Kaila had been wandering through the Pass of Ghosts for over a week before she found any sign of another living person. And, her luck perhaps turning for the better, it was a group of orcs! With the price of fifty denarii per dead orc, the band of about twenty she'd found would feed and supply her for months. They had four captives with them as well, all elven women.
It was early in the night, and snow was lightly falling around them. The orcs had camped in a thin pine forest, the wide gaps between the trees making it easy to spot any intruders that might try to sneak up on them. They had started a fire and pitched tents, with most of them going to bed, with a captive going into each tent. Kaila was hidden about two hundred feet to the South, crouched behind a particularly thick tree, waiting and watching them as they made camp. Only three men were awake, all of them huddled around the fire they'd made. Kaila could hear soft grunts and cries coming from the four tents, giving her little doubt as to what was going on in there. She wasn't precisely well dressed for this sort of weather, and the long days of travel had begun to make her impatient, but with her quarry outnumbering her twenty to one, she probably ought to be careful.
Kaila looks over the orc nest, running her tongue along her chapped lips in a salacious manner... Twenty orcs! That was one-thousand denarii! And all she needed to bring back was ears? That was easy; but those Elves may even have some kind of reward, too... This could end up very easily being a lucrative deal.
The only problem was the 20 orcs.
While Kaila knew she could easily kill the three loners without any issue, she'd have problems with the other seventeen if she were just by herself. While a warrior of epic proportions, she knew that everyone had their limits - and ending up in the greasy, grimy hands of a horny orc was not something she wanted to experience quite yet. Time for some back up.
Again, licking her lips, Kaila began to whistle a very simple tune, but one that she had memorized long ago, summoning two of her most respected allies. After a few moments, she felt her energy being drained as the tune slipped through the trees, alerting both her Kobold and Troll friend. Resting her back on the tree, rubbing her arms and wiggling her rump, she tried to stay warm, keeping her eyes peeled... when she finally spotted the lumbering figure of Karnak walking through the trees to her, the Kobold she called Nipon on his shoulder. She grinned as the troll came closer.
"That was fast. Were you both nearby this time?" Kaila asks, kicking at the ground a little, "I mean, I know I haven't seen you in a while Karnak... but you can't be that excited to help out." The woman grinned wider.
Karnak was coming directly toward her, his movements silent and without causing the stir of motion one would expect him to cause, given his twelve foot tall, eight foot wide and all muscled bulk. Nipon, the short little kobold as excitable as ever, was practically hopping up and down on the trolls shoulder as he came to stand in front of her. The kobold jumped down immediately, and pounced on Kaila, wrapping his spindly arms around her waist in a hug, chattering excitedly, though not loud enough for the orcs to hear them over the wind. The troll, grinning, did his best to keep his voice low as he replied; "Always happy ter see ya, Kaila! Pleasant companies 'hard to come by in these parts. We was around, followin this lot ter tel ya the truth. It weren't til yesterday that we noticed ye trailin 'em too. It's a good thing ye called too, else we wouldn't have been able to tell ye about the other band of 'em comin up behind ye. They're a few miles out stil, haven't gotten into the woods yet, but there's over fifty of the blighters, and they've got a dozen hounds with 'em ter boot! Now, I'm guessin you've got some sort of plan in stock fer this lot?"
At that point, Nipon chirped in, drawing his wooden club and grinning like a madman; "We're ready! You just give the word! I'll splat 'em all!" The troll quickly patted Nipon on the head, trying to calm him down, which resulted in the kobold being driven a foot down into the snow. "Calm yerself down, we'll get to the relaxin when business is done, ye excitable little fool! And a good ways from here too, if all goes well." The troll said, looking down at him as Nipon extracted himself from his snowy burrow. Then, looking back at Kaila, he said; "So, what'd ye got in mind for this lot?"
(Dark Gate rule # 32: All trolls have scottish accents.)
Kaila balked for a second, staring up at the troll, Karnak. She looked over to the orc encampment, then back to her two allies, giving a smile.
"Well... If we have 50 more coming, I think we need to get rid of these ones quickly. Uh, would you both mind standing back? I'm going to summon the Sphinx, Tahira. Hopefully her riddle won't be too hard..." Kaila ran a hand through her hair, ruffling the brown locks as she tried to think of the special tune that she had used only once before. Pursing her lips together, she began to whistle the much more complicated song, feeling the energy flow from between her lips and out into the world..
((Summon Sphinx for four EP. Hope the riddle isn't too hard.))
Karnak and Nipon step back as Kaila calls for Tahira, and with her usual dramatic flair, the Sphinx appeared among them in a cloud of snow that dispersed around them. The woman, for woman was what she was, stood calmly in front of her, despite being nude. Her body was dark tan, and arcane symbols colored various parts of her body, inscribed into both her skin and into the fur above it. Full sized wings jutted out of her back, the feathers darker than the rest of her body. Her breasts were almost absurdly large, larger than Kailas head, and topped with dark brown peaks. Her face was entirely human save for the glyph on her cheek, inscribed in black just like the rest of them. One golden closed in a wink as she greeted Kaila, her voice magic to behold as befitting one of her kind; "Kaila! How wonderful to see you! I do so love it when you invite me to your little orgies! Maybe you'll last more than thirty seconds this time?"
That last reference brought a flush to Kailas cheeks, as she remembered the last time she'd summoned all three of them, and the sphinx had brought her to a climax so fast she hadn't even had time to respond. Unfortunately, after that she'd barely been able to move, much less give Karnak the payment for his service, but the sphinx had graciously taken on that debt for her on that particular occasion. Once she'd responded to that, the sphinx continued; "Well, I suppose I'll have to ask you a riddle. We are slaves to tradition, after all. Lets see......
"Mountains fall before my tireless might,
and never once has man caught me in his sight.
But the willow tree never fears my touch,
though she forever weeps as I pass her by,
and sand and snow do I make move too much,
so, my friend, what am I?" The sphinx finished her recitation with a dramatic bow, and then looked up at Kaila expectantly.
(It's easy, due in part to me being terrible with riddles, and being unable to think up creative rhymes. the verse is also mildly terrible, I'm sure, though I couldn't be asked to look up how to actually write poetry.)
Kaila's face suddenly became flush, her eyes bulging a bit. How come that stupid sphinx always kept bringing that up?! Keeping her arms crossed, now more for anger than warmth, the young woman pursed her lips together in annoyance. But, with the cold and the nude sphinx and so much money nearby... Kaila couldn't even think of a good come back.
"Why aren't you wearing clothes?!" She spat out. Realizing she may have said this too loud, she looked back to the orc encampment, then towards the Tahira.
"Fine... Go on with the riddle," She murmured. The woman listened carefully, then, as soon as Tahira finished, a wide smile burst across Kalia's lips, looking up at the sphinx with the giant breasts, "It's Wind," She announced happily.
Without even waiting for a response, Kaila spun back around to peer at the orc camp, "Now, Tahira, I want you to go in first. The orcs will probably think they have some sort of new toy to play with instead of a fearsome Sphinx. Karnak, Nipon and I will advance right after you, mainly to catch them by surprise.
"Does... that sound like it will work?" She asked, looking back at the Fey creatures.
To her sudden outburst, Tahira smirked and winked at Kaila, replying; "Why bother this time? I'll just end up naked again."
When Kaila gave the answer to the riddle, the sphinx hopped up and down several times, grinning widely, and talked over Kaila to say; "Correct!"
After explaining her plan, Tahira nodded, and suddenly the sphinx's features began to shift and morph, melting and reforming like water. Her wings disappeared, her hair changed from black to golden blond, and her figure shifted from her usual busty self to a well toned, though still appealing, form. Her fur disappeared, runic marks and all, becoming pale creamy skin, and to top it all off, her ears became long and pointed. All in all, she made a fairly good elf, though her haughty expression seemed a bit over the top to Kailas mind. "How do I look? Think they'll buy it? A poor lost elven girl, bandits having taken everything, even the clothes off her back? Who would be ever so grateful to anyone that might help her warm up?"
Nipon, as expected, jumped up and down, eager to spill blood. Karnak, after a moments thought, said; "We shouldn't all come form the same direction when we rush the camp. Why don't Nipon and I try to scare 'em out for ya? Attack form the opposite side? Tahira here can help too. We'll herd 'em so you can get all of 'em fer one shot."
"Alright... That sounds perfect," The woman said with a grin, "Karnak, Nipon, come in from the East. I'll come in from the West when the orcs are focuing on Tahira," Kaila said, looking the 'elf' from head to toe, "...Very nice. I think they'll love having a naive little Elf around," She teased.
As soon as they were all ready, Kaila snuck around to the West of the camp, crouching low behind some trees as she waited for Tahira to wander into the camp. She smiled a bit, watching... suddenly feeling jealously welling up in her stomach as the orcs paid so much attention to Tahira. She was only some slutty fey! Not really even an elf! She could do much better than the sphinx could - she was sure of it.
So she waltzed into the camp, looking at the three orcs near the fire.
"Hey boys!" She said happily, striking a pose, her hand on her hip and grabbing a handful of hair, sticking her rear out, "Think she's sexy?"
((Walk into the camp and steal Tahira's thunder out of jealousy.))
Tahira had only been speaking to the orcs for about thirty seconds, two of them having risen and acquired a cloak for her while the third simply sat by the fire, waiting and watching the nude elf with suspicion, when Kaila approached and made her dramatic entrance. Striking a pose that made her already impressive figure all the more alluring, especially considering the fact that the cold had her nipples almost perpetually standing at attention, the two orcs that had gotten up to help the shapeshifted Fey glanced at each other in confusion, an expression also worn by Tahira, which was so convincing that Kaila wasn't even sure that she was acting. The orc that was still sitting, however, looked at Kaila expressionlessly, and said; "Yes. Now, either get as naked as she is, or tell us what you're doing here, human. It's no coincidence that two strangers walk into camp in the middle of the night at almost exactly the same time. How many more of you are out wandering in the dark?"
The other two orcs, who were on either side of the still elven Tahira, looked even more confused than before, though Kaila could tell that they were staring more at her chest than anything else. Glancing out into the woods, Kaila spotted Nipon and Karnak, just barely visible in the gloom, and knew that they were in position to offer aid if she needed it. She'd gotten them, or one of them at least, talking, so her plan was working so far, if not in exactly the way she might have liked. Tahira was also staring at her, her expression unreadable, which might have caused the orcs to question the truth of her story if they'd been paying attention to her. Now that she was wrapped in a thick brown cloak, the orcs seemed less inclined to look at her than at Kaila, who's clothing was extremely tight and revealing.
"Just me," Kaila said in a sing song voice, dropping her pose, raising her arms up to her chest, looking as if she was trying to cover up her hard nipples... instead grabbing onto her shoulder armor, pulling that off and letting it drop to the ground. If Tahira would get attention for being nude, then she'd one-up the Sphinx and get even more attention from the orcs! It wasn't really according to plan... But she figured it was close enough.
Continuing her light strip tease, Kaila slipped off her gloves, then began to undo the wrap about her breasts, slowly unwinding the material as she spoke: "I've been following this poor Elven soul since she was attacked by Bandits... She was so scared when I jumped to defend her that she ran off without looking back, unaware I was helping her! After defeating the bandits - Oo, it is rather cold..." she murmured, her pink nipples exposed to the fresh air; so she began to work on taking off her boots, "I realized she had gone and began to follow her tracks. The poor thing just stumbled upon your camp not long before I, it seems."
Kaila finished her explanation, now only in her bottom wear - which was quickly disposed of, the woman bending over and giving the orc who questioned her quite a nice view of her pink lips as she pulled the clothing to her feet, stepping out of it with a flourish. Now completely nude, she took a few steps towards Tahira, arms open wide to give the Elven woman a hug.
"Poor dear... To be lost so far from home... and to lose... Everything, I mean," Kaila added on, trying to hide a grin as she hugged Tahira. She knew how attention-driven the Sphinx was, and, while Kaila denied that about her own personality, the girl figured this was the best payback that she could muster for the orgasm comment earlier. She couldn't help but kiss Tahira on the cheek sweetly, just to add insult to injury, "It's okay, sweetie. You're safe now."
Of course, she was -very- prepared in case one of the orcs came to attack her.
((Tell a sob story about her trying to 'save' Tahira, strip to nothing, hug and kiss the sphinx.
If an orc tries to physically attack her, summon and use Spirit Blade x6, giving using up 10 EP to summon it, and giving her an attack of 6d6+5. If an orc gropes or tries to molest her, Kaila will let it happen... for now.))
The spokesmans eyes widen as Kaila starts pulling her clothes off, surprised that she was actually doing as he told, on both counts no less. The other two orcs were grinning widely, watching as Kaila pulled her clothing off. None of them gave any verbal reply to Kailas explanation, the one that had done all the talking so far too flabbergasted by her behavior to question her further, and the two silent ones too pleased with their apparent luck to thin much on it; two women, one naked and the other getting so voluntarily within minutes! As she walked by them toward Tahira, Kaila noticed that both of them had bulges forming in their pants.
Tahira opened up the cloak as she approached, allowing Kaila to press her body up against that of the sphinx. As she did, Kaila felt warmth flood through her, as though she were standing in a warm meadow in the heart of summer, rather than in a snow forest. The sphinx looked confused for a a moment or two as Kaila snuggled up against her and kissed her cheek, not understanding what she'd meant initially. After a few cheek kisses, however, it seemed to click with the Fey, and her head tilted lightly, her eyes very briefly flashing as she recognized Kailas challenge. Her expression changed instantly from one of confusion to a wide eyed, almost mystified look, her lips pouted, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She pressed her body against Kailas, wrapping her arms around her while pressing their busts against each other, Kailas actually larger than Tahiras while she was in her altered body. The cloak is quickly discarded, revealing the two nude women, and false elfs lips plant a stream of kisses against Kailas cheek, slowly heading toward her mouth. Tahiras hips roll, presenting her toned ass for the orcs, while her pink lips are plainly visible to the men standing around them. Evidently, the sphinx wasn't going to let Kaila win the orcs attentions so easily, as they now seemed to be concentrating more on her than on Kaila. The orcs seem content to watch for now, despite the increasingly lewd performance happening in front of them.
Kaila let out a soft gasp as Tahira began to kiss her back, her nipples already at standing erect from the cold - but they would have stood at attention from the sudden shock. She tried to keep her angry sneer out of her smile, the corners of her lips twitching in anger. She whispered low, only for the Pseudo-Elf to hear:
"Don't you ever give up?
"Ayaaan," Kaila let out a teasing moan as she was kissed, pulling her lips away from Tahira after their little kiss, "The silly elf has dropped our cloak... Do you two boys have a tent where we could get warm?" She asked, addressing the two orcs who hadn't doubted her, "Or... Any place I could convert a non-believer?" She turned her head, barely looking over her shoulder at the orc that had questioned her, sticking her toned rear out towards the loner...
((Try and separate the group of three further. Again, if one attacks, use Spirit Blade - but this time, I'm going to go with 10x. >.> So she'd get 10d6+5... Just to be safe.))
Tahira also issued a soft moan into the kiss, her lips parting and her tongue darting out to momentarily explore Kailas mouth, before she pulled away, quietly saying; "Never...... Why don't you?" The orcs, while not hearing the conversation, had their attention completely focused on the two women, so they didn't notice Nipon and Karnak, who were watching the two with just as much interest, now barely hidden amongst the trees as they tried to get a better look at the two feminine bodies pressed against each other. When Kaila gave her suggestion, one of the orcs standing next to her grunted; "Oh yeah, we've got someplace where we can keep the two of you nice and warm all right." Then, he stepped closer, one hand clamping right onto Kailas soft round ass, squeezing and kneading her flesh, and continued; "Right this way."
The orc started leading the two of them toward one of the smaller tents, the only one which Kaila couldn't hear any sound coming from, while the other orc who'd been eager for her performance followed behind holding onto Tahiras ass, when suddenly, a loud authoritative voice shouted; "What in the hell's going on out here? Why are you three leaving your post? And who the hell are they?" Turning, Kaila found a burly orc wearing chainmail, as opposed to the normal leather armor, staring at her. The two orcs holding onto Kailas and Tahiras bottoms started babbling, swiftly pulling away form the two women, when the third orc said; "They just sort of.. Wandered into camp, sir. I'm not sure what to make of it either. I was just coming to get you, sir." At that, the new arrival snorted, muttering to himself, before saying; "Alright, your watch shifts are almost over anyway. Just make sure you wake the next bunch;" Then, turning an amorous gaze onto the two nude women, he grinned and said; "And don't forget to share."
The three apparently couldn't be happier, as before they could come up with any response, they were pushed forward and into a tent. There was a fire lit in the center, and about six small mats were scattered about the tent, all of which were full. The skeptic woke the rest of the orcs, who all got up quickly, and for a moment Kaila and Tahira were mostly ignored as they stood, fully nude, in the center of a tent with nine orcs. Tahira quietly whispered; "I bet I can take more of them than you can...." How Kaila wanted to take that statement was entirely up to her.
Kaila was excited to get the skeptic orc on her side, hoping that she might be able to take them out one by one... until they all started move both she and Tahira to the tent, looking side-long at Nipon and Karnak, almost ready to call for help - until the bigger orc showed up. Turning with the three, Kaila tried to keep herself from shooting a blast of energy at their leader, knowing that would just cause problems.
But standing in this tent was a very, very bad thing. Kaila hadn't been in an orgy, and really did not want to start with nine orcs and one horny Sphinx... So she cooed lightly to the orc who was 'smart' enough to wake everyone up, looking up at him with big eyes.
"But I'm so much better solo..." She whispered, "Can't we go somewhere else?"
If that didn't work, she already knew what would happen: The woman would grab Tahira by the arm, pull her out of the tent, and light the nine orcs and their little pup tent with a cone of spirit energy.
((Convince the orc to take her somewhere else. If that doesn't work, pull Tahira out of the tent, use the cone-based Power Surge x15; this will give Kaila 1d6x15 damage.))
The orc emits a grunt of laughter, and replies; "Go where? Into the woods? All the tents are in use honey, it's not like this is a long term camp. Hey, where are you going?" The last part is delivered as Kaila grabs Tahira, who'd been staring at her in confusion, and starts dragging the nude woman outside. The orcs stare at her confusedly, and only one of them, the skeptic, has any reaction as she spins around and unleashes a cone of blinding golden energy. The orcs are hidden from sight by the blast momentarily, and when they reappear their tent has disintegrated around them, and the trees behind them that were struck by the blast have had their trunks blackened. The inhabitants of the tent are still standing, and are likewise blackened, their appearance almost comical until they all started drawing clubs from out of the ruins of their makeshift shelter. The orc who'd spoken to them first was the closest, and as he started toward Kaila he shouted; "I know there was something wrong about you! Attack! We're under attack!"
Tahira sighs, her shape changing visibly as she spoke, her voice filled with mock sarcasm; "Well, that wasn't fair! You didn't tell me when we were starting! How am I supposed to win if you're going to cheat? And you didn't even kill any of them! I think they might be angry at us now...." As she finished speaking, her transformation had completed, taking the form in which she fought. The sphinx had the body of a lion, an eagles wings and clawed feat, while from the head of her bestial body, she had the torso she normally had, of a well endowed woman, though it was almost twice as large now. If the shape of their prey worried them, the orcs didn't show it, as the ones form the tent charged toward them. Kaila had had to back up almost to the fire pit in the center of camp to be sure that she got all of them, so they were still twenty feet from where she and Tahira stood. Nipon and Karnak were rushing into the camp from the woods, but they lumbering troll and short kobold couldn't get there very quickly, so they were still forty feet off to their left.
Some instinct told Kaila to turn and look behind her, at which point she spotted the orcs apparent leader. The chainmail clad warrior was only twelve feet away from her, and had two weapons drawn, a sword and a club. He'd been moving as silent as quiet as a mouse, but now that he was revealed, she might be able to take action before he could put those weapons to use. The sword, she knew, would bite double hard against her Fey allies, who were vulnerable to the touch of iron. Finally, the rest of the orcs in the tents could be heard rousing themselves. She could hear some from the tent behind them, and some in the tent to their right, though the exact numbers she couldn't determine.
Kaila growls, glaring at the Sphinx as she begins to change.
"Listen, I know what you were planning on doing with those orcs! I am NOT taking part in a greenskin orgy because you can't be satisfied by even a minotau-" She pauses, hearing something not far from her. Spinning around, she spots the orc leader, somewhat surprised he doesn't bellow in anger at her... but she still responds in kind, raising her voice and roaring at the greenskin.
"RAAAAAAAAR!" She cried, leaping over the fire pit and towards the creature, a golden light bursting for from her hands, forming into a long, shimmering blade, a tint of blue running up the middle. As the agile woman landed on the ground, she rolled, gaining just a bit of extra distance, before lashing out with her sword at the orc, grinning up at him.
"See how you like my sword!" She jeered.
((Use Spirit Blade x25, giving her 25d6+5, attacking the leader. And, I swear, if this doesn't KO him in one hit... I'll call Shenanigans!))
Most of Kailas remaining energy went into the powerful blade that formed in her hands, but the orc remained stony faced as the still nude Kaila rolled toward him and delivered her jibe, and swung her blade at him. He dodged aside of her strike at the last possible second, leaving Kaila completely overextended, and the orc captain stoically took advantage of her moment of weakness. He swept the short sword in his right hand at her belly, forcing her a step back lest she be disemboweled, but still receiving a nasty cut across her abdomen. Then, his club came up and slammed directly into the side of her head, sending her stumbling to the side a step before she crumbled to the snowy ground, no longer able to think through the splitting pain in her noggin. The last thing she sees before she blacks out, her energy blade still burning in her hands, is the orc standing over her body, and saying; "Seen it. Not impressed."
Meanwhile, Tahira glared as the orcs came charging toward her, her arms shaping a ball of black energy in her hands, before pushing out away from her. It passed harmlessly through the first orc before he could dodge aside, and the rest charged on after seeing the first unharmed. The black orb exploded directly in the center of them, tendrils of dark magic spreading out and hitting every single orc from the tent directly in the chest. Instantly, every single one of them dropped to the ground, completely motionless. The sphinx then turned toward Kaila only to see her lying on the ground, out cold, and sighed, saying; "Really dear, you should be more careful." Then, she turned toward the orc captain who had knocked her out, glaring at him as he cautiously advanced on her. Karnak was somewhat more direct, as he picked up a chunk of ice the size of Kailas torso and hurled it at the orc. The man managed to avoid a direct hit as he twisted aside, but it still clipped him, sending him skidding away from Kaila. Ten more orcs poured out into the camp from all sides save the one form which Nipon and Karnak were still charging, and the one which had held the 9 who'd just been taken out due to Tahira and Kailas combined efforts. Still, the fight could hardly be said to be going well for their group, with Kaila out cold. Nipon rushed to the center of cam, past Tahira, to stand over her unconscious form, holding his weapon defensively, while Tahira prepared herself and Karnak moved up to stand beside the sphinx.
Kaila's ego was probably her biggest drawback. The nubile woman had always thought so much of herself, to the point of self-denial when it came to any flaw in her character - such as her ego. She vehemently denied her ego, or any sort of claim that she only accepted compliments and gratitudes to her extraordinary power brought on by... something, whatever it was. Maybe some magic trinket or something, she didn't know. Being the always shining star, the ever-stoic heroine who took not from the poor, bestowed with magical powers from... something-or-other, that's who Kaila had always been, and gladly lived up to that title with her head held high, even whilst nude or penniless.
She had been in far worse situations than this. She once destroyed a group of Bandits who descended upon her merchant's caravan, unleashing a wave of furious blue spiritual hellfire upon the lot. Sure, she passed out from the ordeal, and may have woken up with disheveled clothes and a mighty smile upon the lips of the merchant and his guards, but they paid her double what she had asked for upon completion of her quest. She even gave one denarii to a child afterwards!
But this orc situation was new. She even did a perfect flourish yet the orc captain side stepped it. A look of brief confusion on her eyes, she's barely able to roll backwards as the orc swipes his blade across her abdomen, letting out a yelp of pain. She looks up just in time to see him swing his club, she can't even process what's about to happen when it collides with her head, sending her reeling.
The captain says something, but she can't hear it over the ringing in her head. Gasping for breath, trying to keep her eyes straight, she focuses on the orc - her brows furrowing in anger as she slowly begins her crawl towards him, hands clasping at dirty, digging into the ground as she forced herself to stay steady, her entire body begging to be put down after such a blow. She couldn't give up though; she was the Golden Child! The Savior of the Poor! The Golden Hearted Warrioress! There was no stopping her, and she would let this orc know it!
Growling in anger (or is it pain?... It's probably pain...), the woman grabs onto the bottom of the captain's chainmail, glaring up at him as she pulls her energy blade up to her leg, trying to raise her blade off the ground.. but it was so hard..
"You... You..." She pants heavily, glaring up at him, the orc swearing he saw the devil in her eyes...
"...You're pretty hot for an orc," She said with a ditzy grin, her face immediately lighting up, before falling backwards with a groan, her arms splayed out about her side. Hopefully she was that flexible, or else she may have pulled something.
The very last thing Kaila perceived before she passed out completely was the orc captain looking down at her, an odd expression on his face, before bursting into laughter, just before the massive piece of ice slams into him. Her energy blade fades away as the battle commences between the orcs and her Fey allies.
The battle turned against the warriors quickly, even as Tahira called for additional aid in the form of a reaper, a dread daemon who fed upon the souls of its victims. The orcs closed in on the group, but as they did, Karnak had time to throw another chunk of ice at the orc captain, who was bowled over fully by the blow. Nipon immediately charged upon him, slapping him in the side with his club, and shouted in challenge to which the orc.... Grunted. Staring down at the insignificant kobold, he raised his weapons, ready to enter the fray once more. The orc soldiers surrounded Tahira and Karnak, apparently not noticing the reaper, who was still forming in the air.Tahira took a pair of wounds form the orcs shortspears, while Karnak took hits from every single orc, blood welling up and staining the snow beneath the bellowing troll. Then, the reaper fully appeared, and no sooner had that happened than one of the orcs had his heart literally torn out of his chest, as the daemons hand reached through armor and flesh as though it were air.
Tahiras next spell emitted a burst of flames, frying the rest of the orc warriors around her and leaving them little more than charred hunks of flesh. Karnak hammers his fist into one of the orc warriors, causing him to stumble, but not fall. Nipon clubs the captain again, but this time the orc responds, first with a viscous slash that opens a hissing, bloody wound in the kobolds chest, and then with a blow to the head that nearly knocks the Fey out cold, just as it had Kaila. Karnak took three more hits, though the reaper tore the head off of another orc before he could attempt another blow, but clearly both the troll and the kobold were on their last legs, bleeding heavily and gasping for breath.
Rolls
Round 3
It is at this point that I have to say that you are going to win. Tahira is almost undamaged, and the reaper is an indestructible force of murder. However, I have to see if Nipon and Karnak live through it.
Casting: Success.
Damage: 6 + 6 = 12 x 4 = 48 - 8 = 40 damage.
Attack (Nipon): Hit.
Damage: 2 + 13 - 12 = 3 damage.
Attack (Captain): Hit.
Damage: 3 + 5 + 13 - 10 = 11 x 2 = 22 damage.
Nipon has been slain.
At this point, the only one left is the captain, and it's the reapers turn. Murder ensues.
Tahira unleashes a cone of fire at the trio of orcs stabbing Karnak, her flames once more reducing the warriors of piles of dust on the ground. They turned toward Nipon and the orc captain only to watch in horror as the kobold strikes ineffectually against the orcs armor, only to have his throat cut by the warriors sword, a spray of burning blood mixed to splash into the snow. Tahira then coldly said; "Kill him." And the reaper moved to obey, crushing the orc captains arm so hard that the bone beneath his armor shattered. The orcs scream was short lived, however, as he got his heart torn out as casually as any of the soldiers.
~~~~~~~
Some time later, Kaila awoke to find herself in one of the beds the orcs had slept in, her clothes lying next to her, and Karnak and Tahira kneeling at her side, the sphinx once more in her more humanoid form. Their expressions were grim, despite the fact that she had recovered, they seemed uninjured, and daylight shone in through the opening in the tent.
Kaila awakes with a long, lazy stretch, groaning a just a bit. She hadn't felt warmth like this since she began her quest for orcs... So she was quite content to stay this way, scratching at her tummy before curling up in the bed. It took some sort of noise from one of her Fey companions for the woman to open up an eye, looking up at them with a sort of disinterest. As she heard the news about Nipon's death, Kaila sits up in the bed, keeping the covers wrapped about her as she stared at the both Tahira and Karnak... before a tiny smile slips across her face.
"Oh, you meant he was sent back to the Fey world? That makes sense... I mean, Karnak, you told me that you all never die. Right?" The woman said in a naive voice. It only took a few seconds for the troll to remember what Kaila was talking about...
Kaila was only fourteen when she first summoned Karnak and Nipon... which happened accidentally. Traveling by herself through the woods, the young woman happened upon a slaver camp run by a weak magic-user. He saw Kaila's spirit powers, something the woman knew nothing about at the time, and ordered his men to capture her. Kaila's screams were just the right pitch, and imbued with enough of her latent spirit energy to summon the troll and kobold companion, who came to Kaila's aid. The battle was quick, but in the end, Nipon lay on the ground, slain, with Kaila mourning the brave little creature's passing. Karnak felt just somewhat guilty watching the young woman cry over Nipon, so he moved in close and whispered to Kaila that no Fey ever died- they just returned when they were needed. The lie made Kaila immediately happy, and when she summoned the next Kobold - who Karnak made sure would respond to 'Nipon', she didn't even notice his scales were a different color. For years, Kaila never noticed.
And, after finishing with his story, Karnak also made sure to ask Kaila how exactly she'd pay for his time.
"So..." Kaila said quietly, looking up at Karnak and Tahira, "..Do we keep going, find someplace away from the orcs you saw, Karnak? Or do we settle the payment here?"
