As you both speak with Walthus, trying to convince him it's a good idea for you to remain at his house overnight, you see an expression something like dismay begin to appear on his face. Along with it, for just the bat of an eye, you see something else as well. Something like a ripple slithers across his face, creating just the tiniest bit of distortion. In an instant it is gone, leaving you to wonder if you actually saw anything at all.
As Yuki and Talene both speak with Walthus, trying to convince him it's a good idea for you to remain at his house overnight, you see an expression something like dismay begin to appear on his face. He's trying not to be obvious, and controls it in a moment. But you get the strong impression that he is unhappy with the idea.
"Well.. You see that is not such a good idea really. The wolf you know, I'm terribly afraid of them, a bad experience in my past you see. He would have to stay outside, which may not be good. And besides that, I have lost one my my vipers in the house."
Walthus gives an embarrassed chuckle.
"She slipped out of my hand and was under the furniture before I could get her back. She's a touchy one, and a bit unpredictable. I wouldn't want one of you to get bitten in the night if she comes looking for warmth."
Tal turns to Yuki and raises an eyebrow hoping she picks up that Tal saw something not quite right as well.
"Well maybe we can all head back to town together and Father Krigley at the Temple can take a look at you?"
"But it's not like we could make our way back to the edge of the Marsh before the sun sets...so the wolf would need to stay outside either way...it's more of a question as to wether we would need to stay outside, as well.", Yuki attempts to convince Walthus otherwise:"We can't really make camp in the middle of the swamp, so we would probably settle down for the night in your yard. Which is probably home to a great many more snakes. I would definitely take my chances with a single on in your house, over everything else out in the Brinestump. I am sure we could come to some common ground, and work something out with Flax, like only bring him in here after you went to sleep yourself, and get him out before you wake? I implore you to reconsider!"
Yuki was not usually pushy, and Walthus seemed to state pretty clearly that he wanted them to leave. But the prospect of sleeping in the middle of a creepy swamp, with Goblins and worse things, and strange encounters even during the day, was unsettling.
One snake seemed no big deal over what likely lurked in the darkness, outside. And what she had seen, plus the fact that Talene also seemed to have taken note of something, did make her suspicious, making her want to keep talking with Walthus to see if it would happen again.
As Yuki makes her appeal to Walthus, he seems conflicted and uncertain. With a sigh he says "Let me think on this. In the meantime I will clear this away and fetch some food for you from the kitchen."
Walthus puts the teacups and pot back on the tray and carries them back to the kitchen. A few seconds later, you hear the crash of breaking ceramics and an "Oh my!" followed quickly by "Could one of you help me for a moment please?"
Tal calls out, " Certainly".
Still unsure of what is going on she cloaks herself in protection via a Sanctuary spell, then proceeds into the kitchen mouthing to her companions keep an ear out
You have just enough time to see this and realize you don't see Walthus as well before a small, horrible creature jumps at you from behind a rickety pantry. Although approximately Walthus' size and shaped like a humanoid, it is completely hairless and covered in mottled reddish and brownish leathery flesh. The truly terrible thing is its face though. The whole head is the same mottled coloration but, except for a mouthlike slit, it is otherwise featureless and blank.
You see it out of the corner of your eye and react instinctively to avoid it. With a noise something like a grunt and what seems like great effort, it carries through with a swing at you with its fist. Its attack is to no avail though as you are no longer where it expected to catch you.
The thing seems worked up into an excitable state, and yells in a gurgling voice "Volorog has taken this place as his own, and you will never get it from him!"
"Uh guys, unless Walthus was a creepy looking creature this is NOT him, help!" She calls out to her companions.
She uses Blessing of the Faithful upon herself and trusts in Desna's magic to see her through.
Moments after Talene goes into the kitchen to help Walthus, Yuki, Inari, and Mari hear several things. First, some sounds that seem to be some bumping and shuffling.
Then, an unfamiliar and agitated voice: "Volorog has taken this place as his own, and you will never get it from him!"
Finally you hear Talene call out: "Uh guys, unless Walthus was a creepy looking creature this is NOT him, help!"
The sounds from the kitchen continue, with something that sounds like wood being whacked.
"Any time guys!" She then calls upon an agent of Desna for assistance.
Mari was staring at her tea, humming and frowning as she wondered exactly why the tea was tasting so strange - but she was otherwise content to let the others talk to Walthus. However, when the ruckus started, she frowns, standing up from her seat and pulling her lucerne hammer out... and realising that a long hammer might be a little difficult to use in this small space. "I'm on my way!"
Inari scrambled, his longer legs moving him a bit ahead of Mari. The confines were already cramped, but his polearm was already in his hand as he'd been using it as a walking stick, and like the hammer, his weapon din't need a lot of swing room.
"Hold on!" he shouted.
Mari runs in behind Inari as well, holding her lucerne with both hands and wincing a bit. "This might be a bad idea... we don't know who or what else is in here!" Nonetheless, she moves to engage the first thing that wasn't Walthus or her friends.
Yuki is the slowest to respond to Talene's call, but she also jumps up and moves toward the kitchen door. With a dagger in her hand and behind the others, she has no opening to close on whatever it is "Walthus" has turned out to be.
The confined space at he door opening along with the crowded rush to it hinders both Inari and Mari's attempts to harm the thing assaulting Talene. Bad luck, or perhaps some physical debility prevents the creature from touching Talene.
As the rest of the group moves to the door, the thing's slit of a mouth opens and a long, snake-like tongue darts out for a moment. There is frustration, and perhaps some fear in its voice as it screams at you all.
"This house is mine! You will not have it!"
Talene is able to keep up her concentration long enough for her spell to trigger. Behind the creature a Celestial dog appears and attacks smiting the evil creature!
Bite Attack Smite/Flank -
Bite Damage
Talene then extends her Blessing to Inari
The celestial dog the suddenly appears behind the creature snaps his jaws at it, but the creature manages to move his leg just to time to avoid the bite. Cursing, the creature turns his attention to the newly arrived dog.
He bats at it with one of his fists, but the dog dances out of the way.
Inari glanced down at the spear, adjusted his grip and thrust again.
"What...Talene! I.." Yuki expresses as she realizes she can't get close to the thing with Inari and Mari blocking her way, swiftly moving around them and entering a defensive stance just as the creature prepared for another strike.
Do I even want to get close to this thing in the first place? "Who..no...what are you, even? Where's Walthus?"
The creature continues his assault on the summoned dog. Once again it avoids his fist by dancing out of the way.
Yuki, seeing an opening when the vicious creature turns it's attention to the summoned dog, shifts her weight to one leg, raising the other to deliver 2 fast kicks against the monsters back.
Just like in training...stay focused...
Mari hisses out a sigh and growls. She points her lucerne at the thing and proclaims in a loud, commanding voice: "By the authority of the Guard of Sandpoint and the Order of the Blue Rose, I, Mari Valeri, hereby put you under arrest under suspicion of kidnapping and attempted murder! Resist and we shall not be held accountable!"
She waits then, seeing how the thing reacts, readying herself for retaliation of any kind.
Talene uses her powers to grant to Inari greater skill in combat.
"Desna, guide my allies hand!"
Mari's lucerne hammer finds its mark. The spike atop it buries into the flesh of the creature's thigh.
Immediately afterward Yuki follows up an unsuccessful kick at the creature with a second that catches it hard in the stomach.
The creature howls with pain, and snarls in fear and frustration at finding itself hemmed in on all sides. It strikes back at Yuki, trying to ram into her, but she gracefully sidesteps. Once again the creature's efforts to harm the party come to nothing.
"What she said!" Inari barked with absolutely none of the authority Mari had displayed, and pretty much none of the skill either.
My first REAL battle...at least we outnumber this...what IS this?
Yuki, pumped full with adrenaline, continues to strike at the creature, but hastily so, and with little experience to rely on, and not enough power for fear of unbalancing herself.
Mari takes a step to her right to reposition and swings her polearm down upon the creature. The wicked hook of her lucern hammer drives through the top of its head, sticking there. The creature makes a brief shocked gurgling sound and drops limply to the floor.
Yuki's first kick misses as the creature slumps. Her second catches it it the shoulder, but by now she is kicking a corpse.
Combat Over!
Telene breathes a sigh of relief, "What manner of creature is that?"
"No idea...do you think that was the real Walthus? Is that why he decided to live out here?"
Staring at the limp body, Yuki begins to shake, slightly:"Did we....kill him?"