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Splat! Splat!
Rallos took not one, but two powerful arrows that made deep wet sounds as they buried their heads into his flesh. Upset that his steel hadn't absorbed the brunt of that assault, Grayface hustled past Rall into the room with his shield raised high, cognizant of the likelihood of more attacks.
Rallos curses as the arrows strike him. Seeing as the serpentfolk are holding bows, he seizes the opportunity to get in a good attack position to strike.
As Grayface moves into the room, an arrow fizzes past his shield and cracks against the wall behind him...
Too late, Rallos recognises his mistake... the serpentfolk may be armed with bows but they are not defenceless... the creature that he intends to attack hisses, and with the coiled strength of a viper, bites at him... but Rallos is too agile and the attack misses...
...Rallos, on the other hand, is deadly accurate, his blade cutting flesh and striking bone...
Ea moves inside the room and attacks Rallos foe with her morningstar
Taking a step into the doorway, Yasmin assails the serpentfolk with more frost!
; ;
; ;
But she's not sure how effective it'll be.
Ea’s morningstar crashes against her foe... causing it to stagger backwards momentarily but not distracting enough that it doesn’t look away when Murassa’s flare explodes in a flash of blinding light…
And, when Yasmin’s spell - somewhat uncharacteristically
fails to affect the resistant Serpentfolk , they drop their bows and start slicing at their enemies with highly polished scimitars...
…and, as the fight rages, the ophidian face of another serpentfolk appears at the window of one of the northern doors…
Rallos presses his attack on the serpentfolk caught between him and Gray.
Suddenly back in the action, the fighter was in his element again. Steel clashing against steel, looking for that moment of lapse to cleave the flesh beneath. There was something titillating about walking that line, knowing you better kill - or be killed.
With his sneak-thief friend on the serpentman's opposite flank, it presented openings it their foe's defenses that never happen in a one-on-one scenario. Though they had the advantage, he just received a terrible wound from a curved blade and so put up his defensive stance during his attack routine.
Ea stands her ground fiercely
The Eternal Gardens of Pharasma awaits us all. Fate will tell if I will survive you, snakekin
Yasmin tries the same thing again, hoping for a different result!
; ;
; ;
But her magics are still ineffective!
Once more, Yasmin's magic fizzles before it can strike her foes... and, to compound the issue, Ea cannot get past the swaying agility of the serpentfolk - although Murassa manages to hit it at an exposed spot... and, hissing, the monster attacks Ea... slicing and biting...
Grayface and Rallos, surrounding one of the serpentine brutes, stab and slice at it... twice it is struck - each wound is severe, and in the long term potentially crippling, but the creature finds the strength to carry on the fight... Slicing wildly at Grayface before turning and trying to bite at Rallos...
And, from the window of the cell, the new serpentfolk face hisses it's appreciation at the fight unfolding before its eyes...
"Your race had its chance and failed. Tell your false demon god we're coming for him next -- we'll send you to see him!"
Rallos stabs at the lizardman, seeking a soft spot to put his blade.
Whilst Rallos strikes true with his rapier – a grievous wound, Grayface’s posturing proves to be a distraction – the serpentfolk ducking what could have been a fatal blow… Murassa, pressing the advantage as the serpentfolk ignores the magus and attacks Ea, catches his foe with a glancing blow across its back…
Ea feels a fever rushing in her veins but presses on, showing no fear as she faces death
A burning in Ea's veins tells her that her body has not fought off the venom injected by the serpentfolk's bite... almost instantly, her muscles feel weak and her equipment heavier than other before...
Finally, Yasmin's magics proves to be effective... a salvo of arcane missiles - violet light streaking across the room - slams into the second of the serpentfolk... and, briefly silhouetted by the explosion of colours, the serpentfolk is slain...
The remaining combatant, fighting on even though it is surely overwhelmed, stabs at Ea before pirouetting and targeting Murassa.
Ea! You're going to pay dearly for that, serpent!
Rallos dashes to a position opposite Murassa and thrusts his rapier at the creature.
Sister Zalinsel slips into bloody unconciousness, with a peaceful smile on her thin lips
Pharasma...
"Nooo!"
The fighter's blood ran cold as he saw his priest friend tumble to the floor, her mace clanging to the ground with a tone of finality. Unsure if she still held onto life, he rushed to her side and engaged the enemy who had damaged her so.
If it were up to him, this one would not live to see another day.
Though she has nearly exhausted her magical strength, Yasmin finds more strength as she sees Ea fall.
;
But again her magics seem to fail her.
Rallos, weaving his way over to flank with Murassa, stabs the final serpentfolk… his blade sinks deep and, for a moment, it seems that the creature will fall… but, possibly bolstered by the sight of Ea’s unconscious form, it somehow carries on fighting… Murassa is struck twice – the second blow felling him – before the serpentine creature turns and bites at Rallos.
Yasmin, use a potion on Murassa...he is bleeding bad!
Rallis then focuses his attention on the serpentfolk.
Smile while you can, beast....it will be your last act I swear it!
He flicks his rapier at the lizard.
Yasmin goes to Murassa and applies her last magical energies to bringing him back from the brink of death.
Gray's blood was near the boiling point already, and upon seeing his newest friend join Ea on the stone cold floor his demeanor changed to one of pure furious rage, similar to the battles with Klarkosh and the bugbear Grulk.
With veins bulging on his arms and neck, he attacked the serpentman with all the anger he could muster, aiming his chopping blow for the vulnerable neck --
With Ea and Murassa down – and Yasmin’s magics exhausted, it seems for a moment that the serpentfolk may be victorious… its moves become more elaborate as if the creature is bragging of its superiority…
…before Rallos strikes once more – his rapier cutting deep and driving his foe off-balance; off-balance enough that, when Grayface swings his sword, the creature is undefended – with a wet sound, the blade of Grayface’s weapon slices the head clean from the serpentfolk’s shoulders – the rest of the creature crumples to the floor, twitches once and then lies still…
The face that had been watching the fight through the window of its door slinks silently back into the darkness of the cell.
Rallos darts over to check on Ea after he and Gray disp[atch the last of the serpentfolk. He bends down and is relieved to see she was still breathing.
You're not going to meet your goddess yet, Ea.
He motions to Gray to help move her over to the corner of the room, setting her down gently. He then quickly scans the room to find anything useful.
The face that had been watching the fight through the window of its door slinks silently back into the darkness of the cell.
Yasmin takes the wand of healing from Ea and sees if she can figure out its use again to heal Ea.
"You're back! We were afraid we'd lost you!"
After Gray felt the satisfying tug of his magic blade against the yielding flesh and bone of the serpentman's neck, he knew the combat was over. Once again he and his friends had proven themselves worthy of the challenges laid before them, but this time was a close call.
Seeing that no immediate threat remained standing and Yasmin was attending the wounded, the warrior took a few moments to calm himself. His fury had changed from an inner storm to a violent hurricane of energy, one that he believed could be harnessed if he practiced at it. The next foe who stood against him would be his test subject...
With blood spatter still on his arms and dripping from his huge sword, he turned his gaze to the snake behind the bars. He spoke with a firm cold voice that demanded attention, allowing for no foolishness.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
The serpentfolk huddled at the far end of the cell, turns to face Grayface as he barks through the doors of the cell... Grayface knows little about the serpentine race but even he can see that this specimen is in bad condition, “I am nothing! No one! Once this was Draa, but now it is Kro’akoth’s slave!”
Yasmin peers inside the dark cell at the serpentfolk inside. Finding it hard to see, she decides to use one of the few tricks she still had up her sleeve. A set of four bright orbs begin to swirl in the cell, driving away the darkness.
"Come on now. No more hiding. You're not Kro'akoth's slave anymore, I can tell you that. So speak up. You're a follower of that other god, aren't you?" The precise name of that serpentfolk god escaped her at the moment.
Ea sends three successive waves of grey, cold energy to strengthten the life in her comrades
The serpentfolk shrinks away from Yasmin’s conjured lights, ”No!!! No!!! No!!! I have given myself to Kro’akoth!!! Ydersius is nothing more than a living corpse and is not fit for worship!!! Kro’akoth is all!!!” – the creature, dressed in rags and moving without grace, raves and spits…
Looking around in the prison, Rallos finds nothing beyond the equipment held by the serpentfolk – each was carrying a scimitar , a composite shortbow and a healing potion
"I hear you talking but you're not saying anything I wanna hear."
He grimaced with anger at the prisoner's lack of forthcoming information. His next words were spoken through clenched teeth,
"Is Draa your name? What do you do? Why are you behind bars? Are you friend or foe? I grow weary of asking questions you should be anticipating!"
"This one is called Draa!!! My name given under the moon of Kro'akoth!!! He who will conquer the sunlit worlds... You will see!!! Yes, you will see!!!", unblinking eyes stare at Grayface, "For what you have done today, you will indeed perish!!! Nothing can stop that now... Kro'akoth will avenge his kin!!!"
Gray bent down to one of the fallen snakes and wiped his blade somewhat clean of gore on the dead's clothing. After sliding it back into his leather wrap across his back, he pulled his longbow forth and gave it a test twang.
Though he had no intention of using it, the fighter pulled an arrow and held it against the bowstring. He remained in a neutral position, not yet ready to nock an arrow, but demonstrating that he was in control.
"Why are you jailed here if you're so devout a worshipper? Do you know how to activate the back wall of the chapel, to teleport away? If so, where does it go?"
"Answer me quickly or dodge arrows."
"Sartoss keeps me here until he needs me!!! I will prove my worth to Kro'akoth... And then, if I am judged worthy, I shall become a mighty priest of the Awakener... Like Sartoss!!!"
...at the mention of the 'back wall of the chapel', Draa looks impassively at Grayface, "This one does not know of such a wall"
"Seriously? You like the guy who put you in jail?". The sorceress is extremely puzzled. She was pretty sure Grayface was going to finish him off.
-Posted with Wayfinder