Back to page 9
-----Blinking and squinting all the way through the portal Sarah decides she's had enough torment. "All right guys," she says quietly, "Anyone mind if I walk in front of the torches? They're really hurting my eyes and I wouldn't want to accidentally hit one of you with the wrong spell." If no one objects, she moves up behind Sol.
-----"This is goin' t'be a long search if we stop at each door." Sol moves up to the next door to open it.
-----Once more the young warrior reaches forward grasping the handle of the door and pulls. This time, what is revealed on the other side seems to be somewhat of a larger area. Immediately, the fur on the back of the wolf raises and the animal emits a low growl.
-----As the party looks into the room, they see many sets of red beady eyes reflecting the torchlight and looking back at them from the floor level. There inside the door are nearly a score of large rats staring silently at the adventurers. A few of the rats raise up on their back legs and their noses wiggle. A few of them also begin to squeal loudly and angrily.
-----Sol flicks a glance back at the party and smiles, "Ye grow 'em big down south. Raven, ye said ye were good wi' animals..." He leaves it hanging as he turns back to the oversized rodents. He settles into a defensive stance and waits to see if the hunter has anything up his sleeve.
-----Sarah starts when she sees the eyes, calms down when she sees they aren't threatening, and gets scared again when she sees they are rats. "Rats," She mutters. "Chessie would love it down here, but I don't." Moving closer behind Sol she says, "I hate rats."
-----Almost as if it had just occurred to her, she adds. "And if anything else is hiding around here, they know we're here now, so let’s hurry and catch it before it tries to run."
-----"Looks like I’m a bit outnumbered," Raven says staring at the swarm of vermin to Sol, "’Sides, some of ‘em could be carryin’ diseases."
-----"Oh well," Raven says with a savage sneer, "just make sure you don’t get bit!"
-----The Dread Pirate, peering around everybody's legs, sneers in disgust at the sight of the seething mass of rats, "Shiver me timbers, they be bad enough on board a ship, but they seem to get even bigger on land. Hold on a second afore ye go chargin in. Maybe we can frighten 'em off." The Dread Pirate hurriedly rummages in his pack for a moment and emerges with a flask of oil, "This oughta do the trick." He then hurls it on the floor as hard as he can, well in front of the party, but between them and the rats where the flask shatters. Gimplefwick waves at Kazel to toss the torch onto the oil.
-----With a sly smile, Kazel tosses the torch past Sol’s shoulder. With a whoosh, the oil catches fire quickly, setting close to a dozen of the rats aflame.
-----Just as quickly, the rest of the rats scurry back from the flames to stop by the back wall where they continue to watch the intruders in their lair. Four of the vermin rush the door escaping the flames as Kazel threw the torch.
-----Teeth nip at Sol’s and Raven’s boots and one of the rats leaps at the ranger’s leg. The rat grabs Raven by the calf of his leg and bites through his pant leg. With a cursing oath, Raven slices down with both of his swords carving the vermin into three parts, which fly into the fire beyond.
-----Sol sweeps his long sword twice killing both rats at his feet. With a fierce growl, the wolf leaps to Raven’s side grabbing a final rat in its mouth. Bones crackle as the wolf bites and with a shake of its head, the rat falls to the floor dead.
-----"Good job, Dread," Raven yells, "but it looks like all of ‘em haven’t been scared off." He looks across at the half-dozen rats waiting on the other side of the room. Angered by the pain in his leg, Raven looks like he’s about to leap through the flames. Grabbing the torch from Rinda, he says, "Let’s finish ‘em! Who’s with me?"
-----Sol answers Raven with nothing more than a grin.
-----"Forgive me, sweet Hunter, if I feel rats are not suitable subjects for my magicks." Sarah says smiling at Raven. She reaches down to her belt and removes a handful of darts. "Remember these?" She asks Sol and Raven. "Been awhile since I've taken 'em out." She proceeds to start lobbing darts at the rats that escaped the fire. The sorceress’s missiles strike three of the rats. Although the vermin are badly hurt they continue to scramble around.
-----Seth smiles at the 'who’s with me' comment. He carefully sets a bullet in his sling and lets fly at one of the rats. In no way does he feel afraid at only six rats when there are such competent warriors between him and the rats. The bullet flies from his sling but it ricochets off the far wall.
Go to Page 11