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"Well that was weird..." Cath mumbles as he blinks himself awake. He rubs his face and stands, nearly smacking his head against the stone wall in the process. He goes about packing his gear and then starts working on dismantling the stone blockage in the passageway.
"Alright, suit yourself!" Cath goes back to his bedroll and lies down.
"Hah, are you sure you can even draw that bow?" Cath jokes as Amber wrings her hand. "Sure, let's go again."
”Want to do it the old way, eh?” Cath says with a grin. He sets up his pack and shield as a makeshift table and sits down, beckoning Amber over. ”Arm wrestle, let’s go.”
Cath quietly listens to the others talk and watches Tainesh move around the cavern, her youthful form awkwardly making its way through spider webs and other rubbish. There was a winsome innocence to her movements that were in decided contrast to the gloomy and dangerous reality of their current environment. It was oddly refreshing. The fighter never expected to have children of his own, but something about the young wizard sparked a sense of parental protectiveness in him that felt as natural as it was unfamiliar and unexpected. It wasn’t until he started to answer her question that he realized he was smiling. ”Well… I’d bet that those spiders scared off any other creatures a long time ago. And they’re dead now, so we’re probably on our own for the night.” He thinks quietly for a moment before adding, ”I’m not keen on closing that gate, though. Not until we know what’s on the other side of the rocks in the morning, at least. I’ll take first watch just in case.” Cath gathers his pack and lays out his bed roll for the night. He picks up the bow that Sparks had remade, feeling its weight and testing the new string. ”This has a strong draw. You going to keep this?,” he asks the ranger.
"Hmm… alright. Just a thought," Cath says. "If we're gonna rest for the day, I think we should leave these rocks for now and then move them in the morning." He pauses for a moment and then adds, "Whenever that is… hard to tell down here."
…the etching of some unknown sea-creature… Something spins at the back of Cath’s mind while Umros is reading, but it isn’t until after that the thought clicks into place. ”Wait… that thing about the knife having a sea creature engraved on it? Wasn’t there an octopus statue on the Leah's mantle?” ”And yeah, I’m in. Whatever’s going on with these kids is wrong.”
Cath quietly listens to Umros’s reading, a frown slowly growing on the figher’s face as the story continues down its dark and familiar path. At the end, he takes a deep breath and makes a quick inspection of the cave-in. ”This rock can be moved, I think. Just gotta shift some of this over there and build up a support." Cath doesn't directly respond to Umros’s question about continuing the quest, but the implication is that the fighter is also seeing this through to the end.
”Oh, I doubt this is the end of it. There’s somthing we’re missing,” Cath says in response to Sparks’s declaration. Cath had pocketed the Sanctuary potion and was about to do the same with the healing one when Tainesh mentions her interest in it. Walking over to the young wizard, he looks intently at her, taking in her full height, then moves his gaze to the potion in his hand, considering options. Live to fight another day, indeed. ”Tell me, wizard girl; If things go badly, can you heal me? I may be too busy to make use of this when its most needed anyway.” He holds out the potion, offering it to Tainesh. Afterward, he crosses the space to where Sparks and Umros are tugging on the metal gate and grips the bars, giving them a solid yank.
Cath helps identify the combat gear and lets the others sift through the magical items. He hefts the shortsword and tests its weight and build. "This is a very nice blade. Not much use for it myself, but one of you might want it if things get close and personal." When Tainesh describes the fireball spell, though, his eyes open wide and he sets down the shortsword before standing up. "Ever had that stuff thrown at you?" he asks her with surprising intensity, pointing at the scroll clutched in the girl's hand. "Bad news," he offers rather unhelpfully, followed by a half-muttered, "Had to get a new shield after that..." The fighter picks up three of the potions and tosses one of the Cure Moderate Wounds to Umros. "You, uh, might need that," he jokes, trying to make light of the gnome's very serious situation only a few minutes prior. He holds the vial of Sanctuary and the remaining Cure Moderate Wounds up to the light, inspecting the torchlight refracting through the colored liquid and glass. "You know, I try not to think about whatever's in these things. Kinda freaks me out, but they work like a charm."
"I'm not saying we do it now," Cath says with an air of defensiveness. "Let's get everything sorted and then we can move on."
Cath raises an eyebrow at the sound of the jingling coins, but it's not until the potions clatter on the ground that a small smile cracks the fighter's face. Potions are worth more than their weight in gold... He picks up the key to inspect it before the girls start gabbing. While they talk, he idly kicks some rocks.
Sense Motive, DC 15:
Cath is quietly avoiding the conversation about fathers. "Ah-hem," he clears his throat. "Who wants to see if this key fits the gate over there?"
”Sparks, can you help him?” Cath asks, indicating Umros. Maybe a task will take her mind off of the pain…
While Tainesh scurries about to help Umros and Sparks, Cath drives the point of his sword deep into the body of the spider with a loud squelch and gives the blade a twist. ”Just makin’ sure…” he says, withdrawing the blade and cleaning it. Cath moves over to Umros and goes about attempting to staunch the bleeding.
”For a little guy, you sure bleed a lot,” Cath says jokingly.
Cath chases the big spider, who had made its move while he was distracted by the little swarm! The fighter makes sure to avoid the edge of the oncoming swarm. Catching up to the beast, he swings with his sword.
At first Cath thinks Tainesh is just being dense, but then he notices the swarms charging at them. He rolls around to the far side of the giant spider from Langblade and hacks at one of the new legs.
"Any bright ideas?!," he shouts to the others.
Cath arcs his sword back and thrusts the blade at the large spider’s legs.
The fighter shudders as the loud screech echoes around the hall and, despite years of combat experience, his palms start to become sweaty and his legs feel a little weak. ”Why’d it have to be spiders?” he asks no one in particular. Rather than stupidly charging at the beast, Cath moves forward a little and strikes his sword against the edge of his shield, hoping to pull its attention from the rest of the group. He puts his weight on the balls of his feet, ready to dodge at any moment.
Cath steps forward with his sword and shield ready, putting himself between the creature and the rest of the group.
“Well, glad that’s over with,” Cath says, moving back to the group and picking up his bow. He checks his gear and self, “Not hurt, just… sticky…” he says in reply to Umros’s query just as Sparks asks her question. “What do you mean, what is that?”
”Thanks!” Cath says to Amber as the webbing tears away. The fighter re-grips his sword and swings at the retreating spider.
As Umros’s bizarre, but catchy, song fills the air, Cath smiles and charges after the spider that had webbed him. His feet pound the floor of the cave to the beat of the music as he charges full-speed.
Cath drops his bow and pulls his blade.
Well, this is just great. Cath resigns himself to being webbed for the moment and decides it best to attack while he can. He raises his bow and lets another arrow fly at the beast in front of him.
”I’ve always liked that trick,” Cath whispers when Tainesh’s spell activates. The fighter draws out his one dose of antitoxin and looks at the spiders, then to the vial, then back to the spiders again. ”Big spiders, big poison…” he states matter-of-factly before downing the whole bottle. ”…or so I’d guess.”
”Yeah, think… horses. But with eight legs…” The fighter readies his bow and tries to keep his equipment quiet.
The fighter nocks another arrow and continues down the walkway.
The group waits for Langblade to take the arrow from Tainesh, but after an uncomfortable wait, Cath stows his current arrow and takes the lit one, firing it down the hallway.
”Who said anything about ‘afraid’?” Cath asks, eyes watching the corridor. Sense Motive (DC 15): Despite his protestations, Cath is definitely a little uneasy with their situation.
Cath, who had been quietly wandering onto the pathway, snaps his head to the side when Tainesh mentions ‘eggs.’ ”I’ve got a bad feeling about this…,” he mutters, mostly to himself, nocking a new arrow to his bow string. His keen eyes scan the room, wary of any potential trouble.
The fighter sees the target and can't help himself. Before anyone else can even move, Cath lifts his bow and looses an arrow in one swift motion, smooth as silk.
He tilts his head to the side to admire his handiwork before sitting down to finish his elaborate lunch.
The fighter's mouth is noticeably agape as Sparks lists the ridiculously extensive menu. Cath is still thinking about the jam and peanuts when she finishes, so he just says, "That first one sounded pretty good. Thanks!"
"Uh, no, I haven't. Seems in our hurry I, uh, forgot to pack rations." Being in the middle of a cave in the middle of the forest, without much leverage to barter with, Sparks' offer seems more than fair. "Six seems right, since they only cost five back in town. And I'll shoot the next couple of arrows, too."
"Alright, spellcaster, do your thing," Cath says. "I'll stand here and, uh… protect everyone?" he adds, somewhat sheepishly at the thought of being useless.
“I know what a snowflake is, but that escapes me…,” Cath says when the plate stops spinning. ”Any idea how we can get up there?”
Cath, who had taken up the rear guard, is the last to enter the chamber. He looks around as Langblade lights the torches and the others discuss their findings.
When the others mention being hungry, Cath quickly realizes that he forgot to pack trail rations. You idiot!
Cath follows the gnome, keeping an eye out for anything of interest.
Once the others are safely up the ladder, Cath sheathes his small blade before ascending as well. As he starts upward, he quips with a wink, “Both of us know that one of those bolts ain’t enough for whatever you had planned. And the gnome has a good point. Sorry for intruding.”
“Well, we don’t know why the lad was taken. That’s the reason we’re out looking for him. Some of the kids said something about a ’shining lady.’ Ring any bells?”
Cath cringes ever so slightly when Sparks calls out. So much for the hidden backup… “That's everyone.” Turning to the rest of the group, he chides, “And didn't I say to wait while I checked this place out?” The fighter goes back to addressing the hairy man, “We apologize for the interruption. We're searching these caves for a lost child. Well, a stolen child, more like. Would you have any idea where we might focus our efforts? In any case, we'll be out of your… hair in just a moment.” The words barely tumble off of Cath's tongue before he realizes the unintended pun. I hope that wasn't insulting…
Cath whirls about at the sound of the… door?… opening in the floor. “Huh, didn’t expect that… Yeah, alright, give me a second to check it out,” he says, stowing his sword in its scabbard. He draws his kukri and clenches the blade between his teeth—blade out—before descending quickly down the ladder to the room below.
“Well… that’s a dead end.” Not liking the idea of being backed into a corner, Cath hefts his sword and heads a few steps back from the way they came, watching for trouble that might have followed them.
"This Soul-ish business is fascinating and all, but it looks like someone's been dragged through this tunnel. Looks like they put up a fight, too -- there's some blood spattered on the rocks, see?" Cath says, pointing out the items of significance to the rest of the group. "And here's some cloth. I'd wager this was torn from someone's garment in the process." "Let's take this north fork." Cath re-grips his sword and steps into the north tunnel.
Cath stops at the fork and takes in the scene, looking for anything of note.
Cath dons his armor while the others finish preparations. When everyone starts moving into the caves, the fighter moves to the front of the group, sword and shield at the ready. “It’s gonna get dark in here quick if that light of yours goes out… Have more?” he asks.
Cath gives a little chuckle at Tainesh’s ribbing about his wager before rising for his watch. --- The next morning, the fighter is up early and has his gear ready to go quickly. He listens to the others talk about the caves and fumes, but he doesn’t have much to add to the conversation, so he just keeps quiet and sharpens his blades.
Cath listens to Sparks' apology with some slight discomfort apparent in the way he was standing. “Thank you,” he says sincerely. “I've experienced my fair share of…well… less than kindness with regard to my ‘heritage.’ I apologize for brushing you off earlier, as well. I have found it easier to just ignore the insults.” When Sparks yawns, the fighter pats her on the shoulder and says, “Interesting. Well, sounds safe enough for now. Come, join us for camp. Tainesh is taking first watch.” “Yeye walidhani wake me kwa ajili ya kuangalia pili, lakini mimi itabidi bet wewe ikilinganishwa na kiasi kwamba yeye huanguka usingizi kabla ya hapo,” he adds with a wink before heading back to the others and unrolling his bedroll and blanket. Eleven:
“She's supposed to wake me for second watch, but I'll bet you a sliver that she falls asleep before then.”
“I'll take second watch,” Cath offers, licking the last of the rabbit grease from his fingers. The fighter stands and begins to undo the straps on his armor while the others finish dinner. After a few minutes, he grabs the last spit of rabbit and uses the opportunity to check in with their aloof elven ranger. “Hey there, everything alright?,” he asks, presenting the skewer as an offering. “What'd you find in there?”
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