Summary: Sightseers and technological enthusiasts gather at the Serendipity rail yard, to take a trip on the newly reopened line. However, the danger that forced the numerous closings still persists, and the White Circle are unlikely to allow this train by unscathed. But this is no ordinary train, and this time, the passengers may be more than the Circle bargained for…
Setting: Serendipity - Rail yard
Participants: Ari (Male Lion), Keesha (Female Bat), Kaz (Male Coyote), Orel (Male Weasel), Raziel (Male Tiger)
It is a bright day here in Serendipity, though the weather is somewhat cold. Still, the slight chill in the air is not enough to deter the many enthusiastic visitors milling about the normally drab railyard. Streamers have been hung, and all throughout the crowd, people speak excitedly of this; the (Somewhat) Grand (Re-)Re-opening of the Serendipity-Acre Railroad. It is not the first such event, but it is one of the few occasions that the departing train is open to passengers, instead of just cargo. However, there are a number of guards are milling throughout the crowds, and securit seems fairly tight… Orel is wandering around the train yard. He is looking for this oppertunity to get to Acre from Serendipity without having to walk. Unfortunately, he has never used a train before, and is kind of unsure what to do.
Ari’s eyes flick back and forth through the crowd. He seems to be guarding one particular train car. He keeps his eyes peeled for trouble, his bow at the ready. He nods to the occasional passanger walking by. “Good day sir. Afternoon, Madam…”
Raziel stands near the engine, watching the festivities. He was hired onto the train’s crew for his engineering abilities - though, as one of the few able to defend himself, he was let in on this train’s larger mission. He grins to himself. He had some reservations at first, but…to see the railroad completed and in working order, it will be worth it.
Orel wanders up to Raziel, “Good day sir. You may not remember me, Orel of Orel’s Fine Foods? If you do, may you please tell me when we are departing?” The doors shut on the third cargo car behind the last of the passenger cars. The car is filled with crates and supplies. The wall of a crate bursts open and out rolls a furry mass of guns and explosives. Kaz looks around with his ‘hand cannon’ at the ready.
Ari hears some sort of racket in one of the cars. He walks over toward the one where Kaz is stuck, and leans in next to the metal wall to listen, squinting.
Raziel looks down at Orel, before blinking in recognition. “Oh. Hello again! I’m not sure when we will be departing, but I can’t imagine it will be too long.” As if on cue, the conductor emerges from one of the cars, a spiffy looking badger in a deep blue suit. “All aboard!” he shouts, before he begins ushering the amassed passengers onto the train.
Orel Say, “May you help me find the door to this thing?”
Sure that the area is safe Kaz puts his modified musket away then stretches. The plan was working so far. Soon he would be the first bandit to rob this train. If that didn’t get him into bandit history then nothing will. He sits down next to a crate and waits for the train to start moving.
Ari mms, hearing the conductor call for boarding. The lion looks annoyed, but leaves the car, returning to the primary one he is looking after, and slipping inside. He leans against the inside of it, eyeing the contents.
Orel is standing too close to the train and looking for the door.
Raziel nods to the weasel. “Yes, the enterance to the passenger cars is right over there. The conductor will inspect your ticket and let you aboard.” He pauses for a moment, looking at Orel. “You do have a ticket, don’t you?”
Orel proffers a ticket, “I have at least made enought money selling cookies and drinks to buy this.”
Kaz grins ear to ear as the train starts moving. All he has too do is wait patiently for the train to be farther out from the city. His eyes widen a bit as his stomach makes a loud rumbling noise. He sighs, “I knew I shouldnt have skipped breakfast.” Kaz looks around. The train is moving, right? Blast.
Ari keeps watching the train car he left earlier, raising an eyebrow as he peeks out the side of the car he’s guarding. “Mmm…”
Raziel smiles at Orel. “Good. I was going to offer you one if you needed it. They gave me two complimentary tickets when I told them my parents lived in the city, but…I know better than to try to pry them from their research by now.”
The train’s whistle begins to blow, and the sounds of the engineers shoveling coal into the boiler can be heard. “Won’t be long now. I’ll see you once the we’ve started moving,” he says, hopping up onto the side of the locomotive. Orel rushes into the train and takes a seat, wondering if this will be a dull trip.
The coyote clutches at his belly as it growls louder this time, and painfully. “Ok, maybe I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast, last nights dinner and lunch.” He stands up and wonders through the darkness, hoping to find a crate carrying food.
Ari looks at the cargo of the train, frowning a little, and looking to the other guards. He has some idea that there may be some action today. The lion looks outside, and furrows his brow, “Maybe we’ll get lucky…”
Kaz stubs his toe on a crate. He slaps his hand to a snout to stop himself from shouting in pain. After he calms himself down sniffs at the crate. It smells of…apples?
Orel meanwhile has gotten up, being bored already, and has started to wander around the train, waiting for it to start.
The train’s whistle sounds a few more times, and the conductor gives the last call for passengers before checking his watch and giving the all clear to the engineers. As the badger steps onto the train himself, the locomotive slowly begins to inch forward, the great brass and steel contraption beginning to chug as it moves.
Needless to say, steam engines do not provide the smoothest ride imaginable, and anyone not anticipating the lurching acceleration is in for a surprise.
Kaz, not much a fan for fruit, finally shrugs. He looks for a way to break it open.
Orel is knocked down onto an empty chair, and stays there.
Ari nearly falls out of the car, gripping the edge of the door, which makes a few of the other guards laugh. He’s not the only one, though. One actually falls off and has to run to catch up. He’s pulled back onto the car just in time.
Kaz breaks open the crate…with his face…as he goes flying into it as the train starts.Kaz whimpers softly. His gingerly pulls his head free of the crate. He checks his face for damage. Surprising there appeare to be only a few cuts to his snout. He looks at the open crate of apples. Not a total loss he supposes.
Raziel, not having much to do at the front of the train except watch surly wolves shovel coal, quickly makes his way through the few cars of supplies in front of the passengers, and then through the passenger compartments themselves. He stops just short of the guards protecting the ‘unique’ car, and addresses one of them. A lion, it seems; considerably smaller than the tiger, or most other lions, even. But he looks competent. “No problems with the tank?” Raziel asks.
Keesha twitches her ears at a crash from the baggage car behind where she’s sitting. <Wonder what’s going on in there?>
Orel wanders into the car Keesha is in, “Morning, Madam.” He is swaying all over the place like a drunken sailor.
Ari looks up and shakes his head, “None so far. I don’t think anyone’s seen it. And hopefully we won’t need it.” The lion looks out over the horizon. “This shit scares me. I mean, I don’t even have.. you know, powers, but it’s still a freaky concept.”
Keesha nods. “Morning.” The bat looks a little bleary, as if she’s up past her bedtime.
Orel say, “A bit of a late day for you, I guess. It’s about say…10? I can’t tell the time, I pawned off my watch to buy my stand in Acre, which is waiting for me.”
Keesha looks interested at that. “Stand? You’re in business of some sort?”
Orel says, “Yes, yes. Orel’s Fine Foods, I sell snacks on the side of the road to passers-by.”
Keesha says, “Always a good business to be in. People will always need to eat.”
Raziel nods, then looks quizically at the lion and other guards. “Didn’t they supply you with breathing masks, just in case? I didn’t recieve one, just being part of the crew, but…that didn’t stop me from making one myself. I’d heard that anticelizene is harmless to those without abilities, but also that it can have…adverse effects in large doses.” He looks at the lion more closely. He seems…oddly familiar.
Kaz eats an another apple. He goes over his plan to rob the train while he eats. Step 1, sneak onto train. check. Step 2, Dashingly jump into the passenger car (DONT FORGET TO PUT ON MY MASK!)
Orel nods, “Yes, and I’ve tried to be careful…lots of people getting dragged to the Arena, including my former business partner.”
Ari blinks, and looks at Raziel, “No, they didn’t.” he pauses, “You know, this is the sort of thing I wish I knew to ask for before taking jobs like this.” The lion looks angry at himself. He then blinks, looking closer at Raziel. Yep, they’ve met. He says nothing, though. o.o
Keesha blinks at that. “What? Dragged to the arena? That’s supposed to be either voluntary or as a criminal sentence.”
Orel bows his head “We…lied about our product. I managed to outwit the bounty hunter, but he was not so lucky.”
Kaz ponders some more ,”Step 3 Rob from the rich looking people. Step 4 decouple last train car. Ride it out until the car stops. Step 5, go down in epic history!” he looks about the room he is in. “Um, Which step am I in here?”
Keesha nods. “Ah. Not as good for you, but at least the police haven’t gone insane.”
Orel nods, “He’s probably waiting to die and I’ve made sure to go straight as an arrow.”
Keesha asks, “Not all the matches are to the death, and… he might win. I hesitate to ask, but… what did you misrepresent about the food?”
Orel says, “I sold some moonshine and said it was liscenced booze.”
Keesha pfffs. “No wonder they took an interest. You didn’t give the mobsters their cut. Excuse me, politicians. I keep forgetting the difference.”
Orel says, “Pah…mobsters would be less of a problem, I could shoot THEM without too many reprocussions.”Orel shakes his head and sits down, feeling a little trainsick.
Raziel looks surprised when Ari mentions the guards’ lack of forewarning, but not terribly so. There’s a reason that he avoids larger-scale mercenary work. “Well, as you said, hopefully we won’t have to use it at all. I certainly haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.”
Kaz says to himself, “Soon now. yes, soon we will be far enough out of the city.” He looks to the crate of apples at his side. “Well, maybe a bit longer.”
Orel looks out the window, “Fairly flat country, don’t you think?”
Keesha nods. “Nowhere to launch from.”
Orel ponders, “I hear they are testing winged gliders over at Gilden or wherever its called.”
Suddenly, the train gives another lurch, followed by the squealing of brakes. There is no indication as to why; the whistle does not blow, and there does not appear to be anything on the tracks. Slowly, but surely, the train grinds to a halt.
Raziel is caught off guard by the deceleration, but manages to stay upright by leaning against one of the walls. After that, his shoulders sag immensely. Oh, the irony. “Perhaps I spoke too soon.”
Orel sits upright, “What was that?”
Kaz grabs ahold of the broken apple crate, keeping himself from humorously injuring himself yet again.
There is the sound of the wind picking up. A few hooded figures can be seen outside with their paws up in the air. A couple of them begin running around the train, and toward the engine in particular.
Kaz stands up to stretch. Looks like it is show time. With an apple in one hand he casually strides over to the small door leading toward the front of the train.
Keesha says, “I dunno - but I’m going to find out.” She heads toward the door and peeks out. “Fewmets. Someone’s figured out that if you mess up the tracks, you can stop the train - and rob it.” She reaches under her tunic and pats something, then pulls out a pair of blades that she attaches to her feet.
Orel asks, “May I be of assistance?”
Taking a bite of the apple the coyote munches down his meal while inspecting the lock to the door. Given enough time and effort he may be able to pick it.
Keesha says, “Got a gun? I don’t think the robbers are expecting a fight. And we -do- have them outnumbered.”
Instead, Kaz returns to the other end of the car, draws his ‘hand cannon’ and points it at the door. The modified musket fires a single large slug with a drill bit at the end. It burrowels partially into the door, the fuse at the end is lit and quickly reaching the charge inside. Kaz takes cover behind some crates and finishes his apple.
Orel pulls out his flintlock pistol and waves it, “Like this, I presume?”
Kaz counts down as he chews. “5.”
Keesha grins. “Most certainly does.” She peeks out again, waiting for a moment when the robbers aren’t looking…
Ari stands up at the sight of the hooded critters and looks to Raziel, “So, do we release it now, or wait for them to get closer, or?” He looks out, and grabs one of the valves on the tank, hoping the tiger knows what to do.
Kaz nods his head, “4.”
Orel tries to lean out the window without being spotted.
Kaz loads a rubber slug into the hand cannon. “Thr…” The door dissapears in a cloud of splinters.
Everyone hears a considerable bang from the back of the train.
Raziel gets his bearings, carefully steps over a few of the less sure-footed guards, moving to where Ari is standing. “We should probably lure them closer,” he says, getting out his heavy, yet functional looking respirator and putting it on. Through it, his voice is slightly muted. “Perhaps we could bring them this way by firing a few rounds, getting their attention, then-“ At that moment, he hears the explosion from the back of the train. “Oh. That works. I didn’t know there were any guards stationed back there.”
Rain starts to come down, and the crackle of thunder can be heard. A sound like chanting is barely audible over the wind. The hooded figures are stepping closer, but quite slowly.
Ari’s eyes widen, and he looks to Raziel. “There aren’t…” He hops out of the train with an arrow drawn, and takes a look at the back of the line, “Shit!”
Kaz has a very surprised look on his face and his tail is poofed. “I always did have trouble with timing.” He gets up and gives a low whistle. The door, the wall around it and the wall around that wall has simply vanished. “…and nitro apparently.”
Orel calls out, “What should we do, check that bang or deal with the saboteurs?”
Keesha is not at all happy with the bang. She is, in fact, curled up on the floor at the moment with her wings wrapped around her head.
“All right then, that answers it,” Orel says, as he runs toward the back of the train.
Raziel watches as Ari jumps out, trying to get his attention. “Hey, wait! What am I supposed to-“ Unfortunately, his call is cut off by a loud crash of thunder. He turns back to the guards in the car, most of whom have picked themselves up. However, the apparent ‘leader’ of these mercenaries (as evidenced by superfluous number of medals on his jacket) is thoroughly unconscious, having introduced his skull to the side of the car during the unexpected stop. Raziel stares in disbelief. “Is this some kind of sick joke?!?”
Orel appears at the scene of the explosion, “What is going on?”
Ari blinks, and yeeps! He jumps back into the car, and sees the leader slumped. “Shit. Shit!” The lion looks at Raziel, “Ah.. Um… I dunno, just… why don’t we just open the valves? Do we need hoses or anything?” He looks around for some. Maybe they’re supposed to squirt the bad guys!
Keesha slowly unwraps herself, ears ringing. (Bats do NOT like unexpected explosions.) “Right. Whoever did that is a dead pasu.” She gets up and looks out the window again, noting that the attackers seem to be more interested in the baggage cars than in the passengers.
Kaz rolls his scarf up over his face. The coyote happily strides up to the weasel with his hand cannon resting on his shoulders. When he is but a meter away he points the musket at the weasels belly. “This my friend is what they call a dramatic entrance. Please. Drop your weapon.”
Orel sheathes the weapon and runs to try to find some sort of guard or authority.
Kaz calls out, “H-hey! Get back here!”
The hooded figures throw balls of fire at any creatures they see holding weapons at all. That includes Orel, Kaz, and, of course, the train car holding the guards!
Kaz yipes loudly as a fire ball passes by his tail. He rushes into the passenger car after the weasel. Dispite the stares he is surely getting he rolls up against a window to peer out. “What in tarnation is going on here!”
Orel manages to make it to the middle of the car and sees Raziel, “Sir, we are being robbed!”
Keesha says, “By fire mages, no less. What the hey is going on?”
Raziel doesn’t respond to Ari right away, and instead paces for a few moments, before stopping mid stride and addressing the lion. “No. Do not hit the valve. The rain will wash it out of the air if they’re not close enough. Take the other guards to the back of the train and stay there. Let them know where you are. When they pass the middle of the train, I’ll release the gas, and then you should have the guards charge them while they’re vulnerable. If all goes well, you won’t even be exposed to the gas. Is this agreeable? Then MOVE!” He looks at the weasel. “I am aware. I suggest you get to the back of the train.”
Orel exclaims, “No. There is a robber back there too!”
Ari finds this agreeable, and therefore MOVEs! He motions the guard to follow, nocking an arrow and firing at one of the hooded figures. He tries to take cover behind one of the cars to minimize his exposure to enemy fire. Like, literal fire. o.o
Kaz is realizing something is not right here. He waves cheerfully to the terrified looking passengers around them. “Are…are you a train robber?” a small human child asks. “Why, yes I am little kid.” He looks out the window and ducks down as a fire ball hits the ceiling above him, “Not the only one.” He turns to the people around him, “Stay down and out of sight. I’m going to see if I can get this matter resolved.” He wonders off toward the middle of the train muttering something about lousy train robbers.
The fireballs follow Kaz, and singe the window where he’s at, a few embers spilling into the car. The majority of the figures, however, move closer to the guards, since they seem the greatest threat.
Raziel sighs at Orel’s news. This day keeps getting worse. “Stay with the guards then. I doubt the robber in the back is as dangerous as flame toting magicians near the front!” He begins muttering to himself, though thankfully the respirator mutes it to near silence. “Of course, who knows. Maybe it’s Leviathan back there. I’m sure he has nothing better to do…”
Keesha snickers to herself at the pre-empted robber, but keeps most of her attention on the mages. She ducks as more fireballs come crashing into the car. “This is just strange. Why are these…” She glances back at the baggage cars and puts two and two together with the rumors she’s heard. Her next comment is a high-frequency chitter.
Kaz blinks and takes off his hat. He puts out the single flame then puts back the hat where it belongs. “Ya see. Now I have to hurt you.” He turns to the window takes aim with his weapon and fires. A large sized rubber ball goes flying toward one of the attackers.
Orel gets up and leans out the window, “Do you have another gasmask Raz?”
The prince of darkness is, thankfully, not present. But the magicians are advancing, and the guard keep firing. A couple of the hooded figures go down, and the critter right next to Ari catches fire. “Agh! Fall back, fall back!” He tells the men to retreat, taking them just a bit closer to the tank as the magicians advance. Something manages to catch fire in Kaz’s car. A bit of hay, it seems.
WO> Kaz proves he has a focus stat at a value of: 2 WO> Kaz is making a roll with stat value: 2 WO> result: 1
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 1
The critter Kaz is firing at ends up setting himself on fire. Kaz misses, but the fellow’s still incapacitated, stopping, dropping, and rolling.
Kaz grimaces, “I…hope I didn’t do that.”
Orel takes aim at one of the spell-users and fires without a second thought.
WO> Orel proves the quality: Gunner
WO> Good at firing small firearms, particually flintlock pistols.
WO> Orel is making a roll with stat value: 1 WO> result: 2
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 5
Orel fires but has put too much powder in his gun, so the blast merely makes him fall backward and puts a hole in the ceiling. He swears at lenth, “Now what do I do?”
Keesha puts on a pair of dark goggles and slips out the end door of the car, then climbs the ladder to the top. Gotta get a launch point…
Raziel stares of at the valve, thinking, before he realizes Orel asked him a question, and is still in the car. “No, I do not have another mask. Which is why I suggest you leave this car before I open this valve.” He watches as Orel attempts to take a shot, and is instead knocked off his feet. Raziel rushes over to help the weasel up.
Fire balls flying over his head, Kaz switches positions. He loads a different type of shell into the hand cannon and smiles.
Orel stands up and says, “I’ll head back now, and try again. Sorry about that.” Orel runs back to where the rest of the guards are.
A fireball lands in the cart with the tank. It’s set ablaze. The tank will explode if it’s not made to release through less violent means soon! Ari’s team is working their way back, but they’re likely to be in range of it gassing them if Raziel opens the valve now.
Orel crouches down and calls out, “They will release the gas soon!”
Ari’s ears perk, and he starts yelling, “Fall back! Spread out!” The lion moves back more quickly, but stumbles over a rock, falling on his rump as the mages advance.
Keesha winces as another fireball lights off one of the baggage cars. <That is about enough of that.> She launches from the top of the car, flapping to gain altitude and initially angling away from the train. <With luck, they’ll figure I’m a panicked passenger…>
Kaz with an evil snarl he points his hand cannon at the group advancing on…a lion? He shrugs oh well. “This is for my hat!” The bullet lands in the middle of the attackers.
WO> Kaz proves he has a mind stat at a value of: 4 WO> Kaz proves the quality: Experimental Explosives Expert
WO> Kaz is skilled in making explosives, gun powder, regular and experimental ammunition, and anthing else that goes BOOM.
WO> Kaz is making a roll with stat value: 5 WO> result: 8
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 3
The device begins emiting a green gas. The term noxious is an understatement. the smell is equivilant to having your head burried in a sock drawer while being dumped into a lake of raw sewage.
Orel wonders <Is that the gas Raziel was talking about?
It is wide spread and is known to make even bear pasu pass out from taking too long to flee the area. And doesn’t. Go. Away. “Try focusing long enough to throw fire balls at me now punks!”
Raziel’s ears flatten. Gas everyone, and risk minimal effect on the intended target, or explode violently. What wonderful choice. He keeps low, and glances out one of the windows to see how close the mages are. Close enough option three to work, hopefully. Raziel grabs his gun and shoots at the tank; one hole towards either side of the train. The pressure immediately begins to decrease as the anticelizene sparys out of the two new openings, the placement of the holes forcing it to concentrate toward the front of the train, and the car Raziel happens to be in. He hopes this mask works. This is far more than he expected it to withstand…
Orel covers his nose and coughs a bit, “Ugh! That can’t be it, this stuff just stinks!”
A fire fireballs launch up toward Keesha, but the shots stop coming for a while as the mages start to hack and cough, a few of them falling onto their knees and emptying the contents of their stomachs onto the ground. Of course, gas is pretty indescriminant, so Ari’s getting quite the experience as well.
WO> Keesha proves the quality: Aerobatic Flight
WO> Personal flight ability, highly skilled at maneuvering to intercept or dodge.
WO> Keesha proves she has a body stat at a value of: 2 WO> Keesha is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 1
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 2 WO> result: 1
The fireball closest to keesha doesn’t survive the rain and dissipates before it hits her.
Kaz shouts at the attackers. “What? You like that? Then have another!” After reloading he launches his last skunk shell at the enemy.
Ari is hacking and coughing on the ground, throwing up and scrunching his eyes. Was this the Anticelizine? Why couldn’t he have gotten back in time?
WO> Kaz is making a roll with stat value: 5 WO> result: 3
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 2
With the attackers focusing on…yuck! losing their lunches Kaz hops out of the train and pulls the lion back to the passenger cars.
Orel decides he’s had enough of this, and despite the overpowering stench in the area, he manages to get up, load his gun with a ball and powder, and take a careful aim at the nearest magic-user.
WO> Orel is making a roll with stat value: 4 WO> result: 7
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 4
Orel fires and hits an important-looking mage right on the head, making him drop dead on the spot.
Kaz pulls the gagging lion to the same car Keesha is on top of.
Keesha squeaks as her little subterfuge fails to work. She tries jinking as the flame-sphere hurtles upward, but mistimes it and screeches as the fireball singes her right wing in passing. “Oh, it is -on- now.” She dives for the one who did that, her foot-blades glinting as she takes aim.
Raziel has no idea if his gunshots were heard over the fireballs, explosions, and other gunshots. But he isn’t about to find out, especailly while sitting in a room overflowing with potentially harmful gas. He backtracks through the passenger cars, heading towards the front, until he’s sure he’s behind the mages. Then, taking a deep breath through his respirator, he steps out of the car, and and begins firing at the distracted magic users.
The gas seeps into the air, filling the area with gas and spreading outward. The mages keep pointing their paws forward to shoot fireballs, but nothing comes out. Quite suddenly, the mages are not able to attack. The look around in confusion. The wind dies down and the sun starts to come out.
One looks up and sees Keesha’s blades in his chest. He blinks at her. And then crumples over.
Ari coughs, rolling around and scrunching his eyes while on the floor of the car. He’s not able to do much.
Orel looks around at every being in the car, “Is everyone all right?”
Some of the mercs, now seeing the mages disabled, begin advancing. Firing upon them, with muskets and arrows. A couple of them run around and capture a few wounded, binding them up and dragging them onto the train.
Kaz appologizes, “Sorry mister. Keep coughing for a while. It will help get the skunk shell out of your lungs.” Pats him on the back. He sees that the fire balls have stopped so the attack must be over. He smiles brodly. Then turns to the weasel. “Oh, there you are.”
Orel says, “Yes. I believe I and several other people have your stinky bomb to thank for fending them off, despite the unpleasantness.”
Kaz says, “Heh, stink bombs. I would call them gag bombs but everyone only laughs at it.”
Raziel continues advancing, opposite the mercenaries, effectively flanking them. Without magic, it shouldn’t take long to take them down and round them up. Right?
Kaz says, “Friend of mine came up with the idea a long time ago. Later on I put it into practice.” shakes his head and laughs. “Crazy fox always did have some strange ideas.”
A few manage to make their way out of the woods, but Raziel and the others manage to them in. They’re looking like their ready to try attacking paw-to-paw, not willing to go quietly. They start to rush at Raziel and the others, shrieking!
Orel climbs out the window, saying, “Fancy coming out and helping me, mister coyte?”
Raziel shakes his head. “I swear, these people want to be shot.” The tiger, more than happy to oblige after the hell they just put him through, levels his rifle and fires.
WO> Raziel is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 0
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 2
The tiger gets socked in the stomach by an oncoming mage! Hu-Cha!
Kaz says, “Kaz. Kaz the bandit. Where exactly do you plan on going?” But follows the weasel anyway.
Orel states, “The roof,” as he tries to climb to it. Orel manages to surmount the roof with some effort, and starts to fill his flintlock with powder.
Ari is still clearing his lungs. In a few more moments, he’ll probably be able to fight again.
Keesha dives down, slashing with her bladed feet as she passes the now-inactive mage. “Fireball ME, will you?” She pulls up, getting a whiff of the gas, and snorting in disgust at the odor, and heads back up into the sky as her target crumples to the ground behind her.
Raziel can’t believe his gun jammed. What do you know; terrible days can get worse. He’s winded by the blow, and in the back of his mind he makes a note to investigate if anticelizene has any corrosive effects on metal, but the majority of his mental processes involve rage, and the various ways he’s going to bludgeon these magical fools. He wastes no time implementing them; smashing the mage in the face with the stock of his rifle.
WO> Raziel proves he has a body stat at a value of: 3 WO> Raziel is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 5
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 4
The tiger cracks the mage in the jaw, knocking him back. The mage gets back up on his feet, and goes to charge the tiger again!
Kaz looks at the distance between himself and the tiger under durress. He cant make a shot that far. For a moment he questions why he should be helping out and not robbing the place. But he doesnt want to go down in history as the bandit who had to use someone elses robbery to rob this train. With a sigh he loads an explosive round into his hand cannon and hands it to Orel. “Aim high. The shot will detonate long before it reaches the ground but it should give them all a start at the very least.”
Orel puts the funny ammo in his gun and fires upward like he says.
WO> Orel is making a roll with stat value: 5 WO> result: 5
WO> Kaz is making a roll with stat value: 4 WO> result: 5
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 3 WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 2
Keesha finishes her swoop, and goes into a circle to see what else needs doing. Just in time to get rocked by yet another explosion. “Oh, come on!” She climbs higher, her ears ringing…
Orel manages to fire the shot into the air right over the heads of the group of mages, where it explodes like an orange firecracker.
The mages fall over in confusion. Though, Raz would likely be just as surprised. They scramble trying to get back up.
Ari draws back his bow, and fires a well placed shot. It slips through the heart of one of the mages. By this point, there are very few of them left.
Orel nods at the battle wisdom of Kaz, “Not too bad of an idea. Now, try to spot the one who seems like a leader, if he still lives.”
There’s no one that looks like a leader around. Either they don’t have traditional leadership, or that guy high-tailed it out of there. Or he’s unmarked.
Raziel is surprised by the explosion, and ducks down, but is not quite as rattled as the mages. He works with explosives, after all. He quickly tries to move the lever of his rifle, clearing any sort of obstruction, before he aims point blank at the mage.
WO> Raziel is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 0
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 2
And for you, tiger… a boot to the head!
Orel curses loudly and shouts to Raziel, “Need help down there?”
Kaz smiles as he takes his hand cannon back. “Heh, Robbed trains here to Gilead, never thought I would live to see the day I defended that one.” He chuckles a bit. “Im kind of glad that friend i mentioned isnt here. Rascal would never let me live that down.” He looks about for any leader type peoples. Kaz then climbs down the ladder to the ground.
Orel follows Kaz, figuring he no longer needed the height advantage.
Keesha glides back down to the top of her rail car as the fight comes to an end. “Better round ‘em up and then work on that fire, people! I don’t think y’all want to walk the rest of the way to Acre!”
Kaz casually strolls toward where the tiger is being beaten, and beating people with his rifle. He reconizes him from before. “Oh I so have to give him a hard time about this.”
Raziel stumbles and wipes some blood from his mouth. That. Hurt. He doesn’t break eye contact with the mage, but he does shout back to Orel, “No, I’m good. I’ll join you as soon as I kill this mage.” He drops his his gun. And /mauls/ him.
WO> Raziel is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 3
WO> Ari is making a roll with stat value: 3 WO> result: 3
A few of the mercs close in and, after a rather humiliating set of blows, save Raziel’s stripey ass. The tackle the mage and yank him out of the way kicking and screaming back to the car. Ari pads up over to Raz and says, “Sooo… I know this gunsmith. He might be able to help you with that thing…”
Kaz smiles as he approaches, “Yeah, nice display of weaponry there cat!”
Orel seeing the fight is over, he climbs back into the train car and sits down on the floor. It still stinks slightly in there.
Raziel picks up his rifle, and his respirator, which he lost when he was kicked in the face. He then fires all the rounds left in the gun in the direction the mages fled, the rifle not missing a beat. “No, it works just fine, and is twice as efficient as any repeating rifle I’ve seen another gunsmith produce. It just…hates me.” He looks over as Kaz arrives. “Oh. Let me guess. Here to rob the train, are you?” He gestures to the smoldering ruins of the middle cars. “Well, there you go. I’m sure all these guards standing around will understand.”
Kaz laughs heartily. “Yeah, like I want to risk getting stranded out in the woods with angry bandits. I’m crazy, not insane. We need to get going. Before they decide to regroup.”
Ari looks to Kaz, and then to Raziel, “I’d leave him here, but he kind of saved us back there.” The lion shrugs, and hops back onto the train, “Best get back on, the engine’s nearly ready again.”
Raziel shrugs, and begins trudging back to the train. He takes another long look at Ari…and remebers where he knows him from. As he steps back onto the train, he walks past the lion, and casually states, ‘Yes, we should be going. Though, you may want to put out the fires first. Such a shame that trains don’t have lifeboats…
Ari’s ears flatten, “Uh… Right, yeah…” The lion hops back onto the train. Soon enough, the engine chugs back to life, and continues its way down the track.
Kaz follows with his arms crossed behind his back. The coyote hops on and gives the two pasu a polite nod as he heads back to the passenger cars. Maybe some food survived.
Orel lopes into a more forward passanger car, and slumps into a seat, escaping the smell for the most part.
Keesha nods as the train starts moving, making sure that there’s no extra trailing wisps of smoke, then climbs back down and into the car. She’s bone- tired by now, and her head hurts from the bangs. So instead of sitting on a seat built for groundling pasu, she grabs hold of the luggage rack and dangles from it - and starts snoring after a few minutes.