/monster/ - The Last Bastion of Romance

>>370394

A log from when Anon was a teenager.

>Falcon- I don't know man. 3dpd are the worst. 2-d is best u_u.

>P-man- Yea. Girls are lame. If you had to choose though, what kinda girl would you go for?

>Falcon- No need. Meatspace women are disgusting. I'd rather enjoy pristine waifus in the matrix.

>P-man- I know! I'm saying if you had no other choice though. What then?

>Falcon- uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I don't know. Probably some synth chick. I heard their vagoos are better than the meat puppet variety.

>P-man- Have you ever been with one?

>Falcon- No. Girls want a successful guy. Not deck jockies like us.

>P-man- Yea…

Another log from later

>Beastmode- Pman you suck.

>P-man- You cheating faggot!

>Beastmode- git gud.

>Falcon- He did okay for a nub

>Beastmode- as long as you carry him, yea.

>Falcon- Beastmode, all you do is game. You fucking try hard.

>Beastmode- ya'll mad jello at my sick fucking skillz.

>P-man- Do you have any real skills or are only good at shitty FPS games?

>Beastmode- I'm top tier when it comes to hacking bitch.

>P-man-I gotta game then. First one to dox the other wins.

>Falcon- Can I play too?

>P-man- No. You and Noel already know each other in meatspace.

>Beastmode- WTF Falcon! fucking OPSEC!!!!

>Falcon- I never told him anything dude…

>[Beastmode] disconnected

>P-man- Guess that means I win (nwn).

>Falcon- How'd you do that?

>P-man- I'll show ya.

>>370396

***

Morrigan had just got back. Pee decided to seclude herself in her room when Anon went to greet Morrigan.

"Your bag" she'd handed him his backpack.

"Thanks."

Morrigan looked around the place before refocusing on Anon "You think you'll be alright here?"

"Eh, 'better than living under a bridge I guess."

"I need to take care of some business so…" she pushed her dark shades up "…be careful out there."

"What kind of business?"

Morrigan dodged the question "Business I need to handle on my own."

She started for the door. Anon blocked her way.

"Hold up, you can't just-" Morrigan leered at him over her shades. Anon stood unflinchingly "That won't work on me. Just tell me what's up."

She took two steps back and rocked her head around before taking off her shades.

"There's consequences for failing to fulfill a contract. I knew from the beginning what I'd have to do. As a member of the collective, those who fail to collect have to answer for their actions. I'm already late for an appointment and the collective won't hesitate to kill people I consider friends to draw me out. I'm not going to let that happen. That's why I need to leave now and take care of this myself."

"How exactly do they expect you to answer for your actions?"

Morrigan leaned against the wall and averted her gaze from Anon "They're a group of assassins, how do you think they settle these matters?"

Anon was clueless. She clarified it for him.

"Trial by combat. They'll want to make an example of me. If I survive, my indiscretion will be excused. They'll kill anyone who gets in the way of their system."

[] "I understand…" Morrigan is a big girl, she can take care of herself. I'm worried about her but I need to catch up with PNP. We need to go over more chat logs, review evidence and take the fight to OCP to get Neet back.

[] "Screw your secret society bullshit, I'm not going to let you run off to face down some assassin alone!" Morrigan is my friend. She's pulled my ass from the fire a few different times. If someone is gunning for her she'll have my back. After all the help she's given me I'm not going to abandon her.

lotta words for this part. I had cram in a lot of story beats. Maybe the media break was a bit much? Too late now :^)

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>370397

I'd like to help but I'm pretty sure we'd be dead weight if the other members of the collective are at the same level as Morrigan. We should ask her if she needs any help.

Rolling for whether we go anyways when she says no. 1 we stay, 2 we go.

>>370534

I hope you rike it.

>>370634

Dis nigga be using context clues and everything. Reading ahead before I've written it. Without spoiling too much, the collective is definitely top tier. Their members don't drop like drophers and street gang goons. So to be clear, you're wanting Anon to voice his feelings and let Morrigan know she's important to him or let Morrigan know that he isn't concerned with her well being and is okay with her facing what is most likely a death sentence alone?

>only 2 replies

For everyone else, Is everything okay? I know I crammed in a lot o different story beats across multiple posts. I tried to mix things up so you got little bit of everything. My next days off are Monday and Tuesday so I'd like to have things sorted by Tuesday so we can get on with the decision.If you need more time to read through all my crap just say so and we can push things out if needed. If you have any questions or need clarifications on stuff I don't have a problem going over something. A little feedback is always helpful so I can know if I'm writing something interesting or something that's a chore to read. Also feel free to let me know if I'm repeating certain words or phrases too often. A particular CYOA comes to mind that uses "heart racing" a lot and it triggers me a little every time I see it.

>What about some dice rolls?

I don't like leaving important things to chance but as a little side decision…

Anon's clothes- Gotta dress to impress. All the choices incorporate the tactical vest and the trenchcoat.

[] A simple black undershirt and black slacks that used to belong to Boss before he was turned into a doggo. Clearly a shadowrunner uniform. It's not like Boss can wear them now.

[] Anon's backpack clothes. A nice dress shirt and business pants. His old "shirt" uniform when he was playing it cube. Nothing flashly. Better than being naked.

[] Wear some of Pee's clothes. They don't really fit but they do have kawaii cartoon characters on them. Up your cute factor by a good number. Everyone will look at you funny for sure. Pee will get mad that you stretched them out but whatever.

[] Wear one of Morrigan's black dresses with the fluffy frill on top. Anon would never pass for a woman with his whiskers and and blocky chin. At least there will be some extra venttiliation for his nether region. Morrigan won't want it back when you're done -"Uhh, you can keep that one Anon…"

Roll a 1d20. Highest roll wins

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>370696

I'm saying, after some thought, to tell Morrigan that we know we'd be dead weight if we went with her, but please don't die. We've barely recovered from the last fight we lost, facing a cabal of assassins would probably be the last fight we lose.

Anyway, rolling for Boss' old outfit

>>357968

In case we lost a few people along the way or if there's some new people who don't wanna go through the backlog I'll do a re-cap since we haven't done that in a while

The Story thus far

part 1>>357968

Anon has been running in the shadows for a while now. After interrogating Tisel, the pawnshop dealer that was responsible for selling him out to crops, Anon needed a safe place to stay for the night. Murphy, the antique store owner advised him to talk to Darkness at the Tastey Bitz bar. Her real name was Morrigan and she was the proprietor of a brothel along the river in North City. A few drinks too many had him tripping over himself and Morrigan decided to take him to her bordello. >>358636

It turns out Morrigan had taken a contract from the collective (a secret assaination society) to kill Anon after stealing his memories to find his friend PNP. Delving into his mind, his memories touched her heart and she couldn't bring herself to kill him. Anon forgave her for the violation of his body as well as his mind and Morrigan pledged to help him see his mission through. After dealing with some dorphers and rescuing a kidnapped child Anon & Morrigan got their hands on the dead drop data needed to find PNP's location. >>362833

As luck would have it Anon had taken a little longer than expected and the rendezvous turned into a rescue mission. PNP was kidnapped and being used as bait and Anon ended up stumbling into a trap. A violent firefight left him gravely wounded. A quick trip to a street doc saved his life but he now sported some fresh chrome where his left forearm once was. >>369788

We also learned DosBoss wasn't as dead as we thought thanks to PNP transplanting his consciousness into a robot dog after he OD'd. We then learned that PNP was actually Anon's secret childhood friend whose memory had been burnt away from getting his nerual jack yanked.

You're now more or less caught up. That's definitly the reader's digest version.

I'd like to have all the votes locked in by this time next week if we can manage. This current choice is similar in nature to this one >>356400 where it's a real diametric decision in terms of story arc.

>>370706

Real a la carte chummer. Since the underlying tone is I care about Morrigan I'll put you down for the second choice. I think your sentiment is in line with Anon's words even if they're not verbatim. Also you know I like to screw about with dialouge options and subvert expectations. Remember >>338785? Trust me.

>>371072

Just remember, "I like you and don't want you to be violently killed by a cabal of assassins" is a different sentiment from "I love you." My head remains in the game, and despite all of this sidetracking Neet is still #1.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>370397

Can't we just say something along the lines of "we're a team now, please don't run off alone without telling anyone else"? Choice one, but with the sentiment of two.

>>370696

Let's borrow Boss' old clothes if we're going with Morrigan.

>>371076

Of course. We're getting that monogamous ending with Neet and then we're going to buy her a state of the art new body.

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>371535

>I'll put you down for the 2nd option unless you prefer otherwise

That's fine.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>371638

Forgot me roll, I did. Bugger.

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>371638

>>371639

Genius.

>>371910

>>372390

and now it seems to be back? 8chin may be bugging out. I'll leave em' both up in case it bugs out again.

>>372391

Must have. I did not see either post untill

Checking again now.

Lad? You still here? What happened?

>>373821

I know we're slipping down the catalog. I've actually got a good chunk of it done I just got hurry up and finish. And edit. And maybe do some art.

>>370397

"So, do you understand?" The red glow of her eyes hid behind her eyelids, and she wore an expression of anxiousness- pursed lips.

Anon extended his chromed arm and subtle clicks accented his finger movements to present an open hand "Let me help you. Boss and Pee too."

Morrigan seemed detached from his offer and took his hand, looking it over "How's the new arm treating you?".

"It aches at the connection, but otherwise it…" she traced her fingers along the inside of his prosthetic as he spoke, her finger traveling along the textured plastic shell up to where connected to his wetware and then to his bicep. The sensory feedback along the cybernetic limb had the acuity to interpret her soft touch and the sensation when her fingers traveled between his synthetic facsimile to his wetware was nearly seamless.

"It's good then, like your old arm?"

"More or less." Anon made a fist and the mechanisms within the arm clicked and whirred.

Morrigan smiled. "That's good."

She'd managed to derail the earlier inquiry, Anon got them back on track "If we work as a team, I'm sure we can-"

"No. This isn't your fight. This is something I have to deal with on my own. The collective-"

"Screw your secret society bullshit, I'm not going to let you run off to face down some assassin alone!"

Morrigan was caught off guard by the emotional outburst "Anon…you really want to help?"

He nodded assertively. "Yea. Friends don't just abandon one another." In the back of his mind, the memory of leaving his old crew stung him. That was the part of himself he wanted to forget. The new Anon wasn't going to run away anymore.

Morrigan took him close in an embrace, snapping him out of his stupor. She squeezed him tight "Friends…?"

"Eh, yea."

With their proximity, her bosom pressed snuggly against his collarbone. Anon attempted to create some space, gingerly pushing himself away. The new distance revealed a genuine look of grief from her. The look compelled him to reach up to touch her face but his wetware hand was intercepted. In an instant, she'd pulled him into a half-nelson. She whispered into his ear "Forgive me."

***

Morrigan laid the unconscious Anon down on the sofa before running her fingers through his hair. The staples along with the platinum blonde streak still remained from their first outing. She didn't have long now, his soft and shallow breaths heralded his return to consciousness. She made her way to the exit. Pee's door opened, only a crack.

"Anon- What's wrong with him?"

Morrigan turned slightly giving Pee half her face. "Little dizzy from the painkillers. He'll be alright." She let herself out.

Pee left her room and timidly approached the sleeping Anon. Anxiety came from the thought of him ODing as Boss had. There was no indication he'd do something so stupid but the fear was there. She began jostling him as his slumped posture was unnerving for her.

"Anon- Hey Anon- Anon- wake up- Anon- Anon- Wake up Anon."

Anon stirred from the prodding and held his head for a moment. He shook the dizziness from his person and regained some composure.

Boss hopped through a dog-sized ventilation shaft into the hideout "Anon, your weirdo friend just took off on her bike."

Damnit

It couldn't be helped. That didn't make Anon any less pissed at her for leaving the way she did. Pee tugged at his tactical vest.

"A-anon- Ya know- There are some clothes that-"

"What is it Pee?"

Boss hopped up onto the Sofa "Those pajamas don't fit ya that well Cap'."

Pee nodded and withdrew some folded clothes from a cardboard box. A black marker inscribed the name "DosBoss stuff" on the top of the box.

"T-try these Anon."

Boss looked irritated "Hey! Those are-"

She wagged her finger at him "It's not like you can wear them anymore."

Boss sulked and growled.

***

>>376357

There was nothing he could do about Morrigan running off. If she was dead set on going solo that's how she'd go. In the meantime, the crew was gathered in the living room which also doubled as the briefing room. Pee was leading the meeting, albeit her facemask hiding her real face behind a classic cartoon character. It helped her cope with her social anxiety. Anon had changed into Boss's clothes. They were pretty slick and they fit better than Pee's pajamas.

"I've been going over the data you sent me. I discovered some interesting things about your Neet."

"Like what?"

"Let's start with her serial number- NE-37. Do you know what the NE stands for?"

Anon was clueless and his face showed as much "I never looked into it…"

"It means Non-empathy. Technically your interactions with Neet were impossible if that serial number was legit."

NANI!?

"But…Then how?"

"I don't think your Neet was her original self. Rather, someone dramatically altered her cyberbrain to allow her to act the way she did. Whoever modded her must have been very good." Her face morphed to a thinking emoji.

Anon pressed forward "Someone at OCP you think?"

Pee nodded, face morphing again to stary vista "That'd be the logical conclusion but there's no way to know. At the very least they were aware her brain was special."

Boss interjected "Pretty convoluted plot if they were behind the modding. Why would they mod a cyberbrain, kick it to the curb and then hunt it down again?"

Pee rocked back and forth "hmm. Any idea's Anon?"

Anon shook his head "I'm sure we'll uncover that later. I don't really have a plan to get Neet back. I was kind of hoping you might figure something out."

Pee stopped rocking "If her brain is being held at OCP headquarters nothing short of professional strike team is dragging her out of there. Instead of going after OCP directly I think we should focus on their subordinates on the street."

Anon's chrome arm flexed and produced a fist "Omar."

Pee nodded "Right."

Boss perked up "You can't be serious…"

Pee turned to Boss. "We know who he's working for. We put the screws to Omar's crew and we'll get the data we need to tackle OCP."

Anon interjected, "You really think that'll work?"

She turned her attention to him "It's all we can do for now. If nothing else you'll get your revenge on Omar and help clean up the streets. Omar and his goons run things in both north and south city. If we take them down then-"

Boss growled "Listen to yourself Pee, This isn't some video game. We can't just go around kicking doors down like we're wearing badges. We operate on the Matrix!"

Pee shot back "We're already marked! Or did you forget the hotel? Whether you like it or not we've got to deal with Omar now."

Boss barked "So that's it then, Anon still got fresh holes in him and you want to drag us into meatspace to hunt down a dorph fiend and bring down a mega corp for good measure? You're more whacked than I was before I fucking geeked myself." He hopped away from the briefing table livid and muttering.

Pee stood up "Boss!"

Boss didn't break stride and continued out of the room through a doggy door. Pee's face morphed to a sad looking character from a cartoon that was long forgotten. Something told Anon there was a little more to Boss's anxiety other than her intrepid plan.

"I'll go talk to him."

"Do you think that my plan- Do you think it's- It's the only…"

"It's not my idea of a good time but I can't slow down now. Let me talk to Boss."

***

Boss had his little corner of the hideout. Amenities were made for his dog body. A charging bay he could lay down and sleep in. A matrix jack fixture that protruded from the wall so he could escape meatspace without having to have someone plug him in. He was gazing into a framed picture, a rarity in the age of digital media prevalence. The picture hosted a gang of faces Anon didn't recognize.

"Friends of yours?"

He answered, intended inflections of his voice fought against the Vocaloid in his drone body. He was answering question Anon hadn't asked.

"Don't do it."

"Do what?"

Boss turned to face him. "You lose something when you come back."

"Talking about losing your wetware?"

Boss looked like he struggling to find the words. "There's more to lose than flesh."

"Sure it's not just the doggo drone you're riding? What about a less animal frame?"

"That's not it Anon." his paw tapped his doggy brow "Your mind, how it processes thoughts and feelings. I can't think of a way to describe it properly but the closest thing would be a dream you know you're in but your body refuses to wake up."

"You think you're in a dream?"

"No." Boss closed his eyes.

A pensive pause.

"You don't think Pee's plan is a good idea?"

"It's a good idea if you want to die." his eyes flicked back open "I'm not Boss ya' know? I wouldn't even call myself his ghost."

"What would you call yourself then?"

"Mobile mausoleum."

Another pause.

>>376358

"Is there a reason why you're so testy lately Boss?"

cue the "Fuck it, I'm a robot dog, let's get this done music"

His tail wagged and with a tone of indifference, he rattled on "Nothing you can fix. Not anymore." He led anon to a small weapon locker "Let's get you a proper primary. Those pea shooters aren't going to cut it for what we're getting into."

(descriptions courtesy of Boss)

[ ] Boss's FN FAL modded SBR- "Can't beat .308 caliber when it comes to penetration. I shortened the barrel to make it more friendly indoors and upgraded the internals for softer trigger squeeze. 'Stock is adjustable so you can fit however you want it. They don't make em' like this anymore. 20 round mags.

[] Boss's FN P90 "So good I bought two of them. Lightweight and compact. The 5.7 ammo packs a pretty mean punch to boot. It's a versatile and deadly weapon. They're pretty easy to come by since so many of them were made. FN still produces them today. 50 round mags."

[]Boss's FN Scorn "Developed back in the mid-2030's, this was FN's answer to the growing pervasiveness of smart guns on the battlefield. I don't care for aesthetics personally but it's a quality piece none the less. You can jack your arm into it for a synced HAAC for better overall accuracy. It'll transmit useful data such as remaining ammo and real-time feedback on your performance to let you know how good your aim is. Granted, if you're not using it well you probably won't know for too long. 7.62x51mm/ 30 round mags."

Boss was obviously an FN fanboi.

"So, you're up for Pee's plan then?"

"No, but I can't let either of you go alone. There's no running away from this. We either go down kicking or we might as well let em' geek us in our sleep. The only thing I have left are my friends. If I lose you guys then I really will be dead."

"I'm sorry for mixing you guys up in my-"

"Don't apologize. Pee knew well enough what kinda trouble you were in and so did I when I followed her. Even if I hadn't gone she would have done anything to help you. That's just how she is."

A question that was on his mind poked through "Were you and Pee…" How to phrase it "Was she your input?"

Boss growled "I wish. She only ever had eyes for you. Funny though, I don't think she'd know what to do with you even if she had the chance. When she found out your heart belonged to someone else you could tell she was jealous."

"Jealous? Of Neet?"

"Ask her yourself. I'm done with love triangles." Boss was making his way towards his doggy door exit. Anon grabbed the primary of his choice and made his way out.

***

The party Van was set. Pee would be overwatch and provide support with mini-drones while Boss and Anon stayed busy with wetwork. They weren't ready to deploy yet. That would be later that at night. Anon still had some time to kill and a few more drugs to down. In the meantime…

[] Talk to Pee. 'Forgotten friendship is one thing but an unrequited love could tangle her up in a tense situation. I need to let her know I love her as a friend, and that when this is all over I'll make things right for abandoning her twice.

[] Target practice with Boss. This new heater is vicious. It doesn't belong to me so I better have boss show me how to work it right. Bros before hos and all that.

[] I need some alone time to meditate on things, browse the matrix and chill for a bit. This might be my last foray onto the net before I rest in pieces later tonight. It has been a while since played around with my favorite catgirl. If I try real hard I can maybe convince myself It's Neet. If only for a moment.

——-

Roll 2 d 20's

First for your WEPON pick, second for Anon's choice of activity before the real fun begins.

DOUBLE CHOICES!

>>376605

>that nat 20.

Goodness. Locked in for Pee I guess. If anyone wants an alternative you'll need to roll for something different and have multiple vote rolls to counter that 20. Total for an alternate choice would have to be 30+ total using D20's (two people rolling 15's for the same choice for instance).

Not that I have a problem with that choice, I just wouldn't want people not to roll for their choice if they think it's locked down before they even get a chance.

>>376605

This is what I was gonna suggest anyways, so I'm happy with these rolls

As long as we don't bully her too much. Please be patient, she has autism.

>>376752

Someone had earlier mentioned the P90 was their favorite so I figured I'd squeeze one into the story somehow. Guess it's off to bully Pee then. I'll try to be more prompt with the next update. I need to finish this bastard of a story sooner or later.

or maybe make a second season if people want some more cyberpunk action.

>>377627

>Not bothering to roll

I mean, do you even want the scorn? The next part may be the last since it's a big fatty. I'm considering putting it into a PDF. I'll see when I'm done writing.

>>376752

>>376605

Midday was creeping away into a sky choked with unfiltered pollution. The plan was pretty straightforward as far as wetwork went; get to Omar, grab some of his private data regarding his corporate handlers, and maybe geek him for good measure since he had a decent price on his head. The truth was, it sounded less like wet work and more like wet dreams. Managing to complete this OP without being detected let alone escaping with their lives would be a long shot even under the best conditions

Anon knocked on Pee's door. No answer. Another batch of knocks followed behind the first. Maybe she was in the matrix? He messaged her over his deck. A short time later she invited him in. She was jacked in. He took an open port and followed her into the net. Digitized, he felt himself connect. The sensation of insincere reality pushed against him but despite that, he enjoyed the feeling of his previously intact arm that only the matrix could provide. Pee's Avatar reflected her meatspace self albeit somewhat taller.

"Ready for tonight Anon?"

Pee's attention was jumping around between multiple virtual monitors. Maps, names, faces, and other data intermingled between them.

"Just checking up on you Pee."

"We'll only get one shot."

"Yea."

She kept her attention focused on net diving. He continued "I never really had a chance to properly thank you for responding to me back at Tasty Bitz. Noel was always a good meatspace friend but he wasn't one to get mixed up in dangerous situations."

She stayed busy.

"So, ya know, thanks."

She paused and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Anon, if Neet- if she's…" She knew the issue would raw for him.

"If she's toast- What are you going to do?"

The question he'd never actually bothered to consider. It was a thought he'd repressed since facing it made her demise seem more real than he wanted it to be. He felt his chest tighten up.

"If I can't get Neet back…" There wasn't a clear answer at first. Dour thoughts pervaded him. Would he return to his old ways? Would he become a reclusive net jockey chasing after digital highs once more? The prospect of regressing to that previous unfeeling state would numb the pain he currently felt but the memories would always be with him. The answer he found came from his heart. "…I'll keep fighting for her. I'll make sure that those that prey on the weak sleep with one eye open. Even if I have to clean this city up one block at a time."

She winced "You go chasing demons all the time and you'll become one."

He shrugged "I'm already a demon."

Her cringe was visceral at the comment along with captain falcon avatar he never changed "You were always a softie. Don't try to pretend otherwise."

"You still think so?"

"I need to check your arm. See me in meatspace." That 'tism.

"User 'PnP' has disconnected"

***

Her room was a mess of every kind of tech one could want for dabbling in cybermancy. Cords, boards, cards and shards piled all over. No sense of organization. She knew where everything was because no one but her came into this room. Anon was reclined in Pee's bed. His stocky build made it look smaller than it actually was. His arm had a number of cables connected to it with firmware updates steaming into it courtesy of Pee's penchant for modification.

"What's this supposed to do again?"

"Keep your arm from getting hacked. I've also upped the clock speed for the neural bridge. You'll burn through your juice a little faster but it should increase the overall performance of the limb."

"How much faster?"

"Your battery will drain fifty percent faster after we're done depending on the load it's under."

"That only gives me six hours to work with…" Anon made a fist, the artificial limb's articulation produced mechanical humming and clicking as he flexed.

"That's why I'm replacing your battery as well."

"Eh?!"

A firm squeeze on his shiny bicep on two specific points it popped open a latch exposing a bulky battery which Pee quickly extracted. His arm fell limp after its removal.

"Hey!"

She replaced it with a sleeker battery, clearly a higher end model. His arm pulsed back to life.

"That should get you around eight hours."

Anon Grinned and patted Pee's head, "S'alright, I'm used to only working eight hours at a time anyway." a callback to his time as a wageslave.

Pee's facial visor morphed to an image macro which flashed: Kill yourself anytime. before squealing "NO HEADPATTING!" and batted his hand away.

She always made him smile with her bluntness.

"Thanks for everything Pee."

"G-go get ready or something! S-shoo shoo!"

She ushered him to the door.

Before shutting it she whispered.

"Anon…"

He leaned in close to hear what she had to say.

"YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING FAGGOT!~"

She proceeded to slam the door in his face. Same old Pee.

***

>>381148

The ambient glow of North city danced across the water along the riverwalk. The sun had crept below the elevated horizon courtesy of the skyscrapers and the colors refracted through the city's polluted skies gave the place an otherworldly aura. Morrigan sat on a bench enjoying the view. A cigarette dangled from her lips and smoke wafted from her mouth.

A gravely synthetic voice called to her from behind "Picked a nice spot. I figured you wouldn't make me chase you."

He was built for combat, a mountain of woven carbon fiber that covered a no doubt high end endoskeleton. Trauma plates were his second skin and dotted parts of him that didn't require flexibility. He was a geometric monstrosity whose very silhouette seemed to scream the design of some sadistic devil's workings. Atop his towering stature, there was no face- only a mouth with a grin. The rest of his head was covered in angled armor as if he were a throwback to a medieval era.

He licked his lips and continued "I was hoping you'd be more excited to see me. Perhaps when I'm done I can go see that friend or yours and finish your job for you."

Morrigan stirred at the comment and she stood up to face him peering over her shades. Their red glow, menacing as ever, was the look of death. The look did little to deter the beast she was facing down. She donned her usual evening dress.

Through pursed lips, he cooed "Hoohoohooooo~! Now we're talking." His toothy grin widened, an expression of animalistic hunger showed through with what little bit of his face was exposed. With outstretched arms, he announced, "I'll know if you're holding back so you better show me a good time!"

cue some menacing music to let you know things have just gotten serious

Two additional limbs erupted from his bulky frame, both brandishing heavy duty heaters. High-velocity rounds whistled by Morrigan and she took cover behind the bench. While it was molded concrete the HV rounds quickly whittled the cover away. Two grenades made their way through the air towards the quad armed beast. He shot them both out of the air with impeccable assisted aim. The moment's distraction allowed her to briefly take aim with an automatic shotgun and a hail of flechette peppered him. Sparks and shrapnel exploded from the rounds' impact disabling his heaters but doing little to damage to his exterior.

"Goohaahaha! Hot damn! Nice toy ya' got there!" he threw his heaters aside and lumbered towards her with heavy footfalls, his body still smoking from the flechette he'd been showered with. She tossed aside her now empty gun and squared up. It wasn't just a fight for her life, but a fight for her friend. She had no choice but to win. For the first time in a long time, she had a real reason to kill.

The faux stride of the beast ceased and he jumped forward at incredible speed. She attempted to deflect his attack but both arms on his right side connected and sent her reeling down the stonework walkway a good twenty feet before she impacted a dockside pillar with a sickening crunch. An attempt at standing failed and she only managed an awkward stumble before crumpling back down. The left side her face was caved in and her once delicate features were now spoiled by the beast's brutality.

His lower set of arms came together to crack their knuckles as he made his way to where she lay, his upper arms shrugged "Don't tell me you're done already."

She righted herself against the pillar and limped onto the dock. The beast followed close behind and chortled as his massive weight caused the plywood beneath his feet to creak and moan "Where the hell do you think you're going? Maybe I hit you a little too hard huh? Woohahaha!"

She rolled off the dock and disappeared into the water.

"Going for a swim now? I didn't bring my trunks and I really don't feel like fishing your ass outta there…" a fist punched through the bottom of the dock and grabbed his leg to pull him into the depths.

"W-ha-hoa! Hey now! Cheeky little monkey!"

With an additional arm, the beast braced himself against the dock and attempted to pull her up from the hand she had on his leg. "Didn't think this all the way through didja'!? HooHaha!"

They grappled, Morrigan wrapped her legs around the beast's midsection and her arm blades stabbed desperately at any opening she could manage. The beast reciprocated with vicious blows that left indentations on her softer frame after each impact. The close proximity limited the amount of power he could deliver and she whittled away at him with her blades while enduring the dents he left on her.

>>381149

"C'mon lady, you could at least-" he flung her down the dock and she bounced along the way. "-ask my name before you start wrapping your legs around me! I mean, I'm not that kinda guy…" He noticed said legs were still wrapped around his midsection along with a portion of her torso. Odd considering he didn't use that much strength to pry her off. At that moment she flung what was left of herself into the water.

He looked down and chuckled, pointing at the legs still locked onto his waist

"I think you forgot so-"

BA-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

An explosion ripped the dock apart sending bits and pieces high into the air before they rained down along the river. The thunderous boom caused birds to erupt from the surrounding trees and the ground itself shook from the shockwave it created. Chunks of flaming debris coated the surface of the water where the dock once stood. There was no sign of Morrigan or the beast amid the devastation save a pair of wraparound shades that lay broken on the riverwalk.

***

The party van was trucking along out of the industrial ruins. Pee would provide logistical and drone support while Boss and Anon would be busy kicking doors. Omar moved around but he kept to a pattern. Choosing where and when to attack could be the deciding factor in their success.

Anon sat across from Boss who was checking his gear. The back-mounted P90 swiveled and actuated a self-charging handle that made a clack clack as he tested the mechanism. He wore a doggie tactical vest that sported saddle bags that were loaded with grenades and a first aid kit. It looked custom tooled by Pee given the embroidery of an anime-styled dog character patch holding a knife its mouth affixed to the vest.

"You're too precious boss."

He flaunted razor-fanged maw "I think you mean bad to the bone." before racking his P90 with a ka-chack'. Anon racked his P90 as well. A single point sling kept it close at hand. Two knocks came from the front of the cab before Pee's muffled voice made it through some small grating that separated the van's innards.

"We're almost there, you guys ready?"

Boss and Anon nodded, Anon replied: "Let's go to work."

Pee confirmed anxiously "Be careful out there, alright?"

~~~

Where should they hit Omar at? Only one dice roll for this one.

[]9:00 pm-North City Docks- Contraband by boat. Gotta import your drugs and human slaves from somewhere. Security will be tight both from port security as well as Omar's private goon squads roaming around. Stealth will be paramount for this location.

[]11:00 pm- Neon Dreams- a fancy club in North City for those with enough brouzouf to enjoy it. Omar stops there for lunch and enjoys all manner of illicit activities. Security won't be as tight but things could get crazy real fast. If we lose Omar in crowd chasing him down will be rough.

[]1:00 am the Lower end of South city- The Stack houses- real shithole. Lots of recycling (selling harvested organs from non-consenting fresh cadavers) done there. Not as many eyes on the place but whatever kind of mess we get into there, it's sure to be extra messy no matter what.

>>381152

i forgot to roll

Let’s hit him at the docks. Less guards mean less bodies to get in the way if things go south

Rolled 12 (1d20)

Damn it not again

>>381179

Did you read tight as light? If so I'll give you one chance to reroll a different option if you choose.

phone posting so different ID

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>381201

Thanks for that. I was getting ready for work and missed that. I change my option to number 3

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>381152

I vote docks for meta reasons involving Morrigan's top half. Although the fact that she didn't speak was… Suspicious.

bump check. It looks like the Dock's early bird special is pretty popular. I'll lock it in for good on Sunday unless we have a higher roll.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>381152

I'm gonna vote nightclub

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>381152

Given the choice between having to deal with lots of guards, having to deal with large crowds, and having to deal with getting unpleasant substances out of your clothes, I say go for the Stack Houses.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>381152

>The Stack houses

Even though I'm tempted to hit the Neon Dreams just out of contempt for the rich, we can do more good fucking up a place like this. They undoubtedly prey upon the weakest people in society. And this might hit the corporate checkbooks harder than the club.

>>382614

>>382548

>two 20's for the Stack Houses

Hot damn. It would take an act of God to stop us from wrecking that place.

>>382758

>I did say I'd lock the voting down for the story a Sunday or so ago. Then again two 20's in a row is pretty fierce.

I actually thought we had just snuck in before the bell. Since you didn't actually post that it was locked (and I was too lazy to read the timestamp on that post), I assumed you meant this Sunday instead of the one before it. I still think the Stack Houses are best to raid, but I don't want to hear anons cry about you not following the rules or whatever. If the winning anon doesn't mind relenting to them then great, but my feelings won't be hurt either way. Congrats on the new PC too.

>>382758

OP, are you planning to continue the story at some point? It's been 5 or 6 weeks since your last update.

>>386076

Had a lot on my plate since christmas. I'm also responsible for kelpchan alive so thats on my mind as well.

>>386501

I'm not judging you. Life happens. Just curious.