CHAPTER 9: Return to the Tunnels

[rossik]

"Sure thing, lets do this!"
MacMak chose a ramdom path

[Urson]

Belial

Belial grins a very toothy grin. More trinkets means more wealthy-ness, mi compadres! If no one speaks up, he'll knuckle along beside/behind MacMak.

[Ardak2000]

Bruce Lee Mk. VII

Disembarks and silently acquiesces to the groups wishes and falls into step alongside them.

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex, 297D/81 (Late Morning)

Recognizing that the rear pod sits next to one of the “Station Stops”, you communicate between the vehicles using pre-arranged signals and back-up the pods so Kurot’s ‘docks’ with the connecting passage. Each transport deploys the necessary emergency egress stairs so the occupants of the lead pod may enter the second pod and exit into the side tunnel.

Denslow, Silvestri, MacMak, Belial, Bruce and Frank lead the way as you cautiously pad forward 60ft before entering the presumed passenger room. The layout is identical to the “Station Stop” you explored 39 days ago when you first entered the Tunnel Complex on 258D/81. You perform a cursory survey of the station and, besides the fixed, cracked and aged orange seats (B), the rooms of the station have been stripped clean of any movable/useful items. The floor has a similar pattern or simplified map under a plate of glass (A) matching Blixx’s map. One difference is the door to the hollow, cylindrical metal column (C) is open; slid aside into the curve of the cylinder.

MAP:

On further investigation, a pattern of scratches is worn into the inside of the smooth metal tube in the vertical direction. A worn trail is now apparent in the rotted green carpet on the floor leading from this door down the entrance hall to the tunnel and travel pod. Your light reveals the hollow column rises beyond the 60ft limit of illumination into pitch blackness.

Belial sniffs and attempts to identify a foul odor that he thinks travels on the slight down draft in the tube. The mutant baboon may be dim-witted, but his olfactory senses are second to none.

As you discuss the next move, several of you hear a slight ’click’, ‘scrape’ or ‘tap’ coming from above, inside the vertical shaft.

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 57/57 [3/9] 294
Bruce – 50/50 [12/12]
Denslow – 42/42 [16/16]
Frank – 63/63 [13/13]
Kurot –50/50 [11/15] 294
Ron – 69/69 [14/15]
Silvestri – 55/60 [14/14]
MacMak - 68/68 [17/17]

...

[Ardak2000]

Bruce Lee Mk. VII

Sharply motions for silence in the room, and indicates that they should all gather behind the tube out of sight of the opening and wait at the ready for whatever is descending.

[greyarea]

Denslow waits in ambush

[rossik]

MacMak will use his powerful ultravision!

[Urson]

Belial

Belial whispers We have company, dudes!

He stands near the hollow column, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open. He breathes deep, hoping to identify the scent.

[Zhym]

Kurot takes cover behind a row of seats (the "south" seats marked B). He grabs his bow and takes aim at the column's opening, ready to fire if anything hostile emerges.

[shaidar]

Silvestri takes cover with Kurot behind the seats, his rifle ready and aimed at the opening.

[quozl]

Ron stands near the exit back to the pod and also readies his rifle.

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex, 297D/81 (Late Morning)

Alerted to the possible sounds of danger, each takes up a defensive position in the passenger room.

Bruce swings behind the tube, opposite the open door. Denslow joins the synthetic behind the hollow column.

MacMak sticks his head into the doorway and looks up into the shaft. Activating his ultravision, he peers up the tube and sees several insect-looking creatures a hundred feet above, descending to their level. Below the insects are two small, egg-shaped objects in free fall, approximately 30ft above the floor.

Belial remains at the mutant seagull’s side, taking in more of the downdraft and trying to identify the odor. His memory jogs and he recalls whiffing this scent before, but cannot immediately place the experience. Suddenly he remembers; ”Thorax Scavengers!” he blurts out -The insectoids that attacked them so many weeks ago and from which he contracted Scavenger’s Tetanus.

Ron takes position near the entrance tunnel, with rifle ready. He soon hears Clicking and Chirping from outside in the pod tunnel.

Kurot, Silvestri and Frank retreat behind the first row of seats, each drawing a ranged weapon and taking an aiming posture. Each looks at the other when they hear the sounds coming down the entrance tunnel.

MAP:

Initiative and Actions!

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 57/57 [3/9] 294
Bruce – 50/50 [12/12]
Denslow – 42/42 [16/16]
Frank – 63/63 [13/13]
Kurot –50/50 [11/15] 294
Ron – 69/69 [14/15]
Silvestri – 55/60 [14/14]
MacMak - 68/68 [17/17]

...

[quozl]

Ron gets behind the seats too!

[greyarea]

Denslow Initiative [1d20+3] = 16+3 = 19

Denslow will hold his action, explosive fruit at the ready. If those that appear act in a hostile manner, he will throw his fruit.

Denslow "Gala" explosive apple mutation check [1d20+1] = 12+1 = 13

[shaidar]

Silvestri prepares to fire, but holds his action until a target is available:

Initiative: [1d20] = 6

Rifle (Short Range 120): [1d20+3] = 15+3 = 18, dmg [1d12] = 12

[rossik]

MacMak will tell what he saw to his comrades.

He will set his hands on fire via pyrokinesis , and wait to see if he have to punch some bugs to ashes

[1d20+1] = 20+1 = 21pyro [1d20+1] = 17+1 = 18 Ini

[Zhym]

Kurot redeploys to the near end of the entrance tunnel, covering it with his bow. If the clicking and chriping come from obvious attackers, he fires.

Bow and arrow (Short/Medium range): [1d20+2] = 5+2 = 7 (+2 if short range) [1d6] = 2
Bow and arrow (Short/Medium range): [1d20+2] = 8+2 = 10 (+2 if short range) [1d6] = 5
Bow and arrow (Short/Medium range): [1d20+2] = 12+2 = 14 (+2 if short range) [1d6] = 1

[Urson]

Belial

Like, these Thorax Scav bugs are some bad dudes! Be careful, Brother Bird!

Belial steps toward the column, ready to attack the Scavs when they reach the floor.

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex Station Stop, 297D/81 (Late Morning)

Kurot moves to cover the near end of the entrance hallway. Without exposing himself, he waits for sounds of entry into the corridor.

MacMak and Belial linger at the door to the vertical tube. Inside the door threshold, MacMak sees the egg-shaped objects approach and quickly uses his pyrokenisis to envelop them in a large fireball. Both objects explode, but one emits a blue energy wave that expands and then dissipates. The energy blast catches these two along with Denslow, Bruce, Ron (His initiative is 3, so the blast went off before he could move) and Kurot within the area of effect. All five reel as a blue light wave rips through their bodies.

• MacMak was able to destroy one of the grenades before it could discharge an energy blast.
  MacMak and Belial take 9+9 = 18 points of damage from the blast and energy wave.
  Denslow, Bruce, Ron and Kurot take 9 points of damage from just the energy wave.
  
  ALL (6) must make a Fortitude save vs. DC14 or become stunned, -1d to all actions, for an unknown number of turns.

Ron stumbles and makes his way behind the seats, next to Silvestri, and takes cover. The cyborg coughs up dust loosened by the explosive blast inside the column.

Silvestri and Frank duck behind the seats after the blasts echo through the room. They resume their stances, rifles at the ready.

For the moment, the ‘clicking’ sounds have ceased. Vision in the room is slightly obscured from the dust and debris loosened by the explosions.

OOC: Denslow, Silvestri, Kurot, Frank, Belial and Bruce will act first next round. They will use the action rolls already posted or make new rolls if they are stunned (at -1d).

Action Details:

Characters:
Ron Init = [1d20+1] = 2+1 = 3
Kurot Init = [1d20] = 20
Frank Init = [1d20+1] = 2+1 = 3
Belial Init = [1d20+1] = 17+1 = 18

Grenades:
Grenades Init = [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19, [1d20+2] = 14+2 = 16
Grenade = [3d6] = 9 dmg, [3d6] = 9 dmg

MAP:

OOC: The blue circle shows the blast radius of the grenade for reference. The energy wave has vanished and will no longer affect anyone.

Initiative and Actions!

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 39/57 [3/9] 294
Bruce – 41/50 [12/12]
Denslow – 33/42 [16/16]
Frank – 63/63 [13/13]
Kurot – [?]/50 [11/15] 294
Ron – 60/69 [14/15]
Silvestri – 55/60 [14/14]
MacMak - 50/68 [17/17]

...

[greyarea]

Denslow fort save [1d20+3] = 13+3 = 16

Denslow throws a “grenade” of his own in return.