The Forgotten City IV Report
General Summary
“Something is coming,” Kegho said in doomed tones.
“What is it?” Theophilus whispered.
“Skittering,” Kegho replied, and the entire company pulled out weapons.
The light coming into the cave mouth was dwindling away as the night came on, and a light wind made a quiet keening as it brushed past. They tightened their grips on their weapons when the skittering became a rustling of dozens of clicking feet.
“Scorpions!,” Kegho said.
“The high ground, take the high ground,” Alexandru ordered and he took Riven’s hand, large halfing feet padding silently up the crude rock stairs onto the natural dias of raised earth. In place, Riven stood ready with her bow, Alexandru with his sling staff.
Theophilus muttered a prayer, his silver mace raised, standing with Elissa as she guarded the camels. Asbjorn gripped the femur-hilt of his sword and swore in harsh Rhennish. Kegho nodded at Alexandru’s judgment and moved onto the dais, tiredly drawing his mighty Horsebow. Teleptyon followed the barbarian and made ready.
From the south cavern, the hideous arachnids came boiling out--glossy black, many-eyed, hissing as their chitin plates rubbed against each other as they ran. They were fast, hideously fast.
Riven drew her bow and fired at the lead creature. Bryan-with-a-Y flew foul and shattered on the rock wall of the cave. “Bryan-with-a-Y!” Riven cried, his betrayal and destruction breaking through her normally placid calm.
Alex muttered an Oameni curse and hit the scorpion with a sling bullet half-a-second later. The creature was pushed sideways from the blow and seemed unsteady. Theophilius, seeing an opportunity, jumped from the second step and brought his silvered-mace down on the arachnid, its carapace cracking like a stove boat. Even battered, it struck out at Theophilus, one claw crushing him, the stinger stabbing into his upper chest.
The next scorpion rushed to menace Elissa. She pinned it to the floor with her spear and retreated to Theophilius’ side. Kegho fired at the scorpion pulling its stinger from Theophilus and missed utterly. Hearing the cleric’s bellow of pain, Teleptyon lifted the Staff of Power and wrenched two bolts of force from the fabric of reality and cast them at the scorpions. The one that poisoned Theophilus simply exploded, dark red hemolymph and shattered chitin pelting the cleric.
Kegho missed again, his arrow skittering off into the dark, his shame chasing after it. A scorpion attacked Elissa, nipping her viciously. “Retreat!” Asbjorn ordered Theophilus and Elissa, and the Northlander ran past them to slay the beast.
Another scorpion raced in to attack, pinching, snipping, stinging one of the camels which let out a heart-breaking bray as it collapsed onto the cave floor.
“Melissa! No!” Teleptyon cried and eldritch energy screamed forth from The Staff of Power and the remaining scorpions exploded.
“No feel good,” Asbjorn mutters as he sank to the ground. “Me feel bad and hurty.”
“You’ve fought off the poison, but you are still very wounded,” Theophilus said and reached out to heal The Northlander. He watched his hand shaking violently. “Ataxia,” he muttered and began to pray.
A long night of fortifying the cave complex still awaited them.
