Side One, Ep.2 "Double Dog Dare"

[JRFLynn]

Jeisera

"Whoa! Hey thanks!" I exclaim, not that fond of heights honestly, or bubbles...or floating inside them. No matter, flashing a grateful smile Vincent's way, I think a chicken shot is in order! Perhaps Holst will have a taste of his own wickedness? You know, finally grasp the meaning of fear and all that. Imagine, a frighty eyeball! Wouldn't that be something!

I impishly release the arrow, wincing as it jabs the giant eyeball, inwardly hoping a demon can get the spooks...just might buy us some time.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Vincent and Emma begin the first phase of a plan to float our heroes to safety. As luck would have it, Muziko's spell and two telekinetics were able to combine their abilities. As Jei floated to safety, Shan Mai and Fenella attacked. Fenella's blade made the deepest cut yet, tearing through the giant foe in several places. Though the eye continues its gradual push, the eye is quite bloody.

Shan Mai's katana attack pales in comparison. As the samurai questions the effectiveness of his blade, he notices blood from the great eye swirling toward his wakizashi. The aura of his sword momentarily flashes amber and crimson, then resumes its soft violet glow. (Or maybe it's another shade of purple. Maybe mauve?)

Mariya sings…

…and holds her note, confident her lightning will strike hard when the time is right.

Jeisera fires her chicken-feathered arrow, hoping to consume the enemy with fear.

((Fourth 1 this turn out of six rolls! …and I'd say this means Jei's arrow worked as intended.))

Holst looks around in desperation. He sees the mortals easily floating over the deadly whirlpool. Having failed to revive his barbed eyes, the demon cannot hope to win against this small army.

Not alone.

"MINIONS! COME TO YOUR MASTER! DESTROY THE MORTALS!"

The eye looks around nervously. If the cavalry is on its way, our heroes cannot sense any sign of Holst's minions.

Holst lightly bumps the heroes that remain close to him. The bubbles float them safely out of his way without popping. The whirlpool is harmless even to those pushed to its edge.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

I smile as Jei's arrow pierces Holst's eye, striking fear into his twisted heart. At his mention of minions, I narrow my eyes. How many more possessed men and apes are there? How are Diana and the others faring, wherever they are?

I cast a quick look around at the others, wondering what to do next. Shan Mai and Fenella are still needed on this side of the whirlpool, and the pixies will likely want to keep using their golem. Jei is safe on the other side, and Emma and I can fly ourselves over at any point -- but preferably after helping the others first.

Turning back to the huge bloody eye, I send a firework spell his way.

Not my strongest attempt by a long shot, but he's sure to have felt it. If only that had been a Grand Finale!

 

[SeverinR]

Shan Mai takes a cleansing breath, with a mighty Kiai strikes the eye:


[so much for the meditation and kiai.]

 

[JRFLynn]

Jeisera

Now the battle is turning in our favor! I call the demon's bluff, releasing a robin into his big red gawper.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Emma shouts something in a strange language, summoning what appears to be a glass bell. Even Vincent cannot determine whether this is a physical object or an illusion. The bell falls from the same hole in the ceiling that our heroes fell through. The fall is at an angle, and the bell shatters against the eye. Its deafening gong echoes throughout the tunnel.

Though no one can hear Mariya's tiny voice at the moment, a blinding flash of lightning confirms she has released her spell. The thunderclap from the spell is even louder than the bell.

Muziko doesn't bother to cast magic. She simply shouts, "Finish him!"

Pidge's bottle bounces harmlessly off of the eye and is sucked down the drain. "Darn it. I really thought I was gonna get him with that."

((Fenella can still attack this round, so I'll give her time. I'll update Monday evening.))

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I'm feeling strong today! I'm a warrior princess with a mighty, golden dancing sword! I lift my weapon and thrust it deep into the eye!

The eye shatters into a million pieces!

The fragments land in the whirlpool and are sucked down and out of sight.

We have won! We are free! Let's have a celebration once we get out of here! :wavespin:

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Princess Fenella strikes the finishing blow. She believes this calls for a celebration!

But… Muziko asks, "Didn't Holst call for help?"

There is a large rumble as a small army approaches from above. Our heroes' still-ringing ears can pick up enough of the noise level to know that they are surely outnumbered.

Eighteen of Holst's minions drop from above through the hole in the ceiling.

Our heroes can count them as all eighteen fall into the whirlpool to their deaths!

((I'm heading out now. You may role-play freely as your characters escape the sewer. The bubbles can float you anywhere. There are three directions:

* Where the eye came from.
* The opposite way.
* Up to Brown's, which is in ruin and smoldering, but the fire is dying and not nearly as intense as before.))

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

I smile grimly as Holst's eye shatters, thanks to Fenella's mighty swing of her sword. Fear ripples through me for a moment as his followers approach, but as they all plummet to a watery death, I sigh in relief. That would have been a nasty fight, with us outnumbered two to one! It's enough of a wonder we're all unscathed as it is.

"Well fought, everyone," I say to the others. "Now how should we get out of here? Forward, back, or straight up?"

I hope those were all of Holst's coming minions -- and that Diana and the others are alright!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Emma replies, "I'll gladly catch my breath while you and your friends decide where to go. And Vincent, I haven't forgotten our little wager. I'd say you won, so what is it that I owe you? I believe it was a free lesson."

Emma sits cross-legged in her bubble. She seems mildly amused by the way she levitates without effort, but her expression turns a bit serious.

"The wager was a distraction. I mean, I needed something to occupy my mind other than fear of death. I only learned to fight so I can defend those that… that most of the world could care less about. I never thought I'd help slay a giant beast. What, exactly, have you gotten yourselves into? Sister Hanako and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye and I can't understand half of what she says, but… did I understand her correctly when she spoke of gods and demons on this Earth?"

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

I nod solemnly at Emma's questions. "You did indeed. You've already met one goddess, and the monster we just defeated was a demon. I daresay we'll be seeing more of both kinds in time." I can imagine our next demonic foes will be even harder to defeat. Surely if the embodiment of laziness has this much initiative to attack, then other demons will have even more. I shudder to think of it. "And I think we may need all the help we can get with regards to the latter."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Emma is curious. "More? Do you… do you happen to know which gods we might hope to see?"

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

"The Voice, for one," I say, "and likely The Spirit as well. Aside from that, I'm not sure." I hope I'm recalling Bee's words correctly. I'd hate to give out false information about something so world-changingly critical.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"The… The Spirit?" Emma is clearly excited by the prospect. Suddenly her feelings of doubt and jealousy are replaced by joy and wonder. "And… is it the child—The Maiden—who told you this?"

Pidge is also quite shaken when Vincent mentions The Spirit. "My mother? Are you going to meet her?"

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

"Correct again." I nod. "Yes, the Maiden told us this. We hope to meet at least one of them on Mount Neverest."

A small shiver of wonder runs through me as well. What will it be like, seeing the Voice in the flesh? Will She hatch from Her egg in an infant, mortal form, like the Maiden? Will we have to protect Her, raise Her like any other child? I think of the Pale Jackal, who risked so much to protect the baby Maiden. It would be an honor to have the chance to do so for my own goddess. What would Ariel think, having her goddess as an adopted sister?

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I'm starving! When do we get to eat dinner?

Someone needs to lead the way out of here!

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

Thinking of PJ grants me a vision of things going on above. I see him and his brother leading Olga to safety, while the remains of the restaurant smolder around them. I don't know if I'll ever see PJ again in the flesh, but I have a feeling that whatever happens, he and his brother are going to be okay.

Fenella is impatient to leave, and I can't say I blame her. I float upward in my bubble, rising through the hole that leads back up to Brown's.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Muziko replies to Fenella, "Well, it may be risky to float up to the… whoah… uh!" She watches Vincent navigate his bubble through the hole. "Well, I guess that's not so tricky."

Muziko and Pidge follow.

Brown's is reduced to a smoldering mess, but the only dead besides Brown and the three-eyes are apes. Indeed, PJ and the others likely survived the battle and escaped before the heat became too intense.

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I look at Mariya and Muziko.

"What do you think we should do?" I ask. "I'm just a mortal princess, whereas you two have special psychic powers. I must say, that I'd prefer to follow Vincent's path."

I can't believe that no one had thought of a definite escape route for after we had defeated the eye.

I'm still ravenously hungry.

Perhaps my muse and her little friend can rustle up some snacks.

"Could you two sing for our supper?" I ask, half jokingly.

They smile back at me: it's time for lift off...

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

"Supper can wait," I say, looking at the princess. "I think we should find our other comrades-in-arms before we do anything else." Where would they be by now? Still at Lara's, or maybe off fighting more cyclapes and three-eyed men?