The angel tells Olympus to attack, so the enlarged roc goes flying at the rune giant!
Jeevika watches as Ameiko grits her teeth and begins flying toward Karzoug's current position!
Meanwhile, the Holy Vindicator sees Ayruzi cast a powerful spell upon Karzoug!
A small portion of the magic reflects back to Ayruzi, while Karzoug manages to dodge the majority of the rest. As Ameiko approaches, the giant cuts into her moments before she is stopped by Karzoug’s barrier!
”Very well then,” Karzoug says as he flies over the blade barrier and above his throne. He reaches into a pocket of his robes and retrieved a sizable, lustrous, exquisitely cut diamond. He holds it aloft and weaves a spell, and the diamond shatters into a shower of arcane energy that washes over himself and the rune giant. All their wounds vanish, and the Giant seems to be relieved of his exhaustion!
He then drops a hand to the rod at his side and grasps it, and performs another incantation at incredible speed! The glaive in his other hand launches another fireball at Ayruzi, but the angels resistance to magic protects him fully!
The giant disregards the bird, focusing more on the halfling that managed to injure the Runelord. He raises his fist and slams it down into the halfling in a broad swath she can’t avoid, driving her down and towards the angel’s blade barrier, which she easily avoids.
__________
Olympus keeps attacking the giant with beak and claw.
As Olympus latches onto the rune giant, Elthariel sees an opening and fires another calculated volley. After what he did to Lorthan and Eugeni, she would much rather turn Karzoug into a pin cushion, but this gigantic enemy is proving to be major hindrance. Hopefully, her arrows do enough damage for Ameiko and Zoli to finish off Karzoug's last minion.
Jeevika casts another buff, and an enormous wave of power radiates off of her.
"I think I'm ready; let's-"
Jeevika feels a small (relatively speaking), slender form hop on her back.
"Let's go," says Elthariel, her voice cold and dead.
With a reluctant nod, the Holy Vindicator begins moving the two elven women toward the action...
Zoli says, "Alright, big guy, you ever heard the phrase 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall'?
"Let's give it a test, shall we?"
She flies just a bit closer and swings in a massive flurry.
Ayruzi flies toward his companions. He finds Karzoug's magic repelling him from getting too close...but he positions himself protectively in front of his allies and cures those near him of some of their wounds.
”This insolence ends now! BE GONE WITH YOU!” Karzoug screams, his voice becoming unnaturally loud at the end, wracking the nearby heroes in agonizing pain. When they recover, Zoli and Lion lie crumpled lifelessly on the ground, moments before Zoli’s body vanishes!
He then quickly sends a bolt of lightning coursing through the group, as his glaive launches another fireball. Olympus and Ayruzi are fine, but Ameiko takes some damage from both.
__________
Her mind numb from all the death, Elthariel fires another targeted volley at Karzoug. He again seems to be just out the natural range of her bow, but she takes aim and fires anyway. However, at this point, Elthariel just plans to continue firing like an automaton until the bitter end.
Ayruzi attempts to dispel the Revulsion aura.
Ryli blinks as she is suddenly shunted back into the battle. A sort of relief strikes her as she realizes that she hadn't reincarnated and hadn't forgotten the loves of her lives. However, that relief turns to ice-cold resolve as soon as she again sees the figure that threatens it all.
"Karzoug! Your hope for a new empire crumbles today! Do you remember what destroyed Old Thassilon? Here's a reminder!!"
With that, she casts her most powerful spell, sending two massive rocks flying at him and crushing him in between them!
Jeevika recalls Love Hurts to her hand via the blade's weapon cord and continues advancing toward Karzoug.
Jeevika watches as Ameiko smirks; at long last, that Repulsion field is down. The former innkeeper starts flying toward the Runelord, sword ready to cut down the man responsible for all her pain! ...She then bonks into something invisible about halfway there.
"There's an invisible barrier!" shouts Ameiko angrily. She grits her teeth and then vanishes...
Only to reappear right next to Karzoug!
"Ryli! Turn into something small and then get right next to Jeevika!" Elthariel shouts, realizing that the druid might be a tantalizing target for Karzoug's counterattack.
Ryli swiftly changes to a medium air elemental and flies to hover next to Jeevika.
Only one of Elthariel’s arrows manages to wound Karzoug, the others seemingly deflected by his arcane defenses. Then, Ryli conjures two colossal boulders to either side of the mage as she makes her threat. The stones begin spinning furiously in place, seemingly straining on an unseen barrier. Small slivers of rock are sheared off, causing Karzoug some degree of pain, but ultimately the mountains of stone fall to rubble to either side of the Runelord! Still, the Runelord is hurt and pissed.
”You, insolent wretches! You have sealed your fate! Your lives are forfeit!” he says as he spins round and sends three fiery beams into Ameiko! Seeing she still stands, his Glaive begins cleaving at her of its own accord! However, it fails to make any meaningful impact. Scowling, he utters another quickened spell, and Ameiko’s body shifts and shrinks down into the form of a mouse! It falls through the cracks and becomes lost in the pile of rubble beneath Karzoug!
He turns his gaze back to the gathering of heroes left and snarls ”You are ALL, beneath me!” as he clutches his glaive once more.
____________
With Ameiko's demise, Elthariel throws caution to the wind and fires the most potentially painful volley she can manage.
...Her first shot gets Karzoug right in the throat!
.
"What should we name them, Jeeves?"
.
Upon seeing Ameiko's fate, Jeevika's tears of blood are joined by those of water and salt.
Enough holding back. Lorthan. Eugeni. Zoli. Ameiko. Enough. ENOUGH.
.
"How about... we each name a daughter, Vince?"
.
Channeling some magic into her legs, Jeevika Kailani starts racing toward the Runelord of Greed. She begins praying to her patron goddess, and... Shelyn answers. Three spheres form around Jeevika.
.
"Good idea! Let's see... What about Attica for our eldest?"
.
"Karzoug!" Jeevika calls out with enough wrath to bring Alaznist pause.
.
"After the man who saved your life? That's... a wonderful name. As for our youngest..."
.
When the Runelord turns to face her, Jeevika points her sword at her foe and lets the spell fly.
"Her name was Setsuna."
Karzoug clutches at his throat when Elthariel’s arrow slices through the side of it, despite his forcecage providing some defense against such attacks! He turns to her and snarls just in time to witness Jeevika bring about the same spell that the Ranger’s wizard has used to such effectiveness! The orbs weave through the invisible bars of his magical barrier with ease, colliding with the mage as he reels back from the attack!
He slumps to his knees on the bottom of the forcecage, muttering something under his breath before falling motionless to its base!
Suddenly, a pulse of green energy erupts from the Runewell in the middle of the room, the golden liquid within swirling violently! The artifact above it begins to move of its own accord, and it harnesses the power being generated there and fires a beam towards the two statues on the lower platform where you initially appeared. A large circular portal appears there, revealing Xin-Shalast...as the entire world you find yourselves in begins to shake violently!
Zoli suddenly reappears, lying on the shaking floor beneath where she had been fighting, looking about confusedly...
__________
Ryli drops a wall of lava directly on top of the Runelord’s body, as Ayruzi adds a holy smiting for good measure! The Runelords body is utterly consumed and buried within a molten inferno!
Immediately after, the shaking increases a hundred fold, and cracks begin to appear in the walls and ceiling of this realm! Lava can be seen sleeping through slowly...
Ryli swift wild shapes one more time, this time into her huge air elemental form to move about the fastest. She whistles to Olympus, telling him to go pick up Lorthan. She then quickly races over to grab the tiny mouse while speaking soothing things to Ameiko's limited intelligence.
"Cracks of lava? Where have we seen this before?" she mutters as she flies back to pick up the statue of Eugeni.
With Ryli securing Ameiko and Lorthan, Jeevika stops crying tears of blood and rushes over to Eugeni. After sheathing her sword, the Holy Vindicator quickly picks up the statue. She briefly thinks she sees a tear flow from the corner of his eye but brushes it off as a trick of the light.
"Let's go!" shouts Jeevika as she races for the portal.
Ayruzi scoops Zoli up in his arms. ”Allow me, Hero,” he says as he carries her through the air and dives through the portal behind the other Rangers!
The group appears within the Pinnacles of Xin-Shalast once more, in the chamber with the sarcophagus of Karzoug. The portal snaps shut behind them!
...and all is silent.
Ameiko, currently back to her normal self, collapses onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably at the emotional toll she has endured.
Ryli moves over and helps Olympus carry Lorthan, since his talons weren't the gentlest of appendages. Once everything's clear, she casts heal on him to fully remove his injuries.
Seeing Ameiko restored and sobbing, her own hearts catch in her throat as she realizes what's been done. She shifts back to a lovely white-haired elf and joins her in her cathartic crying.
Her thoughts immediately turn to two people. Kallie. Zenlan.
After deactivating her anti-arcane ward, Jeevika carefully sets Eugeni on the ground and uses her magic to free him from his petrification. Afterward, she begins tending to everyone's wounds. As she does, the Holy Vindicator appears to be in something of a daze.
And then she sees Ryli's current form: an elven woman with white hair and blue eyes.
For a moment, Jeevika Kailani thinks that she's staring into a mirror. True, she has seen this aspect of Ryli before. However, with the long shadow Karzoug's impending return no longer looming over her, only now has she really had a moment to process their similarities.
"...Grandmother?"
Lorthan lifts his fear groggily. ”Wha-What happened?” he asks as he shifts his weight around. Elthariel steps over and kneels beside him, dropping her bow and wrapping her arms around his neck.
”It’s over, Lo. He’s dead,” she says quietly to him.
As she holds him, his own form shifts to his Elven form, wrapping his own arms around her in an embrace, his face relaxing as he soaks up the moment.
”Wait here,” Ayruzi says as he gently sets Zoli down and steps away. He fades from sight and flies out of the chamber.
Ry'liandralia looks up, red rims surrounding her brilliant blue eyes. She puts a warm smile on her face, though she knew she'd have to be going soon. "Yes? Thank you. Thank you for the final blow. You saved us all.
"Now I have to go save my herd."
"...I just never noticed how much... Ry'liandralia and I looked alike until now!"
Jeevika giggles nervously.
"No problem. It took me so long to settle on the right spell. It needed to be something that he couldn't dodge easily or withstand. I guess I ultimately decided to take a page from Eugeni's spellbook. Still, I almost thought that second shot would miss. It was truly a Miracle that it worked."
Once Lorthan and Elthariel have had some time to themselves, Jeevika approaches her friends.
"Elthariel, your archery was... incredible," she compliments with a light smile. "Ryli and I might have dealt the killing blows, but had it not been for your perfect shot, we would have never gotten that chance."
She turns to face both of the time displaced Varisian Rangers.
"So, any plans for the future, you two?"
Lorthan raises his eyes, seemingly frustrated to have his embrace interrupted. But Elthariel stands and turns, Lorthan rising to stand beside her.
”I, I don’t know,” Elthariel replies nervously. ”We’ve talked in private, and we both agree this isn’t our world, so,we shouldn’t play more of a part than necessary...we considered going our own ways and just living our own lives...”
”But I feel we should make this our world,” Lorthan interjects. ”There is no going back. We should look forward!”
Elthariel...does not seem convinced.
"I will rest for a brief time. However, I find myself inspired by the splendor we have seen here. I believe I will return to Sandpoint, and build it into something worthy of the history of this region. I will create a center of arcane power there, perhaps take some students...if they beg me enough..."
"If you two want to settle in Kyonin, just let me know; I could make it happen," said Jeevika to the two, remembering how amazed Elthariel had been to see her homeland restored. She turned to face the group at large, "I'll... be going home soon. The census is almost certainly compiled by now. Moreover, I think I need to report that Elthariel's mission has been completed; that old thing was the legal justification I used to join you all on this journey."
"Thank you for your help. We would not have been able to do this without you. I hope you will come see me in Sandpoint sometime."
”I...I won’t be going back to our Homeland,” Elthariel says as she folds her arms across her stomach. ”Technically, an argument could be made for my claim to rule, and that would cause much instability among our people. I will not be the cause of that. I would prefer it if you would report me as deceased, or not at all. I will make my life elsewhere, under another name.”
”I’ll come with you,” Lorthan says as he places a hand on the back of her shoulders. ”Where you go, I go. As always.”
”Lorthan...we’ve talked about this...” Elthariel replies with tears in her eyes.
Lorthan opens his mouth to reply when Ayruzi’s voice calls out. ”The giants below are dispersing! The Runelord’s lieutenants must have known he has fallen. They are squabbling among themselves, and the freed giants are taking this chance to evacuate. I provided them a small bit of cover,” he says as he appears and lands. His wings vanish as he shrinks and takes on an appearance of himself the size of a man but without wings. ”You have done great work here today, mortals. I shall pass along word of your deeds upon my return to the Higher Planes,” he adds as he sheathes his sword.
Ryli stands wearily and shifts back to her centaur form. "Well, I don't have much time to bask in our victory. I need to go stop a disastrous war between the centaurs and Karzoug's giants."
"...I will honor that request," replies Jeevika. She isn't entirely sure how, but the Holy Vindicator figures that there's a way.
The Herald Caller listens intently to Ayruzi and Ryli's words.
"A war that is now completely unnecessary," Jeevika observed. "We can use my Wind Walk spell to quickly get back to the ship. From there, Titanicus can fly us back home, wherever that might be."
Jeevika paused for a moment.
"Alternatively, we could use my last Miracle."
"I--" Ryli starts to speak but stops to think. "I know we shouldn't dally, but I imagine we can wait until next sunrise. I'd prefer to arrive with a full complement of spells, in case I need to... dissuade my chief."
She suddenly looks up, eyes wide. "And my Outriders! I need to collect them as well!"
"Wind Walk it is then," says Jeevika. The Holy Vindicator turns to Ameiko and asks, "...Ms. Kaijitsu, would you like me to bring back Xam? We still have those scrolls of Resurrection."
The Holy Vindicator suddenly pauses.
We also have a scroll of Commune. Perhaps I should have used that before stabbing the big glowing sphere.
Ameiko’s head perks up. ”I-is that p-possible?”
Ryli smiles, understanding that Ameiko might not have been in the proper mindset to recall their assurances that Xamaranth could be returned to life. "Sure it is. If the scroll doesn't work because there's no body, I could invite him to ride the Wheel. I've enough influence over it to bring him back in a close approximation of his old body, too."
Jeevika smiles and nods. She speaks after Ryli says her piece.
"Quite. If I am not mistaken, your beloved was... targeted with a Disintegrate spell. Luckily, we collected his remains; that's enough for a Resurrection."
Zoli felt shock and dread as Lion and her were vibrated apart by Karzoug's wail. Chaldira Zuzaristan, wait!!
...Then, moments later she was blinking back to consciousness in Ayruzi's arms.
Ayruzi scoops Zoli up in his arms. ”Allow me, Hero,” he says as he carries her through the air and dives through the portal behind the other Rangers!
Zoli smiles, throws her arms around the angel's neck, plants a big kiss on his cheek, and says, "Awww. It's nothing any other amazingly talented, brave, and good-hearted halfling swashbuckler wouldn't have done."
Then, looking around, she adds, "Did we get him!?!?!"
"Of course we should bring Xam back. He's screwed up plenty in his life, but it seems he's learned from it, and he died trying to do what was right.
"Ameiko, how do you feel about kissing crocodiles? That's Ryli's specialty. And of course if he doesn't like the body he comes back in...well it's as simple to fix as a Miracle, right Jeeves?"
Pausing and eating a handful of peanuts, she adds, "For myself, I'm excited to get back to Sandpoint. I've been thinking of starting a school. What do you think of The Chaldira Zuzaristan School of Swashbucklery?"
”The giants below are dispersing! The Runelord’s lieutenants must have known he has fallen. They are squabbling among themselves, and the freed giants are taking this chance to evacuate. I provided them a small bit of cover,” he says as he appears and lands. His wings vanish as he shrinks and takes on an appearance of himself the size of a man but without wings. ”You have done great work here today, mortals. I shall pass along word of your deeds upon my return to the Higher Planes,” he adds as he sheathes his sword.
Zoli's eyes widen. "Will you talk to Chaldira Zuzaristan herself? Oh, please, tell her how grateful I am that she watched over me as I charged forward into danger. I know Karzoug would've succeeded without her aid."
After a pause, she adds, "But about you leaving...I'd sure be inclined to see you from time to time. Maybe I can show you my place in Sandpoint before you go back to Nirvana? Or, hey, I'd love to see your pad in Nirvana too! If you'd like that."
"Ameiko, how do you feel about kissing crocodiles? That's Ryli's specialty. And of course if he doesn't like the body he comes back in...well it's as simple to fix as a Miracle, right Jeeves?"
Ryli pinches her brow. Under her breath, she mutters, "That was one time..."
Ayruzi looks at Zoli somewhat impatiently, but also intrigued. ”Perhaps that would be possible. But none could know of my celestial nature, and I could not stay long. Only a decade. Maybe two at most. The duration would depend on if the deities have need of my sword.”
Zoli smiles. "Well I guess we'll have to make due with that then, eh? And if the gods have need of your sword, well, maybe they'd appreciate mine as well!
"In the meantime, you've gotta come visit the Rusty Dragon. Admittedly, it's just a street-side food stand while it's being rebuilt, but the curry-spiced salmon and early winterdrop mead are as good as ever!"
"I will use the scroll when we get back to the ship. It is currently parked somewhere safe. Even with Karzoug dead, I am hesitant to bring him back in Xin-Shalast. As Ayruzi said, his lieutenants still lurk here."
Once the group got back to the ship, Jeevika attempts to use a scroll of Resurrection to bring back Xamarath.