Neither Jack nor Alec interferes with the "truant officers" leaving, and soon they can be heard riding back off.

One human silently climbs up the ladder, removes something that looks like a dental mirror-- a little round mirror on a small stick-- and sticks up through a hole in the manhole, and looks around, using it like a periscope.

When that turns up nothing, he carefully-- clearly with long practice-- lifts the manhole, and carefully looks around-- keeping his eyes carefully shaded all the while.

He apparently detects nothing amiss. He silently lowers the manhole back into place, and then slides down.

"It seems like they're really gone. Now that we can talk more freely-- who are you? You can talk-- but where are you from? How can your eyes stand to be out in the direct sunlight like that? What were those dangerous little creatures you were fighting? Where did you find a working vehicle? Did you build it yourselves? Where were you going when they made you stop? Do you need any help with anything...?"

"'It never hurts to be helpful...'" says the other human. It sounds like a quote. (Really, it sounds like he's quoting holy scripture...)

"I am Jack and this is Alec, we are Princes of a far off land where people can see just as well in the light," Jack begins by answering the simple matter of introducing them and beginning to build some level of rapport with the Morlocks. Letting the sub machine gun hang at his side, he looks them over, trying to see if he might have any use for them in case of attacks by the hook-handed assassins. He doesn't think so. "Those creatures are unknown to us, but beside the one that escaped with a wire, I do not think they will trouble us again."

Looking over the duo, he thinks for a moment.

"I need to find the one who took a wire from us, and can you tell me, what are your truant officers? We are not familiar with them, " he mentions.

"I am Whitey," says the taller pf the two humans.

"I am Petey," says the other.

"Truant Officers are..." Whitey looks at Petey, at a loss.

"They are Truant Officers..." agrees Petey. "They can talk, but they are not human. They are larger, stronger... hairier... They would want to take us to School..." They both shudder. "--IF they caught us. They have never caught us yet. They must never learn we exist, and can talk. The humans at their school cannot talk, are not smart."

"The four creatures you were fighting are dead," said Whitey. "When Truant Officers leave, they leave. If you are Sneaky, you may go back up to the street and search for your wire..."

"Was it a special wire?" Petey asks. "Or just a normal wire, for electricity? If you do not find your wire, we can perhaps take you to where there are other wires that perhaps you could replace it with...?"

Whitey nods. "It never hurts to be helpful," Whitey intones solemnly.

"I see," Jack decides and considers if there is anything he can do to improve the lot for these people, and after a moment of deliberation decides that there is not and the Truant Officers don't sound like they would be interested in following Jack and Alec. The two with their religious feelings however, might make good night watchmen, and they'd be thankful. "You two can come with us, you'll be made to watch for our fort at night, but it'll be safe, clean, and comfortable. You'll want something to keep the sun from you for a few days, since we'll be travelling and stopping during the day, can you manage that?"

Even as he talks to them, he starts back toward the spot where the tunnel goes up on to the street and lifts the manhole out of the way, quietly, and goes to check the bodies for the wire.

Leaving them to think about if they could come. He wasn't going to waste time explaining more, and he wasn't going to argue for their joining him. They'd be a wash of inconvenience, most likely, so if they decided to come, it was fine.

Jack seems to be building a rapport with the Morlocks. Alec wonders idly if the Truant Officers are really horrible or if the Morlocks are just wimpy. Then he realizes it doesn't really matter.

The idea that there could be more wires, whether it be cars in an underground garage or something similar sounds like a good idea.

When Jack goes up to check on the bodies, Alec waits on the ladder, with his head exposed, and looks for returning Truant officers or other hostiles, to keep Jack safe.

"Your... fort...?" says Whitey extra-quietly, in awe.

"Like... a... a Secret Hideout...?" Petey whispers in reverence.

"A fort!" Whitey says to Petey.

"Like a clubhouse!" Petey says to Whitey. Petey turns to you. "What kind of fort? Is it a tree fort? Or more like an old cave...? Or...?"

"I think we have to go on this adventure with Jack and Alec," Whitey says to Petey. "It's What Billy Would Do." They both nod vigorously at this.

"And they don't have Truant Officers there," says Petey, "because Jack and Alec didn't know about Truant Officers until now. So therein, truly, lies Summer Vacation..."



Good news: there really don't seem to be any more Truant Officers around on the surface.

Bad news: There's no sign of the missing wire.

The possibilities:

1. the critters tossed the wire somewhere that you just aren't finding it.

or:

2. the critter that pulled it: ate it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:31, Tue 06 Aug 2019.

"How far is it to where the other wires are?" Jack asks and walks around to the back of the truck. "Alec, have them tell you where to turn, I'll push. Petey, Whitey, tell Alec where to go, we will hurry," he suggests and grabs the back of the truck and once they are all piled in, he starts pushing the truck and running behind it.

"Mm, less than an episode, if we're Sneaky enough," says Petey...

You blink at an episode as a unit of time, but Whitey nods-- it clearly makes perfect sense to him...




"Ummm," says Whitey. "No... we meant, through the tunnels." He looks at Petey. "I don't think travelling on the surface would really help, would it?"

Whitey shakes his head. "No... might make it take a little longer, really..."

Alec, after reflecting on the fruitless search for the wire, looks at the dead potential wire thieves. "Wires won't dissolve in someone's stomach." He draws his blade and goes to cut open the first dead guy's stomach and then stops.

"Nobody in their right mind is going to eat a wire. Fuck it."

Then Jack gives him something more productive to do and he goes to get behind the wheel of the truck. When the two sidekicks start to protest, Alec turns around and looks at Jack.

"What do you think?"

"I guess if it gets us there quickly and back, I can go underground," Jack answers and stares down at his feet for a moment as he starts to push the truck. "Let's steer it into a back alley, in the meantime," he mentions. "Don't know how much others might scavenge," he decides. He'd rather not have to go for another extended walk just to get them another replacement vehicle. They'd dealt with that already.

While Alec steers them, Jack pushes and they coast back into a back alley as much out of sight of the street as possible. It's at this point that Jack looks to the pale duo.

"Okay boys, show us the best way to the wires. Assuming it matches the other cable here, it should look like this," Jack mentions and leads them over to the hood, popping it open and indicating the cable. "It's a battery cable."

Whitey and Petey squint and grimace. They reach out and feel the cable... It's clear that they really just can't see that well with the sun up, even in a side alley, even with their hoods up, even with clouds overhead. "Um, I'm sure you'll know it if and when we find one..." says Petey...

Whitey and Petey lead you back to the manhole, closing it behind you, and lead you confidently through a maze of tunnels. It's very dark, but Whitey and Petey can apparently see just fine.

But there seems to be some disagreement amongst them-- as the four of you walk, they're silently whispering to each other in increasingly frustrated tones.

Finally, at a tunnel cross-juncture, they stop. "Look, pals," Whitey says to you, "we need to be honest with you. There's a chance that where we were going to take you might have the kind of cable you need..." He points to the tunnel to the right. "But just a chance. But we can think of two places that're a lot more likely. The trouble is..."

"--The trouble is, it's a little more dangerous," says Petey. "There's a much better chance that we can find what you need in another room, this way..." he says, pointing straight ahead. "Say, better than 50%. But there's another tribe of humans like ourselves--"

"--Not neato-keen, like us," says Whitey. "They follow false episodes."

"They are not neato-keen," Petey agrees. "And straight ahead is right near the edge of their territory."

"But then there's another room with all kinds of electrical stuff," says Whitey, pointing to the tunnel on the left. "We think it's almost guaranteed to have what you need--"

"--guarantee void outside the 48--" they both intone in unison--

"--but it's right in the middle of their territory," Whitey finishes.

Petey and Whitey pull something out of their robes-- small crossbows. "We're willing to help you get to whichever room you want to try," says Petey. "It's What Billy Would Do. But it'll probably mean a fight. So what do you want to try...?"

"The safer one first," Jack answers the question and gestures for them to continue to lead the way. The dark leather of his jacket occasionally catching a bit of light and reflecting like a dark armored skin in the shadows of the tunnel. Moving along smoothly, he readies his sub machine gun and blade. "Hopefully we can do this without an issue," he asides. "If not, we shadow walk," he mentions to Alec quietly.

"Straight ahead, then," says Whitey. "Well, it's safer than the left-hand path, at least. Let's go... but pals, try to be as Sneaky as you can."


(Jack, Alec, each make a DEX roll for stealth please...)

Moving along quietly, Jack stays to the shadows though he isn't sure how well hiding in shadows works on these people who are so accustomed to the darkness. Slinking along making barely a sound save the slightest sounds of a scuffed shoe or the creak of the strap holding up his gun as he progresses along, he becomes one with the shadows.

18:29, Today: Jack rolled 11 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 6,4.

-1 because I'm a dolt who forgot his stats.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:50, Fri 09 Aug 2019.

Alec looks disappointed when they get to the tunnel again. He looks at the rocket launcher and does not want to leave something that could easily kill him and Jack just lying around. He looks the direction opposite where the truck is and fires the rocket in an arc that will give it the most elevation and therefore range. He brings the tube with him and descends into darkness. He doesn't really care where it hits, as long as it doesn't hit the truck.

Alec follows Jack and the Morlocks into the tunnel again. They get down the ladder and he leaves the tube behind and when Jack decides which direction to go, Alec walks ahead, stealthily, he hopes.


15:24, Today: Alec rolled 11 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 3,6.

Not a great place to have a sword drawn, he keeps a knife in hand. Anything that jumps him will probably be inside of his sword range, so the precaution is a good one.

It isn't easy, but you do it.

Whitey and Petey quickly realize that compared to them, you can hardly see nor hear anything in the darkness, and so they stick close to you, putting a hand on your shoulder to stop and be still, and a gentle nudge forward when it's safe again.

You never saw anything. There was one point where you did hear something that might've been someone walking, but they quickly moved off elsewhere. After almost five minutes, the four of you started moving again.

Finally, you're led through a door, which Petey closes behind you.

Whitey flips a small, hidden switch and a small light bulb activates, and... looks like you're in a basement.

But not just any basement. It feels like it's the basement/inventory area of an auto parts store.

There's a set of stairs in the back, but they're unusuable, because they're caved in.

"Everything up on the surface was destroyed," Petey says quietly. "But as you can see, while people have taken many things from here, there are still quite a few things left. Let's search and see if we can find the kind of cable you need."

So you search...

(One of you do a check. Neither of you has a Perception bonus, so I don't think it matters who rolls the check...

7 or lower will be a failure. 8 and above will be a success.

No Aid nor other "helping" allowed on this check. You're all already helping search as well as you can...)

Guided through the darkness, Jack is keenly aware of the limitations of his eyes, and all the more aware of the reasoning he'd thought he might recruit the duo for night watchmen--with training, they'd be very good at night time raids and guerilla fighting. His gut told him that their natural vision would carry over to quite a few other shadows. There was something natural about their nature that seemed natural.

"Alec, keep watch?" Jack proposes. Of the two, Jack was certain he'd spent more time looking under the hood, so maybe that'd let him find the cable a bit more easily. Moving slowly, he searches as thoroughly as he can in the time crunch of the moment, but is keenly aware that they are surrounded by "the enemy" so he is trying to be quick as well. Shifting things aside,  he shakes his head a few times and comes up with some similar cables, but nothing that matches exactly.

When he doesn't come up with anything, he shakes his head and asks Petey and Whitey, "How far to the other room you were talking about?"

Rolled a 5.

Whitey and Petey exchange glances. "If you mean the room that's less likely than this to have what you need, not far. If you mean the one that's in enemy territory... Farther, but not very far. A little more than half the time it took to get here... But we'd have to move slower in order to... Hold on." They confer in whispers for a minute.

"...If we can silently take out a guard, it might not take very long at all. But getting out would be harder, if we do it that way..."

Alec waits near the doorway, using it for cover while he keeps watching. He is getting the idea that the first time he sees something will be once he is back up top again. So he listens. A furtive footstep, the clicking of a crossbow, the whisper of a blade. That is what he is awaiting. Hopefully, Jack will find the wire and they can get the hell out of the dark.

A thought is given to the tactical viability, and Jack ends up nodding his head. "We can do that," he decides and draws the knife from his belt. Looking to the duo, he quietly says, "Lead the way," and prepares to follow them again, ready to do some silent knifing.

Whitey and Petey turn off the light bulb, and then lead Jack and Alec from the room and through more tunnels and corridors.

There are actually two times, this time, where you hear footsteps not terribly far away, but each time it happens, your guides have you stop and wait carefully until the noise passes.

After several minutes, you reach a corner and stop.

Petey and Whitey help each of you peek slowly-- and briefly-- around the corner.

Around the corner, only about six feet away, under a light bulb, is a single human guard, his skin painted (badly) red, with warpaint on top of that, and feathers woven into his hair.

Safely hidden around your corner, Whitey holds up his small crossbow and shows it to you. He points at the tip of the wooden bolt, and shakes his head.

Meaning: It's poisoned or drugged.

Whitey then points a finger back and forth from himself, to you, to himself, to you...?

Petey raises an eyebrow, while putting a finger to his lips.

Meaning: Who will attempt to take the guard out-- silently? You? Or do you want to let Whitey and his doctored crossbow bolt try...?

There was no reason to think that Whitey and his crossbow would be more effective, but after a moment of consideration, Jack moves up and aims as strategic a blow as he can manage. Using his considerable strength to grab the guy around the throat to try to silence him while stabbing at him simultaneously. If anyone was going to be the reason for their problems, it would be him. He'd eventually teach, and perhaps trust Whitey and Petey to guard duties, to protecting family interests on Earth.

But now was not that time. Now was the time for Jack and Alec.

18:24, Today: Jack rolled 8 using 1d10+1 with rolls of 7.
18:23, Today: Jack rolled 9 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 5,1.
18:22, Today: Jack rolled 12 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 6,5.

Rolled 12 tactics, +1 damage, +1 to hit. Damage of 8, hit on 9.  Accidentally double clicked the attack roll. (Stupid phone.)

The guard is incapacitated. His exact physical condition is hard to say... he's:
1. definitely alive right now
2. prrrrobably not about to make a noise anytime soon
3. prrrrrrrrrobably dying fast.

Whitey and Petey pick up the guard's body... start to move it... then they squint at the floor, frown, and then they just move the guard's body around the corner into the darkness.

"If only he was wearing Sneaky robes like ours!" Whitey whispers. "But he's losing blood too fast... If we take him with us, anyone who comes this way could follow the trail of blood..."

(Alec, Jack, each of you roll INT please)

Int check: 16:56, Today: Jack rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 4,4.

Alec watches as Jack takes out the guard.


22:59, Today: Alec rolled 6 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,2.


He tries to keep an eye out for anything else but realizes that the guard is probably alive for now, maybe. He bears the guy no malice, and if he is to be killed, the kill would be Jack's. He knows that many of the Amberites got a little testy if you killed someone's "kill".

Since he was only bloodthirsty when combat was going on, whether the guard lived or died was of no concern to Alex.