"Let me see."
Hinagiku motions for the others to remain silent. Her ears perk up as she listens, trying to figure out from where the footsteps were coming from.
The footsteps are coming from the hallway on the left.
"Perhaps the best choice then is to make use of veil. We can attempt to simply pass by whatever it is as mindless zombies, and if it shows any signs of seeing through it we can attack immediately," she suggests. "Are you willing to cast it quickly now Pagbean?"
Unafe nods at Li'an's suggestion, and looks to Pagbean.
Acting was not Hinagiku's strongest skill, hopefully Pagbean's skills at weaving illusions would make up for it.
"I think it is coming from behind us. Either way, I am ready to be disguised."
"Oh, wait, no, from the front, left. " Hingiku says after paying closer attention.
Pagbean closes his eyes, reaching out to the ethereal realm where Sivanah's influence resides. He beseeches the Seventh Veil for aid. Gradually, a shroud of divine energy begins to envelop the group, wrapping them in an illusion that transforms their appearances into that of a horde of mindless zombies. The veil is such that it even creates a horrific smell to match their rotting bodies. From within the veil, the outside world seems hazy.
He whispers to the disguised heroes, "Remember, we must move as one, maintaining the illusion of the undead. We must be careful not to draw any suspicion."
The coming footsteps grow louder until two towering figures come into view, aberrations that exhibit a fusion of nightmarish traits. Their barrel-shaped heads feature a vertical split, exposing rows of sharp, yellow teeth and small yet menacing eyes. Bony ridges guard their eyes, while their arms split at the elbows into twin claws. Covered in shaggy black fur, they emanate a primal sort of darkness.
Those are Gugs. Gugs are inhuman monstrosities that dwell in the deep places of the world. Whether they were banished to the dark lands by ancient gods or the light-loving races they terrorized, or perhaps were brought to the deep realms by dark powers from some even more inhuman nightmare realm, is unknown, but gugs are loathed by other races for their carnal rites of slaughter.
The grotesque figures, unaware of the disguised heroes, continue their eerie march, their attention focused elsewhere. The heavy, irregular, footsteps reverberate through the air, creating an unsettling ambiance. But the illusion holds, preserving their deception and allowing them to slip by unnoticed.
Pagbean breathes a sigh of relief as they emerge on the other side of the aberrations, his little heart pounding with adrenaline. They have successfully outwitted the looming threat, their hidden identities safely concealed beneath the enchantment woven by Sivanah's gift.
Goryon leads the group through the remaining passages of the labyrinth. Following Unafe's guidance, they ascend through an opening in the ceiling, traversing a narrow, upward-sloping path. As they emerge from the depths, they find themselves standing atop a colossal floating orb, solid and unyielding. The surface of the orb is composed of sturdy stone, providing a stable platform for their feet.
Unafe's arrival triggers the manifestation of her vibrant purple psionic suit, accompanied by a swirling presence of spirits. However, the absence of air in this celestial expanse muffles any sound, rendering the spirits silent. The immense floating orb they stand upon is nested within an even larger hollow sphere, its walls adorned with the glimmering skymetal. Directly above them, approximately a mile away, is a sizeable, circular opening that leads upwards into darkness.
Yet, the heroes' progress is met with a daunting sight. The space between them and the opening teems with countless zombies, their lifeless forms suspended helplessly in the vacuum of space. Their bodies contort and writhe, trapped in a macabre aimless dance amidst the cosmic expanse.
"Mae'r creaduriau ffôl yn rhaid iddynt syrthio drwy'r drws pan lwyddodd i'w agor. Fyny yno. Dyna'r mynediad. Heibio yno, ni ddylai'r wardiau amddiffynnol dal... er nad fydd unrhyw elfen ddaearol yn gallu glido drwyddi, hyd yn oed o'r fan honno," says Goryon.
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Myrna feels a bit stupid, shuffling along with the others, pretending to be a zombie. She was used to operating only with a troop of soldiers, and they would have never tried this. When she sees that it's only a solitary horrible abomination, she almost breaks character and attacks the thing, but she holds through and makes it to the next corner.
She follows along with the others as they pass through this strange and horrible place, continuing along until they leave the safety of inside areas and re-enter the void itself. Above them waits an interminable empty space with physical laws that Myrna does not really comprehend... as well as a floating horde of zombies.
She gapes at the sight, her eyes boggled. She sees the exit above, and she knows that they must pass through here in order to escape, but she sees few options regarding how.
"I have never seen anything like this before," she remarks. "None of the things I've seen today are familiar. This has been a full day of surprise and horror."
"Maybe we just jump? We already appear like zombies. If we can just float when we're in there, maybe we'll just float on through, have everything be fine?"
"Anyway, I'm not sure any number of regular zombies could kill me, even if I did run into them."
Li'an tries not to react to the passage of the Gugs, breathing a sigh of relief as they pass. She'd read about them but written depicitions could not prepare her for how unnerving and just wrong they were in person.
Once they make it to the surface she sighs. It would have been nice if the dragon had thought of some way to provide egress in an emergency. Knowing to avoid the traps was certainly helpful, but once again the group was stuck dealing with the mess. Despite her annoyance, however, Li'an can't help but feel some sense of awe at the scale of the construction that Goryon had managed. To have nearly a mile gap without gravity, all still within the warded outer sphere would be unbelievable were she not looking at it herself.
"We should prepare for the teleport now," she suggests, knowing they might have precious little time once they make the crossing. "If we do so we can teleport the moment we are free of the wards. We know the wards don't prevent dimension door within the sphere either, so that could get us past some of the worse clumps of zombies. To do that, however, we need three of us to enter bags of holding for the time being. In between teleports those outside the bags can simply hang onto me, as this vacuum and lack of gravity shouldn't affect my ability to fly."
Hinagiku could not even begin to comprehend what was going on with the inner and outer spheres, nor with the horde of floating zombies. It had to do with magic, or so she believed, but beyond that laid an abyss of ignorance. Tearing herself away from the view, she looks back into the corridor from which they had just emerged to make sure that nothing would sneak on her companions while they discussed ways to traverse the void.
As the idea of going into a bag is mentioned, Hinagiku finds herself momentarily undecided. On the one hand she felt as though her role was to keep her allies safe, but on the other, she knew there was really little she could do right now. So, after a moment of hesitation, she whispers to the others:
” Mrs. Li'an, rydych chi'n deall y pethau hyn yn well na ni, felly fe ymddiriedaf yn eich cynllun. Nid oes ots gennyf fynd mewn bag, yn enwedig os rhowch fenthyg cyllell neu ddarn bach i mi y gallaf ei ddefnyddio i ddianc ohono os bydd angen.”
Myrna wonders exactly what Li'an is suggesting until she mentions "my ability to fly". Then she remembers that she has a potion that would allow her to fly in her bag. She squints up at the hole leading to the surface. She should be able to make it, and she still appeared to be a zombie. If all went well, she could just fly through the groups of zombies.
"If our plan is just to fly out of here, I can handle myself," she says. She withdraws her potion of fly from her bag. "Unless anyone wants to come with me?"
"While you having the ability to fly would be useful as well, we should stay together," Li'an says when Myrna begins talking about going on her own. "I can use dimension door to help us cross the distance quickly, but we all need to be touching for the spell to work."
"There should be no issue with giving you a dagger in case you need to exit Hinagiku. The three of you might even fit together in Ename's bag, which would simplify getting out if needed. Assuming the two of you would be willing to climb in as well, that is."
Taking the large sack they'd gotten from Ename, she sets it down and ensures it's empty before setting it up so the three can get in.
Ehren is more than happy to take advantage of Pagbean's powerful illusion magic, allowing the group to evade another unnecessary fight. While Myrna's confidence is not unfounded, even if they prevailed in one battle, there is no telling how many might follow. The wisest course of action, then, is to ensure that number stays at zero. Thankfully their good fortune holds, allowing them to reach the exit without further trickery.
Finally outside of the labyrinthine sphere, Ehren once again has to marvel at the sheer scale of Goryon's creation and wonder how they would have ever reached its center without Lady Zhaleh's help. He stares at innumerable undead with an earthy grimace - as helpless as they appear, however, they remain an obstacle nonetheless.
"This way, we will be ready for Li'an to teleport before we cross the boundary," Ehren says with a nod, having no objections to the plan. It would be far from comfortable for those getting stuffed into the bag of holding, but if all goes well, they would not have to deal with those accommodations for long.
Myrna shakes her head. Clearly, Li'an was enamored with both teleportation and instant coordination, but to Myrna, the idea of being dragged across the intervening void, a spectator to her own fate, and periodically teleported in evading directions, seems both unnecessary and nauseating. "No, I don't think that teleportation will be necessary to cross here," she responds. "We appear like zombies, and we can fly carefully to avoid most of them. I believe that making ourselves more maneuverable by making our trains shorter is easier than relying on teleportation to escape from a bind."
"Besides," she adds, remembering the episode in the Desnan temple where they had all been abruptly summoned to the stage to perform mid-study session, "you don't have to touch us to affect us with your magic, right?"
"We can meet again once we've crossed the boundary."
"I can only affect one person with dimension door at range, unfortunately. Splitting up will be a significant risk. If we lose sight of each other and get out of range of message there will be no way to communicate or help each other," she says, strongly advocating against going separate ways. "We should not get complacent simply because we are getting close to escaping. It is best if we stay together, that way if something goes wrong we can handle it together."
Unafe laughs. "I'm tempted to say let's just leap, and bowl through them as we go...but I think your plan is wise, Li'an.
"If we can't that scroll to become invisible to these undead, and if those of you who can fly can steer us, hopefully we won't need your dimension doors...but I like is starting together if at all possible, just in case we do."
”Oni bai bod rheswm dros wahanu, rwy’n meddwl ei bod yn annoeth gwneud hynny.” Hinagiku says in approval of Li’an’s plan.
Ehren frowns, growing weary of the constant disagreement. If it were not for their limited air supply, they could probably debate on the best way to cross the zombie-filled void forever.
"Then you should take the lead, Myrna," the druid says to the crusader, nodding his approval. While her idea has its own risks, he is not about to waste time browbeating her about it. "But please, wait on us before passing through the boundary. The closer we get the to the surface, the more likely we are to run into the rest of Ayrzul's forces."
"Pagbean, could you go ahead and use your scrolls on us?" he asks their gnomish companion when Unafe brings them up.
Seeing that no one believes in her ability not to instantly die or wants to come with her, despite her ability to go twice as fast and her vast strength, Myrna whooshes some air between her teeth. "See you there," she says, popping the cork from her fly potion. She downs the potion, looks up into the void with its horde of zombies, crouches, and jumps.
Not coming back down is a strange thrill, and being able to direct her movement in any direction is a novelty. She focuses on getting herself across the intervening space in time, avoiding any huge hordes of zombies in the meantime.
Li'an watches in surprise as Myrna pops a fly potion and soars off as quickly as possible. She tries to come up with something to convince the skald to return, but before she is able to think of anything that might work she is out of the range of the magic she uses for communications.
She sighs and watches the skald receding into the distance, briefly pausing to wish her luck before turning to the remainder of the group.
She waits for Pagbean to make use of three of the scrolls he had mentioned earlier, and which Ehren had asked only moments ago about, to enchant Unafe, Ehren and herself to ward them from the vision of undead. Then once Pagbean, Lohad and Hinagiku are tucked away in one of the bags, and after ensuring they have a dagger or knife with which to cut their way out in an emergency, she looks to Ehren and Unafe.
"Are we ready?" she asks, extending a hand to each of them. Once they have a firm grip she takes off, dragging the two of them along with her and plotting a course through the mass of zombies attempting to avoid getting to close to any masses of them. Hopefully when they arrived at the exit they would find Myrna waiting to boast about how absolutely nothing interesting had happened.
Unafe smiles ruefully at her brave, rash companion, and says a prayer under her breath for Myrna's safety.
"Myrna has incredible gifts to offer...and clearly has her own path to walk, in more ways than one. I pray that her ancestors watch over her and guide her safely to the top.
"Let us prioritize getting the rest of us up and out, quickly and safely. We still need to get Sairazul out of here and away from Ayrzul's clutches...not to mention living long enough to thwart the demonic invasion of Sarkoris!
"With luck and the blessings of our own ancestors, perhaps we can stay close to Myrna as we go, in case things go awry."
Pagbean retrieves the scrolls from his belongings, unrolling them carefully, revealing a long piece of parchment etched with strange mystical runes. He focuses and activates the scrolls, unleashing their stored gifts. Divine energy surges forth, surrounding Ehren, Unafe, and Isilme with an aura that shields them from the undead's detection. The enchantment, though temporary, will provide them with the necessary protection to cross the treacherous chasm. Pagbean and Lohad then hide inside of the bag along with Hinagiku.
Myrna takes to the air, her magic propelling her effortlessly through the void, which she navigates with ease, skillfully evading the hordes of floating zombies. Her agile movements allow her to gracefully maneuver around the undead, deftly avoiding their feeble attempts to hinder her progress. Every now and then one gets close enough to swipe at her or attempt to bite, but with a swift kick of her powerful legs, she simply sends stray zombies careening into the darkness.
Myrna flies up, avoids the first group of zombies, turns around, and looks at her companions. Seeing them getting ready for flight, she will turn and wait a few moments, at least for them to begin catching up with her. Then she turns and heads for the exit. She doesn't have much time to waste on her potion, and she would rather preserve her power of ancestral knowledge if she could afford to.
The heroes fly upwards for a few minutes in utter silence. At the speed they are going, it is not particularly difficult to avoid accidental collisions with zombies since they are utterly oblivious to their passing by.
As they continue their upward flight, Myrna stays focused on the path ahead. The eerie silence envelops her in the dimly lit space. With each passing minute, they draw closer to their goal, the circular gate that marks their escape from the Vault. The gate has been blasted apart, and as they get closer, Myrna can see large chunks of floating rubble floating up above, like islands.
However, just before reaching their destination, something captures Myrna's attention. Her gaze is drawn upwards to the entrance. Perched atop a floating piece of rubble is a huge dragon, its immense form made of purple and black crystals. The dragon's gaze is fixed downward, its attention seemingly locked onto the orb-shaped labyrinth far below.
Found in underground environments, particularly within the Plane of Earth, Crystal Dragons are known to generally live solitary existences. Based on it's size, you believe that dragon is an Ancient Crystal Dragon.
Crystal Dragons are brilliantly colored dragons with scales, teeth, and claws made of multicolored crystal. Their wings are sheets of flexible glass. Like most dragons, they are terrifying to behold due to their sheer size and strength. A dragon of this age would be an incredibly powerful foe, more powerful than a glabrezu demon. Crystal dragons are able to fly, burrow and climb.
Crystal Dragons have Dragon Senses, including blindsense. Their crystalline bodies can reflect rays back to their source. Stories and tales document their mastery of a variety of spells: they use color spray, glitterdust, and rainbow pattern at will. It can cast prismatic spray and stone to flesh three times per day. Additionally, they have knowledge of sorcerer spells, including dimension door, phantasmal killer, displacement, lightning bolt, major image, blindness/deafness, invisibility, minor image, mirror image, alarm, feather fall, magic aura, silent image, unseen servant, acid splash, detect magic, detect poison, ghost sound, mage hand, message, read magic, and touch of fatigue.
Crystal Dragons tend to accumulate impressive hoards, typically triple the amount of other dragons. However, they tend to keep them extremely neat and organized.
Crystal dragons are said to be generally well-intentioned but can come across as arrogant due to their extreme vanity. They are easily angered by perceived insults, even if none were intended. These dragons tend to spend extended periods in their meticulously organized underground lairs, rarely venturing to leave. Crystal Dragons do not have a conventional breath attack, instead they can emit powerful sonic vibrations, but you aren't certain it'd be capable of doing that in this airless space.
Seeing the dragon perching ahead, Myrna careens straight for the nearest chunk of floating island big enough for her to grab onto and hide behind. She couldn't fight a monster that size, not without probably dying. Brushing the occasional zombie that floats close enough away, Myrna tries to consider what to do. How were they going to get by this dragon? Would they have to fight and defeat it before they could make their escape? Were they capable of that sort of feat?
Myrna didn't know.
Myrna clings to a floating piece of rocky debris. She peers upwards at the dragon. It is massive but, she guesses it's about 500 feet away from her. After a few moments she chances peering upwards around the edge of the rock. The dragon is staring straight ahead. If it has seen her, it is not making any sign of it. In the vacuum there is no sound, save for the sound of Myrna's pulse, carried by the life bubble that surrounds her.
Being surrounded by uncountably many undead makes Unafe shudder, but her jaw and shoulders relax somewhat when she sees that they truly are oblivious to her.
Once she realizes that their plan is working, she starts to feel a gradual rise of impatience–Is this my impatience? Is it Goryon's–at moving so slowly through this void.
She looks up, trying to ascertain how far they've even come so far, and how much of the void is left to cross.
With the others hanging onto her, Li'an focuses primarily on navigating the group through the clumps of undead drifting through the void. That doing so also helped keep her mind off of the fact Myrna had run off alone was a welcome benefit as well. In theory she could have burned her dimension door spells to keep up, but the others had made a good argument for conserving her power in case of an emergency, and she intended to stick to that plan for the time being.
Myrna briefly considers flying up to the dragon to try and converse with it. Dragons were intelligent creatures, after all, and all it was doing was sitting there. Myrna was sure she could get at least some information out of it. Then she remembers that she's in a void, and the logistical difficulties of conversation cause her to hesitate long enough to give up. She clutches to the rock, trying to consider what to do. In just a few moments, her own fly spell ends, but she's not worried about it. Her companions will be along soon, and even if they would not pick her up, she had the ability to fly once more.
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”Byddwch yn ofalus.” Hinagiku says just before crawling into the largest of the magical bags.
Contorting to get into the magical bag was one of the strangest things that Hinagiku had ever done. Laying it on the ground had been the easiest way for her to wriggle her upper body through the smallish neck, but being on all fours with half her body in the material world and the other half going through some sort of multidimensional translational shear. Knees on solid ground, hands on soft fabric that felt like it was a suspended tapistry, and mixed ley, everything felt really …. unusual. When, finally, all limbs were inside did she fall and roll to the bottom of the thing, hitting a scepter, a giant gem and pieces or armour, before rolling onto the tapestry at the bottom. There, the first thought that occurred to her was: It is bigger on the inside!
Carefully hanging on to the dagger Li’an had given her, Hinagiku welcomes as well as she can both Lohad and Pagbean in the still small multidimensional space.
The other heroes had lost sight of Myrna a while ago, given her speed and the obstruction of numerous zombies. Nonetheless, they persist towards their shared objective. As they draw closer to the opening, they notice that it is a massive, circular, metallic gate with a diameter spanning several hundred feet. The gate appears to have been forcefully shattered, leaving behind a plethora of rocky debris that now hovers in the vacuum like large floating islands. Suddenly, about five hundred feet away, they can glimpse an enormous dragon crafted from purple and black crystals. The dragon's huge body is secured to one of the floating islands by its claws. It turns its gaze towards the approaching heroes.
Myrna can see flashes of light and color in the distance, about 200 feet away - she guesses based on experience, probably, Unafe's spirits. She sees the dragon turn its head in the Demetae's direction.
"Yr ifanc, gwrandewch arnaf. Bydd y ddraig honno yn galluog iawn. Ni allwch fforddio dal yn ôl."
Unafe gulps, as she realizes how big this dragon is.
I'd wager that that dragon is larger than a brontosaurus!
< Mae'n debyg ei bod yn ormod gofyn bod hwn yn hen ffrind i chi. Wyt ti'n nabod nhw? A oes rhai dreigiau grisial sy'n gwasanaethu Ayrzul? >
Li'an almost immediately recognizes the dragon in the distance as one of Goryon's kin, a crystal dragon. Judging by the size it was likely ancient.
"An ancient crystal dragon," she says to the group. "We will need to get Hinagiku out for this."
Seeing signs that her party members are on the way back, Myrna scrambles onto the front side of the rock she's clutching onto and launches herself into open space. Floating towards the dragon, Myrna casts a spell to create several lights -- a green, a red, and a blue light shimmer into existence around her, and float along with her, revealing her location. Myrna furiously waves her arms and legs about, trying to gather some attention.
Still in his earth elemental form, Ehren held onto Li'an's arm as she towed him through the zombie-filled void, a feat that would have been impossible without the absence of gravity. She was the last person he imagined they would hitch a ride on.
As the immense gate comes into view, the druid frowns when he sees what appears to be their final obstacle. A crystal dragon led them to this place, and now one stands between them and their exit. The irony is not lost on him, but Ehren does not find it funny in the least.
Still holding onto the sorceress, Ehren wills his earth body to crumble away, revealing a slightly smaller, wispier frame. The silvery winds of the air elemental's body spiral in a frenzy within the invisible life bubble, emitting a breeze that feels almost alien within the stillness of the vacuum. Ehren tries not to think about what would happen if the barrier were to wear off while assuming this form. Instead, he focuses on the matter at hand.
"Nis gallwn ond gobeithio fod y tir hwn mor anfanteisiol iddo ag ydyw i ni," Ehren says, his voice a breathy whisper. "Efallai y gallwn ei drechu? Diau na fydd ei adenydd o fawr ddefnydd mewn lle fel hwn."
Far away, the dragon appears as a small winged lizard clinging to a distant stone. The heroes suddenly notice something flashing just around 200 feet away - there are a lot of zombies, so it is hard to see - but the bright, colorful blinking lights help them see Myrna off in the distance. The dragon, far away, turns fully around on its floating rock, apparently also seeing the flashing lights that surround Myrna. Its shape distorts, and suddenly, there appear to be six identical dragons total on the distant floating island.
"Un ifanc, nid oedd rhiant y ddraig honno wedi chwythu eto pan roeddwn i'n dal i fyw. Ac am hynny, pam fyddwn i'n gwybod am unrhyw ddraig ar hap yn well na'r hyn y byddech chi'n ei wybod am unrhyw unigolyn dynol rydym ni'n dod ar ei ôl? Canolbwyntiwch. Nid wyf yn gwybod a allwch chi guro'r ddraig honno. Gallwn fentro benthyg eich cryfder chi a'n cludo ni i'r porth o'r fan hon, ond rhaid i unrhyw un sy'n dod gyda ni fod mewn cysylltiad â ni. Ond... pe byddwn i'n gwneud hynny, ni fyddai gennych ddigon o nerth eto i ni agor porth arall sy'n ein harwain ni'n ôl i Sarkoris. Byddai angen i ni ddod yn ôl i'r gwreiddiol mewn pryd cyn iddo ddod i ben ychydig oriau."
Myrna, Li'an, Unafe and Ehren are up!
Unafe nods. < Rwy'n credu ti; byddwn yn ei osgoi os gallwn. Rydych chi'n sôn am ein cael ni ar unwaith i'r porth. Mae Li'an yn cyfeirio at un o'i swynion fel Teleport a'r llall fel Dimension Door. Ydyn ni'n ddigon pell o'ch wardiau nawr iddi hi ein teleportio, neu ddim ond drws dimensiwn? Os yw teleportio yn bosibl yma, efallai y bydd hi'n gallu ein cael ni yno o'i phwer ei hun. >
Floating through space, with her lights flashing around her, Myrna hopes that her companions notice her and do something. Either that, or she hopes that she can distract the dragon long enough for her companions to escape. She does what she can do to ensure her own survival: She calls on her ancestral knowledge of magic to cast a second fly spell on herself. She would at least be able to move freely and independently until it no longer mattered. Perhaps, all else failing her, she could hike herself to the gate.
Goryon snaps, irritably, "Roeddwn i'n golygu'r hyn a ddywedais, plentyn. Gallaf ein cludo ni i'r porth, sydd uwchben ein pennau, yr ydych chi'n ceisio mynd ato yn union nawr. Nawr rhoi'r gorau i wastraffu amser yn gofyn i mi ailadrodd fy hun ac i ddechrau gwneud penderfyniadau."
"Unfortunately I suspect they have been preparing for this for some time," she says in response to Ehren's hope that the dragon would find it difficult to maneuver in the space around them. "Beyond it likely being able to use dimension door, it clearly has used life bubble or something like it to enable it to breathe here. I wouldn't be surprised if it also had magic to fly here."
"Now that you've shifted forms, can you concentrate on moving us? I wish to prepare to react in case it attempts to teleport on top of us. Crystal dragons of its age have access to some incredibly dangerous magic, so I want to be prepared to get us out of danger if it appears here."
Li'an tries get a feel for where Myrna is headed and what the dragon is doing as she readies to cast dimension door to get them out of danger if the dragon appears atop them or Myrna.
Unafe nods, hoping that Ehren and Li'an can steer them through the chaos and away from the dragon.
"Saving Myrna has to be our first priority. Then, if you see the chance to dimension door us to something big that I can jump off of–one of those floating hunks, maybe, do it. Hopefully working together–with my legs, Ehren's whirlwind, and Li'an's teleportation–we can evade this ancient dragon."
She braces herself, focusing herself for battle.
Ehren nods at Li'an's request, trading positions with her so that he is now the one towing everyone. Seeing the little lights in the distance, he races in her direction, the space behind him rippling as he is propelled by the force of his own cyclonic body.
The six identical dragons launch off of the island they are on, and start to fly in the heroes' direction, though with their wings and limbs held close to their bodies, they appear more as though they were swimming through the air, not flying. They close distance by 120'. Meanwhile, the heroes close most of the distance with Myrna, her distinctive silhouette having been visible even at a great distance.
The Heroes are Up!
"Unafe, get ready to grab when she's in reach, and make sure she can touch me," she says, preparing for their impending rendezvous. "Once she is in contact with me we will be ready to dimension door past the dragon just as it thinks its about to get to us."
As they move, Li'an again scans the distance ahead, this time looking for a massive boulder or mass of zombies towards the gate that she could use to hide them from line of sight to the dragon once she uses dimension door. She then focuses her attention on the massive dragon, preparing to teleport them away should it close to a dangerous distance.
Ehren is not very surprised when the crystal dragon begins to "swim" towards them, confirming Li'an's suspicions. In hindsight, it was obvious that a creature as old and powerful as a dragon would not have overlooked such a glaring disadvantage.
As the air elemental continues to speed closer to Myrna, it occurs to him that this is the first true dragon they have encountered as an adversary. Fearsome as he was, the legendary chimera Soltengrebbe was barely a third of a dragon, a bastardized facsimile of the genuine article. Even the woundwyrm Scorizscar was more demon than dragon, the corruption of the Worldwound having warped its being to its very core.
Whether they were up to the challenge or not, these were hardly the circumstances Ehren wanted to face it under. The druid considers their options, realizing that Li'an has more or less arrived at the same conclusion.
"I have enough power to shroud us in deeper darkness," he explains without taking his eyes off the rapidly approaching skald. "That should prevent the dragon from teleporting on top of us, at the very least. But if we do that, I'll need you to be my eyes, Li'an. My echolocation does not work here, so I would be flying blind."
Unafe says, "Hold on friends, I'm going to let myself grow to my full size so that I can better grab Myrna."
Myrna can see her compatriots, and flies towards them. She allows Unafe to catch her in her grip, and goes along with the others in their trip towards the dragon, pulled by Ehren. She casts a spell to link herself to their communication network. "So," she asks them. "You've seen the dragon, I guess? What's the plan? I don't think we can fight it if we can't move."
Goryon finishes reprimanding Unafe, her voice cold and sharp. "Nac ystyria fy ngalluoedd i i'r gwrach yna." She then relents, somewhat, her voice cracking, "Edrychwch, mae'n ddrwg gennyf. Mae hyn yn hynod bwysig ac rydych chi'n gwastraffu amser yn gofyn i mi ailadrodd fy hun. Nawr bod chi i gyd ynghyd eto, ydych chi eisiau i mi fynd â chi i'r porth?"
Myrna closes the rest of the distance, while Li'an lines up a place within range of her teleportation magic. Unafe grows enormous, and then grabs onto Myrna, causing them to all be in contact of one another.
Ehren is Up!
"Can you get the darkness on a rock or something you can throw? I can teleport us right after the dragon loses sight of us and we could leave the object moving towards the dragon." she responds when Ehren suggests using deeper darkness to break line of sight with it. "Oh and good to have you back Myrna, now let's get out of here before we have to figure out whether we are a match for this dragon or not"