THE SLIME

As you enter the warehouse district, you immediately see it. It is sitting on top of, and around a warehouse which is quickly dissolving. You can barely see the structure through its mass. A wobbling bubble of blackness that sparkles like tainted water sprinkled with glitter. People run from it in terror, and the massive thing warbles. The odd noise of its movement is clear in the air above the sound of screaming. The thing is easily bigger than the warehouse that it is currently encompassing.

Azog runs up because of the shouts of alarm and mayhem, and sees this. With the blob attacking, or at least just engulfing the warehouse, and grumbles, "Good grief, the artificers have done it again." He pauses, because he's not quite sure how to attack this sort of thing. Stabbing it seems like it would not be super effective. So he watches for a bit.

Sasha, for whatever she's worth, runs up to the warehouse district and tilts her head. "Well...at least the people are out." She says before she ponders, then throws a ball of light at the 'blackness' around the warehouse. On it's flight, the light becomes a spear of white purity, streaking for the blackness.....and she watches.

Yelrona is staring skeptically at the warehouse and the sparkling black slime, which she has heard some things about. And the fact that the slime is going after a magical-item warehouse jives with what she has heard. "Be careful going after it with magic!" she calls out. "From what I've heard, it pretty much eats magic. I think it's after the stored enchanted items!" For lack of anything more clever to do, she starts peppering it with arrows.

Sasha says, "all I have is magic. Well...Divine magic...."

Azog eyes Yelrona's announcement, then shrugs. "If magic won't hurt it, let's see what this can do?" And he draws his bastard sword, which glows with a sort of sickly halflight, and he'll move in and take a two-handed chop, then back off to see what good it's done, if anything.

"I'm not sure magic doesn't hurt it," Rona clarifies, "But as I understand things it feeds on magic just the same. And I don't know if it draws a distinction between divine and arcane," she admits to Sasha as she continues firing arrows. "Worth experimenting. Just keep your eyes open, is all."

Sasha says, "Well..I threw a Spear of Purity at it. Should've hurt it, at least."

The ooze-creature warbles and with the warehouse burned down to its foundation it begins to move away. Toward the group of you. Sasha's attack creates an odd reverberation in the thing. Like a stone thrown into a pond. Meanwhile Yelrona's arrows get stuck in it for a moment before being turned to acid. It's Azog's attack that has the most interesting effect. His weapon literally chops part of the creature off, a piece that grows slightly larger and throws itself on him.

Sasha says, "Well...that stung it. I'll have to see what else I've got........" Azog acks as the piece he chopped off throws itself on him. "Argh," he complains, wiping it off him before it dissolves his expensive armor, backpedalling and looking to see if it's pitted his magic sword. That would be bad.

"If it eats magic," Rona theorizes, "maybe dispelling magic would hurt it?"

GAME: Yelrona rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (15)+7: 22

Yelrona keeps firing arrows at the thing, and invokes Tarien's grace to declare herself the Bane of Oozes!

The acid sticks to Azog's armor and... well to Azog. Burning away. The sword looks one the worse for wear at the moment, but the ooze isn't giving up the chase, throwing itself at him again. Meanwhile the larger portion is making toward Sasha, albeit slowly. More arrows hit and are dissolved by the acid that is contained in its body.

"It's an ooze!" Rona calls out. "Mindless, blind, acidic, immune to poison."

Sasha grumbles. "well...let's see what I can do then." She says firing Searing light at the ooze....while backing up. "We've gotta be doing damage to it. But I think bladed weapons will only multiply it.

Azog is pulling out a rag as he backpedals, wiping the acidic ooze from his blade first, then from his armor, as much as he can reach, while trying to stay back from the slime blob. If there's a stout stick, he'll try fighting off the blob with that. He's also got a mundane greatsword that won't cost him thousands of gold if this thing eats it. He'll fight back against the blob chasing him as best he can.

Yelronafishes into her pack and pulls out a mundane morningstar, which she tosses in Azog's direction. "Here, try this!"

The ooze wobbles as the second attack from Sasha hits it, and the arrows are dissolved in acid with each hit. In truth it's hard to tell if your attacks are doing anything to it. There's no sound of distress, no blood. Just an unstoppable wave of black shimmering ooze. Azog's efforts continue to cut pieces of the ooze off (as there's no good stick in sight... though a barrel he passes offers something of an opportunity) what's more, the ground is beginning to rumble beneath your feet.

Azog declines the morningstar, he's got more than a few mundane weapons to choose from. The sword seems to be OK for cutting bits off, he'll try the one special weapon he almost never uses. For special occasions, it's an earthbreaker with an adamantine head, done up in interesting designs. He'll take a few swings with that and see how it likes that. He's pretty sure adamantine won't get eaten by the ooze.

In the meantime, rather than attack the ooze, Sasha calls for the protection against acid from this ooze....mostly to help Azog, since they're pretty far back.

Deak comes running into the District, having heard the reports of hysterical ordinary folks. When he catches up to to the other adventurers, he takes a moment to wrap his head around what he sees, then says, "Is anybody hurt?"

Yelrona cannot tell whether she's doing any damage to the ooze at all. Then again, she doesn't know that she _isn't_, either, and oozes aren't generally immune to weapon damage, so she continues firing arrows at it while she thinks about other potentially useful strategies.

Sasha's spell is well timed as there are now two smaller oozes to throw themselves at Azog. Meanwhile the biggest one has nearly caught up with her. Which is when suddenly the ground behind you erupts in a spray of debris. Stone flies in every direction as yet another ooze slips up into the daylight. It immediately throws itself at Deak who is closest to it having just reached the scene. It's not as big as the biggest ooze but it's bigger than the two chasing after Azog.

"This is getting ridiculous" Sasha says as she backs up from the ooze once again. "If this is from that one particular warehouse.......then we really need to shut that company down......."

Azog is going after the oozes coming at him with the adamantine earthbreaker, and wondering how that's working out, pausing between mighty swings to check his progress. At some point in this fight, he's activated his juggernaut's pauldrons, and is now twice his normal substantial height, and laying about him with mighty blows with his now-Large earthbreaker.

"I don't think it's _from_ the warehouse," Rona says, uncertainly. "I think they're coming up from the sewers, and were attracted by the magical items _in_ the warehouse. I've been hearing about these things living in the sewers for a while now... though I didn't think they were so BIG before! They're clearly feeding on _something_ down there." She continues to fire arrows.

It seems that something is working. Or working a little. Suddenly one of the slimes attacking Azog explodes. Acid rains down on him, and he's covered in black water for a moment, but the ooze itself is now a little puddle of water on the ground seeping into the cracks on the ground. Meanwhile the biggest ooze throws itself at Sasha who is finally in range.

Deak says, "Well, I don't really know what to do against these things, but Althea can help us." He prays to Her.

GAME: Deak casts Prayer. Caster Level: 6 DC: 17

Despite the ooze throwing itself at Sasha, Sasha has cast one spell she had been eager to cast for a while now. Suddenly, her eyes glow, her entire body emits a light aura, and wings spring out from her back, allowing her to fly up into the air.....and away from the ooze. Of course, she still has some of the pudding on her, but they're doing next to no damage due to her acid resistance.....

Azog seems to be getting the job done with the earthbreaker, and the rain of ooze is annoying, but it's mostly dissolving his mundane cloak and such, and he can get another one. His armor will need a fixup after this, from where his cloak's been eaten through already, but it seems to be holding up. Well, that's the point of armor.

"At least, if they're focused on us, they aren't eating more buildings... or bystanders," Rona adds. Admittedly, most bystanders have long since fled. She continues firing arrows, slightly more accurately thanks to Deak's prayer."

The biggest ooze shudders and suddenly changes shape, a long arm reaching upwards to encapture Sasha. It's completely unnatural how it can lift so much of its bulk into the air, waving in a desperate attempt to capture her. Meanwhile the smaller portion that Azog cut off is taking a beating, and returning his attacks with attempts to eat him. The one behind Deak is close enough now to envelop him entirely, and it simply collapses on top of him.

Azog has never been an easy meal, and with the way he fights back with the earthbreaker, he's going down hard this time, too. Each time a bit gets close enough to him to make contact, he either backs off, or smacks it with the earthbreaker.

Deak tries to side-step the ooze's attack, but his chances are iffy at best.

"Deak!" Rona invokes Judgement for both Acid Resistance and Healing, and charges the ooze that swallowed the Aesir, attempting to get him out of the thing's engulfment.

As Sasha flies further out of the ooze's reach it wobbles and crashes to the ground. One of the warehouses nearby is destroyed utterly by the crushing weight. Immediately it starts to dissolve. Meanwhile the ooze that is being attacked by Azog hasn't given up. In that mindless way that oozes have it keeps throwing itself at him. Meanwhile... Deak is momentarily engulfed by the ooze attacking him. Yelrona bowls into him however, carrying him through the acid and through to the other side. It's not a pleasant experience and there is acid clinging to the both of them, burning away any mundane items quickly.

Azog's armor is gleaming by this point, his cloak and pack straps gone leaving him standing in the bare mithral steel plate, with his earthbreaker splattering hunks of ooze as fast as he can. The ooze attacking him is relentless, but so is he, and he raises the earthbreaker over and over, splattering the creature til it's powerless.

Yelrona 's modesty is reasonably well preserved by her Cloak, Boots, Armor and Vestments. However, almost all of her gear falls to the ground as her backpack, quiver, and belt pouches all dissolve away. She's startled, having expected her Protection to extend to her gear, but at least she's not injured and Deak is safe... or, well, as safe as any of them are. She does her best to wipe whatever acid remains on her off her body, then puts away her bow -- useless without arrows! -- and casts Heroism on Azog, who seems to be doing the most good.

Deak wipes vigorously, too. He doesn't wear as much magic, himself.

Deak also says, "Thanks!" to Yelrona.

Suddenly, and without warning the smaller ooze that Azog is attacking explodes into a million droplets and a puddle of water. The largest seems to have something in the warehouse it landed on that it likes because it consolidates there and begins to devour it. Acid burns the building away with frightening quickness. Yelrona and Deak however are in a spot of trouble. The last ooze is not about to give them a chance to run away and throws itself at them again. Both of them, since they are so conveniently close to one another.

Unable to think of any better response at the moment, Rona invokes her Arcane Connection and tries to disperse the ooze that throws itself upon them through Prestidigitation.

Azog is in full plate, and while there may be bits oozing in the joints of his armor, dissolving some of the underpadding, the hammerblows of his earthbreaker splatters the ooze quickly enough. He'll try and work his way towards Deak and Yelrona, slogging through a step at a time. He's not here to rescue the building now, nothing he can do about it.

Deak, feeling a bit out of his element, takes a new tactic. He thrusts his bill at the ooze that threatens him and Rona.

Deak's attack does momentarily forstall the ooze, as if it is a little surprised to be hit, but unswayed it throws itself at the two of them again. Specifically Yelrona, as if she's become more tasty to it in the last few seconds somehow. The big one finishes digesting the building and wobbles toward the ocean with disinterest.

Yelrona attempts to lure the slime away from other targets, towards the ocean.

GAME: Deak casts Forbid Action. Caster Level: 6 DC: 15

Deak shouts to ooze near him, "I forbid you to move!"

Atop one of the warehouse's a small figure with green hair appears, eyeing the activity below. "Oi!", Xasany calls out, "Where'd these lot come from? Anyone hurt down there?"

"From the sewers, I think," Rona calls back. "And they're doing more damage to our gear than to us, so far."

The largest of the oozes slips away while the one remaining seems to actually get larger as Deak casts his spell on it. Then with enthusiasm it ignores his command and launches itself at him.

Xasany jumps from the roof, and her descent is arrested part way down, leaving her to float gently downwards to the street. "Has anyone tried fire?", she yells out. "Anything I should avoid using?"

"They seem to feed on magic," Rona replies. "And they're oozes, so, mindless and blind and immune to poison. Mundane fire should work, though!" she adds, looking around for something suitably flammable.

Deak also says, "Yeah, don't cast spells at it directly, but fire might work."

While you are busy discussing tactics the ooze is busily trying to eat Deak. It throws itself at him.

Rona nods approval of Xasany's idea. She no longer has her alchemist's fire flask... it's probably on the floor somewhere from when her pack dissolved, or possibly has itself been dissolved away... but tries to remember whether any of the nearby warehouses stock alchemist's fire.

GAME: Yelrona rolls 1d100: (67): 67

Azog will fight on, large, power attacking, two-handed hammerblows with the adamantine earthbreaker, he's certainly a formidable foe, bashing his way through the mess with as much raw power as he can manage.

GAME: Xasany used a Alchemist's Fire.

The green-haired Gnome moves away from the others who are fighting the slime, and pulls a small flask from a pouch on her backpack. "Look out! It's alchemist's fire!!", she yells. Waitng an obvious three count, the tosses the flash at Slime, aiming for the road just at it's bottom (where feet would be). Xasany takes a number of steps back then, not wanting to get caught in a conflagration of fire.

At first the ooze doesn't seem to notice the fire, moving toward you slowly but inevitably. Then, suddenly and with as little warning as the others it explodes. It showers everyone with acid, and then becomes little more than a puddle of black water.

Deak climbs up out of the saltwater, naked, and looking as red as of he'd gotten a sunburn EVERYWHERE, as he drags his mithral breastplate up onto the dock. He uses the breastplate as a massive, inflexible loincloth as he invokes holy magic to heal himself of his burns.

Xasany eeks at the sudden shower of acid drops, and runs around in pain for a few moments, before climbing into a rain barrel and dunking herself. She comes up a few moments later, sputtering, clamoring out and falling to the ground. "Owww. Stupid slimes. Anyone hurt?" Wobbling to her feet, she approaches Deak first, since he was being nommed on by the slime first. Seeing his magic, she cants her head slightly. "Are you going to be alright?", she wonders of the man. She glances to Azog next, looking uuuup at the Oruch. "Do you need any healing, sir?"

Azog shakes his head to Xasany, "I'm OK for now," he says. And while his cloak and overclothes are tattered and gone, he's wearing magical plate underneath, and that's been scoured clean, but not damaged significantly as he looks around to evaluate the situation.

Deak replies to Xasany, "Thanks. I'll be alright." As he strides past the other adventurers, he channels positive energy into enough pulses to heal considerable injuries, then says, "Excuse me, but I really should duck into the Guild and get some clothes."

Xasany nods to the two, and eyes Yelrona, but she too has her own capabilities, and so the Gnome eyes the puddle on the ground. "I wonder if that is going to eat through the street." She huffs then, seeing the damage done to her dress and stockings. "Great. My favourite pair of stockings are completely ruined. Stupid slimes."

Deak is inside the Adventurers Guild hall for the time being, presumably reporting the incident and getting something to wear.

-End-