Same as It Ever Was (Part 31)
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (16)+28: 44 GAME: Riptide rolls 2d6+12: (8)+12: 20 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+13: (10)+13: 23 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+13: (13)+13: 26
Seeing one of its brethren fall and poof away to mortal blades, one of its comrades barks out a laugh. "I knew that fool couldn't handle this," he crows happily. "Watch me, Master of the Iron Hells!"
He moves towards Simony, raising a tail as he looks down at the budding servitor of Navos. "I will destroy this little toy that belongs to the Raven." So sure is he in his attack that the strike connects, and he roars victoriously even though Simony is not yet heavily bloodied. "See! Even a god's pet can bleed."
GAME: Telamon casts Suffocation. Caster Level: 20 DC: 26 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+21: (16)+21: 37 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+21: (3)+21: 24 GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+sorcerer+8: (2)+20+8: 30
The Starborn King watches as Rune simply... butchers the first devil. Well, that was unsurprising. His lips curl up faintly as he hovers protectively next to Nala and her friends. "You will do nothing of notice," the sorcerer intones, as the next fiend charges, striking at Simony. "Because you are beneath notice."
Smoothly, Telamon draws forth a rod, gesturing with it. "A worm, choking on the dust that falls from my boots." His chant is ominous, the air around him growing cold, and the third eye in his brow suddenly flashes with starlight. The invisible killing magic crosses the distance in an instant, and suddenly the devil is clutching at its throat, making helpless choking sounds as Telamon closes his free hand into a fist, inexorably.
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28-5: (1)+28+-5: 24 (EPIC FAIL)
Harkashan is a bit concerned that these fiends are managing to remain unaffected by his divine powers. And while his skills tend to be aimed at undoing Undeath rather than banishing the foul fiendish forces on this plane, it isn't the best thing to become aware of.
Noting the first fiend is /well/ downed by Rune and co, and the other fiend is having some breathing problems, he flaps his mighty strange draconic-like wings and grabs Rune under the armpits and literally flies her off to the next one to help her get there faster, landing at her side.
"My spells are having some difficulty with these creatures. But your blades seem to work just fine." He rumbles to her as he sets her down.
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (17)+28: 45 GAME: Riptide rolls 2d6+12: (8)+12: 20 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+29+1: (2)+29+1: 32 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d20+29+1: (6)+29+1: 36 GAME: Zeke rolls 1d8+10+2d6+10d6: (5)+10+(5)+(41): 61 GAME: Simony rolls weapon16: (11)+20: 31
Zeke flies over to the currently unoccupied fiend, ignoring the lash from it's weapon to deal his own damage to the creature. The wound that he leaves behind burns with white light that sears the fiend and leaves it awash in the illumination of the Dragonfather's glory. Zeke looks up at the fiend, flexing his wings and bathed in the rainbow illumination of his own attack. The light refracts off of his limbs gloriously. "You shall tassste defeat."
He is the herald of it.
GAME: Simony rolls weapon16: (5)+20: 25 GAME: Simony rolls weapon16-5: (11)+20+-5: 26 GAME: Simony rolls weapon16-10: (18)+20+-10: 28 GAME: Simony rolls weapon16: (10)+20: 30 GAME: Simony rolls damage16: aliased to 1d8+4: (3)+4: 7 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (12)+28: 40 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (14)+28: 42 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (19)+28: 47 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26: (7)+26: 33 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26: (15)+26: 41 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26: (12)+26: 38 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d8+12: (8)+12: 20 GAME: Rune rolls fortitude+2: (20)+16+2: 38 (CRITICAL SUCCESS) GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (15)+28: 43 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (15)+28: 43 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28: (13)+28: 41 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26: (10)+26: 36 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26: (3)+26: 29 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26: (20)+26: 46
Simony takes the attack with good grace, looking pained only momentarily. "That hardly hurt.", she says derisively as the fiend begins to gag and choke. "In fact is more insulting that you sullied me with your filthy touch." A crooked smile crawls across the Goblin's face as she steps forward, her hammer raised.
"One thing you don't seem to understand. I'm not here alone. I am protected by the Raven, and assisted by my friends. You will never understand what it means to trust someone. To put their life into your hands, and for them to put their lives into yours."
"All your patron will see is an embarrassing defeat by his minions, and I imagine you will have to explaining to do when we send you back to whatever Hell you crawled out of."
She brings her hammer down several times, though she perhaps does even less pain than the fiend had done to her.
GAME: Zeke casts Dimensional Lock. Caster Level: 20 DC: 27 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+26-8: (18)+26+-8: 36 GAME: Riptide rolls 2d6+12: (6)+12: 18 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d8+12: (4)+12: 16 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d8+12: (6)+12: 18 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d8+6: (1)+6: 7 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d8+6: (3)+6: 9 GAME: Riptide rolls 2d6+6: (6)+6: 12
As Harkashan brings Rune close to one of the fiends, it also laughs at Rune and Harkashan harshly. "They are running at us! So eager for death." Yet it strikes down at Harkashan and Rune with its mouth, its claws, arms, and even its tail, and only one clawstrike finds its way on Rune's form, glowing briefly before the infernal magic in it seems to fade.
This perplexes the fiend. "Not quite so puny!" it announces.
Meanwhile, the fiend struck by Zeke--Ipalnemohuani--glowers at him. "I will destroy you," it says, "before I taste defeat." It bites. It claws. It tries to rend into Zeke's scales and flesh, and it strikes true, scoring horrible claw marks and bites onto Zeke, but still the Sunguard stands.
GAME: Rune rolls weapon1-2: (1)+33+-2: 32 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Rune rolls weapon2-7: (8)+33+-7: 32 GAME: Rune rolls weapon32-7: (2)+33+-7: 28 GAME: Rune rolls weapon1-12: (17)+33+-12: 38 (THREAT) GAME: Rune rolls weapon1-12+4: (12)+33+-12+4: 37 GAME: Rune rolls weapon32-12: (6)+33+-12: 27 GAME: Rune rolls weapon1: (10)+33: 43 GAME: Rune rolls damage32+1d6+10d6: aliased to 1d6+8+1d6+10d6: (3)+8+(1)+(32): 44 GAME: Rune rolls damage1+damage1+1d6+10d6+1d10: aliased to 1d6+8+1d6+8+1d6+10d6+1d10: (4)+8+(6)+8+(5)+(41)+(10): 82 GAME: Rune rolls damage1+1d6+10d6: aliased to 1d6+8+1d6+10d6: (2)+8+(1)+(36): 47 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+14: (15)+14: 29
Rune makes an unladylike sound of protest as she is suddenly scooped under the armpits and carried up into the air like someone air-jailing a particularly angry cat. After a few sweeps of Harkashan's wings, she seems to realize his intention, "Thanks for the lift, big-guy." It means that she won't have to waste precious seconds getting up close and personal with the mouthy devils.
Once set down on her feet, she snaps one of her blades towards the ground, splattering some blood there. It's a warning. A warning that the devil doesn't heed as they strike in her direction. It is only the claw that gets through, catching her across the arm.
"I might be small, but I'm deadly, but you won't live long enough to learn that lesson." She lashes out with a flurry of blade cuts, two digging deep into flesh while a third buries itself in the devil's abdomen, twisting in the process. Needless to say, there is likely some re-arranging of whatever internal organs it has before she pulls the blade free again.
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28-3-2: (20)+28+-3+-2: 43 GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+28-3-2: (7)+28+-3+-2: 30 GAME: Riptide rolls 2d6+12: (9)+12: 21 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1: (13)+31+2+1+1: 48 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1: (1)+31+2+1+1: 36 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1: (3)+31+2+1+1: 38 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1: (15)+31+2+1+1: 50 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1-5: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1-5: (3)+31+2+1+1+-5: 33 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1-10: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1-10: (3)+31+2+1+1+-10: 28 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1-15: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1-15: (14)+31+2+1+1+-15: 34 GAME: Aryia rolls punch+1+1: aliased to weapon0+2+1+1: (16)+31+2+1+1: 51 GAME: Aryia rolls crunch+1+crunch+1+crunch+1+crunch+1+crunch+1+crunch+1: aliased to 2d10+strength+2+1+1+2d10+strength+2+1+1+2d10+strength+2+1+1+2d10+strength+2+1+1+2d10+strength+2+1+1+2d10+strength+2+1+1: (2)+7+2+1+1+(9)+7+2+1+1+(16)+7+2+1+1+(14)+7+2+1+1+(13)+7+2+1+1+(10)+7+2+1+1: 130 GAME: Riptide rolls 4d8+20: (15)+20: 35
Behind Ipalnemohuani's incandescent form in the near distance, a growing penumbra sparkles in an inverted glow- before there's a bright, sparkling crown that encompasses the apex of the spire. Aryia's cracked onyx form buckles down as her hands barely contain a wobbling eclipse. She slams a foot down, the marble sloughing off into a second form right beside her in a mirror, grasping onto the light. A single clipped voice comes from the being of light.
"Go fuck yourself."
A sound of a snapped tuning fork vibrating follows an immense blast of light that carves through the fiend just over Zeke's head, making the Dragonfather's wound exacerbate into holy fire, blast a hole clean through them despite nearly getting out of the way. The black and white duo briskly leap off the pillar, taking the fiend that had their guts rearranged by the head as Onyx slams them to the ground and Marble follows it up with a haymaker into the ground. A beat later, the two merge, back into one form.
Macitoc watches Ipalnemohuani fight against the fiend and take great wounds in the process. Benevolently, he comes down from his floating space, and his clawed hand alights on Zeke's shoulder. "Do not be so hasty in the giving of warfare that you seek such wounds on my behalf," Macitoc intones as magic flows into Zeke's wounds and knits them a bit.
Meanwhile, Nala's eyes are wide as she watches Aryia's beam of light vaporizes one of the fiends. "Wow," she says. "Where did that come from?"
As she asks the question, the space around Nala's shoulder ripples a little, and then... Zenith appears. Fully-grown, blue-eyed, black-feathered Zenith, not the little fuzzy baby that had been observed at the hatching tree. "You can do that kind of thing, too, if you believe, and I think you'll have to, pretty quickly, here!"
"What do you mean?" Nala asks, pale brows furrowing in thought.
The remaining fiend gasps as it falls to the ground. "Ma...ster," it manages with one breath.
Then the cavern shakes with the booming of another voice. "WHO CALLS." The voice is deep and masculine and... impatient-sounding. "I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO IDLE. SPEAK."
Macitoc looks incredibly nervous then. "The Tyrant," he hisses. "If we do not answer--"
"I CAN HEAR YOU. SPEAK, OR I WILL PUNISH YOU FOR WASTING MY TIME." Meanwhile, the fiend is on the floor, presumably (slowly) dying.
GAME: Telamon casts Gate. Caster Level: 20 DC: 30
Telamon drifts over to where the fiend is choking, tensing a little at the thunderous voice. Then... his face becomes mischievous. It's strange to look at, really. "Just a moment, he'll be along to deliver his report in person!" he calls out. With that, he traces a circle, chanting quickly, and suddenly a gate opens in the floor next to the fiend. With an almost disdainful movement, Telamon puts a booted foot on the prone devil, and shoves it into the gate. Once it's through, he tosses off a salute.
"So long! Don't forget to send a letter!" And with that he lets the gate close, before reverting to his normal size and shape, brushing himself off. "Well, that wasn't much of a chore..."
Ipalnemohuani touches Macitoc's shoulder gently, his green eyes full of a soft understanding. "You have no need to fear, the eye of the Dragonfather is upon you now and forever." The blue-scaled sith lowers his hand, which is healed now thanks to Macitoc's efforts. Most of his wounds are. "Thisss one will alwaysss ssstand againssst thossse that would harm thisss one'sss kin."
Here Zeke motions with his flesh-and-blood claw toward the others, gesturing in a manner for Macitoc to join those that stand with Nala. "You have othersss you can rely upon now. Thossse who will aid and sssuccor you. Go. Be free."
The thunderous voice makes Simony quiver, Maugrim responding to the pleas of his minions causing the Goblin some concern. "Uhm, let's finish this one off quick, yes?" She looks on with relief as Telamon begins to cast a somewhat familiar spell.
"Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!", the Goblin yells as the last fiend is ushered out via a gate spell.
Once that is settled, she begins to inspect people for injuries, calling upon Navos for his blessing and healing. "This should take the edge off your wounds."
GAME: Simony rolls 10d6: (35): 35
A small smirk quirks the corner of Rune's mouth as she nods towards Aryia, glad enough to see another of the demons slashed and pummeled into meat chunks. "Nice."
Then, she turns, ear quirking at the sound as she seems to ready her stance, uncertain if there is another immediate threat from the booming voice. Simony's healing magic seems to close up the claw marks on her arm, but it doesn't do much for the wariness. "So... what do we do about that?" She motions in the general area, likely talking about the voice.
Booming voices from nowhere are difficult to stab. So this is not her area of expertise.
Aryia hasn't wound down just yet, hands raised and half curled in a partially defensive stance as she glances around. There's a faint smile and a nod is given towards Rune. The sudden arrival of Zenith gets her eyebrows to raise and-- she grimaces at the booming voice. "Let's not get too cocky now," she advises with a few gestures, watching the fiend fall into the gate.
Minor wounds soothe over from Navos's blessings, the pugilist rubbing her forearms together briefly before thumbing over her shoulder. "Not sure, but I think the cave goes deeper that way." <Handspeech/Tongues>
GAME: Harkashan rolls Knowledge/Religion: (12)+19: 31
Harkashan quiets as the voice speaks, showing some concern for a moment.He crosses his arms as the others speak on just moving on, and are ignoring the voice. There's a bit where Harkashan just taps the side of his maw, thinking about how to approach this...
Then addresses the voice directly, looking slightly up.
"We wish to change the fate of this world."
The shaking abates for a moment as it seems the voice on the other end is considering something. Then the cavern shakes again with the resumption of words. "MANY PEOPLE COME TO ME IN SEARCH OF CHANGE. THEY MAKE CONTRACTS AND PACTS TO THAT END, EITHER WITH MYSELF OR FIENDS OF SOME KIND. DO YOU WISH TO MAKE A PACT?"
Macitoc nods to Zeke, but as the booming voice offers a pact, his steps over to Nala and her companions hurry. "Do not," he whispers, his voice taking on less of a divine tone and more of... a person's. An ordinary person's voice. Like Zeke's, actually remarkably very similar. "He will hold you to the iron letter."
Nala thinks for a moment. And then, politely... "Mr Tyrant?" She asks the question very sweetly. Telanmo blinks and starts sweating. "Can you show us where Aelsec Aomirren is hiding?"
A chuckle comes from the voice. It's surprisingly deep, rich, and... rather humanizing. "CHILD, DO NOT TRY WHAT ONLY MY WIFE CAN SUCCEED AT DOING. NONETHELESS, I CANNOT."
Nala pouts. "Who's your wife?" she asks. "Taara, right, Mr Tyrant?"
"YOUR CLERICS HAVE FAILED AT EDUCATING YOU, I SEE--"
"Did you know your wife's hiding another man? Behind your back?" Nala smiles brightly. "She's helping this man, you know. I think it's pretty suspicious~!"
"Nala-what-are-you-_doing_?" Zenith hisses.
Telamon is of course making the same 'oh hell no' gestures to match Macitoc's words. Definitely no pacts. They are dangerous enough when you're dealing with relatively benign powers, let alone the Tyrant Himself.
And then Nala grabs the reins and takes the wagon completely off the beaten path. His head snaps around to stare at Nala, his mouth open. Clearly this is -not- an angle he had -ever- considered trying, because it's insane. His lips work for a moment, before he coughs. "...She -does- always seek to increase her power and standing, even at the expense of your own." Evidently he's -backing- this play of Nala's.
GAME: Zeke rolls Knowledge/Religion: (12)+27: 39
The Goblin's eyes widen at the voice continuing to speak. The mention of the pact has her glancing around at the others, holding up a finger to her lips as if they were all in the library and were trying to avoid the wrath of the Oruch librarian.
Simony blinks at what Nala says, the suggestion being very ... provocative. Her eyes flick to Telamon then, and then looks to the others. She grins. And it is way too many teeth, as Goblins are wont to do. "Are... are you suggesting that even YOU cannot see behind Taara's veil?", she says up to the voice.
It's hard not to wince a bit at the continued booming of that voice, but Rune steps closer to Harkashan, seeming a bit uncertain of exactly what they are dealing with. Her expression shows some confusion, but eventually she seems to put some of the pieces together.
Her mouth opens to say something, but Nala seems to be taking the reigns here, and that is exactly what they had trained her for. Thoughtful for a moment, her eyes flick to her counterpart, before she sheaths her two blades, folding her arms over her chest. "I mean, it wouldn't surprise me in the least. It's not like his variant in my world had any problems with 'bending' marital vows. Some things remain, painfully, the same, regardless of what world you find yourself in."
Rune shakes her head.
Aryia too joins in the absolutely not' part of denying any pacts from her vigorous head shaking. Though, it only stops from whipping over to Nala.
She owlishly blinks. This is the rare time that her inability to voice things is working quite well in her favor, as the once-Taarite- and by extension, once Maugrimite- says ab-so-lute-ly nothing.
Zeke says nothing for the longest time and then. "If he can not sssee beyond thisss veil of Taara'sss... That would be sssussspiciousss indeed. Sssshe hasss not been known for her faithfulnessss in the passst." He shrugs, walking across the battlefield toward the path that Aryia had indicated.
Harkashan at least got the evil deity talking, but he of course has no intentions of taking up a pact. He's about to speak on the matter of allegiances when Nala takes the reins, and the team goes along with it. So he just smirks a bit and glances aside at Telamon in a rather knowing fashion.
The voice booms again, this time in outrage. "I SHOULD STRIKE YOU WHERE YOU STAND FOR INFERRING SUCH ABOUT HER. SHE WOULD NEVER TAKE A MORTAL MAN AS HER LOVER. WE AGREED AFTER--" Then the voice makes an incoherent howl of anger, and suddenly, a portal opens up in front of the group, searing into existence. Flame laps at the black hole that leads seemingly into nowhere.
"GO. I WILL DEAL WITH YOU LATER... MAXITIA-MAYANA." Then the voice rumbles no more.
"Macitoc," Macitoc says softly. This earns the cave another tinier rumble, but it's the only aftershock they'll get. He looks to Nala. "Will you go?"
"Yes," Nala says firmly, but then she looks at Rune, Harkashan, Aryia, Telamon, Zeke, and Simony, smiling resplendently. "But only with my friends. _All_ of my friends."
Zeke nods politely to Nala and then looks at the gate. "We sssshould go before he changesss hissss mind." Perhaps while Maugrim deals with Taara, there will be a moment for them to strike. He steps willingly through into the dark. He has never feared the dark, anyways.
Telamon keeps a straight face, though he can't help but flinch a little at the Tyrant's rage. But when the portal opens, he straightens up, checking the cuffs of his blouse a bit exaggeratedly. "Well then..."
He offers Nala and her friends a broad smile. "Shall we go forth then, my friend and student? Shall we set things right?" He does not take her arm; that's reserved for Telanmo to do. But he does lead the way, behind Zeke, following the makari into the black portal as well. Darkness holds no fear for him either.
Simony's eyebrows raise at the voice, and a cheeky grin sprouts on her lips as the monologuing devolves into anger.
Then the portal opens.
"There is a non-zero chance that this is a trap, I do hope you all realize.", the Goblin offers, helpfully. Her gaze goes to Telamon, and when he steps forward, she shrugs and follows along in step.
"To the ends of the world and back, then?"
The fact that Nala's ruse works gets a set of raised eyebrows from Rune, but no further commentary in that direction. She nudges at her mate's arm, and then steps towards the others, "We started this together, we'll finish it that way." There's a small glance to Simony, but it doesn't linger as she nods, ready to take the plunge into whatever trials may await them.
"The only path lies forward." Harkashan rumbles, as the others speak of what comes next. They do not know what lies on the other side of that portal. Not truly. But unless a veritable god stands against them, Harkashan trusts in his team, and in Rune. As she nudges him, he looks down at her and smiles. "Together." He agrees, and moves.
Aryia's wide eyes glance from Nala, up slightly to the howling of anger, then to the opening of the portal. She mouth a surprised 'wow'. Regardless of that, she follows in after the others in tandem, her chin dipping slightly to give way to a tiny smirk despite the inky dark.
"Together. To the ends of Ea."
Into the portal they go.
Darkness greets them, until suddenly there is light. Before long, the group realizes they're standing... in the air, as though there is firmament in the heavens. The clouds are far below their feet, roiling and dark like a storm none of them have ever seen. In the horizon, a purple sky resides until it gives way to the dark of space.
There, against the shadow of a moon that has swallowed the sun, is a man with a black mask. Rune recognizes him immediately, save for the red eyes that burn through the slits of his mask. Aelsec Aomirren--mirror of Caeles Miranore--is cloaked in violet, holding a familiar figure in his hands.
Pothy. The white raven is fully grown, looking at the group with big blue eyes. "Simony!" he calls out first to the servitor of Navos in training. "Simony, please, don't come any closer, he'll--"
Aelsec's eyes flare red, and suddenly, Pothy stops speaking. "I'll do exactly as she says," he states, staring down both Runelei and Leirune. "It is the only way to the new story."
-TBC