After securing Austin's less-than-enthusiastic response, Horace headed to the field. In one hand, he carried a lonely bottle of beer: the promised payment. It was warm, of course. It wasn't as though Horace had a swanky room with a fridge. Sometimes he missed easy access to milk. He'd heard the Canadian base was worse, though - full of rain and tents. Tents! At least they had proper rooms here, even if the basement was half unlivable. Still, Horace had decided to move to the second floor as soon as he could.
He arrived at the field before Austin, and chose to make good use of his time creating a grass crown. Horace pulled out a bunch of spindly grasses from the edges of the training grounds and soon the lonely beer bottle had a nice green nest to rest in. Then he plopped down next to it, leaning his back against a dummy's post. Closing his eyes, he debated a nap while he waited.
and be blue
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 4:05 pm
Maybe a nap would have been wise, since Austin didn't exactly leap to in getting to the training fields. He made his time instead, finishing whatever he'd been working on before he did, and it wasn't a zippy arrival. He'd finally appear on the hill, a hand shading his eyes against the sun as he searched for a familiar beacon on the fields.
His attention landed on Horace and he eased back into motion, hands in his pockets as he approached, expression appraising.
"You're easy to spot, thankfully." It was an innocuous comment, but Austin still had a way of saying it that made it sound snide.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said lazily, popping one eye open. With a grunt, Horace hoisted himself back to his feet, obviously of Austin's appraising stare. "We all look the same when we've white coats on, anywhere, kinda like targets." He beat the dirt off of his shorts before looking up.
"Anyway, two things. Have you been out on the training field before annnnd what kinda weapon did you end up with?"
and be blue
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 9:54 pm
Austin tipped his head, peering back at Horace, and -- no, that hadn't been a compliment, but considering the fact that they were about to get into a fight of some kind, it probably wasn't a wise choice to tell the other man those colors really didn't go together. Instead, miraculously, he kept his mouth shut -- only rolled his eyes a little -- and with a little flourish, he summoned his weapon:
The bow, branching, settled easily in his hand, and he plucked at the string idly, as if it were an instrument. "I did archery until I was sixteen. I shot at the targets a bit. I haven't entirely lost it."
"Oh, a bow. Not bad; at least you have a bit of background in your weapon then. So many people don't. Well, we all fumble a bit. How old are you now?" Horace shrugged his shoulders and Jannisari appeared on his arms. He welcomed the familiar constricting feel. Between each bone-like piece ran straps that looked very much like tendons, although they, too, glowed with runic power. He felt Jannisari stir in his mind, sit up, pay attention.
Flexing his fingers, he wondered if people got used to missing ones. Maybe it was just that 7 and a half months wasn't quite long enough. "How about a spar? I'll give you the beer after, even if you lose." He grinned. "You can have the first shot."
and be blue
and be blue rolled 1 20-sided dice:
12Total: 12 (1-20)
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 2:21 pm
Austin frowned, head cocked just slightly to one side as he plucked at his bowstring -- considering their options, strategies. Trying to figure out how one sparred with a bow, exactly.
"...unless you're Legolas, doesn't fighting with a bow just mean running as far away as you can and shooting at someone?" In demonstration, he took one testing step backwards. Raised an eyebrow, in question.
The Semblance of Unity rolled 1 20-sided dice:
18Total: 18 (1-20)
The Semblance of Unity
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:22 pm
"You learn to be Legolas," he said hooking his thumbs into his pockets. On one occasion, he'd stuffed his hands in his pockets unthinking and shredded them. Horace had learned. "You shoot while moving because most times you won't have a chance to stand still unless you're with a good team who will cover for you." He advanced slowly on Austin, looking at the bow in his hands.
"And you run so you won't get caught. A pinned archer is no good to anyone. So," he said, brows raising. "Are you gonna shoot-"
The Semblance of Unity rolled 2 10-sided dice:
10, 4Total: 14 (2-20)
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:24 pm
"-or shall I?" Horace ducked around the trainee and kicked him hard in the back of one knee, bouncing back afterwards. He grinned, looking pleased with himself.
HP: 50/50 DMG: 8 CHG: 1/3
and be blue
i was hoping he'd miss |:
The Semblance of Unity
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and be blue rolled 2 8-sided dice:
5, 3Total: 8 (2-16)
"...cheap!" it could have been friendly and joking, but instead there was something genuinely hostile about it. Austin scowled at him -- not quite falling, fumbling to keep his balance and draw his bow in one motion, trying to scramble back and fire and at least kind of managing it.
He got an arrow off, anyway, glowing energy that sailed at Horace and mostly just winged off his shield. Still, at least he didn't miss.
HP: 32/40 Charge: 1/3 DMG: 2
the semblance of unity
The Semblance of Unity rolled 2 10-sided dice:
2, 2Total: 4 (2-20)
Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 12:47 pm
Horace wasn't quite expected Austin to get a shot off so soon; he couldn't dodge it. Luckily, it was weak, but everyone was pretty weak when they came to the island. It probably wasn't very sportsmanlike of Horace to not pull punches on Austin...
"Cheap, yeah, but cheap shots might mean the difference between winning and losing. There's not really any rules, Austin. Just... hit s**t and try to not get hit." He grinned and promptly skidded past Austin, not touching him at all.
HP: 48/50 DMG: 0 CHG: 1/3
and be blue
The Semblance of Unity
Predestined Victim
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and be blue rolled 2 8-sided dice:
7, 6Total: 13 (2-16)
"But this is meant to be a sportsmanlike competition, not a life or death situation." There was still annoyance in it, sharp -- but this time, as Austin sighted along his arow, there was a slight nudge in the back of his mind -- and the collision with Horace's shield was much more solid, more fully striking his target.
He kept backing up as he drew again, preparing. "Besides, I don't imagine I'm going to be out there alone. Someone must be ranged..."
HP: 32/40 Charge: 2/3 DMG: 7
the semblance of unity
The Semblance of Unity rolled 2 10-sided dice:
5, 9Total: 14 (2-20)
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:37 pm
The shot but good and, after recovering, Horace gave Austin a thumb's up, grinning widely.
"It's meant to be training. You got out there alone a lot - or get stuck with people who don't know how to coordinate fighting styles. A cohesive fighting unit is rarer than snow on this island." He'd circled Austin, and reached out, grabbing the back of his coat. Keeping one hand gripped in the fabric for leverage, he sliced downwards with the blade on his left arm, aiming for Austin's thigh.
HP: 41/50 DMG: 8 CHG: 1/3
and be blue
The Semblance of Unity
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and be blue rolled 2 8-sided dice:
7, 2Total: 9 (2-16)
He hit, and hit hard enough to bruise lightly even through the shields, drawing an annoyed hiss out of Austin [that was still cheap, was still cheating]. At this distance, he didn't have the room to draw -- so instead he twisted to drive a bolt gripped in his hand into Horace's side, at least hard enough to get him to let go so that Austin could hop back again.
HP: 24/40 Charge: 3/3 DMG: 3
xx the semblance of unity
The Semblance of Unity rolled 2 10-sided dice:
2, 10Total: 12 (2-20)
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 2:30 pm
Horace did fall back a little with the blow. Out of all the bow wielders he'd fought, not a one of them had tried that before. The grin stayed on his face. He wasn't about to tell Austin how clever he thought that was, not yet, at least. Instead, he swerved back into Austin, swinging out a fist towards the other man's stomach.
HP: 38/50 DMG: 6 CHG: 2/3
and be blue
The Semblance of Unity
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and be blue rolled 7 4-sided dice:
4, 4, 2, 3, 1, 4, 3Total: 21 (7-28)
Hey was a demanding sort of teacher, and an experienced one -- so when she spoke in the back of his mind, low and sibilant, Austin had a strange sort of how high reaction. Maybe he did it because there was no one to see him be obedient, nothing to prove by fighting back. Or maybe she was just exactly the right kind of cajoling mentor to make him react.
This time, her instruction was to loose his charge. So when he drew back his weapon, the arrow notched in his bow was a darker red, deep and gritty. It flew straight to explode against Horace's shield as a rain of blood that smelled like iron and just faintly of rot, hissing and popping and wearing away at it as the mess dissipated.
Delight, satisfaction, and disgust all warred on Austin's face. And he hadn't even been inside that mess.
HP: 18/40 Charge: 0/3 DMG: 14
the semblance of unity
Rain of Blood -- works as Swift Strikes. The arrow released from his bow hits as a spray of blood that corrodes the shield. If a shield is down, it can -- player choice -- cause flecks of rot on the surface of the skin.
Tier One:SS1 Dice: 7d4 First Dice: xxxxx 1: Miss xxxxx 2 - 3: HIT however the resulting damage is divided by 2. Only 50% of the damage is dealt. xxxxx 4: HIT however the resulting damage is multiplied by .8. Only 80% of the damage is dealt. Damage: Ignore the first dice, total up the remaining dice. Divide or multiply the total by the modifier depending. Average Damage: 8 (50%), 12 (80%)
