Kara continues to feel 'off', as evil forces slowly work their magic on her injuries. She picks up her discarded crossbow as Floria comes back down the stairs, attempting to use a wand of her own on the young wizard. But she is clearly more rattled than she wants to let on, and can't seem to sort out the proper motions to get it to activate.
Huni continues trying to dispatch the vermlek, but it again is able to parry his blade... but it doesn't immediately attack back, almost like its waiting for something.
In the middle of it all, Eamon takes another step forward, again calling on the grace of the Inheritor to send healing energies to his companions.... and, for a moment, its almost as if she hears his call, for when the waves of energy burst forth, they are even stronger than usual, some of them even reaching all the way up to Floria on the wall!
Sangkip calls for Alessio to distract the demon, and the alchemist, his face turning pale from the smoke as he gasps for air, steps in close, stabbing at it with his dagger. Unfortunately, the brimorak appears quite skilled at melee combat, and Alessio is forced to retreat before his blade can strike, to avoid getting gutted himself.
But the distraction was all Sangkip wanted, as he quickly ducks under the flaming blade, dodging one of the demons fiery hooves, to move in opposite Alessio. With practiced precision, tiny blades flash out, stabbing into the demon over and over again. But the attacks come at a price... even as the knives sink in, the demons boiling blood gushes out over the vanaran's hands. The skin blisters and swells, flesh burning, and it is all he can do to keep his grip on the daggers.
But through all of it, the brimorak manages to stay on its feet... its fiery blood is streaming from multiple wounds, forming a boiling puddle on the stones beneath it.
With a furious snarl, it steps back, the flames on its feet and running up its blade intensifying, until the demon is encased in fires burning so hot and bright, they are almost impossible to look at.
Embrace what you are. Blood does not lie nor does it forgive.
I give this gift to you...
You're not sure what those final words means... until what happens next.
As if it hits some sort of tipping point, the brimorak throws its head back, howling in exultation, as the fire bursts out from its body in a mighty conflagration!
The entire street is consumed in flame, the Pathfinders included. The fires washing all the way up the wall and catching poor Kara where she stands. Only Floria escapes the blast unharmed. She stands there helplessly as Kara, standing right in front of her, is engulfed in flames that then stop right at her own feet, lapping around them almost tenderly, but not actually touching her.
The fire hits Kreighton as well, though you are relieved when you realize he must have some sort of protective spells going, as he seems entirely undamaged. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for his ritual components. The vial in his hand is completely consumed in the flames, with the final few runes still unfinished.
For the first time, his chanting comes to a halting stop, as he stands there looking at the ruined vial, blinking slightly.
"Oh dear." He mutters.
Suddenly the vermlek starts to gather dark energies around itself yet again, as it tries to step away from Huni. The warpriest again is unable to stop it from completing its foul magic, and again, dark energies descend on him, Eamon, and the vermlek itself.
- Round 10 ----
Party is up!
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Kara cries out, but manages to avoid the brunt of the flames.
Kill your friends, they've done nothing to helllllp you...No! I won't give in....they covet your status, privileged one, killlllll themmmmmm....
Kara shakes off the pernicious voices in her head and fires her crossbow at the vermlek, hoping that the multiple party members below can take out the brimorak.
Kreighton starts suddenly, at Alessio's query, then at the battle with the demon occurring right beside him... as if he had completely forgotten the rest of you were there.
"That was all I had." He despairs. He holds up the burned out vial, and tips it sideways. Only a few flakes of ash fall out. "I can't finish the ritual... and there's no time to get more. It will collapse soon."
You are not sure what was in the vial, though it apparently was important.
Whether there is, or is not, something you can do to help with the ritual, there are definitely things you can do that can help with the demons!
Sangkip leaps in again, jamming his dagger deep into the chest of the brimorak demon. Again he is badly burned by the demon's flood , but it staggers backwards mortally wounded. It says one final thing, in its foul language, before dropping to the street, finally done.
Not knowing, or caring what it said, Sangkip then bounds out of the circles, back towards the final demon.
That particular demon, the vermlek that started this whole thing, continues to fight on. Kara tries to pick it off with her crossbow, and though she finally seems to be getting the feel for the weapon, she can't quite manage to hit it, with Huni in the way. The warpriest has no such problems, as he sinks his own sword deep into the vermorak's bloated hide. It hisses in pain as the cold iron drives deep, staggering backwards. It's human guise is so damaged, you can all freely see the worm-like entity writhing beneath the skin now.
Eamon calls upon his goddess one more time, the healing energies striking everyone but Floria, but sorely needed nonetheless.
As Alessio fiddles with his alchemical supplies, Kreighton does not look hopeful.
"Without more blood, I can not finish the ritual." He calls.
He immediately shakes his head, before you can ask. "It was not normal blood, but that from a tainted soul."
He looks down at the fallen brimorak, its fiery blood still pooling around it, the smoke from its breath slowly starting to fade.
"And not from a creature such as this. It must be from a mortal being, tainted by the foul energies of the Abyss." He shakes his head. "It was the final part in the antipathy component of the ritual. We have no time to find such, now... and I can not leave the circle, or it all collapses, and the Spire is lost!"
- Round 10 ----
Floria to go.
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Floria watches the brimorak fall with relief, but on hearing Kreighton's words her heart sinks.
Oh no her heart starts pounding in fear This is it, a way to prove once and for all that I don't have a link to the abyss, that my soul isn't tainted, that I just get angry.
"Master Shane!" She's starting to sob. "I think I might, I mean my blood might be, or it might not."
Tears streaming down her face now, having to shout to get it out. "I HAVE DEMON BLOOD! Maybe. It's worth- worth a try."
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Alessio's heart sinks when Master Shane describes their despair. Floria's revelation brings a small ray of hope. I hope whatever she's thinking works!
I should get to Eamon. Alessio curls around to avoid the circles in case they are still usable. He bounds up to Eamon and quickly ejects a wand from his wrist sheathe.
Kreighton looks at Floria with surprise, though you can see his mind immediately start pondering.
"You? Nonsense. Only demons have demon blood." He says, matter of factly. "But if you do have a hint of it, that might work! Do you know what kind? Nevermind, not important now."
He motions her towards him. "Quickly, step inside. Be careful not to disturb the circle, or the symbols."
Floria suddenly feels a deep dread. Every fiber of her being is telling her to get away and not go anywhere near the circles inscribed on the street.
Kreighton finally notices her not moving, and frowns for a moment, then nods. "Oh yes. That would be the antipathy effect I was mentioning. Anyone with an abyssal influence will be hedged out. That's a good sign!"
"Come now. Ignore it. Its all in your head." He adds, excitedly... then stops, and adds. "Well, mostly in your head. Whatever. Not important. Come. Come. You have to be inside for it to work."
"I need a drop of your blood. Here, and over here." He points at a two of the symbols etched on the cobbles inside the circle.
Nearby, the vermlek seems to have at least some idea what is going on. It steps away from Huni yet again, and summons dark energy once more, only this time, it targets Floria first, as if trying to prevent her from continuing.
- Round 11 ----
Party is up!
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thE nOble giRl PloTs aGainSt yoU...kill hEr befOre sHe tUrnS oN yoU...yOu knoW iT to bE trUe...
NO!, Kara shouts, surprising herself with the intensity of it.
I am tainted! Let me donate the blood!
She spares a glance at Floria that's hard to read.
Kara is worried that she will hurt Floria, but is keeping it together so far.
Kara seems to have some animosity to Floria for some unknown reason.
Huni continues to press the vermlek demon, tired of its negative energy tricks. He hacks at it one more time, the cold iron blade easily slicing through the vermlek's human skin-suit, to the demon underneath.
Sangkip though, has tricks of his own. With a primate howl, more suited to the jungle of the Expanse, than the city streets of Nerosyan during a demon attack, he leaps and bounds across the cobbles, closing with the final fiend, and thrusting his dagger through the gash Huni just cut in the body armor, to sink his blade directly into the demon itself. It sends out another long hiss of pain, as its body jerks and spasms... before falling to the ground for the last time, the skin of its victim little more than an ill-fitted, tattered shroud over its remains.
As Alessio heals some of Huni's wounds, and Kara starts to call out strange things from atop the battlements (none of which sound cooler or more menacing because of her odd alternating inflections), the battle continues, inside Floria's head.
Every part of her being is telling her not to step into the circle... but a small rational part in the back tells her she must! With a great will of effort, she finally manages to push aside the part of her brain telling her not to enter, that it would be better to get the hell away from it as quickly as possible. It takes everything she has to take that single step, and when she finally does, her entire body is trembling from the effort.
The feeling doesn't go away once she's inside either, and she has to consciously make an effort to not step right back out again. Only the Master of Scrolls putting a firm hand on her elbow, stems her immediate reaction... enough for her to keep it under control... at least for a moment.
"Those two there." Kreighton repeats, pointing to a pair of symbols on the stones. "Just a drop or two. I know its hard... the nature of the ritual is to repel demons, this part most of all. If its fighting you, then you are indeed just what we need. This was not an issue when the blood was in a bottle. But now..." He shrugs slightly at the current state of affairs.
Floria draws her dagger, the blade feeling unusually cold and heavy in her hand, and uses it to cut a gash along her palm. Her hands are trembling so bad, that the wound ends up being much bigger than she'd intended, the skin peeling back under the cold iron like it were demon flesh itself.
As she holds the cut over the nearest symbol... nothing appears to happens... despite the length and depth of the gash on her hand, no blood flows out of it. A quick glance shows the blood forming there, but it does not flow any further, as if it too refuses to come any closer. It takes her a few hard shakes, to finally get some of it to fall free, and gravity takes over from there, the drops hitting the symbol below her hand and the stones around it as well. The dark fluid rests there a moment, then seems to get absorbed into the stone, the symbol around it glowing darkly for a moment, before returning to normal.
"Excellent, its working." Kreighton observes. "One more, quickly."
Her every nerve fires as she turns to the last symbol, her brain yelling at her to stop, to leave the circle before it is to late, the force of it sending her to her knees. Again she brings her hand out, the blood once again seemingly reluctant to come out, even with some vigorous shaking this time. Finally, with a strangled cry, she just jams her entire hand, palm first, onto the symbol, forcing the blood pooled in the wound directly onto it.
There isn't even a delay this time, as that symbol grows dark for a moment, then the entire circle begins to glow.
"Yes!" Kreighton cries, and immediately starts chanting arcane phrases again.
In quick succession, the other two light up as well, bands of energy running between them, as they all come to life. The effect continues for a long moment, then with a sudden flash, a nimbus of energy bursts outwards, and all three go dark.
Inside the Starrise Spire, you hear the sounds of battle suddenly cease, and yells of surprise and relief filling the void. Up in the sky, above Nerosyan, you see multitude's of demons suddenly pop into existence, some of them with wings, hovering there, in surprise, and anger. Others, without wings, immediately starting to plummet to the ground below... with perhaps a little more surprise and anger.
"It worked!" Kreighton yells, giving Floria a pat on the back. "I didn't think it would force them back out like that, but I'll consider that bonus. Whatever you did, seems to have added a little extra to it. I'll have to recheck the ritual notes, to see if they say anything about that."
Floria, for her part, feels the overwhelming need to leave lessen... but it does not go away completely. She now eyes the Spire with nervous wariness, not eager to be anywhere near it... her brain telling her that there are many other places, that are not here, that could use her attention.
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Alessio goes to patch himself up with the wand in his hand.
Not a moment too soon. Floria, your sacrifice is appreciated. I am in debt to you. Alessio sees to the needs of the others.
Master Shane, we are equally indebted to you. We can repay the favor by finishing the fight with these demons. We have important information about a betrayal at the highest level that we must report to VC Jorsal. Thurl sided with the demons and has defected.
Kreighton Shane doesn't answer Alessio's comment at first, as he stands hunched over a bit of parchment scribbling notes, muttering to himself. Eventually though, his sensitive elven ears finally pick up that he's being talked to.
"Hmm? What was that?" He mutters, looking up distractedly. "Thurl?"
He looks puzzled for a moment, as if trying to place the name. "You mean that surly dwarven fellow that heads up the secondary lodge? A right wiz at demonic lore, that one!"
He smiles, clearly missing the point for a moment... but the smile suddenly disappears, replaced by a concerned frown as he works out the problem in his logic.
"Wait, he's working with the demons? And you have proof?" he scratches his head with a worried look. "Oh dear, that's not good at all. Jorsal should definitely hear about that... it puts all of our countermeasures in question. Perhaps even why this attack happened here!"
"Jorsal rode out just before the attack here with one of his assistants." He adds, quickly, pointing off to the northeast. Went to the Battle District to meet up with some of the Crusader Commanders in one of their command bunkers. Then he was to go go the Gate to help coordinate efforts there. The fighting has been quite heavy. He should be at one of those places."
You all remember the Battle Gate, as that's where you worked with Commander Neylan, what feels like ages ago. Fighting was relatively light there, when you left, though must have picked up again, if what Kreighton is saying is true. The bunker he mentioned is on the way there.
"You should hurry though." He looks at you all speculatively. "We should be alright here now. You guys though... you look a proper mess. Feel free to request some assistance from the quartermaster or the med station, if you need some, before you go."
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Kara's Infernal Healing runs its course, and with it the threatening, cajoling voices in her head. She wonders whether it was worth it, but is certain that she would be dead without it.
She Prestidigitates the smudges and blood off her gown, then voices her opinion that the Battle District bunker should be checked on the way to the Gate.
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Floria stumbles back out of the circle after the ritual is complete, clearly distraught. She's been burned, stabbed, covered in demon blood, and found out that her life's dearest goal, to prove that she's not tainted by fiendish blood, is a failure. She collapses in a heap and sobs inconsolable, Kreighton Shane's bedside manner is, as ever, execrable.
After a couple of minutes though she collects herself. "Isn't this why you came here? To find out the nature of your moods? . Uncle Frederich didn't make a pact with a devil, and you're not playing host to some entity, the entity is you. That doesn't mean you're evil. You can show the abyss that you're stronger than them, that they can't change who you are.
She stands up and wipes her eyes (leaving two pale patches amongst all the dried blood she's covered in), holds her head high and goes over to Alessio, handing him her wand. "If you wouldn't mind good sir"
She then approaches Kara cautiously. "Kara during the battle at the end there, you seemed conflicted. Are you OK? I'm not a bad person, demon blood notwithstanding. I'd very much like to be your friend, if you'll still have me, and I'd also very much like you to clean this blood off of me like you did yours" She tries for a warm smile amidst all the horror.
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Oh, Floria, no. Infernal Healing saved my life, but it comes with a cost. The demon whose blood is used gained a foothold in my brain and tried to convince me that you were my enemy. It...it scared me.
But I'm fine now, and no demon will ever convince me that you are not my true and wonderful friend.
Kara moves to hug Floria, if allowed.
She is happy to Prestidigitate the stains off anyone's clothes. Quite eager, in fact!
Although Kara's intentions are good, if a little superficial, she will find cleaning herself, or anyone else, much more difficult, and time consuming, than she'd planned. Without completely stripping down, her cantrip can only do so much, and it can't help the damage to the clothing at all. She can also only clean what she can see, which makes getting her backside, or under limbs and such, with obvious patches she didn't notice she missed.
Cleaning Sangkip is even worse. The cantrip can get the grime and the blood, and the healing fixes most of the burns and cuts. But nothing but time will grow back the numerous patches of fur that were burned away in their acquisition. Worse, with the signs of battle cleaned away, it just looks like some sort of mange has set in, all patchy and ragged.
Though you do earn a rather disapproving look from the Master of Scrolls, when he notices you seem more concerned about cleaning your clothes than the demon attacks happening all around the city.
You are able to stop at the Society Quartermaster, who has set up an aid station just inside the Starrise Spire. Strangely, Floria chooses not to come in with you. Reluctant to go inside the building at all, apparently a side effect of the ritual, she stays out on the street, eyeing it warily eager to move on... though claiming she has some more things to ask Kreighton Shane, to cover her reluctance.
The burly man inside, missing a leg from some long ago battle, frowns at your request for weapons, then goes back to dig around. Eventually, he returns with three blades, of surprisingly high quality... though two of them appear to still be covered in blood, some of it quite recent.
"We've had to repurpose a few things that were not being used anymore." He explains, with a pragmatic shrug, before sliding them across the table. "Try not to lose 'em, in case we need to pass them along to a relative or the like, later."
When Kara asks about healing wands, or holy water for Floria, he only shakes his head. "We got a few finger wigglers that can patch up some of your wounds, but if you want more long term healing resources or water, those are scarce as it is, and nothing to spare here at the moment."
"Not going to many places doing business during this mess." He adds, "Though the Cruciform Cathedral would be open, they might have something they can give you for appropriate donations." He shrugs again, clearly thinking it a long shot.
Eventually, you start out again, heading towards the Battle Gate once more, in search of Venture Captain Jorsal.