CAMPAIGN
RECORD
PART 4- BATTLING ROAD
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This page continues the chronological log of our Votoms Campaign.
7213.07 -DEEP SPACE, MELKIAN SYSTEM
Low on fuel and supplies, Pent and Quey agree to return to Planet
Melkia, but Chet is worried that they will be found by the Melkian
army, or worse, the Red Shoulders! Fortunately while they
drift through space arguing about their plan, they hear a surprising
broadcast on the radio- the Balarant and Gilgamesh armies have
signed a peace treaty! With the war over, the three
agree that it might just be possible to return to Sunsa and try to
collect their hidden cache of Jijirium. But first they'll need
to earn enough money to supply a ship. Chet agrees to return
to Melkia, but goes his own way once they arrive.
7213.08 -CORZA DOCKS BATTLING ARENA
(Game 7)
Despite the risk of being captured by the military and tried for
desertion, Pent and Quey return to familiar territory- Corza City,
where they decide to enter a Battling Ring.
Unfortunately after Pent's Scopedog was destroyed while battling the
Balarant cruiser, he has little choice of AT to battle with, and
decides to use the captured Fatty. Calling himself the "Black
Sun", and Quey the "Angry Turtle", the two enter the competition
separately. By secretly working together, one or the other is
likely to win the battle and the prize money!
The Battling ring consists of an old Sea Dock, where a Gilgamesh
Space Destroyer had crashed during the war. Since abandoned,
and littered with wreckage, the docks have been converted into a
deadly battle arena ideal for waterproof ATs. Several ATs
enter the battle, making Pent and Quey's job difficult even with
teamwork!
Quey takes to the water, but soon discovers he is not alone as a
Berserga WP lurks on the far side of the docks. He lobs a few
mortar rounds, but the tough armor of the Berserga shrugs most of
the damage off. Meanwhile at the other end of the docks, other
contestants engage in a running battle. Although a Scopedog
contestant cleverly uses a ramp of debris to gain the high ground,
the fast and deadly Brutishdog manages to land hits on every AT he
can see
A more cautious Diving Beetle sneaks under the wreckage of the ship,
using water for cover. But even when he ambushes Pent, the
Brutishdog dashes up the back of the shipwreck and unleashes a
deadly hail of fire!
The Scopedog retreats, and Pent is left facing this deadly new
challenger... But before either can fire, the "Shadowflare"
appears out of the wreckage and blows the Brutishdog away with a
combination of Solid Shooter and Missile barrage!
Pent wheels his Fatty around the corner, and spots the Shadowflare
through a gap in the wreck. Heavily armed and armored, and
fast, the Shadowflare is clearly more than a match for any single AT
in the Battling Ring. Pent warns Quey of the new threat.
Quey closes with the Berserga and warns that if they don't work
together, neither will survive this battle. The Berserga
pilot, a Quentian known as Goug, agrees. Quey affirms his new
alliance by deestroying an advancing Marshydog before it can damage
him or the Berserga.
Quey attempts to flank the Shadowflare, and although he does some
damage, the black enemy returns fire with a vengeance, severely
damaging Quey's Barking Turtle. Abandoning his AT, Quey runs
inside the ruined ship, hoping to find something to turn the tide of
the fight. Unfortunately, one of the other AT pilots has the
same idea, and turns the ship's gun turrets on Goug's
Berserga! Quey manages to beat some sense into the pilot,
putting a stop to the deadly barrage.
Shaking off the attacks from the turret, Goug lays into the
Shadowflare with a Pile Bunker, doing some serious damage. But
not enough to stop the Shadowflare apparently...
Who retaliates with a crippling blas from his solid shooter, sending
Goug's ruined Berserga over the edge. Not to be
discouraged, Goug climbs out of the water on foot, and uses the dock
crane to throw oil drums at the Shadowflare, who is too busy
pursuing Pent's Fatty to notice...
Damaged or not, the relentless Shadowflare knocks Pent's Fatty to
the ground. But Pent but notices the oil drums and forms a
plan...
Engaging the rollerdash wheels on his modified Fatty, Pent scrapes
away from the Shadowflare and fires his gun into the drums. A
fiery explosion engulfs the Shadowflare, bringing the battle to an
end, and the prize money goes to "the Black Sun!".
Suspicious of the Scopedog and Marshydog's cooperation with the
Shadowflare, Quey manages to beat some information out of the
would-be turret gunner. Apparently the Shadowflare is a
military prototype, exploiting the battling ring as a testing
ground. If this rumour is true, then the military is as active
and manipulative as ever, even with the Armistice
signed. Pent and Quey agree that sticking around Melkia
is too risky, and plan to use their hard-earned prize money to
return to Sunsa. They invite Goug to join them, and the Quent
Mercenary agrees, finding the proposition of buried Jijirium
treasure much more appealing than battling.