The door leads to a narrow hallway leading south. It opens to a larger hallway. The far wall looks like it could collapse at any moment.
The Vixen whispers to Miz. “Let me assume the risk this time…”
She steps forward, intent on not watching others go first and vomit like crazy—not that she wants such a fate herself.
Ci Ci follows about a pace behind, hands up and ready to burn anything that attacks.
Paint chips the color of eggshells cover the floor of these halls. Many of the walls are cracked and sag, causing numerous doors to lean awkwardly in their broken frames.
"Try that first door on your left," Ci Ci suggests.
“Works for me,” Vix replies.
"Might as well go around clockwise and check all of them," Saiya agrees. She checks out the aforementioned door and opens it if all seems normal. With her new cantrip, while standing at least ten feet away. One can't be too careful after all.
Vix wasn’t expecting the door to just open like that. “Good thing I didn’t kick the door without warning, or I’d fall heels o’erhead.
“That’s a neat trick, actually. Subtle too.”
Dense, sour mist fills this spacious courtyard. Eddies in the fog create phantom shapes among the shadows of bent trees and wilted foliage. Saiya swears she hears the hoof beats of a horse outside but this soon becomes a secondary concern as the nearby wall collapses down on top of her and Vix. Three slavering ghouls stand behind the rubble that was once a wall.
Upon the hearing the sound of something bestial in the front, Ci Ci reacts without thinking, pushing her way through to the front of the hallway. Seeing the three slavering creatures facing off against Vixen and Saiya, she backs into the nearest corner, then draws upon her power.
She extends her hand, yelling "Burn you sonofab&!%!!" and unleashes a beam of white-hot light at the nearest creature.
Thanks to Vix’s sudden inexplicable knowledge of Dragon Sty—
Inexplicable me ass! O’ course I was a dragon f@!+ing master when I protected Rooftopolis!
Yeah, well anyway, the pieces of broken wall are hardly a hinderance—and her heels kick harder than ever!
…or they would have, if Vix didn’t waste her awesomeness dodging half a wall. (Dragon Master, my ass.)
Saiya doesn't know what hit her. One second she's using her awesome new spell to open a door. The next she's on the ground nursing a bump on her head. Forcing herself back onto her feet, she finally sees the collapsed wall and the ghouls that had hidden behind it.
"And here I thought only the doors were dangerous. Now I have to avoid walls too?"
Pulling out her shortsword, she takes a swing at the ghoul distracted by Ci Ci's spell.
Lahrehn moves, as fast as she can, to engage with the enemies. Due to the difficult terrain, her last steps aren't as fast as she can.
Ci Ci strikes the ghoul wearing a nurse's outfit right in the face leaving a nasty burn and filling the room with the smell of roasted undead flesh. Vix nearly tumbles as she looses her footing while trying to kick the monster but her action affords Saiya distraction enough to stab it with her newfound blade.
Miz moves in behind the others struggling to get through the rubble but finally making it to the front line where she attacks the ghoul directly in front of her.
Jassminder reacts swiftly as the wall comes down, drawing arrows from her quiver and loosing them at the attacking ghouls. The terrain isn't a problem for someone who likes to fight from a distance anyway.
Unfortunately she seems more concerned with speed than accuracy for now.
Jass's shot is spoiled by Vix's antics. Miz brings her katana down on the creature carving a wicked slice across its chest. Undeterred the ghouls stand and fight.
Mizuko brings her sword up to block the creature's gaping maw but she's just a little too slow and it sinks its teeth into her neck while simultaneously drawing its claws across her sword arm. It draws back and swallows a chunk of fresh bloody flesh.
The ghoul across from Saiya bites and claws through her hide shirt leaving a few shallow lacerations that sluggishly bleed. Over the course of a second Saiya's muscles become rigid and to her horror she realizes she can't move.
Vix's ghoul goes low and sinks its teeth into her meaty thighs while scraping its claws up the same calf. The paralysis moves fast, Vix almost immediately cannot move her leg and quickly spreads to the rest of her body, immobile.
Jassminder shrugs off any annoyance from her previous shot missing, and refocuses her attention on the enemy.
One arrow goes astray, but the other sinks into her target.
”Burn!” Ci Ci shouts again, unleashing another burning beam of light.
Lahrehn lashes out her natural weapons against the enemy by her. She power attacks, trying to get her attacks to do more damage than their usual. Her troll claws and teeth move around in coordination with the two weird tentacles expanding from her back.
Miz grasps at the various wounds from the ghoul and curses the creature under her breath. She adjusts her stance to a more defensive position as she strikes out at her target once again.
Miz is just waiting for an incoming attack, as she sees it coming she quickly moves back to avoid being hit and better yet keep the undead from making further attacks.
Jassminder sees her opportunity and takes her shot, her arrow flies into the ghoul’s mouth, catching its long tongue and threading it through a new hole created in the back of its neck. The monster scratches at its throat in pain and terror but soon stops moving. Lahrehn returns in kind with her claw and bite, tearing another ghoul to shreds. Ci Ci’s light bounces off a wall behind them, her aim too high.
The last surviving ghoul steps closer to Lahrehn, ignoring Mizuko, and lightly bites and scratches the sewer troll shaped ooze. From around the corner two more ghouls appear, clearly drawn by the sound of combat.
Ci Ci shifts her position, trying to get a better angle on the remaining ghouls, and draw their attention away from her helpless companions.
She unleashes another burning beam.
Ci Ci's light burns at the undead flesh but it still threatens her companions.
Lahrehn repeats her flurry of attacks against the closest enemy, hoping to be ready for the next ones approaching.
Miz puts everything she has into attacking the last of the undead hoping to be done with it before the others come to join the fight.
Aware that there are more enemies moving into the fight, but unable to get a look at them, Jassminder stows her bow and draws her greatsword. She moves towards the front, protecting the two paralysed ones. This is a coldly rational decision - no heroics are needed.
Saiya stands there, helplessly watching the others fight. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get her paralyzed limbs to move.
When this is over, I'm buying everyone a round of drinks. Several rounds. Gods know we'll all need them to forget this nightmare.
Lahrehn finishes off the ghoul threatening them with another crunch of troll teeth, she’s careful not to swallow the ghoul flesh. The final two ghouls charge Miz and Jass, in a coordinated show of swordplay they cut down one and injure another. It bites into Jass’s scale mail, ineffectually and the group beats the final ghoul into submission before it can do more harm.
"Well...that was almost a horrible ending," Ci Ci says, wiping sweat from her brow.
Vix finally is able to move again.
She says to Ci Ci (and pretty much everyone), “Well, ye saved me ass. So I might yet live to…”
She trails off as she looks down at the debris. She softly mutters, “…kick o’er a wall,” with a hint of admiration, and just a pinch of envy.
As they finish off the undead Mix clutches at her wounds from where the first ghoul bit and clawed her, blood still flowing slowly between her fingers. "Ugh... that was not fun..."
Miz looks to the others "Unless we have some healing we need to go back, they got me pretty good..."
Noting how severe Miz’s wounds are, Vix replies, “How about we report our discovery to Winter? And while at it, get her blessing.”
Lahrehn spits the last pieces of ghoul before walking towards her most hurt companions. As she moves, she stops to shake for moments - it had taken a toll on her to keep this shape for so long, and she knows very soon she will revert back to her natural ooze form.
I'll follow you, my friends. We have to take care of your wounds! - she says in agreement with the plan.
"If that crazy hag's half as dangerous as these things, we need to go in at full strength. Let's head back," Ci Ci adds in agreement.
The walk back to the chapel is uneventful, you feel like you’re making an impact on this area of the asylum by clearing out the monstrosities that have leaked in from someone’s nightmare. A woman in her fifties nearly shoots at Lahrehn as the party approaches but York tells her to stand down. In the side room where you’ve been sleeping Winter meets you. She says with a concerned expression, ”What happened?!” She begins healing.
Vix says, “Those damn ghouls… their bites rendered Saiya and meself useless, and poor Miz took a beating as she and the others fought to keep us alive.”
As she is being healed Miz adds "We ran into a doctor, Dr. Elbourne. She gave us some more details about possibly putting an end to this, we were searching out someone we might be able to get some more information from when the ghouls attacked. I don't think it would have been as bad had nearly half of us been paralyzed like that. Luckily we managed though. Thank you for the healing!"
As her wounds heal up she stretches and flexes a bit, while note completely back to normal she is almost there and good enough to proceed once again.
Vix describes the cafeteria, including its most notable feature: the crucified bodies.
“I mean, I get we’re all in a nut house full o’ monsters, but this bunch is just basking in crazy. Wren—that’s the doc, Wren Elbourne—I think she’s just doing all she can to keep ’em from ripping each other apart.
“I’ve a feeling none o’ the people she can sort o’ tame’re the ones who hung up the bodies. I expect we’ll run into ’em. When we do, I hope me legs’ll do more than just stand there.”
"Thanks for the healing, as usual." Winter might just be Saiya's new best friend, and she sighs in relief as her wounds close. "I've got a couple healing spells, but not enough to keep us all going after a beating like that."
She nods to collaborate the others' account of the cafeteria. "Elbourne said someone named 'Aggra Loomis' was responsible for all the bodies in there, and probably a few others that we've run into. She's apparently guarding Zandalus now. Any chance you've heard of her? Also, does the word 'oneirogen' mean anything to you? Elbourne suggested they were Zandalus' most devoted followers and might be the key to stopping the mist." She takes a deep breath. "Finally, any chance there's anything alcoholic in the vicinity? I could use a drink or ten."
Winter furrows her brow, "I had hoped that we wouldn't see any more ghouls. I'm glad you made it out alive."
When the party starts to describe the cult, outside the door a man coughs, York joins the meeting, "Sorry tah interrupt. I've had to restrain Mrs. Loomis and she is something else. She don't look it but she's strong as a bear, some of the other orderlies think she's possesed by Asmodeus himself. She killed more than a dozen or so folks in Rozenport years back."
Winter ponders, "Sorry I don't know anything about oneirogens. One who creates dreams? It's worth investigating."
Finally Winter smiles weakly, "Sometimes I wonder if I should have taken up Cayden Cailean's vestments." She looks upwards and says, "No offense."
Miz lets out a deep breath as the majority of her wounds have healed. As Winter doesn't have any more specific details she turns to the others "Guess we should get back to it then."
"Possessed by Asmodeus?" Saiya's eyebrows raise. "Sounds like someone to stay away from. Unfortunately, if she is guarding Zandalus, we may not have a choice in the matter." I suppose there had to be at least one actual psychopath in this asylum. Too bad she's on the other side.
She nods at Miz's suggestion, then pauses. "Actually, hold on just a second. While we're here, there's something I want to drop off. I'll be right back." She leaves the small room and goes looking for Brenton.
"Hey Brenton." She smiles, although the expression is definitely a little awkward. "Um, we were exploring and I found something that I think belongs to you." She offers the small set of wooden knights. "If you want them, of course. If you don't, I can hang onto them."
Lahrehn interjected, mostly willing to continue and get back already, but paused to give Saiya space.
Very well, Saiya - we will be ready to go.