The broad shouldered Osirian man hefted the javelin he had used to drag the dagger closer to him, and looked up. Tracking the way the cobwebs were swaying in the afternoon breeze, he checked distance and tossed the weapon overhead, trying to hit one of the peepholes from which the dart had been shot.
A trap? He thought to himself, or a chamber behind where these creatures have blowguns? As he tossed the javelin, he growled towards his comrades, "Take cover!"
Snag moves to stand with his back against the wall further down from the holes so more darts can not strike at him.
Jhereg thrusts his spear where he thinks the objects came from.
Using her sharp hunter's senses, Dhruva perceives the gleaming green eyes. She targets the creature, focuses her attention to make it out more clearly, and then fires a shot from her crossbow.
[ooc]Hunt Prey (1 action) -> Seek (1 action, secret Perception check against Stealth DC with +2 circumstance bonus from Hunt Prey) -> Strike (1 action).
Dhruva’s bolt flies true as it sinks into the creature’s chest. It groans briefly before falling through the cobwebs to the stone floor motionless. You now see two more sets of green gleaming eyes.
Dhruva
Jhereg
Snag
Mitflits
Akka Dak
The body lying dead at Jhereg’s feet is a small blue-skinned almost goblin looking creature with big ears that stick straight out from its head, a bulbous nose and pointy sharp teeth. Its body it covered in bumps of various size. It’s wearing tattered leather armor with a rope tied around the waist, and a makeshift wooden bracelet of some sort that may possibly be used as a shield. A crude dagger is also tucked into the rope belt.
Jhereg hefted his maul, holding it in a wide stance able to go in either direction if the mitflits, or whatever Dhruva had called them, swarmed the group. He stared down the green glowing eyes, his fierce nature transcending language barriers, his foes knowing that rage and hatred flowed through his veins.
Snag looks to find the thing that attacked him and aims for the area that his friends are aiming for and then Snag waves his hand and a rock from the floor flies up at where the creature is.
Jhereg’s swings his mighty maul at the nearest mitflit and smashes his head in. Blood and gore fills the floor. Snag casts a spell to lift a stone from the rubble and flings it into the remaining creature. The stone hits it in the chest and it groans from the severe wound.
Knowing its way outmatched, it turns to scamper off.
Snag rubs his shoulder where the dart struck and says, "Nasty creatures. Snag think it not come back...unless nasty creature has friends. Then Snag think it definitely come back."
Dhruva grimaces at the blood and brains splattered onto the floor and Jhereg's maul. As a hunter, she's not unaccustomed to gore, but not usually from something so... humanoid. And seeing Jhereg commit that level of brutal violence... well, she knew the maul wasn't for show, but it's definitely a new side of him. Not that she blames him for acting in self-defense, any more than she blames herself.
Still, she is thankful that both were at least quick kills. She doesn't like to cause suffering to her prey, and she hopes that Jhereg isn't the sort of man who would feel any differently.
Dhruva summarizes all of these feelings with a simple, "Yuck."
Turning away from the mitflits, she nods at Snag. "Perhaps we shouldn't wait to find out... are you okay, by the way?"
"Snag was hit by dart. But no poison. Snag can go on for now." Snag says as he decides he wants to keep moving before the creature returns with more friends.
Jhereg was not blind to Dhruva's glance, the momentary flicker of fear, revulsion, at the violence with which he ended the conflict. He had seen it similarly writ on his sisters face, and even then, he had felt both guilt and shame for his actions. Asuulek had chosen him to be a slayer, molded him to be such in fire, fear and flame, it was all he knew, until his sister pleaded with him to leave their village behind, to see a wider world than they had ever known.
That desire for freedom had killed her, Jhereg's fellow slayers had stalked them as they fled Asuulek's wrath. He hadn't been vigilant, and that lapse had cost his sister her life. Even if it cost him his companions respect, even if it earned him their fear, he would not allow harm to come to them, not if he could still draw breath.
He hefted his maul, turned his attention to the fleeing form of their assailants. Shrugging he then turned to his companions, "If they know what's best, they will keep running until exhaustion takes them. We should be cautious, there are likely more dangers as we progress deeper into the ruins." He grunted, considering the Burned Man's cowardice, "Given the flight of one of our own, are we sure we wish to continue? As disagreeable as he was, his bold claims did pique my interest."
"Wrin very concerned by lighthouse. Snag think it important to finish search. Let Wrin know if she right to be worried." Snag says in reply to the large man.
"Jhereg seems quite capable against these creatures, so I would like to see what comes next."
"Let me see it, Snag, I'm pretty good with a healer's kit... hmm, it's not serious but it's best to get it wrapped up."
"I'm good to keep going, I'm curious myself... we should cross the bridge one at a time, though, it's not strong enough for multiple people."
"Snag appreciates Dhruva's help. Time to cross bridge. Snag will follow Dhruva and Jhereg." Snag says and then waits for the first two to cross before scampering across ahead of Akka.
You are able to cross the bridge one at a time without causing any stress to the bridge.
"Bridge seems in pretty good shape. I wouldn't have expected that."
Jhereg, once on the opposite side of the bridge, took a wide stance, his knees slightly bent. This would allow him to shift his weight in any direction, the mitflits attack, though unsuccessful, did make him wary as they proceeded deeper into the ruined structure.
"Careful, the one who escaped may have alerted others," he paused, "and if we've angered a community of those things by trespassing here, we may have a fight on our hands."
Looking back, the wooden drawbridge, its timbers gray with age and
decay, spanned a 20-foot gap between the outbuilding and
sprawling ruin on the island. Rusty iron chains hang from the ruin’s northern wall to the drawbridge’s southern side.
The chains look ready to fall apart, giving the drawbridge’s
structural integrity an extra layer of dubiousness.
Through the arch of the drawbridge piles of rotting timbers and loose stones lie in heaps throughout this large, L-shaped hall. Clumps of moss and tangled vines spill down from gaps in the wooden ceiling above each pile of rubble. Several doors lead out to all sides, most barely clinging to their hinges and frames. Debris completely blocks a wooden stairwell that leads up to a large hole in the ceiling. Here and there, the stone walls bear the scars of fire or damage from an ancient battle.
Jhereg being cautious notices three more mitflits engaged with a large white worm-like creature with black beady eyes, but one of them also notices you.
The creatures are about 60 feet away there is some debris in your way which will slow both sides down a bit.
Jhereg
Snag
Mitflits
Dhruva
Maggot
Akka Dak
Jhereg approached the blue skinned fey cautiously, his maul held loosely in one hand. "Easy there, little ones, looks like you could use a hand." He slowly picked his way across the drawbridge, ready to sprint to the other side if it began to collapse, "We don't want to fight you," he glared at the maggot, "and could help you if you let us."
Snag glances at Jhereg as he calls out to the Misfits who look like they might be about to be eaten by a big worm. Snag shrugs and calls upon his inner power to create a Shield and then raise it before moving to stand behind Jhereg. "Snag thinks that worm looking for lunch."
The mitflits all cautiously advance on the party giving you all the realization that they were never in danger. They close the gap between you by about 20 feet all holding small blades in their hands
Dhruva panics as the mitflits approach. She'd like to resolve this peacefully too, or at least not instigate if there's any chance of avoiding a fight, but she also doesn't want to give them the chance to strike the first blow again. Ultimately the drawn blades, combined with the preemptive attack of the previous mitflits, cause her to make a split-second decision to attack. She reloads her crossbow, focuses on one of the mitflits, and, grimacing, fires.
Jhereg grunted as the Mitflits advanced, wary of the pale worm-like creature they were shepherding when they initially encountered the group of them.
His brow furrowed, as he leaned towards his opponents, "So be it," he whispered quietly under his breath. As he did so, he summoned forth all his ancestral fury, his rage, the pain of his loss, combined with the guilt of his own failure, pain, guilt, shame, all mixed in his breast, combining to create a potent mix of anger, rage, and aggression.
Flames began to flicker across his shoulders, racing down his arms, until the head of his maul seemed aflame, engulfed in fire. He surged forward, swinging the massive weapon in a wide arc.
Snag motions and his shield raises up in front of him and then he speak an ancient arcane word and shadowy mist flows from him towards the white worm.
Jhereg moves up to meet one of the mitlfits pummeling it with his dragon head maul. The blow to its body does a fair ammount of damage, but the fire that followed consumes the creature as it writhes in agony on the floor.
Snag begins making hand gestures and speaking some words that make even less sense than his hand movements, but the end result is that one of the 2 remaining mitflits yelps out in pain and then stops in its tracks looking like it's been caught in a trance (critical failed will save)
The last able mitflit rushes up to attack Jhereg, shortsword in hand. It lands a strike as the blade slices into Jheregs left calf. (3 damage)
Dhruva's fires a bolt at the mitflit that attacked Jhereg. It flies wide missing her intended target and breaking as it hits the wall behind the creatures.
The giant maggot is a slow creature and only manages to close in 10 feet closer to Jhereg. (20 feet away)
Jhereg hissed between clenched teeth, the charging fae's blade swung low, the rage fueled warrior twisted his hip. The blade bit, but not deeply, fiery blood seeping from the shallow cut. Seeing the large maggot-like creature approaching, he continued his momentum, his hands low on the haft of the maul as he swung it in a full circle, the maul humming through the stagnant air towards the creature's head.
He then, surged forward, closing the distance between the maggot and himself, bringing his hammer down in a vicious overhead smash.
Snag waves his hand to direct his shield to remain between him and the creatures. He then waves his other hand as he speaks more arcane terms and waves at a piece of rubble that then flies at the worm that slowly moves towards them.
Jhereg hefts his mighty maul once again smashing into the adjacent mitflits' head, smashing it in with a sickly thud. Fire errupts around its head leaving the creature slumped down on the ground as flames burn away the flesh.
Snag produces another spell picking up a a small piece of crumbled rubble and hurls it at the white skinned worm that's crawling its way toward Jhereg who is now face to face with creature. The debris strikes true, as it hits the worm in the head or what looks like a head. (critical success). The nasty creature howls in pain as it prepares to attack.
The mitflit stands as if lost in thought not moving other than slighty swaying in place.
Dhruva looks at the mitflit. It seems pacified... hopefully it'll leave them alone. She gestures with a tilt of her head for it to shoo before it gets hurt.
She then turns towards the maggot, which definitely doesn't look pacified. She reloads her crossbow, focuses, and takes a shot at the beast.
After missing her last shot, Dhruva’s arrow flies trie this time and hits the maggot dead between the eyes. The creature drops to the ground motionless as green goo pours onto the rubble beneath it.
Jhereg whirled, seeing Dhruva's bolt slam true, driving through the maggot's form. He nodded his thanks, before sprinting back towards the stunned Mitflit, he roared his displeasure at the diminutive creature, a moment of clarity gleamed in his eyes, as he shifted his grip on his maul, reaching his hand out to grab the blue-skinned fae by the throat.
Jhereg manages to restrain the mitflit before it has a chance to act after Snag put it in a dazed state.
You all can hear a faint buzzing sound which seems to be coming from behind a door on the west side of the room.
Snag looks at the misfit and shakes his head. "Not sure these big threat." Snag says.
Jhereg brought the wretched creature close to his face, his brow furrowed, the rage emanating from his bronze skin was almost palpable. The light, searing bright. "Why do you attack?" He shook the miserable thing, "Surrender and live. Fight," he looked towards the two fae corpses, "and suffer the same fate!" Turning back to the piteous creature, "Now who will speak for your clan?!?"
The mitflit looks at you with a puzzled look, its ears droop, then it drops its small sword on the ground. It says something in an unknown dialect to you.
"Common, creature. DO. YOU. SPEAK. IT." Jhereg snarled, if these pathetic creatures had moved into the ruins for shelter, and were only defending their territory, he did not want to slaughter them if they had nothing to do with the ghostly lights Wrin had been so concerned with.
He looked to his companions, "Grab some rope, bind this poor wretch, it sounds like something is coming."
Dhruva shrinks back a little at Jhereg's intensity, but she centers herself quickly and takes a bundle of rope off the side of her pack. She ties the mitflit up tight, but not uncomfortably so, as best as she can manage.
Meanwhile, Dia is on alert, ready to point in the direction of any sign of danger that she detects with her keen hearing and smell.