The slightly overweight man brushes himself off as he stands. At hearing Kosz speak, he grunts out, "Hrmph. Why don't you make yourself truly helpful and get us some light so that we can see the situation ourselves instead of offering worthless reassurances. It's dark as the hells down here."
The man on all fours speaks up after hearing the fat man speak.
"Oh, my head... Horgus, the man is just trying to help. Cut him some slack. Though I have to admit, some light would be nice, especially if we're under threat of a giant spider attack."
Kosz very softly responds, "Please remain quiet and stay low to the ground. A light in the darkness only serves to draw attention to us. We cannot know what might be down here."
Horgus replies with an acerbic tone.
"Elf, you've got no right to tell me what to do. Not after all the slander and lies you've spread about me. I still have to deal with the repercussions of that in my business! Now shut up if you've got nothing better to say."
I have a tinderbox, but I don't have any torches or anything like that.
For a moment, Maximillian is content to sit on the ground, trying to collect himself after a harrowing experience. But at the mention of a giant spider, Max scrambles to his feet. "Giant spider? Where? Where!" Only a warning voice keeps him from immediately casting light. He crouches back toward the ground, speaking in a whisper.
"Are... are you sure the s-s-spider isn't coming? I can c-c-conjure some light." Max's voice studders, clearly fearful of this dangerous darkness.
Tina crawls over to where she hears Deia. I'm here, just hold out your torch.
Kel moved closer to the spider, glad of the chorus of low voices around him. He glanced about to see the others fumbling for lights and nursing wounds. He quickly realized that the only other person who could see in the dark was the armored man he'd seen in the streets earlier, the one who had made him uncomfortable.
Go figure.
Without much choice in the matter, Kel motioned to the armored man and said "You there. You can see. Give me a hand here. Another sword between that spider and everyone else would be a good idea. Until they get some light going, we're the only ones who can see to swing weapons."
After being momentary stunned after the fall to ground. Rex lays on his back amidst the rubble. He frantically checks himself over for wounds.
Calling out to no one in particular,"What the hells just happened, how did we not die,what slowed are fall? And where the hell are we? The city underground?"
"Did someone say giant spider?"
"Hold on let me load my pistol, damn I can't see a thing down here."
Tina opens the tinderbox and strikes the flint and steel, sending a spark into the tine and making a small flame. She then lights the torch with it and then extinguishes the tinder for later use.
As the lights turn on, Max will immediately look around for the spider, and then level his crossbow at it. For the moment, he doesn't seem much interested in doing anything else.
As the torch flares to life, Horgus exclaims, "Finally! Some light to see by!" and begins checking himself over. Upon finding that his clothing has been torn during the fall, he grows visibly angry.
"This is just what I needed! A perfectly tailored 30 gold shirt, ruined because of that ineffectual idiot Hulrun's poor defense of the city. And look at this!"
Horgus grabs at his pant leg where it's been torn and a minor scrape has led to small bloodstains on the fabric.
"The pants cost me almost as much as the shirt, and now they're ruined."
The elf sits back as he hears Horgus speak of light.
"I still can't see..."
He reaches up and touches his face, wincing and breathing sharply as his fingers trace over burned flesh where his eyes should be. After a moment, he speaks up again, this time with conviction in his voice.
"Well then, no time to waste. We've got to get out of here. Everyone, sound off and tell me your profession so that I can take stock of what we have here. I'll organize a scouting party and lead us out of here but I'll need help, specifically I'll need someone to act as my eyes."
"Light that is better," Rex quickly loads his pistol while scanning the chamber.
He looks to Max on his right,"Hey professor, were you the one talking about spiders a few moments ago?"
He then looks past Max at the blind elf, "The name is Rex and I'm a marksmen, probably the best shot in all the city. But I have to ask, how do you plan on leading a scouting party blinded?"
Um, my name is Tina. I am an alchemist and healer and maybe I can help bandage your face and keep it from getting infected.
Tina takes out her healer kit and approaches the elf. She lightly cleans his wound and uses salves and bandages to give him some relief.
1 use of healer's kit used.
Kosz nods to the armsman and begins moving towards him, unslinging his shield as he goes. Spying his morningstar some feet distant, he stoops to pick it up.
Horgus snorts his disapproval as Aravashnial starts acting like he's in charge.
"Please tell me that you people aren't thinking of listening to Aravashnial. I don't think he's ever said a true thing in his life."
Max peeks over quickly at Rex before staring with intensity toward the spider. "Wish we had met under better circumstances, Rex. I'm Maximillian. Be ready to shoot that spider if it decides to eat our friends who are creeping forward."
A little light has helped Max control his fear, but he's still awfully worried about that spider.
Rex looking back to Max,"Well met as well Maximillian."
Rex looks towards the direction of the spider with his pistol at the ready.
"Name's Kel." the armored man close to the spider said. "I'm a guard. Or, I was, rather. Now I'm an unemployed guard."
Kel approaches the spider carefully, looking for any reaction as he does.
Aravashnial remains seated and assumes a stereotypical thinking pose by tilting his head up towards the ceiling and rubbing his chin.
"Hrmmm... So far there's a healer, a marksman, and a guard as well as three others who've not yet said what it is that they do. Please, speak up. If we're to leave here alive then I need to know who would be best to take out scouting for the exit."
"Maximilian, was it, what is it that you do for a living? And you, Deia, being from outside the city you must have some sort of skill, correct?"
Tina finishes bandaging the man. I can make some flaming flasks to help us out if we get attacked. she then grabs her spear and moves to stand five feet behind and to the right of Kel.
|
Deia pauses a moment while she collects her thoughts.
"Well we mostly raise goats and sheep in my village, but I don't think that will help us get out of here. I do have some ability with magic, but it is unlike the wizards of legend and hard to describe. I once put a bear to sleep so I could rescue a lamb from being eaten. On another occasion, I healed our neighbor's leg after a wagon fell on him and the village elders were sure they would have to cut the leg off. "
Deia pauses for a second, then adds quickly "And this owl is with me. I call her Astra and she knows her name." As Deia says the owl's name, it hoots quietly.
"This thing's acting funny..." Kel whispered "It's not really moving. It might be twitching. Hard to tell in this light."
Shall we attack?
"Uh..." Kel looks around to the rest of the people who'd fallen through with him. Only one other looked like a warrior. Most of the rest just looked wounded and worried.
"Maybe we can drive it away with some fire or something? You said you can make flaming flasks?"
"I'm locked and loaded, if you want to kick that spider."
Okay just stay calm, I can totally hit and hurt this thing. It is not a demon. I hope...
Yes. Tina holds up a flask of fluid. I can throw this if you want.
If given the ok, Tina heaves the flask at the spide.
"I'm more than ready to fire," says Max.
Kosz continues moving up to the giant spider until he is only 15' away from it. At the other fighter's whisper, he peers intently at the vermin.
He nods to the fighter, acknowledging his warning. He readies against the spider attacking.
The woman sitting against the wall finally speaks up.
"I wouldn't be throwing bombs around in here. We don't know if the cave we're in is about to collapse or not. I mean, it fell in once already. It could happen again and we might not be lucky enough to survive this time."
Aravashnial chimes in on the new line of thought.
"That woman is right. I think that if we plan on attacking the spider, the guard should be the one to do it. A few quick slices with a sword or a good swing of a club should do just the trick. I don't really think anyone else needs to get involved over something as simple as a spider."
Fine fine, just squish it so we can start getting out of here.
Kosz breaks his silence, whispering, "The spider is still and there is even dust resting upon it; however, I can hear the sounds of chewing coming from it's direction."
Maybe it is dead and something is eating it?
Max will creep north of Rex to maintain a clear line of fire to the spider. He casts Light on his loaded crossbow bolt, so that the spider will be well illuminated once he fires. "Maybe there's some sort of larvae implanted within the spider, eating it from within. I recall reading about such things in a book once." Max shudders a little at the thought.
Rex moves to the south to get a flanking shot on the spider or what ever maybe feasting on it.
Did the professor just say something is inside the spider?
"Hells professor there may be something inside eating it? That is a big spider too, which means something big is inside. Ick."
Tina gets out a dart. We all set? Koz, Kel, best rile up the thingie then.