Rifts Adventure IC

[Sherwood]

Purr and Dano Do either one of you wish to make an attack action before the flyers are out of range? If not, we will be dropping out of combat time.

 

[Purr]

Gradicus the Red Edge
Atlantean Undead Slayer​

Spoiler: Victory Music

"Wherever I May Roam" by Metallica
Partial lyrics:
"And the Earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
Under wandering stars I roam
By myself but not alone"

Gradicus raised his forearm over his eyes and watched the enemy boats and Titans flee. One glance toward his compatriots told him most were not in the mood for further blood. The young Atlantean cleaned his swords and, twirling them once, returned them to their sheaths. He imagined the tales the pilots would tell the rest of the river bandits. He also imagined what they would do without their dragon in their midst. Gradicus's grin remained, for who would take on the River Walker on this lake again after that? Who knows how many people who relied on this lake had their burdens eased by the slaying of this dragon?

Picking up the boot-sized dragon-pieces, Gradicus hustled over to the Badger and Eric Foss. "Human, are you all right?" He had been the only one struck without some kind of obvious armor between he and his enemies.

On his way, he called out to Captain Raimus. "Captain! How fares you and your crew? Did those blasted River Serpents get away with a piece of your beastly hide?" he teased, hoping to be teased back.

Image credit: Atlantean by Chuck Walton)

STATUS

Location: On the water with the River Walker
Active Effects: Talisman (40/100 M.D.C.). P.P.E. (159/204). M.D.C. (242/242) Blazing Comet Tattoo (20/20 M.D.)

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

When i finish boosting the speed on the engine i notify the mechanics of the changes i made, "ok you should be able to get some extra umf out of the old girl just try not to over work her" i say and then head up to the deck expecting to find a big monster fighting the group and crew, when i reach the deck and see the body of the dead dragon i am taken aback by the site 'how the hell did they take that thing down? and so fast? these people are on another level' i think to myself as i approach the dragon trying to identify what breed of dragon it might be.

whether or not i determine what breed it is i would like to scavenge the teeth from the corpse of the dragon

 

[Sherwood]

Eric looks over at the tall Atlantian and nods. "Yeah, I'm good. That hit hurt a lot, but I'm already getting better." When you glance down at the impact point on his chest, the angry red mark is fading to be a purplish colored bruise. At this range, Gradicus can also see through Eric's tattered clothes that he has several tattoos of his own, but his look like unit patches for a formal military force on one arm (the 10th Heavy Infantry aka the Warlords), and on the other is a stylized flag depicting the national symbol of the Coalition. If you didn't know any better, you could easily mistake the burly man as a Coalition trooper. That is, assuming that he was not a super tough D-Bee of some sort.

Noting your gaze, Eric tries to cover his arms and says, "Uh, I'd better get a new shirt on. Excuse me, sir." With that, he hustles off to the Badger, rocket launcher still in hand.

Passing him on the deck is Marko. The Grackle Tooth grins around his ever-present cigar as he moves around to check to see if there are any casualties. He looks over at Gradicus and acts offended. "Beastly? Ha! I'll have you know that back home I am a very handsome fellow, and I'm quite popular with the ladies! Beastly <snort> Well, I hazard a guess that we won't be getting bothered by them again anytime soon, thanks to you fellows." He looks about the ship and nods. "A few minor scorch marks here and there, but nothing we can't patch up."

When Blake comes up top, Marko looks over at him. "You, sir, are welcome to tinker with my ship anytime you'd like. Thank you for the extra speed. That saved is from having to pull over and deal with a boarding action from those pirates. We would have come out on top, but some of my crew may have been hurt in the process, and that's something I just won't stand for."

 

[Dano]

​

Trent Lockhart
Smuggler​

The dragon had been defeated. Gradicus was living up to his robust reputation as a great fighter. The sword to the brain was a bit excessive and even made Trent raise an eyebrow as he watched on from the safety of the Betty. Shaking it off he watched the others breath a sigh of relief, though he wasn't about to let the damaged suit report back to the rest of the River Serpents. He looked over and saw Foss on the deck, "Damnit Foss, they are getting away... I thought you knew how to use that thing!" he barked, half taunting his companion. Taking aim one more time he locked on to the severely damaged suit and fired, "...Dead men tell no tales..." he muttered to himself. In his line of business, witnesses usually meant an even larger force to follow up and so Trent had put aside his regard to spare the fleeing.

 

[Sherwood]

As Blake examines the dragon, you are confident that it was a Royal Frilled dragon, one that was probably a few hundred years old. Still considered a hatching, it was still plenty tough.

The teeth are still intact, and you will have little trouble removing several.

While still in the Betty, Trent tires a final shot on the fleeing Titan powered armor, but the ion cannon has a sudden overheat and the firing computer automatically shuts it down to prevent serious damage from being done. By the time that the weapon cycles back up, the flyers and the boats that they came from are out of range.

 

[Psychie]

Terra secures her own rifle on her back and walks over to stand near Marko and Gradicus. "Impressive swordsmanship. Remind me not to piss you off." She gives him a grin and a thumbs up.

 

[Dano]

​

Trent Lockhart
Smuggler​

Seeing the last of the River Serpents high tailing it in the complete opposite direction as the River Walker, Trent slams the controls of Betty, "COME ON GIRL!" he yells in pure frustration as the computer system controlling the Ion Cannon had overheated causing his planned shot to fail. Grunting in frustration he throws back the controls and goes to exit the Badger. On his way to the door he passes Foss and shakes his head, "... You're getting soft on me Eric..." Trent only ever used his first name when it was serious. "...You know what happened last time we were attacked and let one get away..." Two years ago, they had been acquiring a particular item from the fortified research facility of the Coalition Military when they had been spotted during their 'escape'. Trent had shot the young man in the torso with his laser pistol, Daphne. Foss had assured him that the soldier was dead, only to find out that he had radioed to command and as a result they had been chased for almost a week by a large scale force before they were able to reach the extraction point where their employer had been waiting for them.

As he exited the Badger, Trent flipped down his shades and walked over to Gradicus, Terra, and Ramius, "Make sure I don't ever piss you off..." he joked to the Atlantian, "...Captain, have they been tracking your moments? Our journey has just begun and already we have been attacked... I hope this does not serve as a taste of things to come..." Walking past the two he moved over to where Kimberly was standing near the rail. Stopping he turned his back to the rail and leaned on it casually, "Looks like we shared the same luck this time around..." it was a bit of an awkward chuckle as it was clear that they were both bothered by the lack of output. "...At least you didn't have to see witness my shots going wide... " and with that he let out a genuine laugh, knowing there was nothing he could do now that the fight was over. Looking over he noticed Blake examining the dragon's corpse, "...Just shove it over the edge and let the giant blood slick serve as a warning to all those who would attempt to follow us..." he shouted with a grin on his face...

Sherwood Purr Epiphany DraconianWarrior

 

[Purr]

Gradicus the Red Edge
Atlantean Undead Slayer​

Spoiler: Victory Music

"Wherever I May Roam" by Metallica
Partial lyrics:
"And the Earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
Under wandering stars I roam
By myself but not alone"

Red as his namesake, Gradicus The Red Edge made the rounds among his teammates and crew.

He looks over at Gradicus and acts offended. "Beastly? Ha! I'll have you know that back home I am a very handsome fellow, and I'm quite popular with the ladies! Beastly <snort> Well, I hazard a guess that we won't be getting bothered by them again anytime soon, thanks to you fellows." He looks about the ship and nods. "A few minor scorch marks here and there, but nothing we can't patch up."

"Good!" Gradicus nodded back both to the captain and his crew, fighting souls all. "You do your people proud! Most flee for their lives when a dragon and his minions comes a'calling. You did not flinch. I think I like the Grackle Tooths!"

Eric looks over at the tall Atlantian and nods. "Yeah, I'm good. That hit hurt a lot, but I'm already getting better."

Gradicus had heard his fill of tough talk many times over during his many years with the Brotherhood of Dread. Gladiators had a way of dismissing pain and putting tough talk in its place. Then Gradicus saw Foss spoke truly. "As my eyes tell me. I am glad you are not a wisp of red vapor, Foss."

When he noticed the injury was so quickly healing on its own, he nodded, partly in relief, partly in confirmation of a suspicion. Still, when Foss went on his way, Gradicus kept his suspicion to himself and let the human be out of respect.

"Impressive swordsmanship. Remind me not to piss you off." She gives him a grin and a thumbs up.

"Make sure I don't ever piss you off..." he joked to the Atlantian,

Gradicus's grin in reply was friendly enough, but the look in his blue eyes was serious. "Tis easy enough; simply never give me cause for anger."

When Trent moved on to speak with Kimberly, Gradicus turned to Terra. He confided. "In truth, it was my skill and desire combined with the luck of ages." His blue eyes stared distantly across the rushing waters. "In all my battles, rarely have I had as fortunate a day as this! I must keep my skills sharp, for next time, fortune may favor my opponents! I will have to carve harder then." A chuckle escaped his lips. He glanced at the wooden cross draped around Terra's neck, sighed in gladness, and moved on.

By the time Gradicus made his way back to the corpse of the River Serpent, he saw Blake removing dragon teeth he had not won. Or had he? He had not seen the cyborg anywhere during the fight. Had he fought and Gradicus had simply missed? Had Blake hidden shamefully and only now come out?

Then he remembered Captain Raimus's words to Blake. Blake had done some work on the proud captain's vessel good enough to give him a return invitation. This was well, thought Gradicus, for he was against trophy-takers who did not earn. Blake had earned.

Looking over he noticed Blake examining the dragon's corpse, "...Just shove it over the edge and let the giant blood slick serve as a warning to all those who would attempt to follow us..." he shouted with a grin on his face...

"In due time, smuggler!" Gradicus shouted back. "How often do the lakes of Fate offer up such choice fare as this? I am not done with the River Serpent just yet!" With that, Gradicus searched the dragon high and low for anything of value besides his own hide. Scrolls, potions, computer devices, dragons could use them all, and Gradicus thought even dragons needed credsticks. It would be foolish to toss the creature overboard so laden.

Plus, Gradicus wanted to remember this shining moment with more than a pair of boots and a memory. He pulled from his satchel his computer tablet. Carefully, and with a child-like grin, he took moments taking video of the beast. He took many pictures too, but at all times, he avoided identifiers like people, ship numbers, and the like lest this information fall into the wrong hands.

He put his tablet away and placed his hand on Wintertime, his wakizashi. Gradicus then stood tall and heartily called out to everyone. "Harken to me! See here?" He displayed the two chunks he sliced for himself during the battle. "I have carved out my new boots from the River Serpent's hide! We cannot leave the corpse here! It will weigh us down and stink up the deck! So who else wants a piece of him before he joins the fish?"

Image credit: Atlantean by Chuck Walton)

STATUS

Location: On the water with the River Walker
Active Effects: Talisman (40/100 M.D.C.). P.P.E. (159/204). M.D.C. (242/242) Blazing Comet Tattoo (20/20 M.D.)

 

[Silanon]

Shaona, technowizard

Victory. She should feel ecstatic, to say the least - a slaughered dragon lies on the deck, to be examined by those who know more about those beasts than she does. And yet, the technowizard only kneels where she cast her last spell, exhausted by the sudden roller-coaster of thoughts. Too close to being useless - but barely able to buy enough time for the Atlantean. Should have been better, but could have ended worse. Shaona's eyes stare absently into the distance where the first attackers were spotted, as if the remaining pirates had answers for her shaken mind - it takes the voices of several others on deck for her to slowly return to the presence, following the logical steps: making sure that the weapons she carries, both those of her own and the gun she borrowed, are no dangers for those around her; and, after engaging their safety, collecting the technical device she threw in an attempt to protect the crew. Only then does she turn around, mustering those who fought alongside her, be it on deck or further downstairs.

Some of them did better than others, as different moods depict - though general happiness and approval for the slayer's deeds seem to overweigh. None of them flinched when it mattered, after all. Damn. There are things that need to be said, as quickly as possible, and there's a rifle to be returned. Gradicus is right next to his prey, full of pride and excitement. "No need for bloody souvenirs", is her almost disgusted response to his question - she's seen enough of dragons for today. "No need for this one, either." Shaona hands Gradicus his gun with the grip pointing towards him. "No worries - it'll do its job just fine. Just borrowed the barrel to focus the energies." That's where her confidence ends, for now. "And thanks. Not only for the gun, I mean. Thought it was over before it even started. Bloody first dragon I had to fight, hopefully the last one. Good fighting on your end, though. Didn't blink twice there." You can almost see how she tries to focus her thoughts. "Guess I'm rambling. I owe you."

 

[Psychie]

Terra shakes her head. "Nothing for me, thank you. I have little need for another pair of boots; the pair I have are still pretty new." She then looks over at Shaona with a smile. "Excellent timing on your spell. It looked like it was just what the doctor ordered to bring this fight to a quick resolution by dropping it to the deck for Gradicus to finish off. Perhaps over the course of our journey we can put our heads together and compare spell knowledge? It might be possible to teach each other some new material."

 

[Sherwood]

When Trent asks Marko if he thought that the ship was being tracked, the D-Bee frowns. "Is it possible? Yes. But, is it likely? I would say no. We have been on the water for several hours now, and this is the first bit of trouble we have come across. These guys were a bunch of known pirates that work all of the Great Lakes, and I feel that it is more likely that it was simply chance that we crossed paths with them. But I will keep an eye out for future trouble."

 

[Sherwood]

It takes a bit of work, but eventually the dragon carcass is shoved overboard and some members of the crew get a hose and begin to clean the blood off of the deck. It certainly makes the ship smell better with all the gore removed.

During the next few hours, the ship proceeds along through the waters without incident, leaving the passengers free to go about your own business. Off in the distance, those that look can see other ships on the water, but none of them try to get closer than a few miles. It helps that Capt Ramius is doing his best to stay away from everything else on the water.

After some quiet time, the captain sounds an alert for the crew, and they rotate through their number to gear up and prepare for a possible fight. When asked, Marko says, "We are nearing the narrows between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Depending on what is lurking in the canal, we may have a fight on our hands. It's a crap shoot. There have been times we've gone through without any trouble, and other days it's a real fight. I'd just rather be safe than sorry."

 

[Epiphany]

Kimberly Finn​

The battle is over. Kimberly gradually lowers her rifle before sliding it back into its case along with her sword. Unstrapping her shield from her arm, the Mystic Knight secures it over her armored back, protecting her sword and weapons. Then both hands rest on the ship's railing as the engines tick down to a more sustainable speed and things begin to return to normal.

Relatively speaking. She's aware, even facing away, of the activity around the dragon's corpse, of the proud Atlantean's trophy taking, of the cyborg's collection of teeth. For her part, she makes no effort to share in the spectacle. It wasn't her victory after all, and she has no use for the great beast's parts. To say nothing of a slight distaste for turning the corpse into parts, when it'd been an intelligent being capable of talking only mere moments before, even if had been their adversary. This team is new though and Kimberly knows better than to impose her values when she knows nothing of theirs.

Once more, the man who arranged this trip approaches her to converse. It's unexpected but not unwelcome. Just unfamiliar. A slight smile curves her lips as she turns her mirrorshaded eyes in his direction. "I've always thought luck is something you make for yourself but clearly our friend over there used up all that was available." With one hand, she clasps Trent's shoulder in camaraderie. "What matters is that we live, our mission continues and a danger to everyone has been cut back, if not eliminated. Thank you for doing your part, Trent."

Trent's suggestion to dispose of the body is met with a nod of agreement as she looks back to the warriors gathering around the body. "We should plan," she calls out to the others gathered for this mission. "On how to approach this mission once we get to Atlantis. But perhaps that conversation can wait until we reach the open sea. As it is, it's a little too easy for us to be ambushed while land is in sight, so to speak." Another smile from the Altarian, given she alone among them can't actually see to the shore. "Let's keep our attention outwards for now. There will be time enough for planning soon enough."

Those several hours later, Kimberly responds to the alert and nods agreeably to the captain's request. "I do my best work close-range but I'll be ready to repel any boarders."

Status

Location: The River Walker
Active Effects: None
MDC:

Head/Helmet: 60​

Arms: 42 each​

Legs: 66 each​

Main Body: 100​

Battle Fury MDC: 100​

PPE: 52 / 112
ISP: 138 / 140

 

[Psychie]

Other than the threat to her life from pirates and river dragons, Terra is enjoying herself as the ship makes its way through the waters the lake. Once the dragon body is disposed of, she will take up her new favorite spot near the bow of the ship where she will lean on the rail and watch the countryside go by.

When Ramius tells them that there may be trouble up ahead, she nods. A quick look at her two Automatons tells her that they are undamaged from the last attack, so that is not a concern. Her only worry is that the Earth Thunderers are optimized for close in fighting, and even then, they are stuck in place while on the ship; having that much weight stomping about could cause serious damage. Well, I do have the one cannon, and there is a few ranged spells that i can tap into even if they are expensive in mystic energy.

"Captain Ramius, we will be ready in the event of any danger to the ship."

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

i look around after collecting several teeth from the dragon before it is shoved overboard. i inspect them closely as i return to my trailer 'these may come in handy, i wonder if the techno wizard would be able to enchant then and help me make them into weapons' i think to myself as i enter my trailer and return to the helicopter drone, i look at the piece of machinery "now lets see f you can fly" i say to the machine. i grab the remote as well as the drone and start to head out onto the deck calling over my shoulder for heaphistis to join me and record what happens during the test. i then set up on the deck of the ship calling out to the crew and the captain notifying them that i would be doing a test flight and to be aware of what is around them so i don't accidentally hit them

 

[Sherwood]

When Capt Ramius sees the little helicopter drone, he seems to be suitably impressed. "Now that's a right handy gadget you've got there! I can see how something like that could really come in handy." He begins to pepper you with technical questions about the drone, asking all about it. "Say, as we get closer to the narrows, could you use that thing to fly ahead and check out what might be waiting there for us to come by? Any advanced notice of trouble I can get is a blessing."

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

i look at the captain of the ship, if i still had a face capable of showing emotion i would be smiling with pride right now "yes captain it really is quite handy" i say to him, and then go on to answer as many of the questions that the captain has about the drone as possible, when the captain asks about the drone doing recon i simply nod "yes it can, give me a few more hours and i can have another one in the sky right along side it, as well as two floating cameras but those will would be more useful if they stayed on the ship in case of infiltration they can notify us" i then get an idea and turn to the captain "um captain could i possibly get you to assemble your entire crew on deck? the floating cameras come with a facial recognition software, if we could put your crew into the system then the cameras can alert us if anyone not authorized appears on the ship"

 

[Sherwood]

Marko nods. "I can do that by rotating the crew out a handful at a time. I have a total of fifteen, so it won't take too long. Do the drones have night vision capability? If so, I'll have the ship ease back on the speed so we can approach the canal at dusk. The darkness should help keep them from being spotted."

While the two of you talk, Blake is able to make the final checks on the drone and get it ready for a test flight. It is no surprise that the small aircraft works perfectly, and the control unit on your arm does its job well. With the successful completion of the first one, it won't take as long to assemble the second drone and have it ready to go snooping about.

 

[Psychie]

With the commotion around the back of Blake's trailer, Terra decides to go investigate. After all, she can watch the river go by for only so long before getting bored. At the sight of the small helicopter, she stands and watches from a short distance to keep from getting in the way.

"That's a nice toy you have there, Blake. What kind of range does this thing have to it? And I see it has some teeth to it, too. Is that a rail gun? Nice. I like it."

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, Cyborg

I nod to the captain "thank you i feel that will help a lot with this mission, as for the bight vision they have thermal as well as infrared vision along with a few other things that i would be happy to share with you at a later date"
i look over at Terra as she approaches "well hello techno wizard, and yes it is a rather nice and expensive toy i am grateful to brazamal for acquiring them for me, as for the range they can go up to 400 miles away from me if required but i will have to find a way to boost the battery life before they can reach that far" i then remember the dragon teeth that i have in my trailer, "um excuse me Terra was it? would you be interested in coming and taking a look at a few other items and projects that i am working on in my trailer i would be greatly thankful if you could shed some light on a few things"

 

[Psychie]

Terra nods, then says, "I will do what I can for you, but to tell you the truth, I am not a Techno Wizard. I am a Battle Magus Controller, trained in combat spells and the operation on my Automatons. I am currently linked to these two Earth Thunderers, but in time i can control as many as four or five at once. The bonding ritual that I have to go through allows me to be able to remotely control them from as far as two hundred feet away."

She watches as he works on the small helicopter some more, then she says, "If you are in need of a Techno Wizard, Shaona just happens to be a mage of that field of study. Perhaps she canp assist you of I cannot."

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, cyborg

i nod "i apologoze then however i would still like to pick your brain about a few things if you would be so kind as to let me" i say as i perform a couple manouvers with the drone

 

[Psychie]

Terra reassures Blake, "No need to apologize. I am sure that it would be much the same as if I were to talk to you about mechanics, since I have little to no knowledge of the way technology works. So long as it turns on when I need it to, I'm good. So, what kind of projects do you have that you're looking for input on?"

 

[DraconianWarrior]

Blake, cyborg

"well actually the project i have questions on is something that i hear battle magus are quite familiar with, magic weapons, i was wondering if you know of any good ones, and i was also hoping you could tell me anything you know about dragon teeth" i say as i land the drone and head to my trailer