"Stay strong, sister. The ancestors are watching over you while you rest."
With that, Unafe continues to wail on the bloody Glabrezu, taking our her rage at another ally falling to senseless violence.
//advantage due to Forgotten
-7 swarm damage
// Not sure if it's still up (or if it'll go down mid-turn) so putting in more conditionals, and less narrative.
Move:
// demoralize all foes who can see me.
// IF it dies before my Move action > Move West and attack a Derakni.
// IF it dies before my Stnd action > Move West, to near the Deraknis.
Swft: // IF it's still alive after both, do another Rapid Pummel
// OR IF I was able to hit (anyone) with Brutal Strike, AND I didn't need to Rapid Pummel, WAR HONK (granting +6 morale to damage to all allies on their first attack for 5 rounds)
Tracking
34 AC +2 vs evil outsiders
35 CMB (38 vs Grapple) +2 vs evil outsiders
147/147 HP
38 THP //
0 Nonlethal //
7 Tension (+1 hit, +1 demoralize) // -3 if need Rapid Pummel
9/9 AP //
11/11 MP //
7/11 Momentum //
2/2 martial focus //
5/22 SP //
1/3 stone shapes remaining //
2/3 stone to flesh remaining //
DR 2/- vs evil outsiders.
With the battlefield in chaos, the last few moments turn frantic and deadly.
Yui makes a swift attack against the retriever, but her blow only grazes the mechanical demon. Close by, Anna leaps into the fray, her golden starknife glinting as it slices cleanly through the glabrezu's defenses. The massive demon reels from the strike, giving Unafe the opening she needs. With a savage twist of her massive saurian arms, she squeezes the glabrezu with her tremendous strength, crushing it to the ground with a violent slam, finally killing it.
Unafe, fueled by her relentless fury, then pivots and leaps toward the nearest derakni, smashing it with a thunderous blow, her punch so powerful it sends the demon crumpling to the floor. The remaining derakni, shaken by the destruction of its kin, attempts to enervate Yui, but she dodges the sickly green ray with a sharp spin, evading its deadly energy.
Meanwhile, the retriever—still locked in the heat of battle—fires its petrification beam at Hinagiku. In a flash of movement, Hinagiku barely avoids being turned to stone, using every ounce of her focus to survive the devastating attack.
Nearby, Rue isn’t so fortunate. The retriever’s mandibles clamp around her, dragging her down to the ground. It slashes at her, its claws tearing into her throat, and she begins to gurgle, blood pouring from her mouth. She tries to cry out, but the blood chokes her words. The retriever holds her tightly, and with a brutal slash, opens a deep, lethal wound. Rue is bleeding heavily, and her condition is dire as the retriever continues to crush her in its jaws.
The vescavor swarms, relentless and hungry, buzz around the heroes, dealing small but constant bites and gnashes. The swarms target Beatrix, attempting to devour her scroll, and Unafe, attempting to devour her mithral armor spikes. Both women must act fast.
Then, another retriever emerges from the stone wall, fixing its glowing mechanical eyes on Ehren. With unnatural precision, it lunges, attempting to sink its mandibles into the druid’s elemental form, but can't get through his rocky exterior. Then, it turns its attention to Hinagiku, unleashing twin beams of deadly energy: a disintegrating ray and a freezing blast. Only by drawing on her mythic power does she manage to survive the onslaught, her body barely holding together against the combined forces of annihilation.
Then, to the heroes’ shock, the retriever speaks— in a cold, rasping tone that reverberates through the tunnel, slick and slithery, like the whisper of a thousand writhing insects.
“Well, well… What an amusing little gathering of mortals we have here. You’ve come so far, only to stumble so close to your inevitable end. I am curious—how is it that you’ve managed to survive this long? What drives such fragile creatures to defy the will of gods and demons alike?”
The retriever’s mandibles click ominously, as if mocking their efforts, and then the voice continues, its tone dripping with condescension and amusement.
“You’re all so interesting, aren’t you? Each of you clings to life with such desperation, as if there’s something noble in your struggle. Tell me, heroes, how did you come by such power? How do you keep fighting, knowing that the end is near, that you’re outmatched at every turn? Is it hope? Or merely the arrogance of those who haven’t yet seen the true depth of despair?”
“Violence is so boring. Let's take a little break...why don’t we play a little game, shall we? For every answer I give to your burning questions, you must answer one of mine. I’m eager to learn about you, after all—about what drives you. Shall we begin? Or would you rather skip this little conversation and proceed to your destruction?”
"The choice, after all, is yours. But choose quickly. Time is something you don’t have."
The Heroes Are Up!
Haring Rue cry out, Yui runs back around the corner. She quickly casts a healing spell and tags Rue, closing the bleeding gash and restoring her ability to breathe and speak.
"Xanthir Vang," Ehren rumbles contemptuously, glowering at the retriever and tightening his earthen fists. With a sidelong glance he confirms that Hinagiku is still standing - for now. But with Myrna down, it is clear that even with their unexpected ally's arrival, they were in rather dire straits. For a moment he considers the Blackfyre Adept's proposal, wondering if perhaps they could use the opportunity to regroup, heal, or even retreat... but then he remembers who it is they are talking to.
Stepping forward, the earth elemental throws a colossal fist at the construct's chittering mandibles, and then another. "No deal, wizard. We do not parley with Baphomet's treacherous puppets."
The templar's shadow hops and dances along her form, ignoring any suggestions of what a conventional shadow should do. It stops for a moment to look directly at the empty retriever, featureless head tilting. She continues to hold the blade threateningly as the worm makes his speech, doing her best to betray little of her emotions as she focuses on passing knowledge on to the succubus.
As Ehren declares the group above taking the time to spill the tea, her stance shifts slightly. Her face masked, it's unclear exactly what emotions are playing in her head. She raises her weapon high overhead, before flicking her wrist at the final moment to turn all of the downward momentum upon the retriever. If the jig wasn't already up, it needed to be, because she really needed to keep the foes from focusing on those already so heavily injured.
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Ehren's first strike smashes into the construct with a resounding crack, sending shards of metal flying. Before the retriever can react, Ehren’s second blow lands with equal force, battering the creature further. The retriever shudders under the onslaught, clearly wounded but still standing.
The voice slithers out of the retriever again, mocking,
"So eager for destruction, are we?" the voice hisses. "How predictable, like all Sarkorians—fists before thought, blades before wisdom. But you misunderstand me. I offer you knowledge, the truth behind this apocalypse. A truth you clearly do not yet possess."
The retriever tilts its head, as if considering the heroes with interest.
"Do you truly think this war is about demons and cultists, about good and evil? Oh no, mortals. There are far greater forces at play than your simple minds can comprehend. Forces that have already decided your fate."
A pause, then, with venomous amusement: "But, by all means, strike away. Let’s see how far your strength takes you... before you crumble like stones! Hahaha!"
Sana's strike lands true—her starknife, ablaze with her focused energy, pierces deep into the construct. Shimmering faerie fire ignites upon impact, outlining the retriever in flickering light. The Abyssal construct shudders under the blow, its legs buckling slightly, entangled in ethereal tendrils that hinder its movement.
Meanwhile, as the other retriever's mechanical mandibles tighten around Rue, the situation seems dire. But just before the abyssal machine can crush her, a warm, radiant light flickers from Sana's Lantern. In an instant, Rue feels an overwhelming sense of safety, as if an invisible hand were guiding her. Without thinking, she instinctively reaches for that beacon.
With a flash of golden light, Rue vanishes from the retriever's deadly grasp, reappearing safely next to Sana, breathless but unharmed. The danger passes in a heartbeat, leaving only the fading glow of the lantern to mark the miraculous rescue. "Thank you...?" she says, questioningly, looking at the templar with the starknife. She draws her bow and listens for a moment.
Rue's voice echoes urgently through the group's minds,
"Listen closely, everyone," Rue begins. "We’re approaching a den of powerful enemies. Jerribeth is stationed on the eastern side, near the main entrance. She’s not alone—she’s got an old lover with her. I'm familiar with her, a piece of work known as Lilevyrrin... a pretty famous succubus in the Worldwound. Grillixbee, a coloxus demon, is hovering somewhere in the north, not far from here. Dangerous, but not our immediate problem."
Her mental tone hardens. "The real threat, though, is Xanthir Vang. He’s supposed to be just around the corner, and he’s involved in all kinds of horrifying projects. He’s working with some creatures called Brain Collectors—alien things. They’re running experiments on humans. Some of them are prisoners in the eastern part of the temple. We’ll need to figure out how to free them. Vang’s also been trying to assassinate Crusader leadership with upgraded spider constructs, probably the ones we’re fighting now."
Rue pauses, her mind sifting through the information. "If we take out these spiders, we can regroup. The templar mentioned we might have a safe place further in the temple where the enemy doesn’t patrol. There’s magic radiating from the temple’s center, near the north. We’ll need to break that altar—it’s powering something, and I don’t like the idea of facing whatever it’s tied to in full force. It might give us a serious edge in the next fight."
She adds a final thought. "If we’re smart, we can turn this place against them. But we need to move fast, and every step needs to count."
As the battlefield continues to swirl with chaos, the retrievers lash out viciously, their mechanical mandibles biting into both Ehren and Yui. Ehren, now in his massive elemental form, takes a heavy bite from the retriever, but stands firm, his earthen body able to absorb the damage. The retriever attempts to grapple him, but Ehren's immense strength keeps him from being locked in place.
Yui, however, is not as fortunate. The retriever that had earlier ensnared her bites down multiple times, each strike sinking deeper into her flesh. Despite her agility and determination, the blows leave her reeling, and the creature continues to press its advantage, tearing into her relentlessly.
Meanwhile, Sana's lantern flickers, casting its protective light, but even its radiant glow isn't enough to stave off the worst of the swarm's attacks. Yui feels the overwhelming presence of the abyssal insects crawling over her, and a wave of nausea threatens to overtake her as she struggles against both the retriever and the demonic swarm.
Yui and Beatrix, standing amidst the fray, are hit by searing beams of energy. Will they survive?
Hinagiku swiftly moves, dodging a barrage of attacks from the derakni and retrievers, her Iroran training and mythic resilience allowing her to evade the worst of the damage. In between these rapid dodges, she manages to graze the derakni with a well-timed counterattack.
Rue, having been saved from the retriever's grasp by Sana’s lantern ability, recovers just in time to loose arrows at one of the retrievers, though the mechanical beast is too resilient to fall just yet. The fight rages on, with everyone in a pitched battle against seemingly endless demonic forces.
Round 7!
The Heroes Are Up!
Amid Vang's taunts and the incessant chattering of the swarming vescavors, Ehren focuses solely on the retriever in front of him, clubbing away at it with his stone fists.
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This time Yui is better prepared for the construct's onslaught. As the ray streaks towards her, she brings it up, swinging Kurushimi's blade in the path. As the ray hits the blade's edge, it seems to continue into the depths of the blade, eventually vanishing. She then jabs Kurushimi at the Retriever's mandibles, preventing it from closing to bite her. Despite successfully blocking it, she finds her stance slipping due to the oppressive weight of the creature. When one of the creature's legs swings in from the side, it's only Kurushimi's power that guides it into place in time to cause the attack to miss.
The relentlessness of the creature's attacks push her to her limit, and she is not so lucky when the second leg strikes from the other side, cutting deeply into her torso under her right arm. Seeing yet another strike coming, she hangs onto the leg cutting into her, causing it to pull her out of the path of the incoming attack, only to guide her into the fourth strike which slices into her again on the same side, leaving another deep laceration.
"Is that the best you have?" Yui says to the construct before her as she recenters herself. "Lets see you do that a second time, you abyssal reject." Planting Kurushimi in the ground she adjusts her position, sinking down into a defensive stance and preparing for its next round of attacks.
"Rue, you need to hurry and help bring the other creature down, and tell Hinagiku to cover me if she can. I will focus on keeping this one occupied."
Beatrix is hurt pretty badly by the rays of the retrievers, but by some fluke of luck or divine intervention, she emerges alive from the other side of the disintegrate ray. She, too, feels the pull of safety from Anna's lantern and she teleports across the room, out of the vesvavor swarm's area, and into the center of the battlefield. Once there, she surveys the battlefield and sees that she isn't the only one struggling with her wounds. She releases a pulse of positive energy to heal all allies on the battlefield, trying to restore her companions' strength and keep the Crusaders going.
Meanwhile, her archons recover from their confusion. Both turn and unleash laser rays against the derakni demon that was there.
For a moment Unafe is curious what this wretched witch wants to tell them, but decides there's no point in taking his bait. He'll feel our wrath soon enough!
Instead, Unafe dodges over toward the Archdruid, shoving the Retriever that’s harassing him, and then doing her best to rip it limb from limb.
As she does, saurian spirits swirl around her, their rage and ferocity mirroring her own.
Last Round
-5 Swarm damage
This Round
-4 Swarm damage
Move:
Stnd:
Swft:
Tracking
34 AC +2 vs evil outsiders
35 CMB (38 vs Grapple) +2 vs evil outsiders
147/147 HP
43 THP // -5 (swarm; -2 DR for each round…which I just remember I have vs evil outsiders), +5 guardian
0 Nonlethal //
4 Tension (+1 hit, +1 move, -5 Rapid Pummel x2)
9/9 AP //
11/11 MP //
7/11 Momentum //
1/2 martial focus // -1 Brutal Strike
5/22 SP //
1/3 stone shapes remaining //
2/3 stone to flesh remaining //
DR 2/- vs evil outsiders.
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Anna awaits the heroes reply before responding, her voice dripping with condescension. "Vhang, Vhang, Vhang..." She tosses her starknife to the ground, bouncing it back up into her waiting hand like a girl playing jacks. "We knew that you were a traitor, but parleying with the Crusaders mid-raid on one of our temples and promising to share our secrets? I daresay that you've made it clear that you're more of an enemy to the Templars than the Crusaders. Even after all the hospitality we've shown you, you still had the audacity to have your Blackfyres teleport our compatriots into their greedy maw. I assure you that Jerribeth will hear about this." Anna says, maintaining an air that she believes may have been just as haughty as Vhang's.
"But for now, Crusaders. I propose a counter-offer. I aid you in killing these monstrosities in exchange for my life." She holds the weapon over her shoulder for a moment, then looks to Unafe. "As a continued show of good faith..." she says, slipping sideways and allowing her arm to uncoil like a snake as the saurian woman hurtles past her. She hurls the weapon directly at the spider that had a few of its eyes focused on Rue as she hears the audible crunching noises from behind her. She doesn't bother to look, knowing the creature is in good hands.
As Sana's weapon sinks deep into the other construct, the voice emerges from the retriever in the wall, a tone of amusement thinly veiling his growing frustration. "You waste your breath, little insect. Do you think Jerribeth holds any sway over me? She is but a pawn in Deskari’s greater plan. And as for your offers of aid, the webs of your deceit are—"
But his voice falters as Ehren and Rue’s combined strikes hit the retriever with immense force. Ehren’s stone fists crash against the machine, shattering metal and sending its mechanical legs twitching, sparks flying from its eyes. Rue's deadly barrage of arrows rips through the Retriever's core, causing its once-glowing eyes to dim and flicker. The construct collapses in a final heap, crushed beneath the relentless assault.
The voice hisses in anger through the collapsing construct. "Fools! You may break my toys, but you will never defeat me. You cannot even begin to understand the forces that lie ahead. You are insects crawling toward your own doom!" His voice crackles and distorts as the retriever disintegrates, leaving nothing but a hushed silence.
The immediate threat neutralized, Rue quickly relays her next plan: "Hinagiku —cover me and Yui. I'll focus on the next one. We need to end this now!"
Beatrix's divine power washes over her allies, mending wounds and restoring strength. Nearby, her lantern archons, recovering from confusion, target the remaining derakni demon, unleashing holy light upon it.
Hinagiku steps forward, using her defensive techniques to create an opening for the others. The battlefield surges with renewed energy as the heroes continue to hold their ground, but the relentless assault from Xanthir Vang's minions remains a constant, pressing threat.
Round 8!
Unafe is up!
Unafe lets the retriever's desperate attempts to resist wash over her as she feels the swirling rage of the ancestor spirits grow stronger around her. With a determined grunt, she shoves the towering construct, using her considerable strength to send it stumbling back. The saurian spirits, translucent and fierce, mirror her aggression, their forms swirling in a tempest of ancient power.
The retriever, thrown off balance by the powerful shove, barely has time to regain its footing before Unafe follows up with a brutal strike. Her fists, guided by the rage and strength of her ancestors, slam into the construct with devastating force. Metal bends and cracks beneath her blows as she tears into it savagely.
With a final furious pummeling, Unafe's hands tear through the construct's body, rending it apart piece by piece. The retriever crumbles, its mechanical form collapsing under her might. The spirits around her seem to roar in triumph, echoing her own.
Meanwhile, the relentless vescavor swarm descend on Unafe, Ehren, Hinagiku, and Yui, their tiny, ravenous forms biting and gnawing, dealing a brutal toll on the group. The bites tear at flesh, sending sharp pains through their bodies as they try to fend off the writhing mass of insects.
Unafe, amidst the chaos, feels the weight of the swarm pressing down on her, gnashing at her mithral armor spikes. She braces herself, knowing she must protect her gear from being broken by the vicious insects.
At the same time, Hinagiku finds herself staggering under the weight of the derakni’s assault. The demon's sharp claws rake across her side, leaving bloody gashes that make her vision blur momentarily. The vicious sting snaps close, just missing her, as she fights to maintain her balance. Though she’s hurt, she channels her inner focus, moving with the grace of a leaf in the wind, evading the worst of the attacks.
Round 9!
The Heroes are Up!
Having destroyed the last of the vile constructs, Unafe's eyes narrow in on the massive, bloated shape of the Derakni, its chitinous body gleaming with an unnatural sheen in the light of Anna's lantern. The demon, a grotesque mockery of a locust the size of an aurochs, buzzes through the air on membranous wings that shouldn't be able to lift its bulk.
With a swift, fluid motion born of countless battles, Unafe launches herself upward. Her hands, calloused from work at the forge, close around the demon's thorax. The creature's legs, each as thick as a warrior's arm and tipped with wicked barbs, scrabble frantically against her armor. But Unafe's grip is unbreakable, her resolve as unyielding as the skymetals she works.
She slams the demon to the ground, pinning its thrashing form beneath her. Its wings beat furiously, kicking up dust and debris, but Unafe's weight keeps it trapped. She presses her knee into its abdomen, feeling the unnatural give of its exoskeleton. The demon's mandibles click and gnash mere inches from her face, oozing a foul ichor that sizzles where it hits the earth. Yet Unafe does not flinch. Her eyes, burning with the fury of her people and the wisdom of her ancestors, bore into the creature's alien gaze.
Swft: Switch essence: 2 Champ, 1 Essence
Stnd:
Move:
Tracking
33 AC +2 vs evil outsiders
34 CMB (37 vs Grapple) +2 vs evil outsiders
147/147 HP
38 THP // -8 swarm, +3 guardian
0 Nonlethal //
5 Tension (+1 hit)
Essence: 2 Champ, 1 Guardian, 1 Trickster, 1 Spherecaster
9/9 AP //
11/11 MP //
7/11 Momentum //
2/2 martial focus // +1 thanks to Anna
5/22 SP //
1/3 stone shapes remaining //
2/3 stone to flesh remaining //
DR 2/- vs evil outsiders.
With the battle mostly taken care of, only vescavors and a single derakni left to oppose them, Beatrix hurries now to Myrna's side, knowing that if her captain was going to be safe, she would need to be carried, away from the battle, for the rest of the day. Not trusting anyone else to the task, Beatrix begins to struggle with getting Myrna into her own messenger bag, starting with pulling the messenger bag from Myrna's shoulders.
The lantern archons pulse with light magic and, their light rays no longer needed to directly defend Myrna or Beatrix, move to the sides of some of the heroes fighting this battle. The imbue their allies with a bit of extra health, in the hopes that their power might cause these heroes to fight on just a little longer, and in so doing defeat evil.
With only two Derakni remaining Yui takes a moment to heal her own wounds, relieving both the pain of the cuts inflicted by the retriever and the bruising from the first blow she withstood.
Sana focuses for a moment on the floating lantern, and while the light doesn't change overtly, her companion's weapons begin to refract an emerald green color. She slides away from her target slightly, stepping into the emerald-sheen inducing aura emanating from her mote, and hurtles her starknife amongst her opponents again and again. Each time the weapon makes contact with a surface, a vicious sizzle fills the air, as wounds and stone alike bubble at the touch of her weapon.
With the last of the retrievers down, Ehren focuses on eliminating the remaining enemies. Freeing himself from the gibbering vescavors, he draws on the ley and fires a luminous bolt of energy right through the swarm. The bolt punches right through the cavern wall undeterred and erupts into the hallway as well, striking the demon within.
Radiant energy tears through the gibbering mass of insects, disintegrating them on contact, before continuing on its trajectory to strike the Derakni demon further down the hallway. The demon shrieks in agony as the energy scorches its body, leaving it heavily wounded.
At the same time, Rue, recovering from her injuries, hurls herself into the fight with renewed vigor. Her arrows fly true, piercing the Derakni. With a final, well-aimed shot, she brings the Derakni crashing to the ground, the demonic creature no longer a threat.
Arueshalae's voice echoes in the heroes' minds. "Listen up, everyone. Our ally says we’ll need someone to carry Myrna. Whatever comes next, it's going to be tight where she's taking us. Unafe, you might need to shrink down for this. Ehren, your earth form should work fine, so no need to worry about squeezing through. We’re going to need to move fast, so get ready."
Meanwhile, Beatrix, moving swiftly to protect her fallen captain, bends over Myrna and carefully begins the process of placing her into the bag of holding.
In the midst of the chaos, Sana continues to weave through the battlefield, her starknife glowing with a deadly, acidic sheen. She strikes at the remaining vescavor swarm, her weapon cutting through the mass of insects with a hiss, leaving the swarm in tatters.
With the retrievers and Derakni defeated, and the swarms greatly reduced, the tide of battle has finally shifted in favor of the heroes.
Round 10!
Unafe is up!
With the last of the larger threats down, Unafe turns her attention to the buzzing vescavor swarm. The insects buzz frantically around her, their small, biting jaws trying desperately to break through her saurian hide. Gritting her teeth, Unafe draws back her fist, the rage of her ancestors guiding her every movement.
Her fist moves with the speed of a striking snake, slamming into the heart of the swarm with a force that sends a shockwave rippling through the air. A mix of acidic energy and raw strength radiates from her blow, scorching the vescavors and scattering their twisted forms into a pulpy mess.
Within moments, the swarm disintegrates under the impact, the remnants of the insects falling lifelessly to the cavern floor. Breathing heavily, Unafe feels the spirit energy surrounding her flicker, then settle. The saurian spirits’ feral rage subsides as they drift back, leaving Unafe alone to assess the battlefield.
Exhaling deeply, she shrinks back down. She rolls her shoulders and stretches out her fingers, getting used to the sudden change in size.
Combat Ends!
Yui quickly enchants the group with a message spell to simplify speaking when they didn't need to be absolutely silent. "We need to move quickly, it won't be long before they send more after us. We need some way to hide until we are able to heal up. Any suggestions?"
As she waits for the group to decide on the course of action, and Beatrix to store Myrna's corpse, she inspects one of the deceased retrievers, trying to determine if there was anything valuable that might be taken from them--their eyes, for instance.
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Ehren reaches into his polymorphic pouch and retrieves one of his numerous healing potions. Lacking the finesse to manipulate the bottle properly, he tosses the entire vial into his stony mouth and chews on it.
"If Vang really is close by, then I do not know if hiding is an option," he says through the spell as the potion's magic seals several of his wounds.
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With all of the foes destroyed in various bits and bobs and smears across the floor, Sana looks to the other heroes. "Hiding is always an option," she whispers with a wink before turning on her heels and diving backwards as shadowy wings erupt from her back. She sinks headfirst into the ground, where she disappears without a ripple.
After watching Sana disappear into the ground as though it were water, Rue exhales slowly, giving her a moment to think after the adrenaline rush of combat. She reaches out with her mind, forming a mental link with the others as she relays the information quietly.
“Alright, everyone. Sana’s gone ahead to check for a place we can use as a temporary refuge. In ten seconds, her lantern, Amber, should be able to help us teleport to her,” Rue begins. “But there’s a catch. This isn’t stone we’re dealing with. It’s ivory.”
She pauses, considering their options. “Ehren, that means you might not be able to move as freely in your earth elemental form. Unless you shift back or change your form, you won't be able to accompany us. We can’t afford that if we’re trying to stay quiet and mobile.”
As the group gathers to discuss their plan, the Lieutenant channels energy one more time to heal everyone. Then she shoulders the giant-size bag with a 'oof!' sound, laboring under its weight. Then she prepares to follow the strange, shadowy stranger using her lantern. She wasn't suspicious of this traitorous Templar the same way she was about Rue and Yui -- though both had fought alongside them and nearly died doing so. Something about the other woman's light magic set her at ease.
Ehren frowns when he hears the information passed along by Arueshelae but nods in affirmation. His immense earth elemental form crumbles away like an outer shell and vanishes into nothing, revealing his true form. He moves closer to the others, ready to proceed with Sana's plan.
Unafe takes a deep breath and readies herself to be transported by Anna's magics.
Yui looks over towards Beatrix when she feels a wave of healing energy wash over her. "Thank you," she says, "that's quite helpful." Examining the lacerations on her side from the retriever, she finds them mostly gone, along with many of the bite marks from the spiders and vescavors. Not perfect, but no longer painful enough to be distracting.
Seeing the others gathered together ready for the teleport, Yui abandons her attempt to gather anything useful from the retrievers. Perhaps if they successfully drove the Templars and Deskarrans from the Citadel she could revisit the bodies.
"I am ready," she whispers to the others.
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As Sana arrives the return of the others, she flips her cloak to the side, so that she can reach for her handy haversack, a dark leather thing, that had the silhouettes of cats stamped into it in various locations - and absolutely covered in pockets. She darts her hand into one such pocket and pulls out a tiny book and a charcoal, before quickly creating a rough sketch. It certainly wasn't her best work, but it would be fast. By the time the others would arrive, she'd be sitting in a lotus position, sketching in her booklet.
The heroes reappear in a pristine room—unexpectedly clean for a citadel swarming with demons and cultists. The walls are lined with smooth ivory tiles, the air smells faintly of soap, and the bright lighting makes every detail visible. A few small basins and stools are scattered around. It is a calm, orderly environment, compared to the corpse-strewn battlefield they had left behind.
Rue glances around the room, relief washing over her. “A washroom and a latrine… but surprisingly well-kept. Perfect place to catch our breath. We won’t be able to stay here long, though,” she says telepathically to the heroes.
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"Welcome, heroes." Sana whispers into the message spell, "To the true ivory sanctum." She tears the little drawing she'd made out of her book and allows it to flutter down to her companions. "We've moved about 150 feet deeper in. We bypassed the Templar and Blackfyre locations, as well as Arastrax and Vhang. I have a few plans to sow discord while you guys catch your breath if you want me to try them. If I can find a demon with telepathy out on its own, I could try to get it to tell Vhang that the heroes knew his retrievers were here, and said they'd have to thank Lylevyrrin before they teleported away. If any of you have a way to destroy a statue, I could try to magic my way into that. There are some prisoners I could try to get out..."
"Of course, the more destructive and chaotic ideas I have should be saved for after the building stops panicking... if they do."
She pauses for a moment, "Sorry, I've been locked in here with a bunch of Templars for days, 'training', reading puzzle books where the answer is 'just be strong enough to not do the stupid book', and trying to figure out how to fix sooooo many problems. So they're all coming out at once. But seriously, how damaging would flesh-to-stone be if I turned a significant portion of an altar's center torso into bologna?"
In the small lavatory with so many people, Beatrix looks around a little nervously. She never liked to share the bathroom, and now everyone was there, all together!
Well, anyway, she gets herself together. "I only need a few moments to prepare myself," she says, "And I think, given what we were told about the Templars and Adepts fleeing when attacked, we shouldn't tarry any longer than we absolutely have to."
Considering the stranger's advice, she thinks about what they should do next. Try to turn the denizens against one another? She doubted it. "I don't know anything about deceit or disguise, so I can't tell you if it's a good idea... but I think we should just go directly for Vhang. If we kill him, that'll make this a worthy trip." Then she finally looks, curiously, at this false Templar. "By the way... who are you?"
"Oh, sorry. We've only met the once and only for a short time. Medici, right?" she asks, avoiding the first-name-basis since they didn't technically know each other all that well, and whether she'd been on a first-name basis was sort of confusing, what with the alternate timeline and the amount of time she'd spent on her crazy board, trying to piece together why she was here.
"I go by Anna Chronos, though that's not my real name, it's just clever." she says, bobbing her head to the side. "I specialize in getting into trouble in places I shouldn't be, mostly."
As Lieutenant Medici casts her spell, she offers the starknife, which falls into her hand from the pocket on the side of the quiver strewn across her other shoulder.
"Just killing the retrievers made it a worthy trip, unless you've had some casualties along the way." she responds, "Imagine those things going after someone less capable than Riversoar. But regardless, I agree. Taking down Vhang is high priority. Grillix is trying to get the Blackfyres and Templars to work together. The Altar is the thing radiating the temple-wide magic. We have prisoners on the opposite end of the facility. Near there are the brain collectors and the Templar leadership here. Just outside is the common areas for the Templars, and down the hall where we came from leads past the Blackfyres to Vhang and Arastrax." her metal-spined gauntlet grips a little tighter as she says this. "And then there's the location I never went to to avoid breaking my cover in the northeastern part of the building - no one was allowed."
"So several primary goals. Vhang and Arastrax are past the Blackfyres to the south and back where we came. Grillixbee, the crafting room, the Altar and the secrety secrets are in the northeast. The brain-collectors, minos, prisoners, and VIP Templars are in the southeast. So if we're setting some priorities, we need to keep in mind what we might lose in that."
"We know that Vhang has run before. We can't let him get away this time. I say we head to him as soon as possible.
"Once we defeat him, let's do as much more as we can to damage these cultists but Vhang comes first, right?"
Yui settles into the tight space they'd been relocated to. Moving further into the base was a smart move, one which would give them an opportunity to get the drop on their foes after the initial fight against the retrievers.
"Good, Arastrax is here, I want to make sure he cannot escape. Judgement awaits him before the Lady of Graves for his destruction of souls in his experiments. Clearly though, Vhang is a serious threat as well. While we decide, I must change out some of my spells in preparation."
Gripping Kurushimi with both hands, Yui bows her head down as if in prayer, consulting with the blade to change the spells she has access to.
After casting the spells, Sana's weapon shines with a holy verve and Beatrix's skin is the tone of iron. She sort of furrows her brow at the Templar, but doesn't get any sense of deceit from the girl. She doesn't exactly remember meeting this person, can't exactly place her voice, and plus there's the disguise. "Well, I'm Lieutenant Beatrix Medici. [b]"So, you say the leader of the Adepts is just down the hall, in... this room." Punctuating her words, she points at the room on Sana's diagram.
"And you've been here, infiltrating, for this entire time?"
"Well, thank you for giving us a place to rest." She looks to the others, the stronger fighters. She looks to Rue. "So, you say they'll flee soon if we don't act? Are we going to kill Vhang, or are we looking for documents?"
"Anna. It is good to see you again," Ehren says warmly, surprised and relieved by her presence in the Sanctum. But as much as he would like to find out why she disappeared from the Devil's Rest and how she wound up here disguised as a Templar, they did not have time for her to explain. He frowns upon the hastily drawn map and her breakdown of the situation.
"We should avoid treading too much ground at once, on the off chance our most powerful foes decide to band together," he suggests, eager to meet the vile wizard face to face. He reaches into his pouch and retrieves his redwood wand of stoneskin, tapping it once against himself and once on Unafe. "We should deal with Vang before he flees or bands with one of our other targets."
Sana stands up from her lotus position and stretches in each direction, returning her weapon to the quiver, before drawing out a bow. Her shadow dances and swirls violently around her once more as she holds the weapon in front of her, testing its pull. "So Vhang first, then clean up everything else is the idea?" she asks as her mote returns, floating alongside her as she sinks to the ground.
In between replacing her spells in communion with Kurushimi, she turns to Anna, "You may call me Yui, servant of the Lady of Graves."
She then resumes her meditation.
“I am Arueshalae, a follower of Desna and companion to these brave heroes,” the succubus introduces herself. “We’ve all fought long and hard to be here, so... thank you, Anna. Your guidance will be invaluable.”
Rue, counting her arrows, continues, “Right now, Vang’s the highest priority target,” she sends through the telepathic link. “But I’m concerned that if we don’t take out some of these other threats, we’ll end up fighting on two or three fronts. He’ll call for reinforcements, and we’ll be swarmed again. Are you all ready for that?”
The succubus’ voice filters through the link, sounding cautious. “We’ve already lost our momentum once. If we push for Vang and he slips away, it’s going to be even harder to track him down again.”
Rue's expression turns thoughtful. “Grillixbee’s a Coloxus demon—a type known for their guile and silver tongues. They’re often underestimated, but she’s likely smarter than any of us give her credit for. If Vang fails, she’ll probably be the next in line to take command here. And that means she’ll try to rally what’s left of their forces.”
Her frown deepens. “We have to make sure she doesn’t get that chance.”
“Or,” Rue adds, “we can use her ambition against her. If Vang’s out of the way, Grillixbee might see an opportunity to consolidate power. We could turn that into a distraction for the remaining forces.”
Hinagiku listens quietly as the others deliberate on their next steps. In contrast to Rue's tensed face, she maintains her usual calm demeanor, her gaze shifting between the faces of her allies and their newfound companion, Anna.
After a moment of silence, she clears her throat softly and speaks up, her tone gentle and thoughtful. "It seems everyone is agreed on dealing with Vang first. But… it is important to make sure we do not lose focus on those who need help, too. If there are prisoners, we should also be thinking about how to save them," she whispers into message.
She then takes a deep breath and centers herself. She places her hands together in a gentle prayer-like gesture. Closing her eyes, she focuses on the flow of energy within, channeling her ley to mend her battered body. The golden light that emanates from her fingertips spreads across her form like the first rays of dawn, stitching her wounds and soothing the aches left behind from the vicious claws and relentless attacks of their demonic enemies.
"Much better," she murmurs softly, a faint smile gracing her lips. "I am ready to continue," she says simply.
Coloxus demons, also known as fly demons, embody a grotesque blend of elegance and repulsion. With their insectile heads, gossamer wings, and humanoid forms clad in opulent attire, they epitomize vanity and fastidiousness even among demons. They emerge from the souls of mortals whose self-destructive pride led to catastrophic outcomes for those around them. Despite their outward politeness and well-mannered behavior, coloxuses are cunning manipulators, willing to serve as spies, assassins, and emissaries for more powerful demonic entities.
These demons avoid dirt and grime at all costs, making them well-suited to missions on the Material Plane where they can serve in cleaner environments. They often negotiate for extended service or reduced payment if the summoning conditions meet their cleanliness standards. Coloxuses are particularly feared for their siphoning bites, where their bite drains not only life force but the self-confidence of their victims. Additionally, their droning wings can slow or mesmerize foes, and they have a keen aptitude for manipulating minds with spells like suggestion and confusion.
Given their talents, coloxuses are typically found operating behind the scenes, quietly manipulating events to suit their masters’ needs. They thrive on deceit and indirect confrontation, resorting to direct violence only when it serves their interests or when they have the upper hand.
Grillixbee is a notable coloxus demon serving in the Ivory Sanctum, acting as a mediator between the various factions and powerful entities vying for dominance. She is in a delicate position, attempting to balance the demands of Xanthir Vang, and Jerribeth. Anna knows that Grillixbee’s main role is to keep the cults of Baphomet and Deskari from tearing each other apart. Grillixbee is particularly skilled at resolving conflicts between the Blackfire Adepts and the Templars, ensuring that they remain focused on the broader goals of the demonic forces rather than petty internal disputes.
"How much longer does everyone need? If we have ways to cover our backs, I'd feel much better about going after Vhang." she says, acknowledging the danger of having the entire place come down on them at once. She notes Hinagiku's hesitance, and adds to the thought, "If we have a few more moments, I can go try to pull out the prisoners. I can give you guys a signal that I'm there by pulling Amber to me... or send a signal that I'm in danger by Amber glowing brighter if I don't summon her."
"I could use another few moments to finish preparing, and someone should finish healing Hinagiku. We should not leave before everyone is healed and prepared to fight," Yui says in response to Anna'a question. "It's unlikely we'll be able to recover from another mistake."
Yui resumes her meditation, again using her energy to better align her magic with the upcoming challenges they would be facing.
Ehren moves closer to Hinagiku, hoping to rush along the healing process by holding a potion to her lips.
Beatrix signals a thumbs up. "I don't need any more time, I'm ready to go now."
Unafe pulls out her wand, and contributes as best she can to mending Hinagiku. "Just a moment, Hinagiku. You're amazingly resilient but we need you at your best for this next battle."
Hinagiku nods slightly at Ehren. Her modest smile shows through the pain as she whispers, “Thank you, Ehren-kun, Mrs. Unafe.”
Arueshalae nods. "I am ready to continue."