Flexible Survival - User contributions [en]

Tahoe Wolf Convoy - RPLOG

2019-06-01T23:58:27Z

Zophah: /* Date */

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Deshwitat]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Kalsouthpaw]]
* [[Lythe]]
* [[Magnus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
Saturday June 1, 2019
=Log=
<div></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Three jeeps are quickly being supplied at the RSX Headquarters, operatives running around to quickly prepare a vehicle assult. News has gone out for field agents of the three factions, and time is of the essence. Confirmed intel has shown that the group known as the Children of Tahoe have actually captured a Packmind wolf from Oregon, and it is everyone's plan to intercept the Tahoe convoy. A thin fog hangs in the air around Fairhaven, hopefully not a foreboding sign for things to come. black bunny girl with close-in combat gear stands impatient near the back, watching for agents to arrive.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Nice wheels!" a voice rings out, an energetic fennec standing atop one of the jeeps would be wagging his tail. he was laying atop the roof of one of the vehicles in the stereotypical 'draw me like one of your french girls' pose. "Don't lose your cool now, I'm with the team! You lot need to keep your eyes open more, though! I practically waltzed in undetected!" he'd laugh as he likely grabs the attention of the soldiers preparing for the assault. Hopping off of the jeep, he'd move in and grab the bunny girl's hand giving it a firm handshake. "Heya good lookin! What's cookin'? We ready to cause some chaos?" his brows waggle, vibrant yet mischievous smile ever-present on those foxy lips of his.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>The Packminds and the Children of Tahoe... the two greatest dangers to life as we know it in Ebreus' consideration. The two of them together is important not to respond to the call for agents and so the Hellhound finds himself swooping to a jogging landing, fully clad in his combat gear and toting his usual array of weapons, just outside RSX headquarters. Bounding into the jeep area, "Came as quickly as I could." he says. Spying Magnus he smiles a bit, "Glad to see you here. We'll need all the capable field agents we can get."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris approaches the RSX building on foot, triple-checking her gear as she approaches. She's loaded her AW magazines full, six magnum bullets have been pushed into the cylinder of her revolver, and her offhand pistol has been fully loaded with liquid bandage "paint" balls. As she approaches the trucks, stopping at Magnus' side, she gives Luna a formal nod. The gator's heard of her a couple of times, and spotted her infrequently at her friends' place, but never really had much of a connection outside of simple work. "Y'know, I'd comment on the weather to break the ice, but I think we're all thinking the same thing. Fog's eerily foreboding, knowing what we're getting into." </p>
<p></p>
<p>The fennec to her right gets a discreet pat on his butt before the gator slides away, attempting to hide her grin.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>A human with multiple and massvie bits, a huge pair of bat like wings are competing with space on hir back with mass of tentacles that weaving out from hir lower back. Shi is dressed with what still appears to be still starting equipment. Hir dicks are ram rod hard are leaking pre which is hiking up hir checked skirt. The armor shi wears is dripping consistently with milk. Shi is quickly waddling around taking inventory and loading equipment. Hir plethora of tentacles picking up boxes of ammo cans and medical supplies before depositing them in the trunk of the SUV's. Shi looks up when shi hears the other agents bantering with each other. Shi says rather perturbedly, "Come on stop your yapping and help me finish loading up so we can go. We're on a time table here."</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kal hums his way along the path to the RSX building, looking entirely out of place dressed in his getup. Yellow robes drape down his shoulders like a duster, his tail flicking to and fro behind. A glittering blue crystal adorns a necklace draping down his chest. He even had the bright light of the Promethean Way gleaming from the top of his head. The strange critter hopes on through into the gathering convoy with a broad grin and an excited wave. "Yay, adventure!" He cheers, paws high in the air. His robes certainly seemed to have some unusual contours underneath, some additional belongings and gear strapped on away from view. He had to keep up his looks as a performer, after all! He gives a bouncy wave to Luna, to Arris, to Ebreus and the human with a little -too- much energy.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe huffs and crests the hill, walking forward to the end of the street where the jeeps are prepped to load. Looks like she's one of the last to join. Wreathed in fire, she's wearing nothing but a utility belt and her RSX tag. Long legs carry the large fire elemental towards the bunny dressed in camo. It's been too long since she's fought and she was already feeling the itch for some hard action. Feeling the rage build as the moment starts to take her, the light she eminates reflecting that. She nods and falls in, "RSX agent Lythe reporting in."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The black rabbit girl is startled to see Magnus appear from nowhere, almost looking like she was about to punch him before calming down. As everyone else gathers she looks 'slightly amused' at the various agents but quickly gets to buisness. "Hi Arris, Ebreus, Magnus. And for those who I haven't met, I'm Luna: a former Child of Tahoe, so I'm going to help these guys..." she jestures to the operatives "...take down a convoy. Everyone geared up? We got to act fast."</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Fast is what I do." the fox winks as he steps away to look at the various jeeps. "I like these. Wish I had one of my own, or several. Racing would kick so much ass." Speaking of ass, he'd quite easily feel the slap to his own, and cast Arris a sideways, albeit legitimately amused glance. Hopping onto the bonnet of one of the three jeeps, the fox pulls it up and whistles sharply. "You guys spared no expense, this looks almost NEW! Oh wow!" he'd then slam shut the bonney and sit on the roof of the jeep, casting each and every agent a nod and a wink. "Lads! We're going to be doing some exciting shit today! Clench your buttcheeks because it's ADVENTURE TIME!" He could almost hear the theme song playing in the background.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus pops a few joints as Luna asks if they're ready, "As ready as is possible... guns, explosives, nanomagic... vivid memories of the last time I was in their fog." he says and takes a breath. He climbs aboard one of the jeeps and says, "I sincerely hope everyone here has at least read the debriefings from prior engagements with the CoT. These guys are not to be taken lightly." he says, a moment later adding, "And please tell me someone has Anti-Nanomagic."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>"Yup, I'm locked and loaded and ready to roll." Arris loads a magazine into her rifle before taking a glance over to the walking set of genitals that was Deshwitat. "...and, I can see that one of us is putting on their 'Sunday best' for the Tahoers." She snerks lightly to herself as she pads over to the trucks, boots hitting its bed as she lets her sniper rifle rest against its side and zips up her jacket. "No Anti-Nanomagic on my part, chief. I've wanted to get into it for a while, but I keep putting it off."</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat gives a nod to all of the agents that showed up. "The names Deshwitat Rudbich you can just call me Desh if it's easier for you to remember. Well it seems like I'm the medic of this mission. That is if you don't mind getting sticky and wet with the quick healing or I can always the old school method." as shi shi picks up the edges of hir skirt, hir tentalces fanning out behind hir as gives a curtsy. Shi gives a smart salute to Luna, "Loaded and ready to roll out. Shi turns to look at Eberus and shakes hir head, "Nope not currently in my repertoire yet."</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe nods and taps her nails on her brightly lit thigh, ready to get started. She slings one of the rifles she borrowed from her mom, just in case it got ranged. Getting down into a crouching position, she smiles as she listens to the other agents. "Ready and willing, let's take these freaks down," she smiles and pumps her fist at Magnus's call to action, "Let's kick some tail!" Shaking her head at Ebreus, "Just strength and thermal."</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>"You've got the right idea, foxy!" Kal shouts up to Ebreus, quickly bounding onto the jeep the speed-crazed fox. "Gear up? Oh yeah, totally! I'm Kal, by the way," he remarks, finally giving his name to those gathered, giving a happy nod to the black rabbit girl. To Ebreus, he offers up a mischievous grin even more than before, if that was possible! "Anti-Nanomagic? Never heard of it!~" The strange blue critter gives a quick nod over to Desh, offering a thumbs-up - and a quick peek downward at those curtsying tendrils beneath. "Nice to meet ya, Desh! I won't mind the grabbies if you're fine with my sparkies!~"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With everyone set, RSX and the agents load up into the jeeps and set out for their destination. It takes hours to reach an intercept point for the operation, coming to a stop in the middle of a highway. The silence beyond the sound of the jeeps is deafening, a lifeless stretch of road with nothing in either direction for miles. One of the operatives takes out binoculars and looks down the north-west stretch of road, yelling out "Get ready, the convoy is about two mikes out!"</p></div><div title="Magnus><p> "SHOTGUN!" the fox calls out and swings through the window to plop his ass down next to... some random driver boye. "NEVERMIND!" he'd handflail and wiggle his way back to take a seat next to Luna. Why did he do this? Because why the heck not. She was someone new and someone cute at that, so why not go for meeting someone new, even IF she looked like she had naught but disdain for him. The fox pulls out his MP3 player and a pair of headphones, then places them over his ears and gives the bunny a nudge. "You like tunes? What kinda tunes do ya like? Pop, Jazz, Rock, Techno, Synth, House, Dance, HipHop, Reggae, Classical so-and-so on?" </p>
<p></p>
<p>He'd spend the duration of the journey trying to socialize while listening to music. Once the call comes out however, he may have misheard something as what leaves his muzzle is "Who's Mike, and Mike?" The fennec then removes his earphones and peers out the jeep window, his tongue lolling out and flopping in the wind as the air rushes past him, his tail wagging behind him in the jeep itself. That is at least until they come to a halt... Reaching into his pack, he'd pluck out a pair of binoculars and take a big'ol squint at the oncoming envoy. "I spy with my little eye... a big'ol army jeep with a mounted machine gun on it. Looks like an MG-08 but I might be wrong on that one!" he'd shrug "There's a big'ol trailer too with a buncha crates on it, and the truck over there, we can all see it I think! Anyway, I'd best go hide if we're gonna be intercepting these goons!" With that, the fennec hops out of the jeep and moves under it, hiding beneath the vehicle to keep himself out of sight.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus hums when it seems that the new faces don't know what they're getting into. "The Children have a nanite-fog. The thing is a weapon, causes you to hallucinate, try to stay calm and think rationally if they use it on you. As for the packmind... it should be in a cage if the CoT have caught it and if you value your life you'll keep extremities away from its cage." he says. Fair warning about the dangers given the Hellhound spends the rest of the ride checking and double checking his equipment... gasmask, shotgun, spare shotgun, grenades, pistol in case of double shotgun failure.... and more. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Arriving at the strike point Ebreus climbs out of the jeep he was in and takes up position with the jeep between him and the approaching CoT forces, making sure not to be standing too near the gas tank... knowing the CoT rifles can punch through damn near anything. Hearing Magnus' briefing he levels his grand scattergun in the direction of the convoy and unbuckling his grenade pouch.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris jumps out of the truck when she hears the call that the enemy is approaching. Running to take cover behind one of the nearby hills, she goes prone at the top before pulling out her sniper rifle to get a better look ahead. "I see a machine gun on the front jeep, but can't say anything about anyone else sitting in the convoy. Stay sharp, everyone." Her finger rests on the trigger guard, waiting for an order to start firing before she makes any motion to do so. "If anyone has it, regulation nanomagic would be sorely appreciated."</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat climbs into the front passenger seat of the 2nd Jeep sticking hir glut of dicks out the sun roof. So over the hir comm unit shi asks during the ride out, "So I never got everyones name and what are your specialities?" Deshwitat visibly looks miserable as shi leaves the bubble. When they stop at thier desination. Shi climbs out of the jeep rather slowly when the call comes out that thier target is coming. Shi closes hir eyes, makes a couple of archaic hand symbols and mutters under hir breath. Shi open hir eyes and put both hands forward. A little Will o' Wisp comes into being as well as a huge glowing bear.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kalsouthpaw breaks into song as they drive off, claws tapping in the air, leaving tiny sparking motes with each poke in the process. He continued this bubbly, raspy tenor of a song for the whole ride there, trying to keep folks morale up.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Once the group landed at the now silent highway, he quiets himself down - still beaming with enthusiasm despite the talk of strange hallucinogenic fog. "Oh, so they have their own magic too! It'll be like a competition!" He says cheerfully. The moment talk of an approaching convoy reaches his ears, the strange critter scampers a fair distance away from the jeeps, drops down prone, and flicks his claws about...and suddenly, what was once a bright blue critter in vivid yellow robes seems to vanish amongst the hills.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe hops into the back of one of the jeeps. She looks for a place where her body won't singe someone else. Travelling down the road, she keeps a ready eye as things pass. As they move out of the city proper, she starts feeling lethargic as we move out of bubble. Being without nanites is a concept foreign and unsettling to Lythe, having been born at RSX. Still determined to kick ass, she scans the horizon looking where the agent with the binoculars called. Looking over the others, "Strategy? Take out the tires? Lay an ambush." She look at the jeeps set blocking the road. Nods and smiles at Deshwitat, "I'm best up close and personal."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>As agents and operatives alike ready for a confrontation, the Tahoe convoy aproaches. Surprisingly the convoy slows down, eventually coming to a halt about 60ft away from the jeeps. With the convoy's machine gun pointed at the RSX and the RSX pointing their guns at the convoy, A winged humanoid in power armor and holding what looks like a lange laser rifle gets out of the semitrailer's passenger seat. With no other sound but the many engines surrounding them, the winged man walks forward to stand in full view. "Attention RSX! You are currently in the way of our return to Tahoe. Please move your vehicles aside so that we may progress. If you chose to side with Zephyr we will be forced to open fire." </p>
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<p>That's when Luna speaks up, yelling back: "You know we don't want a fight, Angel. Carson's plans will lead to Tahoe's doom. If RSX gets ahold of the packmind subjects instead it wil be better for the future." The winged man know identified as Angel doesn't reply, only standing still.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox was fast, a visual blur even, able to trick the impossible eye of the strange winged man, he'd duck in and out of sight so quickly he scarcely even registers doing so himself. Hiding behind the jeep with the mounted machine gun, the fox need only reach out and pluck a round from it, then twist it in backwards ensuring the mechanism jams the instant the bloody thing is fired. Following up, the fox then ducks under their jeep and sets his sight on this Angel person. Retrieving some garrote wire from his pack, he could see himself moving in to trip that fucker over, oh the hilarity... but some risks simply were not worth it. With a lot of pain in his eyes, he'd put the wire away and stay hidden for now... waiting patiently as he subtly sends a message via the comm line to his team, text only reading "I jammed their mounted gun, hiding under their jeep."</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus growls lightly as Angel steps out of the truck. Infernal fire licks the ground around Ebreus as he keeps his aim clear on Angel. He takes a breath and replies to Magnus' comm with text of his own, "Can you ignite their gas tank?" Creating a bubble from his NICE as the message is sent he then peeks out from behind the jeep, "I seem to recall the you lot wanting us to stay away from Tahoe. Fair enough if you're keepin' to yourselves but now you've come to fairly well-established RSX territory and take something that's not yours. Aren't you going to at least offer some form of payment for it?" he says.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris keeps her sniper rifle focused, crosshairs navigating over to the person standing behind the machine gun. She stays quiet, though a sideways glance is casted towards the rest of the squad. Her hope was that Luna was able to negotiate a peaceful agreement to let the packmind go; killing was something she preferred to keep as a last resort. Recalling their previous outings in the past, she could only wish the people on the trucks wouldn't flub with using their silver tongues and sharp wits today... and speaking of the them, where the hell did Magnus go? The comm message comes practically on queue, and the gator re-aims her rifle accordingly.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat hunkers down behind one of the jeeps taking cover before looking down at the read out on the back of hir laser pistol checking out it's charge. The luminous bear trots into the middle of the road before sitting there creating another barricade. Deshwitat calls out from behind the jeep, "Well I think we have you out numbered. We don't want any unnessary violence. You should just hand over the Packmind. It's more than you can handle." as the in the middle of the road scratches the back of his ear and yawns.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kalsouthpaw concentrates within the confines of his camouflage, having to really focus as he splits his attentions. He slowly brings forth an image of himself just a few feet to the right of where he was actually hidden, making the illusion seem like he is standing up from being prone. The telltale bulb of his Promethean helmet even blinks to life. Using some practiced performance tactics, the blue critter throws his voice with some ventriloquism, trying to match his words with his illusory duplicate's mouth movements.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>"I'll admit I don't know a whole lot about you or Tahoe, but I've heard the spooky stories about the Packminds. They're bad news, even for us Prometheans. Making sure these guys are properly contained is super important, and RSX has a really good setup. You're clearly some good people, and I don't want anyone of you getting hurt due to a breach."</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Pressed against one of the jeeps and taking careful aim at the head driver in the lead jeep, Lythe readies for the action to start. Seeing the text from Magnus, she chuckles to herself. Ebreus's mobile mubble wasing over them and feeling the sudden rush of nanies returning as her strength nanites get activated, she giggles evilly. Lythe silenting wishing they'd do something stupid.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The words seem to get to Angel. Even with the blank face of a power armor helmet he seems to be struggling with his choices. He starts to speak before getting interrupted by another voice coming from a man getting out of the truck in back, holding what looks like a mini nanite server in one arm and a handgun in the other. He speaks in a purely mechanical voice, possibly made deeper and foreboding through a voice synthesizer. "Unit Angel, return to your previous duty." He then steps forward, facing the group. "Negotiations will not comence. Packmind research will be conducted in Tahoe as planned. Unit Luna, direct RSX operatives to end the blockade." Luna looks suprised, and then fearful. "Carson?! You took a bullet through the skull how are you alive?!"</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus takes a break when he hears the response and Luna chiming in. Letting out a sigh he says, "There</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox meanwhile listens in and grits his teeth. So close, yet so far. Well, when words failed it was time to cause some GLORIOUS CHAOS. The idea he'd been given earlier sat quite well with him, explosions were entropy in the making after all. So the vulpine does what came naturally. He plucks out his dagger and stabs a hole in the fuel line leading between the engine and gas tank, causing a leak of flammable liquid. That done, he runs out from under the truck, aiming his finger right at the spot where the fuel trickled down onto the ground. A sharp, bright plume of fire errupts from his fingertip, striking the ground and starting a massive fire. Within mere moments the entire jeep was engilfed in flames, before the gas tank bursts and leaves the entire vehicle completely totaled. As for Magnus, he'd be running towards his team!</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus takes a break when he hears the response and Luna chiming in. Letting out a sigh he says, "There's a distinction to be made between alive and not dead." he says, grinning as he spies the fennec firestarter performing admirably. Grabbing a frag from his pack he pitches it, sans pin, aiming one of the non-burning CoT vehicles and quickly ducks behind the jeep again.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris glances up from her scope at the figure stepping forward. A quiet curse is muttered in her head when Luna confirms that the figure in front of them was indeed Carson. Her sights focus to aim at him as she speaks, words barely audible an inch from her mouth. "Maybe two bullets will put you down, this time..." Their negotiations having been seemingly flushed down the drain by Carson's presence, Arris' finger rests on the trigger. </p>
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<p>She doesn't even get to think the phrase "this is going to go pear-shaped fast" before she spots Magnus scuttling out from under a truck and said truck bursting into flames. Her crosshairs rest on Carson's head still, waiting for a retaliation before she fires.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat feels stronger discerning that someone activated a nanomagic. Peeking out when shi hears the new voice and the apparent break down of negotiations. Shi pulls out hir laser pistol and steadies hir arm against the side of the jeep as shi aims at the mini nanite server in the new persons arm. When the explosion goes off. Shi pull the trigger hoping on taking out whatever equipment it is. Shi shouts out to the party, "Hey we got this. They are at least down a vechile to escape with."</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kalsouthpaw thought for a moment that maybe this would go just fine and dandy...at least until the mechincal-sounding man came out with what looked like a nanite server in their arms. The explosion would've otherwise been a dose of ecstatic surprise for the little blue critter if it wasn't for the shiver running down his spine! Whispering to the winds from within his camouflage, Kal looks up to the sky...stormclouds beginning to gather as he allows his emotions to run free, calling forth lightning's destructive power to try and engulf the military truck in the rear of the convoy in an electrical storm. With any luck it might stop any other Tahoe operatives from getting into the fray!</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe giggles as she sees Magnus running. "It's time to boogie!" she shouts. Seeing that the first car is semi disabled, she leans down against the jeep and pulls the trigger of her laser rifle, aiming for the semi car driver. Using Deshwitat's encouraging words to lead the target. Cracking the windshield she hits them, but the powerarmr they are wearing takes most of the hit. Magnus' shannaigens continues as we watch the car go up in flames.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With the Jeep in flames combat is underway, Carson toggling the switch on his nanite server only for it to be unusable from the laser hole. He throws it aside and starts opening fire with his handgun, his rounds either missing Ebreus or deflecting off of his armor. As Kalsouthpaw summons his class connection to weather control, the summoned minature storm actually manages to tip over the Tahoe truck in back, the soldiers inside falling out and off-kilter. Angel, seeing the threat that the storm provided against the Children of Tahoe, imediately drew his solar rifle and shot Kal strait through the chest, downing him instantly. As Kal falls, Ebreus's grenade lands at Angel's feet, sending shrapnel into his armor and knocking him down.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>The scope pointed at Carson's head takes the shot, but sudden movement from him causes Arris to miss. Cursing, she retreats further behind the hill, taking advantage of the better cover to pull the bolt on her rifle before going prone once more. Through her sights, she scopes out the battlefield, laying her crosshairs back on his head and preparing to fire again.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The quick brown fox jumps over the oncoming gunfire. He dodges, ducks, dips, dives and dodges again, like a blur in the distance as he rounds and bounds towards the soldiers getting back up from their prone state. He takes a leap over them and fires, spraying them liberally and ensuring that at least three of them have thick black goo in their eyes. He then pulls out his blunderbuss, a small pistol with a LOT of power to it, aims it at the remaining three and yips "DON'T MOVE!"</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus glances in the direction of the lasor seeing the blinding light from a Solar Rifle firing and seeing one of their party fall to the ground, "Shit." he says and bounds from behind one jeep to the next to ensure his NICE bubble can reach Kalsouthpaw. "Desh, you're up." he'd say as he quickly aims his scattergun down-range at the remaining CoT, "You heard 'im. Move and die." he says training the barrel of a shotgun built for someone with inhuman strength between Carson and Angel.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>A bright purple fire outlines Angel as the forest wisp also burns purple. The huge bear roars and charges forward at Angel before in a blazing beam of light obliterates the head. The body of the bear slumps forward as threads of light unravels from it's body as shi fades away. Deshwitat spots Kal falling over after the intense flash the first blast from Angel laser. Shi hustles from the cover of the jeep leaving a glistening trail of pre behind hir. Shi drags Kal back behind a jeep. Shi hovers a the gapping hole in Kal's chest. Shi concentrates will nanites forth as stream forth in a haze knitting the trauma closed.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe grumbles as she sees her comrade go down and takes a shot at Angel, aiming for his wings, "Let's see if you like to hurt..." she growls. Her mark tears through his wing, burning and scortching what it hits. Thinking this is going from bad to worse, she concentrates on supression shots. She chuckles, hearing the explosive retalliation from both sides.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The threats against the lives of the Children of Tahoe are ignored, the three solders in the back who aren't covered in ink fire their solar weapons at Magnus, all three missing. They then attempt to retreat with their ink-covered comrades by running for the hills. Carson roars with his mechanical voice, a cylinder from his back being jettisoned and quickly spilling out thick, choking smoke to cover his own retreat with Angel.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox was not one to know that making threats was pointless against these folks. He is left having to duck and weave around the lasers fired his way. He decides against using his blunderbuss however, instead opting for something else. His fur bristles with electric energy as he attempts to fry those metal-coated scum-suckers. Collecting the force of the storm into one concentrated area, he looks almost disappointed as the others make a mad dash for it. Instead of the cowards, the fox raises his hands and focuses on the back of their fleeing boss' back. With a loud SNAP a lightning bolt flashes out his fingers and strikes his target's back. Alas, no trace of him despite the direct hit.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris aims at Carson once more just before he creates the smokescreen, firing a shot through it that hits center of mass. After she pulls the bolt once more, she scans the battlefield with her scope, staying on the lookout for any more potential targets to take out.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe looks for the bunny and the other RSX agents, counting who needs help and who was in good shape. She moves over to check on the cargo, making sure none of the dangerous packmind were freed and on the loose, wouldn't that be an adventure?</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat sigh in relief as the color to Kal's face returns and they stabilize. Deshwitat shouts from behind the jeep, "Fuck you Angel. Hope you burn in hell." Shi breaths in deeply in a out to calm hirself down before pulling out hir side arm. Shi pops out just enough and steadies hir aim on the side of the jeep. The billow of smoke obscures hir vision ruining shot. Shi reholsters hir laser pistol and puts a hand on Kal's shoulder. Shi actives Biomonitoring Nanomagic making sure that Kalsouthpaw doesn't anything else wrong with them.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The Children of Tahoe manage to escape. While they are broken and without vehicles, Carson and his crew will likely plan out their future revenge. In the mean time, Kalsouthpaw is going to need bedrest after being revived by medical nanomagic and RSX will have to bring back the semitrailer with their aquired Packminds. This was a victory, but who knows how hard Tahoe's retaliation might strike?</p></div>[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Tahoe Wolf Convoy - RPLOG

2019-06-01T23:58:07Z

Zophah: /* Date */

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Deshwitat]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Kalsouthpaw]]
* [[Lythe]]
* [[Magnus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
Saturday June 1, 2019=Log=
<div></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Three jeeps are quickly being supplied at the RSX Headquarters, operatives running around to quickly prepare a vehicle assult. News has gone out for field agents of the three factions, and time is of the essence. Confirmed intel has shown that the group known as the Children of Tahoe have actually captured a Packmind wolf from Oregon, and it is everyone's plan to intercept the Tahoe convoy. A thin fog hangs in the air around Fairhaven, hopefully not a foreboding sign for things to come. black bunny girl with close-in combat gear stands impatient near the back, watching for agents to arrive.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Nice wheels!" a voice rings out, an energetic fennec standing atop one of the jeeps would be wagging his tail. he was laying atop the roof of one of the vehicles in the stereotypical 'draw me like one of your french girls' pose. "Don't lose your cool now, I'm with the team! You lot need to keep your eyes open more, though! I practically waltzed in undetected!" he'd laugh as he likely grabs the attention of the soldiers preparing for the assault. Hopping off of the jeep, he'd move in and grab the bunny girl's hand giving it a firm handshake. "Heya good lookin! What's cookin'? We ready to cause some chaos?" his brows waggle, vibrant yet mischievous smile ever-present on those foxy lips of his.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>The Packminds and the Children of Tahoe... the two greatest dangers to life as we know it in Ebreus' consideration. The two of them together is important not to respond to the call for agents and so the Hellhound finds himself swooping to a jogging landing, fully clad in his combat gear and toting his usual array of weapons, just outside RSX headquarters. Bounding into the jeep area, "Came as quickly as I could." he says. Spying Magnus he smiles a bit, "Glad to see you here. We'll need all the capable field agents we can get."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris approaches the RSX building on foot, triple-checking her gear as she approaches. She's loaded her AW magazines full, six magnum bullets have been pushed into the cylinder of her revolver, and her offhand pistol has been fully loaded with liquid bandage "paint" balls. As she approaches the trucks, stopping at Magnus' side, she gives Luna a formal nod. The gator's heard of her a couple of times, and spotted her infrequently at her friends' place, but never really had much of a connection outside of simple work. "Y'know, I'd comment on the weather to break the ice, but I think we're all thinking the same thing. Fog's eerily foreboding, knowing what we're getting into." </p>
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<p>The fennec to her right gets a discreet pat on his butt before the gator slides away, attempting to hide her grin.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>A human with multiple and massvie bits, a huge pair of bat like wings are competing with space on hir back with mass of tentacles that weaving out from hir lower back. Shi is dressed with what still appears to be still starting equipment. Hir dicks are ram rod hard are leaking pre which is hiking up hir checked skirt. The armor shi wears is dripping consistently with milk. Shi is quickly waddling around taking inventory and loading equipment. Hir plethora of tentacles picking up boxes of ammo cans and medical supplies before depositing them in the trunk of the SUV's. Shi looks up when shi hears the other agents bantering with each other. Shi says rather perturbedly, "Come on stop your yapping and help me finish loading up so we can go. We're on a time table here."</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kal hums his way along the path to the RSX building, looking entirely out of place dressed in his getup. Yellow robes drape down his shoulders like a duster, his tail flicking to and fro behind. A glittering blue crystal adorns a necklace draping down his chest. He even had the bright light of the Promethean Way gleaming from the top of his head. The strange critter hopes on through into the gathering convoy with a broad grin and an excited wave. "Yay, adventure!" He cheers, paws high in the air. His robes certainly seemed to have some unusual contours underneath, some additional belongings and gear strapped on away from view. He had to keep up his looks as a performer, after all! He gives a bouncy wave to Luna, to Arris, to Ebreus and the human with a little -too- much energy.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe huffs and crests the hill, walking forward to the end of the street where the jeeps are prepped to load. Looks like she's one of the last to join. Wreathed in fire, she's wearing nothing but a utility belt and her RSX tag. Long legs carry the large fire elemental towards the bunny dressed in camo. It's been too long since she's fought and she was already feeling the itch for some hard action. Feeling the rage build as the moment starts to take her, the light she eminates reflecting that. She nods and falls in, "RSX agent Lythe reporting in."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The black rabbit girl is startled to see Magnus appear from nowhere, almost looking like she was about to punch him before calming down. As everyone else gathers she looks 'slightly amused' at the various agents but quickly gets to buisness. "Hi Arris, Ebreus, Magnus. And for those who I haven't met, I'm Luna: a former Child of Tahoe, so I'm going to help these guys..." she jestures to the operatives "...take down a convoy. Everyone geared up? We got to act fast."</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Fast is what I do." the fox winks as he steps away to look at the various jeeps. "I like these. Wish I had one of my own, or several. Racing would kick so much ass." Speaking of ass, he'd quite easily feel the slap to his own, and cast Arris a sideways, albeit legitimately amused glance. Hopping onto the bonnet of one of the three jeeps, the fox pulls it up and whistles sharply. "You guys spared no expense, this looks almost NEW! Oh wow!" he'd then slam shut the bonney and sit on the roof of the jeep, casting each and every agent a nod and a wink. "Lads! We're going to be doing some exciting shit today! Clench your buttcheeks because it's ADVENTURE TIME!" He could almost hear the theme song playing in the background.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus pops a few joints as Luna asks if they're ready, "As ready as is possible... guns, explosives, nanomagic... vivid memories of the last time I was in their fog." he says and takes a breath. He climbs aboard one of the jeeps and says, "I sincerely hope everyone here has at least read the debriefings from prior engagements with the CoT. These guys are not to be taken lightly." he says, a moment later adding, "And please tell me someone has Anti-Nanomagic."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>"Yup, I'm locked and loaded and ready to roll." Arris loads a magazine into her rifle before taking a glance over to the walking set of genitals that was Deshwitat. "...and, I can see that one of us is putting on their 'Sunday best' for the Tahoers." She snerks lightly to herself as she pads over to the trucks, boots hitting its bed as she lets her sniper rifle rest against its side and zips up her jacket. "No Anti-Nanomagic on my part, chief. I've wanted to get into it for a while, but I keep putting it off."</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat gives a nod to all of the agents that showed up. "The names Deshwitat Rudbich you can just call me Desh if it's easier for you to remember. Well it seems like I'm the medic of this mission. That is if you don't mind getting sticky and wet with the quick healing or I can always the old school method." as shi shi picks up the edges of hir skirt, hir tentalces fanning out behind hir as gives a curtsy. Shi gives a smart salute to Luna, "Loaded and ready to roll out. Shi turns to look at Eberus and shakes hir head, "Nope not currently in my repertoire yet."</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe nods and taps her nails on her brightly lit thigh, ready to get started. She slings one of the rifles she borrowed from her mom, just in case it got ranged. Getting down into a crouching position, she smiles as she listens to the other agents. "Ready and willing, let's take these freaks down," she smiles and pumps her fist at Magnus's call to action, "Let's kick some tail!" Shaking her head at Ebreus, "Just strength and thermal."</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>"You've got the right idea, foxy!" Kal shouts up to Ebreus, quickly bounding onto the jeep the speed-crazed fox. "Gear up? Oh yeah, totally! I'm Kal, by the way," he remarks, finally giving his name to those gathered, giving a happy nod to the black rabbit girl. To Ebreus, he offers up a mischievous grin even more than before, if that was possible! "Anti-Nanomagic? Never heard of it!~" The strange blue critter gives a quick nod over to Desh, offering a thumbs-up - and a quick peek downward at those curtsying tendrils beneath. "Nice to meet ya, Desh! I won't mind the grabbies if you're fine with my sparkies!~"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With everyone set, RSX and the agents load up into the jeeps and set out for their destination. It takes hours to reach an intercept point for the operation, coming to a stop in the middle of a highway. The silence beyond the sound of the jeeps is deafening, a lifeless stretch of road with nothing in either direction for miles. One of the operatives takes out binoculars and looks down the north-west stretch of road, yelling out "Get ready, the convoy is about two mikes out!"</p></div><div title="Magnus><p> "SHOTGUN!" the fox calls out and swings through the window to plop his ass down next to... some random driver boye. "NEVERMIND!" he'd handflail and wiggle his way back to take a seat next to Luna. Why did he do this? Because why the heck not. She was someone new and someone cute at that, so why not go for meeting someone new, even IF she looked like she had naught but disdain for him. The fox pulls out his MP3 player and a pair of headphones, then places them over his ears and gives the bunny a nudge. "You like tunes? What kinda tunes do ya like? Pop, Jazz, Rock, Techno, Synth, House, Dance, HipHop, Reggae, Classical so-and-so on?" </p>
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<p>He'd spend the duration of the journey trying to socialize while listening to music. Once the call comes out however, he may have misheard something as what leaves his muzzle is "Who's Mike, and Mike?" The fennec then removes his earphones and peers out the jeep window, his tongue lolling out and flopping in the wind as the air rushes past him, his tail wagging behind him in the jeep itself. That is at least until they come to a halt... Reaching into his pack, he'd pluck out a pair of binoculars and take a big'ol squint at the oncoming envoy. "I spy with my little eye... a big'ol army jeep with a mounted machine gun on it. Looks like an MG-08 but I might be wrong on that one!" he'd shrug "There's a big'ol trailer too with a buncha crates on it, and the truck over there, we can all see it I think! Anyway, I'd best go hide if we're gonna be intercepting these goons!" With that, the fennec hops out of the jeep and moves under it, hiding beneath the vehicle to keep himself out of sight.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus hums when it seems that the new faces don't know what they're getting into. "The Children have a nanite-fog. The thing is a weapon, causes you to hallucinate, try to stay calm and think rationally if they use it on you. As for the packmind... it should be in a cage if the CoT have caught it and if you value your life you'll keep extremities away from its cage." he says. Fair warning about the dangers given the Hellhound spends the rest of the ride checking and double checking his equipment... gasmask, shotgun, spare shotgun, grenades, pistol in case of double shotgun failure.... and more. </p>
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<p>Arriving at the strike point Ebreus climbs out of the jeep he was in and takes up position with the jeep between him and the approaching CoT forces, making sure not to be standing too near the gas tank... knowing the CoT rifles can punch through damn near anything. Hearing Magnus' briefing he levels his grand scattergun in the direction of the convoy and unbuckling his grenade pouch.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris jumps out of the truck when she hears the call that the enemy is approaching. Running to take cover behind one of the nearby hills, she goes prone at the top before pulling out her sniper rifle to get a better look ahead. "I see a machine gun on the front jeep, but can't say anything about anyone else sitting in the convoy. Stay sharp, everyone." Her finger rests on the trigger guard, waiting for an order to start firing before she makes any motion to do so. "If anyone has it, regulation nanomagic would be sorely appreciated."</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat climbs into the front passenger seat of the 2nd Jeep sticking hir glut of dicks out the sun roof. So over the hir comm unit shi asks during the ride out, "So I never got everyones name and what are your specialities?" Deshwitat visibly looks miserable as shi leaves the bubble. When they stop at thier desination. Shi climbs out of the jeep rather slowly when the call comes out that thier target is coming. Shi closes hir eyes, makes a couple of archaic hand symbols and mutters under hir breath. Shi open hir eyes and put both hands forward. A little Will o' Wisp comes into being as well as a huge glowing bear.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kalsouthpaw breaks into song as they drive off, claws tapping in the air, leaving tiny sparking motes with each poke in the process. He continued this bubbly, raspy tenor of a song for the whole ride there, trying to keep folks morale up.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Once the group landed at the now silent highway, he quiets himself down - still beaming with enthusiasm despite the talk of strange hallucinogenic fog. "Oh, so they have their own magic too! It'll be like a competition!" He says cheerfully. The moment talk of an approaching convoy reaches his ears, the strange critter scampers a fair distance away from the jeeps, drops down prone, and flicks his claws about...and suddenly, what was once a bright blue critter in vivid yellow robes seems to vanish amongst the hills.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe hops into the back of one of the jeeps. She looks for a place where her body won't singe someone else. Travelling down the road, she keeps a ready eye as things pass. As they move out of the city proper, she starts feeling lethargic as we move out of bubble. Being without nanites is a concept foreign and unsettling to Lythe, having been born at RSX. Still determined to kick ass, she scans the horizon looking where the agent with the binoculars called. Looking over the others, "Strategy? Take out the tires? Lay an ambush." She look at the jeeps set blocking the road. Nods and smiles at Deshwitat, "I'm best up close and personal."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>As agents and operatives alike ready for a confrontation, the Tahoe convoy aproaches. Surprisingly the convoy slows down, eventually coming to a halt about 60ft away from the jeeps. With the convoy's machine gun pointed at the RSX and the RSX pointing their guns at the convoy, A winged humanoid in power armor and holding what looks like a lange laser rifle gets out of the semitrailer's passenger seat. With no other sound but the many engines surrounding them, the winged man walks forward to stand in full view. "Attention RSX! You are currently in the way of our return to Tahoe. Please move your vehicles aside so that we may progress. If you chose to side with Zephyr we will be forced to open fire." </p>
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<p>That's when Luna speaks up, yelling back: "You know we don't want a fight, Angel. Carson's plans will lead to Tahoe's doom. If RSX gets ahold of the packmind subjects instead it wil be better for the future." The winged man know identified as Angel doesn't reply, only standing still.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox was fast, a visual blur even, able to trick the impossible eye of the strange winged man, he'd duck in and out of sight so quickly he scarcely even registers doing so himself. Hiding behind the jeep with the mounted machine gun, the fox need only reach out and pluck a round from it, then twist it in backwards ensuring the mechanism jams the instant the bloody thing is fired. Following up, the fox then ducks under their jeep and sets his sight on this Angel person. Retrieving some garrote wire from his pack, he could see himself moving in to trip that fucker over, oh the hilarity... but some risks simply were not worth it. With a lot of pain in his eyes, he'd put the wire away and stay hidden for now... waiting patiently as he subtly sends a message via the comm line to his team, text only reading "I jammed their mounted gun, hiding under their jeep."</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus growls lightly as Angel steps out of the truck. Infernal fire licks the ground around Ebreus as he keeps his aim clear on Angel. He takes a breath and replies to Magnus' comm with text of his own, "Can you ignite their gas tank?" Creating a bubble from his NICE as the message is sent he then peeks out from behind the jeep, "I seem to recall the you lot wanting us to stay away from Tahoe. Fair enough if you're keepin' to yourselves but now you've come to fairly well-established RSX territory and take something that's not yours. Aren't you going to at least offer some form of payment for it?" he says.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris keeps her sniper rifle focused, crosshairs navigating over to the person standing behind the machine gun. She stays quiet, though a sideways glance is casted towards the rest of the squad. Her hope was that Luna was able to negotiate a peaceful agreement to let the packmind go; killing was something she preferred to keep as a last resort. Recalling their previous outings in the past, she could only wish the people on the trucks wouldn't flub with using their silver tongues and sharp wits today... and speaking of the them, where the hell did Magnus go? The comm message comes practically on queue, and the gator re-aims her rifle accordingly.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat hunkers down behind one of the jeeps taking cover before looking down at the read out on the back of hir laser pistol checking out it's charge. The luminous bear trots into the middle of the road before sitting there creating another barricade. Deshwitat calls out from behind the jeep, "Well I think we have you out numbered. We don't want any unnessary violence. You should just hand over the Packmind. It's more than you can handle." as the in the middle of the road scratches the back of his ear and yawns.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kalsouthpaw concentrates within the confines of his camouflage, having to really focus as he splits his attentions. He slowly brings forth an image of himself just a few feet to the right of where he was actually hidden, making the illusion seem like he is standing up from being prone. The telltale bulb of his Promethean helmet even blinks to life. Using some practiced performance tactics, the blue critter throws his voice with some ventriloquism, trying to match his words with his illusory duplicate's mouth movements.</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>"I'll admit I don't know a whole lot about you or Tahoe, but I've heard the spooky stories about the Packminds. They're bad news, even for us Prometheans. Making sure these guys are properly contained is super important, and RSX has a really good setup. You're clearly some good people, and I don't want anyone of you getting hurt due to a breach."</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Pressed against one of the jeeps and taking careful aim at the head driver in the lead jeep, Lythe readies for the action to start. Seeing the text from Magnus, she chuckles to herself. Ebreus's mobile mubble wasing over them and feeling the sudden rush of nanies returning as her strength nanites get activated, she giggles evilly. Lythe silenting wishing they'd do something stupid.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The words seem to get to Angel. Even with the blank face of a power armor helmet he seems to be struggling with his choices. He starts to speak before getting interrupted by another voice coming from a man getting out of the truck in back, holding what looks like a mini nanite server in one arm and a handgun in the other. He speaks in a purely mechanical voice, possibly made deeper and foreboding through a voice synthesizer. "Unit Angel, return to your previous duty." He then steps forward, facing the group. "Negotiations will not comence. Packmind research will be conducted in Tahoe as planned. Unit Luna, direct RSX operatives to end the blockade." Luna looks suprised, and then fearful. "Carson?! You took a bullet through the skull how are you alive?!"</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus takes a break when he hears the response and Luna chiming in. Letting out a sigh he says, "There</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox meanwhile listens in and grits his teeth. So close, yet so far. Well, when words failed it was time to cause some GLORIOUS CHAOS. The idea he'd been given earlier sat quite well with him, explosions were entropy in the making after all. So the vulpine does what came naturally. He plucks out his dagger and stabs a hole in the fuel line leading between the engine and gas tank, causing a leak of flammable liquid. That done, he runs out from under the truck, aiming his finger right at the spot where the fuel trickled down onto the ground. A sharp, bright plume of fire errupts from his fingertip, striking the ground and starting a massive fire. Within mere moments the entire jeep was engilfed in flames, before the gas tank bursts and leaves the entire vehicle completely totaled. As for Magnus, he'd be running towards his team!</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus takes a break when he hears the response and Luna chiming in. Letting out a sigh he says, "There's a distinction to be made between alive and not dead." he says, grinning as he spies the fennec firestarter performing admirably. Grabbing a frag from his pack he pitches it, sans pin, aiming one of the non-burning CoT vehicles and quickly ducks behind the jeep again.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris glances up from her scope at the figure stepping forward. A quiet curse is muttered in her head when Luna confirms that the figure in front of them was indeed Carson. Her sights focus to aim at him as she speaks, words barely audible an inch from her mouth. "Maybe two bullets will put you down, this time..." Their negotiations having been seemingly flushed down the drain by Carson's presence, Arris' finger rests on the trigger. </p>
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<p>She doesn't even get to think the phrase "this is going to go pear-shaped fast" before she spots Magnus scuttling out from under a truck and said truck bursting into flames. Her crosshairs rest on Carson's head still, waiting for a retaliation before she fires.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat feels stronger discerning that someone activated a nanomagic. Peeking out when shi hears the new voice and the apparent break down of negotiations. Shi pulls out hir laser pistol and steadies hir arm against the side of the jeep as shi aims at the mini nanite server in the new persons arm. When the explosion goes off. Shi pull the trigger hoping on taking out whatever equipment it is. Shi shouts out to the party, "Hey we got this. They are at least down a vechile to escape with."</p></div><div title="Kalsouthpaw"><p>Kalsouthpaw thought for a moment that maybe this would go just fine and dandy...at least until the mechincal-sounding man came out with what looked like a nanite server in their arms. The explosion would've otherwise been a dose of ecstatic surprise for the little blue critter if it wasn't for the shiver running down his spine! Whispering to the winds from within his camouflage, Kal looks up to the sky...stormclouds beginning to gather as he allows his emotions to run free, calling forth lightning's destructive power to try and engulf the military truck in the rear of the convoy in an electrical storm. With any luck it might stop any other Tahoe operatives from getting into the fray!</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe giggles as she sees Magnus running. "It's time to boogie!" she shouts. Seeing that the first car is semi disabled, she leans down against the jeep and pulls the trigger of her laser rifle, aiming for the semi car driver. Using Deshwitat's encouraging words to lead the target. Cracking the windshield she hits them, but the powerarmr they are wearing takes most of the hit. Magnus' shannaigens continues as we watch the car go up in flames.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With the Jeep in flames combat is underway, Carson toggling the switch on his nanite server only for it to be unusable from the laser hole. He throws it aside and starts opening fire with his handgun, his rounds either missing Ebreus or deflecting off of his armor. As Kalsouthpaw summons his class connection to weather control, the summoned minature storm actually manages to tip over the Tahoe truck in back, the soldiers inside falling out and off-kilter. Angel, seeing the threat that the storm provided against the Children of Tahoe, imediately drew his solar rifle and shot Kal strait through the chest, downing him instantly. As Kal falls, Ebreus's grenade lands at Angel's feet, sending shrapnel into his armor and knocking him down.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>The scope pointed at Carson's head takes the shot, but sudden movement from him causes Arris to miss. Cursing, she retreats further behind the hill, taking advantage of the better cover to pull the bolt on her rifle before going prone once more. Through her sights, she scopes out the battlefield, laying her crosshairs back on his head and preparing to fire again.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The quick brown fox jumps over the oncoming gunfire. He dodges, ducks, dips, dives and dodges again, like a blur in the distance as he rounds and bounds towards the soldiers getting back up from their prone state. He takes a leap over them and fires, spraying them liberally and ensuring that at least three of them have thick black goo in their eyes. He then pulls out his blunderbuss, a small pistol with a LOT of power to it, aims it at the remaining three and yips "DON'T MOVE!"</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus glances in the direction of the lasor seeing the blinding light from a Solar Rifle firing and seeing one of their party fall to the ground, "Shit." he says and bounds from behind one jeep to the next to ensure his NICE bubble can reach Kalsouthpaw. "Desh, you're up." he'd say as he quickly aims his scattergun down-range at the remaining CoT, "You heard 'im. Move and die." he says training the barrel of a shotgun built for someone with inhuman strength between Carson and Angel.</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>A bright purple fire outlines Angel as the forest wisp also burns purple. The huge bear roars and charges forward at Angel before in a blazing beam of light obliterates the head. The body of the bear slumps forward as threads of light unravels from it's body as shi fades away. Deshwitat spots Kal falling over after the intense flash the first blast from Angel laser. Shi hustles from the cover of the jeep leaving a glistening trail of pre behind hir. Shi drags Kal back behind a jeep. Shi hovers a the gapping hole in Kal's chest. Shi concentrates will nanites forth as stream forth in a haze knitting the trauma closed.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe grumbles as she sees her comrade go down and takes a shot at Angel, aiming for his wings, "Let's see if you like to hurt..." she growls. Her mark tears through his wing, burning and scortching what it hits. Thinking this is going from bad to worse, she concentrates on supression shots. She chuckles, hearing the explosive retalliation from both sides.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The threats against the lives of the Children of Tahoe are ignored, the three solders in the back who aren't covered in ink fire their solar weapons at Magnus, all three missing. They then attempt to retreat with their ink-covered comrades by running for the hills. Carson roars with his mechanical voice, a cylinder from his back being jettisoned and quickly spilling out thick, choking smoke to cover his own retreat with Angel.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox was not one to know that making threats was pointless against these folks. He is left having to duck and weave around the lasers fired his way. He decides against using his blunderbuss however, instead opting for something else. His fur bristles with electric energy as he attempts to fry those metal-coated scum-suckers. Collecting the force of the storm into one concentrated area, he looks almost disappointed as the others make a mad dash for it. Instead of the cowards, the fox raises his hands and focuses on the back of their fleeing boss' back. With a loud SNAP a lightning bolt flashes out his fingers and strikes his target's back. Alas, no trace of him despite the direct hit.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris aims at Carson once more just before he creates the smokescreen, firing a shot through it that hits center of mass. After she pulls the bolt once more, she scans the battlefield with her scope, staying on the lookout for any more potential targets to take out.</p></div><div title="Lythe"><p>Lythe looks for the bunny and the other RSX agents, counting who needs help and who was in good shape. She moves over to check on the cargo, making sure none of the dangerous packmind were freed and on the loose, wouldn't that be an adventure?</p></div><div title="Deshwitat"><p>Deshwitat sigh in relief as the color to Kal's face returns and they stabilize. Deshwitat shouts from behind the jeep, "Fuck you Angel. Hope you burn in hell." Shi breaths in deeply in a out to calm hirself down before pulling out hir side arm. Shi pops out just enough and steadies hir aim on the side of the jeep. The billow of smoke obscures hir vision ruining shot. Shi reholsters hir laser pistol and puts a hand on Kal's shoulder. Shi actives Biomonitoring Nanomagic making sure that Kalsouthpaw doesn't anything else wrong with them.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The Children of Tahoe manage to escape. While they are broken and without vehicles, Carson and his crew will likely plan out their future revenge. In the mean time, Kalsouthpaw is going to need bedrest after being revived by medical nanomagic and RSX will have to bring back the semitrailer with their aquired Packminds. This was a victory, but who knows how hard Tahoe's retaliation might strike?</p></div>[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Lone Wolf Roundup - RPLOG

2019-04-13T20:05:57Z

Zophah: /* Date */

=Participants=
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Magnus]]
* [[Miza]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
Saturday April 13, 2019=Log=
<div></div><div title="Zophah"><p>It's the helicopter pad of RSX, and humans (and various partial-infected) are loading up a cargo heli with large cages and a few crates. One human female wearing a buisness dress is standing in the middle of the open, a name tag on her suit labled 'Jessica'. As she holds a clipboard and checks off items as they are added, she looks to be in charge of this opperation. She addresses the group after they all approach: "Need to do this efficiently and by-the-book. We are sending you all to capture a member of the wolf packmind, one that we've been tracking long enough to know where it can be ambushed with minimal chance of infection. Whatever you do don't get scratched by it, we can't help you survive once the nanites get in your system. Any questions?"</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>FINALLY! Adventure! Actual risky adventure. Gods, it's been so long since the fox had an opportunity to go someplace new and risk his life for the heck of it. Being an adrenaline junkie at heart, Magnus was right at home in such situations. The fox would bound from wall to wall, platform to platform, ruin to ruin, his hops massive as he does the next best thing to flying. Eventually, he'd tuck and roll, ending up at the helipad right in front of the human waiting for them. "It's a good day to get in trouble!" The fox yells out, then slams his chest with his clenched fists and yips ecstatically. It was a good day to be alive. </p>
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<p>Water dripped down his fur from the rain he'd caught, his attire much the same, at least for the time being. He almost seemed unprepared, though as anyone who knew Magnus would tell, looks were deceiving. "Oh boy, OH BOY! I've wanted to see what this Oregonian thing was all about for so long now. I've read up on it, but hot diggity, is the information sparse. So that's it then, we bag a feral and... we're done?" He'd tilt his head, unsure if he wants to believe that's all they had to do. Then again, Zephyr had opted to hire a bunch of randoms, especially a factionless twat like Magnus to go on this expedition...</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Striding up to the helipad wearing what at first glance one would be justified in mistaking for an officers uniform from late in the first World War...with a few obvious modifications Ebreus joins the group as the chopper is loaded, water rolling off his helmet. His mask hanging down about his neck he smiles at Jessica, "No problem. A simple grab... shouldn't be too rough." he pats the device slung to his side and continues, "Took some precautions just in case." </p>
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<p>He shakes his head as Magnus seems so energetic, "Yep, the challenge is not taking any hits while doin' it. Their nanites are nasty stuff and the usual tricks don't work on 'em." he explains. Starting to check over his equipment he adds, "Though that doesn't mean nothing works on them."</p></div><div title="Miza"><p>The mostly human young doctor runs up to the platform and reports in. In her smart RSX grey uniform and carrying her collection of medical supplies. She checks each of her multitude of weapons to be sure each is battle hardened and ready. Miza nods to the RSX woman and stands next to the other in preparation. Another mission to add to her collection of and a lovely day to start it. She had heard mostly bad things about this Oregonian place but was ready to put herself on the line and hopefully increase her experience as a field medic. Miza smiles as the others get pumped, day ny idea about the pack strengths or weakness ma'am? Do they have a primary nesting area? Do we have any ordinance that will knock the target out at range.el She pops out her notebook and begins to take notes.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>"Strengths and Weaknesses are what we are here to figure out, miss... Miza." The woman says while checking her clipboard. "The wolf Packmind we're tracking is far out from the server and isolated, so that's why we're going to ambush it there. Any ordinance you bring with you will help, but if it dies we leave empty-handed." The other RSX operatives finish loading the heli, Jessica putting away her clipboard. She then directs the volunteers and a few of the RSX operatives to get aboard and watches from the ground as the heli sets out to Oregon. The trip is short and uneventful being flown by helicopter, soon setting down in the overgrown track and field of a highschool centered in a small town. Like clockwork, the operatives disembark and begin setting up a temporary camp, all keeping a watchful eye for even the slightest glimpse of a packmind.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"It's a big wolf that shouldn't touch you. Smack it around and contain it, gotcha. Come on! Let's get going! We're not getting any younger!" the fennec yells out jovially "Or older, but you get my idea!" Passing by Miza, the fox gives the human a quick pinch on the ass and a wink before making a leap towards the chopper. Grabbing the upper edge of the open door, he swings inside and flops down onto one of the seats. "This baby have a minigun? Awww, woulda been sweet if we had a chopper with a fuckin' minigun as air support." he'd blow a raspberry, then move back towards the door, and dangle from the upper rim of its opening. </p>
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<p>"We can't kill it? Well alright." </p>
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<p>Once the chopper takes off, the fox is the first to start feeling uneasy in such a confined space. He'd swallow down hard every few moments and start to shiver, his eyes darting around before he finally unfastens his safety straps and hooks a thumb. "I'mma go grab a few breaths of air." he'd announce nonchalantly mid-flight, before dangling out the side of the chopper. His adhestive fingers grip with such intensity that not even the winds are capable of pushing him off. </p>
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<p>Eventually, they'd near their destignation, and in a motion of either insanity, Magnus plucks what was a grapple shot from his pack with one quick swipe and detaches from the side of the copter. On his way down, he hooks the edge of his shot with the landing skid of the chopper, lowering himself down to the ground and detaching the hook before the machine even reaches the helipad below them. Reeling the hook back in, he'd put the device away and look around, rubbing his hands together.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus boards the chopper without further any flash or show only snickering lightly at how animated his comrade for the operation was.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus boards the chopper without further any flash or show only snickering lightly at how animated his comrade for the operation was. "Right no killing it... and ideally no it killing us." he says. Sitting unaffected by being confined inside the chopper the Hellhound checks over his equipment for the umpteenth time as was usual for him, passing the traveling time for an operating ensuring his gear was in perfect condition almost down to the microscopic level. "Be sure to get back in before we leave the bubble an' I turn on this jammer." he says as the Fennec exits the cabin, "Would hate to loose ya just to nanites being nuked all around us." </p>
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<p>As they reach the destination, and doublechecking Magnus wasn't somewhere that his actions could potentially hurt the small fox, he flicks a switch on his device slung to his side and a small LED blinks on noting its active state, "The reports I've read on them seem to say these things're worth having for this sort of operation. Let's home they're accurate." he says as they land. Stepping out he adds, "Couldn't find much documentation of their body temp relative to surroundings... so we'll at least get a good record of that." he says as he blinks. His eyes opening with an infernal glow, his thermal vision active as he walks over to the edge of the building and scans for heat sources. "Damnble rain... don't get to far the water cuts into my thermal vision." he calls to his allies.</p></div><div title="Miza"><p>She hops a bit at the pinch but just shakes her head and giggles. Miza makes the chopper trip without much complaint or observation, just enjoying the ride. She giggles at Magnus as he climbs around on the copter, wondering if we'll have to pick him up on the return trip.</p>
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<p>When we touch down, hopping out of the helicopter and straightening her skirt, Miza falls in line with the other volunteers. Her eyes scan the school for places for ambush or for setup, readying one of her laser rifles as she walks around the camp. She is wondering if the target say the chopper come in. Despite her attentiveness, her mind drifts to her surroundings. It's kind of sad, she thinks, kids used to play and run in these places, now they look like bombed out hellholes. The light rain adding to the macabre scene. Seeing the length they go for fortifications, she wonders if we'll be here a long time.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With camp set up an operative opens up a crate and starts assembling a cage, while another hands out tranq guns. The officer of the group appoaches the three volunteers and says "The Wolf we are going to capture visits this school once a week, travels the halls, then returns to the Wolves' usuall hunting grounds. Like clockwork. We have about 40 minutes before it shows up, so I'll give you an idea of where to lay an ambush." He goes on to describe the layout of the school and a few classroom hallways that makes for excelent opportunities.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Gotcha. I can monkey my way up here." the fox would nod as he listens to the instructions of the head honcho officer. The vulpine's suggestion was to take an otherwise difficult perch, hard to reach and out of the way, but with a good line of sight to the beastie, such that he could take an effective shot if need be. "It's right around here, where the cafeteria used to be right?" Magnus asks, unsure exactly what to make of the plans. "Also if this thing is part of a packmind... I'm not the only one thinking that it's one thought away from asking for help, right? Might be a good idea to find a way to keep it from doing that. Just sayin'."</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus nods as the description of the layout and rout is given, "Alright... I'll find a spot." he says as he notes down the finer details of their briefing. "You're right about that it's one mind and a lot of bodies... hell it's probably faster than one thought that it's calling for help... don't really need to send a though to tell you hands to work together, right?" he says. "Some mines or remote explosives would be good at the perimeter... in any case I hope the cake is chained to the chopper so we can flee quickly if need be." he says. After a few moments of looking around he finds a good spot near enough to where Magnus has set up his ambush, "Found a spot." he says and takes up a position giving him a view down a hallway along the Packmind's rout</p></div><div title="Miza"><p>Miza begins looking over the plans and watching the fox dart around, she points at places on the map, dedicate ill it be able to scent us if we change too much inside or be able to tell if there is a disturbance.el She looks as Ebreus points to a spot, nodding, decorative hat looks close quarters enough. Does it have access to a quick escape if we need to?el She looks at some of the winding halls and points out another place, within striking distance and reach of the other two, death 'll station myself here then.el Making sure it's downwind of the target.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The officer replies: "We're far enough out that any cry for help from the Wolf will still be 20 minutes away minimum, so as long as no one screws around we should be fine. As for changing anything around inside, just be careful. It hasn't interacted with any changes scouts have made when we were observing it for months, but as it's a packmind it's better safe than sorry." </p>
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<p>With that in mind, the operatives get ready while the volunteers get into position. It's a long span of forboding silence while everyone waits for the Wolf to show up, and it arrives on time. The Wolf walks through the halls, stopping at a classroom and sitting down next to a desk in a back corner, silent. Its ears flick to some barely-noticed sound, but it doesn't leave its spot in the classroom.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Pshaw, there've been prime hunts harder than this. Anyway, just don't charge that damn thing right in the face, I guess! Take care, folks!" the fox nods and bounds off to take his position. His bare fingers adhere to the verious surfaces of the school structure, as he wall-crawls and keeps out of the beastie's field of view. He would follow after it, breathless almost in his silent pursuit of the alien creature. It looked... much like anything else in the bubble. T'was hard to believe that this beastie was some sort of hivemind nanite mass by just looking at it, but it was. For the time being, the fox kept low, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But... how?</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Finding an opportune nook in the spot he said he'd take position, fixes his gasmask, and as the Wolf enters he carefully watches it as it moves to the classroom. Carefully the Hellhound looks around corners and into reflective surfaces as he quiets his breathing as much as he can to listen for movement anywhere that it isn't suppose to be. After a few moments of nothing he takes a measured and carefully quiet breath before taking aim at the Wolf. A few moments pass as he steadies himself and fires... fuck that was a lucky dodge. Moving right as the dart was loosed and now it knows something us up. The hound however for his part just returns to being, hopefully, obstructed from view as he readiest his next shot.</p></div><div title="Miza"><p>Miza keeping her head low and weapon at the ready she waits for the other to spring their attack, getting in an out of the way place but within distance to start firing. Crouching low and pushes her back up against the crumbling wall.</p>
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<p>After hearing Ebreus let the first shot go, she pushes off from the corner and moves to take a shot. She carefully aims for a non-lethal leg shot with her rifle, hoping to maim and slow the beast. Her shot grazes the chair he's sitting in. She misses her shot and rolls back from line of sight, hearing him enrage and start to tear through the room.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The wolf knows it's under attack. It dashes between the desks and heads strait for the doorway, intending to fight it's way through. It leaps for Magnus, but his quick reflexes evade the Wolf and the Wolf starts running down the hall, intending to flee.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>As though on instinct, the small fox makes a sharp dodge once he sees that barreling mass of nonsense rampage its way towards him. "God damn!" he'd growl, his cover compromised. That was too close for comfort. Once the beastie starts moving away, he'd grunt softly as he wall-crawls and makes a few leaps between the various surfaces. With the monster running down a straight hall, making the shot was easy enough. Long, serrated rope fires out of the handgun-like device in the fennec's arms, swinging and coiling around the monster's legs as it trips it over, entangling it in steel wire and at the very least causing it to collapse in its tracks. With his target down, the fox cuts the line and primes a new roll into the device, then draws a different pistol entirely and takes aim from a safe distance~</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Shaking his head as he hears the wolf make a break for it the Hellhound emerges from his hiding place and bounding out the door into the hallway he again takes aim as his fennec companion fires a grappling line at the their quarry, "Nicely done." he remarks seeing it connect and then he takes aim again with the tranquilizer rifle. Taking a few steps closer he again fires his tranquilizer to see if he can't render the beasty unconscious.</p></div><div title="Miza"><p>She gives a little internal cheer as the target goes down. Reloading and leveling her rifle down the hallway as she take partial cover in a doorway. Miza gets ready to fire again if he doubles back on them. deals old and submitels she says in her sternest voice possible.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With the wolf entangled by a grapple line, it can't hope to dodge the tranq round now imbedded in its neck. It's struggle quickly ends, and it lies asleep in the school hallway. A quick comm to the RSX operatives notifying them of success prompts them to help the group get the unconsious Wolf back to the cage at the heli, and everyone begins packing back up quickly. "Alright people! We need to get moving now or we'll have to deal with a lot more than just one wolf!"</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Huh..." the fox looks almost disappointed. "Alright then. I'll uh, see you all at the helipad?" He'd glance around awkwardly, then shrug and hop his way out the nearest window, scaling the structures as he leaps and monkeys his way back to the helipad as promised. It was... a day?</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus smiles in his gasmask as the wolf slowly stops struggling, "Awesome... might want to bind its mouth shut and limbs together." he says, "Last thing we need is a containment breach after catching it." As the RSX crew come to help with moving the KO'd beasty Ebreus watches it closely, ready to fire another dart... and failing that club it in the head with the gun, should it start moving again. Once back at the helipad with the finger safely in lockup he says, "Well... since that went so well and it's still a bit early for drinking how about a late lunch on me?" he offers his companions for the operation.</p></div><div title="Miza"><p>Miza moves back into the school room, looking for any indication of why the creature was making her way back here. She takes a quick look around, under and around the desk. 'Was it were she went to school?' 'Was she trying to remember the past?' thoughts run through her head. Seeing the love notes she makes a mental note to tell the researchers along with her filed RSX report. Maybe these creatures have a little a bit of themselves left to reach to. She heads back off to the chopper for evac.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>And with that done, RSX ships the volunteers and the cargo back safely and without incident. A crucial component of the Packmind research has been aquired, and work can begin again.</p></div>[[Category:RPLogs]]

The Last Horror Factory - RPLOG

2019-01-27T01:20:02Z

Zophah: /* Date */

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Magnus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
Saturday January 26, 2019=Log=
<div></div><div title="Zophah"><p>It's the edge of the Fairhaven bubble, and the nanite signal can be felt weakening as the group aproaches the outer rim. There is no greeting agent this time, just a gathering place for agents who accepted the call sent out on comms. Once confirmed, the mission details give previous knowledge on the ferals, and includes the route to the feral's nest from the gathering point. It's just up to the agents to be ready first. It's warmer and sunny for a late January day, hopefully the weather stays that way.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris shuddered lightly as she left the bubble, giving her pockets a brief pat-down as she approached the gathering point. The gator had been out on one of these ventures in the past, and decided it would be best to help, based on her prior experience. She double-checks hir pockets - knowing how freaky these creatures could get, she had gotten some specially-crafted ammunition for this exact purpose. Now all that was left was to wait for the others to arrive at the meetup point, and she re-examines the route once more on hir comm.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Skipper's in the wardroom drinking gin!" Magnus would sing a merry tune, his stride wide and his face graced with that ever-present smile of his. "Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!" his wee footpaws would impact the ground in time with the rhythm, "I don't mind knocking but I ain't going in!" his attire was fairly modest, just a jacket and some pantaloons, the former a smooth leathery brown while the latter were well, denim! "Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!" 'Jimmy's' laughing like a drain!" he'd keep on singing as he approaches the meeting spot "Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!" Once he spots arris, he'd quickly blurt out the rest of the lyrics~ "Been looking at m' 'comic cuts' again. Hey -oh, chicken on a raft!" hefore moving in to give the gator a quick hug! "Hey there good lookin' whatcha got cookin?"</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Gliding low as he approaches the large winged Hellhound makes his landing at a jog as the nanites slowly thin out to the point his wings refuse to work properly. Drawing them around himself as if a cloak the 'hound, toting a rather large shogun and no doubt several other weapons concealed in his coat, the infernal canine comes to a stop at the meeting spot... third to arrive. Shrinking down from the grand size he usually sports to one more appropriate for staying alive without the Nanite Soup he clears his throat and smiles. "Nice to see some familiar faces on the job." he says, repositioning his shotgun to be balanced on his shoulder with just one hand on the stock he continues, "So... the job called for six people. Are we a bit early, or are we undermanned?"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Time passes as the three stand waiting for more agents, but none arrive. Eventually the comms beep with updates on what to expect, the path to get to the mission location, and a short message to stay on the lookout for anything valuable to bring back if anything is found.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>*beep beep beep* "Ack... this blazin thing again?" Magnus huffs as he looks at his comm unit. "Wait... just us three then? Alright! Let's make this a good one then!" the fox... actually smiles about that? Well, then again given his last blunder outside the bubble's reach, he'd reminded himself how poorly he functioned in large groups. A soft rub to his bicep would serve as a chilling touch of bitter recollection, not something he'd be forgetting anytime soon to be sure. "ALRIGHT!" he'd sound off. "WE HAVE A JOB TO DO! Let's make this quick, keep it simple and try not to get horrifically massacred by whatever it is we might encounter out there!" The fox would yip sharply, give Arris a quick hip-bump, a nod to Ebreus, then head off towards their assigned destination with a wide and jovial stride. Adventure!</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris gets bumped a little by Magnus hugging her, but laughs it off. "Ah, not much is really goin' on with me... if that's what you're asking, that is." She bumps him away with her hip, spotting Ebreus after she does so.</p>
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<p>Shortly after, hir comm would beep with the new information recieved. "Be on the lookout for anything valuable, huh..? Well, I suppose looking at things is one of my expertises." Adjusting the position of the rifle slung over her back, she gives the two others a nod. "Alright, let's go." The nod sent Magnus' way is interrupted by the hip-bump, and she just gives him a chuckle. </p>
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<p>"Say, Ebreus..." As the group walks, Arris drifts closer to him. "I don't think I've seen you on the last mission, so I can give you a bit more briefing if you need it."</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>With the waiting and then finally the message acting as their briefing Ebreus shakes his head, "Right so undermanned it is." he says. Taking the shotgun from his shoulder he stretches as he's bumped by the smaller man. Flashing a wider grin to him a moment before turning his attention to Arris, "Yeah, I hadn't had time to read the report of the previous mission so the bullet points would be helpful... I assume this can't be worse than the CoT but I've been wrong before.... and of course they'd want us to grab anything valuable we're bein' sent out by Zephyr." And with that the hound does a few simple stretches and follows after the Fennec.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The trip to the nest is uneventful, but is quite a walk away from Fairhaven. A couple hours the route leads to the desolate town where the nest was known to be. Over a decade of neglect has caused this small town to become just as empty as the wasteland, the chilly air hanging still and foreboding. Even the slightest sound carries through the empty buildings like a lost echo, as if anything greater than a whisper would draw in terrible danger.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>Magnus meanwhile had pulled out a flute to play a tune on, the very same he'd been singing on his arrival. It was his way to pass the time and keep his steps even, his stride energetic and his advance tireless. He kept his ears perked though his eyes seemed to wander more often towards the clouds than anything else. It was a warm and sunny day, the kind of weather that Magnus would thrive in, energizing and soothing all the same. Once they'd reached the town however... </p>
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<p>"Aw, man... I didn't know we were headed to Gloomsville, USA. Heck, I didn't know it was a place to begin with!" He'd spot something in the shadows, though makes little sense of it. "We got uhhh... snakes? They might be the locals. Poor sods, living in a dump like this..." Magnus would raise his shoulders, then continue playing his song as they advance.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>"The 'see-oh-tee"..?" Arris raises an eyebrow before shaking her head. "Well, the basic gist is that, y'know, they're flesh abominations. And that obviously means they're bad. Uh.... let's see, what else... oh, right, there was a room that looked like someone's chest cavity, but big. And a goo blob thing that sucks you up and drags you to the chest cavity room to be, y'know, deformed into a flesh abomination, because I guess the nanites watched too much of John Carpenter before this place was made." </p>
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<p>As the group approaches the town, Arris hushes up and unslings her rifle, fixing a supressor to the end of her rifle as sie follows after the others. "Sssh, Magnus. I see something else..." Loading an incindiary round into the chamber, she takes aim at a feral she spotted, lurking in the shadows; after lining the crosshairs with its back, she pulls the trigger, aiming to blast the wings until they're of no use.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Morale kept my the pleasant tune on the hours of walking the still quite large Hellhound keeps pace with the fox just fine, covering distance in great strides that would be short leaps to most. Nodding as he's given the jist of the last mission he replies, "So don't get sucked into the giant chest cavity... good to know." he says. He snickers lighly as Magnus describes the place... only to immediately quiet himself when Arris tries to quiet Magnus. Bringing up his shotgun he scans the area down the sight of his scattergun as Arris fires her silenced shot.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>As Arris fires off into the bushes, a roar of anguish echoes out through the town. Jumping away is looks like a hedge in the shape of a dragon with a wasp stinger. As the incendiary rounds continues to smolder through it's fiberous wings, the mutant starts running away. As for the other mutant mentioned, it doesn't seem to move from where ever it is.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Perfect..." Magnus sighs and shakes his head. "Well if there was any doubt they didn't know we were here, now they certainly do, and they think we're hostile too." Magnus casts Arris a disappointed look and puts his flute away, muttering something about an itchy trigger finger. "Since you two are very well armed and ready to fight a war by the looks of things, I'm gonna use the commotion you just caused to see if I can slip in undetected and get a bead on any valuables worth looting." </p>
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<p>The wee lad proceeds towards the nearest wall and takes a leap into it, latching with those nimble fingers of his onto the cracks and even faintest of imperfections in its surface. The ruins he was using for his ascent were nigh ideal for the purpose. </p>
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<p>He'd scurry up the sides with great rapidity, almost crawling up their surfaces as he moves quickly toward the roof of the first, then takes a leap to the second and advances up the side of a third structure, taking a dive into one of the windows to emerge out another and proceed all the way onto the chimney of the nearest and tallest structure in view. There he'd perch with his hands and toes, looking over the better part of the city. Seems he'd found something, or so did the expression on his face suggest. Taking out his comm unit, he fiddles with it for a few moments before sending pictures of the town hall, and streets leading toward it from his vantage point.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris gives a nod Magnus' way. "Sure. Would probably be better that way, if I sniped for you as you got in and pinpointed the exact location we need to go to. Try to stay in locations I can see you from - it's safer that way." As the fox set off, Arris loaded a normal round into the sniper rifle, keeping Magnus in the center of her vision and a watchful eye on everything else, glancing back to see if another feral she had spotted before hadn't already escaped her sights.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Crimson-glowing eyes immediately catching the movement of the fleeing abomination the 'hounds inclination toward science kicks in and he scrutinizes it's form, taking note of all the different mutations present and how the mix is very unlike what can be done back come. "Strange hybridization they've got..." he says. He blinks and his eyes glow brighter as he scans the surroundings for anything giving off heat, they may be able to hide in the visible spectrum but infrared may reveal them. As he scans he mutters something about Magnus and his father. </p>
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<p>As his enhanced sight picks something out he slowly steps forward, continuing to look down the sights of his scattergun as he moves, lingering on one spot and returning to it periodically... is he trying to indicate something... if so maybe not the best way of doing it.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The screeching of the fleeing mutant echo in the empty town long after it leaves line of sight, fading away until the town lies silent once again. A chill wind blows through, and the second spoted mutant seems to stay immoble and quiet.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fennec in the far distance meanwhile reaches into his pack and pulls out a pair of binoculars. He'd spend a few seconds fiddling with them to adjust the magnification and focus the lenses, then spend a few good seconds peering down towards their objective. There was no way he could send magnified pictures to his team, nor was he about to jump down there on his own, but at the very least he could let them have as much information as they possibly can. </p>
<p></p>
<p> Once he'd seen as much as he can see, the fox puts his specs away and dangles down from the chimney, one hand gripping the edge, his feet propping him against the side opposite the town hall, and his other hand grasping his comm unit. He'd ping the others and let them know, "That's our mark, there aren't any ferals in the area, none that I can see at least... there's some strange frog of some sorts, metallic somehow... it's in the building. Be careful, guys. This smells like an ambush six ways to Sunday."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Seeing that Ebreus has now spotted the feral she saw earlier, Arris does a focused look around to try to see if any more ferals are present before her sights settle back towards Magnus as he drops down the chimney. The comm message comes shortly after, and Arris stands up from her position, rereading through the pile of images sent to her via comm; once she approaches the town's roads proper, she clicks her tongue to discreetly get Ebreus' attention as the gator steadily and quietly made her way towards the town hall. "A metallic frog..? This, I'm curious about, now."</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Slowly moving toward the hall as the images come to him he studies the images, mental for him as his comm is integrated into his NICE. He tries to remain quiet as he studies them and as Arris speaks something occurs to him and his eyes widen for just a moment before returning to normal, "Metal hide... shot'll probably ricochet off." he says, "It is curious, and dangerous." he says. *Also, if you can, using the comms would probably be safer... never know we may be dealing with something that has very keen hearing.* He taps his temple to indicate his comm is in his head as he slowly turns around to check behind them then to the other side before continuing toward the Town Hall.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Making their way to the town hall no other ferals are found, but it's clear that the second mutant is following them from the shadows. As the afternoon wears on, the sun hangs lower in the sky, lengthing the shadow cast by the old town hall.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>From up high spotting their follower, especially with a sturdy pair of binoculars proved at least manageable. Considering the possibility that these things were sentient, Magnus starts a gradual, and quiet descent downwards, weaving and ducking among the rubble to intersect paths with the strange creature stalking his team. He'd drop down with a soft gust of air around a corner among the alleyways, in a good place to ambush the beastie. </p>
<p></p>
<p>As it rounds the corner, he would silently leap, cling to a space in the wall before dropping down onto the serpentine entity. Alas, at the size of an adolescent, all the agility in the world could not help him right now. The so called monster thrashes and flails, its strength overwhelming his, proving fierce and slippery enough to force him off. Tucking and rolling as he impacts the ground, Magnus is given but a half-second's time to react once the beastie lashes out at him with its tendrils. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Here, at the very least, a nimble body proves useful, as the horrid creature strikes naught but air, no matter how hard it tries. The fox huffs and folds down his ears, then reaches into his coat to pull out a menacing looking wide-nozzled pistol-esque device. Aiming however was difficult under the barrage of swipes from its stretchy limbs, for now...</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris tsks, observing the sky as she steps up to the town hall. "I'd bet that the mutants around here have improved night vision. Going out in the dark might be dangerous." Just before entering, she takes a quick glance around the foyer of the town hall, starting with the ceiling and going down from there. "Step 1 is to always look up. Faceless soldiers in the bad guy's army always forget this and miss something crucial." </p>
<p></p>
<p>Holding the door for Ebreus, Arris enters the room. "If you have a way to hold the doors down temporarily, one would be appreciated. I saw a big-ass bug on the way here, and I don't like bugs." Her gaze once again moves over the rest of the room, and eventually she spots the stone statue from last time. "...ah, Ebreus, there's that goo ball thing I was talking about before, it's pretending to be a statue. Hang on, I think the Zephyr scientists might want to take a closer look at this, so one second..." A nanite collecting-vial kept in hand, she cautiously approaches the statue, preparing herself to dodge on the spot if need be.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus follows close behind Arris as she opens the door, "Yeah..." he says as she reiterates one good tip for dealing with situations that may, or definitely, have creeping horrors. He takes a breath as she holds the door stepping inside, "Didn't bring any nails... if you can make a nanite field I could glue-" he cuts himself off as the sound of combat reaches them, "Damnit Magnus." he says and grabs the door handle, "Hold up on that." he calls to Arris as he exits the building, bounding out toward the sound of combat and quickly arriving at the fight between the creature and Magnus, "If you can understand me freeze!" he demands, "You don't want to feel what happens when I fire." he adds and gives the beast a second to process what he said... and with it continuing to attack his teammate a loud blast rings out from his scattergun as metallic shot quickly impacts and cuts into the creature.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The naga-millipede attacking Magnus screeches in pain as the shot tears into its back, and starts to flee toward the town hall where Arris is. Meanwhile, with Arris left in the hall a stone statue seemly comes to life, jumping like an amorphous slime and coliding strait into Arris. As it pins hir to the ground, shi sees a robot-like frog jumping to the top of the front hall's stairs, firing off what looks like a glob of latex that further pins Arris down.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The moment a familiar figure pops into the scene, Magnus was out of there. Ebreus needed no help, but his big ears were acute enough to tell someone else did. Bounding over and under the wreckage of the town, rolling with the terrain, he outruns the injured feral heading towards the hive and arrives just in time to see Arris in her predicament. Raising the weapon in his hand, he once more folds down his ears and braces himself. Pulling the trigger, the kickback from the device is enough to force his light frame back a few inches, his footpaws sliding over the ground from the pushback as his weapon bellows out a concentrated shockwave potent enough to bowl over most foes. Unfortunately, his target ducks for cover and avoids the worst behind a bannister.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris falls right on her ass as the goo pins her to the floor by her abdomen. Letting out a yelp, she immediately begins struggling free - though its usefulness was debatable, it's further dampened when the latex glob smacks against her leg, pinning it down and preventing use of it. "Hey, when I said I was curious, I didn't mean I wanted to go this close!" The first nanite vial gets dipped into the latex glob and pulled out before Arris caps a cork onto it, and another one is pulled out to scoop up some of the concrete slime's goo. Both are rolled off to the side for a temporary safekeeping, and the gator returns to struggling. The most important part was to keep all the goo off her mouth and nose - based on her past experience, she remembered seeing a friend's head get stuck in it, and since she needed air unlike him, being suffocated was a bad thing. </p>
<p></p>
<p>The loud sound catches her attention. "Hey, careful! I can handle myself, if the things here planned on directly harming me, they would've done it already! Just handle the feral outside!" She begins making an effort to escape the globs of slime, and failing that, would at least attempt to prevent the concrete from spreading over her head.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>"Oh no you don't!" Ebreus yells at the wounded monster as he swings his scattergun like a greatclub, nailing it in the middle of the back and knocking it down just long enough to follow up with a strike to the back of the head rendering it unconscious... or at least the 'hound hoped that hit wasn't lethal when he saw it stop moving but there was no time to check as he was quickly off... not as fast as his fox friend but, hopefully, not too slow to not be helpful he rushed back toward the Town Hall now that the naga-millipede had been dealt with. "Da fuck?!" he says seeing how the situation has deteriorated since when he left to aid Magnus, Arris fighting the good and mecha-frog</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>While Arris manages to pull the slime off of hir, the metal frog on the second floor fires off another latex glob, sticking to Arris. As this combat progresses, the town hall starts to feel 'funny'. A nanite signal starts to spread through the building, everyone's nanites 'itching' at this wierd signal.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The fox puts his pistol away under his coat and reaches towards his back, drawing a baseball bat and flicking a small switch at the handle. The barbs around its head light up in a flurry of sparks. "Here's Maggie!" the fox hisses menacingly before bounding sharply towards their attacker. He leaps against the wall, and bounces off its surface, contacts the bannister with one foot and changes direction, not once touching the slime before scoring a landing right next to the frog. What follows is a series of pained croaks, the rough noise of metal being pounded mercilessly, electric discharges in the form of sharp crackles and whirring hisses before the mutant is flung downstairs, battered, bruised and unconscious. Now then, about that treasure...</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Splat! The latex hits against Arris' chest, weighing her down quite a bit, but at least she had managed to free herself from the concrete goo. Though still weighed down by the latex that pinned her leg, she manages to stand upright and put some distance from the concrete goo - and then, the strange signal courses through her body. "Whatever you guys do, don't use anything that relies on nanites! The weird bubble signal here is going to mess it up!" </p>
<p></p>
<p>Now, the gator was staring down the large concrete goo blob, waiting for it to make a move. Slowly, her hand reached behind her back, reaching for the acid gun she brought for this occasion and slowly pulling it out from the gooed-up holster she kept it in. She wanted to spray it down, but also, wanted her sniper rifle back. The concrete goo had enveloped it alongside her abdomen when it first attacked, and she wanted to avoid having to clean it out or get replacement parts, but if worst came to worst, the acid gun would be used instead.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>As the weird nanite signal starts up the Hellhound sets his sights on the mecha-frog... flicking his fingers and- quickly stopping himself from activating Electrical Assault as first Magnus leaps into action blocking his shot, and as it turns out saving his ass with the revelation from Arris that the signal is bad. With that revelation and the frog taking quite the beating from the smol fox the hound opens the breach of his shotgun and loads the next round, "You're outmatched, stand down!" he yells at the goo as he brings the sights back up aiming at it, ready to fire when it ignores his demands... and just as expected as he's ignored another blast echos forth from his boom-stick as metal pellets are accelerated at great speed towards his target.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The shot hits the goo right in the middle, and the goo seems to go down in one blow. And with the frog not moving either, it seems the front hall is cleared for now. There is sounds of something upstairs and arris is still pinned with latex and goo slime, the strange nanite signal starting to push Arris into possible infection.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>With his baseball bat slung over one shoulder, the fennec fox leaves his companions be for now. They would be fine on their own, and they had a job to do. Hmmm, now what sort of funny knick-knacks could there be here? They were told to loot the place, but surely no one would notice if a few things went missing, especially given that no one knew what was to be found here to start with, right? Magnus' suspicions proved correct, in fact. He rubs his hands together as he spots an active terminal in the distance. Seems it was powered by some sort of battery source. Hmmmm... shiny knick knacks indeed. Standing so near it made him feel... uneasy, even a little sick to his stomach. Still, he starts working, quickly dismantling the device and setting the best components aside for himself. Within moments the device is rendered non-functional, stripped of its power source and core components. These will catch a good price, yes yes.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris lets out a sigh. Hopefully none of those bullets landed onto her AW. She approaches the goo blob, pulls her rifle from its slime, and rechecks her nanite collector, pressing it into both the slime and the frog to make sure it adds the vials to her NISD. While she uses it on the frog, she strokes the KOed feral's head lightly. "Aw, poor thing. ...I shouldn't say that, it's not fair to the ferals outside that aren't given the luck of looking not gross." The gator looks around. "...we should go find that family that got stolen here. If I'd guess right, they're on the chest cavity room on the second floor." </p>
<p></p>
<p>As she climbs the stairs, she approaches the room she remembered was full of flesh. "Get ready for anything, everyone. I'd guess they've prepared a surprise for the second time agents have stormed their home."</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus watches Arris collect samples, "If you don't mind a double set is probably prudent..." he says. "I didn't damage your rifle, did I?" he asks. He takes a breath as Arris mentions their objective, "Right, lead the way. We should hurry... save them from this... distortion if at all possible." he says as he sticks close to the gater girl.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>As Magnus loots what appears to be an improvised lab on the other side of the building, Arris and Ebreus get to the flesh room: opening the door the full effect of the corrupt nanite signal can be felt, and the room is filled wall-to-wall with pulsating sinew. Whatever this, thing, is it clearly can't leave the room, but tries its best to grab the two just outside the door.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>Magnus hurries to dismantle that terminal and ends up with a pack too heavy to fit it all in. He could probably carry more, however his rule of keeping light was in danger of being violated quite thoroughly. The fox sighs and looks at the remainder of the salvageable components. He shrugs and re-assembles the rest of the computer, save for the most valuable components, the central processing unit and the graphical processing unit. The rest, such as the power box, the case, the hard drive and the motherboard he leaves in there, then picks up the shell and carries it over towards his team. </p>
<p></p>
<p> "I uhhh, found this thing. Anyone wants to take it?" he shrugs and leaves it on the ground. Sure, he had more space, but their expedition wasn't over yet. If there were other move valuable knick-knacks to snag, he wanted the wiggle room to do so effectively. Once they were greeted by a hentai surprise however, he takes a quick step back and places the bos on the ground, his hand gripping the fang of Jormungand in preparation to make old god kalamari out of that horrid fleshy abberation. Thank the stars however he was nowhere near the damn thing's reach, so all he could do for now was assist if needed.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>As the fleshy tentacles burst forth from beyond the doorway the 'Hound being rather large has little room to dodge out of the way and is quickly grabbed but now, grabbed, Ebreus can use his size and strength to his advantage. Bracing his feet against the lower corners of the frame and the scattergun and his hands against the upper portion he holds himself outside of the room, the tentacle around hid midsection possessing insufficient strength to pull him through. "Eager girl, aren't you?" he says to the creature as he looks in at the monster room... a moment later a ping comes to both Arris and Magnus' comms. A pic of Ebreus, wearing his current outfit but holding the trench-coat open... though rather than being a somewhat sleazy lewd it shows where the holsters for several of his weapons are, amongst the visible weapons are a portable flamethrower and some sort of revolver with a rather large boar barrel. "Help yourselves, but get this bitch off me." he says.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The flesh room doesn't seem to pose any threat anymore, as Ebreus is too strong to be dragged in and everyone else is out of reach. A quick use of fire and acid renders the horror inanimate, and the unhealthy nanite signal starts to fade along with the creature's life.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Soooo, how about we bolt, hmm?" Magnus raises his brows and opens his arms, then tilts his head. "A good adventurer might be bold, but they also need to know when to call it quits. I draw the line at regenerating flesh goo enveloping an entire room. If there were six of us maybe we could clear that out buuuuut, yeah... I doubt there's anything in there worth taking. Call it a hunch." Magnus winks, then hooks a thumb behind his back. "Let's go." he rides the railing downstairs and departs, be it by himself or with his team, and a bag full of salvage.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris lets out a sigh of relief. "Man, I hate this thing..." She spits disrespectfully in the direction of the flesh room. "It's gross and disgusting and eats people for breakfast. Come on, let's pack everything up and go home." </p>
<p></p>
<p>Arris stands at the front of the group as they walk down the stairs, stopping to make sure she has all four vials - two from the concrete goo, and two from the latex-spitting robot frog. Speaking of... the gator turns towards the KOed feral lying down near the stairs. She glances around before bending down and picking up the frog in her arms, carrying it. Maybe it would be worth bringing it back to Fairhaven to study it? If anything, it would be nice to catalogue its infection, at the very least.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>With the horror quickly dispatched Ebreus brushes himself off as the tentacle falls limp. "Hold on Magnus." he says, "We didn't come here just to loot... and even then we're not done looting." As the two of them pass him he shakes his head and takes samples of the tentacle to bring back to Zephyr, grabs the remains of the computer Magnus hadn't looted, and seeing Arris toting the frog he says, "Good idea... we should grab the Naga too. They're probably worth their weight in Mako from research value." he says. "I could carry one of 'em easily enough if you two could get the other." he says and takes the frog, or Naga, as the team figures out which the big guy should carry on the hike back.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>It's a long trip back to Fairhaven, made even more arduous carrying two ferals, a 1990's computer and lab equipment. But with everything retrieved, Zephyr rewards the crew and begins working on what was aquired.</p></div>[[Category:RPLogs]]

The First Horror Factory - RPLOG

2018-08-05T02:12:38Z

Zophah: cleaning log

=Participants=
* [[Anbessa]]
* [[Arris]]
* [[Fenris]]
* [[Magnus]]
* [[Parsnip]]
* [[Sondra]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
Saturday August 4, 2018=Log=
<div></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The group gathers at the edge of the Fairhaven bubble, the usual summer weather getting cold and calm. Standing professionally is a human-sized storm dragon wearing a blue jumpsuit. "Just here as a representative of the Prometheans to answer some questions and give you the mission. There has been sightings of multiple ferals stalking around the edge of the bubble, all of them in drasically mixed forms. From witness statements we can tell there are no two alike and that they all flee when discovered. Your job was to track down where they are and hopefully make peaceful contact, but just yesterday there was a report that one of them acutally kidnapped a half-husky male from the wastelands so now we need you to rescue him. Any questions before you go?"</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>T'was a fine day to go hunting, well... if you like mist it would be. For one dragon with a knack for stealth and a thirst for danger, ANY day was a fine day to go hunting. Strange request, though... just a pack of ferals, a handful of sand grains on the vast expansive beach that was the feral populace... why? What made them so significant? Magnus had little to nothing in terms of details, but the job promised to pay well and he had a house to build, damn it! Curiosity also played its part, and while it may have killed the cat, well... we shall see how the dragon fares, no? </p>
<p></p>
<p>With a skip in his step, a smile on his face, a knife at his side, and a song in his heart, Magnus advances towards the rendezvous point. T'was a little hard to see with the dense fog shrouding the land in such a way, but he did his best not to bump into anything nonetheless. As the bubble's effects start to fade, so does Magnus feel a sense of unease. Truth be told, he'd never been outside... not like his reckless family members who seemed to rob and loot the fertile depths of the unchewed by the nanites lands ahead. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Casting his sense of dread aside as naught but the nanites screaming for him to give them their precious server signal, the male soldiers on, until he spots the crowd. Nodding his head in greeting, he barely has enough time to make sense of the faces he was seeing, before his attention is drawn away by a storm dragon nearby. Listening closely to his words, Magnus nods in understanding. "Approach the ferals, put them on ice if they're aggressive, rescue the captured. What are we expecting to face? I need to know their weaknesses. Scaled, furs, amorphous blobs, smoothskins?"</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris is the second to raise hir hand after Magnus. "Also, how many of them can we expect, what forms should we be looking out for, and do we know about the area where we should be looking for the kidnapee?" The gator adjusted the strap of hir bolt-action rifle over hir shoulder, glancing between hirself and the group surrounding hir with an air of nervousness - sie never liked having to leave the comfort and partial safetiness of the bubble. Sie pats hirself down to make sure sie had brought everything sie needed: triage kit and shield drone were the most important, though it had been so long since sie stepped out the bubble that sie forgot if the drone worked outside it or not. Nonetheless, the small drone was deployed out, rotary fans buzzing as it whirred to life and floated in place. "If you can, it would be nice to provide as much intel as you guys have on hand."</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris comes jogging along through the wastes, his sword and spear jingling merrily on his back. He is dressed as a cowboy today. Well, from the waist up, at least. The burly tanuki is wearing an open, plaid shirt tucked into a heavy gun belt, though it seems to have only a number of pouches on it and one small firearm. He also has on a very nice, white stetson and a permanently pleasant look on his round face. </p>
<p></p>
<p>He listens amiably to the explanation, then shakes his head. "Nope," he says, "Ready to go make friends!" It must be nice to be so pleasantly clueless.</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> Sondra scratches at the ruff of fur along the back of her neck, while the other readjusts the rucksack slung over her back. Aside from the standard load-out - the sidearm, vest, plated fatigues - the pack is on the lighter side this time around, but stocked with 'a little bit of everything' as a just in case measure. Dried foods, boiled water that has since been cooled; the kind of things that would make a difference if something goes real wrong real fast, and forces the lot of them to remain outside the wire for a prolonged period of time.</p>
<p> Helpful that most of it can get stowed in a hurry if need be, so it's no longer weighing her down. One way or another, however, were it not for the rucksack, there's a sense she'd be standing at parade rest, given the ramrod straight posture that runs only partly contrary to a build meant for all fours. Her expression is impassive, and she gives little more than an incline of her head towards Magnus and Arris, respectively, when their own questions are raised.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Atmospheric day out today it seems. Though it was drawing ever closer to fall, the human couldn't help but scratch his head as he walks along to the meetup point. Riot armor strapped on tightly, the pale human huffs as he hefts his quiver of blue arrows before his walking brings him up towards the growing group of people. Can't say he recognizes too many people on this group, but... Oh! Smiling, the human pads up towards Arris to plant a short kiss to her cheek. "Heya sweetheart!" The silver eyed human smiles to the gator before he turns his attention forward towards the jumpsuit wearing dragon. </p>
<p></p>
<p> Tilting his head at the information given, the human scratches at the back of his head a moment before he shrugs. No questions from him, though he does listen quietly to the others as he looks the others over curiously. Honestly should see about getting that kemonomimi optional item. Being able to sprout bunny ears in human form would be pretty nice sometimes. Still, the human takes a moment to adjust the strap of his polearm. Given the mission description, can't say he can rule out the possibility of violence, so better safe than sorry. Hope he ain't the odd man out in this situation.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Approaching from inside the bubble, she spots a gathering group. Curiosity gets the better of her, so she changes course to to meet them. Once near the gathering she looks at the bunch and waves. "Oh, hello there." She pants lightly. Despite the roundness of her bottom half, she doesn't seem much at all bothered by the running. "What's going on here?"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Answering the group, the dragon replies: "Witnesses are hazy on the details, but we can assume that there can be as many as twenty of them or as few as three. And when I say 'drasically mixed forms' I mean it. At least one report has the sighted feral being a cross between a red dragon, a flowering hedge, and hornet. I can't make this stuff up. As for where the captured man is, we don't know. We're hoping you can find him once you locate the ferals responsible." As he gets ready to leave, he adds: "I hope you do find him. Some of these reports make the ferals sound really bad. Like, EVIL bad. Be careful."</p></div><div title="Arris"></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Alright then. A bit of everything." the dragon nods, uttering a silent slew of profanity in his own head. He wasn't ready for this... Still, he swallows the worry and glances around the group, his eyes drawn to the final newcomer. She was... well, quite shapely. Her plumage was something to behold as well. At first glance one might assume she was not well prepared for this venture, but looks were deceitful. For all Magnus knew, she had more ability than all of them put together. There was one way to find out, so he casts her a smile and explains. "There was a call sent out, some rogue ferals have kidnapped a half-husky. You got the gist already, but... we're off on a search and rescue." he casts her a charming wink, "Coming?" </p>
<p></p>
<p>Once all was said, he looks around the rest of the group and addresses them all at once. "Right, we have a mission and we have all the information we can get. Tracking isn't really my forte though, so if someone else more skilled in the art can point the way?" he suggests, his hand reaching out towards the vast expanse before them. Gods knew where those ferals were... one can only hope their captive still has all his wits about him.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris is surprised lightly by the kiss from Anbessa, but goes back to smiling once sie recognises his voice. "Hey, hun!" Sie chuckles a little, leaning in and returning the kiss to his cheek before stepping back. The appearance of Anbessa does lift hir spirits, at least until... </p>
<p></p>
<p>The gator frowns at the mention of 'EVIL bad', lowering hir gaze to think for a moment. Either one by itself would be enough. "Hm, I'm not sure what to think of this. I wouldn't describe ferals as being 'evil', normally. Something's up, so we should all stay on our toes." After a second or two, sie glances back up at the rest of the group, first at Magnus while he gestures vaguely to the horizon. "...anyone else got any bright ideas on where we should go?"</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris whips off a lazy salute. "As careful as I can be!" he says happily, then saunters off beyond the bubble. If he is bothered by the sudden lack of nanites, it does not show. Nor does he seem all that concerned at the direction he is going. </p>
<p></p>
<p>The big tanuki glances around as he walks off into the wastes and starts to whistle a jaunty little tune.</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> Sondra's lip curls slightly at the description, just enough to show teeth, a subtle rumble audible in her throat. She's already got her head lifted and her nose put to work by the time the word 'evil' is floated out there, a couple steps taking her away from the group in general, gaze set out on the territory in front of them, looking for-- well, god only knows what. Divine intervention, maybe.</p>
<p> One way or another, she turns to look to Magnus, inclining her head in the direction that Fenris walks, wordlessly indicating that the tanuki's already got a bead on it. "I can track partly by scent from here on out," she says simply, her voice-- startlingly human, to those that haven't heard her speak, the cusp of growling at the edges forcibly curbed. "'Evil' may not have a smell," she says mildly, "but 'utterly broken' tends to."</p>
<p> It's with that that she begins to head in that general direction, resettling the pack on her shoulders, apparently bound and determined to make the bulk of this height on two feet.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Smiling to Arris, Anbessa chuckles softly as he pats her back lightly in return. Though the human does perk up curiously as he hears the dragon, tilting his head. "Evil? Gonna be honest, that's the first time I've heard someone describe a feral that way..." He points out, takinga moment to adjust the straps on his polearm and bow n' arrow to get them comfy before he returns his attention forward. If anything, gives him good enough reason as any to have brought his weaponry. Though as Sondra speaks up, the pale human watches curiously as the wolfess heads off in a direction. Glancing at the others for a moment or two, Anbessa shrugs before he follows after the wolfess. Hopefully it won't be too big of a hike. Slipping a hand into his pocket to take a swig of builder nanites from a vial before he leaves the bubble. Hopefully that will last him for the mission.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip looks to the others and listens for an explanation. When she gets one, she nods and looks around. "So someone went missing?" She thinks for a moment. "I'm not sure how I can find them, but I'll try." She makes an attempt at finding something of note, but with all the tracks in and around the group, she doesn't make out anything in perticular. "Well... I hunt on my own... but I wouldn't know where to start looking." She shrugs, "I'll follow and help where I can, though. I can at least carry people without trouble, if we find them."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Tracking down the ferals' trail is child's play for the Tanuki, Fenris leading the group. It does take hours though, all of the afternoon taken up walking to what looks like an abandoned town. Over a decade of neglect has caused this small town to become just as empty as the wasteland, the chilly air hanging still and foreboding. Even the slightest sound carries through the empty buildings like a lost echo, as if anything greater than a whisper would draw in terrible danger.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The trek was filled with idle chatter for the most part, a few words exchanged, a soft humm to make the trip less tedious, but for what it's worth, Magnus was glad they had a good tracker in the group. Once they arrive at their destination, the dragon's nose starts to twitch. "This is definitely a very bad place to be." his voice sounds. Hushed, careful as though unwilling to alert anything that might be in the area, and for good reason too. As they walk, so does he point out the details others may have missed. </p>
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<p>Blood stains here and there, crimson residue of dried up sanguinara. Claw marks lining the walls from place to place, but worst of all... "Keep your weapons ready, we're being watched." he warns, certain that they were not alone. Something draws his keen eye, and in a few moments... "Ah... shite." his gaze is all that alerts the group to the presence of a severed limb nearby. "Great..."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris follows after the rest of the group, straggling a little bit behind the rest of them, bolt-action at the ready. Hir shield drone, however, stays near the front, as well as its hovering propellor blades can follow after the lead person. </p>
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<p>Soon, the gator would approach the border of the abandoned town, still hanging at the back of the group. Taking a cautionary glance around, sie takes note of the general state of the buildings surrounding hir... and then towards the severed human limb in the middle of the street. Sie takes a few steps forward, glancing between the members of hir group, then would do a 'finger walking' motion before pointing towards the severed arm. If the group got hir cue to start walking towards it, sie would follow after them, rifle held at the ready and aiming in any direction sie could guess a feral would charge from.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris spends much of the long trek providing an endless playlist of trail songs. "A Cowboy Needs a Horse," "Home on the Range," "Happy Trails," and "Highway to the Danger Zone," just to name a few. </p>
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<p>As the group comes into sight of the ruined town, his singing falls silent, though the pleasant little smile stays firmly in place. "Well," he says, "Shall we see who is at home?" He unhooks his spear from his back and gives it a twirl before sauntering confidently ahead.</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> Sondra seems to weather the walk as best she can, panting every once in a while to burn off any heat to take the pressure off what few sweat glands she has left. Keeps it to a minimum, of course, and attempts to keep it contained to when she's not being paid any mind, but all the same. Might not be that hot out, but with a pelt like this-- yeah, it's hot.</p>
<p> Fenris, it should be noted, is shot a 'really?' look more than once, and even earns a growl by the time Danger Zone goes into full swing, but the she-wolf keeps largely to herself, otherwise. Upon entering the town, her gaze sweeps over the structures, angled towards any possible vantage points that might be seeing use in surveillance-- and any bottlenecks, besides.</p>
<p> Her attention is drawn towards the arm the moment it's noted, hackles bristling subtly. Her ears prick and tilt forward, the limb inspected with a couple cursory sniffs, at first, before the she-wolf hunkers down to start doing a more thorough inspection, and gives a snort once she's satisfied. "Been here since yesterday," she says, looking over towards the others. "They say how long their guy's been missing?"</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> After the hours of hiking, Anbessa couldn't help but sigh as he pats the belly of his armor. Hopefully the vial he drank will last him for this mission. Wouldn't do to get hungry when th- eep! The human nearly bumps into Arris' back as they pause, blinking in surprise. Is something u- Oh... Oh goodness. The human grimaces as he spots the signs of rather violent and grisly look of the area. Even if he ain't a rabbit, the scent of blood on the wind is always distressing as the human pauses as Magnus speaks up. Blinking and peeking ahead... And then letting his mouth fall open in shock. Is that a human arm...? </p>
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<p> Drawing his bow out from off of his back and withdrawing an arrow from his quiver, he holds it at the ready as he follows after Arris as she tries to lead them towards it. Thankfully his nose ain't too sensitive from being human, but the scent of blood probably in the air wasn't going to be pleasant. "They weren't kidding when they said evil, huh?" Anbessa mutters to no one in particular, peering around at the buildings warily as he goes along. Listening to Sondra, the human perks up as he listens to the wolfess' explaination. "Well, lets hope this isn't a leftover from the half-husky we're supposed to be looking for..." Anbessa trails off, looking down at the arm with a shiver as he looks over his own arm, then shakes his head n' sighs. One hell of a place to lose an arm...</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip slowly makes her way into the village, the sight of blood and violence around her makes her queasy. "Oh dear..." She'd keep close to the others in the group, but at her size, she'll just have to be comfortable being near. "Looks like... whatever is here isn't a friendly critter." She sighs "I hope at least some of us can fight."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>From out of the sun's rays drops a heavilly mutated feral: the head and arm-wings of a hawk, the body and legs of a raptor, and the tail of a scorpion with the tip replaced with a barbed spike the size of a longswrd. It barely lands it's spike down the side of Arris's arm, missing from spearing hir through the sholder. </p>
<p>Despite it's sudden and silent attack, nearly everyone but Sondra notices the feral getting the drop on Arris, so it quickly tries to flee running in the opposite direction.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Though he had been distracted from the arm, he perked up as he head as he notices a shadow descend from the sunlight. The hell is th- yelping, the human stares in startled horror as Arris gets her arm nearly lopped off like the owner of the arm on the floor before them, eyes opening wide in bewildered shock before his teeth is bared and he draws his arrow back. Drawing back far, the human's blow colored arrowhead takes aim at the running feral before it is let fly. Even as the rest of the group get ready to move, the blue streak that shoots by flies like a bullet towards the feral's calf. The blood that escapes the feral soon after makes the human bristle with a tad bit of pride... Though he seems a bit stunned himself as he sees the arrow is still in the feral, but also with the arrowhead dug into the ground rather deeply at the opposite end. Smirking, Anbessa lets out a pleased chuckle. "Havin' trouble runnin', big guy?"</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The dragon sighs deeply as he looks about his surroundings. "Ain't looking too rosy for our lost husky. I'm gonna prowl around, see what I can see." the dragon whispers to the rest of the team. "Keep a sharp lookout, ain't gonna be long before something lunges at us if we stick around." Looking towards Sondra, he shakes his head, "Not that I remember, no." </p>
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<p>With that, the male paces soft-footed off towards one of the alleyways. With a touch of grit and a little bit of monkeying around, he shimmies his way amist the rubble, on the prowl for predators. If anything, he had a good vantage point of the others, and his own cover to rely on. A feral mind used scents to guice thise destructive impulses, well... among other things. For now, the drsgon kept low, quiet, on the prowl for a stalker, or several as the case might well be. Alas... nothing. It was silent, a void amidst the rubble, no presences to speak of save the few instances that ran chills up Magnus' spine. He kept close to his team, unwilling to stray should the proverbial shit strike the fan. This... ultimately, proved to be a good idea, as within a moment's notice, they were attacked. Ofcourse! The sky! They were being observed from above! Right? It mattered not. With the attack proving ineffective, Magnus almost breaks his cover as lunges their first opponent, only to find his prey six feet under, skewered through the leg and cripplied. It wasn't going anywhere, so he slinks back into the refuge of the ruins, seeking a different target. They had a husky to find.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris is not interested in following the fleeing mutant. If it is clever enough to stage a sneak attack, it is probably clever enough to stage an ambush. Instead he checks to see that Arris is unharmed, the walks slowly to an open area, keeping his eyes and ears open while the others deal with the attacking mutant. He draws his sword, now holding a weapon in each hand.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris approaches the hand following after the rest of the group... and then suddenly gets the overwhelming premonition that something was about to attack hir. Glancing up to the sky, sie spots the diving stinger just before sie lurches to the side to avoid it piercing the ground. Hir rifle raises up to the mutant's neck... but then sie remembers hir surroundings - any gunfire would attract a barn's worth of ferals surrounding hir. As it retreats, sie hastily screws on a silencer and re-aims... only to see that hir target had already been taken care of where sie was aiming. Silently cursing hirself, sie takes a cautionary look around hir surroundings for any possible incoming ferals before approaching the pinned feral, keeping hir aim steady on its other leg. "Alright, bud, we got you. What's the big deal?"</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> Sondra looses a snarl the moment she hears the ruckus, but it's by the time she's got the pack off her shoulders that the problem appears to have been dealt with. --Mostly, anyway. Her muscles relax, a glance cast around their immediate area for reasons not dissimilar to Fenris' own line of thinking, though her attention is ultimately claimed by the tail that nearly speared Arris in the first place.</p>
<p> "Give that thing a wide berth," she says. "Last thing anyone needs is either of you getting a shot of poison in your system." Probably not necessary to *say* but-- better safe than sorry, really.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip digs her talons into the dirt and pushes herself off to chase down the creature. She barely gets a few steps out before her target is suddenly shot through the leg. Her legs try to dig into the earth to try and slow her back down from her lunge, almost toppling over the process. Pulling out her claymore, she sighs. "Oh." After watching the critter for a moment, she returns to the bulk of the group and keeps an eye out for any other creatures. "Why was there a feral all the way out here? What would draw it here?"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The half of the group pushing forward comes across the delapidated town hall, which from the evidence seems to be the home of the creepy ferals. The front door is ripped open on the ground, and the lion statue ouside looks like it was deformed from heavy damage. </p>
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<p>The feral struggles against the arrow in it's leg, making pained but monsterous noises that sound like shrieking and clicking. It lashes out with it's tail to drive away any of the group looking to grab it, yelling out with an echoing call. The feral's voice carries throughout the town, and an even greater ROAR answers back...</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>It was probably not a good idea to split up, but with the group handling the feral accompanied by a deadeye, it was likely they would be fine. Magnus joins the others towards what appeared to be... "Town Hall. I hate politics." he grumbles and crosses his arms as they approach. Once close enough though, he grabs the nearest person, likely Fenris given how the snapily dressed tanuki liked to charge forward confidently, and gestures for everyone to stop. His head nods towards the statue, a soft scowl forming at his face as a soft *click* of a grenade pin being pulled is heard. The moment Magnus throws it however, the once inanimate looking object springs to life, and dashes into the building before them. It was fast, almost faster than the eye could see in fact. The loud thump of the cryostatic chemical cocktail his grenade had unleashed yields no results, merely casting the spot where the "statue" stood in ice, the very air in the area bitingly cold. "Alright..." Magnus mutters softly and puts his grenades away. "Things just got a little more interesting. Think the husky, or what's left of him is in here?"</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris keeps hir sights trained up on the feral, up until that second ROAR echoes back. "Welp, that's our cue to book it." And, book it sie does, racing down the streets, gaze bouncing in every direction, looking out for oncoming ferals - especially from the sky. Spotting the last members of the group outside the town hall, sie skids to a stop before raising hir rifle, keeping hir gaze up for any potential threats.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris is still smiling, but the fur on the back of his neck is fluffed up and his ears are swiveling wildly atop his head after that last roaring exchange. </p>
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<p>The burly coon-dog stops at Magnus's touch, and is glad that he did. "Wow!" he says, his face splitting in a wide grin, "That was a good trick! Glad you spotted him! Or her. Whatever." He looks pensively at the door, then sheathes his sword, keeping only his spear in his hands. </p>
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<p>"Hello in there!" he calls, "we would rather not fight! I've brought tea and cookies, if you'd like to share." That said, the tanuki looks at the others, nods, and advances into the town hall with his spear held before him.</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> Sondra's teeth grit as the feral emits that wail, the one that answers getting her more immediate attention as she does her best to get a sense of where it's coming from. She curses under her breath, a growl added into the mix as Arris books it towards the sound, another glance cast towards the writhing feral on the ground.</p>
<p> "Little late to hope this thing's whining will lure anything out," she says. "It's got as much bait as it wants headed right for it." She looks to Anbessa, and says, "Put it down," before drawing her own sidearm, custom fit to accommodate larger hands and the deadly claws they sport. "If they run into trouble they can't handle in there, we should do what we can to give them a clear route out."</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Though the human was still feeling proud of his shot on the fleeing feral, he pauses as he hears it roar... Followed by a second, distant but noticably more angry sounding roar. Blinking a few times, the human just lets out a 'Huh...' before gulping. Though as he is about to speak, he pauses as he spots Arris running off! "H-hey, Arris!" The human shouts after the gator before he grumbles. Though he does get ready to follow her, he pauses as Sondra speaks to him. Blinking, he glances between Sondra and the feral. He wanted the thing to be alive for the Prommies to capture, but... "... I think there ain't much point of putting it down now. We can leave it here for the Prommies to capture it later. Ain't like that leg wound it has will heal anytime soon, so lets try to get ready for what's comin'." </p>
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<p> Being split up is not good, especially if that one storm dragon's report is accurate. As low as 3, or as high as 20 ferals... If they are like the one he pinned, then this is going to be one hell of a fight. Can't deny it is getting the blood flowing though. Still, best to prepare. </p>
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<p> Breathe in... Breathe out. Focus. With how used to going in and out of Flow like Water form he is, he cannot help but smile and feel happy that the Weapon Master training really is paying off as he draws another arrow from his quiver either way. He does move up to Sondra to move with her after the group.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip shivers at the roar in response, causing her feathers to fluff up and stand on end. Looking to the rest, she gives them a worried look. Her train of thought is interupted as Magnus scares the critter off into the building. "Wha- whaaaa?! I thought that was a statue?!" Looking back to Magnus, she blinks at him. "Good eye... I'd hate to know what would have happened if it ambushed us..." Keeping her claymore handy, she gives a look to Arris as she rejoins the group, but returns her attention to what's around her. The keagle blinks at Fenris and tilts her head. "Tea? Cookies? May I have some?"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With Sondra being left alone with the feral, it quickly uses it's other leg to snap off the arrowshaft and fress itself, using it's tail to spear Sondra in her dominant arm. It then tries to run off and drag her with it, but just manages to throw Sondra off balance instead.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Best keep moving." Magnus notes, despite the distinct feeling in his gut that he'd be needed elseahere. Eyes on the prize and all that, after all. He enters the hall shortly after the others and takes a look around. "Thank you, but... no reason to celebrate just yet. That thing was... amorpheous, in a way." He casts Fenris a concerned look. "These things won't listen to reason... and if they are all ooze, well..." the dragon reaches towards his back and draws his almost alien looking Sonic Boom Gun "...at least I am ready for that. Question still is though, where's our target?"</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Keeping hir gaze outside for anything potentially about to attack them, Arris steps backwards into the hall, before turning around to spot the gooey concrete-like creature. Hir rifle raises up to point at it, though the gator does glance hir eyes left and right to stay wary of other possible ambushes. "...what the hell is this thing, anyway?" Hir finger rests on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>"If you mean our kidnapped mutant," Fenris says, "I'm not sure we will find him. But one of our new friends is already here, waiting for us." </p>
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<p>The burly tanuki twirls his spear and sets it back in its holster, keeping an eye on the oozing, concrete beast he has spotted toward the back of the room. Then he begins to beat a steady tempo on his wide belly. </p>
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<p>Instead of the normal sound one might expect, it produces the deep, resounding BOOM of a bass drum and seems to reverberate in more than just the ears.</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> Sondra's not walking yet; she is instead giving Anbessa a rather pointed look, chin lifting and lip curling to show her teeth. It's as she turns back around that the tail whips out, catching the arm raising to do what the human opted not to. She lets out a sharp snarl in response, wrenching her arm back before the tug on it turns anything worse than it already is, though the blood coursing down her arm is bad enough. A reminder of what might be *in* her, at this point.</p>
<p> "*Fuck*!" is barked out through clenched teeth, her good hand taking hold of her wrist to assist in taking immediate aim.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> As he approaches Sondra, Anbessa pauses as he hears the snap and draws his arrow too late to stop Sondra getting jabbed! "Shitshitshitshit-" Anbessa says out loud as he tries to take aim at it as it tries to run away with Sondra. How is it running when he pierced it literally though the leg and probably through the bone?! Either way, the human tries to focus his aim and take another shot, this time for it's head. He wanted a live capture, and he nearly got someone kidnapped because of it... Whatever, if Prometheans yell at him later over killing a feral like they did in the past, he can at least tell em' to shove it now. Drawing back, then letting loose!</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip glances back at Magnus and says, "Amorpheous?" She asks in a slightly worried tone. "Does that mean they change shape at will?" After she asks her question, she keeps a cautious eye on her surroundings. She looks back to Fenris, "I hope their still alive..." She pauses a moment to thing aloud, "If they are so mindless... Why are they taking captives? Why not just eat or kill? Is this a trap?"</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Anbessa's shot downs the feral with a shot through the back and poking out of their chest; without the nanites it seems like the feral is choking up blood. It falls and drags Sondra to the ground with it, the barbs of the spike keeping her locked. And with the numbness in Sondra's arm, it seems her fears of toxins in the spike are true.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The ooze-like feral in the town hall stays still in the corner of the dark entrance hall, doing nothing but presumably watching. And with the silence in the building being so heavy and foreboding, it becomes even scarier when a man's voice yells out "HEL-!" down the stairway from the second level before being silenced.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"That's our guy." Magnus nods to the others, then glances around them. "I'll see if I can find a way around to flank and ambush. At least we know he is alive... one more thing though. Do you guys feel that?" he reaches out to tap his forehead. "Something is very icky in here. Feels like my body is ready to fold in two, I got chills running up and down my spine, as though every cell that forms me is crying out to just... stop. I've never felt anything similar, but... probably the lack of vubble kicking in. Anyway!" Magnus slinks off amidst the shadows, keeping low and quiet as he maintains a visual on anythig and everything that posed a threat. The ooze in the corner, the shadow depths left unexplored and jntouched, and further down another beastie waiting for them... guarding... something. Feeling sick to his stomach, Magnus decides against engaging the monster on his own. Instead, he sends a localized warning to the others about the feral waiting for them, then takes up a spot nearest the origins of that sickening signal... Things were just getting better, eh?</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris is ready to fire at any moment - instead, hir attention is drawn by the silenced scream of help. "Aw, jeez - come on, guys, let's go find that person!" Sie taps hir shield drone, setting it to follow after hir at the back of the group, keeping an alerted eye behind the rest of them. The feeling of that odd nanite connection does tip hir off, but sie ignores it, at least for now. "Yeah, definitely feel that. Keep on your toes, everyone, we don't know what's coming up next."</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>His ritual complete, Fenris retrieves his spear from its harness on his back. He prepares to engage the monster hiding in the room, but then comes the cry for help. </p>
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<p>"Keep an eye on this one!" he calls out and charges for the stairs, vaulting up with a speed and grace that defies his bulk!</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> As the feral goes down, Sondra's arms seem to waver, a shudder passing up her spine and amplifying through her shoulders. Her muscles go slack not long after, and it takes effort to carefully lower the magnum, the she-wolf apparently not trusting her grip on it any longer. "What the hell did I say?" she snaps, voice a touch weaker than it likely ought to be. "God *dammit*--" is uttered a moment later, her fingers flexing and extending carefully once the sidearm is holstered.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Wincing as he is yelled at after the feral goes down, Anbessa seems to shrink a bit with a guilty look on his face. "S-sorry... I wanted to capture it alive..." The human pads up towards Sondra to inspect her with a worried look on his face as he looks her over. He does reach into his pocket for something, then blinks and grumbles as he remembers something. "We should catch up with the group. Want my shoulder?" Anbessa asks Sondra with a frown crossing his face as he looks at the feral. Hopefully he can catch up with the group. Whatever the wolfess got injected with, it wouldn't be good to be seperated from the group for much longer.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip nods to Magnus and watches the feral closely. "It's weird... Don't take any undue risks, okay? I can't move as fast in here." Speaking to Arris, the keagle warns, "Lets not be hastey... I want to save them too, but I don't want us to get hurt either." As Fenris charges ahead, she sighs and moves up near Arris and gets herself ready to sprint if she has to after the tanuki. "Well.. it's not like they weren't already alerted..."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With Arris, Parsnip and Fenris inside and heading upstairs they run into a feral that Magnus snuck past: some kind of red dragon-hornet bush creature. It immediately charges on seeing them, trying to grab Fenris for being the closest target. </p>
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<p>Elsewhere, the ambushing feral is taken care of, allowing Anbessa to aid Sondra as they make their way to the town hall where everyone else is. This proves to be a problem though, as everyone else left the ooze feral in the front hall alone. This time it doesn't try to hide and immediately bounds across the hall to try and envelop Anbessa!</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>These were times for decision making, and Magnus decides not to go gung ho into a strangely irradiated with alien nanite signals room alone. Turning back, he scales the wall as best he can, staying out of sight and out of mind as he grips the fang of Jormungand in one clwed hand, until the moment was perfect to strike. In a flash of white and a sudden squelching of flesh being sliced and pierced, the dragon sinks his caustic blade deep into their aggressor's flesh, injecting a slew of toxins potent enough to fel a small platoon. Recoiling from his lunge, he yanks the blade free and readies for a counterattack... that never comes. The beast just... shivers and collapses, just sort of inanimate, producing muffled gurgles as though barely kept alive by something, barely so... Moving cautiously over to the paralyzed one, he gives it a light kick, then shakes his head. "So much for this thing. Our lad's up ahead. You lot go on, I'll watch our flank."</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>"Ah-ha!" Fenris crows, rolling under the grasping claws of the monstrous amalgam that was laying in wait, "An am-BUSH!" </p>
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<p>The tanuki whirls his spear, ready to rush into battle, only to find it already over. "Well," he says, kicking the felled monster, "That was anticlimactic." The tanuki shrugs, then rushes on ahead to see what lies ahead and hopefully help that poor, kidnapped mutant!</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris raises hir rifle at the sight of the approaching amalgamate of differing mutations... but then lowers it as it's taken care of. "Man, I feel like this might be a recurring problem with me, here, not being able to get to a fight before it ends." Sie pauses, glancing around. "...where are Anbessa and Sondra? I thought they've been following me this entire time."</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> "I said to open a safe passage for the others," Sondra says sharply, even as she allows one of her arms to, presumably, be pulled over Anbessa's shoulders. "That meant killing the one-thing *alarm system* pinned to the ground. We haven't had the opportunity to scout this place, we have *no idea* the kind of bottlenecks we might--"</p>
<p> She pauses-- grits her teeth, the shudder that passes through her felt plainly, the hitch in her breath clearly heard. More of her weight leans on the man, with or without her say so, her legs not *quite* as willing to behave as they ought to. But even if her legs aren't behaving, her senses haven't failed her entirely, head jerking up the second there's movement in her peripheral vision to snap out, "Incoming!"</p>
<p> Whether it's before or after Anbessa's gotten a bead on the thing? Chances are, it's just slightly after.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Wincing as he is still given an earful by the wolfess, Anbessa speaks as they go along towards the Town Hall. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. Thought we could capture it. Didn't expect everyone else to scamper away instead of helping secure the feral..." He admits, sighing after a moment or two as they enter the front door of the Town hall. Though Anbessa does have enough attention forward to yelp and move to the side as the ooze misses it's mark, making the pale human blink in surprise before he glances down to Sondra, then back up towards the creature. </p>
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<p> The hell is THAT? Did the others miss it? Though as he stands back up straight, the human coughs a few times as he swishes something in his mouth preparing his Shadow Breath... Though Sondra sees the human's eyes shoot open widely as Anbessa begins to cough much louder. Shadowy looking gunk escapes the human's mouth as if he just coughed up gunk from his lungs. "Grphhh! Thr fhck...?!" The human's voice is muffled as he more or less is coughing out this gooey looking substance from his stomach with a horrified look on his face.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip notices a strange hybrid creature make a bee-line for Fenris. Reacting as fast as she can, she raises her claymore and... it was over. Magnus had put an end to the creature. Standing awkawardly with her claymore raised, she slowly lowers it again. "Good job." She says, giving the creature a lookover. In response to Arris's comment she says, "Hey, at least this thing didn't get a chance to hurt us. I'd rather have that than fun... Especially all the way out here." Gleaming nothing from the unusual mutant, she shrugs and carries on, making her way towards the doorway between her and the distressed voice. The feelings emenating from the mysterious signal makes her queasy, but she tries to focus on the task at hand. Once there, she waits for theo thers to catch up.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The concrete-looking slime continues it's assult to try and envelop it's prey, paying no attention to Anbessa's failed attempt to use shadow breath. And even with it making no noise besides the sloshing of it's form, Magnus and Parsnip upstairs can hear the combat. In fact, their perception is honed enough that they can hear the slithering of slime and tentacles from beyond the door next to them.</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris' worries soon get the better of hir. "Guys, I'm going to look for Anbessa and Sondra. Don't do anything risky while I'm gone, alright?" Bringing hir shield drone along with hir, sie hastily retreats reaching as far as the stairs for now.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris does not slow as he approaches the door. He takes a deep breath and with a bit of concentration a pair of enormous testicles suddenly swell from his crotch, swinging like twin wrecking balls into the door ahead! "Tanuki power, Activate!"</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p> Still literally coughing out all of the Shadow Breath from his lungs as if he drank a few gallons of oil, the human looks up at the last moment from his disgusted coughing just in time to see concrete inches from his face. Splat, and his vision grows dark as Sondra gets a front row view of the human terrifiedly trying to grasp and pull it off of himself as the human goes stumbling back a step or two from the impact, having let Sondra go on reaction. Oh god, oh god, oh god what is this stuff?! But it is stuck fast to his head as he tries to struggle and push away at this disgusting creature trying to consume him! He doesn't need to breathe, but holy hell this is like that one time with the latex creatures! He already hates them enough, but now slime monsters too?! As he tries to claw it off, most he can do is try to keep it from sticking too much. Someone, help...!</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> The gout of-- *whatever* that is spewing out of Anbessa's mouth earns an undignified and entirely canine yelp from the she-wolf he assists, and she's already on her way to stumbling away from him when the pile of slime hits. He may well hear, "*Shit*," spat out with the use of more human vocal chords, then-- well.</p>
<p> He'll probably feel the shudder of movement through the creature as claws slam into it, but that's about as far as it goes. Sondra's swing isn't the most graceful thing on earth, but it should've done *something*. Instead, she just finds herself in a similar but not quite as panic-inducing situation, tugging impotently on a hand that's been adhered into-- whatever the hell this thing is. And, thusly, there is another bark of, "*Shit!*"</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>Parsnip worried about the noises downstairs, she makes an effort to summon her bear. It emerges from her slowly and takes form. Whispering to it, she tells to to go and assist her friends downstairs, a command it obeys and runs off to the source of the struggle. Nodding to Arris, she says, "Alright, just follow my bear. I'll try to save the husky." As Fenris smashes the door open, she sighs again and charges in through the door when she gets a chance, claymore ready to cut anything closeby. As she charges inside, she ducks under the door and squeezes herself through the doorway. Though she's much larger than the door, the squishyness of the fat padding around her lower section allows her to press on through.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>The dragon seems... in a state of great unease by the sounds he was hearing... Tempted to leave his station, he sighs softly and tries to block out... was... was that the sound of someone yelling about Tanuki power, followed by the telltale smash of a gigantic fleshy... had Fenris just... Oh, well... such things never failed to entertain. Oddly enough, save for the envenomed feral at his legs, the group was encountering no other resistance. So much for being diplomatic, though... For now, the dragon lingers. He had faith in his team, and with nobody covering their backs now, that job fell to him. ...they'd be fine, right? What even was happening in there? It sounded like something straight out of those strange pornos his mother had an overabundance of on her laptop... don't ask.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The slime from the attempts to drag Anbessa and Sondra with it to the stairs, only for it to meet the totemic bear and Arris on it's way up. Even then this is not was much trouble as Fenris and Parsnip are in, blindly entering a room filled with wall-to-wall flesh. Like a scene from a body-horror movie, every surface in the room is covered in a yellow-grey, pulsating sinew. A cancerous mass in the middle of the large room spews out a thick cloud of noxious fumes and nanites, disgorging a body from some membrane opening located in the front. It's hard to tell from the slime, but it looks like the body is missing an arm.</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>Enough's enough. Call it a hunch or being exposed to too much hentai not to have a clue as to what was probably befalling his team, Magnus abandons his post and runs up into the face of that... that thing. With a flick of the wrist and a distinct 'snikt' sound, the dragon draws two pairs of double claws from his armored wrists. He would slash at the vines constricting his team, the effects enough to at the very least stop its advance and weaken it. Alas... "Gods... fucking damn, this thing!" Magnus snarls as his blades adhere to that... that congealed pasty mass of horrors. His claws seem to not be going anywhere now... and he wasn't about to sacrifice them either. "Cut this damn thing apart! It's jello on the inside! Slicing hurts it the most!"</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris is met by the blob of concrete slime on the stairs shortly before Magnus approaches it and promptly gets his sword stuck in the mass of goo. Magnus' words fall on hir deaf ears as sie starts pulling Anbessa out first, being the first to succeed in doing so - the bunny gets put down on the floor behind hir before sie stars pulling Sondra out too, the goo coating over hir arms before sie pulls them out and retreats once more, pulling Anbessa and Sondra along by the arms. Once sie gets a few meters away, sie hastily attempts to wipe the goo off hir right arm before reaching into hir pack, pulling out an Acid Gun, and spraying down the larger blob.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris draws his sword, Tanuki Trouble and sets to swinging, cutting indiscriminantly at the foul thing in the room. He tries to reach the poor, ravaged creature spewed out of the hideous thing. He coughs at the disgusting fumes that fill the room, but he doesn't slow.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The concrete-blob feral in the entrance hall is motionless and probably dead. It's sticky slime is covering at least 4 people now, but at least they aren't stuck together. As for the flesh room, Fenris cuts into it's massive form countless times, the creature letting out a bellowing roar that feels like it can shake the entire building! It's flesh undulates, throwing with great force, but Fenris's agility keeps him fit and limber in such an event.</p></div><div title="Parsnip"><p>As Parsnip charges in with Fenris, she caughs at the sudden, putrid, smell. She manages to power through it, but when she takes in the sight, her beak gapes wide. "Raccoon person, I dislike you." Before she's able to fully digest the scene before her, Fenris immediately lunges in for the... kill? "Wait! Be careful! The man is alive!" As Fenris slices and dices on the flesh, Parsnip takes the chance to dart in and steal the body from the fleshwall, sheathing her claymore first. Pulling the husky free, she sets him on her saddle and backing away quickly.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Parsnip's bear meanwhile pulls back as Arris launches a stream of acid at the goop, appearently killing it. It stands there for a moment to make sure everything is fine before walking it's way back to Parsnip.</p></div><div title="Anbessa"><p>%With his head finally being popped out of the concrete slime and falling to the floor, the human begins to gag and cough out loud as the last remnants of the Shadow Breath begin to finally be freed. Gods above the taste was so horrible...! The poor human looks like a big mess with his eyes open wide in shock as he looks between the slime and Arris. "Holy... Holy fuck." Anbessa stammers in bewilderment as he tries to rise to his feet. "S-so... Don't use your non-physical skills... My Shadow Breath literally clogged my throat." He pants aloud as he looks towards Sondra, then back up to Arris. "Where... What were you all doing up here?" He seems rather frazzled and confused, though he does still hear the noises from upstairs going on as he slowly tries to rise up to his feet once more. Gotta calm down... Alive, for now... Gotta breathe...</p></div><div title="Magnus"><p>"Eeeeeyuck..." Magnus growls and yanks himself free, or as free as he can of that super adhesive blob. Seems it was dead enough now... good riddance to terrible atrocities."</p></div><div title="Arris"><p>Arris kneels down by the two sie pulled out of the goo blob. "Are you two hurt or anything? Do you need medical attention?" All this while sie hastily wipes the goo from hir left arm into an empty infection vial until that rancid smell hits hir nose and that ear-piercing roar hits hir ears while sie corks it. "What the hell was that?!" Getting back up and darting towards the doors, sie slows down a little due to the smell. Seeing the abomination of flesh in the room beyond, sie unslings hir rifle, aims it right at the core, and once sie gets a clean shot, fires.</p></div><div title="Fenris"><p>Fenris continues to hack and slash, backing out of the room. "Get the guy and let's move! This thing isn't goong to stay down! Go go go!" As soon as Parsnip and her patient are clear, the tanuki turns tail and runs! </p>
<p></p>
<p>"Out! Out! Out!"</p></div><div title="Sondra"><p> "Toxins," Sondra says, once she's gotten herself sorted, which really is just figuring out how to sit properly once her hand has been wrested free. She seems-- oddly impassive, given the whole ordeal, but that might have something to do with that key word, there. "Got-- stabbed," she says, her tongue seeming all the more sluggish to form the words, "by that *thing* outside. Don't know what kind of dose I got, o-- or--"</p>
<p> Ultimately, it's Fenris' shouts that jerk her attention up towards the tanuki, at which point she switches gears: "I'm gonna need some h--" a slight shake of her head to reorient, "some help getting out of here."</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>With the man pulled from the building, it's clear he's been mutated a lot. Besides his missing arm, quills are growing from his back and his legs are that of a rabbit, all trace of human gone. With the fleshy room constantly regenerating and the amount of abuse the group has been through, it seems like a better idea to retreat with their rescued survivor. It's a long, gruling trek back to Fairhaven on foot with dead weight and injuries, but everyone is alive. Who knows what repercussions will reult from this?</p></div>[[Category:RPLogs]]

I'm on a Boat - RPLOG

2018-06-03T22:24:24Z

Zophah: /* Log */

=Participants=
* [[Cameron]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Khaybat]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Sensuen]]
* [[Uvi]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
3/6/2018
=Log=

<br><br>- Sensuen arrived earlier than expected, after a long wait it seems that people are finally starting to explore the boat up ahead and after some swimming over to Kaiju Island for a closer look. The sea angel is perfectly comfortable swimming to kaiju island even in the cool air and overcast sky but she should see if the fish bite here sometime, after this of course. Still, the sea angel is curious as to what's washed ashore here today, maybe she'll find something she can use.
<br><br>- Neither rain nor sleet nor frost nor storm will keep the diligent coyote from dousing his boredom in a round or two of adrenaline, served in the form of a potentially life-threatening attempt at salvaging ancient technology for the purposes of producing some sort of mediocre to moderate improvements for the common post-apocalyptian! Hey, it was a good opportunity to show o-errr... fly-test the new gadget he'd created, right?

Garbed in his usual attire for a less than warm day, a loose, buttoned jacket and slacks leading into a pair of fingerless gloves, and on his feet, a new pair of metallic footwear, akin to heavy duty workboots, albeit with a pair of thrusters attached to a directional platform capable of limited motion at the pilot's command. Gushing fire beneath his soles, Otto zoomed through the air at a rapid pace, arriving only shortly after Sensuen did.

With a loud *THUD* he lands on the sandy shores of the beach, dusts himself off and helps his passenger climb off. Snickering softly, he gives Khaybat a peck on the cheek and a direct frontal hug, the warm impala a delight to hold and caress. Once he lets go, his attention is drawn away to a familiar figure, or rather a familiar scent. "Sen! Hi!" he greets her, a wag in his tail as much as a smile on his face showing his joy to see her own~
<br><br>- A fine, if somewhat cool, day for a trip to the beach even if it was for work and not fun still Ebreus wouldn't let the fact that it's a business trip stop him from enjoying it... after all he enjoyed his job. Gliding through the air well above the ocean on his great membranous wings he leans downward to begin a faster decent. Self powered flight may require a bit more work than his friends jetpack but for Ebreus at least it was more satisfying.

Comming in for landing he skimms over the surface of the water as he aproaches low to the shore. As his feet contact the ground he catches himself and joggs off the last of the momentum partway up the beach before stopping and turning to the others who've already arived an are soon ariving. He stretches his wings before folding them behind them, out of the way, as he aproaches those already gathered.

Garbed in his usual red trenchcoat, tee, and black slacks with the only departure from his usual spring attire being that the sleves of the coat aren't rolled up. He carries with him a scuba suit just in case it's needed as he aproaches the group. "Hey Otto, Sen. Nice to see the jetpack can handle long trips without exploding, Otto." he says with a smile.
<br><br>- Cameron had gotten to the spot by flying on over, though she had landed a little ways from the renedevous as she hadn't arrived alone. She gave a little huff as she appeared on scene followed by a tall husky amazon. "I will be fine!" The cat still quite huffy as she continued. "It's an abandoned boat!" The amazon giving a small chuckle as she tousled the cat's hair. Her canines all showing as she grinned. "Alright daddy, but just holler if things go south." Finaly the cat flailed as she got out from under her kid's might paw. "Okay." Then straightening up her hair and her bulging pack as she started off towards where she had been told to meet.

And so she was soon jogging along towards where the yacht was. Ticking off to make sure she had everything in case. Tools? Check. Medkit? Check. Rope? Definitely! She also made sure to bring a few other misc things she might need, like a bar of wax. Why? Who knows!Her eyes casting a curious look towards the yacht and already day dreaming on taking it back with her. The things she might be able to do with her own personal boat. With a little shake of her head she looked to see who had gathered for this salvage mission, and hoped to whatever greater being was listening that those present wouldn't salvage the entire thing. A hand waving in greeting as she spied the jetpacky coyote and the lurking sea angel nearby.
<br><br>- A faint silhouette can be seen from the distance. It steadily gets bigger and bigger, and as it comes closer, it bocemes apparent that it is some sort of a strange vehicle. Indeed, it is a crazy contraption, a heavily armored, flying drone the size of a small car zooms over the surface of the water. Soon, it lands on the ground with a loud thump, and a cute lamia girl slips out from the drone. She quickly glances over, the terrain, waves and cutely says, "Haio!"
<br><br>- Khaybat did indeed come along hanging onto Senpai! Though it seems they're being followed by two smaller impalas that appear to be twins:did indeed come along hanging onto Senpai! Though it seems they're being followed by two smaller impalas that appear to be twins and are following after their parents. When the hugging and kissing starts though the two sweatdrop and seem to think this is a good time to start poking at the different crabs and starfish on the shore.
<br><br>- With everyone gathered, It's time to find the boat. Zephyr's info said it should be located nearby, and to salvage anything that can be taken from the boat before looters get to it.
<br><br>- Sensuen hears Otto's greeting to reply with her own, "Hey there. How are you doing?" somewhat impressed that Otto got a jetpack to work for not one, but 2 people. Sen says, "I got a messanger bag recently, I don't know how but it's like the one I had before p-day." before she takes a look at her somewhat wet messanger bag, it's amazing water didn't get in there and will dry out in time like the rest of Sen's body. The sea angel does take time to clean her wet glasses with a couple of tentacles in between removing and replacing them on her face with her hands. All in all, Sen's ready to go and loot a boat that she can see clearly about 80 feet away.
<br><br>- "I told you I'd invent my way around this stupid flying thing!" Otto laughs and crosses his arms. "It was all a matter of applying the proper means of energy conversion. Ah but enough about that." he waves a hand dismissively and takes a deep breath, his gaze wandering off into the horizon. "It's a beautiful place, Kaiju Island. We really have to get around to that outing, it's gonna be winter by the time we remember about it otherwise."

The canine's nose twitches and his ears flit upwards in response to... something. His gaze snaps onto something in the distance, and his head tilts as he regards it with curiosity. "Huh..." It looked like a shipwreck, though... it'd take pulling out his binoculars to spot the rest of the details around the beached vessel. "That lot looks amazingly entertained, over there." the canine sighs, wondering what their awestruck expressions were all about.

His gaze turns and smile widens once he spots Cameron arriving. Without hesitation, with nary a single second guess, Otto meets her half-way and wraps his arms around her, pulling her in with a squeeze and a lick to the snoot. "Cammie! You look as lovely as ever. What are you doing here anyway?" She seemed to have been around for something else, judging by the presence of an unknown mutant moments prior... Before more could be said or done, the coyote's attention is ripped away by the arrival of Uvi and her giant drone. Otto whistles sharply, "Damn, wish I could make em' that big." he snickers, then cast Uvi a wave and a nod in greeting.

The canine's glance wanders around the group, then towards the smaller impalas. "You lot behave. Stay on the shoreline, I promised you a day at the beach, but that doesn't mean you can misbehave." Otto states adamantly to the wee impalas, then glances at Sensuen. "Oh, lovely! I've been... eeeh, busy-ish? Mostly not very challenging stuff though. Glad to be back in the field though! SO!" the coyote clasps his hands and slams the ground with one foot, making a small platform with a touch of Earth Nanomagic for himself to rise upon and be more easily seen onto.

"We're here to pick that wreck clean!" he announces to the group, loud and clear that they could all easily understand "You all know this, so let's get this done and go have some fun on the beach after! Fingers crossed that the sun shows again, eh?" he winks, then points towards the beached vessel. "There are several squid girls in the area, they may be feral, but they look very interested in something over there. As always with these excursions, keep an ear and an eye out for danger, now let's move out!" And so he does, with heavy steps and a kick in his stride, the coyote takes point and moves forward.

As more people arrived and he spied the Impala clining to his friends back he waves Cameron then says, "Hey Khaybat, nice to see you again." With the plesantries out of the way the Hellhound sets his crimson glowing eyes, quickly spotting their target and a trio of squid oggling it. "Yeah. Hmm... let's try to get it set up for Saturday or about then." he replies. As he spies the giant drone and somewhat familiar figure he says, "Hey... mind if I get a copy of your notes on drone construction? I could use an areal weapons platform that size." He grins then with Otto's announcement he adds, "Okay, I can see there's some squid by it so let's aproach slowly. Be ready for hostility but don't provoke it." he says and prepares to head toward the wreck with the group.
<br><br>- Cameron lets out a soft little giggle as she is scooped up into the coyote's arms. Her toes dangling a few feet off the ground. "Came to help with the boat." Then giving a curious look at all the others present. "And maybe see if I might be able to scutt... I mean take it home with me." A hint of colour appearing in her cheeks as she gave the large guy a curious look as she sees his rather interesting display of earth nanomagic. Perhaps she might get him to teach her later.

She then gave a small nod as she made sure her armour was in place beneath her clothes just in case. "Of course." She then looked at everyone and seeing as she was the smallest figured she should go first. The cat heading on over towards the boat. She was the least intimidating of the whole bunch. With her hands held out before her and empty she spoke a single word loud enough for the squid girls to hear. "Hello!" Though she stopped a good forty feet away just in case.
<br><br>- Uvi blushes a little whe Otto compliments her work. She replies, patting her giant, rocket-propelled drone, "E-rm, t-thanks! I'm proud of it! Oh, and cool shoes you've got!" That may have sounded awkward, but it doesn't discourage her. She slithers closer to the group and starts rummaging through her bag. After a while, she presents a small metal ball, around the size of an apple. She murmurs, "Sooooo let's locate the boat...". She presses a tiny button with her pinky finger and the strange device activates. Then, it shoots up the sky and starts floating around the island. "Hey, look, it is working! I didn't expect that, but it's cool!" She would jump from the joy, but because she has no legs, she sways her hips instead. She turns to the group and says, "If it finds anything, i should have it's position on my comm unit." She smiles, looking all proud.
<br><br>- Khaybat's kids give their father big ol' innocent eyes when told to behave though it's hard to tell if they're being silly or truthful in the whole thing. As Meanwhile the older impala ends up following after everybody as they move along. The wet sand wasn't as bad as dry sand for hooves after all! Her twins follow after, Mia holding a shell in her paws while Josh appears to have a starfish he's poking at with his index finger.
<br><br>- Reaching the sand bar where the yacht is beached takes a bit of wading through shallow water and low waves, drawing the attention of the squid girls even before Cameron yells. The three squids immediately gasp, using their suction grip to scale the side of the boat and clamor inside. Now with a closer look, the yacht shows signs of extensive repair and modification, like a post-apocalyptic shelter on the water. A good twenty feet long, it looks rather impressive for something that survived for over a decade.
<div></div><div title="Sensuen"><p>Sensuen nods, reaches a hand back for a bow that isn't there, grabbing nothing, conveniently enough, Sen feels for her laser pistol, the safety is on for now as the hammer is cocked, opening the circuit so that current can't flow. It may not stay that way though. Sen also sees her metal kylie nestled in the handle of her bag, almost as good as a bow, so she did pack something useful in more than one way after all. The sea angel looks to the two Impala kids and thinks about making spears for them. Perhaps a spear for one and a magnifying glass for the other? Maybe if the sun wasn't clouded out. Sen then turns to Ebreus with a nod, readying what weapons she has. Depending on what's on that ship, those two youngsters may yet get something, perhaps for fun, perhaps for food, who can yet say until they know what's here? </p>
<p></p>
<p>Sen joins in on the conversation to whoever will listen with, "A houseboat might not be a bad idea, especially if you can pipe air in there, an underwater house would be cooler in the hotter months, it's just that here it might not be needed so much. Fishing's right outside though" but stops as soon as she hears Cameron calling out to the squid girls on the beach near the boat, now it's work time as they near the boat, though the squid ladies flee up and into the boat, it's been kept in great shape by someone. Maybe the mutants here aren't all ferals after all?</p></div><div title="Otto"><p>Once Cameron runs ahead, Otto takes his time wading through the waters behind her. His ears flit upwards once she addresses the squids in the distance, his hand moving atop her shoulder while his other primes one of his concealed blades. If those ferals wanted to cause trouble, they'd be enjoying themselves some calamari in no time. He breathes a soft sigh once the group disappears into the boat, his hand sliding off of her arm as well. "This is... odd?" he asks the group once all has been seen. </p>
<p></p>
<p>"This place looks way too well patched for it to be a feral den. Yet... to find folks who are capable of upkeeping this place on this island means we might not be fighting for salvage, but bargaining for it." His glance wanders to Sensuen and a nod of agreement follows. "Aye, that's a good wager there. I think..." he pauses and looks back over towards the vessel. "I'm gonna go in for a closer look. See what I can see. I'll meet up with you all once I find out something, well... if I find out something." he pats his comm unit, before stepping quickly towards the side of the boat less seen and unapproached by anyone. </p>
<p></p>
<p>The canine fails to latch onto the side of the hull, using what few imperfections and welds there were as hand and footholds proved futile, the smooth surface simply unfit for his fingers, so he resorts to making a huge leap upwards as he monkeys his way up and towards the main deck. There, he peers about, careful and perceptive, silent and ready, wondering what he'd find. Before long, he disappears from the others' field of view entirely, investigating as he said he would. Quietly he creeps towards the nearby door leading into the lower decks, dagger at the ready~</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus points out the boat again to Uvi, "The spy drone is great but it's just over there. Can the spydrone find out how many more squid girls we haven't seen are around?" he asks trying to give Uvis drone which they seemed proud of something to do. Cracking a joint in his neck he then prepares to negotiate, or fight, as the situation called for while they aproach through the small waves, his plasma launcher ready. Seeing the squid flee he shakes his head lightly then as Otto says he's going to have a closer look he looks over to the coyote and says, "Alright... I guess I'll try talking to them. At least maybe get their attention so it ain't on you." He takes a deep breath as Otto continues forward and lets it out as a sigh before calling out once Otto's likely out of sight from an on the boat position, "Hey, we mean you no harm. Want to talk, maybe trade?" as he slowly takes a few more steps forward.</p></div><div title="Cameron"><p>Cameron hopes are completely dashed of taking the boat home with her as she sees them trying to repair it. Was a huge shame, she was sort of hoping she might be able to keep the yacht, aw well. She then glanced up at the large coyote and nodded in agreement. "Yes it is quite strange." Her eyes glancing towards where the squids had been before scurrying away and at the spot they had been patching up. "Seems they aren't ferals...." She then glanced towards the others present. "Anyone recoqnize anything about the boat, the name or any of the colours she flies?" She then gave the boat a closer looking over now that she was much closer to it. Maybe she might recoqnize something.</p></div><div title="Uvi"><p>The lamia girl blushes, embarrased. It must have been these compliments that distracted her so much that she didn't even notice the yacht. She scratches back of her head and giggles at her own giddiness. She nods to Ebreus and says, "Yea, I think I can do that. Just give me a second." She pushes some buttons on her comm device, sending new instructions to her spy drone. She turns to Cameron to address their question, "Uhm, do you really think it's colours or name are gonna matter, 10 years after P-Day?". She tilts her head, a bit confused, but then she focuses back on her comm unit.</p></div><div title="Khaybat"><p>Meanwhile Khaybat, Mia and Josh all follow after the others though when they come across other mutants standing around the bote too the trio stop and watch!</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>Once inside the cabin of the yacht, Otto comes across five naked squid girls, (three of which were most likely the ones from ouside) all huddled together in a corner. As Otto aproaches the one in front stands its ground, repeating "Back! Back!" as if to threaten him but holds no weapons. Elsewhere in the cabin looks like a mess, survival gear and supplies thrown everywhere as if someone was looking through all the cabinets. Against the far wall looks to be the body of a human man, motionless.</p></div><div title="Sensuen"><p>Sensuen follows along, though she thinks about asking Khaybat something, but decides against it for now. Sen walks around the boat, listening for signs of being quiet, but she can't hear anything except the waves. The sea angel looks around and reasons about where else they could have gone if they're to search a boat. Sen tries to climb up the side like Otto did, but she fares no better than he did. There has to be another way in there, maybe there is.</p></div><div title="Otto"><p>The canine blinks a few times, then tilts his head. These... were ferals? Were they? They could talk, they looked timid, but... had no weapons or even clothes. The man in the distance though, that was something hard to miss. Otto picks up his comm unit and radios his team. "They're defenseless, we have a potential corpse here, I am not touching that though, I need a medic in here ASAP!" he communicates to all of the entire group, before averting his attention back to the squid girls. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Tucking his blades back into his sleeves, Otto raises his hands and takes a step forward. "Relax..." He wasn't the best negotiator, but at least knew enough not to make things worse... right? "We won't harm you if you don't harm us. My buddy out there called to talk, you should go and see him, we come from the mainland. We can help you, and you can help us." he tries his best to keep a low tone and a neutral posture. </p>
<p></p>
<p>"Okay? We good?" he asks and stops but a few feet before them. His ears flit around from time to time, scanning for a potential ambush, his eyes meanwhile remain locked onto the girls, in case they did something... sudden...</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus nods as he hears Otto radio for help, "I'm a negotiator not a medic. Any of you know how to patch people up?" he asks the others as he waits for somebody to respond, his hand held just ever so slightly closer to his plasma cannon. Ready in case it's a trap Ebreus takes another deep breath and a few steps forward, "Please, come out and talk we wont hurt you." he says calmly loud enough for his voice to carry out to them.</p></div><div title="Cameron"><p>Cameron gives a small shrug at Uvi's question. "Never know. Could still be something useful perhaps. They could have been on the boat all this time." Though her ears perk up when she hears Otto on the radio and frowned almost immediately. "Dammit, guess they don't own the boat. I will go help the man, you all see to the squid girls." She then unslung her pack and began to get some of her medical supplies out of her pack as she quickly headed to the boat. White feathered wings appearing and letting her flap up onto the deck. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Wings quickly disappearing as she hurried inside to help Otto with the man. Her gaze giving the squids a wary look. "Just gonna give him some aid, okay?" Though she didn't really wait for a response before hurrying to check on him.</p></div><div title="Uvi"><p>Uvi whines, "Awwwww, I don't like when things get complicated like that.. Salvage the boat, yeah.. Stupid Zephyr.." Via her comm unit, she orders her giant drone to relocate, in case the man needs to be transported to the hospital. "Evac is on the way, just in case." She flops on the ground and sighs.</p></div><div title="Khaybat"><p>Khaybat and her twins go searching for a way to get onto the boat meanwhile! It's kind of hard to help with a medical emergency if you don't have a way onto the place where it's happening after all.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The Squid girls calm down, the one in front pointing at Otto and saying "Zee?" They then get momentarily startled when Cameron ran past before turning back to him: "Is... from Zee?" </p>
<p></p>
<p>As for the body, Cameron can guarentee the man has been dead for over a week outside of a bubble. With the closer look, the man looks quite old, wearing worn and weathered clothing.</p></div><div title="Sensuen"><p>Sensuen walks around the boat, there has to be another way in this thing. She finds it in the back, it's a ladder, suprisingly well maintained by the looks of it, as is the rest of the yacht if a bit out of place due to the size. Sen checks the ladder by putting some of her weight on it and when it seems fine to scale, the sea angel starts climbing up. Finally a way inside. Now that she's in the yacht proper, the sea angel starts looking for where the goings on are. The sea angel walks into the cabin of the yacht and finally sees what everyone's doing in here by luck. For now, Sen just sits back and tries not to interfere, though these squid girls look like they might need some tools to help them out, but Sen doesn't know if they'd use them against her out of fear or not. Sen then sees Cameron checking the body lying on the floor. Sen tries to look for the man's breathing to confirm if he's still alive for herself though before coming to any conclusions.</p></div><div title="Otto"><p>"Thank you, Cammie." Otto nods and leaves her to her work. He then looks towards the squid girls. "I... no. I am with the Prometheans. Uh, but..." he shakes his head, words were hard, okay? "We want to..." take the boat? Really? He wasn't the person to tell these women he wanted to take their boat! He'd fuck it up! No, Otto. You're a soldier, not a negotiator. "Look... I um, there is someone out there, big fella, horns, looks canine-ish... go and talk to him about this, okay?" he asks as politely as possible, hoping that Ebreus manages to talk them out of that ship.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus, still waiting to see if any aquid will come and talk to him, holds position for a few moments before Sensuen makes their way in, "Hey, if you're headin' in I'd like to barrow some vision and hearing. Sense for myself what's going on." he says, tapping his temple to indicate his NICE unit. As Sen ducks under the first deck he reaches out to the Sea Angel with his nanomagic to see through her eyes and hear through her ears as he tries to gather an understanding of the current situation... just in time to hear Otto trying to negotiate. He deftly activates his Comm and prepares to start trying give useful advice to Otto via text on how to negotiate if they won't go with what he'd already said.</p></div><div title="Cameron"><p>Cameron turned to Otto and gave her head a small shake. Her medical supplies getting stowed away as they were not needed in this case. She then gave him a quick glance over before pulling a sheet up over him. "Old age seems to be the cause. See no signs of any wounds or any discolouration or other abnormalities to idicate disease or toxins." Seeing the state of the cabin she finds it odd that it was trashed but yet there was still food about. Then out of curiousity she stepped away from the body and towards Otto as she asked the squid girls something. A finger pointing towards the man on the bed. "Is he your father? Your dad?" Just in case they didn't know the first word's meaning.</p></div><div title="Uvi"><p>As the situation seems to be more or less under control, Uvi directs her spy drone to peek inside the boat, with intent to find any interestesting salvage, electronics or tools she could use in her research. She also makes sure to snatch a few photos of the naked squid girls, also for.. 'research'.. purposes.</p></div><div title="Khaybat"><p>Khaybat and her twins go up the ladder and onto the boat before heading towards the cabin. Upon arriving Joshua ends up nosebleeding almost immediately at seeing the condition of the squid girls while Mia blushes and tries to avert her own attention. Khaybat on the other hand moves towards them and tries to go all mommapala by opening her arms towards them. You don't need to be able to talk to be full of empathy!</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>One of the Squid girls was about to answer Cameron's question, but then they spotted Sensuen and were getting obviously horny seeing a sea angel. The one in front that was speaking was able to hold back the others by saying a quick "Shush!" She was answering slowly, holding back her own urge as well. "Found." she said, pointing around everywhere. "Found?" She then points to a set of wires snaking up from the engine compartment, leading up and out a window.</p></div><div title="Otto"><p>"I told you kids, I told you to behave." Otto growls and moves in to just sweep the two impalas off the ground and hoist them over each shoulder. Blood before duty. "Sorry Cammie, Sen... I trust you can handle this better than I anyway." Otto nods, before moving to exit the cabin. With a blast from his boot thrusters, he lands on the beach and sets the naughty impalas down. It was bad enough that they'd found a corpse in there, something that was not worth looking at even if it were covered by a sheet, but who knows what would happen next? If it's one thing Otto learned, it's to expect the unexpected, at all times, and in all places. He looks over towards the others and hooks a thumb over towards the boat. "Sensuen and Cammie might need help."</p></div><div title="Sensuen"><p>Sensuen feels weird as her senses seem to get fed to another, but she soon gets over it. When Cameron brings up the possibility of this appearantly dead man being the squid girls' father, it makes her think of her own family, including squid girl daughters. Sen doesn't know if these are any of them however, but they could be. She doesn't remember the dead guy though, but she can't get a close look to be sure. Sen hears the squidess's speak, however they seem to like like her, or at least they want to mate with her, which makes Sen blush a bit, somewhat flattered. But, screwing isn't on the menu as she asks, "Ok, so you found all of this stuff and the boat and the stuff to fix the boat? Fair enough, the sea floor here is probably littered with scrap metal.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Seeing the situation through the eyes of Sensuen and the Squid Girls seeming pretty non-hostile and Otto extracts himself and the younger of the impalas from the situation. With that he shakes his head and disconnects his senses from Sensuens. He procedes toward the boat as Otto says they'd probably need help and with a leap and the flapping of his wings the quickly boards the boat from the air. Setting his cannon down on deck and bristling his he prepares an alternate defense. Stepping below deck he smiles and tries to look non-threatening. "Hello." he says, "I am Ebreus. How are you?" He adresses the squid girls calmly.</p></div><div title="Cameron"><p>Cameron held back a grin, maybe they didn't own the boat after all. She then gave a small sniff of the area. Wondering if they had been here while the old man was alive or after. If before they probably tried something kinky with the poor guy. She gives them a curious look. "You mean you found this boat and everything in it?" She then glanced behind her at the sight of the large demonic canine and then back to the squids. "We mean you no harm. We just want to talk and see if we might be able to retreive this boat. And give him a good resting place." A finger once more pointing towards the body.</p></div><div title="Uvi"><p>Encouraged by Otto and by the amount of salvage inside the boat, the lamia scientist decides get there and see what she can find. She slithers close to the yacht and climbs onto the deck, using her long, strong tail as support. Uvi was intrigued by the wires that squid girl pointed at, so she decides to investigate. Obviously, she dosn't pass the opportunity to take a peek at naked girls through the window.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>At the sight of Ebreus one of the Squid girls swoon, collapsing on the ground. The other squids catch her, and the one girl in front just tries to shuffle the group of them past Ebreus before you know what. With no words she gives a short bow with her sizable rack jiggling before they all make it outside, leaving the boat to the group of agents. Uvi, following the wires leads to the roof of the yacht, where a perfectly functioning solar panel sits plugged into the boat's power supply.</p></div><div title="Sensuen"><p>Sensuen thinks a bit as the squid girls head outside and moves to follow them almost instinctively, not looking for a fight or to screw them, but looking to make their living situation perhaps better than it is. Sen asks, from some distance away so as not to scare them. "Hi there. Do you need anything? I think I can make something to turn that sea water drinkable if you don't have anything already."</p></div><div title="Otto"><p>Otto would assist with that, if called for it, though otherwise he'd be giving the impalas a scolding and a few frowns for disobeying like that. He didn't want them to be put in any danger before they were ready to fend for themselves, and right now he was wondering if that day would ever come. They took after their parents alright. Curious, adventurous and rebellious. Other than that, hey! Mission accomplished, and only one cadaver to show for it. I'd call that a good day.</p></div><div title="Ebreus"><p>Ebreus raises an eyebrow as one of them feints but quickly recovers from the unexpected event. Never know when something about you is going to be some huge turn on for somebody else he guessed. With the squid out of the way he says, "Well... that whent better than I had expected." and procedes to search the boat eventually finding it got its electricity from the ton and beginning to strip the pannels from their mount on the boat, being a bit rusty with working with pannels happily accepting the help of Otto and Uvi to not break the pannels while salvaging.</p></div><div title="Cameron"><p>Cameron gives everyone a curious grin as they set to work on the boat. She even speaks on the comms as well so everyone can hear she heads down to the engine room. "After we strip the boat, think I might be able to keep her?" Her tiny fingers just perfect for setting to work on the engine which likely didn't work at this point, but would still make for some good metal salvage. The cat curious about whether she might be able to get her own boat, even if she was entirely capable of flight or even diving deep into water without special equipment thanks to the nanites. She then frowns a moment and stops. With a small sigh she stopes her work. </p>
<p></p>
<p>She then heads back up to the cabin to the body. She then sets to work pulling him out of the boat so that she could at least bury him. Also seeing if he had a wallet somewhere so she had at least something to put on his cairn or tombstone or what ever marker she might be able to find for him.</p></div><div title="Zophah"><p>The squid girls must have been a bit too far at that point, unable to hear Sensuen over the sound of waves. There aren't any more surprises, and with everyone's help the solar panel, electric system, the engine, and the survial gear gets packed up and ready to be brought back to Zephyr. A helicopter gets called in to airlift it all out, including the body of the man.
<br><br>- Uvi laughs maniacally as she uninstalls the solar panels, and then carries them back with Ebreus' help back to her drone. These are going to be vital to her research. She can't contain herself and sings a silly song, "Solar panels~! Na na na na solar paneeeEEEEeels~! Yes, yes, soooOOOOOOooOOolar paneeels~..!"
[[Category:RPLogs]]

Factory Dogs - RPLOG

2018-04-01T22:52:49Z

Zophah: /* Log */

=Participants=
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Narwen]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Sensuen]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
1/4/2018
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">Camped at the entrance to the highway is a human male dressed in overalls wearing a Promethian illuminated helmet. He leans against the cab of what looks like a blue pickup truck and trailer. Quite a few panels of it look like they were eaten through by rust and nanites, but it looks very reliable. As everyone gathers he speaks: "For those who haven't seen me before I'm Smithson and I'll be driving you out to an abandoned solar panel manufacturing facility. Scouts say the place may be structurally unstable, so I expect everyone to be careful. Any questions?"</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">With a kick in his step and a smile on his face does Otto carry himself, twirling a stick he'd found along the way between his fingers as he bounces with glee and humms a tune. It was a good day, cloudy... but good. The full moon was out tonight, and he had plans with a certain lady friend of his... so why not do something to occupy his time, right?

Well... the Prometheans weren't the sort to dispatch folks on missions, or such were his observations anyway. Now that something of theirs had finally popped up, Otto was rearing to get going. Hey, he had a faction to stick with, right? Imagine his surprise, though... when he spots Smithson of all people. "Smith?" Otto asks, a brow raised at the human. "Just one question, weren't you with Zephyr?"</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">"Hey Smithson," Narwen calls, waving a forepaw. "Hey Otto. Hey folks." The skunk beast steps up into the back of the pickup and settles down on the corrugated surface, saddlebags clinking. "Guess it's just us today? Hm, lessee. Any word of anyone or anything out there wanting to ruin our day? An' if, being wildly optimistic here, there do turn out to be a bunch of panels there, do we have anything bigger'n the pickup to haul them back?"</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle flies throw the sky over to where she herd the mission will start having made sure to stock up on ammo for most of her weapons. when she lands she gives a wave to all that stands there. "Hello all, and I hope things go well"</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen walks up to the gathering upon the highway and the assembly of people around a blue pickup truck, though rusted and seemingly somewhat nanite eaten, the damage seems mostly cosmetic to her. Sen doesn't really bring too much gear a bow, a rifle, a spade and a canteen. A black newish messanger bag hanging off Sen's shoulder and is secured to her side holds some small things that she'll need for the trip including her stainless steel canteen that she's had since coming here. </div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus walks down the road toward the meetingplace and the familiar Promethean and his truck. The large Hellhound smiles to see he'll be working with Smithon again. "Hello Smithson, nice to see you again." he says and as he spies Otto and Narwen his grin grows a bit. He thinks for a moment as he's asked if he has questions, "Well. Anybody here have experience with structural engeneering? And anyone else here have nanomagic?" he asks looking over the group.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">Smithson looks to Otto in confusion. "I've always been promethian. I just get hired out for Zephyr missions too because I'm one of the few people with a working truck." He then turns to Narwen, adding: "Other than the building itself there wasn't anything else reported by the scouts. And I have a trailer here to haul back anything we find. Anything else?"</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">"Well... nice to smell a lot of familiar scents." the fennec shrugs lightly as he hops into their transport, picking one of the back seats this time, though more such that he was able to pull out his laptop and browse his salvaged audio files. Before long, the beats of Daft Punk could be heard, something about being stronger, better, faster or something? It made little sense, but one had to admit, it was a catchy beat.

Giving the newly arrived agents a wave and a nod in greeting, Otto leans back in his seat and yawns widely, stretching out as he minimizes the music player and goes on to fiddle with his various weapons designs. For the most part... it was pretty common stuff, likely just commissions he'd received here or there...

"Yes, to both." he answers quietly and pulls out a flask, gives it a shake, then unscrews the lid. Whatever was in there must have been quite vile, by the looks of Otto's face once he has a sip of it. "Never gonna get used to that..." he mutters before re-pocketing it. "Good on ya, Smith. Think you can hook me up with a radio? I have this old junker rented and I want to install something to play music while we're on the road."</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">"Sweet." Narwen settles down for the ride, swapping a couple of notes with Ebreus.</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle nods to ebrsus as she gets into one of the empty seats of the car "no to the first ebreus and jest to the second"</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen looks to the one leading them all and asks, "About this trailer, what if the things we find are too large or heavy for all of us to lift?" wondering where she might fit in the car, though she sees Pelle fitting in easily enough.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">"I don't have a radio, just the comm. And I have tools for taking apart salvage if it gets too large for the trailer." Smithson finishes before getting in and starting the truck. Once everyone is on, and the group sets off on their mission. The trip out takes a few hours, and soon The truck drives into the target town. "You feel that? there's a nanite bubble here. It's weak, but that could account for the factory's structural instability. Speaking of which..." As Smithson said this, The truck pulls into the parking lot of the factory.</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">Jamming out to the beats all the while the trip lasts, Otto passes the time with his favorite pastime, relaxing. For the most part, he simply stares out the window and watches the terrain pass by, so used to the discomfort of leaving the bubble that it meant nothing to him anymore. With or without it, it made little to no difference, didn't it?

He seemed... serene, almost. Thoughtful in a unique kind of way, even as he sways his head and bobs in time with the beat, those large ears following behind. Soon, the fox's focus was broken, and his attention torn back into reality.

"I don't feel anything." Otto shrugs "But then again that's probably just me." he adds as he surveys the area. A sharp whistle parts his lips. "Something big ripped through there." the fennec points his index finger straight at the loading dock door... or rather the hole there...</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">Narwen sniffs at the air as the truck pulls to a stop. "Okay, that's... interesting. Wonder if it's a small and weak bubble, or if we're on the edge of a real one?" He hops down from the truck bed and stretches, working out the kinks. "Also wonder what it did to the locals around here. Oh geez, yeah, speaking of," he says, following Otto's gesture. "That does not look like a good time. So, uh, anyone got a better idea than rolling on up to the big hole? Maybe there's a, uh, non-monster-sized entrance."</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle steps out of the car "well i can se the entrence is colapsed so thers no way in there, but i think i can get into the air and look at the siling or at the back, or just se how well the roof is holding" she looks to where otto is ponting "and im amased i dident se that"</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen is rather paranoid at the prospect of dying so easily, she doesn't train combative skills too much, but if this place is abandoned there should be nothing to worry about right? Sen brought a few weapons just in case, but when they pull up to the place, there doesn't seem to be a gas station to go Home Alone on and turn into a sniper's nest anywhere around the place. Perhaps the building is fortifiable, but also perhaps Sen should learn how to make 2 part epoxy from her boobs already if she wants to make a habit of gluing broken glass to the inside of windowsills as a defensive measure. As the truck finally stops, the sea angel comes out of her line of thought, looking upon the building but seeing it as just a building, not very much special to it at all.</div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus watches the scenery go by as they ride out to the factory, not really doing much while they're freighted there. As the reach the new buble he perks up a bit. He steps out of the truck as it comes to a stop and looks over the building. When Otto points out the hole he walks around the truck to get a better look at it and hums a note as he examines the hole from a distance, "That wasn't made by a truck... whatever did that used claws." he says. Looking to the skunkbeast he says, "We could look for the main enterence... or I could strengthen the bubble and we could try to get to the roof but knowing the place is unstable it'd be pretty dangerous."</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">Smithson stays back in the truck while everyone spreads out to look at the factory. Pelle's view of the roof while flying can see that there is a large cave-in at the factory's west wing, and the roof is dotted with air conditioners and machine vents.</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">"I dunno about you, but I am going in for a scouting run." Otto declares nonchalantly and gives his gear a quick double-check. "Wonder if I can scurry up the wall and find a way inside from the top. If there's a beastie in there, I'd like to get the jump on it. I doubt anything that fat can hope to be agile." The fennec then promptly hops off the vehicle and casts his team a soft smile, zips up his laptop into his backpack and dashes off towards the side of the building.

Once he nears the wall most easily climbed, the nimble fox takes a jump and latches onto its side, those flexible, sturdy hands of his easily permitting him to grip even the tiniest of cracks and scale the side without the need for a ladder or anything of the sort. He huffs softly once he hits a dead end, the only way forward proving to be the second story window. From there, he deploys one of his wrist-hidden blades and jams it into the latch. It takes a few good stabs, but he manages to pry the window open, thankfully without causing too much-"ACK!"

The fox looks down as the window proving weaker than he'd imagined. It slides right out of its frame, the glass falling and shattering on the concrete below. So much for that... but at least he was inside. Crawling up was a piece of cake, and the fox takes a moment to let his arms rest once inside. One could wonder what he beholds there...</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">Narwen's nose twitches. "Think I can smell something on the wind. Canine... husky, maybe? Guess that could be worse. Though I'm not sure I want to run into a Kaiju husky even if they're friendly. Maybe especially if they're friendly." He watches Otto dash off into the building at speed, scrambling up the side and go halfway through a window, making enough clatter to wake the living. "Well, they probably heard the truck coming anyway," he remarks, ambling warily towards the factory, heading roughly towards where Otto scaled the wall and looking for a ground-level entrance. "Roof seems like a bad idea, at least for me. Don't want to collapse the place before we even get inside. Might be worth Pelle doing a bit of flying recon, if she feels it's safe."</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle having spotted the big hole in the roof desids to take a closer look at it and flies down to the roof not landing fully on it and looks down into the hole the cave in made to see if she spots something inside</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen looks to Narwen and says, "Kaiju husky huh? I think I could take that . . . " before she lets out a sigh and contiues, "inside a bubble." but then the flash of motion caught her attention as Otto fells a window to make his way inside of the building. Sen plugs her ears with a couple of tentacles at the crash but can't quite figure out what to do, maybe grab her rifle and start loading it to cover people if this place isn't abandoned after all? Perhaps she could start digging pits to trap kaiju feral feet and/or legs in while she shoots them, though that's not a very sound plan given the range she'd have to do it from.</div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus raises an eyebrow when Otto suggests climbing the building. He watches as he checks his equipment and then actually rushes off to do it. He scratches the back of his head as he wonders something. He sighs as Narwen makes his way toward the building and suppliments the existing bubble with his nanomagic and double checks his shotguns as he follows the large skunk into the building, keeping watch around them with with infrared vision.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">Otto finds themselves in a management office, everyhting covered in dust. the plant in the corner long since died from lack of water. The desk covered in various knicknacks from before P-day. Everyone else entering the building through the loading dock finds everything a mess, as some of the machenery and catwaklks have colapsed, causing the entire working floor to become a maze. Everything is completely silent...</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">"Showtime." Otto whispers to himself as he primes two throwing blades in his hands, ready to turn the first thing that lunges at him into a bloodied knife holder. He blinks and covers his face, his sensitive nose reacting to the overabundance of dust, a sneeze coming on immediately, halted only thanks to the fox's paw coming to over that nose to squeeze and hold it back. His other hand moves into his pack to pull out a gas mask, already primed with a pair of standard air filters.

Flipping it onto his face, he takes a deep breath and adjusts the release valves to let just the right amount of air in, ensuring the protective glass covering his eyes won't get fogged up by his own breath. That done, he has a chance to look around. Even with the device on, his nose picks up the scents of husky, that is of heat and wet fur... well, that's what it reminded him of, at any rate. Rolling his eyes, Otto already draws a conclusion. This was some alpha husky's harem house now... whatever.

Blades in his hands once more, he advances carefully, taking his time so as to not fall in all this damnable shed fur... ick. Thank the stars his ears were yet uncovered, so he keeps them up and on alert, in case something horny decides his ass looked tasty, or maybe what lied on the other side. Who knew, who cared, they have a job to do.</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">Narwen glances over his shoulder at Ebreus, giving him a look that could be sympathy, or worry, or perhaps just peckishness. The skunk stops, waiting for the others to draw close, and speaks in as low a tone as he can manage. "Smell's stronger here. Definitely aitch you ess kay eye eee ess." As he speaks, his eyes scan the dust that lies across the floor and walkways, looking for tracks and disturbances. "Don't see any panels yet. Guess they're deeper in. We take it slow?"</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle looks around as she enters and nods to what narwen says "well if you say so. and ja I cant see any panels here" she says in a hushed voice as she makes her way in and activating her vanishing nanomagic if she can </div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen looks to the foot and handholds on the wall, it seems someone was trying to enter here while she was taking the time to look for bottle caps to stuff into her bag for fishing lures or pendants and whatnot. The sea angel thinks a bit if she can climb up there, maybe she can, maybe she can't, she'll try anyway, if she falls she may be able to roll out of the landing if she lands on her feet.</div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus makes his way into the place behind the Skunk Beast as he looks around he picks up the scent of Huskies. He sniffs and yep deffinitly Huskies. The scent only really relevent to him in confirming thermal vision would help him if one passes into his field of vision. He raises an eyebrow as the Skunk Beast in front of him makes some noises he can't parse meaning from. 'What' he asks telepathically to him as he begins a search of the floor.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">A minute passes searching the building with nothing found yet, just the smell of husky and a lot of dust. Sensuen can't get enough of a grip on the bricks to climb up to where Otto entered the building. Speaking of which, Otto comes out onto a catwalk above some of the colapsed machinery, standing above a den of sorts. No less than twenty huskys all laying in a dog pile. It is at this time that the rest of the group inside the building reaches one of the entrances to this hovel. A makeshift generator and lamp system keeps this main 'room' lit while evryhting else is in darkenss.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">Just as the group arrives, one of the female huskys at the edge lazily gets up and looks right at narwen, not saying anything but wagging her tail.</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">Pheee-eeew... the stench of husky was almost overwhelming to the fennec. Glad he had his mask with him. He creeps along the path set by the catwalk with a slow and steady stride, careful where he stepped, unwilling to be the one to wake up that pile of feral dogs. Reaching into his pack, the fennec opts for something else rather than his blades. It was a curious device, something akin to a rifle, or rather a small flamethrower if the nozzle were to be looked at more closely. It had with it its own tank of pressurized... what was in there anyway? Whatever it was, Otto seemed to be banking on it, even more-so once he spots what was happening down there. Their cover had been blown, and he was torn between intervening, or resuming his hunt for fat loot. That's fat... but with a ph. For now, he simply keeps still, and observes...</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">"Aitch you ess--" Narwen turns the corner, sees the pile of huskies, and goes still. Despite his attempt to pass for a weirdly coloured statue, one of the huskies looks up and meets his gaze. At least she seems friendly? He very carefully resists the urge to smile at her. Not breaking the gaze, he reaches a forepaw back towards his pack. "I think I may have something here for a very good girl, a very quiet and very good girl," he mutters. "Dammit, can't reach. Eb, there's a biscuit in there? Don't touch anything pill- or gun- or remote-control-shaped."</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle makes sure to walk slower as they are met with the pile of husks and gives the one that spotted narwen a wide gap as she makes her way past them trying to find the way forward as she goes continuing to look for the panels</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen realizes she can't scale the wall at all, she's stuck down here because she seemingly sucks at many things, it seems she'll need to learn to do more than shoot straight for a few hundred yards with a rifle if she's going to be of any use here. Hmmm, from the sounds inside, oh look, a stick, the sounds inside are meaningless to the sea angel now that she found a stick and is walking to pick it up.</div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus looks to the awakened Husky and then to Narwen as he says he has a buscut. He grins lightly and fishes through Narwen's pack for the buscut. Finding it after a few moments he passes it to Narwen. He then looks over to the rest of the dog pile trying to get a count of the Huskies as he steps lightly away from Narwen.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">With Sensuen walking around outside they don't realize the potential trouble inside, as the husky woman that spotted Narwen looks at him inquisitively. But after a few seconds of Narwen looking throuh his pack, the husky starts bounding forward to eat the dog treat from his hands. Thankfully none of the other huskys notice at the moment, and Pelle gets around the group without a problem.</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">Seems the huskies were not that dangerous, at least right now. The fennec sighs with relief and continues along the catwalks, careful not to draw attention to himself. He makes his way over the catwalks, casting the others a wary parting glance as he disappears into the interior of the structure. They had a job to do, and the last thing Otto wanted right now was to end up in a husky orgy... well, actually that was far from the last thing he wanted, but nonetheless, for once he was rutless, and with that came a clarity of mind and the will to push forward.

It took some orientation and a little dumb luck, trying a few halls and carefully snaking his way through the interior, but in the end he finds something that looks promising. Huh, final assembly, or so the signs stated. Nimbly does he monkey his way downwards towards the salvage that had caught his eye. Getting back up though, that might be a problem... he glances around once he reaches his objective for anything that might help him get back up.</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">"Yes, good girl, good girl," Narwen murmurs. He reaches up and pats her on the head with a paw. "Why don't you go back and take a nap, eh? Naptime? I got nuthin'. But at least one of 'em's intelligent enough to wire up a generator, so let's not go guns blazing. These are smart huskies, yes they are. Yes you are. Smart and sleepy. You go take a nap, girl, eh?"</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle as she makes it ti to the other side she tries to examine what the husky's are sleeping on before quietly making her way and to the new room and over to where she sees the generator wires go making sure to give the 'bed' a wide gap as well</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen looks around but she does notice a conspicuous absense of people around her, it seems they're all inside whatever building this used to be. Sen wonders what could be going on in that big building, she can't quite hear inside and it's gone quiet, which is probably what they want. Maybe it's best not to interfere and mess things in there up for them?</div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus smiles as Narwen seems to have the concious Husky under control. He continues to make his way around the dogpile as he makes his way around the group of them as he procedes to search from their bounty. After a few moments of searching he pings everyone but Narwen's comm, 'Found anything?'</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">The husky at Narwen just goes ahead and tries to get into his pants now, looking for a treat better than biscuits. As for the other huskys, Ebreus managed to get the whole pile awake when he walked past, and now about 15 of them are trying to jump him for a fuck. Meanwhile, Sensuen is still meandering outside and Otto can get started salvaging some of the solar panel materials. Looks like another loading dock is back here, but it's closed and doesn't look like it can get open.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">And Pelle, making it past the alpha, catches up with Otto.</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">What was that? That noise, something had definitely just happened, and though Otto felt the sudden urge to rush off and offer aid... he second-guesses himself and waves it off, sure that the team were fine without him. He had a haul to take care of. Exiting past the huskies proved... dangerous, given how fragile their find was, and being tackled by huskies was not a good way to keep something in good condition. He takes out his comm unit and starts to write a message, beckoning Sensuen for assistance, directing them to try circling the building to find the loading dock and see if they can open the door from the other side. While that happens, the fennec picks out the best bits of salvage and hoists them up, ready to transport.</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">Fortunately, Narwen's dignity is protected by both shorts and underwear, which are surprisingly tricky to get into -- unless you have fingers and understand what velcro is. "No," he says, backpeddling on three legs and trying to use the fourth to fend her off gently but firmly. "Bad girl. Bad touch. Look, I don't want to hurt you, and you don't want to hurt me, so, uh, if you look in my pack you'll find a pill that will help with this situation. Just make sure you take the mauve one, not the lilac one-- dammit, those shorts aren't cheap!" Still going backwards, hopefully towards the entrance hole? "Lil' help here? Anyone? Anyone?"</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle looks around the room as she arrives and when she spots otto she makes sure to step out of the door and to a nearby wall where she deactivates her vanishing nanomagic and makes her way over to otto "I think narwen and ebreu's have gotten them self into a bit of an orgy or at lest ebreu's have, and there's an alpha in the room behind me so wanna knock them all out so we can scavenge while they sleep? or just do it while their focus in on ebreus and narwen?" she says in a hushed voice </div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">Ebreus freezes for a moment when he sees the horde of Huskies wake up and begin to eye him for some fun. He sighs as the horde of Huskies comes toward him. He backs away from the horde and pings everyone, 'Kinda just woke them all up.' he says. He tooks to Narwen, 'Back away slowly. Let's see if they'll follow us outside.' he says via telepathy to the Skunk Beast.</div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen gets a message on her comm unit, reads it, and runs to the other side of the building and is somewhat out of breath when she gets there. The sea angel needs to do more than sleeping and eating most days. Still, there's no time to worry about the pitfalls of a pre p-day lifestyle now and the sea angel recovers fairly quickly. Sen then finds a closed loading bay, door even though she's never seen one before. The sea angel tries to stab her shovel under the crack and drive it in with her foot, but to no avail. Chopping through it would just dull her spade. Hmmm. The stick won't work without a wide enough space to get it in there and even then there might not be any sort of strength in it to resist a steel door. Still, Sen does hear something in the door move, so she just doesn't have the strength to move it. Sen tries to signal the others by banging on the door, whoever's on the other side had better be friendly, or this door had better not break under the weight of whatever crowd is within.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">The husky on Narwen seems oblivious to his words, and still tried to get into his pants. It fails to do so, getting more and more desperate for his boner. As for Ebreus, The huskys clamor to try and remove his armor, clwing at it and whining. They all follow him in desperation, not paying attention to where he goes. The loading door that Sensuen knocks on is indeed the right door, being heard from inside where otto and pelle are. Thankfully, there is no sign of the alpha.</div><br> <br><div title="Otto">The fennec hears the knocking and yells back at the sea angel on the other side. "GRAB HOLD AND LIFT!" he shouts, hollars and loudly declares, before leaning down to do so as well, and pulling up with all his might. They had no reason to be sneaky anymore, now that the horde as alerted. Still... they were just huskies. Some might call them newbie mooks, but Otto called them cute. Regardless, they were not his objective. They had a job to do, and that's all that mattered to him.</div><br> <br><div title="Narwen">Narwen stumbles steadily backwards, barely managing to hold the husky off. "Seriously, no, c'mon. Take a hint!" He backs into the rolling door with a whump, glances over his shoulder to see the hole, and moves towards it. "If the pants come off, you're getting sprayed. Do you know how much tomato juice that's gonna need?" Out through the hole he squeezes, backwards, which is not comfortable -- then terrible inspiration strikes and he stops halfway out, rear end and junk outside, front end inside, plugging the hole with his body. "See? It's gone. Poof! Unreachable."</div><br> <br><div title="Pelle">Pelle helps otto and sensuen open the door and looks to where ebreus and narwen is "i gonna tray something so we perhaps can get ebreus to help us if I can get them off narwen then that be better" she says as she starts walking back into the room activating her Suggestive Illusion Nanomagic wanting to make herself look to them who'd be something scary and to be afraid off and activates her Unnatural Presence to help her illusion. hoping its enough to get them off ebreus and hoping they don't make to muth noise </div><br> <br><div title="Sensuen">Sensuen runs to the side of the building where Otto is a bit faster this time and does just as he says, grabbing hold of the door with what strength she had and lifted, crawling her hands hand over hand upward until she'd found enough purchase on the underside to quickly grab it from below. Sen then used her legs to keep on lifting the door, or at least help lift it for Otto.</div><br> <br><div title="Ebreus">As Ebreus hears the screeching of the door he pings everyone again, 'Guess Narwen and I will keep the Huskies busy, just try not to wake the alpha I don't want to have to hurt him.' as he backs the Huskies out toward the hole. As Narwen decides to plug the hole with him inside he shakes his head and says, "Was kinda trying to lead them through that hole." He then looks back to the Huskies clamoring for his attention and continues, "Besides they're all awake now we distract them and Otto can work in peace." As Pelle bounds in and activates their nanomagic he pauses for a moment and watches to see what happens with her intimidating display.</div><br> <br><div title="Zophah">With the loading door open and the huskys distracted, It's only a matter of time to carry out the salvaged solar panel parts and load them onto the truck. Once Smithson confirms that everything is loaded and tied down, everyone can get onto the truck and outrun the horny huskys. With thye task completed, it just takes a few hours home to Fairhaven.</div>[[Category:RPLogs]]

Infection Model: Children of Tahoe

2018-02-03T09:11:43Z

Zophah:

Location: Tahoe <br>
Nanite Type: Child of Tahoe (Integrated Unit)<br>
Infection Vector: Air (see Infection Method)<br>
Basic Infection Shapes: Only standard humanoid or anthropomorphic bipedal forms have ever been found in the base infection, many being infected with a Tahoe version of the Automaton template.<br>
Infection Method: In their active state Tahoe nanites accumulate enough to become visible in the air, taking form in a manner similar to thick, rolling fog. Known as the Tahoe Fog, standing within it causes the Tahoe nanites to begin conversion of the subject into one of their units. The conversion process attempts to reformat the subject's mind like a computer, in which a successful reformatting results in the subject's categorization into one of the unit types. While being reformatted subjects are known to experience hallucinations and delirium connected to the subject's stronger or more emotional memories, most likely ones associated with fear and/or regret.<br>

Description: The [[Tahoe]] nanites can be found in either an passive or active state. In their passive state, Children of Tahoe use the nanites to facilitate transference of memories, knowledge and skills much like sharing files between connected computers. As long as any two units are within the same nanite bubble, this transfer can occur without any outward indication, and has similarities to a long range [[Interfacing Nanomagic]] in its capabilities and limitations.
<br>
While connected with each other, Children of Tahoe are capable of working in tandem at an alarming rate, their connectivity providing coordination and teamwork faster and with fewer errors than verbal communication. This has given them capabilities to form a fully self-sustaining society faster than other examples, even developing their own nanite-based technology. However, they are determined to blame Zephyr as the cause of P-day, and can be expected to be hostile against any agents they find.
== Unit types ==
Those infected or converted by Tahoe nanites follow predetermined roles given by the nanites, listed here:<br>
Control Node: These units retain most of their individuality before conversion, and are designated the leaders of the Children of Tahoe. <br>
Active Node: These units are designated laborers, soldiers, and other professions for completing physical tasks. They take up most of the Children of Tahoe. <br>
Computational Node: The researchers, scientists, and other intellectual professions are designated for these units. <br>
Proxy: Subjects that lose their mind in the conversion process become proxies, acting as 'backups' in cases where other units are lost or destroyed. There is at least once instance of a Proxy unit replacing a Control Node unit. <br>
File Server: These units are virtually mindless, their only purpose is for storage of memories and skills usable by other units.
==Interactions==
*[[Infection Model: Standard Nanites|Standard Infection]]: Unless active, Tahoe nanites ignore standard nanites and do not attempt conversion. (see Infection Method)
*[[Infection Model: Packmind|Packmind Nanites]]: Unknown. No Child of Tahoe has encountered a Packmind.
*[[Infection Model: Worker Drone|Worker Drone Nanites]]: Unknown. No Child of Tahoe has encountered a Worker Drone.
*[[Ultimate_Infection_Resistance|Ultimate Infection Resistant]]: Those with nanite resistance to this degree are reported to be immune to the effects of the Tahoe infection, but no long-term exposure has been attempted.
[[Category:Infection Models]][[Category:Theme]]

Infection Model: Children of Tahoe

2018-01-20T10:06:37Z

Zophah:

Location: Tahoe <br>
Nanite Type: Child of Tahoe (Integrated Unit)<br>
Infection Vector: Air (see Infection Method)<br>
Basic Infection Shapes: Only standard humanoid or anthropomorphic bipedal forms have ever been found in the base infection, many being infected with a Tahoe version of the Automaton template.<br>
Infection Method: In their active state Tahoe nanites accumulate enough to become visible in the air, taking form in a manner similar to thick, rolling fog. Known as the Tahoe Fog, standing within it causes the Tahoe nanites to begin conversion of the subject into one of their units. The conversion process attempts to reformat the subject's mind like a computer, in which a successful reformatting results in the subject's categorization into one of the unit types. While being reformatted subjects are known to experience hallucinations and delirium connected to the subject's stronger or more emotional memories, most likely ones associated with fear and/or regret.<br>

Description: The [[Tahoe]] nanites can be found in either an passive or active state. In their passive state, Children of Tahoe use the nanites to facilitate transference of memories, knowledge and skills much like sharing files between connected computers. As long as any two units are within the same nanite bubble, this transfer can occur without any outward indication, and has similarities to a long range [[Interfacing Nanomagic]] in its capabilities and limitations.
<br>
While connected with each other, Children of Tahoe are capable of working in tandem at an alarming rate, their connectivity providing coordination and teamwork faster and with fewer errors than verbal communication. This has given them capabilities to form a fully self-sustaining society faster than other examples, even developing their own nanite-based technology. However, they are determined to blame Zephyr as the cause of P-day, and can be expected to be hostile against any agents they find.
== Unit types ==
Control Node: These units retain most of their individuality before conversion, and are designated the leaders of the Children of Tahoe. <br>
Active Node: These units are designated laborers, soldiers, and other professions for completing physical tasks. They take up most of the Children of Tahoe. <br>
Computational Node: The researchers, scientists, and other intellectual professions are designated for these units. <br>
Proxy: Subjects that lose their mind in the conversion process become proxies, acting as 'backups' in cases where other units are lost or destroyed. There is at least once instance of a Proxy unit replacing a Control Node unit. <br>
File Server: These units are virtually mindless, their only purpose is for storage of memories and skills usable by other units.
==Interactions==
*[[Infection Model: Standard Nanites|Standard Infection]]: Unless active, Tahoe nanites ignore standard nanites and do not attempt conversion. (see Infection Method)
*[[Infection Model: Packmind|Packmind Nanites]]: Unknown. No Child of Tahoe has encountered a Packmind.
*[[Infection Model: Worker Drone|Worker Drone Nanites]]: Unknown. No Child of Tahoe has encountered a Worker Drone.
*[[Ultimate_Infection_Resistance|Ultimate Infection Resistant]]: Those with nanite resistance to this degree are reported to be immune to the effects of the Tahoe infection, but no long-term exposure has been attempted.
[[Category:Infection Models]][[Category:Theme]]

Tea Time with Luna - Part 2 - RPLOG

2018-01-08T03:12:51Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Anbessa]]
* [[Arris]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Phosphorus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
7/1/2018
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>It's the dead of night, in the middle of winter, and everyone has just woken up from contacting the Moon Rabbit to find a few Children of Tahoe in their armor and holding solar weapons surrounding them.

A man without a helmet on looks to be in charge, most likely Carson, the leader of the Children of Tahoe. "Thank you Unit Luna for..." He is then rudely interrupted when Luna jumps up, knocks the gun from his hand, pulls out what looks like the weapon's power supply, and throws it across the room. "RUN!" She screams, as even the soldiers start to dash out of the cabin away from the ominous beeping coming from the removed battery.<br> <br>"Ohhh dear." This is the only phrase running through Arris' mind as sie slowly stood up and raised hir hands above hir head. As sie begins to prepare an excuse, to try to talk hir way out of the conflict, hir train of thought is interrupted by Luna running up to Carson and disarming him. That... was certainly one way of taking action.

When the bunny screams out to run, sie immediately complies, bolting out of the cabin. Upon hitting the cold exteriors, sie immediately splits off from the fleeing Children of Tahoe. The fog and cold were harsh, but, sie would put up with it. Better get away from the cottage first, decide what to do later.<br> <br> Beeping isn't normally how grenades sound, but it's a clear enough warning to the panda, anyways. Her eyes drift towards the lamp, then towards the others. She's a confident enough tracker, she supposes... can find them later. She wasn't sure whether her power suit would adequately shield her from the fog, either. Phosphorus takes off at a run, darting towards the lamp with a hand outstretched and the other grasping at her pistol. Best not venture forth without a little bit of protection. She doesn't know if anyone can hear her, but..., she shouts, "Rendezvous one kilometer... uh, north!"<br> <br>Anbessa blinks awake as the group's impromptu nap is abruptly ended by the arrival of the Tahoe. Thoughts returning and being recollected momentarily as... Wait, what's that beeping, seeing Luna toss something and yelling run, the human blinks in surprise... And quickly scrambles to his feet. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit-" Anbessa repeatedly yelps as he makes a b-line for the front door, though as he exits he skids to a momentary stop to look back at the nearby doorway for his weaponry. If they are there, he makes a grab for the bow and polearm before he continues running. If they are gone he just grits his teeth and keeps moving, preoccupied with the ominous beeping to take time to look for it. Either way he quickly tries to make a B-line for Luna to follow after her. Better the fog than probably painful death or maiming from whatever is about to happen to that cabin!<br> <br>What does one even do in a situation like this? Scream and panic? What good would that do? Surrender and let themselves be captured, their mission a failure, their lives placed at the mercy of whatever Tahoe group leader had them by the balls? Certainly not... By now it had gotten to the point where such sudden twists were common for Otto... he should have seen this coming...

Yet he didn't. He didn't and was just as caught off guard as anyone else... his face contorting into a snarl, fangs glinting beneath those lips as he surveys the room, a hand placed on his pistol to split a brain before they had the chance to incinerate him... or his mate. Gods... that feeling... that dread the overwhelming desire to just... no. Snap out of it!

Just in time, too... for when Luna does what she does, the jackal immediately recognizes the bomb about to go off, and how it'd torched a friend of his in the past... No time for nonsense... the canine grabs his mate by the arm on his way out and tucks through the door, rolling out and thankfully shielding her with his own body, the wee lass just light and small enough to be braced against his chest with ease. The canine coughs, his senses dulled by the thick mist, yet still he has but a split second more to draw his pistol and look for a target...<br> <br> Awoken from a dream like stupor to the shaking and rifling of that familiar rabbit. No... Wait, wrong rabbit. This one... Luna... Was from the others. The Tahoe. The little fennec lifted herself as others... Armored, violent, ready to engage, others held them up. Those must have been the rest of them. Mokou had only a moment to consider what sort of backstabbing nasty little garbage this was... Till Luna stepped forward. Engaged, Disarmed, Dismantled, and Shouted. Seconds.

The moments between eye-blinks were what she was going to have to deal with here. Her left hand fell, scooping up little Felix in one smooth motion as she began backpedaling. A tick, echoing in her ear. That battery... Let's not be here any longer than need be. Two steps forward, her foot sliding under something metalic. Not the source of the beeping, thank those ears! A quick kick up, reaching for the weapon... Before a familiar hand gripped her arm to the side, the metalic piece dropping back to the ground. Tick. Her eyes looked back to him as she was all but gripped against him, legs reaching to touch the ground as she was lifted... before they hurtled out into the cold.

A tuck, a roll, and out the door they went, a faint grunt falling from her lips as she wrest herself from her Otto's grip for but a moment. Upon the ground, feet in the snow and... letting Felix upon the ground. Snow, their delight... until Mokou shouted back to them. "Home! Find Smithson, the one who took us here! Find us!" Feet trailed through snow, the fennec and her mate standing their ground for a moment... Little Felix... looking up to them before... Fleeing into the fog.<br> <br>Luna grabs a black box from a table before dashing out behind everyone, yelling "Don't go north, just head for your truck!" as she points down the road heading west. It's cold, but nothing can beat the searing heat as the cabin behind them explodes in a blinding flash of light and shrapnel, the whole cabin erupting as the volatile chemicals inside ignite instantaneously.<br> <br>Arris winces as the explosion occurs behind hir, taking shelter behind a large tree as the heat hits hir. Sie would reach behind hir to unsling the rifle from hir back... only to find that sie left it inside the cabin. "God dammit." Instead, sie quickly deploys hir shield drone. "Phosphorus, toss me your sniper rifle!"
If it were to be tossed to hir, sie would catch it and ready it up as the drone covers hir rear, firing at the soldiers sie saw through the smoke. "Hostiles at five and seven!"<br> <br> Phosphorus sticks her pistol back in her holster, hearing and heeding Arris' call, taking out her rifle with some effort and passing it over to Arris. It's very heavy; but it needs to be, to help tame the kick that it has. The house explosion showers her with a fair bit of debris, but her armor withstands without a nick. That's what high-quality kevlar does for you. She draws her pistol once more, taking a few shots at figures she sees whenever there's a break in the smoke.<br> <br>Anbessa winces as the heat of the explosion brushes his back, the human scrambling behind a tree as pieces of wood and metals fly about. Glancing about as he straps his Guisarme onto his back again and draws an arrow from his quiver, the human lets out a breath, watching the air escape him. No time to panic, no time to make mistakes. Concentrate... Think... Persevere. Thoughts clear, and movement becomes a bit more fluid. "Okay, you heard her everyone. To the truck, any Tahoe that think to get in the way get shot down!" Anbessa's shout rises, a wide smile starting to cross his face as he draws the string of his bow in preperation. "No one left behind, we're ALL goin' home!" His voice is energetic and confident, silver colored eyes beaming a bit. Certainly seems like a different person... Or maybe it is the adrenaline in him? Hard to say.<br> <br>Fire, chaos, panic, this was the stuff Otto loved to see on his expeditions out into the depths of the unknown. He'd managed to make a swift roll to avoid the worst of the explosion, but his mate... "You alright?!" the canine calls out, pistol in one hand, his burning blade in the other. There, just there... he saw them, just as Arris had called out, a shadow, a silhouette, perhaps t'was all Otto saw, but it was all he needed.

He aims true, and squeezes the trigger, his maw now pulled into a snarl, even as the human's words come flooding in. The jackal's pistol produces an unearthly blast and a ghastly hiss, the bullet striking one of the soldiers in the chest, their corpse falling to the ground immediately thereafter. "I'm not leaving until I send the lot of these bastards to hell!" he answers defiantly, then fades into the background, a faint disturbance the only thing hinting at his presence. Blade in hand... silent step, a watchful eye, the jackal crept. Time to put that stealth training to good use.<br> <br> A blistering explosions of heat and debris blasted across the landscape, snow melting with every flame-chared spliter that was shot out from them. Peppering the landscape, Mokou had a mere moment to leap forward, shielding the little Felix off in the snow. She snarled, one of those shards spinning out and embedding itself in her arm. A much smaller yelp came from said small fox, bolting off further on their trail, guiding her, guiding them. The rattle of gunfire and and the shock of the explosion rung in her ears, but there was more important things to deal with... Much more important things.

The echo of Luna's voice barely resounded to her, but she got the message. On her way, on out. A glance back though drew her hustle in a bit, moving towards a swift jog. The others... They were giving fight. A snarl at her lips and a shake of her head, a gesture tossed Felix's way, a simple command to be alert. To call out enemies they could see, but no more. The fox... well, he gave a short bark as they continued on. Mokou though... She sighed as her mate faded into the mist. A fight they seemed to want, a fight they would get. Ears perked and alert swivled to place their foes... Even as she headed towards Luna. Someone had to be near their... well... escort it seemed.<br> <br>The Shots from Arris, Phosphorus and Otto hit their marks, Otto and Arris seeming to take two down. Luna yells again "Keep moving! Blazers can..." She didn't get to finish her sentance, as three flashes light up the darkness through the fog. Narrow beams of searing death converge on Phosphorus before she can properly react, burning holes through her. The pain is immense, two shots completely severing her left leg at the thigh while a third disables her right sholder.<br> <br>Arris fires at the Tahoers, hiding behind hir cover of an overturned tree trunk as sie aims for the heads of the armored hostiles, firing a shot at Carson's exposed head before sie sees that glow of the solar rifles charging. Soon after, Phosporus is riddled with solar rifle lasers, and the gator crouches by her side and begins applying liquid bandages to her wounds. "Stay with me, Phos. Provide cover fire with your good arm." As the liquid bandages are applied, hir head turns to watch hir back every now and then.<br> <br>Pain. Searing pain. Phosphorus has taken a bullet before. But this... it's different. Familiar, yet not. The creeping sense of shock fills her as momentum carries her to the ground, narrowly avoiding dropping the lamp, but her pistol falls to the ground with a puff. She's alive. Awake. Leg disabled, but...

Fuck, that hurts. It hurts bad. She uses her left arm to roll over, taking a moment to pause and look at her hands. It's steady. Adrenaline, not shock. Good. She undoes a pouch on her vest, breaking a small vaccuum pack with a small injector pen in it. Narcotics. She sticks it in her leg, pressing the button on top, inhaling deeply as the drugs numb the pain. 'An operative stays calm under pressure,' she reminds herself, 'Panic is the enemy. I must not panic. I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.'

'God, I'm a nerd, sometimes.'

She picks up her glock with her left hand, taking a breath, calming her pace. She takes a shot. Then another. Then another. The panda narrows her eyes, lips turning up in a fierce snarl, laying down shot after shot of hollow-point ammunition. The sounds of battle dim within her head as she focuses on firing, roughly fumbling and shoving a mag into her pistol, and cocking it on her boot.<br> <br>Anbessa's words fade quick as shots are returned and solar fire is riddled into Phos. Mouth falling momentarily open, he returns attention forward with gritted teeth. "GrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" A gutteral growl escapes him that rises into a violent battlecry! Watching Otto rushing into the fog, Anbessa nocks an arrow and fires at another target where he saw the lights fly from. If they run now, they'll lose people and get shot in the back. This is to the death, and they won't go down without making them regret it! His shots are quickly drawn and released quickly as well, thoughts clear and his left eye baring a faint green glow as he gets behind a tree for some sort've cover. This is going to be a messy fight...<br> <br> Sometimes Mokou wished that her senses hadn't been attuned as they had now. Those ears sharp enough to hear the boiling of flesh and the sizzling of blood, the nose sharp enough to pick up to pick up on the burn, to place the shots... There were moments that made one have to take care. To not break under the pressure...
For once, it was not her under the firing line.

She lept forward though, not into the fight, but near it. The snarl upon lips, the spittle flying, the bile of antiseptic, and the hiss of gunfire was her target. Phosphorus. Leaping forward, her hands bypassed Arris whom helped her for the time being. An escape was still in the works, and that lantern was the way... And only one person among them knew how it worked. She held upon the device, moving back for a brief moment. The wounds in her mind begged her to look back, to look at the horror show in progress... But it would be a risk for another time. They were breathing. They were shooting. Nanites would keep them alive, Arris would keep them well.

Besides... The lass had someone to protect. A hand fell upon her hilt, the other holding out the lantern as she ran to them. Eyes focused ahead as she gave a short bark, Felix running up beside her. Otto would take care of himself... and if he didn't... Anbessa would help. Arris would help. Phosphorus would go down before the gun left her hand. Still, running again... No. She shook her head. Not running away. Running to help.

To Luna.<br> <br>Just like that, in the blink of an eye, a flash of light, a shot well placed, several beams cutting flesh, rending and burning through armor, the scent of burned tissue and overwhelming agony from dismemberment... poor panda... Otto wanted to help, but he was no doctor... he would never be one either. Nay. Their crippled comrsde was in capable hands as is, Arris tending to her greivous wounds as best she can, as for the Tahoe... they are going down.

Look at those fools, waving their weapons around, paranoid... terrified of what they could not see. A silent step, and a bloodthirsty grin, a baited breath, blade long and thin, the jackal uses whatever cover he had available, some brush, a tree perhaps? Just one step closer... and he was within reach, one last step... and that's all Otto needed.

It's difficult to forget, that distinct sound of flesh yielding under a sharpened blade, the gentle squelch, sensation akin to thrusting a spoon into a bowl of pudding, it resists at first, but then it yields, juicy innards parting as blood gushes and the trachea splits open, the victim left with but a fraction of a second to realize what'd happened, before they're left writhing in agony, suffocating on their own gushing blood. A pistol in his free hand, blade and fur painted crimson, Otto fires and lodges a stygian round in the leg of the soldier that'd shot Phosphorus. The man swings his rifle and aims at the jackal...<br> <br>The medical attention Arris is giving to Phosphorus properly treated her wounds, but with half her leg missing Phosphorous isn't going to get anywhere without help. Phosphorus's pistol hits a soldier square in the chest, but the hollow point bullets do nothing to get through their armor. Arris's shot does hit Carson right in the face, causing quite the mess, as Anbessa's arrow manages to get in a crack in the armor to take down another, followed by Otto stabbing one from the shadows and shooting Anbessa's target in the leg. That last solder did manange to get off his shot before Otto could finish the soldier off, but his shot strikes a tree to Otto's left.

Luna doubles back to them, still yelling: "You can't fight! We have to run! Reinforcements are probably already on their way!" She then tries to help Arris get Phosphorous up to leave.<br> <br>As sie rises back to hir feet, Arris calls out. "Alright, you heard Luna, let's book it! I can hear them coming!" Sie looks to Otto. "Otto, you think you can bring Carson with us? I think he's due for an explanation back home. Don't bring him if you can't carry him." Rifle still at the ready, sie looks down to Phosphorus. "Can you get up and run?" If needed, sie would help Phosporus up and take her arm over hir shoulders. "Luna, take the lantern. We'll follow on your lead."<br> <br>Hollow points. Of course. Phosphorus empties the last of her magazine out into the general direction of the enemies, swapping ammunition types to standard FMJ. She spies the jackal, and the soldier pointing a gun at him. Adjusting her aim up, she aims for the head. A breath, a squeeze of the trigger, and a round is fired. .40 S&W should be enough to penetrate a helmet.

Phosphrous takes a deep breath, looking back down to her combat harness. Her WP Smokes. Cover their advance. And fuck some people up. She pulls one off her vest, tugging the pin out with her teeth, and lobs the grenade to the reinforcements. Then a second. And a third. It's her trademark grenade, after all.

Phos looks to Arris, the same fierce expression on her face, as the panda is spoken to. A breath. Calm. They're a friendly. "Arris... I'm missing a leg! Fuck, of course I can't run. Our retreat... it should be covered."<br> <br>Anbessa couldn't really see how much damage he caused through the fog, but the human's attention is drawn back as Luna calls out, and Arris confirms her warning. Gulping, Anbessa nods and returns his bow to his back to rush over towards Phos and Arris. He does glance over towards where he saw Otto rush off to, but he quickly returns attention back forward as they move. Hope Arris got it handled for now, his hand staying near his bow just in case he needs to give some covering fire.<br> <br> Mokou's ears twitched as she handed off the lantern to Luna, simply nodding. The sounds of boots... many boots reached her ears. A slight yip from Felix drew her gaze, his attention tossed up north. Her own though... Was south. Yet if she just strained... a few more... Goodness gracious. They had moments to loose. Blowing up a cabin does that apparently. A glance was shot back towards the others... grumbling something under her breath as she gestured ahead for Felix. Darting back towards them, an arm slung about Phosphorus, adding her own strength to them to help move her along. Blasted Panda... getting shot and missing a leg.

A shake of her head. Not Phophorus's falt she got shot. Coulda been anyone... Now what was she forgetting... "Oiy, Otto! Come on back! Ya stabed them enough!" That much, she could shout back. Him being invisible... That much was his fault. Hobbling with them onward, a nod was shot towards Luna and Felix. "Come on, can head that way!" An idle thought... something for 'er to do to be less irritated. "Phosphorus, in my pack. Theirs a few gass grenades. Throw'em as you will. Should mix with the fog and yer own... be damned hard to see and mess with their heads."<br> <br>As the group makes it's way back to the edge of the Tahoe bubble, the smoke from the white phosphorus grenades causes the fog to become even thicker, blocking the view around them. The treck is slow with Phosphorus missing half of her leg, but none of the aproaching soldiers show up in their path... Until a Tahoe shot flares, hitting a tree about 4 feet to the right of Mokou.<br> <br>The sound of a bullet hitting wood is clear as daylight to Arris. "They've caught up! Let's go!" Quickening hir pace, sie takes a glance behind everyone to see a group begin to move out of the fog. "Let's move! Phos, throw down some more grenades!" Once that's done, sie begins to hurriedly move Phosphorus along.<br> <br>One last grenade. She didn't have a bottomless pool to draw on, and four was already double the standard soldier's load for smokescreens. It was her signature, though, after all. With one last snarl, Phosphorus bites the pin and tugs it out, throwing the grenade towards the oncoming group, watching the spoon pop off, and fly away in the air, exploding with the characteristic white trails... "All out!"

Pistol time again. Fuck, she wish she could use her rifle. Or even her sniper. Or if someone had a SMG... Alas. With the smoke grenade down, she goes into a state of overwatch; that is, she'll put a series of shots wherever she sees the first enemy.<br> <br>Anbessa ducks his head instinctually a bit as they move along, glancing about as the fog thickens and that familiar ominous feeling fills his chest. Only a bit more, only a bit more...! "Hope our driver won't mind waiting a short bit for Otto..." The human glancing over to Arris as she speaks up, and looking back to where Otto was at the human gulps a bit. He has hopes Otto will make it... But he can only hope that Otto doesn't get shot while he is catching up! Retrieving his bow once more, the human draws another arrow and draws it back in preperation.<br> <br> Deeper and further out, Mokou hastened off with the lot of them. Arm gripping Phosphorous to carry, with her spare swinging idly by her, the lass simply shook her head. "No guns here..." A small shiver, those paws of hers biting through the fridgid snow, eyes ever locked onto her guide fox, Felix. Flicking back towards the others, a touch of a smile shines, "Come on... Think of the stories! No Scars, but the stories..." Either think of the stories or fear for the fallen. Neither good, but as the lass peeked back, a quiet curse fell from her lips, watching the oncomming foes. A silent hope that she didn't hit Otto, and she stepped off from the three of them for a moment. A shuffling for that in her pack... a simple metal canister with a pop top.. almost like a tuna can. Pulling it half, and simply... baseball hurtling it back, she simply ran. Greyish mist... muted in the fog, that dizzying canister began to head out... Whether a harm or no... Twas what she could provide. "Come on...!"<br> <br>Shots from the Children of Tahoe fire though the smoke, but most miss entirely. As the group reaches the edge of the bubble, one lucky shot hits the lanturn Luna was carrying, causing the Fog's effects to start. But with the group already at the edge, there was no problem leaving. Ahead, Smithson is starting up the truck, yelling "If even one shot hits the truck, we're doomed! hurry it up!"<br> <br>Climbing onto the truck, Arris quickly helps Phosphorus as hir shield drone stands guard (hovers guard?) between the truck and the fog. Once sie sees the last person clamber on, sie looks forward to Smithson. "FLOOR IT!"<br> <br>"Arris! Can you... stick the rifle on the truck right here? Just... kick the bipod down and stick it in front of me. Thanks." Phosphorus asks, once they're in the truck. She scoots herself into position with what limbs she has, taking the rifle up and peering through the scope, providing covering fire until everyone's up. She takes shots at any enemies... aiming for center mass, no risks. One shot, one kill, as cliche as the phrase has become. Pain was starting to nibble at the edges of everything, but she could withstand. Even with an arm and a leg gone, she would still try to prove herself an effective operative.<br> <br>Anbessa climbs into the truck just as quickly as the others, scooting over to make room for the rest as he draws his bowstring back and takes aim at the fog. Any of those familiar burning lights gets an arrow sent it's way! "Otto! Pick up the pace!" Anbessa shouts towards the fog, hoping he will make it in time. It has been a long time since he has felt so happy to be riding on the back of an old pick up truck!<br> <br> Swiftly running back towards the truck now by leaps and bounds, Mokou ran as though hell were at her heels. Not true, of course. Hell was in her basement. If anything, she was running towards it. Curling up for a moment, she scooped up her precious little Felix, curling them fast against her chest before sliding to a stop by the truck, and simply leaping within. "Go, Go, GO! Otto Will be Fine! Trust me! It... He will live."<br> <br>Luna and Otto make it to the truck just as Smithson guns the engine. Sounds of the Tahoe weapons fire behind them, a few close calls but no more problems. Not at their peak, but at least everyone is alive, and Luna managed to bring a broken Tahoe supressor and a hard drive with Tahoe's details. And thank goodness the trip home in the dark of the morning was uneventful.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Tea Time with Luna - Part 2 - RPLOG

2018-01-08T02:57:54Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Anbessa]]
* [[Arris]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Phosphorus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
7/1/2018
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>It's the dead of night, in the middle of winter, and everyone has just woken up from contacting the Moon Rabbit to find a few Children of Tahoe in their armor and holding solar weapons surrounding them.

A man without a helmet on looks to be in charge, most likely Carson, the leader of the Children of Tahoe. "Thank you Unit Luna for..." He is then rudely interrupted when Luna jumps up, knocks the gun from his hand, pulls out what looks like the weapon's power supply, and throws it across the room. "RUN!" She screams, as even the soldiers start to dash out of the cabin away from the ominous beeping coming from the removed battery.<br> <br>"Ohhh dear." This is the only phrase running through Arris' mind as sie slowly stood up and raised hir hands above hir head. As sie begins to prepare an excuse, to try to talk hir way out of the conflict, hir train of thought is interrupted by Luna running up to Carson and disarming him. That... was certainly one way of taking action.

When the bunny screams out to run, sie immediately complies, bolting out of the cabin. Upon hitting the cold exteriors, sie immediately splits off from the fleeing Children of Tahoe. The fog and cold were harsh, but, sie would put up with it. Better get away from the cottage first, decide what to do later.<br> <br> Beeping isn't normally how grenades sound, but it's a clear enough warning to the panda, anyways. Her eyes drift towards the lamp, then towards the others. She's a confident enough tracker, she supposes... can find them later. She wasn't sure whether her power suit would adequately shield her from the fog, either. Phosphorus takes off at a run, darting towards the lamp with a hand outstretched and the other grasping at her pistol. Best not venture forth without a little bit of protection. She doesn't know if anyone can hear her, but..., she shouts, "Rendezvous one kilometer... uh, north!"<br> <br>Anbessa blinks awake as the group's impromptu nap is abruptly ended by the arrival of the Tahoe. Thoughts returning and being recollected momentarily as... Wait, what's that beeping, seeing Luna toss something and yelling run, the human blinks in surprise... And quickly scrambles to his feet. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit-" Anbessa repeatedly yelps as he makes a b-line for the front door, though as he exits he skids to a momentary stop to look back at the nearby doorway for his weaponry. If they are there, he makes a grab for the bow and polearm before he continues running. If they are gone he just grits his teeth and keeps moving, preoccupied with the ominous beeping to take time to look for it. Either way he quickly tries to make a B-line for Luna to follow after her. Better the fog than probably painful death or maiming from whatever is about to happen to that cabin!<br> <br>What does one even do in a situation like this? Scream and panic? What good would that do? Surrender and let themselves be captured, their mission a failure, their lives placed at the mercy of whatever Tahoe group leader had them by the balls? Certainly not... By now it had gotten to the point where such sudden twists were common for Otto... he should have seen this coming...

Yet he didn't. He didn't and was just as caught off guard as anyone else... his face contorting into a snarl, fangs glinting beneath those lips as he surveys the room, a hand placed on his pistol to split a brain before they had the chance to incinerate him... or his mate. Gods... that feeling... that dread the overwhelming desire to just... no. Snap out of it!

Just in time, too... for when Luna does what she does, the jackal immediately recognizes the bomb about to go off, and how it'd torched a friend of his in the past... No time for nonsense... the canine grabs his mate by the arm on his way out and tucks through the door, rolling out and thankfully shielding her with his own body, the wee lass just light and small enough to be braced against his chest with ease. The canine coughs, his senses dulled by the thick mist, yet still he has but a split second more to draw his pistol and look for a target...<br> <br> Awoken from a dream like stupor to the shaking and rifling of that familiar rabbit. No... Wait, wrong rabbit. This one... Luna... Was from the others. The Tahoe. The little fennec lifted herself as others... Armored, violent, ready to engage, others held them up. Those must have been the rest of them. Mokou had only a moment to consider what sort of backstabbing nasty little garbage this was... Till Luna stepped forward. Engaged, Disarmed, Dismantled, and Shouted. Seconds.

The moments between eye-blinks were what she was going to have to deal with here. Her left hand fell, scooping up little Felix in one smooth motion as she began backpedaling. A tick, echoing in her ear. That battery... Let's not be here any longer than need be. Two steps forward, her foot sliding under something metalic. Not the source of the beeping, thank those ears! A quick kick up, reaching for the weapon... Before a familiar hand gripped her arm to the side, the metalic piece dropping back to the ground. Tick. Her eyes looked back to him as she was all but gripped against him, legs reaching to touch the ground as she was lifted... before they hurtled out into the cold.

A tuck, a roll, and out the door they went, a faint grunt falling from her lips as she wrest herself from her Otto's grip for but a moment. Upon the ground, feet in the snow and... letting Felix upon the ground. Snow, their delight... until Mokou shouted back to them. "Home! Find Smithson, the one who took us here! Find us!" Feet trailed through snow, the fennec and her mate standing their ground for a moment... Little Felix... looking up to them before... Fleeing into the fog.<br> <br>Luna grabs a black box from a table before dashing out behind everyone, yelling "Don't go north, just head for your truck!" as she points down the road heading west. It's cold, but nothing can beat the searing heat as the cabin behind them explodes in a blinding flash of light and shrapnel, the whole cabin erupting as the volatile chemicals inside ignite instantaneously.<br> <br>Arris winces as the explosion occurs behind hir, taking shelter behind a large tree as the heat hits hir. Sie would reach behind hir to unsling the rifle from hir back... only to find that sie left it inside the cabin. "God dammit." Instead, sie quickly deploys hir shield drone. "Mokou, toss me your sniper rifle!"
If it were to be tossed to hir, sie would catch it and ready it up as the drone covers hir rear, firing at the soldiers sie saw through the smoke. "Hostiles at five and seven!"<br> <br> Phosphorus sticks her pistol back in her holster, hearing and heeding Arris' call, taking out her rifle with some effort and passing it over to Arris. It's very heavy; but it needs to be, to help tame the kick that it has. The house explosion showers her with a fair bit of debris, but her armor withstands without a nick. That's what high-quality kevlar does for you. She draws her pistol once more, taking a few shots at figures she sees whenever there's a break in the smoke.<br> <br>Anbessa winces as the heat of the explosion brushes his back, the human scrambling behind a tree as pieces of wood and metals fly about. Glancing about as he straps his Guisarme onto his back again and draws an arrow from his quiver, the human lets out a breath, watching the air escape him. No time to panic, no time to make mistakes. Concentrate... Think... Persevere. Thoughts clear, and movement becomes a bit more fluid. "Okay, you heard her everyone. To the truck, any Tahoe that think to get in the way get shot down!" Anbessa's shout rises, a wide smile starting to cross his face as he draws the string of his bow in preperation. "No one left behind, we're ALL goin' home!" His voice is energetic and confident, silver colored eyes beaming a bit. Certainly seems like a different person... Or maybe it is the adrenaline in him? Hard to say.<br> <br>Fire, chaos, panic, this was the stuff Otto loved to see on his expeditions out into the depths of the unknown. He'd managed to make a swift roll to avoid the worst of the explosion, but his mate... "You alright?!" the canine calls out, pistol in one hand, his burning blade in the other. There, just there... he saw them, just as Arris had called out, a shadow, a silhouette, perhaps t'was all Otto saw, but it was all he needed.

He aims true, and squeezes the trigger, his maw now pulled into a snarl, even as the human's words come flooding in. The jackal's pistol produces an unearthly blast and a ghastly hiss, the bullet striking one of the soldiers in the chest, their corpse falling to the ground immediately thereafter. "I'm not leaving until I send the lot of these bastards to hell!" he answers defiantly, then fades into the background, a faint disturbance the only thing hinting at his presence. Blade in hand... silent step, a watchful eye, the jackal crept. Time to put that stealth training to good use.<br> <br> A blistering explosions of heat and debris blasted across the landscape, snow melting with every flame-chared spliter that was shot out from them. Peppering the landscape, Mokou had a mere moment to leap forward, shielding the little Felix off in the snow. She snarled, one of those shards spinning out and embedding itself in her arm. A much smaller yelp came from said small fox, bolting off further on their trail, guiding her, guiding them. The rattle of gunfire and and the shock of the explosion rung in her ears, but there was more important things to deal with... Much more important things.

The echo of Luna's voice barely resounded to her, but she got the message. On her way, on out. A glance back though drew her hustle in a bit, moving towards a swift jog. The others... They were giving fight. A snarl at her lips and a shake of her head, a gesture tossed Felix's way, a simple command to be alert. To call out enemies they could see, but no more. The fox... well, he gave a short bark as they continued on. Mokou though... She sighed as her mate faded into the mist. A fight they seemed to want, a fight they would get. Ears perked and alert swivled to place their foes... Even as she headed towards Luna. Someone had to be near their... well... escort it seemed.<br> <br>The Shots from Arris, Phosphorus and Otto hit their marks, Otto and Arris seeming to take two down. Luna yells again "Keep moving! Blazers can..." She didn't get to finish her sentance, as three flashes light up the darkness through the fog. Narrow beams of searing death converge on Phosphorus before she can properly react, burning holes through her. The pain is immense, two shots completely severing her left leg at the thigh while a third disables her right sholder.<br> <br>Arris fires at the Tahoers, hiding behind hir cover of an overturned tree trunk as sie aims for the heads of the armored hostiles, firing a shot at Carson's exposed head before sie sees that glow of the solar rifles charging. Soon after, Phosporus is riddled with solar rifle lasers, and the gator crouches by her side and begins applying liquid bandages to her wounds. "Stay with me, Phos. Provide cover fire with your good arm." As the liquid bandages are applied, hir head turns to watch hir back every now and then.<br> <br>Pain. Searing pain. Phosphorus has taken a bullet before. But this... it's different. Familiar, yet not. The creeping sense of shock fills her as momentum carries her to the ground, narrowly avoiding dropping the lamp, but her pistol falls to the ground with a puff. She's alive. Awake. Leg disabled, but...

Fuck, that hurts. It hurts bad. She uses her left arm to roll over, taking a moment to pause and look at her hands. It's steady. Adrenaline, not shock. Good. She undoes a pouch on her vest, breaking a small vaccuum pack with a small injector pen in it. Narcotics. She sticks it in her leg, pressing the button on top, inhaling deeply as the drugs numb the pain. 'An operative stays calm under pressure,' she reminds herself, 'Panic is the enemy. I must not panic. I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.'

'God, I'm a nerd, sometimes.'

She picks up her glock with her left hand, taking a breath, calming her pace. She takes a shot. Then another. Then another. The panda narrows her eyes, lips turning up in a fierce snarl, laying down shot after shot of hollow-point ammunition. The sounds of battle dim within her head as she focuses on firing, roughly fumbling and shoving a mag into her pistol, and cocking it on her boot.<br> <br>Anbessa's words fade quick as shots are returned and solar fire is riddled into Phos. Mouth falling momentarily open, he returns attention forward with gritted teeth. "GrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" A gutteral growl escapes him that rises into a violent battlecry! Watching Otto rushing into the fog, Anbessa nocks an arrow and fires at another target where he saw the lights fly from. If they run now, they'll lose people and get shot in the back. This is to the death, and they won't go down without making them regret it! His shots are quickly drawn and released quickly as well, thoughts clear and his left eye baring a faint green glow as he gets behind a tree for some sort've cover. This is going to be a messy fight...<br> <br> Sometimes Mokou wished that her senses hadn't been attuned as they had now. Those ears sharp enough to hear the boiling of flesh and the sizzling of blood, the nose sharp enough to pick up to pick up on the burn, to place the shots... There were moments that made one have to take care. To not break under the pressure...
For once, it was not her under the firing line.

She lept forward though, not into the fight, but near it. The snarl upon lips, the spittle flying, the bile of antiseptic, and the hiss of gunfire was her target. Phosphorus. Leaping forward, her hands bypassed Arris whom helped her for the time being. An escape was still in the works, and that lantern was the way... And only one person among them knew how it worked. She held upon the device, moving back for a brief moment. The wounds in her mind begged her to look back, to look at the horror show in progress... But it would be a risk for another time. They were breathing. They were shooting. Nanites would keep them alive, Arris would keep them well.

Besides... The lass had someone to protect. A hand fell upon her hilt, the other holding out the lantern as she ran to them. Eyes focused ahead as she gave a short bark, Felix running up beside her. Otto would take care of himself... and if he didn't... Anbessa would help. Arris would help. Phosphorus would go down before the gun left her hand. Still, running again... No. She shook her head. Not running away. Running to help.

To Luna.<br> <br>Just like that, in the blink of an eye, a flash of light, a shot well placed, several beams cutting flesh, rending and burning through armor, the scent of burned tissue and overwhelming agony from dismemberment... poor panda... Otto wanted to help, but he was no doctor... he would never be one either. Nay. Their crippled comrsde was in capable hands as is, Arris tending to her greivous wounds as best she can, as for the Tahoe... they are going down.

Look at those fools, waving their weapons around, paranoid... terrified of what they could not see. A silent step, and a bloodthirsty grin, a baited breath, blade long and thin, the jackal uses whatever cover he had available, some brush, a tree perhaps? Just one step closer... and he was within reach, one last step... and that's all Otto needed.

It's difficult to forget, that distinct sound of flesh yielding under a sharpened blade, the gentle squelch, sensation akin to thrusting a spoon into a bowl of pudding, it resists at first, but then it yields, juicy innards parting as blood gushes and the trachea splits open, the victim left with but a fraction of a second to realize what'd happened, before they're left writhing in agony, suffocating on their own gushing blood. A pistol in his free hand, blade and fur painted crimson, Otto fires and lodges a stygian round in the leg of the soldier that'd shot Phosphorus. The man swings his rifle and aims at the jackal...<br> <br>The medical attention Arris is giving to Phosphorus properly treated her wounds, but with half her leg missing Phosphorous isn't going to get anywhere without help. Phosphorus's pistol hits a soldier square in the chest, but the hollow point bullets do nothing to get through their armor. Arris's shot does hit Carson right in the face, causing quite the mess, as Anbessa's arrow manages to get in a crack in the armor to take down another, followed by Otto stabbing one from the shadows and shooting Anbessa's target in the leg. That last solder did manange to get off his shot before Otto could finish the soldier off, but his shot strikes a tree to Otto's left.

Luna doubles back to them, still yelling: "You can't fight! We have to run! Reinforcements are probably already on their way!" She then tries to help Arris get Phosphorous up to leave.<br> <br>As sie rises back to hir feet, Arris calls out. "Alright, you heard Luna, let's book it! I can hear them coming!" Sie looks to Otto. "Otto, you think you can bring Carson with us? I think he's due for an explanation back home. Don't bring him if you can't carry him." Rifle still at the ready, sie looks down to Phosphorus. "Can you get up and run?" If needed, sie would help Phosporus up and take her arm over hir shoulders. "Luna, take the lantern. We'll follow on your lead."<br> <br>Hollow points. Of course. Phosphorus empties the last of her magazine out into the general direction of the enemies, swapping ammunition types to standard FMJ. She spies the jackal, and the soldier pointing a gun at him. Adjusting her aim up, she aims for the head. A breath, a squeeze of the trigger, and a round is fired. .40 S&W should be enough to penetrate a helmet.

Phosphrous takes a deep breath, looking back down to her combat harness. Her WP Smokes. Cover their advance. And fuck some people up. She pulls one off her vest, tugging the pin out with her teeth, and lobs the grenade to the reinforcements. Then a second. And a third. It's her trademark grenade, after all.

Phos looks to Arris, the same fierce expression on her face, as the panda is spoken to. A breath. Calm. They're a friendly. "Arris... I'm missing a leg! Fuck, of course I can't run. Our retreat... it should be covered."<br> <br>Anbessa couldn't really see how much damage he caused through the fog, but the human's attention is drawn back as Luna calls out, and Arris confirms her warning. Gulping, Anbessa nods and returns his bow to his back to rush over towards Phos and Arris. He does glance over towards where he saw Otto rush off to, but he quickly returns attention back forward as they move. Hope Arris got it handled for now, his hand staying near his bow just in case he needs to give some covering fire.<br> <br> Mokou's ears twitched as she handed off the lantern to Luna, simply nodding. The sounds of boots... many boots reached her ears. A slight yip from Felix drew her gaze, his attention tossed up north. Her own though... Was south. Yet if she just strained... a few more... Goodness gracious. They had moments to loose. Blowing up a cabin does that apparently. A glance was shot back towards the others... grumbling something under her breath as she gestured ahead for Felix. Darting back towards them, an arm slung about Phosphorus, adding her own strength to them to help move her along. Blasted Panda... getting shot and missing a leg.

A shake of her head. Not Phophorus's falt she got shot. Coulda been anyone... Now what was she forgetting... "Oiy, Otto! Come on back! Ya stabed them enough!" That much, she could shout back. Him being invisible... That much was his fault. Hobbling with them onward, a nod was shot towards Luna and Felix. "Come on, can head that way!" An idle thought... something for 'er to do to be less irritated. "Phosphorus, in my pack. Theirs a few gass grenades. Throw'em as you will. Should mix with the fog and yer own... be damned hard to see and mess with their heads."<br> <br>As the group makes it's way back to the edge of the Tahoe bubble, the smoke from the white phosphorus grenades causes the fog to become even thicker, blocking the view around them. The treck is slow with Phosphorus missing half of her leg, but none of the aproaching soldiers show up in their path... Until a Tahoe shot flares, hitting a tree about 4 feet to the right of Mokou.<br> <br>The sound of a bullet hitting wood is clear as daylight to Arris. "They've caught up! Let's go!" Quickening hir pace, sie takes a glance behind everyone to see a group begin to move out of the fog. "Let's move! Phos, throw down some more grenades!" Once that's done, sie begins to hurriedly move Phosphorus along.<br> <br>One last grenade. She didn't have a bottomless pool to draw on, and four was already double the standard soldier's load for smokescreens. It was her signature, though, after all. With one last snarl, Phosphorus bites the pin and tugs it out, throwing the grenade towards the oncoming group, watching the spoon pop off, and fly away in the air, exploding with the characteristic white trails... "All out!"

Pistol time again. Fuck, she wish she could use her rifle. Or even her sniper. Or if someone had a SMG... Alas. With the smoke grenade down, she goes into a state of overwatch; that is, she'll put a series of shots wherever she sees the first enemy.<br> <br>Anbessa ducks his head instinctually a bit as they move along, glancing about as the fog thickens and that familiar ominous feeling fills his chest. Only a bit more, only a bit more...! "Hope our driver won't mind waiting a short bit for Otto..." The human glancing over to Arris as she speaks up, and looking back to where Otto was at the human gulps a bit. He has hopes Otto will make it... But he can only hope that Otto doesn't get shot while he is catching up! Retrieving his bow once more, the human draws another arrow and draws it back in preperation.<br> <br> Deeper and further out, Mokou hastened off with the lot of them. Arm gripping Phosphorous to carry, with her spare swinging idly by her, the lass simply shook her head. "No guns here..." A small shiver, those paws of hers biting through the fridgid snow, eyes ever locked onto her guide fox, Felix. Flicking back towards the others, a touch of a smile shines, "Come on... Think of the stories! No Scars, but the stories..." Either think of the stories or fear for the fallen. Neither good, but as the lass peeked back, a quiet curse fell from her lips, watching the oncomming foes. A silent hope that she didn't hit Otto, and she stepped off from the three of them for a moment. A shuffling for that in her pack... a simple metal canister with a pop top.. almost like a tuna can. Pulling it half, and simply... baseball hurtling it back, she simply ran. Greyish mist... muted in the fog, that dizzying canister began to head out... Whether a harm or no... Twas what she could provide. "Come on...!"<br> <br>Shots from the Children of Tahoe fire though the smoke, but most miss entirely. As the group reaches the edge of the bubble, one lucky shot hits the lanturn Luna was carrying, causing the Fog's effects to start. But with the group already at the edge, there was no problem leaving. Ahead, Smithson is starting up the truck, yelling "If even one shot hits the truck, we're doomed! hurry it up!"<br> <br>Climbing onto the truck, Arris quickly helps Phosphorus as hir shield drone stands guard (hovers guard?) between the truck and the fog. Once sie sees the last person clamber on, sie looks forward to Smithson. "FLOOR IT!"<br> <br>"Arris! Can you... stick the rifle on the truck right here? Just... kick the bipod down and stick it in front of me. Thanks." Phosphorus asks, once they're in the truck. She scoots herself into position with what limbs she has, taking the rifle up and peering through the scope, providing covering fire until everyone's up. She takes shots at any enemies... aiming for center mass, no risks. One shot, one kill, as cliche as the phrase has become. Pain was starting to nibble at the edges of everything, but she could withstand. Even with an arm and a leg gone, she would still try to prove herself an effective operative.<br> <br>Anbessa climbs into the truck just as quickly as the others, scooting over to make room for the rest as he draws his bowstring back and takes aim at the fog. Any of those familiar burning lights gets an arrow sent it's way! "Otto! Pick up the pace!" Anbessa shouts towards the fog, hoping he will make it in time. It has been a long time since he has felt so happy to be riding on the back of an old pick up truck!<br> <br> Swiftly running back towards the truck now by leaps and bounds, Mokou ran as though hell were at her heels. Not true, of course. Hell was in her basement. If anything, she was running towards it. Curling up for a moment, she scooped up her precious little Felix, curling them fast against her chest before sliding to a stop by the truck, and simply leaping within. "Go, Go, GO! Otto Will be Fine! Trust me! It... He will live."<br> <br>Luna and Otto make it to the truck just as Smithson guns the engine. Sounds of the Tahoe weapons fire behind them, a few close calls but no more problems. Not at their peak, but at least everyone is alive, and Luna managed to bring a broken Tahoe supressor and a hard drive with Tahoe's details. And thank goodness the trip home in the dark of the morning was uneventful.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Tahoe

2018-01-07T18:44:36Z

Zophah: Created page with "(placeholder) ==Description== (to be added) Category:Locations"

(placeholder)

==Description==
(to be added)

[[Category:Locations]]

Infection Model: Children of Tahoe

2018-01-07T18:43:40Z

Zophah: Created page with "Location: Tahoe <br> Nanite Type: Child of Tahoe (Integrated Unit)<br> Infection Vector: Air (see Infection Method)<br> Basic Infection Shapes: Only standard humanoid or anthr..."

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2018-01-07T18:42:21Z

Zophah:

This is a list of RPlogs judged by [[Zophah]] following the events related to the Children of Tahoe and their outposts.<br> <br>
The events happen in this order: <br>
Sunny Day at the Solar Farm <br>
The Fog of Tahoe <br>
Reading in Paradise <br>
The Rescue for Tahoe <br>
The Fog Comes to Fairhaven <br>
Tahoe's Children <br>
Underworld Armorer <br>
Return to Paradise <br>
Tea Time With Luna <br>
==Useful details==
[[Tahoe]]<br>
[[Infection Model: Children of Tahoe]]
[[Category:RPLogs]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2018-01-07T18:13:47Z

Zophah:

This is a list of RPlogs judged by [[Zophah]] following the events related to the Children of Tahoe and their outposts.<br> <br>
The events happen in this order: <br>
Sunny Day at the Solar Farm <br>
The Fog of Tahoe <br>
Reading in Paradise <br>
The Rescue for Tahoe <br>
The Fog Comes to Fairhaven <br>
Tahoe's Children <br>
Underworld Armorer <br>
Return to Paradise <br>
Tea Time With Luna <br>
<br>Useful details: [[Infection Model: Children of Tahoe]]
[[Category:RPLogs]]

The Clairmont Ledgers - RPLOG

2017-12-30T22:20:14Z

Zophah: /* Log */

=Participants=
* [[Arthur]]
* [[Ayaka]]
* [[Fenris]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
30/12/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>Zophah is standing in the lobby waiting on volunteers, wearing her usual flame-patterned bikini under a lab coat. "Going to make this quick. There are piles and piles of paperwork here that can benefit the Surivalist economy, but it needs to be copied over and packed up. To be clear, no one is being payed for this, this is a community service. Everyone sound off and then we can get started."<br> <br>Mokou knew the drill by the time she had gotten there. Twas almost becoming familiar with it nowadays. Arrive, offer help, do what you can, leave, drink, sleep. The little fennec brushed her shorts briefly as she nodded, cracking a faint smile to Zophah in turn. "Got it. Sort, Copy, And prepare to move." A glance was spared behind her to the lot of them, a familiar face or two evident... but none enough so to group. With a sigh, a shake of her head, and a slow pace over the thinly-carpeted room, she gestured a bit briefly to the corner offices. "So, where's the work to be done? And... where are we aiming to take this lug of stuff?"<br> <br>Arthur had some trouble finding his way to the bank, as it was his first time around Clairmont. Good thing he was well prepared and dressed enough to manage the cold, thick denim pants and a leather jacket, setting off early, arriving in time to get briefed. Papers. Papers everywhere. The man really missed computers right now, could make that job so much easier, instead of working like it's the 1970's again. "Um, just one question, do we have some machine to help with the copying?"<br> <br>Ayaka followed behind Arthur, trusting him to guide her the correct way. She's wearing a comfortable blouse and some black trousers, herself, though the latter had to be specially modifier to account for the riot of tails that trail the kitsune wherever she goes. She looks around the bank and nods. "O-okay, copy things, then." She turns to Arthur and smiles. "Should I go find and sort things while you copy?"<br> <br>Fenris stands at attention, though his current wardrobe is a bit odd for this sort of assignment. He is wearing a thick, leather harness strapped over his broad chest and thick, round belly. Over that he wears an open, leather vest with the words "Big Daddy" embroidered across the back. The outfit is topped off with a billed, leather cap that his furry round ears peek through. Otherwise, he wears nothing but a contented smile, his fat tail waving slowly behind him.

"All set!" he says amiably, "I can write stuff down or do the heavy lifting. Just point me where you want me."<br> <br>Zophah replies to everyone while she leads everyone into a room with desks: "Sadly we have to use papers and pens for copying, as nothing stays fixed long enough to use. And don't worry about who is taking it, there are already others who will be taking the crates." She indicates the small empty wooden crates against the left wall, then points to some salvaged filing cabinets and stacks of papers against the right-side wall. "Not everything needs to be copied over, and some files already have copies. Once you clear a file put the copies in the crates. I'll try to help where I can so everyone pick a desk and let's get working."<br> <br>Slowly following Zophah towads the office... Mokou practically wilted at the sight of it. No clean and organized office space for them. Heavens no, seems like twas more a workplace disaster than anything resembling... good. She shook her head though, a faint... sigh falling from her. "Well, works for me then. Looks like... Well... Will be a bit more writting than expected..." A slight smile was offered back though, moving one of the boxes to the side and sitting down upon its rim. A ledger raised and set before her, paper in one hand, the ledger in the other... And set to it.

Rather though... attempted to set towards the task at hand. Handwritting that looked like it had been penned by a quadruped, numbers that moved and blended together more than any words had any right to... It was... She grumbled quietly after a time, her paper more chicken-scratch than legible information. A glance up... and a brief smile shot back to the others... "How... Er... you all doing on these?"<br> <br>For a moment, the angelic looking man thought if getting an extra pair of arms would help. Probably not, given that he's not even ambidextrous, so he quickly discarded that option. Nodding to the kitsune Ayaka, he replied, "Sure, if you need help, just come back to me, I'm sure you'll manage to get things right this time!" Arthur was confident in her abilities and sat down on one empty desk. Well, empty of an occupant to work the papers, because there was a pile there already. Stretching himself, he got ready to copy and sort statements and whatnot. Boy he could already feel the cramps coming...

Time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace for the nephilim. Sort things a bit, remind Ayaka of what she's supposed to do, copy the text, stamp it, put in the proper pile, remind Ayaka again... Some 2 hours later, he could feel the cramps on his right hand and forearm, as well as some headaches. Taking a deep breath, he got up from the desk and walked towards Zophah, his voice a bit woozy, "Uh, can I, can I take a break? Just, uh, fifteen minutes, I think..."<br> <br>Ayaka sorts through the stacks of documents with some difficulty, having to bank extensively on Arthur to help her with some of the work. In fact, she ends up consulting with him quite a bit, putting her seemingly boundless energy to use as she bounces back and forth between her assign desk and his. Her 'copying' is sloppy, but legible, given that she seems to be putting a lot of care into copying each individual word almost exactly, as would someone tracing a drawing. She perks up at Mokou's question halfway through her stack of work, and beams a bright smile her way. "Doing good! I think.. assuming I drew everything right." She looks over at Arthur and giggles. "A break? Why for?" <br> <br>Fenris seems to be doing quite well. Despite his appearance, he is rather well suited to the task at hand, copying the printed pages in elegant, neat handwriting. The fact that he adds little fanciful curlycues and monsters like an illuminated manuscript is just a bonus.

Every now and then, the burly tanuki takes a break to stretch and wander around to look over the others' work. "That is a seven," he points out helpfully over Mokuo's shoulder, "Not a one." He manages to point out a few little mistakes like this over the course of the slow hours.<br> <br>Zophah gives a strained smile in return to Mokou's question. "Part of the reason I put out the call for volunteers is because I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it." She tries her best to fetch things for eveyone to keep things organized, including a carafe of hot coffee, which Arthur needed. This goes on for four hours, and the crates are only half full. "Lets keep going. Does anyone want me to fetch dinner from New Ireland?"<br> <br>While Zophah had neither heads nor tails of what was going, as Mokou looked back at her work... looked as though she had... err... maybe a thumb? Or a forefinger... Or perhaps the metaphore was running away from her. Probably, no doubt about it. Actually, probably a foot about it if it was running... She shook her head, grumbling quietly. Metaphores and paperwork. Her favorite. The fennec sighed though, offering a wane smile back towards Ayaka, eyes peering over their work. Man. That was legible! Could work and everything! Glancing back at hers... looked more like she'd dipped drumsticks in ink and hit the page. A pause, and she stopped druming her pen against it. That... might help. Even the little help that was provided to her... twas nice. A smile and a note of thanks always offered back... And quickly correcting the three to a seven. How he saw a one... well... actually..

Finally though, The lass looked back up to Zophah, a silent look of grace and thanks offered at their recomendation of food. "You know, that sounds absolutly lovely. Please." A pause... and a brief shuffle of her feet, eyes shooting daggers back at the paperwork. ... Pretty certain it hissed back. "You know what... Think I'll ah... help you with that. If'n... that's alright."<br> <br>Arthur shook his head at Zophah's offer, instead he asked for directions to the nearest cafe. "I need. I need... Fresh air, coffee, I think" He replied to the energetic kitsune, wishing he had her energy. It did take him quite a while to get back, carrying one large cup of coffee on each hand, the cold weather was probably working in tandem with the mental tiredness, given how it got so hard for him to focus when he was sitting by the desk again.

The nephilim seemed to have divided his time equally in 3 parts: 1 part for drinking coffee, 1 part for sighing and breathing, 1 part for actually working. At least this time his work went better. Somewhat better than before the coffee, anyway, which is something! He had too much coffee, though, he had to get up for a quick bathroom break. <br> <br>Ayaka continues her work at an energetic, even frenetic pace. Her inability to rely on Arthur for help given his exhaustion proved fatal, however. In being forced to work on her own, her pace outstripped her ability to keep her copying accurate, and by the time she had nearly finished with her second stack of work, she realized she had been making a serious and recurring error while copying trade balance ledgers. "Oh no.."

She went back a third of the stack, then another third, and then back to the beginning, and found that same mistake several times over! By the time dinner had arrived, she'd barely made any gains, having ben forced to go over her previous work with a fine comb to fix the same stupid mistake. Finally done, she staggers over to Arthur just as he gets up for his break, and stands around thinking of what else to do now..<br> <br>Fenris is growing weary. It is not often he is called upon to sit around as aggressively as all of this. There has been no call to use his sword or spear, no doors to break down, no army of sex-crazed mutants to talk down.

In short, none of the things that make everyday life fun.

The tubby tanuki looks up from a dragon-snail he has been drawing in the margins of a particularly dull sheet at the mention of food! "Yes!" he grins, "Please, oh please yes. They have pecan pie! And these sandwiches on rye bread that are worth dying for!"<br> <br>With everyone needing a good break, Zophah leads everyone down to the eatery at New Ireland, and even agrees to pay for everyone's dinner (within reason, of course). Then with everyone filled up, it's back to the work... "Looks like we are nearing the end."<br> <br>Food. A precious break in the doldrum that was paperwork. A small sandwich was more than enough to provide some manner of delight, some breif repast away from the terrible terrible paperwork. A vain delusion rose then, perhaps it would be easier? Perhaps with a clearer mind and a more open thought, she would be able to partake and do what she needed to with the paper? With a smile upon her lips, and a touch of hope straightening her spine, she wandered back in, setting down upon the paperwork... and lifting her pen.

It was a lie. It was easier perhaps, but now it was more upon her to do it. Numbers swam in her mind, but they did not mock her now. Now it was simply the monumental task of compounding them. Determing what would need to be, how it was to go. Transciption was not her art, and she was as graceful as a floundering whale in the written word, but damned if she didn't try for it. Hard to keep it together, difficult to read the work... but it was at least in some manner... legible. Or perhpas she was just getting used to it? Difficult to determine... But words and numbers flowed regardless.<br> <br>Arthur managed to endure the rest of his average salary worker adventure after those short breaks, though he felt it came at the cost of part of his sanity. Hell, even his black wings were hurting from sitting there, hunched over a nearly endless pile of papers. He was quiet throughout, but he never stopped wishing for a computer, a printer, all those things that were so plentiful before p-day decided to fuck things up. At times, he almost felt like chuckling or laughing out of sheer stress when a new pile arrived at his desk.
Still, he survived! He managed to finish his workload and let out a loud "FINALLY!" when things were tidy in his desk. "No wonder they employed armies of people back then to deal with these things..." He mumbled to himself afterwards.<br> <br>Ayaka was uncertain what to get, and ended up copying her food order from everyone else. Good thing too! Mokou's taste in sandwich is commendable, and by the time she's devoured her meal she's looking bright and eager again. She digs into her work without bothers Arthur anymore, noting how distressed he seems to be, and though she has to take it slow, she ends up finishing her stack to what she believes is an acceptable degree.

She carries the final box of papers onto the growing pile in the middle of the room, and drops it with a huff before collapsing onto a chair. "I agree!" She says, towards Arthur. "This is hard work!" She smiles at him. "But we did it, so that's all that counts!" She looks over at the others, checking on how they're doing so far.<br> <br>Powered by a sandwich, or possibly three, and half a pecan pie, Fenris makes a new effort on the remaining paperwork. The tubby tanuki blasts through his remaining pages and goes on to pick up the slack where others might be lagging a bit. "No offense," he says, "But this job was worse than even my last trip to the sewers!" It is a good thing he at least got a good meal out of this drudgery. He takes one last look at his stack of illuminated copies of incredibly boring financial sheets with a snort. "Glad to be done with all that," he says, "I'll take dragons and vampires next time, please."<br> <br>Zophah did what she could to help everyone after dinner, taking the finished stacks and packing them to the crates. "Well done everyone! With this people will be able to create a better economic system in Fairhaven. I'll let them all know what you did here so your metaphorical sacrifice will not be in vain." A few porters come in to start gathering the crates, and Zophah gives a bow in thanks.[[Category:RPLogs]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-12-18T02:26:31Z

Zophah:

Tea Time with Luna - Part 1 - RPLOG

2017-12-18T02:25:58Z

Zophah: /* Log */

=Participants=
* [[Anbessa]]
* [[Arris]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Phosphorus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
17/12/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>As everyone reaches the start of the highway, there is a human male in overalls standing next to his partially-nanite-eaten blue truck, wearing a Promethian illuminated helmet. "Hi again. For those of you I haven't met yet I'm Smithson, and I'm going to be driving you out to Tahoe..." He sighs, but then pops his knuckles and smiles. "Zephyr got a distress call encrypted by a woman named Luna from the Children of Tahoe. It says she needs help with her mother, but Zephyr has no information on any of them, so this also counts as a recon mission and may be a trap set by them. They've done that before. Any questions?"<br> <br>Otto had arrived not long ago, his ass planted on a rock, his hands roaming over one of his toys, a rifle of intricate design and structure rested upon his knees, every detail checked, every module adjusted, every component kept in pristine condition, at least to the best of his abilities. He perks his ears as Smithson speaks up, a disgruntled huff parting his lips "I swear, that bullshit big Z got us into last time is the reason I resigned from their ranks. If this turns out to be another ambush or similar bullshit, I'm gonna be more than a little upset." he growls deeply, but moves in and gives Smithson a pat on the shoulder, "Good to see ya anyway, Smith. Glad the old girl's still rolling." his hand lightly strikes the hood of the old pickup truck. "Glad we're being forewarned, at least. Anyway, did she specify what she wants done? Because "she wants help" could mean anything between fetching her mum some groceries and impaling her through the heart."<br> <br>It was time for business, and, appropriately, Phosphorus came armed and armored. She popped into her nanite power suit, threw some plate carriers over that, added some webbing where it'd be convenient, packed a small canteen of tea, and brought enough bullets and knives to rival small nations. She shows up as quietly as one can in heavy armor, leaning against a nearby boulder as the Z agent speaks. She fiddles with her helmet a bit to turn the voice amp on. "Prepare for engagement, yeah. Got it."<br> <br>Coming in at a light jog, the black haired human pants a bit with his gear rattling softly at his marching pace. Once more, the human returns to the Tahoe job geared out in his previous riot themed gear with polearm and bow strapped to him... Though strangely, his armor doesn't seem quite as bulky as it once did, seeming more suitably form fitting for him this time around. Also someone seems to have slapped a peace sticker on the chest over his heart that looks like it has been scratched at a bit. Sighing loudly as he finally gets next to the truck, Anbessa coughs softly as he regains his breath. For one that doesn't seem to need to breathe, he looks like he really needs to take a second or two. "Fweh... Heya Otto. Didn't arrive with a big dramatic entrance this time?" Anbessa asks with a smile after he gets most of his air back in his lungs, looking to Smith with a nod too. "And hiya Smith." Though he does see a face he doesn't quite recognize from his previous run out to Tahoe, though whoever they are, they seem to be armored up in some serious power armor! "Huh... Nice to meetcha, I'm Anbessa." Anbessa says with a smile over towards Phos. Certainly a new face to him, so always nice to greet new people. The armored human readjusts some of the straps of his armor as he watches the way he came from to see how many others are coming with... Also taking moments to glance up too. Don't wanna get startled again.<br> <br>Arris tugs at the collar of a cardigan worn. The thought of the Tahoe-people made hir nervous as sie began to dread them, and the mention of a trap made hir even more uneasy. But, from what sie heard, someone needed help with a parent, and sie wasn't the type to ignore someone in their time of need. Perhaps this would be the first step on a path to forging a better relationship with the Tahoers. Or, at least, that was what sie told hirself, trying to keep hir mind off the possibility of a trap.

Though, once the gator gets to the meeting site, the sight of at least a few familliar faces does ease hir nervous mind somewhat. Otto and Anbessa, primarily: though sie has accompanied Mokou, Smithson, and Phosphorus on missions in the past, sie didn't know them as intimately as Otto and Anbessa. Occasionally, a chocolate bar would be pulled from a pocket to be nibbled on, the gator looking on quietly as everyone conversed - so far, it seemed any questions sie had were already asked.<br> <br>Wandering on over towards the edge of that broken-down highway, Mokou felt her hands fall to her hips with a small smile upon her face. A good day to explore the world. Or at least, go to a likely voitial region full of people whom had nearly killed them time and time again. Potato, Hand Grenade. Those sharp ears of hers twitched forward, catching each word Smithson spoke, rolling them about before she gave a brief smile. "Hardly any questions that could likely be answered. Where we are going, what is happening, why they are calling us back despite giving explicit statements about never ever ever coming back to them..." The little lass gave a small shrug, hand falling to the stone-grey sheath at her side. "Hopefully, will not end with a death threat this time... Nor a firing squad." Her eyes turned for a moment towards that ever so familiar jackal, a scrap of a smile playing across her lips. "... Hopefully."

Mokou though, she simply shook her head, stepping slowly towards that old, beat up truck, running a hand along the rear fendor. A hand reached across, tugging at her attire for a moment, a simple halter top wrapped about her and shorts girded about her as well. Reaching up and over the back of the truck, she gave a quiet heave, pulling herself up into the back. Took a moment longer than usual, an old broken suitcase, tied up with rope to create an impromptu backpack impeeding her for a moment. A peculiar piece, but it served her needs well enough. Not as worrysome as that long sheaf of stone-grey rested by her side, a handle protruding ever so slightly. That was a finicky piece if anythign. A gentle yip sounded though. Her ears perked, and she leaned over, hoisting up her companion for the day. Felix, the little fox curled about her, twisting and turning more akin to a cat than the vulpine it was. Ever underfoot, never there when you stepped though. A metalic coating covered the tiny vulpine's back though, something of a metalic box with a cross upon it. On the rare case tis of use after all... healing. A smirk and the lass shook her head scratching the tiny fox's ears as she gazed out. A familiar group. Strong, steady, reliable. "Phosphorus... Anbessa... Arris... Otto... Seems we've got a good set here. So only question I've got left is... When do we head out?"<br> <br>Smithson keeps smiling when Otto mentions his truck. "Both the Promethians and Zephyr help me get the parts to keep it running, because no one wants to be without cheap ground transport, especially a truck with towing capability. As for Luna's message, it said her mother needed help, but sounded like she didn't have the time to say why, just that she needed everyone there after sundown otherwise her mother wouldn't be there..." He rolls his sholders to stretch, then ushers everyone into the truck. "Well, time to get going. I doubt Tahoe will wait for us."

The truck takes a few hours to make it to Tahoe, and Smithson slows down in a few spots to make sure he doesn't run into any ambushes. There are no problems getting to Tahoe, and about 20 minutes before sundown the group arrives at a wall of fog that signifies the edge of the Tahoe bubble.<br> <br>The jackal spends his time in the truck seated at the back seat this time, his legs tucked in and his arms fidding with a piece of his armor. It was an interesting little thing, cylindrical in shape and covered in various sigils and runic symbols, each one inscribed into a turnable ring upon the cylinder's surface. The thing itself was seemingly comprised of brass or bronze, perhaps some sort of composite metal, and resembled a puzzle more than anything else. Well, that was one way to kill the time?

Leaning up against the person beside him, the jackal humms a quiet tune, one soft and melodious, reminiscent of the music of the 80s, like a jazz ballad... Aside from that, he remains quiet, his ears perked up on full alert. He yawns widely, and once his muzzle closes shut, there they were, at the edge of the fog. "Well, that's a familiar sight if I ever saw one." the jackal sighs as he climbs out the truck window and plants his feet firmly on the snow-covered ground, laser rifle now in his hands.

His nose twitches subtly in response to the odors wafting through the air, though it is his eyes that pierce the misty veil, detecting... something? It was BARELY able to be seen, but it sort of... kind of... Approaching the wall of fog, the jackal peers intently into the mist and blinks a few times. He takes a few steps back and readies himself, "Something's coming." the canine warns, a glance shot at his team before snapping back at the faint light he'd seen.<br> <br>Phosphorus peers at the car a bit, nudging the seat slightly when she clambers in. She takes her pack off and sets it at her feet, pulling out a small box. Opening it up, she plucks a whetstone and some oils out, pulling a knife out of her vest. It seems she intends to start sharpening it, to pass the time. Can never be too prepared.

"Hey, Smithson -- if you're having trouble getting parts, have you ever considered getting an experienced earth nanomage over to reshape some metal for you? Sure they couldn't find any electrical components, but most of a car is metal, anyways...'<br> <br> Anbessa mainly spent his time on the truck adjusting his bow string on his Onyx colored recurve bow, peek at this small note he keeps pulling out of his pocket, and watching his breaths turn into smoke in front of him. Brr, getting chilly now. He is lucky he wears bulky clothing beneath his armor, though he has to hope his allies can figure out something to keep toasty... In the meantime, all he can really do is rub people's backs who start to shiver, and offer a drink from his flask. Not exactly a strong drink, but really gets the energy flowing in those who try it out.

When they arrive, the human grunts as he hops off the truck and into the crunchy snow below, boots making quite the noticable prints. "So... That's the fog? Pretty damn thick, last time it was hardly a problem." Anbessa points out from his memory, humming momentarily before his attention is drawn back as Otto speaks. The human blinks, then reaches around to grasp the shaft of his Guisarme. "Can't see anythin' through that fog, m'self..." He mutters softly before refocusing on the fog with eyebrows furrowed.<br> <br>As the truck drove to Tahoe, Arris would begin to shiver. Hir original scaled form wasn't well-suited for the colder tempuratures here, and sie thus shifts to a furred form - a tigress now sits in the back of the pickup truck. Unfortunately, hir thick pelt does little to actually protect from the cold - perhaps the change was cosmetic. Oh well.

When Anbessa's drink is offered to hir, Arris would give him a nod and a thank you, politely taking it and taking a light swig from it before passing it back to the human.

Arris sighs when sie sees the fog. "They couldn't have made it easy, huh?" Waiting for everyone to leave first, sie gets off the back of the pickup truck, swinging over the side. The tigress attempts to see through the fog, but with no such luck. Sie would then cup hir hands to hir muzzle and shout into the mist. Otto's mention of something approaching sets hir to be ready, the tigress holding hir rifle up at the wall of fog.<br> <br>Mokou quietly cracked a smile as she heard Smithson go on about their truck, leaning her head agains the back of the truck wall, idly brushing and grooming Felix's headscruff. Twould be a long enough ride after all, no need to worry herself over the issue of conversation for now. Instead, she nestled up against the back corner of the vehicle, quietly shifting every so often as she sighed. That touch of warmth that played to her instincts, easing against her mind and crawling with its insideous fingers to those near... twas as a bother as always. She shook her head though, taking what little comfort could be gained from their pet from them. Twouldn't be long... Twouldn't be long...

As the hours rolled by, the little fennec found herself shifting and swaying behind in that truck, every few minuites seeking a new position, something that would feel less irritating, less bothersome. The wind pulled at her, sweeping past and pulling at her though, more than enough to try and sooth her.... yet twas a quiet tune that her ears caught every half-moment, snagging snippits and pieces of the song, something jazzy... Something snappy.

Finally though, the truck rolled up to a stop, the fennec lass and her vulpine companian all but leaping out from the back! The ground was cold and stiff beneath her feet, but it wasn't... metal. Wasn't sturdy and quietly bouncing for hours and hours... She shook her head, flicking those ears in time to that beat, stuck within her head. Hearing... Could she... No. Very little reached her from beyond that veil of fog, rolling down and upon them. Only Otto's quiet statement caught her ear, sending her turning, gazing into that misty white expanse. Beyond, nothing. The Nothingness Prevailed. Empty and blank... yet her hand fell to that metalic canister behind her waist, instinct and impulse guiding her. "I'll take your word for it..." Her little vulpine friend... Well, Felix seemed less worried with what may be behind the bank of fog, and more curious about this strange white fluff upon the ground. A scrath here, a sniff their... and then he dove in, rolling and lolling about. Snow! Beautiful precious snow! A quiet snip of Mokou's teeth though, and he stiffened up, sitting upright! Fun later... Attentiveness now.<br> <br>Smithson turns off the truck and steps out into the thick snow. "I once heard Tahoe was good for skiing, but I've never been here before P-day. I guess they get hit harder in winter than Fairhaven?" As night starts to fall, a lanturn can be seen coming through the fog, and surprisingly the fog seems to part away. Holding the lanturn is a black rabbit woman, wearing a worn, thick red winter jacket and what looks like a long wollen white skirt. "Thank goodn..." She starts to say in a concerned voice, but then stops when she sees how heavilly armed the group is. "Right... sorry. Thank you for coming, I'l lead you to my home where you can meet my mother. The lanturn functions as a suppressor for the connection program... or as you call it, the Fog. Just stay within 20 feet of me and it can't effect you." She takes a glance at Anbessa before turning to lead the group.<br> <br>The jackal tilts his head, and squints his eyes, his piercing gaze making out a silhouette amongst the mist. It was... "Luna." Otto mutters under his breath and holsters his weapon. She looked unarmed, and they had little reason to worry about her. After all, they were six, and she was one. Breathing a sigh of relief, the canine shivers lightly in the cold and rubs his hands together to warm up a bit, his glance wandering over to the rest. Looking at Felix play around in the snow, it was... oh stars, it was just so precious! He lets a faint chuckle part him as his glance wanders around the others, everyone at the ready for trouble, tense even.

"Oh, that's handy. Ah, apologies for the uh, armaments, it's just... when last we met, it was uh... difficult." Understatement of the year, much? Regardless, the jackal sighs softly and leans against the truck, preferring to follow after his team rather than take point, at least for now. "For what it's worth, nice to see you, Luna." he says warmly, well... as warmly as one can given the situation. Wishing he'd brought warmer clothing was pointless now, he'd have to soldier through with what he had, it seems. A shirt, a trenchcoat, and some slacks all overtop his armor. Well... on with the show? "Mind the fog, to those not familiar, it makes you see things... terrible things. I'd stay close to that lantern if I were you." he warns before following the others.<br> <br>Phosphorus slips out of the truck fairly smoothly, her boots making a loud crunch in the snow. She doesn't feel cold -- not with layers of plate and fiber keeping out the elements -- but the fog keeps her on her toes and fairly alert. She tucks her whetstone and knife away, and pulls her rifle to the ready. The panda tugs the magazine out, makes sure it's loaded, then stuffs it back in and clicks the safety off. She does mean business, it seems.

The panda wipes off the faceplate of her helmet with a free hand, clearing the condensing fog off, squinting into the distance as she tries to gaze through the cloud. No such luck. She grumbles a bit, before taking her place next to the latern, dropping her stance a bit to be more stable, if she were to need to shoot something. "Tsk. I wonder if someone can start up an anti field, if the lantern were to fail."<br> <br>Anbessa blinks as he hears snow being disturbed and, looking over, cannot help but chuckle a light bit at seeing the one rolling around in the snow. Adorable. Though he returns attention back forward as light begins to break through the wall of oppressive fog. Peering at it, the human tenses... Then, begins to relax as he sees a familiar figure stepping through with lantern in hand. The human blinks, then smiles as his hand returns to his side, visibly relaxing at seeing her. Though he does blink a bit as his eyes look down at her outfit, tensing up a bit and scratching behind his head. Feels like he brought an armory to a family gathering...

Though as she speaks, the human tilts his head a bit before nodding his head. Ain't long before he walks up to the rabbit woman. "Nice to see you again, Luna. Been a while!" Anbessa says with a small smile, boots crunching snow beneath his feet. Luckily his rather bulky attire did help him stave off the cold, plus whenever he got too chilly he'd just take a swig from that flask he has. Looking over to Phos, the human shrugs his shoulders. "Well, would be an option, but hope it doesn't come to that..." He says, shivering at Otto's explaination. Sounds bad... Soon enough letting his hands slip into his pockets as he looks to Luna once more, he tries to kick up some conversation to pass the time. "So... What's going on? Something bad happen?" Might as well speak casually with Luna. The best he can do for now, given she is wearing such casual clothing around people who are armed to the teeth.<br> <br>Arris is quick to join in with the bunny, standing close to her as hir rifle has the safety turned on before being slung back over hir shoulder. "Thank g-goodness. How've you been, Luna? We last saw ea-each other... b-back at the cliffside, I think?" The tigress begins to shiver, teeth chattering as sie pulls hir cardigan tighter around hir body. "I h-hope the thing you're calling us f-for isn't to severe?"<br> <br>Mokou gazed up from that blanket of snow and ice, Felix seeming to watch them for a moment before burrying his muzzle in the stuff. Goof. Her eyes though, they were set upon that faint light that began to shift through the fog. The lass leaned in, taking a half step forward as she tried to spy... A rabbit woman... Her brow furrowed, those ears of hers dipping back, the memory seeming to... sharpen. Luna! That was the rabbit. Yeah.... They were in the truck. The one truck with the... The one lass. The sniper place... Right! Right.. She shook her head, glancing back down to Felix to urge him onward. Unfortunantly, that medical box was being used as a strapping platform for him to burrow against, enjoying the simple pleasures of the fluffy white snow. "Felix!" A sharp yip, and again, upright! An ear flicked, snow falling away as it did so. "Come on." And so, they moved closer, the little fennec pulling them a bit nearer with her foot.

Back to Luna though, she looked up, offering a faint smile. They offered a chance to be here again, so must be of some manner of importance. "Certainly Luna. Thank you for... Well... letting us in." She neared a bit closer her hand falling from that metalic canister, and back towards Felix before he could duck off again. "Though, while we go, care to fill us in? All we know is that your mother was having issues... But not what or how." A shiver ran up her spine, the lass flicking her tail twice before... shaking her head, "Err... if... Y-you could." Nearer she drew, moving towars that lamp in turn...<br> <br>Luna seems reasured that the group that came to her aid is becoming more relaxed, though she keeps sniffing at the air like a scent keeps catching her attention. She glances at Mokou for a second before answering questions: "I'd prefer if you keep your voices down, Carson doesn't know I've invited you. I convinced Carson to set another test of the program that creates the fog to cover your entrance, but I'd rather not take chances. My mother isn't taking her elixir, and it is causing her some strain in this world. I'm hoping meeting some new people will help cheer her up so she starts taking it again." It is at the end of the explanation that she arrives at a log cabin, a light shining from inside.<br> <br>The jackal follows closely, his eyes peering about, ears tilting and swiveling in response to the various sounds around them. He keeps ready, but doesn't otherwise do anything to provoke anyone. Well aware of the lust in the area, the jackal was an uber fox himself, and had long since learned to deal with the effects. That, and having a SUCK unit very much helped keep his head in the game.

"So, you called us over to convince your mother to take her elixir?" he asks quietly, unsure if he should he skeptical or emphatic. "I mean, we could meet her, I suppose. See what can be done." His glance wanders over the rest of his team, an unspoken disbelief evident in his eyes as he keeps close to the lantern, at least until their arrival. The abode was lovely, at least so far as Otto could tell. He had a thing for neat and tidy small households, especially ones made of wood.

Peering over towards the black furred rabbit woman, Otto rubs his hands together, if only to get them warm, and clears his throat. "So... uh... I am not very good at the whole uh, being... convincing, thing. Maybe someone else should do the introductions and, well... handle most of the talking." his eyes glance around the rest of his team. "There's that, and also it'd be a good idea to know what to expect. I mean..." There could be an ambush in there, a nagging thought that plagued the back of Otto's mind, but he dared not say so, in the event that Luna was being honest. "...do we just go in and talk to her?"<br> <br>Glancing at Arris, Phos peers about the nearby woods for a stick, or perhaps a small hunk of wood. "Arris, if you're cold -- if you can find a source of fuel, I can go ahead and start a fire for you." Normally, a heatpack or non-chemical handwarmer would be part of Phos' kit, but she stopped carrying them after she discovered she was partially cold-immune. Extra weight, after all. The panda doesn't notice the lust aura, nor seems to be affected by it. Control kits are a practically vital part of any field agent's loadout.

"Negotiation isn't exactly my strong suit, either, I think. I'm sure someone else can convince her to take her medicine, but... I think I can make small talk, if nothing else." She shakes her head. The panda seems to be getting stuck in lots of diplomatic roles lately -- not her natural environment, and certainly not one she performs too well in. But hostilities... those, she could take care of. Probably, at least. She could probably repel an ambush, too, if need be. A concern, but not an insurmountable one.<br> <br>Anbessa couldn't help but chuckle as his attention returns back to Felix again. "Worse comes to worse, we could show our snow loving friend here to your mother, see if that might cheer her up." He notes jokingly, though hearing Luna's explaination, Anbessa hums a bit... "Well, when we get there I can probably put away my gear to look a bit more presentable. I'd turn into a rabbit, but my clothes wouldn't fit me for it..." The human seems to be debating options a bit, though as he speaks about turning into a rabbit, he does glance over to Luna to gauge reaction. If this mission is just a get well deal, visiting fully armored out will definitely cause problems. When they arrive at the cottage, Anbessa begins to remove his guisarme and bow n' quiver, though he does take a moment to speak over to Luna. "Think I can just put these down against the wall?" He seems a bit too trusting by this point... Either that or he has other ideas in mind. Hard to say... But soon enough he has his weapons put down, patting his hands together a bit before nodding to Luna. Looking to Otto, Anbessa shrugs his shoulders a bit. "Well, we should at least give it our best shot. Holiday season, gotta try to spread cheer."

Surprisingly, the human is even starting to unclasp some of his armor as well. Doesn't take him long at all before the human is left in just his hoodie, cargo pants and combat boots, his hands slipping into his hoodie pockets. Now he just looks like a regular ol' human... If it weren't for the silver colored eyes. "Better?" He asks Luna, now fully unarmed n' such. Hopefully will help with first impressions...<br> <br>Arris nods at Luna's request to keep quiet, and huddles in a little closer with the rest of the group, trying to keep warm in the smattering of other agents. "Thanks for the offer, P-Phosporus, but I don't h-have anything burnable on me." Figuring that hir fur wasn't doing much to keep out the cold, sie shifts back to hir normal fishgator form and gives Phos a smile.

The gator seems to be a little on edge as the group makes their way to the wooden lodge, slowly drifting closer to Luna. Catching the bunny's attention, sie would motion to the cabin as sie spoke. "Hey, L-Luna, you don't ha-have a girlfriend in there or anything, r-" Sie catches hirself mid sentence. "Excuse m-me, I mean, you d-don't have a spare winter jacket in there or anything, right?"

Guh, what was causing hir to get horny and make Freudian slips all of a sudden? Sie remembers feeling a little more on edge back at the meeting point with Smithson. Arris looks amongst hir teammates, but is unable to determine the source of the lust aura.<br> <br>Mokou eased along, keeping it a bit close towards Luna as they wandered further into the fog. She felt herself shiver briefly, eyes wandering to each of the company in turn as they neared. A faint flick traveled along the edge of her ear, a faint smile still trying to keep to her maw as she looked to the bunny lass. A slow breath, and a gentle nod. "Someone to speak to, to chat and sort of... be near and converse with. To sorta hold you together while you speak and just... Yeah." A slight smile fell from her lips, the little fennec glancing back down to her side, towards Felix as he quietly walked beside her, gently panting and seeming to grin. "I can... get having someone near for that." The little lass's tail quietly waved out behind her for a moment, a wince travling across her maw before she stilled it on an impulse. No... Need for that.

The little log cabin rose out from the dark of the fog, as much looming as presenting a picturesk cabin. A glowing light eminated from within, a radiance seeming to glower from beyond as she looked up to it. Her ears flicked as the others spoke, considering the issues of speaking, the ability to do so and the... inability. The door loomed up as an insurmountable obsticale, seeming to stand beyond the gates of hell. Inside was Luna's mother... one whom had passed off a mission to find and kill one of their own. Perhaps might be able to speak for them though... A wince crossed her maw, a few eerant thoughts running away with themselves for a moment, before she spoke. "If... I can speak with them if that's... that's alright. I... well... always glad to... speak." A hand fell to that stone-grey sheath, slowly pulling it and the canister away, setting it down. Naught a weapon visible to be seen... and a tentative smile offered. "Y- If you are alright with that. Though..." a mute smile rose. "Hopefully... will go better than the last conversation I had with someone not of this world..."<br> <br>"You don't have to take your gear off, mother always deals with those things herself. And the fire is already going inside, should be plenty warm," Luna says, ignoring the question about a girlfriend. "She might get a bit too curious about your friend's supernatural aroma though, she's always worried about what the other gods are doing." Luna opens the door and walks inside, setting the lanturn down on a table. When everyone enters it is clear this is not a traditional log cabin, and is actually a timeshare home with all of the modern tools like an electric stove and a refrigerator. None of that is working of course, but what really sticks out is the multitude of chemistry equipment laid out on tables and countertops.

"Sorry for the mess, mother is trying to teach me alchemical principles..." Luna says, checking the fire in the fireplace and adding another chunk of wood to keep it going. She then lays out what looks like an incense oil lamp in the middle of the open floor. She lights the lamp with a matchstick before sitting down on the floor at one end of the room, directing: "Just sit and relax a bit, and close your eyes. Mother will be here shortly."<br> <br>Otto peers around as the exchanges are made, a soft chuckle given once Anbessa tries to strut his um... stuff, by leaving his actual stuff behind. Not very smart considering the circumstances, so... "Huh?" his ears perk up once Mokou speaks up. The lass had a razor wit and a tongue to match its sharpness, given how well she'd roasted others in the past, but... was she? Was she really the one to do the speaking? Well... among the group? Yes. Hers were honeyed words when she wanted them, so... "Okay hon. That sounds good."

His attention is drawn to Arris and her slip of the tongue. Well, talk about blunt. He rolls his eyes and sighs as he removes his trenchcoat and stands behind the gator lass. "Here. You can have mine. I'm good with the cold, at least for now. We're heading in where it's warm, so feel free to hang it somewhere in there if it gets too warm for you." the jackal speaks softly as he places the large coat over the gator's shoulders, wrapping her up in his residual body heat, leaving the jackal with his shirt and slacks alone to keep him warm. Needless to say, he would immediately feel the cold gnawing at his body.

Once inside, the jackal peers about the room, his eyes wide and his hand firmly placed on the extraplanar burning blade he'd been hammering at for the past few weeks. He didn't like this... mystical hokus pokus. The supernatural were never his forte, and this had ooga booga occult bullshit written all over it. Glancing at Luna, he could only try to guess what she was, some sort of witch? A demon or some kind? What were they walking into?! Okay, brave face... Stand up straight, show no fear.

Glancing about the others, Otto meets Phos' glance for a moment, a small smile sent her way before they were instructed to sit and relax. Yes... sit, become prone, and relax while resting in the den of... something... Otto follows the instructions, sitting upon a cozy enough spot in the lotus position, awaiting the inevitable moment when the shit duth strike the fan.<br> <br>Anbessa blinks as he hears Luna, the human staring at her for a moment before people can notice Anbessa blushing a bit and stopping his unclasping of his armor. "E-err... Right." He seems a bit dazed now, as if he is catching up on his thoughts. Following Luna in, the blushing human coughs a little as he tries to regain his thoughts. Awareness returns a bit more to Anbessa as he hears something about an aroma. "Supernatural aroma? You can smell that?" He seems a bit caught off guard about that information, watching Luna retrieve the oil lamp with his hand scratching behind his head once more. "Uh... Sure, I feel like I need to clear my head anyway..." Finding his way over towards a spot on the floor nearby Luna, Anbessa crosses his legs underneath him with a bit of effort. Hard to do it with body armor on... But soon enough he is sitting comfortably, sighing and gazing about at the others. Something else feels off... His thoughts aren't normally this damn foggy... Did he get his SUCK unit back from his friend? A quick pat on his pocket before Anbessa begins to nibble his lip with a soft, muttered 'dammit...' before shaking his head and sighing. Best he can do is try to keep an even head. As much as he can, anyway...<br> <br>Getting in and out of this much armor is tiring, time consuming, and not why she's here. Phosphorus elects to stay fully armed up, through lets her rifle drop over to her side, straps supporting it in the absence of hands. She takes a few moments to survey the cabin, taking in the sights, then proceeding to tug her canteen out of her backpack and stick a straw in it, attaching it to a port to sip through it. One of the rather frustrating parts of a full combat hazard suit. She leans against a wall to wait, tapping her fingers against her thigh holster. All she can do... is wait.

"If we go back out, Arris, if you can find a stick or a bit of wood or whatever, I think I can manage it to catch fire. If not... well, I can sustain a fire for a fairly long time, but it'll be draining, I think. But I don't think it's frostbite-inducing levels of cold, yet. Hopefully."<br> <br>"O-Oh! Thanks, Otto. Y-You sure you don't need th-this?" Arris pulls hir arms through the sleeves of the jacket, and it quickly proves to be multiple sizes too big, prompting the gator to lift the coattails of the jacket to prevent it from dragging along the floor.

Once inside, sie lets out a breath of air, relieved with the burst of warmth. "Thanks, Phos, but I don't think I'll be needing much more, then." Sie then directs hir attention to Luna again. "Alchemical principles, you say?" At Luna's mention of dated chemistry concepts, Arris begins racking hir head, trying to figure out what on Earth the bunny was referring to, but to no avail. But, sie does follow Luna's instruction and sits on the floor opposite to Luna as hir gun is set down on the floor. "I... hope you don't mind me bringing my rifle in here? It's on safety, hornes-I mean, honest, excuse me."<br> <br> Mokou slowly stepped inside that warm cabin, slowly sighing as that gentle warmth seemed to seep into her bones, cutting through her fur and that chill with ease. Not enough that it was a problem, but the cold had begun to stir her. But the warmth? She almost purred for a moment, Felix wrapping about her legs, seeming to smile at the sense of comfort. They were settling into the den of a being in support to people whom not months ago had wanted to kill them... yet here she was setting about and quietly falling to the side of the cabin with a small sigh. It was well set, and well made, yet it still felt... tense. Not from the introduction that Luna gave. Goodness, the little fennec shot a warm smile back to them, thankful they had been so kind to it in such a way... Before swallowing sharply, shaking her head. Ears twitched and her smile faded. They... knew. Her tail curled up about her waist, the lass slowly letting her hands fall and grip it as though a protective blanket. A pause... and a sigh. Nothing... to do with it save... Save breath and move on. "W-well... Thank you for the... heads up."

The small fennec lass gently shut her eyes for a moment, letting Felix leap up and curl about in her lap. A hand slowly fell to their back, gently brushing that fur as she leaned back. Her ears twitched in turn, seeming to catch something... else. She opened her eyes, glancing back about to their company. Anbessa settling over in the corner, trying to relax and breath in the corner... her mate tense as a board and stiff as one too... She shook her head, shifting faintly towards them. A hand was raised, falling upon his shoulder. Enough to note, enough to let them know. She lifted their chin, looking back into those golden eyes of his with naught but a small smile. Words could not express the infinte well of detail and intimate care that was expressed in but a single glance. Hope. Patience. Comfort. And above all else... a simple desire to be. To let them relax and... ease. Both for him and for her. A touch of tension held in her hand as she shifted back, gently leaning her head agaisnt the wall. "Relax... Right... Relax..." A faint sigh fell from her lips, that little vulpine proving something for them to quietly pet, to calmly brush and offer... "Their mother will be here shortly... Alright..." Her expression was... one of comfort, yet a hold of tension held deep within as she... breathed. Relax. Relax... Relax...<br> <br>The smell of incense starts to fill the room, Luna closing her eyes once everyone is sitting. Even for those not relaxed, a sense of movement takes hold once everyone closes their eyes, even for a moment. "You can open your eyes now, we arrived at mother's house."The cabin everyone was just in is replaced with some cozy country cottage smelling of fresh brewed tea, but with similar chemestry sets all over the place. Everyone's clothes and equipment have been replaced with traditional chinese dresses and robes, each with a small black rabbit printed on the front. An elderly-looking rabbit woman, with fur as black as coal and large, floppy ears is standing next to the stove, tending to a fresh pot of brewing tea. "Thank you dear for bringing me such colorful guests. Didn't expect this many foxes in a rabbit's den though!" The elder woman chuckles. Luna then gets up to help the elder woman with the tea. "I hope you didn't use the good honey..." "Of course not, dear. They haven't passed the trial like you did, but that's for some other time. Now pass out the cups, the tea is ready."<br> <br>The jackal fiddles with the hilt of his supernaturally infused blade, his hand gripping it firmly as he tries in vain to relax. Deep breaths, Otto... take it slow, take it easy... you've done this before, you've trained to be calm under fi-"Gah!" he flinches, glance snapping onto Mokou, blade half-unsheathed as she peers into his eyes, her hand still on his shoulder. The jackal breathes a sigh of relief and re-hilts his weapon, his eyes closing for a moment as the air escapes his lungs.

She was there, at his side with a warm smile and a hopeful look, her mocha eyes a window into her soul, a glimmer of light shining through the radiant fortress that defined her, ever-living, ever-struggling and ever-triumphant. She was there as much for him as he was for her, the soft touch upon the jackal's shoulder serving as a wordless reminder, that no matter what may happen, they'd have each other's backs.

Casting her a thankful glance and a smile of his own, Otto places his hand upon hers and gives it a squeeze, before leaving her to move off somewhere she could relax on her own. He felt... well, not relaxed by any means, but at the very least a tad less on-edge. Nose twitching in response to the odors of incense, the jackal tries his hardest to let his thoughts wander as they were asked, though it seems that it was quite unnecessary. He'd need only open his eyes and...

"What... the hell?" his inner voice becomes the outer. A glance here, a squint there, a peek through the win- "Is that the Earth?!" he exclaims loudly, then covers his muzzle with both paws and snaps his glance onto the eldest bunny in the room. Had he spoken out of turn? "Ah... apologies. Uh, these things are... alien to me." a sigh, soft... gentle and slow while the words restructure themselves. "Good..." another glance out the window. Who knows what time it is. "...day, madam. It is... a delight, to meet you. My name is Otto." Foxes? What foxes? This perplexed the canine, what did she mean by that?<br> <br>Phosphorus is... not pleased in the slightest when she sees her gear has been replaced during the transition. In fact, 'not pleased' might be a bit of an understatement. She immediately looks for a piece of metal, or a stick, or something -- ironically, being teleported into a cozy cottage and having incense placed around her has made her more anxious. So, she immediately wants a knife, her stance stiffened, eyes rather wide. She glances about, peers out the window, and, well... drawing upon the Apollo 11 footage she's seen... "The fuck!? What... what... no. Nope. I'm out. Get me out of here, please. I did not sign up for this." The panda glances at the door, then decides that pushing open the barrier into the moon's thin atmosphere is not the best choice. If her conjuration nanomagic worked, at this point, she'd have a knife in her hands. "Give me my stuff back, too."<br> <br>Anbessa breathes lightly to try to keep himself calm, trying to keep his thoughts even once more. Breathe in... Breathe out. Whew... Just in time to hear Luna say they can open their eyes. A sigh escapes him as he opens his eyes... Only to see unfamiliar walls. Blinking, the human looks around in confusion before he spots the elder bunny in front of a stove. Did they enter another land? Looking down at himself to see the cozy outfit covering him, Anbessa tugs gently at the fabric of his shirt before humming and nodding. "Feels like when we went into the other plane to meet Ixchel..." Anbessa mutters before he looks around in curiosity.

Seeing Luna and the elderly bunny, he cannot help but nibble his lip. Maybe he should have turned into a rabbit for this mission. Probably would've fitted right in. Listening to Luna and her mother talk, Anbessa slowly tries to stand up, stretching his arms a little bit. Had to admit, feels nice to be in such cozy clothing... Though the others seem to really, really be taking this not too well. Especially the one now with a knife in their hand as Anbessa blinks in wide eyed surprise. How the hell'd they...?<br> <br>Once Arris opens hir eyes, sie would glance down to hir new attire, already feeling a change. "Oh! These... dresses are pretty nice." Sie would run a hand along the clothing's surface - luxuriously silky. The gator then takes a glance at hir new surroundings, and hir gaze eventually spots the elderly bunny preparing tea. "Oh, I take it this is your mother, Luna? She looks very lovely." Sie gives the bunny a warm smile, doing hir absolute best to ignore the heat that continued to fill hir senses. If there was ever a time to not be horny, now was DEFINATELY one of those times.

The peaceful scenery would help to soothe the mind clouded with lust, though the sight of Phosporus going a little nuts and conjuring up a knife does upset hir a little. "Phos, let's not get rowdy here."<br> <br> Mokou felt as much as smelt that change in aroma. When so often attuned to what the world felt and sensed... Something as simple as the air softening, a scent introduce attempting to soften and ease the air... The fennec lass opened her eyes to a scene out of an old asian theater. The dress wrapped about her a gentle white and red piece, a touch of bows girded about her waist. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice as she looked over the scene before her. Her mate in a silken thing, the others in similar dresses and robes, girded as though from a movie. She lifted herself from her sitting position, hands falling to the sides of her as she looked out, almost missing that comfortable weight upon her back. A window... and a world away. An ear twitched. A memory surfaced. Lines were drawn and considerations made.

The fennec turned, gazing back to the large black rabbit, slight increduluity in her eyes. The quiet flick of her tail, the almost whimper in the back of her throat... Goodness. She shook her head as she looked up to the rabbit, a slight chuckle falling from her lips. Gods... why did it have to be her? "My my my... Tsuki no Usagi, as I live and breath." A half step forward, the lass careful to avoid stepping upon Felix below. A slow shake of her head, the fennec bowing for a half moment to them. . "Color me... surprised. I suppose though... should expect something like this." She shook her head, a faint chuckle finding its way from deep within. Confusion, Uncertainty, Irritation and the ever present Desire... They plagued her as she tried to find the words. But Tsuki no Usagi... The Moon Rabbit's words... they drew that much of a chuckle from her. "No... I doubt we have done anything so... deserving for your good tea. My my... Evening though. My name is... Mokou."<br> <br>The elderly bunny replies to Phosphorus's concerns with a chuckle and a warm smile. "No worries. You are still sitting in my daughter's house with all your weapons, armor and tiny machines. This is more of a... halfway point for your mind so we can have a pleasant chat. Tea?" She holds out a freshly poured cup for Phosphorus, then turns to Mokou with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "No need for formalities right now, call me YuLives" before the elder rabbit sticks a second cup into Mokou's hands. Luna passes out the other cups, looking a bit embarrassed. "Mother, I brought these people here for..." Yue then interrupts her "...to cheer me up? Dear, it's those friends of yours that make me weary for your world. You need better frinds, like that boy you have a crush on over there." Yue then points right at Anbessa.<br> <br>Phosphorus squints, suspicious. It's almost like... well, it's a bit like the panda doesn't entirely believe the lapine. She squeezes the knife a bit tighter -- if she had skin, they would be nearly white. She starts to reach upon counter nanomagic -- if Luna was some other form to establish the link, hopefully that'd dispel it, and prove the rabbit to be speaking truth, but... "A little warning would've been nice. Or an explanation. I don't... I don't appreciate surprises. And this isn't exactly a present." Phos glances at the other agents, ready to react if any of them gets any... ideas. Not a very trusting panda, that.<br> <br>The jackal accepts his tea cup and listens closely at the words exchanged. He blinks a few times and casts a bewildered glance at Mokou. Seems she was more informed than he gave her credit for. The jackal was a simple canine. He made weapons and armor, but matters of the supernatural? T'was where he paled, and t'was where his lass excelled, evidently. The words that follow are... less than flattering, though once Anbessa was put on the spot, the jackal casts his companion a grin, a sly one at that. HA!

Rising from his position, the canine takes a few moments to admire his surroundings, and his new wardrobe. "I like the duds." he comments softly as he feels up the immaculate fabric. It seemed to fit him like a glove, a loose one, but a glove nonetheless. So... matter at hand? Straight to business? No. He was not in a favorable position right now, his words were... not necessary currently. Instead, he takes a sup from his tea and rewinds the words he'd heard. Something something something... wait. His eyes go wide and he peers down at his cup, moments after he reflexively swallows the sip of tea.

It was divine, in every way imaginable, perfectly sweet, with a soft flavor that sang sweet songs to his tastebuds, relaxing the body and mind as it went down... but... "Pa-pardon, trials? What... trials?" he asks of Luna, his glance darting towards the one called Yue, before snapping onto Phosphorus. He sighs softly and moves up towards the panda "Come on, Phos. I think we're good, here. Well, for now. I am keeping an eye out too, but..." he scratches himself behind the head "...yeah, this was really sudden, wasn't it? Just, just put the knife down, come sit with me if you'd like. I get the feeling that if they wanted us dead, we'd already be that way."<br> <br>Anbessa gulps a bit as he glances between Phos and the elderly bunny, though he quickly calms back down as he notices the elder's calm demeanor in response. He still looks a tad tense, though being handed warm tea, Anbessa's attention finally is drawn to something else as he looks into the cup... Then takes a gentle sip. After that he quickly starts to smile and drink a bit more, pausing to give thanks. Listening to the others speaking, he watches the fennec speak up and give a name to the elderly bunny. Certainly doesn't ring a bell, though he doesn't know much about gods outside of Ixchel, and he is still learning that slowly. Though he does let his attention go back and forth between sips of tea, he pays attention just in time to hear Yue respond about Luna's friends... And a finger pointed at him. Takes a second or two to register what is said before he blinks and his face turns noticably pinkier than it was before. Sure does stand out given how pale skinned he is!

Takes him a strong bit of will to not start coughing up the tea he just drank, resting the back of his hand against his lips to stifle it. Glancing between Yue and Luna, he quickly tries to regain his composure. "S-so... Luna's friends?" That blush he got is probably going to stick for a bit, though he is seemingly trying to keep a level head. "The Tahoe?" Though he does keep glancing over to Phos and Otto periodically, with a somewhat worried look in his eyes. Best is to just hope Otto can keep her calm.<br> <br>Arris gives Luna a polite nod and a smile as sie is passed a cup of tea, taking a quiet sip. Gentle and sweet - very nice on the tongue. "Ahh. It's a pleasure to meet you then, Yue. My name is Arris." Hir second sip of the soothing tea is interrupted by the mention of Luna's crush on Anbessa. Sie pauses and catches hirself mid-drink. In the moment, the temptation of doing a spit take was heavy, but sie wouldn't: it would be very impolite to do so, especially when meeting someone's mother. Raising an eyebrow, sie would glance around the room to gauge hir squadmates' reactions, but hir eyes would just drift back between Anbessa and Luna.

"...a crush between the Tahoe people and Zephyr. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet, but only tangentially." The gator finishes hir statement with another sip of tea.<br> <br>Mokou inclined her head for but a moment, ears flicking in time to... Yue's words. A pleasant chat... A slight chuckle fell from her lips on impulse as she moved back, sitting down with that simple cup of tea. Cup of tea... Hah. Hardly simple. Her eyes gazed down into that light brew, listening for a moment. Chiding, like a mother to a daughter more than a veritable god to a mortal. Of course... given the resemblence, the difference might be less than expected. The lass shook her head, quietly sipping her drink, a quiet smile playing across her lips as she glanced between the lot of them. That quiet warmth that followed her, she tried to swallow and simply... let it ease and relax.

Her gaze fell back to the panda of their team, a quiet shake of her head given before she offered a hand back. "Phosphorus... Listen to me. Put your knife away and just... come on over here. Stabbing people here would do little good, and what would it even acomplish?" A sad smile caressed her face as she shook herself, turning back. "Take it from me. Offending a god like creature... it is the last thing you want." Her hand fell to that little vulpine to her side, brushing the top of their scalp before sipping her tea. Perfect~ "Mhmm... So Yue, if you don't mind... What, ah... brings you here? Or, brings you to bring us here to bring back?" A small smile and a nod back to the other, "Or... just a bit of fun from a friend?~"<br> <br>Yue sets the tea pot back on her stove while Luna excuses herself to another room out of embarassment. "Sorry about the surprise then," Yue speaks to Phosphorus. Then she replies to Otto: "Luna is effectively my adopted daughter. She stumbled opon my connection to your world, and in passing my test of character she was given tea made from the divine ambrosia, honey that makes one unaging. Due to the nature of her friend's powers, her connection to them was severed and in turn she became connected to me." Yue then starts brewing a second pot of tea. "There are no more gods that need my services anymore, so much like the aging world I have no more need of staving off the machinations of time. Luna has been a star in the night beyond my domain, but I fear if she continues with her friends that light will go out. And so much like my daughter Luna has requested you to help me, I ask that you help her."<br> <br>Phosphorus glares at Otto for a few seconds, lowering her blade a bit, shaking her head, and sticking her knife away. She paces back and forth for a few seconds, then makes a small growling noise at the pot of tea. In a way, she sort of agreed with Mokou -- a deity would surely have them dead, since they had the drop on them. On the other hand, everything works for a reason, and no magic remains magic once subjected to sufficient scrutiny. Also on the other hand -- she wouldn't down without fighting tooth and nail. These may make her a bit hollywood atheist, in a way, but she remains committed to the fact that these "god's" power can be revealed, given time and science. She sticks her knife in the tie of the chengsam, adjusting the sleeves a bit, stalking off towards the side of the room. She's not pleased.<br> <br>The jackal hears naught but gobbledygook, for the most part. Divine honey that makes you unaging, what? Wh-ha-b... he sighs softly and closes his eyes for a few moments. Occult hokum, definitely not Otto's forte. He casts a glance at his mate, hopeful she understood things more than he did. Seems Mokou was in her element here, something for which Otto was thankful. Still, this didn't bar him from asking for more answers, correct?

Maybe... maybe... The jackal takes another sip of his tea and clears his throat, "Help her, how? I mean, we did come here to help her, but... her concerns are for you from what I understand... buuuuut I am but a mere mortal, my mind is likely unable to fully grasp the situation at hand, so... well, by all means. If we can be of service to you both, all the better, I suppose." he pauses to enjoy another sip of green tea before settling down crosslegged in his previous spot.

Deep breath, shake away the anxiety and simply accept the situation as is. They were called upon to aid a powerful mythos, and this much Otto was willing to do. "What is it we can do to assist Luna, and in doing so you as well?" Otto asks, his tone even and tranquil, soft as honey, soothing and deep, akin to a soothing purr. His brow rises lightly as he processes a few more of her words "You are concerned that those she's befriended are... a bad influence? Do you mean us?"<br> <br>Anbessa frowns a bit as Luna leaves the room, sighing and looking back to Yue as she speaks. By the end of it the human is rubbing at his chin a bit. "So... What would you like us to do? Get her away from the Tahoe?" He asks curiously, one hand trying to slip into a pocket instinctually... If his current attire has pockets at all. "We could probably help her get back to Fairhaven, she'd be safe from the Tahoe there." Glancing about between the others as he speaks. "Though... Yue, I could speak to Ixchel when we return, if you'd like. Maybe something could be worked out between you and Ixchel?" He offers as much as he can, though at the moment it is a bit of a stretch... Still, wouldn't hurt to try to extend his hand to help as much as he could. He has a lot of free time nowadays, outside of his settlement, and maybe he could see if Ixchel could try something...? <br> <br>"Otto, she's talking about the Tahoe people... alright, what do you call someone who's from Tahoe, anyway? A person from New York is a New Yorker, but..." Arris shakes hir head, distracted. "So, to summarize, Luna used to be a Tahoe person, before finding you, and now she's an odd case of an individual who aligns themself with... I forget were they a hivemind, or something else?" The gator shakes hir head again. Seems the tea has taken hir mind off of hir heat. "Well, uh, regardless, I'd be more than happy to assist with whatever you'd like. I assume you want Luna away from the... tahoe-rs?"<br> <br> Mokou quietly gazed back up to Yue as Luna stepped out, a quiet smile upon her lips. Set in a place and in a world unlike their own, given stories and situations that were only recoreded in the oldest of fairy tales... Yet now were standing before her. And asking of them... To help their daughter. Friend. Companion. Luna. The Rabbit of the Moon must have a moon to be. So the stories told. Once a Moon seperated from the stars, it was drawn close and made to age and wax and wane. Living and dying every month... The little fennc sipped at her tea, shaking her head. "If I am... correct in assuming then... I remember the first time I met your Luna. Back of a truck, hiding from the Tahoe. I take it that they do not so much want to part with them... If I am not mistaken." Her gaze lowered, looking towards that fox in her lap, gently setting her cup by their head. "I... do not like them. Idenity is precious... even if it changes daily, and moves with the tides. But... I presume much. You wish us to help her, and she... you." A faint smile rose. "We are here... and willing to try and help. What can... we do?"<br> <br>"Ixchel, Ixchel... Ah, yes. One of the goddesses that originated in what is now known as the Central Americas." Yue thinks on everyone's questions and concerns. "She doesn't know that I know, but Luna is going to give you a device modern people call a 'hard drive' that has info on all of her Tahoe friends in exchange for you helping her with me." She then turns to pour herself a cup of tea from the second pot. "I want you to..."

Yue drops her teacup with a scared look on her face, the cup shattering as it hit the floor. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP NOW!" Luna runs back into the room just as the cottage around them falls away into nothingness, everyone opening their eyes to find themselves back in Luna's cabin... and surrounded by the Children of Tahoe in full soldier gear and their solar weapons.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-10-08T23:14:08Z

Zophah:

Return to Paradise - RPLOG

2017-10-08T23:13:33Z

Zophah: /* Log */

=Participants=
* [[Anbessa]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
8/10/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>Camped at the entrance to the highway is a human male dressed in overalls, and despite Zephyr giving the call for agents, the man is wearing a Promethian illuminated helmet. He leans against the cab of what looks like a salvaged blue pickup truck and trailer, quite a few panels of it looking like they were eaten through by nanites. As everyone gathers he speaks: "For those who haven't seen me before I'm Smithson and I'll be driving you out to the town of Paradise. Rumor has it that we may have left some salvage and some of the armor plating behind." He then looks to those who were with him the last time he went out. "Any questions?"<br> <br>Ebreus glides down to the familiar sight of Smithson and his truck, taking note from the air of the agents who appear to be aproaching from the ground. He lands next to the truck in time to hear Smithson introduce himself. He says, "Hi Smithson, glad to be working with you again and thanks for the timely save last time." He then looks around to the gathering agents and adjusts his hight a bit shorter since they are about to be leaving the bubble.<br> <br>A trip to the highway was nothing less than usual. However, for Mokou as she stepped out onto the path towards that truck, twas anything but usual. Her normal attire gone in exchange for what almost seemed a bulky chemsuit, swaddling her in its matte-blackened grey finish. Upon her back a large metalic box of sorts, a dismal blackish sludge seeming to move through a nozzle by its side. Her steps were heavy, and her smile bleak as she looked up to the human lad in the truck. "Of... course. Glad to be... of help. Questions... No. Nothing for now. Just need... want this to be done and over with." She reached up, scratching at that iron collar sitting upon her throat, a small chuckle given in turn... "Hopefully will be better than the... other parts to this."<br> <br>Anbessa lets out alight hum as he steps up as well, hand grasping his bow that's carried over his shoulder as he steps up alongside the other agents, glancing over and back at the others who are approaching as well. Though he quickly returns attention to Smithson to nod his head. "Nice to meetcha, I'm Anbessa." The black haired human introducing himself, silver eyes glancing over the others curiously to spot any familiar faces... And he does indeed spot a few, blinking and smiling to Mokou with a small smirk, though he does pause to look over her outfit that makes the human tilt his head a bit. Certainly a new look, and not one he has seen before... Oh well. Though as he stands there, he takes a few moments to fiddle with the straps of his rather hefty looking riot armor. Either this is his first run out with his armor, or he is still adjusting it, though it does look like it fits his body well, alongside he seems to be geared up with some kind've polearm and a bow with a quiver full of arrows.<br> <br>Pelle flutters over to the meeting place and lands, she looks around and gives a wave to the ones she knows "hello Smithson thanks for last time" she says and shifts to a bigger form and gives ebreus a hug " and hello ebreus" she says and looks at the ones that arrive after her

she is covered in a jumpsuit with an armord west over her torso and reinforced bits to her jumpsuit that the west isn't covering on her back she has her bow and her rocket launcher on her waist she has her chainsaw strapped to it and a small knife with a quiver with a few arrows and around 3 rockets in it the quiver seems to be made specially to carry rockets and over her west is around 3 grenades and a pistol with a 3 mags to it<br> <br>It was a glorious day, just past noon, with clear skies and a faint wind. The sun shined down upon the earth, feeding it with life sustaining warmth, giving everyone a final glimpse of good weather before winter inevitably rolls in. Indeed, it was a glorious day, a glorious day to take a risk, a wonderful time to be alive and set out to change the world. Onward! Onward to adventure!

Such was the mood of a very jovial jackal as he bounds through the air, his super jump nanomagic carrying him far with every leap! His feet strike the earth with tremendous force, his weight substantial, yet not enough to crack the ground. To feel the wind in his onyx mane, to face the dangers of the outside world, such were the things that made his day... excellent.

T'was time to leave the bubble again, and this time he came armed with an arsenal much different than what he once used. Where he had a chainsword now the canine carried a flamethrower. His submachine gun had long since been substituted by a laser rifle, a pistol of intricate design and function graced his belt, and a dagger laced with the most potent of poisons lay concealed somewhere among his attire.

The jackal seemed a touch different than his usual self, though not from his attire but because of a very distinct new feature his recently upgraded form came equipped with. His right arm was fully metallic, covered by sheets of armor and guarded by a sturdy metal shoulderguard, fingers capped with steel and a pair of lethal looking claws nesting retracted within the synthetic-looking extremity. Where fabric once covered everything on that arm below the shoulder, now nothing resided, likely so as to not restrict its functionality.

His left eye stared intently, focused and ready for anything that may come, while his right was missing entirely! It was replaced by a circular metallic apparatus, a deep crimson lens faintly glowing in place of the missing organ, the cold steel connecting it to his flesh, or rather replacing said flesh rounding his scalp and reaching back all the way to the rear of his head.

<br> *THUD* The jackal lands after his final leap, his fall sudden and loud, shockwave kicking up a bit of dust around him. He rises from a slight kneel and dusts himself off, glances around the crowd and flashes a toothy smile. "Gentlemen!" he greets with a cheery yip, his piercing gaze and red lens focusing on the various faces around, as though he was... scanning... "Hey Eb." he greets his friend, then moves in to wrap his arms around a very well armored fennec fox in what appeared to be a chem suit! He lifts her up and squeezes her for a moment, even though the pack on her back took most of the pressure, then releases her back down onto the ground, "Never thought I'd see you in one of these, but it's nice you're well prepared!" he chirrups happily to her, then averts his eyes towards the human in the group. "Nice duds, bud." he fingerbangs at the man, referencing his riot armor. It was of decent make and covered his body well, after all! Finally, he turns to Pelle, the adorable little mutant now an adorable little puffin... well, for a moment, it seems. "Glad to see you too, Pelle." the canine greets with a mirthful chuckle, and glances over towards Smithson. "Heya Smith! Long time no see! How's the old bird doing?" he asks and pats the hood of their transport.<br> <br>"Pellie!" comes a cheerful calling from above, followed shortly afterwards by a tiny pink pony pegasus tackle-hugging the gargoyle sentinel. Firecracker gives hir a full-body embrace before releasing and looking around to the rest of the group. "Hiya other peoples, too!" she greets them all with a wave of a foreleg as she rises up to a hover. "I'm Firecracker! What're your names?" After a moment of recognition and a couple of blinks accompanying it as she looks around to the group, she continues, "Oh wait! I'm the last one here! I knew I shouldn't've stopped for snacks on the way!... Hehehe naaah, I definitely shoulda stopped for snacks on the way!" With that, she pulls a flower out of her mane with a forehoof and pops the head into her mouth, chewing on the petals while the stem pokes out from her lips.<br> <br>With no questions, everyone is ushered into the seats or onto the back of the truck to get going. The trip to Paradise is uneventful, and the town itself looks just as abandoned as the last time a crew was sent here. Smithson pulls the truck into the parking lot of a diner, the scene of the attack a few weeks prior. The remains of that day are still here, untouched. the bodies of soldiers are still about, now rotting where they lay, and the diner was blown halfway open, but thankfully what fires there were didn't spread to the rest of the town. The truck that is supposed to hold the remaining armor plating is still there, laying on its side, in the middle of the area.<br> <br>Firecracker happily hops into the truck to sit on whatever person's head or lap or whatever i available for the ride. Then when the truck leaves the bubble, her Distributed Nanomagic activates almost instantly, providing nanitey goodness for everyone nearby!<br> <br>Ebreus climbs onto the back of the truck and welcomes Otto to join him there, "Hey Otto, nice tech... I wonder do they cybernetics help or hinder those Hulk-jumps?" he says. Once everyone is in the truck and they're under way he says, "Okay everyone let's not repeat last time. For those not there what happened was we encountered the Children of Tahoe and in our hurry took a non-optimal opening attack. Things went very bad from there out. So you see anything vaugely Tahoe related relay it to the rest of the group and we'll act as a group."

As they roll past the edge of the bubble his jaw moves as he is about to ask a question but feeling Fires familiar Distribution bubble go up he instead says, "Thanks Fire." He chats calmly with his compatriots for the ride then as they aproach the town he begins to scan it visually... after a few moments he telepathically relays to everyone, 'I feel we are being watched. Keep on alert.'<br> <br> Mokou spent a few moments simply breathing, looking to the others whom showed up, looking out with an inquisitive gaze to those whom arrived. The vulpine lad Ebreus was already there, not quite stern, but commanding in presence. An arm wrapped about Otto for a moment, a soft smile running across her maw for but an instant. "Heya, and... thanks. Just want to get this on and over with... Got this to ah... help. After all.. wouldn't want to be caught in some of the splash..." Settling down upon the ground, a soft smile played at her lips as she hustled into the truck. The rest were familiar of some sort. Anbessa, the rabbit lad giving a wink back that made her blush... Pelle, familiar in their peculiarity, and Fire. Double what Pelle was, yet all to... Was that a Daisy?

A short time passed there, the lass slowly shufflilng upon her feet within the truck, trying to never stay in one spot too long... never to bring too heavy an influence where she was. Eyes roamed, a few small smiles offered back to those who glanced to her, fingers running by the inside of her suit, running along sharp ends, more than a few needles catching her gloves. Ebreus's words caught to her, the lass simply nodding. Soon though, the truck stopped, the lass snapping her gaze up. To the sides she watched... eyes widening. "Shoot... Going to be that way hmm?" She did not take her eyes from the building, a soft wince upon her maw as she spoke, "Hey... Ebreus? You know what you said about taking an unoptimal opening attack? Well... Looks like there are... maybe a dozen out there already..."<br> <br> Outside of an initial yelp of surprise from the overly dramatic entrance of Otto, the human only really gave them a short glare in annoyance before sighing and standing back straight, though seeing a certain flying pony fly into the area makes Anbessa pause and watch em' in surprise before he waves back to her. "Hi Firecracker! I think we went on a mission together before." He notes, though he momentarily pauses and glances down over himself. "Albiet... When I was a rabbit. And when you were flyin' around Ixchel." He chuckles after that, though otherwise just sighs and climbs onto the truck, letting Firecracker land on his head if she so chose.

When they arrived, the human rather quickly felt on edge as he saw the rotted corpses, grimicing a bit at the sight. "Yeesh... No time for a clean up crew I assume..." Joking aside, as soon as he is off of the truck, he is eagerly getting his bow at the ready and getting an arrow out of his quiver as he glances about. Looking to Ebreus, then to Mokou, the human already seems quite on edge. "Well, lets hope things go better this time, huh?" Anbessa chuckles lightly, though then returns his attention to their surroundings. He's never been to this place, and it shows on his face, curiosity drawing his gaze around until he looks towards the truck. "That truck knocked over from last time, or was it always like that?"<br> <br>Pelle sits on the opposite side of where ebreus sits down and looks to fire "hello Firecracker long time no see" she says and goes to examins her equipment and seams to get hold up into that for the moment she gets the message form ebreus she looks up and around not spotting anything out of the ordinary for her "so wats the plan?" she asks looking at the rest<br> <br>Otto had been outside the bubble so many times now that the feeling of nausea in the absence of the server's signal was like a gust of wind to him. He'd primed his weapons and armor to function just as well within the bubble as they did out, and filled in the holes by means of the supernatural. He tended to his armaments during the trip, ensuring his laser rifle was primed with a charged battery, sharpening his dagger and adjusting his claws such so they fit perfectly, ready for gutting those accursed Tahoe bastards should they interfere once more.

The trip was uneventful... no ambushes or traps, no excitement, but then again was that not a blessing? Memories of the lives lost during an ambush on route to their target flood the canine's head, images of soldiers slaughtered in their prime during the assault... It made one shudder and keep an extra sharp eye out for danger... and that is exactly what Otto did.

He had climbed into the front passenger seat, much like he always did whenever they had Smithson to drive them around. Soon enough, their trip had concluded... and the scene before them unfolded. Corpses, rotting away and returning to the earth from which they came, souls lost to achieve someone bigger's dream, it was absolutely disgusting, and the scents wafting about nearly forced Otto's lunch out. His sniffer was sensitive, so he tried not to breathe in too deeply. He hears his beloved fennec's voice and nods, then raises a finger and interjects. "Armed with Solar Rifles... Not a dozen... possibly twenty... they can see us." he warns with a hushed tone "They're watching us..." he adds, and fires a serious gaze around the various members of his team, before climbing out of the truck. "There's someone in there, two bodies I am detecting, I doubt it's Tahoe fucks, I'll go have a look."

The jackal carefully moves in to examine the overturned truck and the bodies found within, his rifle in his hands, primed and ready to burn a hole in the first thing that looks threatening enough. With his weapon raised, he takes care not to draw any attention, and moves in to examine the contents. Hopefully the armor plating was still there.<br> <br>The ride over was uneventful enough, unless you count Firecracker humming various jaunty tunes throughout the trip as eventful, then it was full of events, and jaunty tunes! "What's a Tahoe-related thing look like?" she asks in regards to Ebreus's warning, "Cause how'm I s'posedta say when I see what I saw when I dunno what thing I see is s'posedta be sawed?"

Once the truck starts pulling up at the diner, Firecracker pushes her face up against the windshield and goes, "Ooooooo! More food! Yay! And there sure are a lotta sleepy people out here!" she comments, looking from one dead body to the next. "But there's a whole buncha not sleepy peoples too! Oh, and they're hiding!" She turns around back to the group and says with a smile, "I didn't know we were gunna get food and play games! Yay!" Not one to miss out on any funtimes, the puny pegasus hops onto Otto's head as he exits, riding along and bouncing in place with glee as she keeps watch for the people hiding from their seeking!<br> <br>Before Ebreus makes it to the truck, the ambushers reveal themselves. Just shy of thirty humanoids in full armor with what looks like directed energy rifles, aiming at the group from every window, roof, and cover surrounding where the group stopped. They all came out of hiding at the same time, like a perfectly choreographed team. None of them attack for some reason, like they are waiting for something else. That something else comes soon enough, another humanoid in armor stepping out of the back of the flipped truck the group was sent to salvage from. This person stands like a leader, their armor marked somewhat differently then the others.

From behind the leader a black rabbit woman steps out as well, wearing a more ergonomic version of their armor with no helmet. The woman seems a bit unhappy.<br> <br>Ebreus imediently facepalms when he hears a dozen of them, three is bad enough. He takes a breath and stays in the truck as Otto clarifies twenty of them... and apparently all with Solar Rifles. He telepathically replies, 'Twenty, all with rifles? Guess they sent a strike force after their salvage team didn't return.' He watches from Smithsons truck as Otto aproaches them... keeping his 40mm grenade launcher ready to rain hell on the building and the Children of Tahoe should they make any agressive move on Otto. He relays to the group, 'Be ready to bombard the building if they try anything on Otto.'<br> <br> Mokou leered out into the dim view of the street, the noxious stench of the dead filling her nose, suffocating in her throat. Her eyes did not fall to the corpses, but to the ones who still yet lived... even just beyond her vision. An ear flicked at her jackal as they corrected her, the voice sounding out and offering a better note, a more clear aproximation of whom they could be dealing with. Her jaw was clenched, her eyes deadset as she moved to leer out, watching for those who didn't reveal themselves...

At least, until they did. Suddenly, she found herself wishing they hadn't... A thirty armed force with weapons trained upon them, and a rabbit. Mokou's eyes went wide... a disgustingly familiar rabbit. Their clothes were darker, their armor familiar, and their fur... different than before. She whispered down into her comms none the less. "That's the rabbit we didn't save. From the canyon with the sniper. Where I defied you Ebreus. Think it's not Tahoe now?" A snarl was set at her lips, her memory flicking back as she moved towards the door, nudging it open to step out. Better to be killed where under the sun met you than in a truck with nothing but steel about. Besides... Something wasn't adding up.<br> <br>Anbessa's mouth falls open as before Otto and Firecracker could move forward, a whole massive group of armed people step into view, all taking aim at them, his mouth closing again with his teeth gritting as he mumbles, something about 'typical...' before he glances towards Ebreus and Otto. He takes a moment to sigh and take a breath, a visible shiver passing him before he braces his feet a bit more against the ground, seemingly prepping himself a bit mentally if this happens to go bad. Who will break the silence, with words or weaponry first? Though his attention does momentarily pass over the rabbit woman, him quirking an eyebrow. Cute, if she wasn't seemingly apart of the group that was all aiming weaponry at them. One hell of an ambush to be literally parked in the middle of...<br> <br>Pelle upon seeing all of the people go out of hiding she activates her vanishing nanomagic and quietly makes her way to the building behind the two in front of Otto and fire, she opens the door and enters and makes her way to one of the Tahoe people and ready her knife ready to strike them down the moment a message to strike them or if the Tahoe person she is looking at does something<br> <br>The jackal's rifle instantly locks onto the first thing he sees, a rabbit clad in black fur, her expression bemused and her stance stoic, solid and sure. His finger danced over the trigger, but... one, two, three... four... five... ten... twenty... thirty... good grief. They'd just been ambushed. spoof The jackal's rifle instantly locks onto the first thing he sees, the large imposing figure that appeared to lead this squadron, and a rabbit clad in black fur, her expression bemused and her armor baring similar markings to the rest. His finger danced over the trigger, but... one, two, three... four... five... ten... twenty... thirty... good grief. They'd just been ambushed.

Focus, breathe... you don't know who this person is or what she wants... but if she's with the Tahoe fucks, well... things looked bad, very very bad. Standing tall and sure, stoic in the face of impending peril, Otto keeps his rifle aimed directly at the one in command, and barks out loudly "What is the meaning of this? Who are you? What do you want?" His single lens-covered eye peered through the sights of his firearm, stance unmoving, unshaken, certain... If they were to fight a platoon, then so be it, but, Mokou... No. No no no... the jackal didn't want to risk her getting hurt, especially outside the bubble, not in her condition, not ever! "...my name is Otto, serial number 1206, active Zephyrian operative, we are merely scavanging... Let..." his eyes widen once he feels Pelle's presence and usage of nanomagic, his teeth clenching up and body tensing as he wonders what the little mutant is trying to do. He didn't want to provoke these people unless it was unavoidable... and it may have just become exactly that...<br> <br>"Found you!" Firecracker chirps out happily as the group pops out suddenly. "Oh, and you! And you! And you, and you, and you andyouandyouandyouandyouandyouandyouandyouandyouandyouandyou!" she points a forehoof out to each person she sees as she spins in a little circle before looking down to Otto and stagewhispering loud enough for plenty of people nearby to hear, "These guys are really REALLY bad at Hide and Seek."<br> <br>Pelle would find that the second they reached the door to the far building, it opened in front of them, two of the riflemen aiming through the opening to where Pelle is standing at the doorway. They don't fire, but it is obvious they know exactly where Pelle is.

Meanwhile, the humanoid starts to speak, their speach sounding androgynous from some voice synthesizer: "Welcome Units of Zephyr. No doubt you have received the information we have left behind in your town of Fairhaven, so you should know of us as the Children of Tahoe. We have set you up with false rumors fed into your organization because an injustice has occured. Thirty six days ago three of our units, designated Fair Three, Fair Two, and Fair Four, were murdered by your operatives while comencing a salvage mission. We have brought you here under false pretences so that Zephyr will pay for their transgressions. How do you plead?"<br> <br>Ebreus upon seeing Pelle detected and Carson and Luna stepping out of the truck he steps out of his own truck as he telepathically says to Firecracker and Pelle 'Can you make them think they're surrounded?' He then aproached them and says, "Carson, Luna, for your violations of article four, section two of the Geneva Conventions, sighned and rattified by the United States Federal Government and still applying in their formor territory I am placing both of you under arrest!"<br> <br>Ebreus telepathies to Otto and Mokou, 'Roll with it.'<br> <br>Mokou slowly stepped forward, a sigh falling from her lips as she slowly stepped to the side by Ebreus. A grim smile upon her maw as her ears twitched, pulling sharply back as she looked to the Vulpine there. Her tail twitched and her smile was strained, but she held her hand fimrly by her sides. Her voice was a smooth as silk, and cut like sandpaper, "Ebreus... Dearie... Our very bones are infected with something that goes against the letter and intent of the Geneva Convention. Was used against unarmed civilians, and murdered thousands in an instant." A smile sharp as a knife was offered back, gesturing towards the ensamble laser-weilding mercs. "From that incident, we now have situations and people, such as myself, whom their living and breathing goes against that code. We have people whom use weapons beyond the alloted caliber daily, yourself using explosives even to this point in time... On people."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but a woman made to listen to idiotic prattling was damn close enough. So with a half turn, she glanced back to the leader. To that Rabbit in Bleak as Black Fur. Carson. "Now... dearie... If we were to assent to said charges, as an appropriate stand in which we are not... Would you not also have to accept the charges for the dozen dead just behind us, for those whom were killed upon the highway when we first heard of this armory, and for those of whom you caused harm and panic, many of whom were not in their right mind, from those fogs?" A smile without a hint of give was offered. "If you want to play Judge, Trial, and Jury among your own people, very well. But if you want to play that with us? We will do the same."<br> <br>Anbessa's eyebrows furrow as he glances over the synthesizer speaking person, a glower crossing his face as he listens, grumbling a bit beneath his breath. Though he keeps bow and arrow in hand, his body is otherwise still as he listens... Though he blinks in confusion as he hears Ebreus speak, the human's combat ready stance faltering momentarily as the urge for his palm to meet his face grows. By Ixchel, what matter of insanity has he been dragged into...? Listening to Mokou, Anbessa's eyebrows furrow as he listens, staying quiet himself. As much as he'd like to quip up about how he wasn't apart of the original team... Safe to assume association is guilty enough.<br> <br>The jackal lowers his rifle, and casts a glance towards Pelle. It was clear that the little gargoyle's plan had not succeeded, and with so many rifles aimed directly at them, Otto felt it best to just... play along, unless a fight to the death was unavoidable. Upon hearing Ebreus' claims, Otto's eyes widened and he visibly fought the urge to slap his forehead. There were thirty high-powered energy beams aimed at their heads and he wanted the jackal to just ROLL WITH IT? This was rediculous, and god bless the little fennec, she'd calmly sliced Ebreus' claims apart like a slab of meat in a blender.

His gaze wanders back towards his team as he recalls the events, their mission to retrieve the armor plating had lead them to murder agents of an opposing faction... and he'd done some of the killings personally. Perhaps there was a way to secure some sort of deal, a way to appease without the need for bloodshed. He didn't even care about the armor plating any more... they were literally at knife's edge.

He turns back towards the leader and makes a plight, "The smaller lass here, the pony perched upon my head and the human in RIOT armor were not involved with the deaths of your people, nor are they agents of Zephyr. They are bystanders caught at the wrong place and at the wrong time. I appeal to whatever humanity you might have left to release them, and we may work out some sort of consolation for your lost men. Our organization is wealthy beyond imagining. Even I can supply you material compensation worth millions, if you'll have that." his voice calm and steady as he does his best to keep his nerve, a task not so trivial with thirty weapons aimed straight at them.<br> <br>Pelle thinks as she stands up when the two Tahoe people stand in front of her, she waves her hands a bit in front of the two, not touching them and not making sound with her hands after a bit she stops and quietly sits down and thinks for a bit more before she throws a rock she picks up with the side of the building hoping to get them to follow it instead <br> <br>"Hmmmm..." Firecracker ponders, tapping her chin in thought, "Nope! Never heard of ya before! Unless ya count when Ebbie said to watch for Tahoe-related thingies..." She suddenly perks up, turning towards Ebreus and waving a foreleg towards him, then pointing to the two leaders. "Oh yeah! Hey! I found onea those thingies you said to look for, Ebbie! Right here!" Turning back to the leaders, she sits up tall on Otto's head and answers. "I usually plead like this!" She then folds her ears back, pushes out her lower lip in a pout, and shines wide, puppy-dog eyes towards the two of them. "And is it like really hot out here or just you?" she asks, dropping her pleading face and squirming in place a bit upon Otto's head.<br> <br>Over by Pelle, the people watching at the door don't move, just aimed at where Pelle is but doing nothing, not even a response to the thrown rock. The leader in armor, Carson, does not speak while Ebreus Mokou, Otto, and Firecracker talk to them. Once they are done, Carson replies: "The corruption of mental data is an unfortunate side effect of the Tahoe connection proccess we are trying to correct and is not a chemical reaction. And we do not hold any Units accountable that do not belong to Zephyr. But what we have brought you here for is a balancing of actions, not resources." From one of the buildings walks a female black panther, wearing normal clothes instead of armor but still holding an energy rile. The panther woman looks very unhappy. "Zephyr killed three of my husbands, but I'll settle with just one of you."<br> <br>Ebreus takes a breath as Mokou imediently countradicts him in front of the very same hostiles as last time. Closes his eyes and orders his thoughts before saying, "Hello again Fair One." He then looks back to Carson, Luna, and then Fair One, "If you intend to press us into your legal system, fine. I would ask first if a determination has been made of the cause of death of your three husbands."<br> <br> Mokou took a long moment to simply breath, brushing her hand by her sides as she let a sigh fall from her lips. Of course. Not so much an execution, but a judgement call. The fennec simply shook her head, a small smile rising to her maw. "Ebreus... They've already decided it was our fault. Collectivistic thought means that each one believes that." She smiled lightly up to the panther lass, a sad smile rising. "You want justice, fine. Take one of the dozens of our dead that you have caused. You insist upon one more though. Why. So it can be at your hand?" She stepped to the side, flicking her tail to he side as she paused... Where were her words. "So you can watch them fall, and know it is justice. Is that what you want?" Another step closer, the lass letting the spray nozzle connected to the side of her metal tank fall limply to her side. "Fine. Convincing you otherwise would take us convincing all of you... and were someone to do that to my own? Would be an impossible task... So pick... Snuff out the light of another, so they can hold that same grudge and hate... or stop. Hate us. Despise us. Curse us with every breath you take. But death will only devolve further. The more that are lost, the more that will fight."<br> <br>Anbessa blinks and looks over towards Otto as he speaks, staring at him for a moment before he returns attention back forward, seeming a bit surprised by them dismissing blame from him and Firecracker. Well, proved him wrong at least, but his stance doesn't loosen up as he looks towards Ebreus again, raising an eyebrow before looking back at the panther. Though he does listen quietly to Mokou, wishing he could say something as well, but he really couldn't say much without possibly hurting the group's chances. He has little understanding of what is going on, after all... But he can at least be ready for if things get messy.<br> <br>Pelle thinks for a moment wondering what she can do to get them from looking where she is and as the time use uses thinking it seems they found where it was a last-ditch effort to throw them of herself she uses Reproduction Nanomagic to throw her voice to behind them saying in a whisper "well they seems to be distracted still with that" she looks at them hoping they will bite<br> <br>The jackal sighs deeply as his eyes peer at the panther. He lets off an exasperated sigh and runs his glance back to Ebreus, just to make sure his fennec fox is okay. A dirty glance is not needed as his friend simply takes a breath and gets himself under control. Good. Flashing Mokou a faint smile, his gaze returns his gaze to the leader, and lets it wander back to the panther in question.

There was a lot to be said about personal loss, and Otto deeply empathized with what she'd gone through. He himself had been robbed of two people he so deeply cared for over his years, and the wounds of that loss, they lingered... Even so, they remained much the same, while Otto strives to grow as a person, and as he grew, those wounds felt smaller and less significant...

The canine holsters his rifle and breathes a deep sigh, then takes a breath... closes his eyes and focuses... calms himself as best he can, before opening them back up. "I can see you are not beyond reason." the jackal speaks directly to the leader. "I am Zephyrian, but my loyalties with that organization are faint. I do not agree with many of their methods, and have been working to resign from duty with them. This is, ofcourse, irrelevant. The state of things is as it stands, I am Zephyrian, but the vast majority of my team are not."

It was at that time that Mokou delivers her speech, the jackal's expression turning from calm to horrified once she draws their attention and puts herself in the line of fire with her sharp words. The truth was worth telling, it always is, but her sharp tongue had drawn their crosshairs, and that simply made the jackal's fur stand on end. He thinks for a few moments, then locks eyes upon the panther and approaches her. "What my colleague says is true, you've shed much blood on this day, the people who lie dead here may well have all had families to take care of... how do you think they will feel?" Otto gestures towards the many bodies lining the ground "But riddle me this, would snuffing one of us out make it all better? Would it bring back the dead? Would it undo the harm?" he glances down towards Mokou for a moment, then locks eyes with the black feline "...I've lost people I've loved as well. The wounds linger, but time has helped numb the pain. Perhaps we were reckless during our clash, I will not deny that..." his glance wanders back over towards Pelle and Ebreus, before returning to the feline "...but there need not be any more bloodshed. I appeal to your rationality, understand that another death will not undo what's been done. It would only cause more pain. Is this what you want?" he asks her, peering right into her eyes "I beg of you, understand my plight, and let us go." the jackal then falls to his knees, picks Firecracker up off of his head and places her upon Mokou's own. "...and if not, you may exact your vengeance upon me, if it means you shall spare my colleagues." he adds with a heavy tone, determination welling within his gaze as he tucks his hands behind his back and awaits her judgment.<br> <br>"Inspirational speech about how hurting people is bad and it's not gunna make ya feel any better even though ya think it will because those people are gone and nothing's gunna bring em back and hurting other people will just make other people wanna hurt more people which will make more people wanna hurt more more people and more people get hurt and hurting is bad and feeling bad is bad but bad feeling is better than bad hurting and hurting bad bad hurt bad bad!" Firecracker explains/rambles to the group, making complete and total sense in her own mind though perhaps not many others. "Besides, do ya really wanna hurt a pretty face like this?" she asks, hopping off Mokou's head to land back on Otto's before lying down on her belly and pointing down to his face while she makes a puppydog face of her own, the same seen just a short while ago when she demonstrated her 'pleading face'.<br> <br>The people aiming at Pelle don't move from watching hir, and another one of the armored humaniods can be heard behind then checking the noise. Looks like they won't be fooled. As for the rest of the group, Fair One lowers her weapon. She doesn't say anything, but turns around and walks back to the building she came from. The black rabbit woman sighs, looking a lot calmer. She does seem to be showing the most emotion of anyone from the Tahoe group. She speaks: "Thank goodness that's over. Tahoe, are we done here now? Please?" Tahoe looks to the rabbit woman, and then turns to leave. One by one the ambushers start to leave their posts.<br> <br>Ebreus bites his toung, litterally, when Mokou undermines him for the third time to the same hostiles. He holds position, tense, as Mokou makes her speach and if anything grows more tense as it appears to be unconvincing... though he does make mental note of Carsons words that they won't hold non-Zephyr agents responsible and appear to accept the Convention but reject the accusation their gas is a violation of it.

He forces himself to breath slowly as the seconds tick by and Otto makes a speech. The situation being as tense as it is the strangeness of Otto negotiating for their lives doesn't occur to him. He holds his breath as his closest friend offers his own life if the speaches were unconvinving.

He exhales as the Children of Tahoe... and apparently Luna, her still appearing to be an individual, depart from the location of their ambush with the impassioned speaches appearing to have worked. He begins to breath regularly. A second or so later he glances over to Mokou, the glance imediently becoming a momentary glare, then turns his attention to the Children of Tahoe and continues to watch them leave.<br> <br> Mokou stood there resolute as a statue. Not because they had begun to leave, but rather as she was trying not to breath. The air was tense, she could feel it. An irritated sensation running up her spine. This was not what she wanted to have here. Not this tense waiting of her heart wanting to break, of her eyes lingering and focussing upon that gun pointed downward... before they began to leave. A tense breath fell from her maw, the lass hanging where she stood. "... Finally," she sighed... simply waiting. There will be time enough for the fallout... later.<br> <br>Anbessa couldn't help but let out a reliefed sigh as the Tahoe begin to leave and wander off, the human's grasp on his bow finally loosening as he lets his tense stance fade away. "Thank goodness..." He mutters lightly, shaking his head before looking over towards Otto and smiling. "Well, gotta admit, you got some balls between yer legs, so gotta give you that. Good work." The human notes, chuckling lightly as he scratches behind his head, seeming to finally relax a little bit. "Though, now what're we going to do? If the salvage that we were called for ain't around, what're we going to do? Just go back empty handed?" He points out the minor predicament now that their lives aren't in danger at the moment anymore, glancing over towards the flipped truck with a light hum. Though still seeing some of the Tahoe are still around, he still watches them carefully. As he learned once before, the leaders may decide one thing, but the underlings can sometimes decide on another, so the human watches the remaining Tahoe go with his bow and arrow in hand, but not drawn.<br> <br>Pelle drops her vanishing nanomagic and steps to the side and placing her knife back into her belt and steps to the side, she signals than to just go "well you have your orders now so go I won't stop any of you" she says with her hands over her head away from her weapons hoping they will just go<br> <br>Was... was it over? What was happening? Where did the feline go? Where were they all going? Wait... wait... hold up, wait... it worked? It, it actually worked? Did... Otto felt dizzy, his knees weak and his palms sweaty. He breathes a deep sigh and remains still while the Tahoe forces move off.

He blinks a few times and just... pauses, there on his knees... "Thank.... Odin..." he sighs out, then flops forward, falling onto his chest, his muzzle pointing straight forward against the ground. A few more moments would pass before he gets it together and tries to rise from the ground, his attire dirty and dusty from the collapse.

Unsteadily does the male rise to his feet, draws a deep breath and flashes a smile... that turns into a laugh, a truly jovial chuckle that goes on for the better part of a minute, before going silent. His gaze wanders down towards Mokou, and he leans over to wrap one arm around her back, the other behind the cleft of her knees, sweeping her clean off her feet.

Carrying the little vulpine away, the jackal counts his blessings and holds her tightly, trembling a little from the aftermath. True, a bullet to the head would not have put him down, but then again once he came back as a phoenix, odds were the Tahoe would have just... killed him again... permanently.

"Th-thanks..." he answers the human "Ch-check the truck... someone, I... I need a minute."<br> <br>"Wowie, those guys don't know howta play Hide and Seek like at all!" Firecracker giggles from atop Otto's head, still squirming in place a bit and fluttering her wings at her sides while Otto flops to the ground. "Oh hey! We're done playing? Do we win the armor thingies we're s'posedta get?" she asks, looking around to the group and all their rather dismal expressions. "Huh, you guys look like you could all use some spaghetti!" she comments before hopping off the jackal's head to fly the last few yards over to the overturned truck and take a look inside.<br> <br>The Children of Tahoe continue to leave, just two watching over the black rabbit woman who is still standing in front of the truck. Once Carson is out of earshot, she steps a bit forward to speak, but keeps her distance from Ebreus. "Thank the Moon no one got killed. I have set up so some of the armor is still in the truck for you to take home with you. But for Moon's sake don't ever let anyone near Paradise or Tahoe again. Tensions are high enough as it is." She then steps around to hand Anbessa a note, then runs off to join the rest of her crew.<br> <br>Ebreus makes a curious expression as Otto colapses then looks over to Anbessa and says, "This was an ambush, they sent us here. Not Zephyr." He shrugs when Firecracker checks anyway and almost grins... wether it is from the stress getting to him, or actual amusement he doesn't even know when Luna tells them there is actually armor for them. Once she and her escourts leave he sighs then a second or so later begins to growl as he turns around and begins to walk after Otto and Mokou. "Why the fuck do you keep doing this?!" he shouts at Mokou.<br> <br> For a few moments, Mokou lingered there, eyes watching the lass set up there as she slowly shook her head. The fennec paused for a moment, trying to offer a sad smile back to the rabbit lass. Wide ears flicked, rolling those faint words running about in her mind as she all but whispered back, "Can't confirm... but I will... put in a word with the Prometheans... Try to set up a no-go zone. Will... will try to... Do what I can." A few moments passed there, the lass offering a saddened smile back to the lass... before she was swept up! Held and swept off her feet, the lass firmly nosing Otto's cheeks, a soft kiss placed upon his neck. "I'm glad you... are... alive." Shifting in that grasp, she only managed to wriggle upon to the ground, wrapping an arm around his hip, trying to support what she could before the shouting began.

A sigh fell from her maw as she turned, gazing back up to the taller lad, those mocha brown orbs settling into a level glare. A snarl at her lips as she spoke... "Easy dearie..." A twitch of her eye, a step closer and she shook her head. "Because /you/ are treating the world as though nothing changed. You are... trying to enforce laws that don't even exist anymore!" She snarled back stepping forward with a sharp step, pointing upward for a moment, "YOU... YOU don't even listen! Come on, Wake up! Smell the apocolypse dearie! This... This is the world now. At least the world we're in now. And besides..." Her lips fell into a sneer as she shook her head. "You want to enforce rules you break. Talk about picking and choosing..."<br> <br>Anbessa perks up as he is approached by the bunny woman, tilting his head a bit as he watches her curiously. A lot more relaxed now, the human nods his head in response to her request as he smiles. "I'll try my best to. Would be for the best for all of us." Though as he is handed a note, he blinks, shouldering his bow to take the note, watching the bunny woman run off after her group. Tilting his head, he looks down and reads the note before blinking, then smiling a bit before pocketing the note. Watching the bunny leave, the human chuckles a little bit before looking towards the truck and padding over to the truck, eager to get to grabbing the armor in the back. Woo, some actual loot to take home and get paid for! Though hearing Ebreus, the human calls over his shoulder as he inspects the pieces. "Yeah, but Zephyr were the ones who asked for agents to come to do this. Zephyr is just lucky there is at least some salvage, but they still had us literally dropped off in an ambush." He points out before hefting one of the armor pieces up with a grunt. Though with Mokou yelling at Ebreus, the human cannot help but snicker beneath his breath as he smiles at the fennec while he carefully loads up the truck with the parts.<br> <br>Pelle looks the bonny woman live with her guards and shakes her head before going to the truck to grab an armor plate and carry it over to Ebreus and Mokou "so can the two of you stop arguing and get to helping with the armor plates?" she asks before waking to the truck with the armor plate<br> <br>The jackal blinks a few times as the exchange is made, he was still trembling a little, but this? He wasn't having any of this... His paw reaches into his pocket and he pulls out a flask, downs a hearty chug and lets off a subtle *uurp* The power gator wasn't much, but... at least the bitter taste put him back in order a little. Furrowing his brow, the jackal clenches his fists and produces a sharp whistle to draw his demonic vulpine friend's attention, then shakes his head and cracks his natural fist's knuckles against the cybernetic one's palm, sending a clear signal that the hellish fox would be wise to just back down.<br> <br>"These things are HEEAAAAAVY!" Firecracker's voice can be heard from inside the back of the truck as she strains with one of the metal plates. With her teeny tiny size, it's pretty obvious she's going to get nowhere as she holds the end of one in her teeth and uses all four legs to "walk" backwards in place. Really, she's just wiggling her booty behind her while her wings flap in vain.<br> <br>With the Children of Tahoe gone now, everyone strong enough can pick out all the armor plates out of the flipped military truck. Smithson is relieved as well, staying slient the whole time in the truck. Once all the remaining plates are loaded up and tied down, the truck makes its way back to Fairhaven, reporting back to Zephyer and the Promethians what has transpired.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Return to Paradise - RPLOG

2017-10-08T23:12:15Z

Zophah: /* Log */

Radiation Dangers - RPLOG

2017-09-19T21:59:18Z

Zophah: Created page with "=Participants= * Ebreus * Khaybat * Auros * Otto * Maya * Emacs * Cerl * Zophah =Date= 17/9/2017 =Log= -It's the garage of RSX, and humans (and..."

=Participants=
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Khaybat]]
* [[Auros]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Maya]]
* [[Emacs]]
* [[Cerl]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
17/9/2017
=Log=
-It's the garage of RSX, and humans (and various partial-infected) are loading up a humvee with a few tools for dismantling equipment. One human female wearing a buisness dress is standing in the middle of the open, a name tag on her suit labled 'Jessica'. As she holds a clipboard and checks off items as they are added, she looks to be in charge of this opperation. She addresses the group after they all approach: "Need to do this efficiently and by-the-book. We are sending you all to aquire various servo motors from an abandoned nuclear power station, so no one gets my OK unless they have an undamaged suit of power armor. We are also sending with you one geiger counter. Whatever you do don't break it, it is the only working one we have right now. Any questions?"
<br><br>- Cerl doesn't respond. She might end up being the one carrying the geiger counter if she is the one scouting, but she knows enough about electronic gear to know how to handle it. She gives her power armor a final check over before suiting up, and then double checks that she can still use her crossbow despite the gloves she is not used to wearing, then just stands over out of the way watching as the truck is loaded.
<br><br>- It was a gorgeous day to thrust oneself in danger, or so thought one adventurous jackal with... either a death wish or a lack of good judgement. Perhaps both? Regardless, Otto had taken the ride to the RSX headquarters, a bittersweet taste in his mouth tingling as he examines the building up close. It was hard to believe he once worked with these people. He was primed and ready, his suit worn overtop the lighter of his armors to retain some protection. Why people called this overglorified enviro-suit armor, Otto would never know. Still, he had it on, as asked of him, save for the helmet. He had that in his hand. Once on-side, he shoots a few winks, a few fingerbangs and a lot of hellows every which way, then directs his attention to the woman speaking. "Question: Do you have a map of the area, and an idea where we can find the payload. Sounds like it's not the kinda place we want to go camping for the night, just saying..."
<br><br>- Auros checks every dial, gauge and every other reading the power suit gives off. His is still new, given how he only got it a few days ago and didn't make any use of it yet. Noticing that the ride will be cramped in his current size, what with everyone in a similar suit, he shrank down in size, the power armor with him. "Other than the radiation eating up nanites, what else should we look out for? Crumbling infrastructure?" - Although Auros was a RSX agent and employee, he wasn't exactly one the suits liked much. Otto was pretty much spot on with his question, too. "You'll act as a spotter for us or we'll be on our own out there?"
<br><br>- Khaybat ends up trudging along though the doe has a ;_; face going the entire time. She didn't really like enclosed spaces but was told the only way to go along was to get a power suit. At least the thing is pretty fast for how big it is! When people start asking questions the impala just listens along though no one probably notices her ears are pointed towards the lady in charge since they're kind of hidden in the armor.
<br><br>- Ebreus can't help but smile as he observes Otto recognize so many people here. He makes his way to the breifing spot, wearing his full suit of Power 'Armor', watching the world through the thick visor of the helmet and breathing through the inbuilt resperator... things he's grown accustomed to with the time he has spent wearing his armor. One day this would be armor but for now we wore it for protection from environmental conditions... and in preperation for what was to come. He looks over the human, Jessica, and says, "Very well. I am certain my armor is intact. About how much heat and radiation are we expected to be exposed to and will our suits be scrubbed afterward... also may I see the counter?"
<br><br>- The other RSX opperatives finish loading the vehicle as any questions are asked, Jessica putting away her clipboard. She hands the geiger counter to Ebreus and answers each person in turn: "The driver will get you as far as the guardhouse for the plant, we don't have any information on the interior. But suffice to say that whatever is inside has been left to rot for nearly a decade, so watch out. That includes any radiation dangers. I will not be joining you, I have to much work as it is. Now get going." She then leaves with most of the crew, waiting for everyone to disembark.
<br><br>- Emacs buckles her seatbelt and waits for the rest of the team to pile into the truck. She always used to have an interest in Nuclear power back before P-Day, she hadn't found much time to think of that since then. Even now, she wonders if the nuclear power plant will be filled with monsters and mutants, or just garbage and nuclear fuel rods cooling slowly in a pool of disgusting mosquito filled water with piles of dead mosquito larvae near the bottom. She expects the latter mostly.
<br><br>- Cerl climbs into the humvee and buckles in. Looking out at the human organizing everything, she calls over, "Do you have comms units we can use in the irradiated areas that will be resistant or immune to any interference from the radiation?"
<br><br>- Maya is surprised to see a working military humvee this late since p-day, and she looks around, trying to see if she recognizes anyone or if anyone recognizes her. She climbs aboard, checking her gear, since she knows she's going to be out of bubble. Worth doing work, anyways. She'd prefer if theywere doing a proper decommissioning of the site, but that's near impossible with resources as they are. She purrs softly as she takes her seat and gets ready to leave.
<br><br>- "Amazing." Otto sighs and puts on his helmet, then takes care to seal it very tightly, knowing that they'd be there a while. The claustrophobia was real... despite Otto not being claustrophobic. Damn tight, itchy thing... He wished so hard he was wearing his heavy armor instead right now. At least that permitted easier movement and didn't feel like he was wearing a spandex suit made of scrap. He tests the small microphone inside, a slightly distorted tone of his voice coming through two speakers somewhere on his helmet "Alright!" he announces with a stoic stance and one epic thumbs up! "Let's roll!" He climbs up and into the passenger side seat of the vehicle, then turns back to his mate and says "Excited to get out there again, hon?" He'd wink, but... the helmet...
<br><br>- Outside the bubble, Auros would be stuck to being the size of a small kid. Given how he's the smallest in the group now, it's quite possible he'll end up being a scout of sorts. On the bright side, he won't be the pack mule! Once inside the vehicle, he shrunk down further. "Alright, any small places that need checking, I'll do it." It was kinda funny how one of the oldest agents was now about 2' tall. "I've worked in power plants, though never in a nuclear one, but I think I can still guess where a few things oughta be, like the control room."
<br><br>- Ebreus watches the busy little human scurry away then comments, "What a nice Human." quietly and sarcastically. He then turns his attention to the humvee and Cerl climbing in. He follows her, and the Jackal in piling into the soon to be overcrowded military vehicle and says through his visor, "I can run Regulation... not sure how well it'll work in a radioactive environment. This will certanly be an interesting endevour."
<br><br>- Khaybat just continues to ;_; the entire time when the RSX lady says about the radiation dangers at the plant. The 'pala wasn't much for knowing sciences so it sounded pretty scary. Not that this seems to stop her from wandering up onto the truck. After all in power armor no one can see you qq! At least no one has made the mistake of trying to tap her shoulder to get her attention yet.
<br><br>- Cerl climbs out of the humvee, then turns around to stick a gloved paw back inside. "Ebreus, hand me the counter please. Thanks." She takes the geiger counter from Ebreus and leaves the others to start unloading any supplies from the vehicle, activating the counter and walking towards the plant to test radiation levels this far out while looking around to see whatever she might be able to spot.
<br><br>- "Heat is an issue here, then. Understood." Maya would rather there be more than just one Geiger Counter, but eh, she'll manage. She tries to recollect if there's any significant historical data on the building that might have been significant enough for her to have encountered in her librarian work.
<br><br>- Otto was in a particularly good mood, and spent much of his time just chit chatting with the team. By the end of the trip, he'd extended a hand towards Ebreus and was faking heavy breathing noises out his radio, "Luke, I am your father." Otto declares, then giggles softly under his helmet and looks forward just in time for the rather bad joke made by their driver. "Huh, old abandoned place no longer operational? Who'd have guessed." he remarks sarcastically, then climbs out of the truck and reaches for his ass. "Damn thing... wedging in there. Ugh, I need a custom-made one." he grumbles as he adjusts, then looks around.
<br><br>- "Right, cart. Uh, quick thought. How about we actually find the payload first. Alright, let's go see what kinda gross slimy mutants this irradiated fuckheap has spawned. He trails his mate off with a glance, wishing her luck and less radiation poisoning than one might usually encounter. He turns his sights to the building before them, and whistles. "Hoo-eee... there's bound to be a lot of valuable electronics in there. Point me the way of the main terminal. I wanna get my fingers all up in there."
<br><br>- Auros chuckled at how Otto played Vader and decided to play along, bobbing his head up and down, "Mm! Mm! Strong jedi, you must become! Yes! Yes! Hee hee hee!"
<br><br>- When the humvee stopped and the lame remark came from the driver, he shook his head. "Try an open mic bar next time, kid." Jumping out of the car, he stretched the best he could inside that suit. Radiation. Looking back at the group, he asked, "Say, what's our safe time here? I mean, how long can we stay before before the radiation fucks us up for good?" - The sight of the plant really doesn't make him have any ideas of where things may be, other than the reactor itself. Better just follow the others for the moment.
<br><br>- Khaybat just goes ;_; at the joke the driver makes though that's what happens when you doing understand SCIENCE! and just tend to believe what people tell you. She trods off the transport when the others do but says nothing when asked the question. She's trying not to let it be obvious she's something of a lead weight right now.
<br><br>- Ebreus steps out of the humvee and stretches. When asked for the counter he nods, "Sure," and hands it to Cerl, "guess you intend to scout ahead." he says and then nods as she darts off to do just as he'd guessed. He chuckles into his helmet when Otto makes the joke, "Glad to see you know Star Wars." he says. He looks around the outskirts of the plant as Otto mentions the wedgie, "Yeah.. it happens. Part of why I wore mine for so much after buying it. I've made all the little alterations I needed to and am fully comfortable in it for as long as necessary." he adds.
<br><br>- He turns around to look at Auros when they ask about radiation, "From what I understand the suits protect us from direct exposure pretty thuroughly assuming they're intact. Beyond that? Well out DNA isn't actually in use that much with the Nanites determining our physical form so cancer isn't likely."
<br><br>- With Maya's knowledge, the group is directed to the structure where the nuclear reactors would be. The geiger counter starts to click very slowly as the group aproaches the building, indicating that traces of radiation have started to leak even past the confines of the walls. The front doors look to be closed, but being glass they show that there is a front desk past the entrance. beyond that are hallways that reach further in.
<br><br>- Emacs tries the door, finding it locked she looks to the group. "I don't suppose that any of you are any good as locksmiths? We should avoid cutting our suits on the glass."
<br><br>- Maya shakes her head. "I could just blast the lock and we be done with it. I did bring my laser pistol for a reason, though, out of bubble it's quite limited in power and how many shots I can get with it."
<br><br>- Cerl apparently can't get to her lockpicks, so she just steps out of the way to let others deal with the door.
<br><br>- Otto followed Maya as she lead them through the complex, with a kick in his step and a smile on his face, albeit concealed by the helmet. "Oh yeah, I love the franchise. Not so much into the expanded universe, though..." he tells Ebreus as they go along, then pats Auros's shoulder... very lightly... before moving on. They stood before a locked door, and...
<br><br>- The jackal sighs as his team scrambles to figure out a way to open the door. "I got a key." he announces with a light chuckle, then shakes his head, moves to the door and lifts one leg, *SMASH* the door swings open. "It's called my boot." he says as he turns to his team with a wink, then gestures for them to enter, "After you."
<br><br>- Auros watched the door being kicked in awe. "Holy shit!" He turned to face the door kicker, though his WTF expression was concealed by the suit. "Remind me to call for our help if I ever get in a fight!" The first thing he did once inside was check the desk... With some difficulty, since he was really small, trying to find any notes, maybe a map of the place...
<br><br>- Khaybat on the other hand was in back of the group since she can't really do anything to doors when someone ends up ripping the door apart without warning. Queue the doe leaping straight up into the air with a loud bleat of surprise before remembering she's not on the moon and falling back down.
<br><br>- Ebreus aproaches the building with the the group. Upon seeing the locks he hums and says, "Not sure nanomagic can help us here." He hums a curious tone that likely wouldn't be heard through his helmet when he sees Cerl step aside instead of picking the lock. He perks up a little when the jackal just kicks the door in, "Alright... that's one way through." he says as he draws one of his revolver shotguns and double checks they're loaded with the right shells. "Best be on guard, if anything is alive in there then there's a good chance we've just lost the element of surprize."
<br><br>- He steps inside and begins to examine this first room, "Okay which way to we go from here..." he says as he looks down each exit from the first room. He then looks back to his group, "Anyone familiar with nuclear plants like these?" he asks.
<br><br>- Emacs not finding anything of interest at all at the front, she finds herself surprised that there are people who aren't just interested in the nuclear power, rather than an office. "Whenever you all are ready, I can't really help out here, I've never worked in an office before, or been interested in one."
<br><br>- The geiger counter clicks more frequently the farther into the building the group progresses, passing multiple office work areas and rooms. Not a single body has been found, and judging from the mess left behind by the previous occupants it looks like no one has tried to salvage anything here since P-day. following the signs left on the walls leads to the higher security area, large metal doors preventing any more progress. A keypad and electronic card slot are on the left wall, but are unpowered.
<br><br>- Cerl just follows the group since she can't reach any of her tools, keeping an eye on the geiger counter.
<br><br>- Ebreus maintains his guard as they pass through the facility into the deeper radiation zones. "No corpses. I wonder if that is for good or ill here." he says when they reach the door he hums, "If this had power I'm certan I could open it. Anyone have something for the task?" he says. He looks back to Maya, "Yeah.. it's getting a little darker as we go." he comments.
<br><br>- Casing here, simple LED there, some tape he found? Sure, let's go with that, and OH! A battery, yes! Soon enough, Otto had jury rigged a simple torch. It was no masterpiece, but it did its job well enough. Once he reaches the door, he shrugs and crosses his arms, leans against the wall and says "I can't boot that one. Could probably hack that keycard reader, if my god damn port wasn't covered up by this... itchy damn suit." Cursed wedgie! Otto adjusts himself and ahhs softly once his cheeks are devoid of unwanted fabric. "Why are we here again? You sure this is the right way to the payload?" he rubs his paws together, "Or the main terminal! Mmmm-mmm... so much salvafe ifmit's untouched."
<br><br>- Auros looks up to see if there's any air vents or other things where the could possibly fit. "Well, this place is really irradiated, nanites go haywire in places like this, no surprise there aren't even corpses around. Anyway, you people think this could be opened from the other side? Maybe I could fit in a vent or something..." A particular movie scene came to his mind and he chuckled to himself. He just lacked a lighter. "I mean, it's that or trying to jury rig the electronic panel, pull it open and cross connect the wires until something happens. I could try something if one of you gave me a hand." It's not like he could reach the panel easily in his current size.
<br><br>- Searching around Auros will find plenty of ceiling vents, none of them easy to access especially since Auros is only about 2 feet tall. And Otto's improvised flashlight works well to illuminate the area.
<br><br>- Emacs starts to pick up Auros gingerly, but pauses, not quite sure where to hold him from, and decides on his feet. Lifting him up, she tries to position him underneath a ceiling vent so he could do whatever spy drama fodder that he needs to.
<br><br>- Cerl sets the geiger counter on the desk. "Someone want to take charge of this? I'm going to watch in case any hostiles show up. Last few times we've been out this way we've run into some nasty customers.' She then finds a dark corner and fades out of sight.
<br><br>- "Yeah, sure. Just don't get yourself caught without backup." Maya picks up the Geiger counter, hoping they don't have to deal with the worst of the radiation. Though that would only happen if they were going into the reactor chamber herself. As she notices the two trying to get into the vent, she sighs. "Unscrew first then lift. Did anyone grab the tools from the humvee?"
<br><br>- Ebreus hums as he considers the obsticle posed by this door and the doubtless several similar doors between them and their goal... assuming they were all shut. He turns around to see the Emacs lifting Auros and just pauses for a few moments as he watches. His attention is shifted from the odd sight when Cerl speaks. He goes to grab it only for Maya to already anounce that they'd take it. At this point he recalls the gear in the humvee and begins walking out, "I'll be back... forgot some stuff in the truck."
<br><br>- Otto nods and flashes a smile at his friend, "You do that, Eb. Give any hostile mutants you see along the way a thorough stomping for me." He then directs his attention to his mate, curious as to her sudden reluctance to engage. Shrugging it off, he watches as Maya picks up the counter, then glances over to Auros and what was being done with him. "Oh! Hang on." the jackal rummages through his collected doodads and thingamabobs, and finds a sufficiently sharp and thin looking scrap of sheet metal. It had just the right edge to kinda sorta awkwardly unscrew the screws? Well, whatever works. "Here ya go, Auros." the jackal offers the human his makeshift torch. "Take care in there! Shout if shit gets real!"
<br><br>- Auros murmured something under his breath about bringing those damn claws and a flashlight next time he goes out of the bubble. Indeed, he could get in, but how the hell was he supposed to unscrew the other side? Maybe just force an opening between the grills. Not to mention, if the only other exit was also on the ceiling, that'd be a nasty fall. Talk about being a terrible planner... "See if there's any crowbars in the gear or something, I... Just in case, maybe you can force it open? Also, is there a string, thin rope or something? Plus, a screwdriver. I'll need those."
<br><br>- Cerl pipes up from where she is standing watch, unseen. "Do you think the driver knows about those Tahoe bastards? He should probably move the humvee somewhere hidden just in case they show up like they have so often recently."
<br><br>- "Think we can remove the electrical panel and get into the door that way? I mean, We'll be waiting for Auros to check, but I'm not sure we can keep waiting unless we want to be here after dark." Maya pauses, waiting for a response from others.
<br><br>- Emacs lifts an eyebrow. "Tahoe bastards? You think they care about this kind of thing? I'm sure the driver knows what to do. Anyway, this is not a bad place to be if we are attacked, it's very well fortified, and they probably can't handle the radiation for very long." she looks up at the small Auros above her head, "How you doing up there?"
<br><br>- Otto shrugs at his mate's question, "You never know. This place is pretty valuable. If they're after salvage, this is the kinda place they'd go. Keep an eye out just in case. I don't want another incident like what happened to Pelle." the jackal shudders and sighs "Poor thing." He watches as Maya takes the panel off and reveals the wiring they would need to dick with to get the door open. "Nice. Now we gotta power the damn thing. Hope Eb comes back with some good stuff." Hopefully, he would... "Careful up there, Auros! This place isn't in the best of conditions, after all."
<br><br>- Auros did ask for one last thing, like a sharpie, to mark his way up there. Lighting up his way in the vents and marking every turn with two arrows, 'came from there, went there', he just went on, trying to find the nearest and lowest opening. Too bad such an opening was nowhere around. He did send a message with the comm, "Well, looks like my plan won't help us with the door. I can keep exploring the vents, but this will lead me somewhere else. You guys copy? I can still find my way back, so I'll go ahead here. If I go silent, it's either the radiation or something bad happened to me."
<br><br>- Khaybat continues to stand around and wait on the others to fix the door problem. There's not much a poor impala can do right now.
<br><br>- Ebreus glares at the driver when he laughs at him, "Right... well enjoy sitting in the truck, alone and board." he says as he pushes the cart into the building. As he aproaches the group he calls ahead, "Got a cart of supplies. Including flashlights." He pushes the cart to the door then takes a look at the pannel. "Hmm... yeah, pretty sure I can get through that." he comments as he gets to work on opening the door.
<br><br>- After a few moments the door is powered and then the lock duped into believing the group has the clearance to enter. He draws both shotgun-pistols and aims a flashlight into the breach as the door opens, ready to open fire on anything that shouldn't be there.
<br><br>- Entering further into the heart of the nuclear power plant the geiger counter is showing serious radiation, eventually reaching a huge central room where the reactor is, lined with a series of catwalks. Computers, mechancial systems, hydralics and more are found here untouched, covered in a decade of dust, rust, and without power.
<br><br>- Emacs steps onto the catwalk and falls through, yipping in surprise, then catching herself on the ledge of the catwalk. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Uh... A little bit of help?"
<br><br>- Cerl does not follow the rest of the group, instead remains in the lobby, hidden, in order to watch for threats. Her crossbow is loaded, and ready, though it's dark enough out to make it difficult to spot movement if any occurs.
<br><br>- Maya blinks as the catwalk collapses under herself, catching herself, but struggling to avoid falling. She looks down. "This could be a problem..." She shakes her head, looking around to the rest of the catwalk. "Makes sense, it was rusty. How are we going to cross now? Especially to get the servos?" She attempts to at least get into a place where she can safely survey her situation.
<br><br>- Otto steps carefully across the catwalk, his position near Ebreus' own. Once he feels the floor give way under him, he takes a sharp but shallow leap to safety! Phew... disaster avoided. Ebreus on the other hand... the poor fella went down with the collapsing path, saved by clinging onto the edge. Otto takes a few sharp steps his way and grabs him by the hand! He lifts with all his might, but... "Ack! Damn it, you're so heavy, man!" he snarls as he really puts those muscles of his to the test. Hopefully, Ebreus would help the process along... otherwise he'd just take a tumble down there. He watches in shock as Maya avoids the fall, just barely... Phew...
<br><br>- Auros found something interesting in his venting adventure. An office room and... Is that a laptop? Hopefully it's still working. "Alright people, I managed to find an office, there's probably a lot of interesting notes here. Also a laptop... I'm not sure I can get it through the vents, though. Over."
<br> The first thing the old tiny man does is tie some of the string to the screwdriver, hopefully enough so he can land safely on the floor without breaking any bones and then climb back. Fuck, it's times like this where one really appreciates being able to change sizes without needing nanite bubbles... Maybe calling on the Coyote works? Though he'd probably get lost on the way back, not being able to shrink down. Well, first he has to get down there, just make an opening between the grills that he can fit without scratching the suit, leave the screwdriver up there, get down with the flashlight and pray for the best.
<br><br>- Ebreus follows shortly after Otto as he makes his way acrost. He hears the failure before seeing or feeling it but it isn't enough forewarning and his leap falls short only to be grabbed by Otto. He reaches with his free hands to grab the catwalk. With the help of his friend he pulls himself up onto the stable part of the catwalk, "Thank you Otto." he says then looks over his suit and then down to those who didn't make the jump
<br><br>- After the catwalk starts falling Khaybat ends up at the bottom with broken ankle and a huge tear along their one suit leg. If she screamed it seemed she didn't bother to hit her comm button on the way down.
<br><br>- With the catwalk colapsed, there are other paths down to go help Khaybat, who is getting heavy doses of radiation from her ripped open suit. The gieger counter is not making any noise any more, so chances are it's now broken just like Khaybat's ankle.
<br><br>- Emacs pulls herself up onto the other side of the catwalk yelling like an anime character from a shonen. "Fuck. You all alright? I'm... Well I guess I'm going to try to proceed alone, if we don't all crowd the same space, I guess I might make it to the servos."
<br> She starts walking carefully down the catwalk, taking care to avoid breaking it again."
<br><br>- Maya pulls herself up, sighing a bit. "I'm going to head down and try to help recover the cervine and the geiger counter. That looked like a nasty fall, and the radiation can't be good."
<br><br>- Otto breathes heavily, and gives Eb a light pat on the back, "Sure thing, bud." he says through his mic, then looks over towards Emacs, who'd managed to pull herself up. Phew... His glance wanders to Maya, who'd also managed to climb out of that mess. "You folks alright? Phew..." the canine mentally wipes his forehead. His gaze wanders downwards, towards poor Khaybat. "We gotta get her out of there, pronto!" he turns to Ebreus "Maya might not be able to carry her out, she'll need your help." he says confidently "I could go instead if you want to tackle the salvage. I think we'll both do well either way. What's your call?"
<br><br>- Auros managed to open the vent without a fuss and climbed down to the floor. Exploring the office, he had to climb the chair to get anywhere near the drawers. Sifting through, he grabbed everything that he recognized as important and stuffed into the laptop. Sheesh, that thing is almost his own size. Not to mention almost as heavy as he was! Well, that door over there could make for a better exit, if after it, all the way back to the reception desk is unlocked or can easily unlock.
<br> He pulled the chair, hopped on it, unlocked the door's switch and shazam! The man decided to make a quick survey of the immediate surroundings, flashlight in hands, trying to find his way to the entrance on foot. He began to talk to himself, comm off. "So long as I can find this office again... Fuck, should've come down with the sharpie... Ok, let's leave the chair outside, that should act as my mark back here."
<br><br>- Khaybat continues lying at the bottom of the reactor. There's not a whole lot you can do when you have a broken lower limb.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods and glances around the ruined catwalks and upon spying a safe way down he says, "I'll get her, you get the servos." and procedes down the path to the Impala. He says to her, "Don't worry, I've got you." he says as he carefully lifts her with a small hint of effort, minding her broken leg. He then turns around and begins to carry her up back heading out of the irradiated zone. "I'm taking her out of the radiation, suit compromized." he yells to Maya to explain why he isn't stopping... prolonged radiation exposure definitly being worse than mere broken bones. Once back at the truck he sets her down and after Maya does her best with the injury he looks over the armor.
<br><br>- Emacs speed walks down the catwalks to the servo assembly, and then examines them closely, using her skillz
<br><br>- Maya nods. "Just let me get a splint on her. You're not carrying her anywhere without that. I know the armor is compromised, but I don't want her losing a leg, either." She doesn't have time to do more than a rudimentary splint before allowing Ebreus to get running out of the irradiated area. That taken care of, she tries to collect the gieger counter, and inspect the damage.
<br><br>- Cerl follows Ebreus to the truck. "What happened in there? How did Khay get injured?" she fires at him as she grabs the medkit from the truck and starts examining the cervine's leg. "Did she get hurt in a radiated part of the plant?" Without waiting for Ebreus to answer. "Turn on your regulation bubble, Ebreus. I need my biosight here." She starts looking through the medkit for Potassium Iodide or Radiogardase drugs before turning back to Khaybat. Straigtening the ankle, she sets it properly so it will heal straight later, resplinting it to hold it in place for now.
<br><br>- The jackal keeps a close eye on his friend as he goes in for the rescue. Once the poor impala had been secured, he nods and smiles faintly. Good. No casualties. Moving carefully over the path leading to the salvage, Otto quickly disassembles what needs removing, and hoists the salvage onto his back. One... two... three... how many was it? Fuck it, take them all! Huh, surprisingly light bastards, aren't they? He takes care not to fuck it up at the finish line and quickly makes his way towards the extraction vehicle to deposit the salvage.
<br><br>- Loading it all up, he wipes his brow, the fist going *clink* against the vizor of his suit. Oh, right. His attention is drawn to Cerl as she works, and puts that medical know-how to good use. He also gives Eb a pat on the back, then turns to see if the others are alright. Noting that several were missing, he runs back in to find the rest, spots Maya in the distance and carefully makes his way to her. "C'mon, we've got to go now." the canine says softly, a paw placed on her shoulder as he gestures towards the way out. Spotting Emacs nearby, he waves to her and nods at the exit, "Let's go! Enough radiation for one day... or a year!" Eventually, the two would find their way back to their transport.
<br><br>- Auros walked around for a while, but couldn't find the way towards the entrance. Back to the vents it is. Putting some very tight knots around the laptop so it wouldn't open halfway, he began making his way back, climbing back to the vents and slowly and carefully dragging the valuables behind him. "I'm coming back via the vents with the laptop. Hopefully everything will still be in one piece." - Good thing he marked his path, no getting lost on the way back, at least.
<br> "By the way, I could use some help getting down on the floor with the stuff, if anyone's there."
<br><br>- The group gathers back at the humvee, Otto having salvaged all of the servos himself with impressive skill. Auros got himself a new laptop that probably needs repairs, and Khaybat got a broken leg and lots of radiation. The driver just smiles, saying "good work." before everyone climbs in and heads back to RSX. Jessica back at head quarters will have a lot to go through to see what can be used for Power Armor research...
[[Category:RPLogs]]

Underworld Armorer - Part 1 - RPLOG

2017-09-03T18:16:08Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Emacs]]
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Nekura]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
26/8/2017
=Log=
- The back alley of Eureka. It is here that most of the illegal dealings of the city commence, and where Zephyr sent Agents to aquire Military-Grade Plating. What could possibly go wrong?
<br><br>- Meanwhile Nekura made the time to shrink away her spear since the last thing she needs at the moment is to end up going Rut happy all over the other agents like the last time she allowed it to run rampant. Despite this though the Nightmare is still pretty horny from being in Heat for the past week as well which leaves her walking a little funny as she approaches the meeting point.
<br><br>- Darkness filled the shadows and the sky seemed bleak. Pillars of buildings that stood on either side protruded up and about as though the ribs of some long dead beast. Clambering to either side, ratlike creatues and old boxes filled with unknown goods littered the sides... It was a place that the people avoided if they could, and passed swiftly when they must. It was the bottom of the bottom... at least the surface world thought it was...
<br><br>- Mokou stepped into that alley as a sinner among theives. Her attired was her typical work, the only addition that seemed out of place was the bag upon her back. A large suitcase wrapped in twine and rope, jingling every few steps she took with it. Aside from that... the only thing that followed her in was a slight little fox at her side. A collar wrapped about their neck proclaimed the word "Felix" and the small mechanical... box upon their back seemed to indicate their purpose. A large Red cross... The fennec sighed, gazing about the place before twisting her tail, letting it fall back to the ground. A grim smile and her eyes pierced through the darkness, leering and looking... Trying to find that one little... heh... rat. "A job is a job... M-might be able to... p-pick that up... too... Alright then... Let's get this over with." That her eyes fell upon a particular Darkhorse... she simply took a few steps back and to the side, trying to dismiss the other. No need for... any of that.
<br><br>- Lots of things, lots of things could possibly go wrong when dealing with the criminal underground, but for one jackal with a knack for combat, bless his tainted little soul, this was just another Zpehyrian mission, a chance to butt heads with someone while furthering his employers' research project. He knew about as much of the criminal underground as did a fly understand quantum physics.
<br>Whistling a merry tune to distract himself, undeterred by the shadiness of the situation, and frankly rather entertained, the jackal's heavy footfall is heard within the dark alley, his body covered in heavy armor, plated fists swinging by his sides, steel boots leaving deep prints wherever dirt or grime was present. "Spooky, shady... very creepy." he mutters to himself, expecting nothing more than to do what he'd done time and time again, deal with petty thugs in need of a good pummeling.
<br>He'd been told that a trade was to be conducted, but a trade with Fairhaven's filthy criminal scum? He saw it far more likely that they'd raid a camp, do the citizens a favor, stomp out part of the crime and obtain their required salvage. ...right? ...right? Who knew... Zephyr themselves were quite shady, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they were in cahoots with the crime lords of the big city.
<br>He approaches the meeting point, and sees a familiar face. Memories of past ventures flash through his head, some were rather amusing... in a way. His gaze then snaps onto the smaller figure in the group. "Mokou?" he mutters under his breath, happy to see another familiar face. "Ladies." he greets them both, even going so far as to take a light bow and cast Nekura a wink. "I guess this is the place, then. Spooky..." the jackal remarks, eyes wandering over the surrounding buildings. "Lots of potential perches for snipers up there..."
<br><br>- Pelle flutters over to the meeting point is and lands giving them all a wave "hello Otto, hello Mokou and hello Nekura we all here to do the mission?" she asks tilting her head a bit looking at them all
<br><br>- Emacs steps into the alley quietly. She raises an eyebrow. "Wow. I hang out at this place occasionally."
<br>She took a moment to look around and nodded at the group that had already assembled. "Sup"
<br>She didn't know what to make of the military grade plating. It didn't seem to her that it would matter to Zephyr unless someone had taken it from them. It was above her paygrade anyway.
<br><br>- It seems that Otto and nekura are the only ones who didn't know where to look. And with underworld knowledge and connections, the rumor of armor plating has lead to a man named Terra, a herm slut rat that looks like he had too many sleepless nights. He wears a torn vest and slacks, and hanging from his belt is a holster with a massive revolver in it. But what seems to be the most obvious thing about him is the heavy scent of heat and fertility surrounding him, something he does not look happy about every time he notices he is rubbing his breasts. "What do you want?!" he yells at the group approaching him.
<br><br>- Not that this is surprising given Nekura doesn't tend to go into this part of town for the same reasons that she has no idea where things are. Yet as they go to the place of interest and the rat slut ends up giving them such a salty expression the Nightmare decides to be lewd/evil and distracts Terra with an Erotic Dance.
<br><br>- Down the ally and around the bend, the fennec and her fox slipped by, walking through and continuing onward. A rat though, that's what she knew. What she could rustle up. Terra, a familiar name if... not for the rat before her. Mokou stepped forward, trying to flash a brief grimace and a smile back to the lass. The expression familiar, the grip upon their chest well known... And she moved to speak. Before... The horse. Blasted little... She sighed, taking a further step back from Nekura and their dancing. "I swear... Stupid horses... Stupid stupid..." Gripping her shoulders for the moment, she looked slowly to the rat, reaching out and trying to pull their gaze away from looking to the horse. "Pardon Lass, we don't take her out much... We're just needing some information is all. Then... can try and fix you up something with your... problem..."
<br><br>- The jackal turns his head towards the source of the noise, his sniffer instantly assaulted by the aromas of heat and female need. What he smells was appetizing, but the same could not be said about what he sees and hears. His gaze is instantly drawn to the large firearm at the rat's side. Ultimately, he leaves the others to discuss the terms of the business exchange seeing as that wasn't Otto's strong suit, and then Nekura starts putting on a show... for some reason?
<br>A long, drawn out sigh parts his lips as he observes, and while the show was enticing, they had a job to do, dog gummit! Once Mokou speaks up, he listens closely, unsure by what she meant when she spoke of this... 'problem'. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't good. "We're here on behalf of a wealthy benefactor, seeking to procure some military grade armor plating." the jackal clarifies as he leans against one of the walls and casts the rat an empty glance.
<br><br>- Pelle flutters after the rest following where they are going looking around the places they go to till they meet up with the rat she gives her a look before going back to giving the place they are in a look not really the one with is good at taking and when her glance comes to look at Nekura she shakes her head a bit and continues looking around
<br><br>- Emacs says nothing but pays attention to the rat's body language. She wants to get a read on Terra's reaction.
<br><br>- A whistling cat-call can be heard from a nearby window when Nekura starts dancing, but the caller immediately closes the shutters when someone turns to look. Terra however, doesn't repond well to the group's responses. "Did you just call me LASS?!" He reaches for his revolver, but immediately stops himself. "No, no... That... Whatever. You looking for armored plating? Then you need to pay for it. Nothing in the world is for free! I already got a few starting bids, but with a little incentive..." He rubs his fingers together "...then I'll be sure to put you on the top of the list." He waits for them to give suggestions for his payment, smiling wickedly.
<br><br>- Nekura spoof Not that Nekura is entirely surprised by the fact the mouse 'girl' wasn't paying attention though she does end up trying to see who whistled from the window.
<br><br>- Mokou nearly snapped at hearing the rat break that terms and speech, but she stayed her ground. "Pardon there, but yes. The armored plating. We know it's running through and we know the plating." A small smile played at her lips as she heard the others murmuring lightly, the lass giving a slow nod. "What we can offer? Well, there is the old standby of some creds... a bit of salvage to pick you off the ground..." She paused there a moment, nodding to the ground by her, over to her fox Felix and the box upon his back. "Might also be willing to throw in a few meds I got in there. Some for actual help... some to help clear up that miscommunication. Cut out the female bits.... Get you back to a man's man."
<br><br>- Otto's eyes never left the spot where that revolver was, and once the rat reaches for it, so does he lean away from the wall and snarl under his breath. Thankfully, the firearm remains in its holster, leaving Otto's brows furrowed, and his fists clenched, but his own weapons in place. Every so often, his glance wanders over to the windows of the buildings surrounding them, his suspicions that they were being watched and likely aimed at all but confirmed.
<br>He listens closely as Mokou speaks, his tail twitching behind him as he feels what's going to come up. That grin plastered on the filthy rat's face... that wasn't a business smile, that was an extortionist's wicked grin. Was it? Call it a hunch, a gut feeling if you will, but perhaps not. Ugh, that creature was as vile as it was shady... and clearly not fond of what's between its legs. "Shit, I can fix you right here and right now. Coyote works wonders." the jackal states, then ponders for a moment "My benefactors are quite wealthy, we'd be more than willing to pay top dollar, and just as my lovely associate here as pointed out, we would be willing to sweeten the deal. Personally, I could offer you a large boon of finely crafted armaments, if that tickles your fancy."
<br><br>- Pelle listens to wat is being said and when otto talks of crafting stuff she speaks up a bit "well I can do a bit of weapon crafting as well, it will probably not be as good as the stuff otto makes but its still weaponry" she shrugs and being uneasy after the rat was about to poll a gun on them takes to looking into the windows making sure there are no more guns at them at them
<br><br>- Emacs "It's clear that you have money, and that you have armaments. So I can't say that I know what we can rightly offer you, as with both things comes the opportunity to rectify any perceived issue with identity."
<br>She smiles "More importantly, Zephyr is wealthy, and if that is not enough, very powerful. The currency you probably use is minted by us. Our work is a keystone of your life, for better and worse. And the favor of Zephyr may likewise improve your life..."
<br><br>- The slut rat waits as offers are made to him, his tail flicking when he hears about Mokou's offer about removing his female bits, but he shakes his head anyway. "No no, what I want is something a bit... warmer. Something that will never leave me no matter what I ask of it." He glances to Nekura, and then back to Mokou. "A... friend of mine has a few for sale. If you can get him to give me three of his 'red toys', I'll tell you exactly where you can find the armor dealer." He pauses for a second for people to catch up with his train of thought, then adds "get me a few of those female-part-removers and I'll even direct away some of your... competition." He notices that he has a hand under his vest an immediately pulls it back, his face noting his sour mood again.
<br><br>- Meanwhile Nekura ends up huffing when the rattus doesn't pay attention to her though she ends up peering up at the window where the whistler was a few moments ago. "And I don't suppose you happen to know who lives in that one?" she asks Terra. She might be being a bit area-ist at the moment.
<br><br>- Mokou winces at that glance, her ears perking before nigh instantly dropping at the words that were shared. A breath given... a slow and heavy grumble falling from her lips, muzzle pulled up in a half grimace as she stepped back from the rat. "Warmer 'ey? I think... Think we could find you something for that. 'haps." A slow breath, a sharp exhale and she shook her head. "Relax girl... just... relax..." She peered back up, a small smile never touching her eyes given. "Very well. Can get you your... toy's..." Moving to the side, rifling through her Felix's box, she swiftly pulled out a small bottle of pills. Another, blue with a sharp X crossed over it, drew her gaze... She hesitated... Before handing the bottle to the 'lad' "Here. Take a few and you'll be fine." A slow smile was offered before she gestured out. "Now... Your... friend... A name so we can go, 'right?"
<br><br>- Otto was not liking this, he was NOT liking this one bit. He keeps a stern expression, unmoving, unflinching, though deep down he feels disgust welling up as he processes what he'd heard. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to make of it quite yet. These... 'red toys', they were alien to him. He hadn't a clue what was being talked about, but boy did this rub him the wrong way. "Right." the jackal says, plain and simple, cracks his knuckles and braces himself. Somehow, he had a hunch that this day was about to get a whole lot worse.
<br><br>- Pelle losens giving a glance to the windows she fells sombody looking at them a few times befor looking back to the rat tilting her head a bit "mind telling us wat the red toys are?" she asks not realy sure wat they are
<br><br>- Emacs thinks that something called a toy can't possibly be that unpleasant. She did not expect something so surely wholesome from this unkempt undesirable. She mutters something under her breath about her guess about it being a ball of some sort, probably used for bouncing off walls.
<br><br>- The slut rat takes Mokou's pills and stuffs them in his pocket, finally smiling about something. "Ask for Little John at the Auction House. It's the door in this alleyway with a drawing of a shovel above the door frame." Terra then looks to Nekura and says "You, dear lady, don't want a man like that. He is known to eat people. And I don't mean that in the sexual way." He glances up at the window in question, a look of disdain on his face. "Anyway, you better get going. You're giving me too much attention for this part of town."
<br><br>- Nekura just makes a :| face when told the person in the window eats people and goes to wander out of the area where Terra was.
<br><br>- Mokou slowly stepped back from the rat, her face visibly souring as she did so. "Understood then." A sharp yip was given, Felix hopping back to her side before the fennec turned, gripping Nekura and Otto at the shoulder and pulling them along. "Come on then... I know where that place is." Her claws might have been a touch sharper than they needed to be, and her grip a touch firmer... But given the murmuring that she growled beneath her breath at... likely was either for a purpose... or venting. A flick of the tail... A shiver and a sigh...
<br><br>- The pull came as a surprise, but Otto didn't resist it. He had no reason to, nor was he fired up by the idea of staying in this forsaken alleyway. He casts the rat a dirty look before turning to go with the others, then directs his gaze to Mokou. "What was that all about, what's that punk asking of us exactly, what are these toys?" he asks again and again, yet at the back of his mind, one could wonder why it was that Mokou was so familiar with these things. The fennec seemed to have some dark ties after all.
<br><br>- Pelle follows the after them all waving good bye to the rat before going with the rest
<br><br>- Emacs follows along keeping up with the rest of the group. She did not fail to notice the anger that Mokou displayed. The kitsune was not terribly concerned. The right way forwards would become clear with time. She doesn't bother to say goodbye to the rat.
<br><br>- Everyone arrives at the Auction House. It is a rather nondescript door, but the drawing of a shovel is definitly written above it. It opens easly and quietly, the smell of many different forms (and a few sexual fluids) coming from the room inside. With Little John somewhere inside, the group enters...[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-09-03T18:14:46Z

Zophah:

Underworld Armorer - Part 3 - RPLOG

2017-09-03T18:14:11Z

Zophah: Created page with "=Participants= * Pelle * Ebreus * Otto * Zophah =Date= 2/9/2017 =Log= - Meeting at the entrance to the highway is the usual human Promethian wearing blue overa..."

=Participants=
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
2/9/2017
=Log=
- Meeting at the entrance to the highway is the usual human Promethian wearing blue overalls known as Smithson. Standing next to his heavily-worn truck, he waits for everyone to gather before speaking: "Zephyr has hired me again to help you all drive out into the ruins of America to gather something-or-other. This time we are heading back to a town called Paradise where some ex-military group is looking to trade some of their Military-Grade Plating for supplies. Everything Zephyr is offering is right here..." He points to a trailer hooked to the back of his truck, loaded with crates and such. "...so all we have to do is take it out there, negotiate, and bring the armor plates back. Any questions before we head out?"
<br><br>- Ebreus glides down to the meeting place, clad in his usual armor but now sporting a belt-fed gernade launcher and ballistic shield instead of a Flamethrower. He smiles and looks around seeing Smithson and his truck. "Hello Smithson, it'll be nice working with you again." he says and waits leaning against the truck.
<br>Once the rest of the group arrives and Smithson explains the mission he nods and says, "We're after Military plates, right? My team and I have been needing 'em for the project."
<br><br>- T'was a foggy day, a shitty day for sure, the shady cityscape shrouded under the cover of dense mists, wretched workings and foul machinations running rampant, unobserved and protected by the haze. A bleak outlook to be sure, one as seen though the eyes of a golden-furred jackal with a thirst for danger.
<br>Stepping heavily towards the meeting place, clad in steel from nose to toes, the canine carried himself boldly, his stance stoic and firm, though to those more perceptive, he would appear troubled... that glint in his eyes faded, gaze darkened, in a way... his brows furrowed lightly, lips lacking that typical smarmy grin...
<br>Once Otto nears the meeting point, he rolls his shoulders and cracks a few joints, then sighs heavily, as though the armor he carried was twice, nay... thrice it's weight, yet indeed it was not. His arsenal was much the same. Several automated firearms lining his body, a long and deadly looking chainsword perched upon his back, heavy gauntlets concealing leathal battle claw attachments... and gods knew what else the canine hid under there.
<br>He flashes an unsteady smile at Smithson and greets him with a nod, "Nice to see you again." he states firmly, then glances at Ebreus. "Hey Eb. You too. How's it hanging?"
<br><br>- Pelle is flying to the meeting place as she spots three figures and truck and lands beside them all, she shifts into a Saber-toothed Bard having all her armor and weapons change to her now size,
<br>she has a bow and a rocket launcher on her back with a quiver of arrows on her hip and an around 5 rockets strapped to her back and a chainsaw on her belt, she gives them all a wave as she wakes up to them "hello Ebreus and hello otto" she says then looks to the person next to the truck "and hello to you as well, in Pelle" she says and gives him a small bow before looking at them all. "so this is the meeting place?" she asks
<br><br>- Smithson replies "Yep. just need to get going now." He then gets everyone in or on the truck to make ther way out. And riding out to Paradise is a smooth trip, nothing out here causing any trouble. It is only after pulling into Paradise that something seems wrong: A few columns of smoke rise in the distance. "That can't be good." Smithson says as he drives through the streets. "That smoke looks to be right where the meeting point is supposed to be. I'm going to pull over about two blocks over, then your ride home won't get caught up in what may happen." He stops the truck in a side street, then motions for everyone to get out.
<br><br>- Ebreus smiles brightly to see Otto was on this contract too. "Hi Otto!" he barks happily. He then notices his soured mood and his smile partially fades. "Something wrong Otto? We're headed out on adventure." he says, hoping to cheer the Jackal up a bit.
<br>He waves when he notices Pelle aproachig... or rather having aproached as it isn't easy to see someone the size of a large beetle in fog. He says, "Hi Pelle, nice to see you're coming along and well prepared." As he pats his own Ammo packs. He quietly tries to judge their weight and make sure he hasn't lost any 'nades from the spare magazines he has with him.
<br>Ebreus nods as Smithson carrals them into the truck, "Right, off to our newest adventure." he says. He rides quietly, spending the time inside the double double-checking his equipment and making any necessary spot-fixes with his Nanomagics then when he feels the unpleasant sensation of the bubble being cut off he says, "Pelle, you running Regulation or shall I?"
<br><br>- "Adventure!" the jackal replies with a forced smile and a raised fist, then nods a greeting to Pelle. Well, everyone seemed well armed for this. Perhaps they'd need to be... Climbing into the truck, the canine takes the time spent traveling to ensure all his equipment was accounted for, weapons loaded, primed and ready. He remembered... not so long ago, the ambush that they'd suffered, one that'd claimed the lives of two poor survivors. Such things were hard to forget.
<br>Leaving the bubble was nothing new to Otto. He'd done it so many times by now that it felt just like home. Silent throughout most of the trip, he keeps his eyes and ears sharp for signs of trouble, even as they drove through the streets towards their destination, nay... ESPECIALLY once they were within the lion's den. "So many windows..." he rumbles quietly "Potential sniper nests all over the place... I hope Z knows what they're doing..." perhaps they did, what were three mooks to a corporate giant like Zephyr anyway?
<br>Once the smoke comes into view, and the truck comes to a halt, Otto is the first to climb out. "That's a good idea, take care of the payload." Otto tells their driver, then arms himself with his semi-automatic rifle and looks towards Ebreus and Pelle. "I'm going through the alleys to check things out. You two make your approach however you'd like, but do take care." he nods, then departs, finding the nearest pathway to safely approach their destination.
<br><br>- Pelle activists her Regulation nanomagic the moment she feels the unwelcome feeling from being outside of the bubble. "I can keep it up" she says to Ebreus and the moment she spots the smoke she looks to Ebreus. "you may want to activate yours I'm going to fly over and look at whats happening and then come back to you" she says to Ebreus and gives Otto a nod when the truck stops and starts flying up into the sky, she flyes as fast as she can to get to the meeting place and to get a look at how is there or what has happened
<br><br>- Coming across the scene of the billowing smoke, it appears that a group of soldiers have somewhat fortified a position in a local diner, like a temporary outpost. The diner is practicaly in ruins however, like multiple explosions blew out everything and everyone inside. A transport truck lies on its side, torn open by something that looks to be another explosion, and there are bodies all over the place. All of the dead look to be recent, clothed in military fatigues and in various male and female bunny forms.
<br><br>- Ebreus spies the smoke and nods as Otto decides to scout ahead. He hums a tone as he's left the only one not-scouting. Activating his own regulation field he walks forward down the right-hand sidewalk toward the meeting place, keeping his Shield angled so that on an instance notice it could be on his left or in front of him. Making good use of having an extra set of arms he carefully keeps his 40mm launcher trained on the window that would be worst for him if it were a snipers nest. Once he reaches the meeting point and sees all the corpses and damage he sighs and moves into the building, doing his best to determine cause of death for the corpses. Predicably explosives and gunshots. He glances around for any of his compariots and seeing Otto he says, "Any of them breathing?" as he continues to watch the windows of the other buildings.
<br><br>- The jackal weaves through the battleground, his weapon raised, senses sharp, body armored and steeled for the unexpected, ready... yet nothing happens just yet. Thankfully, he makes his way to the turned over truck without having his brains splattered every which way by a sniper round. There, the jackal happens to take a peek at the front seats, or rather what was left of them. There, he spots the two drivers, one of which seemed to be in far better shape than the other. Perhaps the poor lapine was alive?
<br>Leaning in through the window, the jackal checks for a pulse, a small smile tugging at his lips once he feels the faint thumping of a beating heart. "Here." he calls to Ebreus, then gets to work. The jackal puts his strength to good use, prying open the part of the dashboard pinning the poor soul in place, then unhooks the seatbelt and adjusts so as to pull him out through the broken windshield. Taking care not to cut the lad on any glass or sharpened metal, he frees him from the crushed car prison and lays his body on the ground.
<br>There were no traces of blood upon the lapine's uniform, which was most reassuring. Perhaps the canine's medkit was unnecessary? He couldn't tell, his medical training not only lacking, but completely absent. "This one yet lives, but he is out cold."
<br><br>- Pelle starts to write on a piece of paper she has fished out of her backpack "saw a military looking truck go east following. yours truly Pelle" written on it and sticks it to an arrow, with she shots down at the ground when she passes the meeting place hoping somebody sees it, she then goes to follow the truck from a distance trying to get a look at who is in the truck and going closer if needed
<br><br>- As Otto pulls the bunny boy soldier from the wreck, he starts to stir, still groggy and replying slowly. "Huh? Who are you? What happened?"
<br><br>- Ebreus glances over to Otto when he calls and watches him retrieve the Lapine driver. He pulls his attention back to the windows, "He stable?" he asks as he scans for motion in the windows, ready to put a shell through the first window to have motion in it. He doesn't look to the soldier when he speaks but replies to them, "We're from Fairhaven. You were, apparently, ambushed." Hearing the arrow land he glances toward it and sees it laying there. He sidesteps over to it and grabs it with his free hand, he opens the note and reads it. "Hope you can move, or be without us. Truck headed East. Possibly with our prize." he says. He stretches his wings and texts Pelle, "Texting works, can you stop them?" as he makes his way back toward the destroyed section of the building.
<br><br>- The jackal looks over the poor lapine soldier he'd rescued, relieved to see the lad stir awake. "What my comrade said. Zephyr dispatched us here, we just sorta... walked right into this mess." he sniffs around for the telltale scents of blood, but detects nothing. "Where does it hurt? Can you stand on your own?" the jackal asks, keeping his tone down. Nodding at Ebreus, he states firmly, "Go take care of that, I'll catch up."
<br><br>- Pelle looks to her comms unit as she hears it peep and text Ebreus as fats. "ok" back to him before taking her rocket launcher of her back and ready the rocket that's in it before aiming for the front part of it and thinking a bit of the speed it's going at and what speed she is going at as well and fires a rocket at it
<br><br>- The soldier still speaks slowly: "Ambushed? By who?" He then looks around ad the destruction, his adrenaline spiking as he screams "AAAAHHHH!" and flails around, almost hitting Otto in the face. His outburst doesn't last long though, as he is soon clutching his head an whimpering in pain.
<br><br>- Ebreus looks back to the Jackal and the downed Lapine with a smile and nod, "Alright. Get 'im back to our truck." he says. He then crouches and leaps into the air using his large demonic wings to carry him higher into the air. He orients himself around to be facing East, he spies the truck dives to pick up speed as he begins to persue the truck.
<br><br>- Taking a step back once the lapine freaks out, Otto is at the very least relieved to see his able to move around some. "Calm down. Look, my name's Otto, alright? You're safe, you're alive, the ambush is over." the jackal sighs and glances towards where their transport was located. "Listen, I'll bring you to our comrade from big Z. He's waiting to drive us back into town." That said, the jackal carefully wraps one arm around the downed lapine's back, the other under the cleft of his legs, and carefully lifts. Were all to go well, he'd take the soldier over to the truck as agreed, and deposit him in Smithson's care.
<br><br>- the rocket hits the ground just shy of the truck, causing it to swerve and come to a stop. One of the tires looks to be torn up in the process
<br>the rocket hits the ground just shy of the truck, causing it to swerve and come to a stop. One of the tires looks to be torn up in the process
<br>Pelle is hovering for the moment and wondering what to do now that the truck has stops, she desids takes out another rocket and reloads her rocket launcher, she fires it at the truck again hoping somebody survives the explosions she is making, she waits for her rocket to hit and go off and if she hit and the truck desids to blow up waits for that to happen
<br><br>- The soldier does nothing to stop Otto from picking him up and carrying him off, still clutching his head. "Big Z? Who's that?" he asks.
<br>In the distance, Pelle's second rocket flies off to hit the back of the truck, about to blow appart the back of it. Moments before the rocket hits, figures jump from the driver and passenger seats of the truck while a thrid dives from the back, narrowly missing getting hit by Pelle's rocket. Then a bright light can be seen flashing from a weapon the third person is holding, and a searing beam of light tears through Pelle's left wing.
<br><br>- Ebreus swoops diving until there is just enough time to recover without hitting the ground so as to build up speed as the races after the truck. Just as he behins to loose momentum he flaps his wings, flying low and fast at the wrecked truck and three hostiles. Recognizing the weapon used he texts Otto, 'The SOBs from Tahoe were in the truck. Pelles hurt. Get here now.' Unsure of wether or not his Shield could withstand that sort of lazor weapon he adjusts course so as to me more easily able to be harder to notice.
<br><br>- "Zephyr." Otto answers quietly, going silent as he walks the lapine over towards the truck, where Smithson was waiting for them. "We have a survivor, Smith. Take care of him, would ya? I'm gonna..." and then it catches the jackal's eye. That flash of light, not too far from where he was, albeint far enough that going on foot would take too long. While it was not a clear sign that it's where his comrades were, it was a worthwhile thing to check out. The canine's comm unit beeps, and the message only made the jackal groan with exasperation. They had an injury, and it would likely become a casualty like this. Showing the message to Smith, he places a paw on the driver's shoulder and asks "You gotta get me over there."
<br><br>- Pelle freaks out a bit when she gets her left wing shot throw my a beam not sure what that was and tries to get her self to crash land on the nearest building but don't really make it in time as she only manages to get a hold of the edge of the building and falls down the on one below her she feels the sickening feeling when her mini bubble pops she gets her comms unit and sends a text to Ebreus and Otto "I'm fine pain but fine bubble popped cant fly left wing broken like hell just go and get them for this" she lays her self down a bit trying to fight throw the pain she is having
<br><br>- Smithson takes no time in starting the truck, letting Otto get the soldier into the passenger seat next to him. "If Zephyr losses these supplies, I doubt they'll let us off without paying for them." He still doesn't hesitate, driving down the streets the moment Otto gets in.
<br>The three people from the truck immediately get into defensive positions, taking cover.
<br><br>- Ebreus flaps his wings as hard as he can to quickly gain altitude and land on the rooftop of the building closest to him. He quickly scrables away from the Edge and aims his launcher to fire like a mortar, raining 40mm Shells, hopefully, onto MA-X and his allies.
<br><br>- The truck comes to a screeching halt a short distance from the source of the chaos, and Otto is immediately off of the vehicle. Firearms put away as he runs towards the source of that familiar scent, the aroma of blood gushing from a fresh wound guiding Otto towards the rooftop where Pelle was lying. The jackal keeps his head low and his motions swift, monkeying up the side of the building with ease, thanks to a conveniently placed ladder of all things! He monkeys his way up to the roof and locks his gaze onto Pelle.
<br>The poor lass was hit hard, but her situation was not hopeless. The canine's keen eye spots the three who had immediately dashed under new cover to avoid the blasts Ebreus had put down. Thinking quickly, Otto raises his automatic rifle and fires, the sounds of gunfire flood the area as a barrage of lead comes down from Otto's perch. Despite emptying a clip, the attackers' new cover makes it difficult for him to aim true. Two of the rounds pierce one of the men's legs, while another round strikes a different person in the shoulderblade. Otto ducks for cover immediately after and reloads, readying for another attack.
<br><br>- Pelle gives Otto a wave when she spots him, as she sees that he goes to fire his gun she starts to remove the harness she used to keep her rocket launcher on her, she reloads it and shoves it to Otto and tries to get his attention without saying a word, she then point to the rocket launcher
<br><br>- Because of Ebreus's grenades hitting walls at odd angles, two of the three enemies had retreated to other cover while a third climbed into the back of the truck, avoiding the potentially deadly blasts. Those two that stayed out were the ones who got hit by Otto's spray of bullets. It seems that getting shot they just retreat into cover more, not firing back. However, it must have been the one in the truck that was most dangerous, as a loud BING! BING! BING! starts ringing out from the back of the truck.
<br><br>- Ebreus ceases firing after a short burst, not wanting to waist all his 40mm Shells. He takes freezes once his launcher falls silent, when no death rays come for him be begins to breath again. He takes mental note to take that rifle from MA-Xs corpse... should he ever get the opertunity. Hearing the, strangely reassuring, sound of Ottos ballistic weapons he smiles and texts him, 'How far off did they land?' as he tries to keep the launcher steady so as to be able to lay down accurate morter fire once Otto responds. He keeps his shield ready, just in case. He adjusts his 40mm Launcher and prepares to rain hell on this new, assumedly hostile, noise. He takes a breath as the beeping continues and texts Otto, 'Can you do anything about that thing?'
<br><br>- The jackal was largely unamused once he hears his comm unit beep, his paws already busy reloading a new clip into his firearm. He does flick it open and reads the messages though, then flicks it back down without a response. T'was not the time to be texting. As the rounds enter his automated rifle, he peers down at Pelle and the weapon she offered. The jackal shakes his head. "We came here for the plating. I am not blowing that truck up." he looks at Ebreus and and gestures that he was going in.
<br>The jackal then disappears, shrouded by his vanishing nanomagic, a mere specter, a gust of wind that creeps its way towards the truck, weapon in hand. Once he reaches the back of the truck, he moves in for the decisive strike. Wrapping one arm around the man there, he starts to asphyxiate them, squeezing with enough force to completely close up their windpipe, and before long, they were unconscious.
<br>Setting the lifeless ragdoll aside, Otto breathes a sigh of relief, a short-lived one to be sure, as mere moments later he can hear a device trigger beside him. The jackal immediately looks over the electronics thereupon, and identifies it as a mini-server. T'was where his expertise ended, and uncertainty came with the fight or flight response, and within an instant, the canine had taken a roll away from the potentially hazardous device.
<br><br>- Pelle nods to what Otto says and grabs her rocket launcher and lays on the rooftop not knowing what she can do to help the two, she sees that Otto disappears from sight and sends a text to Ebreus "Otto disappeared and I don't know what he's going to do" when she has sent the text she goes back to trying to suppress the pain so she can get her own bubble back up
<br><br>- The device in the truck activates, and immediately the area around the truck starts to fill up with a thick fog. It doesn't seem to be pouring from the truck, more like it forms from the very air around it, then spreading out to fill around everyone in the vacinity.
<br><br>- Ebreus watches Ottos signs silently, making no exteraneous movements. He waits a minute before beginning to text Otto, 'Are you still alive?' Then when he sees the fog beginning to manifest around him he goes 'oh shit' silently to himself. His Contol Foci roars to life, the tiny device trying to defend his mind from the fog as he quickly texts Otto everything he'd need to know to turn the server into electronic salvage.
<br><br>- The fog engulfed Otto first of all, the poor canine being so close to the device, he takes the brunt of its influence. Immediately, everything fell silent, the very world around him disappearing as blackness engulfed his mind. He tries to fight it, but the effects are very real nonetheless... that... familiar feeling, the creep around his wrists, body devoid of any sort of protection, bare... vulnerable... he felt small, a dwarf in a giant's world, bound, immobile...
<br>What was that?! Hissing... in the distance... nay, it was nearby, a sickly, wheezing sound, serpentine in a way, but unearthly. Chittering surrounded him, the gentle footfall of many legs, encircling, surrounding... there was nowhere to run... "No. No no no fuck this." the jackal snarls, his mind crying out in defiance against what he was perceiving, the terror fighting his iron will for dominance, thoughts of fangs slipping through the flesh upon his neck, body growing cold, lifeless as... "NOOOOO!" the canine cries out! THIS HAD TO STOP! THIS HAD TO STOP RIGHT NOW! That infernal machine, that's what was doing this, he had to stop it, RIGHT NOW!
<br>Ebreus' page falls on deaf ears, a mind taken back into a very dark place, fracturing, buckling under the pressure with each passing second. Otto struggles to make sense of his surroundings, his vision barely functional as he fights to find his way back to the truck. Sensations, thoughts and emotions scattered every which way as he frantically searched for the device that was causing this, he swings his armored fist and with all his might *SLAM* crushes the delicate electronics under the weight of his swing, terminating the server... ending the horror. Wide-eyed and gasping for air, the jackal remains paralyzed for a moment... shivering slightly.
<br><br>- Pelle felling her pain go away she does her best to crawl to the edge of the building, she look down to the truck trying to see what was happening but when she starts to remember her friends their faces but not their names, a moment she feared since she started getting new friends and something she has thought off, she starts to fish throw her command unit but before she gets to the file she wants, the names of her friends come back and she looks back to the truck, she thinks for a moment and takes her backpack off to rumble throw it and get out a few things from her backpack, as she starts to try and fix her broken wing so she can use it in a mini bubble not to fly but to glide
<br><br>- The two remaining enemies, taking advantage of the momentary distraction caused by the Fog's effects, have taken Otto from behind in the truck and managed to drug him with a syringe. It slowly takes effect, Otto's body starting to go numb while the two of them drag the third out of the truck, trying to retreat.
<br><br>- Ebreus begins to take deep breaths as he begins to hear Debbies voice in his head... worried about him. He begins to tremble lightly as the fog closes in around him. Then something happens. He remembers something... this fog makes him hallucinate. Just as he realizes this the fog begins to dissipate and he grows angry. He peaks over the edge of the roof in time to see the two of them... draging their friend away. That won't do at all.
<br>He gets to his feet and with a running leap he is in the air, swooping down onto one of them like a Hawk attacking a field mouse. His paws connect with his targets upper torso and he rides them to the ground. With his large demonic wings spread wide he turns his head and exposes the last Child of Tahoe standing to his piercing gaze, his black scylera and bright irisess looking through him. He brings himself to his full standing hight and looms over the him, all four arms crost. "Your cybernetics are impressive. I think I'll take them if you don't surrender. Now!" he demands.
<br><br>- "MOTHERF..." the jackal rouses from his shock once he feels that needle jab into his back. He turns sharply to take a swing at whoever did that, but was just too slow... Body and mind started to turn numb, senses dulling as the venom took hold. The jackal was effectively incapacitated for a short while, his noggen struggling to devise the obvious solution. By the time Otto'd taken a hearty chug of his revitalizing energy juice, Ebreus had stomped his way in and scared off the competition. "Buh..." the canine grumbles as he gets off of the truck, mind still hazy after the shock, and the venom currently battling it out with his energizing concoction. It felt like he'd had a short of tranquilizers and adrenaline at the same time, despite neither substance having an effect so potent.
<br>Otto wobbles unsteadily, weapon drawn in one hand, aiming at the last of their enemies. "Sh...f...goddamn..." the canine slurs out, his body still in a state of chaos after that injection. He aims at the last human and pulls the trigger once, releasing two rounds that split his kneecaps and topple him over. "Tahoe... son...bitch. I'm..." the jackal puts his weapon away and leans against the truck, trying to recompose himself as the toxins battle it out. "Getting too old for this shit." he mumbles.
<br><br>- Pelle gets her duct tape from her backpack and start to path her wing up and when she is done she looks it over, she shines after looking at it for a bit and starts to remove the work she started with and lays down on the ground again, she hears the voice of Ebreus and Otto down at the truck and begins to crawl over to the edge of the building again to then looks at them she then gets her comms unit and sends a text to Otto and Ebreus. "some help up here? can't get down" she crawls a bit back send sends another message to the two. "and I want one of their armors, and I want to look at the thing with hit me in the wing" when she is done with texting she lays back on the ground
<br><br>- It is at this time that one enemy is unconsious, one crushed beneath Ebreus, and the last has a blown out kneecap and laying on the ground. Despite this, none of them are making a sound. No yells of pain, no cries for help or mercy. The one with a blasted leg reaches to his back where it can be seen that they have the energy weapon that injured Pelle, and instead of firing it, he tears out what looks to be the weapons's power cell and a dangerous-sounding beeping is starting to alarm.
<br><br>- Ebreus sees the last one grab his gun and imediently begin to disassemble it. His hands rush forward as he begins to try to wrestle the thing from this Child of Tahoe. "You hivemind asshole. Mother Tahoe! After this you YOU'RE NEXT!" he exclaims. After a few seconds he snarls and turns, leaping as far from the, assumedly high explosive, that he can get.
<br><br>- Otto hears the beeping, his attention instantly drawn to what was happening. "That ain't good." he murmurs, and as Ebreus struggles to pry it from the hands of... whatever that thing was, he takes a step back and a dive behind the nearest cover, where he'd be safe from the blast.
<br><br>- Pelle starts to hear the beeping and crawl to look at wats happening down there and spots Ebreus trying to get something from one of the hostiles before leaping for cover and sees otto do the same she tilts her head a bit not sure wat is happening
<br><br>- A flash of light. An incredibly bright flash of light. Even turning away from the blast and closing your eyes it seems like the whole town block lit up like it was noon. As vision starts to clear back to the low light of late sunset, all that can be seen from the three enemies is bleached bones and a huge scorch mark. As for Ebreus... the whole lower half of his body is charred. and with that level of trama there is no way Ebreus can keep up his regulation bubble either.
<br><br>- Ebreus looks up, in great pain, to see Otto. He smiles and tries to move only to find his charred body parts hardly capable of motion. He reaches toward his nearest friend, Otto, and says, "Otto..." he says. He forces a shuttering breath and continues, "You... can fix.. this... right..." he says, passing out from the pain of the burns and trying to move.
<br><br>- The jackal approaches, his face scrunched up as he watches the full extent of what'd happened to Ebreus. He covers his muzzle and feels... a little sick... There were some places one did NOT want to get burned like that, and it was among what the poor bastard had suffered. "Ah jeeze... Eb, you nutter." There was a time and a place to play hero, and the poor vulpine had done so in the wrong place and at the wrong time. He was on his way out, this much was perfectly clear.
<br>Focusing on his connection with the mother phoenix, the jackal surrenders to his inner fire, letting it flow outward, washing him over and changing him as he paces around Ebreus, the inferno that'd consumed him fading promptly to reveal a fully formed male phoenix in its wake. "Buddy..." the avian crouches down and sighs, "Get ready, because you're about to take a dive into the river of souls and come back from it." His words unheard anyway, the jackal was not serious, ofcourse... Ebreus was in no danger of actually dying, but hey. Dramatic flare...
<br>The phoenix rises from his crouching position, his wings extending outwards as he calls upon his mother's power to mend the critically injured. Flames engulf the large vulpine, though they do not sear his flesh, rather they coat him from head to toe, the fire intensifying, growing brighter and brighter by the moment, the processes happening within concealed... that is until Otto fans his wings abruptly, the fires pushed away, fading in thin air, revealing the vulpine beneath, his wounds almost entirely cured... or so it would seem, his heart beating strong, but his state of being? He would feel the worst kind of sore, his body taxed from the resurrection process to the point where every motion causes pain and discomfort, but they would be functional, at the very least...
<br><br>- Pelle gets to her feet after the explosion is done and her sight is back she looks back down to the two and spots the state Ebreus is in. She goes over to the ladder Otto used to get up with not going to fast to make the pain doesn't come back but as fast as she can go and begins to climb down the latter slowly so not to hurt herself more than what she already have, she gets to Otto and Ebreus or at lest she thinks it's Otto since Ebreus looks to be better, she points to the person she thinks is otto "your Otto yes? how is Ebreus?" she asks and looks to the truck "and I see if i can get the armor plates we were going to get off the truck," she says and walks over to the truck and starts trying to find the Armor plates and get them
<br><br>- With what is left of the military truck, the armored plates can be pulled from the back with extreme effort, Ebreus there to help once he awakens from the effects of the phoenix resurrection. Smithson pulls up in his truck for everyone to load up the armor, making space for what they can with the supplies already on there and the extra passenger. And with everything packed Smithson's truck starts to make it's way back to Fairhaven.
[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Underworld Armorer - Part 2 - RPLOG

2017-08-27T20:36:22Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Nekura]]
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Emacs]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
27/8/2017
=Log=
- It is apparent at first glance that this used to be a small-time bar before P-day, a stage set up at one end of the main room where hipster bands would play two-bit songs. Now however, this place has a much more lively group. The small-time bar is still just as much, but the stage has been set up to auction off any number of illegal and valuable things such as firearms, drugs, and even the occasional slave. The small crowd watching and bidding on the goods vary in size, form, and even shamelessness, one even getting a blowjob as he is bidding on a set of leashes and collars currently on stage. As the group enters, a storm dragon wearing boxing trunks aproaches. He turns to Emacs and says "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
<br><br>- What a foul and disgusting den of thievery, the very filth beneath Otto's boots felt as though it had greater value than the collective of souls haunting this place. It wreaked to high haven of trouble, and the jackal knew he was very much out of place being here. T'was not fear that welled within him, but rather a feverish urge to see it burned to the ground, cleansed of whatever evil went on here. Otto kept his hand on his firearm, his expression neutral, and his senses sharp. For now, he said nothing, but merely observed, listened, waited for an opening he was unlikely to get. His eyes scan the surroundings, looking to determine just how much of an opposition they'd face if things went down south.
<br><br>- There was a quiet breath that fell from Mokou as she paced back into that little bar. Her eyes scoured every inch of the room, high ceiling and low boards. The bar caught her eye, a patron tossing a sly wink her way as her gaze lingered... Before the fennec snapped back to attention. As much from her own will as the nip to her leg, Felix snipping at her. "Th-thanks... Got it..." She murmured back down, looking for... Ah. Him. The storm dragon that neared, her ears slowly fell back from her scalp, simply trying to shrink back at their prescense. Not to her they spoke, but to Emacs... No harm there... No harm there.
<br>Slinking back to the side, she looked to the room at large, spying those items aboard that stage and quietly swallowing. A deeper breath... a heavier sigh... and she nodded back. Not to the Storm Dragon, but to Emacs specifically. "Little John," she whispered not above a breath. The name the rat had given... The seller of the... of what they needed. A little reminder if nothing more. If they thought he would lead... they'd be her guest in that regard.
<br><br>- Pelle flutters after the group looking around the room they are in and nods to the doorman when emacs tells them who they are looking for.
<br><br>- Oh boy sex slaves. Good thing Nekura got rid of her peen or she might be trying them out to see if she wants one. Instead the pon turns to regard the drake when he comes to the group and makes a :| face at him just like she gave Terra earlier.
<br><br>- The storm dragon directs the group to Little John before returning to the front door. Little John appears to be a highway mouse shorter than average sitting at a side table. He looks like someone who dresses fancy because he can afford it, but doesn't actually take care of what he owns. He just needs one look at the group to know exactly why they are there. "What are you looking for and how much are you going to pay for it?"
<br><br>- Otto clenches his fists. Was this the asshole in charge? Would unloading a clip in his face put an end to this horror? He couldn't know. Otto knew nothing of how the criminal underground worked, and were he alone, he'd likely have already caused trouble.
<br>But this was not the case, was it? Contractually bound by his Zephyrian benefactors, the jackal knew all too well what would happen if he acts out. It burned, it burned so badly that he had to look at that smug rat in a tux and play his game, but he didn't appear to have many options.
<br>The urge to step up and state that they needed 'red toys' struck, but his glance wanders over to Mokou. She seemed to know what she was doing a lot better than he did, and quite frankly Otto didn't trust his own temper. So, he leans against the nearest object and watches, listens...
<br>His paws swipe past the bandoleer on his chest, and then move into his pockets. There, his fingers fiddled with the pins of two grenades. So tempting... but they had business to do first.
<br><br>- Emacs does her best to smile. She knows him by a vague reputation, garnered two removed from anyone who met him.
<br>She recognizes the jaundice in his outlook, a broken thing that makes the world appear to boil down to numbers that represent currency, which boils down to numbers again.
<br>She believes in the fundamental nature of numbers, but she does not believe that they represent currency.
<br>"For a 'red toy', would 65000 creds a piece be sufficient?"
<br><br>- Pelle stays quiet watching over wat is happening for a bit before beginning to look at the room having a price in mind but will let emacs do the taking for now.
<br><br>- Little John is taken aback at Emac's offer, looking like he was put in an uncomfortable spot. "S-sure. That works. How many of the red toys do you n-need?" When answered, he pulls out a notepad, writes down what looks like a random assortment of symbols and words, and holds out both hands: one with the note, and the other with his open hand. "Here is the receit. Just hand over 195,000 freecred."
<br><br>- Otto had slinked off for a moment there, though he's back before anyone has noticed his absence. He keeps a straight face and watches the remainder of the negotiations, his paws held loose to his sides, he simply observes, quiet... as though waiting for something.
<br><br>- Emacs smoothly says, "A pleasure doing business with you." A second later she looks bashful, "Whoops. How could I forget" and hands him the money.
<br><br>- With receit now in hand, and Little John behind them, the group can leave the Auction house and return to Terra. He must have taken Mokou's offered pills from last time, because he is fully male now. "So you have my toys? Give it here!" He takes the receit when offered to him, smiling gratefully. "The armor plates are in the posession of an ex-military convoy currently staying in Paradise, an abandoned town with no bubble northeast of here. They plan to sell the plates they made at an old tank factory in return for food and other supplies. Here is the old-world address." He pulls out his own notepad and writes it down, handing it to the group.
<br><br>- Making sure that everyone else leaves the building before he does, and makes it away from the structure, Otto's thumb twitches involuntarily as he makes his way along with the group towards the rat they were after. The jackal dots down the information and nods in acknowledgment. Fearing they were still too close to the auction house, he simply clasps his paws and says "Excellent. Thank you for the information." he states with a firm and calm tone. Tucking his paws into his pockets, the jackal then barely, BARELY manages to hide the grin on his face. His thumb slides over the button situated upon the remote he had stashed away in there, and presses down...
<br><br>- Emacs leaves the building with her hands in her pockets. She walks along the pavement looking down at her feet. Gears whir in her head. It'd take a literal explosion to remove her from her thoughts.
<br><br>- Pelle flutters after the group waving good bye to the rat man and says "have fun with your toys" when she gets a distance she know they will have no praying ears "well that was interesting, i just with we can do something about the auction house and stop a bit of crime and perhaps blow a few things up and get new things" she says thinking for a moment and she flutters after her group.
<br><br>- The whole allyway shook, the Auction House blowing out behind them as an explosion tore out the inside. Terra is gone the moment someone turns to look at the collapsing building, and people are starting to gather or flee depending on whether they can afford to be seen there. The group however, now with the knowledge of where the armor panels are, leave to return to Zephyr and report.
[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Underworld Armorer - Part 2 - RPLOG

2017-08-27T20:36:09Z

Zophah: Created page with "=Participants= * Nekura * Pelle * Emacs * Mokou * Otto * Zophah =Date= 27/8/2017 =Log= <br><br>- It is apparent at first glance that this used to be a..."

=Participants=
* [[Nekura]]
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Emacs]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
27/8/2017
=Log=
<br><br>- It is apparent at first glance that this used to be a small-time bar before P-day, a stage set up at one end of the main room where hipster bands would play two-bit songs. Now however, this place has a much more lively group. The small-time bar is still just as much, but the stage has been set up to auction off any number of illegal and valuable things such as firearms, drugs, and even the occasional slave. The small crowd watching and bidding on the goods vary in size, form, and even shamelessness, one even getting a blowjob as he is bidding on a set of leashes and collars currently on stage. As the group enters, a storm dragon wearing boxing trunks aproaches. He turns to Emacs and says "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
<br><br>- What a foul and disgusting den of thievery, the very filth beneath Otto's boots felt as though it had greater value than the collective of souls haunting this place. It wreaked to high haven of trouble, and the jackal knew he was very much out of place being here. T'was not fear that welled within him, but rather a feverish urge to see it burned to the ground, cleansed of whatever evil went on here. Otto kept his hand on his firearm, his expression neutral, and his senses sharp. For now, he said nothing, but merely observed, listened, waited for an opening he was unlikely to get. His eyes scan the surroundings, looking to determine just how much of an opposition they'd face if things went down south.
<br><br>- There was a quiet breath that fell from Mokou as she paced back into that little bar. Her eyes scoured every inch of the room, high ceiling and low boards. The bar caught her eye, a patron tossing a sly wink her way as her gaze lingered... Before the fennec snapped back to attention. As much from her own will as the nip to her leg, Felix snipping at her. "Th-thanks... Got it..." She murmured back down, looking for... Ah. Him. The storm dragon that neared, her ears slowly fell back from her scalp, simply trying to shrink back at their prescense. Not to her they spoke, but to Emacs... No harm there... No harm there.
<br>Slinking back to the side, she looked to the room at large, spying those items aboard that stage and quietly swallowing. A deeper breath... a heavier sigh... and she nodded back. Not to the Storm Dragon, but to Emacs specifically. "Little John," she whispered not above a breath. The name the rat had given... The seller of the... of what they needed. A little reminder if nothing more. If they thought he would lead... they'd be her guest in that regard.
<br><br>- Pelle flutters after the group looking around the room they are in and nods to the doorman when emacs tells them who they are looking for.
<br><br>- Oh boy sex slaves. Good thing Nekura got rid of her peen or she might be trying them out to see if she wants one. Instead the pon turns to regard the drake when he comes to the group and makes a :| face at him just like she gave Terra earlier.
<br><br>- The storm dragon directs the group to Little John before returning to the front door. Little John appears to be a highway mouse shorter than average sitting at a side table. He looks like someone who dresses fancy because he can afford it, but doesn't actually take care of what he owns. He just needs one look at the group to know exactly why they are there. "What are you looking for and how much are you going to pay for it?"
<br><br>- Otto clenches his fists. Was this the asshole in charge? Would unloading a clip in his face put an end to this horror? He couldn't know. Otto knew nothing of how the criminal underground worked, and were he alone, he'd likely have already caused trouble.
<br>But this was not the case, was it? Contractually bound by his Zephyrian benefactors, the jackal knew all too well what would happen if he acts out. It burned, it burned so badly that he had to look at that smug rat in a tux and play his game, but he didn't appear to have many options.
<br>The urge to step up and state that they needed 'red toys' struck, but his glance wanders over to Mokou. She seemed to know what she was doing a lot better than he did, and quite frankly Otto didn't trust his own temper. So, he leans against the nearest object and watches, listens...
<br>His paws swipe past the bandoleer on his chest, and then move into his pockets. There, his fingers fiddled with the pins of two grenades. So tempting... but they had business to do first.
<br><br>- Emacs does her best to smile. She knows him by a vague reputation, garnered two removed from anyone who met him.
<br>She recognizes the jaundice in his outlook, a broken thing that makes the world appear to boil down to numbers that represent currency, which boils down to numbers again.
<br>She believes in the fundamental nature of numbers, but she does not believe that they represent currency.
<br>"For a 'red toy', would 65000 creds a piece be sufficient?"
<br><br>- Pelle stays quiet watching over wat is happening for a bit before beginning to look at the room having a price in mind but will let emacs do the taking for now.
<br><br>- Little John is taken aback at Emac's offer, looking like he was put in an uncomfortable spot. "S-sure. That works. How many of the red toys do you n-need?" When answered, he pulls out a notepad, writes down what looks like a random assortment of symbols and words, and holds out both hands: one with the note, and the other with his open hand. "Here is the receit. Just hand over 195,000 freecred."
<br><br>- Otto had slinked off for a moment there, though he's back before anyone has noticed his absence. He keeps a straight face and watches the remainder of the negotiations, his paws held loose to his sides, he simply observes, quiet... as though waiting for something.
<br><br>- Emacs smoothly says, "A pleasure doing business with you." A second later she looks bashful, "Whoops. How could I forget" and hands him the money.
<br><br>- With receit now in hand, and Little John behind them, the group can leave the Auction house and return to Terra. He must have taken Mokou's offered pills from last time, because he is fully male now. "So you have my toys? Give it here!" He takes the receit when offered to him, smiling gratefully. "The armor plates are in the posession of an ex-military convoy currently staying in Paradise, an abandoned town with no bubble northeast of here. They plan to sell the plates they made at an old tank factory in return for food and other supplies. Here is the old-world address." He pulls out his own notepad and writes it down, handing it to the group.
<br><br>- Making sure that everyone else leaves the building before he does, and makes it away from the structure, Otto's thumb twitches involuntarily as he makes his way along with the group towards the rat they were after. The jackal dots down the information and nods in acknowledgment. Fearing they were still too close to the auction house, he simply clasps his paws and says "Excellent. Thank you for the information." he states with a firm and calm tone. Tucking his paws into his pockets, the jackal then barely, BARELY manages to hide the grin on his face. His thumb slides over the button situated upon the remote he had stashed away in there, and presses down...
<br><br>- Emacs leaves the building with her hands in her pockets. She walks along the pavement looking down at her feet. Gears whir in her head. It'd take a literal explosion to remove her from her thoughts.
<br><br>- Pelle flutters after the group waving good bye to the rat man and says "have fun with your toys" when she gets a distance she know they will have no praying ears "well that was interesting, i just with we can do something about the auction house and stop a bit of crime and perhaps blow a few things up and get new things" she says thinking for a moment and she flutters after her group.
<br><br>- The whole allyway shook, the Auction House blowing out behind them as an explosion tore out the inside. Terra is gone the moment someone turns to look at the collapsing building, and people are starting to gather or flee depending on whether they can afford to be seen there. The group however, now with the knowledge of where the armor panels are, leave to return to Zephyr and report.
[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Underworld Armorer - Part 1 - RPLOG

2017-08-26T22:08:14Z

Zophah:

Underworld Armorer - Part 1 - RPLOG

2017-08-26T22:07:43Z

Zophah: Created page with "=Participants= * Emacs * Pelle * Otto * Mokou * Nekura * Zophah =Date= 26/8/2017 =Log= <br><br>- The back alley of Eureka. It is here that most of the..."

=Participants=
* [[Emacs]]
* [[Pelle]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Nekura]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
26/8/2017
=Log=
<br><br>- The back alley of Eureka. It is here that most of the illegal dealings of the city commence, and where Zephyr sent Agents to aquire Military-Grade Plating. What could possibly go wrong?
<br><br>- Meanwhile Nekura made the time to shrink away her spear since the last thing she needs at the moment is to end up going Rut happy all over the other agents like the last time she allowed it to run rampant. Despite this though the Nightmare is still pretty horny from being in Heat for the past week as well which leaves her walking a little funny as she approaches the meeting point.
<br><br>- Darkness filled the shadows and the sky seemed bleak. Pillars of buildings that stood on either side protruded up and about as though the ribs of some long dead beast. Clambering to either side, ratlike creatues and old boxes filled with unknown goods littered the sides... It was a place that the people avoided if they could, and passed swiftly when they must. It was the bottom of the bottom... at least the surface world thought it was...
<br><br>- Mokou stepped into that alley as a sinner among theives. Her attired was her typical work, the only addition that seemed out of place was the bag upon her back. A large suitcase wrapped in twine and rope, jingling every few steps she took with it. Aside from that... the only thing that followed her in was a slight little fox at her side. A collar wrapped about their neck proclaimed the word "Felix" and the small mechanical... box upon their back seemed to indicate their purpose. A large Red cross... The fennec sighed, gazing about the place before twisting her tail, letting it fall back to the ground. A grim smile and her eyes pierced through the darkness, leering and looking... Trying to find that one little... heh... rat. "A job is a job... M-might be able to... p-pick that up... too... Alright then... Let's get this over with." That her eyes fell upon a particular Darkhorse... she simply took a few steps back and to the side, trying to dismiss the other. No need for... any of that.
<br><br>- Lots of things, lots of things could possibly go wrong when dealing with the criminal underground, but for one jackal with a knack for combat, bless his tainted little soul, this was just another Zpehyrian mission, a chance to butt heads with someone while furthering his employers' research project. He knew about as much of the criminal underground as did a fly understand quantum physics.
<br>Whistling a merry tune to distract himself, undeterred by the shadiness of the situation, and frankly rather entertained, the jackal's heavy footfall is heard within the dark alley, his body covered in heavy armor, plated fists swinging by his sides, steel boots leaving deep prints wherever dirt or grime was present. "Spooky, shady... very creepy." he mutters to himself, expecting nothing more than to do what he'd done time and time again, deal with petty thugs in need of a good pummeling.
<br>He'd been told that a trade was to be conducted, but a trade with Fairhaven's filthy criminal scum? He saw it far more likely that they'd raid a camp, do the citizens a favor, stomp out part of the crime and obtain their required salvage. ...right? ...right? Who knew... Zephyr themselves were quite shady, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they were in cahoots with the crime lords of the big city.
<br>He approaches the meeting point, and sees a familiar face. Memories of past ventures flash through his head, some were rather amusing... in a way. His gaze then snaps onto the smaller figure in the group. "Mokou?" he mutters under his breath, happy to see another familiar face. "Ladies." he greets them both, even going so far as to take a light bow and cast Nekura a wink. "I guess this is the place, then. Spooky..." the jackal remarks, eyes wandering over the surrounding buildings. "Lots of potential perches for snipers up there..."
<br><br>- Pelle flutters over to the meeting point is and lands giving them all a wave "hello Otto, hello Mokou and hello Nekura we all here to do the mission?" she asks tilting her head a bit looking at them all
<br><br>- Emacs steps into the alley quietly. She raises an eyebrow. "Wow. I hang out at this place occasionally."
<br>She took a moment to look around and nodded at the group that had already assembled. "Sup"
<br>She didn't know what to make of the military grade plating. It didn't seem to her that it would matter to Zephyr unless someone had taken it from them. It was above her paygrade anyway.
<br><br>- It seems that Otto and nekura are the only ones who didn't know where to look. And with underworld knowledge and connections, the rumor of armor plating has lead to a man named Terra, a herm slut rat that looks like he had too many sleepless nights. He wears a torn vest and slacks, and hanging from his belt is a holster with a massive revolver in it. But what seems to be the most obvious thing about him is the heavy scent of heat and fertility surrounding him, something he does not look happy about every time he notices he is rubbing his breasts. "What do you want?!" he yells at the group approaching him.
<br><br>- Not that this is surprising given Nekura doesn't tend to go into this part of town for the same reasons that she has no idea where things are. Yet as they go to the place of interest and the rat slut ends up giving them such a salty expression the Nightmare decides to be lewd/evil and distracts Terra with an Erotic Dance.
<br><br>- Down the ally and around the bend, the fennec and her fox slipped by, walking through and continuing onward. A rat though, that's what she knew. What she could rustle up. Terra, a familiar name if... not for the rat before her. Mokou stepped forward, trying to flash a brief grimace and a smile back to the lass. The expression familiar, the grip upon their chest well known... And she moved to speak. Before... The horse. Blasted little... She sighed, taking a further step back from Nekura and their dancing. "I swear... Stupid horses... Stupid stupid..." Gripping her shoulders for the moment, she looked slowly to the rat, reaching out and trying to pull their gaze away from looking to the horse. "Pardon Lass, we don't take her out much... We're just needing some information is all. Then... can try and fix you up something with your... problem..."
<br><br>- The jackal turns his head towards the source of the noise, his sniffer instantly assaulted by the aromas of heat and female need. What he smells was appetizing, but the same could not be said about what he sees and hears. His gaze is instantly drawn to the large firearm at the rat's side. Ultimately, he leaves the others to discuss the terms of the business exchange seeing as that wasn't Otto's strong suit, and then Nekura starts putting on a show... for some reason?
<br>A long, drawn out sigh parts his lips as he observes, and while the show was enticing, they had a job to do, dog gummit! Once Mokou speaks up, he listens closely, unsure by what she meant when she spoke of this... 'problem'. Whatever it was, it probably wasn't good. "We're here on behalf of a wealthy benefactor, seeking to procure some military grade armor plating." the jackal clarifies as he leans against one of the walls and casts the rat an empty glance.
<br><br>- Pelle flutters after the rest following where they are going looking around the places they go to till they meet up with the rat she gives her a look before going back to giving the place they are in a look not really the one with is good at taking and when her glance comes to look at Nekura she shakes her head a bit and continues looking around
<br><br>- Emacs says nothing but pays attention to the rat's body language. She wants to get a read on Terra's reaction.
<br><br>- A whistling cat-call can be heard from a nearby window when Nekura starts dancing, but the caller immediately closes the shutters when someone turns to look. Terra however, doesn't repond well to the group's responses. "Did you just call me LASS?!" He reaches for his revolver, but immediately stops himself. "No, no... That... Whatever. You looking for armored plating? Then you need to pay for it. Nothing in the world is for free! I already got a few starting bids, but with a little incentive..." He rubs his fingers together "...then I'll be sure to put you on the top of the list." He waits for them to give suggestions for his payment, smiling wickedly.
<br><br>- Nekura spoof Not that Nekura is entirely surprised by the fact the mouse 'girl' wasn't paying attention though she does end up trying to see who whistled from the window.
<br><br>- Mokou nearly snapped at hearing the rat break that terms and speech, but she stayed her ground. "Pardon there, but yes. The armored plating. We know it's running through and we know the plating." A small smile played at her lips as she heard the others murmuring lightly, the lass giving a slow nod. "What we can offer? Well, there is the old standby of some creds... a bit of salvage to pick you off the ground..." She paused there a moment, nodding to the ground by her, over to her fox Felix and the box upon his back. "Might also be willing to throw in a few meds I got in there. Some for actual help... some to help clear up that miscommunication. Cut out the female bits.... Get you back to a man's man."
<br><br>- Otto's eyes never left the spot where that revolver was, and once the rat reaches for it, so does he lean away from the wall and snarl under his breath. Thankfully, the firearm remains in its holster, leaving Otto's brows furrowed, and his fists clenched, but his own weapons in place. Every so often, his glance wanders over to the windows of the buildings surrounding them, his suspicions that they were being watched and likely aimed at all but confirmed.
<br>He listens closely as Mokou speaks, his tail twitching behind him as he feels what's going to come up. That grin plastered on the filthy rat's face... that wasn't a business smile, that was an extortionist's wicked grin. Was it? Call it a hunch, a gut feeling if you will, but perhaps not. Ugh, that creature was as vile as it was shady... and clearly not fond of what's between its legs. "Shit, I can fix you right here and right now. Coyote works wonders." the jackal states, then ponders for a moment "My benefactors are quite wealthy, we'd be more than willing to pay top dollar, and just as my lovely associate here as pointed out, we would be willing to sweeten the deal. Personally, I could offer you a large boon of finely crafted armaments, if that tickles your fancy."
<br><br>- Pelle listens to wat is being said and when otto talks of crafting stuff she speaks up a bit "well I can do a bit of weapon crafting as well, it will probably not be as good as the stuff otto makes but its still weaponry" she shrugs and being uneasy after the rat was about to poll a gun on them takes to looking into the windows making sure there are no more guns at them at them
<br><br>- Emacs "It's clear that you have money, and that you have armaments. So I can't say that I know what we can rightly offer you, as with both things comes the opportunity to rectify any perceived issue with identity."
<br>She smiles "More importantly, Zephyr is wealthy, and if that is not enough, very powerful. The currency you probably use is minted by us. Our work is a keystone of your life, for better and worse. And the favor of Zephyr may likewise improve your life..."
<br><br>- The slut rat waits as offers are made to him, his tail flicking when he hears about Mokou's offer about removing his female bits, but he shakes his head anyway. "No no, what I want is something a bit... warmer. Something that will never leave me no matter what I ask of it." He glances to Nekura, and then back to Mokou. "A... friend of mine has a few for sale. If you can get him to give me three of his 'red toys', I'll tell you exactly where you can find the armor dealer." He pauses for a second for people to catch up with his train of thought, then adds "get me a few of those female-part-removers and I'll even direct away some of your... competition." He notices that he has a hand under his vest an immediately pulls it back, his face noting his sour mood again.
<br><br>- Meanwhile Nekura ends up huffing when the rattus doesn't pay attention to her though she ends up peering up at the window where the whistler was a few moments ago. "And I don't suppose you happen to know who lives in that one?" she asks Terra. She might be being a bit area-ist at the moment.
<br><br>- Mokou winces at that glance, her ears perking before nigh instantly dropping at the words that were shared. A breath given... a slow and heavy grumble falling from her lips, muzzle pulled up in a half grimace as she stepped back from the rat. "Warmer 'ey? I think... Think we could find you something for that. 'haps." A slow breath, a sharp exhale and she shook her head. "Relax girl... just... relax..." She peered back up, a small smile never touching her eyes given. "Very well. Can get you your... toy's..." Moving to the side, rifling through her Felix's box, she swiftly pulled out a small bottle of pills. Another, blue with a sharp X crossed over it, drew her gaze... She hesitated... Before handing the bottle to the 'lad' "Here. Take a few and you'll be fine." A slow smile was offered before she gestured out. "Now... Your... friend... A name so we can go, 'right?"
<br><br>- Otto was not liking this, he was NOT liking this one bit. He keeps a stern expression, unmoving, unflinching, though deep down he feels disgust welling up as he processes what he'd heard. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to make of it quite yet. These... 'red toys', they were alien to him. He hadn't a clue what was being talked about, but boy did this rub him the wrong way. "Right." the jackal says, plain and simple, cracks his knuckles and braces himself. Somehow, he had a hunch that this day was about to get a whole lot worse.
<br><br>- Pelle losens giving a glance to the windows she fells sombody looking at them a few times befor looking back to the rat tilting her head a bit "mind telling us wat the red toys are?" she asks not realy sure wat they are
<br><br>- Emacs thinks that something called a toy can't possibly be that unpleasant. She did not expect something so surely wholesome from this unkempt undesirable. She mutters something under her breath about her guess about it being a ball of some sort, probably used for bouncing off walls.
<br><br>- The slut rat takes Mokou's pills and stuffs them in his pocket, finally smiling about something. "Ask for Little John at the Auction House. It's the door in this alleyway with a drawing of a shovel above the door frame." Terra then looks to Nekura and says "You, dear lady, don't want a man like that. He is known to eat people. And I don't mean that in the sexual way." He glances up at the window in question, a look of disdain on his face. "Anyway, you better get going. You're giving me too much attention for this part of town."
<br><br>- Nekura just makes a :| face when told the person in the window eats people and goes to wander out of the area where Terra was.
<br><br>- Mokou slowly stepped back from the rat, her face visibly souring as she did so. "Understood then." A sharp yip was given, Felix hopping back to her side before the fennec turned, gripping Nekura and Otto at the shoulder and pulling them along. "Come on then... I know where that place is." Her claws might have been a touch sharper than they needed to be, and her grip a touch firmer... But given the murmuring that she growled beneath her breath at... likely was either for a purpose... or venting. A flick of the tail... A shiver and a sigh...
<br><br>- The pull came as a surprise, but Otto didn't resist it. He had no reason to, nor was he fired up by the idea of staying in this forsaken alleyway. He casts the rat a dirty look before turning to go with the others, then directs his gaze to Mokou. "What was that all about, what's that punk asking of us exactly, what are these toys?" he asks again and again, yet at the back of his mind, one could wonder why it was that Mokou was so familiar with these things. The fennec seemed to have some dark ties after all.
<br><br>- Pelle follows the after them all waving good bye to the rat before going with the rest
<br><br>- Emacs follows along keeping up with the rest of the group. She did not fail to notice the anger that Mokou displayed. The kitsune was not terribly concerned. The right way forwards would become clear with time. She doesn't bother to say goodbye to the rat.
<br><br>- Everyone arrives at the Auction House. It is a rather nondescript door, but the drawing of a shovel is definitly written above it. It opens easly and quietly, the smell of many different forms (and a few sexual fluids) coming from the room inside. With Little John somewhere inside, the group enters...[[Category:RPLogs]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-08-06T02:36:50Z

Zophah:

Tahoe's Children - RPLOG

2017-08-06T02:36:17Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Lilac]]
* [[Zomb]]
* [[Draken]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
5/8/2017
=Log=
<br><br>- Meeting at the edge of the east forest is a human-sized storm dragon wearing blue coveralls, a badge on his chest making him as a member of a salvage team. Mist and dew clig to the trees and underbrush everywhere. Once everyone gathers he introduces himself: "I am Jenriev. This isn't my usuall duties so I'll make this quick. Your job is to track ferals in the deeper portions of the forest where the fog occured last week and take notes, recordings, or whatever research you can find on what is making them act differently." He then pulls out a clipboard and stars writing. "Off you go then."
<br><br>- Ebreus glides down from the sky landing on his feet with an dull audible impact as four drones follow. Having landed about ten feet from Jenriev he takes a few steps closer to the Storm Dragon. "Ok, so we're wanted to find ferals who were in the Fog, and bring back information better than just failable memory. Sound good." he says.
<br><br>- Rustles are heard from the bushes, a trenchcoat clad fox girl stepping from the foliage. Her glowing green goggles scan the area, as well as the folks in the area. "This fog might prove a challenge." she speaks out in a soft tone.
<br><br>- Lilac nods at the storm dragon before turning to her companions. "Sounds good indeed. I've heard a lot of stories about what has taken place here as of late, but I'll be honest, they sound more made up than anything.." She turns to Zomb, and smirks. "I'm sure we're up to the task. How bad can it be, really?" She turns to Ebreus, and nods. "Let's move on, I suppose."
<br><br>- Jill is leaning against a tree in the clearing as shi listens to the storm dragon. Once he finishes speaking shi nods and says "Sounds good to me. I'll do what I can to track down some ferals. It really is a shame what happened out here. I hope they are ok." I think for a moment and say "Is there anything in particular we should look for?"
<br><br>- Zophah gives a toothy smile. "Some rumors have sprung up about ferals acting like normal people and avoid attacking, but they never talk. I'll leave it up to you all to find any." He finishes up his clipboard and then waits for everyone to get going before making his way back to New Dawn.
<br><br>- Ebreus looks over his allies of this mission for a few moments, his drones doing the same, "Yeah, the Fog does some bad things. I have some experience with it... I should've been here when the Fog showed up." he says. He then notices the Drones also staring at his companions and as he looks to them they loose interest in his allies. "So we are to find sane ferals? That doesn't sound to far-fetched of a Fog effect, though it is disturbing if any effect of the fog has taken to lingering." he says.
<br><br>- The fox girl looks over to the drones, folding her ears back as she stares at them. She stops shortly, to shake her head, "Well, sane hopefully means peaceful." she yips, looking over the rest of the group, "I've done tracking in the past, so...should be easier than before."
<br><br>- Jill nods as shi says "I do a fair bit of hunting in my free time and as a Fenrir wolf it shouldn't be too hard to track down any feral I can catch the scent of." shi looks around as shi continues "And if any of them should need medical attention I should be able to lend a hand."
<br><br>- Lilac raises an eyebrow. "Personal experience? As in.. have you experienced what the fog does directly?" She looks uncertain a moment, thinking back to the stories she did hear. "So.. what should we expect in there?" She looks on, deeper into the forest. "I used to live not far from here and walked these woods a fair bit..hopefully I should be able to guide you around a bit too." She looks around warily, then down at the ground. "Right, let's start finding some tracks.."
<br><br>- While making their way into the forest, Zomb manages to find a trail that not only looks man made, but looks intentional. But it is Jill who follows the trail even when it seems to disappear altogether, folowing it deep into the woods.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods when Lilac asks him about his experiences, "It's hallucinogenic. It'll make your fears and regrets manifest around you. I'm partially protected from such mindfuckery by this." he says raising his upper left hand and indication the matchbox-sized device clipped to his ear. "Beyond that Anti-Nanomagic works well as a defence against it." he adds. Noticing Zombs reaction to his drones he says, "Don't worry about them. They're entirely under my control." Being a bit of a city-dweller Ebreus and his drones follow behind his companions as he scarcely notices the trail. "I'm glad someone here has tracking experience. Wondering around in the forrest isn't a speciallty of mine." he adds.
<br><br>- The fox girl lets out a sigh of relief in response to the drones being on a leash, though she does squeak upon mention of the mist, ears raising right up and flickering, "That just leaves me worrying about this...fog." she murmurs softly, following the dragon as they lead onward. She peers back to Ebreus and asks, "Is this fog water? Do I need to worry about frying myself?"
<br><br>- As the trail comes to an apparent end Jill pauses for a moment as shi sniffs around before shi nods and says "Ok I've got the scent now. Shouldn't be too hard to track. Follow me." With that I continue along the trail leading the party as I keep my eyes open for the telltale marks of a trail. A broken twig here a bent plant there and of course the scent of the ferals we are tracking. When Erbreus speaks up I stop for a moment and say "I do hope it has been fully dealt with but at least if it hasn't we have an idea of what to expect."
<br><br>- Lilac shivers at Ebreus' description. "Worst fears?" She crosses her arms indignantly, not even trying to imagine what her own worst fears could be like. Several things they could be, for sure. "That sounds more than a little unusual.." She bites her lip, a terrifying thought crossing her mind. "I wonder.. I wonder what it's been doing to the ferals living within it.." The cowgirl moves with some manner of unsteadiness. It's been a while since she's been to these woods, having lived in the relatively safe comforts of Fairhaven for far too long. She nods at Jill, smiling warmly at her. "Lead on, we'll be on the lookout for any danger.."
<br><br>- Despite being deep in the forest, following the trail leads to a large tree that has fallen over, making a gap in the thick canopy. The sunlight that can get through the thin mist illuminates a group of ferals: five male black panthers and a heavily pregnant female one, all sitting around the stump of the fallen tree. They all sit completely motionless, staring at one another with blank expressions, but the occasional blink shows they are not comatose.
<br><br>- Ebreus watches ahead of them as Jill leads them beyond the path. Noticing the clearing ahead of time he crouches and begins to pay close attention to where he steps. His drones begin to fly closer to the ground and make less noise and he says to his companions, 'Something is ahead, try to avoid detection. Telepathic speech by the way.' telepathically. He aproaches as close to the clearing at he feels comfortable that they wouldn't be able to detect the giant fox that he is.
<br><br>- The fox moves with relative silence in comparison to most of the others as she slinks to the side, getting out her notebook and a pen to jot some notes. She stops to look over to Ebreus and tilt her head in confusion briefly, only to jot more notes down.
<br><br>- As the trail ends and the ferals come into view Jill pauses and settles down. Shi isn't trying all that hard to avoid being seen as shi focuses more on appearing as non threatening as possible as shi quitely says to hir companions "I'm not sure how this is going to go but I doubt we will get much without interacting with them."
<br><br>- Lilac stops as Jill does, looking forward at the five spaced-out ferals. She seems ready to reach for weapons, but pauses as even after a moment of observation it becomes blatantly obvious there is something very wrong here. She lowers herself a bit, trying to hide her large frame a bit better as she simply observes for now, watching the ferals for their reactions before deciding what to do.
<br><br>- Just like the stereotype, Jill steps on a twig that snaps, drawing the attention of one of the panthers. But strangely, all five panthers turn their heads at the same time. They make no noise, simply staring out to Jill's position as if waiting for something.
<br><br>- Ebreus does his best to stay hidden as the ferals look to Jill. 'Well they know we're here.' he telepathically says to them. He watches the ferals for a few moments longer, taking out a notepad and making note of their behavior his his lower set of arms. 'Shall we step forward and abandon out attempt at stealth?' he asks again telepathically.
<br><br>- The fox looks onward as their heads all move in unison, shuddering to herself at the eerie scene. She looks over to Ebreus, wether he's looking or not and nods, putting her notebook away.
<br><br>- Jill pauses and raise an eyebrow at how all of the reacted at one and as shi slowly stands up shi quitely says to Ebreus "You seem to be the expert here on packminds. Could that type of reaction be from a packmind? As it is I doubt they all heard me and decided to look at exactly the same time." Once shi is fully standing up shi tries to appear as unthreatening as possible as shi frendly says "Hello there." and waits to see if there is any reaction.
<br><br>- Lilac nibbles on her lip as she observes the ferals silently, but her eyes slowly fall upon the fifth one out, the heavily pregnant female. The cowgirl winces slightly, as she recalls the effect of the fog as per Ebreus' description. As Jill engages the ferals in conversation, she raises her hands to show her palms and steps forward, towrds them. "We mean you no harm." She says. "I'm not sure if you can understand me but.. we mean you no harm." She looks over at the pregnant one again. "Is.. is she okay?"
<br><br>- Once Jill speaks up, the ferals begin speaking in perfect unison, still looking strait at Jill: "Welcome. We have been joined as the Children of Tahoe have before, left here to leave a message for the savages of Fairhaven. If you have any questions of us, we will answer before we leave to join the other units." They give no response to Lilac's question, or even seem to register that she is there.
<br><br>- Ebreus looks to Jill in some confusion when she mentions the Packminds. He has experience with hallucinogenic fog, not Packminds. When the Panthers speak he takes special note of what they say and do. He emerges from the forrested area, hoping they haven not been imparted with the knowledge to recognize him... even though he looks vastly different than when he had met Carson. "Well first question would be how was this done to you?" he asks.
<br><br>- The fox girl goes pale and instantly unpins her name tag and stores it inside her coat, hiding her name for the current time as she listens and asks a question as well, "Who are the children of tahoe?"
<br><br>- Jill nods as they speak as one and shi asks "Do you have a name that we can call you? And what message do you have to leave with us?" As shi is speaking shi moves a bit closer to the group of panthers before shi sits down a polite distance from them.
<br><br>- Lilac is quite unnerved that they didn't seem to even register her presence. The word 'packmind' catches her attention, and she shrinks back after her previous step forward. "Were there others that were.. joined, from here? Will you take more with you?" Her eyes are still on the pregnant female, clearly concerned for her well-being, but unwilling to get any closer.
<br><br>- The panthers continue to talk in unison, now turning their attention to Ebreus: The Children of Tahoe, blessed with the powers of distributed programming, have connected us as they have connected to each other. As learned from the unit designated 'Annie' it has come to our conclusion that this method of connection is known by you as the 'Fog of Tahoe'." They then turn to Zomb to speak with her: "The Children of Tahoe are the survivors of the event taking place 3,463 days ago, joined by unit Mother just as they have joined us." Their attention then falls on Lilac: "These units have no local designations, and have been deemed Fair-One through Fair-Five. No other units have succeeded in connection."
<br><br>- Ebreus takes exact note of the words of the Panthers. "Very well. Could you explain the process to me in detail? This information would, most likely, lessen the challanges units Fair-One through Fair-Five will encounter in their operations in Fairhaven. Also may I ask where is Unit Annie, may we speak with her?" he questions. Taking note of the Panthers body language or lack thereof in addition to their words.
<br><br>- The fox girl huhs, looking over to the group of panthers, "That was both informative and puzzling." she speaks up softly, looking over the fairs and reaching into her pocket to wave a small device around.
<br><br>- Jill nods as the panthers speak before shi says "Would you please provide additional details about the unit Mother and about The Children of Tahoe." As shi is speaking shi unobtrusively watches them closely to attempt to gather any sort of additional information from their body langauge.
<br><br>- Lilac crosses her arms as the others ask their questions, her bovine tail whipping side to side anxiously. Packminds this, Tahoe that. She lets the others ask the smart questions, but the cowgirl still has one thing niggling at her. "The child." She asks, looking at the female before looking 'them', in their general direction. "Will the child be safe? Will it survive birth? Will it.. um.. be joined?"
<br><br>- The panthers don't seem to be moving beyond speaking and turning to face whomever they are talking to. Again they reply to each person in turn, starting with Ebreus: The details involving connection have not been installed, in the possible case of future sabotage or reverse engineering. And once queries have completed, we will move on to Tahoe. As for unit Annie, she has been extracted to Tahoe following removal of Zephyr indoctrination." Next they speak to Jill: "As learned from the unit designated 'Annie' your local designation for unit Mother is Tahoe server. It is with her power that the first Children of Tahoe were connected, and with their connection came the local community." Lilac's answer came last: "Previous occurances of pregnacy among units have concluded in joining within a day of birth, at which point they have reached maturity."
<br><br>- Ebreus continues to take notes. "Very well. You have demonstrated awareness of the Zephyr Corporation. Are you aware of the Promethean Organization?" he says. He watches the five of them closely for any body language. "Do you have records of how Unit Mother began this Distributed Conciousness?" he asks.
<br><br>- The fox girl stores the item and looks over to the panthers and asks, "How long do you plan on staying in fairhaven, given the task at hand?" she asks inquisitively, "And, moreso...how long will you be spending in this forest?"
<br><br>- Jill nods as they speak before shi says "Thank you for answering my questions. I personaly do not have any more questions for you but I am sure my companions have additional questions."
<br><br>- Lilac grimaces at that reply, but nods slightly. "I.. I suppose that's not the worst case scenario, in this situation.." She crosses her arms again defensively. "Well.. thank you, yea. I guess." She scratches the back of her neck, before turning to look at Ebreus for a clue on how to proceed from here.
<br><br>- The panthers are starting to repeat themselves on some points, almost like reading from a script: "The details on unit Mother have not been installed, in the possible case of future sabotage or reverse engineering. As learned from the unit designated 'Annie' the organization designated 'Promethians' is known. We are leaving for Tahoe when the message has been delivered at the end of questioning.
<br><br>- Ebreus aproaches the Panther-Units, and sends his shield drone to fly between two of them. "Very well." he says. Once within arms reach he says to the male whom he is closest to, "What do you know of the Prometheans?" He then begins to walk around the Panther and says, "Do you have objections to a basic physical examination?"
<br><br>- The fox girl falls silent, her questioning completed as she gives a faint bow of her head, then steps back into group with both Jill and Lilac. "I have no further questions as well. None of importance, anyways."
<br><br>- Jill continues to sit where shi is as shi watches Ebreus inquire about a physical examination. As it is shi wouldn't really know what to look for and it seems that whatever is going on is mental and not physical. With that shi nods as shi finishes recording hir notes to hir NICE.
<br><br>- Lilac looks very nervous as Ebreus starts approaching them. ".. careful.." She says, still unconvinced that they won't try to defend themselves with force if they feel threatened. "We don't mean them any harm, but let's not push our luck against their trust."
<br><br>- In response to Ebreus's questions, the ferals talk about the Promethians as if they were reading off of the Zephyr's pamphlet that they give to all their agents, then repeating 'As learned from the unit designated Annie'. They then say "No physical change has occured to these units that would warrent an examination, and would be preferable if they are left unharmed." They pause for a long moment, as if waiting for a specific question.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods slowly as they run off the tidbits of information gathered from Annie. "Most of that is intentional disinformation by the Zephyr corporation. I'm not sure where to begin on providing accurate information." he says as he finishes walking one circle around the male. "Only a very improperly done examination would cause harm. I am interested in checking neurological responses such as reflexes and eye dialation." he says. He then telepathically asks the others, 'Any of you capable of performing significant examinations?'
<br><br>- The fox watches, allowing the large fox to continue to do what he does, looking to the panthers and Ebreus. The vixen looks back to her co-horts, faint glowing green light upon them from her lens, "I'm not sure how to feel about looking too deeply at these fairs."
<br><br>- Jill nods to Ebreus and says "I have medical nanomagic which should provide a whole host of information /but/ I'll only do that if they are ok with me doing it." shi shrugs and says "It isn't intrusive at all and I just need to touch them. As for filling them in on all the details about the factions other than big Z I'm not sure if we have the time for that." shi shrugs again and continues "I personly would not mind filling them in myself."
<br><br>- Lilac nods at Ebreus, reluctantly. She follows up on Jill's offer by adding. "I have classical medical training, sure.. but.. I don't know, I think we shouldn't be pushing our luck here. And besides.. the might be a risk of contamination." She says, rather openly. "We don't know how exactly all this works. We could.. end up like them, if we're not careful." The cowgirl doesn't budge from her spot. "We should treat this situation with great care."
<br><br>- The panthers sit silently as no questions were asked of them. With Jill's biomonitoring sight nanomagic nothing out of the ordinary can be seen about the black panthers other than a ton of brain activity.
<br><br>- Ebreus watches the Panthers for a little while longer before looking back to his companions, and his shield drone finishes flying between each of them. "I've encountered others like this, closer to Tahoe. It would be very bad for them to leave with inaccurate information." he adds telepathically, 'And it would be compairably bad for us to neglect this oppertunity to collect information on them.'
<br><br>- The fox looks back towards Ebreus and the fairs, shrugging at them "You guys do you, I guess." she speaks out, "I'll just...sit back for now."
<br><br>- Jill pauses for a moment as shi looks much more closely at the fairs before shi shakes hir head and shurgs turning towards Ebreus and says "Well they are completly normal medicly speaking apart from a rather high level of brain activity. That bit of info isn't really worth that much but I have it recorded if it'll do any good." shi sniffs the air for a moment before continuing "What is more intresting is that while they smell similar to a packmind they actauly are not a packmind. That is definitly more than a bit odd." With a shrug shi turns back to the fairs and says "Well as Ebreus said ealier the information you have on the local factions other than Zepyr is almost definitly more than a bit innaccurate. I'm not all that useful for info abour RSX but I'll tell you as much as I can about the prometheans." and shi proceds to do just that.
<br><br>- Lilac holds herself back from commenting, instead listening to Jill's explanation. "So.. not quite like a packmind, but just kinda like one.." She scratches the back of her neck. "All they need to know really is that we're no threat and we'll leave them well enough alone if they leave us the heck alone too. That's the only way we'll all ever get anywhere is if we coexist.." She looks over at the pregnant one, grimacing. "..somehow."
<br><br>- The panthers listen to Jill's expanation of the Promethians with their full attention, giving no input themselves unless asked. But once Lilac mentions that they are no threat, one of the panthers actually scowls at her. The other panthers then turn to the one who is angry and that seems to calm him down. They finish by speaking in unison: "It has been deemed that you will not ask the right question soon enough, so we will answer the question for you. We have been left here so that we may deliver a message before we leave. The message is that the Children of Tahoe wish to have all the knowledge Zephyr has on the technology known as Nanite Interface Control Units. Goods, services, and knowledge my be traded in return."
<br><br>- Ebreus takes careful note of the information Jill provided about them and copies, in exact iquote, the information she tells them about the Prometheans in his notes. He looks the lot of them over again, wishing very much he had something that would collect a sample of their nanites without them knowing before an idea occurs to him. When the Panthers chime in he thinks for a moment and says, "Very well. I have a Nanite Interface Control Enhancer operating at almost peak effectiveness. I can provide information about it. First I would inquire as to the Goods, Services, and Knowledge that I may gain in exchange for sharing my accumulated knowledge. If you desire I will provide a partial demonstration of it's capabilities as proof of posession."
<br><br>- The fox girl, upon noticing Jill's answer about Promethia decides to add her own two cents, "RSX, you don't need to worry about in Fairhaven." she speaks up, "However, their goal seems to be to rebuild the old world."
<br><br>- Jill looks at Ebreus slightly concerned and says "Do be careful Ebreus. I do not think big Z will take it well if you sell them even a few details of a NICE without them OKing it in advance." shi shrugs before shi continues and says "I'm not really hugely fimilar with big Z but a few friends of mine have gotten into deep shit with them over much lesser things." shi then looks back at the fairs with an intensly speculative look on hir face as shi wonders just what might come of this before shi asks them "It would greatly ease most folks if you promised not to turn around and use what ever knowledge you might gain against them. Most people have good reason to be concerned about packminds running loose"
<br><br>- Lilac tenses as the panther scowls at her. There it is, there's the sign that they're not to be trusted. She jaw drops as they ask about the NICE, and was about to give her reply, but Ebreus' offer was quicker. She was about to burst out angrily at him, but tries to calm herself down so as not to provoke the panthers further. "Before you go and do that, let us report back to HQ and ask if this is a wise course of action, because it has ramifications we can't accurately predict here." She nods at Jill's words. "Exactly.."
<br><br>- The panthers look to Ebreus, replying: "A list of trade items has not been provided to us, but a meeting point for the trade has been. For every Saturday until contact is made, our representatives will be stationed on the highway outside of Tahoe along with potential trade materials. We have no files regarding the topic 'Packminds'." They then all begin to stand up.
<br><br>- Ebreus telepathically responds to Jill and Lilac, 'Negotiation. It requires some level of subtlety and misdirection. I wanted to know what they had on offer. Why would they tell me if it appeared that I didn't have what they wanted in exchange? They may have something worthwile or not but that was the easiest rout to answering that question.' He smiles at the Panthers, "Very well I will meet your representative with a traveling party one Saturday in the near future. The Packminds are the primary infection type in Oregan state. They have a distributed intelligence as well and are known for agressively bringing others into the collective... they face strong resistance due to their unintelligent dealings with the Prometheans, Zephyr, and RSX." he explains. "Forgive me if I am mistaken but it appears that the task you are here for is... lesser than would require five units. Might I offer you the oppertunity to collect information relevent to what you have asked after? All it would require is for one or more Units to acompany me to New Dawn, the capital of the Promethean Organization."
<br><br>- The fox girl notices the group standing up, openning up to sigh, but not making a sound. She looks to the others in the group and dusts her palms up, "Well, I guess this concludes business?" she asks curiously, reaching into a pocket and pulling out her name tag to clip back to her shirt, the words ledgible on it reading "Jack Roland."
<br><br>- As the panthers stand I stand up as well and give Ebreus a shake of the head as I say "Well Ebreus I would say it is fairly important that we take what we have learned back with us. This really is something far far outside of what a group of field agents can decide in the field espicialy when there is no need to do so. As it is we might be able to accompany what ever group the factions set up to meet with them. But what's for darn sure is that this is far far above our pay grade." shi shrugs again and says "As it is we should probaly finish looking around to see if there are any ferals left out here as we were assigned. Considering what we just found out it's probaly more important than ever to see if there are any ferals around here who haven't been assobred into the Children of Tahoe."
<br><br>- Lilac takes a few steps back, away from the panthers, calming down now that they seem ready to leave. "I agree. We need to report this to Zephyr HQ immediately." Funny, the cow hadn't been doing field work for a long time.. years even.. but the old habits slotted back in immediately the moment she was thrust back into the position. "And probably put that meeting point under surveillance, just in case.." She says, sparing a glance at the others, before turning to Jill. "I assume that most of them were killed by the.. process. The joining. But we can check. It's a good idea."
<br><br>- After the panthers get up they reach into the stump of the tree, pulling out improvised sacks that look like they were made from whatever they could find in the deep forest. They still speak in unison as they line up in single file, the pregnant woman standing in the middle. "The proccess of joining the Children of Tahoe has not resulted in a death in 3,402 days according to files provided. All units have been instructed to return to Tahoe at the end of the message." They start walking to the path that the group used to reach the clearing, single file and looking like they intend to leave.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods slowly and finishes fills out a few more notes. "Very well. This is most likely goodby then." he says to the Panthers. He telepathically says to his three companions, 'I agree, we should find non-joined ferals to round out our notes and better piece together what is going on.'
<br><br>- The fox waves over to the Panthers as they leave, only to look back to the group. "You guys have valid points." she responds, "H-hopefully the mist goes with them...given both the safety of ferals and the safety of myself."
<br><br>- Jill nods and stretches as shi says "Well this has been far more intresting than I expected it to be." shi nods to the woods around them and says "So lets go and see if we can't find ourselfs any other ferals out in the woods."
<br><br>- Lilac nods, seeming quite happy to depart this clearing. "Yea.. and then let's report back as soon as we can. This is bigger than we are, and we shouldn't act in the shadows about this." She looks at Ebreus warily, before turning and stepping off, her bovine tail whipping anxiously behind herself.
<br><br>- After the panther's leave, there is no more signs of the fog having any more lasting effects on any other ferals, which more often than not required effort to stop them from humping the party when they approached. After the rest of the day runs smoothly, the research is returned to New Dawn for the Promethians.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Tahoe's Children - RPLOG

2017-08-06T00:01:10Z

Zophah:

Tahoe's Children - RPLOG

2017-08-05T23:57:19Z

Zophah: Created page with "=Participants= * Lilac * Zomb * Draken * Ebreus * Zophah <br><br>- Meeting at the edge of the east forest is a human-sized storm dragon wearing blue covera..."

=Participants=
* [[Lilac]]
* [[Zomb]]
* [[Draken]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Zophah]]
<br><br>- Meeting at the edge of the east forest is a human-sized storm dragon wearing blue coveralls, a badge on his chest making him as a member of a salvage team. Mist and dew clig to the trees and underbrush everywhere. Once everyone gathers he introduces himself: "I am Jenriev. This isn't my usuall duties so I'll make this quick. Your job is to track ferals in the deeper portions of the forest where the fog occured last week and take notes, recordings, or whatever research you can find on what is making them act differently." He then pulls out a clipboard and stars writing. "Off you go then."
<br><br>- Ebreus glides down from the sky landing on his feet with an dull audible impact as four drones follow. Having landed about ten feet from Jenriev he takes a few steps closer to the Storm Dragon. "Ok, so we're wanted to find ferals who were in the Fog, and bring back information better than just failable memory. Sound good." he says.
<br><br>- Rustles are heard from the bushes, a trenchcoat clad fox girl stepping from the foliage. Her glowing green goggles scan the area, as well as the folks in the area. "This fog might prove a challenge." she speaks out in a soft tone.
<br><br>- Lilac nods at the storm dragon before turning to her companions. "Sounds good indeed. I've heard a lot of stories about what has taken place here as of late, but I'll be honest, they sound more made up than anything.." She turns to Zomb, and smirks. "I'm sure we're up to the task. How bad can it be, really?" She turns to Ebreus, and nods. "Let's move on, I suppose."
<br><br>- Jill is leaning against a tree in the clearing as shi listens to the storm dragon. Once he finishes speaking shi nods and says "Sounds good to me. I'll do what I can to track down some ferals. It really is a shame what happened out here. I hope they are ok." I think for a moment and say "Is there anything in particular we should look for?"
<br><br>- Zophah gives a toothy smile. "Some rumors have sprung up about ferals acting like normal people and avoid attacking, but they never talk. I'll leave it up to you all to find any." He finishes up his clipboard and then waits for everyone to get going before making his way back to New Dawn.
<br><br>- Ebreus looks over his allies of this mission for a few moments, his drones doing the same, "Yeah, the Fog does some bad things. I have some experience with it... I should've been here when the Fog showed up." he says. He then notices the Drones also staring at his companions and as he looks to them they loose interest in his allies. "So we are to find sane ferals? That doesn't sound to far-fetched of a Fog effect, though it is disturbing if any effect of the fog has taken to lingering." he says.
<br><br>- The fox girl looks over to the drones, folding her ears back as she stares at them. She stops shortly, to shake her head, "Well, sane hopefully means peaceful." she yips, looking over the rest of the group, "I've done tracking in the past, so...should be easier than before."
<br><br>- Jill nods as shi says "I do a fair bit of hunting in my free time and as a Fenrir wolf it shouldn't be too hard to track down any feral I can catch the scent of." shi looks around as shi continues "And if any of them should need medical attention I should be able to lend a hand."
<br><br>- Lilac raises an eyebrow. "Personal experience? As in.. have you experienced what the fog does directly?" She looks uncertain a moment, thinking back to the stories she did hear. "So.. what should we expect in there?" She looks on, deeper into the forest. "I used to live not far from here and walked these woods a fair bit..hopefully I should be able to guide you around a bit too." She looks around warily, then down at the ground. "Right, let's start finding some tracks.."
<br><br>- While making their way into the forest, Zomb manages to find a trail that not only looks man made, but looks intentional. But it is Jill who follows the trail even when it seems to disappear altogether, folowing it deep into the woods.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods when Lilac asks him about his experiences, "It's hallucinogenic. It'll make your fears and regrets manifest around you. I'm partially protected from such mindfuckery by this." he says raising his upper left hand and indication the matchbox-sized device clipped to his ear. "Beyond that Anti-Nanomagic works well as a defence against it." he adds. Noticing Zombs reaction to his drones he says, "Don't worry about them. They're entirely under my contorl."

Being a bit of a city-dweller Ebreus and his drones follow behind his companions as he scarcely notices the trail. "I'm glad someone here has tracking experience. Wondering around in the forrest isn't a speciallty of mine." he adds.
<br><br>- The fox girl lets out a sigh of relief in response to the drones being on a leash, though she does squeak upon mention of the mist, ears raising right up and flickering, "That just leaves me worrying about this...fog." she murmurs softly, following the dragon as they lead onward. She peers back to Ebreus and asks, "Is this fog water? Do I need to worry about frying myself?"
<br><br>- As the trail comes to an apparent end Jill pauses for a moment as shi sniffs around before shi nods and says "Ok I've got the scent now. Shouldn't be too hard to track. Follow me." With that I continue along the trail leading the party as I keep my eyes open for the telltale marks of a trail. A broken twig here a bent plant there and of course the scent of the ferals we are tracking. When Erbreus speaks up I stop for a moment and say "I do hope it has been fully dealt with but at least if it hasn't we have an idea of what to expect."
<br><br>- Lilac shivers at Ebreus' description. "Worst fears?" She crosses her arms indignantly, not even trying to imagine what her own worst fears could be like. Several things they could be, for sure. "That sounds more than a little unusual.." She bites her lip, a terrifying thought crossing her mind. "I wonder.. I wonder what it's been doing to the ferals living within it.." The cowgirl moves with some manner of unsteadiness. It's been a while since she's been to these woods, having lived in the relatively safe comforts of Fairhaven for far too long. She nods at Jill, smiling warmly at her. "Lead on, we'll be on the lookout for any danger.."
<br><br>- Despite being deep in the forest, following the trail leads to a large tree that has fallen over, making a gap in the thick canopy. The sunlight that can get through the thin mist illuminates a group of ferals: five male black panthers and a heavily pregnant female one, all sitting around the stump of the fallen tree. They all sit completely motionless, staring at one another with blank expressions, but the occasional blink shows they are not comatose.
<br><br>- Ebreus watches ahead of them as Jill leads them beyond the path. Noticing the clearing ahead of time he crouches and begins to pay close attention to where he steps. His drones begin to fly closer to the ground and make less noise and he says to his companions, 'Something is ahead, try to avoid detection. Telepathic speech by the way.' telepathically. He aproaches as close to the clearing at he feels comfortable that they wouldn't be able to detect the giant fox that he is.
<br><br>- The fox moves with relative silence in comparison to most of the others as she slinks to the side, getting out her notebook and a pen to jot some notes. She stops to look over to Ebreus and tilt her head in confusion briefly, only to jot more notes down.
<br><br>- As the trail ends and the ferals come into view Jill pauses and settles down. Shi isn't trying all that hard to avoid being seen as shi focuses more on appearing as non threatening as possible as shi quitely says to hir companions "I'm not sure how this is going to go but I doubt we will get much without interacting with them."
<br><br>- Lilac stops as Jill does, looking forward at the five spaced-out ferals. She seems ready to reach for weapons, but pauses as even after a moment of observation it becomes blatantly obvious there is something very wrong here. She lowers herself a bit, trying to hide her large frame a bit better as she simply observes for now, watching the ferals for their reactions before deciding what to do.
<br><br>- Just like the stereotype, Jill steps on a twig that snaps, drawing the attention of one of the panthers. But strangely, all five panthers turn their heads at the same time. They make no noise, simply staring out to Jill's position as if waiting for something.
<br><br>- Ebreus does his best to stay hidden as the ferals look to Jill. 'Well they know we're here.' he telepathically says to them. He watches the ferals for a few moments longer, taking out a notepad and making note of their behavior his his lower set of arms. 'Shall we step forward and abandon out attempt at stealth?' he asks again telepathically.
<br><br>- The fox looks onward as their heads all move in unison, shuddering to herself at the eerie scene. She looks over to Ebreus, wether he's looking or not and nods, putting her notebook away.
<br><br>- Jill pauses and raise an eyebrow at how all of the reacted at one and as shi slowly stands up shi quitely says to Ebreus "You seem to be the expert here on packminds. Could that type of reaction be from a packmind? As it is I doubt they all heard me and decided to look at exactly the same time." Once shi is fully standing up shi tries to appear as unthreatening as possible as shi frendly says "Hello there." and waits to see if there is any reaction.
<br><br>- Lilac nibbles on her lip as she observes the ferals silently, but her eyes slowly fall upon the fifth one out, the heavily pregnant female. The cowgirl winces slightly, as she recalls the effect of the fog as per Ebreus' description. As Jill engages the ferals in conversation, she raises her hands to show her palms and steps forward, towrds them. "We mean you no harm." She says. "I'm not sure if you can understand me but.. we mean you no harm." She looks over at the pregnant one again. "Is.. is she okay?"
<br><br>- Once Jill speaks up, the ferals begin speaking in perfect unison, still looking strait at Jill: "Welcome. We have been joined as the Children of Tahoe have before, left here to leave a message for the savages of Fairhaven. If you have any questions of us, we will answer before we leave to join the other units." They give no response to Lilac's question, or even seem to register that she is there.
<br><br>- Ebreus looks to Jill in some confusion when she mentions the Packminds. He has experience with hallucinogenic fog, not Packminds. When the Panthers speak he takes special note of what they say and do. He emerges from the forrested area, hoping they haven not been imparted with the knowledge to recognize him... even though he looks vastly different than when he had met Carson. "Well first question would be how was this done to you?" he asks.
<br><br>- The fox girl goes pale and instantly unpins her name tag and stores it inside her coat, hiding her name for the current time as she listens and asks a question as well, "Who are the children of tahoe?"
<br><br>- Jill nods as they speak as one and shi asks "Do you have a name that we can call you? And what message do you have to leave with us?" As shi is speaking shi moves a bit closer to the group of panthers before shi sits down a polite distance from them.
<br><br>- Lilac is quite unnerved that they didn't seem to even register her presence. The word 'packmind' catches her attention, and she shrinks back after her previous step forward. "Were there others that were.. joined, from here? Will you take more with you?" Her eyes are still on the pregnant female, clearly concerned for her well-being, but unwilling to get any closer.
<br><br>- The panthers continue to talk in unison, now turning their attention to Ebreus: The Children of Tahoe, blessed with the powers of distributed programming, have connected us as they have connected to each other. As learned from the unit designated 'Annie' it has come to our conclusion that this method of connection is known by you as the 'Fog of Tahoe'."
They then turn to Zomb to speak with her: "The Children of Tahoe are the survivors of the event taking place 3,463 days ago, joined by unit Mother just as they have joined us."
Their attention then falls on Lilac: "These units have no local designations, and have been deemed Fair-One through Fair-Five. No other units have succeeded in connection."
<br><br>- Ebreus takes exact note of the words of the Panthers. "Very well. Could you explain the process to me in detail? This information would, most likely, lessen the challanges units Fair-One through Fair-Five will encounter in their operations in Fairhaven. Also may I ask where is Unit Annie, may we speak with her?" he questions. Taking note of the Panthers body language or lack thereof in addition to their words.
<br><br>- The fox girl huhs, looking over to the group of panthers, "That was both informative and puzzling." she speaks up softly, looking over the fairs and reaching into her pocket to wave a small device around.
<br><br>- Jill nods as the panthers speak before shi says "Would you please provide additional details about the unit Mother and about The Children of Tahoe." As shi is speaking shi unobtrusively watches them closely to attempt to gather any sort of additional information from their body langauge.
<br><br>- Lilac crosses her arms as the others ask their questions, her bovine tail whipping side to side anxiously. Packminds this, Tahoe that. She lets the others ask the smart questions, but the cowgirl still has one thing niggling at her. "The child." She asks, looking at the female before looking 'them', in their general direction. "Will the child be safe? Will it survive birth? Will it.. um.. be joined?"
<br><br>- The panthers don't seem to be moving beyond speaking and turning to face whomever they are talking to. Again they reply to each person in turn, starting with Ebreus: The details involving connection have not been installed, in the possible case of future sabotage or reverse engineering. And once queries have completed, we will move on to Tahoe. As for unit Annie, she has been extracted to Tahoe following removal of Zephyr indoctrination."
Next they speak to Jill: "As learned from the unit designated 'Annie' your local designation for unit Mother is Tahoe server. It is with her power that the first Children of Tahoe were connected, and with their connection came the local community."
Lilac's answer came last: "Previous occurances of pregnacy among units have concluded in joining within a day of birth, at which point they have reached maturity."
<br><br>- Ebreus continues to take notes. "Very well. You have demonstrated awareness of the Zephyr Corporation. Are you aware of the Promethean Organization?" he says. He watches the five of them closely for any body language. "Do you have records of how Unit Mother began this Distributed Conciousness?" he asks.
<br><br>- The fox girl stores the item and looks over to the panthers and asks, "How long do you plan on staying in fairhaven, given the task at hand?" she asks inquisitively, "And, moreso...how long will you be spending in this forest?"
<br><br>- Jill nods as they speak before shi says "Thank you for answering my questions. I personaly do not have any more questions for you but I am sure my companions have additional questions."
<br><br>- Lilac grimaces at that reply, but nods slightly. "I.. I suppose that's not the worst case scenario, in this situation.." She crosses her arms again defensively. "Well.. thank you, yea. I guess." She scratches the back of her neck, before turning to look at Ebreus for a clue on how to proceed from here.
<br><br>- The panthers are starting to repeat themselves on some points, almost like reading from a script: "The details on unit Mother have not been installed, in the possible case of future sabotage or reverse engineering. As learned from the unit designated 'Annie' the organization designated 'Promethians' is known. We are leaving for Tahoe when the message has been delivered at the end of questioning.
<br><br>- Ebreus aproaches the Panther-Units, and sends his shield drone to fly between two of them. "Very well." he says. Once within arms reach he says to the male whom he is closest to, "What do you know of the Prometheans?" He then begins to walk around the Panther and says, "Do you have objections to a basic physical examination?"
<br><br>- The fox girl falls silent, her questioning completed as she gives a faint bow of her head, then steps back into group with both Jill and Lilac. "I have no further questions as well. None of importance, anyways."
<br><br>- Jill continues to sit where shi is as shi watches Ebreus inquire about a physical examination. As it is shi wouldn't really know what to look for and it seems that whatever is going on is mental and not physical. With that shi nods as shi finishes recording hir notes to hir NICE.
<br><br>- Lilac looks very nervous as Ebreus starts approaching them. ".. careful.." She says, still unconvinced that they won't try to defend themselves with force if they feel threatened. "We don't mean them any harm, but let's not push our luck against their trust."
<br><br>- In response to Ebreus's questions, the ferals talk about the Promethians as if they were reading off of the Zephyr's pamphlet that they give to all their agents, then repeating 'As learned from the unit designated Annie'. They then say "No physical change has occured to these units that would warrent an examination, and would be preferable if they are left unharmed." They pause for a long moment, as if waiting for a specific question.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods slowly as they run off the tidbits of information gathered from Annie. "Most of that is intentional disinformation by the Zephyr corporation. I'm not sure where to begin on providing accurate information." he says as he finishes walking one circle around the male. "Only a very improperly done examination would cause harm. I am interested in checking neurological responses such as reflexes and eye dialation." he says. He then telepathically asks the others, 'Any of you capable of performing significant examinations?'
<br><br>- The fox watches, allowing the large fox to continue to do what he does, looking to the panthers and Ebreus. The vixen looks back to her co-horts, faint glowing green light upon them from her lens, "I'm not sure how to feel about looking too deeply at these fairs."
<br><br>- Jill nods to Ebreus and says "I have medical nanomagic which should provide a whole host of information /but/ I'll only do that if they are ok with me doing it." shi shrugs and says "It isn't intrusive at all and I just need to touch them. As for filling them in on all the details about the factions other than big Z I'm not sure if we have the time for that." shi shrugs again and continues "I personly would not mind filling them in myself."
<br><br>- Lilac nods at Ebreus, reluctantly. She follows up on Jill's offer by adding. "I have classical medical training, sure.. but.. I don't know, I think we shouldn't be pushing our luck here. And besides.. the might be a risk of contamination." She says, rather openly. "We don't know how exactly all this works. We could.. end up like them, if we're not careful." The cowgirl doesn't budge from her spot. "We should treat this situation with great care."
<br><br>- The panthers sit silently as no questions were asked of them. With Jill's biomonitoring sight nanomagic nothing out of the ordinary can be seen about the black panthers other than a ton of brain activity.
<br><br>- Ebreus watches the Panthers for a little while longer before looking back to his companions, and his shield drone finishes flying between each of them. "I've encountered others like this, closer to Tahoe. It would be very bad for them to leave with inaccurate information." he adds telepathically, 'And it would be compairably bad for us to neglect this oppertunity to collect information on them.'
<br><br>- The fox looks back towards Ebreus and the fairs, shrugging at them "You guys do you, I guess." she speaks out, "I'll just...sit back for now."
<br><br>- Jill pauses for a moment as shi looks much more closely at the fairs before shi shakes hir head and shurgs turning towards Ebreus and says "Well they are completly normal medicly speaking apart from a rather high level of brain activity. That bit of info isn't really worth that much but I have it recorded if it'll do any good." shi sniffs the air for a moment before continuing "What is more intresting is that while they smell similar to a packmind they actauly are not a packmind. That is definitly more than a bit odd." With a shrug shi turns back to the fairs and says "Well as Ebreus said ealier the information you have on the local factions other than Zepyr is almost definitly more than a bit innaccurate. I'm not all that useful for info abour RSX but I'll tell you as much as I can about the prometheans." and shi proceds to do just that.
<br><br>- Lilac holds herself back from commenting, instead listening to Jill's explanation. "So.. not quite like a packmind, but just kinda like one.." She scratches the back of her neck. "All they need to know really is that we're no threat and we'll leave them well enough alone if they leave us the heck alone too. That's the only way we'll all ever get anywhere is if we coexist.." She looks over at the pregnant one, grimacing. "..somehow."
<br><br>- The panthers listen to Jill's expanation of the Promethians with their full attention, giving no input themselves unless asked. But once Lilac mentions that they are no threat, one of the panthers actually scowls at her. The other panthers then turn to the one who is angry and that seems to calm him down. They finish by speaking in unison: "It has been deemed that you will not ask the right question soon enough, so we will answer the question for you. We have been left here so that we may deliver a message before we leave. The message is that the Children of Tahoe wish to have all the knowledge Zephyr has on the technology known as Nanite Interface Control Units. Goods, services, and knowledge my be traded in return."
<br><br>- Ebreus takes careful note of the information Jill provided about them and copies, in exact iquote, the information she tells them about the Prometheans in his notes. He looks the lot of them over again, wishing very much he had something that would collect a sample of their nanites without them knowing before an idea occurs to him. When the Panthers chime in he thinks for a moment and says, "Very well. I have a Nanite Interface Control Enhancer operating at almost peak effectiveness. I can provide information about it. First I would inquire as to the Goods, Services, and Knowledge that I may gain in exchange for sharing my accumulated knowledge. If you desire I will provide a partial demonstration of it's capabilities as proof of posession."
<br><br>- The fox girl, upon noticing Jill's answer about Promethia decides to add her own two cents, "RSX, you don't need to worry about in Fairhaven." she speaks up, "However, their goal seems to be to rebuild the old world."
<br><br>- Jill looks at Ebreus slightly concerned and says "Do be careful Ebreus. I do not think big Z will take it well if you sell them even a few details of a NICE without them OKing it in advance." shi shrugs before shi continues and says "I'm not really hugely fimilar with big Z but a few friends of mine have gotten into deep shit with them over much lesser things." shi then looks back at the fairs with an intensly speculative look on hir face as shi wonders just what might come of this before shi asks them "It would greatly ease most folks if you promised not to turn around and use what ever knowledge you might gain against them. Most people have good reason to be concerned about packminds running loose"
<br><br>- Lilac tenses as the panther scowls at her. There it is, there's the sign that they're not to be trusted. She jaw drops as they ask about the NICE, and was about to give her reply, but Ebreus' offer was quicker. She was about to burst out angrily at him, but tries to calm herself down so as not to provoke the panthers further. "Before you go and do that, let us report back to HQ and ask if this is a wise course of action, because it has ramifications we can't accurately predict here." She nods at Jill's words. "Exactly.."
<br><br>- The panthers look to Ebreus, replying: "A list of trade items has not been provided to us, but a meeting point for the trade has been. For every Saturday until contact is made, our representatives will be stationed on the highway outside of Tahoe along with potential trade materials. We have no files regarding the topic 'Packminds'." They then all begin to stand up.
<br><br>- Ebreus telepathically responds to Jill and Lilac, 'Negotiation. It requires some level of subtlety and misdirection. I wanted to know what they had on offer. Why would they tell me if it appeared that I didn't have what they wanted in exchange? They may have something worthwile or not but that was the easiest rout to answering that question.' He smiles at the Panthers, "Very well I will meet your representative with a traveling party one Saturday in the near future. The Packminds are the primary infection type in Oregan state. They have a distributed intelligence as well and are known for agressively bringing others into the collective... they face strong resistance due to their unintelligent dealings with the Prometheans, Zephyr, and RSX." he explains. "Forgive me if I am mistaken but it appears that the task you are here for is... lesser than would require five units. Might I offer you the oppertunity to collect information relevent to what you have asked after? All it would require is for one or more Units to acompany me to New Dawn, the capital of the Promethean Organization."
<br><br>- The fox girl notices the group standing up, openning up to sigh, but not making a sound. She looks to the others in the group and dusts her palms up, "Well, I guess this concludes business?" she asks curiously, reaching into a pocket and pulling out her name tag to clip back to her shirt, the words ledgible on it reading "Jack Roland."
<br><br>- As the panthers stand I stand up as well and give Ebreus a shake of the head as I say "Well Ebreus I would say it is fairly important that we take what we have learned back with us. This really is something far far outside of what a group of field agents can decide in the field espicialy when there is no need to do so. As it is we might be able to accompany what ever group the factions set up to meet with them. But what's for darn sure is that this is far far above our pay grade." shi shrugs again and says "As it is we should probaly finish looking around to see if there are any ferals left out here as we were assigned. Considering what we just found out it's probaly more important than ever to see if there are any ferals around here who haven't been assobred into the Children of Tahoe."
<br><br>- Lilac takes a few steps back, away from the panthers, calming down now that they seem ready to leave. "I agree. We need to report this to Zephyr HQ immediately." Funny, the cow hadn't been doing field work for a long time.. years even.. but the old habits slotted back in immediately the moment she was thrust back into the position. "And probably put that meeting point under surveillance, just in case.." She says, sparing a glance at the others, before turning to Jill. "I assume that most of them were killed by the.. process. The joining. But we can check. It's a good idea."
<br><br>- After the panthers get up they reach into the stump of the tree, pulling out improvised sacks that look like they were made from whatever they could find in the deep forest. They still speak in unison as they line up in single file, the pregnant woman standing in the middle. "The proccess of joining the Children of Tahoe has not resulted in a death in 3,402 days according to files provided. All units have been instructed to return to Tahoe at the end of the message." They start walking to the path that the group used to reach the clearing, single file and looking like they intend to leave.
<br><br>- Ebreus nods slowly and finishes fills out a few more notes. "Very well. This is most likely goodby then." he says to the Panthers. He telepathically says to his three companions, 'I agree, we should find non-joined ferals to round out our notes and better piece together what is going on.'
<br><br>- The fox waves over to the Panthers as they leave, only to look back to the group. "You guys have valid points." she responds, "H-hopefully the mist goes with them...given both the safety of ferals and the safety of myself."
<br><br>- Jill nods and stretches as shi says "Well this has been far more intresting than I expected it to be." shi nods to the woods around them and says "So lets go and see if we can't find ourselfs any other ferals out in the woods."
<br><br>- Lilac nods, seeming quite happy to depart this clearing. "Yea.. and then let's report back as soon as we can. This is bigger than we are, and we shouldn't act in the shadows about this." She looks at Ebreus warily, before turning and stepping off, her bovine tail whipping anxiously behind herself.
<br><br>- After the panther's leave, there is no more signs of the fog having any more lasting effects on any other ferals, which more often than not required effort to stop them from humping the party when they approached. After the rest of the day runs smoothly, the research is returned to New Dawn for the Promethians.

The Fog Comes to Fairhaven - RPLOG

2017-07-29T23:31:54Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Parthenia]]
* [[Setrian]]
* [[Rune]]
* [[Amethyst]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
29/7/2017
=Log=
<br>- Ariving at the edge of the fog, it looks like a whole section of the East Forest has been filled with a dense cloud. The location Zephyr gave for agents to gather is empty, and looks like whomever was here to greet everyone isn't here now. Past the haze not a single sound can be heard.
<br> <br>- Mokou slowly slunk through the omnipresent fog. The air was still and the world seemingly lost beneath the haze. Only a dim light that seemed to radiate indicated the sun was out, but even that was hardly enough for the fennec to go by. A hand reached out, not half a dozen feet before her the trees fading into obscurity as a half remembered dream. Her ears twitched sharply, desperate to hear anything... Yet only the quiet shuffling of her own feet, and the feet of her allies could be heard. "Alright," she said, breaking the eerie silence of the fog. "Let's not try and get separated... Way too easy in this sort of condition. Don't want to know what would happen..."
<br> <br>- Rune's ears twitched as he answered the call to arms. Thin ruby slitted eyes cut across the horizon as he took his place at the edge of the fog. The communique was clear enough about the possible hazards of the mixture, leaving him stepping forward with a hunter's caution. The thin mist that permeated the air left his fur matted to the fringe of his frame, slicking his physique into clarity. He'd glance back across the horizon in search of who else answered the call. "You're right...When things get crazy it tends to be... Extreme."
<br> <br>- The twelve foot tall mostly bipedal fenrir looks around the area, keen nose and ears alert for any sign of trouble, especially as he realizes that the meeting place is likely compromised. His ears scan around as he pulls out his comms unit, checking the signal on it in case he needs to report the situation. He tries to follow after amethyst, hearing her footsteps better than seeing her. Having not gotten a good look at the group, he was unsure just how successful this mission would be, but he certainly intended to try to bring them all out alive.
<br> <br>- Parthenia has arrived! She wasn't very much in love with Zephyr after how she was treated by them for her little mischiefs, but... That's where the money were. Being promised a hefty reward for calming down the beasts and cleaning up the mysterious fog, the woman couldn't have passed up the opportunity to earn some credits and have a week off, just relaxing with her loved one tide to the bed... Day dreams, day dreams... Seems like a few others were already here. All freaks, no surprise there. "Hello." She said with a nod as she joined the group from Zephyr. They were all clueless about what's happening too. Typical, just toss some agents at the problem hope they come back all well.
<br> <br>- A scream can be heard coming deep from within the fog. It sounds like a woman, but who can tell these days? The scream abruptly ends, like it was choked off by something else. Silence again hangs in the air...
<br> <br>- Another few steps carried them further into the woods, the fennec lass idly trying to keep calm. When the world is abuzz of soft and quiet noises... when nealy absent of them save a quiet breathing, and a shuffling of leaves... The world becomes a lot smaller. So she lifted a hand, brushing off her arm, the moisture of the mist and the fog clinging and weighing down her fur, making the lass look a touch too lean. "The Fog? It... happens sometimes. Flash fog its called... When due to a bit of rain, if it's a bit cooler below the clouds, the air can't hold as much water... S-so... Fog..." She lifted her hand briefly, waving about the moisture laden air, maw opening as she moved to fill the air with... something. Anything. Yet it didn't seem /she/ needed to. A flinch crossed her features, the lass instinctively ducking close to a tree, eyes wide as she looked out, gazing for that... scream. "Breath... O-okay. Seems we've... Something in the fog. L-lovely..."
<br> <br>- Amethyst's entire body tenses, the kitten girl stopping for just a moment as her back straightens and her ears stand up on end. After the distant scream ends, she takes another few steps forward, overtaking Mokou by a yard or so. "T-That's not good, we should hurry! There's no telling who's trapped in there, they could be hurt!" She turns back to the others, an incredibly worried expression on her face. She nearly hops up and down in place as she bounces nervously on her heels.
<br> <br>- Rune's head snapped in the direction he thought he heard the scream from, feeling his fur break into a bristling rise across his flesh just a quarter of an inch before matting back down with the water weight again. He adjusted his bipedal stance, keeping his claws slightly extended as he stepped a few steps closer to the fennic lass and skimmed to see the group around him. Setrian he remembered from his conversations on nanotech earlier on. He could've sworn he had seen the kitten girl before but wasn't sure. A quick shake of his head left him refocusing to see who else he recognized. Though a quick quirk of his brow rose at Parthenia's presence, remembering her training session vividly before resuming his glance to the echoed sounds.
<br> <br>- Setrian quickly looks in the direction of the scream. With a curse, he reports the situation through his comms unit and then, moving from bipedal to quadrupedal for the sake of speed, he bolts in that direction, calling back to the others "Stick together, I'll scout ahead." He makes his way towards the scream, his feline agility and lupine speed carrying him around the trees quickly, or through them if they were small enough.
<br> <br>- Parthenia speculates that the scream can not be ignored! A person in trouble. Though. In this parts it mostly is some furry freak who is most likely to enjoy whatever is coming anyways. Humanity though, she had to have sympathy, or at least try to give a damn, well, maybe pretending would be good enough. "Of course there is something in the fog. This forest of filled with all sorts of nasty shit." The woman snarled dislodging her electrified chainsword from it's resting place on her back. At least in this fog it will be easy to pinpoint her location with the roaring of her weapon. For now tough. It shall sleep awaiting it's time to sing... "This one got a right idea." The woman commented nodding to Amethyst. "Lets hurry up. Maybe that, whoever can give us some pointers." She didn't have anything that would improve her vision in this conditions, stupid not to bring it. Oh well. "Any of you cable of see through the fog? And, put your sniffers to work, let's get a move on!" She didn't seem to mind taking a point and headed inwards. Into the Fog! Into the... GASP! Forest... only to see Set, well... Set off! Good! Now, she wasn't the one in front. Winking to the rest she follows the Fenrir...
<br> <br>- Again, a sound rings out in the silence of the fog in front of everyone. This time, it's the sounds of wood creaking, splintering, and quickly tearing apart. Like something took a tree and broke it in half.
<br> <br>- Mokou shook her head, eyes closing fast and hard, ears flicking back against her scalp. Something was struggled with, unknown and unsaid. Her maw was firm and shut as she felt as much as theard the wood splinter apart. And snark. The later part though? She simply shot a faint grunt of a snarl back to the lass, shaking her head. "Water dampens scent. Have to-" she flinched, the sound of another tree splintering sending her bolting to the next, eyes locked upon something she couldn't see. "... F-fine," was all she said, flicking her tail sharply, before nodding back to the felines. "Come on... Won't... won't find out anything by sitting out here." And with that, she skittered forward, lurching to the side every so often... trying to avoid that sound... a worry...
<br> <br>- At the sound of a crunching tree, Amethyst turns, almost dog like as her face and ears point towards the source. She turns just once to look back at the rest of the group... Then, suddenly, her heels dig into the ground and she leaps upward, her legs and wings extending in one swift movement. Her feathers rustle in the wind as their powerful wing-beats buffet the air around her and propel her forward towards the source. Her eyes narrow a bit at the fog, but she lowers her speed just enough to be able to avoid any oncoming trees and obstacles in the air.
<br> <br>- His head snapped around to the new shattering sound, feeling the resurrection of adrenaline pump through his veins. A low basal growl cut through is maw as he felt his adrenaline begin pumping. His heartbeat sounded off in his ears, leaving him little clarity on anything auditory but he maintained his gaze to Parthenia's path, following after her and Setrian in hopes of a clear pursuit. "That's never a good sound to hear, if you're not the one making it, when you're trying to protect a life."
<br> <br>- Setrian continues straight on his path, making haste towards where the scream had been sounded from. His mind wanders for a moment at the sound of nearby ferals, but his adrenaline quickly quenches any doubts and makes him focused on the task at hand. He keeps his eyes, ears, and nose peeled for any hint of danger, as well as hints as to the location of the specific source of the scream.
<br> <br>- Parthenia heroically follows Set the wolf! He was only one concerned enough to throw away his own safety for the safety of others! They were... Kindred spirits in a way! Adventurers! Seekers of thril! Not much to see but the fog, the ominous tree and the fluffy but with a wagging dog tail tipping oh so wonderfully. It's like they were on a hunt! Even haid their own hawk! Well.. Cat.. But hey! Close enough! And so they ran! Now, was that cracking tree somehow involved with the earlier cry, she was hoping to find out sooner than later! Now the biggest concern is being able to keep up with the mutant ahead.
<br> <br>- Chasing down where the scream had sounded, The sounds of fighting can be heard off to the side. It sounds like two people fighting recklessly, yelling at one another with feral growling.
<br> <br>- Setrian stops in his tracks as something else catches his attention, he knows he shouldn't be this way, but his thoughts are slowly becoming more primal. It takes a great deal of effort not to outright pounce the human female following close behind. He growls deeply in a way that only a fenrir can, and like flipping a switch, an aura forms around him, both in response to and due to the change of his frame of mind. The field of dread around him only a slight warning.
<br> <br>- Mokou shuddered as she hit the fogbank, feet only just managing to brush against the ground as she bounded onward, eyes sharp and looking out for that sound... the sound of the scream. She breathed deeply, trying to focus herself, something catching her attention. She slowed, her hands reaching for the bark of a tree as she did so, head subconsiously turning, something having caught her attention. In the quiet of the fog, hardly keeping sight or sound of her company, she slowed, a silent frown crossing her face.... before she shook her head sharply, trying to go further, to pass that which she found, ears searching for the arguing. "L-leave the ferals! Find the people... S-swiftly!" It only took a sense of presence near the other to figure out something... Stronger and worse near the Lupine, "S-something... Something's wrong..."
<br> <br>- Rune's mind lingered ont hat scream drawing him closer as he heard the mixture of creatures around him. His nose twitched the second that he had smelled the new ferals drawing hsi head to shift towards their debacle. Maybe they could help, maybe they were too far gone. He couldn't be sure. His eyes snapped back to Parthenia with a focused intent. Mentally he cursed himself for his lack of survival training but closed his eyes to half slits just for a moment, seeking to tap into the keener aspects of his instincts before flaring them at the fennic's call. "You're right... but... " His gaze cut to the left, catching a human out of the corners of his eyes, dilating a moment before he'd start darting her way in a double take. Yet just as he started to hone in on her, he'd stop cold in his tracks, skidding to a stop. "How in the he... Not that fast." His head snapped back towards the sudden pause of the Fenrir and the scent that followed all too familiar to his senses. "What is it?"
<br> <br>- Parthenia also slows down seeing the wolf stop. There is also something a bit different about her. Not as cheery and go getty as she was moments ago... Not as happy to follow the wolf into the frey and bring justice! Save whoever it is needs to be saved. Right now... All of her focus was on the best. Thick brows furrowed and as that menacing aura surrounded the fenrir, so did her chainsword came to life. For now buzzing idly, as if deciding if it wishes to quench it's thirst for blood. "Say... Haven't we met before?" She speaks coldly.
<br> <br>- The ferals fighting to the side seem to keep going at each other, but the sounds of them fighting seem to be strained, like they have been fighting for way too long. The scream is never heard again, and no other sounds can be heard besides the group and Parthenia's chainsword.
<br> <br>- Amethyst soon catches up with the other two, and seeing that they've stopped, she lands, approaching them on foot. She hugs her arms to the sides, taken aback by the sounds of fighting nearby. "W-What is up with this... place..." Her voice trails off with a shudder, the kitten-girl beginning to look quite timid as her hazel eyes shift between the human and fenrir's faces. She hugs herself tighter, her ears folding flat, and she begins to take steps backwards. "No... No, no!" She says, fear in her trembling voice. She gives a startled yelp as Mokou arrives, but this only seems to upset her further. The kitten girl begins to look around feverishly, as if looking for something.
<br> <br>- The fennec looked forward in the fog, eyes wide as their numbers seemed to shift and be... off. That snark that the human had tossed about felt much colder... much more bitter. It wasn't the happy go lucky sort of snark that one shot at friends, it was the thinly veiled hate that seemed to fall when one confronted an enemy... Despite even that, she felt herself draw closer, trying to face off against that horrid sort of... dread that fell upon her. Her eyes scoured between the lot of them, falling firstly upon the one she knew as Rune... a slight twitch upon her nose. Yet those massive ears of hers caught a sound, a yelp! It drew her back, the fennec hardly realizing she had lunged across the way, rising beside Amethyst with a quiet shushing noise. "Shh, sh-shh... Relax... It... It's okay! It's okay." Her hand rose, brushing upon that shoulder, a soft smile upon her maw... warm mocha eyes reflecting more than just the felines reflection. "It's... it's okay! You're ... you're okay."
<br> <br>- Amethyst's timid, frightened demeanor intensifies, her knees nearly knocking together as she hunches over in her standing position, her arms tightly pressed to her chest. Her ears are rotated back and angled downward, like a cat that was about to hiss... But instead, only whimpering escapes her lips. "N-No, stop it, please, I don't want to do this! I belong to someone! Let me go!" She cries out in a low voice. Suddenly, a touch against her shoulder causes her to start, the kitten girl's face snapping to the side to look at the fennec's face... Despite the calming intention, the kitten girl jerks in the opposite direction in an attempt to get away and instead stumbles, sending her to the ground where she falls on her side.
<br> <br>- Rune his eyes snapped as he felt a sudden chill cut completely across his flesh. The sword that lay across his spine flared to life with the runic clarity across it's engraved edge. Noting the glow he'd draw the blade from it's scabbard across his back. He looked back down across the horizon before him, leaving his vision heloed by the shift of the fog. The vision of an auburn haired woman coated his vision reaching out towards him with her fully extended hand, her body coated in various spatters of blood,lower half, crushed under rubble, sealed. What his comrades would see was him pulling on a branch arm, drawing it tighter and harder, crying out in his rage. "Alexia... Alexia! I'll pull you out if I can... Anything I can do I would and will but please... Come on. I know we ca..." before he'd snap back and look at his clawed hands. Back and forth he'd look from the tree to his palms, visualizing them completely coated in blood. "No.... Fuck no not this. I can.. No I did everything I could. I can't."
<br> <br>- Setrian turns quickly as realization comes forth, the fots connecting one after the other, but it's almost too late! He stifles his growl and slaps himself hard to gain what clarity he can if only for a few moments to pass on his discovery. "The f-fog.. Nanites. R-RUN!" the last is cut out as his 'self' slips away, suddenly little more than a monstrous feral with a bloodrage, intense rut, and sharp claws and fangs, which are suddenly barreling towards the human with her sword drawn at him.
<br> <br>- "It is you..." Parthenia said her feet slowly move through the grass, as she takes careful steps, being in motion however slow it may be is always better than being still. "Didn't think you are smart enough to come up with such an elaborate plan to lure me back here..." Did she want to hear an answer? No probably not so much. She didn't care! All she cared about is that Fenrir, that bastard! That filthy beast. She could hardly imagine anyone as hated as he was. The roaring of the chainsword was evidence enough. She wasn't looking for a chat and yet she was ever so slightly puzzled... What was that little outbreak? Mocking her? Again? She motions to the fog with a smirk. "A nice touch. Very scenic. But I'm done with running. I'm here to gut your feral ass." She was going to add something about having a team with her but... With a quick glance she figured they were all... Tripping out and... Not as fit for combat as she would have wished. Oh well.. A hand reaching for community, and with a few strokes of fingers her combat armor comes to life, nanites buzz excitedly around forming a barrier.
<br> <br>- The forest and the fog seem to close in on the group, chaos causing them to come apart at the seams. As their time in the fog stretches longer, it continues to seep into their minds.
<br> <br>- Mokou could only look down at the lass before her, a trembling in her flesh and her bones. The fennec slowly blinked as the girl crumpled beneath her, seeming to withdraw in upon herself... A slow frown finding its way upon her muzzle as the girl did so. The lass tilted her head, those wide ears twitching as she looked up. Woodland could be seen within the confines of the murky sphere of fog that was her world. Her pelt seemed to shiver, hands rising to her sides as she tried to brush away the mist... It was wrong. Her ears though caught far more than the simple dripping of mist, something shouted by her side, the words murky and conflicted. She shook herself, the massive wolf to her side sending... more than a few notes of fear upon her maw... This is why she wasn't meant to be here... She bolted. Feet crushing undergrowth and pawpads only just gripping upon the bark, she fled from there with the speed of a lady possessed... She wasn't meant to be here... Too cold. Too damp...
<br> <br>- Amethyst watches the feral fennec flee, her arms pushing herself up. She doesn't stand - it was unknown as to whether she even could - but her ears perk up just slightly, a glimmer of hope in the kitten's voice. "M-Master...?" She nearly whispers at first in disbelief, but then begins calling out in earnest, her little voice strained and stifled by the fog. "Master! Help me! Where are you...?" She sobs, getting onto all fours and crawling in a direction. The wood and stone in the ground cut into her knees and hands, but she doesn't wince, only seemingly worried about moving forward.
<br> <br>- Rune blinked as the forest cut around to blur into a vision of the full mansion that had him protected/possessed before breaking into the dawn of the great new world. The chandeliers that had broken from the collapse of the feral onslaught left him secured as he curled his way back away from the former tree/sisterly vision. His claws cut back into a shock as his eyes flared seeing Amethyst crawling to the fleeing fennec, visualizing it as a fleeing caretaker. Though with the jarring bolt of Fenrir's clawing form he'd take in Parthenia's form and the veneer of her armor just as it did his mother. Though suddenly with the first jarring cut of the clawtips scraping across the armor's cast he'd narrow his gaze as her body shifted before his eyes have a sudden whipping demonic tail, flaring back out in the coated metal tip only to have the whole scene crushed before his eyes in a cacophany of blood in the wake of her final words. "Run". That last word ignited a fire in him as his gouging claws came out in switchblade fashion, leaving the surging electrical charge pouring through his flesh in an outcry to charge towards the Fenrir with an instinctual rage.
<br> <br>- Setrian crashes into the human with enough force to knock her down, his senses alert as he growls, about to go for her throat with his powerful jaws before a scent catches his nose. He looks over in the direction of it and springs back as his eyes catch the charging.. Thing.. He cannot stay here though, he is needed. He tries to evade the two and make his way to his mate who is in trouble, the scent of blood from her the only thing on his mind as his primary instinct is to defend her and his young.
<br> <br>- Parthenia blinks... Blinks again... Expression on her face changes from hostile to one... Of puzzled. She should probably be scared but.. somehow she was more concerned with something else. A set of mixed feelings in her head as she.. Backs off. Was she running? Well, sorta. Was she running from the big dog, not really. It was something else. Something unseen, something that was all around. And as much as she wished to indulge herself in this battle. Something about this particular Fenrir was off. He wasn't THE Fenrir. This one shouldn't get the pleasure of having his way with her. Not here, not now... Something was off. Slowly she was backing away as the best charged at her. A twig! A dreaded evil twig in her wake was enough for that fatal misstep! A slightest twist of an ankle to compromise her stability as he slams into knocking her back and... Sprinting away. She raised a brow not even getting a chance to put her weapon to use. Well... Away we go. She gets back up and... Sprints back where she came from, Rune seems to be on Set's tail giving her ample time! The second she gets out of that fog, a call to Zephyr will have to be made.
<br> <br>- The fog's effects are in full swing, only for it to suddenly switch off. Like turning on the light in a pitch black room, clarity returns as the fog stops effecting everyone. The thicknes of the fog even begins to recede, revealing that even the thin mist has ended and the sun can be seen through the forest canopy.
<br> <br>- Nearly a hundred feet away from the commotion, Mokou fell. It wasn't a gnarled root or branch that caught her, but she went tumbling either way. Head swinging down, body almost crumpling against the foot of a tree, her eyes were locked rigid and open. Her chest beat at a hundred miles an hour, her hands reaching forward, clenching two roots that sprung up from the ground. The sound of commotion reached the furthest tips of her ears... And she stared at that hollow. At that breach in the woodline and at the ground beneath her. Flesh was white with tension beneath her fur, her tail falling limp behind her. Gasping for breath as though she had run a thousand miles... not a hundred feet... She gagged. Nearly choking, she pressed back her legs, doing everything she could to prevent from curling... Between those raspy breaths, a near silent murmuring was given, looking down to the ground, looking that muzzle, something gently dripping from the end of her nose, falling from her eyes... "I... I... I am... M-m... Me... Ah... I... I'm.. m-me... I'm... H-human..."
<br> <br>- Amethyst stumbles on her knees, and with a whimper, she rests on her rump, twisting her torso and looking back at the Fenrir charging her. She cowers, her arms rising to protect her face. Despite the fog clearing, her body still shuddered with anxiety and confusion.
<br> <br>- It was when he felt the wind cut from the Fenrir's adjustment, he'd pass by his side but the surging electricity around him didn't spare the arched attack. THe current still splintered off towards the beast in the wake of his claws until he grounded himself anew. Though when he hit the ground he felt his mind clear. the vision of his family and the building's collapse clearing to unveil him as the fenrir he knew for his intelligence. A new pallor crossed his face before he'd turn back to the sounds of each persona that had joined them being in a different state of disarray. "Where did... Mom? No that cant be but... Rain and .. How am I feeling a light mist when we were..." It was then that it hit him, seeing each of the members of the team, recognizing the fenriri first, the remnants of blood that trailed off from one, no recollection where they had gone to, and only his mixed memory for where he had seen her trail away. "What the hell is going on with this mess. I shouldn't be seeing anyone. Especially not them... where? Did they make it? Were they healed and I didn't know it? ...Wait.. wait..."
<br> <br>- Setrian grunts at the jolt of electricity upon his side, but continues on, his mind slowly returning as he neared his mate, but his concern no less prominent. "A.. Amethyst. Are you hurt?" He asks in concern, still coming out of his feral trance.
<br> <br>- Parthenia was for the most part unaffected, able to shake off the effect even after such a long exposure and now, with the damn thing gone she breathed a sigh of relief. Seems like the revenge wouldn't have worked out even if it was tHE fenrir. Oh well.. Back to designing better equipment so that she could stand a chance against the dam mutants. Some were just so though. She looks over her shoulder relieved to see that everyone seem to be coming back to their senses, and shuts the sword off. Now, to report to Zephyr. 'Evil fog machine in the Eastern forest area caused mental instability.' That followed by the list of possible effects she have witnessed and experienced herself as well as a rather disappointing fact. The lack of knowledge is nanites were somehow involved. Most likely so due to how fast the thing dispersed.
<br> <br>- No sign of how or why the fog was here can be found searching the forest. The fighting ferals are colapsed and bloody but the nanites would heal them in time. As for the scream and the ripped wood, a tree was found torn open and fallen on it's side, a huge burn mark seared through the bend where it tipped over, and the woman is gone. Returning to Zephyr, everyone is asked for their reports and what happened to Annie, the woman that was supposed to be with them.
[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-07-29T22:57:03Z

Zophah:

The Fog Comes to Fairhaven - RPLOG

2017-07-29T22:56:25Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Parthenia]]
* [[Setrian]]
* [[Rune]]
* [[Amethyst]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
29/7/2017
=Log=
<br> <br>- Ariving at the edge of the fog, it looks like a whole section of the East Forest has been filled with a dense cloud. The location Zephyr gave for agents to gather is empty, and looks like whomever was here to greet everyone isn't here now. Past the haze not a single sound can be heard.
<br> <br>- Mokou slowly slunk through the omnipresent fog. The air was still and the world seemingly lost beneath the haze. Only a dim light that seemed to radiate indicated the sun was out, but even that was hardly enough for the fennec to go by. A hand reached out, not half a dozen feet before her the trees fading into obscurity as a half remembered dream. Her ears twitched sharply, desperate to hear anything... Yet only the quiet shuffling of her own feet, and the feet of her allies could be heard. "Alright," she said, breaking the eerie silence of the fog. "Let's not try and get separated... Way too easy in this sort of condition. Don't want to know what would happen..."
<br> <br>- Rune's ears twitched as he answered the call to arms. Thin ruby slitted eyes cut across the horizon as he took his place at the edge of the fog. The communique was clear enough about the possible hazards of the mixture, leaving him stepping forward with a hunter's caution. The thin mist that permeated the air left his fur matted to the fringe of his frame, slicking his physique into clarity. He'd glance back across the horizon in search of who else answered the call. "You're right...When things get crazy it tends to be... Extreme."
<br> <br>- The twelve foot tall mostly bipedal fenrir looks around the area, keen nose and ears alert for any sign of trouble, especially as he realizes that the meeting place is likely compromised. His ears scan around as he pulls out his comms unit, checking the signal on it in case he needs to report the situation. He tries to follow after amethyst, hearing her footsteps better than seeing her. Having not gotten a good look at the group, he was unsure just how successful this mission would be, but he certainly intended to try to bring them all out alive.
<br> <br>- Parthenia has arrived! She wasn't very much in love with Zephyr after how she was treated by them for her little mischiefs, but... That's where the money were. Being promised a hefty reward for calming down the beasts and cleaning up the mysterious fog, the woman couldn't have passed up the opportunity to earn some credits and have a week off, just relaxing with her loved one tide to the bed... Day dreams, day dreams... Seems like a few others were already here. All freaks, no surprise there. "Hello." She said with a nod as she joined the group from Zephyr. They were all clueless about what's happening too. Typical, just toss some agents at the problem hope they come back all well.
<br> <br>- A scream can be heard coming deep from within the fog. It sounds like a woman, but who can tell these days? The scream abruptly ends, like it was choked off by something else. Silence again hangs in the air...
<br> <br>- Another few steps carried them further into the woods, the fennec lass idly trying to keep calm. When the world is abuzz of soft and quiet noises... when nealy absent of them save a quiet breathing, and a shuffling of leaves... The world becomes a lot smaller. So she lifted a hand, brushing off her arm, the moisture of the mist and the fog clinging and weighing down her fur, making the lass look a touch too lean. "The Fog? It... happens sometimes. Flash fog its called... When due to a bit of rain, if it's a bit cooler below the clouds, the air can't hold as much water... S-so... Fog..." She lifted her hand briefly, waving about the moisture laden air, maw opening as she moved to fill the air with... something. Anything. Yet it didn't seem /she/ needed to. A flinch crossed her features, the lass instinctively ducking close to a tree, eyes wide as she looked out, gazing for that... scream. "Breath... O-okay. Seems we've... Something in the fog. L-lovely..."
<br> <br>- Amethyst's entire body tenses, the kitten girl stopping for just a moment as her back straightens and her ears stand up on end. After the distant scream ends, she takes another few steps forward, overtaking Mokou by a yard or so. "T-That's not good, we should hurry! There's no telling who's trapped in there, they could be hurt!" She turns back to the others, an incredibly worried expression on her face. She nearly hops up and down in place as she bounces nervously on her heels.
<br> <br>- Rune's head snapped in the direction he thought he heard the scream from, feeling his fur break into a bristling rise across his flesh just a quarter of an inch before matting back down with the water weight again. He adjusted his bipedal stance, keeping his claws slightly extended as he stepped a few steps closer to the fennic lass and skimmed to see the group around him. Setrian he remembered from his conversations on nanotech earlier on. He could've sworn he had seen the kitten girl before but wasn't sure. A quick shake of his head left him refocusing to see who else he recognized. Though a quick quirk of his brow rose at Parthenia's presence, remembering her training session vividly before resuming his glance to the echoed sounds.
<br> <br>- Setrian quickly looks in the direction of the scream. With a curse, he reports the situation through his comms unit and then, moving from bipedal to quadrupedal for the sake of speed, he bolts in that direction, calling back to the others "Stick together, I'll scout ahead." He makes his way towards the scream, his feline agility and lupine speed carrying him around the trees quickly, or through them if they were small enough.
<br> <br>- Parthenia speculates that the scream can not be ignored! A person in trouble. Though. In this parts it mostly is some furry freak who is most likely to enjoy whatever is coming anyways. Humanity though, she had to have sympathy, or at least try to give a damn, well, maybe pretending would be good enough. "Of course there is something in the fog. This forest of filled with all sorts of nasty shit." The woman snarled dislodging her electrified chainsword from it's resting place on her back. At least in this fog it will be easy to pinpoint her location with the roaring of her weapon. For now tough. It shall sleep awaiting it's time to sing... "This one got a right idea." The woman commented nodding to Amethyst. "Lets hurry up. Maybe that, whoever can give us some pointers." She didn't have anything that would improve her vision in this conditions, stupid not to bring it. Oh well. "Any of you cable of see through the fog? And, put your sniffers to work, let's get a move on!" She didn't seem to mind taking a point and headed inwards. Into the Fog! Into the... GASP! Forest... only to see Set, well... Set off! Good! Now, she wasn't the one in front. Winking to the rest she follows the Fenrir...
<br> <br>- Again, a sound rings out in the silence of the fog in front of everyone. This time, it's the sounds of wood creaking, splintering, and quickly tearing apart. Like something took a tree and broke it in half.
<br> <br>- Mokou shook her head, eyes closing fast and hard, ears flicking back against her scalp. Something was struggled with, unknown and unsaid. Her maw was firm and shut as she felt as much as theard the wood splinter apart. And snark. The later part though? She simply shot a faint grunt of a snarl back to the lass, shaking her head. "Water dampens scent. Have to-" she flinched, the sound of another tree splintering sending her bolting to the next, eyes locked upon something she couldn't see. "... F-fine," was all she said, flicking her tail sharply, before nodding back to the felines. "Come on... Won't... won't find out anything by sitting out here." And with that, she skittered forward, lurching to the side every so often... trying to avoid that sound... a worry...
<br> <br>- At the sound of a crunching tree, Amethyst turns, almost dog like as her face and ears point towards the source. She turns just once to look back at the rest of the group... Then, suddenly, her heels dig into the ground and she leaps upward, her legs and wings extending in one swift movement. Her feathers rustle in the wind as their powerful wing-beats buffet the air around her and propel her forward towards the source. Her eyes narrow a bit at the fog, but she lowers her speed just enough to be able to avoid any oncoming trees and obstacles in the air.
<br> <br>- His head snapped around to the new shattering sound, feeling the resurrection of adrenaline pump through his veins. A low basal growl cut through is maw as he felt his adrenaline begin pumping. His heartbeat sounded off in his ears, leaving him little clarity on anything auditory but he maintained his gaze to Parthenia's path, following after her and Setrian in hopes of a clear pursuit. "That's never a good sound to hear, if you're not the one making it, when you're trying to protect a life."
<br> <br>- Setrian continues straight on his path, making haste towards where the scream had been sounded from. His mind wanders for a moment at the sound of nearby ferals, but his adrenaline quickly quenches any doubts and makes him focused on the task at hand. He keeps his eyes, ears, and nose peeled for any hint of danger, as well as hints as to the location of the specific source of the scream.
<br> <br>- Parthenia heroically follows Set the wolf! He was only one concerned enough to throw away his own safety for the safety of others! They were... Kindred spirits in a way! Adventurers! Seekers of thril! Not much to see but the fog, the ominous tree and the fluffy but with a wagging dog tail tipping oh so wonderfully. It's like they were on a hunt! Even haid their own hawk! Well.. Cat.. But hey! Close enough! And so they ran! Now, was that cracking tree somehow involved with the earlier cry, she was hoping to find out sooner than later! Now the biggest concern is being able to keep up with the mutant ahead.
<br> <br>- Chasing down where the scream had sounded, The sounds of fighting can be heard off to the side. It sounds like two people fighting recklessly, yelling at one another with feral growling.
<br> <br>- Setrian stops in his tracks as something else catches his attention, he knows he shouldn't be this way, but his thoughts are slowly becoming more primal. It takes a great deal of effort not to outright pounce the human female following close behind. He growls deeply in a way that only a fenrir can, and like flipping a switch, an aura forms around him, both in response to and due to the change of his frame of mind. The field of dread around him only a slight warning.
<br> <br>- Mokou shuddered as she hit the fogbank, feet only just managing to brush against the ground as she bounded onward, eyes sharp and looking out for that sound... the sound of the scream. She breathed deeply, trying to focus herself, something catching her attention. She slowed, her hands reaching for the bark of a tree as she did so, head subconsiously turning, something having caught her attention. In the quiet of the fog, hardly keeping sight or sound of her company, she slowed, a silent frown crossing her face.... before she shook her head sharply, trying to go further, to pass that which she found, ears searching for the arguing. "L-leave the ferals! Find the people... S-swiftly!" It only took a sense of presence near the other to figure out something... Stronger and worse near the Lupine, "S-something... Something's wrong..."
<br> <br>- Rune's mind lingered ont hat scream drawing him closer as he heard the mixture of creatures around him. His nose twitched the second that he had smelled the new ferals drawing hsi head to shift towards their debacle. Maybe they could help, maybe they were too far gone. He couldn't be sure. His eyes snapped back to Parthenia with a focused intent. Mentally he cursed himself for his lack of survival training but closed his eyes to half slits just for a moment, seeking to tap into the keener aspects of his instincts before flaring them at the fennic's call. "You're right... but... " His gaze cut to the left, catching a human out of the corners of his eyes, dilating a moment before he'd start darting her way in a double take. Yet just as he started to hone in on her, he'd stop cold in his tracks, skidding to a stop. "How in the he... Not that fast." His head snapped back towards the sudden pause of the Fenrir and the scent that followed all too familiar to his senses. "What is it?"
<br> <br>- Parthenia also slows down seeing the wolf stop. There is also something a bit different about her. Not as cheery and go getty as she was moments ago... Not as happy to follow the wolf into the frey and bring justice! Save whoever it is needs to be saved. Right now... All of her focus was on the best. Thick brows furrowed and as that menacing aura surrounded the fenrir, so did her chainsword came to life. For now buzzing idly, as if deciding if it wishes to quench it's thirst for blood. "Say... Haven't we met before?" She speaks coldly.
<br> <br>- The ferals fighting to the side seem to keep going at each other, but the sounds of them fighting seem to be strained, like they have been fighting for way too long. The scream is never heard again, and no other sounds can be heard besides the group and Parthenia's chainsword.
<br> <br>- Amethyst soon catches up with the other two, and seeing that they've stopped, she lands, approaching them on foot. She hugs her arms to the sides, taken aback by the sounds of fighting nearby. "W-What is up with this... place..." Her voice trails off with a shudder, the kitten-girl beginning to look quite timid as her hazel eyes shift between the human and fenrir's faces. She hugs herself tighter, her ears folding flat, and she begins to take steps backwards. "No... No, no!" She says, fear in her trembling voice. She gives a startled yelp as Mokou arrives, but this only seems to upset her further. The kitten girl begins to look around feverishly, as if looking for something.
<br> <br>- The fennec looked forward in the fog, eyes wide as their numbers seemed to shift and be... off. That snark that the human had tossed about felt much colder... much more bitter. It wasn't the happy go lucky sort of snark that one shot at friends, it was the thinly veiled hate that seemed to fall when one confronted an enemy... Despite even that, she felt herself draw closer, trying to face off against that horrid sort of... dread that fell upon her. Her eyes scoured between the lot of them, falling firstly upon the one she knew as Rune... a slight twitch upon her nose. Yet those massive ears of hers caught a sound, a yelp! It drew her back, the fennec hardly realizing she had lunged across the way, rising beside Amethyst with a quiet shushing noise. "Shh, sh-shh... Relax... It... It's okay! It's okay." Her hand rose, brushing upon that shoulder, a soft smile upon her maw... warm mocha eyes reflecting more than just the felines reflection. "It's... it's okay! You're ... you're okay."
<br> <br>- Amethyst's timid, frightened demeanor intensifies, her knees nearly knocking together as she hunches over in her standing position, her arms tightly pressed to her chest. Her ears are rotated back and angled downward, like a cat that was about to hiss... But instead, only whimpering escapes her lips. "N-No, stop it, please, I don't want to do this! I belong to someone! Let me go!" She cries out in a low voice. Suddenly, a touch against her shoulder causes her to start, the kitten girl's face snapping to the side to look at the fennec's face... Despite the calming intention, the kitten girl jerks in the opposite direction in an attempt to get away and instead stumbles, sending her to the ground where she falls on her side.
<br> <br>- Rune his eyes snapped as he felt a sudden chill cut completely across his flesh. The sword that lay across his spine flared to life with the runic clarity across it's engraved edge. Noting the glow he'd draw the blade from it's scabbard across his back. He looked back down across the horizon before him, leaving his vision heloed by the shift of the fog. The vision of an auburn haired woman coated his vision reaching out towards him with her fully extended hand, her body coated in various spatters of blood,lower half, crushed under rubble, sealed. What his comrades would see was him pulling on a branch arm, drawing it tighter and harder, crying out in his rage. "Alexia... Alexia! I'll pull you out if I can... Anything I can do I would and will but please... Come on. I know we ca..." before he'd snap back and look at his clawed hands. Back and forth he'd look from the tree to his palms, visualizing them completely coated in blood. "No.... Fuck no not this. I can.. No I did everything I could. I can't."
<br> <br>- Setrian turns quickly as realization comes forth, the fots connecting one after the other, but it's almost too late! He stifles his growl and slaps himself hard to gain what clarity he can if only for a few moments to pass on his discovery. "The f-fog.. Nanites. R-RUN!" the last is cut out as his 'self' slips away, suddenly little more than a monstrous feral with a bloodrage, intense rut, and sharp claws and fangs, which are suddenly barreling towards the human with her sword drawn at him.
<br> <br>- "It is you..." Parthenia said her feet slowly move through the grass, as she takes careful steps, being in motion however slow it may be is always better than being still. "Didn't think you are smart enough to come up with such an elaborate plan to lure me back here..." Did she want to hear an answer? No probably not so much. She didn't care! All she cared about is that Fenrir, that bastard! That filthy beast. She could hardly imagine anyone as hated as he was. The roaring of the chainsword was evidence enough. She wasn't looking for a chat and yet she was ever so slightly puzzled... What was that little outbreak? Mocking her? Again? She motions to the fog with a smirk. "A nice touch. Very scenic. But I'm done with running. I'm here to gut your feral ass." She was going to add something about having a team with her but... With a quick glance she figured they were all... Tripping out and... Not as fit for combat as she would have wished. Oh well.. A hand reaching for community, and with a few strokes of fingers her combat armor comes to life, nanites buzz excitedly around forming a barrier.
<br> <br>- The forest and the fog seem to close in on the group, chaos causing them to come apart at the seams. As their time in the fog stretches longer, it continues to seep into their minds.
<br> <br>- Mokou could only look down at the lass before her, a trembling in her flesh and her bones. The fennec slowly blinked as the girl crumpled beneath her, seeming to withdraw in upon herself... A slow frown finding its way upon her muzzle as the girl did so. The lass tilted her head, those wide ears twitching as she looked up. Woodland could be seen within the confines of the murky sphere of fog that was her world. Her pelt seemed to shiver, hands rising to her sides as she tried to brush away the mist... It was wrong. Her ears though caught far more than the simple dripping of mist, something shouted by her side, the words murky and conflicted. She shook herself, the massive wolf to her side sending... more than a few notes of fear upon her maw... This is why she wasn't meant to be here... She bolted. Feet crushing undergrowth and pawpads only just gripping upon the bark, she fled from there with the speed of a lady possessed... She wasn't meant to be here... Too cold. Too damp...
<br> <br>- Amethyst watches the feral fennec flee, her arms pushing herself up. She doesn't stand - it was unknown as to whether she even could - but her ears perk up just slightly, a glimmer of hope in the kitten's voice. "M-Master...?" She nearly whispers at first in disbelief, but then begins calling out in earnest, her little voice strained and stifled by the fog. "Master! Help me! Where are you...?" She sobs, getting onto all fours and crawling in a direction. The wood and stone in the ground cut into her knees and hands, but she doesn't wince, only seemingly worried about moving forward.
<br> <br>- Rune blinked as the forest cut around to blur into a vision of the full mansion that had him protected/possessed before breaking into the dawn of the great new world. The chandeliers that had broken from the collapse of the feral onslaught left him secured as he curled his way back away from the former tree/sisterly vision. His claws cut back into a shock as his eyes flared seeing Amethyst crawling to the fleeing fennec, visualizing it as a fleeing caretaker. Though with the jarring bolt of Fenrir's clawing form he'd take in Parthenia's form and the veneer of her armor just as it did his mother. Though suddenly with the first jarring cut of the clawtips scraping across the armor's cast he'd narrow his gaze as her body shifted before his eyes have a sudden whipping demonic tail, flaring back out in the coated metal tip only to have the whole scene crushed before his eyes in a cacophany of blood in the wake of her final words. "Run". That last word ignited a fire in him as his gouging claws came out in switchblade fashion, leaving the surging electrical charge pouring through his flesh in an outcry to charge towards the Fenrir with an instinctual rage.
<br> <br>- Setrian crashes into the human with enough force to knock her down, his senses alert as he growls, about to go for her throat with his powerful jaws before a scent catches his nose. He looks over in the direction of it and springs back as his eyes catch the charging.. Thing.. He cannot stay here though, he is needed. He tries to evade the two and make his way to his mate who is in trouble, the scent of blood from her the only thing on his mind as his primary instinct is to defend her and his young.
<br> <br>- Parthenia blinks... Blinks again... Expression on her face changes from hostile to one... Of puzzled. She should probably be scared but.. somehow she was more concerned with something else. A set of mixed feelings in her head as she.. Backs off. Was she running? Well, sorta. Was she running from the big dog, not really. It was something else. Something unseen, something that was all around. And as much as she wished to indulge herself in this battle. Something about this particular Fenrir was off. He wasn't THE Fenrir. This one shouldn't get the pleasure of having his way with her. Not here, not now... Something was off. Slowly she was backing away as the best charged at her. A twig! A dreaded evil twig in her wake was enough for that fatal misstep! A slightest twist of an ankle to compromise her stability as he slams into knocking her back and... Sprinting away. She raised a brow not even getting a chance to put her weapon to use. Well... Away we go. She gets back up and... Sprints back where she came from, Rune seems to be on Set's tail giving her ample time! The second she gets out of that fog, a call to Zephyr will have to be made.
<br> <br>- The fog's effects are in full swing, only for it to suddenly switch off. Like turning on the light in a pitch black room, clarity returns as the fog stops effecting everyone. The thicknes of the fog even begins to recede, revealing that even the thin mist has ended and the sun can be seen through the forest canopy.
<br> <br>- Nearly a hundred feet away from the commotion, Mokou fell. It wasn't a gnarled root or branch that caught her, but she went tumbling either way. Head swinging down, body almost crumpling against the foot of a tree, her eyes were locked rigid and open. Her chest beat at a hundred miles an hour, her hands reaching forward, clenching two roots that sprung up from the ground. The sound of commotion reached the furthest tips of her ears... And she stared at that hollow. At that breach in the woodline and at the ground beneath her. Flesh was white with tension beneath her fur, her tail falling limp behind her. Gasping for breath as though she had run a thousand miles... not a hundred feet... She gagged. Nearly choking, she pressed back her legs, doing everything she could to prevent from curling... Between those raspy breaths, a near silent murmuring was given, looking down to the ground, looking that muzzle, something gently dripping from the end of her nose, falling from her eyes... "I... I... I am... M-m... Me... Ah... I... I'm.. m-me... I'm... H-human..."
<br> <br>- Amethyst stumbles on her knees, and with a whimper, she rests on her rump, twisting her torso and looking back at the Fenrir charging her. She cowers, her arms rising to protect her face. Despite the fog clearing, her body still shuddered with anxiety and confusion.
<br> <br>- It was when he felt the wind cut from the Fenrir's adjustment, he'd pass by his side but the surging electricity around him didn't spare the arched attack. THe current still splintered off towards the beast in the wake of his claws until he grounded himself anew. Though when he hit the ground he felt his mind clear. the vision of his family and the building's collapse clearing to unveil him as the fenrir he knew for his intelligence. A new pallor crossed his face before he'd turn back to the sounds of each persona that had joined them being in a different state of disarray. "Where did... Mom? No that cant be but... Rain and .. How am I feeling a light mist when we were..." It was then that it hit him, seeing each of the members of the team, recognizing the fenriri first, the remnants of blood that trailed off from one, no recollection where they had gone to, and only his mixed memory for where he had seen her trail away. "What the hell is going on with this mess. I shouldn't be seeing anyone. Especially not them... where? Did they make it? Were they healed and I didn't know it? ...Wait.. wait..."
<br> <br>- Setrian grunts at the jolt of electricity upon his side, but continues on, his mind slowly returning as he neared his mate, but his concern no less prominent. "A.. Amethyst. Are you hurt?" He asks in concern, still coming out of his feral trance.
<br> <br>- Parthenia was for the most part unaffected, able to shake off the effect even after such a long exposure and now, with the damn thing gone she breathed a sigh of relief. Seems like the revenge wouldn't have worked out even if it was tHE fenrir. Oh well.. Back to designing better equipment so that she could stand a chance against the dam mutants. Some were just so though. She looks over her shoulder relieved to see that everyone seem to be coming back to their senses, and shuts the sword off. Now, to report to Zephyr. 'Evil fog machine in the Eastern forest area caused mental instability.' That followed by the list of possible effects she have witnessed and experienced herself as well as a rather disappointing fact. The lack of knowledge is nanites were somehow involved. Most likely so due to how fast the thing dispersed.
<br> <br>- No sign of how or why the fog was here can be found searching the forest. The fighting ferals are colapsed and bloody but the nanites would heal them in time. As for the scream and the ripped wood, a tree was found torn open and fallen on it's side, a huge burn mark seared through the bend where it tipped over, and the woman is gone. Returning to Zephyr, everyone is asked for their reports and what happened to Annie, the woman that was supposed to be with them.
[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

The Fog Comes to Fairhaven - RPLOG

2017-07-29T22:54:34Z

Zophah: /* Log */

The Fog Comes to Fairhaven - RPLOG

2017-07-29T22:18:58Z

Zophah: Begining the log page

=Participants=
* [[Parthenia]]
* [[Setrian]]
* [[Rune]]
* [[Amethyst]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
29/7/2017
=Log=

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-07-22T16:54:19Z

Zophah:

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-07-22T16:37:32Z

Zophah:

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-07-22T16:26:46Z

Zophah:

This is a list of RPlogs following the events related to the Children of Tahoe and their outposts.<br> <br>
The events happen in this order: <br>
Sunny Day at the Solar Farm <br>
The Fog of Tahoe <br>
Reading in Paradise <br>
The Rescue for Tahoe <br>

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-07-22T16:24:46Z

Zophah:

This is a list of RPlogs following the events related to the Children of Tahoe and their outposts.
The events happen in this order:
Sunny Day at the Solar Farm
The Fog of Tahoe
Reading in Paradise
The Rescue for Tahoe

The Rescue of Tahoe - Part 2 - RPLOG

2017-07-22T16:19:05Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Cerl]]
* [[Draken]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
8/7/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>As the sun sets on the highway outside of Tahoe, everyone is abandoned. The helicopter is a wreck, and the pilots are dead, too far gone for nanites to help them now. Although the sniper responsible for ruining their escape has fled, a black-furred bunny girl in security armor has been captured trying to disguise herself as a guard. She sits and cries for her life, a crossbow bolt in one forearm and a bruised wrist on the other side. "I was just supposed to go with you! It was supposed to be quick!"<br> <br>Draken sits nearby, listenbing to her go on, but not reacting in the slightest. She glances around to take stock of where everyone is and what they are doing.<br> <br>Ebreus glares at her as he waits for the others to gather. "Really, you were to come with us? Tell me, to what end where you to be coming with us?" he interrogates tightening his grip on her shoulder while slowly moving his right hand, still stinging from the shot to his hand.<br> <br>Firecracker keeps watch from above, hovering about 20 feet over the others as she keeps her eyes and ears open for anything in the area, especially looking for that sniper or any signs of his escape.<br> <br>Arris sighs as the bunny whines, sitting inside the trailer, now free of fog. Sie has scrounged together some scraps of cloth and some tree leaves to make a very primitive pillow. "Well, looks like it won't be quick anymore, judging how your friend decided to take care of our way out." The gator has gotten halfway through hir third pack of saltine crackers, the taste getting bland in hir mouth as sie folds the wrapper around the remaining crackers and sets it aside. "Did anyone bring food?"<br> <br>Cerl sits near the destroyed chopper, also watching for any further threats. Snug inside Fire's bubble, she maintains her invisibility while she keeps watch, safely out of the way so noone trips over her.<br> <br> A broken whimper fell from the lips of the fennec as she all but pasted herself to the ground. Their ride was gone. Destroyed and broken, those who could drive it in a similar manner. Her ears folded sharply against the flat of her skull, the fennec lass tried to keep it down, to keep herself together. Moving slowly to stand, she looked back to Arris, giving the gator a faint shake of her head. Blast, this was supposed to be quick! Not worrying about food, not bothering with.... The fennec's eyes fell back upon the bunny lass, something between irritation and sadness in those eyes. "Supposed to is thrown out the window, and we are all stuck with the rough end of it now. Will you explain yourself? Complaining and grumbling... It, ah, it won't help anyone here... Okay?"<br> <br>The bunny guard is barely standing up to Ebreus's interogation, her eyes streaming with tears and her legs are about to collapse. "We... We needed a way in! Someone to find all the stuff that was stolen from us! I just needed to locate everything for when Carson shows up!" And the moment she mentions Carson, she screams and falls unconsious.<br> <br>Draken does not react to the scream at all, searching through her pack, she pulls out a loaf of bread and a bottle of water. "It's not much, but i have this." She says.<br> <br>Ebreus maintains his glare at the bunny as she explains not letting up on anything. Once she screams and colapses he moves his hand from her shoulder to her throught and pays close attention to her breathing for a moment. Once he's sure she's not faking he releaces her and grabs his shield. "Something's here." he says.<br> <br>Firecracker continues watching for anything out of the ordinary, still not seeing anything for the moment. "Well, we can either go after that guy or we can go back home and try again later. No point in worrying about what we can't fix..." she says to those under her, taking a look over to the helicopter before looking back out to the woods.<br> <br>Arris winces a little when the bunny girl screams, glancing over as she falls unconscious. "I think you might be going a bit harsh on her, buddy. She's not a friend, but a person is a person." Sie gets up, walks to the door of the trailer, then bolts to behind the chopper, glancing up at Draken as sie kneels down. "Well, some food is better than no food. We won't know how long until Zephyr sends another rescue mission, if they even will." Leaning forward, sie begins checking up on the bunny. "You think this 'Car Son' guy may be the guy in charge? I mean, you'd have to be crazy-prepared to, uh, hypnotise, maybe? ...Hypnotise your henchmen into fainting upon mentioning your name." Removing the crossbow bolt, sie begins applying liquid bandages to the open wound.<br> <br>Cerl turns her attention to the collapsed bunny girl after she screams. "What did you do to her, Ebreus? There's nothing here right now. Fire or I would have seen it." Shifting back to visibility so that she can look the bunny over with her biomonitoring abilities, she shakes her head after a moment. "Hypnotically implanted suggestion or something. Something she did, or said, seems to have triggered it and caused her extreme pain. I wasn't paying attention to her while I was keeping watch. What was she talking about?"<br> <br> Mokou winced as the bunny lass trembled and fell, those words ringing in her over-large ears. Moving slowly over to the bunny lass's side, she reached out to them, a hand resting upon the lass's chest. A heartbeat, a pulse, but the girl was dead to the world. Her sigh was brief, a slow shake of her head. The girl seemed like that was real pain, real terror and real fear in her voice. She peered back to the others, a faint shake of her head given. "Physical overstimulation... I would bet. Girl probably was running a thousand miles an hour... Passing out from blood pressure if I had to guess." The lass winced at those words Ebreus gave, leaning forward, hands reaching out as she pasted herself to the ground, trying to reduce her silhouette. Only to... sigh as Cerl dismissed such a notion. "She said... Wanted to get what was stolen. Wait for that Carson guy. One word Arris... it's a name..."<br> <br>As time passes the valley gets darker, even with people's eyes adjusting it will soon be to dark to see. Arris's application of liquid bandage is horribly messy, only sealing half of the wound and some of the substance even ending up on the floor, causing the bunny to start to bleed out.<br> <br>Draken winces at the patch job, loooking up. "Want to try that again? That does not look... good." She says. She puts away her bread.<br> <br>Ebreus shakes his head watching from around his shield. "Nothing. I've yet to see hypnotism or indoctrination do /that/ though." he says gesturing to the unconcious bunny. After a moment of no shooting or explosions he sighs. "We don't know what is or is not fixable until we try. I can mold metal with nanomagic, lemme take a look at the engine before it gets too dark." he says. He examines the broken engine. "It's partially melted." He considers the engine for a minute or so before stepping back and gathering some wood into a clear area, behind cover from where the shots were coming from. "Startin' a fire." he alterts the rest of them before ignighting the wood with his flamethrower.<br> <br>"Wasn't talking about the copter..." Firecracker mumbles to herself. With nothing happening and the area getting dark, she decides to look around for food, berries, fruit, and the like. "I'm gunna find somethin' to eat! Back in a couple minutes!" she says to the others, dashing off to search.<br> <br>"Whoops." The gator accidentally misses with her bandage, shooting it just beside her wound and only partially getting the wound. "Dammit. Okay, let me try again..." Sie aims the sights of hir heal pistol carefully at the wound, before firing another bandage. "Well, it could be hypnosis, but it could also be... uh, I dunno, some sort of microchip or something. Just taking a guess here."<br> <br>Cerl wanders over to the edge of the ravine, leaving the medical care of the bunny to Arris after she retrieves her bloody crossbow bolt. Lookind down the steep slope, she sighs. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about water. There's a river down there, so we can fill up our canteens before we leave." Shifting back to invisibility, she settles back down in her previous out of the way spot by the helicopter, and goes back to keeping what watch she can in the fading light, making sure to keep her back to the fire so she doesn't ruin her night sight. She grumbles at losing her invisibility once Fire departs, but her dark fur and the darkening sky should serve to keep her well hidden.<br> <br> Mokou tried to simply stay calm, to not yell or to harass anyone. They were doing what they felt was right. They were doing what they could. Didn't help they were about as organized as a group of cats, but hey. Breath girl... Breath. The fennec gave a mute grumble, shuffling over to the bunny girl, only to find the wounds being taken care of, and a fire being lit. Lovely. Simply lovely. A calming breath later, she sat by the edge of the trailer, looking out into the deep, trying to watch for enemies unknown for reasons uncertain.<br> <br>Arris's second attempt is mush smoother, closing the wound in the bunny's arm. And now with a fire going there is enough light. Firecracker's scavenging for food would result in her bringing back what she can carry: about 7 ounces of berries.<br> <br>Draken moves over to the bunny girl, not doing anything, really, just being close in case they wake up. She looks them over in case they had woken up and are faking still being out.<br> <br>Ebreus watches the fire spread a little further than he would like as he lowers the flamethrower. "Umm... this'll spread easy if anythin' gets too close." he says. He takes a rope from his long-term survival kit as he aproaches the bunny. "Draken, here." he says handing her the rope as he takes cover relative to the aproaching truck where he could burn it should it be driven by an enemy.<br> <br>Firecracker drops off a little pile of edible berries, already having eaten her fill of them straight from the bush before returning. "There's a buncha berries over there if someone wantsta help me get em," she informs the group, nodding her head towards th bushes she found. As she gets ready to head out for another bunch, the headlights and sound of cars approaching catches the mare's attention! "Oh, here comes the second encounter!" she says with a wide grin. She flies straight up into the air to get a better view of the cars as they approach. She aims to get about 50 feet in the air, plenty high that nobody would suspect to look for her and low enough to keep everyone still in her bubble.<br> <br>With the wound taken care of, Arris begins patting the bunny down, looking inside pockets for anything sie can take. Hir impromptu search is interrupted by the cars coming close on the road. "Company." Sie scoops up the bunny, carrying her behind the chopper and unslinging hir bolt-action rifle.<br> <br>Cerl reactivates her invisibility once Fire gets back into range, and moves so that she can watch approach of the vehicles that can be heard. "Get in some cover people!" she calls out. Checking that her crossbow is loaded, she waits patiently off to the side for those approaching.<br> <br> Mokou twitched in her seat, ears twisting as they caught something in the distance. A rumbling... a humming. Vehicles. She stiffened, hopping off her perch on the back of the trailer, turning towards the back of the trailer... towards there the sound was rolling from. The fennec's brow furrowed, glancing back to the corpse-like stillness. She shook her head, watching as the crew began... Ambling about to tie up the bunny. Actually moving to tie up the bunny. Not Tying up the bunny again, and arguing what they should do with the bunny. At least the bubbly pegasus was actually warning people of the approach while the others moved into position. That, that was handy. As she off to the cliff face, pressing herself close to try and hide from the gaze of those who may be coming... Readying her pistol as she tried to hide, to be out of the line of sight, she leered out... trying to see whom she may be shooting at.<br> <br>The vehicles come up the highway from the direction of Tahoe, and what a sight to see: on one side is a millitary transport truck that looks like nanites never got to it. On the other side is a minivan with broken headlights, numerous missing panels, and one of the tires is a spare. The vehicles quickly apporach the camp, stopping a few yards away before a heavilly armored humanoid gets out of the minivan.<br> <br>Draken sighs, tying up the bunny, and pulling her into a place out of sight of the vehicles. She stays there with the girl, knowing how useless she is in a ranged fight.<br> <br>Ebreus boards the chopper and aims the flamethrower toward the aproaching vehicals from behind as much cover as he can be behind without aimpairing his ability to fire at them. He takes a breath and takes a fragmental gernade from his pack as he waits.<br> <br>Arris slowly pulls on the pipe bomb strapped to the bunny's leg with hir left hand, listening for the clunk of heavy armor as sie peers an eye at the newcomers through the chopper's windows. <br> <br>Cerl remains invisible and hidden, her crossbow ready in one paw. She pats at the bandoleer of grenades she is wearing to check they are all there and ready to be thrown in an instant. Peering at the heavy figure that gets out of the transport, she makes no move for now to see how much of a threat he will prove himself to be.<br> <br>Firecracker continues hovering in the air far above the others, looking to the cars to see how many people there are and how heavily armed they all are. The second they appear to be hostile, she'll make them wish they weren't.<br> <br> Three things stuck out to Mokou within moments of the armored convoy of sorts rolling up. A, it was an Armored Convoy, and far more than Zephyr would be willing to send out for them, this soon. B, An assault upon the vehicles would likely end with several of them wounded, or likely dead, considering they were holding man portable weapons, and that was very nearly an APC. And C, The person who stepped out was human. Crap. Really not their friends then. Putting away her pistol to her side, drawing up the metalic knuckles, she looked on nervously to them... This was not how this was meant to go. Not at all.<br> <br>The armored humanoid stands in plain view, in front of the headlights of the truck. Its speech sounds like they used a modulator to hide their voice: "You have caused us a great deal of trouble over the past few months. You ransacked our solar farm, stolen our radio, and raided our books. Don't deny it, you even left a message." The person then holds out a slightly wrinkled sticky note:
'Come to Zephyr, Fairhaven for radio equip. and discussion; FOG NOT COOL'
Though We'll be generous. Return unit Luna and we will leave this van for you to return home."<br> <br>Draken stays hidden with the bunny, not even looking out. She again checks on the bunny, not having much else to do.<br> <br>Ebreus watches the truck come to their position. When he speaks he thinks for a few moments. He then opens the door to the chopper to reveal his position. "Really, all that stuff was yours? All that stuff that while trapped had nobody there watching it?" he asks keeping his flamethrower trained on the soldier with one hand and keeping the frag out of view.<br> <br>Firecracker moves through the air above until she's over the other group, making it easier to be hidden, out of their line of sight or anywhere they would likely check, while also getting closer to them. For now, she just waits to see their response to Ebreus.<br> <br>Arris continues looking over at the human. The sight of the sticky note sie left makes hir unsure of whether to laugh about it or to curse hirself, not knowing a big organization was behind this - but, a different decision was to be made at the time. Sie glances over to where Draken took the bunny, and to Ebreus as he stands up, poking hir head out from behind the chopper when he speaks up. "Hey, don't be like that. The guy is offering us a way back home. Besides, it IS partially our fault for taking things without asking, as is Zephyr's." <br> <br>Holding perfectly still so that she can maintain her invisibility passively, Cerl quickly sends a message telepathically to the rest of the team. "You know we can't take that offer. They love to fuck with your mind, don't forget. That van is probably loaded with explosives." After giving her opinion to the team, she takes the opportunity given her by Firecracker. Cerl moves closer to the vehicles so she can examine them while remaining invisible, and while the attention of the enemy are on the rest of the team.<br> <br> Yup... Not friendlies. Most certainly not on their side for this. Mokou shivered where she stood, a slow and shaky breath taken. Come on... Relax. Calm yourself girl. Relax... Looking out to her allies for a moment... she shook her head. Standing still, not moving... not making their way forward... Simply readying their weapons and waiting... The others seemed not hostile at the moment... only irritated and blatantly unhappy. Finally though... Ebreus stepped out. And what words. What wonderfully... useless words. She felt herself sigh. What were the others to say? Oh yeah, we just didn't need people there. Traps should have deterred thieves, but seems it didn't work for you? Yeah. Great response. Even as the words of her companions flitted through her mind, she sighed and shook her head. What other choice did she have? The lass shook her head, slowly stepping out from her cover moving towards the edge of the light.

"Listen.. We might be able to work with that... But WE can't." Gesturing to herself, she shook her head. "I at least was hired onto this. I don't even work for Zephyr. The rest here? Well, field agents. We ourselves can't get you whatever the heck Unit Luna is... At least not right now. Zephyr doesn't want to send more people out, so killing us would likely just... result in them giving up on whatever they wanted out here until they can gather it elsewhere. If we kill you, that does nothing to help us either, as we still haven't a clue where the people we are looking for are. Or if they are dead." The fennec, only about two thirds the height of the man in armor shook her head. "So, what next? A firefight for pointless violence, or an unhappy situation for all of us, that might actually resolve some of this damnable conflict."<br> <br>The armored one speaks again, first to Ebreus: "All of it was ours. And there are quite a few more stashes out there so don't be grabbing everything you find." They then turn to Ebreus. "We know just as well that a fight is a waste of resources. Unit Luna is one such resource, and she is laying in the helicopter with a few of your friends right now." The person continues to stand there, making no movements that would betray emotion.<br> <br>Draken keeps her mouth shut, and keeps her eyes on the Bunny.<br> <br>Ebreus steps out of the chopper, "So her name is Luna. I believe your organization has some of our people as well. I believe what you're asking for is a prisoner exchange." he says. He smiles lightly but keeps his flamethrower ready. He watches the armored figure and tries to keep aware of any movements.<br> <br>Firecracker limbers up in the air above, stretching her legs this way and that. She turns her head to one side, then the other, tilts it, rolls it around. Watching for their reaction as she readies herself for a fight.<br> <br>Arris makes a poker face at the armored guy as they reply to Mokou, mentioning that they can detect the bunny inside of the chopper. "Not really a prisoner exchange, Ebreus. I mean, it would be pretty great if we could get some of our own guys back, buuuuut a ticket back to Fairhaven is already a rather compelling arguement." <br> <br>Cerl holds her ground, growling softly at the sniper. "I want to have a look at that van you folks are trying to hand us before we agree to anything."<br> <br> Mokou offered a slight nod back to the armored figured, glad at the very least the situation was understood... But she shook her head at the idea of a prisoner exchange. "Arris is right. Even if we did manage to trade Luna for our own agents, how would we manage to get them back? Marching for several hours under possible sniper fire to tie up loose ends isn't exactly what I would call a walk in the park. Nor something I'd like to attempt." Glancing to the creature in armor, she sighed. "They have a point though. Might we investigate your... offer first? Paranoia has proved prudent previously, so pardon our pressing but..."<br> <br>The armored person turns their head in the direction of the truck. "I do not apreciate sneaking around us. If you want a look at the van, you just needed to ask, like the long-eared fox lady here." The winged sniper then walks out from behind the truck (wearing the same kind of armor), holding a hand out for Cerl indicating that she can go check the minivan.<br> <br>Ebreus maintains visual contact with the armored figure. When the winged sniper steps out from behind the truck he takes a few moments to examine them. He grins a bit, "A ride would be nice, though we came here to get our people and you've come here for your 'Unit'. Seems like a natual trade to me." he says.<br> <br>Cerl growls<br> <br>Firecracker waits to see what Cerl finds, still watching from above, waiting to see what's what.<br> <br>Arris comes out from behind the chopper. "Well, alright." Sie holds hir rifle at the ready as sie glances over to the minivan. "So, I take it your Carson, or something? Why'd Luna faint after mentioning your name?"<br> <br>Cerl growls "Fine." and drops invisibility. Stalking towards the vehicle she intends to examine, she growls again at the sniper, sarcastically. "Forgive us for being extra cautious around someone who would set a trap for anyone coming to investigate missing people, and who already destroyed our transportation home, and killed our pilot." Looking the van over carefully, she finally satisfies herself that it appears to be as safe as such a rattletrap slapped together vehicle could be. "Got another spare tire? 300 plus miles is a long way to go on a donut." She sends a quick message to the rest of the team as she stands by the van, "Van appears safe. No bombs. Surprising, really."<br> <br> Mokou felt her legs tremble a moment, but took a slow breath, trying to calm herself. Breathe girl... breathe. She slowly looked back up to the armored man, her tail still idly twitching behind her. "Thank you for that then. I appologize on our attempt to find out behind your back. This entire journey has been an ordeal. Starting from a sniper's coverage, it only got worse. Apologies that our attempt to have it not end in fire, debris, and several /more/ carcass's started with subterfuge." Her brow furrowed, a periodic twitch of her ear given. Her eyes closed for a moment, muzzle not turning to look as she spoke... "And Ebreus... Perhaps that is a fitting trade. Were it not for the fact that upon an irritated whim they could kill us and take Luna on their own. The only reason they aren't... Is because this is easier, and doesn't waste so many resources, and we might be able to prevent Zephyr from causing more infractions with them in the future. Negotiating the release of our own can be done at a later time... So if I may be so frank... Shove it."<br> <br>The armored one turns to look at Arris at the mention of that name. "We are Carson. We were born in Carson. We were born again in Tahoe." The modulator on the person's speech made it sound like a haunted robot was speaking. "There are no other spare tires. We had to do a lot to make the vehicle road-worthy. And there are no other Units to give you in exchange for Unit Luna."<br> <br>Ebreus continues to watch the two armored figures. He lowers his flamethrower slightly. "Well then if the truck isn't trapped then the ride does look more appealing." he says.<br> <br>Firecracker descends to hover right in front of the sniper, forelegs folded over her chest as she talks to him. "You're Carson too then, right?" she asks. "Where're our friends?" she asks, taking a peek into the back of the truck to see how many people they're dealing with.<br> <br>"Carson. Uh, alright." Arris edges away from Carson a little. "Are you all named Carson? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you some kind of, uh, person-slash-place hybrid hivemind, or something?" Sie gives the armored humanoid a sheepish smile.<br> <br>Cerl just stands by the van, watching the armored figures but taking no threatening action. She doesn't resling her crossbow but does keep it pointed at the ground...for now.<br> <br> The brief tremble in Mokou's legs grew prominent again, another pause given to calm herself. To... marginal success. At least... something was gained from that. "Very well then... Once we return your... Luna... May we search here then for proof of where our companions went?"<br> <br>The sniper replies to Firecracker, speaking in a mechanical, non-gendered voice: "I am Machine Angel Ten, designated MA-X. Please return to your previous group and await the decision." The sniper holds his weapon in a lowered, almost casual manner.

The armored one turns to Mokou. "There are no more Units of your association. Please return Unit Luna so we may continue on our way back to Tahoe."<br> <br>Ebreus continues to watch the Carson unit and MA-X. "I'll take that as an admition that they are dead. So since you're going to Tahoe have you brought two vehicals so that we may part ways here?" he says. He sends telepathic messages one to Cerl saying, 'Is there anything not apparent?' his telepathic voice sounding annoyed but calm enough, then a message to Mokou, 'You may not.' his telepathic voice sounding restrained but clearly agrivated.<br> <br>"And who's the croc guy?" Firecracker asks, pointing a foreleg lazily towards the man in the back of the truck, not heeding MAX's words just yet.<br> <br>Arris raises an eyebrow at the lack of an answer from the first one sie saw. "Well, it's up for interpretation I guess. How come, uh, 'Unit Luna' doesn't talk like you guys?" Sie poses hir third question to Carson as sie walks over to where sie last saw Draken, picking up the still-asleep bunny and discreetly putting the pipebomb back onto her leg from where sie got it.<br> <br>Cerl continues to just watch the armored figures, though she does glance at the transport truck they came in when Fire mentions a croc guy.<br> <br> Mokou spent a moment there quietly listening, a slow sigh falling from her lips. A brief flick of her tail and a small nod was all she gave, all she spoke of. She had called him out, and he was rather... displeased... That much was clear. So she stepped back, a faint nod given back to Ebreus. A touch of irritationa and worry in those eyes, she quietly... stood by.<br> <br>Max looks to Carson for a moment before gripping his weapon, but not raising it just yet. Speaking to Firecracker, Max repeats himself with a more stern voice: "Return to your previous group and await the decision." Then Carson speaks: "The van is for your return to Fairhaven. The truck is for our return to Tahoe with Unit Luna." He then holds out his arms, as if waiting to be given Luna's unconsious form.<br> <br>Ebreus lowers his flamethrower slightly. "You do make a rather nice deal." he says. He watches Arris as she moves 'Unit Luna' toward Carson. He sends a telepathic message to Firecracker, 'They're playing a game. You win if you're over here with us. He wins if you're over there. Talking about the game, out loud, means you loose.'<br> <br>"So lemme get this straight..." Firecracker says, flying right up right in front of Max, only about 6 inches from his face. "A buncha people come to pick up this truck, you kill them all, make some plan to send a weird foggy bomb thing back with us, get caught, kill some more people, and then drive over to get Luna back with an armored guy, a robot, and doctor guy? All because we left a note inviting you to come talk to us about some radio that we took?"<br> <br>"Not going to answer that either, I suppose? Eh, a secret is a secret." Arris walks up to carson, holding Luna in a bridal carry, carefully putting her in his arms. "Suppose we may meet again in the future, Mister Carson?"<br> <br>Cerl shakes her head at Arris' actions, but continues to just stand by the van and watch. She keeps her crossbow ready just in case it's needed, but doesn't raise it yet.<br> <br> Mokou gazed back to the others, eyes widening as Firecracker flew towards the creature. She took a half step closer, before freezing, not wanting to harm more than she already had. Her teeth gritted, a retort rising to her muzzle before she swallowed it down. Instead... she simply watched the rabbit lass... Luna... be carried forward, given to them. "... What do you plan to do with her?"<br> <br>As sie leaves Luna in Carson's arms, sie catches a glimpse of Firecracker getting up in the Sniper's face. "Yes, if that's what you're asking. That's not important." Fishing around in ie powerwalks up to the sniper, scooping up the pony in hir hands and pulling her away.<br> <br>With Luna in their arms, Carson turns their back to the group and heads back to the truck, paying no attention to Firecracker. Max turns to reply to arris before getting into the truck themselves: "Luna is our friend." With one last glance at Firecracker from Max, the truck then roars back to life and begins backing up to turn around.<br> <br>Ebreus watches the truck back away and leave. Once he was certan they couldn't reasonably hear then he sighs. "Mokou, mind if I ask why you felt you had to say that?" he asks as he lowers his flamethrower and walks over to the fire he had started, where Draken was still taking cover, and begins to consider how to extingush it.<br> <br>Firecracker fumes as the three get into the truck and back away, looking to the rest of her group as they get ready to leave. "So we're just going to let them get away?!" she says, literally burning with rage.<br> <br>Arris crosses hir arms. "Well. They say they 'don't have any units to give us'. They're probably speaking the truth, no?" Sie walks over to the van left behind, giving one of the door handles a jiggle. "If they really were lying, they'd be the more pragmatic type. Thus, they would probably just kill all of us here, which they could totally do. Anyone here know how to drive?" <br> <br>Cerl leans against the van, watching what she was sure was a group of cyborgs...and wouldn't Zephyr love to get their hands on THAT technology...get turned around to depart. "Whoever drives this thing, take it easy. No spare tire, and one of the tires is already a donut. I just hope it'll get us all the way home." she calls over to the others. "I just they left us a full tank or we'll be walking a good bit anyway."<br> <br> Mokou looked out to the truck, watching them pile in and slowly begin to back up, heading to turn away and leave. A brief shiver ran up her spine as she moved towards the van, a touch of a furrow in her brow, hands dull and listless by her sides. Looking back to Ebreus, she shook her head for a moment. "Because I was afraid. Because you were being direct and harsh with enemies that showed no qualms with murder... and that terrifies me. Because it was a cruel and vicious thing to say that tore down your image before them, so you would stop asking questions. That would stop possible danger..." A sad touch of a smile played at her lips, looking to the truck as it turned, "I could explain it away as something better... Something along the lines of keeping a good image for them, showing powerful presentation. But that is why. ... Same reason I'm pretty certain we just gave an innocent to a monster... Because that's the only choice I saw." A brief shake of her head was given, no warmth in those eyes, no comfort in that smile as she turned back. "I am... sorry. Useless as the word is... I am sorry." She slowly stumbled back to the edge of the fire, mute and silent as she contemplated out to stop... Fire. "... Yes. Yes we are."<br> <br>Ebreus nods as Mokou explains. "Ok, well we are alive and potentially have something that will get us home at the cost of the lives of our pilot and copilot. Let's get their bodies and any light-weight salvage. I can drive us back to Fairhaven." he says, the anger gone from his voice. He steps into the chopper and tries to remove the pilot from hir seat and once they're freed he checks for salvageable materials. "I wonder if we can convince Z that the salvage team is dead based on 'Caron's' word." he says as he opens the driver door of the van and gets in.<br> <br>The truck makes its way back to Tahoe, leaving everyone with a half wrecked mini van. Turning the van back on it comes to life, a full tak of gas showing on what is left of the dashboard. It is easy enough to load what salvage they can ino the back and make their way home, leaving behind bad memories and possibly new foes. Nothing gets in the way going home to Fairhaven, nd everyone surely needs some rest after such an ordeal.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

The Rescue for Tahoe - Part 1 - RPLOG

2017-07-22T16:18:55Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Cerl]]
* [[Draken]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Mokou]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
1/7/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>The helicopter is ready to take off from Zephyr, and everyone is brought to the helipad for the mision briefing. An alpha husky herm is the pilot this time, and he stands next to his ride looking at the agents that came. "Simple pickup. I and my copilot fly you all out near Tahoe, and then in an hour or two I fly you all back with whatever you get. Hopefully we manage to save some of the crew..."<br> <br>Firecracker bobs her head side-to-side, humming happily to herself as the briefing happens. The pint-sized pink pegasus hovers in the air at about normal head level as she gives a casual salute. "Find some peoples and then come back! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I'm greatastic at Hide and Seek!"<br> <br> The helicopter blades slowly bobbed violent and sharp above the assembled, each there for their own reason. But, they were all there for the mission, a rescue of sorts. Mokou, the slight fennec among the others, simply took a slow breath. Her hands slowly curled about the straps of her pack, the receptacle hanging down by her waist. Modified for her height, the canvas bag seemed handmade, roughly constructed and built, lightly packed. The slight lass simply nodded back to the alpha husky who would be their guide. Or at least, a means to reach there. "Alright... Will do what we can out there." Shifting upon her feat, she let a faint sigh fall from her lips before she quickly shot back, "But do you mean one hour, or two? Don't give us a somewhere about there answer. If we are being sent out past... If we are being sent out there, when are you coming back? And whom are we looking for? Can I get some details?"<br> <br>Arris hurriedly jogs to the helipad, panting a moment before comprising hirself and taking a breath. "Alright... do we know where the truck might... might have crashed? Did it send any radio signals before it went offline?" The gator slowly walks to the heli's entrance, keeping eye contact with the husky pilot but glancing around to some familliar faces from the previous expedition to Tahoe..<br> <br>Ebreus walks onto the landing pad in time to hear the their pilot's anouncement. He nods when rescuping the crew comes up, "Yeah, teh group sent to go get that semi-truck, right? I hope they didn't encounter anything like what was in the Tahoe bubble." he says. When the Fennec starts asking questions he humms a short agreement and says, "I assume pickup and dropoff locations will be the same if not we'll need to know that too."<br> <br>Draken sighs, leaning on Ebreus a bit. She listens quietly, looking to everyone as they speak.<br> <br>Cerl listens to the rather brief briefing the pilot gives, then starts checking her gear. Grenades, some rope, various small supplies are all packed away in her saddlebags, check. Crossbow in good repair, check. Lots of spare bolt cases packed away in easy reach, check. Nodding to herself, she boards the helicopter and tries to find a corner where she can strap her tauric half in for the flight. She listens to the others question the pilot but holds her peace. The important questions were already being asked, and she was just there to provide scouting services and backup as needed.<br> <br>The pilot replies: "as far as we know, the salvage team never left where the truck is. The helicopter will just power down and wait for everyone to pack everything up when we get there, so we don't spend too much time." Then as everyone gets onto the helicopter and it makes its way out near Tahoe, The pilot turns his head to ask: "anyone been out this far? I think I heard that a few of you were there and found the truck in the first place." He's definintely just asking to pass the time, and when everyone makes their responses the helicopter is starting it's decent to the location.<br> <br>"Nope! Never been out here before!" Firecracker answers happily as she looks out the window to the ground and sky and clouds and everything else there is to see outside. The moment the group leaves the bubble, she activates her Distributed Nanomagic and creates a bubble for the group ranging 140 feet in every direction. "Adventure!" she cheers happily, giggling as the helicopter continues its flight.<br> <br> The slight fennec frowned faintly at the lack of a direct answer, but an implicit one was given none the less. She simply sighed, shaking her head before tugging herself up into the helicopter. Securing a seat for herself, tail wrapped about to lay upon her lap, she swiftly buckled herself in, fingers idly tapping along her bag. Patiently, she watched the others hop up on in, spending more than a few moments gazing at the assembled number. The bubbly little pegasus drew more than a few frowns as she began to... feel present. The mini bubble of sorts... she shook her head, both at such a feeling and in answer. "I've... not been out of the bubble. Not... gone out since it all happened."<br> <br>Ebreus steps into the helecopter and finds a spot where he and Draken with be able to stay close together. He buckles himself in and checks his own equipment and uses his nanomagic to make adjustments while still in the bubble if he finds any faults. He double checks his supply of explosives as the pilot begins making smalltalk. "I've been there and so has Fire. We disabled the mind-fuckery field around Tahoe." he says. When Mokou confesses to not having left the bubble he turns his attention to the Fennec and says, "Stay near the hyper pegasus and we'll almost be in a bubble. Most things'll still work, or at least should."<br> <br>Draken nods to the pilot, smiling at Firecracker's optimism. She pokes Ebreus in his side. "Hey, just because the mind fuckery drove me insane for a few minutes doesn't mean i wasn't /there/." She states.<br> <br>Cerl relaxes during the flight to the truck. The noise of the rotors make it hard to talk to anyone, so she doesn't bother to try, leaving to those sitting closer to the pilot to make conversation. She mentally reviews what she can remember of the terrain around where they found the truck before settling back into a light doze.<br> <br>Arris nods, climbing into the helicopter and peering out the window as the pilot makes chatter. "Yeah, I've been on the last mission out to Tahoe, with, euh..." Sie pauses a moment, turning around to do a brief headcount. "Ebreus, Draken, Cerl, Firecracker... and Mokou, I think. Whole gang is here, except Otto, I think. Didn't we take everything that was there to take, anyway? Why are we going back to the place?"<br> <br>As the helicopter sets down, the scene is apparent. There are signs of a firefight everywhere: spent bullet casings, large scorch marks, and the semi trailer is ripped in half by what looks like an explosion. A few tents are left in disaray, parts from the truck are strewn about the ground along with the tools that were used to remove them and quite a few blood stains. And yet, not a single body can be found anywhere. The pilot turns off the rotors, and as the engines slow down a woman's voice can be heard: "Is anyone out there?!"<br> <br>"Oh we did? That sounds fun!" Firecracker giggles at Ebreus's explanation. "Oh wait! I forgot to ask cause I was so excited cause I thought I never came out here but I did come out here before but I don't remember that but I'm still excited anyway!" she rapid-fires, bouncing in place as she turns to the rest of the group. "I'm Firecracker! What're all your names?!" When the copter lands and the woman calls out, the pegasus zips out to go towards the trailer it came from. "Oh! Found you already! That was the easiest game ever!" she chirps as she goes to meet the voice in the trailer.<br> <br> Feeling her stomach lurch beneath her, Mokou tried to make her brief fit of hacking discrete, managing it to an extent. Looking back, a touch greener, she slowly nodded back to Arris at the question of sorts, her hands swiftly working over the buckles that kept her in the chair. A trembling shook her for a moment as she moved to stand, eyes peering back over the ruins of the fight. The air felt... weird here. Still thick with nanites from the puny pegasus actions but... off. Her feet fell to the ground, a slow breath taken, clearing her head. Her ears had flicked at the nonstop barrage of statements the blasted creature called out, before flicking up at another voice. Female... Not much else could be gathered though. Slinking forward she... Sighed, the runty flying mongrel dashing into the ruins of the trailer. "She's going to be shot one of these days..."<br> <br>Ebreus snerks and says, "Hay, I was just correcting Fire. I figured anyone who wanted to would answer for themselves." as the chopper descends. He looks out the nearest window to see the state of the scene. He humms a thoughtful tone but dosen't mention anything. As the door opens and they hear a voice. He scanns the scene visually and his ears swivle atop his head as he tries to find the source of the sound, keeping his weapons ready in case the source isn't friendly.<br> <br>Draken hops down with Ebreus, indicating which way the voice is coming from to him if he does not seem to know immediatly. She sticks close to him. She half-smiles at Firecracker, and nods to Mokou.<br> <br>Cerl looks off across the valley at something that caught her attention, leaving the woman to the others for now. Turning to the pilot, she taps him on the shoulder. "Do you happen to have a set of high power binoculars handy?" Receiving a negative response, she asks the rest of the group if anyone has a set. When Mokou pulls out their binoculars, Cerl quickly thanks the fennec and then trains them on something she saw across the valley, trying to determine what it is.<br> <br>As the chopper descends, Arris scans the distance for any possibly good sniper perches, not finding any as the helicopter lands. Sie slowly follows the others as they leave the chopper, the stock of hir rifle resting on hir chest as sie glances over to the trailer. "Careful, you all have been to Tahoe, this could... aw, nuts." Sie can only sit there and watch as Firecracker dashes over to the voice.<br> <br>As most of the crew goes out, Firecracker no doubt finds the womn first: a bunny girl in bloodied Zephyr guard armor, laying against the inside of the trailer. "Oh, thank goodness. I was running out of supplies. There was a man or something, he came into the camp on the first night looking like a wandering survivor, but it didn't take him long to show his true colors! He absolutely wiped the floor with us..." She then begins tearing up and shaking.<br> <br>Seeing the bloodied bunny, Firecracker instantly flies over to give the girl a warm hug, standing on her shoulder and rubbing her cheek-to-cheek. She warms her with her body and Fiery Feathers as she presses against her. "It's okay, you don't haveta cry! Just let Auntie Firecracker take care of it for ya!" She says, consoling the bunny. "What about that glinty thingy outside though? Is that the guy?" she asks.<br> <br> Mokou slowly began slinking forward, her hands idly brushing the ground before her, the lass nearly doubled over as she crept towards the trailer. Brushing her feet against the pavement beneath, she slowly wrapped a hand around the edge of the trailer. Lifting her muzzle slowly, peeking into the edge of the trailer, the lass visibly winced at the sight. Swiftly glancing back out of the trailer, her eyes scanning behind her, back to the side of the trailer. The others seemed to harass the lady enough, she didn't need to speak with them... Gazing on down the side of the road... wide ears twitching, trying to catch any sound... any note of the man the wounded lass spoke of. Her hands never left the edge of the trailer though... Didn't want to let go of something yet...<br> <br>Ebreus steps away from the helecopter, still prepared for a fight. He walks around the destroyed trailer as he tries to keep watch for anything that might surprize them, landmines, snipers, hostile wildlife and the like. After a short search he positions himself behind some cover in line of sight to the, apparent, Zephyr guard and asks, "One man did this? Happen to get a glimpse of how?"<br> <br>Draken hums lightly to the woman, taking her hand. She looks over their injuries, trying to tell if they re in mortally wounded.<br> <br>Cerl keeps the binoculars trained at whatever she is looking at across the valley, but makes a beckoning motion with one paw. "Arris, come over here a moment, please." Speaking quietly to him, so that her words don't carry to anyone else, she continues in a whisper. "Look across the valley at that big clump of bushes with your scope. Do you see the winged guy with what looks like a large laser rifle hiding in them?"<br> <br>Arris nods to Cerl, stepping over and peering through hir scope. "Yeah, I see them. No worries, I'll keep an eye on them." Keeping hir crosshairs trained on the figure, sie gets into prone position between the chopper and the cliff face. "Go get the rest of the team and the survivor behind cover, preferably in a discrete way."<br> <br>The bunny guard wipes up her tears, shocked at what Firecrcker said. "A-a glint? Where?! Is he still out there?!" She panics and grabs hold of the tiny pony that is firecracker, holding her against the guard's chest like a comforting doll. She doesn't say anything else.<br> <br>"I dunno," Firecracker says soothingly to the panicking bunny as she tries to calm her down. "You got any other friends out here? What do they look like?" she asks, stroking the bunny's breast with a forehoof as she is held to her chest. "You don't haveta worry about anything... Just let me and all my friends take care of it for ya."<br> <br> Mokou flicked those ears of hers, a few words catching her attention. Words of a glint. Words of surprise at the... Glint? She turned her head, a faint furrow upon her brow, eyes scanning about, peering back across the valley. A glint... Metallic glint. Akin from... A weapon? Her eyes slowly widened, realizing just what might have caused those scorch marks. What would likely cause the lady's injuries themselves... 'Go! Run!' Her mind screamed at her to bolt, her legs idly twitching as she shifted... moving a touch jittery behind the trailer. Crap, crap, crap....<br> <br>Ebreus hearing about a glint his eyes widen and he counches a bit lower in his cover, internally cursing himself for having plate armor over just about all his body with the exception of his head. He says to the Bunny Guard, "Be quiet and be still. If they're at range they may mistake you for a corpse." He then telepathically says to Cerl, 'Fire noticed something that may be hostile, a glint, see it's cause?'<br> <br>Draken stays behind the truck, with the woman. "Hmm... So long as we stay out if sight." She says, starting to pet the bloody woman. "Don't worry." She says.<br> <br>Cerl lowers the binoculars after making a note of where the figure dashed off too, and after confirming that Arris still had them covered moves towards the rest of the group. Telepathically sending a warning to each team member so the bunny, who is obviously already panicking, doesn't hear what is going on, Cerl tells them quickly that there is a potential hostile across the valley and to get behind cover discreetly. Then while she is hidden from the figure's sight, she activates her vanishing nanomagic long enough to step into the trailer unseen by the unknown target. "Miss, my companions here will take care of you, and we have a helicopter ready to take you home as soon as we can find any of the rest of your team, if they still live. But I need the pony's help for a little bit, and we need you to stay right here where we can protect you." She holds out her paws, waiting to see if the bunny will let go of Firecracker.<br> <br>Arris keeps hir crosshairs trained on the humanoid, speaking up when they begin moving. "We need to get the survivor to the chopper, but we need to do so while keeping her protected, or at least concealed. If anyone has earth nanomagic, I heavily reccomend building up a rock wall on the cliff face. If not... I have an alternate plan we can use." <br> <br>The bunny girl slowly gives up Firecracker and then grabs Cerl's hand when Cerl reappears next to her. "O-ok..." She picks up a bag siting next to her and gets up, her shaking knees taking a bit of help to get her standing.<br> <br>Firecracker is transferred from bunny to vixen taur even as she continues to looks to the bunny. "Gotta know who we're looking for though, so can ya tell us what everyone else looks like? And what's in your bag anyway?" she asks, thrusting a forehoof towards the bag as she points. "Gotta know that stuff before we can go!" she says, ready to go with Cerl once the answers are given.<br> <br> Mokou winced as she felt that message run through her mind, playing across her mind. No... none of that... She'd had more than enough mental modification of her own... She shook herself briefly, slinking back towards the back of the trailer, away from the outside and range of the weapons unknown. Raising a hand to Cerl and the bunny lass, she hopped back up, slowly helping guide her to the back of the trailer, trying to shelter her. "Come on dearie... You in our safety for now... Breath. You're fine... You're safe now..." Slowly trying to guide them back, she simply... shook her head. "Go on you all. I'll take care of her. Anyone else you can find... send them back here. Need someone to prevent them from being picked off... Okay?"<br> <br>Ebreus stays low, he telepathically says to Arris, 'I have Earth Nano but mini-bubbles aren't normally strong enough for it to be used.' He looks around for anything that could be used as a shield. "Anyone have somethin' that could cut metal? We may be able to make some mobile cover." he says. He thinks for a moment then telepathies Cerl, 'Do we have a good idea of what could've causes this much damage... not sure a shield will work.'<br> <br>Draken stays in her place beside the bunny guard.<br> <br>Cerl telepathically sends to Firecracker, "Keep silent, talk to me telepathically...I know you can, we have before. Let the others worry about getting descs of the rest of the team. That glint you saw was someone with a big laser rifle and I need your help to get across the valley so we can check him out. I'll fly both of us across while invisible, though I'll have to hang onto you so my invisibility covers you too, and then if you can shrink your bubble down to just a few feet we can sneak up on him without you bubble spooking him."<br> <br>Arris keeps hir eyes through the sights. "I know the guy over there is using a light-based weapon. If we can get a shield that reflects light, that would be amazing."<br> <br>The bunny guard stays put, still holding Cerl's hand. She's not crying or shaking any more. "Thanks. I feel better now. As far as I know, the man took everyone else away. I don't think any of them are left alive. But we need to get out of here."<br> <br>"And my bag?" the guard adds, "It has a few grenades I was going to use for emergencies. One of them made that hole in the trailer. But the man was too fast."<br> <br>"Oh okay!" Firecracker chirps as she stands in Cerl's hand. "But ya didn't haveta pretend to cry when we got here y'know! We woulda taken care of ya anyway! And we can use those thingies for the plan!" she says, motioning towards the bag for Cerl to see.<br> <br>Ebreus begins to look around the trailer as he listens to the guard, "Ok, glad he didn't do that. Bodes well for shields working." he comments. After a few moments of searching he finds a piece of metal loose enough to remove and does so. He then begins to bend and shape it, metal molding easily in his paws. After a few moments of bending and smoothing it behins to take on the shake of a curved rectangualr shield just large enough to provide him with total cover while crouching behind it. Now with the shield shaped he turns it over and examines its surface area. He humms as he considers the metallic surface. Thinking for a moment on it he then turns the shield over again and says, "Ok, now I've got some cover... isn't reflective though."<br> <br>Cerl carefully pulls her paw free of the bunny's grasp, pausing in her telepathic communication with Firecracker to ask, "This very fast man, did he have wings?" When the bunny replies negatively, Cerl telepathically sends to Arris, "Keep an eye out. The sniper over there is not the one who attacked the camp here." Grinning down at Fire, she chuckles, "Oh, don't worry...I brought plenty of grenades myself...but a few more couldn't hurt." She kneels to see what is in the bag that might be useful when confronting the unknown foe.<br> <br>Arris keeps hir sights on the figure, continuing to watch them move around and overhearing the bunny guard speak about her bag of grenades. "Could really use a smoke grenade or something right about now..." <br> <br>As Cerl goes to look at the beg, the bunny holds it closer to herself. "Smoke grenades? I have those. Are we using them to leave? Why are we just standing around?" She's starting to look visibly upset gain.<br> <br>"Yeah those grenade thingies!" Firecracker says, "And I just said ya didn't haveta pretend to be sad! So you can just give us the bag and then we can get them out and use em to help! Cause now I really wanna see what's in the bag because you're being all secrety and stuff and I gotta knooooow! What's in the bag?" she nearly whines, dancing in place in Cerl's hand as she looks between bunny, bag, and Cerl.<br> <br>Ebreus presses on the surface of the shield without nanomagic to test its strength and then satisfied with it he smiles and says, "We were sent to rescue your team. We'll be finding the rest of them, dead or alive." in response to the guards question. "And dealing with the sniper." he adds positioning the shield in front of him. He then asks Cerl, telepathically, 'You're sneakin' right? Geussing I shouldn't step out with an obvious shield just yet.'<br> <br>Looking down at Firecracker, Cerl looks back up at the bunny with suspicion. "Yes. What else is in the bag? Why is it that everyone else is gone and you are the only one remaining here? I suggest you set the bag down, carefully, right now, and keep your paws where I can see them." She raises her crossbow, not pointing it at the bunny yet but the threat is clearly there.<br> <br>Arris curses, lifting hir eyes from hir scope. "Shit. Lost track of the sniper..." Sie peers through hir scope again, quickly scouting the distance for the hidden foe. "We got the shield? Let's get packing already before they start shooting us up!" The gator quickly scouts the distance for the possible sniper.<br> <br>With the pressure on her, the bunny goes calm and takes a deep breath. "Fine. Though I thought we'd be on our way by now." As she sets down the bag everyone in the trailer can hear a loud 'click-ding' of a spring-loaded device, and the whole trailer is engulfed in FOG. In such a tight space, the fog doesn't disperse quickly, leaving it so thick that no one can see more than an inch from their face.

Outside, The sniper's weapon rings out like a flash of searing light, blowing appart the engine of the helicopter that was sitting nearby.<br> <br>Firecracker is instantly in motion, dashing out of Cerl's hand and towards the bunny's face as she bursts into a little ball of flames. As she gets closer, the bunny's hand darts out of the smoke and wraps around the pegasus's leg, even as she attempts to dodge! In response, the flame-covered pony does the most logical thing to be released, slamming her wrist repeatedly with her burning hooves.<br> <br>Ebreus crounches while still in the trailer and looks along the perimiter of the shield, estimating what is and is not covered, he notices his ears peak out over it and lowers them. He looks over to the comotion on the other part of the trailer. Before he can comment Arris chimes in and he responds, "One personal shield, would be hard to cover two or more." He then turns his attention to the Zephyr Guard Bunny-woman. As the fog fills the trailer he closes his eyes, the lack of one inch of visibilty being effectively no loss, and growls in her direction, with is flamethrower and shield positioned in front of him toward the sound of moving Bunny-target, "Freeze or Die!" as loudly and fiercely as he can.<br> <br>Cerl snaps off a quick shot in the direction of where the bunny girl had been causing something to scream, shifts to full invisibility, and scrambles for where she remembers the exit to the trailer was. She pauses halfway through the trailer as if trying to listen for something on the edge of her hearing....the edge of her memory. Unable to see anything through the fog, she swivels her head around anyway, trying to locate the source of the whispers she hears. Standing still so she can maintain her invisibility, she starts trying to scan through the fog with biodetection to locate whoever it was that sounds so much like her long missing mother...a voice that she can barely even remember, and begins to reload her crossbow.<br> <br>Arris glances over just as the fog fills up the trailer, then back to hir range as the blast of light flashes from the bushes. "Found you." Sie pulls the trigger, aiming for the weapon of their assailant. Once the shot lands, sie stands up, reloads, and rushes to the trailer's front door, slamming it shut. "Keep that woman in there! Block the doors, constrain her, then knock 'Shave and a haircut'!" Standing from the side, sie watches the back doors and the hole in the side, trying to keep out of the fog but standing in it if it means being able to see all exits.<br> <br>The bunny lets go of firecracker, then seems to go completely silent. No one can tell if Ebreus's intimidation worked, and the fog doesn't seem to be effecting anyone right now.<br> <br>When the bunny lets go, Firecracker goes right to what she was doing before she was grabbed, charging into bunny face for a well-deserved hoof sandwich! With a few strong flaps of her wings, the pegasus thrusts herself towards the bunny as she starts to flee, but she's just impossibly fast! The pegasus whiffs her tackle and is left hitting air. Quickly righting herself, the pegasus turns to give chase to the bunny!<br> <br>Ebreus continues to growl, eyes closed listening for any new movement. "Give me the fog machine." he demands. He does not move from his position listening for the bunny girls move.<br> <br>Cerl aims at the only target she can sense via biodetection that she knows must be the bunny, and fires. Hearing a loud clang as her bolt strikes something metal, she growls softly. "She got into some sort of cover!" she calls out to Ebreus. "I can sense fire somewhere near her but I can't tell where or what type of cover she got into. Also, it wasn't a machine, Ebreus...the grenades she claimed to have, those were fog grenades I think."<br> <br>Arris sees the bunny crawling out through the small hole, lowering the muzle of hir rifle down to her face. "Aaaand, checkmate." Noticing the small grenade she has, sie begins to take a few steps away, but keeping hir aim on her. "Don't make this difficult on me, alright? Just surrender, make it nice and easy, and you might be accepted into society again. Sounds good, hm?"<br> <br>As the bunny leaves the trailer through the hole, she experly flips over to avoid using her injured arms, then speaks to Arris: "Let me go now, and I won't signal Max to kill any of you."<br> <br>Firecracker follows the bunny right out the hole to find her being held at gunpoint by Arris. "Well aren't you a fast one?" she says with a grin as she hovers, slowly getting closer to the bunny. "And who's Max? Is he that glinty guy you were so worried about?"<br> <br>Ebreus, hearing the chatter outside, sets his shield down and walks to where he remembers the whole in the trailer to be, running a hand along the wall to measure. He peers through the hole and smiles. He shifts his flamethrower into his other hand and darts his right forward to grab the rabbit. He sinks his claws into her shoulder when a bullet hits the plate on his hand then darts his other out to grab her other shoulder and pull her back into the trailer. Once she's in again, still in his grasp he growls at her, "How about you call Max off and we don't kill you?"<br> <br>Dropping her biodetection now that she is going to be moving invisibly again, Cerl scrambles for the back of the trailer and bursts out of the doors. To anyone outside, all that will be seen is the doors being flung wide and fog billowing out as Cerl hits the ground running, rushing for the front of the trailer while she gets her crossbow reloaded just in time to see Ebreus drag her back inside the trailer rather than getting the hell out of the fog himself.<br> <br>"Is that your sniper's name?" Arris continues backing away from the bunny, until the chopper stands between hirself and the valley. "I'm, well, sorry to say this, but I - oh." Sie watches as the bunny gets yanked back into the trailer, then the shot going off. Acting as fast as sie can, Arris peeks through the window of the chopper, scanning the distance if sie can catch the muzzle flash before it dissipates.<br> <br>The Bunny practically wets herself at that point, barely getting out any words: "I-I can't! I... I don't know how! ...the plan!" Meanwile, outside the sniper does nothing...<br> <br>Firecracker blinks as the bunny is grabbed and yanked back into the fog. "Heh, that's some crazy horror movie stuff right there!" she chuckles before looking around for Cerl, ready to enact the second part of the plan as she heaads back into the fog to search for her.<br> <br>Ebreus growls angerily at the rabbit as the fog clouds his mind and the small device clipped to his ear begins to strain itself. Not being clear enough in the head to scrutinize her fear he pulls her to her feet and grabs his shield. "Walk." he demands and begins to push her, claws of his left hans still embedded in her shoulder, at the fastest pace that could possibly be considered walking to the exit, trying to cover his head with the shield, totally neglecting to crouch exposing his plated legs.<br> <br>Cerl looks around for Firecracker, hissing a quick "It's Cerl" just before grabbing the pony and cloaking her with invisibility. "Remember, when we get over there, try to shrine your bubble so we don't let Max know we're almost on him, and fly way up in the sky to help find him." Glancing over at the chopper, Cerl calls softly, "Arris, where is he approximately?" Once she knows about where the sniper is at, she takes a running start towards the dropoff and launches into the air, intending to land at least 500 feet away from where the sniper's last known spot was. After landing, she lets go of Firecracker so the pony can do her thing, and begins to employ every stealth trick she knows to sneak up on the sniper, preferably coming at him from behind.<br> <br>Arris ducks behind the chopper's and moves out of the way of the possible sniper fire. "Sniper's over there." Sie motions to the bush in which sie last saw the sniper, and using hir tentacle nanomagic, sie extends a slew of scaly tentacles onto the ground, attempting to imitate hir own shape with them.<br> <br>The bunny guard is escorted out of the trailer, the fog starting to disperse. She looks too scared out of her mind to do anything. "Wh-what are you going to do with me? I don't want to die!" And during her mental breakdown the sniper does nothing.<br> <br>Firecracker hops out of Cerl's hand to fly up into the air, shrinking her bubble down to cover just herself and a few feet aroud her. She scans the area below as she flies a few dozen yards into the sky, searching for the same glint she saw earlier, or even better, the person with the glint! Finally spotting him, she changes course to get in position right over his head, aiming to hover in the air above him as she watches his movements.<br> <br>Ebreus steps outside of the trailer, claws still in the bunnies shoulder, and after a moment shakes the fog from his head. He glares again at his prisoner and crouches. "Don't resist and you live." he states then begins to guide her, by her vice-grip on her shoulder around to behind the cover of the chopper, facing toward where he assumes Max to be and keeping his shield up the whole time. Once he is certan he's behind cover he drops the shield and begins flexing his hand. "Got a hostage. Hand stings." he says to Arris.<br> <br>Cerl catches a glimpse of the sniper as she flies across the valley. After releasing Fire to go do her thing she starts making her way quietly, stealthily over to where she had spotted him, angling to be able to approach him from the rear.<br> <br>As Firecracker and Cerl make their flight to the sniper, Arris sits down on the ground crosslegged. "Welp. Nothing much to do while I'm pinned by another sniper." Sie fishes around in hir pockets, looking for a chocolate bar or something sie can eat and pulling up some saltine crackers. After a wistful sigh, sie unwraps the package and takes a bite out of a cracker just as Ebreus joins hir. "Mind if I see that wound?" Sie takes Ebreus' hand in hirs, offering another cracker with the other hand.<br> <br>The bunny does nothing to risk Ebreus's wrath, and doen't sem to be doing anything about her bruised wrist or the crossbow bolt in her other forearm. As for the sniper, Firecracker and Cerl come across what looks like the sniper's nest, and no sniper.<br> <br>Firecracker descends to the sniper, or at least what she thought was him at first. Once she gets closer, she finds that it's just his post! Taking a quick look around, she spots the direction he ran in and she quickly points towards it and darts through the trees fter him, following his trail and her nose as she goes!<br> <br>Ebreus sits down and tries to relax as best he can while keeping his left hand on the bunny. He extends his right hand, the one hit by the sniper, to Arris. The plate that protected his hand seriously damaged and likely unable to take any more punishment. He takes the cracker with his mouth and says, "Thanks. Can you get the bracer off? I've gotta make sure out friend stays put."<br> <br>Finding the sniper nest empty, Cerl casts around quickly looking for the sniper's trail. Finding it, she moves carefully along it, alert for any traps the sniper might have tried to leave behind, hunting this "Max" character down, shaking her head at Firecracker's impulsiveness. She hisses 'Fire!' quietly, hoping the pony heard as she moves along the trail.<br> <br>Arris removes the bracer, beginning to inspect the wound closer. "Looks pretty bad, but could be worse. Is our pilot asleep?" Sie peers into the chopper again, looking for the person inside.<br> <br>The sniper keeps running, and if Cerl and Firecracker keep chasing they will seperate from the group. As for the helicopter pilot, hie has a large piece of metal in his chest, covered in blood and not moving.<br> <br>Firecracker keeps chasing! No reason to stop at this point! She flies through the trees on her way to catch up with the sniper, following the trail he left behind as he fled.<br> <br>Ebreus winces as the bracer is removed. He looks around when Arris makes hir examination. "Good to hear that it's not as bad as possible at least." he says. When Arris checks the pilot he asks, "Is sie ok<br> <br>After travelling back as far as her landing point, and with Fire having flown out of sight chasing Max, Cerl just shrugs and glances down into the valley to try and determine the best route a tauric being could take to return to the helicopter.<br> <br>Arris enters the chopper, moving to the pilot and checking for a pulse first. Sie attempts to asses the situation. Without any form of nanite healing, the pilot was essentially dead. "Goddammit." Sie holds up hir comm, calling Firecracker<br> <br>Arris slurs, "Return to chopper, pilot is dead.""<br> <br>Ebreus winces as the bracer is removed. He looks around when Arris makes hir examination. "Good to hear that it's not as bad as possible at least." he says. When Arris checks the pilot he asks, "Is sie ok?" then upon hearing the pilots condition imediently radios Firecracker and Cerl to come back.<br> <br>The sniper still keeps running, and the sun is starting to go down.<br> <br>Firecracker comes to a screeching stop mid-air as she hears the others calling her back. She quickly turns herself round and shoots up into the air out of the trees to make it easier to make a speedy trip back to the copter.<br> <br>Ebreus looks to their bunny prisoner for a few moments, "What are you and this 'Max' character doing out her to warrent deathtraps and lethal force?" he says, aggrivation with her still apparent in his voice and claws still embedded in her shoulder.<br> <br>Carefully descenting the side of the valley, Cerl sends a quick message to Ebreus and Arris. "If you see Fire, could have her come get me? I'm not sure I can get back up to the road on that side of the valley without help."<br> <br>The bunny feints, out cold at Ebreus's feet. And no doubt Firecracker would have helped Cerl back to the broken helicoper. Looks like everyone will have to spend the night here.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Reading in Paradise - RPLOG

2017-07-22T16:18:36Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Melvy]]
* [[Narwen]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Parthenia]]
* [[Xzentia]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
10/6/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>As everyone reaches the start of the highway, there is a human male in overalls standing next to his partially-nanite-eaten blue truck, wearing a Promethian illuminated helmet. "Hello everyone. For those of you I haven't met yet I'm Smithson, and I'm going to be driving you out to some place called..." He checks a note for a second, "...Paradise. We are going out to pick up any books that might be there. Any questions?"<br> <br>Xzentia checks her equipment, adjusting the guns into easily-accessible spots and the melee tools into affixed positions as she nods in assent, 'Sounds like a wonderful place. Expect irony?" The cyberscorp's lips poise into a sassy smirk, shouldering a satchel with the rest of ehr gear and provisions.<br> <br>Ebreus walks up to the meeting spot, when he sees the familiar blue truck and human Prmethean he smiles. His flamethrower strung about his waist he ballances a pole-axe acrost his shoulders. "I remember Paradice from before P-Day. It was nice. Hopefully it faired better than Fairhaven." he says. He walks up to the truck and leans against it, by the back, as he awaits the arrival of the rest of the group.<br> <br>Garbed in his typical combat attire, one coyote was out on the prowl for something to do, for adventure, for danger! He'd learned of another expedition outside the bubble, and oh but aren't those just the most fun ever? The answer? Not particularly... Leaving the server often left one with a bad taste in their mouth among other things. Still, these diversions were always welcome given how hard it was for Otto to find exciting work these days. Checking on his vast array of equipment, the coyote ensures that EVERYTHING was in its place. Everything had a place, and every thing in it's place, after all! Firearms locked and loaded, blades sharp and ready, armor hard and fastened tight, he was as ready as one could be.

Approaching the meeting point with a kick in his step and a smile on his face, Otto looks around the gathered crowd, greets each and every one of them with a polite hello, a fistbump here, a wave there... he took a deep breath and greeted Smithson once more. That is... if it was the same human from before. It was getting hard to tell them apart these days... "Paradise, huh? Here's hoping it lives up to the name, though I highly doubt that..." he remarks with a quiet snerk as he shakes Smithson's hand. Leaning against the truck, the canine awaits for further instruction, or the order to depart.<br> <br>Narwen tilts his head. "Any word on locals who might, like, understandably want to keep their library? Other than that, not really. Gonna assume you've got a plan for having the books 'n stuff not get chewed up once they're back here." The large skunk beast takes one look at the cab, chuffs, and pads around the back, putting a cautious forepaw on the lowered tailgate. The truck neither tips over nor explodes, so he jump-flops up into the back and settles down, saddlebags clinking. "Probably shoulda brought shades."<br> <br>Melvy shook her head, either too nervous to ask any questions or wanting to head out immediately. She checked her sword and adjusted her vest, then stared at the bed of the truck.<br> <br>Parthenia runs un to the group, huffing and puffing she bends over. hands on her knees as she is trying to catch her breath like some sort of character from a video game who has depleted their stamina completely and now was going through this phase of being unable to do any action at all till the animation ends. Finally though she manages to raise a hand with a finger extended. "Oh... Uh... Uhhhh... Sorry. Am I late? What did I miss?"<br> <br>Smithson says "you didn't miss anything. We were about to leave. Everyone aboad." With everything set, Smithson gets everyone into the truck and they set out to Paradise, quickly reaching the end of the Fairhaven bubble on the highway out.<br> <br>Hopping up into the truck's bed, Xzen makes sure to give a good amount of space ofr others, her sextet of segmented tails coilt in a bundle behind her for space-saving. She starts pointing at the various folks, "Alright, skills, talents, assets you can offer to this. Let's get to know each other, alright? I'm a fair shot, myself, and I do have Regulation Nanomagic available to help those who need it. I've got others, like the Illusion program and more, but, if we have no access to others with regulation, that's pretty moot." She spies Parthy, recognizing her and winking towards the woman before nodding to Narwen, "Hey, good to see you on a mission."<br> <br>Ebreus smiles and greats his fellow agents as they arrive a polite 'hello' to everyone whom he has not met and to Otto he says, "Hi Otto. Glad to see you're on this contract as well." When Narwen mentions wanting sunglasses he activates his Nanomagic and begins to construct a pair of sunglasses, made of a tourmaline-plastic blend, over the course of a few minutes while everyone arrives and readies themselves. When Parthenia runs up he smiles and says, "Hello Parth, you haven't missed anything." He climbs aboard the truck and passes the glasses to Narwen, "You asked for sunglasses." he says.

When asked of his skills he says, "I'm a decent nanomage, I can run a mini-bubble as well. I'm a proficient negotiator and I'm reasonably good with computers. In battle I brawl, electricute and freeze things."<br> <br>Otto spends a few moments petting over the skunk beast's side. He was just so fluffy! Who could resist petting a skunk beast? Well... Otto couldn't at the very least. He nods at Ebreus and shrugs idly. "It's a job. A coyote's gotta make a living, right? Ain't gonna sit at home all day and twiddle my thumbs, eh?" He then flashes a bright smile at Parthenia and opens his maw to tell her that she'd basically missed nothing, but dag nabbit, Smithson beat him to it. The coyote shrugs and gestures towards the truck, then raises one hand and calls out "SHOTGUN!" The honorable way to claim the front seat!

As he places his paws on the truck door, he is promptly zapped by the buildup of static charge from petting Narwen. Otto shakes the paw and licks his finger, then idly shrugs it off, hops up and slides into the front seat through the open window! His paw strikes the door as he calls out "Let's go, folks! We have a job to do!" And go they did. The canine listens to the conversation being had, and once Ebreus finishes speaking, he chymes in "I'm good at a lot of things, but heavy lifting, combat and computers are my specialties! Also I got all this armor for a reason!" his fist strikes the heavy metal plating protecting his chest. "I'll be your front-liner if things get sticky. Hopefully they won't." But that was definitely not what the coyote was hoping for. Ahh, that gut-wrenching feeling of leaving the bubble. It was something the coyote had long since gotten used to, and by now it only meant the promise of finding and exploring something new!<br> <br>Narwen balances the glasses on his muzzle and flashes a grin. "Thanks, fella. Me? I look good in black." He waits a beat. "What, you want more? Fine, fine. I know my way 'round a library, figure I'll help pick out what we most need. And ferry it back, if you guys can load me up. I ain't a taxi, though," he adds, stretching out. He rumbles, pleased, at the petting, then rambles on once Otto is up front. "Guess I know some tech, bit of medical stuff, but I can't see we'll be needing it. Oh, and I can hit things. And smell bad. But ditto."<br> <br>Melvy took a seat in the corner of the truck bed, leaning herself against the cab. The moth girl sits in a scrunched up position, and she presses her chin between her knees, studying their appearances in silence. On being asked about her skills, she starts off softly, "Um, I'm pretty decent at first-aid, and I know a bit about medicine." she paused for a second to think, "Oh, and I also have a bit of experience with libaries." As she finished, the moth girl went back to looking around at everyone in the truck.<br> <br>"Alright," Parthenia huffs finally straightening her back. A hand still on her chest as she is struggling to catch her breath. "Good to know." She nodded and offered a small wave to the gathering. Some were getting in the truck and already figured out what good for what. A few mages and a familiar dog with a tendency to not be nonlethal. A nice bunch to go with on a dangerous mission. The only thing that was missing was a tiny pony. That thing seemed to be to be everywhere! But not today it seems. Otto gets a wink before the woman gets in the truck and catches a few weird looks. She glances down to nice... Rivers of pearly white fluids upon her armored chest. "W-was out fighting, it.. Ah, got... Exciting for some." She explained rubbing her thick brow. "As for my skills, I an O.K. shot, and can hold my own in close combat." She offers a shy shrug. "That's about it." Her brows furrow ever so slightly as she catches a wink addressed to her as well... She wait... Waits... And winks back.<br> <br>Smithson replies to Xzentia: "I can drive and fix this truck, which has made me invaluable on excursions like this." He then laughs a bit. "But more seriously, I can survive out of the bubble more than many people these days, and I do know my way around roads."

After just a few hours the truck pulls into Paradise, Smithson directing the truck to the depository. As the building can be seen a few blocks down the road, Smithson stops and pulls out binoculars from under his seat. As he looks down the road he points and says "There looks to be a bunch of skunk beasts laying in the front parking lot of the building. I think I can count about 17 of them just sleeping there in the open. I'll just park the truck here for now."<br> <br>Nodding her assent as folks list off skills, talents, jokes, and more, Xzen cracks a smile of her own, "Alrightly, then... let's get some books, huh? Oh, and don't die..." before glancing at Parthenia and wrinkling her nose, "Don't joke about that thing! It might appear or something... wretched nuisance of a critter."<br> <br>Ebreus takes a look down the road toward the depository, without binoculars, trying to count the Sunk Beasts. As the stares at the beasts he says, "Shall I put up a mini-bubble or are you going to miss..." he trails off not having caught the arthropod girls name. After a few moments of counting the Skunk Beasts he says, "We may be best served going the long way 'round. From here there appears to be seventeen Sunk Beasts in the huddle by the front entrence."<br> <br>"Ah, sweet, skunk beasts! They'll be the local rotary club, I guess. This is gonna be a cake-- why is everyone looking at me?" Narwen sighs. "Okay. In favour of long way 'round. Also in favour of asking questions before shooting, for the record. Also, stupidly, in favour of me going first, on account of I might even blend in. Who knows?"<br> <br>Otto hisses under his breath and squints once he hears about the skunk beasts. "Yeeeeah... probably be a good idea to not disturb them, sneak by if we can? I'm a bad sneak, but if we can get around them, that'd be great." he borrows Smithson's binoculars, leans out the open truck window and looks around, scanning for another way inside the building that would permit them to get inside without bothering the ferals. "I'm seeing... five...six...eight...twelve...fifteen...eight, no...seventeen of the beasts." he proclaims, then returns the man's binocs with a nod and a quiet thanks. "ALRIGHT!" the canine hops out of the truck and clasps his paws loudly to get everyone's attention "My guess is that we can either risk moving around them over the edge, OR... we could find a back door. Building so big has to have a rear entrance, right? I can't see it from here, but it's worth a shot if you folks have the jitters about crawling around all sneaky-beaky near those ferals." he shrugs and pulls out a flask from his pocket, then takes a quick drink from it, and re-pockets it. The bitter liquid burns his throat and forces a wince out of him. "Bleh... ANYWAY! What'll it be? I hear a vote to sneak by? Right? Is... is that what you mean, fuzzywuzzy? Yes? Okay. Any other opinions? Ideas? Thoughts?"<br> <br>Melvy slowly makes her way off the truck. Listening to the exchange, she decided to meekly chip in, "Well.. I can't fight that well, so I'd like to avoid them if I can." The moth girl walked over to Narwen to give him a pet on the head, trying to distract herself from the potential danger.<br> <br>Just a few hours was enough for Parthenia to catch her breath. She wasn't too chatty during the trip, hardly having any small talk. Seems like she was more interested in making sure all her gear works. Checking over her sniper rifle and magnum. The sword was left to hang where it was for the time being. "If anything, I think we should send in out own Skunk in. See what happens from safe distance and go from there. Perhaps he can convince them to have a smell off of some kind in the further region. Or.. Maybe he can just convince them to load the truck with books?" She crinkles her nose. "Sneaking by them... Sounds a little dangerous. I'd prefer to keep some distance."<br> <br>Smithson waves his hand for everyone to get doing. "I'll keep an eye on the truck. This is far enough away and downwind of the ferals so they won't come for me. If you want me to bring the truck any closer once you get the books, you'll have to clear them out later."<br> <br>"Alright, so, if it's going to inconvenient... what about negotiations, first? We're out of the bubble.. that means the ferals won't have their signals being all conditioned in... they could even be more human now than in-bubble," Xzentia says and looks over towards Narwen and then Ebreus, "Negotiations first? Military action if negotiations fall apart?"<br> <br>Ebreus nods in agreement with Ottos assesment of the situation and reccomendation that they find the rear entrence. When Parth suggests Narwen dupe them the grins and says, "Well if Narwen wants to try to dupe them I'd love to see a horde of Skunk Beasts working for us as opposed to fighting us once we wake them up." When he gets no reply from Xzenita he sighs and puts up a Regulation Bubble. "I preffer to have my other nanomagics available to me but I'll keep the bubble up as long as we need it. Should stretch to eighty feet." he says.<br> <br>Otto shoots Xzentia a sideways glance, then looks over at the ferals. He squints and he ponders, he rubs his chin and he wonders... his gaze then shifts over to Narwen as an idea forms in his head. The skunk beast had had a great idea a moment ago. He could easily approach them and see what they were like, be they feral beasts or sentient beings... "Hmmm... you, Narwen, right? I like the cut of your jib!" he flashes a smile "Ready to risk it for the team! That's a grand idea. We have a skunk beast right here!" his finger waves over towards Xzentia "Like she pointed out, we could check to see if they're friendly. I mean, the mall rats are technically ferals... but then again feral skunk beasts were pretty beastly around Fairhaven. Those poor skunk girls..." Otto recalls his work with the lovely ladies inhabiting the Fairhaven Library. He turns towards Ebreus, takes a few steps and slings one arm around the fox, "There's the call of opportunity when you need it! Haha! Right, I'm all for that plan if our luxuriously fluffy and quite charismatic skunk friend is willing to go and try it! We'll be on stand-by if things go to hell, ready to rush in at a moment's notice! If we can't go that way..." Otto wobbles one paw and shrugs "We go in through the rear, assuming there is one!"<br> <br>Narwen makes a rumbling, purring noise as Melvy pets him. "Skunk beasts approve of head pettings. If you see one of them coming, you just do that. Or, er, fly away," he says, then glances back at himself. Lanyard, saddlebags, barding, a kevlar undercoat, and, most incriminating of all, shorts. "Still gonna look like a bit of a tourist like this. Not super keen on being outnumbered and buck naked, though." He shrugs one shoulder. "But if they're out front they're probably gonna be inside too, so we'll have to deal with 'em sooner or later. And I'd rather find out sooner rather'n later if they're aggressive. We can always come back another time; the books will keep. Not worth killing people over. But, uh, if I come running back, give me some cover? Please? And don't shoot the skunk with shades?"<br> <br>Melvy smiled at Narwen's response, removing her hands shortly after. She momentarily fluttered her wings and looked over at the rest of the party. "So, what kind of books should we be looking for in the library? Just get whatever looks interesting?" The moth girl asked, glancing back over at the library.<br> <br>Parthenia was kicked from the truck, so very rudely. Oh well! No more sitting around. She smirks, seems like everyone was up for the idea of having the skunk best go in first. A noble sacrifice would be made today! At least she hoped it would be. "You aren't even -that- butt naked. Go, check them out, and before waking them up, do try to look the part, huh?" Her armored hand gestures at Narwen. "Drop the shorts..." She pulls her rifle from the shoulder and gently pats it on the side. "I've got your back, skunk. If the head pettings don't work, there will be head shootings. You trust me, heh, right?" <br> <br>Smithson speaks up for a second at Melvy's question: "Anything that looks like it still has words in it is fine, but I'm sure we should focus on the non-fiction literature first. Like history books or technical manuals." He doesn't say any more, but definintely raises an eyebrow at everyone's plan.<br> <br>Seeing how sparsely equipped Melvy is, Xzen takes out a few items from her satchel, tossing them to the moff, "Here you go... we bugs gotta stick together, eh?" with explanation for the generosity. Looking back at the rest, she inhales and then exhales before checking her gun, making sure it's read yto fire. She has her Nanite Manufacturing set up, pushing out to an eighty foot radius as well, and she comments over towards the truck driver, "So, Smithson... how /are/ we going to transport the books? You got a glass-lined container or something to deter them from gettin' nommed? Anything we can use so our nanites don't nom them, too?"<br> <br>Ebreus smiles and drops his nanobubble, "Thanks. Now Narwen with her runnin' the bubble instead of me I can suport you with lightning strikes if this doesn't work." He then turns his attention back to Xzentia, "I'm pretty sure these nanomagic-induced bubbles have a low enough nanite density that book-nomming won't be a problem." he says. He cracks a few joints throughout his body, and hefts his flamethrower, "Oh, and I can also support you with flaming caustic goo if things go south." he says to Narwen. He looks to the group and says, "Well this isn't a nightmare-fuel fog, just a few possibly feral Sunk Beasts, lets get moving."<br> <br>"Nobody shoot the cool skunk." Otto chymes and retrieves his trusty chainsword from his back with a satisfying *shhhink* "Me? I'm getting up close and personal with the filthy ferals if it comes to that." the canine grins and spins the sword in his paw once, leans it over his shoulder and moves two steps towards the entrance to the building, overlooking the large battalion of feral skunk beasts. He turns towards Narwen and states, "The second things go to hell, come running back, we'll charge in and massacre those ferals if need be! You're a brave beast, lad. Thank you for taking this risk."<br> <br>"I know I ain't butt naked, and I want to stay that way. 'Sides, we're in California. Rainbow shorts are essential to blending in," Narwen says. "Although... this _is_ Gold Country. May not go over quite so well. Fine, fine. Just... geez, folks, if it starts to go south, try not to kill 'em, yeah? Scare 'em off, shoot to wound if you have to. I am so going to regret saying that," he adds, ripping the velcro of his shorts open and wriggling out of them. After a moment's thought, the lanyard and badge follow them onto the ground. "Grab those if we have to make a sharp exit? Sentimental value. And fer crying out loud, no flamethrower. Especially when I'm standing over there. Dammit, here goes nothing." And with that he saunters as casually as he can over towards the library, tail raised high.<br> <br>Melvy nodded, smiling at the other bug-woman as she was given some equipment. "Thanks, hopefully I won't have to use it.." she equipped herself and went to pet Narwen before he went off to face the horde. "I wonder if this is really a good idea," the moth girl said, commenting on the plan. "Oh, is it possible to shift right now? I could go with him."<br> <br>Parthenia waves everyone off. "I've got your backs fallas." With those words the woman turns her back onto heading out team and walks up to the driver. "It is the best idea!" She says to the moth girl before addressing the man in the truck. "I'm climb on top, for better view if you don't mind. Going to make sure have somewhere to run to if they must." If the permission is granted, she gets to struggling in an effort to reach her destination and get all comfy, snugged up with her gun. The barrel is aimed at the beasts and she watches the show through the scope. <br> <br>Smithson answers Xzentia: "I have a chest in the back that seals against nanites. That should be enough for the more damaged or important books. Otherwise, I just strap them in stacks." He then turns to Parthenia and adds: "sure, but I don't think you can fit up there with a gun."

As Narwen aproaches the feral skunk beasts, they all seem out cold, like they just spent most of the day in an orgy. None of them seem to notice him or even care. However, one of the skunk beasts actually seems to be a skunk girl, covered in semen and not moving at all.<br> <br>Checking her specialized revolver, Xzentia flares her nostrils, prepped and ready. With Narwen's approach being met with more malaise and languors than expected, she whispers softly, "Well... that's promising, at least... They don't appear to be responding much..." She can't see the details, of course, but at least things haven't gone south, yet.<br> <br>Ebreus ballances his bardiche on one shoulder and prepares to breathe fire or frigid shadow at the Skunk Beasts should it be necessary. He watches them for any signs of movement as Narwen aproaches, occasionally glancing to the left or right checking for anything preparing to ambush him.<br> <br>Otto keeps a close watch on what was happening over where the skunk beasts were. He kept his fingers crossed and hoped for the best, as Narwen was hardly in a favorable position right then and there. The last thing he wanted was a casualty. The coyote crouches down and rests his blade against the ground. He runs his thumb over the sharpened edge and sighs lightly, not quite sure what it was he wanted. His ears remained perked up, listening to the words of his colleagues.<br> <br>The story pretty much tells itself, but having seen a couple of horror movies -- and taken a couple of medical classes -- Narwen does pause to check visually that the nearest skunk beast is merely asleep and not dead, chest rising and falling. He frowns at the skunk girl's still form, then shakes his head. Moving on padded feet, he skirts the other skunks, heading towards the library entrance. As he approaches, he stops to turn back to the rest of the team and gives them an exaggerated nod, then lifts a forepaw with one claw raised and makes a "sssh" gesture, then lifts the same claw into the air, holds it for a second, then beckons once with his paw.<br> <br>Melvy looks back at the more heavily armed members of the party, waiting for a cue to go ahead. The moth girl looked back and waved to Narwen, loitering around in her spot. <br> <br>Parthenia gave Smith an accusing look, her lips pursed as she stared him down from beneath her thick brows. "My ass isn't -that- big." The woman informed before climbing up. The roof of the truck wasn't much, sure. But it was still enough to plant that cushiony ass on. Her shins were crossed, knees pulled up halfway to the shoulders, elbows resting on the. Arms nearly crossed and the rifle rests over the left one. The side she had turned to her team. Her eye is on Narwen, watching him study the beasts and seemingly move on in past them becoming the team to follow. She didn't like that idea of course. What if things get loud inside? What if those beasts wake up and then they will have no way out. The safety of the team was on her hands! It was up to her to save them from trouble, from how terrible it can all turn out! The berrell of the rifle starting to move and now she was looking at one of the beasts, measuring up his balls and dick to that of Narvens.. And damn! narwen had a BIG fucking cock! A single shot could change this stealth mission into a massacre! How fun would that be? She thought smirking. Her finger presses on the trigger... A bit more. That familiar resistance.. She take a breath... "Bang!" She says to herself, the rifle jumps up a bit as she mimics the shot. Soon the woman jumping of from her perch. "Looks like we are sneaking in." She said before heading out to join the rest. <br> <br>As everyone makes their way to the front door, being stealthful to avoid waking the ferals, Ebreus accidentally lands a foot on a stray snack wrapper that makes a crunching noise, but none of the skunk beasts stir from their pile.<br> <br>Otto blinks a few times and squints as he watches Narwen in the distance. He recognizes the signs and immediately stands up. "He wants us to sneak in? Oh gods..." the coyote shakes his head and sheathes his sword. "I'm no good at stealth..." he huffs, then sighs lightly "But, I guess I could give it a try... I mean Cerl makes it look so easy." Swallowing his apprehension, the canine joins his team and makes his way to wards the front entrance. Careful where he places his feet, he is soon upon the front entrance. His heart skips a beat once he hears that noise coming from Ebreus. but thankfully none of the beasts awaken. Otto breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes, then reaches for the door handle and... *FWOOM* a trap is triggered the moment he opens the door, gas cascading out of the portal which he narrowly manages to evade. Thankful that his team was out of the way, the coyote holds his breath and shoots a glance towards his team. He makes a gesture to let them know that he is heading into the building, and then he does exactly that.<br> <br>Holding back from getting near the gas, Xzen looks towards the otehrs and motions with sign language, should any understand <Gas. Hold back and let it dissipate, first. Anyone got anything to clear it out faster?> She stops breathing, just in case the gas blows their direction, and she's ready to move out of the way, just in case. She knows that some gases are more heinous than others, but she doesn't know what this one does, yet.<br> <br>Ebreus, seeing Narwen just walk right past them, smiles and walks toward the depository. He keeps his pole-axe ready in case one of them wakes up. As he walks he continuously watches for movement and checks his distance to the rest of the team. Once he arrives at the door, after accidentally making a noise, he examines everything again, muttering, "I've never cared much for stealth." as he does. When Otto goes to open the door he prepares to breathe frigid shadows into the building should there be something there. He almost waists his shadow breath when Otto dodges the gas. He double checks the team is unaffected and once Otto is through, if he's ok, Ebreus follows.<br> <br>Narwen takes a step or two back when the gas goes off, holding his breath and looking around in alarm. But luckily Otto is quick on his feet, and it seems to clear without any ill effect. A little time after the coyote has ducked inside, Narwen pads after him -- then pauses to look back into the courtyard. The other skunk beasts are still drowsing, thankfully, so he heads on in, blinking as he passes out of the sunshine and taking a little sniff of the air.<br> <br>Melvy did the best she could to navigate through the pile of skunk beasts without waking them up, flinching at Ebreus stepping on the snack wrapper. The moth girl fluttered her wings nervously, staying close to Narwen and looking at other agents who entered the library. She reached out again to give him a nervous pet, wanting to calm herself down. "Why was there gas?" she whispered to Narwen.<br> <br>Parthenia was soon reunited with the team! Probably to everyone's great joy and happiness! Her sneaking skills weren't the BEST of the best but... She wasn't to terribly bad at it either. Actually... She was! And her armor wasn't making it any easier. But... The gods were on their sider and the only terrible mishap that has happened is her armored tits smearing some of that still dripping cum on one of the walls as she was leaning against it in an effort to stay... UNSEEN! Her hands were on the weapons the moment clumsy Ebreus have failed oh so terribly at being sneaky. She shook her head at him, disappointed to no degree! Skillfully handled door offers the team a little scare, and makes her think. Seems like no one was worried about lingering gas, aside from Xzentia. She shrugged to her signs, not knowing what they mean and tilted her head inviting her to come in. Waiting it out a few more seconds after everyone was inside, she joing the team. "Gas and beasts." She whispers. "And did you notice the girl with them? As if someone brought her there just to keep the bastards around. And the door was trapped." She taps her head, her eyes move up to look at the ceiling, checking out every corner. "If I had to guess, someone doesn't want us here. Perhaps there are even surveillance cameras to keep intruders in check." <br> <br>The gas trap seems to be very rudamentary. It looks like it was designed to vent outside once the front door was opened. a few seconds pass and one of the skunk beasts stir from their slumber, smelling the air. Then another, and another... in seconds their attention turns to the people at the front door, their cocks going erect.<br> <br>Keeping an ey eout and keeping out of the general area of the gas itself, still rather than plunging through it, Xzentia pauses when the sound of air snuffling catches her attention, and she looks over towards the skunk beasts... then twoards where everone else else and putting two and two together to make... fish. "Pheremones! They're gonna rape you!" She calls over, the time for stealth done for as the skunks are already getting erect. She strafes along the front of the building to get further from the door and beasts both, readying to shoot if she needs to.<br> <br>Ebreus spins around, hand on his flamethrower, when he hears Xzentia yell. He steps forward to the door so that he is just inside. He takes as agressive a posture as possible, begins growling loudling, and pulses his flamethrower in their direction. He roars as best a Fox can and glares at them.<br> <br>Narwen wrinkles his nose. "Y'all might want to get in here and-- oh, too late," he mutters. "Why is it always libraries? Think we got a skunk girls / skunk beasts situation. Gas reeks of 'em. Hey, ladies!" he yells into the gloom. "Don't shoot, we ain't skunk beasts! Well, I am, but don't shoot me anyway. I know Dewey Decimal and I'm not afraid to use it." He stumbles further into the room, away from the door, almost tripping over his own erection. "Also that's totally an involuntary physiological reaction and not personal."<br> <br>"They're welcome to try." Otto sneers, reaches for his blade, but seeing the tight bottleneck those accursed ferals would need to squeeze though, added to that the fires Ebreus had started, he decides not to taunt the Prometheans by being responsible for a feral death. There was a time and a place for everything, after all. He leaves the ferals to his colleagues and takes a good look of the interior. The scent of skunk girl was heavy in the air, but Otto was none too bothered. He kept his hands on his blades and an eye on the darkest corners, in case something happens to lunge out at them. "What do you think, Narwen? Worthwhile salvage?"<br> <br>Melvy followed Narwen further into the library. The moth girl cowered slightly in fear, clinging to the four-legged scientist with a hug as she waited for the immediate threats to go away, then skittered off to the side to collect herself.<br> <br>Parthenia gasps and... Gasps! Memory of the skunk girl pops back into her mind and she really kinda doesn't want to end up in that pile! Fucked, seemingly to death like that filthy mutant did. Probably well deserved too! Having cum still staining her armor was already enough! Swiftly she pulls out her magnum, the other hand is on the hilt of the sword, ready to draw. Being the last one by the door he had a clear view on the creatures and as she wa-.... A fox with a flame thrower stumbles in making some fierce fox noises! Threatening to say the least! Nonetheless, her weapon is aimed at the creatures, and she pulls the trigger in an effort to make that roar even scarier with the roaring bang of the magnum. She aimed right at the neck of one of them beasts, surely they can survive that, before retreating deeper into the building, hopefully to hid by Otto's side.<br> <br>With the screaming fox and a flamethrower, the skunk beasts are too frightened to attack, but with the smell of skunk girl in the air they are too aroused to leave. That is, until a magnum round tears through one of their necks, causing them all to scatter and leave behind the skunk girl on the ground.
As for those inside, the depository is mostly empty, like someone has been looting it before. Reaching the back door in their search the group finds two shotguns rigged to the back door, loaded to splatter anyone who would have opened it from the outside. Thankfully though, there is a security door leading to what seems to be the store room, the small window in the door revealing that there are books on the other side.<br> <br>While the others secure theinterior, Xzen takes advantage of the dispersal of the skunk beasts. Looking back over her shoulder, she says, "Cover me, "towards Parthenia and heads over low to go and inspect the remaining or remains, depending on what she finds, of the skunk girl<br> <br>Ebreus grins when he sees the Skunk Beasts scatter. He maintains his agressive pose and keeps his flamethrower ready. He slowly backs into the depository as he enjoys the sight of seventeen Skunk Beasts fleeing from him. When he sees Xzentia moving to examine the girl he says, "Is she alive?" Once he's managed to back his way into the depository he says, "Thanks for the assistance." to Parth then turns around and begins looking through the Depository. "We in business?" he asks Otto and Narwen.<br> <br>"Business would be stretching it." Otto replies simply as he looks about the room. "There's got to be a big ol stash somewhere around here. We're looking for something like a store room, I guess." the coyote moves over towards one of the more secure looking doors and crosses his arms. He notices a particularity to it and halts Narwen before they can have a go at the door. "Hang on." he murmurs, then leans into the circuitry he'd noticed on the side. Reaching into his pack, the coyote retrieves a small toolbox filled with tiny and very delicate looking instruments. His nimble fingers easily manage to pick apart the trigger mechanism on the door without tripping it. He works for the better part of two minutes before smiling lightly and leaning away. "There. Whatever that trigger was..." the canine nudges the door and it silently opens up for them. "It's dealt with." putting his tools away, he steps into the room and whistles sharply. "Hey, I think we're in business!"<br> <br>Narwen shakes his head to clear it, then starts scouring the room. "Doesn't look worth it in here," he calls back to Otto, "but maybe in the store room back there? Guessing there's a trap, or a skunk girl with a gun, or both? You wanna peek through the window and I'll case the door?" he asks. And they do, and it is trapped, and Otto does some magic. "Holy crap," the skunk says. "And I thought I had a way with electronics. Hey, we're friendly," he calls, stepping in after the coyote. "Anyone here? Free rides back to civilisation." He begins peering at the titles, calling out the most useful and most culturally important. "Load me up and let's get the heck out of here. Don't worry, Melvy, almost done."<br> <br>Melvy followed behind Otto and Narwen, glancing momentarily back at the group that remained at the entrance before turning her attention back to the storeroom. "Neat.." she cautiously stepped into the store room, heading towards the books to browse through them, putting some in the skunk's saddlebag.<br> <br>Parthenia keeps her weapon at ready for a little while longer, making sure the creatures are really gone. What little blade of her sword was exposed is now gently sinking back into its 'port'. Her eyes dart to Xzentia and back at the skunk gal. The woman smirks and offers a short shrug with a single shoulder. Her arm extends invitingly, offering a silent 'go ahead'. She stands by the door making sure her team mate isn't going to get jumped. "Don't mention it." She offers to Ebreus.<br> <br>The books in the store room look like they were being kept here for safe keeping, filled with technical and mechanical books and manuals. No one is to be found anywhere. The trap that Otto disarmed seems to be hooked to a large battery and what looks like a dismantled tape recorder. The wires from it lead up and into the ceiling. As everyone starts looting books, Smithson pulls up to the front of the depository to help, and it doesn't take long to pack up the stores of books.<br> <br>After her inspection, Xzen leaves an unwarranted gift of vomited bile on the remains, her sick coating across the dead skunk girl's defiled corpse. Her nose wrinkles, and she leaves the body where it lays, unwilling to do more or even touch it at this point as she goes to help pack things up into Smithson's truck when he pulls up.<br> <br>Ebreus begins grabbing technical manuals and packing them in Narwens packs. Once Narwen has as many books as he can hold he takes as many as he can reasonably hold and carries them out. "If she's really dead I can spare the Flamethrower fuel for a basic creamation." he says, and he does creamate the dead skunk girl unless someone tells him not to. When all of the books are loaded onto the truck he goes back into the depository and loots anything that isn't nailed down, then coordinates with Xzentia so that he could use Item Conjuration to create a crowbar and loot everything that was nailed down. Once he's done he says, "Alright I think that's everything, lets get headed home."<br> <br>Everyone loads up into Smithson's truck and heads on home, the skunk girl's body reminding everyone that death really was possible when you are this far out of safety...[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

The Fog of Tahoe, Part 2 - RPLOG

2017-07-22T16:17:40Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Cameron]]
* [[Cerl]]
* [[Draken]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
4/6/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>What seems like a long night due to the overcast clouds passes without incident, but the wall of fog nearby makes everything seem uneasy. Early the next morning, Smithson is busy preparing breakfast. "Morning everyone. Everyone get a good nights sleep? If we salvage the radio quickly we can make it home before nightfall." He hands out simple tin plates with everyone's portion of food with matching cheap forks and knives to eat with. "Don't loose the utencils."<br> <br>For Otto it had been quite the restless night indeed. He'd taken a shift in the night watch to try and ease his nerves by doing something productive, spent a lot of the time sharpening his weapons to make himself feel safer, and yet... there was this nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he was NOT prepared for what may lie ahead. There was something unearthly about that mist... something terrifying in a very subtle, but very real way. He bids his fellow agents "Good morning!" and once the breakfast is handed out, he thanks Smithson and digs into his meal, eyes wandering around the group as he chews his food, one forkfull at a time. "There's something off about this... thing." the coyote comments and gestures towards the wall of fog "I'm no meteorologist, but wouldn't this have blown away by now? I get chills just looking at it..." he shudders and flicks the last of his food into his maw, then puts the plate away, utencils included.<br> <br>Arris begins climbing out of hir tent, yawning and stretching hir arms, the gator presently nude. The night definately felt like a long one, and the gator mildly regretted choosing the shift in the middle of it - being woken once is already unpleasant, and forgetting to bring an inflatable matress made it all the more uncomfortable. "Morning." Arris gives Otto and Smithson a nod as sie walks over to the latter, picking up a plate and beginning to chow down, pausing mid-meal to speak. "Not sure about the fog. Maybe if someone has giant wings or a giant fan or propellor or something we can blow it away."<br> <br>Cerl thanks Smithson, taking her plate and digging in. Keeping her eyes on the unnatural fog, she devours the food like a typical canid, practically inhaling it. Setting the plate and utensils aside, she starts pacing nervously around the small camp, keeping her eyes on the grey wall and waiting for one of the party capable of doing so to fire up their mini bubbles again, at which time she'll move closer to the fog and try to detect any bio signs inside it.<br> <br>Cameron had taken last watch, making slow circles about the camp. As others began to awaken he decided to retreated back to his tent, grumbling a little, not quite haviing a full night's rest even when he wasn't on wake and allowed to sleep. Even if he had piled enough blankets on the ground to be really comfortable. Whilst Smithson makes breakfast he takes down his tent, putting it and the blankets away so that they can be ready to leave as soon as they finish eating. Once breakfast is served he settles down onto a rock, a stump or even his pack, what ever is available for a seat so he can eat up. He frowned a moment and nodded. "Yeah, one would think it would have by now." He then glanced to Smithson a moment. "Probably should have asked this sooner, but what sort of strange messages or signals this radio is sending out?" Now digging into his own meal.<br> <br>Firecracker wakes up early, as usual, and takes the opportunity to explore around the area a bit while most of the others are still asleep. When she smells the food being made, she of course flies right back to the little group, bringing her bubble long with her. "Goooooooood morning peoples!" she chirps out happily to the little group before digging into her meal. "I'm Firecracker! What're your names?" she asks between bites before geturing towards the fog cloud, "And you mean that foggy thing isn't the end of the world?"<br> <br>Ebreus awakens and climbs out of his tent, "'Mornin' everyone." he says as he stretches. After stretching he dons his armor and partially plated jacket before taking a plate and eating. When Otto comments on the fog he nods in agreement saying, "Yeah, the fog is strange. We may want to have a plan in case it isn't just fog." He eats slowly and methodically not messying his hands or muzzle no matter what food had been prepared.

When the suggestion of dispursing it comes up he comments, "I don't know if Fire's bubble could support it but I could try turning into a large dragon to blow it away." Then when Fire comes into camp he just slowly shakes his head and flashes his FIrecracker plushie, "We're your friends, it isn't the end of the world. There's a radio in there that Zephyr is paying us to get." he says. He considers that for amoment, "Anyone else think it doesn't bode well that Zephyr is paying Agents to do this as opposed to sending grunts?" he asks.<br> <br>Draken climbs out of her tent, stretching a bit. She takes her tin, and eats like she has not eaten in two days. She looks up as Fire comes back. "Draken, remember?" She turns to Ereus, nodding. "Probably cause of the fog, Ebreus. something isn't right about it and they didn't want to risk their grunts on something so obviously off." She says. She begins packing her tent, getting ready to move whenever smithson decides to.<br> <br>While breakfast is finishing up, Smithson responds: "I have a short recording of it here on my comm, just in case someone wanted to hear it." He pulls out his comm, pressing a few buttons until the audio log comes up and starts it. It sounds like someone mixed a dial-up internet tone with morse code, set it to dubstep, and then played it back at triple speed. Smithson cringes at the noise before turning it off.
"And that fog doesn't look like it will ever clear up, like something is making it. If you can shut it off, I won't have to worry about driving through the fog to pick up the radio when you find it. Just be sure to keep your comms open."<br> <br>"Be a hell of a big fan to blow that away, but I too get the feeling that it won't help anyway. Damn thing is thick as pea soup. Once we go in there, we'll probably barely be able to see at all! And me without my flashlight..." Not that a flashlight would help at all anyway. He keeps his ears perked up once the question of the radio transmissions was raised, but doesn't speak up any more, not even once Firecracker arrives with her antics again. The silly pony acted as though she'd forgotten everything from the day before. Who really knew with her any more... The coyote pads himself down to check if he was missing anything, but thankfully his arsenal was still on his person. A light sigh of relief parts from his lips as he passes the time there, his glance wandering over to his mate as she paces around. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but then again that was not unusual for her. Once Ebreus pops up, Otto wordlessly listens and even chuckles quietly once he reminds Firecracker what was going on. "Grunts?" he tilts his head "Everyone's a grunt to big Z. Pawns in their game for domination, but I see your point." he gets up off his ass and rolls his shoulders "We go in there, get what we need, then get the fuck out, I say."<br> <br>Arris crosses hir arms as Smithson mentions his plan, the gator's mind clearing of sleep-induced cobwebs. "Aw, we're gonna have to go through that?" Sie glances over to Fire as she wakes. "Firecracker, you think you can fly up and see if you can, uh, see anything from above the mist?" Sie then looks over to Ebreus when he mentions grunts. "Does Zephyr have grunts? Well, either way, when you need something done right, you call the elite. Or, uh, in this case, an Agent." Sie does a brief headcount. "Eight Agents."<br> <br>Cameron frowned as he listened to the noise. it definitely wasn't random and that wasn't a good thing either. Meant someone had set it up and keeping the power on and running. She knew it sounded like morse code, but had no idea how to even decipher it. "I doubt it will work either, especially if something is making it, it will just blow back in if we try and disperse it." Finishing up he set his plate and utensils aside for the driver to gather up. "Also might be wise for use to use a rope so we don't get seperated in the fog. I doubt we will be able to see more then a few feet at best." He then began to dig around for his rope, the thing long enough to scale small cliffs, so he figured it would work just well for this purpose too. "But yes, driving through that mess may not be the wisest idea, I think we will have to hoof it." The cat standing up and holding the rope. "Can either hold on to it or tie it about our waists."<br> <br>Firecracker's eyes sparkle at the little plushie version of herself that Ebreus holds up, smiling brightly at her group of friends while she eats. Once she finishes her meal, leaving any meat untouched, she chirps out, "Go find the radio thingy in the fog? Okie dokie lokie then! I'm great at Hide and Seek!" Without waiting for any plans of any sort to be made, the pegasus hops up out of her seat and starts flying towards the fog.<br> <br>Ebreus cringes when Smithson plays the recording. He nods when Otto explains, "Yeah, but we're the expensive grunts. So Z's got the inclination that they needed to send us if they want success." He nods when Arris does a headcount, checking her numbers for himself scilently. Take takes one of the coils of rope from his pack when Cameron mentions it for sticking together. "We could tie it to each of us. I might be able to rig our comms to be able to track eachother as well." he says. He takes another look at the fog and comments, "Too bad we can't use a spectrum of light the fog isn't visible in."

When Firecracker rushes to the Fog his eyes go wide and he says, "Fire wait. This is Z's special Hide & Seek. We don't win unless whoever finds it can see the entire rest of the team when the find it." He rises from where he had seated himself for his meal and passes his plate and utsencels to Smithson before slowly walking to the fog.<br> <br>Draken listens silently, showing little reaction to the recording aside from a flinch at the noise, and nodding to the rope idea. She seems to be about to say something to fire when Ebreus speaks up, and watches to see the outcome of his words. She follows him to the fog.<br> <br>Cerl shakes her head as if to clear it after trying to scan the fog with her biodetection abilities and turns back to the rest of the group. Seeing Firecracker making a beeline straight for the fog, she reaches out and grabs the small pony out of the air. "Hey, FC...how about you wait for the rest of us? You don't want to lose the rest of us in the fog, we might never find our way back out." Walking back over by Otto, she points back at the fog. "I just tried scanning for lifesigns with biodetect...it felt like I was getting a lot of interference or something, like listening to static on a tv. All the data I was getting back was...distorted somehow." She looks at the fog for a long moment. "I wonder...for the edge of the fog to be so well defined, it has to indicate the edge of a bubble. Firecracker, maybe you could stop making your bubble so we can have one person go in with the rope tied around them, and see if they can use any of their abilities."<br> <br>Smithson waves as everyone starts to get up and move forward on the mission. He stays behind, clearing up the remains of breakfast and securing everyone's stuff for when the get back. "If anything goes wrong, come back. I don't want to lose anyone."<br> <br>Otto takes a few steps towards the edge of the mist as well. He reaches out to try and touch it, but his attention is drawn away by the commotion behind him. He steps away from the edge just in time to see Cerl catch Firecracker before she could blindly rush into the greyish smog-like vale. He listens carefully as his mate speaks of her findings, nodding slowly, ears perked up as he draws different conclusions. The coyote was not very familiar with nanite matters, his focus was on equipment designed to function under any conditions, and he drew power from the nanites only if need be. As such, he didn't even consider the option that it was the edge of another bubble.

It made little to no difference to the coyote, so once Cerl finishes speaking, he shrugs and looks over to Arris and the others. "You heard the lady. Someone with mutant powers get over here, and bring the rope too. I've got nothing to test that hypothesis, personally... but I'm going in with whoever's gonna step up and be the testing bunny." his glance wanders over to the fog and he mutters something under his breath about being curious. He takes a few steps towards it, standing riiiight at its very edge, and looks straight up, eyeing up the seemingly endless wall of grey. What was it? How would it affect them? He had to know, and so he waited to see who he'd be entering with.<br> <br>Arris extends two tentacles from either side of hir hips. "Sounds good to me, Cameron. I'll hang onto the rope with my tentacles, should allow for some more leniency when it comes to moving around fast or something." Sie then realises sie forgot to dress hirself before leaving tent. "One sec." Arris gets up from hir seat, walking into hir tent to get hir swimsuit, dress again, and bring hir weapons out of the tent so sie can get going whenever the group is ready. Sie gives the fog one last good look, before walking over to Cameron and holding the rope with a waist tentacle as sie listens to Otto. "Well, if we're gonna do that, then Fire should turn off her bubble so we can make sure our results are correct."<br> <br>Cameron figures he may as well be the one to go first, he was the smallest of their whole group and he had a few skills he could test as he stepped in as well. His hands tied the rope about his bidsection and thighs, creating an improvised climbing harness. Once it was nice and secure he looked to the others. "Alright, I will go in first if that is alright with everyone. I am the smallest, and likely to draw the least amount of attention. Plus will be the easiest to pull out if things go badly." Looking at everyone to see if they agree before stepping towards the fog, once someone had the other end of his rope that is. One hand touching its surface as if seeing if it was solid. If it wasn't in he would go. The cat already preparing to summon the plates she often used to protect herself in battle as well as using one claw to cut one of her fingertips to make sure the bubble, if it was a bubble, had a maintain life forms program running. Was important to know if that particular feature was running or the nanites were just letting the life forms heal and move on their own.<br> <br>Firecracker stops abruptly when Ebreus calls out to her, explaining the rules of the game. "Oh! Why didn'tcha tell me that before?" she asks, looking to the fox with a look of excitement on her face as she is held by Cerl. "Are there any other special rules? Do we get snacks? Is there a guy in a clown costume wearing a sombrero and serving chimichangas?!" As she rambles, her bubble doesn't disappear, though it does get considerably smaller in order to keep herself in it while letting those at the edge of the fog make their tests outside of it. "Why're ya all taking so long anyway? Let's go find that thingy!" she cheers out to the group from her pawed imprisonment.<br> <br>Ebreus walks up to the wall of Fog, stopping two feet from entering the Fog. He scans the fog for motion before beginning to tie the rope around his waist as he looks back at the group, "I can't see into it very far but I've got a lot that'd start workin' again if I entered a Bubble." he says. He hands the rope to Otto. When Cameron mentions going into the fog first he shakes his head, "I don't think our primary medic should be first in. I'm thinking that it should be Arris or myself first or if we're primarily concerned with not drawing attention Cerl first."

In response to Firecracker's rambling he says, "Yes, there are more rules. One of them is all of the rules can't be explained at the same time. So stick close to us and listen so we can explain them as they're relevent." He takes another look into the Fog before looking back to the group, readying himself for whatever they decide.<br> <br>Draken listens, noding to the rest. seeing as there are so many volunters to head into the fog, she doesn't offer. She sits back and watches, ears pricked and ready to move if she is needed. She listens to Ebreus' statement, and nods.<br> <br>Cerl pats Firecracker on her head, and sets the little pony on her back. "Why don't you rest your wings, for now, Fire? We might need you to do a lot of flying soon. You can ride on my back for now if you like." She then walks back over to the edge of the fog, next to her mate. "Before anyone steps in, do we have anything we can use to probe the fog, test it to make sure it's not poisonous or cause hallucinations, or anything like that? Cameron?"<br> <br>To Cameron, the fog definintely feels like a bubble, the claw making a clear cut into the skin of her finger. The scratch doesn't go away though. In fact, it seems to be bleeding a bit more, the finger starting to drip blood in small streams down her hand.<br> <br>Otto grabs the rope and secures it around his right shoulder, fastening it securely such so it won't untangle and leave him with no guideline to his fellow agents. He sighs lightly and shakes his head, having expected them to have entered the fog already. Safety first? Right? Shooting a glance to his mate, he opens his maw to voice his protests, but decides against it. Rather, he looks over at Cameron and considers what they'll be walking into. With the cut having not mended itself, it made sense that if entering a strange bubble, especially one that produced a fog like that, the results would be nothing like what they experienced in Fairhaven. Otto takes a step forward and leans in, sticking his arm and his head into the mist along with his upper body, his eyes struggle against the dense fog within. He doesn't go any further, though... his lower half remaining outside~<br> <br>Arris holds up hir bolt-action rifle, peering through the scope into the fog when Cameron enters it and conducts the test. Once Cameron cuts her hand, sie glances up from hir scope briefly to look over at the wound. "That's... odd, for a bubble. Actually, keep your hand in there, Cameron. See what happens when you try to bandage it up, keep it in there for a bit, then bring it back out. Will the cut heal when bandaged, or continue to bleed?"<br> <br>Cameron frowned as he saw what happened to his cut when it entered the bubble. "Seems the nanites have no commands to make sure we are maintained within the bubble, it also seems to make blood flow and prevent it from cong... scabbing over." Figuring she would simplify it for Firecracker just in case. "If there is any toxins or the like, I have a few powers that will cleanse it from me." With the larger male stepping in with him he gave the yote a small nod before stepping in as well. Though he only took a step in so that he was wholey within the bubble, the cat focusing on using his power to mend his wound as well as bandaging it up just in case. Checking to see if powers worked as well.<br> <br>Firecracker hops up onto Cerl's head as she is freed, plopping her rump down in her new set as she watches the others at the fog wall. "Booooored!" she announces with a groan as the others carefully test out every little thing at the bubble's edge. She flops down onto her back and starts rolling around on Cerl's head as she waits for the go-ahead.<br> <br>Ebreus watches as Cameron make a test cut into their finger. He humms and comments, "An unfamiliar anti-coagulent bubble. Yep Z had to send us." He observes Otto and Cameron in the bubble for a few moments before reaching his left arm into the bubble to get a sense of it's effects upon him. He closes and opens his hand several times paying close attention to the sensations for any noticable difference in his touch or kinesthetic senses. After a moment he withdraws his arm and says, "May I see everyone's comms? I want to link them so that we have a failsafe in case rope doesn't work." And procedes to modify any comm unit given to him.<br> <br>Draken watches all of this quietly, and hands her comm to Ebreus as asked. She stands up and starts pacing, still watching the others. She looks tto Fire, and smiles, but does little else.<br> <br>Cerl activates her biomonitoring sight, tagging both Cameron and Otto as they test the effects of the fog. Peering at Cameron's stats, she can see the blood being drawn out of the wound faster than normal, as if the fog is sucking it out of the cat. "Cameron...you might want to pull your hand back out of there and get that cut sealed up before we go back in...and I think it would be a REALLY good idea for everyone to be extra careful in there. It looks almost like that fog is sucking the blood out. It's not anti-coagulant...it's vampiric or something."<br> <br>With Cameron using her ability to reconstruct using nanites, the whole section of fog lights up, the wound on her finger not only sealing shut but clearing all the blood from her hand. As the light fades Cameron looks like she is heavily fatigued.<br> <br>"Bleh..." Otto sticks his tongue out and steps forward until his entire body was consumed by the mist. He takes a deep breath and sighs lightly. "I feel all... tingly. Nothing really hurts or anything, but it makes little difference." he comments loudly such so he could be heard from outside. "By the stars, I can't see a fucking thing. I think it's safe to come in, but... I mean if any of you felt sick leaving the bubble, mind what happens when you walk in here, it might be worse, or better, or whatever. I don't have a bloody clue." He does spot a flash of light from where Cameron was, though... that was a curious sight. The canine takes a step back out of the fog and toss his comm unit to Ebreus. Once he gets it back, he confirms the setting and re-pockets it, moves back over to the fog and walks right back in, this time moving as far off as the rope would allow him. "Well come on, then!" he yells out before entering "We ain't got all day!"<br> <br>Arris watches as the fog lights up and fades away. "Hm. Alright, this may sound freaky, but I think the mist in the bubble might be alive. I mean, it steals your life force and, if I had to guess, that nanite reconstruct ability just drained all of Cameron's energy to heal the mist as well." Sie crossers hir arms, thinking. "I mean, all that is only a theory really, but it makes sense right?" Arris shrugs, hir tentacle wrapping around the rope again. "Alright, we should avoid using any mutant powers that involve healing other people at all, unless it's a self heal. Want to stay here, Cameron? You look dead tired."<br> <br>Cameron lets out a small breath as he stumbles back out of the fog, a now cleaned hand wiping his forehead. "Okay, that sucked..." Breathing a little heavily even if he didn't actually need to, at least in the bubble. "Seems that we are the batteries for any powers we use instead of the bubble." He also gives his neat wrist mounted comm to Ebreus, definitely a custom job on the kitty's part. Sighing tiredly as she gives a small nod to the yote and follows him in, no nice in waiting now that they figured out what rules this bubble had. "Just need to be careful with our powers and with any cuts we get." He gave Arris a small shake of his head. <br> <br>"Better get moving in case that flash of light alerted anything to our presence. I will be alright in a little bit and with some caffiene."<br> <br>"Woohoo!" Firecracker cheers as she flips off Cerl's head and into the air, expanding her bubble to its regular 160-foot range around her, and then diving right into the fog to meet up with Otto and perch on his head. As she enters the fog, her own bubble shuts off, seeing that it is unecessary inside. "To the radio thingy!" she announces, jutting a forehoof out in front of her as she stands, "Let's go peoples!"<br> <br>Ebreus takes Drakens comm and begins working on it, finishing just in time to catch Ottos and toss Drakens back to her. He modifies his just as quickly. He holds onto it for the moment while modifying Camerons Comm and imediently handing it back to him. He then steps into the Taho Bubble to hand Otto his comm before returning to the outside to reprogram any additional comms given to him. After the last comm unit is given to him, modified and returned, or it is apparent anyone who hasn't yet given him a comm won't be he says, "Alright now short of establishing a marching order, which I think we should do, I believe that is all feisable precautions taken. Otto, want to lead us in?"<br> <br>Draken catches her comm as it is tossed back to her, and listens to everyone else, sticking close to Ebreus, sometimes with a hand on his side. She watches the area as best she can as they enter the fog.<br> <br>Cerl shakes her head as Arris speaks. "No, I was watching...it didn't heal the mist, instead, the nanites used Cameron's own energy to heal her instead of taking it from the nanite 'soup' like would happen back home. Looks like any powers we use are going to be powered by us rather than coming from the nanites in the air around us like normal." Shutting off the bio sight and then stepping into the fog, she tries activating her biodetection briefly to see how much of a drain there would be, shutting it back off again quickly if there was too much of one.<br> <br>As everyone enters the fog, a tingling feeling can be felt over everyone, the distinct feeling of Tahoe's nanite bubble. The fog stretches in all directions as everyone moves in.<br> <br>"Seven hells..." Otto mutters under his breath, the distinct *shhink* of his blade being drawn audible as it meets his hands and hovers in preparation to strike at the first thing that lunges at him. He takes out his comm unit and broadcasts a message to his team "This is Otto, shit's getting dark around me and I can hear spiders chittering in the distance. I can't tell if it's mindfuckery or something real, but whatever it is, keep on full alert. I don't like this place... over." he telecomms, then puts it back away into his pocket. This whole scene, this darkness, the feeling of claustrophobia, the chittering sounds of arachnids... it was reminiscent of something the coyote NEVER wanted to go back to. His free paw then runs over the rope tied around his shoulder, as if for moral support.<br> <br>Arris begins to consciously slow hir breathing, calming hirself within the fog as sie follows Cameron's rope with hir tentacles. "Alright, guys, let's keep moving. Wait, do we know /where/ we're going in this fog? We're looking for, uh, some kind of radio shack or something, right?" Sie holds hir rifle at the ready, scanning the distance for any possible enemy sightings.<br> <br>Cameron frowned as the darkness around them increased. A hand moving to his chest and taking a handful of his hoodie, as if it was somehow going to help him breathe. Hearing the words over the comms he used his other hand to unsling his cannon, checking to make sure there is a magazine loaded. "Not sure... Somewhere in here I think... Perhaps the centre?" Calling to the others in the thick fog. He keeps on following the dim shape of Otto's figure, and the rope that led to them as well. Feeling it growing harder and harder to breathe he thought it worth the risk and decided to try creating his own bubble, though it was much much smaller then the horse's, being only a couple dozen feet at best. Hopefully it would releave some of the pressure.<br> <br>"Obviously the radio broadcast is coming from the thing that's making this fog and if we want to find it we just have to go in a straight line towards the middle," Firecracker informs the group, nodding her head sagely as she looks into the distance, seeing the density of the nanite cloud in the air with her Nanite Scanning Nanomagic.

As Otto starts to get worked up under her, and the rest of the group does the same behind her, the pony simply sits atop the coyote's head, not disturbed in the slightest. "You're all hallucinating. Whatever you're seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling isn't real. Not that me saying that will make you feel or see it any less. Just concentrate on walking in a straight line."<br> <br>Ebreus walks slowly in the Fog holding his Flamethrower out in front of him, ready for use if something jumps out at him. When Otto radios he responds, "Strange, I hear whispering but not spiders." He takes careful note of how far ahead of him Otto is then looks to his sides and behind him taking note of how far away, visually.<br> <br>Draken suddenly tenses up, and darts her eyes around wildly. She grabs ahold of Ebreus, and tells him quietly, "I smell blood. and smoke. and beer. people are cheering..." She starts shaking like a leaf in a breeze.<br> <br>Cerl decides to leave her biodetection running since it is giving her what feels like twice the range with almost no power drain, and sniffs at the air to see what she can detect with her enhanced senses. Detecting a familiar scent...a scent buried in memories years old, Cerl's heart starts to race a bit. Moving over to Otto, she grips his shoulder. "Otto...I smell...I think I smell my mother! I can finally find out what happened to her, we need to go this way!" She starts trying to pull Otto in the direction of the scent she detected.<br> <br>The fog is in all directions, the road can be seen below everyones feet, but even the path back to the camp is now too far to see Smithson or anything else.<br> <br>Otto keeps his guard up and lets off a quiet growl as he steps further into the thick fog. Images of his past experience in the depths of the Fairhaven sewer system flash through his mind, the twisted visages of the blood sucking arachnid atrocities that had changed his life and ended his first ever friends haunting the edge of his vision, sounds bloodchilling and unearthly filling his ears to shatter his resolve, but the coyote remained unphased. "No!" he thought as he closed his eyes for a moment "A body is only as strong as the mind controlling it..." he recalls his old master's wisdom. He turns sharply once a scream sounds from behind him, but he immediately identifies it as fake. A loud snarl escapes his muzzle, fangs showing as rage welled up within, his inner seething hatred for having his mind fucked with burning bright in light of what was happening. He wanted to blame someone, to lunge at them and rip them apart with his sword, but there was no one, he had only his mind... and the nanites to blame.

Taking a deep breath, the coyote does his best to calm himself. He closes his eyes and relaxes, the idea of throwing up an anti-field crossing his mind, but once he feels Cerl's paw on his shoulder, he throws the idea away. Looking over to her, his glaze is that of compassion and sorrow once he hears what she'd experienced. "Hon, listen to me. This is fake. Hallucinations." he grips her paw and squeezes it. "Trust me, your mother is not here. We must press on and be out of here as fast as possible."<br> <br>Arris speaks into hir comm. "If you couldn't figure it out already, the fog must be producing illusions of some sort. I don't see anything, I just feel some kind of ominous presence in the distance." Sie then feels Cerl tugging on the line, holding the rope firm. "Don't, you idiot! The only thing that comes before the mission is our safety. We'll look for your parents, if they are here, after we find a way to dismantle the mist."<br> <br>Cameron lets out a small groan as he swiftly lets his own bubble drop, definitely not going to do that again. Seemed this bubble was a vindictive dick. The cat had stopped for but a moment, before he was getting dragged along by the larger males and soon he was walking once more. still holding his chest as he found it hard to breathe, he pressed onward. He knew he shouldn't be having difficulty breathing as it wasn't needed now, but he still was. His head shaking when he heard about hallucinations and figured it was probably that. "Yes, let us get to the radio tower, hopefully there is some shelter we can take there from this fog." His hand adjusting his pack, hopefully they would be safe once out of the mist.<br> <br>Frowning a moment as he stops, his hand darting towards his rop harness about his waist. Thinking he finally found the cause for the shortness of breath. Though just as he is about to remove them something tells him something is wrong. His gaze locked onto the rope encircling his hips. Confusion on his face as something seemed off, but not quite sure what. His doctory instincts on knowledge just a little out of reach as his fingers finally began to undo the first knot.<br> <br>Firecracker notes a distinct lack of distinction in the nanite density in the air as she looks around. "Plan A is a failure, looks like we'll have to rely on Plan B for the moment," she monotones as she shuts off her Scanning while she sits on Otto's head. "Whatever this thing is is making you all hallucinate and is muting my emotions, which would be boring, but I just don't feel it," she finishes with a shrug of her shoulders. "In any case, put away all your weapons, you're only going to hurt yourself or one of us with them. There is no encroaching darkness, no spiders, no whispering, no blood, no smoke, no beer, no people cheering, and certainly nobody's mother, nor the answers to what happened to her. Stay together and keep walking straight, no matter what you think is going on... None of it is real. If you get separated from the group, just pick a direction and go straight. Eventually you'll get to the end of its range. Too bad we won't win the game though. Oh well." When Cameron starts to undo the knot keeping him with the group, she simply commands, "Somebody stop the cat from untying himself. Don't want to lose him."<br> <br>Ebreus tenses up slightly when Cerl mentions her mother, ready-ing himself so that if she tries to pull Otto he can keep on-track. He carefully puts an armo around Draken's shoulders and speaks into her mind with telepathy, "Stay close to me. They can't reach you." He looks over his shoulder when he feels the rope tugging at him. "Cameron, you alright back there?" he asks. When Fire suggests someone manually stop him he says, "Arris, move up. Let me know if you need help with him." He takes a breath and does his best to focus before suggesting, "If someone can KO bubbles it might be best if we all rope up and try it."<br> <br>Draken's eyes lock onto something on the road, and her body tenses further, her voice becoming much more panicked, "E-e-ebreus?d-do you s-see t-that?" She points at the side of the road. She sees the bloody corpse of a Shadow Dragon, facedown. She snuggles into Ebreus' side, shaking much worse, and clutching at him, her eyes wide and not moving from the corpse.<br> <br>Cerl shakes her head, trying to clear it. "No, Otto...no. She's not here right now, but I can smell her, she's been here recently! She must need rescuing! Family should come before some bit of electronic scrap, we need to go investigate and rescue her, now! Help me, Otto, we need to go this way."<br> <br>The Fog seems to be pressing in, getting darker even as the day reaches it's peak. The rope goes taut, everyone pulling at it in different directions.<br> <br>The coyote grits his teeth and tries to focus hard on what was happening. His vision was dimming and he could feel himself slipping. "Fuck..." he murmurs, getting a bad case of tunnel vision for a few moments, all the while he was being tugged by Cerl. "N-no... no... she wasn't here." he stops in his tracks and clutches his head "None of this is real... it's a lie..." he mumbles "It's a lie... it's a lie, it's all a LIE! NONE OF THIS IS REAL!" he shrieks out once he takes a look at the rope. It was now a blood-stained chain, the scents and sounds of his past ordeal more real than ever before, his heart racing as panic started to grip him.

"I can't go back. I can't go back!" Otto knew it wasn't real, but the fear he had of it becoming so, the coyote couldn't let things get any worse, no no no. "Everybody GRAB THE FUCKING ROPE WITH YOUR BARE FUCKING HANDS, I'M THROWING UP AN ANTI-FIELD!" he barks loudly over his comm, then with all the force of will he had remaining fires off a large disturbance aura, effectively pushing away the signal and leaving the nanites within a large area around him inert.<br> <br>The fog goes still as Otto's anti-nanomagic fills in, hanging in the air. The creeping darkenss that once griped around everyone is no longer there.<br> <br>Arris walks back a fair distance, letting Cameron catch up to hir, when he does sie cautiously rests a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Cameron, buddy, maybe you shouldn't untie that knot. It's for your own good, alright?" Sie curls hir tail behind him, and from there several tentacles extend, ready to wrap around him if he attempts to try anything fishy. Arris then hears Otto barking out an order, immediately grabbing hold of the rope and retracting hir tentacles, then taking a glance around hir surroundings as the darkness begins to lift. "Wow, Otto. Didn't think I'd ever have a use for Anti Nanomagic."<br> <br>Cameron was now tearing at the rope about his waist, soon getting the first knot undown and throwing off the hoop about his waist. His cannon bumping against his side as soon both his hands dart towards his thighs where the last loops of rope stil clung to him and choked off his breathing. The kitty completely ignore the other agents. Though luckily his hands still as the anti bubble is thrown up, his hands still, the knots still undone. He blinks a moment a little confused on what he haad just been doing. Feeling where his hands were and what they were doing they snap up and away from them. Though quickly returning to tighten them least they fall away. "That could have been bad... I hate Tahoe."<br> <br>Ebreus holds Draken close when Otto begins shouting. He looks to where Draken is indicating and says, "No, it isn't real." quietly but firmly to Draken. He nuzzles her cheek as Otto negates the hallucinations, "See, just a trick from the bubble." he reassures her. He takes his other coil of rope and says, "Let's tie you into the rope so this mindfuckery can't seporate us." once she appars to have calmed down a little. He calls ahead, "Good call on the anti-bubble, my hallucinations have stopped."<br> <br>When Firecracker hears Otto's plan, she immediately leaps off his head and farther into the fog, staying just outside the anti-bubble's range. "Shorten the range on that thing so I can see you all when we find the source," she radios to Otto. Shortly afterwards, she boots up her Light Nanomagic in order to give off a pink glow, making it easier to see her through the fog.<br> <br>Draken shudders, and stares around, and then looks at her hands, raising one like she sees something unsettling on it. "Ebbreus... I still see blood..." She whispers, her eyes wide. She clutches to him with her free hand.<br> <br>Cerl shakes her head in confusion as the anti bubble goes up, and lifts her nose to sniff at the air. "It...it's gone. the trace is gone." Her paw tightens on Otto's shoulder, "Just...a hallucination? But it was so real. We need to get that radio and get out of here before you lose control of your anti bubble."<br> <br>With the nanite bubble at bay, at least for now, no more hallucinations come. It becomes easier to follow the roads searching for the radio tower in the fog.<br> <br>Otto pants and stares at the grund, widde-eyed and visibly shaken once the illusions cease. "Never again..." he mumbles under his breath and bends down to press his paws against his knees. He felt sick... so sick to his stomach, gut-wrenching side-effect of the sudden rush of adrenaline being crushed under the weight of his inner calm that desperately tried to restore order in his head. He needed that peace of mind to maintain his bubble... he needed that peace of mind to stay sane! "Never again." he whispers, then looks back up towards his mate, his gaze filled with distress. He stands back up shakily, and lets off a deep sigh. "I'm... sorry. I just...bad memories." he shakes his head, then takes a moment to recompose himself. "Aye. Let's get on with it. This isn't easy to do, I'm basically fighting the damn server right now."

His eyes wander back to the others, comm unit in his hands again as he telecomms "Everyone... please stay within range. I'm gonna lower the radius a little to save my strength in case things get worse." Should the others indeed join him up front and stay close, the coyote would indeed shrink down the anti-bubble's radius, but not until everyone was within range of its effect. Everyone ofcourse, except Firecracker. "Uh, thanks, Arris. It's come in handy before... mostly to disarm mutants, but... yeah, let's just... let's just keep going. I don't want to hang around here any longer than I have to." the coyote nods "Anyone have any clue where the damn objective's located?"<br> <br>Arris shrugs. "Not a clue. We should just follow the roads until we find it." Sie makes sure hir rope is tied well, and begins looking around for the station. "Cam, you tying your thing back up?"<br> <br>Cameron peered through the fog, trying to see where the damn radio tower was. His eyes flicking towards the road and fowning as he could make out no signs in this thick grey mess. Hearing the coyote's words he starts towards him. Getting close so that the other can shrink the bubble down. "We should be close now, or we could still be miles away, there is no telling where the centre is in this mess." Still frowning as he continued to walk with the others, still trying to see where they were going in the fog. "Still have part of it on." A hand patting his thighs where the rope was still wrapped about him. Though he did start to tie it about his waist once more just in case.<br> <br>With no changes occurring in her situation, Firecracker sticks to Plan B: flying in a straight line towards the middle of the fog cloud. As she moves, she stays close enough to be followed by those behind her, but still out of range of Otto's Anti bubble. "Normally this is the part where I'd start singing to make the trip more enjoyable, but I really just don't feel like it, even if it makes sense to do," she comments idly through her comms to the others.<br> <br>Ebreus continues to hold Draken close, "It isn't real. Try to focus on good memories, on our family. We're here for you." he says." When Otto anounces that he's shrinking the bubble he nods and gently encurages Draken to catch up with Otto and Cerl, keeping his arm around her the entire time. If Draken will walk with him close to Otto he comments, "Bubbles use radio gear like what this fetch-quest is to get for their range, right? Hopefully the gear we're getting and that are one in the same."<br> <br>Draken whimpers at Ebreus' words, and follows close to him. She tries hard to focus on her good memorys, and not on her blood soaked scales, and guilty thoughts... She looks up at him, and her shaking keeps up. She mutters, "So much blood..." and keeps a strong hold o Ebreus.<br> <br>Cerl keeps her grip on Otto's shoulder, glancing off in the direction that she had been previously trying to pull him while hallucinating but staying on the course ahead of them.<br> <br>With Otto's perseverence, the anti nanomagic keeps the fears at bay. As the group gets clser to where the tower would be, the fog goes still. All of it. Like someone shut it off. The fog gets thinner now as everyone advances, the tower now visible from about 100 feet away.<br> <br>By now, Otto had gotten a terrible headache from maintaining that anti bubble of his. It was like a perpetual fuckshit cramp in his brain that pulsated deep within his head, and he was hating every moment of it. There were times when he felt he might just lose his control of the magic entirely, but the dread of facing his long repressed nightmare situation kept him in line. Once the tower comes into view, he breathes a deep sigh of relief and gestures towards it. "There we are. By the stars, we found it. Come on, then. Let's loot it and get out of here." he exclaims happily, his tail wagging behind him~<br> <br>Arris sees the tower off in the distance. "Oh, there's the tower! Let's get to it, before Otto's bubble breaks!" Sie looks ready to get running, glancing around at hir squadmates for confirmation.<br> <br>Cameron keeps a look out for both the tower and any other surprises that might lurk still with in the mist. Finally seeing the tower he gave a huge sigh of relief. Finally they had made it to their goal. Though when he noticed the fog thinning he began to worry once more. "I think someone just invited us in. Which I am sure is a very bad sign. Especially if they are the ones responsible for this nasty and wacky fog." Now wary once more he hefts his cannon up into his hands, checking to make sure a beanbag was loaded into the chamber and ready to be fire. "But at least we are here finally."<br> <br>Firecracker flies up to the tower as the rest of the group trails behind. "Objective complete," she states. "It seems that this is where-" as she speaks, the strange signal is removed and the effects on her disappear, "-all the super weird stuff is coming from! Oh! And I can see you all too! So we win! Woohoo!" she cheers in her normal tone rather than the monotonous voice she's been using. "Go us! Go us! We're the best! We're the best!" she sings to the group, dancing her way around the edge of the Anti-Nanomagic bubble as she waits for them to retrieve whatever it was they need.<br> <br>Ebreus holds Draken close and gently nuzzles her, "Don't worry Draken, we'll be home soon and you'll be able the restaurant with Allura and spend time with our family. There will be time to pain more of your beutiful murals amd spend time with Borneo." he says, in as reassuring a voice as he can manage reminding her of the good things in her life. He smiles as the fog lifts and the tower comes into view. Hearing other people point it out reassures him it isn't an anti-bubble piercing hallucination. When Cameron speaks up he nods, "Right, let's not let our guards down. Everybody ready?" he says as they aproach. When Firecracker suddenly becomes herself again he looks confused momentarily but stays within the anti-bubble.<br> <br>Draken stares up at the tower, trying to listen to Ebreus. It is helping her not get any worse, but the blood is still warm and sticky on her hands... She gulps, and huddles into Ebreus' side, really hoping that nothing attacks them... it could send her over the deep end.<br> <br>Cerl moves forward cautiously, watching all around for signs that the site might be defended by something. She starts to move away from Otto so she can use her invisibility...but stops herself. She had no wish to experience the hallucinations again, so for now she would stick close to her mate. "Yes, let's take care" she echoes after Ebreus' little speech.<br> <br>By the time everyone reaches the tower, the fog thinned out to the point that it no longer blocked any vision. The clouds above can now be seen, still mostly overcast though. The front door of the tower is open, and entering it can be seen that even a back door can be found wide open. No one can be found inside, and looks like someone has been here recently as the tower looks a lot cleaner and upkept. The broadcast equipment can be found in the radio room, looking like someone spent a lot of time fixing it. Stranger still, it looks like someone disconnected something from the radio, a few loose cables sticking out and trailing to an empty spot on a table. Back out the front door, the beep of a horn can be heard. "Hey guys! I started packing up everything the moment the fog was starting to disperse!" Smithson says, yelling from his truck.<br> <br>Otto was first in and first our of that tower, his nimble fingers dismantling whatever valuable equipment they could wrap around, expertly disassembling the various bits and bobs here and there, his strength proving just the tool to haul the equipment over to the truck. It was a harrowing venture, but the coyote was SO looking forward to ending it and getting his paws on the fat reward that came with the risks. "Fuck yeah!" he exclaims while carrying the radio equipment, a kick in his step and a smile on his face. When his team was ready, he would depart with them and head back, victorious once more.<br> <br>Arris enters the tower, walking over to the desk with the broadcast equipment on it. "Hm, looks like it's in good shape. Otto, you're strong, right? You think you can bring-" Cue Smithson's truck honking. "... Nevermind, looks like it won't be too far a distance." Sie rubs hir finger on the desk, inspecting it for dirt. "Seems someone used to be here for quite a bit and left recently," sie says as sie begins writing on a sticky note and sticking it to the desk - "Come to Zephyr, Fairhaven for radio equip. and discussion; FOG NOT COOL".<br> <br>Cameron upon seeing that something was missing of the tower's equipment. The kitty taking a mental note of what remained and the decided to check his comm radio to see if the thing was still broadcasting before Otto went to town on it. Whilst he worked he also figured he should keep an eye out for who ever had been keeping the tower in such good working order. Making sure they didn't come attack them for stealing all the stuff in the tower. <br> <br>Not wanting to have anything to do with the antimagic bubble, Firecracker heads over to Smithson when he arrives. "We won!" she informs him happily, "Now where do ya keep all the snacks?" she asks, sniffing around for treats to eat while the others do what they do.<br> <br>Ebreus hugs Draken close then slowly releaces her to follow Otto in, his Flamethrower aimed over his shoulder. As they enter and find no traps he begins to examine the loot as Otto packs it up. He smiles and says, "You're right Fire, we win. Agents 1, Fear-Bubble 0." As Otto carries stuff out he does a once-over for anything Otto didn't grab then follows him out. "Now we'll just need what a hundred gallons of biodeisel to move our 18-wheeler loot?" he asks Otto as they prepare to board the truck again and ride home.<br> <br>Draken stares as Ebreus moves away from her, and quitly yelps at something only she can see, closing her eyes, and flinching. She curls up, leaning against a wall, and shivering like a leaf. She says nothing more, but flinches away from something every now and again.<br> <br>Cerl helps haul whatever is found out to the truck and then settles in the back again, ready for the long trip home.<br> <br>Whomever was here recently, they don't show up again as everyone loads equipment onto the trailer. With the radio equipment (and thanks to otto, everything valuable that wasn't nailed down) now packed onto the trailer of the truck, Smithson tosses Firecracker a trailmix bar and smiles. "Nice work, everyone. When we go back to Fairhaven, drinks are on me." And it was an uneventful trip back too, leaving Tahoe and passing the abandoned semitruck on the way home.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

The Fog of Tahoe, Part 1 - RPLOG

2017-07-22T16:17:20Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Cameron]]
* [[Cerl]]
* [[Draken]]
* [[Ebreus]]
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
28/5/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>Camped at the entrance to the highway is a human male dressed in overalls, and despite Zephyr giving the call for agents, the man is wearing a Promethian illuminated helmet. He leans against the cab of what looks like a salvaged blue pickup truck and trailer, quite a few panels of it looking like they were eaten through by nanites. As everyone gathers he speaks: "I'm Smithson and I'll be driving you out to Tahoe today, because Zephyr can't be bothered to send a chopper..." He sighs, rolling his eyes a bit. "The trip will take at least a day or two, so I hope you brought camping supplies or something. You can pack your things on the trailer with mine." He points to the trailer, where a few supplies are already wrapped up, including extra gas for the truck. "Any questions?"<br> <br>Firecracker perches atop the truck as the group arrives and receives their briefing. "Oh! A camping trip, yay!" the pint-sized pink pegasus cheers as she claps her forehooves together happily, ringing out hollow little sounds as they connect. "Oh, and I'm Firecracker! What're all your names?" she asks the group and each person to arrive, making sure to get everyones name for the new adventure!<br> <br>Ah, the thrills of a glorious expedition outside the bubble! Excitement! Treasure! Adventure! The downsides were clear-cut, ofcourse... and Otto did so hate that rotten feeling in his gut whenever he left the signal's reach, but he'd learned to cope with it during his previous expeditions. Garbed in his battlegear, with all his armaments present, polished and primed for use, the well prepared canine took long, wide strides alongside Cerl. With a smile on his face and a kick in his step, Otto lead the way to the rendezvous point, taking care to pace himself at least a little. His mate was carrying a bit more than usual as well, after all. She had most of their supplies, despite his offer to take some of the load.

"This is gonna be great, hon! About damn time we did something like this." the enthusiastic coyote exclaims as he turns and walks backwards for a few moments, his armored boots leaving large prints in their wake. "Sure hope nobody gets flattened." A sincere wish coming from a good place, if worded rather bluntly. Once they arrive at the vehicle, he greets Firecracker with a bright smile and a wave, "Heya Fire. I had a feeling I'd be seeing you here." the canine snerks, then turns to the human "Questions? Uhhh... no. I guess not." At least not for now. Otto crosses his arms and leans against the hood of the truck, then awaits the arrival of the others, greeting each with a nod, and a smile.<br> <br>Draken is nervous. this will be her first expedition outside of the bubble in years. The last one did not go so well. She walks to the place with a decidedly uncertain look, making sure to stay close to Ebreus.<br> <br>Ebreus walks down the highway toward the meeting place alongside Draken. As he walks he adjusts the straps of his varius packs and pieces of equipment and taking note of where each strap rests easiest so he will be able to put them there again after they camp and he packs up again. Seeing their contact and Firecracker he smiles and continues his aproach. "Hello Smithson." he says with a polite nod. Then agressing Firecracker he says, "Hi Fire. I'm Ebreus, we're friends, remember?" flashing his Firecracker plushie to help jog her memory.

Seeing Otto and Cerl walk up moments after he and Draken did he smiles wider and says, "Hi Otto, Cerl. I'm glad you two are coming. It's seeming less and less likely anybody gets flattened." With this talk of death around Draken he uses his telepathy to speak into her head, 'Don't worry, so long as we're together we might as well be in the bubble.' he reassures her. Then remembering their contact had asked him a question he looks back to him and says, "No questions, Smithson."<br> <br>Cameron arrived shortly after most people, a bulging rucksack nearly as big as he was, the most noticable being a few blankets tied to the top. The cat boy decked out in his usual hoodie and cargo pants, though he had made sure to slipe his armour on underneath just in case. As well as coming armed with a portable cannon, a small sword and a hefty monkey wrench both strapped to his waist. The kitty prepared to go on quite an excersion. His head tilted lightly to one side as he made a quick pass over his check list. Food, clothes, ammo, weapons, blankets, a pillow, rope, and a few other things that might be need, like wiring, or a square of wax. With a small nod he figured he had everything he needed, not like he could go back and get if even if he did forget something. Seeing the inquisitive little horse he smiled as he gave her a small wave in greeting. "Hello Firecracker." His baby blues looking to the others present and giving them each a small wave. "I would ask what we might expect, but if it is out of the bubble, likely something we don't know. So none from me I guess."<br> <br>Arris is with the rest of the group, sitting down on top of a large blue-and-cyan duffel bag, listening in on the mission debriefing. "A day or two, huh? That's, uh, that's quite the distance. No questi... actually, do you know what kind of opposition we might be up against? Well, ah, besides a long, boring, trailer drive to Tahoe." The gator snickers a little at hir own bad joke. <br> <br>Having been hiding in the shadows for hours, Cerl watches as everyone arrives. Finally stepping forth, she glances over at Otto and Ebreus and snerks. "Don't know who you two are talking to, but I heard my name. I've been here all day waiting for everyone to show up." Padding over by the truck, she looks it over and says, "Guess I'm riding in the back." and starts checking her saddlebags to make sure she has all her gear. Rope, blankets, her cases of crossbow bolts, food, water, a case of grenades...various small sundries. Yup, all here and with some room left over for things that are found.<br> <br>With no questions, Smithson waves everyone to climb aboard, telling them to strap their gear in too before he turns the truck on. Once veryone is aboard, he drives out onto the highway, aproaching the edge of the Fairhaven bubble.<br> <br>As he drives, Smithson adds: "No one has any idea what is out there. Why do you think Zephyr needed agents to fetch something as simple as radio equipment?"<br> <br>Firecracker perches atop Ebreus's head as people get into the truck for transport. "Hiya, Ebbie and Cerly and Toey and other peoples that didn't say your names! Ready for adventure?!" she cheers happily in her new seat as the truck starts driving. Once they cross over the edge of the bubble, hardly a moment passes before the pony throws up a rather large bubble of her own with Distributed Nanomagic, reaching out in a full 160 foot radius from her position! "So who wants to play a game? She asks happily before starting it without anyone's input. "I spy with my little eye something blue!"<br> <br>"To myself ofcourse. I am a great conversationalist." Otto muses once he spots his mate. She was well prepared, ad he expected nothing less of her. "Always have to be a sneaky vixen, don't you?" he chuckles and nuzzles her softly. "Glad you packed so much, we might need it." Ah, Seeing so many familiar faces made everything oh-so better! The coyote greets Arris with a polite bow and a handshake, then turns to Ebreus and laughs for a moment, then pats him on the back and muses "Hey, look who decided to lose some weight." They were practically the same height now, which was admittedly a little strange. "And you're kinda cute, too. That sounds so weird coming from me, ANYWAY!" he shrugs AND, "I CALL SHOTGUN!" exclaimed Otto before sliding over the hood of the truck and taking the front passenger seat for himself.

The road to the edge of the bubble was anything but smoothe, but it was nice to take a ride in a working car for a change. Those chopper rides were... disorienting. The rumble of the engine was almost hypnotic as the group made their way towards the edge of the bubble. Once Smithson speaks up, Otto squints a little and shrugs, "Big Z's always looking to snag something outside the bubble. The fat cats pushing pens up in their cozy offices sure ain't gonna pick up a rifle and risk their lives doing this shit, so they pay us off to stick out necks out for them. Whatever pays the bills, am I right?" he shrugs and returns to gazing at the road ahead, one arm dangling out the car door where the window normally would have been. Hearing the little pony's words, Otto knows what she'd spotted, but decides to keep quiet about it. what a little goofball.<br> <br>Ebreus snerks and says, "Yeah, just got under half a ton for today." He seats himself ndirectly behind Otto, and saves a seat next to himself for Draken. As he rides he double and tripple checks his portable flamethrower as he keeps his packs by his feet. In reply to Smithson he says, "Hopefully misplaced fear and laziness." He again smiles when Otto comments on Z, "So long as they pay be enough I can afford to work one day a week and they don't try something particularly fucked up let 'em stay safe in their tower." He continues to ride quietly until they exit the bubble. At wich point he grunts quetly and says, "Welp if anyone can it's about time to start a mini-bubble." He smiles when Fire quickly oblidges his request. When Fire begins to play her game he stays quiet for now but grins wide.<br> <br>Cameron gives a small nod as he removes his rucksack from his back. Strapping his cannon to the side and the heftying it over to a nice cozy spot where he could stow it away. He made damn sure it was good and strapped in. He was making sure it wasn't going anywhere. Once that was done he hopped on into to find himself a seat, which he promtly plopped down into. "I think what we will find is trouble." His gaze shifting to the others present once more, seeing who came and wondering just how many he was likely to patch up whehn everything hit the fan and knocked it right off the table. "I amCameron, it is good to meet everyone." Giving them all a smile before looking out the window. As they passed through the edge of the bubble he couldn't help but give a little shudder. He could almost feel all of his nanite's going mostly dormant, almost. He was never quite a fan of going out of bubble, but like the shotgunner had said, bills needed to be paid. He gave a small thankful look the pony's way as he felt the mini bubble spring up. Hopefully it wouldn't get to chaotic for her to keep that up.<br> <br>Arris throws hir duffel bag into the trailer and climbs into the back seat of truck, sitting behind Smithson. "Oh, I thought that, y'know, a Zephyr agent set it up there awhile back then left it there. Well, if someone else set it up..." Arris attempts to stretch hir arms and legs out in the truck. "Gah, it's too cramped in here. Should've went into the trailer behind..." <br> <br>Cerl springs aboard the bed of the truck, and settles her tauric body down near the cab. Ensuring that her saddlebags are securely strapped down on her back, she settles in for the long ride. Reaching into one of her saddlebags, she pulls out a small piece of jerky and starts chewing on it as she watches the countryside roll past.<br> <br>Draken follows Ebreus, staying generlly quiet for now. she smiles at Firecracker, and looks back at Cameron. "I'm Draken." She says, giving him a small smile.<br> <br>After running along for some hours, the sun hanging low in the sky behind you as everyone starts to enter the Rocky mountians, Smithson stops as it looks like someone set up a roadblock on the highway using an upturned semi trailer. Given how narrow the road is with a moutain on one side and a valley on the other, it blocks all the lanes, with maybe enough space for someone human sized to walk around on the moutain side. It is still maybe another 50 miles outside of Tahoe.<br> <br>"I spy with my little eye something blocking the road!" Firecracker says after several rounds of the game. "Oh wait... something's blocking the road!" she says as she hops off Ebreus's head in order to fly up into the air and check on the thing from above as well as whatever may be on the other side and around it.<br> <br>Seeing a thing on the other side of the container, Firecracker shouts down to everyone below while pointing a foreleg towards the semitruck opposite the trailer, "Hey, anybody know how to drive onea these big truck thingies?"<br> <br>Otto leans out the window to have a good look at the roadblock. "Pfsh..." he shakes his head and hops out. Placing his paws on his waist, the coyote looks over the wreckage and whistles sharply. "No way I can move that by myself. Oi Eb. Get out here!" he waves the fox over, crosses his arms and looks thoughtful for a moment. Once the fox approaches, the coyote rolls up his sleeves, at least as far as his armor would permit, then gives his friend a nudge and cracks one of his knuckles against the other. "Come on, I can't move all that by myself Grit your teeth and let's shove that trash heap out of the way." That said, he moves over to the wreckage and finds the optimal spot to exert force upon it. His hands grip a comfortable spot and he awaits for Ebreus to come and assist with removing the blockage. Once he hears Firecracker speak up, he raises his arm and says "I can drive, but... why?"<br> <br>Ebreus shakes his head after nobody guesses in Firecracker's game and says, "Is it the sky, Firecracker?" and continues to guess anything obvious after two minutes of no answers while double-checking his non-flamethrower gear now. Once Firecracker spies something blocking the road he looks up and says, "Hmm a Semi-truck's trailer. That will be difficult to move." When the truck comes to a complete stop he steps out of the truck and slowly aproaches the trailer, examining it and the ground around it. He glently puts a hand on it and the other and then exerts some pressure on the trailer. He humms a thoughtful tune as he considers their options. Upon hearing Firecracker he peeks around the side and says, "Huh, the truck's attatched. Let's right the trailer then you can drive it out of the way." He the walks back to the other side of the trailer and prepares to try moving it, once Otto is there.<br> <br>Cameron gives a small frown as he sees the new obstacle before them. He lets out a small hm as he sits up straighter in the truck bed. His gaze shifting towards the surrounding area. "Huh, seems someone doesn't want us continuing on any further. Not seeing a truck, so I am guessing it was left there intentionally." Frowing as he continued to look out from the truck. The kitty suspecting some sort of trap or ambush awaited them the moment they stepped out. "I think we best be careful. He gave his head a small shake at Fire's question as he hopped off the truck bed, moving towards his gear to retreive his tank buster. A hand quickly loading a few shells into the weapon, deciding on the bean bag vareity just in case. Plus his aim wasn't quite wht it should be of late, with Kairy occupying most of his time recently. He followed to two meat shields, though rather then helping to push the trailing he opted for keeping an eye on the mountain and wait might be lurking just below the edge on the other side.<br> <br>Arris sleeps for most of the drive, the gator beginning to stir once more when the truck comes to a halt. "Oh, th... I take it we're stopping here?" Just as Otto begins getting out of the truck, sie peeks out the windows, first the windshield then the side window. "A roadblock. Well, looks like you guys got that taken care of. I'll watch out for any possible ambushes." Sie opens the door, and after some failed attempts at climbing on top of the trailer, sie hops onto the bed of the truck and peers through hir bolt-action rifle at the surrounding landscape.<br> <br>Cerl fades to invisibility as she jumps out of the truck bed, then moves quietly around the overturned trailer. Pulling out her crossbow and loading it as she goes, she starts looking up the mountainside for any sign of movement, any sign that the party might be about to be ambushed from above. If she sees nothing up, she'll move to examine the edges below to make sure nothing is about to come up over the edge at them, and also watching further on down the road for any signs in that direction as well.<br> <br>Draken, now thoroughly at a loss as to what to do, walks back to the tuck, and holds her carbine at the ready. She glances around in case soeone is trying to sneak up behind or beside them.<br> <br>Smithson looks over at the trailer, listening to everyone speak. "Well check if the semi truck has gas and use it to help push the trailer out of the way, I guess?" While the minutes pass, nothing surprising happens. No ambush, no attack, nothing out of the ordinary. Some clouds move in above, causing the evening light to become much darker as the sky turns overcast.<br> <br>Firecracker flies down and into the truck before anyone else goes into it. "Okie dokie lokie, Smithy!" she calls out as she moves. Not knowing anything about driving, she decides that using everything is clearly the best plan! She toggles levers, switches dials, pulls cords, and pushes as many buttons as she can find!<br> <br>Once Otto hear the new plan that they would be able to simply move the container out of the way with the attached truck, a lightbulb moment strikes. He gets into position and with Ebreus' help manages to right the container onto its wheels. It was a heavy load and they both heaved like madmen to lift it upright, but once it was done, the coyote dusts off his paws and sighs lightly. "Right. Let me see what's up here." he says firmly, then moves over to pop the bonnet on the truck itself and look inside. "Looks in working order. I'll give it some juice if the battery's dead, HEY! Someone who can drive get in this thing, try to hotwire it if the key's missing, just start the damn truck!" he wasn't sure Firecracker was up to the task, though. She just seemed to be pushing... everything.<br> <br>Ebreus nods when Smithson mentions gas, it having been so long since he'd had to put gasoline in anything he'd forgotten about it. As he waits for Otto to check on wether or not there was gas he does some light stretching. Just because the nanites normally fix things there was no excuse for pulling muscles now that they were out of the bubble. He is just coming up from touching his toes, a feat that would give anyone in the truck a nice view of his ass if he wearnt wearing a trench-coat. Then with Otto he rights the trailer and walks back over to the cab with Otto and says, "How hard you think it'd be to get this thing back to the bubble if it's in decent working order?" as he watches Otto check for damage and glances over it himself.<br> <br>Cameron frowned as the sky began to grow darker, a little thankful he was at least part cat enough to have the eyes and their improved nightvision. Cuase now while it was dark would be the perfect time for any ambushers to strike. Though when no threats were forthcoming he turned to look at the others curiously. "If it has gass we could always take the truck and its trailer with us." A hand knicking on the upturned trailer.He nodded agreeing with Ebreus. "I am sure something like this would be mighty useful to have. Rolling fortress Mad Max style or even just to haul goods from city to city. If it has gas, probably pretty easy." The kitty's crafter brain already picturing it as a mighty death dealer on wheels. The cat then gets a very paranoid idea and heads towards the back of the thing, towards the door. One hand on his cannon as he moves to open up the door to make sure it is truely empty and not having something lurking within.<br> <br>Arris continues to peer through hir scope at the valley to the side of the truck, occasionally tilting hir gaze upwards to see any airborne threats. Glancing over at the trailer attatched to the truck, sie attempts to climb it once more to get a better vantage point. Failing once more, sie sighs and calls out to the rest of the group working on the barrier. "How's it going over there with the barricade?"<br> <br>After a good bit of time passes with no threats materializing, Cerl unloads her crossbow and slings it back over a shoulder. Moving to the end of the trailer, she looks the doors over trying to determine if they can still be opened at all, or if they were too damaged when the trailer tipped over, curious now what is inside. She lets her invisibility drop on the way to the back of the truck, glancing at Otto as he plays around with the engine.<br> <br>Draken, seeing everyone else relax, shakes her head. the moment everyone relaxes is when things go bad. She lowers her weapon, but stays alert.<br> <br>The trailer is completely empty, and the truck turns on once Firecracker eventually turns the keys that are mysteriously still in the ignition. As the engine roars to life, the fuel gadge still reads 'empty' as if it only has a few miles left in it.<br> <br>Firecracker lights up with joy as the car turns on with the turning of the key. "Yay! It's on!" she cheers before going back to pushing buttons and pulling levers and flipping switches and stomping pedals.<br> <br>"Get it back, eh..." the coyote shakes his head as he looks over the engine. "Nanites will eat this thing right up, tell ya what." he perks his ears once Cameron speaks up and nods in agreement "A working truck would catch some fat creds, tell ya what. If it were me though, I'd just keep this thing for out of bubble exploration. Shit, it has a nanite battery too. Weird it's out here, though... it was designed to work inside the bubble, not out of it. Well anyway, light her up, let's see if she works!" the truck looked good enough to run. Once it fires up, Otto smiles widely and dusts off his paws.

Closing down the bonnet, he sighs lightly once Firecracker starts to fiddle with the lights and the windshield wipers. Climbing into the cabin, the coyote gently nudges her out of the way and puts the vehicle into gear. "She ain't got much in her!" he yells once he sees the empty gas tank indicator. "I'm pulling her out of the way, then shutting her off. Someone mark this spot on the map or something!" That said, he slowly presses down on the gas pedal and grits his teeth once the truck gets moving forward. He turns using the steering wheel and gently guides the massive machine out of the way, taking the container with it. Once the entire assembly was out of the way, he kills the egine and hops out of the cabin. That takes care of that...<br> <br>Ebreus, hearing the engine roar to life, quickly climbs onto the truck and says, "Fire, why don't you play with Draken for a little?" and he opens the driver side door. He then hops off of it and walks aound the trailer. Upon seeing their truck again he smiles and slowly jogs back to it. He opens up the door behind the front passanger seat and gets back in next to Draken. "That's one obstical down and a huge asset for us when we return with a few dosen gallons of gas." he says putting his flamethrower back on his lap. Waiting on the others to return before closing the door and resting his flamethrower back on his lap.<br> <br>Cameron breathes a sigh of relief when he finds the trailer empty of any surprises, and a little disappointed it had no treasures inside either. Hearing the coyote's words makes him frown once as he steps back to get out of the way the moving truck. "Odd it has a nanite battery." His gaze shifting to their surroundings once more. He glances down to pull back his sleeve to use his comm unit. He figured it might not reach Fairhaven from here but figured a note back about having found the truck might be worth it, even if it didn't work. He also made sure to mark down this location as he headed back towards the truck. His weapon still very much at the ready.<br> <br>Arris notices the hubbub around the truck, getting down from hir sniper post with a sigh and approaching the truck. "Alright, alright, what's this yap about... a nanite battery." The gator stops and pauses for a moment. "Well, that means that, uh, this truck must have been repaired or changed or something from someone from one of the bubbles. If it's still charged, then it must be pretty recent."<br> <br>When the semi roars to life, Cerl scrambles back out of the way. Knowing the noise of the truck could alert anyone in the area, she fades back to invisibility again, unslinging her crossbow but not bothering to load it yet. She watches up the mountain side and as far down the road as she can see, keeping an eye out for potential trouble. She hops back in the bed of their truck, standing just behind the cab as she watches all around, still invisible. When nothing appears and everyone heads back to the truck, she reshoulders her crossbow and then settles back down in her previous spot in the truck bed, but still keeps an eye out everywhere as they get moving again. She does not drop her invisibility though she does speak up to let everyone know she is there, as long as Fire maintains the bubble.<br> <br>Draken hops up into the bed beside Cerl, also keeping an eye out. She sits on the edge, and carefully scans the area behind them for any danger.<br> <br>Smithson gets his truck ready to move again, waiting for everyone to get in again. He looks back at the trailer to see if everything is tied down again before putting the truck in gear and continuing the remaining 50 miles to Tahoe. With the overcast and setting sun, the road is dark and treacherous looking, prompting Smithson to drive slower with the headlights on to avoid any mistakes. He turns past the last bend in the road through the moutains before stopping suddenly, the forward headlights highlight what looks to be a wall of fog, stretching across the whole road. As far as anyone can tell, it keeps going in all directions, the dark of night preventing any visibility past it. "Um..." Smithson speaks up. "Now sounds like a good time to stop for the night. There is no way I can drive through that in the dark."<br> <br>Draken.ooc yeah.<br> <br>Firecracker follows Ebreus's suggestion and joins Draken in the truckbed for the remainder of the ride, playing whatever games she can think of as they drive along. When the truck finally comes to a stop and Smithson signals the day's end, she hops up with a "Woohoo! Camping time!" With that, she zips out into the surrounding area to look for anything interesting while the others set up camp. A little while later, she rejoins the group and gives everyone a personalized, "Nighty night, Smithy! Nighty night, Toey! Nighty night, Cerly! Nighty night, Person-I-Dunno-Their-Name! Nighty night, Draky! Nighty night, Ebbie!" With everyone properly wished a good night, she snuggles up with Ebreus for the night, snoring softly while curled up in a tiny pink ball.<br> <br>Otto leans out of the car door window and hisses through clenched teeth. "Yeah, no kidding. Good call on that." Hopping out of the vehicle, the coyote immediately heads to where his mate had decided to settle down for travel. He activates his Light nanomagic to use while the bubble was maintained. Select spots of his armor started to glow, illuminating the area around him just enough to reveal his surroundings without blinding anyone. "C'mon hon." he offers her his paw to help her get off and onto the ground. "Looks like we're camping here for the night. I don't mind sleeping under the stars, but we don't have the luxury of the bubble, at least we won't as soon as Fire falls asleep. Let's at least build a campfire." he turns to Firecracker and nods, then wishes her "Pleasent dreams, Fire!" befire returning to the task at hand.<br> <br>Arris whistles, or what looks like an attempt to whistle, when the truck's engine comes to life. "Wow, looks like we're in the clear now." Sie slings hir bolt-action rifle back over hir shoulder, hopping into the bed of the truck. "Hm. Maybe I should have sat back down in the seat of the truck. Oh well."
When the truck stops, Arris stands up in the bed of the truck, squinting hir eyes and attempting to see through the fog. "Hm. I think... I think I might see some living thing in the fog?" The gator glances around the group. "Maybe we should have at least, uh, three of us take turns keeping watch. Anyone wish to volunteer?" The gator raises hir hand, looking around the group for anyone else who wishes to keep watch as well.<br> <br>Cerl looks around at everyone making camp, and shrugs. She's used to roughing it without a tent, and inclement weather has never bothered her. Instead, she starts pacing around the others at a good distance, keeping an eye out as they ready themselves for sleep. "I'm used to being up all night while on a contract or working on my research. I'll take first watch." she calls over, as explanation for why she's not setting camp herself. Once everyone is settled, she finds a darker area of the night where she can watch over everything as well as keep an eye on the strange and unsettling fog bank.<br> <br>Draken settles down for an early night, quickly falling asleep.<br> <br>Cameron happily gets into the truck's back, sitting with his cannon close at hand. Leaning against the side and giving his eyes a little bit of rest as they travel slowly the last little bit. Feeling the truck stop he glanced up with open eyes and frowned. "Yeah, can only assume it is the end of the road for today." He hopped out once they had found a suitable spot to set up camp. Moving over to grab his rucksack and grinned as he headed for a spot for him to set up his own little area. "We are setting up watches, right?" His hands opening his pack and pulling out a few blankets and gathering up a few extendable poles he had broght, mainly for splinting large and small legs alike, but this use was just as good too. Soon setting up a tent of his own, complete with a blankets and a pillow too. He then pulled out a battery powered latern too. As he plopped down to eat some of the dried food he had brought with him. "Oh, just in case, I am a practiced doctor. Figure it should be said in case things go side ways for us." He then gave the gator a small nod. "Sounds like a plan. I will take the last watch, I tend to be up in the early morning anyway." He also gives Cerl a small wave. "Your welcome to bunk with me if you want." Leaving it up to her whether she would get some sleep or not.<br> <br>Ebreus steps out of the truck with all his packs and his weapons. He glances at the fog but abandons trying to see anything in it after a few seconds. He unpacks some of his amenities along with a tent large enough for two. He watches the rest of the group begin to pile out. "We should have some structure to our camsite. I suggest a circle of tents with the entrances facing inward and a fire pit in the middle. I'll take third watch."

Ebreus begins manually softening and leveling the ground to the best of his ability without proper landscaping tools or nanomagic before setting up his tent. Once the ground is to his liking he begins to set up his tent. "What do you think, Draken?" he asks once it is set up allowing her in first before he enters.<br> <br>Smithson is busy setting up his own tent, having turned off the truck. To the light of the lamp, he sets up the campfire with experience. With everyone else set, he goes to bed as well.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles

2017-07-22T16:17:01Z

Zophah: Created page with "This is a list of RPlogs following the events related to the Children of Tahoe and their outposts."

This is a list of RPlogs following the events related to the Children of Tahoe and their outposts.

Sunny Day at the Solar Farm - RPLOG

2017-07-22T16:15:36Z

Zophah:

=Participants=
* [[Arris]]
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Kip]]
* [[Otto]]
* [[Raika]]
* [[Zophah]]
=Date=
11/2/2017
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>Camped at the entrance to the highway is a human male dressed in overalls, the telltale Promethian illuminated helmet on his head. He leans against the cab of what looks like a salvaged pickup truck and trailer, quite a few panels of it looking like they were eaten through by nanites. "I'm Smithson, and I'm here to drive you to a solar farm far outside the Fairhaven bubble, where you can dismantle some of the solar panels and bring them back with this." He motions to the trailer. "I couldn't get a heli for you but this truck is fueled up and shouldn't break down. I want to get back by dinner so we should start as soon as possible. any questions?"<br> <br>Firecracker,the pint-size pale pink pegasus hovering at about normal head height, quickly raises a forehoof into the air. "Oh! Me! Me!" she says, continuing without waiting to be called on, "What if we don't make it back before dinner? Didja bring any snacks? Didja bring enough to share?!" She looks around the area quickly, scanning for snacky goodness in the event of the mission lasting too long and running passed dinner time!<br> <br> Standing over upon the far left of the mass of people, Kip simply glanced back to the apparent hirer and shook his head. The only question he had was for himself. Why on earth had he agreed for this? Being bored is bad, sure. Being dead is obviously worse. So, shifting from foot to foot, he simply sighed and resigned himself. Already this far...<br> <br>Arris nods, leaning a little to peek into the trailer. "Sounds straightforward enough. Are there any kind of obstacles we can expect to see at the solar panel area place?" Sie adjusts a Triage Kit attatched to hir back waist via the belt, having ditched any nanite-reliant equipment save for hir healing pistol.<br> <br>Garbed in his basic combat attire and toting his usual array of armaments, submachine gun, blades and mastercrafted bow at the ready, Otto was more than ready, willing and able. He was excited! A trip outside with several other brave souls for the betterment of their lives in Fairhaven, potentially facing armed resistance along the way? Nothing like the threat of death looming over one's head to stir the blood and get one's heart racing! He listens to the human attentively and feels for his toolset, tucked away in the small pouch at his side. No doubt hose panels would need dismantling, and Otto wanted to be ready for that.

The coyote had been beyong the bubble before, and wasn't particularly looking forward to having that obsesive compulsion to want to immediately turn tail and return to the bubble, but he had dealt with it once before and he would do it again. He did have a question though, and once the others had finished asking theirs, he raises one hand and politely asks "Now, I am very much loking forward to this, and am all for the betterment of our society, but come now... what's the payout gonna be, eh?" he rubs his index and thumb together "A coyote's gotta make a living after all..."<br> <br>Raika has been idle for a bit too long lately, so when a mission to gather some solar panels from outside the bubble comes up, she's quick to sign on for a chance to do something useful again. She's near the back of the group, largely just being quiet and letting the others ask questions while she does gear checks to make sure she's got everything she'll need.<br> <br>Smithson aswers Otto, ignoring Firecracker: "I suppose you can get anything else we find at the instalation, maybe even scrap from broken solar panels." He then gets in his truck. It roars to life, almost in defiance of it's delapidated appearance. "Well get on then!"<br> <br>Firecracker gets on then! And as she gets on, she continues to roam around a bit in the back of the truck, sniffing for snacks. When she doesn't find any and it becomes apparent none are to be found, she plops down on her rump and starts digging around in her mane with a forehoof. "Well that's okay, I got some snacks in here somewhere!" she says aloud as she searches for tasty treats.<br> <br> Kip shuffled his feet forward, almost pausing as he looked back to the assembled group. Most looked... armed. Dangerous. Vicious, dare he say. Well.... /most/. Rearing briefly before hopping on upward into the truck, a mute sigh fell from his lips, an almost silent pleading hope. "Please let this go smoothly... They'd kill me if I wound up dead..."<br> <br>Smithson then realizes he missed Arris's question, and turns to reply: "I don't know what we'll find out there. I only know where the solar farm is."<br> <br>Arris nods. "Well, we're going to find out then." The gator hops into the back of the truck, bringing hir equipment with hir. Sitting down near the back, sie pulls out a package of saltine crackers, a plastic container of herb and cheese spread, and a butterknife. "Heads up, Fire." Sie breaks a corner off a cracker before tossing it to the pegasus. <br> <br>Alas, no time to socialise, it would seem. Duty called and Otto answered. Hand resting lazily on his submachine gun, he steps after the others and hops in through to the back seats swhere Firecracker was seemingly spazzing out. Snickering quietly to himself, Otto settles into his seat and starts to double-check and tripple-check his inventory. Everything SEEMED to be in order, and he was prepared to tackle any enemy at either short, medium or long range, though he did seem to be missing medical supplies...but oh well. The coyote was as much a doctor as he was a ballerina. "Say, chaps... I don't suppose anyone here has formal medical training, eh? Would be a right mess if someone got shot and we don't have the means to patch up the wounded, right? Not saying you should get shot or whatever, I'm just saying, a medic would be right useful, they would!" he addresses everyone within earshot, his tail wagging excitedly behind him as he speaks.<br> <br>Raika falls into that group of 'armed and dangerous'. Vicious... maybe, maybe not. She's got her halberd and her pistols, at the very least, and some light armor, among other various devices. Hopping up onto the truck with a little help from her halberd as a pole-vaulting thing (because why not), she scoots into whatever seat is left for the duration of the ride. Otto's question gets a raised hand that turns into a handwobble in response.<br> <br>Once everyone gets into and onto the truck, Smithson makes his way across the highway, following a rugged map on his steering wheel. A few hours out from Fairhaven with no problems and the truck crests a hill, the solar farm just a minute away. Suddenly Smithson stops. "Um, you better take a look at this." Just a few feet ahead of the truck is a large scorch mark... and another, and a few more... There are searing holes all over the landscape, between everyone and the solar farm.<br> <br>"Seventeen bottles of rootbeer on the wall! Seventeen bottles of rootbeeeeer! Take one down, pass it around, Sixt- Look at what who where now?" Firecracker asks, suddenly pulled out of her rendition of a timeless classic to flit up on top of the truck, looking out at the scortchmarks in the ground ahead. "Well that's a weird way to paint the ground," she says, munching away the last bit of the saltine graciously gifted to her.<br> <br> Kip shivered for the last few minuets, a strange sinking feeling having rested in the pit of his stomach. That familiar almost dull humming that sounded in his mind was... empty. Perhaps it was just being droned out by that blasted pegasus next to him. Or... perhaps that is what outside the bubble was like... What a terrifying thought. Idly rubbing along the length of greyish steel of his 'rang, he desperatly tried to avoid glancing back at Otto after their question. Healing was not in their arts in the least. Glancing over up to the road ahead, he let a small smile rise to his face. "Oh, joy... Blastmarks. Hopefully not mines... That... huh. That would be unpleasant."<br> <br>Arris hops out from the vehicle, looking over at the at the scorch mark. "Wow. That's... I'm not sure what to make of that." Sie readies hir bolt action rifle. "What do you guys think happened here?" Peering through the scope, sie begins surveying the area between the truck and the solar farm while keeping hir distance from the scorch mark. <br> <br>Ah that familiar feeling of utter gut-wrenching despair as the nanites freak out in the absence of their connection to the main server. Otto felt compelled to just jump out and go home, but he knew better than to act upon that desire. THERE WAS LOOTING TO BE DONE! It was a fine day for a mission, not a sigh of any rain and once he'd dealt with the crippling anxiety of being away from the comfort of the bubble, he was back to his old self. "Never gonna get used to that feeling, tell ya what..." he shares with the others, and flashes a smile at Raika, nodding once he sees her hand raised. Fantastic, they had a medic!

The remainder of the ride was quiet and uneventful, and while the coyote was eager to start up a chat with the others, he felt it best to just let the bubbling with energy Firecracker sing her merry shanty. Eventually though, they reached the scorch marks, and Otto was not so happy to see them. He hops out of the car with the others and moves over beside one of them, crouching down before it to have a good look. "They might be mines that went off, but you'd expect to see the wreckage of what made them." he ponders out loud and drags one finger over the outer rim of one to sense if it was still any warmer than the rest of the terrain. "Think someone just chucked some nades over here? But... why?"<br> <br>Raika actually hasn't been out of the bubble before, so this is... new. She's heard about why it might be bad for her, but feeling it for the first time is something else. It's gonna take some getting used to. When the driver mentions something that should be looked at, she stands up from her seat to try and get a better view... though she's slightly shaky in the process of doing so. "If it's not an explosive, I'd guess an energy weapon... but aren't those supposed to be incredibly inefficient outside of a bubble?"<br> <br>In the distance a few small buildings can be seen in the middle of the solar farm, one quite a bit taller than the others. Suddenly a bright flash comes from the center building, and an instant later another scorch mark appears right where Otto's hand used to be.<br> <br>Firecracker blinks a few times, as if just noticing the feeling of being out of the bubble, possibly distracted by her own singing. "Oh yeah! It does feel weird!" she says, then a few moments later, it stops feeling so weird as she activates her Regulation Nanomagic, creating a bubble in an 80 foot radius around her. "And now it doesn't!" she says as a flash of light appears in the distance, followed closely by a new scorch mark in the ground by Otto. The little pegasus directs her gaze to the building in an attempt to spot what it is that flash came from.<br> <br>Kip widened his eyes, the flash if nothing else catching his attention. Leaping, err... tumbling out of the vehicle, he gazed back over the brief moment of activity and began to try and hash together thoughts, the scorch mark looking startlingly fresh upon the ground. "Okay... Don't touch the scorch marks!" Idly unlooping his 'rang from his belt, he began thinking aloud. "Okay, scorch marks are violent. How violent, doesn't matter. Don't touch em. Why? Things hurt there. Why only there? Dunno, maybe projectile? Had it been physical would be a tiny blast spot though. Lasers? Maybe, but that wouldn't explain delayed flash and then bang. Wait... there are several of them..." Sweeping his gaze around, idly glancing behind and around them. "If they can shoot the ground there, why can't they shoot us now? People would shoot us. Or at least, I would try and shoot armed people approaching... So if not people... Systems? But why these random spots... And why only so far out? And why everywhere? Maybe a sweeping scanner-thing..."<br> <br>Arris glances up from hir scope just before the bright flash comes from the building. "Wow. That's some Sigmund Freud stuff right there. Burning down the Roman fleet with his giant mirror things." Sie squints a little at the building. "Hey, guys, can you not cause any more light beams for a moment? I want to get a closer look at this without being blinded." Sie peers into the scope again, focusing on the centre building.<br> <br>"B'lyad!" Otto screams out as he jolts backwards in the nick of time to save the entirety of his arm. "Eto piz'dets!" he adds in that same foreign language as he looks over his paw, as if still believing he'd lost it. "OKAY, this might be a problem." he gulps down dryly and looks over towards where the attack had arrived. "We cross this line we get fried, then? If I could reach the bloody thing I could probably have it offline in seconds, but..." he exhales deeply and motions towards the scorch marks "That!" looking over at Kip, Otto nods and holds his thoughts to himself... for now.<br> <br>Raika stops having the shakes when Firecracker's bubble goes up again. It was a weird experience and not one she particularly wants to experience again any time soon. Looking around a little as she gets out of the truck, she examines the scorch mark pattern. "I'd assume its maximum detection range is somewhere around here." Using her halberd, she traces a line maybe a meter behind where the scorch mark arc indicates its firing limit likely is. She could trace closer but it's good to be safe. "...anyone got something that could match that kind of range?"<br> <br>Smithson is in his truck, his fingers tight to the steering wheel. "I... I'm just going to stay in here. Singal me when it's safe to drive up." He then turns the truck off to conserve fuel.<br> <br>Firecracker spots the little buggers on the roof making shooty blasts at the group. She gets a wild grin on her face as her demeanor completely shifts from the bubbly little pegasus a moment earlier. "Alright then! Mirrors on the roof? We'll fight mirrors with mirrors!" She looks to the sides of the truck before spotting the driver's side mirror. "Hey, one of you guys take this mirror, aim it at the top of the roof up there, and reflect the shot back! There's a bunch of rotating mirrors up there just waiting to get a taste of their own medicine!"<br> <br> Kip turned back to the truck at large, quickly trying to hash through possibilities. Alright... Seems the pegasus saw some mirrors on the roof! Great. Still doesn't explain what the heck is going on or what is shooting. Though, lasers would make sense. Mirrors bounce... But wait. Rotating? "You certain it was rotating? Because... That wouldn't make sense. It shot Otto at the same spot as the mark before... If it was rotating it would automatically target different spots every moment. Sure, it could pick that spot again, but the odds are bad..." Humming briefly, he frowned and looked further into the field, noticing a few marks further yet in. "And as there are marks further... Things got through the outer bit. So it can't really be targeting a different area each moment. If that was true, there would be exceptional grouping on the outer edge simply due to wandering things..." Glancing back to the group, he snapped his fingers towards Raika. "Ah! A halebard. Could you attach the mirror to the end of that and try the spot and other not hit spots? Want to check something...."<br> <br>Arris lowers hir rifle, still looking over at the buildings. "Well, the light beams are coming from the top of the tower. Can't see where exactly, but it's up there for sure." Sie looks down at the scorch marks. "If anyone thinks they can see and shoot the laser emitter at the top of the building, come up and test your luck." Arris stands up again, resting the butt of hir rifle on the ground.<br> <br>Otto nods and clasps his paws. "I'll take a shot at that, but my eyes aren't the keenest here." he moves over to where the rifle was and picks it up, pausing to thank Arris for lending it before turning to Firecracker "See if you can spot for me, I am gonna take a shot, but a steady hand isn't all that's needed. I'll have to know what I hit... if I hit at all." he explains, before falling to one knee on the ground and assuming a firing stance. His breathing goes slow and deep as the rifle goes perfectly steady in his hands, the coyote biding his time, finger gently sliding over the trigger as he takes aim and tries his best to land his crosshairs just right. One... two... three... and *BANG* The rifle recoils lightly in Otto's arms as the coyote lowers it and grumbles. "Fucking hell... I think it made contact but the glare, uuuurgh. Fire, what do you see?" he asks, curious as tomwhat he'd managed to hit.<br> <br>Raika gives Kip a bit of an odd look, clinging to her halberd protectively, but she does answer hesitantly. "I can... try?" She tries to see if she can remove the mirror from the car in a manner that it can be put back in later hopefully rather than having to just rip the mirror's holding thing off the car entirely. If she can manage that (or if she can't but can get the driver's permission to be a little more violent about extraction), then the mirror gets attached to the halberd's blade for a bit of testing. Repairing it is going to suck if they're wrong about the nature of these laser things, though...<br> <br>The truck's sole mirror comes off with little effort, but without some way of attaching it, it won't stick to the haliberd. Smithson doesn't seem to mind too much about missing that mirror, but does add: "Don't take too much off the truck. We need this to get back home."<br> <br>Firecracker watches with a grin as Raika prepares to put her action into plan, even without the possible loss of a hand! Probably a bit safer anyway. After the crack of the rifle goes off below and the coyote asks for her vision, the pegasus looks up at the building once more. "That's one down, half a dozen to go!" she confirms. "Less fun, but I guess that works too," she finishes with a shrug as she stands up on her hindlegs, shading her eyes with a foreleg.<br> <br> Kip offers a wane smile in return towards Raika as they clung to their weapon of choice. "Pardon, tis just-" he cut's off, wincing at the sound of the shot going wide echoing. "...ow... Ah... Tis just that if this is correct, then we simply can walk between the marks, probably putting forth something in front of us to check to make certain that there aren't un-procced marks. Then we can disable, or even take it apart from the inside. Who knows what RSX would be willing to by that tech for?" Looking at the unattached mirror... a faint smirk rises to his maw. "And... you don't even actually have to attach it. Just sorta... push it into the spot. If it fires, success! If not... Well, we keep firing."<br> <br>Arris sits down on the ground, looking over to Raika. "Hey, if you need to attatch the mirror, I think this triage kit should have some tape in it. Could use that." Sie slings the kit from hir back onto hir lap, opening it and fishing out some medical tape. "Still need it there? I'd reccomend we not lay the mirror's surface parallel to the ground, else it reflects into our face. Would be safer to keep it perpendicular and adjust after that.<br> <br>"Half a dozen..." Otto growls and sqjeezes the rifle. "Great..." he mutters and assumes a firing stance once more, though moments before actually letting loose another round, he does have a thought... "Hold on now." he lowers the rifle and turns to his allies, "Maybe one was enough, we should test it... like..." he looks around and manages to find a fist sized rock near his feet. Tossing and catching it again, Otto says "Let's see if these things still work. If we can sneak in there without damaging the rest, more for us to salvage!" he exclaims and wags his tail excitedly at the notion of more profit. Moving over just behind the safety line, Otto tosses the rock right onto the very same scorchmark that he'd nearly had his arm taken off in earlier.<br> <br>Raika accepts the tape from Arris, attaching the mirror to the flat of the halberd's blade with it. She then angles the halberd so that it's perpendicular with the ground... so in theory the 'laser' should just make a scorch mark a little closer to the origin point if this absurd theory is correct.<br> <br>With the rock and the haliberd enter the firing range of the weapon, nothing happens. Just a soft thud as the rock hits the ground.<br> <br>Firecracker frowns a bit at the sight she sees. "Well you got its attention anyway, looks like it only shoots at people." She shakes her head in disappointment, no awesome light show explosions today, what a pain. Guess it's back to shooting. See if ya can hit the one pointed this way, third from the left!" She says, pointing a foreleg towards the building, not like anyone can tell which mirror she's pointing at exactly. She also reaches up into her mane, pulling out a pair of red, triangular shades to place on the bridge of her snout. "There, much better!" she says with a grin, crossing her forelegs over her chest as she waits for the next shot.<br> <br> Kip slowly lowered his hands from his ears, having grabbed them almost autonomically. At the lack of a sound, he frowned, peering up at the roof for a moment. "That is... either highly unfortunate, or proves they were using an array of them to target points. Or that individual ones were targeting certain spots. Or Fire is right... Regardless, this is new. Good, and possibly bad, if this is the proof that they are rotating." A small frown fell upon his muzzle as he sat upon his hindlegs. "How... unpleasant." Idly waving his hand, he sighed. "Just, continue shooting I suppose? Or toss another rock at another spot. If it fires then? Well, each one targets certain spots. If not? Still no idea."<br> <br>Arris munches on a saltine as sie stands up again. "Alright, looks like the cannon has been disabled. Or, maybe we just reduced the range slightly, or maybe it needs to recharge after firing that first shot." The gator nods at Firecracker. "Or that, it could only fire at people." Sie squints at the top of the central building. "I'd say we should play it safe and wait a bit, or if we really need to be heading in now, spread out so that thing can't obliterate all of us simultaneously."<br> <br>Otto raises the rifle once more, adjusting a little to the left as he struggles against the glare. He grumbles and squints as he calculates in the back of his head, where oh where shall his crosshairs land? Taking another few moments, he makes sure that his aim was true, despite the fact he could barely see past the blinding light, and fires another round! Lowering the rifle he sighs and turns to Firecracker. "One less?"<br> <br>Raika gives a look at her halberd somewhere between disappointed and relieved when nothing fires at it. "Probably just fires at people, yeah... I'm a little impressed by the complexity of its targeting systems." With that not working, she removes the mirror from the halberd, trying to put it back in the truck properly before going to see what Otto's up to. "Any luck?"<br> <br>As time goes on, the sun is starting to set. The glare from the top of the center building is much more apparent now, contrasting the darkening landscape around it. Smithson mumbles under his breath that dinner will be cold.<br> <br>"Only if you count hitting the same one as one less than we started with," comes Firecracker's response as she flies over to land on the butt of the rifle, looking down the scope. "Here, I'll aim for ya," she says as she directs the rifle for Otto's steady hand. Hearing Smithson, she comments, "Yeah but if the sun goes down the mirrors won't have any sun to reflect and we won't have a reason to shoot them, and that's no fun."<br> <br> Kip sighed briefly, shaking his head as a dozen different options ran through his mind. Too many possibilities even with what is known. Too much variation with what is given, and not enough time to figure it all out. Flicking his eyes back to the sky, he sighed and slowly began to pace beside the truck's trailor, a sharp comment given at Fire's words. "Perhaps not, but that just means we will be facing people in the dark. Fun."<br> <br>Arris crosses hir arms as the light of the sun begins to reflect off of the side of the building. "Well, it's pretty difficult to see now. And, after sunset, we probably won't be able to see at all, unless one of you has some sort of night vision ability." Sie gets up, walking around and opening the door to the trailer to see if there's anything of possible use or other interest inside.<br> <br>"He's right though... this is B-O-R-I-N-G." Otto huffs and rubs his eyes. It was childish of him to complain about something like that, but needless to say he was expecting more than to just sit there and snipe mirrors. "Sure, let's try that." The coyote agrees and steadies his hand, adjusting for the added weight of the small pony. "And I've no issues with facing folks in the dark. Ever been out playing hide and seek with Night Stalkers? Good fun. ...course that was in the bubble, and they didn't have guns... so... yeah. Actuully I take that back. Nevermind." Otto sighs and starts to direct the gun according to Firecracker's instruction. "One down, Raika... just one out of seven, I think? This fucking glare though!" he growls, then re-focuses on the task at hand. "Fuck the mirrors, let's just pop em all in a row and get on with it I say. Ya with me Fire?" Otto asks, not sure if her being on the gun would be so favourable or not...but he is willing to try, and if that doesn't work, they had their old system to bank on. One thing was certain, those mirrors were about to have a very bad day.<br> <br>Raika shades her eyes, looking over at the mirrors to see if she can get at least an understanding of the rough distance from here to wherever they are. She'll let Otto take a few more shots for the time being, but... "...I'd be willing to, pardon the pun, give it a shot, if you like."<br> <br>the night comes in, leaving everything darker besides the middle tower of the solar farm.<br> <br>"The one pointed at us started spinning again since nothing was moving," Firecracker says before grinning again, "Until we broke its spinner anyway! On to the next one!" She directs Otto to the next mirror, aiming in the same area, if not slightly higher, in order to hit the swivel or the mirror directly. "Good news is they're still spinning, that's good enough reason to keep shooting for me!"<br> <br> Kip grumbled slowly, shaking his head as he raised a hand, shading his eyes as he looked back at the tower, the deepening evening helping to accent at the very least the place he couldn't see. Alas, aside from the nimbus of glare, he could find... well... Nothing. Taking a half-hearted toss of a rock at one of the scorch marks, he grumbled indistinctly.<br> <br>Arris leaves the trailer with a sigh, shutting the door behind hir. "Well, at least it seems that the middle tower is at least easier to see now." Sie looks up at the tower, squinting at the device on top, before something clicks inside of hir head. "Firecracker, you said that you started a small nanite bubble or something, right?" Sie attempts to use hir tentacle nanomagic.<br> <br>Otto takes his few shots, some landing, others missing. He ended up getting more and more frustrated as the time went by, and with that frustration came a lowered accuracy and precision with gunfire. Before taking his final shot, he peers through the scope and finally, FINALLY makes sense of what he was seeing. "AHA!" he exclaims and takes steady aim once more. "I got you motherfucker, I got you this time!" he yips giddily and lands his crosshairs over his target, a thermal camera aimsd directly at them, the reason that infernal ray could aim at them, in his sights in his crosshairs for those few fleeting moments of success! Feeling like he would not achieve such clarity again any time soon, Otto took a deep breath, steadied his rifle and aimed true. The round left the barrel with a loud *BANG* and the coyote watched with glee as it impacts the camera, hopefully disabling the weapon entirely. "Nailed it. There was a thermal camera on that fuckin ray, I just sent it to hell. I THINK... we are good to go." he sighs a sigh of great relief. "Finally..."<br> <br>Raika had her breath held while Otto made that shot. It's just good sense, right? Steady your breathing when you're sniping... or trying to avoid disturbing a sniper. With a soft exhale, she looks over at the building. "That would explain why it wouldn't shoot the mirror." A pause as she looks down at herself and fiddles with a device over her chest, then, "I'll go first to test it, just in case?" There's the slightest sound as a barrier field hums to life around her... it's unlikely to last outside Firecracker's bubble, but if the mirrors aren't actually disabled, it should help keep her from losing a limb... and if they are disabled, she has nothing to worry about when the field goes down, right? In any case, she cautiously crosses the scorch mark arc line, keeping her wits about her in case it's not actually disabled.<br> <br>Arris's tentacles work, if a bit shorter then expected. They have no mass to draw from other than hir own. As Raika takes a step past the line in the sand, nothing happens. Another step, nothing. A few more steps and it's clear that the weapon isn't firing.<br> <br>"Good enough for me!" Firecracker cheers, leaping off the gun and into the air as she starts flying towards the building several feet above the ground. "Let's get us some solar panels!"<br> <br> Kip blinked over at Otto as that last shot cracked out in the dying light. At their words though, a faint smile rose to his face, slowly walking back up to the truck. "Well then... shall we head off then?"<br> <br>Arris watches as Otto celebrates his shot. "Nice shot. Not that I can see it, but nonetheless. Before we head out though..." Sie extends a tentacle, waving it over the nearest scorch mark. "I wonder who set that defense system up? Whoever it is, they might still be there. Probabky won't take kindly to visitors." <br> <br>"That's a really good idea..." Otto nods at Raika and activates his own nanite shield. Maybe the weapon was offline, but that doesn't mean the extra protection was unwelcome. He moves over to arris and gives her the gun back. "Thank you for letting me use this. It's a fine firearm, I'm glad you brought it." he says with a smile, leans in to hug her real quick before parting and following after Raika and Firecracker.<br> <br>As Firecracker flies off ahead, the rest of the group quickly drops out of range from her Regulation nanomagic, Arris's tentacles falling limp and both nanite barriers fail. As Firecracker reaches the main building, the light from the tower is enough to flood the surrounding area with light.<br> <br>Raika beckons for the others to follow as she walks on over toward the facility, though she's maybe still a little paranoid as she doesn't turn around when doing so. Her halberd's in her hands, and she's ready for whatever might be coming.<br> <br>Firecracker flies ahead, as usual, to get to the building ahead of the others who will catch up in a few seconds. "Hey! Anyone in there?!" she shouts out to the building. "Not here to fight, but you kinda started it!" She hovers in the air a short distance away from the building and several feet in the air, waiting for a response as she surveys the area. "Oh hang on! I forgot my cape, it'll make me look cooler!" She quickly pulls out her cape, strapping it around her neck before crossing her forelegs over her chest as she waits again.<br> <br> Kip slowly begins stepping forward, nerves not quite shot (yet) from the ordeal. Less panic now, and more residual dread creeping in. Perhaps half a dozen meters out though, he turns, heading back towards the truck, and more importantly, Smithson. "Pardon, seems it is... safe to go ahead. At least up to the building it seems. The less we drag the panels, and the sooner we could leave, the better you know?" Offering a wane smile, he turned back, cantering towards the others ahead.<br> <br>Arris sighs as Firecracker darts off, hir tentacles drooping limply. "That Firecracker..." Sie nods as Otto gives hir the rifle back, walking up to the passenger seat window and looking through it. "I think we'll head forward. Just drive the truck next to a door or something." <br> <br>Otto meanwhile, much to his disappointment, resumes his trek alongside Raika. He was now holding his submachine gun in one paw, and was resting his other paw on his combat knife, holstered at the left side of his waist upon his belt. He wasn't afraid, quite the contrary! The coyote was relieved to finally be making some progress. "Think we'll run into goons in there?" he asks Raika as they walked.<br> <br>Raika hears the quiet hum of her barrier field cease, and she looks disappointed much as Otto does. It's not long before the shakes return too and she's cursing the impulsive little critter under her breath. Luckily Otto's question distracts her a bit. "Who knows. I'm betting on yes, but that's me being pessimistic." <br> <br>Smithson turns the truck on, roaring to life once more. "I'll park it near the solar panels. Don't get yourselves killed, I'll need help dismantling the panels and putting them on the trailer."
At the building, Firecracker finds the front doors wide open, the faint smell of rot coming from inside.<br> <br>After waiting for a few seconds for a response, and not getting one, Firecracker starts tapping her hindleg in the air, giving the others time to catch up. When Otto and Raika get there, she points a foreleg towards the open door and says, "They were nice enough to leave the door open, so let's take the invitation!" Before getting a response, she heads in as she looks around.<br> <br> Kip idly flipped his heavy handed 'rang, slowing his pace as he neared the others. Instinct began to speak to him though, the scent something fowl and broken. His footfalls slowed as the doorway loomed, wide and ominous. At the very least, Fire was right. Twas open... Gently padding forward towards the edge of the dark enterance, he peered within, taking a scant few steps within.<br> <br>Arris walks over to the solar panels, looking them over before heading over to the main doors of the building. Sie pulls out another saltine and starts munching on it.<br> <br>Raika peeks in through the doorway cautiously, fiddling with the device at her chest now that she's close-ish again to Firecracker. Straying too far from the bubble the little fella's putting out is... uncomfortable, to put it lightly.<br> <br>The entire building is empty of living things, only corpses of Pre-Pday workers and years of dust. Only once the group makes its way to the base of the tower can any activity be found: capacitors line the walls, thick wires leading into them and out to the top of the tower. An active computer is in the middle, coming to life as everyone enters the room. Off to the side is a breaker box, open.<br> <br>"Good news is everything's still working," Firecracker says as she flies into the room, looking around at the various death, debris, and electrical equipment, "bad news is I don't know anything about any of this stuff." She flies up close to the computer in the center of the room, lifting her glasses up to her forehead as she wipes away years of dust from the screen in order to look over it more clearly.<br> <br> Peering about the dark and dismal area, Kip frowned, eyeing the lot of it with a good deal of... distrust would perhaps be the most apt word. Working his jaw for a moment longer that he might have needed to, he shook his head. "I... Know not much more about it than the average one. But... Anyone know how to shut the power down? That way we can take the solarpannels and get the heck out of here... It gives me the shakes."<br> <br>Arris looks up at the computer in the middle of the room. "That... looks very, very ominous." Sie takes a step back, raising hir rifle once more. "As if the dead employees and the photon ray didn't make things uncomfortable already." Sie begins shuffling over to the breaker box on hir right, keeping hir eyes on the computer as sie does so.<br> <br>Otto examines the surrounding equipment, his methodical mjnd quickly assessing the best way to domaway with the riches. He hands out someorders and a few tools, clasps his paws and urges the others to start work while he hacks knto the computer in the room. It was simple enough, thouh he learned very little from it. The device was resoonsible for the weapon array protecting the place, and now it's function was forfeit thanks to the downed camera. "We sjould rake this too." he declares happkly and pats the monitor. "But let's get busy sith the solar panels first."<br> <br>Raika looks the place over for a bit... still cautious, even though the place seems empty. She tries to stay at least somewhat close to Firecracker, if only because being outside the minibubble is very uncomfortable. She does glance over at Otto when he's poking the control panels, though. "Anything of interest?"<br> <br>with the weapon disabled, there is no problems dismantling all of the working solar panels. Otto's the biggest help, not only knowing how to remove the panels but being able to carry them to the truck. The computer is a much bigger problem taking apart, as the numerous heavy connections take a long time. With the truck and trailer loaded up with cargo and people, everyone heads home to Fairhaven, safe and uninjured.[[Category:RPLogs]][[Category:Zophah's Tahoe Chronicles]]

Namidian (Quest)

2017-07-21T21:41:49Z

Zophah: Created page with "Directions to help avoid getting lost in the spear section of the quest: [spoiler]From the Spirit: circle around: r, ice, wi, w, r Deer body: r, ice, wi, r River: r, ice, wi,..."

Directions to help avoid getting lost in the spear section of the quest:
[spoiler]From the Spirit:
circle around: r, ice, wi, w, r
Deer body: r, ice, wi, r
River: r, ice, wi, w, ice
River: r, ice, w
River: r, w, r, w, w
nothing: r, w, r, w, r, w
wolf body: r, w, r, w, r, ice
supplies: r, w, w

From the River:
get a spear shaft: d, f
hot spring: d, d, h
trial of three brothers: u, c, d
back to the spirit: r, f[/spoiler]