[Nanglow]

[[This is definitely a training RP.]]

Wood Meji

Void Carpetfang

Glacial Bruma

Lekki paid a small boy to lead them to the entrance to the caverns under the village.  After Hreena grudgingly greased his palm with a good amount of keystones, the boy ran off as quickly as his legs would take him, clearly not keen on staying in the area.

Holloughey lovingly polished his sword, positively purring at the thought of slaying some unknown enemies.  Bruma looked rather queasy.  "I hate killing," she sighed.  "I don't like to maim and hurt."

[Nanglow]

Wood Meji

Void Carpetfang

"Don't worry," Lekki said absently.  "Hreena make sure Master Holloughey here stays in line."  (Holloughey bared his fangs at Lekki, hissing.)

"Now," he said frowning.  "I have here a map which the mayor kindly provided us of the caverns down below; the settlement was built on top of an ancient labyrinth.  Archaeologists and scholars have made many studies of the caverns, but since then many thieving creatures have since settled here.  While we have a map of the twists and turns of the passageways obviously we have no idea of the actual dangers ahead."

"I've circled the entrance where we are."  He pointed at the map.

Holloughey shifted impatiently.  "Let's go!"

[Nanglow]

Tainted Nemuwit

Wood Meji

“Lekki,” Liiloo said quietly.  “How are we going to convince them to stop attacking the villagers without hurting them?”

It was odd to see a tiny rabbit patting the paw of a larger bear, but nevertheless that's what Lekki did.  “Don't worry, my dear.  I have a plan.”

[Nanglow]

Imperial Rengosett

“All right, ya bums, fall in!” yelled Hreena, asserting her natural air of command.  “Holl takes the lead, Lekki behind him for navigation.  Try not to get trampled in the rush,” she said, rolling her eyes.  “Me and Ikik here with our knives out.  Liiloo!  Make sure you have that salve out and stay behind all of us!  You're the last one to get hurt okay?  PEOPLE IF YOU HAVE TO PROTECT ANYONE, MAKE SURE YOU FALL PROTECTING HER.  Because she's going to bring us back.”

Lekki snapped the tip of his wand smartly in the air and the tip glowed on.  “Let's go.”

[Nanglow]

Void Carpetfang

Wood Meji

Holloughey arched his back, the muscular coils of his body tensing up and his back arching as he surreptitiously crossed the entrance.  His shoulders relaxed.  “No one in this cavern.  There's two entrances up ahead, which one do you want to take?”  

“Hmm,” said Lekki, poring over the map.  “We'll take the one right ahead, there's no other entrances coming out of that one and hopefully we can clear out that room pretty quickly.  

“Let's go doc,” Holloughey said cheerfully and they crossed (“Be silent!” hissed Hreena).

[Nanglow]

Void Carpetfang

Tainted Nemuwit

Wood Meji

The Cursed Hydrolisk was on Holloughey's eyes before anyone had a chance to react, madly biting, scratching, and hissing.  Holloughey roared in rage and tugged at the tiny attacker, trying to rip it off his face.  The others scattered ("Ik ik ik ik ik!" squeaked Elquhart) as Holloughey raged about the chambers tearing at the Hydrolisk.  Plunging one foot into the pool where it had apparently resided, he finally tore it off his face and flung it against the cavern wall – where it lay still.

“A Hydrolisk?” exclaimed Lekki in amazement, peeking up over the large boulder he'd hurled himself to avoid being trampled.  “They only live in saltwater!”

[Nanglow]

Imperial Rengosett

Glacial Bruma

Hreena hobbled over to the pool and dipped a finger in to taste.  “It's not saltwater,” she called over.  

Liiloo bent over the Hydrolisk.  “It's dead,” she said mournfully and then – a thoughtful silence.  “Oh well, circle of life!”  She grabbed the Hydrolisk and messily chomped into it.

[Nanglow]

Imperial Rengosett

Hreena raised an eyebrow.  “Oh.  That moral dilemma solved I see.”  She dived into the pool for a minute and surfaced.  “Look!” she said triumphantly, grasping a handful of wet gold.  “It was hiding treasure!”

[Nanglow]

Glacial Bruma

Void Carpetfang

Wood Meji

By now Liiloo was tending to the whining Holloughey's cuts and sores.  “Ow!  That stings!”

“Well that's odd because it contains aloe so you must absolutely be lying,” Lilloo said calmly.  Lekki eyed them curiously.  “Bruma, I'd love to know where you got that balm.”  She shrugged.  “Family secret,” she said vaguely.

[Nanglow]

Imperial Rengosett

Void Carpetfang

Wood Meji

“All right time's a wastin', let's get going,” said Hreena.  She pinched Holloughey, who yelped.  “Shove off you big lump.  Let's go!”

“I wish I knew how that Hydrolisk ended up here,” Lekki muttered as they passed from the chamber.

[Nanglow]

Void Carpetfang

Wood Meji

They crossed back into the empty chamber before them.  "What's next Doc?" Holloughey called back.  

"Hrmm," said Lekki, rustling the map.  "We'll go into the other doorway, there's 3 entrances out of that room, the one to the south leads to a looooooooooong corridor back to the north of the chamber.  If we traverse that, we may find a lot of creatures.  And treasure!"

"Well," Holloughey said, squaring his shoulders.  "Let's go then."

[Nanglow]

Void Carpetfang

Holloughey sidled up cautiously to the entrance of the next room, and coiled up, tensing, waiting.  He counted to 3 and sprang through the door, baring his fangs.  

No one was there.  There were various torture implements scattered throughout the room, and a curiously fresh rotting odor.  At the other end on a raised dais was what appeared to be a stretching rack.

[Nanglow]

Void Carpetfang

Wood Meji

"It's safe to come in," he called.  The others stepped in as he prowled around the room, sniffing.  

Suddenly a Bleached Beetanke barreled out from behind the dais, screeching, bladed hands slashing through the air!

"What the hell!" shouted Holloughey.  He reared his head back and spat a stram of poison at the Beetanke -- but it bounced harmlessly off its armor.

Lekki raised his hands and began a sonorous chant.

[Nanglow]

Imperial Rengosett

Meanwhile Hreena had unsheathed her dagger.  Running so fast, she blurred into the air, she skimmed along Holloughey's spine and sailed into the air, landing lightly on one of the Beetanke's arm.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" she yelled, plunging her tiny dirk into the rows of eyes on the Beetanke's eyes over and over again.  

The Beetanke's angry yells because hysterical shrieks of pain and it stabbed and chopped frantically at Hreena with its blades, but only succeeded in giving itself gigantic gashes.  She dodged them all, and exited the state with a flip to land lightly out of the Beetanke's reach.

[Nanglow]

Glacial Bruma

Void Carpetfang

Bruma had dodged the fight, staying behind, but now she called out -- "Guys!" Bruma exclaimed, pointing.  "Why is it rotting?"

Bruma was right.  With the on its arms, the Beetanke had exposed the flesh under the shell -- but it was putrescent inside.  The fresh stench of rotting meat billowed out of the wounds and rather than blood, a strange black effluvia dripped out.  Despite the fray, Holloughey wrinkled his nose in horror.  "What the hell?!"