Meanwhile, nearly at the same time, and also quite close by, K’ip and Si’ri encounter a boss character for the other faction involved in the siege affair.
Before that, K’ip dispatches some more rank-and-file Neanderthals via his bakery skills, more specifically his ability to bake fully functional shuriken in a readily transportable* easy-bake oven**. The way K’ip tells it, he consciously set out to acquire the ability to bake iron-hard cookies for this very purpose. Si’ri entertains an alternative interpretation of the same event, in which the discovery of a recipe for metal-like cookies was the accidental byproduct of an ill-fated attempt at regular holiday bakery…but whichever version is true, the end result is undeniably lethal, whether thrown or consumed.
Picking a boss character for the Neanderthal faction was a lot easier than it had been for the cat-people, since the choices were much more limited…and one, classic choice really stood out from the rest. He attempts the same pose as Cat Noir…but it works even less well for Fred. >_>
Naturally, the Neanderthals in this setting aren’t Neanderthals in the strict, paleoanthropological sense…they’re more standard fantasy barbarians with a ‘primitivity’ theme thrown in. Which really doesn’t set them apart that much from the standard fantasy barbarian, it’s actually mostly using stone or bone weapons instead of metal ones.
Si’ri makes use of a short break in the action to provide some exposition on what happened with K’ip since we last saw him…which wasn’t that long ago, so there’s not that much to relate. Still, thank you, Si’ri!
More on Thurs…uh, Monday.
* by the standards of things that routinely fit into the inventory of adventuring characters, even if they really, really shouldn’t.
** K’ip is very secure in his masculinity, cf. also his apron.
Ah, I thought they were gingerbread cookies at first, but now I see they’re fruitcake cookies. I think those have a chance of instant death as being indestructible, getting fruitcake lodged in your bloodstream creates an immovable obstruction.
But I don’t think that’ll work on Fred here. His penchant for eating meat in quantities as big as himself suggests he doesn’t have a digestive or cardiovascular system and is just a being made entirely of meat in the rough shape of a human that absorbs meat into its being like a slime monster.
I’d say your theory regarding the nature of Fred Flintstone has some merit – in addition to he issues you brought up, it would also explain his strange, stilted way of moving. It never really looked like there were any bones in there.
Concerning the cookies, I was originally thinking of shortbread, but I guess fruitcake would make more sense. After all, shuriken are originally more of a distraction weapon, so using poison to make them more lethal would make a lot of sense.