Faliana decides that Monty is right, and the flames are not going to extinguish easily. She quickly log rolls to the side, splashing into the muddy bog. A moment later she comes up sputtering to her feet, foul water dripping from her mouth, and foul words lurking on her tongue!
Brady is more concerned about the last of the zombie's helpers, as he steps forward and throws a couple of quick blows at the remaining python. On misses wildly, but the second is enough to send the serpent into a writhing fit, before he too goes silent, and immediately sinks into the boggy earth leaving only a few bits of mulch and a couple of sticks where it used to be.
The zombie looks around, its thoughts unknowable, then suddenly a dark nimbus starts to form around one of its hands. It steps towards Dale, then right off the edge, into the bog, disappearing completely from sight beneath the surface.
Dale looks around worriedly, but the surface is too disturbed, and water too muddy to see anything at all! He tries to pull himself out of the water, but suddenly feels a sharp pain on his calf, as claws run down it, tearing at the flesh . But that's not the worst of it, as his entire body starts to sieze up at the touch!
- Round 4 ----
Party is up!
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Faliana's jaw drops for a second as the thing disappears. "Shit, shit shit, Monty you're right, I should get out of the water!" She scrambles on shore and dives for her longspear, holding it across her body as she scans for the damnable thing.
As the healing wave of energy washes over her, closing her wounds, Faliana gives a small sigh of relief and pats the little guy on the head. "Thank-you, Tad, you're a lifesaver as always!"
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As his ribs knit together from Tad's spell, leaving him with just the remaining superficial damage, Brady takes a much needed and very welcome deep breath. His eyes scan the water where the zombie disappeared, trying to formulate any strategy for an attack.
His eyes move across Dale's unmoving body as he looks for any sign of the zombie. Where is that thing? What's it doing under the water? Why isn't Dale getting out?
"Why isn't Dale getting out of the water!!!" Brady rushes over to the waterside and begins trying to pull Dale onto the dry(er) land.
Dale suddenly finds himself unable to move, standing chest deep in water and with a hostile creature somewhere nearby. Monty rushes over hoping to draw its attention from Dale, but as he gets near, he suddenly starts gagging almost uncontrollably. The stench of rotting corpses and death is so strong near Dale, that it is all the vanaran can do to keep from puking.
He lamely tries kicking at the water where he last saw it, but to no avail.
Faliana, realizing that if the zombie is in the water, she probably doesn't want to be, quickly clambers out, picking up her longspear from where she left it, and looking around at the murky water that could be hiding anything!
Tad takes a more practical approach, using the last of his healing power for the day, to send a pulse of healing energy through everyone. The energy is enough to remove the weariness from those who had grown fatigued from the late day, and enough to stem the worst of the wounds suffered to that point... though no one remains unscathed.
Brady realizes that Dale is not getting out of the water! That whatever happened to him prevents him from doing so, and rushes over to help haul him out. He too is accosted by the stench emanating from the alchemist, but having seen Monty's reaction, he is better prepared for it and manages to keep his stomach under control.
He reaches out a hand for Dale, but Dale does not reach back, and he realizes that he can't move at all! So he grabs a hold of his tunic instead, intent on pulling him out. But no sooner has he gotten hold, when something pulls at Dale from the other side. Something with far more leverage, far stronger, and a better grip.
With a splash, Dale suddenly disappears from sight, only his hat left floating where he was standing only moments before... and even that listing to the side as it slowly takes on water.
Brady is forced down to his belly to maintain his hold, but he still has a grip on someone! On the far side, there is a momentary swirling in the water, as if something were moving just below it, but then it merges with the rest of the surrounding swamp and you lose sight of the zombies location once more.
- Round 5 ----
- Round 5 ----
Party is up! Dru gets to do two things!
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Dru rushes into the water, ready to strike if she locates where the undead (probably) is
Dru tries to strikes again, but sends water everywhere
The blonde warrioress kneels into the muddy waters, and helps Brady into his tug of war game to save their favorite (not as if they had the choice) alchemist- and without breaking any limbs if possible
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Faliana, deciding that there are probably enough people crowding around Dale and his hat, stays close to Tad just in case the little one gets targeted by invis-zombie.
She takes a moment to think about what to do if the invisible enemy tried to start attacking her and readies her spear to handle them just in case.
Glancing over at Monty, a worried look crosses her face, in a gentle coaxing voice, she suggests, "Monty, dear, I know that pattern of hairs being raised on your back from when you ate that bad banana. Can you pass Dale's hat here before he gets pissed you puked all over it?"
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Dru jumps directly into the water, trying to locate the undead creature before it can do any more damage to Dale. But not knowing where it is exactly, all of her swings prove to be wasted effort. Having already tried that tactic, Monty instead scoops up Dale's hat and stands ready to fend off the zombie through his nausea, while Faliana moves over near Tad, pondering the best ways to hit enemies she can not see.
On the edge of the swamp, Brady manages to keep his hold on Dale's tunic, and heaves with all his might. There is resistance at first, then a pathetic mop of mud bedraggled hair, then Dale's head, then the rest of him, as he is hauled out, his entire body looking entirely awkward, as if he were trying to stand while laying down.
The foul stench gets even worse as he is extracted, Monty nearly losing his cookies again. Faliana and Dru both find their eyes watering up from the smell, though manage to deal with it.
No one notices the slight disturbance in the swampy water off to the left, or the zombie as its head rises out of the water, layers of algae caking the side of its withered head, making almost perfect camouflage.
It isn't until he fully rises from the water, hurling yet another small blackened organ, that the warning goes up... too late! It lands directly on top of the Brady , as he finishes hauling Dale out of the murky mire, covering his entire back in greenish flame, that then explodes outward, hitting everyone else!
Tad manages to get off a fistful of flame, but the explosion throws his aim off just enough, that the flames strike the water right in front of it, sending up a small burst of steam quickly lost in the mists.
- Round 6 ----
Drusilla (-18)
Faliana (-4)
Brady (-25, on fire)
Monty (-4, sickened)
Tad
Dale (-5, paralyzed)
zombie (-10)
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Dru attacks the zombie, if only to protect her friends, delivering an almost perfect skull-crushing blow.. and hoping the water won't cause her to miss
Save Dale, I got this one. Or at least I'll try
The blonde warrior shows her skills, courage and dedication once again, bringing the battle to their evasive and dangerous foe
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With your undead foe revealed once more, everyone leaps into action!
Or inaction, in Dale's case.
Drusilla, already waist deep in the mire, pushes her way forcefully through the water to close in on the creature, before it can disappear again. Monty takes the quicker route, leaping off the hillock into the water right in front of it with a giant splash. One hand, lashing out in a lightning-quick strike, fingers extended rigidly. The nausea in his stomach makes the blow far less deadly than he'd intended, but it is still enough to cause something inside the zombie to crack.
Tad tries hurling another flaming missile, but with his target in the water, and all the new bodies in the fray, he finds it even harder to hit now than it was before. The flame hits the water yet again, and this time, no new flame reforms in his hand. Beside him, Faliana hurries to assist Monty and Dru, though is able to keep dry(ish) land beneath her feat as she does so, the long reach of her spear more than capable of reaching without her jumping back in. She has a hard time spearing it though, with most of it under the murky surface of the bog.
Dale, who could only watch helplessly as the flames splashed over him, does get a good view of Brady as the latter rolls about in the mud beside him... quickly extinguishing the flames on himself.
The zombie turns its hateful gaze on Monty, after the vanaran manages to strike it. Again the dark nimbus seems to form around its claw before it rakes them across Monty's unprotected chest! Luckily for Monty, the same muddy water that's making it difficult to strike the zombie, seem to do the same for the zombie trying to strike him, slowing the incoming nails just long enough for him to push himself back before they can make contact. Despite avoid the undead's touch, you still see the blackened energy around its hand, ready to try again!
- Round 7 ----
Party is up!
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Brady begins to stand, coming up first to just one knee. "Mmmmmrrrrr" he groans as pain erupts from all over his body, burns, breaks, and abrasions all yelling out simultaneously. He pushes through the pain, gathering himself to stand completely, then wastes no time grabbing Dale and starting to drag him towards Tad and the away from the water.
Brady hauls the paralyzed Dale the rest of the way, dumping him unceremoniously in the mud in front of Tad, who is still trying to hit the zombie with his missiles of divine flame to no avail. The reason he's having such a hard time connecting, is the chaotic melee happening not far away, Dru and Monty and the zombie all splashing about in the swamp.
The former is having some difficulties swinging her weapon in the murky mire, hitting more water than zombie at times, but Monty's strange fighting style appears to be serving him better, his lightning fast strikes penetrating the water easily, to strike the zombie over and over.
Unfortunately, he is still having a problem with the nausea, and none of his blows have quite the power he was hoping for. Still he chips away a little more of its desiccated flesh, and keeps its hate-filled eyes looking his way. Even after Faliana, still standing on land and out of the water, manages to spear it from above, the zombie still seems focused on the vanaran.
The zombie again reaches for Monty with its withered hand, whatever foul magics it holds causing it to pulse with a sickly black glow. But again, Monty is able to splash out of the way just in time... though he gets a mouthful of foul water for his efforts, that only serves to bring his nausea to the fore once more!
- Round 8 ----
Party is up!
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Faliana smiles as she gets a good solid hit on the thing. "Finally gotcha!" She then gives a frown as it goes after Monty. "Oh, bastard! Don't you dare go after my sweetie!"
She takes a moment to re-grip her weapon and think about how to try brining this thing down better!
She then tries to stab the monster again.
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Brady catches his breath as he stands near Tad, and looks back towards the zombie, hoping that the others had already taken it down. Everything hurts! Can I really risk it? The right blow would take me down...
He shakes his head as he tries to think of any good reason to stay back--if even for just a moment. The javelin! "Yes!" he blurts as he quickly retrieves it. He hefts the crude weapon but finds that, though ugly, it was well-balanced. This will work!
He draws back and waits for a clear moment in the melee, then launches it forward with all of the might he can muster.
Fighting in a swamp proves far more difficult than anyone had realized, as everyone has trouble targeting the zombie creature while it is standing in it. Both Monty's blows do little more than splash water in its face, Faliana's spear thrust proves little better, the dim light, splashing water, and chaotic press of combatants making it hard to even see who's who.
Dru tries desperately to smash the thing with her home-made morning star, but suddenly has other problems... whatever method Monty and Tad used to bind it, proves not quite up to being constantly submerged. Some of the straps and bindings holding it together start to come loose. The entire head of the weapon begins wobbling on its bone haft, not only throwing off the weight and her aim, but making it far less effective to use!
Brady seems uneager to leap into the swamp with the rest, especially given the damage he's already taken. Not without recourse, he fishes out one of the obsidian javelins, and instead hurls that! Despite everything, his aim is pretty good, and he clips the zombie across the left side, creating a long tear across its arm.
Behind him, Tad seems to be having a hard time, the little grippli suddenly overcome by waves of nausea as the stench coming off of Dale proves almost overwhelming. Still, he attempts another wild shot of flame at the undead foe, but it goes well wide of the target, the melee and water and press of bodies making any chance of hitting it slim at best! He doesn't even notice when the stench seems to fade, the damage already done.
Dale doesn't notice either, as he never really smelled any of it... but he does notice that some feeling appears to have come back to his arms, cold wet clammy feeling, but feeling nonetheless. In fact, he's pretty sure his legs are starting to function again too. With considerable effort, he is able to pull his face out of the mud where Brady left him, and he wonders if he can get all his errant limbs working in concert enough to get back to his feet.
Unable to strike the quickly moving vanaran in the water, the zombie shows it is not a mindless force like others of its ilk. It turns its ire towards the only other nearby target, Dru. It reaches out and places one clawed hand on her armor, the dark nimbus surrounded it seeming to flow off its hand and into her chest! Right away, she can feel its foul magic flowing through her, trying to immobilize her on the spot!
- Round 9 ----
Party is up!