Crimson Sky

I take several pieces of leather armour with some metal plates bolted onto them and quickly put them on. I take my new rifle and get the usual hunting gear from my locker before heading to the exit.

You find a speed potion and a pair of goggles in your locker.

Samuel shakes his head.
"Looks like everyone's suited up. We ready to go?" He doesn't wait for an answer, turning and wrenching the heavy wheel of the door mechanism around. The door swings open and light floods the room. A massive cheer is heard from outside as Samuel heads out.

I remain at the back of the hunters and wait for the rest to pass out through the door, and make the last minute checks and adjustments to my armour and weaponry.

I move toward the exit.

You follow him through and are greeted by the familiar sight of the town square. To your right, the huge government building towers up the entire three stories. On each side of the square, shops are carved out of the rock and in the centre of the square, the fountain that is set into the floor, available for access by all, is surrounded by various entertainers, a juggler in pink dungarees with lime green spots on them and a beautiful dancer in red with dark red hair and a silk blindfold catch your attention.

On the left hand side of the government building is the tunnel that leads down into the lower class residential areas, as well as the mines and the underground farms. On the right are the stone steps that lead up to the next tier, a balcony that overlooks the town square, open only to the middle and upper classes. The same shops line the walls, however even from here it is clear that they are much classier. Even higher and set back even further is the second balcony, this one available only to the upper class. A stone bridge arcs between the two sides, and you can see several of the upper class members staring down at you from the central platform.

Both the lower and middle class members have exploded into applause, cheering for the hunters. Members of the enforcers move forward, their presence keeping the general public from surging forward the line of hunters.

More enforcers push their way into the crowd, parting them so that you can move through to the massive lift that stands opposite the government building. The lift is circular, seperated from the town square by a metal grate that runs around the outside of it. The lift itself is large enough to fit fifty people, and strong enough to carry many hundreds more, a control lever protrudes from the floor at one side and a fodder quickly takes his place by it. The massive bulkhead door from the mech room connects straight into the side of it, swinging closed even as you step out. Those hunters who took mechs already stand waiting in the lift, along with the fodder.

As you walk through the crowd towards the lift, another hunter, Daniel, drops back and claps you on the shouder.

"YO!" He yells over the sounds of the crowd.

You notice a pretty young girl in rags begging by the side of the lift staring up at you in awe as you make your way towards it.

"What is it?" I knock his hand away but match his pace and turn my head to hear his response.

I smile at the girl and continue on toward the lift.

He laughs easily, ruffles his own griffin wings through the slits in his trench coat and adjusts the aviator goggles that are strapped over his short brown hair.

"You are such an ass. Can I tempt you with a drink if we both get back from this one alive?"

"When have I ever refused an offer like that?" My fist suddenly flies up as I'm speaking, aimed for his face.

He catches it with a grin.

"C'mon lets get up to the surface. I've heard we're bringing something big down today!"

He waves a hand and jogs forward into the lift.

"Well it looks like you've been training. You might even survive this hunt without me having to babysit you again. But if I have to... you'd better have plenty of money for drinks when we get back." I turn back to see how many hunters are still making their way towards the lift, and to have a quick look around before the hunt.

He laughs again before stepping onto the lift.

As you look around, you realize you are at the back of the line and there is no one behind you but the crowds of civilians being held back by enforcers. Several of them look at you quizzically.

I stretch my wings briefly while I am still out in the open. I walk into the lift.

You enter the lift, squeezing in between several of those in mechs. Turning, you watch as the rest of the hunters make their way into the lift. You see two griffin augments at the back of the line, one in a leather trench coat, a pair of goggles perched on his head, the other covered in a weird mismatch of leather armour, metal plates bolted onto it. A metal gas mask covers his face, the goggles heavily modified with runic circles and various coloured lenses. They are arguing about something as they enter the lift.

The lift is very cramped and you squeeze in between two other hunters. Turning around you face the crowds.

The lift grates slide closed around you and the crowds cheer wildly as the lift begins to ascend, the rope and pulley system that operates it groaning under the strain. The lift passes up through the three floors, with the crowds on each floor appearing slightly more restrained.

The lift exits the open space of the town square, the huge black-stoned government building disappearing from sight as you are suddenly surrounded by rock on all sides.

The lift is mostly silent as it ascends, minutes stretching on as it pulls you away from the centre of the planet and towards the surface.

Almost ten minutes after the ride began, the lift arrives. You find yourself inside a square metal chamber, just large enough to fit the lift mechanism, although this leaves it far from small. Before you is yet another bulkhead door, which is triggered by the arrival of the lift. The giant wheel spins by itself and with a booming click, the round, twenty foot high door swings open.

You are blinded, by both the brightness of the daylight and the sandstorm that swirls into the room upon the door's opening. The captain leads the way out, pausing just outside of the door to get his bearings.

You follow him out.

The eternal sandstorm makes visibility bad, but it is remarkably clear, the clearest you have ever seen it. The dunes of the wastelands stretch as far as you can see, broken only by the pools of black ichor and the occasional fossilized tree. Looking up at the sky, you see the thick, heavy crimson cloud bank that has obscured the heavens ever since the Demon war and the Destruction. Bolts of green lightning light the horizon, made more obvious as they ignite the sand around them, creating an arcing matrix of green energy wherever they strike.

The mechanical moon dips and bobs out of the bottom of the cloudbank as it meanders across the sky, jostled by the occasional bolt of lightning as it goes.

The captain pulls on a pair of goggles and turns to face the assembled hunters.

"Right, today's plan. I'm going into the swamps after a hydra and Samuel's going across into the deserts after a manticore. Try and keep the groups equal and try not to die. Good luck." He turns his mecha, heading off to the right of the door.

Samuel tosses his hair and leaves in the other direction.

I take a few steps and stretch my wings to get used to moving again after being in the cramped lift. I fly upwards and look around in a circle above the rest of the hunters to scout out any immediate threats. Seeing nothing I signal accordingly, land, then follow after Samuel.

I welcome the openness of the surface and pause for a moment to take it in. I remember visiting the swamps before and didn't fancy the trouble of returning so I walked in the direction of Samuel.

I pause and then walk toward Samuel

There are about sixteen or seventeen of you in the desert group, sparse few of the hunters are fond of fighting in the swamps, and the majority of the group are mech users, probably not willing to risk brand new mechs in the dense foliage and ichor pools that make up the swamps.

You notice that Kroge has gone with the other group, but apart from Samuel and the two griffin guys, you are the only person on foot. You recognize the area, not that there's much to be recognized, the desert lands are flat and expansive, stretching out farther than you have ever ventured. The sandstorm picks up, buffeting you to the side.

Through a gap in the swirling sands, you see a mound of black cloth.

Daniel staggers up to you, buffeted by the increasing strength of the sandstorm as you reach the flat, expansive mass of the desert. He's the only other person not in a mech apart from Samuel and the young kid with wyvern wings that Kroge was bullying earlier.
"Fuck me its gonna be a bitch to fly in this. We're gonna have to, too. Manticores aint exactly small motherfuckers!"

I turn my head to him and put on a silly, mocking voice. "Aww... Does diddums not like the breeze? I'll let the boss know you want to go on more of those fun little fairy hunts." I stop speaking to laugh with him for a moment, then notice the wyvern-winged hunter. "Who's the newbie?"

Daniel shrugs, staggers towards you slightly, growls at the wind and moves away, waving his middle finger at the sandstorm.

"Iunno. He was here last time too. He doesn't seem to be that bad, his dad was a captain at some point, but the whole family's a bit... kooky. After he resigned he kept using his captain's free-travel pass to bring the kid up to the surface, to 'train him' apparently. Then the mother died cos they went after some dragon and the next thing, fathers buggered off to the surface, the kids applying as a hunter. Well, the rules were bent a little, or so Samuel tells me, but his father was a captain and he trained him... but yeah, the kid blasts through the trials, so they let him in. He still gets a lot of bother though."

A blast of winds sends both of you stubbling a few steps to the side.

"Fair enough. But you look drunk," I laugh as I continue to dance and dramatically stumble around Daniel in a mockery of his inability to stay upright in the sandstorm. "Maybe you should have got one of those mechs... That or join with the training expeditions some of us go on until you can walk up here." I catch a glance of the young hunter as I circle Daniel and wonder how well he was taught... but my safety in the imminent hunt is more important.

I speed up to match the pace of Samuel and walk alongside him.

"Is there a plan this time?" I ask of the hunter leading the group.

The sandstorm intensifies.

OOC: The winds are coming from the North East, your group is heading North West.

Samuel looks up from the compass-like device mounted on his wrist like a watch.

"WHAT?!" He yells over the increasing winds.

The winds knock you sideways, almost pushing you onto Samuel.

"Now we're nice and close, what's the plan?" I shout over the storm.

"FUCK THE PLAN!" He yells over the winds, pushing you away so you don't knock him over. He shoves the compass in front of your face and taps it with his finger. "That needle's got manticore blood on the end and the whole thing's runed to high hell! The needles been dead straight for about ten minutes now so we must be right on top of it!" He spits some sand out of his mouth and pulls a neckscarf up around his mouth and nose, his eyes already covered by goggles. "After that? These guys test out their mechs! You guys with wings can distract it or whatever! Try not to damage its eyes too much or I'll be useless!"

I stagger back after the shove from Samuel, and let out an angry sigh.

"When isn't he useless?" I ask of the sandstorm. I remember that at least I don't have to do all that much for a change. I head over to Daniel to let him know we're only acting as support and aerial distractions due to our wings and lack of mech.

Curious, I walk over to inspect the cloth.