6889/Retribution Railway - Darude

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Retribution Railway - Darude
Date of Scene: 27 October 2019
Location: Brimsteel Frontier
Synopsis: Stopping a Dust Devil storm leads to making unexpected allies.
Cast of Characters: Corona Arclite, 1103, Kotone Yamakawa, 7099, 6386


Corona Arclite has posed:
Loadstar Depot was for the time being safe, in a relative manner. It was locked down in it's fortifications that were designed to hold out against the sulfuric duststorms that often blasted across Brimsteel's surface. It was the demonic energy behind this huge sandstorm that was going to eventually wear through the structure, but for the time being it was enough to hold out. Hopefully long enough for the brave adventures to find the source and stop the storm in it's blustery tracks.

Getting to that source was going to be tricky, but Corona had a plan and a means. Which was to use the modified transport she was using for logistic jobs on The Line. It had the hefty frame, reinforced hull and engine power to muscle it's way through the raging storm. It had more than enough room to carry people that didn't have their own means of penetrating the whirling dervish of weather.

Just don't think too hard about how Corona rather tongue-in-cheek calls it the Disaster Transport.

Even then, the winds can be felt hammering the sides of the vehicle as she drives through the sandstorm, occasionally rocking and rattling it some. There's little visibility with all the grit whipping in the air, so she doesn't bother turning the lights on and just keeps plowing through. "All we gotta do is find the eye of the storm where it's not all so churned up, and disperse whatever concentration of that damned locomotive's dark magic is creatin' this oversized sandtrap."

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    The Mad Magician is happy enough to hitch a ride. She could have easily used some Wind-aspect Processors to just tank her way through the windstorm, but that would have taxed her defenses and required using either a Crystal, or holding onto a Relay. As it stands, or sits in this case, the Drive Core Controller is seated inside the Disaster Transport, belted into her seat. "The Organization shall not emerge victorious this day. The Mad Magician shall see to that." she remarks in reply to Corona.

    Does she really believe her shadowy 'Organisation' is responsible for everything that goes wrong?

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa was concerned about the state of affairs on Corona's homeworld. This seemed to be a thing that happened often, the multiverse really has ruined Halloween for Kotone when you get down to it.

She har arrived and seemed to be mostly okay but she was looking to be quite wary about this. Also sand, sand was a problem for those who are flesh for someone who is mostly machine? It's a special kind of hell with what the sand can do to you. She took a deep breath and would fall in with Corona.

"You make it sound very easy my friend."

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"You sure this is some kind of menacing magic and not just a natural occurance?" Rosa asks from her seat. She's actually brought a hood and a face covering this time, as well as a nice pair of goggles, because getting sand in her eyes doesn't sound very fun at all.

Note (6386) has posed:
    Calls to action invariably end up attracting Note's attention! She's gotten GOOD at trawling the Multiverse's various channels for such, and it's lead to her showing up in her usual martial arts getup, tail swishing antsily for the entire gathering and boarding.

    That was then, though. After looking the hefty transport all over to sate her curiosity, she's ended up leaning against a wall, looking out a reinforced window at the intense sands...

    "Really glad I'm in here and not out there!" The pint-sized youth exclaims. For a thirteen year old, she's not doing very well in the height department.

    Maybe it's a Saiyan thing?

    Of those here, only Rosa's new to her. So, eventually, Note moseys on over to the Jaguar-girl and springs up onto the bench next to her. "Hey, awesome! Thought most of the Animal Folk were all about that Red Pants Army thing. Not you, though!"

Corona Arclite has posed:
"It's pro'ly both really," Corona replies. "Duststorms are normal... but this one's bigger and badder than usual, and blew in from the same direction we were trackin' that train goin'. Reckon it kicked it up harder to try and cover its tracks." Oi. She's already going on the bad train puns. She rolls her eyes a little at Theurgus' bit of conspiracy rambling, but as usual isn't one to object about where she's getting the help from or for what reason. As long as they don't cause any problems of course.

Several clods of dust collide with the reinforced transport and shatter, dispersing as they're swept back up into the howling winds. "That's gonna be a pain in the tail to buff out later." Probably a joke, Corona doesn't seem like the sort to worry that picky about appearances, as long as it runs.

The transport rumbles, vibrating as if it just connected with a barrier of some sort, kicking up terrain beneath it's wheels and engine roaring as it struggles against some opposing force. "Ah think we found the boundry." Corona lets up on the throttle, shifts gears, and backs the transport up a fair distance. "Hold onto yer butts," she yips, reaching for a different lever. As it's pulled the panel atop the hood of the transport clacks and slides forward a bit, then drops down in front of the vehicle and ratchets at a middle seam to pull back into two angling slopes, creating a plow with a more penetrating edge to it.

Then shifts back into gear and stomps on the gas. The Disaster Transport roars and lurches at the sudden restoration of forward momentum, and again hits that boundry of force. This time it groans and struggles a bit, but then the dirt laiden winds split and the part allows the vehicle to roar through.

The difference is immeadiately noticable. There's still dust and debris swirling in the air, but it's a lot more spread out and less of an immeadiate threat. Must be the 'eye' Corona was talking about, as it's in comparison to the rest of the storm calmer. At the center of the roughly circular area there is less of a sandstorm and more of a honest-to-goodness cyclone spinning, throwing stuff and wind up into the rest of the storm around it. Something looks to be floating in the center of the twister, but it's hard to make out with all the dirty air spiraling around.

"Y'all think that's it?" A surge of wind whips off the cyclone, digging into the ground and flinging a shower of dirt and rubble at the transport, banging and clanging off its exterior. That's likely a pretty affirmative answer.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "I might have to be stripped down to my endoskeleton after this."

Kotone is not happy about this but she is here she also wearing her stealth gear as she waits in the transport knowing they will have to push through and it sounds like after a bit they have. Kotone will make sure she's secured because she does not want to rattle around like an old pinball.

Finally they are through and she will be quick to unhook herself and get out of the craft right after Corona does.

"Theurgus? Note? Rosa? Keep alert who knows what could jump us."

She'll let loose a few scout drones, to go map things ahead of the party hopefully they can pinpoint their target a bit more easily.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
The woman talking to her gets Rosa to tilt her head a bit, "Red Pants Army? Nah. I'm a freelancer." She says, "And not from this world or, uh...Well I mean I AM from a world, but we don't have crazy muderous sandstorms there."

Once the sounds of the storm die down, however, she glances around the cabin, "Sounds like we're here. Who wants to be the lucky one to stick their head out and check?" Rosa asks, as she looks back towards Kotone, and gives her a thumbs up. Seems she's doing it the smart way and just having the robots do it. Rosa wishes she'd thought of that. Not that she has drones..

Note (6386) has posed:
    Apparently Rosa's answer isn't quite as interesting to Note as she was hoping because the kid's shoulders sag deflatedly and she spends a few seconds uncomfortably shuffling from one foot to the next, trying to think of a good response. In the end she just scratches the back of her head...

    "Pretty sure almost none of us are from this place! ... I sure wouldn't want to live here." She points again out the window, at the nasty sandstorm...

    But now that the vehicle has gotten this close, Note suddenly splutters out an awkward gasp... and hops off the bench, migrating to the window instead. "Something... something's out there. Can't you feel it?"

    Feel it? Whatever could this shrimp be talking about? "And it's not a pushover." Starting to sound excited, Note bounds over for the exit. Doesn't matter who else might volunteer to step out, she's gonna be out there on the ground in a jiffy!

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus remains in her seat until the Eye is breached. She then unbuckles, stands and peers out of the forward viewport, just as the cyclone whips at the transport. "Foul construct of the Organisation. It shall be dealt with." she adjusts her hat, turns on her heel and lets out a cackling guffaw. "WAH HA HA HA HA HA!" as she disembarks from the transport and summons her staff. She stabs it into the ground and stares down the cyclone while chanting. "Whorling winds of the open board. Flow and Rend, surge and compile. Sintilate and consume, bring unto this sickened world a measure of thy divine countenance. Howling Zephyr."

    Theurgus' spell expands out from the head of her staff, the whipping winds beginning to turn back on themselves. She's attempting to negate a lot of the cyclone's options for damaging the group by taking over its primary weapon.

Corona Arclite has posed:
It would seem Kotone has the right idea. Corona gets out one of her tinderbox drones, gives the winder a few good turns to crank the clockworks, and leaves it to scuttle towards the cyclone on six spiderly legs. At least the sharp feet dig into the ground enough that it's not immeadiately blown away.

As it's making its way over Corona looks up, considering Note's muttering. "Hmm." She raises one hand to her own goggles, adjusting the rangefinder mechanism to zoom in on the cyclone. "It... almost looks like somethin' inside the vortex, iffen Ah ain't mistaken. But there's so much stuff in the air..."

The big clunky box-drone draws more attention that Kotone's do as it clatters towards the twister. What can only be described as a hand composed of the wind with chunks of rock and dirt within it to give it some shape emerges from the twister, and slams down on the clockwork mechanism. Crunch! "Yup, there's definately somethin' in there that's... huh?" She looks up as the winds around them actually start to die down a bit more.

Because Theurgus is reversing them. The cyclonic pillar compresses in on itself a bit thanks to the counter-spell, to the point that the large round lump floating in the center of it becomes more visible. Dirt, rock, air, and a 'face' less in regard to an actual face and more that debris like chunks of car doors or house parts are imbedded in the form in a way that the nature of the sentient mind to see a 'face' in similar spaces, sees a face.

But while pressed down and contained the demonic twister isn't stopped, and its churning motion still has plenty of oomph to start slinging random pieces of debris out of the cyclonic pillar towards the gathered heroes!

Corona yowls, diving for cover back behind her transport. "Knew Ah shoulda still brought some minin' equipment!"

Also if one looks close enough there's enough chunks of stuff spinning in the edge of the cyclone they could possibly used as platforms if someone needed to get physically close with that core or whatever it is the supernatural energy is focused into.

Note (6386) has posed:
    Note has to shield her eyes to try and get a good look at what, exactly, she's sensing... and from this distance, it's kinda hard to say. But what she does see is... "Uhhhhh..." Unsure what to make of it, Note just stands there quite stupidly.

    And is quite promptly CLOBBERED by a giant pipe to the side of the head. The winds which couldn't move her at all from where she stood prove QUITE capable of clobbering her with debris, and she splutters a pained cry and wobbles back and forth... only to slap the ground with her tail, rub where she got hit... and glare daggers at the pipe that fell to the ground five feet away.

    Rather notably, the PIPE IS BENT, but Note seems barely even bruised by an impact that would've probably killed the average person.

    "Hrgrgh... that's the only cheap shot you're gonna get in on me!" Shouts the girl. With a *kraka-koom* her body's engulfed in filmy white energy and puts out a wind of its own. The warm, pure energy of life has a pressure of its own, forming a sort of shield against the loose sand blowing around.

    Pushing this energy down through concentration, Note simply ROCKETS off the ground and arcs in towards the strange entity. She doesn't have time or patience for the funky platforming bullcrap it's offering! "Tell us who you are and what you want!" She shouts. Maybe she'll even get an answer?

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"Geeze, are you okay?!" Rosa asks of Note as she sees the woman get clobbered by the pipe, only for the pipe to come off worse out of the exchange. She blinks a bit, "Oh. Well..Wow.." She's impressed, to say the least. She's tough, but not THAT tough. And she also can't fly, as Note sails off through the sky towards that entity, "Ain't gonna lie, Corona!" Rosa calls out to the vulpine, "I'm feeling a bit underpowered for this one!"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa sees her drones are making some good headway here as her drones do get her some good footage of the thing they have to be dealing with. Her own drones don't draw too much attention and she looks at basically a dust devil for lack of a better term.

"I don't think bullets are going to work too well on it."

Kotone note as she starts to look over the data. Shortly after she sees something else maybe bullets will work better than she thought.

Kotone chooses to hang back for the moment least while. Given what happened with Note? She's going to get to cover much as Corona does and she looks to Rosa

"She should be okay..."

She'll pop up, wait she has rail gun? Yes, well if there's something in the winds maybe the rail rounds will find it as she tries to give Note some support fire.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    A bubble of blue hexagonal panels flare into life around Theurgus, bits of debris clouting into them, shattering some and piecing through, causing bursts of red code to fly from her body, though she manages to remain in place. She radios in her current disposition, both hands grasped around the staff, the marble at the head blazing a deep, pulsating green as it continues to radiate magical power into the air around her, wrestling with the enemy magical power for control of the local area. The concentation on her face is evident. If she were capable of it, she'd likely be sweating.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Note gets her answer in the form of the demonic core opening it's equivilent to a mouth and trying to just blow her out of its personal space. Like it took her being able to fly despite its blustery disposition as a personal insult. In other words it may of not been the Saiyan's intention to taunt it, but she's doing a good job of holding it's attention. At least until Kotone blasts a railgun round into it, the high velocity projectile having the force to get through the winds and blow a sizable chunk out of the core. It twists in is spot to direct it's howling blast from its maw towards them, but the Transport is there for people to take cover behind.

"Wahl Rosie," Corona drawls as she holds onto her hat. "It's focusin' out here. Try gettin' underneath it?" She points at the chunks of rock circling the lower part of the cyclone like platforms since Theurgus' spell is keeping the winds from throwing them away. "Ah'd parkour up there muhself but Ah gotta drive the truck iffen we need to get out agai--" she stops, perking an ear as something in the vehicle bleeps. "--Just do what Ah do, an' fake it until somethin' works!" she finishes, and climbs into the cab.

Then reachs over to slap the console that was making noise, and squint at the screen. Now why was it picking up movement underground as well??

Note (6386) has posed:
    "Ghhhhhh---" Being the center of attention of this wind-demon turns out to be highly unpleasant. Note throws her arms up over her face to shield it from the abrasive wind that cuts at her body and threatens to ground her. It succeeds in blowing her about this way and that, though with great difficulty. She tumbles through the air, rapidly changing her thrust to compensate. "F-fine, I can deal with rude.... the name's Note, of Kokkara Village, and I'm gonna knock all that wind right out of you!"

    Note raises her crossed arms a little higher, inhales deeply.. and tenses all of her muscles, digging down deep into some spark within her spirit. "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooo!!!" Up goes her hair, lifted by a mysterious force, and golden energy leaks from her skin in a thin film. Moments later her black eyes fade to a light green shade... and as she howls her fury and strikes down with both arms, that energy erupts into a golden bonfire so mighty that it emanates a repetetive pulse-whoosh. The burst of power has also changed the girl's now-spiky hair into a brilliant shade of golden blonde. The shockwave from this transformation briefly distorts the storm, but only just barely.

    "Heeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiyah!" Without any further ado, Note simply *bzeeeeeeoooshes* out of sight, reappearing near the demon at the tail end of a FLYING KICK aimed straight for its center of mass, as it were...

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa finds a decent measure of success here as she scores a hit on the Dust Devil for lack of a better term. She will keep behind the Truck hoping to use it to protect her own body. This time it goes well for her and she's not torn up. She'll pop back up as Note makes her kick and Theurgus is calling for more aid. She'll line up a shot and then lay down the fire sending several more rounds at the Dust Devil's core.

"I would like for once have an October FREE OF INSANITY LIKE THIS!"

She just wants an October to go to a fun costume party had a good costume and a fun old time. It's an insane wish given the nature of the Multiverse. Yet what are you going to do and worse movement underground could mean something it could mean MOLEMEN.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"That's something I can manage." Rosa replies in response to Corona's last statement. Fake it until something works is pretty much how she's lived her whole life. She hops down and gets low, trying to stay out of the 'view' of the demonic face in the storm. Should be possible for her to get close enough to mount onto one of those rocks, then it's quite literally a hop, skip and jump up from there.

She borrowed something from Corona's vehicle without asking her. She knows the fox won't mind though. She reaches back and pulls out the mining charge, looking over it for a moment, "I sure as hell hope this works." She mutters to herself, as she starts to fiddle with it, looking to arm it and then insert it into the demonic sandstorm's core.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite sticks her head out of the cab for a moment. "Hey, at least this year there ain't no zombie cows." Then ducks back inside, trying to figure out what her scanners are picking up underground. She's too busy with that to realize Rosa pulled a bit of a borrowing without asking.

Gunfire chips away at the core, followed by one hell of a kick. Note kicks it so hard that it actually makes the core spin in the opposite direction the twister itself is turning. You know how much force it would take to go against the natural cyclonic spin? Sayains are scary buggers when mad. Super-kicks and gunfire have already started to knock bigger chunks off the dust devil, and Theurgus' clampdown on the winds keeps the platforms suspended in the cyclone stable enough for Rosa to vault her way up and chuck her 'borrowed' package at the core, blowing another chunk out of it. It howls like a hurricane in rage, and instead of attacking tries to suck more debris off the ground to pull itself together. Well, not directly attacking at least, don't get caught in the suction. Though thanks to the mad magician restraining it's force it can't inhale fast enough to completely undo what's been done to it.

While the adventurers are fighting the good fight, that subterranian disturbance makes its way to the surface and at the limits of the storm's eyes the ground cracks apart. Not from the storm's force, but from the burrowing machines that come up through the splits, then anchor themselves into place. Corona leans out again, squinting, and then pulling her goggles up to make sure she's seeing right. "Aw frag naw, not now! Those are molemen designs!", she cusses, and goes to retrieve her own gun.

But instead of attacking the adventures, the mole-pods fire some manner of heavy grapplers into the central vortex. These dig into the exterior of the dust devil core, anchoring it from moving around in the wind pillar. More importantly they've got it lassoed, for lack of better terms, into a position where the hole the railgun and explosion have made in the exterior of the core, revealing the churning miasma of demonic energy within.

Okay, Corona is suspicious of why molemen would show up to -help-, but not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She loads her own equivilent to a gauss round into her handcannon, levels it at the revealed opening, and fires. That's as good an indicator of what to do as anything else.

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus watches the grapples latch onto the demonic core, and nods as Corona comes over radio letting her know she can unload.

    She releases one hand from her death-grip on the staff, summoning a crystal into the palm before speaking an imperative. "ACCESS!" alongside pressing the crystal into her chest. A burst of light engulfs her, and she emerges transformed, floating slightly above the ground. "Clear the opening. It is time to show this virus what a Drive Core Controller is capable of."

    "Twilit power, quicksilver in thy flow. Buried within the crimson veil, bloom into this world and thus thy power grow. Heed my call, strike upon this foe, bring its struggles to fall. Way of Ultimate Destruction, number 86. Draconic Inferno!"

    Diamond Soul's staff shifts from green, to blazing red, gathering in energy to the marble-like capstone. The geordian knot that surrounds the stone shifts and creates a spirallic cone while the magician brings it down like someone holding a heavy weapon. With the name of the spell called, a 'beam' of plasma fire erupts and lances out toward the exposed energy within the core.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone is laying down fire, hits are being scored her comrades re doing a very good job of it so ar it shouldn't be long before they can bring it down and then? She sees pods she knows very, very well.

"Oh for the love of God, Mole-men?!"

Waiut the Molemen look to be attempting to help? For now, she's just going to focus on shooting the core. She's wary on it sure but what is she going to do right now that Dust Devil needs to go and then comes Thurgus who has finished her spll and it's time to unload with some suitably crazy magic.

"Maybe even they know this stuff is bad news for everyone?!"

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"Mole men?!" She's met a few, but she thinks these are more like the ones from comics where they have drill machines and live underground and want to take over the surface.

When they seem to actually be helping, however, she figures she can do what she can. She hops off of the area she'd parkoured up to, and lands on the ground, rolling, before she throws the other charge she took from Corona towards that exposed hole.

After all everybody seems to be aiming for it, and since she's not going to just go up there and punch it, she'll need to find a way to be helpful, and what's more helpful than throwing large satchel charges at obvious weak points?

Note (6386) has posed:
    Note rebounds mightily from the kick, traveling in in a sharp arc back down to the ground... all the while, somersaulting. She lands smoothly at the end though, and it quickly becomes apparent just why she chose to sacrifice her aerial advantage when the Molemen have the demon-thing all tied up.

    Ground means she can more easily BRACE HERSELF.

    "It can't move...? ... That's just PERFECT."

    It's also kinda boring, but she's not terribly interested in fighting a thing that can't use martial arts or even SPEAK ITS NAME.

    And so she extends both hands, palms open but fingers curled inwards... and draws those hands together to her waist, facing each other. "Kaaaaaa Meeeeeeee...." With a glimmery shimmery noise, a tiny blue spark of light forms in the space between her hands - and almost instantly it expands to contend with her fingers, struggling to escape her grip. "Haaaaaa... Meeeeeeee...." The energy roils as it's compressed, even as more and more Ki is poured into the mixture. As the power builds, the ever-growing energy orb shines brightly enough to cast the entire battlefield in stark monochrome!

    Then Note flings her hands forward, palms framing the distant demon - and all of that energy is RELEASED. Like a dam bursting, a tight torrent of bluish-white, blazing energy rockets through the air with great speed, vaporizing a good twenty feet of the ground in front of Note before it gains a bit of altitude and careens straight for the demon. All in all, the beam she's pumping out is easily five times wider than she is tall!

    "HAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Corona Arclite has posed:
The combination of gunfire, explosives, and big freakin' lazors of both magic and fighting-spirit nature collide with the core inside the cyclonic shell, and it doesn't take long for beams of energy to split their way back out through the exterior.
The pods release their cables, leaving the clamps imbedded in the dust devil's shell. Because the clamps also contain explosions, which are set off when the escaping energy beams cut through them.
The entire core explodes, one final howling wind scream eminating from the dust devil as the supernatural energy is dispersed from within. Dirt and debris erupts from the detonation and scatter across the area... and almost immeadiately the winds are dying down. The dust storm doesn't completely disperse, but it's quickly de-escalating to just the normal blustery annoyance of sand and dust being blown about and not the monsterous storm it once was.

So now they can deal with the next matter. Warily Corona drops out of the transport, her weapon still in one hand. She's at least not immeadiately pointing it at anything, but her paranoia is high enough she's not quite sure what to make of their unexpected help.

That wariness seems to be shared by their company, as the molemen are cautiously deparking their burrowing pods. Once they're out there's a distinct difference though. These aren't laden in the steampunk armor and magitek weaponry the Kavern King's croneys have usually been seen in. Rather they're gearedas miners and craftsmen would be, with tools and equipment to match. A few are even wearing full welder's helmets or gasmasks, or glasses with the multiple magnifiers a jeweler or clockmaker would wear.
One in dark goggles and a battered down derby hat trudges forward a bit and holds up his gloved hands. "Surface dwellers no bangshoot please! Especially you, miss boomstick fox. We're looking for you, but not to fight'n'squabble like others."

Corona manages to not start shooting on reflex at least, leaning her head a little to one side. "... Ah ain't sure iffen Ah should take being reconized so easily as a compliment or not..." Uh, okay. They're not fighting, and they're not all armored and grumpy, so... benefit of a doubt, I guess?

Theurgus (1103) has posed:
    Theurgus releases her transformation, dropping back to the floor and turning with a swoosh of her coat. She then strides over to join Corona, holding herself high and all-but looking down her nose at the mole guys... that's easy to do though, Theurgus is pretty tall.

    "You aided us. Thank you. Now state your business with my assistant." she says, folding arms over her chest. "Be quick."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa sees the Dust Devil is down and now she lowers her weapon but does not put it away as she eyes the molemen. She seems to be about as wary she has not forgotten about the damn thing with the mecha tentacles and all the other incidents where she's encountered them before. She takes several steps towards them she sees they are not armed or armoured.

"All right what do you want and what brings you here?"

Her weapon is lowered at this point may be a risk here but the Molemen generally attack her on sight? So this has her wondering what is up here.

The dazzling display of her allies earlier should hopefully cure these molemen of any desire to fight right? At least that's what she hopes.

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
No weapons visible on the jaguar, other than the ones nature gave her, but that's all she needs. She side-eyes the molemen once she's back on (relatively) solid ground, "Make it quick. I need to go take a really long shower."

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona shoots Theurgus a dirty side-long look at being referred to as her assistant. Theurgus probably isn't going to even notice. Really all the mad magician has to do is stand there and look important. Considering this group was just throwing giant lasers of various kinds and heavy ordinance into the core of a demon-posessed cyclone, no, no one really wants to pick a fight with them regardless of who is assistant to who. Especially when one of them looks like an upright whompus cat.

"... Oh, yes! Of course, or course." The derby wearing moleman fumbles a bit, before gesturing vagely at the small group gathering around him. "We are the lives outcasted by the King. The factory of nightmares makes him madcrazy, no longer wanting those who craft with own hands and tools."

Okay, they're some sort of rebellion? Tends to come up with tyrants, which the Kavern King definately was. And the mention of a factory making his stuff. Corona frowns a little, though she does also lower his gun. "Okay, so some of even the king's own kind hate his madness. So why come up now?"

"Because sadshame that not all molemen could be enlightened against his twistynes." The moleman takes off his derby with one hand, pulls a folded paper out of it with the other, and tosses it towards the group. His short arm can't throw the whole way though and Corona has to stoop down to pick it up. "Boomstick fox has reputation for showing up when crazy things happen. So finding crazy thing happening was bestgood way to find her and help to prove not crazy moles without rousing King's notice. You also huntseek the train of hell, yes?"

Corona unfolds the paper. The drawings on it are crude, but it's not hard to make out some large building, an approximation of a train engine with devil horns, and a lot of scribbles and + -> marks indicating... putting the two together? ".. Shit. That mad mud muncher is lookin' fer the Retribution as well to... use it with the factory? And yer all..." She stops, peering at the head mole. "... Great. One side's a techno-cult, the other is an illu-mole-nauti."

One of the molemen in the back lets out a cheer of sorts. "Boomstick fox really is smart brain! That is great name!"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa looks at the moleman for a moment sizing him up and she thinks for a moment "Cast out?" Kotone seems to be listening for a moment an uprising? Okay if this is on the level this could mean something could change on Brimstone if the king was toppled.

"Boomstick huh? Not a bad nickname at all."

She looks at Corona for a moment.

She looks to the lead moleman and takes a deep breath.

"I'm willing to give you guys a chance if this is on the level you may have saved a lot of people's lives."

Rosa Borrasca (7099) has posed:
"Looks like you've earned yourself a fun nickname." Rosa offers to Corona, as she heads back towards the vehicle, "You know me, I'll show up if you ask."

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona takes off her goggles, if only to rub the bridge of her muzzle for a moment. It's partially to help stifle her internal conflicts so she doesn't jump to any brash conclusions. That these molemen aren't acting like the others does help, but she's lived by her paranoia for so long it's hard to not let it immeadiately kick in.

"Okay. Ah guess you boys have shown yer not all crazy, and considering how many times Ah do shoot without askin' can't blame ya fer the roundabout methods." She holsters her gun. "So we gotta stop that train, then stop the lunatic from trying to get to it as well.... Ah'm startin' to see why ya ain't so hot on this time of year no more, Koto." Corona grabs the handle to hoist herself up to the transport. "But next time, fer peat sake, just ask like normal folk so someone don't mistake ya for sneakin' round like the other undergrounders do."

"Forgive us. Sneakylurking around is only way we get by King's followers. Try to remember to not need be with surface dweller... uh..." the moleman shrugs a little. ".. whatever you call for not quite friends."

"Allies. Just.. just don't make us regret it." Corona slams the door shut and revs up the engine. That seems to get the point across of the meeting being over, as derby hat mole ushers his crew back to their drillers.

In hindsight, she probably should of asked for an actual name. Oh well. If they're going to take that Illumolenati joke as a name, she'll just use it too.