Blaststrike arrives at the fortified truck stop, her fourteen-foot construct frame glowing blue beside stacked cargo trucks and concrete fuel barriers. Beyond the lot, the bridge shudders.
A middle-aged woman in a faded green parka crouches behind the barriers, keeping several children low. Her gray braid and cracked yellow safety glasses stand out as she watches the span.
the schoolteacher
Stay down. Nobody runs until I say.
Far across the approach, vehicles force a dense mass of dead onto the bridge. The leading bodies have reached the central span, and concrete joints split beneath them.
the schoolteacher
The demolition crew lost control. The bridge is folding toward us!
A deep metallic groan rolls over the truck stop. One section sags toward the fuel barriers, exposing the children to falling concrete and a widening path from the bridge.
the schoolteacher
Please, armored one, do something before it comes down!
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the children from the collapsing bridge
“I shield the children beneath my armored frame.”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +1)
Blaststrike steps over the barriers and lowers her immense armored frame around the children. Blue energy brightens through her construct body as she plants both feet against the cracking pavement.
the schoolteacher
Everyone under her! Stay together, heads down!
The children, a mixed group of young human boys and girls in dusty, mismatched clothes, scramble beneath Blaststrike's broad chassis and armored limbs. The teacher follows, pressing the smallest child close as falling concrete slams across Blaststrike's back and shoulders.
the schoolteacher
She has them covered. Do not move until the dust settles.
Dust boils around the truck stop, muting the bridge's collapse to a deep grinding roar. Blaststrike remains braced, her armor taking the impact while the children stay sheltered beneath her.
the schoolteacher
Armored one, they are safe because of you. I can get them clear when you say.
Quest Complete
Secure the children from the collapsing bridge