Fantasy Dracula's Curse: A pathfinder adventure (closed)

[Simon_Hawk]

Feeling courageous after hearing Patrick’s fine song Tuka gracefully pulled her fine rapier from its sheath readying herself for battle, the light from Drevin’s Holy light glinting like stars in the night sky off the polished blackened steel. With her courage amplified she strode up to the northernmost door, thinking a direct route into the castle’s center was in order. After the previous ordeal with the firepit and then dealing with the Dunpele Tuka kicked the door open figuring there was little sense in sneaking about. Dust fell as the heavy wooden door swung open and crashed to a halt, Tuka peered past the opening scanning for would be dangers and listening perceptively.

Tuka glanced back at the companions incredulously. “What? No sense pretending like we aren’t here.” She exclaimed. Then turned her gaze back to the area before her.

 

[Jodyguru]

The party was surprised by Tuka suddenly kicked the door open. Gorsht ran ahead of the others up the stairs and tried to move into position. Patrick kept his spell going by plucking the strings, though not as noisily as before.

"Perhaps not, but you may be alerting other, less wise creatures. Look over there!" Gorsht pointed. In the hallway were a dozen slain corpses scattered around. In the middle of the hallway was a warrior with pale, necrotic skin. He had clumps of hair and beard missing, and his mouth was full of bloody gnashed teeth. His eyes were pure white, and he carried an axe caked with blood.

"Kill... kiiiiillll" the possessed warrior moaned and swung his axe up. He started charging towards Tuka. At the same time, three doors in the hallway opened and more possessed warriors started entering the hallway.

Gorsht let out a roar and charged in with his greatsword, swinging overhead and cleaving the warrior that was headed for Tuka. Patrick tuned the sound up more and changed rhythm. Tuka felt her vision becoming more focused, and her hands and feet moving more assuredly. Patrick had cast Competence on her. Drevin was in the back, waiting for the party to advance.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

With lightning speed, Tuka took the initiative and rushed past the first possessed warrior and waged battle against the three undead things that meandered out of the side passages. Gone was the awkward Half-elf and in her place, a honed fighter with decades of experience was working her dark blade in a flurry of slashes and thrusts at blinding speed. A person possessing any knowledge of swordplay would notice that Tuka's style was extremely efficient, gone were the flowing dance-like moves as she displayed precise slashes and thrust combinations that were deadly and wasted little energy on her part.


Tuka was quick and able to attack multiple times in an instant, she split her routine between the three possessed warriors thrusting, slashing, and moving about them to keep their attention trained on her while trying to reposition the nasty things so their backs were facing her companions. She knew it was going to hurt but keeping the others, especially Drevin safe was top priority.

 

[Jodyguru]

Patrick ducked under Gorsht's sword and kept up with Tuka. He drew his sword and stabbed one of the soldiers after Tuka did. Drevin moved in. Gorsht struck the zombie again and finished him off. The possessed warrior broke in half and fell to the ground. Drevin followed Patrick and cast a spell to rebuke the undead warriors. This caused the three of them to start glowing with holy magic and suddenly burst into particles of light and ash.

"Easy enough" Patrick sighed. "I wonder if these guys killed those zombies outside, then fell to Dracula's curse here."

Drevin nodded. "I agree with Patrick's assessment. I expected this to happen. We aren't the first party to come through here, so we will likely encounter more warriors who failed in their quest."

What would you like to do?
+Examine bodies
+Explore left corridor
+Explore right corridor
+Move further up hallway

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Tuka surveyed the hallway and felt a nagging urge to go back and clear the left and right-hand corridors for fear of having enemies attack from behind. She kneeled for a brief moment taking care not to touch the bodies of the fallen warriors and scanned for clues.

“What say we clear the side corridors so no nasty-things catch us off guard from behind.” She suggested to the group. “And good work everyone.”

She knew things were getting serious and was going to try harder not to mess around.

 

[Jodyguru]

The dead warriors seemed to hail from a northern barbarian tribe. The tattoos she found on their bodies suggested that, as well as their choice of weapons and adornment. She found no holy symbols on them. Instead she found a couple that had silver bracers on their arms. In one of their pockets she found a dark brown flask filled with an unknown liquid.

Gorsht nodded. "I'll take the right. Drev, take the kid and go left. Holler if you see any more of these things" He said and entered the room. Patrick looked at Tuka and Drevin.

"Is... did he call you or me... damn him." Patrick said and stormed into the next room. Drevin rolled his eyes and started following the bard. Before he did, he whispered something in Elven to Tuka.

"Watch Gorsht carefully." the cleric spoke in his native tongue.

The room Gorsht entered was a small kitchen that was in great disrepair. The sink had broken handles and no running water. The pantry was bare and full of cobwebs, as was the ice box. The warrior pulled some webbing out to check more thoroughly but found nothing.

"Gods, I'm so hungry" Gorsht said. "I'd eat anything right now, even the dunpele's horse." He let out a small chuckle.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

No longer wanting to disturb the remains of the fallen warriors Tuka left the corpses be, figuring they had been disgraced enough and took nothing from them. She stood nodding in understanding at Drevin’s comment and chuckling at Patrick’s expense. Wary Tuka went with Gorsht into the dilapidated kitchen wondering what could be bothering the big man, Drevin’s comment made her think of how Gorsht seemed now compared to his jovial self back at the Tavern.

Tuka reached into a small leather belt pouch and produced a hearty chunk of Jerky and handed it over to Gorsht. “Isn’t much, but it’ll help sate the hunger a bit.” She said softly.

Tuka waited a moment and decided to just be blunt, she figured it’d be best to learn what might be bothering Gorsh now rather than waiting for something to go wrong during a battle, plus she hated seeing a friend however new hurting in any way.

“Gorsht, what’s troubling you. I can sense the dark cloud hanging over you, especially since the run-in with that jerk, Lautrec.” She asked as a concerned companion.

 

[Jodyguru]

Gorsht took the jerky and bit into it, ripping it like a wolf. His eyes looked distant as he chewed. He took another bite and looked up at Tuka.

"A lot of things that weight heavy on a man's shoulders" Gorsht spoke solemnly. "I was meant to protect people. These creatures wouldn't let my family live in peace. I have a sister, but I had five more, and five brothers. All of them were slaughtered by hellspawns. I put it out of my head for my own sanity, but now... now evil surrounds us, and I can't get the images out of my head. That's why I carry such a heavy load on our travels. It reminds me of a better time, and of my burden... Tuka, I believe you have the constitution to see this quest to the end. If the rest of us don't make it, please make a pledge to strike Dracula for me and my kin."

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Tuka wanted desperately to help him overcome his pain, she very much hated seeing someone so big-hearted, kind, and strong hurt by the evils that had spread over the land. She was reminded of her own past and the painful events that had occurred though long ago making peace with those particular demons. Tuka subconsciously rubbed her tummy feeling so very empty though only momentarily.

She would most certainly end the era of Dracula if given the chance, if not for Gorsht then for the others like him that were still enduring and suffering from similar atrocities. Tuka wasn’t exactly sure how to help or even if she could, this sort of thing wasn’t her specialty but that wouldn’t stop her from helping a friend or anyone for that matter who needed it.

“You’re a good man, Gorsht.” She said softly

“But you can’t be blaming yourself for things out of your control. I know you would have protected your kin had you been able, no denying that.” She placed her hand on his shoulder hoping to center the solemn man.

“Others, like you, are carrying similar burdens but are powerless to avenge them. We’re both here to set things right, for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for those who cannot.”Tuka said, trying to embolden him.

“Evil has shrouded us, surrounded us. But you, the others, and I are the bright spots amongst the darkness. I will help end Dracula’s evil reign but I’ll be wanting you and the others with me to see it finished. So no more talk of not making it, we will make it for I have the constitution to share with you all.” Tuka just smiled warmly.

“We’ve got this...YOU’ve got this….I promise.” She released his shoulder and hoped he’d come around.

 

[Jodyguru]

Gorsht smiled at Tuka and picked himself up. There was a lot of truth to her words, and he decided this wasn’t the time to dwell, but rather time to move forward.

“You sound a lot like Drevin. He carries a very old grudge against this evil. He somehow manages to keep going. I think the faith saved him... you’re a brave lady, Tuka, and I’m proud to call you my partner. Come now, let’s join the others.”

Drevin and Patrick were standing in the hall. Patrick had a silver axe in his hand and a few phials in his coat pocket.

“Patrick found some holy water in the dining room. I believe those warriors sought the church for tools to tackle the castle. How did you fare?”

“Found nothing. Let’s move on, friends.” Gorsht said. The party moved to the end of the hallway, where they encountered another big door.

What will you do?
+enter quietly
+return to foyer
+LEEEEEROOYYY JENNNKINS

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Tuka smiled and nodded in agreement there was little point in dwelling on the past and the kitchen was providing no clues or adventure. She did a final circuit around the place then followed Gorsht into the hallway to meet up with the others. Tuka immediately noticed Patrick’s silver ax “That thing is sharp don’t cut yourself now.” She teased light heartedly.

She quietly approached the door leading to the next area and as she passed Drevin gave him an inconspicuous thumbs-up and a wink as if to say everything went well with their companion, Gorsht. Tuka carefully leaned against the door pressing her ear against it gently, she had sensitive ears compared to a human and listened for any signs of danger beyond.

 

[Jodyguru]

On the other side of the door was little to hear, except for a very subtle thud on the ground which sounded like something collapsing.

Gorsht was growing agitated and moved Tuka aside. "Let me take the lead this time. Whatever awaits, I shall take the first blow. Ready your arms, friends." He opened the door and proceeded inside.

They were in a large ballroom. The corners of the room had large marble pillars decorated with dead flowers. The room was almost completely empty in terms of traditional decorations. There were smears of blood on the walls, including hand prints. In the center of the room was a black cloaked figure with his hand inside the neck of a similarly dressed warrior that the party had just defeated. It was the Dark Lord himself, having just drained a warrior of his blood. Dracula let out a sigh of relief and raised his head. The room was deafeningly quiet.

Tuka could feel the Dark Lord's eyes on her. He slowly approached the party, who seemed to be frozen with fear. If Tuka looked at her party, it was obvious that some kind of freeze spell was placed on them, as even their eyes were devoid of movement.

"Charlotte, my dear... You've returned. I... I feel so cold without you." A voice spoke. Was it Dracula's voice? He approached with a hand out towards Tuka. His hand caressed her chin and cheek. It was like touching ice. Almost immediately after, the hand turned into mist, and the massive form of Dracula in front of Tuka suddenly dissipated.

Everything snapped back to reality in an instant. Inside the ballroom were a group of red-skinned devils wielding scimitars in both hands. Gorsht let out a battle cry and charged into the room. Drevin and Patrick followed in suit with weapons drawn. Patrick started singing a song in a foreign language, and the devils had their legs entangled in vines. They all started swinging attacks at the creatures.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

“Who the HECK is Charlotte?” Tuka blurted out by surprise as she snapped back into reality. The Half-elf was momentarily stunned and unnerved by the situation, the touch of the spectre still cool upon her cheek. Tuka would have stood there longer but the din of battle rang throughout the bloody ballroom forcing her attention, all the while her companions battled fiercely against the scimitar wielding fiends.


Finally, Tuka sprang into motion her instincts for battle taking over as she rushed towards one of the dual wielding devils. She worked her fine blade in a precise flurry of parries, thrusts and slashes keeping the devil's dual blades at bay and even managing to score a few hits.


But, the disturbing encounter had the warrior woman distracted, the name Charlotte repeating in her mind as the icy touch of Dracula's Spectre lingered upon her cheek. The devil she was fighting came in quick getting past the helf-elf’s defenses as her concentration broke. The fiend slashed her multiple times in the torso, chest and thighs. “Diiiie, Diiiie, Diiiie! I will feast upon your soul!” The beast howled as Tuka fell backwards to the floor.


The half-elf skidded backwards with the momentum and scrambled to gain distance from the oncoming Devil, but the thing was fast and upon her in a flash. Tuka cocked her legs back simultaneously and kicked the creature as hard as she could muster sending it stumbling back. Struggling against the pain and slipping in her own lifeblood, Tuka stood and charged the devil, skewering it multiple times with blinding speed.

 

[Jodyguru]

The devil hissed at Tuka and swung his swords, tearing into her flesh. He cackled at the sight of her blood and moved forward. Tuka wanted badly to kick him, but the intense pain had stunned for a moment too long. The images from Dracula’s spell had effected her during this fight for sure. The devil raised his blades to strike down on her. The end was near.

Suddenly, a sword clashed with the scimitars. Tuka would look up and see the gaunt face of Patrick holding off the fiend. He let out a heavy grunt and threw the devil off balance with a big swing. The devil’s foot got caught in the entangling vines, so Patrick advanced, frenziedly stabbing the creature in the chest multiple times until it stopped moving.

“Tuka, you’re hurt” he exclaimed and went over to her.

Drevin and Gorsht worked like an oiled machine, attacking, casting, and defending against two devils fighting them.

“Here, stand still. I don’t have fancy church prayers, but I can heal too.” He pulled out his harmonica from its belt slot and started tooting a noisy tune for Tuka. She started feeling a little better, like her stamina returning. Her torso glowed, and the bleeding stopped. She still had a couple ugly scrapes on her body that weren’t fully healed, but she’d survive.

Gorsht took a heavy hit from a large devil holding four swords in four arms. He was the last devil standing, the leader.

“Thank me later. Let’s go help them.” Patrick said and took off to assist the others.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Tuka winced and gritted her teeth against the pain as Patrick's healing magic worked to close the leaking wounds, even though the wounds were now closed there was a residual soreness from the new tissue being formed. The cuts were red and angry but Tuka was able to move normally as she worked her limbs. “Thanks, I never thought I’d be saved by a harmonica,” She said flatly. Normally she might have been more lighthearted but she was angry at being tricked by the hallucination spell as well as losing her concentration and getting slashed up by the devil creature.

Wits now fully about her the bloody half-elf fighter raced towards the remaining devil leader, flanking the big thing in order to divide it’s attention while keeping two of the four arms busy. Tuka slashed and thrust her dark blade expertly against the flurry of blows from the devil’s scimitars. Her method was simple, dodge one scimitar, parry the second then step in for an attack. Her face set in a grim scowl the half-elf snarled as she picked up speed, Tuka was scoring hit after hit against the devil its blood now spraying every which way as the fighter’s dark blade sliced easily through the thing's reddish flesh.

 

[Jodyguru]

The four-armed devil screeched as it was struck again and again by Tuka's blade. Patrick's attacks weren't as swift or gracious, but he landed a critical strike against the creature, slashing through the monster's spine and causing a great deal of blood to gush forth. Drevin tugged Gorsht away from the creature so he wouldn't take a lethal hit. It seemed like the swordmaster and bard had taken the beast to the end of the fight. After a short fray, the boss Devil was defeated. It fell to the ground, bleeding from its eyes, nose, mouth, and all of the holes they made during the fight.

"Well look at that!" Drevin let out a huff and put his hands on his hips. "The two of you making a good team. Color me shocked."

Patrick let out a hearty laugh and flicked the blood off of his sword. "Not much of a team, seeing as I did all the work." He grinned at Tuka for a second before turning to a defensive pose. "I'm joking, I'm joking! You were amazing, Tuka'lunaryu." He said, delivering a perfect pronunciation of her Elven name. He rubbed the back of his head and turned towards examining the room. He didn't expect a hug or even a friendly nod from Tuka. His mind was already on their next task, which was looking for treasure and a path forward.

Drevin, meanwhile, took to tending to Gorsht's bleeding wounds, soon returning him to full health after a few minutes of deep prayer. He'd also tend to Tuka's wounds once Gorsht was stable.

"Tuka..." Gorsht said, out of breath. "Before the battle started, I heard you shout something very strange."
Drevin looked to her as well. "I wanted to ask about that as well. You saw it, didn't you? One of Dracula's haunting images. I believe that is what drove adventurers to madness. Can you tell me all you can about what you saw?"

 

[Simon_Hawk]

The bloody ballroom fell silent as the din of battle became but a fleeting memory. The dead devils lay cooling on the floor, steam rising from the open wounds as their blood pooled around them. Tuka knelt by the devil leader inspecting it for clues, she noticed a dark leather satchel hanging from its black sword belt. The wary half-elf plucked the leather bag from the belt and peered inside almost expecting to see a severed head or some other such atrocity.

To her relief, the satchel contained nothing wicked only two potions and some gold coinage rested inside. Tuka closed the sack after inspecting it then tossed it playfully to Patrick.

"I'm terrible with this sort of thing, you guys go ahead and divide it as you see fit. I do not mind receiving nothing." She said honestly. To her, having a couple of gold pieces on hand to pay for gear maintenance, maybe a few nights at an inn and a hot meal was all she'd ever need at this point in her life. Somehow the rest seemed to work out on its own.
As Patrick caught the spoils of victory Tuka clapped him on the shoulder a genuine look upon her face. "Thanks, Pat. For helping me back there. I don't know what came over me. If you hadn't been so quick I doubt I'd be here thanking you right now." She said sincerely. Tuka was impressed at Patrick's bravery and sword fighting skills, after all, he managed to deal some very wicked blows to the nasty devil, plus he had legitimately saved the half-elf from certain death. A deed which didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated by the practiced sword fighter.

"I'm glad you're all safe and sound," She said, turning to the rest of the group.

“I can’t be certain what I saw at the beginning of the fight, I mean it was definitely Dracula, but...it was just.” Tuka paused for a moment trying to think of the right thing to say but coming up with nothing significant.

“Sad.” She said grimly.

“He spoke the name Charlotte and went on about how cold he felt without her. Seems hardly madness inducing...It, it was most likely a trick to gain empathy.” Tuka said trying to reassure herself, she then gently placed her fingertips on her cheek remembering the icy touch of Dracula's image.

“He touched my cheek...it was so very cold.” The half-elf stated softly.

 

[Jodyguru]

Patrick laughed. "Trusting a bard with the gold? That's a beginner's mistake."

Drevin looked a little surprised from the statement that Tuka gave him. He expected maddening hallucinations, not this somber moment from the Lord of Darkness. All he could do was nod in agreement with her assessment. "He may. Unfortunately there's nothing we can do until we find the man himself."

"Charlotte..." A voice above the party said, a voice that was somewhat familiar. There was a balcony above the ballroom, and a black cloaked figure standing over them. "That's what you said, right?" Lautrec asked. He was hard to see from his vantage point, but the man looked cold and solitary. If Tuka didn't give a satisfactory answer, he was in a good spot to deliver a plunging attack on her.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

“Hell’s Bells,” Tuka muttered as she gazed upon Lautrec, her dark brown orbs glittering with intensity and calculation. The half-elf did not care for the intimidation tactics of the Dunpele and was feeling confident after dispatching the devils. Remembering her first encounter with Lautrec and recalling what her companions had told her about the Dunpele she knew that being overly diplomatic would yield little results.


“Yes, Charlotte is what I said,” Tuka stated flatly as she wiped away a spattering of Devils blood from her cheek, eyes never leaving the Dunpele.

“If you’d care to discuss this further you can get your butt down here.” She said sternly, pointing to the floor.

 

[Jodyguru]

“I’d rather not discuss it, then.” Lautrec spoke flatly. Gorsht growled and pulled himself to his feet.

“Let the bastard gloat,” Gorsht said. “it’ll only make it sweeter when I take his head.”

“Ah, but they were once married.” Lautrec betrayed the information to the party, realizing too late what he had done.

“You’ve proven yourselves somewhat, so I’ll leave a gift with you. Take caution, for some gifts are not all pleasant.” The Dunpele finished speaking and dropped something off the balcony.

Patrick was quick enough to catch the object, then handed it to Tuka. It was an iron key painted red.

Without another word, Lautrec was gone.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Tuka squeezed the key tightly in her shaking fist, exhaling in a huff she brought her anger under control and stuffed the thing in her pocket. Somehow she felt like she would be doing someone else’s dirty work, the thought was infuriating to the half-elf as she questioned Lautrec’s motives in all this. On top of what had just transpired more questions about what was happening in the castle were swirling about Tuka’s mind like a wild storm. The half-elf wasn’t sure what to make of everything and could only keep wading straight into the maelstrom as she had always done, ever the fighter never surrendering.

“I hate feeling like I’m being used…I’m going back to the foyer, there was a door to left,” Tuka said annoyed and started marching back to see what other horrors might be discovered.

 

[Jodyguru]

Drevin nodded and helped Gorsht to his feet. The warrior had regained all of his health, as did Tuka. Patrick waved a dismissive hand towards Lautrec and followed behind the others.

"To hell with him, the grim little twit. We oughta take him to the beach for a bit of a tan." Patrick made a poof noise with his mouth, accented with his hands, implying that Lautrec would burst in a puff of dust like a proper vampire would.

There was a moment of silence, before Gorsht started giggling to himself, walking behind Drevin down the kitchen hallway back to the foyer.

They moved to the left side door and opened it. The doorway led to a winding staircase leading down. The stairs went for a long way and got darker and darker, until Drevin had to cast light on his sword to keep moving forward. The light made spiders on the walls scurry back to the darkness. Elves and half-elves could see normally in the darkness, but Drevin understood the need for his human party members to see.

"This isn't good" Drevin said. "I believe we're heading into the dungeon. Chances are good that Dracula's vampire servants will be sleeping down here."
"As we as all matter of ghoulish nastiness." Gorsht added.
"Indeed. I've got plenty of holy water as well as means of making more" Drevin said.

Tuka felt something pass her peripheral. Patrick handed her a bottle of holy water that he found earlier. "This will be more useful in your hands than mine." Unfortunately, Patrick didn't have a great amount of dexterity. It was the reason he took up singing and comedy rather than tumbling or juggling, like some bards. He could pick a pleasant melody on his lute, but besides that, he wasn't very good at throwing or archery.

They reached the bottom of the stairwell, stepping onto cobblestone. The dungeon was quiet, yawning in its depth. Immediately to the left were some old broken barrels and a few crates covered in cobwebs. Further ahead were stone walls and iron bars. There were quite a few cells down here, so exploring every one would be time consuming and possibly fruitless. Not only that, but some were still locked shut. Shortly ahead was an intersection. Drevin stopped at the intersection and looked at Tuka.

"Okay... lead on, Tuka. Keep your eye out for a special door for that red key Lautrec gave us."

Where will you go?
+Straight
+Left
+Right
+Inspect open cell

 

[Simon_Hawk]

“Thanks.” She said quietly and attached the holy water to a convenient spot on her utility belt. Having the water as extra insurance was nice but she secretly wondered if blessed water would work against powerful beings as vampires. Through all her year's adventuring she surprisingly never once used the stuff, as her enchanted blade usually cut most things down with relative ease, but one could never be too careful she mused.

Tuka quietly and confidently strode past the cells being ever perceptive as she listened and looked intently for any dangers. The wary half-elf decided that playing around making a bunch of racket with rusty old cell doors was a waste of time and decided to follow the hallway straight until the troupe could go no further. This way they could learn more of the layout and mark any side passages along the way. Finally, they approached the intersection were Tuka glanced to either side before pressing forward.

 

[Jodyguru]

The dungeon walls were rows of rusty iron bars and cell doors. The cobblestone steps soon ended and were nothing but hard dirt.

Drevin shuddered like a cold chill ran down his spine. “This place is steeped in evil energy. I have much disdain for dungeons, but there’s something particularly dreadful here. I think we should turn back.”

“Relax, Shepherd” Patrick sneered. “We got enough man and lady power to smash this place to pieces.”

“I must agree.” Gorsht answered. That did little to ease the cleric’s nerves. He did however enjoy the nickname given by the bard. Indeed, he was here shepherding these lost souls by the light of God through this valley of darkness.

The party suddenly stopped as there was a soft clattering and hissing sound ahead of them. Tuka could see a skeleton standing in the hall a few meters from her. The zombie looked in her direction and let out a louder hiss, then moving towards her with bony arms extended.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Tuka wondered why she couldn’t be a normal person, with a home and hobbies and all the other humdrum activities of daily life. Why was it that she always found herself in some dank cave, dark dungeon, or dangerous lair surrounded by all the nasty things the world had to offer. This floor of the castle was one of the creepier places she’d been exposed to during her stint as an adventurer and she briefly questioned her life’s choices. Tuka never liked the un-dead and firmly believed that once something died it should remain that way, the idea that things could be brought back to life in such a gruesome way was quite unsettling. Nothing could be done about that though as she had freely, like always, thrown herself into the eye of the literal shit storm. So why was it then that she couldn’t be normal, because nobody else was going to change the world, nobody else was going to face the dark places and atrocious beasts, and nobody normal was going to live to tell about it.

The half-elf hardened her resolved to see this through then leaped towards the hissing skeleton in a twisting motion. As she rotated full-circle her dark blade slashed horizontally catching the wrist of the approaching skelly severing its hand and sending it flying. The routine was as graceful and precise as any could have managed but that’s where the fanciful show ended. The skeleton's severed hand flew through the air then deflected off of the wall sending its trajectory to collide with Tuka’s face. The hand, not completely cut-off from the magical enchantment that was animating the skeleton grasped onto the half-elf's face, wriggling and squeezing wildly. Tuka screamed, thrashed about, and ran around in circles like a mad-woman. Finally, she managed to get ahold of the severed hand peeling it from her face the bony fingers leaving painful gashes on her cheeks. The fighter tossed the squirming hand to the floor and began stomping on it repeatedly as if trying to snuff out a grass fire, snarling fiercely the entire time.