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>>299309

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Mortal Kombat Konquest. Sorry I didn't run last weekend, some things happened and yadda yadda. Anyway, we're back and ready to resume with our wasteland vigilante, bounty hunter and gunslinger, Erron Black.

Past Threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Mortal+Kombat+Konquest

Rules of Kombat: http://pastebin.com/xtgE60XZ

Damashi's Twitter: https://twitter.com/DamashiKonquest

Official Novelization: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6325183/chapters/14492272

Discord: https://discord.gg/Kty3M

How are you doing today?

>>299321
>D) Ask if the baby has been fed
>C) Ask her what’s for breakfast

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>>299343

"Kid been fed?" you ask.

She turns around, surprised to see you up. "Yes," she replies, slowly nodding. "She liked the soup."

"I'm a better judge of taste," you mutter, kicking your feet off the side of the bed and sitting. You run a hand through your hair. "What is it?"

"Lizard I caught outside. Can't call it anything, since it's not from earth and I don't know the name."

You narrow your eyes. "Did it have blue stripes on the tail?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That's the good kind to eat. Avoid the green ones. Sometimes it's hard to tell'em apart until you're already choking on a swollen throat. It's the scales on the green ones---they burrow into the throat, make it swell up."

"That's awful," she says. "How do you know about it?"

"Only one way to know it, I've seen it," you reply.

She walks over with the hot soup and pours it into a small wooden bowl. You take it from her and gobble it down, ignoring that it's slightly too hot.

"You got a name, stranger?"

You continue eating, ignoring her question. She waits, then talks.

"My name's Hope."

You almost choke as you chuckle. "Oh, 'course it is," you mutter.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." You hold up the bowl. "Got anymore?"

She starts dishing out some.

>A) My name is Erron
>B) No names for now
>C) Am I still in that camp?
>D) What happened last night?
>E) Other

>>299368
>A) My name is Erron
>C) Am I still in that camp?
>D) What happened last night?

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>>299400

"Erron." You finish off the second helping and set the bowl aside. "Now, am I still in that camp?"

"It's the only place we have that's safe."

"And how'd I end up here last night?"

"I brought you in here after Crashsmash welcomed you into the family."

"The family... Right." You look around at your gear. As if to take note, she changes the subject.

"Why do you have so many bullets with names on them?"

You shoot her a suspicious glance. "You were looking at my bullets?"

"Didn't have much else to do once you and the little one were settled in. I cleaned you and her up good." She looks over at the child. "Where did she come from, anyway? She ain't human, right?"

"Right."

She chews on her lip. "I kept the kid mostly hidden, but some of the people in the camp don't like her. Things like her, I mean. Non-humans."

"Well, this world is full of them, so they'd better get used to it."

"Some of them might try and hurt her. They think she'll bring bad luck. I think it's ignorant, but... Well, ignorance thrives more than smarts out here."

"They can try," you say. "They'll get a bullet for it."

>A) How did you all get out here, anyway?
>B) Continue pretending to be like them; don't give away that you've been here much longer than they have
>C) Get dressed
>D) Ask more questions to Hope
>E) Question where your firearms are
>F) Other

>>299446
>>A) How did you all get out here, anyway?
>C) Get dressed
>E) Question where your firearms are

>>299446
>B) Continue pretending to be like them; don't give away that you've been here much longer than they have
>C) Get dressed
>E) Question where your firearms are

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>>299458
>>299461

You walk over to your clothing and start to get dressed. She stands up and puts a hand on your shoulder.

"Hang on," she says. "I thought... Well, maybe, you'd like to blend in a bit more."

"Somethin' wrong with this?" you ask, holding up your leather armor.

"No, nothing wrong with it. But maybe the people around here wouldn't pay you much mind if you, I don't know, looked a bit more like them."

She walks over to a clothes rack and takes a leather jacket off. It's rough, a bit faded, with spikes on the shoulders.

"The people here love leather jackets. Especially the big boss. Could help you fit in. 'Specially if you, you know, want your weapons back."

You narrow your eyes.

"Where are my guns?"

"Well, they weren't allowed in Thunderdome, so they were turned over to the quartermaster, but from what I heard, Crashsmash took them."

You face her fully and walk over, looking the jacket up and down.

>A) I'll wear my own clothes.
>B) Might help me blend in. Sure.
>C) Who the hell is Crashsmash, anyway?
>D) If I don't get my guns back, there'll be hell to pay.
>E) What about my mounts? My raptor still here?
>F) Other

>>299485
>B) Might help me blend in. Sure.
>C) Who the hell is Crashsmash, anyway?
>E) What about my mounts? My raptor still here?

>>299485
>>B) Might help me blend in. Sure.
>>C) Who the hell is Crashsmash, anyway?
>>E) What about my mounts? My raptor still here?

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>>299514
>>299533

After a moment, you take the jacket. "Alright. We'll play it your way. If it'll help me blend in, might as well."

"And here, they like chains." She hands you a chain. "And elbow and shoulder pads, they're a big fan." She points out some spares. "And you might wanna strap some leather belts around yourself, maybe some rubber or metal. Bits of things."

"The hell kind of dress code do you people use, anyway."

"Ever seen Mad Max?"

"Never met the guy."

"It's a movie."

You stare at her and blink. "Right. Of course." You turn around. 'The hell is she talkin' about...'

With some guidance, you assemble a new outfit, a mix of your old one and stuff from the new. The only thing missing is your firearms.

"So, I need my guns back. Give me the rundown on this Crashsmash and why the hell that's his name."

"It's not his real name, nobody knows that. But he's the one in charge."

"Why?"

"Because he's crazy. He's strong, and willing to kill at the drop of a hat. Nobody can beat him. He's the one who makes us do all of this stuff, but most people love it. They love this life." She sighs and sits down. "I hate this place..."

You adjust your belt (well, belts) and look over. "My mounts still here?"

"Far as I know. Most people were too scared to so much as touch those things, especially the dinosaur."

"Good. I don't plan on sticking around for long. Gotta get that kid somewhere south."

"South's no good," Hope says. "Jungle full of crazy women there."

"So I've heard. But they're not what I'm after. First thing's first, I need my guns. Watch the kid for me, will you."

You move towards the door, but hesitate when she speaks.

"Be careful around Crashsmash. I think he likes you, though. I don't think he wants to keep your weapons. But if he does, you'll have to kill him to get them back. He takes whatever he likes."

"I'll keep it in mind."

>A) Go find Crashsmash
>B) Ask her more about this group; get more info
>C) Check on your mounts
>D) Ask her if she doesn't like living with these people
>E) Other

>>299573
>B) Ask her more about this group; get more info
>C) Check on your mounts
>A) Go find Crashsmash

>>299573
>>A) Go find Crashsmash
>C) Check on your mounts

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>>299583
>>299589

You leave the shack, stepping out into the camp. People mull past you and some of them acknowledge you, but nothing more than grunts or nods. You look around and see guards with guns, rifles specifically, patrolling the walls, and a few armed guards surround a large metal tank with hoses sticking out of it. Whatever that is, it's important to them. Water, maybe?

You then see their vehicles. They come in all shapes and sizes, in various configuations, and none of them look pretty. They all look welded and modified and held together by string, save for the reall well-armored ones. You see rows of them, and people working on them, using tools on the interiors to replace or fix parts.

Your eyes cast around and you spy a number of other tents and makeshift housing. At one end, near a gate, you see your mounts. You approach them and check on them, calming them down. They look hungry and thirsty. You lead them over to a bucket of water and allow them to drink. Nobody argues with you. Afterwards, you set about finding a good meal for them. You'd prefer to feed that little symbiote to the raptor, but you can't find him.

>A) Feed the raptor jerkey
>B) There's a big fire cooking some wasteland beast; barter for the meat
>C) Find Crashsmash and feed the mount later
>D) Ask for information around the outpost
>E) Other

>>299640
>C

>>299640
>>A) Feed the raptor jerkey
poor baby

>>299640
>C) Find Crashsmash and feed the mount later

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You walk through the camp, looking for Crashsmash's place. There is a large, square building, the most solid constuct out here. Seems like a repurposed container of some kind. As you approach the metal door, someone steps in front of you.

He's large, larger than you are. Almost as big as the fellow you tangled with last night, but he had half a man on his back. This one carries a large axe that looks more like a piece of sharpened scrap on the end of a pole.

"Boss is busy. Go'way."

And a dimwit, too---most of the big guys usually are.

"I need in. We can do this like civilized men or we can get ugly."

The man scowls and spits at your feet. "Move me then, cowboy.

"Ohhh, it is a bad day to get in my way," you threaten him.

His fingers tighten on the axe as he prepares for trouble. Other people in the camp get ready to make way and watch.

>A) Fight him
>B) Try to make friends
>C) Walk away
>D) Distract him
>E) Other

>>299685
>A
Camp ain't big enough for this disrespect

>>299700

Let's have a 1d100+10.

Rolled 8 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>299733

Rolled 96 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>299733

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>>299738

"I said go'way, cowboy-man!"

He shoves the blunt end of his axe handle into your stomach, forcing you onto a knee. You cough beneath your mask.

>>299742

You shakes your head and take off your hat.

"Son, you done grabbed the bull by the horns."

You take a handful of sand and throw it into his face, temporarily blinding him. You then grab his head and smash it into your own, knocking him down. He falls backwards, his head smashing into the metal door and making a loud thumping noise.

You place the hat back on your head. "Mess with the bull, get the horn."

The man groans, his forehead turning purple. Your head is much harder than his is, but that somes from a lifetime and a half of getting into trouble with it. Some of the people around the camp cheer and clap.

Just then, the door opens and everyone goes silent, back to minding their own business. A man exits. He's not particularly tall or intimidating, and you can't see his face due to the black helmet and the similarly-colored glass.

He looks at you, then down at the guard. "I told you to let him inside," he says, kneeling down. He pets the man briefly before curling his hand into a fist and smashing it into his face, breaking his nose. "Let that be a lesson, Lugnut."

He stands up and wipes his hand off. He looks over at you. "Sorry."

You nod. "You're good to your men."

"When I need to be. Come inside."

He enters his cabin with you following. It actually reminds you of your own, before it burnt down. A table, a single bed, but decorated differently, with large pictures of women and pin-up posters.

"Welcome to Casa de Crashsmash," he laughs under his helmet. "Care for a drink?"

You notice your pistols on the table, along with your rifle and tarkatan arm-blade.

>A) Take him up on the drink
>B) Grab your weapons
>C) Ask him for your weapons
>D) Attack him
>E) Ask him some questions
>F) Other

>>299763

>You shakes your head and take off your hat.

shake*

>>299763
>>A) Take him up on the drink
>>C) Ask him for your weapons
Guns first

>>299763
>A) Take him up on the drink
>E) Ask him some questions

>>299776
Seconded

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>>299776
>>299784

"Sure. Better be strong."

"Strong as we can get out here." He hands you a bottle and you slip your mask down to drink it. It's rough, but you've had much rougher.

"Then you haven't been up north," you say.

"We don't ride out too far from camp. Too many risks involved."

He turns around to take off his helmet and drink. You don't see anything other than the back of his head, but he quickly puts the helmet back on.

You look down at the table. "I'm going to need those pistols back."

Crashsmash looks at them. "I like them."

Slowly, you put the bottle on the table. "That so?"

He nods. "But they're not my style. Interesting, though." He picks up a pistol and hands it to you. "You had these when you came through the portal?"

"I did."

"Just on you? Most of the weapons we got are from the military that came with us." As you put your pistols in their holsters, he crosses his arms. "So, you rode in on that raptor? And you say you've been up north?"

"That's right." You pick up your rifle.

"Heard any word from Earth?"

"Not for a very, very long time."

"Yeah, same with us."

'I doubt that,' you think, knowing you've been here a lot longer than they.

"So, you got a name, gunman?"

"Do you, 'Lord Crashsmash?'"

"That IS my name now," he replies. "Here, we can be whoever we want to be. Nobody can say any different."

>A) Black. Erron Black.
>B) I have my things, I'll just be on my way
>C) Gunman will do, for now.
>D) Shoot him
>E) Other

>>299813
>A) Black. Erron Black.

>>299813
>>A) Black. Erron Black.

>>299813
> A

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>>299815
>>299823
>>299922

"Black. Erron Black."

"I like the name, it fits," he says with an approving nod. "What were you, back in the world?"

"I killed people there, I kill people here."

"Hah. I was a cop. It was my job to bring people like you to justice. Now here we sit, a lawman and a gunman, drinking." He holds up the bottle.

"What changed for you?"

"This place. This world. No laws for a law-abiding citizen to uphold. No rules, no societal boundaries, just wasteland. And I like it."

He chuckles under his helmet, leaning forward a bit. "You've done well for yourself, Black. You held out against Master Blaster. You're tough. I could always use tough men, and a fellow brother from Earth."

"I appreciate it, but I've got other things to worry about."

"The baby, right?"

"Mmmhmm."

"What's the deal with that kid?"

"I'm taking her somewhere safe. Somewhere south. Some kinda temple. Should be a reward involved if I get her there safe."

"What say I help you?"

You take another swig. "What's the catch?"

He chuckles again. "You seem perceptive, you got them hawk's eyes. Look around my camp, Black. What do you see?"

"No food. No water source. No pack animals. That means you're raiders, you take everything."

"That's right, but we can only run if we've got fuel. If we've got no fuel for our vics, we die. And we're almost out."

"So get more."

He laughs. "Right, we'll just pull up to the gas station and fill'er up! Hahah!" He slaps his knee.

You have no idea what the hell goes in those things, but based on that reaction, you can assume it's not something found in Outworld.

"The tanker's almost dry. We'd've all dried up in the sun long ago if it weren't for that. But last night, I met a man who says he can help us. We're going to meet him today." He leans in close. "Black, I saw your guns. I seen your dinosaur mount. You say you've been up north for eight years."

"Give or take."

"I want you to come with us. If this pays off, we'll get fuel, and I'll make sure your reward is twice as much as whatever you'll get for bringing in that baby to that temple. Hell, I'll even make sure you have what you need to get to that temple. You said south? Some jungle gear and supplies will help."

>A) I need details.
>B) No deal. I go my own way.
>C) Alright, let's do it.
>D) Take your own men. I'm still a stranger here.
>E) Other

>>299957
>>A) I need details.

>>299957
>A) I need details.

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>>299968
>>300000

"You met 'someone?' In my experience, someone who can offer you something that's impossible to find is someone not be played around with."

"I like him. Wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him, but he says he knows what we need. A way to travel home."

"A portal to earth? You could've just hired a sorcerer to do that. I know at least three."

"That's not what I want. I don't want a way home. Home has laws and taxes and 9 to 5 jobs. I want a way where we can go home, but come back. And he has it."

You take a sip. "So. You don't want HIM to make a portal, you want the power to make portals of your own."

He smiles. "He's told me about a place. A realm, he called it. It's one long road, an eternity of nothing but road. 'The eternal highway.' Sounds amazing, doesn't it?"

"I don't prefer to travel on open roads. I prefer cabins."

"Don't matter. The point is, we need fuel to stay mobile. Staying mobile means we stay alive. Staying still means we die. We keep moving, we keep rolling. Now this man has the means to make this happen, and I'm meeting with him today. I'm taking Master Blaster and some good men with me, since I don't know if I can trust him. But you, you've been around this wasteland on a horse with no name, right?"

"More of a dog-horse."

"Doesn't matter! You're perfect to come along. You help me, Erron Black, and I'll help you. That's our way. We look out for our own."

You take another drink. The man's deranged, but still has most of his head. He's got too many wild ideas rattling around in there and is too enamoured with living a life without rules. That can make a man dangerous if he has the means to get what he wants. If he were to get the means to make a portal, he and his people could become potentially very dangerous.

Or very useful, depending on how it plays out.

>A) Agree to help him
>B) Ask more about the man in question
>C) Ask him what his plan is
>D) Refuse to help
>E) Other

>>300039
>C) Ask him what his plan is
Men live and die by minor details

>>300039
>C) Ask him what his plan is

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>>300053
>>300056

"Men live and die by minor details. Tell me, what is your plan?"

He stands up from the chair. "Get what I want, and make my dreams a reality." He walks over to a wall and places his hand on a poster. On it, it shows a man in a dark suit with a helmet, holding a gun. There is text, reading, 'Mad Max'

"I used to dream when I was younger, but now I know better. Now I know there are other worlds, whole dimensions, realms, and now I know that my dreams can be made real. I see an army of warriors, rolling across endless wastelands in an ever-growing armada of vehicles. Speed, power, women, all of these will be mine."

You can't help but roll your eyes. Thankfully his back is turned.

"I could be a warlord unlike any other in the history of mankind. And with the means to travel between worlds, nobody could catch us, nobody could stop us. We'd be free. Truly free. With all the gasoline, bullets and rock and roll for the taking from Earth. And who knows? We could raid countless other worlds. It's all out there for the taking."

"That's pretty and all, a nice dream. But I was talking about your plan for dealing with the man you're banking your future as a warlord on."

"Oh. Right. Haha, pardon me, just... I get carried away in things." He turns around. "We're going to meet up with him and hear what he has to say. He wants to make a deal. If one deal can get what I want for me and my people, if one deal can turn us into a truly mobile force, if one deal can make us cross the very boundaries of reality and live like kings of the road---that's a deal I'll do anything to make happen."

"Careful, now," you warn him. "Come off as desperate, and this 'man' can get a lot out of you. How do you know you aren't being played?"

"We'll find out when we get there. Now, I'm growing tired of asking---are you going to help me or not?"

>A) Depends on what I get out of it.
>B) I'm in.
>C) I'm out.
>D) What if I say no?
>E) Other

>>300097
> I'm in

>>300097
>B) I'm in.

>>300097
>B) I'm in.

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>>300110
>>300125
>>300140

"I'm in."

"Ahahah! I knew I liked you, Black. Come on."

He pats your shoulder, an irritating act, as he leaves through the door. As you follow him out, you catch a nasty look from the one whose nose he broke earlier. Not that you care. With your weapons back, nobody would dare touch you.

He approaches a two-wheeled vehicle and gets on it. "Alright, we'll leave as soon as we're able. You want a bike?"

"Not really my style."

"Hope your dino can keep up then, cowboy," he laughs as he brings his vehicle to life, turning on the engine and giving it a few revs. "I'm gonna get my boys ready and round up Master Blaster. No hard feelings between you and the big and little man, right?"

You shake your head as he gets off the bike and goes to get his men. After checking to make sure you have everything you own, and your bullets are in proper condition, you load up one pistol and keep the other empty. You like to reload before getting into a fight.

As Crashsmash gets his boys together, you approach the raptor. It's still hungry, and getting rather snappy. Another thought suddenly occurs to you---Gwyn, the harpy. She stayed out of sight last night, but is she still here? She could be hiding somewhere outside the camp. If she hasn't flown on, she might stick around for more koins.

>A) Find meat for your raptor
>B) Check in with Hope and the baby
>C) Walk outside the camp and see if you can spot the harpy
>D) Saddle up and get ready to ride
>E) Other

>>300160
>A) Find meat for your raptor
Poor thing must be hungry.
>B) Check in with Hope and the baby

>>300160
>A) Find meat for your raptor
>B) Check in with Hope and the baby
>C) Walk outside the camp and see if you can spot the harpy

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>>300164
>>300193

Walking up to a nearby fire with a native animal (or, knowing Outworld, not very native at all) roasting over it. After a few words and a flash of a gun, you're walking away with most of it. You feed it to the raptor, who eagerly gulps it down, tearing the flesh with sharp teeth. After doing so, you check on the other beast of burden. It's not doing so well either, but this one lasts longer without food and water, so it's fine for now. Some shade wouldn't hurt it, so you lead it off to the side and tie it back down.

Afterwards, you head back into Hope's shack and check on the child. She's there, feeding little Nania.

"Don't get too attached."

"I won't, it's just... it's been a while since I seen a baby, is all. She's kinda cute, in a... blue way."

Nania looks up at you with glossy black eyes and smiles. "Buh-buh!"

"I think she likes you," Hope smiles.

"Good for her. Crashsmash invited me on an outing. Hopefully I won't be gone for long. Look after the kid until I get back, and I'll make sure you're given fair compensation when I get back."

"Wait," she says, standing up. "Crashsmash invited you out for something? What is it?"

"Meeting some guy with a way to make portals. Who knows, you might have a way home soon."

She is very still for a moment. "That could be trouble," she whispers.

>A) Leave
>B) Ask her what she means
>C) Go and look for the harpy
>D) Carve a bullet with Crashsmash's name on it
>E) Other

>>300211
>B) Ask her what she means

>>300211
>B) Ask her what she means

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>>300220
>>300239

You pause near the door. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You ever heard him talk?" she asks. "About his dream?"

"He told me."

"He's crazy," she says. "Look... Things aren't great in this camp for women. There's only a few of us, and the ones who ain't tough get passed around a lot. Crashsmash's view on this thing isn't really helpful. He talks about making an army, a roving warband, he's been talking about it for years. If he gets what he wants, he won't stop. He'll only get worse and he'll become even more cruel. What's next? Outright slavery? Harems?"

"I don't really see how any of that is my problem. I'm just here to get what I want."

She narrows her eyes. "So, you're just after what you want too. Typical."

You take your hand off the door and face her. "You seem nice. A tough girl. Probably been through a lot since coming to his place. But nice people don't last in this world; it's not Earth. Nice people have a hard enough time lasting there, too. I didn't come here for you and your camp, I'm not involved. If I can get something out of it, I'll get something out of it. Otherwise I'm not interested."

"What about helping people? You don't get anything out of that?"

"If I get paid. Ain't no charity case."

"So it's just money, then?" She sets Nania down in the net and walks over, putting her hands on her hips. "Chivalry really is dead, isn't it? Do you have any idea what things are going to become if that lunatic gets his way? He's not going to ever stop."

"I figured as much. But again, it's not my problem. Besides, what would you even have me do?"

"If you can keep him from getting what he wants, do it. Don't let him get ahold of a way to make his crazy dreams real."

"It'd hardly be the worst thing that's happened in this world. Trust me on that. Crashsmash is a small man with small-time dreams. He's living out a fantasy."

"And what are you doing? What are you living life as?"

"I'll be living longer than him, and longer than you, so I don't really care for judgment either way."

"I can't believe you. You're just as bad as him, you know that? Look at you, wrapped up in this cowboy mercenary persona. Don't even pretend that you were anything like you are now before you came to this world. You're just living a fantasy like he wants to."

>A) Actually, I was. I'm 176 years old.
>B) I don't need you talking smack, I need you to watch the kid.
>C) I'm not going to get in his way unless I get a better counter-offer to what he made me.
>D) Hit her
>E) Other

>>300276
>A) Actually, I was. I'm 176 years old.
>C) I'm not going to get in his way unless I get a better counter-offer to what he made me.

>>300276
>B)
>C)

>>300276
>>A) Actually, I was. I'm 176 years old.
>>C) I'm not going to get in his way unless I get a better counter-offer to what he made me.

>>300276
>>A) Actually, I was. I'm 176 years old.
>>C) I'm not going to get in his way unless I get a better counter-offer to what he made me.

>>300276
>A) Actually, I was. I'm 176 years old.

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>>300292
>>300317
>>300358
>>300380

"I don't deal in fantasy. The 'fantastic' is boring to me now. I'm one-hundred and eighty-six years old. I don't have time or mind for fantasy anymore."

She steps back, her eyes widening. "W-what?"

"I've been here longer than any of you. Pick out any three men in this camp, and I've lived longer than all three combined. All of you, collectively, the time you've spent in this wasteland? I've been here longer that that, too."

"But how? You mean---You mean you're an actual cowboy?"

"Sure. Why not. Point is, I'm not like him. I've got at least one-forty years on him and I've seen men like him before. They rise, they fall. I'm not out to be a warlord. I'm not out to be a conqueror or a king. I've seen what happens to them. I'm just here to get paid."

She's silent for a moment. "Then, you weren't brought here during that attack on Earth?"

"No. A sorcerer brought me here a century ago. Part of a nice deal. Got long life out of it, too. Been makin' good use of it. So, you'll have to pardon me, but I don't care about playing the good guy or helpin' anyone else if I ain't gettin' something out of it. He already made me an offer, and I haven't gotten a better one yet."

She's slightly dumbfounded, like she doesn’t know what to say. “I can’t… I mean, look around, you see everything I own.”

“Then no better offer is on the table.”

“I’m looking after the kid for you!” she says, but isn’t sure what to follow it up with.

“Yeah, I know. But you’re doing that because you’re a good person.” You approach the door and open it.

“Erron, wait!” she says, moving up. “Just… Maybe I can’t offer you anything. Maybe you are what you say you are, or maybe you’re just crazy too. Maybe I’m just as crazy for believing you. But if someone like Crashsmash gets what he wants… And he can freely go back and forth between this place and Earth, to get gas and supplies for his army… Think of the people that’ll get hurt. He won’t care about pedestrians or anyone else who gets in his way, all he’ll want is chaos and carnage because he thrives on it.”

“Someone will take him down eventually. It’s the way of things.”

“Someone like you?” she asks. “Haven’t you ever lost anyone? What would you do if a group of people came to where you lived, burnt it down and destroyed everything and everyone in your life?”

You stare into her eyes. For a moment, images flash in front of your eyes, memories from a life and a half ago. Raiders… Burning… Smoke on the horizon, stretching up for miles… Racing home…

>”I’m sorry… God forgive me, I’m so sorry…”

You snap out of it and push her away, walking out the door.

Once, maybe. In another time, another life. But you left all of that behind, buried it with the ashes. There’s nothing left of it now, and nothing left of that Erron Black.

Nothing.

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>>300384

>A) Find Crashsmash and head out
>B) See if you can find the harpy anywhere
>C) Saddle up your raptor
>D) Check your weapons and ensure they’re ready to go
>E) Other

>>300384
>B) See if you can find the harpy anywhere
>D) Check your weapons and ensure they’re ready to go

>>300384
>She's slightly dumbfounded, like she doesn’t know what to say.
It's like she's never seen an immortal cowboy before.

>>300386
>B) See if you can find the harpy anywhere
>C) Saddle up your raptor
>D) Check your weapons and ensure they’re ready to go

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>>300401
>>300488

As you step outside the main gate to get some distance and clear your head, you check your weapons. The pistols and the rifle are in good condition, as is your recently-acquired tarkatan arm-blade. Everything seems in acceptable condition, as you left it.

Out of sight from the outpost, you hear a flutter and a slight breeze as the harpy Gwyn rushes over, flying low over the sand. She perches nearby.

"Was worried about you," she says softly. "You are okay, yes?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Leaving now?"

"We are, but we'll also be coming back." She tilts her head in confusion, so you elaborate. "The leader of the camp wants my help. I help him, he helps me, I get to where I'm going. You get more koins for helping keep an eye out." You take out a gold koin and flip it at her, and she catches it. "Speaking of which---anything approaching this camp? Anything notable around it?"

"Nothing around for miles."

"Nothing? Not a person? We're going to meet a person." She shakes her head. You sigh. "Alright. Well, you'll need to keep hidden. They don't like anything that isn't human. So, stay out of sight."

"Am I following you?" she asks.

>A) Stay here, keep an eye in the sky out for the baby
>B) Follow me when I leave the camp but keep out of sight
>C) Stay hidden out here and stay low
>D) Go home, Gwyn. Here's money for your trouble.
>E) Other

>>300502
>A) Stay here, keep an eye in the sky out for the baby

>>300502
>C) Stay hidden out here and stay low

>>300502
>A)
>E) Toss her a koin to keep on her good side

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>>300516
>>300542

"No. Stay here. Keep an eye out for anything that might hurt the kid, and warn them about it."

"What if they shoot at me?"

You take out another koin and toss it to her. "For any more trouble."

As you turn away, Gwyn reaches out with her arm and brushes your back to get your attention. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Do what you can to get that kid and get out." You turn to walk away, but then pause, before adding, "And don't eat it."

"That was my sister who said that! I do NOT eat BABIES! What do I look like, a monster?"

"I'm not going to answer that. Granted, I've seen few monsters as pretty as you, little bird."

She suddenly seems flustered, and takes off, making sure to fly out of sight of the camp.

You head back to the camp, where Crashsmash has gathered the rest of his men. He is riling them up with a speech, which you only catch the end of.

"---til' the end of time! We're going to ride forever! A never-ending convoy, stretching across all of existence! And it starts here, today!" His men throw arms and weapons up as they shout, echoing his enthusiasm. On Blaster's back, Master hops up and down while giggling and clapping his hands. Crashsmash points to the sky. "LET US RIDE, BROTHERS! LET US RIDE!"

He kicks his motorcycle into high gear and takes off, with his men following behind him on several bikes and in one large truck.

You quickly get on the raptor and ride off after them, catching up. Crashsmash stays in the lead, heading east. He and his men kick up quite a bit of dust; you make a point to not be directly behind them.

After making your way to the side of the caravan, you can only wonder what you're going to find ahead.

>A) Stay near Crashsmash
>B) Ride far away from them, but keep pace
>C) Rush ahead of the group
>D) Fall behind and bring up the rear
>E) Other

>>300384
>Erron Black has Vietnam flashbacks
Wew

>>300564
>>B) Ride far away from them, but keep pace

>>300564
>B) Ride far away from them, but keep pace

>>300564
>>D) Fall behind and bring up the rear
Stay out of the dirt cloud though

>>300564
>B)
>E) Keep an eye on Crashsmash

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>>300573
>>300576
>>300600

Keeping a tight grip on the reigns of your raptor, you pull off to the side and keep your distance from the main group, just in case anything goes wrong. That's a practical reason, sure, but the real reason is you don't like being part of large groups. It makes you uneasy. You prefer being alone, which is why you were initially disinclined to accept Kotal Kahn's offer of employment. But you still haven't made up your mind fully on that matter, and you'd like to consider it still open to discussion. But that's far north and far from your problems at the moment.

Up ahead, you see a large mound of rock, unnusually smooth. When you come over a large hill, you realize that's because it's not a rock.

It's a skull, about the size of the outpost you left behind.

It sits there, baking in the sun, ancient and massive without so much as a scrap of flesh left on it. Each tooth is larger than your entire body and as white as the hair of lesser men who would behold a sight such as this. This titanic skull, perhaps the only remants of some ancient and primordial race, is indeed an intimidating sight. Such a thing makes one question the very nature of their existence, for how can something so massive exist, and what was it like?

But not men like you. To you, it's just another half-buried memory of a forgotten era. Impressive, sure, but you won't lose any sleep over it.

You watch Crashsmash halt at the top of the hill. He seems to be giving his men orders to spread out around the skull and establish a perimeter. Seems like whoever he came to meet established this skull as their meeting point.

Huh. You've never made a deal inside someone's head before... unless it was with a bullet.

You see Crashsmash dismount his bike and prepare to walk towards the skull.

>A) Accompany Crashsmash into the skull on foot
>B) Stay on the hill and keep a lookout
>C) Patrol around the skull
>D) Offer to go inside first and make sure it's safe
>E) Other

>>300675
>B) Stay on the hill and keep a lookout

>>300675
>>C) Patrol around the skull
Let's get a lay of the land

>>300687
Switching to patrol

>>300675
Damashi what are you gonna do if a time paradox occurs?

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>>300711
>Damashi what are you gonna do if a time paradox occurs?

Well, the gentlemen we're about to meet with is a bit of an expert on those, I don't think we'll have any issue.

I'm off to bed for the night, I'll be back in the morning, but posting may be slow tomorrow, so I apologize greatly in advance. I'll be a bit preoccupied with a thing or two going on, but I'll be updating, don't worry.

>>300716
If we're done then im off to go work out at 2am. See you tomorrow

>>300716
Goodnight

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>>300696
>>300700

Slowly bringing your raptor down the hill, you begin to approach the super-sized skull, rifle in hand. Your eyes are narrow and your hat keeps the sun out of them, allowing you to carefully scan the area. You see no sign of anyone inside, and aside from one of the massive eye sockets there is a large crack in the side of the upper cranium that is large enough for a vehicle to drive through. But none do, for they all circle it, hollaring that they don't see anyone either.

A large truck drives by with Master Blaster on the back of it. Neither of the symbiotic duo pays you much mind, as their attention is on Crashsmash approaching the skull. The man walks up to the large eyesocket, looking up into it and hesitating for a moment.

Then he walks inside, into the shadows of the skull where none can see.

His men continue circling on their bikes and truck, doing as he ordered them to do, but he never gave you any such orders. You're curious as to what's going to happen in there...

>A) Wait here
>B) Go inside on foot
>C) Go inside on your raptor
>D) Head back on top of the hill
>E) Other

>>301329
>B) Go inside on foot
Sup Dama

>>301329
>>C) Go inside on your raptor
Mount advantage is always good. And if need be we can make a quick exit

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>>301383
>>301409

Sup Anon

You dismount but keep a hand on the reigns, walking the raptor into the skull. You enter through the large hole in the head, discovering the interior to not only be hollowed out, but covered entirely in strange runes. You look up at the inside of the skull, seeing the intricate patterns of strange letters and symbols covering every square inch. Someone spent a lot of time in here working on this. The hieroglyphics are impossible to read, and you doubt you'd be much interested in what they have to say in the first place.

Crashsmash enters this chamber from a hole and looks at you and your raptor. "He's not here," he says. "So we wait."

"Did you even get a name?"

"No. But I---"

As he speaks, he suddenly finds himself cut off as a strange wind blows in through the skull. The sand at your feet rustles and a chill grows up your spine. You've felt this kind of strange presence before... it's an aura of mischief, mystery... and chaos.

".ereh uoy ees ot esirprus a s'tI .kcalB norrE ,elihw a etiuq neeb s'tI"

A figure clad in red and black, with a metal headdress of a twisted three-pointed star, appears from the shadows. His face is half-formed, with his jaw and mouth being nothing but bone. He resembles a cleric, of sorts, but only in the way that a denizen of Chaosrealm can.

You take out your gun and point it at him. "Havik. I should've known you'd be the one to get your hands involved in this."

Crashsmash looks over. "You know him?"

"I've still got a bullet with his name on it."

Havik drops his chaos-speak and smiles---at least, so you think, inasmuch as someone like him can smile. "Now, now, Erron, that was a long time ago. A very, very long time indeed..."

"I've got a good memory."

"Heheheh. I don't doubt it. But I'm surprised to find you here, with my soon-to-be business partner..." He turns to Crashsmash. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Havik, a humble cleric of chaos. And I am very pleased to make your acquaintence, Lord Crashsmash."

"You should back out of this deal," you advise the aspiring warlord. "This one can't be trusted."

"Please, I may be a diviner of discord, but that doesn't mean I can't be a man of my word."

"That's exactly what that means," you say, cocking the hammer back. "I know you. You're a schemer. A snake in the grass. Fool me once, shame on you, but fool me twice..."

Crashsmash holds up his hand. "Stand down, Erron. I want to hear what he has to say."

>A) Listen to Havik, put your gun down
>B) Keep your gun pointed but listen
>C) Demand to know what Havik's scheme is
>D) Fire
>E) Other

>>301475
>B) Keep your gun pointed but listen

>>301475
https://youtu.be/S1txyFOvnZI
Don't say I didn't warn you

>>301566
That's not what I wanted to copy n' paste

>B) Keep your gun pointed but listen

>>301475
>B) Keep your gun pointed but listen

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>>301522
>>301568
>>301599

You look back at Havik, who regards you with his amused expression. You don't lower your gun, keeping it pointed right at his head. As you do, you feel around for the bullet with his name on it, getting it ready just in case.

"Now that at least two of us are speaking like gentlefolk, let me explain... I have what you seek."

Crashsmash is eager. "A way back to Earth? A way to make portals?"

"Yes. I don't have it on me, but---"

You scoff. "Here we go."

"---BUT, I know where it is. And I will give you not only its location, but the secret to using it, if you do something for me."

He crosses his arms as he looks at the cleric. "And what would that be?"

"All I ask, all I truly need, is the promise of a future favor."

He tilts his head. "A future favor? One you can cash in at a later time?"

"That's right."

He is silent for a moment. "I don't like it. You know about something I want, but you want payment for it later?"

"Consider it an... investment. I have seen you and your people. For eight years you have languished here in Outworld, running out of food and fuel, slowly drying up just like your tanker of gas. You can't do much for me now, but if you had the means to replenish your supplies, the means to travel and grow... Well, in the future, you could be very useful indeed."

"What kind of favor would this be?"

"I reserve the right to determine that at a later date. I would not want to ask something too big of you in your current state, nor too little of you when you have an army. When I need a task done, I will call upon you."

"And if, when that day comes, I say no?" he says, stepping closer.

Havik is unmoved by the words. "I am the one who will give you the power to make your dreams come true, but never mistake that I am someone who can take them away just as swiftly."

The cleric stares him down. Crashsmash looks over at you as you continue to point the gun.

Finally, he comes to a decision. He holds out his hand and clasp's Havik's. "Done."

You lower your gun as the cleric cackles. "Good, good. But there is only one other condition."

"That's not what we agreed on---"

Havik cuts him off. "Now now, don't be hasty. My only condition is that you cause... chaos."

"Chaos?"

"With the power to open portals, you can raid and pillage your way across the realms. You'll cause destruction, damage and sweet chaos where ever you go. If at all possible, try to focus on Earthrealm and Seido, the realm of order. It'll keep them occupied."

"We were gonna do that anyway," Crashsmash laughs. "Like I said, you've got a deal."

"Excellent. And in time, I'll return to you for my favor..."

When Havik's eyes stray away from Crashsmash and back to you, you can only imagine what that warped mind is thinking.

>A) You shouldn't trust Havik.
>B) You got what you wanted, now let's go.
>C) So, where's the information?
>D) About what I'm owed...
>E) Other

>>301661
>A) You shouldn't trust Havik.
But we came what we were hired for.
>C) So, where's the information?
>D) About what I'm owed...

>>301661
>>C) So, where's the information?
We know havik's games. Don't give him a chance to screw us over

>>301661
>C) So, where's the information?
>D) About what I'm owed...

I said it would be slow today; I'm hanging out with some friends.

Writing an update now.

>>302827
Have your friends write updates too. That way it goes faster.

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>>301685
>>302072
>>302526

"Well, your deal's done. What about the information?" you ask, interested in finishing your business with the chaotic clergyman as soon as can be.

"Yes, of course," Havik says, slyly rolling his tongue against his pearly white teeth. "But if I may say, Crashsmash, you choose interesting company."

"How do you two know each other, anyway?" Crashsmash asks.

"I've been around," you quickly say.

Havik laughs, a delightfully malevolent giggle that makes your hand tighten on your pistol's grip. "Yes, 'around' indeed. I myself have been around, but that is a luxury provided to those with eternal life."

Crashsmash turns his head towards you. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Havik turns. "Oh, you did not know? Erron is quite old, you know. Older than you, older than anyone in your fledgling army."

"That's enough out of you," you tell him, turning to look back at the man. "I'm lookin' to cash out. You got what you wanted, your deal is done. Now about what I'm owed..."

"Hold it," he holds up a hand. "You lied, cowboy? You ain't really one of us after all, are you?"

"I'm from Earthrealm, same as you," you tell him.

"Give or take a century," Havik adds, once more giggling to himself.

"You passed yourself of as one of us," Crashsmash says, pointing to his chest. "You lied!"

"What's it matter," you reply, your hand now firmly gripping the pistol and ready to draw it. "I'm human, same as you. And I'm owed."

"Are you?" Havik says, an impossible to understand implication laced within his words. "After all this time, can you even call yourself human like you once did? After the things you've done, the things you've seen... does a heart still beat in that chest?"

"One more word outta you, and your head's gonna have a new hole in it," you warn him.

Crashsmash takes out a sawnoff shotgun. "Now hold it right there, Black. He hasn't given me the info yet, so he gets to talk. But seeing as how you lied, I think our deal is off... You aren't really one of us, are you? You never even planned on sticking around, did you?"

"I go my own way," you tell him.

"If you're not with me, you're my enemy," he says, aiming the sawnoff.

The standoff begins. Havik starts slowly stepping back towards the shadows.

>A) Convince Crashsmash that you are not his enemy
>B) Demand payment for the service you rendered
>C) Attack Havik before he can escape
>D) Disarm Crashsmash
>E) Shoot to kill Crashsmash
>F) Point out that Havik is trying to play Crashsmash for a fool
>G)

>>302884

G is Other.

>>302884
>>F) Point out that Havik is trying to play Crashsmash for a fool
>A) Convince Crashsmash that you are not his enemy
Maybe I was planning on leaving. However due to your own "laws" after surviving the thunder dome it's my right to do so. Also, who do you think is more trustworthy, me or skull face over there.

>>302884
>F) Point out that Havik is trying to play Crashsmash for a fool

>G) havik tell crashmash what happens to people that don't honour their deals.

>>302994
They get a nice bullet with their name on it.

Heading home now. Again, sorry for the abysmal pace today. I'll be updating when I get back.

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>>302944
>>302994
>>303038

"Listen to yourself. Listen to him. He's playing you like a damn fiddle." You look over at him. "This one's always scheming. You can't trust him. Just when you think he's playing with a fair hand, it turns out he was holdin' aces all the time."

"He's handing me the keys to my own kingdom!"

"Goddamnit, listen to the words comin' outta your mouth! He hasn't even told you where or what it is and he's trying to play you against me."

Your words seem to be making some headway. He looks over at the cleric, but keeps his gun pointed up.

"Now just think about this: I never told you I'm old, but you never asked. No, I didn't come here with the rest of you, but I'm human. What's he? Is he human? He ain't got half a damn face! You think you can trust him? Havik knows what'll happen if he tries to cross me again---he'll get a bullet in the head. Don't let him trick you into thinking you can't honor our deal."

"No..." he mutters. "Alright, Black. I get it." He now faces Havik fully. "Tell me what I need to know. No more games, Havik."

The cleric chuckles. "Very well. What you seek is a skull. Not like this one," he indicates the room, "but nearly as ancient. It is powerful, but protected. It will not be easy to get to."

"Where is it?" he asks.

"A temple. South of here, beyond the jungle of the amazons."

"You didn't tell us we'd have to go get it," Crashsmash says.

"No, but I can tell you exactly what to look for: what you seek is a grand temple, with great pillars that surround it---each capped with beacons of blue fire."

You maintain your composure as you realize exactly what he is talking about: it's where you were going originally.

'Goddamnit,' you curse in your head.

"How's it guarded?" you ask, taking an interest in what Havik knows.

"A lost tribe of people from a forgotten race dwell there, practicing ancient rituals and worshipping lost gods. They will not give up their treasure easily."

"Can they fight?" Crashsmash asks.

"They will be little match for you," Havik assures him. "Once you retrieve it, I will show you how to unlock its power, and with it, you shall have the means to cross the furies that separate the realms."

"Good," he says. "Then we'd better load up for a trip down south through the jungle."

Havik bows. "When you retrieve it, return here. I will be waiting."

Many thoughts race through your head. Crashsmash and his goons will go to that temple and likely slaughter its people---the people you were hoping to get a reward from. You're also owed, so you figure, for accompanying Crashsmash to this meeting, but what are you going to do about the child? Dissuade Crashsmash from attacking the temple? Use her as a bargaining chip for this skull? Stop him?

>A) Ask Crashsmash if he is heading straight to the temple or returning to camp
>B) Ask Havik more about these people and their ways
>C) Tell Crashsmash about the baby and the link to the temple
>D) Head back to the camp and get the baby
>E) Other

>>304420
>B then A

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>>304601

"Hold it," you say, stepping close. "Who are these people? Do they worship the skull?"

"Perhaps," Havik says, his voice carrying the same playful, inquisitive and venomous edge. "But I believe it's none of your business, is it not?"

"My business is my own, and what I make it," you reply. "Now speak up. What kinds of powers do they have? Are they rich?"

"Ah, there it is," Havik says, slinking off to one side. "The mercenary hopes to be paid, as always, his number one priority. But you haven't received payment for accompanying Lord Crashsmash here yet, have you? So why are you curious, I wonder?"

"You said you were heading south," Crashsmash suddenly speaks up. "...That baby you had with you..."

Havik's milky eyes widen. "Baby, you say?"

"I never said the baby could leave," Crashsmash says, suddenly threatening the baby's safety.

"That's enough," you cut him off. You look over at Crashsmash. "Now look, I might go my own way, but I fought in your little Thunderdome, and that means I've earned my right to do so. The kid was with me, that means the kid is under my protection. These are your rules as much as they're mine."

"I guess that's true. Still, if you're headed south..."

"And if I choose to go to this temple, I want to know what we're going up against." You look back at Havik. "Well? What is it?"

"I never took you for a fellow to have children, Erron," he chuckles.

You take out your pistol and aim it at his head. "So help me God, if I ask you a question and you don't give me an answer again, I'm gonna make good use of this bullet with your name on it."

Again he replies with soft laughter. "So quick to the draw... Very well. They have some magic about them, this is true. But it is not very powerful."

"Then why didn't you ever take the skull for yourself?" you ask the important question.

"I've little need of it, but knew of it," he shrugs. "I can make portals of my own."

"You don't strike me as a man to waste opportunity."

"Indeed, and I have not wasted the opportunity those people presented to keep it safe for me until I had need of it," he says, casually walking across the room with your gun trained on him all the way. "But that time is done and I think they no longer need keep it. I think more... venturing souls can make use of it."

With your gun up and at the ready, you look back at Crashsmash. "Are you going there now, or heading back to the camp?"

"Dunno," he replies. "That depends on whether or not our relationship ends here, Black."

"I'm going to that temple."

"And so am I, because they have my new skull," he says. "So we might be around each other a bit longer. Assuming our goals don't conflict..."

>A) We go back to the camp and get the baby
>B) I'll head south to the temple and get the skull, and in exchange I and the kid walk away freely
>C) I'm delivering the kid to her people, and if we can get the skull from them that way, we'll do it without killing
>D) Let's head south then, right now
>E) Other

>>304709
I'd like to say >C but wait to say it when Havik isn't around anymore so he can't fuck up any further attempts at having a simple conversation.

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>>304776

You look over at Havik, then back at Crashsmash. "Let's have a word outside."

Walking out with him and leading your raptor, you turn to make sure Havik isn't following. "Can't have a damn conversation around that one..."

The man suddenly pushes your shoulder. "The hell kinda game you playing, Black? You're some kind of immortal gunslinger, is that it?"

You stare into his visor with hard eyes. "Doesn't matter what I am. You believed what you wanted to believe and I was happy to oblige. I'm not going to apologize for being what I am."

"Well, being around as long as you have, we could use a man like you. Why not stick around permanently? Hell, you're already dressed for the part."

"No offense, but it ain't exactly my style. I'd like to keep things simple."

"Well, no more lying to me then. What's the deal with you and this kid and the temple, huh?"

"I'm delivering the kid to her people for a reward. It's why I came south, and it's what I'm going to do. I only agreed to come along with you here so I could load up on some of your supplies; I could've taken them if I wanted, but I never saw any need to violence again. But threaten me or the kid again like you did in there..."

You let your hand hover over the pistol at your hip.

"Alright then, Black. Well, you're delivering the kid, and I'm getting that skull. Seems we might be at a bit of an impass."

"Are we?" you ask. "A smart man considers all of his options."

"What other options?"

"You help me get to that temple. I could deliver that kid, get my reward. Maybe I can get the skull for you. Maybe everyone walks away and keeps their heads."

He crosses his arms. "I still don't know if I can trust you, Black. Not after what you hid."

"I don't give a damn if you trust me. I passed your test, and I'm a better killer than any one of your men. I've put more graves in the hundred-an'-fifty years I've been out here than your entire camp could fill up if I shot you all down. Now, I'm going to that temple, and you can come with me, and we both get what we want... or get in my way. Choice is yours."

After a moment, he nods his head. "You know, despite everything, I still like you. You're on. We'll play things your way, for now, but if things go badly, just know this: I'm getting that skull no matter what."

"Sure. Whatever you say."

>A) Head back to the camp now
>B) Make a plan with Crashsmash about dealing with the temple
>C) Ride ahead to the camp
>D) Go back inside to see if Havik is still there
>E) Other

>>304813
>C) Ride ahead to the camp

>>304813
>>C) Ride ahead to the camp

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>>304826
>>304859

Mounting up on the raptor as Crashsmash rounds up his men, you double-time it back towards the camp in the west. The raptor's talons dig into the dust of the bonelands as you speed across the horizon. As you do, you think about how much trouble you might be getting into with this job.

'Was supposed to be simple. Take kid to place, get reward. Maybe shake them down if they didn't want to cough one up.'

You sigh beneath your mask. Things are never as simple as you'd prefer, especially when someone like Havik gets involved. What's his endgame? Impossible to tell with that one. He's got several schemes at once rolling around in his head, all heading towards something you don't want to know about.

You had hoped that after your last meeting with him, at that same Mortal Kombat tournament where you were hired by Shang Tsung, you'd have seen the last of him. But like the ghosts of your past, he sprung back up. You curse under your breath and remind yourself to never deal with chaosrealmers. That's why you want to get the kid and get the reward before Crashsmash can do his---

Fire. Fire and smoke, a large column of it reaching up into the sky. Coming from the camp.

You kick the raptor harder, hoping to high hell that things haven't gotten worse.

Fortunately, the camp is still standing. When you get there and run in through the gate, you find what the fire is: a massive pyre of dead bodies. Outworld mutants.

"What the hell happened?" you ask one of the men hauling a mishapen corpse onto the blazing inferno.

"Buncha freaks attacked the camp!" he replies, throwing it onto the burning pile. "Some bird-lady suddenly showed up and warned us."

"What happened to her?"

"Shot 'er down. Got 'er in chains in the back."

You narrow your eyes and push past him, towards the back. Sure enough, Gwyn is here, a bleeding hole in her left wing-arm and a chain around her neck.

"A present for Crashsmash," the man holding her chain says with a mostly-toothless grin. "Think he likes chicken? Hahaha!"

You meet her gaze and look at him. "She warned you about the mutants coming, and this is what you did to her?"

"She's just a freak," he shrugs.

>A) Shoot him
>B) Threaten to kill him if she is not released
>C) Go check on the baby and Hope
>D) Approach Gwyn and dress her wound
>E) Other

>>304919
>E) Shoot the chain, then aim at him

The "freak" works for me. That a problem?

>>304919
>>A) Shoot him
The "freak" works for me.

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>>304949
>>304962

Pistol in hand, you blast the chain around her neck, effortlessly freeing her. You then aim it at him, and he quickly drops it.

"That 'freak' works for me. You got a problem with that?"

"No, not at all!" he says. "It's just, she appeared, and somebody shot at her, well, you know---"

"I warned them!" she shouts, clutching her arm. "I did what you told me to do!"

"Trust me, birdy, the only one around here who did right is you." You walk over and help her up. She stays close to your side, sticking to you for protection. A small crowd forms nearby, fearful of the harpy. You turn to them. "Anyone's got a problem with her, you're free to go through me. Now get outta my way. I've got more bullets than you've got courage."

They part as you make your way back to Hope's shack, you find her there, holding the baby in a bundle of blankets and keeping her face hidden. You help Gwyn inside and close the door.

"I'm sick of this place," you mutter.

Hope is quick with questions. "What happened? What about Crashsmash?"

"He made his deal, but the only thing he got is information about where the thing he needs is. Turns out, it's the same temple that I was going to drop the kid off at."

"What does that mean? What will you do?"

"Don't know how it's all going to pan out, frankly. Don't care too much."

"Of course not," she says, turning around to place the baby back in the netting. "Still... You don't really think he'll let that kid live, do you? Once he finds out?"

"He already knows. I think I can use her as a bargaining chip to get the skull that he wants. Then, once I have it, I can get my reward by squeezing it out of him."

"One-track mind," she sighs.

Nearby, Gwyn idly preens the feathers around her wound, cleaning them. You look over. "Can you still fly?"

"Yes," she insists. "I'm not grounded. You don't have to put me down."

"Calm the hell down," you tell her. "What gave you that idea?"

She curls her knees up to her chest nervously and does not answer. You approach her and hand her a role of cloth. "Clean it up and wrap it with this. I'm going to make sure nobody else shoots you."

"Thank you," she whispers.

"You did a good job. Here," you hand her another koin. "Where'd the mutants come from?"

"North."

You look over at Nania. "For her. How they knew she was here is another question..."

Hope stands near the window. "So, when are they getting back? Crashsmash and them."

"They shouldn't be too long behind me," you reply, taking out your pistol and reloading it. This baby is turning out to be worth a lot of trouble, so you had better stay loaded.

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>>304970

Hope continues staring out the window as you walk over and look at the baby. Nania smiles when she sees you and holds up a tiny blue hand. You stick out your finger and she wraps her palm around it, pulling on it with her tiny strength.

>"You're good with kids, you know."

You suddenly pull your finger away as the memory flashes before your eyes. Nania is confused, staring up at you with her glossy black eyes. You take off your hat and sigh. 'Still losing it...'

"Erron," Hope calls out. "He's not back yet."

You sit up a bit. "So?" But even as you ask the question, something occurs to you. You were in such a hurry to leave that giant skull while Crashsmash rounded up his men, and you sped away so quickly and never looked back...

He didn't follow you.

He went south, to the temple.

"That son of a bitch... He's going there without me. He lied. He's not going to wait or see if I can get the skull for him without killing that kid's people..."

Hope turns around. "What now? What will you do?"

>A) Grab the baby, the raptor and ride south
>B) Take Gwyn with you and ride south
>C) Leave the baby and Gwyn and ride
>D) Wait for them to come back
>E) Other

>>304973
>>A) Grab the baby, the raptor and ride south
>>B) Take Gwyn with you and ride south
>>E) Other
Tell Gwyn to head home to her sister. Things are getting too dangerous for her and she's wounded.

>>304975

I'm off to bed, but we'll resume first thing in the morning. Anyone seconding sending Gwyn away to her sister?

>>304989
Sure

>>304973
>>304989
>A) Grab the baby, the raptor and ride south
>B) Take Gwyn with you and ride south

No, keep her around till the temple atleast, she might be able to keep us informed of how far ahead Crashsmash is ahead of us, and shortcuts that vehicles can't take.

>>305030
Seconding this

Update coming shortly.

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>>304975
>>304994
>>305030
>>305548

You stand straight up, heading towards the baby. After picking her up, you turn to Gwyn. "You sure you can fly?"

"Yes," she nods. "I know I can."

"He's got a headstart into the jungle, but he won't be making much progress with the gear and vehicles he has. That'll give us time to catch up. We can make faster progress on the raptor and you in the skies than he can with those wheels."

"You're going after him?" Hope says. "You're going to stop him?"

"I'll do whatever I'll need to do to make sure I don't get shafted out of what I'm owed. But he went back on his word and against the plan we had, and that means we're not exactly buddy-buddy anymore, not that we ever were."

"Kill him," she says. "Please, kill him."

"And what'll happen here then?"

"I don't know. We'll be forced to move on. Maybe up north? There's people there, right?"

You start gathering the rest of your things in your pack to carry with you. "The capital city, yeah. A hard journey to make on foot with so few supplies."

"We can use our vehicles until they run out of fuel. But if he's not dead, and he comes back, the people here will never move on, they'll just become worse."

You look into her eyes, and after a moment, take out a bullet with no name on it. "I'll see what happens. But I don't make promises without payment in mind."

She closes her eyes and nods. "Keep that kid safe," she says as you and Gwyn leave the shack. You adjust Nania so that she is firmly strapped onto your back and make your way over to your raptor.

Your second mount is still here, the dog-beast. Gwyn looks on as you decide what to do with it; you don't imagine you'll have to come back here to this camp when your business is done.

>A) Leave it here
>B) Continue using it as a pack animal
>C) Keep Gwyn close as you ride
>D) Send Gwyn flying off ahead to scout
>E) Other

>>305597
>>D) Send Gwyn flying off ahead to scout
It would be good to know hat is ahead and if there are faster routes we can take to outpace Mash.

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>>305711

"One thing before we go," you tell Gwyn, turning to face her. "If things end up going badly, get out of here. Find your sister. Got it?"

She nods. "I will, I promise."

"Good. I need you to scout ahead," you tell the harpy, and she nods before spreading her wings and taking off into the sky. You watch her go; she's struggling a bit with her hurt arm, but otherwise flies fine.

Saddling up, you leave the packbeast behind and transfer its contents to the raptor. You need speed for this, so you can't be hampered by it. He'll probably be eaten by the camp when you don't come back for it, but that's no big concern of yours.

You tightly grip the reigns and dash off, heading southeast across the bonelands. It doesn't take long before you see the jungle up ahead, the domain of the amazons. You hope to high hell that you don't run into those women; after last time, it wouldn't do well to get distracted by a tribe of busty seven-foot-tall tribal women.

Just thinking about them brings back memories, both good and bad.

You enter the jungle and start making your way through the thick foliage, carefully avoiding anything dangerous by keeping your eyes peeled. This place is wild and untamed, both its animals and the people who live in it, so it pays to be alert. At one point you pass by an amazon totem pole that signifies their territory and hunting ground, but you aren't sure if you're entering it or leaving it.

'Guess we'll find out,' you think to yourself.

As you ride, you're careful to keep Nania from getting irritated by stray plants or leaves from the trees. She's wrapped up well in the blanket and secure on your back, so she'll be safe.

>A) Head in a straight line towards the temple
>B) Follow the river
>C) Attempt to get some high ground and see your surroundings; perhaps signal Gwyn
>D) Pause for a few moments to properly get your bearings
>E) Other

>>305756
>>B) Follow the river

I hope we can comeback for the poor dog horse...

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>>306048

Finding a river, you quiclky run alongside it, making good time as you have fewer obsctructions to worry about. You pass by some large animals drinking, but speed past them, and though they are surprised and let out a yelp, they do not impede your progress.

Up ahead, you come across a sight that only could have been made by Crashsmash and his men. A massive trampling of vegetation has been made by a large vehicle---the truck, most likely---driving through the jungle. They crossed the river here and left a very clear trail.

You see a shadow pass by overhead, and look up to see Gwyn. She circles for a bit before heading directly south, over the trail. She's found their path just as you have. Turning your raptor, you dash through the shallow water and follow the path left behind by their wheels.

Eventually you discover where they have gone. A large valley lies beyond the river's edge and you slowly descend into it. Breaks in the trees give you glimpses of what is ahead, but then you clear the treeline, you truly see what it is.

A massive plateau is ahead, framed by gigantic spires of rock that stretch up into the sky like the hand of a god. Water spills between these spires, forming the rivers that flow away from it, and the only way up is to climb.

Looking down ahead, you can see that they have abandonned their vehicles and left a number of guards behind while the rest climbed the rocks. Whatever is at the heart of this plateau must be what they seek. They've already got a head start, so unless you find a way to even the odds, they'll reach the temple before you. They're far, and that's a tough shot even for you. You could try riding around and looking for a way up, but there might not even be one, and if there is, it might be too far away.

>A) Circle the platform and try to find another way up
>B) Take out your rifle and shoot at the men climbing up the cliff
>C) Have Gwyn carry you to the top of the plateau
>D) Tell Gwyn to attempt to harry the men climbing and attack them with her talons
>E) Other

>>306114
>>B) Take out your rifle and shoot at the men climbing up the cliff

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>>306134

Let's have a 1d100-10 for it.

Rolled 94 - 10 (1d100 - 10)

>>306142

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>>306184

Taking out your rifle and getting into a good position, you line up your shot. You feel the wind and judge the distance as accurately as you can before stalling your breathing. Feeling your heart slow down, you control your positioning with absolute honed skill, and fire.

Your bullets fly, hitting heads and spines. One after another, even from this great distance, you pick off the men as they scale the cliff. They let go and fall, screaming all the way if there were still alive, but that ends quickly when they hit the hard ground below.

You manage to shoot every single one of them---except one. Crashsmash makes it to the top and vanishes amongst the stone, flora and mist from the waterfall. You lower your rifle and curse under your breath, but now he's the only one who made it up. If you can find a way to get up there, it will be just you and him.

Down below, where the bodies fell, the men who remained behind begin to take cover and ready their weapons to fire back. Your position won't be safe for long.

>A) Shoot at the men down below
>B) Attempt to find another way up the cliff
>C) Have Gwyn carry you to the top
>D) Charge at the men down below and engage them in close quarters
>E) Other

>>306211
>>A) Shoot at the men down below

>>306211
>A) Shoot at the men down below

>>306220

Let's have a 1d100+10 for them.

Rolled 65 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>306259

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>>306266

With your superior marksmanship, you force them into retreat. You manage to kill two more of them before they load up on the truck and attempt to escape, driving off into the jungle with Master Blaster on the back, shouting something incomprehensible at you.

With them gone, now you have a chance to climb.

>A) Scale the cliff wall
>B) Have Gwyn carry you up
>C) Send Gwyn off to stall Crashsmash before he can get to the temple
>D) Ride your raptor and try to find an ascending path leading up onto the plateau
>E) Other

Rolled 25 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>306259

>>306274
>A) Scale the cliff wall
>C) Send Gwyn off to stall Crashsmash before he can get to the temple

>>306274
>>A) Scale the cliff wall
It's time to climb boys

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>>306289
>>306313

Waving your arms, you call down Gwyn. "One of them got away up there. Their leader. I'm going to climb up but I need you to keep him busy. Careful, he's got a gun."

"I understand," she says.

"Don't let him reach that temple," you call out to her as she takes off.

You hop on the raptor and ride down to the base of the cliff, looking up. It's going to be a good climb, but if you're fast and smart about it, it shouldn't take too long to catch up. You tie the raptor down.

On your back, Nania cries from the gunfire earlier. A distraction, but one you can manage. Grunting, you get to the stone and begin scaling the wall.

'The things I've done for this goddamned kid,' you lament. 'This better all be worth it.'

>1d100 to climb! The higher, the faster!

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>306330

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>306330

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>306330

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>>306352

About halfway up the cliff, you stumble for a moment when a rock comes loose. You grunt and maintain your hold on the rocks, getting your feet into a good position. Another slip like that and you might fall, and your immortality doesn't cover long drops with sudden stops.

>>306355
>>306422

Focusing, you look ahead for the best path to the top. Trying to move as smartly as you can, you get only ten feet short of the edge when you hear gunshots. You pause as birds, startled by the noise, fly off.

'That can't be good,' you think. Is he shooting at Gwyn? The people of the temple?

You don't dwell on it, knowing that each second counts. You reach the edge and pull yourself up, running off into the jungle beyond.

Finding tracks, you follow them towards the center of the plateau. There, you see a temple, just as the blue man in your cabin spoke of, and just like Havik described it: it's large and ancient, with vines and other foliage growing up its sides. Around it are four towers, each capped with a glowing blue flame that blows in the wind. Dark clouds gather overhead, shrouding the plateau in semi-darkness.

No sign of Crashsmash, Gwyn, or any blue people. On your back, Nania continues crying.

>A) Approach the temple directly
>B) Approach it from the side
>C) Take out your rifle and watch it for a while
>D) Climb the temple walls and try to reach the top
>E) Other

>>306480
>A) Approach the temple directly

>>306480
>B) Approach it from the side

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>>306499
>>306575

You begin to approach the temple directly, walking down the central path. As you do, you feel something. Or is it something you see? Just outside the realm of possible movement. Something in the shadows of the jungle around the temple.

You stop, carefully scanning your eyes around. Something is here, and trying to sneak up on you. Whatever it is, it isn't human. Turning around carefully, you feel the hairs on your arms and neck standing up.

To your right, something slips across the sand. You take out your pistol and fire, but only hit the dirt. It happens again, this time to your left. Whatever it is, it's fast, moving like a shadow. Is it someone invisible?

Whatever it is, it's getting closer. Trying to sneak up on you, catch you unawares. Every sense of yours, even smell, tells you that something strange is drawing nearer and nearer with each second.

You hear a noise from behind, like oil slopping out of a can. You narrow your eyes and prepare to turn and fire.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>306579
Surprise vote!

bend down, and fire behind from your legs,

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>306637
I'll go with this.

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>>306637
>>306656

Thinking quickly, you bend down and fire between your legs. The black figure vanishes into a pile of oil that drains into the stones at its feet.

You stand up and watch it go. You know these things: it's a wraith.

But as luck would have it, not just any wraith.

"So, it seems that I can't sneak up on you," a sinister, double-echoing voice speaks. You hear a bubbling noise behind you and you turn once more to see a figure, completely obsidian black and garbed like a ninja, rising from the ground. The only contrast in his entire body comes from his eyes, a stark blue-white color that stare at you, unblinking and without pupils. He now stands between you and the temple.

"Noob Saibot," you mutter. "Heard about you."

"We haven't had the pleasure of meeting, but we too have heard of you," he says.

Overhead, the clouds circle a bit faster as the wind picks up. Lightning strikes somewhere in the distance. On your back, Nania continues her crying.

"The hell are you doing here? Last I heard, you were fighting a war down in the Netherrealm."

"I have more than enough wraiths to continue my battles for me while I take a brief trip to Outworld. I think the better question is why you are here, mercenary."

"The longer I go on, the more I ask myself the same thing," you reply, taking out your other pistol. "But if you just move out of my way, we can go about our business."

"You are my business," the wraith coldly replies. "Well, not you... but the child."

You stare him in the eyes. "Something tells me that we have a mutual acquaintence, don't we?"

"Havik told me about the child, yes. You really know nothing about who or what she is, do you?"

"Don't care."

"Well then, if that is true, hand her over. You won't get any reward for her here. Her people will soon be dead."

>A) Over my dead body.
>B) Tell me about the child, then.
>C) What's your role in this, wraith?
>D) Quickdraw and attack him
>E) Other

>>306713
>B) Tell me about the child, then.
>C) What's your role in this, wraith?

>>306713
>B) Tell me about the child, then.
>C) What's your role in this, wraith?

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>>306766
>>306786

"Tell me about her, then. What makes her so special? Mutants have been hunting her. Were those sent by Havik as well?"

"No, someone else controls the mutants. We're interested in the child for different reasons."

"You sure know how to tun your mouth for a dead man."

"She has a role to play in the future of Outworld. Larger than you, larger than me, larger than even Havik."

"Explain."

"No need to. After I take her, you'll have no involvement, so why explain anything to you?"

"Is that your role in this, wraith? Havik's dog, fetchin' whatever he tells you to?"

"Havik is just a man who likes to pull strings. I am a man who likes to cut them. Our relationship is mutually beneficial."

"Is it, now? Because that sounds like two things that don't mix."

"I wouldn't expect a simpleton with a gun to understand. You're just a ghost from another time, Erron Black. A relic of a bygone era."

You aim your pistol. "Relics don't shoot back."

"Indeed not," he says, and the shadow at his feet grows. "But I wonder, can you shoot a shadow? Let's find out."

He turns into black tar and bleeds into the earth. You hear him around you, slinking through the stones, laughing. You hold onto both pistols tightly as he slowly closes in.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>306835
>Equip Tarkatan Blade, prepare for defensive action

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>>306887

Sliding away your gun into its holster, you draw the tarkatan blade from your back. Behind Nania's crying, you listen for the sound of the wraith slinking through the ground. Somewhere, in the distance, you know that Crashsmash is inside that temple. Noob is stalling you, but if you try to break away, it may give him the opening he needs to grab the baby.

The wraith suddenly appears, leaping from the ground in a black blob of ooze and solidifying mid-air, arms outstretched as he attempts to grab her. You turn around and slash at him as he flies overhead, preventing him from doing so. Black blood splashes your face as he rolls on the ground, clutching his chest.

You turn around and try to impale him and shoot him at the same time, but when you do, he becomes oil again and teleports away, the blade and bullet passing through the liquid. You continue holding the blade and look around, leading with your gun arm, ready to fire.

>1d100 and an action!

Fuck, this is going to be a real bitch of a fight unless we find a way to force him to remain solid for our bullets to kill. Did Noob have any weaknesses?

>>306968
If he's oil, can we burn him?

>>306968
Read that he's zoner so we might need to get up close but that's quite dangerous.

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I still need a roll and an action.

>>307036
Maybe limiting the spaces he can stand in after teleport with caltrops might work? We never did get that second Tarkatan Blade properly turned into a sword yet, which is a shame since we could use it right now.

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>307076
I'll go with that.

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>>307113

Thinking quickly, you take out your bag of caltrops and loosen it before reaching in and tossing the spiked metal bits in various locations around you. These will keep him from running at you in certain directions, allowing you to better dictate where his avenues of attack are from.

Or so you thought. Noob is crafty, and sinister to boot. He appears on a nearby elevated stone platform and throws a series of shuriken at you! The razor-bladed projectiles cut through the air and you have only the slightest chance to react in time and dodge! But if you can, he's exposed himself... you might be able to get a shot off!

>1d100 to dodge, and then an action!

Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>307158
surprise vote strikes again!
Do a Matrix dodge!

Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>307197

>>307197
Think you are supposed to think of something to do right AFTER the dodge too. I humbly suggest shooting the motherfucker.

>>307214
I do too.

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>>307197
>>307212

Time seems to slow down for a moment as you see the shuriken spinning towards you. Focusing as intently as you can, you hurl yourself backwards, keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground to support yourself as your knees bend forward. Widening your stance to compensate, you lean as far back as you are able but do not hit the ground, lest you hurt the child.

The shuriken pass over you, only one of them barely scraping the leather on your chest.

From this position, you aim your pistol and fire, striking Noob right in the chest. The wraith clutches the empty void where his heart would be and falls back into the wall behind him, painting it black as he dematerializes into oil once more, vanishing.

You turn and get back to a standing position, no longer hearing Noob. You take this chance to desperately sprint into the temple, having wounded the wraith. Not mortally, likely---you're lucky, but not that lucky.

Inside, you find corpses. Blue people, who resemble Nania. You turn one over, finding her throat slit. Another has a hole in his chest from a shotgun.

You find three more bodies, and signs of a struggle. Moving on to the main chamber, you discover it to be wide and dark, with few sources of blue fiery light lining its walls. At the heart of the chamber is a pedastal and upon it is a crystal skull, alien in shape, with wide eye sockets and unnusually long teeth. It glows with a strange, mystical aura, and its surface is reflective like the finest steel.

Crashsmash is in front of it, about to grab it.

>1d100 and an action!

>>307214
I thought that goes without saying, as doing the Matrix dodge leaves the ordinary man in a vulnerable enough position.
This lures out noob to take advantage, and then we'll be one of the few cowboys who quickdrawed from a horizontal position

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>307276
throw the tarkatan blade in his back

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>307276
Shoot him in the leg! "You're not getting that skull, until, you pay me for services rendered, and payment lost!"

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>307294

>>307300
Anon plz

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>307276
Throw a sand grenade at him

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>>307294

Tarkatan blade still in hand, you turn it around and hurl it like a javelin. It flies through the air and hits him behind the shoulder, making him stumble and shout beneath his helmet. He falls onto a knee.

>>307296

Raising your pistol, you prepare to hobble him further as you aim for his leg and fire, but he rolls out of the way and behind a pillar capped with a brazier of blue flames.

"I knew you wouldn't be far behind, Black!" he shouts out, taking his gun in hand. He tears out the tarkatan blade and throws it off into the corner of the room. "I always knew you couldn't be trusted!"

"Makes you a poor judge of character!" you say as you fire on the pillar while moving to cover yourself. "We coulda done this a different way! You stupid son of a bitch!"

"Fuck you! You're not getting in the way of what I want! Nobody is!"

He springs out and fires with his sawnoff shotgun, peppering the stone wall you are behind with fire. He turns back to reload, giving you a chance to return fire.

>>307300

As you do, you hear a sound from behind you. You try to turn around but are suddenly blasted with a strange, ghostly projectile, a white and grey blast that leaves you stunned for a moment.

You feel two hands wrap around the baby at your back and pull. Noob Saibot! You grit your teeth and try to break out of this temporary stunning possession!

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>307354
Grab Noob and throw him into the brazier of fire. Shadows and fire generally don't mix

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>>307388

Breaking free of the phantasmic hold, you turn and grab the specter by the chest and shoulder. Hauling him with you as he struggles to grab the child, you drag him across the room and towards a brazier before hurling him up and over into it. The wraith lands in it and falls into the flames, the blue fire spreading quickly over his body as he rolls over, the metal pot going with him. Noob shouts in pain as he goes up in flames, vanishing into the ground.

You hear a strange crackling noise and look over to see Crashsmash picking up the crystal skull. He holds it in his hands as electricity shoots off of it, but he is unharmed.

"Yes... YES!" he cries. "I FEEL IT! HAHA, I FEEL IT!" Electrical energy surges through his body as he holds the artifact aloft.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>307427
Cap him in the head

someone else roll please....

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>307427
Shoot the skull out of his hands if possible. However filling Crash full of lead works as well

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>307510

>>307555
Damn those trips!

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>>307502
>>307510
>>307555

"Feel this instead," you mutter, raising your pistol and firing. Your bullets fly forward but then disintegrate upon making contact with the electrical field the skull is generating. You try to shoot the skull itself, but it is similarly protected.

Crashsmash turns around, the visor on his helmet glowing. "You failed, Black! I made sure to kill everyone in this temple to make sure you get NOTHING! No reward, nothing! It's what you deserve for trying to play me for a fool, cowboy!"

You reload, but as he holds up his hands with the skull in them, he begins to glow bright white, a light that expands to cover his entire body and grows into a column. He blinks out of existence, teleporting away with a burst of energy that makes the ground shake.

When he is gone, a hole in the ceiling remains. You look on as the temple walls begin to wobble, dust and vines falling off of them. You realize that, either in removing the skull or through use of its power, the entire place is about to collapse.

You're about to book it out of here when you hear a voice. "Na... Nania..."

Turning your head, you see one of the blue people, a woman with dark hair, slumped up against a wall. You run over to her.

"My child... My daughter..."

You take her off your back and let her look at the little blue baby. Despite her fatal wound from Crashsmash's shotgun, she manages to smile.

"I knew she would return. If only... it had been sooner..."

"What do I do?" you ask. "What is she? Why is she special?"

"She is the key," the mother whispers. "She is the key..."

She begins to close her eyes, but you put a hand on her. "Come on, don't die. I can get you out of here."

"I am dead, as dead as our people, our ways, and soon our temple... I will be buried here with my family, but not... my daughter. Get het out of here. Please..."

>A) Promise her you will keep the baby safe
>B) Leave without saying a word
>C) Set the child down and doom her to die with her mother
>D) Attempt to carry the mother out of the temple
>E) Other

>>307589
>E) Other
and what about our payment? this runt cost us a lot.

>>307589
>>D) Attempt to carry the mother out of the temple
"I ain't letting you die until I get some goddamn straight answers."

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>>307589
>B) Leave without saying a word

Then pic related, then

>A) Promise her you will keep the baby safe

>>307589
>D) Attempt to carry the mother out of the temple
I have been in the dark for this whole time. You need to tell me what is going on

Also I'm just now realizing, we should have gave Hope our spare mount and told her to ride to Z'Unkahrah.
Then she could be permanent babysitter.

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>>307629
>>307638
>>307639
>>307645

"Goddamnit, don't die yet!" you grunt, leaning over to grab the mother and put her over your shoulder. "I'm gettin' you outta here! I... need... payment! I've been through too damn much to get nothing out of this!"

With the added weight, you move more slowly. The walls begin to crumble and the ceiling starts to cave, starting from the point Crashsmash stood and spreading outwards. You struggle to reach the exit in time, carrying both the baby and her mother, and as you begin to ascend the stairs, they fall beneath your feet.

You stumble and slip backwards, into the large maw that the temple is falling into, when suddenly there is a flurry of feathers and a startling screech as none other than Gwyn swoops in to grab you! Her talons dig into your shoulders and chest as she clings tightly to you, her wings flapping as hard as she can.

Your hat falls off your head and into the abyss with the temple.

The harpy manages to gain enough lift and the four of you soar out of the temple, where she sets you down upon the solid ground outside. Turning, you look and see the temple fall below the surface in a large sinkhole. Breathing heavily, you grunt as you sit up and check on the baby. She's still crying, but is unharmed.

The mother, however, is dead. She bled out on your shoulder.

"Goddamnit..." you mutter. This has gone spectacularly badly. You sigh and run a hand down her face, closing her eyes. Gwyn kneels nearby, silently watching you as the sounds of the crumbling temple grow distant and mute.

The silence is interrupted by a clap, then another, and another. You look up to see none other than Havik---and behind him, Noob Saibot---approaching.

"I must say, well done! What a show! Lights, excitement, a daring rescue!" He looks down at the mother. "Well, half-rescue. It seems the little one is all that's left of her kind now. What a tragedy..."

You struggle to get up to your feet, taking out your pistol. You realize you lost your tarkatan arm-blade back in the temple, so all you have are your firearms. No more sand grenades, either.

"Now, now, Erron, after all this, you still want violence?"

"If I'm not getting paid, I might as well get something out of all of this and wipe your ugly face off the map," you say, raising your pistol.

"Now, now, I admit, things have been difficult for you these last few days. But you haven't died, despite efforts to the contrary... You're a survivor, Erron. We needn't be enemies. We can be partners."

"If I had a bullet for every word comin' outta your mouth, I'd have enough to last me a lifetime."

"Well, I cannot trade bullets, but I can give you something else. And in exchange, I want the child."

"You must be an idiot to think I'd be willin' to make a deal with you after all of this."

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>>307720

"Well, you won't get such an offer anywhere else. Her people are dead. Now, the only ones who will offer you a reward are the two of us. So, what will it be, Erron? I know how well you like to be paid."

>A) Attempt escape with Gwyn
>B) Give the baby to Gwyn and fight Havik and Noob
>C) Hear their terms
>D) Agree and hand the kid over
>E) Other

>>307735
>C) Hear their terms
I hate to do this, but it is Erron Black we are talking about after all

>>307735
>>B) Give the baby to Gwyn and fight Havik and Noob

>que punisher esque flash backs

>>307735
>C) Hear their terms
Although I highly doubt they have something worth the bullshit noob put us through

>>307735
>B) Give the baby to Gwyn and fight Havik and Noob
I doubt Havik would truly want us as parters.

>>307752
Secound this, if only to have cinematic flashbacks as we fight

>>307735
C and then B anyway.

Getting paid is ideal and all, but these two assholes have worked hard to earn a "pure spite" outcome.

>>307810
This

>>307810
I can live with this

>>307810
I can live with this.

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>>307752
>>307759
>>307794
>>307810
>>307757
>>307747
>>307816
>>307830
>>307841

"What are your terms?" you ask.

Havik shrugs. "Money. How does... ten thousand koins sound?"

"That's a mighty high price," you admit, sounding impressed.

The cleric shrugs. "The church of chaos collects a large tithe. It'll be yours... if you hand her over."

"Well, that's certainly tempting," you admit. "I love money. I love getting paid."

"I know you do," Havik smiles. "So let us conclude our transaction."

Overhead, the dark clouds continue to swirl and lightning strikes. The wind howls around you, picking up your cape and blowing it around your shoulders. You look down at Nania, who stops crying for a moment as she looks up at you and manages a smile.

You meet Havik's gaze. "But you know what I think, Havik?"

He tilts his head. "What's that?"

You turn and hand the baby to Gwyn. "Get her out of here," you tell her. "I don't care where. Just go."

"But what about---"

"I said git," you interrupt her.

Taking the baby's cloth in her talons, she spreads her wings and flies off, carrying the child away. You look over at them both.

"I think you owe me a hat," you say, taking out your gun and loading Havik's bullet into it. As you close the chamber and spin it, you add, "And no price could be worth lowerin' myself to work with scum like you."

"Oh, suddenly so high and mighty," Havik laughs. "Behold, Noob, the proud gunslinger, the man who would do anything for a price---except save his own family, of course. But then again, none of us can change the past, can we?"

You stand tall and straight as he laughs. Noob brings up his fists and prepares to fight.

Havik reaches behind his back and takes out a spiked mace. "I have a new deal for you, Erron Black---your suffering will be quick!"

As you stare them both down, it begins to rain, pouring down upon the plateau. Havik looks up. "Ohhh, dramatic!"

"You'd best shut up and draw," you mutter.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>307867
High noon them both, then go in with the gun kata.

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>>307867
IT'S HIGH NOON!
Quick Draw both of them, then go for a Sand Slide on the one that's least stunned by the shots.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

Shoot Havik in the face and steal his mace

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>>307882
>>307898

As they both attempt to close the distance, you fire both guns at once, each aimed at their heads. Noob turns into oil and the bullet passed through him harmlessly as he falls onto the ground and disappears, but Havik brings up his morningstar and uses it to block the bullet. He howls like a maniac as he leaps up before bringing it downwards!

You roll to the side, dodging the attack, but Noob suddenly pops out of the floor and grabs your legs! Havik tears the morningstar out of the dirt and swings it at your chest, knocking you backwards. Your breathing becomes difficult as you hit the ground, coughing.

"Oh, it's been so long since I've fought someone hand to hand!" Havik cries with glee. "I know I promised I would make this quick, but... I'm having too much fun! Muahahah!"

He leaps up once more, intent on bringing his weapon down upon your stomach!

>>307903

Bringing up both pistols, you fire, blasting Havik right in the face---specifically, his eyes.

The cleric twists in the air and falls down, allowing you to kick the morningstar out of his hands. He screams and cries out in pain. "MY EYES! MY BEAUTIFUL EYES! YOU TOOK MY EYES, AHHHHHRRGH!"

As you raise your guns to finish the job, Noob materializes to your left and karate-chops in front of you, forcing you to backwards. His shadow clone, Saibot, leaps out of his back with a punch that nearly hits your face. As Noob and Saibot morph and twist into attacks to force you to back up, Havik gets onto his knees.

"My eyes! My eyes!" He reaches into his bleeding eye sockets and tears them out, holding the bullet-ridden orbs. "Whatever will I doooo!"

He then drops them, reaches into a pocket, and takes out two more. "Good thing I brought spares!" he says, popping them into his sockets. He shakes his head before turning his head around 180 degrees, scanning for his morningstar. "There you are!" he says, bending his elbow backwards to grab it.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>307931
>Shoot Haviks elbows, then counter noob

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>307931
Money Shot. Bounce bullets from both guns into Noob and Havik.

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>308033
Be kind, dice.

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>>308026

As Noob and Saibot split apart, you see an opening to shoot Havik between them. You fire, but are unable, as the chaosrealmer's torso twists in an impossible manner at the waist, allowing him to dodge and crawl away like a spider.

He contorts himself back into a standing position, where he starts swinging the morningstar back at you, gleefully laughing all the while. Noob, meanwhile, separates completely from Saibot and both attempt to surround you, making it three on one. Soon enough, one of them scores a hit on your jaw while another kicks you in the back, allowing Havik to spin his upper body and sweep out your legs with his weapon.

>>308033
>>308047

As you fall, you reach into your bag of koins and throw two of them out into the air, their golden surfaces reflecting in the light of a nearby crack of lightning.

You aim at them both and fire, ricocheting bullets off of them to shoot Noob and Havik from unpredictable angles. Havik falls back and wails as Noob rejoins Saibot, fusing back together as he bleeds from the hole in the back of his arm.

You use this opportunity to roll away, bringing up the pistols and firing to keep them at bay. While they regroup and prepare a new attack, you reload, making sure to keep the bullet with Havik's name on it at the ready.

>1d100 and an action!

>>308062
P-pocket sand into a sucker punch, then quick shot on Noob

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>308066
dice

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>>308066
>>308074

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>308066
Trying again because Damashi can't bully me!

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>308066
allow me

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>308066
I'll back this.

someone else roll please T_T

>>308096
good thing we are around, eh?

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>308066
Rolling shishishaw

>>308099
T-T

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>>308066
>>308074
>>308093

As you finish reloading, Noob charges at you, his black form hard to discern amongst the rain, but his eyes give him away. Thinking quickly, you grab a fistful of loose dirt and throw it into his eyes!

He stops and stares at you as the dirt falls harmlessly off of his slick, oily skin. His eyes are unharmed.

You let out a chortle. "Huh. Didn't know you wraiths didn't play by them rules."

"Die, fool."

>>308095
>>308096
>>308107

As he moves again, you angle your gun at your hip and blast him in the face! He falls back, clutching the new hole in his cheek. When he hits the ground, he pools into an oily pile that you unload the rest of the chamber into, blasting at his melting body. The rain washes the rest away.

Havik gets back on his feet, supporting himself with his morningstar. He hefts it back up onto a shoulder. "Oh, Erron, Erron, Erron... To think, you could've avoided all of this and been a rich man!"

"Puttin' a bullet in your head is worth more than any price," you say.

"Is that what you told yourself when you couldn't save them?" he asks. "Is that what you said when you hunted them all down and murdered them, without even collecting the bounty?"

"I wasn't going to touch that blood money," you mutter.

"No, of course not! After all, not when it was your blood staining it!"

You shoot at him but he snaps his back to dodge, much like you did earlier without the self-injury, before springing back up and snapping his spine into place.

"I wonder, after all this time, does it still keep you up at night? Your wife, your daughter, your son..."

"Enough outta you!" you shout, aiming your pistol. "I've carried this bullet with your name on it for too long. I'm gettin' rid of it today, and it's gonna be the last thing to go through your head before you die."

"We'll see," he says. "Even if you kill me, what then? Will that change anything? You're walking away with nothing! My plans are already in motion!" He grips his morningstar tightly. "Even in my death, there will be chaos! It cannot be stopped, cannot be halted! It is formless, free of all laws and burdens! Come, I shall show you! An eternity of discord and disorder!"

He cackles as he charges, getting ready to swing!

>1d100 and an action!

>>308161
X-Ray, bullet with your name on it

You know what it does