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<blockquote data-quote="Milo Windby" data-source="post: 1697" data-attributes="member: 202"><p><strong>Keep of the Borderlands -part eighteen (session 5)</strong></p><p></p><p>They left the room in good spirits, intent on investigating the lower portion of the cave complex before heading north to the sloping passage. A flight of stairs led them into a widening of the cave. Two hallways branched from the main cavern to the east and west. All along the walls were stacked boxes and sacks of supplies.</p><p></p><p><em>"Well here's the supplies they won't be needing anymore."</em> Milo said as he toed one of the sacks on the ground. </p><p></p><p><em>"Aye, them undead don't need no grain 'n food."</em> Brigit agreed.</p><p></p><p>Jeremiah hushed the two impatiently. He had a concentrated look on his face. After peering intently into space he spoke to the others.</p><p></p><p><em>"People shouting for help that way."</em> Jeremiah said, pointing to the east.</p><p></p><p><em>"We should probably help them then, but that makes me a little too suspicious."</em> Milo said. <em>"Everyone keep your guards up, this could be a trap."</em></p><p></p><p>The crew readied their weapons and advanced down the hall. The quarters were tight due to the stacked boxes and sacks. After a zigzag in the tunnel they came to a door. All four could now hear the shouts for help. There was more than just one language too. Milo checked the door for traps. Nothing caught his trained eye. He fished out the key ring he found on one of the guards and located a key that would fit the door. A couple of tries later he heard the satisfying <em>"click"</em> that he loved so much. He swung open the door, ready for an ambush.</p><p></p><p>What he and the others saw was far from an ambush. A variety of humanoids were chained to the walls. They were all in a horrible state, some of them had been there for a long time. Milo spied three kobolds, a goblin, four orcs, and two humans that wore the remnants of a familiar livery. All of them cringed when he opened the door until they noticed that he wasn't quite the size of a bugbear. They all started clamoring for attention as soon as they realized that the adventurers could rescue them.</p><p></p><p>Milo ignored the beasts and made his way over to the humans. <em>"Hello, who are you?"</em> He asked them.</p><p></p><p><em>"We're caravan guards,"</em> one answered weakly, <em>"we were captured and brought here."</em></p><p></p><p>Milo and Mazi walked back a pace to discuss the situation while Brigit talked to the orcs. Mazi was distrustful as always. Milo reasoned that they were wearing the remnants of the caravan's livery and that the other caravan guards were trustworthy. The least they could do was escort them out of the caverns. Mazi agreed reluctantly.</p><p></p><p><em>"We're going to let you down,"</em> Milo told the humans, <em>"Just beware that there may be other bugbears about, keep behind us and don't get into trouble."</em></p><p></p><p>Mazi whispered to Jeremiah to keep an eye on them. Milo found the keys that matched the shackles and handed them to Jeremiah. While the barbarian released the humans Brigit walked over to talk to Milo and Mazi.</p><p></p><p><em>"The orcs're askin' ta be let go. I don' trust em tho."</em> Brigit said to her friends. <em>"They be a pitiful bunch. Apparently them bugbears keep this rabble on hand ta supplement their food supply."</em> She said with a wicked gleam to her eye. <em>"I kin think of some more creative ways ta use em."</em></p><p></p><p>The orcs and other creatures were whining by that time. Brigit further relayed that the orcs promised to help them if the party freed them. The dwarf and elf couldn't seem to decide what to do. Milo stowed his crossbow and drew his dagger. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Milo walked to the kobolds first, methodically slitting their throats and ending their lives. He moved from creature to creature until none remained alive.</p><p></p><p><em>"I don't fancy having my enemies travel with me when there's a much more simple solution available."</em> Milo said to the slightly shocked stares of his companions. Brigit cracked a smile while Mazi just shrugged. The dwarf set about hacking off the legs and arms of the prisoners.</p><p></p><p>Jeremiah had released the humans and the party took stock of their situation. Nothing of value remained in the room so they moved back into the corridor. When they reached the main cavern again they could hear more shouts for help faintly down the other hallway.</p><p></p><p>The inflated group moved through the western passage. A branch headed south while the supply corridor continued west. The shouts were coming from behind a door at the end of the hallway. Milo found the key that matched the lock and they peered into the room. No ambush greeted them here either. Chained to the wall were three hobgoblins, two gnolls, a large bearded human, and surprisingly, a bugbear. </p><p></p><p>Milo moved first to the hulking bearded man. <em>"So who are you?"</em> He started companionably.</p><p></p><p><em>"A traveler."</em> The man replied.</p><p></p><p><em>"Riiiiiight. So you 'traveled' into those chains? Doesn't sound like a good journey. Where will you go if we release you?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"I will travel."</em> He answered cryptically.</p><p></p><p>Nonplussed, Milo asked, <em>"Alright then, are you any good in a fight?"</em></p><p></p><p>At that the burly man grinned. <em>"Oh aye, I can swing a weapon."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"You wouldn't by any chance be a berserker, would you?"</em> Milo asked hopefully. Another barbarian at their back could be a good thing, though he didn't quite trust the furry human.</p><p></p><p>He just shrugged, <em>"Ye'll never know if yeh leave me up here, now will yeh?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"True enough, then you can travel with us until we get out of these caves. We'll find you a mace from the bugbears."</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"It's not an axe, but it'll do."</em> The big man said as Jeremiah reached up to his shackles to release him.</p><p></p><p>Mazi trusted this fellow even less than the caravan guards. She once again whispered to Jeremiah to keep an eye on the newly freed prisoners. <em>The poor barbarian is going to have his eyes full</em>, thought Milo. While the mountain man and Milo were discussing things Brigit had kept herself busy. The other prisoners were already dead and dismembered by the time they were ready to leave. The caravan guards looked a little green and they seemed to avoid looking at the dwarf.</p><p></p><p>The large party now moved back up the stairs. They only paused for the guards and the mountain man to pick up a mace each from the bugbear's corpses. No sounds echoed down the hallway but the sound of their boots. The adventurers passed the cavern entrance and turned the corner to look up the sloping passage. They could see it curve up to the right, but more interestingly, they could see a door on the western wall.</p><p></p><p>Not one to leave a stone unturned, or a door unopened, Milo cautiously stepped forward. He quietly searched for traps before examining the latch. It didn't appear to be locked. Milo motioned to Jeremiah, pointing to his boot. The barbarian grinned as he moved in front of the door. Brigit moved herself next to Milo as Jer kicked in the door.</p><p></p><p>Milo fired his bolt at the first bugbear he saw. There were only two in the room, a large male and an equally large female. The male snarled as the bolt sunk into its shoulder. The great beast hurled its handaxe at Milo. The axe head sunk into his left shoulder, almost causing him to drop his lantern. Milo staggered from the blow and looked down. He dimly recognized the axe through the haze of pain. It was exactly like the handaxe they found on the orc leader's body. He ripped the axe from the wound and sucked in a deep breath of air at the fresh wave of pain.</p><p></p><p>Brigit moved in next to him and hacked at the female. Her axe cut it down even as it swung its mace at the dwarf. Jeremiah fired his bow from behind the crew, his arrow whizzed by the head of the huge bugbear. Mazi readied her sword, waiting for an opportunity to attack.</p><p></p><p>Milo quickly moved to the side and fired another bolt from his crossbow. The quarrel missed but his movement gave Mazi an opportunity to move in. She worked out her frustration with the previous bugbears on the hapless beast. Her sword inflicted a grave wound on the monster. Near the back Jeremiah loosed another arrow at the bugbear. </p><p></p><p>His arrow missed the retreating form of the bugbear. Apparently it had a rudimentary knowledge of arithmetic and found the numbers to be against it. It pressed an unseen switch and the wall beside it swung away. The beast ran down the passageway. Brigit gave chase. She ran full tilt with Milo, Mazi, and Jeremiah close behind. </p><p></p><p>They all reached the bugbear just as it was turning back to watch for the pursuers. Brigit heaved mightily with her axe as the bugbear tried to run again. The blade cleft through the monster's skull and it fell face-first with a heavy thud.</p><p></p><p><em>"Good job Brigit!"</em> Milo said, out of breath from the chase.</p><p></p><p><em>"Stupid bugbear, shoulda knowt better than ta turn yer back on a dwarf!"</em> Brigit said to the dead body.</p><p></p><p>Milo stooped down and searched over the body. He found a pouch with a good amount of platinum coins and a key. Under the coins he found three small gems, he guessed to be about 50 gold apiece. A key was at the very bottom of the pouch.</p><p></p><p><em>"Not bad guys, check out the coin he was hauling around!"</em> Milo said as he showed the pouch to the others. <em>"I'm guessing this was the bugbears' head honcho."</em></p><p></p><p>Brigit merely grunted as her axe swung again and again, severing the leader's limbs. Mazi peered into the pouch and agreed with Milo. Jeremiah simply stood to the side and stared down the secret passage.</p><p></p><p>Milo and the others decided to investigate this passage before they rejoined the guards and mountain man in the leader's room. A short distance from where the bugbear fell they emerged into a small room with four other tunnels branching in all directions. All four experienced a queasy feeling as they entered the room. They had no time to reflect on the odd sensation as three large, glowing beetles skittered towards them, their pincers snapping. </p><p></p><p>Milo and Jeremiah reacted quickly, firing their crossbow and long bow respectively. Milo's bolt skittered off the hard carapace of the lead beetle. Jeremiah's arrow found a soft spot on one of the two following bugs, but it didn't seem to damage the beetle much.</p><p></p><p>Mazi slashed down at the first beetle before it could close its pincers around her legs. The insect made a piercing sound as her blade bit into it. Its legs twitched as it flattened to the ground. The other two beetles reached Mazi and Brigit. Mazi winced as the razor sharp pincer of the beetle sliced a gash on either side of her right leg. She beat the beetle off and backed up.</p><p></p><p>Brigit swung her axe at the bug reared up before her. The insect fell back to its legs just before the blade passed through it. Milo shot another bolt at the beetle attacking Mazi. It again skittered off the glowing shell of the bug. Mazi kicked at the beetle that wounded her other leg, cursing the luck. She was unable to bring her sword to bear while she fended the beetle off. </p><p></p><p>Brigit gave a hoarse battle cry and swooped her axe low, she sliced the legs off the first beetle before pulling the blade up through its mandibles. The axe continued its journey through the air and finished in the carapace of the beetle that wounded Mazi. A green ichor covered her axe head as she withdrew it from the beetle's back. </p><p></p><p>Milo noticed that the beetles' shells still glowed after they died. He figured that it must be a way for the insects to find their way around the caverns. Milo walked to the other tunnel openings and listened to any sounds filtering through. In one tunnel he could hear flapping, like leathery wings rubbing against each other and the air. Not good. He heard the skittering of insect feet down another tunnel. Milo wasn't eager to fight more bugs. Yet another tunnel yielded a heavy, monstrous breathing.</p><p></p><p></p><p><em>"I don't think we should investigate these tunnels just yet."</em> Mazi said.</p><p></p><p><em>"Yeah, I feel a little disoriented and we may still have some bugbears to deal with."</em> Milo agreed.</p><p></p><p>Before they left Milo cast a healing spell on Mazi. Her wounds sealed and some color flushed into her cheeks.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers trooped back up the tunnel into the bugbear's room. The guards and the mountain man were still in the room, waiting. The caravan guards looked a little nervous but the mountain man was sitting in the corner, disinterested. Milo leaned over the body of the female, noticing a glint on its ear. He found a pair of gold earrings and pocketed them after showing them to Mazi. She seemed interested, but it could wait for later.</p><p></p><p>Brigit was peering intently at a bare spot of rock a space above them, near the cavern roof. Milo looked up where she was staring and saw nothing. He just shrugged and turned to search the rest of the room. </p><p></p><p>Brigit tapped him on the shoulder and pointed up to the wall. <em>"Ya see that, halflin?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"See what?"</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>"That little spot on the wall, jus' a tad differnt from tha rest."</em> Brigit said, trying to point out what she saw.</p><p></p><p>Milo stared at the wall for a long moment. After a good thirty seconds he noticed what Brigit had seen. There was a square of rock, almost indistinguishable from the wall. Milo called Jeremiah over and asked for a lift up. The barbarian obliged and heaved Milo up to his shoulders. Milo inspected the rough patch closely.</p><p></p><p><em>"It's a chest! Brigit, you are amazing! You sure you didn't get any training on the streets?"</em> Milo teased Brigit. <em>"It looks like it would take two of you to heave it out, but it's possible."</em></p><p></p><p>Jeremiah called over the burly mountain man and they heaved on the chest. A low rumble could be heard as the chest slid from its cavity. It fell with a resounding thunk to the floor. The lid flew open and the adventurers were treated to an impressive sight. Over a thousand silver pieces were piled in the stone chest. An alabaster and ivory statue rested on the pile of silver. Two small flasks that were wrapped in silk lay next to the statue. </p><p></p><p>Brigit unwrapped the potions and handed the silk to Milo. <em>"Let's see what we got here."</em> she said as she sipped from the first flask. She perked up a little and sighed. <em>"I think it's a healin' potion. I feel pretty refreshed."</em> She sipped from the second flask and related the same. They stowed the two healing potions for later. Brigit loaded up the coins and statue in her pack. She was feeling the weight now. They had to unload some of these goods soon.</p><p></p><p><em>"Let's check out the other door we passed up before."</em> Milo recommended as he gestured to the door. <em>"I think we can leave the other complex for later."</em></p><p></p><p>The party filed out of the leader's room and returned to the original passage. Considering the amount of noise they made in the other room they figured that any more bugbears would be ready for them. The tunnel branched to the other door. Milo listened carefully, his head pressed up to the rough wood. Hearing nothing, he checked the door, frame, and lock for any traps. He noticed that the lock matched the key they found in the leader's pouch. Milo retrieved the key from the pouch in Brigit's pack and tried it in the door. The lock clicked and the wooden door swung open. </p><p></p><p>A medium sized room lay before them, more supplies stacked to the ceiling. There was ale, dried meat, oil, and even an old shield. The group restocked their rations and Milo refilled his oil flasks. He asked the group to lay down all the items they had found so far so he could cast his magic detection cantrip. After he completed the short chant he could see a faint glowing around the handaxe the bugbear leader threw at him. Another faint glow was around the large shield that Brigit had been using. It was a similar glow to the magic shield Mazi had picked up. Everything else was either mundane or had already been detected as magical, so Milo ignored them. He imparted his findings to the rest of the group.</p><p></p><p>With only one more passage to investigate the party trooped on. Back up the sloping, curved passage the group came to a door. Milo listened in again, this time hearing grunting and shuffling. He quieted his friends and motioned from Brigit to kick in the door, figuring she could surprise the inhabitants and have the advantage.</p><p></p><p>Brigit brought up her steel boot and smashed it into the door. It flew open and was greeted by the ugly faces of more bugbears. They were ready for the infidels. Mazi was a split second faster than the monsters, she let an arrow fly from her elven bow, straight into the heart of one of the males. It keeled over without a sound.</p><p></p><p>Three bugbears, a male and two females, rushed at the elf. She dodged two swings of their maces when she felt a clipping blow on her shoulder. She stumbled but righted herself before another mace could land. Brigit moved past the door and introduced her axe to the closest bugbear. The beast fell before her mighty slash. </p><p></p><p>Milo pulled the trigger on his crossbow, only to see the string jam in the mechanics. He cursed and went to work on the faulty crossbow. Jeremiah shook his head at the halfling and let go of his bowstring. His arrow sunk into the leg of an advancing female. He smirked at Milo. He might have been offended if he wasn't so intent on fixing his weapon.</p><p></p><p>Mazi dispatched the bugbear that Jeremiah wounded, her long sword pierced the female's chest. She withdrew her sword and readied herself for the other two bugbears' imminent attacks. She twirled past one mace and parried the other with her long sword. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Brigit closed in behind one of the attacking bugbears. Her muscles bulged under her armor as she heaved her axe down. The axe head swung straight through the bugbear's head, through its neck and continued down its torso. The monster fell in two perfectly even parts, one to the left, one to the right, from the critical blow. </p><p></p><p>Jeremiah loosed another arrow at the last bugbear. He took care to aim away from Mazithra and his arrow flew wide of the mark. Next to the barbarian Milo was still muttering under his breath about his crossbow. He almost had another bolt loaded before a whirlwind of action brought the fight to its finish.</p><p></p><p>Mazi parried a blow from the bugbear. She in turn was repelled from her opponent. The bugbear couldn't concentrate on the elf and the dwarf at the same time though. Brigit's axe flew through the air and sunk into the monster's hide. The blade bit deep before the bugbear fell in a heap.</p><p></p><p><em>"Aha!"</em> said Milo as he jumped up with his crossbow aimed towards the former battleground. His face fell when he realized that there were no more bugbears to take out. Milo lowered his weapon, shrugged, and set about to relieving the dead of their valuables. These bugbears carried gold as well, a few pieces each. Milo also noticed something funny about the fireplace in the back of the room. Behind the old fireback he found a blackened spittoon. On a hunch he ripped off a rag from one of the corpse's threadbare clothes. After some vigorous polishing he found that the spittoon was really a silver urn. A valuable one at that. </p><p></p><p>He motioned to Brigit and tied the urn to her pack. He didn't notice the look of bare avarice in the mountain man's eyes. They all searched the rest of the room and found nothing. </p><p></p><p><em>"I'm just about out of energy and spells, what say we camp before we check out any more caverns?"</em> Milo suggested. He thought about the other cavern they found and the disorientation they felt there. He'd rather be fully rested before tackling that place.</p><p></p><p><em>"I agree with Milo, let's find another campground and rest for a little bit."</em> Mazi said.</p><p></p><p><em>"Just...let...me...finish...what...I'm...doin..." Brigit said between strokes of her axe. The butcher was at work.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The guards' queasy faces returned at the sight of Brigit's handiwork. The mountain man only had eyes for the urn, the most valuable item he had seen the party pick up besides the statue that was stowed in Brigit's pack. The adventurers left the cavern with the former prisoners trailing behind.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>After a half-day's walk the party found a suitable campground. The four friends discussed watch and decided that the two guards and the mountain man could sleep while they stood watch. Mazi still didn't trust them. The seven of them set about making a cold camp.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Milo Windby, post: 1697, member: 202"] [b]Keep of the Borderlands -part eighteen (session 5)[/b] They left the room in good spirits, intent on investigating the lower portion of the cave complex before heading north to the sloping passage. A flight of stairs led them into a widening of the cave. Two hallways branched from the main cavern to the east and west. All along the walls were stacked boxes and sacks of supplies. [I]"Well here's the supplies they won't be needing anymore."[/I] Milo said as he toed one of the sacks on the ground. [I]"Aye, them undead don't need no grain 'n food."[/I] Brigit agreed. Jeremiah hushed the two impatiently. He had a concentrated look on his face. After peering intently into space he spoke to the others. [I]"People shouting for help that way."[/I] Jeremiah said, pointing to the east. [I]"We should probably help them then, but that makes me a little too suspicious."[/I] Milo said. [I]"Everyone keep your guards up, this could be a trap."[/I] The crew readied their weapons and advanced down the hall. The quarters were tight due to the stacked boxes and sacks. After a zigzag in the tunnel they came to a door. All four could now hear the shouts for help. There was more than just one language too. Milo checked the door for traps. Nothing caught his trained eye. He fished out the key ring he found on one of the guards and located a key that would fit the door. A couple of tries later he heard the satisfying [I]"click"[/I] that he loved so much. He swung open the door, ready for an ambush. What he and the others saw was far from an ambush. A variety of humanoids were chained to the walls. They were all in a horrible state, some of them had been there for a long time. Milo spied three kobolds, a goblin, four orcs, and two humans that wore the remnants of a familiar livery. All of them cringed when he opened the door until they noticed that he wasn't quite the size of a bugbear. They all started clamoring for attention as soon as they realized that the adventurers could rescue them. Milo ignored the beasts and made his way over to the humans. [I]"Hello, who are you?"[/I] He asked them. [I]"We're caravan guards,"[/I] one answered weakly, [I]"we were captured and brought here."[/I] Milo and Mazi walked back a pace to discuss the situation while Brigit talked to the orcs. Mazi was distrustful as always. Milo reasoned that they were wearing the remnants of the caravan's livery and that the other caravan guards were trustworthy. The least they could do was escort them out of the caverns. Mazi agreed reluctantly. [I]"We're going to let you down,"[/I] Milo told the humans, [I]"Just beware that there may be other bugbears about, keep behind us and don't get into trouble."[/I] Mazi whispered to Jeremiah to keep an eye on them. Milo found the keys that matched the shackles and handed them to Jeremiah. While the barbarian released the humans Brigit walked over to talk to Milo and Mazi. [I]"The orcs're askin' ta be let go. I don' trust em tho."[/I] Brigit said to her friends. [I]"They be a pitiful bunch. Apparently them bugbears keep this rabble on hand ta supplement their food supply."[/I] She said with a wicked gleam to her eye. [I]"I kin think of some more creative ways ta use em."[/I] The orcs and other creatures were whining by that time. Brigit further relayed that the orcs promised to help them if the party freed them. The dwarf and elf couldn't seem to decide what to do. Milo stowed his crossbow and drew his dagger. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Milo walked to the kobolds first, methodically slitting their throats and ending their lives. He moved from creature to creature until none remained alive. [I]"I don't fancy having my enemies travel with me when there's a much more simple solution available."[/I] Milo said to the slightly shocked stares of his companions. Brigit cracked a smile while Mazi just shrugged. The dwarf set about hacking off the legs and arms of the prisoners. Jeremiah had released the humans and the party took stock of their situation. Nothing of value remained in the room so they moved back into the corridor. When they reached the main cavern again they could hear more shouts for help faintly down the other hallway. The inflated group moved through the western passage. A branch headed south while the supply corridor continued west. The shouts were coming from behind a door at the end of the hallway. Milo found the key that matched the lock and they peered into the room. No ambush greeted them here either. Chained to the wall were three hobgoblins, two gnolls, a large bearded human, and surprisingly, a bugbear. Milo moved first to the hulking bearded man. [I]"So who are you?"[/I] He started companionably. [I]"A traveler."[/I] The man replied. [I]"Riiiiiight. So you 'traveled' into those chains? Doesn't sound like a good journey. Where will you go if we release you?" "I will travel."[/I] He answered cryptically. Nonplussed, Milo asked, [I]"Alright then, are you any good in a fight?"[/I] At that the burly man grinned. [I]"Oh aye, I can swing a weapon." "You wouldn't by any chance be a berserker, would you?"[/I] Milo asked hopefully. Another barbarian at their back could be a good thing, though he didn't quite trust the furry human. He just shrugged, [I]"Ye'll never know if yeh leave me up here, now will yeh?" "True enough, then you can travel with us until we get out of these caves. We'll find you a mace from the bugbears." "It's not an axe, but it'll do."[/I] The big man said as Jeremiah reached up to his shackles to release him. Mazi trusted this fellow even less than the caravan guards. She once again whispered to Jeremiah to keep an eye on the newly freed prisoners. [I]The poor barbarian is going to have his eyes full[/I], thought Milo. While the mountain man and Milo were discussing things Brigit had kept herself busy. The other prisoners were already dead and dismembered by the time they were ready to leave. The caravan guards looked a little green and they seemed to avoid looking at the dwarf. The large party now moved back up the stairs. They only paused for the guards and the mountain man to pick up a mace each from the bugbear's corpses. No sounds echoed down the hallway but the sound of their boots. The adventurers passed the cavern entrance and turned the corner to look up the sloping passage. They could see it curve up to the right, but more interestingly, they could see a door on the western wall. Not one to leave a stone unturned, or a door unopened, Milo cautiously stepped forward. He quietly searched for traps before examining the latch. It didn't appear to be locked. Milo motioned to Jeremiah, pointing to his boot. The barbarian grinned as he moved in front of the door. Brigit moved herself next to Milo as Jer kicked in the door. Milo fired his bolt at the first bugbear he saw. There were only two in the room, a large male and an equally large female. The male snarled as the bolt sunk into its shoulder. The great beast hurled its handaxe at Milo. The axe head sunk into his left shoulder, almost causing him to drop his lantern. Milo staggered from the blow and looked down. He dimly recognized the axe through the haze of pain. It was exactly like the handaxe they found on the orc leader's body. He ripped the axe from the wound and sucked in a deep breath of air at the fresh wave of pain. Brigit moved in next to him and hacked at the female. Her axe cut it down even as it swung its mace at the dwarf. Jeremiah fired his bow from behind the crew, his arrow whizzed by the head of the huge bugbear. Mazi readied her sword, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Milo quickly moved to the side and fired another bolt from his crossbow. The quarrel missed but his movement gave Mazi an opportunity to move in. She worked out her frustration with the previous bugbears on the hapless beast. Her sword inflicted a grave wound on the monster. Near the back Jeremiah loosed another arrow at the bugbear. His arrow missed the retreating form of the bugbear. Apparently it had a rudimentary knowledge of arithmetic and found the numbers to be against it. It pressed an unseen switch and the wall beside it swung away. The beast ran down the passageway. Brigit gave chase. She ran full tilt with Milo, Mazi, and Jeremiah close behind. They all reached the bugbear just as it was turning back to watch for the pursuers. Brigit heaved mightily with her axe as the bugbear tried to run again. The blade cleft through the monster's skull and it fell face-first with a heavy thud. [I]"Good job Brigit!"[/I] Milo said, out of breath from the chase. [I]"Stupid bugbear, shoulda knowt better than ta turn yer back on a dwarf!"[/I] Brigit said to the dead body. Milo stooped down and searched over the body. He found a pouch with a good amount of platinum coins and a key. Under the coins he found three small gems, he guessed to be about 50 gold apiece. A key was at the very bottom of the pouch. [I]"Not bad guys, check out the coin he was hauling around!"[/I] Milo said as he showed the pouch to the others. [I]"I'm guessing this was the bugbears' head honcho."[/I] Brigit merely grunted as her axe swung again and again, severing the leader's limbs. Mazi peered into the pouch and agreed with Milo. Jeremiah simply stood to the side and stared down the secret passage. Milo and the others decided to investigate this passage before they rejoined the guards and mountain man in the leader's room. A short distance from where the bugbear fell they emerged into a small room with four other tunnels branching in all directions. All four experienced a queasy feeling as they entered the room. They had no time to reflect on the odd sensation as three large, glowing beetles skittered towards them, their pincers snapping. Milo and Jeremiah reacted quickly, firing their crossbow and long bow respectively. Milo's bolt skittered off the hard carapace of the lead beetle. Jeremiah's arrow found a soft spot on one of the two following bugs, but it didn't seem to damage the beetle much. Mazi slashed down at the first beetle before it could close its pincers around her legs. The insect made a piercing sound as her blade bit into it. Its legs twitched as it flattened to the ground. The other two beetles reached Mazi and Brigit. Mazi winced as the razor sharp pincer of the beetle sliced a gash on either side of her right leg. She beat the beetle off and backed up. Brigit swung her axe at the bug reared up before her. The insect fell back to its legs just before the blade passed through it. Milo shot another bolt at the beetle attacking Mazi. It again skittered off the glowing shell of the bug. Mazi kicked at the beetle that wounded her other leg, cursing the luck. She was unable to bring her sword to bear while she fended the beetle off. Brigit gave a hoarse battle cry and swooped her axe low, she sliced the legs off the first beetle before pulling the blade up through its mandibles. The axe continued its journey through the air and finished in the carapace of the beetle that wounded Mazi. A green ichor covered her axe head as she withdrew it from the beetle's back. Milo noticed that the beetles' shells still glowed after they died. He figured that it must be a way for the insects to find their way around the caverns. Milo walked to the other tunnel openings and listened to any sounds filtering through. In one tunnel he could hear flapping, like leathery wings rubbing against each other and the air. Not good. He heard the skittering of insect feet down another tunnel. Milo wasn't eager to fight more bugs. Yet another tunnel yielded a heavy, monstrous breathing. [I]"I don't think we should investigate these tunnels just yet."[/I] Mazi said. [I]"Yeah, I feel a little disoriented and we may still have some bugbears to deal with."[/I] Milo agreed. Before they left Milo cast a healing spell on Mazi. Her wounds sealed and some color flushed into her cheeks. The adventurers trooped back up the tunnel into the bugbear's room. The guards and the mountain man were still in the room, waiting. The caravan guards looked a little nervous but the mountain man was sitting in the corner, disinterested. Milo leaned over the body of the female, noticing a glint on its ear. He found a pair of gold earrings and pocketed them after showing them to Mazi. She seemed interested, but it could wait for later. Brigit was peering intently at a bare spot of rock a space above them, near the cavern roof. Milo looked up where she was staring and saw nothing. He just shrugged and turned to search the rest of the room. Brigit tapped him on the shoulder and pointed up to the wall. [I]"Ya see that, halflin?" "See what?" "That little spot on the wall, jus' a tad differnt from tha rest."[/I] Brigit said, trying to point out what she saw. Milo stared at the wall for a long moment. After a good thirty seconds he noticed what Brigit had seen. There was a square of rock, almost indistinguishable from the wall. Milo called Jeremiah over and asked for a lift up. The barbarian obliged and heaved Milo up to his shoulders. Milo inspected the rough patch closely. [I]"It's a chest! Brigit, you are amazing! You sure you didn't get any training on the streets?"[/I] Milo teased Brigit. [I]"It looks like it would take two of you to heave it out, but it's possible."[/I] Jeremiah called over the burly mountain man and they heaved on the chest. A low rumble could be heard as the chest slid from its cavity. It fell with a resounding thunk to the floor. The lid flew open and the adventurers were treated to an impressive sight. Over a thousand silver pieces were piled in the stone chest. An alabaster and ivory statue rested on the pile of silver. Two small flasks that were wrapped in silk lay next to the statue. Brigit unwrapped the potions and handed the silk to Milo. [I]"Let's see what we got here."[/I] she said as she sipped from the first flask. She perked up a little and sighed. [I]"I think it's a healin' potion. I feel pretty refreshed."[/I] She sipped from the second flask and related the same. They stowed the two healing potions for later. Brigit loaded up the coins and statue in her pack. She was feeling the weight now. They had to unload some of these goods soon. [I]"Let's check out the other door we passed up before."[/I] Milo recommended as he gestured to the door. [I]"I think we can leave the other complex for later."[/I] The party filed out of the leader's room and returned to the original passage. Considering the amount of noise they made in the other room they figured that any more bugbears would be ready for them. The tunnel branched to the other door. Milo listened carefully, his head pressed up to the rough wood. Hearing nothing, he checked the door, frame, and lock for any traps. He noticed that the lock matched the key they found in the leader's pouch. Milo retrieved the key from the pouch in Brigit's pack and tried it in the door. The lock clicked and the wooden door swung open. A medium sized room lay before them, more supplies stacked to the ceiling. There was ale, dried meat, oil, and even an old shield. The group restocked their rations and Milo refilled his oil flasks. He asked the group to lay down all the items they had found so far so he could cast his magic detection cantrip. After he completed the short chant he could see a faint glowing around the handaxe the bugbear leader threw at him. Another faint glow was around the large shield that Brigit had been using. It was a similar glow to the magic shield Mazi had picked up. Everything else was either mundane or had already been detected as magical, so Milo ignored them. He imparted his findings to the rest of the group. With only one more passage to investigate the party trooped on. Back up the sloping, curved passage the group came to a door. Milo listened in again, this time hearing grunting and shuffling. He quieted his friends and motioned from Brigit to kick in the door, figuring she could surprise the inhabitants and have the advantage. Brigit brought up her steel boot and smashed it into the door. It flew open and was greeted by the ugly faces of more bugbears. They were ready for the infidels. Mazi was a split second faster than the monsters, she let an arrow fly from her elven bow, straight into the heart of one of the males. It keeled over without a sound. Three bugbears, a male and two females, rushed at the elf. She dodged two swings of their maces when she felt a clipping blow on her shoulder. She stumbled but righted herself before another mace could land. Brigit moved past the door and introduced her axe to the closest bugbear. The beast fell before her mighty slash. Milo pulled the trigger on his crossbow, only to see the string jam in the mechanics. He cursed and went to work on the faulty crossbow. Jeremiah shook his head at the halfling and let go of his bowstring. His arrow sunk into the leg of an advancing female. He smirked at Milo. He might have been offended if he wasn't so intent on fixing his weapon. Mazi dispatched the bugbear that Jeremiah wounded, her long sword pierced the female's chest. She withdrew her sword and readied herself for the other two bugbears' imminent attacks. She twirled past one mace and parried the other with her long sword. Brigit closed in behind one of the attacking bugbears. Her muscles bulged under her armor as she heaved her axe down. The axe head swung straight through the bugbear's head, through its neck and continued down its torso. The monster fell in two perfectly even parts, one to the left, one to the right, from the critical blow. Jeremiah loosed another arrow at the last bugbear. He took care to aim away from Mazithra and his arrow flew wide of the mark. Next to the barbarian Milo was still muttering under his breath about his crossbow. He almost had another bolt loaded before a whirlwind of action brought the fight to its finish. Mazi parried a blow from the bugbear. She in turn was repelled from her opponent. The bugbear couldn't concentrate on the elf and the dwarf at the same time though. Brigit's axe flew through the air and sunk into the monster's hide. The blade bit deep before the bugbear fell in a heap. [I]"Aha!"[/I] said Milo as he jumped up with his crossbow aimed towards the former battleground. His face fell when he realized that there were no more bugbears to take out. Milo lowered his weapon, shrugged, and set about to relieving the dead of their valuables. These bugbears carried gold as well, a few pieces each. Milo also noticed something funny about the fireplace in the back of the room. Behind the old fireback he found a blackened spittoon. On a hunch he ripped off a rag from one of the corpse's threadbare clothes. After some vigorous polishing he found that the spittoon was really a silver urn. A valuable one at that. He motioned to Brigit and tied the urn to her pack. He didn't notice the look of bare avarice in the mountain man's eyes. They all searched the rest of the room and found nothing. [I]"I'm just about out of energy and spells, what say we camp before we check out any more caverns?"[/I] Milo suggested. He thought about the other cavern they found and the disorientation they felt there. He'd rather be fully rested before tackling that place. [I]"I agree with Milo, let's find another campground and rest for a little bit."[/I] Mazi said. [I]"Just...let...me...finish...what...I'm...doin..." Brigit said between strokes of her axe. The butcher was at work. The guards' queasy faces returned at the sight of Brigit's handiwork. The mountain man only had eyes for the urn, the most valuable item he had seen the party pick up besides the statue that was stowed in Brigit's pack. The adventurers left the cavern with the former prisoners trailing behind. After a half-day's walk the party found a suitable campground. The four friends discussed watch and decided that the two guards and the mountain man could sleep while they stood watch. Mazi still didn't trust them. The seven of them set about making a cold camp.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
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