The hooded and masked figure reacts with anger when hit with the concentrated positive energy, letting out a stone on teeth growl of what might pass for pain. It moves towards Lilith so fast that she swears it almost glided across the floor, a rag-wrapped fist comes swinging up in an arcing backhand slap at Lilith's face
It smashes in to the side of her head leaving it ringing, Lilith's detached intellectual side notes that the blow would have registered around the same level of impact as an equivalent sized mace might have done.
Turrey's dagger cut, though small, seemed to hit a magical nerve meridian or similar, and causes the zombie to collapse, it's necromantic energies dissipated.
Similarly Polonius' second ball of flame engulfs the remaining groaner, taking a mere second to consume what remains of the substance of its body, and leaving nothing but a charred mess on the street.
The tall and grim man up the street cavorts and spins, performing circus acrobatics but not advancing or threatening you further.
As Lenneth moves to Azmerai's side, he is able to choke down Polonius' infusion, and watches as warmth spreads through his body removing some of the deep bruising from the zombie's blows.
Shomari sheathes the sibat and draws an arrow, pulling back the string and aiming at the acrobat.
"If you're a friend, speak now," he growls.
Readied action to shoot if it starts to move or cast or attack.
[ooc]Deadly aim. Additional+2 if he's undead[/dice]
Feeling the warm fire of the potion melt away the bruises Azmerai lets out a deep sigh.
Turrey's breath is ragged and heavy as he sees the last groaner fall. He glances worriedly about for more groaners while brushing some decaying flesh off his already filthy armor. I'll have to ask if Lilith can use her magic to clean this up, it's really starting to smell...
The thought of Lilith makes him realize that she's gone -- and that the door to the barn is closed. Worry clearly evident in his voice, he asks, "What happened to Lilith? Did she go back in and close the door?"
No, she teleported in after the door was closed. Polonius answers. He keeps one eye on the dancing fool at the end of the street but pounds on the barn door with his small fist.
Lillith, what's going on in there? Open the door, things are getting weird out here!
The tall and grim man ignores Shomari's attempts to communicate, and simply continues cavorting in the street. About now you get a sense of oddness, there's something altogether not right about the man...
Turrey fails to get a response from Lilith, but ears and eyes straining to scan the area, hee's fairly sure it looks clear. No groaners to be found.
Azmerai leaves the rage, (5 rounds left,5Hp left) and leans against the wall for a moment."What now. Little man, where is blond smarty? .... I not like, but good fight!"
Polonius races around to the smithy door and starts hammering.
Xand, open the door! We need to get to the barn, I think Lillith might be in trouble.
Turrey uses his dagger to try to finesse the bolt open on the barn door.
The robed figure lashes out, incredibly fast, hands and stiffened fingers jabbing at your neck and ribs. Your intellectual side again takes a step back to note that the creature appears to be targetting your nerve meridians in order to overload your nervous system and knock you out.
As you collapse to the floor, the last thing you see before the darkness claims you is the mask looming down towards you.
Turrey tries to get access to the stable door by bypassing the beam across it, but his dagger just isn't sufficient for the task at hand.
Polonius hears Kaiya's frantic, muffled voice from the other side of the door
The dwarf...he won't wake up...I can't wake him up! I shook him and he won't wake up!
She sounds like she's verging on hysteria.
Azmerai walks unsteadely to the side and lifts his halberd, turning it around and starts smashing in the window. Fatigued he bends down and lets other people use his body as a stepstone into the office
Without hesitating, Shomari takes Azmerai's invitation to enter the office and moves into the stable proper, nocking an arrow and drawing his bow.
Polonius feels panic rising in his throat.
Desna no! I've been so stupid! He was bitten and now he's going to turn!
Kaiya, listen to me carefully. he tries to keep his voice even, not to cause her any more fear. Go upstairs, where we first met. Shut yourself in behind that gate and lock it. Do you hear me? You lock it and then you hide, ok honey? I'm going to be there in just a second. You're such a brave girl, I know you can do it. Go on now.
He then runs back to the stable where he sees Azmerai helping the others into the office window.
Shomari bursts in to the stable from the office doorway, and is just in time to witness a robed and hooded figure standing over Lilith's crumpled body, replacing a dirty white mask on its face with rag-wrapped hands.
Loosing his arrow, Shomari watches as it flies directly towards the figure's head, but is suddenly smashed aside a heartbeat before it makes contact, the figure's hand moving up to knock it away in a practiced and fluid move.
There is a horrible clicking, wet ripping noise that you suddenly realise is the creature laughing
Another time soldier...
It moves with inhuman speed across the floor, deeper in to the stable and disappears up the ladder in to the darkness above.
***
Polonius hears a series of thumps and bumps behind the shop door as he gives Kaiya her instructions, then there is silence before he moves to join the others by the broken stable window.
No more magic, no more thieve's tools, what use AM I now?, Turrey berates himself, while scurrying over to the window and vaulting in.
He rounds the corner to see Lilith crumpled on the floor and Shomari's arrow lying on the floor beside her. Turning to Shomari he asks, "What's going on!?" and then bends down beside Lilith to see if she's still alive.
Nononononono...!
Polonius' heart is racing and his head hurts, like an incredible pressure is building inside him and if it doesn't get released soon he might explode like one of his bombs.
He more or less uses Azmerai as a step as he vaults through the office window and quickly takes stock of the situation in the barn. Seeing the stricken wizard he shouts;
Turrey, use that extract I gave you earlier. his breathing is ragged as he gulps in big mouthfuls of air. I think Xand has turned and he's in there with Kaiya!
He barely breaks stride as he relays this information. He is single mindedly determined to reach ~Benvolio~ Kaiya.
If anything has happened to her I don't think I'll be able to live with myself...
He races down the tunnel as best as he is able.
Shomari meets Turrey's eye and points to the loft, putting his bow away and drawing his sibat again.
"Up there," he whispers. "One. Very dangerous."
Keeping his eyes up, watching the loft for any sign of the foe, he makes his way slowly towards the stable door and opens it.
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Azmerai helps Lenneth through the window and then climbs after here. Looking around for something to barr the window.
Turrey holds Lilith's head up, and pours the extract into her mouth slowly, taking care not to spill a drop.
Turrey is unable to tell Lilith's condition, she looks grey and ashen but at least she is breathing. He pours the infusion in to her mouth, and after a moment her colour improves and her eyes flutter open, gradually coming back in to focus.
Shomari shifts the beam that was holding the stable door shut, and is able to open it without incident. He doesn't see any further movement from the upper level.
All Azmerai can see is the desk, it could be placed on its end and pushed against the window, not very secure until someone sets to with planks, nails and a hammer, but better than nothing.
Polonius thunders down the tunnel, oblivious to all else, hammering up the stairs as fast as his legs can carry him. As he reaches the shop floor heaving for breath, he is surprised to see Xand led down against the wall, with Kaiya standing over him, crossbow levelled at his head. She is biting her lip and shaking all over, staring down at the dwarf as the tip of the quarrel trembles in front of her.
"It's upstairs," Shomari whispers. He hears the others climbing through the window into the office and closes the door again.
All of a sudden Polonius feels light-headed as relief crashes over him like a wave.
The scenario is as easy to read as the most basic chemical formulae - Xand was bitten as Polo already knew (the first of my mistakes) and despite the healing the party had provided he quickly succumbed to the infection, something Polo had seen before (the second of my mistakes). She tried her best to bring him around but he had then risen as undead and Kaiya, sweet Kaiya, Had put him down with a bolt to the brain. And all this she had to do because she was alone in here with him (the WORST of my mistakes!)
He rushes over the shocked girl and gently helps her lower the crossbow to the ground.
You're alright, I'm here now, I'm here. he can feel himself choking with emotion as he says the words. You had to do it. It's an ugly, horrible thing but you had to do it. he catches her eye and flashes a smile, trying to be reassuring and trying to lighten the situation. I promise, I will never leave you again if you promise to stay just as brave as you have been. Do we have a deal? he holds out his hand and takes her trembling one in his. In truth he was trembling himself. He then hugs her tightly. As he does so he carefully, but subtly, checks her body for signs of injury.
or
Lilith was hurt. We have to make sure our friends are ok. Will you come back with me?
Walking slowly after the others Azmerai slowly catches his breath. Seeing Polonius return with the little girl, he looks at them and says:"All well?"
Kaiya appears uninjured, at least physically. Polonius is able to guide her along by the hand back through the tunnels to rejoin his companions, but it's as if she's in a fugue state, lost somewhere in her own mind.
***
A quick search of the stable's upper floor yields nothing but rags and discarded junk. To your experienced eyes, it looks very much like a safe haven gone bad. Likely sickness took hold here, those who could would have fled leaving the others to their fate, which would account for the lack of supplies and the presence of groaners up here, as they'd never have climbed a ladder on their own.
Behind one of the beams you find a heavy oilcloth that has been draped across a gaping hole in the roof. Presuming the robed assailant is not somehow hiding in plain sight or using magic, it is likely they used this as a means to escape the roofspace.
It's entering early evening now, and just starting to get dark outside. The air smells of woodsmoke still.
In response to azmerai's question, Polonius looks across to Kaiya.
No. Not by a long way. But it will be. and he gives the girl's hand a squeeze.
are you ok, Lillith? when she nods the affirmative, Polonius says; It's getting dark. We should check the inn while we still can. We started all this in the hope of finding food and we still need to.
Polonius rubs his temples in a gesture that says; And I thought things couldn't get any worse.
We should try to seal this hole then. It's gone now, but who knows if it will be back?
After catching his breath Azmerai will help barrikade door, window and roof. After a while he will help to roll some ale in the common room and help start making an ale-soup, adding what they have left to make it stronger and more eatable. He will try to give Polonius some time to check the dwarf, if he is really infected or maybe just out of energy.
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Lilith seems a bit tired from her ordeal but still wants to help. I guess it was foolish of me to go jumping into the stable like that, but I just had to see what was closing the door on us. At least now we know what we are up against. she ponders this for a moment as she helps patch up the hole in the roof. I wonder if we could rig up some kind of alarm so we would know if that thing comes back. Doe we have some bells? I also wonder what its loyalties and motivations are. If its sentient, does it hate all the living? Is it allied with whatever armed those other zombies? Could it be bargained with? Was it a zombie before all this happened? Mostly she just talks as she works, thinking out loud. She seems to favor on side a bit, like something is still hurting her.
I didn't see it so I can't really judge. But whether it's alive or dead, it's not on our side. But this is all too much, I have to force myself to process one problem at a time. It's like an equation - with too many variables the balance is lost.
Right now the only variables we need to think about are this hole and getting in the inn.
After the work to patch up the hole is done, he says;
I say we try the front door thus time. The street us clear and we know the basement door is barred so it's going to be tough goibg in that way.
Kaiya sits down on the floor and hugs her knees, she will eat when offered some food but otherwise ignores any questions asked of her.
Azmerai secures the desk against the broken window of the stable office. Breaking down some of the stalls and using the wood, he is (with assistance) able to shore up the window, reinforce the door and repair the roof, this takes an hour or so. He also gathers enough materials to make an 'ale soup', which is of unusual taste but at least palatable . By the time everyone has eaten, it is fully dark outside.
As you pass through the ground floor of the shop, Xand's body still lies against the wall, a crossbow bolt sticking up from his eye socket. The only things of note on him are a Hide Shirt and his (previously detected as magical) belt. On closer inspection the belt is made of wide, blackened leather, with golden thread all around it. The embroidery depicts the heads of various scary beasts and monsters.
Whenever the wearer suffers a fear effect, they may spend an immediate action to reduce the severity of the fear effect by one step. If the wearer would become panicked, they are instead frightened. If they would become frightened, they are instead shaken. If the wearer would become shaken, the effect is negated entirely. This ability can be used up to three times per day.
Nearby, Xand's other scant possessions lie untouched, a backpack with 50 ft of hemp rope, a bedroll and 2 torches. There is a cheap copper necklace with dwarven script etched in it
A quick reconnoiter confirms there are currently no groaners in the street outside, you'd have a clear run to the inn's front door should you choose to go that way.