With the spider outside the range of her scroll, Apex sighs in frustration. Her staff continues its flight, the cyclone speeding toward the spider once more.
"This isn't working!" Irnk snarls. "That thing didn't have anything to do with the attacks or why we're here. Let's back away & see if it follows us."
Once her crossbow is reloaded, Sybil aims it above Irnk head, making sure that the spider does not take advantage of the moment.
"Yes, you are right. However, I would be reassured if we could at least investigate what this figure is. Mr. Proudstump, did you notice any footprings outside that mkight indicate what this creature is? Most likely just ahead of where the traces of dragging appear." she says, still staring at the monstrous spider.
Wathing as Dao's arrow flies toward the spider, Sybil responds to Walthus.
"Yes, I believe it would be better if we all went outside to check on the tracks."
Once the others are ready, she slowly backs away maintaining her aim on the spider as long as possible.
As the companions withdraw, Irnk keeps himself between the others & the spider.
Apex summons her staff back to her hand, and takes one last look around before following the others.
In her panic, Apex stumbles back from the beast, and almost falls. The wind around her whips into a frenzy, and in the smallest of moments becomes a person sized hurricane. It stays around her just long enough to keep her in her feet, and then blasts toward the Soggy River Monster, enveloping it in its fury.
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Leave me alone!!!,she screams, her arm raised over her eyes to keep the wind out, while trying to back away from the thing, though she can't seem to gain any purchase because her entire body is shaking with fear.
Quickly closing with the struggling pair, Irnk swings his flail at the horrific creature.
Sybil drops her charged crossbow, being carefull enough to make sure that it points away from her compansions in case the shot came off.
In a swift movement, she draws her heavy pick while running toward the intertwined bodies.
A hand slowly finds it way to her face, feeling the substance that sprayed across her. For a couple of seconds, the thrashing bodies in front of her don't register, until she processes what just happened.
The word in her mind becomes louder, until it becomes a scream, a single name.
Avan...AVAN!!!!... AVAN!!!!
Her hand flies out in front of her. The wind blasts from her outstretched palm, feeling as desperate as she. Her hair blows wild, a frame of blue for her pale skin, and her shock blue eyes as wide as a dinner plate.
I WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN! MY MAGIC WILL SAVE YOU!!! YOU CAN'T GET HURT!!!
The words sound as if she's trying to convince herself more than anyone else.
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Irnk and Sybil move to attack the creature grappling Avan. Irnk tries to hit it, but the creature is too fast and strong, and one of the creatures arm is able to grab his neck, while the other takes the weapon off him.
It starts swinging if to crush Sybil's head while crushing Irnk trachea with the other hand. Sybil sees her life falsh before her while Irnk sight becomes blurry and darkened.
Then they both hear Apex's "AVAN" scream!
Apex Magic Missile hits the creature flat on the chest, throwing it down, and making it miss Sybil and drop Irnk down.
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Galford misses the Soggy River Monster, attacking the place it was before being thrown out by Apex.
The Monster rises, its horrible mouth spitting blood while screaming. It turns and prepares to get away, running into the safety of the marsh.
But it didn't count on Avan being as fast as he is, standing behind it, and breaking it's next with a powerful strike.
The monster falls to the ground, dead, it's dead eyes staring into Apex's blue ones.
Avan turns towards you, smiling.
"We beat it! Nice work Apex!"
But then his face show alarm at seeing your panicked faces.
He looks down towards the direction of your eyes. All his torso clothes are red with blood, with a speck of black bile in the middle.
His face turns white while he falls to his knees.
"I fear I didn't beat it..."
Apex starts to sigh in relief, but then her mind finally processes what she's seeing.
Her hand covers her mouth, her eyes wide with fear.
The scream that erupts is more forceful, more hideous, than that of any banshee.
She rushes to him, falling to her knees and cradling him to her chest. Her cries are punctuated with sobs of fear, sadness, terror, and a thousand more emotions.
Miss Sybil! Irnk! Galford! Somebody help him! He's hurt! He needs magic!
Avan!! Why did you do that? Why did you jump out like that?? Please, please hang on! Avan, I don't want to be alone anymore! Just hang on!
Her words are wracked with a grief more powerful than anyone there has ever witnessed.
no... no.
Sybil drops to her knees next to the dying man and throws her backpack next to her. She hectically forages through her belongings discarding many on the ground. Finally, with a sight of relief she takes out a bandage filled with strange oils and a wand. With a flick of the wrist and a word of magic she uses the wand to enchant the bandages and applies them as well as possible to Avan's wound.
As the two women collapse in panicked attempts to forestall the inevitable, Irnk steps forward; easing the pugilist to lay peacefully upon the ground. Irnk had seen death too many times not to recognize the Blue Lady's touch upon his comrade. "Mache dousman wotè-pye. Jou batay ou ap fè. Rest kounye a nan bra yo nan kikonk kouche santye ou." He murmurs gently as he closes the Bouncer's eyes.
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Avan's last words, after seeing all of you are for Apex:
"You are not alone, protect them."
Irnk closes the brave man's dead eyes.
Walthus, tears in his eyes, tells to you.
[b]"He was a hero. I think what the spider got in its cave is a giant gecko. And I think I hear something coming from the cave."[\b]
You keep quiet for a second and hear a skeleton coming out. From the cave a couple of them appear, similar to the ones you saw at the shipwreck.
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Without a word still with his sword out, Galford turns and charges. His blade leading the way.
Grief destroying his sense of caution as yet another friend dies before his eyes and him helpless before it. The pain inflicting his heart is crushing and nothing else could be worse then this and those skeletons could perhaps provide an answer.
His upbringing stops him though as his blade sweeps and in a momentarily laspe of skill, his blade blocks his vision causing him to halt and stop before he rushed off to far.
"No more." says Sybil to herself.
She picks up a few alchemical items that laid on the ground, mashes them together and throws the resulting bomb toward the entrance of the cave, on the ground, amidst the skeletons.
Nothing else exists for Apex.
Not the skeletons.
Not the bomb.
Not the words spoken by anyone else.
All she can see is the sight of her toes dipping in the water every few strides as Avan carries her across the river.
All she can hear are his last words to her.
The howl that erupts from her lungs is second only to the blast of wind that envelopes her and the man in a cyclone of rage, picking up the beast that slew Avan and ripping it to shreds, flinging the chunks of flesh and bone everywhere. It ends, after a moment, leaving only Apex and Avan in the spot of grass, his head cradled in her lap and her hair masking her face. Her petite shoulders rise and fall with sobbing grief, and her hands hold his, flat on his chest.
He was special... He was important... He was... kind and caring, and he protected me...He's dead... Because of me... He saved me.... And I wasn't fast enough...HE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!!!
She collapses onto him, lost in her grief.
"mèrd" Irnk clips flatly as the dead close with the living. Quickly, he rolls over to where the creature flung his flail; taking hold of it as he throws himself upright.
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Galford luckily stops to look closely at the skeletons, as a second after Sybil's bomb pass over him and in the middle of the Skeletons, blowing them both to smithereens.
As far as he could see in the second before their destruction, they are the same as the ones in the shipwreck.
Walthus goes to Apex.
"Miss, don't blame yourself. It was the monster's fault, and right now there is more to do if we want to make this marsh safe. Do as he ask of you, and help us, your friends."
You think you hear more rattling noises inside the cave...
Spitting invectives in the gutteral sing-song of his people, Irnk barrels toward the nearest of the skeleton, passing Galford as he does so.
Walthus' words fall on deaf ears. Apex stays where she is, the only movement are her wracking sobs. She keeps repeating
He's dead because of me! I killed him!
"We will not leave him here, but we cannot hurry to carry him away. We shall make a stand to guard his body agains these undead."
As she speaks, Sybil approaches Walthus and whispers in his ear:
If anything goes wrong, grab miss Stormshard and flee with her.
The dwarf prepares her next bomb and stays ready to face the skeletons which are on their way.
Apex looks fiercely up at Galford.
We will NOT leave him here!!! He deserves better than that!!
She sits up, still kneeling beside the fallen warrior, and looks around. She makes no effort to wipe her eyes.
Where are they? Where are the undead? Avan said to protect you all, and I'm going to try...
Even though I couldn't protect him...
"Not partial to the idea m'self.". Irnk growls, scanning the surroundings for more possible threats as he takes up a protective stance. "When we return, I can rig a travois. We will bring him back that way."
Without hesitation, Sybil throws her bomb toward the two skeletons that just appeared.
+1 if they are within 30', -2 for every 20 ft. This is a touch attack against the ground (AC 5, +4 with cover from skeletons in front) trying to hit 4 skeletons if they are huddled together.
"Stay back miss Stormshard, we might not need your powers yet. Still, stay alert!" says the dwarf, looking at the Sylph from the corner of her eyes.
How many of those can there be? Will miss Stormshard resolves hold much longer?
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From the explosion that destroys the two skeletons comes forth another one. Bigger and armored, this one moves with much more presence and meaning, letting a hiss out of his bony jaw. Small flames and shards cover his armor and bones, to little effect. An ancient ornate oriental looking sword grasped in both his hands, it looks for somebody to kill.
Avan's words tumble through her mind, but she can't seem to do anything but cry.
What's the point of fighting anymore? Why am I here? All I have done is get people killed! And the hunters haven't even caught up to me yet! If I stay with these people, they will just die around me!! Maybe I should just give up...
She starts to sob again, but when she closes her eyes all she sees in her mind's eye is the water tickling her feet, of Avan promising to help her with the bounty hunters, of his courage, of his sacrifice for her.
But he wouldn't want that, would he? He said he thought I should be free, that he wanted to help me escape my parents... Should... Should I keep fighting? Is it worth it?
She looks around at the other members of the group, bereft, full of sorrow, her usually slumped shoulders truly broken now by the weight of her loss.
Then she nods to herself.
Then she stands.
Avan said to fight. He told me to defend you all. Because of what he did for me... Because of what he meant to me, I will protect you all on this journey. All I ask is if the bounty hunters catch up to me, you stay out of it. I won't have anyone else hurt, or... killed... be... Because of me.
She takes a step toward the big skeleton as it comes out of the cave.
You. You will not harm my friends. I am Apex Stormshard, Lady of the Winds. Prepare yourself.
As she speaks the wind around her slowly builds in strength, until it is finally a whirling tornado, bigger than any you've seen her summon before. It bears her into the air, her sky blue hair whipping behind her head like and enraged hydra.
With a soft flick of her wrist, a section of the whirlwind breaks off and smashes into the skeleton, unerringly finding it's path.
Despite the clearing being the home of a huge cyclone, the spot where the party members are, and the spot where Avan lays is subject only to a gentle breeze, that carries small green leaves about the man, and they dance around him in a playful, childish manner.
Just like they did when she felt at home next to him.
Just like they did when she commanded them to, to tickle him and make him laugh.
Just like they did when he was alive.