The fleeing alligator stumbles and, slowly, falls dead with a tremendous splash.
He's so huge that he's still partly above the water... how was he swimming before?
"He's so huge that he's still partly above the water... how was he swimming before?" Beachhead wonders out loud before inspecting the beast for answers.
Ummm... it's strangely colored?
"All Right! Good job guys!We're having Barbecued Alligator for breakfast!" Ziphora announces triumphantly. "One of you please drag the alligator to dry land so I can prepare it."
"Maybe he was deliberately squishing down?"
Tomorbataar sinks his teeth into a clean looking section of body and pulls.
Tomorbataar votes to walk backward.
Ummm... it's strangely colored?
Beachhead also votes to walk backwards, assuming there's some sort of dry land to walk towards.
It seems kind of like it was somehow swimming through the ground? Maybe?
It also seems like it's very, very heavy. Instead of dragging the body away, Tomorbataar tears a bite off of it.
Ziphora starts looking up for driftwood or anything that can start a bonfire then tries to start a fire by rubbing the driftwood against her scales. "I wish I had hands."She complains. "I wish Mo were around to help me start a fire..."
Ziphora tears the crocodile into different parts with her teeth, then starts roasting each individual piece over the flame.
Tomorbataar coughs out the chunk of flesh, smacking his lips. "That hurt," he says, nursing his teeth. "We really ought to get revenge for that," he says, smashing the corpse one more time.
"Now then, let's eat lots of it, then carry the rest out of the water when it's lighter."
With a victorious roar, Grash takes a large bite out of the alligator-crocodile-whatever.
"Hah! That may have been bigger than us, but it twas nae match fer us in battle! Good fight, now time fer eatin'!"
By the time Ziphora manages to get some of the meat cooking, Grash is already well on the way to filling your belly. And then there's another wrinkle--the meat doesn't seem to be cooking. It's getting *hot*, yes, but it's not browning at all.
"What is this thing?"
"No idea. Sashimi it is then." Ziphora declares as she takes a bite at it.
Grash considers the creature. "Well, it be all red and black and stuff. Creatures like that do sometimes be resistant ter fire. But it nae be resistant ter teeth, clearly enough!"
He then goes back to eating the thing, which had put up a decent fight before going down, though not as good of one as he had been expecting.
It doesn't take long to stuff your belly full of... whatever this thing really was. There's a ton left, of course.
"Right, I for one shall not eat uncooked food. I suppose we should take some with us on our journey, though. Shall we be on to the lizardfolk?"
Tomorbataar votes to move on in the direction we were heading earlier
*munch munch gulp burp*
"Ok, ready!"
It feels good to have your belly stuffed full as you head out. How long has it been since you've feasted so much? Days, at least...
You're pretty sure you're headed in the right direction as you wade and swim through the swamp.
"Hey Lizardfolk hiding in the swamp out there. We've dealt with the alligator-croc beast. If you know what's good for you...you'd start running now, and not bother our friendly tribe of lizard folk again."
Ziphora threatens the hiding lizard folk.
"What if," Beachhead muses, "that tribe of lizard persons could summon more tasty beasts that were unexpectedly easy to defeat?"
"That sounds like a good way to both ensure a steady supply of food and continue to enhance our capacity for murder. I'm all in. Tomorbataar leans forward, peering closely and intimidatingly at the lizard folk, but not saying anything yet.
"Life is not all about murder! It's about making friends!" Ziphora protests. "Though I'm not sure if these are friendly or not." She gives the lizards a suspicious look.
"Huh? Lizard people? Where be they at? Is it fight time already, or do we still be talkin?"
Grash, who was clearly not paying attention, looks around, failing to see anything. He also summons a drum, just in case.
The lizardfolk turn and swim away in the direction you've been heading without a word.
Beachhead looks at Grash.
"'Where be they at?' What sort of dialect even is that?
"Anyway, let's go see what sort of trap those lizard beings want to lure us into."
Vote to follow the lizardfolk.
"Life's not really all about anything, it's more complicated than that. But murder is good.
Murder is good," he repeats softly to himself.
"I concur, let's go."
Tomorbataar votes to follow the lizardfolk.
"We were headed that way, right?" Ziphora agrees.
[b] Continue in same direction[/ooc]
You travel along for another couple of hours until you see movement through the trees ahead.
A lot of movement. There are probably dozens of lizardfolk up ahead.
Beachhead hides and votes to move the body closer.
Ziphora votes to move the body closer too.
"So, should I start playin' the fightin' music now? Or are we going ter do some talking first?"
Grash summons up a drum to be ready.
He also starts jumping the gun a bit by submitting a CHAARRRGE! vote.
"No need to play, for the moment. I suggest we trot around displaying our impressive bulk, and then indicate to them that it would be unwise to attempt violence upon us. Should this endeavor fail...we can smash them."
Tomorbataar votes to proceed at a reasonable pace forward.
You lumber forward, taking no pains to approach swiftly or stealthily. Not that it would have mattered--it looks almost like the whole village is arrayed in front of you as you pass by some trees and can see them clearly.
One lizardfolk, dressed in fancy feathers and holding a big staff, spreads his arms wide as you approach.
"Welcome, child of the Five-Fold Maw! Are you ready to speak to your father?" he shouts grandly to you.
You lumber forward, taking no pains to approach swiftly or stealthily. Not that it would have mattered--it looks almost like the whole village is arrayed in front of you as you pass by some trees and can see them clearly.
As they stalk forward, Beachhead looks at Tomorbataar. He peers at him from different angles, trying to figure out what's bothering him.
One lizardfolk, dressed in fancy feathers and holding a big staff, spreads his arms wide as you approach.
"Something seems off about you, Tom. Something's chang--"
"Welcome, child of the Five-Fold Maw! Are you ready to speak to your father?" he shouts grandly to you.
"What?!"
Beachhead swings his head around to look at the fancy lizardguy.
"Huh? That dinnae be what I thought we were comin' here for, but it has been a long time since I talked with our father. What was it? Like forever ago..... Anyway, do ye be sure you got the right hydra? Varaz, likes to talk on forever about the philosophy behind eatin' things, lots of stories about mauling and smashing stuff?"
"Urm Sure, but I don't remember anything about my father....but I'm always happy to talk to new people!" Ziphora volunteers eagerly.
"Very well then, it sounds as though we are all in agreement. Let's go."
Tomorbatar votes to follow the lizardfolk.
The lizardfolk smiles. He raises his staff and cries out some nonsense word.
The water behind you starts to bubble. After a few moments, five heads emerge from beneath the surface... five black, scaly heads. They're larger than you.
"Hello fellow hydra! The lizards said that you're our father! I'm pleased to meet you!" Ziphora tries to make acquaintance with the latest hydra.
Tomorbataar looks down at the dirty heads, swamp water still coating them with an oily sheen. You aren't my ancestry, though perhaps you are related to my siblings.
He decides to wait and see what his siblings have to say.
Grash gives the newcomer hydra a long look. "Nay, I dinnae think this be the right hydra at all. It has nae said anything yet, and is too black. 'Bout the right size though. Dinnae look too smart, either, though I may be wrong. Should be an interestin' fight at least, since we all know that be likely what goin' ter happen. Oi, priesty! Ye gonna just sit around when the bitin' bit comes, or do ye have tae guts ter stand by yer hydra?! I dinnae have any patience fer cowards!"
Grash decides to get everyone warmed up for the inevitable with some morale-boosting magic laced into his words.
Grash also gives a vote to ready the body for a CHAAARGEEE!!, probably at the priest, who looks trampleable.
The hydra looks at you with all five heads. You get the feeling they don't have different personalities, since they all seem to be giving you the same look.
Then they speak, five voices hissing in perfect unison.
"Sorry Fellow hydra, I don't understand what you're saying." Ziphora looks at the other hydra, puzzled.
Beachhead's eyes narrow. He looks at the black hydra, then looks at the lizardshaman, then back at the hydra. His head starts bobbing up and down to the beat of Grash's song.
Beachhead votes for the body to trample the lizardshamman.
"Hang on just a moment now, there's no reason to be hasty. Perhaps the lizardfolk can communicate with it." Tomorbataar glances at the five headed hydra once before turning to the lizardfolk priest, "can you?"