Revision as of 01:03, 21 October 2014

Participants

• Cassidy
• Natska
• Thelergramor
• Tobin

Date

20/10/477

Log

"I woulda jus' chased after it myself," Tobin says, "But I heard there could be some nasty things down there in the bog." He looks hopefully at the three Freeswords. "So," he asks, "Can you help a fella out? I can pay you."

Thelergramor shifts his cannon under his arm, holding it lovingly... Adjusts his mask as he turns to CnN. "Ah, there're two of my three favorite ladies. Yes, it's me, Natska. Mask give it away? Or the scars?" Chuckles and looks back to Tobin. "So, swim around in the swamp water, picking up... stuff. Pfft, I've done worse for money."

Natska's notched ear flicks, but she nods. "Yea. I think we can handle it with this team. What are we looking for, exactly?" she asks. "And the mask did, Thel, as well as not having a shirt. That is certainly very much your personal style."

Cassidy looks down at herself and hums. "Well. I am not properly dressed for digging in the mire, but... I will certainly go along to help keep an eye out and fend off any nasties that we may happen upon! Count me in, yes. I've been out of the adventure game for too long."

Tobin grins at Thelergramor. "Yup!" he says, "Easy money, right? And we get to jump around in the swamp!" The big corgi looks around at the others. "It's a big old crate," he says, miming a box big enough to stuff Thelergramor into comfortably. The canine scratches at his thick sideburns. "It should be alright," he says, "I packed it all in real good and it's all sealed up so nothin' gets wet!" The big guy hops down from the boardwalk, splashing up to his knees in the muck. "Jus' watch out fer them mudscuttle thingies," he says, "Steppin' on one is what made me drop the box in the first place!" With that, he starts slogging toward the muddy trail between the mangroves.

Thelergramor nods at Natska, grins behind his mask. "Shirt would just weigh me down. And hide my most attractive assets." Traces one of his scars and then speaks to Cassidy. "Hey, no reason to get your clothes muddy. Noone but us here if you want to take 'em off." Shrugs, squints at the swamp. Bad place for a cannon. All wet and shit. Brings it with him anyway, dropping into the muck behind Tobin. "So, a bigass crate. Probably didn't wash downstream then."

Natska settles a stern look on Thel from behind, then shakes her head. She eyes the path ahead, then makes an air-assisted leap, lightly bouncing over the worst of the mire and getting a short ways ahead of the group to have a look. "You are quite shameless, aren't you, Thel?"

"As much as I'm sure you'd love to see me mud wrestling with Natska, I'm going to have to decline," Cassidy says with a snort as she kicks up a bit of air magic to hover over the muck, cape fluttered behind her in the artificial breeze.

"Naw," Tobin says, "Didn't wash nowhere." The sizable corgi heaves his bulk over a little barrier of mangrove roots and on to the quick stream bubbling away. "Couple of funny lookin' critters jumped up outta the swamp and snagged it!" he says before quickly sliding down the fast moving, muddy incline, leaving the others behind.

Thelergramor is now wet. Water much higher on him than Tobin. Holds his cannon at chest height with some slight exertion. "Well, now I've got one good cannon shot left... So, they picked up the box and left? Fun." Snorts and wades through the swamp; glances back at Natska and Cassidy. "Shameless? Nah, I'm ashamed of alot of the shit I've done recently. Won't lie, I do like the thought of you two wrestling, though. Better if I were involved somehow. But we can talk about my undying love for the two of you later." Turns back to follow Tobin.

"Wait. You dropped it, and then it was carried off by... things?" Natska asks, pausing in her hop from tree to tree and rock to rock to look at Tobin. "That could be crucial information," she adds, although her tone is neutral. Her tail lashes back and forth once, and then she moves again, keeping pace with Tobin now. "How many are a couple? Funny in what way?" she asks.

Cassidy floats along at Natska's side, nodding slowly. "Yes, important information indeed! I don't suppose you know which way they went?" She asks, giving her fingers a few experimental snaps as she runs over math in her head in preparation.

Tobin is splashing unconcerned through the muck at the bottom of the slide. "What?" he calls loudly to Natska, "Couldn't hear you over that awesome mud slide!" The canine is filthy. And apparently pretty happy about it. "I think they went that way!" he says, pointing at a huge mass of mangrove trees all growing together. "I think that might be a door or somethin!"

Sure enough, at the base of the mangroves is some sort of grate, woven out of swamp vines and fallen mangrove branches. It looks natural enough to avoid casual glances, but is fairly obvious from this close.

Thelergramor slid gracefully, despite the heavy equipment, down the incline. Unamused by this. Glances towards the door, trying to figure out what kind of swamp creature steals crates and makes a door. "So, anyone have any idea what could've made that?" Simple question, to whoever can answer it. "Because I've no idea." Hefts his cannon, looks over the area; paranoid.

Natska perches for a moment and peers at the gate, then looks over at Cassidy. "Think we should go up and over? Or would you like me to go through the door?" She flexes one of her gauntleted hands, then grins. "Either way, I think I am ready to go."

Cassidy settles her hand at her side, drawing her rapier as she lets herself drift slightly to the side, casting her eyes around the area, and then over the door. "I am ready, as well. I don't know if your crate will be back there, but I am certainly curious. Why would something like this be out here?"

Tobin slogs over, apparently unbothered by the remarkable swamp smell that he has acquired to go with his already pungent doggy smell. "I could probably pull that down if you like," he offers, "But it'll make a hell of a lot of noise I bet." He stands there, waiting for instructions.

Thelergramor scratches his head, still able to hold the cannon up with one arm. Sniffs. "...Need a bath later. The only shot I've got loaded is explosive; could easily just blow through it. Maybe. And make more noise, probably. But, subtlety is overrated. Sometimes." Glances back at Cassidy and Natska. "I'll defer to your judgement on this one." Shrugs, again looking over the area expecting an ambush.

If anyone was going to make a lot of noise and be the first person through a door, it wasn't the client; as much as Natska would prefer to go up the tree, too, Thel couldn't follow. So, the jaguar moves up to the door, braces a moment, and then throws her best punch at the gate in an attempt to knock it open.

Cassidy narrows her eyes towards the gate as Natska goes to try to punch it open, grip tightening around the hilt of her sword as she prepares to face anything that may be waiting for them on the other side.

Natska's well placed punch cracks a dried vine holding the grate shut. It was not much louder than a falling branch out in the swamps, and may have gone unnoticed. "You think we could just slide it open?" Tobin asks, giving the loosened grate an experimental shove. The loosened bundle of weeds and branches rolls aside with a gentle rustling and slurping as it slips into the swampy muck.

Behind the now open grate is a short tunnel apparently made from the living roots of the mangroves. Whatever this place is, it has been here for quite some time. Light filters down every few feet between the tangled roots overhead. The tunnel looks high enough for an average sized being to traverse comfortably. Someone of Tobin's size will have to stoop. The tunnel does not go too far before twisting off to the side and out of sight.

Thelergramor lifts up his mask, sneezes, and drops it back down. "Huh. That works. So... Who first? I could go, if you want." The basilisk shrugs. "Less chance of one of you three getting hurt that way." Looks between the three; doesn't sound concerned at all about a tunnel in a swamp. Starts towards it, and stops at the entrance before being given the go-ahead. If he's given it, anyway.

Natska gives her head a shake, and takes the lead down the tunnel. "No. Explosive rounds in such tight quarters?" She draws her longsword, then motions for everyone to keep the noise down as they proceed.

Cassidy drifts after Natska, remaining quiet and ready for the moment, keeping the tip of her sword pointed down toward the ground below her. "Just remain careful," she warns. Once in the tunnel proper, she touches down at last, taking advantage of the fact that she won't be standing in muck to use her focus elsewhere.

Tobin follows after the others, stooping a bit to fit in the narrow confines of the tunnel. "This is pretty neat, huh?" the oversized corgi asks, "I didn't know there was anythin' like this so close to the boardwalks!" The bulky canine's head starts to bop around again to his unheard music. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely.

From up ahead, the sound of voices can be heard. Though they are still too distant to make out what they are saying.

Thelergramor tries to avoid coughing and speaking too loud: "Of course, Natska. Nothing in front of me would be able to get away." Shrugs, tries to move quietly. Probably not a good place to have a flamberge and cannon, really. "Everyone hears that, right?" Referencing the voices, of course.

Natska's ears perk, and she nods her head; she quietly snorts as people keep chatting, but remains otherwise silent - or as silent as an armored jaguar could be - as she stalks her way down the tunnel.

Cassidy starts to reach for the dagger at her side, but decides against it in favour of keeping her left hand free for the time being. She doesn't respond to the question upon hearing the voices, and instead rolls her shoulder so that her sword-toting arm is partially concealed by the long lack cape.

"I'm telling you, Marty," comes a nervous sounding voice, "I think the big lug will follow us down here!" Another voice answers, a little deeper and bigger. "Relax Scrubbs!" it says, "We can handle him, even if he DOES find this place. We just gotta wait a little longer and Domo will be here with our pay." There is a sound like someone thumping a fist against something hard. "An' there's gotta be something in here that Domo will like!" comes the second voice again. They must be just ahead!

Thelergramor stops at the speach, whispers to his group. "Kill now, or talk first?" Really wishes he knew if they knew sign language... Checks his cannon; bad idea. Lets it hang from the sling; which isn't good for his balance, and puts a hand on his flamberge. Also a bad weapon for a cave. Just shakes his head and cracks his knuckles with a grin.

Natska grins and picks up the pace just a little, sword up and ready. She doesn't call out or make any other noises, since she wants to give the theifs a nice surprise when she finds them.

Cassidy adjusts her hat as they wander closer towards the voices. Ducking down to reduce her profile even more, the black clad fennec slips ahead on agile paws, hoping to sneak ahead and get a good scope of the situation. And possibly set up for an ambush, as well!

The squabbling voices ahead reveal themselves to be two rat beings, one a bit bigger than the other. They both seem to be wearing strange suits made out of swamp weeds and plants. "I'm tellin' you Marty," the smaller one says, "He wasn't scared by the suits! What if he gets here before Domo does?" The other rat, bigger and burlier than his compatriot waves around some kind of weedy hood. "Course he was scared of us Scrubbs!" he blusters, "Everybody is scared of swamp monsters out here! They're all a bunch of hicks!" He turns away and picks up a heavy looking blunderbuss. "Sides, if he shows up, I'll just blast his goofy lookin' mug!"