Hallod shrugs at Kunsheng. "They're better."
Perhaps it's the sadness, outrage at how alchemy has been used to transform nature, or Hallod's indifference, but something guides the Tien-shu's hand, as the bullet flies over the crates and strikes the female alpha wolf viciously on its side!
Sinan's spell compels Hallod to speak, he strains against the compulsion, but speaks his mind. "Give up? Are you stupid? I'm stronger than you! Better than you! She doesn't accept weakness! I'm going to chop you up, witch!"
Furious at having his will stripped by the Qadiran, Hallod jumps down from the berm and strides forward towards Sinan. Up close, you can see he's taller than you though, carelessly he drops his crossbow on the ground next to him and draws a nasty kukri from his belt that he flashes in front of you. His leather armor is filthy and smells of sweat and a cloying smell you can't place. "Time to dance, witcher man." His grin made more ferocious by his scar.
Both wolves let out a hunter's howl.
|----|----|----|----|
The qadiran sighs. "You have made your decision, Hallod. I shall try to keep you alive when we bring you in."
Pepper summons a little storm spirit, sending an electric arc between the white wolf and Hallod--
--before raising her bark shield.
Deerslicer's arrows fly wide and the alpha male wolf watches the arrows break against the cavern walls. Its nostrils flare and it licks its chops in anticipation of a little bit of goblin rump.
As the wolf anticipates a meal, Pepper's storm spirit heeds her command and an electrical arc blasts through the top of the crates and crackles above Hallod and the female alpha wolf. As the blue-white electricity seeks the ground, Hallod gets completely out of the way, the electricity striking near his feet missing him, but it doesn't miss the female alpha wolf. Still hurting and perhaps with dulled reflexes from Kunsheng's attack, it feebly tries to avoid the electricity, but alas, she's too slow and as the sudden discharge courses through her, stopping her heart, her dreams of vengeance against Simon die with her.
|----|----|----|----|
"Poor wolf..."
Gamble whistles a jaunty tune that seems out of place given the dire circumstances. He pulls a mushroom out of his pouch and makes a series of complex gestures while he whistles. The mushroom disappears with a pop and a flash as a tiny, winged, glowing swordsman appears flitting behind Hallod.
"Put that bully in his place," the bard says.
The nimbus of light around the sprite swells with intensity and then two tongues of flame fly toward Hallod.
"I'll show you, you big, bald, bad man!"
"Ha! You miss—!", Hallod's triumph is cut short as the small sprite's second luminous spark hits scorches his arm!
The male alpha wolf howls and comes to aid his master. Growling, with is heckles raised, it stands in front of the little fey, leaps in the air, opens its mouth and closes his jaws against the sprite.
"Good boy.", Hallod mutters.
|----|----|----|----|
"Eep! Aaaa..."
The glow fades away inside the wolf's mouth.
Licking his chops, the wolf notices Simon closing in, as the rapier is raised against his back, it wheels on Simon and it darts under the blow as Valor pierces the empty air with his longsword. It growls at the human bold enough to have tried to stab him in the back.
"GRRRRrrrr", the wolf's throat rumbles.
"Deal with him", Hallod commands the wolf.
|----|----|----|----|
Sinan eyes the tripwire for a second and decides not to close on Hallod, instead goading him to approach. "La tanzur mubasharatan 'iilaa alshams." he says as light flows from his holy symbol to daze and dazzle Hallod. Then with a chiding smirk, the qadiran says "Sayidat , ahmini." and a shimmering shield of light erupts over his arm as he brandishes his scimitar, ready for Hallod's inevitable advance.
"Yeargh! THAT'S IT!", Hallod yells as he's hit with another headache and then splashed with even more flames! He takes a careless step forward, triggers the tripwire...
SWOOSH!
...and ends his step just inches from where a crossbow bolt goes flying and breaking itself against the cavern's rock wall. He grins, the sweet smell of his mutagen coming from his breath. Narrowing his eyes, he cuts across Sinan's torso, dealing a nasty gash!
"STOP HURTING MY HEAD!!!", he bellows as he brings his kukri behind him, splattering blood near Simon and drives his fist at Sinan's gut!
But the servant of the Everflame, still reeling, sways back, and the fist grazes only his clothes!
|----|----|----|----|
Sinan's shield takes the hit and dissipates as it slows the kukri down somewhat. "Well, now we know what those do." Sinan comments about the tripwire through gritted teeth as he faces up against the much larger Hallod.
Gamble makes a series of arcane gestures and says, "Blowing like the wind! Flashing like lightning!" Unseen forces pick at Hallod's mind once again. The bard then draws his sword.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes full initial damage but no persistent damage, and the spell ends immediately.
Failure The target takes full initial and persistent damage, and the target is sickened 1. If the target recovers from being sickened, the persistent damage ends and the spell ends.
Critical Failure As failure, but the target is sickened 2.
As Hallod towers over Sinan, twisting his kukri blade downwards at the exposed cleric's neck, he hears Gamble say something before a searing pain courses through his body, making him double over immediately and almost throw up the mutagen he swallowed!
The male alpha's ears prick up at his master's pain as he snarls and snaps his jaws at Simon, torn between attacking his foe or coming to his master's aid.
|----|----|----|----|
Pepper is torn, but seeing the Sinan managed to block a good portion of the blow, she goes with her instincts and weaves words of Primal Magic to save the wolf from death--
--before raising her little shield.
A pained Hallod throws a boot kick at Gracie, forcing her to duck and bite, missing the brute as her jaws snap onto empty air. Deerslicer, perhaps seeing Simon in trouble unleashes two arrows that strike true, the alpha male howling in pain as the two shafts stick out of its bleeding torso!
Angered, it snaps its acid-lined jaws at Simon, missing entirely! It then jumps back a step, does a short leap and bites down on Simon's shoulder, dragging him down to the ground! Seeing the acolyte down, it rushes over to help its master, triggers the tripwire and darts past the flying crossbow bolt that is released! Positioning itself to strike at the small bear next to him if necessary, it snarls menacing.
"GRRRRRrrrrr..."
Deep inside the body of the tired and abused female alpha, a heart slowly starts beating.
|----|----|----|----|
Sinan presses his luck, slashing three times with his trusty scimitar, Dawn's Light, at the larger man.
Simon, mud-caked and perhaps aching from the fall doesn't let his fatigue stop him as the stabs the male alpha wolf in the back!
Kunsheng's bullet bounces off the shaggy fur of the alpha wolf. It barely even registers the hit.
Hallod is sweating, his face contorted into one of extreme pain and he's pale face makes him look more fearsome. Sinan, perhaps unnerved by the presence of the brute and that he's still standing with the rather nasty kukri gripped firmly in his hand strikes thrice, only to have all his attacks deflected or dodged by the bully with ease.
Through a pain-laced mien, Hallod grins wickedly at the Qadiran.
"Die for me, won'tcha?", he leers as the kukri's blade slides down towards Sinan, cutting him up viciously as the fist comes to meet his face, but Hallod's punch is held back as the his muscles cramp up due to a flare up of pain.
Hallod throws up some of his stomach contents on the floor in front of Sinan. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and mutters, "Much better," as his pain finally subsides.
|----|----|----|----|
Pepper weaves words of Primal magic, summoning small spirits to stick pine needles and spider-silk into Sinan's wounds--
--before raising her shield.
The little spirits are proud of their good work, and wink at Sinan before they vanish back to their plane.
Gamble drops his staff and then works his way around the barrels and crates. He stabs at the wolf with his sword.
At Deerslicer's command, Gracie goes all in against the remaining wolf, her jaws penetrating his shaggy fur and clamping down on his flank! Around the same time, Gamble angles himself and strikes with his longsword, but the stab misses as both animals tussle with each other, snarling and growling savagely! With the wolf being dealt with, Deerslicer places himself in front of the Tien, knocks an arrow, but can't get a bead on the bully with Gracie moving constantly in front of him. The shot misses.
With all the fighting going on, the female alpha whimpers and flutters her eyes as Pepper calls upon more Primal magic to aid the staggered Qadiran holding his own against the mutanized brute!
Freeing itself from Gracie's jaws, the alpha male finds itself surrounded. Turning in place it launches itself at Simon, misses and throws itself at Gamble...
...tearing into his shoulder and dropping him on the ground, jaws snapping open as a large chunk of the Ulfen falls to the cavern floor. Panting, it turns to Gracie, growls and its head darts in for a vicious snap! Sharp fangs tearing into her in return for its bite! Gracie falls badly injured against the muddied ground.
|----|----|----|----|
Sinan doesn't like the look of his friend taking such a large bite and going down so he uses his last spell to bolster his friend's health before facing off against his foe. "Sayidat , min fadlik salat aldaw' ealaa shifa' sidiyq khadimik."
"I'd give you a lecture on why encounters like this are far better with friends, but I'm afraid it would be lost on you. Mine even come with cute fairies." Once again, the priest brings Dawns Light's blade down on his foe.
"Gracie!"
Pepper sends more spirits of healing to help the bear recover--
--mending her completely.
She keeps her shield up.
Kunsheng and Valor work together to bring the alpha male down. With a quick flick of the wrist, Kunsheng's bullet flies and shatters the right front leg of the alpha, making him drop on a knee. Seeing the opening provided, Valor swiftly strikes, driving his longsword into the neck of the creature and with a second quick strike, it slides through it's heart.
"You bas—! My wolf!", Hallod snarls, spittle flying from his mouth as Sinan calls upon the Dawnflower's embrace on Gamble. "No, you don't!" Hallod screams as he punches Sinan in the throat! The last thing Sinan sees is Hallod's twisted grin of triumph. Gamble & Gracie, bleeding on the ground perhaps watch horrified as their friend goes down; Simon, patching himself up by the dead wolf and Kunsheng just a few feet away watch Sinan's skull hit the cavern floor with a loud crack.
Not satisfied with his kill, Hallod kicks Sinan's downed body, who goes sprawling face down in the mud. He then turns around and furiously towers over Simon. "Now you pay!", he says taking a step at the acolyte of the unknown god. He swings his kukri near Simon's eyes, but Valor reacts and reels back, twisting his body at the last second to avoid the unseen punch heading toward his gut!
Panting, Hallod does not look so good, he's sweating profusely and his skin is a light yellowish tone, yet even though he has several nasty cuts on him, he's still standing tall.
|----|----|----|----|
Saddened to see the wolf killed outright, Pepper raises the moss that serves are her eye-brow, thinking that this Hallod cannot be all bad, if he likes his wolf so much but then she is appalled to see her friend sliced and so badly hurt.
Pepper reacts by sending the mending spirits to now take care of Sinan--
--before raising her shield, and looking at Gamble, who was actually not healed.
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"We have whittled them down, my friends," Gamble encourages the others as he gathers himself. "His minions are gone, and he stands alone."
He stands, bracing for the blow, and attempts to swings his sword.
Silently, Sinan thanks the Lady for bringing Pepper to his presence. But as he stands, his only words are for Hallod. "I regret that you are so set in your methods, Hallod. With your doggedness, you could have been a great man. But like the Dawn, I shall always rise again to meet you."
Yet again, Sinan strikes at his adversary with the blade gifted to him by his former teacher.
Deerslicer's arrows miss their mark, striking some of the crates near the others, Hallod not even noticing the goblin ranger nor the small bear. His eyes are focused on Gamble who's starting to get up.
Using this distraction in their foe, Pepper once more calls upon nature's bountiful spirits to heal the unconscious Sinan, one playfully kissing him on the nose before vanishing into nothingness.
"Don't need friends to deal with you, music man", Hallod tells Gamble before attempting to clock him in the face as he's standing up, only to have Gamble dodge by pulling his face back, the fist inches from his chin. Replying in kind, Gamble's longsword strikes the bully on the chest, cutting through his armor, and making him bleed. He seems oblivious to the pain as he bellows back and angles his kukri for a strike on the Ulfen. His attack is frustrated when suddenly from behind him Sinan presses an attack, distracting the bully from his vengeance, but perhaps due to his hurt and battered body, Sinan's strikes miss their mark.
"How many times do I have to kill you?!", he asks Sinan indignantly.
It looks like it's all up to a fatigued Valor Holysword to keep the bully in check.
|----|----|----|----|
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"You only need to do it once, Hallod. But you're just not good enough to get the job done."
Hallod yells as Simon swiftly brings his rapier thrice, unsuspecting the man to be so quick! The first hit glances off his armor, Hallod's surprised face apparent as the second hit strikes home and pierces him. Blood flows from the wound and he barely manages to parry the third vicious attack. He stares momentarily at the six of you, spits as he sees he's flanked from four sides. He gives a dry heave... and he looks startling better now, no longer sweating nor yellow.
"Oh yeah? I'm strong! I'll show her— show all of you I'm not weak! She needs me!"
He gives a loud, throaty growl and fueled by the remnants of the mutagen, throws himself at Valor. The kukuri slices upwards, cutting a gash on the acolyte's body , caught flat-footed Valor stumbles as a mutagen induced fist almost slams into his face!
He roars like a cornered animal as he braces himself for the counterattacks!
|----|----|----|----|
Pepper launches her healing spirits at Gamble--
--and then scurries over to be beside Gracie.