With the barrage of attacks that had come the Manticore's way, it was too distracted to notice that its attack had failed to hit the Fanalis woman. All it knew, was that it had struck something and assumed that information meant Ayero was dead. Feeling secure in that knowledge, the Manticore had focused on the two magicians, a deadly mistake. Since Kabu had taken the attack meant for Ayero, the Fanalis was able to continue with her attack. With one mighty swing of her blade, she cleaved the Manticore's head from its shoulders. A spray of blood gushed from the site of the amputation as the creature's head flew across the room where it landed with a splat against a wall.
The magicians in the room would notice the Manticore's body dissolve into a thick swarm of white and black Rukh. The swarm fluttered towards the stairwell, almost as if it was trying to escape the island.
Ankhesenamun stood nearby the altar, her face contorted in a mix of anger and surprise as she watched Ayero defeat the Manticore. 'H-how?! That was the last bit of the island's power!' A shiver of terror crept up her spine at the thought and she flicked her gaze to Ariella's corpse, her last hope to defeat the invaders. That hope was quickly crushed, an unseen force had shattered Ankhesenamun's spell, stealing Ariella and her Rukh in a bright flash of light. Noticing the swarm of Rukh, the magician started chanting to ensnare the flickering butterflies once more.
Lagi, Merrze, and Bahir, followed by the pirates, would arrive at the top of the spiral-staircase. A door led them into a small room that smelled of sickness. A stone slab at one end of the room served as a bed. At the foot of the bed, there was a bucket half-filled with vomit. A small fire was built in the center of the room to keep it warm, above it, a hole designed to draw the smoke outside. The group would notice an open door at the other end of the room and they could hear an angry woman screaming beyond it. If the group investigated, they would find the rest of the treasure-hunters and if they looked to the right, they would find an unknown woman with her back to them.
El Drago would arrive at the temple ruins and startle a few of the archaeologists who were finishing up their work. In fear of being eaten with none of their protectors around, the archaeologists stumbled over themselves to head into the records room, where the dragon couldn't fit through. Of course, if they were thinking rationally, El Drago would have no problems busting through the wall. That would comes with its own consequences, however. Breaking the wall would cause the ceiling to collapse and bury El Drago's allies.
If El Drago managed to remind the archaeologists that he was on their side, they would relax. They would inform the dragon that the treasure-hunters were in the basement fighting a creature. Since they weren't warriors, they hadn't dared go down and look for themselves to see what was going on.
Ayero's question startled Ankhesenamun out of her stupor. Looking at the Fanalis, she smirked, hiding the fact that she had no hand in making Ariella's body vanish. Her face twisted in pain suddenly and she dropped to her knees, letting out a piercing scream as a violent tremor shook the island. Her Borg flared into existence before shattering into tiny fragments. She let out an agonizing howl as she clutched the skull tightly. "NO! GIVE ME MORE TIME!"
Tyrus burst into the room, huffing and waving a book in his hands. " Guys! I think I figured it out-" He paused as he finally took in his surroundings, noticing a strange woman at the other end of the room, her eyes bleeding, and the treasure-hunters behind her. "Wait, how did you get here? Nevermind that. It says here that the island can be controlled through a medium. It seems that Ezekial sacrificed himself to change the foundation of the spells. Whoever hold a piece of his body controls the island!" He blinked at what Ankhesenamun held in her hands. "Those markings....that's the skull!"
Ankhesenamun flicked a deadly glare up in the general direction of Tyrus, unable to see clearly from the blood filling her vision. "Shut up! None of you are worthy enou-" She let out a wracking cough, vomiting a mix of blood and bile. Suddenly, her body slumped as the last vestiges of magoi was drained from her and fed into the island. When she collapsed onto the floor, the skull rolled a few feet away from her. Another violent tremor passed through the island, lasting a few seconds longer than before.
Tyrus looked around, his eyes wide with realization as he looked back to the books. "Umm....I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think those tremors mean the island is out of power. The entire island is going to sink without someone controlling it and magoi to power it. We need to get out of here." He turned and started to run up the stairs to gather his crew.
The head archaeologist was correct, the island would sink without someone else to wield Ezekial's skull, taking up the mantle. They could start heading to the shore to meet up with Madam Trixie and get the hell off the island, but there was that option. Someone could seize Ezekial's skull and obtain the power of the island for themselves. Their magoi would be drained without another source of magoi fueling the spell. This would kill them, but that could be avoided with an adequate number of sacrifices. In fact, there were enough sacrifices in this room to sustain the island for a time. Even enough to build an army to take out the rest of the pirates, if a person saw fit to do so. With the pirates, it would be enough to sustain the island for a few months. Sure, someone would have to fight their allies, but they were exhausted allies, tired from previous battles. Whether anyone in the room was the kind of person to do just that or the type to support such a person, would have to be seen.
OOC: Please post in 48 hours. No posting order.
The magicians in the room would notice the Manticore's body dissolve into a thick swarm of white and black Rukh. The swarm fluttered towards the stairwell, almost as if it was trying to escape the island.
Ankhesenamun stood nearby the altar, her face contorted in a mix of anger and surprise as she watched Ayero defeat the Manticore. 'H-how?! That was the last bit of the island's power!' A shiver of terror crept up her spine at the thought and she flicked her gaze to Ariella's corpse, her last hope to defeat the invaders. That hope was quickly crushed, an unseen force had shattered Ankhesenamun's spell, stealing Ariella and her Rukh in a bright flash of light. Noticing the swarm of Rukh, the magician started chanting to ensnare the flickering butterflies once more.
Lagi, Merrze, and Bahir, followed by the pirates, would arrive at the top of the spiral-staircase. A door led them into a small room that smelled of sickness. A stone slab at one end of the room served as a bed. At the foot of the bed, there was a bucket half-filled with vomit. A small fire was built in the center of the room to keep it warm, above it, a hole designed to draw the smoke outside. The group would notice an open door at the other end of the room and they could hear an angry woman screaming beyond it. If the group investigated, they would find the rest of the treasure-hunters and if they looked to the right, they would find an unknown woman with her back to them.
El Drago would arrive at the temple ruins and startle a few of the archaeologists who were finishing up their work. In fear of being eaten with none of their protectors around, the archaeologists stumbled over themselves to head into the records room, where the dragon couldn't fit through. Of course, if they were thinking rationally, El Drago would have no problems busting through the wall. That would comes with its own consequences, however. Breaking the wall would cause the ceiling to collapse and bury El Drago's allies.
If El Drago managed to remind the archaeologists that he was on their side, they would relax. They would inform the dragon that the treasure-hunters were in the basement fighting a creature. Since they weren't warriors, they hadn't dared go down and look for themselves to see what was going on.
Ayero's question startled Ankhesenamun out of her stupor. Looking at the Fanalis, she smirked, hiding the fact that she had no hand in making Ariella's body vanish. Her face twisted in pain suddenly and she dropped to her knees, letting out a piercing scream as a violent tremor shook the island. Her Borg flared into existence before shattering into tiny fragments. She let out an agonizing howl as she clutched the skull tightly. "NO! GIVE ME MORE TIME!"
Tyrus burst into the room, huffing and waving a book in his hands. " Guys! I think I figured it out-" He paused as he finally took in his surroundings, noticing a strange woman at the other end of the room, her eyes bleeding, and the treasure-hunters behind her. "Wait, how did you get here? Nevermind that. It says here that the island can be controlled through a medium. It seems that Ezekial sacrificed himself to change the foundation of the spells. Whoever hold a piece of his body controls the island!" He blinked at what Ankhesenamun held in her hands. "Those markings....that's the skull!"
Ankhesenamun flicked a deadly glare up in the general direction of Tyrus, unable to see clearly from the blood filling her vision. "Shut up! None of you are worthy enou-" She let out a wracking cough, vomiting a mix of blood and bile. Suddenly, her body slumped as the last vestiges of magoi was drained from her and fed into the island. When she collapsed onto the floor, the skull rolled a few feet away from her. Another violent tremor passed through the island, lasting a few seconds longer than before.
Tyrus looked around, his eyes wide with realization as he looked back to the books. "Umm....I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think those tremors mean the island is out of power. The entire island is going to sink without someone controlling it and magoi to power it. We need to get out of here." He turned and started to run up the stairs to gather his crew.
The head archaeologist was correct, the island would sink without someone else to wield Ezekial's skull, taking up the mantle. They could start heading to the shore to meet up with Madam Trixie and get the hell off the island, but there was that option. Someone could seize Ezekial's skull and obtain the power of the island for themselves. Their magoi would be drained without another source of magoi fueling the spell. This would kill them, but that could be avoided with an adequate number of sacrifices. In fact, there were enough sacrifices in this room to sustain the island for a time. Even enough to build an army to take out the rest of the pirates, if a person saw fit to do so. With the pirates, it would be enough to sustain the island for a few months. Sure, someone would have to fight their allies, but they were exhausted allies, tired from previous battles. Whether anyone in the room was the kind of person to do just that or the type to support such a person, would have to be seen.
OOC: Please post in 48 hours. No posting order.