In reply to Rowan Dawson (msg # 908):

Let's see... there's a +1 sword, 16 GP and a gem worth 1d30 PP!

No, it's just a bullet-riddled wall mural now. Not just paint but the wall structure itself was involved. It's unclear what it was other than it seemed supernatural. (It could also be a superweapon like nanotechnology or a hallucination if one were to reach for a scientific explanation.) Now it seems to have gone back to what it was.

Rowan and others can make a roll on Academia Occult. (Post result to roll thread.)

Tony

Rowan sniffs glad the thing is dead and steps over to Shaffer,
"Well love that is not the sort of thing you take a lady out to see, wining and dinning is a far better way to spend and evening" she teases, stroking the side of his face gently.
"Time to move it soldier I need my guardian beside me"

In reply to Rowan Dawson (msg # 910):

Schaeffer gave a ragged sigh, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Rowan, my love, you are right. OK. Let us continue on. We are wasting even more time." He gathered his wits and putting his M4 at low-ready, led on.

In reply to COL Kurt L. Schaeffer (msg # 911):

Seeing her old friend starting to recover reminded Laurin they couldn't just give up and wait here forever. They either had to keep moving forward or go back. "Ya, let's continue. Gott. Same order as before." She also put her G22 at low-ready.

Smoker took a deep breath and shook himself (almost dog-like) before following.

Vundra follows the group as they move on in the tunnel.

He sheaths Evanor and readies his P-90c as the others take a minute. When the group moves Jason takes up his position.

"I am ready, lets get going." With that Trask moves off further into the complex. Keeping up a steady pace as he glances at his sensors.

Peter looked at Jane for a moment longer and then gave a nod. "Very well. I am ready to continue on as well."

In reply to Peter Firecrow (msg # 917):

Jane looked like she was still a little bothered by the last encounter but she nodded at him that she was ready. She hoped that she wouldn't over compensate the next time.  Still, if it did the trick it might be worth it.

The posse slowly and cautiously made their way out of the flooded tunnel, leaving the remains of the "living" mural behind. Even now, the pain was starting to fade and crack. Chips dropped into the water.

They forged on, deeper into the lowest levels of the undercity.  They left the levels with the shopping mall, civic centre and warehousing behind, now they were down in the utility levels. Most of the time it was cold and dark. Occasionally they could see their breath in the glow of their flashlights. They encountered nothing more, living or even dead. A few lights were working but not many. Often, they were forced to wade through more corridors partially flooded with cold, almost-freezing water.

Following the trail of the Combine was easy enough most of the time. After a few hours of slow but steady progress they reached a broad, trash-filled concourse. Maintenance and storage rooms opened off to either side. What was different was that there were a few more dim lights functioning than usual, emergency lighting working off a bank of fading nuclear batteries, perhaps. Graffiti-marked signs indicated this had been some kind of water treatment area so if there was an underground stream of conduit the power source might ultimately be hydroelectric.




The Combine's tracks led to a heavy duty double door at the end marked "CISTERN HOLDING TANKS - NO ADMITTANCE".

Marshall's Note: Whoever wants to can make a Trackin' roll. Trask gets no benefit for his suit FLIR.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:19, Wed 02 Mar 2016.

Peter kept his eyes and ears peeled as they moved forward. The undercity was...interesting to say the least. He was glad that they hadn't run afoul of the Moorlocks or whatever they were called. The trogs were enough. He just wanted to catch up to the Combine and get Simon back....a feat he was thinking that might not come to pass. The Combine seemed to be two steps ahead of them and quite a distance physically and keeping it that way.

"This place is fascinating and creepy at the same time. Can you tell how close we are on the Combine's tail?"

In reply to Peter Firecrow (msg # 920):

Using his rifle scope, Schaeffer "glassed" the entrance at the far end of the concourse, then the roof and walls.

"One thing for sure, we can't go much lower than this with respect to the Undercity. But these tunnels were once part of a vast mining complex that stretched under the Wasatch Mountains, which are less than a kilometre away. I would guess we're under the mountains right now.

"Masterson said he'd never explored this sublevel too much. Too dangerous. He said there was a particularly vicious breed of Moorlock who existed down here. Not really Moorlocks at all, but a different group. They preyed on the "regular" Moorlocks. For food. Made it difficult to take tours here so he didn't."

In reply to COL Kurt L. Schaeffer (msg # 921):

Rowan sniffs and stays closes she like many of the others is extremely uncomfortable down here

In reply to Rowan Dawson (msg # 922):

Along with Schaeffer, Laurin checked the sides and ceiling.

"Looks clear. I think the tracks lead to those far doors. Do we want to go straight inside?"

Trask looks over his HUD as he scans the space for anything out of the ordinary. He walks the length of the room and stops by the door, waiting in case anyone want to give it a look over for traps of some kind.

In reply to Increase Trask (msg # 924):

Taking that as her cue, the pioneer moved up to the doors and deployed a variety of sensors. She checked, then double-checked.

"It's bad. Someone's got this door wired to blow. It's a real pro-job. Motion sensors, tripwires, pressure detectors, the works. I can't see a way to disarm it from the outside, so unless they have another entrance I think they just armed everything up as they went inside. I think I can crack it safely but it will take time."

20:57, Today: Feldwebel Laurin Knapp rolled 18 using 4d10, keeping the highest dice only, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1,(10+8)18,9.  Demolitions.

"Do you think they are still there, or did they rig the door behind them as they moved on?" asked Smoker, who was observing what the pioneer was doing with interest. This was something he'd like to learn more about. Especially after nearly dying in a Combine explosion so time back.

"How big is the bomb? Can we just retreat back and trigger it safely?" Vundra chipped in as his hand fall to the empty belt where his grenades usaully hang.

In reply to Smoker Nix (msg # 926):

She put her hands on her hips in thought, eyeing the door and surrounding walls.

"Are they gone? It's impossible to say until I can look at the setup directly. If traps are manually set on the door from the inside, it's a good indication they didn't come out this way, but of course we don't know if they had another exit. If the triggers can be set remotely then they could leave and set them from outside.

"As for triggering the bomb, again, I'd need to look at it. A kilo of C18 plastic explosives could do a lot of structural damage to this area, bring down the ceiling here, certainly. If they are inside then the charge will be enough to kill but not collapse the area. If the Combine is gone then it would be a big enough charge to destroy their base."

Peter thought for a moment and then shook his head. He glanced to see if anyone else had any suggestions. "I suppose we will let you take a look then if you would please." He began moving back a bit to give her room.

In reply to Peter Firecrow (msg # 929):

"Take a look? You mean try and disarm it?"

She looked a little hesitant. Perhaps before facing the Scrawler on the wall she would have been more confident, even cocky, but she seemed more cautious now.

In reply to Feldwebel Laurin Knapp (msg # 930):

Looking like he'd rather not be anywhere near where booby-traps were being modified, Schaeffer moved to the rear of the group. He started watching the areas behind them so they were not taken unawares.

Jason listens to the explosives explanation and shudders. When Peter asks her to take a look he balks a little bit.

"Umm I don't know if looking at this thing sideways is a good idea. Maybe we should look for an alternate door or make a door. Either these guys know what they are heading into or they have enough firepower to wipe the floor with whatever they encounter. So let us make the assumption that they don't in fact have that much firepower. I would have an alternate way back through."

Rowan smiles and beats a hasty retreat with her man. Not her area and she had no inclination to learn any thing about it. So she settles down along side Schaeffer and keeps watch