Leeoli remains determined, though still shaken from before.
The form of the father seems to blur in and out of focus as Rufus tries to gather his wits. His is not the only blood now tainting the unsettling sterility of the room and, though it strikes him as blasphemous, is somehow comforting.
Blasphemous? The notion creeps up on him, like a spider, and he realizes the father has asked him a question.
"Devotion. I...no. I can't. The idea seems alien and strange. Why should I pay devotion to forces unseen, when the material plane on which we're standing seems quite real enough, doesn't it?"
Affected by the blood sucker, Leeoli's next strike goes wild.
Ahh get this thing off of me.
Oh for pity's sake! I've about had enough of this! Zazaria snarls. Why is he trying to hit the thing? Why doesn't he try to break free?
Zazaria whirls her staff as inexpertly as ever, trying to crack the giant Stirge's skull with it.
The giant stirge attempts to cling onto Leeoli and draw more of the man's blood.
Leeoli swats at the giant insect, but can't get a good angle on it as it rides his back. In his thrashing, though, the creature flies off. It maintains its flight just barely, and looks ready to attack again. That is, until Zazaria smacks it with her staff. It rights itself again, but seems to be more than a little confused.
Anyi steps back and fires two quick shots at one of the stirges engaged with Vrilli.
Alas, both arrows miss their mark, and just narrowly miss impaling Vrilli.
Looking worried (and more than a little annnoyed) Vrilli attempts to dismember and melt the nearest Stirge.
Thanks Zaz. Leeoli rasps, as blood darkens his tunic.
Leeoli prepares to parry the next attack, but feels too exhausted to manage a riposte manauver.
Vrilli cuts through one of the stirges, and lashes out with a splash of acid at the next, sizzling one wing. Still the creature flies in to attack, its proboscis darting forward.
It hits, and once again plunges the sharpened tube into Vrilli, sucking out precious blood.
Suddenly, the priest shudders, and falls to a knee. His visage contorts, then solidifies into one of pure rage and insanity. He shouts, but the words are babble - if from any language on this plane, you don't know it. Blood seeps from his eyes like red tears, drawing lines down his face and chin.
You...awaken. Again...still? You don't know, but the moment in time comes back...you're on the floor, and the sounds of battle are all around. Your vision is blurry, but in your peripheral you see something lurking...just out of sight...something insubstantial, but still terrifying.
Suddenly, as the frightful dirge starts up again, a horrible grinding, squealing sound can be heard from where Rufus lay. The chains about him unravel, their iron scraping the floor and itself as it uncoils. Within moments, the chains disappear, but a spectral form remains as Rufus opens his eyes. Behind him, like a shadow...the glowing, spectral form of a balding, hunched man looks over him...seemingly benevolent, but with a smile so fake it seems out of place.
The song grows louder...louder.
Zazaria does not hesitate: she raises her arms and issues a burst of bright energy. The room is suddenly full of Pharasma's pearl-and-cerulean light.
A Haunt Siphon! Use it now!
The room stops spinning, though Rufus feels like his brain is still caught within a tumbleweed. He blinks, turning his way this way and that. He rubs his arms where the feeling of having been tightly squeezed still lingers. He jumps to his feet, too quickly, as a dizziness sets in.
"The false priest!" He gasps.
"What's a haunt siphon?" he yells, stumbling back from the ghost as Zazaria's light energy surrounds him. He runs over toward Vrilli where, at least, a tangible enemy awaits.
You live! Leeoli feels joy as his friend gasps out his warning. However, even as he does he feel the ill effects of the dirge's evil magic encompass him.
Vrilli attempts to fling the stirge from his back...
Leeoli stops in mid motion, his limbs held in place by some unseen force. The dirge sounds loudly in his ears, feeling as if it's compressing his very skull to push the soft insides out.
As Leeoli freezes, nearly in mid-swing, Rufus rushes to aid Vrilli. Zazaria's healing courses through the group, bolstering them against their substantial enemies...though still their fear remained.
The stirge reacts to now two assailants, and lashes out at Zazaria, who had last struck it with her thick staff. Zazaria is able to ward it off with said staff, swiping it across in front of her to keep the beast at bay.
Leeoli feels himself falling down into a sickly sweet paralysis.
Rest thy eyes. At last.
The vivid temptation of it shocked some part of Leeoli into focus.
The fly is tempted to suckle the sweet nectar of the Lishire Pitcher plant. You are not a fly, young Maleye., the voice of his arcane tutor Mragus echoes in his ears.
Focus on you breath. Then on your purpose. Seek deep for the inspiration of your training and your blood.
Pound. One. Pound. Two. Pound. Three.
Leeoli opens his eyes.
Leeoli shudders, his body convulsing as he fights the strange spell that holds him. Within seconds, blood begins to seep from his nose, ears, eyes...and any even drips from some, more open pores. His body shakes madly before stilling, Leeoli once again stabilizing himself and his awareness.
Still bleary eyed, Leeoli flails wildy.
Use a siphon! Zazaria snaps again as she dodges the oversized Stirge. Then she swings her staff at the beast, her eyes revealing her desperate fear. Overmatched. I have to face that other, not this oversized bug-bird.
Useless!
Anyi has the siphon I think.
Ahh that's right! I have one too!
Anyi searches her possessions desperately for said siphon, but only finds some clear vials she remembers she had been given by the church of Pharasma. Wait...isn't that...yes! Holy water!
She rips one from her pouch and hurls it at the spectral form of the Father lurking over Rufus.
The vial flips end over end once before slamming into the shoulder of its now confused target, Rufus. The vial opens and splashes about as it spins, emptying its contents into the air, seemingly missing any viable target.
However, Rufus feels a sudden invigoration, as if a heavy load had been lifted from his back. He stands straighter, and his mind refocuses to a dangerous, perhaps vengeful clarity.
To others around Rufus, the effect is obvious. The water splashes all over the spectral priest, immediately smoking and burning his skin. Boils expand and burst on his barely solid skin, hurling puss or plasm into the air about Rufus. The priest emits a silent scream, his mouth wide as he claws at his melting face, pulling away great tracts of flesh. Soon, nothing is left but tissue and bone, then the specter behind Rufus disappears entirely.
The last smaller stirge buzzes around Vrilli's attacks, then launches in again with its proboscis.
It reattaches itself to Vrilli and begins to suck away more of the elf's life-giving fluids.
As it does, the dirge slams into the chamber again, its sound now bringing immediate lethargy.
Rufus gasps in horror as the false priest's spectral form melts in a gruesome fashion. "What is this place? Its reputation for madness does not do it justice! Vrilli!"
In a desperate maneuver, Rufus jabs the tip of his sword over Vrilli's back, skewering the enormous insect that has latched onto his bare skin.
After seeing the apparent destruction of the false priest, Leeoli opts to attack the giant stirge with his rapier, leaving the haunt siphon for after the haunt with the dirge was located.
Moving 5 feet to the north-west, he spins and skewers the stirge with his own proboscis.
Rufus stabs the beast on Vrilli's back, running it through completely and even severing a wing on its way out the thing's back. The little beast squeals and beats its wings, furiously trying to escape its torture. It only lasts a second, maybe two, before it is fully, completely dead.
Leeoli dashes in with his rapier, and his blade stabs into the base of the giant stirge's proboscis. The blood sac at the base of the member explodes in a shower of filth and gore. The creature flies off to a nearby cell cage, where it thuds into the steel, then falls to the ground, where it whimpers and squirms.
Weary, Vriĺli sinks to one knee and takes some deep breaths. Once he has his breath back he attempts to check his bck for bleeding.
Leeoli allows himself to slightly slump his shoulders in relief as the stirge falls to the ground dying.
Leeoli tries to pin down from where the sound of the dirge emanates.
Zazaria calls upon her goddess's power, urging whatever fell spirits inhabit the chamber to return to their rest.
Anyi searches about for another haunt siphon, then rushes up the hall towards Leeoli and Zazaria, the two that would have any more of the useful items
Not even a second after Zazaria's channeling takes effect, her muscles freeze in a painful paralysis.
"I don't understand!" Rufus cries, hurrying to Zazaria's side.
Locked inside her own body, Zazaria is unable to scream or call on her Goddess. Every muscle strains, and she searches deep within for some source of strength to break the hold of the vile music. Almost, she feels it relinquishing its grip...but it is too strong. Come on, daughter of peasants, servant of Pharasma. You strive against the malice of Undeath itself.You are stronger than this!
Rufus waves a hand before Zazaria's eyes, wondering if she can still see or hear. "Is it the false priest returned? Don't listen to him, Zazaria, his voice is sweet but laced with poison." He calls desperately, not knowing what to do.