Brock rushes toward the Goblin that he had just knocked down, hoping to kick her in the head hard enough to knock her our before she rises back to her feet. Since his first opponent is back in proximity and physically attacking, Garin hopes to employ the same tactic and knock him away as he had the other.
OOC:
62, 74
Though Belaria is a slight, young woman and does not consider herself to be physically formidable, she continues to whipe her javelin back and forth in hopes of cutting her enemy again. Like before she will cause the wound to fester if she can also make bodily contact. Turning to face his standing enemy, Gaio believes that The Wind gave impetus to his previous assault. Instead of using the blade of the javelin, he will use his right hand, which is near the tip, to punch at the Goblin, again generating a pulse of air to knock him down.
Brenda runs up on the Goblin she knocked down, hoping to jump on him before he can rise. She will generate a sonic thump to accompany the attack.
Brock takes a leaping stride forward and kicks with his right leg, but the cannibal rolls over and avoids the contact. As she rolls back to face Brock, she thrusts her javelin up and scratches his thigh. The real danger is the other Goblin who runs in and sticks him, hard, in the gut with his remaining weapon. Brock is now significantly injured and still facing two psychotic enemies.
Turning more to his right and shifting his left foot, Gaio lunges forward with his right hand and right foot. He strikes the Goblin in the ribs and knocks him a couple of steps backward to fall onto his back. The other cannibal regains her footing and thrust her bone blade across his left hip. Though he has now managed to alternately knock down both enemies, they still continue to fight.
Belaria whirls her javelin around and thrusts it across the upper chest and just under the raised right arm of her opponent. The cut alone, causes enough blood loss to incapacitate that cannibal. She is now free to go to the aid of her heartmate.
She is still almost two seconds slower than Brock but faster than the cannibals. Brenda launches herself through the air, but the dazed Goblin still tries to roll out of the way, causing Brenda to only slide her foot down the side of the body. The sonic pulse does little more, and the cannibal rolls back to his feet but is unable to connect with his javelin thrust. She is once again facing her standing foe.
Barely faster than the Goblins, Garindell is still unable to connect with his second double punch. This puts him in a bad position. The currently engaged cannibal is only able to inflict a minor scratch, but the other makes one, much more significantly, across the ribs. Garindell is badly hurt and still facing two psychopaths.
Angered by the injury, Brock lets out a growl. He wants to put these cannibals down for good. Swinging the shaft of his javelin at the enemy’s weapon with his right hand he hopes to punch him in the chest with his left and knock him backward. “Die, you flesh eating monster!”
Focusing on the cannibal who last stuck him, Garin is far less emotional than Brock and gives no verbal expression. He bobs his shoulders left then right. His left hand is palm down on the butt end of his javelin, his right is palm up toward the blade. He attempts an uppercut punch with his right, aiming for the bottom rib of his enemy, also hoping to knock him down.
OOC:
65, 77
Belaria takes two running steps and launches her javelin at the Goblin that Jay had just knocked down. “I am on your right!”
Facing the female, Green Jay dances forward with his left foot and lunge punches with his left hand as it is still gripping the shaft of his javelin. He is still trusting to The Wind to knock down his enemy.
Brenda, who is not really hurt, just irritated, crowds her opponent and jockeys her javelin to try to land another punch while holding the shaft, hoping to knock him down to stay. Since she is the healthiest, she has now become the quickest. She catches the Goblin on the left side of the jaw with a left hook, knocking him to the ground to rollover twice but remain unconscious. With the eyes closed and the body not moving, Brenda finishes the task with the blade end of her javelin in the cannibals neck.
Despite his cuts and scratches, Gaio Verde punches his standing opponent before either can react. His fist barely makes contact, but the pulse of air still knocks the cannibal back onto the ground two strides back. Belaria then throws her javelin at his other opponent before he can attack. Her launched javelin punches into the gut, keeping the cannibal on the ground.
Even though he is significantly injured Brock feints with his javelin and punches the Goblin with his left fist. He catches the cannibal under the chin and knocks him backward 3 strides. He hits the ground and loses consciousness. Unfortunately his other opponent sticks him in the gut again with a bone javelin. The blood loss is enough to cause incapacitation. Brock collapses to the ground.
Garindell is slower. He is able to avoid his first opponent, but the second makes another cut. Like Brock, his injuries have now incapacitated him. The two cannibals look as if they are going to continue to stick him. The one remaining on Brock appears to be preparing for the same thing. Gaio is still facing his remaining enemy. If Brock and Garindell are to be saved, Brenda and Belaria are going to have to intervene.
Since Jay is now facing only a single opponent, Belaria retrieves a javelin and runs at one of the cannibals standing over Garindell. She yells as she runs wanting to draw their attention away before they can kill him. Though she is probably no heavier than the enemies, she hopes to run over one, point of her javelin first. Truly understanding that these monsters are psychotic, Jay continues to fight for his life. “Oh Wind, grant us fortune.”
Realizing that Brock and Garindell are about to be killed, Brenda charges at the one about to stab Brock. “Schau her, tollwütiger Hund!” This means, “Look here, rabid dog!” Out weighing the skinny cannibals, she plans to run right into him.
As the Goblin standing over Brock cocks back his arm, Brenda ducks her head and hits him in the chest with her shoulder, sending him flying backward. He flies through the air 2 strides and slides on his back 2 more, no longer conscious. Brock has been saved.
Gaio Verde delivers another trivial body blow to his remaining opponent, but is aided, he believes, by his god. The punch is not much, but the cannibal is knocked down and away. Suddenly seeing that he is free of standing enemies, he quickly stabs both of them to make sure they do not rise.
Belaria reaches the body of Garindell before either of the two Goblins can stab him. She runs into one, sticking him with her javelin and causing the minor wound to fester. As he is already quite hurt, it is enough to incapacitate him. Instead of stabbing Garindell, the other cannibal jumps over him and tries to stab Belaria, instead, but he misses.
With Brenda and Belaria being more able than the single standing cannibal, the two young ladies quickly put him down. Both Brock and Garindell are still breathing and even still conscious, though they cannot move.
Being conscious and instinctively understanding the process, Brock and Garindell will mystically ehance their own recovery, hoping but more knowing that their friends will come to their aid.
OOC:
68, 80
Belaria motions at Brenda to look after Brock, while she determines what she can do for Garindell, before helping herself. Jay will also aid Garin first then asist with Brock before helping himself.
With the aid of three people each, even though it takes less time for Brock and Garindell to recover than it does for Gaio, neither of the two can move about until fully recovered, because they were incapacitated. Gaio is still free to move about but can do nothing strenuous.
Brenda has no difficulty and no remorse in making sure that all of the cannibals are dead. There are eight dead, all now lying nearer the wall than the pyramid. As the party tends to its wounds, the natural sounds of the denizens of the swamp return to normal volume, which is fairly noisy despite the Chilling Season, because it is not cold.
Doubting that they will have anything of value, Brock will search the cannibals, anyway. Not wanting to leave the bodies, which would attract animals, possibly dangerous ones, Garindell makes a suggestion. “I think we should take the time to burn these bodies. There is not really a risk of catching the forest, and I do not think it is a good idea to just leave them."
OOC:
71, 83
Belaria disagrees. “For me and my heritage, to burn a body to send away the spirit is to show honor to the deceased. These monsters deserve no such honor, but I agree that we should not leave them here.”
Jay held up his left hand in a gesture for pause and attention. “I am not so sure these cannibals even have a spirit. Maybe that is why they eat other people. It would take less time and possibly less effort if we were to carry them away, one at a time, and leave strewn about this swamp. Whatever beast or scavenger that might be attracted to their smell should not come looking for us.”
Cycle: 497. Season: Chilling. Day 13.
Brock’s original suspicion seems completely accurate. Any foodstuff and supplies that the cannibals are carrying is suspect and he does not trust keeping any of it. Electing to go with Gaio’s idea for the sake of ease and time, the bodies are moved one at a time and carried in different directions away from the pyramid. They are dropped in lower areas of the surroundings, especially if there is still standing water.
With the need for recovery, the party camps in the same place that the former cannibals had occupied until the next day. Circumnavigating and partially climbing the pyramid the next day, it is noticed that there are two entrances at ground level on opposite sides of the structure. There are two other entrances on the other two opposing sides at about half of its height. It is yet unknown what might be at the peak, and four other smaller pyramids are noticed out in the swamp at equal distance from each of the four sides. This might have once been a small community not just a single structure. Nothing else other than the activities of common animals is noticed during the cursory examination.
