At being asked to spread out and, Lefty answers excitedly.
"Dee take the right side, I'll take the left!"
As you flank around, carefully entering the small clearing. You see a young female Korasha Lashunta leaning against a tree. Tylur is training his weapon around the clearing.
No other creatures seem to be in this small clearing, but the Lashunta woman looks up, obviously in pain. "Ah no. Please, by the Devourer, grant me death!"
You can see she is almost not able to move at all. Next to her is an open medkit, but it seem as if she didn't know how to use it. She looks swollen and there are seeping wounds on her. Small pierce marks on her side. It looked like she tried to use the medkit on it.
"Just kill me. Or I will yell! Don't try anything funny. I am armed!" You can see a weapon to her side, doesn't look like she can even pick it up.
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”As you command.” Dee replied, nodding to Tylur’s order. Weapon at the ready, the Elf-droid flanked out following the soldier's directions. ”How appropriate. Your wish to cover the left insinuates the self given nickname given due to the cybernetic limb.” she added, with a jolt of laughter before becoming deadpan serious again.
Raising her rifle, the Technomancer aims at the woman keeping her weapon at the ready. Waiting for the rest of her team to spread out around their newest obstacle. Looking her over, she focuses at the wound trying to see if that has any similarities to what attacked them earlier.
After training his weapon around the clearing and assuring no additional threats were present aside from the injured lashunta, Tylur finally lowers it and hunches down to be at eye level with the woman, tracing the dirt with the edge of his sword.
"By the Devourer, huh? he notes, "Lady, it appears there's already something devouring you from the inside. Death is on its way soon enough, but before it arrives, there's just suffering. We could put an end to that for you...maybe. But we'd need something in exchange first. Information. Who are you? How'd you get here? What are you doing here? And do you know anything about a Dr. Solstarni from the university who was abducted and brought here against her will?"
As he speaks, his eyes also wander from the open medkit to the woman's wounds, assessing them for the type of condition she suffered and treatment she had attempted.
Uncertain if it's the same disease Ahri contracted, Tylur gives a sidelong glance at Dee and Sybil, curious if either of them can tell...
Lefty's eyes go wide at the lady's situation. "Geez lady. I'll patch you up."
Lefty kneels beside her and attempts to use the medkit.
After getting started, he remembers that blasted needle beast and glances around the clearing.
The wound, definitely looks like the spine from the creature that got Ahri. It looks like a much further along with the disease.
While Tylur talks to her, Lefty walks up and offers a bit of aid. Though you are not sure if it will be any help at this point.
She looks over to Lefty then to Tyler "I don't want to be eaten from the inside..." She seems to break a little. Small tears welling in her eyes. Atennai drooping down. "My name... its Ralkawi. I cam with a group. Our leader is named Tahomen. And yes, we had Solstarni with us. I was told she knew something we needed."
She blinks long. For a second you believe she might have passed, but when she opens them.. they open very wide, she lets out a soft yell, "ah... Look out, its back!"
The strange plant creature falls from the treetops, dragging strange tentacles along the tree like organism to slow its fall.
Round 1
Lefty, Tylur, Ahri, Sybil <--
Monster
Dee
The halfling comes up along from the rear seeing real trouble at the present time... she keeps watch for the creature that likely did this to the woman...
Sybil looks at the woman wondering how far gone she is and is it worth trying or save, or doing as she wishes and helping her with a more dignified way of ding than by plant spores...
Sybil moves to a better vantage and than raises her rifle and and lines takes a shot at the creature, "C'mon Lady Luck... " and pills the trigger...
for
Lefty quickly readies his laser again and levels it at the beast.
"Die, vegetable!"
"Iblith!" Dee swore in the Drow Tongue. Lifting her laser rifle, she fires at the creature.
Snarling with anger, both at the beast having tracked them as well as with what it's done to Ralkawi and Ahri, Tylur spins and draws his azimuth laser handgun from the holster at the small of his back.
"Burn it down once and for all!" the soldier encourages everyone.
He fires once as he closes on the creature's location, brandishing his sword as he prepares to trim the weed when he arrives.
Ahri sees the creature coming, and through her exhaustion yells out "Come on, its there! Behind you all. You all got this, don't let this thing take another one of us!"
With her encouragement, Lefty, Tylur, and Sybil all hit the creature. Tylur's shot would have gone just a bit wide if Ahri had not chimed in.
The creature shrieks a strange guttural noise. Plants around it seems to writhe and heal up a bit.
With Tylur in its face it lashes out at him.
With the fight you see the creature starts to change. It seems to change in appearance. At first it seems random, but you notice it starts to change color into a similar color to Tylur. Its plant flesh seems to warp into stronger arms. It seems to look around the group a bit differently now.
Dee then lets off a great shot, the plant material starts to burn.
Round 2
Dee, Lefty, Tylur, Ahri, Sybil <--
Monster(22, burning - Next round 5 points)
"What are you?!" Tylur grimaces as he endures a solid hit from the plant and watches it take on aspects of himself. Determined to stop whatever transformation it's undergoing, he lashes out with two wide swings of his blade.
Sybil adjusts just a little and fires off another shot.
for
"Hang in there Tylur!" the halfling calls hope her healing skills will not be needed.
Lefty moves south a bit to get a vantage point that doesn't have Tylur in the middle, and he takes a shot.
A shot on the run that only burns a nearby tree.
"Ugh, wrong vegetable."
When Tyler yells at the creature’s face, it turns to him. Cocks his head as if it understands the words. Long sword swings down, first strike missing, but the second striking true.
Sybil's shot hits true.
Round 2
Dee, Lefty, Tylur, Ahri, Sybil <--
Monster(-31, burning - Next round 5 points)
Still sick on her feet, Ahri calls out to try to assist the group. Still leaning against a wall.
The creature seems to burn from Dee's blast. But as parts of it burn, others seem to grow and brighten from being chard into life again.
Bearling holding onto life, the creature continues its assault against Tylur.
The creature then shakes up dirt putting out the fire on its back.
Round 3
Dee, Lefty, Tylur, Ahri, Sybil <--
Monster(-34)
Seeing Tylur take another brutal attack and knowing that she needs to end this creature quickly and precicely she calls upon the aid of her Goddess. Gathering up energies, mostes of purlple starts surrounded in almost black appear, "May the Lady of Fates end you this day!" Three of the motes shoot out towards the ctraure swirling about and around Tylur to strike the creature solidly on three fronts.
{Tylur! NOO!}
Lefty activates his the tracking module of his exocortex and takes aim at the beast.
Tylur grimaces again as he can feel blood leaking into his armor from his new wound. Seeing the creature shrug off the flames and continuing to fight, he discards his laser pistol and focuses purely on chopping it back down.
Taking a queue from her Halfling crewmate, the Elf-Droid releases her own magic against the creature. 3 magical neon green missiles fly at their intended target.
The small purple blasts and neon green missiles flying from the halfling and android crashing to the creature. Tylur's blade slices down the creature's front half.
The tentacles of the creature blast inward. Shards of wood like material splinter outward. The creature girgles. Spirs forced out on to the ground in front of Tylur. All of which are covered by a green goo.
The creature is dead. It does not seem to be healing itself up anymore.
The clearing goes quiet, except for a soft wheeze from the lashunta behind you. Ahri leaning against a tree, breathing heavy.
{Can someone give me a hand?}
Lefty quickly puts his laser cannon away, runs to grab the medkit, and brings it over to Tylur.
"Hold still for a minute."
As soon as Tylur let's him, Lefty pops the medkit back open and gets to work.
Sybil moves forward... "It appears you have forgotten once again, Zhelaeuss..." she moves to Tylur's side...
Taking short of time in prayer and preparation before the human, she places a hand, bits of blue and purple swirl about his most nasty of wound caused by the creature, "By the Lady of Fate's will..."
"That should help, for a majority of your wounds." She turns to look at the creature a moment before looking at the victim they have happened upon.. and whispers to the others, "Can she be saved or is she lost?"
"Uh, that does seem familiar..." Lefty says, vaguely recalling her healing the exact same fellow not too long ago.
When Sybil asked about the diseased lashunta, Lefty replies "well, I didn't get to work on her properly, so I'm not sure; it looks like what Ahri got, but times a hundred. We can try. It just takes a few minutes."
"Thanks, Sybil. Figured you guys would have my back. That thing was pretty vicious. Maybe worse than the last plant we faced. Especially if it can do...that," Tylur nods at the diseased lashunta. "Seems like everything on this continent is out to kill us...and we haven't even caught up to Solstarni's kidnappers yet!"
Once the halfling has finished her ministrations, the soldier stands and stretches, testing the reknit tissues where the creature had impaled him. "That feels much better. Might be fully healed in a couple of days. I still need my wind back, though. While you guys treat our newfound friend over there, I think I'll take a breather..."
Before he steps away, he examines the medkit Lefty is holding, sifting thru the various supplies. "Try these...and maybe a couple of those..." he suggests, "Couldn't hurt and might actually help her fight off the infection. Might be worth treating Ahri, too."
After that, he eases his big body down next to a tree so he can rest his back against it and closes his eyes to rest.
After the battle completed, Dee keeps her rifle trailed upon the dying woman in case she tries anything. "I believe we still have a couple of things to deal with." She looked over at Ahri and then to the other woman.
"You interrogate, Dee. I'll... uh, accidentally help?" Lefty says, unsure of how much the treatment will hurt as he attempts to apply some anti-parasite drugs.
Lefty's tread wounds on Tylur doesn't quite work out. Now the group has a medkit.
Eyes barely open, the lashunta's soft voice raises a bit, "Please help me....". She seems sincere.
You can use Medicine to treat a creature suffering from a disease. This takes 10 minutes and requires a medkit, a medical lab, or a medical bay on a starship. Every time the diseased creature attempts a saving throw against the disease, you can attempt a Medicine check. If your result exceeds the DC of the disease, the creature receives a +4 bonus to its saving throw against the disease.
{I'll do my best.}
Hmmm, I wonder if she even has the strength to explain anything, this looks bad...
Lefty works painfully slowly on the collapsed Lashunta before giving Ahri similar treatment.
Sybil joins the two men in an attempt to aid their new companion and one of the kidnappers from the infection of the plant spores.
Once he's done all he can for the moment, Lefty packs up the medkit and stands up.
"Think we can bring Ralkawi with us? She'll probably just die without us."
You believe you gave the support to both Ahri and Ralkawi.. Though you are not sure if they will heal on their own. It will help, but their bodies still need to fight it off.
Ralkawi speaks out, "Thank you... I am sorry for the trouble. I am not sure what to do now..." She seems so weak and giving up a bit.
"Please, bring me with you. I don't want to die alone"
This seems very unlike a cult of the Devourer member. Seems unlikely that she is a devout member.
"Perhaps you can tell us about who you were traveling with?" The Elf Droid asked, her violet eyes locking with the woman. They were cold, calculated and unfeeling. Despite her elf-like appearance, it was her eyes that revealed the truth of what she was. Looking at her, Dee did her best to see just how sick the was?
"My friends I wouldn't trust her, for she is a devout follower of the Cult of the Devourer. Logic dictates it seems the individual we are after was taken by this woman's cult." Dee replied, she kept her rifle trained on the woman at all times.
"Well...we don't have to trust her to save her life," Tylur dryly comments after Dee shares her insights into the Cult of the Devourer, "We're not judge, jury, and executioner, after all...despite our little stint being deputized back in the city. The way I see it, even prisoners of war deserve fair treatment." The big soldier looks over at the weakened lashunta. "Not that that's what you are, Ralkawi."
He sits up and leans forward from the tree where he'd been resting. "Look, lady, we really don't know you any better than a vesk, now do we? But, as far as I see it...your friends...if that's what they ever really were...left you behind to die. Probably because they figured you were going to slow them down. And yet, here we are, making an effort to save you and Dr. Solstarni. So, I'd say that gives you a second chance. And yes, you could take that second chance and try to kill us or betray us or whatever."
He looks hard at Ralkawi and puts a bit more steel into his voice to get his point across. "I can assure you, that wouldn't go well for you. We don't go down easy. And if you want to die that way instead, it'll be the last choice you ever make."
"But...on the other hand...your second chance could be different than that. An opportunity at redemption doesn't come along all that often. And when it does, it sure doesn't last long. You gotta act on it if you're gonna make a change for the better. This is your chance. If we take you with us...and we somehow help you beat that infection...you can have a new lease on life, yeah? But what you do with it is up to you. I don't know what kind of family you've got...or what's left in this life that matters to you. But you might want to start thinking about that, and then use it to fuel your recovery. If you make it to the other side, maybe take a different path than the one you've been on. After all, it's what led you here in the first place, yeah?"
"It's fine, guys. She might not even be able to pick up a tiny little holdout in her current state."
Realizing what he just said about her weakened state, Lefty quickly says "OH" before searching through his pack for part of the team's food supplies.
"We can spare a Ready2Eat. Hungry?" he asks, holding up an R2E.
Sybil considers s moment and look s from Dee to the woman and back to Dee, "Ahhh... she looks to Dee in confusion... She is acting very un-cult-of-the-devourer-like of anything. If she is a part of said cult, she is not as devout as one should be..."
She looks to the woman and points at Tylur, "What he said." And gives a shrug.
"Let us move away from here... I am sure we will attract something if we remain by a fresh kill, even if it is plant based... is Sybil's suggest at moving on.
Listening to Tylur’s words, a long breath later, ”You are right. They left me here. There is a difference between seeing the entropy of the physical world, and wanting to die myself. Not sure my thoughts aline as well as I once thought, with my old group.. She coughs up some blood and strange fluid.
”If I survive this.. with your help. I have many things to rethink”
As you gather all of your supplies. Carrying the limp, but alive, Lashunta. As well as helping Ahri through the jungle.
You continue as far as you can for the day. Near the end of the jungle itself. You set up as much for the night. The night goes by without incident. In the morning, you check in on your 2 injured party members:
Ahri feels even worse. Her exhaustion has set in.
Impaired The victim is exhausted. Whenever she takes a standard or full action, she must succeed at a Fortitude save at the disease’s DC or lose the action and become nauseated for 1 minute.
Ralkawi, is doing even worse. On her side, where she was injured, a gaping wound can be found. It looks like the spore inside of her burst out and wriggled away in the night. She did not survive the incident and was likely completely passed out when it happened. Likely not feeling it as she died.
{S&$#...} is all Lefty can manage, hanging is head after seeing what's left of Ralkawi.
"You're going to be fine, Ahri." He says, with more confidence than he feels.
At finding the woman dead, Sybil takes a moment to say a brief prayer for her... she does her daily casting to renew spells for those of which day it is...
"Unfortunately we have lost Ralkawi." Dee replied finding the newest addition to their group dead. Watching others bow their heads, she did the same giving her respect to the fallen dead. Still holding her rifle at the ready, the Elf-droid didn't falter keeping a guard during their travels into the jungle.
Lefty helps out what he can with Ahri, hopefully her body can fight off the issue a bit more tomorrow morning. She can occasionally feel things wriggling inside her. Not a pleasant feeling.
"Unfortunately we have lost Ralkawi."
Tylur hears Dee's announcement and says nothing, his face an impassive mask even as he tightens his grip on his rifle. He glances at Ahri and notes her condition has visibly worsened, mentally gauging how much she'll slow them down and the odds that she'll meet a similar fate. 'This is why the kidnappers left Ralkawi behind,' he muses. His mind wanders back to similar times among the mercenaries on Akiton. One petty war after another between factions and corporations picked off friends and family one at a time. 'I guess that's the life of a soldier...even when I try to start over...'
"Sybil...Lefty? Keep an eye on Choi. Do what you can for her..." he finally states, "I'll see if I can dig a grave for Ralkawi..."
"Yeah." Lefty replies, terse. He takes out the medkit and takes another look at Ahri.
Tylur is able to get the body into the soil. It might not be the right continent, but there is something to be said about getting the body into the homeplanet of the individual.
As you move forward, a bit slow because of the injured party member, but with everyone's help, and with references the notes many times, the group makes it further along the path.
The jungle seems to stay dense here. According to the notes you should reach what the notes named the Plague Warden mid day tomorrow, if your pace stays steady.
The notes state:
“This massive stone figure is a reclining elven form covered in weathered boils. I suspect it is an effigy that served ritual purposes, such as absorbing the illness of some great king so he might live forever.”
"You think there's any truth to those notes?" Tylur asks, "If it absorbed illnesses back in the day...you know, with some kind of residual magic that we can still activate...maybe it could cure Ahri?" He looks at Dee and Sybil as the resident experts on spellcraft. "It might be worth checking out, at least. After all, I'm not sure how much longer that med-kit is going to last us..."
The halfing moves along with the others helping Ahri out as much as she is able. Once they finally stop for the evening she looks at helping the female Lashunta get some needed rest for the night.
After she prays to the Lady of Fates and casts a spell and than passes a special pill out to each of her companions, "Eat this and you will be provided with enough food for an entire day."
The woman looks to Tylur... "We will be able to check it out and see at this point it would be very helpful."
She will take the time to also cast another spell trying to locate the good Dr, from the information provided by the University and the Authorities. before looking to the heavens as the stars appear to know what she is in relation to that location...
Consuming the megavitamin Lefty shrugs. "Thanks, Sybil, it's better than the spongy trail-ration stuff at least."
Scratching an antennae he adds "illness absorbing, huh?"
He can't resist smiling as the implication dawns on him "I knew it! Ahri is gonna get better!"
Lefty (unjustifiably) walks with a bit more pep in his step as they trudge onward.