[GST] a light in dark places pt. 2

[Talon]

T A L O N

Talon engaged the monstrosity. The sound of a hundred mouths all shrieking, screaming, moaning, laughing, and even begging all rose in a cacophany of ungodly noise.

The caverns shook as the draegir battled a voidstone infused horror.

---

Aoren heard Hilana. He knew that the priority was not the abomination that was now locked in furious combat with the love of his life. Logically, he knew that Talon was not just strong enough, but was clever enough to overcome the challenges presented with fighting a creature that distorted the very fabric of reality around it.

All the same, he could not bring himself to move. It was not until Aurin barked his command that Aoren shook himself out of his stupor. The dragon nodded and joined the others, stepping up to the partial cave-in. With the weight of the oppressive voidstone lifted off of them, it was easier to stir his aether into motion. He cast his senses across Nyxus and looked through the shadows of the Warrens until his sight guided him to the group of the miners. They were in a makeshift shelter within a cave. They looked to be holding their own against some shinaegri. Fortunately these ones did not look to be voidrillium tainted. He blinked, returning his senses to the material world.

“Hilana, Athalia, have your lava bombs at the ready. There are shinaegri that the miners are fending off. Only a handful and not quite so tainted as what we just faced.” He gave a grim smirk. “Make a splash, cause a distraction. Then get to the miners and start rounding them up.”

He looked to Aurin.

“The miners have bunkered down in a cave. It will be immediately ahead and to the right. If you can, it looks like you've got a few tricks up your sleeve. Get to them. Start ushering them back toward the mine shaft.” He looked at Hikami and Yumiko.

“As for us? We will take out the shinaegri while Aurin, Hilana and Athalia get to the miners.” Aoren waited only a moment to make sure everyone understood their part. He then turned to the partial cave in and drew in a breath. The flow of the elements came easier to him now that Talon was drawing the focus of the voidstone cursed monstrosity. He reached deeper into the well of power within him, took hold of the rock and stone and began coercing it to crumble away into the rock around it. He enacted sculpting to reshape the stone to create a viable pathway, at least as viable as he could given the circumstances. As soon as the pathway was clear enough, he shouted.

“Go! Go!” Time was not their friend in this moment and it was better to act swiftly.

Off Topic

There are only about 8 shinaegri. There are 14 miners bunkered down with simple weapons (i.e. crossbow, mining tools, etc.) taking shelter. 10 souls lost.

[Hilana Chenzira]

"There are fourteen left. Ten have been lost of the original 24 that were reported missing," Hilana informed them as they started on the dirt. While Aurin warded, the two sisters got to work on moving it. There was little point in digging with hands, and even grabbing one of the abandoned shovels wasn't going to move things the way Elementalism could. The sisters worked from the top, as Aoren scouted through Nyxus. Hilana did not want to expend more aether than necessary to see where Aurin's wards were, so she made estimations based on the shape of the mining shafts around them, carving deliberately at the rock and earth and pushing it to the side. It was steady going, made much easier with less effects of the voidrillium; but the earlier fight had certainly taken its toll with the way they had had to handle themselves with the corruptive, corrosive dragonshard.

When he explained his plan, the sisters nodded, and Lia checked her pouch to see how many lava bombs she had remaining. "Understood," Hilana nodded and when she shared a glance with her sister, she started to produce more of the lodestones for the other Vastiana to fill once again. They could take no chances on what was inside this cavern joining together; they would need to be thoroughly damaged in order for the others to take them out. The magma would certainly make the required distraction, considering their weakness to fire. Athalia passed the filled lodestones back to her sister, and Hilana kept them in her hands. Worst case scenario, if need be, they could use the dawnfire that Talon had given them; but she preferred to keep that on hand in case of emergency to cover their tracks on the way back. There would be a whole parade of miners, some of which were bound to be injured, and that meant they had to cover them. Arcas would surely manage, but there were always contingencies.

"I'll see what triage can be done for those that need it when we get in there," she took a steadying breath, squaring her shoulders as the tunnel became opened, and with the shadows around and near, Hilana went through first. She pushed air ahead of her in order to make sure she did not run head-on into one of the gravebound horrors that might have been attracted to a new opening, and all that was going on in the other cavern. That was absolutely the last thing any of them needed, a sudden attack drawn from the changing stone on the other side of the cave-in. She spread her fingers, and let that same wind take the carefully-prepared lava bombs, guiding them overhead as sweat trickled through the dust on her forehead. When they were in position over the shinaegri, they were activated, spilling lava upon the creatures while she made her way towards the right to get at the miners.

Athalia had followed her sister, and her own lava bombs were soon joining the first wave from Hilana. Lodestone after lodestone released the blazing, boiling lava within, coating the creatures along their backs and sides. She did not linger by the doorway, following Hilana towards where the miners had been holed up, though she kept her attention on the undead beasts lest they decide to come forward. "Hello, my name is Hilana. We are here to help you get out of the mines," she spoke calmly in Common as she did a head count, twice, to make sure this was all fourteen. "I am a doctor. Who can walk, and who cannot? If you've large wounds, show me, please." She retrieved her medical kit from her bag. She could spread the potions and elixirs out. she knew she had enough of her Magma Bloom ones for everyone.

[Aurin]

Aoren's knack for the knowing trick must have outstripped his own, or else he just wasn't as confident pouring all of his awareness through rock and dirt when body horror was trying to skull fuck a god as an appetizer before devouring them and the miners stuck below like a treat in a dog's chew toy. But, all the same, it was good to know what was waiting for them. Aurin was, if nothing else, a man who liked to know things. Specifically, he liked to know things that other people didn't want him to know, but knowing things that increased his chances of survival were also clutch.

Good as his word, he wove his wards to support their tunnel; none of them were dwarves or moles or miners, so he figured cheating with magic was their best bet.

When the women began fire bombing the gross monsters, he made a mental note to tell Hilana that she was a lava bomb in the sack when it was slightly more appropriate. He often said things inappropriately, but there was a method to it, at least in his head.

But once they reached the miners, he considered the situation.

"Fuck that," he said. "Stabilize anyone bleeding out or something, but..."

He found a stable-seeming wall and leaned his hands against it. Arcas was good for a couple of things: cock-blocking the flesh demons; dampening the voidrillium effects. It was still more difficult than it ought to have been, but he could feel the slipstream here. He knew the slipstream near the Tranquil Gardens.

So, while the healers were healing and the tanks were tanking, the Railrunner concentrated entirely on coordinating their safe exit from these unholy premises. For all the power he had accrued, Aurin barely considered himself any sort of official magic-user. He had tricks. He had mastered these tricks, but only Traversion had come with an honest-to-gods instructor, and Valencia Grey knew her shit. As such, so did Aurin.

When he had all the threads crossed, connected, and woven to bridge here and there, he pulled them taught like a boy playing cat's cradle. The stone under his hands rippled as if made of water, turned to light, and then showed the cultivated greenery outside the emergency entrance to the hospital, as well as a few startled passers-by. The faint entropic pull of the voidrillium had made it difficult to connect, difficult to create, and difficult to maintain, but he was certain that the passage itself would be safe.

He stepped back and out of the way. The portal was large enough that the sisters could easily pass through with a patient betwixt them. Dragons and Avialae might have to duck their heads, but they could fit if they wanted to. He hoped they all knew when to fight and when to retreat, though, because he didn't intend to play hero.

"Well, don't just gape. Time to see the physicians, no?"

Aurin would do what he could to help the ambulatory through the portal. If necessary, he could vault the immobile through personally. It took some effort to maintain the portal, but he had long ago learned to multitask. He didn't know if their front line would fall back or win the day, but he could maintain this point of egress for quite a while as long as Arcas kept the voidrillium at bay.

[Hikami]

龍 In that brief respite from the voidrillium corruption, Hikami took in an account of his condition. The anchor seemed to be fine from what he could feel, but without being able to semble deeper he wouldn't know for sure. Regardless Yumeko took that moment to reassure her nephew, pulling something from her pocket. Placing it around his neck he caught sight of the bright blue color stone and realized what she had given him. "I figured it would come in handy for times when your recklessness would get the better of your judgment and rationality." she mused, her pact weapon firm in her free hand.

The Heart of J'mora shone brightly as he felt himself become invigorated by the aether of the grand Frostrylyth set within the amulet. "Thank you" he whispered, finding some new strength as he stood and readied himself for what lay beyond the rocks before them. Hearing Aoren's plan, he nodded, calling forth Aoi Ryu within his hand as he was ok with this part of the plan. He would make sure the other three could get to the miners safely and retreat just the same.

"Ready yourself, and remember not to let your emotions overtake you nephew." she reminded him, taking up a fighting stance as they had almost broken through the stone. When they did, and when Aoren gave the go, Hikami, and Yumeko to the flanks of Hilana, Althia, and Aurin slaughtering the Shinaegri that approached. He was careful in this confrontation, keeping his attacks measured and controlled, feeding from the Frostrylyth as they fought. Both warriors would kill three of the flesh demons a piece, leaving the rest for Aoren to deal with as they would protect the others as they dealt with the miners.

All the while Hikami couldn't help hear the slight giggle again. 龍

"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"