Chapter 23: "They're coming!"
Chapter 23: "They're coming!" DikiyobaIn the Blades of Avernum Forum, Attorosi reprimanded the three rats responsible for guarding Smoo. "You are negligent and irresponsible. Do you realize how much information the prisoner had about us? If he..."
A mung rat entered. "First Summoned! Some humans were in the Avernum 4 Forum. The other mung rats are attacking but aren't having much success."
A white rat looked to Attorosi. "Are you ready to start the attack?"
"Yes. Take another white rat and two gargantuan rats and get an attack force put together. I'll be there soon." Attorosi paused. "Oh, and take these three rats with you. Since they failed at guarding the prisoner, they will redeem themselves by leading the charge."
The three rat guards gulped.
---
In the General Forum, everyone had made it safely inside but Lenar and the Silent Assassin. They were drying off by the fire.
"Where's Stareye?" Imban asked.
"He's still outside. He needs a healing potion before he can climb the rope. And we had a few casualties, so we need Zorro and a mage to go out there and revive them," Slartucker said.
"I'll do it all. I know how to revive people with Galactic Core. Let me just go get a copy of it and a healing potion," Zephyr Tempest jumped up and ran for the Tech Support Forum.
"Have Dikiyoba come back to this forum while you're there. I want everyone here for an announcement," Drakefyre said.
Nikki broke free of Jewels. "I'm coming, Aran!"
"Keep him away from me!" Arancaytar dashed up the stairs.
"Where are you going? Wait for me!" Nikki chased after him.
Andraste and Dintiradan stepped out of the way as Arancaytar dashed into the room and attempted to slam the door. Nikki pushed his way inside before Arancaytar could close it all the way.
"Stop him!" Arancaytar pushed the Silent Assassin out of the way and climbed out the window, not realizing that Lenar was still on the rope. In his haste, he lost his grip on the windowsill and fell into the lake, knocking Lenar off the rope in the process.
Nikki jumped onto the windowsill and prepared to jump. "Don't worry, I'll save you!"
Andraste clubbed him over the head. The Silent Assassin caught him as tipped over unconscious.
"Sorry about that," Arancaytar said. He swam towards the shore. Lenar hauled himself up the rope again, muttering.
Back downstairs, Alec unfolded the paper Terror's Martyr had given him. "All right, Terror's Martyr has a message for you all."
"Ooh, what is it?" Jewels asked.
Alec cleared his throat and read, "You all suck."
"That's it?" Jewels asked.
"That's all that doesn't violate the CoC," Alec said.
At the scrying pool, it was Zeviz's turn to look.
"Can you see anything?" Randomizer asked.
"Yes. Someone spammed the SubTerra Forum again," said Zeviz.
Rakshasi was nearby and happened to overhear. "It was probably the Stew Boy," he said.
"It was not!" the Stew Boy said.
"We should try to find the summoning machine now," Randomizer said.
"No, wait. I want to try again." Archmagus Micael looked into the scrying pool again.
"And?" Randomizer asked.
"I can still only see my reflection," Archmagus Micael said.
"Okay, you've had your turn. Now I'm going to see if I can find that summoning machine," Randomizer said.
Meanwhile, Zephyr Tempest entered the Tech Support Forum. Smoo rummaged through boxes while Dikiyoba watched him suspiciously.
"Maybe Dikiyoba can help Smoo find what Smoo is looking for?"
"No, I found it." Smoo stood up with a submission baton in his hand. He fired at Dikiyoba. Dikiyoba collapsed.
"Hey! Ice..." Smoo's second shot took out Zephyr Tempest. Smoo shot each of them again to make sure that both of them were dead before walking over to the potion cabinet and knocking several potions to the floor.
The terrified GIFTR nymphs hid in the shadows.
"What do we do, Trash Taker?"
"I don't know, Scum Scavenger."
"He smells exactly like those things that attacked us!"
Smoo halted his destruction of the potions and looked around. "Who's there?"
Just then, Garbage Gatherer and Filth Finder entered. They only needed one look before they realized what was going on.
"Hey! Wererat! Wererat!" Filth Finder yelled.
Smoo shot another thorn at Filth Finder, but it bounced harmlessly off of his exoskeleton. Garbage Gatherer hissed angrily and charged Smoo.
Knowing that everyone would arrive from the General Forum soon, Smoo dodged both of them and fled into the Announcements Forum.
"Alorael! Look out!" Garbage Gatherer yelled.
Alorael fired one more shot at the mung rats and then turned towards Smoo. Smoo fired a thorn at Alorael and missed. Alorael aimed the sniper rifle but a mung rat bit his arm before he could fire. Alorael smacked the rat with the butt of his gun. Another mung rat bit Alorael's leg. Smoo tossed the empty baton away, bolted for the Avernum 4 Forum, and escaped. Filth Finder knocked the mung rat aside while Garbage Gatherer dragged Alorael to safety.
Filth Finder caught a glimpse of a horde of rats joining the mung rats and a gargantuan rat pushing through the mung rats towards him before he fled back into the Announcements Forum and slammed the door. "They're coming!"
A mung rat entered. "First Summoned! Some humans were in the Avernum 4 Forum. The other mung rats are attacking but aren't having much success."
A white rat looked to Attorosi. "Are you ready to start the attack?"
"Yes. Take another white rat and two gargantuan rats and get an attack force put together. I'll be there soon." Attorosi paused. "Oh, and take these three rats with you. Since they failed at guarding the prisoner, they will redeem themselves by leading the charge."
The three rat guards gulped.
---
In the General Forum, everyone had made it safely inside but Lenar and the Silent Assassin. They were drying off by the fire.
"Where's Stareye?" Imban asked.
"He's still outside. He needs a healing potion before he can climb the rope. And we had a few casualties, so we need Zorro and a mage to go out there and revive them," Slartucker said.
"I'll do it all. I know how to revive people with Galactic Core. Let me just go get a copy of it and a healing potion," Zephyr Tempest jumped up and ran for the Tech Support Forum.
"Have Dikiyoba come back to this forum while you're there. I want everyone here for an announcement," Drakefyre said.
Nikki broke free of Jewels. "I'm coming, Aran!"
"Keep him away from me!" Arancaytar dashed up the stairs.
"Where are you going? Wait for me!" Nikki chased after him.
Andraste and Dintiradan stepped out of the way as Arancaytar dashed into the room and attempted to slam the door. Nikki pushed his way inside before Arancaytar could close it all the way.
"Stop him!" Arancaytar pushed the Silent Assassin out of the way and climbed out the window, not realizing that Lenar was still on the rope. In his haste, he lost his grip on the windowsill and fell into the lake, knocking Lenar off the rope in the process.
Nikki jumped onto the windowsill and prepared to jump. "Don't worry, I'll save you!"
Andraste clubbed him over the head. The Silent Assassin caught him as tipped over unconscious.
"Sorry about that," Arancaytar said. He swam towards the shore. Lenar hauled himself up the rope again, muttering.
Back downstairs, Alec unfolded the paper Terror's Martyr had given him. "All right, Terror's Martyr has a message for you all."
"Ooh, what is it?" Jewels asked.
Alec cleared his throat and read, "You all suck."
"That's it?" Jewels asked.
"That's all that doesn't violate the CoC," Alec said.
At the scrying pool, it was Zeviz's turn to look.
"Can you see anything?" Randomizer asked.
"Yes. Someone spammed the SubTerra Forum again," said Zeviz.
Rakshasi was nearby and happened to overhear. "It was probably the Stew Boy," he said.
"It was not!" the Stew Boy said.
"We should try to find the summoning machine now," Randomizer said.
"No, wait. I want to try again." Archmagus Micael looked into the scrying pool again.
"And?" Randomizer asked.
"I can still only see my reflection," Archmagus Micael said.
"Okay, you've had your turn. Now I'm going to see if I can find that summoning machine," Randomizer said.
Meanwhile, Zephyr Tempest entered the Tech Support Forum. Smoo rummaged through boxes while Dikiyoba watched him suspiciously.
"Maybe Dikiyoba can help Smoo find what Smoo is looking for?"
"No, I found it." Smoo stood up with a submission baton in his hand. He fired at Dikiyoba. Dikiyoba collapsed.
"Hey! Ice..." Smoo's second shot took out Zephyr Tempest. Smoo shot each of them again to make sure that both of them were dead before walking over to the potion cabinet and knocking several potions to the floor.
The terrified GIFTR nymphs hid in the shadows.
"What do we do, Trash Taker?"
"I don't know, Scum Scavenger."
"He smells exactly like those things that attacked us!"
Smoo halted his destruction of the potions and looked around. "Who's there?"
Just then, Garbage Gatherer and Filth Finder entered. They only needed one look before they realized what was going on.
"Hey! Wererat! Wererat!" Filth Finder yelled.
Smoo shot another thorn at Filth Finder, but it bounced harmlessly off of his exoskeleton. Garbage Gatherer hissed angrily and charged Smoo.
Knowing that everyone would arrive from the General Forum soon, Smoo dodged both of them and fled into the Announcements Forum.
"Alorael! Look out!" Garbage Gatherer yelled.
Alorael fired one more shot at the mung rats and then turned towards Smoo. Smoo fired a thorn at Alorael and missed. Alorael aimed the sniper rifle but a mung rat bit his arm before he could fire. Alorael smacked the rat with the butt of his gun. Another mung rat bit Alorael's leg. Smoo tossed the empty baton away, bolted for the Avernum 4 Forum, and escaped. Filth Finder knocked the mung rat aside while Garbage Gatherer dragged Alorael to safety.
Filth Finder caught a glimpse of a horde of rats joining the mung rats and a gargantuan rat pushing through the mung rats towards him before he fled back into the Announcements Forum and slammed the door. "They're coming!"