Move 449: Aloysius and Azrun Come BackAfter a few minutes, Aloysius and Azrun returned to a rather subdued atmosphere. Echo and Jana were standing near the tiger-man, talking quietly with each other. Arachne was staring blankly in their general direction. Dalgaer was sitting silently beside her, and Blacky and Kanon were still out cold.
"It appears that our captive's living area is that way." said Aloysius, indicating the direction from which he and Azrun had come. "It looks to be as good as any for us to rest a while." He looked at Kanon and Blacky. "I have magics available that might assist is moving them," he added.
"Thank the gods," Jana sighed. "That'll make things easier. Is everyone ready to get moving?"
"Would having a horse, or mayhap, a mule, be helpful?" asked the mage.
"A horse?" Jana echoed. "Well, maybe... Is the way to this place you've found big enough for one?"
Azrun cleared his throat, "May I suggest a mule...that way we don't have to lift Blacky or Kanon so high."
Aloysius studied Blacky's prone form. "Eric is quite large," he noted, "and his armor and equipment are quite cumbersome as well. Would a mule be able to bear him? If not, would it be difficult to remove his armor and carry it, and his equipment, separately?"
"I think so," Echo said. "If my rope survived the fireball."
"Will the mule go away at the end of the spell?" Echo asked. "We don't have food for one if it stays around permanently," she said to explain her question. "Do you still want me to tie him up?" she asked Jana with a nod at the tiger.
"Well . . . . ." mused Aloysius in response to Echo's question. "That is deceptively difficult to answer. Permit me to demonstrate and mayhap you can form your own opinion." With that, Aloysius cast a spell. Upon its completion, the form of the mage shortened and widened considerably as his belongings transformed into brownish-gray fur. Once the process was finished, a burly mule stood in his place. The mule brayed and stared at the others expectantly.
Echo looked a little embarrassed. "I forgot about that spell, sorry."
Azrun smiled, "Ok...well why don't we try to load Blacky onto his back first. If he's too heavy, Aloysius, stomp your front hoof once. Then me and Jana can try to haul Kanon and Arachne and Daelgar can hold onto the tiger-man." He looked to Echo, "Echo you may need to keep Blacky stable on Aloyius's back. He can lead us right into the cave."
"Okay," Echo agreed. "Let me tie him up first," she sighed quietly as she looked at the tiger-man and the piece of rope in her hand.
"Yeah," I think we should tie him up," Jana replied to Echo. "I wouldn't want him to get hurt because he got some foolish notion in his head." She rested the point of her sword lightly on Tigger to encourage him to remain as still as possible while Echo secured his bonds.
With some manuevering and the assistance of Aloysius the mule, the group relocated to the cavern that the scouts had mentioned. The bound tiger-man followed along quietly and without fuss. It was another large cavern with a pool of water making up most of the north wall. In the southwest corner, there was a canopy of quaggoth skins.
Jana looked at the skin canopy and made a face. "Watch out for the pool," she advised. "Gods know what might be in it." She looked at the pool then at Tigger and then back at the pool. "Hmmm..."
The mule's braying roused Arachne from her contemplation. She moved slowly over to where she'd left her pack and the mess which had been her purse. She reduced the size of the mess, loading what she could salvage into a belt pouch (the small things) or the back pack (the less small things). She started to load the pack on her back but then thought better of the idea and just carried the thing. She went over to Dalgaer, who was by the tiger-prisoner.
Arachne went toward the canopy.
"Water, I hope," Arachne said absently, looking in under the quaggoth canopy. "And it'd be nice if there were a clean bucket here."
She looked at the pool then at Tigger and then back at the pool. "Hmmm..."
"After all," Arachne continued, peering in under the canopy from just outside, "Saddam might like to have his wounds cleaned as much as the next patient."
Azrun looked to the tiger-man, "Is the water safe here? We've run into some dangerous creatures in some of the other pools? By the way, what is your name? I hate not being able to call you by your name. It seems quite rude."
"Once again," Jana said with an exasperated look, "we don't need to be on freindly terms. If you'll stop and think about it for a moment, then you'll understand why."
Azrun ground his teeth as he struggled to hold his tongue, "Fine."
He turned and went to examine the items that he and Aloysius had discovered earlier.
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