Friday blinks a few times at the Paladin before tilting his head in confusion. "I'm not a hero. And that sounds stupid, a hero shouldn't expect anything for being a hero."
Turning back to Zaiobe he nods as well. "I'm glad I was of some use then."
Gergo simply looked on as the demon was finally put down like a rabid dog. A disgruntled look was still on his face This is why you don't come up with complex ways of hurting others and then keep them alive...if you want to hurt someone draw blood and make sure you kill them Gergo snorted before he turned away from the corpse, he walked in silence to a nearby wall, he sat down cross legged and placed his head in his left hand, while letting his right rest on the floor along with his great axe. The bangs of his blond mane tumbled down his head fully hiding his face from onlookers.
The only sound that came from his direction was that of his breathing; it was heavy and long. His upper body shifted noticeably with each inhale and exhale and on occasion one could hear a snarl or grumble that rose barely above a whisper.
"Well tha-" Whatever Valeria was going to say was cut off by a serious coughing fit.
"Okay," she said after it settled, now sounding very hoarse, "he must've hit something important in there; it only hurts to breathe."
"Do you need assistance moving?" Friday offers.
He blinked as his words appeared to take on other meanings with the gathered group. He frowned slightly and shook his head, perhaps to himself.
"self sacrifice is sometimes seen as a heroic action my friend. If you choose to believe that it was not heroic of you to put yourself on harms way and intercept that damaging magic than who am I to argue. I was merely offering praise for noble actions nothing more.
He frowned at Valeria's coughing. And moved closer to her wand once more to the forefront.
"did we have a way to check in with the caravan now? To see about miss Ameiko's condition?
Friday uses his spear to scratch the side of his head, obviously not quite understanding something. "Thank you, I guess? I don't think I was doing anything heroic, people like you and Valeria and Haru are heroes. I was just protecting someone more important than myself. It's what I do. And I don't expect anything out of doing that."
"You're no less of a hero than the rest of us, Fri," Haru mutters, but shakes her head. Poor fellow has probably been told he's worthless for years until he believes it himself, she thinks.
"I can't think of one, Kavell, other than the obvious method of sending someone to go there and come back. We don't have, say, a firework or something to send up as a signal, and even if we did, they don't have any way to signal back. High-power magic like sending is beyond any of us, even Koya, I think."
Friday bows humbly towards Haru's compliment, and once she's finished adds "Can't Miss Valeria and Xel talk to each other over distances?"
"I'm fine, Friday," she replied, now sounding a bit better, "pain was just hanging around for a bit. Probably just how the magic needed to do the repairs; feels more like a muscle cramp, really."
"As for my link with Xel, it's only over a mile and we can only send feelings and emotions, I'd never be able to find out anything specific. And I still stand by my theory that it was something other than Kikonu that's causing Ameiko's problem. What's affecting her is necromantic in nature and Kikonu wasn't a necromancer, or at least wasn't the sort to inflict a magical coma on someone. Wanting to use spells like that requires patience and a cool head - neither of which would describe Big Nose."
Friday nods and crosses his arms, obviously slipping into thought. "So we must still search for the Haint afflicting Ameiko, as well as see to the prisoner they were keeping below."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ishgha spits on Kikonu's corpse and sheathes his blade. "Then do so. I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you with this..."
His tone turns from hateful to somber. "...I need to see to my fallen brothers. Scour this castle if you wish."
Take care Ishgha, there may be a few more of those birdmen about.If we come across any more of your fallen, I will let you know so you may do what you must.
He said not wanting to interfere. He did however want to get to the prisoner as fast as possible.
Can you lead us to where he kept the prisoner? They may be hurt or worse...
He began clearly concerned for their well being.
Gergo, the birdmen have a priestess chirping in an old desecrated chapel to Desna that way torwards the prisoner.
He began replacing the wand into his belt. He was a Paladin of Shelyn not Desna but, he wouldnt abide such desecration to her chapel willingly either. He nodded torwards the door and made his way directly to it. Of all the companions there, he was sure the wild haired and eyed man would be ....still eager to cleanse the castle.
Gergo's left hand rose slowly, gathering up his bangs on its way and combing back in a crude manner. Now without the hairy curtain and shielding of his appendage Gergo's face was revealed...the same jovial and eager countenance that his companion's knew prior to the battle "More fights? Good, that wasn't as fun as I thought it would be" He exclaimed as he rose up like a held down spring coil. He cocked his neck to the left and right and shifted both shoulders as if he had been sitting for far longer than a minute.
With a out of tune hum on his tongue Gergo walked to Kavell "Have you noticed the table here? I bet the lord that used to live used to hold so many damn parties, meetings and whatever lords do when they have free time here" Gergo ran to the head chair "He'd be sitting here, looking at the gathering peasants" He motioned towards the rest of his companions.
"He'd say things like off with her head" His finger pointed in Haru's direction.
"And her head" Next his aim was on Valeria.
"His head too!" The finger moved its aim to Friday.
"Oh and don't forget about his head!" Surprisingly he was now pointing at Kikonu.
"His assistant would say something like 'but milord he's already dead!' and the lord would say 'Then that will make your job easier! Just get me his head!'" At that point Gergo couldn't help but break into a laughter "Ah lords are funny, you want take someone's head off just do it yourself!" He returned to Kavell's side and slung his axe in it's position behind his right shoulder, next he unsheathed his sword and prepped his large shield.
"Thank you, I guess? I don't think I was doing anything heroic, people like you and Valeria and Haru are heroes. I was just protecting someone more important than myself. It's what I do. And I don't expect anything out of doing that."Friday's words cause Zaiobe to glance up at him. She blinks in confusion, looking between him and the dead oni at the party's feet.
She gently takes the warrior's hand.
** spoiler omitted **
The harpy's cheeks turn slightly pink.
Seeing the Harpy's reaction causes him to slightly flush as well.
Valeria stared at Gergo's antics, confusion clear on her face. As he finished, she tapped Kavell on the shoulder. "You want to check him for a concussion?" she jokingly whispered to the paladin.
He softly and shook his head.
I think he was... disapointed in the length of the fight... he strikes me as actually enjoying this sort of thing. I will keep my eye on him however.. are you feeling better?
Doing his best to ignore the singe marks on her clothing.
"Yeah, I just think the magic ended up forming enough new flesh that it was very stiff, like your muscles when waking up of a morning, but bad enough to cause pain. More like those times when you stretch while half-awake and suddenly a muscle starts cramping up like mad - part of it turning into this rock-hard knot the size of a walnut. It's settling down now, though, should be fine soon."
Turning to the others he simply says "Ready?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The party passes by a set of double doors on the eastern wall of the south hallway as they make their way to the southern doors. The smell of mould mixes with the smell of blood as the party approaches and opens them...
Dozens of paintings of a towering humanoid figure with four wings, a bird’s head, and a scorpion’s tail decorate the walls of this room, seemingly painted in blood. Old pews sit in a line facing the eastern wall, where a hideously defaced statue of a winged woman stands.
Standing before the defaced statue is another bird-man, this one dressed in filthy, once-noble robes caked with old blood. It turns to face the doors as they open. Hanging from the ceiling in the room is an oversized bat with white fur, its eyes burning with a sinister intelligence. It unfurls its great wings.
"...hmph. More pinkskins to disturb my meditations. I see Kikonu failed to kill you." The bird-woman says in a scratchy voice. "Well, so be it then. Come!" She spreads her wing-arms wide and begins channeling power!
Friday
Valeria
Kavell
Gergo
Big Bat
Priestess
Haru
Friday promptly charges the priestess once he begins to speak.
Friday's spear catches the priestess in the chest, tearing the robes to reveal a suit of studded leathers underneath them. The spear pierces the bird-woman's side, drawing a lot of blood.
Seeing the bat, Valeria quickly moved over to Gergo and weaved some of her magic on him. If the enemy was going to give them something big to fight, why not respond in kind?
"Have fun," she said to the mercenary.
Valeria's magic starts collecting in her hands, being drawn from the air...
"Oh I will!" Said the armoredd warrior to Valeria before he stepped towards the giant bat and gave it a feral grin "Come on! I'll take a wing off you to show to Greedy!" A mad laugh echoed through the room as Gergo took a swing at the giant bat with his sword.
Gergo's sword hits a particularly thick patch of the bat's hide, bouncing off without breaking skin. The bat chirps in annoyance.
He said nothing, merely gritted his teeth and followed Gergo slashing hard at it with his glaive
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kavell's glaive doesn't pierce the bat's hide either.
The priestess gives Friday a vicious glare and steps away from the man's spear point, aiming a finger at him and chanting something in a strange language...
A translucent sphere of air flies out from her fingertip and moves to the western wall of the shrine--
--and impacts with the force of a thunderclap, causing everyone's ears to start ringing!
Most of the party is able to shake off the worst of the noise, but Valeria is sent reeling. The spell she was casting is lost as her concentration is shattered.
The giant bat lets out a powerful screech!
The noise is enough to rattle just about everyone's bones, but Friday manages to keep his wits about himself. Even the bird priestess claps her hands over where her ears would be and flinches.
Staying as calm as usual Friday simply steps up and attacks again.
Haru certainly begins singing, even though she can barely hear herself from the screech and the thunderclap.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Friday's spear wounds the priestess once again, empowered by Haru's song.
He swung at the screeching bat but knew even before his glaive was halfway there he would come no where close to the creature
Haru's song was ultimately more refreshing than it usually was, mostly thanks to Gergo having suffered through two sonic assaults. The warrior still felt somewhat out of balance but not enough to stop his attack. With another laugh Gergo lunged at the flying beast and and attempted to run it through with his sword.
The bat moves its head in time to avoid Gergo's strike.
The priestess snaps her beak at Friday, and her form briefly blurs. A second bird-woman seems to step out of her body as she begins to cast another spell...
She almost stumbles over the incantation at first, but when she finishes the light in the room darkens.
The bat snorts at Gergo before trying to bite him...
...and narrowly misses him, its needle-sharp teeth CLACKING together harshly.
Haru casts grease on the square under the priestess.
The priestess' talons almost slip out from underneath her, but she manages to keep her footing when the grease appears.