The path back to Arden's ship is getting more complicated. New obstacles are introduced and something familiar returns.
- 📖 The staircase down to the entry point was blocked. The last shock was more severe than Arden anticipated. The already worn down ceiling of the stairs completely collapsed. Arden swore. There was no time to dig a passage like last time. He had to go around it. He brought the map back up and searched for another passage.
🎲 Secure an Advantage (+wits): 8(5+3) vs 1/8 (Weak Hit), +1 to next move - 📖 Arden had to take a detour. A detour with many unknowns. He had no idea about the status of the rest of the ship. Making his possible new route maybe impossible. For now he had to trust his plan and focus on it. Time wasn't on his side either.
🎲 Face Danger (+wits): 9(5+3+1) vs 8/7 (Strong Hit)
🎲 Oracle (Derelict Zone): 10 (Engineering)
🎲 Oracle (Derelict Zone - Engineering): 2 (Control Room) - 📖 As planned, Arden reached the engine control room. He was hoping to reach it, and since it was not to far from the computer room he just left, the chances were great he would be able to. If it was intact and functionable was another story.
Arden sighed as he saw it was mostly intact. He needed just at least one console to access the engines. And with a little luck he could avert the fusion generator from exploding. He powered up one console and started typing.
🎲 Secure an Advantage (+wits): 5(2+3) vs 8/3 (Weak Hit), +1 to next move - 📖 Most of the entered commands were unsuccessful. He suspected as much, but he had to try. It would have been really lucky if he would just been able to shutdown the generator with one click and all of his problems go away. But Arden wasn't that lucky. Still, he could manage to reroute some of the excess energy. Making maybe the shaking less severe or his further travels easier.
Arden stood up from the console, then continued on his planned path.
🎲 Face Danger (+wits): 6(2+3+1) vs 6/9 (Miss) - 📖 The paws came first. Covered in raven-black fur like the rest of the beast. The two piercing bright blue dots in its head fixated on Arden. Slowly the creature stepped inside the room. Arden equally slowly repositioned himself to maintain distance. It was studying its prey.
- 📖 Arden slowly loosened the harness, slid the rifle from his shoulder and readied himself. He kept his gaze as fixated on it, as it was doing to him. So far it didn't register Arden as being hostile. "That is going to change", he though to himself. He brought the rifle up to his cheek and glanced through the visor.
Then he pulled the trigger.
🎲 Face Danger (+wits): 6(3+3) vs 2/8 (Weak Hit) - 📖 The energy pulse left the barrel at the immense speed it was designed for. In a fraction of a second it reached its intended target. The stored energy dispersed in a small explosion, ripping a whole into the beast's face.
It staggered from the impact, but there was no blood. A hit from this distance should have killed any beast or at least seriously wounded it. Dark black smoke emerged from the gaping wound and reformed the missing flesh until the black fur and piercing blue dots reappeared.
Now it was angry.
I decided to not create a combat encounter with the beast. It should be more of an obstacle for now. Don't know if it is even killable. So it becomes more part of the already ongoing scene challenge - the combat somewhat gets integrated into there I guess.
At this point we are exactly halfway through the challenge - five progress against three clock segments filled. Interestingly as well, the rooms for Trithia Six that I rolled all make some sort of sense. All sort of engineering rooms around the engines. When this is over, I probably want to draw some sort of schematic of the rooms encountered.