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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 3837115" data-attributes="member: 11760">Kat folds his translated copy and shoves it into the small sack hanging from his belt. He looks sadly at a bit of desiccated herb that falls out before turning and scooping up the paper scraps and keeping them as well.The party, still in high spirits from their cathartic slaughter and recent discovery, cross the pit (stopping to open it and giggle some more as they remember some of the more amusing shots).It isn't long before they come to the fork. Ragglus starts to turn north to head back to the werebadger's cavern, but Kat looks south, his lips pursed."Bird, what?" Tock asks. "What are you thinking?""We haven't ..." Kat points toward the unexplored southern tunnel. "It could be more evidence, maybe? B-but ..."Renraw rolls his eyes and shoves past Katadid and Tock into the southern passage."Come with me if you want light," he says.The musty southern chamber smells like an animal pen. The walls glisten with moisture in the light of Renraw's staff and the floor looks smooth in this roughly 20-foot diameter cavern. A pair of stalagmites almost reach the ceiling.There are no other obvious entrances or exits. Shining Renraw's light around, though, the group does see a mass of matted straw and plants in the far left corner of the room, almost hidden by a stalagmite and the curvature of the natural cave wall.Renraw slowly creeps his way over to the plants behind the stalagmite, careful to watch and listen for any movement. He suddenly stops, stands straight up, and walks back to the group. He tugs at Kat's waist, flustering the younger wizard, and grabs for his sling pellets. He thrusts his hand into the bag and pulls one out."Gentlemen, ready your bows. Leach, your sleep spell," he says. "If it looks like it may go wrong, head back for the pit and we'll try the last trick again."Renraw then hurls a pellet toward the nest. It misses, and he tosses another, ignoring Katadid's whimper.A four-foot long badger comes tearing out of the nest, snarling and racing towards the group.It takes all of Kat's marginal will to keep from running. Instead, he takes another handful of sand, and prays that this giant beast is more susceptible than the last. The sand dissolves before reaching the oversized badger, who flops to a halt and begins snoring wheezily.Kat breathes a sigh of relief, tiptoes around the creature and begins searching the lair. He discovers a wealth of dire badger feces, dried dire badger urine and a nest that looks like a mix of straw, grass and filthy scraps of burlap."Rags, put it out of its misery," Tock says, quietly joining the search."But, wait, it didn't attack until ..." Katadid begins, clearly unhappy with Tock's command."And then it DID attack, and it will again when it wakes," Tock says, raising his voice a little. "And I'm not willing to believe a dire badger and a werebadger have nothing to do with each other. I'd rather we kill it now and send it to dire badger paradise than see it tear up Rags as Renraw runs away.""Runs away? RUNS AWAY?" Renraw screeches in outrage. "Did you happen to see me in action against the were-creature? I marched right into the face of death with no more than my trusty staff in hand! Ragglus and the rest of you would be dead if it weren't for me. Don't forget how I saved your bacon with the spider earlier, as well! And the hideous dwarf things that were also zombies? Whose brilliant plan was it to use the pit against them? The selective memory on display here is appalling. Next time perhaps I WILL run away, and then we'll see where you all wind up. Dead and justifiably in Hell, most likely."Rodger Cmelak doesn't run away from danger. Rodger Cmelak's bravery and know-how in the face of overwhelming odds puts the rest of you to shame. If I ever, EVER, hear another word like that, our partnership is through! Through, you hear me? Running away! Are you insane? Did you take leave of your senses? TOCK CHANDLER, HELLO? Are you still inside there somewhere? Lothian wept!"I can't imagine where you would get such a notion, running away. Do you want to fight right here and now, in front of this sleeping badger? Because I'll fight you. I'm not afraid, and I think we should. It's the only way to settle this, man to man. Run away! We'll see who runs away!"Renraw pumps his fists."Don't scoff at me, Chandler! Are you afraid? Why aren't you fighting? It's because you're a scared little girl inside of your trousers. You have lady parts, don't you? Let's have it out! I'm tired of this disrespect! Man to man! Put up your dukes, bard!"Have at thee! Let's see what you're made of! Cowardly stuff, I bet! You don't seem to be answering. Perhaps it's because you know that anything you might come up with would be wrong, just like you always are! Wrong, and stupid! Hey, great idea 'rescuing' us when we didn't do anything wrong! Wonderful, putting us on the run and making us look even guiltier!"Tock walks to the badger, shoots an arrow in its skull, and then walks back to Renraw."Cool it, Rod. I didn't mean anything by it. You think I'd make you my combat advisor if I thought you were chicken?""Combat advisor? You think that a ridiculous title could placate me, your combat advisor? I'm a COMBAT ADVISOR, for god's sake, I don't ... Say, what were we talking about again? Good show with that sleeping badger, Chandler.""The worst part?" Kat mumbles, still sad over the death of the badger, "There's nothing here...""What a crying shame!" the badger corpse says to Katadid, the arrow protruding from its head. "Now, if you don't mind, you're in my bed."Renraw releases the badger's jaws he had been working with both hands and dances away, chortling."Let's go, Gentlemen Delvers. We have a map to explore."</blockquote>

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