Kids were off school on Friday and I finished work early so we figured why not get a game in.
Table set up.
The Steeles fled from the horde of walking dead through the jungle with no sense of direction, and ultimately found a village full of life. The natives of Perilous Island were much friendlier and slightly less cannibalistic than expected. After working out a method of communication they discovered that the items they had recovered from the swamp were precious to the natives and they were welcomed with open arms. In the course of their discussions the Steeles asked about the Darrow expedition and the natives told them about a mad witch doctor, a renegade from the tribe, who was obsessed with obtaining power through the “old ways” of their ancestors. He had recently shown up in the village claiming the gods had given him an outsider who should be sacrificed to unlock their power. Assuming this outsider was a member of Darrow’s team, the Steeles set off to perform a rescue. Two of the natives accompanied them. One was a warrior armed with a rifle of all things, the other was their old friend the fisherman. He had managed to escape from the scorpion cult during their flight from the swamp. He knew where the witch doctor would be and would be their guide.
As they approached the place where the guide indicated the sacrifice would take place the bellowing cry of a strange beast echoed through the jungle canopy, reverberating off the leaves as if a beast were very close. It was followed by a different sound, the piercing shriek of a lady. The prints of bare feet about the trail indicated the presence of people. The beastly cry, this time much closer, was answered once again by a blood chilling scream.
Guy and his friends crept slowly from the thick trees. Ahead they saw some ancient ruins that had been reclaimed by the jungle. Looking beyond, they saw a clearing had been cut around an ancient, crumbling tower. It was adorned in the remains of previous sacrificial victims. Atop the tower was a young lady, bound and dressed in tattered rags. She was the source of the screams.
Molly nudged Guy and gestured with her head into a patch of trees. She had spotted the witch doctor, hiding and watching his blood ritual with great anticipation.
The sound of trouble had drawn more than just the Steeles. As they watched, familiar green robes appeared in the distance. The Scorpion Master was here with his followers. He was making his way to the tower, accompanied by some of his goons.
Behind the Master, the Professor had stopped to investigate a mysterious idol hidden in the undergrowth. Another cultist had stayed to protect him.
Number One, loyal sidekick of the Master, was sent to explore the source of a strange glow, coming from a rocky outcrop. The jungle was thick here and vines grasped at his feet as he moved but he made it through without incident.
Moving as stealthily as possible to avoid detection, Molly crept towards the witch doctor. Suddenly a dart flew in front of her face and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree. A young native bust from cover, ready to fire again but Molly dropped him with one blow. Sensing her own advantage was gone, she leapt forward, and grabbed the witch doctor before he could escape.
The guide led Penny and Finn to the ruins and climbed up a rickety old ladder to look around the top. He discovered a set of remains and began rummaging through them. Perhaps they belonged to a previous sacrifice, or perhaps they were simply old. Either way he would find out.
Guy and the rest of his friends moved forward and took up firing positions from the cover of the ruins. They opened up with all that they had and were rewarded with a cultist dropping to the earth. Guy ground his teeth in frustration. That bullet had been headed for the Scorpion Master but his follower had taken it for him.
Cursing all that was good, the Scorpion Master raced forward and mounted the wooden stairs at the base of the tower. Of course that dratted Guy Steele and his cronies would be here. He motioned for his men to take care of them and demonstrated his intent by blasting away at their position himself. The foolish native warrior who had come with the Steeles bore the brunt of his ire and keeled over, clutching at his belly.
The robotic scorpion at the Master’s side clanked forward. Guy darted from cover to engage it. In the past he had made short work of this machine but apparently it had been reprogrammed to counter his every move. The fight was a stalemate.
Molly, witch doctor in hand, wrestled with the man to subdue him. Once she had him bound and gagged she forced him to sit down and then kept him at gunpoint. She was determined not to let him get away. From the corner of her eye she caught sight of a familiar silhouette. The Scorpion Master was standing on a platform, illuminated perfectly by the sun behind him. Risking her prisoner, she took aim and fired. She was rewarded with a cry of pain. Quick as a flash she had the gun trained back on her captive before he could even think about trying to escape.
Back across the clearing Number One had discovered a burning rock in the jungle. He managed to put out the fire and was amazed to discover the the rock appeared undamaged by the blaze. He gathered as many of the rocks as he could. Maybe this could be a powerful new fuel source which the cult could exploit. His task complete, he moved off to find his master.
The native guide finished his investigation of the remains in the ruins and motioned to Penny that he was coming down. Figuring he didn’t need their help anymore, Penny sent Finn off through the trees. She could tell he could smell something and she didn’t want to hold him back. The hound took off like a bolt of lightning, which was fitting as that’s what blasted into the spot where he had been sitting. The other robotic scorpion, creeping through the jungle, had spotted the dog and fired. Penny had sent him off just in time. The clever canine tore into the machine, ripping bits from its internal workings, rendering it useless.
Suddenly the air was split by a bestial roar and an enormous gorilla came crashing out of the trees. The means of the sacrifice had arrived! It spied a cultist in the open and stared at the man, before smashing its great fists into the ground and charging.
Upon reaching its target the primate attempted to crush the man into pulp. Amazingly the cultist evaded the massive fists. He tried to run but the monster seemed to be everywhere all at once. He had merely delayed his doom, not avoided it.
On his platform the Scorpion Master cradled his wounded arm. He did not know who had wounded him but he would make all of the Steeles pay for it. He bent to retrieve a ladder leaning up against the wood on which he stood and raised it up, giving him access to the upper platform where the captive girl was still screaming. As obnoxious as the sound was, he was anxious to make her scream in a different way. The task of raising the ladder cost him dear. Molly, Ruairidh and Mallory all fired at the cult leader, wounding him to the point where he collapsed.
In the midst of the gunfire Guy was still engaged with the scorpion. Seeing an opening he smashed the heel of his boot down on its head, disabling it long enough for him to break away. He ran to the tower and ascended the stairs, just in time to see his nemesis rise up.
Having finished off a tasteless robot Finn went searching for tastier foes. He soon found the Professor, crouching in the undergrowth, fiddling with something. Finn crept forward, prepared to attack when the man suddenly cried out and fell over. Confused, the dog sniffed at the prone form in front of him. His nose wrinkled as he caught an acrid smell. He whimpered and moved away.
Sadly the poor hound wasn’t the only creature sniffing around. The giant gorilla caught scent of the dog and grew enraged at the smell of the intruder. He quickly finished off the puny man in front of him and ran to deal with the new threat. Finn was smashed from his paws before he could even bark.
As he rose to his feet, the Scorpion Master saw his arch enemy reach the top of the platform on which he stood. Despite his injuries he launched himself at his hated foe, attempting to drive him back down the stairs. Guy Steele was ready for the attack and stepped aside, driving his elbow into the fiend’s back as he did so. The cult leader once again found himself lying on the platform, and this time the pain was too much for even his prodigious ability to overcome. He slipped into darkness.
The metal scorpion that Guy had battled recovered quickly from the damage done and quickly followed its opponent up the stairs. It was too late to save its master. Guy, buoyed up by his victory, put the scorpion down once more.
As she hurried to catch up with her friends, Molly was struck by a bullet, causing her to release her hold on the witch doctor, who took advantage of the situation to escape into the jungle.
His enemies dealt with, Guy quickly ascended the ladder to the terrified woman at the top of the tower. He assured her that he was here to help her, removed her bonds and brought her down to the ground.
As they made their way back to his friends the scorpion robot managed to give chase. It was intercepted by Ruairidh and Mallory, buying Guy the time he needed to complete his escape. Ruairidh went down to a blow from the machine’s claw but Mallory managed to fend it off. The stalemate was broken by the sound of the enormous gorilla crashing towards them and everyone that could beat a hasty retreat from the sacrificial area.
Welcome, Guest. Please 
April 24, 2024, 02:11:17 AM
August 21, 2013, 03:02:47 AM