Move 362:  Renn and the Roper

Smooth Caverns--Midday, Day 37 (Marpenoth 20)

The others moved forward rapidly when Renn called out to them. The tunnel they were going down became a smallish cavern, at least from what they could currently see of it. Because of two rocky outcroppings, made of the same smooth shaped rock as the walls and floor in this area, the entrance to the cavern was only about a third of the width of the tunnel. A roper was perched on the floor between these two stone formations; judging by its injuries, it was the one they had been following. It had snared Renn, who was now visible and inside the cavern. He was trying to cut himself free with his long sword.

Just beyond the point where Renn was being pulled forward, those looking could see another rock formation, seemingly freestanding in the cavern.  There were too many dark corners and hostile rocks to deal with for them to get a good look at it at the moment.

With a pained expression, Jana held her sword back in one hand and the wooden shield in front of her, took a deep breath, and charged the roper holding Renn.

Azrun looked at the situation and frowned, "I'm not going to be able to get a shot with my bow in this, I'm switching to magic." With that Azrun began casting.

Renn continued to pull back against the steady tug of the roper and hacked at the tentacle with his longsword.

Blacky followed Jana in, dropped his shield and prepared to deal the roper some damage with his two handed sword.

Azrun abandoned bowfire for the tactic that had been very successful against the last roper. This time, however, his magical missiles did no apparent harm to the monster. Blacky dropped his shield and ran in; Jana followed, more hesitantly and holding onto her chunk of wood firmly. The space between the rock outcroppings was pretty crowded with Blacky, Jana, and the roper all there. Blacky had to check his swing slightly, and the big sword he was using in the place of his broken axe was ineffective. Jana had more luck, sliding her bastard sword into the tall rock monster's side. The roper chomped at the shieldless Blacky, grabbing a chunk of armored leg with its sharp teeth. Renn hacked at the strand pulling him forward again, still unable to cut himself.

Jana, in tight now, tossed the shield to the side and hacked at the roper with a two-handed grip. And hacked and hacked and hacked.

Renn struggled to keep away from the roper and continued to slash at the tentacle.

Blacky followed suit, attempting to hack at the creature without hitting his teammates.

Renn cut into the tentacle tugging her forward, but he did not cleave it.  Azrun seemed to be trying to find away around the skirmish but he could not get by. Blacky tried again with the big sword, but again, the area was just too tight for him to swing it to its full effect without endangering Jana as well. Jana discarded her shield now that she was too close for the roper to snare her and began fighting two-handed with her sword. It worked well for her; she dealt the creature some harsh wounds and its death blow. Before it died, the roper tried to crunch on Blacky's leg some more, but it was too weakened to cause any additional harm before it fell over.

"You guys stay down and keep an eye out for more of 'em," Jana said. "I'm gonna gut this sumbitch." She sliced it open as she had the last one.

Azrun made his way over to Renn, "Is everyone ok? Renn, what happened?"

"I feel that presence here," Echo said quietly from behind Jana. "It's stronger now."

"Shit," Jana whispered, speeding up the gutting process. "Can you tell what direction it's in and if it's moving?"

Renn extricated himself from the dead roper's tentacle, and gave it a sound kick once he was free. With a quick motion, Renn sheathed his longsword and wiped
his brow with the back of his hand.

"It either got lucky with it's flailing, or it could see me somehow," Renn said after he took a long drink from a waterskin. "Thank you for the quick rescue," he grinned suddenly, "Corellon knows I'd much prefer to keep out of that maw."

"Let me see what I can do for our injured warriors," the elf added, then put away his water. Renn prayed over Blacky, and did the same for Jana once she was finished hacking apart the roper.

"That presence is the reason I chose this tunnel," Renn interjected. "It's...well," he shrugged and waved a hand at the passageway behind him. "There's a small, chamber I guess you'd call it, not far from here. Within, a large rock pillar, and some..thing in it. It's that creature that's been attracting us," Renn said flatly.

"Don't you think we ought to wait on going in there until we have Arachne and Aloysius back with us?" Jana whispered.

Azrun looked around a bit, "I doubt Arachne will be of any good in here. She can't come into the tunnels. Remember how she couldn't come in before with the first 2 ropers. Having Aloysius would be nice for the added mage support, but if this critter is immune to magic like the ropers are, he'll just be another target."

He looked back behind him, "Perhaps, we should go back and check out the tunnels behind us until they get back. It's going to be at least another day before Arachne will be able to come back anyway. We might as well get as much exploring done as possible."

"How far is it from here?" Echo asked. "Is it anything like the pillar the big grell was on in the grell nest? It feels kind of the same, but stronger."

"Something is in the pillar?" she asked after a pause.

"I really want to see this thing," Echo said honestly, but with a little hesitation. "I don't want to put anyone in any extra danger, so I can wait. It's weird though, being drawn to something like that."

"Hmm..the pillar's more like the one with the pointed star atop it, in the last chamber you caught up with me," Renn started to explain. "And this room is circular, there's nothing else in this end. The pillar's about sixty or eight feet around the bend, where I was coming from when the big ugly got ahold of me."

"The thing in the pillar, it looks humanoid somewhat. But, erm," Renn frowns, "let me know what you think after you've seen it."

Azrun looked puzzled, "Ok, now I'm curious as to what in the world it is. I can drop an invisibility spell on myself and go with Echo to check it out.  If that is ok with the others. Otherwise we should just drop back and check out the tunnels in the other direction."

"Being invisible didn't protect Renn," Jana pointed out. "Let's either all go or all not go. Oh," she added, furrowing her brow, "about how long 'fore Arachne and Aloysius are supposed to be back?"

Azrun shrugged, "At the earliest, tomorrow. Considering the amount of supplies, it'll probably be two days."

"My vote is for us all going," Echo said. "If it's only sixty feet around the bend, we're right on top of it now."

"All right," Jana sighed, looking distinctly unhappy. After she'd finished gutting the roper, she picked up her makeshift shield. "I honestly don't think being invisible is going to help so I don't think spreading out is that great an idea, but I dunno. I'll defer to the judgement of you magicky people on that one."

"I don't think whatever it is in the pillar noticed me," Renn shrugged. "I didn't become visible until I began trying to free myself from the roper's grasp."

"So do you want Azrun to make you invisible again and take point?" Jana asked Renn.

"If something is drawing us toward it, it's either a trap or it needs our help somehow." Blacky surmised  "Either way it sounds too interesting not to check out." He said sheathing his sword and changing to a hand axe with Olaf's old shield. "It gets too cramped in these tunnels to use my big weapons effectively."
He explained.

"Can you feel it too?" Echo asked.

"No, but I trust Renn and you on this one." Blacky replied

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