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With both cultists taken care of, Jacinth hefts her bow and hurries forward into pool of strangely dim light. It's not easy but she makes out the form of what looks to be another of Nigel's summoned critters striking at something in front of it - that must be her!
"Your cronies are dead," she calls out as she raises her bow. "And now, it's your turn!"
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Tellerin reloads his crossbow, fumbling with the bolt in a panic as he sees William fall. After three or four attempts, one which nicks his finger, he gets it in place and winds the weapon back. He aims quickly and fires in what he hopes is the right direction.
The bolt flies well wide, though perhaps that's for the best!
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"William!" Uther yells out in surprise, suddenly unsure if he can hold off the thief on his own, or even if he should let her go while he tends to William. His confidence is bolstered, however, when his comrades come rushing into the alley, arrows flying and weapons swinging, "Lets finish this!" He follows the assassin and swings his bow at her knees, in the hopes that she will be stopped once and for all.
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The summoned eagle scratches another deep wound into the assassin, followed almost immediately after by Jacinth's arrow that grazes her side. The wounds are minor but collectively, she is quite drained from the multiple wounds. Lumo's mighty blow looks like it would finish her, but some magical force repels his blade at the last second. Tellerin and Uther's attacks do not even come close to hitting her, however, as she still has the strength to dodge away from their blows. Meanwhile, while Nigel repositions himself, William continues bleeding out.
The assassin, although tottering on her feet, stabs at the eagle, furious at the creature that she has once dispatched but returned, and has been wounding her consistently. Her desperate strike thrusts through the creature's heart and it explodes back into the ether.
The eagle is glad to be back again. While it doesn't have the intelligence to think, if it did it Time for revenge! Third time is the charm! He then smites the assassin.
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Tellerin turns away from the gruesome eagle attack. It's just too awful to watch. Truly, no one deserves The Birds.
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Quietly on the floor, William finally stops bleeding and his breath stabilises. Meanwhile, the Pathfinders continue their relentless assault on the assassin, but she, despite her multiple wounds, duck away from Lumo, Jacinth, Uther and Tellerin's attacks. These are enough though to distract her when Nigel re-summons yet another eagle. Before she realises it, the eagle has torn into her with its beak and claw, ripping a big tear across a throat!
She grasps her new wound with both hands, but blood still continually spurts out, and she finally collapses to the floor. But with her last breath, she yells out, “For ten thousand years we have slept, awaiting this day. Think not that you shall take it from us. You and I are merely pawns in a far greater game with a far greater purpose. In the name of the mouthless mistress to whom all fates are known, I damn you and all your descendents! Lissala, take my spirit to pay for my vengeance!”
As she gasps her final breath, the air around starts to shimmer, as it it is going to tear open. Digging through her belongings, you quickly find the runecarved key but you have little time to examine. Your attention gets drawn back gradually opening portal. What would come through?
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With the immediate threat ended (for now), Jacinth hurries forward to rejoin with her companions. She kneels by the motionless William, looking relieved to see that the worst of the bleeding seems to have stopped.
"I haven't the foggiest as to what might be on its way for a play date but we need to get William back on his feet before it gets here," she says, looking up at the others. "Do we have the means to patch ourselves up? I have a healing wand that can be used, if one of you has the means to activate it! Uther?" Jacinth looks at Uther expectantly.
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Nigel also pulls out a healing stick. I haven't the foggiest about how to use this but it is pretty full. The Exchange sent it as a gift, can never understand the leadership sometimes.
Nigel attempts to study the portal. Given his knowledge of magic and of other planes, he hopes to maybe identify where this is a portal from to help prepare for the up coming fight.
The blood covered celestial eagle proudly circles the group, watching for any sign of danger.
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Lumo twists his hand and a wand pops into it from a wrist mounted sheathe. "May The strength of Gorum wash over you, and prepare you for this battle ahead. "
Lumo reaches out a hand and helps the man to his feet. "Your god isn't done with you yet. " His face twists into a grin. "Or perhaps Gorum isn't done with your ability to make battle." He winks and pats the holy soldier on the back.
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With a flash of light and pain, he's back in the living world. Bad shape, but back.
Ignoring the pain he drags himself back to his feet with the Gorumite's help.
"Thank you. It appears both gods are not yet done with me. I take it we got the assassin.... and there's a portal, lovely."
Grabbing up his great blade and digging his healing wand from his gear, he heals himself quickly.
Breathing a sigh of relief at being up to full strength, he hefts his blade and cheerfully quips, "Lets go close this portal and save the city."
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Tellerin releases an anxious breath at William coming back to his feet. He steps over and claps the paladin on the (lower) back reassuringly "Thanks for covering us William."
As for the portal, Tellerin inspects it with detect magic to get a feeling for what to expect, and maybe how to stop it.
"I can't make heads or tails of this thing. The assassin mentioned Lissala, one of the Runelords, so maybe its related to the Key in some way. Anyone see a magic lock nearby we can put the Key in to lock this portal?"
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Uther is a little slow to react to Jacinth's question, disturbed and distracted as he is by the dying assassins's curse and the gradually opening portal, "Hmm? Oh, right... Yes, of course, I'll have William up in- Well, thank the gods! He says as he looks around to see that William has already recovered, he smiles and pats the man on the shoulder, "Careful son, that's getting to be a real bad habit."
His usual mirth is short lived, however, as his attention once again falls on the shimmering portal, "I don't like curses, especially ones involving my descendants." He licks his lips nervously and touches the wound in his side, "On second thoughts, do you mind if I borrow that wand of your after all?" He asks Jacinth with an apologetic smile.
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"Thanks!" Uther says with a smile, "It's true what they say about Pathfinders then... If I were this injured back where I come from, I don't think anyone would share something this valuable to help me out." He taps himself on the back of the hand with the wand and passes it back to Jacinth, his wounds already knitting close.
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The Pathfinders patch themselves up, while slowly gathering in front of the portal, waiting for whatever monstrosities would come through. Meanwhile, similar portals are starting to open all across the area, as other Pathfinders similarly gather to face the threats. Nigel examines the portal in front of the team carefully, but its shimmering form is hard to grasp. It keeps mutating in rapidly in form and colour, and from the traces of energies that spill forth, it seems to be randomly connecting to various parts of the multiverse in rapid succession. Then suddenly, it seems to lock on to a particular plane, a plane that Nigel, with a sinking feeling in his heart, recognises as the infernal plane.
A familiar starts to appear vaguely through the portal, a lumbering mass of flesh, similar to the one you encountered earlier in the cathedral. Very quickly, its entire form appears. What is perhaps worrying though is that the portal remains open, and starts mutating again.
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With a mighty swing, William almost repeats his deed back at the cathedral, but despite the massive chop, the lemure hangs onto its fiendish life. Jacinth follows with an arrow shot, but its glances off its fatty flesh.
The lemure reaches out with two claws and attempts to rip into William, but it is weak from its wounds and fails to get past his armor.
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William barks with laughter and the large cleric joins him in battle, "Unless we close this portal, I doubt this is the last, or worst, thing to come through. I bet there will be plenty for all!"
Glancing over towards Lumo's silvered weapon, he mutters "I really should get one of those, make killing these things a bit easier."
The eagle swoops in and bites at the fat. It has grown to enjoy the taste of flesh and hopes to get some from the big mound of it.
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William barks in derisive laughter as the creature scratches him. "You'll have to better than that fiend! My turn"
His blade flashes as he wades into combat, manic grin giving him an appearance nearly as sinister as the beast he faces, overjoyed to be fulfilling his place in the world, battling the forces of evil and not skulking about some acution like a brigand or thief.
Thank you Iomedae for teaching me the error in my questioning and serving me a challenge to prove your might against proper foes
The eagle tries again to rip a devil apart since last time the devil died before it could.
But the poor eagle is getting exhausted from being in this plane for so long and misses with each of its attacks.