Ilona breaks into a run, blade scything forward at one of the mushroom creatures, the air around her singing with violence.
Gilian looks up from her kneeling position by Chops body and discerns the mycoids shape in the dim dancing lights.
Reaching deep into the surrounding earth, she draws Aryth strength to her. Suddenly, a smell of damp earth invades the tunnel, rich and musky as if an old forest had just materialized. Gilian seems rooted to her place, more real and solid than usual as the smell wave hits the creatures.
In the meantime, Pebble keeps watch for any other creature try to sneak on the group.
Ragnar gives the fallen plant people a long look, his spirit-sight searching for whatever souls these things might have left behind. "I feel... sorry for these creatures." he says softly to Ilona and Duncan. "Though they attacked us, it may be that they were only protecting their homes."
Solvistania looks over at the unconscious forms of Durathoin, Sorok, Lyj, and Felina, then turns a cool gaze over to Ragnar. "Perhaps, Ragnar, perhaps you are correct. Just do not let pity control your actions, should more of them appear to check on the loss of these guards."
She then turns her attention back to Chops, trying to purge the poison from his system.
Standing over the oozing remains of mushroom men and hearing Ragnar's words, Duncan sighs. "They just attacked us, no warning. I tried to speak to them, but maybe they don't have a language like we do. All they know is that people from the surface come here and probably kill them. Maybe I shouldn't have attacked them and maybe lady Gilian could have calmed them, but with Chops and Sorok down, I was just worried..."
Going back a few steps, and putting his sword away, Duncan takes in his arms unconscious Felina, and petting her, brings her back to Gilian and Solvistania.
Ragnar watched Solvistania as she spoke, looking over Chops' prone form. The big Dorn was not always the best at understanding where the emotions of others came from, but he nearly always noticed that they existed. He could feel her anger at the strange mushroom people. Chops was essentially unharmed, merely sleeping really, but that did not seem to be the point. Nor did what the intention of the creatures might have been dull her response.
Ragnar sought those emotions out since discovering them. They proved illusive things most of the time. The very life possessed in such feelings drew him. He wanted them, even the painful ones, but most of the time they were simply out of reach. It was like a switch that someone else was flipping. Sometimes it was on, fiercely and all consuming. The rest of the time it was off, leaving him feeling blind.
He might not be able to see where her emotions had come from with such force, but he had learned to trust his companions. He would take what they felt into his own heart. Feel what they felt, like a sort of surrogate as he tried to find his own. If any more of these creatures needed to die in order for Chops and Solvistania to have a few more precious moments together, so be it. He could give that to them. Death was simple.
To Solvistania, he simply nods, his usual mask of resolve firmly back in place.
"Can they be awakened?" he says to empty air near him. "Can you help?"
Ilona looks up at Ragnar, searching his eyes for a glimpse into his thoughts. "That may be true hon, and I don't like it either, but they attacked first. If we hesitate it might be the end for all of us, and I aim to keep that from happening."
She looks at Gillian administering to the fallen and looks up into the darkness, preparing for whatever may come next.
Gilian kneels by the two unconscious men, looking for a way to wake them.
Heal check for Sorok
Heal Check for Chops
Solvistania sighs in relief and gives Durathoin a kiss on his cheek, as he stirs to consciousness. She stands to her feet and looks over to Duncan and Ragnar, ”Your caution is warranted, those creatures are tainted with the blood of trapped spirits, probably demon-kind of some sort. I do not believe they will be friendly to our cause.”
Waking up to the kiss on the cheek, Chops smiles his huge grin. With his fangs, the sight is almost bestial, but could be considered enticing by some. He stretches his arms over his head and yawns. Then he sniffs the burnt fungi in the air. "Whew! We couldn't find anything better to make a fire with, eh? Well, that was nice. I feel great!" He then notices the group standing around, tense. "Oh shit, I slept in didn't I? Should have woke me, I'd have been ready sooner." He reaches out a hand for Solvistania to help him up.
Solvistania replies with a half smile on her face, as she assists Durathoin to his feet(which was actually mostly him and not her exerting the effort), ”Not quite, my love, you were poisoned by some demonic mushroom creatures, who have been dealt with. However, there will be more of them, you can rest assured of that.”
there will be more of them, you can rest assured of that.”[/b][/smaller]
"Yeah, I think he's had enough rest for now, assured or not."
Sorok awoke at the touch of Gilian's hands. After a moment he recalled the two strange Mushroom Men and quickly began climbing to his feet readying his shield and weapon. Only to look upon them and realize that they had already been dispatched. That the fight had already ended with him doing nothing. Again.
Anger. Anger and frustration were all he could feel at that moment. The cool temperance of the smith at a forge disappeared from his face and was replaced with a seething inner rage that threatened to come lashing out at a moments notice. He had been forging himself, slowly becoming a tempered, controlled, precise tool of war. But he knew it wouldn't be enough. He had to change, to forge himself anew, he had to become stronger, wilder, even more resilient than he already was. He had to become a tool of destruction.
Sorok's jaw set, the grip on his weapons tightened, his shoulders squared, his muscles tensed and his eyes narrowed. Anger was one of the few things he felt keenly these days, where everything else felt dull and distant, it was almost tangible to him. It was powerful, it threatened to consume him, but rather than be consumed he embraced it and began to build.
Without so much as a nod of thanks, Sorok turns to Gilian and grunts."They're gone. Now wha'?"
Without so much as a nod of thanks, Sorok turns to Gilian and grunts."They're gone. Now wha'?"
"Now, we rest. We've been up for nearly a full day and I'm nearly out of power. Least time with the demon, it was too close a call and we nearly died."
Lyj looks over with interest at Solvistania's comment about demon-kind."Trapped spirits, you say? He takes a closer look of his own at the fallen fungus-men. "For whatever my opinion's worth, I don't think you can count on much mercy coming back your way from anything demon-touched." He shakes his head. "They don't tend to be the pitying type.
He nods at Gillian, and adds, "Perhaps I might do a bit of scouting ahead while some of you get some rest? I can move quietly when I need to, and I think I've already had rather more of a nap than I need today."
Interesting. I don't even need to lie to just how far their trust goes...
He nods at Gillian, and adds, "Perhaps I might do a bit of scouting ahead while some of you get some rest? I can move quietly when I need to, and I think I've already had rather more of a nap than I need today."
"And what will happen if you find another lichen like the one we saw? Sneaking around won't protect you. But you are free to go if you want, just don't expect us to come and rescue you if you do."
[ Ilona is probably using you as teddy bear right now.[/ooc]
Ragnar
"And what will happen if you find another lichen like the one we saw? Sneaking around won't protect you. But you are free to go if you want, just don't expect us to come and rescue you if you do."
Lyj gives a half-smile and the slightest hint of a bow to the lady. "Of course. I've been rescued once, that ought to be enough." Without further ado, he finds a spare light, and cautiously begins to make his way down the tunnel.
A little ways away, out of sight, he pauses, takes a moment to check his surroundings, and douses the light. No sense being an obvious target down here. Surrounded by darkness once more, the tiefling begins to move throug the passage with a silence born of long practice, and more care than he customarily uses. For once, speed is not of the essence, and he takes his time, making absolutely sure that every new section is as safe as possible before moving on.
An hour should do it. Enough time to get some real work done out here, and to convince the others I'm not just blowing smoke - but not enough to make them suspicious. Caution, that's the name of the game today.
Knowledge(Shadow) to identify the noise :
Knowledge(Dungeonering) to identify the noise :
Sorok moves back to the group, waking up Chops and Ragnar.
"Noise coming from the mine. Get ready."
He then takes back his place, putting himself between the group and possible harm.
|
Sorok quickly wakes up the party minus missing Lyj, just in time for them to clearly hear the strange keening sound, an instant before three monstrosities looking like bloody human lungs, flapping like some strange birds appear around the bend in the tunnel. By the pulsating tracheas still attached to the lungs it is obvious that the keening is coming from them. The lungs stop out of the reach of swords and spears, continuing to keen all the while. The keening somehow bypasses your minds and goes straight for your gut, burning and freezing the blood in your veins, reminding you that you are deep inside the bowles of the earth, where dark things dwell, hungry and mad from the loneliness.
"That is some seriously fukked up shit!" Chops draws an urutuck with lightning speed and brings it up in an arc towards one of the bronchi.
Followed by a strait front kick towards one of the lungs.
Solvistania struggles to her feet, feeling the effects of the keening from the strange creatures. She tries to focus on them, learning as much as possible about these creatures.
Before even he opened his eyes, Duncan grabs his sword belt with one hand, and the main plate of his armor with the other one. Looking at those around him, he says:"Please, someone help me don my armor so I can be ready for combat", already strapping the metal to his chest.
Chops jumps forward to attack the wailing lungs, but he misses the first, managing only to bruise the second one. He is now away from Ragnar and Sorok, exposed to whatever comes next down the tunnel.