Val, illuminating the cave with light from her sunrod, stays one step behind Zoresk. The shallow creek runs through the middle of the cavern to the east, while to the south a stony bank rises up from the water. Thick carpets of green and gray mold and fungus grow on the bank ahead, particularly around a trio of three-foot-high, foul-smelling mounds.
Before the party can go further, however, they are interrupted by four housecat-sized beetle burrowing up from the sand beneath them. Their dull-green carapace is brightened by a pair of glowing free-yellow spots and they chitter hungrily. Reaching out with powerful jaws, two of them manage to bite Zoresk and Ozymandias before the party can react.
Sarona snaps into action as the beetles erupt from the earth, drawing her hammer and swinging at one!
Unfortunately, her inexperience shines through as she misses wildly.
Lucrezia releases her sword form it's scabbard and swings at the beetle before her with all her might.
Skikkikkitikut still feels ill from all the water she swallowed, but tries to fight off the nearest beetle, and keep it away from Val.
"Small one, you would do well to move back!" Zoresk growls, his lips pulling back from his teeth as his words blend into a savage snarl. His knuckles erupt into the wicked claws, pulsating with violet light, as he tears into the beetle in front of him.
Adrien pulls his dagger from his belt, aiming to help take out the beetle between him and Lucrezia. He takes an awkward stab towards the creature, but his dagger slams into the dirt as the aasimar woman goes on the offensive. "Perhaps I ought to stay farther back..." he mutters.
"Moving to engage," comes the mechanical voice of Ozymandias, despite no call to arms being issued. He moves cautiously towards Adrien, keeping the beetle in sight. The whirring from before begins again as the large piston on his arm primes itself. As bits of oil and other fluid leak from his 'wounds', Ozymandias takes a brutal swing at one of the bugs. "You will not harm my master."
[/dice]
With a shriek, Val ducks behind Zoresk as the soulknife eviscerates a beetle, spraying goo in every direction. Ozy's blow lands true as well, splattering a beetle with a blast from his piston. The other bugs seem unperturbed by their losses and continue to attack, although they fail to hit Stickie or Sarona.
Sarona tries to hit the beetle with her hammer again.
Unfortunately, her foot slips in a damp patch of earth and her aim is wildly thrown off.
Insect viscera drips from Lucrezia's bastard sword, and she turns and moves to focus her next attack on the remaining beetle.
Skikkikitikut watches as her companions destroy most of the beetles, and makes one more attempt to kill the one next to her.
Rearing back, Ozymandias steps forward, bringing his piston straight down towards the ground, aiming to squish the large beetle against the rocky floor.
With another swing of her sword, the one-armed inquisitor finishes off the last beetle. Val peeks out from behind Zoresk. "You guys make this look easy," she comments, grinning.
Around the bend in the cavern is a strange sight. The stream continues towards the east. disappearing into a narrow gap in the wall. Thick carpets of green and gray mold and fungus grow on the bank, particularly around a trio of three-foot-high, foul-smelling mounds.
Sarona lowers her hammer and looks around. "Is anyone injured?" She asks, clasping her holy symbol.
"No," Skikkikitikut said miserably. "Didn't even get a...ktktktk...hangnail. That would have required touching one of them. I do think my stomach is starting to feel a little better, though.
Lucrezia briefly examines her person, and confirms that she is unhurt.
"I am fine. Thank you, Sarona." she turns and faces the mold mounds.
"That aside, what is creating that foul smell? I'm not much of a naturalist, but such a smell can't be natural, could it?"
Zoresk glances down at the wound in his thigh, as if noticing it for the fist time. "Bah. A mere scratch. I will be alright," he grins, flexing his wrists. Looking down at his claws, he opts to keep them out, for now, rather than waste the time to focus them again later. After all, there were likely to be more than a few beetles down here.
He then turns his attention to Val. "Are you unharmed, small one?" he asks gruffly, turning her by one shoulder to face him.
"I believe Ozymandias suffered a small amount of damage, but I am more than capable of repairing that on my own. Thank you though, Sarona." Adrien sheaths his knife at his waist again, looking around at the party. "It seems we've all come through relatively unscathed. Shall we continue onward?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Val replies, dusting herself off. "So, what's the plan?" she asks. "Head up that ledge or check out those mounds." The emphasis she places on the last word shows how little she wants to personally do the latter.
Sarona nods stiffly. "Very well, Zoresk."
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Val replies, dusting herself off. "So, what's the plan?" she asks. "Head up that ledge or check out those mounds."
"It is understandable that you do not find the prospect of investigating the mounds of mold appealing. Allow me to investigate them--preferably with someone watching my back in case another ambush is waiting." Sarona looks around at the others.
"Good, good. That is fine." Zoresk pats Val twice, absent-mindedly, on the head, before looking over his shoulder at Sarona. "
If you need someone to be watching your back, I will do this gladly; but perhaps it would be better for someone to be looking at other things while you are..." He briefly searches for the word. "Occupied?"
Sarona nods and starts investigating the three mounds.
The mounds of foul-smelling mold and fungus take moments to clear, revealing the partially decayed bodies of three halflings, one of the ill-fated adventuring parties to delve the Black Hill Caves. A cursory inspection of their bodies reveals a number of pincer wounds, likely a result of the fire beetles you fought earlier.
Any gear they might have brought with them is missing.
"We can leave the bodies here, and take them with us when we leave, if we are able to. Let us keep moving now." Zoresk shifts in place, waiting for the others to finish with the unfortunate remnants of the previous expedition.
Sarona blinks and sighs. "Very well."
She rises from her kneeling position and beckons for Zoresk and Ozzy to take point.
"Well, let's keep moving. We won't find Khonnir standing around sifting through piles of dirt." Adrien motions for Ozzy to move to the front, and the robot takes his place beside Zoresk.
"Well. Perhaps we had best keep our feet moving, mmm?" With a grunt, Zoresk begins making his way forward.