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Corsac steps into the doorway and, like something delivered by a dream, lobs a vial of acid onto the writhing swarm of spiders. [b]"Didn't I tell you all I found this stuff earlier?"{/b]
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Blaster's vial flies wide and smashes into the wall of the warehouse. Some of it gets on the swarm - just enough to melt the last of the miniature spiders - but some of it flings onto the sleeping spider, singing its waxy insect body... and waking it up!
___
The awakened spider crawls outside of the warehouse and bites the kitsune's ankle.
.. Nope, no it doesn't. Corsac is far too nimble for the demon spider.
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Having recovered from the overwhelming nausea that had sent him running for his rather unfortunate life, Gallix charges after the large spider. As he runs, he makes a mental note to profusely thank all of those that had helped take out the swarm. When he finally reaches the bile-transformed spider, he leaps into the air and brings his cold iron dagger down toward the spider's abdomen.
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Mr Peppers grits his teeth as he clutches his wound, watching the remaining poison well up and drip out of the fang marks thanks to his amazing Elven constitution. The clouds part and a ray of holy sunshine falls down upon his face, or at least it feels like it does, when Blaster banks a vial of acid off the wall melting the remaining baby spiders. D and Gallix then follow that up with a quick curb stomp of the big eight eyed bastard that took a chunk of his long, lean, and luscious Elven leg.
"Are they all dead? Hold on, before you go rooting around in there let me fix this hole in my thigh, and I've got blood all over my cloak!" He stammers, digging out his healing wand.
He points and aims his wand at his leg but gets nothing but a slight puff of smoke to issue forth. "Gah this poison must be messing with my delicate arcane energies. Sirettis can you mend this flesh while I apply this vermin repellent? No way no how am I going to be spider food the rest of today!"
Assuming Sirettis obliges:
He gives himself a sniff then declares he's ready to continue. "Ok I'm ready. Blaster did you have any more of those acids? I completely forgot we found them in Gellion's room!"
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Gallix follows Peppers' lead and applies some vermin repellant. "I've still got a few vials of the stuff here. I bought a few for the trip to the jungle but didn't end up needing them. Turns out it's a good thing I got them after all, eh?" He thanks Sirettis for the healing and agrees with the consensus that they should try to finish checking out the warehouse before finding some place to rest for the night. Before they enter the next room, however, he takes a moment to light up his mutagenic cigarette, and the transformation that is familiar to all except for Cup takes place. He inhales the smoke, then exhales a stream of it through his nostrils and says, "That's better. Let's get going."
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The colorful smoke from Gallix's mutagenic cigarette gently ascends towards the ceiling of the warehouse as he exhales. With the Demon's Bile taken care of, the metal walls of the entryway and dusty storage crates give the warehouse a much more benign appearance, not unlike the one some of you had seen back in Diobel.
Mr. Peppers finds only your basic nonmagical packing and shipping supplies: ropes, hammers, crowbars, and cargo nets hanging from the northern wall.
With your look around the room complete, you press on into the next room.
Torches in each corner of the room shed dim flickering light between high columns of barrels and crates. Four large pillars support the ceiling.
Purplish-black slime covers the eastern wall and much of the room's southeast corner, stretching between the walls, pillars, and crates with long filaments. Countless shapes, varying greatly in size, crowd the sludge.
Several of these shapes, pinned to the walls and crates or lying on the floor, appear human-sized.
A man, covered in Demon's Bile peeks up from behind a crate and mumbles incoherently.. ".... more fresh victims for the Bile! Heehehee! Gonna bring the worm demons home! Worm demons, I've found you a place to go, gonna the worm demons hooOoooome..." He ducks behind a crate with a vial in his hand.
At the same time, a disgusting giant fly attaches its proboscis into one of the human-sizes shapes in the Bile. The tube turns deep red as it drains away some of its victim's life. It releases its hold and its abdomen violently ruptures, disgorging a swarm of flies yet injuring the host at the same time.
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This enormous, horrifically bloated fly is a Giant Hook Fly. Its bite isn't poisonous, but it can attach to its victims and anchor them in place, causing a grappled status. Once attached, it can drain blood (constitution) from its victim.
These tiny, buzzing insects are hook fly swarms. Their underdeveloped proboscises are razor sharp and can cause anything they bite to bleed for another round. They aren't poisonous, but can cause distraction. No resistances.
The man matches Gellion's description that Majara Pricknettle had given you. He appears to have a mace tied to his side and a crossbow on his back.
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"Ah, hells," Gellion mutters, "Looks like we were right about Gellion. He's geared up to attack, by the way, so keep a sharp eye on him." The brawler hustles in and makes his way towards the stack of boxes Gellion had disappeared behind. Between his usual caution and his lack of mental capacity to think of a more diplomatic solution, Gallix draws his dagger once again, as well as a vial of alchemist fire.
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Mr Peppers looks into the room as Gallix throws the door open, he quickly survey's the scene and against his better judgement, bursts into action.
"Those swarms aren't bile infected, fire should work! And that big fly can suck blood. And that's Gellion! Try not to kill him!"
He rushes up and channels roasting fire from his fingertips, amplifying the strength as he did before.
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Cup moves in and sings:
♫ Buzzing you have heard on high
Creepily bouncing in your brain
And the voices call in reply
Echoing their demonic strain
Gellian, in schizophrenia -- oh!
Gellian in schizophrenia -- oh!
Exterminating bugs cheerily
We cannot let these strains prolong
So all these children we’ll now free
Pathfinders rise, inspired by my song
Come to the warehouse Bravoni
For Gellion to his senses bring
After that we’ll all drink tea
The Red Arm saving everything
Gellian, in schizophrenia -- oh!
Gellian in schizophrenia -- oh!
Exterminating bugs cheerily
We cannot let these strains prolong
So all these children we’ll now free
Pathfinders rise, inspired by my song ♫
Click. Whirr.
Blaster moves in and takes aim at the fly.
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D's sand bullet splits into a thousand tiny sand bullets, each targeting an individual hookfly with precision. The ground is littered with dead flies as the blast obliterates the swarm.
Blaster's shot finds its way through the warehouse and nicks the giant hookfly, but it stays airborne at its current height.
The remaining cloud of insects buzzes over towards Gallix, poking at him with their razor sharp proboscises.
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"Protect the barbarian." Uesugi scans the scene knowing full well that the distance between him and the fly is too far. He dashes forward with practiced synchronization dropping his wakizashi to the ground and pulling out his yumi.
"Madame Cup my blade." he says as he passes the lityle gnome hoping she will understand his meaning.
His concentration now completely focused on the fly Uesugi does not even blink fearing by doing so the shot will sail errantly past its mark. He takes a deep breath to settle his mind and then pulls back on the seven woven strands that make up string for his exquisite bow and let's loose an arrow at the engorged abdomen of the fly.
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The swarm doesn't much like the scent of Gallix's repellant and stays back from him.
Sirettis and Uesugi's bolts and arrows shoot straight through the fly's frail body, impaling it against the back warehouse wall.
Gellion notices its demise and goes bonkers. "Nooo.. Need more servants for the bile, more demons for the bile, gotta bring the worm demons home..."
He hops on top of a crate to gain a better vantage point for attacking Gallix and strikes at him with his mace. The strike is wide, and Gallix easily tilts his head to one side, avoiding it completely.
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Gallix looks up at the corrupted youth and is reminded somewhat of himself in his days before he joined the Society. At another time, he might have been moved to compassion for the boy. With his mutagen-altered mind, however, he doesn't give a dire rat's backside, and he smiles as he steps back and taunts Gellion. "You lament the death of flies? You'll have a sad life indeed, little man. Watch this!" He tosses his alchemist fire at the remaining swarm of flies with an almost manic laugh. "All swarms must die!!!"
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Mr Peppers nods with satisfaction as one swarm is quickly roasted like a marshmello left too long on the fire by himself and D's weird sand flinging power. The large flying hookfly then gets bolted to the warehouse wall, leaving the raving Gellion and his final swarm of flies... in tight quarters. I hope this doesn't kill the kid!
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"Ahhhhh!!" A scream of pain erupts out of Gellion as Mr. Peppers toasts him with his jet of flames, setting his clothes alight. The swarm avoids the brunt of the inferno.
D blasts the swarm anyway, and Gallix finds himself with a thousand dead hookflies near his feet. Gellion can't keep his balance as the crate rumbles from Gallix's kick and shakes from side to side, nearly falling off the crate and onto his face.
Blaster quickly moves along behind Sirettis and Uesugi until he reaches a pillar against which he can brace himself to help steady his aim. He raises his musket and mutters under his breath, "Hope this doesn't kill the kid, but he's not exactly going quietly." He holds his breath as he takes his aim at Gellion and squeezes the trigger.
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Sirettis stares at the boy. "Go to sleep. Now."
"Gallix, please restrain him. Feel free to knock him unconscious if need be. We'll have to figure out how to purge the bile from him later."
She stows her crossbow away and walks towards the cocoons. "I will try to check on their condition." She pulls out her dagger to inspect the bodies.
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D. steps in towards the boy, and stops near him with his arms crossed.
With a tone that leaves no space for argument..
"Get your hand away from that mace, boy, now.
Unless you feel you can spare a hand, it is in your own best interest to remain passive, lest i lose my patience."
His eyes lock onto the boy's like harpoons.
"You -will- tell us what you are doing here, and why."