The rubble at the capital is thick, and it's a struggle to get down to the center of the blast. Most of the building has collapsed, though the blast was powerful enough that it blew some of the building out, instead of collapsing it inward. Once she gets to where the basement used to be, Frostburn finds the remains of a bomb. There is a charred frame of metal, roughly a foot long and 8 inches in circumference sitting on the ground. Knowledge of Engineering or Science would tell you that the shape of the frame would have channeled the blast, increasing its damage to the surrounding building. Though any normal frame should have been destroyed by the blast.
The bomb is sitting in the middle of the basement. How the hell did someone even manage to get in there? The answer comes when she sees a set of hands come out of the wall and drop another one of the explosives at her feet...
BOOM!
As the rubble clears, Solitaire is left coughing out dust and is completely buried... She end up virtually swimming through the rock to get out, grinding and ripping it as she moves.
Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Apparently Sam isn't the only one the roller hates today. I rolled 10 dice and got 1 success for damage. Paired with the auto damage, that still isn't even enough to scratch Solitaire.
I actually will need an athletics or might check to see how well you get out of there. More to determine speed really.
)))))
The capital could use several days of work. Trained nova engineers, with supplies, could get it mostly done in one, but you guys aren't in optimal conditions.
Comstock has a headache. It's almost like he can see the quantum signatures of what things were SUPPOSED to look like, before all this occurred. The eye strain mixed with the frustration must be doing it...
Samual, flying above the battlefield, is exceptionally frustrated, and showing it. It occurs to him to focus his EM sight, and sees Impetus buried under a burning man.
Rioting continues in the city, but not where any of the novas are. In those places, people just run while screaming out "please don't hurt me" or "praises gods!" The last is seemingly said to you, not the gods of their religion, perhaps as a means of pacifying you.
)))))
Impetus is looking up into the face of death. The large man, wreathed in flame, has a burning fist cocked back and is ready to slam it down when he seems to actually get what Imp just said. Instead of hitting him, Crimson Dawn picks him up by the throat and upper arm, and screams into his face.
"What do you mean 'kids' you son of a bitch?!"
From his tone you can tell that he's both offended and worried. Impetus explains the nature of their earlier conflicts, and the attack on the villagers, and Imp begins to doubt the wisdom of his tactic. The big man's muscles twitch, and his grip tightens around Imp's throat. But then it loosens, as you can tell that he believes you.
"I hate you. You fucking stole my life from me, for no goddamned reason. I looked you up, you little piece of shit. I know what you are, your just a fucking weasel that never knew how to be a man... You just wear that face like a mask. You're just a weak boy that never could muster the strength to be worth a shit. And one day you're gonna pay for it. I'll do my damnedest to make sure of it, but even if it isn't me, someone you fucked over, or just someone you fucked, is going to to destroy everything you've ever loved..."
His flames reach higher, burn hotter. Imps arm and throat are going to have a blistered handprint on them for several days after this. Crimson Dawn seems to realize it, and damps his flames down again.
"But the fact is, this isn't about you and me out here. I took a job, one I thought I made clear WASN'T going to include certain things. Precise hits to city infrastructure. Guarding occupying troops, that sorta thing. Yeah, people might die, but a lot less than if a conventional army came in and started dropping bombs or shooting people. And a whole lot less than if some nova sociopath came in here to do the work. But I didn't sign on for this shit. And whatever you're doing the Utopia thing for, fame, money, whatever, your scrawny ass isn't a killer, and you're fighting this. So. We'll do this vendeta thing another time.
I can't turn on the other hired guns. But this isn't gonna stand, and I sure as hell feel fine beating down the Ugandan novas. And we may be able to get that city up and running. We're going back to Bunia."
Impetus again wonders if this was the best plan of action, as his worst enemy is flying beside him to "help" him. But it beats death.
))))))))))
Sam notices first, but other soon see it too. There are two streaks in the otherwise perfectly blue sky, like the cloud trail left by a jet, but a bit thinner. One of them seems to be burning on the end. They're approaching Bunia rapidly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:20, Mon 20 July 2009.
