Ajakstu shrugs, happy to move on. He hums tunelessly as they set off after the Duke.

As the group proceeds, the cobwebs get thicker and thicker, not that The Duke has any difficulty moving forward at all.

And then, just when it seems that The Duke might have stomped his way through the worst of the cobwebs, and the far end of the corridor seems to be getting easier to see: an attack! Spiders!

Spiders of various sizes descend to attack. The smallest are smaller than Rake. The largest are roughly the size of an average housecat.

(Everyone roll to defend: Forceful if you concentrate on smashing the spiders, Agile if you focus on using agility and dexterity to just smack them away.

Ajakstu Gul, Rake is very excited by the spiders, and he starts attacking them and eating the smallest as quickly as he can. Whatever you roll, add an extra +1 to it.)

13:31, Today: Ajakstu Gul rolled 9 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 3,3.  Agile to defend plus Rake.

"Yes, kill them! Eat them!" Ajakstu yells encouragingly to Rake.

"Hey! Big Guy! My new friend is helping us, so don't smash him in your zeal to destroy!" he shouts to The Duke.

The Duke snarls at the pests crawling all over him and starts hitting ans stomping wildly around in an attempt to get them off and following Rakes example eating some of the beasts.

ooc: 20:01, Today: The Duke rolled 7 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 2,3.  Duke SMASH!!

- rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 3,5.  Agile to swoosh them away.

The Lady was annoyed by these annoying ants.  She hadn't had to deal with paparazzi for ... how long now?

On one hand, none of the adventurers were able to avoid getting bitten entirely (each of you lose one health level), but on the other hand, thanks mostly to The Duke and Rake, when the battle is over, it's over.

Soon the human-shaped adventurers (and Rake) are through to the other side of the webs, and the arachnid-adventurer combat is over. (At least as long as no one ventures back in there...)

The Lady notes that while the corridor continues onward straight ahead for a while, that they are also currently standing right near a door labeled PROGRAMMING.

The door is open, revealing many rooms within, along with furniture of some sort.

As far as other details, it's dark in there, but it may be one of those situations where the room or rooms light up automatically as soon as one walks in.

The Duke came unhappy out of the battle. He was clearly wounded now and many of the bites and scratches on his body where oozing blood and one of the big spiders he tried to eat had bitten him in his tongue making it swollen and throb painfully. Actually the Duke had never been this hurt in his life and all thoughts of fixing water and talking to the programmers about his favorite tv program he instead slumps to the floor and starts crying like a small child about just how his tongue hurts and that he wants to go back home.

ooc: I think its time i ask how healing works here ;-)

Ajakstu stares at The Duke indignantly. "This is now time for weeping! While you may be discomfited by your showing against the spiders, I, too, have been bitten and harrassed! Truly, having barely gained my escape from those wretched felines, I would have thought we would be headed to an ale house for a celebration!"

The Lady ignored the rantings of the angry man, and sat gently down next to The Duke.
She patted him on the arm, and said, "There, there" for a while.
If he wanted to lean his massive head on her, she tried to stay upright ... and maybe even offer him something that resembled a hug.

The Duke tensed under the ladies gentle caress as the new man speaks harshly at the duke and she can see sparks come from the implants on his head as he wants to smash the puny man but Foers forbids him too. After a while he just sniffles and gives the lady a sad look.

I forgot our food outside. I am a bad guardian aint i? Come let us see if there is something inside here to eat."

And with an angry glare at the hat wearing a man the Duke saunters on.

(Feel free to do an Insightful roll to search for edible food, any of you)

Ajakstu looks ruefully at Rake. "Yet another on the list of those who would give us the stink eye as opposed to just DOING THEIR JOB!"

He ad;y follows the others.

10:54, Today: The Duke rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 2,6.  Munchies hunt.

"Lets try in there?" the Lady said, rising ... and trying not to display to her large, fragile friend the pain she feels from the stinging spider bites.
And, she turns to offer him a hand ... as though she might help him up.

When he has risen, she walks with him towards the darkened PROGRAMMING room.

The Programming Department (and the lights DO come on when people walk in, by the way-- not brightly, but bright enough so that one doesn't walk into a desk and hurt oneself) was apparently important enough that its workers had little barracks to live in, including not only beds but also a kitchen//break room.

The food, of course, has long since become inedible.

There is water, though... and, growing out of the sink, there are brightly-colored mushrooms that smell deliciously nutty.

Ajakstu Gul's new pet, Rake the beetle, flies to them and begins happily munching on them.

Could this be a positive sign that they are edible to human-like life forms, as well...?

The Duke was not one to wait around. He needed comfort food after all so tries to beat Rake into eating them. MAybe eating Rake was a nice side snack?

The mushrooms taste like cinnamon. Not like SUGAR and cinnamon, sadly, just cinnamon. Kind of dry. They seem perfectly edible, though, especially with a glass of water to help wash them down.

(The Duke takes -1 on his next Forceful roll (as will anyone who eats them), but otherwise, the mushrooms are nutritious and not poisonous//have no other side effects. A (kind of plain//boringly one-note) meal can indeed be made of them... and there are beds nearby for resting.)

The Duke used to bad food silently finds a place to chew away at the dry stuff taking his time and drinking lots. He enven takes a moment to relieve himself and lick his painful scratches.

ooc: Healing 2 healt damage.

The Programmers' barracks has functioning restroom facilities, so that's good.

Ajakstu takes a seat on one of the beds after thoroughly inspecting it for vermin. Wistfully chewing one of the mushrooms he finally asks, "Exactly WHY are you... we... here again? I mean, I heard you say water, but it seems quite plentiful down here."

"Tree outside has not enough. And it will halp us if we give it its water back."

He says munching away and coughing at the dryness in his mouth.

The lady nodded at The Duke's response, but then elaborated.
"We seek information from a being that resides in the world above this place.   The usual water levels it is accustomed to seeing come from this underground place has dwindled lately.  To purchase it's knowledge, we are required to find out why the water is diminishing ... and restore it, if possible".

When The Duke lay down to lick his wounds, The Lady drew a sheet and cover over him, and sat beside on the edge of that bed.
Then, she began to sing a soft lullaby, as she stroked his hair.
Her intent, evidently, was to lull him to sleep.

Because she sure as hell could do with some also.

The Duke takes little time to sink into a snoring sleep the last mumbled words slowly leaving his lips in a mighty yawn.

_{"So lucky to be send away from home with you."}

Ajakstu pokes about the room, looking for something of greater use or value.

OOC will roll Insightful

Ajakstu Gul finds several pencils, a pencil sharpener, a few computer terminals that won't power on, one that does power on, a note that reads: this week's password: GeneticOpera, a small safe, and a bottle of liquor in someone's desk.