Well welcome back OP. I still vote for the Safe Room.

>>17161330
same here

>>17161330
third here

>>17161330
4th-ing.

>>17161330
fourth here

The day had started off bad and gotten worse and worse until it had hit a peak. Now, hundreds of people were in danger and the world was about to go up in flames...

...But not if I had any say on the matter.

"Liz. We have to move." I said, clutching the Dragonfire gun tightly. She obeyed and climbed up to my back.

I couldn't bring her with me. If things were as bad as Chief Adamson had made them sound, Liz wouldn't last a second in a warzone. I had to find a place to leave her at, a place safer than a room anyone could come into. Maybe the Chief would know about one. I tapped the Iceman device to start a communication, but got nothing.

Damn. They'd jammed communications inside headquarters!

I'd have to do it the hard way. If my memory didn't fail me, there were panic rooms on the basement floors. I'd have to navigate the ground floor without getting killed and with a big target on my back, but it was better than nothing. The sooner I found a safe place to drop Elizabeth at, the quicker I could get to the fray and drive the Cyberhawks back.

The elevators were down. Cyberhawk was going all-in on this assault, bringing firepower, hacking prowess and special technology to make sure they got Liz back. I'd have to take the long way down.

If the elevators are down and we're going to the basement, doesn't that mean we could shimmy down the cables?

>>17161517
Or take the service ladders. Or the stairs, though we would probably meet plenty of resistance there.

>>17161535
I'd assume stairs are 'the long way down'.

>>17161575
Good point.

The first floor was rather quiet. People were running back and forth with grim looks on their faces, but so far the fighting had been contained to the ground floor. Occasionally, explosions and yells could be heard coming from below.

I said it WAS rather quiet. That was until a small army of 'Hawks came crashing in from the windows, having rappelled down the side of the building. At that point, things got rather busy.

The 'Hawks had numbers on us, big time. There was more than a hundred of them, and maybe two dozen of us, if we were lucky. Where we had an edge, however, was on equipment. It is one thing to bring the best weaponry money can buy.

It is an entirely different thing to use weapons guaranteed to revolutionize warfare, just barely out of the prototyping phase. Particularly if said brand-new weapons are wielded by extremely competent marksmen entrenched in a defensive position.

The 'Hawks didn't have a chance. A hail of gunfire brought a few good men down, but within a minute there were less than ten of the invaders left, thanks to arcs of man-made lightning. With the situation under control, I took the stairs down to the first floor, and then to the basement.

All hell had broken loose on the first floor. The fighting was disorganized, with pockets of Argus SecOffs fighting off squads of 'Hawks. Even with just a quick glance, things weren't looking good: we were losing ground. Our men were being beaten back. Over the roar of gunfire and the cracks of the Dragonfires, I could hear Chief Adamson's voice:

"STAND, MEN! DON'T YIELD! THEY'RE GOING TO PAY FOR MESSING WITH US!"

A nightmarish noise drowned everything else, as the same brute from the motel stepped forward, laughing like a madman as laser discharges streaked past him by millimeters.

"You're through, Adamson!" He roared like a tiger. "None of you are getting out of here alive!"

His gaze turned toward me. He grinned like a lunatic, as a red, mechanical eye locked in on me. "There they are! You're mine, punk!"

He took aim with his hand cannon. I jumped down to the basement floor right as it went off.

...Holy fuck. I am still frightened by the firepower of that gun. It punched a hole through the building cleanly. Not the wall, the *building*. What the hell WAS that thing?!

"Run! Run! It'll be more fun once I find you, you scared son of a bitch!" He screamed. I took the advice and started running, looking for the panic rooms.

It took me several minutes to find the rooms. Eventually, I came across a squad of guards, barricaded behind rolled-over desks and chairs.

I held up my hands. "Hold fire! I'm with you!" I yelled. Behind the barricade, one of the SecOffs nodded. "Let him through, boys."

The barricade was turned sideways slightly. I squeeze through, careful not to have Elizabeth bump against the wall or the desks.

"I need to drop her off." I said, pointing at the girl on my back. "Can any of you open the rooms up?"

"Can't do, man. Suits are in there and they gave orders not to open it up until this shit's over and done with." He looked at her again, and blinked. "Wait a second. She's not a Gray."

"Exactly, she isn't. Cyberhawk is here for her. Let her in, she's more important than all of us put together."

The SecOff hesitated. Just Elizabeth's skin color was enough to tell him something was up, but he was afraid of the consequences for disobeying an order. I would have felt sorry for him, if I wasn't in such a hurry. With that brute on my tail, there wasn't any time for indecision.

"Yo, Smith. Let her through. She's all clear." A familiar voice said. Turning my head around, I saw a familiar face down the hallway.

"Tom? What are you doing here?" Thomas Wainwright was one of the two other Nightlife operatives I'd met. He would have been a legend if anybody was allowed to tell the tales of our exploits. Nobody had ever even seen him during an operation, much less caught him. He gave me a thumbs up.

"Suits wanted extra protection, Ry. Got called down here even though I'd be more useful up there." From the way he frowned and his words, it was obvious that he didn't like the job one bit, but he was a man who stuck to his duty. "C'mon." He said, looking at Smith. "Take her into the room."

Smith nodded and turned to me. It was hard, getting Elizabeth off my back. She didn't want to do it, but eventually I managed. I pointed at Smith. "Go with him, and when you enter a room, stay inside. OK?" Nod. That was good enough.

I turned my attention back to Tom. "I've got to get back up there. There's a psychopath out to get me and the farther away he's kept from the VIPs, the better."

Tom nodded, solemnly. "Go. Kick the 'Hawks off of our lawn."

I left the barricade behind. It was time to teach the bastards who'd tried to take over our turf a lesson.

((Literally such a long update I had to cut it in half. Warm up the dice, you're rolling after the next one!))

I didn't manage to get very far. Just a few corridors away, I heard a whirring sound.

It sounded like trouble. I rolled to the side on nothing but a hunch, and that saved my life. I heard a familiar mad cackle.

"You're pretty good for a sneaky little mouse." The brute from before said, stepping out of one of the basement's rooms. He took aim again. "But against a Bomber, sneaking won't do you any good! I'll bring the house down on you, you rat!"

((Roll d100, all rolls count!! It's a battle to the death! As a note, you're free to suggest courses of action. Inventive ideas might have good results!

For those curious, the battle takes place in a network of tunnels and passageways. There's plenty of rooms to hide in, a sort of small atrium around the middle of the floor, and a very insane and dangerous cyborg hot on your tail!))

rolled 76 = 76

>>17161999
Use bullet time to pull off a quick aimed shot. Might be a good idea to try to disable his weapon, if he won't go down easy.

rolled 14 = 14

>>17161999
Use the power of TRIPLES and start with a dodge-roll, followed by a sprint, and start using whatever natural-mods we can (bullet-time for turn-taking and firing back, silent step to go around behind the guy, etc.)
Also make sure to drop a one-liner in there somewhere "You're gonna burn, alright" would work well. You're an aug, you've got to pay tribute to the classics.

rolled 16 = 16

I am not Polish, I am not Polish, I am not Polish, I am not Polish, I am not Polish, I AM NOT POLISH

rolled 100 = 100

>>17161999
Come on lady luck...

I say we make our way through the corridors and fire back at him whenever we can. Also, try and get behind him.

It's an arc projector right? If he's giving off enough of an electric field, shouldn't he attract the arc of electricity to him?

>>17162027

You are so, SO Polish. Just sayin'.

>>17162032
Yes! Thank you lady luck!

>>17162032
Alright, everybody stop rolling, we've got this in the bag. Good work, team.

>>17162032
>100

>>17162032

OK, yeah, this roll is special. Didn't mention it before, but if max or min rolls come up, something big happens. Just letting you guys know. No reason not to roll though - a single max roll does NOT override a bunch of lows.

>>17162038
I know...

rolled 10 = 10

>>17162049
Judgment is the better part of valor, but since I'm not a very smart man, I roll.

Oh right, and I forgot to mention it: yes, according to the rules of the universe he should be attracting shots to him. Ryan probably doesn't know this because he's not a techie, but something is *definitely* up here.

>>17162061
Don't you channel that polock! Don't you channel that on this thread! This thread doesn't need that evil!

rolled 58 = 58

>>17162069
You've brought the wrath of Fireman Prime down on your head, boy!
>and then I get over 50

>>17162080
Oh my...

>>17162080
>>17162093

rolled 74 = 74

Three shit rolls, a good roll and a top roll.

We need more rolls.

>>17162032
If that 100 doesn't finish the cyborg off, I don't know what will.

rolled 68 = 68

So let's see if the dice are going to not hate me this time.

rolled 62 = 62

>>17162118
> not reading >>17162049
>2011
Read it. One roll does not beat all the shit 10s.

rolled 1 = 1

>>17162138
Okay.

>>17162153
Fuck....

rolled 47 = 47

five dollars say i get i low roll

rolled 37 = 37

well here goes

rolled 12 = 12

>>17162153
I'm going to fight against this if it kills me.
FFS.

rolled 13 = 13

>>17162153
YOU SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?! NOW ELIZABETH IS GOING TO DIE!

rolled 49 = 49

>>17162166
Negating quoted roll.

>>17162162
well there's goes me herp'in anda derp'in

rolled 26 = 26

Is this the part where we start crying?

>>17162153
>>17162118

'welp'

So uhh, the two rolls effectively cancel out. This is going to be so much fun to write, bwahaha.

rolled 85 = 85

>>17162153
... That was on porpoise.

rolled 53 = 53

>>17162172
Negating this roll.
Elizabeth CAN NOT DIE.

>>17162165
>get a chance to roll
>completely fuck it up

yeah seems about right

>>17162018
>>17162027
>>17162153
>>17162166
>>17162172

man the TG dice gods just don't like us tonight

rolled 59 = 59

I mean, you can't post an image like that, replying to that post and accidentally get a one. He's a dick.

rolled 61 = 61

We are all going to die and have to restart as another character.

It's been nice knowing you guys.

rolled 81 = 81

Will the dice roll low tonight as well?

rolled 30 = 30

COME ON DICE GODS, THE LADY OF LUCK, GOD ABOVE, SATAN BELLOW

HELP ME DO THIS.

(inb4 crit fail)

rolled 20 = 20

>/tg/'s face when the dice tonight

rolled 38 = 38

Must.
Get.
100.

rolled 80 = 80

>>17162153
>>17162172
I am this guy. And I am so sorry.

So very sorry.

rolled 60 = 60

>>17162204
Negating this.
If we roll enough, we can negate all the bad rolls eventually.
Logic.

Roll 92: In addition, I'd like to make an addendum to our action. SOMETHING we had was able to give us a limited cloaking field. I believe it's time we used that to get a good shot in bullet time.

rolled 39 = 39

>>17162179

rolled 56 = 56

rollin once more

rolled 13 = 13

>>17162202
Repair servitor, mitigating damage.

rolled 81 = 81

Castin' some luck magic.

rolled 50 = 50

>>17162225
Repair servitor scrapped, deploying counter-measures.

rolled 49 = 49

im just gonna do this one roll and stop in hopes of me not fucking up this thread

rolled 46 = 46

>>17162225
Fixing this botched repair.

rolled 28 = 28

SHIT ROLLS EVERYWHERE

rolled 1 = 1

rolled 45 = 45

Clearly our chance of rollan above fifty is higher than rolling below fifty.

rolled 15 = 15

>>17162241
Astromech repairs initiated, attempting numeric augmentations...
>>17162246
WORK QUEUE SHIFTED- WORK QUEUE SHIFTED-

>>17162246
Oh fuck, what have I done?

rolled 15 = 15

>>17162246

LOOOOOOK WHAT YOU DIIIIIIIIIIIID

>>17162246

rolled 31 = 31

>shit rolls

hey, this looks familiar

fuck it, I'll try again

rolled 92 = 92

>>17162246
Everybody, focus on dealing with this or Elizabeth will die and it'll be Anon's fault.

rolled 75 = 75

FUCK THIS SHIT IM ROLLING AGAIN

rolled 74 = 74

Its over we are dead

rolled 54 = 54

>>17162246
We're going to need guns. Lots of guns.

rolled 80 = 80

Whyyyy dice gods....WHY!?

rolled 35 = 35

>>17162256
That's what irresponsible use of laughing_puppets.gif will bring.

rolled 15 = 15

Holy rolls batman. Think we can stop

>>17162212

Metamaterials? Yes, the can do that. It won't work on the move, but for a sneak attack...

(Also, closing the rolling in two minutes! If anybody's yet to roll, get your super low or super high result in!)

rolled 31 = 31

I got this

rolled 5, 1 = 6

>>17162246
>>17162153

Fuck these two guys.

rolled 16 = 16

100

rolled 91 = 91

Come on, favor me just once more Lady Luck...please...

rolled 10 = 10

Ok. I think we can just about stop here.

rolled 20 = 20

>>17162282
KEEP ROLLING-
KEEEEEEEEP ROLLLLLIIINNNNGGG-
>>17162295
The dice gods will be angered if we cease!

rolled 97 = 97

>>17162285
Dammit I said I got this

rolled 75 = 75

Dammit, one more try.

rolled 92 = 92

>>17162301
>>17162295
Attempting field repairs / carting off of bodies.
(it's all probably averaging out, so keep it up)

rolled 19 = 19

>>17161307
RAGE MODE ACTIVATED!

>>17162307
Fuck yea

rolled 1 = 1

Fus ra d'oh?

rolled 44 = 44

I AM COMMANDING THE DICES

rolled 1 = 1

Relax guys, I got this

Rolling closed! Time to write this sucker up!

rolled 1 = 1

Oh god come on we can do this...

Okay, I proposed the cloaking field. I vote we use the cloak with silent run. Get in an ambush position, when bastage comes close enough, shoot him, run away rinse and repeat until the fucker dies.

rolled 1 = 1

OH GOD WHY!?!?!?!?

rolled 49 = 49

>>17162316
YOU'RE NOT SAYING IT LOUD ENOUGH! IT'S
FUS RO DAH

rolled 23 = 23

>>17162316
;_;
I's sorry, guise. She's done for.

>>17162321

>>17162316
y u do dis

>>17162329
I, I'm sorry...

73. Let's do this.

rolled 55 = 55

>>17162329
>>17162327
>>17162316
>three ones
>three actual 1d100 ones
Somebody screen cap this. Horrid proof that the /tg/ dice are broken

ALSO: All rolls after 00:16 are negated as per OP's time ruling, so most of those don't hurt us.
Thank fucking God.

rolled 22 = 22

>>17162316
>>17162321
>>17162327
>>17162329
WHY, DICE, WHY???

rolled 56 = 56

someone add everything and average it out. Someone besides OP, obviously.

>>17162321
this is a 1d1 roll

>>17162153
>>17162246
>>17162316
>>17162321
>>17162327
>>17162329

Why...

rolled 86 = 86

DAMNIT AS LONG AS WE LIVE WE CAN STILL POST!

rolled 82 = 82

>>17162316
>>17162321
>>17162327
and
>>17162329
Stop that

rolled 6 = 6

Only in /tg/ can rolling dice be this fun

rolled 85 = 85

>>17162377
Forgot my face.

>>17162355
>>17162339

>not checking my dice

Also this thread has me looking for cyberpunk monster girl pics

rolled 29 = 29

I'll miss little Liz.

rolled 76 = 76

>>17162153
Fuck, blaming all the ones on this guy.

>>17162337
FUS RO DAH

>>17162321
The last roll in the time limit and you do a 1d1?
What kind of sick twisted man are you

(Battle Versus Bomber, Stage 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acN8sB1wJUg)

I didn't have time to roll again this time. Just as Bomber fired, I ducked. The shot nearly scalpeled me, anyway - it felt like getting caught by a hurricane, for a moment. Bomber grunted in frustration. While he took aim again, I squeeze the Dragonfire's trigger.

"Up yours, asshole."

The blast hit him dead on. He should have been down for the count. The energy discharge should have fried all of his circuits.

It did nothing. He looked at me, amused, and laughed and laughed.

"Silly rat. You can't hurt a real man, a metal man, with a toy gun!"

I did the only thing I could. I stood up and hid behind the wall. For a moment, I stood very still and counted down. 3...2...1.

I turned around again, emerging from the corridor just as Bomber fired, reducing the wall to rubble. He might be tough and deadly, but he wasn't very smart. I could outmaneuver him while looking for a way to take him down.

The question was, of course, if there was such a way. Discarding the Dragonfire, I drew the TR4 and took aim. If the bullets digging into his flesh hurt him at all, he hid it well. I didn't stop to analyze what had happened - I took off again, trying to dodge the next shot. Hoping, against hope, that I really was better than that big hunk of scrap metal fused to a mutilated body.

Oh hey. Thanks internet, for clearing my dice.

>>17162424
THAT'S THE SPIRIT!!!

FUS RO DAH

rolled 13 = 13

*cough*

FUS RO DAH

CLOAK AND RUN. NAO! ...Is it possible to hack augmentations?

>>17162431
>fight the big beefy cyborg
>remembering the first boss fight in DXHR on my first character, a sneaky hacker

yeah lets run or
>>17162464

>>17162425
the worst kind

rolled 77 = 77

>>17162431
Aim for the eyes
failing that send in the squad of sexy bees.

rolled 39 = 39

Look for weak spots, i.e. the eyes/head.

Explosives. Lots of explosives.

Maybe the trick is to get him to collapse the building on himself?

rolled 59 = 59

We should've stopped rolling at the-wait a second don't we have data on their new EMP resistant tech? Can we bring that data up from the backup disk we still have?

rolled 85 = 85

>>17162533
>middle of combat
>hang on guys, lemme just read up on this crap
>come on, stop shooting me, i'm just reading jeeze!

rolled 87 = 87

>>17162570
Don't we have magic wrist watch that talks to us?

rolled 23 = 23

>>17162570
Works in vydia gaems.

I don't think we qualify as Solid Snake yet.

Maybe like MGS2 Raiden.

rolled 23 = 23

Kinda scared how long Botch is taking typing out the next section.

We are all so fucked.

CRACK.

CRACK.

CRACK.

Bomber kept firing as I ran through the complex, reducing feet of solid metal and sturdy concrete to rubble. I heard something behind me and turned around, only to see him jump down the corridor like a demented mechanical frog.

God FUCKING DAMMIT. Just what I needed! His legs were chromed up, too! I couldn't hurt him, couldn't overpower him, and couldn't outspeed him, either. Just my luck!

I dove into the arm cannon had tore holes through, looking for something to give me an edge. Nothing! Just pure cleaning supplies! I hopped out of the room just as Bomber came crashing in. He taunted me:

"Keep running! Seeing you squirm like this is fun! You're fast, rat, but I'M FASTER! HAHAHAHAHA!" While he was busy laughing, I opened another random door.

Yeah. That was more like it.

"Come out, rat! There's no fun in you hiding around! Come out so I can squash you!" Bomber yelled, firing his cannon randomly. It was a pretty big gun.

Pity I had bigger ones now.

(Battle Versus Bomber, Stage 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQs48dvebck)

"Fine. Just remember you asked for it." I whispered under my breath, before emerging from the room. Bomber was just beyond, with his back turned. Lifting the first Light Anti-tank Weapon I'd borrowed from the basement armory, I took my shot.

>>17162646
i'm just bored waiting for the next post, but yeah if Botch ends up killing our character because of our shity rolls, then we have nobody to blame but ourselves

rolled 72 = 72

>>17162651
Dang right we took our shot.

>>17162651
>explosives

>>17162651
Cyberpunk Quest: SHIT GETS REAL EDITION!

Bomber screamed as the rocket hit him. This time, it wasn't a demented warcry - all I could hear in it was pain, and maybe a hint of fear. He staggered forward. How could he still be alive?

Bomber turned his head around to look at me, a look of pure, bestial anger on his face, warped by the heat of the explosion.

"You..." He breathed. Then, he hung his cannon on his left shoulder and took a shot. With the door behind me, I didn't have room to do more than hug the wall and pray.

For a moment, as I flew through the air, I felt nothing. All I could think about was that I had gotten careless, and Bomber hadn't passed up the chance to finish me off. I had acted like an idiot...I was going to die...

...And then I smashed through a broken wall, then a glass pane at the atrium before coming to a stop. The glass cut into my arms and legs, leaving gashes all over. It hurt. It hurt like a motherfucker, but I was alive. Bomber hadn't hit me straight on, and it had only been the backdraft from the shot that had sent me flying.

Then, Bomber landed in front of me. He grunted, and kicked me in the stomach.

rolled 46 = 46

>>17162799
*fingers crossed, bated breath*

We get some backup?

Full adrenal dump now? Beserk mode with whatever weapons we can muster? Do we have a knife? Something, anything?

>>17162799

I would literally murder someone to have you DM anything for my group.

The air instantly went out of my lungs, and I felt an urge to vomit as I smashed against a sculpture and crumbled down to the ground. I tried to move, tried to get out of the way of the inevitable blast, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I felt too weak and tired, and all I could do was breathe, slowly and painfully

Bomber spat on the ground, contemptuously. Through the blurry haze that my vision had become, I saw blood.

"Bitch. You sneaky little pussy bitch." He said, his words loaded with vitriol. "I'm going to rip you apart, limb from fucking limb!"

He kicked me again, this time on the side. I felt one of my ribs crack when I was punted into the air, and another gave up when I hit a statue hard enough to smash through it. The pain blinded me, for a moment, but then my vision began to clear. I could see again. I could breath again, though it felt like dying a little. I wasn't out...yet.

But I had to think fast, because if Bomber could get close to me again, I was a goner. The pedestal the statue had occupied was big enough to hide me from view. Suddenly, an insane inspiration struck. It wasn't much, but it was the best I could do.

Fidgeting with my belt, I drew the roll of metamaterials. It was a herculean effort to sit up and cover my legs, but I managed to do it. I crumbled back down on the floor and drew my knife. It was all I had left, as I had lost the rockets the first time I got flung. I tried to breath without making a sound and clutched the knife tightly as Bomber approached. If he had eye sensors that could see through the roll, or if he heard me, or if he stepped on me, I was done for.

All I could do was cross my fingers and hope luck would be on my side.

>>17162799

>the AT rocket, it does nothing
>mfw

so we're pretty much trying to fight Arnold in T2?

>>17162877
I would love to be in a group with Botch as a DM. Doesn't even matter what game/system.

>>17162905

Seconded.

The steps came to a stop. Shielded by the metamaterials, I couldn't see anything - I'd have to rely on my ears to guide me.

Bomber grunted. "You're tougher than you look, rat." He said, his voice an odd mixture of hatred and respect. "Didn't think you had it in you to keep sneaking after all of that."

"Fine." He said. "Let's play your game."

That was when I made my move. My brain told me to wait longer, to bide my strength, but an instinct that had cost me several operations and more than a few injuries to earn was telling me to strike.

I went with my instinct. I silently stood up, letting the metamaterials roll off me, fluid like water. Once again, Bomber had his back turned to me. I dived for the killing blow, knife in hand, and stabbed him in the back as the knife began to vibrate at incredible speeds.

Bomber roared as the knife tore into him. He spasmed, trying to shake me off him. His arms flailed wildly in a desperate attempt to pull me off. For a moment, it came down purely to a battle of physical might: whoever could keep at it harder would come out on top.

>>17162983
You have all of my attention!

>>17162983
BTW, can we stop counting noko+dice? It's way too easy to slip in d1s with that.

>>17162983
well it's time to Press X To Not Die

Yelling like a maniac, Bomber hit me with the side of the cannon. Weak as I was, the blow to my slashed arm caused my grip to slacken. I dropped the knife.

Quick as thought, Bomber turned around, murder in his eyes. Even though he was finally, *finally* bleeding from his wounds, he didn't hesitate. Using his normal arm, he punched me in the gut again.

It was too much. I simply fell down to my knees, unable to move. Bomber put his cannon to my head, and all I could see was the barrel of the massive gun.

"Do you know what is going to happen now, rat?" He said, his voice suddenly very, very quiet.

"I am going to shoot you with this gun of mine. And you are going to die a messy death."

"And once I've killed you, I'm going to kill your friends and fellow Argus scum. None of you are escaping this place alive." The gun began warming up, making a buzzing sound as it prepared a shot.

"And afterward, I'm going to find that little girl, and I am going to put this gun of mine to my head. And them, I'm going to blow her brains off. All because of you."

I didn't have anything more to give. I was spent, I was too hurt to walk, much less bring a behemoth like him down. I was broken.

But when he said those last few words, something began burning inside me. A fire welled up inside my gut, right where bomber had hit me.

And a voice in my head said a single word: "No."

This monster wasn't going to hurt Liz. He would never be in the same room as her, much less manage to lay a finger on her. Even if I had to die, he wouldn't touch that quiet, nice little girl.

Bomber spoke again. "Go to hell, rat."

My next motion was a blur. I stood up, dashed forward until I was right under Bomber's chin, and grabbed his cannon arm. He was much, much stronger than me, but I caught him by surprise, and he didn't have time to resist as I twisted his arm until the cannon was pointing at his face.

rolled 27 = 27

at last, a quest to fill the void left by void quest

>>17163120
>inb4
Stop shooting yourself! Stop shooting yourself!

(Battle Versus Bomber, Final: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPA3Y-acjb0&fmt=18)

"You first."

The cannon fired. Bomber's head turned into mist. He collapsed, and I fell onto him.

I heard footsteps, then a familiar voice:

"Rookie! Are you alright?" Chied Adamson said, as he rushed to my side, breathing a sigh of relief once he noticed I was conscious.

"...Fine, Chief. He's out." I didn't even have the strength to point at Bomber's corpse. I just hoped the Chief would understand what I was talking about.

"We owe you Rookie. We owe you big time. He was crushing our defenses up there. Once he left, we turned the tide on the Cyberhawks." There was a strange tone to the Chief's voice, a tone I'd only heard a few times before. He sounded...proud.

Suddenly, I felt very, very tired. So tired...but I had a little girl to watch out for. Then again, maybe the Chief would make sure she was OK...

"...Chief. Permission to rest?"

Two SecOffs came into the room. The Chief gestures at me, and they quickly picked me up. As they carted me off, I decided to go to sleep, permission or not. The last thing I heard were the Chief's words:

"Permission granted, Ryan. You've earned it."

---END SCENARIO---

This concludes Scenario 2. Choices are open once more. This time, however, time will be handled differently: Ryan's story will progress a few days as he recovers from his injuries while fighting Bomber. The other two characters, however, will be in the middle of the action, as the Gray World starts to crumble.

[] Remain as Ryan Semken.

[] Take the role of Tobias Slade, Ace Detective.

[] Become Grayson Maxwell, Gray Talent.

> I'm going to find that little girl, and I am going to put this gun of mine to my head.
I shouldn't, but this got a lol.
xD

Fucking lack of sleep. Kill me now, that was a huge fuckup!

I'm so satisfied right now. I got to see it all. I'm kind of partial to detectives though...

Votan to stay Ryan, though I'm curious about the Gray.

as long as we can go back to Ryan, I'd be OK with switching to being the detective.

>>17163144
>This concludes Scenario 2. Choices are open once more. This time, however, time will be handled differently: [...]

I would choose one of the other two if it means no lost time with Ryan.

Yes, you CAN switch back to Ryan later. Until you're at a character's endgame, switching is always open, and it will be plain to see when a route is about to end. Additionally, there won't be (much) of a conflict in timelines between Tobias/Grayson and Ryan, so switching to them means you won't miss on anything unless you choose to stay with them for a long time.

PS: Also, I hope Ryan is a little bit above MGS2 Raiden now. He's not Snake, but damned if he doesn't deserve a little more respect than that!

>>17163167
Yeah, that would be my vote. Already said my preference for alternate character, so I won't repeat myself.

>>17163144
Let's be the Gray.

Ryan, though that Grey is awfuly tempting

[xxx] Take the role of Tobias Slade, Ace Detective.

All of my money. all of it.

>>17163180
Problem is, I would love to play a downtime part with Ryan. We haven't exactly seen much of his history or his interactions with his coworks.

Otherwise, I'd vote for the boy just to spite this fucker >>17163202
who rolled the d1.

Oh, fun fact: There's a reference to each of the two other leads in the updates we've had so far. See if you can find it!

>>17163220
>still thinking I rolled dice+1d100

that isn't how I work

>>17163237
>that isn't how I work
Text comprehension seems like another thing you cannot into. Are you, perchance, Poland in disguise?

>>17163249
>browsing /tg/ off and on all day
>derp hard when i dun read no gud
>accidentally reveal my terrible, terrible secret

spaghetti, etc

>>17163180
>PS: Also, I hope Ryan is a little bit above MGS2 Raiden now. He's not Snake, but damned if he doesn't deserve a little more respect than that!

I think he was refering to just skill level, not personality. As far as skills go, Raiden was only behind Snake and Ocelot in MGS2, and that really isn't bad.

And come on guys, we have two whole protagonists we haven't seen yet, personally voting Ace Atto-er Detective.

>>17163180
As long as we get our D'aaaaaaawwww episode goofing around with our mute subject I'm fine with switching perspectives. Our dangerous, mute, possibly lunatic subject.

Oh yeah, and this is /tg/. So change the boy into a girl and I'd guess the character will be leagues more popular.

>>17161307

I vote for the detective.

Since most of us are leaning towards letting Ryan take his nap I am going say let's be a Detective.

>>17163301

Probably! Superpowered teenager? Everybody wants a piece of that. But I'm sticking to my guns on that.

...Mostly because of the name. A pun and a plot point rolled into a single nifty bundle is hard to give up. I should probably shut up now, though.

>>17163358
sure i'll vote for the Detective

>>17163358
>A pun and a plot point rolled into a single nifty bundle is hard to give up. I should probably shut up now, though.

I think it would add to the character if everybody who reads the name thinks our girl is actually a boy.

So get over yourself and make him into an actually interesting choice.

>>17163159
Changan vote to Grayson.

>see cyberpunk quest in the subject line
ooh, I'm interested
>metallica
nope

Casting my vote for the PI. I'm hoping for cyberpunk noir.

>>17163408

Pfft, as if a pair of boobs would make the character more interesting! I'm pretty sure everybody's noticed how nebulous my descriptions are. It's a flaw with my writing style that isn't fixable without making updates way too big, but it works out because everybody here has a decent imagination. Boobs wouldn't change anything given how it always ends up being about the actions and the words.

In any case, if there's an *overwhelming* demand for it, I might consider changing Grayson's gender, as it'll be a minor detail for quite a while. It's not like it's a huge thing, and there's decent banter to be derived out of the odd name.

Alright, it's time to return to my crypt to prepare the next Scenario. If anybody can keep the topic safe until I return that'd be awesome. See you guys come tomorrow's session!

>>17163778
Bumping.

bumped

you guys should archive this

bump

Please come back Botch, I want to play as the PI, and have awesome noir punk monologues.

>>17166015
I never archived for this.

>>17167886

Have to admit it, I laughed. In any case, it's time to start this up again. Leaving voting open for a little longer, but most likely we're going the route of the pic here.

archive has been achieved
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/17161307
(not by me though)

>>17168834
>pic here.

Oh man, I wanted to keep the perspective as it was but not anymore.

>>17168850

No, our Ace Detective won't be as beefy. He's a skinnier guy, not a muscle wall. That pic was just too good not to use though. This scenario won't be as 'action movie'-ish as Ryan's was.

>>17168930
I really hope he is somebody Peter Cushing would play.

I basically want to play as Rick Deckard, that's my hope.

Seems like I'm right on time.

>>17168930
Doesn't matter.
That is how he will look in my mind.

>>17163144
Voting for trying out Tobias Slade. Get some Blade Runner feel up in this quest, you know?

>>17169107
it's something i could vote for

The work of a private eye ain't easy. Even in a world where everybody is constantly switching sides for some cash, a freelance investigator is off the grid. We never take a side. We just dig up the dirt, hand it over to the interested parties, collect our payment, and go off on our merry way. I like it that way. It keeps trouble as far away as possible.

Sometimes, however, trouble catches up to you anyway. And sometimes, you even go out and look for it. This was one of those times.

It was late when I returned home that day. I'd spent hours arguing with the landlord, haggling the price. In all honesty, it was nothing more than a courtesy: he hadn't charged me for the room in over a year, not since I'd uncovered some key evidence that had saved him fron a long, painful trial, but every month we went through the same old charade as he tried to convince himself that he'd gotten the better end of the deal. I did my best to convince him: civility was called for there, and I couldn't be too sure he hadn't changed his mind since the last time.

Closing the door behind me, I dropped on a couch and looked up at the ceiling lights. For a minute, I felt like dozing off, but then a sound woke me up. Looking down, I noticed that the holophone was holding a message for me. After straightening myself up, I pressed the button.

(First Meeting With Dunsany: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oquad3rnZSI)

It was a woman. "Mr. Tobias Slade?" Her voice went with her clothes: stylish, upper class, indicative of good upbringing. She had red hair that fell down her back, and a youthful face. But then again, people like her always looked youthful: it was hard to tell if it was real youth or Meditech at work from a distance, with the holophone masking possible imperfections.

"Slade here. What can I help you with?"

"My name is Dunsany. Eleonora Dunsany." She took great pleasure in introducing herself. She was the type of person who wanted everyone to know about her. "I wish for you to find a man who has recently disappeared. Would you be up to the task?"

"Depends. Company or private work?"

She bit her lip and hesitated. "Private." She said, after a moment. That made things more interesting. So this wasn't about tracking down a rogue employee, then.

"Alright. Who do you want me to track down, and why?"

"His name is Yuriev Yardow. He is my...consort." Maybe she was too immersed in her noble language to say 'lover'. Maybe she meant something different. In any case, her choice of words made me sit up a little straighter. "He disappeared a few days ago and I am worried for him. I...please. Find him." She looked like she was about to say something more for a moment, but then clammed up. I fought the urge to sigh back. I hate it when clients keep things quiet, but pressing them doesn't work nine times out of ten.

"I see. What can you tell me about him? Interests? Places he frequents? Where does he live?"

Dunsany rummaged through her purse, before taking out a picture. I had to lean closer to the holophone to make the details out: a tall, reedy man with blonde hair and gigantic glasses, which concealed a pair of blue eyes. Young, but possibly in the same way as this client. He had a huge smile on his face, and a small scar on his temple. His hair was short and neat.

"He's a genius." Dunsany's words didn't sound like praise, but rather a statement of fact. "A savant. He is a modern wizard, the software he works on always brings innovations to the market. Besides his work, he has three passions: Food, Money, and Chess. He's a regular at the Kulking Stock House, and he attends chess and cooking clubs. I am sending their addresses now...please, wait just a moment." She bent forward and tapped what must have been a computer's keys. The holophone beeped as it received a note which included the addresses.

"Got them. When did you last see him?"

"Five days ago. We had gone out to a ball and were returning to our home. I dropped him back at his place, and never heard from him again." She bit his lip again. Another secret. Just what I needed with such an open-ended investigation.

"My fees for manhunting aren't cheap. You know what they go for?" Dunsany nodded.

"I will pay double if it means seeing Yuriev again." There was a note of desperation in her voice. Was she really *that* worried about that man?

"...I see. If you don't hear from me in 24 hours, you should find a different detective to carry this out."

"Please, please find him. He is too good for this world, Mr. Slade. If he isn't found soon, I fear something terrible will happen to him."

The communication cut off. For a while, I did but stare at the lights and massage my temples. This wasn't going to be an easy hunt.

[] Pass the case up. Too much of a goddamn mess.

[] Start by gathering some more information. Call a buddy who can dig it up.

[] Do some legwork. Investigate Yuriev's usual hangouts (Specify amongst: Apartment, Stockhouse, Chess Club, Cooking Club).

[] This case is too big for one person. Call a fellow PI and recruit her help.

Try to butter her up for information, apologize for her loss and ask if there is any information that could help us help her. And she's just my type too...

Random comment: god DAMN, is writing a decent profile for a manhunt down some work or what? At least, I'm happy with how it all turned out and how open the field is.

>>17169924
[x] Do some legwork. Investigate Yuriev's apartment.

[x] Start by gathering some more information. Call a buddy who can dig it up.

I vote we try to find out as much about the case beforehand. If it looks to dangerous/big, call in this other PI to help.

>>17169940

Sorry! This one was a noninteractive piece. THAT SAID, if you think there's more information to be gained from Dunsany, DO vote for calling her back and asking her some more questions (if you can specify the questions that'd be great, too). This is a very, very open-ended set of choices and I will run with most anything.

>>17169924
>[X] Start by gathering some more information. Call a buddy who can dig it up.

>>17170013
let's do this

>>17169950
and then this

>>17169924
[X] Start by gathering some information . Call a buddy who can dig it up.
I've played enough L.A. Noire to know that phonecalls are best-calls.

>>17170013
To be more specific, call our buddy and ask him if he's ever heard of the guy, and if he has what software he works on. Also ask about the hang outs and their usual clientele, or if the businesses are fronts for anything.

The cast was at least worth making a token effort at tackling it. Manipulating the holophone, I made a call.

I got an answer almost instantly. "Tobias? What's up?"

Kenneth Chang was a fellow investigator, but of a different sort. Ken never did any field work. His job consisted on tracking people, activities, events over the 'Net. He was a bit green around the ears, but he was good people. We'd worked together a few times before: he'd helped me out with some difficult cases, and I had pointed him the way of some people who needed someone with his type of expertise.

"'Lo, Ken. I need some help with something. Think you could lend me a hand?"

"Sure, I'll add it to your tab." Ken joked about "the tab" often. He always said he kept track of all the favors he'd asked for and given, because sometime, someday, knowing just how much he could ask from someone would come in handy.

"I need some info on a man, Yuriev Yardow. He works on software. Think you can dig something up?"

"Yeah, sure. Gimme a little time to look him up and see what I find. I'll call you in ten."

((Getting this out quickly because I want to keep the flow of updates steady and have to take a really brief break from the quest. Next part coming soon!))

OP?

Ten minutes later, I got a call from Ken. He sounded pretty impressed.

"Um, wow. You reeled in a pretty big fish, man. How much do you know about AR?"

"AR? You mean Augmented Reality? That boogieman tech people have been talking about for the last forty years?"

"Yep, that's the one. As it turns out, this Yardow guy is an indie designer. Three years ago, he released the code for a program that became the base for Gray-targeted software. You know how Grays don't need computers to connect to the 'Net because they run everything in their heads? Yardow took advantage of that and created a program that generated illusions. It wasn't very impressive on a normal computer, but Grays saw things that weren't real, touched things that weren't there, and sniffed smells that nothing was producing. The tech scene creamed itself over this guy! Nobody knew had any idea how he'd managed that, and then he went ahead and released the code without making any profit for it. Thanks to him, we're actually, honestly *close* to seeing real AR now!"

I whistled. That nerdy looking guy had blindsided people riding the cutting edge of technology? Now that was a surprise.

"The corps were all over him. He got offers from absolutely everybody. Ridiculous ones, too - we're talking about enough to buy a chunk of the moon and have enough to spare to live comfortably for the rest of his life. And the kicker? He turned them down. Said he just wanted to keep doing what he wanted to do without any pressures. You can imagine how the corps took it - apparently he was bullied for quite a while and then...stopped. They decided to leave him alone and just watch him like hawks."

"Alone? What do you mean?"

"They didn't just try to intimidate him, they even tried to copyright his ideas through some legal loopholes. Nothing I've found says this guy should be richer than a rat, but he somehow got Webster to represent him."

"Webster? The big name lawyer who takes an arm and a leg as payment?"

"That Webster. Case didn't even make it to court. He must have found a way to rip the case to shreds."

Influential genius, the corps mysteriously backing off and the guy managing to remain independent even as he was pressured from all sides to join a team. And to top it all off, that high-class lady had some stock with him, too. This case was getting bigger and bigger with every nugget of information Ken fed me.

"OK. Can you tell me anything about the Kulking Stockhouse, the Robert J. Fischer Chess Club, and the Kor-wai Cooking Club?"

"Sure, T. Hold on a second...found it.

The Cooking Club looks clean - just a place normal people go to exchange recipes and learn how to cook. Not even featured in a single bit of news, either. The other two are more interesting.

The Fischer Club is a gathering spot for the chess elite. You're not going to find many other places where somebody could get their game on against several Grand Masters. Scholars, Hobbyists...you can find people from all walks of life there, and even a bunch of outsiders who come there to hang out with the players for their own reasons. It's exclusive too - you can only get in if you have a current member's backing.

The stockhouse ain't as clean. It's primarily about what you'd think it is, but some dirty trades go on there. You know, criminals discussing where their territories start and end, insider trading, that sort of thing. If you're thinking about snooping around those parts, be careful, people there are the type that plays hardball."

"Got it. That's what I needed Ken, I owe you one."

"Don't worry T, I'm keeping count. Anything else you need..."

"...Just ask." I finished it for him. Ken always closed our chats like that. He chuckled, and the communication cut off.

---

((Time to make choices. The choices are as above, minus contacting Ken of course. Outside choices are still accepted. If you need a repost, just ask.))

I vote we call in the other PI. This looks like the big leagues.

>>17170933
Seconded.

>>17170933
Thirding. This is some big stuff, and if we want to get anywhere, we'll need friends and resources.

>>17170933
fourthing, we're gonna need backup on this one

>>17170918
>Time to make choices

Let's do the incredibly lazy thing and check the news/police reports if anything strange happened around these places around the day our target disappeared.

Currently working on that call. This update will be much shorter than the previous ones (hopefully), and also more interesting. Sorry for the textdumps, everybody!

>>17171288
No need to be sorry, they're a pleasure to read.

>>17171288
just take your time Botch we'll be waiting

>>17171288
Don't worry, you're updates are almost universally very well written.

They're worth the wait.

Bumping.

With the conversation with Ken over, I made another call. As I selected the line, my mind was fixed on one thought:

"Why me?"

It didn't make sense. I wasn't very well known, or famous for my results. Sure, I had a steady stream of cases solved, but that was because I could afford to pick the ones I wanted to take. Why would someone like Dunsany contact a two-bit sleuth like me? To see me fail?

I shook my head. I didn't have an answer to that. I didn't have an answer to anything yet. This case would be a challenge, but the challenge had caught my attention. I'd need some help to handle it. Things were going to be tense, but there was nobody else better prepared for the job.

(Anna, Hunter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPd-w1upNA4)

"Yes...? Oh. It's you." She assumed a guarded stance and her eyes narrowed.

"Enjoying the night, Anna?"

"Cut the pleasantries, Tobias. Tell me what you want so we can get this over and done with."

Anna Boleynn and me had a...history. A long, complicated history, which I didn't feel like going over. It was enough to say it had ended badly, and she could barely manage to maintain a measure of civility when talking to me.

Not that I could blame her. Like I said, it was a long story.

"Look. I'm calling for business. I've got a case. A big one. Bigger than anything that's come before. Call it a hunch, but I don't think this is something I can handle without calling in some help. You interested? The client is paying double fee and has money to burn."

She looked at me long and hard.

"Slade, if this is an attempt at making amends..."

"Dammit, Anna. I told you I got the message last time. This isn't some sort of ploy, it's just *work*. I'm not hiding anything, for fuck's sake."

"You don't have to hide anything, Tobias. In fact, you never do. You still believe in that this world is Just with a Capital J. You still think you can make amends, deep inside. It's not something you think about, that you decide to hide or put on display. It's who you are." She sounded as she always did: Melancholic. Bitter. Millions of light years away. Dammit. I'd have to find somebody else to-

"But fine. I'm in. What's the plan?"

---

[] Split the workload. Send Anna to check out one of the hangouts and pay a visit to a different one. (Specify which two)

[] Two pairs of eyes see more than a single one. Arrange to visit a location together. (Specify which)

[] Anna has her...contacts, in the corps and the underworld. Ask her to check them out while you investigate.

((So yeah, this update was delayed for far longer than it should have been. Apologies for that. Here's to hoping it is worth the wait, at least a little.))

YES! You're back! I vote to check out the Stock Exchange together, two people in the most dangerous of locales could/should find the most information.

>>17172607
Seconding this. Tenuous relationship between partner-detectives + dangerous locale = cinematic moments for sure.

[X] Anna has her...contacts, in the corps and the underworld. Ask her to check them out while you investigate.

We should go first to investigate the Stock Exchange. I assume we have weapons? Just in case of course, no need to run in guns blazing. We should also bring some money, in case we need to pay for information.

>Anna Boleynn

Ha.

[x] Anna has her...contacts, in the corps and the underworld. Ask her to check them out while you investigate.

[x] Visit apartment.

>>17172615

What good is writing an online quest with choices if you don't run with the ideas your readers give you? It'd be lunacy!

>>17172642
>It'd be lunacy!

It is spelled "tgchan".

Visit the stockhouse with her. Be the good cop. This is mostly for the drama, might not be a great tactical decision.

If she doesn't want to do that, we could get her to check her contacts.

>>17172582
I'm sorry I've got to say it OP but this storyline doesn't do anything for me so far.
I liked the first two parts a lot more.

>>17172999
It's still pretty early. I'll give it a while longer. I think it might be time to switch back to Ryan at the end of this though. We can come back to this thread of story later, if I'm not mistaken.

>>17172999

I'll be the first to admit this storyline is off to a slow start. Ryan's was, too, and made up for it later, but I had to lay down a lot of groundwork to get this going. This one is going to speed up in a few updates, tops, as you now know enough to proceed to the *actual* sleuthing. Have faith, things are looking up now that we're through fishing for info and have covered most of the intro's ground!

((Incidentally, I'm feeling a bit sick so the next update will have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry guys, but I can't work while I'm puking my guts out. The next update WILL deliver, though, you can bet on it.))

>>17173157
Man, my girlfriend is in the same boat. Must be something going around.

Anyway, feel better soon Botch, look forward to seeing this continued soon.

Bump, I guess.