- Location
- Philippines
[X] Save her! (DC 60 Accuracy, DC 70 Evasion)
Mooks in the Crossfire
- Thread starter SlugSLinger
- Start date
- Original
The Chase Pt 1
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
[] Save her! (DC 60 Accuracy, DC 70 Evasion)
Accuracy:
Rolled: (95+10 [Crackshot]) 105
Needed: 60
Evasion:
Rolled: 6
Needed: 70
Damage taken: (1d20) 14
Remaining Health: 96
'Body Armor' destroyed.
You blink and your arms have brought your rifle up to your shoulder, your eye peering down the sight. You depress the trigger and don't stop until the magazine is spent.
Thirty 5.56 NATO rounds fly but only one manages to draw blood. It scores a direct hit where one of the bird-like thing's eyes should have been and punches through it other side, trailing black ichor. The body slumps off the screaming girl and she kicks it off of her with desperate strength.
You hear caws, sounds like warping metal and breaking glass in one, and you look up in time to see another one of those things beat it's wings. You feel several somethings hit your armor with just enough force to cut their way through.
You stumble back and fall. Then Jacob lets loose with his M60. Disciplined, controlled bursts of 7.62 rounds fill the air and forces the thing to flutter out of range. Jacob's face is like stone and he hardly blinks as he tracks targets and keeps them at bay.
You spare a glance at your armor and find it shredded, perforated by obsidian feathers as sharp as knives and as tough as steel. You shrug it off and scramble after Angelica, who helps Kamigusa to her feet. You take one arm and Angelica takes the other, and together you hobble to the truck as fast as you can with and injured and sobbing young woman.
You don't look at the things Jacob is shooting at, but by the look of alarm and fear slowly spreading across his face, it's clear that his bullets are slowly losing their effectiveness at keeping the monsters back.
"Walker!" you scream, hoping your voice is louder than the roar of Jacob's machinegun as you throw Kamigusa into the truck and clamber into it alongside Angelica. "Drive! Gogogo!"
The truck lurches and it's tires struggle for purchase in the loose soil. A terrifying moment later, the truck lumbers forward just in time as an entire murder of those things start to converge, forming an ominous swirling cloud of doom not entirely different than the kind you'd find above the evil lairs of children's stories. Jacob keeps firing his M60 until it goes click, at which point you and Angelica bring up your guns and empty their magazines into the growing swarm. You keep firing until you're out of your weapons' effective firing range and the swarm is far enough away that you can relax a tiny bit.
"Angelica, check on the girl. Jacob, keep your sights trained on that swarm. If they so much as twitch after us, you let me know." you make your way through the other passengers who are somewhere between 'holy fucking shit, did that just happen' and 'oh god, it isn't over what do we do now'.
"Kamigusa? Kamigusa, look at me." Angelica looms over the sobbing girl, Jacob at her back and ignoring the panicked chatter of the eggheads in the truck with her. "Hold still, you're going to be fine. Okay? Calm down and keep your eyes on me, alright?"
"I-It hurts..." the Japanese girl whimpers. "I-It hurts s-so m-much..."
You clamber to the driver's cab and slide open the small peephole. Walker is there, sweating bullets and glancing at the side mirrors every few seconds. He notices you and damn near jumps out of his skin.
"Sweet Jesus," he murmurs. "Don't scare me like that, damn it!"
"Shut up and keep your eyes on the damn road." you snap back. "Keep your guns loaded and don't ever look away from where you're driving, got it?"
"Sure mom," he rolls his eyes, but his shoulders relax the slightest bit. "Who'd you save?"
"Kamigusa." you tell him. "She's in bad shape, but Angelica's tending to her so she'll pull through if we get her to a hospital quickly enough."
"Got it." he shoots you a grin through the rearview mirror. "Leave it to me. We're taking the main road, right?"
You mull it over. The main road was the quickest to the EDEN base in the area and thus help, but it was also terribly exposed and posed the possibility of endangering civilians. On the other hand, taking the rural road was longer and much rougher, but the abundance of tall trees made it almost impossible for the swarm of bird-things that wiped out the entire camp to make concentrated attack attempts. But then, if these things are here, could there be other things too?
"Chris?" Walkes hollers. "Which way?"
[] The main road (Reach safety sooner, high danger)
[] The rural road (Reach safety later, moderate-high danger)
[] Write-in
A/N: And so, it begins.
Accuracy:
Rolled: (95+10 [Crackshot]) 105
Needed: 60
Evasion:
Rolled: 6
Needed: 70
Damage taken: (1d20) 14
Remaining Health: 96
'Body Armor' destroyed.
You blink and your arms have brought your rifle up to your shoulder, your eye peering down the sight. You depress the trigger and don't stop until the magazine is spent.
Thirty 5.56 NATO rounds fly but only one manages to draw blood. It scores a direct hit where one of the bird-like thing's eyes should have been and punches through it other side, trailing black ichor. The body slumps off the screaming girl and she kicks it off of her with desperate strength.
You hear caws, sounds like warping metal and breaking glass in one, and you look up in time to see another one of those things beat it's wings. You feel several somethings hit your armor with just enough force to cut their way through.
You stumble back and fall. Then Jacob lets loose with his M60. Disciplined, controlled bursts of 7.62 rounds fill the air and forces the thing to flutter out of range. Jacob's face is like stone and he hardly blinks as he tracks targets and keeps them at bay.
You spare a glance at your armor and find it shredded, perforated by obsidian feathers as sharp as knives and as tough as steel. You shrug it off and scramble after Angelica, who helps Kamigusa to her feet. You take one arm and Angelica takes the other, and together you hobble to the truck as fast as you can with and injured and sobbing young woman.
You don't look at the things Jacob is shooting at, but by the look of alarm and fear slowly spreading across his face, it's clear that his bullets are slowly losing their effectiveness at keeping the monsters back.
"Walker!" you scream, hoping your voice is louder than the roar of Jacob's machinegun as you throw Kamigusa into the truck and clamber into it alongside Angelica. "Drive! Gogogo!"
The truck lurches and it's tires struggle for purchase in the loose soil. A terrifying moment later, the truck lumbers forward just in time as an entire murder of those things start to converge, forming an ominous swirling cloud of doom not entirely different than the kind you'd find above the evil lairs of children's stories. Jacob keeps firing his M60 until it goes click, at which point you and Angelica bring up your guns and empty their magazines into the growing swarm. You keep firing until you're out of your weapons' effective firing range and the swarm is far enough away that you can relax a tiny bit.
"Angelica, check on the girl. Jacob, keep your sights trained on that swarm. If they so much as twitch after us, you let me know." you make your way through the other passengers who are somewhere between 'holy fucking shit, did that just happen' and 'oh god, it isn't over what do we do now'.
"Kamigusa? Kamigusa, look at me." Angelica looms over the sobbing girl, Jacob at her back and ignoring the panicked chatter of the eggheads in the truck with her. "Hold still, you're going to be fine. Okay? Calm down and keep your eyes on me, alright?"
"I-It hurts..." the Japanese girl whimpers. "I-It hurts s-so m-much..."
You clamber to the driver's cab and slide open the small peephole. Walker is there, sweating bullets and glancing at the side mirrors every few seconds. He notices you and damn near jumps out of his skin.
"Sweet Jesus," he murmurs. "Don't scare me like that, damn it!"
"Shut up and keep your eyes on the damn road." you snap back. "Keep your guns loaded and don't ever look away from where you're driving, got it?"
"Sure mom," he rolls his eyes, but his shoulders relax the slightest bit. "Who'd you save?"
"Kamigusa." you tell him. "She's in bad shape, but Angelica's tending to her so she'll pull through if we get her to a hospital quickly enough."
"Got it." he shoots you a grin through the rearview mirror. "Leave it to me. We're taking the main road, right?"
You mull it over. The main road was the quickest to the EDEN base in the area and thus help, but it was also terribly exposed and posed the possibility of endangering civilians. On the other hand, taking the rural road was longer and much rougher, but the abundance of tall trees made it almost impossible for the swarm of bird-things that wiped out the entire camp to make concentrated attack attempts. But then, if these things are here, could there be other things too?
"Chris?" Walkes hollers. "Which way?"
[] The main road (Reach safety sooner, high danger)
[] The rural road (Reach safety later, moderate-high danger)
[] Write-in
A/N: And so, it begins.
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
You killed it, though. Good job.
Now you get to deal with the several hundred or so others that are flying after you. Fun times.
- Location
- Everywhere, Anywhere, Nowhere.
[X] The main road (Reach safety sooner, high danger)
We need to hurry up, Angelica needs an actual hospital fast.
We need to hurry up, Angelica needs an actual hospital fast.
- Location
- 1
[X] The main road (Reach safety sooner, high danger)
That's what faceless civilians are there for.
That's what faceless civilians are there for.
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
Guys, the faceless civilians may know something. We are scary and have guns, we can get one of them to tell us what's going on (assuming they can guess from whatever they were studying).
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
Guys, the faceless civilians may know something. We are scary and have guns, we can get one of them to tell us what's going on (assuming they can guess from whatever they were studying).
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
Blackfyre
The Gorgon
- Location
- The Abyss
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
[X] The main road (Reach safety sooner, high danger)
- Location
- United States
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
- Location
- Earth
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
- Location
- USA
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
hughmann
Airman
- Location
- USA
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
We don't have time, we need to get out now, and the other option will still result in a fight with those things.
Edit: didn't see this plan.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
We don't have time, we need to get out now, and the other option will still result in a fight with those things.
Edit: didn't see this plan.
Last edited:
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
- Location
- italy bologna
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route
- Location
- Philippines
[X] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
-[X] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[X] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[X] Just guess, dammit!
---[X] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[X] Otherwise, take the rural route.
The Chase pt 2
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
[] Write-in Plan Knowledge Dump
-[] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[] Just guess, dammit!
---[] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[] Otherwise, take the rural route
You consider your answer, mulling it over in your head until another line of thought comes up.
Rick sent you to evacuate the eggheads ahead of time because they were important. Important how, you aren't sure, but they're here for a reason and the sooner you find out why the better your chances of survival are.
"Hold on," you tell Walker. "I need to talk to one of the eggheads for a bit."
You ignore the confused sound he makes before sweeping your gaze over the twenty or so people not in military garb in the truck. They haven't notice you looking on account of the panic and fear, but few do and look away. One of them, a lanky young man wearing a pair of spectacles with a broken lens maintains eye contact for a second too long. You move to him.
"Hey." you say to him. He doesn't respond. "Hey!"
"W-What?" he finally forces his eyes to you and tries to inch away from you.
"You guys were doing something back in the camp." you start. "I don't care what or why, but I'm guessing it has something to do with those murderbirds swirling over the campsite. Right?"
"M-Maybe..." he hedges. Good enough.
"Are those birds going to follow us?" you continue.
"I-I don't k-know." the young egghead shakes his head. "I-I was only an i-intern so I-I didn't get to see the site much so-"
"Are those birds going to follow us or not?" you press, voice rising. You didn't have time for this hesitation bullshit, lives were at stake. "Yes or no?"
"I-I don't know!" he shakes his head. "T-The only o-one who'd know is P-Professor Werheim, b-but he never made it out of the t- uh, the site, and-"
"Just guess, damn it!" you yell. He and the other eggheads close to him flinch away.
"I-I don't know!" he shakes his head. "T-They would if we're c-carrying the a-artifact with us!"
"Artifact?" Angelica looks up from tending to Kamigusa's injuries.
The truck hits a bump in the road and everyone inside is thrown an inch off their seats. You turn to the driver's cab and are about to bark at Walker to slow down when you see a small cube about the size of a jewelry box slip out of one of the other egghead's hands and tumble over to you. You pick it up and give it a once over, eyes straining under the dim light.
The box itself seems quite heavy, despite it's small size. It is covered in a layer of damp dirt, which suggests that it was buried and only recently unearthed. You brush off some of the soil and find a half-rotten wood surface under it, lined with a mismash of letters that form some kind of caveman speak. You brush some more dirt and find hinges and a lock.
"A box?" you murmur. Then you feel your heart sink. "Shit. This wouldn't happen to be the artifact you were talking about, would it?"
The young egghead is paler than a sheet and sweating up a storm. You don't need anything else.
"Fuck, okay." you set the thing down and grab the scared young man'.s shoulders. "Look at me. Calm down and look. Aside from those birds, is anything else we'd need to watch out for?"
The truck hits another speed bump and this time, everyone inside is tossed out of their seats or loses their balance.
"Walker!" you bark. "Watch where you're driving!"
"I can't!" he yells back. "There's a fucking fog in the way! I can't see shit!"
You look to the back of the truck, where Jacob is scrambling to re-position his gun. The air outside has grown murky, visibility lessening until even the swirling doom-cloud of murderbirds blotting out most of the sky has disappeared. You still hear them, though. Their caws, the flaps of their wings; they're growing louder. Closer.
The truck hits yet another speedbump, but this time, you aren't sure if it was the road or something else.
"Walker! Take the rural road!" you yell, rushing to the rear of the truck, settling beside Jacob. "Get us out of here as fast as this truck can go!"
"On it!" he replies, and the truck lurches as it picks up more speed.
The noise grows, caws and wingbeats growing louder and closer. It grows to the point where you can't even hear the truck's engine and threats to overwhelm the sound of your own thoughts. You grip your gun tight and grit your teeth, heart racing a mile a minute.
Then, they come.
Defense
Attacking side: (64 + 15 [Overwhelming Numbers]+ 10 [Terrain Advantage] + 10 [??? Swarm]) 99
Defending side: (94 + 10 [Crackshot] + 20 [Heavy Weapon Support] - 10 [Terrain Disavantage] - 10 [Unknown Enemy]) 104
- No Injuries sustained
- No casualties
- Enemy force pushed back
- Enemy force suffers minimal casualties
They flood in through the fog like a literal tidal wave of flapping wings, eyeless faces, and ear splitting caws that demanded blood. A single column of malevolent murderbirds that looked deadset on killing you and everyone else with you.
You and Jacob unload everything you have onto that single column. Your bullets bounced off obsidian bodies and forced those hit divert their course, slowing down the encroaching column. Some of your shots struck true and downed a handful of those blasted birds. But it didn't seem to be enough to actually stop the damn things from getting closer and closer. So close in fact that you swear one of those birds even managed to peck the muzzle of your rifle.
"Stand clear!" you hear Angelica yell behind you. "Fire in the hole!"
Something small flies past and disappears amidst the fluttering darkness and cawing beaks. You and Jacob hit the deck, knowing what's to come.
The explosion rocks the truck and sends everyone off their seats, the sound deafening you for a brief moment. The truck's wheels struggle to find purchase on the soil and it slides almost uncontrollably for one terrifying moment. But Walker's skill at the wheel is great and he manages to force the truck out of the slide and back onto the road.
You peer out the rear and find that the fog has receded somewhat, and that the murderbird swarm is reforming after that grenade exploded in their midst. It probably won't take long, but it does give you enough time to reload and calm down.
You shoot Angelica a thankful look and give her a thumbs up, to which she replies with a smile before continuing to work on Kamigusa. You turn to Jacob, who gives you a nod and reloads his M60. There are three ammo boxes for his gun left, barely enough to keep the damn birds away for little longer before he runs dry. Walker peers from the driver's cab and gives you a thumbs up.
"We're at the road!" he announces and the truck lurches, then steadies as it trasitions from rough dirt to pothole-lined asphalt. "We're taking the long route, so we'll be at the EDEN base in around half an hour!"
"Can't you make this thing go any faster!?" you ask.
"It's a fucking diesal! I can't!" Walker barks back. "Just keep those birds off me just a little while longer!"
[] Convince the eggheads to let you destroy the damn box (DC 60 Charisma)
[] Write-in
-[] The people who know things thought the eggheads were important to save, they may know something about whatever the fuck that was.
--[] Ask the eggheads if the fucking murderbirds are likely to follow us and if there's anything else we should watch out for.
---[] Just guess, dammit!
---[] If they aren't likely to follow us OR there are non-flying things to worry about, take the main road.
---[] Otherwise, take the rural route
You consider your answer, mulling it over in your head until another line of thought comes up.
Rick sent you to evacuate the eggheads ahead of time because they were important. Important how, you aren't sure, but they're here for a reason and the sooner you find out why the better your chances of survival are.
"Hold on," you tell Walker. "I need to talk to one of the eggheads for a bit."
You ignore the confused sound he makes before sweeping your gaze over the twenty or so people not in military garb in the truck. They haven't notice you looking on account of the panic and fear, but few do and look away. One of them, a lanky young man wearing a pair of spectacles with a broken lens maintains eye contact for a second too long. You move to him.
"Hey." you say to him. He doesn't respond. "Hey!"
"W-What?" he finally forces his eyes to you and tries to inch away from you.
"You guys were doing something back in the camp." you start. "I don't care what or why, but I'm guessing it has something to do with those murderbirds swirling over the campsite. Right?"
"M-Maybe..." he hedges. Good enough.
"Are those birds going to follow us?" you continue.
"I-I don't k-know." the young egghead shakes his head. "I-I was only an i-intern so I-I didn't get to see the site much so-"
"Are those birds going to follow us or not?" you press, voice rising. You didn't have time for this hesitation bullshit, lives were at stake. "Yes or no?"
"I-I don't know!" he shakes his head. "T-The only o-one who'd know is P-Professor Werheim, b-but he never made it out of the t- uh, the site, and-"
"Just guess, damn it!" you yell. He and the other eggheads close to him flinch away.
"I-I don't know!" he shakes his head. "T-They would if we're c-carrying the a-artifact with us!"
"Artifact?" Angelica looks up from tending to Kamigusa's injuries.
The truck hits a bump in the road and everyone inside is thrown an inch off their seats. You turn to the driver's cab and are about to bark at Walker to slow down when you see a small cube about the size of a jewelry box slip out of one of the other egghead's hands and tumble over to you. You pick it up and give it a once over, eyes straining under the dim light.
The box itself seems quite heavy, despite it's small size. It is covered in a layer of damp dirt, which suggests that it was buried and only recently unearthed. You brush off some of the soil and find a half-rotten wood surface under it, lined with a mismash of letters that form some kind of caveman speak. You brush some more dirt and find hinges and a lock.
"A box?" you murmur. Then you feel your heart sink. "Shit. This wouldn't happen to be the artifact you were talking about, would it?"
The young egghead is paler than a sheet and sweating up a storm. You don't need anything else.
"Fuck, okay." you set the thing down and grab the scared young man'.s shoulders. "Look at me. Calm down and look. Aside from those birds, is anything else we'd need to watch out for?"
The truck hits another speed bump and this time, everyone inside is tossed out of their seats or loses their balance.
"Walker!" you bark. "Watch where you're driving!"
"I can't!" he yells back. "There's a fucking fog in the way! I can't see shit!"
You look to the back of the truck, where Jacob is scrambling to re-position his gun. The air outside has grown murky, visibility lessening until even the swirling doom-cloud of murderbirds blotting out most of the sky has disappeared. You still hear them, though. Their caws, the flaps of their wings; they're growing louder. Closer.
The truck hits yet another speedbump, but this time, you aren't sure if it was the road or something else.
"Walker! Take the rural road!" you yell, rushing to the rear of the truck, settling beside Jacob. "Get us out of here as fast as this truck can go!"
"On it!" he replies, and the truck lurches as it picks up more speed.
The noise grows, caws and wingbeats growing louder and closer. It grows to the point where you can't even hear the truck's engine and threats to overwhelm the sound of your own thoughts. You grip your gun tight and grit your teeth, heart racing a mile a minute.
Then, they come.
Defense
Attacking side: (64 + 15 [Overwhelming Numbers]+ 10 [Terrain Advantage] + 10 [??? Swarm]) 99
Defending side: (94 + 10 [Crackshot] + 20 [Heavy Weapon Support] - 10 [Terrain Disavantage] - 10 [Unknown Enemy]) 104
- No Injuries sustained
- No casualties
- Enemy force pushed back
- Enemy force suffers minimal casualties
They flood in through the fog like a literal tidal wave of flapping wings, eyeless faces, and ear splitting caws that demanded blood. A single column of malevolent murderbirds that looked deadset on killing you and everyone else with you.
You and Jacob unload everything you have onto that single column. Your bullets bounced off obsidian bodies and forced those hit divert their course, slowing down the encroaching column. Some of your shots struck true and downed a handful of those blasted birds. But it didn't seem to be enough to actually stop the damn things from getting closer and closer. So close in fact that you swear one of those birds even managed to peck the muzzle of your rifle.
"Stand clear!" you hear Angelica yell behind you. "Fire in the hole!"
Something small flies past and disappears amidst the fluttering darkness and cawing beaks. You and Jacob hit the deck, knowing what's to come.
The explosion rocks the truck and sends everyone off their seats, the sound deafening you for a brief moment. The truck's wheels struggle to find purchase on the soil and it slides almost uncontrollably for one terrifying moment. But Walker's skill at the wheel is great and he manages to force the truck out of the slide and back onto the road.
You peer out the rear and find that the fog has receded somewhat, and that the murderbird swarm is reforming after that grenade exploded in their midst. It probably won't take long, but it does give you enough time to reload and calm down.
You shoot Angelica a thankful look and give her a thumbs up, to which she replies with a smile before continuing to work on Kamigusa. You turn to Jacob, who gives you a nod and reloads his M60. There are three ammo boxes for his gun left, barely enough to keep the damn birds away for little longer before he runs dry. Walker peers from the driver's cab and gives you a thumbs up.
"We're at the road!" he announces and the truck lurches, then steadies as it trasitions from rough dirt to pothole-lined asphalt. "We're taking the long route, so we'll be at the EDEN base in around half an hour!"
"Can't you make this thing go any faster!?" you ask.
"It's a fucking diesal! I can't!" Walker barks back. "Just keep those birds off me just a little while longer!"
Ancient eyes open, the sky darkens, and the forest stirs to life
[] Covince the eggheads to toss out the damn box (DC 40 Charisma)[] Convince the eggheads to let you destroy the damn box (DC 60 Charisma)
[] Write-in
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chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
[X] Ask them what the box is for.
-[X] If it's important in the "Throw this away and you're more screwed than if you had kept it" sense, then don't throw it away.
--[X] If it isn't, then toss it, and darn what they say.
-[X] If it's important in the "Throw this away and you're more screwed than if you had kept it" sense, then don't throw it away.
--[X] If it isn't, then toss it, and darn what they say.