A lone bird spots you and glides in to attack. As you get close to it, you notice that while it's the size and rough shape of an eagle, it's not at all natural: its beak is made of bronze and its feathers are metallic and razor sharp. It attacks by launching feathers at you, or flinging its poisonous dung.
Hit points: 25 Damage: 5 each time attacked
If you successfully kill this bird, each party involved in the battle gets 10XP and rolls 1d100 to collect loot according to the following:
1-80: You gain nothing but the victory of having beaten this opponent. 81-90: 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. 91-99: 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. 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.
Combat:
Bow (-3hp, 6dmg) - HP: (50 - 3) 47
Whimsical Blue rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-6)
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 1:28 pm
Despite warnings and to an extent her own common sense, Sidney had slipped outside through one of the back doors of the hotel. Finding the service door had taken a bit of doing, sneaking about the place like a wraith in the shadows. The storage rooms had been eerily quiet with everyone focused on the mainrooms, the bedrooms upstairs, and the kitchen. It had seemed like a perfect plan. No one out here meant there should be no birds, right? They were all out front, trying to get in to the surviving people.
All the commotion and all the shouting had gotten oppressive, coupled with the 'war time trenches' air everyone had. When she'd started getting antsy, Sid had known she needed to get some air and a few hits from her pipe. Rob would understand, or so she liked to think. She wasn't good to anyone if her nerves were shot. Twitchy fingers didn't hold a bow well, that was for damn sure.
A folding chair made for a decent door stop as she slipped outside the service door and the young woman leaned gratefully against the cold wall as she lit up, drawing the soothing smoke deep into her lungs. It was far warmer inside, but she didn't need the looks she'd probably get for smoking weed in front of everyone. Better out here, and more quiet.
It was towards the end of her first hit that the sudden flapping of wings sent a bolt of terror through her, making her heart pound as she ducked instinctively. Something small and sharp pelted her coat, but there was thankfully no pain as she stuffed her pipe into her pockets and unslung her bow from her shoulders. At least she'd been smart enough to bring it with her.
Kneeling in the snow, Sidney knotched an arrow and took aim, a scowl of concentration on her face. The lone bird wheeled back for another strike and Sidney let go, watching the arrow arc upwards and ping off something... metallic? What? At least the monster wobbled in it's flight, forced to glide away before it could come back for another strike.
The bird came in on another dive and in a move Sidney found odd and unnatural, it swept a wing around as it went by and feathers pelted her as she threw up an arm.
Something sharp skated across her wrist and she hissed as it burned, feeling like a papercut. <********, those things were sharp? A glance down confirmed it: the feathers were not anything a real bird wore... they shone like metal and Sid's eyes widened.
There were not real birds, not in the least. But it made Sidney's decision surprisingly easier as she frowned and reared back, drawing another arrow to let loose at the bird. It faltered again as the arrow caught it through a wing, though the damage was not enough to down it.
If these were not real birds, then she could kill them without an ounce of remorse.
(( Sid HP: 42 - 5 = 37, Bird HP: 22 - 6 = 16 ))
Whimsical Blue rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-6)
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 1:49 pm
Rob's warning about toxic crap was well heeded when the thing made a complicated movement in the air that sent a streak of brown flying her way. Sidney's eyes widened and she flung herself to the side, narrowly missing it as it splattered up the wall. The smell, however, was enough to make her retch, huddling in the snow as she attempted to fire another arrow.
It skated across the breast of the bird, but the damage was minor, unfortunately. Sid scooted along the wall till the old cleared away the smell. Something nagged at the back of her mind, questions she didn't have an answer for.
Why were these birds attacking these people? They didn't seem like they were hungry, and this lodge was well established so it was unlikely any sort of... nest had been disturbed. Was there someone out there, commanding them? Could that even... be a thing? And if so, why? Why these people? Why this place?
Razor sharp arrows buffeted the young woman as she skittered back, hitting the wall of the lodge. It seemed the protection of Apollo really was something... slogging around in the snow, there was no way to avoid these hits, but despite it being literally flung knives, the damage they did was surprisingly little. Small cuts, but not enough to even really bleed. Her coat even absorbed most of that, and the more she came through unharmed, the more confident she felt herself getting.
Monsters and an invisible skin-shield. Fights didn't get much better than that, really. Sid found herself almost... enjoying it as she drew another arrow from her quiver and let it fly, pinging the bird upside the head. It crashed into the snow, dazed, but was up again after only a moment of awkward floundering about in the powder. Those two weeks of training were turning out to be actually useful.
(( Sid HP: 32 - 5 = 27, Bird HP: 13 - 6 = 7 ))
Whimsical Blue rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5Total: 5 (1-6)
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 2:18 pm
Sid ducked behind her raised arm, anticipating the flung feathers this time. One managed to slip by and grazed her head, cutting shallowly into her scalp, but leaving her otherwise fine. It hurt like a b***h, but there was still confidence in her stance as she lifted her bow and sent another arrow winging straight and true.
The bird fell, crashing into the snow with a jangle of metal. It struggled to pull itself back up, but it was obvious her arrows had done their job.
Sid crept closer, arrow notched to finish the monster off, but an unwary approach when the thing looked ready to collapse meant she made an easy target of herself. Flung poop splattered across her legs and she gagged, struggling to bring herself back under control.
The last shot was hurried, but it connected well and the bird ceased struggling, bleeding out something into the whiteness of the snow.
Whimsical Blue rolled 1 100-sided dice:
11Total: 11 (1-100)
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 2:33 pm
Curious, Sidney rolled the bird over with the toe of her boot, the end of her bow braced against the ground as she held it. It certainly looked horrifying enough, but once dead, there was a sort of anti-climatic feeling to it all. It was dead. That was all.
World saved. Yay.
Winding up, Sid gave the corpse a sharp kick with her boot, sending it into a few flopping rolls before it sprawled bonelessly in the snow. There was, at least, the satisfaction of knowing she had killed it, on her own, and survived relatively unharmed. That feeling warmed her chest as she leaned back against a clean section of wall and boldly packed her pipe again, her bow leaned up beside her.
If she could do this, then there was very real hope that all of the chosen could save these people. It was a good feeling, even with all the questions still burning in the back of her mind.
