Post by Jack Griffin on May 8, 2016 2:56:48 GMT -5
Pounding footsteps and a gunshot from behind, and a girl in front whose attention was now most definitely directed Jack's way. Three against one, then. If anything, it was easier this way, because he could think of them all as enemies. Ira and Hexell were still bugging the hell out of him, seeing as either of the two could spell his doom if they decided to try and attack him unexpectedly, but those two were tricky enough on their own, with insane powers and immense physical strength respectively. He couldn't deal with them with other fighters still around and posing a threat, but it was only a matter of time before one beat the other and decided to clean up the rest. Which meant Jack needed not only to beat the three unknown enemies, but do so quickly.
Hence his attempt to deal with them all at once. In the short term, it stacked the odds against him, but in the slightly-less-short term, it increased his chances of getting the jump on Hex or Ira while they were still occupied. A calculated move, albeit a possibly stupid one.
But it would only be stupid if he lost.
The optimal situation for Jack would have been if he took down one of the two boys on the first hit, but he'd known that wasn't a guarantee. He didn't know much about either of them or their skills, and the noises behind him confirmed that both were making an attempt at retaliation. A pursuit on foot was obvious enough, and while he hadn't expected a freaking gun, Ira's performance and prior experience had taught him that kids around here brought ranged attacks to the table. They weren't really doing anything he hadn't anticipated, and he was ready to respond- but luckily for him, he didn't even need to.
Attacking the boys had delayed them as Jack rushed off, and as a result he'd gotten a nice head start on his pursuer. Even if Kevin had been around the same speed as Jack, the latter would have reached Siobhan before the former caught up with him. As it was, Jack was more than twice as fast as Kevin (DEX 75 vs 33), and heard no sign of the boy catching up behind him- indeed, even once he'd found his feet and started sprinting, Kevin would still be losing ground. He'd likely be able to close in quickly if and when Jack slowed down, but that wasn't an immediate threat.
As for the gunshot, there was little Jack could do about that except keep running and hope it missed. He didn't have his attention on Kevin (because Kevin was nowhere near him yet), but he hadn't been looking back at Gino either, which meant by the time he heard the gunshot, it was too late, right?
Except it wasn't. Being able to manifest a gun was a useful ability, but the speed of the bullets left something to be desired. Jack didn't make any attempt at dodging the bullet, but he didn't need to, because he could simply outrun it (bullet speed = 100%Gino INT = 55. Jack sprint speed = Jack DEX = 75). A bullet aimed at the leg would have a downward angle, and would likely hit the ground before it got anywhere close to him. But even if the projectile had been faster, it wouldn't have mattered. Gino's perception was above that of a normal human, but still not enough to properly track Jack, and no matter how steadily he held his weapon, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't keep track of the target (25 WIS vs 75 DEX). If he'd aimed for the center mass, then he could have plausibly hit, since from Gino's point of view that part of Jack wasn't moving so much- but his decision to target the legs, the part of Jack's body that was moving the fastest, made hitting his target pretty damn difficult. Even if the projectile were somehow able to catch up with him, it was far more likely to miss or merely graze him that actually hit anything.
These, however, weren't Gino's only problems. Another big one was Kevin. Kevin had gotten up (from more or less on top of Gino) and charged straight after Jack. Gino, meanwhile, had recovered, stood up, and fired- without taking a single step. Jack had been moving straight away from them, Kevin had gone after him, and Gino had shot a bullet after the two of them without re-positioning himself- meaning that Kevin was more or less directly between the bullet and Jack, and unlike the latter could not outrun the projectile. Gino would likely get his hit, but it wouldn't be on the intended target.
The two had shown some admirable bravery in fighting back, and trying to strike down their assailant. However, they'd failed to put the necessary thought into their attacks to make them effective. In fact, Jack had already been fully prepared for a counterattack, and had solved the problem before it even became one. He wasn't all that tough in a physical fight, but his greatest asset was his speed- and by immediately moving on after striking, he'd preemptively defended against a counterattack. His speed had proven enough of a wall to protect him (for now), which meant that he'd get to Siobhan before the two boys could attack again- if Gino's actions hadn't turned them on each other by that time.
That left a third threat, one who had not moved against Jack, but was waiting for him, her eyes filled with steel and cunning. The girl was prepared for the inevitable assault, probably ready to intercept or evade the initial blow and then brutally punish him for it. The thought made him smile. Not an easy target, but an interesting one.
His high-speed approach meant that he had to move as he closed in. This required careful timing on Jack's part, but it also meant that the speed of his moving limbs would be added to the speed of his approach, which would make his first strike hard to react to and very hard to catch, especially if he had the edge in speed (and Jack had yet to meet anyone faster than him).
As he came in, one arm broke from the its current pattern of swinging in front of him as he ran (his arm motions as he closed the distance were similar to those of an ordinary runner). His left hand curled into a fist and drew slightly back- as if about to strike. His speed made him hard to keep track of, and this was an attempt at compounding this. The initial movement, which was fast in itself, would draw attention. Perhaps his opponent was canny enough to realize it was a feint, but even if she did, she'd still have to look at it to realize that- thus distracting her, if only for a critical instant, from the real attack that was coming at the same time.
Unlike the feint, Jack's strike wouldn't be evident at all. This was because on the surface, it was a swing of his right arm diagonally forwards and upwards, the exact same motion he'd been making while running. His previous actions had been very direct, and implied overconfidence: attacking two others with a straight elbow smash, before moving on without finishing them off and running head-on at her, all of which would make her think he was either stupid, relying solely on his speed, or both. The more she thought of him this way, the less likely she was to see through the feint and realize what was happening before it was too late.
Though even if he had been more obvious about it, it was doubtful she'd defend on time.
Jack's right arm came up, in its regular swinging motion- and his grip on his tonfa shifted, as he swung it around, snapping it from one position to another. Where it had previously laid against his forearm, he now spun it a full hundred and eighty degrees, so that the butt end (long end) of the thing pointed straight outwards, in the same direction as his fist. At the same time, his arm continued its swing past where it normally would- and snapped out, striking fast as a snake, thrusting suddenly forwards even as the weapon completed its rapid swing into position.
Though misdirection had played a part, his true weapon here was timing. By changing the position of the tonfa, he'd suddenly granted himself a great deal of extra reach- which mean that he could make his attack before coming into punching range. Not only did this guarantee that he could strike first, before he got close enough for Siobhan to attack, it also meant that his move would likely come an instant before she expected it- if she even expected it at all.
And all trickery aside, there was the matter of speed. Not only did Jack have the combination of his arm moving and the speed of his approach, he was now adding a third component to the mix: the speed of the tonfa swinging outwards. Being fast was what he was good at, and here, he'd maximized his advantage.
The goal of all this? Jack's arm would swing up, extend outwards, with the tonfa's butt end now extending beyond his fist, to drive its tip with all his considerable momentum, and all the force he could muster, straight into Siobhan's throat.
His mind was racing, already trying to figure out the next steps. Would his strike truly hit home? If it did, would the force be enough to knock Siobhan over? Regardless of what happened, any contact her would slow him down- but would Kevin use the opportunity to try and catch up? Or would be be engaged with Gino? Jack's next actions would defend very much on how the next few moments played out...
Hence his attempt to deal with them all at once. In the short term, it stacked the odds against him, but in the slightly-less-short term, it increased his chances of getting the jump on Hex or Ira while they were still occupied. A calculated move, albeit a possibly stupid one.
But it would only be stupid if he lost.
The optimal situation for Jack would have been if he took down one of the two boys on the first hit, but he'd known that wasn't a guarantee. He didn't know much about either of them or their skills, and the noises behind him confirmed that both were making an attempt at retaliation. A pursuit on foot was obvious enough, and while he hadn't expected a freaking gun, Ira's performance and prior experience had taught him that kids around here brought ranged attacks to the table. They weren't really doing anything he hadn't anticipated, and he was ready to respond- but luckily for him, he didn't even need to.
Attacking the boys had delayed them as Jack rushed off, and as a result he'd gotten a nice head start on his pursuer. Even if Kevin had been around the same speed as Jack, the latter would have reached Siobhan before the former caught up with him. As it was, Jack was more than twice as fast as Kevin (DEX 75 vs 33), and heard no sign of the boy catching up behind him- indeed, even once he'd found his feet and started sprinting, Kevin would still be losing ground. He'd likely be able to close in quickly if and when Jack slowed down, but that wasn't an immediate threat.
As for the gunshot, there was little Jack could do about that except keep running and hope it missed. He didn't have his attention on Kevin (because Kevin was nowhere near him yet), but he hadn't been looking back at Gino either, which meant by the time he heard the gunshot, it was too late, right?
Except it wasn't. Being able to manifest a gun was a useful ability, but the speed of the bullets left something to be desired. Jack didn't make any attempt at dodging the bullet, but he didn't need to, because he could simply outrun it (bullet speed = 100%Gino INT = 55. Jack sprint speed = Jack DEX = 75). A bullet aimed at the leg would have a downward angle, and would likely hit the ground before it got anywhere close to him. But even if the projectile had been faster, it wouldn't have mattered. Gino's perception was above that of a normal human, but still not enough to properly track Jack, and no matter how steadily he held his weapon, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't keep track of the target (25 WIS vs 75 DEX). If he'd aimed for the center mass, then he could have plausibly hit, since from Gino's point of view that part of Jack wasn't moving so much- but his decision to target the legs, the part of Jack's body that was moving the fastest, made hitting his target pretty damn difficult. Even if the projectile were somehow able to catch up with him, it was far more likely to miss or merely graze him that actually hit anything.
These, however, weren't Gino's only problems. Another big one was Kevin. Kevin had gotten up (from more or less on top of Gino) and charged straight after Jack. Gino, meanwhile, had recovered, stood up, and fired- without taking a single step. Jack had been moving straight away from them, Kevin had gone after him, and Gino had shot a bullet after the two of them without re-positioning himself- meaning that Kevin was more or less directly between the bullet and Jack, and unlike the latter could not outrun the projectile. Gino would likely get his hit, but it wouldn't be on the intended target.
The two had shown some admirable bravery in fighting back, and trying to strike down their assailant. However, they'd failed to put the necessary thought into their attacks to make them effective. In fact, Jack had already been fully prepared for a counterattack, and had solved the problem before it even became one. He wasn't all that tough in a physical fight, but his greatest asset was his speed- and by immediately moving on after striking, he'd preemptively defended against a counterattack. His speed had proven enough of a wall to protect him (for now), which meant that he'd get to Siobhan before the two boys could attack again- if Gino's actions hadn't turned them on each other by that time.
That left a third threat, one who had not moved against Jack, but was waiting for him, her eyes filled with steel and cunning. The girl was prepared for the inevitable assault, probably ready to intercept or evade the initial blow and then brutally punish him for it. The thought made him smile. Not an easy target, but an interesting one.
His high-speed approach meant that he had to move as he closed in. This required careful timing on Jack's part, but it also meant that the speed of his moving limbs would be added to the speed of his approach, which would make his first strike hard to react to and very hard to catch, especially if he had the edge in speed (and Jack had yet to meet anyone faster than him).
As he came in, one arm broke from the its current pattern of swinging in front of him as he ran (his arm motions as he closed the distance were similar to those of an ordinary runner). His left hand curled into a fist and drew slightly back- as if about to strike. His speed made him hard to keep track of, and this was an attempt at compounding this. The initial movement, which was fast in itself, would draw attention. Perhaps his opponent was canny enough to realize it was a feint, but even if she did, she'd still have to look at it to realize that- thus distracting her, if only for a critical instant, from the real attack that was coming at the same time.
Unlike the feint, Jack's strike wouldn't be evident at all. This was because on the surface, it was a swing of his right arm diagonally forwards and upwards, the exact same motion he'd been making while running. His previous actions had been very direct, and implied overconfidence: attacking two others with a straight elbow smash, before moving on without finishing them off and running head-on at her, all of which would make her think he was either stupid, relying solely on his speed, or both. The more she thought of him this way, the less likely she was to see through the feint and realize what was happening before it was too late.
Though even if he had been more obvious about it, it was doubtful she'd defend on time.
Jack's right arm came up, in its regular swinging motion- and his grip on his tonfa shifted, as he swung it around, snapping it from one position to another. Where it had previously laid against his forearm, he now spun it a full hundred and eighty degrees, so that the butt end (long end) of the thing pointed straight outwards, in the same direction as his fist. At the same time, his arm continued its swing past where it normally would- and snapped out, striking fast as a snake, thrusting suddenly forwards even as the weapon completed its rapid swing into position.
Though misdirection had played a part, his true weapon here was timing. By changing the position of the tonfa, he'd suddenly granted himself a great deal of extra reach- which mean that he could make his attack before coming into punching range. Not only did this guarantee that he could strike first, before he got close enough for Siobhan to attack, it also meant that his move would likely come an instant before she expected it- if she even expected it at all.
And all trickery aside, there was the matter of speed. Not only did Jack have the combination of his arm moving and the speed of his approach, he was now adding a third component to the mix: the speed of the tonfa swinging outwards. Being fast was what he was good at, and here, he'd maximized his advantage.
The goal of all this? Jack's arm would swing up, extend outwards, with the tonfa's butt end now extending beyond his fist, to drive its tip with all his considerable momentum, and all the force he could muster, straight into Siobhan's throat.
His mind was racing, already trying to figure out the next steps. Would his strike truly hit home? If it did, would the force be enough to knock Siobhan over? Regardless of what happened, any contact her would slow him down- but would Kevin use the opportunity to try and catch up? Or would be be engaged with Gino? Jack's next actions would defend very much on how the next few moments played out...