Demons What Part 16

Lucy returns from her mission. Words spill out of her in a rush, no doubt having built up while she was moving stealthily. "It's musty and cobwebby and dusty and old. Looks mostly undisturbed...there were a few kobold prints that look relatively fresh, so they've been here, but don't come this way often..."

Serraphine gives a scratch of her chin as she ponders how this is turning out, she worked in the interim to try and keep people settled and keeping this organized and ready to move. She looks toward the water, then toward the door. "Well, we know that they know where we went down." She nods toward the pool they emerged from, "But they might not no where it comes up. So if we seal up on the other side of the door-" a nod toward it, "-and post guards watching where the tracks were leading from. I think that would give us the most protection to try and get some rest."

Bolide has left.

WhirledUp has reconnected.

WhirledUp has left.

Celeste hasn't yet bothered putting her armor back on; isntead, the half-orc picks a spot to plop down and lounge, stretching her legs and clasping her hands up behind her head. "Well," she admits with a loud yawn, "A few hours rest wouldn't go amiss, certainly." She shrugs her shoulders lightly. "Only question is, if we rest and the demons don't, how do we deal with them if they just go past us? Then we have to find a way through them."

WhirledUp has arrived.

As much as they needed to keep moving, they also needed to rest, or they would simply pass out from exhaustion. Felica wasn't going to be of any help unless she could get a full night's rest. So this would be another night for Felicia....

WhirledUp has partially disconnected.

Serraphine has reconnected.

Kerbasi has connected.

Kerbasi has disconnected.

What time it is is hard to tell, but at least keeping track of the hours that do pass is easy enough.

As Malorn settles into his watch, the chamber is quiet and sealed off. Only the occasional drip of water is audible, beyond the sounds of the men and women of the ship and his compatriots.

Somewhere in the distance, there are screeching sounds. Kobolds in battle. He can hear them, barely.

It doesn't get much louder. If anything, there are other sounds. Sounds one would associate with demons -- but it sounds like they're... losing.

Come on. Kobolds are terrifying and unafraid of deat

Malorn heads the sounds go from just kobolds fighting to kobolds losing and the sounds of demons. He moves around to wake up those who don't need 8 hours of sleep to rouse them. He speaks in hushed tones, "I believe the demons has followed us and are battling the kobolds right now. They could find us soon."

Felicia snores.

Serraphine is roused, and she looks... annoyed. Which could just ben Serraphine morning face, not to be confused with Serraphine evening face, or Serraphine lunch face. They all look annoyed, of course, it's a subtle difference. Like the way that her hair is sticking up off at odd angles since she hasn't yet worked it back yet and then tied it once more. She stares and then sniffles as she starts the process of getting her armor on.

"Okay." Serraphine says with a grumble as she's putting on her plate, "What's this all about? Kobolds? What?" She sniffs, still trying to knock the cobwebs out of her mind.

Now aake, some of you can /hear/ the sounds of battle. It's muted, distant, but it definitely sounds like the kobolds and demons are in a big fight. There's more demonic screams than kobold... though whether that's becasue there's more demons than them is hard to say.

It just doesn't sound like the demons are fairing well.

Malorn points up as he hears the sounds, 'Sounds like it's demons vs kobolds. When I woke you up the kobolds were losing, but now it sounds like they are winning. I thought it prudent to wake those that don't need as much rest incase we are attacked by the winners."

She sniffs, heavily, and Serraphine looks up to Malorn. She grumbles out, "We need to double the watch in the direction of those footprints - the direction they came from. But we need to let Felicia rest. She's one of the few people here that desperately needs it." She just hopes that her own attachment to Serriel will find itself replenished.

Malorn nods, "That's fine with me I got me rest before I came on watch. I should be fine for the day. I can stay up with the others."

Celeste snarls and grunts as she's woken up -- people ought to know, just let half-orc gladiatrixes sleep. But then, this isn't a particularly good time for that; so she stretches, yawns, and sits up. "...The demons are fighting the kobolds?" She sits up fully, and spffts before leaning her head back and laughing uproarously. "...Oh, that's fantastic." She jumps to her feet with renewed vigor, and sets about the business of putting her armor back on. "Finally, a turn for the better."

"I need an hour." Serraphine grumbles as she finishes strapping on a greave, "Felicia needs... What? Two?" She shakes her head, still trying to clear the sleep, "We'll double up until she's done sleeping, and then we'll move. We can only pray that the Kobolds will buy us enough time."

Lucy has reconnected.

Lucy yawns mightily and stretches. At first just a typical just-woke-up twisting about and rolling if the arms. Then when she sees there is time she begins a more in-depth set of calisthenics, to loosen and warm up a swordswoman's limbs and joints. "I'm sure the crew could use the extra rest too," she offers.

...so you wait! And wait.

...adn then wait some more.

The sounds quiet, then grow again, then quiet again. There's a tremor from above as if something heavy just hit the ground. There's a lot of demon-sounding yelling.

Time to go. Felicia is definitely woken by that tremor but she did get the rest she needed.

"uuuuuugh....." Felicia says as she wakes with a start. "The hell's going on up there?" She then looks to Serraphine. 'help me out with my armor, wouldja?"

Malorn goes to help the wounded that might need it as he waits for the others to get ready to go.

Celeste has spent the time waiting for Felicia to wake up seated on a rock, sharpening her sword; mostly because it's the most scary, menacing thing she can think of to do while sitting around waiting for two armies nobody likes to finish assaulting each other.

After her hour of meditation, she spent the rest of her time honing her own sword. Taking the time to make sure it was ready and spending some time watching down the path as well. But as Felicia stirs she heads over, feet tromping along with the light clatter of well made fullplate. "We've been waiting for you." She says, staring at Felicia with a frown, and then helps her into her armor.

"Imagine you have. Kinda needed the time though. Dunno why it works like that but that's how it works." She says picking up her shield once her armor's on and hangs her mace from her belt. "That tremor didn't sound good though. We should get moving...."

Lucy has her head tilted back to look at the ceiling. "You know...I was all for fighting the kobolds, but those little bastards are fighting the demons, and winning."

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE.

These winding paths that Lucy has scouted are leading you in the direction of an amazing battle! It's definitely getting louder and there's no doubt about it. You can all tell.

There are doors, of courser, and you bypass them with ease. There are offshoots, too, and you check them. Mostly, they seem to lead to various places that the gnomes who worked these tunnels might have once used. A workshop, for example, or a smelter. Seems whatever ore they mined here required refining.

Finally, you reach another door, that leads to a set of stairs /up/. The door is heavily trapped, though with time you're able to settle that and bypass them. The stairs leading up are going to be taking you right into harms way...

Of course, there is another option.

Stairs down.

However, there's... /heat/ coming from that direction that doesn't feel comfortable at all. No doubt, what ever's down there helps to fuel the hot springs you were just in.

Test

Lucy squints as she peers at the stares going up. At the stairs down she holds out her hands just like if she were warming them at a campfire. "Neither way seems very safe," she ventures. Perhaps subconciously she adjusts the collar of her blouse with a finger - or maybe the chain shirt she wears underneath.

Serraphine has partially disconnected.

it's times like these, that Celeste is glad her armor doesn't cover her entire self from top to bottom in metal. Still. The half-orc grinds her teeth, and shakes her head, "We should go down," she suggests. "If we go up we are guaranteed to go between two armies that are fighting, and we have too many wounded for that. At least if we go down there is a chance we can escape further casualties."

Malorn nods, "Down seems like the best way to go." He says as he looks up at the way up. "Hopefully we'll hear them coming through all those traps."

Serraphine looks up, then she looks down, then back toward Celeste as she raises an eyebrow. She had not expected to hear that from Celeste, and Malorn as well. She nods her head and gestures that way. "Let's go for it then. I'll pull up the rear."

GAME: Lucy rolls perception: (10)+12: 22

GAME: Felicia rolls perception: (7)+3: 10

GAME: Malorn rolls perception: (2)+13: 15

GAME: Serraphine rolls perception: (13)+4: 17

GAME: Celeste rolls perception: (13)+7: 20

GAME: Felicia rolls fort: (19)+7: 26

GAME: Malorn rolls fort: (5)+6: 11

GAME: Celeste rolls fortitude: (6)+6: 12

GAME: Lucy rolls fort: (14)+3: 17

GAME: Serraphine rolls fort: (12)+8: 20

Down you go.

IT isn't long before CEleste and Malorn are really dragging, and the crew is suffering in general to boot. The heat here is /intense/.

Still, with little option, ypu press on despite the threat of heat exhaustion.

Steam clouds the passageways, but you can feel something. A bit of a reprieve, a scent of cooler air that draws you through the winding paths. Something to follow.

And follow you do.

Running her fingers through her sweat-laden hair, Felicia doesn't feel this is much of a repreive from the battle going on higher up. "Ugh." She only complains slightly. Then they feel the cooler air, and she starts making her way towards it....

Malorn wipes the sweat from his forehead and he looks back, "Everyone okay?" He asks as he's not really too well but he's trying to tough it out. He leans against the wall as he feels the cooler air. "Thank goodness."

Lucy breathes easier at the feel of cooler air. But she also seems more keyed up. She keeps one hand on the hilt of her rapier while the other holds a short spear readied to throw at all times. "Don't let your guard down, don't let your guard down," she keeps whispering. To herself judging by the lowered volume.

Celeste is NOT having any sort of problem. Or, at the least, not one she's willing to admit to, even if the sweat is building up and basically just dripping off of her and her step is faltering. "HOtter than Kor's asshole down here," she grumbles, "Who's idea was this, anyway?" ...Oh, wait a second Celeste, it was your idea. And so the half-orc trudges along, grumbling to herself about how fighting the kobolds and demons would have been clearly preferable.

GAME: Serraphine rolls Perception: (9)+4: 13

GAME: Lucy rolls perception: (9)+12: 21

GAME: Malorn rolls perception: (11)+13: 24

GAME: Celeste rolls perception: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)

Lucy hops backwards to avoid the larger demon's whip. Lucy looks like she wants to rush the demon again but the others are still in her way. She squares off and then stabs one through the throat. As it falls she whips her sword back and forth, a battlefield method of getting any blood and ichor off the blade. "I could do this all day!" she wants the next Lemure."

Serraphine gives a scowl as she advances in Lucy's direction. "Lucy! You're too far out in front." She grabs the sword in two hands and swings down to try and cut one of the demons in two. She doesn't quite get that, but she does at least injure it with a nod of her head.

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (17)+11: 28

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (11)+11: 22

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+6: (6)+6: 12

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d10+9: (9)+9: 18

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d14+9: (9)+9: 18

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d4+9: (1)+9: 10

GAME: WhirledUp advances the initiative order.

Round Two - Init 16.

It is now Lemure 1-4's turn! Malorn is next!

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d20+4: (13)+4: 17

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d20+4: (16)+4: 20

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d20+4: (10)+4: 14

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d20+4: (17)+4: 21

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d4: (4): 4

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d4: (3): 3

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 1d4: (2): 2

GAME: WhirledUp advances the initiative order.

Round Two - Init 13.

It is now Malorn's turn! Bearded is next!

Celeste has the little buggers crawling all over her and biting every bit of flesh they can sink their teeth into, but the gladiatrix seems entirely insensate to it as she just wades right in anyway. "NOW YOU DIE!!" she howls, swinging her sword again and splitting one of the smaller demons nearly in half, burrying her blade all the way from his shoulder down into his hips before yanking it free. Her sword whirls in a wide arc, bashing another one streaight off his feet and leaving his front a bloody mess; fortunately for him (and one might argue just as fortunate for Celeste, really; these things don't have a nice flavor one would imagine) she fails to connect with her teeth, but she does laugh in the little beastie's face.

GAME: WhirledUp advances the initiative order.

Round Two - Init 7.

It is now Bearded's turn! Felicia is next!

Stepping back, the bearded devil lets out an uproarious laugh. Behind him, a pillar of flame erupts and a gateway seems to split open reality itself.

A second one, not dissimialr to the first, steps out of the portal. /This/ one wields a wicked looking glaive.

"The Binder tells us you have something that belongs to him. Pathetic creatures, we will torment your souls for ETERNITY in ways you can not even begin to imagine!"

GAME: WhirledUp advances the initiative order.

Round Two - Init 3.

It is now Felicia's turn! Serraphine is next!

GAME: WhirledUp rolls 2d6: (7): 7

GAME: NEW ROUND!

WhirledUp advances the initiative order.

Round Three - Init 24.

It is now Bearded Devil 2's turn! Serraphine is next!