ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY SIX
(I/C)
"Ok. Dat was a nice break. Time for dat hallway. I been tinkin about dat tappin noise we heard, and believe dat dey set 2 new bear traps in de hallway, so we need to work around doze. Monsieur du Lac checks de door, Monsieur Salazar opens it--s'il vous plaît?--en du Lac en moi scout down fardder?”
Brendon nodded, “I’d be more than happy to scout ahead of the group.”
“Tres bien!” Wyn beamed, “How many torches we got left? Amount of scoutin may be limited based on light sources... but dis be what I tinks.”
“I have a torch with some life in it,” Brendon offered.
“Tres for me,” Abraxas said
“Two,” Lannis grunted
“I have three more as well, Elfling,” Kovid supplied.
“Hmm,” the elf rubbed his chin. “Hokay, ‘eres wot I am tinkin. Un - Scout down to de second set of steps, den de rest ov de party joins us. Deux - Den we check de secret spy room en spy room again to make sure no orcs be hiding. And Tres - Den we do de same for de room of me dead elf kin. The party stays dere while du Lac en moi continue down de hall for more search and maybe disarm traps along de way.”
The Fighter nodded, snapping his fingers. "Amigos, vamonos! The Orchids gets more hidden and dug in the longer we wait. We have to get back there before we decide anything. If light sources is an issue, we can stop at the Classroom on the way, no? Let's make haste, mas rapido, pero cautiously."
"Six one, half dozen the other, as good a time as any I suppose,” Lannis sighed. “Let's get out there. Carefully. Make firmer plans as we get in position I would thing."
Kovid chuckled, “That reminds me. Master Scout, also keep your nose out for the scent of oil. Look for it around the door... You know the stuff that's burned us in the past. Pun intended."
“I always get a laugh when I’m referred to as master scout when you want me ahead and thief is the insult term used.”
Wyn shook his head, “I tink de dwarf almost always calls you master scout... except for when you tried to stab dat dirty scaledog in de back. Odder den dat, dwarfriend has always been kind to you.”
The Scout nodded, hands up placatingly. “That’s true, you have called me master scout the entire time. Even when I when I take a misstep. May-haps i’m just being harder on me self then you all are on me.”
"No worries, Master Brendon,” Kovid grunted. “There is a lot of pressure on the one whose nose is closest to the dangers ahead. We have trust in your abilities. They have saved us more often than not. You have earned my respect."
As they were getting ready to go, Brendon suggested, “How about you all give me a 1 min head start or 10 feet distance ahead of ya all?”
Wyn shook his head, “Non, mon ami. Too dangerous. As I said, i tink we both go together. Dis way your hands be free to work on traps and searching doors, if necessary.” He looked around, “Did de gnomes leave a pillow or beddin behind? We could take dat en use it to put in the traps to set them off and muffle their sound. Just need a long stick to set dem off.”
The dwarf shook his head, beard waggling. “No, they took everything with them. From blankets to book, candles to oil – they took it all. We’ll be ok.” Turning to Lyra he chuckled, “Speaking of which, got any more fire resistance?”
Lyra smiled, “I do have, actually. Two I believe for the day. It’s the healing I’m tapped out on but if you want to set yourself…or someone else…on fire again, I’m all in stock of fire resistance.”
The party lined up behind Brendon and Wyn, who gave the door out of the Butcher’s area a solid listening to (no roll) before opening it up. We left the area, Lyra shutting the door behind us, and made our way south. We walked the long hall, lantern illuminating front and back, making our way along the passage until it turned to the east and then passed the dressmaker and the scriptorium until arriving back at the long hall.
Another pause to look and listen (no roll) showed no change and the group made their way East until the dead hobgoblin in the hall loomed out of the darkness at the “T” intersection going north. “Well,” Abraxas shrugged, “That is not a malo sign, non? Hasn’t been moved.”
Brendon stopped and checked it out (no roll) before turning the party north down the hall and eventually at the closed door. Getting low he looked the door over, peering through the faint cracks, listening hard, and running his hands along the edges and base of the door and frame trying to find anything (<Find Traps +10% bonus familiar, Red 17). He spent some time making sure there was nothing else (<Wis check +2 thief, Red 2) before turning back to the party and stepping back a few paces.
“Ok,” the Scout began. “No one is there or nearby. No smell of orcs or anything else, no scent of oil, nothing. Heard zero as well. No traps on the other side of the door like last time, nothing over there. Door never had a keyhole but there is a faint resistance on the door. I would be confident to say the door is braced but I can’t see the brace from this side.”
Kovid nodded. “Abraxas, as I asked earlier, given my many wounds,” he chuckled, “do you want to be the door opener?”
“Want?” the Fighter asked in mock surprise. “No. But I will of course,” he laughed.
Abraxas stepped up to the door, handle on the right side, turned it and was going to start to force it when Brendon tapped the fighter and held up his prybar. “Here, Doc,” he offered.
“Gracias,” the Fighter muttered, sliding one end of the prybar by the frame and handle and shoved until it bit through the wood and stone. “Uno…Dos…Tres!” he twisted the prybar hand and rammed his shoulder against the door, feet braced hard (<Open Door +1 Prybar, Blue 2).
And the door burst open…and flew completely away and down the stairs.
Abraxas windmilled his arms at the lack of resistance (<Save vs Death Ray, Blue 5), the door making a hellacious amount of noise as it bounced and scraped down the steps, the Fighter slipped off the top step and proceeded to follow the door down the stairs…
When Brendon who was right behind him lunged forward (>Save vs Death Ray -2 penalty, Red 20!!!) caught the Fighter by his backpack and yanked hard…wrenching his arm in the process (no damage, no fighting for 5 minutes) but pulling Abraxas back from the fall where he landed hard on his ass just at the top of the stairs (take 1 hp damage).
“Son of a bitch!” Abraxas swore. “That would have sucked, grande pollo!” He looked over at Brendon. “Twice today you have saved me.”
“No problem, Doc,” the Scout shrugged, wiggling his arm and holding his elbow. “I was going to say you didn’t need to knock the door off its hinges,” he knelt down and ran his hand along the side of the hinge plates, “but the hinges were removed from the door.”
“Ah,” Kovid grunted. “Must have been some of the noises he heard.”
As for noises, echoing back up the hall towards us was the sound of something metal hitting stone twice. Then paused. Then twice more. After that it was quiet.
“Ok,” Abraxas growled, Scythe held tight in his grip, “Safe to assume they know we are coming.”
“Well,” Lannis quipped, “when you throw a dungeon door down a 20’ set of steps, you’re bound to alert someone that company is coming.”
Time now is Day 5, 2:02 PM
(OOC)
Nice save by Brendon. Ok – surprise is out, they know where coming. On a better note – that door is now fucked and can no longer be used to block this door as it went from somewhat broken to fucking busted.
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