With her arrow half drawn, Dara slid forward through the snow keeping all of her senses alert to any possible threat.
Alaina took a step forward, nobody and nothing was getting to her Rabbit. Where did that come from? She wondered as that train of thought entered her mind.
"I'm sorry but whatever holds the captain's mind prisoner is not something I can fix with bandages and a knife. I don't know enough about magic to be helpful." Xizoh glances back towards the newest member, who so far had been quite informed. "Maybe someone else can enlighten us?"
Dara knows of the spell Sleep, but she expects Captain Vazquez is willful enough to resist its effects. If not, it should wear off soon.
She isn't familiar with other spells that cause unconsciousness, but this feels like malicious magic to her.
Dulae scowls. "It may be some kind of curse," she says darkly.
A shadow falls over the mountain, sweeping across the clearing and turning the snow an eerie gray. A sudden chill creeps down their spines as the mist begins to roll downhill. If the party looks up, they see that the black cloud has recombined, swirling in front of the sun again.
Cel is the first to spot a glowing blue dog emerge from the trees. Oranis surveys the scene in the clearing a short distance away from the Dulae, Xizoh, and Anathema. She inclines her head toward Captain Vazquez’s still form as the mist flows and curls around her.
Xizoh's glowing mark tingles and he hears the voice of Oranis in his head. “Light has lost its power here, healer. You should take the light bringer to the rock mouth. The dark one is coming.”
"Come on. Something is coming our way, something evil and strong enough to fight with Oranis. Let's get to the cave." Taking great care to keep from aggravating the Captain's wounds, Xizoh gently lifts her up onto his rather small shoulders.
Cel stares at Oranis and with reverence in his voice he says to those nearby, "She's back!" He drops his "ready-to-fire" stance right after. As she comes around more frequently he is getting less unsure of what to do with himself evidenced by less staring at his shoes and/or eyes darting everywhere buy at her.
Putting a hand on Cel's shoulder, "Cel focus, let's get to the cave."
Dara moved closer to Xizoh, making sure he was covered as he could not defend himself carrying the Captain.
Oranis suddenly becomes rigidly still, then snaps her head to the side to face uphill where the mist is gathering into a thick swirling mass. The newly formed dark tower of mist looms well above the trees and advances toward the clearing, sporadicly pulsing with electric blue shocks of light.
Oranis bounds across the clearing to stand protectively between the party and whatever is approaching, shifting into an enormous glowing bear.
"Run to the rock mouth healer, the dark one cannot enter," Oranis urges him. ”Hurry!”
The party hears soft, ominous moans that sound like they’re coming from the fallen soldiers.
As Xizoh darts away, he yells, "Anathema, keep them busy! Meanwhile, the healer uses his magic enhanced musculature to move as fast as possible though the deep snow. This is going to be horrendous on your wounds Vazquez, but I don't think god fighting evil is any better.
Slithering underneath the heavy snow, Anathema bursts forth in the healer's old position. "Leaving me with all these snacks? Truly, you are too kind doctor."
As the snake grins, it bends down to bite one of the rising soldiers beside it.
Dulae snarls in rage as she sees the defiling magic working on the bodies and curses herself for not grabbing the captain's shield when she had the chance. "Altien guide my path..." She mutters, casting Expeditious Retreat.
Anathema's teeth strike the dead soldier's chainmail and don't quite pierce through.
Cel looks to one of the raising dead, , but with the deep snow he can't get a solid view of where it's center mass is.
Dulae finishes cast her spell and moves to retrieve the Captain's shield. I'm still not used to this... she thinks with a mental sigh as she moves much faster than she normally could.
Dara hustles alongside Xizoh with her bow half-raised, prepared to shoot anything that approaches him. She locks eyes with Alaina as she passes. Coming?
The Iron Wolf watches the tower of swirling mist and crackling electricity advance toward them. Oh hells, that is not good.
Alaina meets Dara's gaze. Obviously.
"Cel" Alaina moves around Cel to tug him gently on his other shoulder. "The cave."
Oranis bounds over to stand in front of Dulae, snarling at the approaching mist tower with her massive fangs bared. She roars a loud, terrifying howl at it and a stream of glowing blue mist flows from her toward the darker mist, but doesn't seem to slow it down.
----
Anathema takes some delight in seeing that whatever is in the mist appears to have powers of darkness beyond almost any other creature he has encountered.
Judging from the way Oranis seems unable to stop it, Alaina thinks whatever is in the mist has a CR higher than the spirit god's.
Cel doesn't have much intuition for the CR of the thing in the mist, but he is becoming increasingly sure it will kill him easily if it gets much closer.
Dulae thinks whatever's in the mist has a CR higher than 13.
Glancing behind him to check on his allies, Xizoh starts to yell before nearly running into the dark miasma. "Everyone oka-Gah!"
Swerving and nearly hitting a tree, Xizoh reaches the mouth of the cave with just enough time to look around him at the encroaching darkness. "Uh, we might want to move faster people! If you can, I mean."
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Letting its jaw unhinge in awe, Anathema starts to slither towards the dark mist. "Truly, the black is unfathomable in its beauty." A quick jolt through the mental link zaps the massive snake, causing it to shake it head and loose jaw like a wet dog. "Well I'm sorry darling, but I'm not that type of wiggling chaos creature. I've got me a sweetie with the most delicious of souls and destiny. Toodaloo!"
Channeling its renewed purpose, Anathema swipes the razor bed it calls a mouth at the one of the suddenly moving soldiers. As it does so its tail sweeps around to try and crush the undead's chest
[occ]Yeah, just realized I get more than one attack on an Eidolon. Whoops![/ooc]
Alaina's tug finally makes him look further than his current target, "Oh! Oh my...okay, let's go!" He turns and starts running at his best to get to the cave with Alaina
Anathema's bite again doesn't penetrate the dead soldier's armor, and he feels his tail is also deflected.
Dulae glares at the towering column of darkness before scooping up the Captain's shield. She moves as fast as she can back towards the group, unstrapping her own shield from her arm and dropping it as she goes.
She spares a fast glance at Anathema. "You continue to worry me more and more..." She mutters.
Oranis snarls and howls another stream of blue light at the tower of dark mist, which doesn't seem to affect it.
Dara continues moving toward the cave keeping Xizoh in her line of sight. She glances back to check that Alaina is close behind.
Alaina keeps pace with Cel as they make for the cave.
The swirling tower of mist circles around Oranis, provoking the spirit god to bark two bolts of crackling blue electricity at it, to no apparent effect. The lighter mist flows with the dark column of mist, like the swirling tower is unable to break past it.
Dulae hears a pleasant masculine voice in her head. "Come closer..."
She finds herself taking a step toward the towering dark mist.
"They are weak... Bring them to Altien...."
Her hand tightens on her sword and she turns to face the direction her companions went.
"Kill them..."
At the horrible thought of killing her companions Dulae suddenly remembers herself and wills herself out from under the spell's control. The domination leaves her feeling shaken.
The party hears the moaning of the dead soldiers grow louder as they stagger to their feet in the snow.
Oranis gracefully bows her head and a delicate thread of glowing blue mist winds around the ominous dark column of mist.
Cel pants as he goes, but pushes hard to get to the cave sparing a glance to Alaina every few steps to make sure she's still there.
Dulae channels her fear into rage and, snarling at the column of darkness, runs away.
Still feeling the high of touching such a dark existence, Anathema's face sits in a unnatural grin. Laughing, the giant snake sets about drawing the dead towards itself, and striking where it can.
Moving deeper into the cave, Xizoh quickly focuses on Anathema's connection. The captain still on his shoulder, Xizoh starts to prepare to unsummon his companion as soon as it makes it's strike. Glancing back, the healer nervously yells, "Come on!"
Anathema's fangs sink into the cold flesh of the dead soldier wounded by sword strikes, tearing away part of its leg. Anathema's tail strikes it hard squarely in the torso, but doesn't seem to do any damage.
Zombie 4: -6A
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Cel stops at the entrance to the cave, takes a deep breath causing the swirl around him to increase a bit, , lets his eyes sharpen, , then gets back in a firing stance to cover the rest of the retreating group, .
Alaina and Dara move quickly to keep up with the group.
Anathema dissolves into the snow just before one of the undead creatures swipes at his head.
The dark tower of swirling mist crackles with electricity and strains against the delicate strands of blue mist Oranis has woven. It does not advance any further.
The newly risen dead soldiers begin to shamble toward the cave.
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Again, Alaina stopped next to Cel, and turned around, "Seargeant, get your ass up here now!" The Wolf dropped into a ready stance.
Dara turned and readied her bow. If anything got too close to Dulae, she'd shoot it.
Placing down the Captain gently to avoid further aggravating her wounds, Xizoh strides back to the entrance of the cave, his chain unfurled to drag behind him. At the mouth the healer closes his eyes, and focuses his energy.
Popping out atop Xizoh's head, the little snake bares its fangs in a smile before slithering out among those outside.