#kheevee

[a-punk-and-her-horror]

((Bit late for actual Christmas, but it’s still the holiday season (just about) so heres a bunch of my muses relaxing for the holidays together!  Here’s to a year of surprising ups and big downs, and to the year to come that will hopefully be a bit better to us all!))

[a-punk-and-her-horror]

(( So I've only just got around to listening to the Unexpectables d&d podcast on youtube, and had to do a drawing of Task the Kobold Ranger with my Kobold Sorceress from Pathfinder, Kheevee.  Something tells me she'd annoy him just as much as Borky does

[a-punk-and-her-horror]

((Pathfinder: The Crimson Saber’s journey part 14 - The town of the recently dead))

“DOG, GET IN HERE!

Riki-teefs voice rang through the darkened tavern as Kiruto quickly moved to join her “why, what's the big issue...ohh...”

Riki-teef quickly rummaged through her own bag to find a scroll of healing, not being aware of the poison yet “Riki cannot afford to let lizard die, lizard is only one Riki can tolerate!”

“Are you sure it isn't because of the whole clause thing where if any of us die, you'll be put to death?”

“Sure, sure, that too.  Go wake up Zizi!”

Kiruto nodded as he moved to Zizi's room, slowly pushing the unlocked door open to find him still asleep, and his bag open.  Deciding against checking the bags contents while the owner was still asleep, Kiruto tried his best to wake up Zizi, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Riki-teef quickly finished using the scroll, as Kheevee's eyes slowly opened, and she crawled out of the blood-soaked blanket.

“...Is it morning yet?  Why do I feel wet, was there a leak in the roof?” the kobold muttered as she patted her body slightly, bringing the blood to her nose as her eyes widened.

“Wait, this isn't....” She said in surprise, her gaze quickly turning to Riki-teef.

“It's your blood, and before you ask, Riki did not do this!”

“...Well I know that. If you did it, I doubt you'd have left me alive.”

“Exactly!”

“Then who did...” Kheevee questioned as pain shot through her body, her hand moving quickly to where she was stabbed.

“Some winged draconian!  It came for Riki too, and Dog!”

“And Zizi, and our new friend?”

“Riki does not know, Riki has not checked yet, Dog went to check on Zizi!  More to the point, why does Lizard seem weak still?”

“...Well I did lose a lot of blood...” Kheevee muttered as she looked down at herself.

“No, no, the spell took care of that, there must be something more...” Riki pondered as she went to examine the sheets, looking for any trace, before looking back to where Kheevee was stabbed.

“Very interesting....”

“What did you find?”

“...Riki suspects Lizard was poisoned!  Rest may help for now, but Riki will also try to find something to help...”

As this was going on, however, Zizi was finally stirred from his sleep by Kiruto.

“...What is it?  How did you...”

“Your door was unlocked, and judging by the dent in your armour, it would seem you had the same visitor we all had...”

“Dent?  What are you...” Zizi quickly felt at his chest-plate, before his eyes moved quickly to his open bag.

“I trust you didn't...”

“You know I wouldn't do that.”

“If not you, then...” Zizi huffed slightly as he got to his hooves “RIKI-TEEEEFFF!”

Riki-teef's ears perked up as she hid under Kheevee's bed, shouting loudly “RIKI DID NOTHING!”

The two tiger's ears perked up at the loud shouting, as they nudged at Annette to wake the half-elf up.  She slowly got to her feet before moving to Kheevee's room along with Zizi and Kiruto.

“What the hell happened to you?” Zizi said out loud as he looked to the weakened kobold.

“Apparently I became a red-scale...” Kheevee quipped back, trying her best to make light of her situation “I hope a bath is on the cards soon, I don't want scale-rot...”

“She was stabbed...” Kiruto quickly replied as the two tigers moved to circle Kheevee. “Um, miss?  Can you tell your tigers not to lick me please? Apparently I was poisoned, so my blood might make them sick...”

Annette sighed as she called the tigers back to her, while Zizi looked around the room “So where did Riki-teef go?”  Kheevee quickly looked around, noticing her rat friend had vanished.  Kiruto however spied her tail swishing under Kheevee's bed, yet decided to remain silent.

“I don't think Riki would have stolen anything...” Kheevee quickly replied “Well, okay, maybe she would, but not from you.  I doubt she wants the sack again.”

“Then who would...” Zizi muttered as he placed his bag on top of Kheevee's bed, away from her blood, as he checked it's contents.

“Maybe the assassin? Riki-teef said it was a small winged draconian...”

Zizi paused slightly “I bet it was that thing that tried to stab me earlier after the fight...”

“Well if it is, it shouldn't have gone far, since I did wound it...” Kiruto quickly replied as Zizi stood up straight and marched out of Kheevee's room “...you're going to want to hunt it, aren't you?”

“We all are.  The bastard's stolen the statue.”

Kheevee quickly looked to the bag, then to Zizi “If I wasn't feeling so groggy, I'd point out this makes two keys...”

“And if you wasn't so injured already, you'd be in a sack for that.”

“Duly noted...”

“Right.  You three, stay here.  Kiruto, you're with me.  You got your guns with you?”

“Of course.”

Zizi nodded as the two moved to head downstairs “Also, why are all the lights snuffed out?”

“Well he was an assassin, maybe he didn't want to be detected so easily....”

Kiruto's words were cut off as the two observed the scene before them.  Several patrons of the bar, and even the bartender, all lay sprawled out in the room, their necks cut wide open.  Zizi quickly checked the kitchen, before looking back to Kiruto “same thing here too.  This guy works fast...”

“Or there's more than one...”

“That's the last thing we need...” Zizi sighed as he moved outside, the rain still heavily pouring down as the mud splattered underfoot “And his tracks are going to be gone too, great...  We're going to need the others...”

Zizi reached for the war horn at his waist, giving the horn a heavy blow as the others shortly joined them outside, Kheevee still limping slightly from her injury “Are you sure you need us all?”

“Well would you rather remain inside alone?”

“...No...”

“Then you and Riki-teef take the southern gate and keep an eye open.  Annette, you and your tigers take the northern gate.  Me and Kiruto will patrol the wall, see if we can spot anything.  Keep your wits about you all though, something tells me it isn't just the tavern that got hit...”

The group split up to their designated spots, with Kheevee and Riki-teef finding the southern gate still open, with the guards dead at the gate.  With Kheevee still weakened, Riki-teef ordered her to get somewhere safe as she drank a potion of spider climbing, before scaling a nearby building.  Kheevee meanwhile cast invisibility on herself, only to realize the rain was still giving her position away, causing her to move back to the tavern's slight overhang over the main door.

Annette meanwhile arrived at the northern gate, finding the way locked, as she waited for Zizi and Kiruto, who caught up several minutes later.

“Anything?”

“Gates are locked. Unless it flew, it's still here.”

“And the town?”

“Dead bodies all over...”

Zizi nodded slightly before looking to Kiruto “Meet back up with Riki-teef and Kheevee, they're going to need some help.  Annette, patrol the area, see if your tigers can catch a scent.”

As the two left, Zizi shuddered slightly before a noise caught his attention, causing him to lean back just in time as a pole arm sank into the wood next to him.  In the distance, on a rooftop, he saw the figure.  Smirking to himself, he slammed his fists on his chest, as if challenging the assassin, as he dodged a couple of arrows fired in his direction. Disgruntled, the figure fled across the rooftops as Zizi decided he'd need to catch up with the others.

As Kiruto made it back to the gate, he found it abandoned, until a weak voice called to him through the rain.

“Here, in the doorway!  My spell wore off!”

Kiruto turned back to the tavern to find Kheevee waving towards him “Where's Riki-teef?”

“She went up...”

“Up?”

“I would have looked up to see where exactly, but my everything hurts...”

Kiruto nodded before turning around “I guess she's on the rooftops then, unless she somehow gained wings...”

As the two waited for the others, Riki-teef continued to scamper across the rooftops, trying to find the culprit herself, before quickly dodging to the side as the figure dashed past her, it's knife missing her as it continued on “Come back and fight, coward!”

The figure turned to sneer at Riki-teef before leaping down from the rooftop into a nearby alleyway, only to find himself surrounded by two tigers.  “Looks like I found our assassin then...” Annette chuckled, yet before her tigers could attack, the figure fled past them and out the alleyway as Riki-teef leapt down from the rooftops.

“What's the matter? Too scared to stand and fight a rat?!?”

The figure turned quickly to fire an arrow at Riki-teef, missing narrowly as Kiruto and Kheevee caught up.  Realizing it would be best to wait for Zizi, Riki-teef continued to insult and taunt the figure to buy some time.

“Riki feels sorry for your mother, must be hard knowing you gave birth to a rotten egg!”

Another arrow flew towards Riki-teef, this time embedding itself into her shoulder. Without even missing a beat, Riki-teef pulled it out before any effects could take place.

“Riki-teef, insult him in Draconian, it'll sting more!”

“Lizard has had a good idea for once!” Riki-teef said with a large grin before looking back to the figure, shouting in Draconian “Riki has caught worse diseases from dwarves than your poison!”

The figure quickly turned tail, running past Zizi as he finally caught up, giving him little time to react to try and grab him.

“Zizi, you missed!” Riki-teef shouted before her attention went back to the arrow “Poisoned, but a different poison...”

“Um...  If it's fine with everyone, can I make a suggestion?”  Kheevee raised her hand weakly as the others looked to her “Can we go back to the tavern, all stay in the main room, close the doors and windows so it can't get in, and all get some rest?  I think we could all do with it...”

The group looked to Kheevee before agreeing it to be the best topic, at least until the rain stopped.  As they made it back, they set about securing the building, with Zizi moving the bodies into the kitchen before sealing the entrance as Annette lit the fire.  With everything closed off, the group settled down for the night.

As morning broke, Kheevee slowly pulled herself out of the nest made from blankets, moving to meditate next to the fire as the others checked the situation.  Noticing the rain was still heavy, they decided to wait one more day, with Riki-teef preparing potions and vials while Zizi and Annette explored around the town for any supplies or ideas, eventually coming across a stable with both a couple of alive horses, and a wagon big enough for the whole party.

Annette took care of the horses, keeping them calm and friendly to the two, while Zizi fixed up the wagon to the best of his abilities.  Meanwhile, Kheevee found herself a bath pan and soap, and cleaned the blood off her scales.  Riki-teef meanwhile was testing the poisons she had obtained, looking for a potential cure to help the kobold out.  After a few attempts, Riki-teef approached Kheevee.

“Lizard feeling better?”

“A bit, but still kind of achy...”

“Drink this then!”

Kheevee looked to the potion with curiosity, before quickly drinking it down “Well, okay, I trust you won't be up to something...”

“If Riki was up to something, Riki would have done it when lizard was at her weakest!”

Kheevee nodded as she began to tidy up the room, some colour returning to her scales as Riki-teef took notice “Riki should make more in case...”

As another night passed, and day broke, the group found the rain still falling hard. Zizi sighed and looked to the rest.

“Right, we can't keep camped up here, we have to move.  Let's get to the wagon and get out this town, try and track down that assassin.”

“What makes you think he isn't here still?”

“We've been here for two days with no further attacks, he's moved on...”

Kheevee nodded before adding “Plus if any other guards come and see a town all dead, and find us alive, they might think we did it...”

“Riki cannot go back to jail!  To the wagon!”

The group proceeded to move quickly to the wagon, fastening it to the two horses, before making their way to the northern gates.

“Still locked. Should have seen that coming...”

“Well, what do you propose?”

“Maybe there's a mechanism?” Kheevee questioned as she looked around “Not seeing one though...”

“You don't need one, you got me...” Zizi said proudly as he exited the wagon, as he moved over to the gate and grabbed at the large metal bar keeping the doors locked.  Slowly, he began to lift the bar up over the supports before moving it to one side.

“There, and...open!” Zizi shouted as he gave the doors a hefty shove.

No movement.

“...Let me try that again.”

Still no movement.

“Um, given the rings on the door, I think it's a pull door...”

“Oh, I knew that...” Zizi quickly grabbed one of the rings before trying to pull the door open, to no avail.

“...How did humans ever get this open if I can't?”

“They probably had a team to do so.”

“Right...  Axe time” Zizi grinned as he swung his axe down on the door, causing some damage, but not enough.

“This is going to take forever...” Riki-teef whined before getting out of the wagon and moving to the gates “Let Riki do this!”

Zizi raised a brow as he watched the Rat-folk approach, pulling a small item out from her bag “And what are you going to do that I couldn't....wait, is that a bomb?”

“No, stupid!”

“Oh...then my question still sta...”

“It's many bombs!” Riki-teef proclaimed loudly as she began to set up several bombs at the door.  Zizi wisely made his way back to the wagon before moving it to a safer distance while Riki-teef moved to a secure area before tossing one lit bomb at the rest, creating a chain reaction that not just opened the gateway, but obliterated the two doors completely.

As the group continued past the town, Riki-teef could not help but continuously remind the others of her feat, an act that carried on into the next day, until the group came across a stone bridge.

“Wait.  I smell something...” Zizi muttered as he squinted at the bridge, as a troll began to emerge from the darkness.  Kheevee gulped as Riki-teef quickly went into stealth mode, as the kobold gave the rest of the party mage armour.

As Zizi and Kiruto moved to engage the troll, it pulled back its massive claws, and brought them down onto the horses, killing both with a single swipe to each, with one of the horse's heads hitting Kiruto in the chest. Annette quickly used her wild shape magic to take the form of an owlbear before joining the combat with her tigers, as Kheevee brought down a scorching ray atop it's head.

Riki-teef, in the confusion, quickly drank a potion of monstrous visage, deciding the form should be a troll as well, as she moved into combat, with the troll quickly falling to the group effort.  As the group relaxed, Riki-teef spied the troll corpse and let out a loud roar to Zizi.

“The troll fat's Riki's!  Move!”

“Did you just give me an order?”

“Riki is bigger and stronger now!  Move!”

As the two began to wrestle, with Kiruto trying to break up the fight as Zizi quickly got the upper hand, Kheevee and Annette, now back in her normal form, went back to the wagon to see what they could find within.

Kheevee was the first to find several die, and out of boredom began to try and spin them like small tops.  Amused, Annette joined in with Kheevee's game, allowing the two to bond for the first time.  However, something still bugged Annette.  A deep feeling of hatred still filled the half-elf as she looked at the kobold, but not she began to question just exactly why....