SAND SHARKS - RPLOG
Participants
Date
17/5/478
Log
The meet up location from the request is rather deep in the swamp, specifically right around the Monolith used for Basalisks. There, near the base stands a lone regal looking male crane of the graceful folks clan. He seems to be in conversation already with three large alligators, clad from head to foot in dark cloth and thick hoods... Must be the shady people the rumors were on about!
The swamp itself didn't seem too out of normal, krick swarms trying to bleed everything down, Oozes digisting anything they can find... Even the weather was as unbearably muggy as usual.
Cassidy was happy to soak in the river to deal with the heat. But now that she was all dressed up and in the muggy swamp, she decided to cheat and conjure up a bit of air magic to keep her cool. She offers a wave and a tip of her hat to the group, coming to a halt. "Hello there."
Natska sticks close to Cassidy as she follows the fennec through the swamp, gladly taking advantage of her breeze. She eyes the alligators a moment, then gives them a professionally courteous nod before her attention shifts over to the crane.
Cara begins traipsing through the mud in acceptable attire. As soon as she gets to the monolith, the feline walks over to the fennec and cranes her head in the direction of the three alligators in dark clothing. She surveys them for a moment, shrugs, and shifts her attention back to the regal crane, "So, what's the task that you called us here for?"
Dupree enters in her usual way! That is to say, from the sky and clamorously. With a rapid fluttering whoosh of her grand wings, the Mare attempts to control her descent, extending her legs out before her...though her arms are wrapped tightly around something, clutching it close to her chest.
It all seems to be going well until she actually touches down, planting her hooves in a patch of muck, failing to skid and jog to a stop and pitching forward face first. Attempting to catch herself, she flings her companion--a patchwork cat doll with razor-sharp claws--in front of the three heavies and the crane. It seems to be watching them all with its sewn button eyes, a feline grin stitched into its face, braided cloth tail gently swaying
...while Dupree herself lands with a squelchy SPLORT in the mud. "Awwwh, but I just laundered this labcoat!" she whines, pulling herself up and trying to brush her robe clean.
"Ah! Good, more individuals to help!" The Crane turning his attention to the new arrivals as he bows deeply and crosses his arms over his chest. "I am Ji, and I need help for investigating the surrounding area. Namely, around our dedication site... It appears that something has been spooking the local wildlife more lately, and driving larger creatures from -deep- in the swamps out farther. All I require, as I told these three gentlemen, is that you scout the local area and make sure everything is safe---" The Crane gracefully jumps back from Dupree's doll, a flustered look on his features!
The Alligators barely even move as the others arrive, though when Dupree's doll goes sailing infront of them, two look at the smallest whom trudges his way over to the weird little doll, reaching down to try and pick it up for the pegasus woman. "... You dropped this." His voice rough and tersed, as if drawn over gravel rather thoroughly, before then being lit on fire just for good measure!
Cassidy eyes Dupree for a moment before nodding at the crane. "That sounds doable. I think we can do that without too much fuss," she says with a nod, ears flicking under her hat. "With luck, we won't even need to fight anything today."
Ears perking, Natska nods her head. "Alright. Scouting is easy, I am sure we can handle it." She glances at the rest of the group with her. "Mmmh. Shall we divid the area we're scouting?"
Cara brings out her staff and speaks in a surprisingly upbeat tone, "Sweet, this will certainly be fun for me." Afterwards, she turns around walks directly to the horse inf the mud. She crouches down and offers her back up with the welcoming gesture of her hand outstretched toward the clumsy equine.
"Oh! Er, thank you," the mad Mare replies as the Alligator returns her feliform golem. "I would have called for her, but you know cats, they never respond," she rambles, pulling herself up with Cara's aid.
Dupree glances to Cassidy, looking a little crestfallen. "Nonsense! There's dangerous fauna and no witnesses here. It's the perfect place to test my newest invention," she pauses dramatically, pulling a mud-spattered pistol from her waistband and raising it to the skies. "The Death Ray...of DEATH!"
"... Hopefully." The Crane unrustles himself, shaking his head for a moment, before pacing somewhat around the shrine. "I do remind you all, that to be thorough is the best course of action... As if threats remain undiagnosed, near this site, they could cause severe -complications- for the future."
The Alligator that had returned the cat just raises an eyebrow, his sharp and handsome features looking beyond confused as he speaks. "Thats just a gun." The largest of the three clears his throat loudly however, drawing the smaller one's attention as he glances back to the group at large. "Split up, sure. We'll stick together though."
Cassidy glances around at the others before shrugging. "If we want to split into groups, that's fine. As long as we get done what we need to get done. I don't want to call it all clear when there's still danger out here."
"Of course," Natska replies with a nod. "Those three can go one way, the four of us can sweep the other. If you are worried, though, we could all stick together." She shrugs, then looks over at Dupree and her ear flicks as she gives the horsechicken a speculative stare.
Cara shrugs and answers, "Alright. I'm okay with that." She turns back to face the strange equine for a moment and smiles, "As long as you're good at using that gun, I don't really care what you call it." The feline promptly shifts her attention to the rest of the group and asks, "Which way should we go?"
Dupree scoffs, arms akimbo in annoyance as one her eyes focuses on the arguing Alligator. "Well, perhaps to the untrained eye it looks like a 'gun'," said with finger-quotes, "but it's not! It is a device to strike fear in all who stand before me, that shall allow me to take over the world!"
She pauses for a moment, then snaps her fingers in annoyance. "Damn! I should've said that AFTER it was too late to stop me!" Hearing Cara, she turns to squint as ominously as she can, giving a squishy stomp in the mud. "DEATHRAY OF DEATH!" she retorts petulantly.
"Geeze lady, whatever you wanna call it fine!" The alligator grumbling as he turns to make his way back to his fellows. "We'll scout the back area, you guys scout the front with miss 'evil genius'. Try and make noise if you're getting attacked." His two fellows give swift nods, and turn to join him in walking back behind the area of the monolith, disapearing into the foilage with little disturbance... The crow is all that remains with the group, whom subtly waves to the front areas as he stays near the monolith. "Perhaps, start from the path out with your group."
Cassidy gives a look at Dupree like she's insane. Which... She probably is. She looks towards Natska and nods, starting on her way after the crow's words. "Sounds fine to me! Whatever works, hmm? Like I said, as long as we get it done, and we don't get it done by waiting around here."
Natska bows her head to the crane, then turns and follows Cassidy. As she goes her hand drops to her waist and her fingers start tapping on the cover of a tome slung there on her belt, the only outward indication that the jaguar isn't as calm as she seems.
Cara begins walking in the direction of the area in front of the monolith. She follows after the fennec and the pleasant jaguar. She keeps one hand on her staff and her other hand free. The feline carefully surveys the area as she walks.
"Ooh, I see that look in your eyes!" Dupree raves--though given how both of hers seem to be looking in separate directions and nothing in particular, it's hard to see how she could mean that. "You think I'm insane. But I'll show you! I'll show you ALL!--hey, wait for me!" the Horse calls, running to keep up the group--while occasionally pausing to gesture impatiently at cloth cat lollygagging behind her.
As the group makes their way to the swamp, Cassidy would catch the slightest glimpse of a darting shadow. The undergrowth where it was flattened out and smeared in a direction leading off into a slight trail away from the tried and true path. Dupree can make out a bit of bark chipping around the general area Cassidy caught her glimpse from... The rest of the group sadly, do not take notice of the discovery, as the annoying buzzing of kriks, or the dense swamp flora hide it from their view...
Cassidy flexes her fingers and glances around, tail flicking. "On your guard. There's something around here, I think. I'm not sure... What, but it's quick. And that probably means trouble," she says, drawing her sword from her hip. "Just a heads up."
Natska gives Cass a small nod, her ears twitching as she listens. Her head turns back and forth as she scans for trouble, and she sticks close to the fennec. "Which direction?" she asks. "Think it's what the crane was talking about?"
Cara stays quiet and continues surveying for anything that might get in the way. The feline attempts to hide her smile though as she holds her staff. After all, nothing is more fun than whacking away at something, now if only the kricks weren't in the way though.
Dupree scowls at Cara as she tiptoes (tip-hoofs?) along. "You!" she hisses under her breath, jabbing a finger at the stick the tigress carries. "You stole my invention! Ooh, you'll be hearing from my attorney about this!--hm?" she pauses in her tirade. "Does the flora in the swamp usually look so torn up?"
Cassidy's tracked target either slipped around, or just left the area all together perhaps... But sure enough, the group was left in the semi-quiet swamp. That is, until moments later as a thing that looks like a cross between a newt, moss, and a rockfish bursts from the mud near Dupree's hooves! A long frog like barbed tongue lashing out to grab the Pegasus by the leg, cutting into the flesh slightly, as it quickly dives back under the mud as it attempts to drag the pegasus into the murky and muddy ground rather forcibly!
As if one wasnt enough as well, three more slip out just around the group, eyeing them all for a moment before diving back under the safety of the mud! The little bastards were hiding below to get attacks of opportunity!
Cassidy narrows her eyes... "There!" She says, lunging forward trying to stab the appendage holding onto Dupree through the mud, hoping to sever, or at least injure, it enough to make it let go. "I hate these sneaky, hiding things."
Natska lets her ears lay back as she sees the thing lung for Dupree, then looses track of the rest. "Bloody... jerks. I'll try and catch the next one..." The jaguar narrows her eyes, then begins running through a mathematical equation in her mind, waiting for the next frogmonster to hop out.
Cara just groans from the rather annoying krick swarms. Honestly, no wonder the feline enjoyed killing the annoying pests. As she swats them away, she notices the rather rude pegasus from earlier getting stuck in the ground. Hmm, let's see, pull out the person who wanted to sue her, or let her drown. The feline sighs, and grabs the pegasus, pulling her out immediately and glaring at the pegasus as if to tell her not to anger the feline.
"Does anyone else feel--AUUUUUUUUUUUGH" Dupree promptly begins screaming, as whatever it was she had been feeling suddenly decides to take hold. "AGGGGGH" she elucidates, in case the others weren't sure. "CAT! CAT, HELP ME!" she screams, and the strange cuddly toy seems to respond, staring at her with those button eyes. "Damn these things! Why can't t figue out what to do itself? AAAAAGH!" she cries with renewed vigor. "CAT...ATTACK...THING...ON...LEG!" she manages to stammer, beating wildly at it with a pointy stick (OF DEATH!).
Cara's galliant pull manages to yank Dupree free, though those barbs from the tongue leave a mark of their own on the Pegasus' leg! Cassidy's own attempt to stab the tongue isn't too helpfull, as it almost seems to roll away from the blade, and any closer could cut the leg. Dupree's poking sticking into the mud some, but doesn't seem to grab much, as the golem stands there staring at her leg... There wasnt anything attached to her leg now for it to fight!
Almost as soon as Dupree is freed however, two more attack! bursting from the muddy ground as one barbed tongue finds purchase on Cassidy's arm, wrapping tight around it as it tries to yank the fennec into the mud! The Second just misses Cara, it's tongue sticking to a stone as it was held out in the open instead!
Cassidy braces her arm, pulling back against the tongue and conjuring up a bit of air magic to try to slice it more directly, now that she can see it. Her only other reaction is to scowl at the attempt from behind her mask, tail flicking in agitation.
Natska is ready as soon as the thing lashes for Cassidy; with a growl, Natska clenches her fist, crushing the monster with the earth it's surrounded by.
Natska is ready as soon as the thing lashes for Cassidy; with a growl, Natska clenches her fist, crushing the monster with the earth it's surrounded by. "Cass?" she asks, eyes not leaving the mud. "Are you alright? Cara? Dupree?"
Cara takes a step to the left after pulling out Dupree, thus allowing her to dodge the sharp tongue. Afterwards, she yells out, "I'm fine." then proceeds to grip both of her hands onto her staff and after raising it into the air, promptly swings it down onto the beast that attempted to strike her.
"Hmph!" Dupree snorts at her golem. "I swear, cats are the laziest, stupidest, good-for-nothingest, most things imaginable! No offense," she adds offhandedly as she glances at Cara and Natska
"Alright, you malfeasant bag of mangy misery," she shouts at her cat-golem. "Those...things! Teeth! Tongue! It hurt me! Kill them!" she orders, waving wildly at the agitated mud.
Pulling the pist--er, Death Ray from her waistband again, she takes aim where one of the tongues seems to re-enter the mud, hoping to kill the creature at root of the tongue.
Cassidy's attempt to pull free, and cut the tongue wasn't too effective, as the barbs just dig in deeper, and yank her arm all the way into the hole! It certainly wasn't looking good for the fennec, though a shot from Dupree pierces into the mud at the same time that Natska uses her earth magic, causing the tongue to turn limp, and then slough right off the fennecs arm. Dupree's golem jumps at the exposed creature just as Cara attacks it, stabbing into it effectivly as Cara smacks it with the staff! It seems outside of the ground these things were rather fragile...
The One that had attacked dupree was quiet right now though, it seems it was trying to watch what was going on... Just as the second to last one bursts forth and lashes out with it's tongue! Snagging cassidy by the legs as it drags the fennec's legs into it's tunnel with surprising force! Seemed it must have sensed a weakened opponent...
Cassidy growls to herself as her legs are pulled under, wrapping both arms around the creature's tongue. "Well, now I have to go home and change. Not before dealing with this annoying bastard," she grumbles, channeling her fire magic to try to use its tongue as a conductor to explode the entire thing underground.
Natska certainly isn't about to let these mud-things get away with that; she gathers her will, then cuts loose a violent blast of explosive force at the other mud-frog, hammering it with her math and ready to turn it inside out.
Cara notices a nice patch of disturbed mud that looks rather fishy. The feline smiles, expecting it to be another one of the loathsome pests and swings her staff onto the disturbed mud patch, most likely sending mud out from the resulting splat.
"See? I TOLD you it was a death ray!" comes Dupree's gloating response as the tongue goes limp.
"You!" she hollers to her golem. "Faster, pussycat! Kill! Kill!" the strange Horse cackles with dark glee as she bashes at disturbances in the mud, hoping for a hit!
Cassidy's attacker doesn't stand a chance, the Fennec's spell causing the ground above the beast to burst up, before shlupping right back in, as the Fennec was left with a crisp tail on her leg, and the need now to drag herself out of the hole and back above ground. Dupree's wild strikes, Cara's attacks, and Natska's spell all seem to home in on the final hidden one, sounding it's deathknel with a gurgle muffled by the exploded bits of earth left around it... Of course, this means Dupree's doll is just standing there, staring at dupree because it had no more things to kill, short of the things that werent like the things before... Which seemed to be on their side. Thankfully for the group though, save some cut up arms and legs from barbed tongues, nobody was absconded away with during this skirmish! Hopefully the others fared as well too.
Cassidy pulls herself out of the holl and pats herself down before pulling a face. "Well... Excuse me for a moment," she says, before taking to the sky. "Just... Do whatever it is you do, and I'll be back shortly."
"Cassidy?" Natska asks, tone worried. Still... she sighs. Then she shakes her head. "Alright. You know how to find me, hun," she offers, before she looks over at the other two. She takes a moment to make sure Cara and Dupree were alright enough, then continues on the patrol through the swamp.
Cara yells out, "Aw yeah!" She quickly turns to the rest of the group and continues, "I just love these types of jobs though. After all, nothing is more fun than handling aggressive tendencies." The overly enthusiastic feline glances to the rather odd equine and says, "You really should go into using close range weapons and guns more often. It works wonderfully for you."
Dupree says, "Why, thank you!" Dupree cheerily replies to Cara. "When I take over the world, I'll give you a nice part. Something much better than this dump." Biting her lower lip thoughtfully, she taps her chin and ponders. "Maybe Cliffside.""
Further patroling by members of the group, revealed nothing new of note... None of these new creatures running around sucking people into mud, leaving it all rather... Safe. A refreshing change one would assume! Seems the group took care of the trouble on their end.
True to her word, Cassidy is back soon enough, descending down next to Natska, dressed in a suit identical to the last, though this one fresh and free of mud. She doesn't even fully touch down on the ground yet, coming to a low hover. "There. That's better," she says, wrinkling her nose. "I could not bear to be in such muddy clothing. I had to change."
Natska gives Cass a small smile as the fennec returns, raising an eyebrow at the quick change. "Welcome back," she offers. Her ear flicks and she looks back at Dupree, then snickers. "Cliffside is alright, I suppose."
Cara grins for a moment, "And yet, you can liquify the insides of one of the many creatures." The feline recalls back to what the pegasus said earlier and chuckles. The thought of her taking over the world sounded ridiculous. The only thing more ridiculous than that would be ruling Cliffside herself. After all, she doesn't really specialize in using magic.
Dupree snorts at Natska. "Well, of COURSE I'm saving Sweetwater for myself. Nice climate, plentiful resources, no funny accents..." she lists off impatiently, glancing over to the Jaguar with one eye. "What do you take me for, some kind of idiot?"
She seems to lighten up quickly, though. "In fact, you've all been pretty helpful. I suppose you can all have a place in my new world order!" the Mad Mare declares gleefully...before turning on her heel to glare at her golem-kitten. "Except for YOU. You get nothing."
Cassidy shrugs and glances towards Dupree, nodding. "I do. Take over the world my eye. The only thing you're taking over is the definition of loon," she says, snickering softly and nodding at Natska. "Thanks. And yes, being muddy, and wearing muddy clothing, is uncomfortable. So I gave my legs a quick rinse and a change."
Natska quietly snickers. She returns her attention to the search then, ears perked and twitching at the sounds of the swamp. "Hmm. Those things we ran into were nasty, but I'd hardly expect them to be the boogeymen from the deep recesses of the swamp... Ak-, er, that slime's cave is somewhere in the deep swamp, yea? What could be worse than that?"
Cara shrugs, "That's understandable. After all, mud can be a slight pain." The tigress raises an eyebrow for a moment as she stares at Cassidy, "You really do like to bring everything with you."
Dupree looks hurt at Cass's response. "Fine," she remarks with petulance. "You get Shralesta. Those smug, know-it-all, holier-than-thou bastards give me headaches, anyways."
She can't help but stare dumbstruck at Natska for a moment, though. "What? I nearly lost my leg on this stupid assignment and you want to go even further into the swamp?" Crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, she scoffs "Pfff. And people called ME insane..."
"Are you guys done yet?" The smallest alligator of the three remarks as he steps into the vision of the group, eyes casting over to one of the dead creatures as he grunts. "Killed some? Us too. Either way, told to make sure you guys didn't die, and you look fine. Come back for your reward if you want it." The Alligator nodding as he turns back around without further explination, and makes his way back to the monolith.
Cassidy snorts at Dupree and shrugs again, before nodding at Cara this time. "Sure do. Always be prepared. Always keep them guessing. And... Yeah, could've been worse, Natska, but that wasn't terribly bad. Just annoying. Too bad about my other pants."
Natska gives the alligator a little nod. "Mmmhm. We're fine, no worries," she replies. "Did you find anything big?" she asks, curious. "Or any hints about what's up?"
Dupree pouts as Cass continues to pick on her. Why didn't anyone ever take her seriously? With a sigh, she sticks her hands into the pockets of her coat. She almost seems to shrink, folding her wings in close to her back, her wild mane suddenly sagging flat against her head as she shuffles her feet, heading back to civilization. She just wanted the world to tremble in fear as it kneeled before her...was that so wrong?
With little fanfare, the group is reunited with the crane shortly after, payment handed out to those present before he offers a bow and tends to something around the monolith. The three aligators appear rather unmarred, and rather... Victorious. As if they handled their trials with ease. Granted, it's hard to find out as they don't answer the freeswords for anything, and just make their own ways away with few to no words amongst them...
