As the creature fades from view Indrana says, "Be careful, it cast some form of invisibility spell!"
Indrana calls up another arrow of acid and sends this one at the earth like creature.
While maintaining her bardic song, Maera will move closer to the creature Diabolito is currently dealing with, and hopes to make the mysterious Water Mephit a little more visible with a Glitterdust.
The burst of glitter leaves a creature standing there, clearly a few steps from where he had been, but now clutching his face. "What have you done! Filthy, Sea Witch!"
Cassius blade is indeed wounding the creature, but not as much as he would hope. However, as his blade slides through the creature, it seems to bubble again with acid and the acid from a second bolt is enough for it to seem to melt away.
The blinded creature is left open to Diabolito.
And thanks to it being slightly unprepared for the strike, the grinning dwarf puts an end to it's chatter.
With a rumble of rage, the large earth elemental moves forward onto the creature who had shot it and lurches out, slamming a boulder like fist into Amos.
It seems to roar with delight as it connects.
Party Up!
With two enemies left to choose from, Indrana send a bolt of acid at the earth elemental before moving away to help with the other creature.
"Well, lookit tha'. Guess they c'n talk, after all," Aramis chuckles, clearing her musket barrel with a shake of her head. "Ye alright there, lad? Can't 'ave ye bleedin' out on me!" she adds to Amos, eyes twinkling in the dim light.
The acid bolt skips off the rocks and lands on top of the creature, the acid leaking onto him and causing him a bit of discomfort.
Amos is not smiling. His entire left side is on fire and Bullet even caught a bit of the punishment, he suspects. His left arm stubbornly refuses to move, so he is forced to reload near the waist.
Not so well, my captain. He admits before firing and pegging the monster between the eyes (or at least those looked like eyes).
Mercifully, they didn't get my shooting arm!
Amos's bullet hits, but seems to roll down off the creature, not dealing nearly as much as he felt the hit would. Then as Cassius attempts to dodge inward, the elemental swats at him.
And the two fail to hit one another.
Maera will shift her performance into a watersong, pulling the liquid from her waterskin to flank the earth elemental, and lash out at it.
The water washes up against the stone and leaves it...wet.
Diabolito rushes towards the creature and lets the beast within take form in his very being, his teeth growing sharper than usual and his morning star vanishing. As that happens, his draws his other weapon.
The elemental takes issue with the creature invading it's space and slashing at him and begins his assault on Cassius
Rocking the swashbuckler with it's first hit, but then coming up short on the second swing.
Heroes Up
With the little creature gone, Indrana moves back into a position to attack the rock creature again, this time sending a volley of force into it.
Aramis steps around Amos, loading a paper cartridge into her musket. She takes aim at the craggy creature and fires. "Hang in there, lad. We'll 'ave 'em down soon enough." From his perch in the corner of the room, Rotgut screeches in encouragement.
Her curses are loud, colourful, and many.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The acid burns into the stone.
Then the bolts of force hammer into it.
"Oh, for the love of -" Maera complained, her aquan sensibilities quite offended by the earth elemental's tenacity. It nothing but a glorified rock, after all. Still, patience was a luxury that they were quickly becoming unable to afford, not if Amos' injuries were any indication.
Leaving her whip to serve as a temporary flaking partner for Cassius, she shifts back to another spell, summoning an aqueous orb behind the beast. Sometimes you have to admit that drop by drop wasn't practical, and there was no kill like overkill.
The ball of water hits the creature, but doesn't not trap it's sturdy frame.
Calm as anything Amos loads, aims, and fires. He still can't raise his arm above his hip, but that wasn't something he needed to focus on right now.
The bullet slams into the creature and seems to be teetering from the blow, but it does not fall.
Diabolito grins and rushes the enemy. His teeth glow a bloody red as he strikes out at the creature with his teeth.
The dwarf comes up short, unfortunately for him and finds himself with the latest ire from the elemental.
No one had really drawn his ire since his last assault, and as such, he split his attacks, smacking aside each of the two that were attacking him up close.
Slamming both of them with solid force. If the creature were smart, then it would have taken them out one at a time. Lucky for the party...it is not.
FINISH HIM! or...Party's up!
With their melee force getting seriously clobbered, Amos reloads and fires with an edge of desperation. His hands shake slightly as the pain truly sets in.
Amos is certain that blow should have dropped the creature...but it shakes off most of the force of the blow...staying up under the barrage he has unloaded upon it.
"Come on, lad. We're so close," Aramis mutters, sweat beading on her brow as she clears her musket with lightning speed, fingers flying over the mechanisms. She loads again, fumbling for the paper cartridge, and bits her lip as she fires at the elemental.
The captain finally manages to get her weapon to fire, letting loose on the elemental and as her bullet rips into the creature it seems to shatter in the process, leaving the room silent save for the sound of their own heavy breathing.
With the elemental crumbling from the force of Aramis's shot, Maera dismiss her orb. She lets out a long whistle, quite relieved. "Talk about makin' it count, Captain."
With that, she immediately goes a bit into a mother hen mode, and starts searching for their healing items - their potions from Sandara and elsewhere, and their wand.
Relief spreads through Amos's side. He sighs and swings his arm about to test the healing.
Much abliged, captain. he says with a tip of his hat.
Indrana looks at the remains of the rock creature and says, "Well, I'm glad that's over with." Casting a quick spell, her eyes glow and she begins to examine the area for aura's while moving as little as possible in case of traps.
The dwarf grins, his jaws reforming to proper shape as he spits extra teeth out, bloody bits falling to the floor before crumbling to dust.
"Appreciated, Cap'n's," the dwarf swings his arms and rolls his shoulders, feeling joints pop back into place after the bruising he faced.
"Quite a big bunch there."
I get the feeling they were meant to deter us from something. I just hope that something is worth all this pain.
Amos looks his gun over and cleans out some stray powder ash.
"Damned blasted thing seems ta only wanna work when someone's life depends on't," Aramis growls in response to Maera, taking the time to more properly clear and clean her musket. She continues to mutter and grumble under her breath, eventually sighing in resignation, shouldering the firearm, and glancing up at Amos. "Don' go scarin' me like tha' again, eh lad?" she demands, an incomprehensible spark flashing in her dark eyes, the barest hint of a smile, twitching at her thin lips.
"So, Furball. What've we got? Anythin' changed since we first set foot in this accursed place?"
"Rawwwk! Accursed place!" Rotgut echoes, flapping effortlessly back to his former perch on Bullet's head.
The spell finds no traps or further magics save for a stone inside of the debris left by the large earth elemental. The circles don't appear to be radiating magic anymore, perhaps the summoning having spent them. Each of the amulets does still radiate, though now the enchantment on them has faded slightly.
Upon inspection, the stone that was loose in the altar seems to draw Cassius to it. As if it might fit in a slot in his Wayfinder.
The chamber seems to be the final area of the small dungeon. Full examinations finds no secret tunnels. Cassius spends some time copying the circle's runes and noting the color of each, even taking small scrapings from the circles to get the reagents that are used in them. The amulets are gathered up, each one having a small amount of conjuration (summoning) magic tied to it.
The trip back to the ship is easy and nothing is amiss in the grotto.
As everyone rests Indrana takes some time to examine the amulets to try and determine what they are, here kitty, Maura, curled on her lap and purring. Once she's finished these attempt she begins to play with Maura for a short while, dangling string and such for her to bat at and giving her a little of the catnip she bought not so long ago.
Amos guides Bullet and his avian figurehead back to the ship at a slow pace. Being on land was good for the horse, as was the fresh grasses that grew just off the beach proper. He is the last to board.
Once she's finished entertaining Maura for a bit Indrana looks around and asks, "Dose anyone have some paper and something to write with? These pendants won't work without the circles they came from and I was to sketch them out in case they become useful sometime."
Indrana notes that Cassius is already doing just that.