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Enjoy the vacation!
Kasit nodded approvingly at the med kits. Expensive. Effective. So much so they could be confused with magic by the unlearned. Given their profession they were worth their weight in water. ”We’ll be there.”
Unable to hear anything, Kasit remained where he was. They were in far too much danger to risk moving, or to even look like he was trying to eavesdrop.
Feeling very close to a violent death, Kasit kept his mouth firmly shut and his hands clearly visible.
Quickly hiding his knife away, Kasit came out with his hands up. ”No need for violence. We’re all honest men, who, I may add, have never been paid enough to die. Do your jobs and you’ll get no trouble from us.”
This was said charmingly, but also with sincerity. He also knew when it was time to stop talking and to just keep his hands where they could be seen.
Kasit sighed as he unsheathed his knife. ”Look. Guys.” He said in a tired voice. ”My job is simple, and I really don’t want to kill to get it done. I know that there had been spice on all of the boxes, and these three in particular had high grade refined spice. I checked them myself when we loaded it when we broke down. So let’s skip the games. Why switch them out now? Show me that we’re all on the same page.
”Wait.” Kasit said. ”These aren’t the same boxes. Someone changed them. I don’t need to open them and see whether the goods have been swapped or tampered with.”
”Judging from recent experience there will be plenty of blood and water.” Kasit said as he jumped in.
Excellent way of showing how the weapon would work.
”We should. It’s a good identity to take. It will let us move around without suspicion.”
Kasit sat upright at the outburst, a look of concern on his face. He was a doctor, and when the time required it, a killer. But anything mystic? That was far beyond his wheelhouse. ”We…ah…at least now have names to go off. Anyone able to clue me in as to who these people are?”
Do aid another stack? Thst can give a bunch of +2s. A lucky surge could give +6….and if used as a hero point that is +8. It can also be used as a reroll. So Sister Julia has +9. Goes up to +17 with a hero point. If two aid another’s are made that is +21. A lucky surge could have that go up to +27. Meaning that a 17 is needed. That’s with a 6 on the surge. Thats what I’m coming up with. Any other ways people can think of?
Kasit nodded at the observation. ”They preserved their reputation, cheated us out of any profit, and acted to silence any survivors. While I hate to say it, their plan was well thought out.”
Kasit was exuberant. They had overcome the soldiers of the enemy, and all he could think about was looting the bodies. And that was when he saw death in the air. Without a second thought he dove to the ground, not even taking the time to hope for the best.
As a heads up. I’ll be traveling for 2 months. Will have an eSIM, WiFi and my phone. So I’ll be posting regularly, but if I’m slow please forgive me.
Dice are on fire! Should put a dent in their leader. :)
The man fell back, lashing out wildly to force Kasit back. His raised arm gave the perfect opening to strike under his arm. One cut artery later and the trooper was left bleeding out in the sand. Ignoring all of the lost wealth, Kasit quickly and quietly moved towards their leader. Duels had broken out, and with his over Kasit had his eyes locked firmly on the man behind this dance. He didn’t say a word to the man. Rather, he lets Ghir’s Crysknife do the talking. Smooth. Slow, to get through the shield. As deadly as any Son of the Dunes.
Seeing the shields blocking his attacks, Kasit stepped forward to engage with the enemy directly. It did not go well, as he stabbed too hard, thus failing to get through the shield. A follow up stab, much smoother, managed to slip through.
Rising out of the sand, Kasit’s knife flashed out. It shimmered in the air, within seconds seeming to fly in three directions at once.
Hidden as he was, Kasit just barely failed to hear what was occurring.
Staying close to Borak, Kasit likewise hid in the sand. He positioned himself so that they could catch whomever came in a crossfire of steel.
Kasit took a deep breath. He trusted his companions to be adept in the art of killing. But so too were those that they faced. It really came down to how quickly they could close the gap so that knives did all of the talking. Elta’s plan was a good one. He nodded, not seeing any better way forward.
"It looks like we will be gone." Kasit said. Without hesitation he walked over to the prisoner and gave him a quick and clean death. No words were wasted, for he felt no malice towards the man. He had been given a chance to prove himself worth keeping alive and he had failed to do so. That was enough for him. "We have the name of the man who sent these people to their deaths. We can ambush whomever he wants to send next, to thin out their numbers, or we can go pay him a visit."
”But would it be a waste of water to keep him alive?” Kasit asked. ”We can leave him here to his own fate, legs intact. What I don’t want is him coming for us, and this fool has given us no reason to see his continued breathing as being in our interests.”
”So you were hired to kill us. Failed, and are now threatening to have us killed if we don’t let you go.” Kasit mused. ”Not the best negotiating tactic. Why not try again, and tell us how your life serves our interest.”
Kasit stayed silent, feeling as if though he had failed a test. He took a deep breath. There was no changing the past. He went about seeing to the dead, to endure that they could gain whatever water price that they could gather.
Kasit froze for a moment. He knew that this moment was going to make a difference. To kill the man or to follow him? One lead to being a fool. With only a moment to think, he acted. There was an old saying: ruthlessness was mercy to oneself. The desert was deadly, and if the man got to his bike then there was no guarantee of tracking him. It would put himself at risk and if the man got away he could come back with reinforcements. The wise move was to kill him, take whatever was of value, and to dispose of the bodies. They had a mission to perform, and it would be foolish to jeopardize it. Knife in hand…
60ft range
It didn’t matter much to Kasit whether the men stood and fought or fled. It also didn’t matter to him whether they had truly been a threat or not. What mattered was that it was both safer, and more profitable, for them all to die. His knife flew out, seeking to do just that.
Due to computer issues can’t move on map. But for targeting, counting green enemies left to right, as 1 to 6: dagger hits 1 and then hits 2. They are the closest to Kasit.
Taking full advantage of their catching the riders flat footed, Kasit let his crysknife fly. The field projector on his wrist hummed to life, powered as it was by being charged throughout the day in the sun. The knife was a work of art, for when it hit a target, it was drawn eerily towards the next closest foe, only for the knife to be retracted to his waiting hand. It took skill to ensure that it did what he wanted, but a lifetime of hardship had trained him well. Which was unfortunate for the men standing before him.
Thank you…motherboard is dead. That makes me quite sad. Need to decide whether to get a new one or to just get a new computer. Either way, it’s not good.
Stopping his work, Kasit pulled out Ghir’s crysknife. ”All it means is that we lived when others didn’t. Let’s hope these riders are uncharacteristically benign. Otherwise…we’ll either prove our reputation and earn their blood price…or we’ll be too dead to care.” His eyes remained fixed ahead as he talked, waiting for the bikers to come into view.
”Right…right. Best to get to work then.” Kasit said. ”I’ll start digging. Keep an eye out for me, make sure nothing is approaching while I work.”
Kasit watched the wind blow across the dunes, not so much as to see the majesty of nature. No, rather he watched with a careful eye to better understand what they faced.
Kasit silently went to work, his face a mask of worry. The tarot card weighed heavily on his mind. Should he keep his mouth shut and risk being a fool through inaction? Should he speak his mind and plan, and lead everyone astray? It felt like he was fated to make some horrible decision and he had no idea how to avoid it…
”That makes sense…” Kasit mused. ”While we will lose some, we won’t die. And I, for one, can’t buy back a life. Let’s start moving while we still can.”
Sorry for my relative silence. My personal computer is dead and work is hard. I’m catching up. :p
Kasit responded carefully, feeling somewhat shaken by the card reading. ”I would hasten to find our contact. The more people we talk to, the greater the chance of information we don’t want spreading to get loose.”
Kasit raised an eyebrow as the fool was drawn. He thought back to the last adventure that they had just gone through and could not deny that he hadn't always acted rationally. Even being the first to stick his hand in the box could be seen as being foolish. While he kept it to himself, he found it impossible to deny that the card could fit. It was a dire prediction as to what could come.
”We have a contact, and a good cover story.” Kasit mused. ”Hopefully this won’t involve being dropped from the sky again. At the moment this sounds to be fairly straightforward.”
Kasit met Julia's gaze. At first glance she did not look like much, and he idly wondered how much water they could extract from her corpse when she inevitably died. That was, of course, until he looked into her eyes. Her eyes reminded him of the box that had just claimed Ghir's life. He looked away, not wanting to stare into something so dangerous. That was when he noticed, from the design embossed on the leather box she held, that she was holding a tarot deck. That was it then. That was why she was coming with them. He no longer thought about how much water they would gain from her, as he no longer expected her to die.
Buying Wild Freman Para-Cumpus. +2 Survival 1l. And with that I'm ready to go to Act 2.
Sounds fair. I’ll switch it to mythic skill focus heal then. Ensure maximized healing as it wouldn’t work with unwavering skill.
GM, rules question: Unwavering Skill (Ex) You can always take 10 or 20 on checks using class skills, even if threatened or in a hazardous situation. You cannot use this ability with skill checks that do not normally allow you to take 10 or take 20. I'm actually not sure which skills would not be allowed. I have "Devoted Healer (Whenever you take 20 on a Heal check to treat deadly wounds, you restore an additional 1d4 hit points to those you aid.)" Given that it says taking 20 on a heal check, that means heal can be used with unwavering skill. https://roll20.net/compendium/pathfinder/Taking%2010%20and%20Taking%2020#co ntent The rules don't list what it can't be used for. So...as the GM, what would unwavering skill not apply to? -------------- Third question: I have 2 skill points in ride sandworm. Could I move 1 point to drive? After what the party has been through, it feels right for Kasit to have a skill point in it. If nothing else, he has had plenty of experience now!
Funerals. Kasit hated them. While he knew that it had to be done, that the deceased person's water would be taken through the deathstills, it just felt too final. That with the water gone, so too was the person. Emotionally, that was when you knew that the person was gone for good. That you would never see them again. Never talk to them. That anything which was left unsaid would remain so. And he hated the ceremony afterwords, when friends would speak of the deceased. He didn't take any of his personal possessions, as he had already claimed Ghir's crysknife. He carried it in his hand. To his shock, the knife was far more advanced than he had ever known. It had within it a field projector in it. It was a simple enough task finding a matching one to go onto his wrist, allowing it to be brought back to his hand. He wasn't surprised that Ghir hadn't noticed it, for the knife looked normal enough. It was only from staring at it for so long, thinking about his lost kinsman, that Kasit had noticed it. Realizing that he was getting lost in thought, he brought himself back to the present. He didn't have it in him to 'give water to the dead' through tears. Ghir was gone. Shedding water would not change that. "Ghir." He said, and was surprised to find that the name caught in his throat. Suddenly there was a lump there that hadn't been there before. He swallowed, forcing himself to be able to speak. "He was everything that a man should be. He fought to win. Every day he did this, regardless of the task. And he fought for kith, he fought for kin. He did this, and he died for this. Everyone who knew him knew this. Now, he is gone. Now, it is up to us to remember him, so that he can remain with us. I remember...I remember finding him in the mornings, awake early. He saw beauty in this world of ours, and he would wake just to watch the spice in the air when it was thickest. He..." Kasit trailed off, failing to keep a pained look off of his face. "...his memory will be a blessing to all fortunate enough to carry it. And that is why I have taken his crysknife. A reminder to fight as he did. A reminder that when the time comes, to have a death as worthy as his. And to hopefully leave behind memories like his. He lived a good life. Everyone who knew him will miss him." Knife in hand he returned to the others.
A mesmerist! I did not see that coming. Awesome. Also I’ll get a post up tomorrow
Kasit slowly lowered his hand, his words of encouragement dying on his lips. He stared down at the body of his kinsman with a pained look on his face. He was usually not one to care if another lived or died, but it was different for kinsmen. It was different for a friend. Keeping his face stoic, he walked over to Ghir’s body and kneeled down. One didn’t need to be a doctor to see that the man was dead. He took Ghir’s crysknife. Kasit didn’t bother saying any words. Ghir was dead and could not hear them. The only thing he could do was to remember him, for that was the only way that the dead could live on. The crysknife would be an heirloom, for that was how his memory would be honored.
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