I'm not entirely sure what you want me to do here, so I'll just default to attacking the nearest outpost.
Blame the queens bloodlust. Also of note, I might give her a proper name. As much as she would probably prefer being called by her title, it's annoying, narrative-wise. You can give her a name yourself, just give a proposal and i'll take the one that has the most votes.Once resurrected, the patrolmen are surprisingly nimble, despite being reduced to almost literal skin and bones. Their stomach seems to distend in a very unappealing way, because there isn't anything to stop the organs from having a little spill inside the skin. As a thrall, they'd be unsalvageable from lack of blood and tissue. But necromancy works in a different manner entirely, to the Queen's pride. She'd be a little more proud if she actually understood it, but that's Sydney's domain. The Queen's more concerned with unarmed combat and eating. Although, perhaps a weapon WOULD be more useful. Just not a sword. Those things are too flimsy-looking. Maybe a good, solid axe or hammer? It needs to be PROPER, however. She will NOT be spotted fighting with a commoner's tool. Back to the matter at hand, however, with the two undead with her, she feels more than ready to assault the nearest camp she saw on the map those fools created. Regardless of the tactical value, it will be filled with all manner of delicious and weak targets, or perhaps something that will actually be fun to dominate utterly before killing. The vampire has some fine allies, after all. A bit more adventurous and exciting than Sydney's friends. Apart from the new girl, they're all so very boring. And they don't know greatness when they see it, betraying her all the time...
Sydney's too good for them... One can't blame a slave for serving its master, even if it does end bad. If they knew better, they wouldn't be slaves, after all.
Without the burden of most of their mass, the minions are fast enough to keep up. Barely. The outpost is already in sight, a small house made up of logs is visible. It looks like it was made out of nothing but wood, but it was made from experienced builders, at least. It's a proper little fort, with the beginnings of a wall. If Sydney waited a day, there would be a solid wall of logs in the way. Fortunately, there are still holes in the walls, although they are getting built up by some thralls. They don't seem to be armed at all, as the defence team is made up of the mercs the vampire has decided to employ. More of the same, like the patrol. Animal skins, savage weapons, wild state of mind. They are quick to notice the Queen charging down the road towards the base, and by the time she has reached, a dozen stand ready to tear her to shreds, two of them even pointing their spears down to skewer her. Despite the quick planning, it's clear they are not tactically experienced. They are bunched up, rather than spreading out slightly to surround her. The spear-men must be the smartest of the bunch to even think of blocking the charge.
The Queen's not dumb enough to fall for the spears, of course, and she turns off course at the last moment, taking a diagonal twist and taking two hits from the people at the side. They use wooden clubs, and the armor does nothing to help. Right against the shoulder, too, leaving a lot of pain and the arm weakened. Apart from a groan, it does not phase the Queen. The undead minions perform a leaping attack at the front, distracting the spearmen as the Queen engages the rest. They are quick to attack her in a wild frenzy, taking advantage of the hurt arm. The first to make an attack is wielding the same claws as the patrol currently fighting the spearmen (rather badly, though, the range of the spears is a big advantage)
Big mistake. The hurt arm may be down, but the pedipalp is fine. In a quick jab, the man's stomach is pierced. He only has to cough before his throat is ripped out with the good arm. The rest of the group is less excited to act after that display, especially after the queen puts the torn gore in her mouth and savors the taste as she shakes off the dying man. The man himself spends some more time on the ground, gurgling and crawling away. Still, the clubbers move next, and they're difficult!
They move together like a well-oiled machine, being a brother-sister team. Multiple hits are taken, and even the queen is losing ground. Especially as the rest also takes occasional swings with their own weapons. The sharp ones don't do much, but she's still on the defensive...
That will not do.
Suddenly, she does a full-body slam to the woman in the sibling team, and rams her front leg in her mouth before she can recover. She grinds that leg, and something comes loose inside. Before another one of the mercs can take a swing, she moves, listening to her handiwork as the woman chokes on her blood and teeth. She won't die, but she won't be fighting, either. The other club user is suddenly and fatally attacked by his dead comrade, the one with the claws. They forgot to keep an eye on that one. Unfortunately, The queen forgot about the spear-men, too. A sudden stab to her spider-part makes for a stark reminder. She turns quickly, and uses her speed to turn the spear aside, grab it, and force it into the belly of the first. The air is knocked out, and a punch to his nose stuns him further. He drops the spear, which the queen turns around (hitting another man with the blunt end) and forces through him entirely. He falls back, the spear propping him up and leaving him a disturbing monument.
Of the seven remaining (the other spearmen actually ended up dying to the initial assault of your two minions. That minion clawed its way forward after getting impaled, and slashed him to bits.) none seem very willing to attack anymore. The one that killed the club-user has no such troubles, as he attacks a larger one with a massive, wooden hammer. While that hammer does snap the leg of the zombie like a twig, it fails to stop the large claw from tearing his chest open. He groans in pain, and then finishes off the zombie with a quick strike. The Queen hasn't been sitting still, however, and drained one of the slower ones dry with her pedipalps (he tried to defend himself with a small hatchet. The fool dropped it after a quick punch to arm). Then, she did something they really hadn't accounted for.
She took a deep breath, and breather out a toxic miasma of death. The hammer-wielder feels his wound fester in an instant, as it goes from an itch to agony in seconds. In just a few more seconds, he falls over as the necrosis reaches his heart. That, of course, was the final straw for the remaining fighters. They begin to flee the battle, screaming in panic at the demon that has come to take them away. Ultimately, only one of them gets away, as the Queen puts her legs to good use.
With the rush of battle fading, however, she needs to note two things.
First of all, her right shoulder is currently broken.
Second of all, this outpost is HERS.
What now?Map
Basic Stats
Level: 9 XXXX
HP: 21/40 (BROKEN SHOULDER)
Mana: X
Stress: ? ?/?
Empowered!
Items and equipment
Equipment:
The First book of Eternal Darkness
Carapaced leather armor
Vampire's Blade
Gardener's Shield
Bolas(x4)
Handmade Bola
Wooden Crossbow
Bolts (x10)
Author
Topic: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure (Ended) (Read 189858 times)