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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:17:39 GMT
Thankfully, Joe was too distracted by everyone socializing with their freshly-caught bioweapons to notice Cecil's withering glare, or he might have been scathed just as badly as the miscreant's hand had moments earlier. Not that he was about to let the skunk out of its portable prison. Why had he thought it was a good idea to catch a second living toxic waste factory? Now he was stuck with it. And, terrified as he had been of it, Joe couldn't help thinking it was probably just as useless as the Grimer had been. Tuning into the beeps and clicks before he consciously realized what he was doing - Joe was used to monotonous, repetitive industrial noises - he nearly shrieked as Amber's wrist thingy began spitting out a horrible, wailing cacophony that the others somehow identified as music. He managed to calm down when the vocals kicked it, but it still grated his ears for some reason. It sounded so... so... Joe wasn't really sure how it made him feel. He mostly just hated that it was making him feel something. "I vote we check out this convoy signal too." Joe slouched, his hands slipping into the pockets of his jumpsuit. Not that he held any illusions about how much his vote counted with the rest of the group. But maybe they'd lose the other signal, or get sufficiently distracted by whatever the 'convoy' was to forget about or give up on the source of that music. Joe had no desire to meet anyone who considered that an appropriate and welcoming greeting. Or maybe that was the intent? To drive people away? If so, it wasn't working very well. Maybe it only worked on sane people. Tech Ed (with 1 AP for +2 bonus) to translate code - 10 Survival when it becomes relevant to navigate to the Convoy quickly and without incident - 14
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:17:55 GMT
"It's a Vault distress signal," Joe suddenly blurted as he realized why it sounded familiar. "The code, not the song," he quickly clarified. "And not that I'm in a hurry to run off towards, uh, distress - but there's a good chance we can salvage something useful from it. Maybe more than useful." And, Joe hoped, whatever had caused the convoy distress in the first place would have long moved on by the time they arrived.
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:18:19 GMT
"Well, if it's distress, then we should go check it out. There might be people there. Or indication of who sent it, at least." Christine nods. "Good work, Mister Vargas. I'm sure that whatever's making that music will still be there, but a distress beacon might be...time sensitive, to say the least. I should get some medicine ready on the way..."
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:18:39 GMT
Following the directions from the mapping program, coupled with a few helpful suggestions from Joe whenever the group encounters a much steeper incline than expected, or some other roadblock, the group begins to descend. It seems Joe's time in the bowels of the Vault has given him an eye for finding ways past blockages and roadblocks. All the while, the Purewater radio signal continues to play music. Eventually, the group finds itself a bit lower on the mountain, approaching a T-intersection. One bar of the T ends in a massive rockslide that's buried the path heading east, while you're approaching from the western side. And piled atop one another are a trio of large vehicles, ancient rusted debris scattered around where it hasn't been overtaken by undergrowth. The vehicles themselves have thick layers of vines and even a couple of decent-sized trees growing around, and in the case of the lead vehicle, in them. Their trailers however appear to be mostly intact, but you'll need to get closer to really tell for sure. Perception checks all-round, and survival. Also, any mon you've got out with Tracker, have them roll a survival check.
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:18:59 GMT
Amber's eyes light up at the sight of the crash zone. The trucks are covered in enough plant life that this /can't/ be new, right? So there's maybe not anything dangerous? She makes sure Totodile is moving ahead of her, just in case, but she doesn't hesitate to approach. Her focus is far more on looking at what's inside--and getting her hands on the powercells that /have/ to be powering that distress beacon. She isn't sure what she can use them for with their current materials, but power sources are the base to any major project! There is so much potential!
She looks around as she walks down the road, but makes sure to stick closely with the group--particularly after the most recent incident! She holds one of her magical spheres in hand, just in case--it worked for Cecil last time. Might work for her eventually.
Perception: 11 Survival: 11
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:19:36 GMT
On the way, Christine made sure to prep some things that they might need, with the Fletchling on her head, watching. She had wished that Bones could have been there, because they were supposed to be good at that stuff, right? Alas, he was a...tad...too heavy. But now, they had come to a...something. Well, at least this time she didn't bump into anyone. She was getting better at actually noticing things out here... mainly because she didn't want to get eaten or anything. It's amazing what almost being dog food will do... She did make sure to stay far away from the canines whenever they were out, though. Especially the red one. Just in case Skrub was wrong about the balls... She shook those thought away and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Okay, there were some vehicles ahead. That's where the signal was coming from, apparently. She was tempted to call out, see if anyone was around, but remembering the encounter earlier, and also the fact that it looked long overgrown, stopped her. There probably wasn't anyone here. Maybe. She makes sure to stick near Amber, seeing she seems to know what she's doing. However, she does make sure to withdraw Coiffe and call out Bones. It seemed only fair to let him have some fresh air now that they weren't going so fast, and her head needed a break from being a perch. Perception: 8 Survival: 3 During the journey, Christine made: ~2 Potions (-$200) ~2 Super Potions (-$400) This leaves $500 in scrap left.
She also distilled one of the potions and one super potion into Restorative Patches. So, final creation over the journey is: ~1 Potion ~3 Potion Restorative Patches ~1 Super Potion ~3 Super Potion Restorative Patches
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:19:56 GMT
Cecil dealt with the discomfort in his hand for as long as he could manage, following Joe's instructions as they squeezed through rubble and closed on the signal. Finally he snuck a general salve into his pocket that he'd gotten secondhand from a fellow guttersnipe, trying to be subtle about applying it. He had no intention of giving Christine the satisfaction. He let out a slow breath as it chilled the burn and flexed his hand a few times as the pain left him. Wasn't such a bad thing after all. Guile to Hide Potioning: 12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The radio was nice, Cecil could imagine a world without it, but he'd already left that hell. Each new song evoked different feelings, and as they walked along Cecil couldn't help but toe tap a little. Finally, the trucks came in sight. He'd read about vehicles, even had a few cherry magazines for the sportier cars from before the vaults were loaded. These weren't at all like those. Large, clunky, with big grills, and boxy cabs. Wrinkling his nose, the boy waved for Amber to kill the music, letting Boneyard out of his little prison. "I'm going to see what I can see without pissing off the natives, alright? Sit tight for a minute." Waving the Houndour to follow, Cecil crept along the trail, approaching the vehicles. Boneyard sniffed at the ground, along the way to the trucks, letting out a soft growl now and then. When the boy was within a short distance of the truck he stopped and held a hand down in front of Boneyard's face, indicating it to stop. The both of them hunkered near a convenient tree and observed, 10 meters from the vehicles. Perception - 5 Survival - 10 Stealth (Cecil) - 17 Stealth (Boneyard) - 7 Tracker Survival - 9 Map
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:20:09 GMT
As they walked along listening to the music, Bunnie couldn't help but begin to not-so-subtley dance as she walked. The first new song playing, an instrumental, lent itself nicely to the new dance she formulated in her mind as she moved her feet and belly in time. The way it made her feel reminded her of some of the music she heard when learning how to initially sway her hips and there was a definite inspiration from that in the way she moved.
As they drew near to her destination she took a hint from Cecil and let Tinkles and Gary out of their Pokeballs. Multiple noses keeping track of everything was probably a good policy. The dogs watched as she danced while walking, and she began to wonder if dancing was something people even did anymore. She became a bit sad at the thought of no one in the world dancing anymore and found herself hoping that it wasn't a lost art.
Perception: 13 Bunnie, Tinkles and Gary each got an 8 for Survival.
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:20:27 GMT
Joe was surprised by how much of his experience scrambling through collapsed caverns and abandoned storage rooms was proving to be applicable - or at least adequate - in navigating the outside world. He couldn't believe the others were so comfortable with openly broadcasting their location to anyone - and anything - nearby, but was too terrified he'd be left behind to protest as they left the radio playing while they hiked. As long as he was being moderately useful and not complaining too much, they were less likely to abandon him. The next song to come on was less grating, practically relaxing - too relaxing. It was pleasant enough, much less grating than the first song had been, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down. None of them could. At least the third tune got his blood pumping; he'd experimented little with music growing up, as his father had discouraged any 'artistic' pursuits, but it seemed he did have a taste of sorts for it. Though he could have done without the vocals. When they came upon the source of the distress signal, it was obvious the 'distress' wasn't a recent thing. Had nobody else heard the call for all the time these vehicles had been languishing? Were they untouched by anything but nature? Had at already been picked clean by waves of scavengers, and none had bothered to turn the signal off? Or had it been left broadcasting... intentionally? Cecil had the right of things. Joe scrambled, practically on all fours, towards the nearest tree and plastered himself against its wide trunk, afraid to even breathe, senses peeled for anything wrong. He didn't dare to let either of his monsters out yet, unable to trust they wouldn't do something stupid and expose his position. Perception - 11 Survival - 20 That second Survival roll was supposed to be Stealth - 15 [ Map ]
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:20:45 GMT
As Cecil creeps closer to the trailer, he begins to notice some very odd signs. The plant life that's wreathing the trailers looks strangely dead in some places, patches and streaks that make a series of trails going from one spot to another on the wrecked hulks. He's so focused on the strange markings, that he barely notices that Boneyard's short hackles have raised, and he's very quietly growling, eyes fixed on the top of the trailer. Back further, Gary and Tinkles begin to growl softly as well, both of them looking like they're trying to psyche themselves up for a fight, even in their injured states. As the rest of the party watches from a distance, there's a strange muffled chiming, before a small golden ball flies over the top of the lead trailer, hitting the ground and bouncing, hard, before rolling several meters and coming to a stop. From their clear vantage point on the road, the group can see that the little bell seems to be alive, and horribly wounded, deep gashes marring its body and leaking a strange glowing fluid as it struggles to breathe. Its beady eyes attempt to focus, but it doesn't seem to be able to really make out anything. It gives a short gasping jingle, a sound that's discordant and heartbreaking. A pair of dark heads pop up over the edge of the truck then, snickering and chattering evily to one another, one of their ears strangely long and feather-like, the other short and truncated. But what stands out the most are the wicked claws that tip their paws, ice-white and cruelly hooked, they're marred by a glistening substance that appears to be leaking from the wounds the little bell is suffering from. Everyone but Cecil notices that what had looked like some kind of wild, stunted sapling had actually jumped when the little creature had come hurtling over the truck, and has spun in place to face away from the two nasty creatures that are still giggling maliciously at each other. Its small, teary eyes widen after a moment, darting toward where Boneyard has advanced slightly, still growling. It begins to shiver in place even more, looking like it's caught in a high wind. As the two creatures begin to casually slink towards their prey/plaything, there's a small but determined "KAH!" as a short bolt of electrical energy strikes the side of the truck, the dead plants that it impacted bursting into brief flames, drawing up the two cruel creatures short with hisses of alarm. A small yellow figure has wriggled out from beneath the truck, an even smaller little mouse clinging to its leg with a look of terror, and has begun waving its oddly bulky arms at the two dark creatures in a manner that seems to be either chiding or threatening. Its flat face is set into a very human scowl, as it begins yelling at the creatures, apparently warning them off, from the manner in which they're beginning to look less than pleased. Only Bunnie notices the other entity that's hanging around, a rotund little creature with long glossy hair and alert eyes that's munching on some kind of food as it watches the little bell curiously from inside the wrecked truck's cab. And then, as Boneyard moves to get between his new Alpha and these threats... one of his large paws comes squarely down on a dry twig, drawing the attention of almost every creature there onto the hound. Luckily they don't seem to notice Cecil, flat against the tree as he is, or Joe. And with the tree between them, most of the other mon don't see the rest of the group either. Only the little bell creature doesn't react, too focused on taking each laborious breath. The little yellow humanoid begins windmilling its arms, sparks beginning to dance between the two antennae on its head like a jacobs ladder; it appears to be doing some kind of warning display, while still keeping most of its attention of the two vicious creatures above.
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:21:12 GMT
Not even thinking, seeing the little bell in pain, Christine dashes forwards, releasing Bones right next to it - she hopes. Please let my aim be right, please let this work... "Bones," she calls, when it does work, without thinking of who could hear, "Protect that bell, we have to help!" Bones moves into a defensive position between the other visible animals and the bell. Christine shifts forwards, releasing Bones as she does so. Bones uses Defense Curl. MAP
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:21:33 GMT
The pitiful chime is painful to hear, and Amber frowns deeply. "Oh no..." She says, inching around the tree and taking in the sight. The battered pokemon reminds Amber a little bit of them, and what might happen if they aren't careful. She glances sideways at the Totodile, which, for all its cuteness and cheerful nature so far...is a weapon. A biological weapon. Alive, sure, but it has the potential to be just as deadly. She bites her lip, hesitating, until Christine calls out instructions to her own adorable, deadly bioweapon. Finally, the blond hair nods, sliding her glasses back up her nose. "S-she's right! Totodile, we have to help. Go!" Amber applies Agility Orders and shifts forward. Totodile sprints forward! Totodile moves at 6. Amber moves at 12. Map
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:21:55 GMT
Boneyard glanced towards Cecil as the dog broke some dried wood beneath it's paw, and Cecil waved it forward, speaking in hushed tones. "Go sit in plain view, have some swagger about it, try an keep eyes offa me." The Houndour retorted with a soft snort and padded along the scraggly terrain before sitting on it's backside, watching the Sneasel with it's shoulders hunched, head low. The Chingling wasn't far from it now. Boneyard could smell the blood, it was exciting. The dog didn't much like the look of the yellow snaggle-toothed humanoid currently cranking up it's amps though. Cecil, on the other hand, continued to press on in silence. If the others were going to slip into a bad circumstance, he'd let'em. If they wanted to stick their necks out for every doe-eyed wounded critter out here that could shoot living death out of it's eyes, that was on them. Thing gave him the creeps besides. MapCecil Stealth: 15 Initiative: Cecil 15 Boneyard: 13 (Pads to his current location, waits.)
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:22:11 GMT
Bunnie recalls the dogs, not wanting to put them in a spot where they would be in danger without her assistance. She begins moving towards the fat thing she saw. Something about it drew her attention more than the others going on, and while she was mildly concerned about the fight about to take place she knew if she didn't move on this thing she might miss her chance to find out what it is at all. El Mapperino
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:22:31 GMT
Joe would've preferred to just wait and see if the feral Pokemon moved on - or killed each other - without any interference on their part, but a couple of the more soft-hearted souls among their number were already rushing in to help the presumably 'harmless' and 'innocent' bell creature. He almost felt sorry for the plant-like one that seemed on the verge of crying. He could empathize, really. Joe might have felt a sort of kinship with the frightened thing, except he assumed it was an act to lure in the unwary and make them lower their guard. Why else would the scientists of the old world engineer a tree that could cry? Joe was willing to bet it would violently self-destruct as soon as someone got close, or maybe grow ten times in size. Who knew, with what he'd seen so far, and that was apparently only the tip of the iceberg when it came to what some of these monsters were capable of. Cecil had the right idea - draw the wild ones out with their own Pokemon, keep them distracted long enough for some of them to investigate the remnants of the convoy. At least the presence of the gaggle of Pokemon hopefully meant there were no human threats here. And at least all the monsters they'd encountered so far were fairly small. Creeping low through the grass towards the next nearest tree, Joe fumbled for one of his balls. The Grimer might have proven unreliable so far, but he definitely didn't trust the skunk nearly enough yet to release it under anything but the most controlled conditions. All he needed was for it to turn on him. For all its faults, the living pool of toxic waste seemed loyal. Once released, the Grimer turned its body in a slow circle before spotting a few familiar Pokemon and roiling sluggishly but eagerly towards them. It seemed oblivious to the wild Pokemon for the moment. Stealth + 1 AP for Instinctive Aptitude to remain hidden - 14 [ Map ]
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:22:55 GMT
The introduction of the Grimer, Totodile and Happiny seem to seriously unnerve the mon that call this place home... and Christine and Amber making their appearance known as they release their mon only compounds the issue further. One of the mustelids gives a hiss, ears pinning back as it sees Bones get between it and its prey, darting forward, it leaves a trails of frostbitten plants... and then swings on of its claws in a wide arc, releasing a shard of ice several inches long and viciously pointed at the peak of the swing. The shard of ice spears downward, impacting Bones with a vicious schliiiiip. But the little mon's tough skin and defensive position heavily blunt the strike! (Ice Shard, 24 physical ice damage before DR and defense) The little mouse that had been clinging to the small humanoid's leg lets go with a squeak of surprise and fear. Seeing Totodile so close, it begins hopping up and down, clapping its little paws vigorously and looking for all the world like it's applauding the reptile. Totodile eyes the little thing with suspicion which soon turns to confusion. Its stance becomes wobbly as its vision swims. (Encore, Totodile is confused) Sneasel 2 - 20 Pichu - 16 Bunnie - 15 Sneasel 1 - 15 Joe - 13 Boneyard - 13 Amber - 12 Cecil - 12 Elekid - 11 Christine - 10 Chingling - 7 Totodile - 6 Grimer - 5 Bones - 3 Munchlax - 1 Bonsly - 1
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:23:20 GMT
"Oh, no! Bones!" Christine cries as she sees the Hapinny get hit by ice. She is much more relieved, when she sees that it didn't seem to faze him much. "Hang in there," she says, as she approaches the bell, but to whom, she doesn't know. It could be herself, running on instinct right now; the ball, terribly injured; or Bones, bravely defending her as she came to try and save a helpless life. Well, helpless as far as she knows. She could burn that bridge when she came to it. Finally reaching where the bell was, she puts her pack on the ground and starts rummaging for what she needs. Christine Sprints up to the Chingling. Bones uses Copycat on the Sneasel, firing an ice shard back at it... but missing (7-4 = 3 on an AC 2 move). Bah. MAP! WHICH WORKED!
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:23:40 GMT
Bunnie continues staying away from the fight, focused on making her way to the chubby Pokemon eating. Its just... So cute.... Da Map
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:23:57 GMT
Cecil paused a moment in his hiding place to take stock of where the other humans had positioned themselves. He could care less about whatever stupidity they committed their living weapons to but... Christ, Christine was right on top of the injured one the two slick looking weasel Pokemon had singled out. As much as he hated to admit it, the Doc was literally their most important asset. Legging it riskily up beside the Chingling, he gave Christine a shove, the medic rolling his hand off of her shoulder and giving him a push in kind. "The fuck are you doing?! You can't just waltz into a turf war with your head up your ass to help somebody because they're bleeding! That's how you get yourself killed! You, the doctor. Ain't nobody patching you up, I sure as hell can't. Back off! This is what's natural out here, so catch the thing or let it die! Boneyard, watch my back." The last statement, Cecil snapped at the dog to his right, jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards the Sneasel that had attacked Bones previously. The Houndour growled an answering response and bounded forward, launching a fireball over the lip of the truck at the dark pokemon. Ember Acc Vs. Sneasel 2: 10, Damage: 28 Fire Special, SFE. Cecil attempted to push Christine away from the fight and failed. Map
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Post by Lockdown on Aug 24, 2016 15:24:19 GMT
Amber doesn't so much at blink as her partner is confused--mostly because there's no part of her that realizes there's a problem when the small yellow pokemon claps. She think it's rather cute, to be honest. It knows that she's sending Totodile to help! It's cheering for them! That must mean they're doing something right! She's a bit more concerned when the Totodile wobbles, trying to make a step forward. It seems to lose its balance, flailing, and she watches it smack itself in the face with no small amount of disbelief. Did the hypnotic effect of the balls affect them if they were out for too long? Should she not have left the animal outside to travel with them? She bites her lip. These balls must be so much more dangerous than she thought! She runs up until she stands beside Christine, biting her lip as Cecil moves, his pokemon throwing a shoot of flame. If it's still standing, this is her best chance to help! These balls....she has to see them in action! She throws one at the pokemon in the seconds after its first attack, biting her lip and waiting for the smoke to clear. Map
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