• Graded • Forged in Fire: Way Down Deep

[Pegasus]

Forged in Fire: Way Down Deep........

Group B Map

Group C Map

Kura, Ela

The Albarech and her sister ran to the middle exit. Vabina scooped up the at-best unconscious Zach and then they all moved. It was nightmarish in its intensity. As the manor house of Baron Smooglenuff fell into the ground, the noise was immense. The cracking of the ground, the collapsing of the ceiling, it all linked with the undulating of the entire place. They ran and they were encouraged by Nir'wei's animals.

As they did, as they ran, there were injuriesall of you (including animals) are hit by at least two falling rocks, they are of medium size. Please include and take into account in your response.

The sisters found themselves following a stream but, quickly, that stream was filled with lava. Yet, that lava was flowing. The cavern behind them collapsed and they ran. They had no choice, after all, than to move forward- to follow the tunnel and the flowing stream-which-had-been. It was dark, it was dusty, there were rocks falling all around them. The heat was immense and there would come a time, they undoubtedly knew, when they could no longer deal with it.

Alrur was struggling, really struggling, but Squeak's focus on protecting the slowest and most vulnerable member of the group had two consequences. Maybe three. They were all faced with the decision of going at the speed of the slowest, or leaving Alrur behind. In protecting Alrur, Squeak took more damageis also hit by Alrur's two, Squeak is very badly hurt. Please take this in to account in your reply.

Suddenly, the tunnel opened up in front of them to a massive, cathedral-like cavern. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust and then they saw that the room was filled with bones. Bones, swirling lava, and then, as their eyes adjusted further, they noticed something.

The very middle of the room, the very center of the floor, right in the cage of the skeleton of a twisted creature - it was erupting out.....

...... something was emerging.

Darius, Oram, Yeva.....

As this group moved, it was nightmarish in its intensity. As the manor house of Baron Smooglenuff fell into the ground, the noise was immense. The cracking of the ground, the collapsing of the ceiling, it all linked with the undulating of the entire place. They ran and they were encouraged by Nir'wei's animals.

As they did, as they ran, there were injuries.all of you (including animals) are hit by at least two falling rocks, they are of medium size. Please include and take into account in your response. Oram encouraged ChiChi with a shove and that was all the woman needed. It was like Oram had slapped her out of her panic. Chichi stumbled - they all were bound to, but they moved. Taking the left-hand passage, they too heard the room they were in collapsing behind them as they ran.

Running together, the tunnel they were in opened up into a large cavern - not huge, but large enough that it could easily fit a hundred people. The place was lit up with the glow of lava which was running through the entire mountain and, at the same moment that the others Kura and Ela saw the creature begin to emerge, this small group saw that, again, they had a choice. They were all injured - there was a constant barrage of rocks falling on them - if it wasn't for the glowing lava which could so easily be their death, they'd have trouble seeing. But what they did see was that there was an opening roughly eight foot up the wall on the left of them as they came in. Ahead of them, there was another tunnel - if they kept going to the left, then they could.

They were - currently - outrunning the collapsing of the underground. However, they would know that things were moving quickly. There was dust everywhere, and Chichi pointed up to the opening on the wall. "LOOK!! There's wind!!" And yes, indeed, as she said that they could see that there was.

A Visual

You are standing on the red dot. The line leading to it is the route you took to get there (where you ran in the this post)
The shorter red line is where the opening is that Chichi is pointing to.

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Next Post: Wednesday 20th May 2020

[Nir'wei]

Vabina charged ahead, holding Zach's limp body between her jaws, careful to avoid crushing his torso beneath her sharp fangs - though it was a difficult enough task while sprinting as fast as her body would allow, and taking the brunt of the sections of tunnel collapsing on them all. In hindsight, she was lucky to get away with as little as she did - each rock was almost the size of her head and sent her stumbling afterwards, aching and heavily bruised in places, but while it stung and winded her quite severely, it was no more than the kind of damage she'd sustained in many battles beforehand.

Squeak wasn't so lucky - but seeing what was coming Alrur's way, even as one rock and then another struck his body and left the little dog limping with the strain of carrying on, he acted without thought, pushing the elder canine from the path of the falling stones even if it meant that he would take them himself. A pained yipe announced each strike, a pain he'd only felt once before pounding through every ounce of his body with such strength that somewhere many miles away, even Nir'wei winced... but Squeak limped slowly behind the rest of the group as they made it beyond the collapsing mansion all the same. Blood dripping from cuts and wounds running all down the left side of his body, one ear set in a permanent droop and both his front right paw and back left paw stinging when he so much as touched the ground with them.

The moment they were clear, Vabina set down Zach and scanned the room with curious eyes. What had these bones once belonged to? Why were there so many of them - and what was emerging from the one in the middle of the room, from behind what looked like a ribcage? In her mind, it seemed one of these long-dead beasts was reawakening... and therefore needed to be put to sleep once and for all. She even made it a few steps towards the emerging creature, her horn beginning to crackle with electric discharge, before somewhere far away and high above, an avalanche of information suddenly flooded her senses and thoughts to the point she almost felt she was drowning underneath it all.

Enough of it got through, though. Harming it was exactly what they couldn't afford to do now. She couldn't say it, unfortunately. No doubt Kura and Ela had come to the same earlier conclusion that she had.

Instead, Vabina turned, looking to Kura and then to Ela with a low warning growl. Then she spun back around, approached the emerging creature... and laid down before it. She didn't dare risk helping it emerge from its cage and being incinerated herself, but she would do nothing to attack it or prevent its release... and as Squeak limped slowly towards it as well, they both watched the other two to see what they would do.
 

***

Meanwhile, somewhere far above in the caverns alongside Darius, Oram, Chichi and Yeva, Cold ran as fast as he dared beside them all, doing his best to avoid the rocks that collapsed around them but still wincing in pain as a rather sizeable chunk of the tunnel suddenly collapsed and smashed into his right shoulder with a jarring impact - and a second followed not far behind against the small of his back, right between the shoulder blades. It left a lasting stinging that flared whenever he stepped, something he hoped for his life wouldn't be permanent... but was swiftly forced aside alongside the other chronic aches in his well-worn body as they reached the next chamber and found what they'd been seeking all along.

Their escape was far above them, however. They'd likely have to climb on each-others shoulders to escape and drag the last person up at the end. Was it something that he could help with? Possibly. But just as he took a step towards them, the frantic tugs of something distant suddenly drew his attention elsewhere. Back outside, to Nir'wei, high in the air and climbing still.

They'd have to manage on his own. The exit was so close that he could almost taste the cool air on his nose... but it was a puzzle they could solve by themselves. With a bowed head, he vanished as quickly as he'd arrived - not of much help, as it had turned out, but perhaps he should have been more thankful for that fact. Better than not being there when they might have needed him after all. Instead, he snapped back to Nir'weis side, as they ascended together towards the huge monster waiting outside for them all.

[Oram Mednix]

Lauf, Jäger, lauf!

The menacing growl grew louder, until it was an ear-ringing and gut-shaking roar. The mountainous beast making it seized the tunnel in its massive stony jaws and shook violently, slavering lava as it did so. In the tunnels, that lava ran. And Oram ran, too. The floor heaved and cracked. Oram heaved and hacked. Dust fell. Rocks fell. And Oram fell, more than once.

Something heavy and hard struck him on the left shoulder. For a moment, he thought Chichi had barreled into him from behind, but the heavy, dry clunk of the falling rock next to him told a different story. His left arm went numb and weak along its whole length, and he found he could not grip his spear in his left hand as he rose. Swearing an oath that might make Cassion regret His earlier gift of honey, Oram cast the polearm aside; it would not protect him here, and he could run faster without it.

Ahead waited a ruddy, angry glow, dim at first behind a curtain of dust-filled air. As he stumbled closer, Oram could make out an opening. Just as he reached it, a second stone dropped right in front of his face, close enough that he could feel the wind of its passing, and landed on his foot. This time the effect was not numbing. Pain shot through his right foot, and he let out another shout implicating further Immortals. After trying a few more paces, the traveler knew he probably had at least one broken toe, perhaps two, but in the grip of fear, he felt only a fraction of the pain he knew he should be feeling. That would change, he knew. If he lived long enough.

The chamber into which Oram at last hobbled looked huge, although with the dim light and all the dust, one could not be certain. Peering through the murk, he saw other forms stumbling about. ”Yeva! Darius!” he shouted to them, approaching. A moment later, he was relieved to see Chichi. So she had made it as well.

The cavern shook as violently as the tunnel had, and menaced them with oozing lava in addition to plunging rocks and fracturing floors. They could not stay here, Oram knew; they needed to get out of there, preferably to somewhere higher, even all the way back to the surface. Frantically, he looked around, cursing in frustration at how little he could see. It was Chichi who found the opening in the wall to their left. She announced it with curious words: ”Look! There’s wind!” As often was the case with Chichi, Oram wondered if he had understood her correctly. But when he looked, he could see the dust being blown away of the opening, and as they got closer to it, they could feel the air, which seemed cooler and fresher than what they had been breathing for what seemed now like many breaks.

Reaching up to it with his good arm, he judged it to be about eight feet, just above his outstretched fingertips. Darius could probably reach up and grab it, certainly if he jumped. Or he could lift people up to where they could reach. Oram reckoned he could help more -if only he could use his left arm properly. Ruefully, he tried moving it, flexing it. The thing responded only vaguely to his will. Dammit He looked at the others. Were they in any better shape?

”Darius,” he said, turning to the bearded blond, ”Could you hoist people up into the mouth? Maybe Chichi first?” He hoped that Darius was in better shape than he was. ”It may or may not go anywhere, but we should get someone up there to look, at least.” He looked around at all the rocks that littered the floor. ”Maybe we could make stairs out of some of these, too. Or maybe we could use our packs to stand on, and then pull ‘em up with rope.”

Upon saying this, Oram reached over his shoulder with his right arm to reassure himself that he hadn’t lost his gear. The pack was still there. It had probably absorbed some of the shock from the rock that had struck his shoulder earlier, the hunter realized. He did not want to think of what might have happened had he not been wearing it.

[Darius Baer]

Arc 720, 120th of Ashan

It was only a combination of fear and adrenaline that kept Darius moving. Staring death in the face was terrifying, but it was also an effective motivator. His hold on Yeva's hand was firm, despite the fact that it kept slipping with their shared sweat, and more than once he had to adjust his grip in an attempt to find purchase. The last thing he needed was to reassure the redhead that they would come out of this situation, and then let her slip away when it mattered most.

He ran as straight as he could, for the most part. It was, he realised, pointless to change his angles in an attempt to dodge debris, for there was no way to know where it would be anyway - and each zig and its accompanying zag would only slow him down or cause Yeva to collide with him.

His passage did not leave him unscathed, however. Rocks of all sizes were tumbling from above, and those that had already fallen were providing ample opportunities to trip over. The arm he held above his head caught a piece of debris. The impact on his forearm was hard enough to make him wrench it back with a yelp of pain, and he dropped the lightstone in the process, but he did not slow down as the light source clattered into some rubble nearby. He might have lost his way, were it not for the orange glow of the lava. Another projectile ricocheted off his pack and stung his neck, but still he ran.

By the time they entered the large cavern, his arm was beginning to sting, his fingers threatening to go numb, but he mentally attempted to push the pain away. Adrenaline was still coursing through him and pushing him on.

He sent what he hoped might be a reassuring glance to Yeva, before glancing over his shoulder, grateful to see Oram and ChiChi close behind.

He released Yeva's hand from his grasp and was already moving to the opening in the wall and sliding his pack off his shoulder when his hunter friend began to offer suggestions.

"Aye," he agreed, catching his breath. "Packs off, everyone."

He didn't wait to see if the others agreed. He simply assumed that - unlike their time in the mansion - they would recognise the urgency of the situation and there would be no arguments.

He set his own pack down on the ground beneath the opening, before grabbing the rope he had attached to its exterior. Wrapping it quickly around his waist, he thanked U'frek for his trials at sea and the knots he'd learnt.

"I'll go up first and see if I can haul the rest of you up," he continued, trying to remain calm as he tested the knot. "Oram, you go last and hand the packs up."

Then he stood upon his own pack and reached up, gloved hands grabbing at the lip of the opening. It was at his eye level, and so he jumped, gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain in his arm as he attempted to haul himself up.

Skills

Climbing (16 XP, 5 knowledges)
Discipline (11 XP, 6 knowledges)
Endurance (11 XP, 6 knowledges)
Leadership (2 XP, 1 knowledge)
Strength (8 XP, 5 knowledges)

[Ela Wolfsdotter]

As Ela glanced back behind her to look to Alrur the first rock hit, the girl letting out a loud cry of pain as her shoulder bled from the impact. Alrur was being pushed by Squeak, barely able to keep up even with the help. Yet Ela fought back tears. "Thank you" she shouted back to the Wolf, continuing to run as another rock hit her leg. Adrenaline was pumping and she could still run, but it did nothing to numb the pain. Everything hurt, everything burned with agony. Just ahead of Ela was Redfang, limping from what seemed to be similar injuries. The cougar had a scratch along its face as he hissed and bolted ahead. Ela wanted to call back for the animal, whistle, and hope he'd return to her side, but it was selfish. Her comfort, her desire to know she was safe, was not as important as Redfang's safety.

The swelling heat of the lava and the crippling pain from her wounds got too much quickly, Ela wincing through the pain and fighting back tears constantly. A nagging feeling tore at her body, one she couldn't figure out. Yet she refused it. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. Primal. She'd lost control enough times to know what it felt like - and this was worse. She couldn't give in to it. Not now. As she ran she gave out a loud cry of frustration, hoping they would soon find an end to the heat and the rocks. Eventually, pushing through it all, they found it. At least, something like it. Bones, scattered around a towering cavern. Redfang stopped as the ground shook a little, something threatening to burst through the ground. Ela entered the cavern, standing as close to the edge but as far from any lava as possible. Redfang limped to her side, hissing in pain as he stood beside her. Alrur came up to her side from behind, Ela letting herself shake for a moment as tears poured and she held his face.

"We'll be home soon. It's going to be ok. I promise" she said, standing slowly with a loud cry of pain before looking to Kura. "What do we do? Where do we go?" she asked with her voice shaking, the young pup panicking. Yet Kura had known her long enough to know what her real terror looked like. This was Ela still fighting, refusing to give in. She hadn't given up hope yet. She wouldn't give up hope. The promise of being home soon would come true. She had to keep it, for her animals and for everyone waiting for her in Beacon.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

They ran, and the ceiling kept falling down around them, some of it even falling on top of them. Vabina had Zach, thank goodness, but Alrur was falling behind. Squeak was taking hits for the aging dog, and she hoped the wolf could hang on long enough to get them through this. Phelan ran beside Squeak and Alrur, in his intangible form, but would take over protecting the elderly canine if Squeak needed the help. Kura, for her part, was very glad she had chosen to wear her armor for this trip. The falling rocks still hurt like hell, one impacting her ribs and another hitting her square in the shoulder, but without the armor, it would have been a lot worse. At the very least, she was fairly sure she didn't have any broken bones, though a few might be fractured.

When they finally emerged in a cave that seemed, for the moment, fairly safe, Kura bent over to catch her breath, her breathing ragged from the damaged ribs and the run. However, as she looked up and saw the bones, and more importantly the creature emerging from the bones, she just let out a sigh. "Well, that can't possibly be good." she said, too worn out from the run to muster more of a reaction. Besides, she needed to save what energy she had left, since if it came to a fight, she doubted she was going to win this with a political debate, as much of a relief as that would be.

Ela's cry of pain got Kura's attention, but before she could speak, Squeak and Vabina reacted, putting themselves between the sisters and the thing in the lava. "Nir'wei's got a plan, it seems." she said under her breath, glad the other wolf-walker was making progress. Looking over at Squeak, Kura noticed his injuries and shook her head. "Right now, we stay right here and rest. Listen and feel for any signs of shakin'. The longer we can rest, the better off we'll be." Kura said, standing up. "Squeak, shift back into spirit form, yeah? You'll heal better there, I think. Phelan, have a look about, see if you can find us a way back to the surface or to the sea if need be. Vabina, let us know if anythin' changes on Nir'wei's end." she said, before looking at Ela and Zach. "See if you can do anythin' for your animals, pup." she said, putting her hand on her sisters shoulder. "We'll be gettin' out of here alive, after all, and I'm sure both Alrur and Redfang would like to play in the sun without needin' a cone of shame to keep them from itchin' at a cast." she said, before stepping over to Zach. Kura wasn't a medic, but if anyone here knew what the hell was going on with that skeleton, it was likely their guide. But first she had to get him awake, and she wasn't sure she could, or even should, do that.

[Yeva]

120 Ashan 720

The fury of the mountain was thunderous, roaring like a hungry lion. Rocks cascaded towards the ground and dust filled the air, each desperate step less sure than the last. A rock fell and struck Darius' arm, ricocheting off him to strike her helmet. She yelped, nearly losing Darius' hand in the process but he squeezed tighter, while his light stone skittered away to be lost forever. Yeva coughed and gasped, wheezing from exertion and unsure air, looking over her shoulder at the lava rising and sheer destruction in their wake. She had never seen anything like it-

Pain shot through her shoulder as another rock crashed into her and she went tumbling into the ground, her thin pants doing little to prevent scraped skin as blood pooled upon her knees. Her knuckles were shredded against the rock, smashed beneath her book and map. Adrenaline fueled her now and she knew if she stopped, she put the others at risk. It was what ChiChi had said.

Team or dead.

She kept moving despite the burning pain, afraid to let go. Afraid to be left behind.

Through the passageway, they emerged, and she heard a man's voice boom, "Yeva! Darius!"

The redhead searched for its source, shouting back in breathless fear and relief, "Oram! ChiChi!"

In the dusty air, she saw two shadows stumble through the aftermath. All of them looked worse for wear, although they had seemingly all survived. Trained in medicine, Yeva already eyed her teammates for signs of serious injury, catching Darius' gaze as he silently reassured her. Still, she frowned. They weren't out of the caverns yet. As he moved, Oram seemed to favor one foot more than another. Sprained ankle? Broken foot? Yeva watched how he distributed his weight between great gulps of air, doubled over while her lungs begged for mercy. Remembering ChiChi's reaction before they had started running, she held the stitch in her side and scooted closer to the former slave, worried for her as well. When the guide pointed, her eyes followed immediately.

"Look! There's wind!"

"...Maybe we could make stairs out of some of these, too. Or maybe we could use our packs to stand on, and then pull ‘em up with rope."

"Aye, pack's off everyone."

Yeva didn't argue. Wind meant the outside world, right? Or... was this another one of Scalvoris' phenomena, just like the earlier patterns? She grabbed at the straps to her backpack, hissing in pain as as she slid the bag free. Her fingers were sticky - she was bleeding. Clutching her shoulder, she watched Darius take the lead and attempt to scale the wall first. Team or dead.

"Your leg's hurt," Yeva said seriously to Oram, glancing at Darius who was preoccupied in his attempt, "You should go after ChiChi. The three of you should be able to pull me up," Having a petite frame, she was lighter than most, and it was no disrespect to the tracker, but if his arm troubled him, he'd struggle to tie the packs. She had become close to Darius, but emotions often muddled sense when friendship was involved, " I'll be able to get the packs up... But if something else happens, I can still run." She swallowed, hoping he'd agree, but more than that, wished they'd all make it to safety as quickly as possible.

Team or dead.

[Pegasus]

Forged in Fire: Way Down Deep........

Group B Map

Group C Map

Kura, Ela

There was barely time for the words exchanged between Kura and Ela. There was certainly NO time for resting of any kind. The animals panted, desperate for some kind of respite, those who were physical, but there was none to be given.

The creature erupted and, as it did the heat was enormous. Scorching, searing, deadly, lava burst up and up, through the ceiling, throwing them to the ground. As they stood up, they could see a pillar of flame and looking at it burned their eyes, being within fifty foot of it was unbearable. The heat in the room was immense and yet, they all noticed that the funnel of lava was literally straight up. Straight up from the ground and in a towering pillar.

Straight.

In the middle of that tower of lava, the creature was clear and it even stepped forward as it lifted it's arms to the ceiling and roared. Made from lava itself, with glowing red eyes and twisted horns curling around it's head. It roared and as it did the sound was enough to set fear into the heart of the bravest warriors.

But then, it stopped. It turned and looked, but to those who noticeDetection of Expert or above such things, it wasn't looking at one of them particularly. It seemed to be looking at - seeing - someone different. Shorter than those present, but it looked at that person and it spoke.

"

WHERE IS MY CAPTOR!?

" it roared. The sound was close to deafening.

"WHO ARE YOU, LITTLE ONE?"

. It snarled in frustration, obviously merely a split second away from really not caring and just marmalising them all.

It was silent as it waited for an answer. But, shouldyou'll only find this out if you try any of them speak to it, it seemed not to hear them.

Then, just as everything hung in the balance, a creature of shadow and darkness. They recognised it, of course. It was Maxine, but made from Shadows.

..... and, in full sight of those in the cavern, it charged towards the creature. It's intentions were obvious as it ran.

Destruction.

Darius, Oram, Yeva.....

They chose to climb, and they did so in a way which meant that they had a plan - they could even try and save the gear. Nature, of course, had a strange way of dropping bombs on the best laid plans. There was a brief - thankfully very brief - discussion, and Yeva sent Oram through first. It was Yeva's plan that she would be able to get the packs through, and Oram was bleeding all over the place. But first, Darius had to climb.

He was not a strong climber, but he had experience of seafaring, thus tied the knots well, and he had to take his time. Twice, he lost his grasp ~ once, he recovered and caught himself, the second time he did the same but cut his hand on a jagged shard. That made things even more difficult, of course, because his palm was bleeding and slippery but, thankfully, he made the ascent.

Then, Darius lay on the ground and attempted to pull the others up. First, Chichi (who made it up fairly easily on the surface of things. She wasn't strong, but the woman could climb! However, Oram and Yeva would see the rock hit her leg), then Oram. Now, unlike Darius, Oram had no skill in climbing and the rocks were hot, there was the continued collapsing of the cavern, and Darius had left a trail of slick blood on the surface. As the pair of them struggled, a falling rock connected with Oram's right arm, just above the elbow and he heard - and felt - a loud crack. The pain was enormous and it was more strength on Darius' part which got him the rest of the way up. Chichi flung herself down next to Darius and helped him and, between the two of them they got Oram up. Darius, for his part, felt the muscles and tendons scream in pain but the adrenaline he felt was such that he'd pay for it later.

If there was one.

Then, it was Yeva's turn.

As all this was happening, the collapse of the cavern intensified and they would all know without a doubt that Chichi was absolutely correct when she shouted "Ve do not care about ze packs!! Come, girl!! Ve must save you!" and as the cavern collapsed around her, the only thing that Yeva could see - that any of them could - was dust and dark and debris. But one hand was in Darius', the other in Chichi's, and between them they pulled her to safety. Yeva was covered in cuts, some of them quite bad but none of them life threatening. As they lay together on the floor in a tunnel, then their eyes began to adjust.

Yeva could see that Oram's arm hung limply, useless, by his side. He was cut and losing blood as she had already noticed. Darius' palm was cut and bleeding profusely. Chichi, like Yeva, was covered in numerous cuts, but none so deep that they would be life threatening.

However, her leg? That was at a very odd angle, her knee obviously broken. Chichi's face was the grey ashen colour of someone in incredible pain.

And that was where they were. The cavern behind them had collapsed, on top of their packs. Oram had a broken arm, Chichi a broken leg. Darius was bleeding profusely and Yeva was injured literally all over. But, there was most definitely a breeze. There was also light - light of a glowing variety. The tunnel they were in was holding its shape currently but for how long? Well, who knew? It was shaking and rumbling. There were no supplies, no bandages, no splints.

All they had was themselves, and each other.

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	One post maximum here. Play to your skill level. It helps me if, when you use a skill you maybe put an OOC note or such at the bottom to tell me what your skill is. I'll check your CS, no worries, it just takes me longer. Do not control any NPCs. They are mine.

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	There are no objectives. Nir'wei: since you have animals here, you may post a brief post in this thread but only with Kura / Ela. You do not need to - if you do not, I will assume that your animal is observing. Feel free to ask any questions before posting.

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Next Post: Wednesday 27th May 2020

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura let out a startled yelp as the flame thing erupted into a straight pillar of magma that coalesced into very unhappy looking lava creature. "Oh, now that's not right. Please tell me this is just a pissed off Induk. I do not want to be dealin' with demons straight out of the bad bedtime stories." she said, her eyes wide. Then the creature started talking, apparently not to them, but Kura tried to answer regardless. "Who was your captor?" she called to the beast. "We can't be tellin' you where your captor is if we don't know who it is, can we?" she said, before letting out a huff as the creature didn't respond. Kura was not at all used to being ignored, but she'd happily take it if it meant the volcano creature wasn't turning them all into gooey slag.

Then a shadow of Maxine appeared and started to charge the creature, clearly bent on doing something potentially calamitous. "Phelan, stop that shadow!" Kura called, drawing her bow. She didn't have time now to worry about Zach or anything else that was going on. "Ela, keep ready, but don't engage yet." she said, taking an arrow out of the quiver. "Max, call back your shadow, now!" she barked, reaching for the power of the leash and hoping it would work. Still, regardless of whether it did or didn't, she raised her bow and aimed an arrow at the shadows foot, taking a deep breath. It would not be pleasant, using a bow with her ribs damaged, but she had little choice. So, when she breathed out, she let go of her bowstring and sent her arrow flying at the shadows feet, hoping to pin it to the ground and hoping not to hit the volcano spirit if she missed.

Phelan, for his part, had not been injured in the collapse due to having been in spirit form during the escape. He hadn't shifted back into physical form at any point, and he remained in spirit form as he charged the shadow. Now, if the shadow knew about Phelan, it might assume that after having fought Nir'wei's wolf pack, it had an edge of experience when it came to fighting wolves. Against regular wolves, that would probably be true. But unlike Greyhide and the rest of Nir'wei's wolves, Phelan had been one of Karem's wolves since long before he had met Kura, and he didn't think like a mortal wolf. For that matter, while Phelan often appeared far more dog-like than many wolves, he was much like Kura herself. Most importantly here, however, was the fact that neither Kura nor Phelan had ever met a fair fight that they had liked.

So Phelan stayed in spirit form as he rushed the shadow from behind, and he stayed in spirit form as he lept at the shadows back. It was only when his fangs were already around the back of the shadows throat and getting ready to close did he turn back to physical form, letting out a murderous snarl as his weight collided with the shadow. He hoped to force it face down on the ground, where he could savage it until it either retreated, lost the ability to take corporeal form, or died. If that didn't work, and the shadow made to attack the wolf, then Phelan would phase back into spirit form, going for a different weak point, such as the back of the legs or the arms, once again only taking physical form when his teeth were ready to close on his prey. It was, in effect, the standard hit and run tactic of wolves, but made all the more effective since Phelan could turn incorporeal whenever he wasn't attacking. During this, Kura would keep firing arrows at the shadow, the two intending to keep the shadow from nearing the volcano beast at the least, disabling it if they could.

[Tio Silver]

Continues from here.

As the sound of the tunnel collapsing behind them finally settled a new sound caught the ears of Darius, Oram, Yeva and Chichi. It was the sound of strangely high-pitched screaming coming from directly above them, and it was getting louder. Suddenly there was a BAM, and a screaming cloud of dust and debris crashed down from the ceiling and thudded on the floor, coming within a hair's breadth of hitting Yeva. Gradually the dust began to settle, revealing a tuft of blonde hair and a hand sticking out from a pile of small pebbles.

The hand wiggled, clenching a few times, and then like a whale majestically surging forth from the ocean Tio pushed himself out of the pile of rocks, coughing up waves of dust from his lungs and with eyes as wide as saucers. He was riddled with shallow cuts and bruises, but none of them were visible thanks to him being coated literally head to toe in a thick layer of dust. If it weren't for the slight few shocks of blonde hair that miraculously escaped an impromptu hair-dye he would have resembled some kind of vengeful dust demon more than a man. For his part Tio seemed just as surprised by his own entrance as they were, and brought his hand up to touch his face as if to confirm the fact that he was actually real to himself.

"I'm alive? I'm alive! Ahaha- Oww! Oww, it hurts to laugh!"

He bent double, grasping at his stomach and wobbling from side to side slightly as he tried to regain his bearings. His whole body was one big aching pain, and as such he was so distracted by his own misery that he had not actually noticed that he wasn't alone until one particularly wide sway caused him to fall off balance and stumbled into Yeva. With a jolt of fright he jumped back and looked over, finally noticing them, and for a moment he paused as his shaken brain tried to process what he was seeing. Then his expression morphed into a look of bemused concern.

"Good lord, you guys look awful. What happened to all of you?"

He heaved himself back up to standing up straight and tried to brush some of the dust off himself, but there was so much of it that he only succeeded in wafting a whole new cloud of dust into their faces. "Well, sorry to drop in like this, but have any of you seen a man mad of lava or a vortex of evil clouds passing through here?"