Joe whispered to Mirabella, “I have to go look. Watch my back?” The diminutive halfkin nodded, her eyes darting everywhere from behind her leather half mask. Joe opened his senses as wide as he could, and Blink stepped a few times until he was in the entrance to the building. A quick scan of the human remains outside confirmed to him that his sister was not there. He peered into the dark belly of the building. The windows had been broken in a few places and a feeble amount of light poorly illuminated the interior. Joe activated Bixby’s Darksight and entered. He was several steps into the doorway when he heard noises from deeper in the store. He froze and listened. The interior was a mess. Clothing, broken display settings, snowboard and surfboard pieces were everywhere. Here too, were more bodies. None of them are Holly, he thought with relief. The ceiling was an open ductwork style and there was a smoky haze lingering among the pipes overhead.
The sounds came from the back area where Joe knew there to be a dressing room and some display cases. He cast Pass Without Trace and moved silently through the wreckage. He made it about halfway into the belly of the building when movement caught his eye from the right. He summoned his swords and turned to face the oncoming threat but was taken completely by surprise as a tentacle the size of a human body slammed into him from the left. Joe was thrown through the air and bounced off the interior wall by the front door. Another foot and he would have been tossed completely through the doorway. What he thought had been simply a darkened corner of the store abruptly came to life as a dozen insanely large tentacles came slithering out and whipping around. They tossed aside debris and churned through the already trashed store, seeking Joe.
Tentacled Aberration (30)
HP: 8000
Status: Hungry
Vulnerable to Fire, reduced damage from bladed and crushing weapons
Fuck this! I’m out! Joe Blink Stepped through the doorway and across the street. He landed awkwardly and could see Rory peering around the corner of the Urban Outfitters where he and Mirabella had scouted the block from. Joe frantically waved Rory off as the doorway to the surf shop exploded with tentacles. They were long enough to reach halfway across the street as they sought out Joe. After a few seconds of waving around uselessly, they, as one, slammed back against the outside of the building and bulged. The stone groaned and cracked and then blew outward in an explosion of masonry and glass as a monstrous, round body hurtled out of the building.
Joe was stunned at the sheer size of the mass of ropy gray tentacles and rubbery looking monster. It landed with a loud whump in the street and its tentacles immediately went into motion. Joe began running away but looked over his shoulder and watched as the beast’s tentacles shot out in a cone in front of it, dug into the ground and wrapped around cars and pulled the bulbous body along the ground. Joe could see that the body was mostly a cavernous mouth filled with long spiky teeth. How is that even possible? It’s all mouth. Where’s it’s stomach? Joe shook his head knowing that he'd never get a satisfactory answer and that would not matter in the long run anyway. His immediate concern was for the children as this thing was barreling down the street after he had instinctively moved towards his allies. As he neared Rory, he yelled, “Get the kids out of here now! I need to hit it with the flame …erk!”
Joe did not get to complete his sentence as one leg was gripped by a tentacle that moved way faster than it had a right to, and he found himself once more propelled into the air. The tentacle body-slammed him into a tree and shattered the trunk in a shower of wood and leaves. Oh, that hurt. Joe groaned as he felt ribs shift. His armor and built-in resistance were enough to allow him to survive, but it left some damage in its wake. Joe clambered to his feet to the sounds of children screaming and dwarves cursing. A bright burst of fire lit the area as Bixby came to the fore and unleashed Dragon’s Fire on the Aberration. It screamed in an almost human cry of pain and fear. The tentacles whipped around faster as it lashed out in all directions and finally dragged its smoking body up the side of the Urban Outfitters building and disappeared over the edge of the roof. As it climbed, flaming slime rained down, hissing as it hit the concrete.
Bixby dashed over to Joe, worry in every line of his body, and began berating Joe for being reckless again. “Dude! What?! I tried to leave it alone and it still came after me!” Joe began trotting down the street to catch up to the fleeing children being escorted by the dwarves and Kelly. “How the hell was I supposed to know it was so fucking fast?” Joe stopped and looked down at Bixby, “Dude, I didn’t even provoke it!” Bixby woofed and Joe threw his hands up in frustration. Down the street, he saw Kier turn and look back. Joe could see the dwarf’s eyes go wide and he cried out, but it was too late as the Aberration landed squarely on top of Joe and Bixby with a heavy splat!
Instantly, Joe had the air smashed out of his lungs as the heavy beast wrapped its tentacles around him and began to squeeze. Ribs shifted and broke, but Joe’s True Grit ability allowed him to focus past the pain. He could hear Bixby squeal in pain as it began to crush both of them. Joe was spun head over heels before he could see that the tentacles were about to feed Bixby to the wide, bloodied maw. Joe was startled as two small daggers flashed past his face and into the open mouth of the creature. The teeth snapped shut and it paused as if confused by what it just ate. While it was stunned, Mirabella appeared on top of the creature and plunged her knives into the Aberrations two small eyes. Eyes that Joe had not even seen. The creature screamed in pain and the tentacles not holding he and Bixby, thrashed above it trying to find its tormentor, but Mirabella had disappeared. Another knife flashed past Joes head but bounced off of the monster’s rubbery hide. Joe strained to look over his shoulder and saw Mirabella several yards away looking to throw another dagger. “Bella! Back off! It’s about to get hot!” Joe turned his attention back to the monster and activated his armor’s Shadow Merge ability. He became incorporeal and slid out of the creature’s grasp.
With the things mouth open directly in front of him, Joe cried out, “Eat this you ugly fuck!” Fire poured from his hands. Almost instantly the tentacles fell away and a few loud barks from Bixby who was caught in the conflagration could be heard before a second stream of fire belched from the massive dog’s open mouth. The Aberration did not even have time to flee as its innards burst from the intense heat. The tentacles coiled around the body in an effort to protect the sensitive insides, but it was too little too late. The twin blasts of hellish flame quickly ate the monster’s Health and within a few seconds, Joe felt the tingle in the back of his head telling him that it was dead. All that was left was a burning pile of twitching tentacles and the nasty smell of what Joe could only guess was burnt octopus.
Joe dropped to his knees and took huge gulps of air as he felt his ribs shifting. His troll ring was aiding his recovery, but it hurt like a bitch. He pulled his flask out and began pouring its healing water onto Bixby and they both drank greedily from it. “You good?” He asked his companion. Bixby laid on the ground and panted that he was okay.
Iona came running up and slid to a stop next to Joe and began poking and prodding him, “Of all the blighted idiocy, you just had to pick a fight with another beastie?!” She smacked him gently on the back of his head.
Joe, who was sitting on the ground looked slightly up towards the armored dwarf, “Really? You too? It wasn’t my fault this time!” But his entreaty fell on deaf ears as she walked away shaking her head.
Rory came up with the others in tow, “You’ll find that if you just accept that your always wrong, you’ll be less likely to be walloped or concussed.” He knelt next to Bixby and offered him some jerky, “You a’right fur-bucket?” Bixby shakily sat up and snatched the jerky from Rory’s hand. “Tis good then.” He patted Bixby on his head and stood to scan the area around them.
Joe looked up at Rory, “Not gonna ask me if I’m okay?”
Rory glanced back with a wicked smile, “Nae, ah figured you’re fine since you’re still bitchin’.”
Bixby nearly choked on his jerky while Iona laughed out loud. Joe stood up and dusted off his hands. He turned to the dead monster and placed a hand on it and looted it. He took a quick look at the communal loot pool and saw what he had acquired in addition to a bunch of stuff from the Cement Golem and the Costco raiders. He decided to ignore those for the moment.
Abhorrent Whip of Grappling
This creepy feeling, rubbery leather whip seems to grip onto things in a way that is quite unnatural for a normal whip. The wielder of this whip can snag objects within 10 feet of them and pull them to themselves or toss them elsewhere. The whip has a Strength score of 100 to determine crushing damage when grappling an opponent. The wielder may also use the whip to snag a stationary object above them and swing from it. When the wielder of the whip scores a successful hit, they can choose to knock the target prone, grapple the target with the whip, toss the target elsewhere, or pull the target towards them.
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Magical Component: Vial of Foul Ichor
A small glass vial of a dark viscous fluid. It smells really nasty. A component sought after by alchemists and enchanters alike.
“Huh. Okay. Weird but makes sense.” He addressed the rest of his group, “I don’t want either of those things, but if any of you want them, have at.”
Kier completely ignored the loot and said, “We need to keep moving’. If we cannae find your kin soon, we’ll need to find shelter for the wee ones for tonight.”
Joe looked over at Kelly, still calming the children. Bixby had moved over to them as well and one little girl clung to his neck like a lifeline. Joe felt a shock of guilt but repressed it. He was daunted by being responsible for their safety and he knew things would most likely get worse before they got better. “Yeah.” He nodded to Kier. “Let’s keep moving. I want to make it to the County Building before it gets too much later. It’s like a fortress and at the very least we can keep the kids safe inside. It’s only a few blocks away across the river.” Joe checked in with everyone before heading out again. He thanked Mirabella for the assist on the monster and handed her a load of the small, poisoned goblin knives. He figured she’d get much better use out of them than he would, and he had so many, she could throw fifty in a fight and still not run out.
When he was satisfied that everyone was at full fighting health and ready to go, he and Mirabella led the group back through the downtown streets, up the side street next to the torn-up bank building and onto a larger interchange where Front Street and River Street merged. River Street headed straight for the San Lorenzo River only about six hundred feet away. When they rounded the corner and could see beyond the large parking structure that dominated the right side of the road, they had an unobstructed line of sight to the tree lined river and beyond it the barely seen rooftop of the County Building. They could also see a large plume of smoke rising beyond the tree line and the noise of a battle raging just across the river.
“Double Fuck!” Joe spat out loud.
“Harrumph.” Kier cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention. “Here’s the thing what needs to happen. We need to take a look at what’s fighting who. If tis Joe’s people what’re in trouble, we’ll needs to help if we can. But…” He scanned the faces of the party, “Nae all of us can go. The wee ones need protecting first and foremost. Iona? What can we do with’ our limited people?”
Iona’s eyes narrowed in thought, then she nodded to herself and said, “We need to know, and quick-like, what’s happening’ over t’other side of the river. I think tis best if we send Joe and Bella to scout on the double-quick. The rest of us are nae built for stealth, so we’ll stay behind and take care of the wee bairns. Bixby, can ye get your wolves to come take up watch posts around us?” Bixby nodded and she continued, “Right, so, Bixby’s wolves’ll range around us making sure we’re nae surprised by any beasties nor otherwise. Bixby, can range between us and Joe.” She looked Bixby in the eyes, “If Joe and Bella or you get into trouble, you can hightail it back to us and we’ll come running.” She paused to look for any dissention, “A’right, then, Joe and Bella, scout and right back. If your kin are in trouble, come get us so we can come help.” She looked around at the buildings and fixed her gaze on the three-story bank building on the right side of the road. She pointed and said, “We’ll set up a temporary camp in there on the top floor.” She hefted her axe and began walking towards the building. Everyone sprang up into action around her as Bixby let out a familiar howl.
As they approached the front entrance, a dozen wolves seemed to materialize from around corners and out of shadows. Within moments, the group was once more surrounded by black Void Wolves, which oddly seemed to calm the children. It took longer than Joe wanted to check the building for traps and monsters, but once the children were safely ensconced on the top floor, he, Mirabella and Bixby headed out. Joe gave Bixby a head scratch and warned him to be careful, then surprisingly, Mirabella hugged the huge dog which earned her a tail wag and a face lick. Joe thought he detected a smile in her eyes.
The trio made their way down the road that bordered the river and came to a large intersection that fronted one of several bridges that crossed the river. Here it was apparent that the river was swollen and running at near full capacity. For Joe it was a wild sight as it was usually sluggish and only knee deep in the deepest parts. California seemed to be in a near perpetual drought, so the river was historically mostly empty.
The bridge only had a few empty cars on it while the intersection had a handful that looked like they had been idling ay a stoplight when the Integration happened. All of them were empty, but some had their doors open, which gave Joe hope that the occupants had been brought back to them and survived.
From their vantage point, they could still not see much across the river. The trees were full and lush, and the curve of the bridge clipped their sightline. Joe knew that on the other side to the left was the local county jail and a couple of short blocks down the street was Ocean Street, the main artery through this section of town, fed from the incoming freeway. To the right, just past the bridge would be the land that the county building was built on and through the trees, he could just make out the corner of the building. At least it’s still there and hasn’t been replaced by a mountain or something, but the rising smoke over there is definitely not a good sign.
Halfway across the bridge, Joe received a notification.
Warning! You are now entering a Level 20+ Zone.
Joe eyed Mirabella and she nodded that she too had seen the notice. Okay, not a bad zone level to build a town. Joe shrugged and continued on.
Once they had nearly crossed the bridge, Joe could hear more sounds of combat in the distance and see that the park-like greenbelt that normally sat alongside the river and was almost always used as a campground by the large homeless population, was underwater. The river had blasted through and swept up anything that had been there. Many trees were submerged up to their upper branches. The new embankment only rose about five feet from the river surface. If this rises any further, it could flood the County Building. Shit! Maybe this isn’t such a good spot after all. Joe’s hopes were starting to diminish, and it was here that he told Bixby to stay and wait for him. Bixby stood, ears perked and nodded. He licked Joe’s hand and bumped Mirabella with his head, then he turned and trotted back across the bridge, Joe figured to talk to his wolves, but dropped the thought as he was sure Bixby had it under control.
They stayed on the street until they came to the front of the local courthouse. It was a cement and glass fronted building about a hundred and twenty feet wide with a broad path the led to a short set of wide stairs. Normally there was a small patch of grass to either side of the walkway up to the building, but the flora had encroached and covered it with more trees and ferns so the normally unobstructed view from the steps to the adjacent parking lot was blocked. They would have to move deeper into the trees to see what was causing the now loud sounds of fighting. Mirabella disappeared from sight and Joe cast his Pass without Trace spell and dropped into a crouch. They moved silently through the trees until they thinned out enough for Joe to see through the scrub that remained.
What once had been a large parking lot that spanned the width of both the Court House and the County building had been overrun by nature. There once had been a handful of redwoods along the edges of the property by the road and a smattering of oaks in the medians between parking rows, but now the ground had been torn up and many more trees were present. They were spaced far enough apart that Joe could still see quite a distance, however the number of cars still in the lot amazed him. I guess a lot of people had business at the courthouse at seven fifteen AM. Okay.
Joe and Mirabella moved quickly through the forested parking lot until they found the source of the fighting. The Courthouse connected to the County Building via an enclosed walkway. As they approached the County Building parallel to the Courthouse, through the trees they could see a rough barricade of cars had been built. The barricade was just in front of the main steps to the County Building and extended out roughly twenty feet wide and forty feet long. Behind the barricade, Joe could see maybe twenty or thirty people fending off a wave of saurians. They seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the saurians at bay. The parking lot in front of the defenders was littered with hundreds of saurian bodies. The barricade had a small gap in the front that the humans were using as a funnel and several people were standing with shields and swords while the rest were doing their best to cast spells and hurl objects. Joe saw perhaps the largest man he’d ever seen casually toss a metal desk over the barricade to land on several invaders. Jeez, he’s freaking huge! He's got to be over seven feet tall and built like a tank! Several spells were cast and after a moment, Joe could hear a guitar begin playing and someone on the second floor was standing framed, in a broken window, singing. What the fuck? The defenders seemed to pick up some energy and renewed their attacks but the saurians just kept coming.
And Joe saw why. Santa Cruz ended just across Ocean Street. What should have been a few bars, restaurants and other businesses leading back to homes and a feeder creek into the San Lorenzo River had been abruptly replaced with a swamp dotted with rocky hillocks and eerie looking cypress trees. The saurians came out of the swamp in small groups to dash themselves against the human defenses. The smoke billowing into the sky was coming from a burning tree on the edge of the parking lot which the saurians were avoiding.
Joe used his Inspect ability on one of the saurians that was barely within his range.
Monster Invasion: Saurian Skirmisher (20)
HP: 200
Status: Incited
Immune to Poison
Since Joe could not actually see Mirabella, he motioned, hoping she was still within visual range of him, and he began backing up the way they had come. When he had reached the steps of the Courthouse building, she shimmered into view. “They seem to be holding their own for now, but they look tired.” She said.
“Yeah. I think we should get the others and see what we can do to help. Any idea what the difference is between a monster horde and a monster invasion?”
“Um, no?” She hesitantly answered. “Until I met you, I never encountered either.”
Wait, was that a dig at me? Joe thought, but with her hood and mask in place, he could not read her expressions to know if she was joking or not.