Ninja! – Attempt 2, Part 5

Ninja! – Attempt 2, Part 5

http://ift.tt/2aV4iWG

Nao and I move gracefully through the city.  In a fairly obvious attempt to make small talk, I comment on his bright red sash, which is fairly impractical if he wants to remain unnoticed in the night-time.

Aside : If soon-to-be-Avenger wants to comment on awful attempts on camouflage, I should introduce him to my father’s favourite comic book character, the Phantom.  That guy wants to remain unnoticed in the jungle, and he wears this :

 

 

Anyway.

Nao mentions that the sash is a subtle (!) signal to the ‘common’ people that he is a member of the Bakuto syndicate.  Presumably this means that they won’t mug him, or something similiar.

I claim with a straight face that I am a thief, seeking to embarrass the Daimyo by stealing the flag.

Nao uses his grappling hook to help us scale the wall of the palace, as we note the suckers (!) washing themselves and gargling the holy water.  Nao mentions that they are the blood sacrifice, and I wonder what sort of idiot (heh!) would get suckered in such a fashion into walking into the eel’s den, so to speak.

Nao finds a small cave in the palace grounds (!) and assures me that this will lead straight to the ‘Sacrifice Room’.

An ominous name, to be sure.  Is there a sign above the door saying “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here?”  Or is that sign saved for Donald Trump’s bedroom?

In a development which was depressingly easy to predict, things pretty quickly do not go according to plan.  A monstrous creature engages with Nao, who gets one blow in before being slammed aside.  I just want at this stage of proceedings to quote Mr Walters’ description :

“Something large, horned and monstrous, its worn fur exposing coarse pink flesh bulging with muscle.  Its eyes are sightless, covered by a putrid yellow pus that dribbles down its face and stains the sharp teeth in its gaping maw.”

I knew it!  It WAS Donald Trump’s bedroom all along!

This abomination’s Endurance is 16, reduced from 22 by Nao’s initial strike.  I have several options, but don’t seriously consider the Dragon’s Tail, given the size of this creature.  I’ll rather stick with the Leaping Tiger kick.

Round 1

I need a 6 or more to hit this ‘Pit Feeder’, and get an 11.  Nice start!  Damage of 5 follows.

Its roll of 7 fails to trouble the proverbial scorers.

Endurance : Me 20, Pit Feeder 11

Round 2

My roll of 4 gets me nowhere, and the Pit Feeder gets a 10 (Yikes!)  However, I then successfully block the blow.

Round 3

My 8 would have hit, save for the block in the previous round.  The Pit Feeder also misses.

Round 4

I hit (8) and do 7 damage (!) The Pit Feeder only rolls 3, and I laugh at its pitiful strike.

Endurance : Me 20, Pit Feeder 4

Round 5

I (just) hit with a 6, and I commit overkill, by doing 8 damage and consigning this creature back to a US Republican Primary.

I check on Nao, who you’d think would say “Thank you so much for saving my life.  I am forever in your debt.”

Yeah, not so much.

Ignoring what would seemingly be the obvious comment, he rather accusingly states that “You are no thief”.

Rather than giving the answer of “I am also a thief.”  I confirm that I am a ninja worshipper of Kwon.

Nao then actually does justify his existence by using his grappling hook to pull at a trapdoor in the ceiling, which is effectively acting as a ‘plug’ on the pool which contains the helpless victims and that vicious eel.

They cascade out in some kind of grotesque water slide and, again, no mention is made of any expressions of gratitude.

I hop up in to the now-drained room and carefully obtain the flag which was flying in the upper chamber.  Nao offers to heal me, not that I need it at this stage, and we make our own way out of the palace.  Nao mentions that we must leave ‘before the guards locate us’, as if the draining of the entire sacrifice chamber wouldn’t have already attracted some sort of adverse attention.

I find a spot between an alley and a canal to catch a nap before daybreak, reflecting on a job well done.

Stats : All modifiers : 0 Endurance : 20, Inner Force 2, Shuriken 3

 

Gamebook blogs

http://ift.tt/2aV4iWG
via The Way Of The Tiger Playthrough http://ift.tt/1Rp7BSZ

August 11, 2016 at 06:16AM