Aurora tugs the stone statue over on the dragon, it falls with a sickening 'crunch' onto Arkhryst's skull. Slowly, but surely, the white dragon extricates himself from under the statue and rises to it's full height.
"Never...never has anyone brought me down like that..." he glares at Tomaru, white eyes burning with fury. "Hanging your frozen bodies upside-down in my cave will be all-too-satisfying." But despite the bravado, Arkhryst staggers a step to his right, still woozy from the impact with the wall. Thinking better of his original plan, he launches into the air toward the gaping cave-mouth of Rimeskull.
Before the dragon has gotten very far, it hears a voice declaiming Words of Power from above -- "Aranea arcanorum rescindenda est!" -- and its arcane protections start to tremble.
Barely have the words passed into silence before the storm and the lightning fall down upon the wounded beast!
"Don't worry. It will be the last time you're brought low. We'll make sure of it. Then I'll make you into to a nice pair of boots."
Praxim lets arrows fly.
(If Lym's spell stripped away any protections)
In it's weakened state, Arkhryst takes time getting up to speed.
But then it's too late. Lym's dispel takes down his primary defenses, and Praxim's arrows finish him. The final fall is echoed throughout the valley as the great white dragon - ruler of Rimeskull for a thousand years - crashes to the ground. When the snow and dirt settles, the ancient dragon Arkhryst the White lies dead.
Praxim watches the dragon's final fall, with the satisfying thump at the end. As they watch the cloud of snow and dust settle, Praxim walks over and gives Tomaru's shoulder a friendly squeeze.
Then he gazes up to the massive cave high above and says, "We're going to need some fly spells."
"I'm going to need time to make some boots."
"You think dragon bones would make good arrows?"
"We could use the head to decorate Castle Lym."
"Maybe we should go there until tomorrow," Lym says as she floats back to terra firma.
"I blew most of my spells already," she explains, "what with unlocking those statues and my floundering, fighting the dragon. How say the rest of you? If you want to continue, I will come, but my resources are badly tapped."
"I'd say we check out that cave. One day waiting to explore Xin-Shalast won't be the end of the world...probably."
"I'd rather like to find that thing's lair. It is sure to hold items of interest. And harvesting parts of the frozen corpse will take at least a day."
"That's what I mean, that cave, the one he was trying to run away to. Mightn't that be his lair?"
Thordak flies over to the dragon and stares at the fallen creature a moment. He moves over to his head to look him straight in his dead eyes, "Well, dragon, I'll give ya one thing: You were a fine adversary. Probably the toughest I've ever faced. Not as tough as Lym but tough." Nodding, he flies back over to the others since he still can. "I'm for checking out the cave too. I still can fly so shall I go check it out? Okay then, I sure will. Bye-bye." He then attempts to hurry and take off before anyone actually gets to respond.
Aurora nods, a satisfied smile vying with concern as Thordak takes to the air unsteadily.
Hold on Master Thordak, I'll accompany you
She unfurls her wings and launches in to the air, joining the dwarf on the way to the cave mouth.
"Can somebody help Rexil out with some flight?" Praxim asks before he casts his angelic aspect spell and takes to the air, only slightly steadier than the dwarf.
Only after the dragon is long dead does Rexil come back out from under his rock. He isn't too sure about this whole flying thing either.
Tomaru uses air walk for himself and Rexil. "Come on, Rexil. Just this short walk will be an adventure and you'll never see the world the same again."
Rexil takes a step up in imitation of Tomaru, then freezes, standing there a foot off the ground. On urging from Praxim he takes a few more steps, then grabs Tomaru by the shoulder, screws his eyes shut, and follows with his eyes closed until Tomaru tells him he's on solid ground again.
"Not natural."
Oh no. He doesn't get off that easy. When we're almost there, Tomaru will tell Rexil "It's safe to open your eyes now." while twisting out of Rexil's grasp and going for solid ground.
A massive stairway that looks like it must have been built by giants and taken years, if not decades, to complete is chiseled out of the side of the mountain. A twenty-foot-wide and thirty foot-tall stone arch frames the first steps, while the final steps lead directly up to a carving of an ancient face, its open mouth a cave entrance. The familiar seven-pointed star is etched deeply into its surface, prominently positioned at the highest section of the arch. Bones lie in iced-over heaps along the visible areas of the stairway.
The stairway winds back and forth rising up 200' to the entrance of the cavern.
Oh no. He doesn't get off that easy. When we're almost there, Tomaru will tell Rexil "It's safe to open your eyes now." while twisting out of Rexil's grasp and going for solid ground.
Rexil opens his eyes, and lets out a girlish scream.
Then he hurls (hopefully, the vomit isn't also under the effects of air walk).
Then he closes his eyes, bends over, and CRAWLS through the air until he's on solid ground.
Tomaru gets closer to Rexil, but still out of his reach. "By Desna's melodied wings and the blood of my forefathers, I will never do that to you again. I'm sorry." He then goes over to Praxim and comments, "Your charge may not have the stomach to do what we are doing. The day has already come when magic has saved us all. It will come again before we are done. You should talk to him. Make sure he knows what it is he is getting into."
"Rexil," Lym says as she hovers closer to the giant. "Look at me. You are safe. Look."
The Wizard spreads her arms, then points down to highlight the fact that she is flying.
"Is it foolproof? No. But it is relatively safe. If you will trust me, I will teach you alongside of Thordak. We'll take it slow. What do you say?"
Rexil pauses, then opens his eyes and looks at Tomaru and Lym. Still shaking, he stands up (on the air) and takes careful steps forward.
"It isn't natural."
"Look at me. I have flippin' angel wings, for crying out loud! We just fought a flying lizard the size of an inn. None of it is natural, and it's just going to keep getting weirder and weirder. But you can make it. Just trust us, listen when we say hide, help out when you can, and you'll learn. When you eventually go back to your tribe, you'll have seen and done things none of your friends has ever even dreamed of. The world is a crazy place, but it lets you do crazy things."
The landing is approximately 60' wide and 50' long from the top of the steps to the cave mouth. Strong winds blow across the mountain face here. Two twelve-foot-tall statues flank the large tunnel here. Each holds a hand upraised as if to ward away intruders, and clutches a heavy sword with the other.
"Something is off, there," Lym warns the others, pointing to the wall behind the left-hand statue without touching down. "See how the debris does not follow the slope of the passage?"
Detect Magic
"Someone's here or has been here?"
"A secret passage, perhaps?"
"Or...Rexil, toss one of your rocks at that statue."
Rexil throws a big rock at the left statue.
Since he misses, he tries again.
Tomaru notes that there is a distinct magic aura coming from the left-hand statue just as Rexil's second rock passes through it...
Aurora readies her own magic, wary of the strange-seeming status.
Perhaps it only activates when something moves through the tunnel?
Aurora isn't sure what the 'to-do' is about. There is very clearly a ledge that runs along the left side of the tunnel, just behind the statue. The ledge is covered with dust and debris.
Well judging from the detritus the passage behind that statue has not been used in some time, but clearly its intended to provide safe passage do we think?
Aurora begins moving towards the statue, curious that Rex's rock passed through it and men to see if she will too.
"I think that's what it's clearly intended for, Aurora. Let's go!" Thordak will head toward the fake statue with her.
Tomaru goes in as well.
Praxim follows, tugging at Rexil to keep up. He then moves his way to the front behind Thordak, his usual spot.
Lym floats in after the others, spells dancing in her mind.
What appears to an invisible ledge runs along the left hand wall behind the illusory statue. It is more than a little disconcerting as you walk on thin air while to your right, the slope of the passage drops away into darkness. 200' into the face of Rimeskull, Rexil accidentally dislodges some rubble from the path. The debris slides off the edge on to the sloping passage. To your horror, the rocks don't merely settle on the rocky slope below, but begin sliding along the slick surface. The rubble disappears in the dark, the sounds of rocks sliding on ice suddenly silenced somewhere ahead...
”I know it’s probably extra hard to do, but perhaps you should use that air walk to walk a few inches above the ...path of air. That way, if it suddenly vanished up ahead, you aren’t taking a nasty tumble into...wherever.”
Praxim flaps his wings and takes to the air.
Rexil nods and tries to take a few steps up into the air above the invisible path.
"Anyone need a lift?" Lym offers, holding her hands out to the others. "I can carry one, or I can cast a spell of flight on you."
Air Walk's duration is 130 minutes. We should be alright.
Tomaru eagerly takes Lym's offered hand. He then leaps up so that she can catch him and carry him over the threshold.
"I feel so safe in your arms."
Praxim bends over mid flight and makes retching sounds.
Wiping the back of his hand over his perfectly clean face, he apologizes, ”Sorry. Must be getting air sick.”