2017-02-25: Back Into The Breach
- Log: Back Into The Breach
- Cast: Kahm Yugh, Kent Hauch, Kahran Ramses, Myyah Hawwa, Elhaym van Houten
- Where: The Ruins of Lahan
- Date: February 25, 2017
- Summary: The Solarians return to Lahan to continue their investigation and find themselves facing an uphill battle against an ever-increasing series of unfortunate events.
- OOC Note: We messed up some stuff with the digger party set-up in this scene which forced us to restart the dungeon. I've included the original first challenge since it was the once we ICly responded to. Also, because of our screw-up ALL OUR CHALLENGES FAILED, so have fun watching the madness! -Kahm's player
DG: You have joined Kahran Ramses's party! Exhaustion reset! Remember to load your Tools for this adventure using +tools/load before setting out. You can't change them once you've entered the dungeon! DG: Kahm Yugh has joined your party! DG: Myyah Hawwa has joined your party!
=============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================= ======================<* CHALLENGE - Washed out Road *>======================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Normally one would expect the roads to be well maintained in this area, but with Lahan's destruction no one has been putting in orders for repairs. The road has been washed away in some manner, possibly leaving a morass of mud along the only path, or perhaps another massive sandstorm out of the expanding Aveh desert has buried this area, leaving only a shifting mass of sand that swirls and flows treacherously, threatening to undo any gains up the path in a tumbling cascade of fine grit. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Gebler has been combing over these ruins for a while now, but there is still more to find. They've heard Elly's report, about the ill-fated mission to steal a mysterious Kislev gear. They've heard of Fei, who appeared three years ago and somehow knows how to pilot a gear. They've heard of the destruction that took place. They've also heard things about a mysterious doctor, though whatever his role is in all of this, Kahran isn't sure. There are a number of things he's unsure about, and he hopes that these ruins will provide some more clues.
There might still be more to find around here, and also more trouble as different factions and monsters start to move in, so Kahran has organized another search party. He stands on the ramp of the dropship, overlooking the ruins with a discerning frown. There's something very different about what he sees.
The ground is muddy.
Oh, but of course, it rained last night, and it's not like the mud is too big of a deal. He's wearing boots after all, but when he walks out onto it he finds that his feet sink a bit deeper than he expected. He looks down, frowns harder, and his walk through the mud becomes something more like a trudge. He takes off his Gebler Commander jacket, hooks it on his index and middle finger, and holds it over his shoulder so that the edges won't get messy.
He takes a swig of potion, then turns to the rest of the party him. "Watch your step."
DG: Kahran Ramses has used his Tool Speed Star toward his party's challenge, Washed out Road.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
Another day, another gella. Kent Hauch loves that gella! These expeditions also let him grumble about hazard pay and the can-do pioneer attitude seems to make the Solarians more permissive about what the [Lamb] stuffs in his pockets.
He's dressed a little more 'appropriately' than before, leaving his long-coat behind. An ash-grey vest with brass buttons over a coal black shirt only lightly singed at the cuffs, clipped with red-copper flame cufflinks. A custom job that must've cost a relative fortune. Grey pants vanish into high, weathered boots with iron caps over the toes.
"Bloody hell," Kent curses, immediately confronted with his most hated enemy - filth. He probes at the mud with his foot distastefully. "Slag that!" he responds to Kahran's suggestion they watch their step.
Kent promptly pulls Red River, the barrel opening out, and pours out a bridge of molten rock across the mud which quickly hardens into something more solid and far less distasteful. Whistling poorly, he clips his gun to the lava tank on his back as he hops onto it, stomping down once to test it, and hoping it doesn't break down under him.
DG: Kent Hauch has used his Tool Red River toward his party's challenge, Washed out Road.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
LAST TIME
Myyah reads through the last paragraph of the report on the investigation into the unstable portions of Lahan. She pushes her chair away from her desk, folds her hands in her lap, and stares at a trio of potted vines that she finished tending earlier this morning.
They soothe her.
AND NOW
Lieutenant Commander Myyah Hawwa is along for the mission with the rest of the group. She waits while the dropship circles the area, looking for a place to put down. When it selects a zone far outside of where they're planning to hike toward today, she bows her head and makes sure the strap on her satchel bag is secure. Hiking.
She went through basic, in any case.
At the bottom of the ramp, Myyah hesitates when Kahran strikes out first. Her eyes linger on his lips as he drinks--she endorses the responsible use of pharmaceutical aids, but unfortunately she's already on a complicated mixture of drugs for medical reasons that precludes her taking anything else.
Modifications to Myyah's outfit today includes a shawl that has a built-in hood and heavier tactical rather than her dress boots. She adjusts her satchel one more time, waiting for something--and then Kent is making a lava brick road for them. She waits a moment longer for it to harden, and then tries to strike out after him. She's never actually walked on dynamically-generated lava platforms before, so she's careful to not slip off and into the deposited silt.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Washed out Road.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly feels almost like she did before she screwed up a mission, contributed to the demise of a radish-farming village, nearly watched a handsome guy get eaten by wolves, and nearly got eaten by a dinosaur. The shampoo has helped.
Elly lingers on the ramp for a moment. That mud is grody, and her boots are only ankle height. Fortunately, even as the Commander gets rakish with his jacket, their local agent brings out -- something... Elly looks on at it with abstract interest, which turns into a minor burst of horror when he sprays out HOT, MOLTEN MAGMA over the road.
Steam rises, with the smell of baked Earth.
"... That's brilliant," Elly says finally, and after the Lt. Commander steps forwards, she steps forth as well. It's hot beneath the soles of her boots, but not like, /unpleasantly/ so, or so she reflects.
I have to remember this one, she thinks further.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Washed out Road.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Captain Kahm Yugh stepped out of the dropship with the rest of search party, his nose crinkling faintly at the scent of wet earth, confirmed by the sound of it. Figures.
Personally, the Kahm was eager to put Lahan behind them and get on with the pursuit of this 'Fei', his unknown accomplice, and the dangerous gear they likely still traveled with. Nonetheless, they could not completely close the case on the village yet, and the window of time they could afford to maintain an unfettered presence here was shrinking, so.
Atypically the last to depart, Kahm notes Kent's creative use of his ARM to harden a pathway and-after watching the Adjunct and Lieutenant step onto it with some trepidation-elected to trudge alongside in the mud, seeing as he had the boots on for it. Whether this was some sort of continuing indictment of the Black Tie leader or a simple show of solidary with the Commander was anyone's guess. Nonetheless, Kahm pressed on.
It was a better start than their last investigation, at least.
DG: Kahm Yugh has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Washed out Road.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 2 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Kent Hauch has drawn a new Challenge. ==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Overgrown Pathway *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The ruins of Lahan are difficult to move around in, and sometimes the only way forward is to leave the town and circle around a bit until a new way forward becomes evident. Unfortunately that tactic hasn't worked here - the path has turned into an overgrown mess since the residents of Lahan had been chased off or killed, leaving a scrub infested trail filled with prickly plants, irritating ivy, and surprising amounts of serpents for those unlucky to enough to run into them. =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
Myyah steps onto the bridge just behind Kent. He glances back, squinting, judging her weight. Should be fine.
Elly follows behind her. Should be... should be fine.
Kent steps onto the middle of his lava bridge and it immediately cracks under his feet, spraying a few small drops of not-quite-cooled magma and plunging him into the mud. The cracks billow back and forward, the tephra promptly crumbling into shitty ash. Kent shouts "<UNPRINTABLE>" as the mud shoots right up him, fouling the whole outfit. He pointedly bumps into Kahm as he thrashes his way forward, as though blaming him, because he doesn't really understand physics. "<UNPRINTABLE>" Kent continues, once again pulling Red River out, forcefully toggling the controls on it's side. "THIS TOWN AND <UNPRINTABLE> WHO WAS <UNPRINTABLE>"
He keeps charging forward, firing gouts of lava forward at the tangles of scrub, leaving fires in his wake.
"<UNPRINTABLE>"
DG: Kent Hauch has used his Tool Red River toward his party's challenge, Overgrown Pathway.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
When the path becomes blocked by debris, Myyah stops to touch her arm. This is almost immediately less bizarre than it looks, as several threaded lines light up running down her sleeve and to her glove. When she raises her hand again, she begins gesturing some of the heavy debris off the path.
It obeys. Slowly, the path is cleared for a safer route. But, slowly--hopefully the rest of the journey won't be like this, or else they'll run out of operational window.
"We should be ready to--"
The bridge cracks. Myyah freezes in place, trying to judge what the next optimal move is. As it is in many cases, the answer is to stay still and observe while Kent flails purposefully forward, vomiting up skulls and spewing lava everywhere.
Myyah looks over her shoulder at Elly. Her expression is neutral. When Kent is far enough ahead that friendly lava damage is no longer (as great) a concern, she tries to move forward through whatever blasted obstacle course is left over.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Overgrown Pathway.
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahran's seems rather unfazed as Kent (the -Lamb- has a name now) creates a road out of lava. Perhaps it's just that he's seen it before, or maybe he's just learned to hide any form of genuine surprise in the name of always looking like a badass in front of the troops. After the lava cools, he steps up onto the platform and says, "Good man," as if creating a pathway out of lava is no big deal.
It super is, though. He just isn't saying it is.
He keeps his jacket draped over his shoulder, glancing back to flash Lieutenant Commander Myyah a winning, roguish smile. It's about this time that the lava bridge collapses and Kahr suddenly finds himself standing on cracked stone, staring down at it.
This... isn't a situation he can just coolface his way through, so he leaps off of the ruined pathway and trudges on as if nothing ever happened.
At first he pointedly ignores the -Lamb's- plight, as is customary for Solarians, but eventually he decides to say something. "Really now. It'll wash out." He adds with a shrug, "It's not as if you've made this place any more of a mess."
He does, however, make sure to look over the rest of the Solarians in the party, and once he's satisfied that they're okay he takes another swig and trudges on.
DG: Kahran Ramses has used his Tool Speed Star toward his party's challenge, Overgrown Pathway.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Fortunately for Elly she is partway over the bridge when it starts to break up, and while some tephra smacks into her calves, for the most part she just stumbles forwards with one foot half-stuck in mud. Just as Myyah looks back at her, she lands on her hands, letting out a noise like "uff!" and pulling her foot out of the muck. Fortunately this is an area that had just become 'hot mud' instead of 'liquid-hot magma'.
Her face starts burning as she feels the sense of others looking at her. Hawwa is bad enough. Surely the Commander himself isn't looking at her right now--
Elly regains her footing without further comment and sweeps back her hair with her less mucky hand, taking a deep breath and letting it out even as Kent swears and rushes ahead with his flamethrower. Elly closes her eyes for a moment.
Several large snakes of uncertain provenance come from the brush that Kent has just ignited. They are making for somewhere else, which is entirely understandable and logical. One of them is moving in such a way as to hit the toe of Elly's boot and slither halfway up what it takes as some kind of young tree trunk before Elly's eyes pop open and she executes a tight snap-kick, biting down on her lower lip to suppress a shriek. The snake flies up in the air; Elly herself hustles forwards, not wanting to be left behind in this den of vipers.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Overgrown Pathway.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Kahm glanced to the side with an unflinching expressiong as Kent's makeshift bridge cracked and sundered, sending the lamb flailing forward with all the considerable spit, vinegar, and lava he could muster.
It might have been somewhat amusing, had his direction not taken barelling into the side of the Captain as well. "Hey, watch it!!" Kahm manages to get out just before the thud of opposing bodies, too slowed by the mud to extricate himself and tumbling into the ground with less-than-proper Solarian dignity. A solarian curse flies out of Kahm's mouth as pull himself up with considerably more mud decorating his uniform, seething but unspeaking at Kent as he goes upon his mini rampage.
"As if this land has not suffered enough." He muttered, removing his heavy tactical jacket (No worries, he was still plenty clothed beneath it) and aggressively beating out the small fires left in Kent's wake, less the grow into something worse.
On the Commander's ever-increasing drug use, he says nothing, other than to perhaps exchange a quiet look with Myyah while he, himself, chews on a field ration for a little extra energy in case a bunch of flying snakes add to their list of vexings.
DG: Kahm Yugh has used his Tool Field Rations toward his party's challenge, Overgrown Pathway.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 22 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has drawn a new Challenge. ==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Battle Scarred Roadway *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The battle that rocked the town has left this particular stretch of road blasted and damaged beyond use. Large craters, fallen pieces of wall, and the occasional piece of a Gear lay across the savaged causeway, and what would once have been an easy, meandering passage through this peaceful town has instead been turned into something of an obstacle course. Picking a route through the damaged area will take both time and a bit of acrobatic talent - and poor choices in navigating could make this a very tiring passage. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
As the horror of Lahan's famous snake-infested underbrush recedes, Elly sees a more open space ahead, and for a few moments, she feels a blessed sense of relief.
It fades somewhat because it is not something slightly neutral, like an abandoned radish field, but rather a wide-open stretch of pitted hellscape. At least rain and the early stages of new vegetable growth have taken a hint of the edge off; it does not reek of the chaos of war. More of a tang.
"... I recognize this area," Elly says, raising her voice slightly for clarity over Kent's salty lambspeak and the rustle of brush. "One of the Musha units was torn apart by an Aveh group..."
Did the pilot survive? Elly wonders, but doesn't speak further. Instead she snaps out her combat rod, raising it above her head but purely for pointer usage. "He wasn't able to discharge his weapon, so there may be live shells in the route. Given their weight they might be buried under a thin layer of soil."
There's a lot of patches of freshly disturbed dirt, of course. For a bunch of reasons. Elly steps forwards, gingerly -- but the positive benefit is that there are no snakes.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Battle Scarred Roadway.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
Myyah doesn't get near any snakes. More accurately, none of the snakes get near her. There seems to be some kind of mutual understanding.
She returns Kahm's look. "He's rated for it," she explains, her voice quiet for discretion's sake. Kahran is a paragon of his kind.
Myyah follows the group through the twisting, debris-strewn path to another twisting, debris-strewn path. Technically that last path had more detritus, which is perhaps enough variety. The point is, by the time Elly stops to comment on the ruins of the Musha gear, Myyah stops also. She is breathing deeply and rhythmically, which is a clear sign that she's trying to manage her exhaustion. She's not as bad off as those who have had some misfortune so far.
Elly directs the group's attention to various problems. Myyah's attention, at least. After the possibility of live munitions is brought up, her gaze searches the landscape. More climbing/
"We'll have to move gently," she says, absently more than for command. Everyone here knows what to do, and Kent will do Kent things regardless.
Myyah goes with Elly. Perhaps the two of them working together will find the best way to climb over and around things. She isn't proud enough to reject help from Kahran or the others when it's needed.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Battle Scarred Roadway.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Kahm observed the the remains of the crater, nodding quietly as Elly presented her analysis. Yes, he could see how it may have presented in her head, "Good observation. Musha arms have an unfortunate tendency to jam, particularly in inclement weather." As Myyah said, they had best step carefully.
The Captain will proceed to cautiously do so, or at least attempt to, picking his way about the crater-pocked road with a measured step. It would be slowgoing, but hopefully safer for that fact-the Adjunct wasn't the only feeling the burden of their setbacks.
"Take care not to stray too close to any of the craters if you can." He called out generally to the group, "The ground is saturated, and liable to give under too much weight."
DG: Kahm Yugh has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Battle Scarred Roadway.
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahr's eyes sparkle at Myyah for a moment, but then he crooks an eyebrow as Elly recounts the events that likely reshaped this area. Live shells? That alone bears emphasis. Myyah states what he's thinking, and he nods. "Right. There's no need to rush. This is still a rough area."
Kahran seems to be showing the least amount of wear among the group, but he's not unaware of his party's exhaustion. It's been a very rough start with very little sign that it'll get any easier. Still, he soldiers on, because he has to set an example, and he's more than happy to help Myyah and Elly over particularly rough terrain, offering a hand and the strength of his arms when necessary.
"It seems we've hit the rough part of town, haven't we?" he says to the group in general, somewhat rhetorically.
DG: Kahran Ramses has used his Tool Speed Star toward his party's challenge, Battle Scarred Roadway.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
By the time the unit catches up with Kent, he's kicked over a piece of a Musha's shoulder armor, sitting on it, breathing heavily and sweat mixing with mud spatter on his bald head. The [Lamb] pulls his handkerchief from his vest pocket, shaking mud off it with a scowl. "I could really come to hate this bloody slagheap of a village," he growls, rubbing his handkerchief over his pate until he shines. His chest is heaving, but his shoulders are tight with irritated tension.
Last dig went well. Kent was jovial. This dig is not, and he is likewise not. A heart-on-his-sleeve type. Kent just sits there growling, stuffing his handkerchief back into his vest until the whole gang pushes through, whereupon he finally staggers back to his feet, stretching out his neck with a few loud pops.
"Oh, don't walk up to the big fookin' holes!" he responds sarcastically, face nasty. "You might fall in the big fookin' hole!" His voice drops, but not enough to keep from being heard: "I'll show you a big fookin' hole mghrngrg <quietly unprintable>"
Kent trudges after, stuffing his rough hands in his pockets, a cursing hulk too annoyed by the vagaries of fate to look for dope shit to salvage.
DG: Kent Hauch has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Battle Scarred Roadway.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 7 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has drawn a new Challenge. ==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== =========================<* CHALLENGE - Wrecked Gear *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Turning a corner, the party comes across an awesome sight - a ruined Gear, lying amidst the wreckage of a nearby building and covered with debris. The Gear is damaged beyond all repair, with one arm ending in a jagged stump, a hole punched through its torso showing only wreckage and dried fuel where its Slave Engine used to be, and the head nowhere to be found. If the cockpit can be cleared, there are likely maps or the burned in images on screens from the Gear's last moments that can help point the way to more valuable treasures within the town. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
Myyah gives Kahran a fond look in return. It's a smile that's only in her eyes--she has to look professional in front of everyone else.
Going through the gear debris is difficult. Myyah is a trained soldier, but it's been years since Jugend, and even in those years she was never one for the physical modules. Still, with planning and persistence, Myyah forces her way through the tangle.
Her white boots are scuffed with dirt and ash, and she's sweating genuinely now, but there's no reason to call off the mission yet. With some luck, they'll make up the difference and get back on schedule.
"Another Musha," Myyah points out. She digs into her satchel and retrieves her field tablet. After navigating a few windows, she looks back up at the wrecked gear. "It's a command unit. The cockpit looks intact--if we can get to it, I can try to salvage the onboard memory."
Myyah replaces her tablet and touches her forearm again. Her glove lights up once more. "I can pry the cockpit open. At least one of you needs to climb up and secure a rope."
DG: Myyah Hawwa has used its Tool Ether Amp toward its party's challenge, Wrecked Gear.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Hm, another wrecked gear. The Captain spoke his agreement to Myyah's plan, "We were able to get some valuable intel when we came across an intact gear before; Let's hope we can do the same here."
Since the Adjunct has the cockpit handled, Kahm will go ahead and pick up the slack, as it were. "I'll handle the rope." He says, already climbing his way up the gear before the sentence is done. It's not as easy as it could be, what with him still covered and mud and all, but he'll be prepared with a tactical-grade (Gebler likes that word) nylonweave rope once he can reach the top.
Not that he wouldn't turn down assistance or anything-it does look slippery.
DG: Kahm Yugh has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Wrecked Gear.
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Onboard memory? Well, that alone is worth looking into, Kahran decides. He takes a look up at the gear, considers it for a moment, and then starts tying the sleeves of his jacket around his neck. He isn't doing terribly but he is starting to warm up, and he doesn't really need the extra heat.
"Right then. Up we go."
Kahran takes a step back, gets a running start and then launches himself up at the crashed gear, planting one boot on a metal plate while the other presses against a bit of armor. Muscles strain as he climbs up the military machine. He climbs parallel to Kahm, far enough away that they shouldn't interfere with each other's footing, but hopefully between the two of them at least one will reach the top.
Once he's sure that he has a solid footing, the Commander reaches down to offer the Captain a hand, hoping to make his job just that much easier.
DG: Kahran Ramses has used his Tool Igissol toward his party's challenge, Wrecked Gear. <Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
It is clear from Elly's expression after Kent speaks that she took what he said to heart, however transiently. She doesn't answer him, though, and just looks at a patch of the ground for a couple of seconds before stepping around it.
The split half of one of the Musha's arms - the limb, not the gun - straddles a disturbed area. She moves through, however, proffering Myyah a hand up as well as people who might need one, and are not, at present, named Kent Hauch. Eventually things move on, and they are faced with the mute corpse of a giant.
Elly stares up at it for long seconds. She didn't shoot it. Did one of the others? Did Fei?
And so Kahm ends up doing the hard work. "!" Fortunately this doesn't mean Elly can't hustle. Forward she goes, shadowing him as he climbs his way up. At least he'll get to hurt other people if he falls. Or, more plausibly, Elly is watching his route. And in fact goes so far as to say, "That cowling looks loose, captain, be careful!" partway through.
~helping~
While doing this helpful if passive duty, she fishes a white cloth out of one of the hidden pockets of that uniform. This too may astonish Kent, although the forehead wiping motion is not in any way remarkable.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wrecked Gear.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
Hey remember that time Kent hella yelled about holes?
Pretty much five seconds after that, a snake dropped out of the sky directly onto the top of Kent's head. "HOLY MOTHER--"
Startled and spooked, Kent and the snake reel for a moment until he staggers close to one of the larger craters, the ground giving way yet again under his excessively heavy bulk. To add insult to incoming injury, the snake gets away clean, springing off Kent's face like a cartoon as he takes a tumble, Red River clattering raucously as he goes down.
He's looking particularly unstable as he finally regains the lip of the crater, sliding back down once or twice. A red vein stands out along the side of his head, and that eye is microtwitching. His hands tap at his thighs. This time, he doesn't spend any time being impressed at another mostly-intact downed Gear, stalking right up to where Kahm and Kahran are attempting to climb it.
He 'boosts' them. Which is to say he gets a hand on each of their heels and 'helps' them by 'pushing' them up as hard as he can. He then turns and levers a kick at a piece of fallen armor, which chimes loudly off the cap on his boot as it goes whizzing through an open window.
DG: Kent Hauch has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Wrecked Gear.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 9 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Kahm Yugh has drawn a new Challenge. ==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Ruined Buildings *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- It is difficult to tell how many buildings used to stand in this stretch of town, because they have all been blasted into pieces. Now only battered skeletons remain to testify to the presence of people's homes and lives in this area, some parts burned and others raked with gunfire and marred by explosions. However there are bits of treasure to be round - valued possessions hidden under rubble, or weapons and other military equipment abandoned or buried among the detritus - for those who are agile enough to reach them without causing the wrecked buildings to collapse. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
At the very least, Kahm has a perfect view to Kent's afflictions as the Lamb was plagued by both serpents and the very firmament of the land as he came up behind the group. "Thank you, Lieutenant." The Captain says....surely in response to her perceptive warning about the cowling, right?
The fact that Kent still had the strength to push them up was evidence enough that the situation at least hadn't overcome the man yet, and their progress seemed good right until Kahm was about to grab the Commander's outstretched hand with a quick thank-you-sir.
Right then, for reasons that shall remain inexplicable to all but the cruelest arbiters of fate, the gear's right knee actuator fails. Perhaps it was not wise for the three of them to all climb on the same side at once, however stable the machine had looked. The steel giant lurches hard to the right, and Kahm feels himself abruptly torn from the his handholds as Ramses's face quickly grows in distance. His right arm flung out in freefall, grabbing a fistful of the first thing he could find purchase on: Lieutenant Elhaym's hair.
Whoops.
The Captain almost immediately lets go, and continues falling, hitting the ground with a dull thud and roll as the gear lumbered over with a cacophony of creaking metal and further structural failures. "Clear the area!!!" He shouts, ignoring the burning pain in his ribs as he scrambled about the rest of the musha toppled in a crash of noise, debris, and fling dirt.
Then, silence. The dust settles. Kahm got to his feet, pulled out a ration, and passed some out for everyone, presuming everyone could take a bite. At the least, the gear's collapse had opened a path further into Lahan's ruined buildings. He'd help make sure everyone was not critically injured, then press on.
DG: Kahm Yugh has used his Tool Field Rations toward his party's challenge, Ruined Buildings.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
While everyone is working their way up to the cockpit, Myyah focuses on opening the cockpit door itself. There are numerous mechanical systems in place to prevent weapons fire from causing an accidental cockpit breach, so this is not an easy task.
For a time, Myyah is frozen, hand outstretched. Her lips are pressed to a thin line. The threads in her glove shine with greater intensity--the cockpit groans and buckles--and then, with a sharp exhale of breath, she sharply gestures downward. In the same motion, the cockpit bursts open.
Myyah takes a step backward, breathing harder. She finds a large enough stone to sit on and parks herself, switching off the ether amp in her glove. She'll be climbing up that rope in a moment, so she needs to prepare herself.
Or not. The gear breaks, shifts, and collapses. Myyah tenses and tries to stand, but she knows there's nothing she can do to help in this chaotic moment. All she can do is trust the others to survive.
Everyone does. The moments afterward are tense and silent. Myyah can't stop herself from performing a quick visual and verbal health assessment and logging the situation in her field computer.
Myyah waves off a field ration when offered one. She's not able to eat right now, she explains.
When Kahm points out the path into the ruined buildings, Myyah follows in after whoever is serving as guide. Her amp is out of charge, but she can still use ether on her own--and they might need someone to hold up another collapse, at the rate their luck is going.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Ruined Buildings.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly looks sideways towards the unstable man with the flamethrower standing right next to her as he lays hands on her fellows. This is a great time for "..." but before it can develop further, the Gear begins to tumble, the Captain grabs her hair --
Kent may be vindicated to see Elly land in the dirt again. At least this time, she tells herself as she rolls onto her back and sits upright.
She rises to her feet, and accepts the benediction of a piece of rationbar with a quiet, "thank you." To Kahr she says, "I think the original landing point for the seized Gear was on the far side of the," something creaks in the building overhanging them.
"Town," Elly says as something falls down and lands on her arm, light and kind of fragile. She had already been raising the bite to her mouth.
"Square," Elly finishes as she raises her arm and the calcinated remains of a still-discernible human hand - well, a skeleton, at least - fall down, disintegrating as they land on her front and drift down in a slightly greasy cremated straggle along the immaculate uniform.
Elly's mouth opens and closes several times, her pupils narrowing to horrified pinpricks, and then she staggers off the newly opened route in order to be briefly, miserably sick in the entranceway to a quaint local home.
After this she shuffles back into echelon. Maybe I'm asleep and this is a nightmare, she thinks to herself. Maybe ALL of it, and I'm going to wake up and the mission will still be happening after sunset.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ruined Buildings.
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahran reaches out to help Kahm, only to find that his hand grasps empty air. He hears the screeching report of metal and knows immediately what it means. As high up as he is, jumping immediately might not be preferable, so instead he climbs just a bit higher and rides the metal machine down, bracing himself as it hits the ground with a loud clang.
Even though it's hit the ground, that doesn't mean it's settled, and if there are any live munitions on it then the collapse might set them off, so the moment he thinks his footing is stable he springs off of the fallen gear and leaps towards a nearby rooftop, grabbing onto the edge of the ledge and turning his view around to see the rest of the party.
After a moment he drops, brushes himself off, and starts to walk to the others. "Is everyone alright?" He takes the offered ration from Kahm, takes a small bite out of it while he surveys the area, and then takes a good look at the gear to make sure that it won't pose any further threat.
He looks further into the collapsed ruins that were just opened. There might be something there worth finding, and they aren't out of it the running just yet.
Unlike that skeleton that just fell on Elly.
Pressing ahead, he notices several skeletons in their way. -Lamb- skeletons, of course. He takes the sheath his rapier off of his belt, using it to bat aside a few loose bones and other bits of rubble, hopefully making their path a little easier.
DG: Kahran Ramses has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Ruined Buildings.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
The Gear starts to collapse. "Oh, too right, innit? I think one of these girls is cursed!" Kent turns away and staggers a little as he pelts away, leaving a trail of mud behind him, hand instinctively rising to clamp down on a hat that isn't there as the Musha grinds apart behind him.
He turns, observing the garbage - and Kahm almost eating shit - with an expression like his mouth was full of lemons and it's the Sour Hour. He's in no rush as he slouches his way back to the group, one hand going into the bag at his waist, checking. By the grace of God, none of the molotovs are damaged. Kent takes one out, tossing the unlit explosive back and forth. Generally, these are safe when fire isn't involved.
Generally.
It's not until Kahm shoves a chunk of ration at him that Kent is startled out of his apparent reverie. His hand tightens on the bottle in his hand. He has a... unpleasant, unfocused look in his eye. Then he shoves the bottle away, and manages to not quite snatch the food out of Kahm's hand. "Arright," he mutters in something similar to thanks, crudely shoving it into his mouth.
Kent doesn't really appear hurt. He's an extremely tough specimen, physically, a body formed by lucky genetics, physical labor, and going from carrying a tank of fuel on his back to a tank of melting rocks most of the time. But he's on the edge of something, falling more and more into himself. "Bloody houses," he swears, stalking forward. "Ought to burn this whole damn deathtrap down and let the bloody fire sort it out."
Alarmingly, as he says this, he pulls Red River one final time, stepping past Elhaym vomiting. "Just a skellington, love. Ain't seen none of 'em movin' around on their own around here." He steps up to a deep sag in the building they're picking through and starts building a tephric support pillar, going back to swearing. "Fire's good at sortin', y'know. Anything don't burn, might be worth keepin'. Anything burns, probably ain't important enough to worry about, you follow?"
DG: Kent Hauch has used his Tool Red River toward his party's challenge, Ruined Buildings.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 22 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Kahran Ramses has drawn a new Challenge. =============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================= ======================<* CHALLENGE - Untriggered Trap *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- A good eye and careful progression means that the explosives that are carefully packed into a low ruined wall and the tripwire that would set them off are not going to be a problem - but then again, there's also a whole bunch of explosives that could be defused and sold for a pretty penny to a mining concern... or anyone else who might have an interest in causing a good sized mess somewhere. Of course, it's going to take a bit of wit and ingenuity to disarm the trap without it going off, but the reward could be well worth it. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahran walks through the ruined building without any problem whatsoever. He's certainly not so careless as to fall into a trap.
Right?
He must be getting tired, because Gebler Commander Ramses, leader of the Elements and the pride of Jugend, steps on a loose bit of rubble that wasn't quite as stable as he thought. He staggers forward, bumping his solid frame into a cracked stone pillar which starts to fall towards a tripwire.
Wait, tripwire?
He doesn't even know what it leads to. All he knows is that tripwires are usually bad things, and the pillar is falling towards it in slow motion. He moves quickly, interposing himself between the pillar and tripwire and letting the piece of stone rest against his back. As he strains to keep it held up, both hands staying back to hold it back, he calls out, "Company halt! Someone's set a trap."
His eyes dart from side to side, tracing the tripwire back through a wall and sees, through a crack, a pile of explosive charges just beyond, seemingly all set to blow away a major support column and bury everything underneath. "Myyah, see what you can do about that. Please be quick about it. Everyone else, help her."
He leaves them to that task while he tries to figure out how to put this broken column in a place where it won't blow everything up.
DG: Kahran Ramses has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
Kent Hauch grumbles, "You don't want me anywhere near that bloody thing. I'd give a sack of Gella for Ribaldy right now," dropping to one knee and fumbling at his chest. He growls and curses some more - weather at this point - and finally hooks his thumb under the little metal square where the straps of Red River's harness connect. When he pulls up, the square splits apart, a cap for every strap, and the straps reel back smoothly.
The tank thuds heavily into the ground and resists being moved. That harness must make it much lighter for the person the ancient weapon is synchronized with.
Instead of even looking at the bomb, Kent moves for the pillar instead, wrapping his muscular arms around it and helping the Commander shift it somewhere safe, following the other man's lead. The vein in his head bulges further with the exertion, face blotching to red.
DG: Kent Hauch has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
The precarious area underneath the buildings is not a great fit for Myyah's larger compatriots, but for once she's at an advantage. This gives her more time to tend to other concerns, like making sure Elly is alright.
"Take it slowly," she advises. "Think about what you're doing. Don't let your mind wander."
This is decent advice, as working through the buildings becomes more claustrophobic and planning intensive. Myyah focuses--enough that she stops and tenses for action when Kahran slips, not when he calls for a halt. She glances up at the rubble he's holding up, then down at the tripwire. He's holding it. She trusts him to do that.
"Yes, sir," she says, reaching for her satchel. She moves with steady, insistent motions that hide a great urgency behind even greater control. Armed with her field computer again, Myyah drops down to inspect the tripwire. She locates the mechanism and spends a few moments examining it with her tablet.
"Homemade explosives," she says. "Not military. I think there's more than this one. Give me a moment."
Myyah begins working at the problem with a small roll of tools produced from her satchel. Eventually, something clicks, and she snips the tripwire. It falls harmless, and Myyah wordlessly moves on to the next one, taking slow steps until she locates it.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has used its Tool Field Computer toward its party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Kahm halts as soon as the Commander speaks the word. Keen eyes find the tripwire moments after Ramses identifies the trap. That was an odd thing to find in the village...a parting gift from the Kislev troops that had been scattered earlier, perhaps?
However it got there, it didn't bode for them. "Stay close at hand, Lieutenant." The Captain warned, mindful of Elly's reaction to the bodies they'd pass by on the way in.
Myyah's analysis rules out military usage....bandits then, perhaps. Much of the next few moments would depend on the Adjunct's steady hand, so Kahm does what he can to help, producing a small capsule from his belt and emptying the contents into the palm of his hand: A fine white powder, which he then gently blows down the hallway.
Basic chaff. Harmless to breathe, and reflective enough to enhance any ambient light bouncing off the walls, making the tripwires easier to see.
DG: Kahm Yugh has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
"... That's... horrible," Elly answers Kent, voice creaking. After this she keeps on walking. Myyah looks at her, and can probably sense that Elly's expecting a smack, one way or another. One which doesn't come. "... I understand."
After this comes a discreet withdrawal of her water flask (only water, this time) and the deposition of that cherry-coffee energy gum in her mouth. Both of these help to wash out the taste of the sick.
Then comes the company halt, and Elly stops short enough that her heels squeal on the ground.
Her eyes are wide again at least. The column and the trap become clear even as Kent moves to muscle it up and assist the Commander. Elly helps by not moving at all.
Thanks to what's in that gum, the world becomes a slightly less hostile-seeming place. Almost beautiful, in its way. Everything sparkles with a subtle hint of beauty as fatigue melts out of her arms and her legs and that tiny ache in her back goes away. When Kahm distributes that white powder to the air -- the way it clings --
"-- That spider-web," Elly stage-whispers towards Myyah. "Ma'am - there's a wire in it."
DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Emergency Rations toward her party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 7 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has drawn a new Challenge. ==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Giant Scavenger Birds *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The mountains close to Lahan are home to a species of giant birds which produce delicious eggs. However the razing of the town has left rotting food and the occasional body exposed to the sun, and the impressively sized scavengers will occasionally descend into town to feast. They aren't particularly picky about if their prey is alive or not, and the first warning of attack is a shadow of a ten foot wingspan from above and the screeching of the beasts as they go on the attack. =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
The instant a bird's shadow starts bearing down on them, something gives within Kent Hauch.
"I'VE HAD TOO BAD A SLAGGIN' DAY TO LET YOU FOOKIN' FEATHER RATS HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH MY ASS!!"
He elbows Red River, the hose connecting gun and tank glowing white-hot, and uses it to light molotovs he starts pulling from his bag.
He starts hurling the bottles in dramatic arcs at the birds. Maybe this isn't the... best method of using Molotovs, but his pupils have contracted to pinpricks. He may take objection poorly.
DG: Kent Hauch has used his Tool Molotov Cocktail toward his party's challenge, Giant Scavenger Birds.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
The trap, though cunningly made, is not as cunning as the Gebler forces (and guest star). An improvised explosive can be powerful, but it requires the targets to be unaware... and Lahan does not have the benefit of an insurgent population who can exploit strain and exhaustion on the part of occupying forces.
Probably.
The last wire might make hearts race (not Elly's, though, that gum is really helping her out) because it twitches from excessive tension. The detonator has been sufficiently disconnected, though, that all it does is rip open the hidden canister of cordite and spill outwards, a loose string of chopped-up -Lamb- rock-moving explosives landing on the ground. It's a mess and will greatly impair any value it may have, though perhaps not entirely remove FORENSIC value...
Anyway, just past that door is a shallow grave that was a little too shallow and had several of these disgustingly huge local vultures eating on it, but that doesn't get revealed because one of them, flying over the half-wrecked building, has activated the trap card of Kent Hauch. One of the molotovs lands on the cordite but without compression it just goes sssszzzhh and fills the air with a scent of piquant vibrance.
Elly, whose pupils are now much larger, does not even twitch, instead drawing out her sidearm and pivoting it upwards. She has no problem shooting at birds, although the repeated pops! of sidearm fire are attracting the rest of them, FATTENED ON THE CORPSES OF LAHAN AS THEY MAY BE.
The massive vultures shriek in a really unpleasant way. One of them is simply too full of villager to take off properly and comes in through a side door. Have fun with that.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Sidearm toward her party's challenge, Giant Scavenger Birds.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Hey, you know what Kent? It's fine, Kahm will comp you on this one because they're all having an extremely bad day and these birds have chosen to make it actively worse.
The Captain's sidearm is at hand as he comes up on Elly's side begins squeeze off rounds, carefully aiming a few to strike Kent's molotov's at so that they explode at mostly-convenient times, ensuring a greate blast radius and further avian pacification.
Apparently unsatisfied by this, Kahm will also arm one of his sonic grenades with his free hands and let loose, sending it flying into the midst of a flock where it should erupt with a disruptive 'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE' noise, shattering bird eardrums, disrupting group cohesiveness, and hopefully making them easier to pick off.
"After everything else, we will not be undone by a bunch of fowl." The Captain asserts grimly.
DG: You use your Tool Sonic Grenade against your party's Challenge, Giant Scavenger Birds! DG: Kahm Yugh has used his Tool Sonic Grenade toward his party's challenge, Giant Scavenger Birds.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
"Thank you, lieutenant," Myyah murmurs. The explosion she's working on clicks--then the wire cutters, and then she moves to the one indicated by Elly.
After several moments of this, Myyah waves the rest of the team through. They have room to help Kahran set things down, and everyone can extricate themselves from this horrible deathtrap of a shortcut. They all exit through a door, and Myyah is last in line.
This means that when Myyah's eyes adjust to the light again, Kent is already hurling gas bombs into the air and Elly is opening fire because why not at this point. The swiftness with which they are beset upon by the rest of the flock is shocking in nature.
"Kahr," says Myyah, gently. Her face is more pale than usual. She takes a step away and puts her back against the wall of the building they just exited, her eyes fixed on the sky. She makes no attempt to attack anything.
DG: Myyah Hawwa has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Giant Scavenger Birds.
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahran mutters a quiet "Thank you," as the others set to work on the trap, waiting silently as they work on it. It's a pity that the trap was ruined, but all things considered it could have gone a lot worse. Eventually with Kent's help, he manages to set the pillar aside long enough for Kahr to get a moment to recompose himself.
"That went well," he says, completely unironically. Maybe he's just an optimist?
When he hears Kent's shouting and sees a giant bird coming through the door, Kahr is quick to reassert his manhood by drawing his sword and charging at the beast. He doesn't have any potions to chug this time, but he does have his rapier and his skill, which when combined with the rest of the party's contributions should be enough.
"We'll handle this," he reassures Myyah, placing himself between the enemy and her. "The might of Gebler won't be outdone by a flock of birds.
DG: Kahran Ramses has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Giant Scavenger Birds.
DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has failed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Kahm Yugh has drawn a new Challenge. ==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - The Shattered Cliffside *>==================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The path through Lahan's ruins has been difficult, and getting to the center of town doesn't seem possible along this route. This doesn't mean that all hope is lost, however - because along the north edge of the town lies a cliff face that appears to have been broken and shattered by the fighting. Large craters pocket its face, with strange glass-like ribbons of rock running down to pool at the bottom of the cliff - testament to the power that had launched several Gears into the cliff side. Their shattered forms protrude from the rocks, while another lies atop the cliff, seemingly in better shape than the others. It is a formidable climb, but rewards await those who can assail the cliff and succeed. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Let it be known that on this day, the assembled might of Gebler (and miscellaneous allies) did /not/ fall before a determined flock of angry birds.
However, the birds are many, and insistent, and there comes a point where one must wonder if it is not a waste of resources to keep pouring bullets and ordinance into them.
Eventually there comes to be a lull in the flock as it attempts to regroup itself, and Kahm quickly takes advantage of the opening, "We should press on, before they have their wits about them."
Whatever wits birds could be said to have, at least. The captain had his doubts.
This brings them to another section of cliff some of them may recognize before, though they are considerably more worse for the wear. Kahm feels a countless number of aches and pains all over, and his ribs may or may not be cracked from the fall he endured earlier.
A fall here would likely mean more than broken ribs, depending on the height.
"Alright. I know it has been difficult, but we are nearly done." Again, Kahm produces some more rations to eat and restore last energy, "As long as we don't act rashly, i'm sure we can come through."
When the climb begins, Kahm goes slow and methodically, only taking the surest, most friendly-looking paths to the top. A climber's rope has been secured to his belt for other's to attach to, should they wish.
DG: Kahm Yugh has used his Tool Field Rations toward his party's challenge, The Shattered Cliffside.
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
Myyah stays in place while Kahran fights. She watches, face empty of expression, gaze moving to follow each threat and counterthreat.
When the birds flee, Myyah pushes off from the wall and tries to keep up with the group while simultaneously searching through her satchel. She has aquasol spray for the wounded. Kahran gets first taste.
By the time they have come to the cliff, Myyah has replaced her tools again and is now free to consider what appears to be the last trouble in their way. She recalls the aerial maps from earlier--yes, this seems accurate. She turns to find Elly and get her attention with a look.
"Lieutenant," she says. "You're rated for earth ether, aren't you? Let's make this an easy way down."
DG: Myyah Hawwa has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Shattered Cliffside.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
Kent Hauch renders flame unto the sky as though a god. There are so many birds that most of his molotovs hit /something/, and though a little bit of fire doesn't do much more than panic the birds, all the smoldering feathers falling to the earth, the smoking creatures flying to and fro in the air, red and orange everywhere he looks...
The beauty of it brings a tear to Kent's eye. As the space opens up, he sprints through it, readjusting Red River's reclaimed fit on his back, producing his handkerchief to dab at the corner of his eye. He no longer looks like he's about to snap, but in its place he looks ghoulishly drained. He staggers right up to the cliffside and leans upon it, shoulders heaving.
"Slag this for a scrapheap... another one of these bloody cliffs..." He looks dubiously up at the top and swallows. He looks left and right. "There's another way, right? Fuck me..." He pulls Red River and looks at the grip of the gun, scowling. Tank's all but empty.
Well. Time to give it a shot. Someone says something about ether. Kent thinks it's a weird time for drug use.
DG: Kent Hauch has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Shattered Cliffside.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Elly exhausts her clip in short order and proceeds ahead under Kahm's instruction. She swallows her gum at some point, but, frankly, that's probably a feature, not a bug. Then comes the cliff.
Elly's head cranes to look at it. The scale of it - the play of the light on the glassified craters -- no, no time for this. She shakes her head, looking to Myyah and giving her a firm nod. "Yes. ... Yes!" she concurs further.
Then she remembers to put away her gun. Yes, drugs are involved here, but chemical enthusiasm still counts. "Captain --"
And while Kahm is preparing, Elly cranes her head back aaaall the way to look ahead, to see the glassed spots where the stone has been tormented. She steps back several paces (/looking behind herself before/, of course) and then sweeps a hand in front of her, gloved fingers curling. Her eyes narrow. Power flows, rippling up her legs and along her back in what is probably the first positive physical sensation Elly has had in the last week that didn't involve a shower or a bottle of water with drugs in it:
The cliff rumbles.
A few pieces fall off, which may alarm Kahm. What may alarm him more is what he finds when he goes down. Knobbly projections have emerged from the stone, approximately spread out like a rock climbing training wall. They are firmly placed, with a stout curve with a divot on top and a tapered bottom pointing downwards, maximizing useful surface without--
They are hearts. Not always very precisely rendered, and in some cases (especially towards the bottom) more like tomatoes or peaches than the classical heart, but that is what these new, Ether-produced projections are.
They are also kind of warm, but that's just physics. "... whew... Hopefully they'll stay for a while," Elly says, before she joins the climb parade.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Shattered Cliffside.
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahr grins at Myyah and quietly sips the offered aquasol, glad that the birds, for whatever it's worth, have been driven away. It was an exhausting fight for him personally, and he's not ashamed to admit that he got a few cuts along the way, but they are close. He can feel it.
Yet, the party is running low on resources. Kahr reaches for his potion bottle, opens it up, and finds it... dry. There's nothing left to drink. Well, that's alright. He's not done yet. He'll just have to keep pressing forward.
When they find the cliff, he frowns. He's certain that he's seen another one of these before. "Why did people pick such a dangerous area to live in? Or is it just that the gear created these cliff faces?"
Kahran doesn't climb right away, instead waiting for Elly to finish whatever her spell is. When he sees the results... he stops himself from chuckling. It isn't hard, as he's almost too tired to chuckle, but he does have to stop himself. "Well, win or lose, at least we'll capture a lot of hearts along the way."
With that smarmy ridiculous joke he just starts climbing. Win lose or draw, he's sure they'll be done soon.
DG: Kahran Ramses has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Shattered Cliffside.
DG: Kahm Yugh is too exhausted to continue! DG: Myyah Hawwa is too exhausted to continue! DG: Kent Hauch is too exhausted to continue! DG: Elhaym van Houten is too exhausted to continue! DG: Kahran Ramses is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. Your party can no longer continue and is forced to retreat! DG: The party led by Kahran Ramses has been fully Exhausted by Ruins of Lahan!
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Okay, so far, so good.
Kahm was steady, he was stable. There was some /slight/ hesitation when he heard the rumbling for Elly and Myyah's tandem etheric efforts, but he swiftly understood the intent of the action, if not the design. A lattice work of giant stone hearts now paved their way to the top.
'...okay' Kahm silently thinks, while the Commander gives himself over to sniggers.
What happens next is perhaps less sniggerworthy.
The cliffside begins to rumble, then fall away. Not /massively/ mind, we're not looking at a full landslide here, but it will be particularly difficult to hold on to anything as so much loose soil and rock comes tumbling down. Fortunately they're not very high when it happens, fortunately Elly and Myyah's smooth control the Earth marks it feels more likely a calm (but slightly humiliating) slide down to the bottom rather than a violent, bone-breaking tumble.
Nonetheless, Kahm is caught up in the sudden effacing of dirt and rock, somehow managing to bodysurf his way back down with only a few scrapes and tumbles. He pulls himself upright and spends a few second coughing out a breathful or two of dirt, disgust not far from the back of his threat.
The cliff wall had been rendered more or less utterly smooth, and inclimbable. Further attempts at etheric manipulation could risk a far a greater disaster. Nonetheless, the Kahm looked to his Commander before deciding anything, "...your orders, sir?"
<Pose Tracker> Myyah Hawwa has posed.
Myyah watches Elly at work. Her gaze moves back and forth between the lieutenant and the cliff, observing the interplay between etheric action and result.
The result is hearts. Myyah tilts her head. Her commentary is very functional.
"Thank you, lieutenant."
Myyah proceeds to the edge of the cliff to watch their commando test the route down. Kahran goes after. Myyah watches what routes they choose, preparing to go down herself.
Her thought process is interrupted by the collapse of the cliff. Of course it's a collapse of the cliff. Myyah watches with weary acceptance. The mini-avalanche isn't enough to wound anyone, but is terrible enough to make the entire cliffside unstable. Her hand is already in her satchel before people find stable ground.
"I can call the dropship," she says. "We can clear a landing space."
<Pose Tracker> Kahran Ramses has posed.
Kahran tries. He really does try his best. Tries to keep people motivated, and tries to keep things going. Yet, he's also trying to keep an eye on the troops, and trying to decide just how far to push them. He's pushing them a bit hard, he knows, and the temptation to call it off is strong, but he's also not one to give up easily.
Then the rock face caves in, and instead of trying to climb up he's trying to find stable holds to latch onto. There are none. He's buried under the landslide and vanishes behind a cloud of dust and a river of dirt. For a moment or two, he's completely gone.
A moment or two passes. Then a hand thrusts itself out of the dirt. Then the Commander's head, then his other arm. It's not long at all before he's at least got his torso out of the dirt. When Kahm asks for orders, his decision is pretty clear.
"We fall back. We call the dropship," he nods to Myyah, "rest up, take showers, and then we'll plan our next move from there."
He continues pulling himself out. Looks down at his dirt-caked shirt, and reaches into the dirt pile to pull out his jacket. He brushes it off a few times, decides that it's futile, and just folds it over his arm and looks back up at the avalanche.
He shakes his head, then turns away. This was a wash.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.
Complements. Elly dares to hope that this is authentic, genuine approval, administered efficiently. She looks at Myyah's face as if to glean this but-- oh, she's going down too.
Soon enough the rock face falls, and the handholds turn out to be much more friable than Elly had thought or hoped. "Kyah!!!" Soon enough, with scrapes and contusions, she is buried in broken hearts of cold grey stone.
Not deeply, though. She rolls onto her side, nursing bruised ribs and turning her face from everyone.
This is the worst place I've ever been, Elly thinks, incorrectly.
<Pose Tracker> Kent Hauch has posed.
Kent saw hearts grow out of the rock with no evidence of Crest sorcery or Symbology.
Basically that happened and his eyes shot out of his head, ricocheted around the environment, popped back in, and he lost grip on the cliff, falling a whopping six feet to land on his face.
He didn't... fall unconscious... /exactly/, but he did decide to stay there, having had enough in a general, cosmic sense.