"Looks like we found Ohanzee's mother," quips Salen, sounding considerably braver than he felt. He hurled his enchanted quicksilver javelin once more, knowing that he could never carry it on if he was dead anyway. After that he clutched his sword and shield tightly, and prepared to carve up the monster for all he was worth.

Ohanzee watches Henal run, though even from this far back he feels the wave of fear flowing from the abomination. He wishes that he could help his friends in the fight against it, but knows that the best he can do for them now is keep the disease spirits away.

He picks up the ghost arrow that fell as the ancient harpy spirit disintegrated and, bull-roarer still calling to them, he turns his attention to the next spirit starting with the biggest one of those trying to overcome him.

Twilight is peaceful. Shadows lengthen as Bright Treasure moves on his appointed path. Sounds of battle at the edge of hearing. Maybe they ought to matter - a memory nags like an itch but will not form - nothing matters except the stony skin of the rhino textured like the floor of a cave, the fact of the journey, and the aching.

I must choose, mustn't I father?

Jondar turns at last. His other eye is closed, hiding what lies beneath its lid.

I saw you in the Rocklands: you already chose how you would run. Here you do not choose. Here you are chosen.

He smiles regretfully, listening.

I hear it too. We're family after all. Heard something like it once myself, but only a moment. When the sound fades, you'll know one way or the other: connect with earth here and you're here. Why do you think I brought the rhino?

Kobal stands fast, emboldened by Emesh-Ga's magic and his remaining companions.

With a mighty throw he adds his own javelin to that of Salen's magical javelin and the Impala brave's shower of arrows....

All of the missiles hit, with the majority slamming into the creature's heavy hide or in some cases rebounding without leaving a scratch.

Salen's magical javelin sank deep into it's bulging belly, where it sent out tendrils of mercury under the hide, creating a mesh of spreading metal, filled with barbs.

The beast doesn't even seem to notice...

It had protected it's eyes with one arm and then as soon as the attacks had stopped out came the tongue slamming into Leaper, it's sticky surface clinging to the naked brave as two cruelly taloned claws swept outwards, intent on slashing Kobal and Salen to shreds.

Kobal took the mighty blow to his shield, claws piercing the wyvern hide and embedding in his chest armour, which doing no internal damage still leaves a ragged gaping hole. Salen, ducks just in time...

Leaper, down on the ground drops his bow and with fingers scrabbling on the rock, starts to get pulled back towards a gaping mouth.

A mouth that has stretched wider and wider, revealing what looks like three humanlike arms unfolding from inside, their clawed fingers twitching with anticipation.

Hell bent on leaving the cave Henal dashes in and out of the tall rock spires, vaults over what looks like Hoskar and then heads out through the exit heading for the tunnels beyond and eventually outside.

As he runs, first a breeze and then a strong wind begins to blow, slowing down his passage. Faster and faster, stronger and stronger, carrying with it the smells of the open desert and the sounds of a thousand charging Bison.

At last his retreat is slowed to a standstill and he finds himself born aloft in the centre of the high ceiling tunnel.

His ears are filled with the bellows of an enraged god, and the Thunderbird brave begins to change. Eyes narrow, nostrils flare and ears darken with the rage of the berserker...

Henal filled with fury at chaos charges back his sword readied to cut down any chaos in his way and eyes staring. He bellows at the top of his voice "Thunderbird bring destruction to chaos and Storm Bull blow it away".

Around him a greenish glow is visible from the earth magic and as he enters the chamber again he calls out again as he charges towards the twisted monstrosity of a harpy.

"For the Green, for the Rangers. Chaos must fall!"

A moment of exhilaration fluttered across Salen's consciousness as he saw the quicksilver javelin hit home, and spread some unexpected barbs throughout the vile creature's gut. But it was merely a moment, and the foul fiend did not even appear to notice and instead retaliated - with interest. Worse, its hideous tongue snapped out and caught Leaper, and even now attempted to drag him into the waiting maw where cruel hands waited to claw at it.

The Condor brave did not hesitate, and whirled about and hacked at the tongue holding Leaper with his sword.

Naked and with only a crude cleaver in his hand Tarosh can't see Hoskar anywhere, and then his attention is fully taken up with the arrival of the abomination that has just pulled itself up into the cavern.

Ohanzee plunges the arrow into the mouth of one of the disease spirits as it sweeps around to screech in his face and as the head of the spirit enchanted arrow pierces the back of the wretches skull it explodes into a cloud of dust that melts into the air. Its yell is abruptly silenced but but the loss of one voice from the crazed choir is barely noticeable.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:10, Fri 06 Nov 2015.

Amara glanced at the wall behind where the harpy queen was being held. She almost panicked as she couldn't find a way up to free the harpy queen. She looked at her javelin wondering if she could use it to part the rope holding the harpy queen, still remaining aware of the monstrosity closing in on them.

As he see's and feels the arrival of chaotic monster, Tarosh takes a few steps backwards, a look of panic in his eyes as he realises that he is going to have to fight naked and with only a meat cleaver to help him. He hears a voice in his head calling him, he looks round, trying, but failing to work out where the voice of his bound spirit is coming from. He starts looking for somewhere to hide as there is no way he'll survive if he attacks now.

A cat lopes from the plain; self-satisfied, content, and faintly amused. Passing form, passing support.

She jumps well, as if practised with rhinos; landing square on the stone skin of an old companion once left behind with honour that Hoskar now recognises as the tears well up in his eyes. Hello cat. Sorry I couldn't give you longer.

He looks round and down to his father's form; happy-sad as the sound of battle dwindles.

She does look like mother, doesn't she? he asks; preparing to dismount only to feel an old-familiar strong and steadying hand on his leg, keeping him seated.

Jondar nods back. Yes: the sound fades all right my son. No harm to give it a while first. I think you'll like the herd, but forever's a long time.

With only one thing on his mind Henal charges in at the Chaos Harpy's legs where he begins to hack and slash at the near impenetrable hide. Despite his ferocious rage the dread creature seems to take no damage and with one kick, sends the brave flying across the cave to smash into a particularly large stalagmite. Momentarily stunned Henal can only lie there and try to regain his senses...


The sword bites deep, or so the brave thinks, but as the tongue speedily withdraws Salen sees no damage, though Leaper is left behind, the pygmy still scrabbling and shouting "Get it off me...Get it off me" as if he hasn't been released...
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:11, Sat 07 Nov 2015.

From where she stands the Rhino brave can see no way of releasing the bound form that hangs so tantalisingly close but out of reach.

Idiot! thinks Salen to himself, cursing his stupidity. Use the bloody knife!

In an instant he slides his sword back into its sheath and instead starts cutting at the tongue with his magical dagger.

Henal picks himself up off the ground and takes up his sword and shield again and bellows out again "Thunderbird strike this chaos down with your might".

He charges back at the chaos harpy looking to strike again with his sword "Storm bull blow this chaos down and make it stone like these hills".

Despite the seemingly unharmed tongue having pulled back, Salen finds that Leaper is still bound by a length of the grotesque appendage. One end bloody and ragged where his sword had severed it.

??

With Kobal and Emesh-Ga valiantly keeping the abomination back, it takes but a moment for Salen to free the rattled pygmy and hand the brave his bow...

Taking the bow Leaper shudders, his eyes bloodshot, and after coughing long and hard he gets up to join his brothers in arms as they do their best to destroy the chaos Harpy.

His Bow flickers as he activates a matrix

"Down to my last three arrows...Watch out!"

Down comes one of the cruelly clawed arms, smashing into Kobal's and Salen's shields, cracking the latter's in half and sending both braves sprawling.

Bruised and battered from his fall, Henal dives back into the attack with his god gifted berserker rage.

Again and again his sword hits and twice he dodges two head removing blows from the Harpy's claws.

Up above the others continue their own attacks, whilst behind Ohanzee carries on destroying the disease spirits one after the other.

Of Tarosh there is no sign, nor of the Condor Brave Hoskar, though Amara can be seen trying her best to free the bundled suspended high up the rear wall of the cavern.

Candles splutter and incense burns, it's sweet smelling smoke filling the cave with it's fragrance....

Then with an almighty blow Henal's sword slices through one leg of the creature, the limb should have separated from the blow but strangely stays in place....No blood, no bone...

But then without a cry the creature topples over on to it's side, where it lies thrashing around, unable to rise...

Amara glared angrily at the monstrosity that had arrived in the cavern. She raised a javelin "Vinga lend me your arm, that this foul stench that is chaos is rid from this land and the good harpy queen be protected against this ones foul stench. Thunderbird, hear my voice. Grant us the strength and ability to let the garden regrow as it should be." Amara hurled her javelin towards the monster.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Sun 08 Nov 2015.

With thrust after thrust Ohanzee plunges the ghost arrow into one spirit and then another. The evil entities driven insane with their corrupt depravities almost throw themselves at the Raven brave all sense of self preservation driven from them by their madness.

All the time the bull-roarer spins it's eerie wail all the time calling them to the spirits in the place.

Reciting her prayer as she runs towards the beast, Amara passes Tarosh and pulls the brave up and after her. They'd need as many hands as possible if they were to kill the Chaos abomination...

An abomination that even now was rising off the ground, it's flesh making wet sucking noises as it  separated from the stalagmites it had fallen on.

It's shape flickered momentarily, revealing that it had in fact lost a leg, and flickered once more when Amara's beautifully thrown javelin impaled it through the other leg.

Down it crashed, and  from above dropped Salen and Kobal, both the braves intent on carving up their foe as Leaper's remaining arrows flew past them.

It was ended though by Henal, who frothing at the mouth rammed his blade through the creature's ear, making it release Kobal who'd been ensnared by it's sticky, poisonous tongue. Along shuddering breath is released once more covering the Rangers with the diseases held within. But as these could spirits of Malia began to form, they like the others were drawn over the braves' heads and over towards the wailing magical bull roarer wielded by Ohanzee.

Pulling out his sword Henal turns, fixes his berserk filled gaze on the only other living persons in the cavern and charges intent on killing everyone!

Once the beast is dead and its fearful aura has dissipated, Tarosh looks very embarrassed that he ran and hid instead of fighting. When he see's Henal charging towards them, he drops his cleaver and runs at Henal, hoping to disarm him before he can do any damage with his sword.