>5352075
>>5352077

That's a success, go ahead and give me some 1d100+20

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 18 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5352082
>>
Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>5352082
>>
Rolled 100 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5352082
>>
>>5352050
>Goad her into doing something stupid. After all, she’s already most of the way there, you just need to give her a little push. (Include a general comment / topic to needle her with.)
>"Like, WHO are you? Some kind or wicked fan or some shit that wants to kill me? Did I steal your lunch money back in School?... No wait! Lizzy, it's you? I'm sorry I didn't text you back then, I'm really sorry!"

My take is that she's Plastique's gf, or even the guy with the explosive traps in the first raid

ALSO
>Try to go for some weird chase scene a la Tom & Jerry
We already did that against our evil vision, and it might work again
>>
>>5352085

Every.

Single.

Time.
>>
>>5352085
>>5352082
This is a hate crime now lmao
>>
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>>5352082
>>5352085
>>
>>5352085
SHEEEEESH
>>
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>>5352085
>>
>>5352085
>>
>>5352085
>>
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>>5352085
>>
Please tell me that roll was to bring out the claw or to kill.>>5352085
>>
>>5352121
its a +20 soo I think we shot her
>>
>>5352121
If it was up to me it would be for big man to just have an aneurysm. Sometimes shit happens.
>>
>>5352121
Whatever it is it's hilarious.

>"Go murder this guy while I take care of the mobs."
>insta-gibbed
>"Oh bother."
>>
>>5352123

If so it should be instant right between the eyes (ala Bullseye/Deadshot) or shoot through her and into her friend.
>>
>>5352072

Back in the Corps, you cultivated the uncanny ability to get people to nearly froth at the mouth with anger, as several of your previous lieutenants can attest.

Never would’ve thought it would’ve been as useful as all the combat experience you picked up, but you’re not complaining.

Psychological warfare is always a valid tactic, and you’ve got a juicy target on a hair-trigger.

Hell, she’s already off her rocker, might as well really give her something to chew on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jynTNYSKNuk

> “No, seriously. Who are you? Did Pedraza send you to stripper-assassin school or something? I only ask because of the outfit.”

“I’m here because you killed the only person who ever cared about me!”

> “Plenty of people have loved ones, that doesn’t exactly narrow it down much. Got anything else for me? ”

“Her name was Knockout! And you’re going to wish for death once I’m done with you!”

Knockout, that name rings a distant bell before it all comes flooding back.

She was that one Amazon that got blown up by the Unknown Soldier’s kamikaze maneuver.

It’s a shame you don’t have her sword or shield at the moment, otherwise it’d be incredibly easy to really get the blood boiling.

Still, you’ve got more than enough material to work with as is.

You adopt an exaggerated thinking pose, before making an “Aha!” motion.

> “You mean that circus sideshow I fragged a while back? That’s who this is all about?”

You can tell that you struck a nerve and decide to keep plowing forward, keeping a careful eye on the redheaded psycho as you do so.

> “She does kinda remind me of you, especially the prostitute outfit. I just hope you aren’t as hard to scrape off my boots as she was. Stains are a nightmare to get out of this thing.”

She’s practically steaming, you just need something to really get her over the edge of reason.
>>
>>5352136

> “She was begging like a little bitch when she died. Has anyone told you that?”

With a roar that sounds more beast than human, she pounces directly at you, which proves to be a critical mistake.

In that moment, time seems to stand still as your mind leaps into action and casually starts drawing up the angles.

With one calculated and economical movement, you draw your carbine and begin lining up the shot, merely waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Right at the apex of her momentum, you put several bolts directly into both her legs, causing horrific damage.

> Skill Improved! Walking Apokolips: +25 to combat rolls when using Apokoliptian firearms.

As a result, instead of her intended strike, she ends up landing in a heap at your feet.

Well, that went about as well as you could’ve hoped.

How would you like to finish her off?

> Curb-stomp her. Quick, painless, and brutal.

> Nail her with a fuckload of Lightning Bolts. It’ll be a good measure of how juice you output.

> Crush her with an Abyssal Shield. Nice and slow, just like the death she promised you with.

> Blow her to pieces with a frag grenade. Just like how Knockout went out.

> Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death.

> Other?
>>
>>5352138
>Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death.
Considering how badly she jobbed, she doesn't deserve a special death.
>>
>>5352138
>Curb-stomp her. Quick, painless, brutal.
>>
>>5352138
>> Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death.
Moving on
>>
>>5352138
> Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death.

Jobbed worse than Bat Girl; don't think we can really hate her. Or like her.

In a meta POV though, its pretty cool that we got to fight Scandal after finishing Knockout, she sure as hell didn't expect anon's dicework though, lol
>>
>>5352138
> Curb-stomp her. Quick, painless, and brutal.
>>
>>5352138
> Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death.
>>
>>5352138
>> Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death.
also before she die's tell her the truth that a guy in bandages killed them both when he killed himself to try and get us
>>
>>5352138
>Just shoot her with your carbine. She doesn’t deserve the honor of a warriors death
Sean "The knee-buster" Clayton doing it again
https://youtu.be/LpcI5JJeIpQ
>>
>>5352149
>also before she die's tell her the truth that a guy in bandages killed them both when he killed himself to try and get us
+1
>>
Rolled 71, 55 = 126 (2d100)

>>5352139
>>5352141
>>5352144
>>5352146
>>5352149
>>5352151

Just shooting her wins, go ahead and roll me some 1d100+25

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 88 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352153
>>
Rolled 2 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352153
>>
Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>5352153
>>
Rolled 40 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352153
Pop goes the domepiece.
>>
>>5352155
wew lad

>>5352154
>125 after all mods
Jesus.
>>
>>5352154
>>5352155
>>5352156

That's a success, writing.

While I'm writing, go ahead and give me some 1d100+-10 to see if Bonilla and the others do any damage to her partner.

DC: 65 / 85

You lucky bastards.
>>
Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>5352160
>>
Rolled 17 - 10 (1d100 - 10)

>>5352160
I'm just a tease
>>
Rolled 50 - 10 (1d100 - 10)

>>5352160
U MAD?
>>5352161
Nice
>>
Rolled 10 - 10 (1d100 - 10)

>>5352160
>>
>>5352166
Yikes I’m going to stop rolling
>>
>>5352161
We are the bane of Task Force X. I really do feel a little sorry for these guys but I doubt the girl actually wanted to live.
>>
>>5352161
I guess being bulletproof doesn't help when someone just happens to have a grenade launcher in their pocket.
>>
>>5352161
>>5352163
>>5352164

That's an excellent success.

>>5352164

Only a little bit, that was actually really fun to write.

>>5352166

I've never seen a 0 before, I'll mark that one off my /qst/ bingo card.
>>
>>5352160
If we're going to give the final blow to Mr. Mustache we should say Hi yo our boy Lok. After all, they always have some earpiece or something to keep check of every squad member, right?
>>
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>>5352170
>meanwhile, in the squad CIC listening to the fast one get fucking noscoped and the tough one get blasted to shit
>>
I do want to see if we can cast that spell that removes foreign objects on the dude if he isn't outright dead towards the end.
>>
>>5352183
I think that would give us brain damage
>>
>>5352185
We probably do need to put some research into the spell to make it target others instead of ourselves. It is entirely possible that changing the target of the spell is simple enough that he can already do it though. But yeah, it's probably for the best that we don't test that right now.
>>
>>5352185
>>5352183

The original wording was a bit vague, so I'll make a concrete ruling on the field:

- It can only be used once per person without a huge risk of side effects, meaning that you could theoretically use it on someone else, but not yourself.
- There is still a chance for it to go wrong.
- Given the strain, risk, and individual nature of it; it is not a feasible solution for freeing the entirety of the Squad.
>>
>>5352173

That was quite the disappointment. How many Squad operatives have you sawn through at this point?

To be honest, it’s starting to feel like you need to start keeping score.

As for your opponent, any thoughts about showing mercy went out the window the second she started with the whole “vendetta / blood feud” thing. That’s not really something you can let go.

But before you deliver the coup de grace, there’s no harm in twisting the knife just a little further.

While keeping well outside of the range of her weird scissorhands, you deliver a brutal truth.

> “Want to know something funny? Technically, I didn’t even kill Knockout. Got her something like 95% of the way there, but what snuffed her out was some asshole pulling a suicide attack. Unknown Soldier was his name, part of the security detail for the Pedraza. He’s dead too, as you may have figured out. Guess you should’ve thought this little crusade of yours through a bit more.”

With your piece spoken, you pump a few more bursts into her head, chest, and various extremities until you’re good and certain that she’s down for the count. Then, you shoot her a little more, just in case.

Meanwhile, Bonilla and the rest of the infiltrators are playing keep-away with her partner, and are having mixed results. They continue to pepper him with small-arms fire, which proves ineffective besides tearing holes in his suit.

However, besides a couple close calls, there haven’t been any casualties so far.

Getting frustrated at the lack of visible damage, Bonilla and a few others break out the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles, before shooting you a questioning look.

How would you like to handle your next opponent?

> Attempt to talk him down with a promise of removing the bomb in his head. Whether or not it’ll succeed is another matter entirely.

> Try to punch through him with your carbine. It’s definitely got more heft than a standard firearm, maybe it’ll do the job.

> Give Bonilla and the other Liberators the green-light to use the recoilless rifles. It’ll make a lot of noise, but it’s still worth a try.

> Bring out the Claw and charge in. You could use some sparring practice with a powerhouse.

> Cast a spell (Specify.)

> Other?
>>
>>5352198
> Try to punch through him with your carbine. It’s definitely got more heft than a standard firearm, maybe it’ll do the job.
>>
>>5352198
>> Bring out the Claw and charge in. You could use some sparring practice with a powerhouse.
There's no point in hiding it anymore, let Pandion have some fun
>>
> Attempt to talk him down with a promise of removing the bomb in his head. Whether or not it’ll succeed is another matter entirely.
Do we currently have any ideas, leads or people looking into the head bombs?
I think we should do this if we don't have any viable options for bomb removal. We are going to need the practice.

Otherwise
> Bring out the Claw and charge in. You could use some sparring practice with a powerhouse.
We should train for the general rematch
>>
>>5352207
Gremlin's been working on a countermeasure, and there's also the spell you found in Thoth's library.

Might have some nasty side effects if you botch it though.
>>
>>5352198
>> Try to punch through him with your carbine. It’s definitely got more heft than a standard firearm, maybe it’ll do the job.
>>
>>5352198
> Attempt to talk him down with a promise of removing the bomb in his head. Whether or not it’ll succeed is another matter entirely.
Silver tongue go!
>>
Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5352201
>>5352210
Shoot him with carbine.

>>5352207
>>5352218
Be diplomatic.

I'll roll a d2 to settle this:

1 = Shoot
2 = Talk
>>
>>5352198
> Give Bonilla and the other Liberators the green-light to use the recoilless rifles. It’ll make a lot of noise, but it’s still worth a try.
Come on, we have to try it out.
>>
Rolled 90, 40 + 40 = 170 (2d100 + 40)

>>5352227

Alright, roll me some 1d100+25

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 17 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352230
alright, plasma blast to the face it is
>>
Rolled 61 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352230
I wonder if we started to get through to him and he was about to go turncoat if they'd just blow his head off right then and there.

The answer is yes. This is basically asking him to commit suicide if they're watching/listening.
>>
Rolled 95 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5352230
>>
>>5352230
>>5352240
We won thanks to luck drain right?
>>
>>5352231
>>5352234
>>5352240

That's a success, writing.

I'm definitely starting to flag, so we'll pick it up on Wednesday at 5:00 PM EST.

As always, thanks for playing and I hope to see you all there!

Sure had quite the ride tonight, anons. I've said it before and I'll say it again; the fact that Sean's class-A bullshittery is a comparable asset to the literal alien weaponry is one of my favorite little traits that has developed.

Anyhow, here are some interlude progress updates.
- Jack: 25% done
- Lok / Suicide Squad: 15% done
- Dresden File: 85% done
- Bat-family: 50% done

Apologies for the delays, but work and regular updates have kept me occupied for longer than I'd like.
>>
>>5352244
thanks for the run! looking forward to those interludes. Didn't say it before but I liked Isaac's PoV
>>
>>5352244
Thanks again Axis. Honestly I was getting a little dissapointed with how short the past sessions were, but this once was nice enough.

Don't worry a lot about the interludes, if work and stuff doesn't let you do it then don't worry so much about it
>>
>>5352244
>he cant keep getting away with it!
Dice gods say otherwise
>>
File: 1558493556300.jpg (46 KB, 720x540)
46 KB
46 KB JPG
>>5352244
>- Bat-family: 50% done
>>
So if we win and get the ace of winchesters secure, what do we do next?
Put someone in charge that likes and trusts us and then go off to belle reve?
>>
>>5353044
Honestly, we are probably going to have an interrupting event after we get ahold of the ace of winchesters. That thing is a hot product. Demons hate it after all and it changing hands? Probably the best time to try and get it... misplaced.
>>
>>5353065
>Heading back stateside with the Ace.
>Babs calls our Dresden alias.
>"I've got a tip that some kind of magic rifle is heading to Gotham. Can you help me get it from whoever is transporting it?"
>>
>>5353044
We'll probably have to wrangle a government into existence from our lieutenants and whoever wants to join in from the reds and the cartels. That's gonna take a while, especially if we want to make sure the whole thing won't collapse as soon as we leave. After that it's probably prep for Belle Reve, as long as the Justice League or whoever doesn't poke their nose in.
>>
>>5353163
>immediately tell Jack to port onto our location and grab it
No games. Not if we're so close. Though I can see just for funsies she's talking about a completely different gun and Sean is sweating trying to misdirect her and hamper her investigation the entire time not realizing until they stumble onto it by chance.

Since we've knocked her down or out every time we've come across her as Gunsmoke it's only fair that we pick her up off the ground at least once as Jonah.
>>
>>5353235
The government won't last as long as Belle Reve/Task force X exists. Moment we take over the government, X will be swooping in with heavy hitters. We basically have to GTFO then and there.

We also need to get our hands on some high powered jammers for the next set of X mooks that come. They won't send the big boys until we're made. Do we have the "get bombs out of heads" tech ready?
>>
>>5353044
I remember that one of our OG goals was to get money funneled into our accounts from Nu-Venezuela's GDP, we can probably add something more if we're able

>>5353382
We have the evidence too, can't forget. We could probably keep them out of Venezuela for a while, but once we attack it'll probably be useless
>>
>>5352244

Now that the red-headed psycho is pushing up daisies, next on your list is the big guy.

Maybe when everything is said and done here, you’ll come back for her weird gauntlet-knives; as a trophy piece if nothing else.

Bonilla and the rest of your cadre of killers has done an excellent job keeping her partner in check and preventing anyone from getting bull-rushed, but it’s time for you to step in with your own unique blend of gunboat diplomacy.

After all, the mangled corpse smoking on the previously pristine floorboards should be proof enough that you’re swinging a big stick.

Now, you just need to bring out the “speaking softly” part.

You shoot a glance at Bonilla and the others and gesture for them to back off and lower their weapons, but stay ready in case negotiations don’t go your way.

The still-unidentified muscleman shoots you a bemused look as you begin to approach.

Your carbine is still nestled in a position where you can quickly draw to fire, but that’s as nonaggressive as you’re willing to go.

When you stop a respectable distance away, he proceeds to slowly and deliberately crack his knuckles; a clear warning.

> “Easy there. I’m guessing that you’ve read my file?”

“Yes. It was required reading material for anyone assigned to the hunt.”

The bluntness of his tone is only further enhanced by the thick Russian accent that you’re able to spot.

> “Good, that makes this a lot easier then. Guess you must know how I used to be on your side of the fence. And that I managed to break free. Any of that pique your interest?”

His body language relaxes by a fraction of an inch, and you know that you’ve got him hooked.

“It does. And since you’ve swatted Scandal Savage like a fly, we are now able to speak like rational men. I am willing to hear you out; what do you propose?”

Huh, didn’t actually expect that to work that well. Most people get a bit jumpy about double-crossings, but that’s par for the course with the Squad.

Must be a consequence of relying on unwilling conscripts; doesn’t really inspire a whole lot of loyalty when a better opportunity comes knocking.

After a brief internal debate, you decide to…

> Free him using the spell you found in Thoth’s archives. It’s risky for an innumerable number of reasons, but it’ll immediately break him away from Squad control if you can successfully pull it off.

> Promise that you have a strategy in the works, but remain circumspect about any specifics. He’ll probably be suspicious, but you’re not keen on playing your hand too early.

> Take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack with the Claw while he’s distracted. You’re well within range now, and a well-delivered sucker punch might just be what the doctor ordered.

> Other?
>>
>>5353963
> Free him using the spell you found in Thoth’s archives. It’s risky for an innumerable number of reasons, but it’ll immediately break him away from Squad control if you can successfully pull it off.

I believe in us :D
>>
>>5353963
> Free him using the spell you found in Thoth’s archives. It’s risky for an innumerable number of reasons, but it’ll immediately break him away from Squad control if you can successfully pull it off.
>>
>>5353963
> Promise that you have a strategy in the works, but remain circumspect about any specifics. He’ll probably be suspicious, but you’re not keen on playing your hand too early.
>>
>>5353963
Just tell him we have two options. Risky now or safe later.

Considering there's a bomb, he'll probably take now. We need a jammer going so they don't flip the switch. He also needs to hide so they think he's dead
>>
>>5353979
Support for this. This needs to be his choice. Does he want out so bad that he is willing to take the risk, or can he sit cool for a bit while we come up with a better solution.
>>
>>5353963
>>5353979
Sure I'll support this. Less guilty conscience when we fuck it up.
>>
>>5353979
>>5353987
>>5353998

Alright, looks like letting him make the choice wins.

Go ahead and give me some 1d100+20

DC: 85
>>
Rolled 64 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5354003
>>
Rolled 42 + 20 (1d100 + 20)

>>5354003
Hope this guy's gonna be grateful
>>
Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>5354003
>>
>>5354006
>>5354009
>>5354010

Nicely done, anons.

Go ahead and give me some 1d100+25 to round it out.

DC: 45 / 65 / 85
>>
Rolled 92 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5354011
Check the nat 1
>>
Rolled 42 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5354011
This time I'll remember the modifier.
>>
Rolled 25 + 25 (1d100 + 25)

>>5354011
Rollan
>>
Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>5354011
>>
>>5354014
>>5354015
>>5354017

That's an excellent success, writing.
>>
>>5354019

> “Well, you’ve got two options; either I use a spell I’ve been fiddling with, or we pretend that we never saw each other and I help you later once I’ve got something more reliable. It’s dealers choice.”

“This spell, are you sure that it works?”

> “It’s what I used on myself, so yeah. It’s apparently got some nasty side effects if it backfires though.”

“I will take that risk. Perform your witchcraft, I am ready for whatever comes next.”

Ignoring the pointed jab about magic, you carefully follow the instructions for the spell, but in reverse.

But instead of pooling the invisible energy inside yourself, you instead push it towards the figure and maintain concentration as it slowly seeps into him.

After a few minutes, the nano-bomb abruptly materializes in his hand.

It’s crushed under his heel in short order.

> “Alright, that went about as well as it could’ve. So, what do I call you?”

“Stalnoivolk. Now that I am free, here is what I know; Warrant and Karma are holed up with the leader of the Vor, as bodyguards and as a contingency plan in case of betrayal.”

> “Vor?”

“You would call them a cartel, gang, something like that. Drug pushers and hardened criminals.”

That’d be Delrio.

“Catalyst has been relegated to guarding the vaults. The dictator demanded that someone protect his valuables, and Catalyst is all we would spare.”

> And Pedraza? Where is he?”

“Holed up in the war room, planning some kind of counter-offensive. Be warned, the General is accompanying him. He will not die easily.”

> “Yeah, we’ve met. Thanks for the tips, but what’s next for you?”

Stalnoivolk draws himself up to his full height and dusts off his suit.

“You seek to overthrow current government, yes? Then I will assist you; as thanks for your aid and to pummel these imperialist swine.”

Looks like you’ve managed to flip Stalnoivolk over to your side, at least for now.

What’s your next move?

You…

> Have Stalnoivolk accompany your hit squad as you head for the war room. You can use all the muscle you can get, especially if the General is on-site.

> Have Stalnoivolk and the others split off to hit Delrio. You owe the General a one-on-one rematch, and they’d just get in the way.

> Have Stalnoivolk and the others split off to secure the vaults. Catalyst shouldn’t offer too much trouble, especially if he opts to defect as well.

> Other?
>>
>>5354050
> Have Stalnoivolk and the others split off to hit Delrio. You owe the General a one-on-one rematch, and they’d just get in the way.

It's been leading up to this; we should turn on luck drain as well if this option succeeds
>>
>>5354050
> Have Stalnoivolk accompany your hit squad as you head for the war room. You can use all the muscle you can get, especially if the General is on-site.
>>
>>5354050
> Have Stalnoivolk accompany your hit squad as you head for the war room. You can use all the muscle you can get, especially if the General is on-site.
>>
Rolled 8, 93 + 40 = 141 (2d100 + 40)

>>5354059
>>5354066

Alright, looks like everyone is headed for the war room.

Go ahead and roll me some 1d100+50

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 78 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5354076
fuckkkk
>>
Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>5354076
>>
Rolled 2 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5354076
Uh
>>
Rolled 95, 50, 89 + 70 = 304 (3d100 + 70)

>>5354077
>>5354078
>>5354080

That's a success!

Now give me one final round of 1d100+50

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 29 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5354081
Why the fuck are our enemies rolling so well, it's getting a bit absurd
Crit or I riot against the dice gods
>>
Rolled 17 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5354081
Oh this will be tough. Luck drain is still active right?
>>
>>5354083

Yep, still with a 12.
>>
Rolled 2 + 50 (1d100 + 50)

>>5354081
>>
>>5354085
>>5354080
I am vomit
>>
Rolled 67, 68 + 40 = 175 (2d100 + 40)

>>5354082
>>5354083
>>5354085

That's a failure, go ahead and give me some 3d100

First roll is yours, +40

Second roll is Bonilla / others, +15

Third is Stalnoivolk, +30
>>
Rolled 69, 65, 65 = 199 (3d100)

>>5354088
>>
Rolled 18, 6, 12 = 36 (3d100)

>>5354088
Getting real fucking sick of the Squad.
>>
Rolled 50, 59, 7 = 116 (3d100)

>>5354088
Well if these are low I'm done rolling
>>
Rolled 14, 71, 12 = 97 (3d100)

>>5354088
Let's see if I can redeem my shit roll
>>
Rolled 71, 57, 48 = 176 (3d100)

>>5354088
AYYYY
>>
>>5354089
>>5354090
>>5354091

Alright, looks like you make out fine.

The Liberators / Stalnoivolk have a bit more trouble, writing.
>>
File: General.jpg (123 KB, 500x782)
123 KB
123 KB JPG
>>5354097

You inform Stalnoivolk that you plan on nailing Pedraza first, and that he’s welcome to follow along and back you up.

He just nods and begins to show you the way.

Thanks to his directions, you make quick time through the palace, now that you have a concrete idea of where you’re going.

The security in this section is noticeably tighter, with the previously lackluster guards being replaced by “mercenaries” and actual professionals, but you and your men manage to get the drop on them nonetheless.

Stalnoivolk does his part too, casually approaching guards familiar with his presence before twisting their heads off like he was brutalizing a child’s toy.

Unfortunately, things come to a head when you’re a stones throw from reaching Pedraza. You take point, Stalnoivolk at your heels, and enter through a doorway to some kind of grand hall, right as your gut begins howling at you to move.

A chunk of rock comes screaming at you from out of sight, and you’re just barely able to avoid getting pasted by the makeshift boulder.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky.

Stalnoivolk is hit full force and is flung back through the doorway, scattering your men with his displaced momentum.

Before you can get your bearings, a thick, steel security door slams shut, sealing the doorway and blocking Stalnoivolk and Bonilla, and the others outside of the hall.

Fuck, it looks like stealth is now officially off the table. At least you made it 90% of the way before getting spotted.

Now you just need to finish the job; but you’ve still got one problem to handle.

As Stalnoivolk warned, you’re face to face to with that gargantuan shitheel; the General, who looks like Christmas just came early.

“Well, well, looky here. I told Lok that’d you’d be dumb enough to show your face around here again, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon! You must really have a death wish, walking right into my sights of your own free will.

Not that I’m complaining or anything. Saves me the hassle of having to drag you kicking and screaming out of your rathole.”

As a response, you decide to…

> Leverage the blackmail you’ve been collecting. It doesn’t matter if you win or not, because the Squad will always lose.

> Take out his eyes with your carbine. He’ll regenerate them, but it’ll give you time to really put the hurt on him.

> Nail him with the most powerful Lightning Bolt you’ve got. He might be tough, but it’s sure to rattle his cage.

> Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.

> Bring out the Claw and trigger Volcanic Rage. You’re not fucking around this time, go straight for the big guns.

> Other?
>>
>>5354115
>Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.
WHAT.COULD.POSSIBLY.GO.WRONG?!
>>
>>5354115
> Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.

EAT
MY
ASS
GENERAL
NUMBNUTS
>>
>>5354115
>> Leverage the blackmail you’ve been collecting. It doesn’t matter if you win or not, because the Squad will always lose.
If he tells all the squad to fuck off and hands over Pedraza we can have a real 1v1. No blindsiding by traitors on either end. We get what we want, he gets what he wants. It's a win-win.

And then we ignore that and lure him out and gang up on him. Fuck him.
>>
>>5354115
> Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.
>>
>>5354115
>Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.
FUCK
THIS
BITCH
>>
>>5354115
> Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.
>>
> Combine your Fire, Storm, and Chaos natures like Set advised you back in the Assembly. If mixing two can create something powerful, mixing three might create something that’ll really give you the edge.

We are fire and lightening resistant. Now is a chance for bullshit difficulty.
>>
I AM THE BULLSHIT STORM THAT IS APPROACHING!!
>>
>>5354128
Yo we could start a fire, then if the sprinklers kick on and flood the room we could zap it. Either way we're fine. Either we suck up the heat to stay healthy or we ride the lightning and laugh it off.

What a weird synergy.
>>
Rolled 97 (1d100)

testing luck>>5354129
>>
>>5354129
PROVOKING
BLACK CLOUDS IN ISOLATION
>>
Well thats a good sign. Hope that luck continues.>>5354131
>>
>>5354132
I AM RECLAIMER OF THE ACE
>>
>>5354134
BORN IN FLAMES
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED
MY FAMILY CREST IS THE MARKING OF SET
>>
>>5354120
>>5354122
>>5354124
>>5354125
>>5354126
>>5354128

Looks like cranking things into overdrive wins.

Roll me some 1d100+35

DC: 75 / 85 / 100
>>
Rolled 11 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5354138
If we don't crit and send him to the shadow realm then I'll be very disappointed
>>
Rolled 66 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5354138
Let's go!
>>
Rolled 82 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>5354138
AAAAA
>>
>>5354139
>>5354141
>>5354142

That's an excellent success, writing.
>>
Thank you magic lessons.>>5354142
>>5354138
>>
>>5354142
Finally we don't flub the magic roll. Praise Thoth.
>>
I'm hoping one day we crack the magic equivalent of nuclear fission.>>5354146. Also magic is one of those things we can use to pass as a meta since the world does not know magic exists and thus most heroes and baddies are weak to it.
>>
File: The_Beast.png (1.47 MB, 1185x974)
1.47 MB
1.47 MB PNG
>>5354143

It’s not the safest possible option, but you need something that’ll give you a winning edge.

Back at the Assembly, you attempted to unlock a tri-Natured combination, but it ended up fizzling out and leaving you in a precarious position.

Now though, thanks to your time with Thoth, you have a more complete understanding of what such an attempt would take.

Rather than trying to wrestle your magic into a form you’d prefer, you match your efforts to its natural patterns of ebb and flow, gently molding it along the right path.

Before you know it, you’ve managed to cobble together a combination of Storm, Fire, and Chaos without allowing too much of an imbalance favoring any Nature.

It culminates in a massive shockwave that nearly blinds you for a moment with its intensity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tL2UMTSNOA

When everything wears off, you find yourself with a new perspective.

It’s an intensely uncomfortable experience; seeing out of two pairs of eyes, but you rapidly acclimate to it.

From what you can gather, the spell appears to have placed you inside the transparent chest of a jackal-headed magical construct.

With your original eyes, you can see that it stretches nearly ten feet tall, and is wearing some kind of traditional armor. It’s not carrying any weapons, but is sporting some wickedly jagged talons on each hand.

Completing the ensemble is the blood-red, yet see-through aura, swirling around your creation.

When you go to speak, the mouth that moves is not your own, rather the jackal-head.

It, or rather you, let out a barking chuckle that’s positively brimming with malicious intent.

> “You have no idea who you’re fucking with. But don’t worry; pain is often the most memorable teacher. I’ll make sure to leave my mark!”

Goddamn, this feels incredible, like you’re capable of beating anyone in the world. And you’ll prove it by ripping this bastard to bloody shreds.

> Spell Unlocked: Avatar of Disorder.

Time to show the General what goes bump in the night.

You…

> Try to slash his tendons. An immobilized enemy is easier pickings.

> Lock him into a clinch. Let’s see how the strength of muscles stands against the strength of your magic.

> Get in his head; figuratively, not literally. You’ve got to be pretty damn tough to see something like this and stay cool, might as well try to spook him a little and see if he panics.

> Go straight for his throat, really take this thing for a ride. Time to really put the fear of Set in him.

> Other?
>>
>>5354155
> Try to slash his tendons. An immobilized enemy is easier pickings.
>>
>>5354155
> Try to slash his tendons. An immobilized enemy is easier pickings.

Style on his ass! This is the result of all our hard work!
>>
>>5354155
>> Try to slash his tendons. An immobilized enemy is easier pickings.
>>
>>5354155
> Go straight for his throat, really take this thing for a ride. Time to really put the fear of Set in him.
No playing around. End this as fast as possible
>>
>>5354155
>> Go straight for his throat, really take this thing for a ride. Time to really put the fear of Set in him.

man we are baddass today or what?
>>
>> Go straight for his throat, really take this thing for a ride. Time to really put the fear of Set in him.
>>
>>5354166
Yes
>>
Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5354158
>>5354159
>>5354160

Slash the legs.


>>5354164
>>5354166
>>5354170

Straight for the throat.


Rolling a d2 to settle.

1 = Legs
2 = Throat
>>
Rolled 28, 80, 83 + 90 = 281 (3d100 + 90)

>>5354178

Alright, looks like the crippling meme continues.

Roll me some 1d100+80

DC to be determined
>>
Rolled 23 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354182
ded
>>
Rolled 55 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354182
COME ON BABY, LET'S GO
>>
Rolled 9 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354182
>>
Rolled 95 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354182
>>
Rolled 6 (1d100)

>>5354182
>>
Rolled 84, 77, 27 + 90 = 278 (3d100 + 90)

>>5354187
>>5354188
>>5354191

That's a failure, but we're still early in the fight.

Go ahead and give me another round of 1d100+80

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 6 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354195
>>
Rolled 10 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354195
>>
Rolled 76 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5354195
PLEASE
>>
>>5354196
>>5354197
>>5354199

That's a success, writing.

I've got an early day tomorrow, so we'll pick up from here on Friday at 5:00 PM EST.

As always, thanks for playing and I hope you had a good time.
>>
>>5354201
See you on friday, thanks for running

godicantwaittokillthegeneraltodeath
>>
>>5354203
Twenty shitbucks says he survives.
>>
I really hope we didnt just trip a sensor looking for set or have the justice league look into this incident.

At this point who could we fight and have a reasonable chance of not getting thrown in prison?
>>
>>5354284
>fight and have a reasonable chance of not getting thrown in prison?
Well Green Arrow is always a good guess. Aqualad. Maybe the Question. Danny Devito.
>>
>>5354316
I'll be honest, if Danny Devito is just walking through the watchtower, I'll probably lose it.
>>
>>5354284
Real talk, if we manage to take out the general, we're VERY into JL engagement territory. As in we're somebody Wonder Woman or Green Lantern is dealing with.

Our only real hope is to pull a Doctor Doom and use our country to isolate this persona from them.

Alternatives are hiding as Dresden or Gunsmoke for prolonged periods of time... but that makes running the country hard when communications monitoring in/out of the country are probably now something that's being monitored by Batman.

Also fuck we're really becoming a Doctor Doomesque character. We'll have a mask, a country and martial/technical/magical abilities. Only thing missing is to say we're wearing our mask to hide our facial imperfections.
>>
>>5354395
>he's the janitor

>>5354398
To be fair after this we're probably going to go back to lying low and doing our other persona stuff while hiding our powerlevel. And we're probably not going to be doing any country running or even any hands on dealing with it until after Jack has passed at the very least. We just need to set Bonila up with a council or have him be an attache to the new government and siphon us funds and do all the actual showrunning for us. We're not running for el presidente down here after all. At least not yet. We may never, depending on how things pan out. If we get slapped with big villain status before we get everything all set up we'll probably do that mobile merc company stuff instead. But considering how we haven't really done any super nefarious shit we'll probably get our ass kicked and told to knock it off instead by the league.

DOCTOR DOOM is fucking massively based though so it's never bad to be like him.
>>
>>5354224
Honestly yeah. I finally took a look at his page. We cannot end the general. There is no way for us to. Enhanced regeneration, adaptability, superhuman strength. Dude is someone who is punching up with the real heavy hitters. Killing him is damn near impossible. But something that has worked is... Disposing of him with teleportation. We probably can't kill him without somehow ripping his head off his body and that would probably only kill the mind of the general. The body would probably live and regenerate a new head.
We aren't going to kill him, UT this beatdown is going to be cathartic as hell and a great test of our abilities. Dude is literally one of the best punching bags around. And you can't feel guilty about it because he is scum and barely feels pain.
>>
>>5354546
Most characters like that can get whammied by magic pretty hard. Couldn't we use that bomb removal spell and calcify him? Kinda hard to regenerate from that I imagine.
>>
We really need to learn teleportation from gentleman ghost before he moves on.
However in this case i think its best to beat him up and then blackmail the higher ups into pulling out the general while he is regenerating. If we actually manage to kill him the adjutant tango persona is going to be tracked for years
>>
>>5354546
>>5354586
Maybe Axis will throw us a bone and say we killed him too fast for his regeneration to work?

...Yeah nevermind, maybe we can speak that Greek phrase and bat him inside the portal, or calcify him like was mentioned
>>
>>5354679
I figured that avatar of chaos body we've got probably alerted Zatanna already. Might as well try and drop the general at that point.
>>
>>5354737
The magical ward is in Gotham my guy, calm down, jesus

Unless Zatanna and Constantine, or any other JL afilliate magic user decided to SOMEHOW or SOMEWAY to actually come to VENEZUELA and place a magical ward for any important magic surge, then that's when we get in trouble.

But again, it's Venezuela, it's a poor third world country that's being that way from 2015 more or less. It doesn't make any sense for someone to say "yup, surely something about The Gentleman Ghost Master plan is here, let's place something in case something magical happens"
>>
>>5354750
My line of thinking was more that it's a significantly noticeable magic surge, specifically the type that most try not to fuck around with, that they'd monitor for something like that globally. Also I really want the general dead.
>>
>>5354750
Never underestimate Constantine's ability to be exactly where you do not want him to be. For all we know he just heard about the winchester as well and decided to do a quick drop off to snag it and replace it with a dummy replica because his artifact collecting ways cannot be stopped. Or he got drunk and got roped into a deal and needs it to pay a debt.
>>
>>5354586
The foreign item removal spell might outright kill him if the spell realizes that his brains is actually a foreign object to his body.
>>
We could always try to contact someone above belle reve and barter for the generals life
At this point what assets do they really have if most of their assets are dead and they still have cadmus to worry about
Its in their best interest to just shut down and set up again while blaming all crimes on the leader we met and epsteining him
>>
>>5354756
That's pretty genius, actually
Either the spell is 'failed' and we give him brain damage, or it works so well that we literally pull him out

Win-win?

>>5354771
We can't really barter for his life currently, we're locked in a room and either we leave, or he does. Killing him or incapacitating him somehow is really the only way out
>>
>>5354814
the spell takes a few minutes to work on a willing target, I don't think it's feasible to do it in a fight
>>
>>5354814
The spell probably takes too long to use it offensively.
>>
>>5354822
Being able to "kill" him hard enough to immobilize him is feasible.

So if we manage to slow his healing factor down enough to immobilize him we can calcify his brain
>>
>>5354857
I mean if you hit him hard enough for him to be completely unable to defend himself you could just flatten his skull completely instead to save a minute or two.

If you're just aiming for style points then yeah turning a brain into bone is pretty dope.
>>
>>5354866
I think the idea is that his brain can't regen from being calcium like it could from being flattened.
>>
>>5354873
Man I hate regenerators.
>>
>>5354879
On the bright side, he's making us get pretty creative
>>
>>5354879
I enjoy them as target practice. They make the best punching bags.
>>
>>5354879
heh, wait till we fight deadpool
>>
>>5354892
Wrong property. Doomsday though...
>>
>>5354933
Nah, Lobo.
>>
Two words. Plastic Man.
>>
>>5354934
Yea but The Main Man is cool though
>>
>>5354814
The only problem is that we dont actually know that he transplanted his brain into the shaggy man. If we were using the spell we would only be using it in the hopes that it screws up on purpose. And the spell backfiring could injure us way more than The General. We could fail to have it target him instead of us. And then we are giving ourselves brain damage. If we knew that he did what he did then yeah i would say go with it. But we don't know that crucial bit of info.
>>
>>5355194
The only risk we actually know of is brain damage or calcification of the brain of the subject, there was nothing to imply it could backfire on us

Besides, it's just in case the conventional means fail
>>
https://youtu.be/bkHm13tXMlY
Soon
>>
>>5354941
I could only wonder how much dumb shit would ensue if Sean and Plastic Man interacted in any sense with each other.

Hijinks of untold proportions could ensue, possibly much to Sean's chagrin
>>
>>5356100
Sean, Lobo, and Plastic Man go on a bender when?
>>
>>5354201

The first step in a protracted conflict should always be to ensure that the enemy is unable to retaliate, and that you can decide the tempo of battle at your leisure.

If you can sever a tendon and arrest his mobility, you’ll have a serious advantage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb7Uu6Bz_wM

To that end, you strike forward with an aggressive mixup of both tooth and claw, seeking to nail the General and hamper his ability to counterattack.

Unfortunately, you’re still not entirely accustomed to the sensation of piloting this thing, and the General takes full advantage of your inexperience.

Your movements are just a little stilted and awkward as you attempt to reconcile this entirely new sensation, and the General adeptly avoids the majority of your initial offensive.

In response to your temporary overextension, the General attempts to slide in under your guard and deliver a shot directly to your chest, where your corporeal form is situated.

However, you’re able to successfully intercept his strike with the snarling jaws of your jackal-head, and successfully drive him back after ripping a meaty chunk out of his right arm. Bastard doesn’t even blink an eye at having part of his arm get mangled, must either be hopped up on something strong or have deadened nerves.

The damage is mostly superficial, but it serves to illustrate a greater point when the wound begins to regenerate at a sluggish pace.

His enhanced constitution is still in effect, but it’s a far cry from the near-instant recovery of injuries caused by more mundane means.

The widening of his eyes betrays that he’s realized the stakes have been upped; that you’re out for blood and potentially have the means to pull it off.

That’s right, fucker. It’s judgement day, and you’ve come to balance the scales.

You’ve said it before, and you’ll say it again. Anyone who relies solely on a handful of powers or abilities to carry the day are just setting themselves up for failure.

One-trick ponies in general are blindly stumbling toward a cliff. All it takes is somebody with the right skillset or gimmick to counter you, and you’re eating pavement before you can blink.
>>
>>5356110

While you begin plotting out your next move, the General manages to regain his laser-like focus and proceeds to engage in a healthy bit of trash talk.

“Looks like you’ve got more up your sleeve than I thought. Won’t matter though; at least when I tear your head off and present it to Lok, he’ll finally assign me something challenging. Wiping the floor with punks like you just ain’t as fun as it used to be.”

He’s sporting that bloodthirsty grin again, punctuated with just a hint of anticipation.

> “That’s tough talk, considering how our last fight went. Unless you’ve got another squadron of babysitters to wipe your ass, it looks like there’s no one to bail you out this time.”

“You think you scare me, that this somehow changes anything? You’re nothing but a rabid dog who’s gotten off the leash. And I’m animal control.”

> “I’ll look back fondly on this moment when I’m standing in the burning wreckage of everything you’ve been fighting for.”

“That’s the spirit; take your best shot, greenhorn!”

Now that you’re back to a stalemate, you decide to oblige his request by…

> Casting Abyssal Shield and creating something large enough for you to carry. If you can bulldoze him against the wall, that’ll open up a realm of possibilities.

> Spring-boarding off a column and leaping towards him. If you can build up momentum and maintain accuracy, you should be able to inflict a deep chest wound.

> Baiting him with a feint, and attempting to knock him off his feet. Losing your center of gravity in a fistfight is a recipe for disaster.

> Bringing out the Claw and attempting to fuse it with your construct. It’ll be a risky magical experiment, but the results could pay massive dividends.

> Triggering Kinetic Frenzy and attempting to temporarily supercharge your construct. It’s sure to give you a quick boost, but the side effects are still worth considering.

> Other?
>>
>>5356111
> Baiting him with a feint, and attempting to knock him off his feet. Losing your center of gravity in a fistfight is a recipe for disaster.

He's expecting us to take a shot, so a feint is a good idea

I'm so pumped :D
>>
>>5356111
>> Casting Abyssal Shield and creating something large enough for you to carry. If you can bulldoze him against the wall, that’ll open up a realm of possibilities.
Magma Sword! Keep up the trend of not using Abyssal Shield as a Shield
>>
>>5356111
>Baiting him with a feint, and attempting to knock him off his feet. Losing your center of gravity in a fistfight is a recipe for disaster.
>>
>>5356111
>> Casting Abyssal Shield and creating something large enough for you to carry. If you can bulldoze him against the wall, that’ll open up a realm of possibilities.
>>
>>5356111
> Baiting him with a feint, and attempting to knock him off his feet. Losing your center of gravity in a fistfight is a recipe for disaster.
>>
>>5356111
> Baiting him with a feint, and attempting to knock him off his feet. Losing your center of gravity in a fistfight is a recipe for disaster.
turn on luck drain
>>
Rolled 4, 94, 24 + 85 = 207 (3d100 + 85)

>>5356114
>>5356116
>>5356118
>>5356121

Alright, roll me some 1d100+80

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>5356124
>>
Rolled 31 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356124
>>
Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>5356124
>>
Rolled 42 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356124
rollin
>>
Rolled 100, 42, 51 + 90 = 283 (3d100 + 90)

>>5356125
>>5356126
>>5356127

That's a failure, looks like the General is determined to make you work for it.

Go ahead and give me some more 1d100+80 to avoid his follow-up.
>>
Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>5356129
Oh fuck
>>
Rolled 91 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356129
Oh fuck right OFF
>>
Rolled 69 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356129
He is on fire
>>
Rolled 26 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356129
Aight. For the love of Set please.
>>
>>5356129
Have we rerolled already?
>>
>>5356130
>>5356131
>>5356133

That's a critical success for the General, should I go ahead in assuming you all want to burn your re-roll and have him roll again?

> Yes

> No
>>
As it turns out, Set's little magical mech suit is getting fucking assblasted. Why is it he is always so wrong?

dude why the fuck does Axis roll so good for the squad? This is bullshit. Reee.
>>
>>5356137
Yes
>>
>>5356137
>> Yes
>>
>>5356137
> Yes
you know it
>>
>>5356137
>> Yes
yes pls QM
>>
>>5356138
The squad sacrifices the soul of everyone who dies in their program to Satan for good luck

At least, that's the only explanation i can get
>>5356137
>Y E S
>>
Rolled 90, 26, 32 + 90 = 238 (3d100 + 90)

>>5356135

If I remember correctly, the previous re-roll was used back at the docks.

As this is a separate mission, you should have another in reserve.


>>5356139
>>5356140
>>5356141
>>5356142

That's what I figured, but I gotta ask to be sure. Go ahead and give me another round of dice+1d100+80

DC to be determined, your Luck Drain bonus is already active, which ended up being 12.

inb4 triple crit
>>
Rolled 26 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356144
>>
Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>5356144
>>
Rolled 39 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356144
i hate you
>>
Rolled 75 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356144
>>
>>5356149
>>5356148
same fucking second, and 75 is a narrow failure anyways
>>
>>5356146
>>5356147
>>5356148

That's a failure, writing.

I have no idea why I seem to exclusively roll hot for the Suicide Squad.
>>
>>5356151
the dice gods speak.
>>
Rolled 1, 97, 100, 80, 67, 52, 16, 13, 47, 66 = 539 (10d100)

>>
>>5356151
RNGesus wants to put us back on the boat. I'm kicking and screaming but they just won't let go.

Does Set feel us doing his silly avatar thingy? What's he off doing right now? We'll need to ask him next we see him. Maybe he's having a staring contest with some snake god in the jungle.
>>
>>5356154

>rolls a 1
>rolls a 100

Yep, spookiness has been confirmed.
>>
theme of this fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlYCxbBZUCY
>>
>>5356159
We're getting cooked way too hard right now for it to be such an epic soundtrack.
>>
>>5356151

The trick to dealing with strong opponents is to get them off-balance in any way you can.

In this case, all you need to do is bait the General into focusing on the wrong point of attack and take his legs out from under him.

It’s a reasonable idea, but it quickly backfires when the General manages to see through your ruse and takes you by surprise instead.

He enthusiastically delivers a series of body blows that you’re not able to fully block; the last of which sends you careening across the room into the wall.

You get your bearings quickly and do a quick damage report.

Thankfully, you’re still well within your comfort zone.

Your physical form remains unharmed, but the construct definitely took a bit of a beating in that last maneuver.

It’s a difficult feeling to quantify, but you’ve still got plenty of juice in the tank to keep it in the fight. Still, it’d be best if you could avoid getting hit whenever you can.

Overall, things could be going better.

You haven’t been able to land a clear shot yet, and most of your ideas have fizzled out when stacked against the General’s prodigious might.

You need to get creative; he’s on his guard now, so you’ll have to improvise something that’ll completely blindside him.

> Smash a nearby pillar into pieces and use Twister to buffet him with the debris. It likely won’t have much effect but it’s an excellent diversion to help you close the gap.

> Use Abyssal Shield to create a jagged pillar of stone that you can use as a weapon. If you can’t get in close, then you’ll shank him from a distance.

> Pepper him with Hex Bolts. If you can wear him down and turn the tides of fate in your favor, victory is sure to be yours.

> Shoot Fire Bolts into the ceiling and get a blaze started. You can use the ensuing smoke as cover for a sneak attack with Thermal Sight.

> Bring out the Claw and attempt to mix its power with your construct. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

> Other?
>>
>>5356165
> Bring out the Claw and attempt to mix its power with your construct. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
>>
>>5356165
>> Pepper him with Hex Bolts. If you can wear him down and turn the tides of fate in your favor, victory is sure to be yours.
If he starts to trip on his own nonexistent shoelaces that would be nice. Getting rid of his fucking +90 modifier would help a lot.
>>
>>5356165
>> Shoot Fire Bolts into the ceiling and get a blaze started. You can use the ensuing smoke as cover for a sneak attack with Thermal Sight.
>>
>>5356165
>Shoot Fire Bolts into the ceiling and get a blaze started. You can use the ensuing smoke as cover for a sneak attack with Thermal Sight.
>>
>>5356165
>> Pepper him with Hex Bolts. If you can wear him down and turn the tides of fate in your favor, victory is sure to be yours.
>>
>>5356165
> Pepper him with Hex Bolts. If you can wear him down and turn the tides of fate in your favor, victory is sure to be yours.

I cast 'fuck you'
>>
Rolled 36 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>5356168
>>5356175
>>5356178

Go ahead and give me some 1d100

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>5356184
>>
Rolled 14 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>5356184
>>
Rolled 12, 4 + 15 = 31 (2d100 + 15)

>>5356184
Fumbled my other two rolls, apologies.
>>
Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>5356184
inb4 critfail
>>
>>5356186
You know what? I'm going back to my weeb shit.
>>
>>5356189
By the power of luck drain.

We get so much mileage out of that spell, honestly.
>>
>>5356190
don't be a lil' baby anon, we passed
>>
>>5356191
Luck Drain and Roll the Die may as well be our signature spells
>>
Rolled 75, 64, 4, 72, 100, 56, 70, 33, 32, 60, 64, 28, 78, 22, 5, 13, 49, 27, 66 = 918 (19d100)

What the fuck is happening
>>
Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>5356188
>>
>>5356185
>>5356186
>>5356189

That's a success, how would you like to follow up?

(The General gets a -15 to general combat rolls)

> Lock him into a clinch and try to overwhelm him. You’ve taken his measure and found him wanting.

> Nail him with a full strength Lightning Bolt. It’s time to see how much punishment he can really take.

> Trigger Kinetic Frenzy and go on the offensive. It’s a gamble, but you need to start racking up the damage.

> Use Abyssal Shield to create a jagged pillar of stone that you can use as a weapon. If you can’t get in close, then you’ll shank him from a distance.

> Other?
>>
>>5356200
>Nail him with a full strength Lightning Bolt. It’s time to see how much punishment he can really take.
MAGIC MISSLE BITCH
>>
>>5356200
> Nail him with a full strength Lightning Bolt. It’s time to see how much punishment he can really take.
>>
>>5356200
> Nail him with a full strength Lightning Bolt. It’s time to see how much punishment he can really take.

Mobile electric chair
>>
>>5356200
>> Nail him with a full strength Lightning Bolt. It’s time to see how much punishment he can really take.
Even if we fuck it up and somehow electrify ourselves it'll be fine. Then if he touches us he'll get zapped anyway. Win win? Maybe it'll set the room on fire if we miss.
>>
>>5356200
>> Trigger Kinetic Frenzy and go on the offensive. It’s a gamble, but you need to start racking up the damage.
>>
Rolled 48, 78, 12 + 5 = 143 (3d100 + 5)

>>5356201
>>5356203
>>5356204
>>5356207

Alright, roll me some 1d100

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>5356210
>>
Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>5356210
COME THE FUCK ON AHHHHHHHHH
>>
Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>5356210
>>
Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>5356210
>>
File: 476543656543.jpg (48 KB, 600x449)
48 KB
48 KB JPG
>>5356211
>>5356212
>>5356213
>>
>>5356211
>>5356212
>>5356213
Aah, magic rolls. The bane of Sean's well-being
>>
Rolled 29, 80, 40 + 75 = 224 (3d100 + 75)

>>5356211
>>5356212
>>5356213

That's a failure, roll me some 1d100+80 to avoid getting clobbered in retaliation.

I've got to ask, who dug up the ancient burial grounds to cause such misfortune?
>>
Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>5356220
>I've got to ask, who dug up the ancient burial grounds to cause such misfortune?
Isn't that how we got powers?
>>
Rolled 79 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356220
Fuk
>>
Rolled 56 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356220
I'll check my family line for curses
>>
>>5356222
True.

>>5356222
>>5356223
>>5356224

That's a success, writing.

Gotta tell ya, I was not expecting this to turn into such a slobberknocker.

Goes to show how fickle the dice are.
>>
Man WTF IS GOING ON? JEEZ
>>
>>5356225
It's like when a comic writer course corrects super hard after making one character seem stronger than the other unintentionally. Damn dice.
>>
>>5356231
chaos
>>
>>5356225

To equalize things, you shoot a few jet-black Hex Bolts from the construct’s hand, towards the General.

Despite his impressive agility, he fails to avoid being struck by them, and is visibly confused at the lack of immediate consequences.

“Was that supposed to do more than tingle a little?” He taunts.

That’s right asshole, keep talking.

To give him a taste of what real power feels like, you fling a full-strength Lightning Bolt his way, intent on giving him a shock in more ways than one.

Unfortunately, he manages to narrowly dodge it and tries to land a nasty haymaker while you’re distracted.

However, you are able to keep your guard up and prevent him from making any headway.

The General is getting tired of the constant back-and-forth and is starting to really ramp up the aggression.

You really need to start making some headway before things spiral out of control.

Your next move is to…

> Bring out the Claw. You’ve had enough dancing around, it’s time for a good old-fashioned beatdown.

> Funnel him into a corner with Abyssal Shield and bullrush him. It’s becoming one of your staple strategies for a reason.

> Keep chipping away at him with Hex Bolts. It’s obviously having an impact, you just need to keep pushing the envelope.

> Try again with another Lightning Bolt. You’ve got the rhythm down, you just need to line up a clear shot.

> Other?
>>
>>5356238
>> Keep chipping away at him with Hex Bolts. It’s obviously having an impact, you just need to keep pushing the envelope.
>>
>>5356238
>Funnel him into a corner with Abyssal Shield and bullrush him. It’s becoming one of your staple strategies for a reason.
>>
>>5356238
>Funnel him into a corner with Abyssal Shield and bullrush him. It’s becoming one of your staple strategies for a reason.

Limiting his movement is a good thing
>>
>>5356238
>> Keep chipping away at him with Hex Bolts. It’s obviously having an impact, you just need to keep pushing the envelope.
>>
Rolled 1 (1d2)

We've got a tie, so I'll just go ahead and roll a d2 to settle it.

1 = Hex Bolts
2 = Abyssal Shield
>>
Rolled 35, 84, 86 = 205 (3d100)

>>5356259

Alright, roll me some 1d100

DC to be determined.

(I'm kinda surprised that another crit hasn't been rolled yet. Feels like the mood is right for one.)
>>
Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>5356263
>>
Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>5356263
Don't say that. It scares me. Now we're jinxed. Nat 1 incoming.
>>
Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>5356263
>>
>>5356263
Man I can't wait to be back in the squad again. What have our guys outside been doing this whole time?
>>
Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>5356263
>>
>>5356272
Well if they haven't tried to break through the wall instead of the reinforced door hopefully they went and made themselves useful elsewhere.

Or every room closed so everyone is playing go fish.
>>
Rolled 45, 17, 85, 76, 62, 10, 49, 97, 48, 19 = 508 (10d100)

refreshing dice again
>>
>>5356266
>>5356267
>>5356270

Looks like the General is one stubborn bastard.

Here's a proposition:

Would you like to try and turn the tables and use his attack against him? It'll be a harder roll, but you'll be able to get a guaranteed shot in if you succeed.

> Have the harder roll, with the counterattack.

> Have the normal roll, no counterattack.


>>5356272

Dealing with reinforcements, spreading out and trying to find another way in, that kind of stuff.
>>
>>5356278
>> Have the harder roll, with the counterattack.
We really need to get some progress, we are wasting magic and he's not even getting tired
>>
>>5356278
> Have the harder roll, with the counterattack

No pain, no gain?
>>
> Have the harder roll, with the counterattack
>>
Rolled 51, 90, 52 + 85 = 278 (3d100 + 85)

>>5356280
>>5356281
>>5356284

The anons have it, go ahead and give me some 1d100+80

DC to be determined.
>>
> Have the harder roll, with the counterattack.

BALLS TO THE WALL
this is taking too much time. We are on a clock.
>>
File: 1541991253309.gif (470 KB, 200x200)
470 KB
470 KB GIF
Rolled 72 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356286
>another fucking 90+
Stop.

STOP
>>
Rolled 55 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356286
now this, this is the killest roll
>>
Rolled 98 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356286
Oh good.
>>
Rolled 30 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

This is Bullshit.>>5356286
>>
>>5356291
thank you anon
>>
>>5356291
Oh! Good.
>>
Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>5356288
>>5356289
>>5356291

Now those are the rolls that I'm used to seeing.

Success, writing.

>>5356288

My power is unmatched, but only when I'm not an active player in the quest.

Observe.
>>
FUCK YEAH. Near crit, eat shit, you aint shit.>>5356291
>>5356286
>>
>>5356291
I could kiss you
>>
>>5356288
>passed by 1
phew

>>5356291
>finally, a good fucking roll
WOO, hell yeah brother

>>5356296
>1 away from the funny number
It's a sign.
>>
>>5356291
GOD
>>
>>5356296
The insane fucking rolls here are half of the reason I love this quest.
>>
>>5356296

You send another barrage of Hex Bolts his way, but the General is wise enough to avoid letting you score free hits.

In an attempt to break the stalemate, you feign weakness, allowing your construct to show false signs of beginning of dissipate.

Buoyed by your apparently flagging strength, the General goes directly for your physical body once again, just as you were hoping he would.

When he’s perfectly in range, you spring your gambit and pounce.

Like a bear trap snapping shut, your claws latch onto his lower body and fling him skyward, slamming him against the ceiling.

On the way down, you catch him in mid-air and bash him into a couple columns like a ragdoll.

He manages to wrestle out of your grip, but he’s definitely rattled by the smackdown you just delivered.

Finally, you’ve got some goddamn blood in the water; how would you like to capitalize on it?

> Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.

> Try to tear his throat out with your jackal-head. It’s primal and animalistic, and an effective way of putting him down for the count.

> Slowly crush him using Abyssal Shield. If you can pen him in properly, this little brawl is over.

> Get a firm grip and try to rip his head clean off his body. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel, you just need to finish this.

> Other?

(Need to pause for a dinner break, vote is open until I return)
>>
>>5356323
>> Slowly crush him using Abyssal Shield. If you can pen him in properly, this little brawl is over.
>>
>>5356323
> Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.

ITS ADJUTANT TANGO (and others) WITH AN ELECTRIC CHAIR
>>
> Turn on claw of Horus and rip out heart.
>>
Lets Talon of Horus this shit.
>>
>>5356323
> Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.
>>
>>5356327
>+1
>>
>>5356330
I want to save the claw for Delrio personally. He betrayed us, the claw is inhabited by a spirit of vengeance who was betrayed. He actually deserves it.
>>
>>5356323
>> Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.

Ain't fucking with the claw right now, I don't wnat to risk putting Pandion into the driver's seat or making the spell explode from a new conflicting source of magic suddenly. Rather just go full lightning rod and take all of the magical energy we're surrounding ourselves with and convert it into Telsa's wettest dream. Fuck his nervous system even if we so much as graze his skin.
>>
>>5356323
> Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.
>>
>>5356323
>Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.
We're going to punch Delrio with the Claw until it's a red goop, and Pandion is going to have a first sit in that
>>
>>5356323
>> Drive your arm through his chest and give him a literal heart attack by using Lightning Bolt. You’re immune to the backblast now, so you might as well take advantage.
>>
Rolled 98, 98, 54 + 5 = 255 (3d100 + 5)

>>5356326
>>5356334
>>5356340
>>5356341
>>5356347
>>5356349

Looks like you're intent on giving the General the shock of a lifetime.

Go ahead and give me some 1d100.

DC to be determined.
>>
Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>5356364
god
damn
>>
Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>5356364
Holy hell.
>>
Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>5356364
good roll plz
>>
Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>5356364
>dub 98s
Aight, go fuck yourself

Shiiiieeeeeet
>>
File: 1603739573014.gif (3.86 MB, 444x250)
3.86 MB
3.86 MB GIF
>>5356369
>>5356370
>4 seconds
>>
>>5356377
it was gonna happen at one point with this luck
>>
Holy shit this is going to take forever.
>>
>>5356365
>>5356367
>>5356369

That's a failure, but I'm willing to offer a similar deal as before.

If you can beat his retaliation roll with a penalty, then the "arm in the torso with lightning" roll will be counted as a success.

However, if you take that route and fail, you'll burn a fuckload of magic.

The alternative is to just proceed like normal.

> Have the harder roll, to try and deal some major damage.

> Have the normal roll, like regular.
>>
>>5356389
>> Have the harder roll, to try and deal some major damage.
>>
>>5356383
It's just super fucking frustrating. We'd need to roll at least a 91 to pass in the first place. So the odds are already fucked and then getting cucked by fewer seconds than fingers on a hand. It hurts. Right in the balls.
>>
>>5356389
>> Have the harder roll, to try and deal some major damage.
>>
>>5356393

Actually, with Luck Drain it was somewhere in the 60s if my math is right.
>>
>>5356389
> Have the harder roll, to try and deal some major damage.
It's worth a shot, right?

Damn the dice suck today
>>
>>5356389
>Have the harder roll, to try and deal some major damage.
I'm really fucking done with these bullshit rolls this bitch-ass General is having
>>
Rolled 20, 30, 94 + 85 = 229 (3d100 + 85)

>>5356392
>>5356394
>>5356398
>>5356400

Alright, the consensus is clear.

Roll me some 1d100+80 and godspeed.

DC to be determined.
>>
>>5356396
Sometimes I forget we get the bonus added as well as subtracted. That certainly does make it sting less. Still would have needed a 79 to match the roll but that's not as bad.
>>
Rolled 5 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356404
FUCK YOUUUUUUUUU
>>
Rolled 44 + 80 (1d100 + 80)

>>5356404
IT HURTS

>>5356406
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
>>
Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>5356404
>>
>>5356412
I love you anon
>>
>>5356412

You beautiful bastard.

>>5356406
>>5356407
>>5356412

That's a success, torn straight from the jaws of defeat.

Writing.
>>
>>5356412
Anon promised someone his firstborn for this, and so we thank him
>>
>>5356412
>>5356413
Me too
>>
>>5356412
orangenon I kneel
>>
>>5356412
i almost didnt roll
>>
Axis has rolled 7 90+s including a hundo today. 10 80+s.

We've rolled like 2 90+ incidentally 2 80+ as well.
>>
>>5356428

I need to go buy a scratch-off or something.
>>
>>5356429
>QM wins the billion dollar lottery
>QM leaves us
>sad day
>>
>>5356412
Thank you
>>
>>5356428

That just means The General is going all out and when we win it will be all the sweeter knowing we beat him at his best. That and he gets the fight of his life and a warriors death.
>>
>>5356429
>tfw you used all your luck already

>>5356431
If he wins the billion he needs to hire me as a butler for his new mansion. Fuck it hire me as the maid.

>>5356444
>trips of death
Confirmed, General dies with a smile. For a little while at least.
>>
>>5356453
How about
>all current posters are hired by QM to work in his mansion

Do it QM
>>
>>5356412
Orangeanon-sama! I-I kneel...

>>5356455
Perfect ending
>>
>>5356414

This farce has dragged on for long enough. You’re operating on a timetable, and this is wasting too much precious time.

Your men are stranded outside, and you can’t seem to reach their comms. It’s a bad business all around, and you need to be done with this.

In one fell swoop, you charge directly at the dazed form of the General and drive a hand punctuated with razor-sharp claws deep into his chest cavity. To really make it sting, you let out a Lightning Bolt cranked up with much voltage as you can jam into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNVZzXgMdXs

And you shoot it through the arm currently jammed through the General’s ribcage.

Rather than the expected reaction of worry, regret, or any equally introspective emotion, the General just lets out a scream; not of pain, but of sheer primal anger.

He gives you a vicious hate-filled glare, his red-eyes burning like coals.

“Haven’t you realized it yet!? YOU’RE NOTHING COMPARED TO ME! NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, YOU CAN’T KILL ME!” He roars, struggling valiantly to dislodge your arm.

After failing in that regard; the stubborn bastard begins pushing towards you, totally unfazed by the fact that he’s only serving to drive the aforementioned arm deeper into his chest.

He manages to close the distance (much to your amazement) and begins unloading on your construct with furious strikes punctuated by equally furious swearing and cursing.

“I’m gonna drag you out of that fucking thing, and break every bone in your body, you little FUCKING RAT!”

The General begins hammering harder and harder, threatening to shatter your construct entirely as you begin to frantically play the most twisted game of Operation that you’ve ever had the displeasure of partaking in.

While scrabbling and rooting around in his chest cavity, you finally manage to locate his black heart. With a solid squeeze, you shoot it with as much Storm energy as you can spare, before tearing it from his ribcage and throwing it off into the distance.

The General finally goes slack, but not before delivering one last taunt.

“I’ll be seeing you in hell, sparky.”

With that, the light in his eyes go out and he slumps over with a disgusting squelch.

Maybe twenty seconds after, your jackal construct finally dissipates, leaving you sprawled on the floor and trying to catch your breath after the ordeal you've been subjected to.
>>
>>5356470

During your momentary rest, you're pinged on the secure channel. The rules are to avoid breaking radio silence unless its to report a critical mission update, so you force yourself to pay attention.

“Boss, this is Isaac. Thanks for the backup, managed to break through and get the job done. Reporting all objectives complete; been blasting some anti-government propaganda the Rats cooked up, and the sentiment is spreading like wildfire.

Got people rioting in the streets, waving banners and everything.”

Darius takes the opportunity to chime in as well.

“Same on my end. Got a little hairy for my liking, but we’ve dug in at all designated positions. Nobody’s getting a cent unless you give the greenlight.”

> “Fan-fucking-tastic work, the both of you. We’re nearly finished over here, I’ll report in with further instructions as necessary; just hold tight for now. We’re at the home stretch, it's time to knock the last domino over."

That last bit was more to remind yourself, but it’s still worth keeping in mind.

The entrance door is still blocked off, but the entrance to the war room was damaged during your fight with the General, allowing you to bust it open and storm inside.

As expected, the occupants are Pedraza (dressed in a uniform with a frankly ridiculous number of medals) as well as his inner circle of cronies, cowards, and cheats.

And, befitting someone with an ego like Pedraza’s, there’s also a fully staffed camera crew on standby. Guess he must record his briefings for posterity or something.

Pedraza goes to say something, but clams up when you jam your carbine in his face.

All that matters now is finally announcing that you’ve got the big man himself and his key supporters in your grasp.

Isaac was able to take all of his objectives; he should be able to broadcast this footage live to every TV set in the country, and probably internationally as well.

You decide to…

> Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.

> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.

> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, but execute his collaborators.

> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.

> Other?
>>
>>5356471
>> Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
I want blood
>>
File: pedraza.jpg (1 MB, 1815x2316)
1 MB
1 MB JPG
>>5356471

That's all for tonight, anons! What a wild goddamn ride, my heart couldn't take much more at a couple points.

As always, thanks for playing! Next session is next Friday at 5:00 PM EST; I've been slated for overtime most of next week, and won't have the time or attention I need to run properly.

I'll leave the vote open until Monday, as I traditionally do.

I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll be hanging around for maybe an hour or so to shoot the shit or answer questions if you've got any.

(Forgot Pedraza's pic in my excitement)
>>
>>5356471
>> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
>> Other?
Why, give them back to their loyal citizens, of course. While reciting the long list of their many selfish and cruel crimes.

Really at this point it doesn't matter what he does. He has been officially ousted. Dead or alive he's done. Though I do want him dead.

But more importantly we gotta pay Delrio a visit. He's getting a personal touch.
>>
>>5356471
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
Pedraza NEEDS to die, but the rest can be executed after a """fair""" trial to give the new government legitimacy

AND HOLY SHIT that was a badass end to the fight and the General, God It was cathartic
>>
>>5356475
Thanks for running Axis, this session was a rollercoaster

What's the world's reaction to the happenings in Venezuela? I hope we have good optics
>>
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.

Lets go full Gadafi on these pricks. Give the president to our most rabid fanatics to do with as they see fit and parade him through the streets. His collaborators get the Joker from the Dark knight treatment. While we feed the traitor's soul to set. >>5356471
>>
>>5356471
> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
>>
Man I hope we can still use the blackmail material we got on the squad. We're gonna need it once they see us out and about in Gotham plain as day so they can't just tattle on us to whoever out of spite.

>>5356475
Stop rolling so well. I don't want our winning streak against Babs to end. God I'm so happy we got this stupid gun for Jack now. Whew. He really knows how to ask for the world that dead ol' chap. For a second I was about to give up on actually beating the General and was gonna vote to kool-aid through the wall and just nab the gat and split.
>>
>>5356471
How did we NOT walk in with the general's head?

Also we need to splatter the body. Or incinerate it. Or portal it to the Amazons or something.

> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.

We wanna be as legit as possible. Plus it gives us some leverage over task force X. We're already big shit #1 for killing the general. Any positive spin + having inside info is worthwhile.
>>
>>5356481

Well, you can probably guess how your neighbor to the north is going to feel about this, but international opinion as a whole is pretty divided.

Most world leaders weren't big fans of Pedraza, but you are basically fighting to put a military junta in power.

Other nationalist revolutionary groups are going to be over the moon, though.

As a reminder, the Jungle Rats (who you've linked yourself to) were basically founded by disgruntled officers and non-coms who were sick and tired of the corruption, foreign exploitation, and general mismanagement.

Not a lot of people overseas are going to be happy if the Rats commit to their populist ideals, but that's not really your problem unless you really feel like playing politics for some reason.

>>5356486
Feel free to flash the General's head at the camera if you so desire, just to really piss off Lok when he sees it.
>>
>>5356471
> Execute Pedraza on live TV and flash the General's head at the camera, but arrest his collaborators.
> After that we should dismember the corpse of the General and destroy the remains.
>>
>>5356471
>Other?
>Tell Pedraza to open the security Door.
>Tell our strong Russian friend and half our Squad to go for the treasury and secure it fast.
>Reap the General head and arms for Security measures
>Give a speech full of inspiration and rightous fury on TV
>make our team drag Pedraza and company to the streets, and if at the end he isn't dead by the people then we execute them.

We are invested, but if this is going on international TV this is really going to mark us and put our suit/identity/whatever on the spot, so maybe the best is to pull out and have our generals to come here and give the speech execution of Pedraza... But that's really going to take time, and last time that ended up in The General airdropping on us, so better if we do the emotional speech and just kill him ourselves, and maybe consider changing our suit style once we're in Gotham
>Execute Pedraza and the rest on TV

But remember, we still need to go for the Winchester and Delrio, this is just the first step in this shit
>>
>>5356497
Damn, maybe i'm overseeing shit because I really like what >>5356477

After all, having political prisioners on inhumane conditions isn't something new, so maybe after some "fair trial" they might get shot
>>
>>5356471
>> Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
>>
>>5356493
Axis this was a GOD tier session thank you for running it
>>
>>5356471
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
Give a little speech about his crimes or something. Such a corrupt, scheming worm doesn't deserve to live, it's the People's nation now. We gotta make it airtight too so the JL or the US themselves don't decide to intervene. Anyway, an awesome fight Axis, I only wish we had some skilled drawfags around to turn it into a proper comic.
>>
>>5356444
The bloodiest fight that ends an immortal. Set is gonna have a field day.
>>
>>5356471
>Calcify the bastards brains before moving on.
>Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
We have been waiting motherfucker. Your guard dog can't save you twice.
>>
>>5356497
I'll back this too
>>
>>5356471
>Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
Of course we gotta finally kill the bastard!
>>
>>5356471
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
>>
>>5356471
> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
Here's my idea. We televise a trial where we put forward all our evidence on Pedraza's corruption and foreign influence, along with his collaborators. Then we execute him and those most guilty for treason against the state/people of Venezuela. We DO NOT EXECUTE people on live TV, that's barbaric, that's what people EXPECT of a third world country. Now that we have full control of the nation, we need to legitimize our position and fix the country. Our ploy worked, we didn't have to fight a war in the street, we need to capitalize on this. I think our long term goal is the Jungle Rats's, to stabilize the country, increase the quality of life, and decrease corruption using the natural resources that the country has.
>>
>>5356638
I guess my vote is actually
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, and execute the most guilty of his collaborators.
>>
>>5356476
>support
>>
>>5356493
Is it possible to try the bomb removable spell on the general and purposefully fail it to ensure he's dead?
>>
>>5356471
I just realized:

Where's our traitor?
>>
>>5356476
Support
>>
>>5356471
>> Arrest Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
>>
>>5356471

> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators
>other take off the generals head, burn all that remains. Scan room for any cameras.
>>
>>5356735
shitting his pants and tryign to run away?
>>
>>5356493
If we are to kill Pedraza live on TV, I feel we can gain more favour by explaining that if we do arrest him then it is likely some *International Powers* would be invested in possibly breaking him out and lacing him back into power

If we do this then it may force a certain group or nation to reveal their hand if you get what I mean
>>
>>5356471
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, alongside his collaborators.
We've been through too much not to see blood spill
>>
>>5356471
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
If we leave Pedraza alive, then Task Force X is just going to try to put him back in power. The people do need some targets to slate their blood lust but Pedraza is literally too dangerous to be left alive. Kill him now and we can sort everything else out later, except the Ace of Winchesters. Someone might try to walk off with that thing in the chaos. We need to secure it asap. People like to steal trophies and split when regimes collapse.
>>
Changing >>5356497 but ONLY the part of

>make our team drag Pedraza and company to the streets, and if at the end he isn't dead by the people then we execute them.
Yo
>Execute Pedraza on TV, arrest the rest except the most important figures or the closest to Pedraza

Like >>5356923 and other anons, Pedraza is the main puppet and were the majority of bloodlust is in. By killing him Task Force X lost their main puppet, but that doesn't mean there aren't other into Suicide Squad pocket. Better if we kill Pedraza and one or two important figures that have some influence. The rest we can arrest and interrogate for any information they have and see if they're an asset of Task Force X. If we can root every spy or asset of those bastards Venezuela will be safer for more time from those fuckers.
>>
>>5356934
>Yo

Phoneposting, I meant to write "To"
>>
>>5356923
This, Let the people tear into him Mussolini style
>>
Regardless of how this goes. I want Delrio delivered to us, ALIVE. I want to drag his ass out to an open field and tell him to fight us 1 on 1. Then rip into him with the Claw.
>>
I want to throw pedraza to the people literally and they tear him apart like the forest monster in smiling friends.
Like 10 seconds and hes eviscerated
>>
>>5356735
On his way to his destination, the end of the ninth circle of hell. Reserved for traitors. He may just not realize it yet.

If he isn't hiding in the vents hoping for the best he's probably trying to slip under a fence outside.
>>
>>5356720
This is a little too meta. We haven't really encountered people who don't stay dead yet. People that are insanely hard to kill yes, but not people who can regenerate from death. We deep fried his heart and threw it away. As far as we know he should be ultra dead. This also means his Vagus Nerve is fried too but that doesn't matter to a regenerator.
>>
>>5357092
I totally forgot that he was a regenerator when I wrote that (thanks hard liquor!) and just wanted to double tap to be sure. Fair enough though.
>>
>>5357126
Paranoia and metagaming are really similar sometimes. Explains why it's Batman's most useful trait
>>
>>5357092
I mean... After this and our first fight we surely know he's really tough, I don't think it's meta to do something so drastic like take his head off, after all he's no normal human, and much less someone like Scandal Savage or her girlfriend (metas with normal enhanced strenght, durability and etc) to not take that kind of measures
>>
>>5357171
It would still be weird to try and intentionally botch the spell instead of just tearing his head off or stomping it into paste. But his final words actually give us a reason not to fuck with his "corpse" any more. He very plainly implied he was dead and done for. He didn't say "see you later" he said "see you in hell". You don't see someone in hell if you're alive after all.

But really it doesn't matter if we do try and permakill him, the body will survive and they can just do another brain transplant.

Or maybe, wishful thinking here, he is just dead. A man can hope, right?
>>
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
>>
>>5357176
Fair enough. May be too meta to think he'll regenerate from death.

I'm still for checking the corpse for a GPS tracker and then throwing the body to sea so X Force can't find it.
>>
>>5357221
I'd be all for it but I don't know if Sean would. Depends on whether you consider simply chucking a corpse into the water to be a burial at sea or not. Leaving a soldier unburied might smack a bit close to what happened to his boys back in the sandbox for him to do.
>>
>>5357221
Let's just try and search for a earpiece or something he could use to talk to his base (or even Lok) and tell him to go watch CNN or some news channel for our victory speech
>>
>>5357225
At minimum he'd know that this was a high powered asset they'd want to research when it's dead. General was an unchipped asset.

Biggest FU to X is not letting them have him back to figure out how he died
>>
>>5357225
I personally doubt that he gives The General any respect as a soldier. Since he knows that he volunteered to be part of Task Force X.

I really just can't think of any in character reason for us to go back and mutilate his body further. In our minds we killed him. That should be it. Now going back to check him for tech that we can hack and pull more info about Task Force X from? That makes sense to me.
>>
>>5357225
>>5357413
We saw him regenerate really fast and say he will see us again. We shot that ex lover of knockout a bunch of extra times, why wouldnt we do so for a fast regenerator who has no respect for their opponents?

We did less to make sure the general was dead afterbattle than we did to >>5352198.
>>
>>5357721
>say he will see us again
>>5356470
>“I’ll be seeing you in hell, sparky.”
Believe it or not when people say this they don't mean in Michigan. And with us having seen his regeneration wear out in our first fight, and the reduced rate of regen he had in this fight from the Set mecha it paints a picture of him actually going down for the count.

WE might know better, but with all the information Sean has, HE doesn't.

>who has no respect for their opponents?
I don't know where you're getting that from. He talks a lot of shit yeah but that's kinda what you do when you're at the top of the food chain. He definitely wants "fair" fights though. He was miffed when Delrio popped us with a rocket. He's just an asshole.

As for brutalizing his corpse, we've got a film crew watching us right this second. It's probably a good thing we didn't stop to start mangling him while they could get set up and watch us going full psycho killer. Bad optics.

But you're missing the obvious answer. Sean just hates women.

Nah but I get where you're coming from. But even so he's got to regen not only his entire heart being pulled out but having all of the nerves and veins in his torso blasted with enough electricity to vaporize a yak. He's going to be out of commission for a while at least. Rip out his spine or something if you want, I don't plan on staying here long enough for it to matter if we hurt him more to further slow his regen.
>>
>>5357743
>Sean just hates women

>Sean has never willfully interacted with a woman when not required
>All other times he's met a woman, he fought/Killed them
>Let Jack touch his bare chest

Homosean real!?!?!?!?!? Lol
>>
>>5357904
oh god we are truly a mix of Snake and Big Boss of this universe
>>
>>5357904
I can't believe it took anons this long to catch on.
Though we did talk to Plastique out of our own free will, if I had known she would just go and die I would have voted to talk to the General.
>>
>>5357904
>>5358035
If he was homo, we would have a lot more hints about it. Though it is quite hilarious that we rarely interact with women. Its just that being a hero/villain is generally a guys game. The female that we have encountered the most is actually Barbra. And she actually seems to be going out of her way to avoid our 'civilian' persona now.
>>
>>5358035
>the one woman Sean approached of his own volition without a driving need
>fucking dies from the explosives he set completely by chance
Karmic Gayness obtained.

>>5358043
Maybe we can hang out with Livewire now that we're rubber. Though if she's still rocking that dyke ass haircut I think I'd rather pass. Actually she's kind of a dumb cunt. Yeah let's not.

It sucks that we've iced every female villain we've come across. Even the small timers. If only they'd stop trying to kill us. The woes of being well armed and willing to use them.
>>
Why don't we just make a new persona that gets pussy?
Doesn't matter if its civilian, hero or villain.
Og sean doesn't exist anymore as a criminal on paper so we could just recreate sean as a person that exists in the system
>>
>>5358064
>taking time out of our busy schedule solely to get laid
That's not very cash money of you, anon. We should just go rob a bank and chat up Babs instead. Then we can bang up her knees some more and run away laughing.
>>
>>5358043
Obviously it's meant to be ambiguous as is up to the players votes. But no one really cares so Sean will remain chaste and pure.
>>5358055
We did meet some villainesses in the tournament arc. We beat their asses but they are presumably alive, though they didn't really leave a great impression.
>>5358064
We have enough personas as is thank you very much.
Honestly we should just kiss Jack first thing after Venezuela and find out what tickles Sean's fancy. He's gonna die anyways, might as well that out of the way.
>>5358073
Or let's have a Dresden arc and build a social link with Babs while detectiving the Court of Owls and Cadmus and whatever
>>
>>5358078
>We did meet some villainesses in the tournament arc
Oh shit yeah I forgot about that. Man, time flies right? Thinking about it makes me want some more xenothium. Upgrade addiction is starting to itch.

>Or let's have a Dresden arc and build a social link with Babs
How would we abuse her legs like that? Though I do like me my Jonah stuff. Getting to meet ghost, ghouls, and wild wacky cultists is always fun.

>kiss jack
All the homies goodnight, every night.
>>
>>5358080
>How would we abuse her legs like that?
Make her climb all the stairs. Just insist on walking around the city instead of taking taxis.
>>
>>5358080
>>Or let's have a Dresden arc and build a social link with Babs
This is the most likely way for us to get married and hold hands with Babs
>>
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>>5358081
>Make her climb all the stairs.
>"Look it's just fourteen flights. You could have taken the elevator but you just had to show up with a friggin' cape and cowl on."
Your evil truly is limitless.

>>5358085
I'm just thinking how sad it would be if we did get a rapport with Babs and then she gets wheelchair'd by the Clown Prince. Batman would be having a hell of a time trying to stop Sean from braining that jester.
>>
>>5358096
He'd have a hell of a time stopping Sean any day of the week. Don't even fridge Babs, why wouldn't we kill Joker?
>>
>>5358102
>why wouldn't we kill Joker?
Well, we haven't even met any of his goons yet right? Sean doesn't really have a reason to go on a warpath aimed at the guy atm. All he'd know about him is rumors and hearsay. Which paint a bad picture but hey people say bad shit about dudes like Bane, too. Yet we don't mind him so much.

We'd have to see or feel some of the heinous shit Joker does before we decide to cap him. Just to be fair.
>>
If batman finds out after we start dating barbara that we are gunsmoke, would he tell her?
Would she believe him?
If we are gonna date a woman with 2 cop dads it's probably best to have multiple backup plans, explanations and prepare for the worst
>>
>>5358112
>If batman finds out after we start dating barbara that we are gunsmoke, would he tell her?
Absolutely. If not crash one of their dates and dropkick him while everyone is distracted.
If she liked Sean enough she'd probably push to say that he's kept most stuff on the down low and tried to avoid killing people despite how much easier it would have made things and say she can get him to stop entirely or something. Because people act foolish for those they care about. To be fair though if we get everything set up for Jack we might not need to do any more crime stuff. Need, we'll probably still want to.

I wouldn't worry about it though. We won't even make it to first base.
>>
>>5358109
Yeah, I meant it in the hypothetical scenario that we get the option to kill Joker during a mission or whatever, and we don't really lose anything for doing it, why wouldn't we kill him if we kill 90% of people that get in our way.
>>5358112
You know damn well he would tell her and she'd buy it immediately. But by then Sean would already have hacked into the mainframe of the batcomputer and leaked all the JL identities and addresses into the internet then bury himself under Venezuela's presidential palace to weather the ensuing shitstorm for six months.
>>
>>5358120
Ah yeah. Joker would be primo target practice. Bats' goofy ass rules be damned. Whether it would pan out is a different story though. Joker is a goddamn cockroach.
>>
>>5358080
>How would we abuse her legs like that?

I just can only imagine this shit and giggle
>"Well well! How are you, Batgirl? O can notice some extra padding in your knees, how considerated"
>"Dammit Gunsmoke, this is the third time you try and rub a bank this month, this is getting tiresome"
>"I mean... A half is about the money, the other it's more about being capable of seeing your cute face"
>"W-Wait, what!?"
>"Huh!? D-Did I just said!?... AAAAAAAH" *shots her in the knees and runs*
>>
>>5358140
Why does this read like a 6th grader or an AI generated story? kek spot on
>>
> Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
>>
>>5356471
>Execute Pedraza on live TV, but arrest his collaborators.
>Flash the head.
>>
>>5357904
>>5357985
Are we gonna start racing cars against vin diesel?
>>
>>5356471
Think there's a minor misunderstanding with some people who think execute live doesn't mean at this moment.

I'm down for public execution, just not at this exact moment.
>>
Any shot at getting an interlude between now an Friday?
>>
>>5359620
Don't worry anon, I've already sacrificed a goat to ensure Axis' writing process goes smooth as butter
>>
>>5359625
I sacrificed my love life.

It didn't do anything.
>>
>>5359747
You can't sacrifice what never got the chance to live, anon
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>>5359328
I agree with this anon we should execute him just not here or now
>>
So what is the plan moving forward, assuming we grab the ace of winchesters and split successfully? Personally I think he needs a vacation or some downtime. Maybe take Set up on that tour. He needs to destress and take some time to come to terms with everything that has happened. As much as i want to suggest going to H.I.V.E. I can't do it in good conscious. It would just be a different kind of stressful situation.
>>
>>5360232
I think so far the long-term goals are
>Give Jack his afterlife
>Attack and Destroy Belle Reeve/The Squad as a whole
>>
>>5360232
We could probably go to H.I.V.E. academy and just goof off for the most part, really. We don't do good enough and they kick us out, no big loss.

But we could start pursuing more mundane plans anons had. Sending people gifts, networking, that crap. As for going on a global pub crawl with Set, that would probably end up leading to a million fights and at least one stolen sun (temporarily). The dude has no chill. We need to figure out where he went and what's happened to him. Can't have our local goof-ball getting shoved back into a soul prison.

But we really should set up to knock out Belle Reeve. On the one hand, the longer we wait the more likely anyone we want to spring dies on a mission. On the other hand the more they'll start to relax thinking Sean just moved on.
>>
>>5360277
You forgot us building an enterprise so people like us can get another chance.
>>
>>5358080
>How would we abuse her legs like that? Though I do like me my Jonah stuff.
We go sewer diving on a Troll hunt and watch her bang her knees on everything down there.
>>
Howdy, anons.

Did some exhaustive tallying, and it looks like executing Pedraza but taking his top cronies captive has the most votes.

Since our next session has been pushed back to Friday, this is an excellent opportunity to flesh out the mechanics of how you'd like the execution to go about. It's grim stuff, but there's no reason not to whistle while you work and all.

It's pretty much a given that you'll be giving some kind of speech about toppling Pedraza, so feel free to pitch ideas about content / general themes.

No need for a dedicated vote, I'll just keep an eye on things and what seems to gain traction.

Now that my rambling is through, how would you like to do the deed?

> Get the cameras rolling and cut his throat, right here and now. No muss, no fuss; you’re not letting him slip through your fingers again.

> Get the cameras rolling and let the Liberators have their way with him, right here and now. They’re a creative bunch that’s sure to come up with something memorable.

> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. It’ll be more satisfying to see his angry constituents take out their repressed anger on him.

> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He’ll go in front of a military tribunal that’ll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.

> Other?


There were some scattered questions that I'm too lazy to link to individually, so I'll just address them here.

Delrio is still in the palace (as far you know)

The General is as dead as doornail (He's not coming back from that one barring specific intervention)

I'll hopefully have another interlude done by Friday.

As for the vacation stuff...
Get out of my notes damn it. Quit making reasonable predictions and observations. You'll ruin my mystique.

If I missed your particular question / concern, just let me know and I’ll address it when I can scrape together the requisite braincells.
>>
>>5360465
Honestly, I feel like turning on the cameras and executing Pedraza after saying something cool is a good way to end it.

Personal enough to be satisfying, and still leaves the others for actual trials. MAN the Venezuelan-SQ bits were a wild ride, but fun.
>>
>>5360465
>Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He'll go in front of a military tribunal that'll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.
That said I don't feel too strongly about it. Delrio, though, when we get our hands on him, is not going to die cleanly.
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He’ll go in front of a military tribunal that’ll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.
>>
>>5360343
I would assume that's bundled in with the whole destroy the squad thing.
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He’ll go in front of a military tribunal that’ll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.
This is a horrible option, but the only one I see that will leave the country in a semi legitimate state. This needs to be as official as possible for the country to recover. You kill him and people will just use that as a defense. They can lie all they want about him blackmailing them or anything else they want as the man can't defend himself being dead. Sadly this also gives him a damn good chance to escape, or Task Force X to come in and bust him out. Then have him 'remotely' manage his territories from a safe location. While he is secretly dead, or he gets a bomb put in his head and is puppeted around.

>Get out of my notes.
No.
>>
>>5360543
>implying they'll defend themselves
>implying we/the Grand Liberators won't 'convince' them to admit guilt

You're thinking too first-world, anon
>>
>>5360552
unfortunately we don't have that much legitimacy without having the hague or other foreign groups involved.

I wonder if we could get superman to drag him to the watchtower for imprisonment as an alternative to capping him here. Risky as hell, but it could lend credence by using a 3rd party everyone trusts to show we're not just murdering people.

The only way we're not a "kangaroo court" is if trusted third parties engage and support our action. There aren't many good options there.

That said I'd rather we be accused of being a kangaroo court than to be butchers. That may give X benefactors the positioning to have peacekeepers or other forces involved.
>>
>>5360465
>> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He’ll go in front of a military tribunal that’ll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. It’ll be more satisfying to see his angry constituents take out their repressed anger on him.
>>
>>5360558
Question, why do you think it matters if it gets viewed as an illegitimate government? Whether it is or isn't foreign powers will try to get involved. Politics are the game of liars, cutthroats and thieves in suits. As long as the government has popular support it's basically impossible to supplant without someone waging an all out war on the country. And the only nations that would actually go to war with Venezuela are its South American neighbors. Which we'd have to worry about either way because second and third world countries don't have the pretense of "civilized" ones.

America or France liking that we were polite about getting rid of the dictator won't stop the glowies from doing their shit in the background. And they'll send gifts or threats as necessary to get what they want.

If you want to do it that way anyway all the power to you. Most of the nations on this planet were built on gutting someone though.
>>
>>5360619
I mean glowies are going to show up regardless.

It's more that if we get that positive spin going early, we can cash out the good will we earn on other things.

We just overthrew a government. There will be a shitton of enemies, but plenty of people will look for an ally in us.

On the world stage, we might have a real hero problem if we fuck up too much. Each little bit counts. The JL already has a new dossier so lets try to stay relatively off the radar.

This also means not revealing the general's dead. Batman probably knows who that is and it will immediately shoot us up the threat level list (again).
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He’ll go in front of a military tribunal that’ll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.
This is the most legitimate option and will lead the country to the most long term healing as someone else said.
>>5360475
Yes, Delrio dies when we get our hands on him.

What do you guys want to do with Venezuela? A lot of anons seem to want to do HIVE which I'm not against but we just overthrew a fucking country. We have options. At the VERY least I want ties with the military here to send mooks we recruit through the wringer. Some kind of special forces/jungle survival course. Give them a taste of the hell Darius and Issac went/are going through.

Also a nice safe house maybe with a beach view can we get a beach view? Is it worth it to us to stick around for a bit to ensure everything is stabilized before we leave Bonila and the rest for the US or wherever?
>>
>>5360815
Axis said we'd get to go over the benefits once we finish here, so we'll probably be able to bargain for some things
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. It’ll be more satisfying to see his angry constituents take out their repressed anger on him.
An accident where the door is left unlocked as the prison van passes through angry crowds doesn't seem too unreasonable...
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. It’ll be more satisfying to see his angry constituents take out their repressed anger on him.
Mussolini would clap for this guys turn for his brand of fun.
>>
>>5360815
Pretty sure its just me and 1 other anon pushing for H.I.V.E. I phone post from work so i might have a few different IDs, and then I post from my desktop computer when I get home.
The problem is that whatever ties we make to Venezuela will get traced back to adjutant tango by Batman. Any associates that we interact with will create a web of influence/connections that will begin to tie our multiple personalities together even if we are extremely careful. It is almost inevitable that Batman will figure out our identity. But as long as we play by honorable rules so will he.
I also want beachfront property. Dont need a sprawling mansion. A nice little shaded villa with access to a beach and a few servants that get to live on property for free as long as they keep the place tidy would work for me. They can probably also get a salary through the new government but that leaves a paper trail.
>>
>>5360815
I was thinking we'd do more Not Dresden(TM) stuff for a day or two, make it know we are still around. Then do HIVE stuff like taking the kids on Egyptian field trip to muck about with ancient curses or mess with insurgents. Give the lot that special FNG grind down for our classes.
>>
>>5360983
Nah. We renovate Jack's pad and make it a home for our new PMC group.
>>
>>5361188
>sean's home for wayward mercs
>now boasting an astounding 58% rate of reform!
>>
>>5361235
We can even hire Killer Croc and he can stay as a caretaker and mentor for troubled criminals. And Batman can have a stroke that we are fixing his rouges gallery better than Blackgate.
>>
>>5360558
we could try to get someone from the international criminal court to observe and sign off on our trial.

>>5361185
Dresden would be cool. Might even get to hand hold with Babs.
>>
>>5361239
>In the middle of a literal haunted house
>Trying to find the artifact with the spirit recking the place in question to get it out
>Get jumped by the ghost and break an item setting off the alarm
>Babs comes to see Jona getting thrown around by psychic tornado trying to shoot it with magic bullets
>Wave as we fly past and accidentally grab her
>She hits her knees in the flight
>Eventually stop it and carry Babs for awhile till she can feel her legs
All is right in the world.
>>
>>5360465
> Have Pedraza detained until the mission is done. He’ll go in front of a military tribunal that’ll give him the dragging through the mud he deserves.

This whole venezvuela thing has been just like Guarma from rdr2
>>
>>5360465
> Get the cameras rolling and cut his throat, right here and now. No muss, no fuss; you’re not letting him slip through your fingers again.
>>
>>5361238
I really like Croc so I hope this is something we can actually do.
>>
I say maybe some vacation house in Margarita island and something more humble in idk, maybe Caracas would be good, or some state near the border of Brazil in case there's a problem (after all the Liberators had spies in the Colombian cartel)
>>
>>5361188
We want to do ANYTHING we can to keep Adjunct Tango AWAY from gunsmoke and Dresden.

That means he goes NOWHERE near Gotham other than to make deals/purchases with people. At best we establish a contact with someone in Gotham who's the only way to reach Tango. Ideally with completely separate means of communication compared to everyone else.

Really, we should be establishing a base for each persona. Also Dresden needs to be a traveler at this point, he's been missing from the magic scene/gotham way too long for others not to notice it.
>>
>>5361429
Sounds like we need a magic phone as Jonah. Email for Gunsmoke. Satphone for AT. Or a fax machine for Gunsmoke, if you want to go real retro.
>>
>>5361188
I was more referring to asking Venezuela to make us a vacation home along the coast. Also Jacks House I feel should be a bit more personal. A sanctuary, instead of a business. Do not taint the memories of Jacks home with PMC type business. I know we did and still do business with Jack there. It still feels wrong to make it the home of the PMC. Besides we can probably buy or get something built that would be more fit for that purpose.
>>
>>5361527
>he just wants a nice quiet broody place to bring batgirl after a nice three-course dinner and a stop off for an ice-cream cone
>>
>>5361536
I mean, I wouldn't be opposed. If people want to pursue Barbara in a way that doesn't feel forced then I would be fine with it. Don't really think we are her type though. One of the biggest pulls we could do would be to take her into the restricted areas of the library because she still doesn't have access.
>>
>>5361527
PMC business needs to be somewhere outside any overreaching jurisdiction. An outer haven if you will.
>>
You dig out your cherished phonograph and begin playing one of your favorite orchestral movements as you begin tidying up your self-inflicted damage to the manor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0RKpmjjpLQ

Music has oft been a soothing distraction from your ever-present worries and insidious doubts, but your humors are far too persistent to be quelled so easily.

With the successful acquisition of the Ace of Winchesters, the Scrolls of Herculaneum, and the Claw of Horus, only one last artifact of power remains before your long and arduous journey reaches its end.

Your feelings are a turbulent mix of both excitement and dread.

Excitement, that your curse will be lifted and nature will finally take its long-awaited course.

Dread, that the weight of your past will consign you to a fate worse than your current circumstances.

In the end, your handwringing is irrelevant. It’d be an insult to yourself, Sean, and his predecessors to abandon the path you’ve walked for so long.

You just hope that he can put the matter to rest and allow his mood to settle. From what little you’ve seen of Sean before he threw himself back into the fray, the burden of command weighs heavily on him.

It’s an admirable quality, but a dangerous one. The danger with attachments is that their loss can drive men into the deepest and darkest pits from which few return whole.

You’ve learned that lesson after decades of watching your few friends inevitably perish before your eyes.

And for lack of a more polite term, Sean can be…volatile, even at the best of times.

And while you have no doubts as to his loyalty, all men have their breaking points. A tragic fact with explosive consequences that you’ve seen take root too many times.

No, there’s no getting around it.

Once he’s back from Venezuela, you’re going to firmly insist that he take some vacation time before he allows himself to self-destruct.

He’ll probably protest, but you’ll not afraid of putting your foot down and making it a direct order if necessary. Sean won’t like it, but you’d rather him be cross than risk the alternative.

It doesn’t help overmuch that Sean has a distressing habit of trying to suppress most feelings besides the ones he considers valuable for field work. If he’s not careful, it’ll all come bubbling to surface at the worst of times.

Or worse, he may end up losing touch with his emotions entirely.

A lifetime of cold anger and isolation is a far cry from what Sean deserves for his labors on your behalf. You’ve attempted to steer him toward a goal that he can pursue once you’re gone, something that will make adequate usage of his prodigious talents.

You’ve done your best to present a cheerful facade, but as your judgement day grows closer and closer, it becomes harder and harder to maintain. If Sean hadn’t arrived unannounced, you probably would’ve hidden your vandalism, out of shame if nothing else.
>>
>>5361542
>literally getting with someone for their library card
I wonder why she wants in there so bad. Curiosity or maybe she's looking for something in particular?

As for being her type, well as long as we aren't in the timeline where she fucks Batman we should have a chance. It's mostly just funning. We'll have to see where anything goes. Our social links are mostly just business partners at this point.
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>>5361549

You allow yourself a moment’s respite from your labor to think more deeply about your protégé; the extraordinary young man who has annihilated every challenge and trial that has been placed in his way.

It’s impossible not to feel pride for the lad, given his evolution from the downtrodden castaway that you initially misjudged him as.

In a few short months, he’s managed to carve out a place in your highest esteems, and you will sorely miss him once you finally depart from this realm.

Sean is a paradoxical enigma that is difficult to fully anticipate.

He has shown himself capable of both great kindness and great cruelty.

In casual settings, he is humorous and easygoing; in times of conflict, his demeanor is that of a sharpened block of ice.

And most amazingly of all, despite everything he’s been through and the betrayals he’s suffered, he still maintains a spark of idealism in his heart.

Loyalty, friendship, honor, and courtesy.

Ambition, professionalism, cunning, and wit.

Sean manages to embody all of these traits in a perfectly flawed mixture, that you can’t help but respect.

You swore long ago to maintain your distance, to avoid anything other than professional courtesy and detachment from the inner lives of your agents and charges.

But Sean deserves better than that.

As someone who’s had more than their fair share of time alone with unpleasant thoughts, it’s not something you’re eager to see him inflicted with as well.

You’ve led enough young men to their deaths in your selfish quest for eternal rest, each one a black mark against whatever remains of your immortal soul.

Sean’s the brightest spark you’ve encountered in your many decades of incorporeal exile, and you will not allow Sean to sacrifice himself in your name, even if it means that you must risk alienating him.

The phonograph begins to slow as it nears the end of the song, and you idly reset it for another rendition.

That’s quite enough introspection for one evening, at least without a glass of something strong to loosen the spokes.

You still need to finish getting the old place back up to snuff.

When, not if, when Sean returns, he deserves better than to wade through an embarrassing reminder of your piteous lack of self-discipline.

Especially since this home will be a testament to the legacy that Sean shall inherit.
>>
(That's all for the Jack interlude, anons. Let me know what you think, had to get this one off the presses a little early for my liking, but I think its solid enough.)
>>
>>5361554
How can you do this to me. I was literally getting up to get into bed and you post this. I will have to critic it in the morning.
But it is nice to see Jacks thoughts about how paradoxical we are. We really do somewhat embody chaos.
>>
>>5361554
It makes me sad. If he gets sent to hell we're gonna go punch the devil and tell him to treat him right.
>>
>>5361554
Loved it to death... pun posthumously intended, with a bit of a posthumous pun.... get it, because Jack wants to basically die agai- y'know what I'm not making that a whole thing I'll just get to brass tacks

That was genuinely both the best and worst thing for me to see this late at night because I both really enjoyed it, and it moved me in a very particular way that makes me kinda sappy, and by extension kinda sad
>>
>>5361553
Man we better have one last hurrah before we wish a good afterlife. Amazing as always op
>>
>>5361554
Your interludes are always an interesting view into the perspectives of other characters.

This one has the added benefit of making me cry. Jack's fear and longing for what comes next, his regrets, and his practically familial relationship with Sean is put out on display. This is beautiful, Axis. It genuinely is beautiful.
>>
>>5361551
>>5361551
Curiosity is most likely. I mean she is part of the bat family and the daughter of commissioner Gordon. She is basically a walking ball of I want to know stuff. The fact that she pivots into infosec and hacking as the oracle later just reinforces this. She probably could have coasted off Batmans guilt money for the rest of her life. Her sense of justice wouldn't allow it.
>>
>>5361554
Alright now that its morning lets read this properly and critic it.
Jack does honestly understand us. We are frightening when on the outside looking in. Extremely competent in combat, ice cold, lightning quick decisions (pun intended). His cunning tempers his rage and determination. It would be so easy for him to fall back on his training and rage to just plow through everything with the claw. But he doesn't, he sits and thinks. He plots, he learns new things and grows. Pandion may have bonded to us because of rage and the feelings of betrayal, but we no longer stagnate in those feelings. We haven't moved past them but we use our training to wield them as one of the sharpest tools in our toolkit against those that deserve it.
Jack restored a bit of the light in us. Brought us out of the dark place we would have wallowed in for the rest of our most likely short life. And we in turn want to use this second chance to give others the same opportunity that so many others deserve but never get. A second chance.
>>
>>5361553
I will be genuinely upset when Jack finally goes. Legitimately saves Sean's life. We better pay it forward and do him proud.
>>
I can honestly see Sean as a sort off-and-on ally to quite a few heroes, maybe even some members of the Justice League itself if he plays is cards right. He got the right amount of honor and genuine goodness in his heart to do the right thing when the cards are down, and I can see that helping soften his image quite a bit.
>>
>>5361928
I think thats the best outcome even though it is going to be very awkward with several members
>>
>>5361928
>>5361964
If we can successfully rehabilitate some villains I could see the flash being a bit buddy buddy with us.
>>
>>5361982
It comes down to how well we can keep our personas going. Ironically Task Force X doesn't realize we're running multiple personas, they only know Adjunct Tango/Defcon. Ironically, the establishment of AT/Defcon may keep our other identities way safer. Defcon is WAY too high level for whatever Gunsmoke/Dresden are up to.

That said, Bobo is a liability that we need to figure out. Like not kill him or anything, just figure out cuz we aren't gonna get away with just lying.

Plus we should probably set Gremlin or some other person as a link up to Adjunct Tango. Put Adjunct Tango on a Gotham job and get him tangled up with a few others so we have a way for AT to be contacted/have an excuse to be in Gotham. Gunsmoke calling Gremlin to contact AT or something.


That all said, we're at best getting Flash and Aquaman to be cordial from the JL. Wouldn't be surprised if we end up as a 'call in' for JL Dark though.
>>
>>5362081
Nah Bobo's cool. Just having a nice sit down and explaining how we got to where we are and he'd be okay. Not like we're going out and killing random people and being a menace to society. He's a good guy but he's not a moral absolutist like Batman or Superman. He wouldn't sell us out.

>friends with flash because flash is just like that
>friends with aquaman because we've never killed a fish
>>
I have been thinking about something absolutely hilarious while at work.

The situation with Task Force X.

Lok is probably going fucking insane, thinking he got played like a fool. Out of context the situation looks like a fucking mission from Cadmus to infiltrate, uncover information, and then use that information to destroy Task Force X completely.

Think about it. To someone paranoid it looks like we took a dive versus The General. We had an ally 'pretend' to betray us and lay us low. We generally cooperate with them and what info they want. But we are utterly untraceable. We do a big mission that goes sideways and secure the objective while picking up additional information about Cadmus that we just should not have been able to acquire, and a satellite phone. Which to someone paranoid looks like we received outside help from Cadmus themselves and somehow slipped in a phone to report our situation to them. We then use our new influence to meet the management. We take the first opportunity to escape using magic that should have been completely blocked, while telling the operative sent to monitor us to “Tell Lok that I’ll be seeing him soon enough”. Then the next time they find us we completely body the operatives they sent to deal with us, including The General. Someone who should have been able to end us easily.

This is just hilarious to me. We look like a god damn super soldier.
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>>5362305
You know, maybe we can play the Cadmus angle, set them up to go open war with each other if we blow the whistle on Task Force X, so they think its free game to do the same to them. Bringing them both out to the public for possible League interference. Then when we finally see Lok, we just tell him we're some guy Gentleman Ghost helped get off the street after the military sold us down the river, and the only reason General won the first time is because some puke with more ambition than sense shot us in the back. The fact we ran Task Force X's shit into the ground is completely coincidental and out of spite an principle that we wreck its shit. The idea that some nobody grunt fucked his house like a tower of cards would crash his mind considering how much of an arrogant prick he is.
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>>5362305
The fact that Cadmus got a huge security breach out of fucking nowhere and are probably taking a beating for it is icing on the cake. Literally two birds'd both sides of the coin almost by sheer happenstance.

>>5362341
I don't know if I want to openly talk about our ties to Jack with Lok. Call me paranoid. Can never be too sure who is listening with the spook types.
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>>5362099
It's more the fact the combination of the identities is an EXTREMELY valuable secret. If anyone even suspected Bobo knew Adjunct Tango, X Force would get paid a visit. AT is not public enemy #1, but he's definitely a huge glowie target (for information at minimum. To acquire and manipulate at best)

I figured Aquaman, as a leader of a nation, would understand what nation shit can end up like. That includes glowie shit among other problems. If Venezuela manages to bootstrap itself from its dictatorship, then we may gain some respect.

Diana doesn't really do nation work and is somewhat high/mighty on morals.
Martian Manhunter probably has Gunsmoke on watch for burning Miss Martian (though nobody really knows Gunsmoke didn't know the cape was part of her)
Superman is just a boyscout. He'd leave us alone to not play god... but he isn't going to talk nicely.
Green lantern might actually play ball based on military experience. However, he has a lot more space crap on his plate.

Who the fuck can imagine Batman's take on AT. Especially because investigating him just turns up fucking nothing until this guy with insane equipment, magic, and training just shows up and starts causing chaos. Considering big people like that don't show up often and this is the second time one of our identities results in a dead end? No bueno.
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>>5362353
The only way I would mention Jack to Lok is if Jack has already done his ritual and passed on. At that point he is beyond any kind of reprisal.
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>>5362341
I'm down for tricking Cadmus into striking Belle Reve. It means a shitton of force we don't have to buy/risk the lives off. While X is busy with Cadamus, we can start pulling bombs out of brains.
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>>5362353
>>5362367
I can't really back this idea. We sick them against each other and a lot of people are going to die, because both of them don't really care about collateral damage. Not to mention that a lot of the members of Task Force X will die and we can't poach any good eggs from there if they are all dead.
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>>5362383
.....what collateral damage? They both operate in secret out of the way shitholes, and in sparse, already in conflict, warzones. The VIP stuff would be hotspots already and they would act accordingly, this isn't a situation like when we blew Iceburg Lounge to smitherines for Bane.
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>>5362359
Ah I hadn't actually considered Bobo getting made like that. But he still doesn't actually know about AT, right? Just that we - that is to say Sean - needed Belle Reeve to be found and something about bomb brain chips, right? He'd have to personally go down to the place to pick up the paper trail that actually links AT to Sean otherwise he'll just know it's a black ops "recruiting" site that Sean got caught up in. Though the details would be fuzzy. There are some leaps in logic that can link them but I doubt he would make them. Let alone express them enough to arouse suspicion.

Though the squad being paranoid would probably see Bobo looking into things, coincidentally when AT was taken, and then immediate accusations happen. We may have already fucked him if he got far in his investigation. Might be too late to just literally call him off.

Those are good points on the heroes. Do you think MM would be placated if we were genuinely apologetic? Being set on fire is ass.

>>5362360
I'm more worried that it'll go like this
>Lok hears it, Waller finds out somehow
>Waller puts it in her database
>Batman has a bug in it to see some of that shit
>Sees AT mentioned Jack
>investigates Jack for AT stuff
>eventually spots security footage or some bullshit of Sean and Jack together
>oh god house of cards
You know? Full shadowrunning right there. I do not trust glowies like Lok to not inadvertently ruin absolutely everything just by existing.

>>5362383
Only thing I'm worried about is getting Shade, Mouse and maybe Ravan out. Get the boys.
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>>5362393
MM might want to slug us at least once, but if we apologise to his daughter and make it up to her, it should be fine. Maybe something to improve fire resistance if it ever comes up at that time and we reach that bridge?
>I do not trust glowies like Lok to not inadvertently ruin absolutely everything just by existing.
Well yeah, that's the only function in life they serve, fuck up everything around them because they're government sponsored maniacs.
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>>5362389
Shitholes still have people living in them. Might be a bit of a stretch to care about them but Sean has been in a war area filled with civilians. He knows the pain they go through. Would he knowingly inflict that pain on others?

>>5362393
As someone trying to get into cyber security, yeah I totally understand complete paranoia. Dude has the funds and the means to have every single conversation that he has recorded and backed up to some remote server. And then have it all sent to relevant outlets on a deadmans switch. Can't even rule out some sort of brain implant that records everything he hears, since you know brain bombs.
I can understand about only getting the boys out, but there is bound to be others in there worth a second chance.
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>>5362389
>...what collateral damage
There are plenty of people there against their will, they'd count as collateral
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>>5362393
>>5362406
There's a simple solution, anons
>We face down Lok
>He expects some speech or something
>"The Justice League sends their regards"
>BAM
>Deadman's switch, two future problems will be too busy dealing with eachother

:D lol
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>>5362405
If we ever find some artifact that makes flames no longer touch someone we could offer that up. That would probably be instant forgiveness right there. After the wedgie of course.

>>5362406
>but there is bound to be others in there worth a second chance.
Of course, but it's my primary focus on going there. First we get our guys, then we can worry about any potential rescues left behind.

>>5362419
Kek.
>I'm Batman
>bang!
National headlines, "The Batman Murders Civil Servant In The Middle Of His 9-5 Shift".
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>>5362406
Why would they even shot at or around civilians, they're black opps groups, they will do their damndest to stay out of sight of people in their conflicts, again, this isn't a Gotham Gang War. Shean would absolutely set the groups up to fight to the death, your projecting civilian casualties where they wouldn't be around or remotely involved in their conflicts, and the Prison doesn't have civilians, they have contractors. Except Mouse, because we are his teacher in the ways of asskicking.
>>5362408
You mean the captured squads? They are either going to be freed by us, purged out of spite to cover tracks, which is harder to do with investigations starting, or used as fodder to protect themselves in the process of already protecting themselves. Baring the few we made friends with, most of them are not good people and would die regardless of how do to their nature and natural occupation. We plan to break them out, but that doesn't mean they will blindly follow us anyways, and if they fight us we still have to go through them. There is no way there won't be collateral when we go to Bell Reeve. But saying its collateral when we send Cadmus on them is a stretch.
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>>5362426
Didn't the Cadmus guys shoot fucking rockets at the construction site we we're taking potshots from? Which collapsed. And probably killed a few people nearby with debris.

Or was it the Russians? Speaking of, wonder what our new Ruskie buddy is gonna do without the bomb in his head.
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>>5362426
What happened to the Russian embassy is why. Both groups went at it and leveled the damn place. There were surely people caught in the collapse. We even had a voting option to go back through the wreckage to pull people out. If Task Force X finds out that Cadmus is renting out a floor of an office building or something? They will just level the place and try to pin the blame on Cadmus.
Maybe I am wrong and they wouldn't do that, but that is the impression I get from them. Try to stay in the shadows but if you can't w/e. Just get the job done.
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The more glowies involved the more this becomes shadowrun quest
Which is not necessarily a bad thing but let's cool the 4d chess plans until we get there
I think it's worth trying to save the prisoners and give them a second chance considering that sean literally just went through what they did
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>>5362459
The Plan(tm) as far as I can tell, is bust open Belle Reve and recruit the inmates into our prospective Diamond Dogs operation we've got going on in Venezuela.
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>>5362459
Considering we just toppled a government, we're big leagues now. And we're not playing one note. There's no way out of the logistics now.
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Got some shitty news, anons.

My power went out overnight, and it doesn’t look like service is getting restored until the weekend at least,

As of now, I have to go ahead and cancel tonight’s session by virtue of having nothing with which to write / post.

Should the issue be resolved early, I’ll chime in with good news.
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>>5362787
THE QM CURSE STRIKES.
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>>5362787
Thought you pushed the session to Friday due to work already?

Reminds me of the time I had to go to McDonalds for the wifi. Needed it to work my job one time. Life.
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>>5362787
Damn. The fuck happened? A substation got struck by lightning? Rats in the walls? Some retard spilled coffee on the plant's control panel? The gnomes grounded all the wires? Static Shock came back to the hood?
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>>5362787
NOOOOOOOOO, would a weekend run instead work if you get it back then?
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I really want to see more stuff done with Set. There's a lot that could be done with him, especially with the other (non-chaos) parts of his personality, like his hate of Horus, or the fact that he's literally the god of foreigners.
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>>5362808

Yeah, this week has been a real ass-kicker. I finally get through a gauntlet of overtime at work, and then the power gets fried.

Should be good for Monday for though, barring any other unexpected disturbances.

>>5362930

I'd prefer to run sessions during the work week, mostly out of ingrained habit and scheduling at this point.
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Howdy, anons.

Just checking in for a moment.

The power situation has stabilized, so our Monday session at 5:00 PM EST is confirmed.

After tallying the votes, it looks like taking Pedraza prisoner with the intent of giving him a "trial" once everything is said and done.

We'll be starting off with a new thread on Monday, which I will link here.

I've learned from my mistakes, that's for sure.
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>>5365646
i am happy, hopefully next session goes without a hitch and you dont roll too many 100s
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>>5366142
Here's hoping we get those hundreds
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>>5366527

Link to new thread, pile in.



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