Ginky and Alren's Bizarre Encounter! A Third-Degree Burglary! Steppenwolf and Skunk Anansie vs. Substitute!

[GinkyGotBack]

Steppenwolf's A-Rank Power Roll (20+1=21) Success!
Substitute's B-Rank Power Roll (17+1=18): Success!
(In a Contest, if both players succeed, then their Actions cancel each other out. This doesn't necessarily have the same result as both players failing; it depends on the Actions involved.)

With Steppenwolf fast approaching, there wasn't going to be enough time to break through the floor completely. Luckily, rather than dig its teeth into him, Steppenwolf only managed to body slam Peter, harmlessly sending him back a few feet.

With a shake of its head, Steppenwolf growled its distinct growl once more as it started to get back onto its wheels. If Peter was going to do something he'd have to do it fast before the enemy Stand got its bearings.

(Steppenwolf has gained +1 Momentum for rolling higher in the Contest, giving him +2 Momentum in total.)
(Peter has received -1 Momentum for rolling lower in the Contest, leaving him with 0 Momentum in total.)

 

[Alren]

Peter tried his best to catch his breath after Steppenwolf slammed into him, he scrambled to his feet rushed over to the rubble that Substitute had made from his attempt to break through the floor. He scoured the pieces till he found one that bore a black circle and had Substitute snatch it up in its right hand, then turn and threw the fist sized rubble in a fluid motion. Since the man had left the room the only target was the lupine stand and it's big, razor toothed mouth.

"Hey Steppenwolf! Bet you can't chew on this!" Peter taunted the stand, hoping to flair it into thoughtless action since the thing had such a temper, one the large man had to reign in once already. If all went well, it would catch the chunk of wood in its mouth to display its strength again only for it to be swapped with Peter's switchblade!

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Substitute's C-Rank Precision Roll: Definite Success!!

Substitute's throw was accurate enough that the chunk of wood successfully lodged itself into Steppenwolf's mouth and by extension, Peter's knife as he swapped it out for the wood. However, rather than have it pierce through the wolf's mouth like Peter might have hoped, the wolflike Stand was on a warpath and paid little mind to the alien object lodged in its jaws, crushing it with a metal snap like a bear trap.

Steppenwolf's wheels began spinning and had there been a speck of dust on the floor, they certainly would have kicked up some. The Stand sped straight towards Peter, gasoline drooling from its mouth like saliva. The Stand had gotten a taste of Peter and now it was hungry for more.

 

[Alren]

If Peter's face wasn't already dour he would frown. He was kicking himself for not remembering the first rule of stands; only a stand can defeat another stand. He didn't have long to lament with the stand speeding toward him.

His options were limited and could very well make his bad situation even worse. If he wanted to get out of here with something of supreme value he'd have to chase the man who could very well break him in half without a second thought, not to mention his stand hounding him every step of the way. If he retreated he might get out with his life but with nothing to show for it but a trinket or two...Peter had his pride to think about. Of the two options, he preferred the one he'd live to regret and ran for the stairs. Hoping his desperation would fuel his feet to out speed this hound.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Steppenwolf's A-Rank Speed Roll (12+2=14): Moderate Success!
Peter's D-Rank Speed Roll (9): Moderate Failure!
(A Moderate result is a Success or Failure with a complication. A Moderate Success might mean the Action is completed, but something goes wrong, or the final result is not as good as it seemed. A Moderate Failure will still result in an incomplete Action, but there may be an unexpected advantage to the new situation, or something to reduce the consequences of Failure.)

But desperation would not be enough as Steppenwolf quickly caught up with Peter on the stairs, clamping its jaws around his leg and enacting its routine of sawing off the flesh from his calves with its rows of serrated teeth.

As both of them stood on the stairs, the steps beneath Steppenwolf collapsed from their combined weight, dragging the enemy Stand down halfway. Having no claws or paws to hold itself up with, the only thing keeping Steppenwolf from falling was its relentless hold on Peter's leg.

(Steppenwolf has gained +1 Momentum for rolling higher in the Contest, giving it +3 Momentum in total.)
(Peter has received -1 Momentum for rolling lower in the Contest, leaving him with -1 Momentum in total.)

(Peter has sustained 4 Light Injuries which have combined into 1 Heavy Injury on his left calve. This location has a penalty of -3 to any Action that uses it primarily. Additionally, receiving a heavy injury reduces your Stamina by 1. Peter currently has 8/10 Stamina in total.)

 

[Alren]

Peter nearly buckled under the pain and the added weight of the ferocious stand. Peter gripped the railing with both hands to keep from falling and exposing himself further. Gritting his teeth, Peter whirled on Steppenwolf, manifesting his stand.

"I never thought my line of work would cost me an arm and a leg," Peter remarked as his stand struck the railing with its left hand and Peter's own leg with it's right. "But you've been such an obedient boy I'll throw you a bone..." Peter closed his eyes and grimly crossed his arms. He felt the swap happen as the railing was now in Steppenwolf's maw, no longer attached to Peter the stand would fall. Through Substitute, Peter started hammering the walls and the floors of the remaining stairs to create a make shift barrier with its swapping ability while he crawled up to the landing by feeling. Sure, with wheels it had a hard enough time even following him but that didn't mean Peter wouldn't kick the dog while it was down in a manner of speaking.

Once he reached it he felt Substitute offer him a wet, warm block of wood. Taking the block, Peter shakily held the wood against a warm and wet knee that felt suspiciously light. He could see through his stand, but the outside perspective helped him deal with the fact he was now about to witness the severing and reattachment of his leg. Substitute had marked the block with it's right hand, marking a white circle and holding Peter's severed leg in its left with a black circle on it. Whilst still holding the bloodied, limp limb Substitute crossed its arms and a familiar weight and sensation returned to him along with pins and needles from lack of circulation. With that Peter finally opened his eyes and saw he indeed had both legs. If he lied to himself well enough, he could probably convince himself that he had never removed it in the first place. He collapsed on his back with a sigh and took a few moments to collect himself.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Steppenwolf fell through the stairs and as the only thing keeping him from a sudden descent was taken from him, replaced with a tasteless chunk of railing. You might not have been able to see the Stand hit the ground below on account of the inky darkness of the room beneath the stairs., but you could most definitely hear it. A loud metallic crash rung out from the room below, like a kid banging pots together to get his mother's attention. It was more than likely that this manor had a cellar, meaning Steppenwolf would find his way out and back to Peter eventually. For now, however, the danger of having his limbs torn apart was one of those 'out of sight, out of mind' situations.

Having made it to the top of the stairs, Peter would be greeted by a large aquarium that had been built into the wall. Although the tank was filled to the brim with water and there were plenty of rocks and kelp and pebbles to be seen, there wasn't a single fish to be found. There were also two doors, both of them just as easy to open as the other. One was on the same wall as the aquarium, placed awkwardly next to it, while the other was on the East wall.

 

[Alren]

Peter climbed to his feet slowly, getting used to putting pressure on his newly injured and reattached limb. He looked about the large aquarium and noted the lack of fish as somewhat troubling. He also thought that perhaps the water in the tank would help clean the filth that marred his right hand.

Peter made his way for the door closest to the aquarium, limping and bleeding the entire way. Peter would occasionally look over his shoulder to ensure he wasn't being followed. As he limped he lamented the fact he let Steppenwolf's user get away. Any useful or profitable information to be had was possibly long gone and what tidbit he had was unlikely to be worth much. At least Peter could walk away with his life, of that he was thankful as he reached the aquarium door.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Spoiler: F2 Map (So Far)

What awaited on the other side of the door was an indoor balcony that had been fashioned into a library, with large bookshelves lining up every space of the walls. Looking down from the balcony, the library continued further down onto the first floor, into a room much larger space with many more shelves. However, there weren't any ladders or stairs to be found, meaning he'd either have to jump down or go back to the first floor and find his way from there. From this room, the fish tank could not be seen, meaning there must have been a wall separating it from the library.

Examining the books, Peter would find that there seemed to be no sense of order or organization as to where the books were put on the shelves. Books about the sciences could be found amongst various Dr. Seuss books, and books starting with 'A' were jumbled up with books starting with letters 'Z', 'W', and 'Y'. Many of these books were still encased within a plastic wrapping and, unsurprisingly, completely devoid of dust. For an old looking manor, there certainly was a lot of newly purchased things to be found lying about.

At the other end of the indoor balcony was another door, if Peter chose to explore further. So far, Peter couldn't hear any commotion from whence he had came, so it was possible that Steppenwolf still hadn't found a way out of the cellar. It may have seemed fine to continue his search of the house if he truly believed he was safe.

 

[Alren]

Peter would have shown disappointment in his expression if that were not already his default. The books didn't particularly interest him aside from how bizarrely well kept the library was. Besides storing information, books collected dust, which struck Peter as an affront to libraries everywhere that this one was as tidy as it was. Besides thumbing through the shelves to see the subject matter of the most recent and plastic wrapped additions, Peter passed by with little to no care for the materials of the library. He made his way through and to the other door, disappointed by the stench his body still carried.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Peter was met with a pleasantly furnished, but equally dark, dining room. The walls of the room were surrounded by glass windows that reached down to the floor, with a sliding glass door leading out to a wooden balcony. In the center of the room was a long table, long enough to seat ten, maybe twelve people. However, most of the chairs were tossed to the corner of the room, making one big pile of wooden seating. Only three chairs were actually sat at the table, but they were all seated fairly far apart from each other. One seat, in particular, was rather eye-catching as it was currently occupied.

Sitting alone, leisurely cutting up and eating a steak was a man, very tall and well built, wearing a white, skintight long-sleeved shirt and skintight white jeans to match. His head was obscured making his face hard to make out, although he had a distinguishable lack of hair. When Peter entered the room, the man turned his head slowly to look at him, squinting his eyes to pierce the filter of night that covered the room. "So you're the intruder?" the man asked, his voice the carrying the same lack of pitch and emotion as the man Peter had met prior.

 

[Alren]

Peter, still at the door and holding it open, looked at the man for a long while. He didn't blink, he didn't move. His eyes met the eyes of the man, or at least the estimated location, but Peter was certain that his eyes were locked with the man's. He could feel his gaze, the lack of intensity and emotion behind the gaze felt as if the man were appraising him as if he were appraising a speck of dust or a beige, wet dish rag. Peter was certain that this man was certainly the same kind of man that he had run into before, although, this one was definitely more dangerous since he knew Peter was on his way and was not perturbed about his presence at all.

Peter took a step forward and shut the door behind him. "Intruder...yes, I am. Your colleague downstairs has attempted to end my life just a moment ago but I have avoided that fate for the time being. Am I right to believe you're as like minded and wish to carry out the same sentence? To carry out the same sentence...in order to plug the leak of information about your corporation?" Peter stood as tall as his injured leg would allow, trying to appear as confident and dignified despite his odor and blood soaked suit. He already committed to the spy angle, he might as well follow through in order to get more info from him newfound enemies.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

The man stood up from the dining chair, choosing to ignore Peter's questions entirely. His height and size equaled that of his cohort from the foyer. Upon closer examination, even his face was the same, a nearly identical copy of Steppenwolf's Stand User. "Skunk Anansie," was all he said as a humanoid Stand materialized behind him. Its entire body was covered head-to-toe in short black fur, aside from a single white vertical stripe that stretched out across its limbs and its back.

Contorting its arms behind and over its head, the Stand grabbed its one forearm and aimed its open hand down at Peter, spraying a sticky, viscous liquid from its fingertips. The smell was the same as that of the gunk stuck to Peter's hand. No doubt he had found the source of it by running into this mountain of a man, and he wasted no time in rushing to cover him with even more of it.

 

[Alren]

"Substitute!"

Peter wasted no time bringing out his stand to rip his suit jacket off to intercept the flow of this odorous torrent flying at him. Substitute grabbed the jacket from the collar and base as Peter ducked while lifting his arms into the air to slip out of it without much effort, though the pain in his left arm and leg would prevent him from rising as quickly as he dropped as the protested against such quick movements.

Substitute aimed and threw the jacket into the air in the path of the incoming liquid. The horizontally striped jacket flaired out like a blossoming flower bearing a white dot on the side facing away from the assailant. It's full surface area would act as a shield for the thief. If the trajectory was correct then the fluid would be blocked without any need for them to dodge, though they'd be rained on if it was off by even a couple of centimeters.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Skunk Anansie's Speed Roll (9): Moderate Failure!
Substitute's Precision Roll (18-1+17): Definite Success!!

Substitute's calculations were spot on as the spray hit the jacket and nothing but. The foul stench emanated from the coat was worse than any landfill, although the man seemed to pay it little mind. "So you know about our work here, do you? Then you will die." Skunk Anansie readied itself into a battling pose, poised to release more spray at its User's command. However, rather than proceeding to spray Peter and everything else in this room, both Stand and User stood in place simply watching the intruder for any sudden moves.

A sound came from the library, a sudden thumping of rapid footsteps heading towards the dining room. Was it Steppenwolf? It's User? Another enemy? Regardless of whoever it was, in a moment there was going to be one more person in this room, and it was doubtful they were coming to help the burglar.

(Skunk Anansie has received-1 Momentum for rolling lower in the Contest, leaving it -1 Momentum in total.)
(Peter has gained+1 Momentum for rolling higher in the Contest, giving him 0 Momentum in total.)

 

[Alren]

Peter wasn't sure what was going on, but he was beginning to grasp he was way out of his depth here. He had a momentary advantage with blocking the attack but he had to do something about his current combatant before worrying about whoever was approaching. But something was nagging at him, these two men looked so eerily similar they could be twins, or could the reality be even more sinister?

Pushing the thoughts back, Peter rose slowly and braced his back against the door as he sent his stand forward to confront the man directly, he wanted to settle this as quickly as possible. Substitute reared its left fist back, lined straight at the center chest of the man's chest.

"You two seem to think eerily similar too," only voicing a part of his thoughts to the man, "but you're both lacking in the area of following through with your actions. I'd be dead if you two followed through nearly as well as you threatened." Peter hoped the taunt would prompt even a slight response, but the sound of his own voice was reason enough to mock the look alike loser.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

"Killing you isn't my intention, thief. My only goal in this fight is to make you easier to kill." Skunk Anansie reeled back its one arm while stretching out the other towards Substitute, palms flat and aimed directly at Peter. "You choose to stand your ground and fight rather than distance yourself from me. That leads me to believe your Stand is a Close-Range Power-type Stand. This is to my advantage as it makes it easier to douse you with my Anansie's spray. However, I'm just as likely to be seriously injured if I was hit directly by one of your Stand's punches." The man stared at Substitute's fist while Skunk Anansie focused on Peter himself. Neither of them blinked as the two Stand Users faced each other, waiting to draw their pistols, so to speak. "My purpose is to protect this manor and the secrets it holds. Whether or not I die is meaningless to me, so long as I succeed. Can you say the same, intruder?"

As Substitute's fist shot out, Skunk Anansie sprayed its putrid concoction from its outstretched hand at Peter and Substitute, specifically at their eyes. He made no attempt to dodge the enemy Stand's attack, focusing more on hitting his target.

(Skunk Anansie's User's Goal has been activated! When activating a Goal, it can be more indirect than an Impulse; the Action will receive a +3 bonus when it can be seen by the character as a distinct stepping stone towards this target, or a -3 penalty if it’s seen as something that would set them back.

(Skunk Anansie's Action will receive a +3 Bonus as a result of progressing towards its User's goal.)

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Substitute's C-Rank Precision Roll (10): Moderate Failure!
Skunk Anansie's B-Rank Precision Roll (10+3-1=12): Moderate Success!

The two attacks shot out in an instant, with neither side hesitating to strike, understanding that the other would do anything it took to achieve their goals!

Substitute's fist made impact with the man's chest, however, the blow was not accurate enough to do any serious damage. Instead, the force of the punch sent the User flying backward and across the dining room table, sending plates and cutlery alike crashing and smashing to the ground as the man finally stopped once he fell off on the other end.

Skunk Anansie's spray, on the other hand, did, in fact, hit its mark as Peter's right eye was just barely touched by the Stand's revolting liquid. The eye that was sprayed began to tear up profusely and forced itself shut in a vain effort to keep the alien substance from tormenting it further. Had this spray hit both of his eyes, Peter would most certainly have gone blind, perhaps permanently.

Meanwhile, the thundering footsteps had quickly closed in on the door that Peter was bracing with his back. Whatever was on the other end was trying with all its might to break down the door, slamming into it continuously and with full force.

(Skunk Anansie has gained +1 Momentum for rolling higher in the Contest, leaving it with 0 Momentum in total.)
(Peter has received -1 Momentum for rolling lower in the Contest, leaving him with -1 Momentum in total.)

(Peter has been dealt 2 Light Injuries. Peter currently has 2 Light Injuries and 2 Heavy Injuries on his Calve and his Forearm. Peter has 8/10 Stamina remaining.)

(Peter has been partially Blinded! For any Action that requires sight, Peter must first make a Precision roll to see if he can attempt it without sight. If the roll succeeds, he may roll for his Action as normal. Otherwise, the roll has a -3 penalty.)

 

[Alren]

Peter was in a precarious position, his eyes were stinging from fetid fluids that made him audibly gag that also felt like knives being jammed into his skull. If that wasn't enough another assailant attempting to barge in with intent on ripping Peter to bloody shreds. He kept bracing the door with his full body weight, although he was sure the stand would win out over time since it wasn't down an arm and a leg.

Substitute however crossed its arms to swap out the long sleeve shirt the man wore with the fetid suit jacket that Peter was wearing a few moments ago. Peter hoped the man wasn't immune to his own stand ability and that the powerful stench would buy Substitute time to close in and deal a devastating blow to the user with right straight.

Action Spent
Holding off on rolling for Substitute's attack since Peter is lower in the priority order due to having lower momentum.

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Steppenwolf's C-Rank Power Roll (7+3=10): Moderate Failure!
Substitute's B-Rank Power Roll (15-3-1=11): Moderate Success!

Smashing against the door, whoever or whatever was on the other side had no chance of succeeding so long as Peter was holding it closed.

Meanwhile, Peter's plan to switch his soiled shirt with Skunk Anansie's User's worked like a charm as he instinctively covered his mouth and nose with his hands in a useless attempt to block out the smell. Peter would run across the room to close in on the user, this time hitting him directly with a punch to his right arm, crushing the bones beneath the flesh and leaving him heavily injured.

Unfortunately, without anyone or anything holding the door closed, it easily swung open as Steppenwolf barged into the room headfirst. Seeing the two men on the other side of the room, Steppenwolf leaped onto the table and sprinted across, foaming at the mouth and eager to take a bite out of something. To Peter's surprise, that something would be Skunk Anansie's User as he pounced onto the floored man and attempted to sink his teeth into his neck.

"Damn it," was all the enemy could muster as he used his own Stand to try and push the metal wolf off of him.

(Peter has gained +1 Momentum as a result of rolling higher in the Contest, giving him 0 Momentum in total.)
(Steppenwolf has received -1 Momentum as a result of rolling lower in the Contest, leaving him with +2 Momentum in total.)

(Skunk Anansie has been dealt 6 Light Injuries, 4 of which have combined into a Heavy Injury on his Right Hand. Skunk Anansie has 4/5 Stamina remaining.)

(Steppenwolf has gained +1 Momentum as a result of rolling higher in the Contest between it and Skunk Anansie, giving it +3 Momentum in total.)
(Skunk Anansie has received -1 Momentum as a result of rolling lower in the Contest between it and Steppenwolf, leaving it with -1 Momentum in total.)

Steppenwolf Action Spent

Turn Order:
Peter
Skunk Anansie
Steppenwolf​

 

[Alren]

Peter felt the satisfaction of dealing a decent one-two punch on the enemy, the swap worked perfectly and the follow up broke the user's hand. Peter was about to gloat about his victory over the identical assailant when he heard the door bang open behind him. Turning he saw the familiar lupine face of Steppenwolf barge in with gasoline frothing from its mouth. It ran and lunged from the dining room table but Substitute was too far to catch the feral stand in time!

To Peter's surprise, he was not the target of the stands lunge. It was Skunk Ananise! Que se passe-t-il? It attacked their ally? Peter was flabbergasted, until he looked down at his own right hand, to the grime and detritus of Skunk Anansie's effluvium. That stand...it tracks its targets by scent! That duo probably set it up that whatever live target bares Skunk Ananise scent is a target to be eliminated! That explains why the jacket and shirt swap caused Steppenwolf to attack his partner.

Peter was pretty certain about his assessment but wasn't really willing to stick around to allow Steppenwolf time to track the scent on him. Recalling Substitute, Peter made his way for the door, hobbling and half blind. He would make his way through and mark the door and doorframe and swap it with a wall to block his two assailants in with one another without any exit. Once that was done, Peter would make his way to the aquarium to attempt and wash the scent off of himself. Maybe even fix his eye.

Action Spent

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Skunk Anansie's User stared blankly at Peter as he hobbled his way to the door. He didn't feel angry or defeated, he couldn't feel anything at all. Raising his Stand's free arm, Skunk Anansie took aim at the door and sprayed its foul-smelling liquid. If he was able to spray enough at the door it, more than the amount on his shirt, it would take Steppenwolf's attention away from him, long enough for him to take off Peter's shirt.

Steppenwolf, meanwhile, was still happily tearing away at Skunk Anansie's User's neck. It didn't bother trying to eat any of the meat it tore off, simply tossing it aside as it shredded his flesh into bits and ribbons.

Skunk Anansie Action Spent

Turn Order
Steppenwolf
Peter
Skunk Anansie​

(Skunk Anansie has received -1 Momentum as a result of rolling lower in the Contest between it and Steppenwolf, leaving it with -2 Momentum in total.)
(Skunk Anansie has been dealt 4 Light Injuries which have combined into a Heavy Injury on his Neck. Skunk Anansie has a total of 2 Light Injuries and 2 Heavy Injuries on its Right Hand and Neck.)
Skunk Anansie has 3/5 Stamina remaining.)

 

[GinkyGotBack]

Skunk Anansie B-Rank Precision Roll (15-3-2=10): Moderate Failure!
Steppenwolf C-Rank Power Roll (19+3=22): Critical Success!!!

The man was growing weaker, he could feel his Stand's form fading away along with his strength. Weakly, Skunk Anansie's arm lowered as he sprayed, hitting alongside Steppenwolf, covering its side in the smelly substance. Steppenwolf paused its assault on Skunk Anansie's User, ripping out one last chunk of flesh from his neck as it turned its attention to its own self. Like a dog chasing its own tail, Steppenwolf ran in circles as it desperately tried to bite its own self.

Struggling to Stand, the man used his Stand to tear the shirt from his body, leaving him bare-chested. For a moment he watched as Steppenwolf tried snapping at its own electric-plug tail, trying to think of how he was going to get the sludge off of the wolf Stand.

Steppenwolf Action Spent

(Skunk Anansie has received -1 Momentum as a result of rolling lower in the Contest between it and Steppenwolf, leaving it with -3 Momentum in total.)
(Skunk Anansie has been dealt 4 Light Injuries which have combined into a second Heavy Injury on his neck, both of which have combined into a Major Injury. In addition to the -3 penalty, any time a majorly injured character performs an Action, they reduce their Stamina by 1. Skunk Anansie has a total of 2 Light Injuries and 1 Heavy Injury on his Right Hand and 1 Major Injury on his neck.)
(Skunk Anansie has 2/5 Stamina remaining.)

Turn Order:
Peter
Skunk Anansie
Steppenwolf
​

 

[GinkyGotBack]

(Steppenwolf C-Rank Power Roll (12+3=15): Moderate Success!

Steppenwolf successfully bit its own tail, yelping in pain as its teeth sunk themselves real deep into that electrical-plug it called a tail.

(Steppenwolf has dealt itself 2 Light Injuries.)

 

[Alren]

Peter heard the scuffling behind him but didn't bother to look back, he was too determined to be rid of the vile fluids that were in his eye and on his hand. He had Substitute mark the doorframe at the end of the library as Peter himself slammed the door behind him. Substitute then marked a section of the floor of the upstairs landing and swapped the places of the two in order to block Steppenwolf and Skunk Ananise's user from following.

Wasting no time, Peter sent Substitute forward to the aquarium with its fist reeled back, "Briser!" Peter shouted as Substitute's fist smashed into the aquarium glass, hopefully shattering it and the torrent of water would wash off Skunk Ananise's horrible scent marker.