Django points the DL-44 at the first wolf he see's, firing an overcharged shot. He immediately whips around to his back left, firing at the wolf on his 8 o'clock with a hollow point round. Both shots are aimed at the beast's heads.

14:21, Today: Django Blint rolled 20 using 1d20+7.  atk vs lead wolf - +1 from point blank shot factored in - disregard +1 if target is beyond 30 feet.
14:23, Today: Django Blint rolled 17 using 5d4+4.  DL-44 dmg. (18 DMG if PBS is active)
14:23, Today: Django Blint rolled 24 using 1d20+7.  atk vs 8 o'clock wolf - +1 from point blank shot factored in - disregard +1 if target is beyond 30 feet.
14:25, Today: Django Blint rolled 10 using 2d4+2.  GZ-15 Damage +2 from hollow point. (11 DMG if PBS is active)

Precise Shot negates penalty for calling the head shot if using light/small weapons

The first creature goes down, it's head missing, it's neck like some kind of alien stump.  The second trips and plows head first into the snow, rolling around in its death throws.  A large cannon blast sounds from underneath the Falcon.  When Django turns around to see the third wolf, there is nothing there.  However, the mountainside has a huge hole bored into it now.

"Look out behind you, Captain."  GDI says in a monotone voice.

Steam rises from GDI's six barrels, tickling the belly of the Falcon.

Django spins his pistols and holsters them. He nods to GDI. "Much appreciated". He reaches up to an ear piece and opens coms to Irin. "Zzzz Go 'head an' send RX out here to meZzzzz I'm gonna need backup".

"Okay, but keep in mind, he is not rated for the extreme cold of the surface.  He'll function normally here in the ruins out of the wind and storm, but out in the elements is chancy.  I'd give him an hour before his systems freeze up if the weather turns bad.  Right now, it looks like it's dying down, though.  You have..." there is a pause and the ramp lowers.  RX plods down to join Django.  "You have about a 45 minute trip before the first access tunnel to the vent becomes available.  I've sent it to your datapad."

The ramp closes and seals with an ominous thunk.  "And Django, once you get into the caves, communication is going to degrade rapidly between us.  You'll have a better chance of communicating with Tump and Vyctor if you are at the edge of the vent than you will with me.  Be careful."

"Good to go. I'll be in touch between here and there". Django looks at RX and nods his head, turns, and sets off towards the vent.

The wind is mild by the time Django sets out, but the snow is deep.  Work is required to push through the snow.  Thankfully, it is all downhill.  The mountain is broad at the peak, but slopes steeply about fifteen minutes from the ruins.  At one point, Django realizes it's essentially the thick snow that is keeping him from free sliding down the mountain.  A sled or some sort of skis would be useful at this point.  Though steep, it does appear to be doable under such circumstances.

Otherwise, he'll soon be sliding down on his butt.

"We can act as a go-between if need be. Hold on a minute..." There is a brief pause as Tump checks his sensors.

"I'm picking up a sudden rise in temperature. A small hill at the base of the mountain, about 7km south from your position."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:07, Mon 23 Apr 2018.

"Is it a vent we didn't pick up?"

“That’s a negative. This heat signature appears to be just south of the vent.”

"It's localized, Django.  Not something that goes down into the mountain or the planet.  The heat signature is just the hill itself.  It's growing, too, but slowly.  Right now, the temperature is not quite up to that of a living organism so I doubt it's steam or lava.  Just...be careful.  It's an unknown and it didn't show up till you left the ruins.  That can't be a coincidence."

"Roger that, staying the course then" says Django, as he attempts to pick up his pace.

The going is slow.  Ten minutes have passed, and Django hasn't even made it a quarter of a kilometer.  At this rate, the vent won't be reached by nightfall.  Both RX and Django will definitely freeze then, that is, if a storm doesn't stir up and freeze them first.

As he trudges forward, Django can't help but feel the effects of the biting cold. He thinks back to his experience in the tunnels of Mechis, and concentrates on what the inner voice told him.

"Dj... the hoverb-k-k-k.  Y...oul be a-a-a...all it remo-  too far...signal."

Django looks at RX and sighs. "Head back through the path we cut through the snow. Should be faster walking since we packed it down a little. We gotta grab a ride to get over all this. Shouldn't have to go back too far. There's a way I can call it to us".

RX looks blankly at Django before turning giving a very cold "Affirmative" and doing a 180 to back track.

"Irin, if you can hear me, drop my bike from the cargo bay".

As he walks behind RX, he ponders to himself. He places a hand on RX and begins to focus as they crunch over the snow. Once he removes his hand, he asks RX "Anything different? Motors and gears and such working better?".

"Django, Irin must be breaking up. You don't need to haul yourself all the way back to the Falcon. As long as you're in range, you can call the bike to your location. Something else... that temperature spike, it could be nothing, but it looks to have steadied out. Right around a normal body temp. Something seems fishy over there."

Django pulls out his PDA and presses a few commands in it to call his bike. "If it rose in temperature to body temp, I'm steerin' clear of it. Anything that lives out here ain't natural in my book. Prolly some kin to those wolves we took care of earlier"

"I hope not.  It's the size of a small hill...or a large building."

"Well that just means whatever it is, it's easier to shoot if I have to".

A few moments later, the hover bike arrives.  Django takes a few moments to secure RX, then climbs aboard himself.  Once on board, he revs the engine and begins a much quicker trip toward the vent.  Within ten minutes, Django sees a snowy bump in the ground.  Within moments, it resolves itself to a large spur of the mountain with a gaping entrance to a cave facing south.  The cave entrance is easily 100m tall.

The vent is 25 minutes from the cave via bike.

Having saved a fair amount of time, and being warded from the cold, Django slows to a stop near the cave mouth. "Anyone picking up anything on this cave? Signs of life?".

"...zzzt..."  It is evident that you are already out of range of Irin.  It doesn't sit quite right that the range of the communications would be so short.  It has to be more than just the weather.  Something is interfering with the communications.  Might be natural, might be tech.

"-othing shows up on -reen.  Cave looks all -."  Vyctor's communication is starting to show signs of degradation as well.  Thankfully his message is clear enough.  The cave entrance looks like a natural formation.  The weather is clear enough to move forward, though.  Dark clouds are on the horizon, but they are well far enough away to not cause a problem if Django completes the journey.

"Django, you need to steer clear of that hill... I don't think it's a hill at all!" There is a clear panic in Tump's voice as he tries to explain what his monitor is picking up.

"The -t signature has sh- to about 350 deg-, it's growing -er, and I'm picking up -pines or -ins of some sort -ruding in a -ingle - across it's -. It appears to be primarily -con based, but I'm reading - amounts of sul-, ammon-, and -per."
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:55, Wed 25 Apr 2018.