Turn 3.3 - They Brought a Cave Troll
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
With the clamour of clashing salt and sword in her ears, Audrey locks eyes with her foe as battle is joined.
The Norseman stomps against the ground, throwing himself into a frenzied charge as his smile spreads ever-further. The air before his form gains a generous haze as heat explodes from his body. Licks of flame lash across his form like tongues of hungry horses. A cloak of fiery teeth spills across his shoulders as his charge spins into a fiery drill. Fire-blackened antlers sprout from his brow as his sax draws back.
Planting her foot and twisting with the blow, Audrey lifts her sword just in time for the spiralling fire-drill to meet her. Sparks fly as fire and iron grind together, only for the slightest of shifts in posture—one intended to give Audrey greater leverage—to leave just enough wiggle room for the Norseman to slip through.
Jerking back with clenching teeth, Audrey's ears fill with the screech of tearing iron as her armour takes the blow. She stumbles back, her hama failing before the drill, as the Norseman advances again.
With his arm pulling back, the Norseman's eyes glint with the glut of greed as he aims another deadly strike, only for a flailing swing to catch him off-guard. He pivots on the spot and dodges into the air, a hair's breadth away from tasting the bite of Audrey's iron.
Twisting as he flies, the arc's apex nears as he presses foot to ceiling stone. Rocks shake free as he pushes off, rattling down like raindrops as, like a twelfth-spun slingstone, he springboards from the earthen roof.
Sweeping her leg before her, Audrey clears the fallen pebbles as black-red lightning clings to her form. Loosening her jaw and freeing the breath trapped in her lungs, Audrey's eyes find her foe's once more as her sword climbs a swing.
Time slows to a crawl as the Norseman presents himself on a silver platter. Black-red lightning leaks from Audrey's line-slashed eyes, the heritage in her blood and bones providing strength enough to match that of a greater warrior.
Locked in mid-air motion as he is, there's little that can be done to stop the sword from parting buttery flesh from brittle bones. Bolts of jagged black-red split the air as twin halves of a once-man bracket Audrey's armoured form.
A single blow, that's all it took to end the Norseman's life.
A smile splits Audrey's face, the motion all too similar to the swing of a sword. Are these really the much-fabled Norse? Trouble she has had, yes, but nothing beyond her might. Even the fire-eyed Norseman—who struck hard enough to break the weapon he did it with—couldn't match her beyond a single blow.
"Pathetic." Audrey declares as the earth shakes beneath her feet, her mentor's battle spilling beyond the contours of the cave.
A flicker of motion at the edge of her vision draws her gaze as the sound of axe and shield striking the ground reaches her ears. Her eyes meet another set as she twists on the spot to meet this new foe.
A sax in one hand and nothing in the other, there's nothing in his gaze save for ice-cold determination. Brows furrowed and teeth clenched, he closes the gap in an instant as Audrey's sword bears down. Swifter than a mortal's eye can see, the Norseman slips below her swing as his limbs blur into motion; questing fingers finding grips on the angled plating of her armour.
Farm-forged muscles bulge as Audrey's eyes snap wide, her jaw loosening as her world tilts. Her drill-tattered hama fails to keep her on her feet as she scrambles, falling with arms flailing. Her back greets stone as hostile sax lifts into the air, the glow of black-red lightning glinting off its edge as its master's eyes never leave hers for an instant.
In the instant before the sax falls, Audrey grabs tight her tattered hama and rips the floor out from under the bastard. Strength surges, her heart soaring, as the whoreson teeters and his pin loosens. Making the most of this by freeing a leg, she plants her foot firmly in the Norseman's face as a crimson spray follows him to the floor.
Scrambling to her feet, Audrey's elation lasts no longer than a half-second before her world tilts yet again. Twisting from his prone position, the Norseman weaves his legs with hers and sends her crashing back to the ground. A scream of wrath nearly slips her lips as dirt spills in through her visor, only for her roar of rage to falter as a spike of pain follows a stomach-churning crack!
Blossoming pain swiftly fades as her blessing of armour soothes her broken hip, but the momentary pause is all the Norseman needs to make his move. Sax glinting in the glow of fading black-red light, the fine point slips through her visor as the world seems to crawl to a halt.
Like grains of sand trickling through an hourglass, realisation blooms as fear grips Audrey's heart. A bone-like presence, colder than any winter freeze, finds her shoulder as the blade-point draws ever closer. Her sword flails, each stroke stripping armour and spilling blood, yet the motion is already too late to stop.
Audrey opens her mouth to scream, to cry, to do anything as the world seems to come crashing down around her, but nothing leaves her lips save a single gasp—the blade's new home in her mouth making sure of that. The taste of blood-wet iron washes across her tongue as the cold press of a weapon keeps pressure.
The sax draws back, spilling blood from her face as her armour's blessing struggles to mend her wounds, yet there's little that can be done for her.
The Norseman's eyes stay firm, his gaze unchanging as he draws his arm back for a second strike. Blood leaks from a dozen sword-wounds, the frenzied melee of a grapple having torn flesh from bone and split fibres from muscle, but ultimately doing little to slow his movements.
The sax falls again, slipping through iron and splitting bone. The pain barely even registers, the hint of pressure its only mark on the wall of numbness filling Audrey's body.
Is this it?
Is this her end?
Audrey Eotenslaga, dead before her career really even truly began? Killed by some no-name Norseman from some backwater swamp?
The sax pulls free yet again as the nobody prepares a third and final blow.
She was lucky to survive even the first, let alone the second. The third will kill her.
…
…
…Is this what they felt when they died, this sting of failure? They failed to come back to her, and now…
…Now she failed them.
…
…
…no.
No.
No.
She is Audrey Eotenslaga, first of her name, and she will not be laid low by some misbegotten lowlife. This slack-jawed, empty-eyed, drool-brained moron will not be what kills her. She swore that she'd see their deaths avenged and she is not an oathbreaker.
A surge of strength washes away the numbness as the sax falls. Her sword is too slow, so she'll use her hands.
An armoured fist leaves a crater in the Norseman's face, a crack of thunder throwing dust in the wind as the force sends the Norseman flying.
Black-red lightning spills like tears from her eyes as Audrey pulls herself together. Staggering to her feet, a stumble nearly sends her back down as her once-broken hip buckles beneath her weight, but she stays standing.
The Norseman plants a hand against the ground as he forces himself upright, only for a second armoured fist to send him right back down. His head bounces off the ground, bone fragments littering the rocky surface as Audrey palms his face.
"I am Audrey Eotenslaga," she growls through a mouth lacking most of its teeth, blood gurgling in the back of her throat, "and you are dead."
Brains, blood, and bones squish around her armoured fingers as she dashes his head against the earth. Again and again, she flattens the man who thought to kill her.
Time passes in a blur, her body locked to a singular purpose: ruining the man who failed to be her bane.
"He's dead, Audrey," the sudden voice nearly sends her into a frenzy, only for the face of her mentor to soothe her fears.
Reinald's armour is battered and broken, more than a few holes revealing the bloody mess of its master's body. His eyes are tired and sunken and his dark hair bears more than a few new strands of salt. His sword bears more than a few chips and scratches, from what little Audrey can see of the tattered remains of its scabbard.
"It's over," he breathes through chapped lips, "and I owe you my deepest apologies."
"They were greater than I had thought."
(You have won)
0~0~0
You have claimed victory in a difficult battle, one that was definitely stacked against you through determination, skill, and no small degree of divine grace. To the victor go the spoils.
Select one reward to add to your arsenal
[ ] Death-Warding Horn: The first of Audrey's foes had a piece of magic horn sewn into the collar of his hood. This treasure will ward off the first blow that would take his head, and then be destroyed. She was fortunate in that it was only damaged by her hasty blow, and might still be put to use again. (Gain a Death-Warding Talisman that may save you from death, once)
[ ] A pile of trinkets, silver, and other minor treasures. While possessing no real power in its own right, there is enough of it for Audrey to have a certain degree of wealth in her own right–extremely important as she rises through the ranks in the future. Provides 2 Wealth.
[ ] The Black-Red Lightning, the arcs of power that erupted when she was pushed to her limits, the energy that fuels the Giant-Killing Blow, and perhaps more, if you could figure out how to call it on command… (Provides a new Idea to develop an unexplored aspect of your Bloodline)
0~0~0
AN: That was a funky encounter
The boss goes down in round one, and his add ends up pushing Audrey to her absolute limit. Fate can be funny, can't it?
The Norseman stomps against the ground, throwing himself into a frenzied charge as his smile spreads ever-further. The air before his form gains a generous haze as heat explodes from his body. Licks of flame lash across his form like tongues of hungry horses. A cloak of fiery teeth spills across his shoulders as his charge spins into a fiery drill. Fire-blackened antlers sprout from his brow as his sax draws back.
Planting her foot and twisting with the blow, Audrey lifts her sword just in time for the spiralling fire-drill to meet her. Sparks fly as fire and iron grind together, only for the slightest of shifts in posture—one intended to give Audrey greater leverage—to leave just enough wiggle room for the Norseman to slip through.
Jerking back with clenching teeth, Audrey's ears fill with the screech of tearing iron as her armour takes the blow. She stumbles back, her hama failing before the drill, as the Norseman advances again.
With his arm pulling back, the Norseman's eyes glint with the glut of greed as he aims another deadly strike, only for a flailing swing to catch him off-guard. He pivots on the spot and dodges into the air, a hair's breadth away from tasting the bite of Audrey's iron.
Twisting as he flies, the arc's apex nears as he presses foot to ceiling stone. Rocks shake free as he pushes off, rattling down like raindrops as, like a twelfth-spun slingstone, he springboards from the earthen roof.
Sweeping her leg before her, Audrey clears the fallen pebbles as black-red lightning clings to her form. Loosening her jaw and freeing the breath trapped in her lungs, Audrey's eyes find her foe's once more as her sword climbs a swing.
Time slows to a crawl as the Norseman presents himself on a silver platter. Black-red lightning leaks from Audrey's line-slashed eyes, the heritage in her blood and bones providing strength enough to match that of a greater warrior.
Locked in mid-air motion as he is, there's little that can be done to stop the sword from parting buttery flesh from brittle bones. Bolts of jagged black-red split the air as twin halves of a once-man bracket Audrey's armoured form.
A single blow, that's all it took to end the Norseman's life.
A smile splits Audrey's face, the motion all too similar to the swing of a sword. Are these really the much-fabled Norse? Trouble she has had, yes, but nothing beyond her might. Even the fire-eyed Norseman—who struck hard enough to break the weapon he did it with—couldn't match her beyond a single blow.
"Pathetic." Audrey declares as the earth shakes beneath her feet, her mentor's battle spilling beyond the contours of the cave.
A flicker of motion at the edge of her vision draws her gaze as the sound of axe and shield striking the ground reaches her ears. Her eyes meet another set as she twists on the spot to meet this new foe.
A sax in one hand and nothing in the other, there's nothing in his gaze save for ice-cold determination. Brows furrowed and teeth clenched, he closes the gap in an instant as Audrey's sword bears down. Swifter than a mortal's eye can see, the Norseman slips below her swing as his limbs blur into motion; questing fingers finding grips on the angled plating of her armour.
Farm-forged muscles bulge as Audrey's eyes snap wide, her jaw loosening as her world tilts. Her drill-tattered hama fails to keep her on her feet as she scrambles, falling with arms flailing. Her back greets stone as hostile sax lifts into the air, the glow of black-red lightning glinting off its edge as its master's eyes never leave hers for an instant.
In the instant before the sax falls, Audrey grabs tight her tattered hama and rips the floor out from under the bastard. Strength surges, her heart soaring, as the whoreson teeters and his pin loosens. Making the most of this by freeing a leg, she plants her foot firmly in the Norseman's face as a crimson spray follows him to the floor.
Scrambling to her feet, Audrey's elation lasts no longer than a half-second before her world tilts yet again. Twisting from his prone position, the Norseman weaves his legs with hers and sends her crashing back to the ground. A scream of wrath nearly slips her lips as dirt spills in through her visor, only for her roar of rage to falter as a spike of pain follows a stomach-churning crack!
Blossoming pain swiftly fades as her blessing of armour soothes her broken hip, but the momentary pause is all the Norseman needs to make his move. Sax glinting in the glow of fading black-red light, the fine point slips through her visor as the world seems to crawl to a halt.
Like grains of sand trickling through an hourglass, realisation blooms as fear grips Audrey's heart. A bone-like presence, colder than any winter freeze, finds her shoulder as the blade-point draws ever closer. Her sword flails, each stroke stripping armour and spilling blood, yet the motion is already too late to stop.
Audrey opens her mouth to scream, to cry, to do anything as the world seems to come crashing down around her, but nothing leaves her lips save a single gasp—the blade's new home in her mouth making sure of that. The taste of blood-wet iron washes across her tongue as the cold press of a weapon keeps pressure.
The sax draws back, spilling blood from her face as her armour's blessing struggles to mend her wounds, yet there's little that can be done for her.
The Norseman's eyes stay firm, his gaze unchanging as he draws his arm back for a second strike. Blood leaks from a dozen sword-wounds, the frenzied melee of a grapple having torn flesh from bone and split fibres from muscle, but ultimately doing little to slow his movements.
The sax falls again, slipping through iron and splitting bone. The pain barely even registers, the hint of pressure its only mark on the wall of numbness filling Audrey's body.
Is this it?
Is this her end?
Audrey Eotenslaga, dead before her career really even truly began? Killed by some no-name Norseman from some backwater swamp?
The sax pulls free yet again as the nobody prepares a third and final blow.
She was lucky to survive even the first, let alone the second. The third will kill her.
…
…
…Is this what they felt when they died, this sting of failure? They failed to come back to her, and now…
…Now she failed them.
…
…
…no.
No.
No.
She is Audrey Eotenslaga, first of her name, and she will not be laid low by some misbegotten lowlife. This slack-jawed, empty-eyed, drool-brained moron will not be what kills her. She swore that she'd see their deaths avenged and she is not an oathbreaker.
A surge of strength washes away the numbness as the sax falls. Her sword is too slow, so she'll use her hands.
An armoured fist leaves a crater in the Norseman's face, a crack of thunder throwing dust in the wind as the force sends the Norseman flying.
Black-red lightning spills like tears from her eyes as Audrey pulls herself together. Staggering to her feet, a stumble nearly sends her back down as her once-broken hip buckles beneath her weight, but she stays standing.
The Norseman plants a hand against the ground as he forces himself upright, only for a second armoured fist to send him right back down. His head bounces off the ground, bone fragments littering the rocky surface as Audrey palms his face.
"I am Audrey Eotenslaga," she growls through a mouth lacking most of its teeth, blood gurgling in the back of her throat, "and you are dead."
Brains, blood, and bones squish around her armoured fingers as she dashes his head against the earth. Again and again, she flattens the man who thought to kill her.
Time passes in a blur, her body locked to a singular purpose: ruining the man who failed to be her bane.
"He's dead, Audrey," the sudden voice nearly sends her into a frenzy, only for the face of her mentor to soothe her fears.
Reinald's armour is battered and broken, more than a few holes revealing the bloody mess of its master's body. His eyes are tired and sunken and his dark hair bears more than a few new strands of salt. His sword bears more than a few chips and scratches, from what little Audrey can see of the tattered remains of its scabbard.
"It's over," he breathes through chapped lips, "and I owe you my deepest apologies."
"They were greater than I had thought."
(You have won)
0~0~0
You have claimed victory in a difficult battle, one that was definitely stacked against you through determination, skill, and no small degree of divine grace. To the victor go the spoils.
Select one reward to add to your arsenal
[ ] Death-Warding Horn: The first of Audrey's foes had a piece of magic horn sewn into the collar of his hood. This treasure will ward off the first blow that would take his head, and then be destroyed. She was fortunate in that it was only damaged by her hasty blow, and might still be put to use again. (Gain a Death-Warding Talisman that may save you from death, once)
[ ] A pile of trinkets, silver, and other minor treasures. While possessing no real power in its own right, there is enough of it for Audrey to have a certain degree of wealth in her own right–extremely important as she rises through the ranks in the future. Provides 2 Wealth.
[ ] The Black-Red Lightning, the arcs of power that erupted when she was pushed to her limits, the energy that fuels the Giant-Killing Blow, and perhaps more, if you could figure out how to call it on command… (Provides a new Idea to develop an unexplored aspect of your Bloodline)
0~0~0
AN: That was a funky encounter
The boss goes down in round one, and his add ends up pushing Audrey to her absolute limit. Fate can be funny, can't it?
Round 1:
The Norseman charges and attacks: 41
Audrey attempts Clever Deflection: 39
Audrey takes 80 damage, which reduces her Hama Field and Armour each by 10.
Audrey makes a basic attack: 35
Norseman leaping dodge: 36
Norseman attacks: 42
Audrey uses Clever Deflection: 45
Audrey uses the opening to attempt Giant-Killing Blow: 45
Norseman attempts a Leaping Dodge: 35
Audrey spends 2 Zeal, the Norseman takes 170 damage and dies.
Round 2:
New Norseman attacks.
Glima Norseman Burns an Aspect and iinitiates a grapple: 49
Audrey attempts Clever Deflection: 36
Audrey attempts to use Faulty Ground: 39
Norseman attempts to use a leaping dodge: 37
Norseman falls prone, takes 10 Damage, and Audrey slips free of the grapple
Norseman puts her in a leg lock: 40
Audrey attempst Clever Deflection: 33
Audrey makes a basic attack: 29
Norseman makes a basic defense: 28
Norseman takes 30 Damage hit to Gambeson, Gambeson reduced by 10.
Audrey makes a basic attack: 33
Norseman makes a basic defense: 24
Norseman takes 30 Damage hit to Gambeson, Gambeson reduced by 10.
Round 3:
Norseman Burns an Aspect and attempts to break Audrey's hip: 45
Audrey attempts basic defense: 30
Audrey's armour protects her due to Purity of Form, takes 10 Damage.
Audrey makes a basic attack: 38
Norseman attempts basic defense: 33
Norseman takes 30 Damage, Gambeson and Norseman both take 10 Damage.
Norseman burns an Aspect for Damage, and attempts to stab through the visor: 39
Audrey attempts a defense: 36
Audrey takes 80 Damage, her Hama takes 10 Damage and her Focus breaks.
Norseman makes a follow-up attack while she's stunned, dealing 40 damage. Her Hama takes 10 Damage as does her Fortitude.
Audrey gets angry and starts trying to beat him to death: 41
Norseman attempts defense: 36
Norseman loses his last 10 Armour and takes 10 Damage.
Audrey keeps beating him: 40
Norseman attempts defense: 34
Norseman takes 20 Damage, he is looking rough.
Round 4:
Norseman tries to stab her face again: 44
Audrey attempts to defend: 36
Audrey gets stabbed in the face for 40 Damage, takes 10 Damage to Hama and 20 to Fortitude
Audrey makes a basic attack: 35
Norseman makes basic defense: 37
Norseman attempts to stab her face again: 38
Audrey attempts a basic defense: 41
Audrey makes a basic attack again: 40
Norseman basic defense: 39
Norseman takes 20 Damage and dies.
Audrey keeps hitting, rendering his skull into paste.
The Norseman charges and attacks: 41
Audrey attempts Clever Deflection: 39
Audrey takes 80 damage, which reduces her Hama Field and Armour each by 10.
Audrey makes a basic attack: 35
Norseman leaping dodge: 36
Norseman attacks: 42
Audrey uses Clever Deflection: 45
Audrey uses the opening to attempt Giant-Killing Blow: 45
Norseman attempts a Leaping Dodge: 35
Audrey spends 2 Zeal, the Norseman takes 170 damage and dies.
Round 2:
New Norseman attacks.
Glima Norseman Burns an Aspect and iinitiates a grapple: 49
Audrey attempts Clever Deflection: 36
Audrey attempts to use Faulty Ground: 39
Norseman attempts to use a leaping dodge: 37
Norseman falls prone, takes 10 Damage, and Audrey slips free of the grapple
Norseman puts her in a leg lock: 40
Audrey attempst Clever Deflection: 33
Audrey makes a basic attack: 29
Norseman makes a basic defense: 28
Norseman takes 30 Damage hit to Gambeson, Gambeson reduced by 10.
Audrey makes a basic attack: 33
Norseman makes a basic defense: 24
Norseman takes 30 Damage hit to Gambeson, Gambeson reduced by 10.
Round 3:
Norseman Burns an Aspect and attempts to break Audrey's hip: 45
Audrey attempts basic defense: 30
Audrey's armour protects her due to Purity of Form, takes 10 Damage.
Audrey makes a basic attack: 38
Norseman attempts basic defense: 33
Norseman takes 30 Damage, Gambeson and Norseman both take 10 Damage.
Norseman burns an Aspect for Damage, and attempts to stab through the visor: 39
Audrey attempts a defense: 36
Audrey takes 80 Damage, her Hama takes 10 Damage and her Focus breaks.
Norseman makes a follow-up attack while she's stunned, dealing 40 damage. Her Hama takes 10 Damage as does her Fortitude.
Audrey gets angry and starts trying to beat him to death: 41
Norseman attempts defense: 36
Norseman loses his last 10 Armour and takes 10 Damage.
Audrey keeps beating him: 40
Norseman attempts defense: 34
Norseman takes 20 Damage, he is looking rough.
Round 4:
Norseman tries to stab her face again: 44
Audrey attempts to defend: 36
Audrey gets stabbed in the face for 40 Damage, takes 10 Damage to Hama and 20 to Fortitude
Audrey makes a basic attack: 35
Norseman makes basic defense: 37
Norseman attempts to stab her face again: 38
Audrey attempts a basic defense: 41
Audrey makes a basic attack again: 40
Norseman basic defense: 39
Norseman takes 20 Damage and dies.
Audrey keeps hitting, rendering his skull into paste.
