Sybil smiles to the halfling before turning toward the others.
"Is everyone ready to leave? We will be following the tracks left by the creature, and if we lose them, we will try to explore the cavern labelled on the map... I believe the two might be connected somehow."
The dwarf watches for a moment as the others slowly get ready, she then walks toward Avan, still practising his art.
"Mister Avan, are you ready to help miss Stormshard? Sybil does not give him time to answer before continuing: And, will you be ready to stay your attacks if the creature we find barely poses a threat?"
As she asks the second question, Sybil intently gaze into the man's eyes, trying to decipher his thoughts.
Apex spends the morning preparing her spells, and then writing a scroll of Identify for the ratling, which she gives to Sybil.
This... it's for the ratling. It's an identifying spell for magical auras, so he can't really do any harm with it.
She wrings her hands nervously, and then asks quietly
Are... you scared? I am... This thing we are going after... I have to stop it. It's my responsibility... But you don't have to come if you don't want to. I can't have any of you getting hurt because this thing wants my eyes....
At the last bit, her gaze shifts to Avan, for the briefest of moments. When her eyes return to Sybil, her cheeks become flushed and she stares at the floor embarrassedly.
Miss Sybil.... Do you.... Do you feel that Mister Avan is special somehow? Like... You couldn't bear to see him unhappy or hurt?
"Mister Avan, are you ready to help miss Stormshard? Sybil does not give him time to answer before continuing: And, will you be ready to stay your attacks if the creature we find barely poses a threat?"
As she asks the second question, Sybil intently gaze into the man's eyes, trying to decipher his thoughts.
Avan's right hand moved to his left shoulder and began massaging it "Yes I am ready to help Apex" He answered the first question despite hearing the second already come at him "Anything that is capable of sneaking past us, and is asking for someone's eyes is a threat" A curious look came over the martial artist's face "But you already know this" he crossed his arms in front of his chest and sat down in a crossed legged position "So you want an answer to something else but you chose to try and find it through asking another question" Avan yawned, and then looked at the dwarf lazily.
"Ask the question you want the answer to"
"Thank you miss Stormshard, let us hope that this will calm him down. Do not worry about us" she motions toward Dao as part of the We"going with you. We have been hired by the town to get rid of dangers that might reside in the swamp. This creature counts as one." she says with a comforting smile. She becomes more serious at the woman's last question. "He is a special man, in some way. However, he is hard to fathom... "
This girl is so young... so much less experienced than even these short lived humans... I will welcome the calmness of the lonesome trip to the jade empires...
Sybil's attitude changes slightly upon hearing Avan's answer. Her shoulders seem to sink a little, but the movement is barely noticeable. She searches his eyes for a moment, trying to find any sign of aggressiveness. Yet, nothing seem to appear.This man's emotions are hiddent so deep... makes me think of the people back at the mountain... she thinks before givin him a small nod and answering his question.
"I wanted to see whether you were ready to change your mind about the creature if needed. It is clear that you are not. However, mister Avan, threatening creatures are not always a danger. For example, take the goblins that we spared two days ago. Goblins are almost always destructive and dangerous (present company excepted). Yet, we spare them because they are most likely too fearful to cause any problems. We might find that the same thing is true for the creature that addressed miss Stormshard. I cannot make you change your mind, and I won't force you. But think about what I said."
"If it is truly as harmless as you think it is, then its explanation of its threats shall be quite unique" Said Avan, his tone serious despite how his words could be understood as sarcasm "You seem to think this creature is an exception, that while it was able to sneak past us and threaten us that it holds no ability to cause any real harm...I believe otherwise" Avan eyes did not waver from Sybil and his tone did not drop the weights of sternness it has bared "It will be intriguing to see, which of us is right...but if it makes an attempt to carry out its threat and try to take Apex' eyes, I'll insure that it won't see, feel or speak again" With those words Avan got up, and walked towards Apex, his pace surprisingly determined and uninhibited by his usual awkwardness.
"I'll be near" He said to the blue haired wizard, his tone somewhat hushed and peculiar, as if he had not planned exactly what he wanted to say.
At Avan's words, Apex's eyes quickly find the floor, and she squeaks out a
Thank you, Mister Avan.... I hope this isn't dangerous.... and that no one gets hurt...
"We're all hopin' that." Irnk adds, sidling by her as he makes his own way for the door.
Slinging his flail over his shoulder, he peers back at the others. "We going to keep burning daylight or are we going to finish this?'
Avan's eyebrow raises as he looks where Apex eyes were focused on, he tilted himself to the left in hopes of getting a better view of what she was staring at, but he saw nothing but plain floor Maybe you need to be versed in magic to see what she's seeing He though to himself, as he ran his fingers through his stubble. Then he remembered something, their walk towards Walthus' home, when he glimpsed a creature in the distance Could the creature that attacked us be the same creature I saw on the way here?
"We going to keep burning daylight or are we going to finish this?'
"Before we go" Avan waited for the whole group to gather and then gave a thorough description of the creature he saw, all the while trying to remember if there was ever mention of such a monster in the history texts he read.
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Avan remember an old tale he read, from before Varisia existed, and another kingdom ruled the land... Thasilion.
It was said that the Runelords had armies of monsters, born of sin itself. Creatures make of putrid flesh and evil will... horrible not only on appearance but on spirit... the Sinspawn.
For the description this could be one of this...
Which takes us to which Irnk remembers...
In the last time of troubles, some monsters pour out from BELOW Sandpoint, and had to be killed by heroes and guards, before the streets were safe again. The description of those horrors could match the creature you glimpsed before...
Apex tries to remember if she had ever heard of Sinspawn while at the Arcane College, or in her travels.
"They only came out the once...
maybe twice. This one's just the last of 'em still around." Irnk opines.
"We head for the cave as we were. If it shows up, we kill it."
"If it was that much of a threat, it wouldn't have been trying to separate us."
"The creature, it is the most important threat for now." says Sybil, slinging her backpack on her shoulder.
"Mister Avan, Irnk, do you remember anything that might help us fight this creatures? ... We follow you Mr. Proudstump."
"Yeah, I can remember something that will help us fight it. It follows us." Irnk rebuts.
"It likes to strike when it thinks we're weak & it is much better at hiding than we are at spotting. You want to catch it, give it a tempting target. We're more likely to find it if we head for the cave than if we try to track it."
If it needs a target, then... I... I can be bait. It's me it's after anyway...
Apex speaks, softly at first, and scared, but as her proposal grows, so does the courage in her voice.
I can... wander off alone, and draw it into attacking me, and then you all can catch it off guard... That way, the only person in any real danger is me...
She stands tall after she is finished speaking, the top of her head barely reaching Avan's shoulder, yet she still tries to look brave.
"That's not what I said!" Irnk snaps.
Roughly wiping his face with his hand, he continues. "Alright, it kind of is. But it's not what I meant!"
"If we continue on, presenting as though we are unaware that this thing is stalking us, we have a better likelihood than if we try to track it."
"We will just be prepared for when it makes an attempt."
After containing a sight upon hearing Irnk's response to Apex, Sybil gives her own opinion:
"Yes, a trap might be a good idea, we could set one up tomorow night. However, I will not let any of you serve as bait. No one... Today, I suggest we track the creature. If Irnk is right and it hid its track, we can make our way to the cavern and see whether it came from there."
Avan's eyes widened as he heard Apex offer herself as bait No, that is unwise, if we seprate we give it what it wants, we won't give it what it wants His hands formed into fists by his side, and he looked at them in surprise not understanding the surge of anger that went through him.
"Yes, a trap might be a good idea, we could set one up tomorow night. However, I will not let any of you serve as bait. No one... Today, I suggest we track the creature. If Irnk is right and it hid its track, we can make our way to the cavern and see whether it came from there."
"I agree, and if the cavern has its own perils we'd be hard pressed to handle both of them" Avan shook his head before letting his left hand rummage freely through his hair "How can it even be alive...?"
The cavern.... then. If it thinks we are going to its home, it may be more likely to attack us before we get there...
As she speaks, she runs a hand through her hair, letting shock of blue bounce onto her shoulder as her slender fingers pass through it.
But are we going to take that scroll to the ratling first?
"How do you know the cavern is its home?" Asked Avan confusion and curiosity clear in the stare he sent to Apex "I do not think we should botheer with the ratling, besides telling the sheriff about it when we return" A half stifled yawn came from themartial artist "Maybe it will give the sheriff a chance to depend on himself and not others to do his work for him" With a contemplative look Avan leaned against the wall.
"A sheriff's job seems simple enough in Sandpoint, maybe I should ask the mayor to let me be sheriff instead"
"Oh, for!.." Irnk rolls his eyes as Avan attempts to add forsworn and avarice to the company's list of flaws, "I'm leaving, do what you want!"
Hefting his gear, the goblin makes his way out the door before eyeing the surrounding swamp & then heading down the trail.
"I think we've just lost our goblin" Commented Avan as he looked about the group.
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You all follow Irnk, and go south toward the place the map says you will find the cave. After a couple hours march under a light rain you arrive at the southern edge of the marsh.
A fifty-foot-high cliff rises along the marsh’s southern border, its face a thick tangle of jutting rocks and bright green vines and nettles. A curtain of these thick nettle vines partially conceals a cave opening at the base of the cliff.
From the outside the cave ceilings seem about 7 feet in height at the most, and moisture constantly drips down from above to make slippery puddles and rivulets in the floor. Some 10' into the cave complete darkness falls inside.
Brinestump Caverns map
"How well can you see in the dark?" Irnk mutters aside to Galford as they peer into the gloom of the cave.
"Does anyone have a torch? If not, Irnk, miss Stormshard and I can scout ahead."
Scrubbing his head in a combination of frustration & resignation, Irnk sighs. "Awright then. I'll edge ahead 'til you can only just make me out," looking to Sybil, he continues. "Once I'm about as far as you can see, give a clap or some such & I'll stop."
"Give another clap as you start to follow along carefully behind and I'll start up again." His gaze directed at Apex now, Irnk explains further. "Once you can only just still see her," his thumb points to Sybil, "you give a clap, an' she'll stop & give me the signal to stop as well. It's not great, but it should at least give us an idea how far in this place goes."
Watching the others closely to be certain they understood, Irnk then turns & proceeds cautiously into the cave, his flail at the ready.
Sybil seem happily surprised to see the tengu take out a torch.
"Perfect preparation Dao! Although your plan was well though Irnk, I think it will be safer if everyone comes along. Mister Avan, would you mind taking the lead with Irnk? Miss Stormshard and I will follow and mister Proudstump and Dao will watch the rear." as she fall in line, the alchemist takes out two vials, one in each hands .
Pausing at the vines, Irnk turns back to the others. "These things are...
well, not dangerous, but they've got a toxin'r some such. Should probably hack 'em away."
Apex eyes the interior of the cave dubiously, and takes her spot in the marching order. The breeze that usually plays about her is still, a testament to the determination of the usually shy mage. Her grip on her staff is tight, and she stays close to the center of the group as they move.