Victor grunts and grits his teeth at the creatures attack but tries to return an attack but has to break off at the last moment in hopes to avoid another attack.
George's arrow just misses the monster, who barely twists out of the way in time.
As Toothy reverts to his swarm form and rushes the monster, her cackles of glee turns to those of terror as the thousands of rats begin to gnaw on her. She slashes wildly with the dagger at the swarm, trying to get away from it.
Finally seeing and opening Victor drives his scimitar down on the creatures leg.
George's arrow just misses the monster, who barely twists out of the way in time.
Still feeling far too fragile to advance into melee combat and realizing that he can't hit the thing while it is in combat, he will ready to shoot it the instant it has no cover and isn't in melee.
for
Toad, suddenly filled with a perverse delight, hefts his axe. He takes a clumsy swing at the rat-covered monster, grunting with the effort.
Fresh, dark blood weeps freely where the rats' teeth rip into flesh.
Amy takes a deep breath, trying to force down the panic that had taken hold of her.
You can do this... You NEED to do this...
With a final steadying breath, Amy concentrates on her magic, forcing a ball of sizzling acid to appear in her hands. Her eyes widen, but she forces herself to look at the monster, and take careful aim. Finally, she winds up and throws the acid...
...which sails right past the monster and burns a hole in the table.
Damn!
The monster takes another swing at Victor. The chaos of the rat swarm unnerves her, making it harder to hit.
"Hang on!" As his rats do their bloody work, Toad reaches out and grabs Victor's arm, trying to magically stem the blood loss.
After being so badly injured and healed in short order his attack has more in common wish a man staggering and swinging his sword to ward off the creature rather than actually a disciplined attempt to hit it.
Unable to see the monster well through the rats, Amy hesitates. After a moment of indecision she moves closer to the battle and slashes at the monster with her sharp nails.
Freaked out by the surging rats and the monster woman, she misses horribly.
"Eeeew!" Amy shrieks.
The monster takes a swing at Toad as a response to him was healing Victor.
Toad takes a gruesome hit, but manages to cast his spell even while heavily wounded.
See the battle start to go against her and that standing in the rat swarm is probably a bad idea, the monster withdraws from her attackers, giving George a chance to fire unhindered. The creature ducks the lethal arrow, but is forced to run past the man as she tries to escape into the room the prisoners were kept.
Victor moves up keep the creature off balance but carefully walks around the ratswarm as he pursues her.
"Hey! Get back here!" Amy exclaims. She thrusts her arms out at the woman on instinct, and fires a sizzling ball of acid at her through the doorway.
Then, grossed out by the rats, Amy scurries back out of the way.
"Oh... That's disgusting..." she moans as she skirts around the surging mass of rats.
George will try again to shoot her.
"What is it WITH you things anyway? Why are you attacking us? What have we ever done to you?"
If by some bizarre chance that fails to put her down (:-)) he'll retreat as shown on the map
Toad chokes in pain as the creature's claws rip into him. It's a pain unlike anything he knows (limited though his knowledge may be), and he can't help but scream as he watches his blood splatter onto the operating table.
I'm going to die in this place.
Before that happens, though, he draws on his magic again, trying to close his wounds.
Or at least keep his guts from spilling out.
With a snarl and a flourish of his tusks, he glares at the creature fleeing from them. He screams again, this time in anger.
His army of rats actually seems to grow, a teeming mass of tangled tails, fur, and teeth. They swell out before him, flooding into the next room. They surround the creature, clawing their way up its legs, clinging with sharp little teeth to the exposed flesh of its arms, biting at its eyes and ears, and even gnawing at its fingers and toes.
The monster screams as the rats tear into her. "You attacked me first!"
In a full panic, the monster's body shifts. Her pupiless eyes grow brown iris; lush, blonde hair grows out on her scalp, and her skin become the shade common to Varisians. She run out screaming into the hallway, blind to the danger to her person.
"Murder! Murderers! I'm being attacked! Help!"
Victor hesitates "Stop running an explain what's going on and what are you?"
"It's lying!" Toad hisses and points, his blood still wet and slick on his hands. "This is what they do! They mask themselves and strike the unsuspecting. They can look like anyone! It's no wonder the guards didn't trust us! Kill it!"
Toad's rats swarm out into the doorway, though they aren't as fast as the creature. He hefts his over-sized ax, his blood spearing its gnarled wooden handle, and runs north toward the hall.
To the group
"Probably just a trick, but "
He moves after it to where he can see it
Calls out in a loud voice
"Do NOT let her in. I'm not sure what is going on but do NOT let her in"
In a slightly softer voice
"You were about to attack us. Lets talk. Run and you WILL be killed, either by us or by the others. Talk or die. Your choice"
If I have a ready action left (I'm not sure where the doors are. I THINK it was a single move action to get where I am but I'm not sure
for
Amy also runs after the woman and her companions.
The monster turns and address George.
"What do you know? I did not ask to become this. And if the undead don't kill me, than the living will. And I will survive this nightmare!"
While staring at George, her eyes seem to grow wider to him. All his focus was taken up by those eyes, and the mysteries that laid with them. It became harder to think of other things under the weight of what those mysteries could be.
"If you are a victim of this then perhaps there is a way out. Perhaps you don't have to die. But you need to stop fighting RIGHT NOW. Turn back into what you are, and drop to the ground. Then we can discuss things. Oh, and stop using magical stares on me or you WILL die"
"George, don't let it trick you. You were right about one thing. It is going to die."
Toad whistles, and his rats attack!
Amy lets out a shriek as the rats scurry by and attack the woman.
"Oh!" she exclaims, suddenly realizing the battle's probably still on.
She slashes at the woman with her long nails.
"Surrender."
Victor readies to attack the creature if she attacks anyone.
"I think George has decided that surrender isn't an option"
Geroge
As Amy nearly misses with her claws the monster swings at her with her dagger.
Toad vests Victor with luck then looks back to the creature with a sneer as his rats do their work.
Victor had tried to give the woman the benefit of the doubt but he held his comrades reservations and renews his attacks once she assaults them again.
Amy lets out a little shriek, then slashes at the creature with her nails again.
George will again try and shoot the monster and again miss wildly.
The monster tries to cut Victor with her dagger.
Toad grins slyly. Almost wickedly.
Victor on the other hand definitely isn't grinning as he blocks he blow with his shield and counterattacks.
Amalthia lets out a guttural growl of frustration as she slashes at the woman with her nails.
As Amalthia's nails cut deep into the woman, her lips spread into a triumphant smile.
Amy's claws finally finish the job. With a horrible wail, the monster falls, reverting to it's true form once again.
An oppressive silence descends on the asylum. A sound, almost like a low moan, comes from the north, past the blockage of the collapsed hallway. As it continues, you could almost swear you hear words, maybe multiple people arguing with each other. Just as you think you can understand it, a massive crack of thunder from outside drowns out all sound. When the reverb finishes, the silence returns.
Victor tries to close the creatures eyes. "Let's just see... explore the rest of the area for now." He walks away from the fight far more tired than he entered it.
Amy smiles.... and then notices her filthy nails. She pulls out a cloth and begins to wipe the blood and flesh from under her nails.
"Eww! It just gets everywhere..." she mutters to herself.
As she cleans herself she follows Ragnar down the hallway.
"Did you all hear that sound from the north? There may be some people trapped there. Perhaps we can communicate with them?"
With that, he goes over to the north, where the blockage is. He takes out his sword and tries tapping on the stone. And puts his ear to the stone to see if he can hear/feel any response.
His swarm of rats cascades in upon itself, somehow reducing in numbers until there are a dozen, several, a few, a couple, and finally only one Toothy, soaked in the creature's blood. He chitters, self-satisfied, and lumbers his way back to the druid. Toad sighs and, leaning his ax head on the floor, rests his head against the end of its handle. "Thank goodness that's over. Maybe now we can get out of this place."
He pokes the body with his axe, looking for anything useful.
He starts at the noise. "What was that? Don't tell me there are more monsters in here."
"I'm starting to remember things. Nothing personal yet, but knowledge. How to pick a lock, history of noble families, all sorts of thing like that.
Is anybody else getting that too?"
"I'm not sure, maybe... or maybe I'm just noticing things as we go. Not necessarily forgotten just no reason to think of them til we see it."
There's no response from the blockage. There is no repeat of that horrible sound. Maybe you can pass it off as just the wind. If only there was a breeze.
Toad actually finds many useful things on the body: the dagger the monster was using that was particularly sharp, a small test tube of light blue liquid, and 48 gp.
Hopefully the test tube is alchemical or a potion. He'll take 10 for a craft alchemy of 19 (or 20 if we've already levelled up :-))
Toad's eyes shimmer as he examines the knife.
The dagger is a +1 dagger
Victor stands solemnly as the other investigate the woman's belongings, they seemed far more adept than him. He couldn't help how much was deception meant to confuse them by the creature or...
...how much could be real. Was she an innocent corrupted or were things far simpler than that. "We have come across an array of... unusual beings so far. Perhaps their is one here that can feed of a person's mind and memories and traded or disposed of our bodies with the creature that first assailed us."
Alchemists and Investigators can. Its a special ability under Alchemy
"I admit that I'm more interested in getting out of here than anything else. The monsters may be victims but they've been trying to kill us"
"Agreed, George. This is survival of the fittest. And not all have devolved into blind aggression. Winter and the others at camp aren't like this."
He holds out the dagger. "This is a magical weapon. Would any of you feel comfortable wielding it?"