[PQ] Going for broke

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed

Liam cursed as his rock missed, shaking out his hand as though to rid himself of the adrenaline that had left him so shaken. There wasn't time just now for him to feel the sting of his injury, nor to berate himself for his foolish jab towards the clamic - not when the beast still struggled, pinned to the beach, angrily lashing out at Colt. For a moment, he debated moving back in to support Colt, but that clamic had hit hard, and he wasn't so sure he could withstand a blow from the creature itself rather than his own ineptitude.

So instead, he circled around, staying opposite the girl he didn't know, searching for another rock. This time, he sheathed his sword, took a deep breath as he aimed, and loosed the rock towards the clamic once more. Maybe, if he was lucky, the rock would go into the clamic's mouth and the monster would choke on it.

---

Liam throws another rock at the clamic while trying to stay out of range!

Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary; they can only do harm

Liam

Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me

The man's stone bounced harmlessly onto sand, but Noe's struck true, marking a small dent in the clamic's shell. It wasn't much, but it was more than nothing, and she felt a grim sort of satisfaction that she, at least, had been able to hit her mark. Then again, she was uninjured, so perhaps she was judging the man too harshly.

In any case, she continued to circle, taking note of Colt's shout and choosing to stay well clear of the clamic. Picking up yet another rock, she hefted it in her hand. She felt horrible that Colt was having to do the majority of the work, but she didn't have anything else to offer than throwing rocks at the beast. Never again, she vowed to herself. Never again would she be so useless in a fight.

She threw her rock, aiming for the clamic's open mouth.

---

Noe stays out of range and throws another rock, yay!

Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

Noe

// You're the one thing that keeps the blue up in my sky //

Moree rocks pelt and clatter against the shell as Liam and Noe fight their best fight from a distance. A truth that Colt wishes she'd noticed sooner amid the fray and the dark. She stayed close on purpose, trying to offer her body up as a distraction, certain she could take more hits than at leats Noe could.

Unfortunately, this leaves her in range. Clamics might not move much, but even with its lower jaw still pinned, the wily thing has it's despicable tongue. Colt's arrow lands true in its fleshy mouth, and in angry retaliation the barbed appendage reaches out annd swipes across Colt's legs. Blood wells in scores of lines across her and she yells out, backing away suddenly. "Fuck!" she manages, a curse to it, to herself for staying close, to every damn thing going wronf.

"You want a trashy beach you pievce of shit?" she demands, reaching back to nock another arrow. She's not so close now, but once its jaw gets free they'll need to run. She fires another arrow at it, and with approval she notices, "we're wearing it down!"

---

Everyone hit, Clamic rolled nat 1 against Noe so doubled her damage. Clamic tries to get its jaw unstuck and tongue lashes Colt.

Continue to deal with the Clamic.

Clamic: 127 HP
Colt: 106.5 HP
Liam: 62.5 HP
Noe: 32 HP

The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).

The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action

Colt

// Loving you is standing in the sun //

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed

This time, his rock hit, bouncing relatively harmlessly off the clamic's shell. Still, it was better than nothing, especially given that he wasn't so sure he'd survive being up close and personal with the raging beast - a notion that irked him greatly. He needed more: more strength, more armor, more ranged weaponry. It hadn't seemed like such a big deal when he was simply living on his own in the Greatwood, but now... now everything was different, and he would have to change or die trying.

But not today. Liam kept moving, circling the clamic opposite of the girl whose name he didn't know. He found another rock, hurled it towards the clamic as hard as he could, and prayed that it would hit. Then it was back to circling, one eye on the creature and the other watching out for more ammunition he could use against the beast.

---

Liam throws another rock while trying to stay out of rangeeeee.

Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary; they can only do harm

Liam

Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me

Noe continued to circle and let a small, grim smile tilt her lips as her rock found its target yet again. She wasn't keen to get close to the thing, especially not as it drew blood for the second time and Colt cursed loudly at the creature. Noe wished she could be of more help, and perhaps in the future, she would be - but for now, unfortunately, all she could do was continue to throw rocks at the beast in an effort to whittle it down.

Fortunately, it seemed to be working, as Colt called out with approval. Noe stooped to grab another rock, taking a few more steps before pausing to hurl it towards the clamic. Then she was moving again, terrified to stay in one place for too long and therefore make herself a target. No, better to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to stay out of range, and to pray that Colt had better luck than she and the man she didn't know.

---

Noe throws another rock at the clamic!

Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

Noe

// You're the one thing that keeps the blue up in my sky //

It's a sobering consideration that they're struggling against what should be a very manageable creature. It works through each of their minds, the need to be stronger than they are now. Colt's sharpened arrows are still nothing compared to the fortitudes she's seen hurtled out by others, and she draws in a staggering breath as she considers how much more work lies ahead of her. It's not daunting, quite the opposite, it's invigorating to think of what more she could grab hold of and master. This would one day be a distant memory. "Need to build protections into what we make," she mutters, watching with only a glimmer of satisfaction as her arrow sinks into it and Liam's rock bounds against it.

Noe's aim falls a bit too short this time though, and though the Clamic has less vigor than before, it's got enough strength to wrestle itself free of the bind in the sand and begin to tongue it's way towards them. It lurches for an attack, but too distant still, it misses Colt. Sneering at it, she grabs another arrow and fires into its open maw.

---

Clamic: 127-50.5= 76.5 HP
Colt: 106.5 HP
Liam: 62.5 HP
Noe: 32 HP

The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).

The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action

Colt

// Loving you is standing in the sun //

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed

Liam's rock bounced off the clamic, but he felt no true relief at the hit, given that it was so thoroughly ineffective as to be insulting. This was not the way he'd imagined his time in the desert beginning, not against something as straightforward as a clamic, something that the three of them combined should have been more than capable of taking down. A small part of him wondered if he should just channel someone to end the fight - but it seemed like overkill for such a simple creature, when a bit of patience and continuing to wear it down would do.

He wondered briefly if he should venture forward once more, to give Colt a chance to take a break from being the primary target - but he knew that if the beast got its teeth in him, he'd be done for, and he wasn't keen to die today. Blood still dripped sluggishly from the gash in his arm, a trail left behind him in the sand as he continued to move, but he ignored it in favor of picking up a rock and hurling it once more.

---

Liam throws another rock while trying to stay out of range.

Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary; they can only do harm

Liam

Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me

Noe could have screamed for all the good it would do as her rock fell short of the clamic. They were wearing it down, but at what cost? The man with them dripped blood into the sand as he circled the creature. Colt had been injured as well. And yet, despite their best efforts, the damned thing still kept fighting. It was maddening, and there was nothing that Noe could do to make things go faster or better.

She could channel, she supposed, but even that felt inadequate. All she could do was call a spirit, not a herald or a demigod. Emotions made her movement jerky as she stooped for another rock, aimed, and threw. Anger, primarily at herself, for coming into the desert so wholly unprepared and reliant on others. Never again, she promised herself, but for now, she was stuck.

---

Noe throws another rock and tries to stay out of range!

Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

Noe

// You're the one thing that keeps the blue up in my sky //

Colts arrow finds its mark once more, sinking into the clam's writhing mouth with a wet, solid, thunk. Its tongue lashes in response, and it continues to try and crawl towards them as Noe and Liam pelt it with rocks once more. Both of them land, and a split appears on the top of the shell, the damage whittling away all its defenses. "I think we've got it now," Colt declares, stopping her careful retreat as the creature lunges again and falls miserably short, clearly worn down. They are meant to be sit and wait predators after all, and it perhaps never had a chance once they saw it amid the screaming rain.

With all the severity that comes with ending a life, no matter the kind, Colt lifts another arrow to her bow and raises her arm. She exhales, steady and calming, then releases her next shot into the beast. It quivers once, then stills, a threat no more.

Huffing out a breath of relief, Colt lowers her bow. Carefully, she approaches, another arrow nocked in case, but she sees no movement. She nudges it with a boot, arrow ready to retaliate, but staunchly declares, "it's dead." It looks like a sad pincushion now, and with a grunt she hoists back what arrows she can. "We can at least cut it up and eat it," she reasons to the others. "No sense wasting it. And we cleaned up a good portion of the beach for now. I guess I won't try this again without daylight, could go worse next time. Could one of you grab the horse and wagon?" Crouching down, Colt slides her knife out of her boot and starts to crack the rest of the shell apart to reveal the fleshy inside, content to cut it up and add it to their pile before getting the fuck out of Dodge.

---

Clamic: 76.5-58.5= 18 HP
Colt: 106.5 HP
Liam: 62.5 HP
Noe: 32 HP

The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).

The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action

---

Clamic: 0 HP
Colt: 106.5 HP
Liam: 62.5 HP
Noe: 32 HP

[FIN]

Colt

// Loving you is standing in the sun //