Session Seven - Travelers Beware

Day 15

The sun rises and Andy sets out on foot in the direction he hopes will lead him to the ley line. He travels along the cliff not wishing to venture into the jungle of the crater and soon discovers the crater is a common dumping ground.  A variety of smashed vehicles line the bottom of the cliff as well as assorted other pieces of rubbish. He decides to sort through them and uncovers one of the smaller items, a washing machine. Having already travelled the bulk of his first day he decides to set up camp and sets about using the rest of the day to forge the washing machine into a makeshift suit of armour.

Ian takes advantage of his new prison guard status and goes on a supervised trip out of the prison. Although he doesn't really have anything to do so he and his guardian end up wandering around pointlessly until Ian leads them up to the military base where he was cautioned for snooping around before. He enters the front of the building and approaches the sergeant at the front desk with a cheerful "morning private". The man looks up at him curiously and Ian asks him if he can join the army. His guardian interrupts and explains to Ian that technically he is in servitude to the prison service at the moment so he can't actually join the army until he has finished helping them. Ian nods in comprehension, turns back to the sergeant and asks him if he can join the army. The sergeant looks curiously to Ian's guardian who just shrugs so the sergeant tells Ian he will look into it for him. Ian thanks him, tells him his shoelaces are untied and leaves.

At the prison the day goes by relatively uneventfully. Ian takes up his duties with apparent efficiency and after a quick word with the warden David secures a letter of recommendation from him regarding his work on the psychic diagnosis machine. This will go a long way to helping him get set up as a legitimate business once he is free. Matt helps him as best he can and allows his remaining days in prison to pass. Alan is back in town with his windfall of demon body parts, but is unsure the general opinion of necromancy in the county although it's usually frowned upon so decides to wait until the following night when he can attend another meeting of the mages council so that he can attempt to casually slip it into conversation and test the waters of tolerance.

Day 16


Andy smiles with satisfaction as he dons his washing machine armour and enchants it with superior strength. Dressed in a washing machine and armed with a car door shield and car bumper club Andy of the dump sets out on his second day of travel towards the ley line. Unfortunately his weakened physical condition is taking it's toll and he needs food, water and rest, the first two he can't get and the third he can't afford, it's too dangerous to spend any more time than necessary in the crater.

David and Matt prepare for their release tomorrow and discuss their plans. Initially their thoughts are to set up in town and advertise their individual skills as mechanic and doctor respectively. Problem is that they do not have the money to set themselves up with legitimate headquarters in the capital itself and neither has any transport so travel is a dangerous prospect.

Ian is approached by the warden once more and told that if he feels up for it he can join one of the convoys leaving the prison tomorrow as a bus driver. With gusto and excitement Ian volunteers for dangerous prisoner transport. That is the bus line that transports prisoners too dangerous to be kept in the regular prison to a more secure facility. These prisoner are borgs, d-bees and powerful mages/psychics who require extra security and are housed at a secret location known simply as 'the institute'. After careful thought the warden and his men agree. Ian is happy and asks to go on another supervised trip out of the prison.

Ian and his guardian wander the streets once more but more purposefully this time Ian finds his way back up to the military base and approaches the sergeant at the front desk again with a cheerful "morning private". The sergeant recognises Ian and his guardian from the day before as Ian proceeds to ask the exact same questions about joining the army as he did then. The sergeant masks his confusion with the same answers he gave the previous day but he does go to explain to Ian that his application is pending and he doesn't have to come back everyday to check on it. Ian says "okay, see you tomorrow" and leaves.

Alan goes back to work at the hospital but as soon as he finishes for the day he goes straight to the mages guild meeting room to wait for the others to arrive. Talk in the meeting is largely about the "success" of the solstice gathering at the nexus and how important it is to show solidarity and strength in this time of magic oppression by the current government. Alan isn't sure the event showed all that much solidarity or strength and he doesn't feel particularly oppressed but the older members of the guild seem to be enjoying the argument so he doesn't feel the need to raise his thoughts.

Once the meeting winds down into a casual discussion Alan wanders the various groups of people showing off some of the demon claws he obtained at the nexus. He presents them as amusing trinkets rather than dangerous magical components and he receives amused smiles but little more than that ... until ... as the evening draws to a close the head of the mages guild takes Alan aside and asks for another look at the claws. He tells him he'd be interested in purchasing such "trinkets" for ornamental purposes, perhaps they'd look good on his fireplace or he could turn them into novelty salt and pepper shakers. Alan smiles politely and the conversation continues cautiously until Alan agrees to bring them over to the guild leaders house later that night and a price can be negotiated.

Meanwhile Andy decides he has to venture into the jungle in search of water at the very least and finding a few wrecked cars that have been launched into the crater he sets about making a secure camp he can return to first. Using the cars as walls he builds a kind of fort against a cave in the cliff face and then sets of into the denseness of the trees. Before too long he manages to find some animal tracks and follows them back the way they have come from to avoid encountering whatever it is that made them. Fortunately for him he's in luck and eventually comes across a small watering hole that could perhaps more fairly be called a puddle. The water is brown and filled with debris but his options are limited and he fills a canteen.

Tracing his own tracks back he sneaks through the jungle as it becomes increasingly alive with life around him, but he seems to avoid any direct conflict as he emerges and returns to his car fort in his washing machine armour with his car door shield and car bumper club. He boils the water over a small fire, drinks the now slightly less disgusting mix and settles in for the night, however, he keep his washing machine armour on and his weapons at his side.

Alan approaches the mansion owned by the apparently oppressed head of the mages guild and knocking on the door he is answer by a pale faced butler. Alan immediately recognises the man as a very well constructed zombie and follows him inside to be greeted by the head of the mages guild who introduces himself for the first time by his first name, Bob. Alan takes a risk and drops the pretense announcing that he knows a zombie when he sees one. Bob confesses that he skilled in the necromantic arts and his interest in the claws is on a professional basis. He invites Alan in for a drink and they discuss their craft and come to a very reasonable price for the claws which Alan is more than happy with.

As Andy sits in a kind of half slumber he is suddenly wide awake when a creature resembling a giant armadillo exits the tree line a little way down the cliffside. As it makes it's way towards him searching the wreckage strewn across the bottom of the cliff with it's snout Andy attempts to hide but dislodges some rubble as he pushes himself against the wall and his actions only serve to call attention to himself. The creature looks up to him and uttering a low growl it lowers it's head an charges in his direction. Andy manages to dodge the attack but the creature hammers into the rock and gouges out a chunk. However, the impact appears to have done little harm to the creature itself as it turns it's attention back to Andy who scrambles to hide behind his makeshift wall of cars.

The creature charges again and crashing violently in the wall sends one of the wrecked cars flying backwards. Once more Andy manages to avoid the attack but this time leaps towards the creature and takes a swing at it as he runs by. He cracks it's back leg with his car bumper and the creature howls in pain and tries to take a bite out of him but Andy is moving too fast. Andy puts some distance between him and the creature and finds he has some time to think as the creature slowly turns round to face him. The creature stands between Andy and his camp but the terrain to either side of them is open land and the only other option is the dark of the jungle behind him and Andy doesn't fancy his chances in there.

He stands firm as the creature charges again and Andy fumbles his dodge but manages to take the force of the blow into his car door. Unfortunately the car door is all but destroyed by the attack and Andy is knocked off his feet. On the plus side Andy has plenty of time to pull himself up as the creature has rocketed past his position and has to turn around again. As the creature lines itself up and charges once more Andy is on his feet and stares into the creatures eyes as it storms straight towards him. Jumping at the last second Andy swings down striking a blow across the creatures head as he flies over the marauding monster. The creature is disorientated by the blow and stops in it's tracks turning to stand face to face with Andy.

Andy throws his smashed car door aside and grips his car bumper with both hands as the creature lashes out at him with it's front legs, tearing at the air with it's claws. Andy swings wildly getting in a few good blows in but the creature isn't doing too badly itself and Andy's washing machine is taking a kicking. In a surprise move the creature turns sideways and takes a swing at him with it's barbed tail, which strikes Andy hard in the side and sends him flying into the cliff wall. Andy lands in a heap and looks up to see the creature retreating to the tree line.

But his luck has not turned. The creature reaches the tree line and turns to face him. Looking over the distance between them and into Andy's eyes it charges once more. Andy scrambles to his feet but is too slow and cannot gain a footing as the creature crashes head first into him crushing him between itself and the cliff face behind him. The washing machine crumples like paper and Andy's chest takes the full force of the impact. The creature plows through him flattening him against the rock and crushing the last breath out of his body. Andy and the remains of the washing machine are left in a crumpled heap on the floor and his travels come to an end.

Day 17

David and Matt awaken to their release date in high spirits. Their personal effects are returned to them as is a fresh set of clothing, and a set of crutches for David, and they are escorted out of the prison. Having made the decision to stay in town the two of them seek out the slum district, an area made up largely of self built homes and run down shacks, hardly an ideal living area but beggars can't be choosers. They split up to try their luck in a search for an abandoned shack. David finds one first, it is a rundown corrugated iron single room building with no windows or roof. He looks it over and claims it as his own (remember, beggars can't be choosers) as it doesn't rain that often out here in the desert and he goes off to find Matt.

On the other side of the slums he meets up with Matt who has discovered his own abandoned shack. A largely sheet metal building about twice the size of David's with a separate back room, a pretty decent door with locks on it as well as a couple of barred windows, a solid roof and a fully functioning, although very illegal, connection to the towns electrical grid. Matt asks David how he's doing and David smiles through gritted teeth and tells him he's doing fine, he found his own great place too.

They decide to use Matt's shack as their place of business and since Matt may have a patient to take care of every now and then he will live in the back room whilst David can stay at his new place. With this decided they head out into town to buy rudimentary supplies.

Alan is doing much the same. With the several thousand credits he has gained from the sale of the demon  claws he can now afford the remaining supplies he needs to set about rebuilding his farm and heads into the town centre to gather said supplies as well as keeping enough money aside to hire a truck and a handful of mercenaries to take him back up to his farm at his hometown of the valley station.

Ian meanwhile enters the bus yard of the prison on this fine morning. There are a variety of buses in the yard, some of them transporting prisoners to work details dotted around the county, some on their way to collect prisoners from local sheriff outposts and some there to run military detail in taking "volunteers" from amongst the prison population to perform menial task at the various military outposts across the county.

However, the bus Ian is interested in is the last of the group. It's big and black (largely it seems from excessive fire damage than any actual paintwork), heavily armoured and wrapped in a steel cage. As Ian watches it a seven foot partial conversion borg in a prison guard uniform approaches along with the warden and a handful of other officers. They greet Ian and usher him into a side room away from the buses.

The warden explains that the prisoners on the bus Ian will be driving are extremely dangerous and a very special countermeasure has to be taken to prevent escape. They hand Ian a bulky vest and ask him to put it on, which he does. The warden explains that the vest he is wearing is very difficult to remove and packed with more than enough explosives to blow most any humanoid life-form in half. Ian listens with interest but slowly realises no one seems in any hurry to help him take the vest off. The warden continues his explanation; the prisoners in the bus are all wearing on of these vest and a sensor to the vest is installed inside of the head prison transport officer, namely the seven foot partial conversion borg standing next to him. If the prisoners get further then two hundred yards away from the officer their vests will activate and they will be blown up.

They go to leave the room and Ian calls them back. He asks if they can take the vest off for him as he doesn't know how but the warden tells him not to worry about that, they'll take it off when he gets back and him and the other officer leave the room. Ian watches them go curiously but quickly follows, unsure how far away two hundred yards is.

The prisoners are led out, all them equally, if not more intimidating that the seven foot partial conversion borg barking orders at them and all of them wearing the familiar explosive vests. Once the bus is full Ian is led up to the drivers door and into the front compartment where he and the transport officer will reside for the journey, several layers of caging between them and the prisoners who are firmly manacled to their seats. A few other officers are aboard the bus watching over the prisoners from inside the prisoners compartment. A final check is run over the bus from outside, the outer gate is opened and Ian is instructed to move on. The warden waves them off apprehensively as the bus leaves the prison compound and hits the open road.

More to come ... Session Eight - Half of Everything is Luck