Zeltor presses his assault on the creature, hoping to put it down.
The arrows lodge in the monster, but Sorval's hit doesn't quite penetrate. Somehow, it's still standing.
Sunny clears the way, and Hersh heads up the stairs with a whinnying horse, joining Zeltor and Pup in the main room. He's only keen on the latter, though. Pup bounds back to the horse with his bag.
The injured bandits continue to escape, as well. They look to Hersh and the horse with pleading eyes. The bearded bandit ignores them. He looks at the battle going on through the arch, though.
"Do you have that covered?" he asks.
"Traitorous scum..." murmrs one of the other slowly-escaping hostages.
"Nah, I think he's snarking," says another.
Yay
Ruul tears into the creature with his horns, ripping out a disturbingly long core structure consisting of long lines of alchemically-filled guts. Like a heaving giant, the flesh monster collapses.
Just to be sure that it won't get up again, as it's falling, Manny stabs it.
It doesn't even shudder, inanimate as wood on the floor.
"Guess Matcha... wasn't so bad then?" the cowering prisoner near the archway points out.
"All right, you lods. Have both the goose and the gander fled the roost?!" the bearded bandit roars at his retreating companions.
"Well, we've not seen Coqui yet."
"Maybe he escaped invisibly?"
"Or maybe he's turned the lab into his last fortress."
"We're ficked, aren't we?" calls out one of the limping hostages, seeing a bottleneck in the making.
Meanwhile, Ruul collapses before being able to revel in his victory, the strain on his body too much to bear.
Manny rushes over to Ruul, leaving the jabbering bandits to themselves as he tries to keep his mealticket from dying.
Sorval,Zeltor, I need a little help here.
Sighing with relief that her freind will be doing okay Sunny sits by his side even as Hersh and Pup move the horse out past her. Sunny takes a moment to use a small corner of the blankey to wipe/dry her eyes and clean her face.
Hearing the distant call, Sunny gently leans over gently giving Donaon a kiss on the forehead before she bounces to her feet and skips off to see who needs some helping hands. (^_^)
Sunny skips up besides the horse. Stopping to briefly hug it's large head and snuggle against the animals snout.
"Horsey..." She whispers, then looks out into the cavern proper and the people arrayed there.
With a smile to 'Fuzzy' and 'Pup' Sunny wanders into the room and begins to inquisitively look about for the reason some one was calling for aid..
Seeing people beginning to gather around...somebody...Sunny quickly scampers over to see if she can help.
"If'n ye put pressure on'a leakin' place...it helps..."
Zeltor does not know this person that is assisting Ruul, but he is thankful for the help - "How is he?"
Sorval; inexpierinced with first-aid and afraid she will do more harm than good- pulls out a bottle and gives her potion to Sunny He'll be fine as soon as soon as he drinks this... Sorval studies the elven lass carefully- Were you the one who was calling for help? And do you still require it?
Oh my... Sorval pulls her blanket out her pack and gives it to the elf.
Here you go... she whispers to Sunny...
Sunny nods, "Aye, that were m'self. There were a friend who gots hurt a tad by..." And she stops to point at 'Fuzzy'(Hersh) and 'Pup' (Assuming they are slowly moving through the area with the horse), "...them."
"But..." Sunny adds thoughtfully, still looking at Hersh and Pup with her large, blue eyes, "They in't completely bad fellers. They's jus' taken some wrong choices." Sunny adds philosophically, even turning slightly to address them and potentially other bandits still within ear shot.
"Like I were sayin' afore, I'm sure if'n theys git them selfs to a monastery or a church an' be tellin' tha' folks about they's wrongs? That tha' cleric-y folks will be helpin' 'em git they selfs back on'a better path." (^_^)
Sunny turns to helping the big fellow who's lying on the floor. Gently she kneels then leans over his expansive frame and slowly trickles the potion between his lips.
"Oh? Thank'e!" (^_^) Sunny exclaims at Sorval offering her a blankey... Which she quickly bundles up and makes the prone fellow a tad more comfortable where he lays. Sunny leans back and whispers to Sorval,
"Here...how do that hat thing come off...?" She points to the animal mask on the prone fellows face/head.... :/
Doesn't come off, that is his real face.
It doesn't- he's a minotuar- also the blanket was meant for you huh... what is your name, miss?
You took it out before you collapsed- Ruul.
At Ruul's question Sunny beams, "Yus!" (^_^) Then her eyes grow wide as the large framed Ruul slowly begins to stand.
"Ooooooo..." She opines in obvious awe and wonder....
Then she blinks as she looks from Hersh's critter and thence Ruul and back...and forth...
"Not horsey? Monitor..." She whispers, coming to terms with another new word/concept.
Sunny nods again, "Aye. I es'plain abouts him...an' them an' stuffs...But you was sleepin'." And Sunny waves her hands,
"No! I know that in't tha' right word...um..." And she frowns, blinking as she tries to remember the right words...
Hersh isn't getting very involved with the adventurers' conversations. He's more concerned with rooting through the treasure stored in the main room. He sets aside what are obviously Sunny's things, but rifles through some of the other objects, grabbing a couple of shiny articles and shoving them in a bag.
Eventually, he interjects something in the party's direction.
"It's still weird that you haven't encountered the male magicker. I wouldn't assume you're safe, yet."
Many of the injured bandits are taking off... very slowly, being that their level of injury won't allow a swift retreat.
Except for the restrained individual and the unconscious ne'erdowells, of course.
Pup fiddles, aiming a dagger at the head of one his former comrades. He doesn't through it, but he does make a motion and "ksh"ing sounds.
Sunny emits a 'squee' jumps to her feet and proceeds to begin 'herding' bandits back into a group. Happily bouncing around with as much enthusiasm as any Colly-dog. (^_^)
That is right, Ruul is pretty bloody. This gives us the problem that if we retreat that we will be letting a bunch of these go, but we have a bunch of captives and I'd say they are pretty much done for in these parts.
Concurred- we need to do something about the mage and Ruul's wounds. Sorval whispers Sevari pertalins... in her arcane tongue one more as she walks toward the hoard... expecting auras to appear before her.
Sunny doesn't have a hard time bandit-herding, as all the men in question are too injured to warn her off. The bound man pales at this announcement, though.
"I don't wanna die." he says to Manny, brown eyes wide. "You can get us off the hook, right?"
"You're going to take us all to the law, then, are you?" Hersh asks very seriously.
Meanwhile, Sorval encounters 8 objects with magical auras in the debris. 5 of them lead to what appear to be potion vials.
There's another one on a ring, and two on scrolls.
They smell like butterflies... and a bit like what was jammed down your throat earlier.
Well that is the question eh? See we have been getting tales about people being chopped up by bandits and considering this thing.. Manny kicks part of the disgusting remains of the creature. Seems that we found out where the parts have been going. Considering a lot of you look like you are incapable of building this sort of thing, perhaps you can point us to whoever does this.
"The Lady just ran off!" the captive practically shouts. "She did a lot of it, but so did Corqui, down in the lab. Said it was some religious thing or thereabouts."
"They paid well," Hersh volunteers. "But don't just run off thinking our lot didn't do anything. We had to work, you know."
He regards the red-haired woman on the floor and one of the unconscious men.
"And some worked with more zeal than others. I don't know if you believe me, but I didn't torture, and I didn't cut down anyone without weapons raised, but that can't be said of some here."
He points at the group of bandits in Sunny's "ring".
"I won't be telling which, because this will turn into an absurd tribunal, but there's one freakish sadist in that bunch."
He motions to his foot below. "We have another down here,-"
The wild-eyed Pup continues to aim and make sound effects, though his comrade is long gone from the prior position.
"-and some of us just aren't all here, as it were."
"Oi! SHUT YOUR MOUTH, DESERTER!" Shouts one of Sunny's captives. "They might just get rid of the lot of us and be done with it!"
Sunny waves her hands as she 'Shushes' the people,
"Here, HERE! No one should be killin' any one!"
She moves in and gently undoes the binding on the one, single prisoner. Giving them a friendly pat on the head once she's finished.
"Now then." Sunny nods before moving over and gently taking Hersh by the hand and leading him over to join the other bandits. She indicates he should sit and join them. "Ye is all in'a same group, like, after all..." She points out. For the moment she does leave 'Pup' along, though her gaze doesn't often stray form the fellow or is antics.
"NO one does nuffin', y'know, silly..." She advises the people before she turns and skips over to Rull, Manny, Sorval and Zeltor. Giving a deft and fluid bow she straightens, extends a hand and says,
"Me bankité dindoskal veno ilo asountimon veno oum maata’patou man asountimon veno oum maata’patou ilo achan’chinou vanu lacto!" She exclaims brightly, even bouncing slightly on her toes as she expounds upon her message. (^_^)
Hold it there! Manny points his blade at Sunny. These bandits have been robbin and killen people out there, we were sent by someone whose folk got cut up by them and now we see that they are all in a rush to point fingers except themselves. I say we take the whole lot of them back to town and let the law deal with them if they are so hot to have a fair trial.
Suny 'Eeps' as the small, robed figure points a blade a her midriff. She listens to what the..fellow...has to say, though a slight frown develops on her features.
"I know they's bandits." She replies. "An' they knows they's bandits. As fer takin' 'em any where's....Why would they wan'a go some place where they knows they's gon'a be treated not nice? That'd be silly. Even I can understand that..." She leans down, closer to Manny's eye level and,
She gives Manny a wink,
And she gives Manny a second wink even as she turns to Ruul, Sorval and Zeltor.
"Here...did I say me G'day wrong?" She asks, sounding puzzled...
Manny rolls his eyes. Fine.
(^_^)
*Squee's* And gives a little bounce of joy at Manny's acceptance.
*Tries not to giggle as the big guy seem intent on squishing the little guy.* (^_^)
Sunny leans closer to Rull