 |
| Do our translators not do inscription? |
He has a point. I sidle quietly in after him.
"You should stick the Medicine House near the charnel house," Melink says, "Very convenient."
 |
| Sounds like they palette swapped a Jawa. |
"We really don't have the topographical or demographic knowledge of the area to make a suggestion," I say whilst glaring at Melink.
"A general tour would be great," Manstein says.
Choice: General Tour: 103
"Rooms of state?" I ask in surprise, "But you don't have a state, do you? No laws, no state, surely."
Fioral shrugs and says, "The architect wanted it, and they were allowed to do whatever they wished."
I think I might hate this place.
Manstein nods in familiarity. "Yeah, we have a thing pretty much like that back at the shore."
So... no change here then.
I tell a lie. There's no use of Luck here, which means the only strategic element of fights has been taken away.
 |
| This laser gun will represent hand to hand fighting. |
Okay... so the one bit of strategy is determining who attacks who in a multi-person brawl. Fair enough. Though, the fact that it's only an advantage when you are tied in number or outnumber the opponent limits even that.
I do really want to highlight the phrase in the first paragraph of the after the list where it says, "you must dice to decide who the spare alien attacks." Pretty sure "dice" isn't a verb, Jackson. Well, it is... but I'm not exactly sure you want players dicing things to decide anything in the book.
Round 1
Manstein almost casually knocks the biggest of the three "guards", a large hairy creature with fangs like spear tips, off his back and Melink lunges for him. I square off with one of the two goggle-eyed blue and purple twins. Manstein takes the other.
So, it's Welk against one of the 7s (+7 v. +7), Manstein against the other 7 (+9 v. +7) and Melink against the big one (+5 v. +9). The hope here is for Manstein to pummel the weakest alien (9 Stamina) out so he can help Melink, who's doomed no matter who she fights.
Note:
Melink's numbers in the link are wrong up until Round 6. I accidentally put in +6 instead of +5. Numbers on this page should be correct.
Welk: 22
Manstein: 19-2=17
Melink: 22-2=20
Guard 1: 10-2=8
Guard 2: 9
Guard 3: 10
Manstein tries to fight with the small guard, but his bulk makes it difficult for him to turn swiftly, and the creature leaps to the side and kicks him hard in his thorax. I, meanwhile, display my old field training with a gusto, knocking several bony protrusions that might be teeth from my assailant's face. Melink, meanwhile, attacks as though the larger, heavier, stronger guard were a meek prey animal, and is soundly tripped to the ground.
Round 2
Welk: 22: 22-2=20
Manstein: 17
Melink: 20-2=18
Guard 1: 8
Guard 2: 9-2=7
Guard 3: 10
Even as he takes the blow, Manstein reaches out with a leg and grabs his opponent by the one leg still on the floor and yanks hard enough to knock them down to the ground, with a resounding crack of helmet on solid stone. My opponent comes back at me. I manage a series of feints, but they're wearing me down effectively, and I find my old ventricles popping open in protest to the activity. Melink reaches for her gun, only to find it missing, still in Manstein's possession. Before she can even growl about it a boot strikes her in the face.
Round 3
Welk: 20
Manstein: 17-2=15
Melink: 18
Guard 1: 8-2=6
Guard 2: 7
Guard 3: 10-2=8
Melink turns things around swiftly by opening her maw wide for the boot. It chips a few fangs, but then she draws blood biting down on it. I rally as oxygen fills my bloodstream and launch a flurry of blows into the guards side. Manstein lifts up his opponent and shakes him violently. The opponent responds by punching Manstein in the eye, causing the big bug to stagger backwards and clutch the massive compound organ.
Round 3
Welk: 20-2=18
Manstein: 15-2=13
Melink: 18-2=16
Guard 1: 6
Guard 2: 7
Guard 3: 8
Manstein drops his oppenent to the ground, and they prove a sharp young creature when they leap and shove a forearm hard into the cracks in his exoskeleton from earlier. Distracted by his pain I try to move to help, and receive a stiff kick to my left second knee. I stagger to my first knee, coming eye to eye with my assailant. The hairy guard meanwhile I pulls his foot away from Melink, who keeps the boot but not the foot. One of her teeth breaks in half as she tries to bite into it.
Round 4
Welk: 18-2=16
Manstein: 13-2=11
Melink: 18-2=16
Guard 1: 6
Guard 2: 7
Guard 3: 8
Melink spits the boot out at her opponent, who deftly catches it in their six fingered hand and throws it back, hard enough to cause Melink to stagger backwards. Then there are claws out on those six fingers, and they're coming right for Melink. Manstein is still clutching his eye as the creature strikes his thorax again and again, and I hear the distinct sound of three inch thick chitin cracking further. A moment later I don't hear much of anything. I'm too busy being stunned by a full roundhouse kick to the side of my skull.
Round 5
Welk: 16-2=14
Manstein: 11-2=9
Melink: 16-2=14
Guard 1: 6
Guard 2: 7
Guard 3: 8
I'm regretting not bringing my chief security officer. She'd have won every roll except Round 2 if she'd been fighting Melink's opponent. Or if I had Manstein fighting them, for that matter.
The humiliation of the Astronavy continues as the claws draw Melink's cloudy white blood. Manstein groans in pain and tries to clutch his cracking side. And I, still reeling, try to lift up only to feel a boot come down hard on my neck. If I had a more typical humanoid design I would suffocate, but my ventricles are open wide now. Still, if the boot presses down hard enough it can block the flow of blood to my head.
Round 6
Welk: 16
Manstein: 11
Melink: 16-2=14
Guard 1: 6
Guard 2: 7-2=5
Guard 3: 8
I grip strike upwards with great force, but apparently my opposition lacks any vital areas in their groan. My blow still staggers them backward, and I manage to get my neck free and regain my footing. Manstein decides simply to roll over, and his great weight crushes down his opponent as he does so. Melink, meanwhile, is on her back under the increasingly white-stained aggressor. She doesn't scream or make any complaint in pain, just increasingly loud howls of rage.
Round 7
Welk: 16
Manstein: 11-2=9
Melink: 14-2=12
Guard 1: 6-2=4
Guard 2: 5
Guard 3: 8
Manstein rolls back to his feet and turns with all his swiftness to strike his opponent, only to find the space empty. I see for a flitting moment the creature up on Manstein's back, having held on. They pry open Manstein's back shell and pull hard on the soft wing inside. Manstein cries a long slew of what I take to be Earthling profanities. Enraged by the pain of my compatriot, I lash out with a series of rapid but uncoordinated blows. My opponent defends admirably, but lacks my reach and so cannot return the assault, losing their own energy rapidly. Melink is busy promising utter digestion on her opposition, who is laughing as they continue to rake claws into her flesh.
Round 8
Welk: 16
Manstein: 9
Melink: 12-2=10
Guard 1: 6-2=4
Guard 2: 5-2=3
Guard 3: 8
Enraged with the pain, Manstein leaps up hard, and smashes the creature on his back against the low ceiling of the hallway. It slides off dazed. The purple flesh is bruised an ugly orange. I leave a similar series of orange marks when I kick my opposition repeatedly in the stomach. Around Melink, the floor is coated in sticky white blood. She's stopped threatening him and is just growling like an animal as she struggles to get her own claws through their thick bristles and hairs.
Round 9
Welk: 16-2=14
Manstein: 9-2=7
Melink: 10-2=8
Guard 1: 4
Guard 2: 3
Guard 3: 8
With my opponent reeling, I move to try and help Melink. I slip on the blood and the guard pummeling her elbows me hard in the solar plexus without even standing up. As I reel back my opponent takes the moment to tackle me from behind and we fall into the blood on the stone. Manstein, meanwhile, has his claws full with his unwanted rider, who is now pulling savagely on his antennae.
Round 10
Welk: 14
Manstein: 7-2=5
Melink: 8-2=6
Guard 1: 4-2=2
Guard 2: 3
Guard 3: 8
I manage to land on top, and gouge my long nails into the eyes of the creature. Bright red blood with strange pink nodules in it bursts out. My translator screams with strange curses and pleas to unknown proper nouns. Manstein's right antennae pops out with a horrible snap and his transparent blood ushers out in an greasy burst. Melink has stopped fighting back and is just trying to cover her face with her forearms.
Round 11
Welk: 14-2=12
Manstein: 7
Melink: 6-2=4
Guard 1: 2
Guard 2: 3-2=1
Guard 3: 8
With a cry of desperation my opponent suddenly opens their mouth wide and strikes me with their tongue. It is long and surprisingly sharp. It doesn't hurt much, barely drawing blood from my throat, but I am so startled I let my opponent go. They reach their feet before me, and knee me in the stomach hard. Manstein throws himself at a wall and I hear the snapping of bones beneath his shell. Melink is horribly quiet. She's fading. Her assailant is purring repulsively.
Round 12
Welk: 12-2=10
Manstein: 7
Melink: 4-2=2
Guard 1: 2
Guard 2: 1-2=-1
Guard 3: 8
Manstein leans back hard, and the crunching stops as the guard is reduced to an ugly paste of purple, orange and red. Melink is saying something in a voice I've never heard her use before. Something about not be consumed by the beasts of shame. I can't focus on that, however. The blows to my stomach are taking all my attention.
Round 13
Welk: 10
Manstein: 7-2=5
Melink: 2
Guard 1: 2-2=0
Guard 3: 8
The hairy attacker is pressing claws into Melink's throat, enthralled in the sadism of his kill. Then suddenly he's flying through the air, and Manstein's charging him for seconds. It doesn't go as well as I would hope. The creature is fast, it ducks under Manstein's charge and jabs a claw into his cracked exoskeleton. Transparent blood mixes with white on the guard's claws. Even as he exalts in this moment of triumph, Melink lunges at him, but she's slowed by her wounds and he easily evades her. My opponent, still half blinded, slips for just a moment. I rise up to my feet and punch them hard in the stomach. When they bend forward with the blow, I clasp my hands together and bring them down hard as one blunt instrument. It sends my foe sprawling, unconscious into the white blood.
Round 14
Welk: 10
Manstein: 5
Melink: 2
Guard 3: 8
Now we all descend on the last guard. He moves with incredible reflexes, shifting to dodge my focused blows, Melink's wild claws, and Manstein's mighty bulk all at once. Even against the three of us he manages to keep himself not only unscathed, but smug. Still, the pressure stops him from retaliating.
Round 15
Welk: 10
Manstein: 5
Melink: 2
Guard 3: 8-6=2
Even as he smiles so utterly smugly at us with those oversized fangs, the guard fails to realize just how cornered he is. We're trained naval officers of the AstroNavy, and we know how to coordinate. Manstein grabs the creature from behind and I go low while Melink goes high. Melink drags claws across the creatures face, sheering skin and tissue from bone. I hit hard in the solar plexus, winding them.
Round 16
Welk: 10
Manstein: 5
Melink: 2
Guard 3: 2-4=-2
Manstein intentionally pulls the man back and away from Melink's rage, even as she stuffs the fistful of face into her mouth. He squeezes hard, and I plant another blow in the guard's stomach. They stop struggling.
I look up at Manstein, "Are they dead?"
Manstein shrugs. "Could be."
"Should be," Melink suggests.
"Drop him," I order. "If he's dead he dies, but we don't push a fight after winning." Manstein nods ascent, and while Melink growls she doesn't object.
Hoh-boy, that was close... whew... yeah, lot of that was just bad luck, but it's interesting how quickly it all turned around after the enemies lost a couple of their number.
So, where were we?
Choice: Not Dead: 150
No comments:
Post a Comment