Head's Down Git's Up Part 2

Log Info

• Title: Head's Down Git's Up Part 2
• Emitter: Jinks
• Characters: Jay, Jozi, Nemori, Slixvah
• Place: Alexandros Wilderness: Crashed Kulthian Airship
• Time: Tuesday, October 06, 2022

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jay          5'9"     145 Lb     Eaglefolk         Male      A perky male Blue Jay with a discerning eye.
Jozi         5'8"     148 Lb     Half-Orc          Female    A brunette half-orcess with a sunny disposition.
Nemori       4'10"    110 Lb     Mul'niessa        Female    A tall and slender, dark skinned elf.
Slixvah      5'8"     130 Lb     Eaglefolk         Female    A rust red/white Egalrin covered in veils, ribbons, and shawls.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jinks        3'4"     39 Lb      Gnome             Male      A gnomish fellow in fancy garb and jewelry. 
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

Aehrick remains off the platform as the others gather, standing near the re-jiggered Torment Engine and the smoldering Torsoplugometer. "I'll keep an eye on things up here... make sure you can get back up." He still seems to be making a bit of an effort to not look at the shriezyx hide sandwiched into the recess.

Jay struggles with the convoluted locking mechanism much like he did outside with the first; it's design to be intentionally obtuse and difficult to pick. The craftsman would be proud.

The first attempt turns a fraction and something happens. Jay, Jozi, and Slixvah hear a distant sound from somewhere below. The two egalrin also catch the same flickering darkness on the scattered lights around the room, mostly hidden by the glow of the three everburning torches. There's no trap sprung, however, no collapse of the platform provoking a fatal plunge. The attempts resume and, eventually, Integrity gets everyone's hands positioned just right, fiddles his tools into place, and gets the contraption to turn.

Again, the inner workings on the craft grind and lurch before steadily coming to life. The circular platform lowers slowly at first and then a little more quickly. Stale air rushes up past you and darkness closes in. There's enough time for Slixvah to produce a torch and conjure a spell. Nemori, too, issues a short prayer for her orizon.

The walls crawling up at bolted plates and exposed gears half-hidden behind pulleys, metallic cabling, and dark, oil-slick pipes. The shaft stretches down as four curved walls that opens into darkness challenged with light for the first time in decades.

Another doorway near to Integrity. An odd, dark pipe past Nemori. Slixvah and Git find themselves looking into into grim cages. Tall bars run from floor to ceiling . Dead forms stretched out across the floor. Other forms-- part flesh, part machine-- pushing up from the ground or away from the walls, investing the cell doors that unlatched and opened when the initial attempt to pick the strange lock failed...

GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+11: (13)+11: 24
GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/religion: (6)+6: 12
GAME: Jozi rolls knowledge/religion: (11)+4: 15
GAME: Nemori rolls knowledge/religion: (3)+6: 9
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+5: (4)+5: 9
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+5: (4)+5: 9

The first of the prisoners (or perhaps guards?) lurches forward, shouldering the hanging cell door aside with a crash. There's a spitting hiss of steam that prefaces a grinding squeak as the drill replacing the creature's forearm tears down through Git's traveling cloak and into his shoulder.

The gobber gives a terrified yelp as the monster's metal-plated skull of a head dives down, too, and clanks onto the opposite shoulder, snapping the backpack's strap.

Unblinking, dull rubies look out from dark sockets as it considers the others standing on the elevator.

<OOC> Jay says, "I guess push him northwards and takes his space, so a bull rush"

"Awwk! Git! Git get out of there!" Integrity squawks, pushing the gobbo out of the doorway and away from the prisoner-guard thing. This leaves him standing in the doorway.

"Nemori, I think he needs healing!"

<OOC> Slixvah says, "free action feathers out, step north, heal git with hex, move action..."
GAME: Slixvah rolls healing hex: aliased to 2d8+witch: (14)+5: 19

Slixvah blinks as the lift hits the ground, and hell breaks loose from nefarious looking machinations of flesh and steel. "Awh fiddlefu-"

Assessing the situation (tight quarters, lots of none front liners, Git is getting got), the witch throws herself against the wall, feathers unraveling as she goes. "Don't forget I can heal too!" she chirps to Jay, a long ribbon of feather breaking into white strands and grazing across Git. All the terrible wounds become superficial. She flicks her gaze about, holding her glowing dagger close. "... keep your lanes open! Don't get surrounded!" she advises.

<OOC> Nemori says, "Alright, I'll do a spiritual weapon on RRDrill, and draw my rapier as my move. Staying put."
GAME: Nemori casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 6 DC: 16
GAME: Nemori rolls spiritual weapon: aliased to BAB+Wisdom: (16)+4+4: 24
GAME: Nemori rolls 1d8+2: (4)+2: 6

Nemori's eyes shoot to Git as Jay calls for her healing assistance... she has but a moment to note how badly off he seems, staggering out of Jay's way, before Slixvah's supernatural plumage knits the gobber up just fine.

Which suits Nemori just fine. Rather than an incantation of healing, she summons her glowing, floating sword and sets it upon the drill equipped... creature... a moment before drawing the much more mundane rapier at her hip. "I believe we are already surrounded, Slixvah.."

<OOC> Jozi says, "ok, judgment: healing as a swift, and i'll move to engage him, two handing the warhammer"
GAME: Jozi rolls weapon3: (20)+8: 28 (THREAT)
GAME: Jozi rolls weapon3: (12)+8: 20
GAME: Jozi rolls 3d8+12: (8)+12: 20

It's a helluva thing when you bypass the sinking feeling to go straight to the actual problem, with an actual sinking.

Getting her bearings, just in time for the locals to get all manner of unfriendly like.

"Undead!" Jozi snaps, bringing her hammer up in both hands as a subtle shimmer of a warmer hue ripples along her figure and she takes Slix's advisory as rote, "Interceptin!"

She strides around the corner and rears back to slam her hammer into the creature's thoractic maw, and dislodges a number of it's teeth with a telling blow.

<OOC> Jinks says, "Git will 5' back and attempt to Command Undead the last of the 3 critters."
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+6: (17)+6: 23
<OOC> Jinks says, "This fella goes for a walk and disappears out of sight. Only to come through the south gap and attack Nemori!"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (16)+7: 23
<OOC> Jinks says, "Against Touch AC."
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d10: (4): 4
<OOC> Jinks says, "Grapple attempt!"
<OOC> Jinks says, "On Jozi"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7+4: (11)+7+4: 22
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d8+5: (5)+5: 10
GAME: Nemori casts Liberating Command. Caster Level: 6 DC: 15
GAME: Jozi rolls escape artist +12: (11)+-1+12: 22
<OOC> Jinks says, "The driller on Jay"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (11)+7: 18
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (4)+7: 11

Git is wide-eyed and screaming. Even after he's healed, he scrambles back away from the wall Jay pushed him into and holds his staff out to try and ward the creatures away.

"U-u-und-d-dead! Not zombies or skeletons! They've got artifice pieces! Don't zap them! Anything else!" His confidence builds as he relays some book-learned insights. Then he's chanting in a dark tongue and black clouds cough out of his mouth. The room seems to get a little colder but... nothing else happens. "Rrrrrr..." growls the gobber.

More dull red lights in the cages disappear out of sight as another of the risen lope out of sight for a beat-- only to return on the southern gap and come at Nemori! The mul'niessan priestess has a clear view of a rusted clockwork arm that sparks and hisses gas before the boxy end produces a flame. It flickers and sputters but scores across her chest regardless.

The last member of the trio considers Jozi dispassionately, rocking slightly from the power of her attack. It teeter backwards giving the yrch-blooded woman time to consider the myriad of tubes, plating, and wires that all but encapsulate the entirety of the rotten head. Something catches, though, and with a click and subsequent ratcheting sound the thing lurches forward! Hooks dig into her flanks and pull her close as the teeth lining its torso grind to painful life.

The attack against Jay is pressed, the metal-jawed and drill-handed monstrosity seeming not to have a preference between goblin and egalrin!

GAME: Jay rolls acrobatics: (14)+12: 26 (Pass through square)
GAME: Jay rolls weapon2: (10)+8: 18

With Git safe, Jay does not want to be where he was. Especially after the drill-dozer drives two drill hands towards him. In a flurry of feathers, black, white and blue, the egalrin generates some dazzle camouflage and slips around behind the entity.

His rapier drawn, he stabs. "I have a complaint!"

His complaint misses.

<OOC> Slixvah says, "move to 23,20, then cast ear-piercing scream"
<OOC> Slixvah says, "on the one on jozi"
GAME: Slixvah casts Ear-Piercing Scream. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
<OOC> Slixvah says, "fort save"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+5: (20)+5: 25
GAME: Slixvah rolls 3d6: (17): 17
<OOC> Slixvah says, "8 sonic"

Slixvah glances to Git, her hoping some of the necromancy practice pays off, but it doesn't seem to land. "Good ta know! Focus down one at a time!" she rallies, dipping past Git as she smacks her glowing dagger against a metal frame. It hums, her running the blade over her wings. "Ndwi nda uryf!"

Her wings beat silently.

The dark machiniation on Jozi vibrates violently, springs and gears whizzing before shattering. Their inquisitor has been freed from dark kulthian ways.

<OOC> Nemori will 5' to 23,21 to flank with Jay. Will use a move action to swap my SW over to Jozi's friend. And I will attack Jay's friend.
<OOC> Jinks says, "Jozi's ist kaput."
<OOC> Nemori says, "Oh, right."
<OOC> Slixvah says, "sorry, yeah, i blew up jozi's"
<OOC> Nemori says, "You should be sorry!"
<OOC> Nemori will switch it to my friend, then.
GAME: Nemori rolls spiritual weapon: aliased to BAB+Wisdom: (11)+4+4: 19
GAME: Nemori rolls 1d8+2: (3)+2: 5
GAME: Nemori rolls 1d20+5+2: (13)+5+2: 20
GAME: Nemori rolls 1d6+1: (3)+1: 4

Nemori's eyes widen as flames scorch across her shirt; precious seconds are spent patting the crispined clotch as she shuffles backwards and away from the threat.

Towards another one. Nemori realizes her mistake too late, now positioned between two of the artifice enhanced undead. Her eyes flash, bordering panic before she clamps down on her emotions.. and her blade whips around and stabs at the drill wielding guard/prisoner.

<OOC> Jozi says, "5' to 21, 21"
<OOC> Jozi says, "2w+double slice on the guy at 22,22"
GAME: Jozi rolls weapon2: (4)+9: 13
GAME: Jozi rolls weapon3-2: (10)+8+-2: 16

The only downside of her blow dislodging some of this freaky bastard's choppers...

Is that 'some' isn't all...

And the ones that are left are probably misaligned, resulting in a gnarlier wound once the retributive nomming starts.

She cries out in pain as the unnatural jaws hook into her flesh, defying even her mystically enhanced attempts to squirm free....

There's the peculiar sensation, a sympathetic vibration, as Slix's spellwork ravages her captor's frame, leaving her free, if bleeding, once more.

The half-oruch pants a, "Thanks, sugar!" and whirls on her heels, flushed with adrenaline and flails with claw and hammer at the southern bandit, though neither manages to strike true, but on to the discerning eye, her wounds are slowly knitting.

<OOC> Jinks says, "He'll MM the one Jozi just tried to attack."
GAME: Jinks rolls 2d4+2: (4)+2: 6
<OOC> Jinks says, "FA Nemori"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (18)+7: 25
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (12)+7: 19
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+5: (1)+5: 6
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+5: (5)+5: 10
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (2)+7: 9

The gobber in the tattered traveling clothes is rapidly getting his breathing under control. It helps when there a few larger people in between him and the lumbering monstrosities that creep him out so! Then, Slixvah ends one! "HAH! Piss-drinking rotted out dookie-for-brains!" He yaps before turning his attention and swapping over to the eldritch tongue. The familiar spell is incanted with ease and two little orbs spiral to pap-pap against the torch-wielding undead.

The freshly-assaulted risen turns to Jozi and punches, pressing the clockwork arm into her chest... but the fire's gone out! There's a dull, thudding impact but it likely won't even leave a bruise.

Nemori, meanwhile, is savaged by the steel-jawed creation. The drill grinds past the mithral links of her armor and a quick snap bites into her sword-arm.

These things smell of rot, must, and rust. There's a cold malice in their eyes that seems far more mechanical than supernatural... <goblin-talk>

GAME: Jay rolls weapon2+2: (6)+8+2: 16

Integrity is flailing, and failing. His thrust slides off an armour plate, barely leaving a scratch. He shakes his head and adjusts his grip on his rapier.

"I still wish to ... ah... feathers."

<OOC> Slixvah says, "Fortune Hex on Jay."

Slixvah snaps a finger gun towards Jozi, her resolve building. But its shaken slightly by Nemori being enflamed. Sharing a look with the mul'neissa, she gives her a nod before twirling into the center of the platform. The gleaming dagger is tossed into the air, a ribbon-like feather swooping by and snatching it.

Fingers twist and ensnare, before the blade slices through the invisible threads. All focused on Jay. "Try it again Blue berry!" she shouts.

The conditions just seem... like its all lining up.

GAME: Nemori rolls spiritual weapon: aliased to BAB+Wisdom: (3)+4+4: 11
GAME: Nemori spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.
GAME: Nemori rolls 3d6: (15): 15

Nemori's sword arm falls limply to her side as she tries, in vain, to stagger away fro the drill creature's assault. The problem is... there's no-where to go. She's trapped. Again. No way out. Too many bodies.

With frantic energy she pulls her holy token out again, and holds it before her, filling herself with energy from the positive plane and releasing it in a burst.. buying her time.

GAME: Jozi rolls weapon2-2: (19)+9+-2: 26 (THREAT)
GAME: Jozi rolls weapon2-2: (10)+9+-2: 17
GAME: Jozi rolls weapon3-2: (10)+8+-2: 16
GAME: Jozi rolls 1d6+5: (6)+5: 11

Jozi hasn't been making a very compelling show of herself in this endeavor, and the half-orc grits her teeth in rekindled inspiration to violence as her wounds continue to incrementally mend.

See? one of the thing's proken teeth tumbles out of one of her wounds as she rears back with her ensorcelled claws, raking the shoulder of the incendiary limb and hewing it unto gravity's care.

Her hammer, however, whistles past it's head on the diagonal upswing, but she's undaunted, "We almost got these wretches y'all!"

<OOC> Jinks says, "Alright. Git will Disrupt Undead. He has PBS but no Precise."
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+5+1-4: (19)+5+1+-4: 21
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d6+1: (1)+1: 2
<OOC> Jinks says, "Jozi, Slix, Nemori"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d3: (2): 2
<OOC> Jinks says, "Slix!"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (5)+7: 12
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d10: (10): 10
<OOC> Jinks says, "Full attack Nemori!"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (5)+7: 12
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+7: (2)+7: 9

Git is kneeling down with cheek nearly pressed to the ground trying to see past Slixvah's legs, wings, and cascading ribbons. The metal staff is scratching across the ground as he repositions and stretches an arm across the ground to point a finger. A ray of purist white light piercing the gloom and slams into the side of the one-armed undead-- but it's not enough to knock it over!

It responds with a prolonged gust of bellowed, hot air that wheezes out of a jawless face. The torch flares brilliant-bright and burns into Slixvah. Invisible meat cooks and burns away before the egalrin is hurt, however; proactive spellcasting paying-out platinum!

Sandwiched between Nemori and Jay, the drill-armed attacker continues to stumble and stab, too distracted by the paired opponents to make solid contact.

GAME: Jay rolls weapon2+2: (11)+8+2: 21
GAME: Jay rolls damage2+3d6: aliased to 1d6+1+3d6: (5)+1+(10): 16

"Nemori!" Integrity caws. His voice full of panic from the danger she's in.

This thing must have an off switch! Where is it's off switch?

Oh. Through the brain. Of course.

The thought just comes to him, and with an elegant thrust the tip of his estoc goes through the eye socket, dislodging the ruby and disabling the undead artifice warrior.

"Nemori are you okay?"

GAME: Slixvah rolls feather slap: aliased to intelligence+BAB: (6)+5+2: 13

Slixvah grits her beak as the flames go over her, the extra life essence she imbued herself with gets fizzled away as her feathers get singed. She whiffs a slam of her feathers, but she twirls around to another corner. "Fire at will!" she shouts, pointing a finger at the exposed and clumsy undead.

Just one... good... hit...

GAME: Nemori rolls spiritual weapon: aliased to BAB+Wisdom: (15)+4+4: 23
GAME: Nemori rolls 1d8+2: (8)+2: 10
GAME: Nemori spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.
GAME: Nemori rolls 3d6: (9): 9

Nemori isn't alright, not really. She managed to avoid the latest attempt of Drillzor's attempt to put holes in her... and then the creature drops, with Jay standing there looking at her in concern, questioning..

"I am fine!" the shadow elf snaps, taking firm hold of herself again as she whirls away from him. Her conjured sword slashes down, cleaving into the last undead artifice nightmare's head and through its remaining arm.. and with her coin still clutched tightly in her hand, Nemori once more summons healing energies and lets them disperse.

Wounds close, but the priestess's hand remains clenched about the holy symbol.

"Okay. Ah. Ha ha. You know I can't tell how injured someone is." Jays says, standing straight and looking startled. His wings are wide, he's hopping in place. It takes him three attempts to put his estoc away and even them he's unwilling to let go of the hilt. "My mistake."

He still keeps an eye on the mul'niessa. An egalrin eye.

He breathing is slowly down, "Thanks Slix, Jozi. Git. Thanks everyone. I didn't think there would be things down here." He looks around at the things, dead and deader, and ruffles his feathers, "guess we need to take a closer look now."

The last of the animate undead falls, crumpling to the floor and scattering like a dropped statue. The remains look like the scattered leavings desiccated, demihuman corpses and crude, proto-wargolems.

The cells hold more. So many rotted down to bone and rusted scrap after the necromantic magics failed upon their destruction. It's difficult to tell exactly how many; perhaps a half-dozen more or perhaps ten. Odd limbs that end in something more akin to a goblin multi-tool than a hand. Metallic hips with three balljoints instead of two. Skulls missing portions made by clean, surgical cuts.

Other pieces so violently destroyed it's impossible to tell what they once were.

They're all still now. Inside the cells and out.

The strange metal pipe, tall as an oruch, lies dark at one side of the room, flanked by a wall that looks like a naked clock and another covered in tubes, levers, and dials.

At the opposite end of the ship is a heavy steel door with a central wheel handle-- an identical twin to the one that allowed entrance from outside. It's surrounded by a massive bas-relief in gold-veined, white marble. Tall humans in robes, decorated in artifce, and wielding complex tools and cog-decorated staves trod atop the prone forms of majestic figures.

The artificers walk an ascent towards a well, paying no mind to those vanquished beneath their feet.

GAME: Nemori rolls knowledge/religion: (7)+6: 13
GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/religion: (13)+6: 19

Jozi manages to get her hammerstroke back rolled back into a followup as the others lay waste to their attackers, and she eases herself to a guarded, if somewhat 'relaxed' posture as the neutralized guts and gearwork hit the deck.

In, and out, and once more with feeling, then, "Well done, y'all!"

Silently, she thanks her Matron for her blessing, and her companions as she looks them over for lingering injury.

The half oruch steps closer to Nemori, not entirely sure about the signal's she's getting, and so her bladed hand only extends so far before briefly faltering, then, very softly, "Thanks, sugar."

Hopefully, before she presses things into full discomfort for the dark elf, she edges back to survey the decor.

So many sullied bodies.... harrowed souls...

"Star Mother, I hope these poor souls wer able to know your mercy." <yrch-speak>

Slix blinks at Nemori, her reaction something new to witness. Her first instinct is to console, but the mul'neissa likes her space, she knows. "Yes. You're fine. We're all fine. Good job, friends," she coos, the last of her breath letting out a shaky sigh.

Her gaze swoops around the place, taking it in finally. She shakes her head, a clicking disapproval in her throat. "Cernan, guide them to the Harpist," she murmurs in her native twitter. <Auran>

Feathers extended lend supernatural strength to clear off the landing platform.

After she's done with her cleaning, she raises her glowing dagger to squint at the wall with the bas-relief. "... huh. The figures the artificers there-" she points. "Are walking atop the gods of light /and/ dark. Daeus, Eluna, Maugrim, Taara. They... hmm. I guess the kulthians thought themselves above the gods."

GAME: Nemori rolls bluff: (5)+9: 14
GAME: Jay rolls knowledge/history: Trained Use Only: 0
GAME: Nemori rolls knowledge/history: (14)+6: 20

Seconds, more, have passed, and Nemori has at least had a chance to get a hold of herself again. Though she steps a half step away at Jozi's approach with a small shake of her head. It's not hard to sense the tightness and unease still present though.

Her eyes glance briefly at the mural, and Nemori nods her agreement with the avian witch. "Unsurprising. It is in keeping with what stories tell us of them. That, and their hubris was their downfall." She seems unable to look in Jay's direction.

The shadow elf steps closer to the bas-relief, her pale eyed gaze fixed upon the carved depictions. "Now that I consider it... this may represent their designs up on the Divine Font. An effort.. or perhaps simply a desire.. to throw down the gods and take their place."

Jay pretends to ignore Nemori by staring at the Mural and listening to the musings. "Do you recognize their representations, or are you reading their names Slix?"

"I'm still wondering how all this relates, 'the respectful Laboratory of Khroel'da'. Maybe it is some attempt to become a god."

He stares at the humanoid sized chamber. His beak claks. "I want to think about this a moment."

Slix glances to Nemori, taking in that nugget of information into the fold. "Huh. Interesting take. The desire to supersede what has been beset before you is strong with some people," she intones, giving a little chuckle at present company as her feathers slowly reel back in

A glance to Tegri as she settles into a lean on a wall next to him. "Naw, I just recognize some depictions in th' faces is all," she gestures vaguely towards the mural.

She scratches the underside of her beak. "... yeah. Let's think about this fo' a bit. We got time."

A relieved sigh. "We got time."

Combatty

Map: https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=mkmdcl70s3j

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 |     Name      |  CHP (T) |  HP  |
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 | Jay...........|   42     |  42  |
 | Jozi..........|   37     |  37  |
 | Nemori........|   41     |  41  |
 | Slixvah.......|   23 +7  |  23  |
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 ===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 =====================
 ---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
     26   RRDrill          1  
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  >> 23   Jay              1   <<
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     14   Slixvah          1  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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     13   Nemori           1  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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     12   Jozi             4  Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)               
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     12   Git                 
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     10   RRCut               
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     9    RRHook              
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 ==============================================================================