There are thirty or so of you crammed in the small train car. The heat is unbearable as the cooling unit's fan chugs and churns. Two armed guards patrol the length of the car, their pistols at the ready.
"Das macht mich immer nervös ..." one guard mutters.
("This always makes me nervous...")
"Was sind Sie so Angst, Richter?" the other asks
("What are you afraid of, Richter?")
"These kids have been through hell, they're riding on a train that feels like hell. What if one of them snaps?"
"Then they're killing themselves and their friends, if they have any."
Richter looks toward the next car behind yours. "We better make it to Oldenburg soon. The cooling unit's completely out back there."
The other guard just shrugs. "If they die out here, it's God's Will. Not like life will be better for them in the city."
"Lenz, do you have no soul?"
"No, I sold that for a job standing around this stupid train for eight hours every time it brings in more people," Lenz grumbles.
Richter shakes his head and looks out at the faces sitting uncomfortably in the car. "They're still people, though..."
"In den großen Plan der Dinge, sie sind jemand anderes zu Essen aus dem Mund zu nehmen."
("In the grand scheme of things, they are someone else to take food out of my mouth.")
Rose sits nervously in her seat as the sweltering heat causes sweat to drip down her face. Fanning does no good as it just moves the hot air around more. If it were not for Nye sitting right next to her, she might have lost it already. Somehow he always seemed to help her remain calm, even in the worst of circumstances.
Reaching a hand over she lightly touches the top of one of his hands with her own and looks at him. Her violet eyes expressing the nervousness and fear she couldn't put into words.
Sitting quietly, Amara watches everything both in and outside of the car she rides in. The tip of her tail sways gently as if to indicate she is not agitated.
To the casual observer, her eyes are mostly closed as if something bothers her.
"Mmm, the heat feels good." she thought as the cooling unit let more heat in. Her reptilian side liked the heat, although it was uncomfortable if it got too hot.
Looking around her she spots a nervious looking young woman next to a man she seems to be attached to.
"She looks like she cares about him. I never had anyone to care for me like that. The druids were kind to me after my changes, but nobody ever showed me love. What is love anyway? How do I find it?"
Amara sighs and continues watching everything in a somewhat intense manner. This is all so new to her.
The guard, Richter, paces and sweats looking at the group of faces sitting around the train car. It seems as if he is waging some sort of internal war inside himself. Finally, he stops, holsters his pistol and speaks.
"Does anyone know how to fix a cooling unit?" he asks.
Lenz walks up to him and grabs him by the lapels of his jacket, the barrel of his gun pointed at Richter. "What are you doing?"
"Just because you don't care, doesn't mean that I've stopped," Richter replies, his eyes glancing at the gun. "If God cares about us, then we should care for others."
"You and your sentimentality. God doesn't care, neither should you."
"I'll take the blame if something happens."
Lenz lets Richter go. "Fine, it'll be on your head then."
Richter looks to the group again. "I ask again: does anyone know how to fix a TE-2 cooling unit?"
Alton woke up with his face stuck to hot window, he peeled his cheek from it and rubbed the tender flesh. He heard the question and turned to Eleanor who was sleeping in the seat next to him. He poked her trying to wake her from her slumber knowing she might be able to do something. "Hey Eleanor, they're trying to find someone to fix the cooling unit, think you can do it?" Alton asked when she finally woke up.
Amara's attention fixates on the man named Richter when he speaks. When his gaze rests on her she shakes her head to indicate a "no" answer.
Her tail continues to gently sway.
Looking at Richter she says, "I don't know how to fix something like that, but we might know someone who can." Turning around and looks across the isle at Alton and Eleanor, "Hey Alton, is she still sleepin over there?" She shakes her head and smiles at her sleeping friend. Eleanor could always sleep through just about anything. "Hey...! Wake up sweetie, we need your particular talents."
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As a few of the other graduates she knew started calling for Eleanor, Vi runs through everything she'd ever read about trains. Standing up from her aisle seat, sweat soaked hair plastered to her face, the rather pretty girl raises her hand. "I might be able to get it to work, at least for the rest of the trip." she volunteers, tip toeing to reach into the overstuffed overhead compartment to retrieve a thick leather belt adorned with numerous pouches, each full of an assortment of unusual tools.
Leaving the jacket of the uniform they'd all been forced to wear at the send off ceremony on her seat, she makes her way forward, the starched white shirt sticking to her with sweat. She randomly thinks of how wonderful it would be to never wear the drab grey uniform ever again.
Richter nods at the young woman helping her to the aisle and leading her to the door to the next car. "Danke, young lady."
"You realize you'll be breaking the law, Richter, right?" Lenz calls to the younger guard.
"I don't care. If it's life or laws, I choose life," Richter says, pulling the handle on the door. "Wait, it's locked."
The young soldier turns back toward Lenz, who has his gun trained on Richter. "Correct. If it's about life or laws, I choose life as well. Just my life. I am cutting down on thirty people clamoring for my job and, in a few minutes, car nine will be detached. Supposedly, there will be a riot and thirty less people."
"Lenz, what kind of monster are you?!"
"The kind who survives," Lenz replies acerbically. He swings the gun toward the rest of the car's occupants. "You will stay where you are and not make a sound, or I will take you all down with me."
He moves toward the alarm handle in the middle of the car. You are all aware of what that means. You've all seen the lone car or two come back to the station at Lohne, the dead bodies being dragged out and tossed in the cart that went into the wasteland. There will be no explanations if he pulls that handle.
"Lenz, stop this!" Richter calls, shielding Vivian with his body. "Get down."
Very glad now for the foresight of her instructor of giving her his favorite rifle, she waits until Lenz is past her to stand and level her rifle at his back. Thankful for the round that has already been loaded, she aims her gun and cocks it before firing at the evil bastard.
She looks at everyone else, "All of you take cover!" Looking at Lenz's back she says, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that mister."
Lenz spins around as he is shot in the back. "Gott...verdammt...Sie."
("God...damn...you.")
The guard levels his gun at the dhampir.
Initiative:
Roll-off:
Round 1: Vivian, Alton, Rosalina, Amara, Eleanor, Lenz, Aneirin, Richter
"Don't blame me! You're the one threatening all of us, and there is nothing your god can do to me."
Dropping the gun, she pulls the war hammer off of her back and points at him with it. "You brought this on yourself, I don't know of ANY god that would condone the senseless murder of innocents!"
Amara is suddenly fixated on Lenz. She is very still while intently looking at him with an expression that borders on being animal-like. You would almost swear that she is a statue if she hadn't moved before.
Amara is still frozen in place. Oddly enough, if looks are anything to go by, it seems like she is about to pounce.
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Alton draws his sling from his hip and places a bullet in the catch, waiting for his moment to strike.
Amara decides to wait for the right opportunity to strike.
Not wanting to give him a chance to recover from the shot, Rosa steps out into the center Isle and moves up to him taking a swing at him with her warhammer.
As the train suddenly lurches, Rosa slightly loses her balance and her swing goes wide.
Round 1: Vivian, Alton(readying), Rosalina, Amara(delaying), Eleanor, Lenz, Aneirin, Richter
Round 1: Vivian, Alton, Rosalina, Amara(delaying), Eleanor, Lenz, Aneirin, Richter
Eleanor jumps from her nap as the sound of gun fire and shouting fills the cabin. "What's going on?" she asks groggily.
"One of the train men started flipping out and Rosa started shooting him." Alton said hiding into his seat, sling in hand.
Not taking her eyes off of Lenz Rosa replys, "This bastard was gonna detach us from the rest of the train and leave us all to die in the wasteland, so I shot his sorry ass in the back!"
Spontaneous is fine. :)
Amara moves out from her seat into the isle. Looking at Lenz she speaks.
"She will not let you live if you persist. Do you want to live and eat another meal?"
Aneirin has been quiet the entire journey, dozing when able, at other times gently leaning on Rosa. The interminable countryside is… interminable. Happily he is finally gone from the Learning Centre.
He stirs as Rosa begins to berate the guard Lenz. He is shaken to clarity by the outpouring of deathly lead accompanied by a bursting sound that shocks his ears. He see Lenz stumble and curse. He see himself pick up his longspear without a thought and jab at the wounded man…all the rage and suppressed desire for freedom, all the oppression embodied by the pitiable Lenz…
[+1 Str]
[+1 Str]
"And he's still alive?" Eleanor wonders.
Though still confused Eleanor decided not to waste any time. She reaches forward and calls out. "Come forth!"
A ring of energy appears around her arm, small shards of metal gather into a cluster taking the form of a winged bird. With a grinding screech it attacks.
Lenz falls to the ground, still alive but unconscious as Eleanor's summoned bird attacks with a flurry of blows. Richter runs to Lenz's side. "Please, open the door and help the others."
He fishes a set of keys from Lenz's pockets and tosses them to Rosa. "Don't let them harm anyone...and if possible don't harm them either. I can explain away one man getting shot, but not more than that."
The young guard retrieves a first aid kit by the opposite door and stops Lenz's bleeding, then handcuffs him to one of the hand straps above where he fell.
Aneirin looks around to see what the other "passengers" make of events…then bends down to assist Richter.
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Rosa nods, looking to the rest of her friends as she grabs her gun, reloads and holsters it. "Come on, lets go. You too Amara, I'm not leaving anyone in here." Looking down at Nye she says, "Leave him, put pressure on the wound Richter, it should slow the bleeding. If we don't hurry....well, lets just hurry. She waits until all five of her friends are behind her before opening the door.
"I think I missed the important parts here, what happened while I was asleep?" Eleanor asks.
"They're gonna start a riot in car nine and detach it if we don't get down there to stop them. There's two guards per car, so we'll have to go in fast and hard."
Aneirin determines the other passengers are frightened, but okay. Richter nods at the young adept. "Leave him unconscious."
The young guard takes Lenz's pistol and tucks it behind his back.