On second thought, Maka agrees with the wisdom of Raven Elk's suggestion, so he hides and waits.
When the women arrive, and he hears their conversation, his demeanor changes quickly and visibly. As they are leaving, Maka will shoot one of the ones in the rear of the unit straight through the middle, aiming for a heart / lung shot, as if she were a deer or some other game animal; he does not give her the consideration of a worthy opponent. He gives her no consideration at all, in fact. She is just a vermin, who needs to be put down. He will follow up the sniper shot with a heat attack, augmented with lighter pine.
Raven Elk sees Makas arrow fly. He waits for the others to fire their bows before charging the middle of the rank and file.
[SPOILER="Rolls for several rounds of battle: 87, 38 (mulligan 83), 76, 69 (mulligan 96), 82, 28 (mulligan 82), 90."/SPOILER]
Current Inventory:
4-Wheeled Cart pulled by 2 donkeys
harnin short swords: 14
Coins:
chest of various coins
marks: 271
Animal Parts:
Grizzly Skull
Minerals:
Slate: 63: {Thump x2}
Flint: 10 {Heat x2}
Coal: 2: {Heat x3}
Bloodstone: 2: {Confluence +1}
Sunstone: 9: {Persona +1, Muddle x2}
Heartstone: 5: {Confluence +1}
Lodestone: 3 {shock x2}
Ores:
Zinc Ingots: 1: {Health +1, Mend x2}
Tin Ingot: 1: {Persona +1, Muddle x2}
Lead Ingot: 12: {Rend x2}
Iron Ingot: 1 {Confluence +1, Mend x2}
Calcium Ingot: 1: {Cohesion +1, Restore x2}
Plants:
Mend Leaves: 1 measure {Mend x2}
Muddle Leaves: 2 measure {Muddle x2}
Soothe Leaf: 1 measure {Soothe x2}
Unknown Items:
Angry Spirit Dust:
Grizzly Claws: 20:
.
OOC:
Vittero: full health
Bracers: 20 - 1 = 19
tunic: 60 - 12 = 48
harnin arrows: 17 Taylar: full health
Spaulders: 20 - 6 - 6 = 8 Maka: full health
harnin arrows: 41 Raven Elk: full health
Buckler: 20 - 1 = 19
tunic: 60 - 12 = 48 - 12 = 36 Adisakti: full health
javelins: 3
Acolyte Avery's Ledger
Slate Boulder: 76 stones worth, East Pass
Tin Vein: 43 stones worth, East Pass
Zinc Vein: 61 ingots worth, 7 days north East Pass
Keep of the Rising Sun
Vittero will fire from cover and generate a shock on a target, augmented with a lodestone. Adisakti will move obliquely to not interfere with the line of fire to close to melee.
Reacting more quickly than anyone can charge or Maka or Vittero can bend waylines, three of the maidens, unsuccessfully, fire at the three men who they are able to locate after they start moving. The other women hold their shots.
Maka and Vittero must both move in order to close range to be able to target a Maiden with Bending, but each does so without revealing himself, causing some harm to his target.
Raven Elk reaches the Maidens first but his target dances around his spear thrust, avoiding contact. Taylar and Adisakti reach the girls at about the same time; but like Raven, cannot connect with a weapon.
The two girls who were hurt with mystical damage scream out, "Servants of the Night!"
It appears that all of them will continue to further combat with the use of their bows.
Maka closes in, taking note of the strength of the waylines between him and his target as he does so; when he feels that he is close enough, he manipulates the chemical waylines between him and his prey, in an effort to intoxicate her. As he is doing this, he allows his muscle memory to draw and fire another arrow.
Intoxicate: 33
Arrow: 98 (+99 luck) = 197
Other rolls for stuff I haven't thought of: 87, 42, 52, 89
Raven Elk atta is again, with spear and mind attack.
(OOC: Something like Slow/Stumble/Confusion to cause them to second guess their next action or react slowly to what is happening around them.)
Current Inventory:
4-Wheeled Cart pulled by 2 donkeys
harnin short swords: 14
Coins:
chest of various coins
marks: 271
Animal Parts:
Grizzly Skull
Minerals:
Slate: 63: {Thump x2}
Flint: 10 {Heat x2}
Coal: 2: {Heat x3}
Bloodstone: 2: {Confluence +1}
Sunstone: 9: {Persona +1, Muddle x2}
Heartstone: 5: {Confluence +1}
Lodestone: 3 {shock x2}
Ores:
Zinc Ingots: 1: {Health +1, Mend x2}
Tin Ingot: 1: {Persona +1, Muddle x2}
Lead Ingot: 12: {Rend x2}
Iron Ingot: 1 {Confluence +1, Mend x2}
Calcium Ingot: 1: {Cohesion +1, Restore x2}
Plants:
Mend Leaves: 1 measure {Mend x2}
Muddle Leaves: 2 measure {Muddle x2}
Soothe Leaf: 1 measure {Soothe x2}
Unknown Items:
Angry Spirit Dust:
Grizzly Claws: 20:
.
OOC:
Vittero: full health
Bracers: 20 - 1 = 19
tunic: 60 - 12 = 48
harnin arrows: 17 Taylar: full health
Spaulders: 20 - 6 - 6 = 8 Maka: full health
harnin arrows: 41 Raven Elk: full health
Buckler: 20 - 1 = 19
tunic: 60 - 12 = 48 - 12 = 36 Adisakti: full health
javelins: 3
Acolyte Avery's Ledger
Slate Boulder: 76 stones worth, East Pass
Tin Vein: 43 stones worth, East Pass
Zinc Vein: 61 ingots worth, 7 days north East Pass
Keep of the Rising Sun
The maidens are trained. They do not convert to melee even when pressed. They continually jockey position to draw and fire at point blank range. They do not seem to have the talent to manipulate waylines. Six of the maidens stay on the road to engage Taylar, Raven Elk, and Adisakti. Realizing that they are being assaulted from others hidden in the woods, four venture out to look for the culprits.
Taylar is able to attack each of his opponents twice before either can fire. He does some damage to both with his bludgeons but is unable to cause any mystical harm. Each maiden fires and arrow at point blank range. Neither can penetrate the bearskin tunic
Vittero and Maka each fire from cover, incapacitating their first targets. Once the second arrow is fired, the remaining maidens are able to locate each man and return fire, hurting both men. The maidens in melee all avoid the assaults of Raven Elk and Adisakti, firing arrows at point blank to injure Adisakti and incapacitate Raven Elk. The maidens seem to be gaining the upper hand. All mystical assaults prove ineffective.
Maka re-doubles his efforts! He will manipulate waylines to shock one of the women, using the lodestone to augment (x2); he will then fire another bow shot using muscle memory. Since this seems to be working, he will repeat the pattern on his next turn as well.