Musophobia! (Part 2)
You returned to Alexandria for a good night's rest, rejuvenation, and healing. However bright and early the next day found you all traveling back up to the wasteland where you had been just the day before. It isn't hard to find farmer Joe's farm, not even in the quickly fading light. He has a farm house, a barn, a well, and fields of empty land not unlike his neighbor. The main difference being that your employer had a family, and this man clearly does not. No, his home shows all the signs of being a bachelors home. Well, what you can make of it from the outside in any case, and so far no one - Joe or otherwise has come out to greet you.
Erendriel stays in back of the group, eyes open for rats. Oh gods, the rats.
Keeping an eye peeled for anything dangerous or out of the ordinary, Jeirath approaches the front door to the house. He looks around quietly for a moment before giving a series of firm knocks on the door itself. He takes a few steps back from the door and rests his hand on the handle of his rapier, his non-sword arm tucked behind his back.
GAME: Erendriel rolls perception: (10)+5: 15 GAME: Jeirath rolls perception: (15)+8: 23 GAME: Stena rolls perception: (9)+0: 9
"...well, let's take a look at this, then," says Stena, as she eyes things carefully. Or not so carefully. She's got a sandwich that's distracting her that's taken a while for her to get through.
The door being knocked on elicits no response from anything inside. You strain to hear a sound but there's nothing. The door opens easily with a creaking whine and then you're inside. Dirty clothing is sprawled across the house. A few empty bottles for wine lay near a chair set before the fireplace and there's dirty dishes in the sink. It's not the nicest house you've ever walked into, and in spite of the general disarray it looks like someone's been living here. Sure there's dust on the shelves, but not on the bed or anywhere else that might see daily use. The oddest thing you find is a broken mirror in the bedroom.
The kitchen is the worst of the mess, though there's no sign of food on anything but the dirty dishes. Containers have been torn apart and thrown on the floor, but there's no sign that there was a struggle. More like he purposefully made the mess after the food was eaten.
Erendriel comes a little bit closer, and follows the others inside. Right at the door, she stays there. "Oh god. Rats. There are going to be rats all over this place. Can we just blow it up?"
The half-elf sighs and draws his rapier as soon as he walks in. The blade is held tip-downward as he elegantly steps through the debris on the floor. "This one would very much like to do that, but we should at first insure that the farmer is not here and in need of assistance..." His mouth curls in a disgusted frown. "This one is not going to be happy if he must sully his blade with vermin blood once more."
Of the farmer there is no sign aside from the fact that he was clearly here as little as a day ago or so. No sign of him in the house at least. You search every room twice to be certain, but there's not even a whisper of the rats you know have to live here. So you head back outside.
GAME: Erendriel rolls perception: (14)+5: 19 GAME: Jeirath rolls perception: (19)+8: 27
You search the barn first, but aside from more signs of rat infestation there's nothing. No sign of farmer Joe what-so-ever. You look out over the vast field as you stand beside the well and you hear something. A burbling. A noise like water frothing and so you look down into the well. There you see something... unusual. The water in the well is what's making that noise. It's sloshing back and forth. Furthermore... you think it might be rising. As the moon rises the light hits the well and you realize suddenly that it /is/. It's not just rising, it's /climbing/. Tiny tendrils clamor out of its mass to cling to the side of the well walls and drag it forward.
GAME: Jeirath used a Alchemist's Fire.
Jeirath looks on in confusion as the suspicions were confirmed. The water IS rising. And quickly, too. As the moonlight bounces off it, it becomes apparent that it is not -entirely- water. Not one to wait around for danger, Jeirath quickly plucks a flask of alchemist's fire and he tosses it into the well on top of the rising... whatever it is…
Erendriel sees that Jeirath is doing something fiery. And she knows fire. Fire is a friend of hers. "Ahh, warning please?" she calls out before backing out. "I don't have fireproof clothes yet..."
GAME: Jeirath rolls 1d6: (2): 2 GAME: Erendriel rolls knowledge/arcana: (2)+7: 9
Erendriel squints and really looks, but she spaces out in her surprise at all this and just panics and runs back. "Can anyone see what that IS? Should I even zap it?" she calls out.
GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+7: (12)+7: 19 GAME: Stena rolls 1d12+9: (1)+9: 10
"Maybe I can topple it?" Stena rushes to the well and hits it with her axe. But, the well... well... it's well enough. For the moment. When you hit a well, actually, it apparently is going to end well. For the well.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL)
The ooze explodes out of the well and lashes out at Jeirath, but it's attack comes nowhere close to hitting him. Maybe it's the fact it's on fire, or the fact that it just came out of the well. Either way it's clearly out to get him; it just hasn't managed it yet.
GAME: Jeirath rolls weapon1: (12)+8: 20 GAME: Jeirath rolls 1d6+1: (6)+1: 7 GAME: Erendriel casts Ray of Frost. Caster Level: 2 DC: 14
Now that the... thing... is out of the well, Jeirath's look of disgust turns into one of confusion. "What is that -" His speech is cut off as the creature appears to have tried to attack him, but fails miserably. Shrugging a bit, Jeirath lunges forward and thrusts his rapier as deep as he can into the ooze... to no apparent effect. With a look of absolute concern on his face, he immediately withdraws as fast as he can, positioning himself between the ooze and Erendriel.
GAME: Erendriel rolls ranged: (2)+4: 6 GAME: Erendriel rolls 1d3: (3): 3
Erendriel sighs, and just decides to try. She runs in a few yards, points her finger, and a line of literal fire shoots from her body, socking into the ooze!
GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+6: (4)+6: 10 GAME: Stena rolls 1d12+9: (11)+9: 20
Stena cuts the ooze in twain! Lengthwise!
Now there are two wiggly, eager to eat her oozes.
"OH, /come on/," she groans.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (4)+5: 9 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (4)+5: 9
The ooze divides in half as the fire on it dies out slowly, one half creeps quickly after Jeirath and the other throws itself bodily at Stena. Neither half hits, but eventually…
GAME: Jeirath rolls weapon1: (12)+8: 20 GAME: Jeirath rolls 1d6+1: (5)+1: 6
Jeirath is out of options. He watches as Stena lunges forward and CLEAVES the ooze... into two oozes. The half elf duelist is obviously befuddled. "This one has not seen anything like this before. He cannot even be certain we are hurting it." He flicks the blade out quickly, thrusting it into the now smaller ooze. "Erendriel... turn it into a block of ice with your magic!"
GAME: Erendriel casts Ray of Frost. Caster Level: 2 DC: 14 GAME: Erendriel rolls ranged: (16)+4: 20 GAME: Erendriel rolls 1d3: (3): 3
Erendriel looks at Jeirath like he just grew a second head. "Ice?" she squeaks. Closing her eyes, and sighing heavily, she points her finger, zaps a BLUE beam from her finger, and jogs backward.
GAME: Stena RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 6 temporary HP GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+5: (5)+5: 10 GAME: Stena rolls 1d4+11: (3)+11: 14 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (10)+5: 15
"PUNCH THE DAMN THINGS," roars Stena.
She brings her axe down like its a massive hammer instead, sending a spray of ooze in all directions from the force of the impact.
Yes, she is demanding punchery!
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d4+3: (2)+3: 5 GAME: Stena rolls fort: (14)+5: 19 GAME: Jeirath rolls melee+1 (masterwork): (9)+3+1 (masterwork): 13 GAME: Jeirath rolls 1d4+1: (3)+1: 4
Jeirath is beside himself. He stabbed it two times, and both times he stabbed it really good. But it was a pile of goo. You don't stab goo and expect great things. As Erendriel casts her ice at it, he furrows his brow as it seems to grow. "This one thinks that maybe you should try casting nothing at it... it doesn't seem to be doing much." He pauses. "This one's stabbing doesn't do much either, it would seem." He nimbly steps back as the ooze attempts to touch him, and he responds by attempting to use the pommel of his rapier as a bludgeon, instead of stabbing it. He seems to get some goo on his hand for his efforts...
GAME: Erendriel casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 2 DC: 15
Erendriel is running out of ideas here. "I'm running out of ideas here..." she calls out before firing out one of her boring, but precious and flexible, Magic Missiles at one of the oozes.
GAME: Erendriel rolls 1d4+1: (1)+1: 2 GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+5: (2)+5: 7 GAME: Stena rolls 1d4+9: (1)+9: 10 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (8)+5: 13 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (5)+5: 10 GAME: Stena rolls fort: (16)+5: 21
GAME: Jeirath rolls melee+1 (masterwork)-4: (6)+3+1 (masterwork)+-4: 6 GAME: Jeirath rolls 1d4+1: (1)+1: 2
Jeirath doesn't even have to try to dodge it's attacks. A half a step backwards, and it misses. He swings his pommel back down to smash it against the ooze. "This is not as bad as rats at least...."
GAME: Erendriel rolls ranged: (3)+4: 7
Stena, of course, is past caring about being attacked. She continues to hammer one of the oozes with the haft and flat of her axe. "DIE DIE DIE DIE," she roars as she strikes, again and again and
Erendriel sighs. "What do you mean? Nothing works!" As she, in frustration as much as anything, grabs a rock, and flings it at the ooze, accomplishing nothing.
GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+5: (16)+5: 21 GAME: Stena rolls 14+9: (4)+14+9: 27 GAME: Stena rolls 1d4+9: (2)+9: 11
SPLAT.
The whole thing /explodes/ into black giblets as Stena hammers it down again.
She whirls around to face the rock-thrower in Erendriel. "MORE ROCKS," she commands, moving to the other one now. Or qat least looking like she's gonna.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+5: (9)+5: 14 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d4+3: (4)+3: 7
The ooze swipes at Jeirath again and almost hits him, but he narrowly dodges backwards.
GAME: {*} Jeirath rolls melee+1 (weapon focus)-4: (6)+3+1 (weapon focus)+-4: 6
GAME: {*} Jeirath rolls 1d4+1: (4)+1: 5
GAME: Erendriel rolls ranged: (10)+4: 14
Jeirath would one day come to regret saying things like 'these oozes are not as bad as rats'. One day. But not today. The ooze came so desperately close to touching him this time, but with a dash of flair, the half-elf swashbuckler was able to nimbly move JUST enough so that the ooze couldn't touch him. "AH HA! HAVE AT THEE!" He brings the pommel back down once more, and he makes a mental note to thank the craftsman that made his rapier-club....
GAME: {*} Erendriel rolls 1d4: (4): 4
Erendriel Winces as one explodes, but she's glad she's far away from it. With a sigh-groan, she grabs another rock and heaves it at the remaining ooze. "Stupid things!"
GAME: Stena rolls 1d20+5: (13)+5: 18 GAME: Stena rolls 1d4+9: (3)+9: 12
"I HATE OOZE," yells Stena as she brings down her axe in the flat way she has been, hammering repeatedly at the ooze until it explodes in a spray of splatter. Awful splatter.
Jeirath is absolutely assaulted by a splattering of black ooze. It completely coats him from brow to chest. Luckily, he closes his eyes in time. He stands there for a lonnnnngggg moment before breaking the silence with a sigh. "This one would prefer rat blood on his rapier as opposed to ooze on his face." He gives Stena a stern look for a moment before he starts wiping himself with a small rag he produced from his belt.
Erendriel shakes her head. "I'd rather fight things that die when you set them on fire, instead of, um, getting bigger. That was very weird. I didn't even recognize that thing at first."
"That," Says a voice from behind you. And wouldn't you know it, it's the farmer from yesterday. Not Joe (you haven't seen him before anyways) but his neighbor who hired you in the first place. "Would be one of them plague-oozes. Surely you've heard of them. The Trisgwar family mansion in the forest out yon had one in their well. Guess these things like wells."
"... I think we need to go to the Soldier's Defense when we're done here. And quickly," says Stena with a sigh, looking down at herself, breathing hard now that she's out of the fight.
Jeirath starts to wipe his face more feverishly as soon as the farmer states that it was a plague ooze. "Plague?" He finally finishes wiping himself, and instead of tucking the rag away, he simply tosses it to the ground, apparently having no intention of reusing it. "I wonder if there is a connection between this ooze and the rats..."
-TBC