Zilo and company enter the small cabin and come across another intestinal track inside of the house and follow it to a similar room to that which the cabin was in, only this time the light source wasn't a cabin, but the walls of the cave seemed to glisten with a disturbing sheen of mucus.
Upon getting a close up look of the wall May catches herself, halting the puke that was up-chucking it's way into her mouth.
Across the room the group could see something shining, a hoard of treasure. Zilo started waltzing right over to it before Alaroc put his hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on a sec, friend. That pile of treasure looks a lot like the pile we saw in the dragon's lair that I told you of." Zilo Scoffs and bats away the armored man's hand, before proceeding forward a few more paces.
"Oh please. What manner of dragon would make it's home inside of another creature's body?"
Just as Zilo finished saying that there was a loud audible thud behind him. Zilo Leaps away with a twirl, followed by a slip in a slick of bile. The group stares upon a manner of dragon that none of them had ever seen or heard of before.
The creature most definitely fit the "body shape" of a dragon, but the material that made up that shape was what was so jarring. The Dragon seemed entirely composed of amorphous flesh, like someone had taken a pile of intestines, fused it all together and shaped it into the form of a dragon, only this was much, much larger than that.
"That sort, got it." says Zilo halfheartedly.
In an instant both Sides Scramble into action. Maldrek is the first to act, casting Invisibility on himself to avoid the Flesh Dragon's attention, then moved unseen to the side to flank it. Next up was Zilo, who, figuring that the rest of the group could handle the heavy hitting better than he, fell back and retrieved his Violin.
He then decided to play freestyle play the emotions he felt facing down the Sun Illusions and when he faced Zigger. The tones, once enhanced with a bit of bardic magic, bolstered Zilo's companions to fight harder and better.
Zigger charged at the Dragon, and lept at it, landing claws first in it's chest, and Alaroc followed right after, summoning his new mount on the way and swiping at the dragon with his sword. He missed, but added to the confusion of the battle, which May took advantage of, trying to hide along the same wall as Maldrek, just past Zilo.
However Maldrek and May, made one grave error, forgetting that dragons, have eyes that work as though they have cast True Seeing. The flesh dragon turned it's maw toward Maldrek, May and Zilo and let loose a torrent of fire breath. Zilo who's eyes where on the dragon, dodged out of the way, avoiding most of the fire, but the fire brought the other two of them to the brink of death, but not quite dead yet.
Although it mattered little to the Dragon, Maldrek's invisibility held and he proceeded to move as far from Zilo and May to avoid a second fire breath, then came out of his invisibility with a blasting of his spell Magic Missile. Zilo, unable to reach and heal Maldrek, risked the breath to make his way to May and use Cure Light Wounds on her while maintaining his song of vigor.
Zigger took a moment to focus think through his next move and leaped off to run interference for Zilo, but the Dragon caught him unaware and bashed him backward with a swipe of his wing. Zigger flew and impacted near Maldrek. With the dragon looking to Zigger, Alaroc had an opening to plunge his Dragon Bane sword into the Dragon's side deep, dealing a mortal wound.
May looked to the two wounded members barely holding up near the dragon's hoard and realized that they were going to lose, then she looked to Zilo, but before she could suggest her plan, Zilo said what she was thinking.
"I can distract it, you guys figure out how to kill it!"
May didn't need another word, she was just thinking that a sacrificial lamb was their only chance. she spun and took off toward the dragon's hoard. The dragon was worried that so many where moving toward it's hoard and spun to meet them.
With it's spin it bashed it's tail into Alaroc, knocking him and Twenty-four to the ground. Then, in a monstrous frenzy, it slashed both it's claws, one at Zigger and one at May, while trying to bite Maldrek.
All three attacks hit home, and both Zigger and Maldrek fell unconscious from the hits, but May thankfully stayed standing. That said, May was now the only thing in the dragon's sights, and it was ready to rip her to shreds, but then, it heard something. The song permeating the air had changed.
The Dragon turned to find the source of the change, and looked to see the lone bard, Zilo, eyes closed conducting a song of thrilling intrigue, one that tugs at your ears and demands that you look out for what is to come, a song that Fascinated the Dragon, making Zilo the lone object of it's attention.
"I can't do this forever May! Get them up and get planning!" Shouted the bard, who broke his somber character to shout to his friends momentarily.
May snapped back to the situation at hand, having also been momentarily fascinated from the song. She then gripped her holy symbol and channeled a small prayer to the goddess Morta.
"Oh blessed Morta, heal the wounds of your faithful."
Suddenly a wave of bright magic spreads over the area around Zigger, Maldrek, and May, healing them all enough to stand. In May's case bringing her to her prime.
Alaroc, meanwhile, has reverted Twenty-four to a bone to join the rest of the group, staring at Zilo play as the Dragon slowly approaches him, curiously.
"I say, what is Zilo doing?" Says Alaroc.
Zilo jumps over a claw swipe that looked similar in nature to a cat trying to paw at a ball of yarn.
"I'm waiting for you all to save me!" Shouts the bard, missing a chord as the Dragon nips at his leg with a bite, still playing with the amusing creature.
The team looks to Maldrek, who is currently racking his brain then he snaps his fingers.
"May, how much do you weigh?"
"Beg Pardon!?" Shouts May very angrily.
"Okay, Zigger then. Might be pure muscle but he's still small. Zigger strip, Alaroc, help, quickly now!" Says Maldrek as he grabs Alaroc's still bright sword. Zigger starts confusedly taking off his studded leather armor, but Alaroc quickly goes overboard and uses a dagger to undo all the straps in one fluid motion. as this happens Maldrek tosses the sword to to May.
"May, Lighten that."
"But it is already?! Talk sense!"
"Guys! He's starting to look bored!" Shouts Zilo from the other side of the room.
"NOT LIGHT, LIGH-TEN!!! NOW! THEN GUIDANCE ZIGGER!" Shouts Maldrek, getting frustrated.
May quickly casts Lighten Object then runs over to a newly naked Zigger, and disgustedly casts Guidance on him. While she was doing that Maldrek walks Alaroc back a few paces. And whispers to him,
"When I say go, kick the Monkey."
Maldrek then panicking runs over to the naked Zigger and May. He takes the sword and hands it to Zigger, then casts Levitate. on him and shouts.
"Go!" Shouts Maldrek, tackling May out of the way. Alaroc runs at the rather confused Goblin Monkey and kicks him for all he's worth, making the small creature fly through the air likes a child would kick some sort of ball with their foot, that could be the name of the ball I suppose.
Then right as it looks like the Dragon is going to chomp down on Zilo and Zigger is going to fly over the target, Maldrek snaps his fingers to undo Levitate and shouts.
"AIM TRUE, YOU GLORIOUS GOBLIN!"
With that, Zigger's natural combat instincts kick in and he points the sword straight down. Just as the Dragon's teeth begin to sink into Zilo's arm, Zigger crashes into the Dragon's head and kills the behemoth with a solid sword stab through it's head.
Zilo and Zigger crawl away from the dragon's head over to their companions. All 5 of them stare at the giant pile of loot and all of them cheer together and jump in sorting it out. Zilo didn't really keep track of the gold that well, but he did find 2 magically items to use and new weapon. the two items he found were a Bag of holding, like Maldrek's, and a Periapt of Health.
Zilo's new weapon was a masterwork scorpion whip set with a razor tipped edge. Already Zilo begins planning out the choreograph in his mind for a new dance to thrill his fans, but as he thinks of this he looks over to see that Alaroc has lost his armor.
Zilo had wanted to know what his new companion's face looks like for a while, but sadly his helm is still there. It also looks like his sword's markings have gone far beyond just being dragon bane now. Also the Zigger found some new clothing, conveniently right in his size.
there was another bit of traveling through the intestines of the colossal frog, but details need not be shared... The group escaped and were back on the road again.
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