Ninja! – Attempt 2, Part 8

Ninja! – Attempt 2, Part 8

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In the cliffhanger from yesterday, Batman and Robin were seemingly helpless in a needlessly elaborate deathtrap, and they…

What?

Oh, right.  Wrong cliffhanger.  Awesome show, though.

After disposing of the bizarre dog-bird hybrids, Gorobei and I were keen to help Daon in his charge against a mysterious, red-eyed, robed figure.

My faithful readers will remember that as the three of us approached, a foreboding wind seemed to be stirred up by some form of mystic chanting.

Just as Daon launches a kick against our antagonist, he (or she) completes a spell which seemingly sets of an avalanche of snow and rocks down the mountainside.  Hoping my allies can look after themselves, I seek shelter atop some rocks and survive, although I am swept along (and buried in snow) to the tune of 4 points of (Endurance) damage.

I’m assuming the avalanche isn’t as bad as this.

And yes, I know that link is to a mountain tsunami but seriously, it scared the living **** out of me.

Anyway.

I dig myself out of my snowy (not) grave and call out for Doan or Gorobei, but receive no response.  Luckily, I’ve seen such movies as Lord of the Rings and The Force Awakens, and I know that no visible body = no death.

My choice is now to search for my allies (and presumably, and loot which is under the snow) or to carry on.

Although I am using a bit of meta-fictional knowledge of Gorobei’s guaranteed survival, I elect to carry on, given my character’s determination (in this incarnation) to place his own advancement (within reason) above needless sacrifice.

Plus, you know, I have two flags!

Plus, I assume that Kwon is watching over them!

Yeah, that’s the ticket.  God helps those who help themselves, right?

Aside : I don’t want to start a theological debate, but I had to include this :

I head west and, to address a point I have raised earlier, it is noted that the cold weather ‘chills [me] to the bone’.

Well played, book.

I come across a broken and injured Hainu, and I use one of my remaining shuriken to skin it and make a (white, naturally) cloak to shield me from the cold.  As it begins to snow, I rest and eat some berries (!) restoring 2 Endurance as previously lost.

I then (cue ominous music) note some blood-stained footprints leading north / south across the snow.  I can follow them, or continue west.

You don’t even want to know just how many images of bloody footprints came up in a Google Image search.  Just don’t ask.

Aside : Relevant to this decision,  there is a running joke in the Lone Wolf books, which is probably going to be my next series.  Essentially, there are many choices which amount to “Here is an interesting thing.  Do you want to check if out, or continue on?”

Some interesting things are dangerous (or fatal) while others have helpful or necessary items.

You never know unless you try, right?

Follow bloody footprints!

Cheerily, a snowstorm surrounds me, and I lose 1 Endurance (although my wolfskin cloak saves me from a higher level of damage).

I see a cave entrance to the left, while the bloody footprints carry on.  I’m not THAT interested in this bleeding person, and I make the obvious choice to take shelter in the cave during the snowstorm.

No, there isn’t a dreadful monster in there, but I note that a lunar calendar and a picture of a skull have been carved into the wall.  Hmm.

I rest for the night and restore 2 Endurance.  I emerge rested, but note that (unsurprisingly) the footprints have been erased by the storm.

My journey will continue!

But further details must wait until the morrow.  Actually, it might not be the morrow, because another (sigh) Trial is listed to start tomorrow, and is listed for 3 days.

But you never know.

Stats : All modifiers : 0 Endurance : 17, Inner Force 2, Shuriken 3

 

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August 14, 2016 at 05:30AM