Post by lysimachus on Feb 5, 2017 11:51:42 GMT
Here it is folks, the long awited (dreaded?) write up of Levi vs the Dreamer round 2 in which our hero has his plans thwarted by a host of nightmares and interferring Guild types.
For the umpteenth time Leveticus cursed those meddling members of the Guild under his breath. He wasn’t sure if the totem they had stolen (yes, stolen!) from him was important or not for his plan to remove the Dreamer for evermore. Never mind he thought, a few more days and he would be ready to make his move. That, all in all, was just as well. This stage of the process needed the strange powers around Kythera to imbue the fetish and no one really liked being near such a place. A few more hours though and his work should be done.
Just as Leveticus was starting to plan how to dismantle the temporary base he heard a long low whistle from Henri, the Freikorps Trapper on watch. Leveticus stepped out of the ruin he had been resting in and looked over to the Trapper and then to where he was pointing. Was it? Could it be? But how? And why? It was the Dreamer with his unsightly crew! What were they doing here?
Time enough for answers later thought Leveticus. “We’re under attack” he hollered as he started towards Henri’s position. At that moment the Trapper’s Clockwork Rifle fire and, in a small puff of smoke, one of the small capering creatures disappeared. Alyce hung back, close to one of the waifs, while the Hooded Rider and the Mechanical Rider (a new follower who had arrived shortly after the skirmish with the Guild) moved up opposite flanks. Following closely behind the Hooded Rider was the small form of the Hodgepodge Effigy.
Up ahead the ramshackle collection of Neverborn shambled forwards. And then, from out of nowhere, two balls of gibbering mouths and flailing limbs popped into existence and started running towards the Outcasts. Levi frowned as the odds seemed to be turning against them.
The Mechanical Rider swept forwards and cut down one of the summoned balls of madness, only to see the Dreamer summon another and a crudely stitched piece of sacking in human form. At this point the Dreamer faded away and in his place stood a 15 foot tall, purple figure festooned with wings and horns. “Hmm” though Leveticus “you don’t see that every day”.
Distracted by the apparition Leveticus didn’t notice the tree like Waldegeist move closer and try to entangle him in its roots. Annoyed at the attack Leveticus pulled apart some of the bonds holding it together before fading into the underworld. The Hooded Rider then charged in and ended its unnatural existence.
It seemed the oversized pink teddy bear was back and looking for revenge. As it stomped towards the Hooded Rider Alyce called out “Over here handsome!” As the foul construct turned her way she blazed away with her Clockwork Seeker. Bullet after bullet smashed into the lumbering brute, but still it would not fall. And then the hammer fell on an empty chamber – had the beast somehow survived the fusillade? For the moment it stood there but then slowly, almost majestically, it toppled backwards. The last bullet had caught it in the eye and pulverised whatever was in its head.
Wave after wave of creatures kept coming towards Leveticus and his crew, seemingly popping into existence from nothing. The Mechanical Rider struck down many of them, and the Metal Gamin it summoned held up more but the tide seemed to be without end.
The Hooded Rider charged the small baby wielding a huge knife, his sword flashing out as he was beset by a horde of the Dreamer’s followers. However, the aura growing around him as he was sustained by the land meant he was almost unharmed by their efforts.
Finally free of the entangling roots, Leveticus stalked forwards and struck down yet another of the crude man shaped sacks. As he did so he felt the power flow through him once again and as the rapture passed found himself back upon his mighty stead. Leveticus smiled as he reached out to punish the Dreamer, but despite his efforts the fiend seemed unaffected, though many of his followers around him cried out in pain.
The Hooded Rider finally dealt with the homicidal baby and Henri winged the strange shapeshifting creature attacking the rider. But not all of the news was good. Behind Leveticus the Mechanical Rider was being overwhelmed, with some of the gibbering balls of limbs and mouths getting past her and dropping some things around his base. As Leveiticus wondered what they were doing he saw from the corner of his eye yet more creatures pop into existence. In this case a pair of demonic looking beings who rushed at the Hooded Rider.
Their job seemingly done, the Insidious Madness began to run away, as did the rest of the Dreamer’s followers. Leveticus was surprised for a moment. But then he saw the unmistakable shape of the Brutal Emissary’s head emerge from the gloom, and behind it he could see Perdita and her posse. Looking again at the things that the Dreamer’s minions had dropped he saw that they were cash bags, seemingly empty of scrip of course, marked up as “Property of the Guild”. He remembered now hearing about a recent Neverborn attack on a train carrying the guild pay-roll. With a muttered curse Leveticus realised he was being framed not only for the theft but for consorting with the Neverborn! Not only would the Dreamer have to pay but now Perdita could join him on the list for stopping him from taking his revenge now. But he and his crew couldn’t fight both Perdita and the Dreamer, so with a heavy heart Leveticus called out “Let’s go” before turning and riding away from the approaching Guild thugs.
Our hero will return in “If Nature calls, tell it I’m out”
For the umpteenth time Leveticus cursed those meddling members of the Guild under his breath. He wasn’t sure if the totem they had stolen (yes, stolen!) from him was important or not for his plan to remove the Dreamer for evermore. Never mind he thought, a few more days and he would be ready to make his move. That, all in all, was just as well. This stage of the process needed the strange powers around Kythera to imbue the fetish and no one really liked being near such a place. A few more hours though and his work should be done.
Just as Leveticus was starting to plan how to dismantle the temporary base he heard a long low whistle from Henri, the Freikorps Trapper on watch. Leveticus stepped out of the ruin he had been resting in and looked over to the Trapper and then to where he was pointing. Was it? Could it be? But how? And why? It was the Dreamer with his unsightly crew! What were they doing here?
Time enough for answers later thought Leveticus. “We’re under attack” he hollered as he started towards Henri’s position. At that moment the Trapper’s Clockwork Rifle fire and, in a small puff of smoke, one of the small capering creatures disappeared. Alyce hung back, close to one of the waifs, while the Hooded Rider and the Mechanical Rider (a new follower who had arrived shortly after the skirmish with the Guild) moved up opposite flanks. Following closely behind the Hooded Rider was the small form of the Hodgepodge Effigy.
Up ahead the ramshackle collection of Neverborn shambled forwards. And then, from out of nowhere, two balls of gibbering mouths and flailing limbs popped into existence and started running towards the Outcasts. Levi frowned as the odds seemed to be turning against them.
The Mechanical Rider swept forwards and cut down one of the summoned balls of madness, only to see the Dreamer summon another and a crudely stitched piece of sacking in human form. At this point the Dreamer faded away and in his place stood a 15 foot tall, purple figure festooned with wings and horns. “Hmm” though Leveticus “you don’t see that every day”.
Distracted by the apparition Leveticus didn’t notice the tree like Waldegeist move closer and try to entangle him in its roots. Annoyed at the attack Leveticus pulled apart some of the bonds holding it together before fading into the underworld. The Hooded Rider then charged in and ended its unnatural existence.
It seemed the oversized pink teddy bear was back and looking for revenge. As it stomped towards the Hooded Rider Alyce called out “Over here handsome!” As the foul construct turned her way she blazed away with her Clockwork Seeker. Bullet after bullet smashed into the lumbering brute, but still it would not fall. And then the hammer fell on an empty chamber – had the beast somehow survived the fusillade? For the moment it stood there but then slowly, almost majestically, it toppled backwards. The last bullet had caught it in the eye and pulverised whatever was in its head.
Wave after wave of creatures kept coming towards Leveticus and his crew, seemingly popping into existence from nothing. The Mechanical Rider struck down many of them, and the Metal Gamin it summoned held up more but the tide seemed to be without end.
The Hooded Rider charged the small baby wielding a huge knife, his sword flashing out as he was beset by a horde of the Dreamer’s followers. However, the aura growing around him as he was sustained by the land meant he was almost unharmed by their efforts.
Finally free of the entangling roots, Leveticus stalked forwards and struck down yet another of the crude man shaped sacks. As he did so he felt the power flow through him once again and as the rapture passed found himself back upon his mighty stead. Leveticus smiled as he reached out to punish the Dreamer, but despite his efforts the fiend seemed unaffected, though many of his followers around him cried out in pain.
The Hooded Rider finally dealt with the homicidal baby and Henri winged the strange shapeshifting creature attacking the rider. But not all of the news was good. Behind Leveticus the Mechanical Rider was being overwhelmed, with some of the gibbering balls of limbs and mouths getting past her and dropping some things around his base. As Leveiticus wondered what they were doing he saw from the corner of his eye yet more creatures pop into existence. In this case a pair of demonic looking beings who rushed at the Hooded Rider.
Their job seemingly done, the Insidious Madness began to run away, as did the rest of the Dreamer’s followers. Leveticus was surprised for a moment. But then he saw the unmistakable shape of the Brutal Emissary’s head emerge from the gloom, and behind it he could see Perdita and her posse. Looking again at the things that the Dreamer’s minions had dropped he saw that they were cash bags, seemingly empty of scrip of course, marked up as “Property of the Guild”. He remembered now hearing about a recent Neverborn attack on a train carrying the guild pay-roll. With a muttered curse Leveticus realised he was being framed not only for the theft but for consorting with the Neverborn! Not only would the Dreamer have to pay but now Perdita could join him on the list for stopping him from taking his revenge now. But he and his crew couldn’t fight both Perdita and the Dreamer, so with a heavy heart Leveticus called out “Let’s go” before turning and riding away from the approaching Guild thugs.
Our hero will return in “If Nature calls, tell it I’m out”