Session Start: Fri Jul 28 21:46:20 2006 Session Ident: #lunar-iog2 * Logging #lunar-iog2 to 'logs\#lunar-iog2.log' * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 20A: Nuclear Winter | Location: New Raculi to Bluetooth Trail | Pools: 2187 §, 15 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/' == SESSION START == It's mid afternoon as the Destiny land cruiser XL plods across the plains north of New Raculi. A chill air begins to set in as you leave sight of the town, a destination in mind. The supplies youw ere given for the journey are sealed in crates bearing the V for Vulcannon Labs on the boxes, and stamped with numerous serial numbers and even instruction manuals... * Rune (~kazyr@71.105.72.239) has joined #lunar-iog2 * ChanServ sets mode: +o Rune « yay, just in time! » <> * Rune is now known as Angharad There is plenty f radiation suits for the crew of heroes. Each is made of very thin silver mesh filaments, and coated with a special radiation resisting compound trademarked by the Labs. They are very flexible and don't impair your actions much at all. Obviously as a warning, they have a maximum guaranteed protection life cycle of 24 hours once removed from the packing and exposed. * Saki remains all but motionless, hunkered down on her seat; being inside the Destiny for once seems to rankle a little, but she's whiling away the time either dozing or meditating; something involving large amounts of convalesence, at least. * Vytor sits quietly in his seat, looking troubled In the goodie bag is also a couple of two way radios, likely connected to a headset Sonyele is wearing back at the town, as well as able to transmit to each other if the group should have to split up. * Angie stares out the window, her mind far away. * Mikel flips through one of the manuals, humming a tune to himself as he takes it all in. * Tanan is brooding in his seat, staring straight out the windshield with a slight scowl on his face. So, assuming we actually find the source of this stuff, can we do anything about it? A sign on the roadway whizzes by. "Danger - Unsafe past this point". As it does so the land begins to get decidedly more ..artic looking. * Tanan looks up. "It all depends on what the source is, I guess. Whatever it is, it can't just be some radioactive rock in a stream." * Angharad watches the scenery pass by the window, noting the change in terrain and climate. Leah is looking out the window, hugging Shiro, who looks happy, but a bit confused why everyone in such shiny clothing. * Angie blows on the window, making a patch of fog. She streaks the fog with a finger. That'd cause the problems maybe, but it wouldn't kill off everyone that came to look around. There almost has to be someone, or thing, involved. * Saki opens one eye all of a sudden to regard the change in landscape through the near window. A moment's pause then without a word she's sitting up and efficiently checking her stuff. * Mikel glances over at Vytor, putting the manual down. "I would hope so. If it isn't something we can deal with, maybe the doc will have an idea once we know what it is." One of the radios buzzes and crackles. Well, if we can't then we'd best turn tail and run back to town. Evacuations might be in order * Angie sees the sign roll past. "That's it," she says, "Let's suit up." [Dr. Sonyele] Bluetooth team.. do you read? Nope. Illiterate. ...sorry * Tanan coughs Who's got the talkie walker? * Mikel lets out a groan, picking up the radio. "Loud and clear, Doctor. What's up?" [Dr. Sonyele] *bzzzt* Just checking in. You should be crossing into the valley outskirts about now, so make sure you've got your gear ready. I'll 8fzzt* be on the other end to analyze your findings and see if we can get this fixed. * Saki shoots an unpleasant look at the suits, but gets geared up in silence. * Angharad looks at a packaged radiation suit and contemplates getting herself stuffed in one of those. * Vytor buttons up the last few pieces of his suit, "I kind of like it in here. Its private." * Tanan also starts suiting up. "Clock's on, guys. Let's try and get in and out before these things are on the verge of failing if we can." * Mikel chuckles at Saki's look, nodding. "Alright. Thanks, Doctor." He grabs one of the suits as well, chuckling. "I thought you guys were all about suicide missions?" * Angie snaps out of her reverie quickly (if not gracefully) tugging on the suit. She pulls the helmet on and fastens it down, then blows on the visor as she had with the window, fogging it up. Adventure, yes. Suicide, no * Saki speaks at last, voice calm and level. "They never start out that way, though." Closing up her suit, she grimaces again, shifting experimentally. "... I don't like it much. It's too strange to move right in." * Angharad sighs and yanks out a radiation suit out of its packaging. The suit is large enough it turns out, but uncomfortable for a person with a tail, for which the suit's design doesn't allow enough room. You OK there Angharad? You look like someone just gave you a wedgie and won't let go * Angharad grimaces. "I'll manage. It's just kinda uncomfortable. I don't think I can sit right..." * Tanan frowns. "Really doesn't look like they had you in mind when they made these things." No... * Angie splays her fingers, examining the silvery gloves through the visor. "I feel like a space monster," she observes. * Mikel pokes at the visor some as he finishes tugging on the suit. "I don't think they were expecting to have to when they made 'em." AS you continue on the trail fades almost to nothing under a cover of recently fallen snow. Let's hope this is quick, for all our sakes At least it's big enough though. I just hope I can get this headpiece on. These things stretch a bit. It might be uncomfortable, but you still might be able to fit The little colored guages on the chests of the suits rise from green to yellow area. * Mia_Ausa (~Mia_Ausa@pool-71-126-59-97.bstnma.east.verizon.net) has joined #lunar-iog2 Stay sharp folks, the rads are on the rise * Angharad pulls on the covering, which barely manages to fit correctly over head and form a seal with the rest of the outfit. The shape is rather distorted though... I guess this will have to do. * Angie tries to look down at the gauges on her chest, but the helmet doesn't move with her head. She pushes it down with one hand until she can see through the visor. "This isn't very practical." * Vytor looks out the windows, hoping to spot something out of the ordinary * Mikel shifts in the outfit some, grabbing the radio and his staff. "I... doubt they had practical in mind, just protection." * Saki keeps watch out of the side window, frowning just slightly and staring off at the middle distance. You almost have to look at someone else's chest to see what the readings are. I wonder if they think about these things Everyone sounds like they're talking through a speaking tube. Looking out you can see the snow lightly falling a bit, the skies noticeably grey with clouds. The land begins to subside gradually, and you are rolling into an area of frozen small lakes, beyond which a valley with high walls on either side rises. That's the valley itself over there. So why do they call this place Bluetooth? I don't see any blue teeth or anything that looks like blue teeth out there. When this place was first mapped, the team found a section that looked like a field of icicles, pointed upwards from the snow. All the ice was a deep blue. Hence the name. * Mikel tries to return to reading the manual, though he struggles with it for a bit in the suit. "Thaaat explains it, then." Icicles pointing upwards in the snow? That's an odd thing to see. Agreed. No one had an explanation for it Some of the lakes look very oddly shaped and shallow, like they were formed only recently from snowmelt. Here and there you can pick out what looks like geysers. But what's producing them seems rather.. metallic? * Angie raps the helmet against the window in her efforts to peer at the scenery. "It looks like it was scooped out with a big spoon," she says, gawking at the enormous cliffside. The radiation scale ticks up another notch. This whole area is just plain weird. No one likes to come here. * Angie points at the sparkling geyser. "What's that?" she asks, looking at Vytor. * Tanan looks up. "Does anyone know how sturdy these suits are?" * Mikel glances up, peering for a couple moments. "Doesn't look very welcoming, even without factoring in the radiation." We're not totally sure what those are. * Saki frowns at the nearest lake with a raised eyebrow. "Should we take a look?" Past efforts have steered clear of them. Obviously...wait. Some of the areas are littered with upward pointing icicle formations... Bluetooth indeed. They seem to be arranged in logical patterns, as if they were part of a man-made system and not a natural random formation. * Vytor presses his face up against the window * Angie follows Vytor's lead, craning to see. Unfortunately they're on opposite sides of the Destiny, so she ends up leaning over whoever is sitting beside her. Do you see that? Way over there to the right? Near one of the mouths of icicles is a pure silver gleam. * Mikel frowns. "You mean that shining bit?" Yeah that. It stands out amongst the field, reflecting the light better than any snowdrift or icepack. Its alomst... No way o_o "...er, what?" What? No way! That way! Go that way! I have to check something! [Leah] What is it Vytor? * Saki looks up, paying a little more attention now. She looks thoroughly out of place in the suit. What? Turn the vehicle! Please! * Angie squints at the shimmering light. "There's definitely something there." * Mikel nods, spinning the wheel around as he puts the Destiny through a nice sharp turn towards the shine. "So what's all this about, Vytor?" I think I know what that I, but I have to get closer to make sure. <> The six wheeled all terrain vehicle hangs a turn, kicking up some loose snow, and heads for the point of interest. The gleam begins to lose some glare as it appears to be some kind of pure silver marker or obelisk. * Vytor waits for the vehicle to come to a stop, then jumps out and runs towards the silvery object * Mikel blinks, bringing the vehicle to a stop as he stares. "...what the hell is /that/?" * Saki leaps out after Vytor as she quickly tugs her knuckledusters over the silver film of the suit, partially genuinely curious and partially trying to keep track of where everyone is. * Vytor stops a few steps from the object and looks at it, a curious look on his face. * Angharad slowly gets out of the vehicle and looks at what's caught Vytor's attention. It's surrounded by an icicle field, a few of them venting steam at regular intervals. Not far away, one orderly mouth of "teeth" has caved in and some strange colored gases are being emitted.... As Vytor investigates, the group noticed the suits have jumped to red. This is a very "hot" area for radiation emissions. * Angie is the last one out, lugging her case of instruments. She sets the small case on top of the car and bends down to heft the larger one. She pulls it out the door and drops it into the snow, then flips the top up and pulls out two long rods, one red and one blue, joined by a black cord. * Mikel climbs out after a bit, keeping near the Destiny. Though the meter jump doesn't slip his notice. "...I wonder how long the suits can withstand something like that." (The object itself is a simple silvery trapezoid, taller than it is wide. The sheen remains, but its edges are quite worn. Still legible, are the words "Cyrano and Ea Dunbar. Explorers to the end, together they embark into the patient dark, to find what's there.") * Angie takes one rod in either hand, holding them out in front of her like divining sticks, and trudges over to the artifact. * Saki actually slows to a stop some distance away from Vytor, apparently giving him some space; after a moment's recognition, she's turned to Angie to offer a hand with heavy lifting, leaving Vytor to his business for now. We don't want to stay here long I don't think. I made this. Years ago. I forgot is was here. "...you were here before?" No, I was too young at the time. But this gravestone was brought here. * Angie notes the radiation gauge on Mikel's suit and looks down at her own. "It's really radioactive here," she says, stepping closer with the rods. "Also, I'm picking up some electrical energy." * Angharad cautiously approaches the mouth of teeth. "Could the radiation be coming from in there?" Electrical energy? Here? Maybe, that's how my folks died. They stumbled into a patch of radiation that killed them almost instantly. But this was as closest the gravestone could be placed to where they died. * Mikel starts to make his way over, canting his head to the side. He begins to say something, though quickly shuts up as Vytor mentions his parents. The unstable and collapsed ports of exhaust leave much of that question moot, as they exhale an irredescent blue fume. Coincidence? * Saki frowns, and picks her way carefully over to the mouth. With a brief glance Vytor's direction, she nods. "... I don't wish to be rude, but we're on the clock, especially around here. ... I don't believe in coincidence. Let's go." * Vytor shakes his head, "Right, sorry. Let's get moving." * Tanan (~Nehn@24.239.126.40) Quit (Quit: ) * Angharad walks back over to the group. To Vytor she says, "I'm sorry for your loss." * Angie turns around, then back again, looking longingly at the geyser. "But...there's..." She lets her arms slump to her side. "There's something here." * Vytor throws a weak smile at Angharad, "It was a long time ago. I was 12 when it happened. Its was just shock to end up here like this." * Mikel nods, lifting the radio up. "Hey, Doctor? We think we might have found something. Lots of radiation and Angie says there's some electricity around here." He looks up at Angie. "Something here? Like what?" A bit of the ice under Angie's feet groans and cracks. * Vytor freezes at the sound * Saki pauses mid-step. "... sorry to rush you," and she really sounds like she means it, pausing before continuing in Angie's direction. "... let's try to --" * Angie lifts a finger as if about to launch into an informative explanation. Then the ground cracks, and she yelps and jumps aside. * Angharad steps away from Angie and the cracked ground. Angie! * Mikel stops dead except for a turn towards Angie and the cracking noise. a very large fissure develops right next to where she was standing, joining up with the other breeches in the ice. Some gas escapes with a rather explosive puff. Thank goodness you weren't on top of that. Back away! Is the entire area around here unstable? It might be. If something's coming up from the ground, the ice might only be covering it. We can't be sure how safe it is. * Saki is instantly watching the ground at Angie's feet like a hawk; her body is coiled and ready to spring. When the gas vents, she's away almost immediately; a moment to compose herself, then she's eying the surrounding area grimly. "... that settles it. Before we investigate any more, we need to stop this." We'd best get some rope, just in case. * Angharad ruminates for a moment. "I don't suppose we have anything in our bag of equipment that will test for ground stability." * Angie skitters away as quickly as her feet will take her, moving with quite a bit less care than the others. She doesn't stop until she's almost back to the Destiny, at which point she cautiously pokes the red rod in the direction of the fissure. "This might have been a lake originally. That's a vent for steam or something -- whatever is causing the radiation might have been an underwater facility, like Neptune's." [Dr. Sonyele] Mikel, what was that? I couldn't read you. I heard some cracking noises. Are you alright? * Tanan (~Nehn@24.239.126.40) has joined #lunar-iog2 * ChanServ sets mode: +o Tanan * Mikel taps his staff on the ice around him, frowning. "Best we can do is poke at the ground ahead, I think." He glances at Angie, about to respond before the radio starts. He holds it up, beginning to reply. "A bit of an issue with stability, Doctor. Everyone's fine. I think we might have found the source, though nothing's certain yet." * Vytor goes back to the estiny, and starts rummaging for rops, and lots of it [Dr. Sonyele] I have some hunches that it's an old tech system up there causing some form of pollution. have you seen discolored water or gas anywhere? * Saki cracks her knuckles - an impressive feat given the double layers of gloves she's wearing - and hefts a goodly amount of rope over one shoulder, lugging it over to the group and the fissure. "Plenty of gas, if there's water its probably frozen up in the cold." He peers at the ground, trying to see if it is discoloured as well. * Vytor returns to the party with yet more rope lugged over his shoulder A frozen over lab or something? It wouldn't really surprise me. Something has to be making that do that. Generally fissures don't just... yeah. The only discoloration is the very sharp blue all the icicles seem to exhibit. Some foreign compound is locked inside them. Radiation like this doesn't occur naturally. At least I'm pretty sure it doesn't. I've heard it's like this the whole way across the continent. Well, not like THIS. But radioactive * Saki sounds almost relieved to have a goal to shoot for; she's grinning as she approaches the mouth down and looks for a suitably sturdy anchor for the rope. "Let's get to it, then." There is also a discoloration in the cie the fissure cracked open to partially reveal a black piece of some material * Angie clambers up into the bed of the car, casting many a nervous glance over her shoulder. Once her feet are on solid metal she leans forward, trying to get a good look through the mist. "We can't go in that way, though, right? Because of the hot." * Angharad nods to Saki. "I agree." * Vytor ties one end of his rope to the winch of the Destiny, hoping its far back enough to act as an anchor * Mikel glances at the fissure, frowning before he begins poking at the ice with his staff,t rying to get a better look at the black. "What'd we have here?" We've got time left on our suits. And they're not yet to the far end of the redline. We have some time, so we'd best not waste it * Angie kneels down with her hands on the edge of the truck bed. She seems content to let the others do the exploration for now. * Vytor finishes tying off his end of the rope, and starts working slowly towards the cracks in the ground * Tanan inches his way forward, trying to get a look without getting too close * Saki does the same with her rope; she's no knotsman but makes up for the lack of quality knots with quantity, brute force, and ignorance. Try to stay spread out if you can. We don't want to stress one particular area overmuch It's frozen and stuck in the ice, but it appears to be a blanket. The only other odd thing about it is a strange marking on it. Mikel can't quite understand what it represents, as it appears to be in some kind of coded script or sigil. Is that a piece of cloth or something? * Saki manages to drag her rope around a number of the icicles in the region, giving it sufficiently wide berth from Vytor's line to allow for both to be used. Is that something else that was left behind with the grave marker? * Vytor starts trying to inch around to the left of the cracked area, noting that Saki is going to the right Near the sigil is a symbol of a toothed gear with three spokes sporting double helix patterns and crossed wrenches behind it all. Obviously the heraldry of an organization. Maybe. It was 8 years ago, so I couldn't say what was left behind. * Angie crouches down until only the top half of her face is visible through the visor of the helmet. "Your knots suck," she murmurs. * Tanan carefully moves closer. "I donno. I've never seen anything like that picture before, I don't think..." Never seen anything like what? * Mikel frowns, crouching a bit to get a better look before thumbing the radio again. "Hey, Doctor? Do you have any idea to what a toothed gear with three sporks..." He goes on to describe the symbol, followed by the sigil over the radio to Sonyele. There's a little symbol on this thing. pretty involved. * Saki is far enough away to be in blissful ignorance regarding the hideous state of her scoutmastery; instead she's slowly picking her way around the mouth, attempting to find a good vantage point to head deeper in. Describe it. I can't see it from here. [Dr. Sonyele] No, I don't know what that is. But I have seen it before on artifacts recovered from Bluetooth. Symbol's a gear with wrenches crossed behind it. Three spokes, look like they're... what's that twisty stuff they say's in us? DMA or somesuch? There's something written here... * Tanan tilts his head, frowning. "Looks like... hrm." * Mikel mutters a curse, nodding. "Thanks, Doctor." He lowers the radio, frowning as he tries to get more ice out of the way. "Well, something is definitetly here, then, unless this just got randomly left." * Tanan leans in, squinting. "It's in an old script... I think it says.. '6-12'." no, there's definitely something here. There's tons of energy right below us. I think. 6-12? Are you certain? Looks to be, but I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure, though. * Vytor resumes his inching, but now has a troubled look on his face Does that mean anything to you? Maybe, I don't like all these coincidences, that's all. My birthday is June 12th. Leah looks puzzled. Meanwhile Shiro is sniffing the vents. >.> * Mikel frowns, straightening. "...really? Huh." He looks around, stopping as he spots Shiro. "...is that safe for him to do?" Really? That's odd. I can't imagine th-... maybe it's just a coincidence? [Leah] Oh, uh, I think so.. Ice Mogrels have lived up in these parts for generations. * Tanan doesn't sound very confident in that statement Anyone got a good look down there yet? It seems like this place is calling you, Vytor. Shiro starts barking at something in the snow, then digging at it. I know, and its starting to creep me out a little. * Tanan nods to Leah. "This is his natural habitat, he's probably safer than any of u-.. what's he found?" * Mikel nods towards Leah, blinking as Shiro starts to bark. "Let's go take a look." With that he carefully tromps over to where Shiro's digging. * Saki mutters again under her breath, half in a world of her own; "... not coincidences." She's all but leaning over the mouth now, starting a descent. Careful Shiro digs up what appears to be a latch...? There's some writing on a plate underneath it "Maintenance Access - Sector 17" * Tanan reaches down to scratch Shiro behind the ears. "Nice work, little guy. Looks like that settles it, definitely something down here. And looks like we might have a way in" "...Daaamn, not bad Shiro." [Shiro] Warf! :D « er arf » * Mikel glances over at the others, raising his voice a bit. "Looks like Shiro's found a way down!" Oh? Nice work. * Saki blinks up, deadpanning from a decent distance abseiled down the slope. "... how considerate." So we're not climbing down the ropes? Saki also seems to have found a way in. the roof she stands on shakes, but it affords a slope gradually downwards into a tunnel. * Vytor starts inching towards the access tunnel * Mikel crouches, trying to clear away more of the snow and ice to get the supposed hatch completely uncovered. * Saki huffs out a breath and makes absent-mindedly to drag one hand through her hair, making a face at the ensuing 'clonk'. "I can go back up or further down." * Angie 's curiosity finally defeats her enlightened self-interest. She slings one leg over the side, then the other, awkwardly dropping to the ground and clambering across the ice toward the hatch. I suppose this might lead to the source of the radiation. It's not a very hard task. The loosely packed flakes clear away easily. The door is wide enough for a single person to enter, the latch being a little frozen stuck, but usable with a good tug. * Angie leans over to peer down into the darkness. "I'll let someone else go in first, what with all the danger and all." * Mikel shrugs, looking over at Saki. "Up to you, I suppose, Splitting up is typically bad though." With that, he tries to yank the hatch open. CREEEEEK goes the hinges and it lands on the other side with a thump. * Angharad winces at the sound. "...that probably woke everything that might be in there up." * Saki breathes out a sigh that fogs the glass on her helmet, and starts to trudge her way carefully back up the slope to rejoin the others. Behind her, she leaves the rope trailing into the pit in case it's needed later. I imagine the ceiling caving in did that already "True 'nough. Who's first into the breach?" ... * Tanan sighs, checks his shield, and steps toward the opening * Vytor shrugs, and follows Tanan down * Angie gives tanan a claim ticket for his shield. [Leah] How brave! ;) * Mikel chuckles, following the two brave souls down. *grimly* There's a fine line between being a hero and being a memory. * Angharad takes a deep breath, which still feels stifling to her because of the suit, before she follows everyone down. I'm not really interested in either. * Tanan grins. "My goals are old and tenured." * Saki follows down after the others, taking each step carefully and silently. * Angie is the last one to descend. She spares a last lingering look at the open sky before vanishing into the darkness. * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 20A: Nuclear Winter | Location: Lazarus Pit - Reactor Section | Pools: 2187 §, 15 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/' Crab man! :D Descending into the tunnel, you find a few sputtering lights and the sounds of machinery and water flowing through pipes. Pipes that have their terminus in the surface above. << ... >> «ooc: WTF wrong window! ;) It's the Amyaway monster, run! » « heehee » << Wrong channel ;_; I suck >> * Vytor takes all the sights in warily, as he unties the rope from around his waist There is a junction not far up ahead and the walkway here is very cramped. Access tunnel indeed, for some sort of ancient workers. * Angie brushes casually against a hot pipe, burning away the snow and ice on the outside of her suit with a hiss. She pulls away with a jerk and hugs her arms close to her chest so that she takes up as little space as possible. * Tanan shuffles along. "I hope this opens up soon, it's a little tight in here" * Mikel is careful not to accidently smack his staff against any of the pipes and such, frowning. "Explains the gas, at least?" There also is a little bit of the hazy blue gas wafting through the air here, which warms up nicely the further inside you go. * Angharad looks down at the meter on her chest to see if there's any difference down here compared to above. Off somewhere in the maze of machinery a clanking hammer sounds out rythmically. Something's still operating down here. I;d know that sound anywhere. * Saki hangs back a little, allowing Angie space to move in front of her before following along as rear guard. * Mikel nods towards Vytor, glancing about. "Towards there then, it seems." * Vytor starts moving towards the sound * Angie shivers, not entirely from the cold, as she moves through the dark maze. She watches the long shadows grow and shift as the party passes by emergency lights. "This is super mega creepy," she murmurs. The sound is coming from the left junction. As you hang that direction, you notice red lights going off in a flashing pattern, fortunately not accompanied by a loud klaxxon. It feels odd being in a place like this and not expecting an elementalor at the bottom... * Saki grunts in some form of mild assent. "... I think it's the time limit. ... but at least I can think straight in here." Maybe there is one? Just one we don't know about? "Speaking of which, how much longer do we have?" The suits last 24 hours. We're nowhere near the limit * Saki shakes her head; the shifting clonks the bulk of the helmet against an overhead pipe that fortunately doesn't seem to be running. It's a long moment before she speaks. "... there's... definitely no Elementalor. I'd know if there were. But... mn. There's something." here is another three way junction. you can go right, left or straight ahead. The hammering is coming from up through the center, and is now accompanied by a sizzling sound of welding. * Angie pats at her chest and scowls. "My gun's in my coat," she mumbles, embarrassed. To your right there is a hissing sound of escaping steam in a high volume. To your left, there's watery noises. Seems like any of these directions could be promising. Does anyone have a preference? That's weilding, something's down here. * Vytor points in the direction of the sound, "That ay." * Mikel taps a foot, frowning as he nods. "Alright then." * Huwnap is now known as Huw * Saki frowns, and offers the slightest of nods Angie's direction. "... if you need to, get safe. I'll cover you." But we miss all the good loot if we go right to the noise and don't explore all the side paths compulsively! <<...kill that. Sorry. ;)>> * Angie looks back at Saki. Her face is invisible in the shadows of the helmet, but as the red light sweeps by, it exposes a soft smile on her face. She says nothing. «ooc: go left! Always go left! » Clank clank, sizzle sizzle, spark spark. The sounds of working get clearer. There are 5 distinct tools at work. There's more than one worker down this way. I can't tell how many though. "We'll find out soon enough." Does anyone have any idea what could be working down here when we need such protective garments? Some sort of machine, maybe? Well, either whatever's working has protection, or isn't bothered with radiation Some of the things from before the war have lasted a really long time. Very well built, I guess It might be the machines themselves doing it. Our suits only last a day. They would need better protection than us. * Saki stops mid-step for a moment, looking pained. "... ... anyone else just imagine a cadre of Dr. Webblies?" She continues on. In a hurry. And looking ready to smash things. We'll find out soon I guess. * Mikel raises an eyebrow, a bit confused by the Webblies comment. "...shoudl I ask?" No << should* >> [Dr. Sonyele] Mikel, your signal is getting weak... where are you.. right now? It's complicated. Maybe when we're not in a hurry we can explain * Mikel stops, holding up the radio as he replies. "We found some sort of structure under the ice, Doctor. There's something still working inside, not to mention it looks to be the source of the trouble." [Dr. Sonyele] Fascinating. Be careful of defenses, though, if things are still functional. * Vytor keeps moving forward, his ears straining to hear what these workers are doing [Dr. Sonyele] And look for that leak... "Copy that. I guess we'll be out of contact in a bit, so expect a call when we finish." * Mikel starts to move on, frowning. Another junction passes by and soon you make out a humanoid in a yellow suit far away. Sparks of lioght fly out from a pipe he is apparently welding together. * Vytor freezes There is also the sounds of hammer, and bending of metal as well. Steam is flowing into here from somewhere and a pool of blue tainted water is leaking onto the floor and from the cieling. (w) There's someone else in here! * Mikel stops behind Vytor, peering past the big man. A hose dangles from a few pipes in the cieling as another yellow suited person? goes back, stringing it along and diverting some of the sludge to a drain. * Vytor watches the workers, concentrating on their activities (w) That's... odd. Very odd. * Saki frowns, watching the movement of the people closely; she begins to approach the front line of the group, just in case. A third entirely identical worker is hammering a replacement fitting, and a fourth is crimping them to size specifications to replace a damaged section. Its looks like they're fixing something. A fifth is standing there, observing the other four presumably, and writing something down. Do you think they're people? I can't smell anything in this suit. Its hard to tell with those suits they're wearing. (w) We could go up and ask if you really want. Do you think they're trying to fix the radiation leak? I... don't know. They're repair workers of some kind, but I can't imagine they're... * Angie unthinkingly reaches for her gun again. She flexes her fingers to fight the urge. "They're people-shaped," she whispers. Leah just looks on with wide eyes "People.. but how?" Obviously ther're wearing those heavy suits. They must be for safety reasons. Its got to be because of all the radiation around here. Their suits seem a lot like your own, but obviously are of entirely different make. Tool bels dangle from their wasits, and they all bear the insignias of that gear you saw eearlier. There are also sigils printed in flourescent color on their backs. (w) So what do we do now? They seem entirely oblivious to your presences, entirely focused on fixing the leak of coolant. Their suits much be better than ours if they stay here all the time. (w) Well, we could see if they are friendly, keep watching, or check out the other paths. * Saki shakes her head slowly. Her voice is hushed and measured even with the background noise. "... no ... don't think they're trying to fix the radiation. Think they're trying to fix the machine that's making the radiation." (w0 How do you figure that? * Angharad growls. "Then we should stop them." * Saki looks grim. "... something killed the other people. What else is around?" But we don't even know who they are. *A light blinks on inside her head.* It's a conspiracy! A what? The workers make some progress, repairing one section nd bolting a retaining ring into place with a locking collar. They move onto the next section, the last one and start removing it with the torch. (w) It looks to me like they're replacing and repairing something. * Tanan concentrates on the workers for a little bit, frowning. "6-2 on the back of the one watching... 5-131 and 5-... 888 are on the pipe there." (w) What does all that mean? (w) ...so that was another one we found in the ice? Looks like 5-44 has the welding thing and.. 5-.. come on, turn back a little..505 is cutting the stuff May Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eighth? ...I guess it's not a date. Designations, looks like. Worker numbers? And all the ones workering start with a 5, and the supervisor's a 6 (w) Sounds reasonable to me. * Saki shakes her head. "... so where are the other eight-hundred-and-eighty... three? ... we should just ask." The supervisor person pulls out a guage, taking some kind of reading of the waters still leaking out and the polluted air and then goes back to recoridng data. (w) Are you sure that's a godo idea? We don't know if these guys are hostile. I think we need more information on them. I doubt they came in the same way we did since the hatch was covered with snow. (w) Up to you all. I have no idea how they'll react. They almost have to have been here for a while. So there's another entrance.... or they've been underground for a very long time. Moments pass as they work, and do absolutely nothing to you. They seem almost robotic in their dedication. Session Time: Sat Jul 29 00:00:00 2006 There a small haking that rumbles through the corridors. er shaking (w) Now what? A little bit of pipe falls off the pipes on the wall and a new leak jets out nearby. * Angie presses her back to the wall and looks around nervously as if expecting the ceiling to come down any moment. * Angharad watches the workers to see if they address the leak. The workers just finish up the last one over there, then take note of the discrepancy and move right over to you in an effort to repair it... * Mikel frowns, just thinking... then he wide eyes and begins to step back. "Company." (w) They're coming this way o_O One of them bumps into Saki. * Tanan scoots out of the workers' path, watching them cautiously * Saki moves out of the way on instinct, then blinks, as she realises what just happened. Curiosity overtakes her and she peers at it for a few moments, before tapping it on the shoulder. The fellow pauses, then looks ahead with somewhat empty eyes from beyond the visor of his protective suit. he has brownsih hair and rough skin, and an emotionless expression. [Worker] ? (w) Crud o_o The supervisor turns around [Supervisor] *matter of factly* Secuirty breech. "Um. Crap." Aw man! Better fight. * Saki ... is about to form a response when she catches sight of the person's eyes; instantly she's staggered back two steps. "... n-... nothing alive has eyes ... like that." ..shit. The four workers suddenly take out their bunches of tools and look like they are ready to club you! * Angharad unslings her halberd. * Vytor leaps out at the workers, hoping to end the fight before they can call for help! >> COMBAT! * Angie punches the worker ineffectually, then jumps back a pace. >> Enemy Front: Servitor 5-131, 5-505, 5-808 >> Enemy Rear: Servitor 5-44, 6-2 >> Declaration Phase. Wait! Six two, we're not here to cause trouble, we're here to help fix whatever's gone wrong! It's causing trouble downstream, and... ugh." I don't think they're buying it The workers do not respond at all to your attempts at parlay. >> 131 and 505 rush to attack Saki! 808 rushes to drill Tanan! * Saki shakes her head frantically for the briefest of moments, trying to recompose herself. "... b-buying it? They're not even listening, they're just /empty/..." Even visibly shaken as she is, she's ploughing forward to the front, ready to guard. >> 5-44 fires up it's blowtorch to extreme levels. ^-2 begins to look through it's notes on attack procedures and what to do in an emergency [Leah] Oh boy, I was hoping they were friendly! Not a whole lot, looks like! Saki, what do you mean by 'empty'? pbat « er » >> Battle Phase. * Mikel taps his staff on the ground, narrowing his eyes. "Empty?" >> Saki's action. Are they puppets then? No souls? * Saki ignores the questions to ground herself to a halt in front of Angie and Mikel. Given her statements up 'til now, the growl of "You're not getting past me." seems to mostly be for her benefit as she steels herself for attack. * Tanan holds up a hand, a small ball of red hot stone slowly forming as he looks to Saki. "Empty..." >> Saki shifts to Earth Stance.. Sta and Will rise at the expense of Dex and Agility! >> Mikel's action. * Mikel raises his staff as high as he can without banging it against the ceiling, grinning as electricty begins to play along it. "Fine then, let's see if those suits can hold out against a nice shock." With a flick of the wrist the staff is pointed at 131, followed up by a rather good sized bolt of lightning arcing above Saki towards the worker. >> Mikel zaps the servitor nicely.. 183 damage! >> Servitor 6-2 finally finds what it was looking for, muttering an order to the entire group of frontline workers, strengthening their resolve to fight and their resilency. >> 155-131, 5-505, 5-808 gain Str and Will +25%! « er 5-131 » « and Muscle » >> Angie's action. * Angie weaves a net of shimmering energy in the air with delicate movements of her gloved hands. With a thrust of her palm, she casts the net onto the nearest worker, who is surrounded in twisting, interlocking rings of light. Angie's visor glows as streams of text play backwards across its surface. I'm never unarmed as long as I have my mind. >> Angie casts Measure on Servitor 5-505! In a moment the data begins to stream in... >> HP: 410/410, MP: 99/99, React 88, No weaknesses or resitances >> Vytor's action. * Angie narrows her eyes. "They're human, but they're...off." * Vytor races directly at 5-131, and whips his hammer across its jaw! >> Vytors whaps the worker twice... 40! 41! >> Servitor 5-44 uses it's overpowered torch to superheat the air around Angharad! Now vulnerable to fire, as it's the one thing she doesn't have an innate response to. :( * Angharad grits her teeth and does her best to bear it. >> Also, 64 damage from the flame. her suit holds up, but damn it's hot! >> 131 tries to bludegon saki with a hammer! 56! >> 505 takes it's toolbelt and thrusts a allen wrench at the martial artist.. but misses! Look out, it's hexagonal! Angie? * Saki all but bats away the hammer, taking the blow on her wrist before twisting out of the way of the projectile; she's clearly spooked still, but moving with instinct. >> Servitor 808 lays into Tanan with a diamond bit drill! Gzzzzt! 75. Some day you wi- OW >> Angharad's action. * Mikel winces as Tanan, well, gets drilled. * Angharad uses the length of her halberd to aim a strike at the strangers' supervisor in the back, slamming him away from his minions. >> Angharad tries to assault the leader with Crescent Fang, but he is very sturdy and takes the hit without budging. 59. >> Tanan's action. * Tanan raises his hand, pointing it at the enemies. The ground beneath them swells for a moment before a wave of magma rises, splashing over the workers in the front. "Warm things up a bit, shall we?" >> Tanan's chaotic magic produces a miniature lava flow, as rock and fire bury the frontliners. 182, 196, 172 to each respectively. Servitor 5-131 makes a grunting noise and slumps over, his suit melted onto part of his body. >> Leah tries to weave a spell in a jiffy! ...for some reason I feel sort of bad about that. >> Leah produces Befuddle! Servitor 5-44 suddenly finds himself dazed and wandering into the front row. >> Round 2 >> Declaration Phase. * Saki stands her ground still, rearing back in preparation to strike. * Vytor prepares to launch another attack * Angharad gets ready to aim another blow at their leader. * Mikel spins the staff around, blue light starting to play upon it as he prepares another spell, glaring at 6-2. "Let's see how this works..." >> 5-44 prepares to fry Angharad and finish the job! 505 targets Vytor, and 808 targets Saki! >> 6-2 looks down at 5-131 and begins performing resuscitation >> Battle Phase. >> Saki's action. * Vytor prepares himself for the attack * Saki uses the momentum of her position to launch forward, pummeling a series of three quick punches to the chestpiece of 44's suit. >> Saki lands three blows, but he weaves away and avoid an even worse pummeling. 68, 51, 55! >> Mikel's action. * Mikel touches the tip of his staff to the ground, water beginning to stream from the contact point towards 6-2. It swirls around the suited humanoid for a couple of moments before crashing in, infusing the strange thing with the nature of water in the quickly fading torrent. >> STanding in the River! Servitor 6-2 is now Water Element! >> Servitor 602, unconcerned it is now exuding water, causes it's fallen partner's immune system to engage in a rapid healing process, and what appears to be four heartbeats start up. It rises, suit still fused to it's lower leg and right side. 5-131 revive with 136 hp! « er 6-2 » * Vytor blinks * Tanan winces a little at the sight of the thing standing back up * Mikel mutters a few choice words under his breath. >> 5-44 torches Angharad! >> Weak to Fire! 144 damage. * Angharad prepares to be singed again, but stoically deals with the anticipated pain. >> 131 just staggers, dazed and trying to remember it's orders. If those things keep getting back up, we might be in trouble * Angharad wrinkles her nose, trying to get the scent of burnt flesh out of her mind, especially when its her own. >> 505 engages Vytor with a mean screwdriver. Just as he's about to hit, he hesitates. [Servitor] ...? ... >> Angie's action. * Angie begins making delicate hand movements again, but whereas the last set of motions was circular and broad, these are subtle, with precise finger motions hampered by the thick gloves. A shapeless distortion shimmers into being before the supervisor. Angie unfolds her hands, splaying her fingers, and the twisted space blossoms into a confounding maze. * Vytor blinks at the servitor, wondering why it stopped >> Angie uses Incomprehensible shape. The alignment of the foe blunts the effect of her status, however she does manage to FREEZE it for 2 rounds. >> Vytor's action. * Angie waggles her fingers. "Wasn't sure I could do that in these gloves." * Vytor again cracks his hamer across the nearest servitor's face! >> The delaying worker is shook out of whatever he realized by Vytor's hammer blow - 56! >> It gets up, now regarding Vytor as a na enemy.. it swings again and connects twice. 57, 64! Ow! >> 808 tries to introduce Saki to it's latest split tip double fluted bit, but she is having none of that... miss! >> Angharad's action. * Angharad shifts her grip on her halberd and lunges at 6-2. If these strange people are all empty inside, she figures it might be best to kill the leader first. >> The Fang deals 68 damage this time, though he is far from done with. >> Tanan's action. * Tanan gestures at the supervisor, a quick burst of light pulsing across the distance seperating them. "Can't let you keep doing that!" >> Pulse Beam! It seems much better at resisting magic than it's peers, too. Could that nubmer indicate a more advanced type after all? 67. [Leah] These things are tough! You can say that again! >> leah tries to create an attack spelll... and succeeds! Thunder Thumper is cast on 505. * Vytor grunts, figuring he needs to step up his efforts, and fast >> 40 damage! SLEEP for two rounds! >> Round 3 >> Servitor 505 is asleep. 6-2 is Frozen. >> Declaration Phase. >> 5-44 continues to seek Angharad's demise via the flame. 131 and 808 dogpile on Vytor, seeing as Saki is difficult. Eep1 o_O * Saki stays rock-fast; using the leverage of her position she continues to snap fast, machine-gun punches at any enemy that comes near. * Mikel allows a small smirk to show, though it is probably hidden by the helment. Lightning begins to gather around the staff, his sights already set on 6-2's frozen form. "You're toast." * Angharad bears her teeth at 5-44, but continues to attack the frozen leader. >> Battle Phase. >> Saki's action. * Tanan presses his hands together, building a gentler light between them * Saki slams into 44 from the side with a leading fist; then she's shifted her balance to send the thing flying with another string of punches to the midsection. >> Saki eprforms onslaught once more, this time findin the frozen leader an easier target. 67, 74, 60, 59! >> He gurgles once but quite silently goes down as the previous one did, helmet knocks clear off an neck broken. « rather 5-44 » >> Mikel's action. * Saki doesn't stop for a moment; already she's twisted to focus on another of the strange creatures. * Mikel flicks the staff, grinning as another bolt of lightning let's fly from it, dancing around Saki and the ones in the front to make for the frozen leader. "You're not waking anymore of 'em up." >> Helpless, Servitor 6-2 is zapped by the thunder, the water blessing only enhancing the effect. That tricky adept! 270 damage! * Huw is now known as Huwafk >> It collapses and drops the notebook in shock and without more than a gasp. >> Angie's action. * Angie cures Angharad with a secret blend of herbs and spices. >> Mmm, spicy. 160 HP restored. (267/315) >> Vytor's action. * Vytor charges at servitor 5-131, and after a big windup, slams his hammer up into 5-131's chest, sending it flying into the ceiling! >> Vytor tries to hit him and indeed hits the cieling, but the worker just takes so much punishment and keeps going... 52. Damn! These things are tough o_O >> 131 and 808 look once aside to each other and dash at Vytor together in an eerie perfect formation! Combo attack! >> Thankfully, Vytor's stamina is also impressive. But it still hurts. 103 damage. >> Angharad's action. * Angharad swings her halberd into her opponent and tries to pry him out of his suit like a can opener. >> worker 5-131 feels the brunt of her wrath as a tear is made in it's yellow suit, filaments breaking underneath her blade. 77 damage. >> Tanan's action. That looked painful. Here you go, Vytor * Tanan gestures, surrounding Vytor with a brief aura of healing energies >> Tanan heals the bruised warrior.. 158 regained. (288/354) >> Leah tries to weave a spell but fails... Urg...thanks Tanan [Leah] Grr... stupid zombie workers.. get 'em Shiro! >> Shiro rush forth in a furry blur and bowls 5-131 over for 7 damage. It's wasted! >> Round 4 >> Servitor 6-2 would unfreeze, but he's dead! >> 505 wakes up! >> Declaration Phase. * Vytor efts his hammer, looking to give a little payback * Saki bolts for the nearer of the two creatures with a sudden and surprising turn of speed. * Mikel lets out a bit of a sigh, flickers of ice beginning to float around him as his attentino shifts to another one. >> 505 and 808 decide to double team Vytor again! >> Battle Phase. Aw man... "They really don't like you, do they?" Apparently not * Huwafk is now known as Huw >> Angie focuses! 9 MP regained. Tanan also focuses for 9 MP. >> and 30 HP recovers >> Saki's action. * Saki stops her run directly in front of 505; for a moment she remains still, then simply slams both fists into the thing's neck, slamming it against a wall. >> Saki charges forth once more. 64, 58, 70! >> 505 is sent reeling and down to the ground with a thud, lieing in a puddle of the blue water. >> Mikel's action. * Mikel blinks as Saki completely throttles 505, focus of his spell shifting over towards 808 as the temperature begins to drop. Despite the heat of the area, ice begins to form on 808's suit, the cold sapping the mind... as wisps of blue light are carried back to Mikel on the same cold breeze. >> Mikel siphons 65 MP! >> Vytor's action. * Vytor whips his hammer around over his head, and slams it down on 808! >> Two solid hits.. 49, 57. >> Angharad's action. * Angharad lunges at 808 and swings her halberd in a crescent arc. >> Crescent Fang.. 73! >> Number 5-808, being mad the Gm forgot it's turn and has lost a partner, tries to take it out on Vytor with a metal shaver... 60, 55! Ow! >> Leah attempts to finish the job, and her attack spell works! Icepick is cast! >> 60 damage. The frozen lances pierce its side, sending it down in a slump. It stares at Vytor for a moment and mouths "...why?" before falling over unconscious. >> VICTORY! * Tanan puts his hands together and concentrates to send another healing spell Vytor's way Hoi... * Mikel lets out a sigh of relief, making his way over to the dropped notebook to pick it up. "That... wasn't fun." * Saki , the moment the last body hits the floor, seems to break out of her battle-trance; the next moment she is getting the hell away from the bodies, putting as wide a berth between them and her as possible. * Angie sighs and slumps, drained. "Everyone OK?" * Vytor goes over to the pipeworks, trying to figure out what they were trying to fix * Angharad exhales, mildly annoyed that her breath just winds up back in her own face. "I'm fine." >> The fractional party gains 1100 silver each, and 6 MXP! "Fit as a fiddle." * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 20A: Nuclear Winter | Location: Lazarus Pit - Reactor Section | Pools: 3287 §, 21 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/' * Saki doesn't reply to Angie's question, save for being Over There. I'm in good shape, more or less I'm all right... * Angie steps gingerly over the smoking corpses as she makes her way toward the machinery. As an afterthought, she bends down and pries the notebook from the supervisor's hands, flipping through it. Vytor sees what the situation is clearly. There's a coolant system flowing here from a main cycling station pump. The conduit has broken and it's leaking blue coolant fluid into the drains and down into the sweres and water table. radioactive waste killin gthe crops... it makes perfect sense. * Vytor gingerly runs him hand across the pipes, feeling for temperature and vibration Do you understand what this stuff is, Vytor? Angie figures out likewise, though she has schematics of what appears to be a huge nuclear reactor. o_O In the corner of the page it says 'Lazarus Pit" - "Director's Procedures" * Angie leans up against a wall to read the notebook in more detail. This is...a heat exchanger. I think. The pipes carry heated fluid down this first series of pipes, which are built agianst this second set. The contact betwen the pipes draws heat through the exchanger without allowing the different water supplies to mix freely. * Tanan looks around, seeming a little confused It details the situation with several critical failkures of junction sin sectors 17, 22, and 26 with red outlines. All but 17 are marked off as "Complied" Whoever these guys were cutoff the primary fluid supply with these flanges, allowing them access without compromising the steam loop. Leah just blick at Vytor's techno-speak. Because this section broke down, the fliud leaked out of the main line and into these subsidiary conduits. Once free, the fluid could radiate any radiation is carried freely. « er blinks » * Mikel lets Angie grab the notebook, frowning a bit at the bodies as he gives one of them an experimental poke with his staff. He looks up at Vytor, taking a moment to make sense of the big man's words. "Alright... so reparing this would stop the radiation?" Theoretically. * Angie walks over to look at the pipes. She nods, and passes the book to Vytor. "It looks like they've marked it down here." * Saki appears to be keeping a terribly close eye on the fallen workers. So... how does this relate to what they were doing? Were they fixing the radiation like Saki thought? I think that's what they were trying to do. The bodies do not move. Most of the tools seem undamaged though. They are self powered and require no supply. Why did they attack us, then? Theydid say we were a breach of security "...because we were unknowns in probably a delicate area. Ah dammit." Whoeveris down here sdoesn't like uninvited guests. * Vytor looks around, and then grabs two of the tools dropped by the servitors Very much so if they are willing to burn them. * Mikel lets out a sigh, crouching to roll over one of the bodies to try to get a look at a face through a visor or something. "Still... ugh. Idiots, if they didn't shoot first and ask questions later..." * Angie looks back at the bodies with a grimace. "Who do you think they worked for? The society didn't seem to know about them, and if they were working for the labs the doctor would have heard of it...I mean, probably." * Vytor contemplates both for a moment, and examines the partly repaired piping. He scoops up a weilding mask, fires up the weilding torch, and proceeds to get to work, like it was the thing to do. the faces are unmoving and relatively peaceful even in death. Like someone just shut off the switches of their lives. Maybe they were from.. before. I mean, they seemed like zombies. And this facility has to be ancient, doesn't it? Vytor sets to work finishing the task. Something about it feel very comfortable and familiar. He's done the welding in record time, even for him! * Mikel takes a good look before sighing, standing up. "True... should we keep poking around once that's fixed?" He raises the radio, frowning for a moment. "Doctor? Can you hear me?" * Vytor snaps the torch off, and flips up the wielding mask. "Done." Could a person live that long? It's hard to believe. [Dr. Sonyele] Mikel? What the devil is going on? I was trying to contact you but there was a lot of static and I heard an explosion. were you detected by security? This should keep the fluid in the system. Presumably that will stop the influx of radiation into the open air. Saki said they were empty... * Saki mutters from her corner. "... don't know if they were even living any more." * Mikel lets out a sigh. "Something like that. Vytor thinks we found the problem... but there were actual humans in here, though Saki thinks they weren't quite, uh, alive." [Dr. Sonyele] Humans? Are you positive about that? Though there are those reports about humanoids attacking explorers in that region. * Vytor drops the torch and mask, "Assuming that actually fixes the problem, maybe we should get out of here. And fast. We still have the Prophetess to deal with. And we can check this place out someday later." * Tanan nods. "Hopefully this does it. Let's get back." * Vytor looks at his radiation badge "Positive, Doctor. We're heading back now, since Vytor's finished. How are things on your side?" * Angharad looks at Vytor's work dubiously. "Do you really think that one leak was the cause of everything? Perhaps this place is leaking all over?" [Dr. Sonyele] ...oh my goddess If there are other leaks, its a good bet that whoever is running this place is aware of it. "...what's going on, Doc?" If they can detect and repair one leak, they have to be able to find others. They were working on fixing it, but the crops were still poisoned. You fixed this one so quickly, but the crops have been poisoned longer than it took you to fix that. The radio cuts in and out /ds Angels in the sky... no, it couldn't be... my nightmares..! agh!! [Dr. Sonyele] Angels in the sky... no, it couldn't be... my nightmares..! agh!! It just seems... * Saki glances up at the radio, blinks once, then is hoofing it out of there. * Angharad breaks off when she hears the radio. What the hell? * Mikel stares for a moment. "Hey! Doctor! What the hell is going on?!" I was picking up where they left... There's no response. The circuit has been closed. * Vytor turns quickly to Mikel * Angie darts a look at Tanan, then follows Saki as fast as her legs will carry her. * Mikel spits out a curse, lowering the radio. "Something's up back in Raculi. Time to go." Time to go I think. * Vytor runs back the way he came in * Mikel takes off after Saki and Angie. * Angharad gives herself a shake and follows the party out. * Tanan hesitates for a second or two, then rushes after the others * Vytor shouts back at Angharad, "I was actually picking up where they left off. If we hadn't been discovered, they would have completed the repairs on their own." A new leak sprung right next to use while they wre repairing... They could be endlessly repairing and never finishing... [Leah] Angels? what could it mean. Aren't those supposed to be ncie, holy thing? « er things » "We can come back later, though. We have to make sure there's a place to /save/, first." That second leak was from the coolant line, not the hot line. But you're right, they could be still repairing the place. But we don't have time to figure that out now. We'll come back to it later. * Angharad just grunts that she understands, saving the rest of her breath for running. Tanan notices that he's got a little hole in his suit from the drill attack. * Tanan comes to a stop for a second or two. "...fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck." * Mikel skids to a stop, looking at Tanan. "What?" * Tanan starts running again, reaching down to try to pinch it shut. "...how bad would you say the radiation here is?" Um...we're in the red zone of the meter Its bad o_o * Mikel blinks, beginning to run again. "...this was where the leak was, so... what Vytor said." * Saki has raced back to the Destiny in record time, and leapt atop the thing's cargo bay. She's trying desperately to watch the direction of town, leaning on the cockpit, and trying desperately to concentrate. * Tanan winces. "Shitfuck! Drill hole in the suit." ...damn! There's no time to die now, we have to get back! We can't waste any time getting you out of here then. We gotta get back, now * Angharad grabs Tanan and hauls him after her so he starts moving again. There's the barest hit of something in the horizon, though the clouds here impair visibility. * Tanan stumbles, getting dragged a bit * Mikel scrambles out of the access hatch, making for the Destiny and driving into the driver's seat. "Get him in fast!" * Vytor leaps into the cab of the Destiny, hauling in Angie behind him, "Mikel! Get this thing moving!" It's just a quick jog back to the ship, especially for Tanan who's being carted there by a huge wolf girl. « er car. » * Angharad hauls Tanan inside. "Let's go." * Mikel starts the engine once everyone is aboard. "Hold on!" With that, he floors it, turning to head for Raculi. * Vytor checks for medical equipment * Tanan settles into a seat, still keeping a steady stream of under-the-breath cursing going * Saki , still atop the cargo bay and clinging on for dear life, leans down a little to yell hoarsely through a window. "She's coming! Not there yet, but soon! Advance guards!" Damn! The thing almost tips over with the sudden start, kicking up a cloud of white dust and gas and zooming back towards the trail! Oh son of a... can today get any better? * Mikel splits his attention for a moment to toss the radio to Angie, keeping the Destiny going as fast as possible. "Try to see if you can raise anyone!" * Vytor rips open a medical bag, looking for decontaminants * Tanan shakes his head, trying to calm down. "Ok, anti-radiation measures, anti-radiation measures. You studied this, Tanan, think, think." Come on, its gotta be in here, they can't have sent us out without em! There's a few cream, salves and patch material for rips and tears * Angie holds on to the seat ahead of her for dear life, teeth set. * Vytor pulls out what there is, and tosses them back to Tanan, "Here!" * Vytor keeps looking for something more substantial * Tanan catches the stuff, only fumbling a little of it, and sifts through it quickly. "Thank you!" * Tanan turns the patch stuff over a few times, hurriedly looking through the directions before applying it to the hole * Mikel mutters as he pushes the poor vehicle to the limit. "Saki! Any idea how long before she's there?" * Saki stays silent after her initial warning, dead set on watching the horizon. * Saki grimaces, and shakes her head, shouting over the wind. "... no clue! Just feel her! /Go/!" * Vytor tosses the medical bag aside, "Nothing! I got nothing in here for radiation exposure!" * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 20A: Nuclear Winter | Location: Bluetooth to Raculi Trail | Pools: 3287 §, 21 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/' * Vytor tries to find something else that might help * Mikel spits out a curse, shouting back. "Try a healing spell?!" Ri-.. right! Anti-rad treatment, in theory it could.. depends on how much.. * Tanan forces himself to relax, placing a hand over the rip and closing his eyes. It starts to glow slightly as he mutters what sounds like a distracted set of directions to himself. * Angharad watches Tanan intently to see what he intends to do and if he can hold himself together long enough to do it. The Destiny burns up the road, racing back towards the holy seat of the Virtue Society. A battle is raging on the walls, and something explodes into light. * AmyAway is now known as Amy "...ah /shit/, that can't be good news. Anything on the radio, Angie?" * Amy is now known as Niri * Lucca is now known as Trune Tanan seems to effect some kind of magical treatment, and doesn't seem to be in a particularly severe condition... * Angie is halfway out of her suit with one arm in the air. "Nothing!" she shouts through the mesh. She quickly strips off the rest of the suit and checks the radio again. Crackling for a while.. then. * Angie slips a hand into her coat, pulling out her gun. "Missed you, babe." She taps a few bullets out of the ammo case and loads them into the chamber. Hey, anyone -ffzzt- there? We got trouble! --nyone the-- -- oing in and ou-- reception sucks! * Saki glances down at the noise of the radio crackling into life, and all but dives into the main cabin, tearing off the suit with dire purpose. * Mikel gestures towards Angie as the radio starts talking, too busy making sure the Destiny doesn't tip over as he tries to make it go even faster. * Vytor starts removing his radiation suit * Tanan distractedly starts pulling off his suit while trying to keep concentration and talk all at once. "Trouble there happening?" * Angie fiddles with the dial and waves the antenna around, trying to get a clearer signal. * Angharad shrugs out of the radiation suit and grips her weapon tightly. ---eached the barrier! An orb is down, got some angels out here trying to ----eak through. ---fought them off, but more coming, heading for Ishtar now, Adam's ho---- the line. The Destiny protests at being pushed so hard by the hotshot operator. But it handles like a dream, well tuned and humming along as the town comes ever closer. You can see a portion of the wall smoking, though the aerial enemies are no more, fading into black wisps of energy. --could use some backup really f--*bbbzt* * Saki barks at the radio, despite the lack of transmit button. "... Oi! You hear us?" * DooM_GazE is now known as Ryllan I hear you, Saki - you guys on your way? ------rything okay? Kind of * Saki grits her teeth, all but throws her helmet across the cabin, and glances wildly at a far point on the horizon in an apparently random direction before resuming shouting at the radio. "... Job's done. She's coming, but we're faster. /Now/ it's the right time. ... get ready." --anning on it! * TheStoryteller It happens a piece of the damaged outer walls has fallen, making a crude slop near the gate of the town. Mikel notes that if he hit it just right he could run almost right up the fortifiucations and onto them like a roadway. * Tanan looks up briefly. "Will we make it in time?" It happens a piece of the damaged outer walls has fallen, making a crude slop near the gate of the town. Mikel notes that if he hit it just right he could run almost right up the fortifiucations and onto them like a roadway. --imme that. *crackle* Good to *fzbt*ear. Good luck. « slope » * Mikel narrows his eyes. "Yes, we are. HANG ON!" He makes for the fallen piece, muttering under his breath. "He'sgonnakillmeforthishe'sgonnakillmeforthis" * TheStoryteller changes topic to '-= Chapter 20A: Nuclear Winter | Location: New Raculi | Pools: 3287 §, 21 MXP =- http://storen.rpgcafe.net/IoG/' * Angharad holds on for dear life. We'll hold thing here till you arrive! Shiro howls Leah covers her eyes o_O * Saki glances at that same spot again, before she gives a brief staccato shake of the head, her voice getting quickly more manic. "... don't know. Hard to tell, not really about distance, I--nk...!" ... and she's going flying as the Destiny hits the ramp. I suppose that's one way into town * Angie hugs the seat in front of her, ducks her head down, and closes her eyes. "Don't do thaaa---." Thunk, the vehicle hits the rough edge with a jerk and is suddenly shot upwards with the superior traction and momentum, running right up onto the ramparts, as several Virtue Knights dive out of the way. "Dear Althena!!" * Tanan loses his concentration, his eyes popping open. "What the shit're yo- oh no!" "WAAAHEEEEY!" * Angharad cringes. * Vytor shuts his eyes Mikel begins to lose control of the wheel as the thing hits a bump and then slides onto the side, popping a sideways wheelie, before crashing back to earth and the side of the Cathedral. o_O ...are we dead? I.. don't.. think so? * Mikel winces as they crash into the Cathedral. "That's so coming out of my pay. Move it!" With that he's out of the car, shedding parts of the radiation suit in mid dash. Fortunately, the Destiny is equipped with airbags. Mikel and several other eat poofy salvation from being in a world of hurt. * Saki is lying battered and bruised in a far corner of the Destiny, but nothing seems seriously broken; it's a bit hard to tell because, gritting her teeth in pain, she's immediately up off the floor and burst out into the town square. << Or not. :P >> << Transpose, at any rate. >> [Leah] x_X * Vytor groans, and hops out of the Destiny, running towards where Ishtar last was. * Tanan pats himself a few times, moving all his limbs, and then stands up. He wavers a bit, leaning against the doorway on the way out, then hurries to follow. * Angharad stumbles out of the Destiny and straightens herself with a shake. * Angie is rammed into the back of the chair, then jerked sideways as the car skids into the wall. The taste of blood fills her mouth, but she doesn't waste time dwelling ojn it -- in a flash she's out of the car brandishing her gun. Just as the group runs for the cloister building, casting asid all concrns for the utter collateral damage their entrance has caused, notice a dark shadow begins gathering in the skies over head. Saki's hairs stand on end almost. "Oh hell, is that her?" I'm hoping its not * Saki visibly falters in her run, stumbling with a strangled noise. Then she's up again in an instant, pushing herself faster. "Go! GO! To Ishtar!" * Vytor follows Saki, not knowing what else to do * Mikel throws aside the last bit of radiation suit, keeping a deathgrip on his staff as he tries to keep up with Saki. * Angharad hasn't a freaking clue what she can do one way or the other, but chases after Saki who obviously feels a stronger purpose. * Tanan stumbles, trying to keep up with the others You throw open the doors to the enclave, and rush to the door just in time to meet your three comrades in a protective circle around Ishtar! The holy birds that surrounded her squawk angrily to the skies above, the stained glass scene growing dark and dim. * Niri is panting a bit, but she's managing to belt out a song. The others can hear a faint dissonance building in the air around them, and she seems to be trying to counter it... Niri appears to be singing a holy verse, trying to fight the building anti-harmonics that fills the room. * Angharad looks around for any immediate signs of danger. « er n/m » * Vytor rush to join the others, scanning the area warily, not sure what to expect this time * Saki staggers to a halt, taking a much-needed few moments to compose herself. She's wild and panicky, watching corners and trying to cover everyone. * Tanan follows everyone in, catching himself on the doorframe. "Did we.. make it.. in time?" * Niri stops singing for a moment. "Everyone okay?" * Mikel makes straight for the group, looking a tad relieved that they aren't dead or fighting whatever the hell is coming. "Looks like it!" * Mikel skids to a stop near Niri. Tanan's got radiation poisoning. * Trune has both his athames drawn and is already muttering spellcraft under his breath. He stops for a brief moment and nods to the others, "She hasn't shown up yet. It's what I thought...she tried to weaken the town first before coming pers---what Vytor? O_o" He what? O_o "His suit got compromised in the fight." * Tanan shakes his head. "We don't have time to.. worry about that now." * Niri eyes Tanan, as if wondering if he's going to keel over right there. We don't know how bad it is yet B--bu---why is he here? He should see a healer or something, shouldn't he? He did what he could to patch himself. We can handle this, it's not worth risking yourself over, Tanan! [Ishtar] So you're returned in our most dire hour. The shadow is growing, threatening to consume everything. Oh Althena.. Queen Virtue.... deliver us. * Mikel smacks his staff against the floor, shaking his head. "Its his decision. If he wants to stand and fight, let him. No time to waste fighting about it." * Niri mutters under her breath, "Mom, Dad, help us out." At that moment the skylight above bursts open in a vortex of black. At the center of it all a black caped woman emerges, demonic horn uncurling and the staff of the hourglass glistening as it turns over once more, ticking away the seconds of another soul's destiny. « horns » ...here we go Hey, I can multitask. I can argue, fight baddies, chew gum, and wash windows at the same time! "...so that's her, eh?" Hey lady! Nice to see you again, now get out! Wow, hey, you're late, little miss moppet. * Tanan looks up, frowning. "...Pandora." * Saki staggers back, shaking bodily, face a mixture of anger and fear. "... y-you... you...!" She comes out of the floating air, teleporting before you and grinning ever so slightly beneath her dark hood. * Angharad feels her hackles rise at the sight of her. * Niri spreads her arms and stands in front of Ishtar, singing wordlessly at the Prophetess. * Saki roars, and in a moment is bolting forward ready to lunge at the woman in a wild series of unco-ordinated strikes. * Angie grips the gun tightly in both hands, drawing a bead on the Prophetess' chest. [Prophetess] Greetings... tool of my apprentice. ...? * Niri frowns, confused * Ryllan looks up at the Prophetess, "Prophetess." * TheStoryteller is looking at Tanan as she says this. * Niri blinks and looks at Tanan. « er » Tool of...who? What? Oh man, not even a minute after showing up you're already spouting cryptic shit! Prophetess is staring at Tanan as she says this * Tanan looks a bit surprised. "Your apprentice?" * Ryllan takes advantage of the Prophetess' focus on Tanan, slipping his will around hers, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Ishtar remains kneeling in the center of the room. "I know why you've come... I won't surrender like the others." * Mikel lifts his staff, moving to step between Ishtar and the Prophetess as well. Though he glances over at Tanan for a moment before returning his attention to tall, dark and scary. "Cryptic shit as well? She's covering all her cliche bases then." [Prophetess] Good. I foresaw that as well. So, are you ready to become more than witnesses, .. Truth Seekers? She also floats and wears black. She's totally a Goth Queen, but *cough* anyway... "I noticed." * Vytor is, once again, not getting all this * Tanan forces himself to straighten up. "...I see." That's the plan. Prophetess spread her arms. "Show me how far you've come... we shall duel for her SOUL!" If by more than a witness you mean defender, sure! * Niri sends a blast of song magic in the Prophetess' face, trying to weaken her. * Saki launches herself at the Prophetess, barely heeding her words; she's all but screaming. * Angharad slinks back, conflicted. The birds screech once more as a cliactic battle is in the making. Will the group be able to even hope to stand against the master of time? Sadly, wait a week and find out! == SESSION END == Tah dah :D Session Close: Sat Jul 29 03:22:22 2006