Nala advances through Shadow Cat Gulley and unsurprisingly finds another shadow cat. Tango skulks behind terrain to circle silently around the cat to flank with Nala. A second cat hiding in the long grass flanks around Tango with a bite into his already injured person. Snory transfers life to Tango. What Tango’s response to the surprise cat lacks in initiative it makes up for in brutality. Tango slips away to help with the first cat, already suffering from Nala’s greatsword, Moth’s flurries of punches, and Jim’s magic missiles as delivered by Scram. Tango guts the first cat and returns to his nemesis. Tanking Moth’s tanking health receives a transfer from Snory. Nala’s greatsword finishes the second cat’s focused misery.
A pair of fast-moving mold zombies, attracted by the commotion, shamble up behind the party and slam precarious Snory into unconsciousness. Nala hears her own voice reporting Cleric Down as the zombies head for Scram next, but she and Moth have already engaged with another shadow cat. Tango intercepts the zombies giving Scram room and time to double fireball them. These zombies could use a couple more fireballs, but there aren’t any more. Nala surges a fatal chop to the cat, freeing her and Moth to take up the zombies.
Fifth-generation rogue Tango surveys the dire situation and takes a metaphysical journey back to his third-generation grandfather. Why, back in grampy’s day rogues could access the worlde’s majicks uphill both ways just by tying an onion to their belt, and that’s the way they liked it. Maybe, just maybe, Tango could convince this short-cut, instant-gratification, fifth-generation universe to accept a slight refund of Snory’s life transference. If only Tango concentrates hard enough, is persuasive enough, grasps Snory’s greasy lapels tightly enough – Snory’s healing potion squeezes out of his greasy tunic into Tango’s hands like a can of spinach squeezed from a sailor’s dress whites. That works, too. Tango drags waking Snory to safety and receives a moistened curative benediction to his earhole by way of thanks.
Tango rejoins Nala, Moth, and Scram already in progress just as Nala chops down one of the mold zombies. Tango fatally sneaks on the second. Neither seems disposed to rise again.
The party crosses back over the zombie-resistant slime log for a much-needed hour’s rest. Scram and Tango explore around a little while bandages and salves are liberally applied to the wounded.
Tango proposes a quieter approach back into the gulley’s depths. An apparent dead end is occupied by a slightly larger shadow cat and a quartet of ambling zombies. Tactician Tango proposes initiating an attack from atop the steep gulley wall which would at least hold back the zombies. Moth parkours up the gulley wall and drops a rope end for the less monkish. Snory climbs the offered rope, although Moth really does all the work. Moth ties the line off to a tree. Scram scales the rope which comes easily untied from the tree and throws Scram back into the muddy gulley floor. Nala scales the wall and drops a rope end for Tango to follow. The rope then proves unusable for Scram who falls back into the mud, again. Scram, still tethered to Nala’s line, relies on his confirmation bias and his mizzium apparatus to magic up some levitation for himself. Nala tows him into position.
Dirigible Scram, from his lofty observation post, thumbs up the party before initiating violence and ignites an arcanely recovered fireball into the midst of the loitering cat and zombies. One zombie burns up. The other three gaze up into Snory’s presentation of his Kelemvor’s novelty whip handle and are deificly destroyed. Moth tosses a dart down into the cat which summons it elegantly up the gulley wall and right into Moth’s face, right where he wants it for some blow flurrying. Scram scorches rays from above. Tango sneaks at it from cover. The cat blurs defensively but Nala fatally cleaves it anyway.
Tango and Nala drop down into the gulley to have a look into some conspicuously green shrubbery at the apparent dead end. A narrow path opens into a small cave littered with the bones of less successful adventurers. Freshly muddy footprints lead directly from the cave entrance to a pile of boulders. Tango hears muffled cries as the rest of the party catches up. Ceiling-walking Scram selects a non-load-bearing rock from the safe top of the pile and pulls it free. The wall of boulders collapses precariously toward dodging Nala and Tango and a yet undiscovered third person beyond who ungratefully complains about the lack of caution. Tango scrambles through the new opening and meets one very sarcy Annallee Wysacaryn who deliberately collapsed the back corner of the cave to hold off her feline pursuers.
Annallee travelled to Shadow Cat Gulley because of the ready availability of lightning which she hoped to harness into her Khyber dragon shard. Tango observes what a mighty fine crystal Annallee has there, ideal for compensating one’s rescuers if they are at all common? Psh as if. In that case, maybe Tango could carry it for her while safeguarding her life on the way out of here? Umm no. Tango agrees they will save her life first, and THEN discuss Annellee’s generous gratitude later at Quietreach. Quietreach? That changes everything! Any friend of Solana’s can totally borrow the shard … briefly.