Arc 2 - Heart of a Monster (Completed)

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

"Hmm?"

Certain of no danger, Ruin would examine the captives.  

[Rain Yupa]

10/53, 1/3 failed death saving throws

"Nng... okay, ow..." Revenge would groan before light forced its way through his eyelids, drawing them open and his vision adjusted. "I take it... we won?"

Shifting where he lay, he right reach up with a gauntleted hand and place it on Abby's cheek. "Please, no tears. I... ah... I was about to do something heroic, but then I slipped on some loose dirt and bumped my head. I'm really embarrassed," he'd say, in an attempt to assuage some of Abby's fears with a half-jest, half-fabrication.

Quote:

Bluff +10 = 14.

Forcing himself into a sitting position, he'd look up at the Goliath who stood silhouetted against the sun. "Kuori. I tried to do the Corsica-Ying-Kuori battle sister thing on your behalf, since you were busy. I don't think it's for me."

His gaze would then transition a little to the right, seeing Corsica and the snake woman dealing with... something? His hand would reach for the halberd on the ground next to him. "The battle is not yet over?" he'd ask aloud, to either person next to him.  

[PupSage]

Kuori looked over her shoulder at Fumiyo. "It would seem her battle is just beginning. Thats Fumiyo." She looked back down at Revenge befor plucking arrows out of the nearby bodies. "Would have been better if you had stuck with the origional plan. I was doing fine until those two goons in armor came up on me." She wasn't about to touch the Fumiyo situation, if she did, Fumiyo and many others would die.  

[Rain Yupa]

"I spent half the battle pinned in place and unable to assist anyone. I'd like to think Sehanine would see it as me doing the best I could given the circumstances," he'd retort with an apologetic tone. "Didn't I help you with those goons when you asked for it? My mind's a little foggy right now."

He would look again to "Fumiyo". Corsica was there, which means his attempts to free her worked. But she was... what, trying to grapple with Fumiyo? What was happening over there anyways?

"Abby, can you tell us what's going on?" he'd ask his wife.  

[Mongooseh]

Feeling rejuvenated Valac opens his eyes to see a insect girl doting over him at a lost for anything smart to say.

"Hey, wanna go pillage a village some time?" Asked Valac fumbling around for his prized possession sword.  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla crept closer, increasingly aware of the big difference in size between her and the two huge monster ladies arm-wrestling in front of her.

"Miss Fumiyo? Down here! Please, look into her eyes--don't you remember her?"

((Diplomacy: 18. Eeek.))  

[Kowsauni]

The wagon holding the captives is totally enclosed with metal bars over small windows on each side of the wagon and in the door on the back. The door is looked by an iron padlock. As Ruin examines the captives, he realizes why Petra is upset. Looking out the back window is a young lad maybe in his early teens, completely turned to stone. His gaze lies in the same direction as the petrified soldiers surrounding the wagon, no doubt an unintended victim of the basilisk girl's deadly stare.

Behind the boy is a small figure curled up in a ball clutching his leg and crying. It is a young girl that looks to be related to the petrified boy, though year or two younger. She has dirty blond hair and tan skin and her clothes are barely rags. As Ruin looks in though one of the widows it casts a shadow across the wagon floor which the girl immediately notices. She scrambles to a corner of the wagon and hides her face. "P-please don't hurt me! I don't want to die! Please...please..." and the girls words fade back to sobbing.

Illya runs up to Ruin, Arthur and Petra and asks. "Whats going on? Is everyone all right?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Revenge tries to play off his near death experience, Abby sweeps him up into her arms and he is once again reminded of the monstrous strength contained within his wife's petite frame. She wails into his chest, "I... I thought I lost you! Don't ever scare me like that again ever! I... I would be lost all over again without you!"

After crying for a bit into her husband's chest, Abby pulls herself together enough to answer her husband's question. "Something is wrong with Fumiyo. She was not like this when she helped us escape. The Arians must have done something to trigger this. One of the soldiers was casting a spell on her earlier. We have to calm her down somehow." Abby looks at her husband, obviously reluctant to leave his side, but she then adds, "I... I'm going to go try and help. I owe Fumyio my life."


At Valac's question, Ying's antennae droop and she looks down to the ground. "My sister and I once pillaged cattle from a village. It did not go well for us and cost us our home." Ying would then quickly change the subject. "Thank you for helping us, but please don't push yourself too hard. I'm going to go try and help my sister, now."

As Twyla tries to calm down Fumiyo, she is assisted by the plant girl Sylvia(+2 to check). "Please listen to the little one, Fumiyo. We are your friends! This isn't you! (1 success.)

Shi the snake girl finishes casting her spell at Fumiyo and it seems to siphon off some of the necrotic energy surrounding her. (2 success)

Corsica continues to hold Fumiyo in place as black smoke rolls off her body. "I... I don't know how much longer I can hold her! Fumiyo, you must snap out of it!"  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

Turning to Illya, "A new victim, but the rest of us are fine." he said motioning to for her to keep out of the girl's sight. The true monsters had friendlier features, than his former student, and Petra. Petra was another victim in this, just as the boy, and Ruin didn't think a little girl could understand at the moment. "How about the others?"

After Illya would fill him in, Ruin would turn back to the girl and her brother. "My name is ... Vaius and No one will hurt you while I am near, you have my promise, and we will help your brother, as well." as he said his given name and as he spoke as the cold of his Agathys spell faded, "What is your name, little one?"

Diplomancy +7; to help the child feel less scared and give her hope.
Edit: I am not going to stop until I have the child's trust, you evil dice roller!!!!  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla had a sudden moment of clarity and her fear faded away. She strode closer and closer to the enormous monster she'd been calling Fumiyo, but now she was sure she saw uncertainty in its eyes, alongside the rage and fury.

She reached a hand out, almost close enough to feel the terrible aura she knew was there.

"You're so angry, so furious, you can't hold it back. But they did that to you. If you can't look into their eyes, at least hear them--so many people on this battlefield owe you their lives. Aria tried to take your strength from you, but they couldn't. THEY fled. You're still here."

She took a deep breath and poured every bit of emotion into her voice that she had left in her tiny, battered body. "You have a name, miss." She said quietly. "Everyone here remembers it but you. Won't you remember it? Won't you remember... them?"

((Diplomacy: 32 biggrin ))  

[Rain Yupa]

"I'm... sorry, Abby." He would reach one arm around his, wrapping it around her. "I was doing what I thought was the best chance for victory. I've seen what Ying and Corsica are capable of, and I had to free them to help you and their other friends. Still..."

Revenge would turn to look at the man he had to halberd-shank cut down. Things were getting desperate, but was it truly necessary he did that? It had gotten the attention of the other Arians, and looking to where Corsica spent so much of her time getting pummeled by spells and seeing the mages she had killed upon freedom... he wasn't sure how much of a difference it made, but maybe it did make some.

One more look at the man he killed's face, to ensure he would not forget it, he would then look above his shorter wife to the scene across the battlefield.

"... I'll come with you. I see Twyla trying to reason with Fumiyo. Maybe I can help." He would suddenly wince as he felt a sharp pain in his side. "Or maybe sell her some wheat, maybe a couple bolts of cloth." He would smirk to himself, but only for a fraction of a second.

He'd walk with Abby towards the others. He'd keep his halberd for now, though mainly to use it to help him walk. His legs hurt.  

[Mongooseh]

Valac would casually walk over to see what all the fuss was about to the south.

With a long whistle of appreciation at the beast form of Fumiyo Valac would comment, "Hello beautiful."  

[PupSage]

Unsure as to wether or not Fumiyo could be calmed, Kuori kept her bow at the ready and heads towards the bridge.  

[Kowsauni]

The little girl seems unswayed by Ruin's words and continues to cry, huddled as tiny as she could make herself in a corner of the wagon away from the light.

Illya would answer Ruin's question. "Everyone is alive. It seems Aria's desire to capture rather than kill us was our saving grace. Fumiyo is still, it seems, out of control, but Corsica is handling her right now." Illya looks down out the ground. Although her compound eyes showed little emotion, her body language spoke of sadness. "To think that's what they did to her... I mean, we all were transformed in some way. I just never would have imagined. She kept it so well hidden while taking care of all of us. The burden she must have been carrying... keeping that inside..."

Arthur continues to try and comfort Petra who continues calling herself a screw up and other self deprecating terms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abby would put her arm around Revenge and help stabilize him as they walked forward. Her grip was firm, yet soft as not to injure him any further. Revenge realizes she probably could easily carry him if his pride would allow it.

As they approach the monstrous shadow creature that had been Fumiyo, they see Corsica is holding her at bay while everyone else stands a safe distance away trying to calm her down with words. There seems to be some kind of malevolent energy surrounding the creature that is killing all the grass around her and causing black smoke to roll off of Corsica as she grimaces in pain. Ramona and the snake girl seem to be channeling some kind of Arcane magic at Fumiyo, no doubt in some sort of attempt to calm her down.

At Twyla's words, some of the eyes on the wolf creature focus in on the gnome and Twyla thinks she sees a glimmer of recognition. The creature stops struggling in Corsica's grasp. Exhausted, Corsica collapses to the ground and reverts back to her human form. The shadowy wolf monster stands there looking at everyone before letting out one long mournful howl. The creature begins to shrink and change shape until it is once again the body of a young woman with raven black hair. The only remnants of Fumiyo's other self were a pair of furry ears and a tail, matching the hue of her hair. Fumiyo rushes forward and sweeps the nearby Corisca up into her her arms. "Corscia! Are you all right? I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

Corsica would cough up a little blood and give a weak laugh. "No one that didn't deserve it. Glad to have you back." Corsica would then pass out.

Ying yells out her sister's name and rushes forward. Determining she is all right, Fumiyo entrusts Corsica into Ying's waiting arms before turning to everyone. "I'm sorry, I must have made you all terribly worried. Where are the children prisoners we set out to rescue?" She would then look at Twyla curiously, as if remembering her from some distant memory, before glancing at the rest of the adventurers. "Abby, what are you doing here? Who are these newcomers?"  

[SCN_ Grey_fox]

Admittedly, he thought Fumiyo had control of that form. But, he still felt he did the right thing checking on Petra and the kids, given what he knew then and now. "She doesn't need your pity, but your companionship, Illya. If you want to help her, be there for her, and help her when she is in need." Turning to face the basilisk girl, "I guess, I get to play the evil one, again... you remember those days, right?" In reference to the number of times he had to be tough with one of his students.

Stepping towards Petra. "That is enough, Petra! You saved them! You, not Arther, not Kouri, not anyone... you. You are their hero. They may not know it, few ever understand, but deep down you do." He would let his words sink in, before continuing to a threat. "If the next words out of your mouth are more self-loathing. I will smack you upside your head. And You will either end up with a lump and hate me, Or learn s**t happens, and the best you can do is learn from it and adapt to it. Either way, you are only a screw up if you mope and wine."

Returning to the door, "Now lets give her a reason to stop crying, and return her brother to her.... but, first, help me with this damned lock!" With, or without, help; The not-so-strong-as-Valac-teifling opened his pack and he pulled a crowbar. Afterwards he placed the crowbar though the padlock and attempted to wrench it open.

(I will roll an intimidate roll if needed, but

Jail break attempt ... 9  

[Rain Yupa]

If his pride allowed it? Maybe later...

"Sorry..." Revenge would say as he neared. "Did you just say, 'children prisoners'? I was not told about this... where would they be?" he'd say, not bothering to waste breath on an introduction when seconds could be critical here. Though visually directed at Fumiyo, the question would be asked to the group as a whole. He'd shift his weight more to his own two feat rather than relying on Abby, and as soon as a direction would be pointed, he'd run in that direction.