Chapter 13: Lucky Escape
Chapter 13: Lucky Escape
"Help!" Zephyr Tempest cried as the wererat clawed him. Still hasted, Dikiyoba stabbed the wererat and then dodged its fangs and claws. Rakshasi and Zorro dealt with another blue rat. Zephyr Tempest stood up, only to be knocked back down by curse rays from the green rats.
Dikiyoba realized that the haste potion was wearing off as the wererat's claws just missed Dikiyoba's head. "Uh-oh."
Synergy also realized that he was in trouble. He was starting to get tired, while Smoo still seemed to have lots of energy. If he didn't finish Smoo off quickly, he would make a fatal mistake. So he tried a different tack.
"Have you ever thought about the meaning of life?" he asked, "See, I think the meaning of life can be found within Spiderweb itself if one is only willing to look hard enough."
Smoo hesitated. "Er, what?"
That was all Synergy needed. He ran Smoo through. Smoo collapsed and slowly transformed back into a wererat. Synergy looked disappointed.
"Pity. I was actually looking forward to a good debate." He turned to help the others, but the wererat got back up and bit Synergy's arm.
"Ow!" Synergy dropped his sword. The wererat's tail flicked it away. "Someone help!" Synergy said.
Suddenly, the wererat crumpled from a kill spell fired by Drakefyre. Drakefyre and Delicious Vlish had made it to the clearing just in time.
"Thanks, Drakey," Synergy pulled his arm free.
But Drakefyre and Delicious Vlish merely pushed passed him towards the remaining rats.
Dikiyoba stumbled over another one of the red rats. Before the wererat could attack, it was hit by a submission bolt from Delicious Vlish and a kill spell from Drakefyre. It died.
Delicious Vlish took out the last blue rat with several of his improved feisty slaps of pain. "Yes! Yes! It's glorious!"
Drakefyre cast arcane blow on the remaining green rats before they could hit him with any curse rays. The remaining rats, mostly red ones, fled.
Dikiyoba handed Zephyr Tempest and Synergy healing potions. Rakshasi checked Alorael. "He's alive, just unconscious. He'll be all right."
"It's the same with Student of Trinity," Zorro said.
Student of Trinity groaned and sat up. "What happened? Drakefyre! Delicious Vlish! Where did you come from?"
"We'll explain later," Delicious Vlish said.
Alorael also regained consciousness. The first thing he did was check his sniper rifle to make sure it wasn't damaged. "My rifle! Is it damaged? Oh, thank goodness. It's not."
Zephyr Tempest looked at Ephesos's body. "What element did he have again? Wasn't it copper?"
"There's no time for that here. It takes time to revive someone, and too easy to get trapped here by more rats. Pick him up. We'll take him with us and revive him later," Drakefyre said.
"Back to the General Forum?" Rakshasi asked.
"If we hurry, we should be able to make it before the surviving rats can do anything to stop us," Drakefyre said.
Suddenly, Ephesos surprised everyone by stirring. He gasped out a powerful healing spell. When he had mostly healed up, he managed to stand up.
Rakshasi stared. "Ephesos! You're alive!"
Ephesos leaned against the wall to support himself. "Yes." He looked incredibly tired.
"But I was sure that you were dead!" Rakshasi said.
"So did Dikiyoba."
"You're incredibly lucky!" Zephyr Tempest said.
"Since when does being pwned by a rat count as lucky?" Ephesos asked.
"Never mind. We've got to get out of here. Dikiyoba, do you have another haste potion?"
Dikiyoba searched through Dikiyoba's inventory. "Yes, Dikiyoba does."
"Good. You scout ahead. If the way to the Geneforge Forum is clear, we'll head back. If it isn't, we'll rest in the Avernum Trilogy Forum for a while and then try to get back," Drakefyre said.
"Right." Dikiyoba drank the potion and ran off.
"What about warning the others?" Rakshasi asked.
"Don't worry, they should already know," said Delicious Vlish.
---
One of the red rats from the ambush scampered into the rat's lair. "Restorer of Rat Ways! Restorer of Rat Ways!" it squeaked.
"What is it?" Attorosi demanded.
"Some of the humans survived the ambush!"
Attorosi sighed and pointed at a white rat. "You! Take a group of rats and seal off the exit to this forum. We can't let them escape and warn the others!"
"Right, Mighty One." The white rat began rounding up other rats.
"Aren't we going to send a group out to kill them?" another white rat asked.
"Of course," Attorosi said, "But first the forum must be blocked off so they can't escape."
---
While scouting, Dikiyoba ran across two blue rats guarding a large crack in the cliffs. Dikiyoba quickly hid behind a rock and watched. A white rat poked its head out of the crack.
"Idiots! You're not supposed to guard outside where you can be seen. You're supposed to guard inside the cave!"
"Oh, sorry," one of the blue rats said.
Dikiyoba realized that this must be the entrance to the rat's lair.
"Now make way. There are a bunch of rats coming," the white rat said.
"Where are you all going?" one of the blue rats asked as countless rats scampered through the crack.
"To guard the forum entrance, where else?" the white rat said.
Dikiyoba waited until after the rats had all streamed out and scurried away and the blue rats had gone inside. Then Dikiyoba ran off to report back to the others, who were waiting at the base of the mountains.
"Well?" Drakefyre asked.
"Dikiyoba saw lots of rats."
"Then the Avernum Trilogy it is. Come on," Drakefyre led the way.
Dikiyoba realized that the haste potion was wearing off as the wererat's claws just missed Dikiyoba's head. "Uh-oh."
Synergy also realized that he was in trouble. He was starting to get tired, while Smoo still seemed to have lots of energy. If he didn't finish Smoo off quickly, he would make a fatal mistake. So he tried a different tack.
"Have you ever thought about the meaning of life?" he asked, "See, I think the meaning of life can be found within Spiderweb itself if one is only willing to look hard enough."
Smoo hesitated. "Er, what?"
That was all Synergy needed. He ran Smoo through. Smoo collapsed and slowly transformed back into a wererat. Synergy looked disappointed.
"Pity. I was actually looking forward to a good debate." He turned to help the others, but the wererat got back up and bit Synergy's arm.
"Ow!" Synergy dropped his sword. The wererat's tail flicked it away. "Someone help!" Synergy said.
Suddenly, the wererat crumpled from a kill spell fired by Drakefyre. Drakefyre and Delicious Vlish had made it to the clearing just in time.
"Thanks, Drakey," Synergy pulled his arm free.
But Drakefyre and Delicious Vlish merely pushed passed him towards the remaining rats.
Dikiyoba stumbled over another one of the red rats. Before the wererat could attack, it was hit by a submission bolt from Delicious Vlish and a kill spell from Drakefyre. It died.
Delicious Vlish took out the last blue rat with several of his improved feisty slaps of pain. "Yes! Yes! It's glorious!"
Drakefyre cast arcane blow on the remaining green rats before they could hit him with any curse rays. The remaining rats, mostly red ones, fled.
Dikiyoba handed Zephyr Tempest and Synergy healing potions. Rakshasi checked Alorael. "He's alive, just unconscious. He'll be all right."
"It's the same with Student of Trinity," Zorro said.
Student of Trinity groaned and sat up. "What happened? Drakefyre! Delicious Vlish! Where did you come from?"
"We'll explain later," Delicious Vlish said.
Alorael also regained consciousness. The first thing he did was check his sniper rifle to make sure it wasn't damaged. "My rifle! Is it damaged? Oh, thank goodness. It's not."
Zephyr Tempest looked at Ephesos's body. "What element did he have again? Wasn't it copper?"
"There's no time for that here. It takes time to revive someone, and too easy to get trapped here by more rats. Pick him up. We'll take him with us and revive him later," Drakefyre said.
"Back to the General Forum?" Rakshasi asked.
"If we hurry, we should be able to make it before the surviving rats can do anything to stop us," Drakefyre said.
Suddenly, Ephesos surprised everyone by stirring. He gasped out a powerful healing spell. When he had mostly healed up, he managed to stand up.
Rakshasi stared. "Ephesos! You're alive!"
Ephesos leaned against the wall to support himself. "Yes." He looked incredibly tired.
"But I was sure that you were dead!" Rakshasi said.
"So did Dikiyoba."
"You're incredibly lucky!" Zephyr Tempest said.
"Since when does being pwned by a rat count as lucky?" Ephesos asked.
"Never mind. We've got to get out of here. Dikiyoba, do you have another haste potion?"
Dikiyoba searched through Dikiyoba's inventory. "Yes, Dikiyoba does."
"Good. You scout ahead. If the way to the Geneforge Forum is clear, we'll head back. If it isn't, we'll rest in the Avernum Trilogy Forum for a while and then try to get back," Drakefyre said.
"Right." Dikiyoba drank the potion and ran off.
"What about warning the others?" Rakshasi asked.
"Don't worry, they should already know," said Delicious Vlish.
---
One of the red rats from the ambush scampered into the rat's lair. "Restorer of Rat Ways! Restorer of Rat Ways!" it squeaked.
"What is it?" Attorosi demanded.
"Some of the humans survived the ambush!"
Attorosi sighed and pointed at a white rat. "You! Take a group of rats and seal off the exit to this forum. We can't let them escape and warn the others!"
"Right, Mighty One." The white rat began rounding up other rats.
"Aren't we going to send a group out to kill them?" another white rat asked.
"Of course," Attorosi said, "But first the forum must be blocked off so they can't escape."
---
While scouting, Dikiyoba ran across two blue rats guarding a large crack in the cliffs. Dikiyoba quickly hid behind a rock and watched. A white rat poked its head out of the crack.
"Idiots! You're not supposed to guard outside where you can be seen. You're supposed to guard inside the cave!"
"Oh, sorry," one of the blue rats said.
Dikiyoba realized that this must be the entrance to the rat's lair.
"Now make way. There are a bunch of rats coming," the white rat said.
"Where are you all going?" one of the blue rats asked as countless rats scampered through the crack.
"To guard the forum entrance, where else?" the white rat said.
Dikiyoba waited until after the rats had all streamed out and scurried away and the blue rats had gone inside. Then Dikiyoba ran off to report back to the others, who were waiting at the base of the mountains.
"Well?" Drakefyre asked.
"Dikiyoba saw lots of rats."
"Then the Avernum Trilogy it is. Come on," Drakefyre led the way.