Raseri comes back to herself, glances around for a few moments. Seeing no other immediate threats, a look of pure determination etches itself across her features and while Gunnar and Luthael quietly debate the best potential way to simply dispose of the gem, the priestess once again grabs hold and send her mind into the swirling crimson chaos.
Scramsax, her business proposition having once again fallen on deaf ears, decides to check for possible eavesdroppers on the other side of the wall. Pulling her calcite Sneaky Snooper from her pack, the halfling spends a minute or two listening to the various sounds bouncing around the relatively quiet tower.
A short while later, the squeak of wheels badly in need of a little oil trundle closer. A pair of voices can barely be overheard.
Put me down for five gold on the eggs hatching tomorrow. Fourth bell.
Virt's got fourth bell. Ten is open.
Squeak..squeak...squeak...squeak...
Hag's hoots. Fine. Gimme tenth then. And another five on the day after at high noon.
Bold move. A midday hatching wouldn't be ideal for her hideousness's plans.
I know, I know, but plans always have a way of going cockeyed. Speaking of which how'd it go with Tliss last night?
Squeak...squeak...squeak...
The conversation soon becomes little more than muffled mumbles as whoever, or whatever, moves down the hall.
You're about to give up, when another patter of steps is heard hurrying up the hall. This time they do turn into your side hall. There is a surprised start as the intruder notices the stone barrier covering the office door.
"Hello? Thaumaturge Krek?! Are you there? I'm sorry to disturb, but I've a question about the proper formula for the preservation vats. Hello?"
Then there are the lighter, almost playful tones of what you guess to be the child-mind and original inhabitant of the body. The two others, cautious, seemingly frightened or confused for the most part are also still present. You listen to the intermingled gabble of thoughts trying to discern where the one you seek might be located. Where the core of her being has established itself. If you find that, then perhaps, together, you could draw her clear of the gem or help her establish full control.
Raseri deftly avoids the screamer and the others in the gem as she glides through the aether of this other-real plane. She focuses on the voice of the child and quietly makes her way to where she thinks she can find it and the owner's being. After that, she can figure out where to go from there.
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A finger over her lips "Shh...they're talkin' bout the eggs..."
But when the inquiry came direct, the thief had to think quick or the party was going to get made.
Summoning forth an illusion of sound from her gemmy wrist, Scram went where Scram belonged: in the gutter.
*wump wump wump*
A steady rhythmic slapping of scaled flesh on scaled flesh. The jostling of large, dangling stethoscopes. A rattle and shattering of hot blood samples.
Offering an apologetic shrug to her mates as the raunchy spell took its course.
A ziggurat of bones built several stories high. Atop is another reptilian creature, but they do not notice you. Instead they busily pull bones from a small handcart and carefully put them into place. All the while they quietly weep.
A burbling, muddy hot spring, sitting quietly within a tiny vale. A glorious array of blooming flowers surround the springs, their sweet scent filling the air. All appears to be the very definition of peace and tranquility until one of the flowers, a bright yellow bloom the size of your hand, leaps forward and devours its neighbor. The smaller purple, rose-like flower squeals once and then disappears down the now noticed gullet of the other flower.
A massive creature standing upon a wide open plain beneath the crimson sky. It's screams echoing across the landscape. It is a horrible patchwork of creatures. Buffalo, deer, dragon, squid. It flops and struggles to move all the while screeching its rage and fear. A moment later it begins to struggle, twist, and churn. Now it is an amalgamation of lizard, griffon, crab, and human.
Whether these are fever dreams of those souls trapped within this tiny prison or some other unknown spirit or manifestation trapped within, you cannot know. And for the moment, none are relevant to your task. There is only one you seek. So you avoid the alien others until finally you come to another island of land manifested from the aether.
It is a small place. Shrouded in long curtains of lichen and hanging moss. The drip-drop of water falling into a small pool can be heard beyond along with the sound of a young girl softly humming a tune. The notes are a blend of sadness and comfort.
Slipping through the mossy veil, you see a pool sitting at the base of a small spring. Water drips into the little pool creating ripples upon the surface. Sprinkled throughout the small area are a rainbow of softly glowing stones. Some highlight patches of moss. Others little carvings tucked into the rocks. Childlike, simple carvings of a bunny, a dog, a stubby winged bird, a ferret. There are many others. They peek from nooks and crannies within the surrounding rocks or even from the spring itself.
Sitting on another flat rock located in the very center of the pool is a young girl. Just on the verge of becoming a woman. Her hair is an auburn rat's nest of tangled curls. He eyes brown. Her nose appears just a little too large for the rest of her face, but that could be because the rest of her body is very thin. Unhealthily thin. She wears a simple dress seemingly woven from the same lichen and moss shrouding the spring. In her hands she holds a small carving knife and a block of wood, a partially carved goat.
As soon as you step through the curtain, the humming stops with a small start. Her eyes pivot from her work and the knife raises protectively.
"Leave me alone." She says, her voice, much like her song is a blend. A mixture of fear, strength, and power. "If you come any closer, my friends won't like it."
The room erupts with the vulgar sounds and shouts of the halfling's spell. But the manifestation does not seem to disrupt or interfere with Raseri's latest attempt to summon forth the girl's spirit from within the gemstone prison. Luthael, Gunnar and Ingryd all watch on as the priestess remains in her meditative state. So far there has been no other adverse reaction from the gem itself. Just the occasional flashes or arcane light from within the faceted confines of the stone.
The thief explained "Movement out in the halls...group with a cart and another one who was rappin' an wanted inside here. Love conquered the one. 'e were tryin'a reach a Thaumaturge Krek, somethin bout 'preservation vats'. And get this, the carty pair was puttin' bets on when the eggs would hatch..."
Raseri looks from the knife to the carvings. Those must be the girl's friends, the priestess reasons. She looks back at the girl and sees how thin she is. The sight reminds her of the years--no, the lifetimes of torture she endured. She was about this girl's age when she had run away, and even now she doesn't look much older, though she'd long lost track of how many years she'd lived through in this life. Did years even matter anymore?
She shakes the thoughts away. One thing at a time. She needs to worry about one thing at a time, and saving this girl was the most important thing to her right now.
"I'll stay here, then," Raseri answers before sitting on her heels. "I'm Raseri. Would you mind introducing your friends to me?"
Lutheal nods in silence at Scramsax and continues to stare at Raseri with impotent concern.
"Should I try to block the door?" Ingryd says as she lets her hammer rests on her shoulder and her shield is ready on her other arm. Ready to strike if need be.
She was ready to fight the horrors of this place. However she didn't want her companions to get swallowed up in her own death march.
"Oh sure." She says brightly. Her long finger points at a wide shouldered cat or lion poised to pounce. "That's Manu, he's a sabertoothed lion, like the ones that used to roam the plains a long time ago. And that's Freckles. He was my favorite of papa's hounds."
She spins around points to a long, wavy carving set atop a large rock. "That Xav the Wonderous. He's a dragon. But not a very mean one, unless someone tries to hurt me or steal something. Then he can get really mean."
"This is Miss Sizzle. She's a one of those big lizards that like to live in hot springs and other fiery places. When it's cold out she comes and keeps me warm."
Following the girls rapid introductions, it is hard to get a close look at any of the small carvings, but when she pauses to run a hand along the smooth wooden surface of the fire salamander's carving, you can't help but notice that the little model's eyes suddenly blink. At first you consider it is just a figment of your imagination or perhaps just an oddity of this realm, but then the eyes blink again and the small fanged mouth even yawns slightly until the girl stops focusing on the carving and turns to show you 'Croaker, a giant frog she once met in a big, stinky swamp.'
As the girl continues to introduce her friends, a wind begins to churn above and through the little peaceful nook. Thunder crackles overhead and lightning flashes. The crimson sky fills with blood colored clouds and a piercing scream can be heard approaching from somewhere in the storm riddled sky.
The girl turns and looks upward with a frown and tight lipped look of fright and confusion.
Scramsax continues to listen at the door while Raseri remains locked in a trance, her mind delving the depths of whatever world exists within the glowing gemstone. For several minutes, the halfling hears nothing but silence and the muted conversation and breathing of her own companions. Then she suddenly grows alert as once again bootsteps are heard clamping down the hall.
"I swear I don't know anything else sir." Comes the same voice as earlier. "I knocked on Krek's door, then I heard, well, it was a rather unsettling shout from one of the nurses. So I came to find you, sir."
"You did fine, apprentice, return to your duties, I'll see to Krek and his trouble making once and for all."
The sound of the door being flung open is quickly followed by a gasp as Gunnar's stone wall is discovered immediately beyond. Surprise quickly turns to the sound of angry chanting.
For a moment, Raseri is much younger, the same age as the girl, as she listens and watches with wonder and delight. Questions come to mind especially when the salamander carving blinks and yawns, but it's rude to interrupt someone while they are giving introductions, so the young priestess keeps her mouth shut save for when giving her how-do-you-do's.
The screaming brings Raseri back to herself and to the task at hand. She follows the girl's eyes up as she gets to her feet. Her mouth turns into a thin line as she recognizes the noise.
"I think we've stayed too long," she tells the girl. "I swear to you that I mean you no harm. I would love to get to know the rest of your friends, but we need to leave. I need you to trust me. I only want to help."
The thief gave only a quick word "Six? They're about to breach...I'm crossing over." pulling the icy talon of Morrin's Misery from her spine. "Griz?" offering a small friend's hand to tap before vanishing, perhaps with Ingryd.
On the other side, the rogue waited until the 500 lb bear went to town (or, if the bear was unwilling, finding a good place to hide) before tossing a deft dagger into the investigator's conservative, love-disapproving, face hole.
Gunnar positions himself behind the wall and prepares for whatever may come through.
"Lets go Scram" Ingryd says taking the halflings offer and porting out with her.
On the other side she does the bigger bear thing and roars."SURRENDER OR DIE!"
Luthael blesses Ingryd, "Go with the blessing of Khors." He regrips his shield and waits with Gunnar watching over Raseri.
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The foul visage moves closer revealing it to be mounted upon the slithering, undulating body of a winged serpent. The leathery wings beating with malevolent fury causing the clouds to swirl and churn. A swarm of tiny snake skulls float and swirl around the ugly creature. Some pick and bite and what appear to be tiny humanoid bodies stuck to the snake body by an earthy-black tar. Each of the bodies scream their hopelessness and pain into the crimson abyss. The end to their cries only coming when one of the parasitic skulls happens to pluck off a head with their tiny jaws of sharpened teeth. The clacking and clicking of their ivory bones adding to the cacophony as they orbit their massive hostess.
The girl screams and clutches her arms around your waist even as the thing dives down upon the happy glade. A moment later, the small figurine of the dragon leaps into the air. Its wooden wings and form transforming into the firebreathing fury of an ancient red dragon. It bellows a challenge to the diving hag who returns the challenge with a screech of equal fury and force.
Looking down at the girl, her eyes blaze with power, even as she trembles and weeps against your side.
Raseri's body suddenly tenses as though the young priestess is witnessing something important or frightful. But otherwise she remains still and well within her trance-like state as Gunnar and Luthael sit watchfully nearby.
Luthael offers Ingryd a quick blessing before the bearkin disappears with Scramsax to deal with the potential threat outside of the protective barrier put into place by Gunnar's magic. The two disappear in a puff of theatrical purple smoke. A few moments later the sound of Ingryd's roaring voice can be heard even through the thick stone wall. It is a fury filled roar that rattles the furniture of the office and causes a bit of dust and grit to fall from the ceiling.
You disappear from the tiny confines of the office and reappear in the slightly less tiny confines of the hallway outside. There you spot a tall lizardman dressed in gray robes with gold trim and jagged stairstep pattern. He appears to be examining and muttering at the stone wall behind the opened door.
Ingryd roars her demand to surrender causing the startled arcanist to whirl in the bearkin's direction with a snarled curse. Seeing the lizard has no intention to surrender she moves in quickly, hammer whirling with its own arcane menace. A feint and then a quick shift in directions and the bearkin appears ready to land a heavy blow, but at the last moment a flare of arcane energy forms in front of the wizard blocking the attack and sending the bearkin's warhammer sliding away harmlessly.
Fortunately for the halfling, the bearkin's bulk and fury keep the spellcaster from spotting her lurking form further up the hall. In the blink of an eye, she spots an opening and sends her dagger whirling down the hall. The blade slams into the wizard's chest knocking him backward a step as he clutches at the weapon in surprise.
"BMAF!
One moment he is huddled beneath Ingryd's furious gaze, the next he is standing at the far end of the hall, drawing forth a wand that glows with a soft yellow light at one end. Uttering a few words in draconic. The wand flares to life and a moment later a shimmering yellow wall of force blocks the end of the hall between wizard and the two members of the Narg Nasty Six.
Ingryd still raged charges. Though enraged she brings forth her shield, The Hide Shield of the Warrior otherwise know as Vanity. She doesn't say anything mentally or out loud but she was gonna charge through the wall to the being behind.
The thief frowned, her pre-emptive strike failing horribly. Snapping a bullet off at whoever she could, Scram pondered a way through an impassible wall.
Gunnar waits and listens, standing protectively between the vulnerable Raseri and his stone wall. Attempting to protect both she and the vulnerable girl/body/soul, he casts See Invisibility and prepares to extend his Arcane Shield if the wall splinters before him.
Luthael keeps an ear out to beyond the wall while focusing on Raseri. His heart in his throat.
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Temporarily hindered by the glowing arcane force field, Scramsax casts a quick look up and down the hall for signs of the youthful narc that brought more attention to the group's little stolen hideaway. At first, there's no sign of the culprit, but then the astute thief hears the soft click of the door into the second, non-chaos magic infused surgical theater.
Quickly slipping through the door, she cast her eyes about the wide amphitheater and spots a young shadow elf, robes whirling as he runs up a long set of stairs toward the far end of the large room. Without hesitation, the halfling snaps off a shot with her trusty sling as catches the elf right at the base of the neck.
With a sharp cry of pain, the fleeing apprentice grabs at his neck, stumbles, and falls forward with hard thud against the cold stones.
Meanwhile, back in the hall, Ingryd readies her shield.
Wait! What do you think you're going to do? Cries out the shield as the bearkin starts to rumble toward the crackling force field. Your going to mess up my paint! Ahhhhhh!
"Raaaaarrrrrr!" Ingryd's own roar of fury overshadows the less potent, worried, screech of the shield.
Both are then overshadowed by the crackling cacophony and the barbarian's charge slams into the immovable, glowing wall.
Mmmphhf...mmmrrrph...mmmmm The muffled choking voice of the shield can barely be heard as the bearkin pushes and drives against the arcane barrier. Her legs drive and slide against the floor, the muscles on her neck and back strain and bulge. From the other side, the wizard's face twists into a reptilian smirk.
Under normal circumstances the bearkin's efforts would be futile. But out of preservation for its appearance and being worried about her frame bending or breaking under the continued strain, the shield activates a self-preserving absorption field.
Suddenly, the bearkin feels her frame slip forward ever so slightly. A little more and a little more. The barrier and shield strain against each other as the reptilian smirk quickly turns to a frown and then a growing look of concern as he focuses his concentration to reinforce the wall.
Raseri wishes she had a shield, any shield, whether it be the shield that is her clan's namesake, the Whitescale or a poor, battered peasant's shield. Alas, she does not have one. She moves to protect the girl and readies Logi, the spear that they had recovered on their way up here. Then, as she feels the girl's arms around her, she sees Xav the Wondrous take flight and battle the vile hag-faced creature. She looks down at the girl in surprise, seeing the power and the fear in her eyes.
What is she? No, time to worry about that later. I need to get her out of here. Maybe...
"I hope this works," she mutters as she shifts Logi to her left hand and pulls the girl around to her front with her right arm. Then, she imagines wings sprouting from her back and carrying them aloft.
Outside of the gem, Raseri worriedly frowns and mumbles to herself as she holds tightly to the gem with her ragged and torn left hand while her right twitches. Beads of sweat form on her face and neck as the seconds ooze pass.
Scramsax hustled after the fallen apprentice. She had watched the steps stumble, but couldn't confirm the kill. With a flick of her sling leathers across his neck and both knees on his back, the rogue silently garroted whatever life remained of the lizard.
The tiny person attempted to then drag the body back to the previous amphitheater, but would abandon it if it slowed her down too much...she wouldn't leave Ingryd's back exposed.
Dragon and hag serpent continue to fight overhead. As the girls huddles against your side, you can see the other figurines twitch nervously or stare with golden eyes upon the raging dual.
Suddenly, the dragon roars in pain. The hag's mouth rips a mass of dragon wing away and spits it out. The aethereal flesh dissolving into a spray of crimson mist. The girl gasps and buckles to her knees as tears streak down her face.
"She's going to get us." She cries in hopeless desperation. "She always gets us. Always finds us. Always wins."
The words reverberate through your entire being. Similar to your own thoughts and nightmares so very long ago. That sense of being hunted and no way of escape. Yet, now, in this moment, you know escape is possible. Know because you did so once.
As your wings form and begin to lift you upward from the grotto, the wooden creatures all call out with roars, screeches, or growls of alarm. The dragon struggles on, but the fight is nearly lost. You've only moments to offer the youth hope. Hope in herself. Hope that freedom is possible. Hope that her power can overcome the abomination and the horrible hag behind its existence.
Raseri picks the girl up and hugs her tight. She knows this girl's pain. She knows this girl's fear. She also knows that the girl is also wrong.
"She only wins when we give up," Raseri whispers into the girl's ear. "I know it's scary. I know it's terrifying. I still have nightmares of what I went through. I still have my fears, my doubts, and my scars, but I have also gained something though all of the pain. I have hope, little sister. I have hope because through it all, I know I am not alone. I know there are people that care about me because they gave me a helping hand when I needed it."
She pulls the girl tighter and places a gentle hand on the back of her head.
"Most of all, I have hope that you will realize you're far, far stronger than you know. Whatever else happens, though, you won't have to face it alone. I'll be right here with you."
As Raseri let's the girl ponder her words, she shifts her hold of the girl so she can point Logi at the hag.
"Besides, I've seen much tougher hags. I think Xav can take her with some help from us." She gives the girl a confident smile as she rises to be level with the hag, then calls forth a shadow of Mjolnir.
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"Yaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr!"
"Mmmmmmmpppppphhhhh!"
"Yaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
The shouts of bearkin, shield, and wizard fill the halls as Ingryd drives her shield into the wall of arcane force. At first the magical barrier holds. Then it begins to bend. Knowing he has no chance of outrunning the bearkin, the wizards eyes bulge outward, his claws fiercely grip the wand as he pours his own energy into trying to maintain the barrier. In the end his efforts are no match for the ancient shields power of self preservation and the bearkin's unstoppable fury.
Stretching thinner and thinner, the force field finally and completely shatters with a loud POP! Shards of energy scatter and sprinkle everywhere quickly turning into little more than sparkling motes of dust as they collide with the more material substances of the world. No longer struggling against the field, Ingryd goes flying forward, slamming her shield and body into the equally surprised wizard who goes tumbling backward until hitting the wall.
Meanwhile, Scramsax double checks the body of the fleeing apprentice and finds the nosy tattletale is indeed quite dead. Having the stereotypical frame of the scholarly, wizardly student, the body is light enough for even the much smaller Scramsax to lift and carry back down the stairs and to the door that opens back into the hall. Poking her head around the corner, she witnesses the final bursting of the force wall and the subsequent collision of bearkin and wizard.
Threads of brilliant golden gossamer weave themselves across the dragon's torn wing and moments later the damage is completely healed. A massive bellow bursts forth from the dragon as it renews its attack. The girls eyes glow brightly with power. In another heartbeat, her own wings sprout from her back. Exact duplicates of your own. She gives them a cautious gentle flap and then bursts into a smile as she lets go and begins to fly about with the ease and aptitude of her draconic protector.
"Ohhh! This is wonderful." She shouts diving into a nearby cloud. [b]"I've always wondered what it would be like to soar in the sky and play in the clouds like Xav." Her eyes grow momentarily cold and hard as she looks at the hag. A feral snarl crosses her face. Followed a moment later by a potent blast of eldritch power that slams into the wicked serpent's side.
The creature's screeches of rage and hatred weaken. It struggles to free itself from the slashing, driving claws of the dragon. Down below a wild cacophony of howls, hoots, and yowls rise forth from the menagerie below.
Raseri laughs as the girl experiences the thrill of flight. Despite her own temptation to engage in the aerobatics, the priestess turns her attention to the hag-serpent. her eyes glow as she commands the spectral Mjolnir to strike again.
She then follows up by diving down at the hag, hoping to give Xav an opening even if she fails to injure the vile monstrosity. She charges up the spear with lightning and attacks with more vigor than accuracy.
Astonished to see the barrier pierced (unable to bear the load Ingryd was imposing) Scram quickly adjusted tactics, rushing into melee with clingy, voracious finger-dips...
"Quick, Griz! Hush those lizard lips!"
Ingryd growls as she swings her hammer to clash with the Lizard man, lizard thing, Man Lizard. Doesn't matter her swings seek to crush the caster who threatened her and her friends. Who is willing to exploit and kidnap kids for the use of a diabolical Hag.
The screeching serpent plummets downward in an swirling spiral of fire and smoke until its yowling is mercifully cut off with a final sickening thud upon the barren red rock landscape.
A little further away, within the small grotto, roars, yips, and growls of delight celebrate the victory over the terrifying nightmare beast.
Scanning the horizon, storm clouds still churn, lightning still crackles, and there is still the uneasy feeling of at least one other unknown presence. But it is a presence that appears to be content to stay hidden and distant for the time being.
Looking back at the girl's sanctuary with its pool and vines and menagerie of creatures, you also spot what appears to be a stone throne carved into the side of a cliff overlooking the pool. Overgrown with vines and flowers it would be impossible to spot from the ground, but from your vantage up hear you can just make out the curious shape of the throne beneath the jungle like foliage.
Ingryd's first blow is off balance and wild. It nearly sends the bearkin toppling over as her ancient warhammer slams into the wall crackling the stone. It takes a moment for her to recover and adjust her grip for a follow up attack. It is a moment the wizard uses as yet another arcane shield appears at the last second to deflect the barbarian's powerful swing.
Scrambling backward down the hall, the wizard doesn't notice the missing wand or component pouch until it is too late. Cursing his misfortune and thieves more generally, the wizard makes several gestures and speaks once again in that draconic tongue.
"I was having a bad dream." Her child says. "An ugly monster was trying to get me and I couldn't find you or papa anywhere."
Suddenly, an ancient, ugly, green skinned nemesis steps from a hidden nook in the hall and grabs the young girl by the arm. She lets loose a wild terrified scream as the scraggly haired hag drags her close.
"Another tasty morsel for my stew pot." Snarls the hag as she sends a rusty blade swirling toward Ingryd. "Take another step, and the next blade skewers the brat."
With a final gesture the wizard completes his spell. Scramsax braces herself to dive, duck, or otherwise escape whatever magical blast the conjurer might summon forth. But nothing happens. All is silence as the arcanist takes another step backward. That's when the halfling notices Ingryd's suddenly stopped in her track. Eyes wide and staring just beyond the wizard's shoulder. A blend of rage, heartbreak, and fear filling her features.
"NO DON'T"She screams. As she steps back.
"Dont hurt her." She says dropping Ennui and reaching out her hand.
'Let her go she did nothing wrong, your problem is with me. Leave her out of this" She says with fear and sorrow in her voice. Sheer Terror crosses her face as she was not letting her daughter die.
"You can have me instead" Says Ingryd as she begins to cry."Please not another one. I can't bare another, please" She says as she begins to slump her body wanting to just melt into the floor as a gutted mess.
Glancing around confused "Damnit Griz...it aint real!" before running up to the wizard. Using the earlier thrown Morrin's Misery (still sticking out of the lizard's body) as a 1-rung ladder, the thief tackled the spellcaster...pulling tiny fungal wings from a pouch and shoving it down his throat along with her hand.
Atop the gagging, dark doctor, a cold blade danced across the halfling's fingers before settling neatly into a reverse-hand grip...an assassin's grip. "...*grunt*...the...Thaumaturge...doesn't...*grunt*...like...interruptions. .."
The wizard backpedals a few more steps, then spots the charging halfling. Scramsax collides with the reptilian arcanist her hands a flurry of motion and confusion. Somehow the defender manages to knock her grasping hands away from the dagger still protruding from his chest. But he doesn't expect or even consider the possibility of the foul tasting and poisonous demon wings begin stuffed into his mouth. Attempting to spit out the vile things merely result in sucking them in a little deeper into his throat. Gasping and choking the wizard doubles over for a few moments, finally spitting out the vile, partially chewed demon wings.
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Ingryds head clears and she gets up.
Ingryd will break the gap and grab the Wizard.
The thief's luck turned on a dime, the trusty raging grizzly bear a perfect distraction to line up a horrible slash at the wizard's voice box...the mage would never escape.
For good measure, as Ingryd shattered knuckle after knuckle, Scram quickly tied the doctor's boot laces together into a perplexing double sheel bend knot...
...they would never be untied.
Everything changes in an instant. In one moment, the arcanist felt the hope of escape, perhaps even a reward from his mistress residing in the upper reaches of the tower. The next he faced the full, red hot fury of the bearkin's rage and the glacial cold of the halfling's steel.
Finding herself free of the wizard's illusionary magic, Ingryd reaches out to grab the caster. He attempts to slip free of the bearkin's brutal grasp. But there is no escaping the rogue's sly blade. Using a little leverage from the narrow corridor and a practiced leap, Scramsax slices open the wizard's throat like a roasted sausage. A fountain of blood pours forth from the wound showering halfling, bearkin, and lizardman equally.
The arcanist clutches futilely at the ugly, flowing gash. He voice nothing more than a gurgling rasp. He staggers backward, only to find his boots tangled together in a knot of gordian proportions. The vision carried upon his soul into the pits of the Abyss being that of the furious bearkin crushing his hands while Scramsax looks on with pitiless curiosity at what might still be stashed in his pockets.
Giving the bear a bloody low-five "Ha! That creepy lizard was damn tricky wasn't he? That was some surgical juju, I think! Wasn't it?! Well, not tricky enough for us, eh! Not so smart without his little pouch of baubles and what-not or his mouth, haha. That'll teach him to kick you in the honey hive. Almost koala-t us off guard. C'mon, let's stash these corpses out of sight before the next pair of suckers cart over..." Scram smirked, grabbing the doctor by the laces and scooting him over, delighted and humming a nasty little Barsellan tune when the rushed ambuscade actually succeeded for once.
"...oh but not before a little frisk, yes/no? Careful of needles..." the thief warned before 'ripping the tail off the skink', in so many words.
Raseri howls like a wolf as they beat the hag and send her tumbling to the rocky ground. With a whoop of delight she loops around to join the girl, but as she does so, she notices the throne hidden by the flora. Curious, she hovers for a moment before turning back over and completing the loop next to the girl she'd come to save. She opens her mouth to get the girl's attention, but she realizes she still doesn't know the girl's name.
"Um, pardon, Miss. I know not your name. Would you mind telling me what I may call you? Then there is something I think you should see," the priestess says, seeming, and feeling, about as young as the girl looks for a moment as she points to where she saw the throne up among the vines and flowers.
"Oh he is already dead" She says cold and emotionless. She tosses the thing aside and looks to Scram.
"Needed him alive. Wanted him to tell me where the eggs and prisoners are as well as the Hag, HAG" She roars at the end as she walks back over and grabs her gear. as she does she looks at her bloody self.
"Can you help with Envy. she needs to be cleaned and I'm too dirty to do it."
"Oh, sorry. I was worried his forked tongue would ensorcell you once more...thought it best to amputate. And Raseri has some finders-keepers magic, I stole some from her also..." the thief holds up her spell-storing ring. "...it was how I found that god-gem in the murk waters a few days ago."
Glancing at the shield "Yeah, she's not going to shield-bash me in the face or anything? Or slip under my feet as I'm walking down the stairs?"
"No, she just wants to be beautiful. If you clean her up its a good step to when we get back to civilazation to get an artist to paint a wonderful scene for her. I want her to look her best. And if it gets scuffed we'll get her another new look.I don't have a personal standard, so luckily she'll get to express herself to the world. Its the least I can do" Ingryd smiles softly before slipping back into cold silence.
'Lets get our companions a knock. Hopefully they have rested and Raseri is all better" Ingryd taps on the stone wall using Ennui.
*tappy-tap-rattler-tap-dong*
Scram snapped the esoteric rhythm of the closely guarded, double-secret Nasty Knock on the stone wall, letting his companions know they were on the other side.
"Envy, listen...I'm going to give you a good, solid wipe. I know you are already mad about the blood and probably other things too...and I know you are going to yell and protest basically no matter what actually happens. That's what all sentient objects do, I get it." Pausing for a moment "...except Void Hammer, he's cool. But fair warning: I don't know the precise coordinates all up in there which locate your armpits, for one. You can inform me now, or get tickled and it will be your fault."
As expected, the shield started yelling non-stop "Ok, you can tell me in 3 seconds or I don't care anymore. 3...2..."