There's a low chuckle as the babau responds. "Qorxunc, sizin kiçik qrupunuzda deyil, mənə qarşı bir tərəfə üz tutun."
He moves further away and out of sight. As he leaves, the near vicinity seems to grow even darker.
Marzela has darkvision, and she double-moves back up onto the road and forward along their path until she can see it again. She doesn't step up next to it, undecided as to whether they should even engage it. If it is just going to run from them, then why not continue? She yells to the party about where it is so that they can follow her voice, and she waits to see whether it will engage or flee again, keeping her weapon at hand in case she gets a chance to use it.
Carrakas grins as the demon responds. "Yaf sal'z qyz py idaly zmiz yiwudh, tasirv! fuqmz fw idd, ar rfl isih iqiul."
"You won't get me alone that easily, coward! Fight us all, or run away again."
When he hears Marzela call out the demon's position, Carrakas rushes through the building to try to get a hit in. After moving in a little ways, he does another of his earthen dashes, ending right next to the demon as he brings down a powerful blow with his hammer.
Even as the defensive acid begins to eat into the hammer, it dissolves as it always does, and Carrakas just grins at the beast and raises his shield.
Initially, Jaed looks decided to rush into melee against the babau. However, as he approaches the darkened area, the light emanating from his sword starts fainting. Confused, he stops right at the border, where he still can see, and tries to taunt the demon while he prepares his sword.
"You coward! Stop hiding and fight like a man... Or a demon... Or whatever you are."
Lily shouts, "Don't get separated! It'll just teleport back here and kill those of us without armor."
An eagle appears and swoops down at the creature attempting to rip it with its beak
Have no fear we are safe, I'll talk with you all later are Finnricks last words before he shapes into a panther and begins to sniff, making sure the he is aware of the beast if it teleports near them.
Carrakas rushes in and swings his hammer at the demon, who merely continues to laugh as it wipes away a small smear of blood. The rest of the group holds their ground as they wait to see (or not see) what happens next. Finnrick's eagle rushes in but as soon as it hits the wall of darkness, it attempts to stop mid-flight to avoid running in to anything. It manages to curb its momentum and begins circling in a small square.
It's then the babau's turn. It grins wickedly as it steps forward and savagely lays in to Carrakas. The first couple of blows catches the warrior off guard, but he's able to get his shield up to block the creature's monstrous bite.
Lily drones an odd incantation that she hasn't used before.
Marzela steps in, flanking with Carrakas, and swings the heavy mace.
(Cold Iron and bludgeoning)
Jaed yells in the direction of the darkness.
"Marzela! Big guy! Get out of there, that thing is trying to divide us."
He is prepared to move and attack the moment he can see the demon.
Marzela moves in to flank the creature, barely moving enough for the longspear to slide off the side of her armor. It hisses in pain as the mace digs deeply in to its side. Taking the distraction as his cue, Carrakas forms his weapon once again, slamming it in to the creature.
Meanwhile Jaed continues to wait for the babau to leave it's dark cover and the eagle squawks in confusion, not sure what to do in this unnatural darkness. Lily grants herself extra protection from evil as Finnrick the cat continues to prepare for if the babau decides to teleport their way.
Growling, the babau strikes out, twice at Carrakas with its longspear and once at Marzela with its teeth. However, he seems to be a bit disoriented by facing foes on two fronts as all the blows go wide. He then steps backwards slightly, out of a flanked position.
Now more confident in her protection - though still wary of the babau's weapon - Lily hustles toward the conflict.
Marzela attacks with the heavy mace again.
(Cold Iron and bludgeoning)
Jaed just stands there, waiting patiently for a target to attack.
Carrakas, looking visibly pained, shakes his head and focuses on the demon. He draws in more energy, and forms a new weapon - this time, looking like a heavy ball at the end of a long chain. He flings the ball in the direction of the demon, watching closely for any counter attacks, though at the cost of his own attack going wide.
Finnrick in cat form sees Lily charging forward and moves to stay close to her, continuing to sniff around for potential teleporters. As Jaed continues to wait just outside the radius of darkness, Marzela and Carrakas do there best to continue to strike at the demon, only Marzela's blow landing. For its part, the creature laughs as Carrakas hangs back.
"Nə uşaq var? Öz qanınız üçün dadı itirmək? Amma ən azı hələ qaçmadıq və bunun üçün mən sizi alqışlayıram."
The babau taps his spear one-handed in a mock appreciation before quickly thrusting twice at the tiefling and attempting to bite Marzela once again.
It tries to play off it's horrible misses as intentional with some success.
Marzela takes a 5-foot step, trying to open up her options. She knows Carrakas is hurt, but she can't heal him right now without exposing herself and probably getting killed. She takes another swing.
(Cold Iron and bludgeoning)
Carrakas ignores the demon's attempt at banter, focusing on his next strike while also keeping his defenses up. He gathers his power, steps up a little to flank with Marzela, and sends another strike toward the demon. This time, the ball connects solidly, despite the defensive stance the tiefling is taking.
Not hearing any call for help coming from the darkness Jaed just stands guard.
Lily and the two cats move up to the edge of the darkness as Jaed continues to stand guard. Inside the dark sphere sounds of fighting- weapons hitting metal and grunts of pain- continue to ring around the area as Marzela and Carrakas continue to wear down the demon's defenses. For its part, the babau is starting to look beaten and bloody. Frustrated by its seeming bad luck, it slams its spear in to the ground.* As he does so, the darkness seems to become slightly less oppressive and sinister, though only Carrakas and Marzela are able to discern the difference. It then quickly repositions and attacks, opting to attack with tooth and claw instead.
The babau's grin as it lands two blows on Carrakas messes up its aim off for the bite attack. It clacks its claws together menacingly as blood continues to spurt from Carrakas' wounds.
Finnrick moves up behind Carrakas using his keen sense of smell and casts bulls strength on him.
+4 strength/ 5 minutes
Millsy stays back, being as wounded as she is.
Barely holding on after those last two hits, Carrakas struggles to remain upright . Feeling the infusion of strength from Finnrick, though, helps him to continue the fight. He gathers his energy into him once more, and this time manifests his more traditional hammer, with a slightly sticky mud covering it. He swings hard, relying on his extra strength to deliver the blow.
Marzela takes a 5 foot step and casts a healing spell on Carrakas.
As several of his more serious wounds close up, he nods in thanks to Marzela.
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And Jaed continues to wait wondering what's going on inside the darkness...
Lily casts another spell, preparing to engage? A ghostly image of a hand appears in the air near her, floating and waiting.
Now looking a lot more steady with some healing from Marzela, Carrakas continues to hammer away at the demon, who remains standing despite the numerous grievous wounds on him. Meanwhile Finnrick and Lily prepare to move in to aid the pair the best way they can.
Clearly annoyed that its prey, which had clearly been on his last legs, was now looking a lot healthier, the babau does its best to rectify the situation. Though much to its chagrin, even with its more accurate claws it doesn't manage to undo all of the cleric's healing.
Marzela, frustrated, doesn't know how to keep up with the damage the Babau is putting out. She feels like she should be in there fighting since she has cold iron, but doesn't want to let Carrakas fall. She casts a lesser healing spell, hoping that because the creature dropped its spear, it can't reach her anymore.
This round I cast Bulls strength on him and then use scent again to identify where the Babau is.
Carrakas, feeling much more healthy now, grins at the babau with a renewed confidence, particularly when Finnrick's spell kicks in. He gathers in more energy, and forms the longer whip with the heavy ball at the end, and sends it firing in towards the demon.
And he keeps waiting... "Guys! Are you doing well in there?"
A little busy trying to stay alive, Jaed.
With another mighty blow, Carrakas slams his flail-like object into the babau's mid-section. As it bends over from the blow, he follows up again with a slam to the back of its head. Slowly, the demon's body begins to dissolve, but far from upset, it laughs, giving Carrakas a very bloody grin. "Yaxşı bir az mübarizə. Ən əyləncəli. Mənə elə gəlir ki, bu işarəli qulaq astanası yalan deyildi. Bəlkə gələcəkdə bunu yenidən edə biləcəyik..."
As the body fades, so does the spear the demon had been carrying, and with it, the magical darkness hiding the group from sight.
The bridge now crossed, the group continues towards the northern-most point of the circle before heading south to where there should be an entrance to the second ring. You bypass yet another intersection until ahead of you, you can see the ground slopes up gently before giving way to the golden gateway of the middle ring. Standing before the gates are two hulking skeletons in shining golden breastplates, their thick bones plated with gold. Their huge, gold-plated halberds are crossed in front of the gate, barring the way forward. At each of their sides hangs a large hook, should they decide their halberds or claws aren't enough. They make no move towards you, and it's unclear if they simply haven't seen you or if they are unwilling to leave their post.
Finnrick knows nothing, but of course couldn't let anyone else know if he had. Besides Millsy that is but the likelihood that She would care is slim.
Millsy pads over to the Marzela and purrs.
"That took you a while. I thought we were on a tight schedule," the rogue mocks Carrakas and Marzela when the darkness goes away.
Jaed looks from his position for any indication of a trap that could activate the skeletons guarding the gate.
Jaed does not see any traps.
Marzela tells everyone her insights about the skeletons.
She pets Millsy.
Carrakas frowns as he digests the demon's parting words. His train of thought is interrupted, though, by Jaed's words. He growls lightly in his direction, and replies with a grin "Would have gone quicker if you weren't afraid of the dark."
As they walk on, he comments on the demon's words. "The beast said something interesting there at the end. "Good fight. Most entertaining. I am glad to see that the elf was not lying." Is there an elf among the cultists? One that could control a demon to leave it as a trap for us?"
When they get within sight of the skeletons, the tiefling gives pause as he sizes them up. "Big fellas, these. Any particular battle plans, or just charge? I can't imagine they'll be any harder to take out than the demon."
"I think they have reach on you," says Lily dubiously, "but if we're going to fight them, might as well not delay." She glances over at her floating spectral hand.
Millsy will continue to Follow Marzela around.
Oh... *that's* why you're over here... you want some healing. She looks around at the other party members. Okay, looks like lots of people need some.
Everyone gets 9
"An elf?... Well, he was a half-elf and did not know any magic tricks. You may remember him from our escape from the temple. His name was Evlar. Could it be him?"
Jaed thanks Marzela for the healing. "It may be better if I go first and take a closer look in case there is something more waiting for us."
If the others agree, he approaches the gates through the ruins on the right side of the road.
As he slowly creeps forward , Jaed doesn't notice any traps nor any signs of others lurking about beyond the two guards. While they don't breathe, the guards do shift their weight from time to time or move slightly, so they are functional undead. Occasionally their heads turn to look one way or the other.
The gate behind them is open, or rather, it's more of a hole in the massive floor to ceiling wall where most likely a wooden gate once stood. The wall seems to be made of sturdy stone still in good condition perhaps a dozen feet thick. Looking through the hole to the other side can be seen more, glittering ruins on either side of the road that continues onward.
Jaed goes back and shares with the others what he has seen. "Looks like we'll have to fight those two. Unless someone has a good idea."