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Post by NPC Controller 2 on Jan 4, 2009 23:26:30 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant 'Soap' Mactavish
There was a battle challenge from some big shot who had gotten himself trashed by the Guardians in the Port, and while Mactavish had no intention of turning down any challengers, he had to wonder why the heck somebody who was fighting the 90th Knight Team a few moments ago challenging him, the 100th Knight.
Until he went up the ranks, he, as the 100th Knight, was typically there to weed out the ones who had no potential for the fight, and the real battles took place between those who were ranked at least 95th and above.
Checking the M4A1 that he called his weapon, Mactavish sat back and waited for his challenger's arrival. Even if he was going down, he intended to go down with a bang.
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 5, 2009 0:37:23 GMT 8
Exiting the train station, Venser headed towards the address that the notice board had specified. He was probably already running late, and it would be unwise to let his opponent have too much time to prepare.
As he entered the building, he noticed a person whom he presumed to be the 100th Knight, sitting in the lobby.
I think I've seen him before. He was fighting the other people in the Port because they hadn't paid their bills or something.
Walking up to the man, he announced his arrival.
"Shall we get started?"
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 5, 2009 21:53:30 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant 'Soap' MacTavish
"Yeah, well, even though I've no bloody idea why you're fightin' me, anyway. You just challenged 'e bloody 90th Team and bothered to pay 'e fare to get all 'e way here just to fight me, eh? I'm honored, really."
He took out a coin, and flipped it.
"Tails. You first. Go easy on me, you're way above my head already."
He shouldered his M4A1, ready for an attack.
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 5, 2009 23:00:43 GMT 8
"Sure. Why not."
As he spoke, Venser was already superimposing an image of himself over...himself. This might have seemed redundant if not for the fact that he himself was fading out of sight. Once completely invisible, he moved to a safe distance from the Knight, while having his image move in another direction.
"I hope you don't mind if I bring some friends to the party."
Venser's image turned to face Soap, snapping its fingers. As if on cue, several heavily armed soldiers walked into the area.
"Take care of him, boys."
Perhaps I'm overdoing it a little. Oh well, all the world's a stage.
The soldiers advanced on Soap slowly, threateningly, while Venser (the real) edged behind him, and Venser (the fake) levelled his rifle at Soap, seemingly preparing to fire.
Virtually none of the above scene was real, of course, except for Venser preparing to fire at Soap's back.
Health: 200
Mana: 135
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 5, 2009 23:08:36 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant 'Soap' Mactavish
"Ah crap...Illusionist."
Soap knew that this was a one-on-one battle, so those soldiers that just appeared couldn't possibly be real.
But the guy who was levelling his rifle didn't feel too right to him. There was something wrong...
"...destination."
Using his ears to guide him, he listened and heard the sound of a safety disengage behind him. He spun on his heels and swung out with his knife, firing several shots in the process.
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 6, 2009 0:14:14 GMT 8
I do believe he's seen through it. Oh well.
The moment he'd sensed doubt coming from Soap, Venser had silently dashed to the side, anticipating gunfire. He wasn't disappointed.
Still invisible, he snuck around to behind the line of illusions he'd created. The soldiers were still walking towards Soap, looking menacing and all that. Soap had already dismissed them as illusions, but that didn't mean that they couldn't hurt him.
He stepped forward into one of the illusions, seamlessly integrating its form over his own, and opened fire on Soap, along with the other soldiers. At the same time, his double gave Soap a patronising glance.
"Don't believe everything you think."
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 6, 2009 21:25:31 GMT 8
100th Knight - Sergeant 'Soap' MacTavish
This guy is dumb.
One of the first things they train you in when you go into the SAS is your five senses. That means that all five are equally acute in placing your adversary.
That worked to his advantage here. Even if Venser tried to move around secretly, that didn't mean he didn't make any noise. He could hear the footsteps faintly, and they guided him to Venser's position.
So, hiding behind your own illusion, eh? Pretty smart tactic, if it weren't so silent around here.
He had no way to dodge the bullets, but his Kevlar vest provided defence against the few shots that had been fired. He fired his own gun upon the illusion that was producing sound.
-------------
HP: 125 [-50]
MP: 25
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 7, 2009 0:29:42 GMT 8
He isn't bothering to move out of the line of fire and he thinks I'm dumb. Oh well. He doesn't seem to know illusion magic works on all fields of perception. Let's see what I can do with that.
Venser changed his aim slightly, going for Soap's knees, while his double shifted to the side, neatly evading most of Soap's gunfire (it helped that Venser knew where he was aiming), then bounded over the line of soldiers, dagger at the ready. His illusions currently only had minor physical presence, but the feeling of cold steel on flesh tends to disencourage further exposure once encountered.
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 9, 2009 18:30:13 GMT 8
OoC || In other words, those bullets are aimed at you. HP and MP counters please, this is not a wipe-up operation.
100th Knight - Sergeant 'Soap' Mactavish
Soap felt the bullets tearing through his knees, and instantly they weakened and he dropped to the floor.
"Gah..."
The illusion was bounding over, heavily-armed as it was, with a dagger. Soap had previously felt little stings on some parts of his body, and assumed it was phantom pain associated with illusory materialisation. Thus he paid the illusion no heed, and concentrated his fire on the area the real gunfire was coming from - solid, loud, and hot gunfire.
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HP: 80 [-45]
MP: 25
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 9, 2009 20:35:26 GMT 8
He's aiming for me now, which means he's probably dismissed the illusion.
Picking up on Soap's train of thought, Venser had pre-emptively shifted sideways to dodge most of the gunfire (a couple did nick his thigh and waist), while channeling more mana into the soldier-illusions, increasing their physical presence - which meant that to the magically untrained eye, they looked, sounded, and felt almost exactly like real people.
At the same time, he was leaping forward, straight into the body of his double, with his own dagger out and ready to slit Soap's throat.
(He did, of course, remember to stop firing his rifle and put it away safely. People get hurt when you leave those on and run around.)
Health: 150
Mana: 100
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 11, 2009 12:54:27 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant 'Soap' Mactavish
Suddenly, the illusions seemed to grow somewhat, to take on physical presence. Soap could not explain it, it was like how you suddenly notice someone you know on the edge of your view and he stands out from everyone else.
He instinctively dodged the knife, and thrust up with his own. The illusions now possessed a threat.
But he could not himself hold out against six heavily-armed soldiers and an illusionist. He needed help.
"Engage: Player Mode."
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HP: 80
MP: 0
PLAYER MODE ACTIVATED. TAKE CAUTION.
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 11, 2009 16:27:52 GMT 8
Well that doesn't sound good. I should end this quickly.
Taking hold of the hand that Soap had thrust up with, Venser pulled it towards himself, past his head, bringing Soap along with it. As Soap's face neared his own, Venser focused his eyes upon Soap's and issued a simple command.
"Hold still."
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Post by NPC Controller 2 on Jan 11, 2009 20:44:26 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant 'Soap' Mactavish[/u]
"Shitshitshit... I hate magic."
Soap's world starting blurring, but that was never the end of it. There was always a way to get out of these things, and Player Mode always saw a way.
As though overriding the intrusive mana, his heart starting pumping faster and harder, and while his limbs were still numb, he was not quite down yet. Button mashing was always the way to go with these things, and Soap was more than capable of calling a good button mash.
But magic still sucked.
Dropping his knife, Soap drew back his head and slammed it into Venser's chest, trying to wind him.
---
HP: 80
MP: 0
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 11, 2009 23:30:12 GMT 8
As Soap's head hurtled towards his chest, Venser thought quick. How could he get out of this? He'd only had experience with this sort of thing once before, when a gay bodybuilder had tried to kiss him forcefully. Traumatising as it had been, he'd learnt some important lessons from it. For instance, it was always easier to roll with the punch than withstand it.
Moments before Soap's thick skull slammed into his chest, Venser braced for impact, plunging his dagger into the side of Soap's neck and keeping his grip on it as tight as he could.
Health: 120
Mana: 60
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 12, 2009 21:33:05 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant Soap Mactavish
"Medpack is the H key..."
Soap recovered 50 hit points.
The knife was in the side of his neck.
"Shake mouse side to side to shake it off... SUCCESS"
The knife mysteriously came out, despite it being a knife and shaking being completely the opposite thing to do when you have a knife stuck in your throat.
"Mouse sensitivity: Level 10"
Soap fired off three shots aimed at Venser's head.
----------------------
HP: 100
MP: 0
PLAYER MODE ACTIVATED, TAKE CAUTION. REMAINING: 3 TURNS
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 13, 2009 0:38:42 GMT 8
It seemed that Soap still had some tricks up his sleeve - tricks that Venser hadn't foreseen. The situation could get a lot uglier if he didn't take some time to reassess his options. The moment he'd heard Soap say "God Mode Turn On" (or whatever he'd said), Venser had started moving the soldiers into position around him, ready to provide support at a moment's notice. This would probably be a good time to mobilise them.
Rolling to the side to evade Soap's fire, Venser quickly maneuvered behind one of the soldiers, keeping well out of Soap's field of vision. A bullet had grazed his shoulder, but that wasn't too important at the moment. He tightened the formation of soldiers, moving two around Soap to flank him, while fading back into invisibility himself.
I need to restabilise and bring this fight back onto my own terms. Time should be on my side.
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 14, 2009 0:03:09 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant Soap Mactavish
Venser had become invisible again. But like all games, invisibility was never truly invisible. If one looked hard enough you could see the slight outline of the invisible opponent.
The HUD in the corner of Soap's vision showed the position of all of his enemies. He only needed to concentrate on evading their attacks, and using medpacks when he had to. He aimed at the invisible figure and fired off a large volley of shots.
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HP: 100 [-50, +50]
MP: 0
PLAYER MODE ACTIVATED. REMAINING: 2 TURNS
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 14, 2009 21:51:27 GMT 8
This is absurd. Are there no limits to what he can do now?
Moving the nearest two soldiers into Soap's line of fire, Venser banked sharply to his right, hoping to minimise his exposure to bullets. The illusions would only help to deflect a minor portion of the bullets, but he knew that it would be enough. Taking a couple of hits wasn't such a big deal - his vest would prevent damage from becoming too grevious. However, his resources weren't unlmited, and he had to survive long enough to recoup and make another strike.
I need to stall him till then. Nothing I can do but avoid him and stay alive.
Creating an image of himself in front of him as he phased back into visibility, Venser nimbly dashed backwards, while bringing his double across and to the left of himself in a fluid sideways movement. Misdirection would serve him well, if nothing else would work.
At the same time, the soldiers flanking Soap charged him, keeping the pressure on him.
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Post by NPC Controller 2 on Jan 14, 2009 23:20:53 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant Soap Mactavish[/u]
"Aw crap, two of them. We'll just have to see which one bleeds then."
Soap threw a grenade in between the two Vensers, quickly calculating that no matter how fast they ran, the shrapnel should at least scrape them, which was all he needed to know which one was real and which one was fake. Common sense dictated that the one in a safer position was the real one though, and so he fired at that Venser while backing off, knowing that his accuracy was impeccable as long as he kept his crosshairs in place.
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HP: 90
MP: 0
Player Mode Activated. Remaining: 1 turn
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 15, 2009 20:19:40 GMT 8
If he's hoping to find a distinction, he's going to be disappointed. Illusory flesh bleeds illusory blood. Sure, if he tried to taste or touch it he might figure out it isn't real, but from this distance it's indistinguishable from the real thing.
That grenade, though, it's going to be a problem.
One of the soldiers that had been charging Soap quickly dashed around him, trying to bat the grenade out of the way. It wouldn't actually have much effect on the grenade, but a minor deviation in course would be enough.
The other effect of this would be that Soap's vision of Venser would be obscured, restricting the amount of visual information that he would otherwise be privy to. The less your opponent knew about the situation, the better it was for you.
Taking advantage of the fact that Soap couldn't see exactly what he was up to at the moment, Venser rapidly backpedaled, firing at the grenade while it was still relatively far away from him. His image, too, moved away from the grenade while firing upon it. This ensured complete symmetry in their actions, maintaining the subtle deception that he had created.
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 16, 2009 9:52:43 GMT 8
Coin Flip: Heads
100th Knight, Sergeant Soap Mactavish
[Player Mode Deactivated.]
"Aww crap." Soap could no longer tell which of the Vensers was the true one, which was a slight problem. Furthermore, his vision was obscured by an incredibly large soldier reaching up to bat his grenade. He took the chance to shoot at the illusion, hoping to dispel it with enough bullets.
"Gah, no choice to it then. Never wanted to use this anyway."
Soap pulled out a button and pressed it.
[Engage: Hacking Mode.]
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HP: 90
MP: 0
HACKING MODE ENGAGED. SURVIVE FOR 5 TURNS TO WIN THIS CHALLENGE.
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 16, 2009 20:42:18 GMT 8
Damnit, not another one of these. I've had just about enough of his antics.
What the hell is he up to now?
Probing Soap's mind for everything he knew about this "hacking mode", Venser took advantage of Soap's temporary preoccupation with firing at the soldier-illusion to open fire on him as well. (The double followed suit, of course.)
The other soldiers moved around and between Venser and Soap, creating an uneven field of bodies that would impede any advances towards Venser. He was definitely in this for the long haul.
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Post by NPC Controller on Jan 17, 2009 11:38:48 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant 'Soap' Mactavish
In an instant, Soap was thirty metres in the air.
"Heheh."
He aimed his M4A1 at the ground where all the soldiers were and squeezed off three rounds.
The ground exploded in a horrible fashion, three blossoming hemispherical fireballs creating a perimeter thirty metres in radius.
He took out his sidearm and fired, and out of nowhere a Caterpillar road roller dropped out of the sky right over Venser.
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Health: 90
Mana: 0
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Post by schrodinger on Jan 17, 2009 15:28:25 GMT 8
Now you're just being ridiculous.
Leaping backwards to avoid the roadroller, Venser couldn't help but feel a little depressed over how strange the whole situation had become.
If being 100th Knight means doing stuff like this, I really should have read the job description more carefully.
...Wait, does that mean that going further up in rank makes things worse?!
Letting the roadroller crash in front of him, he nimbly jumped up into the driver's seat and hit the gas. Fortituously, the key was still in the ignition, waiting to be turned, and it just so happened that he'd 'learnt' how to drive a vehicle like this as he'd passed by the car emporium in town.
Ignore everything but the gas and the brake and nothing will go wrong.
Speaking of gas, let's floor it!
Slamming down on the accelerator (or what passed for one), he sent the roadroller racing forwards, breaking down a nearby pillar.
I don't know how long it'll be before this thing breaks down, but I'm going to have to use for all it's worth.
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Post by NPC Controller 2 on Jan 18, 2009 5:39:07 GMT 8
100th Knight, Sergeant Soap Mactavish[/u]
"Heheheh..."
Dropping his M4A1, Soap grabbed a random gun out of thin air and fired it at Venser, creating a massive green ball of radioactive energy that destroyed everything in its way.
"BFG 3000, hell yeah!"
It was a shot that would liquidise the average MBT, forget a road roller or a mostly normal human being. That, and it was radiating something that was vaguely poisonous, so even things that dodged took damage. Pretty awesome things, BFGs.
---
HP: 90
MP: 0
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