Spend this round carefully getting Vanna to safety below, and then...
She needs help!
I can't tell what she needs. Can someone do something to help her?
Pressing the advantage now that the Naga is fleeing, Great Mastiff bellows. ][Declaration; aid, comrade.][
Elai slips around to Vanna, pulling a vial out of her pouch, and emptying the sparkling liquid into her mouth.
Seeing a very clear path for everyone, the professor will quite happily regain the use of his hands and head for the stairs.
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At the bottom of the stairs you find a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, you find a well lit room. The entrance to the room is obscured by hanging glass beads, the kind you see at Chinese food restaurants. You can not see anything beyond without moving the beads. Well, can see almost nothing. Shadows move beyond the beads. There is certainly something or someone in there...
Before moving forward, the professor stops everyone. "Is everyone OK after that whole ordeal?"
Once the others have made their way down the steps, Grey will squeeze himself down as well. ][Declaration; optimum defensive/offensive placement sets self in lead.][
][Query; Y/N?][
"WATCH OUT BELOW!" Figit screams as she runs down the steps. Evil nagas, lava rooms, BABIES?!!?! This is all out of her area of expertise. She runs down the stairs, being carried by her own momentum faster and faster until she reaches the last step. She trips and goes flying, crashing into Victor. The force of running into him pushes her back and makes her fall down. "Thanks for standing there. I was having trouble stopping."
Vanna comes to slowly, then snaps back when she remembers what happened. "What?! Ugh, my head. Thanks to whoever brought me here." She looks around to get her bearings.
"Give me a moment. Then hopefully one of the gods will help whoever crosses us. I'm in a fighting mood now."
At sight of the moving shadow, Great Mastiff shoulders to the fore. Turning to Lisa, he touches the back of her hand, intoning odd eldritch syllables as he does so.
"Guys, I think the Professor should go first this time. The second test is about faithfulness and...Victor, do I really have to say it? So the Professor should go first and everyone should follow after a few seconds. Sound good?"
The professor adjusts his collar. "Right then. I appreciate your faith in my... faithfulness as you put it."
Once again making sure everyone who'd care for an extract of Enlarge Person has been handed one, he takes a deep breath, adjusts his glasses and strides forth.
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The now very enlarged push through the beads. You are in giant chamber lit by candelabras. Insence smoke curls up toward the ceiling from golden braziers. The room is draped with silks dyed all types of pastel colors. There are Varisian couches and pillows everywhere. This is a harem of some kind. Then, right out of the scene from The Little Mermaid you hear a womens' voice say Come in...come in darlings. We mustn't lurk in doorways. The voice comes from just beyond a layer of silk curtains that conceal the center of this chamber. Through the silk you now see at least a dozen shapely figures. Are you here to have your faithfullness tested as well? *laughter*
The now very enlarged push through the beads.
The professor clears his throat. "I am not particularly interested in being tested in any fashion, or in any sort of temptations you may have in mind. I am simply here in hopes of rescuing any unfortunates who may have drawn into all this nonsense against their will, so if you would be so kind as to point out the way to proceed further on through this damnable complex, I suppose that would satisfy any examination of my character you may have been charged with and benefit us both."
"This is beyond life or death, Argonia. Whether or not you are sincere in your proclamation, I do not plan to let this carry on for long. Besides, where would that leave me? Without business, my dear. And I need that business...," Though she began trailing off as she looked back to Vanna, who seemed beyond a doubt to be struggling after even the other Lashunta helped her. She sighed and turned to her. "This doesn't mean anything. Don't be too excited I show care for you,"
After that she turns to the professor, looking a bit at herself before shrugging. "I was well protected," she said with a small laugh before looking back to Grey. That child, well, he was growing on her. She just laughed a bit at the motion of formation before raising her hand. "If it continues like this everyone is going to be needing some help every now and then... I'll designate myself to the middle, giving me as little need to move as possible to help keep you all standing and firm..," She couldn't help herself. She was getting a bit serious, and it wasn't like her to care about anything but her own enjoyment.
Regardless, a voice was calling, and Celes would turn to listen. She lowered her voice a bit before talking low. "I can talk us out of this, or at least attempt to, though I don't know how receptive whoever is back there will be...,"
"There has to be more than mere temptation surely - I mean, who would fall for that?" Elai muses curiously.
You know it becomes moot, if the temptation of the body falls rapidly on the heels of a threat to your very existence. I agree with Miss C'Tara. It would be tantamount to an assumption that hunger would be possible while afflicted with an aggressive ailment of the intestines. Oh, and beauty is only skin deep dolls, never forget that. Some guys like a dame with everything going on, mind, body, and soul, if you know what I mean. Oh, and could some of you bigger folk stop blocking the view?"
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Hearing all your comments, the being beyond the curtain chuckles melodiously. Her voice has some kind of supernatural echo. The silk curtains pull back to reveal a writhing group of Golarionite humans lying together on the pillows. They seem to be in some kind of trance. Sitting on a thrown among them is a shapely female being with large batlike wings. On either side of her float two whispy female creatures which are chained to the throne. These creature stand nearly twice as tall as a human, although from the knees down they trail away into a vortex of mist and wind.
Ah, you are not the normal test contestants I see down here. Tell me, who among you is paired up with who? Her long purple-painted fingernails begin pointing around, musing at who might be a couple: argonia/professor? Victor/celes? Figit/Grey? The being chuckles again.
Elai looks around at her partner options before growing indignant. "I am not here to be judged, get your game over with creature."
At the sight of the bat-winged female reclining before them, Great Mastiff blurts out only two words, ][Fiend; dispatch][, before barreling into a charge toward her, leading with one massive fist.
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Nadezdha raises her hand casually. A wall of whirling blades, blade barrier, springs into existence between her and the charging Eidolon.
With a skirling cacophony of shrieking metal on...
something, Great Mastiff plunges through the whirling wall of blades...
...Only to have an unconscious & bleeding small boy skid to a halt on the other side.
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"Guys, our normal approach of trying to kill everything in sight is a baaaad idea here. Not only are those gals there djinni, that being on the throne is Nadezdha, one of the most powerful beings to come from the Abyss. It might be a good idea to learn what she wants before ticking her off..." That last sentence trails off as the mecha attempts to charge the foxy fiend only to come out bruised, cut and childlike on the other side. "Gods damn it!" She yells. After a moment she starts to rub her temple and asks Nadezdha "Could you stop with the whirling blades of death so I can get that numbskull and makes sure he doesn't die?"
When the blades disappear Figit runs over to the prone Grey, pulls out her Wand of CLW and gives him two wacks on the head.
"What can you possibly gift us with that we would want demon."
"אבער איך טאָן ניט ווילן צו מאַך די גאָאָב קאַץ, מאָם!" Grey mutters muzzily as he slowly returns to consciousness. "Wha?!"
"Ooh..." He groans as he levers himself up to a seated position.
The professor stammers for a moment. "Really now? This whole affair is becoming rather ludicrously excessive! I don't know whether to be infuriated that the woman behind all this has gone to such lengths or impressed that she has the capacity. In any case, we certainly have no interest in any 'gifts' you may have to offer, and I'm quite confident everyone here has the good sense to realize the terrible cost that would be involved for them were they to disagree."
"...Yup, you got hit on the head a bit too hard. Come on then." Figit pulls Grey into a standing position, puts a shoulder under his right arm and helps walk him back to the group.
"Soooo many blades..." Grey mutters as he allows Figit to draw him back to the others.
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Answering the Professor: Neverthless, you must pass my test, or you will never leave this place. Witness what happens to those who refuse to take my offer. She indicates the catatonic people lying at her feet. And the first step is to tell me who among you is paired up with who. Because this is a test to see whether you will remain faithful.
"Looks to me more like they took your offer..." Grey grumbles.
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Nadezdha laughs at Grey. Silly creature. Audacious of you to speak this way to me! The truth is, I already KNOW which of you are paired up. I can see the future, you see. But as for the rest of you, if there is no romance, than let it be a test of friendship. Choose a partner and step forward two by two...
Figit cocks her head to the Professor. "We've been though a lot together over the years. If we are forced to play along with this game, I'd be honored to be your partner." She then turns her head back to Grey and pokes him in the ribs. "And you! Stop antagonizing the powerful inter-dimensional being! She could kill you with a twitch of her eyeball if she so chose."
The professor sighs yet again, and steps up with Figit. "I suppose we're in no position to argue here are we."
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Yes, you are old friends. Perfect candidates for a test of faithfullness like this. You are both seekers of knowledge. The mysteries of the cosmos becon you, I can feel it. Come closer. Just imagine what you could learn from me, a being older than time itself. Here is your choice. If you wish, I will use my first Djinn to increase your understanding and knowledge, add years to your study and intellegence and power. But if you choose this, I will use my second Djinn to make you hate eachother forever. You would still be able to travel together, but you will never again find yourselves in this faithful friendship. What say you?
Grey simply plants the palm of his left hand against his brow & shakes his head.
Lifting his head back up, he addresses 'Nadezdha'. "Pair me with the ditz," as he points to Argonia. "I know I'm already on your 'short list' so it's not like she can put me in any deeper."
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The professor rolls his eyes. "Seriously now? I mean, not to tempt fate or anything here, I'd turn down whatever you said, but I expected at least a effort be put in to the 'tempting' end of things. I mean honestly, the entire point of conducting a detailed study of the world around us is to refine the methods of examination. To just be handed all the answers would defeat the entire purpose!"
"ha...haha.Hahahahaha! Wow! Woo, I needed that laugh Nadezdha. After everything that's happened to us, you'd think I'd give up my friend just to be a bit smarter? Hells, I already proved I'm smarter than the Professor just by the fact that we are staring at evidence of a vibrant alien culture which he's denied for years. Besides, I'd gotten to this point through years of study and applying my hard won knowledge to the real world without relying on magic. Cousin Leland made that mistake and he's been lost on the Plane of Shadows for about thirty years now. Damn wizards, always trying to take the easy way...Anyway, I'm going to decline your "generous" offer."
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Nadezdha throws her head back hard and laughs. Do you really think that was my best shot at seducing you? She snaps her fingers. 5 ft in front of Figit appears her first crush. It's really him. Looking a bit confused, but really him. Figit? What's going on? How did I get here?. All Figit's old feelings come rushing back and she feels for him are as the first day she realized her crush existed.
At the same time Nadezdha turns to Professor Q. What if I told you I could give you that method? The ultimate method. Better than the scientific method. A method that would spit out truth like the mouth of a god? Would you not be interested in the least?
Nadezdha snaps one more time. Celes' pimp appears, chained in irons. This, she says turning to Celes, I might take car of for you for free...
