6222/Loot Boxes Are Evil

Loot Boxes Are Evil
Date of Scene:	12 December 2018
Location:	Brimsteel Frontier - Heatstroke Valley
Synopsis:	No one likes loot box economy. Especially when it a booby trap.
Cast of Characters:	Corona Arclite, Leyanne Mace, Kotone Yamakawa, 1119

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Corona Arclite has posed:
    "Never reckoned we'd be back in a good long while," Corona murmured as she navigated Foxtrotter down the ramp into the quarry, the steam-mech carrying the cargo crate on one broad shoulder. Rocksfall had been left abandoned since that incident with the Molemen kidnapping miners to sacrifice to their monstrousity. "Since Miss C got the northern mines going again, no one's had reason to reopen this place. Don't look like the Molemen have come up this far anymore, either."

    So if it does turn out to be something nasty with the crate Corona figures they'll just throw it down one the holes and bury it. Or blow it up. Or blow it up and bury it in a hole. The point being there wasn't anyone else to suffer within miles, save any moleman that might be down below, but that's not really a concern, the subterrainian jerks. It was basically just a giant hole in the rocky desert ground now and perfect for this sort of thing away from a populated area. Or prying eyes.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
There's the whirring whine of a gas turbine as Leyanne pulls Skrat up to the hole. "Stay here and guard." She tells the bike's onboard AI, before wandering up to Kotone, carrying an M2 browning for extra protection.

It's kind of scary how easily she carries the heavy machine gun, casually slinging it up onto one shoulder like a smaller being might a shotgun. "Evening Corona." She says, happily

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa was on edge about this box,m she has no idea what iwas in it so dangerous, and the Molemenb might show up. The fact the guys who found it had someone who ratted his boss out about this? Notbaley he was afraid it would get their whole crew killed, and then the Black Hats were after it too. So here she was a bit after Leyanne to see just what is going on with this.

"You know we might want ot crack this open somewhere better equipped..."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke will have to catch a ride with someone else; the Mini Cooper that Leyanne gifted him last Christmas might not be able to handle the terrain out this way, and he doesn't want to chance it getting damaged out here. There are probably enough vehicles heading out this way that he shouldn't have much to worry about getting a ride out this way though, so he isn't worried. Besides, traveling by Crazy Diamond fastball special is always an option too.

Well, either way, he ends up out here, and he's wearing that mostly-brown outfit he wears hen he's in this world. It always seems appropriate to wear, since it almost looks western. All he needs is a cowboy hat! Though... he probably wouldn't ever wear one over his prized 'do, so this will have to suffice. ANYWAY. He greets the others with one of his signature goofy grins and a wave. "Hi!" he chirps. And Kotone's concern? "I'm sure it'll be OK. I think it's a better idea to bring it out to a place like this, where there's not a lot of people. Just in case it blows up or something."

Corona Arclite has posed:
    "That, an' most 'better equipped' places are the first places Copperchoke's gonna send his boys looking for it," Corona adds in reply. "Miss C don't want this nowhere near the Depot 'til we know for sure what's in it."

The steampunk ride armor hissed from various pneumatics as it crouched down and slid the crate off it's shoulder. A light thump followed as the container was put on the ground.

    " 'Sides," Corona continued as she stood the machine back up. She flipped a few switchs and an audible thrum came from Foxtrotter as the steam turbines within it's bulky lower arms spun up. "This baby's got more than 'nuff power to get it open."

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne chuckles softly as she looks up at Foxtrot, nodding. "And if he can't, I can. I've got a lot of strength, and some high-tech welding tools on board Skrat."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
    "I think she's more worried about what's in it, more than whether we have enough firepower to get it open," Josuke points out to Corona. "I admit I'm worried about it too -- if the Black Hats wanted it, it's probably nothing good -- but I'd rather not put other people in danger from whatever might be in there. I think we can handle it, and if not, I'd feel better running away if it was here than if it was in a populated area."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "Yes Josuke, but I seen things, I went to an earth infested by nanites, I saw things I wish I could forget. Still your right away from any large population is good, just just get ready, right?" She'll turn her systems to Autisitc mode. She takes a deep rbeath now and she's also packing plasma grenades on her hips, she's a ready as she's going to be.

"Great, I just hope my face doesn't get melted off again..."

Corona Arclite has posed:
    "Yer all concerned 'nuff to be here, that's more than plenty... So let's get on with it!" Under Corona's ... well, precise is not the word for it, but her control is top notch all the same. The Foxtrotter clamps both of it's big mechanical hands onto the sides of the front of the crate, metal creaking audibly as the chunky digits dig into it. One tug. Two tugs. Corona pulls back fully on both control sticks and steam bellows out of the elbow ducts of the arms with enough intensity to whistle loudly as the full power is used.

    Then the hinges finally snap off and the Foxtrotter staggers back a few stomping steps with the recoil. The hatches still held in its hands. And out of the opening spilling the contents of the crate!

    ... Literally spilling, as a heap of various machine parts and scrap metal tumble out of the opening into a pile in front of it...

    The steam-armor settles to rest the edge of the hatchway on the ground as Corona grabs the rollcage to lean forward. "Well that ain't what Ah would be expectin'. Ah knew they were excavating down there but this is ju--No, wait a moment." The fox hopped out, parkouring down one mecha arm and jumping off to land by the pile of parts and rummage in it a bit. "Somethin' ain't right bout this...."

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne nods in agreement as she peers into the crate, narrowing her eyes. "Huh." She says, softly, with a frown. "Agreed. This is odd..."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke nods to Kotone's warning, and summons Crazy Diamond. He places the Stand between himself and the location that the box is at, so he has that as a buffer if it explodes immediately. He braces for something to happen... and it DOES! Though not quite what he was expecting to happen. The box spills out... scrap metal?

Corona seems to be confused too! Josuke walks nearer the box and pouts thoughtfully. "...Think it was just a trick?" he asks. "Maybe they hid the stuff somewhere else? Or... maybe the whole thing was a trick to get us to incriminate ourselves? Since... well, without knowing that the Black Hats are working for Copperchoke, it does kinda look like we just up and robbed their train..."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa watis and watch as Corona goes to pop the crate open and she mutters as she looks at it as it start to open she looks at hte parts, the metals with in she states for a moment. She just stares. "Man this reminds me of the last gacha game I played." She's glad Josuke is here iwth his ability to fix and heal thinhgs with his stand. She looks over it for a moment. "Maybe it needs to be put together or ... it was a bait and switch..."

Corona Arclite has posed:
    "Yer half right Jo. There's somethin' hidden a'right. In here." Corona grunts as she tugs a piece of machine loose from the pile. "Koto, Tiny, look at this." The fox turns and holds the device up over her head. "Famil'ar ain't it?" It looks like some kind of turbocharger.... At a closer look, it's the kind of over-modded turbocharger they'd seen used in The Line. "That goat's been dealin' off-world and hidin' it in salvage from other regions for his own gang to steal."

    While Corona is showing off the piece she found the pile rattles behind her. Just settling from something being pulled out... Or maybe not, as a spherical device pops out of the scrap pile. It glows as it spins in the air, giving off electromagnetic signals as the machinery is pulled up around it, pieces magnetically latching together to form thick vagely arm and leg like limbs of a mismash of pieces that aren't quite directly connected to the globe of junk that forms around the spherical core, exhaust pipes jutting at angles from the shoulders and tesla spikes randomly protruding out of its parts.

    "But why would he be workin' so hard to hi--" Corona stops as a shadow rises to loom over her. Ears slick back. ".. Ah bugger.."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "Wait that's a charger from the Line it's almot the same model I put on my bike for the race or close enough." She pauses as it comes on line parts start to combine about it. She pauses looking up behind them and going for a pistol.

"Oh this is so not good..."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
"Hey! That's not a bad idea!" Josuke replies with a bright smile. "I could try to fix it, see what it turns into?" he suggests. "I mean... there's no way of knowing if it's anything of use, and this might just all be a bunch of junk. But even if so, you might get a new piece of equipment out of it."

Though Corona brings their attention to something else, and Josuke peers at it. He wasn't there in The Line, so he doesn't recognize it. But it doesn't look like any technology they have here, that's for sure. Josuke nods to Corona's explanation. "Makes sense. It's easier to get it, so why not try to find technology that no one in this world has seen before, to try to accomplish... whatever it is he's aiming for.

It's actually Corona's muttered exclamation that draws his attention back up... and his eyes go wide. "Oh <great>..." he mutters himself.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne blinks and peers at it. "Man something like that - especially if he can get hyperglass tech - is gonna really upset the balance of power in these parts..." she comments. " Ah hyperglass turbo can be relatively easily adapted to be a hyperglass steamturb-"

The mouse trails off when she hears corona's exclaimation, swinging down her Ma Deuce and taking hold of the grab handle. "Fucking figures there'd be more security on it."

Corona Arclite has posed:
    Leyanne probably has the right idea, or something close to it. But not really the time to worry about it.
    "Sometimes it sucks bein' rawht!" Corona yelps as she scampers away to jump back into the Foxtrotter, shoving the turbocharger into a compartment to keep it away.

    But before she can get back to the controls proper the Scrap Devil shoots one of its hands to grab onto the mech and magnetically pull it back. And wraps it's other arm around Foxtrotter, trying to pull the chassis open. Though it doesn't look like it's trying to get that specific part back. More like it was trying to pull off machinery in general. Maybe to try and add to itself.

    Corona kicks one of the fingers trying to grip into the cockpit loose, but the golem has the mech's arms pinned down with it's death hug.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke seeks to get out of the way of the massive scrap machine. Though he summons his Stand anyway -- he's going to need it! There's no way he can tangle with this mechanized monstrosity bare-handed. He immediately sees a problem -- the more things they wreck, the more scrap it's going to be able to draw to itself and create a bigger and more dangerous machine. So rather than wrecking it, Josuke gets another idea.

He gets closer to the monstrosity while it's engaged in trying to rip apart the Foxtrotter, trying to stay out of direct range. He can't be TOO far away, since his Stand is short range, but he'll use every bit of space he's got. Crazy Diamond is deployed, and the Stand immediately begins to punch violently at the legs. But the astute will notice an orange-gold aura around the Stand's fists.

He's not trying to BREAK the legs. He's trying to FIX the parts that have been mashed together. The idea is that, hopefully, if the scrap isn't in scrap, but instead in a functioning machine, that it won't be able to be a part of this thing anymore. Also there's a chance that some of this stuff could be useful against this thing if it was in functioning shape.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa gets half an idea to dive into the golem and then thinks hbetter of it, she's about toopen fire but then it hits her Josuke is here. The sector's resident healer and mechanic when it comes to his power so she'll not shoot at the thing but will mnove to try and cover Josuke as he works to /fix/ the parts that make up the golem.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne cusses loudly as it grabs hold of Foxtrot, bringing Ma Deuce around. She pauses a moment. "Don't flinch, Corona." Leyanne warns, just in case Foxtrot has fancy controls that follow the user's arm movements.

She stands completely still, planting her feet firmly into the ground. "Fire in the hole!" she warns.

Somehow, the warning isn't quite enough. When the big 50-cal wakes up, in such a confined space, it's truly cacaphonous, echoing and almost a physical wall of noise in its own right.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Ma Deuce lives up to the roar it makes when awakening, the high caliber weapon screaming volleys into the golem's body. Chunks of metal go flying as they're hit hard enough to dislodge from the magnetic field the thing formed itself out of. Sort of like ablative armor, taking damage but preventing the big gun from damaging that spherical core within. At least for the time being.

    It does get the golem's attention though and it releases one arm from holding the Foxtrotter to point it towards Leyanne and return fire. By fire I mean it launches it's metal fist at her much like it did to grab the steam-mech in the first place.

    The hodgepodge of random parts make it difficult for there to really be anything coherently constructed out of it... but after a few punches from Crazy Diamond a large piston that was only being used as a support strut gets hit enough times to start actually pumping again. Which causes the leg to start to thump and vibrate erratically. It's off balance for a moment, and long enough for Corona to use the Foxtrotter's jump boosters to pry itself free from the remaining arm.

The back of the golem shifts parts around, until the surface of the core becomes partially visible, giving it an appearance of a giant mechanical eye peering out. It glows for a few moments and then fires a laser down behind it. It doesn't have the higher functions to 'see' the Stand, so it's just firing at the two inviduals it can actually detect back there.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke definitely does flinch at the noise from Leyanne's Ma Deuce, and there's a break in Crazy Diamond's punching. And some of the scrap is probably going to get warped a little as he tries to fix it -- whoops! Hopefully it won't be too big a deal. Meanwhile Josuke makes a mental note to bring earplugs next time he comes to Brimsteel. Which might actually not be a bad idea anyway, really. But yeah.

The shoulder of the Stand is hit pretty hard by the laser, and both Crazy Diamond and Josuke get thrown back, the former disappearing and the latter emitting a cry of surprise and pain. Fortunately that was the Stand that got hit and not Josuke, otherwise he'd probably have lost an arm. As it is it actually takes him a moment to get back up, and he's holding that shoulder as he gets to his feet again, a wince of pain on his face. Yeah, that hurt.

Though suddenly he gets a different idea...

One would think that after taking a hit like that, that he'd be reluctant to get close again. And he is. But he's got to, to make a try at this. He deploys Crazy Diamond again, but this time instead of trying to fix the scrap, he tries to 'fix' it -- that is, purposely warp it. Maybe that'll make it more difficult for the thing to move AND to add to itself from other scrap.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne tries to dive aside from the fist but... unfortunately, she's a big target, and it takes a moment to un-brace from firing the 50-cal before she can properly get moving. So she's knocked sideways by the glancing blow. She hauls herself to her feet

"Shoot the core!" she suggests, re-settling herself and once again opening up with Ma Deuce. Sometimes, she really loves the fact that she has top of the line augments... and today is one of those times. Because Josuke and Crazy Diamond are /real/ damn close... and the thing is holding onto Corona... and she's got to make sure that none of her rounds are going to hit them. Ma Deuce's thumping takes on a staccato tone now, each break in her rhythm indicating a moment when the rounds might have hit a friendly target and Leyanne took her finger off the trigger for a split second to allow the barrel to track past them.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa watches as Josuke's power seems to be working as he's somehow able to get some parts working again. She will also level her pistopl at the core not as she leaps back opening fire even as she's falling in the air, to do what? As along vanished Union elite once said, shoot the core. Which is still sound advice which is just what she's going to do.

Corona Arclite has posed:
    Josuke seems to have hit on a good idea, and with a little more thought to the application it works wonders. This time when Crazy Diamond focuses where it punchs it causes the machinery in the knee joint to fix itself, this time into something that isn't suppose to move at all and effectively locking the leg in place. The Scrap Golem doesn't seem to notice until after it's pulled its hand back from long-range punching Leyanne and then finds itself unable to do more than pivot on that leg. Not quite enough to stop it from turn around entirely, but it's anchored in that spot. It quickly slides scrap back around the core, though not before Kotone does get a few quick shots in. It actually stops at this for a moment. It keeps covering its core back up, but that big calibre gun of the Martian's is quickly leaving less and less scrap on the core to do so.

Then the tesla spikes jutting out of its body light up, sending arcs of current racing around it's body. Crazy Diamond might get a jolt if it keeps trying to punch it. No one can touch it now and make its limbs not work.

No ONE. But another machine, one that doesn't have a lot of electronics to get zapped, is another matter. The Foxtrotter clamps its large actuators onto the golem from behind, sparks flying from metal contacting electrified metal, but there's little in the anachronistic Brimsteel engineering to be shorted out. Exhaust screams like a banshee out of the smokestacks as Corona pushes its steam-driven power to the max to actually pull the junk part shell away from the core. "Like she said. SHOOT TH'CORE!"

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Yeah... unfortunately, Josuke doesn't see the lighting up until it's too late! And so he gets a jolt, all right! Fortunately, again, it was the Stand that took the brunt of it. Still hurts, though. And it also tosses him back again, with a yelp. The Stand disappears as it did before.

Though this time Josuke doesn't immediately get up. Electricity is a lot different than a laser blast. He needs a bit to shake that off. He's far enough out of the way to not get trampled, so he should be all right while he recovers.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne, on the other hand, doesn't even need to be hit by the electricity to be affected by it. She winces at the EM backlash from each zap and arc, cussing loudly. Not that it can be heard over the ongoing hail of dakka from the mouse. She's built up quite a respectable stack of casings and discarded links now as she continues to try and hammer through that armour to hit the core.

The moment a gap bigger than a few inches opens, even for a moment, the mouse retargets her aim onto it, sweeping the barrel across the Scrap Devil's form to try and perforate that core through the swirling maeltrom of junk it calls armour.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
If they can keep it on the defence they might have a pretty good chance. She notices the Tessla spikes, oh man this is gfoing to get bad. She keeps moving and shooting the core as she foes they scrap can't hold out forever, she should have brought a bigger gun as she keeps shooting.

"Why didn't I bring a bigger gun with me!"

Corona Arclite has posed:
There's a horrible wrenching sound and the Foxtrotter goes crashing over backwards as the chunks of the scrapmetal armor it was holding onto break free from the piling damage. But not before a multitude of shots from Leyanne and Kotone hammer away at the core within.

"Of all the dang fangle slag smeltin' hogwash!" Corona cusses as she can't get the mecha armor to stand back up.

The golem however is lying in literal pieces on the ground, while the core sparks and crackles hovering over the remains. It's full of holes from all the hits it took while vulnerable, levitating but not able to spin enough to get its mag-field flowing again and pull the remains together as quickly.

Corona climbs out of the toppled armor, and remembering what she's seen Crazy Diamond do with bullets before, runs over to help Josuke up. Then pulls a clip of specialized ammo from her belt and hands it to him. "Have yer thinger shoot these at it! They'll null that field with non-conductive material!" She'd give some to Leyanne but she doesn't have them in her big gun's size.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne growls as the core is exposed nad just continues to pump firepower into it. She's using copper-jacketed tungsten rounds, which may or may not help considering they're probably just punching straight through, rather than imbedding into the core.

"Just frickin' stop already!" she snarls.

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke looks dazed, but when he hears Corona's voice he shakes his head to clear it. He gets to his feet, with Corona's help. Might wobble a little -- ow. Getting shocked by proxy hurts too!

There are bullets being handed to him too! That'll help! He only keeps wooden pellets on his person these days, since while Hamon can be conducted through metal, it's inorganic so metal won't HOLD the charge. "Thanks!" he chirps at Corona, and summons his Stand again.

He does hand the bullets off to Crazy Diamond, directing the Stand to fire them at the core of the thing. he won't be firing them as fast as an automatic gun, or even a semi-automatic, but he's trying to aim for what might be weak places -- seams, holes, circuits, anything that looks like it could break and cause more damage to the thing.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
The fight goes onward and she's still shooting until the core finally is taken down she'll stop and lower her weapon lookin a the core and moves back and she'll fire evne more rounds at it emptying what's left of her pistol and then replacing the mag with a fresh one and she keeps on shooting.

Corona Arclite has posed:
The electromagnetic core does slowly manage to pull a few pieces of scrap up again, but it's hardly enough to keep the barrage of gun fire at bay. Without layers and layers of metal those rounds just punch holes right through everything, rendering it useless and keeping the core pinned down between Leyanne's streams of fire and Kotone's more precise shots.

Keeping it from reforming a protective shell leaves it wide open to the special ammo fired via Crazy Diamond. On impact the shells burst and spray a coating that quickly semi-hardens into a rubbery material. Notibly a rubbery non-conductive material. A few hits are enough to coat the core to the point that it can't put any electromagnetic charge out and the remains of scrap fall useless as it drops to the ground.

Corona lets out a sigh of relief when the thing finally stops being a nusiance, rubbing the side of her head. "Ah dunno if they found that on The Line or whatever they were diggin in the wreckage area, but either way Copperchoke is gettin' his grubby mits on stuff he shouldn't be."

Josuke Higashikata (1119) has posed:
Josuke breathes a sigh of relief as the now rubber-coated core of the thing falls. "Whew," he sighs. "<Great> idea, by the way!" he says, of Corona's idea to cover the thing with non-conductive stuff. "I dunno if we'd have been able to dismantle it without giving it more ammunition. Or... well, building blocks." However that works.

And of course, the first concern is always, "Is everybody OK?" He looks around to see if anybody else got hurt, since he can try to fix it if so.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne releases Ma Deuce's triggers and looks at the thing, once it's knocked down. "Job done." she says, with a snort, nodding at the other two. "Agreed. And he's going places that've got enough problems without him adding to them."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa stops shootuing as the rubbierized attack is laid out, the thing finally falls to the ground for a moment "Why is there somethign from the Line, or do you think some Turbo Fauna moved to your planet? That could pose a problem if they did." She thinks musing ofr a moment "I'm fine no damage for once, thanks for chekcing, So now what are we going to do now? We should certainly look into this."

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona adjusts her hat. "Ah'm fine pardner. Foxtrotter will take some fixin' but that's the norm." She walks over to pick up the now disabled magnetic core with one hand. "Will have to make sure this gets locked up in something it can't magnetize." Then pauses, squinting one eye at the spheroid. "Or figger out how to control it."

"Ah doubt anythin's moved here on its own Koto... but iffen they found this and tossed it in their stuff without knowin'.. which is part of the problem. They ain't got the experience we do to expect these weird thin's the Line can have." An ear flicks in response to Leyanne. "Tryin' to capitalize on a region that's only recently fully re-established itself with the rest of the Multiverse. Just the sorta schemin' he'd come up with, all for some extra cash." She gives her head a shake. "Gonna have to keep our eyes open."