Fleet's eyes only have time to widen slightly before the tiger is on him. The fear he feels when the one-eyed tiger snarls right in his face nearly causes him to faint. His vision grays out for a second, and when he comes back to himself, all he can hear at first is the crashing of the waves on the surf. Some of the water wets his hair from his prone position in the sand. Get up get up getupgetupgetupgetupgetup he screams at himself in his own head, forcing his fear-paralyzed body to move.
He sits upright, looking across the beach to his zombie, whose sluggish reflexes haven't even registered the tiger threat yet. As it advances on Silvio, John's heart feels like it's about to beat out of its chest.
"Kill it, Harriman!" he manages to choke out, and his zombie dwarf groans and lurches to obey. It jumps onto the back of the tiger, snarling and slashing at it with its one claw!
"Lady Amy, stay away from the cat. Silvio shall handle this", Silvio says and brandishes his weapon. "So kitty, you feel that you can dance with the Silvio?" the chelaxian taunts. His rapier is poised to strike waiting for the beast to act. He is caught slightly off guard when Harriman throws himself over the cat. Seizing on the moment he takes a few quick steps forward and strikes at the tiger.
"Harriman, help Silvio!" John commands, ordering his zombie to Aid the dashing hero's attack. The zombie dwarf struggles to obey, trying to distract the one-eyed tiger by clawing at its remaining eye.
Now a complication happens to both Silvio and Harriman instead of Silvio failing! Maybe I have to sacrifice 1 Control?
Harriman's attack blindsides the tiger, and though some of the damage is absorbed by the cat's thick fur, the undead dwarf momentarily knocks it off its feet entirely. Nonetheless, it's reflexes are extremely quick, and it almost evades Silvio's blade. However, Harriman uses his great strength to hold the beast still, and Silvio buries his sword in its side ! With a roar of pain and fury, the tiger spins around to face the dashing hero, yanking his sword out of his hand. A massive paw comes up and forcibly throws Harriman off his back. John can see that his zombie's single arm is about to fall off from the exertion .
John can sense the zombie reverting to its darker instincts during the fight with the tiger. Struggling to his feet, he makes his voice as authoritative as possible: "Harriman, finish that cat off!" The zombie opens its mouth wide and lunges at the tiger teeth-first, hoping for a tasty snack of tigerflesh!!
As John sends Harriman to attack the tiger, Amy takes part of the broken staff that is now has a sharp edge and attacks and aid Harriman. Coming from the blind side of the tiger, Amy stabs the tiger.
Fleet sees that the cagey tiger is just about evenly matched with the fierce cleric Amy, but if she tries to attack the tiger when he's that defensive, she's sure to take a blow in return. Ordering Harriman in once again, Fleet tries to make sure that if anyone gets retributively smacked by the tiger, it should be the zombie.
Unfortunately, his bumbling undead dwarf only serves to hinder, not to help.
Knowing he has at least 1 more control left over Harriman, Fleet orders him to finish the tiger off!
!
"No, lady Amy, look out!" Silvio says and positions himself to fend away any claws aiming for the cleric.
Silvio's rapier pierces the tiger's thick hide but fails to down it. That's when Amy comes rushing in from the beast's blind side and stabs it in the neck! It slashes her one more and falls to the ground unmoving.
"Kill, Harriman! Ki-wait, it's dead? Excellent, excellent! Oh, my heart is beating so fast! It nearly chewed my face off! I have to sit down!" so saying, the necromancer plops on his butt in the sand, staring at the feline corpse. He kicks it. "Buggering thing...Amy, are you alright there? It got you good before it fell..."
" A little sore but I am glad we have some meat and that everyone is alive." says Amy as she pulls bandage out of her bag and applies it to her self. Still feeling a little out of it, Amy cast a healing spell on herself. Amy then looks at the team and says, " I am assuming that we are staying here tonight?" , as she walks around the area of the lean-to and casting a spell. One the spell was cast, Amy pulls a knife out from her bag and start to prep the iguana and the Tiger to broken down to food to eat later.
New bond - Amy puts on a brave face for the good of the group. Is it all an act or is she the genuine article?
"Steady on there, Amy," the necromancer says, slowing down the cleric's movements as she casts.
Seeing that she mostly has it under control and her wounds are mending, he gestures to the fallen tiger, stabbed by Silvio's weapon.
"If we don't er...desperately need the rations, I might make use of our feline opponent's remains. My control over Harriman is slipping, and one can only use a corpse for so long before it disintegrates. Having a tiger zombie on our side could be quite helpful for whatever lies ahead, on that island."
If you are able to convert the tiger, then go for it. If not, I don't want to let it go to waste. says Amy.
Amy spend the time to field dress the tiger and break the meat into rations and removed all the fat. Once the meat was ready, Amy creates a fire by taking wood from near by and using the saw tech. Using the friction of running a wood in a slit of another wood filled with tender, Amy gets a spark and gets the fire starts. Amy watches and the fire burns for a wile as she feeds it and waits for a bed of coals. One the coals were all red and a nice level, Amy then creates a tripod over the fire out of green wood and green vines. Then the meat went over the tripod over two sides and the third side was used to feed fuel wood and green wood. This let the fire burn hot but also create the smoke.
Amy lets the group know some info, Smoked meat will store for up to one year and is an excellent way to preserve meat for the long haul. We will need to cook it over the night until the meat is done. If the meat bends it is not done if it cracks it is dry enough. There is a pile of wood near the fire to keep it burning for the rest of the night. It should also keep the animals away since most animals don't like fire. Once one set of meat is done just put in a bag and put on the next set of meat. "
As Amy starts the meat smoking, she gets the feeling that somebody is watching her. Looking around, she sees nobody other than her companions. The stretch of beach is very quiet, and everyone can see that even the ocean waves are still here. Across the way, the clouded island remains silent and still.
Fleet assists Amy with smoking the meats. "Where did you learn to do this, Amy?" he asks. "You're the first person 'of the cloth' to possess such useful skills. Most are like me - city slickers that would be largely helpless out here!"
" It is a sad story Fleet." says Amy with a long distance in her eyes. "During my travels I worked and learned from a man that I came to love but being a person of the cloth my life is devoted to my God and can't have a relationship with him. So I spent time with him and learned if nothing else then to be in his presence. I feel that we are being watched but don't see anyone. Any idea? We will need a watch if nothing else."
Fleet sees nothing at a casual glance, but his time spent on the island has taught him never to discount the potential dangers of unknown sounds. "Harriman? Go investigate that noise," he commands, sending his one-armed dwarf zombie into the jungle.
Harriman looks at you in confusion. It's possible your instructions were unclear, as you definitely didn't hear any noises before ordering the zombie to investigate.
Fleet facepalms. "Of course, of course, old teacher, you always taught me - specificity."
He points deeper into the island. "March about 30-40 feet into the jungle that way, and try to find something to eat. Should be something alive out there. If you can't find anything or when you finish killing whatever you find, return to me."
Harriman promptly marches off into the jungle. He's gone for quite a while before returning with blood on his hands and face. Clearly, he found something to eat.
Fleet's paranoia isn't slaked by Harriman's seemingly innocuous kill. "Whatever it was out there was able to elude my zombie, meaning it's probably intelligent. We just have to keep up our vigilance as we prepare to journey to yonder misty isle." he affects a Scottish accent as he finishes his sentence, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Harriman merely continues to stare at him.
"Well, who knows what kind of creature hides in the jungle. It is probably just some petty beast looking to feast on this cadavre. Never the less, Silvio will keep watch. His eyes are as keen as he is handsome ."
Silvio, if you want to watch tonight that sounds good to me. says a tired Amy.
"It gets cold here at night. Glad this fire's here."
The necromancer wraps his robe around himself as he watches the setting sun touch the waves of the ocean far to the west, and listens to the crackling of the fire, the smell of the smoking of the tiger meat.
He laughs drily. "Y'know, when it was just me and my zombie here on this island, before I found you guys, I sometimes thought that this island might be a good vacation spot under better circumstances. It's quite a view."
It's a quiet night for everyone, although Amy is plagued with nightmares. You're sitting down in the galley aboard the 'Jenevive' getting ready for your meal. Fishguts the cook has just given you a steaming bowl of soup, but you drop your spoon. You see that the deck below is covered with seawater up to your ankles, and your dropped spoon has sunk into the water and washed out to sea through a hole. You're forced to lift your delicious bowl of soup to your lips and drink. But when you do, something big goes into your mouth, and you feel a sharp bite on your tongue. You drop the bowl, only to reveal a serpent had hidden in your soup that now dangles from your tongue as it chews furiously! Amy starts awake, biting her own tongue in an attempt to bite through the snake's body.
In the morning, you're met with an unearthly silence. No birds chirp here, there is no rustling in the nearby treeline, and there aren't even any buzzing insects. All is still and quiet. Each of you can feel that something is watching your every move.
Amy wakes up in a cold sweat from the nightmare that haunted her dreams. Sarenrae, what was that.
Now that she is awake, Amy notices that the sun is coming up. One she is sure that the group was safe, she pulls out her red and banner and covers her eyes. Once it is secure in place, Amy looks for the sun. " Sarenae! One of your faithful stands before you. I give you thanks for the light and warmth that shines on this morning." Amy continues her morning worship for the next hour.
Amy looks at the broken staff off in distance and notices that she needs another one. Reaching into her bag, she pulls out her spare Darkwood staff and puts back on the Sarenrae’s symbol of the divine. She also packs some of the meat and then suggest, " Can you guys carry any of the meat? That way we will not need to hunt. Harriman carry items?
If the rest of the team can't take the meat then Amy suggest, If we can't take it then we need to hide the rest. The best would be to dig a hole 6 feet deep and wrap the tiger fur around the meat and bury it. 6 feet should make sure that no animal can smell the food. "
"Y'know, when it was just me and my zombie here on this island, before I found you guys, I sometimes thought that this island might be a good vacation spot under better circumstances. It's quite a view."
"While Silvio does find your ways and practices unfamiliar and strange, he does appreciate your company. Silvio believes that the group is stronger haveing with you as an addition."
Amy looks at the broken staff off in distance and notices that she needs another one. Reaching into her bag, she pulls out her spare Darkwood staff and puts back on the Sarenrae’s symbol of the divine.
Silvio looks at Amy while she produces her backup staff. "Silvio does not mean to intrude, but if you are determined to face threats similar to the giant cat you should consider another weapon. Silvio finds that the rapier is perfect for handling altercations. It is fast, elegant and deadly when it needs to be. A gentleman's weapon. A weapon for Silvio! Silvio would be more than happy to teach you, should you want to learn."
She also packs some of the meat and then suggest, " Can you guys carry any of the meat? That way we will not need to hunt. Harriman carry items?
"Silvio is strong, so he will carry a fair share of the meat. But likewise should another tiger or something similar attack Silvio will need to be quick and agile. Silvio will carry what he can."
When its time to go Silvio is ready to lead the expedition to the mysterious island.
Fleet picks up 1 Weight of tiger meat, wraps it in a leaf, and sticks it in his pack, before setting about digging the hole and getting his zombie to assist him.
That done, he moves to the shore and dips his bare toes in the water, testing the temperature.
The water is strangely tepid, and there are no waves. It's almost as if this stretch of beach is dead. From what you can see, the water tops out at chest-deep.
"Some of Harriman's internal organs might get washed out of him by the current, but otherwise I think we should be able to cross the water safely," Fleet comments as he gazes out across the water, thoughtfully.
"Can we get going, please? Something about this beach feels...ominous. I don't like it. Feels like someone's walking over my grave, to use a necromancer's expression."
"I agree, lets leave." says Amy as she gets ready to cross the water.
Silvio wrote:
Silvio looks at Amy while she produces her backup staff. "Silvio does not mean to intrude, but if you are determined to face threats similar to the giant cat you should consider another weapon. Silvio finds that the rapier is perfect for handling altercations. It is fast, elegant and deadly when it needs to be. A gentleman's weapon. A weapon for Silvio! Silvio would be more than happy to teach you, should you want to learn."
[b]" I understand. Thank you for protecting us with your rapier. My main goal and training is to heal and support you in a battle. I hope not to get tangled with to many tigers. "[/b' replies Amy.
The island is just as silent and still as the stretch of beach where you camped last night. The air is foggy, and you can only see about 30ft in front of you. There is no living vegetation anywhere in sight, and everything you can see seems strangely bleached of color. Even the dirt on the ground is a dull gray. All of you continue to feel something is watching you, and it's only grown stronger as you neared this strange dead island.
" I understand. Thank you for protecting us with your rapier. My main goal and training is to heal and support you in a battle. I hope not to get tangled with to many tigers. " replies Amy.
"And Silvio shall continue to do so!", he proclaims proudly. "Still, should you feel the need to learn, Silvio's door is always open. So to speak. You know the saying. Give a man, or woman in this case, a sword and he/she might fight off a peasant. Teach a man/woman Chelaxian swordplay and he/she will fight of an army!"
On the mysterious island Silvio bravely brandishes his rapier. "Silvio is not an expert in this, but does this island seem... dead to you?" he asks.
Fleet and Harriman assist Silvio in the construction of the crude raft, then the zombie pushes the raft across the narrow distance of water by swimming behind it and pushing with his one arm.
"Being an aspiring expert on dead things, this island does seem...deadish..." he finishes, lamely, clambering off the raft to the foggy island's beach.
I have a bad feeling about this island. Sarenrae please show us the way to go.
Before we go, Silvio, I want to power up your weapon.
Laying her hands on the Silvio's weapon.
Now you,Gleus. Laying her hands on Strogi's Axe Amy cast the spell.
Sarenrae's symbol appears, but its glow is fainter than usual, as if fatigued. Nonetheless, it indicates deeper into the heart of the island. As you travel, you see no signs of life, although the feeling of being watched continues to intensify. Then you see the tree.
Standing in sharp contrast to the rest of the island, a tall tree stands in the center of a small pool of water. It's blooming with a multitude of beautiful flowers, the water is cool and clear, and a ring of bright green grass surrounds the area.
"A pool this nice is a likely ambush spot for predators looking to take down something coming by to drink. Don't approach!" Fleet warns, holding an arm up to steady everyone from going closer.
Fleet sniffs the air, glancing about himself and scanning the treeline for any sign of eyes or watchful predators. Standing next to him, his zombie dwarf growls dully.
"Should I send Harriman in first to scout?" he offers to Gleus or Silvio, whomever is standing in front.
Sarenrae blessed be thee. I ask thee to tell me if that water here safe and in you domaine.
I am getting nothing. Do you think that water is safe?