BEWARE THE WHEELERS [modplot] [event] [free-for-all]

[wildermods]

BEWARE THE WHEELERS
OOC POST
The teleportation spell finally works out its very last kinks, placing them in an area of the city they've never been in before. Placing them here wasn't purposeful, the magic has just been trying its best to just gather them together and properly bind them.

But the area it puts them in is rather unfortunate. On a wall nearby, they can see words graffitied, a warning:

BEWARE THE WHEELERS

They're in Wheeler territory now, and that's why they suddenly hear whooping around them and cackling, maniacal laughter. The Wheelers start to roll out in force, making their situation go a little "Beyond Thunderdome" in the space of seconds. They're strange and terrible creatures, humanoid but with inhumanly long arms and legs that end in screechy wheels. Many of them wear terrifying masks over their heads that are lowered into place when their heads are down.

Because of their wheels, they can roll very fast, making it easier for them to hunt down their prey. Their wheels are bladed and made of a metal that never gets dulled or worn down, even with being rolled on, allowing them to slash at their victims as they roll by.

The Wheelers aren't working alone. Some of Oz's fairies are working with them, little unpleasant things. The fairies are very bitey, with pointy little teeth, and are able to cast magic. Mostly first-level spells: fire spells, ice spells, and disorientation spells.

The group will have to try to fight and run. The city is completely overrun with these creatures, so there's no way to defeat them all, but there's refuge beyond the city limits. The fairies are very territorial and don't like leaving their hunting grounds and while the Wheelers will follow their prey anywhere, their greatest weakness can be found beyond the city limits:

Very tall grass.

The terrain gets too hard to roll over outside the city. But the group has to get there alive first.

---

OOC INFO
✦ Post in actionspam format. Plots and mod-run events in the game are meant to be in actionspam format to keep a brisk pace.

✦ Free-for-all Post. This event will be in "free-for-all" format, meaning that threadhopping is encouraged and that threading should be treated in the same conversational way as network posts.

✦ Bankable Magic. Alongside other mage types being able to figure out and use their magic for the first time, Archivist mages can start reflecting and banking magic for the first time as well. The fairies will be casting first-level fire, ice, and disorientation spells that can either be reflected at enemies or banked.

✦ NPCing. Players are free to npc Wheelers and fairies attacking within their threads. The fairies cannot talk. The Wheelers will mostly laugh and call out threats that they'll rip the characters apart.

Comments

[the_hit_list]

[ Tim isn't taking Dixon's direction so much as getting to a better area to defend everyone from the... whatevers is just a solid, near-universal plan. He's clicking his staff into full extension and taking up a spot near Sothe - one of the few who looks verifiably younger than Tim, who does not see himself as a kid - and trying to keep the Wheelers at bay. ]

No idea. But their center of gravity isn't very centered, so go for the legs if they get too close.

[ He doesn't sound thrilled at the observation, however. With legs that long, Tim is worried his reach is deficient to hit them first, and he's the one with the five foot bo. ]

[therevanchist]

[Revan dodges to the side as one of the little fliers shoots...something? at her and about a square meter of the wall behind where her head just ceased to be ices over. She makes a swatting gesture with one hand and offending creature yips as it's slammed into a tree trunk.]

Someone go with the noncombatants. Make sure we aren't flanked. The last thing we need is to have our line cut.

[At least Dixon is holding his own, which surprises her. He simply didn't seem that competent to her.

Then she's out of time to talk and lets the focus of combat take over, ceding her decisions to the Force. It's so weak here. She can't speed her limbs or shield herself from blows, and she already knew she can't heal. Still, weak or not, the Force answers when she calls, and the battle seems to turn into a scripted thing, steps she had been destined to take, strikes she has always known were coming and has always been prepared to dodge.

The Wheelers are lucky all she's got is a stick.]

[awfulcer]

[Dixon gives a glance back at Tim and Sothe, watching them put a little distance in between them and the Wheelers. For a moment, he feels a rush of almost pride, as if he can feel certain he made a good call. It's quickly interrupted by a squall of more Wheelers, another dozen pouring into the street they're on.]

Oh come on! [He brings the shield up in time to block a small fairie-launched fireball from hitting him in the face - he's had quite enough of getting burned lately, thank you - and it ricochets off and into something flammable, adding a strip of fire to the chaos. At the very least, it seems to make some of the new Wheelers halt up for a second.

He doesn't have the stamina to keep up with this for long. His lungs are already cramping; he has to throw himself into each movement to make it count. He uses the shield to protect himself as he lunges past the blades of a Wheeler and bodyslams it off-balance, but after that he hits his knees.

He looks around at Revan and Hiccup, a pleading expression on his face as he silently begs to be told what to do, all illusion of authority having slipped out of him like water through a sieve.]

[wherenoonegoes]

[Hiccup fires a bola from the center of his shield, tangling two of the Wheelers together.]

Dixon, go with the non-combatants and guard our back.

[Dixon's obviously not used to this. It'll give the man a chance to catch his breath.]

[outofresets]

[ Impulse is quick to fall in line with Tim and Sothe as soon as he manages to make it up to them. While he might still be faster than anyone else here, he pretty quickly found out he has nothing on these things, and his legs already show a few shallow cuts to prove that. Attempting to circle one and trip it up, instead of just running with everyone else, had not gone well.

But that hasn't seemed to dissuade him from trying to help with holding them off. Having picked up an armload of rocks and emeralds on his way he starts chucking them at the Wheelers legs to little effect and at the few stupid enough to leave their faces exposed, to better effect.]

[the_hit_list]

[ His head picks up at the discussion of non-combatants. Tim knows that they're referring to them, but he's not inclined to correct the assumption aloud.

With actions, however, that can't be helped. One of the wheel-footed creatures takes exception to the rock Bart threw and charges in; Tim smoothly takes out three of its legs with a whip of his bo. The creature hits the ground with shoulder and head with some force. ]

Imp, are you okay? You're bleeding.

[ He's not being a master of the obvious. Sometimes, it takes a minute to recognize an injury, when you're used to adrenaline rushes. For that matter, what is Dixon used to? ]

Are you guys sure Dixon should take the rear? How good is he with that, er, shield?

[ The way he says shield basically implies Tim thinks it's a Halloween costume or office gag prop. ]

[wherenoonegoes]

If you're volunteering to go with him...

[Hiccup is temporarily cut off by the need to parry one of the Wheeler's blades. Blocking with his sword, Hiccup swings his shield into the Wheeler's face, knocking him out.]

...then go. We need more than just him back there, even though he does know how to use that shield.

[the_hit_list]

[ Tim looks from the green-haired kid who hasn't said much to Bart, who isn't fitting in as many words and interruptions as normal. He's clearly not leaving them more alone until Bart reassures him, because awkwardly thrown rocks aren't cutting it yet. ]

[outofresets]

[ Sure enough, Impulse does, in fact, pause as if he had no idea he was bleeding, looking down at his legs before shrugging.

Before he can give a better confirmation that he's okay though, another Wheeler seems to have taken offence to having rocks lugged at him and comes peeling straight at Bart. Dropping what little rubble he had left he moved out of the way just in time to clothesline it with a kick to the throat. Though it's knocked on to its side, it still ends up skidding past him sputtering and flailing. ]

Yep. [ He's wincing slightly and holding the knee he kicked the Wheeler with, but recovers quickly, removing his hand from his knee and bouncing a bit. Either trying to show he's fine or doing his own version of walking it off. ] Yeah, I'm good.

[ As it's become clear that the rocks really aren't cutting it, he starts looking around them for anything else he can use, or a better angle of attack. ]

That guy said he was a civilian earlier, though. That he just woke up here with the shield. So unless he's got a different one back home, he'll probably need help.

[followingdawn]

Just go. We're fine.

[ Clearly the happy little chatterbox, this one.

But he is holding his knife in a way that suggests he knows what he's doing with it, at least. ]

[awfulcer]

[The feeling that he's a liability and not an asset is a pretty sickening one to Dixon, but he doesn't exactly have time to sit around feeling sorry for himself when more Wheelers and fairies seem to be piling into the street. He grabs a fairie that's trying to bite his scalp from off his head and flings it as hard as he can into the nearest wall, where it splatters like an egg. Yikes.]

I'm only a civilian because I got fired, and I know how use this just fine, Al! [Granted, he has no idea how he knows how to use it, and there's only so much good skill can do in the absence of fitness, but for the moment it's enough to keep him alive. Another Wheeler breaks from the line and makes a go for Sothe, and Dixon, being closer, lunges forward and decapitates it before they have to find out whether Sothe really can use that knife.]

I'll cover Green over here, you two make sure nothing happens to the teenager, [he points at Bart. Dixon's panting hard, hoping that none of the other people here looking capable are going to jockey for a better strategy.] Any luck, we get far enough and y'all will teleport to catch up with us.

[the_hit_list]

No. Imp, get the kid out of here.

[ A decapitation is too much, too quick and too violent, for Tim’s morals. Even if he could see his way to putting someone down, it would be planned. Tidy.

Dixon punctuating a statement of knowing what he’s doing with a decapitation is a horror show unfolding in front of him. Tim is disgusted. He had other choices.

He puts himself bodily between Dixon and any oncoming Wheelers, facing down the closest two. With his back to the older man, Tim puts his foot down in a voice that’s used to being listened to and not about to be cowed by age. ]

You can’t kill them. We don’t know who’s side they’re on. We’re the trespassing vagrants. They might be the cops. Pull your damn punches.

[ Maybe the Wheelers are pissed at seeing one of their own's head spinning on the ground. It would be completely understandable. Human.

Which is why Tim rushes forward to reach the two charging Wheelers, laying into the thing wherever is a likely pressure point. He didn’t have a choice. ]

I’ll catch up.

[ It will give him time to figure out an explanation. ]

[outofresets]

[ A decapitation isn't the worst thing Impulse has seen, Apocalypse was a hard one to beat in terms of death and grotesquerie, but the sight still manages to make him feel sick.

For a moment he's too horror-struck to move, and for a split second, it's like Lilith and the Superman robot all over again. If he'd had his speed he could have stopped it. It's the sound of Tim's orders, familiar and stern that break him back into reality and get him moving again.

Without a word he does as he's told, running up to Sothe and grabbing his wrist, trying to pull him back away from Dixon and the fallen Wheeler.]

[followingdawn]

[ Boy, that escalated quickly.

Sothe, honestly, can't bring himself to get too worked up about it. It was quick, after all. Quick is a mercy that so many in the Mad King's War never got.

Not that he's about to stick around and try to convince the other Wheelers of that.

He stumbles a few steps forward at the pull on his wrist, but gets his balance back fairly quickly and starts running. He doesn't need to be told twice. ]

[awfulcer]

[Dixon may be older than Tim, but Tim certainly has him beat in terms of a commanding presence. It's not that Dixon stands down, exactly, but he doesn't try to shove past Tim to prove himself again.]

You can try talking nice to them and get your head cut off, I'm not going to stop holding the line just because you want to treat them with kid's gloves.

[They are certainly not people in Dixon's mind, and even if they were, they attacked first. Retaliating with lethal force is justified. It's not only self-defense, but justice to respond to an assault with disproportionate force; how else to establish control of a situation?

He watches as Bart and Sothe head through the path Toothless cut, then turns back to see Tim fighting the Wheelers. The two of them is not a combination he would have chosen, nor that he likes now, but he does flank Tim to use the shield to try and give some cover from the magical bullshit the fairies are firing off from above.]

How's it going, Pollyanna? [he spits.]

[the_hit_list]

[ This is why the Teen Titans don't work with the Justice League very often. The condescension. Or maybe it's more why Batman doesn't work with most of the Gotham P.D. Beyond the ever-present corruption is an undercurrent of distaste on both sides. Tim's heard some of them wish that Batman would just drop the Joker off a building; Tim also knows the P.D. tends to shoot first and ask questions later.

Like this guy. Headshot first. ]

I just want. To knock. Them out.

[ Every few words is punctuated with a thwump of the staff. The second is more of a bang as it knocks the helmet clean off one of them. The third puts the Wheeler down, at least for a few minutes. ]

Then everybody runs, and we're only mildly wanted criminals. How's that for the Glad Game?

[awfulcer]

Sure, I bet they'll return the favor.

[But it's not like Dixon minds hanging back long enough to catch his breath. In a way, it's impressive to watch Tim take on the Wheelers; Dixon's never seen that kind of athleticism outside of action movies on television or broadcasts of the Olympics. It's like something out of a different reality, somehow more jarring than the weird pizza-cutter foes and fire-spitting fairies.

He doesn't, however, get the Glad Game reference, having only picked up 'pollyanna' as a catch-all term instead of an actual piece of media. He shrugs it off. He's more used to it than he likes of having things fly over his head.

Once he feels like he can run again, and they aren't under one of the intermittent rains of fairie-spells, he barks out at Tim again.]

If we don't keep up with the others, they might get teleported back here!