Chapter A.1: Hope's Downtime

Hope, what are you up to in the days following the weird hunt?

Hope spends her first day studying books in the Dawn Commission's library. Weirds, elementals, ghosts, anything that can't be shot.

Is Hope looking for how to defend against them? Or signs to look out for? Or ways to help others who can take action against them? Or just a general inventory of things that her bullets can't kill?

How to identify them, and how to kill them, if there is any practical way without magic.

For most, no. There is not a way to kill them without magic. Luckily, such things seem to be rare. Most monsters are corporeal, even if they have a conceptual element too. There are weapons that can hurt the conceptual, but those are rarer than purely conceptual beings. Take a hold for research on incorporeal beings that may be spent later to gain insight in how to defeat them.

Good to know. Hope will start looking for hunts that are close enough she can still be on-call; until then, she'll be practicing agility with her motorcycle in a parking lot.

No new hunts during the daylight hours, but there's been rumblings recently among the shifter gangs. A power upset, probably.

As Hope patrols near the waterfront in East Boston, she has a feeling to divert from her planned route. And in following her instinct, she finds something. Unfortunately, the problem appears to be people and not an easier-to-deal-with monster.

It's the Viper Kings. Three thugs have cornered a middle-aged portly man. The middle thug, a trashy-looking girl, is flexing her claws and swishing her scaly tail, clearly posturing. The cornered victim is unamused.

Hope will quietly listen in for a moment, and check them for weapons.

The Viper Kings aren’t subtle about the heat they are packing. The girl — and that’s an assumption based on her clothing choices and shrill voice; her chest is flat and her face is more lizard than human — is talking about the virtues and obligations of having two skins, and how if Jeffery doesn’t want to pay the tax on his second skin, she’d gladly take it and give it to someone more productive. Jeffry, the cornered victim, is refusing to shift.

What is this "second skin" they are talking about?

Roll Occult or Common Knowledge for what you know about “second skins”

Common Knowledge: [3, 1] Result: Failure ❌

Well, from context clues… the gangster wants to skin her victim.

benny

Reroll: [1, 6 💥 6 💥 2 = 14] Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Well, with the context that this is the Viper King gang, “second skin” is probably referring to the fact that they are shifters… and would mean that their victim is a shifter too, or at least they believe him to be. And how the girl —Adikia, one of her goons calls her — talks… the Viper Kings deal in rare magical reagents. This is probably them sourcing their supply.

Adikia pulls out a pair of shiny shears, playing with them as part of her showboating.

Are they armored? Likely to be competent with their guns?

The gangsters aren’t armored. They do seem to at least have proper trigger discipline, and previous encounters with the Viper Kings have shown that while they aren’t the best, they do tend to have at least some training.

I could try to scare them off. But it's 3 on 1. And they'll just attack someone else later. Hope moves to cover, draws her guns, takes careful aim on the apparent leader's head, and takes the shot.

Shooting with The Drop, Aimed, called shot to the head: [9, 4]+4 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

2d6+1 ,+ 1d6 from raise, +4 from The Drop, AP 1 (3d6 + 5) results: 6, 3, 3 total: 17

Adikia falls, bleeding profusely.

Her two goons whirl around, but not seeing anyone, they bolt down the alley for cover.

Their prey takes the chance to escape in the opposite direction. Jeffery’s balding hair bristles and thickens into quills as he flees.

Initiative Order:
Goon1: :black_joker: Joker! Act whenever you want in the round! Also add +2 to all Trait and damage rolls this round!
Jeffery: Ace ♥︎
Adikia: 10 ♣︎
Hope: 9 ♠︎
Goon2: 9 ♥︎

The first goon finds cover behind a dumpster and searches for the sniper who took out his boss.

Goon 1 tries to Notice the hunter: [2, 0]+2 Result: Success! 🎯

"Fucker's behind the bin at the end!" he yells to his fellow gangster.

Jeffery flees!: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

The victim, who is rapidly revealed to be some kind of porcupine person, trips as he flees and curls into a spiky fetal ball pressed against the brick wall 30 feet down the alley from Hope.

Adikia Bleeding Out check: [6, 0] Result: Success! 🎯

The felled gangster leader seems to vanish, leaving only clothes in a heap in the middle of the alley.

Hope, it is your turn

Well, that's inconvenient. Goon 2, being slow on the uptake, is out in the open. There's not a lot of reason to try for headshots on an unarmored target, at this point - but it's about sending a message.

Shot 1 - Called shot to the head: [9, 5]-4 Result: Success! 🎯

headshot damage (2d6 + 5) results: 3, 2 total: 10

Shot 2 - Called shot to the head: [8, 2]-4 Result: Success! 🎯

headshot damage, #2 (2d6 + 5) results: 1, 5 total: 11

Goon 2 Hail Mary incapacitation roll: [4 💥 2 = 6, 0] Result: Success! 🎯

Goon 2 Hail Mary incapacitation roll for the second time: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

He survives for a second, but the second bullet tears through him and he's bleeding out rapidly

Final bleeding out roll for Goon 2: [4 💥 1 = 5, 0] Result: Success! 🎯

Round 2 Initiative Order:
Adikia: King ♠︎
Goon1: 8 ♦︎
Jeffery: 5 ♣︎
Goon2: 4 ♣︎
Hope: 3 ♠︎

Adikia tries to stabalize: [8 💥 3 = 11, 0]+2 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

The last remaining goon tries to fire on Hope's position. She's behind cover, but there's little else he can do besides take immediate vengeance.

Goon 1 fires at Hope who's behind heavy cover: [2, 0]-6 Result: Failure ❌

The porcupine person Hides: [6 💥 6 💥 5 = 17, 0] Result: Success with 3 raises! 🎯🎯🎯🎯

The porcupine person is no longer visible.

Goon 2 bleeds out: [1, 0] Result: Failure ❌

Goon 2 bleeds no more and expires.

Hope, your turn

With her opponent also behind good cover, Hope takes her time to aim.

Round 3
Initiative Order:
Goon1: King ♦︎
Hope: 2 ♦︎

Goon 1 fires desperately in Hope's general direction: [1, 0]-6 Result: Failure ❌

Goon cricical fail: now under light cover (-2) instead of Heavy Cover (-6) The goon thinks he got her, and emerges from cover tentatively to see if he actually got her.

Shot 1: Called shot to the head, through light cover, with Aim: [9, 5]-2 Result: Success! 🎯

undefined (2d6 + 5) results: 5, 1 total: 11

The foolish gangster is incapacitated with the shot

Icapacitation roll: [2, 0] Result: Failure ❌

He bleeds out into the alley, the smell of his blood mingling with those of his fellows and the other trash in the street. It's only a matter of time before he dies too.

Hope, what do you do?

Hope picks up her brass while trying to think what kind of ability would allow someone to teleport(??) that suddenly.

Goon bleeds out some more: [3, 0] Result: Failure ❌

The dying criminal finally perishes. The alleyway is still and silent.

Occult: [3, 4] Result: Success! 🎯

The porcupine person kind of sounded like they could be a Pukwudgie, a creature of folklore who is said to be able to "vanish at will." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pukwudgie

There is not a similar legend that Hope can recall about lizard shapeshifters who can pull Jedi vanishing tricks. A closer investigation is needed to determine where the gangster boss went.

Then Hope will investigate! Briefly. Before cops show up.

Hope kicks the pile of clothes and feels a lump in the center.

"I... Surrender..." wheezes a small voice as loudly as it can through the fabric and chill air.

Oh. That's interesting.

"...Mercy..." it croaks again after a second to pant.

"Ditch the Vipers. Leave town. Never work with Hiss again."

"Cold..." it whines.

"You can't shift back?"

"And die?... Bullet... In... Me."

Hope tries to remember how injuries work between forms for shifters.

Roll occult

Occult: [6 💥 2 = 8, 5] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

So... there are different types of shapeshifters. Some retain injuries suffered in one form across their other forms. Others only keep injuries if they are in their 'true' bodies. Still others, usually the ones with a limited set of forms or the ones that can shift clothing with their forms, keep their injuries with the skin that got harmed.

It's not unreasonable to guess that this one is of the latst category.

The lump that is the lizard shifter wiggles weakly and a small sandy-scaled head pokes out.

So, is she permanently stuck in this form because otherwise she dies? Or will her other form heal eventually? Or will survive if she shifts back already in the OR?

She should be able to survive if she shifts back in an OR.

... Is there an OR where a shape shifter can actually go?

Well, the regular hospitals are probably off the table. Presumably shifters would have doctors of their own? Hope wouldn't have much information about where shifters go for medical care... but thankfully, she is part of an organization who is devoted to things like helping out supernatural people. Someone else at the Dawn Commission would likely have a lead.

sigh. "Alright, let's get out of here before the cops show up." Hope picks up the lizard and heads back towards where she parked her bike, calling Phoenix with the other hand.

The lizard greedily snuggles into any warmth Hope gives her.

Phoenix answers barely a second after the first ring. "Hello?"

"I have a lizard shifter, in lizard form, who has a bullet in the head of their human form and can't shift back without dying. Where do I go?"

"... Where are you? If you are close to the office, you can bring them there."

"I'm in East Boston. Anywhere closer?"

"Yes." She gives an address. "Show them your Grant Dynasty token. If you don't have it on you, just tell them you are with the Dawn Commission. I'll call ahead."

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks."

Hope is able to get away before the anemic police response finds the crime scene.

Adikia hardly stirs the whole ride. She still breaths, but torpor sets in.

The safehouse is an unremarkable building close to both the airport and the harbor. Unremarkable save for the subtle signs of being more secure than the buildings around it. The surprisingly friendly face of a large man greets Hope when she knocks.

Hope has her token out already. There is an obvious bulge in her jacket.

The man looks at the token, then smiles wider, swinging the door open and making room for Hope to enter. "Hi! You're with the Dawn Commission? What's up? Do you guys need something?"

"I have a badly wounded lizard shifter. Phoenix said she would call ahead?"

"Oh! Huh. Maybe, I don't know, I didn't get the phone, come in, I'm only supposed to keep the door open for a minute," he turns, calling out. "HEY, ACHLYS. DID WE GET A CALL FROM THE DAWN COMMISSION???"

"Mmmm..." comes a grumble from the next room over. A short, slender, black figure slinks into the room. "Yes. Prometheus just sent word. Where's the afflicted?" they drawl.

Hope carefully removes the lizard from her motorcycle jacket.

The smiling man closes the front door and puts the lock back in place.

He's tall and well-muscled, built like a brick house, with tanned skin and short dark hair. He's also in black slacks and a button-up shirt, and, as he turns away from the door, he retrieves a very, very, very obnoxiously orange zip-up hoodie with the name of a local gym emblazoned on the back.

He looks over, clearly trying to see if he recognizes Hope's scaled cargo.

"They look fine to me." Achlys says. "In torpor, but that's easy to fix. Bring them this way."

They gather their long braids into a bun as they lead Hope and her captive desert iguana into a trauma care room. They turn on a heat lamp over a hospital bed and tap the illuminated spot. "What is their situation?" they ask Hope.

"Their human form has a bullet in their head. They shifted instantly after being hit."

"Oh, sick, that's smart. Fast, too. What happened to the other guy?"

"Unlucky." Achlys dons a surgery gown over their dark clothes and scrubs their hands. "Though lucky enough to shift fast. With more luck they have enough skill to partially shift and make my job easier." They regard the warming iguana on the bed. "Did you understand that?" They ask the lizard.

"..Mmm..." Adikia mutters.

"What's your name?"

"Adikia Cain."

"To be clear, she's with the Viper Kings, I ran across some of them trying to skin a shifter for parts, and thus the bullet is mine."

Achly's eyes flick up to meet Hope's. "How very noble of you."

"They're not supposed to be doing that, are they?" The man tips his head, looking at the other reptile with the expression of a baffled puppy. "Achlys, didn't the Boss say Chithonius is supposed to pay people when he's sourcing?"

He looks at Hope, suddenly registering the rest of her sentence, his eyes going bigger, and grins wider, teeth sharp. "Yeah? Cool. I'm Epimetheus, what's your name?"

"Hope. Nice to meet you."

Epimetheus sticks out his hand for a handshake.

Hope shakes his hand.

His skin is the same temperature as the air, but his grip is firm and the handshake is just as enthusiastic as everything else about him. "Do you know who they were talking to? Or. Uuh. Do you want to write any stuff down? We can let the boss know?"

He pauses, thinking, then smiles brightly again. "Or my brother can, anyway. But!!! I can give whatever you write down to my brother! He's the best at paperwork, hands down!"

"Yeah, I can write down what happened before I forget."

Achlys prepares for surgery without shoeing either Hope or Epimetheus from the room. As far as Achlys is concerned those two have eyes and know what's about to happen, it's on them if they don't want to get out of the way.

The reptilian doctor works with Adikia to stabilize her other skin. "It's their hybrid skin that has the bullet, not their human skin." They observe flatly. "Recovery will be more difficult."

"Difficult's better than already dead," Epimetheus says cheerfully.

Healing with OR: [8 💥 3 = 11, 5]+2 Result: Success with 2 raises! 🎯🎯🎯

Skinning magic: [6 💥 2 = 8, 5] Result: Success with 1 raise! 🎯🎯

As Achlys works, they direct Adikia to shift between lizard, hybrid, and human forms. The reptilian doctor stabilizes the wounds, and then swaps the shattered jaw from Adikia’s hybrid skin to her human skin, and then removes the shattered jaw and replaces it with a …spare human jaw?

Hope writes down what she witnessed of the confrontation in the alley, the location, and Adikia's name. She carefully does not commit to writing what happened after she intervened; that part is simple enough and has been communicated.

Adikia watches Hope with wide dark eyes, human form now and covered in a disposable hospital gown, though still curled under the heat lamp. She prods her new jaw. It doesn’t quite fit her face; asymmetric, ruddier, and more masculine than her other features.

“Y’r good ssshot.” She slurs a compliment toward her almost-killer and rescuer.

"Says the one who survived. But thanks. I hope I will not regret saving you."

“Woudn’ wan’ tha’.” She weakly hisses something like a laugh. “Ssssee me again?”

Achlys grumbles something that sounds like “Kidsssss.”

"We'll see." And Hope takes her leave.

Epimetheus grabs his keys and hands Achlys Hope's written report. "I'm gonna take the van over to pick up the bodies."

He'll let Hope out and lock the door behind both of them, cheerily waving to her before loping off to wherever he left the van.

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