Starr blushed when Demetri commented on the skirt she was wearing. She'd never really thought about the clothes she wore, it wasn't something most people in the wasteland forgot about. Florida was a different land, in landscape, and socially.

I wonder what this "Roy" wants. He's probably seen or heard a lot of the destruction we caused in our first day here.

Demetri watched the man turn up, Demetri guessed in his thirties. "Welcome, I've been hearing stories about a group of travelers," he said in a rather cheerful manner, "I expected your group to be bigger."
"We got split up, no idea where the rest are, hope the creature hasn't got them." Demetri said
"So you've met him then, or she, maybe just it. He has been around for some time, no idea where he came from, generally leaves us alone, as long as we don't provok him or leave the city."
"It lets you stay here?"
"Why yes, it may consider the city ours and the jungle and swampland his, so he is protecting it." The man smiled, "Where are my manners, I am Reynolds, my men call me Roy though, leader of the city and protector, come follow me." The man showed them a large set of doors which some servents opened revealing a large room with a table in the center, "We can talk over dinner."

Demetri followed with both Starr and Mark behind, sitting down, Demetri hoped to get some questions answered.

As the servant got their meals Mark asked, "So why did you invite us here at gunpoint?"

"Didn't intend to, but my people are wary and are like this," The man replied, "Also I wanted to make sure you would come." Demetri looked the man, "We were on our way here anyway," Demetri said, "We were looking for a place."
"Oh really? Where?"
Demetri throught the moment, could they trust this man, "Well, I'm not sure it is our place to discuss this at this time," Demetri replied.

Looking at the food which was served, it was a large chunk of meat on the plate, served with a few localily grown vegetables. Demetri took a bite out of the meat, it tasted pretty good, "What is this?" Demetri asked, "It's quite good."
"Glad you like it," Reynolds said, "It's a large Jumper, caught this morning." The colour rushed from Demetri's mouth, the thought of eaten the meat from a giant spider didn't make the meat appeasing any more.

Mark took a bite and said, "I don't care if it came from that thing that tried to kill us, it still tastes good." He then asked, "So what can you tell us about the situation in Orlando, or whatever you guys call this region now?"

"Life is reasonably quiet around here," Reynolds replied, "Just the Jumpers to contend with in the eastern side." Reynolds smiled, "Not thinking of going in there are you? Most who go in never come back out." Demetri looked at the man, "Well if thats where our path leads us, yes."

Mark asked, "Is there anywhere important on the east side of the city, and what about the tribals, are they friendly?

Reynolds laughed, "The Tribals occasionally quarral among themselves," He replied, "They each have their own leaders, and these ones report to me, having a small firefight toughens them, but gets to out of hand we intervene, we grab both ringleaders and send them into exile together in the eastern side of the city, if they return with a valuable object which the city as a whole can use they may return, but cannot lead again, if they don't the jumpers are fed."

Reynolds eyed the whole group, "If you're asking about the vault-tec Headqauters, thats the only important place that side," Reynolds said with quite some excitment, "Meaning you're after something to do with the vaults." Demetri frowned, "Well yes, locations of the vaults, a 42 to be precise," Demetri said.
"Ah, I've found 42 when I was younger," Reynolds said, and smiled when the group were filled with relief they might of found their location, "It was a fake, opened up and for our effort we got, "Better luck next time Commie scum"." Reynolds laughed, "So you'll have to dig a bit deeper for your missing vault."

Mark said, "Well that svcks, just when we thought we had it." He then said, "Well, we might as well go to Vault-Tec HQ Florida anyway just to see if we can find anything important, don't you think?"

*repeat post, disregard*

"WE you will have, and I shall be sending some men with you," Reynolds replied. Demetri looked schocked, "I thought you said no one leaves the eastern side," Demetri pointed out, "Whats in it for you?"
"For me? Well the chance to find some old tech to improve the city, maybe even a G.E.C.K." Demetri sat in silence, this man still did not know they were after the G.E.C.K atleast, but if they tried to take it from them, it could be a bloodbath.

"Duran!" Reynolds shouted, Duran came through door, "Yes Roy?" he asked.
"Choose your best men, and tell them they are going on a trip to the jumper territory tomorrow morning."
"Yes Roy, what for?"
"Our friends here are going for the Vault-tec building, we can help them, they help us."

Mark thought, "We could definitely use the extra guns, but what happens when we find the GECK. Hell, how do we know the GECK's removal won't return this place to desert like before." He then asked, "I remember one of your men saying that this place used to be a desert, care to elaborate on that?"

"So you're after a G.E.C.K to?" Reynolds asked, "We don't want to turn this place back into a desert, just keep it under control, maybe turn some land for farmland." Reynolds got up and paced up and down the room, "But the main question is, what do you want it for?"
"We were hired to retrive it, we are mrecs after all," Demetri answered, "The pay seems to be good."
"So you would give it to some man who could use it for anything, over us who would use it to help this land?"
"You don't know if it will work, have you heard of one working at all."
"Yes, a village of tribals on the east coast used it to help their dieing crops."
"You get news all the way from there, we have trouble in the capital wasteland." Demetri stood up and waled over to the man, "Though how do we know we can trust you?" Demetri asked, "You are honestly much stranger then most gang leaders I've met."
"A gang, you were told I was a gang leader?" Reynolds was amused, "My men like to think they are, sercurity force doesn't sound as great to them."

Mark said, "We'll get back to you on that." He then pulled Dimitry and Starr over to where they couldn't hear and said, "So what do you guys think we should do?"

"I've no idea, we've used up quite a bit of supplies since comeing here, we may need their help." Demetri said, "Though if they get the G.E.C.K we don't get paid..." Demetri thought for the moment, if it did give a chance to allow these people a better life, whats to say it couldn't be used later on in other places, maybe turn the capital wasteland back to it's former glory.

Mark said, "I agree, but first we have to contend with everyone else who wants the GECK, especially those Talon Company mercs, they're the worst." He only hoped that once the GECK was recovered there wouldn't be much bloodshed. Mark was even considering staying here once this mission was over. True it was dangerous, but it was beautiful at the same time.

"Who knows what happened to them," Demetri said, "hopefully the creature got 'em."

Mark said, "I wish, but those bastards seem to be very talented at survival."

(OOC: Are you guys on here all day? Since I was off in Orlando on my own anyway, I thought It would make sense if my guy was waiting for the rest of you in the HQ)

Tom stumbled through eastern Orlando. Since he had been seperated, he had been traveling all of that time, using med-x and buffout to ignore the pain in his ribs. He was out, and it hurt like a [censored]. He staggered into a building, not paying attention to what it was. He scanned the room, not seeing any of the spider bastards and sliding into a chair holding his ribs. Tom coughed loudly, spitting blood into his hand. '[censored],' he thought 'Internal bleeding, damn spider' Tom took a closer look at the building he took shelter in, and his breath caught in his throat. A large banner hung on the wall and it read; "Welcome to Vault-Tech Florida HQ!", complete with a smiling Vault Boy drawing giving Tom a thumbs up. "Guess I'm getting lucky now" he said and coughed once again to the side, spitting out blood. He figured he'd wait it out until his traveling companions got there so they could patch him up. Unless this place turned out to be spider central, and his coughing attracted all of the s.o.b's in the building. 'Oh well, I guess I'll wait it out here, either for salvation or death,' thought Tom, his eyes blurring briefly 'Let's see if my new-found luck holds'

((I cant post until everyone begins heading for the vault. I'm just going to act like they figured out the location was fake, or something...idk...))

OOC: /holy blazing crap, I leave and eight pages of dialogue come back to haunt me.
It is time for a SSU or story sized update.
The creature I was going for was more of a tarantula or a scorpion but Mantis works I'll try to make a progression for the thing from gangly pale monkey creature to bad ass armored insect although I may take it more as a general shape then making a man sized mantis because that sounds kind of easy to kill.
Also if I am following the idea of this place being radiation free only the most desperate creatures will try to eat my Ghoul as he is irradiated and most creatures would likely find this a bad deal in a radiation free environment like the one we have here.
Seeing as my character needs to meet back up with the group I'm having him get taken by the Tower dwellers I guess that the tower would be a good meeting point for the characters, well once the massacre of the locals is done by Norman and crew.
Also Norman I would respond soon or "It" is going to eat you (or perhaps snip off your hands and make you watch It eat the rest of your crew).

Nathan woke to blackness as the night fell on the forest and creatures scuttled and slunk past him he found that he had a few bite marks on him but for the most part he was left alone.
nathan grinned "Guess the bugs didn't like me" he muttered. "Now to get out of this place" Nathan continued before getting up off the ground and shaking loose a cat sized snail from a tree trunk, thinking nothing of the event even if a cat sized snail was unnatural what wasn't in this land? Laughing at the absurdity of this place he sat down on a rock he felt several creatures nibble him before moving on not interested in his dangerously irradiated flesh. Finding his pack in a low hanging branch Nathan took the 44. revolver in his bag and strapped it to his side the straps on his belt being reinforced with cloth strips from his former blanket and several of them went to staunching the wounds in his chest from the bird.
Feeling that there was not much more point in keeping his coat with the gigantic holes torn in it and the left sleeve missing from a close call with that slug acid that had downed the oversized buzzard which had grabbed him he stuffed the ragged article into his bag. Walking with no real direction Nathan stopped when he heard an ear splitting rasping he looked left to witness a Brahmin sized snail stripping a tree of bark, smaller creatures falling on its ridged shell as it continued to strip the tree with its rasping tounge. Nathan wondered if these creatures got any bigger as the trees rustled behind the thing, larger creatures moving in the underbrush. Nathan though he saw a flash of black in the bush before a blur of motion came behind the titan snail and the breath was driven from nathans lungs "...Crap" was all nathan muttered before turning tail and fleeing.
That was the creature from before, he had seen that thing full of holes missing a head bowl past him at a speed he doubted he could reach being shot from a cannon much less on his own power. Whatever it had been before was no longer was what it was now though as from the glimpse of it before had revealed a massive mottled brown and black carapace with a set of jaws he would think natural on one of the giant ants of his wasteland. The creature before its encounter with them was large and roughly humanoid with cruel fingers and long arms, no longer human in any capacity the creatures legs had split and sharpened. What had been its hands were what had tipped him off the fingers still remaining but the form being far different as the arms bent like steel traps waiting to crush something between them the hard edges on them informed Nathan that getting in between them would be a very bad idea Nathan had seen corded flesh on the joints of the creature but only in flashes as portions of carapace slid overtop one another and drew back over the area after its motion was finished this creature had had weak-points before but something had made it evolve defenses to even those minor points whatever it was the thing was learning.
A massive and sickening snap called through the trees and was followed by a saw blade sized piece of shell slamming into the tree in front of Nathan. The shell had to be nearly half a foot thick, the bloody monster had shattered that snail like a nuka cola bottle Nathan knew right now that he would die if that thing so much as nipped him so he continued running, and because of his blind fear tripped.
"Holy crap..." was all Nathan had to say but calmed a small bit before picking his path and walking he continued down a slightly indented portion of forest for about five minutes before the clicking of guns behind him and grunt of human origin that informed him he was best to stop moving stiffening then moving very slowly in a circle Nathan found a man staring him down with a combat shotgun
"Boss man says he wants to meet all the foreigners, you obviously seem lost so head for the tower."
"what tower?" queried Nathan, taking his shotgun and moving it upwards the man shot twice causing Nathan to duck for fear of flying buckshot after a few seconds of cowering Nathan got back up and looked at the man as if he had lost his head the man pointed at the direction he had shot and in the spot was now a oblong hole in the canopy revealing a large partially ruined structure in the distance.
"Grin will be taking you to the tower as Boss man is getting antsy"
"wait what?" Nathan questioned again obviously not understanding that these people did not want to eat him. The man wielding the shotgun muttered under his breath before speaking slowly
" You, are being taken" he indicated a man behind him with his thumb the scars on his face making the reason for the name obvious "By Grin," he then knifed his hand at the hole in the canopy "To the Tower" Nathan shut up as he felt further speaking would get him turned into Swiss cheese.
A rustling followed by gunshots and screaming caused the group to tense up "Go Now!" Shotgun man hollered before Grin grabbed Nathan by the arm and started running toward the tower.
Arriving at the entrance in a rush, Grin departed without a word looking up Nathan marveled at the structure "Jeeze haven't seen something this ritzy since Tenpenny's back home" Nathan spoke to himself
"Sir" a well dressed man interrupted "If you are to meet Roy our leader you must change clothing he does not accept savages into his presence" the man sniffed before producing a bottle of cologne "He was informed one of your kind was coming please apply this to yourself Roy finds the smell of rotten body quite irritating."
"Alright gimme the clothes and the juice you got a room I can use or should I change here?" Nathan asked a small bit of acid leaking into his tone but for the most part kept in check. The man indicated a room and Nathan entered.
////
It was growing stronger last time it had been unprepared, this time it would find these powerful two-legs and eat them slowly. they would give up their secrets to It and It would become even more powerful.
It knew that as it was before these creatures had harmed It, It would not allow this again. The snails of the forest and their armored shells were a secret It had never discovered preferring speed and power to defense.
Its body grew sharper as It's skin grew darker matching the forest surrounding it. Dropping in height it adopted a new stride with an additional pair of legs It knew from past encounters with weaker Two-legs and a recent one with the more powerful outsiders that they carried powerful stings but died swiftly
It knew that speed would be needed to separate these creatures from their herd.

It witnessed one of the Sky terrors fall streaming smoke seeing a possible food source It cannoned off to the impact site.
It was disappointed finding only one of the Single foots as the source and disabled it, the creature screamed and flailed but It was not scared off by desperate tactics It peeled the creature slowly, deliberately, of its poisonous outer flesh with the sharp edges of It's limbs.
The Single foot was delicious and feeling the need to feed again It set off in search for one of the Single foot's kin.
It found a Shell foot in the foliage unaware and advanced It had learned the secrets of the single foot shell so it also knew it he weaknesses folding both of It's limbs around the creature It tugged and pulled the shell upwards exposing the soft flesh of the single foot inside.
The single foot lay emptied and half of its shell shattered when It had grown tired of digging to reach the flesh inside. hearing movement in the the brush It extended It's sensory organs feeling and hearing shapes, It followed.
The first blast of fire It encountered was weak and it bounced off It's hide like rotten fruit on hard packed dirt, one movement and the creature was missing the limb it had used to exhume fire at It after snipping off the other similar limb on the opposite side of the Two-leg's body It moved on.
The tribe of fire spitting Two-legs were no threat to It as It was now, the two-legs were delicious, It moved on.
It drew mouth across limb as It sharpened and prepared for battle, a light fog followed it as excess chitin was burned off from the single foot's power revealing wicked edges and gleaming points.
It ghosted through the forest lesser creatures fleeing in waves as the realized the Terror that It was spying a group of Shelled Two-legs hiding behind gleaming stones and surrounded by Two-leg corpses It decided to wait and watch belly full in the shadows. These Two-legs would be prey later and It would take pleasure in peeling them.

((faceless, you have the fake one on that pipboy you got, so you could always go and look for that one with Nwah, give you something to do.))

Demetri shook his head, "I say help them, for now." Demetri said, "We can get a better idea of their intentions, also the extra guns won't hurt." Turning back to Reynolds, "We will take the assistance, though who are the men that will be accompying us?" Demetri asked
"Duran will be leading the group, a bit unstable in the thick of it, but I wouldn't want anyone else at my back," Reynolds replied, "Grin and Saturn will most likely be the others, both excellent in a firefight, and skilled hunters"

((Hope you don't mind me using Grinm, thought it would be a good idea.))

Mark said "Ok, we have a plan." He left the room and spotted Nathan with some new clothes. He said, "Nathan, what happened to you? You look like you've had a brush with death."

OOC: as the leader/host of this adventure I think you kinda get to do that regardless, I'll make some more later if my character gets separated again or something.
maybe I'll make some to have an encounter with the Creature in a different perspective.

Nathan grinned and stowed his bag in a corner of the room "You could say that" Nathan replied "That creature from before, the one that lost its head and still managed to move seems to have come back for more and whatever is is now I fear an encounter." Nathan caught a breath before continuing "I was nearly hit by a dinner-plate sized chunk of shell from some creature the size of a brahmin it was dismantling, I don't doubt that thing could go up against the train that got us here and win."
Nathan paused for a moment before adding "turns out that the other creatures here don't much like me, guess I give them gas."

///
The Two-Leg screamed, It did not care.
It had been finding more of these Two-legs wandering It's land It had just been resting and digesting the days meal when one of them came along and tried to sting It, Two-legs had hit one of It's eyes and for a while It had to depend on It's sensory organs but It quickly found the Two-legs and removed all the creatures limbs.
It found a well hidden place and rested further, feeling the power of the Forest growing stronger as It fed.

Mark said, "Don't worry, they say that that creature won't attack us in the city, but we'll be back in the jungle eventually. We ran into the creature again as well and it would've killed Dimitri and myself if it wasn't for Starr. "