Jack manages to reach the intersection, but several of the food-wanting creatures swarm the truck and start clawing at it.

Although they're stronger than they look and their claws are quite sharp, they are unable so far to open the doors or break the windows.

But the ones trying to tear the hood open seem like they're about to succeed...

And the big mutant is still stomping along... he hasn't caught up yet, but hasn't really fallen behind either...

(Jack, don't post again until I see what Alec does next, whether that Travel Through Shadows or something else...)

Alec nods absently as he composes his mind for the change he wants to make. Start with something simple. Clouds, darker against the daylit sky...a bird coasts on the winds...echoes of a far away cry of some lonely animal...vines, growing up the sides of the buildings...cars rusted and skeletal-looking...only birds and grass...

21:01, Today: Alec rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 2,6.

His thumb gently caresses the .45 as he shifts through Shadow.

The road they were on changed. The street ahead was suddenly free of cars and other debris. It started to curve to the left.

The buildings, or what was left of them, were much closer now.

There were indeed lots of vines crawling up the sides of every vertical surface-- some smaller buildings, and what was probably a large car, were covered in ivy...

The cloud cover overhead was fairly heavy... a couple of vultures rode on thermals...

Some animal, a dog, perhaps, cried out in pain from a block away...

"Foo! Foo! Foooo!"

But while the cyclopean mutant was no longer chasing them-- nor were the other smaller creatures-- the four foo fighters who had actually managed to climb onto the truck were still clawing away at it.

And suddenly, they'd managed to open the hood. The wind popped it open the rest of the way...

(David, your vision forward is now obscured. Do you
--stop?
--Roll down the window and stick your head out (there's a foo fighter out there!)?
--Keep driving?
--Other?

Alec, what do you do? There's a foo fighter at your window as well, though so far they haven't grasped that glass should be more breakable than metal...)

Not about to weather damage to the truck longer than necessary, Jack locks up the brakes and as the car comes to a stop, he puts it in park and jumps out circling at a tactical angle for maximum efficiency, he draws his sword and lets the nearest Foo Fighter have a slash as he circles around towards the hood. Using one hand to cut at the goblin-like creatures while the other makes to push the hood down and keep their ride mobile.


15:16, Today: Jack rolled 3 using 1d10+1 with rolls of 2.
15:15, Today: Jack rolled 11 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 5,3.
15:13, Today: Jack rolled 10 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 4,5.

Stopping the vehicle. Tactics, rolled a 10. Taking +1 to hit, +1 damage going forward.

Hit for 3 damage.

Also concerned about the truck, Alec gets out with sheathed sword in one hand, and the ever-popular 45 in the other. He snaps a shot at the creature. It is close, and he can hardly miss at this range.

21:19, Today: Alec rolled 11 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 4,6.


"These things need to go back to whatever shithole they came from."

If the creature is still up, he fires at it again.

"Jack, is the truck okay?"

(Alec, since you (like Jack) chose the Combat option, you do 1d10 damage to everything/anything, with any kind of weapon, so just roll 1d10 for your damage.

(For future reference: what did we decide to do about attacking without a weapon? Did we say that's a -2 damage penalty, or did we decide anything, or what?))

"Foo! Fooooo!"

The foo fighters are delighted to have their prey where they can bite them.

(GM rolls dice...

11:37, Today: The GM rolled 9 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,5.
11:37, Today: The GM rolled 6 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,5.
11:37, Today: The GM rolled 3 using 2d6 with rolls of 2,1.
11:37, Today: The GM rolled 2 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,1.)

Two foo fighters attack Jack, two attack Alec.

Their attacks are all unsuccessful, except for one that takes a bite out of Jack.

(Jack takes 3 damage (2 if I'm right that that jacket of his is armored), but gets-- before anything else-- to do a counter-attack on the one that bit 'im...)

Still fighting tactically, Jack circles his second opponent and as it comes in for a bit, he interposes his sword stabbing it neatly and cleanly through the torso--making it pay for the attack dearly. Withdrawing the blade smoothly, he cuts again, stepping sideways as he does so, laying a swift blow across its body.

12:58, Today: Jack rolled 7 using 1d10+1 with rolls of 6.
12:58, Today: Jack rolled 11 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 2,6.
12:57, Today: Jack rolled 11,1 using 1d10+1,1d6 with rolls of 10,1.  Critical Riposte.
12:57, Today: Jack rolled 13 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 6,4.

The riposte was a critical. If it's all to the same target, 20 damage to them so far. Obviously if one of them dies, switch targets.

The foo fighters are tough, but not remotely that tough. Jack's counterattack destroys the first creature, and the second is very badly wounded... he (is it a he? hope so, considering how ugly he is) doesn't look like he has a lot more fight left in him...

(Waiting on Alec before I post more... you hold off too, Jack.)

[Firearm damage]
23:47, Today: Alec rolled 5 using 1d10 with rolls of 5.

Quickly putting the gun in the back of his pants, he draws his blade and attacks with preternatural calmness.


23:48, Today: Alec rolled 7 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 4,2.

Lunging with a quick stab, he ducks under the attack of one and feels his blade score on the one he shot.


23:50, Today: Alec rolled 5 using 1d10+1 with rolls of 4.

These things don't seem terribly dangerous, but they are attacking, and their intentions are clear. So they have to die. Alec uses no banter, but quietly and calmly ducks the other attack while foo fighter number one is wounded multiple times.

(GM rolls dice)

Jack's one foo fighter attacks, and fails.

So does Alec's.

(Jack and Alec may each roll to attempt to counterattack their attackers once before anything else (if the roll is successful, roll damage too).)

The one that Alec just shot and stabbed is on its last legs, but unlike Jack's lone remaining attacker, Alec's decides to run for it, and scampers off toward a manhole cover...

Stepping into the attack that is thrown his way, Jack sidesteps and with a side-cut, whips his blade out in one single neat cut and neatly severs the head of the goblin-thing. Sending the head rolling across the ground. Turning then, he looks around at anything that might still be standing, and seeing nothing still a threat to him, he calmly walks back to the truck.

"I wonder what sort of world this is?" he asks as he walks, cleaning his blade with a bit of cloth which he casually discards on the road. "Lots of plant growth. Abandoned, perhaps? A dead world?" he asks and checks to make sure that the hood will stay shut. Testing it a few times with a hand.

20:52, Today: Jack rolled 8,6 using 1d10+1,1d6 with rolls of 7,6.
20:52, Today: Jack rolled 12 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 3,6.

Alec counterattacks the one that just swung at him.

22:32, Today: Alec rolled 12 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 5,6.

The sword crashes into the creature, cutting into it and knocking it off balance.

22:32, Today: Alec rolled 6 using 1d10+1 with rolls of 5.

(That was a free attack you got because the foo fighter got sloppy and let its guard down... now you may attack it again...)

Alec doesn't seem to give the foo fighter any respect and casually skewers him, her, it, whatever it is.


23:47, Today: Alec rolled 8 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 2,5.  Attack.


23:48, Today: Alec rolled 6 using 1d10+1 with rolls of 5.  damage.

If it drops, Alec tickles its heart to ensure it is actually dead, if not, more stabbing is called for.

"Is the truck okay, Jack?"

The truck has in fact been damaged... a couple of important-looking wires have been pulled out... one, specifically, looks missing.

"Humans!" You hear. You look over to a spot farther down the street.

There, a manhole cover is open, and the remaining foo fighter is there-- dead.

Sticking their heads up out of the manhole are a couple of cloaked figures. "Fellow humans!" they call to you quietly. "Run! Quickly! This way! The truant officers are coming!"

Giving the interior of the hood a look over, Jack spots the missing wire and nods to himself. Of course. One of these might have it on them. That would be something to fix, soon as they knew the coast was clear.

"We could do it on foot, but I don't like giving up the ride unless I have to, let's see if these are worth their mettle," Jack says and steps to the truck, pulling out his sub machine gun. Hooking it under his arm, he starts toward the waiting cloaked figures at a trot, and then a run. Moving swiftly to join the sewer dwellers and learn what they are all about.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:28, Sun 28 July 2019.

Alec wipes his weapon off on one of the corpses, then goes to follow Jack. He reaches into the truck and grabs the extra ammunition and the RPG. It didn't make sense to leave something behind that could be fired at them in a few minutes.

After doing this, he runs after Jack.

"Down here, pals! Hurry! The truant officers!"

("Pals?" you think, but it's not as odd as "the truant officers," so you roll with it for now.)

But do you go down the manhole? They slide down to make room for you...

The men under the hoods do look human, even on closer inspection... a bit pale, but if they live down there, it's not really surprising...

Sliding the last few feet, Jack drops into the manhole. Always willing to see where the Pattern brings him when he gets off track. Sometimes the strangest worlds were full of the most interesting things. He's well armed, armored, and still in good health. He could handle them if this was some sort of trap.

"We're not from around here, what are truant officers?" he asks of the pale men.

Wondering what the "truant officers" are, he wants to see them, but then Jack impulsively goes down the manhole cover. Jack is a good companion, and Alec will definitely have his back. So he goes after Jack into the opening as well.

Something about H.G. Wells and Morlocks crosses his mind as he descends into relative darkness.

No pun intended.

"Shhhhhhh!" warns one of the pale humans, and then he rushes back up the ladder and pulls the manhole shut. Then, quietly, he descends once more.

Even as he's descending again, you begin to hear hooves... Shod with horseshoes, specifically, if you're any judge.

Multiple horses... more than 4, definitely.

There's a bit of incoherent shouting-- sounds like someone's spotted the truck.

The horses draw even closer. "Never seen a thing quite like this before," says a very low, loud, gruff voice. "Looks almost new."

Something comes closer to the manhole. "And look at these dead creatures! Looks like... they attacked the vehicle... But were slain. Mostly with a sword..." Something very heavy jumps down with a thud to the ground. "But at least one shot with a gun. They can't have been very intelligent, from the size of the heads... Vicious-looking, though..."

The pale humans gesture you away from where you're standing, so that no one will see you if they open the manhole and look down...

Listening to those on the surface, Jack tilts his head slowly to the side in consideration and then glances in the direction of the pale men and heads in their direction. As he walks, he keeps his sub machine gun pointed back toward the base of the ladder beneath the manhole, and only as he gets closer does he shrug slightly at the recent turn of events.

He could still salvage this situation.

There's the sound of the manhole opening, and more light comes down. Then there's a grunt. "Huh. Don't see any of them down here..." says the same very deep, gruff, growly voice as before (or maybe it's not the same voice, maybe everyone up there sounds about the same).

The manhole cover is put back into place. "What now?" a voice asks.

"...Let's go back and report," says a voice (yeah, if it's not one guy doing all the talking, then they all sound pretty much the same).

There's some sounds that's probably a large person (of some kind) climbing back on their horse...

Your pale human hosts look vaguely relieved that the "truant officers" are about to leave...

Jack wonders if the giant that'd chased them would run into the horse riders and continues to move away from the manhole, knowing that this may just be a deception. He'll remain silent until the pale men give him the notion that it's safe to talk.

Alec follows Jack's lead and doesn't trust the Morlocks. He is ready to strike if any of them make a move against either of the Amberites.

He listens to the truant officers, paying more attention while they are talking because he is pretty sure that the Morlocks are not going to start anything while their enemies are close enough to hear.