Route 66 - Act 7: The Man on Fire
Opening
The session opens with the group ready to enter Medina's room in the VIP area. They knock and are invited in.
Kate and Moki bring up the city they're currently in and mention the train that's encircling it; how it showed up immediately after crossing the tracks and how it never seems to have an end.
The Highway Hex
Medina responds saying what they describe sounds like a "Highway Hex" and in this case, it was likely a trap that was set up. She mentions that the hex was a binding of the city to a physical form. She proceeds to scry into her crystal ball, looking into the hex. The crystal ball shifts to show what looks like a man wrapped in power lines, suspended in the air by his arms and legs. While they couldn't see much skin, it looked like it had a metallic tone to it. They were also told that he was being held in the power plant of the city.
While Kate and Moki were thinking on how to tackle the situation, Katrina asked about a faster way out. Medina told her that she could open a portal to a crossroads. She also explained that the crossroads are a special place on the route. While it is the intersection of two roads, whenever you approach a crossroads, you will always meet someone you met before, and someone you never met before.
The Crossroads
Katrina agrees and Medina opens the portal, wishing the group luck. They step through and see Diesel's truck at the intersection with his bar open, along with several other figures around the truck. Katrina smiles as she sees this and makes her way up to the truck. Kate and Moki are surprised to learn Katrina knows Diesel too. She takes a seat at a barstool.
Kate and Moki join at the bar and listen into the conversation. There are many different bounty hunters all trying to find the best way to take down the Man on Fire. Katrina asks for 5 shots and then asks for each party to explain what their plans are.
One person wanted to throw a net, someone else wanted to use a cloak and two daggers while he was distracted, another wanted to make a minefield, a pair of gnomes suggested burrowing under the desert and letting him fall into the hole Katrina didn't even let the last person speak, before a 6th bounty hunter spoke up, saying his plan was to get there before everyone else and kill them. The others didn't get a chance to react before he pulled out a revolver and shot each one within the span of a second, tossing 6 death coins. One for each.
The man was revealed to be Steven, who was given the title of "The Man on Fire". Though he isn't the first to bear it. It's uncertain what happened to the previous Man on Fire.
The groups part ways from here and Moki is tossed a pair of keys to the break room of the mall. She catches them. Katrina wants Moki to use them to return home, but she refuses, insisting she still wanted to meet Lorelai and find out more about the hex city before moving on. Katrina once again insisted that she's not ready to stay on the route yet. Katrina then wrestles Moki for the keys, snatching them from her. She put the keys into the nearest door and opens it revealing the inside of the mall break room. Kate and Moki reluctantly follow in, once again agreeing that it might be worse if they stay, but Moki is deeply upset by Katrina's methods of doing things.