Once again, you move around the room without knowing what to do or how to handle such annoying little pests. Heavy tries to hit the ratling atop the shelf, but the shelf itself stops her attack. Tattoo has no better luck, as her bullet sling goes wide.
While distracted by the northern ratling, Tattoo feels pain on the back side of her left thigh, where she finds the missing ratling... even when it removes its tiny and sharp teeth, blood keeps running from the wound. In unison, Goggles attacks the ratling and Reaper dazes it... Goggles' attack misses once more, but the pest is now drooling.
The other ratling steps back and disappears as it moves through an invisible door, just to reaper by Tattoo's side, flanking her.
Ratlings
Alenka - up
Jenni - up
Cerio - up
Edrick - up
Mira - up
Lucius - up
Lucius takes a peek inside the room. He yells at Tattoo, "Come here. You need to wash that wound quickly. I can help you."
He then sees the mass of rats, some bloodied, some not, and quickly closes the door.
When Tattoo feels the teeth sinking into her leg her mind reacts reflexively, as it has before. A blur forms around her lower half as it almost seems for a moment like she has four legs. The ratling's teeth get pulled over to one of the shadow legs and it feels like some of the pain subsides. Still feeling a bit vulnerable being surrounded, she takes a step backwards and sideway. Hearing Lucius, she replies, "Alrighty. I'll be right down...as soon as I deal with my...uh...current situation."
Pulling out a dagger from her waist, she slashes in an arc in front of her trying to cut the adjacent ratling, staring the creature down all the while.
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Heavy swore in frustration. She'd never be able to catch up with the ratlings at this rate. Dropping her sword, she pulled her crossbow out instead and loaded it with a bolt. The weapon was less satisfying than smashing things with a sword, but if she was going to help Tattoo, she has to be smart.
"Hold still!" she shouted, as much to Tattoo as to her foe.
Bringing her cleaver around to chop at the creature, Goggles tries to attack the dazed ratling that is within her reach.
"Oi!" Reaper ducks his head quickly as Heavy's crossbow bolt whistles over his head, the air from it rustling his hair. "You ever shoot that thing 'afore?! Here..." Reaper spits into the palm of his hand before patting it onto Heavy's shoulder. "Spit's good luck. I think."
Both Goggles and Heavy chastise the shelf a bit more while Creepy stands by, ready for the eventuality of one of the ratlings to come close to him. With her dagger, Tattoo tries to stab the creature but also misses her attack.
While one of the ratlings remain dazes, the other stares Tattoo menacingly... but nothing happens. Frustrated, the ratling moves closer to her.
Ratlings
Alenka - up
Jenni - up
Cerio - up
Edrick - up
Mira - up
Lucius - up
Looking down at her ankle, which seem to be bleeding quite badly, Tattoo frowns. Ah...that's what the professor meant...but I still can't really get to him with this thing on top of me...
However, despite the danger of the situation she lets out a scoff as the tiny creature stares at her menacingly. Holding its gaze, she stares right back. Snarkily, she mutters, "To quote a new friend...You're doing it wrong." Gripping her dagger tight, this time she thrust forward with the weapon, staring the creature down the entire time.
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Lucius once more opens the door and peers to the other side. His swallows hard to keep his meager meal down.
"Will you all get over here! I'm sure there's another way out. Those rats are going to eat you!"
Reaper growls in annoyance. "For hell's sake, just die already!" He leaps down from the table, running to the edge of the bookcase and trying to impale the ratling with the tip of his scythe.
Creepy continues to guard the western bookcase, sure the little creature will appear at any moment...
Goggles knew she was getting no where trying to hit the ratling from below. She moves around the bookcase to the ladder and begins to once again climb in order to help out Tattoo.
Frustrated by her lack of success, Heavy took her anger out on the rats at her feet. Grabbing her sword again, she stomped and sliced her way through the first dazed group, hoping to prevent them from ever waking up.
Frustrated by her lack of success, Heavy was about to take her anger out by stomping some more rats. But when she turned around, the floor was bare. "AH! Disappearing rats! Where'd they go?!"
Instead, she moved so that Reaper wasn't in her way, and she tried shooting the ratling again.
As Goggles moves around the shelf, Heaby aims once more with her crossbow and even if this time she doesn't misses the target, its though skin stops the bolt harmlessly. Reaper attacks the corner of the bookcase which is providing cover to the ratling and Creepy runs along the western corner and jumps over the gap, landing besides the enemy and attacking it, even if the rat evades the attack.
Mira slashes the ratling close to her while bleeding away and makes a deep cut on its flesh, causing it to screech. Away from the room, Lucius finally manages to get a hold on his thoughts, shaking of the fear that was keeping him from helping the others.
Infuriated, both ratlings attack Tattoo. The closer one steps closer and tries to bit her ankle, but her armor protects her. The second one charges, dodging Tattoo's stab along the way but opening his guard to Creepy, who slams the creature hard. Even hit, the ratling manages to bite Tattoo's shoulder, just to cause a shadow to hit the other ratling, further harming it. "Hoḍeyuva, nīvu īḍiyaṭ nillisi!" The wounded ratling screeches.
Ratlings
Alenka - up
Jenni - up
Cerio - up
Edrick - up
Mira - up
Lucius - up
Reaper gasps as Creepy vaults over the bookshelves. "I done seen ever'thin' now..."
"Hold up, boss!" he calls, scrambling down the aisle until he's just below Creepy. Then he reaches up and taps the ghost on the leg, granting him a touch of luck.
"Now, rip 'em to pieces," Reaper calls up to everyone. "Rat stew's on the menu tonight!"
::Piiieeecesss:: Creepy groans ominously as he floats to flank with Tattoos.
Tattoo looks down at her ankle which is still bleeding heavily. Suddenly she feels a kind of woozy and staggers like she is going to fall. This is not good... However, she manages to stay steady, holding the dagger out in front of her. Should I run?...the professor said he could help? Thinking about retreating, she glances down the ladder, Realizing it is already in use, she thinks. Well, that settles that...
Shifting sideways to make room for Goggles, she winds upwards with the dagger in her hand. Staring intently at the creature, she quickly brings the dagger down on the creature.
Heavy Hitter threw her crossbow down in disgust. Grabbing her sword again, she climbed the ladder behind her. Then she made quick work of the jump across to the next bookcase. Moving to stand beside Tattoo, she was ready to chop the ratlings in half.
Goggles reaches the top of the bookcase, for the second time that day, and immediately brought her cleaver down of one of them.
Lucius peeks once more and is happy and perplexed that the rats were gone. He cautiously steps in, "Anyone get bitten? You all need to wash your hands."
Heavy moves around the shelves, jumping from one to the other.
Apparently with no more tricks, or the result of some overconfidence, the ratlings are finally surrounded. Creepy slams twice, missing the first one but hitting the wounded ratling with his second, almost knocking it out... just for Tattoo to stab it, leaving the ratling in a puddle of blood, a mixture from its blood and her own.
Goggles climbs the ladder where and unfortunately misses the remaining ratling.
The last ratling cries and soon drops to the ground, covering its head with its tiny hands. "No more, I surrender, I surrender, please spare me!" You notice the creature speaks rather fluidly, much like if it was completely fluent in your tongue, even if it is unlikely that he had any practice being a ratling.
Tattoo continues to stare down the creature and hold her dagger towards it menacingly, as adrenaline is still running stong. However, as her mind and body realizes that the fight is over her injured ankle buckles underneath her and she drops to one knee. Realizing she has neglected the injury far too long, she starts putting pressure on it trying to ease the bleeding.
Despite trying to act casually about this, she grimaces at the pressure. Looking at the ratling who is now almost at eye level, she remarks, "You and your friends have caused us a great deal of trouble. You started this fight. I'd like to know why."
Reaper's lip curls as he watches blood, a mingling of that from the ratlings and Tattoo, run thickly down the side of the bookshelf. "Careful there, Inky. Don't wanna bleed out."
::At least not 'til we found a ways outta here..::
Reaper smiles in a friendly way, reaching up and touching Tattoo on the ankle with a flash of energy.
Shortly thereafter, he climbs the ladder to join the others next to the ratling. Summoning Creepy back within himself, he touches his temple, his eyes flashing vivid green for just a moment.
"Now," he says darkly, turning the tip of his scythe down toward the ratling, "Time t'talk. Elsewise you're gonna end up a rat-kabob and, hell, I'd eat ya raw. So let's have it, ugly. What's goin' on 'round here? What's with the yellow fog? And why ya'll lurkin' in this stupid f~@%ing book dumpster?"
"It's just another tricksy bugger inhabiting this place." Goggles glared at the annoying little creature. She hated having been jerked around and wasting time. "Know that if you don't answer this gentleman's questions that we have no further use for you."
Tattoo gives Reaper a wink. "Inky. That's a good one. Maybe even better than Tattoo." She sheaves her dagger and reaches for her longspear instead, using the tall weapon to force herself up from the ground. Though she is still rather tired, a quick weight test on her ankle reveals that much of the pain is gone. Giving Reaper a weary smile and nod, she adds quite genuinely, "Thanks."
Standing up straight, she uses every inch of her taller than average height to tower over the ratling. She stares the creature down with her piercing eyes, gripping her spear tightly, as if daring the creature not to answer their questions.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The already shaking ratling grabs its twin tales with both hands and tries in vain to hide itself behind them. "W...We att...attacked to p...protect ourselves! Big folk is never friendly..."
Once Reaper intimidates it even more, the stuttering becomes even worse, almost impossible to understand, at least until it calms down a bit. "I know n...nothing of t...this yell...llow m...mist. We live in warrens deep in the rocks below here, but the tremors have collapsed the tunnels, so we are trapped here... we were looking for some magic paper... you big folk always have magic paper in places with many books, but we found nothing..." The ratling still shivers, hoping to have talked enough to be allowed to live.
Lucius gingerly steps into the room once more but keeps his distance from the talking rat.
He elbows Heavy, "Has anyone been bitten? We need to wash any wounds. Rat fever will turn the bite area black and then you babble incoherently. I've seen it. Nasty."
"Yeah...one of them bit me." Tattoo replies to the professor, as she looks down at her ankle and then turns to show it to him. "It looks better though, after what Reaper did. Are you sure you're not over reacting?" she asks calmly, despite feeling worry build in the back of her brain.
Pointing back to the ratling, she asks the others, "So what do we want to do with this thing? Attacking us without provokation was certainly rash and stupid." she turns to give the creature a stern look. "Especially when him and his friends had ample opportunity to disapppear and just leave us alone." Turning back to the others, she contines, "But I suspect he may have learned his lesson. Their foolish decision cost the lives of his friends. He has to live with that...Perhaps that is punishment enough."
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"Perhaps that is punishment enough."
"Perhaps not," says Reaper, pushing the scythe's tip ever so slightly closer to the ratling.
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Heavy felt her heart soften at the sight of the nervous little creature. Putting her sword down, she pats it roughly on the head. "Aw, he's kind of cute. Maybe we can keep him! Wanna stay with us, little guy? What's your name?"
Heavy felt her heart soften at the sight of the nervous little creature. Putting her sword down, she pats it roughly on the head. "Aw, he's kind of cute. Maybe we can keep him! Wanna stay with us, little guy? What's your name?"
Lucius slapped Heavy's hand away, "No, that's not a pet. Did you not hear me tell you that they carry disease?"
He added, a good ways away from the ratling, "It's a bad disease. You turn black and you wither away. And it's contagious!"
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Goggles snorted at Heavy's response and gave the ratling the stink-eye. "Yeah you think he's cute because he didn't try to bite your face off. I'm not against letting it go but it better not hang around or cause any more havoc." Then she muttered to herself, "It wouldn't be so bitey without its teeth."
Tattoo tenses as the half-orc reaches out for the creature. However, she relaxes when the professor slaps her hand away before she can lose a finger. Moving next to her, she puts a hand on her shoulder, "Yeah...I'm not sure that's a good idea, Heavy Hitter. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate being kept like some kind of pet..."
To the others, she asks, "So are we all okay with just letting him go?" She pauses for a moment as if having a thought. "Although...before we just let him run off..." Towering over the ratling, she asks, "Hey. You said your people travel through tunnels below here...Do you know anything about the layout of this place? Like, did you enter any other rooms before you found the library?"
"Oh, come on, he's way too small to bite your face all the way off. He was just scared." Heavy pushed Reaper's scythe away from the ratling's head. "It's okay, ratty. I won't let them hurt you. But it would help us if you could answer their questions."
Reaper steps back glumly, disappointed there wouldn't be more meat for the ratling stew. "Goggles is right, ya know. Only trouble'll come from that one." Reaper turns his attention to the other, dead ratlings, assessing how big of a meal they could make. He whispers quietly to himself as he thinks out loud: "...bit 'o cabbage...if'n we had taters..."
The ratling watches as you talk about its fate with apprehension. When Heavy talks to it, it answers. "I'm no he... I'm Genny Two-Tails..." the ratling shows her handsome pair o wormy tails. "And I rather not stay with you if I can choose... I'd prefer to go away... I swear not to bother you anymore."
The prospect of being freed makes Genny much more talkative and helpful. "Our warrens were not connected to this place before the tremors... one of the first tremor opened a rout from our warrens to a room just beyond that wall..." she points to the north wall, specifically to the east side. "... We naturally came to investigate, but then another tremor locked us here... we were looking for a another route. Besides these two rooms, we know nothing of this place."
"The other room looks like an office, with a couple bookshelves, desk and chairs... nothing really useful. Can I go now?" She looks worried between Tattoo and Heavy.
An office? Perhaps the prisoner records will be there?
Tattoo nods, "Thanks. That is useful information. I have no problem with letting you go...as long as you can ensure that neither yourself, nor any other amongst your group will harass us again." She turns to look to the others, "..and of course as long as my companions have no other objections or questions..."
"Genny....Genny..."Heavy mused a moment. "That's a pretty name."
Patting her again on the head, Heavy said, "I'm called Heavy Hitter. I'm sorry I sliced up your friend. But really, you shouldn't attack people who aren't bothering you. I hope you can find your way back home. But if you need help, just come find me. I promise my friends won't attack you," she turned a glare on the others for good measure, "as long as you come peacefully. Deal?" She held out a massive hand for the ratling to shake.
tag Genny
After the ratling scampered off, Heavy turned to Tattoo. "Is your leg okay? Do you think that spell was enough? Does it look black?" Worriedly, she examined Tattoo's leg for signs of blackness.
When she deemed that they were done in the library, Heavy moved to the big north doors and opened them.
Mira holds her hands up as if surrendering to the half-orc's 'threat', but can't quite stop the side of her mouth from twitching into a small smirk of amusement. I should probably be more frightened given her strength...but I am finding it increasingly harder to believe that she would intentionally hurt one of us...
Her smile softens into a more genuine one, when asked about the her leg. "This? Nah. Reaper healed me right up. This is nothing. I've had worse...I'm sure of it." Giving the half-orc a wink, she continues, "At the very least neither of us can prove I haven't had worse until we figure out what happened to our memories. So, no time to spend worrying about a silly little bite, right?"
Reaper acts as though he's about to sneeze, but then takes a minute to snot up Creepy who hovers just off the floor, rows of books visible through him .
"Reckon they need fuel for fire back in th'chapel?" he asks, eyeing the mountain of dry pages.
Both then move north to accompany Heavy by the door.
Lucius was cautious and gave the ratling a wide berth.
he then asked, "Did everyone wash their wounds and heal up? I'm serious here!"
He then added, "I can help with both those things."
The professor then moved Heavy and Reaper aside, "Here, let me check that door for traps or something."
--------
Goggles looked at Reaper in horror as he suggests the burning of the books. "Surely they can burn something else. Think of all the knowledge lost if the books are used as firewood." The researcher in her hungers to know what lurks in the pages and she begins flipping through the books to see if they were of intellectual value.
Shaking her head at the professor, Heavy spat heavily into her hands, and rubbed it around really well. She then wiped her hands dry on her (smelly) hide armour. "There, all clean."
Tattoo shrugs, "I don't know what to tell you, prof. Reaper cast his spell and now its healed over...there's not really any open wound left to clean out. But if it will make you feel better you can take a look at it." She hoists up her pant leg slightly, revealed the tooth shaped scars.
Turning to Reaper, she remarks, "Yeah, Goggles is right. We probably shouldn't burn this stuff...at least not yet. Who knows what information we might need to figure this mess out. I mean, I've never been the studious type...at least I don't think I was...but that's why we've got student and teacher here." She turns and points towards Goggles and then the professor.
As she waits for the others to be ready to move, she focuses her mind in what is not becoming a familiar pattern.
"Pshaw!" Reaper throws his hands up in the air, bewildered at the notion that anyone would be interested in so many books. He figures he never had much use for 'em.
It also doesn't help he can't understand anything written in them.
Instead he watches Mustache tend to Tattoo's wound. "It's just a scab. It'll heal up right fine."
Professor Lucius finds no trap on the north doors, which are also unlocked. Heavy opens them, revealing a L-shaped hall which runs from a collapsed space in the west to a small waiting area outside the northernmost door. There are six doors connecting to his hall: two to the east, one to the north, one to the west, and two more doors on the west arm of the hall.
Once the light you are carrying illuminates the cracked floor, you can clearly notice a mucuslike smear on the tile floor. Looking closely, you are also able to determine that the antiseptic-smelling smears form a trail that runs between the west arm of the hall and the northeastern door.
The mucus on the floor and Heavy licking herself clean just made this whole place a little bit worse.
Carefully getting a whiff of the mucus lest he have to hold his breath, the professor neared the slime to try and make some sense of it. The anti-septic was also puzzling but welcomed. It was something they could all use.
"Please watch my back. Last thing I need is a rat trying to bite my derriere."
He added, "Search the room. Perhaps we can find the anti-septic bottle this smear came from."
--------------
"You and these rats..." Mira says with a chuckle, "I'm starting to think you have some repressed childhood memory." Still, she stands alert and with her spear at the ready when he asks them to watch his back.
Nodding, she replies, "Yes. Lets start searching the eastern rooms. The ratling said she saw an office somewhere to the north east. That could hold the records."
Reaper sniffs the air, too, searching for the scent of infection. "Well that's just plain weird," he mutters as he follows behind. "Y'all think Creepy should check it out first?"
Goggles is very reluctant to leave the library. "When we have any extra time, I want to come back here and do some reading. There's lots of information in these books but it'll take time to slog through it all. Needless to say, they mustn't be burned."
She follows along behind the others. As they discuss where to go next, she adds, "I think Tattoo has the right of it. An office would suggest patient records. Maybe we'll find out once and for all if we're patients or visitors. Right now I'm thinking that the Professor's obsession with rats, bordering on a phobia, may put him in the patient category..."
Getting a look at the slime trail piques Goggles' interest. Getting a whiff of the smell of antiseptic she wonders aloud, "Was someone cleaning up something or is something oozing something?" She tentatively runs her finger through the substance to see if she can get a better idea of what it is.
You walk around this room, finding no jar or pot that could link to the mucus-like substance. On the other hand, you discover that the 'mucus trail' probably continues to, or from, the northeastern room.
When you inspect the northernmost part of the room, you also notice a nameplate next to the north door that reads "Administrator Eliege Losandro".