Round 33: The Aztecs Strike Back!Location: Denmark, WisconsinWeather Conditions: Snow (12.5 inches)Time: Dawn Ukrainian waits for one the militia to start shooting on Hawk's position before she runs up from the side. (7+2 vs. 9-2) The shot to the ankle during the previous turn left the militant on his back, making it much easier for Ranger to strike him. She drops down and slides across the floor, her heel connecting with with left shoulder, the force of the slide-kick causes him to take his left hand off the gun and weakly grip it in his other hand.
Abstract parks the car and looks around to make sure that they aren't being followed. When he confirms this, he does a three-point turn and begins to drive back to towards Denmark. Autumn is still confused, "Who was that woman? Why did she try to do something to us? What was she doing exactly? What's going on?" Her voice is soft and confused, and her questions unanswered as they pull into the campsite where another wave of citizens are being led into various vehicles, directed by police officers. The two of them spot a horse in the crowd carrying supplies. A police officer taps Abstract's window and speaks to him, "Sports Car eh'? Those aren't built to carry that many people are they? And you've already got a passenger with you, jeez..."
Greatness, after successfully cutting one of the militia down, decides to finish the job for good. (9+3 vs. 3-2) The Militia, scooting backwards with his back on the floor, tries to fire, but Greatness is too agile with a leap forward and drives his Katana deep into the Assaulter's midsection. He cries out in shock as Greatness takes his blade still embedded deep within the militia and pulls it downward, splitting him down the middle, cutting everything from his torso down into his gut. Greatness retracts his blade and flicks it in the air to remove some of the excess blood. He walks out of the aisle and leaves the militia to quickly expire.
At the front of the store he sees the final militia still fighting against his two new comrades. With a gentle voice, Greatness explains to the final hostile entity,
"I apologize for your friend, he attacked me, however, and I was unaware-" Greatness's attempt at conversion is interrupted as Ukrainian slides out of the shadows and kicks the militia in the arm. So much for diplomacy. He sits up and fires single-handedly at Ukrainian, who ducks behind a crate of melons, the disabled militia spraying bullets all over the place with little control. He twists his torso and fires at Greatness, (5-2 vs. 3) and while most of casualties are dealt to innocent cans of soup and boxes of cereal, the Samurai does take a stray to the knee, which embeds itself in one piece of his armor and does no further damage besides making that spot on his knee feel funny for a moment.
Hawk, done with second chances, vaults over the counter and goes on the offensive, firing on the final militia while simultaneously walking towards him. (4 vs. 2-2) Hawk fires twice, one of his shots hits his target in the head, not an instant kill brain-piercing headshot but rather one that cuts along the side of the skull. It does not kill him, but it does open a serious wound and knocks him unconscious.
Elephant Parade declines the offer to sing in a church choir and goes off to ask one of the police officers where the refugees are going to. "Well, their going into Green Bay and from there they're being split up to different locations; some shelters, some church basements, some high school gymnasiums, that sort of thing." Elephant asks about his horse and is met with an unhelpful, almost sarcastic answer, "Sheesh, how is anyone supposed to know where your horse is going to? We've got too much to think about right now boy..."
Salsacookies slows down as he passes the two men approaching, making sure to stay far on the other side of the street away from them. The vehicle upon closer inspection appears to be a...potato? Weird, but Salsacookies knew better than to make it his business. The driver, an older man in a military uniform, greets him,
"Good morning to you! Are you part of the relief?" Salsacookies responds to the driver's smile and friendly greeting with a cold stare, and speeds up as he passes them. He continues looking behind them, over his shoulder, until they are out of sight.
Salsa continues down the road until he is on the other side of town, where a number of tents have sprung up on the side of the road like some sort of refugee camp. Inside the area he can see swaths of people moving about inside, being driven away in an assortment of vehicles.
"Hrmmm. Good enough, hopefully this will work correctly, no time to waste now." Execute and Yuri exit the Temple and head down into the streets of Tenochtitlan. They make their way back towards the Grand Pyramid, where an enormous mass of warriors stand like spectators at a sports game. The three of them push through, but as soon as Execute and Yuri are spotted the mass parts like Moses going through the Red Sea. The trio are able to run down a newly created open corridor with kneeling soldiers on either side of them. Execute climbs to the top steps of the pyramid and looks down below, tens of thousands of his soldiers staring back up at him expectantly. The rush was like none he had ever experienced, even in his days of leading thousands of Russians into battle.
Clearing his throat, Execute yells to his followers below, "WE HAVE ASSEMBLED HERE TODAY FOR WAR, THIS TRIBE HAS LIVED HERE FOR TIMES UNCOUNTABLE AND YET THESE FALSE WHITE SPIRITS HAVE COME TO TAKE THIS LAND AWAY FROM US! WELL, I SAY WE SHALL NOT LET THEM! THEY SHALL BLEED FOR THEIR CRIMES AND WE SHALL BE THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE TO MAKE THEM! WE SHALL NOT FALL TO THESE INVADERS, WE SHALL NEVER FALL!" (Inspiration: 10+3[Deity Bonus]) The soldiers erupt into one giant roar, a roar of hunger and frenzy. [Berserk! - +3 to Combat] The sound is so grand that Execute's blood boil's and he barely able to contain his own excitement, feeling as though if he needs to jump around and punch one thousands Spaniards in the face. Execute remembers his map, a piece of his new strategy and holds it out in front of him, opening a swirling purple portal in its center. He dives inside....
Execute comes through the other side and finds himself back on the shore where he had been hours before, stealthy sabotaging enemy ships. Something is off though; looking around, he finds the shore to be abandoned, with not a trace of a Conquistador left. And how could they have left, their boats were still anchored right there! Upon further inspection, something is wrong with the boats too, they lack all the fancy ornaments and symbols that were on them when he had previously seen them. Turning around, there is yet another error that almost makes Execute jump; the mountains in the distance that he had become used to seeing where all in the wrong location and sized differently. This led him to a realization that the map did not translate to the real world but rather, it
created an alternate universe based on the portrayal of the mapmakers. This meant that the world of the Aztecs was not truly 'real' either, it was just an imagined reality by the artist who painted the picture of the battle in the mansion, and the mansion itself merely existed in the world of an artist's imagination itself! Execute wasn't travelling to other dimensions, he was actually giving birth to them, making them true on a level that they hadn't been.
Execute leaves the map world and steps back out into the Aztec Dimension, where his warriors below lose their minds even further as they watch their God enter and exit a portal, thinking he was simply giving them a display of his powers. Yuri notices Execute looking distraught, unaware of the existential mindscrew going on in Execute's head at the moment. "Master, is everything alright?" Execute solemnly nods and turns to his soldiers, putting on his best war face as he points in the direction of the jungle and the shore beyond it. "GO! KILL THEM ALL!" The rabid mass of warriors charges into the jungle while Execute grabs Yuri and wraps his arms around him before taking off.
Execute soars through the air with Yuri in tow, he is doing his best not to freak out after being unexpectedly flown hundreds of feet off the ground. "Master, what are we doing?"
"I'm getting you behind enemy lines! If you can sneak around and assassinate some of the higher ranking officers before own main forces reach the shore, we'll have an even better chance!" As Execute beats his wings against the air, he watches the sun coming up the horizon. Damn, they would lose the cover of darkness! If they were shot down, it could all end here! (5) The soldiers on shore, just waking up, fail to spot Execute and Yuri as they land at the rear of one of the remaining grand ships. A small group of soldiers on board had spotted their descent however, and quickly converged on their position, armed with muskets and blades. Execute attempts to pick up Yuri and flee, but his servant pushes him away. "Go! You won't be fast enough if you take me, they'll be able to shoot you over the ocean! I'll keep them busy, get out of here!" Execute, realizing that this is the only option, takes flight once more and watches Yuri pull out his Dagger, the same one given to him by Execute many years ago and that he had kept with him every day. (7 vs. 5+1) Thankfully, Yuri had been a soldier for several years and even done his share of fighting afterwards; Execute watches him dodge the musket shot of a soldier and then slash that same soldier's wrist. Confident in the skills of his lifelong friend, Execute ascends to a point where no one could spot him. Flapping in mid-air, he watches his plans unfold; some of the Spaniards move towards the ship, curious as they hear what sounds like fighting. This makes them totally unprepared for a rumbling coming from the jungle like sustained thunder, followed by the screeching of what must have been a million beasts. Out of the jungle run a handful of fleeing invaders, one of them yelling in a voice so high pitched that even Execute could somehow faintly hear him, "THEY'RE COMING!" (Morale: 10) Instead of devolving into a panicked mess, somehow, the Spaniards stand firm get into position, setting up fortifications, turning their ships so that the cannons faced the shore. After hearing that ferocious roar, the same one that Execute had inspired before, being directed at them, Execute was shocked that the Spanish remained so disciplined; even as hated foes, Execute had to give them a bit of respect for their display.
(2+2 vs. 5+3) The Spanish, forewarned, were prepared as the first wave of Aztecs came pouring out from the forest. Every musket and cannon seemed to fire simultaneously, blasting into the Natives, hundreds were killed instantly. Yet, even with the Conquistadors getting the first strike a taking out a fraction of the Aztec forces in just a few seconds, the charge did not stop. Eventually, so many Aztecs had made it onto the beach that it was hard to tell that any had been killed at all. (1+3 vs. 10+2) The Aztecs began their first line of attacks, throwing javelins and shooting arrows at the invaders, felling dozens of Spaniards but doing little else, their weapons ineffective against European armor and the mighty warships. The explorers mounted horses to give the mobility, allowing them to evade Aztec attacks while shooting them down. Additionally, the cannons continued to fire, now with much more effective grapeshot. A single accurate cannon shot would take down thirty to fifty Aztec warriors, basically wiping out the entire first line. (4+2 vs. 10+3) With the first wave decimated, the embolden Conquistadors rode their horses into the jungle, making a counter-push. It was a poor decision, in the thick foliage of the jungle, they failed to see the Jaguar Warriors hiding in the trees, who leaped from above and knocked the Spaniards from their horses. The temporarily disoriented dismounted riders were little resistance to the agile Jaguars who slit their necks with obsidian blades. The Spaniards on the shore eagerly awaited their comrades to return after wiping out the native warriors, but were met with the second wave instead. (8+3 vs. 6+2) The Aztecs ran through cannon and musket fire to engage in close combat where their skill and unstoppable drive made them equals against the more armored, gunpowder wielding and horse-riding Spanish. By the time the third wave of Aztecs arrived, even the cannons could do little, once the Jaguars had the idea to use flaming arrows against the naval vessel. After one ship went down in a fiery blaze, and its survivors swam to shore only to be cut down, the other ship raised a flag of surrender.
Final Troop CountTechnochiltan Forces: 35,000 -> 24,000
Spanish Forces: 3,800 - 14 (Captured), 3 Warships -> 1 (Captured)
While the Aztecs had lost many soldiers, it was a time of much celebration, the invaders had finally been defeated! The pillaged food was eaten and the looted ale was drunk. The Jaguars danced around the heads of the decapitated Conquistadors, only sparing a handful. Execute landed among the celebrating Aztecs, where he found Yuri by the final few living Spaniards, all sitting in a circle with an outer circle of guards around them, spears and bows at the ready. "Master Execute! You're unhurt! I was able to capture the last lieutenants on the ship. I wasn't able to get their leader though, according to them, he somehow died when one of their ships had an accident last night that killed many of them."
Person drives the spudmobile towards the Snowmobile and gives its driver a friendly greeting; in return, he only gets an icy, suspecting stare. Once he is faraways, Person's companion shakes his head, "Sir, I get the premonition that somethin' in this town ain't right, I can feel it deep within my bones. We would do well to keep caution around anyone we see. Trust no one you find, that's what those Marines say, isn't it?" Their conversation is cut short by the sound of gunfire and flashes of light in one of the buildings ahead. The Buffalo soldier reflexively points his rifle at the building, "Sir, the shooting is coming from Ten O'Clock, 800 meters!"
High Tyrol drives her plane towards the airfield, where she is stopped at a security checkpoint. "What's your business here ma'am?" Tyrol states that she wishes to sell her Biplane off to the airport, at which point the guards look at each other before one speaks to her, "We're sorry ma'am, but we are a modern airport that only deals in, well, modern airplanes. If you want to sell that plane of yours off, you would do better talking to a private collector or a museum that looks for these type of things." When she asks to refuel her car with jet fuel, the guard chuckles. "We can't let you do that ma'am. Even if we did, jet fuel would be worse than putting diesel in your tank, you would destroy your whole engine!"
Name: Execute/Dumbo.exe "Amihiyotzinuatmotlapal"
Gender: Male
Nationality: Iranian/Russian
Karaindash: +2 Administration, +2 Diplomacy
Rufa Mae Quinto: +2 Acting, +2 Singing
The Other Face of Janus: +Ability: Trans-dimensional Painting Transportation
Arman Sedghi: +2 Engineering
Sviatopolk I of Kiev: +2 Military Strategy, +2 Assassination, +Loyal Boyar Subject
Status: Fine
Kills: 0
Assets: Loyal Boyar Subject (Dagger, High Priest Robes), Shortsword
Abilities:
Trans-dimensional Painting Transportation - Can open up portals in paintings to travel in and out of them. A strange and enigmatic power, use it carefully.
Wings of Quetzalcoatl - Can fly.
Vessel: The Aztec Empire (Aztec Emperor)
Army:
87 Generals
309,000 Aztec Soldiers
Standard War Party Equipment - Bows, Obsidian Spears, Cloth Armor, Hardwood Helmets
Looted European Equipment: Muskets, Crossbows, Rapiers, Steel Armor, Steel Helmets
Name: Twinwolf
Gender: Male
Nationality: English/Yugoslavian
Johnny Strange: +2 Juggling, +2 Marksmanship, +Abilities: Black Hole Swallow Technique + Fire-breath Manipulator
Sluggish schizophrenia: +2 Psychological Torture
Dimitrije Ljotić: +2 Fascist Nationalism, +2 Law, +Judge's Suit
Black Thunder: +Black Thunder Chocolate Bar (When a bite of the bar is taken, lightning will randomly strike in the nearby area)
Kartouwe: +Kartouwe Cannon
Status: Normal
Assets: Judge's Suit, Black Thunder Chocolate Bar (When a bite of the bar is taken, lightning will randomly strike in the nearby area), Kartouwe Cannon
Abilities:
Black Hole Swallow Technique - Swallows any dangerous weapon or object that can fit inside his stomach with no negative effects.
Fire-breath Manipulator - Inhales a nearby source of fire and then can breathe it out of his mouth.
Name: Hawk132
Gender: Male
Nationality: Chilean
Lucho Gatica: +2
Bolero Dancing, +2 Acting
Vegetable juice: +Ability: Juice Up!
Jim Webb: +2 Naval Ability, +2 Politics, +Politican's Suit, +Ability: I want my 10 Minutes!
Bongolo: +2 Medic, +2 Romance
North American cuisine: +2 Cooking American Cuisine, +Grill
Status: Right Ear Torn [-2 Hearing, Bleeding], Chest Shot Twice [Light Bleeding]
Assets: Politician's Suit, Grill, Riot Gun [4/6], Police Pistol [4/9], 1 & 1/3 Plastic Bags of Vegetables
Abilities:
Juice Up - Can instantly turn any vegetable he comes in contact to into juice. Also, metabolizes vegetable juice very quickly to the point it can actually heal him. E.g., 10 Juiced carrots = 1 Medkit.
I want my 10 Minutes! (Passive) - Constantly demands to have a full, uninterrupted ten minutes so that he can say what he wants. Super effective against Anderson Cooper.
Name: AbstractTraitorHero
Gender: Male
Nationality: English/American
Aston Martin DP212: +Aston Martin DP212 Sports Car
Joel Halliwell: +2 Horseback Riding, +2 Inspiration, +English WWI Uniform
Dzhamal Otarsultanov: +2 Wrestling
Ira Shafer: +2 Law, +2 Politics
Jon Denning: +2 Driving
Status: Normal
Assets: Aston Martin DP212 Sports Car, English WWI Uniform, Green Bay Amateur Wrestling Champion Belt
Love Interest - Autumn [Smitten]
Name: Ukrainian Ranger
Gender: Female
Nationality: American
Gerri Elliot: +2 Business, +Business Suit
Alwyn Bramley-Moore: +2 Politics, +2 Writing, +2 WWI Combat
Henri Bouillard: +2 Theology
J.C. Penny: +2 Business (+4 Total), +1 J.C. Penny Store in the Green Bay Area
Chad Power: +2 Martial Arts
Joseph Solvinto: +2 Boxing (+3 Punching Total)
+Article:
Joseph Mössmer: +2 Neoclassical Painting & Instruction
Status: Left Forearm Fractured [-2 to Two-handed Actions], Bruised Nose
Kills: 2
Assets: Business Suit, 1 J.C. Penny Store in the Green Bay Area
Name: Salsacookies
Gender: Male
Nationality: Italian/Greek
Marco Bortolami: +2 Tackling
Songo River Queen II: +Songo River Queen II Riverboat
David J. Rudolph: +2 Scholarly Writing (+3 Scholarly Writing on Judaism)
Revolving Door: +Ability: Revolving Door Revolution
Perikles Kakousis: +2 Strength, +Barbell, +Olympian Weightlifter's Garb
Status: Fine
Assets: Songo River Queen II Riverboat, Barbell Hammer (Requires exceptional Strength to wield), Olympian Weightlifter's Garb, Snowmobile, Grenade Launcher [6/6]
Abilities:
Revolving Door Revolution - Once per turn, can turn a normal door into a revolving door.
Name: "Dad" Person
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Borscht Film Festival: +2 Directing, +2 Film Knowledge
William H. Hay: +2 Large Scale Infantry Tactics, +2 Trench Warfare, +2 WWI-Era Firearms, +1 Swords, +2 Horseback Riding, +M1911 Pistol, +WWI Officer's Sword, +WWI General's Uniform, +Ally: Buffalo Soldier, +Nickname: "Dad"
Blackfoot Idaho: +Gargantuan Mobile Potato
Sérvulo Gutiérrez: +2 Painting
Laki Pingvini: +2 New Wave/Synthpop/Pop Rock Music
Status: Fine
Assets: M1911 Pistol [7/7], WWI Officer's Sword, WWI General's Uniform, Gargantuan Mobile Potato (Giant Saddle, Steering Wheel, 6 Wheels, Motor)
Allies: Buffalo Soldier (M1903 Springfield Rifle [5/5], Trench Knife, WWI Infantry Uniform, WWI Helmet)