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[img]https://i.imgur.com/C7nwoGY.png[/img]
[b][color=ea590c]wordcount:[/color][/b]  1,289 (+3 exp) (+3)
[b][color=ea590c]Edward Portsmith: Level 6 (16 cells) [/color][/b][color=ea590c]//////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]//////////// (50/60)
[b]Location[/b] Frozen highlands - Krat Zoo
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Once he’d finished discussing how to achieve immortality and he had done a bit of scouting and ascertained that they weren't about to be swarmed while sitting about by the door, Edward set about some remote resource acquisition. 

A squad of copper golems were constructed, replacing a lost scout drone, and sent to go back outside to gather up the blighted mandril spirits. Meanwhile, his inferno hound squad out into the halls and then directed them to head for a room he’d spotted while scouting.

The room in question was labeled ‘fallen frosty friends’ and by the descriptions on the exhibits it had contained the bones and fossils of a number of species that, like the mammoth, had existed during the ‘ice age’ but that had then gone extinct after the climate warmed up.

These descriptions were all he got out of the exhibit, because someone had pillaged the room at some point, and run off with most of the bones. Or rather, had used them as crafting materials using a scrap anvil made mostly of melted down railings. The looter had even had the gall to leave some of the results of this behind, in the form of a trio of [url=https://i.imgur.com/qHuSN5p.png]bone javalins[/url]. One was embedded in the doorframe, another lay in slashes in the carpet they’d sliced, and a final one was stuck into one of the plaques, which was the height of rudeness really. Even if he had sent the inferno hounds here to loot them himself, Edward was only doing so now that the damage was done, rather than vandalising perfectly preserved scientific specimens and then chucking them around willy-nilly for the fun of it.

Then again, now that he was giving the room a closer look, rather than having the scout skim through it, there was more damage to the room. For example, there was a pile of rubble and ash that might be the flattened remains of a forge, for example, presumably used in conjunction with, or to make, the anvil. There was also some discarded, damaged, wooden armor.

There’d probably been a fight here.

The question was with what.

Suddenly, from outside, the hounds' ears picked up a heavy shuffling sound, prompting Edward to get them to exit the room, and in so doing finding out what had ben fought in the room. About a dozen of more javelins were embedded in the lumbering form of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/zWWCxLX.png]fatty brute[/url], a fact the towering blighted human seemed to not really care about one bit. 

It did care about the hounds, which prompted it to increase the speed of its approach from glacial to steamroller trundle, really taking away from its intimidation factor. 

Much more concerning was the pack of oversized [url=https://i.imgur.com/pcBxql9.png]rats[/url] that were following it around, who were about a head shorter than the inferno hounds while also outnumbering them 5 to 2. Also, unlike the inferno hounds, they could split up, which they immediately did, racing along the corridor, hugging the far wall, and seemingly trying to hem in their prey so that the brute could catch up and pulverize them.

They had gnashing jaws, yes, but as Edward was aware, from a glance he’d gotten before he’d lost a drone squad, they also had another trick up their sleeves.

Unfortunately for them, it was a poor one to use against the inferno hounds. As the front runner of the rats whipped around and flicked its tail over its head to hurl a trio of [url=https://i.imgur.com/hoLsJnA.gif]fireballs[/url] at the fire resistant inferno hound, Edward had the beast just ignore them and lunge for the back runner. Jaws locked around the neck, claws slashed at flank, and both strikes ignited the wretched rodent.  

The second to last rat pivoted and delivered a chomp of its own to the chomper, and got a mouthful of fire instead of blood for its efforts. Still, it did leave a mark, and those vicious teeth would have hurt, if the inferno hounds were capable of feeling pain. Instead they kept crushing the throat and clawing sides till one of five was down.

By that time the remaining four were on them, surrounding them, gnashing at them, pinning them in place while the spear field brute closed in slowly but surly.

In response to this, the inferno hounds arched their backs, there was the sound like a high pressure boiler, and then they vented flames. Flames burst out in all directions, searing the wall, carpet, and all but one of the rats, this lucky one having been hanging just a little back. The other three stumbled back, squealing and burning, and the inferno hounds exploited the gap, rushing between them to put the rats in between them and the brute. Then it rushed back in and mauled the rat who’d escaped the blast, igniting it as well.

That was all well and good, but the squad was still outnumbered, and the next 20 seconds were a battle of attrition as the rats plinked the squad with fireballs or nipped at it while they burned. Then the tide shifted as Edward got his copper golems into the fray, and with those on the field things quickly equalized, even if only because they got to be fireball bait instead given they were much weaker to it.

By the end of it the squads were both missing members, 5 rat spirits littered the floor, the hall was on fire in half a dozen places … and the brute was still lumbering towards them.

Edward had the copergolem pick up the spirits, grab the javelins from the room, and then had the remaining half of the inferno hound squad go in and test it, which resulted in one burning brute, and one banished squad as the lumbering thing’s arms proved to be capable of swifter movement. Its hammerblow of a strike had pulverised the weakened inferno hound into embers. Embers which it had then stomped over as it started heading towards the copper golem.

Still, even the golem could keep ahead of it, and so Edward came up with a plan, one which was also a training exercise.

As he baited the brute back towards the midnight walk, he fussed around arranging the Reindrix, and then once the Brut arrived around a corner, cast Designated Target and unleashed hell (frozen over).

At his command, all 8 Reindrix unleashed a barrage of ice spears, the row closest to the target crouched down so that the ones further away could shoot over their heads, resulting in 24 spikes joining the half dozen bone ones already buried in the fatty brute.

In hind sight, maybe doing the same thing and expecting a different result wasn’t the best plan, but volume of fire could make up for all sorts of shortcomings. Slamming a smiting bishop bullet into its head also helped, putting it down for good.

This did admittedly annihilate the javelins already stuck in it, but the odds of those being of any value once extracted had been very low anyway. Those in the ‘fallen frosty friends’ would have to do, and were added to the growing pile of items Edward was generating from the spirits he was crushing, mandril, rat and brute alike.


[hider=Items Obtained]
[url=https://i.imgur.com/A9AFZ8E.png][b]Carcass Fluid Bottle[/b][/url] x3
A glass bottle filled with viscous liquid extracted from the mutated, disease-mangled wretches known as carcasses. When thrown, the glass causes minor lacerations as the bottle breaks, splashing acid over a small area. In addition to a burst of acid damage, contact with the puddle quickly builds up Decay, and if triggered Decay will kick in to cause damage and equipment durability loss over time. The puddle disperses after 3 seconds

[url=https://i.imgur.com/8Sl93qE.png]Legion Magazine[/url] x2
A cartridge filled with a unique polymer. It can be loaded into any device that accepts cartridges in order to expend finite resources, at which point a chemical reaction transmutes the polymer into the necessary substance to continue using the device

[url=https://i.imgur.com/Cmu5Y8m.png]Venigni's Urgent Repair Tool[/url]
One of the most famous inventions of the eccentric genius inventor, Lorenzini Venigni. Through unknown means, it is capable of fully replenishing the durability of any piece of equipment (or other object with finite durability) in an instant

[b]Afflcited Frenzybone[/b] x4
Bones of a twisted creature, chemically reinforced and tempered by a lifetime of brutal combat. Their curious form holds untold potential. A high-level crafting material for weapons and armor, especially Tigrex gear (each bone counts twice for Tigrex gear)

[url=https://i.imgur.com/6CK7N74.png]Ratman stick[/url]: a tie in with the renowned Ratman movie that can make for a half decent anti zombie weapon in the wielder is feeling desperate or silly. Strangely effective when used as a throwing spear, capable of impaling through exposed flesh.

[url=https://i.imgur.com/LnxLwRv.png]rat on a stick[/url]: grants a small amount of health regeneration as well as all the nutrients of a roasted rat, if you can stomach it. ‘Common fare in Fallgrim, gnawed at by the unconfirmed and shallow. Rats were not always the meal of choice in Fallgrim, Before the arrival of the revered, the forest brimmed with game of all manner.’

Cure-P x2: a universal antidote, for when the rat poisons you with who knows what

[url=https://i.imgur.com/gHTLzSF.png]micro uzi[/url]: a pistol sized machine gun. Has a meger magazine capacity for its firerate, but can have up to 4 weapon stat upgrades slotted into it without any additional modification. 

[url=https://i.imgur.com/gQnD4VC.png]60 kg of fat[/url]: inexplicably entirely untainted, not a hint of human anything anywhere near it. Despite this fact, no one is going to eat it. Best to refine it into oil for burning or combined with plant fibers to make duct tape.

[url=https://i.imgur.com/qHuSN5p.png]bone javalins[/url] x3: Bone throwing spears that will inflict a penetrated debuff if they manage to stick to a target, dealing about 2 more javelin strikes worth of DoT over 15 seconds (unless, of course, removed)
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He was examining these supplies, and trying to work out if he even wanted to try and use/move the fat, when Heismay returned and showed them his squeezable rat. This prompted Edward to comment that [color=ea590c]”Well, that sounds incredibly cursed, I must say”[/color] before gesturing at the rat on a stick and ratman stick [color=ea590c]”may offer you one of these instead?”[/color] intending it to be humorous. He did however offer to have a copper golem take it in his, or anyone’s, stead.