Absolutely pouring with Blood and concerned for his own well being, in his weakened state Apollo hunches forward from the pain, drawing Tempest back once more and staring directly into the beasts eyes.
Smirking ever so slightly, the man speaks (although out of breath) to the creature; "If it's Oblivion we've found, I'll show you the true meaning of the word. YOUR TIME IS UP!"
"Come on Tempest...I think that's what Dmitri called you...Serve me in this fight as you have served your owner! I don't wish to die here today! I've got a baby dinosaur that needs taken care of, and an overgrown dog to put down!"
Pulling the scythe back once more, only now with a look of absolute insanity across his face, Apollo swings the scythe with all of the might he could muster (all things considered), laughing as he takes a massive swing at the beast, before stepping back in hope to leave the creatures range.
"MISSED! Come on man, dodge this things next attack. You can make it! Just hold on!"
Dmitri sneered at the flames, but took a righteous glee in the sizzle. The burn scorched his forehead and arm as he dodged out of the way. He returned, a wide smile on his face, reaching up his hand once again seering with dark energies to plunge it deep into the creature.
With the newly obtained weapon, Hatim lets out a beastly grunt and moves to gain access at the creature. He attempts to swing at the creature.
Completely missing the creature, he lets out an angry snarl.
Kori - 20
Dmitri - 19
Apollo - 18
Hatim - 17
Ceustodaemon - 12
Angmar's divine aura shifts around his weapons, giving it weight and power. He raises his magical weapon high and smacks the creature around the face with it, hard.
Kori's weapon fails to pierce the creature's weak spots, and it laughs in her face at her failure to hurt it.
Apollo's shouted remarks go in deaf ears, as both he and Hatim fail to strike it. "Come, meet rigor mortis a few moments early!" it spits, and arcane phrases follow, but getting out of its combat stance leaves it open to attack. Apollo's body freezes in place, not listening to any of his commands.
Angmar tries to take advantage of the opening, and moves in to strike again, but his mace doesn't pierce the creature's tough skin.
Slashing the beast once already, Apollo steps away from the creature and sees an opportunity to reach out and slice at the creature once more.
As the man slashes up the side of the beast, his body freezes in place momentarily, before resuming once more.
"THE HELL WAS THAT!?"
Having shaken off the horned ape's whatever it was...Apollo feels a little more confident, having now hit the beast once more.
stepping up to the beast for another strike, Apollo shouts; "I dunno what you are, but....FALL BACK TO THE CESS POOL YOU CRAWLED OUT OF!" as he swings once more, only this time overstretching himself in an attempt to reach the beasts neck.
As the big ugly thing lets its guard down to try and cast a spell, Kori's true rage ignites. There's no trusting casters and the type of disruption they can create amongst a group. "You'll not cast your twisted magicks on us fiend!"
Using the opening caused by its spellcasting, in unison, Apollo and Kori carve the creature in opposite directions, opening X-shaped rents in the ceustodaemon's flesh. Black innards and blood spill out of the creature, and its mouth opens and closes in shock, its eyes fading as it falls to its knees and then fully to the ground. Moments after the creature dies, however, the body crumbles into ash, and the ash crumbles into dust, and the dust vanishes.
After her violent swing, and the fiend's subsequent disappearance, Kori's arms suddenly feel leaden as she works to catch her breath and control her senses. "Well, we did surprisingly well, that could have been much worse if it cast whatever spell it was trying."
Hrghhh groans Apollo as his deep open wounds spill more and more blood.
I.....Whatever....whatever that was, my body froze up for a brief second...not from fear, but almost as if something froze me into position.
Breathing heavily, the man tries to apply pressure to his wounds, slowing the flow of blood enough to not bleed out heavily, before carrying himself over to Dmitri.
Swaying to and throw, the man stumbles along and passes Tempest to the white haired man.
Take it. That was a close one, but it saved my arse back there.
As Apollo coughs up blood, he turns around, holds his stomach and leans forward as he makes his way back to the abandoned tavern.
My hammer....I need my hammer....
Dmitri receives the weapon rather happily and takes not of how damaged Apollo is. For a man who so urgently wishes to kill these creatures, he lacks the constitution...
In his fervor he hadn't managed to land a single blow against the demon with his dark powers... A shame, truly, but not surprising. It was a wondrously strong beast, and they'd no doubt fight worse in the future...
He grinned with ecstasy at the wounds, the burning that singed his forehead only slightly but had nearly seared his lips shut. A custodaemon...
"What is our... next order of business? The gnolls seem to have a rather powerful cleric capable of binding beasts such as that monstrosity." he asked as he scuffed off ash from his breastplate.
Kori walks back to the inn with the others, eager to get out of the street in case their fight had attracted the attentions of any of the patrols that are said to be about town. "Well, once Short-legs works the magicness on Lizard-friend that he normally uses to heal me, we still have a few more buildings to check along this row."
The group warily retreats back into the tavern to recuperate from the fight they just had and to get out of the public eye.
Before Apollo walks in, Angmar lays a hand on his shoulder. "Hang on, big man. Ye don't look so good, you should take out of these." The dwarf hands Apollo a potion of cure light wounds. "Ye know.." he says, appraising the man's wounds again, "I'm not sure that'll do the trick. Let me and Angradd help ye along with that."
As the Dwarf places his hand on the mans shoulder, Apollo stops in his tracks, still breathing heavily from the wounds he had just accumulated from the Ceustodaemon.
What's this Angmar? he says as he absent-mindedly drinks the potion anyway.
Well....I dunno what that was but I feel better already! Thanks buddy.
Glancing over to Dmitri, Hatim and Kori, Apollo sighs, shrugs and then smiles before talking out loud to the group.
Gnoll's.......Gnoll's I can handle, but that? THAT? What the hell was that? I almost met my end today before....
Apollo turns back around, shuts up and then heads inside where he slumps down next to his hammer, in one of the many seated benches the tavern holds.
WHAT the hell was that?
"I've said before, it was a Custodaemon. A creature easily made subserviant that primarily does nothing but reap chaos. Hailing from the plane of Abaddon. The creatures from that place seek only destruction..." he states as he walks by the man, not really paying attention to his sudden loss of morale.
He crosses his arms, and shakes the blood from the scythe, which immediately crumbles away to inexistant dust as did the rest of it's previous container. "I do believe we should continue our press. That was likely the strongest defense that they'd prepared, or at the least, had on patrol... I hope, anyway." he said as he placed the weapon back in it's rightful place.
"What is your opinion of the situation, Koritylija? Rest and scout, or press on? I need not remind you I am still weary of that scoundrel Dashki, but he is merely a wild card in this situation, no?" he says, carefully touching the sharp tips of his gauntlets behind his back,
Apollo simply nods at Dmitri's explanation, looking a little concerned if nothing else, as he continues towards the inn.
Abaddon...destruction....Dmitri's knowledge of creatures from other planes is helpful I'll give it that, but how did he obtain such knowledge to begin with?
Kori wasn't expecting to be asked her opinion, usually she gives it unwarranted, "I was a little worn out after my last swing on the thing, but am feeling ready to go now. Short-legs gave his god healing to Lizard-friend, so we should move on. You barely got hit, and Short-legs and New-guy not at all. We are all good." She tries to sound official in her summation.
Hatim grumbles looking down sadly at the scimitar; still in his ghastly form. "No hit."
Looking at Hatim's 'modified' form, Kori states "Ugh, whatever you did, you uglied up real good. Just hold onto that sword if you might use it again. I'd rather not deal with you needing to pull stuff off me in a fight." Once everyone looks rested enough in Kori's eyes she moves back to the front and moves along the row of buildings they've been following.
Continuing down the road, Kori hears a few choice things - gnoll barks originating from the other side of the row of buildings they're moving down now. The next two buildings she passes are completely ruined - their roofs have collapsed, as have one or more walls. They're obviously uninhabited and offer no shelter.
The third building is a different matter..almost. It clearly was once a gatehouse, designed to block further passage down the road, but about half of the building, as well as the gate itself, have been wrecked by something. From inside the building Kori hears animal sounds - snorting and hoof-shuffling, but with a deeper timbre than is afforded to most animals.
Kori turns back to the others, and quietly asks "Sounds like a big animal inside, bull, boar, cow, or something. Do we want to bother with it or just keep moving?"
Having his scythe more than just a little at the ready at this point, Dmitri scoffs a bit at the thought. "While it probably wouldn't be difficult, there's no sense in risking more resources on some simple animal, no? I say we merely make for the arena itself. What about you?" he says, presenting a hand toward the arena and looking to Kori with the question.
Kori shrugs, "Oh, we're going to the arena, but we are gonna take the road to get there, covering our asses so we don't get surrounded when we arrive." She agrees to ignore the animal, and goes back to following the road and clearing out each building along the way.
As Dmitri follows Kori and the group, he looks about, watching for Aangmar to return.
For the life of him, he couldn't seem to register why the man would suddenly disappear, but then again, it probably had something to do with the recent encounter with the custodaemon.
As he walked along, he admired Kori's unyielding determination towards the task at hand. Funny as it was, she wasn't as attractive as the woman that had originally given them the mission at hand, which fell just wonderfully in his arguably brainwashed ranking system. This didn't much matter to him, really, as he was quaint with obeying and becoming closer to his deity.
Still, something nagged at him, and on their downtime while they walked he couldn't help but bring it up a third time. Kori, and err... Angmar, what do the 2 of you believe Dashki was up to? I felt as though the sickeningly unbathed fool had matters to attend to... and they didn't involve the mission at hand. Hmm?" he asked as he walked with his scythe at his side.
He made sure to keep an eye about the area as they walked, trying to make sure nothing overheard him suddenly.
Seemingly tired from the fight prior, there Apollo sat, hammer gripped tightly in hand, resting across his lap and chest, as he sat there thinking to himself.
Well, they haven't returned yet. Guess I'd better go and catch up. Still, after all the talk of Kelmarane being Gnoll territory, all we've seen so far have been a measly 2 Gnoll's, a giant snake, a deer creature and some kind of....black horned ape that spoke. whatever that thing was, it wasn't Gnoll and it wasn't...of this world. If it was, I've seen nothing like it before!
As the normally happy man clambers to his feet, he wipes the blood from himself as best he can...most of it being that of his own, then heads out of the front door and looks towards the ground.
Well, guess I'll follow the same path we've been heading. The tracks of four people can't be that hard to find or follow! Ha!
It doesn't take much looking for the man to find the tracks left by his companions, and after a couple of minutes, Apollo manages to catch up to the others.
Now with the party once more, the man looks to Dmitri and Angmar and asks; Where to? The Arena right? I'll lead. I dunno what THAT was back there, but I'm alive and I've got some Gnoll's to kill, so let's get our arses over to the Battle Market, search out some Gnoll's AND RAISE A LITTLE HELL!!!
Apollo smiles as he holds his hammer out forwards with one arm, laughs and runs straight for the entrance, looking for any trace of Gnoll activity as he goes, keeping low where cover lays and frantically searching for any tracks that could even slightly hint at Gnoll's being around.
+2 vs Gnoll's = 25.
+2 vs Gnoll's = 27.
Kori just lifts an eyebrow as Apollo runs off ahead, all loud and clanky in his armor, talking about leading the way. She's been in the front as scout since they got here, so she doesn't get what came over him to act this way. Maybe he has a death wish, that thing did hit him pretty hard, and she has known people that get disturbed over their own mortality after almost dying.
She lets him run off ahead. Trying to chase him down and stop him would put even more of them at risk of being exposed. Turning she answers Pain-lover's question about her opinion of the Imp-stick "Eh, he couldn't handle it. Only two fights, and a night in the mill before he ran off. I think he's just a coward."
He places a hand to his chin, the one not wielding the scythe. "Hmm... I still think it safe to kill him the next time we see him."
"For being a coward? A bit over the top. I mean I've seen escaped slaves get less when they are recaptured. If boss-lady wants cowards killed for running from a possible fight, it's up to her, but you might want to ask to be sure first." She shrugs as she continues slowly and carefully below the ridgeline, watching as Lizard-friend keeps moving further and further ahead.
"Not so much for being a coward, rather... He didn't sit right with me." he said, tossing his hair back a bit in the most stereotypical pretty-boy way possible. "The man smelled. Gnolls smell. He left back to "base" in "enemy territory" and he definitely wasn't going back. The fact he didn't want to tell us what he was up to makes him suspicious. I also didn't enjoy his company, but that played a minor factor." he said as he walked along with Kori.
"I'm not foolish enough to wish death on people for stubbing my toes, but that man feels like a danger to all of us, and you. The "us" i'm not worried about, but if his actions get in your way at all, I'll be the person who ends his treachery." he says, rubbing some dirt between his fingers as they walk.
Seeing the collapsed, ruined nature of the building, Kori looks at where she heard the animal and then back at the rubble. She considers whether they would draw more attention fighting the thing, or out in the open atop a pile of building parts. She decides to give climbing a try, and if it's too much for everyone, then they'll just kill the beast and go through.
With a bit of scrabbling and pulling upward, Kori is able to mount the building. From here she could easily cross and end up on the other side without having to go through the gatehouse itself, provided her compatriots can follow.
Angmar looks up as Kori sets to climbing.
Not sure if I can make it up there. Short legs and all...!
Kori looks at the dwarf incredulously, "Oh, I'm sorry Short-legs, I thought you were a dwarf. The big beard had me fooled. Maybe, Pain-lover or Lizard-friend can carry you so you don't hurt your tender gnome feet getting over this small pile of rocks." either she angers him into doing it, or he at least quits whining about not being able to.
Dmitri somewhat giggles at the statement before he gets to the rubble. Not impressed with the size of the blockade, he figures that everyone is more than capable of doing this... "I've a breastplate on, so forgive me if this is somewhat frustrating." he says, giving his ring a bit of a flick.
Walking up, he somewhat realizes that he's rather incapable of climbing. It was a skill he'd thought he'd really never need in his line of work. He also believed he'd never have to swim, but, he was starting to reconsider.
Angmar does not reply to Kori but merely shoots her a sour look. Then he attempts to make his way over the rubble.
Climb
As Dmitri stands back and sees the Dwarf clumsily climb up the side of the wall, he can't help but feel irked at their sudden pace. "We should make much more haste." he says, looking towards the rest of the area.
He scans the area rather closely, beckoning the lot of them to hurry up.
Angmar and Dmitri hoist themselves up the side of the ruined building, although Dmitri moves much more slowly and carefully while all the while urging his companions to hurry up.
Once atop the building, he sees a few things of note. Moving about in between the buildings are a few gnoll patrols, totaling perhaps eight gnolls, but some of them are quite far away.
Dmitri also hears the snorts and wheezes of a rather large animal just below him, in the ruined gatehouse.
Dmitri takes a moment to drink everything in. The sound of mucus leaving something's nose beneath him and the sudden plethora of gnoll patrols along the buildings ahead. He kneels down to look forward, slowly counting the number of patrolling gnolls.
Pointing them out to Kori and the rest, he makes note of the Gnoll in the watchtower. "That one..." he whispers, trying not to alert whatever it is beneath him. "How do you suggest we get by the one in the tower?" he asks, sniffing the air slightly and taking note of the thing beneath them. "There are at least 8..." he says.
He felt his blood begin to boil somewhat.
Kori looks up at the building atop the rise where Pain-lover pointed. "We hug the ridge. If we are too close to it, he can't see down it. We continue up the path, nice and quietly, even if you aint good at it, do your best. Once we get close, we can jump them before they give an alarm. That is how you raid."
With that said she moves down the rubble to the other side, and does what she explained, by staying as close to the ridge as she can, using the angle and the building above as cover. She once again takes up the position of scout that she's had from the start.
Distracted from being mutated earlier following half mindedly, Hatim finally notices the rest of the party making their way into the building. He attempts to climb up, still remaining quiet, and adding nothing to what may be going on.
Well if it's only one ye could move on ye own Kori! Angmar whispers as he points toward the Gnoll on lookout.
The five folks perched on the gatehouse's roof point and point and mutter amongst themselves, so far to no conclusion. Meanwhile, the snorting continues from below, and the slavering beasts patroling the city continue to move slowly, peering their heads this way and that, looking for intruders.
From here, they can also see some unusual activity around the Battle Market. Six more gnolls, a human prisoner in tow, emerge from the Battle Market and move into the square to the west of the Market. Spinning the human around, they throw him onto the ground and untie him, only to stake his hands to the ground. Then a fire is started and tongs thrown into the fire. Even from this distance, at which the figures are tiny and details difficult to make out, you can almost see the eagerness in the creatures' slavering.
Kori waves the others onward, no sense in standing around on a pile of rubble and drawing attention to themselves. As soon as they gets their butts down off the rubble ridge, she will continue forward as planned.
Angmar makes his way down the hill slowly but steadily in the pursuit of the Drow warrior.
"It would seem the gnolls have found something to occupy themselves with." he says, pointing out the slave. "Do we aid him, or do we use his misfortune to sneak past?" he asks.
He smiles subtly when the stakes enter the man's hands. Honestly it would have been good torture if he'd had the time to watch from a distance. It would likely happen far too quick, however.
Well, I dunno about you guys, but I'm going over. If someone needs our help, we should help them.....though that's not to say I won't enjoy bashing in a few Gnoll skulls along the way!
Kept me waiting. Now the fun begins!
Apollo runs over to the distant Gnoll's, hammer balanced on soldier, as he rushes off carelessly ahead to aid the innocent man.