The Hunting Grounds III - Second Most Dangerous Game

[Black Socks]

Tier fires his shotgun at the worm eggs. After that, he runs up to them and begins to crush them with his metal boot.

The fragile eggs are destroyed easily. Hidden among the rubble is a plain bracelet, woven with what appears to be snake skin. If one listens closely, one can hear strange whispers in a hissing tongue.
Ahead is a three-way passage. The middle passageway is blocked by a cave-in.

[8BitNinja]

The fragile eggs are destroyed easily. Hidden among the rubble is a plain bracelet, woven with what appears to be snake skin. If one listens closely, one can hear strange whispers in a hissing tongue.
Ahead is a three-way passage. The middle passageway is blocked by a cave-in.

Tier picks up the bracelet. Hopefully it has some monetary value to the gnome. Although he doesn't know which, if any, short, bearded races like snake jewelry. He marks the two other tunnels on his helmet HUD and looks at the center path. Out of his back compartment he pulls out a 5 pound block of C4 (yes, he casually carries that around) and places it up against the rock blocking the center path. He then pulls out a small disk that creates a small forcefield just big enough for Tier to fit in and he detonates the C4.

[Black Socks]

Tier picks up the bracelet. Hopefully it has some monetary value to the gnome. Although he doesn't know which, if any, short, bearded races like snake jewelry. He marks the two other tunnels on his helmet HUD and looks at the center path. Out of his back compartment he pulls out a 5 pound block of C4 (yes, he casually carries that around) and places it up against the rock blocking the center path. He then pulls out a small disk that creates a small forcefield just big enough for Tier to fit in and he detonates the C4.

The rubble is cleared easily, to reveal.... a curve. If followed, one will find that all the passages led to the same place:
The central room!
The airship wreckage, with glittering emeralds gleaming among the metal, is in one corner. Three worms are in the room. Two attempt to shoot their eye beams at Tier while the last retreats. Cowardice?

[8BitNinja]

The rubble is cleared easily, to reveal.... a curve. If followed, one will find that all the passages led to the same place:
The central room!
The airship wreckage, with glittering emeralds gleaming among the metal, is in one corner. Three worms are in the room. Two attempt to shoot their eye beams at Tier while the last retreats. Cowardice?

Tier rolls towards the worms to dodge the beams. After rolling, he pulls a grenade that has a cylindrical shape with holes in it off his belt. Tier throws the flashbang behind him and fires his shotgun at the nearest worm.

[Black Socks]

Tier rolls towards the worms to dodge the beams. After rolling, he pulls a grenade that has a cylindrical shape with holes in it off his belt. Tier throws the flashbang behind him and fires his shotgun at the nearest worm.

The grenade explodes behind him.
Good thing, too- a worm was trying to attack him from behind. Guess that's where the last one went.
One worm is destroyed by the shotgun, but the other survives. It attempts to use the eye beams to melt away a huge stalactite above Tier, hoping it will fall and crush him.

[8BitNinja]

The grenade explodes behind him.
Good thing, too- a worm was trying to attack him from behind. Guess that's where the last one went.
One worm is destroyed by the shotgun, but the other survives. It attempts to use the eye beams to melt away a huge stalactite above Tier, hoping it will fall and crush him.

Tier sprints towards the worm and draws his plasma rifle. If he dodges the stalactite, he fires 15 plasma bolts at the remaining worm.

((Just to let you know in the future (or now) that a flashbang is a nonlethal grenade that temporarily blinds and deafens anyone who is looking in the general direction of the grenade. So unless the worm had a heart attack, it should be alright. I'm not complaining, but I just wanted to let you know. I think it's my fault though, I should've specified the grenade type when I said I was throwing it instead of afterwards.))

[Black Socks]

Tier sprints towards the worm and draws his plasma rifle. If he dodges the stalactite, he fires 15 plasma bolts at the remaining worm.

((Just to let you know in the future (or now) that a flashbang is a nonlethal grenade that temporarily blinds and deafens anyone who is looking in the general direction of the grenade. So unless the worm had a heart attack, it should be alright. I'm not complaining, but I just wanted to let you know. I think it's my fault though, I should've specified the grenade type when I said I was throwing it instead of afterwards.))

((Oh. Let's just say the the worm is easily startled and had a heart attack.))
The stalactite shatters behind Tier, sending huge shards of rock flying in all directions but not hitting Tier.
The last worm shrieks in agony as the bolts hit it, withering away to nothing.
The airship wreckage, if searched, can be found to contain a large amount of emeralds, worth [reasonably high sum of money]. As well, there is a small gear, slimy with oil, lying on the ground next to a scrap of fabric.

[8BitNinja]

((Oh. Let's just say the the worm is easily startled and had a heart attack.))
The stalactite shatters behind Tier, sending huge shards of rock flying in all directions but not hitting Tier.
The last worm shrieks in agony as the bolts hit it, withering away to nothing.
The airship wreckage, if searched, can be found to contain a large amount of emeralds, worth [reasonably high sum of money]. As well, there is a small gear, slimy with oil, lying on the ground next to a scrap of fabric.

Tier gathers as many emeralds as he can and puts them in the back compartment of his armor. He then picks up the gear and fabric and puts it in the side compartment of his leg armor under his handgun holster. Hopefully the gnome has a use for spare mechanical parts. Tier begins to head out.

[Black Socks]

Tier gathers as many emeralds as he can and puts them in the back compartment of his armor. He then picks up the gear and fabric and puts it in the side compartment of his leg armor under his handgun holster. Hopefully the gnome has a use for spare mechanical parts. Tier begins to head out.

He will have no encounters on his way back.
Upon emerging from the cave, Tier will see the gnome waiting at the foot of the mountain.

[8BitNinja]

He will have no encounters on his way back.
Upon emerging from the cave, Tier will see the gnome waiting at the foot of the mountain.

"It's a good thing you're here, I was worried that that device I gave you wouldn't transmit the message when I was finished."He pulls out the gear and hands it to the gnome. "I have no need of this, but maybe you might. Also, if you want the emeralds, I can give those to you."

[Black Socks]

"It's a good thing you're here, I was worried that that device I gave you wouldn't transmit the message when I was finished."He pulls out the gear and hands it to the gnome. "I have no need of this, but maybe you might. Also, if you want the emeralds, I can give those to you."

"Thanks. Ah've been needing this, but y' can keep the emeralds- they're no use to me."
A small panel opens on the side of the gnome's head and he inserts the gear.
"Don' think I ever introduced m'self. I'm a model-LANJIN robot."

[8BitNinja]

"Thanks. Ah've been needing this, but y' can keep the emeralds- they're no use to me."
A small panel opens on the side of the gnome's head and he inserts the gear.
"Don' think I ever introduced m'self. I'm a model-LANJIN robot."

"So LANJIN, what exactly do you do? If you don't mind me asking." says Tier

[Black Socks]

"So LANJIN, what exactly do you do? If you don't mind me asking." says Tier

"Mostly, I patrol this area for my creator. She got injured a few years back, y'see, and so she created me to do th' on-th'-ground work for her. Speaking o' which, she wants t' talk t' you...."
Lanjinbot's eyes glow lavender. When he speaks again, it is in a soft female voice.
"I owe you a favor. If you want to call it in, contact me."
The eyes return to normal. Lanjinbot fishes in his pocket for a second before pulling out a stone carving of a mole. It has its jaw open, creating a perfect space to hold a scroll.
"Jus' write somethin' on a piece o' paper and give it to th' mole, an' it'll find its way."

[8BitNinja]

"Mostly, I patrol this area for my creator. She got injured a few years back, y'see, and so she created me to do th' on-th'-ground work for her. Speaking o' which, she wants t' talk t' you...."
Lanjinbot's eyes glow lavender. When he speaks again, it is in a soft female voice.
"I owe you a favor. If you want to call it in, contact me."
The eyes return to normal. Lanjinbot fishes in his pocket for a second before pulling out a stone carving of a mole. It has its jaw open, creating a perfect space to hold a scroll.
"Jus' write somethin' on a piece o' paper and give it to th' mole, an' it'll find its way."

Tier pulls out a piece of paper and writes "I'm asking for that favor you owe me, meet me at Trog's Tavern. Look for a man in a suit of green battle scarred armor who answers to the name Tier." He rolls up the paper and puts it in the mole's mouth. "Thanks for the message, I actually do need something right now." Tier says to Lanjin "If you need to speak with me further, I'll be at Trog's. Until I can find a more covert place to hide out, I'll hang around there. Tier goes to his aircraft and readies for takeoff.

[Black Socks]

Tier pulls out a piece of paper and writes "I'm asking for that favor you owe me, meet me at Trog's Tavern. Look for a man in a suit of green battle scarred armor who answers to the name Tier." He rolls up the paper and puts it in the mole's mouth. "Thanks for the message, I actually do need something right now." Tier says to Lanjin "If you need to speak with me further, I'll be at Trog's. Until I can find a more covert place to hide out, I'll hang around there. Tier goes to his aircraft and readies for takeoff.

"Sounds good."
The mole jumps onto the ground and burrows away.
"See ya around!"

[8BitNinja]

[Hunter's House]

((If it's alright with you, I'm entering this scene as a part of something I'm doing with another game.))

A man in green battle scarred heavy armor knocks on the door. Anyone who looks can see he is carrying a Benelli M4 12 Gauge shotgun, a .44 Magnum revolver, and an M4 with an M203 grenade launcher, ACOG scope, and a 100 round magazine. He is also carrying various grenades. "Excuse me" he says in a deep voice that would frighten any normal man. "Is this the residency of someone by the name of Hunter? I need to talk to him."

[Recaiden]

Mel smirks at the electrolaser

Oh, they still use 'em well enough. But they're for training... and culling: if a recruit's too stupid to know his limitations and the limitations of his weapon, I'd rather know sooner than later. And frankly, anyone too dumb to run back to the armory when there's a more serious attack deserves what happens next.

As I'm not actually interested in that stupid feud, I just suddenly find compelling reasons for everyone I care about to not be present anymore when folks come calling.

He smirks at the railgun

Standard "too many dollars, not enough sense" boy, there. Had some high-tech factory and fancied himself a crusader... didn't seem to figure out that old Tenjin wasn't exactly on the "good" side of things. But it's simple enough: he bought his way to the top. Bribes, gifts, funding stuff out of his own pocket... why does an elite hunting group need an established camp? If we bivouacked in the field and actually holed up here in huntside or some other neutral place, it'd be better.

Still got a couple idiots in charge, though, and since they've managed to not end up dead yet despite a certain amount of effort on my part I guess I have to concede a certain amount of skill. But I'm a hunter and I can be patient: I'll get 'em eventually.

Smirk at every weapon!

"That's simple enough. You need a camp when there's too many of you to keep organized out in the field."

Hunter shrugs and strolls away from the weapon rack, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Good is rarely appreciated. Or maybe real crusaders had turned him away. Money, on the other hand, almost always is. Enough about them, though. What's the best quarry you've ever taken down out here?"

That's a little sinister. Sure, other hunters are the most dangerous game to go after, but if they've got that skill, maybe they're not really the idiots they seem. You shouldn't go after them for political reasons.

((Another game? But I don't mind, it has a bit of comedy to it. I did, however, miss your above post by a handful of seconds.))

Then there's someone at the door. Huh.

There aren't any windows, or even a pinhole in the door, that might easily allow someone to see who's calling.

Stand back up, grab the macuahuitl from its rack, head for the door.

[8BitNinja]

[Hunter's House]

Seeing as he had no immediate answer, the man puts 2 pounds of Semtex on the door. He steps out of the blast radius and detonates the Semtex

[WarKitty]

Hunter's House
A small black cat quietly watches Trier from the shadows. What is he doing here?

[Recaiden]

So much for the door. It would be off its hinges if it weren't shattered into little bits already, and the front wall is not in the best shape. Quite a bit of explosive for this task. Bits of door and dust are all about.

The silent song reaches the peak of its crescendo and shifts to a different faster tune.
The snake runs and hides, slipping out the back of its enclosure. The little pterosaurs all rise, screeching at the tops of their little lungs, voices and wingbeats making a cacophony as they pour up out the chimney and through the newly blasted opening. The great cat stands and lazily stretches, opening every eye from front to back. Far away, an aerial giant who took the place of a dragon hears the commotion and turns its course back to Huntside, while a colossal many-legged horror peeks up out of its tunnel to look around. This should be interesting, either way.

Hunter scowls at the doorway, her heart now beating quick for an entirely different reason.
"What do you think you're doing out there?"
The debris and dust is caught on a curtain of shadow in front of her; she lets it fall.

((And waiting here for Fenric))

[WarKitty]

The cat blinks suddenly and flattens her ears at the noise. Violent fellow. No finesse. Distasteful.

[Fenric]

[Hunter's House]

Mel nods

And a Hunting group that grown too big for it's britches is a small army, and attracts the attention of other armies.

Then a subject change! Mel smiles and accepts it pleasantly

Best? Hm... 'couple of different answers for that, depending on you're measure of "best". The most dangerous was probably a basilisk-dragon: that took a lot of care and planning. The hardest challenge was a demonic jelly creature: ignored both lightning and lead in equal parts. Most fun, though... hm...

Then, somebody at the door? Mel turns and looks quizzically as Hunter re-arms and heads to the door

There's no way anyone could have tracked me this quickly...

Then, explosion!

2 ... pounds ...

somebody's almost as bad as me for bringing too much explosive for the job at hand.

And Mel had a life-threatening concussion earlier today with just one Cure Light Wounds potion to help out... so with that level of blast Mel's out cold once more, with a decent smattering of shrapnel wounds - some of which might just be serious.

[8BitNinja]

So much for the door. It would be off its hinges if it weren't shattered into little bits already, and the front wall is not in the best shape. Quite a bit of explosive for this task. Bits of door and dust are all about.

The silent song reaches the peak of its crescendo and shifts to a different faster tune.
The snake runs and hides, slipping out the back of its enclosure. The little pterosaurs all rise, screeching at the tops of their little lungs, voices and wingbeats making a cacophony as they pour up out the chimney and through the newly blasted opening. The great cat stands and lazily stretches, opening every eye from front to back. Far away, an aerial giant who took the place of a dragon hears the commotion and turns its course back to Huntside, while a colossal many-legged horror peeks up out of its tunnel to look around. This should be interesting, either way.

Hunter scowls at the doorway, her heart now beating quick for an entirely different reason.
"What do you think you're doing out there?"
The debris and dust is caught on a curtain of shadow in front of her; she lets it fall.

((And waiting here for Fenric))

[Hunter's House]

Mel nods

And a Hunting group that grown too big for it's britches is a small army, and attracts the attention of other armies.

Then a subject change! Mel smiles and accepts it pleasantly

Best? Hm... 'couple of different answers for that, depending on you're measure of "best". The most dangerous was probably a basilisk-dragon: that took a lot of care and planning. The hardest challenge was a demonic jelly creature: ignored both lightning and lead in equal parts. Most fun, though... hm...

Then, somebody at the door? Mel turns and looks quizzically as Hunter re-arms and heads to the door

There's no way anyone could have tracked me this quickly...

Then, explosion!

2 ... pounds ...

somebody's almost as bad as me for bringing too much explosive for the job at hand.

And Mel had a life-threatening concussion earlier today with just one Cure Light Wounds potion to help out... so with that level of blast Mel's out cold once more, with a decent smattering of shrapnel wounds - some of which might just be serious.

Tier swings into the doorway (or rather what was the doorway) with his Benelli M4 and shoots at Hunter. After firing, he throws a flashbang into the room. Anyone looking in the general direction of the grenade is temporarily blinded and deafened.

[Recaiden]

Hunter is already diving out of the way. I'm sure the curtain and corner wall are rather the worse for wear. She rolls behind the little table and flips it forward to create a moment of cover. Conveniently the little dish on it had already been knocked off and broken by the earlier glass.

Then the grenade goes off. Hunter is wishing she had her glasses on, and her ears can't hear anything but that ringing. The world fades out, but what this is, is a great opportunity. The next moment she's covered toe-to-head in a suit of slick white armor, the same stretchy, plate-filled design as normal. Missing a face-plate, though. Transparent is difficult. The monster roars in pain, a terrible chord that would make anyone not already deafened wish that they were. Carries hundreds of meters, at least. The slower pterodactyls, still in the house, do not do so well. A few have their fragile little bones crack, others crash into walls and the floor, bereft of close-distance navigation. A couple are about to crash into Tier.

Side-effect: no point trying to banter with your opponent if you're deaf. So she's got nothing to say...aloud.

People out in town are hardly going to miss the commotion.

[WarKitty]

Hunter's House

The black cat very quietly slips up to the corner of the door, hiding in the rubble, ears and tail flat against her body.

[Fenric]

Mel is still unconscious and bleeding...

not much to say, really.

[8BitNinja]

Hunter is already diving out of the way. I'm sure the curtain and corner wall are rather the worse for wear. She rolls behind the little table and flips it forward to create a moment of cover. Conveniently the little dish on it had already been knocked off and broken by the earlier glass.

Then the grenade goes off. Hunter is wishing she had her glasses on, and her ears can't hear anything but that ringing. The world fades out, but what this is, is a great opportunity. The next moment she's covered toe-to-head in a suit of slick white armor, the same stretchy, plate-filled design as normal. Missing a face-plate, though. Transparent is difficult. The monster roars in pain, a terrible chord that would make anyone not already deafened wish that they were. Carries hundreds of meters, at least. The slower pterodactyls, still in the house, do not do so well. A few have their fragile little bones crack, others crash into walls and the floor, bereft of close-distance navigation. A couple are about to crash into Tier.

Side-effect: no point trying to banter with your opponent if you're deaf. So she's got nothing to say...aloud.

People out in town are hardly going to miss the commotion.

Mel is still unconscious and bleeding...

not much to say, really.

Tier fires his Benelli at Mel and then quickly draws his M4 and drops the Benelli at his feet and fires several about 5 3 round bursts (15 rounds) at the table. If this is a normal table, the bullets should travel through. A table is concealment, not cover.

[WarKitty]

The black cat slowly creeps a little closer, trying her hardest to get a good look without being seen.

[Green Elf]

The black cat slowly creeps a little closer, trying her hardest to get a good look without being seen.

"Yes sir, will do" the cloaked man days in a walkie-talkie.(He blends into the surrounding area with a chameleon type suit) Johnson(who was mentioned earlier) brushes away some of the ground and pulls out a buried Barrett M82 and aims at the black cat.

[WarKitty]

Who would shoot at a poor innocent little kitty? The cat suddenly starts running around the back of the house in a zig-zag pattern, dodging behind the rubble.