Prologue - Part 6
The four companions made their way into the helm chamber. It was massive. There were, essentially, two sections. The furthest section contained the ship's transponder full of writhing tentacles. There was the viewport before it, as large as life. It allowed the blazing landscape of Avernus to shine into the entire room. The section they had just entered was more open with many platforms suspended over a the inner workings of the ship below. These platforms were mostly connected with stairs and lifts. There were desks and such with items on them also dotting the two sections.
But the most terrifying thing was that all four beheld the battle that was occurring within. Demons and Mind Flayers and imps and thralls and intellect devourers were tearing each other apart. One demon with a flaming sword, took a swing at the chief Mind Flayer. Another demon was coming to assist, but a Mind Flayer jumped him from behind, wrapped his tentacles around his head, bit down on his cranium, and crunched. There was a sickening slurping sound as the Mind Flayer gurgled in ecstasy. Then it tossed the dead demon to the floor.
Moments later, imps flew past the Mind Flayer, raking it with their claws until he, too died. These continued on to battle the thralls and Mind Flayers near the helm. It was clear they were seeking to take control. There wasn't much time left. Within minutes, the nautiloid would fall to the devils of Avernus.
The lead Mind Flayer blasted the demon he was fighting, knocking him to the floor. He then took a moment to turn to the four adventurers. "You there! Thrall! Quickly! Make your way to the helm's transponder. Get us out of here! Now!"
Lae'zel turned to her companions. "Do as he says. We will deal with our Ghaik captors after we seize control of the ship."
The others quickly exchanged glances. It didn't take much to communicate that they were, for once, in total agreement. Seeing the helm about to be taken by the imps, they knew their time was running out. There could be no more delay. Their only hope was to reach the transponder before the imps did.
Initiative was rolled. The last of the thralls in the first section of the chamber died just moments before the battle began. Thus, only 3 imps were left to battle in this area. Kaedyn rolled a 15+2=17. Vexir rolled a 19+2=21. Ryth-Shan rolled a 2+2=4. Lae'zel rolled a 12+1=13. Imp 1 rolled a 19+3=22, as did Imp 2. Imp 3 rolled an 8+3=11. So the order was: Imp 1, Imp 2, Vexir, Kaedyn, Lae'zel, Imp 3 and then Ryth-Shan. The thrall on their side, the female elven mage thrall Ryth-Shan activated in the previous chamber, would act on Ryth-Shan's turn.
Imp 1 saw them enter the room, and he flew to attack. With crossbow in hand, he fired at Vexir. He rolled a 12+5=17 to hit. Her AC was 16. Hit. He rolled 1d8+3 for damage. He rolled a 1+3=4. She had 8 HP left. Imp 2 also moved to attack, but he planned on using his stinger. He used Dash to close in on his enemies, flying right up to Vexir. Because Dash was an Action, he had no additional attacks to make.
Now it was Vexir's turn. She was thankful that the imp had rushed up to her. She was ticked and wanted revenge for her near-death experience against the intellect devourer. She rolled an 11 with her greataxe and got a total of 15 (+4 for attack). She hit. The imp's AC was 13. She rolled a 1d12+2 damage and rolled a 3+2=5. With damage resistance, the imp lost only 2 HP. It had 13 to start, so it was now down to 11.
Kaedyn didn't hold back. He was fully recovered and decided Guiding Bolt might be good to get them into the next section fast. He rolled a 17+4=21 to hit. Hit! Then he rolled 4d6 for damage and got an 11. He was attacking Imp 3. Imp 3 was already hurt, and he only had 9 HP. Therefore, because Guiding Bolt took full damage off, Imp 3 died as it screamed in agony. He expended 1 of his 2 Level 1 Spell Slots.
Now it was Lae'zel's turn. She rushed Imp 2 in order to assist Vexir. She had her longsword out ad rolled an 8+5=13. Hit. She did 1d10+3 damage and rolled an 8+3=11. That's 5 HP off Imp 2. He now has 6 HP remaining. Ryth-Shan's turn. He fired his longbow at Imp 2 and rolled a 2. But wait! His allies were flanking Imp 2. Therefore, he got advantage and rolled another 20-sided die. He got a 12+4=16. Hit. He then rolled a 1d8+2 for damage and got 3+2=5. He did 2 points of damage. The Imp now had only 4 HP remaining.
At the end of the round, the demon and the Mind Flayer exchanged attacks. Both were dwindling the other down in deadly combat. "For Zariel! This ship is mine!" the demon cried as he swung his two-handed flaming sword. The Mind Flayer dodged and shot back with a mental blast of energy. The demon resisted it and kept fighting.
Round 2. Imp 1 launched another crossbow bolt at Vexir. With an enemy flanking her, Imp 1 now had advantage. He rolled a 6 and a 9. 9+5=14. Vexir had 16 AC. Miss. Imp 2 then attacked. He rolled a 1. Critical Miss! This meant that no matter what the imp's attack bonus, he would miss.
Vexir's turn. She rolled an 8+4=12 to hit. She also got an advantage because Lae'zel was flanking. Therefore, she rolled again and got an 18. Hit. She rolled a 1d12+2 for damage and rolled a 7+2=9. That's 4 HP off. Imp 2 was dead. It died with a terrible scream. After killing the imp, as its body fell to the floor, she raced towards Imp 1. It was too far away, but she got within range for next round.
Kaedyn attacked. He used his last Spell Slot to attack with Guiding Bolt. He rolled a 5+4=9. Miss. "Dang! I'm out of spells now," he announced to his party members as he followed Vexir to rush the monster.
"Stop sucking!" Lae'zel snapped, and she charged towards Imp 1 as well because it was now her turn. Unlike Vexir and Kaedyn, she used a Dash Action to run all the way up to the imp. This gave Ryth-Shan advantage because she was now flanking the creature.
Ryth-Shan moved closer to get a better shot and fired. He rolled a 15 and a 14. Hit. He then rolled a 4 for damage with his longbow. With a +2, he did a total of 6 damage. Halved because of resistance, he did 3 HP off the imp. Imp 1 had 12 to begin with, so now it only had 9.
Just after, the demon and Mind Flayer exchanged another bout, but neither fell to the other. Beyond, in the next chamber, the imps were finishing off the remaining Mind Flayers and thralls. Time was running out!
Round 3. Imp 1 decided to sting Lae'zel. He rolled an 8+5=13. Miss. Lae'zel had 17 AC. Vexir attacked. She ran up to Imp 1 and swung with her greataxe. 10+4=14. Hit! She rolled 1d12+2 for damage and rolled 12+2=14. 7 HP off the imp. It now only had 2 remaining.
On Kaedyn's turn, he rushed up to the imp as well with his mace in hand. He rolled a 9+4=13 to hit. Hit! He rolled 1d6+2 damage and got 2+2=4. He took of 2 HP. He killed it, and it screamed as it died.
Turn-based, however, continued because the demon and Mind Flayer were still battling. It was now Lae'zel's turn. She did Dash again, racing up to the middle of the massive chamber between the two sections. As she did, the last of the thralls died. Three imps remained in this section as well, and they were near the helm. "Quickly! Just get to the transponder. I'll try to distract these," she cried, and it was loud enough for the imps to hear. New initiatives were rolled for these 3 imps. They would all go after Lae'zel. Not on this round, but on the next.
On Ryth-Shan's turn, he was too far away to attack the imps. Therefore, he used Dash as well to get closer. The demon and Mind Flayer continued to duel. And then, two more demons crashed into the chamber from the doorway they'd entered through. They saw the adventurers and the dueling demon and Mind Flayer. In that moment, they considered what to do next. They rolled initiatives and would go after Vexir.
Round 4. Vexir used Dash to catch up to Lae'zel. Her turn was over. Using Dash, the two demons ran up to Kaedyn. Kaedyn used Disengage, an Action, and ran as fast as he could to escape. He could only run 30 feet. "We're in serious trouble!" he cried. "Someone get to the transponder! Now!"
It was Lae'zel's turn. Hearing him say this, she glanced back to see the demons on his tail. She knew her initial plan to distract the imps was out of the question. Their only hope was that SHE reach the transponder as fast as she could. If not her, maybe Vexir or Ryth-Shan could. Therefore, she used Dash to run 60 feet. It was still not close enough. Next turn, if she survived, she might make it.
The three imps now got to attack. The first moved and fired a crossbow bolt at Lae'zel. It rolled a 3. Miss. The next was closer and moved into melee range. It rolled an 8+5=13. Miss. Lae'zel had 17 AC. The third fired a crossbow as well. 11+5=16. Miss. Lae'zel was playing her role well as the tank.
Now it was Ryth-Shan's turn. He used Dash as well to run as fast as he could. If Lae'zel didn't reach the transponder, he just might. The demon and Mind Flayer went at it again, still wearing each other down but not taking one another out.
Round 5. Vexir used Dash to get closer to Lae'zel. She was not within melee range of the imp that was trying to sting Lae'zel. She was close, but it was not technically in melee range. Now it was the turn of the two demons. Much to Kaedyn's relief, they decided to assist their demon lord against the Mind Flayer. Rushing up to it instead of Kaedyn, they attacked and damaged it. It was now doing quite poorly. Soon, the Mind Flayer would be dead, and the demons would have no opposition against the heroes.
On Kaedyn's turn, he used Dash to try to keep up with his companions. Then it was Lae'zel's turn. She decided to risk just using Dash again to get to the transponder. The imp near her rolled an Attack of Opportunity. It rolled 7+5=12 to sting her and missed. Lae'zel was free to reach the transponder. She rushed up to it. Turn-Based ended.
Lae'zel reached the ship's alien transponder. She made it just in time. Rushing to the tendrils that were hanging loose, she grabbed two and connected them. There was a spark of energy as the two ends met. Just then, a red dragon slammed onto the viewport, shaking the entire ship. The imps were coming at Lae'zel from behind to try to stop her, but they all froze with Dragon Fear. The mighty beast worked its way around to a gaping hole in the wall. As everyone's eyes widened, staring death in the face, the dragon stuck its head in and aimed at Lae'zel and everything around her.
No time! The dragon breathed fire right at the Githyanki woman's face, engulfing her, the transponder and everything else in the area. She was thrown backward onto the ground, dazed and confused. Somehow, she was alive, but she was utterly dazed. She was not dead, even though the flames engulfed her. There was a strange aura that surrounded her, protecting her from it temporarily. Near her, the imps shrieked angrily. They had completely forgotten about her. The dragon had effectively drawn their attention.
The dragon then leaped into the air, roaring loudly. The imps flew out after it. The ship lurched and tossed everyone inside. They slid about on the deck as the transponder came at them. Instinctively, as if directed by another force, Vexir reached out and grabbed the controls. Other than Lae'zel, she was the closest. Dangling with one arm from it, she found the strength to pull herself up to grab the connected tendrils. They had also survived the dragon's blast. Grabbing the connected tendrils, she plucked them like a string, and suddenly, the entire ship lurched again.
The Hells vanished as the ship bounced out of Avernus and into a darkened sky. Visions suddenly flew about in the minds of Kaedyn, Vexir, Ryth-Shan and Lae'zel. The ship was amongst the clouds in the night sky. A Tiefling girl with straight pink hair was viewing the ship through her telescope. She looked away from the eyepiece and gazed at the vessel with her own eyes. She was clearly frightened, and she ran off to warn others.
Their visions shifted. There was a ruins. Standing on the edge of a battlement was a hobgoblin. He stared up at the exploding nautiloid, and he grinned. A drow approached from behind. She was wearing Ring Mail, and she had straight, white hair. She glanced at the hobgoblin and smiled with wicked intent. The hobgoblin nodded at her. It was as if they exchanged thoughts. Then they turned to a goblin leader nearby and gesture with a nod. The goblin also did not need a verbal command. It called their forces together and rushed out the main gates of the ruins into the countryside.
All at once, the four were back in the helm of the ship. They staggered this way and that. Debris was flying everywhere as the ship descended at a rapid pace. Something hit Kaedyn in the head. He tumbled and slid backwards, slamming into the starboard wall of the chamber. There was a gaping hole there and debris was flying out. Glancing to his left, he spotted the Mind Flayer who had been battling the demons.
He blinked to try to clear his vision. The ship lurched again. Vexir and Ryth-Shan were both thrown out through the hole in the ship near Kaedyn. They were also so dazed that they didn't even scream as they went. There was no sign of Lae'zel or the demons.
Then he became acutely aware of the Mind Flayer glaring at him with a strange mix of hatred and adoration. Kaedyn wasn't quite sure what it is thinking, but he almost get the impression that it was trying to save him. Before he could ponder this further, a slab of metal broke loose from somewhere near the transponder. It flew and smacked Kaedyn in the head.
A few moments later, he was thrown out the hole in the wall as the ship lurched to that side. The next thing he knew, he was plummeting towards the ground. The world was spinning. He could hardly maintain conscious thought. He barely recognized that the ground was coming up towards him, quickly!
And then, all at once, his eyes shot open to see that he was hovering upside down above a beach just a foot off the ground. Near him, Vexir and Ryth-Shan were also floating there, upside down. Everything was glowing, including all three of them. They stared in shock at one another and in fear as they realized that they had somehow survived and had not cracked their heads open on the ground. All three struggled to try to right themselves, twisting upward just as the glowing died and they dropped hard onto the beach. Smacking their heads, they were each rendered unconscious. The last thought that they shared was that they had no idea how long they were unconscious before they finally woke.
End of the Prologue.
