Spiral into Shadow

[Xian]

For those momentary splits of the party that occur during play.

[Casino Jack]

"Hehehe! Grand Wolcott, you're grand! Wanton destruction never fails to solve a problematic conundrum!" Moziko bolted out, clinging with all he had as his newly made siege machine of a friend busted straight through the side of the foundry. Of course, where one would expect a street, ally, or another building. There was only inky blackness. Curiously Moziko peered down as Wolcott continued his charge.

"This doesn't seem rig-aaAAAHHH!" Gravity exerted itself onto his body and mind at relatively the same time, hurtling the armored giant down into the abyss. Neither Ebah nor his courageous mount were exactly what you would call 'acrobatic'. Their failing tumble did not invoke any hope of a graceful landing. But one would think they'd at least land in the right order. That didn't happen as Wolcott flipped head over heels, and the Moziko somehow landed beneath his enlarged shoulder.

The crush would have killed a normal man surely. But Moziko, who was freakishly durable and now augmented by the flesh-warping potion he had imbibed, was simply squashed like a piece of rubber or felt. Black goo dribbled out of his mouth, like when you squash a caterpillar at one end...but beyond that he seemed no worse for wear.

Well, if you counted have bullet-holes and shrapnel in nearly every part of him as 'no worse for wear'. Moziko certainly did!

He wiggled out from beneath the fallen colossus, dusting himself off and wiping away the blood around his mouth with one sleeve. Almost like a child. "Certainly not as I had planned, but the end result is favorable!" Always be positive, that's what Moziko believed in. Though this darkness was rather thick, he peered upwards as he heard the shouts from their opposition.

"They are a persistent bunch, no less expected from administration! Like accountants in april!" What Moziko actually knew of accountants or the month of april was left vague. He watched the twirling lights fall down, curiously tilted his head and nearly toppling over as he tracked their movements.

"Glow sticks, my favorite! Thick-headed, they have provided us our own guiding light." He scooped a few up, gathering them in his arms like cord wood. "I saw a queer sigil on their suits. It reminded me of the Elite Shinigami, but they...don't remind me of any. Curiouser and curiouser." He rambled, as he approached Wolcott and Emily.

"We are in the bowels of this place's foundation. Their heating, plumbing, sewage, steam, power. A good place for escape, we should make haste before they start shooting again." Emily is handed several of the glow sticks as Ebah stops before Wolcott. Almost shyly, demurely looking down and dragging one foot. A blush in his cheeks.

"This is perhaps awkward...and, forward? Yes, but...May I ride you again? It felt right and, fun..."

[Moridain]

Emily Merellen Emily leaps through the hole, doing her best to break the fall by hitting the side of the building. But she is far from any form of ninja, so it does little but aid her in rolling at the bottom to shake off the force of the fall. After the roll her eyes go a bit weird, and she brushes at her robes in disgust, as though personally offended at being dirty. After a moment the strangeness passes and she ignores it. Looking at the glowsticks, she frowns, then looks up at the soldiers. What to do... I can destroy the glowsticks, but they can just throw more... I could attempt to turn them against each other, but what are they? Hollow? Shinigami? Something else? Suddenly she has an idea, and get a dark grin. Pointing her blade at the hole they just leapt from, she calls, "Spirits of Metal and Earth! Rebel and strike against those who would harm me!" Power flows forth from her and into the hole, awakening the metal and causing it to shudder and form spikes that cut at the soldiers who had so helpfully clustered together. An instant later a cloud of acid flows from the metal, encouraged by her magic to expel all its impurities on those above them! As the screaming begins, she takes the glowsticks, "Ride or not, we need to move." she comments, looking for a good direction. Considering that this is a mental construct, any direction works really. ooc Casting The Earth Rebels on the Hole we leapt from. Everyone within 20ft of the entrance has to make a reflex save (DC17) or take 2d6 acid damage both on this round and the next. The area also counts as being covered by caltrops for 1 minute.   Emily HP: 27/27 AC: 16, CMD 11 F/R/W: +4 MP: 11/17 PP: 20/20 (Desummoned) Okami HP: 17/33 AC: 18 (16 this turn), CMD 14 F: +4, R +5, W +1 Special: Evasion, Pounce, Darkvision, Scent

[grenadierman]

Wolcot stepped through and quickly down through the rabbit hole he went. Spiraling, tumbling, the juggernaut never had a chance to orient himself before landing belly first into the ground. The giant did not stir from his fall, and if it weren't for his previous showcases of barbaric vigor it would've been safe to assume that he died right then. However, just as Moziko crawled out from underneath him like a child navigating thick undergrowth, Wolcot was reanimated and got up as if nothing happened.

Moziko took the words out of his mouth, which were few and far between anyway, so Wolcot just gave a ragged grunt of indeterminable emotion. It could've been an acknowledgement, or just a chide at Moziko or their current situation, for all they knew.

Wolcot would've preferred to carry Emily on his back instead, but in actuality, little Moziko probably weighed less than her. He seemed to be the smallest of the three, and Wolcot did not feel like babysitting too much.

The giant grabbed Moziko by the back of his collar, and effortlessly lifted him up for a piggy back ride. Wolcot gave Emily a curt nod and a grunt before moving on, leading the vanguard.

[Xian]

The armored juggernaut and his passenger fall... and lands, if you could call it that... ungracefully and forcibly onto the ground. Emily fares only a little bit better than Moziko and that is only because she had the distinct advantage of not having a large metal man in hellborne armor land on top of her. Still Moziko weathers the fall and the impact from Wolcott that would have no doubt killed any other shinigami or any other living creature for that matter. Emily does not let the gracelessness of her fall affect her too much afterwards as she swiftly casts a spell and to her satisfaction results in the pained cries of the soldiers above. Still, it may not last long.... and picking up on this Wolcott grabs Moziko and places him on his back before barreling down the hallway, which was barely enough to accommodate his now expanded frame. Emily was close behind as she maintained pace with the charging behemoth. Using the light from the recovered glow sticks the trio make their way swiftly through the pipes. It is a few moments later that they hear large explosion from behind them and then burst of light from behind them as a roaring column of flame comes down the hallway along with a concussive force of an explosion of some sort. As the trio turns to continue on away from their pursuers, they come to where the tunnel opens up a bit, sort of. The pathway to the right leads to walkway that is over what looks to be river of foul liquid. From a initial best guess and consistency, the trio concludes that it is processed waste of some sort... what kind of waste it is impossible to tell. After a few brief moments, the trio hears voices echo in the distance from which they came and they were closing fast.

OODM Alright! For the explosion and the fire, it is a DC 14 Reflex save for everyone except Wolcott, for whom there is no save. If the save is made by the others then you would have leaped/ducked behind Wolcott and sustained no damage. If the save fails, then the explosion itself causes 10 points of fire/concussion damage (use whatever DR / Resistance is most beneficial) and requires a DC12 Fortitude save to prevent form being stunned for 1 round. Right now your pursuers are certain number of rounds behind you and if run out of rounds then they "catch" up to you. Right now your pursuers are 10 rounds behind you.

[Moridain]

Emily Merellen The blast catches Emily entirely off guard, her new habit of brushing at her robes distracting her right up until the flames blast her forward and singe her back. She catches herself before slamming headfirst into the ground, scrambling to her feet with an arrogant look that simply does not suit the vehemantly carefree girl you know. The look fades quickly though, as her eyes fill with pain as the burns catch up with her. She lays a hand on her side, her hand glowing with Hadou as she undoes at least some of the harm. She then approaches the others, "Quick, let me heal you then we can..." Her voice trails off as she looks at the filth filled tunnel, "Um... well, go another way. We are not going down there. We are better than that." ooc Reflex: Dice Roll: 1d20+5 (5)+5 Total = 10 (10) Fort: Dice Roll: 1d20+6 (11)+6 Total = 17 (17) Cure Wounds for 3pp = Dice Roll: 2d6+4 (5, 3)+4 Total = 12 (12) healing.   Emily HP: 27/27 AC: 16, CMD 11 F/R/W: +4 MP: 11/17 PP: 20/20 (Desummoned) Okami HP: 17/33 AC: 18 (16 this turn), CMD 14 F: +4, R +5, W +1 Special: Evasion, Pounce, Darkvision, Scent

[grenadierman]

Every other step Wolcot takes creates a rocking motion for the little Moziko hanging onto him. The hallway is cramped, and Wolcot slows his pace when there is a low-hanging pipe as if he knew the exact height of his riding companion. An explosion rocks the tunnels and a cloud of fire charges down at them like an angry boar as he was turning. The living golem is unmoved by the explosive force rushing past them, and he faces the wrathful fire without flinching. It passes by him like a cleansing, leaving his armor blackened and burns in the cracks of his armor. Wolcot felt his flesh burn, of course, but the pain is just a drop compared to the ocean of torment he wades through.

The dust settles, and the immovable giant steers onwards.



Wolcot sees the trench and hesitates. A quick reminder of what was after them gives him the nudge however and he attempts to step over the trench, gauging the distance with his foot first before doing so and doing a leap if it is too far.

[Casino Jack]

Moziko had to strictly resist the urge to let out a most undignified squeal as he was lifted up by the still affected Wolcott, but it was hard to hide the almost cute way his face lit up as the large hands placed him back onto the giant's shoulders. Like a stranger rider in the dark, he held the glow stick high above their heads and illuminated their surroundings in a sickly green hue. But it was enough to guide them on their trek.

"Hee~...Yes, well. Onward then." He let out a little cough, as if trying to retain some dignity. Of course, by now he was bleeding heavily from the half dozen holes inside of him. The effects of his potion barely keeping him alive. Dark blood dribbled down onto Wolcott's armor, even leaving a trail behind them. His arms clung to the giant's neck as his form settled into a pleasing shape across the man's back. That was when the explosion occurred. Not even enough time to yelp out a warning, it send the small Shinigami scrambling over one shoulder. Taking cover in the shelter of the man's shadow as he suffered the inferno for them.

"...They are, persistent!" He said after a moment, blond head poking up once safety was assured. "Are you alright Wolcott. Thank you. That might of charred me a bit more than I could handle with all the blood loss." Came his soft voice, as he gingerly cleaned the ash off one of Wolcott's metal parts. Almost blushing. "No time for dallying, I suppose." He scrabbled back to Wolcott's back and out of sight. He was silent, until the river of filth reached their ears. He peered at it for a moment.

"Over, over. Light steps! Shouldn't kill you. End up nastily infected, gangrenous. But amputation's an option."

[Xian]

Over the filth we go... The trio's mind made up, to include Wolcott, who may or may not have gotten some insight on the direction to go, headed up the stairs and over the channel of filth. In an effort to get away from their pursuers, the scale the steps and over the questionably murky and definitely nauseous smelling filth in the canal way with ease and speed. At first blush, the group appeared to have made the right choice as they make rapid movement along the cat walk like support and further into the complex. Suddenly, the group comes to a dilemma. The path they have chosen is no longer large enough to accommodate Wolcott's enlarged form... it was during the contemplation of their next move that the group hears a sound... almost a chittering and the vibrating hum that was both eerie and novel. It was then that the trio saw something... at first it was not overt, just tiny movements... lots of tiny movement. It was Moziko perched on his friend's shoulder that spotted the source as he began to see the first of the centipedes. It was then as realization hit home, the swarm of the otherworldly centipedes surged from the depths of the dark tunnels and swept over path that the trio was walking on. It was an enormous, writhing mass of wriggling centipedes and they swept over walkway and "lunged" collectively at the group. The group was surrounded and the only way forward or backwards was through the swarm. It looked like it was a fight... (Initiative! Round 1 Fight!) OCC and Dice Roll Agents pursuing the group are now 7 rounds behind you.

[Moridain]

Emily Merellen As the creatures appear Emily looks horrified, and the look quickly turns almost haughty, "How dare you!" she cries, raising her sword and pointing at the approaching swarm. "Insects should know their place!" Magic flows from her then appears right in front of the approaching horde. A massive vine burst from the ground, twirling and raising to be a massive flower. It is gorgeous, red and white swirls, and lets out the aroma of strawberries and something more primal. And then it slams forward and slams itself onto one of the bugs, attempting to swollow it whole! ooc Summoning a Giant Flytrap. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/mon...trap-giant-jbe   Emily HP: 27/27 AC: 16, CMD 11 F/R/W: +4 MP: 9/17 PP: 20/20 (Desummoned) Okami HP: 17/33 AC: 18 (16 this turn), CMD 14 F: +4, R +5, W +1 Special: Evasion, Pounce, Darkvision, Scent

[grenadierman]

The path narrowed until the armored giant couldn't go any further. After a moment's hesitation Wolcot grabbed Moziko by the scruff of his shirt collar and puts him down. The sound of something nasty chittering and crawling closer to them in the darkness immediately confirms Wolcot's thoughts that this was the best course of action. He points with his finger down towards the path with all the bleakness his gesture of selflessness could muster, and without further ado, promptly picks up both Moziko and Emily to hurl them away from the incoming bugs and down the path where they would be safe. The man beneath the armor couldn't be read on the outside, but he looked on in his tetmates' directions, meeting their gazes for far longer than he should have. Wolcot will make his own way, as he has been.