Dungeons of the Kragmor Plains(Devilbird)

[Sallin_Kari]

"What about health potions?" Elisa points out, "Considering what happened last time, I'd like to have at least one before we start trampling though the dungeon."

[devilbird]

My heart sinks when I think I have to go back to Kalia's shop already. But Elisa was right, it would be suicide to march into the dungeon without at least something to help heal. I agree to go and tell her that she doesn't need to follow me in. I'll need to check on the price, but I decide that I should probably buy at least two potions for each of us. That will keep us going for awhile, and help cover for anything extreme that might find us again. With that in mind, I make my way to the shop and head inside.

[Sallin_Kari]

Kalia is apparently still not running the front, leaving it to the golem, so perhaps you can buy them without her noticing you are back. A quick check lists the common ones as 25 gold a piece.

[devilbird]

I breathe a sigh of relief, but I keep my guard up. I go to the golem and ask for prices. When it shows me how much each potion is, I buy three with my remaining money. I now only have enough gold for a single night at the inn. Still, this at least gives me two potions for Elisa as she takes the front, and one for me if anything gets by her. With that, I thank the golem and make my way outside. It was time to tackle the dungeon once more.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Actually I was thinking the price was on the shelf they were on but... that works too.

You quickly buy the potions and withdraw to Elisa, but she stops you from heading directly to the dungeon, "Hold on a moment, let's attune our crystals before we head in." She leads you to the spire in the middle of the plaza, and holds the two crystals to it. There is a slight humming, and a slight glow from the crystals and when it stops she pulls them back, "Alright, we're good now. If we teleport into the dungeon with them, we'll end up in the same place."

[devilbird]

She is right yet again. I chastise me impatience, as it will get the better of me if I let it keep up. I watch her activate the crystals. Once she is done, I try to consider if there is anything else that I should do before entering the dungeon. If not, then I begin my delve. If not, then I take care of what other tasks I may need first.

[Sallin_Kari]

As you considering what needs to be done, your robes suddenly flips up, revealing your panties to the world for a split second, and you hear the familiar giggling of a pixie. Kal Kul zips around your head asking with a teasing tone, "You're planning to go out in that? What happened to your other outfit?" She's right, you're still in the robes you bought when you weighed down by the goblin, which are probably too loose to be a good idea in the dungeon... too easy to have it grabbed or catch on something. And speaking of which, you did summon both her and Tulimak, meaning, regardless of your feelings about her 'skirt' flip, you can't retaliate as that is her payment for her summon, and that you owe Tulimak some food.

[devilbird]

I blush as I force my skirt back down as quickly as possible. She reminds me that I need to get dressed back into my regular clothes before heading out, which means I need to head back to the inn and grab them. They should be dry by now, right? I was a bit worried about what would happen if I ran into Hilde, but it didn't matter as she was likely going to be there no matter what, and I needed to go there regardless. If I ran into her, I'd just have to suck it up and give her the apology she deserved.

[Sallin_Kari]

As luck would have it, it's in the middle of the lunch rush so Hilde is in the kitchen, so you make it back to your room unscathed, as Kal Kul follows you, asking, "I hope you aren't planning on making me fight a giant owlbear again. That hurt... alot."

[devilbird]

"Nope," I say as I check to see if my clothes are dry yet, "The owlbear is actually on our side now. I can already imagine how much fun you'll have taunting monsters and then leading them around a corner, only to have him waiting for them. If I weren't concerned about him being in danger from it, I'd even say you could use him to scare the daylights out of hapless villagers. Perhaps when we get back home where people are more used to our shenanigans."

If my clothes are dry enough, I get dressed and head back down to the lobby. Since it's during a rush, I ask a few people if they care about their leftovers. If they are willing to let me have them, then I have some tasty food to pay Tulimak as well. I feed him, pet him and thank both him and Kal Kul for their help yesterday. Now that I am prepared, I reunite with Elisa and head into the dungeon.

[Sallin_Kari]

"You managed to tame that thing? ... I knew there was a reason you caught my eye! Fun times ahead," You see a twinkle in her eyes, "I can see it now... Can't wait to see the terror in our enemy's eyes when we sic that beast on them!" She chuckles cruelly to herself, looks like her sadistic side is showing after the pain she received, she gets a mischievous, "And then we can play with the villagers as well! I need to find an image crystal! I want to capture the surprise on their faces when we prank them." Her chuckles morph into that of an playful child.

While she is busy you check your cloths, and they're slightly cool to the touch but don't feel wet, so it should be fine.
Charm roll-27
Your attempts go very well, and many patrons are more than willing to part with their food to feed your dog, though you suspect that many are doing simply because you have a cute face and some of them are hoping that it will allow them to get closer to you. Still, after Tulimak starts munching on the first bit of food, a few others come over to pet him and give him a few select pieces, including the crown jewel of his meal, a T-bone from a steak. He, being the good manners dog that he is, thanks the donor with a few big sloppy dog kisses, his tail wagging enthusiastically.

The two of them follow you back to the plaza in a good mood, and Kal Kul asks, "So do you want us to enter with you, or do you want to wait and see if you need us?" Tulimak looks up from his bone to await the answer.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I was thinking that Kal Kul is usually pretty harmless but has a bad habit of returning any pain she receives many times over, typically against the person who harmed her, but anyone associated is good enough. In this case the association is for the monsters in the dungeon.

Also I sort of see Tulimak as a Rottweiler complete with the stub tail.

[devilbird]

I start off thinking that it would be best to dismiss them for now, and summon them for when I need them most. However, Kal Kul get's me thinking. "Kal, why don't you stick around for a bit?" I say, "You might be able to help us scout out the dungeon safely. We can avoid tougher monsters, while ambushing weaker ones for supplies and riches. You are small and quick enough to sneak around without getting caught, and if you do, you can just lead the monster somewhere and then unsummon."

[Sallin_Kari]

"Understood. I'll keep an eye out for any owlbears sneaking around," She says, playfully sticking her tongue out.
"Speaking of which, are you going to summon him, or how does that work?" Elisa asks.

[devilbird]

"I'll summon him while in the dungeon," I reply, "It'll take a bit, so I want him before a fight actually breaks out, but I also don't want to have him out where guards will try to attack him"

It occurs to me that a lot of hassle could be avoided if I could get people to be alright with him ahead of time. People just saw me with various summons already, so a few are probably already aware of what I can do. Maybe when I'm in town again, I should talk to someone in charge and see if I can get a permit or something for my summons. Something that I can show people to show that Cikuma means no harm. Besides, it would be nice if I could take him into an armorer's shop and get him fitted for barding without freaking everyone out. It might also help me protect my children as well. The make-shift lair will be helpful, but so will people knowing not to attack them in the first place.

[Sallin_Kari]

She nods, "Alright."
"YAY! I get to see the big boy in action," Kal Kul throws her hands up in the air, dragging herself up a few inches.
"She's... happy..." Elisa comments.

You head on through the gate, and you hear Kal Kul comment, "This feels weird... Like when you summon me... but you're drunk."

Regardless you once again find yourself with in the dungeon, and after a few minutes Cikuma appears before you. "I see I am needed... Too be honest, I expected that you wouldn't venture in today." Kal Kul, despite her previous excitement, is wary around Cikuma, hovering just out of range, before slowly inching closer, eventually patting Cikuma on the head. Her facial expression immediately changes to wonder, and she belly flops onto his head, "Oh my Queen's Wings! He's so soft! He's like a giant bear sized pillow!!!" She squirms around, as if she's trying burrow herself completely within his feathers, and gets pretty close at times.

[devilbird]

"Sorry Cikuma," I say after I summon him, "We need to build up some funds before we can do anything else. The plan is to overpower weaker creatures and earn resources. If things get too intense for either of you, let me know. I know we intend of falling back if we find ourselves out of our depths again. On the plus side, it looks like you've made a new friend."

I chuckle as Kal Kul fawns over the owlbear. "Isn't he though," I say grinning, "He makes me want to cuddle up with him in front of a warm fire and read a book."

I give Cikuma a few pats of my own before turning serious again, saying, "Alright, so Kal Kul will scout out for us and make sure that we don't run into any nasty surprises. If she thinks we can handle them, she'll reveal herself and lead them back to us. We'll lie in wait and ambush them when they get too close. Everyone should do their best to eliminate as many targets as we can before they can retaliate. Any questions or concerns?"

If the plan sounds good to everyone, we press onward.

[Sallin_Kari]

"It is no issue to me, I was more concerned for you," Cikuma replies, before looking up, "I've met a fairy that was equally taken to my fur as she is... though she seems to be a different type."
Elisa watching the two of you stroke Cikuma's fur, slowly reaches over and pats him as well.

"Yeah, I got one," Elisa raises her hand, "How are we going to communicate with Kal Kul? Are we just going to be hiding around a corner until she comes back or is there some sort of signal? What if she gets taken out? Would we know something happened?"
"Hehe!" Kal Kul happily bounces off of Cikuma, using the opportunity to brag, "I have the ability to manipulate air so it can carry sounds over great distances... I usually use it to throw my voice so people think I'm in a different place to spook them!"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Just to clarify, you'd know if one of your summons gets killed/dispelled.

[devilbird]

"Kal Kul can send us messages using her ability without revealing us. We pop out when she gives the word and rush the enemy. And while I have confidence in her ability to evade most monsters, if something happens to her, I'll be able to tell," I explain.

I take a finger and give Kal a pat of pride on her tiny head. When it comes to utility, she had almost all of us beat. And while she might not pack much firepower, she held her own against Cikuma as well as Elisa or I. I'll probably never let her know, as she doesn't need that kind of ego, but I'm glad the little troublemaker is on our side, and am happy that she was one of my first summons. When we are all ready, I ask her to lead the way.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Just to give an idea of scale for Kal, she's about ten to eleven inches tall

Kal Kul absolutely beams with pride as you pat her head, before announcing, "I'm going to scout now." She zips into the darkness.
Encounter roll 20! Boss Room
After about ten minutes you hear her voice, "So... good news, bad news. I found some shinys, but they're being protected by a... cowman. He doesn't seem interested in chasing me either."

[devilbird]

So treasure, but guarded by most likely a minotaur. This sounds like a good opportunity for us, but that bull might be more trouble than Cikuma can potentially handle. Furthermore, it's behavior is odd, considering how this dungeon operates. I decide it's best to consult with both Elisa, whom has braved the dungeon a few times already, and Cikuma, whom until recently was a resident, on how to proceed.