Kaze, Richter, and Belle (and probably Janet) tear up the
stairs after the killer.
Belle runs after Richter, her heels clattering. She murmurs under her breath, "Dang Fades. Can't shoot 'em."
But she keeps her tiny revolver at the ready.
Belle runs after Richter, her heels clattering. She murmurs under her breath, "Dang Fades. Can't shoot 'em."
But she keeps her tiny revolver at the ready.
On the second-floor landing, the killer Fades into the wall.
He waits for Kaze to come running up the stairs and lunges out of the wall,
swinging his sword to cut her in half.
The sword goes right through her, as Kaze Fades herself. In
fact, it comes within a handsbreath of cutting Richter, who’s close behind.
The assassin Faded before Kaze did. She flicks open a fan, which
she slashes through his head, and between each knuckle of her closed left hand
protrudes a narrow knife. Whenever the fan isn’t in the assassin’s body, the
fistful of knives is. Meanwhile, the assassin is slashing and hacking with
superhuman speed, his blade flashing as fast as an aeroplane’s propeller. If
she weren’t Faded, Kaze would be dead a hundred times over.
Dozens of cuts and slashes produce absolutely no effect,
until the assassin, running out of magic before Kaze does, becomes solid for a
second. The edge of the black fan clonks off his skull with a sound like a
hammer hitting wood. The assassin’s head spins around, he hits the wall hard
behind himself, and Richter shoots him right past Kaze.
The assassin skids down the wall, dead. Another woman’s
scream echoes from the floor above.
(Yes Janet is with them. I thought I had said that, and asked if there were any small or broken objects she could pick up, but I most not have posted that.)
ReplyDeleteI don't remember seeing that! But sure, you had time and opportunity to grab whatever's handy. You passed through a kitchen,so there are cleavers, knives, forks, pans ... knife and a cleaver? You can put one of them in your coat pocket, since you have a pistol in the other hand.
DeleteAlso, the order up the stairs is going to be Kaze, Richter, Belle, then Janet, just given where you entered the lobby. Janet has the furthest to go.
Oh, wait ... Janet doesn't have to obey walls, does she?
I also seem to recall you suggesting you could go upstairs through the ceiling. While Fades can drift upwards, it isn't quick. You would get there slower that way. Of course, you'd be arriving from an unexpected direction, which might make it worthwhile.
Sonny-boy comes running up to the car with a box of donuts under His arm. "Ah heard gun fire, what's goin on?" He asks Bor. After being told He grabs his tommy gun, and with a swear He runs into the hotel.
ReplyDeleteSonny-boy enters the lobby just as the other Grimnoir are headed up the stairs. So he sees Kaze and Richter finish the assassin.
ReplyDeleteBelle would have been ready to shoot him when he turned solid. But when she saw that Kaze had the matter in hand, she turned her eyes to making sure no one else surprised them.
ReplyDeleteSonny-boy comes in behind you, but you recognize him! Whew.
ReplyDelete(Okay, Janet finds the highest piece of furniture, and jumps up through the roof from there, and she has a pocket full of forks)
ReplyDelete