Against All Odds - Fantasy Post-Apoc/Genesys RPG (CLOSED)

[Red Shadow Claws]

Pashad knew had the means to make a light, but wasn't yet ready to show his hand. So he waited to see what the others might come up with.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

As the others started to talk among themselves to figure out what to do, Josef decided that he wouldn't waste time... the rain was coming, so time was precious, and began to find anything they could use to make a fire, dried grass, wood, twigs, etc.

The dice rolled: 2 advantages, 1 triumph, 2 threats

#	Time	Dice	Result
1	2019-04-12 14:54:43 UTC	1 Ability, 1 Proficiency, 2 Difficulty	1 success, 1 triumph

 

[Northless]

Light. Good idea. Reah followed the thin man's search, consciously avoiding looking too deep into the cave. She had had to learn how to survive in the wilderness, so she wasn't in too much of a lost there. She hoped there was anything useful in the cave, though.

 

[KamiKahzy]

Act 1 - Chapter 1
Location: The Wastes

Story Points
PCs: 5
GM: 2

Roll Results:
Heyitsjiwon Northless

The surrounding landscape was completely devoid of anything besides the various dried, sharp grasses that defiantly refused to wither away. Those grasses were the only thing that could feasibly burn, and with no other options available the soldier and the merchant began to pluck what they could from the fouled earth. The others that wished to help joined in as well, plucking away at the tough grasses that stubbornly resisted their forced extrication. The grasses scratched and cut at the hands of the survivors, and in some cases a few streaks of red could be seen pooling on their fingertips. But soon enough they had their pile, about the size of a child. And it would certainly hold a flame, assuming they could produce one.

Old Man Opta merely watched with that odd grin of his the whole time, bobbing his head about to some unsung beat that only he knew. Once the pile had been gathered he chuckled to himself and commented on the work, "Weeell, aint tha' clever. ...'Ang on, take this." Earlier Opta had taken his seat under his tarp after he had finished his little hop, and now he leaned backwards so he could hook the tarp with the top of his walking stick. With one quick, jerky motion he managed to jostle the tarp loose from the stones he had used to hold it down. He then reached forward and dropped the tarp next to the pile. "You'se can carry it wit' tha'," he said matter-of-factly.

Red Shadow Claws
Then the Old Man's face turned contemplative. He looked intently around the group, seemingly searching for something, but only he could say what. Finally his eyes settled onto 'Gelvan' and he smiled that crooked smile once more. Then Opta slowly reached a grimy, wrinkled hand up to his mouth and shoved it inside. He began fishing around for something, and after a moment seemed to have found it when his hand stopped and he screwed up his face in preparation. With another quick, jerky motion he pulled his hand out of his mouth, and clutched between his fingers was one of his teeth. Opta beckoned the rotund man over with his free hand and, once he was closer, offered him the tooth that was still covered in specks of blood, spittle, and a sickly green/purple fluid. "You'se a smart one, try usin' this." Once the tooth was placed into 'Gelvan's' hand, assuming he could hold his stomach, he would notice that it would feel heavier than the average tooth. Turning it over, 'Gelvan' would notice that there was a hollow in the other side of the tooth. And inside that hollow was something truly special, something that 'Gelvan' probably never expected to see in his life. Inside the tooth was a tiny chip of soulstone, and it was glowing a faint red color.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Pashad did his, small, part in collecting the grass, and was dusting off his hands when the Old Man pulled out his tooth. It was gruesome, and sickening to watch it, but the faintly glowing soulstone that fell out of the Old Man's tooth was even more shocking, and He tried his best to pocket it before the others took notice.

He didn't know whom it belonged to, and asking such a question in the present company wasn't the best choice, but neither could he ignore it either, so he took it out of his pocket, and holding it in his open palm, he asked. "Who's soul is bound in it? and how... how did you come by it?"

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Josef nodded toward the Old Man. He began to pile the grass onto the tarp so that he could wrap it up into a bindle and said "Thanks Old Man... the tarp might help a bit, but... I don't think any of us can make a flame unless someone has a tinderbox hidden somewhere on their body? Otherwise... we're going to have to go in without any light, and that's just asking for trouble. I would rather fight out here where I can actually see..." it was then that the Old Man seemingly tore a tooth out of his mouth... Josef knew there was something off with this man that wasn't just physical ailments. His face tightened slightly in disgust, but he kept watching... curious as to what he was doing. Josef couldn't really clearly see what was going on, but then listened to Gelvan.

A soul gem? That was a soul gem? Josef hadn't seen much in his years... it was a valued object for certain, and he only knew that mages had them. This raised a lot of questions... was the Old Man a mage? How did Gelvan know what it was? Was he a mage too? These people were very strange indeed, and Josef felt even more at unease than before.

 

[KamiKahzy]

Act 1 - Chapter 1
Location: The Wastes

Story Points
PCs: 5
GM: 2

Opta just grinned up at Gelvan and wrapped his slightly moistened fingers around his staff once more. "Stories fer another day young'in. Them rains're still a'comin." And the Old Man was right, the clouds abover were starting to billow into thicker, darker forms, and the wind was beginning to pick up even more than it was. The survivors would have to act fast if they wanted to oust the leech bats from their roost.

Heyitsjiwon Red Shadow Claws Crocodile Northless Crumbli

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Gritting his teeth 'Gelvan' suddenly realized that with his words he has marked himself to the others as someone who is knowledgeable in magic. And seeing as the rains are coming, and they needed to act fast, he says "I can light the fire" and then proceeded to trace arcane symbols in the air above the gathered grass, and to call on the force of magic to light a flame. Calling on magic was always exhilarating, but dangerous, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And so, he drew on the soul gem to enhance his spellcasting.

As he did so, a dancing flame appeared in his hand. and he turned to the others "Get the grass into the tarp, and inside the cave, so we can get the fire going. But hurry, I don't know how long I can hold this flame."

1

2019-04-15 20:42:21 UTC

2 Ability, 1 Proficiency, 2 Difficulty

3 successes, 2 threats

 

[Northless]

Reah stood besides the leaf pile while the men conversed. She flinched at the old man suddenly taking his teeth off and handing it off, and just seemed to begin listening again when one of them said he'll light the fire. Storm coming and the place getting darker by the minute, she took it on herself to find anything to defend herself with against the leech bats. Or... whatever else was inside that cave.

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Josef eyed Gelvan suspiciously as he began to cast some sort of spell. He dragged the grass to the mouth of the cave and dumped it several feet into the cave and backed up to allow the mage to light the grass on fire. Hopefully, they had collected enough grass to generate enough smoke to drive whatever was in the cave out. Josef would get his spear ready in case a fight started promptly. Only he and one other person in this motley crew had a weapon... the rest... well... at least one of them was a mage.

Josef watched as the Silvia volunteered to carry the bundle of grass into the cave. They had decided to walk into the cave with the mage's magical flame providing light for them. Then when they encountered trouble, they would light the grass in an attempt to scare away the foul beasts, but at the very least provide more light to fight in. The smoke would hopefully force the leech bats away from the ceiling and lower to the floor where the party could more easily reach them.

 

[KamiKahzy]

Act 1 - Chapter 1
Location: The Wastes

Story Points
PCs: 5
GM: 2

Roll Results:
Red Shadow Claws
The spark of fire burned brightly in 'Gelvan's' hands, pulsing in time with his own heartbeat, which was beating very fast right now. Unfortunately it had been a while since 'Gelvan' had practiced the Craft, so his mind was not as ready to handle the strain it would cause him. A sharp pain rang out through his skull as his head reeled from the feelings of power coursing through his soul, but the result was certainly something to be proud of. This little fire felt sturdy in his hands, quite stable indeed, and he had a feeling he'd be able to get more use out of it than he initially estimated.

However, his newfound confidence in his abilities would only go so far. Nobody but him could have possibly heard it, but in the back of 'Gelvan's' mind he had distinctly heard something shrill and pained. It was a voice that was not his own, and it had come the second he drew upon the soulstone's power. It was a wailing shriek of utter agony, and 'Gelvan' could just make out the lilt of a woman's voice cutting through the screaming. It dissipated almost as quickly as it had started, but that sound was not something 'Gelvan' would be forgetting anytime soon.

Northless
Reah's lack of knowledge when it came to wilderness survival clearly showed as she blindly fumbled about the entrance to the cave for any kind of weapon she could use. Unfortunately her efforts were in vain, and the only stones she could find were mere pebbles that wouldn't do more than agitate the leech bats into a frenzy. However, as she peered inside the cave she did notice a promising trend. The stones inside the cave seemed to get larger the further one went, so it was very likely they would find suitably sized rocks once they fully ventured inside the depths.


The group was now as gathered and ready as they could be, and with the fighting folk taking the lead they began to wander inside the cave. The light was dim, but with Gelvan near the lead his flame was just enough to illuminate their path ahead.

The path was narrow, allowing for only one person to pass through at a time. The Survivors quickly formed a line as they followed the single trail presented to them. It began to wind down below the earth for about 30 feet before the path began to widen up ahead. The air was cooler down here, and up ahead the faint scents of musty earth began to assail the Survivors. A slight breeze blew in from the back of the cave, and it brought along the distinct scent of moisture. The kind of moist smell that only a large body of water could produce. They were close.

Just then the Survivors could hear the faint rustling that Josef had heard before coming from the opening up ahead. It rose in volume, then settled down again once more. If the Survivors wanted to get into the cave without disturbing the bats, they would have to move like ghosts in the dark.


Heyitsjiwon Red Shadow Claws Crocodile Northless Crumbli

GM Note: Moving forward into the cave will require a Stealth roll at Hard difficulty (3 Dice), however the pool can be adjusted depending on any actions taken by the group. How shall you proceed?

 

[Crumbli]

Heyitsjiwon Red Shadow Claws
Silvia's fingertips are shredded by the small tufts of grass she's able to pull from the earth. She watches the others rip handfuls from the earth in a single tug while she struggles to find a balance between pulling the grass free and cutting her fingers. Their sting was minor and the cuts nothing more than shallow inconveniences. She'd only managed to add six or so handfuls of grass to the pile before stepping aside and watching everyone else do their own tasks. She knew she'd done what she could to help the group yet even still, she finds herself feeling guilty for not being able to contribute more.

Her eyes are caught by the old man who told her his name was Opta as he rips the tarp down in one swift move. She begins to question his motives but doesn't interject on his decisions to sacrifice shelter for the benefit of the group. Perhaps he intended to accompany them after they'd chased the bats away? She nods to herself hastily rationalising his decision as an unspoken investment. Many such investments happened with wasters and the roaming free folk. Why would he be different? Then he rips out a tooth and she finds herself questioning him again. Wasters didn't randomly remove their teeth. He clearly was different. She watches his tooth intently and sees it move into the hands of Gelvan who then asks whose soul was trapped inside. She cranes her head to the side and stares at the tooth even more intently. She'd heard talk of souls, apparently things that lived inside religious people, but she didn't believe in them. They weren't real. How could unreal things be trapped in people's teeth? Clearly she was missing something. Something about that tooth. Perhaps it was a magic tooth and souls were magic things. That would make Gelvan a mage. His being a mage becomes increasingly more likely as he begins to cast a spell and holds a small dancing flame in the palm of his hand.

She casts her eyes away from the flame concerned that perhaps this flame was in some way tied with demons, but suspecting the opposite to be true as demons rarely shared with others. She looks to the covered bundle of grass and swoops in to grab it. This would be how she contributes to the group for the grass she couldn't pull. She waves the skinnier man without a name away from it and cradles it as she would an infant or toddler. "I have this. You have the spear. Let's do what we can do best. Our strengths lead us, not our weakness."

Silvia follows close behind the fighters suspecting the chances of them protecting her were higher than the chances of her outrunning the leech bats was. As they descend into the depths she can feel the moisture in the air, reminding her of how dry her lips and throat was. She'd have to drink from that water as soon as she could. Hopefully it was clean. Her fantasies of clean water are quickly halted as they hear a loud rustling sound. She instinctively clutches the bag of grass and moves closer to the skinny man with no name. He'd protect her, she was sure of this. In the quietest whisper she can she requests in a way that sounds more like a question, "Put out the fire?"

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Josef silently brought his finger to his lip to indicate to the rest of them that they needed to be quiet and careful. It was clear that the Leech Bats were rather nearby as he had just heard the distinct fluttering that he had heard just moments before. He grabbed his spear tightly and stepped to the side of the cave to allow the other to move around him a bit. The group needed the flame to be able to see... which made sneaking past the Leech Bats a difficult challenge. They would likely have to deal with the Leech Bats here and now. Josef looked towards the rest of the group and pointed at the grass then to the floor right where the cave started to widen to indicate that they should place the grass there. He then pointed as some pebbles and small stones and pantomimed a throwing motion towards the way that they had just came from. Continuing his performance, Josef pointed towards the direction of the Leech Bats then slowly turned to the narrow entrance, but right as his finger passed the point where the hypothetical grass would lay, he exaggerated a bursting motion and pointed to the flame that Gelvan carried.

With his demonstration over, Josef looked to the rest of the Survivors to see if they agreed with his plan to try and scare the Leech Bats out of the cave with a sudden burst of fire.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

'Gelvan' was ready, shielding the flame in his hand, for now, ready to act on a moment's notice.

 

[Crocodile]

Marius nodded, at the ready for action and eager for some mayhem. He was willing to let this silent game play out before the violent climax.

 

[KamiKahzy]

Act 1 - Chapter 1
Location: The Cave

Story Points
PCs: 5
GM: 2

The Survivors had their plan, their path was set. All they could do now was act upon it and hope for the best, if indeed there was any Hope left to be had.

Red Shadow Claws Heyitsjiwon Northless Crocodile Crumbli
GM Note: I need the group to decide who will be making the following rolls.

First: I need Crumbli or whichever character you think is the sneakiest to make a Stealth check at Easy difficulty in order to place the dried grasses without waking the leech bats.

Second: I need one player to make either an Athletics or Coordination check at Easy difficulty in order to toss rocks effectively towards the entrance of the cave to lure the leech bats out. Add a maximum of 3 Boost die to this check's dice pool for every character that assists the primary character in tossing rocks.

Third: Red Shadow Claws has already been given a free pass to automatically light the grasses on fire thanks to his earlier roll results. So after the rocks are thrown, just sit back and watch the results.

 

[KamiKahzy]

Act 1 - Chapter 1
Location: The Cave

Story Points
PCs: 5
GM: 2

Roll Results:
Red Shadow Claws Heyitsjiwon Northless Crocodile Crumbli

In the dark of the cave the survivors took their positions. The former slave clutched the bundle of grasses to her tightly as she slowly and carefully made her way towards the mouth of the cavern. Her time as a house slave was serving her well now, her feet had been trained to step lightly and quietly so as not to disturb her masters and inadvertently gain their ire. A slight disturbance in the soil beneath her feet was all that could be heard by the other survivors. And as there was no response from the cave it appeared that the leech bats had not taken notice either. The slave crept ahead delicately until she was situated directly next to the cavern's entrance. 'Here', she thought to herself as she carefully began to lay down her bundle. But as she did so she noticed something thanks to the light radiating from the mage's queer fire. A large pile of guano lay near the mouth of the cavern, larger than one might have expected from a single being, beast or otherwise. A slight gust of air wafted the scent into her nose, causing her to nearly recoil in disgust. The smell was foul, tainted with the distinct odors of old blood. But there was another smell that actually caused Silvia to become almost hopeful. There was a pungent, sickly odor that she had smelled before. A demonic client of her former master had brought a lamp that he had hoped to sell, and said that it was fueled not by oil but by gas. She might not have known exactly what the demon meant, but she knew that the lamp worked and that the smell was oddly familiar to this one. Maybe this fell dung would be flammable as well? There was only one way to know. Silvia placed the wrapped grasses on top of the dung pile with nary a sound, then turned back towards the survivors and signaled that her task was complete.

The survivors waited until Silvia had come back a safe enough distance from the cave mouth, and only then did they ready themselves. Each of them reached down and grabbed some stones from the cave floor, some small pebbles, others that fit comfortably into the palm of their hand. The soldier was fortunate enough to find a particularly large stone the size of his fist among the rubble. He hefted the rock a few times first, pleased with its weight and grip. Then, once they were all ready, the soldier cast the first stone. He heaved the large rock far into the passage way towards the entrance. It sailed through the air, and with almost pinpoint precision it struck another large stone with a resounding 'CRACK' that echoed back into the cave.

Within moments the cavern tunnel was filled with chaos. All at once a cacophony of fluttering and screeches vibrated out of the cave, followed immediately by its source. A large swarm of leech bats burst through the cavern's opening like a flood, fueled by desperation and hunger. The creatures were a disgusting sight. Their bodies were about the size of a standard bat, but they had the appearance of an over-large worm with a sickly blue-grey tint to their wrinkled flesh. Sprouting on either side of these wriggling bodies were membranous wings held together by spindly appendages that seemed to sprout from their body like legs from a centipede. This was far different than birds or bats whose wings more seemed to resemble hands with elongated fingers, and the disparity was unsettling. Beneath the wings running along the length of the body were more legs but these were thicker and had needle-sharp tips on the ends. No good for walking but incredibly useful for latching on to a victim. But the worst part was the head. There were no eyes or ears visible upon the creature's faces, just a circular, gaping maw that was filled to the brim with hooked teeth. There were teeth placed into every conceivable crevice inside the leech bat's mouth, enough that it would be impossible to not be struck by a tooth if the beast should latch on.

And that was exactly what they did. The leech bats were certainly startled into action by the noise of the thrown rock, but once they smelled flesh they closed in on the survivors in force. Within seconds the survivors were swarmed by the leech bats which desperately began to latch on to their prey and tried to clamp their foul jaws onto any unprotected skin they could find. The non-combatants swung their arms and flailed to try and keep the creatures away, but the gladiator had the worst time of it. He being so underdressed he had practically no protection from the attacking swarm, and so he suffered the most with no less than six leech bats clamping on to his torso alone. The survivors would have surely perished within minutes had things continued, but thankfully they had a trick up their sleeves.

The mage, acting purely on instinct, saw his opportunity and launched his fireball towards the cavern entrance. It sailed through the air, hissing and sparking with energy, until it struck the pile of dried grass they had collected. All at once the grasses caught, sending up a sudden burst of light and heat that startled the swarm. But that fireball was soon followed by a second one far larger than the first, and judging by the smell Silvia would later guess that it had been fueled by the pile of guano she had found. The fire burned brightly, and the shock of the sudden heat radiating off of it caused a good number of the leech bats to flee away from it towards the cave entrance and the open air outside. Some still persisted though, mostly those that had already latched on to their victims and stubbornly refused to release themselves. But now that the swarm had been dispersed it was far easier for the survivors to deal with the leech bats on an individual level. The warriors struck out at the remaining leech bats that continued to fly around them looking for an opportunity. And with their years of training they slowly began to gain an advantage by scoring hits on the bats that thinned out their swarm even further. Meanwhile the non-combatants were busy peeling the leech bats off themselves and each other, then throwing them against the ground and either stepping on them or crushing them beneath stones. It seemed that the survivors were starting to gain the advantage, only to have those hopes dashed when they heard a tell-tale rustling coming from the cave entrance.

The swarm had returned, and it was closing in on the survivors with incredible speed. The humans tried to regroup while protecting themselves against the remaining bats, but it was apparent they wouldn't be able to suppress the swarm a second time even with the help of the fire at their backs. Josef shouted for the survivors to retreat towards the fire, and all but one obeyed the command. The mage, overweight and sweating profusely, actually stepped towards the rushing swarm. He had one final gambit ready, and he was about to use it. When he sent the first fireball back, something in the back of his mind told him to hold a single ember behind in his hand. He listened to that instinct, and now he was grateful for it. The mage held his hands towards his mouth and blew, causing the spark to grow brighter and bigger in his hand. In moments it had reached the same size it had before, and in one fluid motion the mage held out his hand before him and released the spell. The fireball sailed directly into the center of the swarm, where it exploded into a blooming iris of flame and heat. The swarm collectively screeched in pain and fear. Several of the leech bats fell to the ground in crispy heaps, while the rest immediately fled out of the tunnel back to the safety of the sky once more. The only leech bats left were the ones still clinging to the survivors, but they were easy enough to deal with now that they had the luxury of time.

The survivors had survived the swarm of leech bats, and now stood triumphantly in the spoils of their conquest. A single cave that could provide shelter and water. It wasn't much, but it was a start.


As the survivors were looking over their wounds they heard an echoing, tapping stomp coming from the cave entrance. Looking back they saw that it was the old man, who was hobbling along with his walking stick towards the survivors with that same smile of his. They also noticed that his staff now had a bundle of dried brush lashed to the top of it, which apparently the old man had set alight and was using as a torch. "Weeell, aint this a sight! Well done young'ns! Now, y'all follow ol' Opta an' we'll getcha summat to drink." The strange old man hopped along through survivors to the back of the tunnel, completely ignoring the singed and crushed bodies of the leech bats that now littered the ground. The survivors, not having much choice, followed the hopping sound of the old man into the darkened cavern.

The first thing that struck the survivors was the smell of water. Cool and fresh, it likely smelled unlike anything they had before experienced. Most water left on Leth was of a brackish nature, bitter and slightly acidic to drink as a result of the Calamity. But this scent had none of that. It was wholly unique, and it made the survivor's mouths wet with anticipation. The dim light from Opta's staff was just enough to highlight the edge of the caverns interior, and that was enough for the survivors to see what lay in store for them. Just inside the edge of the cavern was a pond of pure water. It was impossible to see just how big the pond was in the low light, but even with just this the survivors knew there was plenty enough for days of fresh water for even a small community of people.

Opta hopped over to the edge and made a shaky sweeping motion with his hand towards the pond, beckoning the survivors to drink from the pool. However, before he got the chance to say anything they all heard a noise from the left of the cavern's entrance. All eyes turned to see what the noise was, and Opta did his best to lean his staff forward so the light would illuminate the source of the sound. The source revealed itself to be a grey wolf in poor condition, yet it growled at the survivors all the same as it carefully inched its way towards them. Its fur was mottled and patched, either a sign of sickness or just another unfortunate happenstance of the Calamity, and its ribs were showing beneath its skin. But even as emaciated as it was, this beast still had the energy to prostrate and defend itself when it appeared it was cornered. Had it been a healthy member of its kind the wolf might have stood a half meter tall at the shoulder, but this one was clearly stunted or possibly a runt, and was little more than a third of a meter at most.

Upon seeing the beast Opta's eyes squinted in concentration, and after a moment he looked past the wolf to what lied beyond it. After some searching his eyes suddenly popped open and he could barely contain a laugh as he pointed on towards a crevice in the back wall of the cavern. Those that followed his gesture would barely be able to pick out two pairs of tiny eyes reflecting off the light from Opta's staff. They moved about in the dark awkwardly, as if they were both trying to stay still but also see what was happening at once. Opta leaned over towards the survivors and spoke lowly so as not to upset the wolf in front of them. "Momma's got some pups 'ere, musta been lookin' fer shelter so's she could birth 'em." Opta took the risk to move his eyes off the emaciated she-wolf and looked directly at the survivors.

"Wot's yer move?"


GM Notes:
Red Shadow Claws Heyitsjiwon Northless Crocodile Crumbli

Congratulations! You have all survived the leech bat swarm and have secured a source of clean drinking water as well as a place of shelter. And thanks to the quick reactions of the mage you all managed to come out relatively unscathed. Unfortunately Marius acquired 1 Wound as a result of his minimally armored state, but the rest of you were able to react fast enough that the bites left by the leech bats are only superficial cuts and lesions.

Now you face an emaciated wolf mother and at least two of her cubs. What will you all do?

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

With the plan set, Josef picked up a large rock and on cue, threw it to the mouth of the cave. He heard a satisfying crack, but all sense of accomplishment vanished by the sudden fury of flapping wings. Josef found himself beset quickly. He would find himself swinging methodically... the air was almost thick enough to the point where he could randomly swing and still hit something. But maintaining his wits, he was conservative, and swung at those that were uncomfortably close to him. Then came the large whoosh of the fire, which drove a large part of the leech bats out of the cave. Things seemed to be going to plan as Josef dealt with the stragglers, until the flurry of wings started to return from the cave entrance. A second fireball seemingly came from nowhere, but it directly hit the swarm of leech bats directly, turning the bulk of them a crisp.

Josef sighed a breath of relief as the Old Man came in with a small makeshift torch and led the group to the fresh water pond. Fresh water... that was a luxury that he had not seen nor enjoyed for what felt like an eternity. He was quick to try and walk forward to quench his thirst and begin to fill his waterskin. That is, when he heard the growling.

Josef looked over to the mother wolf. It was clear she was rather desperate, but he also know that her priority was to protect her cubs and wouldn't attack the group of six people by herself unless she had to. Personally... it didn't seem to be much of a threat, not to him at least. He had heard and seen the aftermath of much worse... mutated wolves and purple bears... they terrorized many rural settlements. But this situation, Josef wasn't concerned by much. He looked over to the group and said "Well, there's a lot of cooked and minced uhh... leach bats that are going to start stinking up the cave if we don't do anything about them. I'm sure there's enough leech bats to keep the wolf and its pups busy for a while and leave us alone. Besides, I'm not sure if leach bats are good eats for people. Seeing how they sucked our blood... I don't think its a good idea for us to eat them anyways. Plus, the wolf mum can be our lookout if we leave it be and stay here for a few nights. Regardless, it would be a good idea for us to look around the cave, gather the leech bat remains to give them to the wolf or throw it outside, and see if there's anything useful around the cave."