Jace's fight against Karo wasn’t going as planned, though, in honesty, he didn’t really have a plan beyond advancing to 20 and releasing the angels. The orc-turned-stone-elemental didn’t have a weapon or proficiency in unarmed attacks. Jace guessed being aligned with a monk god gave him some benefits, but not enough. He remembered when he had fist-fought the orc leader in Psycho’s origin quest and had generated as many critical misses as hits. It wasn’t like that now, as Karo’s massive size gave Jace several bonuses to hit him, but the shaman wasn’t doing any meaningful damage.
Fortunately, at first, neither was the demon. He primarily used his claws as bladed weapons, slashing and piercing his opponents. Against Jace’s stone skin, those attacks proved to be less effective, and it took him several rounds to realize this. He eventually balled his hands into fists, and the blunt damage cracked and splintered Jace's exoskeleton. These were considered unarmed attacks, and, like Jace, Karo wasn’t as proficient. However, as powerful as he was, it didn’t matter.
The shaman’s new Stone Footing ability was the only thing keeping him in the fight. Critical strikes from the demon rocked him to his heels several times, and Jace knew without his stabilizing skill, he would have been thrown backward. Still, even though he was supremely outmatched, Jace held his own. In his mountainous form, he had a 2,000 HP bonus, and his Damage Sink totem had over 800 points to work through. While he wasn’t doing any damage to the demon, he felt he could trade blows for a while. That was until Karo began unleashing his fire.
The demon pummelled Jace into a Dazed condition from one titanic punch and then coiled his head back like a snake to unleash a full round of demon fire from his mouth. Jace staggered under the onslaught for the first two rounds, his skin melting like a snowman in a blast furnace. He recovered enough to punctuate the end of the spell with a punch to Karo’s open jaw. Since the full-round spell left the demon Flat-Footed, Jace actually scored a critical and did a handful of damage.
It wasn’t anything Karo worried about, but he changed tactics anyway, and instead of casting the complete spell again, he chose to spend mana with each punch, so demon fire flew from his fists as they crashed into Jace’s stone flesh. Cracks opened over his body and filled with fire. The stone elemental bled lava, and Jace could feel his protections and strengths weakening. After a few more rounds, his Damage Sink totem had expired, and he had shrunk in size enough to look eye to eye with the demon.
Karo smiled at the change and unleashed another ferocious punch straight to Jace’s chest. Now that Jace no longer had a size advantage, the demon’s critical success was enough to overcome the shaman’s Stone Footing and launch him back over 100 feet. Jace crashed into a collection of minions currently scattering from red dragon attacks, grinding two goblins to a pulp under his massive stone body. The blow Stunned Jace for two rounds, and he lay still after sliding up against the far side of the cavern, a handful of vampires and monks scattering from his presence. At the end of the second round, Jace’s form transitioned back into an orc, and the retreating enemies paused before closing in on the vulnerable player.
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Draya enjoyed the experience of her new dragon body.
When her demon guards had released her and her magical powers had been restored, the presence of her dragon form screamed out to her, and she initiated the spell without thinking. At level twenty, she had ten free rounds of being a dragon, and she didn’t want to waste them. After chewing on Vitium for one, she spent the next few spewing fire and getting used to her wings. In human form, she was terrified of heights, and she experienced a bit of vertigo in her first few seconds in the air. However, her dragon core had come from the blood of an ancient serpent, and once she tapped into it fully, it felt as if she had been flying for ages. After only a couple of rounds, she was as proficient with her wings as she was with her legs.
The relatively low ceiling helped her get her bearings, as it gave her less than 100 feet of air space, preventing her from soaring too high. The confined space also helped with her aim. Draya’s long neck and pronounced snout made her fire’s release point and angle much different, and her enemies found early success in avoiding her flame attacks. But, once they were pressed up against the wall or huddled into large groups, she found it easier to hit them.
The goblins, orcs, and ogres fell the easiest. Demons were immune to fire. Vampires had magic about them combined with an unnatural quickness, while monks had unique abilities that protected them from elemental attacks. The frost giant refused to run and bellowed in defiance at the dragon. After scattering most of the smaller foes, Draya landed before the behemoth, who likely outweighed her by at least a factor of two. She had to stretch her neck to its full height to look the creature in the eyes.
The frost giant grinned at the dragon through his white beard, banging a huge mace against his shield and releasing a cone of frost from his mouth. Draya didn’t flinch and countered the magic with a full round belch of flames. The mammoth humanoid fell dead after four seconds, and the last two allowed the fire to melt the rock behind him until it flowed down over his burnt corpse.
Draya took to the air again and moments later saw Jace come flying into the picture. She watched his massive body smack into the stone wall and revert to his orc form. As enemies started to crowd around him, Draya fought them back with her incendiary breath, careful to avoid her fallen leader, knowing well his vulnerability to fire.
Laughter from behind drew her attention, and she saw the demon stalking toward them. The few remaining minions cheered at their master’s resilience, and a few orcs and goblins raised spears toward Draya and heaved them at the dragon. The projectiles lacked any strength and bounced harmlessly off her scales. It would take a skilled archer to cause her any actual harm. With that thought, she searched to the left where she last remembered Psycho.
After Draya’s attack on him, he had flown over a pair of vampires guarding their confiscated equipment before landing at the base of the wall. The two undead minions still stood there, under strict orders not to leave their post. Behind them, Esther crept into the cavern, and Draya’s heart nearly leaped up her long neck and out her mouth. The mage had last seen her friend sacrificed on the altar, and everything after that had been a red haze of rage and sorrow. Clearly, Jace had done something to remove the magical enhancements Karo had undergone. Draya didn’t know what it was, but she was overjoyed it involved resurrecting her friend.
The dragon snapped her eyes back at Karo. Esther was hiding in the shadows, and Draya could only see her because they were in the same party. The demon shouldn’t know she was here, but as soon as she attacked the vampire guards, Karo would hear and see her. Draya needed to give her friend time to recover her equipment and hopefully tend to Psycho. She beat her wings furiously and issued a massive stream of fire at the demon. Though the flames washed over him like a puff of warm air, the attack turned Karo’s attention firmly on the young dragon.
Draya ensured it stayed there by flapping her wings twice and launching herself at the grinning demon. The force of the attack and her body weight were enough to hurl Karo backward, and Draya perched on his chest, her claws digging into his scaled torso while her head snapped down at his face. Her biting attacks proved more effective than the fire but didn’t do enough damage to make a difference. As impressive as her dragon body was to look at, she was still only at level 20 and realistically no match for the demon.
Karo recovered from the initial attack that had thrown him from his feet, got his arms and claws up to protect his face, and beat back at Draya. The piercing attacks from his claws were much more effective against the dragon’s scaled body than they had been against Jace’s stone form, and Draya cried out in distress as Karo pumped demon fire into the wounds. The black streak on her back flared to life, and her health plummeted. After only two rounds on his back, Karo beat the dragon off him and stood up to fight.
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Draya had lost a quarter of her health from the brief exchange and stood warily before the formidable enemy. The feel of demon fire within her body brought back horrific memories, and her knees felt weak at the anticipation of more. Karo didn’t hesitate, stalking toward the exotic creature with his claws out and fire in his eyes. Draya managed to slow him with a swipe of her tail and a wind attack from her wings, but she couldn’t stop him, and after another round of punishing blows, Karo held the small dragon by her neck. It looked like the demon might finish her by snapping her spine or breathing hellfire down her throat, but something distracted Karo, and he only heaved the limp dragon toward a cavern wall.
Draya couldn’t straighten her flight in time to prevent a violent crash, cracking the stone and bringing a small avalanche down on top of her. The dragon transformed back into a young woman and disappeared beneath the rock pile.
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Esther crept into the cavern in the shadows, silent as death. She wasn’t as hidden as she was used to, but it was good enough, and she had an idea of where to find her old armor and weapons. She had given instructions to Snowy to wait in the hall outside as the wolf couldn’t hide as easily. Two vampires stood before her, their backs turned to the rogue, watching the primary fight. Esther paused to look as well, her jaw dropping as she saw an earth elemental and dragon fighting the hoard. They had to be Jace and Draya, and as her leader got thrown across the room and Draya turned her attention to the demon, Esther knew she didn’t have time to watch. They would need help.
She turned from the fantastic action to see Psycho slumped against the wall, barely alive. She pulled a full restoration potion from her pouch and eased it into the slack-jawed archer’s mouth. Psycho stirred as soon as the liquid hit his tongue and quickly took the vial from Esther, pouring the rest of the elixir down his throat. His eyes opened, and he stood ready for action. He looked awe-struck for a moment as he saw a dragon wrestling with Karo but figured it out quickly. His bow lay at his feet, but he had no arrows.
“Where . . .” he started to ask, but Esther put a finger to his lips and kept him against the wall for a moment. She drew her temporary blades and then made a sneak attack against one of the vampires, killing him before his already cold body could hit the floor. The other turned to her in surprise and would have had initiative against her, but Psycho stole his attention.
“Hey,” the elf said in a loud whisper. The vampire turned to see the imposing archer standing with his bow at full draw, only 30 feet away. The guard dove for cover before he could realize Psycho didn’t have an arrow nocked. Esther followed him, and he was dead two rounds later.
Psycho was rooting through the storage chests as Esther finished her grisly work and found his cloak, still filled with the hundreds of specialty arrows Gromphy had crafted. He quickly donned it and looked up to see Karo pummeling Draya and grabbing her by the neck. The archer didn’t waste time and sent three quick ice arrows at the demon, diving to the side just after he fired. Karo flinched under the painful attacks and tossed the dragon aside to deal with the archer.
Esther watched him go, trusting the elf could handle himself and would keep the powerful enemy distracted until she could help. She found her far more extensive collection of items and equipped them as quickly as she could. She spun about to check on Psycho’s progress when she felt an excruciating pain lance up her side as if an arrow had hit her. She clutched at her hip and spun about just in time to see a blur of shadow head for the cavern’s exit.
The dark form paused, its eyes peering back at the rogue from beneath a concealing cowl. Esther saw a dagger dripping blood at waist level, implying the shadowed form had hands. “Jorl?” Esther asked.
The shadow shrugged. “This is no longer my fight,” he whispered, his voice as dark as his appearance. “I leave you with a gift.” His empty hand went up to the edge of his cowl in a mock salute, and he bolted through the entry. Esther heard him cry out in surprise as Snowy howled at him.
“What gift?” she asked herself as she started after him, but then froze as pain shot up her side again. Did he throw a second knife at her? No, Esther realized as her body temperature rose and sweat poured off her head. It was poison.
It didn’t matter; her recovered equipment had given her a full complement of potions. Antidotes were in her inventory, though, not in her quick-access pouch. Before she could retrieve one, another voice startled her.
“This is still my fight.”
The sultry tone let Esther know who it was before she spun around. Selvecia stood before the rogue, holding her staff tightly, the tip glowing with power. The two females stared at each other for a few anxious seconds, each wondering what the other would do. Esther wanted to get her antidote potion, but that would leave her Flat-Footed for a full round, giving the priestess bonuses to attack. Then, the rogue still had to drink the elixir, which would provide Selvecia further advantage. As pain pulsed Esther's side, draining her recently restored life, she knew she had to do something.
Just as the woman lurched forward, the demoness cast a spell, hitting Esther in the chest and slowing her already weakened form. Her blades cut through empty air, as lethargic as if she were fighting underwater, Selvecia easily stepping aside. The priestess hit the passing rogue with her staff, and the energized tip exploded into Esther’s back, nearly throwing her to the ground as she stumbled past.
The rogue spun about, eyeing the nimble priestess as breath came to her in labored gasps. Esther faked left and then went right, but to Selvecia, the moves looked scripted and obvious. She held on to her magic until the last moment and jabbed her long staff into Esther’s midsection before the woman could get close enough for her blades. A burst of demon fire threw the rogue to the side, and she nearly left the cavern as she fell near the exit Jorl had just used.
Esther contemplated running back to Gropmhy for help, but as she looked past her uninjured foe to where Psycho danced about, taking potshots at the demon with little effect, she knew she didn’t have the time. The rogue picked herself up slowly, wincing as pain from the poison lanced up her side again, stealing more than just her health. She felt slow and weak. Still, the priestess couldn’t have many combat bonuses; Esther only needed to get close enough to hit her.
As she closed in on the demon a third time, Selvecia lifted her staff for a final attack. A magical shimmer encircled her momentarily, and whatever spell she had been planning backfired, knocking the demoness back and tossing the rod from her hands. For the first time in their encounter, Selvecia wore a mask of fear, and Esther took courage. She felt a surge of strength rush through her as if a rousing battle tune played in her head, and she closed the gap to her enemy in a heartbeat. This time, her blades didn’t fail her, and she skewered the priestess on Chill, sending a wave of cold through her.
Selvecia cried out in pain and began to cast another spell, but Esther turned and threw the demoness back in the direction she had come toward the door. The red-skinned foe managed to stay on her feet, stumbling across the stone floor, and Esther smiled when she saw what awaited her. Kai stepped forward to meet the priestess, raising his large shield and bashing Selvecia to the ground, doing almost as much damage as Esther’s attack had.
The downed priestess tried to cast from the ground, but the curse Leah had bestowed on her still held firm, and the paralyzing spell backfired, freezing her limbs instead of her enemies. Tami looked on, smiling as she continued to sing the song that had restored some of Esther’s vitality. Delly stepped forward, spinning a massive battle axe at her side and cleaving Selvecia’s head from her shoulders.
“Glad you could make it,” Esther gasped, her hands falling to her knees as she tried to catch her breath despite Tami’s song. The mermaid stopped singing for a moment, and both she and the paladin came forward to offer healing aid, but Esther waved them off and finally went into her inventory to get the antidote and a healing potion. A few seconds later, she was back to full health and gripping her weapons with determination.
“How can we help?” Delly asked.
“I don’t know,” Esther said. “I don’t make the plans. Just kill something.”
The group surveyed the scene. Psycho kept Karo busy, running around the room and evading demon fire. His attacks didn’t cause much damage, but Karo couldn’t ignore him either. If the demon let the archer stand still for a few seconds, Psycho could activate several of his bonuses, and the elf’s shots would penetrate deep into his target’s body. As it was, most of them bounced off of red scales, but it was effective in keeping Karo from engaging anyone else.
The only other option would be Jace, who stood alone against a group of enemies. He desperately summoned rock to protect him, throwing up walls and impaling enemies on spikes, but he wouldn’t. He held a stone shield and had picked up a discarded sword, but he would soon be overwhelmed.
“I’m not good against bigger foes,” Kai said.
“Neither am I,” Esther replied.
“I am,” Delly said, her muscles bulging as rage filled her eyes. “I want to take on the big guy.”
“Right,” Tami said. “Kai and Esther, take on the smaller minions and make your way to Jace to give him help. Delly, hit Karo in close combat to give Psycho a chance to get a meaningful shot off. Leah, see if you can strip some of the demon’s protections so our attacks can get through.
“What are you going to do?” Esther asked.
“Sing,” the bard replied.