>Proceed into the outpost (reinforcements delayed)

>>5790011
>Proceed into the outpost (reinforcements delayed)

>>5790011
>>Proceed into the outpost (reinforcements delayed)
we are gonna SUUUURGE
UUUU I AM SURGIIIIIING

>>5790011
>Proceed into the outpost
As much as we're using our horde as our big force multiplier we gotta make sure they don't just gun the whole thing down once we break down the gates.

>>5790011
>Proceed into the outpost (reinforcements delayed)

>>5790016
>>5790516
>>5790615
>>5791197
>>5791370
>Proceed into the outpost (reinforcements delayed)

You rush to the crossroads that constitute the main body of the outpost with your limited squad. Here, entrances to various workshops repurposed from former stores stand. There's a living apartment towering over the crossing. The survivors could've holed up in some of the buildings and created killzones at the entrances, but you managed to prevent that. There are 15 people here for now, same as the number of zombies with you, among them your most formidable enemies - 5 survivors donning heavy armour armed with assault rifles and kukri. The rest of the humans possess various makeshift weaponry like barbed steel rods from construction sites or baseball bats. Several carry SMGs with them.

They notice you running quickly and meet you with a hail of bullets before you can meet their lines.

Roll 1d10 for defence.

Defence DC: 12 (base 5 + powerful ranged 7) with +5 from [Enhanced agility tier 2]

DO YOU WANT TO ACTIVATE COMBAT METABOLISM SURGE? (2 USES LEFT)
>Y
>N

If you'd like, describe a tactic for your minions to use.
>WRITE-IN

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>5791434
>>Y

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>5791434
>N
Is there something they can use to throw at the humans to at least distract them or something they can use as makeshift shields ? (like a stand they can move while having protection)

>>5791443
Zombies cannot use various objects like tools of war, unfortunately. The best they can do is open doors and grab weaponry from humans to disarm them. There's the question of how they understand some stuff about object usage without being able to use them themselves... But basically it's a balance issue lol.

>>5791434
>Y
Go for the ones getting armored up before they can finish gearing

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>5791953
Oh also dice

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>5791434
Besides a frontal assault... shiiit I don't know. We are in the middle of the road and getting shot at... I don't see any strategy besides choosing between

>Telling the zombies to attack the hard or the weaker targets
and
>Yourself attacking the hard or the weak targets.

There is also the option of focusing the hard or the soft targets... which I think it's best!! The more downed enemies we can get at the first round the less people will be shooting later. As far as I have noticed, SMGs and RIfles don't shoot MORE, just harder!

>Focus you and all zombies on the weaker 10 humans.
>N

Next round, possibly the zombies are half dead or worse and only the 5 hard targets remain, which we will take down with a boost. Plus some reinforcements are near...
On a side note that defence DC is weird. Wouldn't our agility be a minus five instead of a plus five?

Rolled 2, 1, 9, 2, 9, 6, 6 = 35 (7d10)

>>5791442
>>5791443
>>5791953
>>5791956
Yeah, you basically got it regarding the strategy choices.
Regarding the roll, [Enhanced agility tier 2] doesn't increase the DC. It increases your roll. That's why I put it outside the brackets.

There seems to be a tie between activating the surge or not, I'll count that as a >N since one of anons wants to focus on weaker targets first and if you decide to activate it now and expend it on killing 3 weak people you could consider it a waste. I'll give the choice to activate it and determine the targets again in the next post.
>3 + 5 = 8 vs 12 - defence failure.

Rolling for 7 other zombies (there are 8 shooters in total)...

>>5792626
>2, 1, 9, 2, 9, 6, 6 vs 9/12 - all defence failure

The zombies take the bullets hard. The 6 that were wounded back when you fought near the walls fall, pierced with SMG and rifle rounds, leaving you with 9. 1 of them is wounded, with bullets lodged deep in its body, but still running full-speed towards the humans, empowered by hunger. You catch several rounds as well, but your Enhanced strength allows you to shrug it off. You can't keep doing it forever, though...

At last, you reach the enemy's lines. The humans draw their assorted melee weaponry and prepare to rebuke your attack...

Which targets do you want to focus?
>Common humans
>The elite core

Do you want to activate combat metabolism surge? (2 uses left)
>Y
>N

Whom do you want the other zombies to attack?
>Common humans
>The elite core

Do you want the 5 lieutenants to activate combat metabolism surge? (they have only 1 use)
>Y
>N

Roll 4d10, 1 per anon, 3 for attack and 1 for defence.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>5792635
>Elite Core
>Y
>Common Humans
>N

>>5792635
>>The elite core
>Y
>Common humans
>Y

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>5792937

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>5792937
>+1

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>5792635
MC zombie
>Common humans
>N
Other zombies
>Common
Lieutenants
>>You notice 5 of the zombies capable of metabolic surge - your lieutenants controlling 10 zombies each - climbing over the walls in a manner similar to yourself.

I don't get it. Could you please tell me how many and what zombies are with us?

>>5793074
There are 9 zombies with you currently. 5 of them are lieutenants. 4 are regular zombies. 1 of the regular zombies is wounded.

>>5793291
>>5793074
>>5792635
oh, ok then I am voting for
>Y, lieautenants surge

Rolled 10, 6, 3, 2, 10, 4, 1, 3, 5, 2, 5, 9, 6, 8, 1, 5, 1, 7 = 88 (18d10)

Rolling for 9 other zombies...

>>5792853
>>5792937
>>5792941
>>5793043
>>5793074
>>5793402
>>5793886
>You: The elite core, activate metabolic surge
>Other zombies: common humans, activate metabolic surge
>1, 7, 9, 4

Attack DC: 17 (base 5 + heavy armour 3 + powerful melee 5 + many enemies 4) with +15 from [Combat metabolism surge tier 3], [Enhanced strength tier 1] and [Skeletal growths tier 2]
>2 ATTACK SUCCESSES

Defence DC: 16 (base 5 + powerful melee 7 + many enemies 4) with +10 from [Combat metabolism surge tier 3] and [Enhanced agility tier 2]
>DEFENCE FAILURE - MITIGATED BY [Hardened skin]

You emit a burst of pheromones, signalling the other zombies to attack the less-armed humans and the lieutenants to activate the combat metabolism surge. At the same time, you focus on the elite core.

The combat is chaotic. Your lieutenants manage to take down 2 humans and wound one in their bloody frenzy, but now that their power is expended, they are vulnerable to a counterattack. It doesn't help that both them and the regular zombies took hits, the one that got shot back when you were charging collapsing from its wounds.

You manage to murder one of the elite humans. Combat is tough; facing off 5 heavily armed opponents is proving to be difficult even with your mutation levels. Still, your claws find their targets and rip through armour with some effort, ending the life of the first and definitely not last victim among the elites..

The reinforcements are yet to come, both for the humans and the zombies...

Roll 4d10, 1 per anon, attack and defence, as usual.

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>5794898
I gotta say, our rolls have been low since the beginning of the quest

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>5794898
Only two more of the elites and then we can shred the normies

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>5794898
Though guys

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>5794898

Rolled 4, 9, 7, 7, 10, 9, 4, 10, 9, 2, 6, 6, 7, 4, 2, 3 = 99 (16d10)

Rolling for 8 other zombies...

>>5794965
>>5795048
>>5795141
>>5795222
>>5796311
>7, 2, 2, 5

Attack DC: 16 (base 5 + heavy armour 3 + powerful melee 5 + many enemies 3) with +15 from [Combat metabolism surge tier 3], [Enhanced strength tier 1] and [Skeletal growths tier 2]
>22, 17, 17 - 3 ATTACK SUCCESSES

Defence DC: 15 (base 5 + powerful melee 7 + many enemies 3) with +10 from [Combat metabolism surge tier 3] and [Enhanced agility tier 2]
>15 - DEFENCE FAILURE - MITIGATED BY [Hardened skin]

With the number of enemies you're facing lowered, you're allowed more headroom in your motions. Still, you get a stab in the gut with a kukri, which pierces your [Hardened skin], in spite of your greater agility. Bleeding, you jump back for a bit. The wounds are starting to hurt - while you can weather quite a bit more in melee, three more substantial bursts from an smg or assault rifle could end you.

Having regained your stance, you redouble your assault, breaking one human's knee with a powerful kick and ripping open his throat to finish the job once he falls. You wound another with a slash of your claws.

Looking at the other zombies, you see they're not doing too well. While they did take down one more human, another zombie has fallen as well. Almost everyone is wounded now.

Luckily, you hear a thunder of footsteps resounding throughout the street behind you. Your reinforcements have arrived - a horde of 95 zombies coming to your aid. All that's left is to withstand the attack of humans for a bit more before the zombies reach you and tip the balance hugely in your favour.

That's what you think - until a series of bullets starts ripping through the horde. The last of human reinforcements are also here - and they brought a machine gun, dismounted and transported from one of the other walls. Something needs to be done about this before your horde is considerably thinned out...

>Signal for your lieutenants or regular zombies to flank the machine gun and end this threat
>Disrupt the machine gun's fire yourself
>WRITE-IN

As usual, roll 4d10, 1 per anon, attack and defence.

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>5796324

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>5796324
Yeah I want to live

>Lieutenants flank the machine gun, regular zombies distract

>>5796325
>>5796324
>>Lieutenants flank the machine gun, regular zombies distract
Forgot the vote

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>5796324
>Lieutenants flank the machine gun, regular zombies distract
I agree, we can't go ourselves because that means getting shot in the back if we ignore the enemies right in front of us.

Shit... we really need to get better defense rolls or something!!! Three smg bursts? That could happen in this very turn

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>5796324
>Signal for your lieutenants or regular zombies to flank the machine gun and end this threat

Rolled 2, 4, 8, 4, 8, 9, 4, 6, 10, 2, 6, 8, 1, 6 = 78 (14d10)

Rolling for 7 other zombies...

>>5796325
>>5796330
>>5796339
>>5796419
>>5796800
>Lieutenants flank the machine gun, regular zombies distract
>10, 9, 6, 5

Attack DC: 18 (base 5 + heavy armour 3 + powerful melee 5 + many enemies 5) with +15 from [Combat metabolism surge tier 3], [Enhanced strength tier 1] and [Skeletal growths tier 2]
>20, 19, 16 - 2 ATTACK SUCCESSES

Defence DC: 17 (base 5 + powerful melee 7 + many enemies 5) with +10 from [Combat metabolism surge tier 3] and [Enhanced agility tier 2]
>15 - DEFENCE FAILURE - MITIGATED BY [Hardened skin]

Detecting your pheromones, the two regular zombies left charge the machine gun. With them being between the previous combat site and the machine gun, it is dangerous to fire for fear of killing the other survivors, so some of the machine gunners step forward to protect the weapon. The zombies don't manage to score any hits, but attract the attention of some humans to themselves without dying - that much is enough for your plan.

The lieutenants that were sent to flank approach the machine gun from the back and disrupt its operation. The humans, quick to respond, kill two of the zombies, but this distraction allows the horde to approach and engage in battle.

You yourself manage to take down another elite, in spite of the numbers being overwhelmingly in favour of humans due to your allies departing, but now that the horde is here, advantage is on your side once again.

With the numbers on your side, the battle is over in minutes. The zombies simply overrun the humans, the few of which that escape having nowhere to run to, nowhere to call home now.

EPILOGUE

You attacked at the break of dawn, and now that the warm summer morning truly washes over the city, you stand amid your horde in the ravaged outpost, bloodied, but victorious. The mutagen inside your veins pulses with new information, new mutations to be discovered. You let out a roar, and the horde responds with a roar of its own.

Will this new branch of zombie evolution bring about the world's end? Or will the zombie that has risen so quickly fall to human ingenuity? No one knows. The zombie apocalypse continues...

THE END.

So there were multiple failures in this quest, most notable from my perspective as a QM being the unbalanced character building / battle & scouting sections ratio in favour of character building and the combat being too easy. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the quest and had fun playing. If you have any comments or suggestions for me as a QM, the thread will stay up for a while more. If not, once again I hope you enjoyed and recommend checking out my big quest that I'm working on in a month or two about a dark lord's rise to power and empire building. No definite name yet, but this should give you an idea of what to look out for.

Thanks for playing and I hope to see you in my quests again!

These kind of quests are about numbers. Getting stronger, discussing what evolution is more effective, unlocking others... I am not fond of it because then I better play skyrim! But the novelty kept me entertained and having a clear end is a huge BONUS compared to other quests. The key to a good QM is having a clear end in your head. Quests that last ten threads and fizzle out... dissapointing

>>5797650
thanks OP. hope you cook something else soon

>>5797650
Thanks for running!