To Find a Mind (Dragontear)

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

You can't really do a defensive Strike with a ranged weapon, and it would be more practical to use your melee weapon anyway, since they have no ranged attack. What I can do is give you a free attack with a javelin for every round they fail to reach you.
Attack: Hit.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 4 + 5 + 13 = 28 damage per shot.
1 dead via ranged combat.

Round 1:
Attack (T1): Miss.
Counter (T1): Hit.
Damage: 1 + 5 + 6 + 27 = 39 damage.
Attack (T2): Miss.
Counter (T2): Hit.
Damage: 2 + 3 + 36 = 41 damage.

Round 2:
Attack (T1): Miss.
Counter (T1): Hit.
Damage: Dead
Attack (T2): Miss.
Counter (T2): Hit.
Damage: Dead

The path being almost a hundred feet long, Zarro had several opportunities to fling javelins at the creatures as they closed in on her. She had to wait until they got closer, of course, but she got to throw both weapons before the creatures closed on her position, and Zaro was forced to fight them in hand to hand combat. The fight didn't last long, her shield coming up the second her javelin was in the air, felling one of the ugly tentacled creatures before it even came close enough to attack her. Each of them in turn sent writhing appendages at her, trying to get past her massive shield, only to fail miserably, and receive either a jab from her spear, or a smash from her mace. It was over in less than fifteen seconds, all three of the monsters dead, and her two javelins reclaimed.

A minute later, her mistress called to her, exiting the door which Zaro hadn't even noticed her open, much less enter. She looked no different than before, except for a smug smile on her face, as she said; "Very good. Now, let us depart, before more such creatures arrive to assail us." She started toward the way they'd come, turning down the hallways and heading back into the torture chamber.

(Kinda short, but I wanted to get past the combat.)

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

(Moar exp I won't be able to use now? XD Racking it up... perhaps. Ah, I didn't actually know the corridor was that long.)

The battle was rather... anti-climatic, however Zaro naturally enjoyed the destruction of her foes, and the warm, pulsing gem upon her armored chest seemed to tingle lovingly, as though praising her for the apt obliteration of a trio of tentacled... meat-bags, the closest thing she could call them without simply spitting in disgust. However with such a typically repressed personality, the massive, well-armed and armored she-giant simply defended and attacked as appropiate, falling back on tried-and-true tactics, the javelins doing well to inflict wounds and death, but the twirl of a double-weapon worked just as if not better-

"Very good. Now, let us depart, before more such creatures arrive to assail us."

-She had already collected the thrown spears and had delivered a few stabs to the dead, ensuring they were infact, dead, and returned to hastily trudge back towards the first area that had welcomed them into this brief, rather un-challenging underground facility, un-questioning of why else Narissa was now smugly smiling, for she savored the minor praise but dearly wished for more - much more, though daring not to show such things...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Fine

(Oh yeah, 4 more experience for you.)

Her equipment retrieved and her opponents assuredly dead after a few additional jabs into their slimy bodies, Zaro followed on after her mistress. The dragoness in her tight dark clothes kept ahead of the heavily armored demoness, but only just so as she trekked back through her dungeon. Within five minutes, they emerged back through the tunnel and into the garden through the same passageway as before, the passageway immediately closing behind her as she emerged into the shade brought on by the massive creatures still hovering above the city.

"Now, let us be... Oh bother, more of them." Narissa said, exhaling an exasperated sigh as Zaro too caught sight of the things plummeting toward them. There were eleven in all, and they descended rapidly, leaving Zaro just enough time to move in front of her mistress before they hit the ground. The first to land is also the largest, and at first it seems like a miniature version of the creature that had dropped it, but that only lasts momentarily. It stretches and straightens into a very vaguely humanoid shape, a featureless round 'head' sitting atop a long neck that was attached to a torso that was too long and wide to be properly proportioned. It had two long, thin arms ending in stumps, and at its base was a skirt of writhing tentacles that constantly oozed a thick, clear, viscous slime. It floats about a foot off the ground, the tips of its numerous appendages just barely brushing against it at times. All in all, it was roughly twenty feet tall, and its flesh was the same mottled greyish color as that of all the other creatures she had encountered today.

Four of the others are massive creatures that Zaro had spotted during their run through the streets, each of them about ten to twelve feet tall and basically humanoid, with heads just as blank as the larger floating creature before her. The other seven were more of the ugly tentacled things that Zaro was swiftly growing sick of. They encircled her and her mistress, the tentacled ones forming a line on one end of the path, waiting about thirty feet away in case they attempted to escape that way. The massive creatures were in a circle around them, each of them about twenty feet away, and Zaro doubted that the hedges would hamper their mobility as it had in their earlier battle in the garden against the shorter tentacled monsters. It would, however, keep Zaro and Narissa penned in. Finally, the floating one hovered about ten feet from where Zaro stood, and as she glared at it a voice seemed to emit out form it, though no mouth was visible on its head; "Surrender." The voice was emotionless and commanding, booming loudly above the otherwise silent garden. Narissa, however, simply laughed, and replied; "You must be joking? Kill it. Now." The command is directed at her, and even as she says it the creature floats away several more feet away form them before each of the juggernauts around them scream in rage as maws filled with rows of sharp teeth appear on their faces.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

(Yay! *Feels like a speshul snowflake.*)

'Allowing' herself to move at a steady, if hasty trudge marginally behind her rather more slender counterpart, the massive female rumbled quietly in thought and urgency, her nigh-invisible eyes occasionally straying over her Mistress' taught, healthy figure, but did not allow herself too long to drink in her recently armored patron's body, after all there were many more important thoughts to ponder and worry about. Like, for a light example, what the hells had occurred to bring the mottled grey-skinned invaders to this realm, especially concerned, however introverted, about their presence remotely near the mansion. Further more relevant was that the monsters had the gall to try and hurt the civilized, gifted Dragoness that casually exited the dungeon...

"Now, let us be... Oh bother, more of them."

...Only to discover that trouble had once more found them. Zaro grunted a metallic, protective tone while rushing to adopt the familiar, comforting and powerful defensive posture that was literally second nature - all focus was upon... That. It was vaguely humanoid, but unlike the other four tall ones or the half-dozen or more masses of tentacles, it had a disproportionately large torso topped off with various tentacle-like appendages, bringing up the question as to why tentacles seemed to be such a grand feature on these otherwise illogical-looking... things, no less comforting was knowing that just one of the little tentacle-masses had even touched Narissa, the disgusting scent was still there, and Zaro tensed and huffed to her Mistress, perhaps kindly asserting the idea that a wash should be done as soon as possible.

At least she seemed flippant about them, unconcerned and seemingly not at all threatened-

"Surrender."

-to... hmm. Zaro further tensed and figited, feeling too energetic to merely do as commanded from a self-important creature that clearly felt it had the power to simply... gain whatever was desired, merely by demands alone? The fact that they were surrounded did not go at all un-noticed, being added to the quickly working mind of a quiet, stoic Dragoness.

"You must be joking? Kill it. Now."

Excellently put forth to the tune of draconic laughter, the she-dragon had simplified any dilemma in dealing with an extraterrestrial monster and of what the Honor-Guard should do. She had neatly simplified what to do in the face of an Eldritch abomination to the wonderfully comprehend mental image of, repeatedly, stabbing the arrogant thing in it's... face?

Zaro did spent a moment contemplating whether it actually had a face, but was naturally distracted and returned to reality when the dammable monstrousity moved backwards noiselessly, excusing an otherworldly grace most off-putting. Alas - orders had been received, the logic behind them not even wondered about or pondered over, after all if the Mistress had decided these creatures were to die, who was Zaro to resist? In fact the pulsing, warmth that was the lovingly comfortable amulet upon her powerful chest only aided in compelling one to act, and act she did. To the tune of demented, rage-fueled screaming from four alien maws, Zaro responded in a decidedly calmer, provocative rumbling as she sprang into action, attempting to garner as much attention to herself whilst also remaining close enough to her magic-casting Mistress so as to protect her, too. She baded them to attack, not by words but by action, and did so with that same, nearly golem-like presence of utter massiveness as any other time before, lightly scented in alien blood and gore, twirling that double-weapon around.

ACTIONS.

Spoiler

Actions:
Defensive Strike: 67 Dodge, auto-attacks enemies that miss her during their turn.
Weapons:
Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata: Damage 3 + 3d6 + 24 = 27, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace: Damage 2 + 2d4 + 36. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 30 foot range, 3d6 + 13 damage.
Armor:
Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Will continue with default tactics.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 42/63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Mildly Injured

Rolls

Spoiler

Put points into Dodge. These things are easy to hit, but the d100 apparently likes to roll high for them of late.
Attack (J1): Hit
Attack (J2): Miss.
Attack (J3): Hit.
Attack (J4): Hit.
Damage (J1): 1 + 25 - 20 = 6 damage. Armor at 55/60 TP.
Damage (J2): 3 + 25 - 20 = 8 damage. Armor at 49/60 TP.
Damage (J4): 2 + 25 - 20 = 7 damage. Armor at 44/60 TP.
Counter: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 9 - 3 + 17 - 12 = 14 damage.
Wow, your damage got nerfed. Stupid balance. That, or you had your numbers wrong before. Or I'm missing something on your sheet that adds damage. If so, please let me know, so I can edit this.
Attack (Narissa): Hit.
Damage: 5 + 5 = 10 x 12 = 120 - 12 = 108 damage.

The massive creatures all screamed as one, and charged at the pair of them. Narissa hurled herself away from Zaro as the four huge monsters closed on the massive demon, and was forced to watch as her pet was pummeled repeatedly, by the creatures. Zaro only managed to dodge a single attack, one of the other creatures heavy punches pushing her out of the way. Her mace snapped out at the clumsy creature, slamming into its belly and sending its gray flesh jiggling slightly form the impact. If it noticed the powerful blow, the juggernaut didn't show it. The blows were heavy, easily more powerful than any attacks that Zaro had ever taken before, but her armor held, for the moment. The creatures around her barely gave her room to move at this point, limiting her to the use of the mace end of her weapon, and also boxing her in. However, even as they prepared to attack her again, one of the creatures that had struck her a moment ago burst into a plume of black flames, and it collapsed to the ground even as its massive body burnt down to ashes. The other three continued preparing to attack Zaro despite the impressive blast by her mistress, that had brought one of their number down.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

There, she was ready to meet her foes, fearlessly protecting her mistress and would continue to do so at all costs, be that mere pain or up to and including death. The massive female did see her taller, alien foes approach but found herself unable to decide how to tackle each individual - the fall-back to becoming defensive may not work here, which began to show when she received three massive blows from the unnatural creatures. The impact was incredibly potent, each time she was hit, Zaro staggered but remained standing - shocked by finding out that there was something indeed on this world that could hit harder than herself.

Blow after blow, her armor weakened as did the shield-arm, but just as before, she held true, barely able to keep them in her view for the invaders simply swarmed her, at least she could get a single potent strike in - however in-effectual it seemed to be, for she witnessed flesh wobble and... nothing else, not a broken bone, not a wounded cry, not even an indication that the beast was even hurt, at least.

However Narissa once again lifted the Dragon-Guardian's spirits, obliterating one foe with but a flick of her dainty wrist, that Zaro was very thankful for, the warmth of the pendant relaxing, despite the circumstance.

Pressured to act, she did choose the same tactic again, this time focusing upon keeping away from her foes, moving and trying not to get hit - if she could distract them long enough, Narissa could destroy or weaken them, yet the knowledge that tentacle crawlers still lived as well as the arrogant floating aberration lived... she was justifiably concerned about the Mistress' well being.

Protect her.

ACTIONS.

Spoiler

Actions:
Defensive Strike: 69 Dodge (adding 20 more), auto-attacks enemies that miss her during their turn.
Weapons:
Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata; Damage 3d10 - 1 + 26, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace; Damage 2d12 -3 + 26. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 2 + 1d10 + 17 damage, range 40ft.
Armor:
Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Will continue with default tactics. Adding 20 to dodge. (Check my stats again? I think I missed something. B1 Had to do this in a rush, sorreh. D

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 52/63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Mildly Injured, Grappled

Rolls

Spoiler

Forgot your Pain Resistant. You took 12 less damage last round. This is recorded in the above stats.
I'm just going to skip through the fight with the juggernauts until you win or lose. Or if something changes drastically.

Round 1 (FIGHT!)
Attack (J1): Hit
Attack (J2): Miss.
Attack (J3): Miss.
Damage (J1): 1 + 25 - 24 = 2 damage. Armor at 39/60 TP.
Counter: Hit.
Counter: Hit.
Damage (on J2): 10 + 6 - 3 + 26 - 12 = 27 damage. Total 41 damage.
Damage (on J3): 10 + 2 - 3 + 26 - 12 = 23 damage.

Attack (Narissa on J1): Hit.
Damage: 6 + 6 = 12 x 6 = 72 - 12 = 60 damage.
Double sixes.

As Zaro poured more of her concentration into her defenses, and had her spirits lifted by her mistresses successful destruction of one of their foes, things seemed to be going well. The three remaining creatures swung towards her once more, and the first of them connected solidly against her chest and pushed her back a step. While they might be able to hit harder than her, they lacked Zaros skill, determination and agility. The next attack slammed against her shield, and she deflected the force of the blow aside and answered the missed strike with a swing of her mace, which slammed against the gray monsters head and actually sent it a step back. the third creatures fist sailed past her head, and she redirected her first counter strike into a diagonal uppercut that hit it where its ribs should have been. The blow would have crushed armor and ribs alike with its power, but the monster didn't even seem to notice it.

With another casual flick, Narissa sent out a violet orb of energy, which hit the creature that had hit Zaro in the chest, and set it aflame. It lacked the power of her previous blast, however, and even though it had struck as perfectly as it could, the black flames went out after a few seconds, leaving the gray giant that they should have consumed burnt, but still standing. The floating abomination watched the combat turn against its servants, and issued a few high, squealing noises, accompanied by a low droning sound.

Rolls

Spoiler

Round 2
Attack (J1): Miss.
Attack (J2): Hit.
Attack (J3): Hit.
Zaro has been grappled.
Narissa has been grappled.
Counter: Hit.
Damage (on J1): 5 + 3 - 3 + 26 - 12 = 19 damage. Total 79 damage.

Grapple (Narissa vs Juggernaut): Enemy wins.

J1 has taken 79 damage total.
J2 has taken 41 damage, and is grappling Zaro.
J3 has taken 23 damage, and is grappling Narissa.

The abominations change in tactics was immediate and drastic. Two of them tried to tackle Zaro under their weight, while the third went around her and toward Narissa. The engineered demon dodged the first behemoth and slapped it with her mace, but as she saw one going for her mistress, the amulet thrummed warmly, and she was compelled to protect the dragoness. The second behemoth buried her under its massive weight, and its titanic arms wrapped around her armored form. She could only watch as the third brute grabbed Narissa around the waist and lifted her off of the ground. Her mistress tried to blast the behemoth as she had the others, but the thing slapped her arm away, and the bolt of black fire sailed off pointlessly into the sky.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

The thrill of fighting was ever-present, alongside the massively more urgent compelling needs to protect the Mistress from all harm done by others... especially the inhuman, merciless beasts that were now fighting most 'un-fairly' by the standards of foolish Knights or honorable warriors. Without the room to maneuver and momentum for the swings or javs, Zaro had previously found herself vulnerable and easily harmed despite her high quality equipment and innate training, as well as the biological strength and determination that Narissa had instilled within the engineered Guardian.

Despite the confidence she should have possessed against such mottled puppets, their own strength seemed... incredible, their numbers certainly greater and more varied. It would have been so much easier had the monsters entirely focused themselves upon the Dragonette warrioress, and a working system had developed to fight and kill powerful enemies - the Emezar would draw attention as Narissa obliterated with impunity...

She witnessed the wounded trio advance again, and instinctively remained light on her toes, shield raised, coated in slime and blood while letting the double-ended spear twirl as was perhaps unique to her own fighting style - no typical foe would be able to even approach her without being threatened with lethal crushing or stabbing power, however despite her best, a single, powerful fist smashed into the centre of her plated chest, making the female stumble and grunt loudly in mild discomfort, growing more and more frustrated and angry at knowing she may just lose. The concern was not for herself however, it was entirely over the possibility that Narissa was in danger, and this made her fight all the harder, not intending to falter and die, not now and not ever!

Deflecting the next attack and returning it with a sharp, spiteful jab with the bone-crushing mace - striking the monster's head! She was again irritated at the total lack of response, aside from a slightly pleasing stumble of the abomination before her, hoping dearly that would have at least knocked the demon down, but apparently they held little in the way of sensitive tissue or organs, perhaps just a gray mass of mottled flesh with bits poking out here and there - the most annoying kind, one of which sailed past her own Dragon-helmeted skull, also repaid in kind with a upper-cut powered by the hearty impact from smashing the prior head of a beast, using the kinetic bounce and turning it into a brutally graceful attack that, again, did nothing more then cause flesh to wobble.

It was then a wonderfully familiar sphere of dark matter flew past the giantess and slammed into one of the beasts, causing a wound that once more did nothing to really slow them down, most disappointing, for she had become very used to having a foe die from the powers of her Mistress-

-Then it happened, fate's cruel teeth sinking into the engineered female's neck, taking the form of a strange high-pitched squeal-turned-drone that initiated a rapid charge, taking Zaro down by one body out of the two that attacked her, but what actually worried the female was the dammed, singular cretin that pounced Narissa, succeeding in a most terrible way possible. The instinctive, immediate thing to do in a true moment of panic was to try and buck and thrash, all former discipline slipping away as she tried to head-butt and kick with no memorized grace from before, hands clenched and tail flailing around wildly, but quickly reigned in these rouge sensations and simply used every ounce of reliable strength, momentum and training to do whatever required to dis-advantage the bastard stopping Zaro from doing that singular duty she was literally born to do.

Protect her! So the pendant thrummed, as did every nerve and thought screamed out in duty and rage, one difficulty to tell where it ended and the next began.

Combat:

Spoiler

Actions:
Defensive Grappling, Hypnotize, Unarmed fighting... I think you'll have to figure this out sir, I'm not sure. XD
Weapons:
Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata; Damage 3d10 - 1 + 26, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace; Damage 2d12 -3 + 26. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 2 + 1d10 + 17 damage, range 40ft.
Un-armed: (d8 + 2) + Body/2
Armor:
Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Attempting to work herself free by any manner needed, be it graceful or just good old brutality, head butting, kicking, stabbing fingers into the beast's neck, gouging delicate bits out and... well, being nasty and strong but quick with no pretense of civility. The only reason she won't bite, is because she's wearing a fully plated helmet.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 52/63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Mildly Injured, Grappled

Rolls

Spoiler

An excellent post, Sir.

Grapple: Enemy wins.
Zaros armor takes 95 - 74 = 21 damage, leaving it at 18 TP.

Grapple: Enemy wins.
Narissa is naked.

You must be explicit in what your actions are if you want to use a special ability or skill.

Despite her bucking and thrashing, and her tails insistent slapping against the monster holding her, Zaro could not free herself from the giants grasp. Claws, tails, and every other part of her body that was free, attempted to harm the giant, and get it to release her. Yet, every wound she inflected would barely even be called a flesh wound, and every attempt at freeing herself seemed only to strengthen the giants grip. As she struggled, it began dismantling her armor, tearing pieces of plate and mail and leather away and tossing them aside. Her armor was still partially intact, but the draconic woman wasn't sure that another few seconds of that would be particularly good for it.

Meanwhile, her mistress struggled, but was far weaker than her guardian. Her leather armor was torn apart in seconds as she tried to wriggle free of the beings hold, and Narissa was left naked in the things grasp. The other giant remained still, but the floating creature pulsated again, and the smaller, tentacled aliens began advancing forward, bearing down swiftly on her and her mistresses position. Her amulet pulsated insistently against Zaros chest, the need to see to her mistresses safety intensifying as the seconds ticked by.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

This was becoming more and more hopeless, the self-assured strength that Zaro always felt could overwhelm her foes and solve many of life's more difficult problems was not helping very much now. She did hope beyond hope that it was merely the lack of discipline or momentum rather then the seemingly impossibility that she was simply too weak to escape. That very thought propelled Zaro to try again and try much, much harder then before, focusing on this until the sight of her Mistress becoming utterly liberated of her armor shocked and surprised the much larger female. Yes, she did seem beautiful, but self-restraint, rage and growing fear and concern helped to return her to the task at hand, and with a great hissing grunt she did her best to force the alien beast off and away from her, by any means necessary. The weapon and shield was useless in such confined spaces, so she resorted to fists and headbutts, aiming for whatever could be a weak spot, trying again and again despite seeing little indication of pain...


Combat:

Spoiler

Actions:
Defensive Grappler{Activated}
Weapons:
Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata; Damage 3d10 - 1 + 26, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace; Damage 2d12 -3 + 26. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 2 + 1d10 + 17 damage, range 40ft.
Un-armed: (d8 + 2) + Body/2
Armor:
Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Attempting to work herself free by any manner needed, be it graceful or just good old brutality, head butting, kicking, stabbing fingers into the beast's neck, gouging delicate bits out and... well, being nasty and strong but quick with no pretense of civility. The only reason she won't bite, is because she's wearing a fully plated helmet.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 52/63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Mildly Injured

Rolls

Spoiler

Round 1
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 7 + 5 + 27 - 12 = 27 damage.

Attack: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 3 = 9 * 9 = 81 - 12 = 69 damage.

Attack: Hit.
Narissa has been grappled.

Round 2
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 7 + 5 + 27 - 12 = 27 damage.
Zaro is freed, as her enemy dies.

Attack: Hit.
Damage: 1 + 1 = 2 * 5 = 10 - 12 = 0 damage.

Attacks: All five hit.
Narissa takes 1 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 5 = 13 Resistance damage.

The next few moments go slightly better for the demon-dragon, as she shifts her tactics drastically. Rather than try to escape outright, the powerful engineered warrior simply denies her captor the ability to fulfill its desires. A hand raised to tear off a piece of her protective armor? She took a chunk out of the arm it was attached to with her claws. Move to slam her against the ground? The claws on her legs dug in, and her tail wrapped around its neck in a powerful choke hold. After a few moments, and her claws digging into its neck and sending chunks of grey flesh flying, the behemoth holding Zaro collapsed, leaving her free to return to the defense of her mistress. What she saw when she turned was... Not good.

One of the behemoths was simply gone, a large pile of smoldering ashes lying on the paved road where it had once stood. Her mistress was now in the clutches of another of the things, the very last of them, and it was dangling her over the group of tentacled, slimy things, allowing their appendages to rub against her draconic body and coat them in their slime. The pulsating of her amulet became fainter as they did so, and she could see a blush that looked completely foreign coming over the powerful dragoness face. The telltale signs of arousal became apparent on her mistress body as her legs from her feet to her upper thighs were groped and fondled by dozens of tentacles. She sent a bolt of black flame at the thing holding her, but it was barely a spark compared to what she'd been doing earlier, and the behemoth ignored it completely.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Cold fury took over from molten rage as the engineered giantess began denying her current target however possible, with surgical application she tore open a grey mottled arm, dug the claws of her boots into the creature's lower form and began to strange the bastard with her armored tail. Merely glaring as she choked the life out of the taller thing whilst gouging out flesh from where important tendons or arteries should be, she did afford a baritone hiss as it expired on top of her, but simply tossed the dead lump of meat aside whilst raising like a spirit of death...

...Thus, to witness the demoralizing, enraging sight of her mistress slowly becoming overwhelmed by the foul things, the warm thrum of the pendant imploring her yet nothing in comparison to the pitiful sight of such a talented Dragoness being held aloft and seduced. Why the things sought to seduce her in the heat of combat, Zaro did not know, and the choice between targeting the floating aberration whom commanded the beasts, or defending Narissa more directly...

Of course, the latter won out, such was the problem with enforcing discipline of genetic, psychological and magical means upon such a powerful female - maybe it would have been more logical to become the center of attention by threatening the abomination that floated off the ground, as cowardly as it is, but she was more concerned with the Mistress, and moved in a methodical manner, shield and spear recovered and ready to slaughter.


Combat:

Spoiler

Actions:
Shield bash - attack.
Weapons:
Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata; Damage 3d10 - 1 + 26, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace; Damage 2d12 -3 + 26. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 2 + 1d10 + 17 damage, range 40ft.
Un-armed: (d8 + 2) + Body/2
Armor:
Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Having presumably killed her tormentor, she will attempt to shield bash one of the beasts holding Narissa, and smashing one of the tentacle horrors with the hammer end, forcing them to stop and defend themselves.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 52/63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Mildly Injured

Rolls

Spoiler

Attack (Zaro) : Hit.
Shield Bash (Zaro) : Hit.
Damage: 5 + 2 + 26 - 3 = 30 damage.
Damage: 3 + 2 + 4 + 17 - 12 = 14 damage.

Attack (3x grabbers vs Zaro) : All miss.

The juggernaut stumbled forward into the midst of the slimy tentacled creatures as Zaro hammered into its back with her shield. It spun, and tossed her mistress aside. She hit the wall of hedges and tumbled over it, and disappeared from sight. All of the monsters then promptly focused themselves on Zaro, however, and the demon-dragon became too busy avoiding the tentacles that reached for her to worry too much about her mistress. The juggernaut spun toward her and screamed in rage, the already badly wounded monster raising a fist to slam down towards Zaro, intent on crushing her flat. A quick slam of her mace against one of the smaller, slimy creatures sent it tumbling aside, a lifeless lump of grey flesh, and also put her weapon in a ready position to strike against the massive behemoth.

She was outnumbered, and the monster's master still waited silently behind her, but the smaller creatures couldn't even get past her shield, and the larger one was barely standing. Victory might even be possible, even against such odds as these.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

And thus luck seemed to return to the unnaturally spawned Guardian, Zaro felt a ripple of satisfaction occur from where she forced the Juggernaut forwards with a heavy slam from the equally heavy shield, showing the tall and powerful alien that it was not as strong as it may have felt. For such a well-intended distraction she was rewarded with the Mistress being flung to relative safety, away from the fighting where her ever-loyal protector would take as much attention as possible, the idea of dying in such a situation did not seem very terrible at all.

As long as the Mistress was saved, all consequences were dammed.

Smashing aside one of the tentacle creatures and shoving more away as they tried to reach past her shield, the engineered Giantess growled back at the enraged juggernaut and defended herself without fear, having become more familiar with the strong creature. The issue of being struck and harmed by one in direct combat, like most others until now, was not a grave one, it was actually causing harm, for weapons seemed to be less effective then choking it.

Backing away to give herself room, she was intent on making sure as few as possible monsters were fighting her at any one time, yet had to keep their attention, while at the same time also ensuring that none of the fodder here or their commanding superior fully comprehended her tactics.

Combat:

Spoiler

Actions:
Shield bash - attack again, +20 to dodge.
Weapons:
Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata; Damage 3d10 - 1 + 26, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace; Damage 2d12 -3 + 26. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 2 + 1d10 + 17 damage, range 40ft.
Un-armed: (d8 + 2) + Body/2
Armor:
Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Keeping their attention by making herself the obvious target, to buy time for her Mistress to escape, by attacking, defending, moving around, trying to move around the group of enemies to put the commander in her view as well as everyone else.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Round 1
Attack (Zaro) : Hit.
Damage: 11 + 5 + 23 = 39 damage.
Shield Bash: Hit.
Damage: 4 + 3 + 2 + 17 - 12 = 14 damage.

It takes you four more rounds to wipe out all 6 of the grabbers, as you can kill on average 1.33 per turn, and one is already injured by the shield bash.

Attack (Elder Lord) : Hit.
Damage: 3 + 1 = 4 * 20 = 80 - 24 = 56 damage. Zaro is knocked out.

Gain 12 experience. You may now spend it, as Zaro was KOed.

Zaro's elongated mace made short work of the behemoth, smashing its head into a thick paste and dropping it to the ground. Her mistress made no appearance, but at the time, the engineered guardian cared little of that, as she slammed her shield into another of the slimy things, sending it tumbling away, but not killing it. The next thirty seconds or so passed in a wild blur of movement, holding the ever decreasing number of tentacled minions at bay with shield and spear, while one by one bashing and stabbing them down. Not once did a foe get past the dragons shield, and touch against the demon-dragon's armored skin. Not once did a blow from her combined weapon fail to lay low whatever it touched, smashing and piercing grey flesh with fluid ease and perfect efficiency.

And yet, the thing that had summoned them simply floated on the sidelines, watching, as she slaughtered its minions wholesale. She'd moved to watch it during the melee, in case it should seek to intervene, but it had remained totally passive the entire time. Even now, as she watched it from a ready stance, them the last two beings standing on the battlefield, did it simply hover there.

Zaro never even saw the attack coming. A red light flared on the things head at the instant that the ray struck her, hammering into her armored chest and burning a hole in her magnificent armor. The world seemed to move in slow motion as the force of the blow through her back, carrying her massive frame through the air over twenty feet until she smashed back to the ground. Agony burned through her simple mind, as she felt her flesh beginning to melt and burn from the shear power of the blast that had been leveled against her, but something strange happened as well. Something unexpected. The beam of red light tore through the controlling amulet around her nexk, which her mistress had affixed to her upon her creation, and destroyed the device completely. Things the engineered being never imagined surged through her mind, but blackness took her before any understanding could be reached.

The last thing she saw before the light left her, was the thing that had felled her floating around the hedges, and picking up a her mistress in its slimy appendages.

Zaro 'Alk awakened, not only from unconsciousness, but from the fog of mental slavery that she had always known, some hours later. She had been left upon the field of her ultimate defeat, her ultimate failure. Her armor destroyed, though not quite beyond repair. Her dignity and pride gone. Her mind free. And her weapons and shield lying at her sides. The sky above was dark and cloudy, the beings that had hovered above the Necropolis vanished without a trace. She was alone, in the courtyard of her mistresses former home. But what she would do now..... That was up to her. A savage burn, just above her left breasts, was the only testament to her defeat left upon her body.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

(Zaro: "HAX!" *Much flailing is had. Zaro's player throws the dice away and stomps off to rock back and forth in the corner pathetically.*)

Now combat with the alien Behemoth seemed much easier then the first bout of violence, instead of doing damage most pitiful (and irritating) against the tall, warped... faceless things, this particular one, perhaps already injured, collapsed like a literal ragdoll shortly after the mace-end of her much enjoyed double-weapon entirely crushed the beast's skull, reducing the resistant flesh and bone into little more than vaguely grey, chunky soup that spilled and oozed in a wonderfully accelerated, wide arc - away from her already battered, blood-speckled armour most thankfully. The end of the humanoid threat allowed the giantess to concentrate upon the smaller, more mobile creatures that squirmed, wiggled and slithered towards Zaro's shield with the typical lack of self-preservation and intelligent judgement as before, which was rather satisfying now that confidence rose.

Yes, she could kill them and deal with the floating alien, and the tall, broad-muscled female had yet to see the creature do anything but occasionally direct it's presumably mindless minions.

The motions were familiar by now - move back, around and evade with constantly changing speed, never becoming too predictable to allow the foe to organize a reliable attack pattern, strike when a beast approached, slam the shield at anything closer than ideal stabbing or smashing distance. Procedurally advance to force the opposition to either retreat or suffer pain and death. Confidence bolstered, she felt the slightest of smiles strain to bless her draconic maw, all this becoming a blur of movement, barely registering the soft green of the gardens, the hedges and the trees, hardly noticing the darkness of the skies and yet found the grey of the invader easy to distinguish and combat.

Slam, stab, crush, kill, it was a beautiful dance of broken and severed tentacles, glorious in on-sided massacre, yet the augmented giantess never became too emotionally involved, that sense of detachment as prominent as ever, a puppeteer's mind cheering as the body moved and killed without joy, even as limbs rose into the air from a precise slash and fell in artistic motion.

Then the battle ended as the last tentacl'ed mass of dead flesh dropped and rested, a new corpse to join the many, the time to kill the commander and reclaim the Mistress was now-

-Red light blinked, and the whole world became indistinct, a great flash of power, pain and sensory chaos exploded as armour melted, shattered, flew and fell away as she fell backwards, carried backwards, faltered back and away from the primary target. Her body was heavy, dead, dull, limp and stunned, the powerful lungs forced to expel the air she had drawn in, surprise and pain evident even as the helmet worked well to disguise her inhuman, predatory face that was alight with all the emotions rarely felt. Something broke, her mind managed to glean some of the light of day even as the female's heavy body slowed in ascent from the monster's blast, something... felt lighter, or maybe that was unconsciousness approaching like the battlefield below, the tools of offense and defense drifting from her vacant grasp.

Gravity overtook uplift, and Zaro felt the world embrace her armoured spine, rolling her onwards a few times before the massive Shield Maiden stopped, all momentum of fighting vigour and impact just as lacking as the energy to rise. Alas, she was only able to gaze with rapidly weakening sight as the dammed beast floated along the hedges with a purposeful, lackadaisical pace, easily plucking a loved one up and taking her away...


=====

She awoke with a guttural gasp, shifting to her armored flank and coughing, drawing in deep breaths with barely opened optics. The light felt too bright, the air too thin, the body ached, and then she remembered the pain of her chest and the distinctive lack of warmth always residing above her heart, awkwardly rolling onto her unsteady hands and knees, seizing up a little and hissing with the total lack of restraint gifted to her by the amule-

The amulet!

Slitted, almond eyes opened and widened, glowing an intense shade of sun light yellow as her thin mane of hair-like spires draped across her broad shoulders, flowing to help center her shocked attention to the mess of her formerly protected chest. Armor was vaporized, melted, buckled and otherwise rendered rather redundant, giving way to the dermo suit of padded material underneath, also blasted away to reveal the equally burnt, previously silky-soft green cheongsam underneath that... burnt flesh, scars for the future...

...The pendant was gone, the remaining chains either scattered or embedded into the thick scales of her flesh, and thus Zaro emitted a animal-like growling gasp, one hand shivering as it rose to childishly finger at the place where the shiny pendant had once been, it's warmth forever gone and mourned for without the robotic self-control. Her mind possessed a new lightness and clarity to it, the weight of control obliterated and liberating her body, mind and spirit, yet it's loss and the lack of the Mistress' presence was very saddening for her, smothering the individuality that had been removed to make a perfect Shield Maiden for a beautiful Dragoness.

Tongue lolled out to freely salivate as she rolled to her knees, her spine arched then hunching in a slow, disparate way reserved for the broken rising from the grave, the hand upon her freshly charred breast shaking as it forlornly searched for something she understood was now gone, disbelief keeping her silent save for a long line of garbled, burbling nonsense better reserved for a overgrown pet overwhelmed by new emotion. Detachment had changed into personalized, overwhelmed sobbing of a bestial manner as she rocked to and fro without concern, unable to fathom nor control the powerful urges that would have had her past life ignore utterly and march on.

Mostly confused and cut off from the control, she didn't know what to do nor did she feel and motivation right now.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Fine

The creation of the dragoness, Narissa, who had always served her mistress without a mind of her own, had been freed. Zaro 'Alk, as she'd been called from the moment of her 'birth,' now possessed a will of her own. Feelings and thoughts she'd never had bombarded her mind. Fear, anger, hatred, longing, and dozens of others competed for attention, as though all the years of feeling nothing had caused them all to build up inside of her, and now they were all flooding into her at once. She sobbed, shuddering, as the cool spring night air was utterly still around her. The Necropolis had earned its name, becoming a place of only death, at last.

Some time later, a sudden sound, the breaking of glass from within the home of her mistress, who's whereabouts were as yet unknown to Zaro, roused her from her sobbing. A glance in that direction revealed movement from within the house, but before she could determine what the figure in front of the window looked like, it disappeared into the massive construction.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

(In hindsight, I consider the 'out-right sob-fest' to be inferior to the idea of a more gradual awakening - after all, anybody conditioned for long enough will have to re-adjust, no?)

The cool air that caressed her body did little to comfort the mind that was in chaos, the restraint and control she relied upon clearly never belonged to the Dragon-demon, and thus like a child the emotions that made her sob in such a shameful manner also stopped her from acting. Yet it almost felt... good to express herself like this, to actually express something other then nothing. The soft chill of the dusk kissed land was a contrast to the active burning that whispered to her odd dragon-like ears, quite soothing in a strange, perhaps twisted way.

Alas, reality returned in the graceless form of glass smashing, rousing the weakened giantess with a start, a snarl, an instinctive if clumsy move for the weapon and shield she had become oh-so familiar with, awkwardly and slowly rising to her armored feet, the raptor-like toes digging into the blood -splattered and burnt ground all around her. The stink of dead alien flesh surrounded her, a morbid trail of her achievements in life leading right up to this moment.

With the cool air of reality striking her exposed flesh, Zaro shuddered involuntarily, twisting to and fro to work the aching muscles back to full readiness, some sign of normality returning when instincts took over - and she gladly let them take command as once puppet's feet moved with a new if flawed gait, heavy and lacking of precision as before, but liquid in pace. The roar of emotion was pushed to the back of her mind in a far less professional manner - the alien urge to sob, to scream, to blindly smash the remains of the Necropilis was still very evident within her tiny minded, smaller soul but at least self control was re-established, even if it was a tentative, faint assertion.

She approached the mansion, intent on entering and finding the cause of the noise, if only due to a total lack of objectives, and knowing no other way of motivating herself, took this opportunity by her own power for once.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

Spoiler

HP = 63, PP = 44, EP = 41, Status = Fine

Zaro walked through the doors to her mistresses mansion, her shield and combined weapon in her hands. The doors had been torn off, and large sections of the doorway had been smashed in, leaving her tiny mind to wonder what might have happened while she had been asleep. There was a great deal more damage within the massive entrance hall, just like there had been outside, but the reason for such wanton destruction was an utter mystery. Nothing had been taken, not even the three solid gold figurines of dragons that had been set on a pedestal in the center of the room. The pedestal had been smashed, and the gold figures had been scattered across the floor, shattered into a dozen or so pieces each.

The window that had been broken was in the West wing, so Zaro headed in that direction. She passed a dozen shattered doors as she made her way through the mansion, the unnecessary desecration of the place making her angry despite the loss of her control amulet. Regardless, the engineered warrior found herself pausing as she entered the hallway where the sound had originated, the freshly shattered window visible from where she stood. The once armored giantess paused, and listened, as she heard something scraping against wood nearby.

Zaro followed the sound instinctively, and found one of the slimy, tentacled creatures pressed against an unruined door into a closet or storage area or somesuch. Regardless, the creature was clearly trying to gain entrance to the room, and a rather pathetic whimpering sound, disturbingly like the ones she had been making not too long ago actually, was emanating from behind it. The headless creature seemingly hadn't noticed Zaro yet, as it continued trying to push its way past the door. She was free to do as she liked, as for once in her life, there was no one to give her orders.

 

[Dragontear]

Re: Zaro 'Alk (Dragontear)

(Why do I suddenly imagine the Splatter-house mansion? And all that entails.)

Managing to motivate the heavy, thickly armored body to rise and move like the fabled undead, it was initially difficult to keep going without succumbing to the urge to simply curl up and whimper like a child, but having been denied such young emotions for so long, the typical decision to ignore the sensations in place of a more pressing objective worked once again, however Zaro would need a better way to do this, a more... natural way, perhaps. Massive, blood-speckled shield in the left gauntlet, great combi-weapon in the right, coated in semi-dried blood and flecks of flesh, the tall female limped ever so slightly as the residual weakness in her chest continued, if lessened by the brief passage of time.

Into the house of the Mistress she trudged, through the portal that should have been free of damage, strong iron wood surounded by a stone or marble doorway, instead it was as broken as the structure it allowed entrance to. The occasional piece of pale green or silver metal plating shuddered and squeaked against a firmer part on her clumsy body, her appearance as broken as it was powerful. Leaving a very faint trail of vague drips of blood, from her chest wound or that of the monsters she had slain, the engineered Giantess blinked and stopped to witness the unusual level of carnage. Nothing was missing; because nobody had broken and entered to steal the many valuables laying around, and this imparted a series of reminders of the female's loss.

She walked towards the pedestal where the familiar golden Dragon statues used to rest, instead they had been cast aside and shattered with great force. For a reason currently unknown to the giant female, she lowered into a awkward crouch and began stroking the golden head of one fallen Dragon, as she did with a slow, soft and semi-detached frame of mind - this was... surreal, strange... new. From the ruin of the past, she encountered reality, the many years of emotional silence and this is what she had been missing - the indignant truth of the world condensed into her home. Details that were ignored because of their tactical irrelevance suddenly became prevalent - the footsteps of her heavy plate-armored boots made some of the floorboards creak, or to shift the occasional piece of small, dusty debris out of the way as she now rose and gazed around hard, noticing the doorways leading to the West and took this route, presuming this led to the source of the broken window... although how she managed to only hear that and not the massive, unnecessary desecration of the mansion as a whole was a mystery.

She continued this odd, aimless tour of the formerly grand home, anger did form in her heart, but it was not the same kind she felt for the harm or loss of the Mistress, this was more... hurtful, shocked by the scale of destruction that simply wasn't needed. Alas, the present made itself more and more apparent as strange noises crept out from one of the many side rooms, and without much hesitation she forced herself to follow the noises, predatory instincts helping to overcome the weak need to stop and mourn. That can be for later, for now something was happening which Zaro disliked more and more, hating being such a strong word, but fitted the longer her mind felt no burden of slavery.

Tilting and stopping around the corner of a smashed in doorway, she leaned out to glare heated daggers at the abomination slithering around in a poorly lit chamber, pressing against one relatively unscathed closet or storage room door, the creature apparently having difficulty here, thus it could not have been the prime suspect for causing such discord. The dammed thing was not the only thing to make some noise; there was a distinct, consistent noise occurring from behind the assaulted door, similar to her own broken cries of freedom and trauma. That triggered the little used empathy response for anybody other then Narissa, and with her presumably gone, the urge to protect was left without a subject for such attentions...

Zaro barely noticed she was waiting for input... input that would not arrive, alas it did seem that empathy for another and anger against the invader was sufficient motivation, for she stalked forwards with eerie quietness despite her ungainly, battered weight. Rage of the most primal kind powered the formerly slow, shaky gait while the shield arm remained somewhat relaxed - there was no need to defend at all.

Not when she suddenly pushed off the ground, body twisted with the spear raised up and back, and with utterly lethal weight and speed she landed on the ground behind the beast - of course, not before the spear should impale the monster deeply. However, despite the killing power of her chosen end of the combined weapon, she did not plan to murder the beast with a blade alone, and pulling it harshly, she twisted, rose up high and fell again with the full weight upon the tower shield, allowing the tentacled mass one last moment in life to understand that death was not to be gracefully or suddenly received by the blade. Nay

It was by the cold, great weight of unleashed anger and a inhuman growling roar, tinted by inhuman vocals and further distorted by metal, the last thing it should hear before it would be utterly crushed, held in place by the suddenly cruel Naginata.


Combat:

Spoiler

Actions:
Capture and crush - Stab with the Naginata and crush with the shield. Repeatedly. Into the floor.
Weapons:
Bloodied Combined-Weapon: (Short-spear - Naginata; Damage 3d10 - 1 + 26, 6-foot melee range and attached Flanged Mace; Damage 2d12 -3 + 26. Alternates damage, usually depending on target's weakness against either piercing or blunt damage.
2 Javelins: 2 + 1d10 + 17 damage, range 40ft.
Un-armed: (d8 + 2) + Body/2
Armor:
Broken Plate Armor: AV = 20, EV = 10, TP = 60, DU = 5. Weak against Heat/Blunt. Strong against Slashing.
Bloodied Tower Shield: DB = 15. EV = 4. Bash Damage = 3d4 + 17 +4(Skill) = 3d4 + 21 damage.
Tactics:
Sneaking towards the beast in a non-eloquent manner, the Giantess seeks to impale the demon with the spear, holding it in place to specifically allow herself to jump and slam the shield ontop of the demon, and into the ground, in a suitably epic manner.