A Time for Secrets

The enemy shouting intensified as LT's shots found their target. Anyone who guessed that their shouting had amounted to "Geek The Mage!" turned out to be correct. Not only was Ashe the only target they could actually see at the moment, she was also the highest-priority target: the mage! All of the 8 still-standing enemy combatants moved in to position to attack Ashe. 2 of them were close enough to get a shot off while the others were moving in.

Round 2
Seig - 16 (3)
Kesslan - 15 (3)
Ashe - 14 (4)
LT - 13 (2)
Enemy - ?/?
Specter - 10 (1)
Viking - 7 (3)

@Darkon: Ok, we've been "saving" you. You can jump in now. Let's say that Ashe's lightning bolt had a jolting effect on you, snapping you out of it. And the attacks on Ashe, likely soon to be followed by more, were motivational. Also, BTW you're one of two on the team in position to actually see what happened to Ashe after the first round of attacks on her.

As a note: since they're all co-located now, the former rules of trying to find a target are slightly different. A 2 perception check gives you the target now. Or a 1 on the Astral.

@Viking: Go ahead and post up - your actions and Specter's are unlikely to be mutually exclusive.
- The barrier rating of the wall is 3, and it's not magically enhanced. You'll certainly be able to push through it in a few rounds - and possibly on the first round.
- Jack and his water spirit press through the door, not the wall, almost immediately.

The lightning brought Specter out of her panic. There were other, real, threats. She also heard guns going off somewhere. The elf girl looked around to find a target.

Perception roll(astral)1 Int3+Perception1-distracted2=2d (2d6. hits(5)=0)

But the mana of Ashes lighning bolt still lingered on the astral plane, obscuring her 'gaze'.


The air spirit had waited, patiently concealing the group it had been assigned to. Then some of the group started agressive actions against other fleshlings, by definition enemies of the spirits protectees. Protect them, it remembered.

Then Ashes lightning struck.

It looked around, trying to take in the scene,
Perception roll for the spirit. Int5+Perception5-distracted2=8d (8d6. hits(5)=0) (You've got to be kidding me...)

but the lightning seemed to have overwhelmed it's senses as well. Neverthelessl, the air spirit could imagine how an enemy would react. No matter whether flesh or mana.



"Your friend is in danger." The mental voice whispered in Specters mind. "Anyone who saw her, and that will be many, will be going to attack her any moment. And her display of power might have left her powerless to save herself.

Specter was still not sure what to do. But she wouldn't submit to something she summoned. "Show me where the enemies are and I'll fry them." She stated mentally.
But the spirit simply replied: "I don't know where they are. Your friend overwhelmed my senses. Like she did with yours. But you know perfectly well where she stands. And if you do not act now, she might not be standing there anymore in mere moments. And I will not be fast enough to do something effective in time. It is in your hands." It had noticed the pride and anger welling up in the elf girl. And it just thought how misplaced this reaction was under the circumstances.

Time seemed frozen while the conversation took place. Quick like a thought, immediate like the flash of last regret just before ones face impacted on hard concrete.

In this no-time, Specter fought with herself. She liked Ashe, but submitting to anyone was completely against her very nature. It always had been. "No. I will fight those Versoniel. If only I knew where they were!"
The spirit made one last attempt: "You don't have to submit to me. I'm here to serve you. Not the other way round. But right now, the only way I can serve you is by giving you options. Admittedly only very scarce options, but the decision is yours. You are in control, see?"

Options. Yes. I decide which option to choose. And of course I want my friend to live. Specters mind grabbed for the, thin, straw. But I'm not useless. I will fry those Versoniel after I dealt with Ashe. The shamaness jumped and pulled Ashe into cover. "You owe me one." She grunted while pulling the other elven woman out of harms way.

Meanwhile, the spirit started entering the physical plane, gaining form and mass so it would soon be able to participate in the battle.

As Viking started to press against the Magic that was hidden in the wall it did resist at first, but then it almost like absorbed his hand, it felt like it was feeding off his energy and changing to allow him to pass, this was somehow unexpected. As soon as Viking was ready he almost jumped trough the field of mana like it was a wall of water.

Coming trough the wall, his first instinct was to look around and see what was what in this new environment. Even while taking in the surroundings he felt the assuring feeling of all his Foci and spirit to be still around. At least his spirit is giving him some protection from eyes, but all too well he knew that even the spirits power was limited.



Viking passed troughs the barrier with no problems with all 3 foci and his spirit intact
Viking looks around to see where he is and if he still sees any of the runners he was following, and maybe others as well

Kesslan's subvocalized message came through clearly, but there was not much in the way of advantage to be immediately gained from it.
Amazed that he was not so much as fired upon, Seig slammed a fresh clip into his weapon. The dropped clip would have to be retreived later. Without flare compensation, Ash's 'fireworks' display left him glare-blind, but at least replacing an ammo clip could be done by touch alone.

Blinking rapidly in an effort to speed the return of his innate night vision, Seig readied his Urban Combat and prepared to fire again. He'd just have to wait to acquire another target.

He knew he should find an alternate point of cover, but moving now might put him in the line of fire; better to sit tight and take action when he next had the chance.

Simple Action: Insert Clip
Simple Action: Ready Weapon

A hail of bullets, and the violent flashes of the gun-mounted flashlights all centered on the area Ashe had been in. Perhaps she was still there, perhaps she was not. Of course, if she was smart, well prepared, or otherwise lucky, she wouldn't still be there now. In this circumstance, it's not hard to imagine how the opposing group would react to both a powerful attack, and a huge neon blue-white arrow literally pointing to the Mage... Either way, the flashlights were flashing too fast, the bullets were pinging, there was dust... And all told, there was just too much going on to know for certain if Ashe was in the bullseye of the oncoming bullets.
"OohfF!!!" The rushing of air out of Ashe's lungs was probably not a good sign. When bullets hit armor, they tend to impact first, crushing what's behind them, before they end up penetrating. Well, sometimes they just go straight through. But modern armor is pretty good.

Round 3
Seig - 16 (3)
Kesslan - 15 (3)
Ashe - 14 (4)
LT - 13 (3)
Enemy - ?/?
Specter - 10 (1)
Viking - 7 (3)

Kesslan: You're up.

As a reminder: Ashe cast lightning bolt, they're shooting back. Many of the enemies grouped to attack her (perhaps all - need a perception for that). Because they're grouped, if you're shooting at any of those, a Perception 2 will get you a target; no "blind fighting" for this test (means you might be able to use smartlink!). If you want a specific one, though, former rules are still in effect (not to be confused with shooting the same target with both simple actions - that's not necessarilly a specific one, just the same one for both shots).
As a note: there's a lot of stuff going on. You'll need an Astral Perception 1 test to see if you dropped your previous target - or a Physical Perception 4 test. That same Astral Perception test will also determine whether the one already down is now dead. And that same perception may be used to determine the health of the guy Ashe fried.
Since you can perceive both automatically, your astral and physical can both happen during your "distracted" free action - just make sure to use a separate roll for each, since there are different bonuses/negatives.
Umm... I hope I've covered all your potential questions...

Deciding to leave the unconscious one be, Kesslan moved on to his secondary target. The larger group ahead would have to wait. He hated the idea of letting a good opportunity for an explosive surprise go, but he couldn't risk leaving the other one be and possibly have him revive his friend. Kesslan wasn't entirely sure what the abilities of their foes were exactly but he'd already noticed before that some of them were awakened. Unconscious meant they were at least less of a risk until later, though part of him still would much have preferred the lot of them dead. Not that he wasn't using live rounds but.. well..

Deciding to try and slip around his wounded quarry, Kesslan holstered one of his pistols and let his now free hand slip to the hilt of one of his swords while he slunk low and tried to slip up closer to his quarry. While normally he'd trust in his reflexes to close in a quick kill, he realized he couldn't quite do it fast enough without dropping his pistol. Granted it was on a lanyard and wouldn't be lost but it could still bump up against something and give him away.

(OOC: Since melee is a complex even with the ability to quickdraw the sword I can't holster and attack, as I assume putting a weapon is more or less the same as a ready weapon action. Gala let me know if you need/want a stealth roll or what have you to try and sneak closer to the wounded guy.)

Free: move
Simple: Holster 1 Pistol
Simple: Ready Weapon (Ruthenium coated sword)

Lil'Tiamat

Picking targets same guy/girl bad person lol

perception 4 intuition 3 7dice = 2hits

Firing his Weapon LT could not hear Ashe loosing her breath from the voly of bullets... He fired again at the same target, and got in the way of what he thought was the passage of Ashe and Specter and the bullets that were on the thre way

Firing Narrow burst at same target

Agility 5, Automatics 3, Smart link 2, Narrow Burst -2 8dice = 2hits

He did not fire again trying to steady his arm for further shots... And he had to brace himself for the incoming volly of bullets that were shortly on there way...

Ashe, now in contact with Specter and thankful for not having a new set of bullet holes in her body to worry about (the last experience was still fresh and not so pleasant...) firmly gripped Specter's upper arm in what might have been considered a gesture of thanks. Specter, currently viewing Astral, was able to clearly see the coalescence of mana circling around Ashe, filling her with the power to do something. And something she did.
Specter could feel time slowing down. She could feel the tell-tale confidence that came with a higher capacity for action, or reaction. She could feel the increased understanding of her body that occurred when her brain was sped up, allowing her to process information faster than was otherwise normally possible. And she then knew what Ashe had done. She'd increased Specter's reactions - allowing her to move and act at the same speed as the other enhanced members of the team. Of course, Ashe's actions have a consequence. Everything in magic has a consequence. But clearly it was a consequence Ashe was willing to take on. This time.

Round 3
Seig - 16 (3)
Kesslan - 15 (3)
Ashe - 14 (4)
LT - 13 (3)
Specter - 13 (4)
Enemy - ?/?
Viking - 7 (3)

@Darkon: You're up. You don't get to "make up" for IPs that you didn't have earlier in the round. But you do get an action during both this round.
- You're prone. Since you're viewing in Astral, you can see the group of opponents clearly enough (particularly because Ashe recently pointed them out to you and the team...).
- Standing up costs a simple action (or is it a complex action? I'm at work and don't have my books) - so you can't stand and cast. You can, however, roll and cast.

The world seemed to slow down significantly. And she felt ready to take it! A grin appeared on Specters face. But it was definitely not a nice one.

The young shamaness rolled onto her side to get a better look at the group of attackers, standing relatively close together. Perfect. You dare fire at us? At me? I'll show you what good it does to you.

With that thought, she drew the mana from around her. Compressing it with the power of her mind. The structure took on the feel of sharp edges, needles and thorny points.

http://www.shadowrunonlinepbp.com/t1013-a-time-for-secrets-rolls#29711 (2 hits on spellcasting, 1 box of drain comes through.)

For tonights course, I recommend fried guard.

She sent the ball to an aura roughly in the middle of the group, using it as anchor point, and then released the spell. She watched the energies bloom, expanding like a small nova until it reached it's limits of roughly four meters, the mana fading out quickly as it reached that far, a few strands going further like tentacles, but uneffective. It happened in an instant. And then the energy was gone. But on its way, it ripped through auras, tearing them open and letting the power transfer into -for now- living flesh.

The enemy had the same apparent weaknesses that the group had. They were having a hard time seeing what they wanted to shoot at too. Their flashlights zeroed in on the area where Ashe had been standing when she cast the lightning bolt, following the searing path of electric white light to it's source the same as Specter had. Most of them even squeezed off a first round of burst-fire shots. But as the flashlights focused on the area, fully illuminating her notable absence from that spot, and the bullets pinged off the tin wall of the warehouse (or penetrated through it), the shots ceased, and the flashlights started to spread out again, looking for a new target.
Perhaps they found one, or perhaps they did not. As the flashlights spread out, a strange thing happened. A shadow appeared, projected out against the floor and wall behind it. Emanating from that shadow were the dangerous burst-fire shots of a semi automatic machine gun, which was also not visible. It was not a stationary shadow, easily located or obvious in it's location. It was a shifting shadow, moving through the beams of light purposefully, not standing still, and yet not really hiding. And something had to be casting that shadow - though what it was was not entirely obvious. Not yet, at least. And it was clear that the shadow had been noticed. Flashlights started to hone back in on that area, near where Ashe had been when she fired her lightning bolt. But like a shadow, it was difficult to locate the strange being's exact location.

Round 3
Seig - 16 (3)
Kesslan - 15 (3)
LT - 13 (3)
Specter - 13 (4)
Enemy - ?/?
Ashe - 11 (4)
Viking - 7 (3)

@Ghostmaker: Roll dodge against 6 separate attacks.
- As a reminder: if you actually use "Dodge" on your roll, you have to give up your next turn and go "full defense". Otherwise it's just Reaction.
- Also: there's a -1 for each subsequent attacker. So on your first roll, it's just reaction. Your second roll is reaction -1. Your third roll is reaction -2. Etc. When you run out of dice, you may choose to use the "Long Shot" rules in edge; or just not dodge and resist any net damage with Body+Armor.

@Kouryuu: You're up.

LT starts bobbing, and weaving, and cursing at himself in literally every language he knows!!!

Reaction 6, Dodge 4 = 10 -cumulative 1 for each roll after first...

roll one Normal full dodge = 2 hits

roll two -1 = 3 hits

roll three -2 =3 hits

roll four -3 =3 hits

roll five -4 =2 hits

roll six -5 =2 hits

(OOC got the Castle back and its working great lol i think i did damn good for a troll )

The barrier behind him Viking looked around.The team he had been following was not hard to spot but he was surprised by their emotional state. Anger, hostility, had they spotted him and Jack? are they preparing for attacking? Would he need help? maybe summoning anew spirit, watcher, contacting Ashe? AS viking looked around he pondered. The Astral representations of Vikings soul traveled near the group to have a better overview of the storage room. Jack being together with him was as reassuring as was knowing that Valkyrie can be here in a blink of an eye. It all made feel secure, maybe even a bit too secure for his own good.

"They are Oblivious, let's investigate the surroundings?" Viking said to Jack pointing to the the direction the team was concentration on.

Specter glanced around for a split second.

Perception roll. int3+perception1-distracted2=2d (2d6. hits(5)=1) (Finally a hit. )

There you are. She thought grimly. There seemed to be figures still standing. We can't have that.

The shamaness reached into the mana once more, shaping, pressing, forcing it into a little ball which she sent over to the aura she had used as a center before, pushing the ball into the aura with her willpower and then releasing the spell, letting it expand to do its devastating work. She saw it inflate, producing sharp spikes and edges that ripped and torn the living beings within its radius.

Spellcasting manaball. Force4 Mag5+Spellcasting4=9d Drain F4/2+2=DV4 Cha6+Will5=11d (9d6. hits(5)=3, 11d6. hits(5)=3) (3 hits on spellcasting. And getting 1 box of stun from drain.)

The headache was getting worse, although nothing Specter couldn't handle. Not yet anyway.


Her spirit meanwhile waited for Specter to finish the spell, least it would be caught in the wake of destructive mana. ((OOC holding action for Specters spell to finish, then acting as follows))

Fortunately, it wasn't blinded as it had been by the lightning. And so it could see the enemies clearly.

Spoiler:

Spirit of air perception. Int5+Perception5-distracted2=8d (8d6. hits(5)=4) (4 hits on perception)

The spirit moved in between them like a breeze, touching one, and then bloated up like a fat trolls winds, aquiring a sickly green hue as it engulfed the enemy.

Spirit of air melee attack to engulf: Agi8+unarmed combat5=13d (13d6. hits(5)=4)

Guns were blaring, bullets were making the distinct "thud" of hitting something solid and the "ping" of ricocheting off something hard, flashlights were wildly flashing about lighting up many different things at once in garish white/black relief. The scene was hectic. To say the least. And at least one member of the team, possibly more, were in what seemed like it was directly in the line of fire: Ashe. At least, based on the brilliant flash of electric energy, that is where she was when they started shooting. And while she could have moved, it was not yet obvious that she had.
Except to Specter. Ashe she rolled forward, gaining some further purchase on the floor of the warehouse, and by extension some control over her body position, she felt Ashe slide out from underneath her, and move away. Specter couldn't focus on Ashe's actions at the moment, but she could at least tell that Ashe was not in the line the fire at the moment.
Instead, unknowingly following her lead, LT seemed to also have jumped in to the fray, perhaps trying to interpose his body between the bullets and their intended target. And it worked. At least part of it worked. LT definitely did take the majority of the gunfire right in his armor. And he was not likely to enjoy the consequences of his actions. Though, it was likely that he would enjoy them far more than Ashe would have, were the circumstances reversed.

And what was that? A shadow? A shadow of a shadow?
The flashlights steadied for a moment, seeming to hone in on the moving form of LT as he careened through the heavy fire that Ashe was supposed to be taking. Despite their attempts, though, the attackers were unable to locate LT. They attempted to chase his shadow, but things were happening too quickly, and they didn't have enough time. LT, by his own will or as a result of the bullets that impacted him, was no longer standing dead-center in their beams any longer.
Now there was someone else. Someone visible by more than a shadow. Specter, lying there alone on the floor, centered in the beams of the gun-mounted flashlights. No doubt soon to become the target herself.

Or not.

A pair of hands reached around the corner of one of the huge warehouse racks, an eye peaked out just above them, and the searing bright blue-white light created by the electrified plasma of a Lightning Bolt again implanted it's "arrow" in the eyes of the attackers and defenders alike. "I am here!" The lightning bolt seemed to be shouting, at top volume. "Geek the mage!" It said, finishing the thought. Or, rather, that's what it would be saying to the attackers, in their minds.
The flashlights, following the grotesquely choreographed dance, again centered on where Ashe was. But this time she had cover. Bullets were soon to follow, from the less-trained members of the attacker's team.
Or, in this case, the ones who had less of their mental faculties about them. They were, after all, under fire. Each second that passed, another 1-2 of them dropped. Their numbers were thinning. And the fight was getting desperate.

Round 1
Seig - 16 (3)
Kesslan - 15 (4)
LT - 13 (3)
Specter - 13 (4)
Enemy - ?/?
Ashe - 11 (4)
Viking - 7 (3)

@Sieg: You're up. If you want to shoot at the unfortunate recipient of the lightning bolt, you only need a perception 1. Otherwise, same rules apply as before.
@Kesslan: You'll be up next - go ahead and start crafting your round. As a reminder: you're within melee range now. And you have holstered your guns - so your swords are just a quickdraw away.

The situation within the warehouse had rapidly degenerated into pandemonium. With the sound of gunfire and the shouts and groans of their victims, it was useless to attempt covert communication; a subvocalled message would have been ludicrous in this cacophony. And with bullets and spells flying about, movement was also not a good idea.

Seig looked around for a target lock, but the only 'sitting duck' was the slot who'd taken Ash's lightning bolt, and he was out of commission, at least for the moment. There were others who still posed a greater threat.

Targeting Enemy Group = 2 hits
(Gala, forgot to subtract the -2 for Distraction, so I took off 2 hits from the total scored)

Seig tucked the butt of his weapon against his shoulder, sighted down the barrel, and depressed the trigger. The submachine gun bucked in his hands as a spray of burst-fired bullets left the muzzle. It was hard to tell much in the darkness, even with the flashlight beams, but he was sure he'd managed to hit someone.

Burst-Fire at Target = 4 hits
DV 5P

(OOC: As noted previously, I spent my second simple action readying the sword last round so there's no need for me to quickdraw)
Attribute Boost: Agility +1 (1 Turn, 2 passes left)

Perception (free):
Astral: 2 hits
Physical (low-Light): 2 hits

Moving up to his target, chameleon sword in hand, Kesslan was little more than a flickering blur on the physical as the ruthenium polymers of his armour and sword blended in with the background and tried to keep up with his movements. A quick dart in and the sharp blade of his katana lashed out towards his target.

Complex: Melee attack with sword 3 Hits
Forgot Reach Bonus of +1 0 hits, results unchanged
Damage: 4 + R3 Armour Strength Enhancement /2 =3.5 +3 = 7(8?)P -1AP Reach 1 with 3 hits (Hits not included in damage)

OOC: Not sure if you round up on half damage points or down. If up the base code is 8P if down base code is 7P

Lil'Tiamat in the line of fire!:

LT Braced himself and bobbed and weaved past The first volley three Bursts from separate Rifles The third hit home But he pressed through it! barely noticing, LT had been shot at, but never really Shot, This was no different... But it was a fool move... The Armor, Plus Mojoh in his veins made it especially hard to Damage him... And he realized This after he heard the "Tink!" of the bullet that hit him like a mosquito sting... He decided he was not gonna let them get the a chance to get a fix, but shooting seemed impossible with all the things happening it was a lot to process, and he just wanted to rip them a new one! In that instant after the "Tink!" He started running at the best speed he could muster in the short time before The next Volley! His ire Jumped ten fold he was mad, mad like he knew these guys had Hurt someone he cared about, the type of Mad that you get when your out numbered but a better then all of them, Vengeance Mad "Grrrr YESsss... Make them Paaaaaay...!" He heard Rage In the back of his head cooing him on... Apparently pleased by all of this. Was it rage though? it was slightly more sinister, but he had no time to think about it, the next Volley Woke him! None of it got through, but as he was closing the distance, with no apparent care for stealth anymore! He "Roars!" But at the last moment he threw his back up against the side wall, and or the shelves lining the wall so as not too get shot a quick and sly change of tactics while he was Angry...! He apparently was not stupid...

it was a misleading tactic to close the distance LT had made a lot of noise, and he figured they would shoot strait, and he would then be in melee range... that is if it all worked...

Specter smirked grimly. That will teach them. But maybe I shouldn't kill them all. I'd like to know who's behindall this. She looked to see how many were still alive.

Perception roll. Int3+Perception1-distracted2=2d (2d6. hits(5)=1) ( It's a glitch with one hit.)

There they were. But... Why the copulation is my spirit healing that guy? "WHat do you think you are doing? Those are enemies. Don't heal them!" Specter 'yelled' at the spirit. the answer came instantly: "You are mistaken. I am not healing this flesh. On the contrary. You wanted me to help defeat them. And that is exactly what I am doing. Without air, you fleshlings stop moving quite soon." It sounded insulted at the ideaa it could act against its instructions. "Maybe you shuold take your time to look losely before you act this promptly, young shamaness."

Why... you... oh... On the astral, one could figuratively see steam coming from Specters ears when she vented her annoyance.

Stupid darkness... Stupid enemy... You make me look like a fool in front of my chummers! I'll make you crawl in the mud before me!

Spellcasting Influence "They're too strong I must surrender!!!" F5 Mag5+Spellcasting4=9d Drain F5/2+1 =DV3 Cha6+Will5=11d (9d6. hits(5)=6, 11d6. hits(5)=4) (5 hits because of force, no drain)

The albino elf gathered mana. It whirled around her head for a second while she concentrated. Mana is power, and her will gave it form. She imagined how the mana formed a small bubble. And into the bubble she projected a thought, an idea. "Drek! They're too strong. I must surrender!!!" She decorated it with a little panic and a just a pinch of desperation. Then she sent that little bubble into the little head of an enemy that was still standing.

As the cloud of battle descended upon the small space between two warehouse shelves, the sounds of that battle were significantly intensified by the uninentionally strong echo effect that the large mostly-empty smooth interior of the warehouse offered. The sounds of moaning, guns firing, the occasional crackling shreak of lightning all combined and amplified by the echoes of those same sounds.
And then there was a new sound.

"Halt!!"
The loud command was clearly augmented somehow. Since most of the attackers had high-quality armor on, it was not hard to conceive that one of them would have vocal augmentations built in.

The firing instantly stopped. Either the attacking group were incredibly well trained, or there was some sort of disconnect built in between the leader-voice, and the weapons of the entire team. Or perhaps the "kill switch" was non-vocal, but had been utilized just the same.

"Identify yourselves. I would speak of a cease-fire."
The voice was still augmented, though less so. The speaker was male. The accent was heavily Aztlan, and either was augmented to sound that way, or the speaker was a native speaker of Aztlan, and had not learned to remove his accent from his English yet.


"You first." Ashe's distinct voice pierced the sudden silence. There had been only the briefest of pauses after the shooting stopped.

Round 1
Seig - 16 (3)
Kesslan - 15 (4)
LT - 13 (3)
Specter - 13 (4)
Enemy - ?/?
Ashe - 11 (4)
Viking - 7 (3)

@All: You may act freely for as long as no one continues to attack.

@Viking: A spirit appears amongst the group, attacking one of them viciously. Nearly simultaneously, a lightning bolt sears in to another. And only a thought-moment later, an Influence spell hits one of the few remaining fully healthy ones. His demeanor changes instantly.
Presumably he did something, and another thought-moment later, the demeanor of the rest of the group also changes.
They are now almost unilaterally surprised, and most of them are a combination of frightened and angry. The one who was influenced is more frightened than angry.

Lil'Tiamat Ware house right next to the bad guys:

"Ceasefire"

The Augmented Azi male Voice had said, for some reason LT was not sure of this guy went cold, LT was Suspicious... "Grrrrr" over the COM it was loud, obvious, not like before, It was not low, and malicious... It sounded more like a warning, then a threat... LT was Still mad as hell, but he knew with more bullets flying the team was in danger... "Fines" He thought... The other team would also have herd the growl... But without action to back it up it was a bark not a bite, so to speak, and so still no threat...

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" The voice in LT's head screamed scolding him, But LT By now understood that rage was not necessarily a bad thing, it was the direction you pointed the Gun that decided good, or bad... LT was a Strait Shooter. Point blank, and killing men with there Arms at there waists was not who he was. This was malice Just because he sounded like Rage, did not mean he was. Something had happened when He touched rage of his own free will(Besides the arm change)... However brief it was. Like he was starting to understand intent meant everything, for some reason, and some how Malice had taken the mental reins... He was not about to let that happen... Nor was he about to live under the control of evil intent... His growl had escaped, but he did not intend to harm anyone who did not act aggressively, to his team that is... He said nothing, and held his position as Ashe Spoke... Letting go the feeling, the voice, the conscious effort made his arm pulse... It Felt kinda good now not rage per say, but readiness... It was more of a quiet storm in one arm, A sub-machine gun in the other... "I knows yous... Buts! I ownes yous...! Malice." His thoughts becoming forceful after all intent meant everything... He Had called the Mental apparition by name, identifying it, weakening it... Malice faded, He saw rage in his, Mind Again, The True form of the mental apparition nodding his approval of LT's self control in the wake of battle... Acknowledging his Mercy... "Waits was he actually pleased with Mes..?"

In a moment of searing pain, LT's arm returns to it's former metahuman form: the arm of the Troll that he had always known himself to be. The pain was instantaneous, on and then off. But it was intense. There was no mistaking the reason for the pain, nor the results that accompanied it. The arm had been lizard-like: bigger, stronger, scaled, taloned. Now it was what he was used to. And he could equip it as he was used to as well.

@Kesslan: I need you to post in before I can continue.

Seig broke off from further attack, but held his weapon with the muzzle pointed at the ceiling. He would cease fire for now, but he would also be ready should their uninvited 'guests' resume their assault.

He took a moment to recover the discarded clip. Wasting ammo was needless and foolish. It was the sorry runner who went down for lack of a few bullets.

Seig remained silent as Ash addressed the unidentified assailants. He was not one to mince words with an enemy, he preferred to let his weapons - his SMG or his feet and fists, whichever was appropriate - do the talking. To illustrate this he moved up to stand with LT. To some, the contrast between the big troll and the relatively slight dark elf might have been laughable. The look in Seig's eyes, however, could in no way be mistaken for mirth. These men, whether by mistake or intent, had attacked his team, and until such explanation as to warrant their probation had been satisfactorily examined, he would consider them guilty as charged.

The warehouse was still shrouded in darkness, but the two groups had a pretty good idea of where each other were. If the shooting started again, even a novice would have a hard time missing a target. As the leaders of his team discussed the situation with the intruders, Seig used the time to plan his moves in the event of further combat. From such a short distance, the submachine gun would serve more as a confusionary tactic than to inflict any real damage. It would be far better to use the proximity for a hand-to-hand attack. So far he'd suffered no wounds, so he was at optimum condition for a martial arts maneuver. The only real question was, whom to strike first...

Kesslan kept the blade steady and 'planted' against his enemy's armour at first as they yelled for a ceasefire and seemed to actually start to comply. That his own team was doing the same without him needing to actually say so was also a good sign but he remained on edge and suspicious. Still, despite this he quietly said 'Ceasefire' over the comlink 'Keep an eye out for any tricks' only then did he trigger the polymer coating of his sword to disengage, the blade slowly starting to appear in all it's ornate detail as he slowly pulled back a step, disengaging the blade from his opponent but keeping it ready as he then disengaged the coating of his armour. He paused a moment to study the remainder of the opposing force, initially leaving Ashe's response to be the sole challenge before speaking up in his native Aztec "Given that you are the same team that ambushed us earlier, it would be better for you to explain yourself first." of course to those that didn't understand Aztec what he said likely made no sense at all tough he spoke slowly and deliberately, easily something a translation software suite would be able to decipher. The whole while he maintained a combat stance, ready to strike again should the need arise.

Assensing Test: 3 Hits

Specter grinned when the ceasefire was declared. Good boy. She thought. She waited a moment for the others to comply, then she stood up from where she was lying prone. She used her subvocal to tell the others on their group channel:
"I put a spell on him to make him surrender. He should think we're way too powerful to stand a chance. Ashe, how good are you at interrogations? You can ask the questions and if necessary, I'll influence him again."

The albino elf made sure her hood and mask were firmly in place and brushed some dust off her coat.

"I'm quite good at getting people to do things for me... I've found that my capacity to influence can be a useful skill in interrogations. But I've got nothing more than the force of my personality to back up a threat. Umm... By that, what I mean is that if the person is willingly giving us information, I am well trained to guide the person to the information we need. But if they're resistant, I can be impressively forceful, but not lacking in finesse." Ashe said.
OOC: I don't mind metagaming a bit here. The translation of that is: She has 11 dice for Influence, so if they're willingly cooperating, she's quite useful. She has a default Charisma of 7-1=6 dice for interrogations, so if they're resisting it is quite possible that someone else in the group has Charisma+Interrogations at higher than Ashe's 6 dice.

"Oh! Great job with the intimidating sword!" Ashe applauded Kesslan. She didn't understand a word he was saying, and didn't have a translation program active at the moment, so she was effectively deaf to what he said.

In Aztec, the voice responded to Kesslan.
"Our primary mission is to come here and take care of any mess that we may find here. Our secondary mission was to attempt to intercept you at the field where you were dropped off.
"Our mission parameters require us to disengage if the fighting is not going well. You and your team appear to be better prepared for this engagement than we are. Thus, our mission parameters now require us to disengage." The voice responded, still in Aztec. Your ears heard a shift in direction, as though the voice was now "aimed" at you, though you couldn't immediately detect the source of it. Most likely it was not coming from the middle of the group somewhere.
The person you struck sagged a bit when you removed your blade. His aura immediately flooded with a fear-tinged relief. He did maintain his feet, though again it was likely with the aid of the press of bodies about him. And while his adrenaline was likely masking some of the pain at the moment, you find it unlikely he would be fighting anything or anybody anytime soon. Out of 10, you count at least 5 who are effectively unable to fight at this point: the two you shot who are out cold, the one whose ribs you just broke, and the two targets of Ashe's lightning bolts. Additionally, you expect that LT and Sieg hit a few as well, though from this angle you don't have any clear way to confirm that. There is no doubt as to the truth of the last part of the man's statement: they were clearly outclassed, and they did the smart thing by stopping the fight now. Whether that is mission parameters or not is not as easily verified.

"Oh, as I recall Viking is quite skilled at interrogations. Can one of you hail the Jet and see if he's up for a quick Astral Jaunt?"
"Hi. Viking is already out in the Astral somewhere. So I can't reach him right now." Eleanor's stunning multi-tonal voice immediately responded over the group channel.
"He's all slumped over and lifeless, but with a pulse, the same way that all magicians get when they're in the Astral." She added, immediately clarifying how she knew.
"Hunh... Wonder where he is...?" Ashe asked in a distracted tone, clearly her mind on something else.

Game Stuff:
@Kouryuu: Kesslan slowly fades in to view, almost "emerging" from the group of opponents as a now-visible separate astral entity. You don't really know how you missed seeing him there before. But somehow he was hidden from your view.

@Kesslan: As the "haze of battle" fades from your perception and your mind has the time and ability to take in more of it's surroundings, you notice Viking and Jack's astral forms, as well as a spirit each floating hurriedly toward you and the group. Likely they were chasing this group outside, and ended up chasing them in to the warehouse, only a few steps behind. Had the battle continued much more than another few seconds, you expect that Viking, Jack, and two more spirits would have significantly increased the disadvantage of this opposing team. Similarly, they didn't seem to have a magician among them, and were clearly ill equipped to handle the magical might that your team could bring to bear.