Shadows of Gamma, Part 2

Khali and Cuddlepunch have wandered the lands of Gamma for weeks, completing Khali’s various quests.  Mostly, they were repaying favors and honoring debts.  They spent a few days harvesting vegetables, and a few days rebuilding houses.  They even traveled past the former Dusttown, although it know resembled Venice with its perpetual swampy soil.  Windsor had made a nice base of operations for himself there, and Khali and Cuddlepunch assisted him in rebuilding.  However, one morning, from inside Dusttown, Cuddlepunch sees a small army of zombies on the horizon.  They weren’t coming to attack, but they seemed to be traveling past Dusttown.  They were carrying a large antenna array from the southwest to the northeast.  This unsettles Cuddlepunch, and she convinces Khali that they need to meet up with their friends in Deadtroit.  Khali and Cuddlepunch travel northeast across the wastes, and as just outside Deadtroit, they come upon a solitary church, surrounded by a well-stocked graveyard.

By all the luck, the rest of the adventurers were simultaneously approaching the same church, albeit from the south.  They see each other, and are pleased that they have reunited.  As they begin their investigation of the church, their heart drops when they hear Grinner scream “HEY BUG!!!”  Grinner has positioned himself on top of the church, from where he is able to engage an old engine that disturbs the graveyard.  As Khali and Cuddlepunch walk through the graveyard, the soil around them erupts with angry zombies!

Duke, Nyridius, and Vagabot move into the church and engage two elite Spook Troops, who they learn are soldiers in Spook’s new army.  Defendomax voluntarily stays outside the church, since recent mutations have left him far too smelly to be near anyone else.  The Spook Troops have swords, but Duke uses a third arm to simultaneously beat one to death with his stop sign and also a saxophone.  Nyridius attempts to fly to the roof, but fails miserably and falls on a church pew, setting in on fire. 

Cuddlepunch and Khali sprint to the back door of the church, slashing and blasting zombies as they go.  However, the zombies inevitably get back up, and the horde moves in on anything that moves.  As Cuddlepunch and Khali join the battle inside the church, Grinner descends from a spiral staircase to do the same.  Cuddlepunch uses her telekinesis to yank the gun out of his hand.  Even unarmed, Grinner is dangerous; he unleashes foul belches that blind the players with their acidity.  Further, he is now immune to objects that have killed previous incarnations of him.  The party slugs it out with him and the Spook Troops.  Vagabot restrains Grinner with her ranged grip, and the final blow is dealt when stinky Defendomax impales Grinner with a harpoon.  

However, the party still has a problem.  Zombies are busting down the doors and windows to the church, and they sound hungry.  Nyridius flies out of the church and buys time with a powerful missile attack, while the flightless members of the party retreat to the roof.  

They utilize a power cable as a zip-line, and put some distance between them and the zombie-ridden church.  As they complete their retreat, Vagabot reads a book that Duke snagged in the church.  It is the diary of a recent inhabitant of the church, and it reads:

“They’re outside.  I can hear them coming.  These aren’t the regular zombies… I know how to deal with those.  This is Deadtroit, after all.  No, these zombies are different.  I think Spook is changing them… altering them in some way.  These zombies have been turned in bros!  Zom-bros!”

Shadows of Gamma, Part 1

Once Vagabot defeated Ivan, the crowd of inbred country simpletons recognized her as their new leader.  She re-oriented them to give up their racist ways, and instructed them to accept all individuals (except zombies).  She also changed her title to "Grand Empress of Badassery" and turned all the hillbillies into her personal service unit of butlers and wait-staff.  Nyridius, Duke, and Defendomax also enjoyed the creature comforts of the compound.  Professor Cuddlepunch, however, was not with them; she had left long ago with Khali to wander the wastes and help fulfill Khali's commitments.  After several weeks of relaxing and resting, Nyridius mutates and begins hearing the inane thoughts of the hillbillies that surround him.  They sounded like a deafening cacophony of simple thoughts about nachos, belly buttons, and hot sisters.  He couldn't take constant noise.  So he prodded the team to leave and begin their trek to Deadtroit, far to the north.

Vagabot commands one of her servants to tell them how to get to Deadtroit.  The servant informs her that the overland route is blocked by a giant ooze-filled crater, but that there is a old sewer system that runs directly to Deadtroit.  He does warn the party, however, that there "be some gators in that there sewer."  The party decides to take its chances.  They organize into a single-file line based on max HP, and then run headlong into the sewer.

Immediately, the four-person party is faced with danger.  After navigating a bit of the maze-like sewer, they run into a resident of the sewer feeding a small flock of baby gators.  Nyridius attempts to be diplomatic, but the sewer resident attacks and instructs the gatorlings to eat the party.  Although they weren't very strong, Duke takes a series of bites and is significantly weakened.  He moves to the back of the line.

Farther into the sewers, they encounter another fishy sewer dweller, accompanied by a large bear-sized gator.  Even though they are outnumbered by the party, they put up a powerful fight.  Duke somehow becomes a magnet for the gator's biting attacks and is brought to the edge of consciousness.  When Defendomax moves into a pincer position to attack the gator from the rear, he is smacked silly by the gator's tail.  After receiving some major damage, the party defeats the enemies.  Up ahead, they see light creeping around the corner, telling them that the exit is near.  The party re-situates with Vagabot in the lead and heads out.

Vagabot turns a blind corner and comes face-to-face with the most massive sewer gator ever seen.  The incredible beast ambushes her and eats her whole.  Still alive, she finds herself inside the gator's stomach, slowly being digested.  Duke, Nyridius, and Defendomax spring into action and immediately unleash everything they've got on the gator matriarch.

Although they have become remarkably powerful in the course of their travels, they meet their match in the monstrous gator.  The massive jaws deal crippling damage, and Duke and Nyridius quickly receive serious injuries.  The gator also lashes out with its tail, and smacks the party around.  Inside the gator, Vagabot flails and swings wildly at any organ that looks important.

Outside, Duke and Nyridius take a knee for a momentary break while Defendomax takes the gator's attention.  This back-and-forth goes on for a while until the gator gets an upset stomach.  Vagabot significantly damages the gator's innards, and is consequently vomited out onto the ground.

Once Nyridius sees that Vagabot is freed, he lights up the gator with a powerful flare.  This turns out to be the killing blow for the massive gator.  The party members consider backtracking through the scary sewer, but instead decide to take a gator tooth souvenir and call it a day.  They find the exit, and step out of the sewer.

Furry Friends, Part 3

The party ventured forth from the Valley of Sorrow and in the direction of the compound of the Knights of Genetic Purity.  On the trail, the party realizes they are surrounded by a small army of inbred hillbilly soldiers.  They are taken captive.  With the exception of Vagabot, the party is bound and blindfolded.  Vagabot, who appears to be a perfect human, is merely guided along by the soldiers.

The party is taken to an arena-like coliseum inside the Knights' compound.  Most are tied up to poles and prepared for execution, while Vagabot is taken to a wooden stage.  On the stage is Ivan, Imperial Wizard of the Knights of Genetic Purity, and Vagabot's father.  He harps to the audience about the benefits of 100% baseline humans, and decries the party's impurity.  He presents Vagabot to the audience, and asks why she as a pure human would travel with such "genetic trash."  As the crowd boos, Ivan turns to see that Vagabot his actually his daughter.  Although he is taken aback, he carries on with the charade.  Vagabot, however, challenges Ivan; she calls him out on his hypocrisy, given that his daughter was born with a crab-claw.  Audible gasps can be heard from the crowd.  Ivan attempts to propagandize and hide the truth from the audience by bringing out an impostor daughter, but Vagabot reveals her identity as Ivan's true daughter.  The audience reels in surprise.  Trying to regain control over the situation, Ivan orders the execution of the captives and attacks Vagabot.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party struggles to free themselves from their shackles.  As they do so, they notice that another traveler, a male yeti named Khali, has been fit for execution as well.  As the executioners approach, all are able to free themselves, with the exception of Defendomax, who struggles vainly against the shackles.  The executioners fire repeatedly upon the party and dish out significant damage.  However, the party quickly regroups and takes the fight to them.  In the midst of battle, Khali dives forward and takes a shot intended for Professor Cuddlepunch.  Cuddlepunch, enamored with Khali and touched by the gesture, assists him in dispatching the armed foes.

On the stage, Vagabot battles her father.  His powerful swings take Vagabot to the edge of death, but Ivan is distracted when Duke rushes the stage.  Duke retaliates and places Ivan on the defensive.  Between the two of them, they are able to defeat the leader of the human supremacists.  Simultaneously, on the ground below, Defendomax and Nyridius mop up the human executioners.

Throughout the bizarre spectacle, the crowd's favor for the adventurers has risen and fallen.  The simple folk in the stands are impressed with epic tell-offs, but are displeased with the use of inhuman powers.  By the time Ivan is defeated, their favor rests with Vagabot, who quiets the crowd and announces that she has assumed Ivan's mantle.  The crowd roars with approval!  Vagabot has defeated her father, and resolved the "daddy issues" that led her to transform herself into a nanobot.

As the stands clear out and the audience disperses, the party gathers to plan their next move.  Defendomax asks Khali to join the party, but Khali declines.  He states that he has commitments to fulfill, and must complete his quest before he can join the party.  Professor Cuddlepunch, captivated by the only other yeti she's met outside the Valley of Sorrow, decides that she will accompany Khali on his quest.  This leaves Vagabot, Duke, Defendomax, and Nyridius to plan their next move.