Azri frowned slightly... and as she tried to recall information on Whisps, she also carefully looked around the room. Her gaze was inhumanly sharp... and most people who were invisible didn't also bother to hide properly while they were doing it, trusting in their power to support them. If she could focus hard enough, she might be able to spot them... assuming they were invisible, of course, and not acting by another method.
There are slight puffs in the dust as someone moves around the room, and Aibek can see the scent trail...but it's impossible to tell exactly where they are. Azri recalls little about Will 'o Whisps - they lure people into traps with there light and destroy them.
Rather like yourselves.
"My mark?" the invisible person murmured. "No, no, it is not mine, hark. If anything it is yours. Was yours. Might be yours again, if you can open the right doors. Or close them."
The witchwolf frowned slightly as they struggled to track the scent trail to the source. Continuing to look around them, they considered what the unknown voice said, smiling for a moment at Ayreth's poetic response.
"Marks..." Aibek muttered mostly to themself as they glanced to their right hand, more considerations coming, "I was asking if you had made these. The symbols are too new to have to do with previous councilors...probably...and...I can't remember anyone summoning with blood... Aibek sighed, "Guess we should start checking doors?" Aibek said unsurely, looking to the others. Sure, doors was just as likely to be metaphorical or magical or something but might as well start checking doors....
"Drew at the behest of another, yes." the voice whispered. "But ask your friend Nexus, she'll know best." Fading, getting smaller, the voice continued, "But take my small bit of advice - stay this side of the door, don't ask more than twice."
The voice faded away slowly...and light flickered in the stairwell.
Azri raised one of the eyebrows of her mortal flesh mask. "Getting real tired of people who like to make vague threats to us." she said. "Think we can get them to stop doing that?"
"I hope so... " Aibek replied to Azri with a sigh, in full agreement though not sure if or how they could get people to stop with the threats or vagueness. "We can try talking to Nexus about this tomorrow..."
Glancing to the light in the stairwell, Aibek turned back to the doors, "Any ideas about the rest of what they were talking about... whisps and doors? Which door should we stay this side of?" Aibek asked as they shifted back into the hall to look down the eastern door, their mind trying to put together all of these pieces...
"I'll say, a straightforward raid of gnolls would be refreshing, at this point. What should we do about this mess?"
Four glowing balls of lights - Will O'Whisps - appear at the top of the stairs, floating in the air.
Aibek can no longer spot - or smell - another presence. Nor do they recall any other obvious stories of the past or local legends.
Mihara's ears perk up and she turns to face the sudden threat.
"Spirits of some sort?"
She rushes the first wisp she sees and strikes.
Mihara smirks and twists the blade as the strikes; these may not have much in the way of anatomy, but between her skills and the guidance of her Mark, she puzzled out she might be able to disrupt the wisp's essence.
Mihara wounds one of the creatures, which replies in kind.
The second creature moved up to support its ally, attacking Mihara as well.
The other two, however, vanished. Where they went...
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayreth claps her hands together, activating her aura.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nexus struggles to see this area or much beyond the central and southwest islands... they may have historical information, I cn't think of any... or if the nearest fountain..." the witchwolf mused outloud, distracted from their train of thought as they lost all sign of the presence belonging to the unknown voice. That was...not expected.
Glancing to the lights as they appeared, Aibek watched, frowning as they say two that didn't appear to be attacked disappeared shortly after Mihara and the other two shared blows.
Aibek swiftly formed a shadowblade crossbow, loading and firing at the second whisp to distract them from Mihara and because shooting a weird light with shadow amused the shadow archon in this weird situation... before they shifted around to try to spot either the lights or a sign of the unknown speaker's presence...
The Will-o-Wisp's attack has no effect whatsoever from Mihara, aside from causing her to giggle softly.
"That tickles!"
Raising her hand, Azri sent a ray of fire streaking towards the second wisp. She wasn't so good at smacking things with her staff, so blasting with fire was easier overall.
Alas, it came nowhere close to hitting.
Note to self: Make a good belt to help my spells hit. she thought.
Nigrum moves forward to place himself between the enemy and his less martial inclined companions before lashing out with Tsui.
The orb facing Mihara seemed somewhat startled by her resistance, bobbing in the air and making a sound of distress, but responded by shifting to a shade of orange.
The second Whisp took a horrific hit, leaking fluorescent fluid to the floor with a shivering squeal...but replied by trying to zap Nigrum.
The two other orbs reappeared...blocking off the way behind Aibek and Ayreth and attacking the pair.
Given the cramped quarters, Azri didn't exactly have room to step back and cast safely. On the other hand, she wasn't terribly afraid of electricity. Shrugging, she just pointed to the third wisp and sent a bolt of flames at it as well, doing what she could to burn away the things threatening her family.
for
Hearing the commotion bgehind, Mihara turns to see the two additional wisps reappearing.
"Surrounding us? I think not. Nigrum, I'm leaving these two to you."
Mihara vanishes into thin air, and reappears behind wisp #4, leaping into a strike.
Aibek spun around to the reappearing lights, raising their eyebrows as the strange light seemed to trying hard to electrocute Aibek but not making any impact. They were moving and shocking but not seeming to be doing much to the group.
"Is this really what you want? There are always other options... depending..." Aibek genuinely inquiried, looking to the whisp in front of them and then to the others, shadowblade crossbow held down slightly as the shadow archon as they tried to figure out what the lights could understand and wanted and how the group worked together and generally trying to figure this strange situation out.
The electrical shocks do nothing to him, failing to get through his hide. Nigrum studies the wisps for a moment before he strikes out at the same one.
"That won't be a problem."
He then follows through on it's neighbor with another strike.
The two balls that Nigrum struck went splat with a squeel as Tsui descened through one and rose through the other with an unpleasant squishy noise.
The two remaining ones apparently thought better of things, and backed away, vanishing.
More light could be seen from the stairwell, moving towards the stairs.
Without hesitating, Azri darted towards the stairs, fully intending to get a better look at what was going on... and to discourage others from troubling them.
Mihara dashes alongside Azri, flying as fast as she can.
Three more balls of light are at the bottom of the stairs, glowing a sooty orange-red. Azri's fire, however, doesn't seem to have the desired effect this time.
Aibek moved to follow the others and the lights though following silent multiplying teleporting lights seemed like not the best thing to do.
"How does this help?" Aibek asked towards the whisps, expecting no response but felt they needed to say something in this ridiculousness, shooting at them if they got the chance...if they weren't going to try to communicate then the shadow archon wanted these lights gone now as their patience was wearing thin as time went on.
"I'm getting quite tired of this little chase down. No more vanishing tricks for you, shall we?"
The golden rings of Mihara's tails glimmer visibly as she fans her large sleeves out towards her foes. A flurry of glittering particles flies forth at the wisps.
"Red ones are immune to fire. Easy enough." Azri observed. She raised her staff a moment later, firing a burst of mana towards one of the wisps not yet in combat.
for
Two of the balls began to float oddly, apparently unable to see, while the third simply sparked with a crimson glow. Ayreth's weapon and Aibek's bolt managed to hurt one of the blinded ones.
Before Azri can attack again, the flaming ball that can still see moves up and attacks her.
The two previous Whisps appear again, this time the shade of sickly green glass, like a tainted bottle. They attack Aibek and Ayreth with a noise like crystal shrieking.
With the wisp exposed Nigrum lashes out at the one that seems unaffected by Mihara's trick. Studying it before doing so.
"If these lights can speak. They should do so quickly or none may be left. Are they normally so relentlessly hostile?"
Aibek winced slightly at the burn, "Red ones also use fire, great, very clever lights - a response or explanation or some form of communication other than moving about and attacking would be nice..." Aibek agreed with Nigrum, looking around to the others, "I generally find lights to be relentless and hostile and undesireable to follow, I'm not even sure this has anything to do with those lights people are concerned about other than those weird summoning marks..." Aibek said, unsure, before shooting at the one who had burnt them, watching their actions for some form of trying to communicate or anything to help solve these issues at the moment...
Alas, fire wasn't an energy she could simply ignore... and after having stepped away for her ranged blast, Azri stepped back in and reached out with a hand sheathed in crackling negative energy. "...I don't think you belong here." she said firmly.
for
The Whisps certain did seem unusual. Azri and Nigrum's attacks destroyed another.
A shrill whistle pierced the air. The four remaining Whisps paused, then began to move away and vanished.
Of course, with two of them coated in Glitterdust's effects, following them was possible...
"Sounds like a master calling his hounds. Should we follow them to see who they return to?"
He kept Tsui out and ready.
"Running after wisps is never a bad idea." Azri said as, without a change in expression, she followed them. ...But only at a fast walk.
Despite the Glitterdust, the Whisps had turned invisible. It would have been somewhat challenging to follow them even with the trail of flecks...except they were not alone. As you head towards the exit a dozen more Whisps in various shades float along, heading to somewhere near the centre of the island.
It'll be easy to continue following them. As for whether it was wise...
Azri was more book-smart than street-smart - she followed the wisps.
The lights lead to one of the squares on the island, one of the central fountains that connect Nexus to the area. This fountain should be non-functional, but water pours from it in fits and starts. It's also an odd colour, tainted a strange green.
Above it...some kind of rip or tear ripples in the air. The Whisps are floating into the distortion, whatever it is. No one else seems to be around.