You Smell of Wet GELF

He'd been standing with Jay and Cass discussing underwear when the creatures burst in. After that, things were a little hazy. Somehow – amid fighting and some kind of energy bursts - he'd been ushered out of the collapsing, crackling tunnels, which were suddenly swarming with the demon-like things.

<snip>... from the mouth of the cave came the beasts.</snip>

They'd all managed to haul themselves up out of the hole, scrambling, desperate, not wanting to become demon fodder. Or worse.

Alex's eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the sudden light, but he could make out the creatures bundling out of the collapsing tunnels and bounding startlingly up onto the grass.
Bloody hell!
He felt exposed and unfocused – boxers and bare feet wasn't exactly ideal battle garb.
Everything unfolded at speed.
Jacky ran past, after Molly with several of the creatures in pursuit. Someone screamed. There was Jay and Cass. The new guy and Plisken were trying to fight the creatures off. White Wolf was rearing up, baring his large teeth at a would-be hamster muncher.
Solvay backed against a tree, watching, thinking, apparently not yet of interest to the hulking foes.

Phil flew out of the hole, mystical robes ablaze – obviously he'd been caught in the new guy (Garth?)'s crossfire. He ran, yelling, to the lake, seemingly oblivious to the creatures, flapping his blazing arms wildly. His cries and flames attracted the beasts – much to Molly and Jacky's relief – who all wheeled and stomped after him, the larger ones' heavy feet kicking up dust clouds and causing the ground to shake.

The Dwarfers followed at a cautious distance, several using the opportunity to arm themselves with rocks and sticks. Such basic weapons might not be particularly effective against the hefty beings, but it just felt better to be armed.

Phil leapt, squawking, into the lake, where his robes were soon extinguished with a cartoonish “fsssszzttt” and an “aaahhhh” from the GELF himself. He swam a little way, letting his robes float about him.
“That is so much better!” He turned and gave the others a grin and a watery thumbs up. The smile fell clean off his face when he noticed the 'demons' congregated on the shore.
“Oh smeg.”
He held up his hands in a 'stay' gesture. “You don't wanna come in here" he told them "... it's really cold.”
One of them snarled.
“Seriously” he continued “you'll hate it.”
Being spoken to and gestured at just seemed to enrage the beasts further.
The apparent leader threw its head back and released a brain-throbbing battle cry before charging straight into the lake, followed closely by its oversized troops.

They swam in an aptly turtle-like formation, making a bee line for the unfortunate Phil, whose crew-mates watched helplessly from the shore, separated from him by both the water and the creatures. They goggled in mute horror as he turned and swam for it, demons hot on his paddling heels.

FeBuggure desperately tried to propel himself away from the deranged creatures but he was slowed by his extravagant dress. He swam deeper and deeper into the lake, pushing on till his muscles burned, then pausing to sneak a look back.

His already ragged breath caught in his throat as a colossal alligator appeared, snapping, from the depths and snatched the demon-creatures up in a gigantic mouthful before it began to roll, crushing and killing them.
Before Phil had chance to process what was happening and swim away, an almost unimaginably massive tentacle then burst through the water's surface, sending spray in every direction. It coiled itself tightly and efficiently around the rotating alligator, and wrenched it below the surface after a brief, but violent, struggle.

Then, all was calm.

After a few moments of shocked silence the shore-bound Dwarfers started yelling and beckoning.
“Phil! Phil! Get back to shore.”
The GELF looked around at the horribly still water. Something dark moved behind him.
“Come ON Phil!”

They watched as he shook himself out of his daze and swam back to the water's edge as fast as his mystical little arms and legs could transport him.

Jay hauled his soaking wet friend out of the murky shallows and onto the dusty shore.
“Bloody hell, mate. You had us worried there for a minute.”
“Yeah. That was close.”
They swapped a smile then laughed, gently at first as if enjoying a shared joke. 'Gently' became 'raucous' - the relief and ridiculousness of the situation evidently tickling them.
Everyone else stared at them, still somewhat disturbed by the day's events.
Alex gazed across the deceptively serene water and swallowed hard.

“Uhm, okay.” White Wolf scratched his hamstery ear. “I think now would be a good time to return to camp, am I right?”
Jay wiped away a tear of mirth. “Yeah, you're right. Come on everyone, let's regroup, gather our thoughts.”

They trudged, and squelched, back to camp to find a rather sunburned Seymour peacefully dozing on his 'bed', making happy little sleep noises. The tiny rodent who'd hopped into camp the other day was curled up cosily on the man's stomach, also asleep.
Phi and Efof were over near the westerly edge of the clearing, playing some kind of game with Katrina and Max. And there, sat propped against a log, was a very confused looking... was that Jaxx? He looked kinda different than Alex remembered.

At the others' shuffled, chattering arrival, Seymour awoke with a snort, startling the little creature, who hopped off and gave him an indignant squeak, in a cute display of rodentine anger. Niples didn't even seem to notice it.
“Huh. Uh. Wha? Is it time for dinner already?”

The dishevelled, cave-and-demon-surviving Dwarfers all treated the well-rested Seymour to a filthy look. The dripping Phil's glare was especially searing.

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