I really like the sounds of this - also, where has Mutants and Masterminds been all my life; superheroes and DnD? heck yes! - but got a couple questions first.

How many mechanics are being borrowed from Mutants and Masterminds?

How would the game be run; is there a DM or is it player-driven?

Rya's execution was cleaner and quicker than Bloodbank had expected. He had seen his share of hits be carried out - most often on his operating table, where the bloody aftermath said more about the prejudice used than actually being there ever could. In a sick way, he was glad it was just a bullet to the brain; for all the trouble she had caused, the sec team could have done much worse.

That doesn't lighten the lead pit in his stomach, nonetheless.

Bloodbank waits until the big man is a few strides away from Rya before bending down and shutting her eyes. His fingers come away wet from the tears on her cheeks. "I'm sorry," is all he can offer before making his way back to the van.

I was under the impression that Rya was being handed over for how insistent she has been on coming with her son, she wouldn't want to be parted from Jase at the last moment like that. Sorry if that wasn't the plan/what Rya was about to do; I was aiming to get Bloodbank's actions with her out of the way so the scene could keep going and no backposting on my part would be warranted. I'll double check on NPC interactions with Brom going forwards.

At Casion's beckoning, Bloodbank nods at Jase and Rya, "Time to go." He exits first, offering a hand to the woman and boy as they get out. He puts himself to the side and in front of Rya, hoping that a body blocking their sights will discourage any shots, and also that she won't take her chances on any of Bloodbank's teammates. Though it is holstered now, Bloodbank keeps a hand steady and at the ready as near his pistol as he can without being overt about it.

Well I forgot about that part oops.

I can bring them out if no one has any other ideas.

“We’ve got a sniper approximately 150 feet away and 30 to 40 feet behind the aerodynamic limo and straight up.”

Echo's words send a chill down Bloodbank's spine. As if he wasn't stressed enough, his tongue is now strangely dry and he's having a hard time swallowing. He glances from Fixer to Jase and Rya, looking for fellow panic or concern. The boys outside look all the more like bullet sponges that will need more than just some stitches if this deal goes south.

Checking his pistol for the third time, Bloodbank does a quick mental checklist to ensure he's got everything on his person that he will need. Satisfied as can be in this situation, he settles back in his seat, takes a deep breath, and waits for the other shoe to drop.

I'm waiting for Rya and Jase's move before I post for Bloodbank. If they get out of the van, he'll be going with.

I've got nothing I can think to add for Bloodbank to do, so I'll skip this round of posts. We'll be on standby until something comes up for now.

“I’m going too,” Rya proclaims, “I will never be separated from my hijo again.”

Her words may as well have been a punch to the gut for Bloodbank. His blood ran cold and his fists clenched at her declaration. Staying with the kid, going to the drop only ended one way: Rya in a body bag. Jase was going to lose her again, one horrific way or another.

Protests and concerns ring out, Bloodbank’s voice one of the loudest. Even for all the trouble this woman has caused, Rya losing her life is something he can’t abide. He tells her as much, along with desperate thoughts on the kid finding her later when he’s grown and free, but Rya hears none of it. She’s going with, and likely will be dead for her trouble.

With his teammates preoccupied and so many hours between them and the drop, Bloodbank tries to make himself useful in the meantime, keeping watch for a good chunk of time. He almost succeeds in keeping his calm the whole time, though one could swear his teeth are metal with how hard he grinds them in those nineteen hours.

He cracks on a bathroom break. Standing by, not doing anything to help this woman - even if its her own choice - is just not in his nature. So Bloodbank draws the army knife from his pocket, exits the bathroom, and pawns it off to Rya as she goes in herself.

“Don’t be stupid with it,” he whispers, “If you use it on the team, they’ll put you down. But maybe it can buy you and the kid your freedom.” And he leaves it at that.

The time for the meet-up finally came, and Bloodbank is more than ready to get on the road. He makes sure to secure a seat across from Rya, hoping against hope that she will heed his warning. He spends the ride triple-checking his equipment, ensuring his gun is loaded in particular.

At the dropoff, Bloodbank sits tight at Casino's order. As best he can from the backseat, he surveys the decked-out security team, swallowing past a new lump in his throat. They’re armed to the teeth and he gave a knife to a desperate woman.

This is sure to end well.

Cyberpunk's ruleset is still a language being learned for me, so ignore these questions if they're impossible.

Is there any chance we can post up someone with a big gun in the van? Like have Ghlahn take up a sniper position in the backseat to be watching for any sudden moves? Blossom maybe could hole up and run cyberwarfare interference from inside the safety of the van too. I can't find exactly if the van is bulletproof or not with a quick perusal of the game thread, but I imagine at least being out of line of sight would be safer for them both to do their things.

I'd like to keep Bloodbank close with Jase and Rya, watching for any aggressive activity, especially towards the kid. BB can be a meat shield for them if things go south.

I have a question more than any suggestions. Is keeping Rya alive a priority while we're in the meeting? I mean like if the armed dudes go to execute her in front of Jase, are we going to step in? I can't see Bloodbank just standing by if they're going to murder the kid's mom in front of Jase. This is mostly just hypothetical, since I'm expecting us to never see Rya again dun dun dun

Sorry I only saw the email chain just now. I'm still here and ready to play

Still here! Still have not caught up on all the game posts, but I'm ready to keep going if everyone else is.

Bloodbank is in the camp of letting Rya go free, but turning Jase over to Saint Nick. He's got a better shot with wealth on his side than living on the streets with Rya.

With a conscious effort to avoid dwelling on the list of health effects forming in his mind, Bloodbank downed his Blitz in as little as three chugs and quickly replenished himself with the two water bottles. Focusing always had made him thirsty, and the patchjob on Casino's arm had certainly taken his full attention. For now, the medtech let his attention drift towards Rya and Jase's predicament.

There was no way he could let this woman get iced for loving a kid. Even if she was making a lot of mistakes in expressing that love, Colin could sympathize. But he wasn't sure he wanted to argue with his teammates again so soon after the dust had settled. So he resolved to not think about what was in this sandwich and stare out the window in an effort to keep himself preoccupied.

Maybe if we play our cards right we'll all walk away from this.

Or we could gamble it all and see what happens.

Nothing like hitting the jackpot with this game.

My fan club strikes again it seems.

Happy to be here! Hope you all have patience for a newcomer to Cyberpunk and the character. I'll be doing my homework to catch up on the posts and Bloodbank's thoughts. Here's hoping I do him justice.

Wooooo! Aranwen held a blade and sang! Wonderful post Rerale!

Einar could always come crashing through a window and down a flight of stairs for Kithy to stab.

Lol I can just imagine the adventures these boys getting into would turn into nursey rhymes to warn children away. "Fair Einar and the Cat of Coria, made a mess on Rue Historia. Claws and rum, monkeys and hooks; watch out kids, Ein'dau lie in wait in brooks!"

Woohoo A week later and the next Ein'dau scene is done!

Eol did me the honours of starting and finishing this update, and now we get to have our boys do something other than hit each other in the next one. And a wild Saranwen may even be appearing soon. 

At the Bent Copper

From the top of the staircase, Ch’dau eyed the lanky, hook-handed Vidarak who stood at the bottom. He knew a bit about these raiders from the Reach and had even fought a few of them during his time with the Wyverns but to encounter one here, in the heart of Antaron, so far from the sea was a curiosity akin to finding a Kazari outside of Capasha. Perhaps it was that shared rarity that had prompted the Silver Cat to intervene on the Vidar’s behalf to begin with or, maybe, it was simply the combination of drink and an unscratched itch for battle. Either way, the fight was finished, now, and between them the two outsiders had claimed victory over the assassins…

What is to happen, now, Ch’dau wondered, his paw pressed to the hole that the monkey’s hook had left in his shoulder, his gaze drifting over the bodies that littered the stairway, Have I kept these from killing you only to finish the task myself? He took his hand from the wound, then, glanced at the blood that smeared his palm and, with an irritated snort, turned his eyes back to the Vidarak standing at the foot of the stairs. I suppose we shall soon find out.

…“You are a long way from home, monkey,” the cat-man rumbled as he made his way down the steps, “I cannot help but wonder what brings a Vidarak so far inland?”

The Vidarak grinned at the question. "A fine question," he retorted, hefting his hand axe over his shoulder. "What I'm curious of is how a cat learns to piss on two legs."

Ch'dau's lip curled, a growl building in his throat. What good he may have done in saving the sea-reaver was quickly proving outside the Silver Cat's best interest; this man wanted trouble, from the insane gleam in his eye, to the brazen provocation he seemed intent on pursuing.

"Leave, monkey," Ch'dau settled with, already thinking of Sara's worry over his injuries once they reunited. "Your battle is with others, not me."

The Vidarak barked a laugh, storm grey eyes narrowing dangerously on the cat-man. "I find battle wherever I go, beast. It is the way of things." He dropped into a fighting stance, axe raised prominently but it was the hook Ch'dau kept his turquoise eye on; bloodied and dripping red, the damage it had done to the assassin's throat and his shoulder proved it's mettle.

"K'tomba v'tun'gu!" Ch'dau growled. "Jump upon your fish hook if it suits you, but our quarrel is done." He made no move, knowing the raider would see it as an attack, but instead held his ground. "Find your death elsewhere."

--

Your claws would do me in just as well, monster, Einar thought to himself. His eyes narrowed at the beast, creasing his crow's feet even deeper than usual, he took stock of his fortune. To be ambushed twice in one day - first by that damn sylvari, then his blade-wielding "debt collectors" - was a mistake Ilario would have had his head for, but Einar's bloodlust was all too happy with this turn of events staring him down from the stairwell. The Silver Cat of Coria; the only entertaining tales of the Silver Wyverns to reach Bayris had been of this two-legged tiger. A man or a monster none could tell, especially not in the heat of battle. Einar had heard much, believed little of the stories, but to be face-to-face with the beast himself... Truly there were stranger things in mainland Antaron than even the snow-skinned Gilskalos beyond the Reach.

"Does a cat have use for coin?" It was a gamble, poking the beast as it were, but that roar had been as animalistic as the monster's appearance, so surely Einar could provoke the Silver Cat into attacking with enough taunts. "Or do the Wyverns loan out their caged beast to thieves?"

"I am not caged, p'ka m'dogo," the Silver Cat retorted, fur bristling. "And if you know who I am, then you know what I am capable of." To accent his threat, blood from the cat's closest kill trickled towards Einar's boot. Still, if the beast was involved with Eldan's pursuers, it needed to die.

And Einar could not deny it, but to face a true monster in battle may yet be his most glorious fight to date.

Taking in a breath, Einar leveled the silver monster with a stare many Bayrisian shopkeepers had quaked beneath. His lips quirked in an almost smirk, as he felt the aches of his tumble down the stairs and healing shoulder fade, vision focusing on the creature before him. "What can a cat on a leash do?" Fangs to watch for; a hook through his lip should disable any tricks. "Lick your own prick?" An axe point to the stomach finishes any beast, intelligent or not.

The beast rumbled a growl, betraying its growing temper. "I see no prick but the one before me."

Einar chuckled darkly at the jab. "Do you not have one then, monster?" Despite the fur, the beast must be rippling with muscle; another thing to evade. "Is castration the cage the Wyverns put you in?"

"Uj'nga!" the Silver Cat roared, eyes narrowing and tail lashing. The monster took a couple steps down the stairs, hands flexing as claws emerged - Another thing to watch - but the beast composed himself by the time it reached the stairwell landing. "Leave now, monkey, or you will regret what comes."

A quirk of the lips was the only thing that gave away Einar's inner glee. "Let it come, so I may use your hide as a pelt to take my next woman on."

Eat your heart out, Varigrads, was Einar's only thought as the silver monster thundered down the stairs and came bounding across the room.

--

Ch'dau could have screamed until Kh'ra's Eyes met in the sky and Antaron was awash in darkness, so great was his frustration with this monkey. The Vidarak fool was quick to block Ch'dau's claws with his axe, a shrill screech emitting where keratin met steel. His irritation building, the Silver Cat whirled about and raised an arm to intercept the hook that arced toward him. The lethal prosthesis snagged briefly in the bone and leather bracer, there, but, before the Kazari could capitalize with a slashing of his free claws, the Vidarak dislodged the hook and danced nimbly out of range.

“Ha!” The rogue reaver sneered tauntingly, hook and axe glinting back the tavern’s lamp light as he circled slowly just beyond the cat-beast’s reach; “Is it the thoughts of the cage that anger you so, monster, or is it knowing that I’ll soon be shagging a wench on your hide?”

You will shag nothing at the end of this, Ch’dau thought to say, for I intend to rip off your ipipi and feed it to you before you die! So great was his frustration with the white-haired t’mbili, though, that the words failed to take form on his lips and escaped him only in the form of an enraged snarl as he lunged at the jeering Vidar. Had the sea-monkey not been as quick as he was, the Kazari’s vicious swipe may very well have opened the man from gullet to groin. As it was, though, the Vidarak seemed to anticipate the attack and evaded it by rolling backward across a table, leaving the claws to splinter a chunk of wood from its surface rather than spilling his guts to the tavern floor.

“Really?” The hook-handed k’tombat’u heckled from the other side of the table, now; “From the tales I’ve heard of the Silver Cat of Coria, I expected to be in the halls of the Varigads, by now!” The mocking smile rippled through the monkey’s beard, again, as he beckoned with his hook hand; “Heeere, kitty kitty!”

The enraged Kazari’s fur bristled, his ear pinned flat to his head, and, as his eyes narrowed and his lips split into a savage snarl, he barked out a short roar of annoyance. The claws came to bear again but, contrary to what the Vidar may have expected, the cat-beast didn’t leap over the table. Instead, Ch’dau sunk his claws into the table-top and flung the entire thing aside as he advanced, paying no mind to the terrified squeaks of the barmaid who had been hiding beneath it…

“I am going to kill you, t’mbili,” the slavering cat-man snarled as the table crashed into another, and the serving girl scampered frantically out of the beast’s path, “I will tear off your arms and legs and eat your k’tomba heart from your chest!”

…The Vidarak feinted with the spike that topped his axe as Ch’dau stormed within range but the Silver Cat simply grunted as he batted the weapon aside at the cost of a gash being opened across the back of one furry paw. The hook followed, of course, and the Kazari’s feral grin only widened as he caught the thing in his other paw, wrenched the Vidarak’s arm to the side, and landed a kick to the monkey’s chest that sent him sprawling on his back atop another table. Before the silver-haired monkey could recoup his breath and regain his feet, the raging Kazari was on top of him, one bleeding paw wrapped around his throat and the other, claws extended, raised and readied to permanently erase the sardonic smirk from his face.

As the growl in Ch’dau’s chest reverberated through the tiny tavern and just before the claws were set to tear off the Vidar’s face, though, a shrill shriek of terror drowned out even the angry chuffing of the Kazari.

“PLEASE!” The horrified serving girl’s pale visage appeared in the periphery of Ch’dau’s red-tinged vision, her tiny hands raised imploringly; “Please, sir… no more… please…”

The Kazari blinked, his turquoise eyes flicking sidelong at the girl for an instant before falling back to the Vidarak pinned beneath him. “Sa’wa,” Ch’dau snorted.

The Silver Cat’s grip around the rogue reaver’s neck tightened and the claws on his other hand retracted as those fingers curled into a fist. “When you wake up,” he snarled, pressing his face closer to the Vidar’s, “be sure to thank this one for your life, yes?”

The silver furred fist hammered into the Vidarak’s face, then, with enough force to bounce the monkey’s head from the table. As the reaver’s eyes rolled back into his head and just before a high-pitched ringing lay claim to his ears, he heard the Silver Cat rumble; “Fetch me some rope, girl…”

Dun dun dun

... Between Gib and Kith in a showdown on a star-destroying planet-base, who is the one getting stabbed in the stomach? 

Ch'dau screams in Wookie in the background

Sorry for all the troubles, Raven! Got to love top brass that listens only to their inner monologue 

As for the fallout of Einar and Ch'dau's fight? It is of the nuclear variety