Bay 12 Games Forum

~OW!~
Lysia fires upon whoever Lanith attacks next
~I can't take this, I'll step back for now.~
Then retreats to our rearguard position
Lysia prepares to leave

After starting the fight, you proceed to retreat like a coward leaving your friends to deal with the mutants.

Lanith attacks the kniferunner for real.

You stab the kniferunner dueling the runefolk in the back, hitting a lung for critical damage. Kniferunner is at 3/20!

For the first time Van shows another expression; a grimace of pain as a blade slides beneath his armour. It responds not with a pun but a low irritated hiss and another slash at the knife grass runner with a mana strike.

Spoiler: Basic Stats (click to show/hide)

Hp: 17
Mp: 11

Crit! Double Crit! Triple Crit! Quadruple Crit! Would have probably killed him even if he wasn't at 2 HP. Almost a waste. The grassruner is torn nearly in half by the force of the blade and the magic power granted to it, avenging your wound seven fold.

I don't think I know how to heal anyone, so better attack the... scytherunner, I guess.

Flails are hard to use on top of a moving animal, apparently, as you miss again.
Moving animals are hard to use while someone is flailing above your head, apparently, as your mount also misses.

"My aim is simply a little rusty. Just like your knife!"
Cast Targeting Sight (-2 mp) and Solid Bullet (-1mp) and shoot the damn Grassrunner for the third time

You finally hit! Your pun doesn't make much since given the kniferunner is dead, but now the flailrunner is also dead so you have that going for you.

Attack twice, mana striking on my second attack.  If the first attack kills it, move on to attacking the enemy of one of my suffering teammates.

You miss the broken scythrunner twice, failing to finish off the last remaining melee enemy.

ENEMY TURN!

With most of the frontline in tatters, the remaining mutants grab their fallen comrades and begin retreating. Slingrunner, bowrunner, and scythe runner are attempting to escape with each carrying an allied corpse.

(They are not fascinated by hats)

Exactly the issue.

Lanith lunges at the grassrunner with the pitchfork. She doesn't attempt to strike the grassrunner and opts to instead attack the air right next to the grassrunner. Decoy attack the grassrunner with the pitchfork.

The grassrunner moves to block your wide shot with his pitchfork, leaving him open to the next attack!

well blast. okay. this is such a bad option...
Lysia moves forward into the front line, and then fires upon the grassrunner with the pitchfork
~I'm not gonna let them stab you Lanith.~

Which is this one! Thanks to the aforementioned support the arrow jabs straight through his hand, pinning it to the pitchfork. Pitchfork Grassrunner is at 11/20 HP.

~Guys, although we're pretty sure they're bandit troupers, why do they have a scythe, a pitchfork and a threshing flail? Pretty sure those aren't wielded by bandits!~

Your words are ignored! Possibly because they're just unintelligible growling to half of your squad.

Seeing the vulnerable Lysia move up Van envelopes her in the same protective layer of spirit it had granted the nightmare earlier. Van casts protection on Lysia. (-1 to damage received)

Spoiler: Current very basic stats and effects (click to show/hide)

Hp: 26
Mp: 11

You protect the frontline archer! With a respectable defense at least she won't get hit too hard when she inevitably gets hit.

Flail at the flailing grassrunner.
Only I get to use a flail!

Your quest to be the only flailer in the immediate vicinity is foiled with the grassrunner jumps into the tall grass as you charge, leaving you flailing at grain like some peasant. Your mount takes the initiative to swipe at them, detecting the target successfully with her nose and landing a hit across their back. Flail Grassrunner is at 12/20 HP.

Cast Solid Bullet (-1 MP) on Matchlock and shoot the Grassrunner with the knife

"It's very knife to meet you all at this lonely path, eh? "

You assault the knife wielder with the most powerful weapon at your disposal! You also shoot them. At first it seems to be a solid hit to the head, but upon further reflection you only added to the countless holes in the poor target's hat.

(+50 EXP for Double 1s on the Power Table. Congratulations?)

I kick the nearest one in the head twice, mana striking on my first one.
"We should give them the boot, unless it's shoe hard to fight them because they have no soles."

Providing a possibly worse pun, you strike at the scythe user! She blocks the first strike but is hit in the leg by the non-magic followup, leaving her leg bending at a weird angle. Scythe Runner is at 11/20.

ENEMY TURN

The fighters change strategies, entering 1v1 duels with the people currently attacking them personally out of self preservation.

With its newly attached pitchfork, the first grassrunner attempts to jab Lysia but manages to miss the easy to jab target shaming his entire party.
Flailrunner strikes back at Ethan, proving to be the better flailman by landing a solid hit against his armor. It rattles him a bit and makes a resounding sound irritating to all large furry ears in the vicinity. Ethan is at 15/18 HP.
Scytherunner strikes at the nightmare, with poor form on account of her newly acquire disability. The strike misses.
Kniferunner stabs at Jerick, missing the plausibly seasoned warrior by some large margin.

Not to feel left out in the same weapon competition, the hunting bow runner shoots Lysia successfully. The arrow sticks into the leather armor by her left ribs. Lysia is at 15/22 HP.
Probably assuming she is feeling left out, a stone is tossed at Lanith with deadly precision. Deadly for the thrower at least because it missed. Her defenses are really high.

PLAYER TURN!

Showing some amount of coordination, the frontline Grassrunners target the Lykant girl in the front line all at once! Lanith nimbly dodges every attack with the grace of a fencer, coming through the flurry of blows unscathed. Meanwhile the ranged mutants target the bunny in the back, missing George by a hare's breath on either side by some miracle.

It is now the player's turn.

Luka creates the Rabbit Hat with his action ration. This black tophat can create rabbits that may be pulled from the hat, allowing whoever owns the hat a constant reliable source of food. New rabbits are constantly being created, with the hat generating more over time. (Common Artifact -Skull,Hat Act)

Lysia takes a moment to look an Lanith before nodding and replying.

"Ready."

---

Lets head out, as a group, to the ruins. Lysia will use what she saw from the guild map to guide us to a ruin that wasn't explicitly marked as already looted.

Probably under the assumption that the Os on the map are non-looted ruins, you gather the other adventurers who seem to be OK with following you into the wilderness without a map. Hopefully you don't die first, otherwise the others will be completely lost.

Your group heads out on foot (barring a certain rider) heading out the south gate. It is already getting late, and rather chilly with the sun beginning to hide behind the valley's mountains. You follow a foot path down the river - the type of road that is made not intentionally but rather by the stomping feet of people who happen to be headed in the same direction keeping the grass from reclaiming the pathway. Hours go by slowly leaving plenty of time for conversation or awkward silence at the party's discretion.

At the last light of the sun, the rangers note something move in the tall grass to the side of the path.

A! IF HE NEVER MISSES WE JUST HAVE TO TAKE HIM OUT FAST!

The Department of Mortal Affairs must remain independent for the good of all mortals, given that 90% of the gods really are apathetic or actively malicious.