Ramul looks over at the strange man who had somehow become a member of their party, for the moment, at least. Who was he? And could they really trust him? His trustworthiness is especially suspect when he wants to eat the ratling. There's little chance the thing will taste good.
Still, Ramul knows next to nothing about himself, so it's hardly fair for him to judge another. He'll just have to keep an eye on the nameless man.
In the meantime, scaring the ratling seems like a decent idea.
Summoning his kinetic blade, Ramul brings it within an inch of Two-Tail's throat and says, "What do you know about that northeast corner? Are more of your kind hiding there? Or is that a way out? Speak now and speak truthfully if you want a chance to live."
The little creature looks from Ulfric to Ramul, and immediately starts babbling words in a long, barely decipherable string. It points emphatically at the hole to the north, and backs away from Ceerio's disturbingly hungry grin.
Ratch there! He's our leader...led us up here! He knows more than little Twotails! Eat him! He'll make you stronger! Twotails bad meat, spoiled...no good!
The white-haired man nods gravely, giving the ratling a rough couple of pats to the head. "Thatta critter."
"Well folks, you'ns don't know me, and I sure as hellfire don't know you'ns, but seems t'me we got all our irons in one fire, and that's catchin' tha first wagon outta here."
"...yellow fog..."
He swallows thickly. "So th-that fog... That y-yellow fog is, is real? 'Tweren't just in ma dream?"
The red door.
Campus shakes the thought of escape away. Yes. A poisonous fog, from what I've heard.[/ooc]
[b]So ratling with two tails, Ratch. he's your leader. Yes, the hole in the north, but what s north east?
"I'm afraid the yellow fog is very much a reality. Unless we're all dreaming. In which case we're all in someone else's dream or perhaps a dream within a dream. Assuming it's real is less confusing, so I tend to go with that explanation."
Ramul nods at Campus's question and adds, "Tell us quick or we just might cook you both so we can decide for ourselves which of you tastes better."
Ulfric will continue translating, but waits for Two-tails to answer before adding anything more himself.
Genny looks confused, then nods emphatically. Yes! North...that way! She points to the hole again, which is in the northeast corner of the room, but leads to the North. Room there with door...Ratch is there with magic, but you beat him!
She looks to be excited at the prospect.
Is killing a small evil creature like this ratling a mercy? Campus feels a it queasy. Some have called me ferocious, but I've never been comfortable with execution.
Thank you Two-Tails for your honesty. I will return the favor. You will now die. Campus hefts her cold iron spear.
fore evil is your nature, and it is better to die at this moment, having done good, than to die later, after you return to your nature.
Campus slams the cold spear down at Two-Tail's flesh.
Genny two-tails can only offer a guttural exhalation on confusion as the spear slams down to skewer her like a choice piece of meat at market. She writhes and hisses, clawing desperately at the shaft of the great weapon stuck through it, but does little more than slightly mar its surface.
With a final breath, the ratling dies.
Ramul finds himself actually feeling... relieved... when the creature falls to Campus's spear. It isn't the first thing he expected to feel. Anger, confusion, frustration. Those all seemed to be more likely emotions.
Instead, Ramul finds himself nodding at Campus and saying, "Thank you for taking care of her. We should go see if there's any truth to her tale about this Ratch."
The kineticist turns toward the hole in the northeast corner. He waits till the others are ready before heading toward the hole.
Cerio grimaces as the spear tip comes down. "Careful! Don't squish the liver--it's th' best part!" Patting down his patient garb, he realizes he has no pockets. Sighing, he lifts the ratling by its two tails, its blood trickling down on the floor. "I'll just hold on't this fer now. We'll be hungry 'afore long. Say! How long ya'll been wanderin' these halls? Me, I just woke up down that hallway there..." He describes the bloody scene and the people with smashed brains. "I also found these papers." He shares what little information he has.
The white-haired man spits. "Just my blazin' luck, t'wake up in some crazy house'n be locked in. Still, at least we got rats. And more to skin, looks like." He steps toward the northern door. As he does he can feel the invisible eyes still upon him, encircling him with their scrutinizing gaze. Shivering, he reaches for the door handle. "So, we gon' see 'bout this Ratch feller?"
Whether it was a feigned demeanor, or the man was truly teetering on the edge of madness, this Cerio was a dangerous fellow
I've eaten rat. Its quite good with X-Eyed Jack's Famous Rat Sauce...you can get that at most sea ports these days. But unless I am starving, I'd prefer to not eat something wearing a human face.
Campus rummages around and finds a small bit of canvas and twine in her bag. Here. If you must, please cover its face.
The small hole at which the late Two-tails had pointed is so small that only a smallish person like a gnome could enter. It looks to be only a few feet deep, and opens into what looks like a wider room, though it's cloaked in darkness.
Perhaps we might flush it out? Campus spits in a decidedly uncleric manner. Or leave it alone. What care we to go tunneling into a rat nest?
Ramul looks at the new man with what he's sure appears to be a judgmental glance. In reality, Ramul is just flummoxed that the man would want to eat the ratling. Their situation isn't that desperate. Is it?
The kineticist shakes his head to clear his mind as Campus discusses what should be done next.
"I'm not comfortable sending Varinder in alone. If we don't go in, I would prefer to cave in the tunnel. Assuming that's possible, that should at least delay the ratlings' invasion of this place. We don't want the others to have to deal with those things."
The white-haired man shrugs, sniffs, and accepts the canvas, wrapping the bloody body of the rat-thing.
"I'm with th' woman," he says as he thumbs toward Campus. "Ain't worth climbin' through holes in walls if we ain't gotta clue what's in 'em. 'Sides, there's doors we can open instead."
I am unsure whether this Ratch is a danger to our encampment, but I think only a mischievously minor one if like the rat on Cerio's shoulder. Campus stops to peer at Cerio.
What door? I think we've tried every one that we have found, except for the ones buried under rubble. Have you been through the yellow fog, old man?
"Very well," Ramul says to the sorcerer.
"Let's see what we can find."
Ramul gestures for the man to lead the way.
He glances down at his patient's garb, then at the one called Ulfric, dressed in chainmail and sword. Odd outfit fer readin' books in a library.
"Maybe sir knight here outta lead the way. Looks like he knows how't take a beatin', and dish one out. Whatcha say, big man?"
"No, I'll take the front," the Merfolk volunteers.
Everyone follows Klassalka through the double doors and into a hall. This L-shaped hall runs from what looks to be a collapsed space in the west up to the north and to a door. Doors also are found, closed, on the left and right facing north.
You note that the door at the end of the hallway to the north has a nameplate on it that reads "Administrator Eliege Losandro."
He blinks, noting again the mer-woman's tail. In all the ruckus, he'd nearly forgotten she was there. It's like they were in some kind of carnival, like freaks on display. For a second he worries over whether the tail was surgically placed, and whether he has any, ah new parts. A quick accounting and inventory of his external bits assures him, at least superficially, he's as he should be.
"...Right, right..." He shuffles toward the rear, acutely aware of his lack of armor and weapons.
"Ad..min..is..trat...or" he fumbles through the syllables on the door. "Huh. Sounds official. Might be they's a key of one sort or 'nother in there."
What are you mumbling now?
"There is a trail of something, leading... that way!" Ulfric points in the direction the trail goes. "It smells of anti-septic. It may be someone in need of help."
Ulfric will cautiously follow the trail.
Klassalka spares a glance at Ulfric, "Be careful, that's not exactly the best sign around here. Do we follow, or search elsewhere?"
If it another of the mad surgeons, we should kill it now before they do harm to another poor soul
Urrrgh. Slime and bodily slime, at that.
Although it is perhaps pointless, Varinder hefts a knife. Should you throw again, you might try to hit your target, foolish Gnome.
"I concur with Ulfric. Like Campus said, we should find whatever left the trail lest it be someone or something that seeks to harm another. We've dealt with enough monstrosities in this place that I think it's fair to say there are likely more to come."
Klassalka nods, "Sounds good."
Varinder snickers quietly. In this place? I expect nothing less.
Leeoli lift her spear. lead on.
The man twists a finger inside his ear, furiously scratching an itch, or clearing it of wax. "Sheesh, ya'll don't take th'easy road, do ya. Gotta go lookin' fer trouble."
Trouble done found you, son, he mocks himself. He sighs, rolling up his sleeves and preparing for the worst. As though he has an inkling of what that could be. "That way," he says, pointing to the left.
Old man. All I want is to get out of here; go find a warm inn, with warm beer, and thank Cayden for it, but Campus thumbs behind her that way is not it.
Left Campus grunts. Right. Campus grips her cold iron spear. Let's go.
Ulfric nods in agreement and heads off down the left. As he goes he uses detect evil every few feet in case there's a thin wall or something he can't see.
The path to the left continues past a door that opens to the north - Ceerio points this out as the room in which he awoke. An office, this room has two men that died from apparent head wounds, lying crumpled over their desks.
The path continues on past this door, and over stone debris and split wooden beams. The ceiling is caved in to the south, blocking the way, but not before a door leads off to the north. Further down along the north wall, said wall is crumbled and lies in pieces on the floor.
Beyond the crumbled wall is what looks to be a conference room. A once-handsome wood conference table now sits marred by the partially toppled southwest walls. Between heaps of collapsed stone, a closet door still stands.
"Stay alert. Whatever made that trail could still be lurking around here somewhere."
Ramul points toward the closet door. "We should see what's beyond there. We could still use any supplies we can find. And if our unnamed friend here can show up in a random room, perhaps some other ally will materialize in a similar fashion."
Picking up the unnamed friend comment, Klassalka speaks up, "If you don't give us a name, I'm going to make one up for you."
I vote 'old man' Campus keeps a straight face, but she had already decided that she trusted the fellow.
"There is something in the closet." Ulfric mutters to the others.
Sword and shield at the ready, he moves forward, obviously preparing to have someone open the door.
"My hands are full" Ulfric says gesturing to the equipment. "But I am ready for someone to open it."
Stand back. Campus, from 10 feet away tries to use her spear to open the closet.
In light of Ulfric's remarks, Ramul thinks it's unlikely that the closet's inhabitant is friendly. He readies to summon his blade should something jump out of the closet.
The antiseptic odor is starting to wear on his appetite, and he keeps peering over his shoulder, down the hall behind them. A peculiar tingling sensation crawls over his skin, as though his instincts are preparing to react to something that his mind doesn't yet understand. He swallows thickly backs against the wall, wondering if he were ever a religious man. He doubts it.
With everyone positioned, Ramul nods to Ulfric and opens the closet door. The contents of the interior of the closet have been strewn across the small space to resemble a sort of nest. There's a plain shelf, roughly six feet high, that holds a bizarre collection of cerebral oddities in fluid filled jars. Among them are floating, aberrant brains, spinal columns, and dissections. The nest on the floor below is made up of a few lab coats and some rather mysterious piles or rotting meat - some still with hair or finger and toenails.
Three hideous aberrations make their nest in this room. Resembling fetuses with extreme hydrocephalus, the small beings hiss at the soft light of the open door. Having obviously heard the group of living approach, the lone fetus on the high shelf pushes a heavy mason jar containing a hornlike tumor, aiming it down at Ramul, who had the audacity to invade their nest.
Of all the abominations in the world... Ulfric thinks in disgust.
"These need to be put down." Ulfric says and swings at one with his blade.
From 10 feet away Campus thrusts with her cold iron long spear.
Ramul takes one look at the monstrosities inside the closet before quickly summoning his blade and swinging at the same one as Ulfric .
Shit! Hells-fire!" the man croaks as he recoils from the hideous little creatures. His hand flicks out reflexively, and he's surprised to see a magical, burning projectile lob at the nearest. It flies far wide, however, merely splattering against the wall to blend with the other alchemicals. Hopefully not in an exothermic reaction...