>>4041672
>We will go east to Vitcur
We can take Kurrlon's champion on the way back.

I would like to go straight to the capital, but we don't have good enough melee for that just yet.

>>4041681
Varkus nodded, and pulled the reins on the horses, making them turn the wagon east. The first few days were calm, and the local patrols were keeping a close eye on the roads, with decent traffic along the dirt and cobble paths you rode down. Varkus told you that he had met the king in person, and had been the one to buy him as a slave gladiator in Saltmarch, seeing his promise and ability; enough to possibly defeat the current champion at that time. The old noble looked at you as he said: "of course, I had no idea I had brought with me the chosen of a god. During the travel, we were ambushed by some wasters, who belonged to Urizen's old clan. My best warrior quickly dealt with what we thought were the lot of them, but from behind came twice as many, who Urizen convinced to set him free. A long fight ensued, and by the end of it my men were dead, my best soldier sacrificed by Urizen, and I was enslaved by the man I had not too long ago bought." The noble looked back to the road, and allowed you a while to think about what he just said.

Once passing another lookout tower and patrol, Varkus started talking again: "I was kept as a servant to Urizen for one purpose: my knowledge. I taught the waster to read and write, and told him of the diplomacy of the world and each town's weaknesses and strengths. After he had learned enough, he stayed true to his word, and set me free, back to my family. Ever since then I have been indebted to him, supplying and training men from the pits around the kingdom, and giving him coin if I didn't have enough of the former. I'm sure you're wondering where you fit in here. Well, this debt that I have with Urizen, along with my loss of status by being a temporary slave, has put me in a deficit. If you win the grand championship with me as your sponsor, that would give me the ability to trade with esteemed merchants and salesmen, allowing me to pay off this debt. I don't ask for a cut from the winnings in the game, I gain my money from investments and betting. All I ask of you is to win." Varkus kept looking in front of him, as you trailed behind his wagon on horseback, but you knew that his intentions were clear, and his word true.

>>4042052
As the days went on, the patrols and watchtowers began dwindling, to the point that all thought of law was behind you. Around you, the lands had changed from soft dunes to flat rocky ground, with even the occasional bush being seen. The road had all but turned to a trail, winding and weaving along the wavy horizon. You spent most of the night on watch, looking for the wasters that thrived in this sort of environment, maintaining your weaponry to pass the time. Varkus told you of when the town of Guryon had rebelled against Urizen, and that in response, after the siege of the fortified town was finished, he salted the earth, and burnt the houses, leaving nothing but a ruin. The noble said that this tactic made none of the other towns rebel, but it also left open the lands that the town defended, allowing raiders and marauders to pray on the merchants and caravans that passed through, leading to a lawless area. Even in the remote red dunes you heard of this, cheering with your warband for the destruction of the softskins town in response to their hubris.

As you approached the ruins of the town, you saw some fresh footprints leading into it. Just as soon as you got off your horse to investigate, you heard a familiar voice: "Longshot? Longshot!" You saw your old Warband on the ruins walls, guns in hand. As you approached the entrance you saw the man who had beaten you in the duel for the title of warlord, brandishing the axe that had almost killed you. As you went to walk closer, he said: "don't take another step, or this axe will find itself again in your side."
You stood up straight, and positioned your hand next to your revolver, saying: "now I don't want no trouble, I was simply passing through."
The warlord stood up straight as you did with his axe now to his side, and replied: "good, softskin. Go quickly now, or we will treat you as we do all the other townsfolk that travel through here."
>No one calls you softskin. Shoot him right through the head and leave (roll 1d100)
>Challenge him to another duel of honor (1d100)
>Walk away, he's not worth it


Check out the archives (forgot to put this in the original post):
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Apocalypse+Raider+Quest

https://yuki.la/qst/3960194 (forgot to archive the previous thread, but found a different site with it archived)

>>4042054
>Walk away, he's not worth it

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>4042054
>>No one calls you softskin. Shoot him right through the head and leave (roll 1d100)

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>4042059 (1)
>>4042352 (2)
Rolling to decide

>>4043698
You lowered your gun arm, and turned to walk away. The warlord yelled as you mounted your horse "ride away softskin! You are a cursed man, ever putting the ones around you in danger!" The axeman pointed his weapon towards Varkus, and said: "you watch him old man, he's bad luck!" You rode on the left side of the wagon, until the ruins, and your past was beyond the horizon.

You noticed that the environment again started changing around you, turning to an even darker red, with bushes becoming even more prominent. The ground here was still dry, but the dirt seemed to retain some nutrients, enough for desert plants to survive at least. As you went further and further east the bushes began to give way to pastured or farmed lands, and the flat horizons to rocky and mountainous ones. You saw the outline of the mountains that surrounded the rich valley of Kurrlon, and around you were many well-armed patrols, as well as large roads meant for lots of traffic. As you were getting closer and closer to the valleys and mountains of the east, you heard a muffled deep sound, that was unmistakably a war horn. You turned around, and saw patrolmen riding out to meet a huge force of southern wasters. These wasters weren't like the normal ones from the dunes or canyons, these men were well equipped, and seemed to have grown strong from these times of war. You estimated that there were roughly four hundred meters between you and the enemy, but they were mainly on horseback, and the wagon was slow, though Varkus managed to make it pick up pace. You could stay with the old man and the wagon, or you could join the patrol units against this force:
>Go with the patrols
>Defend the wagon

Roll 1d100

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>4043745
>Defend the wagon
Fletcher depends on us

Rolled 15 - 20 (1d100 - 20)

>>4043758
48 -30 (Iron armor, superior melee weapon, superior ranged weapon [-10 because guns are way better than bows], fortified position, and inhuman accuracy) = 18

Enemy gets -20 (Iron armor, vastly outnumber you [-10], and their horses are faster than yours)

>>4043797
18 vs -5 = Close defeat

You saw the patrols ride to meet the wasters and, judging by the numbers on both sides, you decided not to join in. You attached your horse to the side of the wagon, and put your ammo belt on the side for easy access to reload. You positioned yourself next to the driver (Varkus), and loaded a bullet into the rifle. You aimed and, even at this distance, you shot one of the riders through the head. You kept on reloading your gun, hitting a raider with every bullet, until most of the patrolmen had been defeated or killed, leaving the marauders to focus all their efforts on the slow bulky carriage.

You counted ten bullets left on the rifle, six in the revolver, and thirty or so wasters left. They were riding full force towards you, and you could only get off a few more shots with the rifle before they were in bow range. You knew that the forces of Kurrlon were probably just beyond those desert mountains, riding here as quickly as they could, so these wasters were probably going to scatter before then. You jumped back out of cover, and immediately received an arrow to your chest, with it bouncing off your iron armor luckily. You were able to shoot a decent amount of them off their horse before you had to go behind cover again. You reached for more ammo in your belt, but found none. You dropped your rifle to the side, and pulled back the hammer of your revolver till it clicked. You saw the riders appear on the sides of the wagon, now making your cover ineffective. You crouched and shot the ones immediately visible on both sides with your pistol. You knew that at least a few had jumped on to the back of the wagon by now, and were hauling Varkus's and your good out, and once they were finished with that, they would shoot you through the thin wood and hide that you hid behind. Your position was compromised, and defeat was imminent:
>Get Varkus to mount a horse, and ride out of here, leaving the wagon
>Get back on your horse, and try to lead the bandits from the wagon (could end badly for you)
>Keep going, and hope for Kurrlon's troops to save you

Roll 1d100

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>4043811
>Get Varkus to mount a horse, and ride out of here, leaving the wagon
When our lives are on the line a little loss is alright.

Rolled 43 - 20 (1d100 - 20)

>>4043903
21 -30 (Iron armor, superior melee weapon, superior ranged weapon [-10], inhuman accuracy, and the troops of Kurrlon beyond the mountains) = -9

Enemy gets -20 (Iron armor, vastly outnumber you [-10], and their horses are faster than yours)

File: The Desert Mountains.jpg (68 KB, 1024x718)

68 KB JPG

>>4043918
-9 vs 23 = success

Varkus looked back to his things, and sighed, knowing that this was the sensible option. You jumped on your horse, and unclipped it from the wagon, as Varkus did to his, and rode as fast as you could. Due to the vehicle having four wheels, it kept on goin with its momentum, with the wasters not knowing for a good amount of time that you had detached. Arrows were fired, and bullets flew when they found you two escaping though, and the chase was on. The men on horseback behind you had hardly any equipment weighing down their steeds, and so caught up with you quickly, making you turn this way and that to avoid their arrows hitting your horse. For miles, you rode just in front of the raiders, until you reached the rocky mountains that not too long ago were silhouetted in the horizon. Just as soon as you came to this new environment, you heard the thundering of many hooves, and the cries of men ready to attack. You saw the wasters behind you scatter, and the guards of the pass chase after them. You were safe.

As you watched the distant fights and battles, you slowed down your horse, and allowed it some time to rest. You saw Varkus struggle to get off his and, before you could rush over to help him, he fell on the ground. His face was pale and in pain. You turned him slowly over, and found a broken arrow in his upper thigh. You knew the arrowheads weren't serrated, and that the place he was shot was nowhere near any major arteries, so a quick stitch up and bandage would be fine. This, as well as the loss of cargo from the wagon, meant that you had to go to the nearest town, which just so happened to be Kurrlon.

You spent the last part of the day traveling, only reaching the large town by the end. You had Varkus take the lead, considering he knows how to talk to these sorts of people. The guards quickly let you both through the huge walls, seeing as though a noble being wounded was of great importance. As Varkus went to get his wound mended, you:
>Went to the arena to see the fights (size up your opponents)
>Went to the markets to get supplies
>Went to the guns shop to buy more ammo (you had hardly any left)
>Went to the inn to have a drink and a game of poker
>Went to the bounties, in case extra coin was needed


Pick up to three options

>>4043934
>Went to the arena to see the fights (size up your opponents)
>Went to the guns shop to buy more ammo (you had hardly any left)
>Went to the bounties, in case extra coin was needed

>>4043958 (I'm going to order the choices differently)
You counted your money: you had one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, and a bonus of three thousand from Fletcher. As your first order of business, you walked to the guns shop, and bought twenty five bullets (as well as refilling the revolver), filling up your gun belt with ammo, but leaving you with no money of your own. Bullets were expensive in this world, and required a high paying job to sustain them.

You walked to the bounties at the militia square, and found some to choose from: Kirrid Ringfinger: Wanted for the butchering of two women. Worth three hundred dead, six hundred alive. Maxul Terkasus: Wanted for murder, and several breakouts from prison. Worth five hundred dead or alive. Irrud Namsular: Wanted for the attempted assassination of Parmelus Kurrlonius. Worth five thousand alive

The town around you was a wreck, having only recently been occuppied by Urizen in a siedge, and having all their power ripped from them. The chard remains of houses were a common sight, as well as the homeless that had once lived in them. You saw anger in the eyes of the citizens, and the ones that saw that you were a waster spat as you walked by. You heard from the local speaker in the town square that Urizen had left for pilgrimage to the east just yesterday. You also heard that 'The Flats,' an important town that supplies the oil for Urizens armies had been taken by an eastern force of over one hundred thousand, and that Berkeran was presumed taken as well.

You walked to the arenas, which had been stripped of all their finery's from the sacking, and saw a great statue of an armored man, named Aegis. You knew that this was the same soldier that had almost defeated Urizen many times, and the previous grand champion when Kurrlon was ruling. The champion here now was his student, and a competent fighter indeed. You watched the small matches in the huge arena, with only a few other scattered peoples watching as well. This sized arena would be easy to use a bow in, but the opponents were all covered in steel or iron armor, with even their outer limbs clad in the metal.

>>4043988
You watched the games until Lisonus came to get you, leaving the town not too long after. The roads, unlike the desert to the west, never ceased in patrol or traffic, with the dark red farmland around you filled with cattle and crops. It only took a day to ride across the straight roads to Vitcur, with the horses hardly tired from the trip. You rested for the night, and went to the arena the next day. The arena in this place was well made, and the fighters here were far superior to the ones in Black-Hands-Deal. You watched as Varkus Lisonus signed you up to fight the champion, with the presenter being all too happy to have a championship fight.

You entered through the arena gates in the afternoon, and notched an arrow on your bow. From the other side, you saw a rather thin and small man enter, visibly scarred by the fights he had been in. The champion was dressed in nothing but a long loincloth and a large belt with knives on it. The man looked nimble, and his weapons were long-range like yours. When the presenter blew the horn for starting the fight, you:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan
Roll 1d100

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>4043990
Test his speed by taking the first shot directly at his chest. Continue shooting at him, and watch his knife-throwing to get his timing down; use that to shoot him just when he's drawing out a knife.

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>4043990
>>4043994
Support.

Rolled 12 - 15 (1d100 - 15)

>>4043994
>>4044101
7 -20 (Iron armor, a plan of attack, superior melee weapon, and inhuman accuracy) = -13

Enemy gets -15 (great melee skill, catlike reflexes, and incredibly fast)

>>4045881
-13 vs -2 = Very close victory

You aimed directly at the mans chest, loosing the arrow with perfect accuracy. The arrow never hit though, with the opponent catching it mid-air with his bare hand, throwing it to the side unimpressed. He was fast. You notched another arrow as he drew two throwing knives, both firing and throwing at the same time. You were able to dodge one of his knives, with the other bouncing off your armor, as he dodged your arrows. Before you could even notch another arrow two more knives were flying towards you. You jumped onto the ground and, still keeping your bow loaded, aimed at the champion once more. You saw that he was speeding towards you as you shot, with him jumping over the flying arrow, knives out like claws of a cat. You hardly had enough time to think before notching another arrow and aiming it at the enemy who was about to come down on top of you. You rolled to the side before he could land, and stood up in the same motion, aiming right at the eager opponent's chest. You shot again at the small man, with him dodging as easily as ever.
You saw two more knives flying towards you, this time dodging both. When you looked at the knife-wielding gladiator to aim another arrow, you noticed something: he dropped his guard slightly when grabbing more knives from his belt. You had lost the chance to shoot him at that point, but if you waited for him to throw his knives again, you could catch him off guard.

As he threw four more knives, you ran towards him, and slid on your knees bent backwards underneath his attack, aiming your shot right at his chest. The champion was quick to react, drawing two more knives, but not quick enough: as he went to defend, he found an arrow in his lower abdomen. The opponent was clearly not used to being hit, and another arrow in his shoulder made him go down. You drew another arrow, and aimed it at his pleading face. The audience was calling for life, but the people who had traveled from Black-Hands-Deal called for death:
>You will be known as ruthless: kill the gladiator (more renown, less chance of being spared if you lose in the future)
>You will be known as the merciful (Higher chance of being spared in the future)
>You will be known as the cruel: cripple the gladiator for life, or give him an agonizing death (lots of renown, but you will be hated by Vitcur)

>>4045952
>You will be known as the merciful (Higher chance of being spared in the future)
We don't need the renown, really. What we need is to beat the champion and get Urizen to heal Fletcher.

>You will be known as the merciful (Higher chance of being spared in the future)
Also can someone give a summary of why we are fighting (Just joined btw)

>>4045998
our buddy fletcher got poisoned, the king can heal him, and the prize for defeating every champion is an audience with him

Is this some poison that is very hard to cure? Also how do we know the King will actually save him if we're just getting a "Audience" wth the King?

>>4046007
>Is this some poison that is very hard to cure?
The doctor gave up. The priest told us the king could help.
>how do we know the King will actually save him
We don't, but it's our best hope of curing him in two weeks.

>>4045978
>>4045998
>>4046001
>>4046007
>>4046015
Pretty well summed up, also welcome newfren

You looked to the crowd, and back at the cowering man on the ground, once a mighty opponent. You put your arrow that was drawn back in your quiver, and you slung your bow on your shoulder. You looked to the audience, and waited until they were finished cheering and booing to leave the arena, going back to a happy Varkus. He had a small map of the surrounding towns, and asked you where to next:
>Kurrlon: A hard fight, but one that will get you closer than any other to the grand championship
>Scoundrels-Toll: A reportedly easy fight, and on the way to the capital and other towns
>Or do something in the town before leaving (write in)

Understood Thx

Hmm not so sure what stats or skills we have so i'll leave to you guys to decide

>>4046019
>Kurrlon: A hard fight, but one that will get you closer than any other to the grand championship
time is money gogogo
>>4046029
Read the archives, the link's in the third post.

>>4046029
The only ones you need to read in the archives are the 'Apocalypse Raider Returns' ones. The rest are practically lore and worldbuilding at this point, and any important information in them is explained in the new ones anyway

>>4046044
Varkus nodded, and rolled up the map, putting it in a side bag. You mounted your horse, as he mounted his, and left the town. Seeing as though you're on a time limit, you traveled as quickly as your horse could carry you, and entered the town within the day. You lept off your horse, and almost fell over from exhaustion. You had to have a rest. Varkus bought a room in the inn, and you both slept through the night. The next day you went to the arenas first thing, having Varkus sign you up against the champion. The presenter was not impressed by you, and took some convincing by Lisonus to allow the match.

You entered the huge debilitated arena from the gates and saw a large audience, bigger than any previous one, but still small compared to how many seats there were in the place not filled up. You saw on the very opposite end your opponent. The presenter introduced the champions, calling you "Longshot of the dunes" and the man on the other end as "The Shield of Kurrlon." Indeed the man looked like a shield, or more like a turtle from this distance: he was clad in steel armor from head to toe, with a tower shield and spear to top it off. The arena was hundreds of meters wide, leaving you with lots of shooting room. You couldn't see any gaps in his armor, apart from under the arms, between the legs, and the short space between the helmet and chest plate. Once the presenter hit on a huge bell to start the match, you:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan?
Roll 1d100

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>4046076
Nock an arrow and wait for him to get within throwing range, watching him the whole time. If he stops and prepares to throw, shoot him in the gap between the helmet and chest plate; if he keeps coming in, move to the side and go for his legs.

Rolled 100 - 25 (1d100 - 25)

>>4046220
53 -25 (Iron armor, a plan of attack, superior ranged weapon, faster than your opponent, and inhuman accuracy) = 28

Enemy gets -25 (great melee skill, much stronger than you, clad in steel armor, huge shield, and high pain threshold)

>>4046232
28 vs nat 100 = Absolute success

You drew one of your arrows from your quiver, and had it rest on the bowstring as the armored gladiator stomped closer. The enemy moved incredibly slowly, as you waited for an opening. Once he got within throwing range, he lifted up his spear, and held it in a javelin position. The mans throw would be inaccurate due to his shield throwing off his balance, so you slowly drew your first arrow, pulling back the bowstring to your cheek. With a loud grunt, the champion threw his spear, with the object zooming towards you with incredible speed. You loosed your arrow before he could lift up his shield, and hardly moved as his spear flew closer and closer to you. The enemy's projectile flew right by you, not even making you dodge the terrible throw, while your arrow hit the gladiator right in the neck, causing him to drop his shield and grab the wound. The shot was fatal, and the opponent dropped to his knees gurgling on his own blood as it filled up his windpipe. You walked over, unimpressed by the huge man's ability, and put your foot on his chest, grabbing your arrow in his neck with your hand. You looked to the audience as you kicked the man to the floor, pulling out your blood-covered arrow from his throat, and wiping the blood off as you exited. The presenter didn't even try to say anything, nor did the audience cheer or boo; The only sound in the arena then was the wailing of a man dying.

Varkus was impressed to say the least, and once again pulled out the map of the possible towns to fight in next:
>Scoundrels-Toll: An easy fight, but a longer route
>The Kadine Pass: A quicker path to Urizen, but the roads are full of canyon wasters
>Do something in Kurrlon before leaving (write in)

>>4046245
>Scoundrels-Toll: An easy fight, but a longer route
Um, better not risk the canyon wasters.

>>4046251
Varkus rolled up the map, and you two departed back to Vitcur. The travel was quick, as your horses rode at top speed for most of it, and soon the town was visible in the distance. You rested your horses and had a meal at the inn, then rode to Scoundrels-Toll. The trip between the towns was only a few hours, and the road was as straight as a razor. The town was fortified to a tee, with huge walls and flamethrowers visible from a distance. The strategic position of the place was obvious: it guarded the northern pass, which was a breadbasket of the kingdom. Its name came from all the lowlifes who joined the militia and became citizens when the town was constructed, leading to a huge black market and number of crimes. The 'outlaw town' as it used to be called, had bands of militia who extracted tribute, or a toll, from people who wished to go through the pass, but that abuse of the law long since disappeared.

You went into the arena, and had Varkus sign you up, with the championship match starting soon after. As you entered you saw your opponent: out from the barred gate on the other side stepped a long swordsman, clad in full iron armor. Once the presenter blew the horn that signaled the match to start, you:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan

Roll 1d100

>>4046290
What does "full iron armor" mean? As well-covered as The Shield of Kurrlon or less?

>>4046393
Less. Maybe I should have specified: the champions armor had large gaps on every joint, and the shield of kurrlon only had very thin slits on a select few. Also, I forgot to make the steel armor a -10 modifier instead of the -5 that iron armor does

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>4046414
Alright.
Hmm, so start by aiming exclusively at the upper joints, giving special attention to his sword arm, and keep away for a bit. Then surprise him by switching to his knees, try to get one of his knees and then his sword arm again.

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>4046414

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>4046414
>>4046420
Sounds good.

Hey guy just joined so we fighting a full armor long swordsmen so we'll have to watch out for when he attack just my opinion

Rolled 6 - 15 (1d100 - 15)

>>4046420
>>4046507
>>4046508
>>4046520
Agreed, swords tend to hurt

13 -25 (Iron armor, a plan of attack, superior ranged weapon, faster than your opponent, and inhuman accuracy) = -12

Enemy gets -15 (great melee skill, and full iron armor [-10])

Questions :is the armor the enemy has open slits behind his knee?

>>4046540
-12 vs -9 = very close victory

You loosed an arrow immediately at the joint between the chest and arm piece, with the swordsman moving just enough to make the shot bounced harmlessly off the metal plate armor. You notched another arrow, and shot it right at the other shoulder, with much the same result. The swordsman was running full speed now, and even though you were trying your best to stay out of his range, the arena was only so big. You shot another arrow at the man's neck, with it bouncing this time off his helmet, then another at his elbow joint, with it slightly grazing him, but not enough to cause much bleeding. The gladiator was close now, and was about to attack, when you switched where you were aiming, shooting him through one of his knees, with the arrowhead sticking out the back covered in blood. A loud cry of pain was heard as you drew another arrow, aiming it this time at his sword arm. The arrow never left the bowstring however, with the wounded champion grabbing the bow with his left hand, while preparing a strike with his right. You dropped the bow, and unsheathed your sword, going into a stance similar to his.

You saw the amount of blood that was leaving his wound, and knew that if you just defended and parried his advances, he'd fall down sooner or later. You started walking backward as the swordsman sized up your melee ability, looking for faults in your stance. The swordsman quickly switched to a downwards stance, and jumped forwards while swinging up beneath your guard. You quickly jumped back from his attack, hitting his sword just to your side as you did it. You both returned to watching each others stances. The swordsman quickly thrust his blade at your upper thigh, with you parring his strike easy enough. When you clashed with his sword, you felt hardly any power behind his strike, realizing it was a feint to open your guard. Though you were quick in raising your sword back up to defend your chest and head, it was too late, the swordsman was already mid-swing, aiming for the side of your neck. You swiftly tilted your whole body, making his strike bounce off your chest armor instead. This maneuver had thrown off both your guard and your balance, leading to the opponent easily sweeping you off your feet with a low kick. You had enough time after falling down to roll sideways out of the next strike of the swordsman, quickly jumping back to your feet once out of his range. As the man went for another attack while your balance was still a bit off, he began to give under his own weight. The gladiator tried to prop himself up on his sword, but still had to lean on one knee. You easily pulled off the panting man's helmet, and saw a pale face underneath. You put the edge of your blade to his throat, and looked to the audience, who were all calling for life, apart from those who came to specifically watch you:
>Give him mercy: he was a good fighter
>Give him a quick death: He's possible competition after all

File: Handgun Jaguar judges you(...).jpg (165 KB, 751x1064)

165 KB JPG

>>4046596
>Give him mercy: he was a good fighter

>Give him mercy: he was a good fighter

>>4046604
>>4046612
You took off the sword from the gladiator's neck, and re-sheathed it. The man tried to get up, but almost blacked out when trying to stand up, so you helped him out of the arena, taking him to his quarters. Varkus pulled out the map, and you decided to:
>Head west up the river and to 'The Kadine Pass.' This is the way you wanna go if you want to go to the capital now for the grand championship
>Head north through a mountain valley to Ulmuran. This is the way to go for more towns
>Do something in the town first (write in)

>>4046626
>Head west up the river and to 'The Kadine Pass.' This is the way you wanna go if you want to go to the capital now for the grand championship
Let's do it.

>>4046639
Support.

>>4046639
>>4046673
Varkus agreed, and soon you departed from the town. You horses rode quickly along the flat riverside farmlands, with the fertile cropfields serving as a nice and rare sight to look at during the long ride. After many hours you reached Kadine, entering the inmportant fortress town through its iron-barred gate. A long wall stretched across the pass, attaching to the sides of the larger town wall on two opposite sides. Inside the walls were many traders and merchants, and the sound of people buy and selling was louder than even Kurrlon's markets.

You found the arena at the town center, with many viewers peering in to the fights inside. It was said that this was the first town to have a proper arena established within it, and the amount of townspeople watching the game made you inclined to believe it. The arena itself was unlike many you had seen previously; with the majority of the place being like a pit, while a huge wooden cage-like dome acted as its roof. The presenter was an ancient-looking man, with a long white beard down to his belly, and covered in gold and silver ornaments. He had his servant do the signing in of you, and you were hurried along down the arena to its entrances.

After a short wait, you came through the entrance and into the arena, seeing the dome itself, as well as the area around it, covered in people. This audience was loud, and you barely heard the presenter introduce your opponent, whos name was apparently 'Guzzler.' From the opposite side of the arena stepped a huge creature, unlike any you'd seen before. The thing was a mutant from the eastern ruins, and was covered in whip scars and chains, wearing nothing but a loincloth for modesty. It stood at least two and a half heads taller than you, and its strength was visible as it dragged a large two-handed hammer behind it (with the head made of rebar and cement), that was also bigger than you. The audience all laughed at your reaction to your opponent, as you drew an arrow from your quiver. As soon as the mutant saw you holding a weapon, it let out a guttural war cry and lifted its weapon above its head:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan
Roll 1d100

Woah we are facing something similar to the hulk what to do....Anyone?

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>4046724
>>4046766

Best bet is to make it bleed out. Should have the same arteries as human so aim for the left side of the neck, inside of the arm amd inside of the leg where the arteries are closest to the surface. With any luck we cut one open then just stay alive for a few minites.

Rolled 76 (1d100)

Rolled 16 - 25 (1d100 - 25)

>>4046766
>>4046775
>>4046780
49 -25 (Iron armor, a plan of attack, superior ranged weapon, faster than your opponent, and inhuman accuracy) =

Enemy gets -25 (inhuman strength [-10], thick skin/hide, high pain tolerance, and superior melee weapon)

>>4046823
24 vs 9 = Close failure

You shot an arrow at the mutant, hitting it in the neck, hardly making it flinch. You shot another arrow, this time hitting the underarm, not even seeing a grimace from the steadfast mutant. Your last shot was square at the head, with the arrowhead getting lodged in the thick skull of the brain-dead gladiator. You jumped out of the way of the downwards attack of the mutant, drawing another arrow as it lifted its weapon back up. You loosed an arrow at the inner thigh of the creature, with the beast simply getting angrier from the shot. As you loaded your next arrow, you ducked underneath the swing of the mutant, shooting it between the Achilles tendon and the ankle, that time making the creature lift its foot it pain, only to have the foot hit you square in the chest. You flew backward into the wall of the arena, standing up slowly from the concussive blow. You shot another arrow, which lodged itself in the monster's gut, making it roar in anger. Due to being dazed from hitting the wall, you were slow to react to the creature's next attack, leading to you being knocked by the hammer into another wall. You tried to get up again, but fell on your face, waiting for the audience to decide whether to kill you or not, and whether the brute would even listen. Though the mutant was most definitely losing blood, it's strength had remained, allowing it to lift its hammer above its head, so as to squash your head like a watermelon. You heard the audience calling for life, with them all hearing of Longshot 'the merciful,' who spared all those that yielded. As the mutant prepared to smash in your head, you heard the loud voice of the old presenter, saying: "Guzzler, stop!" The gladiator hesitated then, with an anoyed grunt threw his weapon to the side and left the arena.

You were picked up by Varkus, and lead to the medic who removed your iron chestplate, finding luckily no broken ribs underneath (praise mashuk). You spent the remaining part of the day resting, waking tomorrow to pain all over your body, though nothing severe. You decided to:
>Rematch the Guzzler, even though the presenter and audience will be much less inclined to spare your life (roll 1d100)
>Leave to the capital, enough time has been wasted
>Leave to Harlotsville, to regain some renown before facing the grand champion
>Do something in the time (write in)

>>4046929
>>Leave to Harlotsville, to regain some renown before facing the grand champion

>>4046929
>Leave to Harlotsville, to regain some renown before facing the grand champion

>>4046929
>Leave to Harlotsville, to regain some renown before facing the grand champion
The Kadine champion's a mutant? Is that really legal?

>>4047279
>>4047427
>>4047972
He's human enough to be eligible, and more of an exotic rarity than anything else
>>4048216

You departed the town soon after choosing the next destination, leaving the huge walls and gate early in the morning. You counted the days you had spent traveling: roughly a week has passed, leaving you with only a week to go before Fletcher kicks the bucket. The trip was quick, traveling over the river and to the valley of Buckport and Harlotsville. The latter town was positioned in a mountain pass through to the fertile valley, with huge walls and hundreds of men watching over the travelers along the roads. You entered the wealthy town, finding it as bustling as the Kadine pass, with just as many, if not more townsfolk. It was evident that you were now in the heartland of the kingdom, with each town boasting a large population, and a thriving economy. The arena here was just the same as any other, and looked average enough.

After Varkus signed you in, and the presenter prepared the champion on his side, you stepped into the arena, drawing your bow to fight your opponent, who stepped out from the other side. You saw that the enemy gladiator was also wielding a longbow, though they had a one-handed sword and shield instead of a two-handed one, and had only leather and hide as armor. The presenter rung the bell, and you:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan?

>>4048643
Fire for the armpit and lower ribs, when he charges try to sweep his legs with the two handed greatsword.

>>4048643
>>4048662
Forgot to say roll 1d100

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>4048643
Shoot his bow and force him to drop it. Then put pressure on him, forcing him away from his bow, and finish it with a shot through his hand.

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>4048679
Oops

>>4048662
I'm pretty sure this guy is like us, so separating him from his bow will give us a big advantage.

>>4048662
>>4048682
>>4048683
>>4048685
Need a decision over what attack plan to use

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>4048778
>>4048682
this one.

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>4049185
36 -20 (Iron armor, a plan of attack, superior melee weapon, and inhuman accuracy) = 16

Enemy gets no modifiers

>>4049234
16 vs 40 = decisive victory

You loosed your arrow as he did his, aiming straight for his bow. You dodged his shot as you notched an arrow, and saw his amazed expression as your arrow lodged firmly in his bow shaft. You shot your next arrow before he did, aiming for his bow-hand, with him dropping his next shot to move out of the way of the arrow. You shot at him again, this time hitting him in his hand as he loosed his arrow, making him drop his bow and screaming from the wound. As he went to draw his sword, another one of your arrows flew right into his other hand, making him fall on the ground, defeated. You saw no reason to gloat in this fight, you vastly outmatched your opponent in his own field.

Varkus once again opened up the map, letting you choose the next town:
>Buckport: for another match
>Kadine: A rematch is in order
>The capital: This has gone on long enough

>The capital

>>4049369
>The capital: This has gone on long enough
We can't afford to waste any longer

>>4049375
>>4049402
You left the town within the hour, heading for the great capital of the kingdom along the cobbled roads of its heartlands. Varkus told you that Urizen's first conquest was 'The-Flats,' which was a town out in the northern red wastes, producing the only oil for hundreds and hundreds of miles. The waster used this precious resource instrumentally in his next sieges and battles, taking Berkeran, then Saltmarch. A great battle was fought near the current capital, the first major army that the raider had fought against. Varkus was looking up to the sky now, telling you that after Urizen was victorious, it rained on the dry desert sands, signaling to all that this man was truly the chosen of his god. Urizen renamed Saltmarch into Urzenthus, and built a great capital on the foundations of the old town.

You now saw the town from afar, looking like a great fortified monument to Mashuk in its striking design. The walls were thick with iron and steel plates, and a flamethrower was on every side. Soldiers were busy in the dirt around the walls, digging out a large trench around it with spikes of wood and scrap metal stuck inside to deter climbers. The fire and sounds of war were heard as you rode into town, seeing many men almost too young or old to hold a spear being made fresh armor and weapons in the great forges. You saw children and women from Berkeran and The Flats, seeking refuge from the western invaders inside the great castle-town. Every guard or officer you saw patrolling had better guns than you, with the top generals and lieutenants even driving around in vehicles. As you approached the center of town, you saw a great statue of a brooding figure being built, it was none other than the one you saw in your dream: Mashuk, god of blood and war.

The arena underneath the newly built keep of Urizen was huge, though its design was more savage than Kurrlon's: with large metal teeth jutting out the sides of the pit, and remains of gladiators impaled on spikes around the sides. You smelt death as you walked closer to what was referred to as the blood pit, and the presenter smiled as you were signed up to the fight, saying: "a slaughtering will cheer everyone up just fine! Come this way." You were lead down the dark corridors of the gladiator's den, waiting for your match.

After an hour of sitting in the dark, you were called to fight. You stepped out of the arena to find both the whole town, and a decent portion of the viewers from your previous matches watching the game, and cheering as loudly as they could. Out from the gates of the opposite end walked a man with a long serrated spear, a wooden prosthetic leg, a long dog cloak, full steel armor better made than 'the shield of Kurrlon's,' including a full helmet that ended in a jagged crown, and what seemed to be a sword made from an old spear. Staring at you with vicious intent was none other than Urizen himself. The presenter blew a great war-horn, and the match started:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan

Roll 1d100

>>4049526
Do we see any weak points in his armor?

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>4049526
>staring at you with vicious intent was none other than Urizen himself.
Mashuk tests us, we must not disappoint. We're fucking dead.

>aim an arrow between the joint of the prosthetic leg, then keep him on one knee, disarm him, and beat him into submission wielding the two-handed sword

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>4050014
+1

>>4050014
>>4050180
Someone else please roll or we're ded.

Gotcha

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>4049526

Rolled 4 - 60 (1d100 - 60)

>>4049782
Much like the shield of Kurrlon, he has slit-like gaps between his helmet and chestplate, under his arms, and between his legs
>>4050014
>>4050180
>>4050190
>>4050204
>>4050209
34 -20 (Iron armor, a plan of attack, superior ranged weapon, and inhuman accuracy) = 14

Urizen gets -60 (Wooden leg [+5], godlike spearman [-10], master swordsman, Mashuks chosen, lifedrain, Primal rage, strength and speed of Mashuk, full armor [-10], superior quality armor [steel instead of iron], superior weapons, and unconventional/predictable fighting style)


Random Number God, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you will remember if we were good men or bad, why we fought, or why we died. No, all that matters is that -20 stood against -60, that's what's important.

>>4050945
14 vs -56 = Beaten to within an inch of your life (RNGod did not listen)

You drew an arrow, and aimed it at the joint of his prosthetic leg, losing the shot before Urizen had even moved. As you notched another arrow, you saw that Urizen had lifted up his wooden leg so the arrow lodged in it, and was slowly starting to spin his spear with both hands. By the time you had made another shot, again at his leg, he was spinning his weapon with incredible speed. Your arrow this time was cut in half in mid-air by the spinning spear, with Urizen only now starting to saunter towards you. You shot another arrow, aiming for his hands spinning the spear, with the gladiator moving his spinning weapon to the side cutting another one of your arrows in half.

You had shot ten or twelve arrows at the waster by the time he had gotten to you, with each being cut in half or being dodged with ease. You saw no use in your bow anymore, slinging it across your back, unsheathing your sword to meet your opponent. Urizen stopped spinning his spear, and threw it to the side, meeting your sword with his (made out of a long spearhead that he obtained in his arena days). The opponent's sword was one-handed, and he simply put his other arm behind his back, assuming a side-on pose. You lunged at the king, going for his neck, with him quickly parrying you, shoving you off to the side with his prosthetic leg. You waited for Urizen to attack, but he was content defending yours, most likely sizing up your skill. You felt yourself sweating through your armor and clothes, a mans life was on the line, you couldn't give up now.

You calmed yourself down, turning to an ox stance with your sword, with Urizen responding by going to the 'fool' guard. You didn't know his game, but you did know he was opening up himself for an attack on purpose, making you hesitate to attack. You turned to a roof guard in response to his, and went in for a strike, aiming at his neck again. Your strike hit him, but he was able to make it hit his armored shoulder instead. You as you pulled back your sword to attack again, you felt a pain in your arm. You looked down, and saw his sword, which had swung up and cut into your armpit while you weren't guarding it, and saw lots of your own blood trickling down his sword and your armor. You jumped back, and took a plow guard to keep him as far away as possible. Urizen responded with a longpoint guard, and you both waited for the other to attack.

You knew you only had a few minutes of fight left in you before you lost too much blood, so you went for a thrust to his upper thigh, being parried and pushed to the ground as a response. You got back up, and tried to attack, but just ended up getting disarmed and pushed back to the ground. You got up again, and as Urizen went to strike again, you grabbed his blade with your bare hands and pulling yourself close to him, saying: "Urizen, I need your... My friend is about to die..." This was the last thing you remembered before you fell unconscious:
>Gain knowledge in swordsmanship
>Gain more knowledge in ranged weaponry (bow, crossbow, rifle, machine gun, or pistol)
>Gain a high pain tolerance
>Gain greater strength
>Gain catlike reflexes
>Or gain higher endurance

>>4051063
>Gain catlike reflexes
Dexfaggotry inbound

>>4051063
>Gain knowledge in swordsmanship
We really need this.

>>4051072
>>4051089
Need a majority

>>4051418
How thorough is the knowledge of swordsmanship?

>>4051579
Added on to your preexisting knowledge, your skill would become as great as Urizens with a sword

>Gain greater strength

>>4051063
>>Gain knowledge in swordsmanship
Melee is our weak point.

>>4051588
Holy shit. In that case, I vote to
>Gain knowledge in swordsmanship

>>4051072
>>4051089
>>4051632
>>4051657
>>4051763
+Gained mastery in swordsmanship+

You woke up, and saw that you were inside a large stone room, outlooking the town underneath. You sat up in your bed, and felt the wound that was on your side. As you searched for the large cut that should've been there, you saw that there was no wound at all, either you had spent a long time resting, or a miracle occurred. You got up, and equiped your gear that was put on the side of the bed, and left the room. You saw many servants walking around what you presumed to be Urizens keep, all doing their jobs around you, while you tried to find a way to Urizen. You finally found the throne room, and saw Urizen chatting with Varkus, sitting on his throne in a rather un-kingly way.
You stood into view, and Urizen said: "so, you've finally awakened. Varkus here told me that you're an excellent fighter, and I must agree: you showed promise in that arena, enough so that I spared you." Urizen signaled to one of the servants to fetch some wine, as you walked to where he was sitting.
Varkus bowed as he said: "my lord, I must request that Longshot be given some sort of role to fit his abilities, the man has a perfect aim."
Urizen responded: "I do have one particular job in mind for a warrior like you, but it would mean risking your life. Fortunately for me, I know I have something to pay you in return: I will heal your friend in Black-Hands-Deal in return for servitude to me, and doing a very dangerous job." The king pointed to where your wound used to be and said that he used his powers given by Mashuk to heal a cut artery, which would have certainly meant death for most, and this same power could heal your friend should you want to:
>Take the offer
>Take the offer, but with an added bonus of a new high caliber gun
>Take the offer, but in response, you get given a motorbike or similar vehicle
>Take the offer, but with an added bonus of being outfitted with the best armor available
>Don't take the offer

Choose one

>>4053272
>Take the offer
We got what we came for. Probably best not to push any further.

>>4053272
>Take the offer
>"We would be honored."

>>4053295
>>4053309
You shook Urizen's hand, and agreed to his deal no questions asked. The king was pleased, and took you to the town square where the statue of Mashuk was being built, saying: "I saw something in you in that arena, a part of our gods will inside you, like you were destined to confront me, destined to come here. The waster pointed to the god's statue, and said: "did you see this figure in your dreams? A vision perhaps? Of a fog and clamor of warriors, and a great looming giant, with a sword as black as the night?"

You nodded, and he continued: "this existential power wields us as we wield our weapons, and gives us commands like we are his pets, chosen or not. I have seen him not once, but many a time, as he only talks to those once they have fallen in battle, and I have fallen in many a battle."

His words were thought out, and his mind was absolute in these matters in which he spent visibly many days thinking about. The king held his arms behind his back, and looked at the large statue in the center of the paths, hardly the size of the actual god, yet much larger than any man or animal. Urizen stood there for a while as you observed the construction of the stone structure, then he said: "I have come far waster, and I have seen many things, but this god you and I saw, he is the only one that scares me. I can only share this with you, for you are the only other being to have seen his might, his divine strength." The words of the king almost sounded like heresy, but they were true, a dread overcame you when you saw your god as if something sinister within itself was hidden from you.

File: Yurtheriks Army.jpg (197 KB, 1000x612)

197 KB JPG

Urizen led you to the arena's, and you sat down next to him to talk. The king rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb through his helmets eye-holes, then he rested his head on his hand, saying: "I have fought a long campaign against Thronus, as you know, and as I finish it, a new external threat rears its head. A king by the name of Yurtherik has united great kingdoms in the fertile west, beyond the red waste, and marches to conquer and destroy what I have struggled so hard to create. Not only this, but he has been able to do so in a way that cuts me off from my oil, one of the most useful tools in my arsenal. The emperor has taken both Berkeran and The Flats, and recently, within the last few days, he has started sieging Black-Hands-Deal."
You stood up, and the king did as well, saying: "now one of my top generals, Balak, was in charge of the siege, and has managed to slow the enemies plans down. I believe in my men to hold back this horde, at least long enough for me to build up a sufficient army to stop them."

The king put his hands on your shoulders, and said: "This is where you come in. You see I have been away on pilgrimage to the eastern ruins, where things unheard of lie, and I have been searching for that advantage over my enemy. There are savage things there, creatures that I did not anticipate fighting, slowing down my progress dramatically. But I did find something in the pits of the monsters there, a giant weapon of the apocalypse, that radiates death. I was not able to retrieve it, and I fear that I am needed here to fight this army from the west, but you, my chosen warrior, can take my place. I want you to venture into the ruins, and retrieve that great weapon for your king, with a team of skilled warriors of course." The king took his hands off your shoulders, and stood up straight, saying: "I will go with an army to face Yurtherik, and I will do all within my power to find your friend and heal him." You had two choices:
>Go now to the east, with a team of soldiers
>Or go with Urizen to find Fletcher: only you could know where he is
>Write in

>>4053569
>>Go now to the east, with a team of soldiers

>>4053569
>Or go with Urizen to find Fletcher: only you could know where he is
We swore an oath that we'd do right by our friend and if anyone would respect that, it's Urizen. Three days isn't long to ensure his survival.

>>4053767
Why not tell him where Fletcher could be? Wouldn't that let him find Fletcher faster while also letting us go to the ruins?

>>4053771
You'd tell him as much as possible, but you don't currently have all the proper context to know where he could be. Things that you'd only find out by going there with Urizen

>>4053632
>>4053767
Need a majority btw

>>4053771
Oh, and if you find Fletcher, he could help you in the eastern ruins

>>4053781
That so?
>>4053569
>Or go with Urizen to find Fletcher: only you could know where he is

File: Deaths-Head.png (1.22 MB, 1280x745)

1.22 MB PNG

>>4053632
>>4053767
>>4053782
You would go to the east, but first, you must ensure Fletcher is found before the week's end. You waited for a day as Urizen prepared his troops, who were gathered from all corners of his kingdom, numbering between twenty to thirty thousand veteran and elite warriors. Urzenthus was covered in the tents and housings of the soldiers, who filled the lands with the clamor and movement of war. Urizen was brought something you had never seen before to mount as his steed, he called it 'Deaths-Head.' The vehicle was an outfited giant 'hauler' from ancient times, with wheels the size of houses, and a body the size of castle. Men were positioned all along it, with two wielding RPGs, many mounted flamethrowers, and a machine gun the size of a horse mounted on the front. All the men cheered as Urizen turned to you saying: "this is my gift to you, should you succeed in your mission." Urizen grabbed onto the ladded on the front of the hauler, and climbed up to where the driving seat was, making you sit next to him in the bodyguard's spot (where Aegis used to stand next to Thronus). The townsfolk all cheered as Urizen drove out slowly with the army forming up behind him, with the drums of war beating to make them march in order.

The first night Urizen's army set up without fortifying its position. The river Guryon was where the armies would meet by the generals guess, which Black-Hands-Deal was just south of, and far west of the now destroyed town. The river flooded annually, and was a good way of fighting an army on uneven footing. The next day Urizen received word that Black-Hands-Deal was currently in the last days of the siege, with the enemy army close to breaching the walls. Urizen had the drums beat with a fast tempo, and the army marched for hours without rest, making great speed to lift the siege. The next day Urizen received news that the siege was over, and that Yurtherik had breached the gate, capturing the town. Balak had managed to pull out all of his men, along with the townspeople of Black-Hands-Deal through a secret entrance, along with all the things that could be sacked from the town, leaving Yurtherik with no looting pays for his men and heavy losses, most likely affecting his morale. Urizen saw that time was running out for Fletcher, and now that he wasn't in the siege, you didn't need to accompany the army, though enemies were everywhere, and you could be risking your life:
>Ride forwards with a few men to track down the townsfolk and Balak
>Stay with the army on 'Deaths-Head'
>Write in

>>4053873
>>Stay with the army on 'Deaths-Head'

>>4053873
>Stay with the army on 'Deaths-Head'
Keep it steady. We still have a day.

Newfag here
Why did no one roll to get better gear in town after the fights with all of old mates gambling winnings ?

>>4054498
Which part, in particular, are you referring to? There have been lots of times when we've bought gear and chosen not to buy gear after fights, you have to be specific. Also, check out the links in >>4042054 that I forgot to include in the OP, you only need to read the 'Apocalypse Raider Quest Returns' ones.
>>4054442
>>4054023

You stayed with the army, driving for a day and a night without rest, with the slow thump of drum and foot filling the land around you. The next night was spent in camp, with fortifications of spikes and trenches being built to avoid an ambush. The next day you saw the ruins of Guryon in the distance, and what looked to be many men piling up bodies. Urizen and you drove forwards in Deaths-Head, finding a commander to tell you two what happened. The commander said: "after Balak brought all the peoples out of Black-Hands-Deal, he saw a contingent of men under the competent command of Naius, heading to Kurrlon to retake it. Balak took his men to the ruins of Guryon in front of the enemies force, and ambushed them, ending in a decisive victory. Unfortunately, Naius and a small amount of cavalry was seen riding back to Yurtherik, which Balak took his men to catch. We have been left behind to clean up these dead, and to wait for you my king." Urizen and you asked the commander about where the refugees were going, but he, along with the other men stationed there, had no more information on the matter. The commander said that you'd have to wait for Balak or Mazgrund to return.

You waited for most of the day, with the army fortifying the ruins to rest the men. When Balak returned with his force, it was to the cheer and applause of many men. The general had Naius dragging by a rope behind his horse, half-dead from the travel over. The prisoner was put in the back of 'Deaths-Head' and Balak came to talk with Urizen, giving him a handshake and a salute before starting. He said: "I instructed the people guarding the refugees to Kurrlon, though I did not stop anyone from traveling their own way should they wish it." You asked whether he knew of a particularly bedridden and sick townsperson, and he shook his head, noting that by the end of the siege many of them looked like that. At this point Mazgrund spoke up, saying: "I saw a man there, bedridden and ghostlike, I recognized him as 'the white hawk,' who hunted many an outlaw, including the wasters I used to do business with. All I can tell you is that he got out of the town, and that he is alive. By now the ones wanting to split from the townspeople would have, most likely heading to the capital rather than Kurrlon." You could go one of two ways that he might be going to:
>Go to Urzenthus: He would try traveling to where you were heading
>Kurrlon: He's too sick to ride off on his own

>>4055044
>Kurrlon: He's too sick to ride off on his own
I think he would trust us to come back. Also that he wouldn't be in any shape to ride anywhere.

>>4055044
>Kurrlon: He's too sick to ride off on his own
All we can do is hope

>>4055091
>>4055123
Urizen was surprised by the speed in which Black-Hands-Deal was taken, and he saw no benefit in fighting an army like that in the field. The king ordered his army to station here for the next day, then to withdraw further up the river to wait for Yurtherik to make a move. You mounted your horse, and rode as fast as you could eastwards, to find the still traveling Fletcher before he succumbs to his wounds. For a day and a night you rode, almost killing your horse. You found the back of the townspeople's long line of refugees, riding along the side shouting for Fletcher. For more than an hour, you rode, searching through the exhausted people for your friend, going through every wagon and carriages cargo. Just as you were about to give up and start looking to Urzenthus, you saw an almost dead man stumble to his feet, standing on the back of one of the wounded wagons. The man was holding a revolver in one hand, and his hat in the other: you had found Fletcher. You rode over through the crowd on horseback, and lifted Fletcher up onto the back of the horse, with him saying in a faint voice: "you're a bit late, but I knew you could do it waster."

You rode back to the army for what seemed like an eternity, struggling to keep awake from the days without sleep, with a man behind you who could die from falling asleep. It was early in the morning when you reached Urizen, with the king climbing quickly down the ladder of Deaths-Head, and to the horses side, pulling off the now unconscious Fletcher, and putting him on the ground. A crowd of men started to grow around the king as he looked at the severity of the poison, saying: "I know this poison, which only comes from a cactus within the red wastes. This wound will take time to heal." Urizen put his hands on where Fletcher's heart is, and closed his eyes, mumbling some incantations to channel Mashuks power through him. After half an hour, Urizen started slowly following the arteries and veins coming from the heart, eventually having followed them to every part of Fletchers body. The white hawk himself was sweating more and more from the process, groaning at some parts. For hours Urizen followed the poison inside Fletcher's body, making him sweat it out, drenching his clothes as a repercussion. Urizen opened his eyes, looked to you, and said: "It is done. He needs to rest now."

On the next day you got ready to leave, with Urizen giving you Deaths-Head for the eastern journey, saying: "It is the only thing I know of that can transport that weapon of the apocalypse." You put Fletcher in the back, still asleep, and after a quick bit of teaching, drove the giant vehicle out of there. Before you left you had a choice of who to bring with you:
>Semi-automatic biker gunners (how many?)
>Heavy gunner infantry (how many?)
>Heavy crossbowmen (how many?)
>Veteran Waster Raiders (how many?)
>Rattle-Tail heavy cavalry (how many?)
>Heavy Eye-Eaters (how many?)
>Heavy Crimson Chosen (how many?)

You could take up to thirty men with you on Deaths-Head, and the ruins of the east are more suited to a smaller amount of soldiers anyway

>>4055143
In the ruins there won't be a lot of open space (especially with the Deaths-Head around) and the place is swarming with monsters. That means we should take men who hit hard and don't need much room to maneuver.
>Heavy gunner infantry (5)
>Heavy crossbowmen (10)
>Heavy Eye-Eaters (8)
>Heavy Crimson Chosen (7)

File: Ruins.jpg (158 KB, 1100x930)

158 KB JPG

Pic is not exactly what the ruins look like

>>4055213
You selected thirty good soldiers, and had them positioned on the mounted flamethrowers and machine guns of the giant vehicle, with some taking horses onto the back in case a swift exit or flanking was needed. You drove along the thin roads to the capital, stopping for much-needed fuel, then departing to Harlotsville. Along the roads, you saw scant few, and none who dared come close to the great beast you rode, with the trip to Harlotsville being quick and time-efficient. Fletcher was starting to come through, though he still did not wake from his troubled sleep. You refueled at the town, then headed to Y'arak: the last town before you traveled to the ruins. The stay there was longer than the others, resupplying in both food, and water before leaving across the mountain valleys.

The drive was long, and you shifted out with some of the other men when you had to rest, talking and gambling with them to pass the time. The group was anxious to get to the ruins, with most of them saying that they had only heard stories of the monolithic structures of the east. You followed along the Y'arak river, driving many miles through bumpy and untouched terrain. You finally got out of the desert mountains, coming into a huge flat red plain, that many dry tributaries of the river came from. You saw but one mountain range left, that you followed (as Urizen instructed) for miles upon miles. The mountain line was straight and smooth, not changing size or direction for the whole trip. Fletcher was now awake, though he did not want to be, saying that he could help you should the need arise. You came to where you saw a horses skull attached to a human skeleton on a post, noting that Urizen saw one for every mile until the ruins were visible. You did the same, driving past many skeletons until the landscape changed, becoming a burnt black, with scorched trees becoming visible every now and then. On the horizon you saw it: huge metal buildings, taller than mountains and as old as them too:
>Aproach the ruins in Deaths-Head, turrets, and flamethrowers pointed at any possible hiding place
>Aproach the ruins on foot, going the sneakiest way in, clearing out any possible enemies hiding
>Have one group take Deaths-Head into the main road, while another shadows it, clearing out the buildings from possible enemies
>Write in

Roll 1d100

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>4055337
>Have one group take Deaths-Head into the main road, while another shadows it, clearing out the buildings from possible enemies
Have the crossbowmen and Crimson Chosen take Deaths-Head while the gunners and Eye-Eaters clear out the buildings.

>>4055337
>>Aproach the ruins in Deaths-Head, turrets, and flamethrowers pointed at any possible hiding place

Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>4055345
This

Rolled 25 - 30 (1d100 - 30)

>>4055345
>>4055583
>>4055799
5 -45 (Deaths-Head, flamethrowers, iron armor, a plan of attack, superior ranged weapons, superior melee weapons, faster than your opponents, element of surprise, and inhuman accuracy) = -40

Enemy gets -30 (greater strength, thick skin/hide, high pain tolerance, superior numbers, hidden/fortified positions, and fear factor)

File: Temple of the Apocalypse.jpg (218 KB, 650x365)

218 KB JPG

>>4056778
-40 vs -5 = Victory

You left Fletcher to command the men on Deaths-Head while you took a detachment of soldiers around the side to clear out buildings with possible enemies. You had the Eye-Eaters and crossbowmen (I switched it around because the gunners would make more sense on the diversion and loud side, while the silent crossbowmen would be stealthy with their weapons) follow you along the side of the road, coming up to what used to be the wall of a house, having your men take various hidden positions until the Deaths-Head passed you. You came to the first standing building: one of the metal mountain-tall houses, with you and your men, slowly clearing out each room. At the top you saw one or two mutants, smaller than the one you saw in the arena, and shot one with your bow through the neck, while a crossbowmen shot the other. You cleared each building on the roads, with more and more mutants in each one, till there were four or five in each room.

At the sixth building, Deaths-Head stopped, just as Urizen instructed: during the previous expedition the vehicles brought hit mines at around this distance in, killing many of his men. The men on Deaths-Head slowly searched for mines, pulling up three that were placed along the road, in dirt potholes that covered the dangerous explosives. Deaths-Head slowly started moving again, avoiding anything but the ancient road, with mutants still not appearing.

You had reached the huge skyscraper that Urizen talked of, and slowly cleared out the first room, with the crossbowmen going first, then the Eye-Eaters taking out the ones in close quarters. As you prepared to clear the building, you heard a loud allarm, of something mechanical activating. You looked outside, and saw many many mutants coming out from their hidden spots to attack what had caused the sound: Deaths-Head. You had to move quick, with all the men on the vehicle burning and shooting the monsters that tried to get close. You found the vault door, which you had your men push open, not without much effort. Inside you saw mutants tightly packed, hundreds of them. They all turned to you, and drew their various weapons, with you drawing your rifle and your men readying their weapons as a response. You ordered your men to attack, shooting the closest mutant in the head, reloading quickly to take out another one, with the Eye-Eaters using their gut hooks (serrated daggers attached to chains) to take out the ones that got too close. Some were able to rip apart your men, but for every one of yours killed, countless mutants were killed on their end.

You finally finished off the last mutant, walking into the blood-covered room, seeing candles lit and a huge bone sculpture hanging over the room, with what looked like a bomb, but the size of a house. You would need everyone to lift this thing onto Deaths-Head, so you had your men come outside, seeing the last of the mutants being burnt from the flamethrowers of the giant vehicle.

You had all the men get off the vehicle, and drove it straight into the building, smashing into the rusted iron and glass side, hardly even denting the front as you drove right to where the vault was. You had the truck drive backwards, and the men slowly lower the skeleton sculpture. Though it took a long time, and was incredibly difficult, you managed to load the bomb onto the back of the hauler, getting ready to depart once the men had gotten on Deaths-Head. The mutants were still watching from a distance as you drove off from the ruins. You had almost driven out of the wasteland when Deaths-Head ran out of fuel, leaving you in the middle of hostile lands with only three or four horses and a huge bomb in the back:
>What do you do?

Roll 1d100

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>4056919
Send a runner to Urizen informing him that the bomb has been retrieved, but Deaths-Head has run out of fuel and left us stuck in the outer wasteland -- the runner will guide the reinforcements to us or tell them exactly where we are. In the meantime, everyone else will either guard the bomb or forage for food and water.

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>4056946
Support

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>4056946
This. Mission accomplished, all we have to do now is hunker down and fortify.

Rolled 1 - 30 (1d100 - 30)

>>4056946
>>4057218
>>4057319
50 -35 (Deaths-Head, flamethrowers, iron armor, superior ranged weapons, superior melee weapons, fortified position, and inhuman accuracy) = -15

Enemy gets -30 (greater strength, thick skin/hide, high pain tolerance, superior numbers, element of surprise, and fear factor)

Rolling for mutant ambush

>>4057452
15 vs nat 1 = Absolute defeat

You had four men ride to Urizen, so as to get out of this predicament. You had the men station on the vehicle, watching the mountains and wastelands in shifts. The first day was quiet, and so was the second. On the third day one of the soldiers swore he saw something, not a mutant or a man: something from the very depths of the underworld. The fourth day was tense, and the men were anxious for the messenger to get back. You had heard stories of the outer wasteland, things that you thought were invented to scare children, of beasts and monsters that eat men whole. By the looks of it, your men were also told these stories. On the fourth night howls were heard over the silent plains, with shadows running along the mountain line. The fourth day the men were cracking, with some wanting to abandon the truck altogether. You snapped them out of it, and had the men stay in their ranks for the night.

There were no howls this night, and the shadows weren't visible. As you woke up to start your shift you saw something: a creature hunching over one of your men in the truck, ripping apart his intestines and muscles, not having noticed you yet. You slowly reached for your gun, and began to point it at the monster. You loaded your rifle, making a sound due to the bolt action, making the monster turn towards you with glowing eyes, reflecting the moon above. You shot through the creature's eye as it leaped on you, clenching its teeth into your iron chestplate, with its canines stabbing into your body. You drew a knife, and stabbed desperately at the creature's side as it swung you around like a ragdoll. The eye-eaters jumped on the back of the creature, stabbing into it with their daggers, and pulling it down onto the ground with the chains attached.

File: Mutant wolf.jpg (24 KB, 637x322)

24 KB JPG

As one of the gunners shot the creature in its head, three more of them jumped up from the back, with your men all positioning against the wall of the truck. The beasts slowly approached, drooling and snarling, snapping at each other for who gets to go first. You had the ranged soldiers line up, and shoot at once, dropping one of the beasts instantly. The two others took out some crimson chosen and eye-eaters were killed as you reloading, with your men taking out another of the wolf-like creatures. You went to reload, but saw that a large glob of slime hit your gun, looking up to see three more monsters that climbed over the front, looking over your men with hungry eyes. You went to shoot at one, but it was too late: you were again thrown around like their plaything. As you started to fall unconscious while hearing the screams of your men, you felt yourself being flung up into the air, not hitting the ground for a strange amount of time. You opened your eyes and saw yourself flying towards the desert ground, being accidentally thrown over the side by one of the wolf-mutants.

You woke up after what you assumed to be a few hours, and felt incredible pain across your whole body, only managing to limp towards:
>One of the flamethrowers: It will be quite desperate and dangerous, but these creatures need to be sent back to the underworld in the most painful way possible
>The driving console: Hiding in the metal compartment waiting for the reinforcements and fuel
>Y'arak: As far away from here as possible
>Write in

Roll 1d100

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>4057522
>>One of the flamethrowers: It will be quite desperate and dangerous, but these creatures need to be sent back to the underworld in the most painful way possible

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>4057522
>One of the flamethrowers: It will be quite desperate and dangerous, but these creatures need to be sent back to the underworld in the most painful way possible
Probably going to get us killed with how bad our luck is with major fights like this, but we will at least go down fighting instead of hiding in cubby like a bitch.

Rolled 42 - 25 (1d100 - 25)

>>4057557
>>4057828
62 -35 (Flamethrower, master swordsman iron armor, superior ranged weapon, superior melee weapon, fortified position, and inhuman accuracy) = 27

Enemy gets -25 (greater strength, thick skin/hide, high pain tolerance, superior numbers, and fear factor)

>>4058889
27 vs 17 = Defeat/failure

You slowly crawled back to the vehicle, not being able to stand due to your wounds. You pulled yourself up onto the front ladder, managing to semi-stand while leaning on the vehicle, getting to the front of the truck after pulling yourself over the side. You leaned on the balustrade, and slowly climbed over the top of the truck, to where the flamethrowers were. You positioned yourself behind one, and aimed at the closest wolf, which was feasting on one of your men. You switched on the gas, and then tried to burn the monster, finding that the thing had jammed on you. Small spurts of fire came out, making sound and light, attracting all the wolves to you, with you now surrounded by them. You desperately tried to fix the flamethrower, only doing so when the mutants were practically on top of you. You were able to burn one to cinders before another one grabbed you by your leg with its teeth, while one on the other side grabbed you by your shoulder and chest. You were pulled by both as they fought over which one ate you, with your adrenaline now running out, falling unconscious from the pain.


+Switching to Fletcher's perspective+

As you were riding, you thought of why you were here: a man that had so recently been your bounty and enemy, was now your companion and friend, something you had not experienced in all your long years in these wastes. You had never risked your life to save someone else's, but seeing Longshot on the ground, defeated again by the man who had killed his leader in and alienated him from his clan, made you tackle the warlord, getting shot yourself instead of the unconscious waster on the ground. The poisoned arrow entered your side when you escaped on horseback, and the rest of your memory was fuzzy from there. Now you found yourself saved by the same waster you almost killed, and indebted to a king who sent you on a possible death mission. You reached Y'arak within three days from departing, rounding up a group of a hundred to two hundred men to bring back to the Deaths-Head, bringing fuel as well. After sending a message to Urizen about the successful mission, you rode with the men back into the wastes.

Three more days passed before you got back to the vehicle, finding no response to your calls for the men to the men in the back of the truck. As you slowly rode closer, you saw marks of old dry blood mixed in with dirt along the ground, making your ride fast around the back. As you climbed up the truck, you saw something monstrous there: dead mutant wolves, like the ones spoken of in stories, bigger than horses with teeth as large as knives. You saw what looked like a bloody struggle, though as you searched you saw no remains of the men that were once here, only their blood and armor. You had no words, simply kneeling on the ground, filling up with anger and wrath. You had tracked men, but not beasts, this would be difficult:
>What do you do/how do you find the men

Roll 1d100

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>4058989
Inspect the trails of blood leading away from Deaths-Head, looking for signs of a particularly vicious struggle because Longshot wouldn't go down easily.

Rolled 70 - 20 (1d100 - 20)

>>4059065
58 -30 (Deaths-Head, flamethrowers, superior ranged weapons, superior melee weapons, element of surprise, and fortified position) = 28

Enemy gets -20 (greater strength, thick skin/hide, high pain tolerance, and fear factor)

File: Canyon Waster.jpg (488 KB, 678x1105)

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>>4059200
28 vs 50 = Absolute victory

You looked at the various smears of blood on the red sands, finding a possible trail leading away from the road and to the mountains. You had the men gear up, and thirty or so man Deaths-Head, following the trail to where it became hard to track. You followed other signs, such as pawprints and snapped or displaced bushland, leading to a cave on the side of the mountain within the day. You had Deaths-Head drive to the entrance, but with no creature being visible at the entrance, the men started to fear the night coming and allowing the mutants to attack with stealth. You had the strongest men dismount the flamethrowers, slowly walking into the dark cave with other men behind them. At the back of the surprisingly long cave, you found wolves against the back of the hiding spot, growling and snapping away from the flames of the men's weapons. You saw the bodies of the soldiers behind them, ordering a torch of the wolves when they started rearing up for an attack, burning the mutants into bone and charred flesh, with them screaming from the excruciating pain. You searched through the twenty or so bodies and bones, pulling up one or two men who were still barely alive. When you found Longshot, he was in a bad state: tooth marks were covering his body, and his head had been gnawed on, with one of his eyes being pierced in the feeding. You knelt down and put your ear to his chest, waiting for a heartbeat. Though slow and weak, you could still hear the faint thumping of his heart, finding that his iron chestplate stopped the beasts from ripping into his chest.
You had the men load all of the people onto the back of Deaths-Head, including the dead to be buried. You drove back to Y'arak, with the men riding alongside the car, going their own way once you reached the town. The dead and wounded were dropped off, with you keeping the few uninjured from the mission and Longshot himself to bring to Urizen.

When you drove through a particularly thin canyon valley, you saw no townspeople or patrols, with the windy and bumpy road being a perfect spot for ambushes. You only had five men with you, who got into position along the flamethrowers on the top and machine guns attached to the railing. You drove on, seeing signs of wasters appearing along the canyon ridges, slowly increasing in number. You stopped the truck as a waster jumped out in front of you, who said: "that truck or your life." You looked around, and saw men along the ridges, all with weapons pointed at you, with some even on horses:
>What do you do/what is your attack plan

Roll 1d100

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>4059237
Slow as our truck is, it might be able to outpace the raiders on foot. Run over the guy in front of us, order our men to fire the machine guns at the horses they have, and get the hell out of dodge. If everything goes decently well, we'll be able to at least get back to friendly lands with the job done.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>4059237
>>4059992
+1

Rolled 16 - 20 (1d100 - 20)

>>4059992
>>4060480
28 -45 (Deaths-Head [-10 for this situation], guns are way better than bows [-10], a plan of attack flamethrowers, superior ranged weapons, superior melee weapons, and fortified position) = -17

Enemy gets -10 (superior numbers, and trap)

>>4061043
-17 vs -4 = Victory

New thread has the next post: >>4061168