Bob looks at Suna with a look of inquiry as if asking for more nonverbal clues of his tracker's assessment. Respect for Suna's sense of smell firmly cemented itself in Bob's mind. Bob did not even know if he could lay hands on a V-K test set but he was sure they didn't have the time to use it anyway.
"Can I have a look at these mechanical specimens before we go back below?"
Suna pulled back somewhat scratching his chin at the thought of such a thing. It was true, they all smelled of it, robot taint. However it was something odd about the particular aura that seemed to hang around. Perhaps his nose was getting distracted from the Brigh worshipers. As he pulled back, Suna's fur settled down and his stripes became bright white and more pronounced once again. Shaking his head at Boba, almost as if to swat him away.
" Hrmm, No they are clearly organic like you and me Bob. They smell of robot, that much is true. Any accomplished tracker would tell you of such things. " He placed out a paw to Bitha, Zlota and Alyna alike in forgiveness and acceptance as a group it seemed. " He is more excitable than I am.. Where I come from show of ones prowess in their field can be a greeting. I live by this nose.. and my.. gifts. I by no means meant to.. insult you. " His Stripes fade once more in lushness and his eyes become more raptoran.
" And to answer your question Warrior Bitha.. I have not.. which is why we require each other.. One can only hunt alone for so long. "
Bitha dropped her weapon, and accepted the paw. "Pleasure to meet the two of you. Until whoever attacked Norm is found, we should all stick together I think. I'm sure Val still has the damned piece of the robot. It attacked me out of the blue, and to think. It got its odor on me as well!". She picks at her outfit, sniffing it to see if she could notice anything strange.
Zlota stiffens some at Suna's statement of the smell of 'robots' but looks over at Alyna at the statement of 'being covered in remnants' of robots. She glances down and notes she'll need to cleanse herself in the near future.
"Well met. Yes, we may well have the scent upon us. Your nose, sir Suna, may come in use in the tunnels below." She turns to Bob and shrugs. "I see no reason, though it may be best to make haste. There may yet be people below in need of assistance, holdouts one might say. But if the remainder of the others do not believe a short delay will be in the wrong, then by all means."
Suna's grip is strong as he takes her entire forearm in his paw offering his own up in exchange as they shake. His eyes focus upon her form for only a moment before he gives a few sniffs a toothed grin upon his face, as he seems to shake his head approvingly. " You also smell differently than the people here, you smell of the Wilderness, you smell of strong musk and old blood. Did you train much and live in a tribe or Clan rather than this city? " He seems to say inquisitively.
Suna's smiling visage glances at Zlota, " Well met indeed. Your high praise shall be rewarded with accuracy. I am an accomplished.. Hunter. "
Bitha throws her head back and laughs loudly. "I'm no city dweller, that's for sure. No Self respecting Kellid would ever call herself that. My tribe lives several miles from here. Rumors of the robots have long been discussed there. Once I heard about Torch, I was inspired to come protect it from the oncoming scourge."
Bob nods. "Time may be precious. I am ready. My dog is waiting outside. With or without the tour of mechanical pieces. I am sure we find plenty of wonders below."
Suna gives off a few deep chuckles in response to his statements, tapping the side of his nose and giving a wink. " Hmmm, Kellid, so you say that you have the blood of a warrior and came to stop them yourself? How noble.. We might have something in common then. I was gifted with the insight and skills to.. stop such beings as well. Though I have only successfully hunted one of them. They are tough, do not become tired, swift. I too heard that Torch might have more of these creatures. I am glad I have found someone with as much fervor. " The predator-like stare in his eyes seem to fade but his body seems to flex and grow slightly more muscled as if anticipation for finding them had revealed them.
Day 2 - The tunnels
The night moved on relentlessly, time ticking along and marked by the tolling clock of the temple of Brigh. The new members of the exploratory team had made themselves comfortable, even going so far as to bring in Bob's riding dog. He was friendly enough, and seemed house trained at least. The night was dry and warm inside the tavern, though the bedding was nought but bedding and sheets laid over wooden floors.
The next morning they arose early, each of them preparing for the day in their own way. Some oiled weapons and armour, others prayed to their gods, some took time to feed animals and secure equipment.
An hour after sunrise, Joram Kyte arrived to cast the water breathing spell upon them all. The extra members of the group and the dog caused him some consternation at first, but then he shrugged and smiled.
"Luckily the Lady Brigh has seen fit to bless me with an abundance of watery spells this day. A good thing too, for its a rough swim down through weeping pond they tell me."
He cast his spells, touching each of them on their throats gently with his cog like symbol of the goddess. Each member of the party momentarily tasted a metallic tang in the back of their throat, and for just a moment it seemed as if a mechanical wheeze of air came from their voice box. Then the spell took full hold and they were good to go.
The pond hadn't been disturbed from their trip the day before. The drag marks from where they had brought up the dead were still there, as were their foot prints. They plunged in, allowing the murky waters to wash over them. Boba had to drag his dog down with him into the waters, the animal struggling against the unnatural feel of diving deep in water.
With Bitha leading the way, they eventually came up through the tunnels and again found themselves on the beach. This room still glowed with the remaining glands from the two dead fire beetles they had killed the day before, so all of them could clearly see.
Percentile
"First we need to deal with that brown mold. That corpse needs retrieving. Let's use our ice and finish that threat before anything else."
The idea of going through water unsettled Suna greatly.. he had never be too good with water ever since he almost drowned as a little kit. However, since then he had practiced in small ponds to become slightly acclimated. With a clearly unwanted grimace he went through.
As he appeared on the other side Suna's eyes crept from the surface of the water and he leapt quickly, shaking his fur dry... he would need to groom it later. They gained a Raptoran feature once more and the catfolk looked to Bitha with curiosity. " What do you mean Warrior Bitha? Brown mold has been seen down here? If so I agree.. though it is not a great hunt, the presence of such a thing is a nuisance in the BEST case "
Alyna emerges from the water and groups up with the others. After emerging, she says a few prayers to her Goddess and imbues her shield with light again.
"Well, this venture has been an improvement over the last so far. I did not enjoy the vomiting yesterday," she says, her voice showing a hint of relief. "Let us proceed with caution. We were caught unprepared no less than three times yesterday."
Suna growled and gave a huge grin to Alyna at that remark. Pulling his Crossbow from his back and tapping on the side of his forehead with the the other paw. " You did not have an expert tracker like me along with you, the rule of Hunting requires there to be a constant vigil. Fr the Hunter and always become the hunted. With my sense we should be ware of anything out of the ordinary. If there are particularly deep chasms or higher elevations these claws are strong.. I have climbed mountains barepawed before.. I could then lower ropes to the rest of you. Have confidence that I will not allow anything to happen unawares if I can help it.. Let us rid you of this mold then. " his husky voice brimming with certainty a well as caution. He stuck close to Bitha so that he could warn the party of anything strange. Occasionally switching between scent and sight.
Bitha leads the party to the slight chasm where the mold was located. "If we can neutralize the mold, you and I can climb down and bring that body back up. It has to be townsfolk. And besides, that offshoot up there is the only way forward we've discovered so far, Suna."
Suna nods to Bitha, " And how do you suppose we do that? Do you have something that can rid the area of such a Mold? If need be I can Climb above and administer it from safety. The remains of someone to be brought back home is also important in my culture, so your retrieval is along the same method I would take, Warrior Bitha. "
Bob checks on his dog and brushes the water from him to keep him from catching a chill.
"That was an experience. I hope going back is just as easy."
Bob unwraps his firearm and cartridges from a waterproof bag. He bows quickly to Suna and says: "Your senses are much better than mine. Just as Bill here has better senses than me."
Bob mounts his dog as he swings up on a military saddle with some skill as he calms the dog. He confesses with a little smile: "I am training Bill for riding. I couldn't afford to buy a dog ready to ride, the sheriff pension didn't go that far. He is a converted guard dog, but very loyal."
Bob then puts a leather fedora on his head, you notice it has a cord the goes through it and fastens under the chin.
Bitha points to the wrapped block of ice she had been carting. "Per the merchants in town, we should be able to fight cold with ice. The brown mold takes heat and turns it into cold, so the ice should stop the thing. I'm not sure if it will kill it or just slow it, but we can experiment and figure it out."
Suna looks at the Ice and then the Mold. " In that case... Would simply the spell that creates water, make it kill itself? If it steals heat rapidly enough, the water will turn to ice and the ice would freeze it. Does anyone here have that ability? Otherwise, I don't think you will mind me tossing that in to see the results, Warrior Bitha? "
No time like now. Let's see what this ice does to the mold. If it only has a temporary effect, we need to get into and out of the pit quickly and bring back that body with us. We can figure how to proceed after."
With Bitha's permission, Suna climbs up and above the mold and focusing the ice into the patch aiming around the body. " Get ready to get the body... NOW! " Then tossing the ice forward.
As Suna begins to climb, a sibilant female voice comes from behind the party
"We would preferrrr you not toooooo kill the mould"
The female had moved extremely quietly and stealthily, avoiding detection from the group. Indeed, Suna had only just caught her scent when she spoke.
The party turned as one as the words were spoken. The woman had a greyish skin, and her clothing was minimalist to say the least. Even as they looked, it was difficult to make out her features as her skin seemed to take on the hues and patterns of the tunnels around her.
"The mould protectssss one of the wayssss into our hooooome. If you killllll it, we are vulnerable. Already many of ussss have died from your kind. We want thisss to stop...please" The last word was added as an afterthought, almost as if she had to remember to add the word.
After saying her piece, the strange woman stood there, wating for a response
"Who are you? Are you one of those evil machines? We need to take that corpse back to town....do you have a way to get it, if we agreed to not kill the mold?". Bitha was poised to sprint toward the newcomer, dwarfing her sword as she ran if anything untowards happened.
Alyna turns towards the newcomer, somewhat puzzled by her inability to focus on her features.
"Greetings. My name is Alyna Dolette, devout worshiper and cleric of the Goddess of Invention, Brigh. We do not mean you any harm. We are investigating the reason behind the misfortune that has befallen the town above us. A respected member of the town ventured down here twice, but he has not returned from his second venture. Do you perhaps have any information regarding his whereabouts?"
Bob climbs down from his dog and bows.
"We only need to get the body as the lady mentioned. If you can obtain the body for us, we have no need to destroy the mold. We are looking for a very important man. I have some of the finest bottom leaf if you are a pipe smoker."
Suna raised a brow at the creature, though she was hidden his nose picked up something strange before his eyes saw her.
His hand was still prepared to toss the ice, as currently they had the upper hand and the bargaining piece. His mouth grew into a wide smirk. The fat that he did not immediately notice her meant she might be good for simple games in his culture. Unfortunately for now, Suna was tasked to retrieve. He waited on the veteran members of the party first.
" What a clever woman, your camouflage is most impressive, though you could not fool my nose or eyes with simply that. I must compliment your ability to stalk with such efficiency. Now tell us.. why we should not at least rid a small patch of this mold to gain the body? If you are getting attacked we MIGHT be able to help with that.. if you can assist our cause as well."
The woman smiled at their responses, though it looked strange on her face, as if the muscles weren't used to such movements.
" We can get the manssss body for you. Tissssss not a hard task forrrrr ussss. But firssssst I ask that youuuuuu come and speak to our leaderrrrrr"
It seemed she was least open to negotiations.
" Will you barterrrrr with usssss upworldwrssss?" she asked. It seemed a legitimate request, and she held her arms to the side with palms open to show the universal sign of peace.
However, the whole time she watched the ice in Sunas hands, her gaze never moving.
Suna stayed on the wall for a moment more before stepping down to ground level once more. His eyes gained a primal flare a he looks toward the woman. She seemed trustworthy but ever wary and smart to have some form of back-up; just in case. However in his experience, negotiations could only be made from positions of strength and dominance. The party would need to show their own to ensure smooth relations. Suna's smirk became an almost dark fanged smile as he spoke.
" If you can do so I'm sure we can come to an agree.. all THREE of you are fine with that as long as we do not freeze your mold, yes? I'm sure the THREE of you would rather like that. It was crafty of you to have assistance, but know we are not weak nor are we easily fooled. " Suna tapping his nose and eye, pointing at two areas a if persons occupied those exact spots.
" Whether this turns out well is up to you as much as it is up to us.. I assume your leader is as cautious? " letting the slightly playful attitude Suna released be known to the OTHER two greyskins.
"So long as you don't try to double cross us, I will talk with your leader. If you do try anything, I'll not rest until all of you are bleeding out in front of us."
Bob casually lit his pipe with his left hand. It seemed he was right handed, but you notice it leaves his right hand free to reach for his battered firearm.
He walked up to the creature with a smile. "Everyone can win in a trade."
Zlota has Ksitha coil about her shoulders. "Are you implying, good Suna, that there are more than just this one here?"
Suna nods to Zlota while giving a slight sniff in her direction. " I am not implying I am positive, one on each path at the corners of the 4-way pass save for our original entry. Beastmaster Zlota. "
The Grey woman snapped a command back down the corridor, a slight look of annoyance on her face. The language was dark and guttural, the tones demanding rather than requesting.
After she had spoken, two more of her kin appeared almost magically from the corridor ahead. Once they moved, it was easy to see them, and the group got the distinct feeling they had always known they were there, but there mind just wouldn't accept the fact. They stood with their arms outstretched, again showing they had no weapons. Suna had seen them sheath daggers as they moved though, so he at least knew they were armed.
Again the Grey woman spoke, this time in her sibilant common tongue.
"Sssssee, we are compliannnnnt. We wish only to talk. Our missssstresssss has asked that you ssssspeak with herrrrr. Will you come? Will you leave the mould to defennnnnnnd usssss?"
The woman was watching the Catfolk intently, seemingly thinking he was the one to be bartering with. However one of the male ones behind her sniffed interestedly at the pipe that Boba had lit. He whispered to his friend.
DC 12 Perception vs Sound to hear the conversation.(Boba gets +4 to this as he's closest) However, you also need to understand undercommon to know what was said.
Suna watched them intently his dominant demeanor seemed to have worked upon them quite well and evaded another possible trap. The possible enemy cowed and the playing field tipped in the parties favor, Suna nods. He motions to Boba. " Fine.. You will shake Gunner Boba's hand. Then you shall talk to Warrior Bitha and Shaman Alyna. I will be watching you however, as I do not respond well to betrayal. You can ask the Fetishes on my person what happens to Traitors. Your stalking skills and tiny blades will not protect you. BUT if you truly are in need of help the opposite will be yours, I shall be your fierce Hunter. "
His fang gleams and he still dangled the ice but pointed with his crossbow in the direction of one of the cave paths, " Lead on, We will follow "
His ears twitch as his eyes narrowed at the greyskinned man... being quite forward that he heard every word the man said.
"Let's go then. We are wasting time. If we can agree, then perhaps violence can be avoided. If you try something funny, the mold will be your least worry."
Bob follows along, deciding having his firearm out would not send the right message. He speaks to their escort.
"Thank you for helping us. Please advise us if we are about to do anything not appropriate in this place."
Turning to the others:
"I like them. We are in their home after all. They do not want to lose what they have down here."
Zlota bows before following her compatriots. "May this be a fortuitous turn, yes?"
Alyna nods in agreement. If a parley with these strange folk benefits the group as a whole, then she is fully supportive of any plan of action. She is not, however, willing to let her guard down--not in these dangerous caves.
With the group in agreement, the strange woman and her two companions lead the way back to the 4 way junction.
They take the winding path that seems to lead further away from the underground stream. The first ten feet or so of the path is choked with rubbish and rocks, but after that it clears, and curves out of sight from the junction.
Eventually, the tunnel leads to a large cavern, opening to at least 30 feet high and containing a number of alcoves. There are three or four tunnels leading from this chamber, one of which seems to obviously lead to the mould chamber as its edge has a small frosting of ice around it.
The others led into deeper darkness.
In the centre of a room, a large hole fell away into the depths below. The edges were smooth, as if water had once run through this area, wearing the rock into the smoothness of polished marble.
Standing at the entrance to the furthest tunnel was another of the grey skinned females. She stood taller than the others, and slightly more muscled as well. About her body were slung various stilettos and daggers, each sheathed in a complicated leather harness that she wore as very revealing clothing.
As the group entered, she nodded at the other three creatures and indicated they should leave them be.
Having spoken to her kin, she then turns her attention to the group of uplanders. "My people tell me you have cleared the outer chambers of many dangers. This is good. I have a deal for you. Clear the northern tunnels of the Cursed Kin for us and we shall retrieve some more of your fallen uplanders. I can also provide information for you about others who went deeper. But you must clear the Cursed Kin first!"
Suna looks the leader up and down inspecting her body movements, facial expressions, attire and weaponry. She was clearly the strongest and based on her use of the common tongue, the most experienced. i excited him slightly, a fit woman to hunt if the need came. However it seemed the other greyskins' cry for assistance was true.
He was wary however, there was nothing that said she would hold up her part of the bargain, especially if whatever the Cursed Kin were weakened the group. They could strike afterward. There was also a good chance this greyskin woman was not alone in this tent or planned an ambush outside.
Suna grew steadily more skeptical as he sniffs at the air and peers strongly with his eyes.
Afterward his wild eyes focus on the woman as he speaks, " Know that I was the one to notice all three of your greyskin kin when they attempted to stalk us before. I am an experienced Hunter, but in this situation there is nothing saying you will hold your part of the deal. I will need assurance before I give my approval. As you know the Law of nature, negotiate from a position of power. In this one you gain much more from what we do, the exchange is not even. Prove your loyalty to this agreement. " His eyes flicker as the iris comes to a point and his teeth grow bared.
" As your tribe's leader, surely you can do so. "
"Tell us more about the cursed kin..."
"I am more trusting. Thinking ones word good until proven otherwise." Bob puffs thoughtfully on his pipe.
He offers his pipe to the one who was curious about the smell--"Any of you pipe smokers? I got another pipe."
Then Bob produces a brown access card and e-pick. "I am looking for handy items like these. Any of you have these downworld objects? I picked them up in my travels."
Suna growls at Boba's antics somewhat. " That is exactly the thinking that'd get you killed. Trust is something that should be earned.. not given. " Not taking his eyes off the Greyskin leader.
Zlota looks over at Boba with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps if you could explain once we proceed a little further. As for these Cursed Kin, could you please give us some more information. Anything to help clear them out would be appreciated..."
Bitha doesn't take the time to pay much attention to Boba's items. Her gaze remained fixed on the strange creatures, and her hand remained on the hilt of her sword.
It was clear that both parties were fairly tense in this situation. It could be read in every sentence and every posture they took.
Despite the cavalier nature of his approach, Bob's offer did more to diffuse things than anyone would think. The grey man had accepted the pipe and drawn from it before anyone could stop him. His eyes closed in joy as he savoured the taste upon his tongue and the warmth in his mouth. Smiling at the small mane, he raised the pipe and sated something that was obviously a thankyou.
The tension seemed to leave the room immediately. The woman in charge scowled at the presumptuous male, but he merely shrugged at her and drew on his pipe again.
"Yes small one" she said eventually, "I have seen items such as you have. Perhaps if you accept our terms we can provide some of those too". It was hard to read her voice, given common was obviously not her first language.
At Zlota's calm and open question, she seems to give up all pretence of power and merely surrenders the information.
"As the cursed ones, they are small and evil. Where they go bad luck follows and they would think nothing of knifing you in the back to get to a shiny gem or even a silver button from a shirt. They constantly harass us in our camp, and until they are gone, my friends and I cannot make true plans to return to the deeper dark. At this stage, that is all we wish for. Too many of our kind have died here recently."
From her description, its easy to tell she's talking about gremlins of some type. Their cursed luck was legendary and there were rumours they were raiding town recently too. That all seemed to tie together nicely.
Suna - Perception results.
Sense Motive
"We need to know more about the groups of humans they have been down here recently. And you said something about retrieving that corpse in the mold pit for us. I think that would be a show of good faith."
Zlota attempts to read 'in-between the lines', a trait that her parents had but she had no luck in usually, and it shoes in this instance.
"Where are these 'cursed ones' you speak of?"