Longshot quickly gathers up his armor and replaces it as he steps out into the town, running quickly to wherever it is he is supposed to be.
Saturday, 11th November, 109 P.A., 5:26 pm. 28oF. Light Snow.
You head towards the front gates as snow begins falling in earnest. The guards watch as you approach, their hands automatically going to their weapons. They seem as if they are expecting something. "Leaving so soon?", they ask as you request your gear and suits. They open the storage vault and stand far enough back to open fire if anyone tries anything.
While you are collecting your gear, you hear a loud boom coming from the direction of the mines. Both guards look that direction as one of them puts a hand to his helmet. Moments later, he relaxes a bit and says, "They were clearing out a new tunnel, no worries."
When you are finished, they open the gates for you.
Same Day, twenty minutes later, somewhere outside the gates.
"Stand by X23, patching you through now."
It takes more than a minute, but eventually Chief Elle is on the line.
"This channel is secure, go ahead."
When Burgurk hears the boom, he says into comms (outside of the guard's hearing) "Shakti and Ezekial, get as close to the mine entrance as you can without attracting attention and see if things appear normal outside or if everyone's running around in a panic."
When the channel is opened, Burgurk says "Chief Elle, this is Burgurk. We have determined that there is indeed a rift being opened on this end by some means, and it is allowing the 'demons' that plagued the other world thru. This has apparently been going on for some time. The number of demons in this world is unknown. The rift is inside a mine, probably heavily guarded on the inside by both humans and demons. I am awaiting your further instructions."
Ezekial shrugs and then does his best to appear like the usual useless people who come around to witness a disaster but do nothing to help as he wanders toward the mine.
At the Mine:
While Burgurk and Anya have a discussion with Chief Elle, Ezekial and Shakti investigate the mine. On arrival, they note that the two guards that are posted there normally have lowered the gates and are attempting to keep some of the on-lookers back and they are explaining that the miners had to blow open a new tunnel and that everything is alright.
The guards seem agitated, as if something else was on their minds.
Online with Chief Elle:
"Sergeant, that is terrible news. Demons are not known to stay small in number. Any amount is a threat. Your mission mandate still stands. Try to record as much activity as you can and then send them back where they came from. That Rift needs to be closed. We do not have any forces in the area that I can authorize for support, at least not for a couple of days. Can you get it done?"
Ezekial mutters to Shakti "Well, they might need to work harder to convince themselves that ol' story is the God's honest truth afore they expect anyone else to."
Sounding more confident than he really feels, Burgurk replies to Chief Elle "Yes, ma'am! I'm sure we can!"
"Anya, please remove your suit's helmet, hover a few feet off the ground for me, and move a little to the left or right."
Assuming she does that, and she hears the sounds of the thrusters, he says "You see, you're not as silent when you're flying as you thought. And while your outline is a little blurry, I can see you just fine as well," pointing right at her.
Shakti rejoins the group, screening her face from the dust and dirt being kicked up by the hovering mech suit, and shouts to be heard overtop of the sound of the muffled exhaust ports.
"I though Burgurk gave you orders not to retrieve your suit. Burgurk, have you decided to defy the village ordinance by reversing the order?"
= 15
"Anya, I could hear your thrusters very plainly, and I *did* point right at you, so I repeat : you are not as quiet and invisible as you think."
"Shakti, I had her run her thrusters to prove to her that she's not as stealthy as she seems to think. I am definitely leaving her outside of the town. She can wear her suit or not, as she wishes, but under *no* circumstances is she to come inside the town wearing the suit."
Upon hearing Burgurk's response, you can almost hear the chief's smile over the comms. "Excellent. That is what I like to hear. Be careful, team. I can't emphasize that enough. Report back when your task is accomplished. Chief Out."
As Shakti vanishes from Ezekial's side, he watches the townspeople start to disperse. One of them approaches him. "Hey, you should be careful around here. The guards don't like outsiders getting too close to the mines." As if to prove his point, one of the guards looks in your direction.
"That so? Well far be it from me to stick around where I'm not wanted. Thanks for the warnin', pardner." he says, then tips his hat and walks to a safer distance where he might hang around mostly out of sight to keep an eye on the situation.
Away from the mine:
The man who warned Ezekial walks with him a bit, as if continuing a conversation they were already having. When away from earshot of the guards, he speaks. "Look, some of us have been watching the goings on in town and we noticed you folk definitely aren't part of the wardens around here. Walk with me a bit and I'll explain."
Ezekial follows.
"Now just to be all crystal-like, this ain't just yer own personal opinion, I take it? Rest o' the town feels much like this too? My hands are a bit tied if'n y'all don't want us to help out all collectively. But if yer all in agreement, keepin' it quiet fer safety reasons? Yeah, we been itchin' fer an excuse to help y'all out without putting a bee under yer bonnet, to tell the truth."
The man sighs to Ezekial. "Not everyone feels the same, no. Some folk think that as along as they aren't taking any of us, we should let them do what they want. We don't have the means to fight back, even if we wanted to, and our numbers are too small. Your people seem to have the means, if not the numbers. Even if some of us don't agree, all of us would do well to have them off our backs."
"I'll see what we can do. Nobody is comfortable with the way y'all are gettin' done."
Ezekial reports this new development to the rest of the team when out of earshot of the man.
"Bein' honest...I think this is a good enough excuse to sweep in. Didn't the brass say it was fine to start swingin' hard if the people asked us to? They don't never have to know it was only some of 'em."
Burgurk says over comms "Problem is, they threatened to send the demons out to kill the townspeople. So we have to figure a way to get into the mine quietly, to keep any of the demons from getting out. Any ideas?"
Burgurk says over comms "Problem is, they threatened to send the demons out to kill the townspeople. So we have to figure a way to get into the mine quietly, to keep any of the demons from getting out. Any ideas?"
"...Mebbe we jus' go in at night 'n block the exit? Mines ain't real famous fer havin' multiple convenient entrances and exits, in my experience. If'n some of the demons try 'n escape, there's only one way they should be able to go, right?"
"The scary angel lady can just zap us right from one place to the other'n, I think. We could just collapse the mine entrance behind us and get out usin' her fancy finger wigglin'."
"There were guards there well past sunset today, so I'm assuming the entrance is guarded round-the-clock. Maybe the guy who just talked to you could tell us when both guards on-duty are sympathetic to getting rid of the demons, and would just let us in?"
"Shakti - can you teleport us in? From how far? Do you have to see your destination?
Shakti looks at Burgurk as if he should know better. "Of course I can get us in. It will only take me a moment to look at the area and then I'll be able to bring us all along. If they're blocking me, which anyone who knows what they are doing should be, I will only be able to get us into the entrance. That is, unless one of Ezekial's new friends knows another way in."
"Well, then, let's do it!"
"Anya, Ezekial, join us at the tavern we all went into when we first got here, as soon as possible."
Once everyone arrives, Burgurk takes them to the place where he tailed the guy from the tavern to the mines, stopping where the mine entrance is just visible, but we are still a ways away from it.
"Ok, Shakti, do your thing!"
Shakti gathers her energies in an attempt to circumvent the barriers protecting the mines. As she begins to cast her spell, your surroundings seem to blur and fold into something unrecognizable. You suddenly feel heat and an oppressing power at the edge of your minds.
The feeling passes quickly though and you find yourself standing in a cavernous area filled with charnel. There are bodies piled up at least three feet high in a ten foot circle. While your stomachs take a moment to adjust to the sight, you recognize some of the bodies on the top of the pile belong to the Faelerin, the creatures that had come through the Rifts a while back. There seems to be a rather large opening ahead of you showing the one way out of this area. Unfortunately, you also hear the sounds of several creatures chittering and clattering their way towards you.
"Hellfire almighty, I didn't expect you were gonna pop us into the middle of a blasted killin' field, Shakti." Ezekial says, readying his weapons.
Burgurk tries to boost his Psionics by, well, using Psionics (!) :
That's a Raise, so his Psionics is now d12+2.
Burgurk growls in anticipation of the coming battle.
Shakti begins trying to recover from her ordeal of bringing all of you past the magical defenses of the mine while Private Casey and Specialist Ariel look for cover from the oncoming demons.
Anya powers up her suit and begins to lock on to their general direction. They come pouring into the room, claws and teeth gnashing together...
Burgurk tries to take out 3 of the demons with his psychic blasts :
Assuming 12 hits a raise, he does :
= 32
= 31
Two demons shatter into their constituent parts, vanishing in a burst of energy and then leaving nothing but ash as several more charge though the explosion. Their giant misshapen forms promise a gory demise should you let them get close enough.
Unfazed by the somewhat passe beasties charging toward him, Ezekial begins calmly preparing his counterattack.
"Here's a little somethin' I whipped up usin' the spare parts what I didn't need from the Infrasound Generator. It's kinda the opposite."
Under his coat Ezekial flips a few switches and steps forward a bit, before a piercing screech of sound so loud it's almost solid bursts forth from several speakers hidden on his armor.
As the demons close, each of you steel yourselves for a fight. After a run in with Simvan raiders and a Splugorth slave barge, a pack of howling demons is nothing.
Anya opens up with her newly installed heavy lasers, blasting away at the demons and though she hits them, it seems as if they are only slightly fazed by them as they continue their charge.
Shakti, being a divine being, knows that demons are lesser beings and she could easily wink them out of existence. Normally, on her world. Instead, she focuses her energies on her allies to aid them in the fight and in a movement of six hypnotically fast arms, she is only able to affect Burgurk's power. It seems the technology involved with Anya's suit and Ezekial's equipment is too much for her at the moment.
Not even missing a beat, Ezekial tosses his makeshift sonic grenade towards the demons, the ear-piercing scream only mildly annoying them as they rush forward.
Specialist Ariel and Private Casey get behind cover before aiming towards the horde.
Burgurk makes a Fear check :
Spending a Benny...
Burgurk sends mental blasts in the direction of the demons :
Assuming 15 hits with a Raise :
= 42
Assuming an 8 hits :
= 37
Assuming a 9 hits :
Three more demons are shattered against the rock walls before they reach the team, laying into you with raking claws and chomping teeth.
Burgurk's mental shield holds for the time being and none of the other demons seem to be able to touch the rest of you. A loud boom comes from somewhere beyond where they came from.