Frog stepped far away from the room when the magnet went in and charged up. While Magnus could not see the effects of the magnet, he definitely heard them. From the sounds of things, all weapons were gone, and the crazed people below were no longer focused on a target - apparently, they had been trying to stave off delusion by focusing on their weapons.

Some of them were now worshiping the magnet as "the wrath of Shade" and begging it for mercy.

I will walk to Frog to check his condition.
"I assume that you are Frog. How are you? Are you hurt and have you caught the sickness in here?"

"I have not." Frog's voice was a deep croak, and one didn't have to think hard to figure out how Frog got their name. "Just mild pain. I'll live."

Frog's face was not visible, but their dead eyes were. "You should have killed the rioters. If I were not weak, my pack would have obeyed me and done it."

Frog's armor, on closer examination, was a reshaped tank tread turned into flak armor.

"I can take you to Shade. My men do not wish for me to kill these fools. They...claim it is not me, even though I told them to kill them. My pack is strange. They are not infected, although I did wonder."

"I don't believe what they did deserved death. Although all of them will die if they don't get water and medical attention soon.

I came across Shade's groupies abusing your men and I had to stop them. Unfortunately they where too out of it for me to talk to so I had to very carefully knock them out. Then you showed up with that magnet.

We need to separate your men from them for now. Do you think you can get your men to follow you to another area?

Do you know where the other rioters are?"

"I am taking you to Shade's because that is where the rest are. I do not know how I got out or here. Only that this was where I was called by the Engine." Frog looked at the cultist's struggling with the magnet. "Leave them. Deal with the problems we can solve. I am glad to have fists that work with me."

Frog's dead eyes sized up Magnus. "You must be already infected. You are without fear or self. That is rare. Death claims most like you."

"I don't think I am infected yet since I feel as strong as ever. I have another reason for the lack of fear...Now Lack of self? What do you mean?
Anyway. I need to get this riot under control. Let's go to Shade's."


I'll follow his lead to Shade's. I don't like leaving them here. But the Cultists seem busy with the magnet and I need to get this area under control as soon as possible so these people can get medical treatment.

Frog shook their head. "The disease takes time, a week. Dries you out, you shake, your skin boils and bursts on the face, you see visions that are not real. In a week, you will be like them on the ground, or mad like Shade's people. Your courage is born of ignorance."

As Magnus approached a tall, three-story building, Frog waved for him to duck down. "There are ten. Lightly armed. They wish to break in and force themselves on Shade as their due reward from their goddess. They try that sometimes, and the results are usually annoying and go poorly for them. This time is different. They brought a plague with them from the underground, and they are acting as one. Their normal leader disappeared right before all of these began."

"My pack refuses to fight them. They will not kill them, but they also fear the disease. You do not, nor should you at this point." Frog was clearly following Magnus's lead. "I assume you do not approve of my simple solutions. But if you can get me a path, my men and I can escape with Shade. I will make a hole through the wall. The Colonel's quarantine means nothing to me."

Briefly my rage flares before I get it under control with my iron will.
I radiate killing intent
"Don't Bother. It sounds like these men don't deserve my mercy."

I march out and then into the building where I think the groupies are.
"Yo Groupies. Tell me what you are planning on doing once you get to your 'goddess' Shade."

Frog shrugged. "I thought so too. My pack disagreed."

The first floor is clear and quiet. Signs of a struggle are down here, but most of this place is actually fairly well-to-do. Spent shells litter the floor.

The second floor, however, has the scent of food on it, and about ten of those robed men and women again. The moment Magnus asks his question, one of the shrieks. "He is here to prevent communion! Kill him!"

Frog, lagging behind, immediately goes for cover, preparing his shotgun for return fire. All of the cultists draw pistols, low-caliber revolvers and a few semi-automatics.

I charge in, leaping through the air in a flying side kick to one in the middle.


OOC: I am doing a charge action with a 4 point power attack. Attack roll is 9k6 from the charge and damage is 10k5.
If they are dumb enough to use a melee attack on me, I will counterattack.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:34, Mon 10 Feb 2020.

Upon seeing their comrade literally fly apart at the torso and burst all over the room, the rest begin seriously questioning their life decisions that led them to this point. Two of them just hold their pistols to Magnus, unmoving and shaking. Four of them simply pass out. One of them begins vomiting, incapable of doing anything other than staggering away in horror, trying desperately to keep her weapon leveled at Magnus. One of them drops to their knees, sobbing and pulling out their own hair in despair.

The last of them is panic firing, trying to back away and screaming in horror as he blindly discharges round after round at Magnus, to no effect.

Two are Stunned until further notice, and one is Dazzled.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:56, Wed 12 Feb 2020.

I don't feel good about killing a man like this. They are so weak. I still feel a cold rage at what they have attempted. I should probably go ahead and kill all of them. But I could spare them and and attempt to reform them. They are terrified of me.
...I should make an attempt.

I Glare to each of them that is still conscious. Blood dripping off of me from their former comrade. "Surrender now or I will be forced to continue."
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:36, Mon 17 Feb 2020.

Those that are still conscious and able to do so drop their weapons, some of them not quite responding right still. The only one that doesn't get the message is the one still backing away firing blindly, and Magnus is getting the impression that one is acting on pure panic reflexes. His weapon runs out of ammo, and the weapon clicks once.

"Huh." You hear that as Frog pokes his head. "That's what I wanted to do in the first place."

He looks at the floor and walls where the one Magnus kicked was. "Only less messy."

He points his shotgun at the one with the empty weapon, but less of a threat and more like he's just using it like a finger. "I don't think you'll need to kill him. He's stupid, not defiant."

He points to a door at the top of some stairs, one that shows extensive damage from constant attack. "Shade's there. So is my pack."

I nod to Frog and turn to the ones with their wits.

"ok. The only reason you are still alive is because I decided to be merciful and give you a last chance to be better people. You tried to force yourselves on someone and you deliberately cultivated a disease and spread it amongst the people causing them to suffer. Normally I would slay you all for such cruelty. But it is possible for you to change. But if you refuse to change, and continue to try to rape or torture people. "
I gesture to all the blood.
"Then I will continue where I left off. Now see if your other people are going to be ok. I will have to talk to them later."

I turn back to Frog
"Ok. We need to talk to Shade and your Men. And convince them the attacks are over. I could just walk up there and talk. But they will probably try to shoot me. Which would be annoying. Do you have a better suggestion Frog?"

They are certainly in agreement with something that lets them live. The ones paralyzed with terror eventually lower their weapons, and run past Frog down the stairs. Frog watches them go by with little more than a glance.

"They won't. Let me lead the way." Frog walks up to the battered door, and bangs on it. "It's Frog. I have an infected, but he made the room safe, and he is not showing sign yet. Open up."

A delay in response. "Frog? We were starting to wonder where you went this time, boss."

"Open the door. The streets are mostly clear, and the Shad-it are unwilling to fight anymore. We need to establish order, while we still can."

The door makes noise, and then pauses. "Say, boss...how did you get out? The door is jammed."

"I don't rememb -" Frog shakes his head, and looks to Magnus. "Would you like to break it in, or shall I?"

I say to Frog
"I don't mind ether way. So I guess I will do it. You might want to order your men to get away from the door and take cover if they don't listen to me."

Then I will raise my voise to be heard through the door.
"I am going to bust through the door. You should move away from it and take cover."

I will give them a minute to follow my instructions then I will punch the door hard with a Elder Mountain Hammer.

OOC: Power attacking for 5
Accuracy: 12k6+5-5k0=7k6+5
Damage:9k3+7+5k0+6k0=10k8+7
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:04, Thu 20 Feb 2020.

"If you can. Everybody down!"

Magnus breaks in the door fairly easily, and encounters a room with about ten or so people wearing light leather armor studded with whatever shell, plastic or metal they could scrounge up. A dark skinned androgynous woman is over by a painting, working on it, and she speaks in a deep, smooth voice with a thick accent. "So, is Hive dead? He said he was secluding himself at the factory, he assembled everyone there, and not long afterwards, the sickness spread and my disciples went berserk."

Frog speaks up. "We didn't see Hive, body or otherwise."

"You." She turns to Magnus with shadowed eyes. "Are Lang's people here?"

"No. I was allowed to come in here alone. I needed to restore order so that the treatment for the sickness can happen. Why do you ask?"

"You are tracking blood and worse all over my place." Shade sighed. "Frog, get your pack out of here. Be safe, all of you. If our guest is infected like Frog says he is, then he can handle Hive or his corpse."

"You have a few days, stranger, and then the visions will begin to drive you mad. You are very brave or very stupid to come here, and I do not know whether to thank you or curse you. I..." She took a breath. "...suppose it was necessary. Please find Hive, and get the doctor in here."

"He was last at the manufactorum, with the others. He has not been seen since things got bad."

"I am called Magnus.
... I had heard that your men where planning on forcing themselves on you. I tryed to talk to them to find out if this was the case. But they immediately attacked me... The one I hit is no more. And the rest listened to me after that...

I will get the Doctor then I will look for your Hive."

I will go to the entrance and call out.
"The area has been pacified! Send in the Doctor!"

Shade doesn't say anything as Magnus leaves.

The rest of Frog's pack, however, whistles at the stain. "Damn! I can't even tell who that was! Frog, what the fuck, man!"

Frog shook their head. "Not me this time. I kept our deal."

They look to Magnus as one as the lone voice continues to talk. "Did you hit this poor slob with Marilyn's Cannon or something?"

"He kicked them. Once." Frog's tone is deadpan.

They give Magnus a bit of space after that, but they break away to the factorum and seal it off. "Yeah, we aren't going in that. They are still sick."



When Magnus makes it clear the streets are clear, his response is lackluster. "Sure. The doctor is on the way. We'll send for him in a bit."

... They are afraid of me. Which makes sense considering what I did and what I can do... I will need to meditate on this.

-----------------

I'll tell them.

"I will give you half of a hour to get the Doctor here"

Then I will wait for those 30 minutes.

Time passes, and Magnus realizes they are not getting the doctor, but the guards have a conversation that does solve his problem. He can hear the whispering.

"...is he still there?"
"Looks like it. Just ignore him."
"He might be warming up. Thinking of attacking."
"Just shut up and act natural. He will realize we are not letting him out, and he will get his diseased ass away from us."
"I am calling for backup. He is creeping me out."
"Fine. Whatever. He is one man, not a perversion of birth."

The guard calls his superior on a walkie that looks like someone strapped some extra parts to it, relays what Magnus said, which gets him on the line with Lang. Her response is quite audible and profane, aimed at describing the mental state and lineage of the two guards in unflattering and biologically impossible terms, ending with "Give him the damn radio."

"Uhhh...but he's infec-"

Lang yells at him, a radio buzz distorting her voice. "Then tell him to catch it, you moron!"

OOC: No roll required to catch it from the shrugging guard.

His fellow guard is clearly trying and failing at laughing at his fellow guard's distress, as Lang speaks over the radio. "Frog, and Shade. What is their status?"

I catch the radio and talk to Lang.

"Both Shade and Frog are alive. Shade seems to be fine but she is down one follower and the leader of her followers seems to be missing. She wanted me to get the doctor and find her missing leader. I decided to get the Doctor first.

Frog is infected but he is keeping his mask on to not spread it.

All of Shade's followeers and half of Frog's gang are infected.

The area is secure. Shade's followers are back in line. We need the Docter in here."

--abandoned for now, have an idea--