Sojaveña Wilds Northern Badlands

[Hap]

Ridley tried to hit back against the horde, but there were simply too many of them. Anything Ridley could do felt ineffective.

Leaf had mentioned the fiends were likely to scatter if their leader went down. Ridley had heard that too, and he'd also heard they could be distracted by -

"Hey!" Ridley called out to the fiends. "We're here to run a wet T-shirt contest! I can see that all of you are very handsome, but are you handsome enough to compete with our champion? You'd all better find some shirts and some liquids if you don't want to be left behind!"

Spoiler: action

Ridley (86 STM, 6 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 30 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
- Baby-Doll Eyes @ [TARGET] (-10 STM, -3 TMP, +2 TMP)
- **Act:** Call @ Horde
- Interact @ Horde (-3 TMP)
Net change: -10 STM, -1 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 76 STM (103 after regen), 5 TMP, 30 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Phoenixsong]

All this shrieking made it borderline impossible to think, but the sound of the little weasels calling dibs on Ridley was plenty clear enough. Someone was gonna have to get their heads screwed on straight, that was for damn sure. Leaf took a deep breath to clear her head, folded her ears back for whatever good that'd do, and took another look out over the sea of little screaming baby guys. Still no morgrem yet...

Most of the immediate shrieking was coming from the impidimp scrabbling after the little afterimages of coins that'd fallen from her horn. For. Some reason. Uh. They did know those weren't real, right? That they were just gonna disappear in a minute? (...were they gonna disappear? That was how pay day worked back home, but here... was she a unicorn and also a leprechaun now? Leprecorn? Unichaun? Eh, workshop it later.)

And now Ridley was— he asked them— huh. Well, yeah, that. That probably counted as pretty distracting?

Well, if it'd keep them busy for another couple seconds, or maybe even get the boss's attention, then might as well lean into it. And let 'em have their funny money, too.

"There's, uh, there's definitely more where this came from for whoever wins!" She swung her horn around, scattering more little bits of gold, maybe hopefully clonking some of the Additional Goblins on the head as she shoved her way through toward another tent. "C'mon, don't be shy, get out here and prove you're worth it!"

Spoiler: Leaf, Turn 2

Leaf (78 STM, 18 TMP, +1 SPD, +0 ACC, 15 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- Walk to Main Camp
- Dash to Trash Heap (-2 TMP)
- AGILE Pay Day @ Fiends (-9 STM, +4 TMP)
- Pay Day @ Fiends (-6 STM, +4 TMP)
- **Act:** Item (Iron Thorn) @ Fiends
- CRITICAL Play Rough @ Fiends (-16 STM, hit, -20 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Interact @ Check tents (-3 TMP)
Net change: -30 STM, -9 TMP, -15 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 48 STM (73 after regen), 9 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD

Spoiler: Turn Order, Turn 2

Don't thiiiiink it matters much this turn?
- Ridley
- Odette
- Koa
- Leaf

 

[Tetra]

In a flash of motion, he lashed out with his claws at the Imps in the tower, before quickly scoping out the area. Below, he saw the rest of their team fighting them. His gaze hurriedly sought out Ridley. He couldn't bear the idea of a repeat of the training, although at least this time he wasn't worry about their opponent. "Hah, good one Ridley, you've got this!" he called. "Just stay focused!"

His attention shifted to the rest of the Impidimp. Good grief they were dumb. But that worked fine for him. Grabbing a thorn from his jacket he hurled into the group of them.

"Hey, skinny arms!" he roared. "Better get lifting if you don't wanna look weak! Whoever can lift the most barrels can have my jacket and all my money!" he called sneeringly. Leaning over the watchtower he reared up, showing off to draw their attention. "I bet you can't even lift one!"

Spoiler: Turn 2

Koa (62 STM, 15 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- CRITICAL Dire Claw @ Fiends (-30 STM, -20 TMP, +3 TMP)
- **Act:** Call @ Ridley
- Interact @ Fiends (-3 TMP)
- **Act:** Item (Iron Thorn) @ Fiends
- Walk to Main Camp
Net change: -30 STM, -15 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 32 STM (56 after regen), 0 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Sinderella]

Gods, Impidimp were so...

"Stupid," she scoffed. Everything about this felt pointless and like a waste of her fucking energy. They were barely even engaging. She was flicking them off one by one without breaking so much as a sweat. Her body glowed with another onslaught of fairy-like energy, and she barreled forward into the hoard.

At least Jawile was having a good time.

"̷R̷o̶s̶e̷s̶ ̸a̵r̸e̵ ̷r̷e̴d̴,̴ ̷s̷a̵n̵d̷ ̶m̶a̵k̷e̵s̶ ̴m̴e̵ ̸c̵o̴u̶g̷h̴,̷"̶ ̴they sang happily as she zipped through the horde. "̸Y̶o̶u̷r̵ ̷b̸r̸a̶i̵n̵s̴ ̸a̷r̵e̴ ̶s̷o̷ ̷s̷m̷o̴o̶t̴h̷,̶ ̸t̷h̶e̸ ̶t̵h̸o̸u̶g̶h̶t̵s̸ ̶j̵u̵s̸t̷ ̵s̵l̸i̷p̵ ̸r̷i̴g̶h̷t̸ ̷o̶f̸f̵.̷"̴

Spoiler: Odette Turn 2

Odette (51 STM, 8 TMP, +1 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- Flash Cannon @ Fiends (-16 STM, +2 TMP)
- STRONG Play Rough @ Fiends (-24 STM, Sure Hit, +4 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Fiends
Net change: -38 STM, +11 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 13 STM (35 after regen), 19 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 2
Player Phase​

This group was performing especially well, it seemed, even accounting for their greater numbers than previous squads. Would this just be a clean sweep? An easy win? It sure felt that way to the Wayfarers in that moment!

Ridley's Baby-Doll Eyes lowered the Fiends' Atk by -1!
Ridley goaded the Fiends with a Call!
Interact result: the horde was distracted!
Odette's Flash Cannon dealt 25 damage to Fiends!
Odette's STRONG Play Rough dealt 44 damage to Fiends!
Odette's Spotter Feat! Odette learned that the Fiends are very unintelligent!
Koa's Dire Claw dealt a CRITICAL 57 damage to Fiends!
Interact result: the horde was distracted!
Koa's Iron Thorn dealt 12 dmg to Fiends!
Leaf ran to Trash Heap! Her Pastel Veil protected her from toxic spikes!
Leaf's AGILE Pay Day dealt 8 damage to Fiends!
Leaf's Pay Day dealt 10 damage to Fiends!
Leaf's Play Rough dealt a CRITICAL 40 damage to Fiends!
Leaf's Iron Thorn dealt 12 dmg to Fiends!
Interact result: Leaf checked the tent. She found Additional Goblins.

But where was the Morgrem lieutenant this time...?

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 2
Enemy Phase​

The crowd of Impidimp, practically falling like flies, met the bounty hunters' goading with brainless enthusiasm. A squabble of them smashed open a stray barrel of water and – grabbing the nearest imp wearing a tatty dress shirt – dunked him clean into it.

"That's the wettest you can get a shirt!" one of them crowed, proudly.

Meanwhile another tried to lift a barrel, and succeeded in getting it rolling down a slope in the direction of his fellow gangers, knocking goblins aside like bowling pins. With their auras flared, they weren't especially hurt by anything so petty, but it sure wasted their time.

"Gawd, you lot are pathetic!" came an authoritative, acerbic voice, dripping with arrogance. "You'd be hopeless without me to get anything done! The big boss oughta have the lot of ya flogged silly, you goofy halfwits! Don't you fret, I'll bail you outta this mess."

A Morgrem emerged from the pile of loot, decked in bling, and sauntered down it to join the fray. He wore a dark jacket over his shoulders, and a sweatband kept his hair out of his eyes. He struck a cocky pose, extending a muscled arm to point one finger at the party.

"You upstarts fight well! 'Specially for a table dancer, a kid and a kid's toy. Don't be too pleased with yourselves fer knockin' down so many imps, there. For every one of my boys you've beaten, I'll give you an equal drubbing!"

The imps sent up a cheer as their boss stepped in, regaining some of their focus.

"Get their berries, boys! Y'all need healin'!"

The horde's Thief hit everyone!
Odette: 4 dmg!
Ridley: 4 dmg!
Koa: 5 dmg!
Leaf: 6 dmg!
The horde stole various berries!

The Morgrem put up his dukes and smirked. He sure seemed confident...

Morgrem Vic recently ate Violent Seed, Cautious Seed, Reflex Seed, and Quick Seed!
Vic walked to Main Camp. He was poisoned by toxic spikes!
Vic's Strong Swagger raised the horde's Atk by 2! They became Confused!
Vic's Flatter Confused Ridley!
Vic's Prankster! His Flatter Confused Koa!
Vic's Foul Play dealt 31 dmg to Koa!
Vic's Drain Punch dealt 19 dmg to Odette!

"Get back in the fray, lads! Show 'em what the Fiends can do!"

The horde ate lum berries and healed their confusion!
The horde ate oran berries, and healed HP!
The horde ate leppa berries, and had more energy this turn!
The horde's Fake Out dealt 9 dmg to Leaf! She Flinched!
The horde's Thief hit Odette, Ridley and Koa!
Odette: 5 dmg!
Ridley: 5 dmg!
Koa: 5 dmg!
The horde stole Iron Thorns and a lum berry!
The horde called for an Encore from Odette, Ridley and Koa!
The horde inflicted Torment on Odette, Ridley and Koa!
Horde Attack: the Impidimp are preparing Thief!

"You idiots! Don't ignore the horse! She's right there!"

It seems like Leaf won't get off so lightly next time...

 

[Tetra]

Great. All his stuff kept getting stolen. Quickly, he devoured a Leppa before they could take that too.

"All right boss, lets see what you're made of!"

Spoiler: Turn 3

Koa (56 STM, 0 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- Dire Claw @ Morgrem (-30 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Slash @ Morgrem (-13 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- **Act:** Call @ Ridley
Net change: -3 STM, +3 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 53 STM (77 after regen), 3 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Phoenixsong]

Leaf gave the impidimp who'd just dunked his friend an appreciative nod. "Well I'll be darned, that is an extremely wet shirt. I think you win! Congratulations!" She leaned down, hooked the two imps on the tip of her horn and threw her head back, slinging them into the trash pile behind her. "Enjoy your trip!"

The rest were all looking at her now, though. Huh. Probably that was bad? "What was that old question again? Who'd win in a fight, one horse-sized horse or a bunch of duck-sized goblins?" Her horn flared again, surrounding her with a barrier that hopefully a few would just bounce right off of, and then dashed toward the leader. "Dunno what the answer to that one is, but I bet the horse has pretty good odds against one greasy loser."

Spoiler: Leaf, Turn 3

Leaf (73 STM, 9 TMP, +1 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Walk to Main Camp
- Protect (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- AGILE Pay Day @ Vic (-9 STM, +4 TMP)
- Pay Day @ Vic (-6 STM, +4 TMP)
- **Act:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
Net change: +9 STM, +15 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 82 STM (101 after regen), 24 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD

Spoiler: Ridley, Turn 3 (hap is slep)

Ridley (103 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 30 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
- AGILE Play Rough @ Vic (-24 STM, hit, -5 TMP, +2 TMP)
- Play Rough @ Vic (-16 STM, hit, -5 TMP, +2 TMP)
- **Act:** Item (Leppa Berry) (+40 STM)
- **Act:** Call @ Koa
Net change: +0 STM, -3 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 103 STM (108 after regen), 2 TMP, 30 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

Spoiler: Turn Order, Turn 3

- Koa
- Ridley
- Odette
- Leaf

 

[Sinderella]

"T...table dancer?" Odette shouted, anger dripping off her words. Was that supposed to be some tamer way of saying stripper? She wasn't a fucking stripper!

"̷Y̸e̴a̴h̶,̵ ̴I̷'̷l̴l̵ ̵s̷h̶o̶w̸ ̵y̷o̶u̸ ̸a̶ ̷f̸u̸c̶k̷i̶n̴g̷ ̶t̵a̷b̸l̴e̷ ̵d̴a̵n̷c̸e̷r̶!̷ ̶B̸r̵i̴n̴g̵ ̸t̸h̵a̴t̷ ̷f̷a̸c̶e̵ ̷o̴v̷e̵r̵ ̸h̴e̶r̸e̸,̷ ̵m̴y̶ ̴h̸e̴e̷l̶s̸ ̶n̷e̸e̵d̸ ̴a̷ ̵p̶a̴i̴r̵ ̶o̸f̷ ̸e̸y̷e̶s̵ ̷t̶o̸ ̸s̵i̴n̸k̶ ̶i̴n̴t̶o̴,̵ ̷f̶u̸c̷k̷e̵r̸!̴"̵

Spoiler: Odette Turn 3

Odette (35 STM, 19 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- Activate ability (Intimidate) @ Vic
- STRONG CRITICAL Play Rough @ Vic (-24 STM, -23 TMP, +4 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Vic’s Moveset
Net change: -24 STM, -14 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 11 STM (33 after regen), 5 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 3
Player Phase​

"Cover the boss!"

"Dibs on that jacket!"

Koa's Dire Claw was aimed at Vic! The Fiends' Cover Band! It dealt 36 damage to the horde!
Koa hurt himself in his Confusion... 4 dmg!
Vic's Reflex Bandana! Koa's Slash was dodged!
Ridley's AGILE Play Rough dealt 11 damage to Vic!
Ridley's Play Rough dealt 15 damage to Vic!
Ridley hurt himself in his Confusion... 3 dmg!
Odette's Intimidate lowered Vic's Atk by 1!
Odette's STRONG Play Rough dealt a CRITICAL 39 damage to Vic!
Odette's Spotter Feat! Vic's moveset:

*Swagger
*Flatter
Foul Play
*Drain Punch
Play Rough

Leaf's AGILE Pay Day dealt 5 damage to Vic!
Leaf's Pay Day dealt 6 damage to Vic!

A strong showing, but the fight certainly wasn't over yet. The squad had at least taken out half the Fiends present, a couple dozen of them at that, but it was the lieutenant who really needed to go down...

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 3
Enemy Phase​

"Stop callin' dibs on everythin'!"

"Dibs is dibs, Bob!"

The horde's Thief hit everyone!
Odette: 4 dmg!
Ridley: 4 dmg!
Koa: 5 dmg!
Leaf: Protected!
The horde stole various items!

It looked like a lot of stolen items had found their way into the Fiends' loot pile...

"Hey hey hey, not bad! Not bad!" said Vic, as he dodged and weaved and struck out with left hook, right hook, low jab, high jab. "You're givin' me a challenge! But I don't give up so easy. C'mon, beautiful strangers – show me that's not all you can do!"

The words were charged with energy that sparked off the target's aura. Not just a goad, but a Swagger.

Vic's Flatter Confused Odette!
Vic's STRONG Drain Punch dealt a CRITICAL 24 dmg to Odette! Vic drained 12 hp!
Vic's Prankster Swagger hit Leaf's Protect shield!
Vic's Swagger Confused Leaf! +2 Atk!
Vic's Foul Play dealt a CRITICAL 53 damage to Leaf!
Vic's Play Rough dealt 30 damage to Leaf!

Vic had pretty damn good aim for a Fiend. He sauntered and weaved up to Leaf, ignited her aura, and struck with a dirty-looking punch that hit where it hurt. He'd used her own strength against her!

He threw out another wild flurry before exhorting his crew.

"They're clustered together, boys! Hit 'em with a nasty wave!"

The horde's Fake Out hit everyone!
Koa: 3 dmg! Flinching!
Ridley: 1 dmg! Flinching!
Odette: 2 dmg! Flinching!
Leaf: 4 dmg! Can't Flinch twice in a row!
The horde's Dark Pulse hit everyone!
Koa: 18 dmg! Can't Flinch twice in a row!
Ridley: 18 dmg! Can't Flinch twice in a row!
Odette: 12 dmg! Can't Flinch twice in a row!
Leaf: 23 dmg! KO!!
The horde called for an Encore from everyone!
The horde inflicted Torment on everyone!
Horde Attack: the Impidimp are preparing Thief!

A cheer went up as the gang landed their first knockout blow.

"Yeah, boys! That's what I wanna see! Keep it up!"

"Aww thanks, boss!"​

"Thanks, boss!"​

"We love you, boss!"

"Fuck yeah! We're the fuckin' FIENDS!"
​

It seems Odette retains the most attention for now.

 

[Tetra]

"Leaf!" A growl bubbled up from Koa and he dug his paws into the earth. How dare this stupid Morgrem hurt Leaf? Thieves and petty criminals.

Fine. Let's see how they liked people taking their stuff.

His gaze cut to the side to the other fiends. The faintest tingle of dark energy tugged at him, and he let it flow through him, pooling into his paws. "You want some? Come and get it!" he broke to the side, lunging for the fiends guarding all their stuff. After he knocked a few aside, he bounded over to the pile of stolen goods. If he could find something here to heal Leaf or himself, they could get an edge...

Spoiler: Turn 4

Koa (77 STM, 3 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- Dash to Lootpile (-2 TMP)
- STRONG SHADOW Mach Punch @ Fiends (-9 STM, -3 TMP, +5 TMP, +6 SHD)
- Mach Punch @ Fiends (-9 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Interact @ Search lootpile - Healing (-3 TMP)
Net change: -18 STM, +2 TMP, +6 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 59 STM (83 after regen), 5 TMP, 6 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Sinderella]

Oh fuck, not the kid. Not the other kid. She could see Koa's fur bristling with anger, and felt the sudden grown-adult responsibility to watch out for him. But the fucking imps were so far up her ass she felt her brain cells jumping ship just to avoid their aura of stupidity. And her onslaught of attacks was leaving her a little winded.

"I-- Koa, watch it," she shouted after the electrike.

"̶N̵A̴H̵ ̶B̵A̴B̷Y̴G̶I̶R̴L̴,̶ ̵Y̵O̸U̷ ̸G̴O̵T̷ ̴I̸T̴.̶ ̸Y̷O̴U̷ ̵S̴H̵O̴W̷ ̸T̵H̸E̴I̶R̵ ̵S̶K̶I̵N̵N̶Y̷ ̷P̶I̴N̶K̵ ̶F̸E̸T̶U̴S̷ ̴L̵O̴O̸K̶I̵N̷'̷ ̷A̵S̶S̵E̵S̸ ̸W̷H̴A̷T̵ ̵F̶O̵R̵!̷"̴

Odette grunted in annoyance as she ducked behind cover.

Spoiler: Odette Turn 4

Odette (33 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Focus (Breather) (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- **Act:** Item (Oran Berry)
Net change: +0 STM, +5 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 33 STM (78 after regen), 10 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)
(BREATHER)

 

[Hap]

Leaf went down.

People in this world were robust. Ridley knew this. He'd seen people faint before and it hadn't bothered him. But now, with the shadows constantly clawing at the back of his mind, something in his chest clenched in horror to see her crumpled form.

Vic's sneer of satisfaction and the resulting celebration from the Fiends were the last fucking straw.

"Hey, asshole!" he roared at Vic. "You think you're tough or something? You're not worth shit! I've seen scarier motherfuckers than you, and they all went down like chumps, just like you're gonna!"

He hit Vic as hard as he could, not thinking about the shadows, not thinking about the consequences, only thinking about the fury.

Spoiler: action

Ridley (108 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 30 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- STRONG SHADOW Play Rough @ Vic (-24 STM, -3 TMP, +4 TMP, +16 SHD)
- Interact @ Vic (-3 TMP)
Net change: -24 STM, +3 TMP, +26 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 84 STM (108 after regen), 8 TMP, 56 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)[/action]

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 4
Player Phase​

Koa scrambled to find anything that could heal him, and found a stash of Orans in the pile. Nobody on the team was hurt worse than him, so, down it went.

Ridley's furious Shadow-charged assault on Vic was too much of a shock for the imps – he bowled right past them to land his attack on a wide-open Vic.

Koa's STRONG SHADOW Mach Punch dealt 17 damage to Fiends! It's super effective!
Koa's Mach Punch dealt 8 damage to Fiends!
Interact result: Koa found and ate an Oran berry!
Ridley's STRONG SHADOW Play Rough dealt 25 damage to Vic! It's super effective!
Interact result: the Fiends couldn't take the hit for Vic! Vic failed to dodge!

"Gah! Get 'im off me, boys!"

Vic pulled back a lean arm and balled a fist, ready to give Ridley the pummelling he'd invited.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 4
Enemy Phase​

"I don't want the doll thing anymore!"

"It's only a fuckin' Mimikyu, man. He's some guy. Just don't look under the costume!"

"You can have 'im, then!"

"Woah, what makes ya think I want him??"

The horde's Thief hit everyone!
Odette: 2 dmg!
Ridley: 3 dmg!
Koa: 5 dmg!
There was nothing to steal!

"Hey, they got nothin' useful on 'em!"

"Then take their coin and cloth, moron!"

The Fiends stole about $15!

"You think you're tough? If I weren't babysittin' my boys, and you came at me in a real one-on-one, 'mon to 'mon, I'd have you beat in a minute flat, big shot!"

Vic's Play Rough dealt 15 damage to Ridley!
Ridley has Vic's attention!
Vic's Prankster Swagger Confused and buffed Ridley! +2 Atk!
Vic's Swagger buffed Ridley!
Vic's Foul Play dealt 26 damage to Ridley!
Vic's STRONG Drain Punch dealt a CRITICAL 25 damage to Odette! He recovered 12 hp!

"Stop muckin' about!" yelled Vic, a vein popping on his forehead. "Get in there and beat them, damnit!"

The horde's Fake Out hit Odette and Ridley!
Ridley: 1 dmg! Can't Flinch two turns in a row!
Odette: 2 dmg! Can't Flinch two turns in a row!
The horde's Dark Pulse hit Odette and Ridley!
Ridley: 16 dmg! Can't Flinch two turns in a row!
Odette: 13 dmg! Can't Flinch two turns in a row!
The horde's Iron Thorn dealt 12 dmg to Koa!
The horde's Thief dealt 14 dmg to Koa! The Fiends tried to steal Koa's jacket!
Horde Attack: the Impidimp are preparing Dark Pulse!

"Why won't they flinch?? Did they toughen up?"

"Dumbasses, it doesn't work like that!"

​

It seems everyone has a roughly equal amount of attention.

 

[Tetra]

"Get your claws off my jacket!" Koa batted them away, snarling, then looked over to see Ridley ripping into Vic.

With shadows.

No... not again. Annoyance flickered through him. Watching his teammates backs and dealing with the imps and was too hasslesome. Maybe... "Here, take it if you want it so bad!" Tearing off his jacket, he threw it far away, to distract the dumb imps. A necessary sacrifice, he'd just take it back after he beat them up. Besides, he was more concerned with Ridley right now.

He raced toward the Mimikyu, howling a battlecry, and leaped for Vic. "Catch these paws!" In a blur, he swung at Vic with a practiced three-hit combo, then lashed out his claws. His attention shifted.

"Ridley!" he called, drawing a breath. "Ridley, take it easy. Take a breath, we've got your back. Just focus on the team, not your anger." It was the only thing he could think to say in the moment.

Spoiler: Turn 5

Koa (93 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 6 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Walk to Main Camp
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
- Interact @ Throw jacket (Distraction) (-3 TMP)
- Howl (-18 STM, -3 TMP, +2 TMP)
- AGILE Mach Punch @ Vic (-9 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Vic (-6 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Vic (-9 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Dire Claw @ Vic (-30 STM, -3 TMP, +3 TMP)
- **Act:** Call @ Ridley
Net change: -72 STM, -1 TMP, -6 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 21 STM (45 after regen), 4 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD

 

[Hap]

Koa was right, Ridley realised shamefully. He'd lost focus, allowed himself to get carried away by the violence.

Leaf was fine. She was fine. She'd just fainted. "Okay," he muttered to himself. "Okay," he repeated, louder this time, and called back to Koa: "Let's do this!"

The battering from Vic and his Fiends had Ridley feeling dazed and nearing his limits, but he wasn't down yet. He threw himself at Vic for another exchange of blows.

Spoiler: action

Ridley (108 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 56 SHD, 0 RAD)
- Receive (Call) (+3 TMP, -10 SHD, -10 RAD)
- **Act:** Call @ Koa
- AGILE Play Rough @ Vic (-24 STM, hit, -5 TMP, +2 TMP)
- Play Rough @ Vic (-16 STM, hit, -5 TMP, +2 TMP)
Net change: -40 STM, -3 TMP, +00 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 68 STM (95 after regen), 2 TMP, 56 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Sinderella]

Gods, when she agreed to come on this mission, she didn't plan on getting as infuriated as she was. But here she was, magenta in the face, with smoke practically streaming out of her ears.

She fucking hated these things. She'd take having a candlelit dinner at The Wanderin' Zera with Isidora over having to spend another goddamn fucking minute with these assholes.

"That's it. I'm fucking done," she seethed to herself, all while Jawile chuckled darkly. It was time to end this. Before anyone else got hurt, and before Ridley fucking flew off the handle with all that Shadow energy.

She glowed with more fairy-like energy, and inhaled deeply. As she was about to sprint out into the battle, something shiny caught her eye. The pile of loot she was hiding near. Snarling to herself, she reached over and snatched what she could grab and shoved it into her bag.

"And I'm fucking taking my shit back."

Spoiler: Odette Turn 5

Odette (77 STM, 10 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC, 0 SHD, 0 RAD)
- **Act:** Focus (+5 TMP, -20 SHD, -20 RAD)
- Interact @ Loot Pile (-3 TMP)
- Flash Cannon @ Vic (-16 STM, +2 TMP)
- AGILE Play Rough @ Vic (-24 STM, Sure Hit, +2 TMP)
- Play Rough @ Vic (-16 STM, hit, -4 TMP, +2 TMP)
- Poison Fang @ Vic (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
- Activate feat (Spotter Feat) @ Vic's ATK and DEF stat
Net change: -71 STM, +6 TMP, +0 SHD, +0 RAD
Net totals: 6 STM (28 after regen), 16 TMP, 0 SHD, 0 RAD
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 5
Player Phase​

With the one of the party down and the Fiends at risk of rising to the challenge, the party needed to land a knockout blow on the Morgrem leading them, and fast.

Interact result: the Fiends are scrambling for Koa's jacket! They failed to protect Vic!
Koa's AGILE Mach Punch dealt a grazing 4 damage to Vic!
Koa's Mach Punch dealt 9 damage to Vic!
Koa's Mach Punch dealt 7 damage to Vic!
Koa's Dire Claw dealt 33 damage to Vic!
Ridley's AGILE Play Rough dealt 26 damage to Vic!
Ridley's Play Rough dealt 31 damage to Vic!
Odette's Flash Cannon dealt 20 damage to Vic!
Odette's AGILE Play Rough dealt 18 damage to Vic!
Odette's Play Rough dealt 23 damage to Vic!
Odette's Poison Fang dealt 11 damage to Vic!

"Pah! That the best ya got?" goaded Vic, wiping spittle and blood from his lip.

It wasn't enough. Not yet...

Interact result:

Odette scrambled for anything valuable from the loot pile. There were valuables here. There were also battle items.

Odette found Small Blast Seed!

Timely battle items.

Odette threw the Blast Seed!
It dealt 20 dmg to Vic!
KO!!