Initiative Order: Jade-Lin, Air Elemental, Taran, Akuma, Kaori, Caelius, Siepha, Air Soldiers, Vishal

Jade-Lin attacks the bottom air soldier.

Attack: 9 Damage: 27
Attack: 10 Damage: 7

The elemental works on finishing S1.

Attack: 26 Damage: 10
Attack: 9 Damage: 18

Both remaining air soldiers fall. Out of initiative.

Jade-Lin grins at all of you as she removes her brassy blades from the body of the air soldier, the spectral knives dissipating into metallic light. "Nice job, all of you." As she speaks, the night is lit by an explosion to the southeast, in the direction of the fortress. The duergar's face turns serious. "And it looks like the fortress distraction went well. Do whatever healing you need to, and then we should go check up on the monolith."

Siepha's lightning tornado vanishes as she peeks up from behind the scree, wide-eyed and pale.

"U-Understood." Taran says ordering the Elemental to begin sucking his ball bearings and caltrops into its body, and leaving the bags out for it to fill. He knew the magic wouldn't last long enough for it to make it to the monolith.

"I-I can h-h-heal p-people wh-who n-need it," Taran reminds everyone as he lopes to the flash bomb trap to dismantle it. "S-Siepha, c-c-could y-you g-grap the r-ropes t-to the n-north?" He calls out to the shell-shocked dragon, hoping that giving her a task would help snap her out of the fugue of her first battle in human form.

They would want to be on the trail soon, he figured he had less than a minute while everyone caught their breathe.

“Let’s not take too long if we can. Though magic wise I’m running on my last little bits that I’m saving.” Vishal tells everyone as he gives himself a little guidance and goes over the bodies. 

Investigation/Looting Bodies: 8

Siepha takes a deep breath and nods, and starts making her way over to the bits of ropes on the ground, picking them up and fitting them together as they mend themselves.

Each air soldier has a longbow and shortsword, and is wearing studded leather. Each water soldier carries no weapons. Vishal doesn't find anything else.

Kaori chirps as her boots return to the ground, grunting as she snaps free the arrow that tore through her shoulder.

"Why didn't they ... run? ... Seems strange."

She looks down at the bodies of the air soldiers, cooing in thought.

Caelius's shadow spirit's red hue and claws disappear and it moves over next to Caelius, mimicking his motions.

Caelius will help Siepha collect the rope of mending.

"I-I-I d-d-don't kn-know," Taran responds, removing the tension line and popping the two flash pellets into his wrist pockets, "I-I w-w-was wondering the s-same thing. P-Perhaps th-they kn-knew th-they c-c-couldn't es-escape? Th-the A-Air elemental c-c-could have e-easily r-ran th-them d-down."

Taran headed over to collect the rope from Siepha and Mister Caelius, "D-Does an-anyone w-w-want m-me to b-b-bandage th-their w-w-wounds. Es-Esteemed Ak-Akuma, K-Kaori? I-I d-d-don't kn-know if y-you w-w-would r-r-rather use p-potions or s-s-something else?"

Jade-Lin shrugs. "Riedrans, especially ones in the Harmonious Shield, have a lot of the self-preservation instinct trained out of them. They don't run much, especially up here." She stretches. "Besides, it's the height of honorable duty to die fighting altavar. They're hoping to get reincarnated as a changeling or something." Her voice is dismissive and a touch contemptuous. "When you send soldiers to a highly inhospitable area to fight people who know said area like the backs of their hands, you don't want them to be too concerned about their own lives."

"Th-that s-s-sounds pl-plausible." Taran says, gathering up the bags of caltrops and ball bearings.

"Th-though th-th-that s-s-seems l-like a g-g-good w-way to b-bleed s-soldiers."

Akuma glances to Taran, eyes void of color. For a brief moment she appears dangerous; Empty; Before she closes her eyes and takes a deep inhale, body relaxing. When her eyes open again, their natural violet color has returned and the shadows withdraw into her until they're barely a flicker. With a nod, she approaches him. "If it's not too taxing on you, yes, I could use a patch up. But if you''d rather save your magics I think I could handle some of these wounds." She turns her attention to the others in thought. "That was quite the fight, so I'm running a little low on inner energy. But, I still have some tricks up my sleeve if necessary. Whether or not their lack of retreat was purely training, we should still keep an eye out as we push forwards.

Taran chuckles ruefully. "N-N-No m-m-magic here, j-just a f-f-few b-b-bandages s-s-soaked in bl-bloodgrass ex-extract and tr-treated w-with a d-d-dried c-c-coagulant."  he explains as he pulls out a few lengths to wrap around the wounds on her arms, "I-I-I c-c-can't u-use t-t-too m-many on y-you un-until y-y-your b-b-body pr-processes the ch-chemicals, b-but i-it sh-should s-s-seal th-these f-f-fast enough."

Healer Feat: 16

"A-Are y-y-you o-okay, b-b-beside the w-wounds, E-Esteemed Akuma?" Taran asks quietly as he ties off the strips of clothe.

Jade-Lin chuckles in response to Taran's first set of words. "So? They've got numbers on their side. They don't care if they lose three hundred soldiers taking out a cell of a few dozen of us. They can afford it, and they don't give a damn about the lives of those under their command." The duergar slides the longbows and shortswords into her bag (unless someone wants 1+), the weapons vanishing into it quickly, suggesting that there's extradimensional space involved.

Akuma watches Taran bandage her wounds and nods with a half amused smile. "Yeah. I feel good. It felt... really nice to get to dust off some old skills. I suppose I may have let the shadows have a bit too much fun though. But, nothing I can't handle." She gives Taran a reassuring look and a half smirk before nodding. "Thank you for the bandages."

Taran shakes his head somberly, "R-R-Right, I-I f-f-forget s-s-sometimes th-that th-they c-c-can a-a-afford to l-lose m-more th-than all of th-their o-o-opposition combined an-and st-still h-h-have m-more s-soldiers to f-f-fight."

At Akuma's words though he gives a small smile, "I-I-I'm gl-glad y-you a-are o-okay. B-But pl-please b-b-be c-careful." Taran pats his box of medicines, "I-I'm on-only g-g-god f-f-for ph-physical in-injuries, I-I c-c-can't h-help y-y-you with an-anything else."

Akuma nods and offers Taran a smile, tilting her head slightly. "Of course... Although you're useful for more than just medicines. But, I get your point. I... apologize if I worried you. But I can keep it under control." Akuma pauses for a second and looks to Kaori. "She could use some tending to as well. If she lets you. It's best we're all in as best shape as possible before pushing forwards. But, thank you for your help Taran." 

"Okay, let's go provide any needed backup and if not hopefully return to celebrate a job well done." Vishal says with a smile going and giving Kaori a head pat

"O-of c-c-course, I-I w-w-want to help." Taran looks over at Kaori, "I-I'm... I d-d-don't want to p-push, an-and m-maybe sh-she's th-thinking ab-about injuries sustained l-later, l-like I s-s-said t-t-too r-risky to tr-try and g-g-give a s-second d-dose b-before y-you r-rest an-and l-let y-your b-b-body pr-process."

Kaori drops the arrow to the ground and nuzzles into the head pats, cooing softly at Taran as Akuma's voice emits from her beak.

"It's best we're all in as best shape as possible before pushing forwards."

Taran nods, moving up to bandage the arrow marks on Kaori's arms, "I-I'm gl-glad y-you a-agree. An-And y-y-you w-w-were a-amazing, fl-flying th-through the a-a-air and w-w-wielding y-your s-sword. Y-You d-d-did a w-w-wonderful j-job."

Taran pulls out another wrap, working it through Kaori's feathers to press against her wounds.

15 hp

"Yeah, it's one of the benefits of turning most of a continent into your personal breeding ground," Jade-Lin replies to Taran as she puts the last of the weapons into her bag.

Caelius: