Jogging back Maerra squeezes past Aurica - "Lucky you're not as wide as my Great-Aunt Hilda" - and brings her axe down in an overhand blow on the spawn of the Abyss. The winged spawn.
Mysari's cold blast hits the creature and it spirals out of control right towards Maerra's waiting axe. She swings hard and the creature is shattered in two, its pieces falling to the ground and shattering like glass...
Eventually, Aurica and Zev regain their minds and are able to move again. Erylium squirms in her bindings on the ground.
Milah's eyes darken briefly. This is twice that I have been unable to assist because of my reliance on only my rapier. I really need something else...perhaps a crossbow? After a few seconds, however, her mood lifts somewhat as she realizes that everyone pulled through without injury. That's something, at least...
Meanwhile Maerra's thinking Bows are all very well and good, but a good axe ends fights fast.
She glances into the skull-basin on the way over to the stone door but makes sure not to touch it. "One little demon and now another? If there's anything larger we'll need cold iron for sure, and not this skerrick." She tosses and catches the tiny dagger before putting it away again and examining the door.
"Someone in there smithing, and I think they just killed someone. Dark work." She gets a hammer out to pair with her axe and gets ready to kick the door.
Maerra has no trouble opening the door. It grinds open and you are greeted with the sounds of metal hitting metal coming from somewhere ahead. The hallway ends in what appear to be a spiral staircase that leads up, but it is choked off with stone rubble. As you look, you notice a small wren sitting in the middle of the hallway. It watches you for a moment and then flies up towards the rubble...
Aurica moves forward and up the stairs and looks for a way to get past the rubble or clear it out.
"Why was that wren down here? That seems strange..."
As Aurica gets closer to the rubble, she notes a small breeze and the scent of burning coals and the sound of hammer and anvil coming from somewhere above. Moving all this rubble would probably take several days with enough labor. She spies the wren wriggling its way through some of the very small fissures in the rock.
She spies the wren wriggling its way through some of the very small fissures in the rock.
With unusual quickness, and a firm grip, Aurica snatches the wren before it gets through an opening in the rubble. She holds it aloft to the rest of the party. "Mysari, can you detect any magic from this creature? It seems unnatural for a bird like this to be down here..."
Erylium struggles a bit in her bindings, apparently disturbed at the fact that Aurica caught the bird as she holds it out to Mysari..
Zev's eyes widen as Aurica catches the bird, "oh, you caught the birdie...
Then the bound devil begins to stuggle, he frowns, "Quiet, you..."
Mÿsari looks inward and draws upon her arcane powers to perceive whether a magical essence persists in the tiny creature that Aurica managed to catch. Her skin begins to glow and her eyes turn a familiar deep azure.
As Mysari examines the bird, it struggles more in Aurica's grip while Erylium continues to test her bonds.
"This bird is unnatural! It glows with arcane power.. a dark power that is tainted."
Hearing this, Aurica tries to knock the bird unconscious.
Aurica squeezes the bird, listening to it warble and squawk until it finally stops struggling. It lies unconscious in her hands. Meanwhile, Erylium still struggles in her rope, frantically attempting to say something through her bindings.
Maerra gets a solid grip on the demon then ungags her. "Alright, spit it out, what's got you in a twizzle?
Erylium grins and then spits in Maerra's face. "Let go of my pet you filthy halfbreed!", she yells at Aurica. "You will never know the end of my wrath if you hurt him!" She pauses, licking her foul lips. "Wait.. you like treasure right? Gold, jewels, powerful weapons.. I can pay you. You can have my crown, even my dagger and and... I know where there is more. All you have to do is let us go."
"There would have to be a whole lot to make it worth letting you roam free," Aurica says hesitatingly, but her curiosity is peaked. "Tell me more."
Mÿsari considers the erylium's words carefully. Leaning in, she whisper's in Aurica's ear. "She seems a bit eager to reward us all of a sudden..."
.
Maerra wipes her face on her coat sleeve disgustedly. "Seems to me we have your dagger already, for what it's worth. Which isn't much considering none of us are half-pint-sized. Though... what are we going to do with this wretch and her pet? I'm not much for killing in cold blood, but setting a demon free doesn't sit well with me either."
The little demon's eyes flit back and forth among you as you decide her fate. "I know where the goblin chief keeps his goodies.. yes.. I will tell you. Show you if I must. I know this and more.. We can make contract. You release us, I show you all goblin chief's goodies."
"She's lying. She has no intentions of giving us anything of worth, but she is extremely concerned about the bird..."
"As for the rest, she may be telling the truth...but I can't say for sure."
"Why don't you tell us what's so special about your pet bird?"
Erylium grins. "Yes, I tell you. She knows much she does. Tells me many things. She tells me, I tell you. You let us live, you know many things. You kill us, you know nothing and we come back with more than you."
.
In a fit of temper at her own inability to tell truth from lies Maerra bundles the tiny demon up in rope again, then stuffs her familiar into an iron pot and wraps her bedroll firmly around that. "Can't trust the words of a demon, every bleedin' body under the stars knows that. Dunno what we're going to do with her but let's move on."
Milah nods, ready to proceed.
Deciding that the wren is no longer of consequence, you move on, back towards the statue at the entrance to the tunnels and coming to a wooden door built into the stone. It appears that it is well used, but currently closed.
Milah quietly alerts the others, "Sounds like there's someone arguing in there..." She draws her rapier and readies herself to burst into the room.
Aurica dumps the unconscious wren unceremoniously in her pack as they approach the door. She nods at Milah.
"Ready when you are."
"Same" answers Maerra shortly, weapons in hand.
Milah throws open the door, finding...?
After everyone prepares, Milah throws open the door to find herself standing on a wooden platform that despite its age, appears to be rather sturdy. Ramps go down both sides towards a stone floor. Aurica's magic illuminates most of the room and you can see what appears to be cells of some kind in the distance. At the bottom of the ramp to the East, two creatures that look similar to the one you fought in the cave cease their argument and turn towards you, grabbing their nearby long hafted weapons and growling something in a strange language. Erylium seems extremely excited about something, but the rope in her mouth prevents you from understanding her words...
.
Zev scowls at the bound imp, pulling the rope from its mouth, "What?"
Erylium cackles maniacally. "Get them my pets! Tear them limb from limb!"
Milah rushes the creatures, charging with her rapier!
Mÿsari steps into the room as Milah charges and fires an icy ray at the nearest creature.
Not waiting around, Milah leaps off the platform and lands on her feet, rolling up into a fleche strike on the first creature. It howls in pain as a beam of freezing magic from Mysari adds to its misery. In its anger it lashes out at Milah with its wicked looking polearm with a red tassel tied to the bladed end. The other one slips around in an attempt to corner the catwoman, making her have to defend against two opponents, its tattered yellow hand wrappings smelling of old sweat and other unmentionable things...
Aurica moves into the room but maintains her distance from the enemies. She changes her aura from Star to Moon (everyone gets that refreshing 2 temp hp!) and casts Greater Serendipity (-1 on their attacks, saves, skill checks, +1 on ours) .
"Take heart, Milah! Fate is on your side!"
Maerra clambers down the rickety stairs, keeping a wary eye out in the changing light of the auras. "Wooden stairs, with all this stone around. Someone has no pride in their craft" she mutters.
Milah grins as she beats aside the creature's blade and slides her rapier past its guard...
...then she continues pressing her advantage, rapier snaking through the air again!
As the winds of fate shift due to Aurica's influence, Milah's skill with the rapier shines, first easily defeating the first creature without so much as a nick on her and reversing the thrust to get through the second's defenses as well. It growls with rage as the point of the weapon strikes home. Erylium squeals. "No no no! You will pay for this!"