Relic hunters 8: near-death experience

General Summary

The party was traveling to Kesmos to find a item. the party went into the city and and found the old prison. it took a very short while and they found the underground prison that the entrance was collapsed of. the party explored the old prison and foundr a weird crystal. then in another room they found old papers that Eris managed to read despite the outdated language. The papers talked about the people currently in the prison. something that stood out were multiple wizards in confinement all in there for the usage of Arlyndas, the party had no idea what that meant. after going deeper into the prison and finding a room piled full of bones. it was probably the main prison room. When deckie rattled the bones by walking through them the bones became a attacking bone cloud centered around a single small and dark-red glowing bone. nearly died during the fight and used her magic in order heal herself. after that deckie pocketed the bone and the party went on to try and find the item they were looking for. the party found a bigger door. the party used the crystal they found earlier to open the door. inside they found a gem and another door that could just be opened with lockpicking. inside there were a couple small marbles of swirling reds. when they did immediatly arcane ghosts appeared and asked for them back. when deckie ran instead the party left and fled outside of the prison and the arcane constructs couldn't leave the confines of the prison underground.
when they came out. they were met with people that called themselves the Argos.
The player of Eris wrote about the battle:
Luck was on their side. The illusions couldn't go outside of their designated zone, which for them was more than enough to feel safe. Deckie tried to catch his breath, having been badly hurt by the illusions. Whatever these stones were and what they did, it must have been important enough to kill for. "Could someone… heal me?" Eris stepped closer, her hands hovering slightly above his wounds. She could feel the magic slipping from her fingertips, into the wound of the man. "I hope these stones were worth it, or I swear on everything that is holy, I will use every disciplinary punishment my father used on me and you will regret it." Never did he have someone heal him while threatening him. He didn't dare to question it. "It couldn't have been that bad," Zero mumbled, having been left mostly unscathed. She ignored the half elf, standing up and walking a short distance. "I don't have much magic left." "Same here," Leothidas informed. "And I don't think this one has any left." He motioned his head to the woman on his back. Phoebe had exhausted herself, mostly by healing them. They weren't doing very well, it had taken them too long to get those stones. "We should go back to camp." Everyone could agree with the Firbolg on that. Any more combat would have been risky. "There they are." A female voice came from a distance. Six people in familiar reddish-brown, acid resistant cloaks blocked their path. The woman that called out to them had skin covering her eyes, but she seemed to be perfectly fine with locating what she needed. The other more notable person was a man with four arms, having the extra two limbs growing out of his waist. He was holding onto spears. Something in the back of their heads told them this wasn't going to end well. "Do you have what we asked for?" "Excuse me? What you asked for?" Eyes chuckled, nothing but ill intent in her laugh. "Yes, they rightfully belong to us. What were they called again?" She mumbled, trying to figure out the name of what she needed. "The Arlyndas stones." Deckie gritted his teeth, not interested in anything they had to say. "Even if we had those stones, why would we even give them to you?" They stepped closer, the man wasn't very amused. "The Arlyndas stones belong to the Argos. Get that through your thick skulls." The mutated ones seemed to be the leaders, doing all of the talking. "Search them," Eyes ordered. The others approached. Zero glanced over to Deckie, knowing that if he was searched, they would find the stones. But there was no telling if they would be left alone or killed. Not like they were going to give them the stones. When one of them came close to him, he pulled out his greatsword, swinging it. But the person dodged, having expected that to happen. They weren't as oblivious as the other group. "How predictable, you must have killed the others." Shit, he had hoped that he could have hit at least one of them. Damn it, hopefully it would go as smooth as with the previous group of assholes. Eris channeled the divine power of the Flame, feeling it's warmth deep in her chest. It coursed through her veins, making room for the cold dark as a bright light enveloped all except one. Screams of pain could be heard as the light burned their skin, leaving two of them dead, their irises burned and their skin smoking. Deckie drew his scimitar, attacking the nearest cultist, cutting into their thigh. He nimbly dodged the counterattack, creating a good amount of distance. He could see Eyes moving her lips, her hands creating symbols. Whatever that was, it wasn't good. In one of the moments that Phoebe was conscious enough, she ordered to be let go from the Firbolg, who complied. Stumbling away, she took cover, unfit to fight. But Zero didn't need her backup. As he felt the anger giving him power that he normally did not have, flowers and vines sprouted from the ground. Some of the cultist were tangled up in the greenery, while Zero still had a small circle of land to freely walk on. In the corner of his eye, Leothidas saw the four armed man approaching the Fire Keeper, his spears rapidly jabbing at her. She managed to dodge them, but he played a dirty trick on the blind woman. Her hands were clenched around the spear that impaled her gut, having missed any vital organs by a hair. The smell of copper became stronger when the weapon was drawn out from her, her soft flesh making sounds that made Leothidas sick. He focused on the stars, though not visible in the sky, they always surrounded him, providing their aid. With a running start he was able to just make it before an arrow was fired, missing him. Feeling the magic slip from his fingers he focused on healing the woman. Little stars danced from his fingertips, kissing the bleeding wound and healing the veins, stopping it from bleeding further. Eyes' hands glowed as a form of dark magic created a creature from the sand. It wobbled around on three legs, instead of a head it just had a gaping mouth with razor sharp teeth. It's eyes seemed to not matter, nor did it's sense of smell. "Just give us the stones." She sounded very calm for a person who just witnessed two of her own getting killed by an attack. But she wasn't dumb. A cleric could only call upon their god once, and she just so happened to have wasted her godly powers before she could have casted a serious spell. The cultist entangled in the vines tried to escape, Zero tried to skewer him on his sword but he evaded the attack. When he looked towards his teammates, he didn't hesitate, they needed his help. As Eris casted a Sacred Flame, he sprinted, swinging his sword with the intent of dismembering Four. But his sword was only capable of making a scratch. The Maw Beast tried to run after the Half Elf, it's many teeth glistening with it's saliva. Zero would have laughed at it's pathetic waddle run if that thing did not have the intent to kill him. A man tried to hit Zero with his club, but the barbarian punched the man in the throat when he was mid swing. The battle seemed to be going okay as of now. Eyes made symbols in the air, chanting words that no one could hear as she had taken her place far away from everyone else. Zero was caught by surprise when right before him was a circle of magical darkness, pitch black. He was the only one not caught inside of it, along with some other cultists and the Maw Beast. Eris was the only one who could still see in this darkness, for once she did not curse her blindness. Deckie ran out of the darkness, able to see again. He readied an arrow, aiming for Eyes, but an Eldritch Blast, or something like that he did not see coming hit him in the chest. His heart felt like it would have stopped. Damn it! Even the wounds that Eris had healed seemed to return. He ran as fast as he could, stumbling down, he could see Phoebe, still looking like she could collapse at any moment. "Phoebe," he called out. Dammit, his voice was strained. "We need… we need your help." "I… I can't," she said through exhausted breaths. "Please, I'm begging you." He sounded desperate, which he was. They weren't such pushovers as Ares' group was. Phoebe looked at the Halfling, guilt eating her up. They had been kind enough to ask her to go with them on an easy mission, knowing that she needed the money for her father. There was no way that they could have predicted this. But she was out of magic. Dammit! "I'll think of something." Eris had never used the flame for any type of necrotic magic, but this asshole deserved it. Rot and illness sprawled from her fingertips, channeling more power than was needed for the spell. She was sure that this would hurt, he couldn't see her. Striking out, he had dodged her. How? Had he somehow sensed the rot? She wanted to scream, but that would give away her position. Leothidas took a deep breath, focusing his mind on a creature. His bones cracked, shrinking, his entire structure changing shape as he took on the form of a wolf. Swiftly moving from the darkness, he chased away a cultist who ran up to another. He ran towards Eyes snapping at her as she dodged as if she was dancing. "Just give us the stones and we promise that your death will be quick." "We don't have your damn stones!" Deckie yelled, his chest still hurting as if hot oil had been spilled on it. An unknown language came from the woman's mouth beside him, a hint of a demonic voice. He slowly started to feel better. He was about to thank her but her body went limp. Deckie pressed his fingers on her neck, checking for a pulse. He was relieved that she was only unconscious. The disgusting taste of guilt was in his mouth. Dammit, dammit, dammit! He never intended for this to happen. He had to end this quickly. Eyes had summoned another Maw Beast, giving life to the sand again. It made its way to Zero, who easily dodged it's attack. The barbarian reached into the darkness, feeling the body of Four. He held onto the man, with full intent to crush his bones were he to try and escape. Spikes erupted from him, but he simply gritted through the pain. "Now, Eris!" She remembered the dagger she had on her. Taking it out she intended to gouge out one of his eyes, but she missed, striking him in his cheek. Blood flowed into his mouth as his cheek was cut to his mouth. If left alone for long enough, he would either choke on his own blood or die from the blood loss. The Fire Keeper channeled physical fire, bound to her hands. "I hope you got a good look at me," she said. "Because this will be the last time you have eyes." Four turned his head just in time, feeling the scorching heat of the fire melting his skin, his muscles getting burned in the process. One of the Maw Beasts was caught in the fire as well, screeching, it did not even sound like an animal, purely demonic. "I guess, you get to keep them a while longer." She felt tired. Her magic had reached its limit. Zero got tired from the constant attention of the Maw Beasts, he wasn't a fucking snack! He lifted Four off the ground, with a quick maneuver he had turned the man around, facing the ground. Carrying him out of the darkness, he was greeted by the teeth of the Maw Beast, that did not care that he was on their side, it only wanted to fill it's non-existent stomach. "No, please! Anything but that!" No matter how much he begged, nothing could change the barbarians mind. He dangled Four like one did when teasing a dog with a treat. He intended for him to go in head first, but this creature was as dumb as a rock and decided that the shoulder would have been much tastier. The screams that erupted from Four sounded almost inhuman. The pain was indescribable. He begged for it to end. Violently, the Beast tore a chunk from his shoulder. Instead of eating it, it simply fell from its mouth. If he had not tried to kill him, Zero could almost feel pity for the man. The gaping wound allowed him to see everything that was hidden beneath the skin, flesh, veins, maybe a bit of bone. He was about to feed the man's head to the Maw Beast when he was struck in the back with a blunt object. Zero dropped Four, turning around, taking a quick jab at the cultist who had struck him. "Fuck off!" An arrow flew past Zero's nose. Deckie had fired one, intending to hit Eyes. A piercing shriek came from her. Her concentration on the darkness breaking. Leothidas took his chance, biting down on the woman's thigh. She kicked the druid, making him retreat. "You puny fool! You'll be wishing that you hadn't crossed me!" She reached her hand out in front of her, focusing on the Halfling. Deckie wanted to laugh but he suddenly felt all control seep away. His body didn't feel like his own as she had taken control of him. Eris let a fire bolt fly out of her fingertips as it required almost no magic to cast, but therefore it was weak. Eyes cried as she was burned, but she managed to keep her control of Deckie's body. Leothidas jumped, catching Eye's arm. She cried and screamed as she tried to pull free, tearing up her wound even further. Her hold over Deckie had broken. With a curse, she vanished into thin air, appearing a good distance away from the druid. The same cultist who had struck Zero tried to strike down Deckie, who could dodge it by a hair. Another man tried to circle him, but he was hit by a fire bolt. Zero picked up his sword, abandoning every logical sense for defense. Four readied his spears, screaming as he tried to strike down the barbarian. "Won't you just die already?!" Zero screamed, his sword plunging into the man's chest, coming out of his back. Four was determined to strike one last time, desperately moving his arms. Before the spear could make contact with the man's skin, the barbarian lifted up his sword, tossing him away like filth. No, not like this. Only one… last… hit. But corpses had no desires or ways to fulfill them. Zero screamed, a Maw Beast sinking its teeth into his ribs. His heart was pierced. He never expected it to feel cold so quickly. No, he could not die. He gathered his strength to stay on his feet, but he couldn't stay up. Did he… really end up… as a snack… for these creatures? Leothidas would scream if he could, instead he howled. He chased for one of the Maw Beasts, mauling it as rage was rushed through his veins. The creature bit back, causing him to transform back, his bones violently cracking and stretching out. On his arm was a nasty wound. And then he saw it. Eris was already trembling as she used magic that she did not have left. A pleasant, warm glow coming from her hands. "Rise if you would," she spoke, blood dripping down her nose. She could taste it in her mouth. She felt weak, disgusted. People had told her to never use more magic than one could handle, but she couldn't accept that right now. She stumbled away as she felt bile rise up. Her hands wrapped around her arms, desperately trying to keep it together. Deckie could not understand why, but it felt like time had stopped. Seeing his friend die and another friend sacrificing herself to heal them. The Firbolg kicking at the Maw Beast to not get eaten. Not again. He could not lose the people he was close to again. He'd kill every single one of those assholes before he'd let them die! "Don't you fucking dare hurt them!" He kicked one of the men in his knee, dodging the other's attack and running towards his friends. With his scimitar in hand he lunged forward, piercing one of the Beast's eyes. A piercing demonic shriek came from it. Zero gasped as he felt his body restore itself. It had been pitch black and cold. So cold. He didn't have time to think about it. He took hold of his sword, getting on one knee and he swung. The Maw Beast that had bitten him was sliced in half, it's eyes blinking once more before it returned to the form of sand. Magic went from Leothidas' veins into his staff. The white light of the stars coming from it, little stars dancing around it. With a scream he bludgeoned the remaining Maw Beast, it's body convulsing as it turned into sand as well. Eris and Deckie rushed towards the location of Eyes, fire and arrows being fired towards the woman. Her stomach was burned and an arrow pierced her thigh. One of the cultist men had lifted up Phoebe by her hair, a knife pressed against her throat. "If you move, the girl dies," she groaned, done with all of this. "You bitch," Deckie snarled. "You should have given us the stones when we demanded them!" "We've been telling you, we don't have them!" Zero snapped. "We have told you that before, they are inside." Deckie swallowed, hoping that he could deceive her. He could see her thinking, her fingers on her chin. She sighed. "I'll look inside. If I don't come back or they try something, kill her." Eyes walked past them, snickering at the pathetic frame of the Fire Keeper. Even if they did something, they wouldn't live long enough. Zero and Deckie exchanged looks, knowing exactly what to do. They waited for a little, making sure the men lowered their guard. Deckie signed to Zero, giving the go sign as he rushed towards the closest man, scimitar readied. Zero took the javelin from his back, throwing it at the other man. The cultist didn't have time to react, seeing his partner's head cleanly cut from his neck. He went to cut the girl's throat, but he was janked backwards. Not able to breathe, he clung to his throat. The javelin pierced his windpipe, his lungs slowly filling with blood. Surely, the man was nothing more than a decoration on the wall. "You tricked me! What?" Eyes had returned. She cursed them, swearing that they would pay for crossing their path. Finally, it was over. Deckie made his way to Phoebe, feeling so much guilt of having dragged her into this. Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit! How could this have gone so wrong? Leothidas approached Eris, seeing her tremble more and more. "Are you alright?" He asked, extending his hand to touch her shoulder. "I'm… I'm fi…" she mumbled before her body went limp. Leothidas caught her before she could collapse onto the ground. Carrying her, he couldn't help but feel that even if they had won this battle, they had still lost. "Zero, are you coming?" The Firbolg asked. The Half Elf picked up the body of Four. "Give me a moment." He placed him near the altar, cutting off his arms and head. Taking a small knife in his hand, he cut out his tongue and eyes. Instead of tossing him aside, he carefully placed the head and arms on the altar, leaving this as a message for the other members of the Argos. Zero picked up Phoebe, knowing that Deckie wouldn't have been able to carry her. Their faces were all fallen. Nothing like the look of victory they used to have. "Let's go home."
The 8th session of relic hunters ended on the 40th day of Aasc in the middle of the day and the session lasted 3 days.

Report Date

19 Dec 2021