{(*\/*)}-^-{(*\/*)}-^-{(*\/*)}
From her position on the ground, Aramara had a good view of Mariana and easily recognized her actions. Her Red Way instructor, Ferryd, had taught her the basics and fundamentals behind the spell Mariana was weaving, but had not yet awarded her with the glyph and knowledge how to cast it herself. Still, her inclination towards Red Way gave her a good sense of what was happening. She could feel the entropy and chaos increase in the ground beneath her friend's furry feet, as latent energy pent up in the crystalline structures of the granite was released.
It's about to get really hot in here, she thought.
She noticed too, her bow was not far from her, within reach on the ground where she had placed it. With her free paw she took it up and rolled to her side away from Mariana's lava trap, trying to spring herself to her feet, but found she was too week to do so, and collapsed again, sitting on her haunches with her back against the cavern wall. If it weren't for the sparse light, she would have a perfect vantage of the scene. This was remedied when the Ylian lit his bonfire.
Within seconds the chamber was bathed in light, casting deep shadows behind all objects. For Aramara, the tunnel was now filled with the presence of the Fire Spirit, in all of its forms and states. Where Mariana had laid her trap, Aramara could see fiery fingers and hands creeping from the ground, crawling upwards, reaching for the suspended Diaboli, through him, embracing him. Everywhere the firelight illuminated a surface, the Fire Spirit stood, burning eyes locked on Aramara, but pointing towards the fallen figure of Callie. The whisper of a thousand voices resounded within her.
The result of your actions.
"Dear Gods NO!" the cry came from her lips, but she did not recognize the voice, as tired, cracked and desperate as it was. The Spirits faded from her view, but left her with gathered strength. She saw herself kneeling next to the dying elf, cradling her in her arms, and then was kneeling beside Callie, holding her thin frame. The girl was growing cold as the poison coursed through her veins. "Hold on Callie! Hold on!" Aramara pleaded with her, "Don't let go!"
Even if she had the energy to cast any more magic, her healing spells would only work on the light scratch on the Nolthrir's arm and do nothing for the contamination within her body. Her gathering of herbs too was useless without any knowledge of the alchemical makeup of the toxin. No, sadly, her best hope for a cure remained with the Ylian. Aramara placed her dagger in her mouth and knocked an arrow to her bow, pulling back and took steady aim for a incapacitating shot at the man's leg. The arrow ignited in flames as she let it fly.
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Mariana was aware of the nolthrir girl's suffering. Her senses were keened, cued, ready to react and spring. Every small sound and motion was heard by her: the muttering of the insulting Ylian, the movements of the Diaboli. She could hear Aramara's desperate pleas, and as much as she longed to help the poor woman, she knew that for the moment her attention must remain fully fixated on this menace before her. The Diaboli first. The girl... Her eyes caught the glint from the arrowhead as the other akkaio readied it and let it fly, and she couldn't keep a tiny smirk from forming. Well played, Ara. Well played. Perhaps if the other man was injured, he would be more persuaded to cough up an antidote to whatever his dagger had administered to the girl. The only thing she didn't pick up on was that subtle shadow that the man summoned and sent slithering into the darkness.
With the glow of light initiated by the Ylian's fire, Mariana was able to see the rock coming for her head. She only had to shift it a bit, however, to avoid the oncoming rush. The Diaboli may have been good, but aiming at a moving target in the dark was no small feat. Some fleeting confidence was acknowledged when the overbearingly muscled man charged towards her. He had taken the bait, eaten her overly
flamboyant bravado hook, line and sinker. Just as the Ylian had just illustrated with his comment, they had underestimated her, and assumed her nothing but a random bystander. A meddler.
This was no meddler. This was a friend, and a friend that did not take kindly to others assaulting those she cared about. Their flippant display of power enraged her. Her emotion welled up within her the instant before the Diaboli's blade began to move, while he was still a pace away from her, poised to swing. The magma roiling before her feet heated with that righteous rage, and her lips curled back in a menacing scowl. Part of her didn't want to do this. There was no pain quite like the agony she was about to inflict on this man, and somewhere in the back of her head her conscience rebelled against the action. He had made his choice, however. Allied himself with dark deeds and despicable decisions. Ultimately, this was his fault, not hers.
In one swift movement, Mariana jumped backwards. Just as his dark shoes hit the core of where she'd generated the spell, the ground exploded, concentrating upon him, the lava erupting from a sudden pore that had formed in the earth. The tunnel flashed with this harsh orange light now, once again visibility brightening to shocking clarity. The heat was overbearing and, because she was so close, stole her breath away with its intensity. It reflected in her shimmering metal armor and made it appear as though she, too, were being ravaged by the searing liquid. She stumbled another step back, paw still hitched in a way to keep the spell going, sabre held at the ready.
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Callie's face exhibited the torturous agony that the deadly poison was inflicting on her arm. Beads of cold sweat formed on her brow, as did a bump on the back of her head from hitting the ground. The ylian's dagger cut her just below the wrist, and in the orange light it looked like a very minor cut. The poison was a very thick black tar that would be familiar to anyone who wanted to inflict true death. Now, the poison had coursed through her right forearm, and the veins in it showed through her skin, black as the tunnel had been. Callie blinked a few times and wanted to stand, but the knock on her noggin kept her dazed. Instead she just lay there feeling Armara's warm, soft fur, and being reminded of Miomo. It brought a brief smile to her face and she hoped she would find him soon.
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You cursed ylian, you blew my surprise attack with that damned bonfire. Druk didn't change his plan, much to his misfortune, though he did compensate as Mariana leapt back and swung his sword wide, hoping to catch her where she landed. That ultimately did nothing to rescue him from his fate. In the same instant his boots touched ground, the ground melted. The plume of lava engulfed him. He imagined his homeworld must be something like this, but that thought only lasted for the briefest second before the excruciating pain overrode any other thoughts. His clothing caught on fire and then melted to his flesh, which itself started melting, his blood literally boiled in his veins, and his guts baked inside the diaboli-shaped oven. His skin sloughed off of him, and he was flayed alive, though just barely. His only saving grace was that the intense heat killed him in only a few seconds. In a few more seconds he was turned into a smouldering pile of ash. Dakkru would have fun putting him back together again.
Already the lava spell was starting to fill this portion of the tunnel with superheated, and noxious gasses. Though the gas was wafting out both ends of the tunnel, that action wasn't nearly as fast as the production of it. In addition, the ground started shaking and rumbling, causing bits of dirt and debris to dislodge from the ceiling in a soft rain.
The ylian merchant turned around from his dealings with the shadeling just in time to see Aramara knocking the arrow. Defenseless, he spun around and ran after the familiar. He didn't make it very far though, and fell over just past his still-unconscious rivnak as the flaming arrow tore into his right leg, cauterizing at the same time. He hollered profanities from the pain, and cursed the whole lot of them. His dagger came in handy again, this time to cut into the arrow so that he could snap it off cleanly. Not one to stick around in a dangerous situation, he crawled to the wall and used it to help himself back up onto his good leg. While sliding along the wall into the shadows he threatened, "Anyone who gets near me will be as dead as that girl!" and to back up his words, he kept a tight hold on the dagger.
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The shadeling sped through the stone labyrinths, through cramped corridors, across precarious bridges, and along narrow ledges without hesitation. It was sure-footed and unseen. Anyone following who was unfamiliar with the labyrinths would never have found their way back out. Finally, its destination made itself visible around a corner. The entrance was guarded by two gobbles, and illuminated with sconces. They nodded to the shadeling and he entered a hall with a very high ceiling. The walls on either side were stepped back every five feet up, forming ledges. all along the walls were alcoves, side-by-side and on each level and all hidden in shadow. All manner of races of gobbles were gathered here, some just resting outside an alcove, some climbing the ladders placed around, and those on the ground were training with swords. There must have been nearly one thousand gobbles, or at least enough room to house that many. At the far end of the hall was a throne, and sitting on the thrown was the Gobble King, a xacha man with a flamboyant horned helmet, and a long cloak.
The shadeling whispered a few words to the xacha, who responded, "I see. It appears my choice of expendable merchant was not the best one. I'm glad I only paid half the tria." If he was angered by this news, he did not let it show. He stood up and one gobble in fancy clothing indicative of a high military rank approached him. He said, in fluent gobble, "Gather a dozen of my best fighters and follow Shiff back to my merchandise. Take bowls, spoons, mugs, anything you can in order to capture all of it. Don't leave a single drop, do you understand?" The gobble nodded in understanding and saluted, "Oh, and kill anyone you may find there," and with a wave of his hand he dismissed the gobble to carry out his command.