The dragon, full of rage, takes the hits from the creature with little concern and then returns with all of its might. In a flurry of violent attacks it attempts to bite and claw at the creature then slam it with its tail and wings.
The tiefling's eyes flutter open. Pushing away the pain, she sits up to look around.
"Oh, Shalelu," she says sadly when her eyes fall on the young green dragon.
Ahreni 17/27
Olaff 20/31
Relisha 11/33
Shalelu 38/38
Thanara 17/17
Dragon Shalelu 75/85
Blood and gore splash throughout the chamber as Shalelu rips into the Smog Monster? creature with its first attacks, but the last several all fall short.
Noticing Thanara frozen, Olaff moves towards her and tries to get her on her feet. "Come Thanarra... ve need to go! Let the drragon fight the monsterr!"
"Wait," Relisha calls out as she hears Olaff's words. "We have to help Shalelu," she says, pointing at the dragon.
Ahreni 17/27
Olaff 20/31
Relisha 11/33
Shalelu 38/38
Thanara 17/17
Dragon Shalelu 75/85
"Get back." Ahreni growls at Relisha. "I stay. Know animals like elves!"
She steps between the healer and the battle but doesn't join in yet...
When Olaff reaches for her, Thanara scurries back in shock and fear. ”Shalelu...it...it...”
From the western corridor comes a ferocious roar as a ferocious female warrior comes charging down through the cavern. Now dressed in her battle armor and fully equipped, she runs headlong into the darkness shouting "DRRAGON! I COME FOR YE! I VILL DEFEND MY LOVE!"
The magical darkness slows her down and Relisha sees the blond haired Ulfen fumble forward, slashing her sword into the darkness with blind rage. If Relisha had not been sitting on the ground, the blade that swung over her head would have likely cleaved her in two.
The woman finally sees Shalelu the Green and shouts in her native tongue at it, pointing her blade towards its rear end while it is engaged with the tentacle monster.
Meanwhile, the tentacle monster comes very, very close to striking Shalelu twice, missing by an inch. Only it's tentacle attack smacks the dragon hard across the face.
Seeing the woman's intent, Relisha is on her feet in an instant putting herself between the Ulfen woman and the dragon. "NO!" she shouts back. "The dragon is our friend under an enchantment! If you must slash at something with that ... that thing in your hand, attack the tentacled horror!"
Shoving Relisha back to her bottom, the Ulfen stares at the dragon in amazement. "Finally! A drragon! Ye arre mine, drragon!" she screams in fury, swinging her blade as hard as she can as she begins to rage.
As a large section of hide slices off the back of the beast, she cheers loudly "YES! YE SHALL BE FELLED!"
The green dragon roars as it gets smacked in the face and is about to return the favor by unleashing a flurry of attacks at the creature but is interrupted as the blade from behind slices into her, drawing her attention. Instead, she turns toward the Ulfan woman and brings her full force against her.
Shalelu's fury is fully unleashed on poor Asta. As the dragon turns towards her, she shouts as is interrupted as he throat is literally ripped free from her body. Blood gashes from the wound as the dragon slashes again with its other claw and finally hits her so hard with her tail that the sounds of her bones breaking in her body echo loudly near Relisha.
The body that formerly belonged to the mother of Olaff's child flies backwards into the cavern wall and splats into a bloody, gory mess where it unceremoniously falls to the ground.
The green dragon lets out a triumphant roar as it looks to Relisha a moment, still on the floor, before turning its attention back to its original target once again.
"Wait," Relisha calls out as she hears Olaff's words. "We have to help Shalelu," she says, pointing at the dragon.
When Olaff reaches for her, Thanara scurries back in shock and fear. ”Shalelu...it...it...”
Not understanding what Relisha and Thanara are saying, Olaff dismisses their comments. "If Shalelu is on the otherr side, she is saferr than ve arre! Come Thanarra, ve need to get the f!%+ out'a herre!"
When Olaff hears Asta's voice, he freezes for a second before turning his head towards the exit while keeping his hand stretched for Thanara to grab. But once again he freezes at her sudden silence, imagining what had happened to her.
His open hand drops towards his sword and he turns back to the tunnel, his eyes red with rage and sorrow. Before moving forward, however, he turns once more to Thanara. "Asta had a sisterr in Trrollheim. If therre is a child, I beg ye to find herr and tell that herr fatherr and motherr have died vhile fightin' a drragon. I'll buy ye time to escape. Do not vaste yerr life, Thanarra... flee and live, orr I svearr I vill come frrom the dead to haunt ye."
Ahreni's focus is on the dragon so when the idiot blonde comes charging in from behind she isn't able to react in time to stop her. Frankly what she got is exactly what she deserved...
None the less that doesn't mean that Noisemaker needs to get involved. Sterling herself Ahreni ducks through the combat once again to block the ulfens path.
"Shalelu IS dragon" She growls at Olaff. "Don't fight!"
While the dragon is distracted by stuff behind it, the tentacle monster takes advantage of the opportunity and thwacks her with claws, teeth and tentacles.
The green dragon cries out in pain from the attacks of the monster it is fighting. She is starting to look pretty bloody and bruised and likely won't last much longer. Even so she bares her teeth as she fights back against the creature.
Bloodier yet is the tentacle monster which Shalelu rips to shreds. With her final slice from her wing, the tentacle monster splits into two and falls from the ceiling down to the floor at her feet.
Finishing off the beast the green dragon lets out a ferocious roar before slumping down to the ground, the rage subsiding a bit as she tries to apply pressure with her clawed hand to the more serious of the wounds.
Relisha grits her teeth and stretches out her soul to touch Shalelu's. Seeing the damage that's being done, she's not sure what help it will bring, but she has to do something.
She then taps herself with her wand again.
"Don't attack the dragon!" she yells out.
Seeing the combat finish, the tiefling severs the link she just created, knowing that the damage the dragon has taken is more than enough to overwhelm her meager self.
Instead, she closes her eyes and releases a pulse of healing energy.
Ahreni 25/27
Olaff 28/31
Relisha 28/33
Shalelu 38/38
Thanara 17/17
Dragon Shalelu 37/85
None the less that doesn't mean that Noisemaker needs to get involved. Sterling herself Ahreni ducks through the combat once again to block the ulfens path.
"Shalelu IS dragon" She growls at Olaff. "Don't fight!"
"Don't talk nonsense, Ahrreni! Have ye hit yerr head?" Olaff dismisses her commend as he approaches. "Move aside Ahrreni... ye arre confused, orr dominated by the drragon... I don't vant to harrm ye, but I vill kill the beast and avenge Asta!"
As Olaff hears Relisha's voice, he yells at her. "Rrelisha! Is Asta alive? If she is, get yerrselves out o' herre!"
Ahreni body checks Olaff. Hard. "Stop Noisemaker. Let me do this." She glares until the warrior stands back and then turns to Shalelu.
She walks forwards slowly, arms spread wide and meets the dragons eyes fearlessly. "Let dragon go. You are elf. Shalelu. Strong hunter. Not curse. Let go." She reaches forward slowly and places one hand on the dragons nose.
The green dragon looks toward the others as they continue to argue and snarls as her muscles tense readying to fight again. However, as Relisha heals her she pauses, she watches as her wounds heal and looks at the others slightly confused. Her breathing steadies and slows as she stares at Relisha.
Suddenly, Olaff charges toward Ahreni and smashes into her trying to push her aside to get past her. Seeing this the green dragon roars in anger as she gets back to her feet and bristles, ready to fight once more. In anger she reaches out with her large claw and slams Olaff against the nearby wall, trying to pin him to it.
Squeezing him against the wall she comes in close with her maw, teeth bared, saliva dripping from her razor sharp teeth. She stops just short as Ahreni walks up to her, starring her down, but talking in a calm voice. Not fully enraged with the creature dead, when Ahreni says her name her head tilts to the side in confusion before she closes her jaws. As Ahreni puts her hand on the green dragons nose the dragon closes her eyes, her breathing calming once more.
After awhile something starts to happen. The green dragon scales begin to flake off slowly at first but progressing more rapidly. She begins to shrink in size, letting go of Olaff as she gets smaller and smaller. Her claws receed as her face begins to morph back to normal and her wings slide back into her back. Her hair begins to sprout from her head once again. After several seconds you see Shalelu laying on the floor unconscious, badly injured and naked.
The tiefling steps up and pulls her cloak off. Kneeling down, she wraps it around the naked elf, whispering soothing nothings into the woman's ear.
"She needs to rest. We need to go back to the cemetery," she says in a quiet voice.
Thanara sat curled up on the floor still, her body trembling in fear as she watches the nightmare unfold. But, thankfully, it begins to wind down. She watches in silence as Shalelu returns to her normal self.
Magic...that had to be it. Elven magic. What else could explain it?
She slowly rises to her feet, but her eyes fall to the unliving form of the tentacled monstrosity, staring at it in silence and terror as she folds her arms around herself.
"Is...is she alright? Does Ameiko have time for us to retreat again?"
"I don't know," Relisha responds to Thanara's question. She looks around the cave that they're in, seeking out any other exits. "But I know that Shalelu needs to rest and we still have no idea where this vault is."
Ahreni nods. "Look after her. Noisemaker and I look for vault."
She jerks her head to Olaff and moves onwards through 'Pharasma's' realm.
"Sorry about your female." She says. "But listen! Relisha is clever. Not noise-headed. If she says Shalelu is dragon - listen!"
"I'm not letting you go off by yourselves. Without me you'll be dead inside of ten minutes," the tiefling declares boldly. "If you're staying then we're all staying."
Lost in shock as the dragon turns into Shalelu, Olaff is slow to react, but when he recovers his sense he moves towards Shalelu's unconscious body and rests his sword against her neck. There is a mix of sadness and anger in his face. "Shalelu is the drragon... it needs to be slain beforre it vakes up... I'll do it, even if I vill take no pleasurre in doin' so."
Noticing the girls' horrified looks, Olaff continues. "She killed Asta, but it could be any o' ye, orr me, orr Ameiko... drragons arre terrribly evil crreaturres and if therre is one thing all o' me people agrree is that vhen ye have the chance to kill one, ye do, because if ye vaste the chance, the next time ye see it it vill be burrnin' and rrakin' at yer family, frriends and kin."
With a clumsy shove, Relisha pushes aside Olaff's blade, ignoring the line of blood that it draws on her hand.
"That is your choice, Olaff," she says as pulls the unconscious elf's form behind her own. "But you will have to kill me before you do. I have no illusions about my ability to stop you. You are strong and full of my own life energy. While I am not and weakened from keeping you all alive. But Shalelu is under my care. I will not allow her to come to harm while I still breathe."
Ahreni 25/27
Olaff 28/31
Relisha 23/33
Shalelu -2/38
Thanara 17/17
"Ye fully underrstand vhat this might cause, Rrelisha?" Olaff asks, with obviously no intention to harm the tiefling. "The drragon might kill someone close to ye next time and then perrhaps ve vill not have the chance ve have herre."
He points to Asta's bloodied and broken body. "Vhat vould ye do if it vas Amiko dead therre? Vould ye still be trryin' to stop me? Be honest vith me and I vill sheath my blade." He then eyes Relisha, waiting for her answer. "If the drragon lives, any morre deaths it causes vill be on yerr hands. Can ye live vith it?"
"I have taken oaths, Olaff. Oaths that declare that I will defend those under my care with my life," Relisha replies. "Any desires I have, any ..." she swallows, "... love that I may have is secondary to that."
Tears begin to trickle down her face.
"I pray to the gods that it never comes to choice like that, but if it did - I would have no choice, Olaff. My oaths come first."
Olaff sighs, defeated as he sheathes his sword. "O' oaths I underrstand and I vill not stand betveen yerrs, even if now I'm making anotherr one forr myself: If this drragon in Shalelu's body kills anotherr innocent perrson, I vill slay herr. This I oath."
He then moves towards Asta's body in a vain hope that she might still be alive.
Relisha bows her head as the Ulfen stows his weapon and walks away. She makes no response to his owth.
A moment later and she sends another healing pulse through the group.
Ahreni 27/27
Olaff 31/31
Relisha 25/33
Shalelu 10/38
Thanara 17/17
"Are you ok?" she asks the elf softly as the woman's eyes open.
Shalelu opens her eyes and looks up to see Rel hovering over her. It is chilly and she looks down to see there is only a cloak covering her. Her heart starts to race as she looks around. She sees Olaff huddled over the corpse that was Asta and Than starring at her. Sitting up she pulls the cloak up to keep herself covered more from being cold than any concern of others seeing her body and takes note of all the other open wounds. "I... I don't know... am I? Where are my clothes and my stuff?"
Slowly she stands, wincing and grabbing hold of her abdomen where the still open wound remains. When she instinctively grabs it, it only hurts more and she cripples over to her knees. "What... what happened?" Remembering where they are and what was going on, the last that she could remember she starts looking around in a panic until she sees the corpse of the monstrosity that had nearly killed Rel. "We killed it?" she asks as she nods toward the dead monster.
"Yes, it's dead," Relisha says in a calming voice. "We're safe right now." She looks the woman in the eyes and tries to keep the elf's focus on her. "Do you remember anything at all about fighting the ... the creature?" she asks calmly.
Shae thinks back as she recounts what she remembers "I was shooting arrows at it and then it had grabbed you and looked like it was about to kill you... I... I'm not sure what happened after that. I remember feeling strange, angry... Did I black out or something? Did it cast a spell on me?"
"It wasn't a spell, Shalelu. It was the curse. You changed," Relisha says. She waits a moment for the elf to process that.
"Into a green dragon," she finally adds. "You saved me, Shalelu. But ... but Asta ... she saw you and ... and attacked you. You defended yourself."
Thanara watched silently, still in shock as Olaff and Relisha argue over...killing Shalelu! Then he takes an oath to kill her! Lightning begins dancing along her skin and at the corners of her eyes as she glares at him hard enough to burn holes through his body.
She clenches her fists. Later. When Ameiko is saved and all of us are out of here.
"Let's go," she says through clenched teeth as she turns and heads out.
Shalelu stares up at Rel for the longest time after she explains what happened. Suddenly she retches and then vomits on the floor, collapsing nearby as she beings to sob uncontrollably. She tucks her knees into her chest as she lays there crying for a moment.
When she hears Than call out for them to go she sniffles and puts her palm on her her head before wiping the tears away. She slowly sits up, no longer concerned with the cloak that had been drapping her and leans in close to Relisha shaking her head as she whispers "I... I don't think this can be fixed... What, what if I had killed one of you? As it is I killed an innocent woman, even if it may have been in defense... how am I supposed to live with that? How... how can you all even look at me?" Tears stream down her face as she continues "Rel... if you can't fix this, you should just end me... what if I turn back into that thing again..."
Hearing her usually stoic and battle ready friend in distress causes Thanara to pause. She listens to what Shalelu says before kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her forearm. "Because that isn't you! It's some sort of magic, and magic can be undone. But I won't stand for anymore talk of anyone killing you. Do you understand?" she asks as her eyes turn angrily towards Olaff for a moment before returning to her friend. She brushes her wayward hair back behind her elven ears as she says "You are Shalelu Andosana. Protector of Sandpoint, and all around bad ass. Whatever is going on, you of all people can beat it," she adds as she cradles her friends face in her hand, which still tingles with electricity coursing through her veins.
Shalelu finds Thanara's embrass strangely comforting, in addition to her words. She leans into her hands as she lets out a deep sigh before finally nodding "Okay...". This is probably the first time Shalelu has ever listened to and took Thanara's advice. She wipes more tears from her face and gets back up to her feet, standing their naked she asks "Anyone happen to have any spare clothing they brought with?"
Thanara blushes a bit for her friend, seeming to come slowly to herself. "I don't think so. My pack was heavy too heavy for me to pack as is," she replies glancing at Ahreni who had been thankfully carrying it for her since they left Sandpoint. "Besides, you always made fun of my outfits, you'd probably hate whatever it was I'd have had anyway."
Relisha pulls the magical sleeves that Thanara gave her from her backpack and hands them to the elf. "Here, you can use these for now. They won't give you any protection or keep you warm, but at least you won't be naked."
Shae smiles a bit at Thanara's joke and takes the sleeves, but when she puts them on and nothing happens as she stands their naked, she lets out a sigh and moves over to Olaff. Putting a hand on his back she frowns "I... I'm sorry for what happened. Please know I... I wasn't in control. I would have never done that. She didn't deserve what she got but..." She hesitates before continuing "Since she is dead, do you think I could use her clothes?" She takes a step back and takes a defensive stance half expecting the Ulfan man to spin around swinging at her request.