Herm will follow the ladies, making sure the remaining Mongrel men do not move to attack. Once down the latter it will occur to Herm what Jominda was asking.
"How do you wish for me to distract this hound? I do not wish to throw my life away."
Climbing down the ladder and climbing back up from the floor of the hall onto the podest on ground level takes like forever.
"You'd only have to hold it off for a few moments, until we open the door and get out. Or beat it until it stops moving. I don't know. Anything that helps us not letting that evil guy get away." Jominda tells. She gets up and checks the door. "Screw it! The door is locked." She kicks angrily at it.
"We'll be back to make sure you're properly taken care of! Get you food and lodgings and stuff!" Kendra yells at the mongrelmen.
"Herm, can you bash it open?"
"We can as well save ourself the hassle. That thing is for sure long gone." Jominda tells through clenched teeth banging angrily at the door.
"It's certain to be gone if we don't even try. You can't say for certain until you check. It was pretty wounded."
"There is no other way to open the door?" Herm Says just before his hammer strikes the door to open it.
Two bashes later the door is destroyed. This has one major drawback. It can't be closed anymore.
Jominda moves out into the yard and lifts the bar from the doors, dropping it on the ground.
Kendra quickly runs after Jominda and prepares to dodge any attack by the guard dog.
Harrold hands off a vial to herm and follows the other two
Herm takes the vial from Harrold and moves in front of the group, planting his feet and facing off against the dog.
"Come pup"
With Kendra opening the door Harrold can slip out of the yard. The dog is not amused. It charges out of its pen, but as it does so it becomes clear that it is tied to the yard with a chain. At least it will not follow outside. But for now it bites Jominda in her behind. Herm hurries to step in, but he is too late.
"Aaaaaaaaah." Jominda screams and runs out of the yard. "That is your death sentence you, you, ..." But for now she leaves it be and walks furhter around the building to see if there is somewhere a sign of that skin stealer.
While the group is 'passing' the yard and the guarding dog there is a pointed shriek in one of the neighbouring houses.
As you finally get there you find the door broken. Inside you find the skinless creature lying on the floor, face down, with the head smashed in. And a desperate looking woman in her mid-thirties sits panting at the table, besides her a bloody frying pan. She has a stout figure and the kitchen looks like she was interrupted while cooking.
"By the gods, you're a hero! Are you alright, Ma'am?" Kendra asks.
Kendra cocks her head as she looks on the dead person.
She then takes a closer look at the woman she just adressed, and tries to assess how much force she would be able to muster. She also tries to remember how the skinless creature looked when it was being bombarded with exploding potions and acid arrows - if it had looked like a woman back then as well.
Turning away from the woman a moment, she mumbles under her breath. She quickly casts a small cantrip.
Still with her back towards the woman in the kitchen, she whispers softly "Whisper any reply to avoid her eaves dropping, but I believe there is a chance she is actually the skinless creature having adopted her skin."
Jominda looks at the body on the floor, around the room and checks on the woman. One can see how the gears turn slowly in her head. It's either a cold blooded murder that we have no chance of ever finding again. Or it's a innocent woman who was very lucky to survive an attempted murder. Would it be right to kill in the face of doubt for the greater good? Looking at Herm she is pretty sure he wouldn't approve.
While her eyes wander around the kitchen she remembers that her last meal was long ago and she really could use a bite. Taking out one of her vials and the matching catalyst she asks "What are you cooking?"
The woman stares at the vial coming out of the pouch and into Jominda's face.
Jominda deems that answer wrong. She throws the bomb as soon as the word soup is spoken.
The tensed silence in the kitchen is split by an explosion. The woman drops from her chair to the floor.
"That was close. We're lucky that monster didn't get away with that trick." Jominda says looking at her companions for confirmation.
"Harrold, do you know how we can identify if this was indeed the skin stealer?" Kendra asks
"I wouldn't make soup with a frying pan either, but we'd best make as good a case as possible."
Herm arrives as Jominda throws the bomb blowing the woman up.
"By the Gods you cannot just attack....Ah I apologize, I see how that creature now operate. Maybe they are hiding more inside the factory that we can use to prove Thomas innocent?" Herm picks up the body and drags it out of the home.
"We will also need to notify the family and authorities." Herm gives the woman the last rights of Iomadae as he lays her body in a bed.
"Look for any marks on the skin it wears that could be used to don it?" Harrold suggests
"You're not sure? I mean... it's obvious, isn't it?" Jominda asks, desperation in her voice. "See! Someone was searching through the cupboard and the drawers. And the dress she wears is inside out. Here at the seams... look!"
Herm pulls the skin off of the woman and the skinning knife from the dress pocket.
"Seems she is right, we must find out what else is going on in that factory. We can keep the body and take it in as evidence with us."
"Wow, thanks." Jominda sighs with relief. "I was so set on not letting that guy get away. But I think it would have haunted me the rest of my life if I had killed an innocent here."
"But to get back into the factory we need to do something about that dog. As long as that one is still in there I'm not setting a foot in this yard." Jominda states. She takes an extract from her bag and downs it. Then she checks her behind, but it still hurts a lot.
"Maybe Thomas can calm it... not that that would be much use to us right at this moment. But we need to check on the Mongrelmen, see how they were treated and if we're actually freeing them." Kendra says as she walks outside with the rest of them.
"You're right though, Herm. We need to bring the skinstealer with us, as evidence."
"So it is either destroying the golem dog, or we must attempt to climb the tower again." Jominda comcludes. "Damn. The rope is no longer hanging down. So past the dog it is. Maybe we can attack it from a save distance. It is at least chained to the yard."
Once you come back around the dog is indeed trying its chain. It allows it to move about all of the yard, but the corner at the left of the entrance. And its gnarling and barking at you.
Herm will scan the beast to see if it is evil.
Looking for some comment she watches Herm. As he keeps contemplating she comments herself on the dog. "It is a flesh golem. And one without a mind of its own I assume. So it does what it was ordered be its master. As the two probable candidates are dead, there is no way to end it guarding the yard but destroying it."
She takes out a vial and the catalyst pill and throws the mix and the dog.
The explosion sets the dog on fire and the cloud of flames spreads shortly in the yard.
The dog retreats into his shelter. There it rolls on the ground to put out the fire.
Meanwhile a group of six guards of the city some jogging towards the Chymic Works, increasing their speed as they hear and see the explosion.
Six men in armor are not exactly quiet. As Jominda sees them approaching and the way inside now free she quickly moves inside again. "Come quick, or you have to argue with these lawful stupid guys about trespassing." Jominda prompts her companions. On her mind appears the image of the annoying Sheriff Benjan Keller.
Harrold quickly follows after Jominda
The guards approach and three swarm out into a half circle around the entrance of the Chymic Works with their halberds in hand. Two more continue into the yard to go after the ones who went in.
The seargent leading the squad, a woman who looks all business with her sword at the ready starts the questioning. "What is going on here." she demands to know.
In the yard the dog comes out again and attacks the guards. Which doesn't go well for the guard. He goes down immediately.
Kendra starts making her way into the chymic works again, but as she sees Herm not moving with them, she hesitates, and then moves back to stand alongside Herm. She is about to answer the guard sergeant when the dog attacks, and she is horrified by what happens.
"That creature is a flesh golem!" she warns. "It has no mind of its own, it's just protecting the yard as ordered. Be careful!"
Kendra continues. "It is similar to the beast of Lepidtstad in its construction, although this one doesn't seem to have its own mind or personality, and can only follow orders of its creator. It is more a machine made out of flesh than an actual creature."
"Good day, we are here under the orders of the courts to investigate this place, we have reason to believe they are part of the issue with the Beast and we were just about to enter the place to search for clues as to their involvement."
Herm wil wait for a response then move up to his companions.
The guard drags his unconscious companion away from the beast. The sergeant recognizes you two as the court and the beast is mentioned. "You're entering the premises of two honourable citizens of this town by blasting the guard... whatever that beast is" she says with a disgusted look at the creature "and enter forcefully? And what is that? " she points to the skinless body and the skin of the woman. She doesn't even try to hide that you're not on her good side for defending the beast and much less for causing trouble. But as Herm is polite and cooperative the situation doesn't escalate yet.
Jominda uses her chance to throw another bomb at the dog as it is outside the hut and the guard is pulled away.
As the explosion makes everyone jump she calls "Sorry, can't do that without the noise."
The burning dog retreats into the hut again.
Kendra remains oblivious of the guard's hostile nature, so she just supports Herm in what he's trying to do.
"This, honoured member of the city's guard, is the dog's master. An evil creature that murdered a helpless woman a few houses down, and took her skin to hide in. You can see how this creature and this guard dog could potentially form a great risk to your wonderful city." Kendra explains.
"As Ms. Lorrimor has said this creature attacked us and we have reason to believe he worked from this building and is causing issues around town and the bordering towns as well."
The sergeant snorts at the mention of someone using a skin and all this makes no sense to her. Se moves over to the bell and pull son the string. "Where are the masters of this house." she mutters more to herself. But of course there is no reaction. She would hope for Vorkstag and Grine to appear and tell what really goes on here. It all makes no sense. And she can't even get in to check herself because of that vile beast. "Johnson! Get backup!" she orders. And immediately one of the guards hurries away.
"Come in!" Jominda calls as the bell rings. With a bomb ready in case a guard lures the dog out again.
"No, you come out!" the sergeant commands.