ToA: Session 25

The Final Stand of Bucket
Out from the jungle a Javelin appears! It strikes Bucket with great force, lightning arcing around and into him. He tries to return the favor with four blasts, but the electricity has messed up his control and they go wide!

Three great six-legged Panthers pounce the group, two of them dedicating their attention to Bucket. Bucket weaves and waves around their massive paws but the bites prove to be harder to avoid. Behind the Panthers their ghoul masters approach urging them to kill their enemies. All the while continuing to throw javelins after the group.

In the center Fargus joins the melee, and together they manage to take down one of the cats! So Fargus then turns his attention to the Ghoul! It seemed to be urging the now wounded panther to continue fighting even if its mate were dead. But so far it was proving to be much harder to hit than the panther he and Bucket had managed to slay.

A bit further back in the clearing Daedalus had set up a cannon to provide fire support, while Neb snuck around and sniped at the undead and panthers. But unfortunately the third panther had been sent to "deal" with Daedalus, along with a ghoul a bit behind it. Daedalus exchanges shots with the ghoul but the Panther pounces him! It knocks Daedalus to the ground and does its best to maul him! He injures it greatly but in the end he is knocked unconscious.

At this moment Bucket also go down. It seems that the D-Squads fate hangs in the balance! As Daedalus is being dragged away and Bucket lies dying his comrades fight for their lives.

The combined effort of Fargus and Neb proves to be just enough to slay the ghouls and drive away the Panthers. But the cost for this proves to be high. While Daedalus survives another close brush with death, Bucket, well, Bucket does not.

He died as he lived, a being forged for War. Fighting. Dying next to comrades, and the closest things he knew to a family.

'''What happens next? Will the rest of the Squad make it in time to the Fort? And will they maybe find someone familiar there? Find out next time on Tomb of Annihilation!'''