A Foreigner in the Ring
| A Foreigner in the Ring | |||||||||
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| ShadowHaven | |||||||||
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The Brazen Bull Chameleon Cinders Ryuuji |
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Summary
When a Johnson is gypped by a scummy fight pit down South, he sends a team down to exact revenge.
Background
Fight pits are a common practice in slums around the world - a spectacle that many gangs put on if they're big enough and tough enough to organize them. They're profitable - food vending, gambling, and sometimes ticketed entry draw cash out of the pockets of Barrens folk and even some of the SINners sneaking down to slum it and catch some action in person. Rumours are that many are quite crooked.
The Meet
At a piano bar named the Black Tie Affair, the team meets up with their Johnson Miles Imaus. He spins a brief tale of losing money, and suspects the fights are rigged. When the team gets down to brass tacks, he explains: what he wants is publicized proof that the arena's rigged, and there's bonus points if the team can embarrass them somehow. Naturally, they're happy to do that. Without batting an eye, Johnson calls up a smuggler friend - who arranges transit south to the CAS and burner IDs for the team.
The Plan
On arrival, the team meets with David Harsmen - the local contact Johnson set up for them. With temporary transport squared away, the team gets bunkered down in a safehouse owned by the local mob and gets to work planning things out.
The pit in question doesn't have an official name, being an unsanctioned venue - but they quickly determine that the locals know it as the Snake Pit. A local Aztlanner gang called The Feathered are the primary owners - a bunch that Ryuuji's heard of, mainly due to their insane code of honor: they do not fear death. The runners get the chance to see this up close later. Searching the matrix on their commlinks, they're also able to piece together the big names for this pit. Bloodshot Betty, an elf who specializes in taking opponents down with precision strikes. Diamond D-Back, a big Troll with an axe. Joe 'Cool' Alabama, a fairly normal looking human. And the champion - Viper Fang, another elf who specializes in using the cyberspurs in his arms. After a brief discussion, the team decides to split up to look for information.
The Brazen Bull splits off to go find a bar to pick up rumours. After searching around a bit, he finds a likely dive, simply labeled "Beer" in AR. Strolling in, he spots what he thinks is a troll alone in a booth towards the back and nearly sits on top of Mickey Marciano, the big guy's coach. They get to chatting - the troll introducing himself as Bunt. And while Bunt suspects foul play, Mickey's sure that there isn't - only reporting that he saw an intense talk in the locker room between Viper Fang and some kind of shaman.
Ryuuji heads off to another ring, seeking the chance to get some attention and pick a few fights. This particular ring, the Bone Crossroads, operates on a King of the Hill format - the longer a single fighter stays in the ring, the more they earn - and the bigger the bounty is for bouncing them off the hill. Once he's in the pit, he fights a few men, walking off willingly after a few fights. Afterwards, he's approached by a man named Marco. Marco wears the gang colors of The Feathered, and he gives Ryuuji some free advice: Go fight at the Snake Pit for bigger cash. When asked if the fights there are fair, he just smiles and says, "Of course they are amigo!"
Chameleon and Cinders go to the Snake Pit, posing as a manager and fighter - which, well, isn't exactly untrue. After talking with a bookie named Pesopluma, the pair are pointed to the promoter - Fenómeno. One look at them tells the promoter that this is someone too tough for whatever he's got on the billet. Smelling money, he sets up a show match, telling Cinders to go find a couple friends so they can take on 20 dudes at once.
The team unites back at the arena, where Brazen Bull, Cinders and Ryuuji promptly mop the floor with the gangers and street punks that they're pitted against, Chameleon shouting encouragement from the sidelines like the coach he's pretending to be. With some respect earned, they get the opportunity to hang out in the fighters' quarters with Joe Cool and Betty. While the team chats them up, Chameleon takes the opportunity to impersonate Joe and have a chat with the shaman they'd seen. It's hinted at in the conversation that the Shaman is casting buff spells - and assensing Betty later, Chameleon's able to confirm that she was under a spell's effect tonight, when she'd fought earlier. It's enough to confirm the team's suspicions.
Fenómeno catches the team as they're chatting - the organizers want to do an exhibition match. The title holders in the arena up against the foreigners in the ring. It's everything they could want - the chance to smash the cheaters, secure the prize money, and embarrass their opponents to keep Johnson happy.
Legwork out of the way, they gather up and set up a plan. Take Joe Cool out before the exhibition, have Chameleon impersonate him in the ring, record the buffing up of the fighters, then beat them into the mud. Cinders has a spirit tail Joe to his house, and the team rest up. Tomorrow's a big day.
The Run
That morning, Chameleon sneaks in and out to plant bugs in the locker room - cameras, microphones, the works.
The gang shows up at Joe Cool's on the day of the event to take him out beforehand - but when Brazen Bull and Cinders walk in the door, he just smiles sheepishly and lets them in. He fiddles with his stove for a minute and - in a feat of exceptional bad luck - pulling the knob off of it when trying to fill the room with whatever cooking gas he was using as they came in. With the jig up, he straight surrenders to the runners - there's not much he can do, after all. Cinders confronts him on cheating, and while he denies it, he notes that they're technically cheating now. The team offers him a bribe to take a dive, and quickly the floodgates open - on one condition. That the team take him back to Seattle. Not hesitating to spill even though Brazen Bull is recording, Joe explains that the Shaman is buffing fighters beforehand, giving them a huge edge over their opponents. The team hands Joe off to David Harsmen for safe keeping while they take care of business at the arena.
In disguise, Chameleon gets buffed by the mage himself, then heads into the ring holding a recording of the mage's casting.
Once in the ring, the pair of teams charge each other and combat begins in brutal fashion. Viper Fang doesn't hesitate in the slightest - the champion goes for the shiniest standout among the foes, the Brazen Bull, and aims a strike straight for the vitals in his chest cavity. The axe comes down, knocks aside his arm - then bites into the Viper, flinging him off his feet and tearing a slash in his side as he tumbles through the dirt. Betty blitzes in a moment later, the speed given to her driving her to strike at Cinder's shins with pinpoint kicks, but only glancing blows stick. And Diamond D-Back comes in, swinging an axe in the same way as the Brazen Bull - a blatant copycat of his move. Yuuji steps aside without so much as dirtying the lapel of his suit.
The initial blitz over, the runners start striking back. A low swing from Cinders catches Betty in the shin, sending her to a knee, unable to properly fight. Ryuuji steps in close and starts dealing shots to D-back's arm, trailing up to the axe - which the troll drops as he staggers back, clearly out of the fight. And where the Viper rolls in the dirt, Brazen Bull's axe follows. A brutal blow comes down, smashing through the Viper's guard and putting his lights out.
The only member of the "enemy team" left standing is Chameleon, disguised as Joe Cool. He puts up a decent fight, trading a couple blows with Ryuuji before taking a dive. Betty from her knees flings a knife at the gap in Cinders' armor by her neck - but the blade doesn't bite. Brazen Bull splits a chunk of the Viper's arm off. To the crowd's roaring approval, he tosses the broken cyberlimb to them, raising his axe and snorting steam as he celebrates his victory. Hopeless, Betty surrenders.
Aftermath
In the aftermath, the Brazen Bull gets the title belt, and the whole team receives rewards - first, payment for the fight, then payment from the media for coverage of the scandal - and, finally, when they're back home, payment from the Johnson for a job well done.
Rewards
Run Rewards for "A Foreigner in the Ring" (High = 16 RVP * 1.33 (8 hours) = 21 RVP)
16k Nuyen Run Reward (8 RVP) Or 32k in Weapons, Gear, or Augmentations (8 RVP)
4k Negotiation Bonus (0 RVP)
6k Prize Money (3 RVP) - For Cinders, this is converted to 3 Karma (3 RVP)
8 Karma (8 RVP)
6 CDP (2 RVP) (Base)
Optionals:
Contact: David Harsmen (5 Connection/1 Loyalty) (5 RVP)
Contact: Miles Imaus (3 Connection/2 Loyalty) (4 RVP)
Contact for Brazen Bull: Mickey Marciano (2 Connection/2 Loyalty) (3 RVP)
Alibi for Chameleon
Panzer for Brazen Bull
Fame: Local for Brazen Bull
Perfect Time for Ryuuji
This run counts as an initiation ordeal for Cinders.
Game Quotes
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
The Brazen Bull "it's not often I get a shot at a big purse like that. The viper was a chump, made a classic mistake of striking first. Took that first shot like a champ though, I almost feel bad for him tearing off that arm but that dirty cheater had it coming. The fighting pits are a sacred arena."
Cinders "Such a disappointment to see skilled warriors stoop to cheating. It robs you of more than your pride. I am glad for the opportunity to work beside my teammates, however, especially Ryuuji. That man gives me the impression of someone I could see myself being proper friends with. A job to drink to. Tsjoch."
Chameleon "Now that's a job to remember. No shenanigans from the Johnson and a good team to work with. As soon as I saw Ryuuji I knew it would be a good run. When someone saves your life it's always good to see them again. There were a couple of hairy moments but for once Lady Luck was smiling upon me. Cinders is a solid runner but I think she has mixed feeling about me...she really dislikes liars and that's what I do for a living. The Brazen Bull is terrifying. I did not like getting in to the Snakepit with him as part of the opposition. He has an exuberance in his violence that is intimidating. When he tore of the viper's cyberarm and threw it into the crowd I had to kick in my kinesics. Good to be back in Seattle, I'm ready to enjoy life for a bit."