At the suggestion of some helpful people on Mastodon, I've adjusted the vow to Kaisa to be getting her out of the caverns, and set it as Troublesome. Completing it will mark progress on the previous vow. Let's see how Spider is doing...
It was one thing swearing to get Kaisa out of here, but quite another to actually do it. Spider was unarmed, and worse still, unarmoured. She was locked in a cell with Kaisa, and given how different her behaviour was to the bar where they'd met, she was forced to assume the woman had been subjected to the local pharmaceuticals. Nothing about this was going to be easy.
First of all though, she needed to better understand her surroundings. The makeshift cell bars provided a view across the caverns, and she shuffled over to see what she could make out in the dim light.
Gather information: roll +wits
Strong hit
Discover something helpful and specific. The path is clear. +2 momentum
The cell was high up and near the back of the cavern, and nobody seemed to be paying it much attention. All the activity was near the front, where crates were being loaded and unloaded. Spider could see her hoverbike being dragged in, and winced at the thought of what that would do to the paintwork.
Priorities. First she had to get herself and Kaisa out of this cell. It wasn't exactly well constructed, so there had to be a weak spot. She remembered words of advice she'd been told years ago. No door is stronger than its hinges. Which meant if she pushed in just the right place...
Face danger: roll +iron
Weak hit
You succeed, but at a cost. Make a suffer move.
Lose momentum. -1 momentum for a minor setback
It was not the quick exit she'd been imagining. The hinges gave up just as she'd hoped, but she still ended up having to dismantle the door, piece by piece, expecting at any moment for one of the Wellspring residents to notice what was going on. But at last she'd made enough of a hole to squeeze herself and Kaisa through.
[Mark Progress: Get Kaisa out of the caves :3 boxes]
"Now what?"
"Now we have to be very quiet."
But quiet would only get them so far. At some point they were going to have to try to blend in if they were going to make it to the front entrance, and it was pretty obvious neither of them were dressed like locals. A change of clothes would give them a chance.
Secure an advantage: roll +wits
Strong hit
+2 Momentum, +1 on your next move
Laundry was another of those things that Wellspring liked to shove out of the way alone with their prisoners. The airing clothes weren't completely dry and felt unpleasantly cold, but at least the two of them could now plausibly pass as locals. Now they just had to make their way out.
Face danger: roll +shadow
Weak hit
You succeed, but at a cost. Make a suffer move.
Endure Stress. -1 spirit. roll +spirit
Miss
It's worse than you thought. -2 momentum
Spider was not enjoying this. She was not a natural at acting. Kaisa had the slightly off behaviour of a Wellspring local down pat, but was constantly swinging between excited giggles and clinging nervously to Spider. A few dubious glances were sent their way. But they made it to the entrance without being apprehended, and Spider started to feel a little more optimistic. Kaisa grew more excitable as they stepped out into the sunlight.
[Mark Progress: Get Kaisa out of the caves :6 boxes]
Except now they were standing outside with nothing but some slightly damp clothes and no actual way of getting away from here. There was no point trying to run. It was a long way back to Paxton. If she was going to get Kaisa back there, she was going to need her hoverbike.
"You need to hide," Spider told Kaisa. "Keep your head down and don't attract attention. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Spider made her way back to the loading area and joined in with the lifting.
"Nice hoverbike," she remarked to one of the others, with a nod in its direction. "I heard there was some other stuff too."
"Yeah." The man laughed. "Bounty hunter, wearing some sweet armour. Not that it did them much good."
"Show me?" She smiled as sweetly as she could manage.
Compel: roll +heart
Weak hit
They do what you want but with a demand or complication. +1 momentum
Randomly rolled complication: needed item or resource is unavailable
"Too late. Flint's already claimed all of it for himself. Says he deserves it. He was the one that caught her, after all. I can introduce you though."
Spider tried to protest that she didn't need accompanying and directions would be fine. Of all the people in Wellspring, Flint had to be the most likely to see through her disguise, and she really didn't want to encounter him, especially not with company. But the man insisted.
"Hey, Flint, this lady wants to take a look at that armour." Spider tried to keep her head down and look as unlike a bounty hunter as possible.
Face danger: roll +shadow
Strong hit
You are successful. +1 momentum
"Gorgeous, isn't it? Doesn't fit me though. Too small."
"Can I try? Please? It looks just about my size."
She was taking a huge risk here. Fitting the armour back on meant discarding pieces of her disguise as she went. At any moment he could figure out what was really happening here. She would have to be fast.
Face danger: roll +edge
Weak hit
You succeed but not without a cost. Make a suffer move.
Lose momentum. -1 momentum for a minor setback
"It does fit you." Spider was almost dressed, but without her helmet Flint could still lock eyes with her. He didn't need to say anything. She knew she'd been made even before he started reaching for his stun gun.
Enter the fray
Objective is to get past Flint and the other guy to make a run for it. Set rank of troublesome.
Facing off against the foe: roll +heart
Weak hit
You are in control
Gain Ground: roll +iron
Miss
You are in a bad spot and must pay the price.
Spider hurled herself at Flint, trying to snatch the stun gun out of his grip before he could turn it on her. Which might have worked, if there had only been one opponent, but instead she found herself in the other man's grip with Flint's stun gun pressed against her chest.
Endure Stress. -2 spirit. roll +spirit
Strong hit
Shake it off. +1 spirit
He'd caught her by surprise outside, but this time she was ready for him. People thought it was all about the armour, but really it was being able to react to changing circumstances. She didn't struggle against the man's grip, but simply went limp, letting the weight of the armour drag him down.
React under fire: roll +wits
Burn momentum to make it a strong hit
You succeed and are in control. +1 momentum.
The stun gun's blast took out the man holding her. There was a roar of rage from Flint as the body slumped to the floor, but she had the advantage now, going low to try to take him down.
Strike: roll +iron
Weak hit
Mark progress twice but expose yourself to danger. You are in a bad spot.
[Mark Progress: Fight with flint :3 boxes]
[Mark Progress: Fight with flint :6 boxes]
And with that suitably dramatic moment, I'll put Spider away again. I think I understand the basics of the game reasonably well now. Combat is proving interesting, with a whole set of different moves to get my head around, but I like the way it uses the same progress tracker as the iron vows.
No comments:
Post a Comment