[PP-F5] <<Blood in the Sand>> Catfish vs Shark

[Baldur 0]

After Baldur and Tyger had found the cargo they had been sent to the Oasis to find, they started the long, miserable trek back to the main settlement. The weather was much better today, or perhaps it was just the new skill they had acquired as part of completing the quest. Either way, the desert seemed much less atrocious on their way back. Icarus seemed to never want to leave, and Baldur felt slightly guilty for enjoying the 4th floor more because of how happy the little guy was.

 

"Just FYI, I hate the desert too, but we might have to come up here more to take him for walks, cause he's having way too much fun."

 

With a smile on his face they walked for a few hours until they were surrounded by nothing but sand. Baldur thought about stopping for a moment and resting, but Icarus had other plans.

 

The little guy crouched low and made a growling sound and Baldur realized that meant trouble.

 

"More <<Sand Lizards>>?" He held his Katana openly in both hands as he prepared for the fight. The fin like scales of their backs surfaced as they swam in a circle around them.

 

The first shark emerged from the sand, it's scales a light brown the same color as the sand, save for the fin like ones along its spine which were a dark onyx color. It hissed at them as its partner emerged behind him, closer to Tyger.

 

Baldur immediately crouched down to prepare a <<Charge>> attack, he flew through the air as his blade glowed with a blue light and cut a crescent arc through the air.

 

---

 

[iD: 8613 BD: 9]

 

--Turn Order--

<<Baldur>> 27/27 HP - Hits <<SL#1>> for 9 DMG (7 Reg + 1 Charge + 1 Crit)

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP

<<Sand Lizard #1>> 15/15 HP

<<Sand Lizard #2>> 15/15 HP 

[Tyger 0]

Tyger trekked alongside her boys, miserable as the day was hot and long. Her hair was frizzled, her mouth was dry, her lips were chapped, and her equipment was becoming so heavy it was hard to stand it. But, Icarus did seem to be having a good time, so Baldur's suggestion was fine with her.

 

"Conditions. We don't go so deep into the desert, and we stay near the town. He can still romp around in the sand. Second, no sand spiders. Those creep me the censored out."

 

She was going to say more, but then Icarus went on the aggressive. Not long after, they were set upon by sand creatures. Tyger had her equipment out in a flash, and Icarus was by her side, tail up to let her take some of the coal for her eyes. After she'd smeared it across her cheeks, she charged to attack the second lizard, snarling. Her blade ripped against it's skin, the first unveiling of her newest craft. She hoped it caught Baldur's attention, because she'd been working on it for days.

 

[iD: 8613 BD: 9, MD: 9]

 

--Turn Order--

<<Baldur>> 27/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP - (Does 8 Damage (1 crit + 1 charge + 6 base) Bleed Activated (-1 next turn)

<<Sand Lizard #1>> 6/15 HP

<<Sand Lizard #2>> 7/15 HP (-1 HP next turn with bleed)

[Baldur 0]

The first Sand lizard reeled back, hissing at the puny human suddenly closed the distance and struck him with its metal tooth. Rearing up on its back legs the Sand Lizard towered over the dark haired ones, its dagger like claws ready to slash in its ugly face.

 

[iD: 8641 MD: 10] Deals 3 DMG - Baldur mitigates 2 - takes 1 DMG

 

The pathetic pink food sack tried to move out of the way, but the Sand Lizard swung its tail, letting it shift its center of gravity and curve through the air, taking the ugly thing on the forearm as it tried to block its face.

 

The second sand lizard hissed, the gash the red hair human inflicted on it did not close, and instead bleed away its life further. Showing its teeth to the fresh meet, the Sand Lizard pushed off with it's hind legs, shooting out to bite the redhead.

 

[iD: 8642 MD: 1] Misses

 

But this one had a silver fang AND a wall that seemed to move. The sand lizard struck the wall and landed on the ground, dazed.

 

--Turn Order--

<<Baldur>> 26/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Sand Lizard #1>> 6/15 HP

<<Sand Lizard #2>> 7/15 HP (-1 bleed 0/2 turns)

[Baldur 0]

Baldur saw the lizard rear up on its hind legs and try to scratch his face. His first instinct was parry 9, also known as run away to create space. They couldn't hit you if they weren't close enough, it was an old fencing trick, but the sand was too thick. At the last moment Baldur brought his arms up and his armored forearm took the brunt of the blow. It saved him several HP, but it would have counted against him in Kendo.

 

"ssssssayonara, lizard!"

 

As Baldur stepped forward into closer range, and to the side it shunted the lizard off to his right, allowing Baldur to put the blade of his sword right behind it's left arm and slice!

 

The lizard creature exploded into shards of light as Baldur quickly turned to see how Tyger was doing.

 

---

 

[iD: 8644 BD: 8 CD: 9 LD: 11]

 

--Turn Order--

<<Baldur>> 26/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Sand Lizard #1>> 0/15 HP

<<Sand Lizard #2>> 7/15 HP (-1 Bleed 0/2 Turns)

 

 

<<Sand Lizard #1>> drops 75 Col & 1 Mat

[Tyger 0]

The two lizards seemed to split and go after each of the party members, which wasn't to Tyger's liking. She should've opened with a Howl, to keep both on her, but it couldn't really be helped. Instead, she'd just go ahead and do her part of destroying the lizard that went after her. When it missed, Tyger took her opportunity to skewer the lizard in the back with her sword. It wouldn't have finished it off, but the bleed from the earlier turn did it's job. With a smirk, Tyger turned to Baldur to check on him. Both lizards were down for the count, and their own lizard ran over, smudging Tyger's leg with a victory streak.

 

"Nice coordination. You'd think we've been doing this a while."

 

She teased, a bit of her old self back after the heat of battle. But, when the heat of the desert came back, she'd probably melt again.

 

[iD: 8645 BD: 7 CD: 8 LD: 12]

 

--Turn Order--

<<Baldur>> 26/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP - Hits for 6 Damage

<<Sand Lizard #1>> 0/15 HP

<<Sand Lizard #2>> 0/15 HP (-1 Bleed 1/2 Turns)

 

 

<<Sand Lizard #2>> Drops 75 Col and 1 mat

[Baldur 0]

Baldur looked around for a moment. The sands seemed calm, but his gut told him it wasn't the case yet.

 

Well, in this case, his gut was a tiny Magma Dragon named Icarus who was more adorable than deadly, but he seemed to have a preternatural sense of danger, and Baldur had learned to trust it. His blue eyes surveyed the dunes around them, sand blowing about them and obscuring their vision beyond more than thirty or forty yards. The dead bodies of the Sand Lizards shattered and gone, Baldur didn't even pause to examine the loot icon that popped up in the bottom right of his vision.

 

Something was coming.

 

Suddenly the sand started to vibrate, and then Baldur heard what sounded like a roar coming from deep beneath them. Even Icarus stopped his growling and ran to hide behind Tyger. The sand around them started to swirl as if they were in the middle of a whirlpool of sand, but Baldur couldn't place what was happening, only that they needed to move.

 

"Get away!" Baldur cried out, rushing towards Tyger. The nadir of the pool seemed to follow Baldur, and so he immediately changed direction, moving away from Tyger. He had just gotten far enough away from her when suddenly the sand fell away and a giant maw opened up beneath him. For a moment, Baldur began to fall, but he was able to hook his katana around the outside of its mouth and pull. The monster's mouth suddenly closed onto Baldur's leg. The <<Spice Wyrm>> was larger than Baldur with both his arms extended out, wide enough to swallow him hole, but not today. It's mouth had three giant jaws of teeth which clenched onto his legs, but Baldur was able to fight it off from swallowing him.

 

"Argh!"

 

---

 

[iD: 8663 BD: 3 CD 7 MD: 9] Hits Baldur for 2 DMG - Baldur Mitigates 2 - takes 1 point of damage

 

--Turn Order--

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Spice Wyrm>> 20/20 HP

[Tyger 0]

Tyger was about to walk over to Baldur and give him a pat on the back for a job well done, but that probably wasn't the best idea. When the ground had started to rumble, and with Icarus rigid, like a dog that just heard something, Tyger knew something was up. The sand shifted beneath Baldur as he was attacked by the giant worm. He was almost swallowed, and Tyger gasped loudly, taking a few steps forward to help him.

 

"Jason!"

 

Some moments she just forgot about usernames, mobs, tags and titles, and just remembered Baldur for who he truly was. Usually in tons of dangerous situations. He wormed himself out of the mouth and landed, injured. To take her revenge, Tyger charged the worm and drug her blade across it as she ran, almost making it full circle around the beast before it went back into the sand. 

 

"Baldur, are you okay?"

 

She crashed into him, hugging him tightly. Her heart pounded, and she could hear it in her ears.

 

ID 8669, BD 9

 

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP Does 8 points of damage (+1 Crit, +1 Charge, 6 Base)

<<Spice Wyrm>> 12/20 HP (Bleed applied -1, 0/2) Tyger has hate +2

[Baldur 0]

Baldur hugged Tyger tight once he had been freed from the Wyrm's jaws. It had ended up looking more dramatic than it was because of the damage resistance he had. "I'm fine, but the fight isn't over yet."

 

Pushing himself to his feet with his Katana, he kept his eyes, not on the sand or the horizon, but on Icarus.

 

The little guy sure was accurate with his predictions.

 

He needed to concentrate. He took a deep breath and slowed his heart rate down, <<Concentrating>> on where the mob would next appear. Suddenly Icarus turned his head to the side and Baldur swung for the fences.

 

It was a close one, but the tip of Baldur's blade struck the <<Sand Wyrm>> and deflected its trajectory all in one go, causing the Wyrm to miss both of them. He would consider that a victory.

 

---

 

[iD: 8796: BD: 3 (+1 Concentration, + 2 Accuracy) = 6 MD: 4] Baldur hits for 7 DMG

 

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Spice Wyrm>> 5/20 HP (Bleed -1, 0/2) Tyger has hate +2

[Tyger 0]

The warm embrace Baldur gave calmed her fears, so she let Baldur go so he could attack and they could finish off this worm. He concentrated, and she could see the aura of his ability circling around him as he used it to hit the target. Running soon after, she followed up the attack with a quick swipe to the creature's tail before it could flee anymore. It's tail disappeared into the sand right as it disappeared into thousands of little shining polygons. Icarus ran to the hole the worm had made, but slowly filled with sand before resetting itself back into normal desert floor.

 

"Guess it didn't control the spice, eh?"

 

Tyger picked up the loot she'd skewered the boss for, and packed it into her inventory for later. 

 

"Any more surprises?"

 

ID 8811, BD 4+3=7, LD 13

 

 

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Spice Wyrm>> 0/20 HP (Bleed -1, 1/2) Drops 1 mat, 100 Col

[Baldur 0]

Baldur let out a sign of relief as the Wyrm disappeared in a shower of polygons.

 

"That thing could have hurt someone!" Baldur whined with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Just then, they heard a howl. His eyes shot up to the top of the dune they were next to and saw a <<Desert Hyena>> howling. Maybe it was summoning more? He wouldn't give it the chance. Maybe his <<Charge>> would interrupt it.

 

"Up top!" He called to let Tyger know what he was doing. Immediately he dropped into the <<Charge>> stance and the system launched him at the mob.

 

However, the sand had other ideas for the great samurai warrior and it clung to Baldur's feet, causing him to stumble just out of reach of the Hyena, his swing hitting nothing but the air. The Hyena, however, misjudged as well, and leaped at where Baldur should have been. Sailing through the air, it landed next to Tyger, confused.

 

---

 

[iD: 8814 BD: 2 MD: 2]

 

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP - Misses

<<Desert Hyena>> 15/15 HP - misses

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

[Tyger 0]

"Yeah, coulda hurt my scrub boyfriend. Good thing he's got a girlfriend that crafts, right?"

 

She teased, bumping him lightly with her fist. A howl interrupted her next comment, so she whipped her head to the side. Baldur was already moving, so she prepared herself to do the same. Prepping her charge, Tyger followed up with a slice on the hyena, dealing a decent amount of damage where Baldur had missed. 

 

"Is it just me, or do you miss more than hit?"

 

She stuck her tongue out, and kept an eye out for others around the area. She'd dealt with howls that summoned other creatures, and she didn't like them. Best to take this out quickly.

 

 

[iD: 8817, BD 4+3=7]

 

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 8/15 HP

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP Does 7 damage (1 charge, 6 Base)

[Baldur 0]

Baldur stuck out his tongue back at her and leaped from his high position on the sand dune and fell on the <<Desert Hyena>> his katana sheering the creature two and causing a hail of multi-colored polygons to fall around them.

 

"hurr hurr hurr"

 

His face split back into a smile as he looked around. "I don't know if that howl meant it was calling more or not, but we should probably be careful."

 

He held his blade low and in one hand, but his eyes were ready.

 

---

 

[iD: 8818 BD: 9 LD: 17] Crits - dealing 8DMG

 

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 0/15 HP - drops 75 Col & 1 mat

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

[Tyger 0]

With the defeat of the Hyena, Baldur certainly relaxed but Tyger kept her guard up, unwilling to be caught off guard by the possibility of an ambush. She'd dealt with howling mobs before, and she really didn't like it. The 'Hydra' wolf, she'd nicknamed, died but two more took it's place. True to her memory, a pair of Hyenas materialized, chuckling and snapping their jaws.

 

"You guys howl? Well, so can I."

 

She snarled, building up air in her chest as she let out a snarling roar, inflicting no damage, but raising their hate for her. Almost immediately, the pair attacked. The first one was dodged easily, and the second almost grazed her side. However, Tyger brought her shield down on the second Hyena, damaging it with her thorns. 

 

"Down, doggy."

 

Both Hyenas erupted into laughter.

 

"... But that wasn't funny.."

 

Tyger, Hyena 1 [iD: 8822 BD:5, MD 3] Howls

Hyena 2 [iD 8823, MD 6]

 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 15/15 HP (Hate Tyger +3)

<<Desert Hyena>> 13/15 HP  (Hate Tyger +3, -2 Thorns)

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur winced when two more Desert Hyenas came over the dunes. Hopefully this would be the last of them, but they would have to finish them off before they were allowed to howl and summon any more.

 

"For Mufasaaaaa!" Baldur cried out as he <<Charged>> the second Hyena, its HP having dipped from Tyger's thorn affect.

 

He was a blur of black armor and blue sword light as he flew across the desert sand, this time hitting his mark and saying a silent prayer of thanks to RNGesus as the Hyena's HP bar flashed down into the red.

 

---

 

[iD: 8842 BD: 4+2=6] Baldur hits for 8 DMG (7 basic + 1 charge)

 

<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 15/15 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 5/15 HP  

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

[Tyger 0]

The aura of concentration swirled around Tyger as she held her sword, doing her best to keep her cool. These hyenas were making her mad, nobody ever laughed at her jokes aside from Baldur, so it was almost insulting. She wanted to make sure she hit one, so she aimed for the one that hadn't been hurt as much. Weakening both of them was a good tactic. Taking a few steps back, Tyger charged for the one with full HP, slamming her body and sword into the creature. Her shield nicked the hide, causing even more damage. 

 

"Baldur, we need to finish them now! They're all pretty low."

 

The did their attacks, but Tyger managed to dodge both. She glared at both Hyena and snorted out some of the sand. They laughed, and it only made her eyes narrow with even more frustration.

 

Tyger, Hyena 1 [iD: 8851 BD:2+3+1 Concentration = 6, MD 7-2=5] 

Hyena 2 [iD 8852, MD 2]

 

<Tyger>> 29/29 HP (Hits Hyena 1 for 9, +1 Charge, 6 Base, +2 Thorns)

<<Desert Hyena>> 6/15 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 5/15 HP  

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

[Baldur 0]

"Switch" Baldur called out, changing his target to <<Desert Hyena #1>>. He dealt slightly more damage than Tyger, so he hoped that by switching to the one with higher HP, they could finish both of them off at once.

 

Spinning around behind the Hyena that Tyger was fighting, it didn't even see him coming. His Katana charged up with a blue light cut through the Hyena, dropping its health to 0 and with the sound of shattering glass, it split into thousands of tiny little shards of polygons. He lifted his eyes up to see how Tyger was doing on the other.

 

---

 

[iD: 8959 BD: 9 LD 8] Baldur hits <<Hyena #1>> for 8 DMG

 

 

<Tyger>> 29/29 HP 

<<Desert Hyena>> 0/15 HP - drops 1 mat

<<Desert Hyena>> 5/15 HP  

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

[Tyger 0]

When she and Baldur switched, Baldur took to the first hyena, the one she'd just attacked, and finished it off with a quick blade to the side. It erupted with the sound of shattering glass, and it's friend Hyena paused, contemplating what to do. It glared over at Baldur, and then at Tyger as it decided it's course of action. Tyger wouldn't let it finish, though. She aimed for it's heart as she jumped forward, meeting the hyena mid attack. Her blade sunk into it's chest, and before anything could happen to Tyger, the hyena sat suspended. A second later, it erupted in the same fashion as it's friend. 

 

"Done here, you?"

 

Tyger turned to see Baldur watching, done with his side of the fight. 

 

"Glad we're done with those jokers."

 

 

Tyger, Hyena 1 [iD: 8860 BD: 3+3=6 MD: 5. LD: 14] 

Hyena 2 [iD 8861, MD 3]

 

<Tyger>> 29/29 HP (Hits Hyena 2 for 6)

<<Desert Hyena>> 0/15 HP  (Drops 1 mat, 75 Col)

<<Baldur>> 25/27 HP 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur groaned when he heard the sound of more Desert Hyenas laughing and coming over the dunes.

 

"I guess we've got a whole pack of them. Hopefully there aren't many more of these."

 

Baldur eyed the one on his right and crouched into the <<Charge>> position, letting the system take over as his sword glowed with a bright blue light. Once again, however, he underestimated the sand as it gripped his legs. Maybe he had stood still too long and sunken further into the sand than he had thought. Regardless, his swing went wide, but he managed to fend off the Hyena he had been attacking. On the upside, his regen finally ticked. His wasn't nearly as reliable as Tyger's.

 

---

 

[iD: 9003 BD: 1 CD: 10 MD: 3] 

 

<<Baldur>> 26/27 HP - misses - gets +1 HP from BH

<<Desert Hyena #3>> 15/15 HP - Misses

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP

[Tyger 0]

More chuckles and snarls filled the air, so Tyger refrained from sheathing her sword and putting up her shield. There was battle to be had. The first Hyena showed it's face, closest to Baldur. Another ran over the dune between Tyger and Baldur, so Tyger decided that it'd be best to keep that one off Baldur. Charging forward to meet the Hyena head on proved to be the worst day of the spawned creature's life. It was struck by Tyger's sword, taking a way decent damage and applying the bleed. When it tried to retaliate, it managed to bite Tyger on her arm, but was smashed in the face for the attempt. The thorns on her shield caused the creature to yip in pain, and back off quite a ways. It's body shook with anger and fear, and Tyger wasn't sure which one would ultimately win. To add insult to injury, the 1 point of damage the Hyena inflicted healed up, bringing Tyger back to full health.

 

 

[iD: 9012 BD: 10 CD: 10 MD: 8] 

 

<<Baldur>> 26/27 HP 

<<Desert Hyena #3>> 15/15 HP 

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP  (Deals 11 Damage, 6 Base, +2 Crit, +1 Charge, +2 Thorns)

<<Desert Hyena #4>> 4/15 -Hits Tyger for 1 (Bleed Damage -1 0/2)

[Baldur 0]

Baldur couldn't tell what was going on behind him just from the sounds, but it sounded something like a warthog being ridden by a meerkat bowling for Hyenas. Whatever happened, it was bad news for that Hyena.

 

Now he just had to do his job over here.

 

Unfortunately, it did not look like that was going to be his destiny.

 

The <<Desert Hyena>> had the higher ground, so when Baldur swung at the creature, it merely leaped into the air, over Baldur's blade and crashed into him, taking him to the ground as the two of them tumbled down the sand dune.

 

[iD: 9015 BD: 2 CD: 6 MD: 6] 

 

<<Baldur>> 26/27 HP - misses

<<Desert Hyena #3>> 15/15 HP - hits for 1 DMG

<<Tyger>> 29/29 HP  

<<Desert Hyena #4>> 4/15