Flatline seems to mull things over a little bit. Eventually he says "I should stay here and rest so I can get these folks on their feet as soon as possible. But could some of you show Willie around if we're staying? I'd be nice to get some of that "cleaner than I've ever had water" I didn't think about bringing a canteen. I didn't expect to be sticking around. "

Larrissa is clearly in charge, but the cyclops doesn't wait to say "Alright." and waves Willie over. The others from his excursion except for the wirey guy start walking along too.

Flatline leans back in his pew "In the meantime, what do you mean by "metahumanity has always been the biggest danger to itself. ""

Larrissa narrows her eyes a little and doesn't reply, but as the three lead Willie out of the room he can see others moving in to start educating/preaching to Flatline.

Once a little away the other Orc says. "I was going to have them get the feathers you took. Getting paid to do the fighting not take stuff off our land. But if you have to camp out here, I'll let it slide. Little present yeah? "

"Thanks." Willie hasn't the best grasp of social networks, but to him it is becoming clear that there are more lines of communication than the one from Larissa down. It is beginning to dawn on him that bullets aren't always the best way to influence people and make friends. Maybe some more time with Bongo will help him figure things like that out.

"I'm a city boy myself. I don't get much time out in the wilds. There's a lot of space out here with not much I have feel for. How much of this place do you guys call your land?"

The other Ork replies. "You're welcome. And, well, we definitely claim the island across the bridge. But I guess we don't think about it too much. I guess everything in walking distance or so? Maybe more? There isn't really anybody to discuss it with. Civilization is a long way out. ""

The cyclops chimes in with. "It's called Taylors island. But without an apostrophe. As if they mean an island with a lot of Taylors. Or the map guys just hated having to put in apostrophes. I dunno. "

The human plays with his dreads a little and nods his head while saying. "That's an interesting question man. Like, what if there are other groups out there. We don't tend to just go on trips tromping through the woods. Maybe there are all sorts of other groups tucked away here and there, and we just don't know."

He then stops and points "So over there are the rain barrels. It was a kitchen for the social hall over here. It's got a cement floor and drains so if they overflow you don't get a mold problem. Larrissa keeps saying the key to being able to keep using this place is keeping it dry. So we really try to keep on top of any holes with the plastic sheeting. If the timbers hold up someday this place will look like it's covered in a plastic quilt. "

The cyclops turns to head downstairs. Let me get the lock off the room with the supplies down in the basement. They had pretty oldschool security here to start with, and most of it doesn't work, so we've put locks on some doors. When you're inside a room there's often that little old school turny thing on the knobs. But down in the basement you should be fine. Just hang out with your chummers and have fun with the old foosball tables and the gaga pit. " He gives an awkward smile.

Willie perks up at the mention of supplies. A grenade or two perhaps?

If Willie was hoping for a gun locker he's sorely disappointed. The supplies at least those he can see on the table in the middle of the room, involve plastic tubs that seem to have food in them.

The Ork, still looking a little sheepish waves at one of them. "The rest just have food we make around here, and the jugs have water or sweet tea. But that one has some twinkies and drek like that. "

The cyclops adds "Actually, while we're used to it, you might enjoy some actual grown food instead of the cheap soy and lentil wafers I had to make due with before coming here. Got some jeky of some wild stuff in there. Most of it is New Boar since some of those set up around here. But that one's Behemoth. We just dealt with the one, but we got a whole lot of meat from it. Critters like that usually leave us alone, but sometimes they get too close to the island. Usually we pick em up on a drone and can snipe them, or at least hear them coming through the underbrush and get our distance. The Phoenix just managed to ambush our guys stealthily. Or at least suddenly."

Wordlessly after all this talk of it the Ork pops the flanges to unseal and release the top of the container with the Behemoth jerky and helps himself to a handful.

The human adds "The bread is...kinda tasty. It's an experience. So hard you could beat someone with it, but it seems like it doesn't go bad. You'll probably enjoy it more with those tusks than your friends. Anyway that and some dried mulberries are what you have to work with. " This is just a spot where we store extra sometimes as we gather and hunt out of the woods around here."

Willie digs in like a starving jackal. He grew up on dumpster diving and has the constitution that comes from it. He could eat that Behemoth meat raw.

"Mmmm. Good stuff this." He follows the jerky with a mouthful of bread. He crush/crunches it no problem. A swig of water washes it down.

"You guys eat mighty well out here. I'm gettin' the picture." He wipes his lips on his sleeve.

The cyclops says "Well it's natural. I think it'd actually be really expensive in the city...but it gets a bit repetitive."

The human adds "And bland. Sometimes we have peppers and mess around with herbs, but still"

The Orc kinda awkwardly says "Well, we should probably head back up and do guard stuff. Yeah. Just, I guess make yourself at home. You can see how critters would have to wander a fair way to get here, and the doors are locked anyway. I guess if you need to get out or something what looks like plants behind a window is actually glass doors to the outside. Locked and really overgrown. You'd probably have to shatter them to get through, and there's a double set. So please just don't, we'd have to patch it all up, and it's kinda nice. Sometimes the weeds flower and drek."

(OOC: Willie could keep talking with them or others, he still has a good forty minutes until Flatline will be done. But he could also check out the rest of the building and otherwise burn time.)

Willie grabs a handful of jerky for himself and stuffs some in his pockets for the two upstairs. First thing, he goes upstairs and shares the food with his two teammates. Surreptitiously, he determines where the 'guard stuff' is done. Inside by the doors or elsewhere? Patrolling outside? How many on patrol?

"Have a chew on these while you work, guys. Food's pretty good." Once that is done, he just meanders around, checking out windows, looking for other rooms, upstairs and downstairs. Check those doors that should not be broken.

Doo-duh-doo,
Have a chew.
Lookin' here,
Lookin' there.
Nothin' to do,
Haven't a care.

Willie figures out pretty quick, that, as far as he can tell, guard duty at the moment just means watching the windows in the main part of the church with the sanctuary where Lenny and Flatline give him some quick thanks for the jerky.

Willie soon finds himself wandering the education wing. About the only surprising thing about it all is that they seem to have largely managed to keep the critters out. Plenty of cobwebs and mouse droppings, but nothing big. And it's been kept dry. Looks like it was abandoned and in relatively short order. The classrooms still have commandments up and pictures little cartoon animals telling kids that Jesus loves them and stuff like that. There are still books overfilling the shelves, cups full of markers and crayons, and really dated trids in the corners of the rooms. No power though, but there's still a good amount of light coming through the plastic, and the few places where there's still glass.

No grenades though.

There's a strange quiet peacefulness Willie isn't used to over here. Without other sources of noise, he can still make out the birds chirping in the trees across the road with his enhanced ears.

The time passes quickly enough, and soon Willie gets a message from Flatline. <<Alright, I've gotten them all patched up. Some very impressive jobs. Some didn't go quite as well, but they can all walk under their own power just fine. They're getting their stuff together, and they don't have much stuff to get. The say they're going to get back to their village over the old bridge. >>

Seeing as there is no electricity, Willie tries to find candles, or flashlights, or lanterns, or something.

<<I'll be there shortly. They have any idea how things get lit at night here? >>

Flatline simply replies <<Pretty sure they just don't. That a problem for you? I figured I'd be the only one with an issue since mana doesn't work well with the thermo in these contacts. Even then most of the time I can just look around in the astral to function. Just don't ask me to read any signs. >>

Lenny jumps in <<Oooh! I knew this stuff would come in handy! I've got a flashlight, and light sticks, and a holoprojector! Huh. If a holoprojector is showing a virtual lightbulb, it's actually a real lightbulb! >>

(OOC: He really does...)

A few beats later Flatline comes back in with <<Well, they're on their way. Larrissa took the time to remind me, again, to make sure we keep all the doors shut to keep rodents out and to stay down in the basement. At least she remember to thank us for the whole healing her people and helping with their Phoenix problem. Most of them seem eager enough to get going.>>

Willie makes his way back to the others. Once the coast is clear of people, and a check around for listening/video devices makes the coast seem truly clear, he broaches the subject of fulfilling Brewster's secondary job.

"So, what do you guys think of Brewster's request for more info about these people. It doesn't look like we can check out the village very easily, but there is something up the road the boys didn't want me to see.

"Thing is, they have told us multiple times about the dangers out there at night. This might be just them trying to keep us in the dark," Heh, he thinks, I made a joke. He grins.

"But it jibes a bit with what Brewster told us about the things that go bump in the night here. Any thoughts about whether we take what we have or go for more?"

(OOC: Looking for devices is the sort of thing you'd probably want to request help from someone good at "sniffing" the electromagnetic spectrum for devices. And is certainly the sort of thing you might want to roll for. Note that if you aren't in a good spot to roll I can just do it for you, but I do like to give the option. Note that I will roll or check your buying success levels without telling you when appropriate. )

IC:

Lenny manages to give out an "aaaayy!" In appreciation of the pun, though nothing from Flatline.

To Willie's question Lenny says "Well, I did like getting to help heal the guys and I'm still nervous about someone wreaking vengeance on us about the drone thing. They could be doing analysis as we speak. But I guess after all this it'd be suspicious if we bailed in the dark. Probably should give 'em a nice smile and wave as we go. But I think I'd like to keep an eye out in case they come back over the bridge to get me. "

Flatline muses a bit. "If we're going to be here, maybe we ought to just go. The one bit that's bothering me is just how unnervingly quite it is out here. Where I normally work, a little gunfire is just part of the background noise, and there's plenty of background noise. Most people are probably playing something in their comlink anyway, and those paranoid enough to be paying attention are the sort that walk away from gunshots.

And I didn't even think about the light pollution. Actually seeing muzzle flash if it isn't aimed at you isn't something I even think about. I'm not even sure exactly what it looks like in real life.

I've got a feeling we'll find out real fast if you do have to open up out there. I'm not sure what their policies are for visitors going exploring or intruders approaching, but we may not want to find out.

So my question is what has anybody got that's properly silent? "


Lenny chirps in first "Hey! I really was ready for this trip! My taser doesn't have a silencer, but it's not all that noisy or flashy to start with. Uhh. Though I'd be a little nervous about relying on it to take out something like what we saw from the boat, if those things climb up on land."

Flaline decides he should answer his own question "Lightning would be a problem, but my stun magic might be OK, especially at low force. Unless someone is watching in the astral, at which point it's like firing a flare. "

Willie nods at Flatline's comments. "You make a good point about the silence here. I ain't got nothing that is quiet except my knife and fists. Not much good against what they say is out there. Anything else is gonna be heard all the way to the settlement. So, much as I hate to say it, I think we should hunker down in this church until daybreak. I'll take the middle watch, how about Lenny you stay up first, and Flatline you get the third watch.

"If drek happens, and we have to make noise, then maybe we can rethink a recce. Does that work for you guys?"

Flatline looks grim. "Ugh. If we weren't going to make a play we could have just gone back and I'd get to sleep in my own bed. Either that or be saving lives at the clinic. But maybe we're just not equipped"

Kenny looks relieved at first, but then gets an idea "Hey. Wait. Willie looks pretty tough! This could be like one my games. If something pops up we just tank and spank it! Willie being the "tank" and my stun gun and Flatline providing the "spank". Flatline is a healer too even. "

Flatline gives Kenny a look and says "I can help those guys because they're pretty poor or at least very back to basics. Almost no chrome on any of them. Not having chrome or mojo makes 'em awfully vulnerable to Phoenix's as we've seen, but it means they're easy to patch up. Someone clueless trying to work on a mage with a medkit can be a potentially horrible sitaution, and trying to mojo someone chromed head to toe really sucks.

In case you haven't put it together. I'm the mage, Willie is the one chromed from head to toe, and that narrows the last one down."

Kenny gives a little jolt at that last bit, looks like he might do something aggressive for a half second, and then changes his mind.

"Well, if Willie is full of cool stuff maybe he can hold his own up close to a critter anyway. And I guess we could get loud and bug out if we get over our heads. We don't even know if there's anything out there. Their warnings sounded a whole lot like clickbait pop up AROs to me. "Come see our holos of dangerous nighttime critters. The seventh will amaze you! " And if there was something out for metahuman flesh why wouldn't it just cross the bridge, or sniff us out and head down here?"

Kenny gains more confidence as he goes on, his desire to be right in a discussion overcoming his usually overstrong survival instincts.

(OOC: For Willies part, he actually has some interesting skills to bring to bear like survival and tracking.)

"Look, guys, I hear you. I'm curious about that place at the end of the trail, especially seeing the way the locals tried to hurry me away. Something is there. I got a sense of the kind of beast that lives in the forest here, and not just the locals but Brewster's own intel suggests there are some freaky things out there.

"Flatline, I think you have spells you could use, no? Spirits, if you can summon them, are likely to get nasty attention fast, according to Brewster. So if we go scouting, it'll likely be just the three of us. If we make a lot of noise, we can scram for the boat and take our chances on the water before the locals muster a war party. It takes a lot to beat me down, but I don't know about you two. How much damage you can take before things get serious. That kind of thing. If you feel tough, then so do I.

"So, fuck it, I haven't had a good scare in a while. I'm up for a little look see. Wanna go?"


Willie rolls his shoulders, loosening them up.

Lenny looks a bit less confident. "Well, I have armor and a helmet. But maybe I could stay here and just loan you my taser? "

Flatline looks at him "We aren't really set up for a remote hacker out here. Drones, cameras, and maglocks are all so cheap even these people might have them. I'd rather have you around for that. I'm.... well I've been in some rough scrapes but I won't claim I'm ready to just ignore a bear laying into me. Actually, the thing I might bring to this endevour is invisibility. Mine is good against their little sky drones in addition to most critters. Though it won't help if something dual natured is out there that takes an interest. Usually I only use it on myself, and hang back to support or help as needed. But I should be able to get it set up on all of you."

Lenny takes an interest in the magic "I've never been invisible before? You know, I've been practicing being sneaky. And in places where it matters! Not like how I used to be invisible with no effort. Maybe dual natured creatures aren't used to having to spot people who are invisible and also being sneaky. They have to see us in the magical place right? So a tree still blocks their view. "

Flatline consider it. "We call it the astral, but mostly yes. It can bleed through a little. So your helmet doesn't protect you from spells. But more or less. Life is at least a little present in the astral, and so is the earth, so cover out here would be a bit more effective than usual.

Flatline turns to Willie "So are you fast, tough, and sneaky? Or a bull in the china shop around all the sticks and stuff out there?"
?"

"Yeah, I got all that. I'm better at the sneaky in a city, but out here too. I can track some as well. Again, better in an urban environment. I can even make a good stab at finding food and shelter if we have to. But lots of goodies here to carry with us." He takes another bite of some jerky.

"I could get used to this stuff! Flatline, you got some firepower in that mojo of yours?"

Then it hits him. "Wait, what did you say, Lenny? You used to be invisible with no effort? What that?"

Flatline says "I've got my stunbolts. I'm not advertised as a combat mage, especially if I'm sustaining invisibility instead of boosting my speed. Stunbolts are pretty good on big meaty things though. I've got lightning for drones and the like, but that's probably louder and flashier than we'd want. "

Lenny just stares at Willie, having taken his helmet off. Looking something between sad and about to roll his eyes "Never mind, you wouldn't get it. Won't work on awakened lions, tigers, or bears after our flesh anyway. I guess unless I find them attractive, that seems to do the trick."

Flatline mercifully interrupts Lenny before he continues. " Lemmi get some of that jerky" he heads over to Willie to get some meat. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to be visible while Lenny and I aren't? I can sustain two spells before it starts being a problem. I'd be more sharp and able to engage that way. If you're sneaky you might not need it.

Lenny might have a point somewhere in all that video game strategy earlier. A critter that finds us using other senses might tend to go towards you, but you could handle it. Lenny and I could then drop it if you're having any problem."

"I don't mind you two being invisible as long as when the drek hits the fan you join in the fun. More of us might make us a less attractive target. Fewer of us noticed at the start might bring fewer attackers in the first wave.

"Here's some of that jerky." He gives some to each of the other two. "Strike up the invisibility and let's go. If you can peek into the astral once in a while, Flatline, that might keep us from being surprised. Maybe give us a heads up to turn and run. Let's keep communication to electronic unless necessary."

Willie moves to the door and waits for the other two to disappear.

Willie gets another "thanks" out of Flatline and Kenny. Though Flatline krinkles his nose. Willie might be prone to thinking flatline doesn't like the jerky, as opposed to Willie s own aroma.

Kenny puts their helmet back on and takes out his taser.

Flatline then works his magic. Seeming to involve some bracers he has on under his jacket, which he reveals briefly while working his magic. First the left, then the right.

Lenny and then himself vanish from sight. Willie can still hear Lenny stepping around.

Lenny then chirps up, first vocally. " oh shoot . I was scanning them spectrum and" he then switches to subvocal over coms. << sorry. I should use this right? Anyway, the deal is they have a drone out. Back in the city you'd probably never notice. Lots of signals coming from everywhere. But out here? There shouldn't be anything at all , much less up in the sky.

Ugh. And after earlier I bet their rigger is watching them close. I could still mess with them, but it'd be hard to do anything they wouldn't detect.

Hmmm. What I could do is sniff the feed. No way to detect that on wireless. I might be able to chart a path where and when it isn't looking.

Or I guess Flatline could make Willie invisible. Seems like it d be hard to spot us so long as we aren't walking through grass or anything. >>

Willie replies in kind. << Yeah, get a feel for the routine of the drone. If it patrols the route we want to walk, to the south and then the east at the trail, we might be out of luck. Making three of us invisible would be pretty tough on any mage, I figure. >>

Flatline replies "I'm better with sustaining than most. And it isn't much bother ar all to wait a bit. Might be better to let folks get all the way to sleep anyway."

Lenny site around half virtual and half slowly working on some jerky. At first he gave continual updates of the drones continuing to look at the church and sweeping along the path and surrounding areas before coming back. However Flatline started giving an annoyed look so he stopped and just chewed in silence.

After about 45 minutes he jumps up and says. "They spotted something. Pretty big I think. Bigger than a person anyway. It's out in the woods to the east. It's slowly headed roughly in this direction. It's got their attention though. They're moving to see what it is. I think it's a few miles away "

"Hmm. In the woods roughly to the east is about where that interesting place they didn't want me to see is. Let's be ready for some action. Lenny, can you see if you can link in to the feed from the drones so we can see what they see?

"Flatline, you might need to test your firepower if it is something big and nasty."

Willy makes sure the lights are out in the building and finds the best window for a view to the road and to the east.

Lenny rolls his eyes and says "I'm already linked in. See wireless signals go everywhere, so I can tap in from here without them knowing over there. "

Then he blushes a little and says "oh! You mean you wanted to see! Uh. Ok. Not mich"

An ARO pops up with a link to his feed. The image isn't very helpful thoigh. It's still far from the drone, and more importantly the forest gives it lots of cover. But infrared light is leaking through. So there's something warm blooded out there.

Lenny adds "I think null sweat about where you want to go though. It's way to the north. If we cut through the forest instead of taking the road we might have run into it. But if we take the path we're miles away. If they keep tracking it I'd know if it heads our way.

"OK, then. Good work Lenny. " Willie can't remember the last time he complimented someone. It seems logical to do so, though. Huh. Maybe that's what leadership is about. Doing the logical thing?

"Let's go." He goes to the door, opens it, and steps outside first. He heads towards the intersection with the path east.

The group rolls out into the clear night. Lenny says <<hey Flatline I can't see you. >> at least he remembers not to speak out loud.

Glatline days <<Don't worry about it. Just keep on Willie. I'll stay behind you so you don't have to worry about me being in your way .>>

The group makes its way to the south. It doesn't take too long to reach the intersection. Things are even quieter at night. But the old road doesn't make much noise underfoot either.

Soon the group reaches the intersection. Kenny chimes in <<The drone is still tracking the thing in the woods. It's wandering around where it is and hasn't overall moved too far.>>

Willie turns onto the side path. He moves slowly, deliberately, trying to keep an eye out for trouble from the sides.

<<The vegetation will close in as we go along this path. The more we stick to the centre of the path, the less noise we will make. Lenny, do you get any sense of the size or shape of the thing the drone is tracking? >>

The group starts moving through the path. Lenny says on the coms <<Well, the drone is heading towards it, so I think they don't know what it is yet either and are trying to figure that out. Regular cameras aren't seeing drek in the dark through the canopy. There's just patches of IR leaking through the leaves. Sometimes it looks like it might be on all fours, but other times it stretches up a bit. I've seen some scale bars in the AR, so maybe ten feet long, probably a little less. >>

A moment after he says that there's movement from the ditches on either side of the path, something under the cattails.

(OOC: You can have a perception test to get a +3 on the surprise test. I'll give you the +3 on perception for actively looking, conditions are partial lighting, and you'd need four hits. So go ahead and roll perception, surprise, and initiative. As a side note since critters don't have comlinks to coordinate, most of them actually have to roll surprise as well to not get caught looking at a bug at the wrong second, though they get the prescribed bonus).

Willie Catches a hint of something coming from both sides. It's about to get noisy, so no point in keeping to comms. "Danger. Look left."

Willie looks right with a ready weapon.

(OOC: Surprise is such a pain. I have a suspicion many GMs don't bother. Anyway with your edge burn Willie isn't surprised, and he gets to go first. But he doesn't have line of sight on everything. Also there are noises and sights, but as discussed with the group, gunfire is something else entirely, and besides being deafening and bright it's something specifically listened for that drones and sound sensors or routinely set to listen for and people notice, versus critters yelling and tearing into each other, which would presumably be a common enough sound out here. Anyway the point of all that is I believe the weapon Willie has ready is his knife.)

Willie had caught motion to his left. Glancing over he can see between the reeds a sideways face coming out of the water. It looks like an Orc, but he doesn't look good with his eyes especially wide open, teeth widely exposed in a way that would be hard with normal lips, and muck or something over his face. There's definitely a form moving underneath the Orc though, as if he was laying on top of it, something that blends well with the muck.

Two thoughts race through Willie's mind when he sees what approaches. It reminds him of a 2D video he saw in a retro bar a few years back, something about a fungus taking over people's bodies. And he realizes he might need a bigger knife in cases like this.

But he didn't survive the streets by standing still and waiting for things to chew on him. And it looks a little bit surprised to come up on him right here. He roars and charges with intent to split that weird thing from stem to gudgeon.

Willie charges the creature, plunging up to his waist in the water around the cattails (OOC: Seems appropriate to give the +2 from some odd blend of charging, higher ground, leaping, or an unexpected move ) The oddly shaped thing is surprisingly nimble with spindly arms trying to fend Willie off, he still manages to land an knife blow in the exchange. Willie feels the impact up his arm as it hits the creature under the orcs head, it seems like the creature is coated in a hard green shellac or something and the knife barely gets through. Though a gargly yell from what is presumably its toothless mouth below what must be its strange looking eyes, that seem to have horizontal line going through the middle, indicate that Willie did hurt it.

As Willie pulls the knife out the create flails at Willie, its hands making contact and Willie feeling an attack on his mind, but he manages to shrug it off (OOC: I'm being a bit presumptuous there but it did get six hits on its touch attack. However it seems to have used up all its luck and got nothing on the next roll, which Willie would oppose with willpower and automatically wins. )

Two more creatures move in from the sides also reaching out to touch Willie, with water churning around with bodies
(OOC: Both are attempting to water engulf. The first has 2 hits on its touch attack, and the second of the newcomers has 3. base damage 4 stun resisted with body+half impact armor)

For reference:
Engulfed victims may not move. During the victim’s Action
Phase, the victim may attempt to escape. Make an Opposed Test.
rolling the victim’s Strength + Body against the critter’s Magic +
Body. If the victim prevails, then he has escaped and takes no more
damage from the attack.)

As Willie struggles in the water three more of the creatures emerge from the south in the ditch on the other side of the road. They don't move so nimbly, at least not outside of the water as they shamble up out of the ditch and over the road. If Willie had stayed shooting in the middle of the road they'd have reached him, but his charge in the opposite direction leaves him out of reach.

First Lenny and then Flatline finally get their wits about them. Things are a murky watery mess where Willie is, but aside from running the three from the other side are exposed targets.

Lenny takes aim and manages to shoot the nearest critter, he barely hits it, but the shock from the wires courses through the muck all over the creature and it falls onto the ground screeching and convulsing as it is shocked.

The streaks of strong mana course from the otherwise invisible flatline to the next in line. It also goes down but isn't out either.

(OOC: Back to Willie as we unravel the surprise related delayed actions and get to the normal 2nd initiative pass)

The squiggly ooglie-booglies are after Willie! He fends off the touches as well as he can. Drek he hates such things. Give him a troll tank to kill any day.



While he considers ducking out of the water, he finishes off (!?) the thing he already hit once. Surely, he thinks to himself, these things are slower than I am and I can do something useful before they attack again.

(OOC: I rolled some counter dice and you came out the same. But remember that you get a -1 on defense rolls for every previous defense since your last action. So you'd be rolling 13 and then 12 dice against the engulf attacks).

(OOC: Shoot my computer is glitching out so I'll make this fast. The upshot is that Willie manages a more solid hit this time, and drives the creature under the water, though he can still feel it thrashing down there. Willie has the 3rd initative pass all to himself.)

Hah! It looks like the swamp things are focused on Willie. Fools. He's the hardest target of the team. As much as he is ... unnerved? disgusted? creeped out? ... by such creatures, he assesses the situation with a tactician's eye. His visceral desire to get the hell away from these things is controlled by years of experience in deadly situations.

And he hates to lose.

The three of them were outnumbered 2 to 1 when conflict broke out, but now three of the creatures are down (if not out) so the active numbers are even. It took Willie two strikes with his knife to put one out of commission and Lenny and Flatline have taken one out each. Excellent!

Willie stays in the water. Let them focus on him in their preferred environment while Lenny and Flatline pick them off one by one.

He strikes with his knife at one of the other creatures near him. "Blast the ones I'm not fighting!"

The next creature doesn't do nearly as good a job of blocking as his compatriot Willie is able to get through its defense and under the shell of sorts they have on their back, making for a much more rewarding feeling of a dagger driving deep into important stuff. Though folks always seem harder to really finish off than you'd like, between the pain and a body check from Willie this one also drops down into the water.

(OOC: Here's where wired reflexes are really nice. We're onto the next turn, but Willie goes again, having the highest initiative in the first pass. )

Yeah, now we're talkin'. One under water and one more to go right next to Willie. He takes a stab at the last one standing in the water.

The last one standing next to Willie also doesn't seem to great in hand to hand. Willie struggles a bit in the water and cattails and doesn't land such a solid blow, but wrenching the weapon while in the creature still gets that strange scream like warbling noise and it also falls over the in water.

If Willie glances up he can see Lenny (OOC: Who really wanted a hit and used edge after only getting one hit on his first aimed shot attempt) hit the last standing creature on land. This creature also drops convulsing from the effects of the taser.

Flatline and Lenny are still invisible...however there are now two wires leading from the point Lenny is firing on the creatures from, creating a convenient arrow pointing at Lenny effect even the critters can't miss. Anyway they know something over there attacked them. They don't seem to have an idea of Flatline or don't care as they engage in some sort of spit attack while still on the ground at Lenny.

One big glob sails off into the distance, however two go invisible and Lenny can be heard screaming over the coms, though perhaps oddly not very much out loud.

The three in the water around Willie also don't seem to be prioritizing getting up, and are trying to use their powers from where they are.

(OOC: Despite wound modifiers they actually do surprisingly well compared to last time, though last time they didn't all have friends in melee bonuses. First four hits on engulf. Second 5 hits on engulf. Third 5 hits on a touch attack, if successful Willie rolls willpower against 3 hits, any remaining net hits drop Willie's reaction. )

With the creatures underwater and behind the cattails, Flatline doesn't have LOS on what's going on with Willie, who seems to have been doing very well, possibly unlike Lenny.

Flatline sends a surge of power at the closest creature, it gives a little shudder and goes still. The other two turn their strange multi layered eyes toward all the flashy light. Not quite as clear a target as Lenny made though, and unlike Lenny, Flatline is now on the move.

(OOC: After all that it's the Willie show, with actions in the 2nd pass, 3rd pass, and top of the 3rd combat turn unless his initiative drops to 9 which doesn't seem likely if even possible. You get a +3 for melee combat against prone opponents, but I'll also give a -1 modifier for trying to fight under the water. Still a net +2)

Willie is miffed that the damn things are still attacking him, even after he hit them. He's not used to that. Of course, that would be remembering his SMG skills. He parries the three (!) attacks from the creatures under the water.



Willie's blade whirls in a blur and blocks two of the three attacks. The third slips through, and he feels a momentary dizziness, but shakes it off. Now, "It's clobberin' time!" ™

Stabbing furiously in the murk as fast as his insane reflexes allow him is satisfying as his knife certainly hitting something down there. He isn't quite sure how well it's working until in the dark he doesn't see some many hands reaching out for him, except the one he expected (OOC: It manages a surprising but likely insufficient 3 hits)

On the coms Lenny at least stops normal screaming over his subvocal link and instead screams a more coherent <<I can't dreking move! What's happening!>>

Flatline doesn't reply as he has problems of his own. Balls of spit hurtle at his position, low to the ground. He gives out a "oof!" as dust kicks up from him hitting the ground. However he isn't as silent as Lenny and the sounds of high force casting can be heard and in a flash the next closest creature drops its head to the ground. Just leaving one staring at Flatlines position. <<Foot's stuck! >>

(OOC: 3rd pass to Willie and top of the 4th turn)

There seems to be something still moving in the water with Willie, so he slashes at it. The boys are looking a little troubled by the things up on the dry path, and he needs to get up there to finish things. That sticky spit thing is weird. Wasn't that thing by the docks doing something like that, too?





If anything is still moving in the water, Willie continues there, otherwise he charges the one still standing on land. he doesn't roar any more. This is serious, silent killing now.

The water churns under the engulf attempt but Willie powers through and stabs and the creature underneath. He's pretty sure that arm isn't attached anymore and it doesn't seem so lively so Willie charges out of the ditch. The bottom of the ditch isn't nearly as muddy as it could be, but it's still slow going getting out. Luckily for Willie the creature had traveled most of the distance itself to get at the one visible member of the party before being engaged by Flatline and Lenny.

However his splooshing approach wasn't so stealthy and the creature isn't taken by surprise, managing to swat away the knife with its partially armored arm.

The spitting has been working well for it so far, so it tries to hork a point blank loogie at Willie (OOC: Though with the attacker in melee combat penalty, and a wound modifier. Still, a surprising five hits).

Lenny continues to struggle without effect.

Flatline seems to be able to still move his arms as he sends another surge of mana towards the creature, causing it's strange eyes to roll back and the creature to flop onto the ground, rolling onto its front to show an array of small animal and fish bones poking out of the green shellac on its back.

(OOC: If Willie does get hit go ahead and make a few strength + Body rolls the creatures are down, so this is more about seeing how long it takes Willie to break free. Same rolls to try and help out Lenny and Flatline FYI.)

Willie has seen what that spit can do, and he wants no part of it. He dodges as if his life depends on it.



The goober whizzes by his left shoulder. Always a bit of a shit, Willie says to the other two, who are still invisible, "I don't see what the problem is. You just duck and weave and the spit misses you."

He sets to feeling his way to his teammates and pulling them free of the swamp glue.

Flatline is leaving the illusion magic in place. Seemed like it took a fair bit of effort to cast it, and he's been slinging a few spells since then. That makes Willies job a little harder, but not much. The taser lines still point to Lenny. Willie can't see the situation very well, but he can quickly tell Lenny's feet are stuck to the road by the goo, which has become quite hard. Even with Willies strength it takes a couple tries to break it loose. It didn't help that Lenny gave a muffled scream when Willie started feeling around him, but flatline quickly and quietly relayed over comes <<Lenny be quite and relax, it's just Willie. They're all down.>>

At least once broken the goo seems brittle instead of making a continual sticky mess. Reaching further up Wilie figures out why he's mostly been hearing Lenny over the coms, his hands and helmet are stuck to the road by a second goo blob. After a little effort Willie cracks this one as well.

Lenny says over coms <<Thanks. But I got a couple of them myself! Did either of you see. I totally took them out! Wait. I could have suffocated!>> Willie can hear the adrenaline and emotional shock in his voice. But he sounds fine. Flatline doesn't mention having to finish off the ones Lenny shocked.

He does whisper out loud "Over here." And throws up some dust for Willie to find him. Once he find it, Willie manages to crack the blob on his first try. And he can hear flatline getting up. Flatline switches back over to subvocals to say <<I think I'm OK. That stuff was sticky but not acid or anything. I could go for a nice lemonade and a rest right now, but I don't need any medical aid. How about the two of you? >>

Lenny replies back <<Uh. I could have suffocated but. But I'm fine. Yeah I'm fine. I'll get back on watching the drone. Uh. It's still looking out in the woods. I don't think it heard the ruckus. >>

After freeing his partners in crime, Willie surveys the damage. <<I collected some feathers from the firebirds, in hopes of being able to sell them or something. But, I have no idea what to collect from these things. Or even what they are. Hmmm. Maybe I'll keep a piece of the hardened glue and a chunk of a shell to use later if I can find somebody who knows about these things. >>

Willie proceeds to collect some samples. << I figure we're a couple of hundred meters from the end of the trail. We've come this far, might as well go the rest of the way and maybe get something Brewster will pay for.>>

Flatline just stares at him for a moment <<You're fine? You don't need any healing? It looked there were a bunch of them there and the water was frothing like you were in a blender and you're fine? You sure you aren't in shock? I don't need you dropping over the next hill.>>

With the fight over the world is pretty quiet again. He can make out the steps of he thinks Lenny, and the shallow breathing of the stunned creatures he's going past. After a few beats Lenny replies << I guess you could take a trophy. I don't see people using this stuff for decor. They're pretty gross, especially with the skeletons and stuff stuck on their backs. I guess mages use all sorts of things. This stuff look useful to you flatline? >>

Flatline replies <<Well, I don't know every mages practice. But I don't think I could use bits of these things.>>

Seeing as the conversation continues in the Matrix, Willie keeps to the trend. <<Yeah, I can't do the Matrix drek or the mage's ooglie-booglie, but I can hold my own in a fight. That's why we're such a good team, right?>> he grins a toothy grin in the twilight.

As they progress, Willie takes the point again. <<I sure hope there is something at the end of this trail that will interest Brewster. Hate to have gone through all of that for nothing. >>

Flatline speaks into the Coms. << Ok, let's put Lenny in the middle to monitor the drone and because he can't see me. I'll take up the rear. So you say when you've started following.>>

After Willie goes a short distance he hears Lenny say <<Ok, on the path>> then a couple moments later Flatline ads <<Alright, I'm moving as well. Stay sharp everybody>>

The night is pretty quiet as the group moves along

Eventually you come to the location of the last two fights. The grass is still pretty messed up, and you can vaguely make out the disruption made by Willie and the others heading off into the woods. Looks like the third time is the charm as nothing seems to be in the area. Now. A little further up just over the crest of the hill is a shovel lying in the grass. Maybe hastily thrown and not recovered after the incident. Or at least dropped about that time. It wouldn't take long for the grass to curve around the shovel, reaching for the sunlight.

The path seems much like it was before heading further in, it's just that the trees here are getting taller and you're farther from the path opening, so it's getting darker. Light from stars and moon still manages to twinkle through here and there, so there aren't all that many patches of full dark going forward. Being in the center of the old access road means that the worn down footpath has the best illumination.

Willie activates his eyelight system so he can get a better look into the dark patches as they pass them. Damned if he is going to give these things an easy hide.