Fantasy Aetherspark IC

[Gummy Worm]

Denver gasped a bit hearing the other two close in as he fed the Mantis a bit of his rations before opening his large back pack and putting him in before shushing him. he then slid out of the hole "Nothing there lets keep going" he said to Blestare and Tonnie as he continued town the trench. Denver wasn't exactly thrilled with lying to these people he'd come to trust but he also knew that the mantis he now carried with him could carry some useful information if he could translate the odd language it spoke, but for now Denver just kept walking.

 

[HypnoFuzz]

Jamie practically dragged Lazuli toward the trench. The hiss and the appearance of another large creature only made him run faster. His sword wouldn't be able to pierce that armor, at least not on the first try. He'd need to strike it a few times before it would do anything. He still had his second gun, but he'd need to get a good shot on the creature's head to put it down. It was quite difficult to aim while running and dragging another along with him.

Luckily, It seemed his legs were still as good as they were when he was in the army. The upside of daily exercise! With the speed he was sprinting at, he reached the trench swiftly, leaving the other larger bug in the dust. He just hoped the bug didn't follow them all they way there. The part of the trench he found himself standing in front of was quite devoid of people, the only people present being Denver, with two others making their through.

The gentleman hopped down into the trench, landing gracefully in front of the three. He turns himself toward the group, raising a brow at them almost as if he were questioning Denver with his eyes. The dog didn't seem to notice the praying mantis, more concerned with the other people within the trench than anything.

"A most splendid day for pandemonium, is it not?" Jamie lets out a hearty chuckle as he wipes the blood and tiny bits of flesh from his sword. As he was wiping his sword down, he noticed a familiar face. The lady he shared a little quip with earlier was down here with the others. He gives her a respectful bow. "Lady of the flying scepter." He addresses her jokingly as he bowed. At least he was able to retain his sense of humor during such a grim event.

"Tell me, what has transpired in my absence?" The rottweiler asks, taking one last glance at the battlefield where people were still brawling with the bugs.

 

[MageMantis]

( Gummy Worm , HypnoFuzz , Stern LuLuLu , Celest_Eclipse , LustrousFox )

While Blestare didn’t catch on to anything, Tonnie knew that Denver was hiding something. However, there were greater concerns at the moment. Blestare and she soon turned to the furred gentleman landing elegantly in the trench. Upon seeing Jamie, Tonnie’s lips curled into a soft smile.

"Lofty Legatus." Jested she in a positive manner as she returned a respectful bow to the aristocrat. Afterwards, Tonnie gestured her staff towards the Ram and the Wolf. "Their lot had quite the fall." Fibbed the witch as she scratched at her chin. A Serpentfolk mummy slithered to where the green woman and three furry men stood, gripping two khopeshes dripping with bug blood. A nemes sat on top of her bandaged head, with rotting but unscented scales hiding underneath.

"Return to cave near the beginning of the trench. We start debating plans in the next minute." Explained she. "Or remain here if you wish to die. I benefit either way." Spat the undead snake, who immediately slithered through the trench at immense speeds.

"I suppose that is our cue." Tonnie said, as she begun to sprint through the trench towards where the cave was, avoiding using her flying staff for now with hopes of conserving mana. Along the way, Blestare noticed on the edge of the trench, a kobold preparing to pickpocket Warren from behind.

"HEY, BEHIND YOU!" Warned Blestare to the Human as the winged-wolf skidded to a halt, Tonnie turning to the scene. If Jamie and Denver continued to the cave, they would be met with the sound of vicious verbal tension.

Angry mercenaries gathered at a large bark-constructed table covered with vegetation, conjured by the humanoid Walking-Tree Samurai, and the majority of them were screaming at each other. "...MY BROTHERS DID NOT DIE ON THIS MISSION SO YOU CAN KILL THE ENTOMANCER AND GET THE FIRST LEAD TO THE AETHERSPARK!" Screamed a dwarvern barbarian.

"WE NEED SCOUTS, LEST WE ALL RUSH IN AND DIE TOGETHER!" Retorted the talking quadrupedal Cheetah with the strange markings. A Lyrenian Human knight slammed his fist on the table, being of the Lyrenian forces that were tasked with transporting the carriages that brought all of the mercenaries to castle Thornbranch.

"SCREW THE AETHERSPARK! IF WE DON'T SLAY THIS BASTARD, I WILL LOSE EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER MATTERED TO ME AND THEN SOME. THIS ISN'T ABOUT AN ARTIFACT, MILLIONS OF INNOCENTS ARE DEPENDING ON US!" Chastised the soldier.

"You Humans and your false promises..." Mocked a tiefling druid, who was inscribing random markings onto the bark table with a bored expression.

"My kingdom values honor above all. Baffling. You mercenaries really don't value life unless you're promised coin, don't you?"

"Guilty."

"We'll see how much you care when you're missing an arm." Threatened the Lyrenian as he drew his steel and lunged towards the druid, the Minotaur barbarian restraining him from behind as the table erupted into further argument. Barracuda watched from the side, waiting for a good time to get a word in as the tension remained unwavering in the heated cave. If someone could get everybody on the same page, maybe their imminent doom would be less painful. (If your character attempts to ease the tensions, roll a speech check using the dice feature. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!)

 

[Gummy Worm]

Denver watched the group leave. He had a choice to make, he could go with the rest and risk the mantis being found or he could carry on and possibly decipher it language. The ram continued down the trench once the others were out of sight. it was eerily silent down this path with only the sound of wind and occasional scurrying to break the defining quiet. eventually the ram sat down and let the creature out of his bag before grabbing his spell book, he flipped through pages as he watched the mantis closely "hm..i don't see anything on insect languages so mabey I could translate you to common?" he said looking for a translation spell, he read the page before getting up and holding his staff.

the sound of windchimes could be heard again as the mage enacted the spell. after a good minute he sighed and sat back down, feeling a bit woozy as he looked at the green creature. "Hello there" he said hopefully.

(For context: Since Dever is a healing mage his magic comes from his life-force, so if a spell is too powerful or lengthy he can pass out or even die. hence why he sticks to fast healing)

 

[MageMantis]

Gummy Worm

The large Praying Mantis stared at Denver with its bulging eyes. “Mimm mimm mimm mimm…” The spell begun to take full effect, as the Praying Mantis’s strange language was translated into common. “….White Deer. White Deer, you and the rest of your congregation need to fly to higher ground immediately, the Entomancer is about to flood this area with the green fluid deadly to your kind.”

An eerie silence engulfed the area. It was now a race against time as meanwhile at the cave-base Warren had created, mercenaries remained locked in an intense debate about their next move.

“I am not sure about how much time we have…” The praying mantis spread its arms and stopped talking for a second. “…Remaining.” He explained, dragging out each syllable of the word ‘remaining’ in a strange pattern of speech.

“White Deer.” He said at the very end, puncturing his previous sentence late with an addressing term.

 

[Stern LuLuLu]

As Warren valiantly battled at the entrance, defending against the oncoming horde, he suddenly heard Blestare’s urgent shout. Warren watch out for that kobold trying to pit pocket him.

In an instant, Warren pivoted, instinctively grabbing the little thief’s wrist with a fierce grip. With a flash of irritation, he delivered a sharp rebuke. “We’re all fighting the same enemy here! You dare to rob me amid this chaos?”

With a swift motion, he flung the kobold aside as if he were nothing more than a feather, ready to return to the fray and protect the other mercenaries. Warren says thank you to Blestar for his warning.

Lena sat quietly at the table, the air thick with tension as her companions bickered animatedly about their next move in the operation. Instead of joining the fray, she focused intently on her work, diligently mixing her potent concoctions in preparation for the looming battle against their true adversary. Under her breath, she murmured her thoughts, a quiet mantra of determination, feeling the weight of their fate resting on her shoulders. She would still keep looking around to make sure the area was safe while occasionally listening to the outside to see if Warren was still alive. Talking under her breath she would only say how annoying it was that they were doing this right now and that they had not picked out a leader before they started this operation. She would not try to stop the arguments going on she would simply say to the group.” Who is the one in charge of this operation I forget.?”

 

[MageMantis]

Stern LuLuLu

When the Kobold was held up by his wrist, his face contorted into a nervous smile as he let out a sheepish chuckle. “You dropped something!” He weakly deceived. He was soon thrown to the side, face planting on his snout. Like a pest, he soon scurried into the trench, and straight into the cave, where he would vanish into the crowd of mercenaries. In response to Warren, Blestare smiled softly and nodded. Tonnie would then nudge him in the direction of the cave, to which he continued to rush to the mouth of the cave-base with her, the Wolf assuming Denver was still following them.

At the cave-base, in response to Lena’s question, 5 mercenaries and the Lyrenian shouted “ME!” A brief awkward silence overtook the cave, as a few mercenaries exchanged worried glances. The talking quadrupedal cheetah’s head and ears would droop as she let out a sigh in response to five of the other mercenaries and the Lyrenian claiming to be leader. It seemed that somebody would have to step up.

 

[Fangs9090]

Kanon rode along in the wagon, Adelynn by her side. This “Aetherspark” seemed promising, and helping another country out in the process would earn them an allied nation from the start. With such a force behind them, it should be relatively simple matter.

Skip forward a few minutes, Kanon just finished cleaving another bug in two. Their forces had quickly been halved in almost no time at all. This was far worse than they had been led to believe. Had she known, Kanon would have had Adelynn stay behind. Instead she just had to make sure she remained safe.

Adelynn had thus far managed to stay close to Kanon. This place was horrible, to say the least. She could heal, a little, but that was only if the wound was survivable. These people were going down too fast. Scanning their surroundings, she spotted the trench entrance where others were gathering. Pointing it out to Kanon, they made their way in that direction.

After cleaving a path for herself and Adelynn, Kanon arrived where the others were arguing, of all things. She huffed as she walked over. “All of you need to settle down. This not about glory or treasure any longer, it is about surviving and finishing this mission alive. Our best chance at that is to work together, but someone needs to lead us. We must decide who is most competent for that task, able to delegate, plan, and stay calm under pressure.”

Adelynn simply stayed behind Kanon, keeping a lookout on their surroundings. This spot was only marginally safer than where they had just been.

 

[Gummy Worm]

Denver listened to the insect speak before gasping a bit. Thats why they didn't follow us...this isn't a retreat... it's a trap!!!" he said scooping up the mantis and placing him in his back before sprinting back down the trench, his little hooves moving faster than he thought possible as he entered the room where the rest of the mercenaries were. The shouting easily drowned out the ram's voice as he tried to speak, "u-um...excuse me?" he said to no avail, "P-people please, this is important" he said again, a little louder but with the same result. Denver's voice was too small compared to the larger species, and no one would hear him unless they all stopped talking.

 

[MageMantis]

Fangs9090 Gummy Worm Stern LuLuLu HypnoFuzz LustrousFox Celest_Eclipse

Many mercenaries turned their gazes to Kanon. Many of their eyes reflected the same thought of how the Red Panda possessed the qualities she spoke of. Meanwhile, beyond the cave, pheromones filled the air, commanding all of the bugs to return to their dens in preparation for the for the flesh-melting tide set to come. If Warren still stood at the edge of the trench, he would notice this.

In the cave-base, more mercenaries continued to turn their gazes to Kanon. If the burden of leadership was too much for the Red Panda to bare, perhaps someone with military leadership experience could step up. A single Human ranger turned to his head to Jamie, recognizing him as an Engallian. More specifically, one of the most virtuous Engallians, known for his tactical prowess in the face of the plights of pandemonium. Paralleling this, the humanoid Walking-Tree Samurai seemed to recognize Kanon, performing a respectful bow with his arms at his side.

“Red Knight.” Remarked the Redwood Ronin.

Where Warren stood, he would notice in the distance, in the area of the entrance the mercenaries had come from, legions of carriage-sized silkworms spinning a wall of silk to block the castle-sized open fortress entrance. In addition to this, a giant spider-like bug emerged from a side cavernous corridor, carrying on its back a pulsating bright green sac with scale comparable to that of a fearsome Dragon. Orbiting the beast were 200 humanoid-bugs of the winged variant. They all started working together to lift the sac onto the ground in front of the beast, their devotion to the sac with no interest showed to the mercenaries.

In the cave-base, with the newfound silence that overtook the room, Denver now had an opportunity to speak up. Time was not on their side.

 

[LustrousFox]

being ushered into continually along to follow them in the cave as Julian took the break quite literally as he simply found a rock laid his back and put his feet up in the air, Chandek giving a small smile as a greeting to the leapod as they sit down holding their tail up to not there chains scratch, still being unaware that Julian is you know a thing, only to hear people about screaming something while the two stared on and confusion and simply glanced back and forth, the only word they manage to understand is something about war, they were really didn't know what to say so the kitty sat there was a unicorn really didn't give a fuck right now because no danger no mean I have to get up.

(would make it fancy but don't have energy today)

 

[Stern LuLuLu]

Lena immersed herself in her makeshift lab, her hands deftly maneuvering through her tools while a lively debate erupted around her. She had just posed a question, curious about who among her arguing friends might claim the title of leader. As her cohorts bickered, voices rising and overlapping in a cacophony of opinions, Lena remained focused on her work, weaving scientific magic amidst the chaos. It was clear that everyone had something to say, each one eager to stake their claim for leadership in this unruly gathering.

As the heated arguments raged on, a voice cut through the chaos—strong and commanding. It belonged to the renowned Red Knight, a figure who apparently held substantial sway among the mercenaries. Her reputation alone set her apart in the crowd of eager contenders for leadership.

Lena, quietly observing the commotion, felt a spark of inspiration. Without hesitation, she piped up amidst the chatter, “I believe the Lady Red Knight would make an excellent leader!” Her words hung in the air, momentarily stilling the voices around her.

Then, with a casual flick of her wrist, Lena returned to the delicate art of potion-brewing, as if her suggestion were merely a passing thought in an otherwise ordinary day. The room buzzed with renewed energy, now focused on the potential of the Red Knight, leaving Lena to her craft, a serene island amidst the storm of aspirations.


Where Warren was he noticed that he was encountering fewer and fewer foes. He saw legions of carriage-sized silkworms spinning a wall of silk to block the castle-sized open fortress and keep him and the other mercenaries from making it there. In addition to this, a giant spider-like bug emerged from a side cavernous corridor, carrying on its back a pulsating bright green sac with a scale comparable to that of a fearsome Dragon. He knew this wasn't a good thing for him or the other mercenaries. Going to the entrance of the cave he called out for a couple of people to come out to see what was happening.” Hey, can some of you or whoever is in charge come outside? Also, I don't mean to rush you guys so much but whatever you guys are planning try to make it quick”

 

[Gummy Worm]

Denver groaned to himself "Everyone please listen!!!" he yelled, his voice finally raising above his shy tone "We have to get to higher ground!! This is a trap!! they are going to flood us out if we don't move now!!" he said looking at each face in the now quiet room hopefully. Would they believe him? he realized he couldn't really back up his claim without getting his new friend ethier captured or killed.

"Please! Lets move!! I don't know how much time we have!!" he said hopefully as he waited for someone...anyone to follow him. Denver left the cave and started looking for the highest ground that everyone could easily climb to, his hooves would allow him to scale anything he wanted but not every species was so blessed. he investigated the terrain.

 

[Fangs9090]

Kanon dipped her head as the suggestion of her leadership was posed. “If it falls to me, so be it.” She looked to Warren as he spoke, then to Denver.

Adelynn chose to peek out of their shelter to see for herself, eyes widening as she saw the bugs and their cargo. “I think he’s onto something.”

Kanon hurried over to look as well before turning her head to the rest. “We need high ground, now!” She grabbed her sheath off her back as she spoke and sheathed her sword before placing it back on her back. The bugs had withdrawn to avoid getting caught in their own acid, so it was best to move quickly now.

 

[MageMantis]

( Gummy Worm LustrousFox HypnoFuzz Fangs9090 Stern LuLuLu )



Barracuda finished drinking a stamina potion, replenishing the lost energy from his near-death battle against the bugs. His mask was slightly pulled up, covering his eyes and nose but revealing his mouth. He then pulled his mask back down, covering his mouth with it once more. He got to his feet and thanked the person who offered him the stamina potion, who then pointed him towards Lena. He walked to where the Fae was, glancing at her makeshift station of arcane concoctions before turning his head to the woman who had extracted him from the jaws of death earlier. Grateful for the stamina potion, he adjusted his hood prior to speaking,

“My thanks, Alchemist.” Thanked he to the Fae. His head then snapped to Warren as the Magician alerted them of an urgent situation unfolding outside of the makeshift base. Following this, a Ram-folk bard urged their forces to seek higher ground as he warned of an impending flood of corrosive acid. He then heard the Raccoon-folk woman shout from outside that she saw something that boosted the Ram’s claims. Barracuda ran outside and saw the bugs unloading their cargo in the distance.

Barracuda looked around the area, noticing that the deeper into the base from the entrance the walls were, the more they started to narrow. This meant that not too far from the trench, there were rocky towering fortress walls they could reach if they all sprinted fast enough. An idea formulated in the Gunslinger’s mind, as he rushed to Warren,

“Geomancer, can you create a long tunnel in the west wall for us that is 304.8 centimeters deep before turning right at a sharp 90 degree angle and ascends diagonally-upward?” Elaborated Barracuda, as he pointed to the distant but reachable left fortress wall with a gun-in-hand.

Meanwhile, in front of the sky-high castle-sized gaping entrance of the fortress that was closed off by a monumental wall of bright green translucent silk, the giant spider-like bug let out a chilling screech. The beast then raised a long spiked-leg and stabbing it into the giant pulsating bright green sac. In an instant, the sac exploded into a gargantuan explosion of acid that wasted no time in filling the empty space surrounding it, quickly flooding the entire area near the entrance, as the sea of death then chased after the mercenaries in the form of a tidal wave of bright green corrosive acid the size of a castle, which was now careening right towards them.

The giant spider-like creature had stood in the acid, the mostly stagnant acid at its location remained behind the Tsunami of deadly liquid, only reaching half of its leg-length as it remained seemingly unbothered by the acid. It soon strutted off into a different flooded corridor near the entrance. As this occurred, the smaller humanoid-winged variants were swept up in the acid tsunami, their exoskeletons unmelted by the substance, but their inability to swim preventing them from properly capitalizing on the new tide in their favor.

The sound of a giant explosion, like a meteor crashing into a lake sent the entire cave-base into deafening silence. Mercenaries spilled out to get a look at the source, only to be met with the castle-sized tsunami of acid racing right towards them. Most of the mercenaries were quick to freeze, like their souls had vacated their mortal shells.

Panic set in as everybody begun to run for their lives. A couple, a pair of bold Aarakocra mages flew headfirst towards the approaching doom. They hovered in the air, flapping their wings as they worked together to attempt to channel a castle-sized blast of ice to try and freeze the acid wave. With their Cryokinesis in sync, they unleashed the blast, which anti-climatically collided with the wave of acidic doom and was overrun. Their beaks hung open in shock, breathless as they held talons, their lives flashing in front of their eyes as they embraced each other for the last time. The acid wave blasted through them in a flash, reducing both to muscle, bone, and then nothing so quickly that the process was hardly visible. After consuming its breakfast, the acidic wave prepared for seconds as it raced towards the other mercenaries, hungering for desperate souls.

While making haste to escape, a few mercenaries tripped and fell behind, while others fell into occupied dens in the ground, where their harrowing screams were short-lived. As hell erupted all around the mercenaries, Blestare and Tonnie hastily searched the crowd for Jamie and Denver. A few mercenaries had decided to follow Kanon, trusting in her leadership skills in this chaotic nightmare.

From above, a few winged-humanoid bugs dove towards the mercenaries. They took advantage of the chaos to pick off unprepared targets and snatch them into the sky where the bugs could fight over the limbs. The consequence of this was a few bloody body parts raining down from above near the outside of the cave-base, in addition to smaller balls of acid.

A Human ranger’s face was struck by a ball of acid from one of the flying bugs in the sky, the human’s face bubbling and sizzling into something reminiscent of a meaty red skeleton as he screamed at the top of his lungs. The man soon collapsed, exiled from the mortal realm. The female Tabaxi rogue was snatched into the air by two winged-humanoid bugs, the tabaxi screaming in agony as she was feasted on whilst mid-aid. Three winged-humanoid bugs dove towards Adelynn and Kanon from above in a vertical line. However, near Adelynn, Jamie would catch sight of a man-sized Centipede slowly peaking its head from a hidden den in the ground. It slowly prepared to snatch her by the ankle, its pincers itching to eat meat.

As chaos and mania ran rampant recklessly, If it wasn’t apparent to any of the mercenaries yet, it would now become crystal clear: Their forces were dreadfully ill-equipped for this operation.

 

[Fangs9090]

Kanon had long since realized they weren't prepared for what they were facing, due in part to being ill-informed. If they survived, she'd have some choice words for their employers. For now she focused on the matter at hand, shouting commands to try and rally the mercenaries away from the acid flood. Some of the ones near her had frozen up, so she grabbed them and pushed them ahead to get them running. She made sure Adelynn was close as she started to move. Upon seeing that the rest of the bugs weren't going to just watch, she drew her sword once more, placing the empty sheath on her back once more as she watched the air above. Seeing a group descending at her, she stopped to focus on them, holding her blade back at her side. Part of her training taught her to watch her enemy and predict their attack in order to counter. The bugs didn't have much in the way of individual tactics, it seemed, relying on numbers and chaos to prevail, so the individuals were easy to read. Kanon's first slash was hard to see. It seemed she merely tensed and the bug was split in half, her sword now raised to her other side. The second slash wasn't quite as fast, but still powerful, cleaving the second bug into just like the first. For the third, Kanon pointed her blade forward skewered the bug's head, using its own momentum against it. She tossed the bug aside and swiped her blade through the air to get the loose blood off, scanning for more enemies.

Adelynn stayed behind Kanon, giving her space to fight. She'd seen Kanon fight many times by now and knew how much space to give her. She trusted her to handle the enemies in front, so she looked back to see where the others were and make sure nothing was coming at them from behind.

 

[Stern LuLuLu]

As some of the others came to see what Warren was talking about they saw right before they felt the castle-sized tsunami of acid racing right towards them.

Warren was lost in thought, pondering what to do next while Barracuda meticulously crafted an intricate plan. The attention to detail caught Warren off guard, but he had grown accustomed to such thoroughness from his time with Lena, whose precision was legendary.

"I’ll do the best I can with that," he said, echoing what he often said with his eccentric alchemist friend. With determination in his eyes, Warren dropped to all fours, getting into a sprinting pose, his hands digging into the cool earth. It was clear he was channeling some kind of energy, a palpable focus surrounding him as he glanced back at Barracuda.

“Just a heads-up,” he added, “when I’m finished, someone’s going to need to scoop me up. I might be out for a while.”

In a heartbeat, he launched himself forward, transforming into a streak of lightning as the air crackled and hummed with energy around him. The wind howled fiercely, almost drowning out the roar of his heartbeat as he surged down the meticulously carved path that Barracuda had mapped out. Each stride tore through the earth, sending shards of soil flying in his wake, a testament to his unwavering determination and fierce intent. Finally, when he reached the end of the path, he collapsed onto the ground into a pile of dirt hiding himself somewhat, breathless and exhilarated. The sheer exertion had drained his energy, leaving him in an almost meditative state in his collapse, unresponsive to most and it seems he damaged his hands while making the path. The last thing he saw was the left fortress wall.



Barracuda offered a grateful nod to Lena, who responded with a reassuring gesture that said, “No problem.” As Warren's urgent call echoed outside, Lena quickly joined the group, her heart racing as she glimpsed the shadow looming on the horizon. Without hesitation, she sprang into action.

Frantically, she gathered her belongings, her mind racing through her options. Grabbing a potion of strength, she downed it in one swift motion, feeling the surge of power coursing through her veins. With determination, she conjured an ice ladder that sparkled like crystal in the waning light and, in a flash, soared into the sky, lifting a few of her companions with her.

“Alright, everyone! I need you to cover me while I get us out of here!” she called out, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. The only other thing she was thinking about was if her assistant (Warren) made it. After seeing him talk to Barracuda and dart off.

 

[MageMantis]

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

Barracuda bore witness to Warren working his magic. Soon, having spent all of his energy, the Geomancer collapsed inside of the tunnel he created. Barracuda climbed to the edge of the trench, and surveyed the air to wait for a humanoid-bug to fly overhead. He hoped to kill two birds with one stone: Slay a bug, and gain attention. When a bug did fly overhead, with his snap lock pistol pointed to the air, he pulled the trigger. A loud bang erupted from the barrel of his gun, followed by a humanoid-bug tumbling from the air, its lifeless body hitting the ground and rolling. Multiple mercenaries stopped to turn their gazes to the masked-Human. Barracuda then shouted as loud his lungs would allow him,

“EVERYONE! TO THE TUNNEL! IT WILL TAKE US UPWARDS TO SAFETY!” Informed he, hoping his words would funnel their scattered forces to the safety of the tunnel. He pointed to the distant but visible large tunnel entrance at the rocky west wall of the fortress, Warren’s unconscious body within the tunnel.



Barracuda begun to sprint towards the tunnel opening. Unsure of their other options, many mercenaries begun to follow suite.





Meanwhile, Tonnie made her magic staff levitate as she hopped onto it with a swift practiced motion. Blestare turned to her, his face morphing into a determined look as he leapt on it from behind as they took to the air. Tonnie soared through the air, riding on her flying staff as she soon reached Denver.

“Hop on, Denver!” Tonnie said in a panicked tone as Blestare and she sat on her scepter as it hovered in the air, the witch constantly glancing between the Ram and the towering acid tsunami approaching like death itself. After Denver mounted on the staff, Tonnie begun to fly to the trench area. They zipped through the air at immense speeds, soaring towards Lena, who seemed to be floating in the air with a few other mercenaries on a flying object of her own. Some of these included a High Elf warlock who clung to the ice ladder for dear life like a Koala, refusing to look down as a Lizardfolk rogue sat the other edge of the ice ladder, slinging knives at any and all bugs that entered her sight.

Tonnie hovered in the air near Lena, making eye-contact with her as she then glanced from the two passengers on her staff back to the Fae. A brief awkward tension filled the air as Tonnie realized Lena was a Fae, the unpleasant history of war that continued even to present day between Witchblood-kind and Fae-kind causing unease in Tonnie’s conscious as she realized she had found herself staring a little longer than she had liked to. While it made Tonnie subconsciously uncomfortable, she still had no ill-will towards Faes. Blestare glanced back between Tonnie and Lena with a concerned look, and opened his mouth to talk, but Tonnie managed to beat him.

“We need to get to the tunnel!” She informed to Helena, pointing to the distant tunnel below, which sat nested at the west wall of the fortress that they currently resided in. Afterwards, Tonnie zipped through the air at immense speeds straight towards the tunnel entrance below. “HOLD ON!” Screamed she as her black hair fluttered. From behind the three of them, six winged humanoid-bugs gave chase to the Witch, Wolf, and Ram. They hissed as they reached out towards them with blood-drenched claws, a wrath in their eyes that reflected the unforgiving fury that drove every action of the master they served.

Blestare, with a warrior’s fury, swung his segmented sword towards the bugs as they chased them, sending three blade segments flying from his sword at the bugs as only one struck a bug in the head, impaling through its face as dark green blood blasted from its eyes. It clumsily flailed around in the air, before its wings gave up and it plummeted to the chaos below. The other bugs remained persistently on their tail, hungrily hissing as if they seemed adamant about avenging their friend. The cat-sized Praying Mantis in Denver’s bag popped his head out, looking around the area before noticing the flying humanoid-bugs pursuing them. Blestare noticed this, shock overtaking him for a moment. Before the Wolf could act however, the Mantis climbed in top of Denver’s head, unleashing five large orbs of fire from its mouth that exploded through the chests of the five of the bugs that chased them, their bodies immediately falling from the air. It then climbed back into Denver’s bag, where it rubbed its head against Denver’s neck. Tonnie remained focused on flying the magic staff they rode to safety as fast as possible, not noticing the Praying Mantis. Blestare quickly shushed the insect, as he smiled softly at Denver. He understood that it likely wouldn’t be the best idea to inform their comrades below of the Mantis any time soon. However, Denver would notice a large orb of acid soar through the air towards where they were flying. Based on the trajectory, it appeared to be travelling straight to the spot they would be at in a second. More specifically, where Blestare’s head would be in a second.

Meanwhile, in the frantic deathzone that was once a battlefield, many mercenaries B-lined to the tunnel entrance as many were picked off in some way or another. The scene was reminiscent of a family of baby Sea Turtles’ first mission in life. From where the mercenaries’ forces had entered the fortress, the giant acid tsunami continued its march towards them, preparing to end the battle as soon as it had begun.

 

[Fangs9090]

Seeing the tunnel’s creation and hearing the call to head that way, Kanon scooped Adelynn off the ground to carry her to safety, resting her blade on her shoulder.

It wasn’t the first Adelynn had been picked up like this, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. She held on as best she could, trusting Kanon to get them there safely.

Kanon may not have been as fast as those flying, but she was focused on moving now, only using her sword to clear her path. Fighting one handed was difficult with her blade anyway, so it was better to just deflect and wound the bugs as she passed rather than confront them properly. And she made sure to keep herself between them and Adelynn.

 

[Noble Scion]

Aaliyah Sh'ahn

Spoiler: Cloak

Having practically snuck her way into the army of mercenaries thinking she'd be safe in such a large group, the young princess of the sea couldn't have been more wrong. Sounds of death and fighting filling her terror-stricken ears as she'd regret all of her actions leading her to such a place, her illusion of an overworld paradise adventure quickly shattering as she'd struggle to keep herself from crying as adrenaline and survival instincts would continue to coax her to wherever safety seemed to be, leading her to a cavern with whatever remained of their initial assault, her thankfully fit body, prepared by blissful play in the oceans, able to hack all of the panicked running she'd been fortunate to survive, Her ability thankfully making her mad sprints much safer as she'd flick any stray blobs of liquid acid away.

Yet even the momentary peace found in the cave of the trench gave way to more fighting, desperation leading to yelling as opinions would clash, no-doubt making morale plummet which Aaliyah herself felt, finding herself unable to stop the snivelling and shallow breaths slipping from her, daring not to even speak a word to any of the seemingly grizzled veterans, barely listening to the politcs and outrage happening by the supposed 'leaders'.

Though among the voices, one seemed to ring out with a plan, mentioning a tunnel to safety, and that was all it took for the sahagin to start shuffling and pushing her way towards Warren with her glittering eyes as she'd quietly lurk near him as he'd work, awe turning to shock as the creation of the tunnel would follow with him weakly tumbling to the ground.

As tired and terrified as she was, she'd slip her arms underneath the geomancer and start the arduous journey up the tunnel he'd created. Clearly not the best for the task, but she still had enough energy to at least stumble her way up the hill, step-by-step, teardrop-by-teardrop.

"I-I'll.. *hic*.. k-keep you safe.." She'd mumble through her tears to his unconscious body, words spoken more from her heart than through reason, since those were the words she was desperately hoping someone would say to her right now.

MageMantis Stern LuLuLu

 

[LustrousFox]

Lowering his ears upon hearing bloody mayhem break loose, ripping his eyes open while going back to being invisible in a instant because he really didn't want to feel the feeling of bleeding blood today even if Julian cannot be physically hurt, using a bit of a small precious magic that was one of a kind to walk through the air like it was land, because getting any blood on his fur who for his horn would send him to go in the absolute frantic freak out, casually glacing at the corpses as be ignore this is too much for his liking, maybe he can find a gun? a spear? something that went pew pew or stabby stab.

Being a poor traumatized little kitty disconnecting from reality for a second what's the only thing in her mind being able to register with her eyes being was dead bodies, a lot of bodies, way too many bodies, not really wanting to get blood on her pretty little claws or her fur in general as she could live for today for not feeling how blood diffuse to soak in her and skin, honestly frantically hopping around playing a little game of hopscotch until she happened to jump on Julian's back, him being too distracted to pay attention as the kitty glanced around the bodies, really just looking around for anything, something that does hurty, something that does not hurty, they didn't know, as long as it's shiny she wanted it.

 

[Stern LuLuLu]

Lena soared through the air, her keen eyes scanning the chaos below for her elusive assistant. It was then that she spotted Barracuda, directing the frantic crowd towards the newly formed tunnel, his voice clear and steady amidst the turmoil. As she glided closer, she couldn't shake the feeling that this remarkable feat could only have been orchestrated by her aide.

As Lena prepared to descend, she caught sight of Tonnie lingering nearby, their eyes locking for a moment.”Hey” heavy with unspoken tension. The mere presence of Lena, a Fae, stirred up echoes of an ancient conflict—an uneasy legacy that hung like a shadow between their kind and the Witchbloods. Sensing the discomfort radiating from Tonnie, Lena knew it was time to take a step toward healing.

Just then, six-winged humanoid insects surged after them, their menacing forms darting through the air. Lena dodged nimbly, her instincts kicking in as she maneuvered away from their bladed appendages. Around her, the people she carried launched their ranged attacks, arrows, and spells whizzing past her in a chaotic dance of desperation.

“Listen,” Lena called out, her voice both light and resolute above the din, “I understand my heritage might stir up old fears, but let’s not get lost in the shadows of history. What truly matters to me is the future I create.”


As Warren lay on the ground, his body spent from exhaustion, an approaching figure stirred him from the depths of his unconsciousness. Even in his weakened state, anxiety crept in—was it friend or foe? But fate smiled upon him; it was a fellow mercenary Aaliyah at least he hoped, her determination shining as she hoisted him up and began the arduous trek toward a meeting point deep within the cave’s shadows.

With each laborious step, Warren could feel the strain in Aaliyah's muscles, the unwavering resolve etched on her face. Gathering what little strength remained, he forced his gaze upward, recognizing her struggle. “Hey, sorry for making you do this.” he rasped, the words nearly escaping him. “I know this isn’t the smartest move on this battlefield…” He faltered, exhaustion weighing heavily on his words. “But I’m Warren. May I ask yours?” He paused, sincerity piercing through his fatigue. “I want to thank you. I swear, I’ll repay you for this. Even if I don’t make it out of here, I’ll ensure you do.” He clutched his battered hands resolve in his voice. He then used what strength he had and started to slowly walk with her to make it easier for her.

 

[Gummy Worm]

Denver had climbed atop Tonnies' staff, clutching his own in his hand before his new friend Mantis climbed out of his bag, "What are you doing? someone could see you!" he said nervously glancing at the green lady he was next to before he went wide eyed. Watching the tiny cat-sized mantis take down several humanoids like it was nothing! That was when Denver noticed Blestare looking at him. Ready to defend his new friend, he sighed relief when the wolf smiled at him.

The ram looked up and gasped seeing the acid ball flying towards the staff.He knew if that hit any of them it would kill them all. If he could move Blestare then the ball would miss!! Acting fast, the goat stood up using his hooves for balance before looking a Blestare "Do you trust me?" he asked, not waiting for a response, jumping onto the wolf's back and pulling him off the staff. as the two fell the ball flew right by missing entirely as the two landed on a rocky platue above the river of acid. Denver huffed as he sat up, everything felt in place and his mantis friend was safe. He then turned to the wolf, "Are you alright?" he asked, staff in hand, if he needed to heal

 

[HypnoFuzz]

Ah, the sounds of fear and loathing filled the air as the people fought to make a decision. They eventually chose who would be team leader and already began a strategic retreat. With the bugs fixing to flood the place with acid, Jamie followed along with the others towards the tunnel. Usually he'd volunteer to be in charge, but honestly.. this lot was miserable and probably wouldn't take orders from someone who looked like him. So, he just continued on with the others, slicing down any bugs that attempted to get in his way.

As he ran, he found himself near the one the other mercenaries voted to be in command. He wasn't directly next to Kanon or Adelynn, but he wasn't too far away. Kanon seemed to be a very capable woman. Perhaps he'd ask her where she learned to fight once they reached safety. However, those thoughts were cut off when a rather large bug stood in his way. The horrid creature caused him to make a sudden stop, nearly causing him to fall over and into the creature's grasp. Jamie stood and stared at the beast, his chances of winning against this creature were low.. but he was always one to take risks.

"Prepare for oblivion, vile creature.." The rottweiler speaks as he readies his sword.

The two did battle with each other, neither the bug or the canine managing to get the upper hand on each other. That all changed when the bug managed to get a solid hit on the dog's arm, causing him to recoil back a little. Luckily it was only a scratch, but it still hurt quite a bit nonetheless. "Ah, such spirited audacity! En garde!" Jamie responds with more aggressive maneuvers to try and break the little stalemate with the bug.

If he didn't kill this bug in time, he would be reduced to a melted pile of flesh. So he just swallowed his pride and looked towards and of the other mercenaries for a helping hand. "If it pleases you, might anyone of you be so kind as to assist me?" He didn't really expect an answer from any of them, but it never hurt to try.

 

[Fangs9090]

"Kanon!"

Kanon skidded to a stop at Adelynn's shout, looking to see her pointing out someone struggling against another insect. She couldn't drag Adelynn into another direct fight, but sending her towards the tunnel alone was too much of a risk. Glancing upwards, Kanon spotted Tonnie passing overhead. "There." She set Adelynn down and crouched low.

Adelynn saw what Kanon meant to do and nodded, climbing onto her back with her feet braced on her shoulders. As Kanon used her strength to send her upwards, Adelynn jumped from her back to launch into the air. Kanon's timing was good, so Adelynn managed to grab onto Tonnie's staff at the height of the jump. "Sorry!"

Satisifed that Adelynn was looked after, for now, Kanon turned and hurried to Jamie's aid. The bug was distracted by him, so she was able to land a clean hit on it from behind. And with a two-handed sword like hers, a clean hit bit deep.