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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 3667938" data-attributes="member: 11760">"Friends!" Emmerson calls out, blood pouring out of his eye sockets. "Is everyone all right?"Vonmora hears the sudden quiet of the fading birds and her hands go to her eyes, wincing. She places her hands over the squishy goo where her eye sockets are begins to pray. The faintest of her scratches begin to close but, more importantly, her slashed retinas knit back together. Blinking the blood from her eyes, she can see again.Beside her, Emmerson mutters a prayer to Lothian, blinks away the blood and torn bits of eyelid and can see again.Hazel wipes her arm across her face, leaving streaks of blood behind but clearing her vision. She shudders at the sight of her companions' faces and lays a hand on Tucker's arm as the others' eyesight returns."Stay calm, Tuck, we'll get your eyes fixed right up." Louder, she adds, "Bufer, is the door holding? We might need you over here.""Uh, yeah -- ow -- I don't think I'm going anywhere," Tucker says, trying to keep his voice steady. He's cheered by what he can hear and feel, though: The mangled corpses of the unholy swarm of ravens crunch under his boots like large pinecones."Coming, coming!" Bufer calls as he rushes over, still grinning widely despite the horror of the last few moments. "I tell you, I wish Tosh or Heda were here!""Why?" Hazel asks, aghast. "So they could have their eyes plucked out, too?" "What? No no no, so they could see the brilliance of the joke I'm about to spring on that boogedy-boogedy out there! Even with all your eyes mended, none of you big'uns are like to appreciate it! Oh, tsk, I'll bet that smarts, don't it? Come here, Gallaway. Bend over, would you? I ain't about to climb you like a tree."He's silent a moment, bowing his head in prayer, his hands on the deputy's ravaged face."I'll tell you, Gallaway," he says, patting Tucker on the cheek, "I'm a comedic genius unappreciated in my own time."Tucker blinks rapidly, rubs his face, and looks at the bloody goo on his hands."Thank you, Bufer. I'm glad Garl doesn't hold grudges against unbelievers.""Shhh!" Emus hisses, over by the door. "Can anyone hear Artos on the other side of the door?""Emus, we missed a ladder and a kobold hitting the ground on an enclosed space," Emmerson says dryly. "I don't think we'd hear Natchmann even if he was singing 'Onward, Onward, Brave Soldiers' at the top of his lungs.""Yes," a voice says from the far side of the door, "Open the door. I've seen the error of my ways and want to embrace the truth path of Lothian again.""Hey Artos!" Bufer yells back. "Pull the other one, why don't ya? It's got bells on!""Cut it off and slide it under the door and I'll pull it all you like," Artos replies through the door. "I know a secret about gnome souls. Put your ear to the door and I'll tell you.""Oh ho, an ambling corpse with a sense of humor, eh?" Bufer shouts back. "I'll have to remember to keep your funny bone as a souvenir after we've smashed the rest of you into dust!""I'm sorry, Bufer, but you won't get to keep it," Emmerson says, sheathing his newly acquired long sword and taking out his warhammer once more. "Once we have defeated him, I have plans for Artos Nachtmann.""Let him in so we can beat him down," Emus whispers."Sounds like a plan to me!" Bufer grins, brandishing his sword with relish. "Let's play along, let him in, and --"The gnome cleric breaks off and blinks as a sudden thought occurs to him. Twisting around, he looks up over his shoulder at the open trapdoor, and frowns."You know, it suddenly occurs to me that we don't rightly know what else might been up there in that attic ...""I'll give it a look-see," Hazel says. "Y'all don't need me to hold the door shut."At the other end of the room, Emmerson finds he can slide the ladder into the trapdoor grooves with little difficulty. The ladder itself, as well as the mouth of the trapdoor, is somewhat worse for wear from the bomb, and the ladder is a little wobbly as he puts it back in place.Hazel stows her quarterstaff on her pack and carries her lantern over to Emmerson and the ladder. She tests each rung on the ladder before setting her weight on it, pausing at the top to cautiously peer over the edge into the attic. "Just a bunch of dusty boxes so far," she calls down softly. "Gonna take a closer look."She vanishes up the ladder, Emus at watching up as she goes.Artos lowers his voice, all but whispering through the door."Bufer, I will make you a deal.""Don't," Emmerson says, grabbing Bufer's shoulder.Artos continues whispering, too quietly for any ears but a gnome's.Judging where Artos's head could be, Emmerson slams his warhammer against the door.Laughter echoes from beyond the door.</blockquote>

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