Ninja! – Attempt 1, Part 8

Ninja! – Attempt 1, Part 8

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Alright, non-ninja related stuff.  My team, Hawthorn, just lost a game that they SHOULD NOT HAVE LOST to the lowly Melbourne Demons – match report.  I need very, very gentle treatment.  Are you listening – book / dice / commenters?

Anyway.

Back to ninjaing around the country – this next part of the adventure puts the ‘book’ in ‘gamebook’.

By that I mean….exposition central!  Cue the bullet points!

• I approach the Palace of Grasping Stars which, to all intents and purposes, appears to be half-finished.
• By which I mean half of the building is unroofed and unfurnished.
• I wonder if a bunch of working-class mates are currently having a beer and debating how long it will take to ‘knock off’ the rest of the building.
• A line of potential entrants, along with myself, are forced to ceremonially wash our hands, feet and also gargle sacred water (!) before entering the palace.
• The potential contestants are split into groups of ten and herded inside, where we are shepherded into a room with a waist-deep pool of water.
• At the far side of the pool is a pile of bold bars behind which is, to my interest, a pole with a white flag with gold trim!
• Noting the spectators sitting above, the organisers make a quick exist, before a dark shape emerges from an underwater door, biting one of the other competitors in two!
• Shark, anyone??

Given my lack of either a breathing tube or the Feigning Death skill, my only choices are to Cobra Strike the creature or to escape through the panel from which it came.

Aggression!  Cobra strike beats shark! (or whatever the creature is!)

As I approach, I see that it is not a shark but rather a giant conger eel!  That doesn’t sound so bad….

[Checks internet]

Oh crud.

I need a 9 or more on two dice to hit.

11!

And my roll for damage is….4.

The book asks whether I’ve caused ‘5 or more’ damage.  4 is less than 5 so……

To cut a long descriptive paragraph short, the eel, bites me in the sides, cutting my insides to shreds.

I die watching the dilletante nobles who are spectating above me, getting a sudden perspective on the feelings of a greyhound, as it dies under the gaze of people betting on it’s fate.

Until next time.

 

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August 6, 2016 at 04:20AM