chicago ♔ can't deny the enemy's taken over

[lawofsurvival]

WHO || Des, Buffy, Spike, Myri, Finnick, Archer, Dawn, Vi, Elena, Jaka [closed]
WHAT || Bonding time with Rafael's lawyer by breaking into Chad Beckworth's office
WHERE || NOVA Records HQ, Chicago, IL
WHEN || July 11th, 2013 [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam, single thread

Never a dull moment.

The night of the funeral was certainly eventful: as expected, some of Chad's goons appeared at the cemetery, apparently in search of the buried necklace, and the Knights barely managed to escape with their lives thanks to the appearance of a giant dune-winder worm at the beck and call of a necromancer. Yep. The other team had their own share of adventure at the hotel, and though they couldn't get Nadia to leave with them, they did establish contact, and swiped Decker Greenwall's mysterious hourglass artifact from his room at Dumage's prompting. They also ran afoul of a doppelganger in the employ of the other side, who prompted Elena to begin questioning exactly who or what she might be...

And of course, they finally met with Rafael's lawyer, a last minute replacement for Burt's usual guy, who had met with an unfortunate skiing accident or... something. Jeggred 'Jaka' Teken'Duis, and his brother Nym, garnered a great deal of suspicion from the team from the start, although Jaka seems entirely confident that he can get Rafael off on a temporary insanity plea. Either way, he's agreed to help them look for clues to try to illustrate Chad's role in events at the upcoming trial, and suggested, to that end, breaking into his Chicago office, one of many not-quite-legal suggestions he hinted at during their pow-wow.

All those Knights who are looking to assist him are meeting up with Jaka in a parking garage a few blocks away from the NOVA building, at his invitation.  In fact, he's already there, leaning against his car, when they arrive.

Comments

[graveflowers]

[It doesn't take much to shift Vi into Legion mode, so she is quiet as a mouse (move silently 23) as they walk, eyes sweeping the street and sidewalk as they go. (Spot also 23) ]

[isisagent]

Yeah, Whatever.
[Archer reaches into his jacket and pull out his flask... WAIT That's no flask! He pulls out his spyglasses, and begins to look about.]

Can we just frigging get there?
[Rolls... Oh yay - a 17! [Checks sheet...] Total spot of... 18... Goddamnit Archer, why do you only have +1 spot?!]

[lawofsurvival]

[ it's right as archer says that that he walks into the giant nearly invisible webbing strung across the underpass they're now moving through. in fact, everyone but myri blunders into it as the same time: but she can catch a glimmer of something in the air in front of them that alerts her to it. everyone else is entangled against the sticky strands, unable to move forward...

meanwhile, jaka slips his keys from his pocket and clicks a button, the car let out a little beep-beep as he unlocks it and glances at buffy, moving towards the trunk. ]

I don't know how you intend to carry all this.

[witchwoman]

Wait- [She tries to warn them that she's seen something, but it's too late and instead rushes towards the girls sorry Archer.]

Something's not right.

[slay]

How about you just leave the thinking as well as the heavy-lifting to the girls? [ she can't help but instinctively snap at the presumption, which she can only assume is based on ... her size and stature and gender, but she keeps a tight smile as she says it. she follows him back to the trunk. ] Just show me what you got.

[notaroundme]

That's an understatement.

[Because wow this is horrible, and bad, and gross. Elena begins to struggle in the webbing, trying to break free. (ahahaha escape artist crit fail)]

[graveflowers]

Not to drop the Harry Potter knowledge bomb on us, but uh, I'm pretty sure we should put the kibosh on the struggling before we become spider snacks. [Not that Vi didn't squeal like a six year old in pigtails when she first felt the silky, sticky web against her cheek, but she recovered quick enough when she realized what she'd stepped into. What they need is a really big stick to just beat this thing up okay. And barring that, she twists to squirm out of her sweatshirt like a teenager on her first day changing for gym in high school, so... she's half free. (Escape artist 20 total) And now she's lost her favorite hoodie. SO THAT IS AWESOME.]

[lawofsurvival]

[ webbing info: it's a dc 21 strength or escape artist or dex check to break free, so vi really is doing a great job over there... whereas elena has made it MUCH HARDER FOR HERSELF, getting all tied up and twisted, so her DC has increased to 22. shit damn. someone will probably need to get her out....

just as vi says the word 'spider snacks', our lovely friend starts crawling down the webbing towards them, still hidden (hide 47) and stalking utterly silently (move silently 45 if anyone wants to try a listen check :X). for anyone who gets a nat 20 spot, he looks a lot like this. and it's fulfilling violet's ominous warning by heading towards her first, since she looks ready to escape...

meanwhile, jaka pops up the trunk and lifts it, revealing a sight that would make the winchesters proud.

and yes.

there is a flamethrower.

along with many assault rifles, a gatling gun, smaller handguns, machine guns, shotguns, and one grenade launcher.

yep. ] Do hurry.

[slay]

[ buffy will make sure she grabs the grenade launcher and flamethrower and whatever other assault rifles she can carry with her strength check of 23. she doesn't stop to wonder why he brought all of this or why he even has it if he's just a lawyer - no one's ever been what they seemed to failboat, and she has to get back to help her friends. ]

[lawofsurvival]

[ the spider stops about five feet from violet, and shoots out a strong, sticky web from its abdomen towards the girl, trying to wrap her back up again. a reflex save of 22+ will allow her to avoid getting hit since she's half-mobile as is, and if the web strikes her, her DC for escape will also increase to 22.

the sudden webs shooting out from nowhere, however, make the spider's location much more easy to discern and its hide check drops to a 19. ]

[witchwoman]

[Myri is so focused on her teammates that she doesn't even notice the direction that the webbing is fired from (spot 15). She does notice where it is shot at though and rushes for Vi who seems to have gotten herself partially free. Reaching out, she grabs Vi's arm and pulls, but is quickly reminded why she isn't the muscle for the team (str 8).

She also is too focused on the immediate need to think to use her phone to call for help (wis 6). Basically, she's panicking.]

[watcherjunior]

[ Of course, now she gets the nat 20 spot check, 24 in total, and she can see where the spider is. It's also shooting web out of its gross spider body at Vi, so that helps too. She gets a 19 on her strength check, which probably just means she's getting further entangled in this crap. ]

It's, like, five feet that way. [ Which is incredibly vague, coupled with the fact that she's stuck. ]

[lawofsurvival]

[ dawn's check is good enough to actually get her nearly ripped out, actually. which is pretty badass.

meanwhile, jaka easily picks up just as many weapons as buffy with a 23 strength check of his own, slamming the trunk closed and moving to follow her out of the garage at an unconcerned brisk pace. ]

[notaroundme]

[Elena's next escape artist attempt comes in at a...4, so she's hopelessly entangled. Her life.

Her spot check, on the other hand, is a fucking 24, and she had already drawn her gun before she got stuck, so she's going to shoot the thing because holy shit it's right by Vi. (ranged attack 16, at least she didn't hit any of her friends)]

[isisagent]

[Rolly roll. 10. ACTION POOOOOINT! [BEAM OF LIGHT COMES DOWN!] 18. Plus 3 = 21 Strength. Archer casually struts free of the web like it ain't no thang. And hell no he didn't slip out of his suitjacket to do it. This is a $2,000 suit.]

[He walks forward and turns around, grinning at the yet-ensnared ladyfolk, before lazily beginning to walk over to help Elena.]

What seems to be the problem, ladies?

[graveflowers]

[Yeah, that tiny scream before when she walked into the web? Nothing compared to the absolutely eardrum shattering (sorry Elena) shriek when the web hits her. Because it does -- full on. (Reflex crit fail!) And all that instinctive struggling just tangles her up more! (Escape artist 12) Vi is gon' die.]

[herebemonsters]

[ the spider seems satisfied that violet isn't going anywhere at all now, and its mandibles click with what is almost a smug air before it turns to regard the spot where archer so easily tore out of its webbing, and its all too intelligent eyes roll around to follow him, exuding a sense of frustration.

it skitters down off from the web to follow him, and slices out with a powerful slam into his back with one of its legs, cutting into his amazing suit with the sharp shell covering the appendage (atk... 40, dmg 6). that's right, the spider just went BITCH PLEASE and kicked archer from behind. seeing as how he walking towards elena oh so casually when he was struck with the mighty blow, he needs to make a balance check of 9+, otherwise he'll go staggering into the web again, and get stuck next to elena (barring a reflex save of 20 to stagger in another direction). also, that was pretty obvious, so it's hide check is down to a 14 now. once someone sees it from this point out, you do not need to reroll again - you can keep track of where its at. ]

[witchwoman]

Violet! [Yeah, she used your real name. Sry not sry. As the web encases her sister, Myri can feel her heartbeat thudding in her chest. She glances to the others just in time to see Archer free himself

...and then get kicked by the spider. She winces at the impact.]

We need to get them free. [She shouts to the man, hoping that he doesn't end up ensnared again. Her hands wrap around Vi's tighter this time, adrenaline kicking up as her empathy is fueled by all the fear. She yanks with ALL HER MIGHT (str nat 20) and pulls Violet free of the web, stumbling back a few steps in the process.]

[slay]

Hey, you wanna pick it up some?

[ buffy notices jaka's being pretty leisurely, and she's looking to pick up the pace as she hurries back towards the others. ]

Giant inviso-bug, not exactly screaming good news for anybody.

[watcherjunior]

[ There's a total look of surprise when Dawn's previous str check gets her halfway free. Sometimes miracles do happen with your dump stat. Since Archer manages to free himself, she'll give it one more go in trying to pull the rest of the way out (str 15).

She's also keeping an eye on that damn spider (spot nat 20, total 24), and if she's able, she's going to reach for her gun, too. ]

[lawofsurvival]

[ i'll allow dawn to try a break out as a move and draw her weapon as an attack action, sure.

jaka, in the meantime, just retorts: ] Perhaps it will teach your friends something about screaming and pointing anytime they see a threat, and provoking it into action. [ he snorts. amateurs. ]

[notaroundme]

[Hey guys, guess who just crit failed her escape artist check AGAIN.]

A little help here?

[Because seriously Archer? Stop the sauntering before she freaks out.]

[isisagent]

[Archer is none too pleased about getting blood on his suit... but that can wait, he follows Myri's lead and attempts to pull Elena free.]

Knew I should have worn my Tactleneck... I got ya, just hang in there.
[He laughs at his own joke, as he pulls with a strength roll total of 18. (Not sure if that's good enough :x)]

[graveflowers]

[Holy balls, Myri is strong. Vi stumbles back with her, the shock at being just bodily yanked out of the web, but she rights herself almost immediately. (Balance 25)

She is starting to hate spiders. She doesn't even kill them, she sets them free in the wild! That shit is going to change. And with her spot of 16, she can finally see it as she glances around to find some nature she can choke it to death with.] You motherfucker.

[Classiest of broads.]

[herebemonsters]

[ elena's crit failed twice, stacking her DC to a 23 as she gets more and more hopelessly entangled... but archer's 18 is enough to knock that down 2 again, so it's back to a DC 21 str or escape artist to get her out.

violet glances around wildly for vegetation, but there's nothing but concrete jungle visible here in the confines of the tunnel (she can roll a spot check to confirm). the spider rears back, ready to smack archer again as he struggles to free elena, but he notices vi stumbling away from the web and chitters with increasing agitation, wheeling around and heading straight for her. it slices at her with one of those hard legs of its, a much less deliberate, refined attack than before as it loses its temper, but still impossible to avoid (atk 28, dmg 10 (with penetration :x). ]