Prologue - Part 3
Vexir ran out onto the edge of the nautiloid. All around her, the flames still licked at the portside underbelly where the dragon had smashed into it. Avernus rushed by. Her attention was drawn to the battles occurring on every side. Demons were battling one another for supremacy. Most, thankfully, did not even regard the wounded flying ship as it catapulted through their domain. They were content on the slaughter in front of them.
To her right, part of the walkway she was on had been destroyed. She assessed that she could make it if she did a running jump. Kaedyn and Ryth-Shan joined her then, evaluating their circumstances as well. She was just about to take off running for the gap when a red dragon dove past her with imps trailing behind.
All three of their hearts skipped several beats. "Blazing Hells!" Kaedyn cursed.
Vexir was thinking the same thing, but she didn't want to admit it. Therefore, she snapped, "Stay focused. Our only way is across this platform." Then she ran and jumped across. The difficulty of the jump was a 10. She had proficiency in Athletics, giving her a +4. She only needed a 6 or higher. She rolled an 8. Success. Vexir ran and jumped across without issue, deftly landing on the other side without so much as breaking a sweat.
Ryth-Shan didn't hesitate, and he jumped next. He also had proficiency, thus giving him a +4. He rolled a 17 and landed even more gracefully than Vexir. Kaedyn hated this kind of thing. He had no proficiency, and he only received a +2. Thus, he needed an 8 or higher to succeed. It was still better than a 50/50 chance, but he was rather uncomfortable with it. He took a running start and jumped.
He rolled a 4. BAM! He landed on the other side but face first on the platform. He took 1d6 points of damage. He rolled a 3. He had 9 HP total, so now he was reduced to 6.
Both Vexir and Ryth-Shan paused to look back at him. Vexir raised her right eyebrow with a sneer on her face. "Really?" she asked. "You couldn't even make that jump without kissing the ground?" Her nerves were on edge already. She really didn't need this.
Ryth-Shan chuckled, once again trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Not athletic. Good to know." He then turned to Vexir. "I'm sure he has some OTHER useful qualities somewhere."
Vexir snorted derisively. If Ryth-Shan thought it was possible, he would have believed that she was slightly amused by his comment.
Kaedyn picked himself up and brushed himself off. He was totally embarrassed and feeling like a fool. "I'm fine. Thanks for your concern," he said sarcastically.
Vexir rolled her eyes but said nothing further. She turned and resumed her flight across the walkway. The two men followed. There was another gaping hole in the portside underbelly not far away. Darkness cloaked the chamber beyond. They could see nothing within due to the harsh light of Avernus. They reached the opening and were just about to rush inside when someone dropped from above, blocking their path.
Perception rolls were made to determine if this person surprised them. An opposed roll was made. The person dropping in front of them rolled a Stealth roll of 13. She had Stealth +1 because she had no proficiency. She wore Half Plate armor, thus receiving a Disadvantage on Stealth. And so, she had to roll a second dice and take the lower of the two rolls. She rolled again and got a 7. 7+1=8. Her total Stealth was 8.
Kaedyn had no Perception proficiency, so his bonus was +2. He rolled a 7+2=9. Success. He was not surprised. Vexir had proficiency, but her bonus was +2 even with proficiency. She rolled a 6+2=8. Still a success. She also was not surprised. Ryth-Shan had proficiency and received a +4. He rolled a 2+4=6. He was surprised.
As a result, Kaedyn and Vexir stopped dead in their tracks with weapons drawn, ready to strike. Ryth-Shan was totally caught off guard and froze. He made no moves to raise his bow, which he now had equipped.
"Abomination! This is your end!" cried the Githyanki female. She was the same as the woman within the pod chamber who had escaped just prior to them. She had a fierce look on her face, and it was clear she was prepared to die trying to cut the three to pieces.
Before anyone could respond, a strange sensation overtook them. The four staggered, clutching their heads as their temples throbbed and their skin began to tingle. Visions rushed past: a dragon's wing, a silver sword, and a flash of their faces as if seen through the strange woman's eyes.
"Ah! My head. What is this...ngh," she said. "Tsk'va. You are no thralls. Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together, we might survive. Imps block the path forward." She then gestured into the opening beyond. Imps moved about in the darkness of the chamber. They were picking their way through the bodies as if searching for valuables. "You will assist me in destroying them," the Githyanki woman continued. "We must reach the helm before we transform."
Ryth-Shan stared at her dumbfounded. She was rather attractive to him, but her mannerism was brutish. She lacked any kind of refinement. He wasn't sure how to respond, for he knew that members of his race could be quite proud and arrogant. If he spoke out of turn, she might try to kill him.
Vexir had no such restraints. To her, the Githyanki woman was appalling and utterly disrespectful. She was an alpha female who was attempting to exert her dominance over them. Vexir was not about to allow that. "Oh? I have to assist you? Why should a sword spider assist a yipping puppy?"
Kaedyn saw the venomous look on the Githyanki woman's face. The two were about to exchange blows. He stepped between. "Wait! Let's not do this," he said, shield held up towards the Githyanki while mace held towards Vexir. He was not threatening in any way. He was merely attempting to mediate. "We don't gain anything from fighting one another."
He rolled a Persuasion roll. He had proficiency in this with a skill bonus of +3 total. The difficulty was 15, so he needed to roll at least a 12. Kaedyn rolled a 14. Success.
The Githyanki woman sneered. "This THING speaks true. So, yes. You WILL assist me. Do you have a choice? We don't have time to piss all over one another to determine who will lead us, DROW. I am in charge here. End of story."
Vexir was about to retort with something else that might spark a conflict between the two, but Kaedyn's successful Persuasion roll allowed him to maneuver the conversation away from the topic of "Who's in charge." A quick thought entered his mind. "Wait! What do you mean transform?" This worked. Thankfully, he changed the subject.
"We carry Mind Flayer parasites," the Githyanki woman replied. "Unless we escape - unless we are cleansed - our bodies and minds will be tainted and twisted. Within days, we will be Ghaik." Assuming that Kaedyn had no idea what a Ghaik was, she added, "Mind Flayers."
Vexir actually showed an emotion besides total contempt. She was obviously alarmed. "Mind Flayers? We're turning into MIND FLAYERS? Is there a cure?"
The Githyanki female shook her head. "We can do nothing until we escape. That must be our priority. Your only hope is to work with me."
Ryth-Shan finally stepped in. "Agreed. Let's not waste anymore time. She's right. Our only hope is together."
The Githyanki seemed pleased. She took on a look of superiority as she stared down her nose at Vexir. "First, we exterminate the imps. Then we find the helm and take control of the ship. We will address the matter of a cure for this infection once we reach the Material Plane."
Vexir clearly hated this woman already. "Fine." Then she gestures to the opening. "Lead on."
"What is your name?" asked Ryth-Shan.
"I am Lae'zel," she replied, "of creche K'liir."
"Ryth-Shan," he said in return, "of creche H'liyn."
"H'liyn?" asked Lae'zel. She was clearly stunned by this news. "H'liyn was destroyed. There were no survivors."
Ryth-Shan's brows furrowed. "I do not lie, Kin. I survived by escaping into the wilds. I didn't think anyone even came to investigate. Surely, if they did, they didn't look too hard."
"Can we get better acquainted later?" asked Vexir. "Or shall we stand about all day chit-chatting about senseless, useless information?"
Both Githyanki glared at her. Even Ryth-Shan, who was typically easy-going, was growing annoyed by the Drow's constant harassment. Once again, Kaedyn had to step in to keep the group together. "Imps, everyone," he said, gesturing into the opening with his mace. "Let's focus our aggressions on the true enemies. Shall we?" He made another Persuasion roll. This time the difficulty was 10. He rolled an 8+3=11. Success.
"Right," said Ryth-Shan, letting it go. Turning, he dropped into a crouch and crept his way towards the opening. He aimed for some debris that would make a good hiding place. "Let me first get into position. When I attack from the shadows, then rush in. Sound good?"
Vexir shrugged. "Fine."
Lae'zel also seemed to accept his plan. "Agreed."
Kaedyn sighed. His nerves were shot. He was feeling exhausted. "Keeping this group together is going to be an even greater challenge than escaping the Hells," he muttered under his breath. Then they all crept up to the opening just out of sight and waited for Ryth-Shan to take the first shot.
