07.11f: Follow the Soulsteel Road

[Joshua]

(OOC: Because I’m required to post this.)
"This is kinky and all that, but I have to get back."
Rogbar shifts uncomfortable. He’s chained to a wall in the throne-room of a castle, suspended above the floor.

The dark lady who sits on the throne screams, ”Silence fool! You were kidnapped!"

The cat rolls his eyes and looks apologetic. ”I know my charms are irresistible, but you should undo these restraints. They’re expecting me back. I can’t spend this long on a date. Even one going better than normal.”

"I'm not … This isn't a date!" The lady clearly has been hearing this all morning.

“You’re right, that's over. I need to get back and lead practice. Although, if I am stuck here on a date, perhaps we could, you know, do something?”

“Silence. Just silence!”

(OOC: Alternate Scene.)
____________

The path finally leads to a black-stone castle in the middle of a swamp. The stench of decay and (un)death hangs heavy in the air as the surrounding marshland gives way to something much darker. Skeletal winged sentinels circle the spires. (Say that 5 times fast!) And there’s something that resembles a mucky road leading to a currently closed draw-bridge made of black iron-wood. Patchwork lizard-men sewn together with necrotech guard the door with dark obsidian axes.

[Chtalo]

Through dark waters a presence stirs, though the only things to notice are the things that live in the water as he makes nary a ripple on the surface. Great webbed paws push aside the water, while a sleekly built form parts what remains effortlessly. He surfaces once... twice... three times as he approaches the castle, then finally slips into the moat, circling under the water to examine the surface from his watery position. He spots the guards, and the circling sentinels through the murky surface, and considers how best to solve this problem.

"With fang and claw, of course," mutters the hunter in the back of his mind, and he smiles, eyeing the guard closest to the water, wanting to time his move perfectly.

[Joshua]

As animated guards, they seem to lack a rhythm or motions. Just perfectly calm surveying of the surroundings. Surprisingly, they don't seem to be looking at the moat.

Probably because the large aquatic mass of tentacles that is surfacing behind you does that. On the plus side, it isn't nearly as stealthy as it thinks it is.

[Chtalo]

Ch'talo lets instinct guide him, kick-spinning in the water to flip tail for snout, gliding through the water like it were air. He has his spear out and at the ready, kicking back for a little distance as he brings it to bear against the tentacled mass. He gives a couple probing pokes with the obsidian points, teeth set in a snarl.

[Joshua]

Thankfully, the tentacle monster is alive. Its self-preservation instinct leads it to guard its vitals which, in turn, makes it easy to tell what to strike at. You quickly dispatch it... One of the guards is now watching the water and assuming that the monster has won...

[Chtalo]

Cursing to himself, Ch'talo slips back around a corner to catch a breath and ditch the towed carcass of the beast. He considers his options, taking another breath and slipping down under the surface, more aware of other defenders that might be underwater.

Confident. Cocky. Lazy. Dead.* You forget yourself at your own risk.

He will return after 5-10 minutes to the drawbridge area where the guards are posted. He needs to take them down quickly and quietly, he knows that much.

---

* OOC: Taken blatantly from the very excellent Otherland series.

[Joshua]

They are back to normal... Although with the scuffle, and the Evil Overlord rule, there are now 4 necro-lizard guards. They have not decided to investigate the moat yet, but you get the impression that will be coming.

[Chtalo]

Ch'talo curses to himself under his breath, surfacing without a ripple off to one side. He looks up and eyes them, considering for a moment. If he can get them in the water he has them, but they'll be noticed and there's no way he could do this without raising an alarm, and his prey might escape. He curses and sinks back into the water, circling the moat again, looking for anything - a lower spot in the wall to fly to, a rough spot he could scamper up. or similar.

[Joshua]

(OOC: Yay bad-stuff.)

Unfortunately, it looks like you're going to have to at least partially fight your way in. On the other hand... a climbing form could get to some of the windows without being much noticed. Other ideas would be attempting to find an underwater entrance, which would be guarded, but might not be noticed if you fight your way in there.

[Chtalo]

There is a time in a hunt for fang and claw, and a time for stealth. This is the time for stealth, so finding a suitable spot, Ch'talo will concentrate, feeling the energies within him molding, changing him around as he seems to melt inward, until an oversized rat with long dextrous fingers and toes starts to scamper its way up, trying to move quickly enough to not be noticed by the patrols above.