Redtooth bows upon hearing the name of the kobold's Scrapgang. "Your gang deserves a banner to rally your allies against the Lords of Rust. We will work on it tonight while you destroy the receiver." She gives the resigned Whiskifiss a backpack with materials to help with the mission and wishes good fortune to all.
The ratfolk guards give the all clear signal and Whiskifiss leads the warband back out into the night. His route follows the great wall of metal refuse until he stops to mess with a piece of a barrel that swings aside to reveal rough steps leading upward. Several stories up into the wall a passage leads on for perhaps a mile or so before another secret panel leads out of the wall near the top. Weaving through bars and chunks of twisted metal like battlements along the crest, the band moves toward a dark mass perched high on the wall. Whiskifiss identifies it as the Receiver and glances around at the moonless sky above nervously.
The group continues forward until they can clearly see the big bowl standing on thin, metal legs with a post in the center pointing toward the starry sky. The stench of carrion is strong here and scattered bits of the rotting carcasses of small humanoid creatures are scattered around the landing. At the back end a wide low cave entrance is seen.
Whiskifiss pulls off his backpack and rummages through it finally removing a deice and what appears to be bricks of clay. He whispers nervously glancing at the cave. "No cat so far. Good. Tk-Tk. Redtooth gave me this for demolishing the tower. Tk. This stuff explodes when the device is activated, but I'm not sure where is the best place place to put it. Tk."
Perrik runs a practiced eye over the area, then points to a location on the tower. "That will be the best place."
Jeji, do you think you can climb up there and place the device? We will cover you as best we can, and if the "flying cat" shows up will do our best to distract it from you.
Drahlneep ensures the brace of Smoker pistols are loaded before telling Jeji, "Be careful. If you have a way of going unnoticed, get it ready."
;
Jeji moves up to one of the legs looking up at the crossbars overhead which Perrik has indicated. She starts to shinny up, but has trouble at first just barely getting off the ground. She puts in maximum effort and makes headway grunting with the hard work until she finally gets to the point. She begins packing the clay around the indicated spot when Whiskifiss gasps back on the ground. He points to a pair of glowing eyes in the cave and chokes out, "The Cat-k-TK."
Kobold darkvision reveals a horrible form step out into the night. It has a horrible bearded human face with a great mouth lined with rows of sharp teeth. The head is stuck on giant cay body with dragon wings and a long heavy tail that ends in javelin-like spines!
Perrik:
Kricker: ;
Drahlneep:
foe:
The creature leaps into the air and with a lazy flap of its great wings lands atop the receiver. It flicks its great tail and a volley of spikes flies toward the group of kobolds below. Four of the dire spines whistle down: two embed in the ground and one each pierces Kricker and Drahlneep.
Yeouch! May Gorum enable us to smite our enemies!
Hah take that, beast, your puny attacks have no lasting effect on us!
"Dragon's cunning guide us all!"
Perrik calls for guidance while Kricker channels energy to bolster the kobolds.
Drahlneep hisses with pain as the spike passes through the meat on his thigh. Before he can worry about the wound, the warmth of Kricker's healing stops the bleeding and regenerates his scales.
He pulls his shield up to deflect the spines should they come his way and readies to fire at the beast the moment it is in point blank range.
Whiskifiss yells as he leaps off the retriever landing, "Jeji! Come Fast! Tk! Take cover, All!" He holds the detonator up.
Jeji finishes setting the explosive and drops off the scaffolding under the big cat. She easily lands on her feet and dashes after Whiskifiss. The big cat roars and launches another volley of spikes at the remaining kobolds. Kricker and Perrik are each hit once as Drahlneep deflects one off his shield and the other embeds into the metal at Kricker's feet.
Drahlneep hisses, wishing the cat would make it's move. It wants to soften us up. He grunts and moves to protect Jeji and the rat with the 'detonator' item.
Gorum, bless us with your presence!
Perrik dives for cover, following Kricker.
Perrik and Kricker follow the ratling's lead taking cover beside then and aiding each other with healing from Kricker and a shielding spell from Perrik. Whiskifiss chitters excitedly as he triggers the detonator. There is a deafening explosion and a cloud of fire and smoke engulf the receiver array and monster cat. + The leonine mutant leaps off the structure just as it blows lessening the direct impact, but the tower topples behind the creature leaving a mound of twisted metal. The winged cat-man lands awkwardly and roars in fury as he rushes the clustered kobolds.
The kobold oracle casts one more bolstering spell on Kricker, imbuing his greatsword with powerful magic to the ruin of the manticore. "Kill it quick!"
Moving out and away from the others, Jeji closed on the giant, flying, cat-faced monstrosity. She pulled a bomb out of her bandolier as she moved and once close enough, hurled it at the face of the creature.
Drahlneep fires as the great cat charges grazing it. Jeji dashes away to the side and throws her bomb which hits the mutant monster lighting the darkness with a fireball and eliciting another roar of pain and rage from the beast. It halts and flicks its heavy barbed tail at the kobold sending another volley of spines. Two hit Jeji and two sail past into the night.
Perrik powers up Kricker's big sword so it thrums with power and energy.
Kricker casts Bull Strength on himself and readies himself to intercept the beast.
Kricker continues to buff himself up and Drahlneep runs over to provide Jeji with cover.
Grimacing at the pain from the spikes, Jeji looked down at her leg to see one of the spines still imbedded in her thigh. She hobbled forward a few feet and pulled a new stick out of the folds of her bandoliers. With a quick prayer to the dragon below, she hefted the wand at the beast and released the energy stored within.
Jeji draws a wand and sends a beam of coruscating gray light at the great cat creature. It hits and the mutant gives a croaking roar as it oddly feels slightly weakened. Turning its fury on the kobold it leaps high into the air and lands on all four paws lunging forward... to catch the edge of Drahlneep's shield which is suddenly imposed between the deadly teeth and Jeji!
Whiskifiss stays at Kricker's side drawing his shortsword and urging the kobold forward to attack the big monster from behind.
Having boosted the party (and being unable to get close enough to Jeji to cure him while the CAT still breathes), Perrik draws his crossbow and shoots the great beast!
Kricker charges (if available) into battle with the great beast!
Gorum's hand smites you!
Perrik raises his crossbow and fires a bolt into the creatures haunch ahead of Kricker's ferocious charge, The killer kobold hack his great sword into the monster's flank slashing through bone and vital organs. The horrible man-cat howls in pain. Whiskifiss follows dodging the great spiked tail, but misses his jab.
Now that they had engaged the beast, Jeji moved up to the creature slowly and deliberately. She picked each step carefully, trying hard to avoid it's attention as she stalked up next to it. She knew she had to get into an advantageous position to help the others and possibly distract it, so she picked her spot and focused on getting there.
Drahlneep lets the spent pistol drop to the ground and pulls the other loaded one out.
He can tell instantly it was a poor shot, and blames the Smiler's for their cheap TEK.
Jeji's shortsword streaks across the front leg of the beast.
Drahlneep`s shot grazes the mangy hide and Jeji's slash targets a tendon causing the man-cat to collapse forward. Its eyes roll up and a bloody tongue lolls out of its mouth as it succumbs to all the cumulative damage it has sustained.
By Gorum's iron beard that was well struck all! Whiskafliss, do you know if this beast had a lair around here anywhere? We should loot it before everyone else figures out it is no longer a threat.
"But let's hurry, the racket from that explosion is going to attract attention and we want to save as much as we can for their arena."
Whiskifiss seems shocked that the group has killed the cat. He blinks at Krciker while his brain processes the question. "Tk-Tk. Yes. Right here." He walks around the twisted metal of the fallen receiver to the gaping hole dug through the wall of scrap metal and wires. Whiskifiss leads the way out of the night and into the cave-like dark.
Inside, the room inside reeks with carrion and cat. The creature has made a nest of the rotting corpses of small rubbery things- Whiskifiss calls them Chokers. Kricker's magic sight orison reveals two magical items in the mess: an axe and a ring.
"Oooh, what's that?"
Perrik glances around for other exits from this place, perhaps too small for the terrible CAT but correctly sized for kobolds and ratfolk.
Jeji finds some new kind of gun among rotted carrion, Drahlneep a tarnished silver armband with pearls, and Perrik spots a small cold iron dagger near the stairs that lead downward.
"Here Drahlneep. I think you can use this" Jeji said as she offered up the gun she had found.
"So what now?"
"This way. Tk-Tk!" Whiskifiss chitters excitedly. "The Thrall's hideout was below. May be lucky and find more gear." The ratling leads the way down the stairs, but way below ends in a wall of scrap. His whiskers droop as he turns and shakes his head. "Oh no. The explosion collapsed the roof. Tk. Everything is buried now." Returning outside to the ruins of the receiver and the big, winged mancat's corpse, Whiskifiss seems to have a thought. "There is another place that may have good TEK still. Down there at the far end of the Scrapwall. Haunted ruins that no one has touched. Tk-Tk. Probably good stuff there. There's still time to take a look."
How are you doing for spells, Perrik? I am concerned that the beast mave have used up too many resources to safely engage another area, especially if it is haunted. I'll probably need all of my channels for that.
"I still have most of my power left. More TEK would be good for the fight tomorrow."
Then, lead the way noble rat.