The excitement unfolding around the monolith seemed to tickle Madeline a bit, as she curled a finger within her golden locks, when she watched everyone left at the monolith spread out to different directions. Talon had seemed to gauge the new threats present to the area, and quickly deemed it vital that he make his move towards the south, where Hyoga already started to engage the Wraith of Rage chasing the undead. Meanwhile Lyra and Finn had taken to head towards the spring, to address the Wraith of Horror lingering there, and provide Galius with what little aid they could as well. Things had definitely taken an interesting turn to Madeline, and she couldn't help but wonder what it was everyone would do next.
Hyoga's spear had been enflamed with fire due to him varnishing the element, which would've undoubtedly made his weapon that much more effective... were it not used on a Wraith of Rage. Alone the spear hardly seemed to phase the soaring entity, it's pursuit almost unphased had it not taken note of the other heat source present. Flame. Rather earnestly the wraith slowed to twist around, to face the new challenger present in turn, before a perfectly timed maneuver resulted in a gleaming flourish of a blade. Talon's sweep into the fray couldn't have been any more cleaner, the blade practically sizzling as smoke trailed from the traces of aether and ichor found there.
The Wraith of Rage had been cleaved in two as a result, it's form already dissipating into plumes of smoke as the upper half reached out above, and emitted another high-pitched shriek that faded to silence in the entity's fall. The limbs and form of the creature dissolved into thin air, as the split remains of the wraith's core surged back together, coalescing into a thick red-orange blob that dropped to the ground with an obnoxious splat. Ectoplasm seemed to gush out from its impact on the ground, spreading out half a foot as something seemed to clink as it bounced in place. Within the center of that puddle that was generated, a robust sized rocky-looking stoon with a small flame emanating from its core. The undead within that area suddenly stopped in all their tracks, the burning one included, before things seemed to suddenly resume their chaotic frenzy once again.
Yet those Undead that were feasting on their own earlier seemed to calm down now, the offenders legitimately curious as to how and why they were caught up in tearing apart the poor ghoul lying on the ground. The monks? Still focused on maintaining their circle of prayer it would seem, although ambient aether began to swirl within the center of the glyph they carefully guarded. "I'll be damned!" The skeletal soldier cheered with his sword thrust upward in salute. "You took that thing down before it could even cause a real problem!" He commended to Talon in his approach just then, his head visibly turning as though he would've looked to Hyoga next. "Nice work helping him! I don't think I could've seen any-"
"HOOOOOOOOOOT!!!" The burning undead declared as he ran between the three, causing the skeletal soldier to retreat back a couple of steps as his head turned yet again. It was strange how he seemed capable of seeing without any eyes, as he was just a skeleton after all, yet even so the warrior barely seemed phase by his current condition. The burning ghoul on the other hand? He practically made a beeline after passing them, and unless somebody stopped him, he would continue that beeline right for the spring in turn.
"Well damn! Looks like poor Jimmy's gonna have an ear-splitting headache afterward." Another one of the ghouls in the area muttered aloud to one of his fellow on-lookers, the rest of the Undead there still invested in watching the present living as they lingered.
"I take it you must be wanting this?" The skeletal warrior inquired as he moved to pick up the Pyrolyth shard, mindful that his bony hands didn't get burned in turn when he held it. In picking it up he offered it to one of the two men present, his skull head then tilted to the side as he waited to see who'd accept it. "Right then, I shall carry out my duties then! For the EMPIRE!!" The skeletal warrior declared in turn, offering them a salute fairly reminiscent of the Imperium's own gesture. In turn, he moved to chase after the burning ghoul, named Jimmy, hopeful to address the other lingering issue near the monolith.
At the spring; Lyra, Finn, and Galius found that they were not only challenged, but also tested by the Wraith of Horror looming overhead. Though the entity did lash out a couple of times when it hovered near the Ork, the arrival of Lyra and her use of Mesmer seemed to intrigue the Wraith. Looming overhead in turn it's hood shifted so that ominous snow-white eyes unveiled themselves, as they bore down on the scholar from within the black of the hood it wore. That was when... "It's hot! It's HOT! It's HOT-HOT! It's HAWT!" Despite this being the only words Jimmy could scream aloud, the flames spewing from it's cranium had practically engulfed his entire head. By now Jimmy had an extremely charred noggin, the decrepit flesh practically melting away to reveal his skull as he reached the spring.
"Jimmy!!" One of the ghoul's frozen in place called out to him, clearly surprised by the fact he came over with a new burning accessory. The Wraith of Horror, however, gave a shrill of displeasure as it elevated further away, clearly alarmed by the hot-head that had joined the others present. In turn the skeletal warrior from earlier seemed eager to meet up with them, with his rusty sword pointed up towards the wraith in turn, while Jimmy himself continually ran in clockwise circles around the spring.
"Lo! Behold! We've got you now ghastly scum!" He said this aloud almost with a tone of confidence, but gradually did it seem to waver as the Wraith in turn hissed. With a wail and pivot to it's left the Wraith of Horror lashed around, sweeping through the air to blast everyone on the ground with a wind of cold. Ice pelted everyone and a series of snaps filled the air, as the many remains of the skeletal warrior were then thrown asunder, with it's skull helm sliding across the ice until it bumped at Galius' feet.
"Gurlogigurlgiglgugle!" The drowned ghoul muttered from within the ice, as his face still seemed to poke out of the surface. If picked up at all then whoever had taken the skull of the fallen soldier, would find that within the center of his noggin was a dragonshard. It appeared rather small but looked to be quite dense, with the exterior layered with rocks and dirt. While everyone was busy handling the Wraith of Horror, however, things along the Stone Grove weren't looking to bright for poor Rabu. He did what he thought would help the deaf ghoul in turn, pulling out one of the worms as it squirmed vehemently between his fingers.
"Oooo ho ho! That tickles sunny boy!!" The deaf Undead started as he reeled back, laughing aloud briefly as he looked up towards the air in turn. As the area darkened even more the Undead gnawing on the stone seemed to let up, her jaw in an angle that hung far too low for a living body's standards. Fear seemed to wrack her face then as the mist swirled about and stirred, a ghastly dark figure swooped in to grab at her, generating a few terrified hisses as the Undead lady was thrown aside, much like a ragdoll dropped by a child with no further interest.
"Hahie!!!" The jawless ghoul cried out with his lone arm reaching out, before the air stirred with activity around him once again. Another tattered black cloak spurred from within the mist, knocking the highly animated undead off his rock, and causing some severe snapping sounds when his corpse smashed into the ground. Yet... there was still a groan from the jawless ghoul, albeit he certainly seemed to have the wind knocked out of him... and then some. The entity haunting the Stone Groves did not let up, however, as Rabu soon felt the air around him nudge and swirl from all over in turn.
"Eh? Who turned up the air in here?!" The older ghoul murmured aloud in turn, before a set of black hands jutted out from within the mist, and yanked the codger into its veil as something emitted a wily cackle in turn. Now the area around Rabu grew almost completely dark, the shadows settling upon the Stones themselves, as the runes began to lose their brilliance in turn. Rabu could hear hissing then, rattling too which was unusual. Surely by then, the shadows surrounding him began to move, and tendrils of black began to slither off the ground to him... almost like a basket of snakes had been sent loose upon the Rathari.
"Speech"
Hyoga's spear had been enflamed with fire due to him varnishing the element, which would've undoubtedly made his weapon that much more effective... were it not used on a Wraith of Rage. Alone the spear hardly seemed to phase the soaring entity, it's pursuit almost unphased had it not taken note of the other heat source present. Flame. Rather earnestly the wraith slowed to twist around, to face the new challenger present in turn, before a perfectly timed maneuver resulted in a gleaming flourish of a blade. Talon's sweep into the fray couldn't have been any more cleaner, the blade practically sizzling as smoke trailed from the traces of aether and ichor found there.
The Wraith of Rage had been cleaved in two as a result, it's form already dissipating into plumes of smoke as the upper half reached out above, and emitted another high-pitched shriek that faded to silence in the entity's fall. The limbs and form of the creature dissolved into thin air, as the split remains of the wraith's core surged back together, coalescing into a thick red-orange blob that dropped to the ground with an obnoxious splat. Ectoplasm seemed to gush out from its impact on the ground, spreading out half a foot as something seemed to clink as it bounced in place. Within the center of that puddle that was generated, a robust sized rocky-looking stoon with a small flame emanating from its core. The undead within that area suddenly stopped in all their tracks, the burning one included, before things seemed to suddenly resume their chaotic frenzy once again.
Yet those Undead that were feasting on their own earlier seemed to calm down now, the offenders legitimately curious as to how and why they were caught up in tearing apart the poor ghoul lying on the ground. The monks? Still focused on maintaining their circle of prayer it would seem, although ambient aether began to swirl within the center of the glyph they carefully guarded. "I'll be damned!" The skeletal soldier cheered with his sword thrust upward in salute. "You took that thing down before it could even cause a real problem!" He commended to Talon in his approach just then, his head visibly turning as though he would've looked to Hyoga next. "Nice work helping him! I don't think I could've seen any-"
"HOOOOOOOOOOT!!!" The burning undead declared as he ran between the three, causing the skeletal soldier to retreat back a couple of steps as his head turned yet again. It was strange how he seemed capable of seeing without any eyes, as he was just a skeleton after all, yet even so the warrior barely seemed phase by his current condition. The burning ghoul on the other hand? He practically made a beeline after passing them, and unless somebody stopped him, he would continue that beeline right for the spring in turn.
"Well damn! Looks like poor Jimmy's gonna have an ear-splitting headache afterward." Another one of the ghouls in the area muttered aloud to one of his fellow on-lookers, the rest of the Undead there still invested in watching the present living as they lingered.
"I take it you must be wanting this?" The skeletal warrior inquired as he moved to pick up the Pyrolyth shard, mindful that his bony hands didn't get burned in turn when he held it. In picking it up he offered it to one of the two men present, his skull head then tilted to the side as he waited to see who'd accept it. "Right then, I shall carry out my duties then! For the EMPIRE!!" The skeletal warrior declared in turn, offering them a salute fairly reminiscent of the Imperium's own gesture. In turn, he moved to chase after the burning ghoul, named Jimmy, hopeful to address the other lingering issue near the monolith.
At the spring; Lyra, Finn, and Galius found that they were not only challenged, but also tested by the Wraith of Horror looming overhead. Though the entity did lash out a couple of times when it hovered near the Ork, the arrival of Lyra and her use of Mesmer seemed to intrigue the Wraith. Looming overhead in turn it's hood shifted so that ominous snow-white eyes unveiled themselves, as they bore down on the scholar from within the black of the hood it wore. That was when... "It's hot! It's HOT! It's HOT-HOT! It's HAWT!" Despite this being the only words Jimmy could scream aloud, the flames spewing from it's cranium had practically engulfed his entire head. By now Jimmy had an extremely charred noggin, the decrepit flesh practically melting away to reveal his skull as he reached the spring.
"Jimmy!!" One of the ghoul's frozen in place called out to him, clearly surprised by the fact he came over with a new burning accessory. The Wraith of Horror, however, gave a shrill of displeasure as it elevated further away, clearly alarmed by the hot-head that had joined the others present. In turn the skeletal warrior from earlier seemed eager to meet up with them, with his rusty sword pointed up towards the wraith in turn, while Jimmy himself continually ran in clockwise circles around the spring.
"Lo! Behold! We've got you now ghastly scum!" He said this aloud almost with a tone of confidence, but gradually did it seem to waver as the Wraith in turn hissed. With a wail and pivot to it's left the Wraith of Horror lashed around, sweeping through the air to blast everyone on the ground with a wind of cold. Ice pelted everyone and a series of snaps filled the air, as the many remains of the skeletal warrior were then thrown asunder, with it's skull helm sliding across the ice until it bumped at Galius' feet.
"Gurlogigurlgiglgugle!" The drowned ghoul muttered from within the ice, as his face still seemed to poke out of the surface. If picked up at all then whoever had taken the skull of the fallen soldier, would find that within the center of his noggin was a dragonshard. It appeared rather small but looked to be quite dense, with the exterior layered with rocks and dirt. While everyone was busy handling the Wraith of Horror, however, things along the Stone Grove weren't looking to bright for poor Rabu. He did what he thought would help the deaf ghoul in turn, pulling out one of the worms as it squirmed vehemently between his fingers.
"Oooo ho ho! That tickles sunny boy!!" The deaf Undead started as he reeled back, laughing aloud briefly as he looked up towards the air in turn. As the area darkened even more the Undead gnawing on the stone seemed to let up, her jaw in an angle that hung far too low for a living body's standards. Fear seemed to wrack her face then as the mist swirled about and stirred, a ghastly dark figure swooped in to grab at her, generating a few terrified hisses as the Undead lady was thrown aside, much like a ragdoll dropped by a child with no further interest.
"Hahie!!!" The jawless ghoul cried out with his lone arm reaching out, before the air stirred with activity around him once again. Another tattered black cloak spurred from within the mist, knocking the highly animated undead off his rock, and causing some severe snapping sounds when his corpse smashed into the ground. Yet... there was still a groan from the jawless ghoul, albeit he certainly seemed to have the wind knocked out of him... and then some. The entity haunting the Stone Groves did not let up, however, as Rabu soon felt the air around him nudge and swirl from all over in turn.
"Eh? Who turned up the air in here?!" The older ghoul murmured aloud in turn, before a set of black hands jutted out from within the mist, and yanked the codger into its veil as something emitted a wily cackle in turn. Now the area around Rabu grew almost completely dark, the shadows settling upon the Stones themselves, as the runes began to lose their brilliance in turn. Rabu could hear hissing then, rattling too which was unusual. Surely by then, the shadows surrounding him began to move, and tendrils of black began to slither off the ground to him... almost like a basket of snakes had been sent loose upon the Rathari.
"Speech"
