[D7 LN] Ox Hour Samba (Closed)

[Bakuriel]

Minutes pass in rapid pursuit, the target remaining a distant unknown until, finally, the sound of rapid footsteps can be heard a short distance away, at the very edges of the camp. The steps slow, but strangely show no signs of labored breathing. The dark shadows and tents strewn about have provided adequate cover so far, but that protection is beginning to thin out.

[Players may attempt a Stealth (Sneaking)/Agility roll TN25 to continue undetected, jump out and surprise the target, or hang back and allow other players to take the lead, retraining the benefits of their current hiding spot]

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora made eye contact with his peers.

Phi had a bow. She could stay put and pounce on anything they flushed. Kozan was was preternaturally tough, so he could probably handle an open approach if he liked.

But Devil-Eye Sora... Devil-Eye Sora was sneaky as hell.

[Nozomi]

She nodded once when he started to crouch, grinning behind her mask. Exactly what she was thinking. Her head gave a little motion to Koyama, figuring he'd take whichever approach he thought best while she drew her bow out and quietly, carefully strung it. One arrow was out, not knocked but ready to be drawn and fired as soon as her compatriots flushed the quarry out where she could see, and she was certain of the friend and foe status. She was much better with her tonfa, but there was something to be said for a shot from the dark.

So, for now, she watched and waited.

=====================

(String Bow, Hang back, allow the others to take the lead and taking advantage of my current hiding spot.)

[Shinjo Koyama]

Koyama remained where he was; appraising the situation. As long as their cover wasn't blown, it was all good and there was space for charging out. He wouldn't steal Sora's thunder of being the sneaky bastard here either. However, he took the spear in his hand in case it needed to be thrown to pin something down.

[Bakuriel]

Sora made eye contact with his peers.

Phi had a bow. She could stay put and pounce on anything they flushed. Kozan was was preternaturally tough, so he could probably handle an open approach if he liked.

But Devil-Eye Sora... Devil-Eye Sora was sneaky as hell.

Rounding the outer edge of a nearby tent, Sora manages to catch sight of a young man, cautiously making his way back to nearby open ground. He glances over his shoulder, but doesn't seem to notice that he's been followed. He picks a spot and stands there, evidently waiting on something.

Luckily Sora isn't left waiting long. Less than a minute later a woman appears, carrying a heavy pack over her shoulder. She looks around warily, then turns to the man, seemingly content.

"You're back early," she says. "What happened?"

The young man grumbles and shakes his head. "Someone was there, so I fled. I don't think they noticed me, but our work tonight might be compromised."

The woman let out a hiss of displeasure. "Unfortunate, but we can continue that later. Better to get out alive than risk exposure." Then she grinned. "If it helps, I've found something you'll greatly appreciate."

Shrugging one shoulder, the woman dropped the heavy pack to the ground and opened it up. Inside was an unconscious woman, young and very pretty. The man's eyes glittered.

"Ah, finally! I'm so sick of running around like this." He glanced around suspiciously. "I don't want to wait, can I do it now?"

The woman laughed, then shrugged and gestured to go ahead.

CRCK!!!

With a sickening pop, the young man's back seems to split open, revealing sickly, bloated green flesh beneath...

[Jiyo Sora must roll Fear 2, Phi and Koyama can see Sora and hear snippets, but must gauge their behavior from Sora]

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora felt his breath catch, but then willed the panic that threatened him away.

He would not shame his Hikaru upbringing, the Emperor her served, nor the woman whose name he carried by letting this latest horror influence him directly. He would not let his fear prevent him from saving the prisoner they had taken, either.

Even though it definitely sucked.

He took a deep breath, firmed his grip on his dagger-axe, and signaled for the others to advance.

The Hikaru had killed raiders countless times. These were uglier, and more genuinely evil than most, but that didn't change what had to be done.

He moved to outflank a possible line of pursuit, then gave a warcry he hadn't even heard in more than five years.

[OOC: Surprise round? Initiative? Lemme know!)

[Bakuriel]

[You guys get a surprise round, they don't know you're coming]

[Jiyo Sora]

Sora focused his attention on the one that still wore a human face, mostly to cut down on potential confusion.

As it turned at his shout, he angled his blade high, then swept it low as he drew closer

[For Freebie Round, going Full Attack, targeting the one who hasn't popped out of its stolen hide yet.
Attack Roll, with Feint: 35, Feint might have made me miss the damn thing
Assuming it's the ATN in the core book, no, I didn't miss, and get a nice shiny static damage bonus to go with my Forest Killer shiny static damage bonus
Damage Roll: 25 wounds, meaning 20 get through its reduction]

[Bakuriel]

[The human faced hag is wearing light armor so it's ATN 25, Total reduction 5 between armor and shenanigans. The other one is only ATN 20 reduction 2 cause the armor went with the skin]

[Jiyo Sora]

[So no Feint bonus to damage, making it 23, so 18 after reduction]

[Nozomi]

When he called out the war cry, Phi was in motion quickly. She drew herself out to the side, keeping distance as she knocked her arrow. The moment she caught sight of the two creatures, she could see the vile, sickly green thing and the fact that Sora had just slashed a deep, horrible gash into the frame of the one who appeared normal. Deep down, she prayed that he had not been mentally afflicted because that was apparently a possibility these days and she loosed her arrow, firing at the same woman. They had to bring the two of these down and if two targets were reduced to one, this fight would be considerably simpler.

The arrow fired true, inflicting a moderate wound.

========
Initiative for First Round of Real Combat: 22
Stance: Attack
ATN: 20
Action: Free Move into visual range. Complex action - Kyujutsu against Sora's target (Attack roll: 37, 14 Damage - 5 Reduction for 9 damage inflicted)

Distance Out from targets up to GM

[Shinjo Koyama]

Kozan didn't want to know what it was. But he knew he wanted it dead as soon as possbile. So he dropped the spear behind and with a thunderous impetus leapt out of the thicket, his hatchet going after that thing's head. He had been training decapitation long enough to feel confident in his ability. Alas, that may have been just Brash for you.

LN7. Surprise Attack on Bog Hag. 3 Raises for Called Shot. VP. Highlander. FA.: 10d10o10k5+1 32

[FY Orokos.]

[Jiyo Sora]

[Guess that means it's initiative time...
22, unless some nice soul wants to give me another 5 for polearm use even though it's now technically the second round of the skirmish ]

[Bakuriel]

[Human faced hag Initiative: Initiative: 4d10o10k2 19
Human faced Hag 27 wounds, +10

Regular Hag Initiative: Initiative: 4d10o10k2 13
Regular Hag: Uninjured

Everyone but Phi roll initiative, she already has hers]

[Shinjo Koyama]

Kozan seemed to be faster when he was angry and his job was unfinished.

LN7. Init.: 4d10o10k2 25

[Full Attack, Light Armour]

[Bakuriel]

[Initiative Order:
Koyama 25
Jin 22
Phi 22
Human Hag 19
Regular Hag 13

You may proceed with combat. Jiyo and Phi may choose the order in which they act relative to each other]

[Nozomi]

(Phi is at range, so Jiyo Sora can go before her.)

[Shinjo Koyama]

Getting his proverbial shit together, it was time for the Highlander to get his hatchet between the cervical vertebrae if this thing had them. He swang wildly, and deadly.

LN7. Attack on Bog Hag. 3 Raises for Called Shot. VP. Highlander. FA. AGAIN.: 10d10o10k6+1 39

I mean, really deadly. Dead-dead.

LN7. Damage. Highlander: Stamina for Strength. Killer.: 7d10o10k3+5 66

[Reduction down by 2 because Heavy Weapon MA]

[Bakuriel]

[Human Faced Hag is indeed very, very dead. Only one hag remains]

The creature wearing the human face had barely begun to register the danger to itself as Koyama's hatchet struck true. Flesh, bone, even armor became meaningless as the creature's head came free from its body, along with a judicious amount of one shoulder. Dark ichor sprayed from the wound, and the clear signs of green, bloated beast were now visible past the thin human covering. Fortunately the strike was so clean that it would still be possible to identify the poor woman whose identity had been taken, if you could stand the smell...

[Jiyo Sora]

For his part, Sora shifted his stance slightly, turned to the other monster, then brought his dagger-axe around in another arc, but it skated off of the thing's shoulder.

[Attack Stance
ATN 25
Attack roll: 18. FORTUNE OF DUNG, HEAR MY CRY!]