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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Solarious" data-source="post: 2814079" data-attributes="member: 27346">Chapter Three, Part Five (Reader's edit: Part Six)OOC - This story hour has just gotten more and more fun to write. I love having the guideline of the Dungeon adventure to direct Abrina and the flow of the story. It has been great fun for me, and I hope that my readers are enjoying it as much as I.Tracing her fingers along the outline of the secret door, Abrina found a hidden panel in the stonework. She pressed it and stepped back to watch the four-foot square section of stone pivot on a central vertical axis to reveal a dark chamber beyond.Abrina held up the sunrod to see empty weapn racks lining the walls of the dusty, 10-foot high room. In the middle of the floor rested a large wooden chest with a flat lid and iron hinges. Atop the chest sat a small silver cage holding a rat with a white star-shaped splotch of fur on its tiny forehead. It gripped the bars and squeaked excitedly at the sight of her as she stepped into the room."So, you must be the infamous Starbrow, huh?" she asked as she approached the rat's cage."Abrina came within a few feet of Starbrow when suddenly in a guttural language.Abrina yelped and jumped back from the talking chest, not understanding its tongue. It said a few more words, perhaps the sound of a question in its voice, and then the chest creature fell silent and once again resembled an ordinary chest.OOC - Spot check +4 against DC 22: rolled 6, failure.The rat familiar continued to tug at the bars, squeaking in desperation.She kneeled, clasping her hands in prayer to Ninurta. She had been worried she would need to understand the language of the creatures that dwelled here, and prepared for just such a circumstance. Abrina did not expect she would first need to call upon Ninurta's aid when a chest began to speak with her.A calm reassurance of understanding fell upon her, and ABrina lifted her hands in peace as she approached the talking chest. It's mouth once again opened and spoke, but she simply shook her head and held out a hand to establish the connection she needed to understand.The creature allowed her to approach, and Abrina placed her hand upon it, somewhat startled to find its texture like slick flesh. She withdrew her hand quickly, but found that she could now comprehend its language."What do ya want?" it asked.Abrina pointed to the cage with Starbrow within."Oh reallly? It'll cost ya. The skulks around here think I can live off just rats and spiders. I have better taste'n that.""Skulks?" questioned Abrina."Yeah, those guys with changin' skin. I'm sure you've seen 'em. They raid the surface for slaves and hand them off to some hobgoblins, who then take the slaves to a place called the Malachite Fortress.""Oh," responded Abrina, the words to the divination coming to mind. Descend into the malachite ‘hold, Where precious life is bought with gold."So do you want the rat, or what?""Yes, yes," Abrina said, nodding, holding out her hands in question. What could this creature possibly want?"Got anything worthwhile on hand?"Abrina nodded and turned to dig through her pack, pulling out some of her remaining rations, including bread, slices of meat and cheese, and pieces of fruit. "How about some of these?" she asked.Emotions were impossible to read on the chest creature, but she got the distince sense of exceitement from the tone of its voice. "Or those... apples ya have there?" it asked.She held one up, picking up a pear as well, and nodded."Give 'em all to me, and you can take the rat."Amazed at her luck, Abrina dumped the remaining pieces of fruit from her pack and gave them to the chest creature. In a flash, a thick pseudopod sprung from the creature and scooped all of the food into its mouth in one, quick gesture. A few moments of crunching sounds, and then nothing. The creature seemed satisfied."Ya might want the key, though. The skulk back there used'a have it."Abrina nodded again, in thanks, and returned to the secret closet. Cringing, she searched the skulk's body to find a tiny silver key around its neck. When she returned to the chamber, the chest creature ignored her as she unlocked the cage and carefully removed Starbrow, seemingly unharmed."Thanks," she said over her shoulder as she returned to the hidden closet. The chest creature, not understanding her, gave its equivalent of a shrug. With Starbrow under one arm, she climbed back into the tunnel and soon returned to the surface.OOC - I gave no experience to Abrina for this encounter, since there was no real challenge and no rolls made.</blockquote>

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