Prickly

  The factory was being shot to all hell, crafters have started taking up arms against Faeruhere have been rumors that pierced the lines, and the ones iory firmly in Faerune hands isn't good. Bsts shake the foundation of the building, and the world the people within iurn. Dwarves elves and humans work on a massive mae of metal during the attack, they will die doing what they love one way or another. A metallic slime begins to cover the mae, and a dwarf climbs atop.

  "Sofia, are you sure this will work?" The dwarf asks, but his worry doesn't stop him from gearing up in protective equipment.

  "It should, the basic principle behind it is correct, and all the individual tests were successful. All that's needed is a practical test, and I'll patch up any mistakes myself." The dwarf mulls over her words for a bit, before deg to simply get in the mae.

  The rge door opens, revealing a behemoth of metal to the people assaulting the factory outside. The garage was one of the few pot breached, but the upper hand of Faerune disies along with morale as the behemoth leaves the safety of the factory walls. A padin sshes at the screamial monster, but his sword snaps off. Much to their horror, the mae is covered in a yer of adamahe adamantine shortly es to life, stabbing the padin like some ook. The beast has huge treads instead of wheels, and a rge turret on top. It turns to a group of stunned soldiers, and-

  *BOOM*

  "L-Landship!" The st corpse hasn't even hit the grou, and the screams of terror start.

  The tank rolls right through the rickety wooden barricades around the factory, crushing and stabbing all in its path. A group of mages form a line, firing every element they have at the tank. Lightning causes it to make a loud and hollow scream of metal, and the mages quickly switch to that element. Just as they unleash the first few barrages, a hatch opens at the top, where a Vickers mae gun was grafted o. Uhe muskets, this piece of experimental onry doesn't o reload every shot. The sudden barrage of metal mows into the mages, and by the time they get a barrier up against the sedary gun, the primary gun has fiurning in their dire. One quick bst ter, a crater is all that's left of the mage respoeam.

  An explosios from the tank, and the fire caused by it quickly extinguishes as the yer of adamantine armor suffocates the fire. No oacked that part of the tank, it just broke down at that point, and the engine momentarily halts. Seeing the metal behemoth halt like it's wouhe people attag the factory quickly turn to attack it, ung attacks of all variety and effects on it. The dwarf quickly retreats baside the tank, and the attacks begin to obscure vision as smoke covers the surrounding area. Just as the attacks peter down, and the adventurers begin to wonder if their attacks were successful, a bst erupts from one of the denser groups, shredding many i. The turret has a separate engi as a backup to the main engine block, and the inability to move does not his ability to fire. The attacks tinue, but the mae ighe attacks, unbothered. An officer takes charge of the adventurers and begins spreading them out to avoid clumping them up against the bsts.

  His efforts would have been somewhat successful, if the garrison of the factory didn't intervene. People pulling off from attag the factory hasn't gone unnoticed, and the liquidators inside are prepared to make them for it dearly. Gunfire desds from the factory, hitting choice targets first. The officer is one of the first to go, and mages are on the chopping block. A retreat is called, and the adventurers are all too willing to pull off of the attack, but Sofia won't let them. Adventurers work fast, but dwarves work faster. The main engine block is repaired, and the dwarven gunner pops out of the hatch as the attacks cease. The 'Mark 1 Landstrider' gives chase, and the coordinated retreat soon turns to a rout as the adventurers aren't sure when... or if they should stop running.

  A flock of drakes makes their presenown, dissatisfied with something being as difficult to fa the battlefield as them. Even if such a on was on their side, they would be dissatisfied, even more so now that it isn't. One of the drake attempts to swoop down, and lift the ndship into the air, but the metal c it shreds his talons mercilessly. Another covers the mae in fire, but the dwarven gunner had already popped baside when he saw the shadows overhead. At first, the drakes watch helplessly as they 't stop the box of death, but their thoughts are interrupted as the turret turned while they weren't paying attention. One of the drakes goes up in smoke as he's hit directly. The drakes begin to asd to get away from the source of age, but their pse in air superiority spells their doom. There are few beings ience as opportunistic as demons, and multiple squads desd on the distracted drakes, shredding them in the process.

  Ahead of the tank is a forward operating base, a small keep made by the earth mages of Faerune, an important target to destroy. Alo would be a difficult task, but the radio within makes tag aid a trivial task. Whether it be tag liquidators to provide fire support, inf aerial surveilnce of prime ambush material, or...

  Large demons, powerful mages, horrifisters of The Beyond rally with the mark 1. Devastators who operate in this sector. All of them are vital for holding major ses, none of them would miss a ce to take out the main thorn in this area. The mark 1 provides the gap they o cause havoc, all that's needed is to wait for the iable csh between man aal. Multiple gunner carts join the assault, most from the slums as they retreated, some picked up by a gueril force spearheaded by Zulie.

  Arms sound off from the base, readying themselves for the ining assault, as the devastators are hard not to spot. The devastators fan out, taking cover behind the buildings as the ndstrider takes point. The carts stay firmly behind the tank, using it as a distra so mages giving them cover don't get taxed. Shots from the base intensify on Sofia as she gets closer, and her main gun fires multiple times on the fortification. A major barricade risen from the ground by earth mages is not easy to crack, but this isn't just a ndstrider, this is the ndstrider. A scream of oil and smoke resounds from the engine, intense heat joining the exhaust as the engine goes to max power. The mark 1 crashes into the gate, denting it hard. Defenders pour boiling oil on the ndship, ag more on instincts than logic. The only relief they feel is that the ndship didn't break through fully. It 't, the engine is powerful, but the mae is still too slow to break through for now.

  Sofia oher hand, break through. The armor of the tank attaches itself to the gate, and rips it off from the wall. As Sofia passes through the gate away from the boiling oil, the dwarven gunner pops out for a moment to provide firepower in their shock. The fort attempts to deal with the intrusion, but the outside forces weren't just gawking at the dispy. Gunner carts rush in, literally and figuratively running over their opposition, while devastators enter from various points, seeking to cause as much havod destru as they feasibly justify. One would normally think demons would take this ce to join in on the fun, but being the natural opportunists that they are also means they are wary of hostile a, and focus on c the devastators.

  As the fort falls to fire and brimstohe driver turns the ndship in the dire of the walls, and brings the entire menagerie of death where Faerune lies.

  Prickly