HoE: S01 E06

<Darkling> It's been about an hour of walking since you left the bridge with the old peddlar. You've started to notice a growing amount of wreckage and junk discarded along the road. Old motor vehicles stripped of everything but their frames. Shopping carts long past their shopping prime. A few hollowed out and collapsed buildings. Not a soul in sight however.
[09:02.43] * Deane takes a long look around, "Empty. Completely empty."
[09:02.52] <Imogene> "Ah don' like it."
[09:03.26] <Nia_S> Nia's eyes, of course, are calculating, predatory, looking for commonly-missed parts. Things people never use. Things nonJunkers don't think are valuable.
[09:04.31] <Deane> "The North, I suppose. Everybody here moved on, takin' what they could. No point stayin' here, less ya wanna avoid civilized society."
[09:05.51] <Imogene> "Ain't nothin' wrong with that sometahms." She gave the tomahawk on her belt an affectionate pat.
[09:08.31] <Darkling> OF course, you also haven't seen any life signs of the DEvil Dogs either. Though there have been several 'signs' that could have been them. Like the man ahead crucified to a ruined bridge and the half dozen skulls hanging around him.
[09:10.01] * Deane reaches up to cover his mouth, "Oh lord... That's... That's somethin'."
[09:10.13] <Imogene> "Well ain't that...somethin'." She pauses long enough to make the sign of the cross and spit.
[09:11.07] * Nia_S frowns, stuffing her fists into her pockets.
[09:11.53] <Darkling> There's even a crow perched on the man's shoulder, pecking out his eye, his stomach cut open and entrails hanging down to the street.
[09:12.24] <Imogene> "Hope this more'ah that cultist shit."
[09:13.11] * Nia_S grimaces, turning her gaze away. "Le's hurry."
[09:13.19] * Deane is a marvelous shade of green, and he makes... a burping sound? He holds his hand over his mouth, closing his eyes to look away from the scene and compose himself.
[09:14.13] <Imogene> "C'mon city boah. We got us some caves t'find, n' I ain't talkin' bout Karla's."
[09:15.41] * Deane blinks very slowly, "I'll make lightly of it later, then." He clears his throat and spits, eyes on his feet as he walks. He gives the corpse a wide bearth, making the sign of the cross when they pass under.
[09:15.51] <Darkling> Too late for the poor soul anyways. The crow screeches at you as you pass below.
[09:17.38] <Deane> "Beautiful. Just be-you-tea-ful. What was that about Karla?" He frowns a little, suspiciously eying Imogene's non-terrifying side.
[09:18.36] <Imogene> "Oh, nothin'. Just heard yer dense as a block'a wood."
[09:19.20] * Nia_S covers a giggle.
[09:19.22] <Deane> "Dense as... wood?" He frowns, "Wood isn't dense, it floats."
[09:19.50] <Imogene> "So yer dense. Ya wanna argue physics?"
[09:20.58] <Imogene> "Ah could use Nia 'ere t' teach yuh about thermal expansion, or we git back'ta talkin' 'bout Karla."
[09:21.01] <Deane> He frowns, face red, "... Whatever. The day we argue physics is the day the man comes down."
[09:24.43] <Imogene> "Fine, see if'n ah help yuh out." She put her hands on her hips.
[09:25.17] <Nia_S> "Quit fightin' kids."
[09:25.42] <Deane> "No offense intended, but I don't think y'could help me with physics more'n I could help you shoot straight: Y'don't strike me as the bookish-" He sighs, pouting, "Fine. We shouldn't linger here anyways."
[09:26.46] <Imogene> "Who's lingerin'? We're walkin' 'ere."
[09:27.42] <Darkling> Walking you are. The hills are starting to get close. The sides of the roads are starting to be lined with boulders and rocks where the road was dug out.
[09:28.05] * Nia_S casts her eyes upward. If I was gonna ambush travelers...
[09:28.21] * Imogene slows her pace, lingering at the rear of their small pack as she starts on a coughing fit.
[09:29.32] * Deane follows pace, lazily scanning the sides of the road. His hand in his pocket, he plays with the cigarette box he has stashed away.
[09:30.39] <Darkling> You can see that in about one hundred metres the rock on both sides raises up significantly, leaving the road in a ten foot ditch for quite a ways.
[09:31.04] <Deane> "I don't feel rightly comfortable walking down that."
[09:31.27] <Nia_S> "It is pretty obvious, innit?"
[09:31.47] <Imogene> "It'd be rude not tuh accept an invitation."
[09:32.08] * Deane blinks, "So... walk around it?"
[09:32.32] <Nia_S> "Not sure we've got enough time. Could try walkin' up on the ridge?"
[09:34.15] * Imogene sighs, rubbing her leg as she eyes the ditch and then the rises on either side.
[09:34.33] * Deane shrugs, "Can't be that bad. We'd get a nice look around if we walked along the top."
[09:35.29] <Imogene> "Gonna be easy to spot, might run inta whoever's set this'un here ambush."
[09:35.58] <Nia_S> "Mm. Coul' send Otto up, an' take the regular way ourselves?"
[09:36.19] * Deane blinks, "He's got a million uses, dun'e?"
[09:37.11] * Nia_S grins.
[09:37.23] <Imogene> "Best ta take the ridge or go 'round. Goin' in could be goin' into our graves."
[09:37.54] * Deane takes out the cigarette, "Otto, would ya mind? We should probably go 'round."
[09:38.25] <Imogene> "Wait wait wait."
[09:38.51] * Imogene frowns hard. "Maybe they're expectin' us ta take the ridge."
[09:39.14] <Deane> "... What if there's no ambush?"
[09:39.27] <Nia_S> "..."
[09:39.49] <Imogene> "Mh. Cocky fucks like them...how're they gonna know we're comin'?"
[09:40.53] * Nia_S pinches the bridge of her nose. "Y'all are overthinkin' it." And she would know. "I'll send Otto up, an' then even if we do get ambushed, we'll get warnin'."
[09:41.01] * Deane sighs, "wanna flip a coin?"
[09:41.43] * Imogene gives her thigh a pat before getting into the ditch.
[09:42.35] * Deane shrugs, and goes to follow, cigarette hanging in between his lips.
[09:42.58] * Nia_S whistles at Otto, before following suit. The little robot scampers along the side, heading up up and up.
[09:44.00] <Darkling> You can see regular signs of traffic along here. This road gets used quite often fro mthe looks of it.
[09:44.40] <Deane> "Popular route." Deane sniffs, looking from side to side.
[09:45.20] * Imogene slowly draws out her twin peacemakers as they follow the ditch, eyes keen for signs of trouble.
[09:46.03] * Deane puts his hand on the pistol in his pocket, humming to himself.
[09:48.04] <Darkling> No sign of trouble so far as the rock walls climb on either side of you.
[09:48.45] * Nia_S scrunches her nose, occasionally borrowing Otto's eyes as he follows along.
[09:49.12] <Deane> "Seems like a lot of paranoia for nothin'. Maybe we're our own worst enemy."
[09:50.09] <Imogene> "Paranoia's gonna let yuh live a long life boy. Ah didn' live as long as ah did in the Weird West bah not bein' careful."
[09:51.16] <Deane> "World like this, d'you really wanna live long?" He comments lightheartedly, "It's weird, hearin' stories of the times before. Before all of... 'this'."
[09:51.16] * Imogene (~DBN006@Rizon-98C042A8.ri.ri.cox.net) Quit (Read error: Connection reset by peer)
[09:51.58] * Imogene (~DBN006@Rizon-98C042A8.ri.ri.cox.net) has joined channel #HoE
[09:52.44] <Imogene> "...til ah tackled Dio offa plank at the dam, anyway."
[09:58.05] <Darkling> The echoing sound of an engine greets everyone ears. Hard to tell where its coming from with the sound bouncing down the tunnel of rock you're in, but it's getting louder.
[09:58.23] <Nia_S> "Ah?"
[09:58.51] * Deane blinks, "What's that?" He moves to the side, frowning.
[09:59.27] <Imogene> "Sheeit. Nia, Dean, keep on goin'." Imogene comes to a halt and turns to face the way they came.
[10:00.05] * Deane nods a little, drawing his gun and cocking it, "Yessum." He starts to jog forward a bit.
[10:00.34] <Imogene> "Find a place t'hide if'n yuh can."
[10:03.08] <Nia_S> Nia clings to the side, giving an attempted clamber up.
[10:03.12] <Darkling> The sound keeps getting louder as it approaches.
[10:03.41] * Deane moves to help Nia, to give her a boost if he can.
[10:05.29] * Imogene cocks back the hammers on her revolvers, a draft catching her coat as she starts forward.
[10:06.55] * Deane fails to climb up himself, fingers scrabbling at the side. "Shit." He turns, "Imogene, are you nuts?!"
[10:09.29] <Darkling> You can see a bit of a dust cloud where the noise is coming from now. Looks like a motorcycle is heading your way.
[10:10.47] <Imogene> Brave. Nuts. She's standing in the middle of the path either way, feet planted firmly and peacemakers up at the ready.
[10:11.06] * Nia_S turns around, ready to scold Deane for grabbing her ass, but the approaching cloud stops her short.
[10:11.16] * Deane slips to the side, drawing his gun and dropping to a knee. "Though I go through the valley a'deep shade, I won't fear no evil; for you are with me," he nervously mutters, eyes closed for a second.
[10:13.05] <Darkling> Two hundred metres out and closing steadily.
[10:13.37] <Imogene> "The Lord is mah light n' mah salvation; whom shall ah fear?"
[10:14.39] * Deane bites his cheek and nods a little, "We'll come outta this."
[10:15.13] * Imogene glances over her shoulder, looking right at Deane. "The Lord is the stronghold of yer life; of whom shall yuh be afraid?"
[10:16.26] * Deane blinks, "Never thought I'd hear that from you, Imogene. Always full of surprises, huh?" He chuckles a little, eyes wider than normal.
[10:16.27] <Darkling> One hundred metres. They've seen you now Imogene, and you can see there's clearly two men on the bike.
[10:16.38] <Imogene> "Of all the times ah need yuh here wit me Vince, you'n that fuckin' rifle." She grits her teeth and starts forward the meet the bike.
[10:17.47] <Darkling> Fifty metres. The rider in the back is readying a sawed off shotgun at you.
[10:18.11] * Deane aims down, biting his lip: now or nothin'.
[10:24.47] <Imogene> "C'mon! Closer...closer..."
[10:26.39] <Darkling> The rear rider fires off his shotgun, nowhere near the mark, as they speed towards you.
[10:37.13] * Nia_S lifts her rifle, firing a shot, but the speed is too much, and the bullet lands somewhere behind the bike.
[10:42.27] * Imogene waits for the right time, letting instinct and years of shooting folks dead guide her, snapping off two shots aimed for the driver.
[10:43.54] <Darkling> Both take the driver in the chest and he falls limp on the bike.
[10:48.21] <Imogene> Mere moments later the gun in her off-hand sends .45 lead valentines screaming toward the passenger.
[10:53.23] <Darkling> The passengers head explodes in a juicy blast of blood and he topples backwards off the bike as it veers sideways into the rock walls, flipping over itself as it rolls past Imogene.
[10:54.29] * Imogene gives her peacemakers a twirl on her trigger fingers before holstering them.
[10:54.35] * Deane stares in an amazed daze. No way this is happening.
[10:55.13] <Nia_S> "Shit."
[10:55.40] * Deane stands slowly, "Holy shit."
[10:57.52] <Darkling> Smoke sputters out of the ruined bike as the engine dies.
[10:58.14] <Deane> "... that's a motorcycle, innit?"
[10:58.26] <Nia_S> It is.
[10:58.50] * Deane shivers, "That was... holy mother of god..."
[11:01.21] * Imogene sighs and heads forward the search the passenger, then the driver. Killing two men on a motorcycle heading right for her doesn't seem like it's shaken her at all.
[11:05.49] * Deane safeties his gun and rubs his arm, "You're awfully casual about it."
[11:07.10] <Imogene> "What should ah be doin' bout it?" She pickes up the shotgun they'd fired at her, looking it over.
[11:07.49] * Nia_S hangs out on the ridge, Otto on her shoulders, keeping an eye out for further predators.
[11:07.49] <Deane> He bites his cheek, shrugging, "No idea. I suppose we should keep movin' then."
[11:09.18] <Imogene> "Lemme tell yuh Deane. Two men on a bike ain't the worst ah've kilt."
[11:09.40] <Nia_S> "If'n they were a patrol, they're gonna miss 'em pretty quick. We should hurry."
[11:10.23] <Deane> " 'pparently not. Nia's got the right of it." He shrugs his pack onto the other shoulder, and starts walking.
[11:10.36] * Imogene collects tattoos from the bodies before jogging ahead.
[11:12.45] <Darkling> Down the road again you go. The hills are getting even closer, as is the mountain that looms behind them, shrouded in dark ashy clouds.
[11:14.03] <Deane> "Ominous. S'a wonder why people make their living downwind of this."
[11:14.15] <Imogene> "Bit'a scoutin' n' we head back t' town. We three ain't equipped fer takin' on all the Devil Dogs on their home turf."
[11:14.58] <Darkling> There's more and more signs that you're in Devil country now. Skulls on pikes dot the road.
[11:15.23] * Deane nods, "Probably for t'best. I could always use... a little extra... cash." He eyes the skulls, "Really invitin' folk, ain't they?"
[11:16.14] <Imogene> "Got two...ain't gonna net much."
[11:16.52] <Darkling> The road starts to widening out ahead of you, and you can see a gated fence at the base of the hills and cliffs of the mountain.
[11:16.52] <Deane> "I can't cut into that though- robbin' you seems like a bad idea."
[11:17.42] <Nia_S> "On our way back I'll see what I can pull outta' that bike. Won' be much, but take is take."
[11:18.14] * Deane nods, "That's... odd. Wonder how long that's been there."
[11:18.38] <Imogene> "Ain't the worst obstacle we'll face."
[11:19.16] <Deane> "Well, I'd hope not." He sniffs, fumbling around to find his whiskey and take a sip.
[11:20.53] <Darkling> There's movement behind the gate. Further back you can see a watchtower of sorts built against the cliffside.
[11:21.22] <Imogene> "Geez." Imogene drops to one knee.
[11:21.39] * Deane blinks, and mirrors her. "What's that?"
[11:21.40] * Nia_S hops down into the ravine again, frowning.
[11:22.28] <Imogene> "Back up, gotta hope they don't spot us. Got towers watchin' the fence."
[11:22.49] * Deane nods, and starts moving back a little. He's learned enough to know to listen to Imogene.
[11:23.35] <Darkling> The guard at least seems lax, as no one spotted you yet.
[11:24.08] <Deane> "Ah'm assumin' that's a Devil Dog compound."
[11:24.20] * Imogene joins Nia and Deane in hiding, sitting down once out of sight. "Not exactly unexpected ah guess..."
[11:24.41] <Nia_S> "Hmm. Not 'xactly somethin' we can do anythin' about, either."
[11:25.45] <Imogene> "Gonna be hell gettin' spotted through."
[11:27.30] <Deane> "Well... Shit." He frowns a little, "Maybe we can scout the place out. Not like we're aimin' to kill everybody here at once, but it'd be nice to know the layout of the place."
[11:29.04] <Imogene> "We got two dead Dogs...but no bike. Kinda hard to disguise this face, but you two..."
[11:29.37] <Nia_S> "I'm not sure I like where this is goin'..."
[11:29.39] * Deane blinks, "Am I thinkin' what you are?"
[11:30.01] <Imogene> "Jus' an idea."
[11:30.30] <Imogene> "Though, honestly, even ah ain't in no rush t'git in there. We'd be dead folk walkin'."
[11:31.02] <Imogene> "Maybe our friend's jaw is all healed up. Ah bet he'd know a way or two inside."
[11:31.53] * Deane nods, "Better than any I got." He sniffs, "Nothin' wrong with a new pair a'clothes either..."
[11:32.26] * Imogene looks to Nia.
[11:34.38] * Nia_S purses her lips tight. "Stealin' their uniforms is great an' all, but if it all goes tits-up we won't be able to use it on 'em again."
[11:35.06] <Imogene> "Ah say we head back n' talk t' the prisoner."
[11:35.28] <Deane> "So... grab the clothes and head back?"
[11:35.46] <Nia_S> "Worth a shot. M'gonna pick th'bike clean, too."
[11:36.50] <Imogene> "Yeah, we take the clothes fer now. Ah'd say tattooes would be better but...ain't now way. C'mon, lets start back b'fore they miss their friends."
[11:37.15] <Nia_S> "Right, right."
[11:37.17] * Deane nods, making sure they're out of sight of the watchtower before walking normally."
[11:38.55] <Imogene> "...Dog's are gonna know somethin' happened."
[11:39.28] <Imogene> "Two nekkid friends with bullet holes n' a crashed bike."
[11:39.37] <Deane> "Maybe they'll think it's a kink."
[11:40.08] <Nia_S> "Not if we don' leave bodies."
[11:40.22] <Imogene> "Wotcha thinkin'?"
[11:41.58] <Nia_S> "Fire. Lots of it. Make 'em think they burned t'death on the bike."
[11:42.11] <Nia_S> Otto, already knowing where this is going, clicks his shutter.
[11:43.09] <Imogene> "We'd best be ready t'book it after Otto starts that fire."
[11:43.37] <Nia_S> "O'course."
[11:43.37] * Deane nods a little, "Well, might as well get a little runnin' in today."
[11:50.56] * Deane watches as they examine and tinker with the bike, "Too complicated: people can actually ride these?"
[11:52.04] <Imogene> "Gonna buy one...one day."
[11:52.06] <Nia_S> "O'course." Nia manages to wrench a few parts from it, but doesn't line her pockets with much. The fuel is left where it is, to help the story along. "Alright, Otto, you know what to do."
[12:02.13] <Nia_S> Otto's laser is vicious and effective. First he sets the bike up, hitting the tank, and then he sets the (stripped) bandits ablaze, burning them down to charbroil.
[12:04.00] <Imogene> "Best be high tailin' it back t'town now."
[12:04.56] <Darkling> ==========END==========