Pharris’ blade plunges through the ratman with enough force to punch through his leather armour and the strange resistance provided by his flesh. He slides off her blade and slumps to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth and his wounds.
Seeing Pharris drive her blade through the rat-man, Nicholai feels a surge of elation swell in his chest.
'Watch Prey! Watch! No Attack! I'm Coming!' Nicholai sends excitedly through the link.
"We still have a chance! Wijk'An can see it! Bring the knockers and the box!" NIcholai whispers in hasty excitement through the message spell. With a grin He leaps forward towards the space that Pharris just opened in the doorway,...
The small, top-hat wearing rat-man screeches in frustration or fear when his companion in the doorway falls. He once again lunges at Pharris’ back across the desk with his rapier, but his twisted, shaking hands and short stature mean he again fails to get anywhere near her with the blade.
Kajetan moves and reloads his crossbow, he is now as close to the door as he can get with out being piggy backed.
Keildrithe, knowing there is no room for him to intervene in the other room, continues to watch the door at the opposite end of the large chamber.
With the rat-man in the door fallen to Pharris’ sword, Laithe-wolf leaps into the room to stand beside the warrior woman. He pokes his head around the desk and snaps at the diminutive, rapier wielding were-rat. His jaws close on the creature’s arm, but the teeth completely fail to penetrate the skin, and the were-rat shakes free with a snarled hiss.
Nicolai squeezes into the room behind the wolf and, ignoring the remaining rat-man, ducks past the child-sized four poster bed to look out the open window. His empathic link with Wijk’An does not allow conversation per-se, but he can get a pretty good idea of where the hawk is, and what it’s feeling; long practice at this has almost allowed the mage to hear his familiar’s thoughts … or at least get a good idea what the bird would be thinking.
It is between this link and using his own Arton-given eyes that Nicolai is able to spot the tell-tale crimson glow that indicates the creature (and the spell that Laithe cast upon it) is lurking just our of sight behind the tall peaked roof of a two storey building on the other side of the street – probably some sixty or seventy feet distant.
On the street below he sees a few masked locals (the street is by no means crowded, but there are a few passersby) looking up curiously at the open window, either attracted by the recent departure of the glowing demon or, just as likely, the sounds of combat from within.
As the group crowds into the room, and Pharris turns her attention (and blade) towards the small rat-man, he gives a frightened screech, no doubt realizing he is surrounded, pretty well cut off from escape.
“Parley!” he yelps in a high pitched, warbling voice, his Atuscan both heavily accented and distorted by his animalistic mouth. “Call off your dog. We talk! Your weapons cannot hurt me, but an old man as I cannot beat you all. We talk! Agree?”
As he talks his beady rat-eyes cast about, glancing up at Pharris, down at Laithe and towards the open window and the doorway.
Trusting his more warrior-centric companions to deal with the remaining ratman, Nicholai flies to the window. He cannot conceal a smug grin as he locates the tell-tale glow of Laithe's spell. He then notices the faces turned towards the window. Giving the people looking up a jaunty wave and a thumbs-up, he pulls back into the room and takes a step to the side, so he is not directly visible through the window.
He whispers through the message spell to Alton, Laithe and Keildrithe as the ratman cries for a parley; 'The devil is across the street, Probably out of range of the box. We'll have to lure him back. And we seem to be attracting attention.'
NIcholai's eyes narrow as he observes the ratman's furtive glances. He whispers once more; 'I don't think he's afraid of us. I think he's afraid he'll end up like his former packmate, struck down by the devils. Maybe we can use that?'
Keildrithe is relieved that all his friends have survived the battle, and that they have caught a prisoner. You seem to have that area secured, he communicates quietly to Nicolai. I'll keep watching this door over here, until the rest of you are ready to come this way... just in case... Or let me know if there is something else I should be doing with the devil box.
Then after a brief pause, he hesitantly adds, how is Pharris?
NIcholai whispers; ' 'Secure' is such a strong word. We need to get that devil-spawn back over here so we can use the box on it. Have the knockers bring the box in here. There are still more of those things around. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll try to keep this one from talking, and we can use the box on them, it.'
After a brief pause; She's hit, but looks ok. I'm no healer. Laithe?'
The casters eyes dart nervously around the room, wondering if there are others hiding in plain sight as before,...
NIcholai looks to the rat-man and says aloud,
"I think that the lady just proved you wrong on one point." He indicates the body of the former ratman on the floor at Pharris' feet with a wry smirk.
"If you wish to leave this room alive, lay down your arms. But if you wish to LIVE, help us find the devils, and we shall remove both our troubles at once!" Nicholai adds in a low, fervent voice.
Once the Ratman voices his intentions to parlay, Laithe changes back into human form. He whispers back to Nicolai and Keildrithe via the link "I could summon a creature as I did the other day to attack the fiend if you point to where-abouts it is. However then I will be just about out of spells, with a handful of fiends yet to find. What do you think? Perhaps we should locate the whereabouts and numbers of the others from the ratman and then decide?"
Kajetan has not got the best eye sight in the world, too much time spent pouring over books, but he decides that with the room under control he should guard the knockers and the box on the walkway, especially as there are more doors out of here.
Pharris gingerly gets out her potion and drinks the healing brew.
Nicholai holds the rat-man's gaze, waiting for his reply even as Laithe whispers his missive.
Afraid that whispering back might make the ratman think he is casting, Nicholai holds out his hand, palm out, in a 'hold' gesture to Laithe.
"Wait." He says calmly in reply, never taking his eyes from the now-outnumbered ratman.
"What say you? You know whom you serve, and you've seen how they treat your fellows. We at least keep our word. Will you treat with us?"
Nicholai seems to grow more confident as he speaks. He is in his realm.
The diminutive old rat-man looks in apparent surprise at Laithe as he changes back into human form, then turns his head, looks up to lock gazes with Nicolai (who still stands by the window), the creature’s drooping, bloodshot eyes holding steady with the young man’s for a moment.
“Is it gone? Is it still out there?” he asks quickly, eyes flicking towards the still open window. “It is tricky, crafty, unpredictable that one – not like the others. But will not likely return until whatever you did to make it glow goes away. Cautious too, it is.” He turns to look back at the open door behind Pharris and Laithe.
“The others, I think, will remain downstairs for now. They ordered that we guard up here, and kill you all. They expect to be obeyed without question,” he adds, sounding somewhat bitter, spitting.
He has lowered his sword, but now, heeding Nicolai’s command, places it down on the low desk with a slightly shaking hand-paw.
“You will find them in the basement,” he says. “But do you have what it takes to defeat them I wonder? I would help you, if you trust me, but only if you promise that you can and will kill them, or drive them far from this place so that they will not return to exact revenge on me for failing them. Can you do it?” He looks back up at Nicolai, head tilted, bushy eyebrow raised, whiskered nose twitching.
Nicholai nods slowly to the Ratman as he puts his sword down on the desk.
"It's still out there. I found it's hiding-spot. But I can't reach it from here." He admits, reaching out to push the shutter closed.
"And if it as cautious as you say, then that gives us the length of the spell to deal with the rest before it returns." He starts to grin, then sombers quickly.
"Yes. We have the means to deal with them. But we have to do it quickly, and we need to be close. Can you get us in close? Inside a small room will be best, I think. SO even if they go invisible they should not be able to escape." He asks hastily, obviously thinking fast.
He looks at Laithe, Pharris and ALton in the doorway of the room and raises an eyebrow in question.
:)
NIcholai looks back at the ratman. "My friends and I take being assaulted very personally. Fortunately for you they have an even greater grudge against IT." He says, jabbing a thumb at the now closed window. "I think that we may be able to let it go this once, in return for your aid against these creatures which plague all our lives. Afterwards, we go our separate ways. And if we never see you again, we won't come looking for you. Deal?" He asks, looking to his friends for confirmation.
Pharris moves over to the ratman, her legs a bit more steady after the healing potion.
"See this sword. This is Impdrinker. It was made by a human who hates demons and devils of all kinds. Now you get me to them and this sword will do the rest."
Near the end of her little speech, she staggers unfortunately.
He looks at Laithe, Pharris and ALton in the doorway of the room and raises an eyebrow in question.
Laithe gives a slight nod in response to Nicolai's unasked question, indicating his approval. He's not overly keen on the idea of making deals with the diminutive rat-man, but he understands that the devil creatures are the bigger threat. He does llisten keenly to the rat-man's reply, trying to guage his sincerity when he claims he'll aid in the fight.
While he watches the Ratman, he moves over to Pharris' side, silently casting the words to a minor spell which will help alleviate some of her more minor injuries.
Pharris winks once slowly as the druid touches her. Such a pleasurable touch!
Kajetan standing outside the door way, nods in agreement as he continues to scan the large vat room.
"Can we search the bodies for anything useful. And you what ever your name is, what are you carrying?"
Pharris stamps her foot a little and moves over to the once ratman corpse.
;)
Nicholai spreads his hands wide open. "I won't pretend that we want to be your friends." He says simply. "But we came here for one reason. The devils. Help us, and we will take care of them. For good." He nods in the direction of the others, a gentle reminder to the ratman that there is strength in numbers.
Pharris winks once slowly as the druid touches her. Such a pleasurable touch!
Laithe pulls back his hand, his cheeks going red at the swordswoman's reaction to the healing spell. Lucky it wasn't a major healing spell he thinks.
He then changes back into wolf form and steps towards the ratman threateningly, emitting a long, low growl and hoping to add weight to Nicolai's words.
Laithe, you think that his offer to help is genuine – though probably more due to opportunism rather than altruism. Still, genuine or not, he really doesn’t look like he’d do all that much good in a fight…
The little rat-man doesn’t seem overly impressed by Pharris’ sword or Laithe’s animalism, but perhaps he gets the sense that the group is serious, or else is persuaded by Nicolai’s words.
“Yes, yes, I help you,” he nods, “provided you go after the ones downstairs. They I fear more. They will certainly seek revenge if I help you and they are let to live … or even that I failed to stop you. That one,” he gestures to the window with a furred hand, “I am not sure. Unpredictable. Better the devil you don’t know…”
He looks back at Nicolai. “They will be, I should think, still in the cellar. It is small enough, enclosed, with only one door. BUT, there are many small holes in the walls, rat tunnels, they lead outside, to the river-bank. The devils are small enough to squeeze through them, even the chained one, which is odd I thought … he was much bigger once…” he trails off, shakes his head.
“Now … to help you … you will need to be at strength.” He opens one of the drawers of his desk, lifts out a stack of papers, then lifts out the false bottom beneath them to reveal a row of seven small, stoppered glass vials, filled with pale blue liquid. “These are healing draughts, purchased by me at great cost from a gnomish shaman. Ha! You are suspicious … do I try to poison you? I will gladly drink one myself if you wish,” he opens his mouth in what you take for a smile, showing his long, crooked incisors, “but then there is one less for you. Use them if you want. And more.”
He reaches under the desk, fiddles about with some unseen catch, and opens yet another hidden compartment under the desk. He pulls out two somewhat larger glass flasks, filled with what appears to be water. “Stolen from a church,” he says. “Holy water they call it. Pshaw! But the priests claim that its touch will burn the denizens of Hell. I do not know … but I keep it all the same, my insurance policy.” He hesitates, peers around at you all suspiciously, then reaches under again and emerges holding a small parcel wrapped in black cloth. He puts the parcel down on the desk and carefully unwraps it.
Within is a small, ornate silver knife and yet another flask, filled with a silvery, oily looking fluid. “Ordinary weapons will not bite them deeply, these devils,” he says. “But this knife should work well enough … and if that over-large woman applies this,” pointing to the flask, “to that overlarge sword, it may do to.”
He looks up at Nicolai again. “There. I help, my bargain is kept. Do you keep yours?”
While the prisoner squeaks, she keeps searching bodies.
NIcholai whispers; ' 'Secure' is such a strong word. We need to get that devil-spawn back over here so we can use the box on it. Have the knockers bring the box in here. There are still more of those things around. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll try to keep this one from talking, and we can use the box on them, it.'
After a brief pause; She's hit, but looks ok. I'm no healer. Laithe?'
The casters eyes dart nervously around the room, wondering if there are others hiding in plain sight as before,...
Keildrithe nods to Kajetan, and picks up the devil box. "Nicolai suggests we bring the box to the room where the others have gathered." He joins the others as they discuss their plans to head down to the cellar. Catching the end of the discussion, he asks: "so, what's the plan? How big is this cellar? How easy will it be to corner them? Can they turn invisible at will, like their master?"
He looks up at Nicolai again. “There. I help, my bargain is kept. Do you keep yours?”
Nicholai looks wide-eyed as the ratman pulls various items from their hidey-holes. This one is a clever thief! He looks over at his companions for confirmation, then back to the ratman.
"You keep a very good bargain. We will keep our word. Give us a moment to prepare, show us to the entrance to the cellar, and then run as fast as you can. Don't look back. We will take care of the rest. Agreed?"
Nicholai listens to the ratmans answers to Keildrithe's questions (if he answers).
"Large, small, or in between, it is our one chance of catching them together. Hopefully we can surprise them with Kajetan's Blinding-spell. We just have to make sure that once we go in, none of them leave." Nicholai says fervently, clenching his blue-gloved hands until you can hear the knuckles pop.
"Let's see how they like being surprised in their resting-spot!"
Keildrithe asks a few more questions of the rat-man: "There is also another door at the opposite end of this level... what will we find beyond it? Is it worth investigating before we head down to the cellars? Can we find anything therein that will be of use against the imps?"
"Alton, can you help me search the bodies," whispers Pharris, "I don't trust these lying shapechangers. That one's reason for helping us is a bit thin. His courage will fail at the first test. He could be playing us."
Once she has finished searching she comes back with any goodies.
Pharris, with Alton’s help, goes about and searches the corpses of the deposed rat-men (although they all appear perfectly human now, in death), a process that takes several minutes, given that the bodies are strewn about the walkway and even slumped over the edge of one of the vats below in one case.
The dead all wear some form of armour – leather mainly, or piecemeal metal and leather that offers a similar level of protection, nothing particularly well made or valuable looking. There is also an abundance of weapons, most fairly poorly kept, either on the bodies or left where they were put down or dropped. Five ordinary daggers, two rapiers, two shortswords, three shortbows, three quivers containing a total of 28 arrows; and then a couple of weapons that stand out a little more – a dagger that looks like it belongs to a noble, being of fine quality with a sharp edge, a platinum hilt and a blue gem in its pommel; also, leaning against a wall a well made shortspear of Karandic design.
They also all have various valuables in belt pouches or otherwise secreted about their persons. 63cp, 89sp and 33gp in various denominations, mainly the local marks and crowns; 8 rare and ancient looking platinum coins; 2 thin gold rings engraved with vine patterns; a set of well crafted looking tools for the purposes of opening locks and disabling traps; a thin glass flask bearing a pale blue liquid; and a small metal hip flask containing a cool red liquid.
Upon further questioning by Keildrithe and Nicolai, the little old wererat (he has neither been asked for nor volunteered a name) gives the following information;
The cellar, apparently, is about forty feet square, with a not overly high ceiling. The entrance to the cellar is through the kitchen (the room the rats emerged from, back on the ground floor level) and down a flight of steps. The little imps (three of) can fly, become invisible and change form – your informant has seen at least two of them take the shape of black cats, but does not know what other forms they may be capable of. He has never seen the chain shrouded devil fly, vanish from sight nor change form.
The door at the other end of the walkway, the ratman tells you, is the bedchamber of his (now dead) henchmen. He claims that there is not likely to be anything of value within. The narrow door near that one leads to a broom closet, but one that the recently fled fiend has made its hidey hole over the past few days (it does not seem inclined to share the cellar with the others).
Five ordinary daggers, two rapiers, two shortswords, three shortbows, three quivers containing a total of 28 arrows; and then a couple of weapons that stand out a little more – a dagger that looks like it belongs to a noble, being of fine quality with a sharp edge, a platinum hilt and a blue gem in its pommel; also, leaning against a wall a well made shortspear of Karandic design.
Laithe listens to the ratman, still a touch suspicious of him, but reasonably satisfied that the help he offers is genuine. He takes one of offered potions and quaffes it as a test, hoping his judgement in the ratman proves to be correct.
He waits as the others finish searching the bodies, somewhat impatient, though when he notices the Karandic shortspear sitting by the wall, he cannot help but go over and take it, having lost his own the night before.
"Shall we go then?" he asks, "We should get down to them before the other one returns either to aid them or to warn them we are coming. I have no wish to let them escape."
What do you do with the items the wererat has offered you?
If anyone quaffs one of the blue potions;
If anyone samples one of the vials of “holy water”;
Anyone want to use the small silvery knife?
Does anyone apply the silvery oil to their weapon (one use only)?
Nicholai nods as the turn-rat-coat divulges the layout of the building. He grins grimly when hearing of the size of the cellar. Upon seeing Laithe coming to no harm, Nicholai takes one of the blue potions and puts it in his vest pocket.
"It sounds like our faerie-fire friend is going to be a problem. But one I'm willing to deal with later if we can get all of the others in one fell swoop!"
He looks at ALton's weapons, and then at Pharris' large, wicked looking sword.
"No offense Alton, but I'm thinking that Pharris might be the one to use the silversheen." He says with a wry grin. "But I also think that you are the one to make the most use of the silver dagger." He says, tossing it hilt-first to the shorter warrior.
"So? Short & simple? We barge in, Kajetan blasts them with his blinding-spell, the bangers use the box, and keep using it while we pound on whatevers still standing until it's NOT standing, or it's in the box. How's that?"
Nicholai seems more,... energetic, than he usually appears. It almost sounds like he wants to lead the charge into the cellar.
As the group is finishing up searching bodies and talking to the wererat, Nicolai gets an empathic pulse from Wijk’An; The prey is gone!
Due to the imprecise nature of the link, Nicolai is unsure whether the bird means that his quarry has vanished as such, or that he’s simply lost sight of it.
Kajetan listens with interest, nodding as his companions do the talking, he is feeling a little out of his deapth, but still determined not to be a drain on his friends resources. He declines the healing potions, despite his wounds, feeling that he should be safe with the knockers at the back of the group.
Kajetan listens with interest, nodding as his companions do the talking, he is feeling a little out of his deapth, but still determined not to be a drain on his friends resources. He declines the healing potions, despite his wounds, feeling that he should be safe with the knockers at the back of the group.
NIcholai snaps his head towards the shuttered window, his eyes wide. "$#!^. Wijk'an lost track of Glow-dy locks. I don't know if Laithe's spell faded, or if it just hid and moved where Wij can't see it."
Nicholai moves over to the window and bars the shutter. Then looks back to the others.
'Watch. Find Prey.' Nicholai sends through the link.
"Either way, if it's half as clever as clever as our new partner thinks it is, it's probably trying to get back in and warn it's friends. We need to take of the others. Now."
"The big question remains... will Lumbie know what he is supposed to do once we get the devil box in close proximity to the imps?"
"The big question remains... will Lumbie know what he is supposed to do once we get the devil box in close proximity to the imps?"
Laithe screws up his face slightly at the taste, but it is quickly obvious that the potion has had a positive effect on his wounds. "The potions work" he says to the others "though they are not much to taste".
Listening to Nicolai's plan, he nods in agreeance. "Yes, let's get in there and hit them fast. I suggest that anyone with injuries take a potion and use it or keep it close."
When Nicolai mentions that the imp seems to have disappeared he says "It's highly possible my spell ran it's course and the imp is once more invisible. Let's move to make sure we make it to the Devils first."
He heads out of the room and towards the ladders, making his way to the cellar. Responding to Keildrithe's question he shrugs "We're just going to have to hope. I've seen you inspire men to feats greater than they are normally capable; can you make some music to give him a greater chance of success?"
He heads out of the room and towards the ladders, making his way to the cellar. Responding to Keildrithe's question he shrugs "We're just going to have to hope. I've seen you inspire men to feats greater than they are normally capable; can you make some music to give him a greater chance of success?"
Keildrithe responds to Laithe's comments with an uncertain grimace suggestive of a confused mixture of pride, disbelief and dismay. "You are too kind, my brother... though I fear I never had the opportunity to hear, must less learn, the Battle Hymn of the Knockerfolk... but, who knows, maybe Ehlonna will smile on us, eh?" He waits for Pharris and Alton to pass before heading down with the devil box under one arm (handing it down to one of his companions, as necessary), waving for the knockers to follow with his free hand.
Keildrithe responds to Laithe's comments with an uncertain grimace suggestive of a confused mixture of pride, disbelief and dismay. "You are too kind, my brother... though I fear I never had the opportunity to hear, must less learn, the Battle Hymn of the Knockerfolk... but, who knows, maybe Ehlonna will smile on us, eh?" He waits for Pharris and Alton to pass before heading down with the devil box under one arm (handing it down to one of his companions, as necessary), waving for the knockers to follow with his free hand.