So... how do I handle this situation?
Letting them go would be catastrophic. If they woke up before we were done here... this could get ugly real fast.
If we kill them, though...
They're clearly sentient, and I can infer from Felandria's comments about a monster's "natural weapons" that they aren't capable of killing a human being. Could I in good conscience murder them?
But they also took over this town. Allowing them to continue could lead to disastrous consequences.
Hm.
I pulled out rope from my bag. "We'll tie them all up."
Agnes looked at me. "You can't be serious."
Akil stared at the rope in my hands. "It looks pretty strong, at least for rope. However if they break free, we'd be in trouble." He looked down at them, "and to be honest, if they're allowed to continue living here... this incursion could spread rapidly, just look at the destruction they brought to this town."
"We could at least try. I don't want to hurt something that doesn't want to hurt us."
Agnes sighed, and Akil looked back at me. "Alright. I did say you were the boss." He grinned, and began tying the Gnolls' hands together.
Agnes bent down to help, and I began working on the ones they hadn't gotten to yet.
Felandria watched us, her breathing still a little heavy from the battle.
Eventually we finished tightening the Gnolls' restraints. We stood up and Akil stretched his back.
"Well... I suppose we should head out, hm?"
My senses were suddenly assailed by that sensation... the darkness was approaching.
"Um..." Akil pointed behind us, and I turned to see what had set off whatever that feeling was.
The woman we saved let out a scream, and began running away. Akil turned to stop her, but she dashed behind some rubble.
"Shit." Akil muttered, and we turned towards our opponents.
Twelve more Gnolls stood behind us, savage grins on their faces, and I saw in their hands what appeared to be chains made of bone.
These chains connected to collars worn by six Ghouls, whose mouths were dripping with saliva at the sight of us.
But at the front of them all was a large monster.
She looked like a Gnoll somewhat, the same spotted pattern in her hair and on the fur on her paws, but the color of the fur was white. The spots were pale purple, and her fuzzy ears were slightly pointed.
Her skin was a pale blue, and her eyes glowed a bright red color, the whites of her eyes were pitch black.
A large tail lashed behind her, with a large barbed stinger at the tip of it, dripping with a dark purple liquid. She grinned, her long black fangs gleaming in the light.
Clutched in her claws was a large flail with two heads. Each of the heads were designed after human skulls with different expressions. One was grinning as if caught in laughter, the other appeared to be screaming.
Despite their appearance, the skulls were not real. A faint pinkish hue was in the material, and they looked to be made of stone or wood.
Felandria hid behind me, and I drew my greatsword. Akil drew his daggers.
"Man!" She barked, and the Gnolls began cackling.
"Man! Man! Man!" They began chanting, stomping their feet and swinging their spears. The Ghouls grinned, and looked at the Gnolls holding their leashes with expectation, waiting for them to get the go-ahead.
Agnes didn't let them begin their attack. Agnes clutched her symbol and let fire a blast of energy at one of the Gnolls. It slammed into her, leaving a blackened mark on her stomach.
The Gnolls let out an ear-splitting howl, and charged us.
The Ghouls' chains were let go, and they too began to race towards us, their tongues hanging out of the sides of their mouths as wild hunger gleamed in their eyes.
"They're coming!" Akil brandished his daggers, flipping his hood up, his form shimmering and blinking out of existence.
Felandria charged at the Gnolls, slashing at one of their faces with her talons, drawing that strange purple fluid again.
I swung my greatsword, cleaving through a charging Ghoul. I ducked under another's claw as it swiped over my head, and kicked her in the stomach, sending her staggering back.
The Ghoul I cleaved into fell to the ground, purple fluid splashing the ground underneath them, and painting me. The fluid quickly vanished, like invisible ink, so I wasn't too worried about staining anything.
I turned and stood over the Ghoul I knocked back, and I slammed the greatsword into her chest.
She coughed out bright purple liquid, and closed her eyes.
Their bodies twitched a bit, signaling that they were still alive. Or at least I thought so. Undead are kinda hard to read, considering their eyes don't need to blink, and they don't breathe.
The last four charged me, dog piling onto me. I fell to my knee as the weight of the four of them pushed me to the ground.
I felt something soft squish against my back, and I felt their drool dripping down my neck. My skin tingled, and then their claws began tearing into me.
A loud thundering noise blasted me off my feet, and the four Ghouls went flying to the ground. Agnes clutched her symbol the light beginning to fade from it.
"Thanks!" I shouted at her, and she nodded, before turning back around and blasting an approaching Gnoll with a blue bolt.
The Ghouls slowly stood up, and I rushed in, slashing at them.
One of them caught my blade, and I pressed it into their palms. The Ghoul backed off a bit, and I brought my sword back, before slamming it into her chest.
She crumpled to the ground, and I whipped around to slash at the other three.
I yelped in surprise as I felt one sink its teeth into my shoulder, and a weird but intense pleasure shot through my body like electricity.
I jammed my elbow into her stomach, and I felt her let go of me. I whipped around and slashed through her midsection, purple fluid pouring out from the wound.
She fell down, once the weapon stopped cutting through her, the wound vanished.
I turned around to see the other Ghoul lunging at me, but then she grabbed her neck, and the air around her shimmered a bit.
I couldn't see him well, but I'm pretty sure Akil gave me a little wave as the Ghoul slashed at open air.
He jumped off as soon as I slammed my sword through the Ghoul's stomach, and his shimmering form turned invisible again.
With the Ghouls neutralized, I turned back to the Gnolls.
Felandria was flying over head, slashing at a group of Gnolls who were trying to swat her down, but she kept flying out of reach.
Agnes ran towards me, kicking at a Gnoll who lunged at her as she ran.
"Are you okay?" She put a hand to my chest, her holy symbol glowing as she murmured an incantation under her breath.
"Yeah, are you okay?" I was immediately aware of Felandria's presence right behind me.
Agnes looked over my shoulder at her, "what are you doing? There's still two of them behind you!"
I followed suit, and indeed, two Gnolls were dashing towards us, swinging their spears wildly.
"Get down!" I shoved Felandria backwards, and I leapt at the Gnolls.
They were cackling madly, and I swung at them, cleaving through both of them with one swing.
Their laughs grew even more hysterical as hunger filled their eyes, and the slammed their spears into me.
I felt the impacts, and I brought the sword back for another swing, but the Gnolls pushed me down.
They kept laughing as they began slamming their spears into me, and then I felt warm fluid on my back as one screamed.
Akil slammed his daggers into one's stomach, bringing it up through her midsection as blood began gushing out of the Gnoll, he then kicked off the corpse as it fell backwards, right beside me, and he threw his daggers into the head of the other Gnoll.
He grabbed the hilts of the dagger, and ripped them out, and spun around, tripping the Gnoll and knocking her down.
The Gnoll snarled, writhing around on the ground for a bit, but eventually stopped moving.
"You alright?" He asked me, holding his hand out.
Before a skull-like weapon bashed into his side.
Akil grunted, his shimmering form now completely visible as he went flying backwards, slamming into a wall.
The bigger, white haired Gnoll looked down at me, snarling.
She grabbed my neck, picking me up off the ground, her tail lashing about behind her.
Her stinger raised up in the air, and lashed out towards me.
I felt it pierced through my shoulder, the one the Ghoul had bitten into, and I felt the pulse of fire-hot fluid pump into my body.
The venom surged through my body, and I felt a burning feeling in my stomach, and a savage feeling rose in my chest as froth began to form in the sides of my mouth.
I felt my tiny friend rise up, painfully so, and I grit my teeth.
The weird Gnoll was watching me with a wide grin... I need to wipe that stupid smirk off her face.
I kicked her stomach, knocking her to the ground, she fell onto her back, prone on the ground. Her legs were spread wide open as she looked up at me with a savage grin on her face.
She must be doing it on purpose. I need to teach her a lesson...
I felt someone grab my shoulders, and a cool feeling passed over me.
"Anon! What're you doing?!" Agnes's voice reached me, and I looked down. Her holy symbol was pressed into my side, glowing brightly, and I felt the pulsing hotness in my veins subside.
The tailed Gnoll looked up at me with disappointment, and at Agnes with rage. With a growl, she leapt up off the ground, and swung her flail at me.
I was pushed backwards as it impacted my jaw, sending me flying backwards.
I looked up to see her tail whipping around towards Agnes, and I called out to her.
She looked up and dodged aside as the tail slammed into the ground where she stood.
More Gnolls surrounded me, around five, and they brandished their spears, grinning down at me.
Two daggers appeared in two of their necks, and they gasped, clutching at the wound as blood began pouring out.
Akil leapt into one of them, the impact of his body slamming into them knocked her to the ground as he grabbed the hilts of his daggers from the other two, kicking them in the ribs as he pulled them out.
The other two Gnolls lunged at him, and he jammed his blades into their sides, before letting go of them and pulling out two more daggers.
He swept their legs, knocking them to the ground, the knife wounds hit the ground, pushing the daggers deeper as he threw the daggers at the two Gnolls he hit in the neck.
It pierced through their foreheads, and with a cry, they went limp.
Akil panted, and I yelled out a warning as the Gnolls stood up behind him, slamming spears into his side.
I got up, and brought my sword up into the air.
Akil adjusted his position slightly, and I swung my sword over him, cleaving through the Gnolls. They fell to the ground unconscious.
The last Gnoll standing snarled, and I slammed my sword through her chest.
Akil panted a bit as he wavered. "Oof... I cannot get hit like that..." he said, and I caught him as he fell backwards.
"I'm fine, I just need a bit to catch my breath..." He chuckled.
I set him down, and turned to see the fight.
Felandria had managed to take down a few Gnolls, and Agnes had blasted the rest. The ringleader was the only one remaining, and Agnes was currently dodging and weaving through her strikes, before slamming a bolt of energy straight into her jaw. The tailed Gnoll staggered backwards, before swinging her tail back at Agnes.
It slammed into her midsection, and Agnes let out a yelp as I saw the stinger imbed itself into her.
I lunged forward, swinging my sword at her. The bi Gnoll turned to me, a wide grin on her face as Agnes slowly staggered forward.
Felandria flew towards us. "Just the big one left! I-"
I looked just as Agnes slammed into my side, and I fell to the ground.
"Oh no..." I saw froth beginning to form in her mouth, and she let out a low purr.
That venom must be some form of aphrodisiac. Not good, I don't want to be the one who takes away her divine connection.
Felandria flew into her face, batting her wings at her. and I searched my mind for some way to help her.
Wait. Paladins have an innate healing magic... Lay On Hands, was it?
I'm gonna have to touch her, aren't I? Not that I'm not excited about it, but I can't do that, can I?
It's just to heal her.
I reached out to her, and Agnes snarled at me.
"Easy! Easy..." I set my hands on her shoulders, and I focused on her.
My hands began to glow a dark blue color, and I watched as Agnes slowly seemed to calm down.
Just in time for me to get hit by a flail.
I went flying to the ground as the Gnoll leader leapt at me, wildly swinging her flail. The heads slammed into my sides, white fluid bursting from the impacts as her tail whipped around in the air.
The leader snarled at me, her eyes wild with savagery I've never seen in a person before, as she began frothing at the mouth.
I rolled out of the way of her stinger as it slammed into the ground beside me. She growled, and yanked it out of the ground, before thrusting it at me again.
I grabbed her tail at its sides, and the stinger stopped a few inches from my face, a dark blackish-purple liquid forming a droplet at the tip of it.
She let out a howl of frustration, and I pushed her tail away, slamming it into the ground. I sat on the tail, trying to keep it down as I watched Felandria slam into her side, hacking at her exposed stomach.
The Gnoll leader hissed at her, and tried to lift her tail. I was flung to the side as her tail reared up in the air, and she clutched her flail in her hands.
Felandria was hit in the temple, crashing down to the ground as she fell unconscious.
Agnes charged in, blasting the Gnoll with a bolt of energy, before the Gnoll slammed the side of her tail into her torso, sending her flying away into the ground.
I leapt towards the leader, swinging my greatsword at her.
It slammed into her side, sending a large burst of purple fluid from her midsection.
The Gnoll leader whipped back around to me, a wild grin forming on her face.
"You. You strong. Powerful." She snarled at me, before sniffing the air. "You smell good. Smell tasty." She licked her lips. "Fight me. No one else."
"One on one?" I asked her.
She just snarled, and leapt towards me, her flail swinging wildly as her tail arced in the air.
I ducked under her swings, rolling to the side to avoid her tail, and brought my greatsword up and slammed it into her stomach, and purple fluid spewed out onto the ground.
She growled, a wide grin on her face, and her tail whipped around.
I brought my sword up and deflected it, before turning and swinging at her as she brought her flail up in the air.
It carved into her side, sending more purple fluid showering onto me.
"More. More fighting!" She kicked me in the stomach, and I went flying up in the air. She threw her flail aside, and leapt up, bringing her fists up in a ball and slamming them into my back, sending me back down into the ground.
I let out a gasp as she landed on top of me, her tail swinging around violently at nothing.
"Anon!" Agnes and Felandria raced towards us, but the Gnoll leader snarled at them.
"No! Only him!" She growled, her tail raising up in the air defensively like a scorpion.
I grabbed her leg. The fur on her lower legs was thick and matted, like a rough carpet. I pushed her leg off of my chest, and staggered to my feet.
The Gnoll leader turned back to me, and grinned, her tail turning to face me.
"You still up? Good. More fun."
She brought her claws down on top of me, raking down my side. As I called out, she sank her teeth into me.
She ripped her head backwards, tearing off a large white chunk, the same color as the liquid her claws drew from my body, and I watched her swallow the large chunk, wiping her mouth.
"Tasty!" The Gnoll leader smiled wildly, "much tasty!"
I kicked her in the stomach, and she staggered backwards again.
I grabbed my sword, my legs wobbling a bit. I've lost a lot of... whatever that fluid is. I braced myself, and dashed towards her, swinging at her.
I cut her chest several times as she looked at me, her eyes wild with hunger and... something else.
Purple fluid gushed out of the wounds, and she snarled at me.
I clenched my jaw, and a dark blue aura surrounded my weapon. I slammed it into her again, and she audibly gasped.
The dark blue aura surrounded my whole body... but to my horror, it surrounded her as well.
She bared her teeth at me, her long black fangs dripping with saliva.
Her claws slammed into me again, and I felt it tear deeper than it did before. I grit my teeth, and slammed my sword into her side. Similarly to her, I felt my sword was dealing more damage as well.
The Gnoll leader snarled at me again, and brought her tail up. It slammed into me, but it miraculously got caught in my chain shirt. She looked at me in surprise, before she pulled the tail back. I took the opportunity to swing my sword at her, cleaving through her body.
She staggered backwards, and I swung again. And again, and again.
She seemed to be losing her ground, but with each hit I saw the flames of her fury get invigorated, and she leapt back at me with a renewed savagery I wasn't prepared for.
She pinned me down, sitting on my chest as her tail lazily moved through the air, as if savoring this.
Her claws reached up and slashed into me, and my eyes widened.
Something clicked within me, and I reached my hand out.
I felt the holy symbol on my chest burn with a dark blue color, and bright orange flames shot out of my hand, slamming into her chest.
The Gnoll leader leapt back, her eyes wide. I stood up, and slashed at her again and again.
She tried deflecting the blade with her claws, but she was losing stamina fast, and with one final swing, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
I exhaled. Felandria and Agnes ran up to me. Agnes began tending to my wounds.
"You took her down!" Felandria said, her eyes wide with excitement. Her wings wrapped around me and Agnes.
"I'm trying to heal him, give me some room." Agnes muttered.
"Oh! Sorry!" Felandria stepped back a bit.
Agnes glared at her for a moment, then turned back to me. "I... I'm sorry for what happened..."
"Don't be. I felt the same way when that stinger hit me."
"Really?" She looked up at me.
"Yeah. What was in that venom?"
"Yeah." She smiled.
The two of us looked at each other for a bit.
"Okay!" Felandria pushed her way between us. "You're all healed up, right?"
Akil staggered over, "hey, if you don't mind... I could use a bit myself..."
Agnes looked over. "Oh, right! I'm sorry!" She quickly hurried over to him and began healing him.
I looked around. The leader was defeated... so I guess we have free reign of the town...
So I guess it's time to free some captives.
