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thyPOPE rolled 1 20-sided dice:
19
Total: 19 (1-20)
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 Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 5:41 pm
It took a bit of stumbling around the base collecting gossip before Ernst realized that he really would have to go back out there, to the birds. They couldn't stay here forever, after all, and at least some of the flock would need to be thinned out before they could have safer travels. He wasn't really sure what much he could do, but his Mark hadn't let him down so far, and he did want to get better at using this giant shield. So he stored his pack in his room and fluffed his giant coat back up around him and went out looking for a partner. Because hell, no, Ernst wasn't going out there alone again. He lucked out and saw a familiar face sitting by the supplies. " Davor, is it?" he asked, reaching a hand out. Imagine seeing this guy here. He was probably sober again, and he was at least way beefier than Ernst was, so he might be worth a shot as a partner. " Look, I have this shield," he said, shrugging and pointing at the tower shield, which he'd dragged along behind himself. " And I think it's better to contribute in any way we can, than, well, not." He shrugged, a little awkward. " Wanna step up to the plate with me?" Quote: This opponent is difficult solo, and pairs are suggested! A small swarm of birds spot you and swoop in like they're of one mind to attack. Their bronze beaks glint wickedly, and their metallic feathers catch the sunlight. They attack by launching these feathers or by flinging their poisonous dung. Hit points: 60 Damage: 5 damage each time they are attacked. If you successfully kill this bird, each party involved in the battle gets 15XP and rolls 1d100 to collect loot according to the following: 1-60: You gain nothing but the victory of having beaten this opponent. 61-75: Poisonous Dung: You manage to collect a vial of the vile stuff. It can thrown at an opponent once to poison them, dealing 1 damage for 3 turns. After this it is consumed and leaves your inventory forever. 76-90: Heart's Blood: You manage to collect a vial of the creature's blood. It can be used once to replenish 3 HP, at which point it is consumed and leaves your inventory forever. 91-100: Metal Feather: Once per battle, you can backstab with this small dagger. Add 2 to your final damage. This item is reusable, and remains in your inventory.
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 20-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-20)
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 8:26 pm
Good timing on Ernst's part, finding Davor when he did. Skulking near the supplies as he was, he had his hand sunk deep into one of his pockets, thumbing the cap of the flask compulsively and trying to rationalize that he totally wasn't thinking about getting drunk on the job, no, it would just be a drink to warm him up a little. Whiskey this time; he'd at least had enough sense not to bring the vodka.
It was a welcome distraction when Ernst spoke up. Davor withdrew his hand immediately, automatically presenting it with practiced manners and a not-at-all suspicious speed. "Ernst," he nodded, shaking his hand with surprising care, almost caution, despite the observed beef-factor. If he found the other man at all awkward, well, misery loves company. "...I agree." Grabbing his war-hammer propped against the wall casually as anything, he followed obediently, despite not being very eager at all to get pecked at the eyes. Ernst's point had just been that good.
INT: 5 (war-hammer)
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 8:33 pm
So they were doing this. Ernst flashed Davor a smile, which he hoped made him look a lot more confident than he felt. He always had things under control, right? Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a fighter, and Davor would soon learn that. For now, though, he could still look cool. He lead the way to an exit, and then darted outside quickly, brandishing his shield before himself and making sure to not allow the giant bird in - not that it'd fit, really. Briefly he wondered how these birds had gotten the lodge to such a state. Would that happen to the hotel, eventually? Or was there something else at work? Only time could tell, but it'd have been nice if the people in charge - or Hestia, maybe, since she was a literal goddess - had told them anything more than birds. This was getting a little more complicated than a search and rescue! " Let's head that way," said Ernst, pointing randomly in a direction that seemed kind of free. It wasn't long before they were spotted, by a little group of - holy crap. Ernst hadn't really gotten a chance to look at these beasts before, but those were not talons that these guys were aiming at them. HP: 56/56
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 9:53 pm
Well, upon actually being able to see more than a fleeting glance tearing at his face, Davor was somewhat relieved to find it wasn't flesh-and-blood birds they'd been thoroughly smashing, cleaving, and basically driving to extinction in one fell swoop(!). The part of him that wasn't relieved, however, was understandably startled at the sight of what looked to be metal birds instead.
A lift of his brows and a quiet huh was all he allowed himself, however, before he glanced over at Ernst as though needed confirmation that, yes, someone else was seeing what he was seeing. It was really no wonder these things were doing so much damage, and they couldn't let it continue. Seeing the other man take cover behind his shield, Davor took the opportunity and advanced.
Seeing that Ernst obviously wasn't the easy target here, a couple of the birds broke off the flock and dived for Davor, who only waited, poised, for the moment they were within reach -- and he swung his war hammer like a batter, striking true and crumpling the birds against his weapon. It made him open to more of the birds, naturally, but he felt the thrill of a successful hit more than their mobbing and screeching, ready for another swing.
HP: 45/50 DMG: 10
Swarm HP: 50/60
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thyPOPE rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 10:21 pm
Ernst had definitely picked a beefy partner. He watched, a bit appreciative, as Davor slammed his hammer into the encroaching birds. But there wasn't a lot of time for muscle appreciation, or whatever. Ernst braced himself against his shield and looked for a good attack opportunity. He wasn't at all accustomed to this thing, and the heft of it meant he had to put his full body into clinging to it. It was too unwieldy to maneuver around and block damage from different angles, though, so as one bird flew past Davor and wheeled back around for another attack, it saw the opportunity. Metal feathers flew at Ernst, and it was all he could do to jab his shield upward harshly. He didn't hit the bird nearly as squarely as Davor had, but at least he did hit, and inwardly he pumped his fist victoriously. He hadn't looked like a total flake, right? Private schools did not teach any of this combat stuff, and he wasn't sure that the training provided at the Prytaneum had been enough, either. He guessed this was the real test - although he'd have preferred that it was one that involved less lethal danger. He wasn't sure how much magic juice these Marks had in them. " Is back to back a stupid idea?" he called to Davor, joining the shorter man at the 'front' line. (There couldn't really be lines with only the two of them, but, well.) He was pretty sure Davor wouldn't backstab him, and it at least meant that the birds were a bit more limited in attack angle. Unfortunately it also meant that Davor probably wouldn't be getting as much benefit out of this shiny shield. And, well, Ernst was all for saving his own skin, but he was far from heartless. He didn't want the guy to get actually hurt! HP: 51/56 DMG: 5 Swarm HP: 45
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5
Total: 5 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 11:18 pm
No need for Ernst to worry about appearing as the weaker link; Davor was similarly appreciative of his versatility with the shield. It wasn't that he expected the other man to simply cower behind it -- he could have, but didn't, and that was enough to have Davor flash a thumbs up in a rare moment of something approaching good humor... as opposed to the usual cloud of gloom that seemed to follow him.
"No, good idea," Davor reassured, shifting to cover Ernst as well as he could while still keeping distance enough for the wider swings of his heavier hits. Despite his impressive handling so far, Davor was still rather wary of swinging around others, though not so hesitant that he wouldn't take the shot when he saw it:
More birds dived for him, the obviously easier target, but Davor stood his ground and brought his hammer barreling in from the side, crumpling them in mid-air with a spray of scattered feathers.
HP: 40 DMG: 10
Swarm HP: 35/60
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thyPOPE rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2016 12:12 pm
He gave a quick grin at the thumbs up before shutting up so that nothing could enter his mouth, or something absurd like that. It was a little strange not being able to see his acquaintance, but with Davor pressed up against him that meant there was one more side to cover, and anyway, Ernst was the taller of them, which meant that his head was poking out behind his shield anyway. This time, knowing Davor was swinging, too, he waited to hear the sharp clang of warhammer against metal bird before Ernst also reached up with his shield. He caught a different bird on the shield as it scattered to avoid Davor's blow. " Nice!" he called, but he hid his mouth again behind his shield when another bird's poop squirted out at him. Nuh uh - he wasn't letting that literal s**t come near his mouth. He was way too pretty for that. Also, well, it seemed almost acidic. It definitely hissed as it hit the snow. HP: 46/56 DMG: 10 Swarm HP: 25/60
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2016 3:45 pm
Indeed, Davor had noticed the acidic quality to the birds' projectiles as well, but he did a fine job ignoring the dung clinging to his battered jacket, focused on any opening he could get more than anything. They'd found a a good rhythm, if he said so himself, and the flock seemed so much more thinner than when they'd started. The end was in sight and he wanted this finished quickly, because there really was only so long he could overlook that hissing, yeah.
He lifted his war-hammer overhead, this time, knowing he had only just a moment to time it right as the metallic birds dove again, feathers like shards fanning out in that split second before the barrage -- and Davor brought his war-hammer down with another powerful swing, his good aim awarding him with a satisfying crunch as he smashed the birds flat into the snow.
HP: 35/50 DMG: 10
Swarm HP: 15/60
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thyPOPE rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 12:14 am
It seemed Ernst's temporary burst of inspiration was over, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing: his shield was much better used for holding projectiles back, after all. Still, he smashed it upward at the lowest-flying bird, which definitely seemed to hurt it quite a bit. Their blood was strange, he thought, but he was grimly pleased at the sight of it. It meant, after all, that they weren't doing too shoddily. He had picked a very good partner. " We should work together again," he said, although it was pretty dubious how much he was contributing. Well, at least his height and the shield meant that he had a much greater surface area to volume ratio. Perhaps he'd try to distract the next bird as it headed back toward them - or draw it within Davor's range. " Come and get me!" he called to it, shaking his shield provocatively. He didn't have the training necessary to spin it or anything, after all. Also, it really was just much too heavy for that. HP: 41/56 DMG: 5 Swarm HP: 10/60
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 7:50 am
"I would like that," Davor answered back, perhaps a bit glad that Ernst would consider him reliable. Going out and fighting like this was much easier than the previous mad dash through the snow, and he could see the impact of their efforts. Strewn about their feet were the many broken bodies of the birds, their blood just as unnatural as the rest of them, no surprise, but above seemed much clearer than when they'd started.
Davor caught on immediately to what Ernst was up to, and he watched the circling of the remaining birds closely, determined to get a shot in before harm could come to the other man. Well, that shield did a pretty good job of it already, but if he could help -- it would be quick, a powerful but perhaps clumsier swing that made short work of the metal monsters.
HP: 30/50 DMG: 5
Swarm HP: 5/60
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thyPOPE rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2016 4:24 pm
Smart man, Davor. Ernst found himself grinning as his companion slammed his warhammer onto the last bird. Ernst himself took the opportunity to twist around and smash his shield against its head: a job made much easier by the fact that Davor had beat it down so much already. The harsh clang of tower shield against bird head rang out, and then the bird fell. Ernst gaped, running over to, perhaps a bit morbidly, examine the corpses while he had a chance.
Not that this was something he particularly cared about - er, bird biology, that was. He just wanted to know whether he'd find gears, or something - but he didn't really have a bolt-cutter, or a shear.
HP: 36/56 DMG: 10
Swarm HP: -5/60
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Soldier of Song rolled 1 100-sided dice:
82
Total: 82 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 7:16 am
Despite the excellent finish from Ernst, Davor did not yet let his guard down, scanning the sky for any more of the furious birds -- but that eerie after-strife calm settled, all the more silent in the snow. The swarm, for the moment, had been taken out.
He cautiously untensed and set his weapon down, standing the war-hammer on its head. All around them were the scattered, broken remains of the artificial birds, and if he hadn't been so accustomed to seeing dead animals, Davor might have been appalled. It also helped they weren't actual animals, only made more evident as he stooped to inspect some of the scrap.
Yep, those were metal feathers, alright. He very likely had a few hanging off of his dung-frayed jacket. Around the crushed birds, he could see some liquid that had pooled out and seeped into the snow, staining it dark and unnatural.
A thought occurred to him. Sneaking a quick peek over his shoulder to ensure Ernst wasn't looming (but then, when wasn't he, really?), Davor pulled out his flask of whiskey. With practiced speed, he uncapped it and surreptitiously began putting some of the soaked snow into his whiskey.
+1 Heart's Blood GET
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thyPOPE rolled 1 100-sided dice:
97
Total: 97 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 2:54 pm
You really are something, aren't you?" mused Ernst out of nowhere, shaking his head. He was addressing Davor and not a bird, although perhaps to Davor's pleasure, he wasn't looking at the guy. He swiped his own fingers against one of the corpses, frustrated. He'd really wanted to know how these things worked. They were obviously fine with snow, but would water help by rusting them, or something? Maybe that was too cartoonish: rust happened over months and years. He'd have thought it might short circuit them, or something, but that was real blood - although discolored, and thick, pooling from them. And the poop had to be made somehow. Ernst was no Bill Nye but maybe he could figure something out, somehow? Not right now, though. He scooped up a suspiciously intact feather for himself, placing it in his belt, before standing and turning back to Davor, who he found screwing the cap onto his flask. Drinking, now? Well - it was a pretty dire situation that they were in. Ernst couldn't blame him. He offered the guy a hand. " Let's get inside and exchange room numbers," he said, with a nod toward the general environment. It was cold out here, and he didn't want more birds to see and become opportunists.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 8:53 pm
In spite of his partly-forced, part-not stoicism, Davor did have his own way of letting his feelings slip right on through. As ran in his family, he felt his face suddenly heat up at Ernst's comment, though he soundly pretended he didn't hear it as he went about his business. Well, that tactic didn't exactly work, as he only felt himself redden moreso upon being caught with is flask out after all. Again, no acknowledgement nor forced explanation as he quickly stashed it away, unsure which would be worse -- drinking on the job, or admitting he had just put metal bird blood in his whiskey.
Davor accepted his help up, before getting back to hefting his war-hammer over his, frankly, sore shoulder, not quite looking at Ernst as he said, "We make a good team." As much as he liked to environment out here, birds aside, getting inside sounded like a pretty good idea right about now.
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