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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 4753085" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #472] The Not So Great Escape, Part I[/PLAIN]"Funny thing, that last little clause you mentioned," Morier laughed and stepped back till he was flanking Saelus. "I find it funny anyway." Akerman looked at him quizzically."I'm sorry, you've lost me," he told the eldritch warrior. And Morier shrugged."You see I had just brought myself around to the conclusion that your willingness to barter might well have been the only thing preventing me from having to kill you, which honestly, I have no true desire to do, but will do so to protect myself," the albino explained. "Such an educated man as yourself must see the irony in it, that we have both established each other as 'reasonable men', given that you have decided to kill me to take what you want, and I have decided to kill you to stop you taking from me what is no more rightfully yours than it is mine. And we could both get what we want without the risk of either of us dying, if you hadn't thrown that last clause in.""You misunderstand me, Morier," the doctor said. "If other means were an option, then I would gladly barter with you for the sword. But Loremaster Starsoul tasked me to retrieve the weapon and presented me with a sum of coin to do so. Unfortunately I have spent that sum to secure these githyanki retainers and-""Shut Akerman up for a few seconds," Saelus mumbled to Grandfather Plaque and, sensing his intention the construct pursed his stone lips sending four Magic Missiles flying unerringly into Dr. Akerman's chest. Even as the wizard staggered backward, Morier touched his own chest and Called a Lightning Storm into being. He pointed at Akerman and a bolt of Lightning shot down at the man from the ceiling, striking an unfortunate githyanki warrior in the process. The githyanki was blown apart by the bolt, but Akerman dodged out of its path, singed by its passing, but largely uninjured.Saelus followed Morier's attack with a Quickened Sandstorm spell, centered just behind the main body of the opposition. The magical cloud of swirling sand extended over the prow of the ship, but it didn't really deter Saelus. He moved there and extended a hand to the crystal that governed the ship's motion, trying to gain control of it as Morier severed the mooring lines.Grandfather Plaque, unable to see his opponents any longer opened his mouth wide and Shouted into the cloud of dust and grit. The effects of the sonic attack were not immediately apparent, but he did not eliminate their enemies entirely, for a moment later the githyanki leader flew from the cloud, and extended a hand at the boat. A cone of glowing Doom Scarabs washed over the three companions, opening numerous bleeding wounds on Saelus' and Morier's exposed flesh. Grandfather Plaque seemed unaffected and Morier did not seem nearly as hurt as the colonel.Three of the githyanki warriors emerged from the cloud, but they were too far away to do anything but brush sand from their eyes and get their bearings. The two sergeants appeared next, one of them warded by some sort of magic that clung close to his body. The other pointed his sword at Morier and fired at him a pair of Scorching Rays. The eldritch warrior shielded his face reflexively, but he needn't have worried as the fiery rays dissipated harmlessly against his spell resistance.Morier retaliated by Calling a Lightning bolt down onto the man. He twisted away from the worst of it, but still took some electrical damage from the bolt's passing."Get us out of here!" the albino shouted to Saelus, and the war wizard complied by forcing the ship backward so fast that Morier nearly toppled over the side. The colonel held his hands over the glowing crystal, but he was looking backward over his shoulder at the doors leading out. He slammed into the two githyanki guards who had been closing with them, killing them both, and continued on, ramming the boat full speed into the rightmost door. The stern struck hard, gouging a minor dent in the wood, and sending shockwaves through the small craft that finally did upset Morier's balance, knocking him prone against the bottom of the boat. Saelus lurched forward and caught himself on the prow, maintaining his balance by the slimmest of margins. In horror, he looked at the door, and saw that it was still soundly closed and looked like it could take several more such blows before giving way."Can you do anything about these doors?" the colonel asked Morier and the albino considered for a heartbeat before nodding. "Good, because-"Saelus' words died in his mouth as the rush and hiss of swirling sand abruptly stopped. Akerman hovered across the chamber, his hands held in the final somatic gestures of the Dispel Magic he'd just used to eliminate the colonel's Sandstorm. With the cloud gone, they could see the rest of the opposition. The githyanki that Morier had hit with a lightning bolt hung dead and smoking in the air, while off to the left and a bit below him, two of his fellows and the boatman, Olimir, writhed, clutching their bleeding ears, victims of Grandfather Plaque's Shout. The remainder were battle-ready and spreading out into formations."Oh dear!" Grandfather Plaque exclaimed and peppered Akerman with another barrage of Magic Missiles.The githyanki leader barked out a command and charged the boat, his greatsword flashing. He brought his sword down onto the prone Morier's shoulder, and although the eldritch warrior's armor absorbed some of the impact, keeping Morier's arm attached to his torso, it could do nothing to eliminate the Shocking Grasp spell the githyanki channelled through the sword. Luckily, his spell resistance could, and the electrical attack fizzled uselessly.One of the two sergeants cloaked himself in protective magics, while the other pointed a sword at Saelus and hit him with a Ray of Enfeeblement. The colonel felt himself weaken to the point where he could no longer support the weight of his armor. Encumbered, he slumped forward, borne to the bottom of the boat beside Morier as the two githyanki moved into flanking positions."You will yield or this one dies," one of them barked out in the common tongue.</blockquote>

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