Alathea smiles quickly for Kodokura's words, then steps out towards Ryland, and presumably, the mocking voice. In her most authoratative voice, the one that she'd worked hard to develop at the White Tower, she calls out. "Show yourself! You are not a coward to hide from us, yes? We would see the one that thinks that threats will frighten us!"
a coward? no, i am not
responding to alathea's taunt, a man materializes opposite the party, standing upon the ledge where you all came from.
Ryland draws his sword and swings it at the invisible wall in front of him.
Fia spins to face the man. "What madness is this? Release him and stand out of our way!"
Softer, so as not to pitch her voice where the man could hear she asks. "Can you tell how strong he is Kodo?"
Kodo shakes his head slightly. "No. I have no... true sense of, or connection to, saidar anymore. I am blind," he whispers back.
Ryland swings his blade, and an audible snapping noise is heard, as if ice had just cracked. The air between him and his group disappears, allowing him to see everything clearly.
No sooner does the blade clear the walled area, than the air solidifies itself again.
The man standing before you wears a velvet vest trimmed with lace and gold accents upon the shoulders, and a black shirt with matching gold thread and cufflinks at the end of the sleeves. His pants are black, leather by appearance, yet something else, something more evil. His face is that of a man in middle years, gray hair at the temple, a strong chin and piercing brown eyes.
This is madness He mocks in an attempt to mimic fia's voice. Madness. Like you know madness. People view madness as a crutch, a weakness. I, he draws himself up tall I see it as a tool.
weaves of fire, water, spirit, air and earth enter into the radius of the sphere's influence, weaving into an intricate pattern in the air, only to slowly settle upon Fia's head.
Where Rhoekk was just relaxed, standing still, now suddenly a bow is in his hand and three arrows fly at the man.
Two of the arrows fly through the man, and continue on down the tunnel. The third flys a little wide, impacting the tunnel exit. A bright sheen of lightning erupts from the point of impact. As the lightning fades, the image of the man shimmers and then fades away.
I am not a coward. Nor am I a fool! A man who weild's sightblinder, and another who weilds the heart of battle. One who holds the seeing eye, and another whose very essence betrays its existance. the voice crys out.
In a seductive voice that only you can hear, as if coming from your neck, a whisper I sense great loss in you, defied one. And a yearning to become whole. There is great power within you, the likes that you have never felt, never achieved. I can teach you, train you. I can make you whole, to feel that which you had lost...
Rhoekk grits his teeth in anger. Coward!
If he cannot be seen, then where is he?
He begins to concentrate on what he can perceive.
From what the others have said, you must be able to see to weave the power, so he must be somewhere here... hidden.
He concentrates on the voice, listening for stray sounds, a shuffled foot, an odd echo, trying to locate the man's most probable location, whether invisible or merely hidden.
Roland growls and swings his sword again as he moves forward.
Alathea watches as her companions spar against the stranger, unsure about the best course of action. But after Ryland and Rhoekk's flurries of activities and the stranger's weaving about Fiallain, she draws almost as deeply upon the sa'angreal and her own powers as before. "You are a coward, yes? As much a coward as a boy who taunts those younger because he cannot stand to those who are stronger than himself! You claim to trap us in a maze with only one exit, yet you still taunt us for your amusement, yes?"
As she speaks, Alathea weaves a Shield, and attempts to slam it between the stranger and the True Source.
Kodo steps forward, ready to shield Alathea with his body in case of any retaliation for her words - and her attempted shielding of their opponent.
Who are you? What do you want from me? And... can you really give it back to me?
Through sheer determination, Fiallain beat back against the threads she somehow felt trying to intrude into her mind. Each moment seemed an eternity as inch by inch she threw off the will that was invading her. He was very strong and she had very nearly succumbed... which only angered and strengthened her resolve. She snarled and threw him out, shutting her mind to the weave. Immediately she begins her own weave of air, fire and spirit, inverting them. If we cannot see him, I'll be a light-blasted fool if I'm going to let him see us and target whichever of us as he pleases! She mutters furiously under her breath just loud enough for those near her.
Her weave falls into place, a barrier to sight over the section of cavern where we stand. She places fingers to lips and tries to listen as she moves stealthily away from where last she stood and towards Rhoekk. She signs to him.
[ooc@kodo: if you could see the weaves as they are generated, then yes. but since you only have the orb, which has a 30 foot range, then no. There isnt enough reaction time for you to react to something like that.[/ooc]
Ryland steps through the self-healing wall, and rejoins the companions. Fia, frustrated with this, attempts to conceal the entire group, only to see that her weaves are being displayed because of the orb.
Fia, frustrated with this, attempts to conceal the entire group, only to see that her weaves are being displayed because of the orb.
Rhoekk takes in what Fia is signing to him, and responds in kind.
Fia, frustrated with this, attempts to conceal the entire group, only to see that her weaves are being displayed because of the orb.
Fia's hands continue to fly at Rhoekk.
Kodo hovers near Alathea, awaiting any stimulus requiring action, or any direction from his lover. His eyes roam the room, focusing mostly on the five exits.
OH HO! Hiding from sight. who's the coward now? the man shouts with glee.
as you stand upon the ledge, hiding behind your curtain, you begin to hear an odd noise. It sounds like water dropping, as if you pour water from a pitcher into a cup that is 5 feet below. But, it has a strange solidity sound to it. As if pouring wet mud from the pitcher.
A moment later a blob falls amongst where you stand, the liquid squirting everywhere from the impact. Touching it, it feels rough, like sand, grit, and dirt mixed together, but no water.
Not wishing to wait for more of the liquid to spatter on her, Alathea walks forward along the ledge, out of Fiallain's weave. In a voice calmer than she feels, she speaks to her companions. "Come, I do not wish to see what that liquid will do, yes?"
i give it a few more seconds before your world comes crashing down upon you! the voice says smugly.
Alathea's speaks again, but this time her panic is clear. "Get out, now! He's set the ceiling to come down on us!" Instead of running, she goes back into Fiallain's weave and grabs Kodokura's hands and pulls him towards safety.
Eyes wide as Alathea's words hit home, he takes her hand and moves with her.
[spoiler=Rizzen]I have no choice but to trust him. I see no reason why he would lie, as we're about to die anyway.
"There!" Kodo roars, pointing to the narrow archway to the bottom left of the party. "That's the exit! Hurry!" Still holding Alathea's hand, Kodo rushes towards it. as he and Alathea reach it he turns, giving her a swift kiss. "Wish me luck, dear one," he murmurs as he readies himself to enter the portal.
Fia grimaces as events transpire even before Rhoekk could respond and the strange muddy sand begins to drip down on them. Her grimace deepens at Alathea's declaration that the ceiling was about to collapse. She snarls, "I want that man's hide!" Then, with less vehemence, "Go, all of you."
She then stares up towards the top of her dome, gathering the power to herself, a weave hovering just at the verge of forming should it be needed.
Alathea smiles at Kodokura's affection and does not let go of his hand. "Luck? I will be going with you. Perhaps with the two of us together, you will not need luck, yes?"
Alathea smiles at Kodokura's affection and does not let go of his hand. "Luck? I will be going with you. Perhaps with the two of us together, you will not need luck, yes?"
Kodo opens his mouth to respond in the negative, to say that he should go first in case the arch is a trap, that it should be him to risk himself first, but he sees the resolve in Alathea's eyes and there is little time to argue. Squeezing her hand, he nods and moves towards the archway - just one step in front of her.
A thunderous crack vibrates the entire chamber, and another, then another. the floor you stand upon begins to shake and rumble. spiderwebs course up and down the walls, frescos long covered in dust now revealed fall to the floor, their beauty fleeting before your eyes. Chunks of rock, solid, fall from the walls to the ground. Their impacts sending shrapnel throughout the room, further impacting the weakened walls.
A loud groan and grating noise comes from up above, and you see the entire ceiling break free and come crashing down towards you. You flinch involuntarily, only to hear a loud thud reverberate through the room. Looking up, you see Fia standing tall, arms stretched wide, a grimace of extreme concentration etched upon her face. Her veins pop out wide upon her neck, temple, and shoulders. Tears begin to form in her eyes from the superhuman effort she is putting forth.
A whisper emits from her mouth
Go. Hurry
Beat the Fall.
Alathea turns back from the exit, her eyes drawn by the power of saidar blazing from Fiallain. Despite the woman's great effort, her power does not seem to be enough to prevent the ceiling's collapse. With grim determination, she draws upon saidar herself and weaves ropes of Air about the other woman. She doesn't pull them tight just yet--she doesn't want to disturb her sister's concentration before the rest of her companions have made it to safety--but she stands ready to pull Fiallain to safety.