EntQuest, the Battle for Hector.

[tolkienfan]

tfan went over toward the center of the camp, and began dishing up coneys and soup. She handed it out to those who had come out the cave who weren't already busy taking care of the wounded. She headed back to Hector and handed him a bowl.

[hectorberlioz]

Hector smiled and thank Tolkienfan again. He slurped his soup from the big spoon, and began planning how to proceed. This was largely useless since he had no idea wherrer they were. But he continued to comfort himself by pretending he had a handle on the situation. But the only thing he had a handle on was a spoon.

[Mari]

Mari had washed out Nautipus' wounds and as she was dressing them, Nautipus seemed to regain consciousness somewhat. She wasn't sure she should let him wake up yet. He might prove to be a difficult patient. But perhaps it would be best if he pointed her to where it hurt. With his wounds it wouldn't be odd if something internal was bleeding or something like that.
She asked GW and Acally who were helping her what they thought would be best.

[Grey_Wolf]

"I think a bit more sleep would do the trick." Sir Gw adviced."As for internal bleeding, I dont think we have to fear that. Those wounds look pretty gory but not deep enough for that to occur. Lets watch over him carefully though. Keep laying on them poultaces."

[Acalewia]

Acally shook her head.
"I'm can't agree with you, Grey," she said. "I've known people that have died from internal bleeding with not a scrach on them. I think it's best we find from him what happened down there," On her knees, she felt his forehead. "He hasn't fever. Yet. I really don't want to take chances with him, though,"

[Mari]

Mari looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.
"Yes, maybe we'll have to have him wake up and ask. I don't want to risk it."
Worried she looked down at Nautipus.

[Grey_Wolf]

Sir GW brings forth some smelling salts and holds them just under Nautipus's nose.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Sis finally spoke.

We're leaving. NOW.

Naughty's friend downstairs is the size of a barrow and madder than hell. I expect this whole region to slide into the basement in about 10 minutes. Haul everything we want at full freeping speed north right NOW!

The merry band started grabbing random questers and their gear and throwing them on horses. Chaos ensued.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Sas looked up at the sudden announcement. "Load stuff onto Fredrico and Issac's backs!"

[Grey_Wolf]

Sir GW mounted his trusty warhorse with Nautie secured on a travois behind him.

[Mari]

Confused Mari heard Sis yell, but at the sound of urgency she got all focused and started yelling orders. "Tfan, you take care of Hector, Acally help Katt while I get Sane out. Aeran help me!"
Quickly she got the brancard and started dragging the thing away with the help of Aeran.
Suddenly she remembered her things.
"Bunicula! Grab my pouches, quickly! Anicetos?"

[tolkienfan]

Tfan grabbed her horse and headed over toward Hector. "Get on!" she shouted.

[hectorberlioz]

Hector, still groggy from being stoned for so long, clumsily mounted on Tfan's horse. "Where are we going?!" he yelled in her ear.

[tolkienfan]

"Sis said to head North!" she replied, riding out of the way of the mob. At the edge of camp she paused and looked back, hoping no one would be left behind.

[hectorberlioz]

Hector held on tightly. He wasn't used to riding so fast. He looked ahead in front of them and saw the oncoming storm clouds.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"Fredrico!" shouted Sas as he mounted Isaac. "Follow us! I can't ride you 'cause you have too much stuff on your back!"

[hectorberlioz]

About now the sky was becoming darker and darker as the clouds converged. A strong wind picked up, and the rain started pouring down.

[Acalewia]

Hearing Sis's yell and Mari start barking orders concering the wounded. She whistled and her horse came quickly. She loaded Katt and climbed on behind her. She had gathered her weapons and Mari's pouches, with the help of Bunicula and Anicetos, who now sat behind Acally on the horse.


The rains came.

[Nautipus]

Thunder rocked the heavens, and the earth answered, as a groan pealed from the macabre depths. A rock slide began on one face of the mound containing the upper levels of the cave, and was soon joined by others, creating rivulets, streams, and torrents of pebbles and rocks.

The group beat it northward as quickly as they could, trying valiantly to vacate the area. A megalith fell from the crown above the cave mouth, covering the yawning maw. Another groan was flung from the Stygian darkness beneath the veneer of velvet grass. The the cave, and the ground around it, surged upwards, a dome of rock, and orcish bodies. It rose again, dubling in height, the original cave lost in the morphing pile of rubble as it twisted and writhed toward the sky, a tower as blasphemous as that of Babel.

Suddenly, it sank towards the ground and dissappeard beneath the lips of a newly opened cavern, exposing the great lake below. The tremrs that ripped through the earth shook the riders' horses' legs, causing most to falter in their stride. In a reflexive response the riders reigned up on their steeds, turning them in wild circles. But all eyes were now fixed of the rapidly rising cloud of rock dust, in the center of which was a column of water that strethed high into the cloud of dust. Water sprayed over them in a mist that soaked them all with its volume. I roar of triumph erupted from the depths, and a massive tentacle found its way out, uncurling as it went, then another, and another. They waved, in graceful dance of potent, until a Cyclopean mass began to arise from the wound in the earth, shrouded with its limbs among the vapors of its birth into the upper world.

The groups ran, and as they did the still forms of Nautipus and Sane, now as fully consious as they ever would be, were forced to gaze backwards at the ascending form of the devil from the lake.

[hectorberlioz]

Hector and Tfan looked round from their position on the horse (which was frightened by the thunder and lightning) to see the massive creature's tentacles lurching towards Nauti and Sane. "We must go help!" exclaimed Hector, always a master of the obvious.