Was entertaining while it lasted, and in the end, that's what counts, isn't it?
take care all.
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Ouch. Must be the season.
With the walking marrow cage now cornered, Kairen lays into his foe with all the force he can muster, aiming his sword blow across the skeleton's forehead.
don't feel too bad; a lot of extra footwork and attention span have been yanked form me as of late having to get around just to get online. I should also (hopefully) have a new monitor monday, so a lot of this should be alleviated by then.
Now inside the polearm's range, Kairen throws his shoulder into the skeletal foe, trying to shove it back to an open space.
GAH! Somebody tell them stop rearranging the layout! Keep having to recenter my focus when I check for updates!
Leaning out of the way of the bony guardian's clumsy thrust, Kairen shoulders the weapon out of the way and moves in to respond with force, aiming to cut into the skeleton's shoulder.
A little good news to offset the delay then: I FINALLY have some internet I can rely on! As long as it doesn't have major issues of its own, I should be good from now on.
Spotting the bony warrior walking towards them with weapon raised, Kairen answers in kind, drawing his longsword and stepping in front of the group, waiting to see if any hidden threats emerge from the alcoves.
The jolt of lightning scatters Kairen's senses and very nearly throws him backwards from the pain, leaving him shaking the blinding lights out of his head and grimacing as his nerves frantically attempt to calm themselves. "That...was...painful..."
"Moved, you say?" Kairen looks more closely at his statue for a moment, then moves to regroup with Zazou, following the goblin's direction and examining the statue's base. "Ha! by the light you're right! Perhaps they're meant to cover trap doors or the like. Let's find out, shall we?" After checking to see which direction the statue might slide, Kairen finds the best spot to stand, and attempts to push it along the rails.
"Strange indeed," Kairen muses, stroking his chin. "If memory serves, no one's been in here for some time since the disturbances. How can these statues be so immaculate, even free of dust, down here with no one to clean them? Magic? They don't look like any kind of special material for the most part--just good quality marble."
"Well, this is...interesting," Kairen muses, scanning the high ceiling and the grandeur of the room. "Didn't think the dead were fond of gatherings in such large halls..." He then begins to follow the platform around the edge, examining statues as he passes by them.
"We do." Kairen moves to the opposite side of the doors, draws his sword, and nods to Balin's guardian, placing a hand on one door and pushing it open just enough to see inside the room.
"so it leads to a cliff face then? no real net gain or loss for that knowledge, I suppose. Let's check the other direction down this corridor now. Best to go as far as we can without opening any more doors and freeing any more undesirables for the moment. Once we have a more thorough layout, we can decide whether it's worth opening more doors, or if it's best to leave them be."
Kairen nods at Balin's conjecture, uneasy about the undersized tunnel. "My only worry is splitting up the group. That's the absolute fastest way to get someone killed. Exploring the gloom together sounds better than sending one into the tunnel alone." Glancing about the hallway, Kairen scans the area for a lit torch to carry.
Rubbing a spot on his jaw where it'd nearly been smashed off by the bloated zombie, Kairen nods at Balin's thought, immediately thinking back to the spells that had healed the grievous damage. "Without some of those spells there'd be at least one of us dead back there. Much as I want to sweep these rooms, I think a close brush with death does warrant a little respite. We weren't given a deadline to meet, so a break is probably for the best." Just can't let everyone lounge for too long; can't have them getting lazy, now.
Kairen wipes his blades, sliding them into their sheaths and exhaling as he surveys the carnage. "I think we'll manage, for a time at least. I'm not thrilled at seeing anyone run off like that, but if we've all made it out alive, then there's no point bemoaning it. Hopefully they have the sense to run to explored areas instead of deeper in." Wiping what gore remains on his clothing, he raises an eyebrow at Balin's soundless companion, who doesn't seem to care about the mess. He then returns to the hallway to examine the next room.
Kairen wobbles to his feet, regaining his senses as he stands. Once he can focus, his eyes blaze with fury at the undead fiend as he lifts his longsword again, and reaches for the short sword at his belt. Dashing around to the right flank of Balin's silent bodyguard, he slashes to the right, bringing his shorter blade up with his left hand, aiming for the creature's face.
slashing
The sheer mass of the creature rattles Kairen's skull as it nearly knocks him senseless. Realizing he's underestimated his foe, he measures his strike more carefully, weaving around the zombie with more focus on the meaty fists flailing at him.
Kairen's eyes go wide at the new occupants up and about; first from surprise, then from anticipation. Balin's silent companion beats him to first blood, but only barely. In a single motion, he turns to the unattended undead, pulls his sword from the sheath on his back, dashes into the closest zombie, and with both hands, cleaves downward through the creatures midsection.
Kairen cocks an eyebrow, smirking at the sudden change in logic from his goblin companion. "Oh, now you want to wait for me, eh? Got our priorities straight, have we?" Sword in one hand, door handle in the other, he motions everyone to stay against the wall, out of view of the door as he opens it.
Kairen does his best to usher the two Tengu out and keep up with the group, despite the chattering protests of the two birds.
Kairen chuckles a bit at the birdmen outside. "Sorry little friends, but there's no gold in here. Just a lot of dust and a little spell to trick the mind. One less potential ambush for us, though. Shall we move on?"
As his vision adjusts, Kairen's face lights up with realization. "Of course! It's an illusion! Everyone, don't trust your eyes; someone has laid a spell over this room!" Noting Zazou attempting to touch objects that are not there, he taps him on the shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint you, friend, but the jewelry is just in your head. Someone has a reason to protect this room with misdirection."
"No undead, but...this doesn't feel right. This is a small chamber for three who seemed to be nobles of some sort. I would think they'd have a more spacious tomb, or even individual tombs. Zazou, be careful. don't touch anything before you're certain it's safe." Kairen steps into the room to examine the bodies more closely, looking for signs of the corpses' identities, and keeping an eye open for more oddities.
"Zazou, wait!" Kairen whispers. He closes his eyes and concentrates on thoughts of the unliving. As his eyelids lift again, he scans the room for discolored auras that may signal undead creatures.
"all right, all right then, don't be hasty, boys. Let's do this the right way, just in case whatever's in there is quieter than us." Kairen then moves to the door to open it.
Kairen grabs Zazou by the shoulder as he steps up, looking down and shaking his head in warning. "hold on, now. I don't like this. I didn't study much magic during my training, but that circle just screams 'magical ritual' to me. Don't touch it until we have some idea of what it's for." Adopting a tested approach, Kairen then moves across the edges of the room, avoiding the circle, to open the cabinets, from the side if possible.
Kairen chuckles at his pint-sized supporter as he starts the trek back up the stairs. He holds up his hand to signal a stop, then checks the east door at the top of the stairs first, opening it slowly and peeking inside. Hopefully nothing in here's patient enough to sit around listening to chatter and battle without responding...
Kairen stows the potions and folds his arms, stroking his chin with thumb and forefinger. "Well, we would be remiss in our purpose if we left rooms behind us unexplored and threats unconfirmed. The last thing we need is a few of those things," he gestures towards the remains of the slain fiend, "Ambling up behind us and pinning us between them and unexplored territory. We should check the untouched rooms upstairs before we move on."
Kairen's eyebrows shoot upwards as his face distorts into a derisive and disgusted scrunch. "WELL," he exclaims, "I think that answers quite a few questions, unsettlingly enough, replacing them with plenty more...can't say I figured such a fiend for a...graphic artist..." He then moves to examine the cabinets, waving away the party as he moves to one side, sword at the ready, preparing to open each in turn.
"Well, I can't say we saw a corpse down there, only a few feathers and some blood. If this...Fisk is alive, he's almost certainly wounded; given the ferocity of the fiend we slew, either outcome is as likely. I suppose we would be remiss in our duties if we didn't at least confirm his fate. Sticking together would be safer for us all in any event, so I suggest we find Fisk."
Kairen is taken aback by the unexpected beaks and feathers behind the door, glancing quizzically at his comrades for a moment before answering with an almost blank stare. "Ah, well...I think we saw some feathers around the area, but I don't recall seeing a body, besides the fiend we killed...err, I'm sorry to be a bit tactless, but..." He moves an index finger back and forth between the two of them indicatively, "You're not at all what I pictured. What are you two?"
Kairen smirks in response to the unspoken urging, and raps on the door once again. "Skezz? Izzy? Are you still in there? I believe we've killed your beast. Female body, ugly face, claws and fangs? It's a headless corpse now; I'm fairly certain it's safe to come out."
Kairen replaces his blades, his face a mixture of relief and disgust. A clean blade in the face of unholy terrors felt like a failure on his part, to say nothing of the unconscious comrade on the floor. "Sadly, I never developed an aptitude for the practice of healing. I hope to not exhaust your resources too quickly, Balin, for we have a large complex yet to explore." Kneeling down to the ratling's prone form, he lifts Gazzer over his shoulders and holds onto him by the hands, shifting his weight to balance him more evenly. "For now, let's go and let...what were their names? Skezz and...Izzy? Let's let them know their terrifying beast has been put down. They may be of use, and perhaps we can allow our little scout some time to regain his strength."
Kairen swoops in to stand over the ratling and slice the fiend to ribbons, but stepping over Gazzer proves to be a mistake as the creature's inhuman evasion throws his balance completely off.
The sudden burst of violence from down the stairs spurs Kairen to action. Pulling his sword from his back, he bounds down the steps as quick as balance will allow, doing his best to avoid the pools of blood on the way down. In the gloom, the details are difficult to make out, but from the chomping wound the beast has inflicted on Gazzer, the situation is fairly clear. "Looks like we've found our beast."
Kairen nods at Balin's suggestion, unsheathing his sword with as little noise as possible and matching the low whisper. "I certainly hope so." While he waves Zazou and Gazzer to the front, he points to one, then points down the corridor. He then points to the other, and points to his ears and the door on the left. He then takes position just to the right of the door, in order to remain between his party and the stairs.
"I agree. Whatever threat we know of now should be dealt with; less surprises later." Kairen moves to catch up to the silent bodyguard, motioning for his undersized companions to follow along.
Kairen nods, once again rapping on the door, more to indicate his subject than anything. "Well, we're here to deal with bigger problems than a random beast, but if we find your toothy predator, we'll take care of him too. You two are welcome to join us, unless you think you're better off trapped in there?"
Kairen cocks and eyebrow as he stifles a chuckle. Sheathing his sword again, he relaxes his posture and raps on the wood with the back of his knuckles, speaking through the door. "Skezz? Izzy? You can come out now; the beast with the tentacles and shadows is dead, and we have no quarrel with you. Are either of you hurt?"
Kairen's eyes widen slightly at the recognition of voices, and he wordlessly puts a finger to his lips; he points to Zazou, then to his ear, then to the door, hoping the goblin will interpret the message.
"I'm more averse to titles than names, Balin. 'Kairen' will do fine." He smirks as he paces down the hallway, on guard and eyes scanning both celing and floor.
If he reaches the door without incident, Kairen will then use detect undead and direct it in one direction, straight through the door, as far as he can stretch it.
Kairen rolls his shoulders a bit after finishing his encounter with the ancient door, then draws his blade and relaxes a bit. "Alright, then, now we have a little room to move. Looks like it's clear for the moment; anyone have a preference of path?"
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