11/27/18, Ranch Raid
Rain picked the perfect time to disappear. Jenessa is fully focused on avenging Mercedes. Shemhazai is supportive of the raid. It's a good enough target that the gang would have probably hit the ranch eventually, but now they have a reason to do it immediately. She does caution Jenessa that losses are generally unavoidable. Jenessa agrees, but doesn't see why they should go unpunished. Hers won't be the kind of gang that you can just kill a member of and then walk away like it's all water under the bridge. Shemhazai agrees, and offers to look into the whereabouts of the bouty hunter, Moya. Jenessa is thrilled, and sends her Guild sponsor to do just that while she assembles a team of the gang's best fighters. She may be angry, but she isn't stupid. By all accounts, that platemail punk was pretty tough.
The party arrives in the early evening. Jenessa has them simply start looting the barn for horses, supplies, and equipment. This sends the farm hand screaming and running into the house, where a little bit later she's replaced by the adventurer. He's wearing work clothes this time, but he's still carrying his longsword, unsheathed. It glints ominously in the failing light.
"Can I uh... help you girls?"
Jenessa looks up and smiles sarcastically. "Yep!"
[spoiler=Lineup]
1: Jenessa (Elite Fighter, 22/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
2: Elena (Average Ranger, 26/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
3: Neve (Average Healer, 20/F): 13/13 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def
4: Krista (Average Ranger, 22/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
5: Meredith (Elite Monk, 34/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
6: Leanna (Elite Fighter, 207/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
7: Kuroneko (Elite Thief, 20/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
8: Aceline (Elite Thief, 16/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
9: Aria (Elite Mage, ?/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
10: Naomi (Average Fighter, 18/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def
1: Luke (Average Hero, 19/M): 56/56 HP, +4 Atk, 15 Def, Lv. 1
[/spoiler]
Aria and Neve begin casting spells, while Elena and Krista loose arrows immediately. The adventurer, Luke, dives for cover. Elena's arrow embeds itself in a fence post, but Krista's goes into Luke's lower right arm with a satisfying *thunk*. He screams.
The fighters charge. Jenessa, Meredith, and Leanna flank his position from the left, while Kuroneko, Aceline, and Naomi approach from the right. Luke switches to his off-hand and crashes his swords against their weapons. The fight is exhilarating, and the gang is actually holding its own, but neither Aria nor the rangers can get a clear shot.
Noticing this, Meredith executes a powerful kick that sends Luke flying backwards out of the fray. As soon as her comrades are in the clear, Aria fires some kind of sparkling bolt from her staff that flies through the air like a rainbow rocket and explodes at Luke's feet, sending the poor boy hurtling further. Neve casts Protect on Naomi.
Luke is on his feet in an instant. He charges back into the gaggle of fighters, who at this point are running up to meet him. The clashing of steel is heard again. Naomi is saved from a probably lethal sword-thrust by Neve's spell. Others are able to block, parry, or in Meredith's case, dodge, but Leanna and Jenessa aren't so lucky. Jenessa takes a fairly shallow cut, but it's enough to stop her as he gets her right in the lower right leg. Leanna actually fares much worse, although she's able to stay on her feet. She screams as her left arm is taken clean off below the elbow. Blood spurts thickly from the stump, in time with the pounding of her heart. Bad news.
Meredith grabs Luke and puts him in a headlock. Before he can escape her grapple, the big amazon disarms the boy and pins him to the ground.
[spoiler=Aftermath]
1: Jenessa (Elite Fighter, 22/F): 6/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
2: Elena (Average Ranger, 26/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
3: Neve (Average Healer, 20/F): 13/13 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def
4: Krista (Average Ranger, 22/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
5: Meredith (Elite Monk, 34/F): 9/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
6: Leanna (Elite Fighter, 207/F): 1/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def (Injured)
7: Kuroneko (Elite Thief, 20/F): 10/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
8: Aceline (Elite Thief, 16/F): 11/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
9: Aria (Elite Mage, ?/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
10: Naomi (Average Fighter, 18/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def
1: Luke (Average Hero, 19/M): 1/56 HP, +4 Atk, 15 Def, Lv. 1 (Captured)
[/spoiler]
While Neve works on reattaching Leanna's arm, Jenessa prepares to take her revenge...
