Grimbuld seems to recognize the creature. He gestures to the group, first pointing to his own eyes, then to the creature's, and then squints, implying that it has poor eyesight. He then points at the creature's tail, drawing attention to a barb that it has near the end.
Grimbuld risks raising his head enough to look around, wary that there may be a second one lurking. He gestures towards the hole the creature came from, then points to his own eyes, indicating he's looking for another ambush point.
Grimbuld's perception: 13
Kina's perception: 14

Grimbuld and Kina don't seem to see any other holes.

((Everything okay here? Did notifications just hiccup? Also, if things aren't quite going in a direction you find particularly interesting, don't be afraid to say so, I can adjust things; though if crap is just happening because CRAP IS HAPPENING, that's ok. I don't want anyone to be rushed.))

ooc: I think we just all collectively paused for a second. Normally its just one of us at a time.

Lazlo will dramatically pantomime as best he could that this beast looks like it could kill them and they should probbly leave well enough alone, say a silent prayer for the unfortunate victim/meal, and be on their way as quickly and quietly as they can. 

Performance 18

((Yeah, I'll admit, I've found it quite difficult to keep my creative juices flowing when things just seem so damn dire. Also, we've got a polar vortex going on overhead that has been keeping me in agony all bloody week.))

Grimbuld doesn't look too terribly concerned since he doesn't see any other burrows, but then, this is also a ranger who used to routinely go out and harvest troll blood to make healing potions. There probably aren't a whole lot of animals Grimbuld is afraid of, and even if there were, he wouldn't let on.

Aelar points at his head, then gestures vaguely back in the direction of Guiston while mouthing Raia.  Then he makes a gesture which encompasses everyone, and then uses his fingers to 'walk' away from the creature.

ooc: How's everyone doing?

Erich glance around for final assessment, "I think we need to take this next fight away from our wall, preferably in a terrain advantageous for us. We can use the oil and the cannon as it take less time than to prepare for the trap. Of course, unless we have some trapmasters who would say otherwise. What do you think, Fintreun? Captain?" 

OOC: So sorry for the late reply. I didn't know what to say in the beginning and it dragged out. So sorry.

Lazlo walks away from the eating monster as quickly and quietly as he can. 

Aelar follows suit, urging the others with his eyes and hands to follow.  He was always willing to take risks, but their needed to be something to gain from the risks, and there wasn't anything like that here.

Stealth 14

((I'm just recovering after a spinal procedure. This time, it wasn't the usual epidermal steroid injection, they inserted probes into my spine and essentially microwaved the nerves giving me pain. I can't tell if I have pain relief yet because I'm still recovering from being stabbed in 6 places on my back with long, thin needles. You know that scene in the Matrix where they're rebuilding his muscles? That was my back. Yes, it felt a little freaky and the injection points hurt like a sob.))

Get well 🙂

(I can only imagine the pain. Rest well, don't strain yourself. get well soon!)

((It wasn't hugely painful but I sure do feel like I got stabbed in the back NOW. I'm more sore than anything else, and a little grumpy. I'll post soon.))

Following Aelar's lead, the group is able to sneak away from the feeding shovelhead undetected. (No need for the rest of the party to roll for stealth) and are able to continue their way to the outpost, making it there by mid-day.

Weather: 80

The morning mist gives way to a bright and beautiful day, giving fantastic visibility. As such, the group can see something else on the horizon as they near the outpost; they're not the first ones there. Eight figures can be seen at the outpost, apparently struggling to find a way into the structure. It's a 5-story tall tower structure with a robust 'turret' section at the top, complete with ballistas and cannons. The outpost clearly was meant to survive and repel quite the attacking force. Despite the amount of time it's been abandoned, it looks to be in very good condition.

The group surrounding the outpost can be heard banging away at the main entrance. With their attention on their task, they don't see the party approaching. They're outside of bow range currently, the distance of two city blocks away; Aelar can make out that they're wearing the same kind of tattered rags as the man who was taken by the shovelhead, and two of them are injured.

The captain rubs his chin.
"Can't say I'm much of a trapper myself, what did you have in mind for the oil?" he asks.
The sheriff, curious, manages to take the cannon off its stand and finds he's able to haul the weapon on his shoulders without too much discomfort.
"Without the mounting, I suppose we could get a shot off with this thing if we propped it up on some rocks. One shot would be all we'd get though; probably flip itself off into the next county. Not that we'd be able to get more than one shot off, really, if those bastards are as fast as they say."

The captain goes back to the map of the area.

"The caves would be the best place to set up an ambush, I would think; they make the most sensible bottle neck. Anything else... well, we'd have to build a trench or something to make the creatures fall in to funnel them through an effective trap. The mouth of the caves, at the very least, we know where they'll be coming from and that they'll just run in a straight line towards the first target they see." he says.

He pauses, then points to a spot just north of the outpost.

"However, there are some very steep hills here... if someone was to take a running leap, they'd plummet a good thirty to fourty feet and land on some craggy rocks. It's quite a ways from the caves, though. We'd have to lure them to this point."

 Aelar passes along what he sees.  "Grimbuld, Kina, do you know anything about this place?"

Grimbuld shakes his head.
"Haven't had much reason to come to this place, I figured it would be like any other outpost. Generally avoided matters for the city, after all." he says.
Kina, similarly, shrugs.
"There's a herd trail not too far from here, but we didn't bother with the place, mostly because of Halgrave's prejudices. He wanted as little to do with 'two leggers' as he could. I think I approached this outpost ONCE when we were running low on certain supplies, before it was abandoned, and even then, it was just some quick trading. I couldn't tell you much about it other than it looked pretty well armed back then. If it was locked up like the mill, then chances are the supplies inside are still there and probably usable."
Grimbuld prods Kina with his bow.
"That WAS the arrangement, after all, payment for securing the outpost and watch tower, we can take whatever we want out of there. I figured it would be an affordable way for you kids to outfit yourself with military-grade supplies. Besides, the new council will probably be updating the outpost to better defend against the Skell threat."

Erich taps on his temple to think, "Digging a trench at this time of the day is already a little too late, I think. We have a better chance with the cave mouth since we can focus on one front. Luring them out will be too risky of a move I say, there's no guarantee that your soldier can outrun that thing, if these creature are hardy enough, they may survive the fall and how can we say they can't climb back up? Dividing our force like this is quite inefficient. We can use the canon as the first line of fire on the ambush, hopefully we can bash as many heads as possible, then, the soldiers will have to come in and do the reaping on those that remain. There are another eight hardy man that came with us, we are the most intact among all of us in this post currently, let's take this chance while we're still full of energy to end this tonight." 

Lazlo is curious as to what the hunters are doing. He wonders if they are friendly? Probably. "Hello there travelers! Are you in need of help or assistance?"  Hoping to have caught their attention he waves affably in their direction, smiling wide. 

When Lazlo shows himself, the scavengers trying to break into the outpost wheel around. They don't seem particularly happy to have company.
"That's quite far enough! You lot shove off, this is our salvage!" one of the men shouts. They're armed with simple spears, which is probably why they haven't had much success opening the main door. They don't move up to meet the party head on, but they do take defensive positions. The apparent leader of the group is spattered with blood and has been injured. All the men look a little wild and desperate.

Meanwhile...

The Sheriff seems pleased enough with the plan of action.
"Right, then. We'll meet them at their doorstep. With sufficient caution, we should be able to at least better scout the situation once we get there." he says, hoisting the barrel of the cannon over his shoulder.
"If things go south, we can always try one of the other strategies, certainly." he says.
"We shouldn't tarry any longer, agreed." The Captain says, noting the other mercenaries that have stepped up and are ready to travel.
The other mercenaries are largely soldiers, lacking any exotic equipment of their own, but are well armed and armored enough to hold their own, and more importantly, are far fresher than the ones at the outpost.