" Smoke-spewing birds! Two of them! "
Yvell shall try an find out what they are.
Yvell Inspires rage as a defensive maneuver
" Don't get too close these fiends are outer planes evil! Their breath plagues the mind! Phylla do they still think? "
"Right, I'll just pet the kitty then."
Phylla sends to everyone, "I can hear voices. Thinking. They want to eat. It is that simple." The plant creature moves closer behind Juxt and Valtyra, still thinking of what to do. Juxt moves behind Yvell and fires a shot at the nearest bird creature.
The achaierais move closer to Yvell and one breathes out black smoke all around it. Juxt covers her mouth from the strange gas and seems fine mentally afterwards, though her skin burns and melts.
Charging forward, the cat tries to charge towards Muga and sinks its teeth into him. Its teeth lock into Muga's stomach, refusing to be pulled out.
The kitty may desireth to not let go, but Muga bats it away, "Bad Kitty." Before starting his normal routine.
Grammanar moves around the room, but can't get a good shot at any of the enemies, and fires as precisely as he can at the cat.
Val casts a spell and a spear of light strikes out!
Yvell's blade glows red in his current state but the choice to calm it before meant that it did not have teeth that would shred flesh. Taking the situation into account, he swung twice at the beast in front of him. " Kill them quickly! "
Muga's attacks bounce of the rippling muscles of the small cat creature.
Grammanar's bullets pierce the edge of the open door and wall, but don't hit the cat at all.
Valtyra's magic burns the big headed bird, searing it with radiance. Yvell follows through, severing its gigantic head from its tinier body.
Juxt fires a pair of arrows at the bird in the back, while Phylla wobbles uselessly behind everyone.
The cat decides that biting into Muga is too difficult, so instead tries scratching him with four of its claws.
Moving forward, the bird-creature breathes a plume of acidic smoke at Juxt and Yvell.
Val sends a prayer to the heavens and healing light envelops the party.
"You know, cat, if Valtyra wasn't here to constantly heal me, I might have to consider whether I fear you. As it is..."
Perdix taps Grammanar again for Diviner's Fortune (+3).
Grammanar, still in no position to gain a line of sight to the bird, shoots at the cat again.
Yvell bites back against the smoke once more slash furiously with his blade. " Only once more in this room! "
Muga slashes through the tough meat of the cat creature, unleashing sprays of blood from its matted fur. It growls ferociously but doesn't seem near its death yet.
Grammanar's first bullet pierces a hole in the aurumvorax's paw. His second flies and barely misses the creature.
Yvell's chainsaw blade slices through the enemy's feathers and leaves bird flesh on the ground.
Juxt fires a pair of shots at the bird. They lodge into its neck and chest but don't penetrate very deeply. Her bowmanship seems lacking, as though she is distracted.
Phylla does nothing, wondering how long the fight will take, and sends her boredom through the link so that everyone hears her irritation.
The achaierai switches to a more physical method, biting and clawing at Yvell with its giant head and smaller claws.
Unleashing a purring roar, the aurumvorax digs into Muga again, not bothering to try to grab him with its claws.
Yvell takes a terrible wound that quickly starts to heal as he pushes back his voice loud and strong. " Damn Demon Birds. "
Yvell cuts upwards diagonally into another slice downward the opposite fashion.
"You're welcome to some kitty cat if you want to Phylla, it's just a slug match and the cat seems to be pretty decent. Dishes it out and takes it. Hah, I wouldn't mind a pet like this!"
Yvell finishes off the remaining bird. His first slash is knocked aside by the creature's beak, but then its head is split down the middle by the second attack.
Muga's critical strike slices down the feral cat's chest leaving a mortal wound, yet the creature continues to fight on despite its imminent death.
"It looks like its dead, Muga-servant. At least it isn't thinking about eating you anymore. I wonder why it is still moving..." Phylla sends, wobbling softly as though dancing.
Juxt moves in closer, ready to offer support if she can.
"It doesn't seem very dead to me, what with all the fighting on. But aright. Poor Kittycat didn't have the toughness to survive his taste in metal."
Grammanar, surprised that the cat is still alive, takes another shot.
Before the aurumvorax can rake Muga's face with its metal-shredding claws, Grammanar fires two shots into the kitty's muscled fur. It growls, blood streaming from a single shot through its head and brain.
It slumps against the samurai, much heavier than its small size would suggest.
"Alas, poor kitty, your simple motivations led you astray." Muga gives the cat that has post-mortem knocked Muga over and lain upon him a slight pat.
"Some assistance, please? It's rather surprisingly heavy. Maybe because it's diet was metal." Muga begins sliding himself out as best he can from underneath the cat.
Yvell wearliy pulls back his blade and sighs and his light wounds are gone. He nods in the direction north, " This place is also clear, I'll come and assist you Muga. "
He comes forth examining the creature Muga fought, confused at the size and musculature of the specimen. " You fought this? "
"No, we had a contest to see whether my sword or his claws were cuddlier. He won."
"I'd bet the lead I fed him slowed him down a bit," Grammanar points out.
"Yes, the lead seemed to have a negative affect on its digestion. "
Yvell quirks a brow... seeming not to catch the joke...
Until he does... which is starting to frustrae himself. " Ah! I see, a joke... purhaps I am getting tired? Ever since that last floor I've been getting Forgetful. Let's check this floor for anything.. important.. and call it a day. it seems Perdix and a few others are getting low on resources. "
"Too true, Grammanar, I might have won if not for you." Continuing the metaphor implied an unusual wording of a compliment.
On the prospect of rest, Muga seemed ready for it at this point. "Yes, I am running slightly low on the resource that is blood."
Yvell finds a mangled skeletal body in the room with the bird creatures. It is wearing an All Tools Vest.
Yvell finds this item and prays for the remains of the creature behind. " Alright then, we will head back towards Iadenveigh, one of the few safe areas. Regroup and refresh with the knowledge we have now, then examine the rest of this Tower. That way Muga can get some more 'blood' "
With that he leads the party out and to safety and respite.
"Heh, aright. Tomorrow, that ghost gets what's coming to him." Muge smiles, taking to his feet, a little unsteady now with adrenaline worn off, but still alright.
"You mean... for a second time?" Grammanar asks, unsure of how ghosts work.
"While we will likely dispel him again for a time, we need to find more information if we wish to permanently lay him to rest. "
The party returns to Iadenveigh, splitting up to do each person's business. When you return together, you find that Juxt is missing and a note is left in her room saying that "I will be back later."
"We'll figure something out."