Tiny Alexandrian Flags (Part 5)
The dust settles. The crawling chaos is seeping towards your airship. There are injured sailors. You're all okay, mostly, if a bit banged up. Many of the sailors are... less so.
Razen stares at the creeping chaos, dragging himself to the edge of the ship. People are screaming and crying around him; sailors of the sky who were not so lucky as the adventurers. "That... is very bad." He shakes his head and sets about shoving a heavy crate off of one of the sailors, freeing the poor man. "We've got to help who we can before that stuff gets close enough for us to hit it."
Walery nods to Razen about helping who we can. That means Healing for the few he can help, the ones who look savable. "Reos's Blessing," he'll tell them as he brandishes a phial filled with red. It'll hiss as the red liquid inside, but it heals injury well enough.
GAME: Walery casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 6 DC: 15 GAME: Walery casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 6 DC: 15
"Hah.. huff.." Halani drags another sailor, unconscious and a dead weight, towards an area beside the downed airship where some of the other sailors are starting to set up as a defensible position. "This... I..." She cuts off as she grunts, pulling the man over a burm and then setting him down. "Hoo. Yeah. So... we should set up that artillery, yeah? "
Walery will check out the sailor Halani brings by, and provide healing if that will help. "I think we ought to keep moving," he says, eying the crawling chaos. I am not keen on getting caught up in that."
"I have no idea how to set up or use..." Razen glances at Halani. "Those huge bows." Artillery, hah! The half-ourch rescues another trapped sailor, this time holding up a piece of the ship while the man slowly slides to freedom; his muscles bunching with the effort of holding the wood in place. "Besides... It'll take up time we could be using to rescue people."
There are groans and moans. Those who are being helped by Walery are definitely grateful for it and they're back on their feet, if banged up. They start working to help free their comrades. They want to get out of here to avoid being overrolled by the chaos beast.
Which is on its way there.
Halani has her hands on her knees, nodding to Walery as his healing magic rouses the sailor she dragged to at least semi-consciousness. "This... I don't know if we /can/ keep moving, ey? Some of these... airmen?" She gesture at some of the sailors, wounded and non-wounded alike. "No good for walking. And it's coming for us. I think.. maybe.. it needs distracting. Shoot it from that hill there."
Razen looks at Walery. "You should head up the hill and shoot it I think. I would do it, but I think my skills are better put to use lifting the wood and freeing others from the wreckage. I know you're a keen shot." He's seen the other man with his weapon before so knows something of what he speaks. Besides... really that roil of chaos would be hard to miss. "Besides an explosion would only serve to kill those we haven't rescued yet."
GAME: Walery rolls perception: (12)+10: 22 GAME: Halani rolls perception: (3)+21: 24 GAME: Razen rolls perception: (5)+9: 14
Good news: Yes, the engine of the airship is still functional, so the mana cannons light up. The ballista are damaged, but also functional. Hard to know how many shots you'll have with either, though, given the damage to said engine on the former and the mechanisms of the latter, to say nothing of where the ammo is.
Ballista bolts are big and heavy, after all, but with a glance around, you're at least able to locate a handful of bolts.
Walery points to Halani, "See if you can find ammo for the mana cannons." To Razen, "See if you can get everyone ready to move. Have them rig litters if they need to carry people." He'll man up a ballista since that's what we have ammo for, and try a shot at the ... stuff, to see if it does any good.
The ourch grins and nods at Walery. It's not exactly the plan he had in mind, but he's not going to argue it either. He's not the wisest mind on board the ship after all and he knows to follow orders when they're given to him. He sets about giving a few to the crew of the ship. Those that are able-bodied enough to move around on their own anyways. The evacuation order is given. He moves about freeing who he can, and setting up work crews to leg out those that can't move themselves.
Merek is about and assisting with things that people need while he makes his way about.
Halani smashes her fist into her palm and bows her head quickly to Walery. "Aye, aye, cap'n!" she says, obviously mimicking sailor speak there before rushing off to look for mana cannon ammo.
Some of the sailors are looking at the lot of you like you're insane.
"You can't be serious about staying to fight. Our best is to signal for help and get out of here before it gets here!"
Razen laughs. "We should stay! We were brought here to kill this thing before it kills thousands of innocent people. Signal to get the crew out, blow the ship; I care not so long as we make sure the thing is dead."
Walery says to Razen, "I don't even know if we -can- fight it. I was thinking we'd have to get someone in Alexandria to know what to do with it, or maybe one of the people who built the mana cannons." He calls out to Merek, "See if you can find any of them among the crew?" With us all in air sailor uniforms, he's lost track of who's who.
Walery asks Halani, "What have you got there?"
"Nothing useful," mutters Halani to Walery. "Alright. So.. We shoot and shoot, yeah? While the airmen try to get away... and then when it's close, you guys get goin'... and this one.. I'll stay to blow the boat up. And then catch up to you."
"Whatever we are doing, we should do it quickly." Razen points to the incoming chaos. "We have little time now before it is within range."
"...oh,"
The saillors all stare at Walery.
"That's actually pretty clever. Are we sure that's a good idea?"
They're muttering amongst themselves.
Walery sighs to the sailors as he looses a ballista shot and goes to take the last few shots from the mana cannons. That should keep its attention, if it has attention. "Of course it's not a good idea," he snaps back at the sailors. "Now get the lead out before it eats you all, souls and sll." He asks Halani, "Can you rig it to blow? I was gonna say, give it enough time for us to get clear, and we'll fire til we can't and all of us haul out of here and leave it to blow."
"This on can rig it!" Halani declares confidently. "As soon as someone shows me."
With his warning given Razen has been running around the ship trying to free the last few crew members who aren't already deceased. Together with the crew he makes makeshift stretchers and anything else he can to get people away from the ship.
Walery eyes Halani, grimaces, asks, "Can you fire the mana cannon? Or the ballista? Just keep shooting it, I'll rig it to blow." He points to Merek, who he thought he recalled doing vaguely artificery things before, "Come here, help me with this." He's at the mana engine, and he's about to do bad things. "Don't ever do this. Ever," he advises before doing it.
Merek nods a bit while he moves to assist Walery with the mana engine also, looking to it while he lifts his brow in thought.
"Okay. Some of us are going to get our injured out of here and start getting away. Others are gonna stay here and help you guys with the rigging. We've talked about it. That's the best idea. We can't leave the crashed ship here anyway where Asumit's men can find it, so destroying it is the best option." Murmured assent from the sailors.
Seems it's decided then.
Walery does the thing with the bits to the parts.
Halani makes another fist, then spins on her heel and scrambles up the deck to the nearest mana cannon looking in the best repair. "May we meet again," Halani calls to the sailors, those who are leaving. "Or at least.. meet again on the other side!" Then she takes aim.
GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+12+6: (2)+12+6: 20 GAME: Halani rolls 8d6: (32): 32
"Thwoooom!" Halani yells out as she pulls the lever on the cannon after she's satisfied that it's pointing where she wants it to go. And sure enough, the mana cannon fires its charge, decimating a few trees and part of a small hill on its way to the rolling Chaos Beast. And through the portion it hits.
GAME: Merek rolls craft/artifice+1: (5)+7+1: 13
So, good news everyone! The slime is flowing again!
In any case, the horrible oozey monster is moving forward and coming towards you, but the first blast sent spatter in all directions..
.. living spatter which is now transforming, changing, growing wings...
..flying towards your airship.
GAME: Razen rolls 1d20+5: (10)+5: 15 GAME: Razen rolls 1d20+0: (7)+0: 7 GAME: Selerik casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 10 DC: 19 GAME: Selerik rolls 1d20+10: (16)+10: 26 GAME: Walery rolls craft/artifice: (17)+13: 30
The flurry of activity has Selerik distracted, but not permanently so. When suddenly there are create-like shapes coming towards the ship he waves his hands, arcane shapes coming into existence as he speaks. "By mana weaved of chaotic thread be knotted over and in tangles left!" As he finishes the incant the shapes coming towards the ship start to lose cohesion, plummeting. Selerik speaks up as he in no way approaches the edge. "Not sure they'll stay gone, whatever that was, but I've every confidence we can pull through this together!"
Razen fires off a shot at the chaos-beast, but both of the arrows go a bit short. It's at a fairly far range and so that's not a surprise.
Walery is doing artificery things. It's a fact that he's improvising, but he's doing it pretty snappily and it's completely not clear that he's entirely winging this. "Hand me that Flamigidygibbet," he tells Merek. He does some maneuvers to the engine, leaking mana as it is.
GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+12+6: (18)+12+6: 36 GAME: Halani rolls 8d6: (20): 20
Halani pushes the lever forward on the mana cannon, then lines it back up for a second shot. When she has it, she pulls the lever and fires another blast. This time it's more of a glancing shot, burning through a piece on the edge of the beast.
GAME: Merek rolls craft/artifice+1: (18)+7+1: 26
Merek nods a bit, while he hands the thing to Walery, then he takes a moment to adjust a few settings also. He seems to be skilled with this as well.
...the beast rolls forward, leaving a wreckage of chaos in its wake. The ground itself seems to distort and warp from its touch, the hair around it having qa haze and swirl of instability. It does not belong in this world and its very existence seems to threaten with a sense of palpable wrongness.
The crewmen are horrified, but they're doing what they need to do: reloading the ballista for you, making sure that the artirficeres have all that they need, running ropes and cables to ensure easy escape.
The beast is rolling now at a high rate of speed. It will be here in a minute. Maybe less. The oozes that were dispelled by Selerik's spell are regathering.
GAME: Razen rolls 1d20+5: (13)+5: 18 GAME: Razen rolls 1d8+4: (1)+4: 5
Razen shoots off another arrow, managing to wing the chaos-creature flying above them and then starts moving. "Evacuate! It's time for you guys to get out of here!" He moves away from the ship a little to show the crew that he means buisness.
GAME: Selerik rolls perception: (7)+14: 21
The peril! The calamity! The sudden monologue about the church of Tarien and the similarities between chaos magic and storms. Selerik might be losing it a bit, eyes darting around as he rambles.
Walery continues to work frantically to get the ship's engines rigged to self-destruct. Got to set this, and wire to that, and cross-couple here, then some other bits here…
GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+12+6: (18)+12+6: 36 GAME: Halani rolls 8d6: (26): 26 GAME: Merek rolls craft/artifice+1: (10)+7+1: 18 GAME: Razen rolls reflex: (6)+1: 7 GAME: Merek rolls reflex: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Walery rolls reflex: (4)+9: 13 GAME: Halani rolls reflex: (5)+17: 22
Did you know that oozes can leap?
They can.
It lifts its bulk up, and then generates movement *somehow* that sends it spiralling into the side of the airship with a crash, flowing over the lip of its top.
The wood warps and groans at its touch. You're almost out of time. Razen, Merek and Walery are all knocked flat by the impact.
Merek is assisting with Walery and all, then he's on the floor while he blinks a bit, he looks then to the others while he nods a bit also.
GAME: Walery rolls craft/artifice: (20)+13: 33
Walery is in the middle of doing the thing with the parts when he finds himself inexplicably laying on his backside. "Gah," he says sensibly, squeaks at the presence of the monstrous thing, and rolls to his feet. He hurriedly finishes the rigging and screams, "Get out now, unless you want to get blown up!" He's getting out, himself, with extra Expeditious Retreat, casting even as he dashes back away. He's expediting it. Expeditiously.
"Whoah!" Halani yells, jumping back from the mana cannon just as the blob smashes into the airship. She just manages to grab some rigging before she goes tumbling overboard and steadies herself. "Right. Don't touch it," she reminds herself. "Hey hey! Time to go!" she yells after hearing Walery.. and seeing him start the retreat. She scrambles towards the nearest prone crewman, pulling him up and pushing him onwards. "Go!"
With everyone else finally moving away from the ship Razen pushes himself to his feet and hurries everyone away from the ship. He does what he can for the crew, which is mostly yelling for them to get up off their butts and run. He puts his words to work and himself follows in the wake of his companions. All they can do now he knows, is hope that the explosion kills the chaos. If it doesn't though... He runs with his hand on the hilt of his heavy mace. "I bet some mage somewhere is behind this..."
Merek nods a bit while he moves up, then he begins to make his way from the mana engine while he assists people which need it.
...you run.
You get away. You get so far away.
Unfortunately, you couldn't get away. The explosion rocks all of you, knocking all of you prone as you try your best to get away. Some of you are a little banged up -- mostly the sailors who aren't nimble, agile, or tanky adventures -- but you seem to'be done the job.
The bulk of the creature seems to've been incinerated by the powerful, fiery explosion timed just so by Walery with impressive skill.
...but, you know, there were those flying bits that had broken off and come to life on their own. Similarly, some of its bulk was sent flying... and seems to be animating.
You've destroyed the majority of it. Now what's left is clean up.
-TBC