Kricker and Perrik focus their shots on a Smiler behind Drahlneep and his foe badly wounding the cannibal freak. The two foremost Smilers close with Drahlneep attacking him with hatchets. The nimble kobold suffers a minor wound. The other two fire their guns past the melee at the door at Kricker. One of the shoddy guns explodes in its welder's grasp. The other shot hits Kricker in the shoulder.
Drahlneep snarls a Draconic curse at the Smiler who cut him and swings the neural inhibitor hard into his chest.
Running low on bombs didn't appear to worry Jeji as she hurled another one into the ranks of the Smilers.
If there are any Smilers out of Melee that look more damaged than others, Kricker picks them first. But, decides it is time for rapid action so he fires twice.
Perrik tries to plink away at the Smiler who's still got a gun, but his bolt goes wide in the scrum.
Jeji arcs another bomb through the door to hit a Smiler. The ugly human is badly burned while two others are caught in the blast for minor burns. The one in the doorway inadvertently ducks as the bomb sails overhead and Drahlneep cracks his skull with the baton. He goes down. Perrik's bolt sticks in the door where the fallen Smiler was standing a moment before.
Kricker's scavenged laser mount glitches! It discharges a shock that burns the kobold ruining the shot, but the long weapon goes off again on auto and hits a Smiler square in its rictus grin killing the cannibal mutant!
The bomb struck Smiler takes aim at Jeji and fires. It's a direct hit through the little kobold's chest! Jeji falls! The other fires at Drahlneep, but the frenzied warrior dodges aside and the bullet makes a hole through the wall.
Drahlneep charges recklessly into the Smiler who shot Jeji, wanting to focus all his rage on him.
Squealing with rage, Drahlneep rushes the shooter and whacks him hard in the groin. The toothy Tall makes a gurgling sound and wavers on weak legs.
Perrik emits a high-pitched growl of distress and steps back, infusing the fallen alchemist with healing power.
Kricker shoots at any currently unengaged targets. If there aren't any he holds his action in case someone else appears.
Jeji is suddenly revived as Perrik pours healing energy into the mortally wounded kobold. Two laser blasts erupt from Kricker's weapon striking the crippled Smiler who keels over dead as the second laser blinks past the remaining Smiler gang member. Now outnumbered, the last Smiler retreats away from the kobold invaders.
Draconic: Watch out that big guy is still around here somewhere as well. Don't go haring off after them yet Drahlneep.
Slowly, Jeji began to stand. It was a struggle, and her hands rubbed every part of her body in an effort to push the pain away, but she eventually got to her feet.
"Did we win?
Drahlneep lets his rage fade, feeling the inevitable loss of energy and strength. "Yeah, Jeji. We won. You okay?" He looks at the huddling giant. "I think he was their pet. Anyone have rope? Because he is our pet, now."
Drahlneep once you have recovered from your fatigue let's press forward cautiously. Back up a bit from the downed Smilers and I'll heal us all.
"Just need a minute. Anyone see a new gun? Any gun?" Drahlneep scoots close to Kircker. The warmth rolls over him, instantly sealing the scratch one Smiler left behind.
The Smilers have the same type of cobbled together pistols that the other members of their gang have had. Drahlneep figures he can get them to work and there are a score of bullets left among them and a couple tubes of that strange pink stuff the Smilers at the ruins along the way to Scrapwall had.
Drahlneep collects as many of the Smilers' guns as he can, loading two of them as he catches his breath.
Drahlneep collects as many of the Smilers' guns as he can, loading two of them as he catches his breath.
"The Smilers are not as smart as kobolds, but they may still have simple traps in their lairs. Let's follow the big one, but be careful."
Drahlneep and Kricker will lead. Guns out he presumes.
Peering around anxiously, her brush with death still fresh in her mind, Jeji offered "go ahead of me Perrik, I'll bring up the rear. Stay close to those two."
The kobolds move forward in pursuit of the retreating Smilers. they enter the barracks area where the air smells of smoke and burnt meat. A crude stove made of a metal barrel rests atop stone blocks in the center of the room. Numerous doors line the walls and a quick inspection finds little beyond them but beds, trash, and bones including a few humanoid skulls. The hall continues to a blank wall, but traces of fresh blood reveal the dead-end to be a secret door.
Kricker opens the door so Drahlneep can shoot through it if necessary.
The kobolds cautiously move through the secret door to find a short passage that leads left to another concealed door. Kricker pulls the door open as Drahlneep points his gun forward into the chamber revealed.
It is a large chamber containing several metal tables adorned with tangles of strange devices sporting metallic, articulated arms, many of which end in blades, needles, saws, or other implements of surgery. The whole area reeks of blood and old guts, and telltale rusty brown stains besmirch the floor and walls. Lighting is provided by several burning skulls sitting here and there throughout the room.
Immediately evident is the giant who waits beyond the door once again. His movements are jerky and wild now and you see that a bloody hole has appeared between his eyes which drains congealing blood down his face, over exposed teeth and drips from his lipless mouth.
Perrik:
Kricker: ;
Drahlneep:
foe:
Already in motion, Kricker reacts first!
Kricker shoots twice at the big guy!
There is a flash as the scavenged laser goes off hitting the giant pointblank and then the laser goes dead as it runs out of juice. The giant doesn't even seem to notice the laser this time as another scorched hole appears in its body.
"Kill them, my pretty. Kill them DEAD!" cackles a fearsome hobgoblin lurking at the rear of the room. This must be Marrow, the necromancer leader of the Smilers. Something she does seems to energize the big zombie blocking the door. A big fist rises to pummel Kricker, but the brain dead ogrish oaf accidentally hits the door frame instead.
The diminutive oracle invokes his patron's power to bolster the party.
"Is this freak serious? She is going to keep her monsters going while they block the door!" Drahlneep shouts in Draconic as he aims the pistol at the necromancer.
With the situation looking grim, Jeji uncorked the last of her prepared extracts and drank the contents. Immediately she could see the shimmering shield form in front of her.
Kricker drops the useless laser arm and draws his greatsword, then hacks at the large zombie.
Jeji sips a potion and is protected my an arcane force. Perrik calls upon forgotten powers to bolster his warrren mates. There is another blast as Drahneep fires a pistol pointblank into the towering corpse and a moment later, Kricker's great sword disembowels the animated giant. The corpse topples backward as guts splatter forward around the kobold's knees.
Without the mass of the dead smiler blocking the view, the kobolds now spot three enemy in the chamber: the Smiler shooter that retreated another cobbled to gather zombie and the gangleader, Marrow, dressed in armor covered in scavenged bones. The shooter fires a pistol, but misses while Marrow sends infallible arcane bolts at Drahlneep.
The oracle follows up the general blessing with something more specific for Kricker, lending his great blade further weight and power.
Kricker bolsters himself as well. Casting Bulls Strength on himself, then moves out into the room a bit to make room for the Kobolds to spread out a bit.
Dashing past the others, Jeji rushed into the room. Shortsword in hand, she screamed and yelled at the smilers still standing.
Drahlneep drops the discharged pistol as he cautiously moves a few feet into the room proper before he pulls the other from his belt and fires at the necromancer.
Jeji and Drahlneep charge into the room. Drahlneep fires through the tables hitting Marrow. Perrik supercharges Kricker's sword as the iron priest prays for divine strength!
The vile hobgoblin spits an incantation at Drahlneep. Her Smiler minion fires his gun winging the kobold as he attempts to resist her arcane hold. What appears to be a lobotomite that didnt' survive Marrow's cruel surgeries and now is a steel-studded zombie lurches around the operating tables at Kricker. Kricker catches a powerful blow on his armor.
Drahlneep smiles as his shot draws blood, but feels the magic freeze his limbs.
Unable to help Drahlneep, Perrik continues to bolster Kricker.
Kricker smashes back at the zombie fighting him.
Jeji crept forward to the smiler in front of her, shortsword slashing towards its belly.
Jeji moves up to the gunman and stabs, but the table is in the way. Perrik follows Kricker and with a touch, conjures a force field around his companion. Unfortunately, Kricker's attack clangs off an iron plate attached to the zombimite. It responds with the same battering slam, but this time even Perrik's fending spells cannot wholly protect Kricker from the force of the strike.
Marrow chants another spell and suddenly the dead body of the giant Smiler reanimates long enough to grab Perrik with its cold dead hands! The shooter steps away from Jeji as he reloads and fires pointblank, but it is a hasty shot and embeds in the floor instead of the kobold. Drahlneep can do nothing under the influence of the paralyzing spell.