Duel Monsters: Of Myths and Magic [IC/PG-16]

[Zai 26]

OOC

 

 

Adventure 01: Bug Hunt

BGM

Greasy, oily rain began to fall as the Overdrive made its way along the dirty streets of Carousel, stopping only at checkpoints guarded by platoons of science soldiers as it sped its way deeper into the heart of the city. Seated rather uncomfortably in its crew cab, alongside two more of the helmeted stormtroopers, was a motley band of individuals, all of whom looked incredibly out of place inside a drab military vehicle. Three of them appeared to be human, at least, but between the power armor, angel wings, floating robot, and robed gremlin, the sheer absurdity of the anachronism on display was enough to get quizzical looks and stifled laughs from the troopers staffing the checkpoints.

"New boots, most of them- never seen anyone from out-of-zone before." One of the two science soldiers in the overdrive spoke up, as if to apologize for any offense. "Most of us vets are either dead or wounded these days."

"Must be getting real bad around here these days." One of the humans- the one wearing the power armor that took up far too much of the row of seats for anyone sitting alongside him to be comfortable, replied.

"We're losing ground every day now. A few more blocks every week. All we can do is slow them down." the other one chimed in as they passed by the hulked remains of a blood soaked t-34 oni tank.

"And yet you guys still have money enough to pay us?" The floating robot beeped with what passed for an agitated tone, though whether this was to punctuate what the guy in power armor was saying, or to yell at him for being rude, the trooper couldn't tell.

"There's funding squared away for you, no need to worry."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to sound greedy. Truth be told, if expenses didn't come with the territory, I'd be doing this sort of work pro-bono. Though..... my friends here might not feel the same way." He shot a glance in the direction of his compatriots, then looked back out the window. "So your boss, this Victor guy, he's at city hall?"

"Yeah. City hall's been our headquarters since the bugs overran the military district. Once we get there he'll have a full briefing for you guys."

"Sure you can handle it? You folks are in for a helluva fight." The other one spoke up again.

Before anyone could respond, however, the overdrive stopped short, and the driver got on the intercom. "Checkpoint 7-b's empty. I don't like the looks of this."

"Alternate routes, Chip?"

"None that won't take us through a bug zone. I've got the chaingun revved up, but I think it'd be best if you make sure the block's clear before we keep going. Last thing we need is for a Doom Dozer to unburrow under us while we're transporting the cargo."

"Right." The trooper opened the door, then turned back around to his passengers. "We'll be able to get moving again sooner if you five give us a hand. Might as well stretch your legs and help us clear the block."

The block- what was once a bustling city street, was now piled high with rubble and discarded trash. There had been combat here before, and the remnants of those fights littered the road all around the vacant checkpoint. Out of view, there were several alleyways where enemies could be hiding, and there was no discounting the possibility that there could be hostiles inside the buildings or even underneath their feet. It wasn't a matter of if the checkpoint had been compromised- that was already apparent. Rather, it was whether or not the bugs were still here, and whether the overdrive could safely move through the area with the current level of activity that the group was trying to ascertain.

"If you're feelin' lazy, you can stay and guard the overdrive. That chaingun can't reach the rear or the sides, after all." The other trooper added as he grabbed his rifle.

"Scoop, Chang, make sure you get back here in one piece." Chip called over from inside the cab.

"We'll be back in a jiff." Chang, the first trooper to speak, replied. "Scoop, you take the left, I'll take the right."

"Roger that. Any of you hero types feel like takin' a walk, come with me."

Edited July 22, 2019 by Zai

[Thar 502]

The back of a cramped Jeep had an atmosphere that few would envy for any mortal being. In Gardna's case, he felt nothing but patience as he rested in his reserved state. To any onlookers who were not aware of his existence, he simply looked like a large, fancy shield sitting up against one of the seats, strapped by a belt so that he would not be tossed around during the bumpy trip to wherever they ended up. It wasn't until the vehicle came to a stop when he came out of his meditation to listen for any prompt to come out and observe the situation outside.

"Yeah. City hall's been our headquarters since the bugs overran the military district. Once we get there he'll have a full briefing for you guys."

Bugs, Gardna thought in his passive state, still remaining infused within the shield, an infestation?

"Alternate routes, Chip?"

"None that won't take us through a bug zone. I've got the chaingun revved up, but I think it'd be best if you make sure the block's clear before we keep going. Last thing we need is for a Doom Dozer to unburrow under us while we're transporting the cargo."

A path of bugs needs to be cleared. That is my mission. He remained dormant, awaiting an order to move out.

"Roger that. Any of you hero types feel like takin' a walk, come with me."

That was Gardna's cue. Without hesitation, Gardna projected a rather bulky, tan arm out from the back surface near the strap meant for an arm, hooking around to unstrap the belt that held him in place. Once loose, the rest of him seeped out, sprawling into a large, muscular man with long, bushy black hair, a blue and purple collared Hawaiian shirt, red sweatpants, and thick tan boots. Without so much as a slight slouch, the large and heavy shield lifted with his arm as he wielded it without a sweat, making his way out of the vehicle with his deadpan expression that signified professional readiness for any mission.

"I will follow. What shall you have me do?" Gardna spoke, his voice resonating with a smooth and deep tone that swooned the chaotic state of the city that reeked of havoc.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Thar

[|0P| 24]

    "How did we end up like this?" Sanwitch thought as they sat quietly in their seat, stuck between the feathered wings of an angel and that monstrous hunk of metal Melanie called a tool. "Every time there's a vehicle we end up stuck in the middle seat. Every. Single. Time. It's probably our size. Serafine was taller." they reasoned, looking at their "other body" sat on their lap until it was suddenly thrown forward by the vehicle braking, dragging their attention to the soldiers escorting the group.

    "Checkpoint 7-b's empty. I don't like the looks of this." one of them spoke into the intercom, irritating the druid to no end as it most likely meant more time stuck in the cramped transport.

    when the opportunity arose Sanwitch nearly jumped out of their seat to escape the confines of the overdrive, even if it meant they'd have to partake in removing whatever roadblock had stopped them. They were barely able to grab their staff, figuring they could use some sort of plant's roots to dig through the rubble and dirt, as they were nearly pushed out the vehicle by the return of their least favorite begrudging ally, Gardna, from his meditation.

    "I will follow. What shall you have me do?" the living shield's voice was magnificent, not so much that he compared to Kelova, but enough to stir memories of memories they couldn't quite place to Serafine or Sangan; and that left a bitter taste in Sanwitch's mouth.

    Tapping their wooden staff against the shield to garner his attention, much like a child would to a parent, Sanwitch quickly explained their plan "We were hoping to plant roots to ensure the ground beneath us was safe in the least but to cover such a large area will take some time. We also hoped if a surprise attack occurred you might warn us and protect our vessel until we're finished." They gestured towards the floating furball next to them, which in turn gestured to the air mimicking Sanwitch.

[Saiba Aisu 11]

Rin was perfectly still and quiet as the Overdrive hurtled over the rugged terrain, weaving its way through the battle-scarred ruins of what had evidently once been a bustling cityscape. Somehow, she managed to keep her seat without too much trouble, listening intently as the Science Soldiers attempted to brief the team about the situation at hand. She still wasn't exactly convinced that battling a horde of parasitic bugs counted as "fighting evil," but now that push had come to shove, she intended to do her duty. And do it well.

She didn't have to wait very long. Within moments, the Overdrive had come to a halt, poised at the edge of a checkpoint seemingly compromised by the enemy, the way ahead barred until they managed to secure the perimeter.

"Roger that. Any of you hero types feel like takin' a walk, come with me."

Rin nodded as she followed Scoop, ducking out of the vehicle with a single smooth movement, indifferent to the cold veil of rain that hung over the scene. She took a few steps forward to make sure she was clear of her teammates before she opened her wings to their full span, summoning Scarlet Edge in a flash of light with a twist of her wrist.

"I'll leave the walking to you. Leave the skies to me."

She launched herself high into the air, wings beating rapidly, claymore clenched in one fist, long golden hair streaming behind her. With some luck, her bird's eye view would let her find some clue as to what had happened here, and give her an idea as to whether or not the hostiles were still in the area...

Of course, if she was really lucky, she'd run into them herself. Not that she didn't trust the rest of the team to hold their own in a fight, per se, but there was no reason for them to put themselves in harm's way. Not while she was around, at least.

[yui 574]

Somehow or another, it had come to this. Melanie never liked creepy crawlies all that much - more than one blackened spot on her shop's walls back home was the result of a surprise visit from a spider or some such - but somehow she'd found herself in a situation where she was going to help kill some really big ones with these other adventurers. Looking at them, most of these people were skilled fighters with at least some experience. Melanie had formal training in the use of magic, but had never been taught about using it for combat purposes. The best experience she had was working at a forge, and even then, this zone seemed a bit past the level of technology she was used to working with.

All in all, it hadn't been all that long since Melanie left home in search of the amazing ore called exodium, and already, shit was hitting the fan. This car - that's what it was called, right? - being cramped was just the icing on the cake.

"Alternate routes, Chip?"

"None that won't take us through a bug zone. I've got the chaingun revved up, but I think it'd be best if you make sure the block's clear before we keep going. Last thing we need is for a Doom Dozer to unburrow under us while we're transporting the cargo."

Egh. Just the thought of running into something like that's hard to stomach.

"If you're feelin' lazy, you can stay and guard the overdrive. That chaingun can't reach the rear or the sides, after all."

"I'll stick around," Melanie said, volunteering without skipping a beat. It was probably safer here than out over there where these oversized bugs were terrorizing the people. It also gave her a chance to stretch her arms and legs after most of the other adventurers had cleared out of the vehicle. These cramped spaces would take some getting used to. Hoisting up her trusty tool - an item that clearly had quite a bit of weight to it, given the effort needed to pick it up - Melanie stepped outside the vehicle, stretching her limbs out again. Again she found herself asking, how did it come to this?

Best to keep an eye open while she was here, at least. Melanie lifted the tool up over her head, resting it on the roof of the overdrive, before climbing up herself and taking a seat on the vehicle's roof. She'd be able to see all the different angles from here, without the car blocking her view.

[Zai 26]

"I will follow. What shall you have me do?"

Before Chang could respond, the (formerly) smallest member of the party interjected. "We were hoping to plant roots to ensure the ground beneath us was safe in the least but to cover such a large area will take some time. We also hoped if a surprise attack occurred you might warn us and protect our vessel until we're finished."

"You do that. The big guy and I will sweep the structures." He pointed up at Rin as she flew overhead. "Can't see inside from up high."

On the opposite side of the overdrive Scoop also began his sweep, and behind him the man in power armor- Shin, walked up, putting his hand on thee science soldier's shoulder. "I can cover the ground faster than you can. Let me take the lead here."

And so the team split up. Those on foot moved from building to building, sweeping through and making sure no ambushes awaited them, while Rin took to the skies. She would have been the first to see it. Not from below, but from above, a swarm of flying insects came out of the clouds. The dried blood on their talons was a clear sign- they'd been waiting for fresh victims to arrive at the checkpoint/

Shin saw them next as he happened to look up, and called out to everyone around him. "Incoming!" Wasting no more time, he deployed his glide wheels and gained speed, while Scoop opened fire with his rifle, slicing into one of the monsters' legs.