Between Lulu's bolt and Dorin's smash the final brute goes down hard. The street returns to silence save for the chirping of birds and insects and the panting of the heroes' breath.
Argoth looks around at the field of dead bodies. Or twice dead bodies. He spits on one of the corpses. "What the hell was that thing?" He points to the female one.
Dorin pounded the head of his hammer on the ground, flinging gore from it. He stamped his boots to resettle them, and rolled his neck. After getting his bearings, he turns to Gaston and the only remaining soldier, his face sorrowful. "Your comrades fought well. They have earned whatever rest they can find in this place."
Anhur rejoins the group, breathing heavily.
"Apologies great warriors. My bow skill has never been what it should."
"Do we care where they came from? Or should we just get moving again. The less we're out here, the better."
"Indeed. Lulu, lead us to your people."
With those poetic words, the party continues its journey to New Westerville. They head northward out of the former commercial area, and into what used to be apartment neighborhoods. Lulu leads them along the old highway outerbelt for a while before cutting west at its intersection with another highway. The monumental concrete overpasses, bridges and entrance/exit ramps are like nothing the Aquilonians have ever seen.
After a short trek through a suburban housing development the group comes to a bridge over a small creek. As they are crossing over the bridge, a massive scaled form comes slithering up onto it from beneath. The snake is big enough around to fill in the center of a car tire, and stretches nearly ten meters in length. It's covered in banana yellow scales and has the diamond shaped head of a viper.
Anhur
Argoth
Bunken
Dorin
Xanos
Lulu
Snake
Initiative
Snake
Party
Begin Round 1
The huge viper slithers forward to the center of the bridge and raises up its head, ready to strike.
Dorin, recalling the stories his father told of his early adventures, grins a mad grin, hefts his hammer, and charges, bellowing a laughing challenge. "One of yours, Doom?!"
He whips a sidelong blow at the snake's head, hoping to shunt aside the reptile's inevitable fanged strike.
"Jörmungandr! The Serpent who will devour the world!" Argoth says in awe as the beast slithers out. He's shaken from his thoughts when Dorin charges the beast. "Right." The sellsword moves to the left, trying to get to the snake's flank while Dorin attacks it head on.
"The biggest damn serpent I've ever seen. You've got a crazy world on your hands here, lass," Bunken says while he puts the bottle of Jack down on the street, then draws and fires an arrow fiercely aimed directly between the snake's eyes.
Attack
Damage
Anhur fires an arrow at the thing.
But in his haste he barely takes time to aim.
Dorin, recalling the stories his father told of his early adventures, grins a mad grin, hefts his hammer, and charges, bellowing a laughing challenge. "One of yours, Doom?!" He whips a sidelong blow at the snake's head, hoping to shunt aside the reptile's inevitable fanged strike. The heavy hammer whistles over its head harmlessly.
"Jörmungandr! The Serpent who will devour the world!" Argoth says in awe as the beast slithers out. He's shaken from his thoughts when Dorin charges the beast. "Right." The sellsword moves to the left, trying to get to the snake's flank while Dorin attacks it head on.
"The biggest damn serpent I've ever seen. You've got a crazy world on your hands here, lass," Bunken says while he puts the bottle of Jack down on the street, then draws and fires an arrow fiercely aimed directly between the snake's eyes. The arrow hits dead on, making a small cut before ricocheting off into the sky.
Anhur fires an arrow at the thing. But in his haste he barely takes time to aim.
Lulu lets out a barely audible squeak at the sight of the snake. "Nooo no no no no." Not a snake not a snake not a snake. She gets her wits about her enough to let an arrow fly from her crossbow. The bolt strikes the snake right in the eye.
Seeing her success, she turns her intense fear of snakes into manic bravado and shouts, "HAAHAHA! I WILL PUNISH YOU."
The snake hissing in pain lashes out at Argoth.
Xanos scowls. "I have never been partial to snakes." the tall sorcerer said in a tone heavy with unexplained meaning.
Xanos moves forward and thrusts with his spear, taking advantage of the number of allies around him to create openings.
Lulu's bolt burrows its way through the reptile's eye and straight into its brain. The huge snake trashes around violently before dying.
The rest of the journey to New Westerville is uneventful. It's a straight shot up past lots of former strip mall commercial properties, then what used to a be a hospital. Past that are several large open fields now being farmed by men in black pants, with suspenders, large beards and wide brimmed straw hats. Each field has a few men with what Lulu recognizes as rifles patrolling the edges keeping a lookout for Yellows. Past the fields are a half mile of demolished houses and cleared forest, only the foundations remaining to tell that people used to live here. New Westerville itself is surrounded by a four meter high red brick wall, with armed men and women patrolling it. The women mostly wear long dresses and bonnets. Lulu waves to the guards and leads the party to the gate.
When they arrive at the metal gate, a few men pull it open from the inside and let them in. Standing inside are a grey haired older asian woman that bears a strong resemblance to Lulu, she is wearing a chinese dress. With her are an asian man in a corduroy vest, jeans and a button down shirt, covered in a leather blazer and a man who somewhat resembles a Vanir with his bushy red beard, and stocky frame. The bearded man is wearing a strange vest and is carrying a black object in his hands.
At the same time the older woman and man rush forward exclaiming "Lulu!" the bearded man watches the Aquilonians with clear suspicion in his green eyes. Behind them can be seen the short, red brick buildings of the main drag of town.
Argoth slowly approaches the family. First impressions to a new tribe. Better make it good, especially here. The olive-skinned man bows his head deeply to both Lulu's Grandmother and her Uncle. He reaches into his shirt and pulls out a can of Mountain Dew. The man had obviously taken one last can for himself. He offers it, along with one of the packets of feed corn to the two of them.
"We ask for the right of guests and protection under your roofs. We offer our services." He looks to Lulu. "Please translate."
Dorin folds his arms across his chest and just looks back at the man with the beard - Zhou, apparently. The big man had only rarely gotten along well with city guards, and 'law enforcement' sounded like the same thing to him.
"Greetings on behalf of the great nation of Stygia, but more immediately, these brave fighters--" Anhur stops, realizing that their origins and prior allegiances are a mixed bag. He begins again, "These brave fighters of great skill and strong arm. Thank you for your most generous accommodations within your humble stronghold."
A moment passes as Anhur smiles widely, impressed with his social graces, before he remembers that they don't understand him. Looking discouraged, he throws his hand in the air and shuffles to the back of the group.
Xanos said nothing. He simply waited for the inevitable distrust and inane questions that were inevitable when different cultures met.
Lulu's grandmother takes Argoth's offerings with a smile. Peter Zhou responds, "Well if you say they are trustworthy I believe you Lulu. Of course you can freshen up, and then I'll need details about your mission, and we can see about your new friends. We can go to my house. Redd, that'll be all for now." With a motion of his hand that says 'follow me' he begins walking further into town. Lulu's grandmother says, "Go attend to your business deary, I'll see you when you've finished." The vanir-like sheriff lowers his gun to a fully relaxed pose and standing next to Lulu's grandmother watches the group depart.
Peter leads them to an all brick two-story building with two minarets flanking the double doors. The lower level consists of many small rooms. Some of them are empty, the others appear to have been converted into some kind of laboratory. Xanos has seen similar things in an alchemy lab, but nothing this advanced. Something that strikes them is the amount of small blinking lights on strange metal boxes and devices . Peter leads them past these rooms to a stairwell at the back of the building. The second story is more comfortable. The floors have been covered in rugs, and the walls are covered in pattered paper with a beautiful floral design. Peter leads them down a long hall to several rooms, each with a featherbed. "You may stay here for now. The bathroom is the last door on the right. New Westerville is lucky enough to have running hot water, so help yourselves. There are only two tubs, so you might need to take turns." As he's saying this a blonde haired, white skinned woman in her forties emerges from one of the side rooms. "Ah, Jennifer. These are our new house guests for the time being. You know Lulu of course. The others are some foreigners who helped her get home safely." The woman's eyebrows raise at the word foreigners, but she says nothing. Turning to the group again Peter continues, "Jennifer is my assistant. Anything you need please ask her. Well, I'll leave you all to get refreshed. When you are finished please come see me in my office downstairs."
Bunken nods in a way he hopes is polite, but says nothing since they wouldn't understand him anyway -- and he's not the type to comfortably rely on a translator. The bottle of Jack hangs loosely between his fingers, 3/4 of the way gone by this point, but he's not yet swaying or stumbling -- perhaps slurring, but since he doesn't say anything one can only guess. He eyes the big black object in the "law enforcement's" hands, more than a little curious.
Bunken looks up a little intimidatedly at the building they will be staying in, but again politely nods his head in thanks and dumps himself onto one of the beds while he waits for everyone to gather up and... discuss things. He takes a sip of the Jack.
As the group is taken through the building, Argoth marvels at both the size as well as the cleanliness of the place. There was as much dirt in a single room back home as there was in the entire giant building. Metal boxes shone with light like magic jewels. It was clear these people had powers and abilities far beyond anything the rest of them has ever seen.
When shown the 'bathroom' Argoth marveled at how these people could bring water into the building. And heated at that! Even their outhouse was clean and able to take waste away. Clearly Lulu's people were great builders and masters of magical or these psychic abilities.
Anhur tries not to let his surroundings impress him as he politely accepts his accommodations.
Xanos scans everything clinically, unable to help being impressed, stying quiet for now.
"I could eat. And drink." Bunken stands up from where he'd collapsed on the bunk, but with a hopeful thought decides to leave the Jack behind and hope that his hosts would have something else to quench his thirst -- the whiskey then being saved for an emergency stash...
He does, however, continue to carry his massive bow and quiver with him at all times.
"A meal is certainly in order. I believe we should discuss the most disturbing matter of these rising dead, as well as our own state of affairs. Your most respected sages and magicians will be required of course."
"It would be good to break bread with your people, Lulu. Hopefully we can learn more about this world and figure out how to get home too."
Dorin, bored with the waiting, perks up at the mention of food. "A meal? Certainly!"
After everyone is bathed and found a change of clothes left for them on their new beds, Lulu gathers them together and leads them downstairs. Pater is in his office as he said he would be. Once a meal is mentioned he says, "Of course, what a bad host I've been. Right this way, please." He leads them through the hallway past the laboratories and makes a left turn down a long hall. He opens one of the right hand doors to reveal a long room with a huge dark-stained wooden dining table stretching down its center. There is a pre-dawn crystal chandelier hanging over the center of the table. The chairs are high backed wooden affairs with red velvet cushions on the seats and backs. Jennifer is in the room, just setting the last of several platters on the table. Peter smiles and says, "Ah Jennifer, what would I do without you?" She simply smiles and says, "You'd forget your head. Enjoy your meal." She inclines her head slightly and then leaves. The table is set with pre-dawn ceramic dinnerwear. There are four large loafs of fresh baked bread, three different kinds of cheese and a smoked ham. Set in small jars are cherry, apple and pear preserves along with some butter. There is a huge wooden bowl with a wild green salad, studded with radishes, carrots and walnuts. Finally there are two large carafes, one with water and the other containing a golden colored liquid.
"Please sit." Peter says, indicating the empty chairs. "My first question is how exactly you came to speak their language in less than a day my dear Lulu? Did you learn it through your abilities?"
Bunken rips a chunk of bread from a loaf with his bare hands, then a chunk of cheese, and begins reaching for the ham before he notices the looks he's drawn from the locals. "Uhhh... sorry. We are supposed to eat this, yes?" He hesitates, glancing at the silverware as he begins to understand, then slowly saws a piece of ham off for himself as if it were cake. He puts a large combination of bread, cheese, and meat into his mouth, then points questioningly at the golden beverage, "What's that?" he asks Lulu, reaching for it to give it a whiff.
"Wait...Xanos? What did you say their names were again? Where are they from?" Peter asks. He gives Bunken a sidelong glance, and then just shakes his head a little and smiles as he watches the man wolf down food.
Dorin took up the carafe filled with the cider and took a swallow. He grimaced. "Hardly a decent mead," he grumbles, pouring himself a huge draught of the liquid, matching the hefty pile of foodstuffs already on his plate. "But our hosts are generous, are they not?" He raises his glass to them, not wondering too much if they understand the gesture or not.
Xanos turned down the meal, asking only for a cup of hot water, to which he added a spoonful of herbs from a small wooden box. It created a strong-smelling tea reminiscent of licorice. He sipped it slowly while he watched the others and listened to the conversation in the strange language.
It was certainly not one he'd ever heard before. He recognized his name, and the others names, but nothing else was significant to him.
Anhur looks around the table. "Are we to meet your sages and magicians at a later date then?"
Argoth inspects the plates and bowls carefully. "Your people are great craftsmen as well as builders, Lulu. These were made by a master. I would love to meet these smiths and artisans. Their work is amazing."
He reaches over and grabs a loaf of bread, breaking pieces from it and scooping out portions of preserves. When he hears his name, he nods sharply at Peter, assuming Lulu was introducing them. He stabs a piece of ham and savors the juice running down his chin.
"Lulu, how many of your people possess powers like you?"
"Tell..Anhur? That we have no magicians, and I'm the closest thing to a sage he will find. There's something very odd going on here. Can you ask them to tell me the names of their homelands? I'll run a search through the database." Peter replies, after hearing his translated query.
"Home, huh? I like the looks of this place. Lots of food, lots of booze, not too many rules. The fight is for survival, not for money. This can be my new home -- who needs Hyboria anymore?"