The fae fly facing Geren flutters its wings and flies around the rogue with black ichorous fluid dripping to the forest floor from the wound of his arrow. It darts toward Geren's eye and stings him with its tail but luckily he yanks himself back before he faces a fate like Joy's!

With Shae back in action, Ekko takes to the air, his wings slicing through the dark forest with renewed purpose. He darts swiftly towards the Stalker, but his instinct for survival urges him to stay hidden. Veering off course slightly, Ekko dives into a cluster of thick, overhanging branches. The dense foliage provides full cover, concealing him completely from the Stalker’s view.

Ekko finds a shadowed spot nestled among the leaves, distant enough from the buzzing creatures but close enough to the Stalker. He remains still, calculating the perfect moment to strike, ready to reach the Stalker in a single, swift move.

Stealth: 22

Kesh continues his errant grumbling, reloading yet another round. It's not enough that he's dealing with insects, and faeries, but now his fellow companions' rather confusing dance recital. But of course it must be a spell, though he's no clue what. 

Raising his weapon yet again, he fires at the nearest insect, now sputtering and spilling grotesque ichor about. 

[To hit: 11 (another miss)]

Shae, shaking off the last remnants of the song's enchantment, hurries back through the dense woods toward the road, where the sounds of battle echo through the trees. Her heart pounds as she runs, the familiar weight of her shield steady in her left hand. Without breaking stride, she swiftly punctures her shield arm with the ritual needle attached to her arcane wand, feeling the brief sting of pain as the needle draws a single, tiny drop of blood.

The drop hovers for a heartbeat before bursting into a crimson cloud that swirls around her. With a flick of her wand, Shae channels her intent, watching as the cloud separates into three undulating masses, each shimmering with a dark, blood-red hue. She focuses on the enemies ahead—creatures of shadow and malice—and with a sharp gesture, the masses coalesce into three small, glowing spheres.

The crimson orbs dart forward, slicing through the air with deadly precision, each targeting one of the strange creatures that threaten her companions. Shae’s breath steadies as she watches the spell take shape, her determination to protect her allies sharpening with every step closer to the battle.

Action: cast Magic Missile targeting each of the three enemies, each suffers 4 force damage and 3 necrotic damage
Move: to M8
Free: Shae used Sanguine Burst to reroll the force damage, which was 3 originally.

Joy feels the magic of the song weaved through the fey creature and the insects tethered to the staff but she resists the sense of dread that tugs at her imagination at the sight of the creature so near to her. The selang angles the spear to the side pointing the tip of the weapon towards the hexblood and she sees the blade glimmer with the same yellow sheen as the bolts hurled before. "You have come far enough, green-girl. Death greets you but bwaelan drǒ (Sylvan for 'it is good to be alive') Greet the dark dance with gladness!" The blade zips rapidly out and pierces Joy twice as the bugs emit a fine mist of poison that seeps into the wounds.

Joy gasps as her eyes flutter closed and she slumps to the ground limp and sliding off of the fey weapon. The being's white glowing eyes watch her fall and the smile widens across its mouth before it directs its attentions to the next one. It had been some time since worthy adversaries had dared the wood at night.

Shae’s eyes widen as she sees the fey creature strike at Joy. She quickly lifts her shield, murmuring a desperate prayer to Kiaransalee, hoping to deflect the blow. But the divine protection doesn't reach in time. Joy falls, and Shae hisses in frustration. With renewed urgency, she turns her gaze to Geren, invoking her goddess with fervor, channeling her power to guide his hand and strike true against their foes.

Joy feels the searing pain of the blade and the poison flooding her veins. Her mind races, clinging to memories of the dawns she’s seen, the lives she’s saved, and the warmth of Lathander’s light. Not yet, she tells herself even as she falls. The dark dance the selang spoke of is not her final moment, but a test, another trial in her journey of light.

In her unconscious mind, she sees the dawn breaking over the horizon, the first rays of sunlight piercing through the darkness.

 Geren sends another arrow into the Stalker. This time he takes advantage of the creature's distraction to hit a vital area, dealing more damage.

As he does so he calls upon the necromantic powers that are his to command to also strike at the fae fly nearby, wracking the creature's body with necrotic energy.

Ekko darts through the trees, his dark form almost invisible in the dense foliage. He flits from branch to branch, wings beating silently as he hugs the deepest shadows. Weaving through the underbrush, he avoids any patches of light until he finds a cluster of thick roots. Slipping into a shadowy crevice, Ekko folds his wings and sits still, blending seamlessly into the darkness. He waits, alert and ready to deliver Shae's spell when needed.

The being staggers at Geren's attack and the faefly's carapace shrivels from the necrotic energy, but it flies toward Shae attempting to strike at her! The dark elf swats away the tiny bug as she watches her familiar get closer.

"Rgh...!" Kesh is more than a little irate at his continued poor marksmanship. Mumbling - and cursing - throughout, he carefully moves forward, closing the distance. Seeing Joy on the ground, he calls out, his anger getting the better of him:

"Get up, damn you; your job is not finished!" [A rather crude Healing Word: +7hp]

His mumbling suddenly changes, his words taking on a halting garish dialect. Signing but a few simple runes, he points at the damnable insect nearest him and launches a strange milky white bubble towards the annoying thing.

[Cast Acid Bubble on Faefly; Dex Save 13 or take 2 acid damage]

Kesh's bubble of acid disintegrates the remaining faefly, and Joy is roused from her fallen state thanks to the Dragonborn's healing word!

Shae grunts in annoyance as the little buzzing insect darts away, just out of Ekko's reach. She had planned to feed it to her familiar, but now that plan is ruined. Her frustration quickly fades as the creature suddenly disintegrates into a fine cloud of acid, dissolving into nothingness.

"Good riddance," she mutters, watching the acidic mist dissipate.

Noticing Joy rising to her feet, Kesh’s healing magic at work, Shae’s lips curl into a wicked grin. With Joy back in action, Shae can now focus on taking down the Stalker. Determined to take the pressure off her ally, she moves toward the fey creature, ready to strike. As she approaches, she raises her wand and begins chanting, feigning a spell attack.

But the real attack comes from Ekko. The bat, hidden and waiting for this exact moment, darts out from his cover and delivers the spell Shae had channeled through him. The Stalker barely has time to react before Ekko strikes, catching it off guard and fulfilling Shae’s plan with perfect timing.

Ekko slowly emerges from his hiding place, his beady eyes scanning the battlefield with cold precision. He flutters quietly, seeking the perfect attack vector. Once he's found it, the bat hones in on the Stalker, positioning himself just right. With a sudden burst of speed, Ekko launches himself toward the creature, aiming for its neck.

The bat's bite sinks into the Stalker's flesh, but the real horror comes from the necrotic energy that pulses through Ekko's fangs. Devoid of positive energy by Shae's spell, the bat's bite is merely the beginning. In an instant, it’s as if a dam breaks within the Stalker. Life energy floods out of the creature, draining rapidly as Ekko feeds. The Stalker’s skin turns ashen and flaky, its once milky white eyes collapse inward, leaving behind only hollow black sockets. Within moments, the fey creature is nothing more than an empty husk, crumbling to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Ekko disengages smoothly, his mission complete. He returns to Shae's forearm, settling there with an air of satisfaction as the remains of the Stalker lie motionless behind him.

The woods grow dark once more as the being's eyes go wide at the darting bat. It barely has time to shift its weight before the wounds are inflicted across its body, the carapace shriveling and cracking as the selang falls backward over some gnarled roots and flaps against the forest floor quite dead...

The woods seem more quiet following the battle. The insect noises and odd errant sounds from other creatures hidden in the mist and leaves are eerily silent for several moments...

Shae watches as the Stalker collapses, its twisted form lifeless on the forest floor. The unsettling quiet that follows feels heavy, and the guilt gnaws at her. She turns to Joy, her voice subdued, "Are you alright? Do you need assistance?" The memory of her lapse in the battle lingers, a sharp reminder of the moment she failed to protect her companion.

Shae kneels, gathering a few acorns from the forest floor. She crushes them swiftly into a small chalice, muttering an incantation as she waves her hand over the powder. The acorns dissolve into a shimmering green liquid. Standing, she offers the chalice to her companions before taking a sip herself, "This will help us see better in the night."

Joy goes to answer Shae that she is alright, but she remembers in annoyance that her lips are sewn shut. Reaching up, she manages to cut the binding on her mouth with her sharp nails. "I'll be fine now. Thank you, all of you." It's a bit of an eerie sight, the hexblood smiling with a ragged gash around her mouth and blood covered lips. She quickly casts Cure Wounds on herself twice to lessen the ache from her near-death.

Looking down at the selang's corpse, she feels a satisfaction that worries her. "It's a shame, but he wouldn't relent. I pray that one day such creatures will choose redemption...According to it, it wasn't even a Jae. Why attack us then?"

"Ah, thanks again." Joy takes the offered chalice and takes a drink, passing it on to the next person as she immediately starts to notice the effect.

The nearly desiccated husk of the fey creature is light but also the size of a human, and the thin wings crumble upon the first handling of the corpse. Any of you could easily transport the body, but it is not an easy thing to carry, doable, just cumbersome. Upon investigation, the staff of the spear is simply ordinary carved wood with thin metallic tethers that held the three bugs attached. The insects have also dried up and resemble misshapen and oversized bees of some sort. The blade upon the end of the wooden staff seems to be some sort of dagger.

Lying amongst the damp sod and leaves near the being is a small polished crystal that is nearly clear and reflects the faint moonlight seeping down. If not for the magic vision bestowed by Shae, you may have missed it.

On the one hand it's generally a bad idea to drink glowing green potions you know nothing about. On the other hand Shae's proven herself an ally so far and Geren needed to know what drinking would do.

Taking a gulp from the chalice Geren can feel his eyes shifting and the shadows seem to shrink from his vision.

"Oh, this will be useful! How long does it last and how often can you do it?"

Examining the fae flies and stalker Geren tries to determine what he can about them and what's on them.

"The big one said they're not Jae so I think we might be able to get an additional bounty from the Mayor on these. Now let's see..."

Uncaring about the fact he was handling the formerly-living Geren examines the bodies with the excitement of a child with new toys.

"It's really too bad they weren't up for negotiating, I have yet to develop a reliable way of getting secrets out of the dead."

Geren stands back up for a moment.

"We're dividing any loot evenly, yes? I think it's fair if one of us can best use a particular magic item that it count as their share, with any disputes to be settled by a simple majority. It's best to get this kind of thing figured out early, resentment and greed can tear a team apart metaphorically and sometimes literally."

OOC: I rolled on the Discord.

Arcana check for the fae flies: 20

Arcana check for the stalker: 12

Arcana check for the crystal: 22

Investigation check: 15

Perception check: 23