Undead space gerbils, sure, okay. Truth be told, Aprife didn't care, wasn't even somewhat moved by the thought of a long-dead troll's probably-pet-turned-monster. They were cute, yeah—when they were alive. This bunch was decaying, so no, Aprife didn't care.
Now Bombee... Bombee cared. That was part of Muerte's grand scheme for creating him a convincing disguise. Making him relatable by making him softer, the greenblood had said. It was silly and unnecessary, but Aprife found himself torn between playing the part he'd been given or being true to how little he was actually touched by the scene.
One option was certainly easier, of course, and Muerte would never know, but...
"The poor things..." he said, sounding genuinely distraught. A good actor, always. "They didn't deserve to go out that way."
He sighed, turning away from the group. "Don't let your guard down so easily," he told Vixeni, the motivational words seeming to move him about as much as the gerbil display had in reality.
--
Bombee Nifera (Aprife Invasi) HP: 36/40 Adult + Military Grade Weapon: +2 dmg Training in Tactics
One second their 'leader' had pocketed the tape, a sarcastic remark on her tongue, and the next they were suddenly at the mercy of a group of undead gerbils. Fortunately, it didn't last long. On the other hand, it was unfortunate, because suddenly all the excitement had come and died before Trusci had a chance to respond.
"Daaaaang, your aim's pretty damn vicious!" Trusci seemed to be referring to the greenblood, "Gonna have to up my game huh Quicks?"
Quicks also seemed to be referring to the greenblood.
At least their charismatic leader had some choice words to say. Seriously, could you be anymore pretentious? At least they had cool teeth mods... and well she didn't have any real reason to dislike them actually, so what was she complaining for? "At least I can get behind what you're sayin'. We got a good crew here!" She grinned, genuine, pumped and most of all ready for action... unlike some members of the team, apparently.
"Dude," She was speaking to Bombee, "Uh, it's gonna be ok? We gotta keep moving." The hell was his problem? Getting sad over dead animals was totally a wriggler thing.
Quote:
HP: 20/20 Telekinesis (Novice Offense A): 2/2 Training in Endurance
"Best note you can take is to duck out of the way so I can line my shots," she commented, though pretty chuffed all the same. She knew she was good, but rarely did anyone say anything about it anymore. Reassurance could be real nice sometimes.
Though, this Vixeni character...continued to seem more like they were mimicking facial expressions than anything else. Hm.
Luxara looked over the corpse-corpses. Kind of sad, were they left out here to die? Or were they part of the Vast Glub? Either way couldn't be great for gerbils. Probably had no choice in the matter. At least now their bodies weren't just running around while their minds had left long ago. True peace...
"God, I hope it's not rooms and rooms of rotting gerbils. There're better food sources out there." She adjusted her crossbow strap.
"Anyway. Onwards?"
Quote:
HP: 30/40 + 6 +2 = 38/40 Military-grade Weapon: +1 dmg Training Tree Pins: Covert Ops Master (0 advances left on cooldown) Endurance Novice Strength Novice Tactics Training Artifacts: Adept Agility Style B (1/2) Novice Support Style B Novice Defense Style A Trinkets: Novice Support Style A
Gl!tch~ rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2Total: 2 (1-6)
Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:44 pm
With that little mess out of the way quick and easy, Luxara felt some oomph return. Maybe because she was in the zone? Good shooting, good vibes. "I'm gonna take a quick look around," she stated quick. With another casual salute, she skittered off.
Ardais made her way down another corridor, mentally timing herself for distance and risk. Also, no resources of note. Damn. But, didn't sound like any shambling forms, either. A positive.
As she got close to her personal limit, she caught sight of a door. Jackpot. She headed back to the group at double-speed. "Found us another door. Wanna check it out?"
Quote:
HP:38/40 Military-grade Weapon: +1 dmg Training Tree Pins: Covert Ops Master (4 advances left on cooldown) Endurance Novice Strength Novice Tactics Training Artifacts: Adept Agility Style B (1/2) Novice Support Style B Novice Defense Style A Trinkets: Novice Support Style A
"Having a little sympathy won't stop me, don't worry," Aprife assured Trusci, his smile returning as sharp as ever, but he quickly reigned it in and made it something softer. "You don't get to live as long as I have without learning how to deal with unfortunate circumstances."
While they waited for Luxara's return, he stayed quiet, but kept his eye on both of his teammates, observing them a bit closer than he had before now. At least until-
"Might as well check it out," he said, "We need to find the control room, anyway." A cursory look didn't lend any weight to the door being suspicious, at least, but when Aprife tried to open it, it was locked—tight.
--
Bombee Nifera (Aprife Invasi) HP: 36/40 Adult + Military Grade Weapon: +2 dmg Training in Tactics
Gl!tch~ rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-4)
Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:12 pm
"Mm." She looked it over. At least it wasn't trapped this time around. No panels, anyway.
"Well," Ardais said after a moment, "two shoulders."
Then she took a back, and slammed into the door once she knew she had the space to. Luxara could feel the old thing start to give. With a hidden smirk, she gave it another go. The door cracked loose, and gave access to the room.
"Score!"
Quote:
HP:38/40 Military-grade Weapon: +1 dmg Training Tree Pins: Covert Ops Master (4 advances left on cooldown) Endurance Novice Strength Novice Tactics Training Artifacts: Adept Agility Style B (1/2) Novice Support Style B Novice Defense Style A Trinkets: Novice Support Style A
This is a mini-boss battle, the full rules and mechanics of which can be reviewed here. The room beyond the door seems empty from the hallway, but stepping inside you are swiftly aware that you are not alone! For lurking in the corner is a dark groaning shape. As it turns towards you, you realize you are entering strife! You have encountered a ...
Dice 1 1. ... Enraged... (-1 to all attacks) 2. ... Jawless... (+1 on accuracy rolls) 3. ... Putrid... (-1 on all accuracy rolls) 4. ... Decomposing ... (+1 on all attacks) Dice 2 1. ... Skeletal... (-5 miniboss HP) 2. ... Bellicose... (players take 2x the amount of damage on their first turn) 3. ... Armoured... (only 2 players per turn may use a special artifact/ability/item) 4. ... Burning... (take an extra 1 dmg each time you deal max damage (highest roll possible for weapon or damage-dealing skill)) Dice 3 1. ...Undead Ship Cook! 2. ... Mutated Daywalker! 3. ... Zombie Gerbil Pack! 4. ... Daywalker on Fire! MINIBOSS STARTING HP: 25/30 If you rolled a 1, take 4 dmg. If you rolled a 2, take 4 dmg. If you rolled a 3, take 3 dmg. If you rolled a 4, take 3 dmg. If you rolled a 5, take 2 dmg. If you rolled a 6, take 2 dmg. Your attack this turn does double damage. If all party members reach 0hp, look below:
You must make a tactical retreat! Scrambling back out of the room, you barely make it to the pod with all your limbs attached. Better luck next time! You have retreated from your mission and returned back to the docking area! Squad commanders, be sure to report in!
If the mini-boss reaches 0hp, look below:
If this is your first or second mini-boss fight look below:
If a member of your team is a trained Discipline or Endurace specialist OR registered as in-training for either:
You can close your eyes and draw on inner reserves to keep going. This can only be done once per ship exploration per troll trained. If you are a Journeytroll or higher in your skill: Restore 1d10+3 OR 1/3rd (rounded down) of your hp. If you are a Novice in your skill: Restore 1d8+2 OR 1/4th (rounded down) of your hp. If you are training your skill: Restore 1d6+1 hp. You cannot roll the dice then choose the flat restoration, one must be picked beforehand.
If a member of your team is a trained Troll Relations or Leadership specialist OR registered as in-training for either:
You can manage to cheer, rally, or cajole your teammates into finding more energy. This can only be done once per ship exploration per troll trained. If you are a Journeytroll or higher in your skill: Each team member restores 1d6+3 (rolled separately) hp. If you are a Novice in your skill: Each team member restores 1d6+2 (rolled separately) hp. If you are training your skill: Each team member restores 1d4+1 (rolled separately) hp.
If this is your third mini-boss fight, you have reached the control room! Roll 1d4 and look in the spoiler below:
1 - Powering on the ship is easy enough, with the instructions from headquarters in your ear. The screens show that the ship is functioning perfectly, and headquarters patches in the control of a remote helmsman. They wait until you have returned to your boarding pod and leave, before steering the ship away.* 2 - Powering on the ship is easy enough, with the instructions from headquarters in your ear. As the screens boot up however, dozens of red warnings and errors flash across the screen. It seems like there has been critical damage to the ship in multiple places. Your team is instructed to leave the small black boxes containing deadly explosives in key positions on your return path to the exit. 3- The ship refuses to power on, even after you follow headquarters instructions to make sure they are plugged in, and hitting ctrl-alt-del. It looks like something core is not functioning. Your team is instructed to leave the small black boxes containing deadly explosives in key positions on your return path to the exit. 4- Powering on the ship is easy enough, with the instructions from headquarters in your ear. The screens show that the ship is functioning perfectly, and headquarters patches in the control of a remote helmsman. They wait until you have returned to your boarding pod and leave, before steering the boarding vessel away.* If any troll in the party has helmsman authority, they can steer the ship to given coordinates, then return to the boarding vessel with the rest of the team. Congratulations! You have completed your mission and returned back to the docking area! Squad commanders, be sure to report in!
"You guys are just jacks of all trades huh?" Trusci laughed as she tagged along, Bombee's words resonating somewhere in her thinkpan, even if she didn't comment on it outwardly. There was another door to deal with anyway, but Quicks had it covered. What a cool troll, even if she was brute mussing it through the locked barrier.
"Wuh oh." Something was definitely moving in there, and it had a whole heck of a lot of bones in places that she didn't think troll anatomy should account for. "Alright, alright! Stand back guys, I'm gonna show my s**t too, gimme some room!"
Her scimitar brandished at the foe as she lunged forward, the blade finding its mark as it clattered through the bones of some extension or other. Could the creature feel pain? Probably not. Even if it did, Trusci didn't really care.
"Watch this."
Quote:
HP: 18/20 Telekinesis (Novice Offense A): 2/2 Training in Endurance
Swiftly, she jumped back enough to throw her blade at the foe. Stupid move, right? Wrong. Just as fast as the blade had torn through her enemy, it halted midair, crackling with a strange teal energy before it swung around and shot right back. Bam. Bam; almost like a phantom troll was wielding the thing itself, but anyone watching Trusci would see her disarmed hand swinging through the air like a puppeteer with their strings,
The blade spun back into her hand with what she considered a dazzling show of dexterity. "Catch my slack you two!" She might not have dealt the final blow, but she did one hell of a number regardless. A wink was thrown to her compatriots.
Quote:
HP: 18/20 Telekinesis (Novice Offense A): 1/2 USING Training in Endurance
Aprife had no issue standing back and letting Trusci have her moment to show off, though his scourge was at the ready this time regardless. Against one enemy in a small space, it was better to bide your time and wait for the best moment to strike without throwing off your teammates. He was circling the daywalker and looking for his opening...
Then the powers came out. Now that was interesting.
He'd only recently become hyper aware of them thanks to Muerte's growing interesting in research. Watching how she moved, watching her magic swordplay, he guessed something like telekinesis might be a good candidate.
"Of course," he said, moving in for his own strike. The tails of his whip caught around a few jutting bones and when he yanked, they crumbled, pulling a few of the one too many ribs right out of the zombie's chest.
--
Bombee Nifera (Aprife Invasi) HP: 33/40 Adult + Military Grade Weapon: +2 dmg Training in Tactics
Damn, watching this girl work was a hell of a sight. Luxara had never seen telekinetics before, now that she thought about it. Impressive stuff! But, this wasn't a show. Luxara wasn't a spectator, as distant as she kept herself. She tracked Aprife's attack, and in a halting moment-
Crosshairs lined. Gonna go right through the temple. She fired.
Whatever made the thing still function was utterly destroyed via a solid crossbow bolt through a withering head. The neck definitely couldn't take that kind of stress.
She stood back up a timed moment after the corpse went down. "Slack caught. Good s**t, kid. You've got some pretty fancy moves going on."
But, it was time to keep moving. "If there's nothing in here, we should keep on scuttling, yeah?"
DMG: 5 +2 = 7
Boss HP: 0/30
Quote:
HP:34/40 Military-grade Weapon: +1 dmg Training Tree Pins: Covert Ops Master (4 advances left on cooldown) Endurance Novice Strength Novice Tactics Training Artifacts: Adept Agility Style B (1/2) Novice Support Style B Novice Defense Style A Trinkets: Novice Support Style A
zeflamigo rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6Total: 6 (1-6)
Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:40 am
"Impressive displays, everyone." Vulpin didn't have to lift a finger. They liked it that way. They waved their hand as if to beckon the team back into the hallway, waiting casually outside.
Waiting for Trusci to file out, Vulpin leaned in close to the other teen. "Goodness, I didn't know we had a future helmsman on our team." They laughed through their teeth, bringing a hand up in coy surprise.
Trusci gave a pause when good ol' team leader called out to her at the end, the other adults having filed away. Future helmsman was... still a future she wasn't sure she was super kosher with. Too many daymares of being slapped into a slot like a battery and having that be the end of it, whether they were unrealistic or not. "What can I say? Gal of many talents." It was easier to play it off, easier to be smug about it. She was proud of her powers, just for different reasons. She snapped with her fingers, the motion transitioning seamlessly into a thumbs up, her teal telekinetic energy sparking for a second.
"You can check out the sparks later. I think the old fuddy duds are gainin' some lead on us." She motioned with her thumb down the hallway where Ardias and Bombee had started off towards.
Quote:
HP: 18/20 Telekinesis (Novice Offense A): 1/2 Training in Endurance
saedusk rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2Total: 2 (1-6)
Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:27 pm
Quote:
2 - You find a closed door.
Speaking of gaining a lead, Aprife had already followed Luxara down the hall to another door. "Think this one'll be a trap, too? Or maybe I'll have to ruin my other shoulder this time." For all his complaining, he looked absolutely fine. In fact, a small grin was spreading across his face.
--
Bombee Nifera (Aprife Invasi) HP: 33/40 Adult + Military Grade Weapon: +2 dmg Training in Tactics
"Doesn't look it," Ardais replied right off the bat. "Or if it is, there's no way I'm disabling it. There's nothing around here to mess with. Guess we'll just have to see." Not that she felt much to worry about. A derelict old ship sending a zombie horde might just be fun if that was the worst case scenario.
But the door definitely wasn't about to open without some force.
Quote:
HP:34/40 Military-grade Weapon: +1 dmg Training Tree Pins: Covert Ops Master (2 advances left on cooldown) Endurance Novice Strength Novice Tactics Training Artifacts: Adept Agility Style B (1/2) Novice Support Style B Novice Defense Style A Trinkets: Novice Support Style A
