This post has the following content warnings:
Accept our Terms of Service
Our Terms of Service have recently changed! Please read and agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy
tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today
+ Show First Post
Total: 3205
Posts Per Page:
Permalink

The squad crosses the city and descends into the sewers. A set of straight stone stairs leads them down into the depths. Tencednil hasn't seen this area before. It's neither the abandoned ruins under Fort Korvosa nor the winding maze of tunnels under souther Midland. Here, straight passageways with strange moss growing across the floor are the norm. A channel full of water flows like a small stream next to them. The distant echoes of strange sounds can be heard softly.

Their patrol is a long and boring loop. Or so the captain says, it's hard to know the shape of things down here.

Permalink

Well, boring remains to be seen. Especially in the sewers. In her experience, the sewers are never very peaceful.

She keeps what watch she can. Anywhere the humans can see in the lantern light, she can see clearly, so in practice they should never see anything before her. In theory she can see farther out than that, but... she has never been very good at making things out when she can't see them clearly. Oh well. There's a chance. Lhín can't see any better than the humans at a distance, but they should be at no risk of anything sneaking too close unnoticed. In the sewers, she always feels useful.

Permalink

Far ahead of them, deep in the shadows, Tencednil spots strange movement. A walking mushroom, four feet tall, slowly lumbers toward them. Deep violet tendrils slither out of the dozens of fissures in its pointed cap.

Another follows close behind it.

Permalink

And they've seen the guards. It's impossible to hide with light like this.

"Violet fungus, over there!"

Fungi will be immune to her Color Spray. That leaves her without her main weapon. Blinding them... might work, she isn't sure. Only one at a time if so. <Eyes?>

Permalink

<Yes! Need eyes!>

Permalink

And plants shouldn't be immune to a flash of light in their eyes. The Sarenrite gets a Dazzling Blade, and... she waits. A well-placed illusion will probably be helpful at some point, but not right now.

Permalink

"Stay back! Don't let them touch you!" The captain pulls out his crossbow and retreats thirty feet. He tries to line up a shot but the fungi are in the darkness and he can't see. He'll wait until they're within sight to fire.

Permalink

Tencednil sees three more violet fungi emerge from the darkness behind the other two.

Permalink

The three guardsmen with their squad are happy to retreat away from danger. They pull out their crossbows and move backward. Once a sightline opens, they'll fire.

Permalink

Two more fungi crawl forward after the others. Tencednil is the only member of the squad that can see any of them.

Permalink

"Seven of them!" That's rather a lot. "I can try a wall but they might try to break it!"

Permalink

The first two violet fungi lumber closer. They're actually quite slow, but tentacled walking mushrooms crawling towards you in the dark are rather horrifying, regardless of speed.

Permalink

"Two there and there." Another Dazzling Blade, for the other guard on the front lines. Better to have them than to need them. "I don't think a wall will help unless we find a split."

And, of course, retreat. The fungi can barely sprint fast enough to keep up with normal elven walking speed. Plants aren't known for being mobile.

Permalink

Captain Paras still can't see the damn things! He'll back up another thirty feet and wait for a sightline.

Permalink

The rest of the guardsmen follow the captain's lead.

Permalink

The fungi follow the light, which leads them toward their food.

One of them gets close enough to be dimly visible in human vision.

Permalink

There they are. Captain Paras looses a crossbow bolt. It slams into the fungus.

Permalink

The three guards fire their crossbows! All of the bolts fly past the fungi. None of them hit. It's still too dark to really see!

Permalink

A second fungus moves into the range of human visibility in lanternlight.

Permalink

Still well out of Acid Splash range. She has better vision, though, and she also has a light crossbow, even if she's worse with it than the guards are. Can she hit?

She can hit! However much it will do against a plant. And she follows the rest of them, of course. her crossbow now unloaded.

Permalink

The rest of the fungi are quick to catch up to the others. Seven are now visible to the humans.

Permalink

Captain Paras continues retreating backward and reloads his crossbow.

Permalink

The guardsmen follow him and reload their crossbows.

Permalink

The fungi continue their pursuit of the squad.

Permalink

Reload and move, just like everyone else. Her Acid Splash is only useful if they're within forty feet or so, and she would rather than not happen. It's just like the zombies.

...Actually... "Remember the marbles! I know I said zombies, but they might work here!"

Total: 3205
Posts Per Page: