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"Murder, Lies and Civic Duty."
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<blockquote data-quote="Kidjake" data-source="post: 6764672" data-attributes="member: 6776876"><p>Eadric wakes up bloody and dizzy before the form of the Fire Idol, it takes him a minute to notice the dull ache issuing from his left hand a moment longer to remember removing the last two fingers from it.</p><p></p><p>Strangely, the pain is minimal and the longer he lays there the better he feels. He realizes that the Idol must be healing him.</p><p></p><p>"I've delivered my side of the bargain." the kobold finally says. "Your turn."</p><p></p><p>"Farakim no longer has access to your minds." the Idol replies. "It's up to you to do the rest."</p><p></p><p>Eadric winces as he flexes the remaining fingers of his left hand. "I suspected as much. Where is the fiend? I intend on finishing this now."</p><p></p><p>The Idol's reply is a little too quick, a little too precise, a little too...helpful. "Close. Within this very forest in fact." it replies. "Are you sure you want to face him as you are though? Surely an edge couldn't hurt."</p><p></p><p>With the price of his last deal still scarring over, Eadric knows better. "Just the directions Idol, I'll do this myself."</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"There's nothing more for you here Gandil." Kavos says, once the shock wears off.</p><p></p><p>"Oh?" Gandil asks, raising an eyebrow as he skittes forward on his thick spider legs. "Because I can think of three traitors and an abomination that still hold this town in their grasp....not to mention poor Mr Baby. I don't think ANY of you people are fit to raise him!"</p><p></p><p>"And YOU are?" Kavos retorts "Look at yourself Gandil, you are LITERALLY a monster now. You step into that Keep and not one person will remember you as the hero we convinced them you were."</p><p></p><p>"Worry less about me Kavos and more about yourself, I won't be coming alone and once we show the town what you REALLY are, what YOU did to me, they'll welcome us as saviors." Gandil growls.</p><p></p><p>"Tell me what I am Gandil. I am the man who made peace with the Locathah; I am the man who built homes for the homeless; I am the man who protected Westbank from The 8; I am the man who was lawfully elected to lead this town into prosperity." Kavos replies boldly. "Now, what are you? YOU are a monster that spread plague and ruin! YOU destroyed Eastbank, YOU infected the Locathah, YOU drove away our allies when we needed them the most! And you claim to be a savior? Savior of what exactly?"</p><p></p><p>"Of the ruins of Blackstone Keep, once Bryce and Ibaeli are done burning it to the ground." Gandil replies coldly. "It's YOUR enemies that want our town burned Kavos. The merchant who's men YOU infected, the druid that YOU angered. They've agreed to spare the town, so long as I bring them your head."</p><p></p><p>Kavos is taken aback and stammers for a moment. "You're a fool Gandil!" the elderly cleric shouts. "What have I done that is bad you would side with a slaver over a man of law? An INSANE druid over a man of order? While they dangle the lives of innocents as leverage!"</p><p></p><p>"What have you done?" Gandil asks, gritting his teeth in self righteous fury. "Really?! You sentenced me to an eternity of silent torture to save a grave robbing liar! You locked innocent people on a crowded ship full of ghouls! You were willing to sell those we swore to protect into a lifetime of slavery..." the former sheriff says sadly. "Bryce is an a**hole and Ibaeli...well yeah, Ibaeli's crazy. I'm pretty sure he intends on eating you. But at least I know where I stand with them."</p><p></p><p>"It wouldn't have been forever!" Kavos replies almost pleadingly. "I had plans for you Gandil, for US, if only you would have calmed down! As for the ship, you'd turned Bryce against us so I did what I had to do; which I WOULDN'T have had to do if YOU hadn't started the Apocalypse around us! Maybe you can't see why I made the difficult choices, but they had to be made. Maybe they were right, maybe they were wrong, but I did everything for the sake of Westbank."</p><p></p><p>Gandil sighs and readies his two-handed blade. "Right or wrong...this is the way things have turned out Kavos. Whoever walks away from this gets to tell the town his side."</p><p></p><p>Kavos starts to spring into action but is struck by a blast of webbing from Gandil and anchored to the ground, he manages to pass his Concentration check and get off a Bestow Curse to give Gandil a 50/50 chance of doing nothing each round. Gandil surges forward and sinks his fangs into Kavos's shoulder, poisoning his former friend with a strength draining venom.</p><p></p><p>Kavos casts Spiritual Ally and a red spectral figure with large tusks and bull-like horns appears in a suit of fullplate armor, wielding a jagged mace, it hacks painfully into Gandil's side. The curse holds Gandil in place and Kavos takes this opportunity to hit himself with Owl's Wisdom, even as he feels his already meager physical strength being sapped away.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Eadric stumbles towards the smoldering remains of Westbank in confusion, bruised and battered but otherwise in one piece. What happened here? Was it like this when he left? No...it was still in one piece. He's almost sure of it.</p><p></p><p>The kobold reaches up to rub his throbbing head and nearly panics. His headband is gone! He tries to focus and remember, but without the magic of the headband it's so hard... His instincts scream for him to return to the warren, but he's still smart enough to know that won't help anything; he's got to get it back!</p><p></p><p>His memory is fuzzy and disjointed, but he remembers Farakim. He remembers ambushing the creature by the road, being so sure of his success...but he failed. So spectacularly that his opponent didn't even try to kill him. No, he did much worse...</p><p></p><p>Eadric grits his teeth as tries to bring everything into focus. Farakim recognized the magic in his headband, slammed him against a tree with invisible force until he stopped squirming and stripped it off him. He feels the panic returning. Without the headband he's just another kobold. Just another dirty, simpering, ignorant....</p><p></p><p>"Kavos!" Eadric nearly shouts to himself. Kavos could help, he's got magic...the kind that could make things clear again, shut up the whimpering little voice deep inside that Eadric had buried so long ago...</p><p></p><p>There Westbank is in the distance! Kavos should be there. Wait, why is it burning? Was it like that when he left? No...it was still in one piece. He's almost sure of it.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Kavos struggles uselessly against his bindings as his spiritual servant continues its assault on Gandil and the drider himself stumbles forward to bring his sword down onto Kavos's exposed shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"Hiyaa!" Eadric shouts as he comes flying from seemingly nowhere, kicking Gandil in the side of the head and sending him staggering away in confusion.</p><p></p><p>Kavos takes the opportunity to hit Gandil with Doom and Eadric recovers from his flying kick and leaps back into the air in an attempt to mount Gandil like a horse, however the kobold is quickly thrown to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Gandil stumbles back again and with a wave of his hand the ground opens up and both Eadric and Kavos plummet almost 50ft onto the waiting spikes below. Blood flows freely from their wounds as they take stock of their situation. They're a good ways below ground and the walls seem to laced with razorblades. Their every step is impeded by crude spike jutting out of the ground...but at least Kavos is no longer stuck in his web and the poison seems to have finally worked its way out of his veins.</p><p></p><p>Eadric's still wearing his slippers of spiderclimbing so he simply bolts right up the side of the pit without a word, though does manage to cut himself up in the process. Kavos calls his Spiritual Ally to him and rides the spectre out, though it disappears as he lands outside. He casts Shield of Faith on himself as he glares at Gandil's backside as the cursed drider attempts to stumble away.</p><p></p><p>Eadric charges and spits Adhesive Spittle at Gandil's legs, managing to secure him in place for the time being. Kavos cats Unholy Blight, wanting to answer the question of Gandil's alignment once and for all, but it's diverted by Gandil's Spell Resistance and they continue wondering.</p><p></p><p>Gandil attempts to free himself from the sticky strands holding him, but the curse forces him to stand there slackjawed instead. Eadric stands outside of Gandil's melee range and uses his Acid Breath on the bound warrior to devastating effect.</p><p></p><p>Gandil isn't exactly sure who this little kobold is, but assumes that if he's helping Kavos he must have some connection to the town. "Why don't you go check on the others? They might be in trouble!" Gandil says as he casts Suggestion. Eadric's expression goes vacant as he decides that sounds like a marvelous idea; charging into the only building left standing (Rambalt's place) to search for survivors.</p><p></p><p>Kavos curses as Eadric abandons him, but still takes the opportunity to cast Cure Serious Wounds on himself. Gandil responds by doing nothing, so Kavos starts peppering him with Channeled Negative Energy.</p><p></p><p>Gandil begins chanting something that Kavos can't quite make out, so the cleric responds by casting Obscuring Mist on himself to block the monster's vision. No sooner does the mist appear than hundreds of spiders erupt from the ground and scatter into the mist in search of prey. Kavos responds with a blast of negative energy which manages to wipe them all out.</p><p></p><p>When Kavos emerges from the mist he discovers Gandil scurrying away from the town at full speed. "Where are you going Gandil?" Kavos calls out in irritation, calmly following his former friend at a leisurely pace.</p><p></p><p>"To get this fixed!" Gandil says, taking a staggered step as though he's forgetting how to walk.</p><p></p><p>"I thought you had to kill me or they'd kill the town. You'd really abandon the town so easily?" Kavos says with a laugh.</p><p></p><p>Gandil chuckles in response. "No, today was only a happy accident Kavos, I just came to say goodbye to West Bank. I'm not supposed to kill you for another few weeks...but if you insist." he says, spinning in place and brandishing his blade.</p><p></p><p>"This is pointless Gandil." Kavos says exasperatedly. "We shouldn't be fighting, the town needs us both. After you died a man named Dolph came, he had a contract to kill me...and YOU. A deputy gave his life to defeat him, but Dolph's dying words were that until we were both dead everyone in town was a target."</p><p></p><p>"I am dead." Gandil scoffs. "If they need proof I can show them where I'm buried."</p><p></p><p>"I hardly think they'd see things that way." Kavos replies. "Gandil...Ibaei is working with these madmen. I have witnesses that'll say the same."</p><p></p><p>"I know, Bryce hired them." Gandil replies with a vicious smile. "Like I said he's an a**hole, but him and Ibaeli have had some sort of deal in the works for the past few days and we're smoothing things over; I'm off his s***list."</p><p></p><p>"You...know?" Kavos stammers, as though physically struck. "YOU KNOW!?" he shouts. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! You lecture ME on morality and you WORK for the people trying to kill our citizens!?"</p><p></p><p>With a shout of genuine rage Kavos unleashes another burst of negative energy into Gandil's face.</p><p></p><p>Gandil's grin grows slightly more manic. "It's not ideal Kavos, I admit. But take it from somebody who knows, dying's not the end of the world!" the deranged drider shouts as the ground opens up and swallows Kavos once more.</p><p></p><p>Kavos tumbles down into the pit, impaling himself on landing. He groans and hears chanting as he stumbles wearily to his feet. He manages to patch up some of his injuries with a Cure Moderate Wounds just as the walls erupt with spiders. Kavos uses up the last of his Channel Negative Energy attempts to keep from being overwhelmed and discovers that he's suddenly out of spells as well.</p><p></p><p>Kavos collapses in despair and sits in the pit panting until the spell ends and sky rushes to meet him once more. Gandil stands there, sword at the ready as Kavos appears and swings the flat of his blade like a club; sending Kavos rolling from the force of the blow.</p><p></p><p>Everything starts going dark as Gandil snatches Kavos by the collar and hoists him until they're face to face. It looks like Gandil wants to say something, but instead settles for punching Kavos directly in the eye socket; fracturing the bone and putting him out like a light.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"Eadric! EADRIC!" Lark shouts, shaking the little kobold until it starts to question why its digging in Rambalt's lab. "Where's Kavos?" the ranger demands.</p><p></p><p>"I...something got him..." Eadric replies, glancing around in confusion. "Spider...big...big spider."</p><p></p><p>"So that's what left those tracks..." Lark mutters, "Looks like a horse wallowed in the dirt out there; doesn't look like it even tried to be stealthy."</p><p></p><p>"Can you follow it?" Eadric asks, his focus suddenly returning.</p><p></p><p>Lark nods. "If spiders took him we may have time before he's dead, assuming we hurry."</p><p></p><p>Eadric nods. "We need help, spider has magic...."</p><p></p><p>"The sheriff is on his way, I'll send word that we're heading into the forest." Lark replies.</p><p></p><p>Eadric shakes his head. "We need more. Need Rothan...need the giant... Point me towards the spider, I'll go ahead. You get help."</p><p></p><p>Lark seems unsure about letting Eadric go alone, but it will take time to get reinforcements.... With a sigh, he takes Eadric out and shows him what to look for; though the kobold's faculties are diminished his eyes are as keen as ever and he bolts off at top speed.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The trail is quite easy to follow, it looks uncannily like a grown man was dragged along the ground and into the forest by a monster. Once Eadric comes into the forest he scurries up a tree, pausing to note thata thick sheen of webbing covers the foliage trapping birds and other small animals inside.</p><p></p><p>The trail is still quite easy to follow as Gandil appears to have simply battered his way into the forest, breaking twigs and bending bushes as he went. Eadric flits among the trees like an acrobatic shadow until he comes to a clearing with even more webbing than normal and a pair of mansized creatures with decidedly spiderlike features are 'tending' to a quartet of coccooned prisoners, Kavos among them.</p><p></p><p>"Ettercaps..." Eadric mutters to himself, remembering the terror that these things so casually spread through the forest. Eadric begins to inch towards the clearing when a gruff voice rings in his head.</p><p></p><p>"Keep your eyes peeled boss, our 'friend' is above you there." Hezrael says from his hiding spot nearby.</p><p></p><p>Eadric glances around for where the voice came from, but his eyes are instead drawn to the hulking form of Gandil nestled in a bed of webbing in the tree tops. Eadric pops the tops of most of his remaining extracts and downs Haste, Bear's Endurance, Stone Fist, Shield and Fire Breath like a bitter cocktail.</p><p></p><p>Eadric leaps from his tree to Gandil's and runs silently up the face of it until he can almost make out the beast's face. He then exhales a gout of flame that consumes Gandil's protective webbing and drops him more than 100ft to the ground below.</p><p></p><p>Gandil slams painfully into the ground with a miserable groan, but once he realizes what's happening manages to get off a stream of magic missiles that slam into Eadric like a volley of arrows.</p><p></p><p>Eadric shouts and leaps from the treetops, delivering a terminal velocity axe-kick that rocks Gandil in place. The ettercaps hiss and charge the kobold, venom dripping from their mandibles.</p><p></p><p>Eadric weaves around the trio of spider monsters with ease before leaping into the air and kicking one ettercap in the head, using the momentum to flip himself over Gandil and landing with both feet directly in the vengeful drider's face.</p><p></p><p>Gandil responds with an overhanded blow that sends Eadric reeling across the forest floor and the ettercaps spew webs which fail to connect. Eadric notices Kavos's cocoon fall silently from its resting place as a large rat attempts to chew through it. They both land on the same floating disc which saved him from the locathah and begin drifting away from the battlefield.</p><p></p><p>Gandil notices Eadric's smirk and turns around in time to notice the same thing. "He's just a distraction! Leave him to me, bring the other one back!"</p><p></p><p>The ettercaps rush towards Kavos and Hezrael, however Eadric cuts them off and breathes flame in their path; setting a good chunk of the forest itself on fire. They recoil in fear and attempt to find another way around as Gandil charges Eadric, snatching the kobold by the throat one handed with a growl.</p><p></p><p>"I don't know why you're doing this," Gandil hisses, "But Kavos is just using you! If you don't shake off his brainwashing you're going to make some VERY powerful enemies!"</p><p></p><p>Eadric opens his mouth as though to responds and simply squeaks. Gandil loosens his grip to hear what his opponent has to say and gets a face full of fire for his trouble. Eadric tumbles from his grasp as he slaps at his singed flesh.</p><p></p><p></p><p>As soon as he lands, Eadric bolts after the ettercaps as Gandil shouts in rage and repeatedly stumbles because of his curse. In a flash Eadric leaps onto the back of the first ettercap and delivers a palm strike which snaps its spine and drops it in its tracks.</p><p></p><p>The second ettercap makes a grab for Eadric, however he unleashes a flurry of attacks in response the leaves the creature in a broken pile besides its slain brethren. </p><p></p><p>The kobold pushes on in the direction they were heading and pretty much by luck stumbles upon Kavos and his familiar floating towards the forest exit.</p><p></p><p>Eadric starts to breathe a sigh of relief; however a vengeful roar rings out followed by a loud crashing sound among the trees. "We need to move. Move! Move! Move!" he almost screeches to whoever's willing to listen.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kidjake, post: 6764672, member: 6776876"] Eadric wakes up bloody and dizzy before the form of the Fire Idol, it takes him a minute to notice the dull ache issuing from his left hand a moment longer to remember removing the last two fingers from it. Strangely, the pain is minimal and the longer he lays there the better he feels. He realizes that the Idol must be healing him. "I've delivered my side of the bargain." the kobold finally says. "Your turn." "Farakim no longer has access to your minds." the Idol replies. "It's up to you to do the rest." Eadric winces as he flexes the remaining fingers of his left hand. "I suspected as much. Where is the fiend? I intend on finishing this now." The Idol's reply is a little too quick, a little too precise, a little too...helpful. "Close. Within this very forest in fact." it replies. "Are you sure you want to face him as you are though? Surely an edge couldn't hurt." With the price of his last deal still scarring over, Eadric knows better. "Just the directions Idol, I'll do this myself." "There's nothing more for you here Gandil." Kavos says, once the shock wears off. "Oh?" Gandil asks, raising an eyebrow as he skittes forward on his thick spider legs. "Because I can think of three traitors and an abomination that still hold this town in their grasp....not to mention poor Mr Baby. I don't think ANY of you people are fit to raise him!" "And YOU are?" Kavos retorts "Look at yourself Gandil, you are LITERALLY a monster now. You step into that Keep and not one person will remember you as the hero we convinced them you were." "Worry less about me Kavos and more about yourself, I won't be coming alone and once we show the town what you REALLY are, what YOU did to me, they'll welcome us as saviors." Gandil growls. "Tell me what I am Gandil. I am the man who made peace with the Locathah; I am the man who built homes for the homeless; I am the man who protected Westbank from The 8; I am the man who was lawfully elected to lead this town into prosperity." Kavos replies boldly. "Now, what are you? YOU are a monster that spread plague and ruin! YOU destroyed Eastbank, YOU infected the Locathah, YOU drove away our allies when we needed them the most! And you claim to be a savior? Savior of what exactly?" "Of the ruins of Blackstone Keep, once Bryce and Ibaeli are done burning it to the ground." Gandil replies coldly. "It's YOUR enemies that want our town burned Kavos. The merchant who's men YOU infected, the druid that YOU angered. They've agreed to spare the town, so long as I bring them your head." Kavos is taken aback and stammers for a moment. "You're a fool Gandil!" the elderly cleric shouts. "What have I done that is bad you would side with a slaver over a man of law? An INSANE druid over a man of order? While they dangle the lives of innocents as leverage!" "What have you done?" Gandil asks, gritting his teeth in self righteous fury. "Really?! You sentenced me to an eternity of silent torture to save a grave robbing liar! You locked innocent people on a crowded ship full of ghouls! You were willing to sell those we swore to protect into a lifetime of slavery..." the former sheriff says sadly. "Bryce is an a**hole and Ibaeli...well yeah, Ibaeli's crazy. I'm pretty sure he intends on eating you. But at least I know where I stand with them." "It wouldn't have been forever!" Kavos replies almost pleadingly. "I had plans for you Gandil, for US, if only you would have calmed down! As for the ship, you'd turned Bryce against us so I did what I had to do; which I WOULDN'T have had to do if YOU hadn't started the Apocalypse around us! Maybe you can't see why I made the difficult choices, but they had to be made. Maybe they were right, maybe they were wrong, but I did everything for the sake of Westbank." Gandil sighs and readies his two-handed blade. "Right or wrong...this is the way things have turned out Kavos. Whoever walks away from this gets to tell the town his side." Kavos starts to spring into action but is struck by a blast of webbing from Gandil and anchored to the ground, he manages to pass his Concentration check and get off a Bestow Curse to give Gandil a 50/50 chance of doing nothing each round. Gandil surges forward and sinks his fangs into Kavos's shoulder, poisoning his former friend with a strength draining venom. Kavos casts Spiritual Ally and a red spectral figure with large tusks and bull-like horns appears in a suit of fullplate armor, wielding a jagged mace, it hacks painfully into Gandil's side. The curse holds Gandil in place and Kavos takes this opportunity to hit himself with Owl's Wisdom, even as he feels his already meager physical strength being sapped away. Eadric stumbles towards the smoldering remains of Westbank in confusion, bruised and battered but otherwise in one piece. What happened here? Was it like this when he left? No...it was still in one piece. He's almost sure of it. The kobold reaches up to rub his throbbing head and nearly panics. His headband is gone! He tries to focus and remember, but without the magic of the headband it's so hard... His instincts scream for him to return to the warren, but he's still smart enough to know that won't help anything; he's got to get it back! His memory is fuzzy and disjointed, but he remembers Farakim. He remembers ambushing the creature by the road, being so sure of his success...but he failed. So spectacularly that his opponent didn't even try to kill him. No, he did much worse... Eadric grits his teeth as tries to bring everything into focus. Farakim recognized the magic in his headband, slammed him against a tree with invisible force until he stopped squirming and stripped it off him. He feels the panic returning. Without the headband he's just another kobold. Just another dirty, simpering, ignorant.... "Kavos!" Eadric nearly shouts to himself. Kavos could help, he's got magic...the kind that could make things clear again, shut up the whimpering little voice deep inside that Eadric had buried so long ago... There Westbank is in the distance! Kavos should be there. Wait, why is it burning? Was it like that when he left? No...it was still in one piece. He's almost sure of it. Kavos struggles uselessly against his bindings as his spiritual servant continues its assault on Gandil and the drider himself stumbles forward to bring his sword down onto Kavos's exposed shoulder. "Hiyaa!" Eadric shouts as he comes flying from seemingly nowhere, kicking Gandil in the side of the head and sending him staggering away in confusion. Kavos takes the opportunity to hit Gandil with Doom and Eadric recovers from his flying kick and leaps back into the air in an attempt to mount Gandil like a horse, however the kobold is quickly thrown to the ground. Gandil stumbles back again and with a wave of his hand the ground opens up and both Eadric and Kavos plummet almost 50ft onto the waiting spikes below. Blood flows freely from their wounds as they take stock of their situation. They're a good ways below ground and the walls seem to laced with razorblades. Their every step is impeded by crude spike jutting out of the ground...but at least Kavos is no longer stuck in his web and the poison seems to have finally worked its way out of his veins. Eadric's still wearing his slippers of spiderclimbing so he simply bolts right up the side of the pit without a word, though does manage to cut himself up in the process. Kavos calls his Spiritual Ally to him and rides the spectre out, though it disappears as he lands outside. He casts Shield of Faith on himself as he glares at Gandil's backside as the cursed drider attempts to stumble away. Eadric charges and spits Adhesive Spittle at Gandil's legs, managing to secure him in place for the time being. Kavos cats Unholy Blight, wanting to answer the question of Gandil's alignment once and for all, but it's diverted by Gandil's Spell Resistance and they continue wondering. Gandil attempts to free himself from the sticky strands holding him, but the curse forces him to stand there slackjawed instead. Eadric stands outside of Gandil's melee range and uses his Acid Breath on the bound warrior to devastating effect. Gandil isn't exactly sure who this little kobold is, but assumes that if he's helping Kavos he must have some connection to the town. "Why don't you go check on the others? They might be in trouble!" Gandil says as he casts Suggestion. Eadric's expression goes vacant as he decides that sounds like a marvelous idea; charging into the only building left standing (Rambalt's place) to search for survivors. Kavos curses as Eadric abandons him, but still takes the opportunity to cast Cure Serious Wounds on himself. Gandil responds by doing nothing, so Kavos starts peppering him with Channeled Negative Energy. Gandil begins chanting something that Kavos can't quite make out, so the cleric responds by casting Obscuring Mist on himself to block the monster's vision. No sooner does the mist appear than hundreds of spiders erupt from the ground and scatter into the mist in search of prey. Kavos responds with a blast of negative energy which manages to wipe them all out. When Kavos emerges from the mist he discovers Gandil scurrying away from the town at full speed. "Where are you going Gandil?" Kavos calls out in irritation, calmly following his former friend at a leisurely pace. "To get this fixed!" Gandil says, taking a staggered step as though he's forgetting how to walk. "I thought you had to kill me or they'd kill the town. You'd really abandon the town so easily?" Kavos says with a laugh. Gandil chuckles in response. "No, today was only a happy accident Kavos, I just came to say goodbye to West Bank. I'm not supposed to kill you for another few weeks...but if you insist." he says, spinning in place and brandishing his blade. "This is pointless Gandil." Kavos says exasperatedly. "We shouldn't be fighting, the town needs us both. After you died a man named Dolph came, he had a contract to kill me...and YOU. A deputy gave his life to defeat him, but Dolph's dying words were that until we were both dead everyone in town was a target." "I am dead." Gandil scoffs. "If they need proof I can show them where I'm buried." "I hardly think they'd see things that way." Kavos replies. "Gandil...Ibaei is working with these madmen. I have witnesses that'll say the same." "I know, Bryce hired them." Gandil replies with a vicious smile. "Like I said he's an a**hole, but him and Ibaeli have had some sort of deal in the works for the past few days and we're smoothing things over; I'm off his s***list." "You...know?" Kavos stammers, as though physically struck. "YOU KNOW!?" he shouts. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! You lecture ME on morality and you WORK for the people trying to kill our citizens!?" With a shout of genuine rage Kavos unleashes another burst of negative energy into Gandil's face. Gandil's grin grows slightly more manic. "It's not ideal Kavos, I admit. But take it from somebody who knows, dying's not the end of the world!" the deranged drider shouts as the ground opens up and swallows Kavos once more. Kavos tumbles down into the pit, impaling himself on landing. He groans and hears chanting as he stumbles wearily to his feet. He manages to patch up some of his injuries with a Cure Moderate Wounds just as the walls erupt with spiders. Kavos uses up the last of his Channel Negative Energy attempts to keep from being overwhelmed and discovers that he's suddenly out of spells as well. Kavos collapses in despair and sits in the pit panting until the spell ends and sky rushes to meet him once more. Gandil stands there, sword at the ready as Kavos appears and swings the flat of his blade like a club; sending Kavos rolling from the force of the blow. Everything starts going dark as Gandil snatches Kavos by the collar and hoists him until they're face to face. It looks like Gandil wants to say something, but instead settles for punching Kavos directly in the eye socket; fracturing the bone and putting him out like a light. "Eadric! EADRIC!" Lark shouts, shaking the little kobold until it starts to question why its digging in Rambalt's lab. "Where's Kavos?" the ranger demands. "I...something got him..." Eadric replies, glancing around in confusion. "Spider...big...big spider." "So that's what left those tracks..." Lark mutters, "Looks like a horse wallowed in the dirt out there; doesn't look like it even tried to be stealthy." "Can you follow it?" Eadric asks, his focus suddenly returning. Lark nods. "If spiders took him we may have time before he's dead, assuming we hurry." Eadric nods. "We need help, spider has magic...." "The sheriff is on his way, I'll send word that we're heading into the forest." Lark replies. Eadric shakes his head. "We need more. Need Rothan...need the giant... Point me towards the spider, I'll go ahead. You get help." Lark seems unsure about letting Eadric go alone, but it will take time to get reinforcements.... With a sigh, he takes Eadric out and shows him what to look for; though the kobold's faculties are diminished his eyes are as keen as ever and he bolts off at top speed. The trail is quite easy to follow, it looks uncannily like a grown man was dragged along the ground and into the forest by a monster. Once Eadric comes into the forest he scurries up a tree, pausing to note thata thick sheen of webbing covers the foliage trapping birds and other small animals inside. The trail is still quite easy to follow as Gandil appears to have simply battered his way into the forest, breaking twigs and bending bushes as he went. Eadric flits among the trees like an acrobatic shadow until he comes to a clearing with even more webbing than normal and a pair of mansized creatures with decidedly spiderlike features are 'tending' to a quartet of coccooned prisoners, Kavos among them. "Ettercaps..." Eadric mutters to himself, remembering the terror that these things so casually spread through the forest. Eadric begins to inch towards the clearing when a gruff voice rings in his head. "Keep your eyes peeled boss, our 'friend' is above you there." Hezrael says from his hiding spot nearby. Eadric glances around for where the voice came from, but his eyes are instead drawn to the hulking form of Gandil nestled in a bed of webbing in the tree tops. Eadric pops the tops of most of his remaining extracts and downs Haste, Bear's Endurance, Stone Fist, Shield and Fire Breath like a bitter cocktail. Eadric leaps from his tree to Gandil's and runs silently up the face of it until he can almost make out the beast's face. He then exhales a gout of flame that consumes Gandil's protective webbing and drops him more than 100ft to the ground below. Gandil slams painfully into the ground with a miserable groan, but once he realizes what's happening manages to get off a stream of magic missiles that slam into Eadric like a volley of arrows. Eadric shouts and leaps from the treetops, delivering a terminal velocity axe-kick that rocks Gandil in place. The ettercaps hiss and charge the kobold, venom dripping from their mandibles. Eadric weaves around the trio of spider monsters with ease before leaping into the air and kicking one ettercap in the head, using the momentum to flip himself over Gandil and landing with both feet directly in the vengeful drider's face. Gandil responds with an overhanded blow that sends Eadric reeling across the forest floor and the ettercaps spew webs which fail to connect. Eadric notices Kavos's cocoon fall silently from its resting place as a large rat attempts to chew through it. They both land on the same floating disc which saved him from the locathah and begin drifting away from the battlefield. Gandil notices Eadric's smirk and turns around in time to notice the same thing. "He's just a distraction! Leave him to me, bring the other one back!" The ettercaps rush towards Kavos and Hezrael, however Eadric cuts them off and breathes flame in their path; setting a good chunk of the forest itself on fire. They recoil in fear and attempt to find another way around as Gandil charges Eadric, snatching the kobold by the throat one handed with a growl. "I don't know why you're doing this," Gandil hisses, "But Kavos is just using you! If you don't shake off his brainwashing you're going to make some VERY powerful enemies!" Eadric opens his mouth as though to responds and simply squeaks. Gandil loosens his grip to hear what his opponent has to say and gets a face full of fire for his trouble. Eadric tumbles from his grasp as he slaps at his singed flesh. As soon as he lands, Eadric bolts after the ettercaps as Gandil shouts in rage and repeatedly stumbles because of his curse. In a flash Eadric leaps onto the back of the first ettercap and delivers a palm strike which snaps its spine and drops it in its tracks. The second ettercap makes a grab for Eadric, however he unleashes a flurry of attacks in response the leaves the creature in a broken pile besides its slain brethren. The kobold pushes on in the direction they were heading and pretty much by luck stumbles upon Kavos and his familiar floating towards the forest exit. Eadric starts to breathe a sigh of relief; however a vengeful roar rings out followed by a loud crashing sound among the trees. "We need to move. Move! Move! Move!" he almost screeches to whoever's willing to listen. [/QUOTE]
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