Jim lunges up at the weird tentacled beast. He pierces it with a spark of electrical energy. It flinches back just as Kaul swings and his heavy ax smashes into the wall sending black coral chips flying. Dibbets primes his boomstick and fires.
; . The shot hits with a deafening crack.
A barbed tentacle darts out hitting Jim and injecting burning venom
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Dingus moves into the room and turns quickly to where everyone seems to be concentrating, loosening a fan of burning snake tongues towards the enemy.
Flaming Fan of snake tongues...
Round 2
Mighty pissed that his axe missed, Kaul bellows and swings another brutal swing at the stinger;
"C'mere ye squiddy basterd!"
:
:
Round 2
As Jimmer receives some unwanted attention from the barbed tentacle, the grubby oracle hobbles to his shipmate and pulls forth a piece scrap of latrine paper covered with idle scribblings.
Dibb's licks the privy parchment and slaps it onto the swashbuckler;
"Should make ye a feckin' sight more difficult for squid-face tae tickle ye. Now stick it tae the basterd!"
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Jim shakes off the poison's effects and launches into a devastating flurry of attacks on the creature. "Fecking piece of sh1te! Keep your grubby ha--keep to yourself!"
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The tentacled thing goes down in a storm of fire and flashing blades. Its boneless corpse flops into the ground at the crews' feet, charred and chopped.
Jim wipes his blade clean before sheathing it. "Kaul, mate, give me a boost up to where it was hiding? Might be something of interest there, hey?"
Jim pokes around the shallow niche, but finds nothing of note. It is likely just a hidey-hole.
The Taldan drops back to the floor, shaking his head. "What now? There may be more of those things about."
Kaul prods at the dead creature;
"What ye reckon it is? Ain't seen one like this afore..."
There is a rustling through the moldering junk in the room as the odd sea stars creep toward the dead thing. About a half-dozen gather at the big squiddy thing. The two types of monsters look similar enough to be related. Perhaps the little ones are the big one's spawn. They don't seem particularly sentimental though as the little ones begin to feed on the corpse.
"No idea, mate. Let's take a look ahead, and be ready to run if it looks dicey."
Curiosity piqued, the crew continues down the dark coral corridor. It twists maybe 20 yards before it opens up and the floor falls away into a huge cavern. The crew's faint magical lights reveal stagnant salt water about twenty-five feet below the slimy black cliff. A rope bridge hangs over the stretch disappearing into darkness. Kaul's nightsight can just make out parts of the far side: more black coral emerging from the noxious water and captured in the coral, a ship.
Kaul relays his sightings;
"Rope bridge - likely rickety as feck known' our luck... Carcass o' a ship stuck in the coral beyond... We're close lads... Hur..."
Jim nods slowly. "Aye, but if the gold's in there, why isn't the crew there too? There's no lights, and I think if the crew was dwarves or half-orcs we'd have noticed before."
Nothing is heard besides the dripping of moisture from the slick walls into the stagnant water.
"So where the feck did they go? Something's happening here, and I'm not liking it a whit." The Taldan motions Dingus and Dibbets forward. "Let's see if there's a trail here."
Jim notes fresh scuff marks on the ancient wood on the suspended bridge. It is dilapidated, but sturdy enough to apparently have supported the ship's crew crossing over.
Jim shakes his head. "Looks like they came this way, but where did they go from here? Maybe more of those monsters in there, but there'd have to be a lot of them to catch all the crew at one go. I'm for going back and seeing if there are any other stragglers elsewhere in this place, resting up, and coming back here fresh."
Kaul eyes the rickety bridge with suspicion;
"Hur... Reckon ye'll be wanting me to shimmy across and check it out?"
The brute shifts forward securing Lopper and ready to make his way across...
Kaul steps onto the bridge ready to investigate just a little more while Jim urges caution...
"Not yet. Not until we're rested, or know more."
Kaul grunts in frustration at being called off the hunt.
Also frustrated at the lack of progress, Dibbs hobbles toward Kaul - slapping the grumbling thug with indifference as he passes:
:
Then shuffles painfully to Jimmer, backhanding some healing with equally trite verbosity;
:
"Right. Fresh, healed up an' ready tae go... We got a reckonin' tae see out Jimmer... I aim tae keep the appointment mate..."
The grubby oracle flashes a hard look at the tall swordsman, clear in his intent that they forge ahead...
Jim shrugs. "Feck it. Let's do this. Kaul, after you?"
Jim's reasonable suggestions carry little water with the addled crew. Kaul eagerly leads the way across the old bridge. The opposite end of the bridge is tied to two posts on a narrow path that hugs the cliff of black coral. Everyone now see the huge object looming level with the path. A mass of black coral lifts the derelict ship up from the water and seems to have penetrated large areas of the wooden hull. The shredded yellowing sails bear unsettling stains. The bow points toward you accusingly and is mostly free of coral. Still visibly painted on the old wood are the words- Fearsome Tide.
Kaul eyes the landlocked hulk with a no-neck nod;
"Redclaw's ship lads... as pretty a wreck as me! Hur-hur..."
"Any other ways out of here, Kaul? And Dingus, get ready to light this place up. Too many dark places for those land squids to hide in hereabouts."
Jim's paranoia grows. The narrow path along the cliff ends in a empty storage cave just beyond the ship. A narrow gangway leads up to the ship. Everyone's attention is pulled back to the ship though as a familiar form appears. Lanteri appears at the rail hands on the gun and rapier hanging at her belt. "I didn't think I'd see your crew again," she calls down.
She raises the hand from her rapier hilt. "Now before you draw your weapons, listen. I've come to parlay." Your former captain isn't holding a light source, you've got plenty of light for both parties, but there does seem to be a dim greenish aurora from the ship behind her.
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Dibbets takes measure of the woman that's just come over the railing and can't help but chuckle darkly at her combination of stupidity and audacity at expecting words to be able to see her safe passage from her present predicament. He proffers his seaworn, rusted and disturbingly dangerous musket in front of him adding words "Sorry lass, but she's already out like... an' I wouldnae trust yer feckin corpse tae work as a doorstop. Ye want tae waste words justifyin yer actions go right feckin ahead... but dinnae think ye gettin naught frae me but spite, spit and all tha feckin venom ye earned on yer own, by yer own."
To make point he lowers the bell end of his mighty iron wand to nest aiming for a nice gut shot, hoping the intent of the aim isn't lost... that is that the b1tch'll die slow if he had his choice. "So out wi' it... make me laugh afore we see exactly what sort o' sh1te makes up ye."
Lanteri frowns and her hand lowers to her side and sword. "I know you don't care for me and the feeling is mutual, but despite your actions, I think you've some friends among the crew and they're all in trouble."
Dibbets chuckles and corrects "Our crew... nei yours now lassie. We gots tha tub, we gots Handsome an we put yer bed-buddy Creed inna mud. Like I said, say yer words if ye got em... jus dinnae think it elevates ye above yer lofty position below bilge scum."
While Dibbets talks, Jim keeps a weather eye out for ambushes.
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As Dibbs' conducts the gunboat diplomacy, Kaul lurks at his shoulder limbering up for the nod to commence with the violence.
At opportune moments he flashes his jigsaw shark grin, but like Jimmer remains mindful of potential sideswipe;
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"IF there's going to be any crew to talk about, you'd better come below with me," your former captain replies.
Kaul detects no unseen menace.
"Explanation first. Make it quick, if time's so short."
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Lanteri looks supremely annoyed. "There's no time and I don't think I could explain it if there were! Hurry!"
Kaul grins and waves his axe at her;
"Hur... Chop-chop..."
Feck, I know how this works. Jim glares up at the woman. "Five minutes ago you didn't know we were here. If the crew's in trouble you should be in there trying to get them out, not out here waiting for passing sailors. Talk."
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