Log:Rift Crisis II, Scene 13

Rift Crisis II 2019/04/19 Artemis Blok Dark Horse Character Immortal Wild Bull 13

The situtation: the forces of Ghravvruhs, consisting mostly of piranha-ewoks (in the front ranks), humans (flanking via side streets) and snow/ice elementals (who had flown over the barricade only to be blown back by a wind, thanks to Character) have invaded Chinatown. The heroes have established a barricade across Ming Street. About 70m in front of the barricade are some magicians and their bodyguards. About 60m behind the barricade is a house which Dark Horse is entering, having decided it was the target for the elementals.

The flanking humans are being held off by the Chinatown metas and Chen. A couple of Chinatown metas are also at the barricade. In front of the barricade is a swarm of ewoks, pretty well all stunned or unconscious, but there are just as many still standing behind them. 

Dark Horse continues down the street, on foot now. "Best hope is...that she's not here."

The normal-looking guy who joined you on the barricade takes down a ewok with a sacrifice kick.

The ice elementals struggle against the gale, but are still being blown backwards. They seem to be in confusion.

The bodies of fallen piranha-ewoks are piled so thick now they effectively make a ramp up to the barricade - which the still-standing ewoks are happy to make use of. They advance like a single waves, swarming over the barrier.

The unknown martial artist is trampled by the swarm and carried back off the barricade by the sheer mass of moving bodies.

Blok turns and lets loose with yet another Thunderclap

A triangular section of the swarm is stunned, and many ewoks trip and fall into each other.

One magicians shouts out orders in a strange language to the ice elementals. The other, meanwhile, starts casting a spell....

Dark Horse continues running, finally reaching the door of the home he's looking for. He bangs on the door a few times.

A face peers out the window, then the door opens with a jerk. Wild Bull is standing in it. "Friend of Kihzra, yes?" he asks.

Dark Horse nods. "I am. I think this invasion here is aiming to attack her." He points down the street.

Artemis faces off against the wizards and their many bodyguards. She tightens her grip on her shield and angles it to prepare to counterstrike any attacks on her person. "I will fight my way through all who get in my way!" She strikes out with her sword whip towards a wizard.

Artemis' whip cracks loudly as it breaks the sound barrier, flying towards a wizard and hitting a body guard as they dive in the way instead.

Wild Bull nods. "I protect her. She cannot fight. Baby come."

Dark Horse blinks. "Oh." He pauses, "Oh! Well, I'll do what I can to help, too." . o O (What that will be against elementals...I have no idea. But we'll see, I guess.)

Character, still somehow ok despite being amidst the swarm, traces another character in the air - this one for 'wall'.

Suddenly a huge stone wall - a full 10m high - appears across the street in front of the swarming ewoks. Unfortunately, Character's placement is off, likely because he was jostled while casting the spell: there is a narrow gap round one side large enough to allow passage.

Somehow, amidst the swarming ewoks, the trampled martial artist regains his feet, though he misses the ewok he then kicks at.

Artemis is buffeted by high winds, cape and hair whipping wildly as she stands her ground.

4 unharmed bodyguards keep their feet, but the others - and the magicians - are blown off theirs.

One wizard is GREATLY relieved that he managed to close the door he'd just opened to a demon realm, despite falling on his behind....

Sadly (for him) the wizard who was barking orders is not heard above the howl of the wind, and the ice elementals continue to be blown backwards in confusion.

He stands and tries to command the elementals once more, while his companion starts casting a different spell - with his eyes on Artemis.

The ewoks, those capable of movement, continue their forward storm, to the wall, and then around the side of it, as many as will fit.

Blok lays down another Thunderclap on the same area

This time Blok flattens much, perhaps most, of the leading group of ewoks.

A loud cry of "QHAHHHH!" from within suggests that, indeed, Kihzra is in the midst of labour.

Dark Horse notices a shadow in a nearby alleyway and moves to check it out. He moves to the edge of the alley and peeks down, trying to see who is there.

Dark Horse discovers a group of five humans, sneaking their way up the narrow alley, squeezing their way silently past trash cans. You couldn't get a large body of troops up here, but a small unit is another matter. One of them seems to be studying the fire escape of the building Kihzra is in.

Dark Horse lashes out with a swingline and pulls himself up onto the fire escape, nearly silently. Or close enough with all of the background noise.

Artemis steps forward towards the wizard giving commands, unimpeded by the wind. "You should retreat to your masters if you value your life!" she warms as she swings her whip towards him.

Dark Horse is nearly blown off of the fire escape. He mutters to himself as he ends up back on his feet.

Character makes the character for fire in the air and a wave of flame sweeps across the ewoks by the wall, who starting running about screaming, panicked, many with burning fur.

Artemis strikes another guard that gets in her way. "Keep hiding behind your men! They'll all fall, and then you're mine!"

Dark Horse bides his time, hoping that he hasn't been noticed by the attackers considering coming up the fire escape. He'll have a better chance dealing with them one-on-one.

After her threat, Artemis marches forward to get as close into the wizard's face as she brings her whip down again.

The whip cracks against the wizard's chest with enough force to knock him down to the ground before Artemis.

The martial artist, somewhere amidst the ewoks, kicks another one in the head and puts him down.

Character makes the symbol for flight, and is whisked from his current location to a building near where the wizards are.

The ice elementals are not only confused but now getting more disarrayed as they're slowly blown backwards.

The ewoks fight the wind to squeeze round the wall and charge the house where Kihzra is. Only to be met by a hurled truck...

Wild Bull makes a howl of satisfaction as the truck flattens the leading ewoks.

In the alley, the fire escape ladder is pulled down and the covert unit starts its stealthy climb.

Blok uses Thunderclap again, on the same area

The ewoks by the wall have been thunderclapped, burnt and electocuted enough now that they are no longer really a swarm. Many like unconscious on the ground. Small clusters remain, but they seem to have behave rather differently - they're being more cautious, avoiding direct fighting - at least for now.

Dark Horse moves over to the first man sneaking up the fire escape. He's not an honorable sort. But then again, neither is the person sneaking up. He tries to plant his boot in the head of the would-be assassin.

Dark Horse drives his foot into the head of the attacker, knocking him unconscious and hopefully in the way of the others. "You're not getting in this way."

The second magician tries to take command of the elementals, which the first one has lost.

Dark Horse tries to capitalize on the element of surprise, and he follows up with another kick at the second target...this time trying to put a bit more force into it.

Artemis storms towards the fallen wizard and with a looping motion, she tries to get her swordwhip around his neck.

Artemis tightnens the whip, causing the wizard to wheeze and go limp. She looks to the wizard. "You haven't enough bodyguards to save you," she says as she loosens her whip from the unconscious wizard's neck.

Atop a building, Characters draws the character for lightning.

As the lightning descends on the remaining wizard and his bodyguards, one bodyguards leaps in front of the wizard, and the other is struck anyway. Both are stunned, but not out.

At the wizard's command, the ice elementals finally get their act together. They drop down to ground level, becoming more compact mounds of ice and snow, resting on the ground. In consequence, they stop being blown downwind.

The ewoks scatter - down side alleys, through any door left open. and so on. They seem to have lost their stomach for pitched battle.

Of the stealthy unit, the now-lead man recovers from being stunned, but he is blocking the way of the others. The hindmost man, however, drops back to the ground and, perhaps surprisingly, draws forth a blowgun, which he aims at Dark Horse.

But he's sufficiently wide of the mark he doesn't even hit his companions.