“And how, exactly, are we going to help her?” Miriam countered. “At the very least we need to rest – we won't be able to help anyone if we are too exhausted to move. We should probably acquire some supplies, too – food and water, at the very least. Plenty of people have died due to braving the desert unprepared. Think what you will about these men, but they seem well prepared, so for the moment your precious Ms Hanson is likely safe with them.” She tried to calm the young man down. In truth she had another reason to want to spend the night in town – she wanted to question Taia about magic. But there was no need for their companions to know that, and Bast had kindly provided the perfect excuse to stay. “In short, I agree with Bast that it is best if we stay in town for today. Let us see what extra supplies we can get while we still have time. And as a bonus the men will likely be less alert tomorrow, once the night has passed with no sign of anyone following them, making it easier to rescue your friend.” The last was added for Ben's benefit – the young man was clearly very interested in this Kelly woman – and Miriam was willing to bet it wasn't just because they were friends.
Max takes the gun and grenade, holding them like he has absolutely no idea what to do with them. The millipede creature drools across the floor, mandibles chomping as it sizes up its prey. The monster springs forward, going to attack. As it does, Natasha feels her body growing hot, and powerful.
"Woah, woah, easy now I was just-" Mori was about ready to give his excuse, thinking he was caught by some air marshals. But, seeing how it was instead one of Kaneda's men. He sighed, "Oh, sorry about that. I'm not quite sure I can trust these days, specially with one of his lieutenants urging be to switch sides." He shrugged, trying to recall if he knows this particular grunt.
Spoiler: Persuasion Roll 82 "Hmmph... Fine." Ben nods, understanding the logic. "Alright, then, we can wait one night, I guess."
'I, uh, certainly did. This bed is incredibly comfortable,' Luke nodded, before he blushed even more, 'I'm... not accustomed to people seeing me like this, let alone taking my clothes off while I am sleeping.' 'Not that I am mad that you did,' Luke said, 'Sleeping in my clothes would've been unpleasant.' He didn't say it out loud, but he did wonder why she stripped him completely including taking his underwear off.
It does not have any sense but Natasha's instinct call her to forget about tactics and strategies. She grab her AK by secend end and use it like mace. She charge on monster and jump, being sure to jump much higher and faster than normal human could do, to smashing head of monster.
“Great! Then let us focus on obtaining supplies for now, and after that we will look for a place to stay the night.” Looks like this hot-headed idiot won't do anything stupid today. Good.
As soon as Beatrice was stripped from her dress, two of the boys grabbed her. "You are lucky." She said with a smile. "I also like young meat." She moaned hotly as she crashed her lips against the leader's lips.
Kelly trembled slightly as she approached the man, she kept her breathing deep and even, which caused her breasts to strain against the already stressed fabric of her shirt. "Nerves of steel." Kelly thought to herself over and over again like a mantra as she put one boot-clad leg in front of the other. "I-I'm sorry for the transgression sir." she replied honestly. "But I can't turn back. I'm searching for my husband, Max Hanson, he's an archeologist who disappeared several months ago. He was looking for the Lost City of Set and I have reason to believe he's in there." she nodded indicating the gate. "I'm not leaving without him. I can't leave without him. Please let me and my... companions pass; I don't care what dangers are in the city, I just need to find my husband. I'll pay any price that's asked, just... please let me find him."
Trying to take stock of what particular form of protection she is setting up (if he can), Dylan begins his own ritual. He takes the cups, places them on the floor and, after indicating for Layla to get on her knees in front of one of said cups, pours out a very thick circle of salt around the two of them before getting on his knees in front of the other and filling each cup with water from the canteen. "Let our intentions be as pure as this water," he intones, "as we bind ourselves together through the blood that joins it." Now the next part is important. The ritual, if it is meant to be equal, would require both of them putting a drop of their blood in each cup at the same time before drinking at the same time. However, if she does not know this particular ritual, Dylan will put his blood in both cups first before letting her add hers... signaling his priority in their relationship. Of course, if her defense protects from this or she tries to cut him off then he might be in a spot of trouble... but he has gone this far so it is far too late to stop now.
"You don't trust us? I'm hurt." The thug grins. Looking at the man's face, Mori knows that he's seen him around at times - both at Kaneda's club and around town on collections duty. Still, he's no one special, just a low ranking punk trying to make it up the ladder, like all the others. More importantly, he's not related to anyone of importance.
"I beg your pardon." Vasha inclines her head slightly. "I hadn't considered your comfort. People in my time were less...choosy...about who got to see their body, and when." She smirks. "For what it's worth, it's a lovely body." The ancient beauty stands up, walking over to Luke. "Now, let's discuss business. You want to get to Anai, and it's in my interest to help you."
"Yeah, well, I don't want to end up hurt, or dead. So it's better safe than sorry." Mori shrugged, "Besides, I'll be the one paying them. So you can just consider your job to be that much easier, at no cost to you, or the old man." He added, as he figured the punk was only looking to get some credits for himself.
Spoiler: Combat Roll D100: 52+20 (Combat Skill)=72 "What the f-" Max's words are drowned out by a roar of adrenaline through Natasha's body, each heartbeat pulsing audibly through her body as she leaps through the air, higher than she should be able to, and feels her unclad feet make contact with the rough, chitinous armour of the creature's back. Swinging the AK, she feels the force of impact rippling up her arm, as the creature lets out a chittering scream of enraged pain. Natasha feels the satisfying crack of the chitin as the force of the blow smashes past, to the meaty flesh below. As she pulls back, though, Natasha sees that the wooden stock of the AK broke off and went flying, meaning that any further attempts to use the rifle like a club will render it unable to fire, the machinery inside jostled and bent by the sheer force of Natasha's strikes. Enraged, the creature shimmies violently from side to side, and Natasha has to hop off of its back, lest she fall off.
Unless she wants something specific and rare, supplies for the desert are easy to get, here, and though there's only a single motel in town, there are enough beds for all four of them, in whichever configuration Miriam chooses.
The young man kisses back, his tongue pressing forward into Beatrice's mouth to lash against her own, before he catches her tongue between his lips, sucking on it roughly. Then, suddenly, he's inside her, his fingers pushing past her folds to explore her womanhood. There's nothing subtle or gentle about his touch - he moves his hand roughly back and forth, finger fucking her and trying to cloud her mind with pleasure. "What a slut! How lucky are we!" One of the flunkies exclaims, as his hands pinch and twist her sensitive nipples. The last youth, the one who'd seemed reasonable before, begins to explore her asshole with a solitary finger.
Spoiler: Persuasion Roll D100: 100 Maybe Kelly's impassioned pleas struck a chord in the elderly man, or maybe the way her chest pokes out from beneath her chest has more to do with persuading him - actually, she gets the impression that it's probably the latter - but it's ultimately immaterial. Sighing, he moves to the side, gesturing for her to pass. "I can't say no to such a woman. But beware... The City of Set is not a place you want to stay in for any extended period of time. My people have seen warlords, kings and scholars go through those gates for thousands of years. Few leave, and fewer still find what they were searching for."
Spoiler: Occult Roll D100: 92 (Crit) At first, Dylan thinks that the salt spell the blonde cast was some mere protection rune, but he soon realises that it's a bit more serious. Examining a rune, he realises that it's a Promethean trap - a fire trap. If Layla sets off the trap, the ring of salt will ignite into demonfire, and then the fire will spread to engulf Dylan. Spoiler: Occult Roll D100: 22+20= 42 (Minor Fail) Dylan, try as he might, can't manage to tamper with the ritual. Layla's eyes are constantly there, and constantly tracking the cups, and somehow he gets the sense that she knows what he's trying to do. She pricks her finger and lets a drop of blood fall into the cup, and a rush of sensation through both their bodies lets them know that the ritual is complete. Sadly, Dylan was only able to do what he said he would do: Both parties are now unable to betray the other, on an equal footing, though he supposes that that's better than becoming the blonde's slave. Likewise, he notes, the ritual makes him unable to harm Layla, but her friends are not bound by it. It might take an effort of will, but he could potentially take action against the rest of the 'students' in Layla's group.
"Hmph..." The young punk shrugs, before letting go. "Be careful, fat man." Glaring, he heads back to his seat.
"I am, that's why I brougt additional body guards." Mori replied in a sarcastic tone, as he heads back to his own seat. Eager to see Eloise's disheveled appearance.
