Alexa tumbles into position behind the succubus. Both she and Darya land blows against the demoness.
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I survived the next wave of layoffs, though one of my co-workers was caught up in it. There is potentially one more wave coming, but indicators are that the biz group I am will be impacted either very lightly or not at all.
Uriel lands another blow, and the succubus is looking haggard.
The succubus engaged with Uriel steps out from between him and the goblin dog, then takes another swing with her rapier.
The babau demon steps up to Arloric, and sends a bite at Arloric and 2 claws at Uriel.
The other succubus strikes at Darya and Alexa
The goblin dog appears behind the succubus to flank with Uriel. It attempts a bite, but can't get its jaws on her. Telerin steps back and channels energy.
Both succubi shake off some of the effect.
I hope that you are looking for another job. There's not much out there at the moment, though I haven't done an exhaustive search. I am actually feeling a lot safer than I was. We'll see how that holds up at the end of the year. I qualify for retirement under the rule of 75--I have been here a long time--so if I am laid off I (involuntarily) retire instead, which means I get a retirement package instead of a severance package. That's not a financial windfall or anything, but it would give me more time to figure out the next steps.
Kemat focuses on defending herself from attacks. Uriel flies across the room, and strikes the succubus, landing a solid hit.
I'm in my 50's. Age discrimination is a real thing. On top of that, I am in an industry that has been getting hammered for the last couple of years. It's never a good time to lose a job, but now would be especially bad.
The succubus Dary and Uriel are engaging steps back into the closet and pops away, reappearing on the far side of the room.
Alexa attempts to tumble through the succubus's space, but the demon is too fast even for the nimble aasimar.
Fortunately, Alexa is fast enough to avoid an opportunistic swipe from the succubus's sword. There's pop in the air as another succubus appears in the room. You recognize this one from the chapel area not long ago. Immediately after, a babau demon casually strolls in through the open door.
I'm safe but only for now. It's possible there will be another round in a couple of months, when some division budgets get trimmed. This has been stressful. We went from 500 laid off (that's just in our city/metro area) to 2400+ with almost no warning.
Hey, all. I hope you had a happy 4th of July holiday last weekend. I am hoping to not be laid off in the next couple of weeks. Will keep you all posted.
Telerin starts casting a spell. Darya steps in to attack with Radiance, but she's unable to land a blow against the succubus.
Uriel lands a blow but Arloric's blade fails to connect.
Telerin strikes the succubus with her magic missiles. Then the succubus bears the full brunt of the channeled energy. The succubus seems visibly shaken as Darya stares her down. Alexa moves into flanking position and strikes, landing a solid blow. The succubus steps back out of reach, and teleports to the north end of the room, by the open door to what looks like a storage room. Alexa sees her pull a rapier from an otherwise bare set of shelves, and readies herself to fight.
The figure shifts into the form of a succubus with long, white hair. "So you're the reason the halfling won't speak to me anymore." She says, taking a guarded stance.
Kemat and Arloric check on the prisoner, and he eagerly accepts the offer of food and water. Then Telerin channels energy into the room, and he shudders as it washes over him.
His tone immediately changes from that of a weakened, desperate man to something altogether different. In a firm, appraising voice, he says, "Clever. And here I believed I'd thought of everything." The manacles fall off as his form shifts.
Corrected the description, above.
Uriel steps into the room and sweeps his vision from one side to another. He detects a tainted aura from the man who is shackled to one of the bunks. He cries out, "What did you do to her?" Arloric and Alexa have a look as well. This was definitely barracks of some sort, and the room has mostly been cleared out, but there's a pile of tattered clothes under one of the bunks, and bundled in them is a rapier. Kemat's spell, however, has an immediate effect. The shackled man stares blankly as her spell washes over him, and then he collapses to the bed behind him grabbing hs head with his hands. "No. No, no, no. She did it to me again! It doesn't stop. It never stops!
"Not today, crusader," she says to Arloric. "But fine. Take this one. He bores me, anyway." She steps back five feet, and disappears again. The chained up human cries out, "No! Come back!"
Ha! Almost as fun is the lingering cough.
Apologies, folks. I came down with a bad case of bronchitis.
The big battle you were in just a few minutes ago. She disappeared from the chapel in the middle of the fight.
The door opens quietly. You see a succubus, the one from the battle near the chapel a few minutes ago, looming over a male figure in somewhat tattered clothes. She is speaking angrily to him and you get the last part of it. "...what good are you?!"
She snaps her head around when the door opens, looking right at Alexa. Her eyes narrow in recognition. The room looks like another barracks, lined with large, sturdy bunks. The man is manacled and chained to one of them.
You check all the doors around this room. The ones to the north are quiet, and you open them to reveal a long hall that ascends some steps before turning right. You see daylight and smell fresh air. The west doors are also quiet, and lead to now-empty barracks. The south is quiet as well, and opens to another barracks. From both of the east doors, however, you hear what are at least two voices. You can't make out words, but from the tone and the pattern it sounds like they are having a heated discussion. Double checking both, you sense they two entrances to the same room or place, and not a unique set of voices behind each.
Noro is awful. Glad you are doing better.
You don't hear anything through the door, and it's not locked. The door swings open to reveal another hall with even more doors in every direction. Referring to Nurah's map, you appear to be near the northeastern corner of the castle.
Ouch! Hope you are feeling better.
You step through the hole in the wall and approach the doors to the north, but as you cross over the threshold you see you're really in an L-shaped corridor. The wider leg runs north-south, with double doors to the west and east. The narrow leg runs east, and ends in a single door.
The western doors are not locked, but they don't budge when you try to open them. It feels like they are blocked from the other side.
The door is not locked, and opens to what appears to have been barracks for soldiers. The room has been completely cleared out save for small bits of trash and debris.
Alexa listens at the door to the east, and hears nothing from the other side.
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