Marissia lets out a squeal of panic, which quickly turns into an exclamation of glee as she flies through the room.
She snatches the interesting objects from the room -- wand, scroll and book -- and then tries to make her way back to the entrance.
Like honani, Trinity watches in amazement as the wizard carelessly enters the strange room. (I wonder if her insight into magic is grand enough to understand this room, or if she is just not seasoned enough to realize the potential dangers.) Trinity thought to herself during the wizards theatrical levitation display.
"Please be cautious Marissia. This room has a very bad vibe to it."
Marissia shoots across the room, grabbing the wand and book. She manages to spin just in time to hit the wall feet first, and pushes back the other way, collecting the scroll on her way out as she falls plumb into Honani's strong arms and bare chest.
Marissia blushes brightly, flushed with exhilaration! Yes... exhilaration. Certainly nothing to do with being pressed against Honani's chest...
"Oh, my! How exciting!"
When Honani puts her down she straightens herself and smiles. "Nice catch."
She examines the objects she's collected. "Omnis aperito!"
She opens the book to flip through its contents.
Tamiko comes back just in time to see Marissia fly into Honani's hands. Doing her best to ignore the sight, she says: "Well, it doesn't look like there's any way to go further from here, thankfully, though it seems these ruins extend downwards." Looking towards the most injured members of the group, she asks, "Are you all okay to press on, or do you need a rest? I don't know how far ahead Tsuto is by now, but I don't think we're going to catch him either way." She gives a nervous glance back towards the way they came, her hand clutching at the space where her second blade would be.
Marissia smiles happily. She tucks the scroll into her scroll case, book in her backpack, and holds the wand in her hand. "I'll be able to make use of these."
Trinity considers Tamiko's words for a moment and then voices an opinion. "Perhaps we are missing something in our hast here. Maybe there is a secret passage or an entrance leading down that we bypassed. Perhaps there might even be something in this oddly magical room."
"Marissia, do you think there is a way to shut of the levitation so we can search this round room?"
Marissia shakes her head. "Oh, certainly not! Whoever created that room is a powerful spellcaster. I couldn't hope to dispel their work."
Trinity considers Tamiko's words for a moment and then voices an opinion. "Perhaps we are missing something in our hast here. Maybe there is a secret passage or an entrance leading down that we bypassed. Perhaps there might even be something in this oddly magical room."
"Well, there were other routes that we saw on the way here too, and you said that we had no way of knowing which way Tsuto went." Tamiko continues to glance nervously up the hallway, as if another of the brutish monsters they'd fought could appear at any moment.
"Then let us backtrack, so see if there are other places we can find Tsuto." Turning on his heels, Honani starts to stalk back the hallway, examining the area as he goes.
"Oh, okay." Marissia remarks with some confusion. Today had been a whirlwind, and she wasn't sure why one way might be better than the other when looking for Tsuto. Still, Honani was a warrior. Surely he knew about such things!
Marissia hurries after Honani, trying her best to keep up and be helpful.
Backtracking through the catacombs, the group finds itself back at the statue of the angry woman wielding a ranseur. Two pathways remain...
Marissia points off behind the statue. "Let's go that way."
Tamiko nods as she glances uncomfortably at the statue and then back up the caves they entered from. "Sure, that's as good a guess as any of us could make."
Steeling himself, Honani prepares to press on into this most unholy of houses.
Also prepared to move forward, Trinity readied her blade for the next area.
The passage ahead is ruler straight, with short flights of wide stairs every ten paces or so. Eventually the passage meets a door, and beyond it widens into a small circular chamber. In the center of the room is a ornate stone pool, rimmed with skulls and filled with gently rippling water.
Trinity pauses at the entrance to allow Marisssia the opportunity to be the first to enter the room. Impressed by the young wizards bravery and willingness to scout ahead, she felt it would be polite to give the young lady the opportunity to be the first to experience this unique room. "Be carful Marissia, the skulls around that pool give me a bad feeling."
From her spot behind the others Marissia peers into the room. Unfortunately it's hard to see back there!
She waits to see if those with a better view think its safe before proceeding.
"Skulls? What skulls?" Marissia asks Trinity. "It sounds fascinating." She tries to peer into the room, but Honani's muscular... sweaty... handsome...
Focus!
Is it warm in here?
Marissia fans herself, suddenly flush.
Tamiko nods at Trinity's comment. "I agree, those skulls definitely look ominous." Noticing Marissia's strange discomfort, she asks softly, "Is everything alright? Do you need to rest?"
Marissia blushes deeply. "NO!" she exclaims, a little too quickly. "No, I'm fine. Thank you! Let's move on! I'd love to look at some skulls!"
How embarrassing!
Completely oblivious to his effects on the school teacher, Honani bristles as Trinity suggests Marissia lead the group. His chauvinistic sensibilities taking over, Honani hurries in front of Marissia until they reach the skeletal fountain. Who died to adorn this? he muses as he observes the contents past the door.
Again Honani cruses the architect of this horrible place.
Trinity looked surprised when Marissia passed on the opportunity to be the first to explore the unusual room. (I wonder why Marrisia doesn’t want to investigate this room. She didn’t hesitate when we entered the Glassworks. She also showed no restraint upon being the first to enter the magically enchanted circle room. What’s different about this room?) Trinity thought to herself as she fell in line behind Honani.
“This pool could be a shrine to past lives or a tool used in magic. It also could simply be someone’s bad taste in art, although I doubt the latter.” The inquisitor stated as she began concentrating on the pool.
When there's room for her to squish into the room, Mariissia heads right up to the pool. "This is fascinating!" she remarks.
She also casts detect magic, then proceeds to examine the pool and skulls.
Honani marches into the room first and Trinity catches movement a fraction of a second before a strange creature leaps from the wall and attempts to engulf Honani's face, screaming a bloodcurdling sound as it does so!
Morgana, bringing up the rear, is unaffected but equally unable to help much!
Honani rises his klar in an attempt to keep the strange creature from his face.
The head lets out a horrendous screech and Trinity, Tamiko and Honani all find themselves paralyzed with fear!
(P - 5)
(P - 5)
(P - 5)
The creature swoops onto Honani's face, forcing its tongue down his throat in a gruesome parody of a kiss!
Once again able to use his limbs, he swipes his klar across his face to detach the creature from its deathly embrace.
Marissa flinches at the sight of the strange creature. Seeing it swoop down and shove its tongue down Honani's throat, Marissia's eyes widen.
"Hey! You leave him alone!"
Unable to get any closer, Marissia points her finger at the flapping bat head.
"Friazo!"
A ray of ice flies from her finger at the monster...
...striking the tiny creature!
Honani and Marissia strike at the flailing creautre, drawing considerable blood from the bat-winged head. Behind them they can hear Morgana using some very unladylike language as she tries to maneuver past Tamiko's frozen form.
The creature bites again at Honani but is unable to pierce the warriors armor!
As a true warrior Honani was used to terrible situations. He had faced death on many occasions and lived to tell the tale. He had seen creatures deadly and viscous, innocent and lethal, and enemies unknown. But this thing on his face caused the hairs on the back of his neck rise, his stomach roil, and his blood burn. Fighting the rising panic in him, he once again lashes out with his klar.
Ugh! It's still sucking on his face!
Marissia points at the creature and unleashes another cantrip at it.
"Friazo!"
But this time her little ray of frost flies wide, striking the ceiling.
She had to get over there!
Marissia tries her best to hurry past the monster bat so she can help Honani.
None of the combatants can make any progress, although Marissia is able to haul the unresisting Trinity backwards, taking up the place directly behind Honani for herself. Meanwhile man and monster trade ineffective blows.
Marissia casts her cantrip again, sending a ray of frost at the bat monster:
"Friazo!"
Worried about Honani, she tries (once again) to get past the bat creature so she can stab it...
Trinity stood rigidly in place and unable to react to the gruesome sight before her.
Trinity recognises the creature as a Vargouille - a small creature created from Abyssal energy. Most worrying is the fact that they can 'kiss' their victims - imparting a disease which slowly turns the victim into a Vargouille itself!
Marissia's ray strikes the creature cleanly as she ducks underneath it. The monster flutters, clearly badly weakened.
This thing still stuck on his face, it’s tongue trying to enter his mouth, brought Honani back to his youth and the pretty Paithoon. She had eyes like a cat and long, silky hair. On the night of the full moon they snuck out of camp to the lake. Sitting on a rock for hours they talked about their hopes and dreams. Honani’s desire to avenge his father’s shame and become a great warrior, Paithoon’s desire to leave the Shoanti and see the world.
Finally Honani worked up the courage to kiss the pretty girl. Her embrace was more enthusiastic than he expected as her tongue entered his mouth, and cheek, and face.
That was the last time he meet Paithoon for a late night rendezvous.
Focused back to the present, locked in a mortal fight, he once again lashes out with his klar.