Arcana’s magical barrier keeps the bad guys at bay as White Fox starts up the truck. The rest of the team quickly piles inside, and the engine roars as the truck takes off!
The truck careens through the streets of Bay City with Ziss behind the wheel. With a moment to catch her breath and some distance from Spinneret, Tumbler begins to return to her senses.
But soon, you can hear engines revving behind you. A phalanx of five motorcycles crests the hill behind the truck, speeding to catch up to you. As they get closer, you can see the driver of each bike wears thick leathers and brandishes a sub machine gun. But strangely, their skin appears to be made of a pearly white enamel, like they were made from teeth! The bizarre bikers level their guns as they prepare to open fire!
As soon as Ziss sees the motorcyles behind them, she calls the others. "Ok, dis is when one of you who actually do know how to drive, should take the wheel!"
Arcanum throws out his hands and the clinging vapors around his form intensify and billow out thicker and thicker until it is a nearly opaque cloud of fog trailing behind the van.
Diego groans and says ”Alright, chica! Switch me! I’m a gonna squeeze behind you, and take the wheel. You keep a foot on the gas until I’m situated,” as he begins trying to squirm around behind her to take the wheel!
”Car chase! Bike-truck chase, technically, but yes either way!”
The Derby tosses a bath bomb to make the road really slippery for biker dudes!
Tumbler blinks a few times. Wait, she'd been in the loading bay - how did she end up in the truck...were they being chased?
"...Oh, screw this." She says as she hears the bikes, stepping forward and smearing her blood off of her face with her sleeve. "This was not. The. PLAN!" SHe shouts as she blasts out her control. she focuses her efforts not on the engines, but on their brakes, doing a trick to snap apart an important piece within them to render them incapable of braking for turns. "Take the next right!"
As Ziss and Diego switch positions, the rest of you quickly deploy countermeasures against the bikers. Using the doors of the truck as cover from their bullets, Arcana conjures a smokescreen to throw off their aim. 86 fires at the bikers, blasting a few of them off of their motorcycles. Derby's gadgets make the road slippery and cause a few of them to crash, while Tumbler dismantles the brakes on the bikes. A few bullets get through the doors and threaten to hit Tumbler, though!
As Diego steers the truck in a wide turn, several of the bikers are unable to follow. A couple make it through, though, and they open up the throttle to close the gap to the truck. Then they leap from their bikes into the back of the truck! The two toothy thugs wield heavy chains as they lash out at Wendy and 86!
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The chain whipping calcified crusaders slap 86 in the muzzle where the armor doesn't protect, sending her reeling into the inner side of the van along with her not-inconsiderable mass. She snarls as a orange gash shows on her face where the chain slapped her and in her fury lashes out with her large claws leaving her quite open to more punishment.
'Why are these terrans so hard to hit, if only Triple-six were here.'
Wendy just takes the blow.
She won’t let the same happen to Carmen.
”It was a fine plan. The enemies didn’t cooperate.”
Arcanum conjures and animates some chains of his own. Glowing blue, they whip and coil around the attackers' chains while threatening to throw them off the truck!
This wasn't the first car chase Diego has served as wheelman in. Looking back in the mirror and seeing Wes fighting some uninvited guests, he times a hard swerve to destabilize their footing. It just so happened that he sideswiped a parked Porsche in the process!
As he continues to drive, Diego calls back "Hey! Can't one of you magic people make our car fly or some shit! You know, so we can GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!?!?"
Powerless and gearless, Ziss can only watch as Diego drives and the others try to defend the truck, at least until the Treznak is hit and drops one of their guns.
Ziss quickly picks it up, sits on the front panel of the van and braces her legs against the seat, preparing herself against the inevitable kick before shooting at one of the bikers.
”C’mon, Zisster! I wanna brag about your heroics to Nicole later!”
Ziss gives Wendy a murderous look. "You will certainly not!"
"Open up the GPS on the dashboard and go to saved destination one!" Tumbler calls out to Dervish as she takes control of the chains with her powers. "I really wanted a less hectic getaway..."
She wraps the chains around the odd foot soldiers to tangle them up, before kicking one in the face as hard as she could!
86 slams into the side of the truck, threatening to knock it off the road, but Diego keeps a firm grip on the wheel. The alien being lunges at the enemies again, only to get a chain to her face for her troubles!
Wendy and Diego lend assistance as Wesley, Ziss, and Carmen join forces to take down the bikers! As they fall, their bodies crumble, leaving behind only a handful of broken fangs, like those of an alligator... or a dragon...
Diego realizes that following Tumbler’s plan will both get them out of here and end things quickly! He steers the truck towards the destination.
However, something swoops down out of the sky! Looking up, you can see Spinneret riding on a flying carpet embroidered with Persian designs! The villainess has assumed her true form, her face a mixture of human and spider like features. Long, barbed legs protrude from her back. She hisses, flecks of green venom dripping from her fangs!
”I’m not going to let you punks get away with this! Maybe I’ll take your other arm this time, Carmen!” Spinneret shouts as the carpet draws near!
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That blow seemed to be just enough to do the young Treznakian technician in as the chain whipped her muzzle upwards with shocking strength into the roof of van putting a large dent into the ceiling. The great alien fell back onto her paw pads almost in slow motion as the camera shutters fluttered in the background. She takes a step towards the Enamled enemy and looks like she's about to swing the attempt is vain as her other foot staggers drunkenly and catches on the back of her rival foot. 86 starts to fall forward, towards the exit of the van.
The staggering blow that she had expected never came or at least never landed as the chain was caught in some sort of stasis field before the tooth-men dispersed into dust and other weird fangs? She looks to the front of the box van raising a small arm "Gratias."
She quickly scoured up the components of the creatures wondering if there was some explanation for their function to be raised into warriors. Perhaps it was some sort of human nanite drone built for combat? She took a breather in the back of the van as she heard something overhead, yet more enemies they had to leave quickly. Wiping the blood from her cheek she dug through the pallet of goodies searching for anything she could use as a proper catalyst.
”We’re recording everything we do. Thanks for admitting you maimed a minor on camera, dipf&~+!”
Wendy hurls a tanning oil slick at the carpet!
”Guys? We need an exit!” Diego calls out in frustration!
Arcanum didn't know who the new animal being was, but rolled with it because they were fighting with the group. Everything would be sorted out later, but there needed to be a later. When the being overextended itself in the fight, it was a simple matter of throwing a telekinetic shield around them and cushioning the blow to keep them steady.
Ziss pops her head out of the window and now shoots at the flying spider-woman, aiming both at her and at her magical flying carpet.
Tumbler noped out of the back of the van seeing Spinneret coming as she hops up into the front cabin, turning on the GPS she had told Diego to use. "Follow the directions here now, and don't stop until we get there!" She tells him before nudging Ziss in the shoulder.
She's pale and sweating and feels like she's been poisoned again - reliving that pain and horror and her body close to wanting to shut down now that the spider-woman was close. "I need you to get ready to jump the whole van," She tells the Nomad. "Don't care where, but in about thirty seconds we'll be driving into the park and this whole van needs to leave this planet and go somewhere else."
She yanks out from under the passenger seat a duffel bag that has all of Ziss' gear in it, ready for her use. "You can do this. This is the one part of the plan that I know will work."
Hearing Tumbler asking Ziss to jump them somewhere, Diego grits his teeth. ”I got this…everybody HANG ONTO SOMETHING!” And hope to god I don’t cut the van in half… he says as he strains himself and the whole van begins to become encapsulated in crimson light…
Arcana’s shield protects 86 from taking a heavy hit! The outsider rummages through the loot for something to help speed up the escape, but she comes up short. Besides lightening the load by tossing some of the stolen treasures overboard, there’s nothing immediately useful.
Ziss fires out the window at Spinneret, causing her to fly fancily to avoid the blasts. A few strike the carpet, burning holes in it and making her footing unstable. ”Damn you! The Curator is going to be quite cross that you’re destroying his priceless possessions!” she curses.
Wendy hurled tanning oil makes contact, causing Spinneret to slip and fall! As she falls, though, she grabs a pair of envenomed daggers from her belt and hurls them at Wendy!
Spinneret’s spider legs arrest her fall, and she begins leaping from car to car to get to the truck! That’s when Diego strains the limits of his powers. Crimson light envelops the truck, then suddenly the entire vehicle lurches forward through space! You find yourselves in the middle of the park, Diego stomping the brakes and causing the truck to come to a screeching halt before it slams into a tree!
You’ve only bought yourselves a little time. Spinneret will catch back up to you soon...
Arcanum steps in front of the daggers, blocking them with his own body!
He thought he got in front of both of them, but he blocks only one!
It bounces off the invincible flesh Wesley had earlier given himself, but he's still affected by failing to protect Wendy!
Wendy takes the dagger. Poison is working its way into her system.
”F~~~…” She puts pressure on the cut, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s poisoned.
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There is some skidding and another loud thud as 86 unable to brace for the sudden lurch and then brake slam, falls into the front if the van's rear one of the high frequency vibrating covered claws punching through the wall into the cabin.'Who taught these creatures to pilot their primitive vehicles?
"Horrible gubernator. Enemy on fast accessus. Opus effugium"
"You want me to do WHAT?" Ziss asks Tumbler, shocked. "I have never done anyfing remotely close to dis!"
Ziss drops 86's gun as Tumbler shoves her stuff in her hands. "No pressure at all..." She complains as she fumbles with her things, looking for something, her hands emerging with a small vial filled with yellow and blue sand.
When Diego pushes the breaks, Ziss barely manages to grab the handle above the door, keeping her from hitting the windshield. She sees Wendy and Wes getting hit by the daggers and she almost cries as she clutches the vial of sand as if her life depended on it... and it probably did...
Ziss concentrates on opening the portal as the truck skids through the park. Just as it's about to slam into the tree, a crackling gateway tears itself open in the air in front of the truck! The edges waver unsteadily, but the truck slides through the portal, tossing up a huge wave of sand as it suddenly encounters the dunes of an alien desert.
The gateway fizzles and pops before vanishing behind you. Smoke emerges from the truck's engine as the vehicle sputters and dies.
You look around, seeing nothing but red sand stretching out to every horizon. You've successfully escaped from the Curator and Spinneret, but now it seems you are stranded in the middle of the desert.
How will the Bay Watchmen get out of this one? Find out next issue--
• Grow closer to the team. Explain who made you feel welcome; give Influence to that character and clear a condition or mark potential.
• Grow into your own image of yourself. Explain how you see yourself and why; shift one Label up and another down.
• Grow away from the team. Explain why you feel detached. Take Influence over you away from another character.
Arcanum: At the end of every session, answer the question: Did you make progress on defeating your nemesis? If the answer is yes, mark potential. If the answer is no, mark your doom track.
--which starts right now!
West Coast Masks - The Bay Watchmen!
Issue #6 - The Deserts of Askara!
”I got poisoned,” Wendy says as she steps out of the van, into the at-least breathable air.
She applies a first aid spray, which of course releases a giant cloud of vapor.
”Oh, f@+!ing balls.”
Wesley rushes to Wendy's side and immediately channels wishcraft in order to neutralize the poison running through her veins.
"Whoa," he says as a rush of power courses through him. His eyes glow a bright blue for a moment. He marvels at the surge of magical energy for a moment until the implications hit him. "Uh-oh. Oh, that's... that's not good."
And then he notices the obvious. "I'm a guy again. Huh."
Wendy throws her arms around Wes. ”Dammit, Wes…”
Whatever her reason for those mumbled words, she doesn’t let go.
Ziss looks through the window, not seeing any oasis nearby. "Well... dis is certainly not where I intended to bring you..." She says. "But, considering I managed to even get us here, safe and sound, it is already a miracle..." She looks to the back of the van, just to check. "Everyone is fine, right?"
She unwraps her hoverboard and gets out of the van on top of it, but then discovers her tight dress is keeping her from balancing properly. She is happy to see that Tumbler had also packed her "White Fox" clothes and picks them up as well. "I'll be changing on top of the van, so no peeking!"
After that, she falls towards the sky, taking a look around for any signs of civilization, or at least a shelter for them to hide from the scorching sun of Askara... and for any immediate danger...
Tumbler manages to extract herself from the wreckage, a tube in one hand as she looks towards Wendy, ready to act - and then Arcanum goes ahead and cures her with his powers.
"...I have the antivenom right here." She says, looking both annoyed and relieved as she tucks it back into her pocket and then looks back at the wrecked truck.
"...not the plan. But we can adapt." She mutters.
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86 pulls her arm free from the twisted metal that is the section of wall leading to the cabin area, thankful that her battle armor held more or less without issue. Stumbling out the back of the vehicle she emptied her stomach onto the sands, nauseous from the sudden warp, the horrible gummy that Ziss bid her to consume earlier, and the finality of the settling of the adrenaline fueled chase.
Looking up and around she squinted at the desert planet, this hadn't been what they scanned before, was this still Earth? Or did they somehow get shunted back to Mars, that couldn't be right she thought Mars didn't have a breathable atmosphere. A sinking feeling in her now empty gut told her she was farther from her pack than she'd ever been, without the need to check her wrist indicator.
Eventually 86 turned her attention to Wendy-Red and the other one, who hadn't been named yet. There was a strange blue glow coming flowing between them which immediately made 86 question if Humans were as primative as the initial scans indicated given they clearly have some form of nano-technology. She stalked over towards them, towering over the kneeling pair barely giving notice that the one had changed slightly. "My thanks Wendy-Red... but I need et redire ad ducem Tyr'Gal. Your domum est sub magno comminatione."
Wesley returns the hug, savoring the feeling of being male again. His emotions are mixed; he should be more frightened for himself after definitely advancing in his progress toward full genie-hood. But the team just pulled off an amazing heist against the Curator. So, maybe there was reason to hope?
He finally takes in their surroundings. Strange desert with red sand. He tries to think of what desert is known for its red sands, until he notices a ringed moon hanging in orbit just above the horizon. This isn't Earth.
Wesley marvels for a moment until he remembers that he's already been to a couple other planets, so he shouldn't be too awestruck. The newcomer rumbles something to Wendy and catches his attention.
"Oh, uh, hi. Who are you? I'm Arcanum."
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86 looks down at the diminutive 'Arcanum' offering a sniff and then a snort at his blonde hair, definitely showering him in alien spittle.Ah they are all natural borns from the sound of it, augmented by their technology. If it's used in their children it must be quite common... I'll have to deal with that if they turn hostile.'
Lifting one tiny arm to her chest she gives the plate a pound, "I am Aedificator of Navis 'Mu'kals Judgement' Designatus, Nulla-Eight-Six-Impetu-Seven-Three-Two. Under stipant dux Tyr'gal, to quare et evellere the possible contagione of the Nos'Valgras plague post encountering and evellere a viable specimen in orbitae of one of your proximae stellae."
They stood ram rod like a soldier giving a speech, three of the four arms laid flat against her sides, ears perked up though the lower two don't really move all that much, and stance as close together as comfortable given her leg configuration, tail relaxed straight behind from her back.
From high above, Ziss is able to spot the glint of sunlight off of white stone in the distance. It is likely an outpost where you can seek shelter and assistance in figuring out where exactly on Ashara you have arrived. It is several miles away, but you might be able to make it there before nightfall.
The biggest threat out here in the desert is the heat and lack of water. Oh, and the giant sandworms, but Ziss doesn't see any of those lurking about at the moment...
The best way out of the desert would be to somehow fix the truck, or, failing that, find some other means of transportation besides walking, as heat exhaustion and fatigue would likely set in rather quickly.
Tumbler grumbles as she currently ignores the elephant in the room - or rather, the beastman in the desert - to go back into the ruined van and check on Megan and Dervish. "So the good news is we're alive. The bad news is we're stuck on an alien planet until Ziss can find a spot she can transport everyone back to Earth. One that is apparently hot and full of sand. And I might have prepared some contingencies, but I never thought we'd have to make a hot exit to another world."
She did at least have one emergency kit, with about half a dozen small water bottles, a few airplane sized bags of pretzels, a space blanket and compass. Mostly she'd put it there for Ziss in case it took her a while to get back to earth, but now it seemed like it was the only thing they had to sustain them until they found some point of civilization out here.
"On the plus side? It's pretty poetic that all these old relics will end up buried in the sand, forever out of reach of the Curator." She grins and laughs. "That bastard is going to get fired and disgraced for this. Oh, I really wish I could see the look on his face-" She stops, clasping her hand over her mouth. "Not a wish, I hope Wes didn't hear that..."
Wendy turns to 86. ”Your welcome…
“Let me give you a proper intro to my team. I’m Wendy the Darling Derby, this is Arcanum, White Fox, Dervish and Crimson Tide.
“And this is Tumbler, who was just in charge of that operation and I couldn’t be more pleased! Yeah, bad guys made us—had to adapt and improvise—Spinerret tried to murder me and now we’re on Planet X.” She means to tip her hat, but realizes she’s not wearing it.
”You did awesome, Tumbler! Don’t sweat the snags. When you told me of the 50% chance it would work, I almost predicted aloud that maybe 50% of the plan would work… but you didn’t need that shit.”
And now that Wendy is clearly leading now, she adds, ”The other thing Tumbler didn’t need were any attempts to undermine her authority—which she never once abused.
“I only bring that up now because this is life-or-death, and I need 100% cooperation between team and leader whether it’s me, or I step aside for another.” Anticipating Carmen’s issue with Ziss’ make-out session and maybe her own rescue missions, Wendy says, ”I don’t mean taking initiative and adapting… you all do that every mission and it’s why we kick ass.
“But any past in-fighting, bury that shit and don’t look back. Because I aim to put every one of you in a lead position when the situation calls for it.
“This one does.” She looks at Ziss. ”I’m in charge now. After we take a victory-selfie, you’re up, Ziss.”
Wesley nods along with the alien's speech though he doesn't understand.
Then Tumbler makes a wish.
Wesley's eyes glow blue. He gestures to the van, where the backup camera display screen crackles to life. It shows a security video feed from the museum trained on Professor Braithwaite's face and expression.
Professor Braithwaite slams his fist onto his desk, fuming with rage. His tinny voice comes over the speakers.
"Inconceivable! How could I have been bested by mere children?" he snarls. "They took the alien, my cane, and everything from the vault! Do you have any idea how much this sets us back?"
He pauses, listening to somebody talking off-camera, though they are too far away to make out the words. "No, don't bother. I am not completely ruined. There are still options available."
Another pause. "Give me some time to clear up this mess. I will contact you soon."
The image flickers and is replaced by static.
Wendy’s jaw drops. At first she fist-pumps… then realizes Carmen said the W-word.
”Dammit… couldn’t the Genie Code require a very uncommon set of official-sounding words? In Arabic???”
Ziss falls back down, slowing her falling speed as the gets closer to the sand. Since her hoverboard is actually an antigravity marvel, it doesn't send sand to everywhere. She pulls her hoodie to protect herself from the sun.
"So... welcome to Askara?" She says, both trying to be cheerful and sorry for their situation. Ziss then translates what 86 said to the others, as well as Wendy's introduction back to 86.
"It is not just about where, Tumbler, but also when... we might be stuck her for a couple days or weeks? Hopefully days until my ability to bring you back to Earf recharges. I wasn't kidding when I've said I've never tried anyfing like dat before." She explains.
"Good news first... dere is an outpost in dat direction and I fink we can make it dere until nightfall, which is great, because while it is freaking hot now, when de night falls it will be freezing." She points to a direction, which could be any, because at that spot everything looked the same amid the sand dunes. "Do you fink we can somehow fix de van to take us dere? Oderwise I could fly ahead and try to bargain for some transportation while de rest of you wait here... Arcanum could go wif me since he flies, and perhaps Dervish can blink dere, if his powers were not linked to Earf, of course."
"Now, some bad news... is dat while people in Askara look much like oder humans from Earf, dey are really suspicious about what dey do not know and understand... We'll have to hide our new friend for sure, while de rest of you need to try to blend in." She explains again. "Dis is de world dat my moder comes from. Humans here are more on my height, so Megan will certainly stand out as well."
Wesley shakes off the compulsion that Carmen's wish forced on him, though the information garnered from her accidental wish was pretty entertaining.
He pats the lamp securely stored in the pack underneath his robes and pulls out the Eye of Tezcatlipoca and sets it gently next to the other objects taken from the vault.
"Are we just going to bury this stuff? Here, where I know about it? We should probably try identifying this stuff too. Just in case there's a One Ring situation that needs destruction rather than hiding it away.
"Oh, And don't worry about water, food, shade, and all that. My lamp has it all. Plus music. Anyone need a bath?"
"The only place safer to hide anything than the middle of a colossal desert is the bottom of a vast ocean," Tumbler points out. "The sands will claim it, and it'll look like everything else. Even you wouldn't be able to find it again," She tells Wes. "...Sorry about that slip of the tongue though. I'm...less than happy that he seems to have some means to salvage the situation. Who do you think he was talking to there?" She asks him.
Wes shakes his head. "I don't know. It could have been the Sheik. Probably not, though. Maybe Spinnerette, but definitely someone more than a henchman."
He shudders at how easy it was for him to fulfill Carmen's wish. Thrown across light-years, and he pulled up Professor Braithwaite's face in an instant. Why worry about a few artifacts when he's the real endgame? Maybe they should be burying him in the sand on an alien world.
He walks a few yards away from the van's crash site to the crest of a dune and looks across the vast desert.
Wendy clings to Wes’ arm. She’s just wearing a sports bra and a plaid skirt. Her purse is empty and she has one Rainbow Vape Bomb.
After the group poses for the selfie (or doesn’t), Wendy turns leadership over to Ziss, but asks, ”Shall we enter the lamp in shifts? I… would love a bath. Maybe after I work on my tan out here a while.”
She looks at the goods. ”Can these go in your lamp?”
"We don't have to take them with us. The whole plan for the heist was never about having his collection, it was about taking it away from the Curator. Ruining his reputation and making a lot of people angry at him," Tumbler says to Derby.
"So leave it all to be claimed by the sands. It's not important anymore."