Musophobia (Part 3)

You stand in the Soldier's Defense. Why? Because Stena insisted that you all get checked out that's why. Thankfully none of you show any signs of the plague. Nothing so much as the faintest cough which everyone knows is the first symptom. There are a lot of sick here. The place is packed with the infirm who have come with the hope of hearing that there is /finally/ a cure. But it's clear that they're coming in faster than they can be cured. The person who checks you out seems almost irritated with you for 'waisting' their time. You're quickly shooed off to the side.

Erendriel blinks "I did get bit... but it didn't seem that bad, I'm sorry for wasting your time." She then adjusts her backpack and steps back, looking around and frowning, staying out of the way of sick people.

"Well excuse the hell out of *me* for being worried about turning into a giant-ass rat," Donna snarls under breath, mooching off to the side. "Not like there's only ever just *one* mess happenin' at a time." And *thump* she goes on a handy chair, crossing her arms and trying not to look at the ugly red lines that trace down one arm. Time for an *epic* sulk, apparently.

"Well, nobody's gonna turn into a terrible rat monster. That's a plus," says Stena, nonchalantly. She's at ease with the whole thing. Then, thoughtful: "Mom turned me into a rat once. It was a serious learning experience. Did you know that... no, you know what, nevermind."

"I think we should check out the mansion. Then we can get back to the farm and clean up there," says Stena, "At the very worst, we can call in for more experienced help with the plague crap."

Erendriel looks at Stena, and her eyebrow twitches for juuuust a tick, folding her arms. But then she puts on the happiest bluffiest smile she can manage. "I'm happy to go back to the mansion and fight more of those things." she grins.

GAME: {*} Erendriel rolls bluff: (10)+17: 27

"Mansion?" Donna echoes, eyebrow rising. "Oh good, something we can do instead of worrying. Yeah sign me up. Maybe that priest'll change their tune when we have something to plunk down in front of him." Unfolding, she rises up from her sulk to her feet. "So when're we going?"

"No, do not eat that." Soup admonishes his mighty Corgi steed as the pair pad into the area. Leaning around the left side of his mouth the small armored Gnome rips a bit of used bandage from the dog's jaws and tosses it into a disposal can. Dismounted the small knight is almost invisible being down at knee height in the Soldier's Defense. Then there is a melodic tune as he plucks at his lute. "Ah, mansion you say?" The Gnome puts into the conversation of the three adventures. "Something to do? Something to slay? A way for a Gnomish Knight to save the day? Tell me please, there is a place for me, with thee, prithee?" Looking up at each from the floor. His massive Dire Corgi soon wandering over to loom over him, it's hanging tongue tapping the top of Soup's armored helm.

You're headed for the mansion, and it's a long trek. Even so you know where you're going for the most part and eventually you find your way into the woods on the far end of the farms you once traversed. The forest itself is full of odd noises and even odder sights. Strange animals keep you company in the dark. Squirrels still awake at night with ravenous red eyes. Birds singing night-songs and drifting to sleep over-head. Sometimes they sound like they're talking in human voices. You break into a clearing and ahead you can see the mansion. It's long neglected, and the grass surrounding it is an odd red color that's totally unnatural in the moonlight.

GAME: Stena rolls Perception: (13)+0: 13
GAME: Soup rolls perception: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Donna rolls perception: (17)+8: 25
GAME: Erendriel rolls perception: (12)+5: 17

Erendriel is going to hunch over, quietly, and point toward the red grass. "Uh.." she says quietly. "There's a.... giant... slug? over there. I guess it's not the black stuff, thank gods... I mean. I still wouldn't want to touch it, but be careful."

Despite the walk, Donna seems less surly for being out and doing something. She even, occasionally, knuckles Soup's fearsome steed between the ears, one side of her mouth turning up in an almost-smile. When they get to the house, however, she goes full-business, eyes darting here and there, hands ready to curl into fists the moment danger happens...

And Erendriel spots it. Nodding, she starts to move forward. "Less worried about the creature than what that bump is," she says, rolling her shoulders in preparation for a fight. "But prolly we'll have to give it a kickin' so we can see what's what."

"No!" Soup says immediately when the large slug is mentioned. He leans forward in his saddle to look down into the Corgi's face. "You are not going to get that in your fur. I will not spend another three hours cutting it out. No. Or I'll start shaving you, and we'll call you Mole-gi." The Corgi for it's part simply pants and tilts its head to the side trying to get used to seeing an upside down, from it's angle, Soup.

Stena's busy staring at a wall until people start talking.

"Hm? What? A slug?" She's now looking in that direction, of course.

"Hokay," Donna says, bouncing on her toes. "Hup." And like that, she's loping off toward the slug, an armored fist looping around to strike... But it hits off-center, only grazing the rubbery flesh of the creature and slipping away.

"So," begins Stena, as she raises her axe, "It's a slugfest then, is it?" Very dryly spoken, that.

GAME: Erendriel casts Burning Hands. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20: (8): 8
GAME: Erendriel rolls 4d4: (7): 7

Erendriel does a quick little jog, staring at Donna, biting her lip, and getting into position. Then she pulls her hands back, and shoves them forward, sending a blast of flames right at the slug!

GAME: Soup rolls weapon9+2: (6)+6+2: 14
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+10: (1)+10: 11 (EPIC FAIL)

"Oh no." Soup announces as he straitens in his saddle when the giant slug turns towards them. Sliding his helmet down he brings the lance from it's holster and raises up, bracing the weapon against his side and over the Corgi's head. With a quick command the duo lurch into motion. Corgi and Gnome pounding across the earth, unfortunately Soup seems to have forgotten to secure his lance properly in his haste and the strike goes wide. Sliding easily off the slimy exterior as the pair rush on by and past. "Around! Around! Zounds Hound, we must come back around!"

The slug sticks its tongue out at Donna, stabbing the ground beside her rather than her thankfully.

GAME: Donna rolls finesse+1-2: (6)+8+1+-2: 13
GAME: Donna rolls finesse+1-2: (1)+8+1+-2: 8 (EPIC FAIL)

"....Well *that's* just creepy," Donna mutters as the tongue stabs the ground next to her boot. Frustration builds, however, as her next blows also slide off the slug's hide, accomplishing nothing but gooping up her gauntlets.

GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+7: (15)+7: 22
GAME: Stena rolls 1d12+6: (1)+6: 7

"...ew ew ew ew, it's /gross/," is waht Stena says as she approaches it, moving up after the others. She kinda hits it with her axe, nut not terribly hard. "Why is it a giant slug," she asks, rhetorically, "/Why/? And why do I have a bad feeling about this in the first place? Something is wrong.."

GAME: Erendriel casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16
GAME: Erendriel rolls 2d4+2: (6)+2: 8
GAME: Soup rolls weapon9+2: (3)+6+2: 11

Erendriel looks at the group surrounding the slug. She steps back a bit, tilts her head, trise to figure out an angle, and sighs. Pulling her wrists a part, she sighs, and points a finger at the slug to hit it with a pair of arcane darts.

"Again! For the Cockatrice!" Soup calls out, leveling the lance once more as the Corgi rears, turns and charges. The duo flash by, missing by an even more exaggerated mark. "Unacceptable!" The small Gnomish Knight exclaims as they sail uselessly by.

GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+10: (16)+10: 26
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d10: (4): 4

This time when the attack of the slug comes it hits Donna on the arm, its proboscis-like tongue dashing out and managing to scrape some of her blood and flesh into its mouth. Disgusting.

GAME: Donna rolls finesse+1-2: (18)+8+1+-2: 25
GAME: Donna rolls finesse+1-2: (15)+8+1+-2: 22
GAME: Donna rolls 1d6+2+1: (4)+2+1: 7
GAME: Donna rolls 1d6+2+1: (1)+2+1: 4

"oh you sonova--" Two fists answer the stabbing tongue, this time colliding with a satisfying *smack* and opening small holes int he rubbery hide. "That's what you want, huh? Okay!"

GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+7: (20)+7: 27
GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+7: (17)+7: 24
GAME: Stena rolls 3d12+18: (24)+18: 42

"...ugh! That's horrible," says Stena as Donna is slashed by the thing's tongue. "I do not like slugs! I have never been one, thank the gods!" And then she brings her axe down onto its tongue, severing it, before reversing it and burying it in the thing's head all together.

The tongue wiggles a bit. Stena stomps on it until it stops.

"Thanks," Donna says, covering her bleeding shoulder for the moment. With the slug taken care of, she can turn her full attention to the mound it had crested to get to them. "So what's this, then..."

"Well, that was impressive." Soup says as he leads the Corgi over to stand near the now dead monster. His lance pokes at it lightly as if to make sure it's dead. The Corgi for it's part sniffs, and then begins tugging on an eye stalk. It's sharp teeth rapidly chewing as Soup begins to flail at it with a brown thin towel. "Bad! No! Stop!"

-End