The utility truck rounds Evan’s marked lane behind Belmont’s music buildings. A distant alarm wails across campus, and infected spill from the jammed intersection ahead.
Biters surge around the truck, striking its sides with slack hands. Several Virals scramble over parked cars, fast silhouettes dropping into the lane as Thomas keeps moving.
Thomas Roberts
Hold on. I’m pushing through the gap, but it’s closing fast.
Maya braces the UV lamp against the windshield and switches it on. Violet light washes across reaching faces, forcing nearby Virals to recoil and howl.
Then a massive Demolisher smashes through the swarm. Armored growths cover its bulk as it hurls a wrecked car aside, blocking the route back toward the dorm.
Maya Rodriguez
That is not a Biter. Thomas, the lane is narrowing. We need another way out now.
Thomas jerks the wheel toward a narrow turn between the music buildings and a loading fence. Biters crowd behind them, Virals climb onto the truck, and the Demolisher roars ahead.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get the party out of the infected blockade
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the dorm refuge safely
The infected creature recoils or begins burning, according to its sensitivity to UV light.
“Charlie searches for an exit route for them as they flee the demolisher.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled -2)
Charlie scans the loading fence, service signs, and gaps between the music buildings as the truck bucks through the swarm. A marked delivery lane slopes toward an open maintenance gate.
Charlie Moore
The delivery lane connects to the service road. It is narrow, but it gets us away from the Demolisher and back toward campus.
He points Thomas toward the gate and signals Maya to angle the UV lamp through the rear window. Violet light washes over the Virals clinging to the truck, and they recoil, smoking and burning away from the glass.
Thomas Roberts
I see it. Hold on, we are taking the maintenance gate.
Thomas cuts between a loading dock and the fence. The truck’s passenger side scrapes hard against a steel post, tearing the mirror away and leaving a long strip of paint, but the gate opens onto the service road.
Maya Rodriguez
We’re through! The Demolisher is behind us, and the lane is clear!
The utility truck accelerates down the service road, putting the buildings between them and the infected. Behind, the Demolisher recoils from Maya’s UV beam while the burning Virals scatter.
Quest Complete
Get the party out of the infected blockade
The infected creature recoils or begins burning, according to its sensitivity to UV light.
“What the hell was that thing? Charlie exclaims. It looked like it could have crushed the whole truck.”
Charlie Moore
What the hell was that thing? It looked like it could have crushed the whole truck.
The utility truck rattles along the service road, its torn mirror flapping against the door. Behind the buildings, the Demolisher’s roar fades beneath the continuing alarm.
Thomas Roberts
That was a Demolisher. I have never seen one in person, but the armor, the strength, the way it threw that car... it fits.
Maya Rodriguez
The UV beam forced it back, just like the Virals. It recoiled and started burning, but I would not assume the light stopped it for long.
Maya keeps the lamp aimed through the rear window until the service road bends behind a concrete loading building. The truck’s engine temperature remains steady despite the hard escape.
Thomas Roberts
We do not go back that way today. I am checking the truck for damage at the next secure pull-off, then we return by the widest route available.
Maya Rodriguez
And we record everything. Demolisher near the music buildings, vulnerable to UV, strong enough to block a vehicle route. That changes every future garage run.
“Charlie says that Demolisher is a good name for it. They probably need a game plan for dealing with them. If there is one there are others.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Charlie Moore
Demolisher is a good name for it. We need a game plan for dealing with them, because if there is one, there are others.
Thomas guides the damaged truck into a fenced loading yard and shuts off the engine. The torn mirror hangs loose, but the temperature gauge remains normal.
Thomas Roberts
Agreed. We never fight one in the open. We identify its route, keep a vehicle between us and it, and use UV to force it away while we escape.
Maya Rodriguez
Add distance, barriers, and daylight. No basements, narrow lanes, or dead ends. If UV makes it recoil and burn, every vehicle needs a charged lamp and a second retreat route.
Maya opens the route notebook on the dashboard. Thomas checks the truck’s scraped side and marks the music buildings as a permanent red zone.
Thomas Roberts
Our Demolisher protocol is clear: spot it early, avoid drawing it, keep moving, use UV only to create space, and abandon the objective if the route closes.
Maya Rodriguez
I’ll brief the dorm team and update every route map. From now on, one person watches for large infected while the others protect the retreat.
“Charlie checks to see if he can reattach the mirror with duct tape.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Mechanics, rolled +0)
Charlie retrieves the duct tape from the roadside kit and gathers the torn mirror against its remaining bracket. The loading yard stays quiet beyond the fence.
He aligns the mirror housing, folds the loose wiring safely against the door, and wraps several tight layers of tape around the mount and support arm.
The mirror holds firmly enough for the truck’s return trip. Its angle is limited, but Charlie can see the lane behind them without leaving the cab.
Thomas Roberts
That will do. It is not pretty, but it gives us rear visibility and keeps the mirror from tearing away completely.
Thomas checks the taped joint, then walks around the truck to inspect the scraped passenger side. The door opens and latches, while the tires and underside remain intact.
Maya Rodriguez
Good repair. We can drive back, but I’m marking the passenger side as damaged and the music-building route as unusable until daylight reconnaissance.
Thomas Roberts
Before we move, we log the damage, confirm the route, and keep the UV lamp charged. Then we get this truck and everyone home.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a safe return route
“Charlie agrees and helps update the record while Thomas drives.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -1)
Charlie climbs into the passenger seat with the route notebook and inventory clipboard. As Thomas starts the truck, he records the torn mirror, scraped door, limited visibility, and intact tires.
Charlie Moore
The mirror holds, but the passenger side needs a proper repair before another dangerous run.
Thomas Roberts
Mark the music-building lane as closed, and note the loading yard as our emergency pull-off. We need routes with room to turn around.
Charlie adds the Demolisher sighting, the Virals on the truck, and the UV response to the threat record. He circles the maintenance gate as a successful escape point.
Maya Rodriguez
Add one more requirement: every future vehicle run carries a charged UV lamp and identifies two retreat routes before leaving.
Thomas eases onto the broad service road. Charlie compares Evan’s marked lane with the wider return route, crossing out the damaged approach and noting the truck’s reduced side visibility.
Thomas Roberts
The record is clear now. We return by the widest route, brief the dorm team, and keep this truck parked until we inspect that mirror properly.
Quest Complete
Secure a safe return route