Monster Hunt (FT: OPEN)

[Crimetopolis]

Artemesia purchased mead for Bill and herself. The two lovers smilingly drank their drinks. Artemesia smiled at Danielle. "Rest assured, I detect your force scanning of me, also. All Arcadian knights are trained in psychics, but mildly. WE can't tell the future but we can detect the force, too" She paused.

"However, the Gun Runners are no threat to your people. Our grand master wrote the government a letter. The response? The Gun Runners are a legally registered business which has royal permission to sell arms here." Artemesia finished.

[The Humankind Abh]

I wasn't sure if the drink she slid was complimentary or not. If they were, then I was a bit surprised that the bar wasn't fuller of people looking to get a free cup of booze in before ducking out. People always knew how to take advantage of hospitality and it was only a matter of time before the owner learned that little life fact as well. I guess there were too many people here worrying about living through the night and boarding up their windows against the terrors of this world and didn't have the luxury of time to figure out how to get drunk off of free drinks.

I grabbed hold of the metal handle and gave a quick sniff. The bitterness gave me the impression of a version of beer. I had no complaints. After all it wasn't the girl's fault that she didn't know I kept away from the stuff. Something a little stronger with a burn to it was more my speed.

I looked up at the round faced girl while tapping my cigarette into the table's ashtray. She looked pretty enough for a barmaid. "You can keep this for one of the other customers that walks in. Tell the barkeep I'll take something a little stronger, if you would."

While the girl bounced off with my order, I felt the cool draft from the door to the bar opening and closing and in walked a man different from the rest. Well, "man" was a bit of a stretch as the rest of barroom would find out soon enough. I hadn't survived on the streets for 15 years chasing street thugs and gang bangers that wouldn't have given a second thought to turning my head into a split melon to suddenly miss the metallic hands sticking out of a trench coat. I guess it takes all kinds to make the universe to go round.

First glance told me he didn't come here to start trouble. I guess even machines need credits for a can of oil.

I went back to my cigarette and the notices while trying to figure out which job to take that didn't look like it would take a small army to accomplish.

[The Cyberiad Council]

The cup was placed down on the table and Quadran removed his hat. Most of the Cyberit armor was unremovable without a proper Cyberiad Armory; a machine capable of unbinding the armor to the skin. The Helmet was, however, designed to be removed so the wear could consume chemical sustenance or for certain ceremonies. Quadran reached his hands up so that the palms were where the ears would be. The eyes of the helmet darkened as it gave a slight pneumatic hiss. The metal plates retracted and the helmet expanded along some of the plate boundaries allowing Quadran to lift it off his head. He stretched his neck and his skin pattern glowed brighter for a second. He set the helmet down on the table with a thunk.

He raised the cup and looked at its contents for a second. Quadran raised the cup to his lips and downed its contents in a matter of seconds. He placed the cup down for a second and contemplated its contents. 'Taste' was something still foreign to Cyberits. Their taste went only as far as to be able to identify chemical components; the emotional response to it was still missing. Eating was not necessary to a Cyberit's survival; it could power a chemical reaction that yielded energy in a similar fashion to cellular respiration, but most of their power came from the field reactor in the heart of their chests. It lasted for decades before needing to be repaired and refueled, but it was very difficult to do so. Eating was originally intended to be an emergency survival activity, but the Cyberit search for 'Lovass do Lass', or the 'song of life' drove the search to find the same pleasure other lifeforms found. Unfortunately, that stage in the evolution of the Cyberiad had not yet arrived.

Quadran turned and leaned back against the bar and surveyed the faces of the room yet again. He noted Cross with his cigarette. "You were a soldier, Yes? And guessing by your current position, I assume you're looking for work."

[Mythrandir]

Poe was a bit taken aback by the amount of traffic Ruto was taking in since he last left with Danielle. And it seemed as if the plight that was upon the world was becoming commonly known. It appeared that there was no shortage of those in the galaxy that were willing to face monstrous perils for a little incentive.

"Your sympathies are appreciated stranger as well as your help in fixing up Cheryl's dog. I didn't expect him to survive after the ormr attack. You can have a round on me at the tavern as a thanks.

"Anyways I hope you enjoy your stay, at least as much as anyone can enjoy their stay on a world like this. I'm sure your order will have plenty of work during their time here."




Dalphine watched the gun runners and Poe alongside Danielle with reserved interest. "I'm afraid I don't know very much about them. They've only arrived recently and worked out some sort of agreement with the mayor. They sell imported weapons or trade on the spoils from completed jobs."

About that time, Poe rejoined the two women. "Aye, and a curious lot."

Poe bent down and scooped up Cheryl who still cradling Scraps like a doll or her very own baby. "I didn't get to introduce you two earlier after you helped heal her. This is my daughter, Cheryl."

The old Warrior looked at his little girl. "Cheryl, this is Danielle. This nice lady helped you feel better when you were hurting. What do you have to say?"

Much like any small child, Cheryl was not at all comfortable around strangers regardless of how they looked. She picked up Scraps and hid her face behind the dog who looked non to please to be used as a barrier after recovering from his own injuries. "Thank you."

Poe eased Cheryl back down in his arms as he looked at Danielle. "I guess that's as good as we're going to get. What are your plans from here?"




The sight of a synthetic lifeform walking through the Drowning Cat's doors was not immediately noticed. Though the revelation quickly spread through the main hall as it became difficult to miss the red glowing lights emanating from its joints or the black skin with circuitry webbed throughout it. Of course, no one would miss the face either even as Quadran approached the barkeep to order a drink. The barkeep sucked a breath in through his teeth which seemed to ripple through the patrons sitting at the bar.

Myths were familiar with synthetic lifeforms though not in a positive light which as far as they knew seemed to be the norm throughout the galaxy. It was years since they had seen a robotic lifeform in the form of the Geth. While the Geth never attacked any of Mythrandir's populated worlds, the populace was at least familiar with the news that Myth Warriors and war ships were engaged in combating the Geth alongside the Rangers and others after a Myth ambassador was assassinated by one of their kind. The news was readily followed and images of the Geth just as much talked about.

Quadran did not share in their appearance though the revelation of another synthetic lifeform was unnerving at first. The barkeep managed to regain a measure of his composure as he studied the pendant. It was obviously worth well more than the price of a few drinks.

"Aye, I'll keep your tab under....eh what do you go by?"

With Quadran's name given and a glass of the strongest liquor the barkeep had on the shelf, the pendant was stowed away in a lockbox.

The bubbly maid returned to Derrick's table with a glass of a murky brown liquid just as Quadran approached. She placed the glass down in front of Derrick and was about to launch into her speech of today's specials but was unsure of how to proceed with Quadran present. She was not even certain that his kind required food.

She forged ahead more out of nervous reflexes than any rational reasoning as she stammered off the list of specials. "Umm, we have a fish stew as one of our fishes-dishes today. Uhh then there are meat pies made fresh daily. Today's filling is a brisket with a stout gravy, Mossi bacon, and onions. Just let me know if you want something to eat."


In the mean time, the mayor of Ruto entered the tavern with two pieces of parchment in hand. There was little guess work in figuring that they were new notices for the Monster Board. Once the mayor stepped back, the notices would be easily viewable for interested parties that didn't like the jobs already posted.

Under Attack:

Monstrous creatures have raided our small village for the last three nights. They don't seem to be interested in anything other than the bodies of the victims. Most of our abled body villagers have perished defending us during the raids. Most of what's left are children, the elderly, or the wounded. Our village cannot hold out against raid from these nightmares. We're calling out to every able bodied person on Mossi to help us at the village of Alba.



Monster Problems:

A great winged creature has been attacking our farm equipment. Every time we go out to harvest the grain, this terror of the sky swoops down to attack our equipment. We need anyone that has the resources to take the creature out of the sky before the harvest spoils and we can't get our grain to the larger cities.

[The Cyberiad Council]

Quadran's fist clenched as he read the villager's plea for help. He turned to the maid. "Thank you, but I will pass on food." He picked up his helmet and sat it on his head. The helmet contracted to its normal size and the eyes glowed once again. In full armor his skin was completely hidden from view, but it was of no consequence now as the entire pub had seen what he was.

"I am sorry but we will have to speak another time unless you intend to help the villagers." He spoke briskly to Derrick before turning to the barkeeper as he settled his hat on his head. "What is the fastest route to Alba?"

[Crimetopolis]

[quote="Mythrandir";p="32257296"]Poe was a bit taken aback by the amount of traffic Ruto was taking in since he last left with Danielle. And it seemed as if the plight that was upon the world was becoming commonly known. It appeared that there was no shortage of those in the galaxy that were willing to face monstrous perils for a little incentive.

"Your sympathies are appreciated stranger as well as your help in fixing up Cheryl's dog. I didn't expect him to survive after the ormr attack. You can have a round on me at the tavern as a thanks.

"Anyways I hope you enjoy your stay, at least as much as anyone can enjoy their stay on a world like this. I'm sure your order will have plenty of work during their time here."

"We've confirmed coyotes and dire bears. Are there any other dangerous animals we should be on the alert for, too? Bill Coleman replied. "Artemesia beamed her smile at her husband to be also. "Also, I'd you to ride back our store with me, THat way, you can first hand see what we do."

TAGS POE

[Crimetopolis]

[quote="Crimetopolis";p="32265016"][quote="Mythrandir";p="32257296"]Poe was a bit taken aback by the amount of traffic Ruto was taking in since he last left with Danielle. And it seemed as if the plight that was upon the world was becoming commonly known. It appeared that there was no shortage of those in the galaxy that were willing to face monstrous perils for a little incentive.

"Your sympathies are appreciated stranger as well as your help in fixing up Cheryl's dog. I didn't expect him to survive after the ormr attack. You can have a round on me at the tavern as a thanks.

"Anyways I hope you enjoy your stay, at least as much as anyone can enjoy their stay on a world like this. I'm sure your order will have plenty of work during their time here."

"We've confirmed coyotes and dire bears. Are there any other dangerous animals we should be on the alert for, too? Bill Coleman replied. "Artemesia beamed her smile at her husband to be also. "Also, I'd you to ride back our store with me, THat way, you can first hand see what we do."

"ALso, what are these 'Ormr? I really am confused here. too."

[The Humankind Abh]

Leave it to the loner in the back of the room with a stiff drink and a pack of cigarettes to somehow attract attention. I'm not even sure what drew the walking set of flashing lights and webbed circuits to me. Maybe the permanent scowl on my face from years of watching humanity treating each other like chunks of meat gave him the impression that I was some version of his kind. Maybe that would have been easier.

Was I a soldier?

I took a long gulp from the glass the barmaid brought me and choked down the soothing burn that accompanied it. I found a little bit of stiff stuff helped making talk about my least favorite topics a little easier. Being a soldier was one of those topics up there with some little street punk wanting to know if I ever shot anyone on the job because he thought it was cool.

"That's what they tell me."

Watching the mayor walk in with heavy eyes, I knew he was coming out for a round of politicking or handshaking for votes. Judging by the papers held in his hands, I figured there was only one destination for him. If nothing else, this world at least provided me with no shortage of work.

It struck me as peculiar to watch what would have translated into emotions for a human to play out in Quadran's posture. I guess I was caught staring out of the corner of my eye because when he asked if I was going, I didn't seem to have the ability to stop myself.

"I'm not working on much here other than a little buzz. Might as well tag along."

Why did I agree to this? Being a soldier hero wasn't exactly the reason I found myself out here on Mossi. I grabbed the glass and threw back the last of the burning liquid and picked up my pack of smokes before stuffing them the breast pocket of my shirt.

[Crimetopolis]

Bill look at his watch . "Got to go, friends." He smiled at Cheryl. "Hug scraps for me." Bill had a plan to help Poe keep his family safe. Bill had lost two brothers to giant Copperhead snakes on his home planet of Jager 14. He returned to the shop in time. "MAIL CALL!" Bill got his Christmas Club from Asterion Intergalactic Banking. HE cashed it at the Gun Runners.

While Bill loved his fully pimped plasma pistol, He e decided to buy himself an assault rifle, too. Since he had observed that Danielle's AK was a 5.45x39mm model, He decided that would be his long gun too. He three basic AK-74s for 350, but extra for the modifications. Zero G Muzzle brake, ATI adjustable 'Scorpion' stock, top cover, tactical sling, mounted flashlight, Ventilated fiberglass synthetic hand guard with metal shield and fiber optic neon front sight. Three Shoulder strap ammo bags filled with jacket soft point[JSP] rounds in thirty round magazines. Bill assembled the pimped AKS himself. Because Bill had modded thems himself, it only came to 900 credits, rather than 800 credits per pimped rifle, too. Testing firing went flawlessly.

Bill next got two plasma pistol kits. He carefully assembled them. A plasma speeder to make the balls of green energy got faster when fired was the first mod. The second mod was a concentrator to make the balls do more damage. The third mod was a sixty round power pack. multiple charged power packs were readied, too. Because he had assembled test fired both personally, it was only 400 credits. Had bouiht them so modded, 600 credits.

Maybe Bill could not have saved hia two brothers, but he could help Poe protect Cheryl and Scraps, too.

[Mythrandir]

The barkeeper was still somewhat taken aback with one of Quadran's kind. It was a brief lapse though as his mind quickly raced through the rough map in his mind. "Take the bridge to the north over the Timbre River. Alba sits out in the Boulder Plains. Takes 15 minutes by carriage. Problem is the carriages are running in short supply right now thanks to the terrain and wildlife. If there ain't one available, might want to check around town to see what else is available."




Poe looked to the Gun Runners that had overheard he and Danielle's conversation. "Ormrs? Well they've got a a carnivorous fish's head and the body of a reptile with spines down their back. They're bipedal and stand just short of a full man's height. Honestly, there isn't much wildlife on this world that is not hostile to you."

[Orthodox Gnosticism]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTJNfwKMGBY

His head lifted from the table, back cracking from a slumber that seemed like years. His muscles were tired, not from misuse or from being strained, but almost as if from atrophy. Where was he? Nick could only wonder as he looked around the medieval room.

Fire crackled in a stone fireplace, and the room smelled of burnt chestnut logs, spilled ale, and a wench who had not had a shower in far too long. Where was he? He asked himself again, as he looked around the room.

Nick thought back, to the last memory he could draw out of the darkness. Castles, no, a bar…. On D’hara.” he remembered, as he instinctively reached for a Caprican light, one of the best damn cigarettes in the universe. Pulling out his lighter, he rolled the flint stone wheel against th steel, and a small flickering flame erupted, allowing him to light the end of the brown tobacco cigarette with a cherry red flame.

Pulling his hand forward, gently bumping into a cup made from a horn of some animal. Animals were never Nick’ expertise, unless it was a gata, or a bonk. He reached his hand forward again, his fingers outstretched searching for the cup. After a quick bump or two his hand became steady enough to reach around the cup, and pull it to his lips. Taking a swing, it suddenly dawned on him, that his ale tasted worse than ass.

“What the hell is this?” he asked as he put the drink down. “Tastes like frakking piss.”

“That is because it is piss!” a woman’s voice said from across the room. “You haven't’ paid your tab in two weeks, til you do, piss is all ye get!” Nick looked across the room searching for the origin of the voice. She sounded fair, sweet, with a fun country accent. “Me, hell woman, I always pay, I’m rich enough, just charge it!” he said as he tried to stand. His body was heavy, as if he hadn’t moved in three years.

“Credit, what the hell do ye think this is, one of those fancy bars on D’hara!” she told him. “Out here, you gotta have sumthin real.” The comment took him back, “Out here?” Where exactly was here? He wondered, not only what bar it was, but what city if it was one? Hell what frakking planet?”

Nick leaned over the table and took a long drag off his smoke. “Where in the gods name is this place?” he asked.

The dark figure took a step closer, ‘Boy, how in the name of the Queen could you not know that. You’ve been here long enough, drinking up all the ale in the bar. You’ve been worse than a horde of dwarves in a ale factory!.” Nick paused for a moment, how had he been paying all this time? He wondered. In the flickering light he noticed a small piece of paper, covered in stale ale, as if it had been spilled on hundreds of times. “Call me when you’re sober!” the note simply said, with a pair of blue lip prints left on the note. Nick picked it up and stared at it for a moment, “Blue?” he asked.
“What are ye yammering about now?” the bar keep asked, as he looked at him pondering the paper. “Colors now?”

“No…” he stopped for a moment, “Just… my wife!” Frakking hell, she is going to be pissed, where?” he asked, until the barkeep made his way over to him. She looked elven, with pale skin, or perhaps just a real skinny woman with big ears. It was hard to tell in this light. “You’re wife?” she asked. “If you have one of those, it’s safe to say she left ya!” she said, “You’ve been here since I got hired on, and that was two years ago!”

“Two years?” Nick asked himself. “How?” he was about to ask, but she stopped him. “Rumor had it, you got blackout drunk, and some girl, pretty thing, gave us ten thousand gold coins, and told us to keep pouring til it ran out. Guess what, it’s out!” she said, “So now you gotta go.”

Nick didn’t know where to go, or what the hell was going on, but he looked down at his omni tool. Sure it still worked, but he looked and couldn't’ seem to get a signal. “Call me!” he said looking at the note then turning his attention to the lack of signal bars. “You’re funny as hell, Crysanthea!”

[Crimetopolis]

The next day Bill Coleman again drove the loaded six wheeler to Rufo. This time, five cases of Bushmaster rifles were sold, too. He rapidly sold out. Some purchasers were humans. Others were Hobgoblins, Tiger men, mutants, cyborgs , and even two robots. As usual, Artemesia latched onto him. THe Arcadian knight truly loved him and he loved her, too. "Look, there's Poe and Danielle." "I 've got something for them in the truck."

He retrieved the weapons carrier and walked up to them. In it were both the two pimped AK-74s and two pimped plasma pistols , too. Also were magazines ammo, and tactical gear. "I rigged a vest up for Cheryl, also. I wasn't much older than her when I lost my two brothers to giant copper head snakes on Jager 14. And I saw the horror first hand, too. If only we'd had guns or energy weapons instead of spears and machetes, they would have had a chance."

[New Dornalia]

OOC: Taking a slight liberty with Crimeopolis's delivery of the plasma pistol, because I had other plans for Danielle.

IC:

Danielle contemplated Poe's question carefully. She remained as stoic as ever, her face contemplating her options. Danielle did give some hint as to what she was thinking, going, "I'm going to be staying around, for sure. Just like I told the barkeep." Contemplating the job board, she saw the mayor run in and attached a couple of more jobs to it. With a nod, Danielle approached the job board, looking over the job involving the defense of agriculture from a pest. Looking at it, Danielle seemed to pause for a few moments. The ad would be studied, along with its sister ad. Hunting for roots and medicinal herbs was nice, but perhaps defending a city--every Dornalian's dream fantasy, it seemed--could work.

She then saw the android and the other newcomer run to answer the call to go to Alba. Danielle sniffed the air--that old Dornalian gesture which those with powers indulged in as part of their abilities. In this case, she sensed a vague feeling of searching--in this case, for transport to Alba, to the north. She could hear them asking for transport, also. Stroking her chin, Danielle knew what she had to do. With a purposeful stride and the clomp-clomp-whir of her power armor going off, Danielle walked to the two men. Yapyap seemed to follow with, eager to see what his mistress was doing with his tongue sticking out. There was a drunk man, shouting and raving about his wife Crysanthea. Danielle wondered why the name sounded familiar, but shrugged--she wasn't big into celebrity gossip. That was Aunty Keone's job at the church, after all. The woman could discuss the intimate lives of everyone from the Rangers to the President and even Hollywood legends like Lydia Cabot. It took the intervention of the church council and the Pastor to politely remind her to stop.

Danielle reached the two and sized them up. One of them was the android from earlier. He didn't seem hostile. His companion seemed to be more of the problem, however. Danielle sensed a great deal of frustration out of the man--the kind which was liable to go off if the day got any hotter and the drunk man in the corner got any louder. Trying to not be distracted by the drunk, Danielle said to the pair, "I've got a truck outside. It's the red Toyota Hilux parallel parked next to this tavern. It'll take you both to Alba. Point me to where I need to go. There's no room inside the truck, but you two can sit inside the bed." She then added with a nonchalant yet unyielding expression, "Take it or leave it."

As she waited for the men to reply, the sound of the drunk became louder, even worse than before. Combat with the staff tended to make one worse, it seemed. The drunk's raving wasn't the worst part. Rather, the attempt to call for this "Crysanthea" was the more distracting aspect of the man's drunken argument with the staff. And he was getting louder.

Danielle tried to pay the man no attention. Instead, she noticed the Gun Runner doing his business with Poe, Cheryl and Scraps. The Bonk was happy to see the three reunited again. No dog should be without its master, and no father should be without their child. The Gun Runner seemed to talk rather quickly, and Danielle contemplated approaching the man. She needed some supplies, after all. From what she could see outside, the Gun Runners dealt in weapons the Dornalian would have been familiar with. The Gun Runner seemed to be coming at them with gifts of weapons--especially a directed energy weapon of some sort. Danielle looked at the man and nodded, with a simple, "Thanks, stranger."

The drunk in the background however was now getting to be too loud for comfort. With a simple, "Excuse me for a second" with an annoyed look, Danielle marched over to the drunk. The whir-clump-clunk of the suit's movement could be heard as Danielle marched over to the stranger. Danielle poked the drunk and then said, sternly as she flashed the man a rather stern, displeased gaze as her dog's ears stood on end:

"I don't think your phone works here, friend. And neither does the screaming."

[The Cyberiad Council]

Quadran gave the man a nod when he agreed to come. He expressed thanks to Danielle and wasted no time walking out and climbing into the bed of the truck. On the way out the door, he became amused by Danielle's dealing with the drunken man, but his robotic features didn't show anything. When he reached the truck, he placed his hand on the bed of the truck and vaulted in. He slung his gun off and sat down in the corner, gun leaning against his knee.

[The Humankind Abh]

I wasn't really sure what to make of it all as new members were added to this little band. Were we a posse now? It didn't matter. There was a job to do and it looked like we had a means of getting there. Place must really be going to hell in a hand basket if even the public transportation was getting attacked. Either way, I wasn't stepping outside the city without some of my tools.

I excused myself for a bit to head upstairs to the little quaint room I rented out for myself. It didn't leave much to the imagination besides a bed, a John, and a small table with two chairs. I wasn't exactly used to high living myself but I did have some standards. What I needed was tucked away under the bed. I didn't fancy walking down the street with everything to my name strapped on my back. Made it easier to stand out for getting mugged in the streets.

I pulled out the hardened leather saxophone case and flipped the latches. Everything still looked in order. The leather was starting to fade and crack in places but we had been through some miles together and I didn't see me getting rid of it anytime soon. It was the strangest things that we became sentimental about at times.

Since it seemed likely we were going to be gone for a few days, I grabbed my coat from the wall hook and threw it over my shoulders. I grabbed my case and my fedora and plopped over my head as walked out of my room. By the time I got outside, it seemed that everyone was already piling into our new set of wheels. I slid my case in and hopped in back of the truck bed.

[New Dornalia]

Danielle had waited a bit for the drunk, crazy man to reply. But well, time was growing short. She heard people getting into her truck. Looking over in the direction of the truck, Danielle saw men getting inside. One of them was the cop from earlier, and the other was the android. She turned to the drunk--who didn't seem to be doing much--and looked back at her truck. She then looked down at Yapyap, who looked up at her with an inquisitive, puzzling look. Danielle nodded and knew that there was no more time to wait around. Danielle turned to the drunk and said to the barkeep, tossing some money her way, "This'll pay, I think, for a place for this man to sleep it off." Yapyap looked confused as to how his mistress had acquired currency suddenly, but Danielle shrugged and walked on.

Her Power-Armored frame marched out to the Toyota truck in a workmanlike fashion, its whirring and clunking making Danielle's presence felt. The Hilux didn't seem like it would handle the woman's power armor at first. T-51 power armor was fairly big in terms of size. Yet Danielle acknowledged her passengers with a nod, and opened the passenger side door, letting Yapyap leap into the passenger's seat. The passenger door closed with a solid thud. Walking over to her passengers, Danielle said, "I think I overheard the barkeep discuss where Alba was, but in case I deviate from the path, let me know. I'll keep the glass open."

Sure enough, Danielle opened the glass pane seperating the inside of the truck's cab from the bed. The woman then opened the driver's side door, and got back inside. With a slam of the door, she turned the key, and the truck roared back to life. Well, more like whined and then rumbled back to life. The suspension also sank a little bit, but not by much. Danielle was glad she had gotten the H-Spec Suspension Kit for the Hilux, and the Toyota 3BZ Min-Max crate engine installed, and the new tires installed. It didn't look like much and it didn't necessarily work with Polarizer kits, but for the two-for-one price Tommy Periera at Tommy's Kine Autos had charged it was all worth the price.

With that in mind, Danielle drove down the road to Alba, hoping others would follow suit. She remembered to follow the directions. Something about a bridge to the north over the Timbre River. She sniffed the air, and frowned. Army like that raiding a city likely was out and about in the country side. She clicked her tongue and said to Yapyap, "Holler if you see anyone."

[The Cyberiad Council]

It was times like this that Quadran wished he had lungs; he wished he could take a deep breath of the air. The forest was beautiful: dark and ominous, yet regal. He had chemical receptors, but it wasn't the same and he knew it. He rolled up the left sleeve of his coat to reveal a screen built into his arm. He pressed his finger to it, and a holographic display projected a rectangle in the air. He figured that since he was about to dive into battle against an unknown number of unidentified foes, he should run a systems check. "Green lights across the board." Quadran waved his hand and the image disappeared.

He leaned over the side of the truck's bed and looked forwards. His eyes could see farther than most other species, and he could make out the first outlying buildings of a settlement. Quadran reached up and knocked on the roof of the cab. He called up to Danielle, "I think that's Alba straight ahead."

Quadran slung the gun strap over his shoulder and prepared to dismount.

[Mythrandir]

The village of Alba was not much further beyond the described landmark of the Timbre River. Spanning the chasm which the river flowed deep below was a bridge strangely ornate for such an isolated village. It was a hybrid of steel and mason work anchoring the bridge to the rock faces while forged twin, two headed serpents snaked across either side with fanged maws planted firmly into the earth. It was as if the creatures' fangs were all that kept the bridge intact and prevented it from falling away into the roaring water below.

The drive from the bridge was not much further as the dense tree lines of forest gave way to a much rockier terrain. It would seem that whichever surveyor mapped the region and gave it its names, lacked something in creativity. The Boulder Plains fit its name as large boulders dotted the landscape as if they were carelessly cast about by some ancient giant with nothing better to do. Alba lay in the midst of few closely packed boulders that almost ringed the village.

As Danielle drove up with her company in the bed of the truck, they would get their first glimpse of the scars that three nights of fighting had left. Whoever founded the village, used the natural formations of the boulders as a makeshift defensive perimeter. Steel plating was dropped into the gaps to fill the holes while a primitive hydraulic metallic gate was meant to seal off the entrance to the village. Hydraulic fluid stained the nearby worn boulder while the gate was twisted and contorted from some great force shearing the metal.

Villagers began making their way out of what remained of their temporary housing of modulated steel homes. True to the notice's word, most of the villagers looked like they had seen too few harvests while others too many. A few fighting aged men and women limped out from their shelters sporting bloody bandages. Others were laid out in a home that had been converted into a makeshift clinic. From what could be seen from the town center through the window, many of the incapacitated wounded were missing limbs or were swollen with packed gauze in their abdomens. Some looked to not be long for the world of the living.

One man stepped out from the small crowd that gathered. He would have been tall by human standards were he not hunched over with pain as he nursed a broken arm in a sling and half his face wrapped behind bandages. His one green eye quickly darted from Danielle, to Quadran, to Derrick, down to Yapyap. Despite his best efforts, his disappointment was difficult to mask.

"Are you here ahead of the rest? There's more coming, right?"

[Crimetopolis]

The guild hall of the Arcadian Knights was now established in Rufo. Artemesia knelt before her Guild Hall Lord. The Guild Hall Lord ordered her to take a force of knights to aid in the defense of Alba. At the same time, a wagon load of gold was send to The Gun Runners. Bill Cole was the given the task of setting up a Gun Runner's branch in Alba fully. A convoy of trucks and ATVS headed towards Alba. Overhead, an armed done give air support. Behind them , Artemesia and her knights rode horseback. Wagons filled with supplies and artisans followed.

They arrived at Alba without incident. Artemesia and Bill both asked to see the Mayor of Alba and both asked where they set up operational areas, too.

[Crimetopolis]

it was a good thing the Gun Runners brought a spare RoboDoc, For it was instantly put to work on the most desperate cases, The healers of the Arcadian knights tended to the lesser cases. The Gun Runners showed their credentials to the Mayor, and he allowed them set up a branmch there. Instantly, construction robots were put to work. Concrete, steel, and plexi-tanium reinforcements had the classic 'everything-proof' bunker of a Classic Gun-Runners.

Likewise, the Arcadian knights' artisan's were busy building a guild hall. Because of the dangers involved, the Gun Runners opened up their bunker to the knights, too. Their horses were placed in in an improvised corral. The Gun Runners deployed A drone and four Tank Bots to guard it, too. Even a Dire Bear could not get at those horses now.

[New Dornalia]

The village of Alba was not much further beyond the described landmark of the Timbre River. Spanning the chasm which the river flowed deep below was a bridge strangely ornate for such an isolated village. It was a hybrid of steel and mason work anchoring the bridge to the rock faces while forged twin, two headed serpents snaked across either side with fanged maws planted firmly into the earth. It was as if the creatures' fangs were all that kept the bridge intact and prevented it from falling away into the roaring water below.

The drive from the bridge was not much further as the dense tree lines of forest gave way to a much rockier terrain. It would seem that whichever surveyor mapped the region and gave it its names, lacked something in creativity. The Boulder Plains fit its name as large boulders dotted the landscape as if they were carelessly cast about by some ancient giant with nothing better to do. Alba lay in the midst of few closely packed boulders that almost ringed the village.

As Danielle drove up with her company in the bed of the truck, they would get their first glimpse of the scars that three nights of fighting had left. Whoever founded the village, used the natural formations of the boulders as a makeshift defensive perimeter. Steel plating was dropped into the gaps to fill the holes while a primitive hydraulic metallic gate was meant to seal off the entrance to the village. Hydraulic fluid stained the nearby worn boulder while the gate was twisted and contorted from some great force shearing the metal.

Villagers began making their way out of what remained of their temporary housing of modulated steel homes. True to the notice's word, most of the villagers looked like they had seen too few harvests while others too many. A few fighting aged men and women limped out from their shelters sporting bloody bandages. Others were laid out in a home that had been converted into a makeshift clinic. From what could be seen from the town center through the window, many of the incapacitated wounded were missing limbs or were swollen with packed gauze in their abdomens. Some looked to not be long for the world of the living.

One man stepped out from the small crowd that gathered. He would have been tall by human standards were he not hunched over with pain as he nursed a broken arm in a sling and half his face wrapped behind bandages. His one green eye quickly darted from Danielle, to Quadran, to Derrick, down to Yapyap. Despite his best efforts, his disappointment was difficult to mask.

"Are you here ahead of the rest? There's more coming, right?"

Danielle soberly examined the terrain and the people with a keen gaze at the wounded and the survivors as she got out of the truck. The situation was frankly much worse than she thought. The sheer amount of injured and wounded and dying moved her on the inside, but she had a troubling thought. Even with her healing powers being what they were--it was one thing to heal a kid. It was another thing to have to heal a lot of people, especially in a place which was living under siege conditions. She couldn't save everyone. Not to mention, it was clear the town would fall unless more was done to defend it. An overwhelming sense of despair and exhaustion was palpable--more so to Danielle, given her abilities.

Yapyap himself seemed to look forlornly at the challenger, with an expression of pity that wanted to ask the speaker, "You okay?" Sadly, New Hokkaidoan Working Dogs did not have the capacity to speak as of yet. Yapyap looked up at Danielle, as if expecting her to give some sort of reply to the man.

Danielle looked at her passengers, and then looked at the people. Part of her wanted to tell these people that more were coming, to give them some sort of hope. But Danielle had been taught to ride, shoot straight and speak the truth. Stringing people along wasn't a trait the Lum family had inculcated in their children, and as tempting as it seemed to lie another part of Danielle wanted to just give it to the man straight, to be honest with him. She paused for a minute, looking everything over. Danielle then said, looking the speaker in the eyes, keeping an even, calm demeanor as she spoke, "Depends on whether more people answer the ad back in Ruto. But for now, we're pretty much it." Turning to her companions, Danielle asked, "That the case, gents?"

When they answered, Danielle turned back to the speaker and asked politely, "Sadly, we'll have to make do for now. Who's the head of this village?"

[Crimetopolis]

Even with the healers of the Arcadian Knights and the two RoboDocs the Gun Runners brought with them. the plight of the wounded was awful. Bill grabbed a toddler that had horribly mauled by some thing. He rushed the child to Danielle. He died just as Bill got him there. Bill gently laid down. Bill grabbed a spare trauma kit and began working alongside Danielle. "It's a disaster storm. Both of our Robodocs and the five healers the Arcadian knights brought are overloaded, royally." Bill drained two full trauma kits in fifteen minutes.
TAGS.

[Mythrandir]

"I see."

A heavy sigh escaped the young man's bruised chest in a wheeze as his gaze fell to the ground. Only the wind stirred through the crowd giving relief to the thought that perhaps everyone had simply turned to stone. Eventually the man turned his gaze back to the small group and inclined his head towards the village center.

"Come. One thing we do have in abundance is food. You can help yourselves to some in the great hall if you're hungry."

The crowd parted as the young man led the group through. More than a few murmurs of disappointment followed after them in their wake though the gathered were far too battered to be of any more concern as they faded back into the village proper. While most of the structures were quick set up modular buildings for an early settlement, one building remained true to a traditional Myth setting.

Erected on a smoothed rock surface, the great hall rose up above the stacked boxes of prefabricated homes with its great timbers for supporting posts. A gilded tile roof sheathed the length of the hall much like a fine layer of scales. Carved figure heads depicting a roaring bear's head protruded from the roof's ridge on either side. With its great windows and open wooden door, the great hall appeared to be the only building that did not carry scars of fighting within the village.

"The name is Gregor by the way. We settled here because the unusual layout of the boulders provided some natural defense against the wildlife of this world. We reinforced the gaps with steel plating and built a gate to complete the ring around our town. Just for an added bit of security, a few watch towers were built on the highest boulders. For a while, everything seemed pretty peaceful. At least as peaceful as it can be on Mossi and the village grew as one of the safest settlements outside of the cities.

"Then one night these monsters descended on us. The watch towers were swept away in the first bout. The next night they came, they just climbed over the boulders like they weren't even there. I've never seen anything climb like that before. What was meant to be for our protections, the ring of boulders only served to keep us hemmed in while these creatures surrounded us."

Gregor led the way up the carved stone stairs and into the great hall. A long wooden table surrounded by bench seating dominated the center floor while a globe of light hovered over head. Fire pits burned at regular intervals down the length of the hall giving off a warm glow mixed with the light from over head. For such a central building apparently designed for everyone to come a communal table, it was starkly empty.

"Please, have a seat. I'll see to it that something is brought out for you while I fetch the new town leader."

The sound of a heavy door ring dropping against a steel plate rang out from the back of the hall as light spilled in from an open doorway. The shadow of a lone woman marching across the stone floor fell across the room. Fiery red hair was pulled tightly behind her head into a long braid while a band of leather wrapped around her forehead. The arrangement of faded freckles across her face seemed to only enhance the natural scowl she wore. The rest of her appearance looked to be just as rugged on down to the hide trousers she wore. Perhaps what stood out the most though was the black chitinous shell-like armor that encased her left arm on up to the shoulder plating on her left side.

"Gregor, you're supposed to still be with the healers recovering." The ice in her voice left little to the imagination beyond a common courtesy of concern.

"I was until they arrived. These people were good enough to answer the notice I sent out."

"Help for a price I see. There's nothing I can do about it now though. Gregor, get yourself back to the healers. I expect you to be in good enough shape to fight tonight. I'll take care of our guests from here."

Gregor started to offer a protest but eventually thought better of it. He offered a curt nod to the woman then to the small group before heading back out the door of the great hall.

The woman waited for Gregor to leave as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "I'm Ren, the leader of what remains of this town. If you're here to help, I'll need every able body on the rocks come nightfall. My people are pretty battered as you can see so I could use the fresh meat to get some of my more injured people pulled back into the city center.

Gregor posted the notice so I'm not certain what all was included. What do you people need?"

[Crimetopolis]

"I see."

A heavy sigh escaped the young man's bruised chest in a wheeze as his gaze fell to the ground. Only the wind stirred through the crowd giving relief to the thought that perhaps everyone had simply turned to stone. Eventually the man turned his gaze back to the small group and inclined his head towards the village center.

"Come. One thing we do have in abundance is food. You can help yourselves to some in the great hall if you're hungry."

The crowd parted as the young man led the group through. More than a few murmurs of disappointment followed after them in their wake though the gathered were far too battered to be of any more concern as they faded back into the village proper. While most of the structures were quick set up modular buildings for an early settlement, one building remained true to a traditional Myth setting.

Erected on a smoothed rock surface, the great hall rose up above the stacked boxes of prefabricated homes with its great timbers for supporting posts. A gilded tile roof sheathed the length of the hall much like a fine layer of scales. Carved figure heads depicting a roaring bear's head protruded from the roof's ridge on either side. With its great windows and open wooden door, the great hall appeared to be the only building that did not carry scars of fighting within the village.

"The name is Gregor by the way. We settled here because the unusual layout of the boulders provided some natural defense against the wildlife of this world. We reinforced the gaps with steel plating and built a gate to complete the ring around our town. Just for an added bit of security, a few watch towers were built on the highest boulders. For a while, everything seemed pretty peaceful. At least as peaceful as it can be on Mossi and the village grew as one of the safest settlements outside of the cities.

"Then one night these monsters descended on us. The watch towers were swept away in the first bout. The next night they came, they just climbed over the boulders like they weren't even there. I've never seen anything climb like that before. What was meant to be for our protections, the ring of boulders only served to keep us hemmed in while these creatures surrounded us."

Gregor led the way up the carved stone stairs and into the great hall. A long wooden table surrounded by bench seating dominated the center floor while a globe of light hovered over head. Fire pits burned at regular intervals down the length of the hall giving off a warm glow mixed with the light from over head. For such a central building apparently designed for everyone to come a communal table, it was starkly empty.

"Please, have a seat. I'll see to it that something is brought out for you while I fetch the new town leader."

The sound of a heavy door ring dropping against a steel plate rang out from the back of the hall as light spilled in from an open doorway. The shadow of a lone woman marching across the stone floor fell across the room. Fiery red hair was pulled tightly behind her head into a long braid while a band of leather wrapped around her forehead. The arrangement of faded freckles across her face seemed to only enhance the natural scowl she wore. The rest of her appearance looked to be just as rugged on down to the hide trousers she wore. Perhaps what stood out the most though was the black chitinous shell-like armor that encased her left arm on up to the shoulder plating on her left side.

"Gregor, you're supposed to still be with the healers recovering." The ice in her voice left little to the imagination beyond a common courtesy of concern.

"I was until they arrived. These people were good enough to answer the notice I sent out."

"Help for a price I see. There's nothing I can do about it now though. Gregor, get yourself back to the healers. I expect you to be in good enough shape to fight tonight. I'll take care of our guests from here."

Gregor started to offer a protest but eventually thought better of it. He offered a curt nod to the woman then to the small group before heading back out the door of the great hall.

The woman waited for Gregor to leave as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "I'm Ren, the leader of what remains of this town. If you're here to help, I'll need every able body on the rocks come nightfall. My people are pretty battered as you can see so I could use the fresh meat to get some of my more injured people pulled back into the city center.

Gregor posted the notice so I'm not certain what all was included. What do you people need?"

Bill looked at Rem. "We have three drones for air support circling above. Each drone has a rocket launcher and a plasma gun mounted on it , too. We also have six Tank bots with a plasma cannon mounted on them, too. is there a pth we could three of them up to the boulder top?"

[The Humankind Abh]

No matter what planet it was, the scars of war always looked the same to me. The acrid smell of smoke mingled with the stench of scorched flesh hung in the air taking me back to the days of fighting against the Abh Empire. I suddenly regretted my decision to come to his place, not out of a lack of willingness to help these people but because old memories I'd rather forget seem to get dredged up from the darkest corners of my mind. My mind played tricks on me as I looked from one temporary module to the next and replaced them with the crumbling concrete and twisted steel of San Torenz.

The walking wounded of Alba shimmered like a haze in my mind's eye and wore the translucent skin of familiar ghosts from a long dead pass. I reached into my coat pocket from my pack of smokes and quickly lit one up hoping to dispel the mental images with one puff of smoke at a time. My nerves settled some after a long drag on the end of the cigarette and I began to wonder what was able to tear through that massive gate like it was little better than tinfoil.

Food didn't appeal to me, especially surrounded by people that looked like they could use it more than me. At least though I was glad just to be out of focus of the hollowed stares of people wanting help and looking disappointed at what arrived. It would have felt little better than stealing from someone that offered me food when he looked like he was being held together by tape and gauze bandages.

I doubt I could ever keep the architecture of this place straight. Their temporary buildings looked like they would fit in on any settlement world in this age but they built buildings that looked to have existed in centuries pass. It was strange to me why it looked like they built backwards.

Now the real surprise was this woman that seemed to be really full of piss and vinegar and didn't have a scratch on her. You know, the kind that would grind a boot heel into a man's sack and smile for the pure joy of causing pain. I'd wager she'd beaten more than a few guys' asses that got a little handsy with her.

I had no idea what we were in for but my curiosity was getting the better of me as I stared at the long black, bug-like sleeve on her arm. I flicked the cigarette butt into one of the open fires.

"It'd be nice to know what we're dealing with here. I take it has something to do with that cockroach you wear on your left arm."