Fantasy Aetherspark IC

O'Korro

Chaos. That was exactly what their opponent wanted. Why on earth was Korro here, of all places? Because he had no choice. At least the cursed ring about his neck understood that he could not save them all. It hummed with the magic sealing his strength, but did not tighten.
Korro spent most of the battle as a man; hands were useful when you needed weapons and distance. When the acid began to fly he fell back on his agility, striking the vulnerable points between the insect's armour. It didn't take him long to notice that the chitinous plates that served as their armour were mostly immune to the acid's effects.

Now with the tunnel flooding, and the vile, burning scent of the noxious, green substance overwhelming his sensitive nose, his options were falling away quickly.
"Get moving!" He shouted to his would-be comrades in arms, grabbing one hapless soldier and hurling him a ways up the cliff and out of the acid's path. He leapt clear just in time, the deadly flood singing the hem of his pants as he jumped. Others were not so lucky.

Korro had seen the young ram, and the mercy he'd shown to the creature that was supposed to be an enemy. If it were Korro he would have killed the thing outright, but if it had been Korro, they would never have been warned about the trap, and the flood would have killed many more.
Where was that strange beastman anyway?

Korro cast about for him, and spotted him, falling. Together with another wolf, they landed on a plateau that was now surrounded by the steaming torrent. That didn't look good.
The druid fighter drew his sword and laid into some of the insects felled by the retreating force, pulling their armour plates free.
Three would be enough. He cast them one by one into the river of acid, upstream from his target, using them as stepping stones to reach them.

It was just then a massive beast reared out of the river, screeching a high-pitched, feral note, murder burning in its multi-faceted eyes.
"HEADS DOWN NOW!" Korro yelled at Denver and Blestare, just as the beast let loose a stream of thick, putrid acid. Korro slid to a halt in front of the pair, holding up the last plate of insect armour as a shield. The stream hit it and Korro leaned against the force, deflecting the blast to either side, and leaving the two beastmen and himself unscathed.
Once the creature had run out of ammunition, Korro leapt up, bringing his weighted blade down on the soft joint tissue between the creature's head and body.
The limp form hit the edge of the plateau, before the current dragged its carcass underneath the surface and it was gone.

Korro turned to the pair. "At first I thought you had no business being here." He started, looking at Denver with begrudging respect. "But your compassion for that creature paid off."
He glanced around, refusing to meet any eyes. "Not bad for a goat."
What he searched for was a way off the plateau. "We need to leave." He said gruffly. "Ideas?"

Gummy Worm MageMantis

((went with your suggestion for an intro post boss))

With Kanon's flanking attack, the large insect let out a pained roar and stumbled for a moment. It was indeed a hard hit, but not hard enough to fully put this thing out if commission. Jamir thought fast and the creature lowered itself closer to him. With a few clean slices of his sabre, the canine finished off the creature by decapitating it. It was a successful dual-attack on their part. With the bug now joining the rest of their brethren in hell, Jamie turned to face towards his savior with a look of gratitude.

"Much appreciated. I owe you a debt for your kindness. Now, shall we continue running for our lives?" The dog spoke, only resuming his retreat when she began moving. He was just glad that somebody had enough courage to jump into the fray with him. It's how he got his reputation as a great commanding officer. He didn't sit upon a horse atop a hill, gazing down at the battle below. He got down into the mix with his soldiers, battling along side them.

"I must say, your prowess in combat is quite admirable! Might I ask your name?" The dog inquires while they continued their retreat towards the tunnel. Whenever someone did a good deed for him, he would always ask they name and give them a reward of some kind. He had some very valuable jewelry on him that he could reward her with. If she wanted something like that, of course.

Kanon simply gave a nod to the curiously well-dressed mercenary before she continued running for the tunnel with him alongside her. She glanced at him as he continued speaking. "Kanon. I have trained for most of my life. I would not have this prowess otherwise." He was an odd one, making conversation at a time like this. Still, his seemingly carefree demeanor was a welcome change from the grim situation they found themselves in. A ray of light, not unlike Adelynn. Had fate been different, she might have found herself serving him.

Remembering Adelynn, Kanon glanced up to see how she fared with the witch. She wasn't certain the woman was a witch, but she'd heard stories of witches flying upon brooms, and the staff seemed close enough to count. She was an ally either way, so it didn't matter much to Kanon.

"Kanon? I've fired many of those during my career!" The dog jokes without error during their run. He's gotten used to having chats while running. In war, you tend to do a lot of running. He's gotten so used to it that he was able to have full conversations while running through a warzone. "Jokes aside, 'tis a wonderful name." He adds on while glancing back at the acid flood rapidly making its way toward them. Smart little buggers those insects were!

"Sir James Rochforth Higgins, but you may call me- Jamie!" The canine formally introduces himself. It was nice to meet fellow brave soldiers, especially given how many of these mercenaries began cowering in their boots from all the chaos. Fear was natural and helped keep you alive, but letting it consume you or trying to get rid of it entirely.. well.. let's just say you'd be seeing those pearly gates sooner than you were expecting.

( Gummy Worm @LustrousFox HypnoFuzz Fangs9090 Stern LuLuLu Noble Scion SilverFlight )




As Tonnie blasted through the air on her staff, she heard Lena’s hopeful words. She felt a surge of empathetic warmth travel within her, as she agreed with every word the alchemist had said. Despite the chaos that surrounded them, the Witchblood felt a soft involuntary grin overtake her lips. If they survived this, she hoped that Lyrenia would see amongst the victorious mercenaries of this siege, a Witchblood and Fae standing at each other’s side, and that it would achieve remarkable progress in dousing the raging fire that was the tensions between Faes and Witchbloods.


Tonnie continued to soar towards to the tunnel entrance on her staff, desperate to get the three of them to safety. However, she soon realized that her staff felt more weightless. She turned around whilst still in flight, noticing that Blestare and Denver had fallen from her staff a great distance back, now stranded on a large plateau suspended over a river of corrosive acid. Before she could react, she felt her staff shake a little as she looked down to notice a Raccoon-folk woman gripping her staff, before climbing on. She observed the woman, noticing that she didn’t possess any weapons and that she wore raggedy clothing. Even the relatively innocent look on her face told the story of a woman who did not know how to defend herself.

“All good, mate!” Replied Tonnie to Adelynn’s apology. She turned back around, flying straight towards the tunnel entrance. She had planned to drop Adelynn with the group of mercenaries that had made it into the tunnel, and leave to grab Denver and Blestare before the acid tsunami did. She soon soared into the tunnel, now flying through a diagonally-upwards cavernous corridor as she started to arrive at the area with the Geomancer and the Princess. The Serpent-folk mummy woman, the Warforged in a wizard’s attire, a Human Paladin, the humanoid Walking-tree Samurai, the Lyrenian knight, the Kobold rogue, the Minotaur Barbarian, and the Dwarvern barbarian collectively caught-up to the Merfolk and Magician.

The Paladin was muttering a prayer under his breath, his legs trembling with every step. The serpent folk mummy slithered in front of the group, her bandaged-snout held high,

“When I kill the Entomancer, please don’t cheer too loudly. I prefer a more, subtle form of gratitude. Just nothing too bloody sssssssssavage.” Akila shamelessly flaunted. Soon, Tonnie and Adelynn arrived at the back of the group, hovering on Tonnie’s flying magic staff. Tonnie turned her head to Adelyn, but before her tongue could cast words, a giant tunnel-sized Rhinoceros Beetle burst out from a wall behind the Witch and the Raccoon, blocking the way down with its body. Tonnie flinched, as she immediately flew herself and Adelynn to the safety behind the group, as many of the mercenaries assumed fighting stances. The Human Paladin inched his way towards the back of the group, struggling to keep his composure.

The Rhinoceros Beetle’s horn was sharper than a spear, and its armored exoskeleton shined brightly as it charged towards the group with a relentless roar. The Minotaur Barbarian was first to spring to action, charging as he let out a war cry and swung his axe at its head. The result was his iron axe shattering into two.

“Not like th-“ The Minotaur’s agonized words were interrupted by him being impaled through the chest by the beast’s mighty horn. Minotaur blood splashed through the tunnel, drenching Akila and a few other mercenaries in the blood of an ally.

“Ugh.” Spoke Akila with an annoyed voice, as she looked at all of the blood that had stained her prized wrappings, golden jewelry, and nemes.


About 30 seconds ago, Blestare and Denver had tumbled from Tonnie’s staff onto a plateau in the middle of a deadly acid river. Blestare slowly rose to his feet. He dusted himself off as he looked to Denver with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Replied Blestare with a solemn smile. Before the wolf could say another word, without warning, a massive bug burst from the acid river. It pulled itself onto the plateau as it unleashed a ravenous roar. Blestare immediately gripped his sword, the blade segments that he had launched from it earlier teleporting back into place as he ran in front of Denver and Denver’s Mantis friend.

The winged-wolf assumed a fighting stance, as the beast prepared to fire a fatal stream of acid towards them. It was then that he heard of a voice instructing them to duck as he immediately obeyed, pushing Denver’s head down as O’korro rushed in front of them, blocking the acid with a shield taken from the armor of their foes. The wolf watched in awe as the man slayed the monster with blunt precision. Upon the man’s request for ideas to escape the river, with hopes of helping but also some of proving his intelligence, Blestare tried to come up with something.

“We could…uh….” Blestare’s attempt was paused as Denver’s Praying Mantis gestured to Helena in the distant air, sitting upon a flying ladder of ice that carried multiple mercenaries like the hopeful eye of a hateful hurricane.

Meanwhile, the acid tsunami continued to approach the mercenaries’ part of the battlefield. Mercenaries continued to rush into the tunnel, some succumbing to exhaustion as they collasped before they could even get close, their will to survive losing to the will of their body’s. Near Kanon and Jamie, a winged-humanoid bug shot repugnant blasts acid from its mouth near the ground where they stood. It landed, brandishing its claws as it hungered for the blood of near polar opposites. However, before it could engage in a fair duel like its brethren before it, its head was taken off by a boomerang. The boomerang soon returned to Barracuda, who ran to the two Beastkin. “To the tunnel, at once!”

Adelynn was grateful to reach the tunnel, but the reprieve was short lived when another insect appeared. So much for safety. As they reached the others, she hopped off the staff and moved to the back to avoid getting in the way of the fighters. She found the Paladin there, which was unexpected to her. She thought they’d be a frontline fighter. “Hey, are you alright?”


“Sir?” Before Kanon could inquire as to his status, another insect appeared and she braved for yet another delay. The delay was cut short, literally, as they received aid from the masked mercenary. Kanon had no complaints or arguments, so she hurried on to the tunnel. Others had fallen, but the acid tide was coming ever closer and she couldn’t afford to help them all. She gave them a silent apology and tried not to look.

Fangs9090

The Human Paladin looked towards Adelynn with anguished eyes as the other mercenaries fought the giant Rhinoceros Beetle blocking the way they had came from within the tunnel. "No, I did not sign up for this..." Begun he, his bearded face soaked by salty tears. "They told us it was just a..." His voice trembled. "Just a large-scale infantry fight...a clean-up of what they did not finish...not a war." He fell back against the wall, taking a seat. "All of my friends..." The man sniffed, on the edge of bursting into tears at any moment.

"It is all my fault. I insisted they come along. All of those nights we dreamed we could be something bigger than servants..." The man briefly buried his face in his gauntlets. "Jamila and Rothric were so excited, our first taste of action." He let out a sob. "Now I'm all alone again...I can't be alone..." Grieved he. "I-I don't want to die..."

Adelynn knelt down in front of the man as he spoke, listening to his tale. She was quiet for a moment before she spoke up. “Then don’t. None of us knew what we were getting into, but we’re here now. The best thing you can do for your friends is stay alive and keep their memories alive with you. And you’re not alone. The rest of us are still here, and we need to work together and support each other in order to get through this.”

Jamie was about to answer her about his title, but was rudely interrupted by another bug creature. He prepared for another battle, but luckily didn't have to worry about anything as Barracuda slayed the beast with their boomerang. "You're a fine specimen, my masked friend!" The rottweiler gave the masked marksman a nod of gratitude before continuing towards the tunnel with Kanon. On their way, he also noticed the dead who had unfortunately perished on their way to safety. Hr very much had the stomach for such sights, but he couldn't help but also feel rather down about it. Some weren't even all the dead, so it was even worse that he couldn't help these folk. He also offered his silent acknowledgement of their efforts, shooting them a somber look before moving on.

"Tis truly a shame, the wasted talent. They had not the faintest inkling of the fate that awaited them. Seems the lot of them bit off more than they could chew." The nobleman lets out a small sigh just thinking of how excited and confident these folk were. When it came to war, having some confidence was alright, but too much? That was a recipe for disaster. Witnessing the deaths of your comrades was truly humbling, especially with how brutal their deaths were.

Fangs9090

The man wiped his tears. “Yes, you are right.” The Paladin rose to his feet whilst gripping his blade and shield. “Thank you.” Spoke he. He then put his blade back into his sheathe, and got down onto one knee while holding out his shield with both hands. “I want you to have this. You look like you require it more than I do.” The shield was large and circular, with an inscription of the sun on its surface. It was mainly white with yellow markings. It glowed brightly in the dim cave. If for any reason Adelynn did not want the offering, Kanon could likely find it useful. “This shield will bestow upon you a pinch of the sun’s power, so long as its rays can reach you.”

Kanon shook her head. "We were not fully informed of what this mission would entail. I suspect our employers intended us as canon fodder, but we can address that after we deal with the matter at hand." Finally reaching the tunnel, Kanon found there was an insect in there already, blocking their path to the others. It had its back to them, at least, so that gave them a brief advantage.


Adelynn blinked as she rested her hands on the shield, not taking it just yet, but not outright refusing either. "A-Are you sure? I'm not a fighter. Surely you'll need to defend yourself, too?"

Denver looked up at the odd man who had joined them on the platform as his mantis friend climbed onto his shoulder like a parrot and smiled a bit before looking to the distant ladder "I-I could attempt to pull it closer but I'm not that efficient outside of healing spells" he said picking up his staffand sighing. He'd used a lot of his energy today, he proboly only had one long spell and mabey a quick heal left before hed be incapacitated. he focused long and hard managing to move the trio closer to safety as the sound of jingling keys and wind chimes surrounded them. soon they would reach the end and Denver fell to his knees panting hard "move!" he said as he used the staff to brace himself.

Fangs9090

”I am sure. A shield can be a weapon of offense, but also defense. Also, I have everything I need right here.” The man elaborated, gesturing to his sword. With a newfound resolve, he was ready to fight. It had seemed Adelynn’s words had made an impact. Soon after, the Paladin with only his sword marched towards the Giant Rhinoceros Beetle. Having a mental clarity that allowed him to focus, he dodged a thrust from the Beetle’s sharp horn, and swung his Wrymsteel blade at its exoskeleton back. He cleaved a patch of its armor open, revealing a portion of fleshy body underneath. However, the beetle managed to retaliate by knocking him into a wall, causing him to groan as he clutched his arm.

The beetle now had a vulnerable patch of flesh that the other mercenaries could capitalize on, but almost as if the beast were aware of this, it became more aggressive. The giant beetle wrathfully charged at the mercenaries in front of it, its deadly horn dripping with blood.

Aaliyah Sh'ahn

Aaliyah couldn't help but feel herself choke at his words as they'd whisper everything she was hoping to hear. Only able to answer them with glimmering green eyes tearfully looking at his pale face from underneath her shabby cloak as she'd stifle her emotions once again. The echoing cries of suffering and rushing acid far from the romantic painted lands of her imagination morbidly haunting the edges of her mind, teasing her with her own naivety.

It wasn't hard to tell that she was somewhere she shouldn't be, like a decoration in a battlefield, even with the muddy brown fabric covering her. Healthy, polished blue scales, and a pretty, expensive necklace shining in the dark light of the tunnel, as best she was trying to hide them, they'd all tell of gaudy nobility. Her whole situation was pitiable and it was surprising even herself that she'd been able to make it this far

"A.. Aaliyah. It's Aaliyah." Was all the merfolk would mumble back at him with a shaky voice, not trusting herself to say much more as she'd gently let him down, slipping an arm under his and around his back to help him with walking, the burning muscles in her body thankful for his effort while her heart would throb romantically at his selflessness.

She wanted nothing more than to babble and throw all her fears and worries at him, but it was very apparently not the time or place for it, obvious even to someone like her. Thankfully a group of other 'warriors' caught up to them, their chatter dragging her away from her mournful thoughts.

A giant beetle crashing through the wall behind her made her jolt, only briefly glancing behind at it as she'd keep moving, fear winning out over her will to help, even as a shower of something warm and wet would drench her brown cloak red, marking her as a coward.

MageMantis Stern LuLuLu

Noble Scion Stern LuLuLu Fangs9090

Akila detected the disguised princess as she moved ahead of the group. “Wait, that cannot be…” Spoke she, as she quickly slithered to the Merfolk, her voice dripping with suspicion for the potential missing daughter of Emporer Sh’ahn. The serpentfolk mummy reached towards the princess’s hood with a bandaged hand, pulling it down with brutal excitement.

“It is!” Exclaimed the mummy snake. “The Princess of Sahagin herself! You have quite the bounty, your highnesssssssss.” Mocked Akila. “I am sure if we split the reward, we can make more than what those filthy Humans promised us…”Spoke she, as her face contorted into a sinister smile, gripping her khopeshes with a greedy glee. As she said this, the mummy’s eyes gleamed a harrowing ghostly yellow.

That was the unfortunate truth of the matter. To be fair, if they actually went into detail about what they'd be getting into, none of the mercenaries would take this job. Hell, not even Jamie would! He was curious about the Aetherspark and all, but he wasn't curious enough to die for it. However, the time to make a decision was long over and now he didn't have much of a choice. Besides.. he missed the rush of adrenaline you'd get during fierce combat.

Reaching the tunnel, the dog let out a small sigh of relief. That feeling didn't last long as they came in view of a giant beetle. It seemed some of the other mercenaries were doing battle with it. Its flanks were wide open as it probably wasn't expecting any latecomers. The rottweiler shared a look with the red panda. This was a perfect opportunity to strike. His sword was still drawn, so he prepared himself for an attack. "I believe we should try to immobilize the beast by relieving it of its legs. What say you?" Jamie spoke in a hushed tone at Kanon, not wanting to alert the beast of their presence.

Kanon nodded. “I had the same thought. I will take its left side.” The creature was naturally armored, but with any armor, there had to be gaps or wouldn’t be able to move, and those gaps were often on the limbs. With their plan set, she rushed forward with her sword held low. As she drew near, her blade dragged the ground, using the resistance from it to swing with added force. Putting the length of her blade to good use, she managed to cleave through the beetle’s back two legs with one swing.

Adelynn was relieved when she caught a glimpse of Kanon joining the fight. Though she now had a shield in her hands, she wasn’t sure what she could really do with it, so she was still just mostly watching.

Jamie grinned as she matched his thoughts. It was nice to be on the same wavelength. As she darted for the left, he zoomed towards the right with his sabre. While his sword wasn't as large or heavy, it was still very light and sharp. A different kind of deadly. With great speed he swiftly slashed the other back two legs with his sabre. He was hoping that this would be enough to cripple the beast and leave them open for the others to attack. This thing was huge, so it was going to take way more than just one attack to fell this thing.

"Join your brethren in hell you brute! Taste the fury of the devil's flames!" He called up to the beast as he slashed the legs, angrily. The dog was getting quite sick and tired of seeing these things everywhere they went. He just wanted them to die and leave them alone to catch their breath. Now that the back legs were gone, he continued on towards the other legs, attempting to cut them off before the creature has the chance to turn around and fight back.

Korro nodded at Blestare, it was probably their only real option, but how to get there? Even Korro doubted he could jump that far.
Suddenly, the young ram did something even more surprising; The plateau began to shudder under them. Korro crouched in surprise, digging pointed nails into the stone like a frightened cat. Slowly, they began to move to their target.
"Are you?.." But Korro didn't need to ask. He was. Devner was moving the very rock beneath their feet.

He exhausted himself doing it though, and collapsed as they neared safety.
"You did your part." Korro began, "Now let me help."
He would need more strength for this: Slowly Korro shifted, until a tall, shaggy wolf-man was standing with them on the pillar.
He opened his arms and made to scoop the ram up into them. Whether or not Denver chose to accept the help, Korro stood, ready to leap to safety.

The jump was easy now, and Korro made it, glancing back as the plateau began to crumble, finally succumbing to the acid's strength.
"Where do we go from here?" Korro's voice was slightly deeper and a low growl accompanied it.

((Korro offered to carry Denver, but I left it open, so you can choose whether or not he actually did Gummy Worm ))

MageMantis

As Lena soared through the crisp air, a glance revealed that Tonnie's passengers, Blestare and Denver, were missing. Alarmed, she scanned the surroundings and soon spotted them—now joined by a third figure Korro—on a small island in the middle of the shimmering acid river. Without wasting a moment, she swooped down circling back together up any others also spotting Julian and Chandak, “Hey I don't know your guy's deal but hop on if you don't wanna become a paste.” she then moved to create a makeshift platform of ice for Blestare, Korro and Denver,. “Hurry up and get on!” she called out, urgency lacing her voice before rocketing off at full speed.

“I have you three join in with others and cover me while I push us forward. We’ve got a job to finish!” she instructed, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she navigated the twists and turns of their escape. As they approached the tunnel’s exit, she expertly dropped off her passengers and set to work, constructing a fortification at a safe distance from where the other mercenaries were assembling.

Hovering above the site, Lena spotted her assistant, Warren, looking battered but determined. She glided over, quickly handing him a couple of potions to help restore his strength. With a grateful nod, he consumed the elixirs, and just like that, she was back at the wall, rifling through her bag for the tools she needed to create an opening. Time was of the essence, and with every heartbeat, the tension in the air grew thicker.



As Aaliyah helped carry him to the end of the tunnel. Warren couldn't help but do what he could to try to recover faster while being pretty much carried by her. After he had asked for her name to help him, he responded with. ”Aaliyah lovely name well then Aaliyah you have me at your side into the end of this, and we part ways.”

Just moments after his friend Lena flew in, she handed him a few potions to help him recover before darting off to tend to other matters. Warren had grown accustomed to her unpredictable nature, but even so, as he leaned on Aaliyah for support, he felt the lingering effects of exhaustion. His breath came in shallow gasps when suddenly, a colossal tunnel-sized Rhinoceros Beetle erupted from a wall behind them. The sight sent a jolt of adrenaline through him as he braced for the unknown.

Before he could process the threat, crimson splashes filled the air around him and Aaliyah, courtesy of a Minotaur warrior who had joined the fray. Chaos erupted as two more warriors, Kanon and Jamie, rushed in to confront the fearsome creature. “Sorry about this, Aaliyah,” Warren muttered, a strained smile on his face, before dashing to join his comrades. They worked together to cripple the beetle’s legs, steadily gaining the upper hand.

As the giant beetle reared back for a for another charge, Warren summoned energy from the earth itself, timing his strike perfectly to hit its horn just right. With a mighty heave, he flipped it onto its back, exposing its vulnerable underbelly. “That’s all I’ve got for now,” he gasped to the others, feeling the weight of his efforts. He quickly retreated, leaning back against Aaliyah again, steadying himself as the battle raged on. “ I really need to stop for a minute while,” he muttered to Aaliyah before they kept going.

Aaliyah Sh'ahn

Aaliyah was able to heal most smaller wounds, but exhaustion was a different matter, so when a familiar face to Warren showed up and tossed him a couple of potions, she wouldn't be able to hide her furrowed brows at the unnatural little drinks capable of doing something generations of a sacred bloodline was unable, though she would still give him a shoulder for him to lean on, wordlessly watching him sip the elixirs with a little bit of comfort at the distance they'd created, his words having calmed her down to a more reasonable state.

"Oh! don't-" the sahagin would call back after him as he'd pull away, torn between her constant fleeing and wanting to stay by his side, standing still as she'd watch him go back to casting even more magic, despite his state, leaving her fidgeting with anxiety until he'd finally come back to her side.

"We really must keep going.. I know you're tired but.. It isn't safe yet. Just a little further." Aaliyah would hum to him consolingly, worry for him and herself in her voice as she'd once again start helping him, trying her best to voice her reason despite the trembling in her fingers and every thought in her mind wanting to curl up into a ball and hide.

Though her retreat this time would be interrupted as she'd feel a grip on her hood tugging it down, her tropical blue scales shimmering in the light as Akila would hiss at her with glee, stunning the princess for a moment as her words would leave her speechless, and scared, shivering slightly at being looked at in such a way and the brazen threat as the snakefolk would grab at her weapons.

"Now is not the time! Please- I-I'll go with you to whatever den you want if we survive, but please- Do this later. My father will not pay for a corpse!" Aaliyah would hiss with urgency, pointing a finger toward the sloshing sounds of acid echoing their way up the tunnel, tears once again welling up in her eyes as another threat piled on-top of all the others, like the entire world was out to get her.

"N-now.. Go fight that beast with those beast folk or help me carry sir Warren! er.. p-please." The princess would finish off, ending her small rant by flicking her bloodied hood back up over her head with a sharp grimace on her face and an anxious look in her eyes. Was this what being brave looked like? Was she doing it right? How was anyone able to do something like this all their lives?

Stern LuLuLu MageMantis Fangs9090

Kanon stepped aside as the beetle got flipped to avoid being under it. Not one to let an opening pass, she kicked off the wall to jump on top of it and drive her blade into the soft underside. She drew her blade in a wide arc as she pulled it out, further slicing through it to make certain it was dead. Satisfied that it wouldn't be getting back up, she hopped down off of it, giving her sword a swing to get the loose blood off the blade. "Are there any more, or do we finally have a reprieve?" Kanon was more fit than most people, but even she had a limit. There had hardly been time to breathe since they arrived.

Adelynn watched the others work together to dispatch the beetle. She admired Kanon's skill and was glad to call her a friend. If not, she'd certainly be afraid of her, seeing her cut down such monsters while making it look effortless. She shook her head to snap out of her thoughts before going to check on Kanon and make sure she was well. Halfway there, she remembered the paladin that had given her the shield and made a detour to check on him first.

SilverFlight MageMantis

As they climb off, Denver looked up at the wolf offering him a ride. "O-only if I wont slow you down" he said climbing up onto the wolf holding on close. Denver was struggling to keep his eyes open. he held on tight and laid his head down on Korro's fur before he passed out, a soft jingling sound was heard as he did. Denver would be incapacitated for the next hour or so.

( Gummy Worm @LustrousFox HypnoFuzz Fangs9090 Stern LuLuLu Noble Scion SilverFlight )

Blestare steadied his feet as Denver telekinetically moved the rocky platform they stood on towards the floating ice ladder that carried mercenaries like we a Feathered-Whale mount. Following this, a floating platform of ice was conjured not too far above them by a friendly Fae on the ice ladder, who urged them to board it. Blestare sprinted towards the edge of the rocky pillar, and feeling his powerful muscles strain, pushed himself from the ground. He launched himself into the air, and upon reaching the peak height of his first jump, casted Airbound Bounce, a spell that enabled him to jump whilst in the air. A ripple of blue energy appeared under his feet, which he jumped from. The wolf flung himself through the air a second time, the ripple of blue energy he departed from fading back into nothing.

Blestare landed on the ice platform with the Shapeshifter and Ram face-first and clumsily slid across the ice before frantically flailing to avoid flying off the edge. He stabbed his sword into the ice and gripped onto the hilt for dear life to lock himself in place until they reached their destination. Once they did, Blestare leapt from the ice platform to the rocky ground right outside of the tunnel entrance. He sprinted inside and up the tunnel until he came across the other mercenaries who were gathered near the now vanquished giant beetle foe.

Along the way, he passed Barracuda, who was fighting bugs near the tunnel entrance and helping any surviving mercenaries make it inside. Upon noticing the acid tsunami now at their doorstep, the Gunslinger quickly retreated into the tunnel. When he arrived at the carcass of the Rhinoceros Beetle, which had been battered by their forces and finished by the Red Knight, he moved against the cavernous wall around the corpse with intent to avoid being stained by more arthropod fluids.

Meanwhile, in the battlefield outside, some of the last surviving mercenaries that had still not reached the tunnel rushed inside. The acid tsunami was right around the corner, having now swallowed the cave-base their forces had verbally clashed at earlier. It was now safe to say that the fates of anybody who was not at the entrance of the tunnel was sealed. A few mercenaries desperately ran towards the tunnel from a great distance away as the acid tsunami raced towards them from their left, screaming as the tsunami spat drops of acid onto their bodies before it even reached them, withering away chunks of their skin and bone until some of the mercenaries were unrecognizable clumps of flesh sizzling on the ground.

The talking quadrupedal Cheetah with the strange markings bolted towards the tunnel entrance with a Human bard riding on her back. Her body was covered with patches of melted flesh and bloody, gruesome scars. With a mighty leap, the Bard and she just barely escaped a flurry of acid drops from the extremely close acid tsunami. The cheetah zoomed into the safety of the tunnel. The bard dismounted from the Cheetah’s back as the quadrupedal big cat turned around to look back out towards the area of the battlefield filled with dead and doomed souls. With her facial fur stained with tears, she spoke,

“I will try to move forth without you, Othenius, but it will not be easy.” Mourned she, as she turned around and limped up the tunnel. The acid tsunami now got ready to pass the tunnel entrance, the Dragonborn mercenary who had used a wood elf as a meat shield earlier just barely escaped the acid tsunami as he dived into the tunnel and hurried upwards, being joined alongside a Human Beserker with a curled-horn helmet.

After the acid tsunami had passed the tunnel entrance outside and swallowed the battlefield, the warzone that the mercenaries escaped from was now flooded with corrosive acid. The lowest part of the tunnel that was on ground-level with the battlefield they had escaped from outside was flash-flooded with acid. Having just barely escaped a splash of acid at the lowest area of the tunnel in front of the acid, the Human Beserker burst out into hysterical laughter instead of moving to a safer position.

“WE MADE IT, I CANNOT BE-“ A large bubble of acid in the pool of acid behind the man exploded, burning the man alive as he screamed relentlessly, the man flailing uncontrollably until he tumbled into the acid pool behind him where not a trace of him survived.

Meanwhile, where most of the mercenaries were gathered around the dead beetle, the Paladin rose to his feet as Adelynn went to check on him. “I am fine…” Claimed he as he clutched his arm. “Also, tis’ is a fine mask.” Ignorantly complimented he, mistaking the fur marking on her face for apparel. Kanon would notice that they now had a choice between two paths: The path that the tunnel originally took them in, and the path made by the Giant Rhinoceros Beetle on its way here. It would remain up to the Red Knight on where their journey should continue. Wherever they went, one thing was certain: Death would follow.

About 30 seconds ago, where most of the mercenaries were gathered as many battled the beetle, Akila laughed In response to the princess’s attempt to assert herself. “When did I ever say anything about turning you into a corpse princessssssss? If I wanted you dead…” The serpent folk mummy rested the tip of her blade on Aayliah’s snout. “Ugh, you know the rest” Spoke she, as her gaze turned to Warren, and then back to Aayliah. With a devilish grin, the snake slithered to the Geomancer. “And who do we have here? Yet another pretentioussssss Human who believes he will be our foundation, how lovely…” Hypocritically spat she as she turned back to the Merfolk. “I wonder how long before he betrays you Princessssssssss.” Naysayed the Snake, her forked tongue flicking like the tip of a Dungeon Guard’s whip.

Adelynn took the paladin's complement to be a joke and just smiled before reaching to his arm. "Here, let me help. I'm not too good at healing yet, but I think I can ease the pain, at least." She took a moment to focus before casting her healing magic. It was a weak spell, but it was all she could do at the moment. She cast the spell for a few seconds before she had to stop to avoid mana exhaustion. She'd done that once before and was not eager to do it again.

Kanon continued speaking when no more bugs immediately showed themselves, resting back against the beetle to regain some energy. "Right then, let us rest and plan. I doubt we will be given much time for either." Her attention was drawn to what seemed like a confrontation further down. "Snake. We are in this situation together, whether we like it or not. Whatever your quarrel, it does not matter now. If you do not work together with us, you are a liability. That goes for everyone. We must cooperate here. Those who seek to undermine their allies will be left to the bugs. Now, we have two options. We can continue this way to the tunnel's original destination, or we can investigate the beetle's path. It will have originated from somewhere and could lead closer to our goal, but there is the risk that it leads to more trouble. Does anyone have any insight or input?" Kanon had accepted that she was unofficially leading these people, but she wouldn't presume to know everything, nor would she expect them to follow blindly.