Kikonu walks sedately over to watch the ongoing combat with his own eyes. His crimson face splits in a vicious grin, and his eyes narrow as he tugs the chain free of his waist and reveals it to be a rare weapon - a kusarigama, or sickle and chain. On one end of the chain is a sickle much like those that the ninja used in their ambush a few weeks before, while on the other end hangs a simple weight.
One of the dire corbies, speaks in Kikonu's voice again. "Rend their guts, the malignant mutts!" Swiftly, it steps between the samurai and his comrades, before unleashing a savage assault. Fortunately, Teruko's enchantment keeps his skin intact, despite the terrible swiftness of the dire corby.
Another of the four remaining dire corbies , steps forwards to flank the samurai as well. Once again, he only barely escapes injury as Teruko's spell holds its claws away from his vulnerable flesh.
The third dire corby steps forwards to flank with its kin, its blackened talons tearing through the air to cut at the samurai. This time, he is able to intercept the blows himself, keeping them from even getting close to his skin.
The sole remaining dire corby lashes out itself. This time, it gets lucky as Yuto nearly slips on the blood of the dead corby. Though he swiftly regains his balance, it distracts the young man just long enough that a claw rakes through his armor and tears deep into his left arm.
Kikonu cackles, clapping in delight. "A most excellent dance, I couldn't have done it better myself! No, wait. I'd not have gotten injured at all." He cackles again, twirling his chained weapon.
Yuto's eyes open in awe "A kusarigama!" the weapon almost makes him forgot they are being attacked "A-are you a ninja from Tian Xia, Kikonu?!"
The young man defends himself as good as he can while the corbies cunningly move around him "Ha-have you heard him? He is talking through one of them!" as he says this, he swings the katana at this yellow corby.
He then steps back, with a bit of luck even might be removing the one threating on Torra "Careful with those claws Torra, can you move away before launching those rocks?!"
Torra takes a quick look over her shoulder, but the others are bunched up in the doorway and cutting off their retreat. Setting her jaw stoically, she turns her attention towards the corbies, trying to 'thin the herd' like Riftun indicated, but the brief moment in which she had taken her eyes off their enemies makes it difficult to refocus, and her blast goes wide.
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Round 2
Seeing the proficiency of the purple corbie, Elvina casts Misfortune on the creature!
Then, the witch steps ten feet back, giving her allies more space.
Yuto's blade lashes out even as he questions Kikonu, who seems disinclined to answer him. The blow cuts deeply into his target even as he steps backwards and away. The creature staggers, screeching in pain, but its fury burns in its eyes unabated.
Torra unleashes a blast at it, but not before it has the chance to strike her as she looks away. Its injuries keep it from making contact with her, but so too does her own distraction send her blast into a nearby wall instead.
Meanwhile, Elvina unleashes a hex at the most proficient of the dire corbies and feels its fate sever away at her will.
"I hear him. Murderer. Thief." Teruko's eyes are narrowed as she glares at Kikonu. "This place does not belong to you, and you are not its lord."
It seems she can't quite decide whether to shoot the dire corby practically in her face or the strange red-faced man claiming to be the Lord of Brinewall. The crossbow bolt reflects this indecision as it lodges harmlessly in the wall between her two potential targets.
More blood and gore do not sit well with Riftun as the young bard hastily assesses the situation. The corby he had designated as Yuto and Torra's target had not gone down as quickly as he had hoped, but such things were to be expected of the shockingly resilient birdfolk at this point.
The situation was dire but not untenable. Riftun recalled his reading of battlefield tactics and manuals of combat during his ventures in the library. He knew if they could get one more down numbers would be on their side and something he read as 'the economy of action' would be on their side.
"Y-Yuto you're amazing! Another hit like that and that corby has to fall! Torra, if he takes it down and a shot opens up you should take it at the far right hand corby! Remember to keep your distance!" He cries out whilst continuing to cower behind the door.
As Riftun offers his advice to Torra and Yuto, Teruko sidesteps and fires a bolt somewhere between Kikonu and his minions. The quarrel sails harmlessly past both, but Kikonu's face darkens, and he begins stamping his feet. "That's not in the play! You're ruining it all, you hideous apes!" He shrieks, his features twisting. However, they continue twisting, as does the rest of his body. A feathery down grows swiftly out of his cheeks and hair, while his nose merges with his mouth to form a beak. Claws erupt from his feet, and his eyes shift upwards into place above his newfound beak. Black-feathered wings erupt from his back as his shrieks grow louder and more birdlike.
Kikonu now stands before the heroes with his weapon whirling, no longer a Tian man, but a raven-like being. Some sort of mutant tengu, perhaps, or maybe a giant wereraven.
Like the tengu, yamabushi tengu are trained in all manner of blades and more than a few exotic weapons. Their beaks are also sharp enough to rip flesh and break bones, but the true threat of being bitten is having one's voice stolen - literally. The oni can then use their victim's voice, while their victim is rendered mute.
Furthermore, their natural abilities allow them to teleport, weaken their foes, and burn their prey with rays of fire. Invisibility is no defense against them, and they can, as Kikonu has demonstrated already, throw their voice with impossible skill. Other stories ascribe to them the ability to cause eruptions of sticky, blinding light, or to shift and blur the borders between self and other. Like trolls, yamabushi tengu heal rapidly, even from death, unless killed by fire or acid.
Despite all these strengths, however, they do have a significant weakness to patterns - especially hypnotic or other mentally affecting ones.
He stamps his clawed feet again, before vanishing.
The uninjured and undressed dire corby lashes out at Yuto with a frenzied attack, apparently hoping to make up its earlier flight from him. Despite the samurai's best efforts, he cannot prevent the claws from raking through his armor and rending his flesh.
The horrifically injured dire corby's blood and viscera spills from its wounds, staining the absurd costume it wears. Nevertheless, it limps over to Torra and lashes out. Its talons strike home, but her stony skin deflects the blow, keeping her from injury.
One of the other costumed dire corbies lunges at Yuto, its claws a fierce blur of death. Yuto keeps his guard up, deflecting with his shield and sword both, and keeping the deadly talons away from his vulnerable flesh.
Finally, the last of the dire corbies squawks something in its native language - the others shriek in response, and it hesitates a moment before launching itself at Yuto, its claws reaching for him. Fortunately for the samurai, it slips on the melange of blood that covers the floor, its claws going wide enough that he doesn't even have to avoid them.
The amount of blood spilled by Yuto was cause for concern, especially as he was the sole defender of the group against the onslaught of claws and beaks. Glancing again over her shoulder and huffing in frustration, Torra follows Riftun's advice, hoping to relieve the pressure on the samurai, even if that meant attracting the attention of the corbies to herself.
Yuto reels back a bit when hit and observes the last corby with awe "Oh, that's so unfortunate of you!"
The Tian swings his katana once more trying to end the injured corby, or if that one was down by Torra, then the blue one that hit him.
Observing the transformation in awe, Yuto tells the shapechanger after making his katana flash "I-I am sorry Kikonu San! I-it is really n-not my intention to ruin your great sho-show!"
Assuming yellow is down by now, Yuto steps over the fallen body, further retreating closer to the doors "Back! Back!"
Round 3
Elvina Cackles awkwardly, extending the Misfortune on the purple corbie. "They cast Dimension Door - they are trying to escape!" Elvina watches as the being transforms then disappears, her warning too late. She aims her light crossbow and fires at the same creature!
Yuto slashes swiftly at the dire corby that blocks his retreat, injuring it critically even as he apologizes to the vanished Kikonu. Torra prepares to blast her foe, leaving her open for a counterattack, but she is ready this time, and ducks under it to unleash the burst of pure earthen fury into the skull of the dire corby. Its face crumples with a horrific crack, as blood, flesh, bone, and brains paint a visceral picture across the wall behind it.
Elvina's warning is too late, but she forces a low laugh out anyways. It causes her allies' necks to tingle slightly with its magical potency, and she fires her crossbow at her hexed target. Unfortunately, it ducks low, avoiding the quarrel.
Teruko starts to take a step forward, snarling, before registering both Kikonu's disappearance and Torra's request. "A yamabushi tengu. No doubt he is the enemy my father warned me about. Although he cannot be the true threat. He is merely a craven fool, who will teleport away at the first sign of danger."
Her mouth twists. "Take away his...allies...and he will be no more dangerous than a wingless pigeon." Punctuating those words, she fires a shot at the nearest dire corby before stepping back.
Memories of thumbing through stories of far and distant lands come flooding back to Riftun's mind as he witnesses the transformation of the strange playwright. He had always enjoyed the tales of samurai and their heroic deeds just as well as those of knights or the champions of his homeland.This creature had featured in one of them. A yamabushi tengu, as Teruko rightly points out.
The boy is in awe for a moment. He never thought he'd get to see one in real life and yet here it was. He was so engrossed in the moment of seeing such a mythical being that he doesn't even get a chance to speak and warn the others before it's casts dimension door in order to escape its fate.
The outpouring of violence at the end of the hallway is enough to bring the young man back to the present situation. Especially seeing how wounded Yuto was getting is enough to get him back to a tactical mindset. They needed to end this quickly and tend the samurai's wounds.
"Only a few more! Yuto, c-concentrate on the one in front of you. Torra hit the one in front of you if you can! We can do this! The tengu must still be nearby so be careful!" he warns.
Riftun swiftly offers his advice to the two at the forefront of the battle, even as he figures out what exactly Kikonu is.
Teruko fires her bolt at one of the farther dire corbies, and realizes that her aim is just off, only for Riftun to shout a burst of magical encouragement, igniting insight. With it, she manages to shift her crossbow just enough to knock the quarrel's flight path so that it almost hits... then the dire corby dodges behind Yuto, and the bolt misses its mark.
The survivor from the previous engagement hops forward, its claws rending through the air to tear Torra apart. Though she manages to avoid many of the claws, one catches her in the side of her neck, ripping through her stone-hard skin to give her a shallow cut dangerously close to her jugular. Her foe screeches, licking the blood from its claws in a single quick movement.
The other uninjured dire corby leaps backwards, away from the combat. Its crimson eyes linger on the melee, though, and it seems ready to lunge.
The wounded, bleeding dire corby continues its furious assault on Yuto. Though no one blow strikes the samurai too hard, he cannot manage to keep all of the wounds from accumulating, and his blood joins the dire corbies' in greater and greater quantities on the floor.
Yuto extends his arm trying to stop the attack on Torra but that only leaves a spot to the left of his shield the dire corby profits to strike on him "Ouch!"
Turning to engage the corby in front, he swings his blade once more "Tha-that pains, in the books never seemed liked this"
Whatever it costs, Yuto holds his position knowing he is the wall that keeps his friends safe.
As hardy as she was, it was becoming dangerous for Torra to stay on the front lines. Taking a cautious step backwards, the dwarf takes a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of the stone under her feet and around her, the pent-up pressure of the ceiling above pushing against the walls, the walls pushing against the floor, all rooted into the earth by their own tremendous weight. As she lets out her held breath, she pushes both her hands forward, and the blast of rock that comes with the gesture is somehow more powerful than usual.
Round 4
Elvina turns her attention to the orange corbie, who is closer in range. The witch casts Misfortune on the orange creature! Then, she loads her light crossbow with another bolt.
Yuto slashes the dire corby before him, knocking its claws back with his shield before nearly severing one of its arms. It should be dying, unconscious with the pain and shock, but still it stands.
Torra takes a few steps backwards, and begins to draw a slow collection of rock and earth from around her. Within a heartbeat, she unleashes a tremendous burst of power directly into the undressed dire corby's stomach, sending it staggering away with a plaintive honk.
Elvina refocuses her attention on the nearly dead birdman, seeking to sever the threads of its fate, but something in its nature resists her curse and she quickly puts a bolt back into her crossbow.
Witnessing Yuto get further and further clawed and ripped at by these dire corbies Riftun's hear begins to sink. He instinctively reaches for his potion when he remembers Teruko's healing wand which would be much more useful than trying to force Yuto to swallow the potion mid-battle.
Unfortunately, as he looks over at Teruko he can see this strange look in her eyes. A contortion of anger and insult as she fires quarrel after quarrel at the birdmen seemingly uncaring of anythinf else around her.
The indignation on her face, the wrath and willingness to harm froze Riftun's heart in his chest for a moment as unpleasant memories endeavored to return to the surface of his mind.
The boy takes a single step back before his eyes dart back over to Yuto's bleeding and desperately battling form and his resolve to not see the brave samurai come to any greater harm pushes the bad thoughts back down. "T-Teruko what are you doing?!" Riftun just manages to shout forcing his voice out through the lump in his throat.
"Whatever this is you have to snap out of it! Yuto needs your healing magic!" He pleads. "Please. I know you're stronger than this!"
He shouts to Torra and Yuto. "Help is on the way! Please just keep fighting they're running out of steam! Hit those two again they shouldn't be able to take another solid hit!"
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As Riftun urges Teruko to heal him, Yuto seems to realize himself of how much bleeding he is, tears appearing in his eyes "Why? Why did Seishin stayed back? Whe-where is the goddess now?"
Despite all, the young man keeps fighting "Sa-save yourselves, run before they bring me down!"
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Teruko is already aiming at her next target when Riftun calls out to her. "Don't you dare-" she starts to snarl before her words seem to catch in her throat. For a long second she doesn't move, long enough for Yuto to tell them all to run.
"Yuto?"
She blinks and her right hand lets go of the crossbow. Shaking, she steps forward. "I...I've got you. You're not going to die here." She flicks her wrist and takes hold of the wand. "None of us are going to die here."
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Riftun's voice awakens Teruko to the realities of her situation, even as the young bard quickly offers his advice to Torra and Yuto, continuing his encouragement. Shaking off the influence of her mental passenger, the oracle lunges forwards and taps her yojimbo with a wand of healing. Warmth returns to the young man's limbs, and he feels ready to fight on.
This is fortunate, as his opponents feel the same. The dire corby slashes at him with its claws in a death-frenzy, but it is clearly weakening, even as Yuto is healed. He bashes its claws away with his shield, easily defending himself from its dying efforts.
The dire corby that Torra had pushed away bares the needle-fangs in its beak, and bounds at her, dodging easily out of the way of Yuto's attempts to block its path as it leaps higher than he expects, and his sword whistles through the air beneath its feet.
As it lands, it unleashes a flurry of attacks at the dwarf kineticist, and though she manages to avoid some attacks, its claws find her chest, tearing deeper into the stone-hard flesh than she would've expected, reaching to her heart, but she manages to whack the arm away with her own, falling back even as pain sears down her body.
Meanwhile, the sole uninjured dire corby waits and watches for an opening, its muscles tightening and flexing as its piercing red gaze seems to burn into the heroes.
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Yuto's eyes open wide as he feels Teruko's healing quickly closing his wounds "Th-there it is! The goddess is still with us! We can still save Ameiko!"
With recovered resolve the young man follows Riftun's timely advise slashing through the front corby's neck where the redhead saw a vital point.
Yuto's blade is a blur as he carves the dire corby in two, its viscera, blood, and half-digested food spilling to the ground as its top half thumps nearby. Even as it falls, however, the uninjured dire corby leaps forwards, its claws outstretched. Fortunately, the young samurai manages to keep it back, stepping away as he deflects the razor-edged talons and the heavy power behind them.
Torra staggers backwards, hissing in pain, her own blood spattering the front of her tunic. These damn birds were determined to keep them on their toes - one moment Yuto is almost dead, the next Teruko has healed him, but even as the samurai cuts down a corby another one leaps to take its place and continue the relentless assault!
"Stay back! Go away!" Shaken by pain and fear, the dwarf doesn't make much sense as she gathers he power again to blast at the corby in front of her.
Torra gathers her power again and blasts the creature back once more, shattering ribs. It hacks up blood, and one arm hangs limply to one side.
Her focus renewed, Elvina unleashes a hex upon the dire corby attacking Yuto. She feels its fate twist, bending to her command.
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Teruko's violent outburst grips Riftun's heart in an icy vice. For a moment he forgets where he is and is suddenly back there.
His eyes wide, the boy takes a few stumbling steps back as his body shakes. Trying to put some distance between himself and the woman who spat her venomous words at him. It is all the boy can do to prevent himself from running right here and now but, seeing the sorry state of both Yuto and Torra, the young man knows he cannot retreat. Not now.
"Torra, I-I'm amazed that thing is still standing. One more hit should do it! Yuto! Elvina's hex has weakened that one! Take it out before it regains control of its own fate!"
Teruko pauses, mind racing as she tries to decide what to do. Her previous single-minded focus on attacking had nearly gotten Yuto killed. However would single-mindedly focusing on healing be any better? Yuto was still hurt, but not anywhere near as badly. Meanwhile one of the dire corbies was nearly dead. If she could kill it before it attacked Torra again...
Shoving the wand in a pocket for easy access, she shifts her focus and raises the crossbow once more. Please let this be the right decision. Please.
Riftun continues his slow, steady retreat, urging his companions to finish their foes. Teruko takes his words to heart, despite not being addressed by them, and aims carefully. For a moment, it seems to her as though time has stopped, and she knows exactly where her bolt will go - it is only a matter of getting it there. She adjusts her aim unconsciously, before tugging the trigger. The projectile jolts through the air, slamming into her target's eye and snapping its head back. The creature falls to the ground with the thump of unmoving flesh.
The sole surviving dire corby shrieks its fury, unleashing a swift barrage of attacks on Yuto. As it slips and slides on the gore beneath its feet, it fails to connect to him, though there are a few near misses that lend the young samurai some sense of alarm. Frustrated, and possibly aware that it is now far outnumbered, it pulls back from combat with him.
Torra is strangely relieved that it is Teruko's strike, not hers, that finishes off the corby in front of her. She was getting thoroughly sick of slaughtering these creatures - were they really that stupid to keep fighting in the face of overwhelming odds?
Making shooing motions at it, she shouts, "Stop attacking us! Go away! Leave this place!" It probably didn't understand her words, but the gestures should be clear enough.
Yuto's eyes open wide as the bolt destroys the corby's eye and send him mindless to the ground. The young man has to turn to see where the bolt came from and his eyes cross in awe with Teruko's determined stare.
The remaining corby bashing on his shield returns him to the fray, gulping as only Elvina's luck prevents the claws from reaching him.
Despite the pressure, his friends combined push, luck, resolve and good advice throws him forward following the corby like if this was the choreography designed by Kikonu himself "I will not fail you!"
Yuto pursues the birdman, his katana slashing down and cutting deep into the creature's shoulder before it can leap away. Growling, its eyes glow dark red.
Torra attempts to get the creature to flee, but readies herself to blast it if it refuses.
Elvina, meanwhile, keeps back, her crossbow loaded and readied to follow Torra's example.
Quickly reloading, Teruko takes a step forward so the sole remaining dire corby stays in her line of sight. "You've lost. Surrender now if you want to live." Her hands start to shake as the adrenaline fades and the pain in her shoulder makes itself known.
Teruko prepares to fire again, along with Torra and Elvina, and as the beast attacks again, all three women attack. Torra's blast rips through its side, while Teruko's bolt sparks off the nearby wall. Elvina manages to arc her bolt over her comrades heads, whereupon it strikes the creature in the cranium, dropping it to the ground in a bloodied heap.
Yuto raises his hands and shield as bolts and stone debris start to fall over the corby in front with determined might.
The young man gulps as the creature falls defeated "Wow! Tha-that was some serious stuff! Is everyone ok?" he looks around for more enemies to fall over them "We-where has this Kikonu gone?"
With a lot of prudence, he slowly looks around and examines the hall, going as far as to the throne.
It is difficult to tell how injured Yuto is, as he is completely covered by the corby's blood, mingled with Teruko's and his own one.
The throne room is in ill repair, and most of what may have once been tapestries have been shredded or torn down entirely. The throne itself is made from worn wood, though it looks like it once had carvings on it.
There are several doors throughout the throne room. One stands immediately south of the hallway that has been painted with gore, another to the southeast of the throne and dais, one on the northern side of the hallway leading to the dais, and a pair that lead out. Finally, there is one to the throne's northwest, made from heavy iron - albeit somewhat rusted by lack of treatment.
Furthermore, Yuto also finds a staircase leading upwards to the second floor.
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Teruko lowers the crossbow and takes a deep breath. "We're...I'm fine, because of you. Thank you." Retrieving the wand from her pocket, she moves forward to heal the rest of his injuries. "Hold still for a moment."
After healing Yuto, she pauses. "I'm sorry. I should have healed you sooner than I did. I..." She isn't sure what else to say, and so says nothing more. She simply tends to her own shoulder and, after a glance backwards, to Torra's wounds as well before returning the wand to its sheath.
"What do people want to do now? Unfortunately we're still no closer to finding Kelda or a cure for Ameiko. I'd hoped Kikonu might know something, but it seems he's gone." A large part of her wants to leave, to find a safe corner in the caravan and break down, but that wouldn't help Ameiko.
She's also far from certain that she could. Lonjiku has made his opinions on the matter painfully clear.
"I think going upstairs is the best option. Clearing out the castle one floor at a time makes sense to me." She grimaces. "Although I probably shouldn't be making decisions right now. I'm not...entirely myself."
"No... no... it was... fine Teruko Sama" Yuto holds the healing staff softly with a hand as Teruko apologizes and stares at her smiling with worry "Yo-your crossbow made the difference, I probably would not... be alive otherwise"
As the way forward is discussed he looks around the throne room "The-there are plenty of doors he-here. I am sure we-we will find the reason Ameiko fainted"
Teruko is already suggesting going back to the upper floor when the Tian finds something in the wall "Wa-wait, the-there is something here..." following a seam with his fingers in the stone, he cleans the dust until a frame is visible for everyone, then pushes it with the shoulder trying to reveal what is this hiding.
Yuto throws open the door, revealing a room with several beds in varying states of disrepair. Sunlight shafts in through a narrow window, casting shadows onto the northern end of the room, where the mattresses of the beds lie in a filthy heap. Two grey-scaled reptilian creatures sit upright on the ruined beds, their yellow eyes wide as they stare at the heroes. Leaping to their feet, they shout the alarm and grab their clubs, tails lashing furiously.
"Intruders are here!"
"A hidden path?"
For someone who was so fearful, Yuto sure loved jumping headfirst into danger... Sighing inwardly at the sight of yet more strange, armed creatures, Torra prepares to blast them should they turn violent.
Riftun looks at the creatures for a moment, baffled, before offering advice to Yuto and Torra. "They're speaking Draconic, and they aren't terribly happy to see us. Get ready to take them down!"
Torra does just that, readying herself to fire at the nearest of the lizard-creatures as Elvina moves up beside her and unleashes a hex on the target the dwarf has chosen, though she feels it push away the curse with its own will.
Their target leaps into action, rushing at Yuto. Torra hurls her blast of earth and stone at it, and even as it looks like it's going to miss Riftun shouts a word of arcane encouragement to her, and she adjusts her aim to arc it over Yuto's head, whereupon it crashes down on the skull of the creature, sending it toppling to the ground in a bloody heap of cracked scales and broken bones.
The other, monster screeches, brandishing its club as it rushes at Yuto, who does not even need to move. Its surprise seems to have undermined whatever skill it may have had with its weapon.
However, it's not alone. Another gray-scaled lizard man throws open the doors to the southwest. Yuto's attacker shouts something in Draconic.
The creature nods and whirls about, dashing back into the room it had emerged from, and a door in the south of the throne room is thrown open, with two more enemies dodging behind the pillars as they approach the heroes.
Teruko had been hoping that perhaps Kikonu had fled behind the secret door. Instead it seems they'd found a nest of strange reptilian creatures, all of whom are far quicker to react than her. Perhaps all of these rooms are full of enemies. Rats lurking in the walls, defiling her home...
Shaking her head to clear it, she steps back and casts a familiar spell. "Riftun, Elvina, back against the wall! Don't let them surround you!" She checks to make sure her crossbow is loaded, although it may well become useless if the creatures continue to charge.
Yuto is startled to find a nest of serpentine creatures behind the wall "Yo-you! Thi-this is Kaijitsu's property! Wha-what are you doing here?"
As they move forward clearly violently, he gulps as the first one is destroyed by Torra's blast and finally manages to rise his own sword against the second one.
Startled, Yuto manages to lift his sword only somewhat belatedly, and strikes swiftly at his attacker, who cannot lift its club in time. The katana slices through its hard scales, ripping an enormous, deep gash in its left leg. It hisses loudly, agonized by the wound.
Teruko invokes her connection to the divine, and her blessing washes over the group, uplifting them and reassuring them even as she advises her allies to get to cover.
Suddenly, a potent stench permeates the air around the scaled creatures, and the heroes, save Elvina, suddenly feel their stomachs churning, rejecting the foul scent.
Stepping protectively in front of Riftun and Teruko, Torra raises her hands again, although it's all she can do not to barf from the stench. "Gods, what are these creatures?! Where did they come from?"
Riftun backs up past Yuto, his back to the wall as his stomach heaves. "Yuto, you can strike this one down," he swallows, before waving his hand at the farther one. "Teruko, careful of its cover." He coughs, trying to get the foulness out of his lungs.
Elvina, meanwhile, steps up to Yuto and quickly waves a pungent concoction under his nose, blocking the stench temporarily. When she takes it away, he finds that his stomach has settled significantly, leaving him feeling ready to fight anew - and protected, at least for now, from the stench.
Torra wrestles with her stomach, but manages to fight down the roiling sensation long enough to unleash a blast of earth at it. It dodges behind the pillar, but the mass of dirt and stone smashes through it. The lizard-thing's shoulder shatters sickeningly at the impact, and it is knocked to the floor, where it lies bleeding.
The other two creatures screech, though whether in fury or some other emotion is unclear. Its comrade, who had come out of the same door as it, rushes at Torra, its club raised. Distracted by her gurgling stomach and the increased stench as it approaches, she cannot dodge out of the way - it cracks against her shoulder. Though her stone-like flesh blocks much of the impact, she still reels from the blow.
It shouts something in its hissing native tongue.
Its compatriot goes into a frenzy of attacks. Dropping its club, it lashes out with claws and snaps at him with its jaws. The young samurai weathers the storm admirably, deflecting claws with his shield and keeping its jaws from more tender parts using his armor.
Yuto smells the herbs offered and immediately sneezes *ahchiz*! at least the reaction immediately takes away the horrible stench of the creatures "Th-thanks Elvina San!"
With the distraction he is almost stricken but Teruko's magic protects him. Swinging his katana back, Yuto attacks the one advised by Riftun "Koya taught me to always have a bath after a day of hard work. Do-do you know what is that here? A bath?"
Teruko gags as the creatures close in. Swallowing hard in an attempt to prevent herself from vomiting, she takes a step to the side and fires at the creature attacking Torra. Her eyes are watering too badly to tell if she hit or not.