Stage 2: Lieutenant Bugs

Robin Redd loved action movies, mostly because they tended to feature hot cars and sexy girls. The hordes of armed, snarling, musclebound mooks she could take or leave. Right now, she was trapped in a scene that felt a lot like the climax of one of those movies, where the star is surrounded by countless bigger, stronger, more heavily armed goons, out for blood. They'd all decided that rather than let Robin humiliate them in a game of cards, they wanted to take her out the old fashioned way: a bullet (or 100 bullets, for those with machine guns and poor trigger control).

She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, then exhaled with a heave of her bosom. "Okay, I see that we're all a little tense here. I know you're mad that I did that to your engineer friend and you're all thinking 'why didn't Flowers just shoot her? I could just shoot her!' And that's totally understandable, you are all extremely valid. I just think... that maybe... and stay with me here, because it's going to sound strange... the really 'tough' way to beat me would be challenging me at my own game? One at a time?"

By way of answer, a shot rang out. Colline deflected the bullet easily with one wing, changing its trajectory and causing it to zip past harmlessly without hurting anyone. "Not to worry, Ms. Redd. Tis simple enough for me to-"

Whatever she was going to say next was completely drowned out by a hailstorm of gunfire as every mercenary in the nearby radius took the opportunity to empty their clips, firing all manner of weapons in Robin's direction. They stopped just a moment later, as Betty was not quite so choosy in where she chose to redirect the bullets in her own defense, meaning quite a lot of them got nicks or wounds for their troubles. "Robbie-Baby, we gotta come up with something," Betty sighed, blowing her long, displaced bangs away from her eyes.

The Soldiers of Fortune surrounding Robin came to an unspoken agreement to stop trying out the guns for the sake of one another's health, then brought the circle in closer to Robin, wielding all manner of machetes, blackjacks, brass knuckles, switchblades, and even just generally heavy objects you might smash somebody over the head with like boulders of a certain size.

Just as Robin was about to ask if Colline and Betty could manifest themselves as normal sized people to help her take the Soldiers of Fortune out in hand-to-hand combat, the whole ring suddenly collapsed. Mercenaries fell down on one another like dominoes, landing in a pile of sweaty, leather-clad, muscular women. They'd all been toppled over by the sudden charge of a woman in black, who halted her bulldozing trajectory just a foot away from Robin, crossing her arms in an X in front of herself with her head lowered.

Robin wiped sweat from her brow and gave her savior a winning smile. "Thank you so much! Whew, I was worried I may have literally gambled my life away just now, ha ha... ha..." she laughed before suddenly trailing off in silence as the woman stood up to her full height and unfolded to her full width as well.

The woman's black leather biker gear was strained against every part of her body, from her very broad shoulders, to her heavy breasts, to her extremely wide hips. Even her hands and feet seemed somehow oversized. She was a giant of a woman with black hair in tangled, curling clumps spilling out from underneath a jet-black skull cap. Her leather jacket held a gold pin depicting a skull biting down on a gold coin, the Soldier of Fortune insignia. Her skin was pale, despite the desert climate, with a few birthmarks marking her shoulders where the coat was slumped away from them.

No detail of the woman's remarkable appearance drew the eyes more strongly than her face. Robin wasn't sure what sort of expression to expect. Would the woman be smirking, expecting to be thanked for her brave rescue? Would she be wearing a heroic smile? A charming grin? Perhaps they were the cold and stoic type?

None of the above. Rather her eyes were half-shaded by her helmet, barely catching the light like two smoldering coals. A massive grin was spread wide across her face, showing rows of fanged teeth, through which her tongue was half-hanging out like a dog's. The sight of Robin seemed to be causing her to drool.

"Why is it the smiling girls who are the scariest ones in this place?" Robin asked her shoulder pals telepathically. "Actually, scratch that. It was that way at the old job too." She tried to set aside any misconceptions about the woman's dog-like, snarling mug and approach her with an open mind. She extended her hand for a shake. "Hey there. You seem... nice! My name's Robin Redd, I'm a traveling card dealer and I-"

She withdrew her hand at just the right moment. Or, more accurately, her guardian angel and devil helped her to pull it back before Bugs massive jaw bit down on it. "Oh my God!" she gasped, shaking her hand to confirm it was still attached.

The huge woman had bent her torso and put her head down, intending to chomp down on Robin's gloved hand. "Bugs. Lieutenant Bugs, of the Soldiers of Fortune. You look tasty, Redd!" the woman spoke with a guttural chuckle in her voice as she lifted her body back to its gigantic height, well over six inches.

"... Oh, so, Flowers was the 'seems like she kind of eats people' type, but you actually eat people?" Robin gulped, backing up towards the other armed mercs who were suddenly seeming like less threatening options.

"Naaaw... I ain't gonna eatcha. I just like to get a little taste of ya. Taste tells me if I like ya or not. You look like you'd be real tasty... like cherry pie, he he he he he..." The woman looked almost bashful as she scratched at her cheek with one meaty finger.

"You really are a charmer!" Robin giggled, still backing up while noticing the very high karmic number floating above Bugs's head. "Say, do you like games?"

"Love games, mate," Bugs nodded, her eyes eerie and unblinking. "I'm not like Flowers. She's kinda nuts. Looney Toons. I love her like me own blood, but war's driven her so crazy the only thing she thinks about is fire and fightin'. Me, I'm a bit more woman of the world type. I love a little of this and a little of that. You don't have to trick me into a game. I wanna play one with ya."

Robin stared at Bugs' eerie grin. "Well... sure! Did you hear all the rules earlier, with Flowers?"

"I sure did. Especially the part about how the loser does whatever the winner says. Can't wait for that part. He he he he." Bugs rubbed one fist to her lower lip to wipe away a lengthy string of drool. "You'll be joining us for dinner."

"That does sound lovely! Don't threaten me with a good time," Robin tittered, now backed up so far that she bumped into one of the other mercs, who in turn shoved her back over towards Bugs. She landed in the arms of the lieutenant, looking up at Bugs like a scared rabbit. "Shall we make our way to the card table?"

"After you, mate." The massive mercenary followed behind Robin, keeping her eyes on the alluring bounce of her prey's hips as they swung side to side while she walked. Her tongue ran across her lips once again and her eyes squeezed slightly shut in delight. "And let's get ya out of them fancy clothes."

Opponent: Lieutenant Bugs

Pile: 4

Difficulty: Challenging

Ability: Double-Dog Dare-- If she busts with 22 or 23, 75% chance for her to stand with her hand reduced by 2, 25% chance for her to bust and you gain 100 karma points.

Karmic Rewards: 150 points per round win, 1000 points per game victory, +2 Angel Power or Devil Power