Farmstead Salvage Hunting - Pt 2 - RPLOG

Participants

• Ebreus
• Edel
• Fenris
• Otto
• Phosphorus

Date

18/3/2018

Log

Thanks to Edel's technical aptitude, one of the tires is quickly patched, and though slightly deflated, still usable at least enough to last them the trip back, and then some if they're lucky! The other tire is thankfully replaced with their spare, and the group's long-eared driver of the day could be found in his seat, rummaging through his pack.

He soon pulls out a pair of club sandwiches, and offers one to the hard working woman that'd ensured they would not be walking home with their haul. "Gotta keep our strengths up, right?" Otto winks as he takes a bite out of his own sandwich, noting that they were... kind of dry, actually. Ham on mayo was a winning combination, though this one needed something. Somebody pass the ketchup?

As for Phosphorus and Ebreus, they'd headed off to search for Fenris, that tumbling wildman of a tanuki. Whether or not they'd ran into him by now was a mystery, though given that the path was clear while the party had made their way through still in the jeep, the odds were in their favor. Alas, the harshness of winter was such that dusk came early, and with the sun soon to set entirely, time was of the essence. Spending the night out in the open was not a good idea... was it?

Fenris tumbleweeds his way along the road, humming the "rawhide" to himself as he goes. How far ahead had they gotten?

Edel dusts her hands off and stands. "Well, not the worst I have had to take care of. Couldn't let a good car go to disrepair though. Wouldn't be very mechanic...ly of me." She perks her ears and turns, looking towards Otto and the food. "You will never find me turning down a free lunch," she grins, accepting with a smile. "Thank you."

While she eats, she turns her attention towards the drone giving it a once-over, trying to figure out what she'd need to do with it once she finished her sandwich.

Ebreus strides down the road, off to one side, in the shade provided by the trees against the diminishing sunlight. Hardly seeming bothered by the impending darkness he makes his way forward toward the humming Tanuki and their prisoner, with shade and relevively light footsteps his attempt at being stealthy as they go.

Phosphorus stalks along the side of the road at a rapid pace, stance slightly dropped, rifle at the ready, ears flicking and twisting as she listens for signs of the tanuki. Her footsteps are rapid, metered, but light, stepping over branches and dry patches of leaves, thankful for the setting sun and the cover it'd provide. The quicker they get Fenris and to the farm, the better.

T'would not take long for the trio to reconvene, the tumbling tanuki eventually running into Ebreus and Phosphorus as he rolls downhill towards the jeep. The only sounds in the area were those of the rustling leaves, a soft wind carrying with it the scents of the woodlands. Otto meanwhile had finished his sandwich way over yonder where the jeep resided, the fennec sitting upon the roof and peering out into the distance, his eyes struggling to adjust and make out something. "Hey Edel? I think we might be nearby..." he murmurs softly such that only she could hear. Reaching into his pack once more, Otto pulls out a pair of binoculars and flicks a switch upon them, removes the lens caps and peers out into the distance. Now all they needed is to get the group back together...

Upon catching sight of the others, though it is a mystery how he could keep track of anything, boucing along like that, Fenris rolls to his feet and gives a cheery wave. "Do you have any snacks?,? he asks pleasantly, still jogging as he makes his way forward.

"Close" Edel asks with a raised brow as she finishes her own sandwich, looking over her shoulder for a moment before turning her attention back towards the drone. "To the farm you mean? That's a blessing. Hopefully we won't be greeted with more guns." She sets her duffle back down, rifling through her tools as she sets to work seeing if she can do anything with the drone.

Ebreus smiles as he spots the Tanuki aproaching them... though it's hardly a feat even in the darkness as Fenris makes an effort to be seen, waving at them. Ebreus remains in the shadow of the trees, "Nice to see you're okay, Fen." he says, "Where's the one you... tackle-rolled?" He then feels through his pockets before adding, "No snacks, sorry."

"I have some emergency rations in my rucksack. A protein bar or two." Phosphorus says, looking at Fenris with a bit of a wary eye, lowering her rifle when they run up against Fenris. Point not at friendlies, and all. She peers over Fenris' shoulder, peering into the falling night, wishing she had NVGs. As it stands, she peers anyways. "Come on. We have to get back. Did you hear any noises on your way down here?"

The fennec shrugs lightly and hops back into the driver's seat, pulling out his laptop as he leans back against the backrest and starts to browse through his music folder. Soon, daft Punk starts to play, something about circumnavigating the globe? The beat was catchy and easy to bob to, the massive ears of the fox swaying with the motions of his head. He jams out and simply awaits, certain that the rest of the team had things well handled.

"No snacks?" Fenris asks incredulously, "Even Baldy McBeardface had snacks! Not good ones," the tanuki gives a rumbling belch, and thumps himself twice on the chest, "But any port, or vodka, in a storm." The burly coon-dog's ears twitch. "The bandit is fine, I left him back on the road," he says, suddenly lowering his voice and breaking into a surprisingly graceful, silent jog, waving to the others to join him, "But it sounds like his friends have decided to join us." The big guy is not sticking around.

Edel did not bring a great collection of salvage with her to work with, but she was no stranger to drones, and she had her tools. While Otto got the music playing, she let herself get lost in her work. It was when she felt most at home. Her tail wags behind her, absently to the beat as she tinkers.

Ebreus shrugs when Fen repeats the no snacks line and his attention is soon caught by the glimmer of flashlights nearby. "Hmm... a prisoner might've been useful but it'd slow us down." he says in response to being told the Tanuki just left the prisoner by the road, alive. He turns and moves through the shadows, thankful his armor isn't that rediculus pattern of grey and vibrant red he once saw labled as 'uban camo' following suit with the Tanuki, "Yeah... we'll want cover when we deal with them." he comments as they retreat.

"I'm not confident in our ability to hold a prisoner while trying to set up a defensive position. We need to keep moving." Generally speaking, Phosphorus was dressed in neutral tones of grey and black, fashion having taken a backseat to the practicality of most ballistic gear. She drops lower, spotting the flashlights, raising a finger to her lips, and making a few hand gestures back up the road. No time to lay traps, mines. No matter, anyways.

Be it thanks to skill or just a touch of dumb luck, the party manages to creep their way back to the jeep, the sun shining its final rays by that point, the frigid night fast approaching, cold winds sweeping in to make their venture just a touch less enjoyable. Thank the stars though that they'd managed to avoid getting spotted, and with the group back together, Otto manages to fire up the engine once more. He awaits for everyone to say their hellos, then hop back in so that they might make it to the farm at least. "You weren't followed, I trust? I don't like this. We'll end up having to drive back in the pitch black of night... or bunk in the car, or... the farm?"

"Oh," Fenris says, heaving himself into the passenger seat and making shooing motions, "We were almost definitely followed." The big tanuki grins, seemingly unperterbed by the cold night air. "I'm all for a campout!" he says, "I could probably make us a decent dinner with Edel's help!"

Edel offers a nod of greeting to the others. "Glad you could make it back, and in one piece at that." She gives the drone a pat. "I have done what I could with it. Try not to get it shot up again though. Without parts, I can only do so much, you know? It should work though, I think." She flashes a smile and climbs back into the jeep. "I spend enough time camping outside of the bubble I do not mind."

Ebreus returns alongside Fenris. He smiles wide when Edel tells him his drone has been repaired and via his NICE-com give it the turn-on and fly command to see the drone rise. "Yeah, I'll do my best to keep it from taking any more shots, thanks Edel." he says then to the damaged mechanical drone he says, "And I'm going to have to improve your armor before the next mission." He looks back to the road behind them and nods in agreement with the Tanuki, "I saw light, probably from flashlights. If they don't know where we are they're looking for us... camping at the farm might be the best course of action." he says.

"We've already engaged them. There's no backing down, now. I'll try to set a few explosive traps along the road, in case they have vehicles. We'll need a lookout, too..." Phos says, once in the vehicle, trailing slightly behind Ebreus and Fenris. She starts getting her armor back on in the jeep, putting plates back where they should be, and strapping weapons back in. "Unless someone else has a better idea, that is."

"Yeeah, well... let's hope Edel's right and we don't run into more gun nuts out to pop a bullet into our skulls. It's getting pretty dark, folks." Otto turns on the headlights and revs the engine, before setting off towards the farm in the distance. Before long, they would find themselves pulling up alongside the ruined fence that once separated the farmstead from what was once a road to be used by vehicles like theirs. Oddly enough... there was something off about the building in the distance. One thing was easy to discern, but... "Keep your eyes and ears open, I don't like this." Otto warns, his fur practically standing on ends as he peers out at the structure not fifty feet away.

Fenris stand up in his seat, leaning up and over the top of the jeep to look toward their destination. ?You were sure that no one lives here?? he asks, ears perked and eyes bright, "Those bandits on the road don't come here?" Having said it out loud, it seems odd the question did not come up before.

"I do not like anything I do not have familiarity with. I cannot say I have come here in my trips." Edel takes a moment to readjust her camo via nanomagic, before looking out of the window. "Shall I go and scout it out? Or did you have something else in mind?"

"I have my sniper rifle, yes. But we need to hurry: We can't both watch behind us and the building at the same time. I suggest we straight up knock on the door, as is relatively polite. Nobody answers? It's ours." Phosphorus says, extricating the rifle from its resting place, pushing the door open as they stop at the farmstead. She takes a few glances about for anything overtly fishy, then shakes her head. "No time to waste."

"That's what the scouts reported. Keep in mind that's not a guarantee. If there are people in there, just... be careful, alright? Try to reason with them if you can." Otto warns, before turning off all the lights and killing the engine. He then turns on a small flashlight and tucks it into his ear such that it was pointing straight ahead. While it wasn't immediately needed, he did appreciate the extra light hitting the pages of his tome once he cracks it open. Leaing back, Otto reaches into his pack and passes Ebreus his binoculars. "Here ya go. Remember to give em back once yer' done." the fennec yips, then settles in to enjoy his reading. Whatever they were planning to do, was up to them, it seemed.

Fenris perks up his ears and alights from the jeep. "I am good at knocking on doors!" the tanuki says, "Polite is my middle name!" He pauses before hopping the fence. "It isn't really," he says, "It's a metaphor." He moves to hop the fence, then stops. "Not a metaphor," he asserts, "A turn of phrase. Whatever." He then turns and lightly hops the fence and starts to make his way across the field, fat tail bobbing behind him. He starts to hum a little tune as he walks.

"Knocking. Well then, I will let someone else do that. I will try to approach out of sight, in case someone is watching, it might be best if they do not have an accurate count of our numbers," Edel says, making her way across the field in a less direct fashion, far to the side of Fenris' direct gait. And checking for landmines, after last time...

Ebreus takes the binoculars and examines the house, "See that Phos, someone on the second floor." he says to the sniper-panda. He looks up from the binoculars at Fenris as he exits the jeep and goes to hop the fence. It takes him a moment to register just what the Tanuki is doing then he looks to Phosphorus as Edel steps out, "Mind if I borrow that that smoke 'nade? Fen might need some cover if he's just going to stroll right up." he says and readies himself for whatever happens as the Tanuki aproaches the house.

"Thrown that close, it will cause serious damage to the house and to Fenris. It's a WP smoke grenade." The panda clarifies, letting the rifle hang from its straps and pulling out her revolver. Much better for this sort of range. "I doubt these are hostiles. Even if they are with the group... well, I don't think we should be taking hostages."

The figure in the second story window disappears and some commotion could be heard from behind the front door. Thumping of feet and precautionary shouts muffled by the old wooden walls, the structure oddly enough in fair condition despite all that'd happened. As Fenris approaches, things go silent, and all that's left is the faint flickering lights within the structure's interior, gently leaking out the windows~

Fenris takes note of the commotion inside the building. Looks like there are tennants after all. The burly tanuki takes his time making his way to the door. He brushes off his robes, looks around at his surroundings and frowns a little. He sticks out his tongue in concentration and his clothes blur. When they come back into focus, he is wearing a plaid shirt, cowboy hat and heavy, leather belt. "Hello the house!" he says, smiling pleasantly and rapping gently on the door, "Anyone home? Sorry to bother you after dark!"

Once Edel feels close enough, she goes prone in the field, letting whatever foliag there might be, coupled with her outfit, do the rest. She could wait til something happened, one way or another.

Ebreus tenses up as Fenris reaches the house and waits for the response. He takes a meansured breath as he prepares to lend what support he can to his ally should those inside the house not be friendly. Leaning close to the metal door of the jeep he watches.

Phosphorus pushes the visor of her helmet down, opening one of the doors of the car and taking cover behind it, peering at the door with revolver in hand. She's sufficiently covered behind the door that the weapon isn't obvious, but her helmet sure is. "Hm. I sure hope being 'polite' works. I'd have to have to jump to breach-and-clear."

Thankfully, it would seem that Fenris was onto something with his approach, the tanuki greeted after a long delay, by someone slowly cracking the door door open and peering through to observe him at the porch. "W-who... what do you want?" asks the voice, unsteady and shaken, clearly the eye of an unmutated human just behind that wooden portal.

Fenris raises his white hat and smiles at whoever it is behind that door. "Hello!" he says warmly, "My belt buckle says Big Boy! My friends and I didn't realize anyone was living here. I really am sorry to bother you, but it is dark and we were hoping that maybe you might have someplace we could bunk up for the night and plan our next move?" The tanuki swings his small satchel around and produces a smoky bottle of something. "We would be happy to share what we have with you," he says, "Or maybe give you a hand around here in return." He smiles broadly again at the door and sticks his thumbs in his belt again, waiting for a reaction.

Edel remains on the ground, but it seems Fenris is getting a good enough reception, so she turns her eyes to the house instead, looking it over. If it was in good shape, that was impressive after all these years.

Ebreus watches as the door opens and Fenris remains unharmed. In the absence of an immedient attack on Fenris at the front door he does a once over of the building before returning his attention to the doorway.

Phosphorus nods, and sticks her revolver back in the holster, stepping out from behind the car door, closing it, and approaching the door behind Fenris, hooking a finger beneath the ballistic visor and pulling it up, leaving her face unobstructed. Best to be forthcoming.

The voice that answers is distinctly male, tired and weak much like the eye peering through the door. "You folks are far away from home, aint'cha?" the man huffs as he slowly opens up the door. He quickly reveals to be carrying a handgun in his right hand, kept pointing down for the time being. His hazel eyes dart around the exterior, peering at the darkness, though he seems to fail to notice Phosphorus or the others right away. His attention returns to Fenris, "You mentioned a 'we'. Who else is with you, and why are you folks here anyway? Y'all lookin' to barter or just need shelter? Psh, fucking winter's going on forever." the man sighs deeply.

"You said a cuss word." sounds off behind the man, his attention snapping back to where a child, a young boy no older than ten stood. "Who's the fluffy one?" he asks, prompting only a foot stomp and a barking order from the older gentleman. "Kyle! Get back upstairs, darnit! Now!" With a pout and a peek over one shoulder, the child moves off to ascend the stairwell leading into the second floor, though he doesn't go all the way, rather lingering right at the top, too curious for his own good. Turning back to the tanuki, the man sighs deeply and rubs his nape. "We ain't got much in terms of hospitality, the last gang that passed through here weren't very friendly, as it turned out." he pulls back his shirt, revealing the scar marking a gunshot wound inflicted gods knew how long ago. "So pardon me if I ain't feeling too inclined to let you stay." Even so, there was a desperation in the man's eyes, and perhaps a glimmer of hope. "But... I know you lot from over yonder, always out and about lookin' for this or that. You folks might be able to help me out plenty, and I think I might have something you'd like to get yer hands... er-paws, whatever on."

Once Phosphorus approaches, he gives her a look over and tightens the grip around the handle of his pistol, though his smile does widen just a touch once he spots the armaments she was carrying. "Hmmm, y'all are armed, then..." he clears his throat and nods nervously, "Good... good, always good to be safe out here. So uh... any others in yer group?"

"Yep!" Fenris says pleasantly, giving a smile and a wave to the kid, "There are," the tanuki stops and counts on his fingers, "Five of us, all different sorts. But we really don't want to fight. I'm sure that we would all be happy to lend you a hand. Maybe make a trade." The tanuki is aware that they are here for something specific, though he is a little foggy on the details. "Mind if our friend out on the road drives the car up?"

Edel pushes herself up once things are deemed to be friendly, rolling her shoulders. She makes her way over, her own armaments sheathed and away, offering a cheery wave. "Yes, yes, we do not want to make any trouble for you folks out here."

Ebreus smiles as it seems that the bandits aren't in the building and with him now sitting with only Otto inside the Jeep he shrugs and steps out, closing the door behind him. "Guess I'll walk up and say hello as well since it seems to be working." he says and holsters his shotgun-pistols. He adjusts his visor so his face is visible and tries to not look evil as he aproaches the house.

"I... I think we should be upfront." Phosphorus glances at Fenris, then at the man, rubbing her face a bit and shuffling the larger of her two rifles off to the side. She speaks to the man, again, levelling her gaze with his. "We may have had a slight run-in with one of those gangs. They're searching for us. Our intel said this place was empty - it was obviously wrong. We would like to trade for supplies, scrap, and salvage... but I think the impending threat is more important. If you must turn us away, fine. I think we can control the road from further down... but we've inadvertently made you a target by even stopping here. For that, I apologise. But... I think we might be able to make a slight show of force, here, and scare the gang away, once and for all, if they decide to keep searching."

The man's eyes go wide once he hears Phosphorus' words, his gaze panicked and teeth gritted once he processes what he'd been told. "God... FUCKING damn it! Those bastards are still in the area?! Grah!" he growls loudly, as well as a human could, at least. "Ain't gonna survive another attack once those motherfuckers come knockin' for more food! Unless..." his glance wanders back to the mutants, an idea seemingly forming in his head. "Don't you worry about us none, we can hold our own, or rather we WOULD if we had the tools to do so. You folks look properly armed, so tell you what..." he puts his hands together and his pistol away. "I'm willing to part with a lot for just one, maybe two decent rifles, or even pistols, just something to give to each of the family so we don't have to rely on one measly handgun alone. I mean, most of what I got's rusted or worn... I got an old' engine block out back, a couple o' tires, some spare solar cells..." he shrugs "Ain't too keen on giving up our food or water though, family has to eat after all." he crosses his arms.

Fenris does not hesitate for even a moment. The big tanuki twists his bag around once more and produces a pair of surprisingly large items. The first is a bolt action rifle that has obviously seen some wear and tear, but is still in good condition. The second is a broad headed axe that seems to glow, ever so slightly, as long as you don't look directly at it. Then he reaches into a holster on his gun belt to produce what looks like a child's sci-fi ray gun. He takes all three objects and sets them there on the porch. "And I don't mind sticking around to help," he says pleasantly, "It is the neighborly thing to do." The big tanuki sticks his thumbs back in his gun belt and looks around at the house. "You folks been here long?" he asks.

"I do not have any spare firearms on me, but if I have the parts I can make them. Parts and time. I am willing to help you defend the place, too, if you want." Edel rubs at the back of her head. "I can't turn away from people that might be in need, or in danger. I have a family of my own, after all. It wouldn't sit right with me."

Ebreus nods as the man formulates a plan and says he'd be willing to trade weapons for pretty much whatever they wanted except the bare necessities. "Glad to hear that our visit isn't disasterous." he comments as Fen sets down a set of weapons. He calls his three combat drones to him from the jeep as he continues, "I think I could spare a few hand grenades. I'd also be happy to help fend off the bandits while we're here."

"As much as you may... I think I'd feel bad leaving you all without at least some protection. I have a sniper rifle - if you would help me get onto the roof, or into the highest window, I think I could thin the numbers a bit. I was going to lay mines, but... well, you guys are here, and all, so." Phosphorus says, glancing about. She'd have the range advantage by a fair amount, if she managed to get a decent vantage point. A hill would be ideal, as well as being able to rotate positions or flee, but... well, you make do.

"Oh, this will do just fine." the man's expression lights up, his hand reaching for the rifle as he picks it up and gives it a look over. "Yeah, I reckon we can keep a good watch with this bitty right here. She looks dang accurate, must have a hell of a kick though. Easy enough to use though." he shrugs and glances at the other two weapons offered by the tanuki. "We ain't got no use for no exotic stuff there. Bullets is all my family really understands. None of those "pew pew pew" space guns or anything. How do you even reload those anyway? I don't wanna know. The rifle's a good start! I reckon my older boy will make good use of it during the graveyard shift or when he's out hunting."

Once Edel speaks up, the man raises a hand and says politely, "I much appreciate that erh... ma'am?" he casts a confused and apologetic look her way "But erh... my family ain't all that kindly around strangers. I reckon we should just do our business and you should just be on your way. But thank ya kindly nonetheless." he leans the rifle over his shoulder and looks about the group "You folks ain't tellin' me what you want in exchange. I ain't takin' nothing pro-bono from you mutant sort." his brows furrow as he lets his finger play over the rifle's trigger.

Glancing over to Ebreus, his eyes are drawn over to the flying drones and takes a step back into the house. "Do ya mind? Those things ain't too safe-lookin'." the man huffs, then locks eyes with Ebreus. "Ain't looking to blow no bastards up. I told ya what I want. Rifles, pistols. You wanna go tussle with the thugs on yer' own, I ain't gonna stop ya! What I said earlier remains as is nonetheless."

Then Phosphorus chymes in... and the man slumps his shoulders, looking somewhat defeated. "You folks and your persistence..." one could practically see the fatigue in his eyes, though... and he seems to be thinking it over. "Tell you folks what... alright. You wanna be so generous, fine. There's scrap and some useful salvage worth a damn in the barn out back, and it's plenty high that you can have a good vantage point. I usually have my eldest up there, but he's come down with something nasty, still in bed upstairs." he sighs deeply and shakes his head "But it don' matter either way. Here." he reaches into his pocket and tosses Phosphorus a key. "There's a padlock on the door. Open her up, spend the night in there if you want, it's warm and there's plenty o' hay to sleep on, the good stuff's in there. Okay? I'll hang onto the rifle." he pats the bolt-action beauty he'd been handed. "You can have your driver or whatever pull in there too. Should be a big enough door to fit it, unless you folks came here in a fuckin' tank or something."