>>5339868
>>Run towards the tree line with your gun ready, focusing on assault.

>>5339868
>Run towards the tree line with your gun ready, focusing on assault.

oh man, been a while

>>5339868
>Run towards the tree line with your gun ready, focusing on assault.

>>5339871
>>5339874
>>5339878
Charge through the smoke and hope that you can dodge. Writing now!

>>5339874
I know, right? Life's been crazy as hell.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

Let's check how we're doing today

>>5339910
Not great, not terrible

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>>5339900
Gritting your teeth, you take a second to steel yourself before springing towards the road like a coiled spring.

When you’re out of the smoke, the fresh air entering your lungs is a blessing you only get to experience for but a few moments. You’re able to quickly gauge the situation, firstly finding that there’s another layer of smoke that’s been dropped right at the tree line you were heading towards. You recognize this as an attempt to dissuade either Orange or you from making well-informed shots, which is irritating, but also something that’s easily bypassed. The second thing is the fact that there’s muzzle flashing reflecting off said smoke, although it’s far to your left – likely an attempt to pin down Orange, although you don’t dare look for him.

The third is that as your eyes drift upwards from the smoke, somebody is staring back down at you.

His player avatar is firmly mechanized, which you didn’t even know was possible. It’s taken the form of long and slender legs, spindly arms, and a horrific beak affixed to a mass of wires and plating. A large cloak obscures his equipment or anything else affixed to his body – the only thing you can see is a singular red eye glaring down at you, and a burning smoking pipe clutched in clawed fingers.

Once again, you find yourself asking what the FUCK has happened to this game.

You don’t have the time to ponder it further, however, as the hand holding the pipe twitches. With a single flick of the wrist, the pipe begins to expand and twist. What once was bright red turns into sleek, engraved silver. The place where the smoke was emitting shrinks until a small hole. The waving red banner engraved with an eye becomes one with the steel – you are now looking at a very sleek, shiny, and dangerous revolver.

The barrel stares right back at you.

>HP: 100/100
>L85A3 Ammo: 30/30

>Try and throw yourself into the patch of smoke at the treeline. {This will require a LOW roll.)
>Immediately drop to the ground and fire a volley back at the robot. (This will require a MEDIUM roll.)
>Use the butt of your gun as a shield as you continue into the smoke. (This will require a HIGH roll.)
>Write-in.

>>5339868
>>5339916
YO!!!!!!!!!!! Did you know some Chinese fucks stole your idea and made a cartoon about it?

>Use the butt of your gun as a shield as you continue into the smoke. (This will require a HIGH roll.)

>>5339921
Gonna need a link for that fella...

>Use the butt of your gun as a shield as you continue into the smoke. (This will require a HIGH roll.)

>>5339916
>Use the butt of your gun as a shield as you continue into the smoke. (This will require a HIGH roll.)

>>5339921
>>5339931
>>5339946
Try to smack away a bullet with your gun! For those who are new to the quest, I want everyone to roll a simple d20 - the highest out of the first three posters will be the roll that goes through.

>>5339921
Oh, you gotta tell me about this. Would be kinda based but also not lol.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>5339948

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>5339948

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5339948

>>5339954
This roll goes through. Writing now!

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>>5339948
>>5339931
Thieving Chinese bastards. Took me a while to find it.

The King's Avatar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_Avatar_(2019_TV_series)

Quan Zhi Gao Shou
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6859260/

The King's Avatar (2017 web series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_Avatar_(2017_web_series)


Check this out
>The King's Avatar follows the story of Ye Xiu, a professional esports player living in Hangzhou, China. Widely considered the best player of the video game Glory, Ye Xiu was captain of the esports team, "Excellent Era", holding the account of the 'Battle God', 'One Autumn Leaf' before being forced to resign from the team, giving up one of the strongest accounts in the game and leave the competitive scene due to his unwillingness to take part in any marketing to profit the team. Ye Xiu ends up finding work as a night-shift manager at Happy Internet Cafe, where he meets Chen Guo, the owner of the cafe whom happens to be a huge fan of his alias 'Ye Qiu', his former team and character 'One Autumn Leaf'. While awaiting his return to the competitive scene, Ye Xiu continues playing the game, building a character from scratch and pursuing the championship and glory.

>>5339972

(You know, I remember a guy bringing this up once upon a time! Idk if it had a TV show back then, but big props to them – it’s crazy how similar our stuff turned out.)

You realize in short order that throwing yourself blindly into the smoke could end with your heel clipped, leaving you open for the robot’s partner to magdump you and leave you dead. Similarly, stooping down and lighting the guy up would leave you a solid target, even if missing – on both of your parts – would certainly be a possibility. Therefore, the only action that you can see being of any value is using your rifle as a shield and hoping to god it works.

The revolver sounds like thunder in your ears, and you only barely manage to yank your gun up before the bullet would impact with your stomach.

Thankfully, you were just fast enough that the revolver’s bullet doesn’t collide with your fragile flesh. The problem is that it hits your rifle like a truck, enough that half of the magazine is bent until it’s almost touching your nose. Gritting your teeth at the likely loss of ammunition, you continue your trajectory until you’re back inside the cloying grey smoke.

Judging by how loud and frequent the gunfire in your left ear is, you’re guessing that the guy has an LMG on him – he hasn’t taken a single break in firing, so make that a damn Gatling gun. Chances are he hasn’t seen you, either due to poor visuals or the crackling of his gun masking your movements. Sneaking up on him may be doable if the latter is the case, but if it isn’t, you may be hitting your head against a brick wall – or a hundred rounds of bullets.

With this in mind, you glance upwards – you could easily locate a tree and try to engage the revolver-clad gunman up high. The problem is that he knows where you entered, and could have moved by now to intercept you. With all of the noise being taken into account, you’re in just as bad of a spot as that other asshole who’s likely trying to gun down Orange. He’s a capable guy, but with how realistic this game has gotten, it’s only a matter of time before the wall caves in or he gets cocky.

Spitting on the ground, you run your fingers along the magazine of your rifle – like you suspected, some of the bullets are fucked. The gunshot didn’t make any of them explode, but you can feel warped metal alongside the cracks in the casing. Judging by the positioning, and how the mechanism may be fucked, you’re looking at half of your magazine unusable until you find a way to deal with that.

What do you do?

>Ammo: 15/30.

>Go towards the gunner and help Orange presumably get out of a bind.
>Head to the trees and search for the robot.
>Hide amidst the trees and try to fix your magazine – or at least salvage the bullets. (This will require a roll.)
>Write-in.

>>5339989
>Head to the trees and search for the robot.

>>5339989
>Hide amidst the trees and try to fix your magazine – or at least salvage the bullets. (This will require a roll.)

holy shit it's back. Your aircon fixed yet, QM?

I'm confused about where we're starting off from this thread. There seems to be a bit of a disconnect with the end of the previous thread #14 which didn't end up on suptg (https://archived.moe/qst/thread/4915249/) so I'm not really sure what's going on here.

>>5340025
Yo! Aircon is fixed, since I'm living in an entirely new apartment altogether.

There is definitely a disconnect from where the end of that thread was - I work only off of suptg as my reference for where threads end, and since it's been a whole year, I figured it'd be good to just start right in the middle of some action. Same match, same circumstances, just a different beginning point for this revival thread.

>>5339989
>Hide amidst the trees and try to fix your magazine – or at least salvage the bullets. (This will require a roll.)

>>5339989
>Hide amidst the trees and try to fix your magazine – or at least salvage the bullets. (This will require a roll.)

>>5340022
>>5340059
>>5340084
You need to be at max capacity if you're gonna get through this encounter. Please give me a roll - best of three goes through!

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>5340089

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5340089
Luckchads rise up

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>5340089

>>5340115
Damn, that's a pretty good roll! It goes through, and I'm writing now.

>>5340121

You try your best to turn out the thunderous gunfire as you make your way through the smoke, going a bit farther than you might have initially just to ensure nobody gets the drop on you. Although you almost run into a few trees, you eventually find one that’s thick enough to count as cover – you immediately hit the dirt and yank your rifle off of its strap.

Yeesh, that really doesn’t look good.

A myriad of cracks are spiderweb across the now all too fragile casing, and it takes the utmost precision to bend the magazine back into a somewhat manageable state. All throughout, you wince whenever you can make out the small cracking noises, but thankfully it never gives fully. The next step is taking out your knife and using it to manually adjust the springs so that the bullets will be fed properly – this also requires surgical precision, and by the time you’re done, a quick two jerks of the slide shows that you’ve salvaged your magazine better than you could have hoped.

The sound of your earpiece flaring up almost makes you empty the magazine into the smoky haze in front of you, however.

“Are you fucking okay?!” Orange’s tinny voice almost takes out hearing in your right ear, but you feel an immense sense of relief that he hasn’t been shredded. After taking a deep breath, and giving a cursory glance to the side and above you, you shift up to your knees and prepare to run at the slightest provocation.

“Yeah.” Your voice is barely above a whisper. “In the woods. Status?”

It doesn’t take long for your ginger friend to respond.

“I’m in the fuckin’ gas station – the guy isn’t getting off of my ass.” His voice is interrupted by the sound of a sharp automatic pistol firing. “The smoke should be fading, so I’ll have a chance, but watch your ass. You’re about to be a sitting duck.”

“Implying I’m not already.” You sigh and just barely hold off a murmured curse as the line goes dead, meaning that, for the moment, you’re all alone in this gunfire and smoke.

And, from what it seems, Orange was right. Where the clouds were once thick and almost unnavigable, you are now beginning to make out details in your immediate surroundings. The outlines of trees, the dirt underneath your knees, and more importantly – the fact that the gunfire’s location is becoming clearer.

You have several options, especially now that your gun is fixed for the moment. What do you do?

>Hunt down the LMG user, the guy in the trees be damned. Orange needs an out.
>Scale the tree behind you and look for the man. You have the advantage with a rifle versus his revolver.
>Fire your gun into the air and run further into the forest, hopefully distracting both men.
>Write-in.

>>5340139
>Scale the tree behind you and look for the man. You have the advantage with a rifle versus his revolver.

>>5340139
>Scale the tree behind you and look for the man. You have the advantage with a rifle versus his revolver.

>>5340149
>>5340153
It's time to climb. Writing now!

>>5340171

Glancing upwards, you realize that even if it’s a big inconvenience for him, Orange should be able to handle the other one once the smoke drops. The main problem will be if he gets into a 2v1, which you know that you need to prevent – with that being said, you spring up and latch onto a moderately thick branch above you. Using an amount of body strength that you definitely don’t have in real life, you’re able to dart up to the point where you’re above the smoke – and fuck you, that gas station is in ruins.

The outside had once been a sleek white color with various red, green, and blue stripes painted in a stylish pattern – you could hardly recognize any of those colors, and the windows that were once there had been wholly shattered. Orange must have put himself in a decent hiding spot, as you can’t see the man from here. Shaking your head, you brace yourself against the tree and look around for the cloaked figure you had seen – thankfully, the LMG user has stopped firing, meaning that you’re afforded just a little bit of quiet.

Peering around the trunk of the tree, you look for anything that can be seen within the forest. There are a boundless amount of trees that sway in the wind like scarecrows, and none of them seem to hold the robotic avatar that fucked up your gun. Groaning, you brace yourself and jump to a nearby tree, trying to get an angle so you can see both the ground and further in.

As soon as your feet hit the other branch, a whistling cuts through the silence – followed by a loud THUNK right next to your head.

Maybe it’s because of the amount of shit you’ve been through as of late, or simply becoming more accustomed to the game, you don’t even flinch as you reach out and take the object from the tree. It looks almost like a box cutter with no casing – it’s a very thin blade that has little indents for fitting perfectly between two fingers. You slot it away in your belt pouch and hope that it doesn’t poke out at you.

After allowing a few more seconds to pass, you slowly stick your hand out, which causes yet another knife to be tossed in your direction – by the trajectory, you can tell he’s somewhere directly in front of you. That bastard bot is good at hiding – and you’re right in his strike zone.

Shouldn’t be too hard, at the very least. How do you approach this?

>Call out to Orion and see if he can make a shot on him. He does have a sniper rifle, after all.
>Try to make yourself smaller as you peek around and fire off a few rounds in his direction.
>Blind fire. You know, because you’re confident in yourself.
>Take that knife right back out and throw it at him. You know, because you’re SUPER confident in yourself. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5340201
>Take that knife right back out and throw it at him. You know, because you’re SUPER confident in yourself. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]

>>5340201
>>Take that knife right back out and throw it at him. You know, because you’re SUPER confident in yourself. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]

>>5340201
>Try to make yourself smaller as you peek around and fire off a few rounds in his direction.

>>5340201
>Take that knife right back out and throw it at him. You know, because you’re SUPER confident in yourself. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]
Go big or go home

>>5340202
>>5340203
>>5340205
One of these days, cool things will be the death of you all. But hey - they are pretty cool. Best of three rolls goes through!

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5340231
Yey

>>5340235
>>5340231
Too soon.

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>5340244
>>5340235
>>5340231

4skkh

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5340231
can I pull it out again?

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>>5340235
Called it. I fucking called it.

>>5340247
But this goes through. Normally, I'm a bit stricter on nat 1's being prioritized over the rest of the rolls, but this is the first day back - I'll be nice. Writing now!

>>5339948
I was having a look in the archives to remind myself of the quest and wouldn't you know it, someone brought it up all the way back in the first thread three years ago....feel old yet, cirny boy?

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>>5340262

(This will be my last update for the night! Still getting my sea legs back, so I'm gonna crack open a cold one and get ready to fire on all cylinders tomorrow. Thank you very much for your patience and the warm welcome back - we're seeing this shit through to the end, no matter how long it takes. Hope you've enjoyed, and I'll be seeing you tomorrow - my update schedule will be between 10 AM CST and 8 PM for the rest of this thread. See you tomorrow, gang!)

Feeling like a stroke of genius is coming on, you reach back into your pouch and palm the knife that was just thrown at your head. You marvel in the sleekness of the design for a moment, before slotting it between your pointer and middle fingers. It almost feels like nothing’s there at all, which irks you – the knives you like have weight to them.

Regardless, you take a deep breath before holding onto a branch behind you and whirling around the trunk to throw the knife. What greets you is the robot, who is in the process of perching himself on a higher branch like a bird. You desperately adjust your aim so you can send the knife tumbling at him, but it’s to no avail – you’re simply not used to using them yet, meaning that the throw is jank and it veers off course. The thing that pisses you off, though, is that robot draws two of them out and throws them. One hits the knife just to make a point, and the other grazes your shoulder as you desperately pull yourself back into cover.

>HP: 90/100 (-10).

Before you can react again, several things happen.

A very loud gunshot that comes from the gas station pierces the air, followed by a bullet whizzing past you and absolutely destroying the robot’s branch above you. The next is that you find your own branch being taken out from under you, due to a heavy bola being fired and snapping it off of the trunk. You grit your teeth as you drop a few feet, only barely managing to catch yourself with the crooks of your knees, leaving you vulnerable and dangling as you look at the person who did it.

Oh, my god. He looks like a monster.

This person also has modified their avatar to look like a robot, and boy does it send a shiver through your body. His armor is incredibly bulky, making his tall presence even more imposing. The LMG is strapped to his back and it’s still fucking smoking, and the bola seems to have come from a cannon that he has affixed to his wrist. At his side, a katana lies dormant – another fucking sword user, god – and he’s in the process of reaching for it with a free hand.

You have a snap judgement call to make.

>HP: 90/100
>Ammo: 30/30
>Inventory: Auxilia healing patches x3 (+20 HP), universal flashlight, Mk. I rope, hand grenades x2.

>Pull yourself back up and out of his reach.
>Stay dangling and unload into him.
>Drop down and try to take the weapons out of his hands.
>Tell Orion to help you out (with a modicum of urgency).
>Write-in.

>>5340298
>Stay dangling and unload into him.

>>5340298
>>Stay dangling and unload into him.

>>5340298
Thanks for running, looking forward to more tomorrow!

>Stay dangling and unload into him.

>>5340305
>>5340307
>>5340321

(Good morning, everyone!)

Yanking your gun so it’s leveled at his chest, you pull the trigger several times as you try to keep yourself aloft with your knees. It’s calming somewhat, with the way the gun hammers against your shoulder – and each bullet strikes true, hitting him right in the chest and head with ruthless precision. Surprisingly, the gunfire doesn’t even faze him, although flecks of red and blue polygons are coming off of his form – most likely because he’s armored, and judging by his build, it’s pretty thick stuff.

You almost catch a wave of displeasure coming from him before he crouches and jumps up to your height, fully drawing his sword as he does so.

Several things happen in that moment. The first is that the first of his swings cleaves the branch out from under you, leaving you floundering for a moment as you begin to fall to Earth. The second is that you manage another round of fire into his chest, causing the bulky armor on his torso to fully disappear, leaving behind nothing but an exposed steel chassis. The third is that, as the two of you begin to fall, he uses his free hand to latch right onto your neck.

Oh, no.

The world goes off-kilter as you are dragged to the ground, with your body flailing as you attempt to get yourself out of this situation. The most you manage to do is wrap your hands around his wrist as you try to swing your legs up and around, but it’s not much use – all that it does is ease the sparking pain around your throat by a fraction, and so you brace yourself for impact.

CRACK!

Orion doesn’t miss his mark, even though it’s a close shave. The bullet cleaves through the much weaker arm plating, causing the man to spring away from you – and more importantly, it means you’re free to hit the ground and roll, thankfully mitigating most of the damage that you undoubtedly would have taken. It doesn’t erase all of the pain, though, since you can feel the electricity coursing underneath the skin of your legs.

>HP: 80/100 (-10 HP).

You have only a split second to react as the man looks to you, the lights on his scarlet head flaring in pain and anger. What do you do?

>Ammo: 15/30

>Extract yourself from this situation – it’ll take a few moments for him to ready his gun, and you don’t want to be caught in a 1v2.
>Get into cover and try to damage the man more – maybe you can do it before his partner recovers from his own fall. [This will require a roll.]
>Engage him at knife point. You have experience fighting against swords with your knife, even if it means you need to get in close. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5340766
>Extract yourself from this situation – it’ll take a few moments for him to ready his gun, and you don’t want to be caught in a 1v2.
Think we should play it safe

>>5340766
>Extract yourself from this situation – it’ll take a few moments for him to ready his gun, and you don’t want to be caught in a 1v2.

>>5340766
>Extract yourself from this situation – it’ll take a few moments for him to ready his gun, and you don’t want to be caught in a 1v2.
Idle thought - would the suicide zapper knife from the ship fight fry clankers better than human avatars, or are these kind of things purely aesthetic changes?

>>5340769
>>5341000
>>5341003
Play safe rather than sorry. Writing now!

>>5341003
Something with electrical conductivity would prove a challenge for them, definitely. Modifying your avatar that hard, even for aesthetic reasons, comes with a cost!

>>5341016

You aren’t stupid enough to sit here and get hit from two sides, as tempting as it is to gun this big motherfucker down on the spot. You only allow yourself a quick glance left and right before you make your decision – it’s too long of a way to make it to the gas station without dying on the spot, not even accounting the lack of cover. The only option is to go right – further into the forest, away from the big man but towards the thin assassin.

Whatever. You’ve dealt with a sinking ship – running into a forest is a much easier obstacle to overcome.

Dropping to a crouch, you use the momentum to spring yourself further into the woods. The effect is immediate – the man’s LMG roars yet again, although the bullets are stopped by the litany of tree trunks that are now at your back. You accelerate into a full sprint as you vault over tree roots and the errant bushes that block your path, and hope to god that they aren’t on your trail.

“Orion, do you have visuals?!” You flick on your headset as you barely duck out of the way of an overhanging branch. The woods are getting thicker the farther you go, meaning you’ve at least evaded the one you’re more worried about – for now.

“Big guy’s still here—” Orion responds to you in-between panting – in fact, you think you can make out his feet hitting pavement in the background. He’s running. “Lost visual of the other one, but this one’s still on my ass!”

“How’s your health?” You throw a glance over your shoulder, skidding to a stop when you realize that the road is no longer visible from the distance you ran. Christ, you’ve always been a fast runner, but still! Maybe if your arcade ever fails, or when this gets dealt with, you could saddle up with a track team or some shit.

“At 60. I’m off my game.” He spits. “Waiting for some time to heal, but this fucker won’t let up.”

“You got this, man. I believe in you.” Your own remark makes you smirk, doubly so when you can hear his palpable irritation.

“Go fuck yourself, I don’t need your belief. You should watch your ass – if you fail me, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you as soon as we’re out of here.”

The line clicks off, and you try to get the anxiety out with a deep sigh. You didn’t expect to get a wholly hostile response, but it’s almost understandable – he’s a guy who’s almost about to be out of a home, and he’s stressed.

Now that you aren’t in a mad dash for safety, and free of impending bullets, you look around the immediate area in the forest. You know that the other robot has likely followed you into the forest, meaning that he could be anywhere – but he hasn’t shown himself yet. You may have a little time to get yourself established.

What do you do?

>HP: 80/100.

>Fire your gun into the air to attract his attention.
>There seems to be a small hut behind a thicker grove of trees. Go there.
>Heal yourself with one of your patches while scouting the area for any hidden items. [This will require a roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5341051
>There seems to be a small hut behind a thicker grove of trees. Go there.
Be on the lookout for the assassin ofc

>>5341051
>There seems to be a small hut behind a thicker grove of trees. Go there.

>>5341072
>>5341093
Retreat to the hut, and be wary all the while. Writing now!

>>5341100

As you squint and look forward, you can make out a solid structure beyond a group of trees. If you had to guess based off of the map you’re on, it’s probably a forest retreat of some sorts – that’s a lot more cover than you have standing out in the cold. Looking up and around you, you can’t see any sign of your apparent pursuer – there is a bit where you pause due to how the light from the cloudy sky falls on a leaf, but you shake your head.

That’s jumping at shadows, Wolfgang. It’s not like you’ve ever needed to do that before, huh?

You’re off towards the house like a shot. There’s a palpable tension in the air as you thunder up the front steps, hitting the wall and dropping into a couch just in case anything springs out at you. Thankfully nothing does, and you’re left able to scan the house and the surrounding area. It’s a one story wooden structure, and a quick glance over the rest of the yard shows that there’s what appears to be a garage and a large pile of firewood that looks as if it’s ready to spill over.

What a cozy place. You definitely don’t want to be here for too long.

You press yourself against the wall and creep over to the door, grasping onto the handle while scanning the yard one more time. When you’re satisfied that you’re not about to get domed, you slowly turn the knob – thankfully, it’s unlocked, so you make your way inside with low expectations.

Somehow, it fails your expectations. What the fuck happened in here?

The room is absolutely trashed. Tables have been flipped over and pressed against windows, the couch that was in this room has been smashed and eviscerated of it’s frame, and there are no rugs to be found. This place doesn’t even seem to have a kitchen or a bathroom – it’s just a shell of a house plopped right into the middle of this forest. You can’t quite say you’ve seen a place this fucked up – it looks like somebody worked over this place in order to rob it.

Is this a scripted event or something? Or is the place that your enemy spawned in? You still don’t know how the new spawn mechanics work, but boy howdy is it unsettling to stumble across. You stroke your chin as you move further into the house, and almost jump out of your skin when you feel something tug at your foot – you throw yourself back, only to find that it appears to be a…half-completed trap? It’s like somebody got started on this, thought better of it, and fucked off.

You pocket that shit immediately. If they won’t make use of it, you sure will.

>Complete that trap and hunker down in the house. You can maybe direct Orion over here.
>Move out of here and go over to the garage. There’s nothing here for you, at least for now.
>Try your best to find something salvageable or hidden in the house. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5341169
>>Complete that trap and hunker down in the house. You can maybe direct Orion over here.
Time to go back to our trap shenanigans

>>5341169
>Complete that trap and hunker down in the house. You can maybe direct Orion over here.

>>5341169
>Complete that trap and hunker down in the house. You can maybe direct Orion over here

>>5341177
>>5341234
>>5341238
You have always been a trap connoisseur at heart. Writing now!

>>5341278

Allowing yourself to get off your feet for just a moment, you sit cross-legged on the floor as you pull the device out of your belt. It’s a very simple creation mainly composed of tripwire and a pulley, and you can see what they planned to use this for immediately. It was made to lob something at whoever triggered it, which fills you with many ideas on the spot. And so, under only the slightest amount of time pressure, you begin to configure it to the front door.

When you’re all done, it’s primed and waiting to toss one of your frag grenades right at whomever walks in. It took a little finagling – by which you mean you needed to skin one of the broken table legs – but the work is done, and you are once again staring down at a creation with pride. If things had turned out differently, maybe you’d be a Warscape trap maker? That’d be a hell of a business that would capitalize on the lazy players that exist nowadays.

You shake your head. Now’s not the time for fantasy – it’s the time for getting ahold of your partner.

“You alive, Orion?” You pull out the opalescent revolver that’s accompanied you for so long as you lean on one of the broken tables. It takes a bit for him to respond, but when he does, he sounds exasperated.

“I’m about to go in on this motherfucker. Dude is relentless.” You can hear the sound of him chambering ammo on his end – just what’s happened while you’ve been off the road?

“You sure that’s a good idea? You’re pretty long-ranged, while he’s got you from all angles.” Your tone shifts into something more analytical as you try to mentally play out this encounter in your head – not a lot of outcomes end well for Orion.

“We were on top for a reason, Wolf. Don’t fuckin’ question me just because you were the hotshot.”

A tickle of irritation makes your face turn into a sneer.

“You’ve been out of the game as long as I have, Orion. Don’t pick unnecessary fights – just get the job done so you can go back to your fantasy MMO or whatever. And when you’re done with that dude, get your ass to the forest – there’s a hut that I’m holed up at.”

You hear no response from the boy.

While the two of you were on good terms, especially after you had gotten over your initial fear upon meeting him again, it’s undeniable that tension runs just underneath the surface. Because of your fuck-up, it sank the entire team down with you, and even if you weren’t too close with Orion, it’s still an issue that’s there.

You sigh yet another deep sigh, and just as you turn off the line and stand to your feet, you hear something from outside.

Crunching gravel.

You are no longer alone – and if you want that trap to pay off, you’re going to need to hide.

>Please roll me a 1d20. Best of three goes through.

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>5341315

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5341315
Fuck the captcha

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>5341315

>>5341354
An 11 is a nice, in-between roll. Writing now!

>>5341397

You immediately drop low so you can’t be seen through the cracks in the border window, sneaking over to the corner where the shattered couch now lays. The back of it is still in one piece, which will have to do for cover at the moment. The oppressive steps shift to dull thuds as they meet the wood of the porch, and you hope and pray that he goes through the front door.

Of course you aren’t that lucky.

His path doesn’t stop at the door, instead moving over to one of the windows that has a table pressed against it. You hear the sharp cracking of glass, before the tabletop is pushed over and to the ground. There’s a brief second that you can see him in an almost non-threatening manner – it’s just a robot who’s peeking through the window, with his hat being larger than the frame. It’s almost a funny sight, until his scanning goes from the front door all the way over to you.

Your throat seizes as the robot stares you down, before he slowly – and you do mean slowly – raises the revolver.

“Can we talk about this?” You quickly say, moving your revolver so it’s pointed square at him. Perhaps peace is an option?

The robot shakes his head exasperatedly. You guess not.

The both of you fire simultaneously, and neither of you hit. This is because you have catlike reflexes and roll out of the way, while your opponent ducks so that he’s behind the wall. The problem with your decision is that you are now on top of the broken couch, which digs into your side like an angry hornet – you don’t let this stop you as you fire two more shots at the wall you know he’s behind. All you get in response is a clang followed by a low, metallic groan. Does that mean you hit him?

He leans around the corner and throws one of those knives at you before disappearing beyond your sight once more. Thankfully, your health is safe – it’s just that you’re missing a smidge of your bangs now.

>HP: 80/100
>Ammo (revolver): 3/6
>Inventory: Healing patches x3, universal flashlight, hand grenade x1, Mk. 1 rope.

>Disarm the trap and make your way to the other side of the house – you’ll use the thing later.
>Throw another one of those table barricades on that side of the house down and see if he’s behind it.
>Take a grenade – either from your inventory or the trap – and drop it outside of the window.
>Abandon caution and send yourself out the window with a knife in hand.
>Write-in.

>>5341454
>>Throw another one of those table barricades on that side of the house down and see if he’s behind it.
I'm tempted by the yolo prompt, but let's exercise caution

>>5341454
>Take a grenade – either from your inventory or the trap – and drop it outside of the window.

we gotta clear him out before he decides to throw a grenade in

Alright lads, I'm heading off for the night, so the vote is being left open until tomorrow! Feel free to discuss between yourselves, and we'll see where it ends up in the morning! Thank you for turning up, and I hope you all have a splendid day/afternoon/evening.

>>5341454
>Disarm the trap and make your way to the other side of the house – you’ll use the thing later.

>>5341454
>Take a grenade – either from your inventory or the trap – and drop it outside of the window.

>>5341454
>Take a grenade – either from your inventory or the trap – and drop it outside of the window.

>>5341467
>>5341711
>>5342039

(Good morning, everyone! Woke up really tired today – I hate being groggy.)

You dash over to the trap you had laid and extricate the grenade from the launcher – he’s not gonna come through the front door at this rate, not with him already surveyed the room. Before he can peek around the corner again, you tear the pin and stick your hand through the broken window – when you do, a gunshot piereces your hand, but you’re able to deposit the grenade without issue and grab the tabletop to use as a shield.

HP: 60/100 (-20 HP).

Just as you hear the sound of more glass being broken – he’s trying to get through the adjacent window, fuck – the grenade detonates and takes out a good chunk of the wall. You get hit by some of the debris and the blast, but none of the shrapnel. To your surprise, you hear a very inhuman and metallic screech from beyond the wall. Looks like you hit him just hard enough to cause him some real pain, but not enough to insta-kill.

A shame, really – Orion and everyone watching the game would probably get a kick out of that.

Before the bot can have a chance to truly recover, you dart back over to the other window and kick the tabletop through the fucking thing. The shattered glass looks like diamonds as it reflects off of the cloudy sun, but the robot is no longer behind it – a quick peek out the window, against your better judgement, shows that he has fled. How do you know this?

The railing to the right of that window has been broken, and you can see the motherfucker hightailing it around the house. He, much like his partner, had a set of armor on – both that and his cloak have been shredded, leaving him looking a hell of a lot less imposing as he tries to run and recover. You whip out your revolver and fire at him, but he disappears out of sight before the bullet can connect with his back.

You sigh and look around the room one last time, before hauling yourself out through the broken glass. You’re battered and aching, but you have won this skirmish – at least for now. How do you follow up?

>Break away from the house and locate the other robot – while this one recovers; you’ll take the other on with Orion.
>Chase him to the garage – Orion can keep up his end of the bargain, and you’ll make sure the assassin doesn’t make it.
>Write-in.

>>5342567
>>Chase him to the garage – Orion can keep up his end of the bargain, and you’ll make sure the assassin doesn’t make it.

>>5342567
>Chase him to the garage – Orion can keep up his end of the bargain, and you’ll make sure the assassin doesn’t make it.

>>5342754
>>5342785
You'll hunt him down to the best of your ability. Writing now!

>>5342802

(Sorry for the late post! Forgot that I had D&D today, but then nobody showed up anyways, and I decided to do a few chores while I had some time.)

Your steps are thunderous across the wood as you pursue your metal target, even as the man’s steps become quicker and quicker the more the pain fades from his body. You fire off another shot, but he ducks underneath, leaving the bullet to embed itself in the wall of the garage. As you pull the hammer back for the final bullet in your revolver, the man decides to respond in kind, pulling out his own gun and firing a shot at you.

Thankfully, it’s a lot harder to hit a target while both they and you are moving. It goes wide to your left, and he doesn’t dare fire another – all he does when he reaches the side door is open and close it, disappearing into the complex. You groan and don’t even bother stopping, using that running momentum to slam your foot into the door.

The bolt breaks, and it harmlessly swings back against a shelf, causing a loud bang to resound throughout the small space.

From what you can see in the interior, it’s exactly how you’d expect a garage to look. There are two cars parked inside – one of them is a white sports car, and the other looks like a shitty beige junker – with a litany of tools scattered not only across the shelves, but in boxes on the ground. This is a blessing and a curse - you know that he’s still in there, but with how cluttered it is, you don’t know where he’s at.

There’s too many possibilities that exist here, but at the same time, he only has so many options. You’re almost tempted to phone in Orion at this very moment, but know that neither of you need a distraction at such a critical moment.

What would you like to do?

>HP: 60/100.
>Ammo (revolver): 1/6.
>Ammo (L85A3): 15/30
>Inventory: Auxilia healing patches x3, universal flashlight, Mk 1 rope, hand grenade x1.

>Go in guns blazing – the gunfire in such a small space could make him panic.
>Play it safe – take off your coat and throw it in, seeing if he fires upon it.
>Heal yourself to full and reload your guns – it’ll take time, but you’ll at least be prepared.
>Use one of your items in a creative manner.
>Write-in.

>>5342939
>Heal yourself to full and reload your guns – it’ll take time, but you’ll at least be prepared.

>>5342939
>I had D&D today, but then nobody showed up anyways
big oooof

>Use one of your items in a creative manner.
Throw the grenade in. Small cluttered room, he's done.

>>5342939
>>Heal yourself to full and reload your guns – it’ll take time, but you’ll at least be prepared.

>>5342939
>>5342979
support, sorry about d&d not working out op

>>5342939
>Heal yourself to full and reload your guns – it’ll take time, but you’ll at least be prepared.
THEN
>Fire in the hole!
If the grenade just flushes him out instead of killing him outright, I'd like to be reloaded before that eventuality.
If the vote is still tied when it closes, I vote for grenade.

>>5342979
>>5343039
>>5343109
I made cookies, and also did a shitload of laundry! Going to be going later than usual since I haven't been able to doot very much today - and this is what succeeded! Writing now.

>>5343223
(just to be clear, since the vote was otherwise still tied, my vote reverted to the grenade)

>>5343228
Yep yep, I figured!

>>5343223

You aren’t stupid enough to go waltzing into that madhouse. For all you know, the dude could have stuck himself right above the door, waiting to magdump you as soon as your foot crosses the threshold. Not only that, but taking the time to heal would give him more time to get one over on you – and you have a much better plan that should buy you a bit of time.

The thing that you’re starting to learn about Warscape now is that it’s practically impossible to predict what somebody has in their inventory. That man turned a smoking pipe into a gun, 0phelia had a litany of spider mines that never existed when you played, and Edit possessed a suicide knife that almost wholly took you out in one strike. It’s become an economy of guesswork and madness, which adds a whole other layer to the game that you never had to learn.

But, with the times changing, it means you have an advantage. He doesn’t know you have a second grenade – and he’s also in a room with two gasoline tanks.

After a millisecond of gauging your accuracy, you roll the grenade so that after it crests over the doorframe, it rolls right underneath one of the car.

As you had predicted, as soon as it scrapes against concrete, a gunshot rings out. You can almost picture the note of confusion and the questions going through his head. What technology did he use? Did he use a dirty trick? Is he stupid enough to think that he can get the better of me?

Wolfgang O’Neal plays by the classic rules, bitch.

BOOM!

The grenade exploding has nothing on the sound that’s made when it catches the gas tank. The garage trembles as the room is filled with fire, the sheer heat enough to warm you despite standing a few feet away from the door. This time, the player starts screaming – you can only imagine the sheer pain of the simulated electricity coursing all through his body. You see a shadow within the flame drop from the ceiling – but he isn’t moving. He’s overcome with the pain, and by the time the fire is reduced to only the gasoline puddle, he’s laying in a smoldering mess.

He reaches out with a hand. He’s still holding the gun, but it’s no longer silver – it’s been scorched and blackened, much like his pristine metal chassis. You don’t know if that requires upkeep or anything – you seem to not know anything about how shit works in this game – but if it does, that’ll set him back by a few million.

You pull the hammer back on your revolver, and hit him right in that red eye.

“I still got it, you fucks.” You can’t help but say, knowing damn well the camera’s on you – you don’t know if event speakers are rigged to show audio, but just the mere thought of it is enough to send a rebellious excitement through your guts.

>n0v4_c43s4r def. tenGu.

>Contact Orion and see how things are going for him.
>Go into the garage and see if anything’s salvageable [This will require a roll.]
>Pull the body out of the fire and see if anything is on him [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5343247
>Go into the garage and see if anything’s salvageable [This will require a roll.]
Orion is a big boy who can handle himself, gimme dat loot

>>5343247
>>Go into the garage and see if anything’s salvageable [This will require a roll.]

>>5343249
>>5343262
Loot and scoot - the classic way! Please roll me a 1d20, and the best of three will go through.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>5343272

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5343272

>>5343272

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5343272
please stop eating my rolls 4chan

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>5343276
A 13 is pretty alright! Writing now.

>>5343326

(This is the last one for the night, but I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow! Chances are I’m going to be mobile posting for a bit, but I’m still gonna be right here and updating frequently. Hope you’re all doing wonderful, and thank you for turning up today!)

You know that Orion is a big boy, and can do shit on his own. He’s on the same level as you – he should be alright unless he gets taken off guard in a major way. With that in mind, you walk towards the doorway and wince at the heat coming out of the room – but it shouldn’t be enough to actually damage you, as long as you don’t step inside the residual fire.

And so, you enter the room. Knowing that nobody is breathing down your neck, you take off your coat and wrap it around your waist like a midwestern poser as you look over the room for anything valuable. Most of the tools have begun to melt due to the sheer heat, but something that’s revealed itself behind a few wilting shelves is a strange section of wall. Unlike the brick surrounding it, it’s painted – you know this because the paint is peeling and curling, revealing a smooth panel that wouldn’t have been visible otherwise.

Jackpot.

You step around the flaming gasoline and hurry over to the wall, taking out your knife and jamming it between the panel and the brick. With a few back and forth movements, you pop it open and observe the contents, your eyes lighting up as you see a sleek black case inside. Immediately snatching it up and cradling it to your chest, you peace right the fuck back out of the garage before you can get broiled or asphyxiated by the growing smoke.

You move over to the porch of the now ruined house and set the case down, snapping it open and staring down at what it holds.

There’s three indents in the black velvet casing, and all three of them hold flat, mechanical squares. Raising an eyebrow, you snatch one out of the case and look it over, only to find a piece of paper stuck to the back with a strip of Scotch tape. The sheer contrast of the two get a chuckle from you.

>Wonderous Invisi-Mines!
>Creator: Wa11achiaWa11ace
>Description: With a simple click of a button, what seems to be a regular mine becomes anything but – it will blend into the background, leaving only the most perceptive of opponents taken off guard when it takes their health away! Winner of Auxilia’s User Clash 2028.

…another fan-made item. This technology is far beyond you, but you’ll damn well use it. You add all of them to your inventory.

You glance back towards the forest, where you know Orion and his opponent are dueling. How do you approach meeting up with him again?

>Before anything, heal yourself and contact him. You need to know what you’re getting into.
>Rush back towards the road with your guns blazing. More time wasted means more time for Orion to die.
>Approach the road cautiously, even if it means Orion has to fend for himself a little longer.
>Write-in.

>>5343392
>Rush back towards the road with your guns blazing. More time wasted means more time for Orion to die.

>>5343392
Score.

>Rush back towards the road with your guns blazing. More time wasted means more time for Orion to die.

>>5343718
>>5343997
Hey there gang, I am officially on the mobileposting grindset! No more formatting, but we're still in this bitch - writing now!

>>5344067

You remove two healing patches and press them against your chest as you break into a sprint. Although you trust the man when it comes to keeping himself safe, you know damn well that he could get overwhelmed quickly. Again, other than his machine pistol, he's locked into long range - meanwhile, that LMG could shred him in a single instant.

>HP: 100/100.

The air feels cooler as you coast through the forest, which you know is the sign of coming rain. You tentatively glance up to the clouds and wince when what you finds confirms this - the clouds obscuring the blue sky have darkened considerably. You groan and untie your coat, donning it and throwing the hood up - your 16 year old self would be so proud of you. That thought makes you cringe, and so you slot it away to reflect on later.

When you hit the street, you notice two things - the rain has broken free and has began to fall, and the situation has gotten much worse.

The gas station has been reduced to rubble, other than the steel beams that supported the ceiling and the pumps out front. Scorch marks that weren't there before cover the pavement, and despite the raindrops pounding down, you can still smell the acrid stench of gunpowder and smoke. You cringe to yourself as you reload your rifle and revolver, yanking the former up as you make your way out into the road - you don't know where Orion has gone, but you need to get that motherfucker off of his back.

All of a sudden, you hear the slightest whirring of static in your ear, and almost let out a sigh of relief - Orion hasn't died just yet.

"Wolf." His voice hardly raises above a whisper, which immediately fills you with concern.

"Yeah?" You don't bother masking your own voice, peering around the empty landscape while feeling chills run down your neck. You don't like this. You don't like it one bit.

"I don't know where he is." Orion's voice is stilted, almost sounding like a mixture of frustration and fear. "He was following me for ages, and when I found cover and looked back, he was gone. There was no trace."

"Where the hell did you go?" You're near the gas pumps now, nervously tapping your fingers against the grip of the gun. "He's so big, I can't imagine him disappearing."

"Above you." Orion's response almost makes you jump, before your eyes drift upwards. Above the pumps is an overhanging structure to prevent the pumps and cars, were there any, from being rained on. "I doubled back once I lost him."

That makes sense to you, even if it fills you with utter dread. Your mind is racing and trying to fill in the blanks as the rain hammers against your coat and exposed hands.

Where did he go?

>Check the rubble of the gas station. Maybe he left some evidence.
>Move back to the forest and see if he reveals himself with time.
>Scale the structure so you can meet up with your partner and be hidden.
>Linger by the pumps and rig your mines there, in case he mounts an assault.
>Write-in.

>>5344103
>Linger by the pumps and rig your mines there, in case he mounts an assault.

He's gonna need to come to us, right? Might have some kind of cloaking, but mines shouldn't care about that.

>>5344103
>Linger by the pumps and rig your mines there, in case he mounts an assault.
You know, the last one didn't react to fire so well. We have a lot of flammable liquid to hand, if you catch my drift.

>>5344103
>Check the rubble of the gas station. Maybe he left some evidence.

Can we not check the rubble and linger? I'm not sure why we couldn't do both.
I do think the peace of mind is helpful, plus considering what happened to the previous trap attempt, not sure how much better this one will go.
Also, do all the players see the announcement of Wolf's kill or just Wolfgang/the audience? If HELLION (I assume that's his name based off the filename) can see his ally has been downed, he might be panicked and hide to recover. If not, I assume he intends to flank Orange or something, seeing as how the marks are relatively fresh.
This capcha hurts to look at, jeez.

>>5344133
>>5344155
Set up your traps - if all goes bad, you can blow up the station. Writing now!

>>5344237
It's very much a "what do you do first" situation! The kill feed is something that the audience sees, put in for flavor - he may or may not know if his partner is alive. And I agree about the captcha - sometimes it gives me the sliding puzzle, other times not.

>>5344274

You bite down on a sigh as you begin to remove the square mines from your bag. If he's not anywhere you can see, then you'll simply prepare for when he is - rigging the mines to the pumps mean as soon as he fucks up, he'll be nothing but slag metal on the ground, meaning that you'll have passed the first round of the tournament with flair. That'll get people talking for sure.

"Beware, I'm rigging these pumps to explode." You say into your ear-piece, causing a very loud bang from above you as Orion startles.

That gets a laugh out of you as you press one of the mines into the metal - just like the description said, it becomes indiscernible from the metal other than a very thin blue line. Judging by the way it's pointing into you, it looks like you're safe since you're the one who put it down - you hope that allies are safe from triggering it too.

"Why the fuck are you doing that?! I'm still up here!" Orion complains into your ear, still managing to give you a headache despite him still whispering.

"I'm using mines, dummy. They'll only trigger when our opponent gets close - so chill out." You affix the second one to another pump - fucking hell, this thing is going to go up like a star when all of these go off. You wonder if you'll get in trouble for blinding the audience?

"Where the fuck did you get mines? Did Cinder hook you up?"

Although all of you did go on a shopping spree after your meeting with Dahlia, you personally didn't get all that much - Orion splurged and Cinder got herself a few toys, however. The redhead herself is currently sat in a backstage room waiting for the two of you to get done with the match, as the only way you got her in there was claiming that she was the team coach.

You're really looking forward to seeing her again. And technically, she is your coach.

"Nah. Do you know if tournaments allow you to do shopping inbetween rounds?" You idly comment, putting down the last mine and doing another scan of the treeline.

It's almost ominous, the way the rain is coming down now. It's enough to drum up a small bit of mist, meaning that everything is lightly obscured. You all of a sudden feel like a sitting duck.

"Beats the hell out of me." You hear the sound of Orion moving above you - if you had to guess, he's either moving so he can see over the lip of the structure or to come down now that you've rigged the place to all hell.

When you peek out of the structure and look upwards to see where he's positioned, that's when two things happen.

The first is Orion chambering a round as fast as lightning, the bullet sliding into the chamber being loud enough to cut through the rain.

The second is when you raise up your own gun and whip around, only to see an imposing figure approaching straight down the lonely road.

As soon as you lay eyes on him, you hear the telltale sign of LMG fire.

It looks like he's picked his time.

>Please roll me a 1d20. Best of three goes through.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>5344293
Nat 1, let's go baby. B]

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5344293

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5344293
i am the savior

>>5344297
If I was at my PC, I would be dropping some form of reaction image right now - this goes through, writing now!

File: popcorn2.gif (782 KB, 460x426)

782 KB GIF

Tournament chat watching us blow ourselves up with our own giant fuel bomb

>>5344311

The first problem of this encounter comes from the environment itself.

With the rainfall shifting into full gear, it means that the pavement is slick from the sheer amount of water. And so when you attempt to dodge the first wave of gunfire, it ends with you faceplanting into the ground - if this were real life, your nose would have been broken, so you're thankful that all you receive is electric pain.

>HP: 90/100 (-10 HP).

Thankfully, Orion has your back. His gunshots take attention off of you as his deft fingers facilitate shot after shot - most don't hit, but it's enough to take the bullets away from you - and the gas pumps - and back towards the ginger. From this angle, you can see him up there - he looks like a drowned cat, with his orange hair slicked against his scalp and his eyes dangerous. The machine gun bullets tear at the metal under and around him, and so he rolls to the side to avoid being shredded.

"Wolf! Get off your ass!" He calls out to you, his voice venomous. You groan and spring up, whirling around and opening fire on the imposing robot.

Your bullets don't hit him, on account of the device he throws down in front of him.

A cerulean blue half-dome stretches to cover all of the metal man's front, with a little gap parting around where the barrel of his gun is. This allows him to continue firing while all of yours and Orion's shots are eaten by the shield, which makes the man in question scream out obscenities as he is once again forced to roll to the side.

He's running out of roof, you note to yourself. Unless he crosses the road, that means the high ground advantage will be null and void.

Gritting your teeth, you try and analyze the situation while dashing towards the ruined fuel station. When you see the shield from a diagonal angle, you realize that it doesn't reach all the way around him - perfect for getting one over on him, providing he doesn't see the approach.

When you're just about to hit the rubble, you see another hole open up in the shield - he's stuck his hand through it while firing the gun with the other. Vaguely remembering the fact that he has a bola launcher, you duck - it looks like a reinforced rope with two polyhedral weights attached, one of which clips you on the back of the head as you settle behind a decent pile of charred brick and metal.

>HP: 85/100 (-5 HP).

The second problem that happens is when the robot's path of fire begins to deviate. It drifts away from Orion slowly, instead settling on the beams that hold the structure aloft - it's all too easy to realize that he's trying to send him crashing down to Earth.

Oh, fuck.

>Try to make an obvious attempt to get behind the bot, hopefully taking attention off of Orion.
>Keep low to the ground and attempt to get behind him before the building goes down. [This will require a roll.]
>Take out your revolver and try to shoot inside the small hole. It's made for precise firing, after all. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5344331
>>Keep low to the ground and attempt to get behind him before the building goes down. [This will require a roll.]
This is probably the best way out if we can pull it off.

>>5344331
>Take out your revolver and try to shoot inside the small hole. It's made for precise firing, after all. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

We just rolled super low so now we'll roll super high. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

>>5344382
I like the cut of your gib, anon.

>>5344331
>Take out your revolver and try to shoot inside the small hole. It's made for precise firing, after all. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>5344382
>>5344398
What could POSSIBLY go wrong? Please roll me a 1d20 - the best of three goes through.

Also, we are OUT of mobile posting hours, because my laptop is somehow catching a very weak signal - still no formatting, but now I can actually write with autocorrect lol.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5344399
DOCTOR DOCTOR GIVE ME THE NEWS

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>5344399

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>5344399
Pretty sure that passed, but can we get a tweeeeeenty?

>>5344435
You're used to threading the needle. Writing now!

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>5344399
late 20 coming through

the medical license never fails

>>5344445
Nine out of ten patients would recommend this doctor

>>5344445
This is the most unfortunate thing I've ever seen.

Great doctor tho

>>5344444

(For a brief moment my hotspot worked, until it fucking died. This is my last doot for tonight, but tomorrow I'll be ready to go off on all cylinders - thank you for coming around, and I hope you enjoyed what you read! See you tomorrow, and have a great night.)

Your eyes narrow as you pull your revolver from it's holster.

There's only the slighest instance of separation between the gun and the shield, which is what makes this shot so difficult. It's essentially like threading a very small string, and it fills you with a sort of nervousness as you thumb the hammer back. The sparks and screeching of the metal is what brings you to fire the gun, due to residual fear of losing your partner via a fiery hell explosion.

When your gun roars, for a second, you think you've missed.

The bullet races through the rain and mist, almost like a hungry devil chasing it's prey - and the robot doesn't react, because why would he? He thinks he's protected inside that forcefield, which is why it's doubly satisfying when it zips right through that opening and nails him right in the side. A very audible screeching cry resonates throughout the empty road, causing his aim to be thrown wildly off as he struggles to cope with the sensation.

This elicits a devious cackle from Orion, who uses the opportunity to throw himself from the top of the roof so he isn't dropped on the tanks. When he hits the ground, he mitigates the force with a combat roll, immediately dropping his rifle and switching to his machine pistol. The forcefield doesn't stay up for much longer, and when it drops, Orion's all out of ammo.

You're not, though. You continue to fire from your safe position - and you even score a few shots on his arm, leaving wide craters in the metallic chassis. His pain is evident, obviously unprepared for the level of onslaught he's receiving, and yet he whips out several square patches and presses them to his chest.

Ah, you forgot. Most people tend to have those - it's not just your wack-ass default inventory.

The next thing he pulls out is also standard, but not provided - a very meaty looking syringe filled with an electric yellow liquid.

"He's hasting!" You scream to Orion, hurriedly ejecting your spent bullets and slotting in the last six revolver bullets you own.

"Goddamnit!" Orion whips his machine pistol onto the ground, picking up his sniper yet again. "I'm out of pistol bullets!"

Looks like you're in the final stretch - and you're the only one with mid-range capabilities. How do you proceed?

>HP: 85/100.
>Ammo (rifle): 30/30, pistol: 6/6.

>Stay put and try to fire upon him with your pistol. Less speed, but more accuracy. [This will require a LOW roll.]
>Try to bait him over to the pumps - it'll take a single spark to send him to high hell. [This will require a roll.]
>Raise up your rifle and try to gun the now hasted robot down. More chance to damage, but less accuracy. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>You have another plan (Write-in).

>>5344463
>Try to bait him over to the pumps - it'll take a single spark to send him to high hell. [This will require a roll.]
Even if we have to use ourselves as bait and it kills us too, we should win as long as Orange survives.

>>5344463
>>Try to bait him over to the pumps - it'll take a single spark to send him to high hell. [This will require a roll.]

>>5344470
>>5344497
Good morning, everyone! We're starting the day off with a roll, while I desperately hope that my hotspot doesn't give out on me again lol. Like usual, gimme a 1d20 and best of three rolls goes through.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>5344775
Anyway, that's how I lost my medical license

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>5344775

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>5344497

>>5344832
You guys are rolling really well all of a sudden. Writing now!

>>5344890

Before you can think better of it, you dash from behind cover and run right into the collision path of the robot. His metallic body is crackling with golden electricity, and he’s moving fast. All you can do is try to drive your shoulder into his stomach and hope that it brings him pause, and it does for a second, before he throws a meaty side hook into your jaw. It takes everything out of you just to remain standing, and so you turn and begin sprinting right towards Orion.

>HP: 70/100 (-10 HP).

The man looks at you in utter shock as you whiz by him, leaving him to roll out of the way before the motherfucker steamrolls him over.

“Let me handle this – sniping him like that is impossible!” You hurriedly shout over the pounding footsteps and the pouring rain, bracing yourself for the pain you know you’re about to experience. You damn well hope that this will be the end of this match, because if it’s not, Orion’s going to have a handful to deal with.

Regardless, the man’s pursuit only continues as you stop right in the middle of the pumps. He slings the LMG over his shoulder and draws his sword once more, extending his hand so that his bola gun is trained directly on you. You tense your knees, and as soon as he crosses the threshold of where the roof is and fires that gun, you throw yourself to the side with every ounce of strength in your body, gritting your teeth as the ground comes quick to meet you.

The gas station goes up like a collapsing star.

The sheer brightness of the explosion causes you to screw your eyes shut, and even then it doesn’t completely stop the light leaking through your eyelids. You can feel something hit you right on the flat of your back, and you let out a scream as it begins to burn through the material of your coat. Looking off to your left, you see that Orion is in a similar state of dishevelment, as he’s been blown away from the blast and now looks up at it with awe.

All that can be heard over your ringing ears is the way the rain collides with your body. You wait ten seconds. Then twenty. By the thirtieth, you hear a voice resound throughout the arena.

>n0v4_c43s4r def. HELLION.

>Team GENESYS are the victors of their first round bout. Logging out all competitors.

Both of you share a look with each other, and allow very cocky smiles to come across your faces. Looks like against all odds, you’ve made it – and you feel the familiar tug in your guts as you are taken out of the machine.

When your consciousness returns to your body, you can hear a mixture of boos and cheers coming from the many men, women, and children who came to see this. You let out a deep sigh.

>Gloat to the crowd when you stand up – that was a damn good match, and you’re gonna show that you’re proud of it.
>Immediately duck your head down and make your way backstage. You don’t want to deal with the masses.
>Follow Orion’s lead. You’re here for him, and you’ll continue to support him in whatever he deems is necessary.
>Write-in.

>>5344976
>Follow Orion’s lead. You’re here for him, and you’ll continue to support him in whatever he deems is necessary.

>>5344976
>>Follow Orion’s lead. You’re here for him, and you’ll continue to support him in whatever he deems is necessary.

>>5344976
>>Immediately duck your head down and make your way backstage. You don’t want to deal with the masses.

>>5344976
>Gloat to the crowd when you stand up – that was a damn good match, and you’re gonna show that you’re proud of it.
THE BEST

>>5344989
>>5344991
When has following Orion ever lead you wrong before? Writing now!

>Gloat to the crowd when you stand up – that was a damn good match, and you’re gonna show that you’re proud of it.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
Also, what are the rules in these tournaments case contestants do a mutual kill?

>>5345019
Dang, vote closed already? Christ, that was quick.

>>5345019

With a groan, your back pops just a little as you haul yourself out of the pod and look towards the crowd. This stage is in the center of the auditorium, leaving a ring of screens displaying the bout above you with only two pathways to the backstage that require you to walk through the crowd. It’s quite nerve racking, and the only reason you could do it without a full blown anxiety attack was because Orion will physically shove back anybody encroaching on the two of you.

Speaking of the man, he’s already standing, brushing back his hair and staring out at the mixed response the crowd is giving you. His orange hair is just a tad longer than it is in the game, and his ears are still adorned in all of those piercings – he honestly looks a lot more like a punk rock singer than he used to. When you’re out and next to him, he elbows you in the side and looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

“They really don’t like us.” He glares at one person who’s booing the result, and you bite down a laugh as said person’s mouth immediately snaps shut like a bear trap.

“It’s my fault.” You say honestly, knowing damn well that if you weren’t as infamous as you are, the response would be a lot more divided rather than trending towards boos. At least there are a few supporters mixed in, even if you can tell they’re few and far between.

“Yeah, it is, but they should fuckin’ get over it. Let’s go see our opponents, eh? They’re the one’s who fucked with Dahlia’s shop.” Before you can respond, Orion seizes you by the wrist and drags you over to the other side of the stage, where the team known as Ballistic Designs are already in the process of exiting.

“Hey, dickheads!” Orion destroys any chance of being amicable as he strides up to the two, letting you go and crossing him arms. The bulkier one – HELLION – is a bit top heavy, but his stormy grey eyes are as sharp as knives when he sets them upon you. TenGu – the other one – doesn’t even bother giving you a glance, slinking away from his partner and leaving him out to dry. All you can tell before he throws his hood up is that his hair is dyed, with one side being green and the other blue.

“The fuck do you want? If you’re gonna gloat, just screw off and get ready for your next match – I can barely bring myself to look at you.” That comment is made towards you more than Orion, but you try and shrug it off as you notice a few stagehands coming your way. You nudge Orion, which he nods at – the both of you need to make this fast.

What would you like to ask him before you’re told to go backstage?

>Why did they attack Dahlia’s shop in the Warscape plaza?
>Does he know anything about the upcoming competition on your side of the bracket?
>Ask about the pair’s avatars – you’ve been curious about them ever since you saw them.
>Let Orion take the lead – you don’t think he will ask anything, but it will be VERY funny.
>Write-in.

>>5345023
When it comes to mutual kills, it would either be a draw in some cases, or the players would be rezzed and a short overtime round would occur in others.

>>5345046
>Why did they attack Dahlia’s shop in the Warscape plaza?

>>5345046
>Why did they attack Dahlia’s shop in the Warscape plaza?

>>5345046
>Gloat

>>5345046
>>Let Orion take the lead – you don’t think he will ask anything, but it will be VERY funny.
I don't think we'll get anything we don't know or can't have a good guess at, so let's pull the tail of the tiger a bit.

>>5345046
>Why did they attack Dahlia’s shop in the Warscape plaza?

>>5345059
>>5345068
>>5345149
Back from going to the store and getting food - you've got questions for him. Writing now!

>>5345206

“I just had a question for you.” You reach out and put a hand on Orion’s chest, pressing him back and assuming control over this conversation. Although it would be positively hilarious to watch him tear into this guy – and judging by the crowd, they wouldn’t have taken it well – you do have some information you want to confirm. You don’t know if you’ll get a straight answer, but there’s no harm in shooting your shot.

He doesn’t deign to speak to you, but he meets your eyes.

“Why’d you attack Dahlia’s shop? Seems like a struggle to drum up a whole war over nothing.” You keep an eye on him and an eye on the stagehands. Both are dressed in a black shirt and brown trousers, and they look muscular enough to pick you up and haul you off the stage with no trouble. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, because Orion looks like he’s ready for a fight.

“Business.” The man known as HELLION shrugs his shoulders. “She makes good guns, and she’s got a corner of the market. We’re going to take it from her.”

“Seems like you’re doin’ a poor fucking job if you got worked over by us two schmucks.” Orion cuts in, removing your hand and leaning on your shoulder. “Maybe work in tools rather than guns. You’ll have a lot more luck there, since there’s no way in hell you’re gonna get one over on her.”

“Sure, you believe whatever you’d like.” The portly man doesn’t let the remark get to him, turning around and beginning to follow his partner who’s already almost at the door to the backstage. Several people try to reach at the man’s feet. “When she gets swept out like dust on the floor, you’ll remember this conversation.”

This makes both Orion and you bristle – Orion out of sheer rage, and you because you happen to know Dahlia’s a pretty chill girl. You’re a fellow business owner, even if you’re in a vastly different spectrum of trade. Shit like this reminds you of what Rock did to you, and it makes your blood boil.

“Um, sirs, please go to your locker rooms?” The event staff finally reach the two of you, only to find Orion shoulder checking them and moving past them. You mutter a quick apology as you go to catch up with him, and as you begin to walk down the path, the boos seem even louder. Strangely though, you find that they don’t affect you as much – maybe it’s because you know you did good, and these fuckers are just salty.

All of a sudden, you feel a ringing in your pocket. The instinctual fear of a certain someone strikes through your body.

>Answer your phone – the chances of it being 0phelia aren’t too high.
>Talk to Orion about what just transpired, maybe being able to calm him a bit.
>Scan the crowd for any people of interest – maybe somebody you know is present?
>Write-in.

>>5345222
>Answer your phone – the chances of it being 0phelia aren’t too high.
My money's on an angry Alexis who saw us on TV and is peeved we didn't bring her along

>>5345222
>Answer your phone – the chances of it being 0phelia aren’t too high.

>>5345222
>>Talk to Orion about what just transpired, maybe being able to calm him a bit.

>>5345235
>>5345261
Whom dares call you in the middle of an event? Writing now!

>>5345222
>Answer your phone – pray it's 0phelia
can't wait for her to call us a cheater again

>>5345305

Groaning to yourself, you feel your hands tremble a bit as you fish your phone out of your jean pocket. If you turn on your screen, and find that it’s an unknown number or the one that you have marked down ‘0phelia’, you are going to chuck your phone at the nearest crowd member and feel no remorse if it happens to break an important bone. Before the abject dread can addle your mind, you flick on the screen and look at it through squinted eyes.

Oh, it’s Alexis. You haven’t talked to her in ages!

Trying to block out the almost deafening sound of the crowd’s boos, you press the phone to your ear as you accept the call.

“Hey there, Alexis.”

“A gas station? For real?!” Her voice comes through loudly, with her tone somewhere between excitement and disbelief. “What a way to kick off your comeback.”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice.” You roll your eyes instinctively, going into the backstage area first when Orion holds the door open for you. “And this isn’t an official return, Alexis. It’s just a favor for an old friend.”

“Ah, splitting hairs won’t do us any good~!” She cracks open a can on her end of the call, which is accentuated by a hearty gulp. “I saw those cocky smiles from the two of you. Also, I can’t believe you didn’t invite me along!”

“Tickets were already sold out.” You had anticipated this problem, and already had an argument prepared for it as a consequence. “The only reason Cinder came along is because she’s acting as a coach. Hopefully that’ll be a boost for her as well – it should make up for me pulling her away from practice.”

“Ain’t you a considerate boy~! I’m sure she’ll appreciate the rub.”

As the two of you engage in idle chitchat, you notice that the backstage area is much more populated than it was before. People wearing the venue’s uniform are darting to and fro, some holding coffee while others are holding equipment. A few of them give the two of you looks – some look happy and present a congratulatory thumbs up, while others bear looks of total indifference.

Passing through the hallway into a more open area, you can also spot another team – a couple, judging by how they’re holding hands – sulking by a set of benches. Another thing you notice, which makes you much more apprehensive, is that same group of reporters from earlier milling around in the direction of your locker room.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on the rest of the tourney, so keep your chin up, okay? You have three matches left!” She takes another swig of her drink, which makes you crinkle your nose. “If you happen to win, I’ll buy you a round when you’re back.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The line goes dead, and Orion looks at you with a bemused expression.

>”What are you looking at me like that for?”
>Shake your head and make your way towards your locker room.
>Ingratiate yourself with the sulking team and hope the press vanishes.
>Scout around and see if you can drum up info about your next opponents. [This will require a roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5345332
>>”What are you looking at me like that for?”

>>5345332
>Scout around and see if you can drum up info about your next opponents. [This will require a roll.]

>>5345332
>”What are you looking at me like that for?”

>>5345332
>”What are you looking at me like that for?”

>>5345340
>>5345359
>>5345386
Good morning, everyone! Why's he looking at you weird? Writing now.

>>5345764

“Stop staring at me and say what you have to say.” You glower at Orion, whose expression morphs into a smirk as he delights in your agitation. You’re starting to dislike just how inflammatory he can be, and if your mortal coil wasn’t ruled by anxiety, you’d almost like to give him a shove for that aspect. The problem is that you’re a noodle man, and Orion looks like he could break you over his knee.

Honestly, you should try to convince Cinder to beat him up. She’d probably do it if you asked really nicely.

“You’re awful friendly with that landlord of yours.” He falls in step with you as you slowly approach the locker rooms, hoping that they’ll get tired and go after another unsuspecting team of players. “It’s interesting to me. My landlord’s a shithead and doesn’t care about me unless I’m payin’ her, and that’s about the only time we talk for the year. It’s weird seein’ one that isn’t up their own ass like her. How long’ve you been renting from her?”

“A month or so after I left you guys.” You answer honestly, shrugging your shoulders when Orion looks at you with wide eyes.

“That...you were fuckin’ 16, how did that work?”

“Did you ever hear that my parents disowned me, after I was caught out in that tournament?” You all of a sudden find it very hard to look at him. “Well, that meant I didn’t have anywhere to go, and we happened to run into each other. Turns out she recognized me through my dyed hair and contacts, and in a highly illegal move, gave me an apartment and a job. She’s nosy and annoying, but she saved me from going homeless, so I owe her a lot.”

“...shit, man. I…” For once, Orion is speechless. You didn’t think that was possible. “You know that Alex would have…”

“How the fuck could I face any of you again, after the shit Buster and Violet said to me?” All of a sudden, your face is burning with hot shame – you’ll never forget the venomous look in Drifter’s eyes, not as long as you live. “After I ruined our credibility.”

“...yeah, I can’t blame you there.” Orion collects himself, considers putting a hand on your shoulder, and ultimately decides against it. “You know damn well that Alex would have happily kept going, even with those fans slagging us off and wrecking the house. And he would have housed you.”

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” You suddenly feel a wave of exhaustion as you look over to find several press members scribbling stuff down in notebooks, occasionally tossing a glance in your direction. Of course they’re listening to you – when’s the last time you were afforded any form of privacy?

Now you’re feeling foolish, tired, and angry. Looks like you can’t have one good day.

>Walk over to them and ask if there’s anything else they’d like to know. You’re feeling heated.
>Leave Orion behind and do a cool-off lap around the area. You need to calm down.
>Head straight to the locker room. Cinder’s presence is usually a welcome one.
>Write-in.

>>5345809
>>Leave Orion behind and do a cool-off lap around the area. You need to calm down.

>>5345809
>>Head straight to the locker room. Cinder’s presence is usually a welcome one.

>>5345809
>Head straight to the locker room. Cinder’s presence is usually a welcome one.
need support tomboy

>>5345809
>Leave Orion behind and do a cool-off lap around the area. You need to calm down.

>>5345809
>Walk over to them and ask if there’s anything else they’d like to know. You’re feeling heated.

>>5345809
>Head straight to the locker room. Cinder’s presence is usually a welcome one.

Cinder! CINDERRR~!

>>5345809
>Head straight to the locker room. Cinder’s presence is usually a welcome one.

>>5345886
>>5345889
>>5346201
>>5346297
Hey there everyone, sorry for radio silence for most of the day, been helping my family move and shit.

Search for your support tomboy - writing now!

>>5346315
Unacceptable. You should be at our beck and call all day. Your family is irrelevant, slave! /s

There was a sketch I know someone made of Cinder at some point, do you have it around?

>>5346345
I don't think I do unfortunately, but I do remember the Fletcher sketch that a friend of mine made! I'd post it were I at home.

>>5346315

The stares continue to burn into you as you make your way further down the hall, shutting your eyes as if it’ll make it all go away. You’ll see everything you said in an article tomorrow morning, or hell, even by the end of the day. You can picture it now – people pounding on your dressing room, asking for more details or what you meant about a specific comment. It makes your blood boil even more, and for once Orion doesn’t pipe up to exacerbate it. He just follows next to you with his hands in his pockets, occasionally sending a glowering blue glare at somebody who looks like they’re going to approach the two of you.

He’s trying his best, you realize. Even if you weren’t too close, you were friends once upon a time.

The uncomfortable silence continues all the way to your allocated room, and thankfully, nobody’s crowded outside of it like they were earlier. You’re allowed a moment to try (and fail) to collect yourself, before letting out a heavy sigh and entering the small room.

Your “coach” – and best friend – is stretched across the couch like a languid cat.

Cinder Faye’s scarlet hair falls down like a curtain over the arm of the couch, and her arm that’s adorned with a twisting dragon tattoo is jammed behind her head as she looks onward at a large television. The white hoodie that she wore here has been tossed on the floor, her boots have been haphazardly kicked off, and she’s clutching an energy drink that was provided in a mini-fridge that came with the room.

When the two of you cross the room’s threshold, her head snaps around and her blue eyes are shining.

“Well, look who the cat dragged in!” She’s already grinning as she propels herself off the couch, skittering over to the two of you and patting you hard on the shoulder. While you’re reeling from the impact, she reaches out and pulls you into a headlock, jamming your neck against her side “A fucking fuel bomb, dude? No wonder you kicked my ass – I never would have thought of that! And you Orion, that cover fire was incredible! How the hell do you reload so fast?!”

Orion, who was looking as surly as ever a few minutes ago, now looks doubly amused as he observes the predicament you’re in.

“A year of practice – some things never leave you~!” You hate that fucking lilt in his voice. This is the first time you’ve heard it, and you want it to stop. “I’ll be sure to do a hell of a lot more next time, though. Not too much you can do with smoke and a shield.”

There was PLENTY to do, you just did it before he could get a chance!

>Let it happen. You are a slave to the woman’s strength at this point.
>Wildly gesture at Orion to get you out of this situation. He’s a tough looking dude!
>RESIST. YOU WILL WIN SOMEDAY. AND THAT SOMEDAY IS NOW. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>DO MORE THAN RESIST. PICK HER UP AND SLAM HER ON THE COUCH. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

File: cinder.png (270 KB, 723x1185)

270 KB PNG

>>5346345
Update - found it!

>>5346401
>>5346401
>>DO MORE THAN RESIST. PICK HER UP AND SLAM HER ON THE COUCH. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]
AS IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER CHOICE

I found the image <1 minute after you and got duplicate-image checked.

>>5346401
>Wildly gesture at Orion to get you out of this situation. He’s a tough looking dude!

>>5346401
>>DO MORE THAN RESIST. PICK HER UP AND SLAM HER ON THE COUCH. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]
No way this will go wrong. Nope.

>>5346401
>Wildly gesture at Orion to get you out of this situation. He’s a tough looking dude!

aiieeeee orion sama please help

>>5346464
>>DO MORE THAN RESIST. PICK HER UP AND SLAM HER ON THE COUCH. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.

>>5346401
>DO MORE THAN RESIST. PICK HER UP AND SLAM HER ON THE COUCH. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]

>>5346401
>DO MORE THAN RESIST. PICK HER UP AND SLAM HER ON THE COUCH. [This will require a VERY HIGH roll.]

I believe

>>5346452
>>5346464
>>5346519
>>5346521
>>5346539
YOU'RE NOT TRAPPED IN HERE WITH HER (and orion). SHE'S TRAPPED IN HERE WITH YOU (and also orion). Gimme your BEST ROLL!

File: AHHHHHHHHH.png (679 KB, 906x780)

679 KB PNG

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>5346545
AAAHHHHH

>>5346556
I respect the spirit and the hustle, but it's a 1d20 as usual!

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>5346545
after this we need to start learning martial arts in our downtime purely to spite Cinder. She can't keep getting away with this!

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>5346545
Know despair. Nat 1.

>>5346566
Actually....do external skills transfer directly into the game? It'd be pretty fucking epic if we could dominate in mano-e-mano like that.

>>5346578
If you know how to do things in real life, you could definitely bring that knowledge into Warscape. As a fun fact to go along with this, Cinder boxes in her spare time!

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>5346545

>>5346585
I'm sure she'd love to teach us. Consider this a serious proposal for doing after the tournament that I'll definitely be bringing up again later. Even if we don't make it our specialty, we're still a wimp up close and it'd be great to have an ace up our sleeve if someone gets too close.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5346545
rolling because I hate this

>>5346566
Will an 18 truly be enough to topple the beast known as Cinder? Find out soon. Writing now!

>>5346604

You have been preparing for this moment.

Personal space was not something that Cinder respected, at least when it came to close friends. Time and time again, she had pulled you into a headlock, flaunting her gargantuan strength and leaving you to fumble until she released her vice grip on your neck. That time in her home base in Warscape was a one time win that was faciliated by game mechanics - now, in the real world, her arm feels like a steel coil locked around you. And yet, in your infinite amount of genius, you decide on something.

Right here, right now, you're going to win. I mean, you're doing this in front of your old teammate. You have to show some backbone, right?

Instead of focusing on brute forcing your way out of her arm, you choose a road less travel - putting strength into your shoulders and back while wrapping an arm around her waist. She lets out some unintelligible noise as she tries to brace herself, but to no avail - even though your body is already burning, you have now lifted Cinder over your shoulder. There's only one destination from here - you eye the couch with evil intent and begin a mad dash towards it before Cinder can recover.

Unfortunately, just as you reach it, you run into a problem - the fact that Cinder is a lot stronger and more flexible than you.

She drops her hold on your neck and forces your grip open, using her stomach to bend your head down so that she can successfully roll to your other shoulder. When she has done this, she gives you a soft - and in Cinder terms, that means moderate - hip check to the side of your head, which sends you off kilter and the both of you crashing onto the couch.

You would consider this mission succeeded were your arm not trapped underneath her, and her arm right back around your neck.

"Are you a fucking spider monkey?" You gasp for breath, your heart hammering both from exertion and sudden embarrassment at being nestled right up to the woman.

"They always talk about how you can bring skills into the game." She gives you a cheeky grin, her bright blue eyes shimmering in delight as she reaches up and flicks your nose. "They don't talk about how you can learn stuff from there, too."

"...when the fuck have you ever needed to do this?" You are exasperated.

"I'm a front-liner! You gotta do some crazy shit to survive!"

The two of you have a staredown, and you fold first, because the two of you are really close. The moment is interrupted when you see a bright flash of light out of the corner of your eye - a glance shows that it is not a nosy reporter, but Orion holding out his cellphone and biting his lip to hold back his laughter.

Oh, fuck off.

>Ask him to delete it. You hate having pictures taken of you!
>Let him have his fun. It's ultimately harmless.
>Try to sic Cinder on him. It'll give you time to calm your weak, weak heart.
>Rise up and try to snatch his phone. You must restore your honor. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5346633
>Rise up and try to snatch his phone. You must restore your honor. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
I believe in miracles

>>5346633
>Ask him to delete it. You hate having pictures taken of you!

>>5346633
>Rise up and try to snatch his phone. You must restore your honor. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
oh boy this is going on the rumour pile

>>5346633
>>Rise up and try to snatch his phone. You must restore your honor. [This will require a HIGH roll.]

>>5346633
>Rise up and try to snatch his phone. You must restore your honor. [This will require a HIGH roll.]
For honor! For FREEDOM!

>>5346633
>Ask him to delete it. You hate having pictures taken of you!

aiieee orion sama please have mercy

>>5346639
>>5346645
>>5346654
>>5346655
FOR HONOR! Try and snatch that phone. Please give me a 1d20, best of three wins!

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>5346687

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>5346687
Nat 1

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5346687

File: I'M NOT PLAYING AROUND AN(...).png (154 KB, 348x490)

154 KB PNG

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5346687

>>5346694
This goes through, and also decidedly is not a nat 1. Writing now!

>>5346701

(This is my last one for the night since I'm dead tired. See you all tomorrow, and I hope you're having a great night.)

After some careful extracating from underneath Cinder, you spring up and dsah towards Orion with your hands outstretched. Although this may not be the smartest thing you've ever done, you realize that there is a marked difference between fighting Cinder and fighting Orion.

Orion is just a gamer. Cinder is a gamer who actually exercises. Really, it's like two whole different worlds.

The ginger braces himself for impact, but is not prepared when you skid to a stop before him and throw yourself hard to the right, just being able to snatch the phone from his fingers due to this. The technology is thin and sleek, with the outside casing being orange with his screenname - Orange - engraved near the bottom. What a poser.

"Alright, c'mon, I'll delete it." Orion tries to bargain and snatch the object back, but you don't take any chances, scrolling to his camera roll and deleting the photo yourself. There, your embarrassment has been avoided - well, the kind that would come from other sources that aren't your brain, at the very least. "You should take that stick out of your ass before it stabs somethin' vital."

"C'mon, he's been through a lot recently." Cinder tries to diffuse the situation as you hand the phone back. "I mean, he basically got his entire life upended over stuff that he didn't want leaked."

"You say that like I'm gonna put it on a random imageboard or some shit." He shoots her a look. "I was just gonna send it to Fletcher and...yeah, only him."

You don't trust that statement at all, but there's no real reason to pursue it, considering the sanctity of your privacy has been preserved! Now you won't have to put up with Fletcher and whomever else asking you about Cinder in probing manners that you're not quite ready to deal with.

Especially not anyone else he could have sent it to. There's only a scance few people in his phone that he would send that picture to, and you don't want to hear from any of them BUT Fletcher.

Shaking your head, you stretch your now aching neck and shoulders and head back to the couch, where Cinder hasn't moved a muscle. After trying to will her into moving her arms by sheer eye contact alone, you sigh and are forced to sit with her arm around you.

With her tattoo, she almost looks like a mafia boss.

Now that the ruckus has passed and you're settled down, it's time to get down to business. You can't imagine there's too much time left before your next bout - four matches can finish in the blink of an eye, after all.

>Ask Cinder about the next team you're fighting in the bracket.
>Have a quick team meeting with Orion to discuss your performance.
>Speaking of Fletcher, call him. Maybe he's watching you?
>Open your phone and browse some Warscape fansites to gauge fan reaction.
>Write-in.

>>5346719
>>Ask Cinder about the next team you're fighting in the bracket.

>>5346719
>>Ask Cinder about the next team you're fighting in the bracket.

>>5346719
>>Ask Cinder about the next team you're fighting in the bracket.

>>5346719
>Open your phone and browse some Warscape fansites to gauge fan reaction.

yes egobrowsing

>>5346726
>>5347089
>>5347208
Good afternoon, everyone! Sorry for no updates yesterday, the moving process is proving more intensive than I expected.

Who exactly are you fighitng next? Writing now!

>>5348188

"Hey, Cinder." You look to the girl next to you, who sinks further into the couch and stretches herself out. "Do you know anything about who we're up against? I know we were the bottom match of the first bit of the bracket."

"Yep!" She flicks out her cellphone and begins scrolling through something or other with a furrowed brow. When she finds what she's looking for, she leans even closer to show you. This makes your face heat up just a little. "You're up against a team called All/In."

On the small screen is a blurry photo of the TV in this very room. The image displays a black haired woman with golden eyes and a single golden line extending from her hairline to her chin. In her hands is what appears to be a flamethrower, considering she's using it to light an entire section of forest on fire.

You feel a chill down your spine. Cinder continues speaking.

"This one's name is Firebrand. Can you guess why that is?" You roll your eyes when she gives you a cheeky look. "She's pretty damn brutal, and torched one of her opponents with a smile on her face. Obviously getting close to her would be a bad idea, so maybe don't?"

"Thanks for the sage advice. What about her other weapons? Or inventory items?" Orion has walked over to the two of you, and is leaning over you like a pushy owl. "And the other one on the team."

"Gimme a second, sheesh. She didn't use any other weapons - when it came to gunfire, her teammate dealt with it, and she was using that flamethrower to do crowd control." She swipes over a few more images in her camera roll - one of them is a selfie that she apparently decided to take in the midst of this - until she settles upon the other team member.

Wow, that's certainly a design choice if you've ever seen one.

The skin of her face has been replaced with gold plating, leaving brown hair to fall upon it with the same gold eyes that the other half had. Unlike the other one who was dressed in heavy black combat armor, this one dresses...well, a bit more freely than that. She's wearing what looks like an armored biker's jacket, only with the front zipped down halfway to reveal the smooth skin beyond.

One shot to the chest could completely take her out, you idly note to yourself. Cinder gives you a little side-eye.

"This one's name is roadrager, and she brought a rifle that's more like a cannon to the party. The strat seemed to be pinning someone with the flamethrower, and picking them off when they tried to scramble."

"A sniper duel, then." Orion comments running his thumb across his knuckles. "If only they let us do an inventory touch-up so you could pull out that wicked one, eh, Wolf?"

You feel a hint of indignation come up. You don't need a sniper rifle to win this fight - just ingenuity!

>Ask Cinder for their appearance, and then go looking for them.
>Call Fletcher and see if he knows anything else about them.
>Try and search them up on a player tracker website. [This will require a roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5348225
>>Try and search them up on a player tracker website. [This will require a roll.]

>>5348225
>Try and search them up on a player tracker website. [This will require a roll.]
and ourselves too

>>5348225
>Try and search them up on a player tracker website. [This will require a roll.]

>>5348225
>Try and search them up on a player tracker website. [This will require a roll.]

Hello everyone, sorry for no update today! Moving process is strenuous but almost done, either tomorrow or Monday will be when I can finally go back to writing on a regular schedule. Thank you for your patience! I'll be sure to pump out one when I wake up.

>>5348236
>>5348249
>>5348284
>>5349736
Please give me a roll to do some searching! Best of three d20s goes through.

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>5349913

>>5349957
Can we just keep the 19? ;)

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>5349913

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5349913
Good to see you back!

>>5350091
Lucky for you that it was indeed the highest roll!

>>5349957
Writing now.

>>5350345

You flick out your own phone and begin an arduous search for a website matching what you're looking for. As it turns out, these websites are highly frowned upon in most circles, leaving them very hard to find. The great thing about them however, is that once you do find one, you discover that it's very actively updated.

Now that's lucky!

You mosey on over to All/In's page, and you're immediately confronted with the fact that this is a very active team. You vaguely recall that the tournament you're in only accepts people who have made a name for themselves in some capacity - which means you and Orion are very outclassed, experience wise. It also means that people are more inclined to document them, which you can tell by the fact their first round match was recorded on here.

Eagerly clicking on a button that proclaims INVENTORY, you feel your two companions scoot closer as you begin to read.

Firebrand has a very lethal and very expensive inventory. The first thing that pops up on the screen is her flamethrower - named the Scorched Earth - and that it has a 100% chance of being on her. The thing costs $50,000,000, too - that makes even Cinder balk. The other weapon with 100% certainty is a wicked sword with a superheated wire where the blade's edge should be. Her third weapon is much less remarkable, with it being a simple Auxilia assault rifle - strangely enough though, the tracker lists it at an 80% chance of being present. Her items are strangely limited, with there being HECATE branded healing patches, a very scary sounding napalm ejector, and a device that generates a barricade.

Roadrager, on the other hand, has a much more versatile setup. Her main weapon looks like a cross between a cannon and a rifle, which fits what Cinder was going on about - this one clocks at $30,000,000. Her other weapon is an automatic shotgun that looks kitted out to all hell, and her melee item is a wicked looking axe that looks like it'd belong in a fantasy MMO. All of these items are a 100% guarantee, and so are her inventory items. HECATE patches, what appears to be a box of alternate ammunition for the cannon, a bundle of stick grenades, and what appears to be a breaching charge.

So these fuckers came to play. You turn to Orion and glance at the clock - quite a bit of time has passed, and you know that soon enough, they'll be telling you to ready up. It's time for a quick strategy meeting.

>Focus on Firebrand. She's specialized in entrapping you, and staying in one location with this team is dangerous.
>Focus on Roadrager. If she's taken out, being put in one spot isn't as threatening.
>Have Orion dictate what you do. He's more likely to go along with something he comes up with, and he's a smart guy.
>Get Cinder's input. She is technically the coach, and has a lot of experience herself, so it would make her happy.
>Write-in.

>>5350379
>Focus on Firebrand.

>>5350379
>Focus on Roadrager. If she's taken out, being put in one spot isn't as threatening.

>>5350379
>Focus on Firebrand. She's specialized in entrapping you, and staying in one location with this team is dangerous.

there's gotta be surprises hidden in that flamethrower for 50 million

>>5350379
>Focus on Firebrand. She's specialized in entrapping you, and staying in one location with this team is dangerous.

>>5350443
> there's gotta be surprises hidden in that flamethrower for 50 million
yep

>>5350379
>>Focus on Firebrand. She's specialized in entrapping you, and staying in one location with this team is dangerous.
>>5350443
agreed, RR's gun too

Hey there, everyone! Turns out moving didn't go to schedule and we're still at it, but that's alright. Was going to drop a doot earlier but then 4chan decided to break, so I'm going to go to bed and do an update as soon as I get up. See you then lads!

>>5350387
>>5350443
>>5350517
>>5350543
Focus on Firebrand and her apparent bag of tricks. Writing in the morning!

>>5353406

"Firebrand's the real issue here." Orion rattles off, fully taking your phone from your hands and looking over the page. "This doesn't seem to have any specs about what her weapon can do, sadly - which means there could be a whole bag of tricks inside of it. 50 mil is no joke."

"I've heard Auxilia has weapons that go for way more than that." Cinder chimes in, drumming her fingers on her leg. "And they're jam-packed with alternative use. I can only imagine what else that gun could do, especially since her whole strategy is to burn the hell out of opponents and leave no survivors."

"A hell of a strategy. That shit would never work in a regular match - you'd potentially end up burning your teammates if things went sideways." You idly comment and stroke your chin - strangely, that gets a curious glance from Orion. "But regardless, we need to hit her fast and hard. She's going to attempt to corral us into a corner, and Roadrager will pick us off. If Firebrand's out of action, the other will be forced to play to our rules."

Orion nods along with this, cracking his knuckles and smirking to himself.

"This match is gonna be as easy as pie. Who knew I'd need to do this little work for a year's rent and then some?" The man looks awful pleased with himself, and it takes all you have to not roll your eyes.

"Don't get cocky." You speak up, still without looking him in his eyes. Who knew you were still afraid of conflict? "We may think we have it figured out, but if she busts out a rocket launcher from within the flamethrower, then we'd be screwed."

There's a decently long pause before Cinder starts giggling. This, in turn, causes Orion to look away from the both of you - but you catch a fleeting hint of a stifled laugh from him.

"What's so funny? That could be a thing, couldn't it?!" You gripe, feeling yourself flush as you stare at the ground. Cinder adjusts her arm so it's no longer behind you, but around your shoulders.

"I-It was just such a hyper-specific example, sorry. Also you looked so serious saying it - it was cute!"

"D'you hear that, Wolf? You're cute!" Orion cackles to himself, causing you to roll your eyes and stand up from the couch. Amidst half-hearted protests from your friends, you make your way towards the door in a huff, and when you open it up, you find somebody on the other side reaching for the knob.

It's a staff member!

"You're up again, Nova." The man says, adjusting his cap before leaning in close. "Good match, by the way."

"Thanks, chief. Orion! We're up."

You don't hear him respond, but can feel his presence a few seconds later.

>Make your way to the stage. It's your time to shine.
>Ask the guard about how the crowd's looking. Was the match before yours any good?
>See if you can glean any additional info about your match off the guard. He seems like a fan! [This will require a roll.]
>Write-in.

>>5353731
>>Ask the guard about how the crowd's looking. Was the match before yours any good?

>>5353731
>Ask the guard about how the crowd's looking. Was the match before yours any good?
Dammit Cindy, Orion's going to tease us enough already later.

>>5353731
>Make your way to the stage. It's your time to shine.

>>5353731
>See if you can glean any additional info about your match off the guard. He seems like a fan! [This will require a roll.]

You okay there, cirno? Still busy with the moving, or are we going to see you again in another year?

Hey there, gang! Sorry for the long silence.

Living situation has gotten very rocky as of now, leaving me with incredibly spotty internet and no solid space to really hunker down.

Going to be dropping one last doot for now to round out the thread, and GxG #15 will immediately be published upon me being able to settle down.

It won't be another year's hiatus or anything, but it will be either later this month or next month. If my situation is still fucked by the end of September, I'll make a new thread regardless and I'll go hard, because in my year long absence, I kind of forgot just how much fun it is to run quests.

So, with that in mind -

>>5353747
>>5353758
Ask some questions - will he have answers? Writing now!

>>5361306

You try to force out an easy smile despite the sudden set of nerves gnawing at your gut. Judging by the sideways glance Orion gives you as the two of you exit, you aren't really doing a great job.

"How's the crowd looking?" You ask him as you're led down the hallway once more. People are still out and about, and a few more pictures are snapped of Orion. The man throws a withering look at them, but this causes more flashes - the media has always liked a bad boy.

"Excited!" The handler responds in a peppy tone, reaching down to affix a black hat with the organization's logo onto his head. "They've been eating up this entire event, and now that we're onto round two, you can imagine the electicrity in the room. Also helps that there hasn't been a bad match yet, plus how explosive - heh - yours was."

It pains you to admit it, but you have to suppress a snicker.

"Well, glad to hear that, at least." Orion nudges you in the side as you round a corner. The doorway to the stage is about fifty paces away - and thankfully, it doesn't look nearly as intimidating as it once did. Turns out you're adjusting, even if you wish you'd never had to in the first place. "Hopefully we managed to turn some heads back over in our corner."

Your footsteps seem to echo as you approach that simple set of double doors, and it's quickly overtaken by the sound of the crowd just a wall away. Orion adjusts his jacket and smooths his hair a bit, which causes you to hastily do the same. Your hair is always messy, but it's likely doubly so due to your quick tustle with Cinder.

And then, like earlier, the doors part and the stage is before you.

They seem to have forgone the regular protocol in having teams come out in intervals, just allowing them to walk on stage whenever they damn well please. When the two of you are seen, the crowd goes wild, with the prevalent boos from earlier now having cheers to drive them back to equal footing. Somebody reaches over a barricade to try and touch you, and you are barely pulled out of the way by Orion, whose gaze is solely focused on the opposite end of the stage.

As it turns out, the other team was already en route, and boy, did they dress opulently.

The two women stride forward with measured steps, both donning black dresses speckled with orange and gold. Their heels can be heard clacking against the ground even over the crowd, and as you both hit the stage, you realize that they look incredibly alike. The only difference is that one has a wreath of fire tattooed around her neck and black hair, while the other is bare of tattooes and has brown hair.

Both of them have gold eyes, and they are burning holes into yours. Your heart begins to beat and thud in your ears as the announcer begins his clarion call.

"ON MY LEFT, WE HAVE THE AFFLUENT AND DESTRUCTIVE ALL/IN! ON MY RIGHT, WE HAVE THE DISGRAVED AND RESILIENT GENESYS! ENTER YOUR CONSOLES!"

Time for round two.

>To be continued.

And with that, Gun x Glory! #14 comes to an end.

Thank you very much for coming around, whether you're new or old. I'm very glad to be back writing this, even if there will be a small pause, and I will be putting content up on the ol' pastebin in the meantime. For now it's just filled with Limbus Company prompts, but GxG related things will be coming VERY soon.

If you want to stay in more consistent touch with me, join the discord listed at the beginning of the thread! We've got some cool cats in there.

Thank you once more for swinging by, and I'll see you next time for GxG #15!

Gun x Glory! ED: https://youtu.be/C7uEhGBPtvE

>>5361332
Welcome back OP! Saw this by chance scrolling the catalog, glad I caught it.

File: oldgang.png (284 KB, 500x357)

284 KB PNG

>>5361332
See you next time, hopefully things work out soon because it's nearly as much fun for us as it is for you.
By the way, something that's been on my mind is - is there something like a story with an ending you have in mind for this quest? Not that I mind either way and I like to imagine Wolfgang as starting to warm back up to Warscape as he slowly comes to terms with his past and eventually reclaim his name and career, but that's just me. It'd be hilarious if at the end of the final thread, it's revealed that the whole quest was an elderly Wolfgang telling his grandkids his big comeback story and how-I-met-your-grandmother before falling asleep in his armchair, scroll credits.