Hounds of the Hunt (a short story) ~ *Now 100% Complete*

[Dead Boy]

I guess he's not using the armor rules from RUE.

Actually those rules aren't as without limit as people make them out to be. The "GI Joe Rule", as it's come to be known as, was actually intended to cover small to intermediate amounts of damage in relation to the armor being worn. So if your character is in Dog Boy DPM (MDC 50) it probably won't stop you from being splattered out vs an attack that goes 30 or so points past zero. However since this is the general consensus of the boards and not clearly spelled out in the books, exactly how much is too much is a ballpark figure at best up to the whims of GMs and writers like myself.

[Dead Boy]

Hounds of the Hunt ~ Part Sixteen "Beat-Down"

Within the armored confines of the tank, Boone Dog scooted his way to the entry just in time to see the exploding Beagle and be dowsed with his fellow tracker’s vaporous bloody remains. He abruptly turned his head to avoid being blinded by the scalding gore, momentarily forgetting the goggles that protected his eyes. The Bloodhound was thankful that his breed had long floppy ears and not short ones that stood erect to a point, otherwise the scorching hot spray might have drowned his eardrums doing who knows what kind of damage. As is, his exposed nose got the worst of it, burning to the second degree from the searing mist. Boone Dog opened his eyes and could see nothing but red. With a brush of the Bloodhound’s hand he flung off his goggles and found himself covered in blood. He had forgotten all about the spilt cola that drenched his side and leg as matters of life and death occupied the Bloodhound’s mind. It was past due time to ‘dog up’ and do something. Then from behind him he noticed the traitor feral Bandana cowering on the far end of the right-side bench, coddling the long pistol West lent him like a security blanket.

“What the hell are you doing!”, Boone Dog barked at the Boxer. “Get over here and put that thing to use or we’re all dead!”

Seeing no reaction or sign of rational though in Bandana, the tracker resolved to himself that he would get out there and into the fight no matter what. With Razor and Bishop dead his pack needed his nose and guns more than ever.

* * * * *


With every running step Rachel got that much closer to the demon’s last known location. She could now see the damage caused by Razor’s last attack to the trees and earth. A moment later the demonic hunter came into view as well and she saw the hurt the Beagle brought down him as well. Specifically the blood trickling down the cuts and burns in its chest, face and arms, and the decimation of its magic defenses. The sight of alien’s free-flowing vital fluids rang the dinner bell in Psi-Stalker’s mind bringing a smile to her weary face.

“Blue, Jersey, where are you?”, West asked, speaking into her wrist’s radio.

The two dogs didn’t need to verbally answer the Captain. Blue let his presence be know with the telling thunderous report of his dual bionic weapons, blasting the beast in the belly. Immediately after, Jersey ran past his pack’s leader with net gun in hand.

The two dogs had done this dance many times before, so no verbal coordination was needed between the two. All they needed to know was that the other was there. Blue unleashed blast after blast with his paired duo of directed energy weapons, the point of which was to keep the monster’s focus on him. From behind, Jersey ran into position and steadied his aim with the net gun. With only one shot per canister, he wouldn’t bet a second… at least not quickly or easily.

* * * * *

With his magic defense down, every blast the large Dog Boy landed struck vulnerable flesh, and this was something Nahvin would not stand for. But before lashing back, the High Lord decided to evade the dog’s attack so he could quickly renew his layers of magically summoned armor. There after nothing they could throw at him would matter before his blade and spells won Nahvin his trophies. With a mental command to the ornate Eylor Helm on his scalp the nearly naked High Lord willed it to render himself invisible to the natural world, becoming transparent to all on looking eyes, vanishing without a trace or so much as a ghostly out line.

As expected the next paired blast from the dog’s bionic arm missed its mark, instead impacting against a tree in the background. Nahvin decided not to risk a second more and began to flee the immediate area. But as he turned, his all-black eyes locked with an adversary he’d met before. Experience told him this dog couldn’t see him either which momentarily confused the High Lord. That is until he realized the Dog Boy wasn’t actually looking at him, but instead the space his invisible feet filled in the tall grass and the movement of his foot prints beneath his body. Before he could so much as think of his next move the dog fired his big bored weapon. A split second later Nahvin saw a massive web for sorts open up before his eyes and racing straight at him. Instantly the hunter found himself snared and wrapped in the netting, unable to move freely and make his escape, much less maintain his balance. As he struggled and strained against the square patterned mesh, he found that its fibers did snap under his unnatural strength, but not easily. They wouldn’t be able to hold him for long, but even so the claustrophobic confines were eating away at his nerves.

* * * * *

With the demonic hunter in the tightly wrapped net, making his outline visible for the moment, Blue and Jersey immediately went to work. Jersey dropped the net gun to the ground, rushed the snared monster, and from his belt withdrew a hefty neural mace. Blue on the other hand, seeing the beast invisibly thrashing under the all too visible net, closed in and pounced, taking the monster to his back. With a violent thought the Doberman kill hound’s vibro-claws sprung out from inside his mechanical right arm, and with his fleshy left pulled a long vibro-knife from behind his back. Sitting on the monster’s belly, the kill hound put both to deadly use and immediately his prey found its chest, arms, and neck under attack.

For every two slashes and stabs of Blue’s blades, Jersey slammed the beast’s shoulders and head with his mace. Strike after strike weakened the monster as the neural mace let lose with a tremendous charge of electricity, tuned to the frequency of the nervous system to maximize its debilitating effects. The monster tried to ramble off an incantation to escape its confines every chance it got, but between the shocks and the blades hacking its skin t ribbons, spell magic was all but impossible.

Having the plan go into effect, West approached with a hasty jog, ready to play out her part in the lynching. Lording over the beastly hunter, looking down on it with her psychically empowered eyes, she saw the blood and fear oozing from every pore the creature had. Beings such as this were rarely put in the position of victim in the course of their entire lives. They were the hunters, not the prey. As such, in these rare times they experienced something else they rarely experienced; deathly fear. And with those two key ingredients present the Psi-Stalker could now do that which her people have been doing for hundreds of years.

Rachel readied herself to gorge on the supernatural beast’s cache of magic energy, the sustenance of human mutants like herself. Focusing her thoughts on the blood and fear, she prepared her will to draw out the energy across the air. Like a bolt of lightning, what was left of the demonic hunter’s personal reserves of raw untapped magic began to flow into her. Rachel gobbled it up as if she were famished, not leaving behind even so much as a drop of the arcane energies. Not even enough to cast the lowliest of novice spells. After a few seconds, the electric-like arcs of blue energy filling the space between them were gone, leaving the Psi-Stalker incredibly satisfied and full, and her victim mystically impotent, but not defenseless by other means. It still had its final spell in effect and rune weapons at its disposal. But regardless, the hunter would be no more a challenge from that point on than any other critter she and her pack had killed. Or so she momentarily thought.

As suddenly as the monster’s energies were sucked dry, the last key strand of the net’s restraining fibers snapped, allowing the beast to rip free of what was left. Frightened and made that much more mortal, the monster flung Blue off as though he were small child and violently rose to its feet.

Seeing things now as a normal standup fight, West stepped back and shouldered her plasma cannon. But before she could aim and fire, the creature began to mumble off another incantation. She caught a hint of a sinister smile on the beastly hunter and the war-painted Psi-Stalker gave him one in return. And then she saw him adjust his grip of the dragon-shaped pistol in his hand, and rolled its shoulders, adjusting the sword still on its back. Even the strange eyeball helmet remained on its head.

“His weapons!”, West though to herself, realizing he might have more energy stored in them. Immediately she cursed herself for not seeing it sooner when monster turned invisible without an incantation. Her plan was a failure and clearly this fight was far from over.

* * * * *

Finding it ever so more difficult to breathe, much more move, Nahvin considered making his retreat but dismissed the notion as soon as it crossed his mind. With the Dog Boys’ numbers effectively thinned by half and running low on their heavy munitions, he held the advantage with his rune weapons still at his disposal. And more importantly the High Lord was still in possession of his Eylor Helm which he could tap into and borrow its energy reserves to fuel his spells. The only thing he was dangerously low on was skin. Still, Nanvin didn’t want to rely on his equipment too much. Doing so would diminish the sweet taste of victory.

The instant he drew on some of the power stored in his helm for his next spell, the High Lord could feel the Psi-Stalker instinctively flooding the air with negative psychic energy to counter it. But this time the Splugorth minion understood what she could do. He wouldn’t be caught unaware again. And with that knowledge the High Lord deliberately channeled twice the magic energy as he needed to fuel the hex. The extra energy wouldn’t make the spell’s effect any more powerful, but it would mitigate the Human’s nullifying energies. That is unless she countered with even more negative energy to negate his counter, but it was too soon to start worrying about games like that. As he completed his incantation, Nahvin was pleased to see his conjured armor of squirming tentacles, snakes, and worms reappear on his person. But since he was invisible, the lifelike and horrific tendrils appeared to the others as if they were a roughly humanoid shaped monster in their own right, possibly making them appear to be even more terrifying than before. He could have more easily used his Talisman of Armor and gotten roughly the same level of protection, but that wouldn’t have served anywhere near as well as a display of his irrepressible power.

* * * * *

Before her disbelieving pink eyes, the monster did exactly what Rachel’s plan was made to prevent. With a serpentine gesture and a few precise words the demonic hunter showed her that unlike so many of her foes in the past, she could not block his access to the realm of magic. And with continued access came advantages and abilities that were limited only by the amount of hidden reserve energies he had at his command. All the Psi-Stalker could do was gawk frozen in dismay, more so at the significance of her mistake than the horrific visage before her.

For Blue the situation was different. As the fight went on his capacity for rational thought was being swallowed by his lust for blood. While his breed’s berserker rage ate away at his senses the demon presented him with a gift. Before, while invisible, all he had to find his prey was the smell of blood and a supernatural presence in the air. With only that and the creature’s psychic scent to follow, the Kill Hound had nothing specific to aim his weapons at. Nothing infuriated Blue more than an opponent who was too cowardly to give him a straight-up fight. But with the appearance of the armor of writhing snakes and worms, all that changed in an instant. Blasting at will, Blue charged the monster without neither a concern in the world nor a thought in his head other than ‘kill’.

“Jersey!”, Rachel yelled as she visually tracked the creature’s retreat into the woods again. With Bishop gone, she was the only one in the squad who had the power to see it in the mystic range of light if it turned completely invisible again. She needed to regroup the pack before it could take advantage of that again.

“He’s busy, ma’am.”, Tyrus said, running up to his alpha from behind. As ordered the Min Pin protected his alpha’s back, ensuring her safety at all times.

Off to the side Jersey was busy reloading the net gun as fast as he could, readying it’s second and last shot on hand. Unlike the Psi-Stalker he didn’t fully understand just how badly their plan had failed, instead seeing only a setback that could still be made right.

“Come on!”, West commanded the toy soldier forward with a wave of her hand. “Blue’s going to get himself killed.”

Not needing more than a half second to sense the hunter’s distance and direction, Tyrus was off like a shot running as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. With the rest of the pack either confined to the tank or dead, Tyrus was the only dog other than Jersey free to act, which gave him the opportunity he was waiting for. At last he could prove that he was the dog his pack could depend on and get their respect once and for all. With Blue’s murderous obsessions dissolving his capacity for rational thought with each passing moment, like Kill Hounds typically do, he and Jersey were the only other capable dogs Captain West could rely on. If he played his cards right, the Miniature Pinscher envisioned that at the very least he could be appointed third in command after this. With the demonic hunter’s squirming shell in sight, Tyrus used to a tree-trunk to come to a sudden stop and take partial cover behind to fire his weapon with impunity. The moment the stock of his custom pulse pistol hit his shoulder, the small dog opened up with all the fury his weapon could muster.

* * * * *

With a sniff of the air through the vents of Blue’s helm and a tug from his psionic senses, it seemed as if he could almost touch the stink of magic as it drew him in. But the armor clad Doberman had to fight to maintain his focus. On some level he could still understand that he had to fight smart, and not just fiercely. With his mechanical fist’s blades pointing the way the way like bayonets as he ran full tilt, aiming the two bionic weapons, the dual blasts of energy streaked from his forearm and shoulder. Only half of his shots struck home, but those that did burned away more off the demon’s slithering armor. Once that was gone the monster would be completely invisible again, and that would be when he’d need his brains to figure out his next move. At that point, if he couldn’t shoot it out into the open, then he’d have to track it down and blindly slash it out, and his senses weren’t nearly half as good as the pack’s trackers. As thought subsided to killer instinct, he realized that the only way this would work is if he could grab hold of the demonic hunter now while he could still see it.

* * * * *

As the hulking Dog Boy drew nearer to his person pressing its attack, Nahvin began to doubt his magic armor would hold out much longer. The High Lord’s fears were punctuated all the more as a flurry of laser blasts began to also assail him from low behind a tree in the distance. With a wild lunging slash the big Doberman flew from his feet, his claws extended with deathly intent, and sliced a piece off of the High Lord’s gruesome armor. The severed snakes fell to ground and vanished like the illusions they were. It was time again to show these creatures of prey that their breeding and weaponry were nothing compared to the near limitless capabilities of magic. Admittedly, it would have been easier for the High Lord to just shoot the dog with his Dragon Rod, but he got so much more satisfaction out of using his own powers and ingenuity.

Nahvin thought of a cruel way to give the dog pause and make it afraid to so much as look upon the High Lord with ill intent again. With a few hushed but well pronounced words of enchantment, Nahvin began to cast a spell, not knowing that the expenditure of magic would enrage the Psi-hound all the more. Mid way through the incantation the Doberman’s vibro-claws pierced Nahvin’s side burying the blades to the dog’s stopping fist. Just as Nahvin thought he already felt the worst of it, the vicious dog fired the blasters on its arm and shoulder. At such close range the particle beam shot directly into the area of the blade’s wounds, while the ion beam thundered its blast just above that. The sharp pain interrupted the Splugorth dignitary’s incantation, which till then the beast hadn’t dropped or slurred so much as a syllable in the spell’s verbalization.

* * * * *

Having hit pay dirt, Blue pulled his fist back to throw another stab, hoping to stake the creature through its head or heart with his next thrust. But as he did so the last of the monster’s writhing serpentine armor vanished into nothingness, leaving nothing behind but his quarry’s invisible body. Having abandoned his knife, the Doberman’s left hand may have had a grip on the demon for the moment, but he couldn’t guarantee himself he could hang on. Through his blinding rage the Kill hound noticed that though his opponent could no longer be seen, the crimson blood sizzling on his claws and dripping from his prosthetic fist could. Willing himself to think for a moment longer, a strategy came to mind. Blocking out the violent haze that consumed his thoughts, Blue put that plan into action. With a yank the hulking Doberman pulled the demon hunter in and with his blood soaked hand Blue proceeded to slap his foe across what ended up being his face, painting it red with its own blood, raking his claws across the monster’s eyes in the process.

Blue could see the rage in the demon hunter’s eyes now, as well as a little shock and disgrace. “That’s right, you’ve just been pimp-slapped, b****.”, the kill hound snarled with an evil grin.

As the Doberman cocked his arm back to drive his saber-like claws through the monster’s brain-pan, Blue’s ears picked up the utterance of another spell being verbally woven. Before he knew it the bloodthirsty Kill Hound had an unnerving feeling envelope his flesh, momentarily covering him with the strong sensation of pins and needles, but only for a splinter of an instant. Not knowing what the spell did, being so violated with the filth of magic Blue’s berserker rage finally took complete control pushing his rational thoughts to the wayside. Only gore and savagery filled his mind as he pressed his attack before the demon could slip away again. At that point, the Kill Hound’s thoughts were practically a blank slate with rage the one and only intent in his mind.

“Blue!”, Rachel’s voice almost shrieked from behind. “Stop!!!”

Having caught up to Tike with Jersey at her side, Rachel now had a clear view of what her kill hound had been up to. The red painted face of the demonic hunter was secondary to her, almost going unnoticed. Her focus was entirely on Blue and what the monster had done to him. Before her, clenching onto the side of his beastly foe, the mutant Doberman’s entire armored from had been transformed into a crystalline structure, from the top of his spike crowned helmet to his leather bound toes. The dog looked like some kind of sculpture made from the purest specimens of ice or glass, complete with a semi-transparent structure filled with internal creases and cracks, and yet the armored Doberman moved as though nothing had happened.

“Back off, Blue!”, Rachel went on as she and her two flanking dogs approached the combatants with all due haste. Being the anti-magic specialist she was, the Psi-Stalker recognized the magic for exactly what it was. “It’s a House of Glass spell! You’ll kill yourself!”

Fully enveloped in the berserker rage, Blue couldn’t obey even he wanted to. At that point he didn’t even understand the words coming out of his leader’s mouth. The furious furor had consumed him like a moth in the flame. With his bionic arm the rabid dog slammed the blades protruding from his fist deep into the side of the invisible demon’s neck with all the mechanical and natural strength he could muster. Against a normal foe this would be a deathblow, but to the supernatural beast only it was only a painful flesh wound.

The instant the vibro-claws pierced the monster’s skin, something odd was noted by the recessed and reasonable part of Blue’s mind, the part that was on the back, back burner. A shower of crystal shards exploded from the Kill Hound’s own armored neck, exactly where he struck the monster. And then he noticed his arms. They were as if his appendages were made entirely of roughly sculpted glass. He could actually see through both his armor’s sleeve and the bionic limb inside. But despite the warning sign and the Psi-Stalker’s words, the Doberman kill hound was too far gone for it to fully register. The only thing that could even pass for a thought in his head was a singular intent to slaughter his prey in the most expedient and messy way possible. All else was lost in the red haze.

[Snuffy]

Another great chapter!!!!

Sorry to see Blue go.....

[Aramanthus]

Great chapter Dead boy! I'm also sorry to see another one go!

[Lucas]

heros are known for doing nothing but for the sacrifices they make

[Dead Boy]

heros are known for doing nothing but for the sacrifices they make

... if you can call Blue a "hero", that is. And besides, he ain't dead yet.

[Aramanthus]

That is true! But with the spell you had Nahvin use it looks like to use he'll end up buying the farm.

[Dead Boy]

Hounds of the Hunt ~ Part Seventeen "Shattered"

Out of the corner of his eye, Nahvin spotted the Psi-Stalker and the Dog Boy with the net gun, as well as the small dog rounding a tree to join them. With the blood smeared on his face visible and spattered elsewhere, he knew the magic leach and her dogs would overwhelm him again, and there was little he could do to prevent it on his own. The High Lord could see her directing her soldiers into position to snare him again, and this time he might not escape with his life. She stared at him with contempt and death in her eyes, and vengeance in her soul. There was no place he could run where she wouldn’t follow. So though it saddened him to admit it, it was time to use the force multipliers that his rune weapons could provide.

With a concerted effort and a shake of his arm Nahvin flung the insane brute off his person, sending the Doberman to the ground. With his arm free the High Lord reached over his shoulder and behind his back, grasping the handle of his coveted Sword of Atlantis. In one fluid motion the demon drew the sword and hurled it at the Psi-Stalker, hoping to remove her from the picture. Without her leadership and magic-canceling abilities the rest would be manageable. In flight the angelic wings that formed the hilt of the sword spread and the weapon took on a life of its own.

* * * * *

Spotting the blood spattered grip and hilt rise into the air, Tyrus realized the beast was drawing some kind of edged weapon. In response the dog dropped his pistol and drew his vibro-knife, wielding it like a two-handed sword. The moment it was thrown the masterfully crafted blade became visible and could be seen darting towards his alpha. Without hesitation the tiny dog sprung in to action. Just before impact the mutant Min Pin jumped in the way, swatting the lavishly ornate weapon down with an overhead slash of his blade, potentially saving Captain West. But a split second after making contact, the enchanted sword spun once in mid air and came crashing down for the Miniature Pinscher’s head. The slice cracked the dome-like tinted visor of his helmet, letting in a ray of sunshine. For a moment Tyrus thought that might be the end of it, but the wings of the magic sword kept it aloft making it fight as though wielded by an invisible master, and it quickly became obvious the winged blade would not rest till it bathed in small dog’s blood . The Sword of Atlantis spun around for another slash, but was narrowly blocked by the tiny dog’s energy coated knife.

If not for the vibro-knife’s energy field, holding the edge of the mystic sword at bay and preventing it from making actual contact with the knife’s itself, the animated sword would have split through the high-tech cutter as if it were a log on the chopping block. As it was, Tyrus was luck to maintain his grip given the unbelievable force behind the blow.

Again the sword lashed out, this time with a stab to the body. And again Tyrus had no other option but to parry the attack. The dog’s nose confirmed that there was no one there holding the winged weapon, meaning there was no one there to kill to put an end to the onslaught. Until he could figure out a way to stop the sword from attacking, he was effectively neutralized and taken out of the fight.

* * * * *

Seeing Tyrus handling the sword on his own, West decided he’d have to fend for himself for a while longer as she took care of the fiend. Besides which, the best way to help the small dog was to kill the magic weapon’s master. No master, no will to fight. Or at least that was the theory. And the best way to neutralize the weapon’s master was to fall back on what worked before. “Jersey!”

Hearing his name, the German Shepherd knew what needed to be done. After running to a spot with no one or thing between him and the demon, Jersey leveled the net gun at his target once again. With a quick aim just below the floating red face and squeeze of the trigger the snaring mesh shot out of the gun, hurtling to its intended target. But this time he didn’t have the creature’s back and held no element of surprise. With a bob and a weave the demon moved out of the way, the net instead wrapping itself around the trunk of a tree.

Seeing the monster level its dragon shaped gun at Jersey, the Psi-Stalker began to voice a warning to her top dog, given that the Shepherd couldn’t see the invisible threat. But before she could sound out more than the first letter of his name, it was too late. With a blast of the rune weapon, out shot an incandescent white glowing web from its muzzle. Before Jersey knew what was happening the magic net knocked him off his feet and snared him to the ground. After a few seconds to realize what just happened, the dog reached for his knife and began to cut his way free. It was doable, but it would take precious time that he and his pack didn’t have.

In response Rachel opened up with her “Hellfire” plasma cannon, unleashing stream after stream of star-hot wrath. Blue on the other hand, having gotten back to his feet, fired away with his dual blasters. The combined pummeling tore open part of Nahvin’s abdominal, causing him to openly bleed to the ground, further betraying the hiding effects of his invisibility spell.

Not wasting any time there after, from a sheath on his belt line Nahvin drew an inexpensive but stylish knife he bought from a street vendor and began to ramble the arcane words of what very well could be his last incantation. Expecting interference he channeled thee times as much energy into the spell as necessary, again countering the magic-negating powers of the Psi-Stalker. With a flick of his wrist the knife took to the air and them began to rapidly spin till it was a blur of a disk. There after, but in a slice of a second, the spinning blade began to divide and multiply again and again till a shroud of eleven rotating edged disks surrounded the High Lord, moving as though each had a will of its own. Even though the spell took longer to weave than he would have liked, the added protection the enchanted blades would offer would save him time in the long run, not to mention add to his defenses heartily well.

Rachel expected some kind of overcompensation from her adversary, him having demonstrated he knew how to contend with her canceling powers, but even she was amazed with how much magic energy it channeled into the spell. At this rate he’d burn through whatever hidden reserves the beast had left in no time. The sight left her wondering just how much untapped energy the monster had left.

Blue too took another shot at the beast, this time aiming for its red painted face. The blasts launched out with a double boom, but this time one of the orbiting spinning blades moved in to intercept the shot, blocking the blasts of energy in mid air. Enraged even further, the Kill Hound lunged through the shroud of spinning blades to resume his point-blank assault. As he led with his lengthy vibro-claws extended, one of the orbiting knives deflected them away from Nahvin, but Blue himself got through just fine. Once inside Blue again tried to strike his dancing partner in the head with his blood-drenched fist, trying to put his deadly claws through the monster’s eyes. But again one of the spinning blades came up, this time from below, and diverted his thrust with a metallic clang. For a reward for his troubles the demonic beast belted the crystalline dog across the face with a backhand, repelling the craven Doberman once again.

Blue’s attack may have resulted in failure, but it wasn’t in vain. Though his claws missed their mark, his fist grazed the High Lord’s brow, painting his Eylor Helm with a streak of red. The scarlet stripe drew Rachel’s eyes to the helm causing her to pause and think for a brief second. If the sword was no longer in contact with the monster, and with the dragon gun being an unlikely suspect, she deduced that the demonic hunter must be drawing his power from the helm.

Reaching out with her mind the mutant Psi-Stalker took firm hold of the eye-ball helmet with her will. With a concerted effort she slipped its chinstrap off the monster’s toothy jaw and levitated the golden ornate helm off his head with all the mental might she could muster, launching it into the branches of a distant tree. She then turned her attention to the dragon shaped firearm in the monster’s hand to see of she could do the same with it, but having quickly caught on what was happening the monstrosity used its unnaturally strong grip to hold on. That trick would only work once against this foe. With Tike being held in check by the dancing sword, Jersey still fighting to free himself form the magic net, and the rest of her dogs either neutralized or slain, Rachel was running out of options fast. As strong as she was, Captain West couldn’t fight this monster on her own. The demon was back in control of the fight while she, with her mental energies tapped, would only get weaker as the fight progressed from there. It was just a matter of time.

* * * * *

Tyrus on the other hand hadn’t given up hope just yet. As the rune sword took another swing at him he was again able to deflect the blow. The sword bounced back and the Miniature Pinscher saw an opening. With a swipe of his energy-gilded knife Tyrus attempted to slice off one of the hilt wings that seemed to give the magic weapon flight. His blade struck true, but the knife’s edge just bounced off the wing, not leaving behind so much as a blemish on its white feathered surface. Tyrus reeled back as the blade came cleaving down again. As quick as the tiny dog was, this time the tip of the sword was quicker and carved a gash down the center of his armor’s breast.

* * * * *

As the sophisticated demon stood there posturing for a moment, Nahvin slowly leveled his Dragon Rod at the Psi-Stalker. Taking his time, he wanted to savor the moment and especially the look in the bald Human’s pink eyes as it dawned on her that the end was coming soon. The High Lord began to telepathically trigger his weapon when a shot cut through the woods, slipping past his spinning blades to burn a pock in Nahvin’s shoulder. From that distance it was more of a lucky shot than a well placed one, really. The demon glanced in the direction where the particle beam came from and saw his former tracking dog running through a winding corridor of trees and brush along with a long eared dog quickly limping along behind.

Virtually oblivious to what was going on, and even his own crystalline state, Blue rolled up onto one knee and leveled his bionic energy weapons at his prey, his claws now retracting with a metallic snap. With a rapid repeated tapping of his bionic finger’s trigger-button the rabid kill hound unleashed a furious barrage of particle and ion beams aiming at the center of the sphere of orbiting blades. In the past Blue had seen many die under the devastating power of that very attack, often during an ambush of his own making. But today, that wasn’t entirely the case. The spinning knives tried to block as many of the beams of ravaging energy as they could, but they were overwhelmed and several of the blasts slipped through. The flurry of deadly beams ripped into the High Lord’s flesh with savage results. As burned and hurt as the demon was after the assault however, Nahvin still stood.

The instant the pounding beams riddled the demon hunter, the magic affect of the House of Glass spell cast on the Doberman kill hound tolled its deadly consequence, inflicting the same levels of damage on to him as the spell caster suffered. As the fiend was perforated by the blasts, Blue shattered like an ice sculpture dropped from the top of a skyscraper. Blue didn’t live long enough to see if his last attack earned him his next gold earring or not, but the six he already had fell to the earth along with the thousands of pieces of jagged glass he was now reduced to, littering the tall grass with his shard like remains.

Just as Blue rained down on the earth, Bandana leapt into the fray to take his place with West’s long pistol in one hand and a neural mace in the other. Though the dog had been working against them from the start of all this, Rachel was proud of him in that instant. Throwing himself into the meat grinder against all hopes, unafraid of what might come to fight the good fight, the Psi-Stalker believed the wayward dog had rediscovered what it was to be one of them. Brave to a fault and never wavering in the face of the enemy.

No more than half a dozen limping strides behind the Boxer was Boone Dog with his neural mace in his right and a second in his left, while the Bloodhound’s rifle was slung across his back. Hobbled or not, defeat was unacceptable to the old veteran dog. And even though the tracker wielded weapons that were less than lethal, they could be used to unbalance the demon while the others made headway, even if it meant risking getting in the way of their fire.

Bandana swung the mace at his once-master, only to have it blocked by one of the free floating spinning blades in the air. He thought Nahvin might counter his pesky attack, but it was obvious the demon lord considered the Psi-Stalker to be more of a threat. She did have a bigger gun and more formidable armor, not to mention her magic-negating powers. Nahvin’s lack of concern was demonstrated by his actions as he leveled his pistol griped Dragon Rod at her and no other. With a thought he worked its telepathic trigger unleashing a massive crack of lightning from the mouth of the dragon headed weapon. The magic-boosted electric discharge struck her midsection, but her telekinetic aura absorbed its fury.

At first the visage of the demon’s globe of spinning blades made Boone Dog concerned about them chopping his arms off if he swung into them. It wouldn’t have been the worst injury he’d ever suffered, but so far from help the mess they could make of him could be his last hurrah. After gathering his nerve, Boone Dog blindly swung his right mace through the field of spinning knives hoping that a blow would hit the invisible demon therein. Two of the defensive levitating blades came about but failed to block his blow. Unfortunately the soldier dog’s mace swung through empty air, missing the unseen foe entirely.

Again Bandana tried to score a hit with his borrowed mace and this time was rewarded the joyous sight of success. The mace’s head struck Nahvin’s transparent form at the hub of the swarming knives and the released a jolt of electricity. The sight of the blue electric arcs wrapping around the point of impact was a glorious sight to behold. The stunning shock seeped into the demon’s skin and coursed through its nervous system, short circuiting his nerves and nearly rendering the fiend unconscious. As gratifying as the hit was, it was nothing compared to the sight of the High Lord’s foot prints staggering back on the ground, clearly weakened by the attack.

As much as Nahvin didn’t want to admit it, the next blow from either mace-wielding dog could drop him. Not so much because they were so powerful, but because the High Lord erected a defense that didn’t protect him from their debilitating effects. Even if he took a moment to use the last charge in his Talisman of Armor, Nahvin knew it would do little good against the maces’ effects. “Should have used the Invincible Armor spell instead.”, Nahvin thought to himself. The High Lord considered using his Dragon Rod to hurl magic nets on each of the new combatants, but he would have to snare them one at a time and stood the risk of being rendered unconscious in the process. He wasn’t even sure if the Human had the ability to negate the magic from his rune weapons as easily as his spells. With a moment’s consideration that seemed to linger for an eternity, the High Lord had to concede his inevitable defeat. As strong as his remaining defenses were, they would be useless if he was unconscious, and he was sure they wouldn’t be satisfied with that alone. And with that, Nahvin decided to cut his losses and end his adventure. But before leaving, he wanted to give the Psi-Stalker a little parting gift.

The High Lord gave his cloud of spinning blades a mental command to do his bidding. In response all eleven knives rearranged their configuration form a defensive shell to that of giant circular saw blade. The moment they obeyed their master’s wishes the wheel of blades spun up to speed and then rolled through the air at the bald woman.

With her telekinesis still active, Rachel tried to parry the rotating blades with the psychic force of her will. In the past this defense had worked well, but against the nature of the spell she faced, the magic buzz-saw didn’t even so much as slow in its advance. Before she knew what happened the bladed teeth of the mystic saw tore though the telekinetic shield that protected her body and chewed on her skeletal armor. As each knife contributed to the carnage they vanished into the nothingness from which they were summoned from. All except for the original knife used as a component for the spell. It was the last to strike. With her psychic barrier smashed there was nothing left to protect West’s bald, pale head. The enchanted blade slashed down her right cheek cutting the rank insignia tattoo in half as it did so, and then the knife lifelessly dropped to the ground. Fortunately for the Psi-Stalker, her people had long since developed the ability to lessen the power of the attacks from the supernatural, absorbing the enchanted blade’s magic force from something that would have cleaved her head in two, to just a shallow cut. Even so, blood freely flowed down her cheek and tricked on her armor’s battered skull-patterned breastplate.

Bandana used the opening to take another swing with his mace, but the High Lord used his Dragon Rod to parry the blow.

Boone Dog followed suit swinging his maces together as if to make them clap with the monster caught in the middle, but the demonic hunter leaned out of the maces’ paths staying clear of their shocking heads.

Having made his final parting shot and narrowly averting their reprisal, with a focused thought Nahvin called upon an innate ability common to his kind; the power to go home at will. It was a power so ingrained into the core of his being the aberrant Psi-Stalker couldn’t take from him no matter how much raw magic she drained from his person, nor block it no matter how much negating energy she flooded the air with. With a bright brilliant flash that shrunk down to the size of a pin, Nahvin vanished.

Like the original knife used in the demon’s spinning blades spell the same thing happened to the rune sword that relentlessly battled Tyrus. The instant the demon lord disappeared, its hilt-wings folded into place and the enchanted silver blade plummeted to the earth, landing tip first in the grassy dirt as thought it were the mythical Excalibur resting in its stone. Thought the sword’s magic signature was still blaring to the dogs’ psychic senses, its master was suddenly undetectable. Whether it was another trick or the fight truly was over, Tyrus was unsure. Cautiously he sheathed his knife and moved to grasp the sword so no demon could never possess it again, but more so to claim the mighty weapon as his prize. Even if he would have to hand it over when he got home, the satisfaction he got from the taking of the trophy would be a moment he would be able to keep and relive as many times as he wished thanks to his special gift of total recall. “I’m going to get a cast of this one.”, the exhausted dog said to himself, thinking of a way to make a more tangible memento he could keep.

Rachel’s first reaction was one of surprise. She quickly scanned her surroundings with her psychically empowered eyes, but after she seeing demon’s enchanted sword fall to the grass, Rachel realized that would most likely only happen if the creature left the area, though it could still be some form of trickery. After scrutinizing the area with her sensitive psychic senses, she closed her eyes and made a sigh of relief. “He teleported.”, she explained to the four dogs in her proximity, seeing her boys looking about for the demon and unable to see or sense it either. At last it was all over. After they got going it would be unlikely the hunter would be able to catch up again. Finally they were free to go. That is after Jersey was free of the magic net and carpet of adhesion under the tank wore off.

Turning to the Boxer that came to her aid, Rachel gave him a tiered but sincere smile, thankful that he and Boone Dog showed when they did. “Excellent work, Bandana.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”, Bandana replied, taking satisfaction in the belief that that it was he who delivered the decisive blow that put and end to Nahvin’s hunt. Not the kill hound, not the trackers, not even one of the professional Dog Boy soldiers, but him. The scruffy liberated slave who’d been sitting in a cell for the past thirty-eight months. The one dog there who had something to prove to everyone, and more importantly, himself.

“Hey, boss!”, Boone Dog said as he hobbled over to his pack master, pulling a gauze bandage from his leather utility belt as he approached. With the smell of West’s blood filling the Bloodhound’s sensitive nose, he knew she needed help sooner than later. “You better get some pressure on that, quick.”

“On what?”, West asked, not sure what he was talking about. With her adrenaline still pumping West was unaware that she was cut at all. All she felt earlier was a sharp impact and nothing more there after. And then from the corner of her eye the Captain noticed her scout playing with something he shouldn’t and gave that her full immediate attention. “Tike! Take that sword back to the tank and put it with the others.”, she ordered the Miniature Pinscher.

Tyrus clicked his heals together, and gave her a text book salute with sword in hand. “Ma’am, yes… Ma’am.”, he said to his alpha and paused as something entered his range of sensitivity. Wasting no time the Min Pin scrambled to where he dropped his pistol and scooped it up with his free hand from the grass.

Rachel was about to ask what was wrong when she noticed what he already sensed. Both she and the dogs looked off in the distance and readied their weapons for another fight. They sensed something and it wasn’t good.

“What is that you struck him with?”, asked a gruff voice in the distance speaking in the tongue of Dragonese.

Through the woods and thicket another hunting party approached, lead by another four-armed monstrosity like the one they killed earlier. This one had its third eye in the center of its chest and was noticeably shorter, but it was clearly of the race. Behind it stood two beefy humanoid creatures with almost pig-like faces, and four Human-looking women wearing what appeared to be brown one-piece swim suits and ornate brass helms, all of them armed with strange and alien weapons.

“Boys, when I say, make a break for the tank.”, West instructed her dogs in a hushed voice, intending to stay behind to try to save Jersey.

In response to her order the three remaining dogs stood their ground as Boone Dog pumped the slide on his rifle’s grenade launcher. The defiant clack-clack noise let her know that they weren’t leaving without both her and the German Shepherd.

“Speak, woman!”, the four-armed demon demanded. “What is that weapon?”

“We call it a neural mace.”, Rachel answered in Dragonese. “Don’t worry, your friend still lives.” As she spoke, West leveled her rifle at the new aggressor. Bandana and Tyrus followed suit and pointed their pistols at the frightful hunters as well. “But whether you continue to is up to you.” With the tired determination in her eyes and blood weeping from her cheek, the Psi-Stalker’s words carried serious weight and an air of intimidation that would make most any other foe back down. Unfortunately these weren’t just any other foes.

The members of the new hunting party were clearly amused by the thinly veiled bluff. In response they raised their weapons as a silent counter threat, all except the four-armed demon. The fiendish hunter just stood there considering its options, obviously not eager to start a fight even though everyone there knew he and his hunting party would win, though not without losses. “Leave.”

“Just like that.”, Rachel skeptically said.

“Go.”, the Conservator again said, not happy about being held at gun point. Odds in his favor or not, he didn’t like it. “And do not come back.”

Rachel looked the demon in its dead eyes, even the one in its chest. She was trying to divine its thoughts or gather a hint of its intentions, but the emotionless black orbs that passed for eyes in the demon’s head were impossible to read. It was times like that she wished for her dogs’ ability to pick up on empathic feelings. But in spite of that, she decided to take the beast up on its offer. Seeing Jersey finally crawling free of the magic net, with a gesture of her hand she and the four Dog Boys by her sides began to back away. After backing off ten meters or so putting a number of obstructing trees between them and her own, she and her boys turned their backs on the hunters and began to run for the tank at a full charge.

[Lucas]

i love it, excellent very very well done

[Hotrod]

Dead Boy,
Your characters are well-done, your descriptions are compelling, and your depiction of life as a dog boy breathes new life into the class. I relished the themes of comraderie, sacrifice, and redemption throughout. It wouldn't take much to make this story worthy of publishing.

If I were Kevin S, I'd hire or commission you to write more.

[Aramanthus]

Another great chapter Dead Boy! Are we finished with this story or are we going to get some more?

[Lucas]

bugger be i love it

[Dead Boy]

Another great chapter Dead Boy! Are we finished with this story or are we going to get some more?

Got an Epilogue in the works that should be up in a day or two.

You could have a story like this serialized in The Rifter. I like it much better than Hammer of The Forge.

Thanks! I plan on compiling it together after the last part goes up and sending it into the Rifter to see if they like it.

[Lucas]

Epilogue no no, must have more much more.....new pack members added and a trip to the NGR come on.....plz

[Aramanthus]

Hopefully you'll consider writing another story with the survivors. You know after they have rebuilt their squad.

I'm looking forward to the epilogue.

[Dead Boy]

Hounds of the Hunt ~ Part Eighteen "Epilogue"

Lord Yikahhza laid in his private chambers, enjoying a nice snack of Wolfen infants. He rather enjoyed the way they squirted their juices when bitten into, almost as much as how they’d squirm and tickle his throat when swallowed whole. Truly, this was his favorite dish, especially when prepared by his favorite chef. The Splugorth intelligence didn’t know exactly how the master cook seasoned and marinated them without killing the infants, but Yikahhza didn’t care. The results were all that concerned him.

Suddenly a bright flash appeared in front of the Splugorth ruler, but he didn’t let it interrupt his light meal. After the flash vanished, Nahvin stood in its place. Despite being distracted by the exquisite flavor of another newborn Wolfen, this time letting it panic and thrash in his mouth before chewing, Yikahhza noticed the High Lord’s blood trickling down his many cuts, punctures, and lacerations and tainting the marbled floor on which he stood. Nahvin was obviously hurt so bad it could conceivably take him an entire day to heal. It’s the worst he’d seen his favorite High Lord in all his years of service.

“How’d the negotiations go?”, Yikahhza asked his noble servant, rummaging through a large bowl of babies with a tentacle.

“Well, my liege. Very well.”, Nahvin said, forcing himself to stand fully erect, though his exhaustion told him to do otherwise. “However Lord Splyncryth’s people demanded a steep price.”

“How steep?”

“Twice the original agreed amount. I’m sorry but they were adamant about the conditions.”

“Oh, well.” Yikahhza causally said. “Those mining rights are still worth it. How did your hunt go?”

“Well, my liege. My prey managed to destroy my ship and its entire crew, killed my bodyguard and would have slain me as well had I not teleported.”

“Really? Shame, that was a nice ship.”

“Indeed. Should they still live, I’ll have to hunt them again next year.”, Nahvin said, relishing the though of another hunt to take advantage of what he learned on this one.

“Ah, nothing like a good challenge. Perhaps I’ll join you.”, Yikahhza insincerely replied.

* * * * *

As the waves crashed on the sandy white beach, the five dogs watched the sun start to set in the western sky. Silently they watched the life-giving star as its bottom fringe began to merge with the sea. Though they’d made it that far, not one of them was entirely optimistic about the next leg in their journey to the land they called home. But visions of the immediate future weren’t the only things on their minds. They also mourned the deaths of the fallen members of their pack, quietly vowing never to forget their memories.

With the slice on her cheek sealed with a fine bead of first-aid glue, Rachel strolled back from behind a dune. She too looked out into the waters, not looking forward to the next three days or so in the Demon Sea. In the face of the sun she could see the images of all her boys, especially the ones she lost. And not just the ones that died that day, but the hundreds she’d fought along side with and the dozens upon dozens that perished under her command. West had fought along side more Dog Boys than she should be able to remember, but there they all were in the face of the sun nonetheless.

“We all set?”, she asked her boys when she got within ear shot. The crashing waves nearly drown her voice out, but they heard her well enough.

“Good as we’re going to get.”, Jersey said popping his head out of the rear of the tank, then sinking he feet into the sand in Thumper’s shadow.

“What about the remains?”, she asked, continuing forward to the tank.

“Got them too.”, Jersey answered as the Psi-Stalker made her way to him. “We were able to scrape up what was left of Razor into a body bag, Bish was more or less still intact, so his body won’t be a problem, and Thumper here went back and scooped up as much of Blue as he could with his helmet.”

“That so, big guy?”, Rachel asked the massive kill hound, gently patting him on the shoulder.

Thumper showed her his helm filled to the collar with shattered glass. On top of the pile were six gold earrings and single black plastic one with a tenth notch freshly scratched in. “We don’t leave our dead behind.”, he solemnly said.

“That’s right.”, she whispered back. “At least when we can help it. Too bad we can’t go back for Rock.”

“At least we got his luck gun.”, Jersey reminded her. It wasn’t much of a consolation, but it was better than nothing.

As the pack fell silent again Rachel noticed Bandana standing knee deep in the waters staring out to the horizon, obviously concerned about the voyage to come. For the first time since they met he had his old style riot armor off, breastplate, leggings, skullcap, spike covered vambraces and all. With the exception of the greenish black medallion and red bandana he wore around his neck, the dog was completely nude. The only thing that protected him against the chilling wind and damp air was his short coat of brown and white fur. Rachel could tell he was lost in thought because his tail was still and limp, but not between his legs. As his new alpha waded into the water his left ear reflexively rotated back towards her.

“We don’t have a chance in hell. Do we?”, the Boxer moaned as he envisioned all the terrors the Demon Sea had to offer. “Maybe I should have stuck with that sack-face Nahvin. He promised me a ticket home in exchange for my help.”

Rachel sopped just behind Bandana and gently ran her fingers though his coat of hair and lightly petted him on the head. In response the Boxer ever so slightly leaned back into her affectionate hand. It seemed like an eternity since anyone touched him in any way that didn’t result in hurt. “Maybe you should have, little fella.”, she admitted in her best comforting voice. “But then I would have had to kill ya.”

Bandana blinked, stunned at her blunt and honest admission. It wasn’t a joke though she delivered it like one. It had been so long since he heard someone telling the truth he’d forgotten what it sounded like. He realized that if they could make it, he wouldn’t have to endure another lie. Back home he’d be another valued Psi-hound soldier and have the honor and respect that commanded among his peers. He felt like a new dog, ready to take on the world and do whatever the Coalition asked of him. As long as they treated him right, that is.

“How do I know they won’t?”, Bandanas asked as a though occurred to him, pointing with his nose to the tank..

“What? Kill you?”, Rachel asked as she glanced back at her boys. The only one who didn’t seem apprehensive about Bandana was Thumper, and she was sure even he would too in time. She was more forgiving than the dog pack. If left alone they would definitely consider executing the Boxer for treason and using his body as fish bait out at sea. “They’ll think about it, but they won’t. In fact they’re under strict orders not to report your actions when we get back. As far as brass will be concerned, we found you in the Preserves and took you along for the ride. I’m sure you can make up a good cover story from there.”

“Thank you…for everything.”, Bandana gratefully replied. As for the pack, he knew such an order was hardly binding, but odds were they’d follow it regardless just because she gave it.

“Alright everyone, in the tank.”, West commanded as she exited the water with a steady stride leaving deep boot-prints in the sand. “We have long trip ahead of us and I have a bet to win. Tike…” She waited for the Min Pin and at least one witness to look her way before continuing. “… put me down for thirteen flips.”

As the pack climbed into the back of the battered and scorched Grinning Skull battle tank, Rachel took one last look at the alien trees and landscape of Atlantis. Despite its wonders and beauty, she would rather chew off her fingers and use them as suppositories than stay another day. The grandeur of the land was lost on her. She didn’t see breathtaking foliage and an amazing scenery, only a land of death shrouded in deceptive elegance. If she never set foot on that land for the rest of her life she could die a happy woman.

“Coming, Captain?”, Boone Dog asked from inside the amphibious vehicle.

“…yea.”, Rachel softly replied.

As the hatch closed, the tracked vehicle rolled into the salty sea. After it waded in far enough for it to begin to float, the treads stopped moving and retracted flush with the tank’s belly, allowing plates to cover them to eliminate their drag. As that happened a pair large hidden water-jet nozzles emerged from behind armored plates. Silently they began squirting out sea water as fast as intakes could drawn the fluid in. The toothless tank began to speed its way through the sea, churning water into a foam in its wake as the pack of dogs and their alpha made their way towards the setting sun and a future most uncertain.

The End (?)

[Lucas]

NO NO NO the end NO NO NO more more more plz

[Hotrod]

Dead Boy,

A well-done and fitting end. I would pay money to read more of your stories. Thank you for sharing this. I hope you will write more.

You have the gift.

[Aramanthus]

Great ending! Please consider sequels of that group of characters. I'd definately read more of their adventures! Of course I'll read more or your writing when you post it!

[Lucas]

okay i must say very well done old bean, i enjoyed it very much

[Snuffy]

Dead Boy - Thank you for the great story!

[G]

I am now hosting this story on my site.

[Aramanthus]

Great idea. Just one thing........ Did you ask him? I would really get his premission before going any further. I'm sure he would allow it. But ask first. Better to be safe than sorry.

[G]

Yup

[Preacher]

Pretty good Deadboy. I liked it.

I waited till you had it complete before I read it though because I hate waiting for something to be finished when I have an interest in the conclusion.

[Dead Boy]

I see that my short story lost its "Sticky-status". And to be honestly that's fine by me. It had a good run and I thank NMI for allowing it be stickied for as long as it was.

Because of the 2600+ hits this story got in response I'll be submitting this version of Hounds to the Rifter in the next few days to see if it's up to their standards. And because of the positive feed back, I tentatively plan on doing a sequel (though that may take a while... definitely a Summer project when I have the time to focus on something that big and involved). Till then, thanks for the love, guys.

[Aramanthus]

I'm looking forward to seeing future adventures of the survivors of this patrol!

[Sir Blayse]

hey, has this made it into a rifter? i hope so

[Dead Boy]

hey, has this made it into a rifter? i hope so

These things take time (i.e., no word yet, and knowing them the earliest I'll hear any good news is by Christmas, if ever at all).

Oh, and thanks for the bump.

[csbioborg]

are you planning on writing anything new?

[Dead Boy]

are you planning on writing anything new?

In the works now that school is over for the next few months. Be patient.

[Aramanthus]

Promises! Can't wait to see what comes from your mind Dead Boy!

[Aramanthus]

Hopefully he'll post something soon on the next adventure of the survivors of that group.

[Razzinold]

Well like another poster on the boards I waited until the story was complete before reading. Nice job, it was nice to see someone using the Dogs Boys for somthing "good" and not just worthless cannon fooder. I actually liked the CS in this book, made them seem like "victims" against all Supernatural things and that their view on life could be the right one on Rifts Earth. Once again great story, you should write more for sure!

[csbioborg]

bumping this for the guy that wanted to get a feel for the rifts setting

[MikelAmroni]

Wow, Deadboy, this is an awesome story, and you caught the essence of both Coalition AND Splugorth life masterfully. I have to show this to my wife, so she can read it. Insanely awesome. I hope this makes it into the Rifter.

[Dead Boy]

Wow, Deadboy, this is an awesome story, and you caught the essence of both Coalition AND Splugorth life masterfully. I have to show this to my wife, so she can read it. Insanely awesome. I hope this makes it into the Rifter.

Thanks for the kind words! I hope it finds its way into those hallowed pages as well. Time will tell, and they do like to take their time over at the Rifter. But that's ok. I'm patient.

And for those of you wondering about the follow on "Tooth & Claw", school work this quarter took on MF-proportions so that got seriously stalled out, (worst quarter I've had since I went back to school in 2003! ). At present it's still in the outline stage (all 70+ pages of it) waiting for me to figure out how to end the thing, and then find the time to type the whole thing up for real, (estimating the finished product to be 140+ pages in all). But I had my first final today, with two more to come shortly on Monday and Wednesday respectively... both fully comprehensive. After that, it's three and a half weeks of off-time till the next quarter picks up. I hope to get a lot done on this in that time.

Bottom line: Despite all appearances (or lack there of here on the boards), I AM NOT DEAD... just really, really tired.

[Aramanthus]

Understandable! Good luck with your finals! I'm going to try and get back into school too. Take your time! We can wait for that story!

[Snuffy]

Dead Boy - Thanks for the update. Hope school is going well and your keeping it your priority.

Aramanthus - going back to school tip from one old fart to another. Steady as she goes. 2 classes in the Fall, Spring and at least one in the summer. What ever you do, don't take the summer off. Good Luck!

[The Galactus Kid]

I love this story. Is there anyway that you might be able to e-mail it to me in a wrod document so i can print it off at work and read it?

[Aramanthus]

I really need to get the schooling arranged. Especially if nothing else manifest itself in my future.

[Dead Boy]

I love this story. Is there anyway that you might be able to e-mail it to me in a wrod document so i can print it off at work and read it?

You can print it off from here.
http://theleynet.awardspace.com/hh.html

G was nice enough to host it for me on his website with other short stories, (what a great guy, hu?)

I really need to get the schooling arranged. Especially if nothing else manifest itself in my future.

That's why I went back to school. Dead-end life filled with nothing more than the message boards here, TV, food, and internet porn. It's nice to be on track again. Even if it is a lot of work, it's well worth it. And Snuffy's right; take it slow at first so you can ease your way back into doing school work so you can get off to the right start, scoring the big numbers on your grades. After that acclimation period it gets easier to pull in the big 4.0's, though you might want to take a real class and a dinky filler one so you have 6+ credits if you want to better qualify for financial aid, (higher education can get really, really expensive!).

[Aramanthus]

I believe that! Thank you for the advice! I appreciate it.

[MikelAmroni]

So Deadboy, or anyone else for that matter - what would you peg the bonuses/penalties for a min-pin at? now that my wife has started reading your story, she wants to play one (she's always liked psi-hounds anyway).

[Aramanthus]

That is awesome! I would like to see those bonuses too. My Mom has a Minpin too. So now it's personal.

[Dead Boy]

So Deadboy, or anyone else for that matter - what would you peg the bonuses/penalties for a min-pin at? now that my wife has started reading your story, she wants to play one (she's always liked psi-hounds anyway).

Straight from my notes, edited only for clairity:

Miniature Pinscher ~ Recon/Tunnel Rat (Experimental)
Attributes: Roll as normal OCC including "Physical Bonuses" OCC Ability with the following modifiers; IQ: +1D6, PS: -10 (never less than 6), Spd: -1D6 (Running & other physical skills encouraged to offset); Height is typically 2 foot 9 inches +1D6 inches. Weight typically 49 lbs + 1D12 lbs.
Special Bonuses & Abilities: +35% to Prowl skill due to diminutive size & weight, +4 initiative, +14 v Horror Factor (fearless), 5/20 eye sight, and +20% on all perceptive rolls & Detect Ambush skill. 35% chance that the dog's normal "one additional Sensitive power" of choice is Total Recall.
Breed's Disposition: Ultra gung ho and hard core. Unafraid to do whatever it takes to complete each and every mission handed down. Typical of this new breed, they are smart, proud, and absolutely fearless!
Standard Equipment: Includes (but not limited to) a CP-20 Pulse Laser Pistol with custom shoulder stock (used like a rifle in their small hands); 6 long e-clips; Wilk’s 210 ‘Pocket Pistol’ backup weapon; Fully environmental DPM:D3 armor (small EBA, camouflage pattern, "recon" styled helm) 40 MDC; and 3D Camouflage Suit (as RTL Commando, SB:4 CSN, pg. 35).

[Aramanthus]

Cool. Although I think my Mom's MinPin is smarter than that.

[MikelAmroni]

Wow, talk about thread necromancy. FYI Deadboy - when I was introducing Remy (the killhound in my game) to Rifts, I made him read Hounds of the Hunt and the graphic novel Machinations of Doom.

Did you ever get a response on whether they would include it in a Rifter?

[Dead Boy]

Thanks! I'm flattered!

Did you ever get a response on whether they would include it in a Rifter?

Talked to Wayne Smith a month before Rifter #54 went to press. He mentioned it was on his hard drive while reviewing what all was in my file at Palladium. Said nothing about printing it, but at least I know he's aware of its existence.

[Hotrod]

Dead Boy... have you considered writing any other Rifts fiction? I'd love to see you flesh out some other aspect of the Coalition.