Hunter: the Vigil - I Left My Soul in San Francisco - Luke Chen - Prelude [Restart]

Jago · Oct 10, 2016

~ The gun in his jacket was pulled out with force, Luke pointing it at the sound and then clutching his pounding heart as his eyes finally took in the sight.

" Cèngdèng!" he swore in a hush, lowering the gun and slowly coming over to Lola, " You scared the

out of me!"

There was a wave of relief over him at seeing that Lola seemed mostly unhurt. However, a thought clicked in Luke's head.

That doesn't mean the kidnapper is gone ...

With caution, he came right up to that oak tree, still quite winded but otherwise happy that maybe, just maybe, this night could be salvaged.

" You're bleeding," he noted when he was close enough, waving his hand to indicate the smatterings of crimson on her soft skin, " I should probably get you to a doc's, or something. Can you walk? Do you know where that ... person, went?"

And for that matter, how the hell did she get away? I could barely keep up with him, and she outran him? How is that even possible!?

He shook the inner monologue, just counting himself fortunate that he had found the girl, not a body. ~

Insight · Oct 12, 2016

As Luke approaches, he can see fear in Lola's eyes. She grabs the trunk of the oak tree and grips it tightly. Luke can't quite tell whether Lola is scared of him or that thing that carried her away. In fact, Luke doesn't see any reaction to his continued approach. Lola seems to be looking right past him.

When Luke gets close enough to touch Lola, he realizes that she's not quite there - her body is partially transparent.

An unearthly LAUGH bellows from somewhere nearby. It causes a shiver down Luke's spine. The image of Lola slowly vanishes...

A man in a trenchcoat emerges from behind the tree. In his hand is a blade of some kind. "So easy," he says. "Too bad your friends didn't come. I enjoy a big party."

***

OOC: Roll for Initiative (Dex + Composure) to see who acts first.

Jago · Oct 12, 2016

~ The world suddenly left him.

" What ... what the ..."

As his fingers moved through Lola, Luke's mind tried to conjure up a thousand explanations and failed at every, single one. Something intrinsic to his awareness of the world shattered in that moment, as if a child first being introduced to the concept of existence beyond themselves. When the cackle rattled him back to reality, Luke looked on in abject horror as Lola, trembling Lola, appeared to become no more than some trick of the San Franciscan Fog.

" Guǐ!?" he exclaimed once his voice found its way up from the tightness in his chest, unsure if Lola really was a Ghost or ... something else. So it was that when the man began to speak, Luke wasn't quite sure that he had entirely heard him. But he did see the blade, and knew that this was not where he wanted to be.

His heart was pounding, trying to step back away from the tree, away from the image of the girl, away from this man. Was that the one who took her? The gun was still in his hand, and while he couldn't make sense of anything happening, he knew he was going home tonight.

" Get the

back, man," he warned, gripping the revolver all the tighter, trying to speak with a courage he did not feel, " I will use this." ~

[sblock=Rolls]Initiative: 3 Dex + 3 Composure = 6d10o10h8: 3 Successes[/sblock]

[sblock=Relevant Stats]
Health: 7/7
Defense: 3
Willpower: 6/6
Speed: 9

Firearms Roll: 6
Revolver: Damage 3[/sblock]

Insight · Oct 26, 2016

There is a somewhat delicate dance, for a few moments taken from the normal fabric of time and space, wherein Luke and this mysterious opponent move around one another. Is this an attempt to size each other up or is it something more?

As Luke gets a better look at the man in the trenchcoat, he can see that it's a young man, perhaps Luke's age. In fact, Luke almost thinks that it could be his own twin!

Luke can't tell whether his opponent is real, and, perhaps, whether this situation is even real.

OOC: Luke wins initiative. He acts first.

Jago · Nov 1, 2016

~ Luke continued to back away, his eyes drifting between the familiar features of the man and the knife he carried.

This can't be happening ...

Nothing made sense. Nothing made any sense! What the hell had happened to Lola, and who was this ... Luke didn't even have the words for it. Yet, none of it concerned him. Steeling himself, the eldest Chen knew that there was only one option here: Survive. This person clearly intended harm, and Luke had given him fair warning.

In a flash, the revolver came up. Luke sighted for center mass and pulled the trigger. ~

[sblock=Rolls]Firearm Attack: 3 Dex + 2 Firearms + 1 Specialty + 3 Revolver = 9d10o10h8: 1 Measly Success???

(Does the target's Defense apply? If so, I will either reroll or we can just negate my success)[/sblock]

[sblock=Relevant Stats]
Health: 7/7
Defense: 3
Willpower: 6/6
Speed: 9

Firearms Roll: 6
Revolver: Damage 3[/sblock]

Insight · Nov 1, 2016

The shadowy figure somehow dodges Luke's shot. The figure sneers, which may be the only feature Like can make out in the darkness.

The man holds his blade with a certain familiarity. In fact, Luke would hold such a knife in exactly the same manner. The figure circles Luke, waiting for the next move.

OOC: Essentially, the bad guy does nothing on his turn. Luke can go again.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

Jago · Nov 1, 2016

~ What the hell ..?

Luke was dumbfounded for a moment. Just a moment. But it didn't take him much to know that he just left off a gunshot, the ... Him, was still standing, somehow unfazed, and he needed to be anywhere else. Everything about this was wrong, absolutely wrong. He trembled, wishing that this was some crazy nightmare and maybe he had been jumped by those Triad thugs. Yeah, yeah, he was just unconscious and this was what his head trauma was ...

... No. This was way too real. For whatever reason, this ... this thing was real.

" Screw this," he harshly whispered, letting off a second shot before suddenly turning and sprinting as fast as he possibly could for the Academy of Sciences, back to Wo Yeh and hopefully help. ~

[sblock=Rolls]Another Firearms Attack: Firearms Attack: 9d10o10h8 7 Successes

Do you want like a Speed roll or something to run away, orrr?[/sblock]

[sblock=Relevant Stats]
Health: 7/7
Defense: 3
Willpower: 6/6
Speed: 9

Firearms Roll: 6
Revolver: Damage 3[/sblock]

Insight · Nov 2, 2016

Luke's second shot hits true, striking his opponent square in the chest. Center body mass. The guy stumbles backwards and then falls lifelessly to the grassy turf below.

OOC: Since Luke may not need to run away at this point, do you want him to check out the body instead?

Jago · Nov 2, 2016

~ At hearing the sudden thud onto the soft grass, Luke froze. With great hesitation, he turned his head to see the fallen body.

" I ... I killed him ..?"

But ... no, no this had to have been some sort of illusion, or trick. He looked just like Luke. Just like Luke! And Lola vanishing, like some sort of guǐ ... No, this was too weird. But the body was there, the body was on the grass. Unmoving.

The gun fell from Luke's grasp and he slumped to his knees, breathing heavily.

Maybe ... Maybe he's not dead. No, come on, they survive this all the time, I've seen it, I've seen it!

He scrambled over on his knees to look over the man, caution thrown to the wind as he checked on his doppelganger. Maybe he just thought this man looked like Luke. Trick of the light, or something. Maybe he wasn't actually dead. Maybe. A thousand maybes in the span of seconds after a hasty decision and a lucky bullet.

Luke pulled the knife away from the man, throwing it ... somewhere, he didn't quite care, before trying to check over his victim.

" Come on, man, don't be dead, don't be dead," he muttered mournfully, knowing that he knew absolute jack about triage and first-aid but he had to try something. He didn't mean to kill him! ~

[sblock=Rolls]Unskilled Medicine Check (Chance Die): 1d10o10h10 No Success (rolled a 6)[/sblock]

Insight · Nov 3, 2016

Upon further examination of the body, Luke finds that this mysterious stranger looks exactly like him in just about every detail. The only difference is that the dead guy has green eyes and a dragon tattoo on his chest, over the heart.

Luke hears LAUGHING in the distance.