Nix traded nces with Semmi; neither was happy about having to go around Chael. He had been a good friend to both of them. He left Inferno for the second time after failing to make up with Nansu; neither had kept tabs on him since then.
Ronnie took a book from her inventory, opened it on the counter. "It''s a Coven sign, of course. It has its roots from the early days of Everspire before the dragons came up from the core."
"Is this group dangerous? One of the kids that Wind saved had that symbol on her shoulder." Semmi pulled up her hud, immediately noticing that Wind''s status was listed as unavable. "Crap... Check this out."
Nix nced at the hud; he''d already known about the status. It had changed during the night; shortly afterward, Lubo had been summoned from the Thieves Guild. "Let''s give Wind a chance to make his y. If he hasn''t reported in by the time we''re done, we''ll bail him out."
The blonde officer rubbed her hands together. "Maybe it will be a prison break."
/Alpha: Ronnie: I''ll help with Chael. We should start now; no one will be expecting a diversion in the middle of the day.
/Alpha: Nix: Got an idea? I don''t want to fight him or take anything of his.
/Alpha: Ronnie: Sure. Chael has his own luxury coach; you should see the team of horses that pull it. They are big, like Clydesdales, and ck as coal.
Nix cleared his throat with a cough.
/Alpha: Nix: Does he keep them at the mansion?
/Alpha: Ronnie: Nope, sends them back to hispound until it''s time to pick him up again.
/Alpha: Nix: Well... as the lesser of two evils, it seems as if stealing the horses could be a good diversion.
/Alpha: Semmi: We won''t really take them, though, right? It''s just a diversion.
/Alpha: Nix: Right. Right, a diversion.
Ronnie nced over at Bali, who was still writing in the ledger. "Why don''t you put that away, hun. We have some horses to steal."
Bali closed the ledger, her blue eyes filled with mischief. "Finally... Give me the details.
[Whisper: Ronnie to Nix] You want me to steal those horses? Or just cause a panic.
[Whisper: Nix to Ronnie] Borrow them. I''ll return them to Chael when hees back to Inferno.
*****************
The heavy metal doors swung wide, causing all three group members to squint against the re. Dozens ofmps adorned the room, causing it to be unnaturally bright. Beyond the doors was arge rectangr room; the sides were lined with pews like the ones you''d see in a church. At the front of the room was arge throne.
/Gemini: Mimi: That''s made of bones. Can I have it?
/Gemini: Wind: No. I''m taking it.
/Gemini: Rabi: I was going to ask.
The room had one upant, a pale man, d in a loincloth, and covered in tattoos. ck antlers extended outward from either side of his head, his eyes were closed, and he seemed unaware of their presence.
/Gemini: Wind: I''m guessing that the moment we approach, he''s gonna wake up.
/Gemini: Rabi: I fought someone like him before. He looks like a summoner.
/Gemini: Mimi: I can CC up to three. You''ll have to deal with anything more than that.
/Gemini: Wind: Understood. Let''s go.
Rabi has shared [Enemy Information].
Ati the Warlock: Summoner
Weaknesses: Fire Damage.
/Gemini: Wind: Fire damage. It figures.
/Gemini: Mimi: Huh?
/Gemini: Wind: Nothing.
[Quartered][Backstab][Double Strike]
Triple Combination partially Sessful.
Ati is immune to control effects.
Rabi hasnded a critical strike!
Rabi hasnded a significant strike x2!
Ati''s ck eye''s blinked open as he sprang to the middle of the stage. A long and gnarled wooden staff appeared in his hands before sweeping outward in a wide arc.
[Air des]
Ati hasnded a strike against Rabi.
Ati hasnded a strike against Wind.
Ati hasnded a strike against Mimi.
[Sudden Switch][First Strike][Backstab]
Triple Combination Sessful.
Wind hasnded a critical strike.
Wind hasnded a critical strike.
The gnarled staff of the Warlock raised upward and then struck the ground with a deafening noise. Ati has cast [Summon Minions].
Mimi has been stunned.
Rabi has resisted stun.
Wind has resisted stun.
A dozen creatures appeared around the Warlock. Their bodies were covered in brown splotches of fur; the skin beneath was scarred horribly. Man-like hands that ended in ws dragged the ground next to their hooved feet.
"KILL THEM, MY CHILDREN!"
The tiny demon darted in, weaving through the minions. Rabi has activated [Blood Bond]
All iing damage is dispersed equally between any group member possessing demon blood.
[re][Defensive Strike]
Combination Sessful.
A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.
A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.
A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.
A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.
A Disfigured fiend has been blinded.
Rabi''s strike has dyed Ati''s next attack by 20 seconds.
/Gemini: Wind: Fall back.
Wind grabbed Mimi''s arm and dragged her toward the door, while Rabi''s dual daggers shed at the pursuing minions.
Mimi has resisted stun.
[Dark Well][Blood Kin]
A barrier of water surrounds your group; no attacks willnd for ten seconds.
Mimi has healed Wind''s wounds.
Mimi has healed Rabi''s wounds.
/Gemini: Mimi: That bitch...
The demon moved to the edge of the dark well. An instantter, her whip shed out with a loud crack and wrapped around Ati''s gnarled staff.
[Sessful Disarm: Gnarled Staff]
With a flick of her wrists, it arrived safely in her hands.
/Gemini: Wind: Retreat through the doorway; we need to limit their approach.
/Gemini: Mimi: I believe Ati will reset, if we leave the room.
/Gemini: Wind: Shit... There''s too many for an area this big.
/Gemini: Rabi: Demon King! Demon King!
/Gemini: Mimi: What?
The dark well expired just as the red gecko crawled out of his hiding spot. His dark eyes stared fearlessly at the approaching fiends.
[Fear the Demon King]
Ati is immune to Fear.
The horrifying screams of terror echoed in the room as the fur-covered fiends mindlessly tried to escape; within seconds, they had all charged out of the room. Rabi followed behind them, pushing the door shut before bracing against it with his back. "Give Rabi the staff!"
/Gemini: Wind: Bar the door!
Mimi tossed him the staff, and turned back toward Ati, who was still standing on the stage. Rabi pushed the staff through the inside handles, holding it in ce with both hands.
[First Strike][Piercing Shadow][Backstab]
Triple Combination Sessful.
Wind hasnded a critical strike.
Wind has used the shadows to strike directly at his enemy''s heart.
Wind hasnded a significant strike.
Mimi has cast [Demon de][Demon Heart].
Wind''s des have be significantly sharper.
Wind''s attack rating has been increased.
Rabi''s des have be significantly sharper.
Rabi''s attack rating has been increased.
/Gemini: Mimi: Let me hold the door, help him, Rabi!
Mimi switched ces with the smaller demon; a single bang against the door seemed to echo inside the room; it was followed by another and then another. The demon held stubbornly onto the staff, keeping it locked in ce.
[Sudden Switch][Backstab][Double sh]
Triple Combination Sessful.
Rabi hasnded a critical strike.
Rabi hasnded a damaging blow on Ati.
Rabi hasnded a damaging blow on Ati.
/Gemini: Wind: Get ready for another summons; he''s at sixty percent!
The strikes against the outside of the Iron Door grew louder, as the fight continued. Ati stayed close to the stage; whenever Rabi or Wind took damage, they would drop back long enough for Mimi to heal them.
/Gemini: Mimi: No, respawn?
/Gemini: Rabi: Stupid witch-man can''t resummon them!
The rest of the battle was rtively easy. With the first round of fiends trapped outside, Ati couldn''t summon anymore. Since the group hadn''t left the room, there was no reset.
[Double Stab][Backstab][Mortal Strike]
Triple Combination Sessful.
Wind hasnded a critical strike x2.
Wind hasnded a significant strike.
Wind hasnded a fatal strike.
Wind has in Ati.
Messaging has been reestablished with the outside.
Your reputation in Mocai has been raised to Ally.
Inferno''s reputation in Mocai has increased.
The House of Tempest''s reputation in Mocai has increased.
Wind stepped away from the fallen Warlock. "Holy crap... The fuck was that about?"
"I think I know." Mimi walked toward him, her lean hips swaying with each step. "I''ll take this as my cut, if you don''t mind."
Ati''s Gnarled Staff
Summoning Staff: Legendary
Description: Summon twelve, tier-one fiends to defend you whenever your health decreases by ten percent. If your fiends survive, you may not summon more. Ati''s Staff will increase the tier of the surviving fiends as your health approaches zero percent.
Mimi held her hand out, waiting for Wind to return the staff. "The banging on the outside of the door grew substantially as the fight progressed. It was obvious they were getting stronger."
Wind handed the staff back to her. "You still managed to hold the door."
Mimi favored him with a sexy smile, her dark eyes shing with interest. "I''ve never seen anything like you."
The Gemini Thief froze like a deer in the headlights. "Well... I..."
Mimi extended a hand toward him, waiting patiently while Lubo stepped onto her dark palm. "So handsome too."
The red gecko stood calmly on her hand, his dark eyes watching carefully.
"A King of few words. Would you like toe with me?" Mimi''s voice purred forth. Her dark lips frowned slightly when Lubo jumped back to Wind''s shoulder.
/Gemini: Wind: Don''t even think about it. He''s my Spirit Companion.
/Gemini: Mimi: Fine. Come find me when you get home, Rabi.
"Take this, and call me if you get in trouble." Mimi handed the heart token to the red gecko, who held it easily.
/Gemini: Mimi: I''ll y with you again, Wind.
The ck Water Mage ported out a few momentster, causing Wind to sigh with relief.
"Great Demon King! Please give Rabi the heart token!" Rabi pleaded shamelessly with the gecko. However, the token was already gone. The tiny demon flopped onto the ground. "I''m filled with jealousy..."
There was a single ck chest sitting in front of the Throne. Wind picked it up and stowed it away. "We''ll split it when we get out of here."
Rabi shook his head slightly. "Let me have the throne, and you can keep the stupid box!"
Wind considered the request for a moment. "Fine."
"Summon me anytime!" Rabi hugged Wind''s legs for a moment and then darted toward the throne. An instantter, they both disappeared.
Wind stared at the empty stage for a moment, before stroking the gecko''s tummy with the back of his finger. "Good job, Lubo."
The red gecko stared wordlessly at him, his webbed hands holding Wind''s finger.
"You some sort ofdies man now?" Wind grinned at the silent Demon King. "Going to inspect you."
Demon King Lubo
Description: A tiny gecko-like
creature, may change colors at will.
Special Characteristic: Immune to Fire.
[Attack Rating: None]
[Defense Rating: None]
[Special Ability: Mass Hysteria]
Minions 1/4
1: Mimicry Zul
Wind has joined Alpha.
/Alpha: Wind: We''re back.
/Alpha: Nix: About time. Head back to the Thieves Guild, and I''ll open a breach.
/Alpha: Wind: On it.