Futuristic Nuclear Winter Wonderland

[Powerful Labyrinth]

Rifle: 1d12+6
Armor: 4
Caps: 793
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1600/2000 XP)​

Jeb waited for a decent time, making sure he was alone before he left. There was no one around and the sky was still dark that morning as the gang's hideout exploded, taking the entire building, and part of the block with it. Jeb didn't stick around to see the explosion, he didn't even look behind him to admire his handiwork. He knew that Lo Pan's men, and every other gang in the city, would be right on top of the rubble in minuites, eager to claim whatever was left of the mysterious shipment of drugs from Milwaukee. Unfortunately for them, Jeb made sure that there would be nothing left of the drugs by the time they got there. There would be no sign that such a drug had ever existed. There was only one more loose end to tie up.

Jeb made his way back to the bar Kelso had been in the night before. He thankfully found the man passed out at the same table Jeb had last seen him, no doubt sleeping off all the alcohol Jeb had financed for him. Thank god Chin went home to sleep like I told him, he didn't wish to pain his new friend with the terrible act he was about to commit. Jeb picked the man up, leading him out of the bar in his still half asleep stupor. "Jus' takin' him home." Jeb said to the barkeep. As Jeb walked out with Kelso, he felt remorse for this man, none of this was his fault, what had happened to him was just a cruel twist of fate that no one could control. He wished there was something else he could do, he truly did, but he knew there was not. Kelso was too unpredictable, no one could know who he would ever talk to, and about what, and Jeb had to make absolutely sure that all evidence of such a terrible drug was erased completely.

He led Kelso into a deserted alley nearby. Then, as swiftly as he could, Jeb took out a dose of adrenaline and injected it straight into the poor man's heart. Knowing that he could not resist and that his broken body would be too frail to handle such a concentrated dose so quickly. Withdrawing the needle, he laid Kelso down in a pile of garbage and stuck the needle into Kelso's arm, as if it was self inflicted. Anyone passing by would think that a sick junkie simply overdosed himself and died here. Up to this moment, Jeb had never regretted doing anything quite like he did this. Because of this, if there was a hell, Jeb knew he was headed for it. His only comfort, if it even was one, was that his friend Chin would never know. Even if he found Kelso, he would despair, but never suspect his friend. With nothing more to be done, he walked into the cool morning air. The cold northern wind feeling a little colder than it had before, as if the land itself knew of his crime.

 

[Apple Thief]

A few hours later at the burned down factory...​ The ashen snow crunched beneath Kruger's boots while his narrow eyes searched the rubble for any signs of life. As the thin man carefully reviewed the "eye witness" reports given to him, he sighed deeply at the realization he had nothing to work with: shadows in the night, sounds of gunfire and yelling, explosions followed by a factory burned to the ground. Garbage intelligence, really; no names or faces, just charred rubble and scorched bones. The second hand accounts were mostly from people looking for rewards and Kruger gave it to them; muffled bullets that shredded organs, corpses lying in puddles of warm effluence, and broken windpipes. The organization would no doubt disapprove of the murdering, but they had some small tie to the case so it would most likely be looked over. It did feel good to snuff out a life again, too. As he began to light a limp cigarette, something reaching out from a pile of wood caught Kruger's eye.​ Kicking aside pieces of ceramic and smoldering ashes, what he had thought was a jagged piece of wood turned out to be an arm. The man attached to it had been mutilated, burned, beaten, shot, and nearly decapitated from a neck wound that looked ironically like a smile. And for some strange reason, he was still bleeding. Not leaking cold, syrupy blood, but fresh, runny stuff that corpses didn't bleed. And he was lying in an impressive puddle that made the area for feet around him incredibly sticky. For a dead guy, he was certainly showing a number of signs of life and it was getting all over the now irritated agent's clean boots. It was rare to find corpses this lively.​

 

[Powerful Labyrinth]

SMG: 3d4+6
Armor: 4
Caps: 793
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1600/2000 XP)​

Jeb was glad everything had gone off without a hitch. After spending the rest of the night, and most of the following day, drinking off his remorse for poor Kelso, he decided to go spend some hard earned caps after sobering up. While he waited for Lo Pan's men to hopefully intercept him, he decided to find out what manner of weapon his mysterious broken rifle was. He began to study it for anything distinctive, and to see if it could be fixed. He knew that if he could not fix it by himself he would probably have to take it to a gunsmith in the city, but before he did that he wanted to find out as much about it as he could. After all, the strange happenings of the night before was still very fresh in the minds of the criminal underworld here, and he didn't want to take the risk of someone noticing it. Even though it seemed to be a decorative piece even when he found it, the make and carving were very unique. Anyone who had ever done business with Jim Hoss before may have easily seen this weapon. He did not want to take any chances.

Perception Check: 5+2= 7

 

[Apple Thief]

Perception Success! +25 Experience Gained​ Jeb's inspection of the marvelous mounted rifle takes almost half an hour as some disassembling and cleaning had to be done in order to appreciate the true value of the weapon. Surprisingly enough, a great deal of the damage is able to be scrubbed and chipped away, showing the mountain man the expensive qualities unique to such a rare and very customized weapon. Within the buttstock is a small, hollowed out space which contained documents detailing ownership and history of the weapon. Fortunately for Jeb, it's all pre-war and the original owner is most likely dead. It also states that the weapon was made in a little town not far from here by a talented gunsmith and that several extra copies of it's unique parts could potentially be found and used to restore this beautiful rifle to it's original state. The rifle itself has a name engraved in the receiver: Devil Joe. It's made out of a combination of mahogany (which was expensive for the time) as well as blue stainless steel, which matches the dark nature of the wood it was paired with. The mahogany has a luxurious stain that boasts rich colors as well as an added gradient to make the wood look more "natural" while also keeping the attractive sheen. The steel receiver has gold trimmings that frame a relief of two powerful looking deer against a peaceful, mountainous backdrop of silver. The finishes on this piece almost make you feel as though the rifle is a work of art and not of war, were it not for the extremely unique makings of the rifle that make it very deadly. It is unable to be repaired with normal rifle parts as this model in particular seems to have one-of-a-kind parts, so it can only be repaired with parts this unique. In fact, you've never seen or even heard of this model of rifle. Could it be this gunsmith made an original piece? You'd have to find the plans and the parts to figure out the rest of this rifle's story. It comes from a town two days away known as Maryville.​

 

[Powerful Labyrinth]

SMG: 3d4+6
Armor: 4
Caps: 793
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1625/2000 XP)​

Now knowing that a trip to a local gunsmith would be fruitless and that he would only arouse suspicion by flashing the expensive weapon around, he decided instead to take a trip to the local merchant. If he was going to start trekking into the wasteland he would need some gear with actual protection. Content with the small arsenal he had amassed, Jeb decided that more rugged clothing was the answer. He didn't have enough caps for a whole new outfit, so he settled for new boot, gloves, and a cap. He spent almost all of his newly acquired, yet ill gotten, money. 700 caps worth to be precise. He was, however, not in the mood for haggling over used merchandise this morning, and did not resell his old clothes and some of his more superfluous weapons. Content with his new clothing, he set off for the nearby town of Maryville to find whatever he could find of the surely exotic rifle he now had in his possession.

 

[Apple Thief]

After Jeb's run-in with rival gangs and drugs ended in an exploding factory, it only made sense to lay low for a few days and leave town. Letting the mud settle would be good for him, so he set out to learn more about the rifle he had acquired during the drug bust. According to weathered documents in a hollowed out section of the weapon's buttstock, it was created by a passionate gunsmith in the nearby town of Maryville. Two days of travel were needed for such a trip and Jeb armed himself accordingly for such a quest. After buying new equipment and strapping down his meds and guns tightly, he left to learn more about the one-of-a-kind rifle he was in possession of. Only the experienced mountain man would have enough courage and moxy to confront the unforeseen dangers lying ahead of such a trip.

The first day passed with no discernible dangers; he passed by no strangers and encountered no animals of any kind. For the chaotic wildlands of Wisconsin, this was something of a lucky day for Jeb.

The second day into the trip was far different. As Jeb smoothly made his way across the wastes, he came across a peculiar sight: several men from another nearby settlement were in a heated argument about how to best execute a roughed up looking character. The loud accusations and insults labeled him as "Heff" to Jeb and the moment the heated arguers saw our hero, they immediately came to him and pleaded that he be the one to execute Heff for the sins he had committed. His accusations ranged wildly from having sex with livestock to skinning and killing everyone's mothers, so it was rather difficult to discern the true crimes of the man standing trial. After the group of strangers desperately pleaded with Jeb, they quietly waited for his judgement on the matter. Truly, a stranger would be impartial when it came to justice and therefore the best chance at reaching a just conclusion to the "trial".

 

[Powerful Labyrinth]

SMG: 3d4+4
Armor: 6
Caps: 93
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1625/2000 XP)​

Although tired and confused, Jeb could not leave this man to such a ridiculous fate as these two men surely had for him."Well, seems to me a man's still got a right to a fair trial. So tell me son, what's all this about. These men seem to think that you're some kind a' deviant. You got anything to say in defense?" Jeb questioned the accused man but his wits stayed on the two men who had done the accusing. They seemed like idiots, but Jeb didn't want to get jumped in case this was some elaborate hold up.

Perception Check: 3+2= 5

 

[Apple Thief]

Perception Success! +25 Experience Gained​ It appears as though these villagers are genuinely at the end of their rope to ask someone like you to step in and intervene. The wasteland is often full of frontier justice and the help of a strong, mysterious stranger is surprisingly popular. None of the villagers appear to be hiding weapons, instead choosing to use simple sticks and blackjacks to beat Heff into submission. None of these men are bandits, although you question Heff's previous occupations as his arms are covered in brutal looking tattoos. He may have lived a less than savory life before he lived in this village. He's also missing a chunk of his left ear.

"I didn't do jack shit!" Heff yelled while violently resisting his accusers. For such a sorry looking man, he was surprisingly vigorous; there aren't many people who could take such a beating and keep kicking for as long as he had. "They just don't like me and finally got fed up with me makin' sense around this shitty village! Our leader is a twat and I'm the only one who has the balls to say anything. Anyone that steps out of line here gets run through the mud or killed! Well, I've had enough!" With a sudden burst of strength, the vagabond broke free and quickly ran to Jeb's side. Had it not been for the surprise visit of this rugged stranger, the villagers wouldn't have been distracted enough for him to break free. "You came right in the nick of time, fella." Heff said to Jeb, his face red with bewildering rage, "Don't you worry none about what happens to me because I'm just gonna leave. It's clear that nobody wants me around... So long, fuckers!" With special emphasis on the last word and using his middle fingers to wave goodbye to the villagers, Heff stormed off into the wasteland. Purely coincidence, it happened to be in the same direction Jeb needed to go in order to find the gunsmith.

 

[Apple Thief]

In a familiar bar...​ The spinning blades of an aging ceiling fan broke the silence of an empty bar with constant woof... woof... woof... sounds while Barney quietly cleaned a wet glass. He made sure to scrunch his fingers together in order to get the bottom of the tall glass, an attention to detail that his helpers often missed. It was the mark of a good bartender, but also the reason why he didn't see the bald agent quietly letting himself in through the back door and gliding silently behind him. Before the young owner knew what was happening, a strong, gloved hand slammed his face into the worn down wooden counters of the bar itself, wooden chips and splinters ramming into his face and eyes. Barney let out a short, gutteral scream before another hand clamped over his mouth. His feet were knocked out from under him and he was dragged into the nearby storage room and thrown into a solid brick wall. The resounding thud! it made when his spine cracked against the solid surface was satisfying to the assailant. As the bartender slowly opened his bleeding eyes, Kruger shoved a cigarette deep into his left socket and another wave of pain washed over him again.​ With the owner more or less submissive and whimpering, the vicious stranger slowly crouched down and sat on his haunches. He made sure to light another cigarette and inhale deeply before letting the disgusting smoke blow into Barney's face before speaking. "Kelso. Where is he?"​ "What--"​ "You must like cigarettes because you're about to have another one shoved into the other eye."​ "H-He's dead! He overdosed in an alley a few streets over! His body got tossed in a mass grave outside town, him and all the other corpses they found at that blown up warehouse! I swear on it, now please... please don't hurt me..."​ Barney's body remained tense and shaking as he waited for another blow to strike. What would the man do next? Break his legs? Cut out his tongue? But the blow never came; minutes of waiting revealed that the young bartender was bleeding alone in the storage room. Were it not for the smoldering, bloody cigarette on the floor, he might've convinced himself he had been alone the entire time. Perhaps deeply engrossed in a violent dream as a result of staying up so late, working in the dim light in his bar. Barney didn't smoke, though, and the wood sticking out of his face was definitely real.​

 

[Powerful Labyrinth]

SMG: 3d4+4
Armor: 6
Caps: 93
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1650/2000 XP)​

With the would be condemned man headed for the hills and the two buffoons that held him picking themselves up off the dirt, Jeb saw no more reason to stick around what had the potential to be another sticky situation. Seeing that all parties had, in theory, what they wanted, Jeb excused himself with a short grunt and pressed on to Devil Joe's workshop. It wasn't in his nature to stick around a place longer than necessary, just like back in Little China he was leaving without a name or place for anyone to find him. And that's the way he liked it, no loose ends.

 

[Apple Thief]

On the outskirts of Maryville, just after sunrise...​ Jeb found himself hidden behind a small grove of pine trees on a large hill overlooking the city. Using the cover to look down and gain intel on what lay below, our wasteland wanderer found himself in a sticky situation; behind him sat the vagabond Heff who had stubbornly insisted he follow the mountain man and help him so that he could square up his 'debt'. It was obvious that he didn't know where to go next and there was something intriguing about Jeb. And what were the odds they would pick the same direction to travel in? It all sort of just lined up neatly, almost like the universe had intended them to meet. Between that and the small army of machines sweeping through Maryville, things were gettin' worse all the time.​ For reasons unknown, the Robot Liberation Front had occupied this abandoned settlement and were desperately searching for something. Perhaps a cache of weapons or the talents of the gunsmith himself, it was not something anyone could know from where Jeb was sitting and watching. He would have to get closer and investigate to find out. He could find out if he spied on them closer or if he was feeling brave enough, hacking into one of the machines below or interrogating one of their 'cyborgs'; a fancy word people used for people that were assimilated forcefully into the machine army. While they were mostly robots now, they were human enough to feel fear still and could be tortured or persuaded for information.

 

[Powerful Labyrinth]

SMG: 3d4+4
Armor: 6
Caps: 93
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1650/2000 XP)​

"Well, I hear fellas are pretty crazy. Looks like it's time for us to part ways. Best o' luck, friend." Jeb quickly scrambled over the rise and down the hill, now ignoring Heff. Staying towards the bushes, wanting to get some information about these things before he made himself known. It's not that he necessarily disliked Heff, it's just that a bad first impression tends to stick, and finding him a captive of two idiots and then being annoyed by him for the next few hours wasn't the best impression. Plus Jeb had always been a kind of loner. He trusted that Heff would get his message and scoot on. Jeb didn't need more people to look after, the last one he had got shot in the back and fell on a landmine. Friends were nice but as far as he was concerned, they were more of a liability than not.

Leaving Heff on the hill, Jeb snuck closer through the bushes. The leaves brushing by his face barely making a sound, and the ground underfoot silent as a ghost as his soft soled moccasins trod the earth, leaving not so much as a trace of print nor any sign that he had been there. He scanned the perimeter looking for any sign of Devil Joe. He perked up his ears and used as many senses as he could, watching his targets' behavior, listening on their communication and smelling the metallic machines as they passed by. Any information Jeb could get was useful to Jeb. From where Joe was and why the RLF was here to what kind of people they were, if the term people could still he applied. If the situation was fair, Jeb was always more favorable to talking and resolving his problems in a diplomatic way. But Jeb wasn't stupid, he knew what the reality was: that some people would just shoot everything on sight and not care about the consequences. Jeb would've liked to simply walk up to the front gate and politely request to see Devil Joe, but he knew the probability of that happening peacefully was little to none. Especially with the stories he had heard about these machines. And so Jeb waited, and watched.

AGILITY check: 6+1=7

PERCEPTION check: 3+2=5

 

[Apple Thief]

Stealth Success! +25 Experience Gained +1 to Gather Information Roll​ The RLF's sensors aren't as high tech as rumors led you to believe. In fact, they were about as fine tuned as the average human being, if not slightly worse. Well, except regular folks can't see infra-red or use night vision, so I suppose it balances out in the end. Maybe the RLF's ground troops are on the low end of the tech spectrum? You'll have to be wary of their better than average machines if you ever encounter them.

Perception Failed! RLF Motives Unclear!​ While Jeb was able to get within spittin' distance of several patrols and other loitering 'bots, it was still unclear what their mission in Maryville is; as it turns out, robots don't need small talk to pass the time the way humans and muties do. Maybe they're just passing through? Or maybe they--

"Hey, why are you stoopin' and creepin' and spyin'?" A familiar voice loudly whispered from behind Jeb. "Are you one of those uhhhhhh... robosexuals? Hey man, I don't judge. It's a free apocalypse or whatever." "What'd you mean by goodbye? Ain't we's partners now, mister? Hey man, turn around or something. Why are you so quiet?"​

 

[Powerful Labyrinth]

Knife: 1d6+3
Armor: 6
Caps: 93
Stimpacks: 8
HP: 13​

Jeb
LV2 (1675/2000 XP)​

Without making a sound, Jeb shoved Heff to the ground. Pulling his knife from its sheath and covering his mouth with his other hand all at once, Jeb pressed the knife into Heff's neck, just barely breaking the skin. This, coupled with Jeb's blood curdling scowl, was enough to let Heff know that he was deadly serious. "Make one more sound an' I'll pop yer' head off." Jeb whispered into the man's ear. "Now you stay right here an' you don't make a fuckin' sound. If I get caught 'cause a' you I will hunt you down an' make you wish them two idjits back there had killed 'ya." Knowing that the fear of god was now part of this man's soul, Jeb slowly removed his hand. Jeb decided that instead of sneaking further in and risk getting seen by more robots with better sensors, he would try to capture one of the cyborgs. Not that Jeb was dumb, but he didn't really understand much about all that 'science stuff' so hacking into a machine probably wouldn't have the best outcome. He didn't know much about their cyborgs either, but being once human, there might still be a chance that some part of their leftover brain would listen to reason, and if not then they could always feel pain. But all that was just a guess. Jeb waited for a lone cyborg to come near his position before he snuck out of the bushes and overpowered it. As far as Jeb knew he still needed one of these things alive and conscious, so keeping a hand over its mouth and dragging it away, he went to question the thing. Stepping quietly out of the bushes he approached, making not even the tiniest hint of a soun-*CRACK* as his foot fell on a suspiciously loud stick. As the half-machine turned, Jeb thought that if none of the others had heard that, there was a chance he could still get this one. He punched it right in the face, hoping to hit a weak point and knock it unconscious, not seeing the large metal plate that was covering its left cheek. With the sound of reverberating metal and a bruised fist, Jeb knew that he had just gotten lost up shit creek, and he was all outta paddles.

AGILITY check: 1+1=2

STRENGTH check: 2+0=2

 

[Apple Thief]

Stealth Fail! Lone Cyborg alerted! Reinforcements on the way!​ As soon as the cyborg hears the twig on the ground, Jeb notices a red light inside of the cyborg's brain shell begin to flash. There's no sound of movement yet, but there's a very good chance he's wirelessly alerting nearby machines to come and help him![/size]

Grapple/Overpower Failed! Lone Cyborg counters and knocks Jeb prone!​ Jeb's punch didn't even phase the cyborg; as the blow landed, his head barely moved from the impact. Say what you will about the RLF's aesthetics, but they sure know how to make a solid robot.

Before the Cyborg could raise his weapon, suddenly the vagabond was on his back and the two of them were spinning in circles and crashing into walls and other objects. Above the noise, he yelled, "Stop callin' me Heff! My name is Hurley! I already told you, I got your back pardner! This boy ain't goin--" Before Hurley could finish his sentence, the Cyborg planted himself firmly, grabbed Hurley by the arms, and threw him overhead and into a nearby picket fence. The force was enough to shatter the rotten wood he landed on as well as bring down that entire wall of fence as well. Before he could get up, the Cyborg turned and swung a metal fist at Jeb's face with enough force to knock over a horse.