At the swordsman's attack Kaul's eyes roll like a sharks before he finds a second wind... A wind extinguished by a trident sticking him...
Bereft of blood and energy the bloodied thug keels o'er with a bloodier grin.
The Dingle surveys the scene while flapping. With eagle eyes, Dingus can clearly see the scene about 175 feet away: Jim looks ready to board the wrecked sloop which includes a deckhouse behind the remaining stub of a mast. On the deck stand a tall Garundi with a spear, a nervous looking swordsman, and a frightened looking smuggler gripping a small chest tightly.
A gladiator at the cabin door appears to be attacking someone within. Though Dingus can't see inside the cabin, his guess is that things aren't going well for Kaul inside the cabin. At this distance though, only the longest range of Dingus' spell, major image say, would reach the foe, if he wasn't in animal form and could cast a spell.
I'm bringin' it...fast as I can! Corliss thinks when he hears Jim's directive. Unfortunately, it appears he's still out of range, even if a target presents itself. Fearing for Kaul's safety, though, the priest stops halfway through his movement and summons the first of 6 lightning bolts from the heavens, causing it to crash down close to the target wreck. Then he keeps sloshing forward.
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Jim reaches the side of the ship and Jaravo looks a little baffled. "Jim, how are you moving so oddly? What did you find at the burning ship? Who is that following you so fast? It doesn't look like Tivral."
Sveteski seems to regain his composure and scowls suspiciously at the return of his rival. Jim does not hear or see Kaul and any disturbance in the cabin seems to have subsided.
Feck. Don't have much choice now. "It's not! This job's gone sideways in a hurry, and if I didn't have a bit of swimming magic I'd be in the sh1tter and you none the wiser!"
"Boss Croat? Caught one of his men going for the goods. Who's that behind you?" Jaravo asks.
Jim scrambles up the ladder. "Says he's a priest of the Pirate Queen, and he's going to call down the storm on us! He's got some other spellcaster with him, but I don't know where they went."
"Hmm, that bird flying toward us could be a familiar like Temeera has," Jaravo muses as he readies his bow. "Straid, Crixus, if you're done with the thief come on out. Jim's brought us some company." The two gladiators exit the cabin as Jaravo takes a couple shots at the eagle, hitting once.
Corliss continues to speed-slog forward and then stops, calling a lightning strike down from above on Jaravo.
Dingus lands and converts back to a well-dressed Tian sorcerer.
"Surprise it's me! Where is my friend"?
Dingus then smiles at Corliss's lightning and sends some of his own to join.
Electric Snake Damage
Wounded by the arrow, the eagle drops to the ground and morphs into Dingus. Corliss shambles through the swamp until he is just in range and prays to the Pirate Queen for calamity. The sky immediately grows heavy and darkens. With a rumble and crack, a thin bolt of lightning strikes the spear wielding leader of the group. He appears disoriented by the shocking surprise and then Dingus announces his arrival sends much bigger bolt at the man!
Jim notes that the target case is held by the smuggler cowering behind the gladiators. He also looks around for Kaul and sees him lying in a large pool of blood just inside the cabin.
Jaravo shouts at Sveteski to do his job and the swordsman grabs Jaravo's bow as the boss pushes past Jim into the cabin to take cover from the lightning bolts and swig a potion that heals some of the burns.
Sveteski releases a poorly aimed arrow at Dingus and it's obvious that it is not his weapon of choice. The gladiators are better trained with their javelins. Though it is a somewhat long throw, one of the light spears painfully pierces Dingus.
Corliss keeps trudging toward the enemy force, calling down another lightning bolt from the sky, targeting one of the javelin-throwers.
Dingus answers the offending javelin with a shocking serpent bolt. and Corliss adds to the electric mayhem. The smoking gladiator convulses and then throws off his helm revealing that his hair is standing up and smoking like spent matchsticks.
Feck. Can't cut and run with Kaul still up here. Gotta even up the numbers. With Sveteski divested of his best weapon, Jim attacks the most wounded gladiator.
The water was cold, and still... E' was deep under, goin' deeper... Not like when he got keelhaul'd... Nah, this was quite like. Serene... Peaceful like.
Still, bleedin' cold this water.
Something caught the beady eye of the bosun as he sunk. A familiar sword... blade deep in the silt... Feck me. Bess!
Jim chances a quick glance at the cabin door. "Jaravo, if the half-orc dies you won't live through this, either."
Jim notes that Jaravo's command causes Svetesky to take his wary eyes off the pirate and Jim gets the drop on him. "Damn it!" the outraged swordsman screams, "I told you he was a traitor!" His long, curved blade is bared with startling quickness before the bow even hits the ground and catches Jim before he can react. A two-handed down sweep cuts Jim again as the swordlord scowls with grim determination.
The pair of gladiators on deck look done with ranged weapons and go beserk as they leap from the railing into the bog and splash howling at the lightning tossing sorcerer. The front one nearly closes the gap with Dingus in moments.
Jaravo steps over the half-orc lying in a pool of blood, chuckling enigmatically. "No, Jim. Only one way back I know of and it aint for you lot." He squints at the petrified smuggler trying to shrink from view on the bow."Bring me the chest, NOW!" he commands. The smuggler tries to dart past the dueling swordsmen but staggers against the ship's railing in his nervous haste.
Dingus's anger knows no bounds, as he notices Kaul's still bloody body. He lands and launches a few Vapor Vipers at the gladiator Jim is engaging.
"Get them Jim! They've killed Kaul!"
VV
He then calls out in his reptilian voice for all surrounding crocodiles to come to the party's aid.
It's unclear what his brave turn will mean for Dingus' lifespan but the sorcerer ignores the two berserk gladiators in his face to direct a trio of magical missiles at Jim's adversary.
Richard notes to Dingus that Corliss was probably right about it being too cold for gators and definitely too cold for crocodiles before he draws off a little power from Dingus to spit a wad of acid into the lightning blasted gladiator's face. The man screams, nearly blinded.
Corliss continues to speed-slosh forward, stopping a moment to loose another lightning strike at the baddie closing on Dingus.
After Jim takes down the wounded gladiator, Sveteski decries his treachery as he attacks Jim. The other gladiator leaps overboard in a rage and rushes Dingus, who nails him with a trio of arcane missiles and then a small bolt of lightning strikes him as he closes with the sorcerer.
Richard notes to Dingus that Corliss was probably right about it being too cold for gators and definitely too cold for crocodiles before he draws off a little power from Dingus to spit a wad of acid into the lightning blasted gladiator's face. The man screams, nearly blinded.
Corliss concentrates only on getting closer to the battle, mainly to save Dingus from having to battle an opponent in melee.
"Arr! Try pickin' on someone closer to yer own fashion sense!"
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Cold and pale, Kaul continued to sink... landing on the seabed in a cloud of silt.
Beside him lay a locker, adorned with barnacles, gold doubloons and tarnished anchor chains...
Hur. Besmara's Locker... where all soul's o' true buccaneers and scurvy dogs end up... Reckon its time fir Ol' Kauly to take dogwatch...
The brute mugged a weary grin before a glowing rift in the ocean floor caught his beady eye... Bubbling and boiling the waters churned as it grew wider...
Jim manages a glancing blow against the smuggler with the chest, then turns his attention to Sveteski.
Unfortunately, his accuracy suffers this time.
Jim slashes the smuggler, cutting a bloody trail through his jerkin and leaving him gasping. Steel blades click and spark as Jim then meets Svetesky's attack with his rapier. With magical aid, Jim surpasses the duelist's speed drawing blood but the swordmaster's speed and skill are undeniable as he knocks aside the lighter blade.
Jim sees the swordlord sweat a bit as he is kept on his back foot by his supernaturally speedy opponent. He fails to get past the crackling rapier and Jim ripostes.
"He surpasses you, Svetesky," Jaravo chuckles.
"He relies on magic to cheat!" Svetesky spits, barely blocking Jim's riposte.
"Enough of this!" Jaravo roars, spear now in hand. He steps forward and the long weapon darts low between Jim's legs and levers. The hasted pirate stumbles but barely manages to keep his footing and then the spear spins and the shaft catches him at the perfect angle to knock him back and over the rails.
The gladiator on Dingus, now bloody and half-blinded cannot score a hit with his deadly blades.
Jim cartwheels over the rail, gasping at the double impacts. "Nicely done! Say, does Sveteski always whine like that? Seems like it'd get on your nerves after a bit, hey?"
Kaul gurgles some bloody foam then lies still.
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Burning Hands
Tears streaming down his face and an unearthly moan coming from somewhere deep inside him the bloody sorcerer reaches out with his flaming serpent tongue spell attempting to dissuade the gladiator from approaching.
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Hmmm...confusion to our enemies. As he half-swims around to join Dingus and Corliss, the Taldan calls out across the swamp, "Hoy! The deal's off if Kaul doesn't make it!"
Crixus takes Dingus' flames directly in the face and ignites, screaming until he dies and sinks into the swamp. Corliss plows forward through the water and finally reaches Dingus.
Jaravo chuckles at Jim's jest. "What deal?" he asks retrieving his bow and ready to duck if another lightning bolt comes his way.
"Wasn't talking to you!"
Jim retreats back to his mates about 50 feet away and Zilcher's three henchmen retreat inside the cabin of the small ship. Sveteski keeps a surreptitious watch from a window.
Corliss channels some healing energy again before taking a moment to see if his mates appear much better off. "How rough be Kaulie?" he asks Jim quietly.