Astraden is given the powers of flight while Eben conjures up an illusion to confound the sea beast.
Farrukh just goes around the sea monster (and/or carries somebody that needs carrying).
"You okay there Eben?"
"Thanks Rodrigo", Tanith says after allowing himself a second to get accustomed again to the unnatural sensation of being weightless.
Born on unseen wings, the big man zips down and scoops up Astraden. "Going down!"
"Wouldn't say no to a lift... if this thing breaks out it's way faster than me in the water."
Farrukh hauls Eben out of the water and stumbles away.
"Thanks Rodrigo!" Astraden calls, air-stepping a little ways backwards.
Tanith continues monkey-barsing.
Farrukh moves, heedless of the serpent beneath him. Strangely, it does not take advantage of his reckless movement. Perhaps its senses do not extend above water.
Carina flies away from the water snake, not willing to take a chance on it leaping out of the water to try and eat her.
[dice=Tail @ "Wind Warrior"]1d20+18[/dice]
There is a rapid swell in the waters as Eben leaves. Then nothing. The waves of the lake slowly shift. The serpent beneath seems to be confused down there, going this way and that. Searching, maybe.
A moment goes by, silent save for the constant soft roar from the waterfall echoing on wide cavern walls.
With a roar, the great lake monster surges out of the lake. Foam and salty waters spray in every direction. The crimson's serpent jaws lunge forth and snap down, closing like a steel vice upon—
—thin air some feet above Farrukh's head. The serpent has chosen a random location to assault. It shakes its vast primeval head, looking disoriented. Water and saliva drips onto Farrukh's and Eben's silent forms as the beast's head cocks back and forth, appearing to listen.
After a moment, the serpent snorts and pulls back, lowering its head back beneath the surface of the lake.
Rodrigo finishes s#@%ting his breeches, and then flies over to Tanith. "Hey, bub. Sorry to leave you hangin'." He chants a spell, and then touches the brawler. "Should be able to fly now."
Astraden folds her knees and flies up between the two groups, switchbacking along the way by spinning in midair. She shouts downward, "Farrukh, bring him up here!"
Eben sweats a bit as he furrows his brow (or maybe that's just the water spray), and concentrates on his wind warrior illusion. With a roar of wind, the image comes soaring out of the lake, hovering some distance above the serpents last known position. It begins repeatedly- and noisily- clanging its swords together, like it's a clock tower gone wrong.
"Just hustle to the next waterfall, and you can let me drop from there if you have to..." he says, as quietly as he can.
The waters slowly settle back down as the serpent's prey eludes its grasp by a hair.
Farrukh blinks as the serpent leaps right over his head.
"All right, that's our cue to leave. Down!"
Carina promptly does so. "Yep. Yep. Before giant water monster comes back."
The party descends—this time apparently with Eben being carried along by Farrukh—and in time they arrive at a deep basin fed by a second underground river (this one also possessing the same red-tinting minerals). There is nothing here, save a large population of small white crabs, and Spiny's Six continues down.
Hundreds of feet further down, the waterfall hits a series of projections, creating lots of mist, cascading water, and difficult climbing. It is impossible to stay dry in here, especially for those flying in the middle of the shaft.
As they journey down, in spite of the roaring waves, Astraden and Farrukh hear the faint clinking of metal armor from down below.
"I hear clinking and clunking. Maybe it's that Inevitable again."
"Or maybe it's those wind warrior things again." Carina starts fumbling with another extract, gulping it down.
On the way down, Astraden mutters, "Bala," and grips her shield a little tighter. She releases a couple healing bursts while the party is grouped together.
"I think it's the wind warriors," she whispers in response to Farrukh. "Too bad we have no way to parley with them. Or sneak past, for that matter."
"At least they fight fair, no tricks."
"Makes them so much easier to kill."
While journeying down the shaft nestled securely in Farrukh's manly arms, Eben freshens up his spells, bringing a resurgent wave of reassurance to the party and nimbleness to himself. He finishes by summoning another batch of floating light balls. "You can just drop me if you need to grab your sword and shield. I'll... try and land somewhere I can stand and shoot arrows."
Since everyone's geared up for hostilities, Astraden shouts, "Hey, windy things! Gonna run away again?"
There is no response.
"Right, let's keep moving."
Astraden flies down another hundred feet.
Carina makes sure Tanith is close by before following.
Ditto Farrukh.
The group descends down towards the falls.
The wind warriors streak down to greet them.
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"Okay, this is my stop." Eben says as the group rounds the vertical bend. He flicks his hand as though throwing a playing card and a faintly glowing card materializes in the air near where his feet are dangling. With a very, very cautious step he plants a foot on the precarious surface and transfers his weight to it while disentangling from Farrukh's embrace. "We'll always have this flight to remember, Farrukh..." He sends his lights ahead up the shaft and looks straight up at the oncoming warriors, fingers dancing on his bowstring in anticipation.
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The wind warriors descend down, rapidly surrounding the party from above and below.
"S+&%.." Rodrigo mutters, seeing the group surrounded by the nimble warriors. "Glad we rested before coming down here..."
He weaves another spell of haste around his companions, burning through his arcane reserves like wildfire through dry brush.
Astraden grimaces as one of the sprightly warriors manages to cut a gash under her arm. She ducks under the assailant and draws her rapier before summoning a double.
Despite being caught off guard again, Tanith's iron-like hide and force armor protects him from the sneak attack.
"You know, I was doing you guys a favor when I let you go before. You're not getting a second chance", he growls before smashing his fists into the nearest wind warrior.
Tanith delivers two crushing blows to the chestplate of the wind warrior before him. It hisses in response.
Farrukh lays into a Wind Warrior.
"Getting real tired of you guys, honestly."
Farrukh's last slashing bash is absorbed by a certain anti-law spell surrounding him, but his first two connect, brutally scraping across the wind warrior's armored arm.