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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 566049" data-attributes="member: 6294">"Hooberan's Stockade" by Wicht  - Part 5Staying low to the ground, Mantreus slips across to the stockade.  His attempt at stealth is spoiled by his squawk of surprise in nearly ending up in the muddy ditch that surrounds the wall.Muttering under his breath, he leaps nimbly across the ditch, then begins to clamber up the wall, determined to show the smug non-humans that a real rogue doesn't need low-light vision.Unfortunately, in the darkness, he misjudges the distance to one of his hand-holds, and loses his grip, swiftly tumbling off the wall and down into the six inch layer of mud and slime at the bottom of the ditch.Twinkle and Elspeth rush forward in the concern, but the bedraggled and fuming Mantreus is already dragging himself out of the ditch, cursing a blue streak as he does so."Just.  Don't.  Say.  Anything." The human grits out, wiping a large clump of mud from his hair."Maybe it would be easier if we got a rope?" Twinkle suggests, miming throwing something up to the top of the wall. "We could make a lasso, or something.""I've got a grappling hook." Mantreus concedes.  Elspeth raises an eyebrow."You have a grappling hook, but no rope?"Mantreus looks defensive,"It was too heavy."Elspeth's expression doesn't change."Stop looking at me like that.  You're reminding me of Ming Li."The three adventurers quickly attach the grapple to the rope and Elspeth is chosen to throw it up and hook it onto the wall.  This she accomplishes on the first try, giving the rope a savage yank to make sure it is firmly secured.  She then silently gestures for Mantreus to climb up.This the human rogue quickly does, swarming up the rope without any difficulty at all.  Maybe one day he will look back at this series of events and laugh, but - judging from the stream of invective he mutters as he goes over the palisade wall - that day is still a long way off.The man in the tower proves to be dead.  He is slumped against the wall, his head leaning back against the stakes, a longbow clutched in one hand.  A quiver of arrows lies on the wooden boards beside him, along with a small pile of yellow rags.Mantreus wrinkles his nose at the smell given off by the body, while checking for any signs of what might have killed the man.  He looks to have been dead for several days, and any symptoms of the disease that slew him - if that was what it was - are gone.  However, as Mantreus looks down toward the corpse's feet, he is sickened to see signs that something has gnawed through its boots and begun to feed on its flesh.Sickened, and then alarmed, as the skitter of claws on wood warns him that he is not alone.The rogue leaps to his feet, turning just in time to see the two large, bristle-haired rats burst out of the shadows and lunge toward him.  Each is well over three feet long from nose to tail.  Staring at the adventurer with filmy black eyes, the two verminous beasts lunge forward, sharp teeth nipping at his flesh.Mantreus reels back as far as he can in the tight confines of the tower, drawing his sword as he does so, in a vain effort to fend off the creatures.  As one of them bites his calf, opening a long but shallow wound, he considers throwing himself over the palisade.  A snapping bite as he inches toward the wall convinces him otherwise, however, and instead he calls out for help."Elspeth!  Twinkle!  Help!"</blockquote>

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