Family Matters (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: Rolled a 13.

The cautious rogue looked around, seeing nothing hostile or of interest besides the seemingly empty city in the distance and the fair amount of open ground between the estate and the other buildings. With no aliens, mutants, or any other variety of enemy coming for her, all that was left was to hold the rope. As Elizabeth and, to a much lesser extent, Bob steadied the rope, a tug could be felt on the other end. Judging by the sudden weight on the rope, without her giving an order aloud, her companions had chose to scale the wall one by one. It was impossible to tell who was coming first by weight alone without calling to them.

The rate at which the first of her followers ascended the rope was almost excruciatingly slow. Every second added to the possibility that the assassin would be attacked and there were many such seconds. If the heiress were to drop the rope then she would risk injuring whoever was on it. The tension arising from her vulnerable situation was so thick that her long knife could have taken a stab at it. Unfortunately, it wasn't her knife that broke the tension, it was a loud, alarming sound from behind the assassin...

SQUAWK! A bird, of all things, the jerk, had landed a few feet behind Elizabeth and loudly declared its hunger to her and, well, everything that happened to have heard it. The lively thing hopped about the grass, its head turning as it looked from spot to spot for a worm or some other morsel. The avian stayed out of the rogue's reach, however, probably wisely so. By the time Elizabeth looked back to the wall, Karina's head had popped up over the ledge. A little bit of effort later and she was on the lean noblewoman's side of the wall. The rogue was a little bit safer from attack with one of her tagalongs watching her back. Alice, however, was a little less safe. The handmaid wasn't nearly as swift as she should have been in grabbing the rope, either. The Silver woman could almost hear the seconds ticking away until she finally felt the maid's weight on the other end.

Alice's progress up the rope was almost as agonizingly slow as Karina's had been. The maid might have even been moving slower than the fire that was becoming more and more noticeable in the former holdings of House Dreslin. Still, besides a few more squawks from the bird that had apparently chosen to inspect the group from a distance, there were no other incidents. The maid came up and over the impeding wall. The skinny girl's hands slipped on the way down and she landed on her bottom. Despite her fall, Alice did little more than issue an 'oof' of discomfort before standing back up and patting herself off. With the trio having escaped the estate, Karina finally asked; "What do we do now?" A question which it seemed that Elizabeth's handmaiden was wondering about as well, if her curious expression was any indication.

Elizabeth was, in a way, free to go wherever she pleased at the time, as long as she could defeat any of the invaders that might be in the way.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth remained quiet as she unfastened the rope from the hilt of her short knife, pulled the blade from the mortar of the wall, untied the end of the cord from Bob’s wrapping, and even as she proceeded to draw the cable from over the wall, looping it up around one arm before handing the whole bundle over to Alice. “Now, we’re going to my place.” Okay so technically it was her cousin’s place, but it was a ‘Silver’ estate all the same, and besides; it would be up for rent shortly after they arrived.

Elizabeth flipped her short knife over in her hand holding her long knife in her other as she surveyed the street. If she wasn’t mistaken, the carriage she & Robin had left had headed left of the estate, she should at least be able to find her way back to the upturned carriage. Though this time she knew better than to travel in the open street, she had no mind to encounter any more of the behemoths, certainly the side streets and alleys may have been darker, though the new dawn should help that, but they were undoubtedly too narrow and cramped for too many or too large creatures.

Spoiler

Perception Check: The way to Silver estate

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Elizabeth noticed a look of worry on Karina's face as she spoke of going to her place, though it was difficult to tell what exactly had sparked it. Whether or not the rogue chose to say anything about it was up to her. Alice, on the other hand, remained content to simply leave the burning estate. Regardless, once the assassin had readied Bob and her dagger for the journey it was time to go. The Dreslin building was beginning to look more like a beacon for summoning invaders than any sort of home.

They made off the same way the carriage had originally left. The trio stuck to the back alleys on the journey at Elizabeth's lead, apparently preferring to find the things lurking in them rather than having the lurking things find them. There was good reason to be worried about what still lurked around, however, given the ongoing alien invasion. Moreover, it was eerily quiet in the immediate vicinity, especially giving that the sounds of the grey raids in the rest of the city could still occasionally be heard.

Despite it all, it wasn't very long until the assassin stumbled across the place where Robin had made his stand, though she only surveyed it from an alley. It was difficult to make out too much detail but a few of the massive tentacled beast's corpses remained on the road, along with at least one throwing dagger that she could spot, though there were fewer dead than had been arrayed against the sniffling rogue. Robin was nowhere in sight, neither was his corpse, not that the two were separable. The place was much as she had left it, several minor buildings around a road intended for nobility, pseudo-nobility, and their servants. There were few hiding places if someone were to move onto the main road, meaning that to move onto it would leave anyone vulnerable to being sighted. But, any contemplation about the scene was paused when more of the space rapists showed up.

The assassin's choice to travel through alleyways turned out to be a very wise one, as not long after she had taken a peek at the scene several invaders went running by her hiding spot. Sizable four legged things that vaguely like a grey alien version of wolves, at least eleven of them ran across the section of road that had served as a battlefield several hours prior. Alice let out the beginnings of a gasp as the group went by but was stopped when Karina hastily covered the skinny woman's mouth, fearful that the maid might do more than gasp. The wolf-like invaders didn't notice the heiress and her followers though, much to the obvious relief of Elizabeth's tagalongs, instead running right by them and instead in the direction of the burning estate. The situation resolved within seconds and without incident, though the heiress could feel the tension of the rest of her little group in the air.

Elizabeth could search the section of road that the House Silver retainer had fought on, continue her path to the carriage and her cousin's estate, or enact any other idea she might have.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth turned back to her clutch of comrades, quietly raising a finger to her lips as she breathed silence into them before turning back to scan the path, setting the dead head of Bob down beside her as she studied the street. It seemed the manor would be aiding in distracting the invaders, so as long as outside the notice of the incoming, they might be able to slip through their line without being seen, and that would, hopefully, offer the chance to get to her cousin’s estate, which had hopefully not been quiet as thoroughly overrun as the Dreslin estate, without the need for further combat.

Still the lack of Robin’s corpse was, assuring, either the robust man had managed to escape, which despite herself Elizabeth found herself favoring, else he was running around in ghoulish physique like Bob had been. Elizabeth wasn’t sure if such a change would have improved or worsened Robin’s natural aroma, or similarly what effect it may have had on his ability to lurk more effectively.

And then there was the matter of her throwing knives… she’d used at least two back in her support of her father’s retainer, and now she only had two left. Even if she found no trace of the retainer, if she could find even half of her knives she could redouble her supply, though with those creatures flooding the road at odd intervals, it was too much to risk, herself. “Karina,” Elizabeth whispered beneath her breath, raising one hand to beckon the spiritist to her side. “You see that flash of metal there?” Elizabeth leaned to the side; nearly whispering in Karina’s ear as she raised her short knife, pointing down the blade toward the subtle glint of metal that betrayed the throwing dagger’s position. “Do you think you can use your telekinesis to bring it nearer here?” It was a simple request; or at least Elizabeth thought it was, and besides, Karina could likely use some further experience in the more subtle manipulations of her powers, thus far she’d more or less been simply hurling large & heavy objects from one place to another. More sorcery than Elizabeth had surely enough, but not exactly arch magister level magic.

“Alice,” Elizabeth beckoned the small maid to her left side. No point in putting off Alice’s training until they reached haven if her lack of training was going to jeopardize their reaching safe haven. “Alice, I want you to look out at this street, and tell me what you see. Pay careful attention, a keen knowledge of your surroundings can often be more potent than the sharpest blade.” Elizabeth raised her short knife, just to reference a ‘sharp blade.’ “If the enemy sees you before you see them, then you lose the first fight without even knowing it, but if you see them, before they see you, than the favor falls to you. I would wager that you have more potential in you that you might know, you’ve been a servant, you’re naturally expected to serve without being seen, and that means you’ve already taken the first step toward being like me.” Elizabeth smirked a little, Alice’s hero-worship had not gone unnoticed, and she thought a little approval might be good for the young maid’s self-esteem. “You know how to navigate a field without being disruptive, how to move about without being distracting, how to keep people from noticing you. Now, you need to learn how to notice them, so take a good long look at this street, notice the gaps between the bodies, and ask yourself, is that natural, is that how they fell when they died, or, did someone move them to clear a path? And if so, who were they, how many were there, and where were they going?” All valid questions Elizabeth wouldn’t mind knowing the answers to herself.

“People do a million things without thinking, for example, if you were to push a tendril of one of those things out of your way, you would push it the direction you were already going, rather than haul it backward and make more work for yourself, water, and blood, do the same thing, it looks for the path of least resistance, and so by learning to identify gaps or disturbances in those paths, we can learn about what’s not there.” Karina could probably benefit from some of this as well. “For example, a pool of blood on a level plane, means that something was there that disturbed it, naturally it would flow in a thin stream, and only pool around obstructions or sources, a dead body, or a soldier’s boot, and then once disturbed, the flow of the blood will continue to take a new path even after the disturbance has been removed, blood flows into blood more easily than finding a new path.” Elizabeth was having flashbacks to her own childhood, being taught about how water flowed across floors, around rocks or goblets, or knives. “Topography can also influence these things, roads will often bow slightly where heavy wheels have dug away the cobblestones. If there’s an unexplained marking, a hole or cavity where there sensibly should not be one, then, simply put, there has to be a reason for it.” Just like there had to be a reason for this unnatural silence that clung to the city… Elizabeth swallowed. “And that’s why, we’re not taking the easy rout, we’re avoiding the path of least resistance, because that is where everyone else is going.”

Spoiler

Perception Check: General
Perception Check: Signs of Robin
Perception Check: Teaching Alice
Stealth Check: General
Stealth Check: Teaching Alice

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception (For everything but teaching Alice): Rolled a 20.
Stealth (Same as above): Hidden. :3

Alice gains the Perceptive talent as a result of Elizabeth's lesson, unrelated to the Perception and Stealth rolls.

Alice listened to Elizabeth intently, the assassin could almost see the gears turning in the awed maid's head as she committed the lesson to memory. The Silver heiress also noticed that her handmaiden perked up at the small approval offered and the assertion that she could become a rogue. If the skinny girl had a tail it would have happily wagged at the words of her mistress. The young servant might become a worthy retainer yet, especially under her apparent hero's tutoring. Karina, in the meantime, carefully navigated the throwing dagger back towards the trio, leaving it hanging in the air for the daughter of House Silver to take at her leisure. The experienced rogue could tell by the look on the busty noblewoman's face that she wasn't unimpressed by the teaching offered, although she didn't seem to learn as much from it as Alice had. Elizabeth had obviously cemented their loyalties even further with her bout of teaching.

Even as the rogue scanned her surroundings once more, the handmaid joined in. Alice's gaze, however, seemed to focus mostly on the bodies, as though the question she was asked earlier was part of a test that she would be scored for, it was a noticeable contrast to the experienced assassin who kept an eye on the details and the bigger picture. "I think the corpses have remained they fell milady," the maid whispered uncertainly. The assassin's own ranged inspection all but confirmed it as a fairly accurate guess though, especially considering that it was the mousy girl's first such observation. The way the various tendrils were sprawled across the ground in different directions didn't seem as though they had been dragged at all and they had fallen in a formation that made it look as though they had been surrounding something...or someone. The assassin remembered that the tentacled creatures had been doing just that in life. The rogue instinctively checked her surroundings for invaders again at the thought, finding none.

Elizabeth noticed something odd about one of the corpses, however, as she inspected the scene at a distance. One of the over-sized skittering land-squids seemed to have died on top of something and even her keen eye couldn't make out exactly what it was beneath the invader. A few moments after she noticed, Alice spoke in a hushed voice. "Milady, there's something odd about that corpse. It's like it's laying on something, the handmaiden vocally echoed the assassin's observation. Karina, for her part, remained silent. The psychic noblewoman seemed to have regained trust in Elizabeth after the lesson, but was obviously still nervous to be out in the city with the danger of alien raiders still present.

(Gain 1 throwing knife)

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth rolled her tongue against the back of her teeth, smirking a little as she took the throwing dagger from the air, spinning it slightly before sheathing it alongside her other two. She looked down the street both ways, chewing her tongue for a second, hiding beneath an enemy’s corpse was an excellent way for a wounded or otherwise immobilized person to ward further encounters, of course, it could just be a rock, a shattered carriage, or another corpse, or an animated corpse. There were too many things it could be. Still, no sense in leaving loose ends. Elizabeth cursed that her curiosity would get her killed one of these days. “Very good Alice.” She said with a cordial smirk. “Care to find out what that something is?”

Elizabeth grinned a little mischief taking her as she hunched her shoulders and mentally traced the quickest route to the corpse in question. “Lesson two; speed is the natural enemy of stealth. It’s harder to do something quietly than it is to do it quickly, knowing when to choose one instead of the other can be the difference between success and failure. Right now, we have a vast and open space populated by enemies at odd intervals… speed is definitely to be favored.” Elizabeth sheathed her knives and knelt down like a runner in a dash. “Of course, it never hurts to have someone to watch your back either. Keep an eye out for me girls.” Neither Alice nor Karina were exactly melee combatants, if there was to be a skirmish in the street, it’d be better to have them safely tucked away.

The Silver Rogue sprinted out into the road, bounding over and around the occasional tentacle or corpse as though they were running hurtles, ultimately intending to end crouched down at the side of the offending carcass, low and squat, prepared to if she had to, use the size of the body to conceal herself as well. Though after another glance around to ensure the security of the area; she began attempting to shift the corpse to one side.

Spoiler

Perception Check
Stealth Check

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: Success.
Stealth: Success.

Elizabeth's followers nodded solemnly at part two of the assassin's lesson and her order. Karina and Alice both kept to the alleyway as the rogue sprinted to her target objective. Even as she closed the distance, the skilled heiress wasn't exactly certain what she'd find under the dead invader. The lean noblewoman jumped tentacles and skirted around larger obstacles until finally she found herself in front of the suspicious body. A quick check proved that there was no more of the aphrodisiac slime on the body, meaning that the woman could handle it safely without wanting to jump one of her tagalongs or, worse yet, one of the squid-thing's relatives afterward.

A little bit of gentle nudging and less gentle shoving and pushing later and Elizabeth found that there was no body, living or otherwise, underneath the spindly raider. What she found was perhaps more puzzling, the tentacled corpse was propped up on a sword which it was impaled on, the pommel of which was braced against the road. Stranger still was that there was a scroll-case laying on the road underneath the creature beside the handle of the weapon, as though somebody had designated the lifeless grey thing as the perfect apocalypse stash. An inspection of the case would reveal that it contained a map to the estate of a specific member of the Silver family. It was a map to her cousin's home, to be exact. If the assassin were to remove the sword she would find that it was one of Robin's weapons. Yet, something was strange about the iron, as though its time within the land-squid's guts had somehow changed the weapon, maybe even for the better.

Elizabeth's inspection was cut short when she spotted more of the wolfish raiders coming down the road, six of them, obviously on their way to the Dreslin estate, or perhaps what would have been more appropriately called the Dreslin beacon after Elizabeth had indulged in arson. Thinking quickly, the rogue dived under the corpse to hide herself from the hostile aliens, much as she had suspected Robin might have done before she found the sword. Although it was difficult for her to see under her unfortunate choice of blanket, Elizabeth spied the wolves continuing on their way, suggesting that she had successfully hid herself from them. Fortunately, the curvy noblewoman and skinny maid had remained concealed enough to avoid the enemies as well. If Elizabeth didn't want to bring the fight to the creatures, they would pass by harmlessly after a few moments.

Assuming that the assassin didn't feel like engaging in some recreational alien murder, she would be free to meet up with her comrades and continue on her way after the group had passed.

(Gain Sniffler's Changed Sword; 1 + 3d6 + Body/2 damage. Anything struck by the weapon must make a Resistance vs 22 check or be stunned for a round. Gain map. You can change the sword's name if you like!)

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth smirked slightly, leave it to Robin to survive, at least this meant that he was likely at her father’s estate, it would be a shame were the Silver house head to die in the invasion, leaving the unwed female Elizabeth the closest blood relative to their ancestor Alexander… Yeah, that would be just terrible.

But better than wishful thinking, now she had a means to find her cousin’s estate, and after ducking beneath the squid-corpse, holding her breath and trying to ignore the texture of the thing as she wedged her lissome body beneath the bulk of the tentacle-bearing body. One hand gripped the base of her new sword, another thing she’d have to thank Robin for; she already hated how much she owed the Silver Retainer for… the other hand stashing the scroll beneath her belt. She tried to back herself in beneath the rubbery cadaver, doing her best prop the body up enough to allow her to breathe, but not so much as to make herself obvious to the alien wolves.

She’d wait for them to pass, no sense in picking a fight when she was behind enemy lines… relatively speaking, though she kept the Sniffer’s Sword in her hand, ready to strike out at any nose or muzzle that became too inquisitive toward her makeshift den. She seemed fairly well hidden, at least in her opinion, it was hard to be certain being so low to the ground, but the tentacled creature appeared significantly larger than her. It was Alice & Karina who may have been in real danger; they weren’t exactly as secretive as the Silver daughter.

Still, at least if they got attacked, the creatures would have to turn their backs to Elizabeth, and turning your back on a Silver, whatever their gender, was never a wise idea.

Spoiler

Stealth Check
Inventory on Character Sheet updated ^.^
Looting rules

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Stealth: Success

The alien wolves moved on without incident, obviously more interested in the prospect of potential survivors at the Dreslin estate than the corpse-field of a road. With the invaders out of sight, Elizabeth was left to leave the cobblestone street and rejoin Alice and Karina. It wasn't a long distance and the assassin was moving at full speed, but it still felt like crossing the open space of the street between buildings took an eternity, almost as though some god or another was purposely lengthening the gap between the heiress and safety.

About halfway to her destination, the assassin heard something worrying, heavy footsteps and banging to put the noises Bob had caused to shame, noises that were rapidly approaching her. Without any cover whatever was coming her way, likely another uninvited guest to the Dreslin ball and barbecue, would easily spot her, and there was no adequate cover to be found on her stretch of the street. Elizabeth had no choice but to speed her progress, dashing towards the two who were frantically beckoning her to the alley. The formidable rogue pushed herself as fast as she could go, leaping obstacles where she could and ducking around them when she couldn't. Elizabeth wasn't able to tell by sound alone whether she was moving faster than the approaching raiders. Still, after what felt like a second eternity, she was mere feet away from the others. Then it, or more specifically they, came into sight, five beastly giants to rival even Bob. They were of vastly different appearance, two of them looked very equine in nature, like mutated horses, another was a massively over-sized dog-thing, and the remaining giants were vaguely humanoid in appearance, beneath the wriggling mass of sprouted tentacles. They scanned the street as they came into view, one of the humanoids issued a low roar.

But they found nothing, for Elizabeth had leaped and dived toward the alleyway containing her companions just as the juggernauts had come into vision, barely making it to the relative safety of the off-street before they had sighted her. The heiress offered one careful peek around the corner at the giants to confirm their general disposition. Within short reach of the girls, the Silver heiress was able to more effectively guide their attempts at stealth. Tense seconds continued to tick by as the titanic mutants slowly continued on their path, pausing for the occasional worrying sniff or glance to the shadowy alcoves of the buildings surrounding the street.

The giants continued to idly search as they passed through, not quickly enough to offer the assassin or her tagalongs any sense of relief or ease to the tension in the air. Elizabeth and company were in an alleyway that they could probably use to leave the area. Alice and Karina seemed too frightened to speak with the monstrous group so close by. It seemed that the next course of action was up to the rogue.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth wordlessly sought to pin both girls against the wall nearest the titan’s approach, and thus hopefully out of their immediate gaze. I nod slightly toward the far end of the alley, pressing my back against the wall and doing my best to ensure the others do as well as I silently urge them to step, slowly and carefully, down away from the nearing behemoths. She instinctively drew a sword with her free hand, her fingers finding their way around the hilt of the Sniffer’s Sword as she held it ready to defend herself, and he companions should the need appear, kneeling slightly to retrieve Bob from his place on the ground, and remaining crouched as she slowly backed up down the alley.

Had she dared speak around the massive creatures, she would have pointed out a lesson three, known when to pick a fight. Karina and her had barely managed to take one of such behemoths by themselves, now they had Alice and four more beasts to concern themselves with. It was not a fight Elizabeth wanted a part in, and she hoped her colleagues would feel the same, they seemed intelligent enough for that at least. It was time to make a slow, careful, and preferably silent retreat.

Spoiler

Stealth Check

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Stealth: Success
Perception: Rolled a 19.

The two were too afraid to protest, vocally or physically, as they were pinned to the walls with gentle force. When the heiress motioned them away from the scene, Karina seemed more than happy not to test the odds against more of the titanic mutants. Alice seemed similarly glad at their retreat, despite not having any firsthand experience with the brutes. With that, Elizabeth, her followers, and Bob were off down the alleyway, heading well away from the creatures stalking the streets. The three and one-eighth managed to make it away without any further incident. A quick glance at the map suggested that it would be a lengthy journey to her cousin's estate, but that they could keep to the alleyways and back paths for most of it. The group trudged on, while still trying to maintain some sense of stealth in the alleys, dutifully and somewhat hopefully. The other two girls obviously saw a potential for safety in arriving at the manor, unaware of what the assassin was tasked with accomplishing.

"I wonder what's going to become of the city..." Karina finally dared to speak when they had traveled for several minutes. "I finally escaped House Dreslin, just in time for the apocalypse," Alice absently added, rather morbidly, speaking to no one in particular. The busty noblewoman frowned at the maid's pessimism, apparently not quite ready to accept that it was the end of the world. She did not reply directly, however, instead idly wishing aloud; "I hope Mother and Father are okay." Alice seemed uncertain how to respond, obviously very grim about the situation but not wanting to hurt Karina. "You told me your lord father is a knight, Lady Karina, surely he will be fine. They may be safer than we are!" There was a sense of forced sincerity in the handmaid's tone, obviously she didn't believe it. In a way though, it was a fair enough point, Elizabeth did recall that Karina's father had been a warrior of some note in his youth. Although, in recent years the mighty brother of the Head of the House Silrocio seemed to have fallen away from the skills that had gained him renown, something less widely known than his prowess. The busty noblewoman's family might turn out to be a valuable resource for the rogue at some point, if they still lived, when more pressing matters were taken care of. Morale did not seem to be at its best in the party, any attempt to raise it would probably be prudent. Bob, for his part, added nothing to the conversation either way.

The heiress might have had enough stamina to endure through hunger, her less than suitable sleep, and all the exertion, but her two followers were beginning to look exhausted from the efforts. Overall, the group wasn't the most inspiring sight, not that there was much to be inspired by with all the raiders in the process of sacking the city, turning the population into freakish aberrations, and raping anything with a womb, even without in the cases of the slimed women. When the group came into sight of a street with an overturned apple cart on it, produce spilled into the street, Karina looked at the lean noblewoman almost pleadingly. A quick check suggested that nothing hostile was around and that the psychic woman could probably bring back a haul of apples telepathically without anything noticing.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

“In all likelihood…” Elizabeth began, double checking both sides of the street near the over turned cart, instantly suspicious of why there weren’t any other scavengers, human or otherwise taking advantage of the spilled produce. “Any noble house with a strong enough guard and few enough females will likely still be in a healthy state.” She wasn’t exactly speaking softly but she did still keep Robin’s surplus sword in one hand.

“The creatures seem drawn to, well, women, and the Dreslin estate was having a party, their guards were already taxed keeping track of the various guests, so when the creatures attacked they were disorganized spread out and unprepared. Though I doubt even the national guard were any more prepared, it’s unlikely that every house has been destroyed quiet as completely as the Dreslin’s.” She was just sort of thinking out loud now, crouching down to lay Bob beside her foot before drawing a throwing knife, and hurling it toward the bulk of the apple cart, hoping the strike the wood or metal of it to generate a good racket and the sudden force of someone moving to take them. There was no sense on relying on Karina for everything after all.

“Besides, I’ve yet to see anything to imply that these creatures are more than just that, creatures, they seem to act on instinct and little more. If they truly are opportunistic in their predations, than there are far softer targets than the renowned warriors of the Silrocio house to be found in the slums.” She might have been playing up the renowned of the Silrocio house just a little, but moral was important, possible more so to the mystical Karina, than either of them knew, probably wouldn't hurt to have Alice in good spirits too, since she had the dubious task of patching them up after battle. Baring the revelation of any new threat, Elizabeth would lead her trio, leaving Bob where he lay, to loot the apple cart, retrieving her knife, and taking more than she strictly needed. Apples could make excellent bait should the situation arise.

Spoiler

Perception Check
Attack roll?

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: Same as last time since that's what it was for. >.>
No need for an attack roll either. Elizabeth didn't spend all that time training to miss an immobile apple cart!

The two nodded at their leader's wisdom, though Karina seemed to buy more into it than the maid did. They did not respond before the apple run proper, however. The assassin had no issue placing the knife right on target, it wasn't anywhere near as mobile as some of the things she had stabbed that day. Nothing of note happened after the knife struck the cart, so the group, minus Bob, made a looting run. The three picked up all the fruit they could carry in their arms and Alice even made use of her partially ruined dress as an impromptu hammock to bring back more. The rogue retrieved her knife before leaving the cart. Nothing came, the place was completely deserted it seemed, which Elizabeth recognized as a sign that the aliens were probably busy raping and pillaging in more populated areas or on their way to the beacon she left for them. Still, her tagalongs seemed to have actually enjoyed their little food run, the busty noblewoman was actually smiling a little after they had dashed back to the alleyway to enjoy the spoils of their miniature raid.

The group deposited their apples on the cleanest surface they could find, a small stack of wooden crates that appeared to have been emptied and abandoned in the alley. Karina and Alice quickly took an apple each, both carefully wiping off their soon-to-be meals before taking bites out of them. The maid wolfed the apple down, it was impossible to tell the last time she had eaten. The busty noblewoman was a bit more measured in sating her hunger, some remnant of her training as a proper lady. It was still less than minutes before the two apples were gone. Only once the two chosen pieces of fruit had been devoured did Karina speak again. "Do you really mean it? About my family..." The curvy psychic asked hopefully. After the noblewoman spoke up, Alice looked at Elizabeth strangely. The rogue recognized it as the same look that the handmaid had given the invader corpses when she was trying to determine whether they had been moved.

The skinny servant did not look for too long, however, before picking up another apple and taking a bite out of it. Karina did not move for another piece of fruit, apparently more interested in the response of the heiress. "What of your family, Lady Elizabeth, aren't you worried about them? And...if you don't mind me asking...what's in that bag?" The rogue noticed that Bob appeared to be leaking, his blood starting to show through the multitude of linens wrapped around him. Some of the spare linens the rogue had taken from House Dreslin might prove useful soon, for the apples if not her trophy.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth tucked a few apples down her shirt, adjusting them to make it look as little like she had apples down her shirt as possible, she didn’t really need to stuff anything in her chest from an anatomical standpoint, but it was an excellent way to keep things handy when lacking a satchel. She sheathed her swords, tucked the throwing knife back in place and retrieved Bob, leaving one hand free to casually munch on one of the recently acquired apples indifferently. She didn’t like the look Alice was giving her, it was rather clearly an attempt to be read and frankly, that was something any Silver was loath to enjoy, though Elizabeth herself did find some ping of pride bubbling in that her new handmaiden was already looking to read those around her, now if she could just be raised to do it more subtly. “You family are fighters, and your father’s a good man, I highly doubt that they’d just roll over for these things Karina. Besides, you’ve proven today that you may have inherited more than just a warrior’s spirit from your ancestors.” Elizabeth smirked a little.

“And as for this, it’s a gift for my father upon my return.” She raised Bob slightly, having just held him at her side, and speaking almost as if that were to be her response for both questions, before reaching for the map she’d found with Robin’s sword. She took a few steps forward to lay the map out on the crates beside the apples, actually using a few to pin the corners. “My previous retainer left this for us before he killed those tendriled thing we passed.” She may have been playing up Robin’s feats just a little, no sense in setting in Alice’s bar too low after all.

She leaned over the crates, supporting herself atop her elbows as the Silver heiress’s supple backside was left to hang behind her. This was the first time Elizabeth had actually had a moment to study the map so, while munching her own chosen apple. “We, are here.” She gestured to where she thought they were on the map. “An the sun is over there.” She pointed to where the sun was. “So my cousin’s estate should be, in that direction.” She pointed toward where, if she read the map correctly, her cousin’s estate should be, and took the last bite of her apple before tossing the core into the street.

She took another apple off the cart and sunk her teeth into it lightly before straightening her back and leaning off the crate, leaving the map for her companions to survey, just on the off chance she was wrong. She’s rather be corrected by Alice than spend hours wandering the back streets of the Necropolis during an aberrant assault, and possibly relive the experience of the ballroom… “Eat your fill and see what can be done about bringing some food with us, and we’ll head out as soon as we can.”

Spoiler

Knowledge Check?

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Unnecessary! It's a detailed enough map and Elizabeth knows her way around the noble quarters well enough to find her way.

The two looked at Elizabeth with confusion evident in their eyes as she stuffed the apples down her shirt. Her tagalongs quickly shrugged that off, however, since several of the unorthodox things she had done seemed to have saved them before. Karina took another apple as Elizabeth spoke. The rogue could read the busty noblewoman well enough to know that her little inspirational talk had worked, Karina's morale seemed to have risen, at the very least she might not snap under pressure. She could read both well enough to know that they were quite unsettled by the bloody sack. Both the psychic and the maid moved to shift away from Bob's company, both tried not to look at the newly red linens as they sated their hungers with apples.

They risked coming a little closer to Bob as Elizabeth placed the map onto the crate, pinning it with a few extra apples. The well-trained Silver noticed that Alice remained just far enough behind her to get a good view of her backside, it seemed that the skinny girl appreciated more than just the practical results of the rogue's training. It also seemed that the handmaid really needed to work on her subtlety. Regardless of what Elizabeth did in response to her maid's ogling, the two did finally look at the map with her. It was an impressively detailed map of the section of the city taken up by the nobility, complete with details about several alleyways. It seemed like Elizabeth would be able to plan her route well with the map, whether she wanted to favor speed or stealth. The estate itself was even marked with small notes regarding patrols in handwriting that the rogue recognized as Robin's. The patrols probably didn't matter much now, however, given the invasion.

Elizabeth's followers nodded at her summary of the map. "I think you're correct about our location. Additionally, milady, it looks like we can keep to the alleys the entire way there." Alice pointed out, which Elizabeth had already noticed. Karina merely nodded again, her mouth too full of apple to say anything. When the rogue suggested that they eat their fill, the maid really went to work on the collection of fruit, Karina managing to eat one in the amount of time it would take the skinny servant to finish two. The two seemed perfectly receptive to any questions that the assassin might ask while they were eating, though they did not speak up themselves. By the time they were done, only six apples and the ones stuffed in Elizabeth's shirt remained. All that remained once the rogue had her own fill was to gather up the rest and decide whether she wanted to take the open roads and get to the estate a little faster at the risk of fighting or take the back alleys to sacrifice speed for stealth.

Spoiler

As Elizabeth said, speed is the natural enemy of stealth. :3

A little bit of a minigame here: The route Elizabeth takes, in this case, will depend on how much she prefers speed or stealth in making it to her cousin's estate. You can choose speed, you can choose stealth, or you can mix between the two.

If you mix between the two, you can spend 10 points between either speed or stealth. Which means you could go with 3 speed, 7 stealth, 2 stealth, 8 speed, 5 speed, 5 stealth, etc. etc..

If Elizabeth makes any sort of major discovery or encounters something while en route you will be able to adjust. Feel free to drop me a visitor message or say something in the shoutbox if this is particularly confusing.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Elizabeth chomped lightly on two to three apples, just enough to sate her hunger for a while without leaving her too full or lethargic to maintain her natural lethality, they weren’t out of the woods yet, though the Silver rogue did find a smirk stealing across her face as Alice, less than discretely observed her. Time for that later.

Elizabeth turned her attention back to the map, paying particular attention to the patrol routs, specifically to where the patrol routs intersected. If there was going to be a place where there was to be a battle, their side would have likely faired best there, it was worth checking out even if for no reason other than to see about finding Alice something more protective than a maid’s uniform. She didn’t need some cephalopod with French maid fetish stealing her healer away when she wasn’t looking… putting Alice in some real armor, even slightly used, would also probably be good for her moral. Karina could likely use something too, but Elizabeth was less versed in the proper battle gear for spiritists than for rogues in training.

That would of course mean parting from the alleys for at least some of the journey, which would in turn mean that they couldn’t stay out of sight for all of it. Still with any luck the remains of the Dreslin estate would distract any of the new neighbors long enough for Elizabeth & her companions to make it to the ‘safe’ grounds of her cousin’s estate, and it was unlikely that any survivors were intelligent enough to stalk the alleys, though that wasn’t to say some of them wouldn’t be, and while collecting kittens wasn’t exactly high on Elizabeth’s list, it was unlikely that her cousin’s employees, particularly the well-armed ones, would take to her ‘duties’ quiet as tolerably as she would like. Being able to give them something in exchange for overlooking the, let’s call it a change in command, could be beneficial.

"Pack up what we can, we’ll be sticking mostly to the alleys but keep an eye open for stragglers, both friendly and unfriend.” If something small weak and alien happened to present itself; letting it live would just be irresponsible. “I’d like to get to my cousin’s estate before Bob starts to stink.” Elizabeth jokingly raised the offending head-sack to her side, smiling down to it in an attempt to waylay her companion’s misgivings toward it. She liked having a trophy… heck maybe Bob could even be bartered to some soldier within her cousin’s estate, the fame and repute of ‘singlehandedly’ murdering one of the juggernauts of the aberrant invasion could be worth something, to the right customer.

Plus; he probably wouldn't look that bad on Elizabeth's wall.

Spoiler

I think a 6 Stealth 4 Speed split sounds best, with a note to check out the intersections of patrol routs for survivors/loot.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception (Finding Neat Stuff): Failure.
Encounter Roll (Finding Bad Stuff): Bad luck in terms of finding one, sort of good luck in difficulty.

Perception: Enemy wins. 4 v 17 (I uh, I think I may have actually used up all of Elizabeth's good rolls.)
Stealth: Enemy wins. 9 v 18

Bad News Lizard: Attack vs Karina.
Hit: Automatic Success.
Damage: 19 + 8 = 27 - 1 = 26 * 2 = 52 damage. Karina is unconscious.

Bad News Lizard 2: Attack vs Alice.
Hit: Automatic Success.
Damage: 19 + 2 = 21 - 1 = 20 * 2 = 40 damage. Alice is unconscious.

With her hunger sated, a respectable plan in mind, and a usable map to lead her 'troops' by, the heiress and co. set off. Elizabeth's humor about Bob only made Karina look slightly queasy, as much of a sign of success as the lean noblewoman was like to see coming from the busty psychic. At the very least, the skinny maid and the curvier noblewoman were willing to stick close to the rogue despite the presence of Bob. They seemed at least marginally more afraid of being separated and grabbed than revulsion of the trophy. Still, the severed head might be worth a lot of Badaria were ever to recover, there could be some long-term advantage to being able to say that House Silver contributed much to fight off the invasion and having the means to prove it. Being able to rally her cousin's retainers and troops to her side after his untimely demise might provide a more immediate advantage.

The trio, and Bob, mostly kept to the alleyways, preferring stealth only over speed, what with all the tentacled rapists still roaming the streets. They would dash through streets occasionally, mainly when it seemed that it would be fast enough to offset the dangers of leaving the back paths, but additionally so that the rogue could keep an eye open for any shop with valuables that hadn't been looted. Unfortunately, the rogue did not find any building worth slowing down over, which meant that she couldn't find any armor or improved weapons for her followers either. Regardless, the three were making good time according to Elizabeth's estimate of the map, they would find themselves at her wayward cousin's estate within the hour. At least they would have, if disaster hadn't struck.

While traveling through a narrow alleyway, the assassin found enemies. Or perhaps more accurately, enemies found her. Even the skilled assassin did not see through the veil of the camouflaged hunters until it was too late. It all transpired in the course of a second, too quick for the rogue to even react. One meaty green hand smashed into the back of Alice's head, sending her sprawling forward to the ground in a heap. The second creature backhanded Karina, causing her to fall backwards, hitting the alley hard and not moving afterward. The two muscular green lizardmen, an unfortunately familiar sight after her encounter with them at the Dreslin estate, then turned on Elizabeth herself. They grinned at her with wickedly pointed teeth and advanced with razor-sharp, four-inch talons at the ready. The heiress was alone against the two, hopefully the tricks she had picked up at the Dreslin estate would server her well there.

Elizabeth's back was to open alleyway, where she could potentially flee to, though doing so would mean leaving her companions in the hands of alien lizards. The two advanced on her down the narrow alleyway at the same time, unfortunately the alley wasn't narrow enough to try to take them on one at a time. The lizard-things were only about five feet away from her, she had precious little time to react. A few crates littered the path, though they appeared to be mostly empty and probably would not tarry Elizabeth's enemies much, if at all.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Two against one, not the best odds. Elizabeth dropped Bob and drew Robin’s sword in one hand and her short knife in the other. The girls were down, options. Option A: flee, leave the girls to be raped, consider returning & catching the lizards with their proverbial pants down, pros; limited chance of being raped personally, cons; high change of both her retainers ending up pregnant, again. Karina probably wouldn’t like being stabbed in the gut again, and Alice was already a delicate little flower. Option B: fight, the lizards were bigger & stronger than her, there was a decent chance she’d lose if she didn’t find an advantage quickly. Pros; she got to kill stuff, that was always fun, & saving Alice & Karina from the fate of being lizard wives would probably solidify her ‘friendships’ with them, Cons; if she lost she’d get raped, although there were three girls and only two of the lizards…

Option B it was then. Elizabeth had her pride after all.

Of course she also had her brain, and it was telling her that there was absolutely no way she could stand on the front line of a two on one fight with these things; they looked to be the same things that had nearly taken her out back at the Dreslin house… She needed an advantage. High ground would’ve been nice, or…

A devious smirk crossed Elizabeth’s face as she held her swords out to her side. Bigger meant clunkier right? Elizabeth rushed the two creatures intent on inserting herself between them before twisting herself on her heel, drawing her weapons out at her sides. She was faster, more agile, her joints complained at the ways in which she was twisting them but she should’ve been faster. With one on one side, and the other on the other, with any luck whenever she saw one of those great claws come toward her, she could move out of the way, and let their own strength work against them.

While still, it was seldom Silver nature to play purely defensive. She struck the Sniffler’s sword out against the one on her left side, while secreting her short knife to strike at any opening, against the other. Still twisting and turning to the point of making it hard to distinguish between the two beasts, a few bloody wounds ought to help that.

Spoiler

Insert self between Monster A & Monster B
Activate Whirling Death {apply dodge bonus toward causing attacks that miss to hit the monster on the other side?}
Basic Attack Vs, let’s say Monster A using Sniffler’s Changed Sword.
Sudden Strike Vs Mother B using Short Knife.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

Spoiler

HP = 17/41, PP = 35, EP = 32, Status = Injured

Rolls

Spoiler

I'm not entirely sure that the attack would work this way normally, but since I'm not entirely sure that it's going to be a big help I'm rolling with it.

Perception (Detecting Mind Stuff): Elizabeth wins.
Resistance Check (Mind Stuff): ??? wins.

Attack A: Attack vs Lizard A
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 14 + 10 + 11 = 35 - 8 = 27 damage.
Resistance: Lizard wins.

Lizard A: Attack vs Elizabeth.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 19 = 22 - 14 = 8 damage. Chainmail at 36/40 TP.

Lizard B: Attack vs Elizabeth
Attack: Hit
Damage: 6 + 19 = 25 - 14 = 11 damage. Chainmail at 31/40 TP.

Attack B: Sudden Strike vs Lizard B
Stealth: Enemy wins.
Attack: Hit (Barely)
Damage: 4 + 10 + 11 = 25 - 8 = 17 damage.

Elizabeth takes 5 damage from Whirling Death.

The next few moments were an explosion of action, so much so that the assassin only barely noticed a foreign presence brushing at her mind. The lean heiress rushed forward, she dashed in-between the two, who were caught off guard by the sight of a lithe woman running towards them. Her left arm lashed out, the strange sword shining as the metal blade reflected the light of the sun overhead, and the steel bit deeply into the stomach of its target. Elizabeth could tell that it was in pain but it didn't seem to be slowing down. If the green ambusher had been a human it would be too busy collecting its intestines to continue the attack but its skin was too thick to disembowel with a single-handed swing.

Unfortunately, the two creatures were experienced enough to keep their wits about them. They used the advantage of the heiress being between them to attack her from odd and different angles, making dodging the two nearly impossible even for the well-trained Silver. Claws raked across her front and back, ripping her shirt and leaving visible lines of blood across her body, not to mention that it was incredibly painful. The chainmail held well and took the brunt of it, at least. Still, the heiress thought she saw an opening to deliver one of the hunters a nasty surprise in the melee and tried to take it. The lizardman was too alert and agile, however, and ended up taking the knife to a forearm that it brought up in the nick of time rather than its vulnerable throat as intended.

The entire exchange had largely been disadvantageous for the rogue. The Badarian noblewoman could probably kill one of the two remaining aggressors but a victory against the second was less than assured. At least, it seemed, she would be able to leave the one creature dead and narrow it down to a one-in-three chance of being raped by its fellow. It was hard to tell what she would be able to accomplish at best.

However, her tactical considerations were interrupted by a voice in her mind that wasn't hers. Heiress, the unknown voice began, it was very feminine and musical and did not seem overly concerned that the noblewoman was in the middle of a bad situation. You were the one who sought to follow me? The voice took on a condescending tone as it continued, without any of the respect, or even a mock attempt at it, that the assassin was probably deserving of for her performance to that point. O' mighty scion of House Silver, losing to mere reptiles. Melodic laughter filled the rogue's head. Perhaps she wants to be the course of the day, a spit-roast both figurative and literal. The voice mocked lewdly, likely not making any good impression on the endangered rogue. But perhaps reptilian cock isn't appealing to you as a main course this morning, Heiress. Perhaps you would enjoy something more quaint, more human? You see, I am quite hungry and do prefer the taste of the human nobility over the common lizard. I do not have the power to save you single-handedly but I do not doubt that combined we could easily dispatch the brutes. All I ask is a little sustenance in return. Of course, if you refuse, I might just sneak off with that tasty looking psychic of yours in the aftermath. If that comes to pass then I give you my word that I will keep her very safe... The rogue could almost hear the voice speaking with a mocking smile.

What say you? It concluded, the presence remaining in Elizabeth's mind until she either tried to force it out or answered.

 

[AshPrince]

Re: Elizabeth Silver (AshPrince) GMed by Hafnium

“The psychic is mine.” To be honest, Elizabeth wasn’t entirely sure who she was talking to, or about, probably Karina, but there was some head trauma involved and she had a lot on her mind; like surviving. She officially hated the lizards, like so very much, killing them was something she wanted to do, a lot of killing them, but it seemed a fool’s errand to enter into a contract without so much as seeing the other party, and she didn’t much care for the way it talked into her brain either. “What exactly do you propose?” Terms were important for any agreement, and she wasn’t going to let the fact that she was kind of in the process of bleeding to death to influence her decision. What would that say about her?

Still it was perhaps the right time for a change in tactics. She backed off from the two, enough to get out from between them, but not enough for a full on retreat, raising her swords across her chest to protect herself as she slowly stepped from side to side. “I’m open to a partnership, but not looking to be a servant.” Her mind was already whirling to discover the nature of her proposed savior. Lewd, and self-proclaimed ‘hungry’ which was ominous, though combined with the power it proposed and the cold shiver it’s presence in her head left on the back of her neck; either an invader; or a succubus, or perhaps just a perverted psychic. Still, Karina could use a trainer, as could Alice, and there was little doubt this voice didn’t belong to a kitten, more like a mountain lion.

Elizabeth stayed back, just beyond reach of the nearest lizard ready to strike at the first one to move for her, keeping her feet separate and her blades raised, favoring defense over offense, she kind of had to with her ailing health.

Spoiler

Deactivate Whirling Death
Activate Scissor Defense
Fight Defensively -10 To Hit +10 To Dodge
Sudden Strike X2 against nearest Monster