With a quick nod, Ling turns back around and lets go of Sybaris so it can hover beside her. Before the broom is even fully horizontal, she has pulled Shiva onto it with her and the girls are speeding back down the tunnel. Keeping her eyes on the staircase, the blade blinks back into existence next to her shoulder, ready to be launched should Caio need any support in his retreat.
At Alaris's warning Astrid, pulls the silver dagger from her. She steps up near the entrance to the corridor just to the side and behind the paladin so she can see the trio better. "Are we going in too?"
As Ling and Shiva take off on the broom, the Fleder cries out in something between a snarl and a screech. The sound is piercing and painful to the ear. It echoes about the passage and the monster comes charging around the corner after the two tiefling girls!
In Caio’s head there’s no point in retreating at this point now that the beast is pursuing. Better to dispatch it quickly while it’s alone, besides, Ling seems quite eager to strike as well. He lets the fleder fly forward a bit more, chasing the sound of the magic broom, then steps forward and gracefully slashes with the gleaming blade. The monster shrieks in pain and it’s forward momentum allows it to miss a following strike which instead clinks against the stone. “Honestly I wouldn’t mind them coming one at a time like this. Easy pickings.”
Ling swerves on the broom and drops Shiva off right by Alaris, staying behind them herself. She is entirely focused on the fleder, forgetting all about making snarky remarks about Astrid. As it round the corner, she looks at Shiva, now at a safe distance from the monster and Caio, who she couldn't take back with her. Quick, QUICK! She thinks as she rubs her fingers together, ready to launch her illusory knife at the creature - but then, something funny happens and both Caio's and Shiva's motions seem to blur suddenly. At the same time, she feels a little zap from the ring on her finger and looking down, it seems to burn slightly against her skin. What... Before she has time to think about what is happening, the battle continues.
As the fleder suddenly appears, Nikolai darts across the hallway into a small alcove on the far side just as Caio engages with the beast. Nikolai pops around the corner with Astra furora in one hand and with the other he points out towards the fleder, spinning a silver ring set with a cracked gem of jet around his finger. As the ring completes its rotation around his finger a stream of small, black motes pour forth and swarm around the fleder. Nikolai then takes aim with his pistol and sends two bolts of blackish energy streaking through the darkened tunnels! The first one slams into the fleder, but the creature's thick hide prevents the energy from penetrating into the torso and it spins slightly with the impact as it quickly dodges around the second bolt of energy! The small, black motes swarm around the bruised spot on the fleder's shoulder and seem to suck the life force from it...
Astrid jumps back as the two tieflings come rushing back on the broom. With some amusement she shakes her head as again Ling has stirred them up and is caused to come rushing back to the group. Her amusement quickly fades though when it appears that Ling causes the form of Shivala to shimmer next to her. Hmmm... This one can manipulate the flow of time as well... Not the time to discuss such things.
She remembers the fleder coming down the hall and snaps into action. First she reaches out and touches Alaris on the side, mumbling, "Quicken this ones reflexes." She looks and smiles at the paladin. "Just in case there's any surprises." She then takes a few steps back so that she can get a view down the hallway. "As for you.."The cleric sweeps her arm in a large arc before her and and set of gears apparates before the monster. With another motion she causes the gears to rake along its side like a buzz-saw.
The fleder twists on one foot to face Caio, swinging wildly at him with its clawed hands. However, the elf is too fast for the creature and swiftly dodges both its attacks.
There's a snarl from the left side of the passage, and a second fleder appears from around the corner, catching Caio off guard. He's quick enough to avoid its first swing, but the second catches the inquisitor in the throat and grips him tightly.
As Caio attacks and is suddenly snatched up by a second fleder appearing from the cover of the passage, Shiva allows the heavy fortification of her rage to flow through her. As she sprints to charge the creatures, she feels her momentum swing forward with much more force than she applied, and notices that the fleders are now moving much more slowly. Within seconds she is within the first one's range, and cuts into it with her blade. She feels lethal as it slowly reacts to the pain she's inflicted and strikes once more, but she swings high, having underestimated her momentum once again. Regaining her footing, she roars at the two creatures before her.
Alaris winks at Astrid as the dwarf's prayer washes over them, then moves forward in a rush. The sour-rotten odor of mildew and filth emanating from the two fleder is enough to make the eyes water, and the paladin pushes themselves with increased urgency as Caio gets tackled by the second monster. Planting the left leg, they pivot into an alcove and use the butt of their glaive to vault into a surprise position behind the fleder attacking Shiva. Before the awful bat-beast can respond, the paladin is slashing low and high with the mighty polearm! With a crack, the weapon slams into the creature's leg, and it screeches in pain from the searing silver. It cringes, caught between Shiva's sword and Alaris' glaive - until the paladin snaps their weapon back and over, bringing the keen blade down into the soft tissue between neck and shoulder!
A burst of searing radiance explodes from their hands, coruscating down the blade and rending fetid flesh as the fleder cries out its last and falls, nearly cleaved in two. Yanking the glaive free from its bones, though, Alaris is unready for the nasty claw attack from the beast attempting to wrestle Caio away from the group. Jerking backwards, they knock the clawing limb away with the side of their glaive and, spinning it to clear the gore, plant themselves in the center of the passage.
"Not getting out this way, ugly - whatcha got?"
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Caio’s face is grim as he is caught by surprise and captured by the monster’s claws. But that turns to a wry smile as the beast suddenly slows like molasses. “Easy pickings.” He repeats rapidly, and with a pulse of shadowy smoke the creatures claws are empty. From his new position, flanking across from Shiva, the elf launches a flurry of sweeping cuts, each one landing before the best has a chance to respond to the first.
Astrid watches from the back of the fray and is taken aback with the efficiency at which the others bring the first creature down. The paladin's holy infused strike along with the other two being whirl of blades was something to behold.
She gives a quick glance down the passage off to her left to make sure no more are attempting to flank them. Finding nothing, she focuses intently on the one remaining. She pushes up a sleeve of her robe and gives her backside a little wiggle as she conjures a ball of radiant energy in her hand. However, it goes wide and with not much force behind it when she releases it, resulting in the stones above its head to barely be scorched. Her nose wrinkles with disappointment in her effort."Hrmph!"
Remembering her spectral clockwork swinging nearby, the cleric raises her arm up and the gears morph into a pendulum, drawing back for a strike. Bringing a fist to her shield, the bob connects with a solid blow to back of the fleder.
Nikolai squints his eyes against the bright flash of Alaris' glaive as they obliterate one of the fleder and a second one appears in the fray. His anxieties rise as things rapidly began spiraling completely out of control. This was not the way this was supposed to happen! He takes a moment to recenter himself and directs the motes of blackened starlight towards the new foe as he peeks around the corner of the alcove and takes aim with Astra furora, but the constant shifting of movement from his companions makes a clean shot next to impossible. He darts across the narrow corridor into another alcove across the corridor to open up line of sight for his spells. He bends around the corner, lines up the sights on the weapon to the creature's back and pulls the trigger on the old, dwarven pistol twice in rapid succession! Two more bolts of dark energy streak down the hallway and both slam into the shoulder blades of the fleder, staggering the beast and knocking it off balance, but doing nothing more than leaving a large purplish bruise that oozes slightly as the motes swirl around the wound and seem to draw tendrils of the fleder's life energy from the same spot... "Take this thing down quickly!"
Hearing Shiva's battle cry, Ling snaps out of her thoughts about the ring and refocuses on her blade. Pressing her middle and index finger against her thumb, she summons it again and with a flick of her wrist, she opens her hand and the dagger goes flying, passing right through Shiva into the terrified fleder, causing harm only to the creature. When Alaris and Caio start shredding the monsters around her blue friend, Ling grins with satisfaction and watches the blood stain the dirty floor. You can say what you want about that do-gooder, but watching Alaris fight like this, mhhhm! As much as she'd like to stay and watch, she is keenly aware that they haven't checked out the side passages. Tearing herself away from the battle, she quickly rounds the corner on Sybaris and checks out the southern passage. Quietly she drifts further over the rubble and finds a dining chamber. This is where those two must have come from, and back there, she peers into the hallway that branches off this room, oh no, not good. At the end of the corridor, amongst the uneven stones strewn across the floor, several small fleder-like creatures cling to the ceiling. They look like young and the ground beneath them is filled with stained bones and shredded corpses, including what looks like it was once an adult fleder. The stench is horrific. Didn't Nikolai say they were sterile? And... why would they eat the adults? An icy feeling knot forms in Ling's stomach and she grips the handle of her broom even tighter. Her breath sounds more shallow now as she fights to keep it even and silent in the stale air of the catacombs. I have to go tell the others.
With the battle raging around her, Shiva's own rage keeps her focused on her enemies. As Caio's form vanishes and reappears to slash into the remaining creature, Shiva rushes into it's space. Panicking, it doesn't react in time to stop her as she cuts deeply into it's left leg. Still moving faster than she ever has, she brings her blade back and stabs into the fleder's gut. Following through to tear her weapon out, it throws it's head back in agony, it's cacophonous scream filling the chamber. With malicious precision, she makes a final thrust through the creatures beady left eye, and silence overtakes the chamber once more as it's body thuds to the ground. Swinging her weapon to clean it of blood, Shiva breathes heavily and looks around to notice that Ling is not where she once was.
A resounding boom echoes down the corridor as something crashes against the other side of the door at the far end. It rattles, and shakes, and then bursts open to reveal an enormous, black fleder. The monster is far larger than any of the others seen so far. It occupies the entire breadth of the passage and has to stoop to avoid knocking its head against the ceiling.
The leathery skinned creature bellows at Alaris and charges towards the paladin.
Alaris bellows right back at the charging fleder a wordless roar of fury. Radiant energy begins to flicker around the paladin's skin and armor, eyes flashing with fury.
Taking a step back, they reset themselves firm and immovable as a pillar. "Trio Infernale, to me!! Blades right and left," they command, gesturing to the openings of the left and right hand passages. "Astrid! I need you! Ling, where are you!?!?"Their glaive whooshes through the rank air as they twirl it in an angry flourish.
"Come, great beast. Meet your doom."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Caio surges forward into formation, but the magical surge of speed is unfamiliar and before he knows it, he has already run past Alaris. Nothing left to do but charge at this point. His momentum carries his blade in a great arc, but it falls just short of the monstrous beast. Steeling himself and repeating his earlier prayer to the Raven Queen, he whirls and sends his blade parallel to the dusty stone beneath him. It cuts two swathes across the mutated flesh of the fleder, and his lean muscles strain as he forces it to rest in a defensive position before him. “Sorry, knight, perhaps we should all just press forward now.”
Ling quietly continues around the corner, but as she starts ascending the stairs, she hears a resounding boom and what sounds like the wooden door crashing open in the corridor above. She rushes towards Alaris when they call out and can her the sounds of Caio's blade swinging through the air and meeting the fleder's body before he shouts something that is lost in the monster's roar. With white knuckles, she flies into the hallway and hisses when she sees the giant of a fleder. Alaris stands firm the her left and Shiva behind them, but Caio has surged forward and engaged the creature alone. Ling glances at the paladin for guidance as she has done many times in battle and when they jerk their head backwards, she sails right past them and takes cover behind them. Between Alaris and Shiva, Ling stares right at the fleder's black eyes and focuses. Shadows swirl over her fingers again, but this time, she does not play with them but instead unfurls her fingers and lets them grow. They pull at the darkness around them and quickly form a nest of dense, pitch black tendrils which runs up the length of her lower arm. Keeping her eyes locked with the fleder, she reaches into its mind for its deepest fear. Sunlight. Blazing sunlight, broken wings, bound to the ground with no escape. The light beats down on you, scorching your skin, you can smell your own flesh burning, your fur melting into your muscle. You will burn in agony, there is no escape! Ling clenches her fist and snuffs out the shadows. In the blink of an eye, they reappear on the fleder and circle its head, covering its whole body, slashing the skin open like razor wire. They thicken in a band around the creature's eyes and ears, obscuring them from view. It lets out a panicked, desperate shriek, lashing out at the imaginary attackers and thumps to the floor - bleeding and unconscious.
A smile creeps across Ling's face, her dark eyes contrasting ghostly with her pale skin. Her hood has slipped and her small, curled horns are peeking through the mess of white hair. For a moment, it seems that she is going to move forward toward the fleder. She licks her lips, exhaling, beginning to reach out - but then blinks slowly, as if remembering where she really is. Glancing back at Shiva, she nudges Sybaris over into the alcove to their right and says: "Go get him, girl!"
Even from the back of the group, Astrid staggers backwards a moment hearing the beast crash through the other end of the hallway. She quickly shakes her fear and rushes forward at the paladin's call. Stepping up the already fallen fleder, the large beast finally comes into view. Ready to summon her magics to bolster the group, she stops and takes a second look that finds the large fleder down and bleeding badly from the nose and ears. Seeing the cheshire grin on Ling the cleric surmises this is the result of her efforts.
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With a quick nod, Ling turns back around and lets go of Sybaris so it can hover beside her. Before the broom is even fully horizontal, she has pulled Shiva onto it with her and the girls are speeding back down the tunnel. Keeping her eyes on the staircase, the blade blinks back into existence next to her shoulder, ready to be launched should Caio need any support in his retreat.
At Alaris's warning Astrid, pulls the silver dagger from her. She steps up near the entrance to the corridor just to the side and behind the paladin so she can see the trio better. "Are we going in too?"
As Ling and Shiva take off on the broom, the Fleder cries out in something between a snarl and a screech. The sound is piercing and painful to the ear. It echoes about the passage and the monster comes charging around the corner after the two tiefling girls!
Everyone roll initiative.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
In Caio’s head there’s no point in retreating at this point now that the beast is pursuing. Better to dispatch it quickly while it’s alone, besides, Ling seems quite eager to strike as well. He lets the fleder fly forward a bit more, chasing the sound of the magic broom, then steps forward and gracefully slashes with the gleaming blade. The monster shrieks in pain and it’s forward momentum allows it to miss a following strike which instead clinks against the stone. “Honestly I wouldn’t mind them coming one at a time like this. Easy pickings.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Ling swerves on the broom and drops Shiva off right by Alaris, staying behind them herself. She is entirely focused on the fleder, forgetting all about making snarky remarks about Astrid. As it round the corner, she looks at Shiva, now at a safe distance from the monster and Caio, who she couldn't take back with her. Quick, QUICK! She thinks as she rubs her fingers together, ready to launch her illusory knife at the creature - but then, something funny happens and both Caio's and Shiva's motions seem to blur suddenly. At the same time, she feels a little zap from the ring on her finger and looking down, it seems to burn slightly against her skin. What... Before she has time to think about what is happening, the battle continues.
As the fleder suddenly appears, Nikolai darts across the hallway into a small alcove on the far side just as Caio engages with the beast. Nikolai pops around the corner with Astra furora in one hand and with the other he points out towards the fleder, spinning a silver ring set with a cracked gem of jet around his finger. As the ring completes its rotation around his finger a stream of small, black motes pour forth and swarm around the fleder. Nikolai then takes aim with his pistol and sends two bolts of blackish energy streaking through the darkened tunnels! The first one slams into the fleder, but the creature's thick hide prevents the energy from penetrating into the torso and it spins slightly with the impact as it quickly dodges around the second bolt of energy! The small, black motes swarm around the bruised spot on the fleder's shoulder and seem to suck the life force from it...
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Astrid jumps back as the two tieflings come rushing back on the broom. With some amusement she shakes her head as again Ling has stirred them up and is caused to come rushing back to the group. Her amusement quickly fades though when it appears that Ling causes the form of Shivala to shimmer next to her. Hmmm... This one can manipulate the flow of time as well... Not the time to discuss such things.
She remembers the fleder coming down the hall and snaps into action. First she reaches out and touches Alaris on the side, mumbling, "Quicken this ones reflexes." She looks and smiles at the paladin. "Just in case there's any surprises." She then takes a few steps back so that she can get a view down the hallway. "As for you.." The cleric sweeps her arm in a large arc before her and and set of gears apparates before the monster. With another motion she causes the gears to rake along its side like a buzz-saw.
The fleder twists on one foot to face Caio, swinging wildly at him with its clawed hands. However, the elf is too fast for the creature and swiftly dodges both its attacks.
There's a snarl from the left side of the passage, and a second fleder appears from around the corner, catching Caio off guard. He's quick enough to avoid its first swing, but the second catches the inquisitor in the throat and grips him tightly.
Shiva's action.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
As Caio attacks and is suddenly snatched up by a second fleder appearing from the cover of the passage, Shiva allows the heavy fortification of her rage to flow through her. As she sprints to charge the creatures, she feels her momentum swing forward with much more force than she applied, and notices that the fleders are now moving much more slowly. Within seconds she is within the first one's range, and cuts into it with her blade. She feels lethal as it slowly reacts to the pain she's inflicted and strikes once more, but she swings high, having underestimated her momentum once again. Regaining her footing, she roars at the two creatures before her.
Alaris winks at Astrid as the dwarf's prayer washes over them, then moves forward in a rush. The sour-rotten odor of mildew and filth emanating from the two fleder is enough to make the eyes water, and the paladin pushes themselves with increased urgency as Caio gets tackled by the second monster. Planting the left leg, they pivot into an alcove and use the butt of their glaive to vault into a surprise position behind the fleder attacking Shiva. Before the awful bat-beast can respond, the paladin is slashing low and high with the mighty polearm! With a crack, the weapon slams into the creature's leg, and it screeches in pain from the searing silver. It cringes, caught between Shiva's sword and Alaris' glaive - until the paladin snaps their weapon back and over, bringing the keen blade down into the soft tissue between neck and shoulder!
A burst of searing radiance explodes from their hands, coruscating down the blade and rending fetid flesh as the fleder cries out its last and falls, nearly cleaved in two. Yanking the glaive free from its bones, though, Alaris is unready for the nasty claw attack from the beast attempting to wrestle Caio away from the group. Jerking backwards, they knock the clawing limb away with the side of their glaive and, spinning it to clear the gore, plant themselves in the center of the passage.
"Not getting out this way, ugly - whatcha got?"
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Caio’s face is grim as he is caught by surprise and captured by the monster’s claws. But that turns to a wry smile as the beast suddenly slows like molasses. “Easy pickings.” He repeats rapidly, and with a pulse of shadowy smoke the creatures claws are empty. From his new position, flanking across from Shiva, the elf launches a flurry of sweeping cuts, each one landing before the best has a chance to respond to the first.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Astrid watches from the back of the fray and is taken aback with the efficiency at which the others bring the first creature down. The paladin's holy infused strike along with the other two being whirl of blades was something to behold.
She gives a quick glance down the passage off to her left to make sure no more are attempting to flank them. Finding nothing, she focuses intently on the one remaining. She pushes up a sleeve of her robe and gives her backside a little wiggle as she conjures a ball of radiant energy in her hand. However, it goes wide and with not much force behind it when she releases it, resulting in the stones above its head to barely be scorched. Her nose wrinkles with disappointment in her effort."Hrmph!"
Remembering her spectral clockwork swinging nearby, the cleric raises her arm up and the gears morph into a pendulum, drawing back for a strike. Bringing a fist to her shield, the bob connects with a solid blow to back of the fleder.
Nikolai squints his eyes against the bright flash of Alaris' glaive as they obliterate one of the fleder and a second one appears in the fray. His anxieties rise as things rapidly began spiraling completely out of control. This was not the way this was supposed to happen! He takes a moment to recenter himself and directs the motes of blackened starlight towards the new foe as he peeks around the corner of the alcove and takes aim with Astra furora, but the constant shifting of movement from his companions makes a clean shot next to impossible. He darts across the narrow corridor into another alcove across the corridor to open up line of sight for his spells. He bends around the corner, lines up the sights on the weapon to the creature's back and pulls the trigger on the old, dwarven pistol twice in rapid succession! Two more bolts of dark energy streak down the hallway and both slam into the shoulder blades of the fleder, staggering the beast and knocking it off balance, but doing nothing more than leaving a large purplish bruise that oozes slightly as the motes swirl around the wound and seem to draw tendrils of the fleder's life energy from the same spot... "Take this thing down quickly!"
Valaith "Rimehand" Kalukavi - Chronicles of Arden
Hearing Shiva's battle cry, Ling snaps out of her thoughts about the ring and refocuses on her blade. Pressing her middle and index finger against her thumb, she summons it again and with a flick of her wrist, she opens her hand and the dagger goes flying, passing right through Shiva into the terrified fleder, causing harm only to the creature. When Alaris and Caio start shredding the monsters around her blue friend, Ling grins with satisfaction and watches the blood stain the dirty floor. You can say what you want about that do-gooder, but watching Alaris fight like this, mhhhm! As much as she'd like to stay and watch, she is keenly aware that they haven't checked out the side passages. Tearing herself away from the battle, she quickly rounds the corner on Sybaris and checks out the southern passage. Quietly she drifts further over the rubble and finds a dining chamber. This is where those two must have come from, and back there, she peers into the hallway that branches off this room, oh no, not good.
At the end of the corridor, amongst the uneven stones strewn across the floor, several small fleder-like creatures cling to the ceiling. They look like young and the ground beneath them is filled with stained bones and shredded corpses, including what looks like it was once an adult fleder. The stench is horrific. Didn't Nikolai say they were sterile? And... why would they eat the adults? An icy feeling knot forms in Ling's stomach and she grips the handle of her broom even tighter. Her breath sounds more shallow now as she fights to keep it even and silent in the stale air of the catacombs. I have to go tell the others.
With the battle raging around her, Shiva's own rage keeps her focused on her enemies. As Caio's form vanishes and reappears to slash into the remaining creature, Shiva rushes into it's space. Panicking, it doesn't react in time to stop her as she cuts deeply into it's left leg. Still moving faster than she ever has, she brings her blade back and stabs into the fleder's gut. Following through to tear her weapon out, it throws it's head back in agony, it's cacophonous scream filling the chamber. With malicious precision, she makes a final thrust through the creatures beady left eye, and silence overtakes the chamber once more as it's body thuds to the ground. Swinging her weapon to clean it of blood, Shiva breathes heavily and looks around to notice that Ling is not where she once was.
A resounding boom echoes down the corridor as something crashes against the other side of the door at the far end. It rattles, and shakes, and then bursts open to reveal an enormous, black fleder. The monster is far larger than any of the others seen so far. It occupies the entire breadth of the passage and has to stoop to avoid knocking its head against the ceiling.
The leathery skinned creature bellows at Alaris and charges towards the paladin.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Alaris bellows right back at the charging fleder a wordless roar of fury. Radiant energy begins to flicker around the paladin's skin and armor, eyes flashing with fury.
Taking a step back, they reset themselves firm and immovable as a pillar. "Trio Infernale, to me!! Blades right and left," they command, gesturing to the openings of the left and right hand passages. "Astrid! I need you! Ling, where are you!?!?" Their glaive whooshes through the rank air as they twirl it in an angry flourish.
"Come, great beast. Meet your doom."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Caio surges forward into formation, but the magical surge of speed is unfamiliar and before he knows it, he has already run past Alaris. Nothing left to do but charge at this point. His momentum carries his blade in a great arc, but it falls just short of the monstrous beast. Steeling himself and repeating his earlier prayer to the Raven Queen, he whirls and sends his blade parallel to the dusty stone beneath him. It cuts two swathes across the mutated flesh of the fleder, and his lean muscles strain as he forces it to rest in a defensive position before him. “Sorry, knight, perhaps we should all just press forward now.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Ling quietly continues around the corner, but as she starts ascending the stairs, she hears a resounding boom and what sounds like the wooden door crashing open in the corridor above. She rushes towards Alaris when they call out and can her the sounds of Caio's blade swinging through the air and meeting the fleder's body before he shouts something that is lost in the monster's roar. With white knuckles, she flies into the hallway and hisses when she sees the giant of a fleder. Alaris stands firm the her left and Shiva behind them, but Caio has surged forward and engaged the creature alone. Ling glances at the paladin for guidance as she has done many times in battle and when they jerk their head backwards, she sails right past them and takes cover behind them. Between Alaris and Shiva, Ling stares right at the fleder's black eyes and focuses. Shadows swirl over her fingers again, but this time, she does not play with them but instead unfurls her fingers and lets them grow. They pull at the darkness around them and quickly form a nest of dense, pitch black tendrils which runs up the length of her lower arm. Keeping her eyes locked with the fleder, she reaches into its mind for its deepest fear. Sunlight. Blazing sunlight, broken wings, bound to the ground with no escape. The light beats down on you, scorching your skin, you can smell your own flesh burning, your fur melting into your muscle. You will burn in agony, there is no escape! Ling clenches her fist and snuffs out the shadows. In the blink of an eye, they reappear on the fleder and circle its head, covering its whole body, slashing the skin open like razor wire. They thicken in a band around the creature's eyes and ears, obscuring them from view. It lets out a panicked, desperate shriek, lashing out at the imaginary attackers and thumps to the floor - bleeding and unconscious.
A smile creeps across Ling's face, her dark eyes contrasting ghostly with her pale skin. Her hood has slipped and her small, curled horns are peeking through the mess of white hair. For a moment, it seems that she is going to move forward toward the fleder. She licks her lips, exhaling, beginning to reach out - but then blinks slowly, as if remembering where she really is. Glancing back at Shiva, she nudges Sybaris over into the alcove to their right and says: "Go get him, girl!"
Even from the back of the group, Astrid staggers backwards a moment hearing the beast crash through the other end of the hallway. She quickly shakes her fear and rushes forward at the paladin's call. Stepping up the already fallen fleder, the large beast finally comes into view. Ready to summon her magics to bolster the group, she stops and takes a second look that finds the large fleder down and bleeding badly from the nose and ears. Seeing the cheshire grin on Ling the cleric surmises this is the result of her efforts.