Alarus immediately gets to his feet and draws his laser pistol, hurrying toward the scream. "Pancreator forgive me," he breathes as he leads the way. "I should never have let him go alone..."

Efrem follows Alarus, his jaw clenched with anxiety over what they will find.

Not far into the forest, you spot a splash of blood on the ground. There is no sign on Raz, but his slingshot is lying in the blood.

Alina gingerly dips a booted toe in the blood smear. "Huh," she remarks. "Guess we'll have to find our own way to hicksville."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:49, Fri 27 July 2018.

EFrem gives Alina quick glare on reflex before looking elsewhere.

He begins trying to look for tracks or marks or any indication of where Raz, Raz's body, or what attacked him went.

Alarus, too, searches the surrounding area for any visible tracks, drag marks or blood trails. He seems to focus intently for a few moments as he studies the ground, his eyes glimmering in the moonlight.
This message was lightly edited by a game editor at 06:22, Sun 29 July 2018.

You soon spot the bloody trail where Raz has been dragged through the undergrowth. Shreds of his tunic cling to branches and it is not difficult to track whatever attacked him.

The trail leads to a small clearing by a creek. You can see a body on the ground. It appears to be Raz, but he is not moving. His clothes are torn and bloody. There is no sign of his attacker.

"RAZ!"

Efrem rushes over to check if Raz is alive.

"...please ... please..."

"Wait!" cries Alina as Efrem rushes towards the body. "It could be a..."

Her warning cry is cut short as a massive shape leaps from the nearby bushes and pounces on Efrem!

Efrem's eyes widen.  "You BASTARD."

With little better to do, he tries to bring his slug thrower to bear.
This message was last edited by a game editor at 20:36, Wed 08 Aug 2018.

"Wait!" Alarus shouts with Alina as the Pathcanon rushes toward Raz's body, aiming his laser pistol at the beast lurking in the bushes. But the predator leaps out before he can fire, and the Thana struggles to line up a shot that won't hit Efrem...

As Alina and Alarus yell wait, Efrem's face contorts into a menacing visage, fueled by self-preservation and indignation.  He gets a shot off, and the bullet tears into the flesh of the beast's left shoulder.

"Bastard!"  Efrem yells again, now standing tall and between the beast and Raz.

"Man should not have made your kind, and you will be ended!!!"

As the guernicabeast reels back and growls in pain from the bullet wound, Alarus manages to fire a shot, and the yellow beam sears through one of the creature's swiping forepaws.

With the flurry of activity, Alina snaps her blaster from its holster and fires off a shot at the creature, already reeling from the effects of Efrem and Alarus' efforts. With its wounded paw raised the blaster hits it square in its chest.

The Guernicabeast yelps with pain as it is hit several times. It glares at you with hatred and cold intelligence before quickly running off into the wilderness.

Efrem rushes over to check on Raz. He has been badly injured and needs urgent attention. "Father," he whispers to Efrem. "Sorry for causing so much trouble..."


[Raz is Dying, so the difficulty is 36. There are two types of healing; mundane (including first aid and elixir) and magical (laying on of hands, church rites etc.). You can only attempt to treat an injury once with each type, unless you have a higher skill than the previous attempt]

Alarus holsters his laser pistol as he rushes over to Raz and kneels down beside him, quickly unslinging his knapsack and pulling out his MedPac. Opening it, he grabs a roll of gauze and begins hurriedly binding the boy's wounds to stop the bleeding.

Alina walks over keeping her blaster drawn for the moment. When she sees the severity of the wound her expression hardens a bit. Watching Raz struggle as Alarus prepare his Elixir and medpac she kneels down closer, while staying out of Alarus' way.

"Doesn't look good Raz. The way I see it, you best relax and hope Alarus really knows his stuff, probably your only chance."

Turning to Alarus she whispers, "If you don't think you can save him, we should consider at least making it quick."

((If this is too cynical for character, let me know..))

With that, she turns her attention to the nearby vegetation, keeping an eye out for any possible return of the beast, or other beasts drawn by the noise and blood.
This message was last edited by a game editor at 20:40, Mon 13 Aug 2018.

"The first part of your penance is staying alive, kid," Efrem says with a mix of emotions.

Efrem looks around, breathing deeply.  He raises his gun for a moment, as if he's about to go after the guernica beast, but then abruptly falls to one knee, bowing and praying.

"Source of eternal light, helps us keep light in this world.  Help your wounded child.  Help the healer saving your child.  Help his family and those who love him.  Help us all by helping save his life.

The Maker of All restores
The Maker of All guides us on the bright course
With him, I fear no darkness.
With His prophet's words, I need not hesitate.

The Maker of All restores..."

Efrem continues to repeat the psalm in a low, meditative drone.
This message was last edited by a game editor at 20:58, Mon 13 Aug 2018.

A haunted look comes over Alarus at Alina's whispered words, but it is quickly replaced by a steely determination. He seems to tune out all distractions as he fills his injector with Elixir serum, and carefully examines Raz's wound. The flecks of his eyes reflect the night's starlight with an eerie brightness, and Efrem's prayer seems to somehow center his focus, calming and emboldening him as he injects the serum into Raz's chest. The boy's wound is too bloody to clearly see a vein, but Alarus seems strangely confident that he has found it.

You all kneel around Raz and concentrate your efforts to heal his terrible wounds. He leans back and focuses on Alina’s voice and Efrem’s prayer in the background. Alarus hunts for a vein and frowns as the target eludes him in the gory cuts. There! Found it! He jabs the injector into the vein and watches as the indicator shows a successful injection. The tissue regenerative serum goes to work and Raz’s wounds start to knit together almost immediately.

The powerful drugs in the Elixir kicks in, and the boy closes his eyes with a blissful smile. His pulse is still weak, but steady.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:03, Wed 15 Aug 2018.

"Amen."

Efrem looks at Raz, suppressing a smile.  "We'll discuss the rest of your penance when you're a bit more rested."


Efrem looks to Alarus.  "Your talents are quite effective, Sir."

He sighs, looking up.  Thank you.  We'll talk more later.

"Thanks be to the Pancreator," Alarus utters softly. He smiles gently at Efrem's words and shakes his head. "In truth, my ability is only basic. It is this miraculous Elixir serum, and the Pancreator's grace, which saved his life. Truly it was the will of the Pancreator that we possessed the means to heal such grievous wounds. I thank you for your prayer, Father."

Efrem nods.  "Good tools used well build the lands the Pacreator wishes to see."

Efrem is using a tone that suggests he's quoting something, but it's unclear what.

Alarus smiles at the unfamiliar passage, and then replies with one he knows. "All things in the universe are but the Pancreator's tools; thy heart must guide their use for good."
This message was last edited by a game editor at 01:58, Thu 16 Aug 2018.

With the danger seemingly passed, Alina holsters her blaster. She listens to the passage and nods. Taking a glance skyward, she speaks up, "We should find a way to transport him and keep moving. Don't want to give that beast a second chance."

Efrem stands. "My wagon will be one of those good tools, assuming we can get him to it without further injuring him.  We can make a litter out of blankets and some branches."