Chapter 4: Dueling Makes for Strange Acquaintances
Barnaby Jones knows it's his duty to pick up, educate, and train the youth living in the streets, projects, and ghettos. Seeing an oppurtunity to do this with Duelist #90, Barnaby Jones and his crew hop in the 'Funk-o'-mobile' and go on a ride.
Destination: Downtown BrooklynHours later, Barnaby and his entourage leave the van to find the Duelist. Stepping into Brooklyn, a wall of blue light comes out of the ground and shoots into the sky, separating Barnaby from his entourage. One of them steps up to it. "Sorry we can't come brother, but we'll be with you in spirit!" Barnaby nods and runs down the empty streets to find his future student.
A few blocks down, Barnaby spots a youth in a gray hoodie with a downturned face.
"Hey you!" Barnaby yells. H00d R4t looks up. "Who the hell are you?"
"~My name is Barnaby Jones son, and I'm here to show you some moves!~" H00d looks at Barnaby with a befuddled expression. "Uh, I think you're looking for Manhatten. Just go down this street, take a left at the second light-,"
"Ha ha ha! No, I am here to Duel you, and show you the way, #94, the groovester himself, Barnaby H. Jones!" #90: H00d R4tGender: Male
Age: 19
Appearance: A skinny, spiky-haired Cacausian youth. Seems to always have a devilish grin on his face.
Biography: The streets are a tough place to live. Tony Misto learned that the hard way by being born there. Because he wasn't the biggest kid on the block, he couldn't fight, he had to run. And run he did, getting really good at running. But he got tired of running. He realized that being fast could be just as much of an advantage in a fight as being strong. So he developed a tactic in fighting: Dodge, hit the sucka' before he could react, jump back, hit him, dodge, and repeat. He won many fights this way, some of them deadly, and soon the I.D.A. noticed it. This is when he stopped being Tony, and started being H00d R4T.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Gray hoodie, navy track pants, worn-down clothes and sneakers.
Starting Weapon: Dual Switchblades - Two concealable knives you could get from any pawnshop.
Attributes: ST-1 PR+0 AG+2 EU+0 IN+0 LK+0
Conditions:
Runner; +1 to non-combatic running, i.e. fleeing or strategic strafing.
Designated Dueling Ground: Brooklyn
H00d R4t pulls out his switchblades. He mutters, "Seriously
I.D.A., what the fuck ..."
Name: Barnaby Jones
Gender: M
Age: 29
Appearance: An afro sporting sun-glassed man of tall stature and exaggerated disco fashion sense.
Biography: Barnaby spent his whole life wishing he had been born a decade or two earlier and lived through the age of blaxploitation martial arts and disco music you could really dig, man! He had given up on his dreams and lived the life of a mild mannered accountant, until fate stumbled upon him one day in the form of an incurable illness. Eschewing all other life choices, Barnaby finally dedicated his life to controlling and mastering his Disco Fever. Unfortunately, this fever is a chronic ailment that will inevitably destroy him, and is a dangerous affliction if taken lightly. He signed up as a duelist in order to show the world that disco was not truly dead, and victory would label him as the messiah necessary to raise disco from the ashes. Unconsciously, he is seeking a cure to the terminal illness, of which a fiery passion constantly boils his brain.
Starting Clothes/Armor: An open silver vest meant to show off his perfectly chiseled pectoral muscles, yet the sweet pecs are hidden behind a sizable layer of body hair. White bell-bottoms adorn his legs and a pair of black gators ensure a beat down that is truly out of sight.
Starting Weapons:
Survival Tool - A fierce hair-comb that ends in several sharp metal points.
Attributes: ST+1 PR+0 AG+1 EU+0 IN+0 LK+1
Conditions:
Gettin' With the Groove; +1 to all rolls if a fight exceeds 3 turns.
Disco Inferno; -1 to dodging incendiary weapons.
No bro messes with the Fro'!; Goes into a rage if his Afro is heavily damaged or destroyed. +1 to offense, -1 to defense.
LSD Boost; 50-50 shot at success or failure. If successful, Barnaby gets +1 to a random skill. If it fails, Barnaby gets a -1. Can only be used once per round
Designated Dueling Ground: Master Jones Karate Dojo of Harlem For Disenfranchised Young People
Undettered by his training failure, The Spirit of 45' hits the obstacle course again. (2) He doesn't mess up this time, but he finishes at a very slow pace, not enough to improve him in anyway.
Spirit of 45' heads back to the Military Intelligence tent, pulling out a new file.
(6)
#92:Name: ?
Gender: Male
Age: ?
Appearance: ?
Biography: ?
Starting Clothes/Armor: Ski mask, wifebeater, jeans and run-down Nikes.
Starting Weapon: ?
Skills: ST+1 PR? AG? EU? IN-1 LK?
Attributes: ?
Designated Dueling Ground: ?
Name: Spirit of 45'
Gender: Male
Age: Indeterminate, appears in early 20's
Appearance: A ghostly looking young man with a pair of circular horn rimmed glasses. Wearing WW2 era Marine fatigues.
Biography: The Spirit of 45'-or just 'The Spirit'-seems to be, for all intents and purposes, the ghost of a former American marine who likely died during the battle that took place 200 plus years ago. The truth is a bit more bizarre-he, and many of his brethren, are the result of a Temporal experiment gone terribly wrong-one that turned many of the slain of that battle, into time lost shades, existing simultaneously in all time lines, past, present and none. They exist as half man, half nothing.
The Spirit up till now seemed to be on endless patrol-fighting alongside his fellow marines in endless combat, against an enemy they could never kill, and who could never kill them-never quite dead, and never quite alive. On and on, caught in an endless repeating loop. The Island was closed off from the public-though the shades couldn't harm each other permanently, their spectral bullets, knives and grenades could rend living flesh as easy as they ever could when their owners were whole.
The I.D.A, in it's own particular style of ruthlessness, was prodded by the Peacekeepers to provide a potential fan favorite-Patriotism levels were dwindling in some key regions, after all. Thus, the Spirit was brought into being-pulled more or less into the now by some technological advance or the other...and set to compete. He's lost a degree of his power, but is slowly gaining strength as he understands why and where he is.
The being himself is a torn individual-unable to remember his own name, not knowing where or when he is, tormented by memories of a lives he had and didn't have, people he killed and spared and killed again, seeking only solace in the 'Mission'-to become number 1 Duelist-rationalized to himself as seeking enemy agents, and ending the War so he can go home.
Only then, he reasons, can he finally find rest...
Starting Clothes/Armor: Jungle Pattern Camouflage Fatigues.
Starting Weapon: Thompson Submachine Gun - An automatic, classic machine gun commonly used by early 1900's soldiers and gangsters.
Skills: ST+0 PR+1 AG-1 EU+2 IN+0 LK+1
Attributes:
Used to Bombardment; +1 to dodging explosives.
PTSD; Has a 15% chance to get a -1 to defense each turn.
Run & Gun; Suffers no penalty from shooting while sprinting.
Designated Dueling Ground: Iwo Jima (Entire Island)
Seeing an opportunity for a good alliance, Glowing Ether contacts Bouncer on his phone. It picks up, and a low, booming voice asks, "Who is this?" "Hey, this is Glowing Ether, an upcoming DJ and Duelist. I was wondering if we-" G.E. is cut off, "What rank are you?" "Ninety-" Ether doesn't even get to fully say his rank when Bouncer hangs up.
Sighing, G.E. tinkers with his Bass Cannon.
(6+1(Intelligence) out of 20)
He doesn't do much, but he increases the range on the Cannon slightly.
Name:Glowing Ether
Gender:Male
Age:24
Appearance:A middle-height man, broad in the shoulders and thick in the neck. He wears a large trench-coat at all times, as well as a large set of studio grade headphones. On his face is a metal mask with small slits in it only for his eyes, nose and mouth. Nothing can be discerned of his face.
Biography:He was born Wilhelm in what was Germany. He grew up in a fairly ordinary way, but developed an obsession with computers and music (and any combination thereof). When he turned 18, he set out on his own, buying a computer and some headphones with the only money he had. After a while, his underground-beats reached a higher audience's ears, and he was given a contract by a small record label. With his newly found income, he began to tinker with his equipment. He found that by drastically increasing the frequency of his speakers, he could actually cause heavy physical harm to living things. This caught the attention of the the I.D.A. He was immediately drafted into the association.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Heavy Trench coat with small titanium plates inside it.
Starting Weapon: Portable Bass Cannon - Creates hyper-sonic blasts that travel with extreme kinetic force.
Skills: ST+1 PR+1 AG+1 EU+0 IN+1 LK+0
Attributes:
Auditory Pro; +1 to Perception in closed environments.
Metal; +1 to Endurance when suffering Blunt-force damage.
Conductor; -1 to dodging electrical attacks.
Designated Dueling Ground; Any subway system
Sain continues running around and lifting debris. (2) This time, she doesn't neither well, just resulting in some sore muscles.
She relaxes by reading more up on Duelist #88.
(12-1)
#88:Name: Higurashi
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Appearance: ?
Biography: Valentine Rose was just another high-school outcast. A girl who was picked on, teased, and tormented. So she did what any girl suffering from bullying does: Go on a murderous rampage and hack apart the entire school. So did the police come? Of course not! This type of behavior is encouraged and rewarded by the
Peacekeepers. The school still had to be shut down, but Higurashi got a Duelist license. She now roams it's halls, and sometimes you can hear a scream or a cry emit from Miller High...
Starting Clothes/Armor: ?
Starting Weapon: Butcher Knife - Used to cut thick, giant slabs of pork. So imagine what it can do to a human body.
Attributes: ST+1 PR+0 AG+2 EU? IN+1 LK+0
Conditions: ?
Designated Dueling Ground: Main corridor of 'Miller High', an abandoned school in the central United States.
Name: Sai
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Appearance: Lithe little girl with long black pigtails and green eyes.
Biography: Sai is a member of an elite dojo teaching martial arts, as well as certain philosophies behind them. Specifically, they seek to bring peace and balance to the world by bringing it to oneself first- but, there's a fair amount of wriggle room and conflicting ideologies in there, and many members end up fighting against each other. Further complicating matters is the fact that each master selects and trains their own pupils, meaning differences in technique and perspective can and often do split more with each wave of students.
Sai happened to belong to one of the more central and traditional branches of her school, but had the unfortunate honor of being her master's least talented pupil- or so he claimed, anyway. She decided to go engage in an extended fight to the death in order to prove him wrong and surpass her peers, which was perhaps not the wisest or most innerly-peaceful decision ever. She does, however, intend to bring a measure of inner calm and rationality to the competition, something she's rightly assuming is sorely lacking under the current regime.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Armorweave Gi. A tight-fitting, vaguely ninja-like outfit made of armored threads, protecting against slashing and piercing attacks while being essentially just clothes against blunt force. Her master's symbol is on the back.
Starting Weapon: Bronze Knuckledusters and matching foot bracers - Powerful, melee based weapons to multiply attacking force.
Attributes: ST+3 PR+0 AG+3 EU+0 IN-1 LK+0
Conditions:
First Strike; Always gets the first attack in any fight, regardless of her opponent's agility.
Ninja; When hiding in the shadows, enemies gain a bigger PR loss than usual.
Glass Cannon; -1 to Endurance when suffering Blunt-force damage.
Designated Dueling Ground: Urban ruins of any sort.
Miria continues her exubarent Agility training, even though 'exubarent' isn't a word. (4)
Her Agility doesn't go up much, but the sheer amount of running that she does pushes her endurance.
Agility +1, Endurance +1Name: Miria
Gender: Female
Age: ??
Appearance: Appears to be a little girl, skinny and small. She has plain, nondescript dark grey cloths adorned only by a single red ribbon. Her flame-red hair is tied into a tight(=high) ponytail. She has a thin leather strip around her neck, and her shoes are regular brown boots of leather. Her red eyes twinkle with something between malevolence, mischief and misandry. How they twinkle like that is a mystery even the gods don't know how.
Biography: She is supposed to be a witch, but all she was able to learn was short flights on a broom, and smacking people with said broom. She was kicked out of the witch's world when 'that' happened, and wandered around before being scooped into IDA.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Magically reinforced leather clothes (different from dark grey clothes) that extend their protection to the seemingly uncovered areas too. Defends well against glancing attacks and slashes, but not so well against stabbing and blunt attacks.
Starting Weapon: Broom with purple handle and bright pink tufts - Adorned with another red ribbon. Can fly, has magical properties.
Attributes: ST-1 PC+1 AG+4 EU+1 IN+0 LK+1
Conditions:
Magical; Has the potential to learn Magical spells.
Mischief Maker; +1 to distraction/confusion-based moves.
Light; -1 in grappling scenarios.
Magic Missile; Can fire blasts of magical energy from her fingertips during battle.
Designated Dueling Ground: Darkened room that has a high ceiling.
The Red Knight appears. "We have heard your request to Duel the 91st. To arms men, we fight!" There is a roar, and suddenly Veilen is put on a horse. They ride down the hill, past the valleys, and into an airfield. There they enter an 'Airplane', Veilen has heard of it only in legend. It is a great big white bird, which carries humans inside it's hollow skeleton. The flight is a new and interesting experience for Veilen, filled with strange feelings as the plane ascends, changes altitude, and experiences turbulance. During the trip, Veilen asks the Red Knight, "What land am I headed to?" The Red Knight responds, "An exotic land far to the west. Not quite the Middle East, but not quite Asia. We are bound to-"
Destination: Small Village, Central AfghanistanThe plane lands, Veilen and party stepping out. Veilen surveys his surroundings. There are a variety of houses and structures up ahead that remind him of the Middle East. Yet, there is little sand. There is lush greenery everywhere, and he can even see mountains up ahead. As he marches forward, his entourage comes to a stop. A blue wall of light begins to appear between Veilen and his men, extending high into the sky, and containing the entire village in a blue circle in a matter of seconds. The Red Knight yells, "Do not be alarmed! This is only God's doing, as He knows this is your Duel, and as such, prevented any intrusion from happening. So go forth, and claim victory!" The men cheer Veilen on as he turns and walks deeper into the village.
There are houses, stalls and wells, but no signs of life. Veilen Farthan begins feeling paranoid, and rightfully so, since he knows there is another man in the vicinity who probably wants to kill him. Then, Veilen sports a mass of green and gray down on the ground. He approaches it, and the mass of color springs up to form a man! Veilen is taken aback and grips his blade, looking over the man. He is covered in the green-gray armor, but it is not plate or chain mail. It's too baggy, and the man's helmet is shaped more like a big green cap. He wields the mystical M16 Veilen has read about.
The soldier claims, "Hutt! I am:"
#91: Colonel Charlie Name: Colonel Charlie
Gender:Male
Age:26
Appearance: A young looking dirty-blonde man with a thinnish build. He holds himself up with a mix of pride and anxiety.
Biography: As a Private, Charlie joined the army looking for a way to serve his country. The first eight months of his deployment were dull, filled with lifeless patrols and talking about non-sequiturs with his squadmates. Then the firefight happened. Charlie accidentally misinterpreted a command. Ironically, he was the only one who survived the firefight because of this, the rest of his squad gunned down by AK47's, or blasted by RPG's. He was alone in the middle of Afghanistan. So he roamed, going to village to village, picking up the language and the culture. He was rescued many months later, but refused to go home. "Afghanistan is more of a home to me than America ever was," he reportedly stated. The
I.D.A. picked him up for his knack at survival, and kill record in the American army.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Standard U.S. Army Gear.
Starting Weapon: M16 - A classic, if unpractical, American Assault Rifle. Has plenty of killing potential.
Attributes: ST+1 PR+1 AG+0 EU+1 IN+0 LK-1
Conditions:
Knows the Landscape; +1 to enviornment-based rolls.
Designated Dueling Ground: Any village in Central Afghanistan.
Veilen Farthan takes this all in, and steps forward. "I am Veilen Farthan, Ranked 99th in the International Duelist Rankings, and hearby challenge you to a duel!" Veilen takes his holy sword out of it's sheath. Charlie shrugged. Sounding much more casual he remarks, "I never thought I'd fight a knight. Oh well. Your move..."
Name: Veilen Farthan
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, appears to be between twenty and thirty judging by appearance
Appearance: Lean in figure, Veilen is a man of light complexion with short cropped black hair and deep brown eyes.
Biography: Hailing from Britannia, Vei was on a quest to secure the Holy Grail along with an allied cavalcade of his brethren for the good of the realm, in constant struggle against the enemy forces - both real and magical, in his journey. They were among the best of their time, skilled in their arts and blessed by the hand of their deity.
That is his present, and is what continues to be his present. In the battle on the high peaks, a strange anomaly manifested and shifted the very fabrics of time and reason itself. In a split second, Vei found himself in a castle covered from head to toe in moss, vines and other flora, with sunlight spewing from the crumbling fortifications that were once his home keep. By Oath to his King, he still quests ever on for the Grail, having been fooled by the I.D.A. to participate in their arena, mostly oblivious to the obvious changes in his environment and vicinity.
Nonetheless, he aims to claim the top, believing that would grant him solace for his quest. The loss of his whole squadron was heavy on him, but he believed still in his cause.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Light Silver Field Cloak w/ Hood
Starting Weapon: Consecrated Arming Sword - Consecrated with the power of God and the might of the Holy Ghost.
Attributes:ST+1 PC+0 AG+1 EU+1 IN+2 LK+0
Conditions:
Trained in Swordship; +1 to Parrying and Blocking with swords.
What is this sorcery?; -1 to using modern firearms. (Does not effect Early Firearms or Modern Melee Weapons.)
Code of Chivalry; Must Assassinate any 'Demonic' force he faces. (Ghouls, Vampires, Demons, Hedonists, etc.) Can not Assassinate any 'Innocent' opponents. (Most women, priests, children, etc. However, he can Assassinate them if they challenge him.)
Designated Dueling Ground: Forested Castle Ruins
Mint Freehood decides to go for #93, thinking he would be a quick and easy target. "Come on boys, we're riding out, yee-haw!" Dozens of horses and cowboys ride into the sunset...
Destination: Suburbia, North CarolinaLater, they reach their destination. One of the cowboys looks around. "Well, here ya' are mint. Sue-berb-ya." When Mint Freehood dismounts from his horse, a wall of blue light shoots up from the ground and seperates him from his buddies. His fellow cowboys give him a thumbs-up. "Good luck Mint!" Mint tips his hat and sidles on over into suburbia.
In the emptiness, he spots Bob the Generic stepping out of his car. Bob spots him back and moans, "Aw, jeez."
#93: Bob the GenericGender: Male
Age: 37
Appearance: Average black hair. Average black eyes. Average Caucasian skin. Average White-collar working clothes.
Biography: Six years ago, everyone on the Waiting list for the Top 100 had been out killing each other. So when one Duelist died, the I.D.A. was short one Duelist. And no one wants to watch the Top 99. So, they looked around for someone who wanted the 100 spot. Bob had recently been layed-off at his office. They offered it to him, because the pay was good, and the health plan looked nice. (Besides the whole getting murdered part.)
Bob has 2 children, a blonde wife, and a two-story house. He enjoys football and rock music. He is totally generic, and was happy for keeping the bench-warm for 6 years at the #100 spot, where he was never bothered...until now.
Starting Clothes/Armor: White-collar Working Clothes.
Starting Weapon: Colt .45 - A standard firearm Bob picked up at a pawnshop.
Attributes:ST+0 PC+0 AG+0 EU+0 IN+0 LK+0
Conditions:
(None)
Designated Dueling Ground: Suburbia, North Carolina
"Howdy'! My name's Mint Freehood, #100 here to challenge you to a Duel!"
Bob loads a clip into his gun. "Okay, okay, just make it quick..."
Name:Mint Freehood
Gender:Male
Age:82
Appearance: a tall slender man in his early eighties, Mint can always be seen with his trademark cowboy hat and six shooter.
Biography: Born to rooting tootin cowboy loving parents, Mint loved everything western, and he loved his actor/cowboy hero Clint Eastwood. When mint's age retirement fund ran out he re-watched all of his favorite movies, and slipped back into the western costume he wore as a boy, ready, and with a plan on how he was going to make it through the rest of his life.
Starting Clothes/Armor: Cowboy hat and leathers with a Kevlar vest underneath.
Starting Weapon: .44 Magnum - Classic heavy, face-breaking revolver.
Attributes: ST+1 PC+3 AG+0 EU+0 IN+0 LK+1
Conditions:
Pistol Sharpshot; Suffers no range penalty from using Pistols and Revolvers.
Saloon Fightin'; +1 to Counter-attacks in hand-to-hand combat.
Old Joints; If a fight goes beyond 3 rounds, suffers a -1 to Agility.
Designated Dueling Ground: the dusty street outside a wild west saloon, tumbleweeds added as necessary.
Top 100:.....
84. ?
85. ?
86. ?
87. Bouncer: Tough Las Vegas bouncer who has been throwing punks on their asses for many club nights.
88. ? (15 years old.)
89. Convict: (Has a shank. Lives in a Maximum Security Prison.)
90. H00d R4T: An inner-city street-raised kid who is as sharp as he is quick.
91. ? (26 years-old. Wields an M16.)
92. ? (Wears a ski-mask, wifebeater, jeans and Nikes.)
93. Bob the Generic: A generic everyman stereotype.
94. Barnaby Jones: A smooth groovy disco-risko claiming that disco never died.
95. Spirit of 45': A WWII fighter lost in war purgatory, brought into the future to continue his fighting.
96. Glowing Ether: A metallic man who lives underground, creating intoxicating beats that pump blood, to fatal amounts.
97. Sai: A young Shinobi thrust into the world of Dueling in order to prove herself a worthy ninja.
98. Miria: A psuedo-witch pulled who's magical potential got here drafted into Dueling.
99. Veilen Farthan: A Holy Crusader on a quest from God to find the mystical Holy Grail.
100.Mint Freehood: An older man who rather than retire, took up his lifelong dream of becoming a cowboy.
Alright, our first Duels!
A reminder to everyone Dueling: Make sure to point out your initial strategy, as well as whether you're aiming for an Assassination or a Knock Out.
Also, I'm thinking of editing the "Win 10 Duels at Rank #1" Winning condition down to 5 or 6.
Author
Topic: ~Los Desperadoes~ (Ch. 6: I dun' goof'd) (Read 12290 times)