Kirzon uses his empathetic link to guide him to the injured Boros. Quickly he taps the snake with wand causing some of the wounds to mend themselves. Boros feeling revitalized strikes at its attacker clamping its jaws around the raptor's leg and then begins to wrap around its body.
Cassandra strikes down the closest raptor as a loud POP echoes the raptor's skull caving in on its brain.
Hearing the creature crumple Merelda turns her attention to the next raptor stabbing it with her rapier and then vanishing from sight as Innis finishes her spell.
You hear one of the raptor's roar in what sounds like frustration, likely struggling to rip free of the entangling roots.
Hearing its pack drop the raptor closest to Amigail flies into a fury causing the warrior to drop to the ground with a series of successive rakes.
The one wrapped in Boros coils struggles but cannot strike the snake.
With little to impede her, Merelda moves to Amigail and heals her quickly since she sees her fall!
With another raptor dead Innis decides to stay her wrath. As insulting as it was to be attacked these were simply animals after all. She continues to let the the team's warriors fight this battle out. She remains secure and unseen.
Innis feels the familiar call of Calistria's presence. Though she can no longer see her fellow Sister she is certain that Amigail is healed by none other than Merelda's hand. Innis adds her own by planting a bloody kiss on the forehead of the renewed warrior.
"Rise and strike down my enemies" She whispers from the mist and darkness.
As the fog clears, Lililinda can see that the situation isn’t quite as dire as it seemed. She cuts off just before pronouncing the final syllable of the scroll, and instead draws and activates a wand.
Amigail's eyelids flutter open. At first she beholds Merelda; then Innis's face draws close, planting a kiss on her forehead before whispering orders.
"Yes, mistress," Amigail rasps. Instead of trying to rise cautiously (as is normally her wont), the warrior-woman feels compelled to hop right up and hack the head off the nearest raptor for the glory of Innis...and/or Calistria.
for
With the immediate targets dead Cassandra shipped her Warhammer and picked her glaive up before moving into striking range of a nother of the raptors with only a few steps.
Lililinda lets off a spray of colour but it has little effect on the raptor. The attack is enough to let Amigail stand fending off the raptor's bite with her shield. The warrior back on her feet returns the attack with a hack of her own. The falcata splits the raptor's skull as it crumbles to the ground.
Boros finishes off the injured raptor snuffing out what little life remained in it.
The remaining raptor rips free of the roots and rushes off leaving the area before it joins the fate of its pack.
Innis' illusions fade as the last raptor retreats. She uses the giant mushroom stalk beside her for support but even that much effort is nearly overwhelming and the agony that wracks her body excruciating.
She uses the infernal healing wand to tend to her many wounds. She finds comfort in the dark thoughts it summons, no doubt resonating with her cursed bloodline. The Call of the Dark in quieter now, a shadow on her soul lingering at the fringes of Calistria's light.
Still feeling a need to lash out at someone her venomous tongue is aimed at the old dwarf "Plants and underground!?" she laughs cruelly. "Should this not be your domain, Kirzon? Or is leading us on a brick road all your tracking skills are good for as you blindly lead us into the jaws of these pests! Hoping to replace Boros maybe? Find yourself the new king of raptors. A pity, they find you as wanting as I do."
Merelda snaps her fingers loudly to get the cleric's attention.
"Sister! Cinder missed them too. Recriminations help us not. Our rage is best saved for our true enemy, NOT our allies."
She then summons Cinder back to her shoulder and proceeds to remind him to stay up high and keep his senses out ABOVE the canopy of fungi from now on.
Innis makes a rude noise "He says his piece then slithers away. How OH SO heroic. The fool."
"Come ladies let's be after him...I want my wand back."
Innis uses the infernal wand to heal her wounded teammates then rallies them before Kirzon gets too far
Cassandra was relieved when the last raptor chose to flee instead of stay and fight. In truth she felt sorry for it, she didn't think it's chances were very good now that it was alone like that and she found herself hoping that it had other pack members to work with. She watched as it disappeared into the mist and studied the way it moved finding the creature graceful but deadly as she lost sight of it.
Cass was still musing over the creature when Innis started yelling at Kirzon and behaving very badly. She didn't understand where this came from, what caused such a vicious outburst, and she wasn't shocked that Kirzon snapped right back at her. Cassandra wasn't sure why they were acting like that but she didn't care for it and walked past Innis as she went to follow Kirzon.
After a minute or two Cassandra fell back to walk with Meralda and made sure Innis was out of easy hearing range before she asked, "What was that all about? Why did she tear into Kirzon like that?"
Without looking at her, she replies to Cassandra.
"Our goddess does not appreciate weakness. I think Innis has found she is not as strong as thought she was. We are taught to lash out in anger in order to overcome our fears. Fear will do many things...include ruin friendships. This is why I avoid such feelings altogether if I can."
Using a dagger, Merelda collects two of the raptor's enormously-curved toe claws. She then sends Cinder back to scouting ahead, but from a higher elevation this time. Taking the lead again, her rapier ready, Merelda sneers into the darkness as her Ioun Torch swings around her head like some sort of false halo.
Innis watches darkly as her teammates seemly compete for the lead, fleeing her presence and posturing to show their displeasure.
Thinking to her self "Let them play their little game. There's no denying how much they NEED me." she notes how quickly they abandon her after all she's done for them. She finds strength with-in her self, for all their swords and armor her words cut deeper and with more magic at her command than all of the other casters combined.
She looks to Amigail expectantly. Surely she should have been the first to run off given the chance.
Cassandra listened to what Merelda said and reached out to brush one hand along her arm as she she said, "Thanks, Merelda." With that she picked out where Innis was and changed her speed so she could end up walking beside the other woman.
Cass had her glaive in a one handed rest position over the shoulder opposite Innis as she ended up next to the other woman. She didn't speak at first instead walking in silence and waiting to see if Innis would speak first. Cass let her free hand drift toward's Innis but didn't close the gap any further than that.
Feeling alone in the dark Innis can't help but be distrustful of Cassandara's intrigue. She scrutinizes the other woman's shuffling between the fractured group.
Amigail's uncertain that she can say anything at the moment to reunite the fractured party; not wanting to make things worse, she keeps her mouth shut.
At first, Ami hangs back silently with Innis. When Cassandra drops back, however, the falcata-wielder picks up her pace, moving toward the front where Kirzon stamps along angrily. It seems she's trying to make sure that each half of the party always has a warrior in it, just in case the raptors return or some other threat presents itself.
Innis notices Cassandra's restless free hand. At first she is tempted to take it she imagines the group linked in arms skipping merrily down the grey brick road in some absurdly fantastical adventure. No doubt to slay a witch as witches are always the villains in such stories. While wizards, manly and wise are always aloof yet fatherly.
She dismisses such foolish flights of fancy from focus.
She walks in silence keeping her own council until she is ready to speak. "If he was really willing to lead us he would have done so by now." she gestures towards the old irate dwarf.
"Instead he jeopardizes our mission due to his fragile and wounded pride. If kindness was all that was required I dare say Lililinda should assume command. I on the other hand expect and produce results. If that's too much for everyone to bear then we are likely already doomed."
Cassandra considered what Innis had to say and didn't really buy it, not after she had talked with Merelda, and considered what to say. It seemed that Innis wanted to avoid the real problem and so she wasn't going to force the issue yet but she saw another line to take and made up her mind to follow it for now. Cassandra left her hand between them as a peace offering as she spoke and asked, "Why don't you tell me exactly what Kirzon has done that makes you say these things?"
Innis sneers "In his shame he runs off ahead and alone, even after blaming me for not being there to defend him during my supply run. Hypocrite. What else needs to be said? Say then a lack of diligence for a man who communes with nature he doesn't bother checking for signs of predators. Ask the mushrooms or the little creatures who roam for all I care that much must be in his power. Yet even now he welcomes those jaws with open arms. I can follow this road without his guidance. So what is he for?"
"Look down at you all do I? My protection is the reason any of you are still standing. Especially that prize slave of his, Boros. My gaze is ever vigilante and quite taxing in ways you will never know. I am not blind, none of us will last this curse out alone. You all can hate me if you must but..." she starts to sound weak and tired "we are all each other has." Innis recovers her charismatic armor looking forward with resolute determination. It is unlikely that Cassandra will get anything more from the multifarious Changeling.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Cassandra listened intently and noticed the irrationality of Innis' explanation. It was obvious to her the real isue was being dodged and that Innis was about to clam up and refuse to talk more but she felt the need to get one last observation in before she left the woman alone. Cass gave Innis a sidelong look and then said, "I think you should consider that it may not be Kirzon and his friend Boros you are mad at, that you aren't mad at all. I think your close brush with death may have scared you and you are lashing out at whoever you can not to think about it." She smiled sadly at the changeling, "If you decide you want to talk about it then I'll listen, you need only ask," With that she kept silent and held rear guard walking quietly behind Innis.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Merelda rolls her eyes, and snaps in a whisper to the others scowling.
"Talking about Feelings? Really? Down HERE? Can we PLEASE not alert or attract every monster or intelligent enemy in listening distance? Sound carries down here further than light does."
All business now, Merelda attempts to sneak off in front again.
And manages to stomp a little too loud in her anger.
Innis does her best to hide her disgust as Kirzon extends his hand in what must be some pauper's tradition. She wonders momentarily what it must be like to have a place or people and be bound by such things. Coveted and beautiful as she is, she has always been an outcast and all together certain she would not want to meet any of her kin. Only Merelda seems to hold herself apart, she wonders at that too, as the nosy woman interjects hindering her chance of stealth in the process.
Deeming that a little spit for a chance at better odds of success is a fair enough trade, she accepts his offered hand.
"The wand?" she questions with a raised eyebrow after the pointless formalities are met.
Lililinda silently watches the childish displays go back and forth in front of her, too weak and rattled to interject. Is this really the type of behavior that Callistria encourages? She can't help but compare it to the gospel of love and beauty that attracted her to Shelyn. She relaxes when Cassandra and Kirzon rise above the pettiness and cool things off.
She opens her mouth, but closes it again when she can't think of anything to comment that won't risk re-escalating what had just wound down.
Innis plays along with the dance Kirzon has set. She gives him a dangerously devilish smile. "Oh! How bold we are as of late? Keep it. It's about time you were set to task, rest as you do on the laurels of that beastly snake."
"Humbled as I am, I'll even let you keep pace at the front of this merry band as you've so asserted yourself. Foolish of me to have had you guide us from behind this entire time."
Merelda, no longer in the front by Innis's decree, frowns and waves the dwarf forward.
"Don't worry bearded one. Cinder is keeping watch just ahead of you and will alert me if he sees anything."
Innis' mood improves Kirzon finds himself uncomfortably cornered into taking the lead. Her multi-colored eyes gleam with the delight of a predator.
“Very good.” Lililinda speaks up when all the drama seems to have calmed down, and the group is on the move again, her weak voice barely above a whisper. “We don’t stand a chance down here if we can’t work together. The unspeakable things here will do a good enough job of ripping us apart without us helping them. We need to be strong for each other.”
The group's frustration eventually subsides and they begin to set out along this ancient road that they pray leads to their cure. Knowing that any division amongst them will likely lead to their deaths they quiet their opinions to themselves and push forward.
The roadway mortared together and now embedded in the cavern floor at times proves difficult to travel as sometimes it is covered with lichen growth, but is still the easiest way to traverse through the fungus forest. The trail continues south only heading deeper into the fungi forest.
"So much walking. Oh were that I was born a camel..." Innis complains wistfully.
"Watch out! Cinder senses something!"
Like a silent shadow*, Amigail moves up to Kirzon and Boros, falcata at the ready to deal with any new threat.
Cinder flies back landing on Merelda's shoulder just as a black shadow flies overhead. It takes a few seconds for it to pass by the group as it continues to head North still no sound is emitted from whatever it is and within a few minutes you lose sight of it.