The Waste -
Verra's strike is much weaker than she anticipated, though the strike was solid, the damage is minimal.
Mira's mount bolts away from the fighting.
OZ gets thrown and manages to land on his feet. The fall though sends his shot wide as well.
Joseph's arm cannon discharges an electric spark at the flying creatures once more this time aiming for and striking the creature troubling Erissa. Ranged Attack - - Damage .
Fly 1 - Attack Erissa - HP = 7/16
Fly 2 - Johnny & A-231d6 - HP = 2/16
Fly 3 - Verra - HP = 10/16
Fly 4 - Mira & OZ - HP = 14/16
Fly 1 Attack Bite Erissa - Damage
Fly 2 - Attack Bite Johnny - Damage
Fly 3 - Attack Bite Verra - Damage
Fly 4 - Attack Bite Mira - Damage
The flies buzz and swarm at those they have already focused upon, perhaps you are all the tastiest morsels?
Erissa's flapping foe fumbles on its attack, but not by more than a hair.
Johnny is bitten once more!
Verra ducks as the next opponent offers at her head.
Finally, the fly attacking Mira manages to clamp on and squeeze her armor causing severe pain.
Johnny abandons his bombs and opts for a less elegant but seemingly more effective option as he slices one of his bug's wings off.
Mira, OZ, Verra, Alexandr, and Erissa - GO![/ooc]
"Now y'all 've gone and made me mad."
Vera whips out her revolver and takes a shot at the nearest fly.
Ozymandias snaps off another shot from his revolver, firing at one of the flies harassing his compatriots.
"Starfall, kill the buzzing nuisance already!"
Rearing up again, the synthetic horse aims a kick straight for the creature's head.
Taking aim herself at one of the others attacking her companions, Erissa says a quick prayer to Brigh before pulling the trigger.
As the round goes off, Erissa calmly twists the barrel so that the next loaded chamber is ready.
Alexandr curses at his failed shots. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he again loads two shots and again his rifle blasts twice sending metal towards his flying opponents.
The Waste -
Fly 1 - Attack Erissa - HP = 6/16
Fly 2 - Johnny & A-231d6 - HP = 2/16
Fly 3 - Verra - HP = 10/16
Fly 4 - Mira & OZ - HP = -4/16
Mira's shot hits but the bullet bounces off of the mutant doing much less damage than it should have!
Oz shoots the same fly Mira whose shot went wide. His round hits the last round he fired and it causes an explosion of gun powder, bringing the first of the winged foes to the ground!
Erissa charges at the nearest mutant with Starfall and despite solid connections with both attacks the mutant resists most of her efforts.
Alexandr tries to down the fly harrying Johnny but both shots miss.
Joseph too recognizes Johnny's plight and also aims for that mutant.
The three remaining mutants launch into the air withdraw action.
Verra wheels her horse again to get a shot off at the retreating fly.
She softly sighs, "Yes, you're free to remind me that I need special loads for these occasions."
"Knew I should have invested in cold iron horseshoes the last time I was in town." Erissa takes aim at the withdrawing flies, but holds off on firing.
"Perhaps we are too much trouble."
Alexandr cocks his rifle and fires once more at the fly attacking Johnny but refrains from firing a second time once he sees that the flies seem to be retreating.
The Waste -
Fly 1 - Attack Erissa - HP = 4/16
Fly 2 - Johnny & A-231d6 - HP = -5/16
Fly 3 - Verra - HP = 8/16
Fly 4 - Mira & OZ - HP = -4/16
The 7 fire rounds once more at the mutant flies of the Waste striking all but only bringing one more down, this time courtesy of Johnny's bomb!
Erissa watches their flight pattern and believes what they are gong to do is come around for anotehr pass with their breath weapons.
Ozymandias snaps off another shot at the flies as they retreat into the sky, knowing that lead will serve him better than any other avenue of attack.
The Waste -
OZ's shot goes just wide of the remaining two flies which turn about for another attack run at the only fresh food for miles.
Joseph raises his arm cannon once more and releases fire!
Breath Weapon - Fly 1 - HP = 4/16 - Breath Weapon - Johnny & A-23 Acid.
His shot drops one more!
The last comes down for one more strife with its breath weapon, targeting Johnny, the most wounded. Unfortunately, Alexandr & Erissa are right next to him and receive part of the acidic cloud as well.
Moving out of the way, mostly, of the incoming splash, Erissa fires at the descending insect. As she does, she spurs Starfall to spread out from her companions, preparing her rifle to fire its final loaded round as she does.
Taking a cue from Erissa, Alexandr rolls out of the way of the acid and and puts a little more distance between he and the others.
Grimacing at the small amount of acid he couldn't dodge, Alexandr once more raises his rifle. Taking careful aim at the fly that spewed acid at them, he fires, loads his weapon quickly and fires again.
The Waste -
Erissa, Johnny, and Alexandr have the timing down now, each manages to roll out of the way of the worst of the weapon with Alex and Erissa quickly getting back to their feet and firing.
Their shots bring the last of the mutants down!
The Acolyte calls out, "I would clap for your performance but I fear my hands are tied..."
Verra pets her horses neck to soothe him. She hops down pulling out a few vials from her pockets. She takes samples from one of the flies and of its acidic spew, quickly and expertly capping the vials and replacing them in her pockets.
She re-mounts her horse and nods to Erissa. "Lead on. I'd rather not spend another night out here if it's all the same to you."
"I guess a few of us ought to round up the strays."
Erissa calmly ejects the spent cartridges and reloads her rifle with four new ones.
"Remind me when we get to town to have my armor and clothes seen to. Acid burns are hard to repair, but perhaps someone can fabricate new ones for me. Also I really must get Starfall equipped with horseshoes made of cold iron if I am to continue sojourning in the Wastes like this... to many things that can shrug off a regular kick."
Satisfied with the reload, the android turns to the bound acolyte. "Don't worry, I am sure that the townsfolk will allow you to give us a commendation for ensuring your safe transport to the noose." With a particularly vicious smile, Erissa rounds up the other horses quickly and efficiently.
"I took a bit more acid to the chest than is normally considered 'healthy' but I should be fine to continue onward apart from that." Erissa says to Mira as she leads Fidgety back to her.
"I will be fine, let us continue to town."
''My wounds are minimal, but thank you. Let us gather all the horses and be off.''
The Waste -
Luckily the spooked horses rode away from the quicksand and towards solid ground allowing the Seven to round them up in short order.
The Acolyte remains silent as the group moves towards the Last Stop.
No further encounters take place, there is nothing in sight but miles and miles of blasted sand.
The Waste -
As the day begins to draw to a close it is clear that the sinkhole will force them outside for another night. The group is rather beat up as a hardy lot there is no doubt they will be up to the challenge of roughing it another night.
Verra volunteers for first watch. "I gotta couple'a notes I wanna make anyway. No sense in being awake if y'ain't gonna be alert to what's goin' on, right?" She pulls out her notebook and continues scratching away at something or other. It looks like she might be constructing a detailed map of the places the group has been, with notes describing landscape features.
Erissa takes the middle watch, taking the time to ensure that her rifle is maintained properly and that Starfall is taken care of.
Erissa sits next to their prisoner toward the end of her watch.
"I realize that we have been... unkind... in our treatment of you. You cannot say that your prior actions did not bring it upon your head... but still, I cannot imagine that the prospect of the gallows at the end of this journey to be a comforting one." The android woman gives the acolyte a sad smile.
"I must confess a bit of surprise that the League sent you and your minions into the Wastes at all. They were staunchly isolationist during the war... with no signs of changing in its aftermath. Not much is out there anymore... surely even they would know that, I would think. So why send you? Why risk war with nations that have survived forces beyond their understanding?"
Ozymandias, again awake through the night, watches silently for a moment when Erissa speaks to their captive. "She likely believes she will escape the hangman's noose in some fashion, if I had to guess." He looks at the acolyte, the unflinching light from his optics casting light on the two of them. "She will not. I will kill her where she stands before she takes a step outside of my custody. I care little, if at all, for the wretched woman's comfort." However, when Erissa expresses her surprise, the eidolon nods along.
"I have w-w-wondered as much myself." The eidolon pauses, and a low whine emits from somewhere within his chassis. "It seems foolish, but the Technic League does little without considering the risks and rewards. What do you have to gain out here, other than inflicting suffering?"
Being most familiar with Erissa, even if he barely knows her, Alexandr decides to take his watch with her.
''I will take the middle watch as well.''
Sitting down as he surveys the wasteland, keeping watch for any danger, Alexandr listens in on Erissa's conversation with the Acolyte. He is surprised to hear her speak kindly to Kharzess considering how cold she appeared at first.
Must remember not to let first impressions be my only data in the future
The robot continues with his usual threats of death and Alexandr stops paying attention, his mind back to the task at hand.
The Waste -
There is jockeying for interest in the final watch of the night but the 7 make things work as Joseph seems amenable to taking the first.
The night wears on with no incidents and the silence of the wastes is broken by the 7 beginning to question the Acolyte as to her reasons for heading into the Waste.
The Acolyte replies, "The League believes there are many things of value in the Waste as do many other nations. With no government what better place to dig? How was I to know that the local villages would send someone out to arrest us for slaying those foolish enough to live in such a hellhole. Would you arrest a purple worm for eating? I think not. Those who live here are at risk every day, what is the difference if they die as meals or because they impede progress?"
Before any of you can respond, the earth begins to shake and rattle!
Everyone wakes up to that and the horses begin to neigh in fear.
"What in tarnation?!"
"Easy, girl," Verra says, stroking the horse's neck. "Let's get you saddled up before you go sprinting off."
Erissa whistles a short two toned call to Starfall, calming the coarser's nerves.
"Easy... easy... just the ground shifting."
''Blast!!'' Alexandr curses to himself as the earth begins to shake.
Clutching the reins he does his best to reign in his mount.
Not to self, learn how to ride these infernal beasts.
The Waste -
The ground rattles as if it were about to shake itself apart!
Mira's mount rides off in a panic as does Alexandr's, the pack horses and the Acolyte's mount.
Everyone else manages to either settle the mounts on foot or mount up though they do not ride as some of their companions have yet to mount. OZ grabs the Acolyte and pulls her over the front of his saddle, "No escape for you.."
Just then the earthquake seems to move away from your position.
Second later on of the mounts is swallowed whole by the equivalent of a unicorn of the Wastes, a Waste Worm, browned out with green streaks on it armored plating and Colossal in scale has come to feast...
"Je-freakin'-hosephat! What a monster!" Verra turns her head slightly. "Shai halud? What kind of exclamation is that?"
With one hand on the reins of her horse, her other hand springs up, pistol blazing. "Not sure this will hurt something that size, but there's only one way to find out!"
"He's right, we have no chance of fighting that thing. We need to move." Ozymandias snaps the reins as he pulls out his gun, snapping off a shot toward the beast. "Go, go!"
"No shame in living to fight another day," Verra says as she tries to gather her things and mount her horse.
''By the gods what manner of beast is that.
Despite having spent many years in thew wastes, Alexandr does not recall ever having seen such a titanic worm before. Seeing as everyone else seems inclined to flee rather than fight the beast he leaps atop the nearest horse, whether it already has a rider or not.
''Go, Go!!! I will distract the beast if necessary'' He shouts if the horse already has a rider.
Pulling his pistol out with his free hand in case it is needed he rides off with the rest.