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They find the path and get reoriented, then resume their journey. They travel slowly and in silence, weapons drawn, eyes up - Phyr has holstered one blaster, and holds the other in both hands to improve his aim.
After some time, they come across another noob, grazing on berries with its back to them. They roll for turn order: first the noob, then Phyr, then Pannych, but the adventurers get a surprise round.
Phyr shoots his blaster at the noob - double damage for the surprise round, minus the noob’s Ruggedness, makes 275 damage. It’s badly injured.
Pannych raises her sword again and moves into position to strike at the noob when it goes after Phyr.
The noob rears up on its hind legs, but has to spend its turn wheeling around, because bears are not fast at turning.
Phyr blasts the noob again, and hits it square in the chest. It falls backward, dead.
A roar comes from off to their right, and another noob comes crashing through the brush on all fours. It charges right up to Phyr and swipes at him with its claws, dealing 34 surprise damage and knocking him to the ground.
Pannych pivots and swings her katana in a smooth arc, but the noob’s hide is thick and she only does 14 damage.
Phyr raises his blaster and fires, and since the noob is practically on top of him, he gets it right in the face for a double damage bonus, making for 275 damage.
The noob is blinded and nearly dead from the plasma blast it took to the face, but it roars and swipes where Phyr ought to be. He makes a Combat roll and manages to flop out of the way, despite his wounds.
Pannych leaps at the noob to slash at its flank, but misses.
Phyr spends his turn getting to his feet.
The noob swipes at Phyr again and connects this time, dealing another 14 damage and knocking him down once more.
Pannych steps forward and thrusts her weapon right under the noob’s ribs, earning a double damage bonus for 54 total. The noob collapses to the ground, dead. She looks around for additional signs of danger and, finding none, rushes to Phyr’s side and gets out her first aid kit. They each get 2 XP.
“Holy fucknuts, those things hit hard,” Phyr says, groaning in pain and bleeding badly.
“Hold still, I’ll patch you up.”
“What? With a first aid kit? No way. Determine Belt Item!” He pulls out a healing ray and uses it on his wounds - it takes sixteen turns to heal him fully, but it gets the job done. “Jesus,” he remarks as it plods along, “Do I need to specify that it’s a fast and effective healing ray?”
“No, you just determine what the thing does,” Pannych clarifies. “The power, and any catch, is determined by game balance - the fact that you can make up gadgets on the fly is super good, so the game balances it so you’re not more overpowered than you already are.”
“Fair enough. Christ, though - I’m half-tempted to burn another slot on an anaesthetic ray.”
After Phyr’s all patched up, they keep moving. The path eventually leads them to a clearing with a cave, and outside is another noob - this one holding a staff and wearing some kind of leafy shawl. They don’t have much time to prepare an attack before they’re spotted - the noob rolls highest for turn order, then Phyr, then Pannych.
The noob roars ferociously, and another roar comes from inside the cave.
Phyr blasts the noob with the staff for 130 damage.
Pannych throws a smoke bomb at the cave’s entrance, and a black cloud erupts on the spot.
The noob with the staff shoves its empty paw in the adventurers’ direction and roars something that sounds a lot like, “FIREBALL!” A flaming orb the size of a large beach ball materializes in its open paw and flies toward them. Pannych is able to cast Hide as an interruption and is teleported behind the noob; a log takes her place in being obliterated. Phyr makes a combat save to leap away, but is still caught in the explosion and takes 9 splash damage.
Phyr spends his turn getting to his feet.
The other noob charges through the smoke at the cave entrance, roaring, and takes its turn deciding to attack Phyr.
Pannych gets a surprise attack bonus and slashes down the back of the staff-wielding noob’s hind leg, dealing 58 damage.
The staff-wielding noob spends its turn turning painfully around to face Pannych.
Phyr aims his blaster at the noob in the cave mouth, and fires - but he misses, scorching the rocks instead.
The noob in the cave mouth charges at him.
Pannych does a diving roll between the staff-wielding noob’s legs, popping up behind it and forcing it to turn around again, which it spends its next turn doing.
Phyr aims at the noob charging him again, this time almost at point-blank range, and rolls a 20 - he kills it instantly, and it collapses mid-stride.
Pannych does another diving roll between the remaining noob’s legs, hoping to stall him some more, but instead he casts another Fireball - this time, directly at his own feet, catching Pannych in the explosion and burning himself a little, too. She takes 21 damage and is thrown clear, landing on her back after failing a Nimbleness roll.
Phyr aims his blaster at the remaining noob, and pulls the trigger, but it beeps and flashes at him. “The fuck? Is it out?” He shakes the thing and pulls the trigger a couple times, and it just beeps and flashes some more.
Pannych gets to her feet.
The noob turns to face her.
Phyr drops the dead blaster and draws the other one.
Pannych pulls out a shuriken and readies it, holding her action for the right moment.
Just as the noob starts to cast another Fireball, she throws - it catches him right in the jaw, and while it does no damage, the spell is interrupted.
Phyr aims and shoots, doing 130 damage. The beast staggers for a moment, then falls on its face, dead. They each get 2 XP.
“Hey,” Phyr says, taking out his healing ray. “How come these things are only 1 XP each? This seems like way more effort.”
“I dunno,” Pannych says. “Maybe every kill is worth 1 XP? At least, maybe on Noob Isle.” They patch themselves up after the fight, Phyr recharges all his gear with Bolt, and then they turn to look at the mouth of the nearby cave. There’s a foreboding wooden sign that reads, “NOOB CAVE. DANGER! KEEP OUT.”
Suddenly, they hear the sound of footsteps approaching, and Grayl appears at the entrance, scythe in hand. He seems surprised to see them, and immediately sprints back into the cave before turn order is rolled.
Suddenly, they hear the sound of footsteps approaching, and Grayl appears at the entrance, scythe in hand. He seems surprised to see them, and immediately sprints back into the cave before turn order is rolled.
“Hey,” Pannych says, “That’s the guy who got away last night!” They chase after him without a further word. Neither of them notices that Grayl just rolled a 20 on Performance.
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