Move 300: The Eel
Grell Nest--Midday, Day 28 (Marpenoth 13)Aloysius and Echo cast spells at the eel, hitting it with magic missiles. Jana, Olaf, and Renn all charged forward. The two priests got to the edge of the pool first, leaving no room for Jana to squeeze in with them to attack in melee. Renn cut into the eel with his long sword, but the monster's tough hide deflected any damage from Olaf's sword. Azrun fired a single arrow, which embedded itself in the creature's serpentine body. Arachne instantaneously went from standing near the back of the group to very near the eel's mouth, hanging on Blacky with a firm grip around the man's neck.
Blacky, for his part, tried to prod the eel with his spear, but he was unable to do so from the awkward position he was in. The eel slid back into the water with a splash, taking Arachne and Blacky with it into the cold pool.
Echo put a bolt in her crossbow as she went closer to the pool. She got close enough to peer in the water.
Renn sheathed his sword with a quick slap of the steel into leather and pulled open the lacings on one of his pouches. With a number of lightstones in his hand, Renn tossed one in the water near the edge then others further into the pool if they were needed.
"No, by Tyr!" Olaf grunted and sword in hand he dived into the pool after them.
Azrun ran to the shoreline to aid those in the water. He watched Olaf dive in, "He's going to have a hard time swimming with one hand......"
Aloysius's eyes widened with surprise as Olaf dove into the pool.
"Oh . . . .dear," he said uncertainly, glancing around at the others. "What can I do to help?"
Jana ran to the edge of the pool and stopped. She peered into the water, sword in hand. "Dammit, I can't swim in this," she said, jingling slightly in her armor. "Not that I can swim anyway," she mumbled, looking for signs of those in the water or the critter itself.
Renn threw one of the light rocks into the water, which predictably sank like a stone. It provided light, but with the water rippling from the eel appearance and disappearance, it was still difficult to see much in there. Olaf dove into the pool after the eel and the two party members with it.
A moment later, Arachne and Blacky reappeared behind the group with the gnome still holding on tight to the man, who was sprawled rather unceremoniously on the cave floor. Water dripped off of them, pooling around Blacky's prone struggling form. He had been chewed on some, but other than that, both he and Arachne seemed to be all right.
"I did it!" Arachne gasped, then repeated, louder, "I did it!" She pulled herself close to Blacky's face and kissed him -- somewhere, she didn't care where. "I rescued someone!" She told Blacky, exhaling excitement. "I'm wonderful -- Oh, tell me I'm wonderful!" She hugged him again.
Blacky hugged her back, albeit with less enthusuiasm lest the little gnome be crushed. "Yes, you're definitely wonderful." Blacky replied. " At least I think so." He helped pull Olaf from the pool. "And just what in the nine hells were YOU thinking diving in there?" Blacky asked the priest.
Blacky took a deep breath of air as he struggled sit up and make sense of what just happened. "I guess I have you to thank for saving my ass back there." He said sincerely to Arachne "Even if I could have gotten away, I would have sunk like a stone. I'm sure glad you didn't exhaust all your energy growing Olaf's hand back a few minutes ago. Thanks." He looked around "Where IS Olaf?"
"You're welcome," Arachne replied, a little complacently, still clinging to him and basking in her self-appointed aura of heroism. "I'm not _that_ exhausted. Olaf's still thinking about whether to re-grow his hand, so I haven't done it, yet." She snuggled against Blacky. "I'm so useful --" She smiled. "I can bring people back from the jaws of death..." The gnome giggled. "Arachne the -- um... Arachne the
Rescuer! Yes... I like that...""Huh?" The gnome managed to snap out of her moment of bliss and looked around the cavern. "What do you mean, where --?"
"Oh, shit," Jana said as Blacky and Arachne appeared. She tossed her sword to the ground away from the pool and dropped to her knees at the edge of where the dropoff seemed to be. "Hold my legs," she said, then took a big lungfull of air and fell forward, reaching for Olaf.
"There," said Aloysius pointing at the pool. "He dove in to try and . . .rescue you two, I suppose." He glanced at Arachne. "His methods are much less impressive . . . and effective . . .than yours, small one."
The scrawny mage ran over to where Jana was, and grabbed ahold of one of her legs. "You'll have my best effort, Janathell!" he said. "But mayhap 'twould be better if one of our stouter numbers performed this task in place of Stargazer."
"He dove in after --?" Arachne got off of Blacky and started back toward the pool. "Well, of course he would," she added, all joy evaporated from her voice. "Why would he expect me to _succeed_? Or to have _meant_ to be with Blacky?" Still sodden, she ran to the edge, trying to find a space along the edge. "I could go back in," she offered. "After him. But I think I'd like to take the rope this time. Unless someone else wants to go swimming?" She held out her hand for the rope.
Echo dropped her crossbow and grabbed Jana's other leg. She did not look much more fit for the task than Aloysius did. "We could probably use some help," she agreed with Aloysius.
"I don't think Olaf's thoughts were of your being unable to help Arachne, rather that he too wished to do what he could," Renn said as he moved near Jana. "I'll lend a hand with Jana here. I've never seen a person who needed so much help taking a bath before," he grinned.
Azrun shucked his boots and shirt, "I'll help get him out." With that Azrun slipped into the water to help pull Olaf out.
With Aloysius, Echo, and Renn holding her legs, Jana dunked herself in the water after Olaf. Azrun stripped himself of shirt and boots and jumped in to swim after him. Between the two of them, they reached the priest and were able to pull him out of the water.
Now everyone was back on solid ground, and the eel was no longer anywhere to be seen in the pool.
Olaf laughed, "That I needed a bath?"
Arachne watched the pool, fingering her wet dress, while Azrun, Jana, Blacky et alia got Olaf out of the pool.
Arachne looked up from her dripping, continued contemplation of the pool at the priest. "That _is_ why we came here," she agreed. Her voice was uncertain. "So you were already sure that I had the eel problem ..." She shook her head and sighed. "I doubt _that_! I wasn't even out yet, was I?" She shook herself, chilled since she was wet. "But I got a quick dip -- not for as long as I might've liked or I believe that my clothes need. And I think that we may have persuaded the eel that we're not worth the effort. It doesn't _look_ as though it's still around and several of you were chopping at it, weren't you? Would anyone mind if I went back in for a little longer? I'll use the rope ... and I'll see if there's a shallow area..."
"Oh no, no, no!" implored Aloysius. "Methinks there must be an underground river of some sort. Twice now we have seen that the pools we have encountered are inhabited by giant eels. E'en if we have discouraged this one, which I'm not certain we have, there may well be others."
He looked down and his nearly naked body.
"As much as I'd like to bathe, methinks prudence would dictate that we attempt to clean ourselves in a less efficient, albeit safer, manner."
Echo offered Jana a hand to help her up. She picked up the crossbow she had dropped. "Since it looks like bathing isn't going to work out, what are we going to do now? Should we see what else is in these caves so we can move on in a day or two? I think there were two ways out of the cave where the giant grell was."
Echo smiled at Blacky and Arachne, "That was great, Arachne. I don't know if we would've gottten him back otherwise."
"Olaf, are you okay?"
Olaf smiled, "We can at least pull some water out and clean off. If done carefully that should be no problem."
"Yes, thanks." Olaf answered.
"I think Olaf's right," Jana said, "So long as we're careful we should be able to get enough water to clean up some at least." She wrung out her soppiong-wet hair. She started pulling off her chain and padding. "I'd personally like to hang out here 'til my clothes dry out a bit. Armor's uncomfortable as hell when the padding's wet. We could take a little while to clean up and Arachne could do that thing on Olaf, maybe? Then we can check out that cave the grells were in some more. That okay with everyone?"
Azrun leaned over to look back in the pool. He shivered from being wet, "bbbrrrr....I wonder if there's anything in there, that wouldn't try to eat you....." He scanned the bottom looking if there was anything there.
"All right," Arachne agreed, speaking rapidly. "We'll be prudent -- besides, I have another bright idea: How about this? I could use my two doors to set up a waterfall here at the edge of the pool. I'll need someone who doesn't mind getting soaked to help me get it started: If someone could hold me up horizontally over their head, then I'd create one door in front of me over us. The other door can be in the pool. The two doors set up that way should cause a siphoning effect. I'll make it smaller than the width of that giant eel so we won't get that thing sliding through. Anyway, the result should be a temporary spout of water coming from overhead and draining back into the pool. It won't be for long, but I'll try to keep it up long enough for everyone who wants to to get cleaned off. OK? Blacky's just been chewed on and Jana, you're already wet: Can you help me?"
"Will that work?" Jana asked with her brow furrowed. "I mean, if it'll work, sure, I'll do it. Lemme get outta my armor all the way though or I'll sink like a stone. And I think I'd like to have a rope around me, just in case, y'know? And Renn watching in case that thing comes back."
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