"Don't hear nothing to the north. Perhaps head towards the echoing? Could be our crew."
Cueta grips her boarding pike tight. "These green fookers can probably breathe water. We may need a place to hole up until the tide recedes."
"Sounds t'me like water splashin' off rocks over on this way," Gall suggests as he jerks a thumb toward the north passage. "Maybe some kinda smaller tunnel, I'm thinkin'. Arty might be right 'bout the south bit, but I'm with Cueta. This tide'll be the death of us if we ain't careful. What say the rest of ye?"
"I really, really, REALLY don't like the idea of drowning. Of being so deep in these caverns by the time the tide rolls in that we can't swim our way out. If you ask my opinion, I would rather chance the ship sailing off because we waited too long, than drowning in these caverns. Unless one of you can say for sure how high the tide is likely to get and when, I'm going to vote for what I said earlier and hole up at the entrance to these caverns until a better time comes."
"Drowning sounds very bad. I'd like to not drown." Esmarelda stated with a smirk, as if it really needed to be said. "I'll follow Gall or Cueta's lead here.... They seem to know to to traverse the wilds." She shrugged.
Day 6 - Night - Bonewrack Isle -
Unfortunately you do not know enough to know when the tide will roll in.
Rizz pokes at one of the corpses.
"So....think if we boil it enough, it'll taste alright?"
Rizz scratches her head, not knowing which option would be better, so she places her sword on the ground, pointed tip down. She let's go.
"That way!" she says, pointing up and out of the cove.
"Ewww, Rizz you don't eat those things... That's just wrong..." Esmarelda stated as she shuttered at the thought.
When Rizz performed her little direction display the magus shrugged and looked to the others. "Do we follow the blade?
"Last one up is crab bait!"
Rizz hoists herself up, and climbs out of the cove.
Harmony follows Rizz, climbing up and beginning to set up camp on the dry ground above the cove.
When, the last person hefts themselves out of the cove, they catch glimpse of Rizz stomping all over the ground nearby, some kind of pre-bed ritual to make the ground a bit softer before bedding down.
Wiping the mud on her breeches, Cueta scowls. Darkness coming in soon, and the temperature would be dropping. And, they were all still wet. "Somewhere hidden from view of the green fookers, but where we can spy on them if they emerge..."
Scratching her head, the swab looks around the beach for a suitable spot.
Day 6 - Night - Bonewrack Isle -
Much to her chagrin, Cueta realizes the best spot is the Stockade. Of course, the flies that swarm around the corpse the crew had just slain are likely still dangerous!
There is certainly shrubbery elsewhere on this portion of the mountainside but none of it is suitable for the entire group to hide in unseen. The group would have to split up at least into two parties to hide completely.
Down by the beach the fields of tall grass could be a place to hide but considering how dangerous the rest of the island has been it is unlikely that the place contains no further threats. Moreover, they will not be the best place to see the activities of the green creatures.
I greatly disliked the thought of leaving our friends in the clutches of those wriggling creatures for one second longer, but we wouldn't do them much good if we drowned trying to get to them. So, we clambered back up the rope as best we could and bedded down in the field of grass near the sinkhole. I little liked the thought of returning to the stockade and its buzzing flies, so a night under the stars it would have to be.
"C'mon guys. I made the ground a bit softer over here." Rizzsays as she puts the finishing touches jumping up and down on a patch of dirt.
Cueta frowns. "No good place to camp except the stockade. And that's a bad idea, for obvious reasons. I say we camp right by this damned hole - an' thanks for making the ground soft, Rizz. Here, anything comes up, we can knock it back down."
Thinking back to the boardwalk of Bloodcove in her youth, the swab recalls the everpresent games of whack-an-eel, and smiles at the thought.
"Whack, fookers."
"If we do as Cueta suggests then we need to set a watch then." Esmarelda points out. "If we do shifts of four each would need to watch for two hours, a shift of six would leave two hours unwatched as that time does not divide among six easily. Or at least not evenly with the hour. Would about about a hour and twenty each." She stated doing the math in her head. "Then there is the problem of casting magic, Harmony and myself don't do so well without a good night's rest to replenish our arcane might."
"Might. I like that. I'm mighty. Mighty Harmony. Mighty. Mighty might might. Mighty mouse", Harmony says while flexing a bicep. "It's not like I carry any device for measuring exact time, so unless someone does, we can't tell the exact interval anyway. I think it's fairest if everyone takes a watch and estimates their best guess at a sixth of the night."
Day 6 - Night - Bonewrack Isle -
Gall nods in agreement, "I'll take an extended first watch to allow you ladies to rest longer. We'll need your Mighty powers if we hope to rescue our friends from these... creatures"
Day 7 - Early Morning - Bonewrack Isle -
Despite the tension of being so close to the cove, the night passes by uneventfully. The breeze from the shore keeps any sort of flies or bugs away. With the risen sun the group is now well rested and has its full compliment of magical abilities back. The tide has gone down or is at least the same as it was. The crew should now have at least 3-5 hours to explore these caves without fear of drowning.
"And with the dawn we find new hope and new adventures." Esmarelda said as she stretched. "I think we should press as far as we can today." the magus said as she closed her book. "We need to get our friends and get back to the ship. I'm fairly sure we're in for a few whippings...." She groaned. "But they are kinda our only way out of here..."
I was awake early and ready for low tide. I felt a renewed sense of urgency upon us, hopefully matched by the power that my arcane and divine-inspired companions now have refreshed.
"Right, Esmarelda. But I won't wish to return to those shackles without staging a last effort at rescue of our good and esteemed comrades. Let's be off!"
"They won't leave without us right? I mean, they sent us in, so at least they'll send others to find the spring if we don't return on time."
Rizz hops up from the patch of dirt she had slept on, a sort of dirt angel lay where she had made her bed.
"We going to go spelunking again?"
Harmony looks a little exhausted, like she didn't sleep all that well, but nonetheless she gets up and moving with the rest of the group, though more quiet than usual.
Day 7 - Early Morning - Bonewrack Isle -
Gall silently stands and stretches, his face grim as he knows the day will be filled with bloodshed. His hopes that most of the blood shed will be that of their enemies. Cueta rises clearly annoyed muttering "Fookers", under her breath as she packs up and gets ready for the assault in the sea caverns.
This time the group carefully sets the grappling hook and takes their time heading into the cove. Moving forward into the caverns, the water level is even lower than the evening before.
Esmarelda
Artevious
Cueta
Gall
Harmony
Rizz
Stealth
Unlike last time within the tunnels a group of the creatures await the crew in the tunnels with a clever ambush!
Spear Attack #1 - Harmony. HIT. .
Spear Attack #2 - Es. HIT. .
Spear Attack #3 - Arty. HIT. .
Spear Attack #4 - Gall. HIT. .
Spear Attack #5 - Rizz. MISS.
Spear Attack #6 - Cueta. MISS.
The volley of spears strike Harmony , Es , Arty , and Gall but the last two are nowhere near the mark on Riz and Cueta.
Esmarelda
Artevious
Cueta
Gall
Harmony
Rizz
Creatures -
Pike in hand, Cueta looks a few seconds at the creature nearest her, and swings the pike around in a low arc towards the creature's head...
Esmarelda muttered as quick work of arcane magic before she tossed acid towards one of the little creatures.
Alas, it was apparent that our earlier foray did not go unnoticed by these strange creatures, because they appeared ready for our return! We had only just reached the grotto again and turned a corner when a volley of small spears came out of the water upon us. One found a soft spot in my armor, and though it did not gain purchase, it did leave a nasty cut and bruise.
Thankfully, I had anticipated there being more threats lurking in these waters, so my trusty cutlass was out. I slashed at the closest attacker, then set myself to parry a counterattack from his mates.
Rizz, weapon in hand, eagerly lunges forth to strike the nearest enemy with all the strength she can muster!
Day 7 - Early Morning - Bonewrack Isle -
The crew counterattacks the slimy tentacled creatures. Of the four struck, three fall to the crew. One is grievously injured by Es.
Harmony attacks with her spear, moving in to melee range and tries to finish off the one Esmarelda injured.
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Day 7 - Early Morning - Bonewrack Isle -
Harmony splashes forward through the water and impales the injured Grindylow hammering him into the wall.
The last twp of the creatures still charge aggressively, they may not be bright but they are brave! Each draws another spear as they moveto attack Harmony and Gall.
Spear Attack #2 - Gall. HIT. .
Both miss, badly, their skill does not equal their bravado.
Gall counters - Steel Terbutje
Damage
Gall's foot slips into a divot he does not see and his strike misses cracking the ground with tremendous force and an ineffective splash.
Esmarelda, feeling it worked so well to begin with, summoned another ball of acid and threw it at the creature before Harmony.
Rizz hurls her blade in her usual fashion, trying to sever flesh in every blow
My mates and I were making short work of these creatures -- grindylows, as Harmony had named them -- and there were only a few left. They skirted my readied cutlass, making no move to attack me. I made sure they would ignore me to their peril, by slashing once again with my cutlass at the one harrying Harmony.
Shifting her focus to another one of the creatures, Cueta lines up her pike and stabs around her friends, hoping to find an opening.
Day 7 - Early Morning - Bonewrack Isle -
Harmony and Es finish the closest Grindylow while Arty dances through the water to assist Gall against his. Cueta holds her pike as al foes are brought low by the crew.
Gall turns around, "Is everyone alright? If this is the best these creatures have to offer we shall have our friends in no time. I suspect though that something more dangerous must lurk in these damp tunnels".
Esmarelda turned and looked at Gall, shaking her head. "Don't go saying that Gall. You never go saying things like that. Such as "What could possibly go wrong?", because then things do." She said.
"Alright... which way now? North... maybe?" She asked as she looked around then sighed. "Don't really know... Tunnels are not my thing." She told them.
"It's easy to get lost in tunnels like these. Let's always choose the right passage. If we always go consistently right, then we can always come back here by always choosing left."
"Harmony makes a good point. I do not want to get lost down here."
"Yes! Choosing the right passage is always the best choice!" I had to agree. "Far, far better than choosing the wrong one."
Rizz gives Artevious a small, hard, but harmless kick to the shin.