ONE HUNDRED FIFTY NINE
(I/C)
Giving a shaky sigh, Brendon wiped his dagger clean, drew out his partially used torch, and went over to the dumped over brazier to light it from the smoldering coals there. “How’s everyone feeling!” he said with a smile. Getting a series of nods and grins in return, he held his torch up and said, “Give me a few minutes to check things out. There may be nothing trapped but I hate to assume anything.”
Lyra put her club away and walked over to the Scout. “I’ll give you a hand. Residual necromantic energies and the like, priestess you know. Plus two sets of eyes and all that.” The two of them started sweeping across the chamber, making sure that there was nothing of interest or traps waiting to snag the group (Brendon < Wis +2 thief, Red 6..Lyra < Wis, White 15); doing a thorough and yet complete job.
Abraxas bent down and picked up the silver statue. Seeing it up close finally, it depicted a dragon in a sitting position, neck pointed down. There was an air of smugness about the carving that made the Fighter absently sneer. “Would have preferred to hack it from your Guardian’s capesa, Blowhard,” he put the Corfard Statue [25] into his backpack, “but another time.”
Meanwhile Lannis was looking around absently, pushing bits of dust or the like aside, moving back and forth near the room’s entrance with a sorrowful expression. “What’s wrong, Manling? Lost your train of thoughts?” Kovid asked.
Lannis sighed. “I was hoping some of their flesh remained after that explosion but alas, it seems not.”
“Thor’s Balls, Big Brain, why would you want that?”
“Esoteric curiosity and research. In their expiration, can the Guardians can still only be harmed by silver or magic? Some skin off their arm or chest could have been sliced free an been brought back for further magical study. Fascinating creatures these Guardians. It would have been a worthy study to see if their more useful abilities persists in death."
“Monsieur,” Wyn said, lining his Giant Rats up on either side of him with a thought, “t’at sounds like necromancy. An’ not the good kindo type.”
“Magical research is neither good or bad. It’s research.”
“Still,” Wyn said looking around, seeing the Scout and Cleric had made it across the room and gave the thumbs up, “knowing your lack’o social circle an’ your sense of superiorty, I would t’ink you are one or two bad research days away from ‘aving a bad episode or meltdown.” He smiled, “Let sleeping dogs lie, mon ami.”
He looked at the rest of the group in turn. "Afta we search dis room, I tink we be best ta go afta de wolf en de Beekeeper. I feel like I 'ave a good amount more animals dat can be control wit de potion, en I'd radder not lose dis advantage. Iffin I cen get de wolf en 'ave de rats, we be in good shape to kick some Beekeeper ass." With that he walked slowly into the room and the rats in two lines hit the south and west walls and started scratching, biting, clawing, wiggling, burrowing, and attempting to find their way into any cracks or doors that might be there, their excited squeaks and squeals making the rest of part a bit uneasy.
"Señor Wymsies,” Abraxas asked, “how long do you think you control these rats? I too would like a mira what lies beyond este puerto, but if tiempo is importante, maybe we go to El Lobo first, then loop our way back to este puerto."
“At least an hour and a half I would say, a bit more,” Wyn answered, still guiding his giant rats across the room.
Kovid followed, using one of his normal hammers to tap on the occasional wall and listen (>Stonework, Yellow 4). “I agree, let's continue east and make sure this hall wraps around to the classroom like we think it might."
One the party was sure the room had nothing else of interest in it, they arrived at the now blown open door on the east wall and with Brendon’s torch still now extinguished again (returned to pack, 20 minutes remaining), the group entered the eastern hall, Kovid’s lantern burning bright.
“Un, you go t’ere. Deux an’ Trois, ‘ere. Quatre, Cinq? T’ere.”
Lyra looked down, seeing the Giant rats had filled in the spaces between the party as they walked down the hall. “Um, Wyn? Is this a good idea?”
“Oui! Oui! Eeet is! Tres bien! Sex? Sept? Ocho? Good job! Ok, lets go.”
“I…I can feel them around my ankles,” Lannis moaned.
“Great!” Wyn smiled, “Tha’s good! Lets you know they are dere!”
The group worked their way east, slowly and carefully, listening and looking for any traps, wires, or trip lines. The hall had old paint on it, most of it at chest height and lower, absent stripes on the walls that at one point were gaily colored but had faded and chipped over the years. After some 50 long paces they arrived at a turn to the south. And Brendon checked it out (WMC: Red/Black 2) coming back to let us know the coast was clear and we went that way, turning and began walking along.
Our foot steps echoed strangely and with much delay. “This is a deucedly long passage,” Lyra said.
“Like your face,” the Magic User replied.
“It’s only because I suspect you have no life or friends it the reason I pity you instead of letting you get my goat.”
“Well,” Lannis shrugged. “Thanks for that kindness. I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“Lannis.”
“What? Just displaying some horse sense is all.”
“Lannis!!” she hissed.
“You expect me to listen to you? You can lead a horse to water you know, but you can’t make him drink.”
“Fuck it,” she grabbed her club, “I’m killing you.”
“Whoa! Whoa!” the Magic User said, clicking his teeth. “Whoa there, Nelly! Making a joke.”
“You’re not funny.”
“Eets true, you are not,” Wyn said.
“Bah! You’re an elf, anything less than drunk dwarves and hour long monologues don’t register to elves as funny.” He looked back at Abraxas, “Gotta admit, I have some funny jokes.”
“I dunno, Senor. Sometime I just zone out when you start talking.”
“Same here, Big Brain,” Kovid grunted from near the front.
“I think you’re funny,” Brendon muttered.
“THANK YOU!” Lannis smiled, hand pointed ahead to the Scout. “There is a man of character and taste!”
“He tried to knife a friend of mine in the back 2 days ago, Senor Lameness.”
“A technicality. Practically ancient history.”
The group had been walking south in a circle of light for 50, 70, 80, a hundred paces before FINALLY, they arrived at a closed door. Brendon motioned for the group to be silent as he went up to check it out (>Hear Noise, Red 59), coming back to say, “Didn’t hear anything, but I can smell chalk dust and oil past it.”
“Links up!” Kovid said, marking the last of his map. “Knew it.”
“So the bad zombies were to the Guardians.”
“An apt description.”
The party entered the classroom, noting nothing had changed since last time, and shut the door behind them. Kovid motioned to the wall, “I could use a top off of a flask, or do we press on?”
Time now is Day 5, 7:51 AM
(OOC)
XP: Monsters (forgot to do it).
8 Giant Rats @ 15 each: 120 xp, divided.
Everyone get 20 xp except Wyn, take 30 xp.
Didn’t want to assume, so ending turn here for you guys to decide. 43 minutes out of 110 minutes expired on the potion.
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