Elliot's body quickly jerks itself back into a manageable position, his feet back on the floor though his body seems supported only by a single hand propping up his open mouth.  "You are right..."  He gapes at Giles.  "We have to go now if we want to have any chance."

AS the day wore on, and the group went about their searching, Grobbik replayed the casting scene over and over in his head.  How did the flow of magic feel?  When did the ripples start?  Who was causing them?  Was he feeling the waves from everyone at different intervals?  None of it made perfect sense to him, at this early stage of his training, but he thought that probably Elliot was intrinsically involved in the failure.  Some of the turbulence had definitely come from him.  It was a subject that he spent a lot of time and energy on through the afternoon's search.

Now that they were back in the dormitory, Grobbik had other thoughts in mind.  That demon was intrinsically magical, and as a general rule they were in very short supply.  One didn't get to see a demon pretty much ever.  Now they were dangerous, to be sure, which was why people didn't choose to summon them.  The smart move was to fear them and keep a safe distance.  However, at the same time Grobbik found himself obsessively curious about the creature.  It was so different and alien that he wanted to see one more closely.  And, coming from a merchant background like he did, Grobbik was acutely aware that the creature could earn him a lot of money.  If people were willing to pay money for bats' eyes, imagine what they would pay for carefully preserved imp organs.

When Elliot decided they needed to kill the creature, Grobbik was very interested in doing the very same thing.  "Yes, we should hunt it down.  It will kill innocents, and since we created this mess we should be the ones to fix it.  I think that's an excellent idea.  We should go as a group, except for maybe you, Judoc.  Someone should stay behind to keep track of what is going on here."

As he finishes speaking, Grobbik pulls out one of his knives and a whetstone, and starts sharpening it.  You never could be too careful when demons were about, after all.

Judoc is incensed by being singled out as the only one to stay back and 'hold the fort'.  "Fine!"  The word is expelled from his mouth like a dagger straight at Grobbik's head.  "You go on and take the thing without me, or see if you can even get back without my help.  I'm sure you realize that I was the only one who even came close to hitting the thing when it was back in the classroom... including Loke!"  Judoc crosses his arms and presses his back into the cushion of his chair, his eyes set in steel as he stares towards the crackling fireplace.

OOC:  GM posting in place of the character for now.

"Count me out."  Indrid adds, standing up.  "I've less interest in tackling that thing than taking extra lessons.  No offense boys but even if you did catch this imp it would be rather like holding a tiger by the tail... remember what happened to Alevius?"

Giles smiles, "Well, that makes three anyway.  Sufficient numbers to take the thing down I think, so long as we get it cornered and not so many that we would scare it away if we do find it.  Quite lucky I think!"

Elliott straightens his body slightly, though his face still seems the pale green color as if he were about to be sick...

So the three, Elliott, Giles and Grobbik, set out into the college to find the savage demon.  Giles, at first thinks it best to comb the lower levels of the college, the underground classrooms and laboratories of magic that the first year students had little reason to explore until now.  However, it is Elliott that points out that they are all about the grounds after hours, well outside of the rules, not to mention with the demon on the loose.  If it were all the same, perhaps, he suggested, it would be better to explore the places they were least likely to get caught.  So the three in the end agreed to press out of the keep and into the open darkness.

Though the three have no clear direction, they find themselves after a few minutes within sight of the lake.  Its clear, black waters shimmering the quarter moon and the flecks of starlight that made their way through the light cloud cover above.  It was only a few short weeks ago they had been near this very spot to see the indoctrination of the last graduating class of Templars.  Now it seed the surroundings were nefarious as opposed to holy... depraved instead of virtuous.  Off in the distance the breeze sways the knee-high grass with a rustle...

As the group moves along, Grobbik can't help but feel a mix of excitement and a queasy feeling in his stomach.  He had only gotten a glimpse of the demon before it rushed out of the room, and he found himself very curious what the thing looked like in better light.  That was perhaps the real reason for his push to search out the creature.

At the same time, the thing was obviously a dangerous creature.  It had injured Alevious badly enough, and that was only while it was fleeing the room.  Every precaution should be taken, and as he looked at Giles and Elliott, it didn't seem that the group was ready.  Pulling out his dagger, Grobbik decides to offer them some advise.

"We're outside the college now.  I am going to cast a spell to give me some protection against that creature, should we find it.  Some light would be helpful if you have the means.  I don't know the spell myself.  Be on your guard in case we do find it.  The creature was fast and agile, we need to make sure we are ready."

"Good idea."  Giles says simply as Grobbik takes out his knife.  He reaches inside his traveling cloak and pulls from his waist a cane-length walking stick, prodding it out in front of him as he continues to lead the way into the high grasses.  "Wish I did have some light, but about all I'd be able to do is set the whole field on fire..."  He pauses for a moment, seriously considering it.  "Though I suppose that might alert our little friend as much as light the way there.  Mayhaps we can just continue in the moonlight."

Elliot nods his head in agreement.  "They won't even let me get close to electives yet.  Body Control is just ruthless.  Brother Hilath doesn't have a lot of patience for failure but he keeps pressing me..."  He takes his own knife from about his waist.  "There's enough light out here though if the thing is about.  May as well go down to the lake.  Mayhaps it's watering itself for the night."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Sat 31 May 2014.

Giles laughs derisively at Elliot's suggestion, though he agrees that the lake as at least as good as any other place to start.  Weapons now at the ready, the three press on.  They move well past the small area where the class had gathered and make their way towards the banks, their eyes peeled all about as if the hellish creature would be upon them in any moment.

The pace is slow and though frustration could easily mount Giles maintains the lead with the single-minded attention of a scholar, studying each step and grass stem with detached patience.  Elliot himself seems still preoccupied with the morning, his attention waning at intervals before he catches himself and returns back to the task at hand.  Grobbik, perhaps the most apt to be searching in the dark with the night-loving eyes of a goblin, hovers his vision between the muddy bank and the dark horizon, his face cast an even paler green due to the light blue reflections of the magic orb grasped in his hand.

OOC:  You had several unsuccessful attempts to cast the ice sphere spell, not to mention the three fatigue points you put into it.  However, the pace Giles is setting is not nearly taxing, and with your natural fitness, you've regained some of your lost fatigue.

"Look at this."  Giles speaks the first words in minutes.  Up ahead the shin high grass has been trampled in a neat pattern leading from the edge of the marshy bank.  "No saying whether that's the imp, but we're on the far side of the lake from the keep, and I doubt it's any of the students that's made it.  What you say we follow the marks to see where they lead?"

Grobbik's heart jumps at the sudden possibility of action.  Who knows what the marks were from, but it was the only lead they had.  "Of course we should follow them, but I should lead since my eyes are better in the dark.  Let's proceed with caution.  "

OOC if he let's Grobbik lead, he will move along at a brisker pace, as he is pretty curious.  Slow enough to follow the trail though, and he wants to have his eyes all around so they aren't surprised.

Instantly inquisitive, Grobbik leaps with excitement at the trail as it is uncovered.  He takes the lead, suggesting they should take caution, though the pace lurches immediately forward, just slow enough to keep his eyes on the trail and scan the fields ahead at regular intervals.  The trail seems to arc to the east, towards the high bluffs overlooking the ocean.  Each of the three keeps their eyes out towards the distance, Giles ever looking forward and Elliot often fervently glancing over his shoulder.

The three do not make it as far as the bluffs however.  The path of trampled grass shoots ends into a stone and earth ditch.  The largest of boulders have long settled into the earth, showing only man-sized patches of themselves through the dirt, though hand fulls of smaller stones the size of heads or fists lay strewn about.  Though Grobbik pauses a moment, Giles does not tarry and instead hops down a step into the quarry as he continues to search.

Uncertain as to whether this was really the final destination of the monster, Grobbik turns his path instead around the small pit, studying the surroundings to ensure the trail does not pick back up again somewhere on another side.  It takes only a few minutes to know it is not the case.  Though indeed there are a few stompings of footprints here and there, none predicts an actual path or a destination anywhere other than the pit.  Turning back, Grobbik already senses that his suspicions have proven correct.

OOC:  The "ditch" is probably only two dozen paces across or so, and mostly circular.  It is simply an area of rock and earth that had avoided any germination by grassy plants.  Though it does bevel downward, the "bottom" is probably only 3-4 feet lower than the earth around it and stones and gravel litter the whole thing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:12, Mon 02 June 2014.

"Here."  Giles says with little ado.  Near the center of the feature is a small, shoulder-wide gap in the earth that tunnels downward into blackness at an angle.  It seems as though the human has done some of his own digging to find this, as a few melon shaped rocks have been pulled away, with darkened lines around them hinting of damp earth.  "It wasn't plain to see, but there wasn't too much standing in the way... just few rocks and some dirt.  I think it is the demon, I can't imagine what else would be burrowing into the earth with a hole this sized."

OOC:  The burrow is perhaps two feet wide and proceeds downward into the earth.  It would probably be fairly easy for Grobbik to make his way through, though it would be extremely tight for Giles, and near impossible for Elliot without assistance.  It is about 10PM right now, though the sun has been set for nearly 3 and a half hours.

Grobbik looks at the hole skeptically at first.  "So let me see, no light, against an demon, packed in a tunnel I barely fit so there is no where to escape.  It sounds like a recipe for disaster."  Still, the longer he stands there looking at it, the more the curiosity gnaws at him.  Was the demon down there, or was it something else?  He couldn't tell, and there was no way to find out without going down.  As much as he tried to be responsible, it was eating at Grobbik.  He had to know.  It only takes a few seconds or maybe a minute before Grobbik can't stand it any more.  "Fine" he says, "I'll go down there.  But if anything happens you guys have to bail me out."  With his long knife in front of him, and with his ice sphere in his other hand, Grobbik slowly, cautiously, starts to descend into the tunnel.

OOC This is suicide, but he is curious and impulsive, so he pretty much has to go.

The only one to fit with any degree of maneuverability, Grobbik decides it his  duty to scout the small hole in the earth.  Well, in any case because he fits and that he is too impatient to wait for anyone else to do it, let alone to set a trap for whatever could have dug this near man-sized lair.  Keeping his tools of war out ahead of him, Grobbik presses his face down first, looking and listening for any sign of the beast.  Then, finally resigned that there is nothing to detect in that impenetrable darkness, he wriggles onward finding just enough room to soldier crawl downward with some reasonable speed.  Thinking of the small demon, Grobbik realizes it was certainly possible for the imp to have crafted this hole - the sides were rough hewn, as if dug by small tools or by hand and it would have given the thing perhaps enough room to be on hands and knees, though certainly not more.  As he continues onward he begins to question his judgement, for nothing there is only more and more tunnel to go and certainly when he does decide to turn around, things will likely get interesting, as going backwards will be significantly more difficult...

Just then though, things seem to change drastically.  The handhold that Grobbik takes is not coarse earth, but smooth and packed.  Feeling about the rest of the tunnel, he realizes that it expands, perhaps intersecting with another, much larger channel.  Intent again on listening around to make sure that he is not crawling into a trap, Grobbik finally pulls himself through and sets up on one knee.

It seems he has come to a T intersection in another tunnel.  This one is much more refined, and the walls are smooth dirt and stone as if carved out and weathered by time.  In one direction, to Grobbik's left, the tunnel continues into darkness... but in the other - through some trick or sorcery, a pale green light echoes off in the distance.

From behind him, Grobbik can just barely hear the harsh whisper from above, "Anything down there?"

OOC:  You went probably about 10 yards down the small tunnel before reaching the intersection, though due to the angle, it is hard to tell exactly how far underground you are.  To your left is nothing but blackness, to the right is the pale green light.  Behind you is the smaller crawling hole you came from.  Where you are standing now is not exactly illuminated, but there is just enough light to tell where the walls of the tunnel are and to see the outline of your own figure.  You imagine that the others will have a significantly harder time, though there is definitely light coming from the distance.  The tunnel you are standing in now is perhaps 5 feet tall plus some.  Giles would be able to walk comfortably, if not fully upright - though probably Elliot would have to crouch.

As he crawls down through the tunnel, Grobbik has to contain himself.  So many emotions surround him in that tiny little passage.  Would he be attacked?  would it collapse on him?  What would he find at the end of the tunnel?  On the one hand, he was terrified of what could happen.  On the other, this was nothing like any of his previous experience.  He was adventuring, and that electrified him with excitement.  His curiosity about the tunnel was thankfully strong enough to curb his fear.

As he slowly wiggled through the tiny passageway, Grobbik's mind is drawn to underground rivers.  He had read about them in his studies, but in this situation those studies suddenly made more sense.  His chosen element preferred to flow, and expand into all of the open spaces.  The water didn't like the restrictive banks of a river or stream.  In the same way Grobbik was not at all comfortable being hemmed in to such a tight space.  It just wasn't natural for him as a sailor.

Finally after a couple minutes, Grobbik exits the earthen tunnel into open space.  The dirt and stone passageway seemed somehow more natural, and solid.  It put him much more at ease to be standing on his own two feet, with empty space around him.  Slowly Grobbik feels the walls around him to identify if this was an underground tunnel or a dry underground river.  He couldn't tell without a light source.

To Grobbik's line of thought, the light at the end of the tunnel was strangely comforting but also a bit terrifying.  They could have stumbled upon anything down here.  A naturally occurring rock formation would be nice, and of great interest to the people who studied the earth magics.  But, what if it was some sort of demon's lair, or a coven of necromancers?  Perhaps brigands or smugglers.  He couldn't be sure, but he doubted the passage occurred naturally.  Someone was probably here, and they might or might not like visitors.

With an idea suddenly in his mind, Grobbik turns to the tiny earthen tunnel and calls back up "There is a passageway down here, but it would be foolish of me to investigate it without you.  I can use my magic to erode out the earthen tunnel and make it large enough for you to come down unless you have a better spell to use."

OOC Grobbik will pause here.  His idea is to use create water and shape water to make something like an upwards stream that will erode out one edge of the earthen tunnel and then flow back to the bottom where he is in a continuous loop.  Like a very elongated oval.  That way the mud and water end up in the depression where Elliott and Giles are instead of leaving evidence on the bottom of the passage way where he is.  Not sure how much water he would need, nor how this would work magically.  He has the current spell to use if that would help.

"I think I can make it through there on my own..."  Giles says fairly confidently.  "And I have a spell to bring Elliott down as well, should only take a few seconds...  Sounds better than eroding away the walls at least for how long we'll be here."  Waiting a moment for an argument from Grobbik and receiving none, Giles gets about to his work.

Grobbik can hear reverberations of the momentary incantation, then can feel the stagnant air of the tunnel move about him.  In another moment, from the blackened lip of the tunnel, he can just barely make out the insubstantial figure of Elliot making it's way through the mouth and into the larger cavern.  In another few moments, the sounds of Giles making his way through the tunnel begins to pick up over the ambient echo of his own breathing.

"That is tight."  Giles says as he pulls himself through the small opening.  "Glad to see that everything opens up.  But gods it is Dark!"

Elliott can't help but agree, but Grobbik at the very least can now make out the forms of the other two, Giles just getting up to his hands and knees at the cave entrance, and Elliot just having materialized near-standing with his shoulders and head hunched over due to the close proximity to the ceiling.

"At least it seems that there is some light coming from that direction."  Giles points towards the green glow in the distance.  "Not sure if that's good or bad, but I don't think we're going to find this beast anywhere else in this cave."

As the other two make their way down into the tunnel, Grobbik mumbles an incantation of his own.  Given the situation, it made sense to him to be as prepared as he could be.  Then, he settles down to relax a moment while the others arrive around him.  When they are present, Grobbik whispers "Let's rest a few minutes while we talk over what we expect to find.  I plan to go in there with a missile ready in case we need it.  What magics do you have in case of danger?  And do we have any light?"  As he whispers this, he settles down against one of the walls to rest.

OOC The plan is to cast a 3 point missile then sit down to rest while I take stock of my companions.  They have never told me what they can do...

Giles answers the question almost immediately.  "I've a few tricks up my sleeve in case things get sticky.  Lightning is probably my easiest and most practiced spell in case we need to get into the thick of things though.  Not to mention my good ol' walking stick here"  He motions at his waist-high stick used mostly for flair, though in a pinch would seem doubles as a club or staff.

Elliot seems less ready with his answer.  "...In case of a fight I was more planning on using my knife...  I guess I've managed a few spells like pain and stun if those work on demons.  I'm probably better off with just the knife though, seems to be a lot less unpredictable."

OOC:  I had you cast a three point Ice sphere prior to climbing down into the tunnel, let me know if you want a second one or if you forgot about the first one.  You have sat down and rested for a few minutes and regained 1 fatigue point.

Slowly Grobbik rises, after listening to his peers state that they are ready.  "All right, let's go.  I'll take the lead, and you guys follow me in.  Elliot, why don't you follow me with your knife so Giles might have a second or two to use his magic if he needs to."

OOC Grobbik will wait for acknowledgement from his friends then head down the hall towards the light.  If they want to discuss it then we can talk it out.

The two agree to Grobbik's plan and after a few moments they are up and walking toward the distant break in the darkness.  Though the terrain in the tunnel is mostly flat there are a few stumbles by the humans behind Grobbik, though nothing that impedes their movement by more than seconds.  The walk is uneventful and before long there is a luminous green glow that surrounds them.  It does not seem to come from any specific point, rather it simply exists or otherwise it comes from everywhere as there are no shadows that are cast upon the ground.

The tunnel again comes to a junction, this time with two larger tunnels going to each side.  The one on the left ending nearly immediately into a burm of earth and dirt.  To the right the tunnel continues on with sconces on the wall at intervals of a few dozen yards.  Straight ahead, the wall on the far side of them is no longer earth but instead a wall of stone with smudges of mud.  Just ahead of them on the wall of stone there is a drawing in black coal worked into the wall.  It resembles an angel with spread wings, though below and in front of or perhaps even part of the same being there is a skeletal figure, like a withered corpse or even the undead.  The whole thing is about six feet in height and width and takes up the whole height of the wall.

Further down the hallway to the right, there are interrupted noises.  It is hard to tell of what but it seems to be murmurs and spurts of cackling.

Drawing
Thread aborted due to player attrition.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:56, Tue 01 May 2018.