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[Twinwolf]

Yuki
"<I should be asking you that! That was terrible! I can't believe...>" she gets up a little bit from her seat as if she's about to go on a whole spiel. Her words fail her however and she soon deflates back into her chair.
"<Ugh, let's just start from the top... Hi, my name is Maria Klein.>"

"<Hi! I'm- uh.... family name second in English right... Yuki Tatsumaki!>"

[Empiricist]

Shef

Spoiler: Rolls (click to show/hide)

Shef: 6, Hyper[3]

Lady in Red: 6, Hyper[3]

Expulser hits the lady and just sends her skips her across into the middle of the lake. A sitting duck stuck treading water. In theory anyways. Your first proper regular bullet just blows "Yuki" apart in a burst of blue flames.

"<Woah woah woah! You got the wrong girl!>"

Somehow, you doubt that. Maybe it's because of y'know, literally everything that's happened the past half hour. Or maybe it's because the projection was carrying a fucking flashbang, a flashbang that is now sailing right towards you.

Spoiler: World Lines (click to show/hide)

Shef
Status: Fine, 1 cached portal
World Line: 6 6 2 6 1 5 1 2 2 5
Alterations: 4.5
Resolve: 3

Lady in Red
Details: Treading water, seems to be a sitting duck
Status: Fine, tracked via curse, treading water

Spoiler: Allies (click to show/hide)

Canan
A student of Kingshaven Military Academy. Specializes in high nobility combat and capable of firing guided remotely detonated torpedoes that swim through solids as if they were water.

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

Faith
"<Ja perhaps... we thought the name was self-evident, though that is not true for all origins I see. I am happy to give you a refun if->"
_(BANG)
Uh, what was that? It sounded like something hit a table or something? Seems like it came from that supply closet over there.

Yuki
"<Nice to meet you Yuki.>"
She smiles awkwardly fidgeting in her seat.
"<So... Yuki, why's your life so terrible?>"
And then she just kinda slams her face against the table.
_{"<Maybe you drive the conversation instead please?>"}

[Strider03]

This all felt a bit halfhearted to Shef, and he wondered whether there was some trick at play with the flashbang. Could it too be illusory? Maybe a distraction from a real one nearby?

"<Let's move.>" Shef commented over the music.

Shoot the flashbang out of the air (this was confirmed doable in a previous fight). If the flashbang disappears in fire like the other illusions, speed up Canan's movement with portals (Room to Breathe [4]) to get out of the area of a possible real flashbang. If the visible flashbang gets hit by a bullet, shoot the adversary (Rapid Fire [4]) a few times.
[6] 6 2 6 [1+3] 5 1 2 2 5

[Empiricist]

Shef
Right, so Canan strafes to the side as you pull the trigger. Problem - the flashbang doesn't go where you lead it, it actually accelerates forwards straight towards you, blue flames beginning to leak out of it.

((Remember when Jason Humungus pulled that trick with the explosives and you guy got to adjust actions? Same deal here. You've already ordered Canan and fired at the "flashbang". You have yet to Rapid Fire the Lady in Red. Feel free to adjust what ha yet to occur.))

[Strider03]

Split off from Canan by using Room to Breathe to pivot over to the tracks. Block the flashbang with a cached portal if it gets too close. Try to shoot it again I guess if it seemz to home even after a cached portal.

[Empiricist]

Shef

Spoiler: Rolls (click to show/hide)

Shef: 6, Hyper[4]

Lady in Red: 3, Hyper[6]

Okay so, the not-a-flashbang splashes into the water and you split ways with Canan, a series of portals crossing you over the walk way. The trouble begins as you're over the walkway.

[Now Playing:

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

]

"Faith" dashes into your path, just like how the flashbang dashed into you. So you just get fucking clotheslined and slammed into the ground. It hurts but you're not actually hurt by it, but you are on your back and the doppelganger is ontop of you hands beginning to wreath with blue flames to pummel and burn your ass.

The Lady in Red approaches too, dashing over near your position.

Canan, doesn't fare much better, a hand suddenly rushes out of the water and soon enough she's in the clutches of a man sharply dressed in a suit and tie. His face is hidden beneath a kitsune mask and he has a Desert Eagle .50 AE jammed under the girl's chin. That was the trick behind the flashbang wasn't it? It wasn't a flashbang, it was a transformed projection deployed for a misdirection and flank.
"<Hey there, why you helping the guy out?>"
"<Well, I get a handicap if I do.>"
"<Well I just so happen to be after him too. Wouldn't mind some help too. Think about it, we're both trying to draw first blood on him, so why not team up?>"

Oh great. You could try a counterbid but it'll only work out if you can get out and stay out of these close quarter engagements, lest Canan see a chance to blow you to kingdom come with those torpedoes of hers. Maybe it's safer to order her off or shoot her right now.

Spoiler: World Lines (click to show/hide)

Shef
Status: Fine, pinned to the ground
World Line: 6 2 6 1 5 1 2 5 3 1
Alterations: 3
Resolve: 3

Canan
Status: Fine, being held at gunpoint

Lady in Red
Details: Near the walkway near Shef. "Faith" has Shef pinned and is trying to pummel and burn. The sharply dressed man has Canan at gunpoint.
Status: Fine, tracked via curse, climbing up

Spoiler: Allies (click to show/hide)

Canan
A student of Kingshaven Military Academy. Specializes in high nobility combat and capable of firing guided remotely detonated torpedoes that swim through solids as if they were water.

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

[Chevaleresse]

"I- No, they don't really, it even happened to a classmate of mine. They just grabbed her after school one day and injected her full of. . . magic super cocaine or something and she only lived because she Awakened." The stress the mere thought was causing her was visible on her face. "I just can't help but sit here and think that every moment he's not next to me, there could be Aramitama just waiting to kill him for fun or grab him and do some kind of fucked up experiment or. . ." She stopped, trying to calm her breaths; they'd come increasingly quick as she spoke.

[Empiricist]

Noriko
"Oh..."
She just squeezes you a little trouble, clearly at a loss for what to say.
"Well um... how does he feel about it? Is he as scared as you are? Since he can still see Awakened things it should be safe enough to move him off-realm, but..."
There's always a but isn't there? And for once you wish it was Yoake's.
"He wouldn't have much of a life."

[Strider03]

"<Just go. You'll get your handicap.>" Shef commanded with his requiem. "<Better to fight together with your friends.>" The unspoken alternative being to be put down preemptively here. He knew her skill set, and would not hesitate to use a tracer on her.

Expulser [3] to blast away the doppelganger from Shef, and propel Shef back a bit. Requiem the illusion. Regular shots on the woman in red.
[6] 2 6 1 5 1 2 5 [3] 1

[Empiricist]

Shef

Spoiler: Rolls (click to show/hide)

Shef: 6, Hyper[3]

Lady in Red: 6, Hyper[4]

[Now Playing:

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

]

Channing spirit energy into your Regalia you alter its enchantments creating a expulser round outside the barrel and portaling it right against your chest. The moment "Faith" tries to pummel you you set it off, a pulse scraping you backwards to the very edge of the walkway and forcing the doppelganger right off your chest. A quick flash of your glasses and it punches itself in the face, vanishing in flames. You put a round into the lady in red and she burns away with blue flames.

"<...If you're also hiding a pair of breasts, I am not going to forgive myself.>"
Is, is that a common problem? Getting blasted off by a pair of breasts? Actually, more to the point, what the fuck? The lady in red was a decoy? So this asshole's the projectionist? Fucking hell, desert eagle and a decoy lady in red, you've the sinking feeling he was going for a Matrix reference somewhere in there.

But wait, does that mean he was hiding as a flashbang up until now? You never did damage the lady in red did you? That reactive armor prevented the shot from harming her, thougu the curse still applied. In that case he must've been on her person when you did that first compulsion?

That would explain what just happened, but there's a teensy tinie problem with that theory - it's fucking insane. They would have to have launched themselves at you, over the fucking water, while you had Canan and her torpedoes on your side. The fuck would they do if it didn't work out? What if made a more serious effort to put a bullet in the flashbang? Or what if they did manage to get behind you but then failed the inevitable flanking strike? The fuck then? That seems like one hell of a gamble unless their plan was to just sit there at the bottom of the lake in flashbang form hoping you'd leave,but if they were that passive, they'd have just let Red take that first hit and throw you off.

So no, that's not the trick, that's a fucking stupid trick. There's something else at play here. Your gut tells you there's some other trick to it, probably something a little more esoteric.

"<Change of plans, you miss, will be taking me away with you. Preferably far away from him. Or you know, bang bang.>"
"<Well unless you wanna negotiate something Mister Instruct->"
"<Bang bang.>"
"<O-kay, heading off now!>"

Canan begins skating away from you with the adversary in tow. You could still shout a counter offer at her. Or maybe just shoot them both and be done with it.

Spoiler: World Lines (click to show/hide)

Shef
Status: Fine, on the ground
World Line: 2 6 1 5 1 2 5 1 6 3
Alterations: 3.5
Resolve: 3

Canan
Status: Fine, being held at gunpoint

The Adversary
Details: Holding Canan at gunpoint as to make his escape.
Status: Fine

Spoiler: Allies (click to show/hide)

Canan
A student of Kingshaven Military Academy. Specializes in high nobility combat and capable of firing guided remotely detonated torpedoes that swim through solids as if they were water.

Spoiler: Notes (click to show/hide)

[Strider03]

Well, that was a bit odd. What Shef could see didn't really add up as a strategy for the adversary. There wasn't really anything to go off of here, and even if he'd wanted to find something out, the adversary seemed to want to leave.

No, that couldn't stand. He no longer would have his tracking curse, and they'd both be gone. The whole thing would have been pointless.

Tracer [R] the both of them, detonate it preferably between the two of them, if not inside the adversary. If possible hit both with tracker rounds afterwards.

[Empiricist]

Shef
Right, so Canan speeds off, skating like crazy as the tracer round gives chase. She's fast, she's mobile, but those along won't let her outrun it.
"<Well shit. In that case...>"

So uh, the guy just fucking leaps off of Canan and straight into the tracer. There's an explosion, there's blood in the water, and Canan's getting the fuck out. Your adversary meanwhile bobs up to the surface bleeding from a chest wound. Tapping his bracelet he administers a healing potion.

[Strider03]

"Let me see your bracelet." Shef stated, activating his requiem once more. He approached to facilitate this, still on guard for a surprise.

With an enemy like this, he had no way of being certain whether this was truly first blood. It could all be an illusion, the adversary might have swapped to a new form underwater nearby, there were many possibilities. It was reasonable to think all of this could be faked to get Shef to lower his guard. The only way to verify would be to determine, personally, whether the combat bracelet the man was wearing was real or illusory.

[Chevaleresse]

"I mean, he's always been pretty timid, but he doesn't seem that worried. . . If he is, he hasn't told me, but he shouldn't have to worry. It's my job to worry about his safety. I just wish there was something I could do, make it so he could protect himself, but he's just a kid. . ."

[Twinwolf]

Yuki let the question pass and didn't show much more than a twitch in recognition of it. "Ok then! Hmmmm, what to ask... ahah! So, you were part of another group of students right? Are you going to get in trouble for taking me out for ice cream instead of, you know, attacking me?"