Vel looks at the contraption, unsure how she could help. So instead she just steps beside Esrisi quietly, looking around for any signs of more of those...things...
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While the group toils away, Esrisi continues to sing soft enough to be heard but not loud enough that it echoes down the corridor. She figures musical accompany can help pass the time and give a bit of a distraction to the horrors that they are continually facing down here, literally near hell.
She leans against the wall, left leg raised so that her foot is flat against the wall. She sings softly "Evvvvveryone's trying to get it right, get it ri-ight. Everybody's workingEvvvvvveryone's watching, to see what you will dooooo. Evvvvvveryone's looking at you, oh. Evvvvvveryone's wondering, will you come out tonight. for the weekend. Everybody wants a little romance. Everybody's goin' off the deep end. Everybody needs a second chance, ohhhh...."
Veltariel leans against the wall beside her. ”You’ve got a nice voice...”
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Esrisi's eyes are closes while she sings, focusing on her performance. With her eyes closed, she sways her body back and forth in time to the music. ♫"Oooohhhh..." ♫
Esrisi's eyes fly open with Veltariel makes a comment, swinging her head in her direction very slowly. She spins away from Veltariel and looks at the group working on the bricks at the far end of the room. Figuring if she isn't looking at the elf, it won't be so bad. Besides, everyone would probably look up if she stopped singing and they can't hear her whispers all the way over there. Can't they?
She does her best not to lose her place in the song, suddenly wishing she had picked a different song. ♫"You want a piece of my heart, you better start from start, you wanna be in the show, come on baby lets gooooo-"♫
Veltariel slides the short distance closer to Esrisi when she turns away from her. She gives the others a look on the far side of Esrisi as she seems to stand there enjoying her song.
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"Evvvveryone's looking to see if it was you, Evvvvvvery-ahhhhhhh!" Esrisi's song comes to an odd transition as her body stiffens and she stands up ramrod straight, placing both feet on the floor and looking out at the wall directly across from her.
Not wanting to look back at Veltariel and not wanting to let on what's going on to the group, she changes songs mid-sentence. "Duhhhhhhh-" she draws out while she thinks of something else ♫"You can go your own way, Go your own way. You can call it, another lonely day. "♫
She turns away from Veltariel completely now, body facing the group toiling thirty feet ahead on the room, leaning her left side again the wall when suddenly her left hand slides along the wall behind her, disappearing out of sight behind her.
Esrisi's eyes go wide again and while she continues to sing she starts nudging her left shoulder into wall in perhaps what looks like in time to the music? ♫"You can go your own way, Go your own way."♫
"Are you okay?" Sapher turns and looks back at their singer as her song goes a bit stiff.
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Esrisi starts to slam her shoulder into the wall harder and harder until it's quite impossible to think she's not bruising herself. Her entire body trembles and shakes and she cuts her song off and throws herself down onto the floor, rolling towards Sapher.
She lays on the floor, face on the dirty ground breathing quickly. She places her palms on the ground to push herself up and says "Oh, yes, everything is fi-" and when she's almost at the point where she is balanced, her left hand suddenly pulls off the ground before it should have. Loosing her balance, she falls flat on her face smacking her head into the stone tile.
Rolling on her back and groaning loudly while holding her now red-bumped forehead, she keeps her eyes closed and mutters a half-cry whimper "Owww. Ugh."
”Es!” Veltariel calls out with concern as she darts over and kneels beside her. She drops one hand to the side of Esrisi’s head as she tries to cradle it as she asks ”Are you alright? What happened?”
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It's too much.
Putting both of her hands over her face, she presses her palms into her eye sockets tightly until she sees white. She wants to cry. Tears being to fill her eyes but she presses harder and harder so that they can't spill out and so no one can see her crying. She groans softly still, trying to figure out what to say.
She finally decides on "I must have tripped. I hit my head, it hurts. I'll be fine."
Veltariel gets a very sympathetic look on her face as she tries to help Esrisi to her feet, cradling her head and bearing as much of her weight as she can. She gently pats her on the back of her head as she coos ”It’s alright. Take a breath...”
As she continues to try and pry off the metal plates, the sound of Esrisi crashing to the floor causes her to spin. She sees Vel cradling Ez. This is getting so confusing, she thinks to herself. She considers what might help most in this situation and comes to a conclusion. "Vel, I think Ez just needs a moment. Come over here and help me figure out how to pry these plates off!"
Caroliss looks over to Ez and shrugs slightly as if to ask, is this helping?
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When Veltariel pats Esrisi on her head and tells her to take a breath, she tries not to hyperventilate. Swallowing hard and controlling her breathing, she takes long drawn out breaths and looks over to Caroliss when she talks.
She nods in that general direction. "Yes. Thank you Veltariel. I'm fine. Everything is fine. I just need a minute. Hit my head hard. Saw stars. It'll be okay. Everything will be okay." Everything will be okay.
Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.
I want to go home.
Sapher bends down to help Ez, with wide surprised eyes but Vels gets there first, nearly pushing the dwarf to the ground to get to her 'friend'
For a second she considered dragging the two of them apart, cause whatever it is is not healthy. Cars, of course, did it better than Saph would have, words instead of a boot.
So back to ripping off plates from the wall.
Drask raises an eyebrow. "Vel, help me with this one, bastard keeps shifting on me." He directs her to one side of the plate, showing her the problem area.
While Drask, Sapher and Caroliss each try to work on prying off a plate Mok provides direction and Es sings as Vel keeps an eye on things. It quickly becomes apparent that each person working along is not making nay progress to pry these heavy plates off the wall even with the use of tools. Eventually Drask and Sapher work together and manage to get the first plate off.
They manage to work together and eventually get 7 of the plates off. On the eigth one it just doesn't seem to want to budge but it doesn't matter because as they continue to work on it something rounds the corner and comes into sight. This creature resembles a thin, lanky wolf with reddish-brown fur, white claws, and burning, fiery red eyes. Seeing the group it howls and rushes forward, followed shortly behind by a second one.
The first one runs up to Drask and opens its mouth as it spews forth a cone of flames that wash over Drask and Sapher.
The second one rushes up as well but just growls at Drask from next to the other one.
Drask seethes through his teeth at the sudden burning, turning to face the lanky wolves. He drops the crowbar and draws his axe from his back, raising it defensively.
.
"Hell hounds! Immune to fire but vulnerable to cold. Their bite burns!"
Stepping away from the combat, Caroliss creates a beautiful looking duplicate of Esrisi, while blessing Drask with some luck!
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Mokhasi cannot help with prying the plates loose, so he spends his time studying the ruins and plainly ignoring most of the other activities, occasionally whispering to Kiir. When the hell hound appears, he’s not too surprised, having heard the claws earlier.
”Indeed, I will avoid fire.” Staying behind Drask and Esrisi, he attempts to help Drask stay defended.
Veltariel glares at Drask for his snide remark, and considered replying with her knuckles, but then the hellhounds showed up. She darts over behind him and lets an arrow fly at the infernal canines.
Sapher grabs her shield by the side, blocking the worst of the fire from her face, but not her fingers. Baked sausages. Lowering the shield she screams her embarrassing roar at the one Ez booted.
Drask drops the crowbar and pulls out his axe trying to take up a defensive stance from the incoming dogs. Caroliss grants her blessing to Es and Drask once again. Mok uses his spear to distract one of the hounds while Sapher casts a spell at the other one.
While it doesn't seem to do much damage it does seem to stun it for a moment. Vel moves up and takes aim at the slightly injured hell hound sticking an arrow in the beast, followed up as Es steps up and, even with the odd spacing, she manages to punch the dazed hell hound.
The one hell hound continues to stand there in a daze while the other attempts to bite Drask.
Luckily preparing for the attack Drask manages to block the beasts bite with his axe.
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Mokhasi notices that there are two hellhounds now, and summons a globule of grease in their area to knock them down.
He then steps back out of any potential fire breath. "Careful."
"Caroliss! A little light, please!?!?" Veltariel asks as she knocks another arrow.
Scream over, Sapher pulls her hammer out of its loop and moves up next to Drask.
As the hound shakes its head trying to clear it from Bolka's love, she smashes her hammer down on its jaw. "Teach it to burn my fingers" she mutters.
"Oh, sorry." Realizing she had taken the light source away, Caroliss moves closer to the battle again so Vel can see and fire her arrows.
She'll try to stab one of the hounds!
Instead, she very nearly stabs Esrisi. "Sorry again!"
Without saying another word, she lets loose another volley at the hellhounds, focusing on the hurt one first and then the next one if the first one falls.
Drask opens up on the nearest hell hound as he noted he would, but doesn't have much luck, only managing to bite the it which just seems to piss it off even more. Caroliss moves back to trying to give Vel some light and jabbing at one of the hell hounds with her spear, missing. Mok casts a spell as a pool of grease forms below the two hell hounds.
While the one closest to Drask stays on its feet the other one falls to the ground. Sapher pulls out her weapon and squeezes into the space next to Drask, but with the tight room she can't get a good swing and misses the hell hound. Vel lands two solid hits with her arrows, but the beast just growls in anger. Es still focusing on her own target misses with her kick but lands the punch.
The second hell hound no longer in a daze from Sapher's spell opens it mouth and unleashes a wave of flames on the group hitting Es, Caroliss and Vel.
The other dog, still on its feet tries to bite Drask again
It bites into Drask but quickly finds that it is not actually Drask but an image of him instead.
She was sure she was going to get that one, but the thing proved beyond nimble, dodging away from her hammer like she was a fresh recruit. "Drask, I'll try and set you up"
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Esrisi groans when the flames come her way. She rolls around the corner and avoids most of it, but it still singes her side and clothes. "Why does it always need to be fire!" she groans.
Spinning back in, she tries to deliver another punch/kick combo but when she executes it her body protests from the burn and she can't maintain her form.
”પાતાળ ના મલિન શિકાર!” Veltariel says through clenched teeth as the flames wash over her. She lets another volley fly!
Drask snarls. Perhaps her luck is not so beneficial after all. His axe comes down again.
Before anyone else can do anything Drask snarls and brings his axe to bear against the hell hounds. He cuts down the first and then promptly finishes off the second one on the ground.
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Once combat is over, Esrisi drops to the ground and rolls around as she tries to put out her "hot ass". She wriggles back and forth on the ground, patting herself until she's sure all of the smoldering bits are done. Never truly on fire and overreacting slightly, it's just another day in the dungeon with Esrisi Derexhi.
Climbing back to her feet, she states "Nice work there Drask, with that axe and all."
After the battle is over and once the group is ready Drask and Sapher go back to work trying to pry the plates off the wall. Eventually they manage to pry the remaining three plates off and Mok can sense the magic draining from the structure as he detects magic. All together it takes nearly an hour to deactivate the device.
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”No more magic. Let us examine the rest of the maze now that it is deactivated. Esrisi, care for another charge of this wand?” He waggles the wand once they are done deactivating the magic machinery.
”I still have a number of resources left, and I would not want the Aspsis to get their hands on whatever gem or thing was serving as a nexus for the power of this siphon, should it exist.” He gestures at the nearby maze.
"All I have is minor burns, I'm good to keep moving." Drask says, throwing the last plate to the ground.
"Hot, hot, hot!" Caroliss is seen feebly trying to get the flames off of her clothing. The experience is definitely painful.
As soon as the battle is over, she heals herself to get relief.
.
She offers to heal Drask, too, but sees that he's able to shrug off such wounds, so saves the magic.
"Let's at least finish exploring this maze, then maybe we could take another break. If someone wants to scout ahead, I could turn them invisible."
"One hell rift dismantled!" Sapher finally says with a healthy dose of satisfaction. "That is what you said it was called, didn't you?" she asked Mort.
At Car's suggestions she comments "Good idea. Getting surprised by one thing after another is tiring. It will need to be someone who can see in the dark. Drak and I are not quiet. Not in the least."
"Well, Ez has really good eyes, you know. Maybe she could help us scout ahead?" Caroliss grins widely at her friend.
If Ez seems interested, Caroliss will make her invisible to allow her to scout.
When Caroliss calls out Ez and her good eyes to scout ahead Ez seizes the excuse to get away from Vel for a bit and moves ahead. She moves ahead leading the group through the maze, getting lost and turned around a couple times until eventually she finds another exit and the group heads down a western hallway that leads back to where you started, just outside the room with the creepy mural.
The only options left are to go back to the south or go back into the mural room and take the steps leading up to the western hallway.
"I truly don't understand this place. A maze for no reason?" she sighs heavily. "Check the last part of this level, I assume. In case we delve all the way to bedrock when the shard was just sitting on a table in the next room." She'll start heading that way unless someone objects.