Aquatic Nightmare

A creepy shack, made from rotting wood, stands alone in the swamp. The shack is rather large for what appears to be a lone dwelling, indicating that the owner has a profitable hobby for being a hermit. That wealth has clearly not gone unnoticed, as the door has been busted down by thieves, and smoke is still rising from the chimney. It is unlikely that if the thieves were successful in subduing the owner, that they have left in time. Esstrey is about to make sure that any thieves left will never leave again.

Carefully entering much quieter than any being as large as her has any right to, she scans the poorly lit room for occupants. A dead harpy... no, the corpse on the ground has arms as well as wings, and their head is that of a bird. A dead [Avian-kin] according to The Central Governor lies on the ground, fresh blood still pooled around the corpse. Loud rummaging is coming from two places in the shack, and as the figures come into the light, as they make contact with Esstrey they freeze up. Two dog-like creatures stare at the massive mermaid, and she stares back.

Then one of the [Kobold]s begins to speak in a drunken Bavarian accent. "Piswijf..." The magic of the old translation spell has clearly worn off, or simply doesn't work here. Or perhaps both.

"Piswijf inderdaad, dat tyfusding is enorm!" The bandits hurry to stand together and have their crappy spears point at the latest intruder.

Esstrey simple smiles at the gibberish of the bandits, and positions herself wide to block them from leaving. No one leaves the shack today, not alive. The dogs whisper some more between each other, and charge at the mermaid blocking their path. Esstrey countercharges them, and slams one to the back of the shack with her tail, while clawing the other. The one that was clawed falls screaming to the ground, as massive rends have nearly torn him to shreds. The fact that he's still alive is impressive. The one that was thrown back rises to his feet, a bit concussed. As his vision clears up, he readies himself to go again. Esstrey repeats the first trick, intent on turning them both into screaming whimpering wrecks bleeding on the floor.

Her plan is halted when the remaining dog gets a thick layer of stone as armor just before the strike connects. The [Kobold] winces as the strike tears off chunks of stone, and he staggers from the sheer force of the attack, but manages to remain standing. Esstrey is surprised, some random bandit knows magic? Being able to make rock armor is a rather high-end magical usage of earth magic, and it should be especially hard to do under pressure unless you want to end up crushing yourself.

Esstrey's musing's get interrupted by the spear of the [Kobold] striking at her tail, but due to the shape and hardness of the tail it gets deflected. She quickly counterattacks by grabbing the dog by the leg, and squeezes. The dog screams in pain as the rock that used to protect it is currently digging into its legs, and to finish him off, she uses him as a flail, crushing the floor with him. He falls unconscious on the spot, and his spear clatters to some corner of the shack.

Now that the thieves are dealt with, Esstrey can properly analyze her surroundings. The dead [Avian-kin] on the ground is wearing some odd clothing that would often be worn by evil witches in stories, which frankly just looks a bit ridiculous. The entire shack is lined with bottled ingredients, and a large pot stands in the center. The pot is still on top of a fire, and it seems to be just boiling water. The roof is rather high up, which is the only reason Esstrey can even stand up straight here. There is also a hatch, which seems to lead to a rather creepy basement. Not for it seeming to be dark and abandoned, but more because it looks like the basement of satanic cultists. An obvious ritual area dominates the center, and there are even restraints down here for visitors.

Going back up to the shack itself, she begins grabbing the dogs and carrying them downward. One is completely still but alive, the other is still writing in pain while whimpering. She begins to chain the dogs up downstairs, and the concious one mutters and whimpers in what is obviously begging for his life. Esstrey doesn't speak his language, and he doesn't speak her language, but that doesn't mean she can't get a message across to shut him up for a bit.

"I wonder if the lady upstairs begged for her life before you guys killed her, I wonder if you even gave her the chance to." Esstrey points in the direction of the corpse as she says it calmly, and the dog seems to understand as all hope seems to leave him.

With that done, Esstrey heads back upstairs and begins taking stock. If the thieves were desperate enough to attack a magical chemist, there must be some valuable potions or ingredients here. Its not like the witch will miss them. Esstrey's stomach gnaws at her as she's checking. Right, she hasn't eaten in... damn how long was she even out of the dimensions? Things don't change in extradimensional space, but that doesn't mean she was meant to be there for very long. Who knows what kind of effects such extreme displacement could have on the body of a material. Esstrey tries to find some edible things, but the pantry of the witch was severly lacking. She looks around for anything to eat, and her eyes go over the corpse of the [Avian-kin] next to the cooking pot, which still has boiling water in it.

"I wonder if avians taste like chicken..."